I step through the doorway, and the oppressive silence that greets me is like a punch to the gut. The stench of blood and sweat clings to me, mingling with the sharp metallic scent of the room. My body is battered, my leg still throbbing from the last battle, but as I take in my surroundings, all of that fades into the background.
This is it.
The final chamber is enormous, almost cathedral-like in scale. The ceiling stretches far above, shrouded in shadows, while the walls are lined with jagged metal and stone. It's as if the very architecture of this place was designed to keep something locked away—a beast too dangerous to be released into the world.
And then I see it.
At the far end of the room, half-hidden in the darkness, is a massive figure. The Wolf King. Even from this distance, I can feel its presence—its immense, crushing power. The beast towers over anything I've encountered before. Its hulking body is covered in coarse black fur that ripples with muscle. But it's the eyes that stand out most, ten glowing orbs of light, each one a different shade of red, orange, or yellow, like molten lava. They burn with a feral intelligence, locking onto me as soon as I step into the room.
The creature's mouth pulls back in a snarl, revealing iron teeth, jagged and sharp, each one gleaming in the faint light. Its claws, long and obsidian-black, scrape against the floor with a sound that makes my skin crawl. The air feels thick, charged with an unnatural energy that vibrates through the ground, as if the beast's very existence is shaking the foundations of the world.
The Wolf King lets out a low growl, the sound rumbling through the chamber, vibrating through my bones. It's a sound that speaks of ancient power, of hunger, and of death. The kind of death that's swift, brutal, and inevitable.
This isn't like the other fusions I've fought. This thing… it's not just a product of twisted experimentation. It's something more, something primal. A predator in every sense of the word. And now it's focused on me, its ten eyes narrowing as it sizes me up.
My heart pounds in my chest, my breath coming in shallow gasps. My body is wrecked, barely holding together after the constant battles leading up to this moment. But I don't have a choice. This is the last floor. The final boss. The thing standing between me and freedom.
I grip the dagger in my hand, slick with the blood of the wolves I've already killed. My hands are trembling, not from fear, but from exhaustion. My body is screaming at me to stop, to rest, but I push the pain aside. I need to focus.
Because if I don't… I'm dead.
Without warning, the Wolf King charges.
It moves faster than something that size has any right to. One moment, it's standing at the far end of the chamber, and the next, it's barreling toward me, its massive paws slamming into the ground with enough force to send tremors through the floor. The sheer weight of its body makes the metal plates beneath my feet buckle and groan.
I dive to the side, narrowly avoiding the first strike as the Wolf King's obsidian claws rake through the air where I stood just seconds ago. The sound of metal shredding fills the chamber as the beast's claws tear into the wall, leaving deep gouges in the steel.
I roll to my feet, wincing as my injured leg protests the movement.
The Wolf King spins, its ten glowing eyes locked on me. Its lips pull back in a snarl, and it lunges again, jaws snapping as it tries to catch me in its iron teeth. I duck, barely dodging the strike, and slash at its side with my dagger. The blade connects, but it's like striking solid rock. The wolf's hide is thick, and the blade barely scratches the surface before bouncing off.
The Wolf King swings its massive paw at me, and I throw myself to the ground, feeling the wind from the strike as it passes over my head. I scramble back, trying to put some distance between us, but the beast is relentless. It charges again, and this time, I'm too slow.
Its claws catch me across the chest, tearing through my armor and sending me flying across the room. I crash into the far wall, the impact knocking the air from my lungs. Pain explodes through my body, and for a moment, everything goes white. I can't breathe. I can't think.
But the sound of the Wolf King's growl snaps me back to reality. I force myself to stand, gasping for air, blood dripping from the fresh wounds on my chest. My vision blurs, but I can still see the beast stalking toward me, its ten eyes glowing with a savage hunger.
This is it. If I don't do something, I'm not walking out of this room alive.
Brute force won't work. I know that now. The Wolf King is too strong, too fast, and its hide is too thick for the dagger to do any real damage. I need to think. I need to use the environment.
My eyes dart around the chamber, searching for anything I can use. The floor is littered with debris from the earlier battles—broken machinery, shards of metal, and remnants of old traps. And then I see it. Scattered across the room are pressure plates, the same kind that triggered traps on the lower floors.
That's it.
I force myself to move, pushing through the pain as I sprint toward the nearest pressure plate. The Wolf King lets out a snarl and charges after me, its massive paws thundering against the ground. I reach the plate and stomp down on it with all my weight.
There's a click, and then the sound of grinding gears fills the room. From the ceiling, a set of spiked chains drops, swinging through the air toward the Wolf King. The beast skids to a halt, narrowly avoiding the trap, but it's thrown off balance.
I use the distraction to my advantage, grabbing a piece of debris from the ground and hurling it at the Wolf King's face. The jagged metal strikes one of its glowing eyes, and the beast lets out a deafening roar of pain. It shakes its head, trying to dislodge the shard, but I don't give it time.
I sprint toward another pressure plate, triggering a second trap. This time, a burst of fire erupts from the wall, engulfing the Wolf King in flames. The beast howls, thrashing wildly as its fur ignites, but it doesn't slow down. If anything, the flames seem to enrage it. Its eyes burn even brighter, and it shakes off the fire, charging at me with renewed fury.
I dive out of the way just as the Wolf King slams into the wall, its iron teeth snapping shut inches from my head. I can feel the heat radiating off its body, the smell of burning fur thick in the air. The beast is wounded now, but it's far from beaten.
I need to finish this.
The Wolf King lets out a guttural snarl, its obsidian claws scraping against the ground as it prepares for one final attack. I can see the rage in its eyes, the desperation. It knows this is its last chance, just as much as I do.
My body is screaming in pain, my vision blurring as I try to stay on my feet. Blood drips from the wounds on my chest, soaking into the tattered remains of my armor. I can barely hold the dagger, my hands trembling from exhaustion. But I know I only need one more strike. One more hit, and it's over.
The Wolf King charges.
It's fast, faster than before, its massive body blurring as it lunges toward me. Its claws are outstretched, its teeth bared, ready to tear me apart. I brace myself, waiting for the right moment.
The beast's jaws snap open, and I see my chance.
I duck low, the wolf's claws slicing through the air above me. With all the strength I have left, I thrust the dagger upward, driving it into the soft flesh of the wolf's throat. The blade sinks deep, cutting through muscle and bone, but I don't stop there.
With my other hand, I grab the wolf's neck, my fingers digging into its flesh as I tear through the wound. Blood pours from the gash, spraying across the floor in a crimson arc. The Wolf King lets out a final, guttural growl, its body convulsing violently as it stumbles backward.
I pull the dagger free, panting, my vision swimming as I watch the beast collapse. Its massive body twitches once, twice, and then it goes still.
It's over.
I collapse beside the Wolf King's massive corpse, my body broken and battered. My chest heaves with every breath, each one sending waves of pain through my ribs. My leg feels like it's on fire, the wound from earlier still bleeding freely, staining the ground beneath me.
I stare up at the ceiling, my vision blurred and unfocused. The battle is over. The chamber falls into an eerie silence, the only sound now the faint dripping of blood pooling beneath the Wolf King's massive body. My chest rises and falls, each breath a struggle. My body, though it feels broken beyond repair, still functions. Somehow, I've survived. But I don't feel triumphant—just… numb.
The Wolf King's corpse lies motionless beside me, its once-glowing eyes now dull. I force myself to move, pushing through the pain that radiates from every part of my body. I drag myself closer to the creature, my fingers trembling as I touch its still-warm fur, coated in the thick blood seeping from the gash I tore into its throat.
Something happens the moment I make contact. A pulse of energy surges through me, like lightning coursing through my veins. My body, shattered and bleeding, responds to the power radiating from the Wolf King's body. The energy is intoxicating—alive. It spreads through me, and I can feel my wounds closing, the pain dulling, the ache in my bones fading away.
I don't fight it. I let the power wash over me, consuming me. The blood on my hands feels like fire, burning and cleansing at the same time. It's not just healing—it's more than that. It's like I'm absorbing the very essence of the creature. I feel stronger, sharper, more in tune with my surroundings. The hunger that has gnawed at me since I first woke in this hellish place begins to fade.
For the first time in what feels like an eternity, my mind is clear.
I push myself up, no longer shaking, no longer weak. The power flowing through me is unlike anything I've ever felt. My limbs, once leaden with exhaustion, now feel light, as if they could crush stone. My vision sharpens, and the dull pain that had been my constant companion is gone.
I rise to my feet, standing over the massive corpse of the Wolf King, feeling… whole. Complete. The void inside me, the insatiable hunger that had driven me to devour every creature in my path, is gone. I no longer feel the gnawing emptiness that forced me to fight for every breath.
I look down at my hands. There's blood there—my blood, the Wolf King's blood—but it feels different now. It feels like a victory. Like I've taken something from this beast that it never expected to give.
The chamber seems smaller now, the oppressive weight of the room lifted as the Wolf King's energy flows through me. I walk toward the door, my steps steady, each movement feeling easier, like the air itself has lightened around me. I pass the remains of traps and wreckage that once seemed impossible to navigate, but now I move with purpose.
I've won.
But as I reach the door, I hesitate. Something tells me this isn't over. Not yet. There's still more to come—more to fight, more to survive. But for the first time since I woke in this nightmare, I don't feel fear. I feel ready.
With a deep breath, I push open the door, leaving the Wolf King's remains behind me, its power now coursing through my veins. The hunger is gone, replaced by something stronger—a desire for control, for understanding, for the truth of what I've become.
I've fought, I've survived, and I've won. But now, I have to escape. And whatever waits for me beyond this chamber will have to face the new me.
I step through the doorway, the darkness beyond welcoming me like an old friend.
It's time to end this.