Running, I crane my neck to glance back. Right on our tail, over ten wolves are chasing us down, weaving expertly between the trees and closing in fast. Max shouts, and I turn toward him. "There's a few on our right as well," he says. I nod, considering our options. I could use Blood Rush to escape, but Max would be left behind, certain to get caught. And we're not nearly strong enough to take on this whole pack head on, not to mention the alpha.

Gritting my teeth, I yell, "Max! Try to throw off the ones on our right!"

Moments later, flickers of light spark at the edge of my vision, and I activate Blood Rush at a low intensity, quickening my pace to get ahead of Max and shift to his right. The left seems relatively clear, and if any wolves close in, I can deal with them using a burst of Blood Rush. As I move closer to Max, I notice that a few wolves are larger than the others, though still not as massive as the alpha. They're not only bigger but faster and more powerful-looking. Unease prickles my senses, and I prepare for a possible thrust just as Karmic Vision activates, revealing three thick black lines arcing from Max's position to the right. I focus on the darkest, thickest one. Without delay, I increase Blood Rush's output and launch forward with a spear thrust aimed where the line appears.

As I reach my position, a huge wolf leaps at Max's back, but my spear finds its mark before its jaws can snap shut. The spear sinks into the wolf's side, but I feel incredible resistance. Instinctively, I twist the spear and yank it free, unwilling to lose my weapon so soon. The wolf tumbles, rolling to the right and briefly disrupting the others. Feeling a flash of satisfaction, I turn toward Max—only to feel a crushing pressure around my right leg. Realizing what's happened, I try to regain my balance, but I'm too late. Max, however, sees the struggle and shoves his hand into the wolf's massive jaws, releasing a torrent of flames. The wolf's body swells, then bursts with a loud boom, hurling us sideways. In the split second before impact, I cast Bloody Bandage. A warm stream flows into my right leg, and the pain I was braced for never arrives. Max isn't so lucky; his prone form lies to my left, his right arm blistered and burned.

Getting to my feet, I scan our surroundings. It doesn't take long to spot one of the giant wolves barreling toward Max's dazed body. Panic surges, and I unleash Blood Rush at half burst, diving in with my spear pointed forward. The collision sends the wolf backward, but my spear snaps in half. The attack barely slows it down; the wolf rises with a fierce hunger and rage in its eyes. Holding the broken spear in both hands, I place myself between the wolf and Max, assessing the situation. The pack has created a circle around us, with the massive wolf I injured now joined by another equally imposing beast.

Damn it. How did it come to this? Maybe they'll at least give us a quick end, though something about their stance says otherwise. Before I can dwell on that, I feel Max's hand on my shoulder as he moves up beside me.

"I'll handle the smaller ones," he says. "Think you can manage the two big ones?"

Smirking, I drop the broken spear pieces, roll my shoulders, and clench my fists. "Yeah. I'll beat the hell out of them with my bare hands if I have to."

Max gives me a sharp nod and dashes to the left, conjuring and hurling fireballs at the smaller wolves. One of the larger wolves starts to follow him, but I intercept it with a powerful uppercut to its jaw, snapping its head upward. I prepare another punch, only to see the second wolf darting toward me from the right. Abandoning the follow-up, I dodge back to avoid a swipe. Now, both wolves have their undivided attention on me, coiling for a combined attack.

I said I could handle this, but with no way to actually injure them, this might really be my last fight. Shaking off the thought, I rush forward to meet them mid-attack, slamming my fists down on their heads as claws tear across my chest. Jumping back, I quickly glance at my status.

Health: 100/140

Stamina: 40/110

Mana: 70/90

Charisma: 4/10

Damn it. Another boosted Blood Rush will drop my stamina to zero—something I can't risk after what happened to Max when his mana hit zero. The wolves waste no time, charging at me from both sides. Straining my muscles, I use another Blood Rush boost to jump, barely clearing them as they collide where I'd just stood. On my way down, I try to land on one of their heads, but they dodge at the last second. This time, they're cautious, watching me with intent rather than attacking outright.

Gulping air, I ready myself, but suddenly, my vision goes dark as a flood of new information rushes into my mind. When I open my eyes, I know what's happened. I've unlocked a new skill:

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"Bloody Claws Level 3, Uncommon"

Wasting no time, I channel my blood and mana to my fingertips, watching as a red mist gathers around them, solidifying into razor-sharp crystal talons. The process leaves me slightly lightheaded, but I dodge left as Karmic Vision activates, showing me the trajectory of the wolves' incoming attacks. With a swipe, my right hand rakes across the injured wolf's face, leaving deep scars and blinding one eye. Not satisfied, I unleash a powerful Blood Rush, crossing both claws in an X-shape across its neck. Blood sprays in an arc, drenching the ground as the wolf crumples.

Breathing hard, I use Bloody Bandage, feeling my wounds knit back together and deeper ones scab over as I prepare for the second wolf. Marveling at the potency of the claws, I check my stamina—it's down to ten. I deactivate Blood Rush, not daring to reach zero, and brace myself, arms poised as the wolf observes its fallen comrade and glances at the gleaming claws on my hands. It seems to hesitate, but then snarls, baring its fangs as it coils for another attack.

I can't match its speed without Blood Rush, but maybe I can use one last Karmic Eyes to predict its move and counterattack. With my mind set, I crouch lower, every muscle ready. Silence stretches, then the wolf blurs forward, my vision turning dark as a thick black line marks its trajectory. Waiting until the line solidifies, I dodge right, bringing my left claw up with everything I have. As my vision returns, I feel a hot trickle of blood down my side, and it takes a moment to register—the second wolf lies still, a deep gash from its neck to its ear, pooling blood beneath it. My left arm is undamaged, though my claws on my left hand have dissipated.

Taking a long breath, I glance at my status:

Health: 70/140

Stamina: 10/110

Mana: 40/90

Charisma: 0/10

Odd. My health dropped despite no new wounds. Suddenly, I remember the memory implanted when I unlocked Bloody Claws—it consumes my blood to form the crystal talons. I'll need to be careful with that.

Just as I start reviewing my notifications, Max shouts, "If you're done, I could use some help!" Scanning the area, I spot Max with more than ten wolves at his heels, launching fireballs that grow weaker with each cast. Wasting no time, I rush to his side, shredding two wolves with my claws. "Let's go before more catch up," I say.

Max nods, dropping his spells and focusing on finding a path out of the forest. I follow close, fending off any wolves that get too close. As I tear through one wolf lunging from my right, the claws on my hand shatter, leaving me without a weapon again. Reforming them would leave me vulnerable, so I shake my head and pick up speed, closing in on Max.

We hadn't gotten far when a piercing howl cut through the air, sharp and clear. It didn't take a genius to know what that meant. I picked up my pace to catch up to Max and asked, "What's your status?"

Max grimaced, his forehead creased with strain as his burned right arm swung awkwardly at his side. "Health's at fifty, mana's down to twenty, but stamina's still around sixty," he replied, sighing.

"That'll do. We just need to stay alive until they give up," I reassured him, though my words sounded hollow even to myself.

Max didn't seem fully convinced, but he accepted it, his eyes darting around, scanning the tree line for more wolves.

As we ran, the forest thinned, and soon we were moving across open, even ground with only a few scattered trees in our path. We burst out of a dense line of bushes and skidded to a halt as a vast clearing opened up before us. It wasn't just a simple clearing, though—it was a ledge overlooking a massive waterfall, with at least a fifty-meter drop.

Barely catching our breath, we heard rustling as the underbrush tore apart. Dozens of wolves poured into the clearing, surrounding us. So, this is it, I thought. At least I'll go down fighting.

Before they could close in completely, I activated Bloody Claws. The familiar talons formed at my fingertips, leaving me with only thirty health left. I lunged at the nearest wolf, slashing upward and leaving deep gouges across its face, blinding it in one eye. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw three wolves leaping toward me from different angles. But before they could reach me, flames erupted around them, sending them crashing back into the other wolves.

Taking advantage of the chaos, I dove into the fray, slashing and tearing at anything that came close. Blood splattered in the air as I became a whirlwind of claws, ripping through flesh and bone. Max stayed close, taking down any wolves that tried to blindside me, though I knew he was nearly out of mana.

Just as I finished off another wolf, a suffocating aura pressed down on me. I staggered back, fighting to breathe, as a giant beast emerged from the trees, its fur bristling and coated in a sickly green aura that shredded through the underbrush. The malice radiating from it was so intense that even the other wolves paused, forming a semicircle around the alpha as it faced us down.

I glanced at Max, who looked drained, probably trying to think of a way out. I noticed that my claws had started to fade, their energy dissipating. Casting Bloody Claws again would just kill me before the alpha got the chance. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad—at least it would be quick. With nothing left to lose, I prepared to call on the skill again as the alpha began its slow, menacing advance.

But then, Max grabbed my shoulder, whispering, "Do you trust me?"

Before I could answer, the alpha's massive fangs glowed with a green, ethereal light as it prepared to strike. The ground beneath me suddenly vanished, and I found myself plunging into open air. The last thing I saw before darkness closed in was the alpha's furious face as its jaws snapped down on empty space.