Ghost Wolf

by Brandon Chen

  “I’d back off if I were you,” Noah snapped. “Soon, you’ll be hopelessly outnumbered.”

  “I don’t mind a challenge,” Junko said, sensing the presence of Yuri pouncing at him from behind. The werewolf had climbed up the side of the ice fortress to attack him? “Interesting tactic.” The Bount spun around and grabbed Yuri by one of his legs, swinging him down with tremendous force, cracking the icy floor. “I told you that I’m not here for you.” Junko drove a heavy kick into Yuri’s side, sending the werewolf smashing through one of the walls. He glanced back to Violet. “Our reunion is long overdue, little sister.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Violet screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She thought of the last time that she’d seen her parents. She thought they would be safe in the Iradian Empire. How had this happened?

  “Hope,” Junko said with a malicious grin. “My duty in the Bount organization is to cause despair. Our parents were a beacon of hope to the survivors of Horux. Now that they’re dead, the people will have no one to look to for guidance. When that happens, they’ll fall into a state of disorder. That’ll make it easier for the werewolf infection to spread.” He pointed his index finger at Violet, purple energy gathering at the tip of his finger until a small ball of arcane magic floated there. “Don’t look so distraught, Violet. You’ll see our parents soon.”

  Violet planted her feet on the icy floor and rotated her body as she jabbed her blade at Junko’s throat with blinding speed. The Bount grunted, narrowly avoiding her attack by stepping to the side. But Violet was not finished; she unleashed a flurry of fast blows that stabbed at Junko’s body.

  Junko raised his eyebrows, impressed with Violet’s expertise with the rapier. He could sense the burning rage and animosity behind every one of the princess’s brutal strokes. Her blade flashed with frightening speed, able to drill a hole through a human body. But her inexperience in combat would prove to be her downfall.

  Violet’s sword ripped through the air inches from Junko’s face. The man grinned wickedly, his hand catching Violet’s wrist. A slight application of pressure would snap the princess’s bones like fragile twigs. From there, striking her down would take only a fraction of a second. Not even Noah would be able to react fast enough to forestall Junko’s swift movements.

  An arrow of ice pierced the air, whistling straight for Junko’s face. The Bount released Violet and caught the projectile by the shaft, blood trickling onto the floor from the chaffed skin on his palm. He glanced at the hole in the wall and saw Lady Amara stepping through the opening with Archerus and Yuri at her side. “You are infiltrating my fortress, Bount,” the Frost Mistress said with a wry tone. “Do not expect mercy.”

  Junko whistled, smashing the arrow into tiny bits of ice that crumbled to his feet. “I wondered who owned this fortress. Malyssa told me to steer clear of you, Lady Amara,” the Bount said, his mouth pinched into a thin line. The smile on his face had faded. “You pathetic annoyances just love to get in my way, don’t you?” He took a step back and sighed. “Oh, well. I’ve accomplished what I came to do.”

  Yuri gritted his teeth, unsure of what Junko meant. He watched powerlessly as the cackling man turned into a poof of smoke, vanishing in an instant. He saw Violet on the floor, gripping the bloody necklaces of her now-deceased parents. The princess was sobbing, clutching the jewelry to her chest.

  Yuri watched her sympathetically, knowing what it was like to lose family. Had Junko come merely to cause her sorrow?

  “Everyone, we have a problem,” Noah said, pointing out the window. The stables that housed the reindeer had been completely destroyed. All of the animals had been crushed beneath the collapsed debris. “How are we going to get to Etaon?”

  Archerus gritted his teeth, shaking his head. “He’s trying to slow us down.”

  Yuri gritted his teeth, realizing what Junko had planned. Malyssa would strike Etaon while Yuri’s contingent was stuck at Lady Amara’s fortress. Without those mounts, they wouldn’t be able to get to the gnome stronghold in time to provide reinforcement before the vampire assault. It seemed that most of the members in the room also realized what was going on.

  “I have my private carriage stationed away from our stables,” Lady Amara said through clenched teeth, clearly trying to stay calm despite her rage. She nodded to Archerus and Yuri. “You werewolves should be able to move on foot. I’ll lead you to Etaon using the safest and quickest route I know.”

  “We appreciate your help,” Archerus said thankfully.

  “The vampires are the greatest enemy of my people,” Lady Amara said. “I am simply aiding the enemy of my enemy.” The Frost Mistress stormed out of the room, fuming. “We cannot waste any more time. We must leave immediately. It’ll take us several days to reach Etaon.”

  Yuri ran his hand through his hair, closing his eyes. He wanted to punch something, but out of respect for Lady Amara, he didn’t take his anger out on any of her icy furniture. Junko had already eradicated the reindeer before Yuri spotted him. All the Bount had done was kill precious time. “Violet, we need to go,” Yuri said, walking to the distraught princess.

  “I … can’t,” Violet whispered shakily.

  “We don’t have much time,” Yuri said, suddenly feeling impatient. The images of scattered corpses in Etaon flashed through his mind. If his group didn’t get there in time, there was no telling whether or not there would be a massacre. “Look, I understand that you’re distressed and that you need time alone, but we can’t just—”

  “Can’t just what?”

  “Waste any more time…,” Yuri finished, immediately regretting his words.

  “Is my mourning just a waste of time to you?” Violet snapped, making Yuri feel as if a sharp dirk had penetrated his heart. Her frustrated stare made him feel naked before her gaze, his courage stripped away. “My brother, who I thought was dead for most of my life, murdered my parents!”

  Anger seized his mind and he wanted to yell, to tell Violet that she was being selfish and that there were other lives at stake. But Archerus stopped him, grabbing his shoulder before he lost control and said words that he’d regret. “She’s not herself, and neither are you,” Archerus said softly, pulling the boy away. “We’ll leave some Iradian soldiers here to stay with you, Violet. We’ll come and fetch you on our way back. Take as much time as you need. We understand.”

  Yuri was silent as Archerus led him out of the fortress and to where Lady Amara tended to her personal sled. It was pulled by four reindeer that had been put in her private stables. Luckily, Junko hadn’t found Lady Amara’s personal mounts. Dozens of Frozarians were outside, tending to the wounded victims of the Bount’s assault.

  “You need to calm down,” Archerus said, clamping his hand on Yuri’s shoulder. “Both of us know what it’s like to lose family. Think of the position that she’s in. You can’t expect her to race to Etaon, having just found out her parents were assassinated.”

  Yuri shook his head. “I know. It’s just that we don’t have time to sit around and grieve. So many things are happening and we’ve already wasted enough time resting here!” he growled, his body morphing into a werewolf. He turned to Lady Amara, who had gotten into her sled with Noah and another Frozarian. “Are we ready?”

  The Frost Mistress nodded. “Follow me,” she said, swinging down her reins as the reindeer sprinted forward across the snowy lands, dragging the sled closely behind.

  Archerus watched as Yuri took off after Lady Amara’s sled in his werewolf forms, moving at a hurried pace. He sighed and quickly morphed into a beast, rushing after his companions.

  Yuri could feel it, the enormous weight of failure hovering over his shoulders. He didn’t want to be too late, like he had with his mother and brother’s demises. He didn’t want to be powerless either, like he had when Asmund had transformed into an uncontrollable monster. The lives of so many depended on the success of this mission. If Malyssa really did manage to execute all of the engineers in Etaon, then ther
e would be no way for them to invent a method to deliver the Phoenix Heart’s antidote into the werewolves’ bloodstream without forcefully feeding the beasts. All of this strife would’ve been for nothing. Everyone’s counting on us. Please, we need to make it in time!

  The Fall

  It had been several days since they’d arrived at Etaon. Terias hadn’t trained with Senna since they’d been in Etaon, but that was because the two of them were always being tasked with something to do to help prepare the fortress for the predicted invasion. Torches had been placed all over the bastion, and the doors of every entrance in the stronghold had been layered with silver so that the vampires would have trouble entering. Tons of silver ore were smelted and then turned into bullets or swords that the gnomes would wield when the vampires came.

  However, as the days dragged on, Terias began to wonder whether or not Yuri’s prophecy was jus a hoax. No one really knew if they should trust what Archerus had told them, except Senna. Oddly enough, the knight seemed confident that Malyssa would attack and had the most enthusiasm of all the warriors in the building.

  Terias had noticed that Senna gained newfound respect for Yuri after he’d risked his life at the Lake of Eternity. He no longer worried about Yuri being a potential threat after his selfless actions. Kura’s troops also saw the boy as a courageous hero, having risked his life against a horde of undead and a frost giant for the sake of the group.

  Terias wiped his brow as he secured yet another lit torch on a sconce in an empty corridor. It was nighttime, so he had to make sure that all of the torches were aflame. He turned to the sound of echoing footsteps as someone descended the stone stairway nearby. He watched as Lena staggered into the hallway with a box full of silver weapons in her arms. The apprenticed knight crinkled his brow at the engineer, surprised that she was able to carry around such a heavy load.

  “Here, let me help,” Terias offered, walking to her.

  “Thanks,” Lena said, with a sigh of relief, as the young man gripped the other side of the box, sharing the weight. “We’re taking this to the armory, if that’s all right.”

  “No problem,” Terias assured her. The two walked in silence for several minutes. He hadn’t noticed it before, but it was frighteningly quiet tonight. Usually the gnomes would be arguing about something outside or there would be an explosion or two from some failed experiments. But tonight, there was nothing. A disconcerting feeling swept over him, and it was affirmed when he saw a gnome frantically sprinting down the hall, his shirt covered in something other than just soot, dirt, and oil. There was blood, and it was everywhere.

  “H-Help!” the gnome screeched, his eyes bulging with terror. In one hand he was holding an iron wrench, and in the other was a silver dagger. This was one of Etaon’s engineers!

  Terias and Lena nearly dropped the box in unison when suddenly a black shape slithered from the shadows behind the gnome. The apprenticed knight stared in shock as a cloaked creature grabbed the engineer and sank its fangs into the side of the poor gnome’s neck. It was a vampire, its skin pale as snow and eyes the orange of boiling lava.

  The humanoid monstrosity pulled away from the corpse, which was now drained of blood. The body crumpled to the ground, the gnome’s skin as blanched as the vampire’s.

  Terias stared at the cadaver for a moment, his expression hardening. He reached to his side and gripped his silver sword, tearing it from its scabbard. Brandishing the blade with a flourish, the warrior felt adrenaline channeling through him. The need to slay the unholy beast drove him towards the vampire, his weapon tearing in a sideways cut.

  The vampire was agile, elegantly ducking beneath Terias’s attack. Licking the gnome’s blood from his lips, the creature’s hand shot out and grabbed the knight by his throat. The monster lifted Terias off the ground as easily as a grown man could pick up a puppy. The apprentice could feel the vampire’s nails digging into his flesh, drawing small slivers of blood that trickled from the cuts in his neck.

  The vampire was enraptured by Terias’s pain, his crazed eyes flashing with elation at the sight of fresh human blood. A loud bang sounded, and the creature suddenly was forced backward as something heavy thumped into his shoulder, penetrating his pale flesh. Ichor splattered onto the floor of the corridor, and the vampire released Terias to grab his hemorrhaging wound.

  The monstrosity glared at Lena, who was wielding a rifle. “Silver!” he screeched as he charged towards the engineer. He bared his fangs, prepared to leap upon the young woman, but grunted when a metallic gauntlet grabbed his ankle. The vampire screeched as Terias brought him slamming to the ground. The knight snatched one of the torches off the wall and pressed the blazing flame against the skin of the ghostly creature.

  The undead monster let out a shrill scream of agony as his flesh began to deteriorate, the layers of his skin peeling away beneath the fire. The vampire suddenly burst into flames as if he had been covered in oil, screaming and writhing about. In only moments, the scathing monster lay still.

  Lena was panting as she reloaded her rifle. “It looks like Malyssa’s forces have already infiltrated Etaon. We need to find the others; it’ll be a lot easier to handle the vampires if we’re together.”

  Terias touched the bleeding cuts on his neck, gulping nervously. He nodded in agreement and hastily sprinted down the corridor, leading the way. The two apprentices dashed through the lifeless halls of Etaon, where the corpses of numerous gnomes were slumped against the walls. All of their blood had been drained. Sorrowful whimpers escaped Lena each time she saw a familiar face.

  Terias and Lena pushed deeper into the stronghold, eventually making their way to one of the doors that led to a large foyer. They found Kura, Senna, and Twinklehart fighting off a swarm of vampires, beside numerous Iradian soldiers, gnomes, and Frozarians.

  The undead creatures outnumbered Kura’s small force, but the assassin did not falter. She was enraged, after what Malyssa had done to her companions at the entrance to Lichholme. Rushing forward, the female warrior’s speed matched those of the vampires. Her blades bit into the flesh of several enemies as she flipped about, her image a mere blur to Terias’s eyes. He could barely follow her movements, but she left behind a trail of dead vampires.

  “We should go and hel—”

  “Wait,” Terias said, clamping his hand over Lena’s mouth as he pulled the apprentice away from the entrance, hoping that no one had seen them. He peeked his head into the room, his heart pounding heavily. It was her.

  Malyssa marched through the main entrance to the room, stepping around the silver door that lay broken on the floor. “If we go out there now, we won’t accomplish anything. Not with her out there,” Terias whispered.

  “What are you talking about?” Lena said through gritted teeth, pulling Terias’s gauntlet from her face. “My people are in that room, fighting with their lives on the line. I’m not going to sit here and hide!”

  “Malyssa’s objective is to kill all of the engineers,” Terias snapped. “You can’t just throw yourself at her. She’ll—”

  “I don’t care. I’m not going to sit here and do nothing!” Lena snapped, prying herself from Terias and stumbling to the arched doorway to the foyer. She gripped her rifle bravely, aiming down the sights. It only took her a second to fire a silver bullet that sped towards Malyssa.

  The vampire turned her head, astounded by the riflewoman’s quick accuracy. She’d hardly even noticed the apprentice’s presence. However, the projectile never reached her. One of Malyssa’s subordinates shielded the vampiric leader with her body, the bullet biting into the monster’s back. The creature crumpled to the ground, convulsing for a moment as the body smoldered in its reaction to the silver projectile.

  Malyssa glanced at the corpse with pity, and then turned her attention to Lena, raising an eyebrow at the engineer. She waved her hand and a horde of vampires flooded through the doorway behind her, racing for Senna and his comrades. But her murderous gaze stayed on Lena. “This one is mine.”


  Terias’s eyes widened as the tide of battle abruptly turned. The vampires outnumbered Kura’s forces five to one. Within seconds, the gnomes and humans fell victim to the nimble creatures. Even the Frozarians were slaughtered, though they put up a fierce fight.

  Senna grunted, realizing that he, Kura, and Lena were the only ones still standing, watching as the respected Twinklehart joined the victims of the vampires. He let out a fierce battle cry, cleaving two enemies in half with a single strike of his sword. But he was not fast enough to counter the speed of all of his opponents. Every time he slashed, the vampires would strike him with puncturing strikes of their fists, hammering his armor with a barrage of attacks. The dauntless warrior squeezed the hilt of his sword tightly, his hands quivering from the sharp pains that exploded from his numerous wounds.

  Rotating his body, the knight spun, slicing every vampire around him in a powerful stroke. Dismembered bodies rained down around him and Senna panted, spitting some blood onto the floor as he glared at Malyssa. “Keep coming, I’ll kill you all!” he barked, wincing at the grievous injuries that he had sustained. Deep slashes carved through his armor and into his bloody flesh, and he had the several broken ribs.

  Malyssa smirked at the injured knight, impressed. “To think that feeble humans would prove to be such formidable warriors,” she said, catching sight of Kura.

  The assassin was sprinting along the wall of the foyer, decapitating three vampires with brutal strokes of her sword. Kura kicked off the wall, flipping through the air, and hurled ten silver knives in Malyssa’s direction. The projectiles smashed into four of Malyssa’s comrades that stood around her. The vampire leader watched as they collapsed at her feet, not even flinching.