Benjamin Vryce

The process was going smoothly, except the sun was setting sooner than he had expected. That wasn’t too much of a surprise to him. He had fallen unconscious a few times over the last week and he didn’t know the exact time anyway. He was on the second grave from the end when he heard the howls.

He didn’t even look up; they were a little way off still and he needed to finish. Turning the newly unearthed goblin’s head he found another destroyed pattern. Damn that made only four intact patterns so far and one that was damaged but may be salvageable.

The wolf howled again, closer this time. Benjamin quickly grabbed the creation core in a fold of cloth and moved on to the last grave. He dug franticly, hope that this last pattern might be intact keeping his hands moving.

“Benjamin, Grace can hear the wolves. She thinks there are many, it is time to leave.” Grace said returning finally from her foraging trip.

Benjamin glanced up at her, noting a few additions to her loadout but not taking the time to inspect it. He kept digging, it wouldn’t take long and he had to finish.

“I’m almost done here Grace. This is the last one, I just need to…ah.” He had reached the body. Being less gentle than he had up to this point he turned the head and dug into it. As he pulled out the intact pattern, he was satisfied with his decision to attempt the last grave.

“I’ve got it, Grace grab the bundles while I grab the creation core and let’s get out of here.” He said, digging into the chest cavity.

Grace did as he asked, gathering up the cores and patterns and tucking them away safely. He had finished and was franticly throwing dirt back over the hole, when the wolves arrived.

The light was fading around them but it wasn’t dark yet. Benjamin rose to his feet as the first one came into view. It was of a size with the ice wolf and was followed by three ‘normal’ horse sized wolves.

Benjamin inspected the beast. It was a mottled fiery red and orange color, long fangs and blazing yellow eyes. If the wolf Benjamin had killed would be at home in an ice age, this one would be at home on a volcano.

Movement to the side drew his attention away from the flame wolf. Four more wolves were entering the town square. Again, there were three regular looking wolves of a size with horses. Their leader was just as fantastic as the fire wolf.

Its fur was a metallic silver, and had deep blue bolts branching out across its body. They looked like dark lightening, shooting across a cloudy sky. Its eyes were the turbulent grey of storm clouds. It looked less enraged than the red wolf, yet wild and ready for anything.

Another spot of movement proceeded another foursome of wolves. The pattern held, three regular if large wolves led by a monster. This one was thick and moved slowly, body covered in what Benjamin could only say were plates of rock.

They overlapped each other down the beast’s body to form an impressive armor. This wolf’s eyes were lidded with slabs of stone and Benjamin couldn’t make them out. It looked closer to a bear then a wolf. It plodded along slowly compared to its counterparts, power thrumming through its frame with every step.

“The elemental wolf daughters of legend,” Grace breathed out. The head of the bearded axe dropping to the ground as she stared slack jawed at the mighty beasts that now encircled them.

“Legend?” Benjamin asked looking at her after those words. She recognized these creatures from her legends. He didn’t know what that meant, but one such beast had nearly been the end of him. There was no escaping three of them.

“It pleases me that you remember your history, little one.” A deep rumbling voice, reverberated from inside Benjamin’s head. With those mental words a shape loomed up from the growing darkness and entered the square.

It was a wolf, in theory, the beast had long hornlike spikes running the length of its spine. Boney plates covering it like armor in a few places and looked to be the size of a school bus. It dwarfed the horse sized white wolf that limped along at its side. Benjamin recognized the claw scarred beast as the one that had run from the fight earlier.

“Please,” That deep rumbling mental voice sounded again, and Benjamin realized it was coming from the monstrously huge wolf. “Inform the soul you are now bound to of our past.” It came to a stop above Benjamin, looking down its muzzle at him with ancient eyes filled with sorrow and promise.

After swallowing back his trepidation he turned to look at his goblin companion. She stood, head lowered eyes not meeting his or the talking wolf monster. After a moment, where he thought he might have to prompt her, she spoke.

“Grace’s people told stories about the wolf riders from long ago.” She started, still looking at the ground. “Grace was told, long ago that the wolves used to be friendly with the Goblin clan. They would hunt with her people and let the brave ride them into battle.” She glanced up before continuing.

“When the Lord Erlking came through in a hurry he chose the biggest strongest she wolf to carry him on his way. She carried him tirelessly, through fire and storm and mountain. When her service was ended the Erlking gifted her with greater size and power. It was said she would get another gift soon. Then the Lord Erlking left.”

She stopped for a moment before looking around at the three elemental wolves and their smaller kin. She then looked back to Benjamin.

“When the She wolf had her next litter, all understood the Lord’s words. Her litter contained five female pups, each marked by the elements she had carried him through without complaint on their journey.

The goblin chief of that time, became friends with one of the cubs. It was a she wolf whose fur was covered by strong bark armor, denoting the trip through the giant forest. The chief and the wood wolf journeyed far together and with the brave warriors of the clan expanded our boarders.” She stopped again to look at the massive she wolf. The legendary mount of a World lord. She seemed too scared to continue, until the beast dipped her head in assent.

“They grew to bold, and attacked the giants of the plains. The chief, the wood wolf and many of the strongest warriors of both Grace’s and the she wolf’s people died. The alpha she wolf took her pack and her four remaining daughters away after that, never to return. Grace’s clan was weakened, and never recovered after the battle.” She finished in a near whisper.

Benjamin looked to the three draft horse sized wolves, wolves very similar to the ice wolf he had just killed. He didn’t like where this conversation was going. He looked around at the gathered wolves. Ten wolves the size of a riding horse, three elemental wolves and the school bus sized alpha she wolf.

Odds were high that he was going to die here. He hadn’t even taken the time to absorb any of the patterns into his soul yet. If he died, he would lose them and the potential power they represented.

“Thank you little one,” the she wolf said. “It seems that I have lost another daughter, and her hunting pack. Tell me human soul, what will you do with my daughter if I allow you to keep her spirit?”

Benjamin was shocked at the question. He thought that this would be his death, he reminded himself not to get comfortable, and it still might be. He looked at the alpha wolf, her daughters and their subordinate wolves.

This was a family, just as sure as the clan Grace had lost. Intellectually, he understood that they weren’t real people. They were like the NPCs in a game, there to add flavor and give the hero someone to interact with. He just couldn’t bring himself to think of them like that though, and was beginning to understand why the Erlking had made them this way.

“There is much I don’t understand. An entity called the Arbiter, brought many of us here to help the World lords fight a battle they cannot win alone. The Erlking brought me here so that I might become stronger. I stumbled onto how the patterns…spirits…worked by accident. I want to grow stronger; I intend to aid the Erlking and the others.” He looked the alpha wolf in the eyes as he spoke.

“When Grace was bound to me, I learned that her clan was gone. I thought to bring some of them back to be with her, and yes, to help me fight. I understand that by taking her spirit your daughter can no longer return to you, but if you allowed me to keep her spirit, I would ask her to fight at my side, to be my mount, as we fought the Erlking’s enemies together, whoever they may be.”

After his speech, he and the alpha looked into each other’s eyes for a long time. It was getting closer to true dark now, but he could still see her face. The stillness was broken when the injured white wolf, the one that had been part of the ambush, limped forward.

It whined and growled to the alpha she wolf a few times, turning its head between Benjamin and her. He didn’t understand what was going on, but it seemed that the two were having a conversation.

Finally, the alpha gave the injured wolf an affectionate lick on the muzzle before speaking again in a manner that Benjamin understood.

“Very well youngling. I too felt the truth of his words, even if he is still coming to believe them himself. I will honor your request. Hunt with everything you have and make the Lord Erlking proud.” With that she raised her snout to the sky and howled.

She was joined by the others, starting with her three daughters. They lifted their heads and howled to the darkening sky, then their hunting packs picked up the cry. Then there were more voices joining the call from farther away, Benjamin didn’t know how many but there were more wolves around then what he could see.

The others still howling the alpha lowered her head and, to Benjamin and Grace’s complete shock, bit the white wolf on the back of the neck. A small shake of her head and Benjamin could hear its neck break, even over the continued howls of countless wolves.

She lay the now dead beast at Benjamin’s feet. Looking into his astonished eyes again while the howls died away.

“You hold the spirits of his hunting pack with you, he would not be denied the right to hunt at his alpha’s back. Especially when the prey are the enemies of the Lord Erlking.” She said, by way of explanation. “Now retrieve his spirit, and the core of his power, then rest. In the morning I will escort you out of my land. Never return here, human soul and take no more spirits from the land. They were placed here by Lord Erlking, and they are not yours to take.”

Benjamin watched the massive wolf slowly turn away. Her pack moved to the edges of the square, encircling them. Benjamin exchanged glances with Grace. Neither of them could quite believe what had just happened.

He looked down at the white wolf. He didn’t know if he could have made the same decision if the choice was his. This was a noble beast, and Benjamin would remember. He reached out his claws to begin the harvest. He knew that this was the Erlking’s way of telling him not to steal from him again. He could live with that. He already had far more than he had essence to summon anyway.

When he was done harvesting this noble wolf, he planned to absorb all the patterns he had collected. He looked at the pack of giant wolves spread out around them. He knew for the next twenty-four hours or so he was safe, and he was going to take advantage of the time.