81 GREY ASCENT

Another earth quaking howl shook the skies.

The silver streaked Lupine attacked.

Claude fell back with his spear held high in a defensive hold, causing the beast to be held back from its meal.

As Claude rolled back onto the ground of his platform, he kicked the beast off of him and got back to his feet. His friends dispersed, now caught between confusion and stable terror.

Claude was somewhere entirely different as he looked at his father. Soaked in blood. Eyes steeped in chaos.

"W-why did you do that?!"

Gil grabbed his ears and folded them inward, shaking his head angrily all the while. "It's the alpha! He controls this….. this domain."

"Domain?" Claude repeated, "This is a Tangent."

"ITS NOT!" Gil roared. "it's….. not." He repeated, "We need to move. Can you do another wind gust?"

Claude looked back to Brink.

Brink looked pale in the face and weak in the knees. His mages cloak and enchanted gauntlets were slicked with blood that wasn't his own. He looked between Claude and Gil unblinkingly.

Naz walked past Ursula and grabbed his face, "Your wind, Brink. Use it." She pointed out across the grass. "Further away from the howls."

Gil nodded.

Brink blinked twice and got to work.

They were suddenly lifted off the ground and swept up in heavy gusts that carried them back the way they came.

Claude watched as Gil jumped off the platform and began running after them. Along the way, he cut through Lupines and evaded others in a mixture of defeating barks and unorthodox sprinting routes.

When they hit the ground he was right behind them.

"Keep going!" He snarled.

The group ran. Claude was too in the moment to consider what survival meant for him and his father with his friends knowing such a harrowing truth.

"You said this is a domain." Claude huffed as his dogs ran beside him.

"Yes…." Gil barked back at him, "This isn't a Tangent. It's…. experimental magic using very old concepts. Concepts that date back to the first Tangent. The first inklings of magic. Pre old world."

"So it's a Proto-tangent." Claude said.

Gil growled, "Somewhat. It's what the Lupines use to travel undetected and grow without physical limitations. Its also what they use to handle other business. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"No?"

"They're looking to grow right now. Through you all." Gil spared a glance back at them and let out a Wolven whine.

"They want to make us like them…" Claude said.

"That can't be." Ursula said. "They're eating us alive."

"Only some." Gil said, "The promising of you."

"Samuel." Claude suddenly realized what was so wrong about how Jack eyes Samuel back at the University. He was scouting the prince of New Gloria.

And then, he didn't kill him like he did to Percival and Tyrell. He took him away.

"Who all do they want to turn into Lupines?" Claude asked.

"I don't know." Gil shook himself, "I…. I haven't been myself. Claude, I k—"

A black shadow exploded through the long grass and smashed into Gil.

In its wake, a tidal wave of black and pink ocean water knocked them off their track, causing them all to come rolling to a stop in a marshy clearing.

Ahead of the, Gil and the Lupine woman Aiko circled eachother. They were both sporting new wounds and patches of missing fur.

If Claude focused, he could see them already beginning to heal.

"The Final Jester and the False-Prince. I see it now. I smell it." Aiko growled.

Gil growled quietly. His ears went flat against his head. His body crouched low— almost belly to belly with the earth.

She was more dominant than he was.

To anyone with eyes, it wouldn't have made sense. Gil was much larger than her. He was both longer in frame and denser in muscle content.

But Claude knew one devestating fact. Aiko was gold ranked. Gil didn't have any system at all. Just unwanted Lupine power.

"Why can't you be like the other traitors and die— why do you have to hide around…. Making more like you. Look at him!" Aiko pointed back to Claude. "He wears the traits of the wolf but he's frail. He's weak. He's like you… he can't even give me the thrill of a challenge. And neither can you."

Aiko's claws were suddenly cloaked in pink aura constructs. She lunged at Gil.

Gil's body language changed in an instant, he jumped at the beast, twisting in the air until he was tackling her upside down. He backrolled on her body as they fell, seamlessly ending up standing over her face as he ran his claws from her hamstrings to her chest.

Blood and tendons fluttered like ribbons dipped in paint.

Aiko screeched and exploded with pink bladed aura blasts.

Gil moved even faster than Jack, nearly teleporting to stand in front of Claude and the others with his arms out.

He absorbed the chaotic blast, stopping it from reaching the others.

Unfortunately, he had no aura.

Three of his fingers and one of his ears was severed completely.

"You won't touch him." Gil said.

"I already have." Aiko got to her feet.

"And you'll be punished for that." Gil huffed, "She didn't plan for him. I know she didn't. You want me…. And the Ronin boys. Not him." Gil said.

"What?" Claude listened.

"To be a Lupine of Remus, is to be one with evolution. Subject to change. Whatever keeps us at the apex. Whatever….. and whoever." Aiko whispered.

Claude could've sworn he saw her eyes look at someone behind him.

But that didn't matter.

He got to his feet. Gil's ear twitched as he heard the nature beneath his feet flourish and begin swirling up his body to wrap his wounds.

The others got up as well.

Gil didn't move.

Aiko was now smiling. Like Jack. The same horrifyingly exaggerated grin. Her fur began to stand on end.

She took a very deliberate step forward.

Nobody stepped backward.

Claude gripped his spear tighter. Pulled more traits from his hounds until he began to look lupine in his own right.

Aiko's aura bloomed like pink fire. It spun and vortexed with bladed edges that cut deep into the ground.

"I….. was wrong, about you Jester. We all were, weren't we?" Aiko asked, "You're no coward. You're no mistake. You wore sheep's clothing, but it was only clothing. And now….. it's gone. I see you, wolf. And I want to kill you. I want the thrill. Continue fighting me. You are strong."

Aiko was in a frenzy.

She didn't even move to attack. Claude simply saw the muscle in her legs twitch. That's how you had to fight Lupines as a human.

Vines and roots surrounded her legs. Constantly reforming despite the bladed chaos enveloping her.

"Stay back! They're coming!" Gil said as he took off.

He rushed Aiko, feinting a frontal charge before flickering around behind her and dropping low. He smashed his fists into the earth and made an uppercutting motion.

A portion of the earth rose and he threw her out of the clearing.

Claude's roots followed after.

Gil caught them and pulled, ripping Aiko through the earth and slamming her into the ground.

Then he lifted her again and yelled, "DUCK!"

Claude and the others dropped low as Gil swung Aiko over them.

Seemingly on command, six Lupines jumped onto the scene just as Aiko came flying through.

She collided with the Lupines.

Her bladed aura cut them into a dozen pieces.

Claude immediately got to his feet again.

Another wave came.

A large burly silver haired Lupine tackled him.

Claude held his spear up, running the beast through.

He kicked it off him as he rolled backward and got back to his feet.

To his left, Naz dashed around the grass with pulls of her scythe as two Lupine females chased her.

Claude threw his spear at the closest, catching it by the back leg. It went down in a roll to try and rip out the spear while moving.

Claude called back the spear and slammed the flaming pike into the earth.

With the growth boost active, he channeled another vigor blast and hit the confused beast with a one two punch of nature and life energy.

The Lupine was knocked back into the long grass.

The other caught Naz by the throat and lifted her off the ground with its jaws open.

Before it could bite her, seemingly a million snakes rose from the grass and swarmed the beast in venomous bites.

The Lupine's distracted state gave Naz the time to stick her fist full of seeds into the creatures mouth.

It bit down on her hand.

Then it's head exploded as tree limbs and massive flowers bloomed from her fist.

Naz did it.

She killed a Lupi—

Claude was tackled from the side.

He rolled blindly.

A heavier weight hit him and the beast. In his minds eye, he saw Frosty jump onto the Lupines back and begin ripping into its back and head.

They all came to a stop and rolled apart.

Claude got up with Frosty.

The big grey Lupine was faster.

He charged, shouldering aside Frosty and making his way to Claude.

Claude's mind worked quickly.

He threw his spear at the lupine.

The Lupine, running like a misshapen wolf jumped up and flipped over the spear, landing on Claude so hard his wind left his lungs.

Before the Lupine could bite his face off, a collection of roots exploded out of the ground from the side of Claude's head and stabbed it through the mouth.

The Lupine bit down on the nature, seemingly unfazed.

It tried again.

A wave of fire burned off its fur.

Gil— still fighting Aiko, was able to kick the Lupine off of him before being pulled back into high speed combat in the distance.

Claude didn't waste his opprotunity and charged the Lupine who was kicked so hard two of his ribs ripped through his skin. And that was after Claude stabbed the beast through the stomach.

The Lupine tried to react to Claude's charge only for Frosty to come from behind and shove the beast off balance.

Claude collided with the Lupine, sending his hand into the hole his spear made previously.

The Lupine roared in pain.

Claude called his spear back with his hand in the Lupines stomach.

It's midsection exploded with fire as the flaming spear materialized in its organs and ripped through its skull.

[+450 EXP]

Claude spun around to survey the battle scene.

Ursula and Brink stuck together in a defensive circle of ice shards, fire and the rest of Claude's hounds.

Naz was near Claude with the dead Lupine at her feet.

The other Lupines were circling like sharks.

Ahead of them, Aiko and Gil went to war.

He was almost evenly matched with her in speed, but it didn't matter because she had better defense and more offensive options. Not to mention, it was becoming obvious she was a martial arts prodigy in ways he'd never seen.

She flipped and slithered around Gil, barraging him with flurries of kicks and clawed techniques, slowly overwhelming his healing factor.

Claude made his way.

An arm caught him.

It was Naz.

"What?" Claude asked.

"The one is buying us time. We need to find a way out. We're being worn down—"

"So is he—"

"He chose this." Naz said firmly, "We need to leave."

"WHERE!?" Claude snapped.

Before Claude could answer, the Lupines began howling.

It was a sorrowful sound joined by many.

It was almost immediately met by that same earth quaking howl.

The Lupines took off.

Aiko kicked back Gil.

"The Final Jester and the False-Prince.... I understand... so will he." Aiko took off.

Gil looked like a torn stuffed animal. Chunks were missing off of his arms and mid section in bites and precise slices.

He was bleeding everywhere.

Claude ran over to him just as he was about tk fall over.

Gil coughed.

Up so close, Claude could now see his father slowly reassuming his human form.

He laughed, "I just fought off Aiko Muramasa…. She's a gods damned Kumataiyan urban legend."

"Dad— are you going to be ok? We have to keep fighting."

Gil shook his head, "We need to get you somewhere and hide."

"What? You can't—"

"You don't get it!" Gil said before spitting up blood, "This has been a plan in the making for years. Probably a decade. Everyone we've faced are soldiers. Betas. Jack…. Aiko…. Dier. They follow the command of the Alpha. I don't recognize him. He's new— unstable. And he's the strongest I've seen. We all can't live this. But you can. Just avoid Dolion. And when the howls come…. Avoid me."

The earth rumbled.

Gil's ears perked up. "Shit…."

"What?"

Gil was silent.

Claude was shaking so hard he was scared he wouldn't be able to move correctly.

When the long grass began to rustle, Claude panicked.

Then, his classmates entered the marshy clearing.

Enzo, Stella, Chase, Darius, Tai, Finn, Sion, Isaac, Marion, they all were wild eyed and covered in blood.

Enzo raised his rifle at Claude. "The hell—-"

"Wait!" Claude held up a hand, "Guys— just wait…. I can explain."

"No you can't." Gil whispered, "I'm so sorry, son."

"What?"

"He's coming."

The howl came again. Agonizing and uneven in tone, sounding both tortured and reveling in the turmoil.

Frosty and Claude's hounds hit the ground, shaking and convulsing.

Gil did the same after throwing Claude aside.

In a flash, he transformed fully again.

Enzo fired at Gil, blowing off his nose.

"STOP!" Claude snapped.

Someone else fired as he shivered.

Claude shielded his father.

"Sympathizer!"

"Kill them both before the others come!"

"Prof. Brennan will ash him!"

Naz, Ursula, Brink.

They watched as he was hit with elemental blasts and arrows.

They watched, as the man who just risked his life to protect them was taken in many ways.

"What is this?" Claude thought.

[30% HP Remaining]

The howl hit again.

Gil stopped shivering. He stopped whining and crying and fighting.

He listened.

Claude fell. As if he was the fall of a curtain, Gil lunged and began ripping into the students.

Darius tried for a force blast but Gil literally cut through it and landed on his tank, ripping him in half.

Marion and two swordsmen tried to cut him from behind. Gil swung his feet back as he ate the tanks organs and ripped someone open at the chest.

Their blood sprayed everywhere, bathing him in blood and gore as he tore through the student ranks.

"RUN!!!!"

Claude couldn't breathe. He was in pure shock as he sat in the wet grass. As the students ran for their lives.

From his father.

It took him entirely too long to realize how much blood he was losing.

And by then, he'd already lost conciousness. Leaving him alone and out of focus— literally, as some horrifying monster Lupine alpha drove his father into a killing frenzy against his friends.