Wolf's Den [2]

"... Sophie can lead us..."

Wiping the sweat from my face, while retrieving a power bar from my inventory, the sudden change in Bellatrix didn't surprise me all too much. After all, I had just completely annihilated the wolves that were going to ambush us by myself. Comparing clearing out an [F]-rank dungeon with a party to wiping out a pack of [E]-rank wolves by myself was impossible.

As everyone was standing with their mouths open, I began walking forward, knowing they would follow me.

****

[James's Pov]

"Hup!"

*Awoo! Splurt!*

The last wolf finally fell, with blood spewing from its decapitated body.

"Fuck..."

This had been a lot harder than I thought. Although the enemies weren't necessarily stronger than the skeleton in the Monastery, there was one clear difference; The wolves could somehow feel my attacks coming in the mist.

I didn't know if it was because of their instincts or if their senses were strong enough to trump my element, no matter what, that was the case.

That led to my main body getting a huge gash in my thigh, it forced me to fight while being a lot more careful.

And the worst part was that the worst had yet to come. There was a reason why it was called Wolf's Den and not Wolves Den.

Still, it wasn't like I was about to give up. It just meant that I might not be able to take on five wolves at once again.

So I kept walking forward, with me and sub-me both holding our black scythes ready for battle.

*Growl!*

It didn't take long until we found our next enemies, this time with the group only numbering three wolves.

The wolves weren't nearly as majestic or gorgeous as my Bobby form. The wolves all looked like they had led some pretty hard lives, with their fur being patchy and rough, completely unlike Bobby's pristine white coat.

*Grrr!*

With all three of them jumping in at the same time, I instantly threw down a [Dome of Mist] while dodging their lunges.

Just like last time, the monsters became careful, standing still and anticipating my attacks.

If I had any ranged capabilities, this would be so incredibly simple. Alas, I did not.

So instead, I used both of my bodies to attack one of them simultaneously.

*Shing! Aawwo!*

As it fell to the ground, the other enemies suddenly dashed at us, their claws already flying through the air towards us.

"Hup!", *Ting!*

Managing to block and parry their attacks to the sides, I began to dance with both of my bodies.

*Dam! Dam! Dam!*

Blood started soaking the mist, coloring it red as I made sure to never stop spinning my scythe and slicing the furry bodies.

After a minute, they were also lifelessly lying on the ground.

"Huff...huff..."

It was painful, trying to end them as quickly as possible to reduce the mana consumption of my mist while at the same time being careful to not die.

'Let's take a rest...'

Sitting down on the ground, I started to recharge my mana by absorbing the mana in the air, being careful to not eat too much.

Mr. Laufeyson's warning hadn't been a lie. From the information I found, it was seen as impossible to absorb the mana of a dungeon without dying or going insane. Yet, somehow, I was able to do it just fine.

There was no explanation for it, just a feeling that I would be fine. And as long as I had that feeling, there was no way I wouldn't exploit it.

****

[Sarah's Pov]

"[Healing Winds]!"

Healing the scratches that had appeared on Sebastian's body, we started to continue our journey to the boss.

The dive was going remarkably well, even though we were one person short. The combo of Sebastian and Trisha created a flurry of attacks that overwhelmed the wolves completely.

Though it had to be said, Trisha's attacks didn't do much damage. However, they often created openings for our leader's spear to find its spot in their heart or heads.

"How is your mana looking, Sarah? Can we continue or do you need to rest?"

Although it was impossible to meditate in a dungeon, as it would take one's life, one could wait for their mana to regenerate naturally.

With that said, if there was one thing I was proud of, it would be my big mana pool.

With a smile, I relayed the current state of my mana to the purple-haired man, "It's fine! I think I have at least 70% left."

Nodding his head, his face looking as boring as ever, he continued to walk.

We had already killed more than 20 wolves, with the process always being the same.

When we encountered them, we always made sure to back off enough for them to group up when they tried to attack us. At that point, both of my party members would launch ranged attacks, with Sebastian using his elongation spear.

If they didn't die or got too close, our leader would rush forward and shout to Trisha which position she should take in order to get free reign to attack.

And then they would wipe them with Sebastian skillfully fighting several with his spear at the same time.

Although he was impressive, he never got out completely unscathed, therefore the need for healing.

Seeing the broad back, I couldn't help but think of a much smaller one, and what he was faring.

'I just hope nothing weird happens...'

****

[James's Pov]

*AWOOO!*

'Fuck! What is that thing doing here!'

Things hadn't gone as planned. Instead of me getting to slowly make my way to the boss, the monster had for some reason ventured out of its cave and come to me on its own.

The boss was a huge, black, bipedal wolf, with huge claws and teeth. It was a big werewolf and was the reason why it was called Wolf's Den in singular. The whole forest was its turf, and the wolves were just his minions.

'[Dome of Mist]'

Quickly hiding my bodies by making a big cloud of mist, I tried to buy time to think about my options. In the worst case, I could use [Swap] with Matt. However, there was something inside of me that screamed that I shouldn't. Some sort of urge to try my best and bring down the beast in front of me.

'I still have 'that'... Maybe...'

*AWOOO!*

Before I got the chance to think anymore, the boss howled with enough force to blow my mist away, revealing my bodies to the green world.

Having already made a decision in my head, I readied my weapons and dashed forward while splitting my bodies up.

*Grrrr!*

The werewolf wasn't about to wait for me to initiate any attacks, immediately putting down his forelegs and dashing to sub-me.

'I'll have to try it...'

Though my control wasn't quite good enough, I had no choice but to use whatever means I had at hand.

"[Blind Mist]!"

A smaller cloud of mist emerged from sub-me's outstretched left hand, quickly making the eyes of the boss its home.

*Grrro?!*

Having been robbed of its sight, it panicked and followed its instincts to stop moving, swiping with its paws to get rid of the obstruction.

However, I wasn't about to let this chance go.

"HUP!"

*Bam! Bam! Bam!*

Two spinning scythes started to shred the body of the wolf, unfortunately only managing to create shallow wounds.

*Awoo! BOM!*

Dirt flew through the air as the werewolf started thrashing around, trying to get rid of the pests that hurt him. Thankfully, we had already retreated as it was obvious that he would try to defend himself.

Sadly, as the control of my element wasn't good enough, the mist in front of his eyes disappeared when I started to attack.

'How many more times can I do it... And how many times will it work?'

Not letting me calmly think about the situation, the boss started running towards my bodies, not wanting to let his prey get away.

"[Dome of Mist]!"

Another chunk of my mana got used as I prepared for its advance with a dome. When he entered it, its animal instinct once again got the better of it.

I could see its ears rising, trying to pick up any semblance of sound in order to find my specific locations.

This, however, was impossible.

*Awoo!*

The wolf howled as I once again let my scythes rip its flesh, now making use of even larger attacks to make sure I used the advantage of my mist. As it swung out its arms, completely missing my moving bodies, I found the opening I looked for.

'Now!'

Although it was impossible to see in the dome, both blades got a misty glow as sub-me jumped at its head and I swung towards its heart.

*BAM! Graoo!*

Two big, bleeding lines were made in its body, one across its chest and one on its neck, making the boss squeal in pain. Sadly, this was where the hard part would begin. Although I had so far managed to avoid getting hurt, this would make it a lot harder.

*AWOOOO!*

Once more, he managed to dissipate my mist by howling, letting its body return to the lush forest.

However, this time, its body started to gain a red hue, signaling the start of the second phase.

'Fuck... I don't think I did enough damage...'