The Lupine System-Chapter 141: It Begins

It Begins

CRACK CRACK CRACK

Horrific sounds of bones breaking and shifting rang through the night, and despite steeling her resolve, Theresa couldn’t help but place a hand over her mouth at the jarring noise.

Even Kris frowned a little, but despite this, they stood firm in their positions.

Even as Mike’s body contorted grotesquely against the chains binding him and his muffled screams tore through his throat.

None of them moved, not yet. They just watched, burning the scene in their memory as they acted like wards to watch their friend.

Slowly, though, the transformation progressed, and even with the chains, it didn’t take much effort to see the shape Mike was taking.

’Is that not just a werewolf?’ Theresa frowned.

While she certainly wasn’t overly knowledgeable on mythological creatures, she still had her phase of reading certain spicy novels with werewolves in them, no matter how brief, and no matter how she looked at it, Mike’s form fit that description perfectly.

And yet.. something felt off...

Grr

A low growl.

Theresa tensed, and Kris straightened.

After what felt like an eternity, the transformation ended, and Mike looked up.

The first thing the two of them noticed were those blazing blue eyes. They shone in the darkness like bright torches, and within them, an endless amount of Primal rage could be seen surging forth.

The chains strained against his now bulging muscles, and saliva dripped from his muzzle that was currently biting onto the chain meant to keep his silent.

The air around him was different, too. The duo had noticed it earlier, but now it was clear. The sheer ferocity that was rolling off him was almost stifling, and anyone with a weaker mind would crumble beneath it instantly, unable to do anything but watch in utter terror.

But, perhaps it was due to being exposed to Mike for a longer time, but it appeared as though both of them had developed their own resistance to said ferocity.

Not that it made them drop their guards. Not in the slightest.

It didn’t take long for the beast, Mike, to start struggling.

Theresa frowned as the chains binding him created ominously, the sound echoing throughout the surroundings as Mike pulled.

It was ’calm’ at first, probing, as if he was testing the integrity of the chains.

He paused for a moment, giving off the illusion that all was well.

Then the thrashing began.

It wasn’t gradual, and there was no buildup. One moment, Mike was still. The next, he was thrashing against his bindings like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Only magnitudes more terrifying.

The surroundings SHOOK.

The ground, the trees, the mountains, everything that the chains had been embedded into was shaken by the sheer force of Mike’s struggle. It was terrifying, really, especially when one took into account the fact that, due to being bound so thoroughly, Mike couldn’t fully express his strength with the limited space he had to move.

’Will these chains really hold?’ Theresa couldn’t help but wonder. She didn’t doubt Kris’s ability. Moreover, unlike the fight against the Rat King where Kris was both caught by surprise and also had to keep tabs on his energy, he’d been creating these chains dutifully over the past few days, preparing.

They were not weak by any means.

But even then, watching the results of Mike’s struggle, it was hard not to be worried.

She looked to Kris who still hadn’t moved an inch, his expression unchanged, and she forced herself to calm down.

’If anything goes wrong, he will tell me.’ She told herself.

However, she didn’t know that, despite his steadfastness, Kris was also worried internally.

’Please, get tired already.’ Kris pleaded inwardly as he stared at Mike’s writhing form. Having created the chains, he could feel each of them clearly, and he knew just how much strain they were under due to Mike’s movements.

Subtly, he controlled the chains to wrap tighter around Mike. Not to hurt him, but simply impair his movements so that moving was impossible.

Mike writhed more, but the results were promising, as Mike had less and less space to struggle.

’If it’s like this, holding him till morning should be possible...’ Kris thought. Mike’s struggles were fierce, yet, but they were still in the realm of manageable.

If his chains started to wear down, he could simply feed his energy into them to repair them, something that cost less due to the chains being permanent.

’Maybe...’

However, in their focus on Mike’s physical strength, Kris and Theresa had failed to take into account something just as, if not more important than his terrifying physical prowess.

His ability.

Perhaps, they subconsciously believed that due to his apparent loss of sanity, he wouldn’t be able to use his ability.

And by the time they noticed, it was too late.

BOOM

A shockwave flattened dozens of trees, and the duo had to keep themselves steady to avoid being thrown away.

When they came to, their pupils shrank simultaneously.

Like a blue sun, Mike’s aura blared brightly, beautifully...

Dangerously.

The dark night suddenly became light day time. But that was no star.

"Stop him!" Kris yelled and summoned numerous chains. Moreover, chains that he had buried underground burst from the ground and went towards Mike. Theresa also let loose the arrow she had been preparing this whole time. They had been ready for something unexpected, strained taut for something they didn’t account for occurring.

But even then.

SNAP SNAP SNAP

It wasn’t enough.

The chains binding him shattered, and as soon as they did, Mike raised his head to the sky.

And Howled.

It was crisp, smooth, and utterly enthralling.

Yet, as the sound passed Kris and Theresa, their bodies froze, and their eyes widened.

Not with shock, but with pure, unadulterated terror.

’Wh-What...?’ Theresa’s mind stuttered as she struggled to form a coherent thought.

All she could do was watch as Mike moved like a ghost towards Kris who was closer.

He swung his arm, and the next thing she knew, Kris was sent flying into the distance, and the loud ’crash’ that followed told her that he’d struck something, hard.

’T-Think.... Move... do... something... react...!’ Theresa’s broken thoughts screamed at her to move, but her body was frozen, unable to obey.

As such, she watched with increasing terror as Mike turned his attention to her.

She barely saw him move, but he was already in front lf her, massive pawed hand descending towards her skull.

If that hit her, should would die instantly.

She knew this. And yet, her body still refused to move.

Her pupils dilated as the shadow of the hand gradually covered her head, its form filling her vision.

She was going to...

***

"Theresa." Theresa looked down at Mike, whose head was still on her lap. His voice surprised her, both due to how he’d been behaving with the full moon so close, and the seriousness in his voice.

"I know you and Kris are confident. But, if the situation truly becomes dire, please don’t hesitate." Hearing this, Theresa started to protest.

"I mean it!" The force in his voice stopped her cold.

He sat up and looked her in the eyes.

"Promise me. If it comes down to it, you won’t hesitate or linger." The determination in his eyes caused the protest in her throat to wilt, and, reluctantly, she nodded.

"... Fine. I promise."

***

’I... was arrogant.’ Theresa bit down hard on her tongue, and the pain immediately snapped her mind back into focus.

She shifted her body to the side, just barely avoiding the brunt of Mike’s attack.

The brunt... because some of it still managed to glance off her shoulder.

And she was thrown away like a ragdoll.

The armor shielding that part of her disintegrated, and it was a miracle that the bones in her arm didn’t shatter as well.

She rolled and tumbled through the dirt, crashing through several trees before finally coming to a stop.

’I was so arrogant.’ She felt tightness in her chest before she vomited a mouthful of blood onto the floor and looked up.

’I was so sure I could handle anything he threw at me. But... his worry wasn’t unfounded. No... he wouldn’t warn us so much if he didn’t know what he was talking about.’ She spat out the rest of the blood and straightened.

She felt like shit.

It was only a glancing blow, and yet, she felt like she’d been hit by a spaceship on re-entry.

When she looked up, she saw Mike’s hulking figure stalking towards her.

No surprise at her managing to avoid the hit. No worry at seeing her state. Just pure ferocity.

’I see now. This is what you meant.’ She took a deep breath, then she exhaled.

Her energy which had been thrown off by the howl and consequent hit stabilized, then surged.

Her braided her somehow unbraided itself and fluttered behind her as though there was wind.

Then, it started to glow. A bright orange glow reminiscent of heated metal, with embers flowing from each strand.

The fire of her bow seemed to solidify slightly, making her bow appear more corporeal.

She summoned an arrow and drew the string, her eyes staring into Mike’s as she aimed at him.

"I won’t hesitate anymore!"