Chapter 365: Twisted Horns

Seren continued riding through the forest, feeling much safer than she had moments ago. Having Ghet Ulg behind her gave her a completely different sense of security.

She knew that if something attacked her, he would protect her. He had proven that already, had shown her what he was capable of when he stopped holding back. The green fire in his eyes was a promise, a warning, a threat to anything that dared to come near her.

Before, she had even thought that the undead might turn rogue and attack her. It had been a silly fear, born of the unsettling silence and the lifeless presence behind her.

But now? Now she had full trust in it. The fear had dissolved, replaced by something she hadn’t expected: confidence. She had seen Ghet Ulg fight. She had seen him tear through the horned wolves like they were nothing, his weapon swinging in wide arcs, his body unstoppable.

But that wasn’t even why she had confidence, the reason was the green fire in his eyes that drove him forward now.

But that didn’t mean Seren suddenly became reckless. She considered the situation logically. There was a difference between feeling protected and deliberately putting herself in danger. She wasn’t about to think: ‘Ghet Ulg is in god mode, so let’s go find whatever lives in this forest and fight it.’ That would just be stupid.

She hadn’t come here to hunt wolves. She had a mission. She was traveling to Percvale to deliver Darion’s message and bring Garren back to Vrethka. Killing wolves wouldn’t help her accomplish any of that. It would only waste time, risk injury, and potentially get her killed.

She briefly thought about Darion. For him, killing powerful creatures could actually be useful. He was a Necromancer. If he killed something strong enough, he could potentially raise it as an undead and add it to his forces. A dangerous monster wasn’t merely an obstacle to someone like him. It could become another weapon.

Seren, unfortunately, didn’t have that luxury. She couldn’t kill a wolf and think: ‘Nice. I’ll revive that later.’ She wasn’t Darion. For her, a fight with the wolves would simply mean wasting time, risking injury, potentially losing the horse, and possibly dying for absolutely no reason.

So if she could avoid the fight entirely… why wouldn’t she?

Seren tightened her grip on the reins. She looked ahead. The forest path remained clear. No need to stop. No need to investigate. No need to play hero. She gave the horse a little encouragement. Then more. The horse responded immediately, accelerating through the forest.

Seren leaned slightly forward as they picked up speed. Ghet Ulg remained behind her, perfectly stable despite the faster movement. The trees blurred slightly at the edges of her vision. For a while, nothing happened. No wolves or attacks. Just the sound of hooves pounding against the dirt and branches moving as they passed.

Eventually, Seren began noticing the tracks again. At first, they were scattered. Then they became more frequent. Deeper. Larger. She realized they were no longer merely following signs of wolves. They were getting close.

Seren slowed the horse slightly. The forest ahead suddenly became strangely quiet. No birds. No small animals. Even the wind seemed quieter. Seren’s instincts immediately told her something was wrong.

She looked left. Nothing. Right. Nothing. Ahead. Nothing.

Then she heard movement behind her. Seren turned.

One massive wolf stepped out from between the trees. Then another. Then another. Seren’s eyes widened. They kept appearing. One after another. Before long, ten horned wolves had emerged from the forest. They spread themselves around the path, not charging, not roaring, simply surrounding her.

Seren was surprised.. These weren’t the same wolves from earlier.

She studied them carefully. Every wolf was enormous. Their bodies were heavily muscled beneath thick fur. Their paws sank slightly into the soft earth. Their claws were long enough to tear through flesh with ease. Their yellow eyes remained fixed on her.

But the biggest difference was their horns. The previous wolves had straight, outward-curving horns. These were different. Their horns twisted. Each pair curled in an unnatural spiral from the sides of their skulls, forming jagged, twisted shapes that made them look even more monstrous. Some horns curved upward before twisting sideways. Others spiraled backward. One wolf had horns that curled so tightly they almost resembled the shape of a twisted ram’s horns.

Their horns weren’t merely decoration. Seren could immediately imagine what would happen if one of those creatures charged her. The twisted shapes would tear through flesh and bone, ripping and gouging, leaving nothing but ruin behind.

Seren didn’t panic. Not outwardly. She kept her hands steady on the reins. Her breathing remained controlled. But internally? She was scared.

Ten of them! Ten massive horned wolves. She remembered how difficult four had been. One had nearly killed her. Now there were more than twice as many.

Seren swallowed. Her eyes briefly moved toward Ghet Ulg. Please be useful… she hoped.

Ghet Ulg slowly turned his head. He looked at the wolves. One. Then another. Then another. His gaze moved across the entire circle. Ten wolves. Ten sets of yellow eyes. Ten sets of twisted horns.

The wolves growled. Their claws dug into the ground. Some lowered their bodies, preparing to pounce. Ghet Ulg didn’t react. No fear. No hesitation. No preparation in the conventional sense. He simply studied them.

Then… he looked at Seren. His green flames burned inside his empty eye sockets. Seren met his gaze. She didn’t say anything.

Ghet Ulg turned back toward the wolves.

Suddenly, Ghet Ulg moved. He jumped off the horse. Seren felt the weight disappear from behind her. The undead knight dropped toward the ground.

But instead of landing normally… he twisted his body forward. Both arms pulled back. His massive fists clenched. He didn’t land on one hand like some dramatic warrior from a movie trying to look cool. Both fists came down. Hard. Directly into the ground. His entire body followed the motion.

The impact wasn’t controlled. It wasn’t graceful. It was pure force.

BOOM!