They navigated the expansive chamber and proceeded down a narrower corridor, where the scent gradually shifted, unmistakably it started smelling like dog. A whole fucking kennel.

Syl halted their advance, alert to the presence of numerous Lycans nearby. "We need to take a different route," she whispered, demonstrating remarkable agility and strength as she scaled a wall with ease, her fingers extending into small claws for grip. She disappeared into a shaft, only to reappear moments later through a door that had been previously concealed.

Inside the small cell they entered, a small Lycan lay on the floor, its breaths shallow and labored, chained to the wall. Syl paid it little heed as she moved towards another door, cautiously listening before gently pushing it open.

The small, hair-covered form on the ground, caked in dried blood, stirred at their presence. "Syl, wait," Immanuel called out, prompting her to return with a questioning look.

"What is that?" he inquired, nodding toward the small creature.

"That's Stumb," Syl replied.

"Why is he chained and nearly dead?" Immanuel asked.

Syl explained, "He always tried to escape. His Lycan transformation went awry; he never fully developed." Seeing Immanuel's confusion, she elaborated, "He stayed the size of a child. Normally, Lycans eliminate those who deviate, but they spared Stumb, possibly because they found him amusing."

Stumb's soft whine, reminiscent of a labradoodle puppy, tugged at Immanuel's heart. "We can't just leave him here."

"Why not?" Syl asked, genuinely perplexed by his insistence.

A surge of frustration overcame Immanuel. "Why? Because he's suffering! Doesn't that matter to anyone?" he exclaimed, his voice rising with emotion.

"Keep your voice down," Syl cautioned, quickly moving to his side and pressing close for a moment. "I'll hold his collar; you need to break it."

She knelt and cautiously grasped the collar, while Immanuel took a moment to compose himself. Drawing his sword, he began to channel energy into it, gradually increasing the power. He struck down at the collar, Stumb whimpering softly. Syl held out the collar without flinching. He struck repeatedly, each blow delivered with precision, until finally, the collar broke.

Storing his sword, Immanuel then carefully flooded his arms with energy and gently worked on loosening the cord, allowing the small wolf to wriggle free.

Immanuel cradled Stumb gently in his arms as Syl dashed back towards the door, only to return moments later with a look of alarm. "Damn, we've got company," she hissed. The door they had initially considered as an exit suddenly exploded inward, revealing a towering Lycan who unleashed a menacing howl. The call was met with a chorus of howls in response, signaling the approach of many more.

With Stumb securely in his arms, Immanuel raced after Syl, expending his core energy to match her speed. The sound of numerous paws thundering behind them was harrowing. "We're not going to outrun them," Immanuel realized, panic starting to set in. "We need to get to that ship."

The thought of outright fleeing, skipping the ship entirely, crossed his mind as Syl veered right into another hallway, leading them downward. The absence of doors indicated they were nearing their destination.

They ran into another runnel and emerged into a vast cave, where a body of water lay, and there it was—the ship.

The ship was a stunning sight, boasting a dark green hull and three masts. Immanuel barely had a moment to appreciate its beauty as the sound of hundreds of Lycans closing in echoed behind them.

"We were so close," he lamented internally, knowing they couldn't possibly fend off such a massive group of Lycans.

In a desperate move, he called out to Syl, "You have to get that ship out of here, catch!"

Turning to face him, Syl caught the small form of Stumb as Immanuel hurled the creature towards her.

"Get the ship started!" Immanuel shouted.

"I need cores!" Syl yelled, her voice strained as she leaped from rock to rock, making her way to the ship. Immanuel followed suit, the pounding footsteps of the Lycans echoing close behind.

He managed to leap onto the ship's deck, closely trailing Syl as she dashed towards a door at the ship's front, disappearing behind it. Immanuel struggled to compose himself, needing to access his storage for the necessary cores. The first of the Lycans emerged from the tunnel, led by an enormous beast that towered over the others, asserting its dominance. But it did not jump after them to the ship. Instead it stood tall trying to block the entrance to the cave.

Immanuel realized with a shock that the alpha Lycan was trying to control the others, flinging any that tried to leap towards the ship back into the tunnel.

While still trying to calm his core, several Lycans succeeded in reaching the ship, their ferocious snarls filling the air. Immanuel felt a deep, resonating rumble emanating from the ship itself, signaling that Syl was initiating the start-up process.

With no time to lose, Immanuel's core energy blazed to life, and he lunged towards the three Lycans that had boarded. He moved with lethal precision, decapitating the first with a swift chop as it lunged. The second snapped at him, but he flashed to the side, delivering a fatal thrust through its brain. The third, disoriented from landing, turned to face him. Immanuel dodged its attack and, with a clean slice, severed its head.

Immanuel's instincts kicked into overdrive as the alpha Lycan let out a deep howl, charging towards the ship. Simultaneously, Immanuel felt the ship beginning to inch forward, its movement slow but steady.

He quickly realized the situation: the big Lycan was not an aggressor but a protector, and the others were not seasoned fighters but young, perhaps even pups. Baby Lycans? ‘This is our chance,’ he thought.

As the alpha Lycan rapidly closed in, Immanuel, fueled by a surge of core energy, launched himself off the ship. At the peak of his arc, he executed a flash, landing amidst the frenzied pack of young Lycans tumbling out of the tunnel in disarray.

The scene was chaotic, the young Lycans scrambling over each other, their movements lacking any semblance of training or coordination. Immanuel moved through them with lethal precision, his actions powered by the formidable energy of a stage 4 core. Each strike was calculated and swift, aimed at kolling the inexperienced pups.

The ship, now slowly gaining momentum, served as a backdrop to this grim dance of survival. Immanuel's focus was razor-sharp, every slash and dodge a testament to his resolve to protect Syl and ensure their escape.

Immanuel's situation became increasingly desperate as the alpha Lycan, driven to a frenzy, lunged towards him, hindered only by her instinct to protect the younger Lycans. As he executed a downward slash, decapitating another pup, his attention was momentarily diverted by the sight of two vampires landing on the deck.

‘Damn, where did they come from!’ he cursed internally, his frustration mounting. He needed to get back to the ship, to Syl.

Dodging under an attacking Lycan, Immanuel used his flash, hoping to create distance between himself and his attackers. However, the sheer number and ferocity of the Lycans trapped him in a continuous struggle. Every move he made was countered by another snarling beast, their numbers overwhelming.

Immanuel's struggle against the Lycan pups was relentless. Each one, larger than him, fervently attempted to bite and overpower him. He fought back fiercely, using his shield to deflect attacks and flashing between his assailants, cutting them down with strategic precision. The alpha Lycan, in her frenzied state, became even more unpredictable, inadvertently injuring one of her own in her attempt to reach Immanuel.

Finally he managed to get close enough and flashed back towards the ship via a rock formation before leaping onto the deck. The alpha, torn between her protective instinct for the pups and her pursuit of Immanuel, hesitated, her madness momentarily subsided by the pitiful cries of the young wounded Lycans.

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Rushing towards the cabin, Immanuel was met with the sight of Stumb fiercely attacking one of the vampires, while Syl, bloodied but resilient, stood at the helm. The head of another vampire lay nearby, evidence of the battle they had faced.

Without a moment to spare, Immanuel turned to confront the alpha Lycan, who was poised to leap onto the ship. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Come any closer, and I swear I'll flash back and I FUCKING KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!" Simultaneously, Immanuel summoned the full extent of his core energy, channeling it with fierce intensity into his sword, hands, and eyes, which glowed with a potent power.

The beast, caught in a moment of hesitation, snarled fiercely, her nostrils flaring as she sniffed the air. Foam gathered at the corners of her frothing mouth, yet she refrained from leaping onto the ship.

As the ship gained momentum and began its turn into the tunnel, the tension with the Lycan protector escalated. Her hesitation was palpable, her body arched as she let out a powerful howl that resonated through Immanuel like a physical thing.

Out of the corner of his eye, Immanuel noticed Stumb emerging, heading towards the quarterdeck with surprising agility. The small wolf-like creature nimbly ascended the railing and let out a high-pitched howl. This seemed to provoke the protector, who growled menacingly, looking as if she might finally make her leap onto the ship.

"Uh, buddy, maybe not the best idea?" Immanuel cautioned Stumb gently. But as the ship rounded the bend, more of the tunnel came into view..

Stumb, unfazed, howled again, and Immanuel watched as other pups attempted to leap onto protruding rocks from the water in their desperate effort to reach the ship. The alpha, ever vigilant, caught several of them by the neck, throwing them back to prevent their advance.

Stumb's howls took on a playful, almost laughing tone, as if he was thoroughly enjoying the chaos.

Realizing that the big Lycan had decided against boarding the ship, Immanuel shifted his focus to the immediate need of fueling the vessel. He initiated the cooldown process, carefully moderating his core energy to reach a state where he could access and summon the necessary cores to power the ship.

When he was ready Immanuel quickly retrieved the cores from his storage, selecting everything up to stage 5, along with his crossbows. He turned to Stump demonstrating the use of the crossbow, Immanuel fired a bolt into the eye of a pup. Stumb howled in response, seemingly understanding the game.

Leaving Stumb to his newfound entertainment, Immanuel rushed back to the bridge at the front of the ship. "Syl, you good?"

"Yes," Syl replied, her attention fixed on steering the ship.

“Where do I fuel the ship?”

"Go down the main hatch in the middle of the main deck, then jump two levels down. The engine should be at the end of the hallway, on the backside of the ship," she instructed without turning.

Relieved to see Syl still in control despite the chaos, Immanuel quickly processed her instructions. He dashed towards the main deck, locating the hatch she had mentioned and sliding it open. Realising he had to collect the cores that he stupidly placed on next to Stump he jumped up the backside deck.

Frustrated but focused, Immanuel hastily stored all the cores. He then hurried below deck, jumping two levels down and navigating a hallway lined with doors until he felt the hum of the engine. Opening the door, he found himself in a space filled with neatly stacked crates. Pushing through, he entered the engine room, which also contained numerous crates.

Before him, a large hatch revealed a compartment filled with hundreds of cores. "Looks like someone prepared for a long journey," Immanuel thought to himself, impressed by the stockpile. ‘I guess refuelling is not necessary.’

Returning to the deck as the ship neared the end of the tunnel, he hastened to the bridge. The bridge was spacious with a large window at the front going the entire length of the ship, and several couches and chairs scattered around. Syl stood at the helm, manning a substantial steering mechanism with valves and levers and a big wheel.

"You alright?" he asked as he approached her. She nodded in response, still focused on navigating. Immanuel offered his wrist, and she bit down, drawing strength from his blood.

“You’re getting the hang of this?” Immanuel asked.

“I found a book about its maker a few weeks ago and memorised it. Do we have enough cores? And where is Stumb?” Syl responded.

“He's having a blast shooting Lycans with my crossbows. The ship is loaded with cores.” Immanuel informed her.

“You had cursed crossbows?”.

“Yeah, sorry about not mentioning that earlier,” he replied sheepishly.

“It seems like others might have been planning a journey or an escape. Or maybe the ship is always kept ready for a quick departure. Look, there’s daylight ahead!” Syl pointed out the emerging light at the end of the tunnel.

A swell of joy and anticipation flooded Immanuel as he realized their imminent escape. ‘We're actually going to make it!’ he thought, his heart racing with exhilaration. He found himself bouncing on the tips of his feet.

Observing the ship's bridge, he commented, "This place has a real steampunk feel to it, what with all these valves and levers."

As the ship took a full turn, Sylthra engaged another lever, causing the vessel to pick up speed. Immanuel sensed their swift progress, feeling a rush of adrenaline.

Stumb entered the room in his human form, resembling an angelic child no older than twelve, his thick brown curls framing his face. He settled into a large leather chair, looking worn yet peaceful. Immanuel handed him the last piece of meat from Sylthra's earlier provisions. Stumb took it gratefully, enjoying his meal with evident contentment.

Immanuel then turned his attention back to Syl. "Need anything?" he asked.

"No," she responded, her eyes fixed and unyielding, hands firmly on the wheel. She periodically adjusted their course, her eyes scanning the horizon visible through the expansive front window. Immanuel noted the increasing size of the waves, a clear indicator that they were approaching open waters.

Immanuel walked out of the bridge, navigating to the ship's stern where only rugged rock was in sight. The deck, a melding of dark green wood and sturdy metal, bore three towering masts with sails neatly furled. T

The light ahead was intensifying. He walked to the bow, standing directly above the bridge. Here, he unsheathed his sword, slicing the air with a few practiced swings before sheathing it once more. Hurrying back to the stern, he passed the remains of three fallen Lycans, gathering all the crossbows. Returning to the bow, he meticulously reloaded each one.

There, Immanuel stood waiting for the shipt to brake out of the tunnel.

The light was getting bigger..

As the light swelled in size, he sensed Syl skillfully adjusting various engines, expertly navigating the ship through the labyrinth of cliffs.

Emerging from the cave's shadow, Immanuel was bathed in the warm embrace of sunlight, momentarily blinding him. As his eyes adapted, he surveyed his surroundings.

Ahead lay an endless expanse of water, while behind, a modest cliff adorned with trees marked the cave's exit. To his right, land stretched out, distant and speckled with trees, tiny figures were visible in the distance.

Syl burst from the bridge, springing into action at the mainmast. Jumped down to help her hoist the sails.

Immanuel set to work, untying knots, when his eyes caught sight of several Skyships hovering low.

Working in tandem, they hoisted the sails, the wind swiftly filling them with a satisfying billow. Stump joined in, and together they raised the remaining sails, feeling the ship gain momentum.

Once the sails were set, Syl continued her adjustments while Immanuel, overflowing with exhilaration, sprinted to the foredeck. The open sea stretched before them, a symbol of their newfound freedom.

His joy erupted and he started to scream "Freedom!"

"Freedom!" Immanuel's voice boomed across the deck, his joy unbridled as he leaped ecstatically. "Absolute freedom!" His energy surged at maximum intensity, resembling a whirlwind of excitement. Stump, equally caught up in the moment, stood by, his gaze alternating between the boundless sea and the jubilant scene.

In a spontaneous gesture, Immanuel swept Syl into the air, who, with graceful agility, latched onto a rope and slid down elegantly to perch on the railing, a playful smile on her lips. "The sun's too intense," she remarked before disappearing into the bridge.

Immanuel, following her, watched as she deftly manoeuvred the levers, seamlessly transitioning to wind power. The excitement still simmering within him, he composed himself enough to cool down and get some drinks from his storage.

Syl, poised at the helm, unhooked the wheel, making some adjustments.

"We have to celebrate!" Immanuel said enthusiastically.

Stimp walked into the bridge and Immanuel asked him, “Stump you want a drink?”

“My name is Zacharastra the Great” the ethereal boy said, standing completely naked in the doorway.

Both Immanuel and Syl turned, surprised. Zach sauntered towards a large leather couch, settling down to look out at the sea.

Immanuel, now somewhat calmer, trew a bottle to Syl and Zach. He wondered why he hadn't taken more from those blue dome fuckers. He also trew Zacharastra some black ninja robes from his tower wardrobe, which Zacharastra left untouched.

"A toast to our freedom!" Immanuel declared.

Zacharastra, tilted his head, “I am free to go? He asked.

"Zach, as sure as God is my witness you're free to go as you please," Immanuel affirmed.

He then turned to the window, downing his drink in one gulp. "But I promise you, we'll traverse the entire world, growing stronger with each cycle. Nothing will stand in our way. We'll shatter world barriers, explore new realms, even construct spaceships to reach the moon. Not even the gods can stop us!" His eyes blazed with fervor as he envisioned their future.