Frostbound

As the face of my hammer connected with the wolf, the cracks on the hammer's face spread out from the impact site following unseen lines in a pattern only known to it. In the milliseconds since impact the wolf showed visible effects of what was done to it. Its body shuddered and swayed as it was torn asunder as it tried and failed to wail, its throat incapable of even that.

The appearance of the cracks faded from my hammer as the energies left the hammer and transferred into the body of the wolf, showing themselves along its skin as they spread outward.

The transfer wasn't entirely perfect and some of it diverted down into the ground but most was on target enough to land where I was aiming.

Where I had missed and the skill got diverted into the ground showed the effects more noticeably than on the wolf. Great rents were carved upon the frozen earth and thick and thin gouges radiated outward from the impact site, turning the once even and pristine ground into separated chunks all at different heights. Even [Permafrost] hardening the ground and freezing it solid, it failed to hold up against the might of my new skill.

What showed upon the ground was also happening inside the wolf's body and it wasn't long before the wolf, once glowing and mighty, staggered and fell on its side. Blood pooled along the various rents in its form and leaked out of various cuts upon its form.

I looked on, briefly swaying from the strain, while the wolf lay prone, hacking and wheezing as blood filled its lungs, trying to excavate the liquid out only for more to fill them back up.

It was dead even if it didn't know it.

This was the reason I didn't like to use the skill very often. It introduced a delayed death that only caused pain and suffering. It was not very pleasant to watch and I could only imagine how the wolf felt as it lay there struggling as its body ripped apart from the swirling energies inside it.

Observing the skill work its way through my foes was unpleasant. While we were fighting to the death, it was a level of cruelty I didn't enjoy basking in.

Anything of lesser strength would have exploded in a shower of gore from the energies tearing it apart which was why using it on the weak was a waste. Doing so only created a mess and strained me unnecessarily.

It went to show the wolf's strength, being able to last this long, fighting with everything it had to stand back up. Its claws reached out raking the snow and dirt attempting to get its feet under it many times only for it to fall back down in failure.

The rest of the pack could only look on in fear as they watched their leader scramble and fail to stand. There was a vitality working inside of it trying to stitch its body back together but it wouldn't be enough. The silver glow from the moon continually dimmed and its fight to stand slowed. The vigor it showed in trying to fight on was honorable and it didn't feel good to watch on as it suffered.