At the highway intersection leading into Slough, a force of a hundred elite Werewolves stood ready, each clad in the finest gear the Dark Guild could provide. Yet they had been stopped. Held in place. Delayed, not by an army, but by the sheer will and strength of a single man.
One man... and in the end, the intervention of two more.
Don Tinge was a wrecking ball on the battlefield, an unstoppable force tearing through their lines. No one could lay a hand on him. His attacks didn’t just hit, they tore apart everything in their path. Armor, weapons, flesh, it made no difference. Defensive or offensive gear crumpled beneath his strikes, and with every movement, he carved his way through another swath of enemies.
Amidst the chaos, Broodie’s instincts screamed at him. They couldn’t keep this up. Staying here, locked in this fight, meant certain death. It was clear now, Ylva and Lupus were tied up elsewhere, far too occupied to come charging in at the last moment to save them. There would be no miracle reinforcement.
That left Broodie with only one choice.
“Everyone, split up!” he roared, his voice booming over the clash of battle. “Break away! Claw your way into the city! We’ll find each other and regroup later!”
It wasn’t a retreat. Not exactly. And it wasn’t a plan to stay together as a group either. This was infiltration by survival.
In their Werewolf forms, the city wasn’t far. They could cover the distance quickly, even without a clear path. If they split up, some of them might get caught by Don’s strikes, maybe even taken down, but there was no way he could go after all of them at once. Not with the numbers they still had.
And once inside the city, with their noses to track scents, they could regroup and adapt.
Now wasn’t the time for honor or straight play. They needed to use everything, any tactic, any advantage, to survive this fight.
The Werewolves obeyed without hesitation. They scattered in all directions, some leaping down the side of the highway, others vaulting into the air to cover great distances before hitting the ground running. Their claws tore into the earth, propelling them at terrifying speeds toward Slough.
Don reacted instantly. He swept his arm, conjuring great surges of water that crashed into the fleeing Werewolves. A few were struck square in the back, the force making them howl in pain before sending them tumbling off the highway and onto the ground below. Yet even as they hit, they scrambled up again, stubbornly pushing toward the city.
“Damn it! No, no!” Austin shouted, frustration boiling in his voice.
He wanted to give chase, to throw open a portal and cut them off before they could spread out further. But when he reached for his power, nothing came. His body felt hollow. Every nerve screamed exhaustion. He had been fighting without pause for hours, pushing himself far beyond his limits, and now there was nothing left to draw on.
“Crap... if they make it into the city, they could attack civilians, or worse, they could flank us and join up with the others. Crap... crap!”
The rain had finally begun to ease, its steady drum on the highway fading into scattered droplets. Don exhaled, releasing his transformation as he strode back toward Chen and Austin. His imposing, battle-ready form melted away, though the raw presence in his step remained.
“Do you think we should chase after the others?” he asked, his tone thoughtful rather than urgent.
Then, almost answering his own question, Don shook his head. “Honestly... the move they just pulled might’ve been the smartest thing they could’ve done. They’re fast, faster than we’d like, and agile enough to slip through streets we can’t cover quickly. Chasing them now, we’d burn a mountain of energy just to take down a handful. And they scattered in every possible direction.”
His gaze turned toward the empty stretches of road, where the last of the fleeing Werewolves had vanished. “Besides,” he continued, “I’ve already drained myself more than I should have. Getting the rain to fall, it’s not exactly a simple trick. Sure, it adds a dangerous edge to my powers when I’m fighting, but it chews through my stamina at an unforgiving pace... and there’s no quick way for me to recover it.”
Austin’s shoulders sagged as his own form began to shrink. The towering minotaur-like features receded, his muscle mass reducing as exhaustion took hold. Even if he caught up with the others now, he doubted he’d be much help. His limbs felt heavy, his breaths slow and uneven.
“Perhaps we should enter the city anyway,” Chen suggested, his voice steady but firm. “At the very least, we could prevent them from harming the civilians.”
Don glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I doubt the citizens will be targeted,” he replied. “Yes, the Lupus group has harmed civilians before, but it’s always been situational, when they were caught in the crossfire or when it served a purpose. This time... this isn’t about them. This is about the Howlers. There’s no reason for Lupus’s people to start attacking the public without cause, it wouldn’t benefit them in the slightest.”
He turned fully toward the group, his voice firm with decision. “The best course of action now is to head straight to where they ultimately wanted to be.”
Austin knew the place without needing to be told. “The park,” he said under his breath. That was the endgame, the place where Gary and the Howler members were. Even if they had split up for now, every one of them would regroup there eventually.
“Alright then, what are we waiting for?” Austin snapped, a flicker of panic in his tone. “Let’s go!”
Don’s lips curled into a calm, confident smile. “We’ll get there as quickly as we can. Maybe we can make use of one of these abandoned cars. And don’t worry, young one...” His voice dropped into a steady, reassuring tone. “As I said before, there’s someone already there who’s sure to give them a significant boost in support.”
He started forward, his eyes glinting with curiosity. “I wonder,” he added with a faint grin, “whether he’s having an easier time than I did... or a harder one.”
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