From the shadows beneath the old trees, a massive wolf stepped out. Its fur was dark gray, almost silver under the faint light. A thick scar ran from above its right eye, down across its snout, all the way to its neck.

  "Alpha direwolf," Lyssa said quietly.

  Alpha direwolves were bad news. They were just one step below being classified as monsters, but that didn't make them any less dangerous. Each one had the strength of a rank 9 warrior.

  The real problem was, they never hunted alone.

  More shapes appeared between the trees. One by one, wolves emerged from the darkness. They were smaller than the alpha but still huge.

  Twelve wolves surrounded them in a wide arc, blocking every escape route except deeper into the forest. The alpha stared directly at Garrett and growled low.

  "Malek," Garrett said, not taking his eyes off the wolves. "How close are you?"

  "I can't rush this or I'll ruin everything. I need at least three more minutes." Sweat ran down Malek's face as he worked.

  "You've got two. Then we're leaving."

  "Come on..."

  The alpha stopped growling. Everything went still.

  Then two wolves charged.

  Garrett raised his shield. The first wolf slammed into it hard enough to drive him back a step, dirt spraying from under his boots. He swung his sword up and caught the wolf across the shoulder. It yelped and stumbled away, blood streaking through its fur.

  The second wolf tried to go around him.

  Lyssa was already moving. Her daggers flashed twice. The wolf dropped mid-stride.

  Three more wolves broke from the pack on the right side.

  Finn's first arrow punched through one wolf's eye. It died instantly.

  His second arrow hit another in the shoulder, spinning it sideways. It scrambled back up, limping but still moving forward.

  The third wolf kept charging.

  Finn drew and released in one smooth motion. The arrow went through its skull and it collapsed.

  Corwin raised his staff. "Inferno." Fire burst from the tip and engulfed the wounded wolf. It screamed and went down thrashing.

  Four wolves dead in less than a minute, but the fight had already worn them down.

  "Stay together!" Garrett called out, blocking another strike. "We can do this!"

  Behind them, Malek kept working. The sounds of fighting washed over him but he didn't look up. "Just a little more."

  Then the wolves stopped charging. Instead, they began circling, weaving between trees, staying just out of range.

  "Shit," Lyssa muttered.

  Two wolves feinted toward Garrett. He raised his shield—

  Two more dropped from the branches above him.

  "Up!" Corwin shouted.

  Garrett threw himself sideways. Claws scraped across his shoulder armor, gouging deep lines in the metal. The wolf that missed him landed and immediately spun around.

  Lyssa moved in fast. She killed it before it could attack again.

  The second wolf landed running and circled back for another pass.

  Finn tracked it with his bow. He drew, aimed, and released.

  The arrow caught it in the hindquarters. It yelped but kept moving, just changing direction.

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  Another wolf charged straight at Corwin.

  He raised his staff, already gathering fire—but Lyssa was directly between him and the wolf, fighting two others.

  He hesitated.

  The wolf closed the distance.

  Corwin swung his staff like a club. It connected with the wolf's head but the impact sent him stumbling backward. The wolf recovered first and lunged for his throat.

  An arrow sprouted from its neck. It collapsed at his feet.

  Finn was already drawing another arrow.

  "You're welcome."

  "Thanks," Corwin gasped.

  Garrett blocked another attack. The alpha's jaws clamped down on his shield with massive force. Something snapped. The leather straps tore apart and the shield fell to the ground.

  Garrett stared at it for half a second, then gripped his sword with both hands. "Fuck it."

  A wolf darted in from his exposed side.

  Lyssa tried to intercept but she was already fighting two others. One got past her guard. Its jaws closed on her shoulder.

  She screamed and drove her dagger into its eye. The wolf released her and staggered back, dying.

  Blood poured from the wound. She pressed her free hand against it, breathing hard.

  "Lyssa!" Garrett shouted.

  "I'm fine!" Her face was pale. "Don't get distracted."

  The alpha charged again. Without his shield, Garrett had to dodge. He threw himself to the side. The wolf's jaws snapped shut on empty air but its shoulder hit him hard enough to knock him down.

  The alpha turned to finish him.

  Fire lashed out and forced it back.

  Corwin's hands shook. His breathing was ragged. He was almost out of energy.

  Garrett scrambled to his feet, sword raised.

  "Malek!" he shouted. "We need to move now!"

  No response.

  "Malek!"

  Still nothing.

  Garrett risked a quick look over his shoulder.

  The spot where Malek had been kneeling was empty.

  "Where the hell—" Garrett started.

  The alpha charged.

  Garrett didn't dodge this time.

  He planted his feet and met the charge head-on.

  The wolf's jaws closed on his sword arm. Pain exploded through him. He could feel teeth grinding against bone.

  But he didn't let go of his sword.

  With his free hand, he grabbed the dagger from his belt and stabbed it into the alpha's neck. Once. Twice. Three times.

  The wolf released his arm and staggered back, blood pouring from the wounds.

  Garrett's arm hung useless but he still gripped his sword in his other hand.

  The alpha lunged again, weaker now.

  Lyssa moved despite her injury. She drove both daggers into its ribs from the side.

  The wolf twisted, trying to shake her off.

  Finn appeared on the other side with his knife out. He opened a gash across its hindquarters.

  Corwin, still on his knees, raised his staff one last time. Fire erupted—everything he had left.Inferno The flames engulfed the alpha's head.

  The wolf screamed and thrashed, clawing at its own face.

  Garrett stepped forward and drove his sword through its chest.

  The alpha collapsed.

  Nobody moved. They just stood there, breathing hard, covered in blood.

  The remaining wolves ran back into the forest.

  Garrett pulled his sword free and nearly fell. Lyssa caught him with her good arm.

  "Everyone alive?" he asked, voice rough.

  "Barely," Finn muttered.

  Corwin didn't answer. He sat on the ground with his staff across his lap, staring at nothing.

  Lyssa looked around. "Where's Malek?"

  Garrett's jaw tightened. "Good question."

  ----

  The moment the alpha direwolf appeared, Malek felt constant fear. Like any second a wolf would get past the party and tear his throat out.

  He started thinking—why did he even come here? Was it for the alchemy manual? The money? If that was the reason, he could've found another way eventually. Was it really worth risking his life? Garrett's party was used to these missions but he wasn't. Hell, he'd never even fought a monster before, which was basically a coming-of-age ceremony for men here.

  So why was he doing this? Why was he risking his life?

  When he first arrived in this world, he wanted to become strong. Not because of some fantasy about flying through the sky or becoming famous, (It was part of it ) but for survival. In an unknown world with magic, he had no idea what could kill him. That was why he wanted power.

  But he'd been in this world for almost twelve years now, and the number of times he'd actually been in danger was zero. His mother never let him get hurt. The worst injuries he'd gotten were from his own stupidity.

  He didn't know anymore. What was he even doing? What did he want? Why was he trying to become powerful?

  He finished extracting the Moonlace. He was working on the last one when he felt something.

  The root below the last Moonlace was glowing silver. Bright silver.

  "What is this?"

  He carefully put the last Moonlace in his bag and inspected the root. It ran deep, but it wasn't any herb he recognized—unless it was only a root and the actual herb was somewhere else. He dug a little more to figure out where the root's core was.

  It seemed to be growing toward a different tree a few meters ahead.

  Malek looked back. Garrett and the others were still fighting the wolves. "They look like they can handle it."

  Why does it feel like I'm doing something stupid?

  He moved from his position and found the tree where the root core should be.

  He started digging. Not even three seconds in, a bright light hit his eyes.

  "What the..."

  It was Aurelsang.

  Holy shit.

  He couldn't believe his eyes. This was really Aurelsang. How did he get this lucky? It was very small, but Aurelsang was still Aurelsang. This would be worth at least 100 gold coins.

  Greed flooded through him as he carefully extracted the Aurelsang like he was handling a newborn baby.

  He put it in a separate smaller bag.

  Now let's get back to the party.

  "Grwwl,"

  His instinct screamed. Without understanding what was happening, he tried to move but his body didn't respond fast enough. Something hit him hard. He was thrown several meters forward and slammed into a tree with a heavy thud before falling to the ground.

  "Ahh!"

  His body screamed with pain. He tried to ignore it as best he could and stood up to see what hit him. It was a wolf. Small but injured.

  The moment their eyes met, Malek ran like Usain Bolt