"Shit!" A-Nis shouted. As the word left her lips, dozens of howls filled with air.

  Zethari's ears pricked up. She raised her nose to the air and sniffed. Whatever she smelled made her face drop. Without a word, she took off, running back to the caravan as fast as she could. Without hesitation, Abad and the others followed. Just as they rounded the burning house, a dozen figures burst from the treeline, their massive forms illuminated by the moon as they ran on all four limbs toward the wagons. The party broke out into a sprint behind Zethari. However, they were far too slow. The sounds of shouting and the snapping of crossbow strings rang out in the distance, and the creatures howled in defiance at the caravan's defenders.

  The creatures were fast. They wove through the crossbow bolts with supernatural speed. Despite the rain of bolts cascading from the wagons, most of the projectiles missed their marks. Closing the gap, the creatures leaped at the wagons, smashing through windows, ripping through canvas, and bursting through doors. Within seconds of reaching the wagon, screams filled the night air.

  The fog grew thick as they ran up the hill. Abad could feel magic in the air. He could feel the obvious signs of magecraft, which summoned the fog to the area, but there was something else too. Scintillating motes sparkled around them as they ran, leaving trails of effervescence as their bodies cut through the night. He could feel the density of the mana in the air. He realized they were in the beginnings of a mist storm. He slowly and breathed deeply. The air was laced with power. He drew in as much as he could and readied himself for what would come next.

  As they neared the wagons, he could see at least two dozen figures struggling on and near the wagons, but with the fog, the figures blurred together, obscuring even his excellent vision. The screams of the humans grew louder and more frequent. The large creatures had torn the walls from several of the wagons and had snatched up both people and goods and were carrying them back to the tree line. Several of the guards lay dead, and others were being ripped apart as he and his allies rushed forward. Crossbows and bows continued to fire into the darkness, and at least one of the creatures lay on the ground, twitching as death took it.

  Finally in range, Abad reached out, pulled as much raw mana into his spirit as he could, and called upon the first of his spells.

  [Candlelight]

  Bright red flames appeared in his hands. He threw them at the nearest beast, who leaped back as the flames roared past him, falling onto some shredded wagon siding, which ignited. The three mortals who had been fighting it broke away and ran for the nearest wagon, disappearing inside. He fired a second and then a third time at the creature. The beast avoided both of his other spells, but, realizing the coming threat, growled in frustration. Several of the other creatures growled, a deep guttural noise that raised the hair on his arms, as they realized the coming threat.

  Realizing the humans wouldn't be able to fight without their eyes, he shouted to the priest. "Kjormur! They need light!"

  From his right, Kjormur chanted a word of power. A ball of light appeared above them and illuminated the area. As it washed over them, the beasts shrank back, their vision blurred by the near-daylight of the dwarf's spell. In that moment, the creatures' true forms became clear. They were massive, humanoid wolves. Their front limbs were long and wiry, and their hands were shaped like human hands with long claws. Their legs were thick and powerful, and they ended in paws that gave them immense traction and strength. They stood tall, nearly as tall as the trolls had been, and their maws were long and narrow with wicked teeth and sharp canines. Their yellow eyes, identical to Zethari's, glinted in the light.

  He drew on more of the ambient mana around him and began to cast another spell. He hadn't had the chance to crystalize this one yet, so he began the incantation as the others rushed past him. His voice was low as he spoke the words of power, their power welling within his core. He'd only managed to memorize it that day. He silently thanked Ta-Li again as the final syllable of its incantation left his lips.

  [Armor of Shadows]

  Shadows erupted from his body, swirling and lapping at the space around him as he began to run again, the tendrils of darkness forming a skin of shadowy armor that melded to his skin. He felt his strength grow as his [Embrace of Darkness] talent was reinforced by the shadowy armor, and the cold chill of darkness filled his soul. Neither Yselene's dim light nor the glow of the countless stars in the night sky could reach him. He was darkness itself.

  An instant later, his party met their foes in battle. Abad could make out a half dozen fey'ra still rushing around the wagons. A-Nis had stopped next to him and let loose a flurry of arrows, nearly every one of which met its mark. One arrow lodged into a fey'ra's throat just as Firtz slammed into it, throwing the creature back and sending it crashing to the ground. The paladin slammed the butt of his axe into the creature's head, and it went limp. Kjormur's voice rang out as holy verses poured from his lips, his voice filling the battlefield. A ray of light shot from his hand, burning into the nearest beast's arm, which yelped as it tried to circle around them. Glowing with a golden light, A-Nis targeted the creature, and her perfectly placed shots hobbled it. It tried to limp back to the treeline as it yelped and stumbled, only for an arrow to strike the back of its skull, throwing it face first into the dirt.

  He heard a side from the side. He had just enough time to cast [Burn the Weak], striking a beastkin in the face before it could lunge at them. It screamed and rushed backward, disappearing into the fog.

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  A trio of wolves appeared behind them. As the nearest beasts roared and charged him, he could make out its massive snout, sharp claws, and glowing yellow eyes. Zethari, who'd stayed by his side, cried out. Her body swelled, and as the creature leaped into the air, she doubled in size, standing taller than any of the others, and grabbed it by its throat. She roared as she threw the creature, which soared twenty feet before landing in a heap next to the river. She rushed the downed creature. However, as it tried to stand up and its yellow eyes met hers, she slowed, and her transformation wavered

  "Zethari!" He tried to snap her out of it, but she stood motionless. These were her people. She knew it now.

  [Sanguine Gift]

  Pulling on as much ambient mana in the air as he could and pairing it with his life force, he buffed himself and the others, filling their veins with power. His vision swam as he cast the spell, but he shook it off as a red haze descended upon them. Their speed doubled as he felt their blood resonate with his. It was a risk using that much of his life force, but he wasn't sure they'd survive without the boost.

  Howling came from behind him. Turning, he saw three more of the beasts running at full tilt from the tree line, their maws snapping as they burst from the trees and leaped over the river.

  [Burn the Weak]

  Blood-red flames roared to life in his hands. He threw them at the fey'ra, catching the final one mid-air as it leaped over the river. It screamed as the flames roared around it and stopped its momentum, sending the beast crashing into the water. The rushing river, having been fed by all the rain, swept the burning creature downstream, Abad's hellfire refusing to go out even as it was submerged under the water. Its fellows looked back, then disappeared into the fog.

  Turning back toward the wagons, Abad saw Shani engage with two fey'ra. The warrior easily outpaced the beastkin, whose attacks seemed clunky and slow in comparison to her effortless grace. Her sword was a whirlwind of death that left deep slashes on the creatures, who, realizing they were outmatched, both tried to retreat from her, but the effort was in vain. The woman hamstrung one and, leaping into the air, slit the other's throat. The first barely made it another step before an arrow buried itself into its eye.

  However, he could see Zethari was still frozen. He called out to the woman, but she didn't move. She was looking toward the forest. He shouted again, but when she still didn't budge, he turned and scanned the treeline. A massive figure loomed out of the woods. Its body was covered in fur. As the creature fully stepped into the moonlight, it was larger than the others, nearly as large as Zethari had been. Its glowing yellow eyes surveyed the carnage. Lifting its head to the sky, it howled, and dozens of yellow eyes appeared in the treeline.

  Zethari, still unmoving, began shivering. Abad ran to her. "Hey, we need you!" He grabbed her shoulders, but her body was rigid.

  "It's..." She looked up at him, and her eyes were glazed. She looked back to the woods. "It's my pack..." She whispered the word. He could feel her shivering under his hands. "It's him."

  His hands tightened on her shoulders, and his voice lowered. "We will find a way, okay?"

  Her yellow eyes met his. They were wide. He wasn't sure she understood his words. Behind him, he could hear footsteps. She blinked, and he watched as her body doubled in size once again. Her clothes, already unbuttoned and loose from her brief transformation, began to stretch as her body swelled. He turned to see a wolf-man leaping toward him, but her powerful arms snatched it out of the air, and she pinned the attacker to the ground and roared, snapping her jaws into its neck. A spray of blood coated the ground.

  "I will protect you." Her distorted, guttural voice sent a shiver up his spine.

  She rushed into the battle, and the sounds of her powerful blows filled the night. He turned back toward the large figure at the treeline, who was watching the battle, his yellow eyes shining in the moonlight. His fellows bled out of the trees and swarmed around him. The fey'ra, Rennar, gave a command, and Abad watched as the creatures fanned out, leaping across the river at oblique angles as they began to flank the caravan.

  He looked to his left. A-Nis had made her way to the others and had her bow drawn, and Kjormur and Firtz stood beside her, the priest lifting his bloodied mace and chanting. The paladin was covered in claw marks, but his healing was already sealing his wounds, the flesh stitching back together. Shani finished another fey'ra off and ran up to her allies.

  "Get inside the wagon ring!" Abad called out to them.

  The four fell back to the wagons. A-Nis loosed arrow after arrow as they moved, the shafts hitting their marks more often than not. Firtz's axe severed the arm of a lurking fey'ra as they weaved through the wagons, and as it yelped, Kjormur's mace crushed its skull. The ball of light floated overhead, casting the wagons in an eerie glow in the fog.

  He turned to find Zethari. She was twenty paces away and engaged with a pair of fey'ra, her powerful claws slashing at them, holding them back with practiced precision, her superior speed and strength obvious.

  "Stop!" Her distorted voice echoed around him.

  The two creatures merely snarled. Being sorely outmatched, the two broke away, and she didn't give chase.

  "Get back to the wagons!" He screamed to his vassal. Turning toward his voice, she nodded and leaped over the wagons in a single leap. He turned to the caravan. He couldn't make out many details in the thickening fog, but he could hear the sounds of the guards fighting with the creatures on the far side. He'd have to trust they could handle themselves. He followed his familiar.

  The lupana had created a large ring around the caravan, flanking every path of escape as they ran around the wagons, staying just out of reach of the crossbows. However, A-Nis had climbed a wagon and was firing continuously. However, her quiver was getting dangerously close to empty.

  "En-In!" He shouted to the air. "Get A-Nis more arrows!" He thought he heard the man shout. Abad squeezed between two wagons, and as he made it to the other side, he saw A-Nis pulling a full quiver up the side of her wagon.

  He looked at his party. They were bloody and tired, but when he reached out with his senses, he felt that they were strong enough. His voice was firm as he spoke, "I'm going to try something. Hold them off, and keep the survivors safe." The others looked at him with confused looks, but he didn't have time to explain.

  Abad scanned the area with his senses. For there to be freshly raised undead nearby and a magical fog in covering the area, there had to be a mage of some power nearby. However, with the mana thick enough that he could feel the weight of it in the air, he couldn't find their master from this range. It was as if he had gauze over his eyes.

  However, he could pull off other tricks that he'd once relied on in these conditions.

  He gave his [Cloak of the Raven] a mental command, and the thick fabric billowed out behind him. An instant later, his cloak had become great black wings, and, running forward, he flapped his wings and soared into the night air.