Adam reached down and grabbed some coiled rope, then looked toward his left.
"Sylas, don't cut corners when you tie those wires. Same goes for you, Rielle."
"I know… I know."
After Elara and Kael headed for the King Wolf Tiger, the rest of the group immediately began preparing. Despite their confidence in their own strength, they didn't take any chances, going to great lengths with their preparations.
Though the three of them had studied everything they could find about King beasts, none of them were willing to rely on improvisation. None of them had ever taken one down before.
"Are these wires really necessary, Adam?"
Rielle raised her hand, holding the wire, and turned toward him.
"Yes. We don't know what motes the beast might have."
Adam didn't even glance at her as he answered.
Rielle sighed heavily before going back to tying the wire.
The wire they were working with wasn't ordinary. It was crafted from the fibers of a common woodland plant, and while it was natural, its endurance rivaled, even surpassed, that of steel. It was their last line of defense.
Their ambush was set to take place in the same crater where they had hunted previous Wolf Tigers. The area was familiar, and its layout worked in their favor, the steep crater walls made escape difficult for the beast. Around the rim, they had tied wires between trees and rocks, forming a perimeter trap. If the creature chased them and happened to trip, even for a second, it could buy them enough time to recover, strike or escape if needed.
Even a few seconds could mean the difference between life and death. That was more than enough reason to tie them.
Adam's movements came to a stop as a thunderous sound echoed from deep within the forest. He turned toward the direction it had come from, eyes narrowing.
"Anyone else hear that?"
Sylas glanced up from his work, following Adam's gaze.
"Maybe some beasts fighting over territory?" he offered, though he didn't sound convinced.
Adam kept his eyes on the trees for a moment longer before letting out a quiet scoff and turning back to his task.
"Maybe it was nothing," he muttered.
Rielle glanced in the same direction, a strange sensation coiling in her stomach. Unease, maybe. Or something closer to anxiety.
They had spent a lot of time in these woods by now, and she couldn't recall ever hearing a sound quite like that one.
"Probably just nerves from the coming fight with the King Wolf Tiger…" she told herself under her breath.
Still, something didn't sit right. Adam and Sylas had brushed it off easily, but maybe that was just experience. Or maybe they were doing the same thing she was: pretending it didn't bother them.
The three of them continued working in silence, only speaking when Sylas or Rielle had a question.
Adam stepped into the center of the crater, surveying their handiwork. They had spent five hours preparing for the ambush, though not all of that time had gone into setting traps or enhancing their battle strength. A large part of it had been spent preparing themselves, meditating, steadying their minds, and running through the plan over and over again. It was repetitive, maybe even tedious, but it was something Adam valued and made a habit of.
'Our preparations are almost done now.'
Adam stood with his arms crossed, scanning the crater carefully.
Up on the ridge, Rielle looked down at him. She noticed his gaze and gave a casual wave.
Adam raised his hand to return it, then froze.
His eyes widened.
A massive shadow loomed behind her, rising slowly, silently, like a nightmare slipping free from the earth itself. Its enormous form blocked out the light, casting a jagged silhouette across the ridge.
"WATCH OUT!"
His voice tore through the clearing.
Even before the words reached her, Rielle saw the sudden shift in Adam's expression, and she moved. Her entire started to produce a faint light before she turned around with all her might, arm stretched out in hope of hitting whatever was behind her.
But she was just a second too slow.
Two enormous jaws clamped down on her arm with bone-crushing force. The impact shattered bone and tore through flesh in an instant. Blood sprayed into the air.
Her face went pale.
The creature behind her was massive, far too massive. If a normal Wolf Tiger stood taller than a grown man, then this one was something else entirely. Its shoulders alone rose higher than the average horse, and its maw could have swallowed a full-grown deer whole. Every muscle in its body rippled with power, its eyes glowing faintly as it stared down its prey with feral intelligence.
Time seemed to stand still.
The beast hovered above her, its massive paw rising, easily the size of her entire body, ready to slam down and pin its prey in place.
Rielle's mind locked. Her body didn't move. She stared into the creature's eyes as its jaws crushed her arm, pain and disbelief crashing through her like lightning. She saw the claws closing in, like death itself reaching out.
Then something inside her snapped loose.
Instinct took over.
With a sudden, violent twist, she wrenched her body sideways. The last shreds of flesh holding her arm inside its maw tore apart with a sickening rip. Blood gushed freely. Shreds of her beige coat scattered like sparks from a blade.
Without hesitating, she summoned every ounce of her Luminaire strength and launched herself into the air, just as the creature's paws came crashing down where she'd stood a heartbeat earlier.
The impact echoed like an explosion. The sheer force sent a shockwave through the trees, rattling branches and sending birds fleeing. The ground trembled. Even from a distance, it felt like thunder striking too close.
Each of her teammates flinched, the sound locking up their senses for a split second.
Rielle soared through the air, teeth clenched in pain, blood trailing in her wake like a crimson veil.
Adam watched it unfold from deep within the crater.
'What is that? The King Wolf Tiger? Why is it here already? Did Elara fail?'
The questions came fast, each one leading only to more confusion.
Sylas had only been a few meters from Rielle when the sudden attack struck. Seeing her uncontrolled descent, he launched himself forward, catching her midair before landing and sprinting down the slope toward Adam.
He gently lowered her to the ground, letting her steady herself. She was pale, gripping what remained of her arm. Blood seeped through her fingers, painting the dirt below at an alarming rate.
"Sylas, stop the bleeding. Use whatever means necessary. Rielle, activate your motes and boost our strength. Now."
There was no sympathy in Adam's voice, no panic. The moment didn't allow it.
Sylas gave a sharp nod and tore his coat, twisting it into a makeshift bandage. Rielle clenched her teeth, her entire body tensed with pain, but she didn't scream. Instead, she forcefully calmed herself and activated her motes. A faint shimmer passed through her as her strength surged, shared with the others.
The beast panted heavily, staring down at its empty paws. For a brief moment, it seemed almost confused. Then, with a sickening crunch, it bit down on what remained of Rielle's arm. The sound cracked through the air, wet, bone-deep, and then it swallowed the mangled flesh whole. Then it leapt down into the crater.
Any sense of restraint that might be found in a normal predator was entirely absent in the King Wolf Tiger. There was no hesitation, no caution, only instinct and hunger.
It landed hard, earth trembling beneath its weight. The impact sent vibrations racing outwards, and a cloud of dust erupted into the air, engulfing everything in a blinding haze.
Adam didn't wait. He launched forward like a cannon, closing the distance in a single breath. As the dust parted, he planted his feet and let his entire body break forward momentum, except his fist. That continued straight ahead, smashing into the beast's forehead with a dull, thunderous crack.
Bone slammed against bone.
Adam's jaw clenched as pain screamed up his arm. Every bone in his hand cracked under the force, scattered like glass inside his skin.
"ARGH—!"
The sound tore from his throat as he stumbled back, clutching his shattered hand.
This was the problem.
He had strength-based motes, raw power that few could match. But not the defensive motes to withstand it. It created an unbalance that could hurt the user just as much.
Something had to give when force met force, and it wasn't going to be the Wolf's skull.
Adam jumped back, teeth bared in pain, voice rising into a raw, commanding shout.
"DO IT!"
Sylas didn't need to ask what. A blade of ice formed in his hand. He spun, momentum building in a single clean motion, and flung it, not at the beast, but off to the side, in a direction only he seemed to understand.
Snap.
The ice blade sliced clean through the rope, embedding itself deep into the stone behind. A breath later, a fine line of dust puffed up along the battlefield, then a wire shot skyward with a sharp whistle.
It danced wildly through the air like flame in a gust before whipping forward, coiling around the beast's neck. With a brutal pull, it tightened, slamming the King Wolf Tiger into the ground. The wire dug deep, biting into flesh, but its hide held firm.
The instant Sylas released the blade, he sprinted toward the downed beast. At the same time, Adam turned and sprinted toward Sylas.
They closed the distance in seconds.
Just before they passed each other, Adam made a split-second decision. He reached out, grabbed Sylas by the collar, and yanked him mid-stride.
Sylas's eyes widened, but he understood at once, and summoned a fresh sword of ice.
Adam planted his foot, pivoted, and with a powerful spin, hurled Sylas forward with everything he had.
Sylas sailed through the air. The moment his feet touched the ground, he hit a controlled roll, killing his momentum before launching forward again into a dead sprint.
The King Wolf roared in fury, thrashing violently. Its claws tore at the wire, trying to break free before Sylas could reach, but it held fast, sawing tighter into its neck with each desperate pull.
Sylas dashed past the beast's massive head, stopping just beside its thick neck. He wiped a bead of sweat from his cheek with a quick swipe of his shoulder.
"I'm so fucking thankful for these wires," he muttered with a crooked grin, raising his blade.
From across the crater, Adam stood beside Rielle, gripping her tightly to slow the bleeding. His eyes never left Sylas.
This was their best shot.
Adam might have had the raw strength, but Sylas had what mattered now, an edge sharp enough to pierce.
Normally, things didn't go to hell this fast. But they had to adapt. The King Wolf Tiger's hide was nearly impenetrable, its body built to shrug off blunt trauma. Its shock resistance was terrifying.
But against something sharp?
It was possible, no, likely, that Sylas's blade could pierce it.
"Do it. What are you waiting for?"
Adam's voice was tense. This needed to end.
"Die, you fucking beast."
Sylas smiled and finally swung the blade downward.
Swish. Swish.
A yellow streak flashed through the air, too fast for Adam to follow.
'What was that?'
His eyes darted around, trying to track it, whatever it was, but it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
Then he looked at Sylas.
'What… why did he stop?'
The blade had begun its deadly arc, but froze halfway, like his strength had suddenly vanished.
And then Adam felt it.
Rielle's weight shifted.
He tightened his grip on her, just barely catching her as her body went limp. Her head slumped forward. A steady stream of crimson poured from it, dripping down to the dirt below.
Adam stared in disbelief. His mouth parted slightly, but no words came.
He released his hold.
Rielle collapsed forward, hitting the ground with a dull thud, dust rising around her.
Adam's eyes stayed on her for a long second. He couldn't process it. Couldn't understand.
Slowly, he turned back toward Sylas.
The hand that had held a blade moments ago was now empty, fingers twitching.
Only faint blue particles remained, drifting into the air before fading completely into the wind.
He was just about to get up and run toward Sylas when he heard another dull thud from ahead.
Adam froze.
The one who had been standing there just a second ago, ready to finish the beast, was now lying on the ground next to the King Wolf Tiger. His body was still, his eyes wide open, staring straight at Adam.
There was nothing behind them now. No spark, no focus. Just emptiness.
A single round hole marked the center of Sylas's forehead. Blood pulsed out in a slow, steady rhythm with each fading heartbeat.
"What's going on?"
Adam stared in disbelief. The two people he had spent the last few years with were now, just gone.
This was supposed to be a simple hunt. Use the newly awakened Luminaire's mission to grab some easy mindstones, then get rid of him afterward.
But now? Sylas and Rielle were dead. The King Wolf Tiger still stood, alive and breathing.
And Elara was nowhere to be seen.
Neither was Kael, the one who was supposed to be with her.
Any thoughts beginning to form in Adam's mind shattered the moment the King Wolf Tiger broke free of its restraints.
With a deafening roar, it tensed its muscles and pressed against the earth with all its might. The wire coiled around its neck snapped under the pressure, slicing through the air like a severed whip. The sound cracked through the crater.
Dust filled the air around the beast as it rose to its full height, furious, and ready to kill.
Whether it was experience or sheer fury toward the beast before him, Adam steadied himself, locking eyes with it.
He was finally beginning to understand what had gone wrong. It was so obvious now, obvious, and yet completely unavoidable.
They had prepared for everything they possibly could. Hours spent studying King-class beasts, countless details about the Wolf Tigers, even reinforcing the entire crater with high-tension wires. But none of it had mattered. There was one thing they could never prepare for.
The very thing that had killed Sylas and Rielle. Maybe even Elara and Kael.
The mote resting within the King Wolf Tiger.
'So that's it, you foul beast. A mote related to blade pathway?'
Adam hadn't seen clearly what tore through Rielle and Sylas, but the speed, the power, it could only be that.
Adam raised his hand to his mouth. Before doubt could settle, he sank his teeth into his index finger and bit down hard. With a disgusting crunch, the bone snapped, and he tore the finger clean off.
Blood gushed from the stump as he chewed once, then swallowed the severed finger whole.
His arm dropped to his side, blood dripping steadily from the exposed joint. Light flickered off the raw bone where the finger had once been.
Pain surged through him, but so did focus. His mind cleared like fog burning away under sunlight.
He raised his right hand, watching as a faint green light pulsed around it. The damage from the clash was gone, every splintered bone, ruptured vessel, and torn muscle fully restored.
But the price had been paid.
His left hand still dripped blood where his index finger used to be, the stump raw and exposed, bone faintly glinting beneath the mess. The hand itself remained intact, but the finger was gone, swallowed with the cost of the healing.
"Good grief," he muttered.
The mote he'd used was a healing-type, one of the strongest among all rank twos. It could repair nearly any injury, no matter how severe, but the price it demanded was steep. One use, one finger. Ten chances in a lifetime.
Adam never wanted to use it unless there was no other choice.
Today, there wasn't.
The dust around the King Wolf Tiger finally began to settle, revealing the massive beast crouched low in the center of the crater. It sniffed the air, confused for only a moment… then it found him. Its glowing yellow eyes locked onto Adam, and it let out a low, guttural snarl before lunging forward with terrifying speed.
Adam exhaled slowly, dropping into a stance.
The moment had come.
He answered the charge with one of his own.
The crater shook beneath them as man and beast closed the distance, two forces with nothing left to hold back.