"Stop. You de- aaaahh!" The kobolds' painful screams fill the air as three of the five in the rear are thrown into the air as the wolf rams them while aiming for me. The other two manage to dodge by a hair's breadth. I manage to block a bite from its large mouth with my weapon, but the recoil from this frontal attack throws me back a good distance and I collide with more of the kobolds from what was supposed to be the vanguard. I scramble to my feet as quickly as I can. This single attack easily broke the stance I had just seconds ago.
This is off to a great start, except for us. I swear I can see the satisfaction written on the beast's face. Once again, it's running towards me for a follow-up attack and I prepare myself once more. I have to dodge at the last moment and cast a spell immediately if I want to do any damage at all. Wait... wait... wait... now! I dart to the side and see a shadow move towards the wolf as I simultaneously distance myself from it.
I hear a yelp from where I was standing and roll onto my back. Sammy jump-kicked the beast, knocking it off balance as it attacked. Not wasting a second, I cast a new spell I had learnt in the last few days. Normally, I would have hit Sammy as well, since the damage is applied to an area rather than a specific target. Fortunately, the training has also helped me to shape my spells to a certain extent. This comes in particularly handy now that I am aiming at the wolf while hopefully not hitting Sammy at the same time.
I can barely close my eyes as a loud, painful thunderclap erupts from the beast's position. Whimpering and disorientated, our enemy has to come to his senses. Meanwhile, Sammy lands next to me with a graceful backflip. Just as we are about to attack, several arrows fly towards the canine and lodge in its skin. The part of the kobolds that had been taken by surprise are finally joining in, proving their worth as summons.
The wolf shakes its head quickly, blood turning the fur in its ears red. As it lifts its head, a deep breath is heard and Sammy's eyes widen. "Get away from him!" Without question I jump backwards, lowering my body to reduce the chance of a successful attack on me. And just in time, a cold breath freezes the ground that Sammy and I were standing on. Two kobolds, on the other hand, were not so lucky as they were frozen solid.
Seeing this, I decide to put some defensive armour on myself next. Partially transparent pieces begin to cover my being, slowly moving in different directions around their origin. I begin to run in an arc around the frozen cone of land, closing in on the wolf. Sammy leaps across the icy ground in an elegant leap and slides between the wolf's feet, hitting the underside twice. Another volley of arrows hits its mark, though the number is reduced by one as one of the archers was frozen by the cold breath.
With a quick movement, the wolf spins around and manages to catch Sammy in its jaws, biting down on her with great force. Sammy's high-pitched scream of pain echoes through the forest, dwarfing the sounds of all the combatants. As if that was not enough, the beast tosses her aside like a toy. I've had enough and decide to turn the battle back in our favour.
Lightning cracks around me as my body begins to rapidly change, doubling in size to a towering four metres in height. Everything on me is also growing in size with me, including, conveniently enough, my weapon. Three arrows fly, but all miss the beast as it lunges at me, clearly aiming for my throat. Blocking the bite is much easier now that not only my height has changed. My weight has also increased significantly.
I counter with an uppercut while the wolf's teeth are still gnawing at my sturdy stick. Underestimating my new strength, I send the beast flying backwards onto its back. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, I leap onto the canine and pin it to the ground. It's only now that I realise that the sturdy stick wasn't as strong as I'd thought, for it's broken in two. But the gods have given me two hands and I'm going to use them to the full as I unleash a pair of blows straight to its throat. The beast lets out another roar as two kobolds bury their spears in the side of the wolf's chest.
I'm about to deliver a heavy blow with the force of both hands when I feel my body shift, returning me to my original size and weight. Even though the wolf's movements have slowed down in the last few exchanges, I now find myself pinned to the ground, my arms and legs pinned down as its paws are on top of them, claws sinking into my flesh. The cold air signals another breath attack aimed at me from close range.
Hoping my armour will hold, I have no choice but to face the attack. I can see snowflakes forming and slowly falling around its mouth. The wolf lowers its head and releases its breath with full power...
But I'm not hurt? The beast's body collapses, burying me under it. Mostly unharmed, I push and wriggle free. Looking in the direction of the breath, it must have been only a few centimetres from my head. The reason is obvious. Sammy's dagger is buried in the wolf's skull and I run to her as soon as I spot her. She stands weakly, her body covered in blood.
"The son of a bitch got me good, but I'll have the last laugh," she speaks up, though more quietly than usual. I stabilise her with my arms, lead her over to a tree and gently lower her down. "Those wounds look terrible," I try to say calmly, panicking inside. "I don't feel like I'm dying right now, so it should get better with some rest." Sammy doesn't sound very confident as she says this, which makes me worry even more.
I grab the journal as fast as I can, being careful not to do any more damage to her at the same time. "Quick! How can I heal Sammy?" I almost shout at the paper as the pages begin to turn. Did this process always take this long, or is it because I want the answer as soon as possible? The diary stops and I drop it as soon as I read the instructions. 'Kiss her and transfer the energy of your body into hers.'
