The First Mage

Three wolves stood at a safe distance from the fight, their sharp eyes glinting as they watched their numbers dwindle with each passing moment. Their subordinates’ attacks were well-executed, but they failed to make any substantial impact on the humans. The anomalies they had been sent to eliminate were unlike anything they had ever encountered before.

The alphas had sensed it the moment they felt the auras of their targets. These weren’t fledgling Awakened, who had stumbled into this situation without an understanding of what was happening around them. They were far more advanced, perhaps even closer to the gods than man. And not only had they one of their own with them, who evidently betrayed the moderators, even the Fighters seemed to reek of mana.

The beasts grimaced as their eyes met those of the humans’ presumed leader, grinning at them with an exhilarated expression. It was evident that he understood the situation as well. He hadn’t been surprised to see the wolves, and even though they were at a numerical disadvantage, he saw victory within his grasp. His grin only widened as he deftly dispatched another of the wolves' brethren.

The three wolves bristled with fury, their hackles raised and teeth bared in defiance. Despite their need to keep a watchful eye on the fight to direct their subordinates, and even though someone needed to remain, to report back in case of failure, they could barely resist the urge to join the fray and wipe that smug grin off the face of the human who dared to taunt them.

Standing shoulder to shoulder, the wolves exchanged glances, each one desperate to sink their fangs into the enemy’s flesh. The wolf in the middle looked surprised when the one to his right declared his intention to join the fight against all reason.

“I’m going,” he snarled. “I’ll leave the rest to you two.”

A low growl rumbled from the wolf on the left. “One is enough as well,” he spat. “You stay put. We'll take care of this human.”

As the two wolves took one step forward, the last wolf took two with a defiant snarl. “You think I’m going to sit this out?” she challenged. “There’s no one but the elder left anyway. If we lose this, it’s over.”

Exchanging determined nods, they prepared to launch themselves at their enemies. The three Awakened were surrounded by Fighters, none of whom were able to deal any real damage to the powerful moderators. If they got through just one of them, the humans in the center could be killed in an instant and the battle would be won.

Assuming low stances, the wolves shot forward and sprinted in a straight line towards their goal. Noticing their approach, the humans began shooting streams of water in their direction, but the wolves evaded with ease. The direction and the timing of the attacks were simple to read from the humans’ movements, and every attack was just a straight-forward stream of water. Unless caught by surprise or locked in place by a Fighter, these attacks wouldn’t truly be a danger to them in this situation.

Thirty meters... Twenty... Ten... The wolves quickly closed the distance between them and their targets. Even as the expression on the humans’ leader’s face intensified and an eerie feeling creped up on them, the wolves pushed forward, evading the incoming water streams one after the other. They were headed straight for a young female guard, preparing to barrel through her while the others were occupied by the wolves’ subordinates.

This all-out attack was a last push that the humans would find difficult to deal with. With only three Awakened on the offensive, and those three unable to ignore the threats approaching them from all directions, it was inevitable that they would get overwhelmed in short order.

Knowing that they had to keep the humans occupied, the wolf packs surrounded the humans and attacked relentlessly. Their numbers were reduced further, but every fallen wolf was quickly replaced by another. Seeing their opportunity, the alphas prepared to strike, but just as they were about to carry through, a shout echoed through the air.

“Now!”

In the midst of battle, they couldn’t determine who had said it, but what it was about became evident right away, as mana filled the air and every single wolf surrounding the humans either fell or yelped in pain. Being in the middle of their attack, the pack leaders perceived this happening, but were unable to stop in time.

As the wolf closest to them fell to the ground, it revealed the face of the young guard they had been running towards, believing her to be the weakest link in the humans’ defense. Looking into her eyes up-close, they realized their mistake. A battle-crazed expression on her face, the woman swung a crudely carved wooden dagger at them, and for the first time in years, the wolves felt pain, as the blunt piece of wood pierced and cut their hides, thanks to the mana and water swirling around it.

Only one of the alphas managed to evade the attack, watching in a state of shock as her companions were struck down with deadly precision. She was spared that fate, but was thrown back by a kick she hadn’t even seen coming. Hitting the ground, she quickly rolled over to get back onto her legs. She watched the scene before her in disbelief. Bock-standard Fighters wielded weapons that looked like little more than tree branches, but were able to kill moderators. And all of them had taken out at least one wolf in this exchange alone, that lasted only seconds, leaving nine beasts in total. Their advantage in numbers was gone.

The wolves were stunned by the Fighter’s unexpected strength and agility, and before they could regain their composure, a threatening wave of mana washed over them, emanating from the humans’ leader. Feeling his aura bore down on them and seeing all their dead companions, their morale was crushed. They lay cowering on the ground, realizing their helplessness.

Thoughts of attempting to flee crossed the pack leader’s mind, but with the humans’ long-range attacks they would undoubtedly get her. The wolf’s presumed superiority having vanished into thin air, and her hopes of being able to turn things around dashed, resisting any longer seemed futile. The hope of a quick and painless death sprouted in her instead.

She knew her time had come when the Awakened male stepped out from his protective circle and approached her, his presence suffocating and overwhelming. Lowered to the ground, she closed her eyes, and flattened her ears, awaiting to be embraced by nothingness. The smell of ink grew stronger in her nostrils as he got closer. She had never thought of death before, feeling safe among the moderators, but even if she had, she wouldn’t have expected for this to be the last thing she smelled before her end.

It grew more pronounced yet when a second set of footsteps followed after the first ones. Given the much lighter steps, she knew this to be the small girl. Despite her size, her aura was no less overbearing. But she was young, and surely still in training. Was this child going to be the one to end her life? Did she perhaps not have the stomach for it? That would explain the excruciatingly long wait-time. Or was the wolf to be toyed with before her death? Her heart pounded furiously as she awaited their decision.

While it couldn’t have been that long, it felt like minutes had passed when the wolf began wondering what the hold-up was. She was still alive, and she hadn’t heard anyone else moving. Nobody was saying anything either, until the man in front of her finally broke the silence.

“Hey. You’re one of the leaders, right?” he asked, his voice steady and calming.

Confused, the wolf opened her eyes. Staring at the ground at first, her eyes slowly wandered up, when they suddenly met the girl’s face, just centimeters away, staring at her with a bright smile. The wolf jerked her head back in panic.

“Don’t be scared!” the girl said hurriedly, worried she might’ve scared the wolf. “If you’re nice, we will be too!”

Her mind swam, unable to comprehend what was going on. She looked up at the older Awakened. On his face, too, she found a benevolent smile, not a hint left of the devilish grin he wore before. And while their aura weighed heavily on the wolf, it seemed to slowly transform into a welcoming veil surrounding them.

Tentatively, the wolf spoke up. “Are you... not going to kill me?”

The young human’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise as she remarked, “Oh! It’s a girl!”

Ignoring her comment, the man responded to the wolf’s question. “Whether we kill you and your friends depends entirely on you. If you’d like, we can continue. But I’d rather make a deal.”

Something felt off about these humans, but despite her apprehension, the wolf felt a glimmer of hope. If there was a chance to escape this situation, she had to listen. Nodding slowly, she urged the man to continue, his smile twisting into a sly smirk.