In Extremis, Part 2

* * * Astaroth POV * * *

After running into the cave, Astaroth headed straight for the barracks. Some warriors there might help, he thought.

He barged right into the building, not bothering with the trainees outside.

"Help! Kloud is outside the barrier fighting a pack of Dire Wolves. He won't last long!" He hollered, out of breath.

Silence ensued for a few seconds, then loud laughter broke out.

"AHAHAHA! Kid, if that man can't take down a pack of Dire Wolves, then nobody in the world can! AHAHAHA! He'll be just fine. Go back to training, runt!" One guffawed.

"Yeah! Hahaha! As if a simple pack of Dire Wolves could take out this village's strongest warrior! Go back and watch him fight. You are in for a treat!" Another yelled out between laughs.

Then ensued a rain of mockery and loud laughter aimed at him. Anger welled up inside Astaroth.

He clenched his fists hard, his nails planting inside his hands. He cycled his mana inside his body once and converged it to his throat.

"SHUT UP!!!" He yelled, shaking the walls of the barracks.

Some soldiers yelped as the vocal shockwave hit them, knocking them to their asses.

*Ding!*

*You have learned the skill 'Intimidation Shout'*

Astaroth angrily swiped the notification away.

"Do you guys think I would be here if it was only the pack?! There is a level 41 special Alpha with the pack, you idiots! He can't win this!" He angrily shouted.

Astaroth wasn't a man to get angry easily, but a man's life was at stake here, and these morons were mocking him, instead of helping!

One of the few warriors that had kept silent got up, slightly frowning.

"Is what you say true, boy?" He asked gravely.

"Yes, it is the truth." Astaroth said, nodding.

'Finally, someone who listens.' He thought.

"Arm up men. If what the boy says is true, then that creature might breach the barrier after having dealt with the boss." That same man said, grabbing a broadaxe from beside his chair.

The men all seemed to respect that warrior because not a single one laughed. All of them grabbed their weapons and started heading out of the barracks.

Sixteen men came out of the barracks, one after the other. They jogged to the entrance of the cave.

What they found when they reached it momentarily stopped them in their tracks. Half a dozen wolves were strewn on the ground, cuts all over them.

The other half dozen were circling Kloud, charging at him two at a time, from different angles, biting and clawing the man. When he turned to deal with one, the other would attack his back savagely.

For every wolf the man fended off, the other would open a vicious wound on him. The warrior that had taken the lead snapped out of his horror.

"Charge! Defend the boss!" He yelled, raising his sword.

"CHARGE!!!!" All the others screamed, running at the wolves.

The Sixteen of them charged at the wolves, using their numerical advantage to overturn the situation. They split up the wolves, fighting them with two warriors per wolf.

Three others, that looked like the most battle-hardened of the bunch, charged at the Alpha. The last one ran to the staggering Kloud and pulled him back across the village barrier before charging back at the Alpha.

The wolves left alive were the stronger ones from the pack, as Kloud had taken out the weaker ones first, trying to thin the herd.

Astaroth Didn't miss this chance while the wolves were restrained and fired an arrow at each one of them, going for the Exp while he still could, starting with the weakest.

*-34* *-34* *-34* *-68!* *-34* *-34*

They started falling, one after the other.

*You have helped in killing a Dire Wolf (Lvl 33). 33 Exp awarded for contribution (Bonus 300% for kill three tiers higher) (0.5% damage done)*

*You have helped in killing a Dire Wolf (Lvl 34). 32 Exp awarded for contribution (Bonus 300% for kill three tiers higher) (0.47% damage done)*

*You have helped in killing a Dire Wolf (Lvl 34). 32 Exp awarded for contribution (Bonus 300% for kill three tiers higher) (0.47% damage done)*

*You have helped in killing a Dire Wolf (Lvl 34). 64 Exp awarded for contribution (Bonus 300% for kill three tiers higher) (0.94% damage done)*

*Level up! You are now level 6. From leveling; you gained 1 skill point, 1 free Attribute point, and all Attributes increased by 1.*

*You have helped in killing a Dire Wolf (Lvl 34). 32 Exp awarded for contribution (Bonus 300% for kill three tiers higher) (0.47% damage done)*

*You have helped in killing a Dire Wolf (Lvl 35). 29 Exp awarded for contribution (Bonus 300% for kill three tiers higher) (0.41% damage done)*

After those six were down, only the Alpha was left. He looked at the ants that dared defy it and growled menacingly.

It lunged at the warriors at insane speeds, swatting them aside like they weighed nothing. The last person it lunged to, instead of swatting him aside, stomped him, holding the warrior to the ground.

The Alpha looked at the man while snarling. Saliva was dripping from its mouth down on the man's face.

Astaroth wanted to help. He thought hard, and an idea popped into his mind.

He drew his bowstring back, an arrow nocked, and concentrated on it. Swirling wind started dancing at the back of the arrow.

Astaroth aimed it at the monster's mobile face and released the string. The arrow left the bowstring at vertiginous speeds, propelled by the spinning winds, whistling through the air.

The Alpha couldn't even react as it lodged itself into his eye.

*412!!*

*Ding!*

*You have learned the skill 'Piercing Shot'*

The Alpha reeled back in pain, releasing the man from its hold. It started trying to dislodge the arrow from its eye, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, near Astaroth, a familiar old man appeared. He quickly glanced at the situation and acted.

"Impel Gale." He mumbled.

Wind picked up near the men that were holding off the Alpha and pushed them all back towards the cave entrance. He then cast another spell.

"Lightning Prison." He said, pointing at the Alpha.

Five lightning bolts fell from the sky, surrounding the wolf in a pentagonal box. The Alpha now had a look of panic.

Aberon looked at the Alpha Dire Wolf with a look of inevitability.

"You have rampaged enough. Time to face your maker." He said, pointing towards the sky.

"Lightning Judgement." He uttered.

The sky went dark. It was like the sun scurried away, scared of what was to come. Black clouds started forming over the captured wolf.

Not long after, thunder rumbled. Then suddenly.

*Flash*

*Bang!*

A flash of bright light, followed by a second of silence, followed by a thunderclap so loud, Astaroth's ears rang. It was like a flashbang grenade had detonated in his face.

Except it wasn't a grenade; it wasn't in his face, and it did a lot more than just blind and deafen him.

Inside the lightning prison, where there once stood a big white wolf, there was only a charred corpse, burnt well past recognition.

*You have helped in killing a Dire Wolf Alpha (Special Zone Boss) (Lvl 41). 312 Exp awarded for contribution (Bonus 300% for kill three tiers higher) (0.95% damage done)*

*Level up! You are now level 7. From leveling; you gained 1 skill point, 1 free Attribute point, and all Attributes increased by 1.*

And just like that, the fight ended.