Chapter 19 – Unknown object

It was a land of endless woods. The densely packed trees loomed high above, but their twigs curled in a distorted way, as the cold and the wind still howled in tempestuous gusts. The forest, dark and foreboding, was bereft of noise, as if every rustle was stolen away in the night. A thick mist floated in the air, as a glimpse of moon and stars could be seen in the cloudy sky. Without any maps to follow and the woodland stretching unbroken for miles, the perpetual dark would disorient more than one. Anyone sane would refuse to step into the forest, so it was usually silent. However, this night, the sound of footsteps could be heard.

A dozen of figures were making their way through the branches and the knotted roots. The group was following nothing else but their senses. In these lands, it was the only way to navigate. Despite the icy breeze flowing around them, they still sank in the thick maze of woodland, seemingly not bothered by the utter blackness of nighttime.

In the darkness, anyone would have mistaken the group for humans. However, they weren’t. While their general aspect was the one of a human’s, they still had some distinct features. Their eyes were glowing in the night, and instead of having nails, they had claws. On their forearms, there was a nascent fur that went down until their hands. They also had pointy ears, similar to elvish ears, but much shorter. Infamous for being cursed, transforming whenever the full moon crested in the sky, they were werewolves.

“It should be here. Start searching.” The cold voice of the one who seemed to be the leader ordered.

Proudly standing in the semi-shadow, he knew no fear. He was on the top of the food chain and he knew it. With the killer instinct of a wolf, but the intelligence of a human, he led his pack to be the strongest. Their kills were always premeditated. They weren’t murders, but slaughters. Still, they did not kill randomly. They were not monsters; they were protectors, fighting for their kind’s survival.

Immediately complying with the alpha’s orders, the group split up. Only one boy stayed behind. Not even older than twelve, he was the splitting image of the leader, in a younger version.

“You should start searching too, Virion.” The alpha muttered. “I didn’t take you with me so that you could sit there and wait. It is time for you to deserve your place within the pack.”

“Father, I…” As his voice died down, the boy fell silent for a few seconds. He wanted to speak up, but he knew that the chief’s words were absolute and that it was useless to contest.

He had grown in these hostile lands, so the ominous atmosphere they gave off did not impress him. However, this time was different. The pack didn’t know what kind of threat they would be facing off, so the boy couldn’t help but feel worried. Still, his father wasn’t going to spare him. The young werewolves were taught the hard way, and those who couldn’t follow were left behind. Being the Alpha’s son wasn’t going to help him, he knew that. In order to survive in these lands, the pack needed to be ruthless. Only the strongs were allowed to stay, while the weaks were exiled.

It was a test. The boy knew that if he couldn’t do this much, the pack will definitely abandon him, and here, being left alone was equivalent to a death sentence. Putting his fears aside, the boy gathered his courage as a new glimpse of determination could be seen in his eyes.

“Yes, father.” He said, before disappearing behind the trees in his turn.

Not even bothering looking behind him, where his son just left, the leader stayed indifferent. As a father, he should have felt some pride seeing his boy wanting to prove himself, or some concern knowing that he would be venturing alone in this dangerous place. Yet, the chief didn’t feel any of these, or at least, he didn’t manifest it. He had learnt to never show his emotions and stay cold-blooded in all circumstances. Werewolves were known to have anger issues, so they were taught from a young age to control their emotions. As the Alpha, he was even more expected to stay emotionless all the time. Besides, he didn’t have the time to worry about his son’s safety.

A few days ago, visible from several kilometers around, a huge pillar of light appeared in the sky. It was something that no one had ever seen before. It lasted only for a few seconds, but in that instant, a colossal amount of mana disrupted the atmosphere. It was only a few seconds. Just a few seconds. Yet, it felt as if the sky was shattering. For the first time in his life, the alpha werewolf felt fear. If there was anyone capable of invoking such a magic, then they would make a formidable opponent. A formidable last opponent. The leader knew that the pack had no chance to win against such a powerful entity, still, his pride as a werewolf forbid him to run away. So he led some of his strongest fighters to the place where the pillar of light appeared, prepared to defend the pack and die in honor.

Yet, there was no trace of a potential enemy. As he focused on his senses, he smelled the decomposing leaves and the loam in the earth, and he heard the soft susurration of the branches and his own noisy breath, but no signs of life. Most of animals ran away when the light pillar appeared. Insects returned to the ground, rodents hid in their den and the closest herd was at least five kilometers away. Still, the werewolf alpha kept searching. There had to be something, someone. The light pillar may have appeared from nowhere, but it wasn’t without any reason. Besides, everyone saw it. He couldn’t have imagined it.

After a few minutes, a sudden howl interrupted the deadly silence of the forest. A rallying call. Someone had found something. As soon as the call reached their ears, pinpointing the origin of the howl, the pack soon gathered again. The alpha was the last one to arrive.

As he approached the group, with a quick glance, he checked the presence of everyone. It was his duty to make sure no one was left behind. Much to his relief, everyone was unharmed and responded the call, including his son.

“Did you find anything?” He asked, going straight to the point.

“Yes, right here.” One of the men answered, inviting the alpha to follow him.

As the leader made his way through, the others respectfully stepped back before following him. Reaching the side of the one who spoke, his eyes fell upon an unknown object, only a few meters away. It was something he had never seen before, so he couldn’t help but squint at its sight. The object was small, insignificant. Had it been in other circumstances, the pack would have ignored it. However, forming a magic circle, the strange marks on the grounds suggested that the object was not common and that it was indeed the reason behind the appearance of the huge pillar of light.

Driven by an unsettling curiosity, Virion, the alpha’s son, stepped forward, trying to take a better look. However, he was suddenly stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder, preventing him to advance any further. It was his father.

“Don’t. We don’t know what it is.” He muttered.

The boy looked at his father for a few seconds before turning his gaze back on the unknown artifact. “It doesn’t look dangerous. Shouldn’t we inspect it?” He asked.

“The chief is right, Virion.” One of the men said. “Even if it looks harmless, don’t forget this is what caused that pillar to appear. By touching it, you could activate a spell. You could also break some kind of seal, who knows?”

Hearing this, the boy widened his eyes. He had a hard time believing that the object, not even bigger than his head, could be activating some kind of deadly spell. However, if it was something similar in power than the light pillar he saw just a few moments ago, then it was definitely not wise to touch it.

“Rufus,” the leader called out. “Return to the village and ask the shaman to come. He might be able to tell what it is.”

“Yes.” The one called Rufus politely bowed before disappearing in the shadow.

Silently waiting, the group focused on the unknown object. No one dared to approach it, so they just looked at it. Trying to take a guess at what it was, each one of them displayed their knowledge in magic. However, werewolves were more famous for their brute strength rather than their magic skills. With no reliable sources, their ‘knowledge’ in magic was nothing more but baseless rumors. No actual facts. It was also the reason why the alpha requested the presence of the shaman, possibly the only member of the pack with enough magic knowledge to determine the nature of the artifact.

However, after debating for about thirty minutes, they all suddenly took a stance, as they detected someone approaching. Werewolves detect their own kind. What reached their nose wasn’t the familiar scent of a comrade, but the scent of an outsider. The hair on their forearms stood up as some of them even started to growl, ready to fight.

“ … A female?” Virion spoke, as he recognized the sweet aroma of a female’s scent.

“Do not let your guard down,” his father ordered. “That’s a succubus.”

The boy blinked his eyes several times. He never met one, but he had heard of succubus before; a female demon seducing men to steal their life force. Since he was entering his teenage years, where the pheromones reached their peak, he had been warned more than once to be careful of succubus and not to succumb to their advances. Tensing up, he imitated his seniors, taking a stance.

As the scent slowly became stronger, the growls became louder. Finally, a shadow appeared, descending upon the black sky, and then suddenly dropped to the ground with its wings closed. As the leader had expected, it was indeed a succubus. The demon had the appearance of an attractive woman, with ram horns growing on her forehead, featherless wings, and a long tail in the shape of an arrowhead.

In barks and grunts, the werewolves communicated and spread wide, sending some to circle around, cutting off any means of escape for the outsider.

“Greetings, gentlemen.” The succubus said with a seductive smile, unimpressed by the display of coordination.

Not falling for her tricks, the group glared at her, their eyes full of hostility. Their lips pulled back to reveal yellow stained fangs, they let out a low warning growl. The message was clear: the demon was not welcomed here.

“My, my… How friendly!” She exclaimed with a sarcastic tone. “I will take the ‘gentlemen’ back.”

As her eyes fell on the young werewolf who was imitating his seniors, trying to intimidate her with his small teeth, she giggled, amused.

“What are you doing here, succubus?” The chief inquired calmly, displeased as he clearly saw the demon’s attention shifting to his son.

“You must be the alpha. How about you tell your boys to back off? I did not come here to fight.”

“Then leave!” One of the men suddenly shouted, letting out a loud snarl as he took a threatening step forward.

The demon chuckled. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. You see, you are not the only one interested by that strange pillar of light.”

“It happened within our territory, our pack will take care of it. You have nothing to do here, so leave!”

The whole group became agitated, as everyone followed the example of their brother, shouting and intimidating the demon, trying to make her leave. They strongly believed that since it occurred in their territory, it was their problem and the demon had nothing to do here. However, they were soon interrupted by their leader’s voice.

“That’s enough.” He ordered. “Can’t you see her tiara?”

Hearing his words, the group immediately fell silent. Too busy trying to chase the succubus away, they failed to notice the tiara on her forehead. The ornamental band was made of black jewels and seemed directly inserted on her skull. The Twilight diadem. It was an extremely rare magic item which increased its owner’s strength or mana, in accordance with their race, and raised their affinity to darkness magic.

It was something that He gave to all His servants, a proof that they belonged to Him. Even though it was a rare item which was worth millions, it was no different than a slave collar. According to some rumors, He would even drop some of His blood on the tiaras, changing their properties and allowing Him to keep track of them. If the demon was indeed one of His servitors, then she was not someone the pack could attack.

“Did you come here on His behalf?” The alpha asked, returning his attention to the succubus.

“You are a smart man,” the demon chuckled. “That is correct. He ordered me to investigate about that strange phenomenon.”

With their assumptions now confirmed, the werewolves clenched their teeth, understanding that they couldn’t chase the intruder away. They were no longer growling, however, they were still showing signs of discontent, glaring at her. Ignoring them, the succubus stepped forward in the direction of the unknown artifact as she forced her way. Seeing the object, she narrowed her eyes.

“Is that it? This is what caused that sudden disruption in the air?” She inquired, doubting her own eyes.

“We don’t know that yet,” the werewolf alpha responded. “However, it is highly-likely the case.”

“What in the world is that thing?” The succubus thought out loud. Like the others, she deemed wiser not to touch the object; however, it did not stop her from approaching it. Being careful not to erase them, she inspected the marks on the ground. “Could it be… a human attack?” She said, as she rubbed her chin.

Out of the four intelligent species that populated the world, humans were known to be the weakest. They neither had the strength and agility of beastmen, nor the high magic affinity of elves. Yet, they were estimated to have the world’s largest population. Since the beginning of time, humans counterbalanced their weaknesses with technologies. When they did not have the teeth and claws of beastmen, they invented weapons. When they did not have the magic affinity of elves, they created magic items. More than once, the humans surpassed themselves and surprised the other races by proving their inventiveness.

Right now, seeing the artifact, it was logical to think it was another one of those humans’ inventions. An unknown object and an unknown spell. Who else but humans could be responsible?

“Humans did this?” Virion asked, raising his eyebrows.

He had heard that humans preferred long and complex strategies to bold attacks. They were cowards, but coming from them, a surprise attack was still unexpected.

“I don’t think this is the case.” His father retorted, confirming his doubts. “Even if humans were able to invoke such a powerful magic, they wouldn’t be able to do it remotely, and there isn’t a single human around here. Besides, I doubt they would want to start another conflict. They have been weakened by the last war. They didn’t have enough time to regain forces.”

“True, but you never know what’s going on in their minds.” The succubus muttered. “They could have allied with the elves, or got their hands on some unknown technology. Besides, that thing does look like something the humans would invent…”

Crossing her arms in front of her, she fell silent, pondering. She tried to think of a rational explanation for this situation. A few minutes later, her cogitation was interrupted as two figures appeared from the shadow.

The man called Rufus had returned, accompanied by village’s shaman. As soon as he saw the demon, just like the others before him, Rufus took a stance with his teeth bared in a snarl, openly showing his hostility. This time however, the one to mollify him wasn’t the alpha, but the shaman behind him.

“Don’t. I can feel Him. She is His servitor.” He said.

“Correct. Looks like there aren’t only stupid people among werewolves!” The succubus exclaimed, clearly provoking the pack.

Ignoring her words, the shaman walked to the side of the leader, as his eyes fell on the artifact. “Is this the reason why you called me?” He asked.

“Yes.” The alpha answered. “This is probably what caused the pillar of light. Can you tell us what it is?”

The shaman stayed silent for a while, his eyes not leaving the object. Because of werewolves’ racial characteristics, he couldn’t be considered a proper mage. However, his knowledge in magic was on par with the greatest mages, and it was said that he had the ability to perceive and interact with the spirit world. He had stayed the pack’s shaman for three generations now. Yet, in front of the unknown object, he was just as clueless as the others. He shook his head.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before. However, this is not a magic artifact. It doesn’t emit an ounce of mana.”

“Are you saying it’s not dangerous?”

“We can’t be sure of anything, but as long as no one touches it, nothing should happen. It seems to need some kind of external action to be activated.”

It was just as they said. Hearing this, the men exchanged curious glances, while a sudden chill ran down the young Virion’s spine, realizing that he could have activated an unknown magic. He let out a relieved sigh, grateful that his father was here to stop him in time.

“Mmmh… This needs to be reported.” The succubus muttered.

As she spread her black wings, ready to fly away, all the eyes turned in her direction.

“I will now be going to inform Him of the situation. Until the moment He decides to take action, if He decides to, I will need you and your boys to secure the area.” The demon said, addressing herself to the leader. “No one must find about the artifact. No one must touch it. You don’t have to be on duty all the time. Creating a barrier should be fine, as long as you don’t let anyone get close. Do this and He will reward you.”

Without even waiting for an answer, the demon disappeared in the night sky. She didn’t let the time to the alpha werewolf to reply, because she didn’t need to. It wasn’t a request. Anything said on His behalf was to be considered an order. Everyone knew this, those werewolves weren’t an exception. Quickly adapting to the situation, the leader turned his gaze on the shaman. Without even uttering a word, he simply gave him a meaningful look. Understanding the silent order, the shaman respectfully bowed his head.

“I will be creating a barrier.” He said.

“Good.” The leader responded. “Rufus, Yovel and Diego. You stay here with the shaman. The others, you return to the village with me. We need to inform the pack about the situation. Then, we will patrol around the borders. If someone was there, we need to find him.”

As they heard their chief’s orders, everyone nodded.