The Beast Pack

Noah bid farewell to Elysia, who stood at the door, arms folded, watching him leave with reluctance in her gaze.

"I'll see you again soon," Noah assured her. "And should anyone dare to bully you, they'll be finished."

"I know." Elysia pouted playfully. "No one dares to mess with me."

"How's your family? Have they sent anyone to see you?"

"I sent ten silver coins back with a messenger. They seemed pleased, tidied up my room, even made sausages to send to me."

"If they don't care for you, you should cease contact with them."

"Ah?" Elysia was taken aback. "But I'm their daughter."

"That doesn't have to mean anything," Noah shook his head. "Have I ever returned home? If family only brings you pain, you must decisively distance yourself from them."

"Oh." Elysia pondered Noah's words noncommittally. "Let me think about it, I'm feeling sleepy."

"Goodnight." Noah watched as she retreated back inside the brothel.

It was a winter night in Greywood Hall. As Noah made his way back to the hunters' chapel, he decided to purchase a few new sets of clothes. Wearing the same outfit every day made him too recognizable, and with the complex internal dynamics of Greywood Hall, being too noticeable could be disadvantageous.

Animal cries broke the silence.

Noah's mind immediately raced to dogs, given the packs he had encountered earlier—it seemed as if all the world's dogs had converged on Greywood Hall. Listening closer, he discerned subtle differences. The sounds were akin to larger, more ferocious beasts.

With visibility low in the darkness, Noah hastened his pace. The ominous howling grew louder, distressing the townspeople who kept their lights burning bright, too frightened by the terrifying cacophony to sleep.

Footsteps resounded—someone was running at pace.

Following the commotion around the corner, Noah came face-to-face with a disheveled beggar, sprinting unsteadily and pursued by a quadrupedal creature.

"Help!" the beggar screamed upon seeing Noah.

"Come here!" Noah's expression shifted, and he swiftly unsheathed his blade, rushing forward.

With a roar, the creature pounced, biting through the beggar's throat in an instant, then raised its head to fixate on Noah, blood gushing over the lifeless body below.

The beast was a genuine black brute, large and robust, its face covered in mane-like fur, more lion than dog. It bared its teeth at Noah, amber eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

Could he defeat it? Noah's heart raced as he gripped his gray blade.

The creature turned tail and fled, prompting Noah to give chase. It had killed a man before his eyes; this monstrosity had to be stopped.

The streets of Greywood Hall were chaotic. Pursuing the agile beast, Noah strained to keep track of his surroundings. Beyond the orderly main roads lay a labyrinth of alleys of varying width, slushy with melting snow and refuse, easy to slip in. Poor city planning meant dirty slaughterhouses neighbored dress shops, and vagrant shanties were not far from the town hall. The convoluted street layout had Noah nearly losing sight of the beast several times.

He followed it down an alley that narrowed alarmingly, the black beast's silhouette blending into the night until it vanished.

Gone? Just like that?

Feeling his way along the walls in the near pitch-black, Noah struggled to discern direction. The exit seemed close, but minutes of walking revealed no end.

The path tightened absurdly, allowing him to touch both walls at once.

Could this be meant for human passage? Noah realized no matter how he walked, the alley wouldn't release him.

This couldn't be explained by normal means. Noah turned back, astounded to find the entrance, a thousand meters distant, stretched beyond proportion, the buildings warped to eerie curves.

"What's happening?" Noah asked inwardly. "You didn't warn me."

"Warn you about what?" Gladius sounded groggy.

"You weren't daydreaming, were you?"

"I've been digesting. I ate too much in hell."

"What's this, then?" Noah scanned the enveloping darkness, the alley's end receding and narrowing into nonexistence, the other stretching endlessly—a clear anomaly.

"Ah," Gladius emitted a curious sound. "This seems rather potent."

"Potent how?"

"A powerful spell controls this place, a deep understanding of space."

Noah felt the walls, leaving sooty finger marks on the crumbly stone. Pushing harder, his hand nearly breached the surface, pulling back just in time.

"We're trapped," Noah observed, the alleyway far and dangerous.

"This is a spatial extension spell. The caster has expanded and twisted a region. We should be pacing in place, not this far out."

"A spell... you mean demonic power."

"Indeed. Though the source is unknown. There are several high-ranking demons in hell adept at altering reality, not my expertise, so I can't help."

"You're the supreme cutter; you should be able to carve us an exit."

"I'll consider it. Protect yourself for now. It's hard to see from inside your soul," Gladius chided.

"Protect myself..."

Noah's attention was drawn to a slender silhouette emerging in the mouth of the alley.

A vague-faced woman stood watching him.

"Who are you?" Noah called out.

"If I were you, I'd give up resistance," her voice was cold, detached, and Noah couldn't make out her features.

"You don't know me." Noah drew his gray blade, ready.

"Soon, I'll know the shape of your bones, the color of your eyeballs. You'll cry, shake, and soil yourself in fear."

"...Madwoman."

"You're on the brink of death."

She brandished a whip, lashing it against the ground.

The barking intensified, closer now.

"Bark—bark—"

"Howl—"

"—Awooo—"

At her side, more dogs gathered at the alley's entrance, vast and vicious. These beasts made the previous encounter seem pup-like in comparison. Nearly calf-size, they still retained the shape of dogs, each standing almost half a man's height.

Noah inhaled deeply. The frothing dogs barked incessantly, saliva dripping from their jowls. If they attacked en masse... his heart thumped wildly.

He was all too familiar with dogs, devolved from wolves, but these were fearsomely aggressive, any one of which could dominate a wolf pack. Their short fur clung to dark skin, eyes glowed a demonic green; they were certainly touched by demonic forces, Noah was sure.

"When can you get us out?" Noah urged inwardly.

"Quiet down," Gladius murmured. "I'm surveying. Even the strongest spell can't escape the gaze of the Blade Demon. There's always a weak spot to sever."

"If you can't, help me fight them off." With the Blade Demon's cutting power, maybe they could stand against the appalling dogs.

"A great Blade Demon wouldn't deign to kill such insignificant creatures," Gladius scoffed.

"That's if they're 'creatures' at all."

Already, the transmogrified giant dogs assembled, clawing the ground restlessly, tails wagging in agitation, heads lifting as they howled at Noah, eager for human flesh. They were just waiting for the command to pounce and shred their target.

Noah tensed, his grip tight on the blade. He could strike down the first assailant, but two or three more would quickly leap forward, tearing at his flesh.

"Are you afraid?" the woman asked. "Surrender if you are."

"Demon hunters don't surrender."

"You're a demon hunter with a corrupted soul, a twisted spirit. You're more like a creature to be hunted," she said with contempt.

Was she the same woman who watched him from the temple's summit by day? Noah speculated as she sought his life.

Resolved, Noah stood tall, proclaiming:

"You won't kill me. Not only that, but I'll also leave this alley and catch you myself."

"Even I didn't expect such a deficiency in intelligence from you," she scorned.

The woman cracked her whip again, and the eagerly waiting pack of dogs howled as they charged at Noah.

He stepped back, cornered by the inescapable alley, his blade held high.

If he was to die by these dogs... at least he'd bring down one or two with him.

But what a death it would be—to be trapped by magic on the way back to the chapel, only to be killed by a horde of dogs and a stranger... what other dangers in this city was he unaware of?

His focus extended past the frenzied dogs rushing towards him, settling on the distant woman shrouded in mystery, who surely held secrets he needed to uncover.

A gray dog leaped at him, and Noah swung hard, his blade grazing its jaw, cleaving half its skull, blood spattering.

Simultaneously, another lunged from the side, its maw gaping wide to tear Noah open.

It should have been so—

The dog's feet pushed off the ground, body rising, fangs aiming for Noah's armor. The outer garment gave way upon contact, but the demonic chestplate caused the teeth to shatter. The beast clawed at Noah, biting fruitlessly, the armor's sharp edges leaving its face bloody.

The dog clung to Noah, blocking the others. It could only howl in pain as Noah slashed, his blade cutting through flesh.

"Fool! Bite his neck!" the woman scolded.

"Awooo!" The dog realized its mistake, clawing upward, snapping at Noah's throat.

Noah concentrated, the ring on his finger smoldering.

Everything exploded.

A resounding blast filled the alley as incendiary flames erupted in front of Noah, the inferno rolling forward.

The world briefly illuminated, painting everything in scorching light.