Silence held the village for a heartbeat before the first howl tore through the air. It was not a single voice.
A chorus of predators answered from every direction of the dark forest.
The trees began to shake as heavy bodies pushed through the underbrush.
Shadow wolves emerged first.
Their forms were composed of dark smoke and solid muscle, their eyes glowing with a dull, predatory red.
Behind them came the lycanthropes, standing on two legs with elongated muzzles and claws that scraped against the stone ground.
The thirty climbers on the podium drew their weapons.
Shields locked together.
Spells began to hum in the air.
Kang Min did not join the defensive circle.
He stepped off the podium and walked toward the edge of the square.
His blade was already out.
The first wave of shadow wolves hit the perimeter.
They moved with high speed, jumping over the front-line vanguards to reach the mages in the back.
The climbers shouted commands.
Swords clanged against claws.
