Greywolf - Muzen attacked

Papa warned me that, when the wolf halo formed into a Shadow Wolf, it would use my energy as a way of binding itself to the real world. But he never told me how much it would steal as I collapse on the floor.

the Shadow Wolf leaves me behind and bounds towards Muzen. The creature's as long as Titan is tall, its grey skin stretched over bone like the Shadowcat, but with grey fur as well. For a long moment Muzen's eyes go wide as his face takes on a shocked expression, and then it's on him, Muzen knocked backwards to the floor as the gem flies away and rolls along the floor. The African woman runs after it and brings it back as the creature goes for Muzen's throat.

Its jaws meet his forearm as the creature bites down. They begin to wrestle, blood flowing from Muzen's arm as he grips the creature's head with his other powerful hand and pulls it back, the two fighting for mastery as the guard runs over. He holds his scimitar over the two as if waiting for a clear shot. The Shadow Wolf lets go of Muzen's arm, jaws snapping as he puts both feet on the creature's belly and pushes it off. The guard swings, his scimitar ripping into the Shadow Wolf's side. It snarls in pain and turns on the guard.

Strong ebony arms grab me by the back of my armor and haul me away from the fighting, towards one of the shuttered windows overlooking the plaza, while Muzen's uninjured hand glows blue. As the Shadow Wolf lunges towards the guard, he thrusts it forward. A crackling ball of blue energy shoots out and explodes against the creature, flinging it back to slam against the wall not far from where I'm being dragged.

It lands on its paws and as it shakes off the force of the impact, its bone thin, shaggy grey head swings our way.. The woman and I both freeze in fear. I remember papa telling me the Shadow Wolf would always protect me in its own way, but if he was wrong and it decides to attack, I don't have the strength to stand up, let alone defend us. Its grey eyes meet mine as its mouth opens in a ravenous smile.

Then it turns back towards Muzen and races towards him across the floor. We both breathe a sigh of relief before she resumes pulling until we almost reach one of the shuttered windows overlooking the plaza. I glance back at the African woman as she says, "If Muzen... well, Yun-Kax, is able to flip to their other self, there's going to be fire, and it won't be pretty. Will that creature attack us?"

She drags me against the wall next to Wysper, who's curled herself into a nude ball. "It shouldn't attack anyone who doesn't attack it," I reply, "until it's killed Muzen." The Shadow Wolf leaps aside as another ball of energy explodes close enough to knock it off its feet. It scrambles back up and rushes him as I add, "It always attacks its strongest enemies first before going after anyone weaker."

"Can you control it?"

The guard's scimitar misses the Shadow Wolf, who leaps onto Muzen once more as I shake my head. "I wish. It'll keep killing whatever it thinks is dangerous until someone manages to kill it."

Muzen throws it back and flings the table at it, wine cups and a ceramic jug smashing on the floor as the African woman says, "Does that include us?"

The creature's knocked back as the guard swings, missing the Shadow Wolf as his scimitar takes out a chunk of wood. The Shadow Wolf leaps at Muzen who grabs it, the two wrestling like Greek Olympians as I give her an uneasy look. "I don't know. I've never done this before."

Her uneasy expression mirrors mine as a gateway forms farther along the wall we're crouched against. Stepping through it is Fox and Karl, with a pair of children... no, not children at all. It's Lys and... Yrg?

It is Yrg, and the Winter Fae looks terrible, her black clothes dirty and ripped in places, and her face badly bruised. She looks like death warmed over, her ebony skin as pale as a corpse's while her white hair's tangled and filthy. She's walking towards the fight with a stiff legged gait and no expression on her face whatsoever.

Her right hand's empty, but her left is holding something... is that a human heart? It is, and it's got to have belonged to a mage, because there are dark blue mana nodes on its surface. Karl and Fox hang back next to the gateway, which vanishes while Lys strides forward beside Yrg, who speaks into the Winter Fae's ear. They both stop as Yrg holds out her right hand. One of the mana nodes on the heart is beginning to fade as a swirl of ice and snow forms in her empty hand, Yrg lurching as she flings the miniature storm towards the two combatants.

The winter storm explodes around them. The Shadow Wolf freezes solid while Muzen's skin is rimed with ice, and the guard's just standing there, gaping. I yell at him, "Smash the Shadow creature with your sword before it thaws. Hurry!" The guard shakes himself and whips the scimitar down at the creature's back. It shatters as if made of delicate crystal, the pieces dissolving into a grey mist which then disappears.

Evidently Muzen's able to work a little fire magic without changing to their other side, because, as he drops to his knees, his eyes change to an orange-red color as the ice on his face begins to melt. His skin returns to its normal warm brown as he pants, "Yrg, thank the heavens you are here. I need your help."

"Apologies, your holiness," Lys says in a mocking voice, "but I fear Yrg will no longer answer you. She only does what I tell her to do now."

Muzen's eyes narrow as if he's realizing the truth. "I see. You must be Lys, the Shadow Fae Yrg was hunting."

"Alas not wisely or too well. Well met, Muzen, or should I say Yun-"

The lock on the door shatters as the door is flung open, rebounding off the wall as Titan staggers into the room, Kula and a crowd of the Chosen right behind. Titan regains his balance, and spotting Muzen, points the tip of the enormous steel Greatsword he carries in one hand at the Celestial's face. "There you are. Before, I had no quarrel with you, but now that I know the truth about your ally, Ghash-Kimil, I will see you delivered to our enemies in chains of gold."

"Titan," Lys calls out in a sharp voice, "your vengeance must wait. Bukhara is about to betray us."