Apex Industries Gaming Division Haven Headquarters, Location Classified.

Grant Longshanks had taken a deep interest in the front runners of the leaderboards, A group of four college girls who despite taking frequent breaks had managed to maintain the highest level through clearing dungeons and Expansion quests.

Others had shown up as time went on, champions of the dwarves a group of brothers who had experience in blacksmithing have been swiftly rising through the ranks of the Iron Council's young members. Not an easy feat as the young were often seen as arrogant and not worthy of praise.

But so far the one that held his attention the most was a young human who had become the focus of his company's attention for their side project, He had been paralyzed from the waist down years ago due to combined misfortune of birth and luck. While medical technology and procedures have come far in the past century there were some things that were still too risky,

But that is where Apex comes in, For nearly two hundred years the company has been the frontrunners of medical discovery, pushing the boundaries of ethics to find new innovative methods. One of their most successful products was a classified serum used to create super soldiers.

A subject that was still frowned upon even with the acceptance of cybernetic augmentations though the government still allowed the use in their black ops groups. Recently they had begun testing a new serum formula to help augment a body to correct birth defects. If successful it could be used on young children to all but erase every sign of the ailment.

The trick, however, was to find the right dosage for humans, Animal testing had shown to be quite effective in treating disorders of the bone, flesh, even cancer, And so after ten years of testing, they have finally been given permission to roll out the serum in small test batches to see its results.

And in what better way than to test it on the Players of Rebirth Online, A game made to require constant exposure to a substance similar to the serum, the only difference is a slight change to the tint of the gel.

The test subjects so far were a handful of death row inmates, A few of the “ NPC ” Employees and select players with disabilities from a variety of sources, It would take a few weeks to get the results but Grant had high hopes for the young Adam Sterling. A boy who showed a strong desire for power and survival inside of the game.

This was an important factor as the serum would be working on the subject's body without their notice, as such suddenly returning after the process has begun would often result in a massive shock to the system as they discovered with their criminal testing. However with their NPC group, it seemed that those who played combat style characters began to bleed fantasy and reality.

This eased the shock to their systems when their minds returned to the body, allowing them to come to terms with the growth as a side effect from the cradles “ Sleepwalking ” feature that allowed the body in the real world to move in time with that of the body in the game though at a slower speed.

With these combined factors most just thought that playing the game had given their bodies more muscle mass thanks to this system. But this would be the first time that they tested the process on those who were fully paralyzed.

With hope, all would go as planned and the body would first repair the nerve damage before strengthening the bones. It was to check the progress of the Nervous systems repairs that they chose to use the cheaper version of the serum than to use the PFC version.

PFC or Perfluorocarbon, Is a synthetic liquid fluorinated hydrocarbon—clear, odorless, chemically and biologically inert, with a low surface tension and high O2/CO2 carrying capacity. PFCs can hold as much as three times the oxygen and four times the carbon dioxide as human blood.However if that was used in the cradle then there would be no need for the mask which hid a high-tech system of electrodes to run EMG testing to check the progress on the nervous systems of the subjects.

Most would take one look at Grant's life work and think him a monster, a narcissistic psychopath with a god complex. However, he simply wanted to change the world for the better, if it meant the loss of a few subjects ignorant of these tests than so be it.

Should things progress as planned then by the end of the year his serum would be distributed worldwide despite the US government believing they alone would have a monopoly on the product. But Grant would not allow this, after all, the countries obsession with money and keeping the poor sick to ensure paying customers was just as much of a cancer as the real deal. It had to end and APEX was just the tool to realize his dreams of a cure-all that was cost effective and could not be contained by the government or big pharma as previous treatment methods of the past had been.

Grant shook his head as though to shake off his thoughts as he returned his attention to Adam Sterling, Better known as Atticus Shadowsong. This boy was loved by the game's AI system, he was an anomaly that fit in so well, following customs and traditions as best as one could hope, while at the same time introducing change and innovation,

It was like watching a time traveling experiment, As to test the boys wit Lilith had chosen to move things up a few months, granting his nemesis a unique class granted to those accepted by the Christian Romans.

This would be a turning point, an all out war between every pantheon of gods and the ultimate game of Deadliest Warrior. Lilith had decided to send Atticus off on a mission that would lead him to encounter the Celtic warriors and their Pantheon and lore.

At the same time, it began choosing suitable champions for every god, goddess, devil, demon, and divinity. She began to unlock races at a shocking rate, Orcs, Goblins, Lich's, Trolls, Minotaur, Naga, Werewolf, Vampire, Half-breeds. It was a marvelous sight to behold. But it was time to play his own role in everything, Grant stripped down and slid into a Moderator Cradle, one devoid of the Serum and using PFCs.

As he closed his eyes the world around Atticus became bright and brilliant, Looking around he was on his feet rather than riding on Shadow’s back. He found himself standing in a massive great hall with tables so long he could not see the end, The tables were packed with countless warriors, both men and women, young and old, fat and thin.

Beautiful winged women flew through the hall carrying pitchers of mead His eyes soon came across a massive throne which held a grizzled old man who was missing his left eye, Large Ravens on either shoulder, two large wolves at his feet, a massive golden spear in his hands.

A beautiful weapon that showed care to detail, a broad spear blade that put Ivy to shame, a shaft that was as thick as his wrist and etched with countless runes of power. It was simple and elegant at the same time. The man himself was wearing a simple black cloth robe, like one would expect an old mage would.

Around three seconds had transpired since Atticus opened his eyes. And it was at the fourth second that Atticus knew who sat before him and he dropped to his knees swiftly and bowed his head in respect. The being before him was none other than Odin, The All-Father, And leader of the Nordic Pantheon.

A deep laugh shook the hall as the Einherjar, The Valkyries, And Odin himself saw the young warriors swift recognition of his new surroundings. “ Greetings little wolf, I welcome you to the great hall of Valhalla, Where the Einherjar await the great fields of Ragnarok. ”

As Atticus made no move to stand or even speak Odin smirked seeing this outsider show respect beyond his years. “ Stand and speak boy, Or are you a mute now? ” Atticus swallowed his spit and stood up, doing his best to seem imposing and valiant.

“ I thank you for this honor All-Father, But i..I have to ask why I am here? Surely I have not died so easily whilst on the back of a wolf in a forest that I am the apex predator? ” His confusion was clear to all After all, Valhalla was a place barred to all but those who died a glorious death on the fields of battle with a weapon in hand.

And seeing as how his weapon was sheathed and his last memory was falling asleep he could only have been killed by some kind of assassin or venomous beast. Which if was the case he was not worthy of Valhalla, and even then he could not truly die and none had mentioned being taken to Valhalla.

Odin raised a hand as to calm the young warrior's mind, and it worked, instantly his heart rate slowed and his mind came to a stop, focusing solely on the god before him.” Be at ease young wolf, you are merely visiting my great hall for a time, I would have words with you about what you have been doing among my most faithful of worshippers… ”

Atticus swallowed hard but found only air as his mouth had gone dry, Odin was an all knowing god, there was nothing he could hide from the being before him so all he could do was nod resolutely, prepared for whatever punishment would be bestowed for his acts of cruelty, his consorting with the Dark Elves, And his acceptance of the Dark Mithril below the Barrow.

Odin showed him a faint smile, The being knew what he was thinking and to his surprise asked him something so simple he didn't know how to answer at first. “ Why have you chosen to live among the people of Black Rock Hold as you have? Surely your world is far more advanced than this one, What could you possibly stand to gain from suffering amongst them? ”

Atticus was stunned for a few seconds, It was a good question, Every other player he had seen treated the game just as such, they took nothing seriously and only interacted with the NPCs when it was absolutely unavoidable.

But Atticus shook his head for a moment before he answered. ” Yes my world is many times more advanced than your own, We have weapons that can allow the weakest and most cowardly of men to massacre entire races of people, We have no worries of sickness or dying for no apparent reason, We have all of our teeth… ”

This earned him a hearty roar of laughter from the older veteran Einherjar, most of which indeed were missing half their teeth from rot or having them bashed out. But Odin held up a hand to silence them and let the boy continue.

“ But in my world I am weak, If I had been born in this world my father would have bashed my head in with a rock before I sprouted the first hair on my balls, In my world I am so weak that my bones shatter with ease like twigs, My lower body no longer moves as I wish it, I can't run or fight, and if things don't change I will likely die in another few years.... ”

Atticus trailed off for a moment as all present could hear the disgust in his own voice, clearly despising his own body even more now that he had become used to moving freely and fighting to his heart's content. He then raised his head and looked Odin directly in the eyes, His own filled with a look common in the most battle crazed of warriors, the look befitting a feral beast.

“ But here, Among your worshipers, i may fight as I please, I may kill as I please, No one can look down upon me and pity me for being weak here! ” As he spoke his body changed before the eyes of all, Revealing himself as a Werewolf, his leathers falling apart as he stretched out his arms and stood tall.

“ Man and Beast alike recognize my power, None can deny my strength. At first, I would have been content to simply live in this world doing nothing other than running free in the woods. But then I was met with a shocking discovery. Here Rape is not considered an offense so long as it was an outsider such as my friend who was the victim.... ”

As he spoke his voice shook with a deep feral growl as he remembered all the annoyance brought on by the Rising Tide. “ And worse of all when I killed the offenders, also outsiders I was regarded as the criminal, Allowing them to attack me as they pleased despite having been in the wrong. ”

His body shook with rage as the dark brown fur began to glow with a dark crimson light, the extensive tattoo that contained Shadowsong glowed brightly, becoming a natural pattern of black fur on his beast form

“ And so I did what I had to, I slaughtered them like pigs, Again and again, Even as they brought more and more people with them I fought despite the odds my fury took me to victory. Eventually, when I became Thane for my actions on behalf of Jarl Lucian Frost, One of your chosen few I used my power to punish them, Torturing them until they either submitted or left this world altogether… “

“ But now they have found their spines again, creating a guild of other Outsiders with the main focus of making my life hell, And as you no doubt know All-Father. I could have handled their attacks without a care and just began torturing them again. But they chose not to call me out honorably and attacked the innocents of the hold I serve! “

His rage became tamer now, channeling it towards his current goals. “ So now I have decided I will destroy them absolutely, I shall brand these aggressors with my mark and make them eternal outcasts, not welcome amongst any of the races for fear of my wrath. I shall take the vengeance owed for those killed in this cowardly attack! ”

As he finished speaking twenty-six figures appeared around him, Ten valkyries carrying the wraith-like remnants of the guards and the three wolves who died defending the town. The guards saluted their thane and it only made his resolve stronger, The wolves brushed up against their alphas body, as though trying to console him and soothe his fury.

This gesture from the wolves caused his body to revert to its human form, He looked up to Odin once more and bowed his head. ” This All-Father is why I have chosen to live amongst your worshipers, to live as I please, and now more importantly to seek the vengeance for those slain at the hands of those who bear me a grudge. I am a petty man, Hardly one worthy of your attentions... ”

Odin, however, smiled broadly. ”On the contrary young wolf, You are worth every bit of my attentions, After all, you were the one who earned the blessing of my beloved warrior clan, The respect of their descendants, The respect of a wolf you could just as easily have killed rather than befriended. You have taken it upon yourself to dive head first into battle to stop more innocents from taking wounds that would fel them… ”

The All-father then stood from his throne and stepped down, standing above Atticus and placing a hand upon his shoulder. ” Know this my young wolf, You have the blessing of Odin the All-Knowing. Take pride that your path leads to eternal glory and a place here in Valhalla once you fight your last… ”

Atticus looked up and was stunned at these words, but Odin was not finished yet. ” Now while I bare the Celtics no love we both agree that this upstart god of the Romans needs to be dealt with and swiftly. I know that in your world he was the cause of our fall from grace, devouring all other divinities by making the worship of them a crime… As such when you carry out Lucian's request I ask you to seek out the Tuatha Dé Danann and enlist their aid against the Romans. They might ask a great favor of you in return but we will need them to ensure victory. ”

As the young warrior nodded Odin stepped back up to his throne and sat down, clapping his hands hard enough that a shockwave shook the hall. ” Now the time for you to return has come young wolf After all, the little one can only carry you for so long… ”

Before Atticus could question what Odin meant his face met the mud of a river bank, Spitting out mud he looked up to see Shadow panting raggedly, lapping up river water greedily as blood dripped from his muzzle and his armor marked with deep dents and cuts that had not been there before. No doubt he had just slaughtered and devoured something. He turned his head to see a dozen bandits torn to shreds,

It was only as he went to stand up that he realized the full extent of the situation, His body was weak, as though it had not moved in days. Which it had not, during his visit to Valhalla three days had passed, in this time Shadow had kept running without sleep, pushing himself to the utter limits. He had been evading the bandits for as long as he could but was soon cornered and forced to fight.

Atticus growled deeply as he forced his body to move, shaking hands undoing the wolves armor. Yelping as the armor was hot enough to burn his fingers. The pieces that fell off into the water causing steam to rise off of them. And the instant it was all off Shadow dove into the water and submerged himself.

Atticus pulled himself into a sitting position up against a tree as little Iris laid in his lap, clearly having been worried for her alpha and the one her friend loved so much. Groaning Atticus began guzzling water from his waterskins, pulling out roasted goat and tearing into it, giving Iris pieces as he went,

After a few minutes Shadow came out of the river and laid beside Atticus, He felt terrible for his loyal friend and pet him softly.”I am sorry Shadow, I didn't know he would keep me away for so long, it felt like only minutes that I was there..”

Shadow whimpered faintly and laid his head across Atticus’ knees, still panting heavily but not angry with his alpha, He could feel through the link that something had happened. But the wolf was completely worn out from the constant movement and then the struggle of killing all the bandits without allowing Atticus to be harmed.

Sighing softly Atticus stroked Shadow’s head and let the wolf rest, for now, He leaned back and decided to rest for now until his body regained its feeling, He intended on making a camp here for the night as neither of them was in any shape to move more than a few feet.

As he sat there Atticus let the events play through his mind, His meeting with Odin, the mentions of the celts and even remembering Lucian's request to take Elena to her grandmother. It was at that moment that he felt a tickle at the back of his mind, Morrigan…

If he knew his mythology, which he did. Morrigan was the name of the Celtic goddess of Death, Fertility, And War. But he shook his head softly, it would be too much of a coincidence if this were the case, Morrigan was a popular name so he could not assume it would be so straightforward as to tell him exactly where the meet one of the Goddesses of the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Atticus shook the thoughts from his head and pulled himself up, pulling his tent from the bag he set it up under the large tree they were under, As he did such he heard the rumble of thunder in the distance, followed by Shadow’s annoyed growl. After all, he knew he was too big to fit inside of the tent and so he would have a long wet night ahead of him.

But Atticus was not having that, He got up and went scavenging through the bandits sundered gear, gathering all the leather traveling cloaks he could, the weapons as well, the armor, however, was destroyed beyond use, not even enough to scrap.

He was panting as he all but crawled back to his tent, taking out his leather working kit he began sewing the cloaks together, and soon he had a large tarp that he slung over the low hanging branch of the tree and staked to the ground using pegs made from sticks.

This would give shadow somewhere nice and try to sleep as well as help to keep him warm. But he was not done there, he took out his knife and cut one of the sides of his tent in the middle, pulling the bottom half out and staking it as he tied the top half to the tree branch.

Shadow perked up and looked to Atticus questioningly as he saw the tent being destroyed. But Atticus just smiled and crawled inside of the tent, patting on the flap as a sign that it was for Shadow to lay on, this would make sure he was up off of the wet ground as well,

Shadow gave him a murr of happiness as he all but rolled onto the flap and snuggled up to Atticus and Iris, And not a second too late as the storm came down, the sky darkening as lightning filled the sky and the thunder shook the very air around them. Shadow lowered his ears a bit as Iris cowered between the larger males, this being the first real storm she had ever faced.

Atticus however smiled, laying on his side to look out at the storm, taking in the scent of nature and fresh rain. Letting everything wash away as he listened to the storm, remembering his childhood.

The sun had just crested the horizon when Adam had been woken up by his grandfather, It was summer time, he had just turned sixteen at the time, it was one year before his grandparents passed away,

His grandfather had a mischievous grin on his face as he shook Adam.”Come on now it's already afternoon….” This was a small joke in his family, His grandfather was a farmer and a hunter, he started his days at three in the morning in order to beat the heat and to catch his prey unaware.

Despite being in his late sixties at the time his grandfather had a similar build to Atticus which was no surprise since he had chosen this name in memory of his grandfather, He stood at six feet eight inches tall with broad shoulders and a shockingly well-toned body. He never stopped working until the day he died, Perhaps this was the reason he kept his health.

While most others his age were slowing down he was only increasing his work, Adam shook his head softly and sat up while rubbing his eyes. He knew not to complain as he knew his grandfather had something to teach him.

You see despite knowing how fragile Adam was his grandfather Atticus was not scared to take Adam out into the woods and show him his craft, just the day before he had been taught how to skin a rabbit, the day before that he had been shown how to track prey.

But as he pulled on his jeans and boots and stumbled out to the truck his grandfather carried out a small box no bigger than a shoebox, Atticus would not tell him what was in the box and simply said it was a surprise, It was a long drive out into the woods to get to their destination.

All the while Adam could hear the “Classic” rock his grandfather grew up with, Artists such as five finger death punch, Bring me the horizon, Godsmack, The music was low as Atticus decided to tell Adam stories about his father, how when he was younger he was a hellion who destroyed everything he touched.

He even told him when his father got into the fishing business and how he met his mother. Adam smiled and laughed as he listened, It was these long drives that gave Adam his love for classic rock, and enough stories about his father that he could blackmail him if need be.

During the drive, it began to storm as was the norm in northern Florida, But Atticus paid it no mind and kept driving until they came out of the narrow woodland path and out into a large grove that had a large oak tree and a lake. All around the lake was various wildlife who all but ignored the truck until it got within a stone's throw.

As the storm passed Atticus smiled and grabbed the wooden box and slid out of the truck, Adam did the same as his grandfather dropped the tailgate of the truck and set the box down. He then stepped back and looked at Adam expectantly, smiling as he motioned to it.

“Well come on open it.” Adam sighed seeing the wide grin on his grandfather's face, knowing this was something he had been planning for some time now, However when Atticus opened the box his mouth dropped and he knew why Atticus was so happy. It was an ax.

But it was not just any ax, This was a small tomahawk, like the one his grandfather carried while out in the woods and in the fields. Adam picked it up and shivered at the feel, it was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, a solid hickory handle that had been stained black, a solid stainless steel blade, But there was something odd about it, there was a small hole up at the top where the blade was affixed to the haft.

Adam went to look inside of it but Atticus stopped him.”Careful boy! This piece has a little surprise in it..” He smiled as he gently rolled the tool over in Adam's hand, showing him a small ring on the pommel of the haft, he gave it a full turn and pulled out a long rod, As he did this a small bullet fell out, it was something Adam recognized as a .22 pest control round.

“It can only hold one round but it's meant for pest control such as when you are chopping wood and you see a rat close by, Of course, you won't have much use for it in the suburbs but I wanted you to have one. It's a bit of a novelty than anything else, though...”

Things began to turn blurry and the sound became distorted as the world around him turned into a golden haze.

As the morning sun shone through the opening of the tent Atticus opened his eyes, shaking his head softly as he remembered the last summer he got to spend with his grandfather. He smiled a bit as he sat up slowly, his body ached a little but it was nothing like it was the day before when he had been thrown from Shadows back.

Looking around he smiled seeing the wolves up and moving, Shadow was chasing little Iris around as the larger wolf went around stretching, through to her his long strides were like a full run. Yawning softly Atticus pulled himself to his feet and began packing up the tent and the improvised tarp.

He went down to the river and washed his body and gathered the scattered pieces of Shadows barding, creating a nice pile of steel as he decided he would walk for the day to let Shadow have a day outside of the armor. He slung the saddle and the saddle bags over his shoulders and whistled sharply, proceeding towards the city.

For hours they walked unhindered, however as they trudged through the forest Atticus could tell they were in a higher level area by the way the animals began to react to them, Stags begun to stare Atticus and Shadow down, seeing them as a challenge but not yet a threat that triggered their instinct to run.

Along the edges of his vision, Atticus made out the shapes of large wolves stalking through the woods, following them along until they made a mistake and let their guard down. This made Atticus smile deeply, It meant that these wolves were powerful beasts, they saw him and Shadow both as nothing more than prey to be stalked and killed once tired from the walk.

He decided to play with the beasts, sending a subtle note to Shadow to start limping, as though an earlier wound had begun troubling him. The beast sent his agreement as he begun limping, keeping his right forepaw up to his chest, for the most part, using it gingerly as they walked.

All the while Atticus picked little Iris up and slung her over his shoulders with the saddle, both to protect her and to add extra weight to make him seem exhausted even though he was not. He was playing into their strengths while laying his own trap, He made himself and Shadow seem weaker and easier to kill to make the wolves bolder.

And it worked, within the hour the wolves began closing ranks, their shapes becoming bolder, allowing them to see the large wolves who were just a little bigger than even Shadow. And from what Atticus could see they were lead by a large pitch black beast with a jagged red scar running from his left front shoulder all the way to his hind end.

As the sun began to go down Atticus picked his campsite, much like the night before he chose a large oak, however, this one had a small hollow recess that he could fit the bulk of the tent inside of. He then hung the tarp on the low branches and set the gear down, he motioned for Iris and Shadow to lay down and rest as he took out some more dried goat, splitting it between the three of them.

Atticus, however, kept scanning the edges of the camp as darkness set in, keeping track of the beasts as he set up a small fire pit. He would challenge the Alpha soon, knowing it would be he that lead the attack on them once they felt that their prey had become too tired to properly fight, He would add all of these massive beasts to his pack, after all, his raiders would need good mounts to assist them in the battles to come, and what better than beasts on par with his beloved partner.

As they rested and ate Atticus looked over to his bag that held all of his armor, It would give him an advantage over the riding leathers he wore now but he decided to forgo even that added protection, He stood up and began stripping his clothes off, pulling his kilt from the bag and strapping it on as he placed his hunting knife on the top of the pack.

He then stood up and began walking into the darkness as he let the beast take over, He winced in pain as the change began to break and remodel his body, His long nap taking its toll as his body was no longer used to the change that would happen two even three times a day.

His bones shattered and rebuilt themselves larger and more wolf-like, his skull elongating as his fangs began to grow larger and thicker, Howling in pain as his flesh tore apart only to rapidly heal and tear again, only stopping once his body had taken its final form, His fur longer than before and slightly curling at the ends.

As his eyes refocused he howled savagely and locked eyes with the alpha of the wolves. As he did the system informed him a challenge had been issued and gave him the same warning as his first wolf duel. He, of course, accepted the risks as he charged at the Alpha.

At the same time, the Alpha charged him with the recklessness that was to be expected of a younger alpha, Headstrong and sure of himself. The two howled as they clashed, Claws tore into flesh as their bodies met, long gashes covering Atticus’ chest and shoulders as he raked his own claws along the wolves flanks, at the same time pivoting and falling, slamming the wolf to the dirt.

Atticus licked his muzzle as he growled deeply. ” Submit and I won't kill you mutt, you are too valuable to waste as a new kilt! ” The wolf snarled at him and charged again, Enraged at the audacity of this beast, healing him rather than taking the killing blow, And only to ask total submission of him!

Atticus would not fight to kill, He would break the beast's spirit by toying with him. And when he could no longer stand he would give it a potion. And he would continue this process for as long as it took. After all, Shadow was still worn out and he had plenty of time thanks to his partner's constant movement over the past days.

Grim was a young alpha, five years he had been on this earth and for five years he had fought and struggled to remain on top and in command. He fought countless challengers who sought to usurp him, forcing them to join his pack and show him fealty.

The winter had been rough on his pack as the stags in the territory have been growing stronger somehow. Just today they had killed two of his strongest so a single stage, Tensions were high but then they saw a weak looking wolf and a human, while they didn't like the thought of eating another wolf it was better than starving, and at least this one was not a member of their pack.

They also noticed a young bitch with them, close to her first heat who would make a perfect addition to the pact to help rebuild their numbers. As the prey grew weaker he was certain they would eat tonight. But as the human built a den and stripped off his fur they were shocked to see he was truly a wolf in disguise.

As he was challenged Grim of course accepted, being certain he would win just as he always had before. But as the challenger began to overpower him he was stunned, he looked so weak just moments ago!

Then as they clashed he was suddenly on his back, Grim yelped at the sudden movement, not having expected it as soon the challenger was on top of him and biting savagely into his throat, Struggling he found nothing to scratch or bite onto, the strange wolf had clutched tight to his body and prevented any of his limbs from moving, tearing at his throat.

But right as he could feel his consciousness fading the challenger released his throat and there was a burning as the pain from his throat vanished. Confused Grim struggled to his feet as the challenger has gotten off of him. Growling savagely he saw a small glass vial in his hand.

It was the ultimate disgrace, even if he won this fight he would likely lose members of his pack for this. It was the greatest dishonor to an Alpha to be shown mercy by a challenger. Grim understood what the beast spoke despite it being in the human tongue so he attacked once again.

The beast merely sighed as he closed his claws and slammed a fist violently into Grim's ribs and sending him flying across the small clearing. He could smell fear among his pack members and soon the taste of cherries filled his mouth, shaking his head he saw the beast with another vial in his hands.

Growling savagely as he lunged once more Grim kept up his struggle, refusing to submit to the beast so easily. But soon the minutes turned to hours and he found himself flying through the air once more as the beast merely rolled its shoulders and began stalking towards him, another vial in his hands.

It hurt to breathe, blood was flooding his lungs, His ribs had been shattered and pushed into his lungs for what could only be the dozenth time over the last five hours, He couldn't move at all. And right as things went black the familiar taste of cherries filled his mouth and his strength returned.

The beast had kept this process up without rest, beating him until he could no longer move only to restore his strength and break him once again. But surely this beast needed to rest soon, And it was then that he would take his chance and kill the beast.

Grim fought for the better part of ten hours, until finally as the cherries filled his mouth once again he just remained down, whimpering softly, He couldn't take it anymore, no matter how long they fought the beast showed no weakness, no signs of exhaustion, And what's worse he could see the pity in the beast's eyes, it knew just how weak his opponent was.

As the beast stood over him and was prepared to bring his fist back down onto his ribs Grim gave in…

As the wolf rolled onto his belly Atticus sighed softly, petting his head as he dropped to his knees. He looked over the pack interface as he leveled up and looked over the twenty new wolves he had obtained. He pets Grim softly as he whistled sharply for Shadow to come out.

After all Shadow and Iris now had to show the other wolves that they were of a higher ranking in the chain. As Shadow got close he sat down next to Grim and sighed. In a voice filled with pity, he placed a paw on the other wolves side as it shook in fear of its new alpha.

“It's ok, Master is nice, though he can be mean if he doesn't get his way...” Atticus rolled his eyes as he growled softly.”Hey, I gave him many chances to stop this before he lost so much pride. But stubborn fools only submit once they have fallen to the floor..”

Iris whimpered and sat in Atticus’ lap. “But but you didn’t have to be so mean uncle!” Sighing Atticus pet the little pup.”You will understand soon little one, some people won't submit when given the chance, they hold onto pride for as long as they can...”

As he looked up over the wolves he counted thirty, not twenty, ten were walking away which made him growl savagely, his bloodlust leaking out and filling the area with an aura of dread, enough so that the wolves outside of the pack would find the air hard to breathe.

“I did not give you permission to leave!” As he barked this out Atticus winced, his body being shaken by a new bout of pain as his body began to change. At the same time, he got a new message.

You have become fully attuned to the aspects of a wolf. As such your race has been advanced. You are now an Alpha Lycanthrope! As such you have gained the ability to change completely into the form of a wolf. You are now the Racial Leader of the Lycanthrope race of players. New players and Rebirthed players may now choose to become Lycans and will be under your command until a new alpha usurps you! You may now turn up to ten beings into Lycans per Lunar cycle. Remaining number 10

Atticus howled savagely as the pain reached new highs, his body grew longer and broader, his bones changing once again as he took on a form similar to Shadows. However he was much larger, he was exactly like Óðr. A massive beast standing at the peak of the pack. His body remained of course covered in brown fur, however much like his werewolf form he retained his tattoos in the form of what looked like a thick warpaint.

As the changed completed Atticus stumbled to his feet like a newborn calf, the ten wolves had taken this chance to begin moving in on him only to have Shadow snarl and move in to protect his friend. Seeing the boldness of the wolves Atticus growled and took off, forcing his body to work as he wished, tackling into the largest wolf and biting its throat violently. “You will submit or die, I shall not spare another tonight!”

This sudden change had the wolves confused, Where once was a man stood a beast, and now before them stood a massive wolf who was clearly the strongest one there. Grudgingly the ten laid down and submitted, adding themselves to Atticus pack as he howled loudly, as he did Shadow and little Iris followed suit, Grim forced himself to join in as the rest soon followed suit.

And so the Shadowsong pack became the largest in a one hundred mile radius. Atticus, however, turned to look at his friend and little Iris, grinning in a wolfish way as he lunged at them, tearing into their sides with his fangs.