ALL NOVEL Chapter 16: Chapter 16:Wolf in Wolf clothing
Everyone grew silent and remained as still as possible after hearing Elias' declaration. They all exchanged glances, trying to confirm what they had just heard
Anias' words broke the silence, "Wild beasts? Pfft, what does a farmboy know about wild beasts?" he snickered
Snap!
The sound of a twig breaking in half drew the attention of the group. They all turned abruptly in the direction of the sound.
Emerging from the darkness provided by the canopy of trees was a pair of red eyes accompanied by growling and snarling, then another and another and another, until Elias could count six pairs of red raging eyes.
The pair of eyes moved closer and closer, leaving the darkness until their form was illuminated by the evening sky.
"Direwolves!" Anias exclaimed, his eyes wild with visible shock and an unmistakable look of fear
"Oh look, it's a wild beast" Elias deadpanned, his tone laced with sarcasm
The wolves emerged from the shadowed treeline, their eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger. Their fur, a mix of grays and blacks, rippled over lean, muscular bodies, each movement looked calculated and fluid.
Their ears were perked, sharp, and attentive, twitching at every rustle in the underbrush. Sharp, white teeth glinted menacingly as their lips curled back into snarls.
The lead wolf, larger than the others which were at least eight feet in height, had a scar running down its snout. As they stalked forward, their paws made no sound on the forest floor, moving with an eerie, silent grace that belied their deadly potential.
They fanned out, forming a half-circle around the group, each wolf took its position with practiced precision.
"Stay behind me everyone, I'll end this quickly" Mathias instructed as raised his hand toward the wolves, "They're just Direwolves, a quick flame spell should scare them off" he added
The rest of the group listened, and stood behind Mathias, so as not to get caught in his spell.
Mathias began chanting words of power, and with a loud groan, "Nether Flare" he screamed.
A powerful wave of angry red flames at least six feet in height, washed over the Direwolves. The wolves began to whimper, and some were even about to turn tail and flee, but they were all brought back under control by a loud howl coming from none other than their ferocious leader, the scar-faced wolf.
Elias stepped forward, ready to draw his sword to defend his life, but Mathias signaled for him to back down.
"I cannot afford to let you get injured, I'll take care of this. I am here, no harm shall befall the child of light"
"But I can't just watch while you face these beasts alone!" Elias shouted
"Hmph, it'll take a thousand of these beasts to even begin to worry me." Mathias assured Elias with a smile on his face, "But if you're that worried, Anias would serve as a second line of defense, should any of them get past me. He may be a little rough around the edges, but he is an apprentice-level mage"
"Don't worry, Priest Mathias is very strong. He'll be fine" Dickson assured Elias
"Yeah, he is an expert-level mage" Nigel added
Elias decided to back down, for now, he relaxed his grip on the hilt of his sword but held on to it still.
Elias watched as Mathias battled the wolves, alternating between spells, mostly little fire spells, occasional light flares, and his bare fists! Now that Elias got a proper look at Priest Mathias, he noticed that the man was well built for someone of his age range, heck even some younger men were not as built.
Thud!
A Direwolf landed directly in front of Elias and the rest of the group, it was sent flying by Mathias but Mathias was too occupied with the rest of the wolves to notice, the wolf stumbled to his feet and shook his head.
The wolf faced the group, its hungry eyes had locked on new targets, less difficult targets. It slowly approached them, but for some unknown reason, the wolf singled out one person among the group. It was Elias.
"A-Aniass!!" Dickson and Nigel screamed in fear, but Anias remained silent and unmoving as if he were in a trance
The wolf slowly approached Elias, its eyes unwavering from the prize in his front.
"Anias!! Do something!" Dickson called out
Anias snapped out of his trance and was about to jump into action when he noticed that Elias was the only target in the Direwolf's eyes.
A sinister idea hit him, and he looked over to Mathias' side, he saw that Mathias was still battling with the wolves. A mischievous smirk curved into place on his face.
"Oh no, I've run out of mana," He said, exaggerating his gestures
"What? You're out of mana?! How?!" Dickson said as he grabbed Anias' robes forcefully
The Direwolf crept closer and closer to Elias, sizing him, and waited for the right moment to pounce on him.
"I must have used too much to heal myself and teach the farm boy healing magic. I'm out of mana. Now get your hands off me if you want to keep them" He said, giving Dickson a condescending look
"Tch… You bastard, I know you're lying " Dickson said as he let go of Anias robe
Dickson and Nigel both picked up a stick and charged towards the Direwolf screaming, "We won't let you harm the chosen one!"
As they approached, a smile appeared on Elias' face, "Don't come any closer" he said, holding his palm up
They stopped in their tracks, "But… the–", Dickson spoke
"Thanks for the concern, I appreciate it but I can handle this" He assured them with a confident smile
Elias sized up the Direwolf, he noticed a scar running down the snout of the beast, "Damn, just had to be the leader. I guess it's my luck, I'll just have to deal with it"
As if on cue, the wolf pounced at him with incredible speed, but Elias was faster albeit only slightly, as the claw of the beast cut through his shirt.
"My only shirt…"
For a few bouts, the wolf slashed and swiped, trying to nab Elias but it failed each time, Elias was always just a little faster than it, dodging all its attacks gracefully and effortlessly. To the onlookers, it looked like all the attacks missed Elias deliberately, but in reality, that was far from the truth.
'This is a good time to test that skill that Godfrey taught me'
The scar-faced howled in frustration, with each missed attack, its anger grew.
'But I need to lure it away from here, I don't want to reveal my cards in front of these guys. It's obvious Anias has it out for me, showing him my cards may come to bite me in the back later' He mused as he effortlessly dodged a claw
Elias put some distance between him and the scar-faced wolf, he showed his middle finger to the wolf and ran deeper into the forest.
And being the simple creature it is, the beast charged after him, howling as it ran.
Elias led the wolf further into the forest until he found a clearing, 'This will do'
Elias stopped and waited for the scar-faced wolf to catch up. He pulled out his sword from the leather wrap and unsheathed it.
The wolf crashed into the clearing, foaming and drooling in the mouth, clearly enraged and ready to tear Elias apart.
Not wasting any time, the wolf charged at Elias with open jaws at least ten feet wide.
Elias assumed his swordsmanship stance,
He took a deep breath, centering himself. He began with the first step of the unknown swordsmanship technique known as Bladewalk.
His foot moved forward, light and swift, barely brushing the ground. As his weight shifted, the other foot followed in an almost imperceptible transition.
There was no pause, no hesitation—each step flowed into the next with a grace that defied the eye's ability to track.
His movements were a symphony of motion, each step gathering momentum, each fluid transition building upon the last. The rhythm of his steps created a mesmerizing dance, a continuous, seamless progression that carried him through the forest like a whisper of wind.
His blade moved in harmony with her body, an extension of his will, slicing through the air with an elegance that spoke of countless hours of practice.
Elias' eyes remained fixed on the target ahead, his focus unwavering.
"The power of Bladewalk lay in this fluidity, in the ability to build momentum without breaking the natural flow of movement." Godfrey's words rang in his ear
As he moved, he felt the ground beneath his feet, the air against his skin, the pulse of the world around him.
With a final, decisive step, Elias halted, his blade poised and ready. He stood there, the culmination of the Bladewalk's momentum, his energy poised to strike at a moment's notice.
"[???? Swordsmanship. First step: Blade walk]"