The varcolac gave chase as we sped through the snowy countryside in near pitch blackness. Trees splintered behind us as our four snowmobiles tried to navigate the treacherous terrain. Speed was our enemy, but also our salvation. It could deliver us straight into a tree or into a ditch, but we needed it to keep out of the varcolac’s clutches.

“Balaur, we could use some help here! We’re flying blind!” I shouted, hoping that the Old God beneath our feet could hear us.

A green light bloomed ahead of us in the boughs of a tree. The coalescing anima hung like a ripe fruit from a low branch, illuminating the ground. Small saplings shot up on in two lines that ran along the forest floor like an illuminated path.

“Balaur is showing us where to go!” I shouted.

I just hoped that Xiphos could hear me over the roar of the engines and the rushing wind. Maybe Balaur’s signal was easy enough to understand. Follow the green lights to safety.

There was something intrinsic about the colours of green and red in the human psyche. In almost every culture, green meant safety, and red meant danger. It was odd to me that we were caught between two different colours of anima. Green anima that heals and purifies, and red anima that hungers and corrupts.

The varcolac’s eyes blazed red as it chased after us, gaining ground. Stiletto brought up the rear, with Naginata and Kaiser just in front of him. Khopesh followed Xiphos and I. Stiletto was in the most danger, without a doubt, and if the varcolac kept up the pace it would be on top of him in no time.

To my surprise, the varcolac suddenly veered off the track and into the darkness. Its shaggy black fur helped it completely disappear as we followed the path set out by Balaur.

Then the realisation struck me.

Balaur was helping keep us safe, but his illuminated path showed the varcolac exactly where we would go.

“We need to leave the path, now!” I shouted, just as the varcolac erupted out of the darkness right towards us.

Xiphos banked away the moment it appearted, but it was too late for me. One of the varcolac’s claws sunk deep into the flesh of my shoulder and hooked me off the back of the bike.

Engines roared and pain flared as I slammed into the ground. Glowing green saplings erupted all around me. Motes of green anima floated in the air as I got back to my feet. I grabbed my tactical hatchet and summoned my claws. Left hand outstretched, I drew on the air around me, sucking the floating anima motes into my claws.

The healing power of Balaur’s anima stitched my skin back together as the varcolac rounded towards me again. This time it was on its hind legs, standing almost three metres tall at its hunched back. Its enormous head hung forward and low, scraggly black fur cascading down over its chest like a grime-caked beard.

The mouth was its most striking feature. Filled with a mixture of human and sharp wolf-like teeth set in a wide, shallow jaw, it looked uncannily human.

The varcolac stalked toward me as the rest of my crew circled around behind. Engines kept running as Xiphos and the rest of the team fanned out around the giant monster with their weapons raised. Muzzles flashed as they unloaded into the varcolac’s back.

The creature cried out in surprise. These measly little humans had actually managed to hurt it? Insanity!

It pivoted, swinging a huge gangly arm at the attackers behind. Khopesh activated his shield ability and took the brunt of the attack. He flew away and slammed into a tree, but his shield would have saved him from any major damage.

To get our Focused Fire team buff, I needed to fire my weapon at the varcolac, so I pulled my SMG from its holster and planted a few short bursts into its back.

“Focused Fire up!” I shouted as the varcolac turned and took a swing at Kaiser.

I quickly active my class skill, which opened a portal directly behind the varcolac. Kaiser leapt through and onto the monster’s back, sinking his teeth and claws in. The varcolac roared and tried to shake Kaiser off, but my partner was not letting go.

“Fan out and encircle the varcolac!” Xiphos called out as she strafed away from Naginata. “Put some distance between each of us and it will only be able to attack one at a time!”

I quickly ejected the spent SMG magazine and slammed another in. Every time I fired a burst, the Focused Fire buff was refreshed. I wanted to try out my new bleed effect with my claws and tactical hatchet, but this thing was far too dangerous to get close to.

The varcolac looked from Naginata to Xiphos to Khopesh, unsure of where to focus its attacks. Kaiser leapt off the monster’s back and disappeared into the darkness.

Stiletto was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if I’d be able to use my Aboreal Assassin anima technique on this huge monster, but when I quickly opened the skill window to check it I knew it wouldn’t be an option. I could only use it when I hadn’t yet been detected, and it specifically said that it may not work on large or more dangerous foes.

Damn.

But attacking from above might not be such a bad idea at all.

Swapping my SMG for my Ironbark pistol, which I could easily fire one-handed, I summoned my claws and climbed the nearest tree. It was a bit awkward climbing then stopping to fire a shot every few seconds to keep the focus buff up, but eventually I reached the first branches that spread out over the battleground.

A loud crack split the night as a powerful round punched its way into the varcolac’s chest. Stiletto appeared in the boughs of a tree across the way from me with a grin on his face.

“Wait for it,” he called out, holding up a finger.

A mess of thick ropes erupted from the wound in the varcolac’s chest and flew towards the ground. Sharp ends burrowed into the ground, pinning the varcolac in place.

That was a new one. Stiletto hadn’t even told us about that ability.

“Now! Give it everything you’ve got! The tethers won’t hold for long!” Stiletto shouted, just as all hell broke loose.

Everyone opened fire on the varcolac as Naginata advanced with her silvered spear held in front of her. She activated her class ability, which let her parry with perfect reactions. The varcolac lashed out at her with both claw-tipped hands, but she deftly knocked them aside. After three perfect parries, a wave of force erupted from Naginata’s weapon, stunning the varcolac.

My Focused Fire buff, the tethers, and Naginata’s stun all combined to give us a good window to deal a huge amount of damage.

I activated Man’s Best Friend right as I leapt out of the tree and onto the varcolac’s exposed back. I landed claws first, which dug into the monster’s flesh and held tight. Kaiser landed at the exact same time and savaged the monster’s back again.

I drew on the varcolac’s anima and felt it draining into me like a white-hot river. It filled my anima tank in an instant, and I converted all of it to experience points. I did it two more times before the monster started fighting back, which rocketed me up to Level 16.

The monster stumbled, then rallied. It reached back towards me, but I was too slow. It grabbed one of my legs and pulled so hard I thought it might rip it clean off. My claws were still wedged firmly in its flesh and the harder it pulled on me, the more damage I did to it. I kept drawing on its anima the whole while, converting it into experience, when it suddenly let go of me.

Instead, it reached back and grabbed Kaiser, who yelped with the sudden crushing pressure of this massive monster’s fist.

“No!” I cried out, but hanging from its side I was powerless to do anything.

The varcolac ripped Kaiser away and brought my best buddy towards its hungering jaws. The canine fangs would tear Kaiser apart if I didn’t do something. I scrambled for purchase back onto the varcolac, but couldn’t get anywhere. In my desperate, I grabbed my hatchet and hacked at the monster’s side.

Time seemed to slow as Kaiser was brought to the monster’s jaws.

Suddenly Khopesh leapt into the fray with his curved weapon raised above his head. He brought it down with an overhead chop. The silvered edge of his khopesh glowed as if empowered by some skill. It slammed into the varcolac’s wrist, and its hand came tumbling free as the blade sliced through skin, muscle, and bone.

The varcolac’s hand fell and sprung open as it hit the ground. Naginata rushed in and grabbed Kaiser by the collar, pulling him out of harm’s way.

That’s when the varcolac grabbed Khopesh with its remaining hand and squeezed. Luckily Khopesh’s sand armour ability had regenned enough to use again, but it would only last a few seconds.

Using my legs, I kicked myself away from the varcolac and came to a rolling stop on the ground a short distance away. I pulled Gravedigger from its holster and pumped shell after shell into the varcolac’s side, but the damn thing looked like it barely even felt it.

What if traditional weapons weren’t the key to defeating this thing?

Maybe the only way to stop it was to drain its anima completely.

I resummoned my claws and slammed them into the varcolac’s side, drawing anima out of it as fast as I could, converting it all to experience.

A few seconds later a window appeared in front of me.

Anima ability acquired: Savage Claws

Passive Claws of the Dragon Upgrade

Source: Varcolac

You can now summon your claws from both hands and draw anima at a much faster rate. Claw damage is increased.

“Oh hell yes,” I said as I summoned the claws on my other hand.

I slammed my new set of claws into the varcolac, and at that exact same moment, Khopesh screamed as his sand shield gave out.

I drew on the varcolac’s anima, and this time it rushed into me like a cyclone. I felt awash in the purified anima stream as I tried to keep up with converting it from anima to experience, anima to experience, anima to experience. It just kept coming, rushing out of the monster.

But I wasn’t fast enough.

The varcolac snapped its wolfish head forward, completely enveloping Khopesh’s head and chest. Then, with a sickening crunch and a wet tearing sound, the varcolac ripped Khopesh in half. It craned its head back and swallowed half of Khopesh’s body.

“You motherfucker!” Stiletto called out from up in the tree.

He fired another tether shot at the varcolac, which pinned it in place with the ropes that exploded out of it. I pulled Ironbark out and emptied a few bullets into the varcolac’s side to activate Focused Fire, which signalled Xiphos and Naginata to open fire too.

My anima tank upgraded itself to Rank 4, giving me a massive 500 anima capacity. I swelled with energy as I drew and drew on the anima of the varcolac, which sent me spiralling to dizzying heights of experience as I converted it. Level 17 rushed by, and then Level 18 hit a few moments before the strength of the varcolac finally gave out.

It fell forward, half of Khopesh still in one hand.

We’d won the fight, but at a terrible cost.