Soul Caller 1 - Chapter 32 (Patreon)

The bright moonlight reflected off of the barrel of the manatech rifle as Merrick lifted his spear and hurled it at the wolf trying to circle around him. It stabbed deep into the wolf's shoulder, the force of the throw knocking it from its feet and sending it spinning off the hill. The wolf tumbled in the air as it fell down the hill, landing with a loud thump. Expecting to find the pack leader on top of him, Merrick glanced back and was surprised when he saw that the large wolf had chosen to retreat, not liking its chances against his recharging rifle. After seeing three of their companions cut down in rapid succession, the wolves were withdrawing, and Merrick sprang into action.

Abandoning his tent, he grabbed his other things and shoved them into the bag before holding his rifle tight and vaulting over the wall of snow. Half running, half sliding, he began to head down the hill after the wolf he had hit with his spear, intent on retrieving the weapon. As he moved, he kept a close eye on the wolves who had retreated past the body of the deer, especially the large alpha who was glaring at him fiercely. Stumbling as he came to a stop over the body of the wounded wolf, he put it out of its misery with a shot to its head, trusting his rifle to recharge before the large wolf would be able to cross the distance.

Grabbing the handle of his spear he wrenched it free and wiped it clean on the snow, sliding it back into its sheath on his back before turning and jogging toward the manastone mine as quickly as he could. He didn’t have his snowshoes, which made travel much harder, but they were awkward to navigate in and severely cut down on his maneuverability, which he couldn’t afford at the moment. The wolves had been driven back for the time being, and he wanted to make as much progress as he could while they were wary of him. It wasn't long, however, until he heard the sound he had been expecting: a long wolf howl that was soon echoed by others. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the creatures moving swiftly towards him across the snow covered field, their breath rising in clouds above them as they quickly closed in.

Dropping to one knee, he steadied his rifle, aiming at the wolf out front. When the crack echoed over the wide, snowy field, the other wolves scattered, but his target dropped dead. The wolf took the shot in the chest, losing one of its legs and buckling, slamming into the snow and sliding forward as its momentum carried it. The shot gave the others pause and Merrick stood and continued to move, trying to conserve his energy as much as possible while maintaining a steady speed. The entire time, he kept a sharp eye for any wolves that dared get too close. He felt confident in his accuracy at one hundred and fifty feet, and any time a wolf entered that range, he would turn and train his weapon on it. Often, this would cause the wolves to flee back out of his range, but when they didn't, he would fire, bringing another wolf to the ground.

The large wolf limped along at the back, matching his speed as it sent its companions forward with growls and howls. It seemed to understand Merrick's range well and remained at a distance of around five hundred feet, stopping when he stopped and moving when he moved. Originally, Merrick had thought that there were only fifteen wolves, but soon he heard more howls in the distance and understood that he had underestimated their numbers. Seeing more wolves appearing to join the hunt, Merrick did his best to keep up his pace, but soon he was turning and firing every twenty steps.

Often, the wolves would come from both sides, and Merrick would have to pick out the faster one, taking his shot as soon as it came within range to ensure that his manatech rifle had time to charge up before the next one got close enough to attack. He no longer stopped moving each time he fired, and instead forged on, pressing through the snow with heavy steps. After half a dozen of the wolves had died they were much more wary and didn’t press forward nearly as fast, despite being urged on from behind by the alpha wolf who seemed to be waiting for something. Merrick continued to press through the snow, always looking for somewhere he could stop and fight that would be easy to defend, but before he found a good spot he finally understood what the pack leader was trying to do.

Every time he fired his rifle, it took slightly longer for the rifle to recharge as the energy was drained out of the manastone. At first, it had been unnoticeable, but by the tenth shot, he could feel the minute difference. After his fifteenth shot, the manastone had grown dim, and after firing his thirtieth shot it stopped charging altogether, cracking down the middle as it crumbled away.

It was at this point that the giant wolf moved, breaking into a quick lope as it headed straight for him. The rest of the wolves began to close in as well, though they let the alpha take the front, as they were still frightened of the bright beams of death that his weapon threw when they got close. Seeing the large wolf closing in, Merrick faced it squarely, using his thumb to pop out the drained fragments of manastone as his other hand reached in his pocket, closing around another manastone that he had brought.

The alpha wolf seemed to understand the use of the manatech rifle, which surprised Merric, though he imagined that if the wolf had fought against Vale, he may have gotten used to it. Slotting the manastone in place, Merrick began to feel his rifle charge, and knew it wouldn't be ready in time. The large wolf seemed to know that as well, and with a grimace, it began to run, sprinting across the distance despite the wound on its back legs.

As it raced against time, Merrick's hands went to the spears at his back. Pulling one, he made a motion as if he was going to hurl it at the giant wolf when it came within fifty feet, causing the wolf to dodge to the side with a graceful leap. Skidding slightly on the snow, it realized it had been tricked and let out an angry howl. With scrambling paws, it regained its balance and lunged forward, chasing after Merrick who was running as fast as he could. Despite his blessing, Merrick couldn’t outrun the large wolf and its long legs carried it over the deep snow with ease.

Still, its hesitation had killed its momentum, and as it bounded forward again, Merrick had gained a few crucial seconds. With the wolf only a few steps away he spun around and dropped to one knee, his rifle rising to his shoulder as the giant wolf opened its mouth and pounced. He could see its massive gleaming teeth closing in, but with ice-cold clarity, he lifted his rifle and pressed the newly charged manastone, unleashing a blast that ripped through the top of the wolf's mouth, piercing into its brain and out the back of its skull. At the same time, he dropped the rifle and leapt to the side, getting clear of its charge and rolling up to his feet. As he did, his spears appeared in his hands, and he slashed wildly to the side, slicing the throat of another wolf that had been trying to sneak up on him. With a gurgle, the creature slammed into his ribs, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

As he rolled over, his spears stabbed out like the piercing fangs of a jaguar, biting deep into the wolf’s side and throwing it off. Still on his knees, he saw another wolf lunging for him and lifted his arm, shoving his sleeve deep into the wolf’s mouth as he spun his spear, grabbing it in a reverse grip. The wolf tried to bite down but he was pressing forward, preventing it from getting good leverage as its teeth were blocked by the centipede armor he had sewn into his coat. Ripping his arm to the side, he could feel its teeth scraping along the armor as he drove the stone blade into the side of its head, slamming it into the ground. Rolling over top of the dead wolf, he slashed with the other spear, clipping another wolf that had been closing in on him.

Jumping to his feet, Merrick ripped his spear free and let out a roar, silencing all of the barking wolves that were closing in. His body was covered in blood, and adrenaline driven by fear coursed through him, but he threw himself forward, charging towards the nearest wolf, his teeth bared to reveal his canines. As he ran, he lifted his spears and the wolves, seeing their leader fallen and him coming, turned and ran. Slowly, Merrick came to a stop, his breath heaving.

[Ding! You have gained fifteen experience points.]

As the adrenaline faded from his body, Merrick found himself shivering in the wide-open snowy field. He was covered from head to toe in blood and snow, and wanted nothing more than to collapse, but he knew that now was not the time to stop and rest. Turning, he jogged back over to where his rifle had fallen, and lifted the corpse of the giant wolf, slinging it over his shoulder. A grunt was forced out of him as the creature’s weight pressed him down, and then he began to trudge through the snow back towards his camp. He hated to leave the doe he had slain behind, but hoped that it would keep the wolves distracted, giving them an easier meal so they wouldn't chase after him. For hours, he struggled through the snow, occasionally stopping to rest, always keeping a sharp eye out for the wolfpack's return.

Unencumbered, it had taken him the better part of a day to arrive at the tall hill where he had made camp, and it wasn't until afternoon the following day that he managed to struggle back to the mine. He had taken to dragging the body behind him after its weight had grown too much, but eventually, he made it to the gorge and found the mine’s entrance. A fierce cold had set in, seeping down into his bones, and he shivered as he dragged the wolf into the mine. Its blood had long since frozen, so he didn't worry about leaving a blood trail that would attract predators into his camp.

Wolf meat could be eaten, though it didn't taste very good, but at this point, Merrick simply didn't care. The massive wolf was tossed to the side, and he quickly built up a fire, stripping his clothing and using the mana-infused water in his basin to wash the blood off of his body. Huddling close to the fire under a blanket, he began to meditate, using the Song of the World to warm his body. Once he felt as if some life had returned to his half-frozen fingers, he ate the last of his venison and felt himself finally relaxing. He had left the deer and multiple dead wolves behind, and so it didn't surprise him that the pack had left him alone on his return trip. He hoped that after their encounter, the other wolves would know to steer clear of him, but just in case, he planned on turning the hide of their leader into a better coat.

Once he had warmed up sufficiently and the wolf had started to thaw, he began to butcher the corpse, doing his best to keep its skin in one piece. Its head had been nearly entirely removed by the blast that shattered its skull, but most of its teeth were still fine, so he preserved them along with its claws. Setting the bones to the side, he used the river water to clean all of the meat before stacking some to freeze and slicing others to turn into jerky. He had had wolf meat before and didn't prefer it, but in his current situation, it wouldn't do to be picky, and so he used as much of the wolf's corpse as he could.

It was hard work since, during the long trek, the wolf's body had partially frozen, but in the warmth of the fire it began to thaw out and he was able to process it without too much trouble. For the whole rest of the day, he hung out near the fire, his body still keyed up after the fierce fight. When he finally began to meditate that evening he took a moment to reflect on the fight. He wasn't sure that he had made the right decision by retreating from the snow fort that he had built, but something in him had said that it was the right call. Certainly, it had turned out better than it could have, though he hated to think what would have happened if the alpha wolf had tracked him all the way back to the mine before attacking.

He could feel his body adapting to the warrior's skills the more he used them, and was starting to understand that he had chosen correctly in unlocking the Warrior's Knowledge: Tactics skill. It was tremendously helpful in making both quick decisions and longer term planning and contained an abundance of wisdom born from decades of practical experience. It enabled him to make accurate snap judgments in even the most difficult situations, and allowed him to develop clear plans even when he didn’t have an optimal choice. Thanks to the fight against the wolves, and the death of the alpha, he only had a few experience points to gain before he leveled up again, causing Merrick to feel as if he had been truly blessed. It had not been his desire to get trapped in the canyon by the deep snow, but it was turning out to be quite beneficial.

He was also starting to learn how the experience system worked. After a bit of exploration, he had discovered that he could click on the notification to discover how the experience was broken out. Take the recent fight for example. The giant wolf had given him eight experience, and the other wolves he had killed had given him four experience for a total of twelve. He knew already that killing a unique creature would give full experience points, as was the case for both the large centipede and this giant wolf that he had just slain. Killing other creatures of the same type would only grant one-tenth the amount of experience, but even that added up quickly. What he was most curious about was the ten experience points he had gotten when Dugan died. Experience seemed to be granted based on the intelligence of the creature he slew, which is why the alpha wolf had given him full experience, even though he had killed wolves before. And he had a sneaking suspicion that the more intelligent, the more distinct a creature was, the greater the experience it would give.