The golden token was able to glow due to the high amount of energy concentrated in it, the dense radiance pulsing like a miniature sun in the dim environment. This energy attracted the Alpha Wolf that had temporarily abandoned chasing Mr. Jaggers and his companion, and chose instead to cultivate this energy for its own evolution.
He's seen in a cave, seated in a lazy yet imposing position, his massive frame casting a long shadow across the jagged stone walls, with the golden token floating above him while emitting a steady stream of golden energy that bathed the cavern in an eerie glow.
The golden energy was swirling around the Alpha's body in slow, spiraling currents, but was fully concentrating on his horn, making it shine brighter with every passing second, when suddenly its ears twitched sharply to the whooshing sound of the air being sliced apart.
'Pesky humans.' He didn't even pay them attention or move from his spot, his bloodshot eyes barely shifting, as he believed that those humans are far beneath the level of harming him.
But that was the mistake he made, as an arrow penetrated into its tough hide and stabbed deep into its back, the metallic tip forcing its way through flesh with a dull, brutal impact.
The Alpha's eyes widened at once as it felt the searing pain coursing through its nerves. It quickly jumped up, its massive body moving with terrifying agility, after noticing two more arrows traversing towards his direction at great speed, cutting through the air with deadly precision.
The Alpha shifted left, narrowly dodging one, and for the other, it jumped over it, its claws scraping against the rocky ground upon landing. Spreading its senses, it could hear the crunching sound of a boot pressing against gravel, followed by the sharp, taut pulling of a bowstring.
Three arrows were lunged at him this time around, each one aimed with lethal intent.
"Grrh.." The Alpha snorted, a low, menacing sound reverberating within the cave, as it swiped the air with its claws, sending the surrounding air to condense into three blazing lines of fire which collided with the arrows, burning them into nothingness before they could reach him.
Its sharp eyes turned to the direction the arrows were coming from, glowing with fury, before spitting out a ball of fire which it sent hurtling towards that direction with explosive force.
EXPLOSION.
There was a loud, thunderous bang as the fire collided with the rugged walls of the cave, scattering debris and dust into the air, but out of the explosion came out a silhouette—unyielding and resolute—with two battle-ready axes and his body coated with green energy that flickered like flames.
"Earth Cleaving Strike." Mr. Jaggers unleashed the skill he had just learnt earlier, his voice firm and commanding, as he struck out with both battle axes while still in mid-air, the blades trailing arcs of glowing energy.
The Alpha Wolf shifted backward instinctively as Mr. Jaggers landed before it, his boots cracking the ground beneath him, both axes sinking deep into the earth with a heavy thud.
As if that was not all, the ground split apart violently as cracks tore through it from both sides of the axes, racing forward and concentrating beneath the Alpha Wolf. Before the latter could realize what was happening, a massive shard of stone surged out of the concentrated crack and stabbed the Wolf deep from beneath, lifting its body slightly off the ground.
HOWL!
The Alpha growled out loudly, its voice filled with rage and pain, realizing that it had been ambushed. Its HP bar, that wasn't visible before, became visible, having turned from green to yellow. Just this ambush had taken up 35% of its HP, a clear indication of the devastating power behind the attack.
HOWL!
The wolf growled again as a violent gust of wind surrounded it, swirling outward in all directions before dispersing immediately, shattering Mr. Jaggers' attack while also sending him flying backward across the cave floor.
An energy in the form of fire spread out of the Wolf's body, licking across its fur and claws as it stared at Mr. Jaggers in anger. The human had managed to hurt him—something that was supposed to be impossible—and this had deeply wounded his pride as a warrior... an Alpha Warrior, the best of his kind. To redeem himself, he had to destroy this pesky human without mercy.
He opened his mouth and fired another round of fireball which traveled towards Mr. Jaggers at a blinding speed, illuminating the cave in flashes of orange and gold.
The latter didn't just stand there but ran for his life without hesitation, his movements sharp and calculated as he jumped and flipped, narrowly dodging the fireball that was hurled at him from long range, the heat brushing past his skin.
The Alpha Wolf got angrier as it raised up its forelimbs, concentrating energy into its claws before swiping them at Mr. Jaggers with brutal force.
The air rippled violently as six blazing lines of fire were formed, all heading towards the same target, when the middle-aged man grabbed his battle axe that was pinned to the floor and pulled it out with all his might.
A chunk of the earth was raised up as it collided with the lines of fire, absorbing part of the attack, but it was only able to deflect some of it, and the remaining three still headed towards Mr. Jaggers with relentless force.
The middle-aged man didn't panic. Instead, he gripped tightly to his axe, his muscles tensing, as he slashed forward, causing the blade to tear through the Wolf's attack, dispersing the flames into sparks.
The Wolf growled angrily after seeing that its attack didn't work and drew in more fire, its fore claws bursting with intense flames that illuminated its furious expression.
SLASH..
SLASH...
Ten lines of fire came out next, larger and more destructive than the first, tearing through the air with overwhelming force.
'No, this is bad... My axe will melt at this rate.'
Mr. Jaggers thought quickly as he retrieved an item from his inventory.
The item that had been a lifesaver to them all.
GLOO WALL..
He spammed gloo walls rapidly as he retreated backward, each one appearing instantly in front of him in thick, fluffy white layers.
1.. 2... 3... 4... 5... till his back was resting against the cold, uneven wall of the cave.
The claws of fire traveled forward at full speed as they collided with the white fluffy walls.
Blast..
The first one was destroyed instantly without hesitation, the second also didn't put up much resistance, crumbling under the heat.
The third and the fourth followed, but this time, the power of the claws had significantly dropped, and by the time it destroyed the fifth white fluffy wall, it had weakened enough that Mr. Jaggers could deflect it with his axe, sparks scattering upon impact.
"Is that all you got? You big cat..." Mr. Jaggers teased, his voice carrying a sharp edge, as he dashed forward, jumping high in a swift motion while flinging his axe at the Wolf from a curved angle.
The Wolf, which had now tasted how dangerous this man was, didn't hesitate but dashed forward—and that was exactly what Mr. Jaggers wanted, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He pulled out two grenades from his inventory with precise timing.
He flung the first one—it was an explosion grenade—and it landed directly on the head of the Wolf, detonating on impact.
The force sent it flying backward, its massive body crashing violently against the cave wall, fragments of stone raining down around it.
Mr. Jaggers didn't wait. He immediately spammed the second one—this was a frost grenade—and before the Alpha Wolf could regain its balance, it was frozen from head to toe in a concave of ice, its body locked in place.
"SOCRATES NOW.." Mr. Jaggers shouted at the top of his voice, his tone urgent and commanding, echoing across the cave.
At that moment, a silhouette jumped out of hiding, swift and precise, heading straight towards the suspended token.
In a blinding speed, he grabbed the token that was suspended in the air, the golden glow reflecting off his determined eyes, and dashed towards the exit of the cave without hesitation.
But before he could exit the cave, a loud, furious howling sound erupted, shaking the very core of the cavern as the frozen prison began to crack—
—and in the next instant, the whole cave trembled violently as everything was swept away by a devastating gust of wind.