1 Plight of the Winged Wolf

~~ Author Note ~~

https://discord.gg/6PBf4ccNCT

First, I want to thank you for checking out my book.

If you have not already, please check out the auxiliary chapter if you would like to do so. It contains warnings for the book and random information I think is essential.

This chapter is essentially a prologue. I consider this chapter vital as it gives the main character's background that will be covered more in-depth at a later point.

Finally, author notes will always be at the beginning of each chapter.

~~ End Author Note ~~

***

"Dammit," exclaimed a burly man. "Why can't this fucking beast live in a normal forest instead of this God-forsaken mountain."

"Maybe if you lost some weight, you wouldn't struggle as much, Dwayne." A petite blonde giggled as she goaded the strongman.

Dwayne stopped in his tracks and brandished his freakishly large battleax. "Care to repeat what you just said, midget."

"Huh! I'm not short!" The blonde sneered and pulled out a pair of daggers.

"Oh my, you two get along as usual." A busty woman clad in typical witch garb cooed. "Have you already decided on a wedding date? Fufufu."

They both turned to glare at the chuckling witch. As their mouths opened to refute the claim, they were interrupted by a voice trailing down from the party's front.

"Dwayne, Amanda, stop bickering! If you could, Lisa, please don't fan the flames..." A handsome and princely man sighed as he warily eyed his companions.

"Hmph!" Dwayne and Amanda crossed their arms in unison and harrumphed, keeping their gaze anywhere but on the other person.

"Fufufu," Lisa chuckled, further earning the ire of the other two. "Say, Lance, will these runes truly be able to disrupt its bloodline?"

"According to the church, it should work just fine. First, though, we need it to stay still and not fight back. That's where our special guest comes into play." Lance gestured with a flourish of his arm towards the gagged and bound girl on his shoulder. "Now, let's get a move on."

The party continued their trek in silence, ascending the mountain into the maws of the terrifying beast.

***

The party of four heard an ear-piercing howl echo throughout the entire mountain. The sound seemingly caused the nearby trees to tremble in terror. All four members felt a chill creep down their spines; simultaneously, a teenage girl woke up at the sound. She struggled against her bindings to better see the origin of the familiar howl. She could only move so much until she felt a cold sensation coming from her neck. She looked up to see the handsome man, Lance, resting his sword against her throat.

A sudden gust of wind caused the trees to sway and nearly crack under pressure. The party and their hostage might've gotten blown away had they not erected a defensive barrier prior. Even still, the wind pressure caused their defenses to falter momentarily, showing the might of the arriving beast.

A breathtaking winged wolf landed on the ground causing the earth to crack at the point of impact. The wolf towered over the party and their barrier, its size more significant than even an adult elephant. The hulking beast's chilling violet eyes landed on the humans, and its pupils constricted, turning into slits reminiscent of a dragon's eyes.

The magic within the air trembled, carrying the voice of the wolf, allowing them to hear the beast. "You pathetic mongrels dare to involve those who are unrelated in the feud between myself and that cowardly god. I suppose I should expect nothing less from those that follow that conniving bastard!"

Lance ignored the blatant provocation from the beast and followed up with his own words. "I know that this woman is important to you. Unless you want to see her head separated from her body, you'll listen to my demands!" Lance pressed the sword further into the woman's neck, which led to blood trickling down and onto the stone below. This action elicited a muffled cry and caused the girl's eyes to dilate.

The wolf growled deeply yet did not move. "What do you want, human?"

'Seeing how we aren't dead yet, I suppose it does care about this girl.' Lance breathed out a sigh of relief, knowing that they might yet accomplish their mission and survive. "The church wishes to seal your bloodline so that you will no longer be a threat. If you allow us to do so, we will let this girl go without harm. If you try to resist, she will die before you can kill us."

The wolf pondered for a moment. While it is true that these four were no more than ants to him, he was not confident that he could kill them in time to save her, if only due to that sword. The wolf could tell that it was not ordinary; the flow of energy running along the blade resembles the magic used by that unsightly god. He was uncertain what tricks it contained and thus didn't want to risk the girl's life on a hasty decision.

The wolf suddenly howled, causing the trees to sway unnaturally for kilometers. In response, many beasts roared and shrieked in the distance. The party of four felt cold sweat form as a chill crept down their spines.

With a cold glare directed towards their leader Lance, the wolf slowly responded. "Very well, I shall let you use that accursed god's seal. However, know this, should any harm come to her, you all will suffer immense torture before perishing. I can guarantee it."

Lance, too afraid to retort, nodded towards his companions. Having received their leader's signal, the other three began to move. Lisa sent an influx of mana into the orb in her hands, causing the barrier surrounding them to split. Having created a gap for the other two to slip out, they walked toward the beast shakily. Both Dwayne and Amanda clutched onto a large stone tablet that contained a significant number of black symbols.

The two only stopped once they were in front of the terrifyingly large paws that could crush them as if they were no more than bugs. Gingerly, they placed the two tablets before both front feet. They both proceeded to step back slowly as the tablets began to emit a faint glow. The slow speed at which they retreated to the barrier was due to fear. Fear that the giant wolf in front of them may change its mind and strike them down.

Once both of them had safely made it back into the barrier, Lisa channeled more mana into the orb, sealing their defenses once more. As if they had come to life, the tablets' symbols began to move across the ground, reminiscent of a snake slithering. The snakes composed of black ink latched onto the wolf's legs and continued to slither, trapping the beast in an ink cage.

The ink snakes continued to flow from the tablets for a couple of minutes. After the tablets had emptied of characters, the glow subsided, and the stones crumbled into dust. The ink that had wrapped around the beast began to fade, seemingly burrowing its way into the fur and skin. The wolf whimpered in pain, feeling an immense and abnormal heat emanating from the parasitic symbols. The bound girl could only shed tears as she watched, believing that if not for her, the one she loves would not have to suffer.

As time passed and the symbols faded, the pressure exuded by the wolf dispersed, and its size had become but a shadow of its former self. The beast staggered slightly but stood tall nonetheless. The willpower of the wolf could only be described as admirable, enduring a sealing process that causes any god to tremble. Of course, none of those who were present except the wolf knew the significance of the seal.

The thought of slaying the beast while it was at its weakest crossed Lance's mind, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He wasn't confident that the four of them could beat it. Lance knew a cornered beast could also be the most terrifying. Instead, he called out to his companions. "Lisa, take down the barrier. Once it's down, we leave immediately."

The others nodded, readying themselves to leave quickly. They, like Lance, only briefly entertained the idea of attacking the weakened creature. Lisa injected a portion of her mana into the small orb, causing the sphere to emit a dim light. The barrier surrounding them diminished quickly.

The wolf eyed the party warily as they sprinted into the nearby trees. Once they had gone out of the beast's sensory range, its eyes began to emit a faint violet hue. The surrounding mana condensed and warped, bringing about a swirl of cherry blossoms engulfing the wolf's body. After a moment, the winds began to calm. The symphony of flowers dispersed, leaving a stunning man standing in the small field of scattered flowers.

The man, formerly the winged beast, staggered towards the crying woman. Upon reaching her, the man stretched out a hand and proceeded to wipe the tears from her eyes. As he removed the gag from her mouth, he consoled her. "Silly girl, there's no need for tears." He gave her a soft smile showing a deep warmness in his eyes reserved only for her.

As he removed the ropes, she sniffled, attempting to suppress her tears. "B-b-but if not for me..."

She trailed off as the man had embraced her in a tight hug after having removed her bindings. "You have done nothing wrong. If anything, it's my fault for involving you in my feud with that wretched god."

A voice rang out from in front of the man. "Hey, hey! That's no way to speak about a friend."

Before he could react, the voice's owner drove the sword Lance had previously carried through the girl's back. The blade continued to reach until it had pierced the man's heart, emerging from his back.

The girl coughed blood onto the man's shoulder. She was struggling to breathe as one of her lungs had been run through by the blade. Her eyes fluttered to a close as she could no longer retain her consciousness.

Even though the sword pierced his heart, the man himself was in a better state. As he was a unique existence, he could survive wounds that would usually be fatal to others. Albeit not for an extended period if he did not receive treatment. Of course, he had no time to heal due to being sealed and in a precarious situation.

"You bastard!" The man growled at the god who was the source of the attack. "Have you no shame in your acts?"

"Hahaha!" The god gleefully giggled at the man's anger. "Your praises are too much!"

"As if that was praise!" The man's countenance was growing paler as he spoke. He was desperately trying to figure out a solution to their predicament. "Aren't you worried about your mutts? Without this strange blade, they'll die."

The god gave the man a blank look, his childish face making it look like he didn't understand the question. "Why would I be worried? They already accomplished what I expected. I have no more use for them. They should feel honored to serve me before they die."

The god clapped his hands together and smiled. "Besides, I made that sword for you. More specifically, I made it for your soul."

"Wha-" The man began to question the god but stopped due to sudden pain. The sword had begun to light up with numerous etchings along the blade. The intense heat from the light was attacking him and the girl in his arms. Unlike the seals from earlier, this pain was far worse.

The god broke the man's thoughts by answering the questions that appeared in his head. "The seals earlier were to allow the sword to take effect. After all, if you struggled, that would waste my present. I need to make sure to wipe out your soul so that you don't bother me anymore."

'No wonder this damn sword hurts so much. It's attempting to shatter our souls!' The man glared at the god. "Why did you include her in your nasty plot? Must she die as well!"

"I didn't mean to stab her as well. Oops, my bad." The god tilted his head while closing one of his eyes, cutely stuck out his tongue, and lightly knocked his fist against his head. "Tee-hee!"

The man hissed through his teeth but couldn't continue talking as his consciousness was fading quickly. The last thing he saw before he collapsed with the girl in his arms was the god laughing while dispersing in a burst of light.

***

After the party had escaped from the wolf, they descended the mountain in a rush. They were not in a good position right now, as Lance's sword disappeared in a flash of light shortly after reaching the woods. The blade was given to them by the church and could ward off many beasts that inhabited this mountain and even threaten the wolf. Without it, they didn't have the means to survive such a dangerous place.

Before they got very far, various beasts had surrounded them. There were giant snakes, flaming bears, lightning-clad eagles, and many other types. The situation was very bleak for the four of them, and they knew it.

"Shit!" Lance glanced around at the many monsters that surrounded them. "That damn wolf called them. That's what those roars were about earlier. He never intended for us to get away!"

The other three had empty looks plastered on their faces. They didn't have much spirit to fight in such a terrifying situation. They only had enough willpower earlier due to the sword and the hostage; now, they had no such advantage.

As the beasts closed in on the party, one could hear the echoes of fighting for a short while. The sounds of battle were soon replaced by screaming as the beasts turned the party into a light snack. As the four of them were on the verge of death, they could hear the faint sound of child-like laughter.

***

The man reopened his eyes shortly after having passed out, but the view was different from before. He was standing in a grassy plain with a blue sky and rolling clouds overhead. "I see... So, I am in my mindscape." The man muttered to himself as he contemplated his situation.

As he gazed into the distance, he could see a tree with a beautiful woman resting under its shade. The man rushed over to her side, and the movement caused her to rouse from her slumber. The woman spoke as she gazed up towards the man's face, "Won't you sit beside me?" She smiled sweetly and gestured towards the grass next to her.