Wolves descend on the party in a fit of madness. Howls fill the cave as the four desperately fight them off, careful to avoid major bites or scratches. Alric swings Sunbringer in wide arcs, slashing at the lunging wolves, the steel singing into the darkness. Eos intercepts leaping wolves, shoving and kicking hounds away whenever they threaten Cherry and Elfie.
They had minor injuries but couldn't waste time; they needed to clear a path quickly. Alric swung hard, opening a brief gap in the Hounds' formation.
"NOW!" He yelled as the team followed him to the edge of the chamber, hounds still hot on their tail.
Inside, they saw a tall woman with blazing red hair in a messy ponytail, her torn tunic exposing her muscular build beneath leather armor. Mistress Hound Handler's presence dominated the room. Two men dismantled the core nearby.
She waited atop the caravan as the bandits worked on dismantling the core.
"AWOOO," she howled. Hounds chasing the four stopped. She leapt in front of them, sniffing, as if choosing the best meal.
"So you were the one hurting my boys and killing my dogs. I may have to fuck you up!" She bared her fangs at Alric. He swung his sword, but she backflipped away and kicked him hard. Alric crashed against the wall, his body cracking from the impact.
Cherry was grazed by the Sunbringers' sharp guards, a gash present on his chest. He paid it no mind and screamed, "ALRIC!"
Pain numbed Alric as it coursed through him. He coughed blood while the Mistress laughed. She was far stronger than her underlings, and her control over the hounds was formidable.
'Get up.' He told himself
'Get up!' He needed to; his team needed him, and more importantly, Millie and Raynar.
'Get up!!' A familiar voice from his mind, this time from Sister Rosaline.
'Pain is nothing but a way for your body to tell you it's still alive. Come on, Alric, fight it!'
An image of a bloodied Hector and his comrades also flashed in his eyes. Even when they were on the verge of dying, they didn't give up. What kind of pain did they feel at that time?
Alric fought the pain and grabbed his Aether Converter. He activated a basic healing spell, white light knitting his wounds as Aether drained. Each breath hurt, but he pressed on, refusing to lose consciousness.
The three stayed alert as Alric recovered. The Mistress whistled, and the dogs encircled them, cutting Alric off from the group. Things looked grim.
"I don't suppose you're open for a discussion?" Cherry asked while already reaching his arms into the air.
Elfie muttered, "Really?"
Cherry winked at her a few times, signaling them to do the same. The Mistress watched unamused. She was used to this type of person; there's no way she was going to fall for it.
"Wait a second, Cherum Graves?"
The Mistress moved closer and sniffed at Cherry's direction, then she bellowed a laugh. "HAHAHAHA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING RUNNING WITH A CREW LIKE THIS?!"
Cherry stayed on guard; he kept his hands pointed to the air. "A bad heist, let's just say I owe the kingdom a few thousand gold."
"Really now? How much?"
"100,000," Elfie answered for him.
The Mistress laughed again, slapping her knee as the sound echoed in the empty cave. She glanced at Cherry, shaking her head. "Ha...This is hilarious—the Cherum Graves who drove the Big Boss of the underworld out, reduced to this?"
Cherry's finger twitched at the mention of the boss.
She stopped laughing and glared at him, "It's pathetic. Really."
Her piercing gaze sent shivers down Cherry's spine, "I think you still owe me one for shooing him out, everyone does, actually." He managed to say.
"You're right, I do. But I don't make deals with foxes. Especially not with one as sly as you. But I'll toss you a bone."
"Tell me what you want and why you came into my cave, swords blazing, and if I like your answer, I might just let you go."
"You have hostages," Cherry said plainly.
The Mistress raised her eyebrows, "No, I don't."
"Yes, you do! They're inside that Caravan!" He pointed at the caravan and yelled.
"Tch, as I'll fall for it, I won't let this be stolen, AGAIN. Some fuckers already stole it from me last time. I'm not letting that happen again."
"Just check the damn thing!"
"Fine!"
She whistled at her two helpers, "Moe! Lester! Stop what you're doing."
"What is it, Boss?" The big one, Moe said as he stood up.
"We're close to cracking this, I can feel it!" The skinnier one, Lester said, arms still on the machine, Aether Converter whirring on his side.
"Check the inside of the caravan, see if there's any 'hostages'"
"Aye, boss." Moe ducked into the caravan. Soon after, a little girl screamed, followed by a man's shout. Sounds of struggle and a slam echoed as the girl's cries continued.
Moe came out carrying two people, a bloodied Raynar from the head and a crying Millie. "Found these two, boss. The guy tried to hit me with a pipe, so I had to rough him up a bit."
"Raynar! Millie!" Alric's raspy throat tried to yell out as he slowly recovered. The hounds barred their fangs and inched closer, ready to pounce on their prey if he made any movements.
"Well, well, would you look at that you ain't lyin' for once." The Mistress stepped closer and inspected the two 'hostages.'
"Let daddy go!" Millie shrieked in between her cries.
The Mistress raised a hand and quickly brought it down, slapping the little girl, "Shut. Up."
Millie stopped her crying. She sniffled and cringed at the stinging in her cheek.
"Hound Handler, STOP! We can talk about this," Cherry urged.
The Mistress signaled for Moe to drop them, and he did. Millie scrambled to his father, trying to wake him up.
"How about you start by tellin' me who stole my caravan the first time."
Cherry swallowed. Keeping his arms high in the air still. "I can definitely try to get them here-"
"It was us!" Alric yelled, standing up as his wounds healed.
"Us?"
"Yeah. ME and HIM, US." Alric pointed at Cherry. "Now let them go, bitch."
The Mistress chuckled and cracked her knuckles. She howled, her body now glowing with yellow and red Energy Aether. The sound of ripping leather can be heard, accompanied by the cracking of bones. Her limbs elongated as she transformed into a mass of fur and muscle. Where she once was now stood a hulking half-wolf with red fur. She had a Beast Transformation, a full one at that!
She got on all fours, and with a howl, the wolves howled with her. With barred fangs and claws, they storm the group in a unified frenzy!