Chapter 31: 31. Suka

31. Suka

“Alex an’ Gabby alright?” Dura approaches us with a broad grin as she flips her dreadlocks over a shoulder. She’s obviously in a very good mood after her evolution despite looking like she’s been trampled by a herd of centaurs.

My Goblin wife looks at me to assess my current disposition before answering, “We’re doing fine, Dura. Thank you. How are our clansmen?”

The Ogress chuckles. “Half dem numbskulls cryin’ bout apples still. Other half pack up go home. All gud.”

I look around, but don’t see our furry companion anywhere. “Where’s Suka?”

“Dura saw stinkin’ wolf dive in bonfire. Gud ridd’nce.”

“What?” I can’t believe my ears, but Gabby is already sprinting away. I run after her. “Gabby, where are you going?”

“Alex, I have to see this! I didn’t even think about it in the moment, but everything makes sense!”

“What makes sense?”

We arrive at the bonfire. The two Treefolk are wooden skeletons wreathed in flame embracing in the rictus of death over a pit of coals and ash. I search for Suka but can’t find anything more than a pile of cinders.

Is she really gone? Why would she…

A tremendous crack resounds through the clearing as the wooden skeletons collapse in on themselves, sending a great column of sparks and ash into the sky. A grey shape leaps from the rising cloud to land before us.

“She’s a Cinderwolf!” Gabby squees.

Suka’s coat has gone from slate grey to bone ash, her hair is longer by a quarter, she’s about half a head taller at the withers, and her eyes are burning coals. The air shimmers around her in a heat haze while the grass smolders around her paws.

I imagine the evolution requirements and have to marvel. Probably something like, ‘Burn two second-tier treefolk alive and bathe in their smoldering embers.’ She must have instinctually known to enter the conflagration to complete the transformation, but mustering the sheer will to do so… Suka is a badass.

“Good, you didn’t run.” I’m surprised to hear Suka speak in her wolf form. “That saves me time tracking you down.”

“Why would I run from such a beautiful beast?” I ask. It’s all bravado, though. I know my chances of winning dropped significantly compared to before. While not a third-tier monster, this Cinderwolf is a definite upgrade like Dura going from Orc to Ogre. Still, I like messing with Suka.

The Cinderwolf takes a half step back and turns her head to glance at her flanks as if to confirm my compliment is deserved. “Ahem,” Suka faces my wife, ignoring me for the moment, and speaks in her most ceremonial voice, “Esteemed Gabby, I thank you. I couldn’t have evolved without your spark. Regretfully, I can’t go back on my word and leave your human be. If you wish, you may challenge me to a duel after this one to contest the human’s ownership.”

“Should Dura smash stink wolf?”

“No, Dura, stand down. Miss Suka, there’s no need for further violence. I have already resigned myself to be content with the outcome of this duel.”

I understand how Suka accepts Gabby’s words but, after yesterday’s conversations, I take this as my wife’s tacit approval for me to take this wolf as a new bitch for my growing harem.

The Cinderwolf nods her canine head. “Then I thank you again for being so amicable, for Goblinoids. There’s nothing worse than an honorable duel spoiled by interference.”

Gabby and I glance at one another in a silent exchange. I tell her with my eyes I don’t need help, and she agrees to abide by my decision.

“Ready, human?”

“One sec.”

*Selected Mermaid Water Magic!*

Thanks, Ariella!

I summon my crab armor around myself, along with a new spear.

“Ready.”

Suka bites my gauntleted forearm before I have a chance to blink. Her speed completely floors me. On top of that, her momentum pushes me back until I lose my footing, and I land supine with the Cinderwolf atop me. Her body heat is scalding even with full-body crustaceous plate mail covering every inch of skin.

I try to bash her with the spear in my free hand, but it catches flame and quickly begins to crumble. Suka’s jaws clench on my forearm, causing the crab armor to crack and splinter in places.

Dropping the spear, I focus my will and conjure a Water Magic jet from my palm. Billowing clouds of steam erupt from the Cinderwolf’s flanks, and Suka releases my arm to retreat.

Wolf Rush!

I stand, turning about until I find the Cinderwolf behind me. I don’t need to run, so keeping Wolf Rush active will be more sustainable, which limits her to a single Rush-tier advantage. Yes, in this state, her speed is almost manageable.

When she does her version of Rush, Suka leaves a trail of burning ash on the ground almost like flaming tire tracks on an ancient human road.

It becomes a game of tag.

I shoot at her with the water jet; she takes a bite of my calf or shoulder. I’m armored, and I can replace the pieces her strong jaws crack, but I’m cooking in my suit. While I’m only getting a rare blister, the bigger issue is heat exhaustion. Between her body heat, my continual Wolf Rushes, and the stifling confines of the armor, I don’t know how much longer I can last without fainting.

Wait…

I refocus my will, changing my water production from a single point on my palm to spread across my body. My suit fills with water that squirts through every joint and cools me at the same time. I’m a water-cooled battle machine!

I catch a quick drink to rehydrate myself, then concentrate on the flow to prevent myself from drowning in the suit. Suka discovers the trap I’ve laid for her the next time she goes for a bite on my blindside. Her jaws crack the armor, only to have pressurized water shoot through the new gaps into her mouth!

Wolf jaws billow steam as she retreats from me again. This is no longer a question of whether I’m going to lose. I’ve fully turtled myself to the point Suka can’t get through my defenses. The question now is whether I can win!

I crouch down to cover my belly on all sides while I remove the plate over my tattoos to make an adjustment.

*Selected Twisted Treefolk Earth Magic!*

Time for a little experiment!

Using two types of magic at once is a bit like patting one’s head while rubbing one’s stomach. It takes a minute to get used to, and then it isn’t so hard.

Combining two sources of the same magic on the other hand is a bit strange. The similarities somehow make the differences more visible. I can sense how the Mole-man Earth Magic’s perspective is radically different from the Treefolk’s. One burrows in the ground, while the other stands atop with roots extending downward. Merging the two feels like slotting puzzle pieces together; it’s hard to see how they come together at first before discovering how well they fit into place.

The result is Earth Magic I can activate faster and use to move larger volumes of dirt.

Suka has resorted to biting me anyway despite causing herself as much, if not more pain when she’s inevitably splashed. The next time she retreats spitting steam, I aim for the patch of ground she lands on. I’ve been studying her patterns with Fast Learner, allowing me an extra split-second to anticipate her movement.

The ground shifts and the Cinderwolf falls prone. I take the opportunity to douse her with as much water as possible jetting from both hands. Steam rises in a great cloud until it suddenly ceases. I let the fog clear so I can see Suka’s state.

The Cinderwolf leaps from the dissipating steam, jaws wide, going for my throat. I barely get a spear summoned with the shaft held between my hands. Suka’s teeth clamp onto the wood and shatter it to splinters. I punch her in the head, sending her sprawling.

Suka is soaked like a wet dog, but she still has the size and strength exceeding that of a normal Dire Wolf. The two of us go at it, exchanging bites and fists in a rapid exchange. I summon another spear to whap her flanks, jab her side with the butt, and bonk her on the head.

She still has a speed advantage, but I’m closing the gap the more familiar I become with her moves using Fast Learner. We both look miserable. I’m feeling the burden of all the Wolf Rushes I’ve used. Suka, on the other hand, is heating herself back up with each Cinderwolf Rush, causing steam to begin rising from her soaked fur.

I can’t let this continue.

The next time Suka lunges for me, I open my arms and allow her to bite my neck plate. I fall, rolling to put her beneath me and unload with my fists. Her powerful teeth crack the armor protecting my neck, and I feel the pressure on my throat, but I keep pummeling. I have an Orc’s body, an Orc’s strength, and chitinous armored gauntlets. My blows would crush a lesser monster outright. Laying into Suka’s unprotected stomach while her claws fruitlessly scratch at my plate mail has a cumulative, inevitable result.

I barely stop my fist in time as Suka shrinks below me into a vulnerable wolf girl with her tail tucked between her legs.

Rolling off her, I land supine, arms and legs splayed wide. I unsummon my crab armor and just lay there gasping.

*Tamed the Cinderwolf – One Canine Mark!*

Suka rises to her knees before bowing to me dogeza style.

“You win, I’m your bitch.”