From a small rumble, the ground shook as a thunderous sound of rolling logs dropped from the heights, blocking the entrance of the valley so nothing could go in or out.
As if understanding the situation immediately, the Alpha lightning wolf hissed,
"You traitor!"
in a guttural snarl.
It then pounced on Sparky with blinding lightning speed, claws raised to rip into the wolf's hide.
"Master help me!!"
Sparky howled in desperation, its plea piercing the air.
The pray was answered as a fireball exploded between the two beasts, blasting them both to opposite sides of the clearing.
"Mess with the dog, expect the owner,"
Lyssandra descended from the shadows above, her high heel clicking softly against the dirt ground.
"It was you human who tricked me!! You will pay for this!"
the Alpha lightning wolf growled, its body wreathed not in normal yellow static, but in angry crimson.
Red lightning wove and crackled around it from its eyes to its torso, crackling like a stormy tide ready to break.
With a massive howl, many red lightning spears dropped down from the sky, piercing everything in their path and leaving scorched, burnt marks on every stone and leaf.
Lyssandra dodged with practical ease, moving like a ballerina dancing on a grand stage under the spotlight.
Every move flowed smoothly, like water slipping through her fingers, avoiding the deadly barrage with casual grace.
One step, two steps, three steps. She appeared beside the howling Alpha wolf before the sound of her own footsteps had even faded.
"Wha…."
The word could not be finished before the side of the Alpha's cheek caved in, crushed under the impact of Lyssandra's heel.
The beast was blown backward with tremendous force, crashing into the forest and breaking many trees in its path as it slid.
"This footwork [Gale Drift] skill is indeed awesome,"
she breathed, a thrill running down her spine.
"I feel so light and fast, like the wind itself."
Suddenly from the rise of dust and smoke, a massive red spear made of lightning with terrifying speed collided with Lyssandra, or rather against the translucent slime shield she had raised to block it.
*ZZZZT—CLANG!*
The lightning current surging through her body was getting higher and higher, making every nerve in her frame tingle and twitch violently with the electrical overload.
*BRRZZZZ—AHH—!*
"Shit, this is not good,"
she thought as she gritted her teeth to deflect the crimson spear to the side with a surge of magic.
Her arms were now smoking and red, burning marks sizzling across her skin from the direct contact with the beast's high-voltage fury.
-
-
-
-
Blood, blood dripping, and organs splashing—intestine was everywhere, a wet and colorful mess sprawled across the dirt floor.
That was the only thought inside its dizzying, pain-filled head as the world spun around it.
Around it, the sound was muffled and faint, like being deep underwater in a quiet, dark place.
"!erEht"
"Ti lLik"
It looked around and beside the previous thought, its kinsman's body parts were lying all over the place.
Some were hacked cleanly by a sharp sword, some were pierced by a long spear, and others were crushed flat under heavy wooden logs.
Then the sound gradually came back to its ears, a symphony of pain and death.
"Die you bastard!"
someone screamed, a distant echo of fury.
"Die! Die!"
The whimpering sound of a dying lightning wolf reached the its sensitive ears, a high-pitched howling-like plea for mercy.
"What happened?…. Urgh, my head hurts,"
the dazed lightning wolf thought, clutching its bleeding head with a trembling paw.
"I remembered, I was following the Alpha to a place to get food…."
"…then we were ordered to go inside the big rocks to get the meat,"
its memory slowly came back in fragmented images.
"Then a loud noise,"
the beast recalled with a shudder.
"Yes, a loud noise from above, we were ambushed."
It finally realized the truth and was about to howl in terror and warning.
Suddenly from the side, a sharp wooden bolt pierced its head with a wet thud, ending its life in an instant.
"What the hell that dumb ass dog was doing, it was just sitting there like an idiot,"
a swift goblin snickered as he loaded a fresh bolt into his crossbow with a mechanical
*clack*
"Focus, the battle was almost ending. Oh, I got another one, 7-5 for me,"
another goblin called out, counting his kills with a smug grin.
"You were cheating, I demand we redo,"
the first one grumbled, eyeing his partner suspiciously.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you are very good, you are the best. Happy?"
"Of course, as long as you know your place."
The goblin nodded, a sharp and satisfied smile creeping across his toothy face, and then pointed the barrel back toward the carnage.
Amidst the battlefield, many hobgoblins were fighting furiously, trying to reduce the number of the lightning wolf pack to a manageable size before incapacitating the rest.
Morgana stood in her half-spider form, her long fingers dancing in the air like a master orchestra conductor.
She skillfully wove almost invisible strands of sticky web to trip, bind, and capture the fleeing enemies.
*Swish… Pop!… Thud!*
The captured lightning wolves then got wrapped in a thick, suffocating layer of web to keep them from running away.
The number of white cocoons created and tossed behind her was getting more and more, a pile of bound beasts growing into a small pile.
"I wonder if Master was doing ok,"
she thought, her eyes flashing with worry for Lyssandra.
"That Alpha lightning wolf is strong, even I am not its match."
"But we still have that slime,"
she reassured herself with a confident smirk, refocusing her red eyes on the battle ahead.
"Everything is fine, since it has that secret skill."
-
-
-
-
"…h—huh…!"
"Ugh—!"
Lyssandra struggled to stand up, her legs shaking with every ragged breath she drew into her burning lungs.
Her body was full of red burn marks and blood was pouring out from her many wounds, staining the black bodysuit crimson.
"Pathetic human. This is the consequence for deceiving me. Now, die."
The Alpha wolf howled again, then pounced at Lyssandra, red lightning streaks following its path like a fiery trail of death.
"Not yet, you dumb dog!!!"
A loud voice erupted from above as a stream of water poured down on the beast.
*HSSSS—SPLOSH!*
It looked confused and quickly retreated back away from Lyssandra, turning its head left and right to look for the origin of the sound.
"Im here you stupid!"
Luna said as she was sitting casually on the Alpha wolf's back, legs dangling from the beast's shoulders.
"Get off me, you worm!"
The wolf jumped up and down frantically, trying to dislodge the annoying water slime from its spine.
"Where are you looking at?"
Lyssandra suddenly said, her voice cold and commanding.
She was already standing in front of the Alpha wolf, a magical lance in her hand, striking at it with brutal speed.
It dodged, barely, and then fell, rolling many rounds on the dirt floor to avoid further attacks.
*Roll… Roll… Crunch!*
Luna jumped up before it stopped rolling and landed gracefully beside Lyssandra, splashing a puddle.
"Are you ok, Master?"
she asked, her voice laced with worry as she examined Lyssandra's injuries.
"I'm fine, pet, tis but a scratch,"
Lyssandra replied nonchalantly as she downed a healing potion in one swig.
*Gul—Gul—Hnn!*
The potion washed away the fatigue instantly, her skin knitting back together under the glow of the magic liquid.
"YOU SUCCESSFULLY ANGER ME!!!"
the Alpha wolf roared, its voice shaking the very ground beneath their feet.
Its fur stood on end like quills, and every pore exuded massive red energy, a giant image of a crimson wolf manifesting behind it as an aura of rage.
"Come on, just die already~~~,~~~"
Luna yawned and lazily said, her eyes half-lidded and bored despite the lethal situation.
Her words made the wolf become angrier, now the ground around the wolf was cracking like a spiderweb, the pressure radiating from it becoming much stronger.
*CRACK… CRUNCH…*
Then it pounced, its mouth opening wide, a small ball of red lightning forming and quickly turning into a giant sphere of electricity.
"Boring."
Luna said as she snapped her fingers with a sharp, decisive sound.
*SNAP!*
The pouncing wolf suddenly stopped in mid-air, its body fixed in place as if gravity itself had been suspended.
Then a moment later, many water spikes grew from its body, piercing its whole frame like a porcupine in agony.
*SHLUUP! SPURT!*
The beast screamed, but the sound was muffled as blood mixed with water spray erupted from the countless wounds.