"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
"M-M-MONSTER!"
"THIS… THIS… THIS IS INSANE! SOMEONE GET ME OUT OF HERE!"
"WHY ARE WE FIGHTING THIS GUY? HE IS A FREAKING NPC!!!"
"Are you ABSOLUTELY SERIOUS???!"
"WHY IS HE HERE? DIDN'T THEY SAY HE WOULDN'T COME IN THIS DIRECTION!"
"I'M NEVER GONNA BELIEVE A THING THEY SAY ONLINE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!"
"GOD DAMN IT MY WEAPONS, MY ARMOR! NOT LIKE THIS!"
Constant screaming echoes in the small wooden village, rebounding off the shattered walls and craters. How many have I seen in just the past 4 days? How many have I destroyed in just a few days? My hands have been stained with the blood of fellow humans and I can't do anything about it, not with this psychopath near me…
"It seems this was just a nest of weaklings. Nothing more, nothing less." - Casper
"Why am I just attacking these people…? I… I really don't want to just be doing this, Casper, there must be something better." - Luke
"There is no saying no to the Horde's command. We must purge these insects from the North and free our land from them. While at the same letting you become stronger, the Fenrir inside you is slowly awakening from the constant bloodshed." - Casper
Looking away from Casper and tossing a piece of a wooden structure towards a running figure, I grit my teeth knowing that he was right. I can feel it deep inside me, a raging storm running wild, tossing and turning at every opportunity to kill someone or something. An inescapable feeling, especially with all the fighting I have been doing the past few days.
There is nothing I can do about it as well, apparently, it is ingrained in me… This thirst for blood. But… that's just the feeling deep inside me. Outside, I am also trapped with an inescapable feeling. The chains that lock me down, the Horde, Casper, and sometimes Rautt, there is no running from them. Whether it is day or night, their gaze feels locked on my body. No… My soul.
"You are to kill them all. Leaving not a soul alive. Speaking of the devil, it seems there are 2 people under that building. Kill them and let us move on." - Casper
"Alright…" - Luke
Dragging my feet along the ground, I walk over to a collapsed building. My body shakes as I hear a sight whimper, in front of me. The building shifts slightly to the side as whatever was inside moves. Stepping closer, I crouch down while lifting a piece of the rubble, revealing to me the suspect of the whimper and the movement, two children. An older boy with red hair, holding onto a sharpened stick, with his hand in front of a younger girl with green hair.
"L-l-leave this place. W-w-we don't have anything left to give you." - Boy
Trying his best to not stutter his words, the boy threats me. His hand shakes as he stares daggers into me. Behind him, the girl does her best to not let any sound out of her mouth, covering them tightly to the point that her whole body was shaking from how hard she held her mouth. Tears stream down her face, as an occasional whimper escapes her lips.
"Casper… We-" - Luke
Turning away from the two children, I look at Casper who was floating in the air, only to see a small fireball fly past my cheeks. A blast of hot air, accompanied by two high-pitched screams hit me from behind. Snapping my neck back quickly in panic, I reach out to where the two children were, only to stop halfway as I see the scene of the children burning in the flames.
My eyes tremble as their skin cracks and burns black faster than any fire I had ever seen. Their voices were drowned out as the embers spit out their singed hairs and clothes. My hand falls to the side, as I gulp down my saliva. No mercy, no matter who or what they are. No remorse and no empathy.
"You still take too slow in killing people. You need to work on that, or do you want to be punished once again?" - Casper
"No! I mean, no Casper. I'll do my best, I'm sorry for what just happened." - Luke
"Good. Now, let's move to the next nest. From what I have seen, there is another village not too far away. About a day or two's walk. Giving you more than enough time to collect your thoughts and rearrange them to fit your needs." - Casper
"I'll do my best." - Luke
Standing up with a crestfallen expression, I walk in the direction that Casper told me to go, after all, I don't want to experience that punishment again. Who would have thought, that healing would be so torturous… Shivering at the past thought, I grip my arms as the feeling of my limbs being ripped apart over and over again overwhelms me.
After they were ripped apart, they would be healed and then the process would repeat itself again and again, for hours. The worst was when Casper took out my heart, only to heal the attack immediately. The feeling of my body shutting down constantly made me numb. There was nothing I could do but accept my inferiority…
Flying above me, Casper watches my every movement as I walk slowly towards my destination. There was no escaping his gaze, so the only way to distract myself from him was to look at the scenery. Compared to the environment near HavenFall, the North had a variety of plains, grassland, hills, mountains, forests, and water bodies, with my favorite so far being a large lake surrounded by tall mountains.
However, I was never able to appreciate these scenic views as I was constantly fighting monsters and humans. During the day, I would be forced to hunt humans, killing them in cold blood as they run from my might. These humans were always screaming and cursing at me despite my many attempts to communicate.
During the night, a variety of monsters would show up from these Pillars of Light. According to Casper, these were the Army of the Reaper, and it was a start to the invasion of the deathly race. These monsters were countless and like waves, they keep coming and coming. There were many moments in time when Casper had no choice but to help me as there were just too many monsters.
After fighting against so many monsters, I did grow stronger, whether I wanted to or not. Controlling Golden Ascension has been getting easier and easier and I have been able to hold the state for longer and longer. Not only that, but I have discovered new skills relating to Fenrir's past skills with the 'help' of Casper.
I walk and walk, through the dense forest to the open grassland and now into a new forest. I have no idea where I am in respect to the Horde's caste or HavenFall but all I know is that I have been walking further from the Sun in the morning and closer as night arrives. Not only that, but I see fewer mountains and more plains and forest and with each forest, I walk through it becomes denser and denser.
"In the clearing, there is a large group of humans, and further to the left, I see a pair of humans. It seems like the pair is scouting out the large group of humans. Eliminate all of them, including the pair to the left." - Casper
"I'll do this as quickly as possible. I have been walking nonstop for days, Casper. Is it possible to rest after this fight?" - Luke
"Hmm… I'll allow it." - Casper
"Thank you, Casper." - Luke
Sighing in relief, I walk forward towards the clearing. Glancing around, I see that this place was more developed than other villages I had been to, with a wall as tall as the trees nearby towering in front of me. On top of the wall, I see humans holding onto bows and arrows as they aim toward me like they were waiting for me. How did they know I was coming? Not even Casper said anything about them knowing we were on the way to this location.
"Leave this place at once. I'll only say this once." - ???
"Who are you to tell me what to do? Frankly, I would love to leave, but I have no choice." - Luke
"I see, then let me, Jak, be the person to deliver judgment onto you. Everyone fire at will, do not stop shooting until he dies." - Jak
"A few arrows won't be able to stop me. Golden Ascension! Fenrir Claws!" - Luke
Enveloping myself in a golden aura, my hair changes to match the aura as I push off the ground. Slightly away from my arms on the edge of my aura, two giant wolf paws form from my energy. Wrapping in lightning, it sparks as drag it along the ground, making 3 shallow lines on either side of my body as I rush toward the wall.
As arrows rain down onto me, my body sways left and right, swerving slightly to the side as the incoming projectiles. With each dodge, I get faster and faster reaching the wall within a matter of seconds. Stepping forward while dragging my right arm backward, I punch forward intensifying the lightning surrounding the Fenrir Claw, as it blasts a hole through the wall.
"I'm sorry, but you will have to die." - Luke
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