Chapter 37: Relentless III : Frosty Fury
Akira and the Frost Walker tangled in a fierce embrace.
Snow rising and falling as they tumbled around.
Akira's claws dug deep into the Frost Walker's skin, but as expected it didn't flinch.
Its icy grip tightened around her waist, squeezing the air out of her lungs.
She managed to free a leg and swung it wildly, her claws raking across the Frost Walker's face. The creature's eyes didn't even flicker.
The two combatants rolled across the snow, their bodies locked in a death struggle.
Akira's teeth snapped shut on the Frost Walker's ear, tearing it off with a sickening crunch.
The creature's response was to drive its claws deeper into her back, tearing through her fur and skin.
Akira yelped in agony, her vision blurring.
With a bit of effort, she wrenched herself free and launched herself at the Frost Walker.
The two collided in mid-air, their jaws wide open.
The Frost Walker's teeth closed around Akira's shoulder, its grip like a vice.
Akira's own jaws snapped shut on the creature's neck.
She bit down with all her might, feeling the Frost Walker's vertebrae crunch between her teeth.
CRACK!
Suddenly, the creature's body went limp. Akira released her grip, and the Frost Walker's head fell to the snow, its eyes frozen in a permanent stare.
But to Akira's horror, the body began to twitch and convulse. It slowly got to its feet, its head wobbling grotesquely on its neck.
The Frost Walker's eyes flickered back to life, and it let out a deafening roar.
Akira stumbled backward, her eyes fixed on the creature in disbelief.
The Frost Walker charged at her. Akira dodged at the last second, but the creature's momentum carried it forward, its body crashing into a nearby tree.
The impact was tremendous, the sound echoing through the forest.
The Frost Walker stumbled back, its body cracked and broken.
It lurched forward, its claws snapping wildly.
Akira wanted to end this so she can check on Malakai, she launched herself at the Frost Walker, her jaws wide open.
...
Malakai's eyes flickered open, his vision blurry. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his ribs, making him gasp.
He remembered hitting the tree, and his mother fighting the Frost Walker. He looked around, trying to locate them.
As his vision cleared, he saw his mother fighting the Frost Walker.
Her teeth were sunk into its shoulder, her jaws shaking with the effort.
The Frost Walker's claws flailed wildly, trying to dislodge her.
Malakai knew he had to help. He ignored the pain in his ribs and stumbled to his feet.
He took a few steps forward, his eyes fixed on the Frost Walker.
He launched himself at the creature, biting down on its already broken vertebrae..
Malakai's teeth sank deeper into the Frost Walker's vertebrae, his jaws locked in a death grip.
He could feel the creature's bones crunching beneath his teeth, but it refused to yield.
The Frost Walker's claws scratched wildly behind, trying to dislodge Malakai from its back.
CRACK!!
Akira took advantage of the distraction, her teeth snapping shut on the Frost Walker's shoulder.
She bit down with all her might. The Frost Walker's body began to shudder, its limbs trembling with the force of Akira's bite.
But still, it refused to fall. Its claws raked across Akira's face, tearing through her fur and skin.
Akira yelped in agony, her vision blurring. But she refused to let go, her teeth still locked on the Frost Walker's shoulder.
Malakai's grip on the Frost Walker's vertebrae began to slip, his jaws aching with the effort.
He bit down harder, his teeth sinking deeper into the creature's bones. The Frost Walker's body began to convulse, its limbs thrashing chaoticly.
Akira's teeth remained locked on the Frost Walker's shoulder, her jaws shaking with the effort.
Malakai's teeth remained sunk in the creature's vertebrae, his grip refusing to falter.
In an instant, without warning, a sudden blast of energy exploded from the Frost Walker's body, sending Malakai, Akira, and even Amari flying across the snowy landscape.
The force was so sudden, so violent, that they didn't even have time to react.
One moment they were fighting, the next they were tumbling through the air.
The snow beneath them was cleared in a radius, revealing the hard frozen ground beneath.
The three wolves crashed to the ground, dazed and disoriented.
As they struggled to get to their feet, they saw the Frost Walker trying to stand up, its body swaying unsteadily.
"I AM A KING," it roared, its voice echoing through the forest. "YOU FOOLS, YOU ARE LUCKY I CANNOT USE MY MAGIKA."
A blue aura surrounded the Frost Walker, throbing with an insane cold energy. Its lower half began to freeze up, the ice spreading rapidly until it was solid.
Then, in an instant, its lower half exploded, sending shards of ice flying everywhere.
The Frost Walker's upper half remained, suspended in mid-air.
And then, in a horrifying transformation, stick-like legs began to emerge from its lower half.
They were spider legs, long and twisted, and they popped out of its body like jack-in-the-box.
The Frost Walker's eyes glowed with an malevolent intensity as it gazed at Malakai, Akira, and Amari. Its mouth twisted into a grotesque grin, revealing razor-sharp teeth.
"You may have bested me in physical combat," it hissed, its voice dripping with venom. "But you have not seen the true extent of my power. Behold, my true form!"
The spider legs began to move, twitching and jerking like a puppet on a string.
The Frost Walker's upper half began to laugh, a cold, mirthless sound that sent shivers down the spines of the three wolves.
The Frost Walker's upper half began to descend onto its new spider legs. It stood tall, its eyes blazing with an unholy power.
Malakai, Akira, and Amari watched in horror as the Frost Walker began to move towards them, its spider legs skittering across the snow with an unnatural gait.