Killian reached for the device with shaky hands.
He could hear the excited heartbeat of the Direwolf about to have another chomp and take his neck off.
His hand touched the device, squeezing it.
But then he stopped.
I'd risk it!
Tendrils pierced into the wolf's chest and it fell back. The tendrils started consuming.
With the lighter still lit, his mana from the tendrils flared to flames.
The Direwolf cried as it burned.
Killian fell on the ground, breathing roughly. He quickly took off his gloves and touched his bruised neck. He hissed.
I nearly fucking died!
He sat still for a moment, regulating his breathing while watching the predator become prey for his shadows.
The second direwolf still lived. Killian glared at it.
It was reluctant to come forward, and stood at a distance, watching the third wolf fade to nothing as the shadows took it.
The tendrils slithered to the first wolf's corpse, leaving traces of burn on the ground. They stabbed into the corpse and consumed it.
"Thank you. Direwolves are tasty snacks."
Killian strained to get to his feet. "You're welcome. But do you not even care that your vessel nearly died?"
"You obviously had the means to save yourself. It sometimes hurt me when you don't use the Void."
Killian palmed his face. This Void didn't understand his situation at all. He looked around the cave, checking if there could be cameras.
None were visible.
"I will not die easily. There are so many things I am still curious about." He picked up his bat.
The second Direwolf yelped like a puppy and ran back. Killian followed.
He rolled his shoulder once, as he stepped out at the end of the cave. Sunlight touched his exposed hand, and dark smoke rose immediately.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Why is the objective active here? Well, whatever.
He exhaled once, then let his mana flow through his left hand, completely covering it. He held the open lighter carefully in between his teeth.
He saw Juda do something similar, and it followed the same principle as the shadows that reforged his bat. A small flame sparked.
It caught, and fire spread over his left hand, feeding off the reaction without burning him. There was slight heat but no burn.
He locked eyes with the second fearful Direwolf.
Unlike those rabbits, the Direwolves here are captured after they attack cities.
It might still be their survival instincts kicking but they affect innocents.
As if wanting to die bravely, the wolf rushed him.
Killian smiled, stepping forward to meet it. His left fist pulled back before driving forward, flames wrapped around it as it slammed into the wolf.
Bam!
Its snout squeezed from the impact. It staggered back. Killian didn't hesitate, the second punch landed harder as he shifted his weight.
The wolf's sad yelp made him pause for a second, and he let it move away. He followed it again.
Don't worry, I will leave a corpse out of you.
He finished what his fists started while the bat dragged behind him, he punched its head again, and used the bat to intensify the damage.
The wolf dropped.
The tendrils around his legs didn't move. With a thought, he dismissed them. He lowered his arms slowly, the fire remained as he exhaled.
It is over. I'm hungry.
He heard footsteps. But it was human.
Evelyn stepped out from another path. "Hey!"
Killian made sure she saw the fire in his arm, even if she couldn't see the lighter in his mouth. He took it out, and clicked it off.
The flames died and he quickly put on his gloves.
As he turned to her, he heard a low growl.
What?
A young wolf rushed to her in the moment, claws extended.
He didn't see where it had come from, but he knew she couldn't see it as it came from his own path.
He didn't think. He flung the bat.
It spun once and struck the wolf clean, the wolf's small body drained fast as it collapsed.
Evelyn stopped, looking at the wolf dead mere inches away from her. Then, she looked at Killian.
"Where did that come from?! Thanks!"
He exhaled again, and stepped forward to retrieve his bat.
But Evelyn reached for it first, her fingers brushing against it. "This looks cool."
Killian's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, don't—"
Her arm jolted violently.
She let go, and quickly jumped back. She looked at him with a shaky hand and a hurt expression.
Killian's heart sank, as he looked for the words to say. "I… Sorry."
The air around them tightened. Killian slowly picked the bat. She watched as he did, before lowering her hand to her side. "You reforged your bat?"
Her voice was neutral. Not hurt, or even impressed.
"It's a little unstable, so please don't touch it." He thought of the WLog and the interface popped up.
He tapped on the inventory and stored the bat in the spatial storage. It vanished from his hold instantly.
There were no other words from Evelyn except a hum. And she turned away to find a place to sit. Killian quietly went the other way.
"It would have less effect on a Wind Element user."
Are you trying to console me?
"Yes. I know you don't want your friends getting hurt."
Killian scoffed softly. He checked if her hands vibrated like Juda's arms did when he made contact with the tendrils.
Evelyn just supported the hand with the other, but there was no physical discomfort.
Suddenly their wrist devices glowed red. He and Evelyn left where they were resting at the same time.
"I think it's Juda." Evelyn said, running down her path. Killian followed and reached the exit much faster than he expected.
There was a dead Direwolf on the way that looked mutilated by multiple hits.
"George?"
They found him over Juda's body, on a stretcher. A team of medical Wardens administered first aid to Juda. He was having difficulty breathing.
"Your teammate is running really hot. He passed out while fighting but the moment I carried him here, he became conscious again."
George spoke too calmly. It was as if he blamed Juda for it. He turned to Killian and Evelyn.
"Well, how was your training? How many did you each kill?"
"Is that the point?" Killian pointed at Juda. "How is he?"
They had a mission soon, but Juda couldn't join them if his head still wanted to split open.
George's tone was still calm even though he wore a smile on his face. "Don't worry. His life isn't in danger, and as long as he's alive, he can serve."
Killian dropped the hand pointing at Juda. This George guy. Is he really in his right mind?
"That said," George's tone became light-hearted. He leaned towards them curiously.
"Did you meet an anomaly during the training?"