Second Level — (Anita and Ironclaw)
The corridors of the second level echoed with Anita and Ironclaw's footsteps as they ran. The air carried a demonic stench mixed with dust and the cold scent of ancient stone.
The female Wolf Knight scowled, unable to understand what was happening.
"What the hell is going on?! So far we've only run into dead imp spawn.
Something is killing them."
Ironclaw suddenly stopped and lifted her nose.
"I smell a few ahead of us — and they don't smell like blood. They're still alive!"
Anita drew her sword.
"Not for long!"
The corridor widened abruptly and opened into a larger chamber.
In the center of the room, three imp spawn were trying to flee — but it was already too late.
An armored skeleton knight cut all three down with a single, lightning‑fast strike.
The demons' bodies hit the ground, their blood splattering across the stone.
Ironclaw growled with disdain.
"Well, now they're dead too."
Anita narrowed her eyes at the skeleton.
"So this skeleton killed them."
Ironclaw sniffed around.
"I don't smell its scent. It's dead too… so why is it still moving?"
"Because it's a damned undead," Anita replied.
Ironclaw slapped her tail angrily against the floor.
"I wanted to hunt the demons! And this pile of bones killed them all!
I don't want to fight a skeleton — I want demons!"
Anita shrugged.
"I wanted to fight it one‑on‑one anyway.
The Fire Demon didn't come this way — we didn't get the jackpot."
Ironclaw sat down, resigned.
"Fine, beat this bone‑bag, then we go back to Master."
The skeleton knight turned toward them.
A bluish light glowed in its eye sockets, and its voice filled the chamber with a deep, distorted echo.
"Intruders!
How dare you defile the Captain's sacred resting place?!"
Anita snorted.
"Whose what? We're just here to hunt demons.
Thanks to you, we didn't get a single one!
You'd better make up for it, bone‑face!"
The skeleton knight raised its shield and its black, ice‑infused short sword.
"Ignorance is punished the same as blasphemy — with death."
Anita grinned widely.
"Now that's what I like to hear! Let me blow off some steam on you, since I can't do it on the demons."
The Whirlwind vs. the Bone Knight
The skeleton knight lunged forward, its shield slamming into Anita's shield with such force that the echo rolled down the corridor.
The black, ice‑infused sword left a trail of freezing air with every swing.
Anita was fast — lightning fast.
But the skeleton seemed even faster.
Its armor was dark, ancient, yet still solid.
The shield bore a faintly glowing wolf‑head crest — as if it had once belonged to Wolfwood.
Ironclaw watched from the edge of the chamber, ready to leap in, but Anita raised her hand.
"This is my fight!"
The skeleton knight attacked again.
Anita dodged aside, her blade sparking against the bone armor — but she couldn't break through.
"Damn it… this thing is tougher than I thought!"
The skeleton's shield suddenly thrust forward, and Anita barely managed to block it.
The impact pushed her back, stone grinding under her boots.
The fight dragged on.
The skeleton did not tire.
Did not slow.
Did not breathe.
Anita, however, did.
Ironclaw growled anxiously.
"Anita! This bone‑bag is strong!"
"I know…" Anita panted.
"But I'm still the one who's going to cut it down!"
The skeleton knight raised its sword, the ice‑infused blade glowing with cold blue light.
The next strike could be fatal.
The Whirlwind Clashes with the Bone Knight
The skeleton knight's ice‑infused black sword struck again and again, each swing sending a wave of freezing air sweeping through the chamber.
Anita's shield was already dented in several places, yet the Whirlwind still grinned.
"Damn you!
You're stronger than that Royal Knight Lieutenant chick.
But you're still nothing compared to the Hero.
And you're not even close to Andrea."
Ironclaw watched the fight from the edge of the room, ready to leap in.
"This bone‑bag is strong! I want to fight it too!"
Anita didn't even look back.
"Stay put, this is my round!
You didn't want to fight it earlier — by the Wolf Rule, you can't interfere in our duel!"
Ironclaw sat down with a sulky huff.
"I know, I know!
Master would get mad if I broke the Wolf Rule.
She's yours. I'll just watch."
Anita smirked.
"Good!
Besides, this skeleton is the perfect opponent for me.
No flesh, no blood.
My dirty tricks are useless — can't slit its throat, can't bleed it out slowly, can't poison it.
Against this thing, only real, strong attacks work."
She laughed.
"Hahaha! As Young Wolf would say: perfect for gaining experience!"
Ironclaw slapped her tail impatiently.
"So what now?
You've played with it longer than with that knight at the tournament.
Go wild and you'll beat it."
Anita's eyes flashed.
"You don't understand, Ironclaw!
I can't waste such a good training opportunity.
But you're right… without Feral Mode I can't defeat it."
She spun her sword once, then stepped forward.
"Let's see how surprised this old bone collection will be by Young Wolf's technique."
The skeleton knight lunged, its ice‑blade glowing with cold blue light.
"This is the end, intruder!"
Anita burst out laughing.
"Yes, it is the end — for you, bone‑face!
Feral Mode!!!"
The Feral Mode Unleashed
The air trembled.
A whirlwind erupted around Anita, whipping her hair and cloak into a wild frenzy.
Her sword flared with wind‑element energy, the blade vibrating in the air.
The Stormwind vanished from sight.
For a single instant.
In the next, she was already in front of the skeleton knight.
Her thrust was so fast the air itself split around it.
The blade pierced the dark armor and struck the magical stone where the heart would have been.
The stone shattered.
The skeleton knight's body trembled, then collapsed into pieces.
Its armor, shield, and ice‑infused short sword clattered onto the floor.
Ironclaw leapt to her feet.
"You did it!"
But Anita didn't move.
The air suddenly grew cold.
Above the shattered armor, a faint blue light appeared.
An ethereal shape began to form — a spirit.
The knight's soul.
The magical stone that bound her to this world had been destroyed… and now she was finally free.
The spirit slowly lifted her head and looked into Anita's eyes.
Her voice was no longer distorted.
It was clear.
Human.
"At last… I am free."
The Knight's Legacy
The skeleton knight's body lay in pieces, the armor clattering across the stone floor.
The black, ice‑infused short sword rested on the ground, as if waiting for a new master.
Anita was still panting from the aftereffects of Feral Mode when the air chilled again.
A faint blue glow rose above the remains — then slowly took shape.
A young female knight's spirit stood before them.
A peaceful smile on her face, pride in her eyes.
Anita took a step back.
"What the hell?! Now a ghost too?"
The spirit's voice was clear and dignified.
"That wolf crest on your armor…
You are a Wolf Knight as well?
Who are you? What is your name?"
Anita straightened her back.
"Anita, the Whirlwind.
A blacksmith's daughter… and the personal knight of the Lord of Wolfwood."
The spirit's eyes lit up.
"What is it like to serve the new Lord of Wolfwood?"
Anita nearly exploded with enthusiasm.
"I love it!
He's the best in the Kingdom!
No — in the whole world!"
The spirit nodded.
"I see.
You are worthy of being a Wolf Knight."
She gestured toward the sword.
"Take my blade. It is yours.
You will need it against the Demon Army."
The light slowly faded, the spirit's form dissolving.
The female knight's final smile shone like the glow of the light‑orb flowers.
Then she vanished.