Last Life

THE NOBLEMEN ALSO SPOTTED the creature. The chevalier shouted a string of filthy curses. Baron von Brunon, sniffling and cursing, squeezed the axe in his hand, while von Holtz glanced over at me, leaning on the handle of a shovel.

“Chevalier,” he said to me. “You are the fleetest of foot. You still have a chance to escape. We will stay here and try to hold off this creature... If the gods take mercy on you, perhaps our bodies will be enough for this monster. I have but one request — track down our families and tell them how we perished.”

“No way,” I shook my head, surprised by what the baron was saying. Normally a very quiet man, his noble urge had left me puzzled. If we survived, I would have to look into him. “First of all, I never relied on the mercy of the gods. And second, you three would not last long against this alpha wolf. He would catch me sooner rather than later. So what difference does it make where I fight him? It’s either here shoulder to shoulder with you, or a hundred yards from here one on one.”

After saying that, I looked at the gloomy faces of the three nobles.

“So, I assume you have an idea?” Vidal asked.

“I do,” I nodded, watching the wolf slowly come down the hill out of the corner of my eye. “But you’re not going to like it... You’re going to have to trust me.”

“Go ahead,” von Holtz came quickly, not letting Vidal get a word in. He was clearly about to spout off something biting. Beyond that, the baron was also keeping an eye on the creature.

The nobles had not seen what I did, though. The shadow wolf alpha had been severely wounded by the Wild Duke and his stryker companion who so foolishly opened herself up to the lake monster’s attack.

While the wolf came unhurriedly down the hill, limping on two legs, I managed to scan him. His three-color reservoir was nearly empty. His whole energy system was covered in gaping black pulsating spots. His right eye was a seething wound. His spike tail had been reduced to a sad little nub. His skin was shredded in several places. The alpha looked most of all like a living corpse. But even in that state, he was a deadly force.

Both of the snake fangs in my hands glowed slightly with a bright silver shade. The sight of it quickly made an impression on my potential allies. Based on their astonished outbursts, they were not expecting such things out of me.

“This battle will be decided by a single blow,” I came.

“And all you need is the chance to land it,” von Holtz nodded comprehendingly and smiled for the first time. “We’ll try to distract it.”

With that, Baron von Holtz grasped his shovel in both hands and, nodding to his friends, walked out from behind the wagon. Baron von Brunon barked something profane in Astlandic and went after him. Chevalier Vidal held back for a moment and glanced at me.

“I do not trust you, Renard,” he snorted and, nodding at von Holtz, added: “But I do trust him.”

While my allies got into a semicircle formation and shouted loud profanities, trying to distract the creature, I walked around the overturned wagon and hid on the other side.

When the wolf got to the bottom of the hill, he froze for a moment. He sniffed the air and turned his head slightly. He could sense that they were weak and injured to boot. It was just a matter of finishing us off, and he could savor our fresh meat and hot blood. More food meanwhile meant he could restore his energy quicker.

I was then able to get a closer look at the wolf’s magic reservoirs. The amber one was completely empty, while the purple was on fumes. The crimson one meanwhile still had plenty of mana and was gradually initiating regeneration processes in the monster’s body. I had to move quick.

After making sure the monster’s attention was directed at my allies, I slowly came out from behind the wagon and got ready to burst forward. There were less than ten paces between us. The wolf still hadn’t noticed me. He gave a deep bark and dropped slightly, clearly aiming at Baron von Brunon. He had correctly judged that, as the largest, von Brunon was also the most dangerous.

We started off at practically the same time. The wolf toward the baron, and I into his path. This time, I got off Mamoru Yamada’s King Cobra’s Strike without a hitch. It was much faster and deadlier than when I tried to use it on the stryker that took me prisoner. Also... When I was just a step away from the wolf’s gaping maw, I felt a strange surge of energy. And it was many different colors, as well: lilac, crimson, and emerald. As if my energy system was absorbing it from the wolf.

At the last moment, I plunged both snake teeth into the wolf. Just in time. He was about to reach the baron. My blows, reinforced with magic, landed in the monster’s eye and neck. They were so powerful that both of my “blades” got stuck in his body.

Not for long, though... I sharply hopped up off the ground and, getting ready for round two, pulled the bone stiletto out of my belt. But a moment later, my hand froze. Round two had seemingly been called off — the big huge wolf, now twitching in predeath convulsions, was lying on the ground a few steps away from the prostrate Baron von Brunon. The twofold energy strike had essentially blown the creature’s head off.

When I looked up, I met the astonished gazes of Baron von Holtz and Chevalier Vidal, who hadn’t even managed to land a single blow with their “weapons.” An indignant outburst from von Brunon reduced the tension. Sitting on the ground, he was caked head to toe in a mixture of wolf blood, skin, bones, and brain matter.

“Gentlemen!” he rasped, wiping his face with an elbow. “Let me conclusively state that I am too old for all this... I’m going to go get married to some widow and settle down somewhere in the south of Vestonia... I’m afraid all this traipsing around the steppe no longer agrees with me.”

Baron von Holtz and I met eyes and smiled. Apparently, the temporary alliance was on.