Chapter 126: A Werewolf in the Corridor
Footsteps echoed through the castle halls.
Fast. Urgent.
Max led the way. Elanor and Moonlight followed right behind him, keeping pace without falling behind.
The air was thick with distant screams and echoes of combat coming from all directions.
Moon gritted her teeth as she ran.
"Where did these guys even come from?"
Max didn’t slow down.
"I saw a symbol on the one that attacked you."
His voice was firm.
"He had a tattoo... a seven-pointed star."
Elanor frowned.
"...that sounds familiar."
Max nodded slightly.
"I think it’s the symbol of a cult."
He turned another corner without losing speed.
"They’re a group that moves all over the continent."
His gaze hardened.
"And they traffic... female rare creatures."
Silence.
"...what?" Moon muttered.
Max continued.
"They kidnap them from villages and sell them."
Elanor quickened her pace.
"...I heard something..."
She glanced down for a second.
"Disappearances in villages near the Great City."
She looked up again.
"But my father didn’t take it seriously..."
She frowned.
"...he was too focused on the summoning ritual."
Max clenched his jaw.
"Then that’s it."
His voice turned colder.
"They came to the castle to kidnap someone."
Moon puffed out her chest while running.
"Obviously!"
She raised a finger.
"They came for me!"
She grinned proudly.
"They must’ve heard how amazing I am."
She bounced slightly as she ran.
"A dragon like me is worth a fortune!"
Max and Elanor exchanged a quick glance.
Max cleared his throat.
"Yeah... that could be..."
Pause.
"...and they probably came for Chloe too."
Moon tilted her head.
Max continued:
"She’s a woman from a race that doesn’t exist in this world."
Elanor’s eyes widened slightly.
"...that makes sense..."
She frowned.
"But... how did they find out about her?"
Max didn’t hesitate.
"Rumors spread fast."
He turned another corner, and before continuing, he raised a hand.
"Wait."
All three stopped instantly.
Moon narrowed her eyes.
"...what happened? Aren’t we in a hurry?"
Max stared straight ahead.
"Looks like someone else is up ahead."
Moon frowned.
"How can you see that?"
She looked down the dark corridor.
"I don’t see anything."
Elanor nodded.
"...me neither."
Max didn’t answer. He simply took another step forward.
And then the scene revealed itself.
A guard lay on the ground. Motionless.
And beside him, a massive figure.
A werewolf.
Covered in a tight black suit. It held another guard by the head... like he weighed nothing.
And then—
CRACK
It dropped him.
The body hit the floor... and his armor slammed against the wall with a sharp metallic sound.
Moon and Elanor tensed instantly at the noise.
The wolf slowly turned its head.
Its red eyes glowed in the darkness.
It sniffed, directly toward them.
Max stepped forward.
"Get ready."
His voice was low. Precise.
"...it’s coming."
And then, the wolf lunged on all fours. Fast. Savage.
It ran up the wall. Then onto the ceiling. Sliding like a living shadow.
And dropped straight toward Moon.
"...!"
But before it could hit—
BOOM
It collided with something invisible.
A barrier.
And was sent flying backward as if struck with force.
It crashed into the wall. The impact echoed through the corridor.
Max didn’t lower his guard.
"...thanks, recoil shield..." he muttered.
Moon reacted instantly.
"Now!"
She raised her sword and unleashed a wave of frost.
But the wolf twisted midair. Its hand went to its neck, gripping a collar.
It glowed.
And the magic reversed.
The frost veered off violently, dispersing across the ground.
Moon’s eyes widened.
"Huh?!"
Max frowned.
"...right..."
He recognized it. All too well.
It was a collar he had used constantly at the start of the game.
"That item..."
He clenched his teeth.
"...reflects magic."
Elanor tensed.
"...then we can’t attack it?"
Max shook his head.
"We can."
His gaze sharpened.
"For the collar’s effect to activate, he has to react at the exact moment."
He pointed at the wolf.
"It’s not automatic."
He pulled out his hammer, resting it on his shoulder.
"If we attack at the same time..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...he won’t be able to reflect everything."
Elanor nodded.
Moon tightened her grip on her sword.
"Then..."
The wolf slowly stood again, growling.
Its eyes locked onto them.
"..."
Max stepped forward.
"Together."
The werewolf crouched low. Tense.
Its claws scraped lightly against the stone floor, leaving faint marks.
Its gaze shifted between them.
Max. Elanor. Moon.
Analyzing. Waiting. Ready to react.
The silence lasted only a second.
Moon broke it first.
"Let’s go!"
She opened her mouth, launching a fireball straight at the wolf’s chest.
At the same time, her sword came down, releasing a wave of frost that spread low across the ground, aimed at its legs.
Elanor didn’t hold back.
She raised her hand.
A compressed gust of wind formed in front of her, sharp and precise, aimed straight at the enemy’s neck.
The wolf reacted. Fast.
Its hand went to the collar, ready to activate it.
But—
"Now."
Max had already moved.
A flash—
Two skeletal knights appeared on either side of the wolf.
They grabbed its arms.
The wolf snarled in fury. Its whole body tensed, and with a brutal shake—
CRACK
The skeletons shattered midair. Bones flying in all directions before fading away.
But it was too late.
The fire hit first.
The fireball exploded against its torso, burning its fur.
The frost reached its legs, freezing them to the ground in an instant.
The wolf roared, but the wind strike came right after.
It slammed into its neck with precise, cutting force.
And the collar—
CRASH
Shattered into pieces.
The glow vanished.
Max was already on top of it, hammer raised.
"Sleep."
BOOM
The strike to the head was clean. Direct.
The wolf’s body collapsed like an empty sack.
Elanor reacted immediately.
She raised her hand again, and a current of air wrapped around the enemy, extinguishing the flames before they could spread.
"...I don’t want to set the castle on fire," she murmured.
Max lowered his hammer, looking at the remains of the collar.
"...what a shame..."
He frowned.
"That item would’ve been really useful."
The body on the ground began to change.
The fur disappeared.
The claws retracted.
The figure shrank.
Until what remained... was an orc.
Thin. Unconscious.
Max crouched slightly and pointed at its chest.
"...look."
There it was.
The same symbol.
The seven-pointed star, marked into its skin.
"The same tattoo..." he muttered.
Moon crossed her arms.
"...I knew it."
She nodded proudly.
"They came for me."
Elanor looked at her... and for once, didn’t argue.
She smiled faintly.
"Of course, Moon."
She placed a hand on her head.
"Don’t worry. We’ll protect you."
Then her expression shifted. More serious.
"...but we need to move now."
She looked at Max.
"Chloe."
Max was already standing. He nodded.
"Yeah."
His gaze hardened.
"No time to waste."
And without another word, he ran again.
Elanor and Moon followed immediately.
The three of them racing through the castle halls at full speed.
Straight toward the guest rooms.
Where they hoped Chloe was still safe.