As Theo walked down the hallway, a faint, oceanic whisper seemed to echo through the walls, as if the palace itself were alive.
He stopped, taking a step back, his gaze caught by the twisting, labyrinthine paths—something that left him thoroughly confused.
This puzzled him, as the walls and floor were cracked, giving the impression that a violent raid had happened.
Countless theories raced through his mind as he examined the walls more closely, noticing traces of dirt and faint remnants of mana residue. The floor too, bore dark stains of dried blood, adding to the unsettling atmosphere.
"How is this all possible?" he wondered, his thoughts racing.
After all how could the sacred palace of the slumbering Ocean Goddess have been desecrated and ruined to such an extent?
Yes, it was part of the ruins; however, the palace itself was isolated from the rest of the ruins. So, how could such a once-glorious location now appear so... Pathetic?
After all, when the group first arrived at the entrance, the place radiated with an aura of divine majesty. Yet, the moment they stepped inside, that heavenly illusion shattered, exposing the grim and horrible reality within.
Without taking a decision of where to go, he pulled out a mirror-shaped blue rune that shimmered in the light.
Biting his left index finger, he drew blood and let a few drops fall onto the rune, causing it to shift and morph into a gleaming cyan colored saber.
He raised the saber high before bringing it down in a decisive arc, shattering the two paths and creating a new one. A smirk tugged at his lips as he admired his handiwork, "Quite the best tool I traded for," he mused to himself.
As soon as he took a step forward, a powerful surge of mana struck him in a straight line. The overwhelming pressure made his limbs go numb, and he collapsed to his knees, sweat pouring down his face in frantic streams.
"What the hell is this mana pressure?!" he gasped, struggling to breathe.
From the shadows of the newly made path emerged a massive chained wolf. Its eyes glowed with an eerie golden hue and its fur white as snow, yet tinged with dark grey, bristled with unnatural energy.
The wolf's teeth jagged and serrated, far sharper than any normal wolf's, and its size dwarfed that of any normal wolf and direwolf—easily comparable to two tigers combined.
The moment it snarled at Theo, its drool dripped onto the ground, causing the very palace to tremble. It lunged forward with vicious speed, only to be yanked by the heavy chains that bound it.
As Theo tried to rise, the wolf let out a deafening howl, causing the floor beneath them to quake. The sheer force of its mana pressure slammed into Theo once again, forcing him back to his knees.
The wolf before him was none other than the Guardian of the Chambers of the Sleeping Ocean Goddess. However, it bore a far more feral appearance than the one depicted in his history lessons, that he took in the Keseon Islands.
Tales of its majesty were preserved for over 1,300 years. After all, the Keseon Islands were known for its vast historians, scholars, and knowledge in the History of Relisquae.
"You've seen better days, haven't you?" Theo chuckled, speaking to the wolf with confidence that belied his internal dread. He was acutely aware that if he got too close—or worse if those chains snapped—his life would be over in an instant.
Theo forced himself to stand, and once again, the wolf let out a deafening howl. This time, however, Theo gritted his teeth, refusing to buckle under the immense pressure.
His hands trembled as they reached behind his back to grab the blunderbuss, determination burning in his eyes.
The wolf snarled once more before lunging at him. Without hesitation, he shoved the blunderbuss into its gaping mouth and pulled the trigger.
The wolf's face exploded in a spray of blood, but in an instant it healed in the blink of an eye. The beast raked its claws across Theo's face, leaving a deep gash that tore through his left eye.
"Ah! For fuck sake!" he cursed, staggering back before driving his left elbow upward into the wolf's jaw with all his strength.
The beast recoiled slightly, giving Theo the chance to swing his saber in a wide arc, slashing cleanly across its jaw. Yet, to his frustration it healed instantly, leaving no trace of damage.
"Alright, mutt," he growled, reloading the blunderbuss with deliberate precision. "Here's how this is going to work—you die, I move on. Got it?" his voice dripping with irritation, matching the blood dripping from the deep gash where his left eye had been.
His gaze never wavered from the wolf, his annoyance sharpening into a furious determination.
He dashed forward, locking the wolf in a bear hug, before slamming it hard onto the ground. The impact created a mini shockwave, cracking the walls and floor around them.
The wolf scratched at Theo's body with brutal force, but he gritted his teeth and kept his hold. With one hand, he aimed the blunderbuss at its throat.
In a desperate move, he headbutted the creature's jaw, causing it to stagger, then he pulled the trigger, firing it directly at its side. The blast created a momentary spray of blood, but the wound sealed instantly, as if it had never been there.
"So you won't die, huh?" Theo snarled, his grip tightening around the blunderbuss. "Then, I'll have to endure this pain!"
And so began the brutal, relentless exchange of blows. Each time the wolf healed, Theo would immediately press the attack, hacking at its body with the saber or pounding at it with his fists.
The wolf, in turn, clawed, bit, and tore at him with vicious intensity. Blood soaked the floor as they collided again and again, each strike, each bite, a raw testament to their endurance.
It was a battle of pure pain, a savage contest of screams, blood, and relentless suffering—neither willing to yield.
A whole hour had passed, yet the barrel waged on. The wolf weakly struck at Theo's chest leaving another deep wound.
However, Theo immediately retaliated, driving a punch into the exposed wound beneath its jaw. The wolf howled in pain, blood spraying from its opened mouth. Its ribcage now visible, the left eye nearly torn from its socket, and despite its furious attempts to regenerate.
Its body struggled to keep up with the relentless assault. The prolonged battle had taken its toll—its healing powers faltering with every passing second.
Both the wolf and Theo roared at each other with unrelenting fury—a primal clash between man and beast.
Neither backed down as Theo wrapped his arms around his neck, locking it in a desperate hold. The wolf thrashed violently, shaking him with frantic jerks before slamming Theo into the ground with bone-rattling force.
Finally, Theo screaming both rage and angony, pried the wolf's mouth open with sheer force. With his left hand, he shoved it inside the wolf's maw before yanking it back out. Quickly, Theo retreived a flame talisman from his pouch and hurled it inside the wolf's gaping mouth.
The flames erupted inside the wolf's mouth, surging through its body and obliterating its mana circuits, veins, bones, blood, flesh, and muscle in a devastating blaze.
The wolf let out one final, agonizing howl before collapsing.
Theo breathing heavily, stumbled back and fell onto his back, staring up at the cracked ceiling.
"Screw this quest," he muttered, his voice drenched in frustration and exhaustion.
"Wait... That felt way too easy." Theo muttered, a sinking realization washing over him. If the wolf was a divine guardian blessed by a deity, there was a chance it could regenerate or return back to life.
Groaning in pain, he forced himself to his feet, his body screaming in protest. He cast one last wary glance at the smoldering remains of the wolf before trudging forward, each step heavy with exhaustion as he made his way down the newly created path.
"No way I'm sticking around to see if that thing gets back up." he grumbled under his breath.