When the door finally burst open and the horde from hell rushed in, the Wisp didn’t hesitate.

The first wolf was immediately engulfed in flames as it crossed the threshold, probably looking to them as if the room itself had exploded. Its burned body was thrown back outside along with a huge expanding flower of fire, and it took a few seconds before the others regained the nerve to continue the assault.

[Reserves at 65%.] Hazel said.

The Wisp simply blinked as it took in the pounding rain and lightning. Outside was ever the darkened super storm as before, and for a brief moment the Wisp wondered about the land beyond. It pushed the thought out. There were more important things to wonder about, in any case.

The first wolf to barge its way in was large, larger than any template the Wisp had access to. Though only about a third the size of the threat a few days ago, the Wisp carefully noted the sharp teeth, long claws, and the spark of intelligence in its eyes. Its shimmering coat also betrayed a hint of deep red, striking the Wisp as possibly magical in origin.

[Aggressive deviation from standard templates. Update accordingly.] The Wisp commanded.

[Aye, aye!]

The Wisp idly watched out of the corner of its vision as Hazel edited and created new templates, its gaze fixed on the wolf now climbing over the destroyed door frame.

They began to pour in, undeterred by the Wisp’s barrage of flame blasts. As over ten of the pack beasts flooded through the door, two were caught by fire and tossed to the side smouldering. Throwing themselves to the side and spreading out as soon able, the pack fanned out like river delta.

The wolves seemed unfortunately prepared for the traps inside as the Wisp watched them dance around the falling rock’s strike zones and leaping over disguised pits after losing one of their number to one. The only trap that gave them any trouble seemed to be the embedded spikes acting as sharp walls, and they were forced to stop and carefully weave around when they could.

Thankfully, it seemed as if they couldn’t fly, and so the Wisp floated safely near the roof, launching off flame waves conservatively. The Wisp even allowed itself a shade of satisfaction in thinking that it was only a matter of time before the fortress was secure again.

[It seems like we were worried for nothing!] Hazel remarked. [These go down so much easier than the spider!]

The Wisp ignored the premonition and blasted another wolf when it suddenly realized that the wolves it hit hadn't stayed still at all. The Wisp looked more closely at the wolf it had just hit, and updated the templates itself when it suddenly…

[Did that just get back up?] Hazel asked. [Are they?...]

The Wisp glanced back towards the gate to find it devoid of corpses, and that all the beasts had gotten back up to rejoin the fight, sporting only a slightly darkened coat to show for it.

[They seem to be fire resistant.] The Wisp replied calmly.

Realizing that the wisp’s attacks were ineffectual seemed to inspire the attackers, and before another minute had passed the first had successfully traversed the room to start pounding on the interior gate. The Wisp updated their threat priorities accordingly.

[Then switch to something else!]

The Wisp went through its spellcoded combat protocols again. Or rather it reminded itself of the lack of such protocols.

[I have no coded attacks other than igniting mana.]

Hazel sounded bewildered. [What? Did you lose all your memory too? Remember the first fight?]

The Wisp blinked in agreement and set about decoupling the mana flow again. Then, right after the few attacking the gate charged again, it connected it to the exterior gate.

The smell was poignant.

…

Wiggles was never coded to deal with crying children. In fact he was never coded to really talk too much to them at all, with almost the entirety of his instincts devoted to those related to protecting his charge. A mission statement that had unfortunately evolved throughout the years.

So while he now had years of experience with this sort of thing, he had always secretly preferred foiling assassination attempts to consoling Numi after she failed a test. But an unforeseen duty was still a duty.

So now, as the halls shook with the sounds of the explosive brawl just outside, Wiggles stood beside a sulking child in the small room behind the engine rather than guiding the golems just inside the interior gate. While it was the first time he’d seen it unblocked, he couldn’t really understand why it normally was. It was just filled with rocks.

[Come on now, don’t you think they’ll need us at the gate?]

Numi kicked a rock as she paced back and forth across the closet.

“He didn’t make it sound like I’d be very helpful.” Numi sat down and threw her arms around her legs. “I mean, apparently I drew them here!”

He plodded over and placed a paw on her leg.

[Come on now...]

“Maybe they’re all right.” Numi interrupted. “I mean, I constantly make problems for everyone around me. I mess up every time I try to cast.”

Wiggles internally sighed as he caught on to the depressive spiral forming again.

[Making mistakes is how you...]

“There is a limit to how many mistakes you can make and still say that, Wiggles.” She cut in. “And I passed that months ago.”

The room shuddered as another couple blasts shook through the rock, and for a moment the golem wondered what could possibly be causing such force. Did their ‘wisp’ friend have access to explosives?

[You have to keep in mind how young you are, Numi.] Wiggle’s left leg spasmed. [Master said most people don’t start practicing until they are at least fifteen. Your level of skill makes sense.]

“But I’ve been at it for a year now.” Numi buried her head deeper into her arms. “And I still suck.”

[Master seemed to think you were doing fine.] Wiggles tried.

When she didn’t respond he glanced around the room again, planning his next attack. He wasn’t an expert at this by any means, but there were a few that normally worked well enough. As his eyes wandered they drifted upon a curious rock lying by the side wall. It was shaped like a shallow cylinder with thousands of small etchings on it. It was also strangely familiar…

[Didn't the master have something like that?] He nodded towards it, and Numi’s head thankfully lifted up to look.

Distraction always was the best medicine.

“Yeah… I think he did.” She scooted over to it and picked it up. The etchings softly lit up in a light blue. “It didn’t work though.”

[He must’ve made a lot of mistakes trying to fix it.]

Numi rolled her eyes into the next room, which Wiggles took as a good sign.

“You know, he always did claim he was working with an ancient wisp keystone.” She turned the stone around to look at the bottom. “Maybe our host actually is a wisp.”

[Maybe.] Wiggles still didn’t quite believe it. It was a little like claiming one was an ancient demigod, something that would have to be proved above all else.

Suddenly, a massive cacophony of tortured barks filled the halls, as if a dozen dogs were thrown into a furnace at the same time. The two shrunk and covered their ears in fear as the primal sense of empathy tore at the vetern fox. What the hell were they doing out there?

After a few seconds the screaming stopped, and the two staggered to their feet.

“What was that?”

[By the purelight, I wouldn’t know. But I need to get back out there.]

Wiggles turned to leave, stopping by the door to leave one last nugget before sprinting off towards the gate.

[Don’t be long.]

…

The surviving wolves scattered from the gate, away from the unfortunate six who’d gotten caught up in the flow. Those instead went to the ground as the force mana quickly peeled off their skins with the abrasion, and they quickly became unrecognisable red meat sacks as they fell to the ground dead, screaming until the moment their voice boxes were burned away.

[You know, that looks like an unpleasant way to go.] Hazel remarked. [Maybe that’s why it isn’t described in the combat templates.]

[All measures are necessary in service of the primary directive.]

The other wolves quickly decided to disperse, scrambling and clawing over the spikes and pits towards the door as fast as their legs could take them. They were obviously defeated with little intention to come back, but the Wisp knew that sometimes such acts were all too temporary.

He cut the rocks from the ceiling.

The survivors were not looking at the roof as they fled originally, but they looked up now as the sound of cracking stone reached them all too late. All but one grizzled looking elder were obliterated under the barrage, most only barely able to look up before a ton of flying stone smashed them into a puddle against the floor. After a second, the entrance hall fell silent, only the smell of burnt fur telling of what had occurred. It struck the Wisp as interesting just how fast everything had turned.

The surviving elder wasted no time in effecting its escape, and the Wisp made no move to stop him as he slipped under the mana flow of the exterior door and into the night.

[Defense directive completed.] The Wisp said calmly. [Repair operations can begin.]

That seemed to shake Hazel out of her stupor.

[Why did you…] She stuttered. [They were defeated…]

The Wisp started cutting up the larger fallen rocks to move later. [They would’ve been back unless our victory was total. There is no point in extending the fight in such a way.]

[You don’t know that!] She exclaimed. [They just watched six of their number get shredded in the flow, for template’s sake!]

[Then there was no point in taking that gamble.] The Wisp replied. [I suggest you stop. The fight is won and the hall is defended.]

The Wisp evidently spoke too soon, for no longer than had the last word been sent did another silhouette darken the frame from outside, and this one was as large as it was familiar.

[Personal mana stores at 30%.] Hazel instantly switched back into combat mode.

[It should not be able to get past the mana flow.]

That was instantly proven wrong as well, as the beast raised its head up and hurled its voice towards the flow. It spawned a wave that glowed with magical energy, and once it made contact with the flow the entire room seemed to shudder.

Even more horrifically, the mana flow seemed to shake. After a moment, it collapsed in a small invisible explosion, knocking the wisp and the beast to the ground as all the mana escaped into the air. Instantly the Wisp saw the door controls vanish from his perception as the entire fortress went dark.

The air crackled and snapped with mana and blood.

“Wisp.” The beast’s voice was scratchy and rough, unused to speaking in the local tongue. “You are Uncalled. A scratch against existence as told by the Hafel.”

The Wisp spun in confusion. It could talk this whole time? Why hadn’t it done so last time?

It strode into the room, its mana legs avoiding a the pools of blood mingling with the pebbles. The Wisp felt its emotional shield strain against the stress as it cautiously floated upwards.

“I regret to inform you that the refuge has not been built to accommodate your species.” The Wisp said calmly. It floated to get between the creature and the door, processing plans of attack and their probabilities of success. None of them seemed to be very high. “While we appreciate visitors auditing our defensive emplacements, we are not open today. We had hoped this was made clear during your last visit.”

“We?” The wolf head seemed to grin for a second.

“I underestimated you last time. That is true.” The beast continued until it had covered half the distance of the hall. “But your tricks will not deter me today. You will die by my maw.”

“Regrettable.”

“I am Boeth, Hunter of the West, and you are Uncalled, Wisp.”

Boeth licked its lips, its eyes drilling into the Wisp.

“I hope you find your place in the Tempest.”

[Let's finish the bastard off this time, Azu.]

[Purge protocol is in effect.] The Wisp agreed.

The beast began to charge across the hall, covering the distance exceptionally fast in spite of the destroyed floor.

The Wisp dashed upwards and let Hazel take control of the casting as it focused on moving and dodging. They made for an effective team, and the Wisp made sure to open up angles of attack for Hazel whenever it felt it safe.

The hunter leaped unnaturally high off of the fallen rocks, easily able to harry the Wisp’s position near the roof. The Wisp dashed downwards to avoid the claws, but the wolf seemed to easily twist mid air to avoid Hazel’s carefully aimed attacks, which the Wisp still found impressive. It had been obvious by its performance last time that the hunter had some subtle grasp of magic, but now it was turned up to an eleven. It almost appeared as if the creature could hover for a time on mana alone, though the Wisp could see no obvious casting taking place in its mana vision.

After a slash got uncomfortably close to scratching the corestone, the Wisp decided to switch things up, slamming itself towards the ground in the hope that it could take some refuge among the scattered debris and spikes.

If the hunter was competent at aerial combat however, it was twice that on the ground. As soon as its legs had touched earth the beast was upon them, gnashing and snapping in between the spikes and traps, slowly forcing the Wisp towards a trap near some rocks.

The Wisp shot forward to avoid that fate, twisting and turning through the air in as sporadic a fashion as possible. Claw after fang bit the flames as the Wisp dodged, only ultimately saved by a well timed fire blast forcing the wolf to back off for a second. Immediately the Wisp took the blessing and bounced off a rock as it flew back into the air.

[Hazel, open the interior gate a little please.]

The Wisp and the hunter circled each other, the hunter catching its breath as the Wisp lamented its heavily depleted mana stores.

[Flow’s cut through the base apparently, can’t.]

The Wisp was now calculating the outcome as a total defeat, unable to see a way to defeat their opponent.

The Wisp sighed. If they had started the fight with full stores, it was sure it could’ve won by tiring out the hunter. The Wisp didn’t get fatigued except by mana shortage of course, and it could’ve just dodged and weaved until an opening presented itself. But with only a measly 15% remaining? The Wisp would definitely run out of juice before it did, and then it would be over. That would be unacceptable, but the Wisp couldn’t think of another way.

[Azu, open a sally port.]

[Repeat?]

[Fly towards the interior wall, quick!]

The Wisp obliged, and quickly turned to fly straight at the interior wall. Hazel readied the stone shaping as it did so, unleashing it in a beam ahead of the Wisp as it approached the wall. Behind them, the clicking of legs sped up as it realized the Wisp was making to flee. As Hazel cut a hole just big enough for the Wisp’s core to slide through, it howled in frustration, stabbing a spindly leg through after them.

The Wisp shot through and hit the wall on the other side with a loud splat as the core flames caught up, scattering a dozen or so stone foxes who had been standing around. Immediately Hazel took the opportunity to launch a fire wave towards the hole, and the tip of the hunter’s leg was singed as it withdrew with a yelp.

The Wisp floated up calmly and looked over the canine carpet in front of the gate. The familiar twitchy one stood by the back along with the marble pawed one and a few other more uniquely shaped foxes.

“Numi told us you could fight.” The Wisp stated. “It looks like we’re gonna need you.”