CHPT 203: Pushed to Plan.

Another problem.

Another roadblock had been placed on the long path that led towards the crimson beacon of revenge at the end of the road.

The Monster that walked the path of violence left block after block smashed to pieces in its wake, but the newest obstacle proved most dangerous for one simple reason. Unpredictability.

The WereWolf that was slowly showing his true colors as some sort of hell bent New World mad scientist was the living embodiment of unpredictability. And his latest sick and twisted creation proved that perfectly.

The very sick and twisted creation that leapt and bounded through the forest with the power to ruin everything Claude was working for on this night. All it took was one hit.

He watched the creature with his nerves on fire as the rest of his pack led it on a wild goose chase. He had a plan, the problem came with executing it.

In the short time after Arne explained to him what the Gnoll was capable of, it began to showcase new abilities— abilities it had no control over at all.

From his spot on a tree branch above the madness, he watched the gangly monster jog after the creatures of the night sometimes at a regular pace— coughing Lunar Flames, and other times it burst into a full sprint as a glowing blur before succumbing to its own exhaustion. The runes were killing the Gnoll— but before it died, it seemed like it would do a considerable amount of damage to the forest that already burned blue and red in random sporadic locations.

Every few minutes, a new rune fed by the power of the moon would glow with life and explode from the Gnoll in a violent display that physically drained the creature even further. It was beginning to look like a husk of its former self witnessed only minutes ago.

"[His work is only in its first stages, explaining the overwhelming flaws and lack of precision when creating the runes…..He's new to this.]" Arne pointed out in reference to the WereWolf's canine creation.

"Meaning we have a chance."

"[Yes, but it's still too unpredictable. So, that begs the question, Claude. What do you plan to do after canceling its source of power?]" Arne asked, attempting to push Claude into thinking more in detail and further flesh out his plan. Something not required of him as a Guide in all things Lupine, but something he'd slowly begun to pick up as he became more invested in Claude as a person. He may not be ready to know the full story of Romulus, Remus and what they created, but he proved strong enough to face the horrors of the current world— as he did now. Arne just had to make sure he was not only strong, but also smart enough to continue as a solo Night Runner.

Now, the plan the Lupine Guide was referencing was a simple one. After running through the forest and witnessing the glow of the monster's gruesome bleeding runes under the peaking beams of Moonlight, Claude and Arne quickly understood that it was powered— overpowered, by the moon. A theory easily supported by the fact that, when covered, the Monster was powerless. They needed to hide the Monster from its overwhelming power source. Good thing he led the thing into the forest, the task was now manageable. Hopefully.

Now the question was, what to do after. He wasn't sure if the creature had Lunar reserves….or natural power saved from within that would allow it to sustain its destructive capabilities without the Moon. That was the part of his plan Arne wanted him to figure out, without his help— maybe a little help.

"[Come on, think. Consider everything you've seen and what you plan to do to stop it.]"

Claude flexed his footing on the thick bark of the branch while he watched the monster, his mind went to work quickly. "A monster being both drained and empowered by its runes and their connection to the moon. So far it's shown, supernatural levels of agility and the ability to spew fire from its mouth…"

FWOOSH!

As he thought out loud with his eyes trained on the monster that ran under him— making another circle through the forest, he watched a rune glow and cause it to disappear. Only making itself visible by the trail of smoke and sparks that spewed from its jaws like a furnace.

"...And invisibility." He added after it was made visible once more. "Now after removing its source the power, we need to cancel its possibly sustained speed and fire." He thought in a rush before looking all around him. "Speed won't be a problem."

"[And for the fire?]" Arne questioned.

Claude answered Arne by untying his black cloak and holding it in his left hand, "Something fireproof would've been nice….but the fire resistant will have to work." He said in reference to the cloak he bought not too long ago.

"[Very well. I believe it's time to execute this plan.]"

"Agreed." Claude replied before raising a glowing hand to place on the tree he stood next to.

He tried his best to clear his mind until all that met his vision when his eyes closed was black stillness. Focusing proved difficult— but possible, as he imagined the power of Nature coursing through the trees, down to the roots that connected them all beneath the earth. He reached for that power— that green flame, and fought to grow it in his image.

In time, the forest began to hum and shiver in response to the Elemental Magic that now coursed through it.

Slowly, a small portion of the forest began to darken as tree branches and leaves started to interlock and weave into a green dome that stopped any light from breaking through.

In the darkness, all that was visible was a pair of bright green eyes floating high off the ground, moving in all directions as they followed the Runebound Gnoll.

***

The Wolves and the Lion zipped past bush and tree with the blurring indifference brought on by speed.

Their path was lit by the oddly colored fire that bathed the forest in opposing bright colors and changed the smell of the area from natural forestry to burnt maddening magic.

The Phantom Legion ran at the back of the line, providing a large— yet hard to hit, target for the psychotic Monster while the Glorian Lion freely ran all over. Tripping up and confusing the Gnoll with eerily close snarls and swipes at the back of its legs. The claws of a Feline proved disastrous to even the most psychotic of enemies.

Frosty ran at the front, leading the creature around the forest while Claude thought up a plan. They'd already run around the forest, circling the Raider base reeking of fear in the center, a number of times and the young PitWolf's stamina was draining.

The pack made another round around the forest, another round of dodging fireballs and losing sight of the Gnoll— when suddenly, the woodland path ahead began to darken. In the distance, it looked like the forest had turned into pure darkness. No light, no green, only black.

Within the PitWolfs mind, a familiar voice rang out to him— telling him his time spent running was over and he could finally give into his natural born Orcish lust for battle.

"Come."