"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

It turned out that when he wasn't stuck up a tree, Jace had a lot more fun with his abilities. Cole watched the man cackle and felt a pang of regret at the monster he had unleashed.

It had started out innocent enough. They had left the Pocket Forge as the sun was rising, stepping back into the clearing just after dawn. No wolves were lying in wait to ambush them, and Jace confirmed with his sight Ability that the massive bear and wolf had finished their fighting, for now. With nothing to fight and with Cole wanting to wait for better materials before making anything new, they pressed on toward the destination of the crystal near the forest's center.

Despite the hostile terrain, they had made good time, though the changes mana had wrought were far more apparent the closer they got to their goal. Trees swayed in a breeze that wasn't there, twigs grasping like fingers. It took them more than a minute to move a single inch, but they were undeniably intentional in their attempts at attacking. If they weren't at snail speed, grasping trees with thousands of wooden fingers each would likely be terrifying—especially a whole forest of them.

They finally saw one of the elusive birds. This was the first time even Jace had seen one, as it seemed that they used some form of stealth ability when not in a group. They only saw one sitting on a distant branch because of the slight shimmer in the air as it hopped to a new perch. Once it stopped at its new resting place, it stilled and shimmered before disappearing completely. It was also as big as a bicycle, with a wingspan the length of a surfboard.

About a quarter of the way to the crystal, they had decided to cut through a valley that dipped between two tree-covered cliffs, one of the few spots they had seen that was at least a little lacking in greenery. There were still a few vines and raggedy bushes, but for the most part, the valley was closer to a ravine, full of gravel and stone. There were a bunch of smaller rents in the earth bisecting it, like stitches covering a scar in the earth.

That was how they had gotten to how they were now. A dire wolf was charging towards them from across a particularly wide and deep ravine. There was an outcropping of stone to one side of the cliff walls they could be used to safely step across, but the wolf seemed intent on simply jumping the gap. And with its red light empowering its legs, it was sprinting at the speed of a car. Cole was fairly certain it was going to make the jump.

Jace disagreed. The higher mana density as they pressed further into the forest had improved his regeneration, if only slightly, so he was justified in wasting the mana for a portal on a single enemy.

A pane of swirling purple energy formed at the opposite edge of the ravine, perpendicular to them and as small as Jace could currently make it, about the diameter of a head of lettuce. It spun and bobbed in the air like a shard of glass being tugged up and down on a string, before becoming perfectly still and collapsing in on itself. From the implosion of that purple energy emerged a portal, identical to the one now hovering in from of the boomstick.

The dire wolf was nearing the edge. It whooped and snarled in rage and excitement. There was prey! And the only defense it had mounted was a shiny floating circle! The Monster would be fed for days with this kill! It reached the lip of the ravine, tensed its legs to prepare for the powerful leap, and- was hit directly in the legs by the pure essence and representation of Boom.

The rune, like all of its kind, was partly affected by the intent of both the creator and the wielder. A rune couldn't do anything that it didn't represent, but it could be focused on one particular aspect. When Cole had forged the boomstick, he had done so with the idea of 'boom' as an agent of expansion. A force rushing out from its origin, spreading its effects, and destroying or warping anything that got in the way.

Jace had a hell of a lot more mana to pour into the rune. More fuel for the fire, so to speak. And what he thought of as 'boom' was all-consuming and corrupting. The devastation was one thing, but get to a high enough amount of power, an unstable enough source of that power? Radiation was the result. The Overseer wanted the mana to seep into the target, to corrupt and twist and poison and warp until its veins couldn't even pump the mana that was supposed to be running through them to oppose the invasive magic.

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So when the shimmer of pure mana was sent through the portal and across the ravine, it expanded by the will of its creator, covering all of the wolf's limbs and completely neutralizing any red light around them. It corrupted with the will of its wielder, ensuring that the red light couldn't just seep back in. The magic was prevented from aiding the wolf's jump, and the shock of the blast made the beast trip over its own paws.

The wolf that had likely been running at least fifty miles per hour just slipped off the cliff face, its momentum carrying it forward and gravity dragging it down until a series of sharp cracks sounded out from the stone below the edge of their side of the ravine. Mary glared at the man for denying her the spoils of the fight. Jace wouldn't stop cackling.

Once the Overseer had calmed down, their party continued through the ravine. They didn't find any other wolves, although similar to the trees they did find some collections of boulders slowly fusing into a vaguely humanoid shape. The connection was incredibly slow due to the size of the things, but still visible. The stones ground together and sent minuscule tendrils to connect to their neighbors. In a few days, the ravine would likely be the home of some form of golem.

They exited the ravine and progressed into the jungle, still without being challenged.

"They're just tracking us. I can see them through the Gaze."

Jace confirmed that the pack of wolves had sent a few members to follow them. It was odd that they hadn't attacked yet, but that was also quickly cleared up the the Overseer.

"These are the only ones I can see, and there are only six of them. All dire, but one is missing a leg. That, combined with the very large amount of blood and bones near where the bear is staying makes me think these are the only small wolves left. The big guy probably doesn't want to risk them on us."

To add credibility to the man's guess, they didn't see another wolf for the next three hours. After that, they decided to take a break. The sun had just passed its apex, so it was likely around noon. Now that the wolve's numbers had been cut down a bit, they didn't hole up in the Pocket Forge. Before, they would have been overwhelmed if they stayed outside. Now, the risk of the wolves setting an ambush while they were inside outweighed the risk of an up-front attack.

More conjured food, which was starting to taste just a little bit less devoid of flavor as Cole practiced, was summoned and they stopped to discuss their plan. Cole wanted some of the mana crystal, Mary wanted the massive profits she thought would come of slaying either of the two big guys, and Jace wanted revenge for being stuck up a tree. Whatever they decided to do, the big wolf would likely end up dead.

They eventually decided to wait until the bear woke up. Based on how fearful Jace said the wolves looked through his Gaze, the big two were having a bit more than a territory dispute now. It was personal. And with the amount of wolves the bear had eaten, it was likely that the only reason it stopped was because it was full. Once it woke up, there was a good chance it would start hunting their followers, or that the big wolf would reassign its minions to watch the bear.

Once the little ones were taken care of, they would engage the wolf. They would try to keep it as far from the life crystal as they could, to prevent it from healing mid-fight. Jace would try to lock down its red light and stop any other magic it could use while staying as far from the fight as he could. If the Monster was as strong as Cole thought it was, he wouldn't have the ability to both protect the Overseer and deal meaningful damage.

Mary would slow it down as much as she could and get a strike in with her spear every now and then. She was faster than Jace, and her affinity spear gave her better options in melee, so Cole didn't think he would have to cover for her. She was gaining proficiency with the spear surprisingly fast. More magic-bullshitery, perhaps? She was growing into a capable combatant, and the smith wasn't sure of his chance in the fight without her.

The Chosen Creator himself would focus on one thing. Damage. He was going to have access to a magic healing crystal soon, so there was no reason to play it safe or subtle. His claymore, forcefire blasts, and anything else he could bullshit his way into doing damage with. He needed to take the opportunities that his companions gave him and make good use of them.

It happened sooner rather than later. A rumble went through the forest as the bear greeted the day with a roar. Jace confirmed that the wolves watching them rushed towards the sound immediately. Whether for scouting or as cannon fodder remained to be seen.

They followed the Overseer's directions for about a ten-minute trek and found themselves at a clearing about half a mile away from the center of the forest. The towering green crystal was visible in the distance, with a wall of choking vines beginning to crawl up its surface. The plants were covered in strange buds and massive flowers, visible even at this distance. They were all colors under the sky, and a few that weren't. Cole was definitely experimenting with that.

And there, standing in the center of the clearing itself and looking at them with eyes full to the brim with disdain, was the wolf.