Starting out the fight against the wolf riders taught me multiple important things. First, most of my combat training had been against humanoid opponents, and I really needed to address that flaw if I was going to keep fighting monsters. Animals were distinctly different in terms of goals and execution during fights. The wolves not only had different methods of attack and priorities in combat, they also worked together MUCH more fluidly than any other enemies I had encountered.

Secondly the new rotation with my cane made it a fantastic weapon for Balam, but it also meant I had to learn the mechanics of the forms over again, which was inconvenient at best, but it still helped me learn to make the style my own a bit better. Finally wolf riders were wolves AND riders, and those little bastards attacked separately. I was dealing with four attacks from two directions. The goblins weren't exactly revolutionary combat geniuses, but trying to deal with them while I avoided the wolves was tough.

The one benefit of Balam in this situation was that the circular spinning fighting style was mobile, which let me keep in motion so I could track the wolves. The vicious beasts were circling me like sharks in bloody water. As I tried to compensate for the attacks I realized how thoroughly their instinctive grasp on timing had been developed. Though I spun fast enough to keep them in my sight, albeit alternately, one of them dipped in and bit down on my leg. I winced and managed to pull away before the thing could set the bite properly, but I still had a bloody hole in my calf.

The damage wasn't severe enough to immobilize me but the distraction let the other one jump me from behind as I smashed my cane down on the first with a snarl. I had to drop to let it fly over my head and avoid getting my spine ripped out, which barely let me get out of the way of the second strike from the wolf that originally bit me. During this the goblins were trying to pin me with spears and I felt a pair of hot lines along my side as they sliced me open pretty damn deeply with the surprisingly sharp weapons.

I stopped when I could, taking a second to calm down. The wolves were timing their attacks flawlessly, each tearing into me while the other held my attention and able to switch between attackers with almost no warning at all. The goblins made the issue even worse, but they were easily handled if I could get them off their mounts, even at G rank they weren't comparable to me in terms of power, but as harrassers who exploited gaps in my defense they were a nightmare.

That said, half the problem was my reactions. I was getting caught up in their tempo, reacting instead of acting, and they didnt need to predict my moves if they were pushing me to make them in the first place. I was dancing to their tune and that was the exact wrong way to play this. Despite that taking the initiative wasn't an option either, if I focused on one the other would maul me from behind while I wasn't paying attention, and I wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.

That was why I stopped to take a breath despite maybe opening myself up to attack. As they circled around me, slowly getting in position I had an epiphany. While they were making me dance to their tune, they were also dancing to each others. There was a rhythm to this fight, and I just had to learn it. I watched carefully, eyes on the goblin in front of me and its wolf, the ones I know werent going to attack me. My leg was throbbing and the cuts from those spear wounds were highly unpleasant, but I focused through the pain and as soon as the goblin in front of me shifted I attacked...the space directly behind me.

The wolf I was watching had moved, but since I was watching it wouldnt be attacking. Which meant it was distracting me to line up the shot for the other beast. I whirled my cane around to strike out behind me, actively avoiding looking where I was hitting because I couldnt afford to take my eyes off the first wolf or it would just pick up the attack. I felt a meaty thump and heard a whimper as the wolf was knocked clear. The first wolf started to come in to distract me but realized I was waiting and backed off along with the other, opening up some breathing room for me from the massive beasts and their riders.

The goblins were not pleased by my little turnaround, and the creepy little green bastards narrowed red eyes at me and bared their needle like teeth. It was obvious the greenies were carnivores from their chompers, rows of small triangular teeth, razor sharp and clearly made for tearing flesh. Their bat like ears flapped in agitation as they hissed, seeming to be a secondary method of communication adding nuance to their sibbilant hissing tongue. They brandished their spears threateningly at me, obviously trying to throw me off my game again.

But I wasnt having any of it. I was getting it now. Not only were the wolves less of a threat once I learned their tempo, this was an opportunity. Their circular attack pattern was something I could learn from given some time to focus on it. I couldnt mimic it exactly because there was only one of me, but with my weapon and my own limbs it was possible to vary my attack methods. I could study the way they were tearing into me. Besides, I'd figured out some of the tempo but it wasnt like I solved some code. I'd just gotten a better grasp of their timing, and they were more than capable of varying that again at any time.

In the spirit of learning more about their style I let myself fall back into a predictable rhythm. That was dangerous, I could easily get killed doing this, but I was pretty confident in my ability to at least avoid fatal injury and Jessie's power made it pretty easy to overlook possible harm if it was to my benefit. My aching leg reminded me not to take it too far though. I knew there was something here for me to learn though. I could feel the inspiration on the edge of my mind.

I was still trying to create my own style of Balam. It was, as I'd noted before, highly customizable, more of a series of forms and guidelines than a hard style with specific techniques. Something about the effectiveness of the wolves and their riders made me think that their tactics could be applied to my skill to make my personal version of Balam more than it was. As I tried in vain to figure out what the two wolves moved again. The one in front of me attacked lunging at my throat. I heard the snarl as the in behind me attacked too of course, and expecting the feint I'd seen before I lashed out behind me, only to hit...nothing.

My eyes widened in panic as I jerked my cane back in front of me to try to intercept the lunging wolf I'd thought was faking me out. Apparently they had learned from the last attack. When the first wolf had lunged, he'd been setting up a feint from the second to distract from his own intent to actually follow through. It explained the obvious snarl of the one behind me, clearly trying to draw attention to its false charge. It was a complete reversal of tactics I hadnt even considered.

It also showed me one of the major benefits of this kind of combat style. Adaptability. When the wolves attacked they didnt need to set up a sure kill strike and a feint to distract. Either of them could make any false attack real with nearly no notice and their seamless cooperation made it nearly impossible to properly counter. It wasnt about telling what was real and what was false because both attacks were neither and both at the same time.

While it might seem like that wasnt applicable to my situation at all, in reality I could use that realization in my own style. The idea if feints that became real attacks that became feints was an intriguing one when combined with the spinning, dance like qualities that Balam possessed. It was a performance, I could make them think or expect whatever I needed to and then do the opposite. Excited to try this out, I needed some space first, so I hauled on the cane and pitched the wolf over my shoulder at the other one to try to buy some time.

It was surprising to me that the goblin on its back managed to stay mounted as it flew through the air, but sadly it didn't hit the other one, which dodged out of the way as the soaring wolf managed to twist midair and land on its feet. I rushed forward, not wanting to let them get their tempo back now that I had a better idea of what I wanted to test on them. I flicked my cane out at one of them and lashed out with a kick at the other. I spun the cane away before it made contact even as the first one feinted and the second one dodged, only to get the head of the cane to its skull as I whirled it around behind my back, extending it well past the foot the wolf had just dodged.

I grinned and switch my targets up again, and then started in on the Balam forms, applying them to the lessons I'd picked up in the fight about adaptability and subterfuge. The style was surprisingly organic and blended well with basically any combat style, so I was able to work the new elements in seamlessly and as I spun and whirled my blows started to land much more often.

Of course it wasn't perfect. This was training and I was learning a new Skill from the ground up. I had a bit of experience but it was still very much a Minor Skill, and I was honestly just grateful that I didn't run into more combat capable monsters. The wolves were clever and adaptable but they weren't trained, and the goblins appeared to mostly just be trying to stab me really hard when I got close. Any monster with actual martial ability would have torn me apart, hence why I went from H rank skeletons to fighting goblins.

I spent a few minutes landing hits, getting more used to my new style and their changing patterns until I was pretty sure they didn't have anything else to show me, and then, when my next shot landed on a wolfs leg, I unleashed my force charge. Granted it was nowhere near full, but I'd been tapping the cane against every surface I came across since I got it, just quick casual tapping as I walked, and that plus all the blows this fight had added up. It landed on the wolfs fragile foreleg and the unleashed force plus the power I put into the swing snapped the leg, bringing one of the wolves crashing down.

I caved in the head of the goblin riding it, then dipped out of range of the downed animal and dealt with the other goblin and broke a leg on the other wolf, which was much less difficult when I was dealing with just one of the damn things. I didn't kill the wolves. I couldn't. I was a dog person, and I suspected Jessie might be able to take charge of them after healing them up, since they didn't seem to be sapient. The others had the same thought apparently, because when we finished there were nine living wolves still. As I checked on the others and made sure they were ok, I couldn't help but wonder. Could WE ride the wolves now? I resolved to broach the subject to our healer. That sounded awesome.