Chapter 16 - Desperate Fight

The Elder Tribal Wood Elf stared at the carcass of the Dire Wolf with suspicion. Only when he noticed the Wolf had heavy injuries was his suspicion confirmed.

He shook his head, ignoring the cheering of Drozzt as he said, “This Dire Wolf was practically dead, I don’t know how it made it here alive with the extent of these injuries…”

The group looked on weirdly before turning their gaze to Sylvie, who began to change shape right before their eyes.

Sylvie's perspective shifted as her body morphed into that of a dire wolf. She went from the smallest person present in her field of vision to towering over the Tribal Wood Elves as she changed shape.

She was much larger than the Dire Wolf who started this change. Standing at eight feet tall, sixteen feet long, and weighing over 1500 pounds, her Dire Wolf form was far more intimidating.

Drozzt and the younger Tribal Wolves backed off in fear when they saw her.

The Elder Tribal Wood Elf stared at her with sudden interest as he said, “Druid awakening? Strong one too. Must have high talent to have the marks of an Alpha Dire Wolf from subjugating the soul of a regular Dire Wolf, though you're big even for an Alpha…”

At that moment, a deep guttural growl that resonated with absolute power sounded.

The Tribal Wood Elves felt a low rumbling sound that seemed to vibrate in the ground as they instinctively adopted defensive stances.

Sylvie bore her large canines as she stared at them menacingly, adopting an aggressive posture.

Even the Elder Tribal Wood Elf's casual expression vanished as he regarded her thoughtfully.

“Form up. We need to subdue her alive. The High Elves are not getting their hands on another Druid for their war. Hit the Wolf with everything you have, and a Druid reverts to their normal form once their transformed form expires, so don’t hold back.” The Elder Tribal Wood Elf ordered sharply as Drozzt and the others readied their weapons, many of which were sharp spears and hunting bows.

Sylvie felt angered when she heard those comments, and staring at her brother, Arlen, who looked on with fear and concern, made the bestial instincts of the Dire Wolf come out.

Flashes of the Dire Wolf experiences flashed before her eyes as Sylvie channelled its instincts.

She had no idea how a Druid's powers worked exactly, yet she felt a part of that Dire Wolf was with her now; she could draw on its years of life in the Great Forest.

Suddenly, arrows came flying at her faster than the Elf Sylvie could blink; however, as a Dire Wolf, they moved comically slowly.

Despite her enormous bulk, she moved scarily agile, making a giant leap, leaving the space behind her vacant as the projectiles harmlessly flew past.

She stalked towards them, a vicious glint in her large green eyes, as she felt herself giving in to the instincts of the Dire Wolf. Its savage nature came out fully with Sylvie's concerns about her father, brother, Arlen, and the remainder of the Elves, attacked by these Tribal Wood Elves.

An instinctive snarl of anger at the thought, ‘They harmed my pack! How dare they!’

The Elder Tribal Wood Elf's eyes filled with horror when Sylvie pounced at the group, since he realised he could do nothing to stop her.

Sylvie swatted one of the Tribal Wood Elves with her large paw, sending him flying into a tree with a resounding crack. Another Wood Elf looked on in horror as her giant jaws instinctively mauled them as he charged at her with his weapon.

The Elder Tribal Wood Elf shouted in alarm, “Get behind me! She is not a peak Tier 2 Beast, that’s a Tier 3 Dire Wolf! This should be impossible! I’ve never seen an Alpha go beyond Tier 2, no Druid should be able to shift into a Dire Wolf that strong!”

At that time, Sylvie felt her bloodlust growing; her anger fueled her new predatory nature further.

The other Tribal Wood Elves started moving backwards from the elder's warnings. They were martial apprentices; a Tier 3 Beast was out of their league and on par with the Elder Tribal Wood Elf.

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Fierce and Magical Beasts were ranked differently from Martial Practitioners and Mages. Each Martial Practitioner's rank, starting from Apprentice, corresponds to the Tier of the Beast. Each Tier of the Beast has sub-ranks similar to those of martial practitioners.

The average Dire Wolf was a lower to upper Tier 2 beast, with the Alpha of the packs usually reaching the peak. A Tier 3 Dire Wolf was unheard of.

Sylvie continued advancing on the group as the blood of the Elf dripped from her savage maw.

“She’s going feral! A Druid's first transformation is when the beast spirit influences their emotions. Drozzt retreat and retrieve your Father Hunting Band, now!” The Elder Tribal Wood Elf said thunderously.

Drozzt instinctively tried to shake his head, but when he met Sylvie's gaze, he shivered.

When he turned to retreat, Sylvie made a giant leap towards him, causing him to panic. However, the Elder Tribal Wood Elf intervened, eyes on Sylvie the entire time. He showed his skill by intercepting her with a slash of his blade, which left a nasty wound on her thick hide and sent her staggering away.

Sylvie whined from the damaging attack, and for the first time, she paused. Eyeing the Elder Tribal Wood Elf, she recognised him as a threat.

Drozzt and the other Tribal Wood Elves exclaimed with praise for the Elder once again, yet the Elder's gaze remained filled with concern as he eyed Sylvie.

‘I struck her with all my strength whilst she was mid-leap, and that was the extent of the damage?’ The Elder Tribal Wood Elf was an experienced warrior and encountered many Dire Wolves, which made him truly wary of Sylvie.

Moving forward, Sylvie acted more measured, she used Drozzt, noticing how protective the Elder seemed of him, to faint, whilst she pounced towards the other sections of the group.

Some sharp spears were directed at her, and projectiles were launched, but Sylvie found they lacked the penetration force to hurt her seriously. She savagely tore through a number of the Tribal Wood Elves, swatting and clawing two overeager Wood Elves who came charging at her with spears. Another, her giant jaws bit into, as she shook him like a chew toy, feeling the bones crack between her teeth.

The altercation was a blur, and Sylvie felt her mind recede as she allowed the wild and calculating nature of the Dire Wolf to take over.

Sylvie found the Elder Tribal Wood Elf recovered from her fake attack on Drozzt and had already moved toward her. He struck her the first time as he focused intently on her and Drozzt, yet now that was a weakness, as his positioning always made sure he was in line to defend Drozzt, who seemed to hold a special status among the Tribal Wood Elves.

Drozzt, who felt angered at her using him, continued to linger as he tried to launch his magic, the same blades of wind he used against her brother in their duel.

He would find out she was not her brother. He and his group were no longer the Apex Predators here. The blades of wind came right at her. Yet, she was highly swift for her large size and utilised the surrounding trees to make them crash into them as she leapt around the group, swiping, clawing and mauling when she could, using Drozzt and the Elders' positioning to pick Tribal Wood Elves off one by one.

Drozzt became more fearful as the group whittled down, growing from over a dozen to less than half their initial numbers. Yet, it also made him realise that even if he chose to flee, he stood no chance of outrunning a Dire Wolf in the Forest, especially one intent on chasing him down.

The Elder Wood Elf had grown increasingly wary of Sylvie as time passed. She was covered in wounds, yet apart from the initial fairly deep one, they were minor, and the Elder held no hope that they would be enough to bring her down eventually.

Then he said, “Everyone cover for Drozzt. I’m going all out against her! I’m burning my life force. Drozzt, hurry up and retreat now, the Hunting Party is near!”

Drozzt seemed to listen this time and broke off in a sprint, delighted Sylvie, as her bloodied maw had an eerie Wolf-like smile.

Nonetheless, the Elder's next move shocked her. Utilising a strange technique, she felt the Elder suddenly burst with speed and strength as he approached her like a whirlwind.

For the first time, Sylvie felt outmatched. She was stronger and faster than the Elf before, not to mention far more durable due to her thick fur and flesh. The only thing the Elder Tribal Wood Elf had over her was far more experience and excellent technique. Yet, she negated this by utilising his main weakness, protecting Drozzt to lure him away from the others and through most of the battle, she never confronted him directly.

Now she was forced to. He kept on her like a rash, and she was unable to outmanoeuvre him; she felt his blade slice into her more times than she could count, though it was not entirely one-sided. She fought like a desperate wild beast would, clawing and trying to bite at him with her maw.

The remaining Wood Elves tried to assist him, charging her with spears, yet they quickly tore apart amid the clash between her and the Elder as Sylvie's desperate wild strikes were far too powerful for them to confront.

Sylvie weakened under the onslaught of the Elf, yet her size and strength kept her alive. As the battle continued with the Elder Tribal Wood Elf beating her around, leaving deep, nasty wounds in her flesh, Sylvie eventually realised he began to slow.

It was then that he seemed desperate, and as he readied himself with another burst of strength, attempting to utilise some sword technique, a large burst of force erupted from his blade as a strange martial technique that showed absurd power, shredding his surroundings, tearing a 100-foot tree in two.

Despite this, Sylvie again showed ridiculous survivability, evading the strike at the last moment as her bestial instincts warned her of the life-threatening danger.

The Elder Tribal Wood Elf knelt in exhaustion, relieved that the fight was finally over. He looked at the distance, observing the two younglings from earlier giving him a strange look.

It was then he turned, and the last thing he saw was a giant maw of teeth clamping on his head as his vision went completely dark.