32: Dire Wolf Siege 1

In a dim, forested area, moonlight filtered through the sparse treetops, casting dappled patterns on the forest clearing.

A pack of large Dire Wolves stood before a circular, dense fog dozens of meters in diameter.

The air was filled with the scent of damp earth and blood, and occasionally, the cry of a night bird echoed in the distance.

The first two Dire Wolves that ventured into the mist, after a brief moment of disorientation, quickly pinpointed the direction of the bloodstains using their keen sense of smell and rapidly ran towards our location.

After a brief mental exchange with the Dragon King, we each confronted one of them.

The Dragon King, like a white flash of lightning, lunged directly at the left side of one Dire Wolf's head.

Under the cover of the mist, the Dragon King's figure became even more elusive.

With a soft 'thud', just like last time, this Dire Wolf's right eye was easily crushed by the Dragon King's claw.

Accompanied by a shrill howl, this Dire Wolf thrashed wildly in place, its forward momentum halted.

At the same time, I chanted a spell, pointing my bare hand at the other Dire Wolf, and a cold, bluish-white ray shot out from my fingertip.

The bluish-white ray vanished instantly upon entering the mist, then struck the Dire Wolf's left shoulder.

Along with the Dire Wolf's howl, its left shoulder, back, and left leg instantly froze, and its steps became unsteady.

I seized the opportunity to draw a sharp stone arrow, aimed at the Dire Wolf's waist, and shot an arrow.

However, it failed to pierce the Dire Wolf's fur, and the arrow fell weakly to the ground.

"Damn it! If only I hadn't run out of Magic Arrows…"

Yes, over these past few months, the Magic Arrows Alton left for me had been completely used up in the forest, and I only had a dozen or so ordinary arrows left.

Most of what was in my quiver now were simple arrows I had crafted myself under the Professor's guidance:

branch arrows, sharp stone arrows, beast-tooth arrows, and some Flame Arrows with dried grass tied to their tips, capable of causing fire damage.

I had just used Ray of Frost to slow the Dire Wolf's speed; if I used Flame Arrow again, and if it didn't kill it in one hit, the flames might melt the ice, accelerating its ability to recover movement.

Seeing that this type of arrow was ineffective, I followed up with another Ray of Frost, this time hitting the Dire Wolf's right hind leg.

Then, I drew a wolf-fang arrow, notched it, aimed, drew back, and released.

I aimed for its eye, but unfortunately, I missed again, only hitting its shoulder.

This time the arrowhead broke through its flesh, but it didn't pierce very deep.

The Dire Wolf, in pain from the arrow, turned and ran out of the mist.

On the other side, under the Dragon King's claws, the Dire Wolf that was battered and had lost an eye, after a series of frantic roars, also took the opportunity to escape the mist.

I told the Dragon King to remain hidden within the mist, and not to chase them out and reveal his presence. For these beasts, the unknown was also a deterrent.

The two injured Dire Wolves returning to the pack did not make the other Dire Wolves retreat.

On the contrary, I saw anger on the Alpha Wolf's face, especially when it saw the wolf-fang arrow that had fallen from the Dire Wolf's shoulder.

That arrow was made from the wolf fangs I obtained from the Tass Creature's wolf-fang necklace.

The wolf pack did not retreat. I saw the Alpha Wolf question the two injured Dire Wolves for a bit, then assigned two other Dire Wolves to leave. The remaining fifteen Dire Wolves spread out, surrounding the entire mist, with one sitting down at regular intervals, forming a circle. We were surrounded!

The wolf pack did not retreat. I saw the Alpha Wolf question the two injured Dire Wolves for a bit, then assigned two other Dire Wolves to leave.

The remaining fifteen Dire Wolves spread out, surrounding the entire mist, with one sitting down at regular intervals, forming a circle.

We were surrounded!

Among us, besides the formidable combat strength of the Dragon King, I, the Professor, and the black panther currently giving birth were no match for the Dire Wolves.

What should we do? What were the Dire Wolves waiting for by surrounding us? Were they waiting for the mist to dissipate again?

I had the Dragon King hide at the outer edge of the mist, circling and keeping watch.

If any Dire Wolf broke through, he was to exert full effort to kill it.

I told the Professor to retreat inside the shed door and use Mage Hand to help me repair the hurricane-damaged traps in the inner courtyard as much as possible.

As for me, my Subspace skill had recovered and was ready for use.

Before repairing the traps, I went to the black panther, closed my eyes, concentrated, and took a deep breath.

This was my first attempt at using "Animal Communication," a 1st-level Hunter spell from the Divination school.

The entire casting process was much more complex than a wizard's zero-level cantrip, and the sensation of casting was completely different.

After a few seconds, I knew I had successfully cast the spell.

It was as if the power of nature made me inherently understand the language of felines.

"Black Panther, can you understand me?" I asked in what I believed to be "Panther-speak."

The black panther weakly opened her eyes. Her golden eyes, like two dim candles, gazed at me.

"Are you asking me to agree to raise your children?" I continued to ask.

"Will you agree?" the black panther retorted in Panther-speak.

Communicating with an animal like this for the first time, I suddenly felt a bit excited, but the surrounding situation didn't allow me to relax.

"As long as you safely give birth to your children, I promise you. It's just that the Dire Wolves outside could come in at any moment, and there are too many of them for us to handle."

I continued, "Inside the shed is safe, I'm confident they can't get in. But can you still walk?"

The black panther sadly shook her head.

"There's one more way," I continued, "If you trust me, you can enter my space ring. Within my space, you can survive for 6 seconds… it's a very short time. Before the time runs out, I'll bring you into the shed and release you…"

"Are my children safe?" the black panther weakly asked.

"I… I'm not entirely sure." This was the truth; I thought it would most likely be fine, but I couldn't completely rule out an accident.

I had never tried this situation before, especially with one condition: creatures entering the system space must do so voluntarily.

The mother panther was fine, but what about the cubs?

The black panther spoke: "After my children are born, you can carry them in." After saying that, she closed her eyes.

That was the only way.

I covered the inner courtyard with mist, deliberately avoiding the black panther's location.

After setting up, I began to repair the traps.

I replanted three Magic Beans. The Professor used Mage Hand to dig three holes with an iron pick, and I carefully planted the Magic Beans.

This time, there was no need to water; with the continuous light rain, three Magic Bean plants quickly grew again.

Then, the Professor and I worked together to begin repairing the other traps.

At dawn, in the distant northern forest, flocks of seabirds were startled.

I looked up into the distance. Was something approaching?

Soon after, I saw them: Dire Wolves, more than twenty of them!