Demon Wolf

Slack-jawed, Wolf gazed at the distant forms madly charging the fortified camp.

They are berserk; he realized. Thousands of Monster Beasts of several different species careened towards Hare Tribe’s outpost.

This reminds me of Fellbeasts’ mindless assaults back in Fellgrove. But I sense no aura of hatred… Dammit, I have no idea what their orders are. Wolf let go of his mental crutch, relying on his brain and knowledge. He calmed down and scanned the frenzied sea of monsters, identifying most of them.

Razortusks and those strange bison are the most numerous. There are several Direwolf packs and solitary Fleshrakers. I don’t recognize those lions, but they seem stronger than Fleshrakers. After a moment, he realized there were only mammals among their attackers.

That’s fortunate. Insectoids and scaled Monster Beasts are tougher to kill and climb better. While the timber vibrated beneath his feet and warriors around him murmured in dismay, Wolf glanced at the wall he stood on.

Two meters thick, a layer of wooden palisade, then hard-packed mud, then wood again. It should hold, but the corpses will pile up in no time, making a ramp for those behind.

“String bows!” Fiona’s voice echoed twenty meters to Wolf’s right.

Disorderly shuffling ensued, followed by light thumps, clatter and muffled curses when a warrior dropped her bow. Wolf watched the warrior’s hand shake as she picked up her weapon. What can arrows do to Monster Beasts?

The timber wall shook, its quivering growing more intense while Hare Tribe warriors clutched their bows with trembling hands.

“Draw!” Several hundred people followed orders and pulled their bowstrings.

They are blind, and their arrows won’t reach the monsters. Wolf watched, wanting to laugh, but his half-formed smirk froze. Barbarians’ missiles started glowing as archers infused them with Qi.

“Loose!” A stream of comets shot into the blackness, stunning Wolf. They know how to infuse Qi into projectiles? All of them? How? I never learned how to do that.

Wolf followed the hail of light with a shocked gaze. Originally, he believed they would hit grass, instead they overshot the front lines of the beast tide, stabbing somewhere beyond the forward ranks. Ordinary quarrels would have bounced off Monster Beasts’ tough hides, but infused with Qi, missiles pierced pelts and bit into flesh.

They are shooting based on sound. Wolf realized when he saw arrows strike random targets.

The result of the volley was not immediately lethal, but some Monster Beasts tripped or slowed down, causing chaos.

Over the cacophony of roars, snorts and whines, Fiona issued one last order to shoot. While the luminous barrage soared, a veritable tsunami of flesh battered the palisade. Massive bodies slammed into the wall, and timber under everyone’s feet swayed like a boat riding a storm.

“Help those around you, if you can,” Fiona shouted her final direct command, preparing for battle.

The first rows of Monster Beasts died on impact, smashed to death by the collision or trampled by those following them. As Wolf expected, it took a mere half-minute for the savage corpses to pile up and form a slope of flesh.

Once the carcasses piled to four meters in height, a red-maned lion pounced towards Wolf. Women flanking him screamed, but he remained calm. Book appeared in his hand. He gripped the blade, enjoying the sword’s perfect weight and balance.

It’s been two years. He smiled, smashing Book at the lion’s head. He used no technique; he did not activate Book’s enchantments. He did not even infuse it with Qi.

Wolf slammed his sword into the Monster Beast’s skull with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Most shockingly, he attacked with the flat of the blade, treating Book like a club.

Adamantium cudgel crashed into the skull, cracking it and sending the lion flying back into the tide of Monster Beasts. Screams of manlings filled the air as Hare Tribe’s warriors desperately endured the onslaught.

An Ironback Razortusk shook its swine head, struggling to gore the woman to Wolf’s left while scraping against the wall with its cloven feet. Seeing the panic in the warrior’s eyes, Wolf grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. He slashed Book downwards. The blade cleaved through the thick bristles and hide, then cleanly severed the muscular neck, decapitating the giant boar.

The headless body twitched one last time, then fell back and crashed into the pile of carcasses below. In the corner of his eye, Wolf watched another Razortusk reach the woman to his right. She smashed an ax into its head and drew blood, but then a saber-like tusk pierced her guts, breaking her like a puppet.

For fuck’s sake. This is the stupidest way to fight Monster Beasts. Wolf realized they were caught in a ridiculous trap, and escape was impossible. You can defend fortifications if you have Seekers and Truthspeakers to destroy the bodies. Or at least some alchemical tinctures which dissolve flesh and bones. Then, these shoddy walls would’ve been impenetrable.

“Fiona!” Wolf thundered over the screams and whines of the dying, then killed a Razortusk foolish enough to target him. “If you stay here, you will die!”

Wolf swung his sword again, dragging the poor warrior around like a doll. “Punch through or die!”

“I’ll get Kira!” With one final splatter of blood, Wolf jumped eight meters off the battlement and towards the tents.

The woman he slung across his shoulder like a sack grunted, her breath leaving her when Wolf landed.

“Run towards Hare’s Burrow!” he shouted one last time before infusing his legs with Qi and dashing towards the outpost’s center.

That redmane lion appeared most dangerous, but even it was weak. Fiona and her henchmen should make it if they aren’t stubborn about protecting this fort. But why are the Monster Beasts attacking this place? They are coming from all sides, meaning something’s attracting them here.

It’s just like with those damn apples. If we move away from whatever’s drawing these beasts, we should be safe, or at least face less pressure.

Wolf focused on saving himself and getting Kira out of danger because of his parental projection. He never considered his shout could destroy Hare Tribe warriors’ confidence. Wolf always fought in groups of five and fewer, never caring about things like maintaining high spirits.

If you can handle the situation, stay and finish the job. If the risk grows too great, run. Those were an adventurer’s thoughts, but a soldier could not act that way. In Fiona’s eyes, Wolf’s actions amounted to breaking morale and inciting a riot.

She gnashed her teeth as she heard his shout. How can that damn piece of ass be so loud? I think at least a hundred warriors heard him. This side will collapse because of that damn brat!

She smashed a Goldenhorn Bison’s temple with her hammer, dropping it without drawing blood. While Wolf used brute force, locals resorted to skill, exploiting the weaknesses their ancestors discovered ages ago.

You think I don’t know our situation’s horrible? You think I don’t know most people here will die if this attack doesn’t end in two hours? But if we run, only a handful of us will survive, and we’d be leaving the rest of our tribe as monster bait. And if this beasttide ends sooner, we’ll make it just fine.

“Cowards flee! Heroes protect the weak!” Fiona yelled, trying to restore the shattered morale. She smashed yet another bison dead before it crossed the breastworks. Its body tumbled, tripping up Monster Beasts charging behind it.

This simple move of hers displayed the difference between her and Wolf. The difference between a warrior raised protecting the walls, versus someone who always fought while staying on the move, who did not care where slain bodies landed.

“Endure!” she shouted.

“Dawn is our ally. If we make it to daybreak, we will survive!” she lied.

Sunrise would change nothing. However, it gave her women a goal, a hope, something they could cling to while surviving. Especially since Fiona was certain this battle would end in an hour.

This beasttide is strange. Predatory Monster Beasts rarely mix with pig and bull herds. They move in their hunting packs. This could only be blind panic from being chased. Does that mean this isn’t over yet? There’s something terrifying chasing all these monsters? No. That makes no sense. They would’ve circled around us if they were fleeing.

Fiona lacked Wolf’s sharp night-vision. She did not know Monster Beasts converged on them from all sides, rather than washed over them like a unidirectional wave. She noticed the oddities, the clues, but other thoughts occupied her mind; for instance, how to strike whatever approached her in such a way that she bolstered other defenders instead of making trouble for them.

Screams reached Fiona’s ear. Nearby screams. She glanced and knew what happened.

Damn that pretty face! His head is full of shit. Those girls died to fear! They watched their own asses instead of watching their mates’ backs.

“Bridget! Hold the line! I have to plug a hole!” Fiona rushed towards the cooling bodies, smashing another unfortunate pig along the way. Ironback Razortusks’ hides were hard to pierce, but if you smash their temples, their brains would turn to mush inside even if you draw no blood.

Every tribe in Forsaken Wastes knew hammers and axes were the way you fought Monster Beasts. Blades were elegant, great for killing manlings, not for massive creatures with thick hides and sturdy bones. Spears were useful, but got stuck when heavy opponents fell atop them.

Before Fiona plugged the hole, three Direwolves broke through the breach. She expected them to run towards the center and engage the auxiliary troops. They did not. Instead, the giant wolves sniffed, then scratched and bit the inner side of the walls as the reserves rushed over to kill them.

Fiona frowned and smashed an attacking Direwolf’s head into a pulp. What the fuck?