She recalculated swiftly. "Change of plans. Retreat to Sector-7. Move!"
She seized the cub again and dashed toward the path they had taken earlier. The others followed closely.
Three five-star black wolves blocked their route. Without hesitation, the team unleashed coordinated attacks, grievously injuring the beasts. Time was not on their side, so they did not finish them and instead pressed onward.
For half an hour, they ran relentlessly.
Then a powerful bark erupted directly behind them.
They dared to glance back.
What they saw made their hearts stutter.
A female humanoid creature raced after them on all fours, her movements fluid and terrifyingly fast. Gray fur streaked her limbs, dog-like ears protruded from her head, and her amber eyes burned with wrath. Claws gleamed under the moonlight, and rage twisted her expression into something primal.
Behind her ran a pack of black wolves.
"The werewolf…" someone whispered hoarsely.
Fear gripped them completely.
"Jareth, here. Hold it for a second."
Sapphire thrust the gray wolf pup into Jareth's arms without slowing her stride.
Then she abruptly halted, boots grinding against the soil as she pivoted to face the pursuing monsters.
Ether surged through her bow, flames spiraling along its curve as another blazing arrow formed between her fingers. Her aim, however, was not directed at the charging werewolf.
Instead, she targeted the ground between herself and the advancing pack.
The arrow flew.
The moment it struck earth, a violent explosion erupted, sending a pillar of fire roaring upward. Dirt, embers, and shattered stones burst outward in a fiery wave. Several black wolves skidded backward in fright, their formation breaking as panic rippled through them.
Yet the gray werewolf did not hesitate.
It howled once, its voice cutting cleanly through the chaos, and leaped straight into the flames.
Mid-air, its body expanded and shifted, bones cracking audibly as it transformed into a massive gray wolf. The beast's speed multiplied instantly, muscles coiling with terrifying strength.
Sapphire's brows knitted in concentration.
She did not retreat to rejoin the others. Instead, she poured more ether into her bow and conjured a pure energy arrow that hummed with condensed power.
She released it.
The gray wolf vaulted high into the air, evading the projectile effortlessly. Not only did it dodge, but it cleared Sapphire's position entirely, landing far beyond her.
"Eh?" she gasped, momentarily stunned.
Then realization struck her.
The pup was with Jareth.
The mother had no interest in her.
But the black wolves were another matter entirely.
With savage hunger gleaming in their eyes, they lunged at Sapphire the moment they noticed her isolated stance. Within seconds, nearly a dozen surrounded her, teeth bared and growls vibrating through the night.
Meanwhile, the remaining eleven adventurers were in disarray. Without their captain at the front, fear seeped into their movements. The gray wolf's pursuit pressed heavily upon them, and none dared to turn around to check Sapphire's fate.
"Captain, it is chasing the pup!" one subordinate shouted desperately to Jareth.
The words struck him like a spark in the darkness.
"That is right," he muttered under his breath. "It is a werewolf. It understands."
The others continued fleeing blindly, unwilling to gamble their lives on logic.
Jareth slowed.
He turned around and lifted the wolf pup in his grasp, holding it high while meeting the gray wolf's amber gaze.
Just as he anticipated, the massive wolf halted, its paws digging furrows into the soil. It barked sharply, tension radiating from its frame.
"I will return this cub," Jareth called out loudly, though uncertainty flickered behind his confidence. "You and your pack will leave us alone."
The wolf barked again.
He could not decipher its meaning, nor could he trust that it would honor any implied agreement.
Around him, black wolves began forming a loose semistar. His teammates were no longer visible in the dark forest ahead.
The gray wolf advanced one slow step.
Jareth retreated instinctively.
"There is no choice," he whispered.
He retrieved a blood-red pill from his storage ring and swallowed it without hesitation. The Advancement Pill dissolved on his tongue, and within seconds, natural energy flooded into his body in violent currents. His aura swelled visibly, pressure radiating outward.
The gray wolf growled deeply, muscles tightening as it sensed the surge in power. The surrounding five-star wolves grew wary, their instincts warning them of sudden danger.
Yet Jareth did not attack.
Instead, he channeled ether into his arms until veins bulged along his forearms. With all his strength, he hurled the sleeping pup skyward.
The tiny body soared through the air like a ragged comet.
The gray wolf leaped immediately to intercept.
It missed.
The cub collided awkwardly with a high branch, its small form bouncing against bark before tumbling down through leaves.
Behind him, Jareth heard a howl erupt.
It was not a roar of fury.
It was raw pain.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath, refusing to look back as he sprinted away in a random direction, abandoning everything to survival.
*
Two hours later. Present.
Sector-7, Ulgar region, Bloodhill Forest.
"Not again…"
Jareth stumbled into yet another nightmare.
Having barely escaped the enraged werewolf, he now found himself at the edge of an orc settlement. Massive silhouettes rose from crude huts, clubs slamming against the ground as they noticed the armored human intruder.
The orcs' physical strength rivaled fourth-star beasts, and although exhausted, Jareth's instincts screamed at him to run.
He ran.
Fortunately, while orcs were powerful, they lacked speed. After a frantic chase through uneven terrain, he managed to outdistance them, lungs burning with every breath.
Once certain he had shaken them off, he slowed to a weary walk toward Sector-8. His limbs trembled from prolonged exertion, and his thoughts spiraled inward.
"First wild boars, then goblins, then orcs, coyotes, a werewolf and her pack… and the pup probably dead because of a bad throw," he muttered bitterly. "I must be the unluckiest man alive."
The day had unfolded like a chain of calamities, each worse than the last.
Then a memory surfaced in his mind.
"Do you know what the most powerful thing in the world?"
The question echoed clearly.
Jareth stopped walking.
The coincidence gnawed at him.
"Did that bitch curse me?"
He recalled the arrogant store visitor from earlier that day, the woman who had spoken about luck so confidently. Curse magic was not uncommon in the Empire, especially among dark guilds.
"If I leave this forest alive, I will visit the Church," he growled. "If there is a curse… I will find her."
His fists clenched, searing that face into memory.
Just then, he spotted two silhouettes seated near a tree in the dim forest ahead. The canopy above was thick, and moonlight barely reached the ground.
"Hey!" he called arrogantly despite his condition. "You two, who are you?"
One of the figures rose abruptly.
In a blink, the bald, short monk lunged forward, staff raised high.
"Eh—"
Jareth's fatigue betrayed him. He failed to evade in time.
The staff smashed against his head with crushing force. Stars exploded across his vision before darkness swallowed him whole.
Believing him dead, the monk and the young assassin departed silently.
*
Hours later, heat woke him.
Agony crawled across his skin.
He forced his eyes open.
"What…"
He was bound tightly to a wooden pole suspended horizontally above a roaring fire. The pole rotated slowly, heat licking his armor. Around him gathered dozens of goblins, chattering excitedly as they attempted to roast him alive after failing to pierce his gold-graded defenses.
Rage ignited within him.
"I will kill you all!" he roared, eyes burning crimson as he unleashed his fury.