The Wastelander

by Tipsy Wanderer

  19 The Alpha Wolf

  Several of the wolves in the wastelands raised their heads and let out long howls. The howls were a signal, a signal to launch the full attack!

  The swarming masses of rotwolves suddenly began to accelerate, as if physical inhibitors inside their bodies were suddenly unlocked or as if they were a group of chained beasts who suddenly slipped out of their shackles. The ferocious black wave of wolves began their true assault on the outpost.

  The area around the outpost was littered with boulders and ruined tires that were stacked together to form a rampart. In the wastelands, a defensive perimeter like this was considered quite strong. An attack from a few dozen rotwolves would be completely unable to do anything to this outpost, but the problem was that they were facing over eight hundred rotwolves and an unknown number of giant bats that circled around them!

  The outpost defenses were breached in multiple areas almost instantaneously and many rotwolves poured into the gaps. The entire world seemed to be filled with the sounds of combat, slaughter, screams, and frenzied wolf-howls.

  In order to avoid the giant bats, Cloudhawk was forced to scurry forward in a crawling position. He could already hear the sounds coming from outside the ramparts in front of him, as a number of rotwolves leapt onto the bodies of their peers to try and clamber up. Soon, they would be able to make it inside. To just lay here would result in certain death!

  Cloudhawk rose to his feet, wanting to flee backwards… but he didn’t even make it ten meters before three rotwolves agilely leapt past the ramparts. Their oily green eyes swept across the men before them, almost like that of proud lions surveying little white hares trembling before them. They bared their saliva-covered fangs and let out low growls from their throats.

  Only now did the rest of the terrified soldiers rise to their feet and begin to flee. But it was too late! The rotwolves leapt into the air, pouncing forwards and knocking down quite a few people. Their sharp claws were five centimeters long and were as tough as steel nails; each swipe of their claws was enough to tear a man open from chest to spleen.

  “DIE!” A particularly valiant guard lifted his iron warhammer and smashed it down at the rotwolf’s head. This blow was heavy enough to leave a large crater in any boulder and even the rotwolf hunched over from the force of this blow. However, out of everyone’s expectations, its brain matter didn’t splatter out. Clearly, this creature’s skull was even tougher than stone! The vicious rotwolf retaliated with a swipe of its claws and half of the guard’s face disappeared.

  The guard didn’t even have time to scream. The rotwolf leapt onto him, knocking him flat and then ripped out his vocal cords and carotid artery at the same time. This strike tore out half of his throat! The outpost guard’s body twitched a few times and never moved again.

  The rotwolf was in no rush to feed. It raised its gore-covered snout and turned its ghostly, oily-green gaze towards the others. It was already searching for its next target. Its flickering gaze was filled with wild savagery and it completely broke the morale of the conscripted irregulars.

  These beasts were clearly quite different from the wolves of the Ancient Times. In speed, strength, savagery, and cleverness, they surpassed the beasts of the Ancient Times many times over.

  Just as everyone was about to retreat, a single person charged forwards. Captain Lain drew his long sword as he raced forward. He delivered a vicious kick to the rotwolf’s side and knocked the heavy beast flying into the air and chopped his long sword down against the airborne wolf’s neck. Not even inspecting the wound, Captain Lain then leapt onto the rotwolf’s corpse, used it to launch himself even higher into the air, and stabbed down as his sword flashed with cold light. The stab just so happened to pierce all the way into a second rotwolf’s eye!

  “AWOOOO!” The final rotwolf howled furiously as it charged Captain Lain. Captain Lain relinquished his stuck long sword, as there wasn’t enough time to tug it free. He suddenly fell to his knees and bent all the way back, just barely dodging the rotwolf’s flying pounce.

  Riiiiip! A sharp knife suddenly flew out from Captain Lain’s metallic wrist guard. The knife easily cut into the rotwolf’s soft underbelly. The momentum of the rotwolf’s leap carried it forward resulting in an enormous gaping wound being ripped open. A deluge of blood and foul-smelling organs flowed out of the rotwolf’s body, dousing Captain Lain in gore.

  Only now did the others regain their clam. As for Captain Lain, he rose to his feet, panting just a little bit. He stepped on the second rotwolf’s head and forcibly pulled out his long sword. His entire body was covered with that reeking blood and he looked like a soldier who had just escaped from the depths of hell. He bellowed hoarsely with his damaged vocal cords, “All of you, fight! Anyone who takes a single step back dies!”

  The captain had just slain three rotwolves as easily as one would chop vegetables. His dazzling display of skill and valor managed to rally his men and raise their morale, which had truly been on the brink of collapse just now.

  However, more and more rotwolves began flying over the walls and pressing the attack. Every so often, the giant bats circling above would swoop down to rip off an ear or tear out an eyeball, or perhaps just rip an entire face off. This battle was extremely disadvantageous for Blackflag Outpost. Even Captain Lain ended up receiving a claw-strike as he dispatched one rotwolf after another. If it hadn’t been for his layers of armor, he would’ve been disemboweled by that attack.

  Some of the outpost guards tried to use their bows to shoot down those infuriating giant bats, but they simply weren’t able to see clearly enough in the night to make out their targets. The bats themselves were pitch-black in color and moved incredibly fast. Not even the finest sharpshooters were able to shoot down more than just a few of them.

  The outpost’s casualties grew heavier and heavier. These mutabeasts were even more powerful and vigorous than Cloudhawk had expected them to be, while not every person was as strong or skilled as Captain Lain. Ten or so people were sometimes able to use long pikes to stab bloody wounds into a rotwolf, but the berserk rotwolf would still be able to tear half of them to pieces before dying.

  “You are not permitted to retreat!”

  “All of you, keep fighting!”

  Captain Lain was on the verge of hysteria by now. As for the outpost guards, they supervised the battle with cold detachment, hacking or shooting to death any who dared retreat. Most of the outpost guards focused on shooting their bows and firing their guns towards the more distant enemies while commanding the irregulars like shepherds tending a flock of sheep. The irregulars were meant to stand in front and fight the ferocious rotwolves in bloody melee, serving as human shields that sacrificed their own blood, flesh, and lives to exact an equal price from their opponents!

  This was how war in the wastelands worked. War in the wastelands was like a merciless meat grinder that ground away at the bodies and lives of both sides!

  Suddenly, a booming sound rang out as a tremendous blow knocked down the nearby “walls”. An awesomely enormous rotwolf charged in through the gap. It was roughly twice as large and four times as muscular as the other rotwolves. It had to weigh around four hundred kilograms and was almost as tall as an ordinary human being. Its oily green eyes emanated a heart-stopping savage light and its entire body was covered with long thick fur. It radiated an aura of dominance and power that made it look like a king, and six or seven smaller rotwolves dashed in to its side. Like wolves loose in the sheep pen, they began massacring the surrounding soldiers.

  “Oh, FUCK. That’s an alpha rotwolf!” Captain Lain called out loudly, “Give me my gun!” Captain Lain accepted a double-barreled shotgun from another guard, loaded the pellets at lightning speed, and aimed it directly at the alpha wolf. BANG!

  The alpha rotwolf was even more alert and nimble than Lain had expected. It leapt sideways as soon as Lain aimed the shotgun so the pellets scraped by its body and ended up hitting a rotwolf behind it. The alpha wolf was thoro
ughly enraged by this near-miss and it howled as it charged straight towards Captain Lain. Captain Lain, however, wasn’t unnerved in the slightest; he quickly reloaded a second shot and fired again! This time, the alpha rotwolf twisted its head sideways, causing the pellets to hit it on its back and create a bloody mist.

  Wounds of this nature were absolutely nothing to something as hearty and muscular as this alpha rotwolf. By now, it was less than ten meters away from Captain Lain. All the humans it had encountered in its path had been bulldozed away like refuse.

  The alpha rotwolf was extremely intelligent. It knew who posed the greatest threat to it and its goal right now was to eliminate that threat as soon as possible. Its incredibly muscular body suddenly flew into the air as it leapt forwards, its massive wolf claws landing on a fallen human and almost instantly caving the man’s chest in. Blood instantly spurted out of the fallen man’s every orifice as the alpha rotwolf then leapt high into the air as it went straight for Captain Lain, who was now only six meters away.

  Even Captain Lain’s face tightened as he assessed the situation before him. He immediately tossed the shotgun and pulled out the long sword he’d planted into the ground. By now, the alpha rotwolf was right in front of him. If he let himself get knocked down, he would be finished!

  Captain Lain hurriedly retreated before stabbing forward with all of his strength. The alpha rotwolf used its massive claws to slap at the blade of the sword, which instantly split apart. The snapped blade flew off into the distance, eventually stabbing into the body of the poor bastard the alpha rotwolf had just stepped on earlier.

  As for Captain Lain’s right hand, it could no longer really be considered a hand. His fingers were all badly mangled from the force of that collision! The alpha rotwolf was simply unimaginably strong; a single blow from its paw had actually warped all of the fingers on his right hand!

  Captain Lain, however, was an old soldier who had experienced many battles. Even though he had suffered a heavy injury and was in intense pain, he didn’t lose his fighting spirit. In the same instant his sword shattered, he used his left hand to draw a dagger. As the alpha rotwolf leapt towards him, he delivered a vicious straight stab with that knife and managed to stab the alpha rotwolf right in its left eye! He then gave the knife a slight twist, resulting in a large amount of blood and eye-jelly pouring out of the wound. “AWOOOOO!” The alpha rotwolf let out an agonized howl!

  This sight gave a tremendous boost to the morale of the other soldiers and they all roared excitedly in response. However, no one foresaw what happened next. The alpha rotwolf suddenly spat a green, mist-like substance out of its mouth!

  The rotwolf was simply too close. There was no chance for Captain Lain to dodge whatsoever. The thick green mist instantly engulfed Captain Lain’s entire body and he immediately let out an absolutely inhuman scream.

  His hands, his face, his exposed flesh… all of it seemed to have been scalded by boiling water. Every inch of his skin instantly turned beet-red… and then the flesh began falling off his body as though someone were tearing at his skin with a cheese grinder. His eyes were instantly blinded by that fiery mist and when he accidentally inhaled that powerful corrosive substance into his body, it spread throughout his mouth, nostrils, and lungs. It was almost as though someone had poured boiling water down his throat!

  Bloody bubbles popped out of his mouth. Even his tongue rotted away! Just a few moments later, his entire respiratory system had been completely destroyed, as had his vocal cords. He was now no longer able to even scream. He was a valiant, steely warrior, but no miracle would suffice against an attack like this.

  The alpha rotwolf opened its mouth wide and gripped Captain Lain’s head in its jaws. Captain Lain’s four limbs were still frantically struggling when… CRUNCH! The rotwolf bit through his head as if it were just a rotten tomato. His head transformed into a large glob of blood and gore.

  One of the elite warriors of the outpost, a famous expert of Blackflag, died a miserable death at the hands of this alpha wolf. This time, it wasn’t just the irregulars who panicked. Even the outpost guards were broken!

  The alpha rotwolf still had that dagger plunged into its left eye, but it remained as savage and brutal as ever. It turned and then spat the deadly green mist once more, this time with some brain matter and gore mixed in. Quite a few people were within range of its attack and agonized screams once more began echoing throughout the area.

  One rotwolf after another charged out past it, leaping towards the humans. By now, none of the people present had any will left to fight. Their sole source of support, Captain Lain, had perished. As such, the battle here was destined to become completely lopsided, an absolute hell for the humans.

  20 A Near Escape

  After Captain Lain was killed, the alpha rotwolf tossed his corpse to one side like garbage. Several of the other rotwolves charged forward to fight over the body, eventually tearing it into quite a few pieces.

  It was a truly unimaginable sight. Just a short while ago, he was a hale and hearty warrior. Now, he had become nothing more than bits of blood, bone, and gore that scattered across the ground.

  One could imagine how heavy a mental blow this was to Cloudhawk. More and more rotwolves poured in and they were uniformly superior in every way; they were strong, they were fast, they were vicious, and they were clever. They were true killers! Soon, the entire defensive line had been breached in so many locations that it didn’t even look like a military formation at all.

  “Stop running. You won’t be able to escape!” Cloudhawk could sense everything spiraling completely out of control. He called out frantically, “Fight them to the bitter end, otherwise all of us are gonna die!”

  The humans still held the advantage in numbers. If they could band together, they wouldn’t necessarily be defeated! Running was of no use; how could two legs possibly run faster than four?

  Cloudhawk had already noticed that the sly, vicious rotwolves delighted in chasing down lone stragglers and individuals who were fleeing; pouncing strikes from behind seemed to have a high chance of success. Alas, nobody paid Cloudhawk any heed; they all continued to flee in terror, becoming nothing more than prey for the rotwolves.

  By now, Cloudhawk could no longer see any hope at all. Gritting his teeth, he rose and prepared to charge one of the rotwolves. But right at this moment, a shrill screech rang out! A giant bat dive-bombed towards Cloudhawk, its eagle-like claws ripping straight towards Cloudhawk’s face. If this strike landed, the claws would definitely tear through it as if it were parchment.

  Alert to the danger, Cloudhawk immediately halted and backpedaled, but the giant bat relentlessly pursued him. Its two claws landed on his shoulders, tearing through his skin and latching onto his flesh. The giant bat then began flapping its wings, hard; if it was able to fly into the sky, the terrifying power from its claws would at the very least rip two massive chunks of flesh from Cloudhawk’s shoulders.

  “Fuck off!” Cloudhawk furiously roared as he hacked the bat’s left wing off with his sword and slammed it to the ground. He held his short sword in a reverse double-grip as he repeatedly stabbed down at the bat’s head. A large amount of foul blood poured out and the bat quickly stopped moving after a few initial struggles.

  The one-eyed alpha rotwolf turned its attention towards Cloudhawk, instantly focusing onto the unremarkable, half-grown boy. It bared its sharp fangs, blood and saliva slowly dripping out of its maw. In the past minute, it had used those fangs to crunch and destroy at least six or seven heads. Now, it located the eighth!

  The alpha rotwolf flew into the air, moving with an explosive speed completely at odds with its huge frame. But just as the alpha rotwolf rose into the air to deliver its furious strike, Cloudhawk’s alert senses warned him of the impending danger.

  This thing had destroyed even Captain Lain! How could Cloudhawk possibly defeat such a savage beast?

  The alpha rotwolf’s mouth was already beginning to froth with its highly corrosiv
e acid spit. However, it now had much less compared to the last two times it used the spit. The alpha rotwolf was probably running low on its acid spit, or perhaps it felt there was no need to use too much against such a weak target. It moved with incredible speed, kicking up a huge cloud of dirt behind it as it launched itself like an arrow at Cloudhawk.

  Cloudhawk tossed his short sword straight towards the alpha rotwolf while throwing himself sideways, but of course the toss was completely ineffective.

  Cloudhawk could sense a fiery pain coming from his back as the massive bulk of the creature flew over him. Most likely, a few drops of saliva had dripped onto his back and it felt as though he had been dipped in strong acid. And this had been just a few drops! No wonder Captain Lain had almost instantly been crippled by a full-on blast of the creature’s spit!

  The alpha rotwolf turned with preternatural grace and speed and once more leapt at Cloudhawk. The creature was too close! No matter how Cloudhawk dodged, there was no way he could possibly avoid this strike.

  Cloudhawk knew very well that he would die as soon as he was knocked down; there would be no recovering from that at all. His head would be torn off and smashed like a melon, his body ripped into shreds, and his intestines dragged out. He would be transformed into a pile of gore and bloody mush!

  I can’t die here!

  Cloudhawk thought back to the nightmare he had his first night in the outpost. He hadn’t become powerful yet, hadn’t escaped the wastelands yet, hadn’t realized his dreams yet. How could he possibly accept such a meaningless, pathetic death? All these thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

  A surge of insane courage suddenly flooded into Cloudhawk and he reacted almost instinctively. If he was going to die no matter what, then he was going to die fighting. His legs came to a sudden halt, the momentum of his earlier movement continuing to propel him forwards and causing his feet to skid through the muddy ground. While fighting to maintain his balance, Cloudhawk pulled out the silver revolver from his side with his right hand.