Chapter 34

When staring a giant wolf down, a wolf so large it could swallow you whole, there are few things to remember. First… it has to catch you, before it can eat you. Second, it’s probably faster than you, meaning you can’t outrun it. And third, you’re likely going to die. With that final thought, there was only one thing to do, when looking at your impending death.

“Open the chests!” I screamed the words as I flung the chest in front of me open. Nyle scrambled past opening the other on our side, and Lyn opened the next one. I felt the warm tingle of magic, the itching in my mind that said something had been added to my inventory but didn’t dare look. Now that I’d at least ensured the loot that we were likely about to die for had been acquired, it was time to do what we’d been trained for. It was time to die like Climbers.

The wolf snarled, and the sound practically caused me to freeze in place. The sheer force of the wind from its mouth caused the torch to sputter dangerously. Its eyes shifted as it took in our appearances. It sniffed the air and turned away from Lyn to glare at Nyle and myself. Could it smell the blood of all the wolves on us?

“It won’t let me leave.” Lyn said. I’d looked away from her when the wolf focused on me. “The path is blocked.” That made me glance frantically back, for just a second. Sure enough, the entrance we’d stepped through was blocked by a shadowy fog. Lyn was pushing against it, but it was refusing to give way. Even if I had planned on running away, and obviously Lyn had just tried without telling us, the Tower had a different opinion.

“We’ve got no choice but to fight.” I tried to sound brave. Really. But my voice cracked, and it just sounded desperate.

“No shit.” Nyle said. He had moved a little further away from me. “But do you have any brilliant plans on how?” The wolf snarled again and snapped in the air. Its black fur stood in jagged spikes along its sides. It took a step towards us, and the ground shook.

“Kill it with fire?” I offered. The wolves outside hadn’t seemed too keen on fire.

“I’ve three left after this.” Nyle countered, the fireball already appearing in his left hand. The short sword was gone, and I figured he’d simply returned it to his inventory. Slightly faster than sheathing the thing.

“Better make them count,” I only had enough mana left for a single spell. And I was planning to save that for a heal.

“Uh huh,” Nyle threw the ball of flames at the wolf as Lyn knocked an arrow. The glowing ball of fire soared true and splashed against the wolf’s fur. It snarled and shook its head, the very tips of its fur glowing faintly as they were singed. Other than that, nothing happened.

Well, other than the fact the wolf seemed to finally make up its mind on who to attack. It growled and leapt at Nyle, its mouth snapping towards him. I took the chance to dash across its side. The sheer size of the creature meant while it was standing, its belly was just above my head. With how large it was, I figured the best bet would be to hug its leg and try to attack from where it couldn’t easily reach me.

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Another splash of fire hit its face as Nyle dove out of the way. An arrow thudded into its neck, but from the sound of the impact, I doubted it did much damage.

I turned my focus away from my teammates to the task at hand. It was a battle of life or death, and we couldn’t worry about each other. We had jobs to do, and it was on each of us, to keep ourselves alive so we could do it.

I hacked at the back leg, aiming for the tendon with my scimitar. My grip tightened as I swung, recalling my experience with the cow and Hans. The weapon bit all of two inches into the heavily muscled leg. I felt the skin and muscle tighten as the wolf shifted its weight, but I held fast to my weapon, keeping it in hand as the wolf moved.

Another roar of fire, Nyle’s third fireball this fight, echoed in the chamber. Then a howl from the wolf, which echoed loudly around the room. The sound was deafening, and it was all I could do to not raise my hands to my ears in pain. I groaned past the sound and hacked once more at the leg.

Following the roar, I couldn’t hear anything. My ears rang weirdly, but other than that, there was a strange muteness. I focused on my attacks, cutting in diagonal slashes, dodging left and right as the wolf shifted, reacting to my attacks while still focused on Nyle.

Red blood shone in the light of the torch, and I could see flesh peeling back as I made progress on the leg. I cut again and again, losing track of time as I focused on my task. If I could take out this leg, then the creature wouldn’t be as mobile. If it was slower, even by a little, we’d be able to take advantage of that, and whittle it down. All we needed to do-

The wolf leapt to the side while I was swinging by blade. The sudden shift as it became airborne caught me by surprise, and the massive paw of the leg I had been butchering, clipped me across the head. I skidded across the ground, my vision wavering as the torch flew out of my hand. I cursed and held my left hand, now empty, up to my chest, casting heal immediately. As I did, sound suddenly returned to me, the battlefield suddenly chaotic and alive.

There was sobbing and terrified screaming. There were cries of pain. I tried to stand, and as I did my gaze caught sight of Nyle just in time to watch his body split apart. His eyes blinked as he coughed up blood, his torso dropping onto the ground as the wolf hungrily ate his lower torso. He weakly clutched his rapier in his right hand, as a ball of fire glowed to life in his left. His final one.

He made to throw it, but his arm fell limp before he could, the spell sputtering out as he died. I noticed then where the terrified screaming was coming from. The torch that had been knocked out my hands was dying down, the room quickly growing darker. Nyle’s fireball, had countered that, but with his death, the room was cast in near darkness. Lyn’s panicked breathing told me where she was. Her hands lit with flames as she summoned the spell.

The wolf, like a monstrous shadow, descended on her. The crunch of bones, the squelch of skin being torn asunder, organs puncture, accompanied Lyn’s gasps. Then there was silence. The silence, of all the sounds I’d just heard, sent the greatest chill down my spine. I took a steady breath and stood, knowing full well what was coming. Still, I held my weapons in hand, and did my best to calm my breathing, preparing myself for my death.

Hot air was the only warning before I felt the teeth pierce my body. I stabbed blindly upwards with my parrying dagger and swung my scimitar wildly. It did no good. I felt a crunch, felt pain, and then felt nothing. A numbness flowed over my body, and then, my mind. The only reason I knew I was dead, in that moment of unfeeling nothingness, was the words that appeared, once again, in my mind.

You’ve Died.