Cypher drew his sword and gulped hard. This was it. He was about to dive headfirst into his first real battle against Zightbeasts and the outcome was uncertain. He was still pissed at Eiden for insisting on trying this with just the three of them, but he had to focus for now. With a deep breath, he exhaled and let the anger fade from his mind.

Another few moments passed as the patrol wolves continued their wandering. Then without warning, Jelroy leapt from the top of the cave and brought his hammer down upon the core of the sleeping horned wolves. As soon as his hammer hit, several were killed and others were sent flying in different directions as a shockwave rippled through the ground. Three flew over the edge of the cliffside and fell howling into the canyon below, while five others slammed against the rocks surrounding the cave.

Jelroy swung his hammer at the now alert horned wolves and sent a few more scattering through the air before he turned on his heels and leapt into the cave. A pair of glowing eyes had already spotted him, and as the two clashed the alpha let out a vicious snarl. At that moment, Eiden and Cypher rushed in swinging their swords and chaos erupted.

Cypher lost track of Eiden for a moment after he saw the heir kill three wolves in quick succession. He panicked for a second, but Eiden could clearly hold his own, Cypher had his own enemies to worry about.

He grunted, swinging his sword as hard as he could, and decapitated two wolves who leapt at him. Their mouths were still agape as their heads rolled across the ground. He spun to his right and caught one wolf under its jaw with the pommel of his sword, which shattered the bones and teeth and sent the wolf whimpering to the ground.

Three wolves grouped up and a faint light shone from their horns. The ground shook and a fissure started to open up that zig-zagged its way toward Cypher's position. He jumped up and over to the group before the fissure could reach him and he impaled one of the three through the horn.

The other two leapt away to regroup with others, and the fighting continued. Cypher caught Eiden killing three more wolves and he killed another four himself. Meanwhile in the cave, grows and snarls could be heard as well as the scratching of fangs against metal. Jelroy grunted and let out an anguished cry but it was soon followed by the sound of cracking bones and the wolf let out a cry of its own. The ground shook and a howl pierced the air around them causing every being present to pause and close their eyes at the deafening sound.

As the rumbling continued, the cave entrance started to crumble and fell apart blocking off Jelroy's only means of escape. The boulders thudded into place and dust filled the area. Cypher panicked but regained his composure just in time to kill another two wolves that had jumped at him.

Cypher held his sword out behind him and crouched low, with a yell he spun in a rapid circle and killed another five wolves. Jelroy had not taught him that move, instead, it was one he had created in the privacy of his own room. Until that moment, he hadn't thought it was very practical but against these beasts, it proved quite effective.

Eiden was faring just as well and together the two of them were keeping the pack distracted. If they could keep this up the mission would be a total success. After a few more minutes of battle, the pack had dwindled down to a little over twenty horned wolves. Cypher and Eiden found themselves back to back as the remaining twenty wolves encircled them.

"Nicely done bastard, I should have known that your idiocy would land us in a situation like this!" Eiden was irritated and covered in dark red blood. He was breathing hard and sweat covered his brow, but he didn't seem too injured. Cypher was equally tired and messy, but he could continue the fight.

The wolves circled them slowly, growling all the while. The two sides watched each other closely, waiting for the other to make a move. In the cave, faint sounds of battle continued to ring out from behind the boulders and Cypher knew that Jelroy must be having an intense battle.

Finally, a wolf leapt forward and Cypher cut it in half down the middle. Its hot blood splattered Cypher's face and blinded him for a moment. He heard a similar struggle behind him as Eiden killed another wolf as well. Two groups of three-horned wolves combined their power and hurled several volleys of stones at the two boys.

They blocked and parried as many of the projectiles as they could, but a few got through and smashed against their armor and weapons. Eiden let out a howl of pain as one crashed against his exposed thigh, and Cypher let out a low grunt as another hit him square in the gut taking his breath. The two fell to the ground as the wolves closed in.

Kneeling, Cypher and Eiden struggled for a moment to get back to their feet. The battle was harsh but at this rate, they would prove to be the victors. Their confidence surged within them, and they stood back up and charged outwards at the same time, cutting down more wolves as they moved.

The number of enemies dwindled as they continued fighting. Fifteen remained, then twelve, and then eight. Superficial wounds cropped up on their bodies where their armor was weakest and their blood started to flow out and drip upon the ground. Still, they were winning, and soon, only the Rank-three beast fighting against Jelroy would remain.

Another loud howl echoed through the area then and the two boys froze as their eyes locked upon a new foe that had just appeared from behind a row of boulders. It stood almost as tall as the Rank-three and the fur on its back reared up as it let out a menacing growl.

Another horned wolf had appeared! The two regrouped as the smaller wolves retreated to its side and they too started growling. The two boys were pressed back against the boulders as the wolves moved closer and closed them in.

"Great, another one?" Cypher said as he gripped his sword tighter. The blood dripping down the blade and around the hilt soaked his hands and made holding his weapon difficult. There was something different about this new foe, it seemed stronger than the other wolves around it and a warning in Cypher's mind told him that it was not to be underestimated.

Eiden scoffed and said, "It doesn't matter! Weaklings are weaklings, alone or in numbers it changes nothing!" He leapt forward and Cypher stretched out his hand and uttered a warning.

"No, wait! That one is stronger than the others!"

Eiden simply grunted and replied, "Shut up bastard! I know what I'm doing! Size means nothing against pure skill and talent like mine!" As he leapt forward he cut one of the smaller wolves down before attempting a downward strike on the head of the newcomer, but the beast reared to the side and smacked Eiden away with its head.

Eiden got lucky and the sharp horn failed to impale him in the attack, but the boy let out a shocked cry of pain, and blood erupted from his mouth. He went spiraling into a boulder and crumpled to the ground motionless. Cypher panicked again and rushed to his side to protect Eiden's unconscious form. If he wasn't careful the smaller wolves could rush the heir, and tear him apart while he was unable to defend himself. Cypher flourished his sword and urged the others forward.

Four wolves leapt at him with a snarl and he cut them down as they neared him. Now only the newcomer and three wolves remained. The new wolf growled again and crouched down to attack. Cypher prepared himself and raised his sword to defend.