I couldn’t tell what the man was saying word for word despite his booming voice. I knew he talked about freedom, revenge, and a lord. I was too busy looking at Larve. She looked confused. She whispered something to the man and he stopped talking. I nearly popped my stitches when he grabbed her off his shoulders.


    “There you go, little one.”


    He softly let her on the ground. I raised my body. My eyes traced him for any signs of hostility but there was none. Well, except for him throwing Lily just a second ago.


    “Larve! Come here. That man is dangerous.”


    Lily got up and pulled Larve to himself. I tried to push away the crowd and get to them. I was stopped by Blaria. The only reason I recognized him was thanks to his bunny ears.


    “Amaterasu’s orders. She told me to take care of you.”


    “Let me go! That man is too dangerous!”


    “Have you seen your stomach?”


    “I drank a healing potion. It is fine.”


    He looked down and he looked at my face again.


    “This is fine?”


    He slapped my wound. I fell on my knees.


    “Fuck!”


    I didn’t expect him actually hit me. That fucker. He got behind me while I gasped in pain and grabbed me from my back. He started to drag me away.


    “Excuse me. Wounded here! Please let me!”


    Damn, he was actually stronger than he looked since he was able to causally carry me.


    “Blaria, I need to fight!”


    “I am following Amaterasu’s orders, not yours.”


    “This will hurt you more than me then.”


    I jumped into the air, slamming my head into his chin. I broke his grip and ran while he held his bleeding mouth.


    I pushed others away, this time faster so Blaria doesn’t catch me. Doing so caused me serious pain, my rapid movement risking opening up my wounds. I escaped the established barrier.


    Morrigan, Arslan, and Lily were staring down the man. He was even bigger in close. The wooden mask he wore had runic symbols. His clothes were tattered and old. He held a wooden staff. I felt uncomfortable looking at it.


    “You talk about peace but you brought the monsters here! People died because of you!”


    Morrigan’s voice was heated. Her clothes were damaged but she gripped her daggers as tight as before.


    “A misunderstanding. My army was never for our kin. It is just that…”


    He pointed towards me and Lily. I felt hairs at the back of my head rise. Killing intent so potent it even made me feel anxious.


    “They attacked because of the human smell you got on you. Now, if you allow me, I will get rid of them.”


    He stomped the ground. I felt the ground beneath me shake. I threw myself to the side. Roots poked out from where I just stood. I looked for Lily and saw him flying in the air. He held Larve in his arms.


    What?


    Green wings stretched out of his back. They pulsated with green energy. They resembled butterfly wings except they were made out of semi-translucent green gems.


    He can fly and he didn’t tell me that? Traitor.


    Wait, I also hid things from him. But that’s not the topic now.


    “You could have killed her!”


    Lily shouted and I saw Morrigan suddenly appear on the man’s back. She swung her daggers but a pack of raven-like birds suddenly exited the man’s tattered clothes, clawing her. She retreated in a flash.


    Arslan was next to try. But before he could reach him, the same weretiger stabbed me grabbed him, and engaged him in combat. Lily couldn’t kill it?


    “Poyraz, catch!”


    I lifted my head and saw Larve falling down to me. Lily, you irresponsible asshole! I grabbed her. Her weight which normally would feel like a feather made me growl in pain.


    “Never ever leave me before telling me!”


    I shouted right into her ear. She tried to talk but I shushed her. I had no time nor energy for it now. I tried to fall back I fell because of the roots wrapping around my leg. Out of my shadow, G?kb?rü exited.


    “Huh?”


    He let out a howl and the roots wrapping around my leg were frozen solid. I broke free and ignored the clashing sounds behind me. It was rather easy. Was it related to the Unchained option of Wolf King’s Fang?


    “Humans. Always traitorous. Always cowardly. Is this the man you are risking your life for?”


    I looked back and saw Morrigan struggle with roots. Her daggers were on the ground. She was bleeding. Lily’s situation wasn’t so different.


    “Don’t worry daughter. You will be not harmed.”


    He put his massive hand on Morrigan’s head. It was darkened with some kind of energy. Morrigan let out an ear-splitting scream.


    “I will free you from your shackles. Let us awaken your true power.”


    Some kind of energy entered her body.


    “Larve, run!”


    (Ferocity of Wolf King is activated. Your speed and reflexes increases by 20 percent for 3 minutes.)


    (Ferocity of Wolf King is activated. Your speed and reflexes increases by 20 percent for 3 minutes.)


    (Ferocity of Wolf King is activated. Your speed and reflexes increases by 20 percent for 3 minutes.)


    (Stacks:3\5)


    (Monstrous Strength is activated. Strength is increased by 30 for 150 seconds.)


    Even moving normally hurt. And now that primal energy ran through my veins and my muscles rippled with power, my wounds reopened. Even breathing felt like thousands of needles piercing into my skin. And yet, I ignored it and charged forward. Even when I noticed the man’s gaze on me, he didn’t turn on me.


    The same raven-like creatures attacked me, cutting my way to Morrigan. They were uglier up close. Some of them had 3 beady eyes while others had 4. Their body was robust and muscular. Tumors bulged out from different parts of their bodies. They dived down towards me with their shark beaks and talons. They were fast.


    Yet, they seemed like they were in slow motion. I grabbed two of them by their wings. Before they could do so much as to peck me, I slammed them to others. I felt their hollow bones breaks. I got through the pack while using them as weapons. I let their broken mangled corpses to the ground and rolled on the ground to reach Morrigan’s daggers.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.I roared with pain and exhaustion. Finally, the man turned to me probably noticing I am a threat. Morrigan’s body went limp when he removed his hand from her. Her eyes were closed. He swung his staff towards me. The weight behind that swing could easily crack my head open like a watermelon. I jumped and did a flip in the air. I planted one of the daggers in the middle of the man’s forehead before falling down on the ground.


    “Crack.”


    I fell down on my left arm. The momentum I had was huge. Huge enough to break my arm. I also hit my face. I felt my face get wet with blood. This wasn’t a landing I could easily walk from. I tried to move my broken arm and failed. I looked up to the man. Half of his mask was broken, revealing a heavily scarred face, even more, scarred than my previous face. His skin was pale, paler than what was normally possible.


    “Aggghhhhhhhhh!”


    He screamed while holding his face. He sounded in pain. Good. Roots shrank, freeing Morrigan and Lily.


    The man kept screaming while holding his face. He kept moving wildly. He spasmed, whipping his head back and forward. I noticed weretigers joining his screams of pain. Lily grabbed Morrigan who was still unconscious and me.


    “You guys are heavier than I thought! Kitty, help me!”


    Arslan came into my vision.


    “Don’t call me that!”


    He tossed me on his shoulders, my broken arm dangling limply. While Lily carried Morrigan. Every step Arslan took caused me to wince. My healthy arm gripped the other dagger tightly. The man, still writhing in pain and clutching his scarred face, seemed momentarily incapacitated by the dagger lodged in his forehead.


    No. Even with exhaustion and pain clouding my judgment, I knew that it wasn’t the dagger causing him pain. Was it the damage to his mask?


    “What is happening?”


    Amaterasu’s concerned voice asked. Arslan lay me on the ground.


    “I am sorry! I am sorry! He told me he wanted to help!”


    Larve cried out. G?kb?rü came to my face licking it. I felt him wanting to share Regeneration with me and I accepted it.


    “They are running away!”


    A voice I didn’t recognize called out.


    “Don’t chase them! Warriors, gather around the line! Nocturna, help me repair the barrier! Nobody moves from the barrier!”


    Amaterasu shouted orders. She turned to me. She looked pissed off.


    “Especially you! I already took enough risks when I made the barrier enterable for you!”


    Her face softened. A red hue enveloped my body as I felt warmth. She casted it to Morrigan, Arslan and Lily too. Then she entered the crowd while shouting more orders.


    Larve cried non-stop beside me while apologizing. I caressed her face with my healthy arm.


    “We will talk about this later. Please stop, for now, Larve.”


    Obviously what I said didn’t make her crying stop. It just made her cry quieter.


    “Lily. How are you?”


    He was sitting down.


    “Bruised ribs and scratches. You know me, can’t hit what you cannot see!”


    “Well, I saw you getting tossed around like a rag doll. If you can, come and help me fix my arm.”


    “Okay, just relax and let me-“


    “If you make a sex joke I will stab you.”


    “I will decide on it depending on what.”


    I raised Morrigan’s dagger.


    “Okay, no sex jokes. What abou-“


    “Just help me stabilize my arm and shut up.”


    Lily sighed and leaned over to help stabilize my broken arm. With his careful assistance, he made a makeshift splint to support my injured limb. As he worked, I took a moment to assess the situation. The man who had caused all this chaos was retreating with his army. The warriors were regrouping and reinforcing the barrier, under Amaterasu''s orders.


    Why? He had the number advantage. Our strongest warriors were wounded. Was it a bait to draw us out of the barrier? No. He didn’t need it.


    “You are pretty good at this.”


    Arslan said while looking at my arm.


    “You were also good at stitching others.”


    Despite looking a little bit roughed up, he was the at least wounded among us.


    “Our world didn’t have healing magic or potions. You had to do it the old way.”


    Lily answered Arslan while I traced my stomach. Stitches held up way better than I ever hoped for. With Rapid Healing and Regeneration combined with a healing potion, it was healing up though I was sure it would leave a huge scar. I can’t really say I give a shit about it.


    “Sounds rough.”


    “We had our own ways. Though I definitely prefer the magical option.”


    Lily shuddered. He was probably thinking of the surgeries we had to endure in the process of becoming a super soldiers.


    I looked at Morrigan.


    “That man was doing something to her. Don’t you think we should inform Amaterasu about it?”


    Arslan’s eyes narrowed.


    “I don’t feel anything wrong with her.”


    Lily said after checking her pulse.


    “Still we are not the experts. We should probably ask Amaterasu.”


    Arslan looked around.


    “I should go since I am in the best condition.”


    He got up and left. I turned to Larve.


    “Can’t you heal me like you did before?”


    I asked to whose tears finally subsided. She shook her head.


    “It is okay. I heal fast anyways.”


    I reassured her. With the duration of Ferocity of Wolf King and Monstrous Strength ending I felt a wave of exhaustion hit me. Every part of my body hurt. I lay down on the ground unmoving, trying to deal with throbbing pain. I closed my eyes to feel my mana. It was still low. The last thing I noticed was someone, probably Lily covering me with an article of clothing.