Kaine’s hand approached the weapon’s grip when suddenly a warm breath was inhaled from behind him, feeling the air rush past his very neck.

Kaine panicked, having heard nothing, having sensed not a single movement behind him until it was too late.

Until the creature stood directly behind him, as he turned to face it with fright.

{Alpha} Angler Wolf [Level 24]

Standing twice his own height even as it lay on all fours, the dark beast gazed over Kaine and at the Covenants.

A four-legged body of blackish-grey fur, not far from a panther’s, with each paw ending in four short silver claws. Frills of black grew out of its back and neck, creating a sort of a fin and a mane of multi-coloured lights, as each frill’s end glowed a dim hue. Its head then was like a wolf’s, but with a far longer snout and circular ears similar to a lion’s.

Ending his inspection of the creature upon its eyes, Kaine watched as it briefly glanced down at him, its completely blank white gaze staring directly into him.

A brief growl exited the creature, filling Kaine with a powerful sense of dread, as every fibre of his being told him to hide.

To turn tail.

“I take back what I just said…” The covenant officer then mused, as each of their eyes widened.

At his words, several more lights then flashed alive behind the first creature, and the thought overcame Kaine then.

The thought of running.

“Run-” The officer tried to say, as he himself turned about, collapsing to the ground right then as a mass of black fur fell upon him.

Pouncing onto the officer, the first beast’s fangs dug down and deep, tearing off at the armour like it was nothing before its mighty jaws. Rising with a mound of metal and flesh within its maw, it quickly gulped it down before glancing at its pack.

Twenty to maybe more of the creatures were visible to Kaine then, as they growled, as their frills trembled and shone, making a hissing sound as they moved.

All the while, the remaining Covenants turned tail and ran.

In return, the first beast snarled, and the hunt began.

As twenty or so of the creatures rushed after them, the first remained upon its kill, but it did not eat further.

No, this one was now staring directly at Kaine once more, as its pack rushed around him, seemingly ignoring him.

Kaine met its stare as his body trembled, his eyes betraying him for the fear he felt.

“These are no lands for you, dark child.” A voice then spoke out from before Kaine, rumbling like a thundering growl.

Realising it was the beast talking, “I-I don’t have…much else where to go.” Kaine responded.

It huffed, digging down once more into its snack before coming back up with a mouthful, “Then thread forth carefully, for if you cannot sense us, then there may be many worse watching.” It warned.

Kaine blinked his eyes, watching with relief as the daggers within his view dissipated from sight, as Nova also seemed to return to herself whilst the grip within her jaws also had disappeared.

Not knowing what pushed him to even ask, “Why…haven’t you killed me?” He did so anyway.

Rising to stare directly into his eyes once again, they narrowed as it huffed, “There is much of your blood, you’ve yet to learn, isn’t there?” It asked curiously, “It has been many…many moons, since I last met one…of you. But the lands remember, the lands never forget, not your sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice?” Kaine repeated in question, remembering the Gaizedon speaking of something similar, but never having asked for a further explanation.

“The Alfs have forgotten, and the Darks have long been gone, only the lands remember. Only we remember.” The creature mused, stepping forward and closer to Kaine. “Do you wish to remember?” It asked.

{Quest Log} ~New Quest Available!~ [Dark Origins];

A shrewd creature of the Dim Lands approaches you with knowledge, will you follow it?

Requirements;

Total level: 8 or higher

Race: Dark Elf

Reward: Racial Information, Unknown, Unknown

Time limit: 20 seconds

Possible results of failure include: Player will have to seek out the quest giver to re-accept.

Do you accept this quest?

Seeing the option to either accept or deny, then noticing the time frame limit, Kaine saw no harm in giving it a shot. “Yes, I want to know more.” He said.

{Quest Log}

Quest [Dark Origins] accepted!

“Good, but first, we hunt.” It exclaimed with a howl. The Angler Wolf spun about, stretching its claws as it eyed the escaping three Covenants, and the battle beyond. “There lays too much prey, too pass up. Come dark child, hunt with us.”

{Quest Log} [Dark Origins] {Objective}: Hunt with the pack; 0/17

{Failures}: Death, Losing the pack, Gaining no kills

Kaine followed its gaze, the pack was surrounding the two escaping soldiers, almost herding them towards the rest. As more wolves rushed ahead of the pack, surrounding Kaine’s allies and the Covenants engaging with them.

“Some of that prey, I need it alive.” Kaine then quickly said, and the wolf re-met his eyes.

Narrowing said eyes, the wolf once more stared emptily into him. “Very well, but you shall owe the pack for each kill denied.” It growled back, before howling forth a second time.

Kaine nodded, “Alright.”

{Quest Log} {Objective Update} [Dark Origins] {Objective}: Hunt with the pack; 0/10

{Failures}: Death, Losing the pack, Gaining no kills, Losing a party member

“Then show us your worth,” The wolf mused as it suddenly leapt into a run, “The pack doesn’t accept those who cannot provide.” It growled as it charged out of the Dim Lands, tendrils of shadow briefly flowing after it as it entered under the ravine’s light. The Alpha re-joined its pack, immediately pouncing onto another Covenant as the halberdier struggled to avoid the lunging wolves.

Another immediate take-down, as the wolf’s weight and ravenous maw befell the soldier.

{Quest Log} {Objective Update} [Dark Origins] {Objective}: Hunt with the pack; 0/9

{Failures}: Death, Losing the pack, Gaining no kills, Losing a party member

And with the next quest update, Kaine knew what was at stake.

The more kills, the better the reward.

He thought to himself, as he retrieved two short swords, switching one into a back-hand hold.

“You would trust these creatures, over my mistress?” Nova then asked from around his neck.

“Maybe,” Kaine snapped at the demon, causing it to hiss in frustration as he focused onto the pack ahead.

Taking a deep breath, he watched calmly as three wolves together brought down the third Covenant, grabbing the man by the limbs, the beasts proceeded to tearing him apart.

{Quest Log} {Objective Update} [Dark Origins] {Objective}: Hunt with the pack; 0/8

{Failures}: Death, Losing the pack, Gaining no kills, Losing a party member

Gritting his teeth, Kaine charged out as well, pushing himself to his statistical limits. Putting every point he had in agility to use.

-

Moments earlier

-

Jedd struggled for her life, as she swung her hammer left and right, bashing into shields with each hit and pushing the two Covenants off. Her beastial strength proving to mean little against their own power and equipment, each strike pushing them only a few feet back as they held her surrounded and at bay.

Quickly glancing about, her comrades weren’t fairing much better either, as the Covenant’s shields seemingly deflected off everything but Farvo’s cannon, even Lara’s flames seemed to dissipate on collision.

As Farvo was given no chance to reload, a halberdier chasing the stubby dwarf about as he grumbled and swore, Farvo being surprisingly quicker on his legs than he seemingly should’ve been.

Sin and Dark also held their own, watching one another’s backs as they lashed out with deadly attacks, turned only into injuries due to their foe’s strong equipment.

Swinging her hammer to the side, she threw the first shieldsman off-balance before suddenly turning to the second as they tried to approach her from behind. Clenching her weapon tightly, she silently activated one of her Martial Skills, having learned that she needed no chant for them. As the energy pulsed through her weapon, she swung it low, rising as it approached her target.

Clashing with them, she sent her foe’s arms upwards as had their shield, using that moment’s opening to lunge forward and bash her hammer into the shield once more. Sending the Covenant more than off-balance, as the sheer force made the man stumble back and fall over.

But she couldn’t finish him off, as effective as her weapon was against their armour, she still had to quickly turn around to block the lunging sword of her second opponent. Swiping the weapon aside with her enlarged hand, the blade cut her as she did so, but also avoiding herself a possibly disabling blow to the leg.

Jedd retreated from the two as one repositioned themselves and the other rose back up to their feet, taking the moment to breath, and quickly glance over at the Dim lands where she last saw Kaine disappear into.

Now not seeing a single figure, not the smallest bit of movement from within the shade, hidden by the darkness beyond.

Only the next few messages gave her hope.

[Jor Mungandr] assassinated {Covenant 3rd Squire} Elven Halberdier [Level 13]

-50 {Elder’s Coven} Reputation

[The Elder’s Coven] -40/2000

-50 {Covenant} Reputation

[The Covenant] -40/2000

Increased Reputation with /Unknown/ faction

Martial Experience gained 35/600

[Jor Mungandr] assassinated {Covenant 3rd Squire} Elven Shieldsman [Level 13]

-50 {Elder’s Coven} Reputation

[The Elder’s Coven] -90/2000

-50 {Covenant} Reputation

[The Covenant] -90/2000

Increased Reputation with /Unknown/ faction

Martial Experience gained 60/600

As they came in quick succession, yet still she saw no sign of movement.

Refocusing on her own fight, Jedd prepared herself to clash with the two Covenants once more. Gritting her teeth, “Well?! Come on then!” She exclaimed, taking a step forth herself.

When a howl sounded off from the distance, pausing everyone in their steps, the sound sent a chill crawling up their spines. The Covenants immediately disengaged from the fighting, reforming into a singular formation, as half kept eyes on the adventurers and the other watched the Dim Lands.

Unsure what was occurring, Jedd also rejoined her comrades and watched as two Covenants suddenly rushed out of the shade.

Scrambling away from the shadows, as out of it burst out more than a dozen monstrous creatures.

While most of the wolves rushed to surround them, the rest lagged back.

As a second howl sounded out.

Giving chase to the Covenants, the wolvine beasts bit and lunged at them as they ran, surrounding the two soldiers who swung their weapons wildly. Jedd watched as the beasts took down each with great ease, leaving the corpses behind before rejoining the pack.

Angler Wolf [Level 21]

Over twenty-six of the creatures prowled about them, growling silently, they watched them back with their empty white eyes.

Circling them.

Waiting…

“Archers!” Then exclaimed Clayton from within the Covenant ranks, as most of the beasts seemed to focus on surrounding them.

As out of nowhere a barrage of arrows befell onto the pack of wolves, scattering them and forcing Lara to send forth a burst of flame to block many a projectile from hitting them as well.

“Shit there’s more!?” Dark exclaimed with a grimace.

“We’re fucked…” Rey mused as she glanced back and forth.

“No, not yet!” Then spoke out a voice from within the wolves, as they reformed around the Covenants whilst many rushed out in search of the hidden archers.

As Kaine leapt onto the back of one beast, weapons clenched he leapt off it as it snarled in annoyance at him, rising up into the air above the Covenants.

Not noticing his descent, Kaine crashed down onto Clayton, using his weight and strength to sink one of his short swords into the soldier’s back. The high-quality weapon pierced through the leathery part of his armour with ease and Clayton collapsed to the ground. Breathing blood, he slowly choked upon the crimson liquid as it filled his lungs.

As Kaine quickly rose up, retrieving his new weapon from the soldier’s back and immediately holding both weapons up, blocking two similar blades as they befell onto him. Deflecting the attacks, he watched as the pack of wolves began their assault upon his, lunging and grabbing at the Covenants, trying to drag any one of them away from the rest.

Succeeding with a halberdier, as a beast gnawed at their weapon’s pole and pulled, making the man stumble forward and into the jaws of two more. The rest of the Covenants watched horrified as the wolves pulled the screaming man into their ranks, before beginning to tear him asunder, more wolves moving in to take the place of those now busy three.

Kaine took this chance as they lay distracted, slashing aside one swordsman’s blade, he lunged in with both weapons after another. Knocking aside their shield with one, he plunged his second deep into the man’s neck, sending a splatter of blood all over his own face before quickly retreating out and turning to face the next.

{Quest Log} {Objective Update} [Dark Origins] {Objective}: Hunt with the pack; 2/16

{Objective}: Hunt with the pack; 2/16{Failures}: Death, Losing the pack, Losing a party member

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqaNhYIxF0I

“Don’t let up!” Kaine exclaimed, as his blades flashed forth, both deflected by a soldier’s shield yet he did not stop. Second after second his weapons swung, a barrage of attacks, Kaine wasted not a breath as he pushed himself deeper into the fight.

“They’re on our side! Fight!” Kaine said, snapping his comrades out of their daze, Dark and Sin reacted first as the notification hit them.

{Quest Log} {Objective Shared} [Dark Origins] {Objective}: Hunt with the pack; 2/16

{Failures}: Death, Losing the pack, Losing a party member

Seeing their objective, backed up by the pack of beasts, and seeing the confused and distracted enemy. Dark wasted not another second as he too joined the fray, leaping into action, his enlarged form landed amidst two halberdiers.

A crimson light flashed out of his weapon as he swung forth, marking both whilst they turned to him, each was too slow before his speed. As Dark’s katana struck out all too fast to see, slashing and chopping up the soldier’s halberds into pieces.

And as the ruined weapons fell into piles on the ground, the two Covenants reached for their side-arms, grasping onto their sheathed swords as Dark pressed onto one.

Sinking his weapon cleanly through the gap between chest plate and helmet, Dark’s blade pierced into the man’s neck with a resounding wet slice before slipping back out. Not even waiting to watch the soldier fall dead to the ground, Dark stepped aside and turned around, meeting the second’s sword with his own.

Deflected the wild slash, Dark spun his weapon expertly, leading his opponent’s sword aside before suddenly lunging in. Driving his own katana into the woman’s shoulder, he kicked her back as his weapon held her, knocking her to the ground.

The soldier lost her weapon as she fell, opening her eyes then to find Dark standing above her, katana held with both hands and aim downwards.

Before he stabbed down, executing the soldier where she lay.

{Quest Log} {Objective Update} [Dark Origins] {Objective}: Hunt with the pack; 4/16

{Failures}: Death, Losing the pack, Losing a party member

Sin and the rest charged in right then, as she dropped her pole-blade upon the last halberdier, hitting him over the head and dazing him, still her blade could not pierce the metal their helm was made of.

Frustrated by this, Sin stored her Naginata into her inventory, then stepping back and picking up a nearby halberd. Glancing over at Kaine and at how easily the two swords he took from the Covenant pierced their armour, she smiled widely before returning to her chosen foe, as the man recovered from his daze.

“Take their loot! Use it against them!” Sin exclaimed, grinning widely, she pressed onto the halberdier with her own new weapon. Slashing down, the soldier met her with his own long weapon, stumbling back by the sudden strength of Sin’s beast form.

Sin did not give him a moment’s breath to recover, immediately spinning around with her weapon and diving it back down onto him. Forcing him to reposition to block it once more, and once more Sin spun, forcing the man back another time.

But this time, he was too slow in blocking, as he missed Sin’s blade with his own.

As Sin’s axe blade felled through his own, and further onto his shoulder. The metal pauldron blocking most of the attack, yet the axe slid to the side and dug into the leather with ease, chopping a few centimetres into the man’s shoulder.

Retreating back further, the man lost use of his left arm and now broken weapon. Reaching for his sheathed sword, he watched with wild eyes as once more Sin spun, continuing her combination of attacks into one final cleave.

As very accurately her weapon felled through man’s right arm, chopping it straight at the centre and in between the gauntlet and arm-guard. Literally disarmed, the soldier stumbled back further, screaming in pain as he fell to a knee.

His eyes rising to meet Sin’s grin, as she stepped to stand a few feet before him.

Halberd rising right before him, and knocking the helmet off his head, she then raised it back up with the helm still hanging off the axe’s curved point. “Thanks for the loot dear,” Sin mused, before dropping her blade down and hard, a loud squelch sounding off as the halberd cleaved the man’s head into half.

{Quest Log} {Objective Update} [Dark Origins] {Objective}: Hunt with the pack; 5/15

{Failures}: Death, Losing the pack, Losing a party member

Five down and one still remaining, as the wolves had dragged away another poor victim into their grinder of fangs and claws. Kaine faced the last one, deflecting his every struggling lunge and shield bash, Kaine toyed with him as he stepped back and aside, tiring him out.

The wolves watched and growled, filling the soldier with panic at the sight of the bloodied and further bloodthirsty beasts which surrounded him.

Distracting him.

A moment Kaine did not let pass him by, as he suddenly threw his right sword into the man’s own weapon, confusing him further.

Kaine lunged in, using his now free hand to slightly pull the man’s shield aside even as it bashed into him, he then met the man’s terrified eyes.

As his sword now lay stabbing through his armour and deep within his side.

Coughing out blood the soldier retreated back, taking a trained defensive stance even as Kaine’s sword lay embedded into his side. His expression drowned with pain and fear, Kaine watched as the man stumbled and tried to remain standing.

As more and more blood leaked out of his wound and mouth, even the wolves simply watched and waited now.

The man then suddenly falling to his knees before collapsing onto the ground.

{Quest Log} {Objective Update} [Dark Origins] {Objective}: Hunt with the pack; 6/15

{Failures}: Death, Losing the pack, Losing a party member

Watching the soldier fall dead, each of the wolves then turned off and rushed out into a scattered formation of threes and fours, scouring their surroundings until a group of bow-wielding Covenants rushed out of the tall grass and began to run.

But there was no escape, as one after the other, each archer was rundown, pounced upon or simply pushed into the floor before several other wolves came down upon them.

Metal, leather and flesh filling their maws as the beasts tore each soldier into a mangled mess.

{Quest Log} {Objective Update} [Dark Origins] {Objective}: Hunt with the pack; 6/6

{Failures}: Death, Losing the pack, Losing a party member

{Quest Log} {Objective Complete}

Kaine took a deep breath of relief, squandered relief which was quickly taken away as the pack turned back to them.

As the Alpha approached him.

“Well fought,” The beast mused as only he, Jedd, Sin and Dark could comprehend it. “Six meals, three of which you took down yourself. If you were my pup, I’d be proud, for rarely does one fang take out several.”

“The bodies are all yours,” Kaine quickly said, seeing no such thing as a meal out of the mangled elven corpses.

“Then the sticks and pelts are yours,” The Alpha responded with a grateful nod, “You wished to know more of your blood? Then come, dark child, let us take this chat to a safer place.”