The trembling goblin let out a nervous but genuine laugh as the lightning wolf thrashed helplessly in the bottom of the hole. Its frustrated screeches only made him giggle from the safety of his hidden earth trap.
"One down, three to go." Lyssandra smirked, her eyes glinting with predatory joy from her high vantage point on the tree.
The dust column slowly dissipated to reveal the three remaining wolves now re-formed into a tighter, angry unit. They scanned the jungle floor, ready to find any prey and chew it to splinters.
Two blur streaks suddenly rushed into the heart of that pack like two blades cutting through silk. These streaks slammed into the clearing, perfectly separating the Alpha Lighting Wolf from its two lesser pack members.
Without speaking a word of command, Lyssandra and Luna lunged to attack the Alpha from opposite angles. The strike was precise and overwhelming.
The other two wolves roared and prepared to join the fray. But just before they could lunge, two sharp impacts hit them simultaneously from their rear. They ducked instinctively to avoid small stones flying rapidly, seeking to stun their senses.
Confused, they whirled back to find their enemy. Three goblins were now crouched behind some bushes, pelting them with an arsenal of pebbles.
The wolves spotted the green skins and growled at the annoyance. First, they would have to deal with these weak snacks before helping their alpha. So the wolves dashed away from the wounded leader to hunt down the irritating goblins with fury in their eyes.
"Will they be okay?" Luna asked, her voice strained, nimbly dodging the lethal sweep of the Alpha's claws. Her core beat hard in her chest, but her feet danced away from death.
"They will be fine. They were born killers after all." Lyssandra responded with cool confidence and thrust her Slime-Reinforced Lance into the Alpha's rear. Yellow sparks of lightning raced through the slime coating her weapon, only to dissipate harmlessly moments later.
This Lightning Wolf was strong, a scan confirmed it was Level 13, one level higher than Lyssandra herself. For that reason, the hunt was not about finishing it quickly. She and Luna were merely stalling, buying precious seconds for their smaller teammates to escape the deadly jaws.
The alpha writhed when punctured, letting out a low, rumbling growl. It kicked up with mighty force, whipping a static charged tail that sliced the leaves from trees behind them.
"Yes!!! I got it!." a small green figure whispered near a shrub.
Another goblin nodded grimly back, his hand clutching the cold steel of the dagger Lyssandra had gifted. All the three held multiple small blades in their belt pouches now.
"Be ready. The moment they reach us, we move," the last goblin reminded his kin as sweat beaded his forehead.
"Go!"
The second Lightning Wolve suddenly rushed into their space, glowing fangs bared. They snapped viciously at the fragile green necks, but the targets twisted away just in time. The wolve's teeth clamped shut on nothing but air, missing by mere inches.
Driven by terror and instinct, the three goblins dove to either side, narrowly escaping the snapping jaws. They rolled across the moss-covered roots, reaching for the vines prepared earlier. With a sharp tug, they pulled them loose.
A wet, splintering crack echoed through the forest as the supporting timber finally gave way. A giant boulder broke free from above and came roaring down the slope.
The stone slammed into the ground with earth-shaking force, crushing the undergrowth beneath and sending chips of rock and dust flying in every direction. The impact shook the surrounding forest.
But the two Lightning Wolves were far too fast and agile to be caught so easily. They darted to either side at the last possible moment, their forms blurring into motion just before the huge stone crashed into the earth where they had stood.
"Missed! We need to move! Plan B!" one of the goblins screamed a, scrambling over the loose stones.
"What the hell is Plan B?!" another yelled in panic, stumbling back towards a tree root.
"Are you fucking stupid?" the leader goblin snarled, his small face twisting in pure rage and terror. "It was the plan the Great One told us about! I know you were just ogling at her big chest while she talked about strategy!...…Well, I was too. But i paid attention so now we need to move our fucking ass or become those dog's dinner."
The three tiny creatures fled toward their designated meeting point, scurrying away on their short, clumsy legs.
"Plan B it is." Lyssandra saw that and muttered when the formation broke.
Both the women quickened their pace to catch the rhythm, their coordination was absolute and terrible to behold.
In the air, both of them thrust forward to end the fight instantly. Two long, pointed slime claws elongated rapidly, stabbing hard against the trapped beast. They passed straight through the chest of the Alpha Lightning Wolf, which was already stuck in many webs from [Web Shooting].
Yellow light exploded from its torso in a blinding flash before the eyes turned blank. It was dead, the core popped, shattering like glass under immense pressure.
A System Notification floated over to Lyssandra.
[Skill Acquired: Static Shock.] Releases a burst of electricity that shocks and briefly stuns nearby enemies.
Lyssandra smirked at the blue translucent rectangle hovering over. "Nice, new skill from that wolf," she thought aloud, feeling the electricity tingling along her nervous system.
The other two wolves were still wrestling with the empty space where the goblins stood.
Lyssandra and Luna broke the web, chasing after their prey with renewed ferocity. Their blades cut through the thick leaves, driving forward with the instinct of true predators.
"Left flank!" one goblin shrieked before diving behind a mossy trunk to avoid the crackling path of lightning. Sparks arched violently in the humid air, singing the hairs on his back and filling the jungle with a metallic ozone scent.
"They are closing the gap, and these fangs smell like burning leaves!" the second goblin screamed, one hand clutching his bleeding hamstring while scrambling over a gnarled root. The third wolf was gaining on them, its muscles rippling like liquid coal before a strike.
"Don't trip, you fool!" the leader yelled, dragging the lagging one forward by his leather jerkin.
"AHHH!!!" the injured goblin cried out as he stumbled and nearly face-planted into the wet earth. "My leg feels numb, it burns!" he whined, tears streaming down his sickly green cheeks. He rolled behind a large fern frond, the static charge prickling across his skin.
"Great One said not to die so soon, remember the… ngh... the big chest promise?" he gagged, laughing maniacally in pure adrenaline.
"We are going to live! And we are going to grope that breasts!"
A massive paw slammed into the tree behind them, splitting the bark with the force of a falling star. Yellow lightning crunched and hissed where the claw had struck, turning the sap to instant ash.
"They are herding us, moving fast, stay loose!" the leader barked as he checked his daggers one by one.
The second wolf, a sleek black blur, took a running leap between them. Static electricity arced from its mouth, a thunderbolt meant to carve through the jungle undergrowth.
*Crack-zzz!*
The sound echoed like a whip cracking against a drum skin. Smoke rose from the scorched earth where they had run seconds ago.
"We're reaching the cave soon! Be ready!" the lead goblin pointed excitedly towards the distant silhouette of rock.
The others followed blindly, trusting their life to the jagged rocks ahead.