One-sided beatdown

Please, Failure, just what are you getting at?"

Failure turns away from the window, a serious expression on his face.

"We have to win in less than two weeks, otherwise we all die anyway."

The temperature in the room seems to drop a few degrees after Failure finishes speaking. The situation they are stuck in is truly precarious. It's like their walking alone a tightrope with no pole for balancing all the while balancing a stack of books on their head.

Breaking the silence, Failure closes his eyes and says:

"I'm going to rest, Kai, I'm going to rest for a few days and then hopefully I will have thought of a plan. There's too many unpredictabilities and outliers to make the final judgement just yet.

I want you to get Noelle, the red haired woman and your familiar and start training together. A team should be able to synchronise, if they are unable to do this a single slip up could be fatal. You will never survive by yourself in this world, unless you are the embodiment of resilience and tenaciousness.

Of course, if there's anyone else you would like in your group, be my guest. I'll give you first pick, then I'll have Aldred split the rest of the moon beasts and humans into teams. There's... a lot to do in the next few days."

The once cozy cabin feels a lot colder. A lot is going to happen to Kai in the next two weeks, and even more so to Failure. Looking at the brown haired man, Kai can spot traces of fatigue and something else he can't quite make out.

"Alright... thank you, Failure. I'll leave you to rest."

Failure nods in thanks as Kai gets up from the armchair. He walks over to the door of the cabin and exits the homely space. Kai sighs and opens his status screen.

Level: 13

I want to get to level fifteen before anything drastic happens. If I can get some sort of attacking skil that would be great, but a useful one would also do... Now that I think about it... why would I need an attacking skill?

Looking back on everything that's occurred so far, Kai realises he's been doing everything the wrong way. Why would he need an offensive skill when he has a perfectly good wolf for his protection.

Any support skill could arguably be better than a skill that does damage due to the fact Umbra's physical stats are way above his. Kai could spend his unnasigned stat points on Strength or Dexterity, but that would mean neglecting his innate ability, which is something he really doesn't want to do as its too crucial to his kit.

Overall, it seems like a waste to want an offensive skill, some type of utility or defence skill seems much more useful for someone like Kai, while Umbra should be the one with more offensive skills. Even if Kai has no skills that do damage, he could always use Will of the Kaiser and either get the massive stat boost from using Umbra as the base or he could get another creature that likes doing damage.

Looking at his status screen again, Kai scrolls down to Contract of Artemis and looks at his familiars stats.

Umbra: Wolf of the crescent moon

Level: 14

HP: 170

Mana:90

Strength: 25

Dexterity: 25

Constitution: 17

Mana 8 (+1)

Stamina 26 (+1)

Will 18 (+1)

Luck 8 (+6)

His familiars stats were much higher than his own, while this did upset Kai to a certain degree, mostly because of his 61 Luck which he feels was a waste, it's also a positive as the wolf is his familiar, they are contracted after all.

It's also nice to see the bonus stats I give her, that eight Luck is a little low, but it's fourteen thanks to me. I really am a great person.

Suddenly, a loud roar echoes throughout the Dome, causing Kai to flinch and jump backwards. Curious as to what caused the loud noise, he picks up the pace and starts making his way towards where it came from.

A minute later, Kai spots a circle of beasts, a familiar sight he has seen quite a few times over the last few days. Squeezing his way through the gaps towards the centre, he spots a viscous fight going on, and who else would it be fighting other than Wa'rak and Noelle?

Engaged in a ferocious battle, Noelle twirls her scimitar as Wa'rak bares his fangs, each waiting for the other to make move. After a few moments of nothing happening, Wa'rak grows impatient and makes the first move.

The wolf dashes at the olive skinned woman, opening his mouth as he tries to bite her leg. Noelle dodged to the side and slashed down with her scimitar, the steel blade shining as its sharp end edged closer to Wa'raks neck.

The wolf dodges effortlessly and swipes at Noelle's exposed legs, catching the fabric of the bodysuit and ripping it. Wa'raks claws also dig into her tanned skin, drawing blood. Noelle's expression hardens as she takes a different stance, this stance being one Kai has never seen before.

...Not that I've seen a lot anyway.

Noelle holds her scimitar in her left hand, where as she would usually hold it in her right. Wa'raks eyes narrow, cautious about the sudden change in Noelle's fighting style.

Taking a deep breath in, Noelle attaches her right hand firmly onto the hilt of her blade. With both hands holding onto the scimitar, Noelle lunges forward and does the same downward slash she did before, only this one much more destructive.

...How?

Sadly, since the slash was much more destructive, it was also much slower.

But who cares if the attack is slow if you can just make your opponent unable to dodge?

"Right hind leg up."

The words come out of Noelle's mouth about as quickly as her blade moves downward, not very fast. Still, her innate ability does its job as Wa'rak lifts his right foot up. He hops backwards, but still gets caught by the scimitar, the blade digging into his skin as he let's out a growl.

Retreating backwards, Wa'rak let's out another growl and stands straight, not feeling the powerful cut in the slightest. The wolf then causes some confusion by looking at... Kai?

What does he want? Oh... maybe...

Kai uses Telepathy and activates a mind link with the injured wolf. Almost instantly, the wolf speaks in his usual arrogant tone.

"Tell the girl she has earned my respect, and since she has earned my respect... I will not hold back anymore."

"What-" Kai tries to speak, but feels that Wa'rak has already cut off his side of the mind link.

What does he mean not hold back, Noelle was win-

Wa'rak has an innate ability...

One of his previous conversations with Aldred and Failure now makes a lot more sense. Kai remembers how he didn't really believe Wa'rak could easily beat Noelle if he tried, which did happen on multiple occasions, but Noelle did still have two wins, meaning the wolf must not be that strong.

But then Aldred went and said Wa'rak had an innate ability which he can utilise like an extra leg or pair of claws, but throughout every fight Kai has seen, Wa'rak always seemed to be lacking.

"Uh... Noelle, be careful about this... Wa'rak said that you earned his respect so he is going to not hold back anymore."

"Excuses-" Noelle starts to speak, but as soon as she opens her mouth she is sent flying backwards as Wa'rak practically teleports in front of her, his afterimage still hovering where he previously was.

How...? Kai thinks to himself as he watches the wolfs afterimage fade away. There was nothing Kai could spot, not a single clue as to what the hell just happened.

Noelle groans as she gets up off the grassy ground, using her scimitar as a way to help her up. Once back on her feet, she wipes some blood off her chin and flares at the wolf, who is still standing calmly where he was, continuing to ignore the deep wound on his back.

Noelle grips onto her scimitar again, but Wa'raks form flashes and the Arabian is sent flying again, this time crashing into one of the moon beasts in the crowd.

Watching as Noelle struggles to get up again, Kai tries his hardest to see how Wa'rak is doing what he's doing, only he physically can't, the quater moon wolf is just moving too fast.

Wa'rak let's out a small growl as he turns towards Kai again. Sighing, Kai opens up the link again.

"Take the girl, this is my win."

With that, Wa'rak severs the link and turns his back, walking in the opposite direction of Noelle.

"Hey, where are you-" Noelle tries to call out to the wolf as she digs her scimitar into the ground to steady herself, but almost instantly she ends up kneeling on the ground as she coughs, painting the grass in her blood.

Kai quickly makes his way over to Noelle and looks down worriedly at her. Luckily, one of the stags in the crowd trotted over, elegant as ever, and used its healing magic on the injured woman.

The stag leaves, but Noelle still seems pale and weak so Kai offers her a hand up.

"Are you okay?"

Noelle looks at the extended hand, as if debating wether to take it or not. In the end, she uses her scimitar to help herself up, leaving Kai with an outstretched hand with nothing in it.

Kai sighs and wipes his hand on his bodysuit, ignoring Noelle's attitude.

"Wa'rak says its his win."

Noelle scowls.

"I know, that bastard..."

The fact that Wa'rak was holding back throughout all their fights seems to be hitting Noelle hard. The whole time she must've been thinking she was growing at a rapid pace, only for her progress to be shut down in an instant.

She should've expected it though, Wa'rak is much older and a higher level than her. The only thing I don't get is what the hell is his innate ability? How could he move quicker and hit harder in an instant?

Noelle tenderly places a hand on her stomach, where she was hit. She winces slightly before scowling again.

"What did you want, Kai? I'm sure your not just here to watch me fight."

"I could've been." Kai scoffs, offended. "We are friends after all, is it not normal for me to support a friend?"

Noelle twitches slightly, but only a miniscule amout, Kai nearly missed the sudden movement.

"Don't... call me that."

Her voice is softer, and it cracked slightly at the end.

Whatever she went through really fucked her up... I wish I could help a little though.

Sighing, Kai points over his shoulder and says:

"Failure said he will be splitting everyone in the Dome into groups for the upcoming battles. He said I can make my own group so we have to go find Sofia and Umbra, and maybe one other."

Noelle's eyes narrow as she glances at Kai.

"What makes you think I'd want to be on your team? I put up with you long enough over the last two months."

Kai stares at her blankly as he blinks a few times, not answering. Noelle sighs and relents.

"Fine, but I'm doing this of my own accord."

Kai smiles, happy she agreed.

"You think I would be able to make you join if it wasn't of your won accord? I value my life thank you very much."

This elicits a nearly unnoticeable smile from Noelle, but he spots it, making Kai inwardly proud. Noelle goes to slap the back of his head but stops herself. Seems she does like him a little, but she's too proud, or maybe even too scared to admit it.

"I was thinking we need a cool team name though, something like SNUK. You know, Sofia, Noelle, Umbra, Kai-"

She slapped him anyway.