CHPT 38: Light and Dark

Claude watched in shock as the wolves surrounded something he'd never seen. It looked like an extremely muscular horse with dark red fur. It had smooth black horns that jutted out from its massive equine head like a rams that were covered in bright orange and red flames.

The wolves snapped and snarled at it from all angles as it stared at them through eyes that raged with anger. Thick puffs of steam shot from its nostrils every time it huffed at the wolves like a dragon preparing to breathe fire.

Eventually— when the wolves began to get too close, the FlameHorn brought its front legs up, its hooves were bright red and steaming profusely. As it slammed its red hot hooves back into the earth a ring of fire burst from its location causing the

wolves to jump out of the way of the beast.

The floor shook and the temperature of the area steadily rose— not by much but Claude could feel the heat the beast was generating.

The wolves now stood a safe distance away from the FlameHorn with their ears flat against their heads and their bodies tense.

Claude groggily got up from his spot against the rock, he could feel his blood leaking down his bare back and his vision was unsteady while he tried to retain his balance.

The new source of movement caught the FlameHorns attention and it immediately lost interest in the wolves. It began sliding its front hooves against the scorched earth beneath it like a bull.

FWOOM!

It charged straight for Claude. The flames that burst from its horns now shrouded its entire body like some type of armor as it headed straight for him.

Now that he saw the attack coming, he quickly jumped out of the way and rolled to soften his landing.

He stood a couple dozen feet from the FlameHorn breathing heavily. He held out his right hand and used his Nature element. The spindly branches of a tree behind him intertwined and lengthened towards his hand, he broke off the branch and now held a crude wooden spear.

Claude ran at the FlameHorn causing it to do the same, once he was close enough, he side stepped and thrust his spear at the creatures midsection.

"Hah!"

Snap!

His spear snapped once it hit the FlameHorn, this seemed to anger the creature and in response it swung its flaming horned head in his direction.

FWOOSH!

Claude missed the flaming horns by an inch but the heat they generated was so powerful he still took damage. He felt the intense heat graze his forearms that guarded his face causing him to stumble back in pain. He now stood with a broken spear and burned forearms.

DING!

[HP is now at 45%, please find a way to heal yourself.]

"Easier said than done, dammit."

While he stood on weak and tired legs, the wolves to the left of him randomly sprung into action. Ashe led the charge confidently.

Instead of attacking the beast when she was in range, she feinted her strikes to make the beast waste energy swinging at nothing. The other wolves would snap at its ankles and legs after it missed strike after strike.

They seemed to be winning for a short time, then the FlameHorn started to learn their pattern. Ashe faked another strike but the beast didn't fall for it, shadow attempted to bite its back leg but instead was hit by the FlameHorns red hot hooves.

AARP!

Claudes left arm started to itch and burn intensely. His eyes turned bright green as he watched the FlameHorn stare down the other wolves. Before he knew it, he was running towards the beast in a frenzy.

"RAGGGGH!!"

He roared as he jumped onto the beast, his feet and hand burned as he held onto it but he could care less. His left hand was practically vibrating as he anticipated ripping into the FlameHorn.

SQSHH!

He shoved his left hand into the side of the beast. As it entered he groaned in pain, it's blood felt like lava as it dripped and sizzled down his hand and onto the floor. He began reaching around inside of the beast with his clawed hand to try and rip or sever any important arteries/organs. He felt his hand going numb as the beasts molten blood fried it.

The FlameHorn took off at incredible speeds with him still holding on and crashed into a thick oak tree. The impact sent him flying off and rolling through the dirt and grass.

Claude opened his eyes and saw the FlameHorn facing the wolves again. With their numbers dwindling he knew they would lose. He slowly tried to get up but stopped in the process to watch the wolves, they looked.....different?

Ashe walked ahead of the rest while quietly snarling at the FlameHorn, the black smoke that came off her body blended with the night but Claude could see that there was more than usual. It swirled and collected at her feet like black mist.

She held the fiery gaze of the FlameHorn fearlessly, despite how easily it injured Shadow. The wolves stood behind her seeming to be in waiting, after a few quiet seconds she barked an order at them. They soon began to vibrate in response.

"What is happening?"

Claude watched the wolves shake and vibrate while they created an abundance of smoke until it shrouded their entire bodies... or they became it. After they were completely covered in the smoke to the point that they looked like small black clouds, they flew into Ashe.

He couldn't believe his eyes, the wolves were combining right before his eyes and he couldn't believe it.

He watched the last smoke covered wolf fly into the giant black pool of smoke where Ashe once stood with complete shock.

The black cloud continued to grow until it was as tall as the FlameHorn— at a staggering 7 ft, the smoke churned and spun chaotically with random sounds of the wolves snarling and growls from inside. This continued for a minute— seeming to build the anxiety in both Claude and the FlameHorn.

"MmmmMMMMGRRR!"

The smoke dissipated and fell— revealing a giant wolf. It had no hair and its jet black skin was pulled tightly over its huge muscles. It held its head down and eyes closed as the last of the smoke disappeared.

The scariest part was that random wolf heads made of black smoke would come out of its own snarling and roaring madly. Claude could only assume it was the other wolves inside of Ashe, the only thing he could compare it to was, Cerberus.

Everyone was silent as the wolf...thing seemed to be unresponsive— aside from the shadowy extra heads. Claude almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a familiar noise that was always followed by a message.

DING!

[The Phantom Wolves felt threatened. So, to increase their chance of survival they became The Phantom Legion!]

Right after he read the message, the Phantom Legion opened its eyes.

"What the fuck?"

Claude said as the Phantom Legion opened what looked like 3 pairs of pale glowing white eyes akin to the moon. The eyes stared furiously at the FlameHorn who could only huff steam in response.

They began to circle eachother in preparation for battle. The wild and regal looking FlameHorn that stood out like the sun against the dark of night with its flaming horns, versus the menacing canine shadow that was The Phantom Legion.