"I know how to tame dogs," she boasts.
She lifts her right hand up and above her skin is a huge orb of light spinning in the air. We all looked at it as the light imitated the glow and image of the moon. As always and have been, the beauty of it is mesmerizing, stunning… soothing… But my fascination ended harshly when I was slapped on the face.
"You're awake now?" Dandeline asked.
I blinked rapidly at her. “Aw,” I said, and when I looked at the werewolves, all of them were flabbergasted and spacing out on the sight of the moon Dandeline made. "Oh, so, it's your way of taming? Hypnotizing?" I pointed a finger at the moon.
"Let's hurry!" She pulled me on my coat again to run away while the werewolves were deluded.
“Wait! I want to try to slap them if it’ll work the same as mine—.”
“It will!”
We're running down another spiral stair, the space is slim and dark but the noon light through the window spares the burden. We halted in the middle of the path when I smell the fur again coming. There's no way back now but onward. I ran ahead of Dandeline. There are two wolves converging in our direction.
They wave their claws, but I just stoop lower than their jaws, stretched both of my arms, and slammed their stomach with it—I had to skip steps to push them with force. And eventually, they rolled down the stairs.
However, another pack is approaching this way. Their smell is loitering around my nose! Instead of claws, I prepared my fists. A pair of werewolves arrived. I bent backward to dodge the claw of the first one and then I kicked him on the waist to bump him into the wall, the second one is gritting and swaying claws, so I moved sideward to catch his wrist and bump him on the wall as well twice to make him lose his consciousness.
Unfortunately, the other werewolf grips my throat from behind then pulls me away from his ally and stabs my waist with his claws. I growled involuntarily.
"Hessuel!" Dandeline yells when she caught up. She made an enchantment to force the werewolf out of me. I knelt down while squirming in pain! More werewolves are coming. Dandeline created an enchanted dome around us and on her other hand, she's diminishing the pain from my injury.
I'm so disappointed I can't even sigh. "I thought I could regenerate immediately."
"Hessuel, you're so dead from the neck up. Your wound will regenerate but not as fast as the injury an ordinary human did. Who attacks first is what matters most when it comes to battling with them."
"Ah… Then, should I go to the vet?
“...” She’s scowling at me. “What?”
The wound is gone. She said that she has the authority to use the healing blessing of the moon, too. The werewolves have arrived but are unable to attack us because of the dome. "Say, where will this path lead us?"
"Mraz's chamber."
"And from there we will immobilize him? I think I know the first step to going on a berserk." I removed my coat and gave it to her. "Will you hide it again for me?"
"Clever."
My appearance changes and I can feel the power overflowing within me already. I made my stance and glared balefully at them. "Catch up again," I said. And then I dash towards the werewolves; striking their jaws with my silver claws, bumping my shoulder to push them down, stepping on the wall, and swaying some kicks at their face. I can see their movements faster than they can. I can dodge it, no matter what happens, I have to attack first.
At the end of this spiral stair is an empty chamber. I was expecting more wolves here, perhaps I’m enjoying it too much—! Suddenly, I smell a stout scent. I just found them right behind her. "Ms. Dan—!" She's aware of the presence and attempts an enchantment backward but fails to do so.
Mraz grabs her wrist, locks it behind her, and threatens her throat with his sharp claws. He's looking at me with tiresome disappointment. "I thought we were clear?" he asked. "Surrender yourself and I'll free the slaves. That's what I told you too, Moon Priestess. But it looks like I was fooled, so the two of you could infiltrate the palace, aye? How villainous. You used my kind consideration. I was about to settle for the affidavit but it looks like we cannot compromise anything. So, how do you want to settle things then? Sparring?"
He's growing more intimidating. The werewolves that guard him are bald and bold like him. They were about to attack me but Mraz ordered them not to.
"Mraz," Dandeline looks calm, "you cannot lure me with your agreement. I prefer to save them both."
"You should've told me earlier." He pushes Dandeline behind with great force that she was tossed, and it's toward my direction so I catch her, I was pushed by the force too and bumped into the wall. "Nice catch," he cheers. I helped Dandeline up immediately.
I ask her, "How shall we immobilize him?"
She utters in a low voice, "Make him weak. And be careful. He's eager to kill you. He's engaged in fighting. And he can—"
A massive impact pushed me away even to the other side of the door, I rolled on the red carpet and staggered slowly. Mraz is walking towards me, looking down, while cracking some fingers. The superficial essence of his blood is appearing; his eyes turned sharp, veins marking on the forehead, and fangs are divulged.
"If you win, I will free the slaves including you. And if I win, well, of course, you'll die. Is that what you want?" he stated.
"Even if I win, I will die eventually because the rest of your pack will hunt me, right?"
He suddenly chortles, revealing his fangs wider with his gape. It's my first time seeing a laughing dog. And I'm uncertain if it's supposed to be cute. But that reaction is the veritable correctness of my apprehension.
"Hessuel!" Dandeline yells at the doorway and her voice echoed throughout this wide hallway. Her hands are surrounded with enchantment. Mraz commands his werewolves to hinder the enchantress. His diversion of attention became my advantage to attack first; I tug the carpet to make him stumble but what just happened is almost. He dashed towards me and tore the carpet with his claws.
I kept on moving backward to dodge his claws. Even if he's quick, I can see his movements. When he aims a stab at my stomach, I strike his hand down, yet he's flexible enough to spin around and hit my temple with his hill. I spun around too and knelt behind. He grabs me from behind. When my hand reached his right leg, I buried my claws there but he scratched my throat as well!
I nudged him on his waist, then moved away. Even though his leg is trembling, he's arrogantly trying to remain standing. While I'm holding my neck and panting.
"Wow," he praises sarcastically, "that was a deep lesion." He swiped his claws in the air but I sensed the impact surging towards me that I had to move away. A huge scratch was marked on the wall and the floor. And he keeps on throwing flying scratches on me! All I'm left to do is defend my face with my bare arms. Until he landed a heavy blow on my stomach, I flew away and skidded on the carpet. It's now a mess.
"It's a privilege to kill a silver wolf before anyone else," he brags. The bloodlust gives him the capability to move. Dramatically, the attacks he landed on me feel like an itch. The pain doesn't last with me. I'm not accustomed to battle unlike him but it looks like my body is built for that. And it's strange that a merchant like me is dealing with this, fighting with a stranger I just met. I want to call it a day and come home.
I stand up again in front of him. "You're the most powerful werewolf I have ever encountered so far," my praises. "You're intimidating with someone else's stories. However, for me, that's exciting." His face shows irritation. I looked at my right claws, they grow longer until they cover my whole fingers like a glove. I formed my fist and dashed at him in a blink of an eye.
I saw how startled he was until I punched him in the stomach, he bumped into the wall and it smashed. He's falling down with the shreds of the wall, still, I come after him. While in the air higher than him, I howl at him rigorously as if my throat is harmless. The noise pushes him down harder. Yet I can't see and smell him because of the dust of the crash.
I just let myself fall down while protecting my head. When I land, all I can see is dust. I search for him through my hearing, listening carefully to the nearest breathing I can hear—assuming that he's chasing it now unless he dropped his body. Fortunately for me, he did not. I followed the noise of his breathing and found him lying on the pile of rocks.
It's guaranteed that he's already weak. I stand above him and pull his collar. And when I met his sharp eyes, darkness and silence suddenly devoured me. Everything is gone. Just me and the weird phenomenon.
What happened?