Ice and Wind

Zeno looked eastwards, where the sky was already darkening.

The sun was beginning to approach the horizon.

Zeno quietly finished his meal.

The forest was consumed by darkness.

After a few minutes, he got used to the darkness.

"The hunt is on" he said with a slight smile.

'No mercy...hunt or be hunted.'

Zeno began to move northwards.

'I can't wait to discover this famous human city built by the Awakened... And the castle of the demon of wrath...' Zeno thought.

***

He abandoned the Deathstalker cave and ventured north.

He proceeded cautiously without encountering a single monster.

He walked with his sword drawn, ready to deflect any danger.

The forest... was confusing and endless.

The further he advanced, the colder it became.

Piles of ice were scattered everywhere.

GRRRR!

"Bingo!"

In front of him, a hundred metres away, was a mass of imposing, hungry white wolves...the offspring of the Deathstalker.

Zeno counted the monsters: one, two..4...

Zeno stretched.

The forest fell silent again as Zeno stood silently 50 metres from the wolves.

The cold wind rippled his fighting outfit rhythmically, giving him the appearance of a ghost.

"There are many of them...but simple wolves."

He knew how effective intimidation could be.

He covered his mouth with aura and howled at the top of his lungs.

BROUHA!!

In an instant the wolves surrounded Zeno.

There were teenagers and adults - all males.

They were all clad in a light layer of ice forming a light armour. Not as deep as that of the Deathstalker.

In a split second, Zeno leapt towards the nearest wolf.

He struck it with his scabbard, throwing it against a tree behind him.

CRACK!

The sound of breaking bones echoed throughout the area.

SHING!

He drew his sword.

The moonlight reflected off the sword, making it barely visible in the darkness.

SILENCE.

Zeno looked at the wolves with squinted eyes.

They charged Zeno immediately.

He skilfully dodged the wolves' various blows thanks to his mastery of the "dance of the currents".

SHING!

Zeno wrapped his sword in the aura of draconic flames.

A wolf's head flew into the air.

The wolves' eyes became bloodshot with the loss of their comrade.

"It's my life or yours. Sorry."

SHING!

He sliced diagonally into the torso of another wolf.

His sword was so sharp that he wolf

was practically split in two.

SHING!

***

A macabre symphony echoed through the forest. The sound of breaking bones, of splashing blood.

"It was so easy."

"My sword pierced them like butter."

GRRRRRRRRRR!

The last wolf was more than ten paces from Zeno.

He was soaked with the blood of his comrades.

"Curse the skies for putting you in my path."

BANG!

In less than a second, he reached the wolf and smashed its skull.

SILENCE.

Only the sound of footsteps could be heard.

Armed with his sword, he dug into the chest of the 4 wolves and absorbed their essence crystals.

Zeno looked down into the eyes of the decapitated wolf.

"Did he deserve to die for having crossed me?"

He didn't have an answer for a long time.

CRACK!

Zeno crushed the wolf's head with his right foot. Droplets stained his face.

"My life or theirs."

Silence returned and Zeno set off north again.

***

An hour passed.

In that short time, his sword had slain more than 86 wolves in this frozen labyrinth.

He had no choice but to kill them all. He was often in groups of 3 to 6. If they let them all gather, Zeno couldn't do anything.

Zeno sighed and shook his head.

"I killed 32 wolves but 0 rewards."

"At least I got Elusarca."

"Damned forest full of wolves..."

The closer he got to the north, the more numerous and powerful the groups of wolves became.

Each group was led by an elite of the second rank. Fortunately, he didn't come across any Deathstalkers.

After slaughtering so many wolves, he had formed an idea of the anatomy and weak points of the Deathstalker.

"Destroy the joints.

"Pierce the spinal cord...or decapitate them with one blow."

ZINGG!

His instincts screamed at him to jump back.

BOOOM!

A huge crater more than 5 metres high had formed in its former location.

An  Deathstalker appeared.

A monster of a higher rank than Zeno.

"..haha speak of the devil."

An evil light flashed in the Deathstalker's eyes. Without wasting a second, the huge monster howled and rushed to attack.

Its enormous claws shot out at terrifying speed, tearing the air as it went.

Zeno dodged quickly, then leapt backwards to get some distance.

Simultaneously, his sword shot out, bouncing against the wolf's leg.

"Tch obliged to use the aura.."

His blade was swallowed by his aura of black flames.

With terrifying agility, the wolf charged Zeno and swung his tail.

He had no choice but to deflect the powerful blow with his sword. The force managed to throw him off balance.

At that moment, the wolf's mouth opened wide, ready to welcome his face into its charming cave.

Zeno followed its fall and made a bead on one hand, eventually dodging its jaws.

"Tch obliged to use the aura.."

His blade was swallowed by her aura of black flames.

He closed the distance between himself and the monster.

A breath later, Zeno's blade was lodged deep in the wolf's chest.

BOOM!

With a crack, its ice armour was destroyed, allowing the sword to pass smoothly through the wolf.

The wolf shuddered and fell.

'Already?'

[You killed a Deathstalker].