Lord Of Beasts

The remaining three trolls had finally lost the confidence they had displayed at the beginning of the battle. They had watched their brethren fall one after another. Whatever certainty they had possessed when they first surrounded Ethan and Wolfy had been replaced by something far more primal.

Fear.

Yet they couldn’t simply retreat.

Their instincts still demanded violence, and with three of their kind already dead, the remaining trolls had no choice but to fight.

They roared and charged.

Ethan narrowed his eyes while Wolfy’s crimson gaze hardened.

Neither hesitated.

Wolfy lowered its body and raised its head.

”ROOOOOOOOOAR!”

Sovereign Howl.

The Fenrir’s howl rolled across the clearing with overwhelming primal authority. Invisible pressure descended upon the three trolls, slowing their movements and disrupting the coordination they had managed to maintain.

One troll faltered.

Another stumbled.

That was all Ethan needed.

’Chain Lightning.’

Zap!

Lightning exploded from Ethan’s body.

The first bolt struck the nearest troll and immediately leapt to the second.

Crack!

Then the third.

Crack!

Violent blue lightning tore between all three enormous bodies, turning the clearing into a web of electricity.

The trolls screamed.

Their muscles locked as the current ripped through them, their weapons slipping from their hands as their massive bodies convulsed.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

’Perfect.’

Wolfy was already moving.

The Fenrir tore across the clearing and crashed into the closest troll before the lightning had even completely faded.

Its claws ripped across the monster’s chest.

Slash!

The troll staggered.

Wolfy struck again, gnawing at one of their giant limbs.

The creature attempted to retaliate, but its movements were sluggish beneath Sovereign Howl. Wolfy slipped beneath its arm and drove its shoulder into the monster’s knee.

The troll buckled.

Ethan flashed past it.

’Thunder Dash.’

Boom!

Lightning erupted from his body.

He shot around the troll’s blind side, electricity continuing to gather around his body as his momentum fed into Kinetic Charge.

But he didn’t release it.

Not yet.

Instead, he kept moving.

One burst carried him behind the troll.

Another sent him across its flank.

Then another.

Each movement added more energy.

The troll desperately tried to track him while Wolfy kept its attention divided.

It couldn’t.

’Electric Blast!’

Zap!

Ethan finally released a portion of his stored power.

Lightning detonated against the troll’s back and drove it forward.

Wolfy was waiting.

The Fenrir slammed into its legs, sending the enormous monster crashing to the ground.

Before it could rise, Wolfy lunged.

”Crescent Fang!”

It tore through the troll’s throat, the predatory beast always aiming for vitals.

The monster went still.

Instantly, the other two immediately attacked.

One charged Wolfy.

The other came straight for Ethan.

Ethan smiled.

”Come on.”

The troll swung its enormous fist.

He ducked and confidently stepped inside the monster’s reach before suddenly disappearing.

’Thunder Dash.’

The troll spun, trying to catch him, but Ethan continued moving and circling around its body. As he did, blue electricity crawled more intensely across his body, constantly using Kinetic Charge.

Still, he didn’t release it.

The troll roared and turned wildly, but that’s when the fenrir intercepted it from the side.

Wolfy slammed into its ribs.

The troll stumbled.

Ethan flashed into view.

’Electric Blast!’

Zap!

Lightning slammed into its temple, which seemed to be most effective against these giant monsters. Its head snapped sideways, and Wolfy followed up on the attack immediately.

Cross Slash!

The troll staggered backwards, blood pouring from its chest.

It swung blindly.

Wolfy ducked, and Ethan appeared on the opposite side.

Another Thunder Dash, another burst of movement, and more energy poured into Kinetic Charge.

He could feel it.

It was getting heavier, denser, and his entire body hummed with contained electricity.

But he kept it.

’Not yet.’

The troll charged, and Wolfy met it head-on.

BOOM!

The impact shook the clearing, and the Fenrir was pushed backwards, but it recovered instantly. Its claws dug into the ground, and its body surged forward.

Crescent Fang!

Slash!

The shockwave tore through the troll’s shoulder, narrowly missing its neck.

It roared, but Ethan was already upon it.

’Electric Blast!’

Lightning exploded into its side.

The troll staggered.

Wolfy followed with another Cross Slash.

The enormous creature collapsed, bleeding out, leaving only one troll standing.

It stared at the corpses of its brethren before turning toward Ethan and Wolfy. Its breathing grew heavier as it tightened its grip around its giant axe, dark-green energy crawling across its body.

The troll roared and charged, but Wolfy intercepted it again.

BOOM!

The two collided, but the troll’s superior size forced the Fenrir backwards.

Ethan’s eyes sharpened.

’Thunder Dash.’

Boom!

He shot forward and launched himself into the air, driving his knee straight into the troll’s nose.

Its head snapped backwards.

Ethan twisted through the air and landed several metres away.

For a moment, he grinned.

’That feels even better the second time.’

Then his expression hardened.

Blue electricity crawled across every inch of his transformed body. Sparks snapped from his shoulders while crackling arcs danced between his arms and torso. Even Wolfy’s fur began standing on end from the charge radiating off him.

Ethan glanced at his hands.

’How much can I actually hold?’

He still didn’t know, so he kept moving.

’Thunder Dash.’

Boom!

He flashed past the troll, changed direction, and accelerated again.

Another burst.

Then another.

Each movement fed Kinetic Charge, and Ethan deliberately refused to release the accumulated energy. He wanted to see how far he could push it.

The troll swung its axe.

Ethan slipped past it.

Another swing followed.

He vanished before the blade could reach him.

More energy accumulated with each passing second.

So much so that his body began to tremble.

He ignored it.

The troll suddenly roared and slammed both fists into the ground.

BOOM!

The earth exploded beneath Ethan.

He launched himself over the shockwave, blue electricity surging violently around his body. By now, he looked less like a man and more like a living storm.

Wolfy glanced back at him.

Ethan gritted his teeth.

’This feels like the limit.’

He wanted to release everything he had stored in one ultimate attack.

”Let’s finish-”

He held out his hands.

”This!”

Ethan focused internally, but nothing happened.

Every muscle seized at once. His fingers curled as his nerves seemed to fire simultaneously, and the electricity surrounding him surged before collapsing back into his body.

His legs stopped responding.

Numbness spread through his arms, chest, and legs.

’What the fuck?’

He tried to move, but it almost felt as though he had been zapped by his own electric energy.

The troll charged.

Ethan couldn’t even raise his arm.

”Shit...”

Wolfy moved.

Boom!

The Fenrir crashed into the troll’s side, knocking it off course before it could reach Ethan.

Ethan remained frozen for another moment.

Then he laughed.

It was a quiet, amused laugh - the kind that escaped someone who had just learned something important in the worst possible way.

’I probably shouldn’t push it that much.’

Wolfy didn’t wait.

The Fenrir lunged beneath the troll’s next swing.

Cross Slash!

Blood sprayed across the grass.

The troll staggered, and Wolfy followed immediately.

Crescent Fang!

Just like that, the troll froze after its neck was slashed. Its enormous body swayed before finally collapsing, silence returning to the clearing. Ethan remained where he stood, his entire body still numb.

Wolfy walked back toward him, breathing heavily.

He looked at the Fenrir, then at the fallen troll, before grinning.

”Good job, Wolfy.”

The fenrir nodded proudly, but had clearly strained itself in this battle.

It let out a tired growl.

Ethan looked down at the faint electricity still crackling across his hands, and undid his assimilation with Storm to reduce the aftereffects. Though that seemed to have the inverse effect, as he stumbled over.

Wolfy caught him, letting its master land on its furry body.

Ethan scratched the giant wolf-like creature behind the ears, smiling wholesomely as he did. The Fenrir’s tail began to wag as the two of them relaxed after their intense battle.

But their gaze soon shifted to the distance.

There was something deeper in the woodland, something dangerous that they would have to face.

Ethan slowly straightened.

”It’s not over yet...’