Ilio quickly took stock of the situation and realized, unfortunately, that captain Moral wasn't their only problem.
We're surrounded.
Inkani was right about what he'd said earlier, though. He could feel the majority of their unfriendly visitor's attention focused solely on him.
I smell silver... a lot of silver.
He could sense Inkani tensing beside him, clearly trying to figure a way out of their current situation. Ilio left him to his thoughts and turned his attention Karalius.
Considering Bin was Inkani's heir and second in command, he doubted that he'd try to flee, even though he'd been ill recently and was likely not able to fight much.
That meant that they would have a demon on their side, at least, because he doubted that Karalius would ever leave Bin to truly die, no matter how much he wanted to push him to the brink, himself.
Inka, they don't know about Karalius, do they? he asked, drawing Inkani's eyes to him for the briefest moment.
Not to my knowledge.
The man had wisely tucked his new wings back into his shirt, making him appear like a sickly vampire instead of a powerful demon.
Moral's troops are going to target me first. I can smell the silver in the air. Let me lead away whichever ones will follow me.
It would be beneficial to their group if he could make at least half the man's crew follow him.
No.
He'd expected Inkani's response.
You aren't allowed to leave, the man added, sensing his displeasure.
You said that you'd listen next time I told you to do something.
Ilio flicked an ear as he heard the clicks of several pistol's being cocked.
There was no time for him to try and persuade his mate.
I apologize, he thought to him, making Inkani tense, but before the man could even turn to face him Ilio had dug his paws into the damp ground and bolted into the dense woods behind them!
His movement had been an unexpected blur, making the bullets that were shot at him in response all miss as their entire group scattered and the fight began!
With his heart pounding in his throat, Ilio ran just fast enough to keep the vampires pursuing him comfortable that they still had a chance to take him out.
Their bullets whizzed past his ears and several even cut into his thick coat, but time and again, the worst he got out of the rain of ammunition were mere scrapes and scratches.
Clenching his jaw, Ilio snorted and turned to his left as his nose picked up the scent of water...
Picking up his speed slightly, he blurred forward, whipping through the underbrush like a bullet, himself!
Within moments he was breaking free of the thick vegetation and leaping out into an open marshland. About one-hundred yards away was a massive waterfall reaching up into the sky and beneath his paws was a thin layer of water that saturated the ground for as far as his eyes could see.
The abrupt sound of gunfire made him jump not a second later, but before he could even turn around a curtain of water shot upward in a circle around him, then burst into a multitude of droplets it absorbed the impacts of the bullets one after the other!
As he panted hard, Ilio could sense the vampires that had been chasing him quickly approach, hoping to be the one who broke through the water barrier, but little did they know...
Three...
Two...
One...
The large group of vampires suddenly slowed to a stop, each one seemingly now stuck in the ankle-deep water.
Ilio took his chance and darted out from behind the protective curtain of water with a roar! Even though he'd left the barrier behind him to dissipate on its own, just enough water seemed to follow him to keep the bullets still aimed at him from connecting with his body as he began tearing apart person after person!
He had just killed his tenth vampire when he heard a loud blast echo from the northern side of the forest. Not five seconds later his vampire slid out from the underbrush as if the ground itself had pulled him from the trees!
Ilio was just about to head his way but was startled, along with the remaining vampires around him, when another loud blast was heard right at the edge of the forest, then smoke began to billow upward!
Run!
Ilio immediately did as told and darted to the side just in time to avoid a second blast that had been directed at him!
It exploded with a force strong enough to blow the soaked ground and water sky-high! Bits and pieces of mud and grass pelted his thick coat as he ran to his mate's side, his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth as he tried to catch his breath.
"He used to only be able to do basic fire manipulation," Inkani said as he gathered the water from around them into a vortex in order to protect them from the few bullets that were still aiming at them.
More and more vampires began to emerge from the forest and, after a tense minute, captain Moral, himself, strode out, his large dark blue commander's coat whipping in the wind stirred up by Inkani's water spout.
We are badly outnumbered...
"There's not much I can do about it. I can't yell loud enough for my men to hear," Inkani said calmly, but while his words might have been true, if a bit sarcastic, they gave Ilio an idea.
Twitching his nose, he glanced up at his mate, then tilted his head.
I can.
Inkani blinked down at him for a second before returning his attention to captain Moral just in time to deflect another fireball into the nearby trees!
Ilio waited as the blast shook the ground beneath their feet and set another portion of the forest on fire. However, once the noise had died down and the accompanying bullets ceased completely, he took his chance!
Tilting his head back abruptly, Ilio opened his mouth, sucked in a breath, then howled with all the force he could muster!
When he finally closed his mouth a few moments later and refocused his attention forward, his ears were standing tall and his eyes were now leveled on Moral.
Inkani had quelled his water vortex to a slow, translucent whirlpool, allowing them to hear and see much better.
Captain Moral had stopped near the edge of the marsh, his hands glowing with energy he had yet to release.
"Your wolf is faster than I thought it would be. He clearly ran to give you a chance to survive, yet you still followed after him immediately," he said, making Ilio sneak a disapproving look at Inkani before returning his attention to the vampire in front of them.
"I'm honestly surprised the great elder pirate Inkani would risk his life for anyone besides his preferred heir, Binan."
Inkani straightened the slightest bit and narrowed his eyes as he slowly lifted his hands to either side.
All eyes were on him... but that was their mistake.
With an abrupt lunge downward, Inkani snarled and slammed his hands into the thick mud! Ilio hopped to the side in response, a little startled and confused. At least until he heard the screams.
Jerking his head to the side, Ilio watched with wide eyes as several vampires, already up to their waists in mud, suddenly disappeared beneath the surface of the marsh, as if being pulled in by an unseen force!
Returning his attention to Inkani as the man slowly lifted his hands from the murky water, Ilio could only think of one thing.
My mate is amazing!
He whined happily and wagged his damp tail, lifting his front paws in a little dance of excitement!
The few vampires that managed to escape were now standing on the bank behind their captain, but the previously confident man now looked a little more pale than normal.
"What's wrong, captain? Wolf got your tongue?" Inkani asked as Ilio snarled, lifting his upper lip eagerly.
I don't... yet.
Captain Moral bared his fangs as he took a step backwards, his hands still glowing an angry, bright yellowish-white.
He actually looked like he was about to lose control and just try to bombard them with fireballs when they all heard a loud snarl from high above, giving them just enough time to look up before Karalius dropped down from the sky, splashing water and mud high into the air!
"What?! Why are they still alive?!" captain Moral questioned as he took another step back.
While the small group Moral had remaining seemed to grow even more nervous, Ilio watched Bin slide from Karalius's back before the demon tucked its wings against its back.
It looks like they won't be useable again until they heal.
The new large holes in them didn't seem to bother Karalius one bit, though, so he didn't waste his worry on him. In fact, while it was obvious that the man was bleeding from a few places, it clearly hadn't slowed him down.
His demonic aura is back, too.
"What the hell is he?" one of captain Moral's men questioned nervously, looking as if he were about to piss himself.
Ilio wrinkled his nose.
He already had.
The man's words only seemed to infuriate his captain further, but right as he stepped forward to begin attacking again, several loud yells echoed from over by the waterfall.
Took them long enough.
Inkani's crew burst out of the woods, their numbers swelling as more and more appeared from the underbrush!
"You little devil of a dog. You called them here with your howl, didn't you?" Inkani said as he patted Ilio's head approvingly.
Ilio knew that he was the only wolf in the area since there had been a border before captain Moral's men had broken through it. Thus, howling was a clear signal to Inkani's crew that their leader was in trouble.
Now that they were here, along with Karalius and Bin, captain Moral knew that he didn't stand a good chance any longer. The man retreated with one final snarl, but while they had won the initial battle, there was no doubt that there'd be another. They were trapped, after all, and without a ship, it was only a matter of time before the man came after them again.
"Let's regroup and get some food and rest," Inkani said as he waded out of the water to greet his crew and begin giving orders.
They would retreat back to the town for now since Ilio had destroyed the docks, making it difficult for any vessels to land and attack.
Ilio hurried to follow after his mate, and to his surprise, once he began walking at his side, his ears twitched here and there, picking up praise after praise for his smart thinking in summoning them to their aid.
It was odd being praised by anyone, and especially vampires he didn't know very well, but after another gentle pat from Inkani, Ilio snorted contently and decided to accept the gratitude he was given... as well as a turkey leg one of the vampire's had evidently been about to eat when they'd been interrupted by his distress howl.
All and all, it wasn't a bad day after all.