Demon Wolf

“Naturally,” Wolf clasped his hands behind his back, staring into the distance like a sage.

He noticed Jakob’s rebellious look, but since he believed the kid had a sharp mind, Wolf did not hold it against him. Rather, he offered real advice.

“First, eyes are a weakness of most lifeforms that have them. You don’t go for the eyes against manlings, because our entire bodies are soft, but that’s not the case with Monster Beasts. Yet, you always went for dense fur instead. Why? Because it was easy to hit. Second, don’t wait for the last moment to coat your weapon with Qi. The minor wound to the neck would’ve decapitated the Dancing-flame, if you had reinforced your sword with Qi from the start…”

Initially, the rant annoyed Jakob. Wolf should have gracefully congratulated him and acted like a demure man propriety demanded him to be. However, as Wolf’s crash course on combating Monster Beasts continued, Jakob’s opinion changed.

His words make sense. He must have killed a bunch of them. No wonder he acts how he pleases. He can back it up. Wouldn’t it be better to follow him, than to search for new, unknown sponsors?

Jakob still missed Wolf’s main point; powerful people need no backers. But such a shift of perception required more than a ten-minute lecture on efficient Monster Beast slaying.

Finally, Wolf’s explanation ended, and Jakob found himself in an awkward situation.

I should thank him. But complimenting a male on the feminine art of war and battle is insulting. Would he consider it an insult? Will he drive me away if I say it? Will he drive me away if I act arrogant and ignore his pointers?

“Thank you for your tips.” Jakob started with a neutral statement, but it sounded bland in his ears, like he did not appreciate Wolf’s advice, or like he did not believe them and was simply courteous. “I greatly benefitted from your lesson. You are a great warrior and very knowledgeable.”

Jakob cringed at his words, but they were the truth. He believed Wolf could stand shoulder to shoulder with the strongest women he had seen.

“Don’t mention it,” Wolf waved Jakob’s thanks, as if his words were nothing. The leisurely gesture nearly made Jakob sigh with relief.

“What’s your exact realm? You’re at least seventh stage, but you shouldn’t be ninth.”

“Eighth stage, sir.” Jakob added the honorific out of inertia. For a moment, Wolf sounded like an instructor checking how tough his next lessons should be.

Wolf nodded, sizing up Jakob. “Don’t call me ‘sir’. Wolf’s fine.”

Jakob lowered his gaze again, sensing Wolf’s appraising look.

“You’ll fight eighth stage Monster Beasts as well. If I think you can’t handle it, I’ll help you.”

Jakob felt nervous, but bobbed his head. “I’ll follow your advice as best as I can.”

Wolf rolled his eyes. “Come on. We’ve just started.”

The forest slowly grew darker, and even though it was midday, Jakob had trouble seeing ahead in the deep umbra. He advanced more by relying on his faith in Wolf than his eyes. Suddenly, they heard a rustle, and Wolf blocked him with his arm.

“That one is too strong for you,” Wolf whispered, pointing towards a shifting patch of darkness, some eight meters away.

Jakob focused, making out an insectoid outline. He failed to see the entire creature, but it had a large, spherical head and bent antenna almost a meter long. While he saw no distinguishable eyes, a set of menacing mandibles longer than his sword were enough to scare the wits out of Jakob.

The giant ant turned its head left and right, feeling its environment with jerky motions of its forward limbs. The creature moved frantically, appearing enraged and lost, leaving a trail of scarred trees and uprooted bushes.

“That’s a Deep-tunnel Ant,” Wolf explained. “It’s a blind, subterranean Monster Beast. They live in hives of several hundred individuals, most of which are smaller, meter long workers. Each hive has two to three dozen warrior ants, such as this one. This Deep-tunnel Ant is peak Qi Gathering, and you’re not its match. How would you fight it?”

Wolf kept his whispers quieter than the ant’s ruckus.

“I wouldn’t,” Jakob admitted, shaking his head.

“That’s an excellent and intelligent answer.” Wolf smiled. “You’re right. We could walk around it without wasting effort. However, it has a nub; we buy stuff with those, so we want to gather as many as we can. Now, what would you attack?”

Jakob hesitated. “Its feelers should be sensitive. They are probably a weak point? Also, since it’s armored, the places where carapace plates meet should be softer?”

Just like all novices, Jakob’s answers sounded like questions seeking verification and utterly lacked confidence.

“Correct!” Wolf suddenly spoke loud enough for the nearby crashing to stop. “I could squish it with brute force. But that wouldn’t be a lesson. I’ll use finesse and show you how to do it properly.”

The Deep-tunnel Ant’s frenzied groping stopped. It turned its head left and right, focusing on Wolf’s voice. The creature faced Wolf, opening and closing its giant mandibles, threatening the sudden intruder; however, it did not charge.

Instead, Wolf dashed towards it. He summoned Book when he was two steps away, again, his action more for educational purposes than because he needed no technique. In a serious fight, he would either draw Book at the last possible moment, to capitalize on surprise or not at all, if his enemy seemed strong enough to damage his beloved blade.

Jakob watched with wide eyes as the ant timidly retreated, then screeched and opened its mandibles, more to scare away than to catch Wolf’s attack. When Wolf got to two paces away from his target, he sent a surge of Qi into his legs and doubled his speed.

Jakob stared transfixed, following and trying to remember Wolf’s movements. However, when Wolf accelerated, Jakob lost track of him. In a blur, he ducked under the vicious jaws and in the next moment the Deep-tunnel Ant’s head thudded to the forest floor.

Wolf gripped Book one-handed, the sword’s tip just shy of touching the ground. Jakob watched yellow light of Qi dim on the blade’s edge while Wolf stood frozen. The headless body next to him twitched, the gargantuan ant’s legs spasming before it fell sideways.

“And that’s how you do it. Its neck is an extremely vulnerable joint, since the head needs a wide range of motion. However, attacking the neck requires confidence, speed and precision.” Wolf kicked the head, whose mandible still snapped in death rattle. “Naturally, you should have the strength to sever it, but even if you can’t behead your opponent in one swing, a heavy blow to the neck deals considerable damage. Any questions?”

Wolf swung Book, spraying the yellow ichor from it. Then, the sword disappeared, safely stored into Wolf’s holdingring.

Jakob’s eyes sparkled, his mouth slack as he gazed at the nonchalant act. The attack looked like a well-practiced attempt at showing off, but it was still lethal enough to slay a half-step Blood Saturating Monster Beast without effort.

Jakob gulped.

“H-how did you reach the neck?” he asked after several moments of silence.

“When approaching enemies, Monster Beasts go all out. If you charge at half your maximum speed and suddenly speed up when it’s too late to react… I think you understand what I’m talking about.”

Jakob nodded.

“So, you dodged with your full speed?” Jakob mumbled, while touching his lower lip and frowning, deep in thought.

Wolf’s attack was a valuable lesson. Jacob’s battle experience came from spars in the dueling ring. It was not applicable to Monster Beasts one bit.

While Jakob considered the enlightening lesson, Wolf gouged the nub from Deep-tunnel Ant’s exoskeleton.

“Come, let’s get going,” Wolf called out, and Jakob followed.

The boy grinned, imagining the future in which he could fight as dexterously as Wolf.

About ten kilometers later, Wolf slowed down, listening the air. He waved his hand at Jakob to stop.

“A bunch of something is coming our way. They sound big and like they are heading right towards us.” Wolf paused for an instant. “We have about ten seconds. Do you want to fight, or will you watch?”

Jakob heard a weak rustle, which grew stronger and clearer by the moment. His heart raced, and he bit his lower lip.

“I’ll fight,” he said, feeling his gut churn. They did not know what was coming. They did not know how strong the Monster Beasts were, but Jakob heard a challenge in Wolf’s question. It was like he had asked him, ‘Do you want to remain weak and protected? Or do you want to grow strong and handle your own problems?’

And Jakob realized there was something more he could do than asking others to protect him. He could grow strong and protect himself.