Demon Wolf

Wolf examined the large obsidian disk, once more disappointed with the reading. The device before him lay on the ground, one meter in diameter, its top surface smooth like glass. The dark display revealed ten concentric circles of a slightly lighter black hue, with an emerald dot at the center.

Each time Wolf summoned the artifact, he hoped for a constellation of green to manifest in the outer ring, signifying nearby holdingrings. However, the empty, dark expanse failed to meet his expectations. Despite knowing it was only a matter of time before he located his target, the young man still gnashed teeth in frustration.

Still nothing. This damn thing’s detection range is too small. He had checked his surroundings a dozen times already, scanning every five hundred meters. Yet he found no trace of manlings, save for his own holdingring.

“Don’t feel vexed. Using the extra-dimensional space detector, I can locate holdingrings and portable mansions within a kilometer. And, since I have stored all my callingjades, Brilliant Gate’s disciples have no means of tracking me.”

Wolf’s thoughts once more wandered towards the scanner. Surprisingly, he had taken two minutes to come up with a plan. Back home, he practiced magic to find invisible, or hidden enemies. The extra-dimensional space detector provided a handy way to locate loot he had missed after cleaning a battlefield. In Corpsewood, however, he found greater utility for the treasure-hunting gadget.

With a frustrated snort, he stored the glossy disk, and continued following the Brilliant Gate disciples’ panicked trail.

Five minutes later, Wolf checked his surroundings yet again. Finally, something!

“A single least quality holdingring at eleven o’clock, seven hundred and thirty meters away.”

I have seen no one using higher grade holdingrings in this world.

“I found none. That doesn’t mean nobody owns them. Besides, from what I’ve read, Boreo is just this world’s boonies.”

Wolf continued arguing with himself, creeping towards the unsuspecting green blip.

***

Marie’s lethal threat alert terrified Genevive. The highest state of combat readiness prohibited misuse of callingjades, and suddenly, the omniscient dispatchers became blind.

The young brunette waited in silence for five minutes, ten, fifteen. As time passed, the quiet, which she had found relaxing during the last couple of days of ceaseless chatter, grew oppressing, stifling.

Coralie’s death was an accident, she consoled herself for gods knew which time. The battle broke out near her location, and she got swept in it.

The frightened woman nodded her head with zeal, as if her level of conviction could help her survive. She died to bad luck. Dispatchers are the safest disciples in Corpsewood. Nothing—

Leaves shook and branches snapped.

Startled, Genevive jerked her head left.

The sudden explosion of sound had grabbed her full attention. She was about to ask, ‘Who’s there?’ and blow her cover, when the world turned dark and she reentered reincarnation, still afraid, unsure how she had died.

***

They have no alarms, nor traps to protect them. Not even tripwires. Wolf wiped Eviltongue and stored it, recalling a mercenary encampment he had raided years ago. People back home are more meticulous.

“That was a permanent fortification; this is a temporary camp. If Brilliant Gate’s disciples set snares in discardable, frequently trod locations, they would likely hurt their own. Besides, there’s a bunch of them gathered here. I doubt they expected anyone would attack them. And even if an army attacked, improvised Spell Formations would have limited effect.”

Wolf took Genevive’s holdingring, but left behind her body and callingjade, believing that taking the device would alert his enemies and reveal his location.

He focused his mind on the ring’s contents as he left, but tsked before making the second step. 

Trash, both Mental Aspects thought in unison.

Another three hours passed without new signals, when several dozen of them appeared.

I’ve finally reached their camp.

“They have patrolling and stationary sentries.” 

Wolf followed the plan he had come up with in the hours of spare time he had. He circled around the camp, focusing on stealth. After half an hour, he understood his enemy’s basic strategy.

They have four to five hundred sentries, the rest clump together at the center. The signal is too blurry to make out their exact number.

“They should total around twenty-five hundred. Based on the information I got, there should be two thousand at the center. It’s a decent plan. The guards are fifty meters away from their comrades, moving in groups of ten, so I can’t eliminate them without raising the alarm.”

What should I do? Wolf raised his head, scowling at the heavens for throwing him such a tough bone. He was ready to curse silently, when a grin replaced his scowl.

***

Where are they? It’s been six hours already. Marie bit her lip and checked her callingjade yet again. No missed calls.

What are they doing? Did they give up? Our defenses are tight, and the best they can hope for is a suicidal charge, spiting us by inflicting maximum damage before dying. She looked around and clenched her fingers, doing her best not to fidget.

Brilliant Gate’s disciples were in no mood for meditation. Even those who were on the cusp of advancing stopped forcing the breakthrough, fearing bedevilment and permanent damage. Everyone kept casting her nervous, furtive glances, and Marie read the accusation hidden deep within.

‘This is all because of you!’

‘Bitch in heat, your cunt got us into this mess!’

Marie added words which did not exist to those accusing eyes, but then reined in her imagination. Focus!

She once again ran the details of their situation and took stock of the sisters fidgeting around her. Suddenly, a realization dawned in Marie’s mind. They are doing this to hamper our cultivation!

We lost four hundred and fifty disciples, so we must treat their threat seriously. But we still need to sleep…

They plan to exhaust us!

She sized up the most nervous group of one thousand. The state of high alert disturbed them an hour after they went to sleep.

Their eyes were bloodshot, their gazes lacked focus. Despite their bodies brimming with energy, eight hours of meditation and saturating blood with Qi had strained their minds. Paired with six hours of taut nerves, they had reached the point of snapping.

Their attack might never come. Marie grit her teeth, hoping the enemy would just charge at them and get it over with.

This is unacceptable. They are in the dark, while we’re sitting in the light, wondering when and whether they will come, and this situation could stretch for days. It’s even in their interest to drag it out as long as possible.

Marie had an urge to curse and scream.

She closed her eyes and drew a deep, calming breath, reaching the next logical step of Brilliant Gate’s plan. “Girls, go sleep at the camp’s center. We will watch over you. When everyone’s rested enough, we will head deeper into Corpsewood.”

Marie moved from the center of the group, making room for her exhausted junior apprentice sisters. The entire operation to capture Wolf weighed heavily on her mind. The failure, the losses, the potential consequences once they left the secluded world.

The imminent attack, which loomed over her head, had a lower priority. She had handled everything, and prepared everyone as much as humanly possible. Without a comparable force, the enemy stood no chance against them.

Still, Marie’s mounting stress killed any desire she harbored towards Wolf.

“Senior Apprentice Sister Grundhoffer, does that mean we’re temporarily disregarding our cultivation? When do you think we’ll be able to continue?” A petite blue-eyed blonde looked at Marie with puppy eyes, further irritating the stressed leader.

All you think about is advancing your realm, you damn cultivation fanatic. Marie wanted to scream, but suppressed her rage. “Yes, Francine, for the moment, we have to pause our meditations. I don’t know when we’ll be able to continue. Hopefully, soon.”

“Senior Apprentice Sister Grundhoffer, we should notify the dispatchers. That may prove troublesome because of the jade silence we’re currently…”

“Senior Apprentice Sister Grundhoffer…”

“Senior Apprentice Sister Grundhoffer…”

Assailed by incessant whining, Marie felt the hair on the back of her neck bristle up. No, my hair is really standing on end.

She frowned and looked at the departing Francine, whose hair was rising, slowly evolving into a golden-yellow bush. Marie darted her gaze left and right, and noticed Francine was not a lone occurrence.

Over several seconds, everyone’s hair stood straight, the effect more noticeable on the tired disciples, heading towards the camp’s center. As they shuffled small arcs of silvery white danced on their robes, glowing in the dim jungle surrounding.

What the hells? Marie took a moment trying to recall anything about this phenomenon from the manual she had read on Corpsewood, but failed to remember anything relevant.

“Does anyone know—” Just as Marie uttered those words, the world exploded into white. A giant mallet struck her and sent her flying backwards.

sleepydad88 Random Roll -

Spoiler

I wanted Wolf to kill another sect’s concealed disciple, one who had survived Brilliant Gate’s purging. Unfortunately the odds were too low. :/

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