Pov - Tavarious

My body flattening down while also being as straight as a beam would cause most to believe that this is a defensive stance, but those who think so will most likely die due to this technique. Yet, even as I prepare to pounce I can immediately tell that the wolf is not falling for my trick, I idly wonder why sapience races fall for this trick, while the beasts can sight it from a mile away. I quickly clear away those idle thoughts in the hope of them not distracting me. Even as I toss the thoughts out of my head, I can feel the pride welling up inside me. The Pride whispering words into my mind said many things, most of them untrue, I was not a peerless genius nor was I ready to take on the gods.

Those things left my mind because I was ready to pounce, and the wolf also seemed to notice this change in my demeanor. I grimace slightly because I can’t surprise the wolf with it, the knowledge that it is coming. Luckily I chose Rogue instead of Assassin, but those thoughts can be thought of later now we are in combat. With those final words scrolling across my consciousness, I leap forward at a speed that not even the wolf could have predicted. I can see surprise upon the wolf's face as it quickly changes to hesitation then finally resolve, as it begins to form a shadow spear tip pointing to where I am heading. But if the wolf thought that a technique made by my mother would so easily be countered, he would be mistaken.

Before I collide with the spear of shadow that was only a few inches away from my skin, I form a magic formation from my shadow where my foot was about to touch the ground. The magic formation was made with runes that are from the higher element of momentum. These runes were used heavily by my mom while she was still an assassin, however, she never spent the time learning momentum magic as a skill because she never had the necessary affinity with momentum, same goes for me sadly.

My eyes refocus as I was about to touch the runes of momentum, the runes in question's only purpose is so the moment in one direction of an object gets redirected into another. So as I barely touch the runes, I get sent flying to the left with the original moment of my charge. Then I formed another right under my foot and is about to land again, and with another slight touch I get sent flying back towards the wolf, but this time not only surprising the wolf but also outside all defenses made by it.

The wolf is highly intelligent, but not as intelligent as I. I quickly stomp out the rapidly rising Pride and get back on to focusing on my opponent's reaction. So while I was stuck in my Pride, the wolf jumped into the air as it probably realized that only peril would hit it, if it were to take me head-on. Expecting a reaction such as this just from how intelligent it acted, I am not fazed and continue with my plan. I aim towards the eye of the wolf with a condensed shadow dagger that I had formed during my extreme speed towards here. I toyed with the idea of taking it head-on in the air, but then crushed it. Knowing that it was my Pride that gave me the idea, not reason because if I were to take the wolf head I would surely lose.

Likewise as planned, I let loose the dagger towards the wolf’s left eye, but just as expected the wolf uses its far better control over the shadows to bring the shadow dagger into a contest of will. Where the wolf was already crushing me under far superior control over shadow magic. I quickly throw another dagger that I held. This time, instead of it being made of shadow, the dagger itself was just a plain steel dagger cloaked in shadow in an attempt to give off the idea that it is just another shadow dagger. The wolf with its far better control over shadow seems to give me a look as if to tell me ‘are you really so confident that you’ll win are next clash after losing this one'. All I give back though is a look of indifference, but inside my Pride is flaring out saying ‘this insignificant beast dare look upon me with such a look, I condemn thee to death’. With the Pride threatening to take over, I briefly look towards the wolf and its sheer look of a surprise when a dagger firmly places itself in his right eye. This most likely happened when the wolf tried to stop the dagger, but only ended up dissipating the cloak I put on the dagger. What internally surprises me, is that the Pride that was once rampaging in me calmed at the sight of the beast getting what it deserves.

The wolf soon lands on the ground only 10 or 11 meters away from me, with a look that could kill, burrowing a hole through me. So indisputably I have become the winner of the first clash, but the Wolf seems to be only enraged at themselves for underestimating me. The wolf while doing this leaves a wide opening for me to take, but I could not take it. While trying to project an air of having this all under control, I sweat internally because I used most of my Mana on the first clash, mostly because I believed the beast would run once it got injured. Though, for being so confident in a plan that only had the barest hints of working, I am a fool. I then remember one of the sayings that my mother used to say, “Confidence often brews arrogance, so always be wary of your own actions.” Because of these words slapping me, I realized that the arrogance took the crack that was my confidence in the plan, the used it to invade me and make me overconfident. By the time I have made my own realization, the wolf in front of me also finishes his, this time with determination covering his eye.

Seeing the shear waves of determination that are rolling off the wolf now I start shivering. It took me a few moments to realize this as I was sucked into the eyes as if it were an illusion or mind magic. It feels as if my fate was decided to be a lamb for this wolf to slaughter. Trying to scramble my way out of this feeling I do the unthinkable in my eyes, I step a foot into the Pride with its boundless confidence in a vain attempt to escape this feeling. With that, all the fear and anxiety disappear as if it was nothing, this feeling from the Pride made me feel powerful and invincible. I know I am at the top of the world because all a lesser in my shine.

The wolf, seeing me calm down, begins his attack. With a roar that shakes and penetrates all obstacles, the wolf starts greedily sucking in all the shadows in the area. Surprisingly, this makes the area lighter, but that does not matter because this insolent beast dares to attack a god-like myself. I stand there, not bothering to dodge such an insolent attack as I watch the shadows turn into swords, spears, and even halberds. I scoff at the weakness of the attempt of this miserable creature, but with a howl from the wolf, all these created weapons of shadow sent flying towards me.

My folly reach me before the weapons did because just then I realized that I was fuck thanks to my Pride. I could not even dodge now because all the weapons are merely a few meters away, with no room to dodge. I close my eyes, knowing the inevitable. Then I feel a massive amount of pain wracking my body as if roots of agony push it way away from my shoulder where the initial hit happened. Then only a few seconds later I realized I was on the ground wiggling around, the pain just growing.

Everything then became darker in my eyelids and with a gasp, I passed out with no rime or reason to anything, All was just pain and suffering.