Flames of Arrogance

     Charlotte stared with wide eyes as Will writhed in pain on the cold stone floor, a pool of red forming beneath him from the gashes in his arm. She was rendered speechless as the vampire wolf stalked toward him, preparing to finish off its prey after the intense bout. The game of cat and mouse had seemingly come to an end, and Will's life hung in the balance at that very moment. Unable to think of any other possible solution, Charlotte sprung to her feet and broke into a sprint, moving toward the wolf as fast as her legs would carry her. Taking hold of her spear as she ran, she lifted it with both hands and spun it overhead before bringing its blade down to slash at the beast's face. The blade made contact, successfully wounding the creature with a gash that rendered its left eye useless. The wolf howled in pain and reeled backward, giving Charlotte the opportunity to lift Will up and drag him aside as quickly as she could.

     With Will now in front of her, she was given an up-close and personal view of his wounded arm. It was horrible, and she almost felt queasy looking at it, but something had to be done. She immediately attempted to stop the bleeding, tearing a section of cloth from his exposed undershirt and tying it tightly around his arm, just below his shoulder to cut off his circulation. She had done the best she could, but it would only last for so long. Once she had stopped the bleeding, she turned her attention back to the vampire wolf, which was now glaring at her with its one working eye. Without a moment's hesitation, she expanded her senses outward once again and urged the enormous tree roots that now extended beneath her feet to burst forth from the ground below and restrain the beast. Fortunately, Will had bought her just enough time to make such a thing possible. The stone floor beneath the wolf's feet shattered and crumbled as the roots emerged and coiled around its body like countless earthen serpents. She was successful, and the vampire wolf ceased to move for the moment.

     Charlotte let out a shaky sigh of relief. Though she knew the battle was not won, she had at least created an opportunity for the two of them to escape with their lives. The only issue was that keeping the beast restrained required intense focus, and she would likely become drained after a while. Her only hope was the young man resting against the wall behind her. Thankfully, he was still conscious, and he began to open his eyes that had been shut tight from the pain.

     “Charlotte…?” he sputtered, clearly struggling to speak somewhat. “Man, you really saved me there. That hurt like hell… and it looks like my right arm's out of commission.”

     Charlotte took a deep breath and gathered herself for a moment as she glanced back at Will briefly. She understood that the situation was dire, and there was only one course of action that seemed likely to get the two of them out of there in one piece. She opened her mouth to speak, but before any words could pass her lips, Will abruptly got to his feet. She glanced up at him in confusion, wondering how he could move so recklessly considering the condition he was in. She was about to speak when he suddenly drew his sword and turned his gaze downward at her. His expression looked strangely devoid of emotion, his eyes boring into her. At that moment, Charlotte felt a strange sensation, a resonation of sorts with some part of him, or perhaps with something foreign within him.

     Without a word, Will raised his sword and swung down at Charlotte. He looked ready to put an end to her, and it was a miracle that she had been able to avoid his attack with only a small cut. She quickly moved away from him, looking on in fear and confusion as Will began to advance on her again.

     “What are you doing?!” she yelled. “What's gotten into you?!”

     Her focus began to waver slightly, but she managed to catch herself before the hold of the roots on the vampire wolf could weaken. She had barely recovered in time, but she would likely fail if things continued as they were. She had not the slightest clue as to why Will was acting so strangely. His behavior had shifted seemingly out of nowhere, and now he was attacking her. It was then that she recalled what Guild Master Garme had told them about the vampire wolf before they set out for the forest. The ability it possessed that made the beast comparable to its namesake: Mind control. The vampire wolf must have imbedded its magic within Will upon slashing him with its claws. Following that, it seemed to have activated it to take control of his mind and use him to do its bidding. However, the question remained of what the strange sensation within Charlotte's chest could be. It seemed to grow stronger as Will drew closer, and as she focused, she felt as though something inside her were connecting to something within Will. It made contact, surrounding whatever it was and seeping in before destroying it completely. And, with the strange, foreign thing within him destroyed, Will fell to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. He blinked a few times, and the glazed-over look his eyes previously held disappeared.

     “Ugh,” Will groaned, rubbing the back of his head. “What happened?”

     “The vampire wolf had you under its control,” Charlotte replied, briefly checking to emsure his right arm was still tied tight. “I'm not too sure, but I think I undid it somehow. Thankfully, you didn't get hurt any worse. You're in bad enough shape as it is.”

     He did not seem to listen, instead glancing over her shoulder at the restrained beast as he slowly rose to his feet again. There was only one thought in his mind, one goal he had to accomplish. He had to slay the wolf.

     “Hahh…” he sighed, the sound escaping him as he straightened up as much as he could. “Well, I've still got one arm. It hurts… Worse than anything I've ever felt by a long shot… but what kinda man would I be if I gave up here?”

     “What are you–”

     Charlotte looked back at him in shock at what he was saying, but before she could stop him, he took off toward the restrained vampire wolf at full speed. He was noticeably slower than when he had gone toe to toe with the beast just moments ago, but still he ran. Charlotte was in complete and utter disbelief as Will made a beeline toward it, and she called out to him as he ran.

     “Stop, you idiot! I barely managed to save you just now! I already have him, so just–”

     Before she could finish, he arrived in front of the wolf and leapt toward it, throwing a fierce punch with his only working arm. His fist struck the beast’s snout directly, the impact somewhat audible, but the blow lacked the power he had demonstrated before he was struck down. His attack provoked the wolf, causing it to struggle against its restraints with all its might. Charlotte was furious at Will's pointless attempt at damaging the bound beast. She could not believe he would immediately return to fighting after being injured so terribly. It was nothing short of suicidal. As her anger swelled, her focus wavered for just a moment. But, a moment was all the wolf needed. Suddenly, it thrashed against the roots that bound it once again, successfully breaking free somewhat. With Will standing right within its range as its front limbs slipped free, it was certain what its next move would be. With a fierce swing of its foreleg, it swatted him to the side once again, throwing him to the ground. Due to its odd position, it could not quite strike Will with its claws. If it had, he likely would not have survived.

     Charlotte found her focus again in a hurry as she watched Will fall to the ground, constricting the beast to the best of her ability using the massive tree roots. Once the vampire wolf was restrained again, her eyes darted back to him as he slowly got to his feet once again.

     “You moron!” she shouted, the sound echoing in the cavern chamber. “You're in no condition to fight anymore! I'll keep this thing restrained! You need to run to the cave’s entrance and help Faris and the others. With your strength, you should be able to help them clear a way in, even if you can only use one arm.”

     Will did not seem to enjoy Charlotte's plan, not at all. With a quick stamp of his foot on the stone floor, he protested.

     “You can't seriously be telling me to–”

     “Just do it!” she barked, managing to maintain her focus and keep the vampire wolf trapped. “We’re not strong enough! And, if that thing sinks its claws or teeth into you again, you could end up under its control! This is the only chance we've got, so go already and make yourself useful!”

     Her words grated on Will's ears, stoking a fire within him. He was unbelievably frustrated, his pride now in question as he grappled with his intense desire to fight. He wanted to prove her wrong, to prove that he could fight and win despite her lackluster estimation of him. But, perhaps she was right. He was injured, with only one working arm, and even that arm was not working at full capacity. He was weakened, he was exhausted, and if he was not careful, he could very well end up under the beast's control again. Worse still, he could die. He acknowledged all of that, and yet… he could not bring himself to turn tail and run. Faris and the other hunters be damned, he was not going to run!

     Taking a deep breath, he got into a low, crouching stance. His breathing grew slow and even, his gaze locked on the bound vampire wolf, meeting its own with a ferocity similar to that which smoldered behind its scarlet eyes. His entire body grew tense, every single working muscle flexing with all the power he could muster as he took a step toward the wolf. Charlotte tried to protest, but he had already made his decision. And, with just one more step, he was upon the beast. Will bore down on the wolf with a crushing blow to its head, dealing a fair bit of damage, but not nearly enough to defeat it. He was outputting as much power as he had before he was struck down previously, perhaps even more than that, and he was not going to let up until he was victorious. Although, there was no guarantee his body would hold up long enough to make that happen.

     Charlotte watched as Will fought with distress written all over her face. His movements were wild, his goal reckless and seemingly impossible to reach. Everything about what she was seeing irritated her to no end. He was throwing what seemed like their only way out to the wind, squandering their chances of escape. It felt like he had some kind of death wish, as if he simply did not care whether either of them came out of the horrible situation alive. Did he truly not care about the risks? Was fighting really so important that he would put his, and possibly her life on the line? It was incredibly irresponsible. Actually, the word irresponsible did not even begin to describe his actions. As she looked on at the events unfolding before her, she could not find a single word to accurately encompass the sheer stupidity and futility of his efforts. Still, it was all she could do to keep the vampire wolf restrained as Will struck it again and again. Occasionally, her control would waver due to her gradually increasing fatigue and the successive shocks resulting from Will's attacks, but she had to hold on. If she allowed her control to falter, Will would surely perish.

     Will quickly grew fatigued as well, the toll his physical enhancement took on his body becoming more evident with each successful blow to the beast. He began suffering damage as well as a result. One attempted strike resulted in him being struck by the wolf's long tail as it lashed out, another with him getting bashed with the nearly full force of the wolf's body. He could not keep up his assault much longer. Charlotte could tell as much herself, and she made her thoughts clear to him at that moment.

     “Just stop it, Will!” she called out, now struggling to keep the beast bound. “We can't keep this up! If you keep attacking it like that, I won't be able to hold it! Just go and get the others! We can't afford to die here!”

     Will growled in protest and dashed in again despite her warning, only to be swatted away again, this time into a jagged section of the cavern wall that injured his left leg. He yowled sharply as his leg was cut on the cave wall, and he was rendered unable to run. Charlotte shouted at him again.

     “Will! If you keep going you'll really–”

     “No!” he snapped. “There has to be something I can do! I'll show you! I will win!”

     As he spoke, he forced his battered body to move, pushing himself even further without thinking of the consequences that could result from doing such a thing. He took one step, then another, all the while forcing even more aurum throughout his body. His body grew unbearably hot, as if he were on fire, but he still did not stop. However, he was simply too badly hurt to continue on the way he had been fighting. No matter how much power he conjured up within himself, his body would not move. He had reached his limit.

     Charlotte could not hold the vampire wolf much longer, her focus waning as her strength drained. She felt so incredibly tired, feeling as though her very life force was leaving her as she continued to manipulate the roots of those gigantic trees. The beast felt the roots begin to give, not holding on quite as tightly as they had been before, so it began to thrash wildly. It was determined to free itself and end its hunt once and for all. Charlotte called out to Will one more time, desperation evident in her now hoarse voice.

     “Will! Please just… Just go! Get out of here! I can't… hold it much longer! I'll hold it back here… Please leave…!”

     Despite Will's rash, inconsiderate, and incredibly foolish actions up to that point, Charlotte could not bring herself to let the wolf have him. Loath as she was to go so far as possibly sacrificing herself for the fool, she saw no other option. She wanted him to live, to get out of the cave even if she could not herself, but Will did not move.

     There he stood, silent and unmoving, like a worn old statue. It was as if he had not heard Charlotte's words, though he had, in all likelihood, been listening. He simply paid them no mind, choosing his own path instead. A thought had occurred to him as his body refused to go any further. For as long as he had been using aurum, he had only been supplying it to parts of his body to fuel his physical enhancement, but perhaps there was more to the power. What if, rather than stockpiling aurum and keeping it within his body to enhance his physical capabilities, he expelled its power outward instead. As the thought crossed his mind, he began to attempt just that. If he could not approach the vampire wolf, he would strike it down from where he stood. He began to gather power, feeling that familiar sensation of intense heat building inside him as more aurum condensed within his form. His body soon became searing-hot, making him feel as if he were about to melt from the inside. And, just as he felt that he could take no more, he attempted to push the sensation outward. The heat traveled out of his body as if seeping from his pores.

     At that moment, Charlotte was faced with a mind-boggling sight. The cave, to her astonishment, began to light up. They had not brought torches into the cave with them, so how? How could such a thing be possible? Not only that, but the light did not resemble the orange color of fire at all. Her gaze then landed on Will, and she realized. It was him. As he forced the aurum from his body, he conjured blazing flames that seemed to set him alight. However, they were no ordinary flames, glowing a deep indigo rather than the orange luminance of torchlight. He shined like a beacon of hope in the dark recesses of the vampire wolf’s lair, illuminating every last shadow until no nook was untouched by the ethereal light.

     He channeled more power, reaching toward the beast with his palm facing upward. The flames gathered in his palm, their radiance converging toward a single point to form what looked to be a large, swirling orb. Will was not entirely sure what it was he was doing, but as he gazed into the core of the surging ball of blue fire, he was convinced he was on the right track. He was sure he had found what he needed to defeat the beast at last, but he still needed more. He was not satisfied with the power of the flames, coming to the conclusion that more power was needed to end the fight for good. He clutched the ball of flame in his hand and began to squeeze, slowly condensing it. He squeezed with all the strength me could muster up in the moment, condensing the orb further and further. Deep blue sparks began to fly around him as he continued to channel all the power he could into the gradually shrinking orb. As it continued to shrink in size, its potential power grew significantly, and the flames seemed to change shape. No longer bellowing and swirling like a raging fire, the energy seemed to move about in jagged arcs. It soon reached a size similar to that of a golf ball, looking almost unstable as it seemed to bounce wildly between his thumb and forefinger. As it reached that point, he figured it was finally time to release all that accumulated power and put an end to their struggles at last. He instantly clenched his fist as hard as he possibly could, the mass of energy jumping about his closed hand and wrist as he rotated his hand and pointed it toward the vampire wolf. He inhaled shakily, breathing deeply as his body began to give out at last. A weak, triumphant smile slowly spread across his face

     Charlotte could no longer hold the beast as it thrashed to escape its prison of seemingly indestructible roots, her strength failing her. She had been using her ability constantly to manipulate the roots and keep the wolf restrained for quite some time, all while covering for Will as he repeatedly indulged in his reckless behavior. That was not even to mention the strange dispelling of the wolf's mind control minutes prior. It had been a stress test of her abilities to be sure, and she could push herself no further. She was forced to accept that Will was the stronger of the two of them, and as her consciousness began to fade, she only hoped he had truly found the way to put the beast down for certain. The roots loosened their hold on the vampire wolf at last, and it immediately darted toward Will, closing the distance between them rapidly as it prepared to tear him to shreds. The last thing Charlotte heard before blacking out was Will letting out a soft chuckle, as if he were somehow enjoying himself, before speaking one final time. He said a few words, almost under his breath.

     “Heh… Told you I could do it… Bang.”