Runeguard 009

My adrenaline spiked and my heart rate jumped up a notch. Twelve wolves were a lot of wolves. I didn’t fancy my chances should they choose to rush me.

The pack raced forward. I crouched down and raised my shield. 

But the wolves did not attack.

The twelve beasts flowed around me, moving to surround me. My eyes narrowed. I was trapped. Encircled by the pack, all possibility of retreat had been cut-off.

They will attack now, I thought and readied myself again.

But once more the pack didn’t attack.

Instead, keeping predatory gazes fixed inwards, they turned a slow circuit around me. My heart sank as I realized what the wolves were about.

They were going to wear me down. Alone in this hidden valley, I was vulnerable. Not so the pack. They had both numbers and time on their side.

I turned with the pack, keeping my eyes on the pack leader. She was the true danger, and I studied her intently.

You have examined a wolf and have perceived more of its nature. Your target is a level 5 timber wolf alpha.

Your insight skill has increased to rank 2.

I swallowed. The alpha was the same level as the brown bear. I hoped she was nowhere near as difficult to defeat.

My standoff with the pack continued for another ten minutes. After which my certainty grew that the pack was not going to attack.

I would have to make the first move.

I advanced a step. The pack shifted their circle, keeping me at its center.

I took another step. Then another. Still the wolves didn’t attack. Those in front retreated while those to my rear edged closer.

It was only as I neared the cave entrance that something changed.

The alpha planted herself in front of me, snarling. Ah, she doesn’t want me to go in there, does she?

I stilled and reached into my inventory to extract my daggers. Keeping a wary eye on the alpha, I bent down and picked up the daggers from where they had materialized on the ground.

She followed my every move, but she did not—as I had hoped—take the opportunity to attack. Straightening, I stuck the bare blades in my sword belt.

Then advanced again.

The alpha growled.

I ignored the warning and took another step.

The alpha’s eyes flicked to the side and two wolves darted in from my rear. I was ready for them. 

Spinning on my heels, I slashed down with my sword and caught the first beast square on. It crumpled in a heap. The second leapt. But having grown familiar with the wolves’ tactics, I had foreseen the move and was already sheltered behind my shield.

The wolf’s weight crashed into me. With my feet braced for the impact, I didn’t budge an inch.

The wolf fell to the floor, and I stabbed down, pinning it into place.

That’s when I felt a pair of hot, slavering jaws clamp down onto my neck.

I tried swinging around but was too slow. The alpha’s attack had been so silent, I hadn’t even sensed her movement.

I rolled, tossing myself violently to the side. I couldn’t afford to be pinned beneath her, no matter the cost. I felt the skin across the back of my neck tear, and a whole chunk of flesh come free as I ripped myself away from the alpha’s grip.

It hurt. A lot.

But I escaped her hold and that was mattered the most. Flat on my back, I shuffled away. The alpha pounced at me again, and the pack rushed in with her.

I fended off her snapping jaws with my shield and plunged my sword into her side. The pack leader yelped and leapt away.

The rest of the wolves aborted their attacks and followed in her wake. Dropping back, they encircled me again.

Clutching the back of my neck, I rose to my feet and eyed the pack warily. 

And found the same wariness in their own gazes.

For whatever reason the pack was displaying none of the same reckless abandon as their fellows had when I first entered the valley. These wolves seemed to be doing their best to stem their losses.

Perhaps, I have culled too many of their number already, I thought.

I glanced down at the two wolves that I had felled. Both lay unmoving. My gaze shifted upwards to the alpha. Her sides heaved, reddened with her own blood. She was pacing up and down before the cave while glaring at me.

I couldn’t tell how deep the wound I had inflicted on her was, but I could see blood was still pumping from it. I matched stares with her and made no move to advance again.

This time I was content to wait. 

At least until my health recovered. While I could heal up, the pack couldn’t. This, I realized, could be all that saved me from certain death. The pack, of course, didn’t understand their own vulnerability and instead of rushing me as they should have, they hung back while I healed.

It was a tense few minutes while I waited for my health to rise. All the while, the pack and I traded stares. Eventually, the expected message arrived.

“You are at full health again, Dace.”

“Thank you, Adi,” I murmured. I pivoted in a slow careful turn until I faced the cave again. Then advanced once more. 

I knew eventually a point would come when the pack realized they had no choice but to rush me again, and when that happened, I wanted the comforting solidness of stone at my back.

Besides which, as long as advancing towards the cave spurred the wolves to attack me in ones and twos, I could use their own probing attacks against them.

Four wolves darted in front of me, blocking my path to the cave. This time the alpha was not amongst them. Instead, she watched from the side.

Had the blow I had already dealt her made her wary?

With my eyes on the alpha, I advanced another step. Although she tensed, she made no move towards me. The lips of the wolves in front curled upwards, revealing dripping saliva and sharp fangs.

I paused and sheathed my sword.

Moving with deliberate care, I fingered the hilt of one of the daggers in my belt before wrapping my hand around it. In a sudden burst of motion, I yanked the dagger free and threw.

Not at the wolves in front, but at the alpha.

I hit my target dead center, and the blade buried itself hilt deep into her torso.

The alpha whined in pain.

That was my cue. Throwing caution to the wind, I charged straight at the wolves ahead, drawing my sword as I went.

For a moment, the four were frozen, caught off-guard by my abrupt move in their direction. Before they could decide whether to face me or flee, I slashed at the closest one on my right and opened it from fore to hindleg. 

Leaving it writhing on the floor, I used my shield as a ram and bashed through the other three. The wolves put up little resistance and before the rest of the pack could rally to their aid, I barged through and dashed up to the cave.

I didn’t enter it though. 

The cave’s interior was dark and gloomy, and within its depths, I would yield the advantage to the wolves. Instead, I flung myself against the cave’s outer wall and turned to face the pack.

They wasted no time in swarming me. Swapping my sword to my left hand, I drew and threw my last dagger in a single motion, sparing only a moment to aim.

I got lucky. The projectile lodged in the closest wolf’s eye and the beast dropped away. 

That left me eight more wolves to face. Seven, I realized a second later as I caught a glimpse of the alpha hanging back and observing the fight.

Then there was no time for further thought. The wolves crashed into me and the next few minutes descended into a seemingly endless bout of hacks and slashes. 

With my back protected by rock and my left guarded by my shield, I was free to cut at the wolves coming at me from the right and head on. 

Forgoing fancy footwork and elaborate swordplay, I simply hacked at my foes. 

Up and down my blade went, drawing blood, biting into bone, cutting flesh, and inflicting pain with every stroke.

The pack, of course, gave as good as they got.

Claws ripped through my clothes, jaws gnashed on my bones, and teeth nipped at my flesh. This too shall pass, Dace, became my mantra.

And somehow through it all, I remained standing, and despite sickening pain, kept my sword moving.

Until, ageless seconds later, there was nothing left to fight. I swayed on my feet and would have fallen but for the sword to lean on.

I blinked clear eyes clouded by sweat and blood. The alpha was watching me. Assessing how weak I was, I judged.

I smiled a bloody, toothy grin. “Come on, doggy,” I croaked. “Don’t be shy. Let’s get this over with.”

“Dace, I must warn you, you are in no condition to fight. Your health is at 10%.”

I laughed, a hoarse and horrible sound. “Don’t worry Adi, one way or the other this will be over soon.”

Whether spurred by my voice or the mockery beneath it, the alpha chose that moment to attack. I threw away my shield. 

A prolonged fight was out of the question. I meant what I said to Adi. One way or the other, the battle would be over soon.

In a single exchange of blows, no more.

The pack leader sprinted forward. Gaining momentum with every stride, she bore down on me. I forced my quivering body into stillness. 

Hold it together, Dace. For a few more seconds only. 

Curling the fingers of both hands around my sword hilt, I raised the blade above my head.

And waited.

The alpha leapt. Judging her trajectory, I thrust out my sword and closed my eyes. Either I failed or I succeeded. If this was the end, I didn’t want to see it.

A second later, a weight slammed into me, crushing my body against the rock wall. 

I didn’t fall. 

Cruel jaws didn’t clamp down onto my neck. Claws didn’t rake at my exposed guts.

The weight fell. And I with it. 

“The alpha is dead, Dace,” Adi said, an odd note coloring her voice.

I smiled. I had won.

✵ ✵ ✵

Once again, I found myself stretched out on the ground, covered in both my own blood and that of my foes.

This is becoming a habit, Dace. A bad one.

I stared up into the afternoon sky and watched the clouds sail by in the endless blueness while I waited for my wounds to close.

“Status, Adi.”

“You gained two levels and increased many of your skills. Do you want to see the System alerts?”

“No, don’t bother,” I replied, then thought for a second. “Place one of my Essence Points into life and the rest in constitution.” 

I realized if I was going to keep using my body as a punching bag, I needed more health. A lot more. So for now, irrespective of everything else, constitution was my most important Essence.

“Done, Dace.”

“Good, now show me my updated player profile.”

A second later, a window unfurled before me.

Player Profile: Dace Tolman

Level: 8. Health: 70 / 250 HP. 

Stamina: 60 / 250 SP. Mana: 40 / 40 MP. 

Species: Human. Essence Points: 0 EP.

Base attack: 5 (with steel longsword).

Base defense: 8 (with large wooden shield).

Classes

None.

Nodal Capability

Max Nodes: 17. Total Occupied: 7 / 17.

Available Essence Nodes: 6 / 17.

Class Reserved: 4 / 17. 

Occupied Nodes

Strength, tier 1 Essence: 8.

Dexterity, tier 1 Essence: 8.

Constitution, tier 1 Essence: 25.

Life, tier 2 Essence: 8.

Channeling, tier 1 Essence: 4.

Perception, tier 1 Essence: 4.

Skills

Strength: swords: 7, heavy armor: 7.

Dexterity: evasion: 7, sneaking: 5, daggers: 5, herbalism: 6.

Constitution: recovery: 16.

Life: restoration: 4.

Channeling: none.

Perception: scouting: 1, insight: 2, detection: 2, weapon-throwing: 3.

Equipped

+1 steel chainmail gloves.

“Much better,” I murmured as I took in all the ways I had advanced. “Alright, I am going to rest here for a minute. Just until my health is restored. Let me know when that happens.”

“Dace, I am not an alarm clock. The Law does not allow me to aid you in this way. If you—”

Closing my eyes, I let oblivion claim me.