Chapter 1228 Chapter 1228 A Whole Pack of Problems
The atmosphere around the table was tense. Even knowing that somehow, Alex didn't die, things weren't exactly looking good for the group. March was using this break to carefully sip her water, but everyone else was holding their breath. Crunch.
Everyone's head whipped over to Oditr who looked back at them awkwardly, half of a cracker in her mouth. Oditr finished it in another bite, the sound still quite loud, completely destroying the silence. "Look, sorry, I get that this is still pretty tense for you guys but it's a bit routine for me. Not that your storytelling isn't excellent, I'm just a bit older than you all. It almost reminds me of one of the adventures I had in my youth. Still… sorry about the noise. Didn't think it would be that loud,"
Marigold just laughed, destroying the lingering tension and the awkwardness that remained. Burgandy and Burnice joined in soon after, followed by Kat. Lily just looked around the table, mood lifted somewhat by Kat's, but not entirely comfortable with the laughter. She was much more worried about how the story would end and didn't relax completely.
She swallowed heavily and asked, hoping to stop the laughter, "So what happened next?" Lily was right the laughter did stop, rather quickly at that.
March blew out a long breath at the question, even going so far as to add a bit of steam to it for added effect. "Well, there was that same silence much like we had. I believe I was talking about how hyped up I felt? That my steam was coursing through my body, buoying my abilities and given my just that much POWER beneath my skin? I still wonder when I turned it on. When it became so automatic. Perhaps I needed a push, perhaps not.
"Still, once I recognised Alex needed help I'd been reducing my steam back down. Slowly letting it seep out so the pressure on me was dropping… only to see a pack of wolves surrounding us. We were penned in on all sides… and their was a big bastard out in front growling at me.
"Unlike the other wolves which were closer in size to big dogs, this one was the size of a carriage. It was easily the same height that I am now, perhaps a bit bigger, and obviously much longer than I am. I could see now why the bloody caravans were having problems with a beast like that. I also knew for certain why that man had looked so sadistic offering us that mission. He'd known.
"The bastard had only given us a map and a few extra details. In that moment, I'd realised that he'd kept the fucking mission slip. The one with all the real details about the missions. The one that would've had details like the number of wolves on it. Details like caravan size wolves leading the pack. I swore, in that moment, that if I lived through this? I'd kill the man. The vendetta against the blacksmith came later," added March for levity. Hoping to raise the mood a bit. Didn't really work.
March shrugged and got back to the story, "Alice was shaking in her boots. Pretty sure she was crying too, but all I could hear at that point was the rush of steam. I didn't know if I could live. If I could make it out. I just knew that I needed to kill the bastards first. I might be fast, had I been in top condition I could've outrun a pack of normal wolves any day of the week," March's smile turned hard. "Pretty sure even in top condition I couldn't outrun the something of that size. And we'd just slain a decent chunk of their pack. We weren't getting away.
"So I pushed steam into my limbs. Into my muscles. Into my blood. I let the steam fill me in ways I don't think I'd ever done before that day. It was hellish on my small mana pool but I didn't particularly care. I was fighting for my life, and I wasn't going to run away. I charged at the bastard, and apparently that was enough to set them all off.
"The big guy charged in first, followed by a bunch of the smaller ones as well. Don't even know how many their were. My first swing took out two, almost as an accident while trying to slam the big guy. He dodged of course but I didn't let up. I kept trying to pound away at him, taking out a few more little ones in the process.
"Of course, as they were doing that… a few managed to get passed. Not sure I could've done anything about it, but I could hardly see for the steam coming out of my chest, half blinding me fog. Not sure why, but I can just… see through it now. Wasn't at that point yet, and honestly? I was pretty far into the fight so I'm not sure it really mattered.
"I heard Alice scream… and I couldn't turn around. No time. I know from asking her later that she'd blocked a bit from the wolf by shoving her gloved hand in its mouth. Remember those special gloves? Yeah? Turns out they were enchanted and they probably saved her hand. Didn't help when a second wolf came for her. She shoved her sword straight through the things eye… and snapped it in the process.
"Anyway, I didn't know any of that. I'm just pushing myself. My steam, my body. My mind. My everything. It's all locked on this wolf in front of me. Eventually, I fuck up. My boot crunches through a smallish rock I hadn't seen. It was just enough of a distraction for the thing to go for my neck. It bit deep into my armour, and my skin, but that was a mistake. I slammed my hammer into the damn things legs, shattering the bone in one of its front paws and forcing it to let me go.
"It backed up at that point and the little ones dogpiled me. Heh, pun not intended. Lost my hammer at some point, as they just kept coming at me. I was crushing their skulls in between my hands. Breaking their bones with my boots. Slamming my elbow into necks and just taking wolf lives wherever I could.
"Now, I don't know what triggered it. Perhaps I felt the great beast through my steam. Perhaps I smelt its hot breath. Perhaps I heard its approach over my pounding heart and steaming ears. I don't know. The big guy had leapt right at me coming to finish me off… and somehow I MOVED.
"In a burst of steam I jumped not away from the beast… but forward. I went right for the dam things rib cage and tried to rip out the things heart. I urr… went for the entirely wrong side of the body but I DID get a lung, and that was more than enough to bring the big guy down. I then turned to find Alice still struggling with that one wolf she'd caught with her glove.
"She was bashing it on the head with her hand, it was scraping up her legs with its claws. I didn't let it live longer. Not sure if I got all the wolves… some probably ran… but the clearing was empty for now. Alice was still hitting the wolf, even after I killed it. She collapsed down to her knees, crying as she just kept… hitting over and over and over.
"I collapsed at that point, which was enough of a jolt for her to stop. Not sure what she saw when she looked at me in that moment. My armour was horribly bent and cracked. There was a huge hole in it around my neck where the big one took out a chunk… along with some of me shoulder. Still, it was enough. Alice got to work getting me out of my armour, which was nice, and then… she just collapsed.
"I was so shocked at the time… but obviously it was blood less. Her leather pants barely stopped the wolf's claws. Seeing them both collapsed… something changed. I don't know how I managed to stand, but I did. I picked them both up, pulling them up under my arms, despite the pain in my shoulder… and I ran.
"Part of me wanted to pick up the supplies, and maybe that would've been better. I couldn't stop though. Didn't know if I had time… barely remembered where we'd left anything. Plus, even if I did go for the packs… I'm damn near certain I couldn't carry three of them in the condition I was in. Heck, I don't know how I carried the couple as it was.
"So… I ran. I ran back to the road, faced the direction of town… and then kept going. Not sure when it started to happen, but steam started pouring out of me again. Might have helped me… might not have, I… don't really remember the next few hours. Well, I say few hours, but apparently I ran for over a day before someone found me. I don't remember collapsing, but really, that part isn't a surprise,"
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