28 Flying a plane

Another deep howl came from the cerberus like creature the air pushing away from it as it released an aura of power. In response I yelled at it out of instinct casting the spell aura of the prince, a golden light illuminated my features in the dark. The place had become completely silent after the two auras collided both strong enough to make the rest of the wolves and humans back away from the two of us.

This was a fight between alphas, the others could fight each other but everyone knew not to interfere in my own fight. Two arrows struck one of the wolves and the surrounding fight started, moving to the side to give the wolf and me proper space to fight. Something in me was boiling at the thought of the fight, and I could tell the wolf felt the same in its eyes.

Rushing forward the trees began to shake, "Lifebringer, Lifebringer! Bring us more life!"

As if to satisfy their bloodlust my daggers came forth like a snake's lunge, aiming at the creature's neck. Instead of moving back like I thought it reached forward with its jaws almost tearing into my neck, but there was a metallic clunk when the teeth snapped shut.

Standing under me was my female golem her sword stuck in the monster's maws. Using my knee as leverage she slid her sword down slicing the monster's mouth, but doing only a little damage. Taking the opportunity my dagger went forward and I felt something pop under one of my blades a ferocious roar slamming me into the ground.

My dagger was no longer in my hands, and looking up I could see it was deeply impaled into the beast's eye. This wasn't good, as now instead of its lofty attitude, all three heads were growling at me, angry. With my golem in front of me, I replaced my lost karambit, lowing my stance to be combat ready. As the weaker party countering was the best option available to me as I couldn't match up to its speed or strength.

The monster lunged forward with explosive precision, my danger sense making my throat tickle. Since I knew where it was aiming for I ducked down, throwing out my left arm which felt a great force before a ripping sound was heard as the knife cut through flesh. My enthusiasm was crushed when I felt my own armor get ripped across the back, I was lucky it didn't hit flesh.

Flicking the blood off my hand and the karambit I took my stance again, facing the beast. It had one leg up, not able to put pressure on it as I had turn through the top of its paw. Blood slowly dropped from its wound as I licked at it, staring at me with two heads as it did. It saw me as a threat now, it knew my first strike was luck.

"Shit.." I cursed out because I knew what was going to happen.

It howled at me, and our one on one struggle had ended, two of the wolves immediately attacked. Jumping to the left, I let the golem take on the one to the right. The creatures were slow in comparison to the cerberus, and its flesh softer so my knife was buried into its neck in a moment. As it died the feeling of flesh being torn engulfed my left leg before I felt weightless.

*crack!*

I fell down from the bark of the tree, my side hurting as I let out a whimper of pain. My mind being in turmoil for a second made my aura shut off as the beast looked down upon me. It was then I realized my mistakes.

This beast was a killer, constantly hunting for food, fighting for dominance in the food chain. It's full body was a weapon that it could use for tearing apart its pray, stronger and faster than myself by at least ten times. Why was I putting my body against it?

"Fall on it, tear it from limb to limb. Come my children and devour!" My body got up shakily, my wounded leg useless so I used the tree.

As the cerberus lunged, black shadows descended upon it tearing and biting at its body. It howled in anguish as it ripped one of the little demons from it throwing it against a tree which it splattered into gore. Using the moment of shock, I went in as well stabbing it in the neck as Luci tore into one of the other faces.

As desperation rose in me, I activated gluttony and I tore my teeth into the waiting flesh, teeth and knife working in harmony until the beast no longer moved. It's body beaten and bloody, it's flesh torn apart by not only myself but the many little demons having a feast on the living flesh.

As it breathed its last, I activated the flesh golem spell, "Your flesh, your anger, become mine!" The body exploded in some places, ripping apart to make little demons who tore into the cerberus's body like a buffet.

'Three headed monster dog killed, new options available!'

"Ha.. hahaha… hahahaha." In the blood and gore I sat back and yelled out to the forest, my body in a debilitating pain. The beast's death throes had scratched up my side and made a nasty gash across my face but none of that mattered.

My golem was already helping the other group fight as I met my body recover, ripping parts of the meat from the dog before stuffing it into my mouth. I could feel my body repairing itself, but all I could think was, 'I nearly died to a dog, if this was an actual wolf…'

The release of stress still made me giggle every once in a while, I didn't even know what the joke was that kept me giggling even but it felt nice. When I got done with my feast, I lay beside the body staring up at the burry sky. I was crying.. when did that happen?

The rest of the battle was over in moments, out of everything that happened I was the only one injured. A few of the golems has died, but with my spell I had replenished them to a standing seven, only two from the original group still stood. Luci and another one that was unnamed.

"Where Luci deals in the darkness, you shall be a guiding light. I name you Paschar!" Again, I bestowed the power of fate to my newly named little demon.

Luci has evolved his form once more, he still looked feminine but now he had a lot of humanoid features. Obviously he was excited by the battle and the way I fought as he had grown claws much like the karambit. He now once again had 'hands' and looked like he could pass for a werecat if he wasn't a foot and a half tall. "Lifebringer, Luci want to learn fighting. Brothers… they died because they weren't worthy of the life force you gave us."

"They died because we are both weak." I sighed deeply, "Only when we're strong can we protect the things we care about, until then we can only claw our way up."

Luci solemnly nodded, this was the first loss he felt and he looked really shaken up about it. A part of me felt the pain too now, and a large amount of guilt. I hadn't realized it until now, but since I had created them I only saw them as tools to be used.

I wasn't going to change my way though, in the end they are not my friends, or me. I shook my head sadly, swearing not to get close to another in the future only Luci shall be a friend since it's too late to not feel connected with him. I turned my eyes away from him as he stared at his fallen brethren.

'Empathy is a burden.' I had read too many books about the zombie apocalypse and other novels to think otherwise. Compassionate characters are always the first to die, and ones that don't know how to fly a plane. If you were compassionate and you couldn't fly a plane, now you're a redshirt!

Thinking about myself though, emotional connections were hard not to make since most of the process is subconscious. I couldn't force myself to be a sociopath, if that wasn't in me to cut off people helping me like that. My swearing was meaningless earlier, but now I knew one of my weaknesses. I needed to get stronger to be able to protect those connections or I will lose them one by one.

This… could be positive… maybe my empathy would be my strength, my purpose? I looked to Luci who seemed to be fired up by my little speech about power and I knew then that my pain could turn into power. Chuckling to myself I looked up at the sky, gripping my fist towards the heavens, "I guess I need to learn 'how to fly a plane' and what that means in this world."

Fear and pain, they were great motivators, but they could also make you take the wrong path. Wasting time trying to become something you can't. I didn't have time for that, a cold blooded killer was not my path but a compassionate commander.

"Luci, there is a feast of dogs around us. Why are you not leading your brothers to food?" Sitting up I smiled, "You are we're the one chosen to lead them into battle!"

The pain in Luci's eyes faded as he nodded, yelling at the others for being lazy and they charged into the surrounding dogs.