Demon Wolf

It’s fascinating how well the foxes handled that, Wolf mused, analyzing the peace talks. Hares got everything they wanted. Mona shouldered most of the hatred and blame for the tribe’s downfall, and even the majority of hare deaths happened during the coup and could be laid at her feet.

Without those escapees, things would’ve turned out worse. Did that fox intentionally let them off, softening up the hares for a truce? It goes against The Ruler’s Way, but I appreciate the unconventional approach and the resolution with few civilian losses.

Wolf ignored the casualties which slavery would incur in years to come. Hare Tribe enslaved tens of thousands of humans, and Fiona bargained for them to take seventeen hundred with them.

Contemplating what he had seen and heard, Wolf reached the barren waste the Lindworm had created.

Kira said this alleged Lindworm ate everything nearby, but I never expected it was so thorough.

The area was so bare, Wolf could not spot a blade of grass. The damage the reptile caused to its surroundings would take years to heal.

This is a land of dust. I wonder how it survives without food? Wolf wondered, looking around, then considered a more immediate question.

Will it really attack me as soon as I set foot in its wasteland? He gingerly stepped forward. The sunbaked earth squeaked under his feet and fine dirt puffed up. He waited until the dirt settled… Nothing. The deranged Monster Beast’s frenzied rush he expected never happened. I guess it was a myth.

Wolf paused a moment longer, but Silver made no snarky remarks about the stupid superstition he bought. I have to check how you’re doing.

I think I’ll be able to enter my Palace of Echos in two to three weeks. I won’t endure long until I fully recover, but I have to see how you’re faring.

Wolf summoned South’s wineskin and drank a mouthful, his breathing growing easier. He looked around, scratching his eyebrow, uncertain how to proceed. I’ll climb the mountain. That’s where Kira claims Hares and Bears had mines before the Lindworm appeared. If it doesn’t show up by then, I guess I’ll make some noise and try to summon it.

With a shaky semblance of a plan and no idea what he was getting himself into, Wolf headed towards the large, rocky hill ten kilometers away. He dashed, kicking up dust without bothering with stealth.

That mountain is twenty kilometers wide. Ronit said the Lindworm is over seventy meters long and some two meters in diameter. Finding it in this place is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But Ronit swore it chased after her and Bear Tribe’s matriarch years ago. Hopefully, it will come after me?

Wolf hoped in vain. He reached the mountain; no Lindworm. He climbed the mountain; no Lindworm.

Well, stupid situations require stupid solutions. Wolf took out a pair of pans, unwilling to waste Qi on reinforcing his voice, and not interested in preserving his dignity before a giant reptile.

Clangs and bangs of his fine copper dishes echoed around the rocky mountain. Wolf raised a din for a couple of minutes, paying attention not to damage his cookware. I ought to buy a gong or a trumpet. It’s really situational, but when you need them, you gods damn need them.

Eventually, his effort paid off. A humongous grayish-green serpent crawled out from some depth and slithered towards him. Initially, Wolf only spotted the dust cloud the monster kicked up. He focused, burning a whiff of Anima. The rain had washed the soil from the mountain, leaving behind bare, jagged rock, yet the Lindworm somehow billowed dust in its wake.

That’s not a Lindworm. Wolf felt conflicted, uncertain whether that was good news. It’s an oversized Rockcrusher, just a fat anaconda with twin horns on its snout.

Wolf failed to recognize Monster Beast’s species. However, he knew it was a Lindworm as much as Fermion’s saurian beasts of burden were Drakes. They bore the legendary name, but they were lizards; just like this monster was not a Lindworm, but an evolved python.

This was a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it will be easier to kill than an actual Lindworm, if Lindworms exist. On the other hand, whatever I get from its corpse will be considerably less valuable, assuming I can kill it.

Wolf watched the dust-covered scales contract and scrape against stones. It effortlessly crushes rock under its bulk. It’s probably a burrowing species.

While Wolf scoffed at the so-called Lindworm, the bloody thing filled him with unease. Its body was thicker than a barrel; its coiling muscles pulverized stone with every move, and the sheer mass of the damn monster was terrifying.

Can I kill that? He lacked confidence. It depended on how hard those scales were, but considering how they sawed through rock, they were tough.

Wolf considered his lifesaving trumps, and the queasiness in his gut eased. I have two talismans left. Even if I use one, I’ll be left with a last resort.

He clenched his left and instead of Book, summoned one of the heavy axes he took from the Bear Tribe warriors he had killed. I’ve already ruined Razor against tough scales, I won’t risk Book like that.

No, I shouldn’t ignore my unease. That thing can kill me. Back home, I would crush such a brute force fighter with magic. Here, however, I’m a fraction of what I was. He gripped the ax with both hands, squeezing it to suppress his trembling.

It’s slow. If I flee, it can’t catch up. Maybe I can try hit-and-run tactics to bring it down? The slow creature moved faster than a gazelle, but Wolf could have a gazelle eat his dust.

Master, it’s already crawling. It will be impossible to force it any lower. Wolf made another quip, then his lips twitched awkwardly. I should stop doing this. It’s not the same.

He bit his lower lip, cursing the snake for letting him wait so long. Then he sprinted down the mountain to meet his enemy. Waiting only made his nerves tauter.

The rhythmic beating of Wolf’s feet mixed with the grating of Lindworm’s approach and the scraping of its monstrous scales grinding against the solid rock.

The wind picked up the fine sand the giant serpent milled and threw it towards Wolf.

Fucking dust. Unaware of the irony, Wolf squinted and charged. He sent a surge of Qi into the war-ax and cleaved at the Lindworm as the Monster Beast opened its maw.

He burned Anima, and the world slowed down to a crawl. Executing Sunder the Mountains, he targeted the tender flesh of the monster’s mouth. Finally, the sight he expected and counted on appeared; the giant serpent opened its jaw in full.

Its mouth is scaled? Wolf’s mind reeled while this odd anatomy overturned his understanding of Monster Beasts. Instead of teeth and soft flesh, harsh scales lined this creature’s jaw, lined with countless flexible, white spikes.

While the monster was toothless, its thin spikes mired anything caught within its jaw while the jagged scales shredded the food. A part of Wolf’s mind realized why it ate everything. Meat, grass and wood, everything turned into mush after passing through that maw.

He intended to use the snake’s instincts against it, but wound up conning himself.

I can’t stop now. The backlash of interrupting a strike caused more harm than executing the blow and suffering the aftermath. I have room for a probing attack. Let’s see how tough it is. Then, a sideways tumble gets me out of the bite’s reach.

Wolf’s mind raced, his tense shoulders and triceps eased a level, sacrificing a part of the force for greater flexibility. Instead of a surge of Qi, he sent a gentle stream into his legs, circling the cyclone around his joints, while slightly reinforcing his thighs and calves.

In a fraction of a second, he morphed from a smashing meteor into a flexible spring, ready to bounce away. While his stance changed, earthen light condensed into a halo surrounding the ax’s head.

Wolf did not dare dull his senses. He observed the ax slam into the rough scales, prepared to react to the serpent’s unexpected movement.

Earthen sunrise exploded inside the gaping jaws. The rebound slammed against Wolf’s palms and shook his wrists while the ax-handle bent. The ray of light burst out of the weapon, and Wolf released the handle the instant all his Qi drained from his hands.

His feet touched the ground. He dived aside, watching the brown light fade.

Nothing. Not a scratch. He gulped, sensing the saliva crawl down his throat in dilated time-flow. These scales should be the hardest. I could try cutting it from the outside. But I can only execute another Sunder the Mountains before Qi deficiency kicks in. What about its eyes? Could they be a weakness?

As Wolf dodged, he glanced towards the snake’s eye, only to find nothing there. The protrusions and brows existed, but evolution found sight redundant for a burrowing species.

Can I locate its asshole? Wolf helplessly considered the only remaining anatomical weakness.

Random Roll -

sleepydad88 Lindworm wasn’t cooperating, so your dear author said: “Well, stupid situations require stupid solutions.” In my first draft, Wolf and the Lindworm clashed at the mountain’s foot.