Black... Wolves? (Jumpchain) 1 (Patreon)

Walking through the stone fortress, my ears twitched this way and that as the sounds of celebration rang through the halls. Though all of the voices were of men, which means that I had apparently arrived early enough that they hadn’t started in on the captives yet. Good, good. That would make what was following even better.

The show had lied, unsurprisingly, as there were more than the rapidly, and quietly, dying orcs, ogres, and other monsters here. Olga Discordia’s forces included a small cabal of Dark Elf Witches, which would allow the “men” following me something to play with while I kept the two prime elves for myself. My muzzle stretched into a fang filled grin, as I stalked into the main hall where Vult’s mercenaries were having their celebration.

Booze was being poured, the larders had been raided, and the camp followers were being enjoyed. I was loath to interrupt such a celebration, but things were about to change. I entered the room and stood tall, proud, and imposing. My fangs protruded from my mouth, and I took in the room with a predatory eye. It wasn't much, but it was all that I needed. There were twelve men in the room, and at least twenty-five women. They were dressed in the finest clothing and jewelry. The spoils of plunder, doubtless.

“Vult, is that you?” I called out, getting the attention of the entire room.

“Fernus, it’s been a long time, old wolf,” the leader of the Black Dog Mercenary Company drawled. Despite his apparent lack of concern, his posture remaining slouched in Olga’s throne, my eyes caught his gaze narrowing and his muscles tensing in preparation. “What brings you here? You’re just in time for the celebration.”

“I am not here to celebrate, Vult, though I suppose I could be persuaded,” I said, spreading my arms wide. A ripple of fear went through the room, and I chuckled at that.

“You can be persuaded, Fernus, but only if you wish to join us. If you do not, then I will kill you, and your men, and your sons, and your families, and all of your friends, and your neighbors, and everyone you have ever met in your life. Your women and your daughters though, they can be used as the next addition to the Cuntry I am building,” Vult said, his voice suddenly cold and deadly.

“That sounds like a lot of work,” I replied, “but I'll consider it.”

“Consider it quickly, old wolf, for we are in no mood to negotiate!” Vult shouted, his men rising from their seats and drawing weapons. I laughed again, loudly, and the room fell silent.

“It's time to play, Vult,” I said, “and this game has a very short end.”

“You think you can stop me, Fernus?” Vult growled, stepping forward.

“Oh, no. I don't think I can stop you. I already have, Vult. You see, you hate me almost as much as I hate you, but unlike you, I'm not stupid enough to think that you don't have some men who are loyal to you specifically. I'll ask, do you think most of these men are loyal to you as a leader, or are just going along with you in anticipation of getting their dick wet?” I asked rhetorically. “Another question: what happens when those who are loyal to you are dead or broken? Let me ask one final question: where are Kin and Hicks?”

Vult’s eyes narrowed in rage, even as the other men in the room looked at each other in confusion, slowly realizing that Vult’s right-hand men were nowhere to be seen. While at first I’d been pissed to be dropped into this hentai world, it did present unexpected opportunities. I personally had no interest in men, but a number of the lycans in my pack weren’t as picky as I was.

Wouldn’t you know, what’s good for the goose was good for the gander. Those two men were being used as stress relief for a small number of the lycans, and from what I’d seen before I left they were breaking just as quickly as women did. All the more reason to keep my ass safe and free of dicks. Rolling my neck, I smirked at the red faced Vult and the much more nervous followers in the room.

“You always were a piece of shit,” I said as Vult grabbed the hilt of his massive sword that was as tall as he was. “I think it’s time we settled this. One way or another, one of us is going to die.”

“On that, we agree,” Vult snarled, as the men and women scrambled to the edges of the room.

“I would say let’s play nice, Vult, but that would be a waste of time,” I snarled as Vult and I charged at each other. I had no intention of playing nice. This was the second time I’d had to kill Vult, and I wasn't stupid enough to think that the first time had been permanent. He was too dangerous to be allowed to live, and the only one capable of putting him down was me.

Vult had a reach on me, being a foot taller than I was, but I had my speed, which meant that we were pretty much on equal footing. Vult swung his massive sword, trying to remove my head from my shoulders, but I ducked under it and dug my claws into his side. He let out a roar of pain and swung the giant sword over his head in a massive overhand cut, but I jumped up and flipped away from the strike.

The blade struck the stone floor, which not only shattered from the force, but sent a wave of force shooting up into Vult’s body. He was sent tumbling, and I took the opening, jumping onto his back and sinking my claws into his spine. Blood squirted out of the open wound where I clawed him, and I dug my claws in deeper, trying to hit his spine. I heard him scream in pain, even as I felt him twist and try to throw me off. Pain shot through my arms, as he threw me off his back and into the table, breaking it. I slammed into it hard, but managed to come out of it without any real damage.

Still, it gave Vult the opening he needed to get back up and charge me. I jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack, and landed on one of the men in the room. I felt bones crunch and the spray of warm blood as I landed on the man’s chest. I let out a scream of rage and charged, jumping into the air. He swung at me wildly, and I caught the blade with my hand, deflecting it and forcing him to follow the momentum. I spun in the air, slamming my fist into his face, and then kicked him off balance with the end of my foot. The strike broke his leg and right arm, and I heard him scream in pain as he fell to the floor.

Vult’s eyes narrowed in rage, and I was rewarded with a direct hit to the face. I was sent flying, and I felt my nose break on impact. I shook my head, clearing my vision, and leapt to the side in time to avoid another strike. I rolled across the ground, trying to keep my attacker in my field of view. It took a few seconds, but I spotted Vult charging at me. I leaped to the side, only to find myself too close to the people behind me. Vult’s sword cleaved into the poor bastard who was crushed between us, and I felt the man’s ribs snap underneath my weight. I let out a pained cry, then jumped into the air and spun, lashing out at Vult. His guard was up, ichor dripping from the huge sword, and he managed to block my attack.

The impact was enough to send shockwaves of pain through my entire body, and I grunted in pain. Despite the hit, I managed to stay on my feet and hurled myself towards the target again. Vult knew I had him on the ropes, and he swung. I was able to just barely block the attack with my forearm, but the impact still drove me to the ground. I held my ground and threw a punch, putting my entire weight behind it. The blow landed in his gut, driving him back a step, and I used the opening to roll to the side.

“Don't try to stop me, I'm going to use your skull as a fucking codpiece, you piece of subhuman shit!” Vult shouted as he swung his sword again, barely missing me.

“Oh, the fuck you won't,” I said, deflecting the wild swing and striking Vult in the knee. He grunted in pain and swung again, but I stepped to the side and planted my elbow in his gut. This time I followed the attack up with a knee to the face. I felt my nose break again, giving me a brief moment of vertigo, but I shook it off and threw another punch, this time hitting Vult in the throat.

“You were always an arrogant piece of shit, Vult,” I said as I landed on him and drove my claws into his neck.

Vult’s sword fell to the ground as he tried to bat me off, but I was on him now and there was no way I was letting go. Blood sprayed and I felt his hands grip me by the neck, but I just bared my teeth and kept on crushing his windpipe. I heard him start to choke and gurgle underneath me, and I pulled back, watching as his face turned red and then purple. I saw his eyes roll back, and he shuddered as blood and blood vessels exploded from his face from the inside. I grabbed his hair and twisted his head, cracking his neck and breaking the vertebrae.

I tore his head off and threw it away, watching it bounce before coming to a stop. I picked up the giant sword, my claws seeming to slip right through the blood that covered it. I lifted the giant sword, hearing Vult's followers screaming in terror as I proudly held it in my hands. It was too heavy for me to use, but that was a good thing. If I could wield such a weapon, it would be hard to argue that I wasn't a lycan.

“Does anybody else want to try to stop me?” I asked, using all my senses to scan the room.

A couple of the men tried to charge, but I kicked the first one across the room, then punched the second in the stomach. I grabbed him by the back of the head and drove it into the wall, then grabbed a third by the throat and hurled him across the room. Vult’s followers were terrified, and rightly so. But there were no more men resisting.

“I know what Vult promised you, he promised you plunder, he promised you women, he promised you glory,” I called out, lowering the very heavy sword. I was stronger than the average human, but lycans like myself weren’t built to be brawlers or berserkers, we’re scouts and assassins. “I offer you much the same! Serve me, and you will be on the front lines of a war that will change the world forever! The Shield Alliance will fall before us, but more than them! Why stop here, at the castle of Olga Discordia? There is an entire nation filled with Dark Elves, ready for the taking!”

I walked around the room, looking each of the men in the eye, trying to get my point across. “If you follow me, if you fight for me, you will be earning a place in the world’s history books. You will not be forgotten, you will be remembered forever by those who follow us! The most important people in the world will know your name!”

The cries of jubilation made me grin, even if some of the people closest to me grimaced at the bared fangs.