The time for the next matches was determined by the judges. On the awaited day, Jamie's match was the third match of the colosseum. Jamie witnessed the first two matches and waited for his turn.
The first match was held between the greater snake and a human in which the greater snake won. The second match was between the giant and a firebird which can breathe fire from its mouth. The giant fought bravely but the firebird burned the giant's eyesight and the giant lost as he couldn't see the actions of his enemy and got burned in different parts of his body.
Jamie memorized the skills of his enemy and was prepared. Jamie's match was about to begin. Srides hugged him and as he left for the arena she was praying for his victory. As Jamie entered the area he found his opponent is a skeleton-type monster. Drool started falling from his mouth after seeing the bones, it happened probably because his animal instincts kicked up.
Jamie tried to calm his desires but his body was not listening. The skeleton had a spear in its hand and the skeleton threw it straight towards Jamie's direction. Jamie somehow evaded it but his body started to run towards the skeleton. The skeleton broke one of its hands and threw it like a frisbee. Jamie was hit by the arm and his body stopped and started licking the hand of the skeleton.
All of a sudden a mirror popped up with a quest
[System]
[Control your body from licking skeleton's arm]
[Accept] or [Decline]
Jamie accepted the mission but he was still licking the skeleton's arm. To abstain from licking the bones he bit on his paw using the skill of poison claws and kept on doing it till he got control of his body. On his thirty third try his body started to work properly. Meanwhile, as Jamie was busy licking the skeleton's arm it was attacking the back of Jamie till now with his spear but Jamie was using his skill harden to nullify the damage done to him.
First Jamie created a distance between them and started to prepare a strategy to defeat the skeleton. After finishing up all the planning Jamie used his Intimidation. The skeleton started running at full speed towards Jamie. Jamie took this chance and started running backwards of the skeleton to force him to throw his spear. After five minutes the skeleton took the bait and threw the spear aiming at Jamie's head. Jamie turned around and jumped on the arrow as his footing and used his skill dark howl to render the skeleton immobile.
Jamie then dealt a huge blow to the skeleton. The skeleton's arms, legs and other body parts got dislocated from the main core of the body. Jamie then found the core and crushed it with his paw and the skeleton's body started to disappear in thin air like ashes mixing with the air.
The crowd went nuts screaming like crazy as Jamie won the battle. Jamie also howled and boasted his victory against the skeleton.
Jamie left the arena, he started searching for Srides and upon searching found a piece of cloth of Srides attached to a table. Jamie smelled the cloth and started to move following the scent. As he moved on the scent started to disappear. Being desperate Jamie started to look for other clues or a scream of her. He closed his eyes and waited patiently to hear the sound of Srides. After a while, Srides made a sound of help and Jamie heard the sound and started to follow the source of the sound. The reason Jamie could hear her sound was because wolves possess a better hearing power than dogs.
The sound of Srides was coming from a wagon and Jamie located the wagon and climbed up a tree and jumped above the wagon. There were two people inside the wagon along with Srides. Jamie could identify one person's scent and it was his mother's. There was a man beside her mother. Jamie waited for the wagon to stop moving.
After waiting for several minutes it finally stopped in front of a large villa. A man came out of the wagon and Jamie jumped on the man's body and started to use his claws to injure the man. Then all of a sudden he was hit by a rod on his head from behind, it was none other than Srides's mother who was the real culprit all along. Getting hit by the rod Jamie's vision started becoming blurry and before he could do anything he was hit again with the rod and lost his grip on the man's body.
As Jamie became conscious he found himself trapped inside a cage beside Srides. Srides was unconscious and her hands and legs were tied tightly. Jamie started to look everywhere to catch the sight of something useful to escape.
Searching here and there Jamie found a key on a table in front of the cage. The cage was built in a way that Jamie couldn't take out his paw and grab the key.
Jamie waited for Srides to be conscious. After a few hours, Srides became conscious and started to throw tantrums but Jamie barked and calmed her down. Jamie then gave a signal to Srides moving his head telling her to look at the table. Srides understood and tried to stand but couldn't. Jamie then barked at Srides signalling her to come closer to the cage. Srides came closer to the cage and Jamie was able to let his nails out to cut the rope of her hands.
Twenty minutes later the rope was cut and Srides took the key in her hands and freed Jamie from the cage. Jamie then started to sniff out the location of her mother and the man. As Jamie sniffed he found out that there was a total of fifteen people inside the house except for the man and her mother.
Jamie led Srides quietly through the villa, following the scents he had picked up. They moved cautiously, aware that any noise could alert their captors. As they crept down a hallway, Jamie suddenly froze. He had caught a whiff of Srides's mother's scent coming from behind a closed door.
Srides noticed Jamie's reaction and put her ear to the door, trying to hear what was happening inside. She could make out muffled voices—her mother's and the man's. They seemed to be arguing about something, but Srides couldn't quite make out the words.
Jamie nudged Srides, urging her to keep moving. They had to find a way out and couldn't risk getting caught eavesdropping. As they continued down the hallway, Jamie's ears perked up. He could hear faint sounds coming from below—whimpers and hushed voices.
Following the sounds, Jamie and Srides discovered a hidden staircase leading to a basement. As they descended, the air grew damp and musty. At the bottom, they found a shocking sight: rows of cages, each containing frightened people—men, women, and even children.
Srides gasped, realizing the full extent of her mother's crimes. These must be the fifteen people Jamie had sensed earlier. Without hesitation, Srides began searching for a way to free the captives. Jamie kept watch, his senses alert for any sign of approaching danger.
As Srides worked on opening the cages, using the key they had found earlier, Jamie suddenly tensed. He could hear footsteps approaching from above. Srides had just freed the last captive when Jamie let out a low growl of warning.
The basement door burst open, and Srides's mother appeared, her face contorted with rage. Behind her stood the man, wielding a menacing-looking weapon. "You ungrateful brat!" Srides's mother spat. "How dare you interfere with our business!"
Jamie positioned himself between Srides and the threats, his hackles raised and teeth bared. The man stepped forward, brandishing his weapon, but hesitated at the sight of the snarling wolf.
Srides, her voice shaking but determined, addressed her mother. "How could you do this? These are people, not things to be sold!"
Her mother's eyes narrowed. "You understand nothing of the world, girl. This is how we survive."
As the confrontation unfolded, Jamie's keen senses picked up on something else—a new scent, unfamiliar and strange. It seemed to be coming from the man's weapon. Suddenly, a system message appeared before Jamie:
[System]
[Warning: Unknown magical artifact detected]
[Objective: Neutralize the threat and escape with Srides and the captives]
Jamie didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, aiming for the man's weapon arm. The man swung wildly, but Jamie was faster. His jaws clamped down on the man's wrist, forcing him to drop the weapon.
Srides seized the moment of chaos to rally the freed captives. "Run!" she shouted, pointing towards the stairs. The group surged forward, overwhelming Srides's mother who stood in their way.
As the captives fled up the stairs, Jamie released his grip on the man and darted back to Srides's side. Together, they followed the escaping group, with Srides's mother and the man in hot pursuit.
The chase led them through the villa and out into the open air. Jamie and Srides guided the group towards the nearby forest, hoping to lose their pursuers in the dense undergrowth.
As they ran, Jamie noticed that some of the captives were struggling to keep up. Without breaking stride, he barked at Srides, communicating his plan. Understanding immediately, Srides began to organize the stronger members of the group to help those who were faltering.
Behind them, they could hear the angry shouts of Srides's mother and the man, along with the sounds of other pursuers joining the chase. But the head start and Jamie's clever route through the forest were working in their favor.
After what felt like hours of running, but was likely only minutes, Jamie led the group to a small, hidden clearing. Here, they paused to catch their breath and assess their situation.
Srides quickly took charge, her earlier fear replaced by determination. "Is everyone alright?" she asked, looking around at the exhausted but relieved faces of the freed captives.
As the group gathered themselves, Jamie's ears perked up. He could hear the sounds of their pursuers, but they were distant and growing fainter. It seemed they had successfully thrown them off the trail, at least for now.
Suddenly, another system message appeared before Jamie:
[System]
[Objective completed: Threat neutralized, captives rescued]
[Reward: New skill unlocked - Pack Leadership]
[Description: Enhances ability to coordinate and boost morale of allies]
Jamie felt a surge of energy course through him as the new skill took effect. He turned to Srides, who was busy tending to the needs of the rescued captives. She caught his eye and smiled, a silent acknowledgment of their successful teamwork.
As night began to fall, the group faced new challenges. They needed to find shelter, food, and a way to return the captives to their homes safely. But with Jamie's new Pack Leadership skill and Srides's compassionate guidance, they felt ready to face whatever came next.
The forest around them was quiet now, the dangers of the villa left behind. But Jamie knew their adventure was far from over. New threats, new challenges, and perhaps new allies awaited them. For now, though, they had won a significant victory, and as Jamie looked at Srides organizing their ragtag group of survivors, he felt a sense of pride and purpose stronger than he had ever known.