Divine Beast Ascension

526 Anticipating an Ambush

“We don’t need to,” Oli quickly replied. “I’m guessing the fox was trying to track down that team when it ran into us. Besides, our goal isn’t to eliminate other teams. It’s to get to that beacon. And we’ve already gotten into trouble with wolves, so I’d rather not push our luck any further.”

The team agreed without any objections. So they stored the fox corpse, had Freele heal Trenk’s bleeding side, and got moving.

As the day winded down, the team sped up more and more. With the beacon getting larger every couple of hours, they were getting anxious to reach the shrine. But they would first have to stop for at least one more night.

However, Oli and Fulkar decided to change their camping strategy. While the rest of the team readied the fire and started dinner, they worked together to create tall walls of ice and earth around a large clearing used for camp. There was no exit or entrance. The only way past it was to either fly, break through it, or dig underground. And considering the lack of flying predators throughout the trip, Oli felt it was an effective way to at least help them be warned of any nighttime attackers.

Still, the team continued their doubled-up night watch. The first watch passed by without a hitch. Then came the second watch in the middle of the night. And it also passed by slowly but safely. For the third watch, Oli woke up Freele before reassuming his trance-like position. That was so he could best tap into his senses in the darkness on the other side of the walls, which was the unspoken reason Oli wanted the walls in the first place. Because where there was darkness and less light from the campfire, Oli could better feel anything daring to creep up on the party.

‘... Freele. Quietly, wake the others.’

Blinking, Freele rubbed her eyes and silently moved to the sleeping teammates. She was somewhat startled by Oli’s use of telepathy but it wasn’t the time or place to ask about it.

Oli took his time standing up. He also looked in every direction surrounding the camp. While the team was getting up, Oli spoke in telepathy again, ‘Fulkar, it worked. They’re coming from the two ice walls. Get your gear out and store your mantles. We’ve been lucky to avoid a large fight up till now, but it wouldn’t be a tournament without one right?’

Yeter almost kicked up dirt and snow out of excitement but stopped himself just in time. He, along with the rest of the team, was eager to finally get this wolf fight over with and off their minds.

.....

… crack….

‘Almost. Weapons ready,’ ordered Oli, preparing to leap into the incoming enemies.

… Cr-crack!

HOOOWL!

As the two ice walls were shattered, the lead wolf with a tuft of glacial blue fur around its neck let loose a warning howl to its pack. Right away, it was obvious that the element of surprise was gone so the pack chose to pause the attack for a moment.

The team quickly counted the wolfs with Oli mentally shouting, ‘Sixteen! Be decisive and defensive!’

But Oli also shared a wicked grin with the pack leader. “Hey! I know you understand me! How about we feed you and you leave?”

“Declined!” barked the lead wolf, cackling under its breath. “I’d rather offer your dying screams to our fallen!”

“Now!” Oli shouted in reply, bounding forward without reservation or hesitation.

One wolf dared to intercept Oli and the lead wolf called out, “Wait, he’s mine–”

Crunch! Crrrsh…

“That’s one down! Fifteen more to go!” Oli yelled, letting the wolf corpse collapse in the snow.

“Let’s go!” The lead wolf gave Oli a crazed growl and darted forward with a twisted grin. “You’re the only one I can’t sense, so you must be the strongest!”

Oli promptly nodded while retrieving his old mace in his second hand. But he didn’t hold it for long. It was instantly hurled at an unsuspecting wolf racing past him.

Crack…

Though that wolf was still alive, one of its back legs was broken before it could react.

Yet Oli didn’t seem to care. His eyes were locked onto the pack leader and no one else, though he did feel satisfied by the sound of cracking bone. It let him know that he’d at least lessened the load the rest of the team would have to bear.

Creech! Cree-creech!

The sound of dense ice raking against metal was loud and distinct amidst the growing battle, and it occurred with each exchange between Oli and the pack leader.

Surrounded, the rest of the team assumed a defensive position around Freele but made sure she had plenty of room for her own fight. Since it was inevitable for some wolves to get past them, they at least prepared for it and made sure Freele was within reach of every party member in case she needed help.

Everyone was left taking multiple opponents, at least three a piece. A few others tried to join the fight against Freele in the middle but the last two wolves were picked up by the boys at the perimeter. Fulkar, Trenk, and Yeter each went all out from the get-go, giving off a rampaging aura in order to demand more attention from their attackers.

“Not bad! Your pack is strong, human!” the lead wolf cackled.

But Oli didn’t respond to the quip. He just kept leering at the wolf while analyzing the peak-elder beast’s abilities as quickly as possible.

“Oh?” The wolf playfully complained, “Haven’t you heard, playing with your food makes it taste better!”

Creeech!

Oli parried the wolf’s lunging claws with his mace, making sure he understood the wolf’s reach.

“Hmm, you’re no fun. So die!” the wolf growled and upped his essence output drastically, covering its body in an exoskeleton of ice which also lengthened and strengthened its claws.

The wolf also kicked up a spray of snow, impairing Oli’s view of the fight while diving in for its next attack.

However, Oli wasn’t such an easy opponent. After gauging the pack leader’s speed and estimating the reach of the extended, icy claws, Oli waited for the precise moment to react. Just as the lead wolf was reaching for Oli’s side, a slew of black, shadowy tentacles appeared from the dark ground surrounding Oli.

This caught the pack leader off guard but wasn’t enough to worry the crazed beast. That was until the wolf felt a tentacle grab it from behind, snagging its hindleg.

“You’re not the only one that likes to fight in the dark!” Oli mocked, rushing the wolf head-on while it was slowed by the sea of appearing tentacles.

“You cheat!” barked the wolf.

“What’s cheating in a fight to the death?” Oli scoffed and jumped at the wolf with his mace fully pulled back.

Suddenly, the temperature around the wolf drastically dropped. The shadow tentacles slowed and chipped apart under the downpour of icy essence. “What else can you do!?”

CREECH!

Again, they traded blows without either side coming out with an advantage. But they didn’t back away. Instead, Oli kept close and continued to pressure the pack leader without any pause.

Further back near the destroyed campfire, Freele surrounded herself in a tornado while hovering overhead. She was doing everything she could to not get caught and dragged down by the wolves while also fighting and putting out a light so her teammates could see.

Yeter was practically uninjured apart from some minor cuts. But that was mostly due to his strange earth essence armor, which the wolves were still trying to counter without getting themselves injured.

Fulkar’s focus wasn’t on having a grudge match with his opponents. Fulkar had taken out a second sword and was stalling until he was given even the smallest window to strike. He would then deal that wolf a slowing or crippling blow, gradually lessening the pressure the wolves collectively put on him.

As for Trenk, his flaming sword was complimented by spheres of darkness orbiting his body. Whenever a wolf came in contact with an orb, they would feel a sense of blurriness overtake their sight for a split second. It was a weak effect offensively, but it greatly helped with crowd control and kept the wolves busy.

“Ow!”

That cry caught Trenk’s ear in particular. He glanced at Freele and instantly changed strategies. Unleashing a barrage of those dark orbs in every direction, Trenk used that opening to sprint to his sister-in-law.

“Freele!” Trenk shouted while launching a wave of fire at the wolf nipping at her heels. He jumped forward just as the wolves were about to pull her down, forcing them to either drag her out of the air and get hit in the process or to turn and face him. Without any second thoughts, the wolves gladly took the opportunity to surround Trenk from all sides and leave Freele alone for a moment.

“Trenk?!” Freele yelled in frustration. The last thing she wanted was for Trenk to treat her like a fragile vase unable to fight.