A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Erik's face split into a malevolent grin, a clear testament to the exhilaration coursing through his veins as he prepared to receive the approaching vampire.

At the same time, Alice, who was comfortably clutching on to Erik's back, found herself utterly captivated by the spectacle.

The sight of Erik's lone figure, facing of against the might of three second-rankers, was not just impressive to the young wereverine—it was awe-inspiring.

Her common sense told her that she still couldn't be sure Erik had her best interests at heart, but her identity as a ferocious young wereverine with a passion for fighting was quickly taking precedence in her mind.

Just these few seconds of fighting had already solidified Erik's nomination for Alice's new idol.

Oblivious to the profound impact his actions had on Alice, Erik's mind was filled with excitement at the prospect of battle, while his focus remained razor-sharp, and centered on winning and keeping Alice safe. While keeping her on his back might not seem like the best option for that, it was better than having her wait behind, only to become a hostage if someone managed to slip passed.

He was currently rapidly charging his lightning flash ability, while forming a concussive lightning blast in his left hand, and swinging his two-handed hammer with his right.

In the next moment, his hammer met the second vampire guard's double fire daggers, while his concussive lightning blast flew in the direction of Alistair.

His lightning blast's range wasn't high enough to reach Alistair, but it didn't need to be. Alistair had launched his metal spheres at Erik in an attempt to distract him, but they were met with the lightning blast right in the middle. The blast exploded, sending the metal spheres right back where they came from.

They didn't hurt Alistair, but it did distract him for a moment.

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At the same time, his one-handed swing with his hammer only barely managed to contend with the vampire, but it was enough.

With his second hand now free, Erik tensed his powerful muscles and pulled back the heavy hammer, its head trailing a shadow across the white metal floor, while his left arm shot forward in one fluid motion, with armored claws aimed at the vampire's throat.

The vampire parried his claw with a flourish of his fiery dual daggers, causing sparks to fly and allowing him to remain safe for the moment, but the same could not be said for the other guard.

The woman his lightning blast slammed against the wall earlier had recovered and was charging him from behind in an elegant stride, using the streams of water on her feet. Her face was twisted in anger, and she had her sword raised as she prepared to sink it into Erik's unarmored neck, unbothered by the young wereverine in the way.

She did all this without making a sound. Even the water streams seemed purposefully designed to keep her approach as quiet as possible, slipping by even a sensitive shapeshifter's ears.

A vicious grin appeared on the woman's face as she neared her goal and Erik still had shown no sign of noticing her approach. But she was overconfident and didn't pay enough attention to Erik anymore.

Because, unfortunately for her, Elora's omnisense was always active.

Erik's trust in Elora was as instinctual as the beating of his heart. Without needing to glance back, Elora allowed him to know the exact moment to shift his stance.

The heavy hammer, momentarily guided by one hand while the other just now clashed with the other vampire's daggers, quickly transitioned into a deadly backward swing powered by Erik's immense strength.

As soon as his claw was parried and the dagger-wielding vampire was forced to take a step back, Erik partially turned his chest and grabbed the hammer that was in the middle of its backward swing with both hands.

Now able to put his full force behind the swing, he continued turning.

The first vampire guard was completely caught off guard when Erik turned at the last moment, while the hammer was already too close to dodge. Panic appeared on her face, as the best she could do was turn slightly and raise her shield to defend herself.

The hammer crashed against her shield, and the sickening sound of breaking bones echoed through the hallways. The metal sheen over her skin from Alistair's ability only barely cushioned the blow. The vampire screamed in pain and was once again slammed against the wall, causing the structure to tremble a little.

"You need to end this quickly, Erik," Elora's voice suddenly sounded in his head. "We're underground, and while this construction is remarkably sturdy, it has a breaking point. I'd rather not have our end be due to getting buried alive."

Erik uttered a macabre chuckle at the thought of his journey ending here due to several tons of earth and rocks crashing down on his head but nodded inwardly to Elora. "Got it."

After his hammer swing, Erik used the continuing momentum to return to his previous orientation just in time to defend himself against a flurry of dagger strikes by the second vampire guard. With hammer and claw, he performed a deadly dance against his opponent as he was forced to go on the defensive.

Meanwhile, Alistair had recovered and, with a face twisted in fury, launched his metal spheres at Erik again.

Luckily, Erik was finally prepared to deal with Alistair for good.

"Hold on as tight as you can," he growled at Alice on his back. The young wereverine was quickly shaken from her fascination and awe at Erik's fighting ability and tightened her grip on his neck and back as hard as she could.

Next, Erik activated his lightning flash ability, which had just finished charging.

Lightning struck, and the vampire was pushed aside as Erik's lightning flash increased his speed to incredible levels. He rushed straight past him and appeared right beside Alistair, while Alice screamed in shock and was almost flung to the side due to their sudden acceleration.

"Boo," Erik grinned widely at Alistair, whose face was twisted in horror and shock at Erik's sudden appearance.

Erik extended his empty left claw to tear into Alistair's unprotected chest.

Yet, there was a reason Alistair deserved the position of commander for this base.