"Fenrir?" Sho repeated as he saw the giant wolf with illusionary chains that was looking attentively on Miya.
He felt what she said triggered something on the creature before them.
Even though he noticed that, he couldn't think too much about it. His mind was recalling about Fenrir which the original Sho read before.
In Norse mythology, there was a wolf monster creature called Fenrir. He was the son of Loki–the God of trickster and Angrboda–the giant who gave birth to two other monsters besides Fenrir. There were two versions of the myth that Sho had read. One version was about Fenrir being bound by the Gods because they feared how monstrous Fenrir was, and fearing the evil he would become, they bound him with chains. The other myth was Fenrir swallowing the sun, and in Ragnarok or Doomsday, he would also swallow Odin after fighting the Chief God.
Sho observed the giant wolf in front of them. The wolf stood tall with elegance and haughtiness that didn't belong to wild animals. Compared to murlocs and the wolves around them, the giant wolf seems special. He eyed the giant wolf, but aside from its gigantic figure, it was no different from the other wolves.
The giant wolf bore gray fur as thick as his arms and stood tall twice as humans. It was different from the books which said Fenrir was 30 feet tall or around 9 meters tall. But aside from height, it was almost exactly as described in books, even the dark amber eyes were exactly as how the original Sho imagined.
Six silky ribbon chains that had an illusionary appearance were bound around the giant wolf.
He knew even without doing anything that the chains were actually restricting the giant wolf. But even so, the wolf's presence was as strong as any monster could ever be without the chains.
It was scary thinking of how strong the giant wolf was without those chains.
He was still pondering about the mythology and the current situation when Alpha's alert voice woke him up.
It was not the time to get distracted!
They were surrounded by wolves! Death was waiting for anyone who couldn't focus!
"You two be careful. We've fallen for a trap." Alpha interjected, he was already in battle stance long before the wolf leader showed itself. "Stay close to me as much as you can. We need to get away here."
Seeing Alpha finally commanding them, he knew the situation was dire. And from the dangerous presence of the wolf leader, he knew that the worse case scenario had arrived.
Alpha ran at the back of the pack while keeping an eye on the leader. He was fast, Miya was able to keep up with Alpha, yet not Sho who had no way of reaching him with his speed. But it didn't take too long for him to catch up with Alpha and Miya.
Not because of speed.
The wolf leader howled, initiating the pack of wolf with furs as durable as snake skin to leap in Alpha's way. Two ran as fast as it could to reach their front blocking Alpha's way, and as Sho surveyed the area, he noticed that there were seven in their left and right, four were in their back giving chase, there were at least twenty wolves chasing after them! And the giant wolf didn't even give chase, only staring at the three humans. Still, that's not the end of it as he saw distant shadow, lurking, waiting for their prey to run through their assigned territory.
"We have fallen for a trap." He whispered in despair as Alpha couldn't move anymore because of the two wolves.
The two quickly pounced at Alpha, scaring the wits out of Sho, but Alpha with his baton were able to fend off two wolves. Amazement and nervousness intertwined into one as he knew the situation didn't get any better.
"Trap?" Miya as she faced her back on Sho's and Alpha's back, so they could form a back-to-back triformation. She had her hands on her chest in a defensive formation, there was a ballpen…? No. It was a kubotan self-defense keychain!
Sho was surprised to see Miya's choice of weapon. The kubotan keychain was actually a controversial self-defense kit because it was as tiny as a ballpen and being a self-defense mechanism, it lacked the appeal pepper spray or taser could give. But the kubotan keychain could actually be deadly on the right hands. They are the best weapon to strike on vital spots of a person.
Just imagine a ballpen poking at your vital spots.
"Look at how organized they are. They are used to this. I won't be surprised if the scout team had fallen from the same tactic. They are using the Savior Gang to get strugglers as their prey. And the Savior Gang is using them to get their prey too. But this time, they seemed to be in coordination with the Savior Gang. If someone manages to reach the wolf pack, and survive, the Savior Gang would take care of them and vice versa. I don't know how they reach this agreement, but it seems this is how they hunt here." Alpha explained while examining the surroundings. It was clear he was looking for their safe escape.
Sho nodded. He came to the same conclusion even without knowing Ross' report to Alpha.
He came to the conclusion because they first encountered the Savior Gang, then they were encircled by the wolves. Even with their preparations, removing their smell and moving as soundless as a cat, they were still discovered by the wolves.
He also referenced some of wolves behavior with original Sho's knowledge on wolves' hunting pattern, the pack actually used a pretty common wolf hunting strategy. Usually, when wolves hunt, they would chase their prey at the back, sides and the rest looking forward to where the prey would possibly run. This way, the wolves sealed off any escape the prey could think of, making the prey panic.
The only ending would be their necks in the jaw of the wolves.
"H-how did they manage to do this? It had just been twenty-eight hours since the start of Super Phenomena…"
"Either they're too strong, or they reach an agreement with the wolf leader. No matter what, we need to get out of both territories if we want to survive." Sho muttered as he carefully eyed the wolf leader who finally reached them even when it was just walking leisurely.
There was a nagging feeling while looking at the giant wolf leader. And realizing this, he felt the churning in his stomach tighten. If what he realized is true, they would have a hard time surviving. It would be hard without a healer in their group.
"What is it, Sho?" Alpha asked. When Alpha glanced at his direction, he saw Sho's pale face.
"Wolf leader understands us." As he said it, he felt goosebumps while meeting the dark amber eyes of the creature. The wolf leader was now eyeing him seriously. This greatly confirmed what Sho just said. The wolf leader is an intelligent being. It wasn't taking action because it was observing them. It was looking at how they would fight, how they would react. And from that, he could command his pack with ease. "Not good," he muttered.
*If this continues, time would be our disadvantage. As time went on, the wolf leader would be certain of our moves. It could devise a plan. And it has a number of wolves under its control. Even running would be impossible. We have to move now.*
But before Sho could say his piece of mind, Alpha and Miya started to pave the way.
Alpha started to actively swing his baton pushing the wolves aside as he moved forward. On the other hand, Miya pushed her kubaton keychain, the next thing that happened surprised even Alpha. Her ball pen sized kubaton suddenly lengthened as long as Alpha's baton. But compared to the blunt point of the baton, the kubaton of Miya was sharp.
She followed Alpha's lead and stabbed towards any near wolf with her combat awareness. Sho knew just by glancing at her that she had learned self-defense or martial arts.
He realized with the mere information he provided with the two, both knew how dire their situation would be if left alone. So, they started to force a way out for them.
*It's really good to have quick-witted smart people in the group…*
Sho immediately drew his Soul Crusher. He wasn't much of a fighter, but at least he could avoid being too much of a burden for the two elite.
His adrenaline had started pumping, making him forget all of his body's limits. All he could think was the fight ahead of them.
He had heard from the camp that Miya excelled on almost everything. And he knew her stamina, strength, agility are far greater than some normal person like him. On the other hand, Alpha showed his experience and he was even willing to teach Sho how to fight and protect himself. From his sparring with the guy, he knew Alpha was strong even without using any gifted glitch he received.
So, the least he could do is be out of the way of both of them.
He started to dodge his way like he was dancing with the wolves. Although his body still couldn't keep up with his mind, after practicing with Alpha, he had learned to adapt a new strategy to dodge. Facing the wolves, the training showed fruition.
As the other two tried to force their way out and he followed behind, he noticed how they hardly ever dealt damage to the wolf. The wolf's thick snake-like skin was far too hard for any knife or kubaton to be scratched. It was deflecting any sharp object that was trusted or slashed on them. It was similar to how a shield bounced a sword away.
*It has to have some weakness. I want to use my skill, but it's not the time for it. I know I've practiced it so that it would be more specific. But I just practiced yesterday. I still get weak after using it. Using it now would be suicide.*
Sho's brain went into overdrive as he observed everything that was happening. They were slowly making their way, but with no damage to the wolves it could hardly be called winning. And gradually, they were exhausting their strength. But the three of them haven't used all their trump cards yet. Knowing the wolf leader to be intelligent, they would only use it when it was a life or death situation.
Having a trump card would be crucial for when the giant wolf took action.
And even when no one talked about it, they came to understand that they shouldn't be careless.
*This is not looking good. The wolves are far too used to this setting. They have terrain advantage, which gives them heavy advantages. And what's more, we are too exposed here. Even when we are trying to just make way, we would suffer more if not for Alpha's and Miya's dodging and blocking.*
*I'm actually quite surprised that my high luck is coming into effect. I mean… every creature is not perfect. Everyone had to make mistakes sometimes. But those wolves that were attacking me made random mistakes saving me in the nick of time. I swear I wouldn't be able to avoid the attack but then their mistakes happened. This is actually good passive.*
He kept on observing as they fought, dodged and pushed through the pack. It was a pity to watch because he knew they were getting played by the wolves. They saw how fast the wolves were earlier, and now that they are moving too slow, the wolves didn't create an encirclement to stop them dead on their tracks.
*Is this how humans would fare in the merging of the two worlds? Would we be nothing but a plaything to any creature from the other world? If this is our fate, then I won't accept it!*
The wolves were alternately pouncing on Alpha, Miya and Sho. Those in the shadows were just resting, waiting for their turn to come. The trio looked pitiful. Sweat and blood from the scratches they received were steadily materialized together.
Another wolf from the corner, traverses to them. But the wolf caught Sho's attention. He noticed how it slowed down from the obstacle of the tree.
*Could it be…?*
"Corner!" he hissed. Hoping Alpha and Miya would get what he was saying. Both glance at him before turning back their attention to the enemies in front of them.
*They didn't understand me? Of course, I've just used one word. It could mean anything. But I can't lay out our plan in front of the leader of the wolf. If I do, then it would be useless.*
As Sho was thinking of how he would inform his group without informing the wolf leader, he noticed how Miya was slowly guiding them to different directions. Alpha was visibly giving his support.
*This is what's good with teaming up with smart people. Just giving hints would let them know what you think!*
He felt crying from their brilliant minds.
He followed them while supporting their backs and eyeing the wolf leader who was gracefully walking as it watched them struggle.
He felt another goosebump as the wolf leader acted like a highly intelligent being that was smarter than the common human. His bearing was eerie as he looked down on them as if they were just some pest and the only reason it was entertaining them was because of boredom. It howled once in a while in a different tone. Sho wasn't able to notice the pattern yet. He didn't study the wolf language, and studying language was never easy unlike other geniuses make it look like.
*Damn. The language I purchased is still downloading. I just hope when it's done, the creature language is also included in the package.*
Sho could only hope for a miracle. When he noticed the wolf understanding them, but them not being able to understand the wolf, he realized how useful it is to be like the wolf leader. It was a great advantage to have their own language and others couldn't understand it.
The pouncing of the wolves were still the same, but the trio's defense wasn't. As another wolf pounced on Miya, she slipped up. She stumbled on a root making her momentarily lose her balance. Worse was the wolf was already on air and another wolf coordinated with it biting her kubaton into submission.
She had no choice. She raised her left arm, shielding herself for any fatal damage on her vital points. She successfully averted the damage, she struggled to pull her kubaton before using it to smash at the wolf making it give up her left arm. Now there was a heavy wound in her arm, it looked dire and needed medical attention.
But they are in no place to give any first aid to her. Catching their breath was already considered a luxury.
Seeing this, Alpha tried to give more support to Miya.
Sho felt another goosebump. The next event was like a domino effect. And the one who pushed the first domino was the wolf leader in the form of a howl.
When Alpha started to support Miya, the wolves became more aggressive. They used the momentarily weakness of the group created by the opening to seriously attack.
The wolf jumped to Alpha, its teeth viciously glittering. Sho, tried to help, but he was too slow. The wolf was able to sunk its teeth to Alpha's left shoulder. Another wolf noticed how Sho let his guard down. It leaped and bit on Sho's calf.
Sho immediately cried out in pain. He was not used to something biting him. It was too painful. Even though he was prepared to get hurt, the pain left him in shame. But now was not the time for concentrating on his pain.
Miya, who noticed how the blunder immediately cornered them, gritted her teeth. "We're close." She muttered. Her voice layered with wishfulness and hope.
They all knew once they arrived there, they would have no choice but to fight. They need to unleash all their trump cards to survive the wolf pack.