Lets Play a Game

Over the course of the day before, we managed to rake in several nice sized magistones, some monster parts that would sell well, and even a few good hides. What we did not find was a magical staff. We also had no real clue where it was either.

Before now I would have though a dungeon was basically a labyrinth of sorts. You would have paths to follow and eventually you would find the one that led to the boss or the treasure room. But this was a damn endless forest. No walls, only game trails at best, and no end in sight. Sometimes we came across a stream or an out cropping of stone that broke up the monotony but mostly it was just trees. In fact, if it turned out we had just been wandering in circles for the day I would not have been surprised.

We were picking up after a quick, cold, lunch break when I felt a change in the air. The hair on my arms and the scales on my tail lifted and a tingling went down my spine.

"Something is wrong." I told Vale in hushed tones as he was slinging a pack over his shoulder.

He didn't seem surprised and nodded. "I felt it too. The air pressure has changed. And the temperature dropped."

"What do you think the cause it?" whispered Roan who had come to see what we were talking about. He waved the other two over. "A magical trap?"

"No. Either the weather is about to get bad or..."

"Or?" I asked.

"I have been in this dungeon a couple times. There is a monster here that can affect the weather like this. Or a group of monsters I should say."

"What kind of monsters?" Asked Kassidy, glancing around nervously. She had a sturdy spirit but was not a combat type so seemed to be more on edge.

"They are called Storm Wolves. As far as I know they are only ever found in high level dungeons."

"I have read about them." I said. "They are B ranked monsters. Shaped like wolves and ranging from pitch black to pure white. They get up to four feet at the shoulders, have dangerous claws and fangs, and can move a crazy speed."

"Well, that sounds not too bad." Said Markus. "Nothing we haven't see before at least."

I shook my head. "I have no clue the monsters you have face before, but in this place we have not faced anything like them yet. It is not their physicality that is the problem. They are crazy smart, work in massive packs, and a very magical in nature."

We began to hurry our preparations. None of us wanted to be here, sitting ducks, for a pack of hungry wolves. But it really was no use. I knew it and I am sure the others did too. If we were feeling the effects of the wolves on the air then we were already their prey. It was just a matter of time before they pounced.

Vale had us proceed in a tighter formation now, with Roran and Kassidy in the middle and me, Vale and Markus surrounding them as best we could. Kassidy looked nervous but for some reason I didn't feel that on edge at all. My skin still crawled with the magic in the air but inside I was calm. If anything, what I felt was anticipation. I realized that I wanted to run into these wolves. I wanted to see them for myself and judge their worth.

"What in the name of the gods are you smiling about." Vale ground out, glaring at me.

"I think I want a wolf." I said, fingers twitching and heart beginning to race. It was like a drug to my system, this wanting. It made my breaths short and my senses come alive, aware of the leaves above shifting and the foot falls of my companions almost deafening.

"Are you crazy." Snapped the priest.

"Maybe." I said with a wide smile. "Hardly matters now. They are here." I could hear them, I realized. I could hear the foot falls of many padded feet over moss and claws scraping bark. Panted breaths on the wind and muffled yips and growls. And mixed in all that, the static, crackling sound of electricity.

"Shit!" Cursed Vale as he too picked up on the on coming pack. "Draw your axe Markus. There are a lot of them." He said and both men had their weapons in hand in an instant. Markus, his massive double headed axe, and Vale, his two deadly short swords.

I had no weapons except for the very body I woke up here with but I readied it all the same. My tail flicked out behind me, twitchy and fast, and I brought my hands up, dark claws ready to rend flesh. Between me and the two warriors stood Roran and Kassidy. Neither were that good in a fight, but both held daggers all the same.

Drogin made a noise, alerting us that the wolves had found us. Within seconds we were surrounded as massive, fanged beasts bounded forth from the mist on all sides. They were fast and agile, bouncing off boulders and the sides of the huge trees. They were as beautiful to me as they were deadly. As I had read, they came in varying shades of black, grey and white. Some were so dark that they literally sucked in the light, looking like black holes amongst the trees, while other were so white it almost hurt to look at them.

It only took seconds for us to be surrounded by about fifteen of these monsters.

"What have we here?' I heard on laugh. It was the first time I had heard a monster talk and it took me off guard for a second. I knew that higher Ranked monster could often communicate with actual language but it was a whole other thing to see a dog holding a conversation. "Seems that we will feast on the flesh of adventurers today, my wolves."

He- I was ninety percent sure it was a he- was the biggest of the wolves with a grey white pelt. His eyes were almost the same color but his teeth were as white a snow. And he bared them with evident delight. His cold eyes lingered on Markus, the largest of us, and his tail flicked.

"Alpha," said another, my head whipping to it. I could not tell from the voice if it was male or female, but it was the second largest of the bunch. This one was a steely grey color with a pink scar across its muzzle. "They smell strange."

"Yes." Said the first wolf, the alpha. "Be warry, These are not like the average people who come here."

"What are they doing?" Hissed Kassidy, her eyes jumping from one snarling beast to the next. "Why aren't the attacking?"

"I do not know." Admitted Vale, looking worried. The numbers were not in our favor at all. It was basically fifteen to three and he doubted any one of us could handle five of these wolves a piece "Get ready though. Sin, aim for the vitals. We can't wait around for you to tame one of these things."

"Listen to them plan." Chuckled another wolf. It was somewhere in the back and I did not catch where.

"The two legs are slow." Said the second wolf. "Should we attack them all at once alpha?"

"At least two of their number carry the scent of another world." Said a fourth wolf. At first I could not tell where it was, the voice sounding everywhere, then I realized that he was sitting on a boulder near the back of the pack.

"No one asked your opinion, old one." Growled the alpha.

"We can't just stand here while they snap and snarl." Ground out Markus. "We should attack while they are indecisive."

It was then that it occurred to me that the others had no clue what the wolves were saying. Only I could understand their yips and growls that they thought were just angry dog noises, were an actual language. Thank you Kradiff, for the power of language.

"They want to attack but are warry of us." I told the others. I did not bother to whisper because I had no doubt that they had good enough hearing to pick up what ever I said no matter how quietly I said it. I turned to the wolf in charge and spoke. "You should listen to your old one. We are not easy prey."

At my words there was silence for a half beat before the wolves broke into a cacophony of noise, each speaking over the other or just straight up growling or snarling.

"Silence!" Roared the alpha. "You speak our words?"

I rather thought that was obvious but decided that it was probably best not to antagonize the scary boss wolf. "Yes." I said instead of the sarcasm that wanted to roll off my tongue.

"Please tell me you are having stroke and not talking to a pack of storm wolves?" Groaned Vale, eyes wide and grip on his swords tight.

"Sh!" Was my only answer.

"How is this possible?" Asked the alpha. "I know no two legs that can speak our language."

"I have to say that this is a first for me as well." I admitted, nervous.

The wolf took a deep breath, its pink tongue sticking out a little, drawing in my scent. "What are you?"

"It has a tail. But not any tail I ever saw before." Said the steely wolf.

"She is a demon." Sighed the wolf on the rock, sounding exasperated.

"Silence old one!" Snarled the alpha once again, this time its hackles raised, and he looked back at the boulder. Some of the other wolves moved so that their alpha had a clear view. "If I need your input I will ask for it."

"As you say alpha." Stated the older wolf. Now that the way was clear I saw that the wolf on the boulder did look older. Its fur looked like it was black as night. But it also looked dingy and patchy, almost grey in places. It was most pronounced on his muzzle, as was the deep scar that cut down from his for head, through an empty left eye socket, and down its cheek. And that wasn't even the most obvious deformity about the wolf. He was also missing all but the shoulder blade of his left foreleg. The stump was pink and mangled and looked painful but old.

"What is happening?" Kassidy asked, whisper now a little shrill.

"The alpha and the old wolf up there are fighting." I said quickly.

"Demon?" Said another wolf, somewhere behind me. "I don't think I ever ate a demon before."

"I wish to eat the demon!" Snapped another wolf.

"I don't care about the demon; I want the big one!" Snarled another. Witch led to another bout of snarling, howling and yipping.

At this point both Kassidy and Roran looked pale. I was worried the boys would attack. We could not take on these numbers. Not without loosing one or both of our healers at least. As Vale mentioned, we were too unbalanced of a team and could only really handle monsters in small numbers. These were not small numbers. We needed a plan.

"I will fight you for the demon." Snarled a wolf. At this point I had lost track of what wolf had said what.

"A game!" roared several others. "A game for the spoils!"

The alpha was still glaring at the old wolf on the rock. As for the old wolf he was just looking at the alpha like he couldn't be bothered. "Is there something you would like to ask me alpha?"

The alpha growled. But he did not ask anything of the old wolf, instead giving him one last glare then turning back to the rest of his pack.

"A game." He spoke. "I like this idea. We will kill the prey then have a game to see who gets the best parts."

A chorus of howls met these words, causing both Markus and Vale to tense. We needed a plan. We needed more information! What else had I read about these wolves?

"A game!" Shouted the wolves. Their ranks beginning to close in.

I remembered something then: the storm wolves were obsessed with what they called games. Really, they were just death matches. Or near-death matches. They played these games for anything; over who gets what pieces of meat, who gets a mate, who gets to sleep where. They would have a game over anything and everything. And more importantly... to refuse a game is the most cowardly thing a storm wolf could do.

"I challenge the alpha to a game!" I called out, making Kassidy jump. No doubt having a bunch of snarls suddenly sound in your ears was more than a little startling. But at my words the wolves went silent.

"Food has no say in these matters." Laughed the alpha. "What point would there be in having a game with you?"

I narrowed my eyes and cocked my head to the side a little. "Do you decline my offer of a game alpha?" I asked.

The alpha growled low and deadly, his hackles raised and his eyes flashing dangerously.

"w-what are you talking to them about?" Asked Kassidy.

"I just challenged the alpha to a fight." I answered her, not taking my eyes off the wolf. "Just give me a minute." I heard Vale curse beside me.

"If you don't want to play a game with me, then I could challenge another." I said to the alpha. "Perhaps your grey friend, or maybe the old one?"

I saw the rage pass over the alpha wolf's whole body, and he took a step toward me. I didn't move.

"Does that mean you accept the game, Alpha?" Asked the old wolf. "If not then I would like to- "

"I can accept my own games old one!" Snarled the wolf. "Do you, a half dead corpse, believe you can best a game better than me?"

"I would never, alpha." Droned the old wolf. He really did not like this alpha. "I was simply stating that had you no wish to accept than I would off to do so in your place. Win or loose."

If the alpha accepted that he would be seen as week. It would cause the other wolves to challenge him for the spot of alpha. At this point the alpha had no choice but to accept or loose face in front of his pack.

"Very, well demon. I accept your challenge." Said the alpha, eyes narrowed on me. "Do you wish to challenge for your freedom?" He asked, his voice silky.

"What are you saying alpha? If she wins, she is free anyway, isn't she?" Yipped a wolf to my right. The alpha snarled and snapped at the other wolf.

That was good to know. Still, I did not know all the rules to these challenges. The person who wrote about them could hardly speak Storm wolf. They just wrote what they observed about the wolves.

"In the interest of fairness," Stated the older wolf on the rocks, causing the alpha to snarl at him again but the older wolf ignored him this time. "I will explain the rules of the game between a wolf and one who is not wolf." He then glared at the alpha. "Unless the alpha wished to disgrace the pack?" the alpha made no comment and none of the other wolves objected. "You have made a challenge, demon, so you may set the prize. The alpha fights for his honor, and for the right to your meat if you loose. No two-legged weapons are aloud. The challenge is to the death. If the alpha wins, he may kill the two legged pack and win glory for the wolf pack. If the demon wins then she may gain her prize and the two leg pack is aloud to leave unmolested."

There was another bout of howls, and the pack began to back off, leaving me and the others in the center of a circle clearing between the trees. The Alpha stood before me, glaring hatefully.

"What's going on now?" Snapped Vale.

"The alpha and I are going to have a fight to the death. If I win, I apparently get a prize of my asking and we get to leave unharmed. If I loose... we all get eaten." I spoke. "You all should back up. From what I understand no one will be touched till this is done."

"Have you lost your mind?" Gasped Roran "All our lives depend on your battle skills?"

"No, its as best an outcome we could have hopped for." Said Vale, the tension leaving him a little as he headed for the group over next to a tree. "Sure, Markus or I could have done a better job of it, but I am sure Sin can handle one of these wolves on her own. Our odds of survival are much better now than they were a moment ago. We wouldn't have been able to survive an attack by the whole pack. Not all of us at least."

"Are we doing this or not, demon?" Growled the alpha. He was pacing back and forth hackles raised. I stepped forward, away from the others.

"State your prize, demon." Said the older wolf, still perched on his rock.

"Does it matter what I ask for, old one?" I asked, taking a defensive stance.

"No. Only that it must be something we can provide."

"Are you able to give me the magical staff that is said to be in this dungeon?" I asked.

"No." said the wolf, shaking his head once. "This is not in the packs possession."

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Very well, then may I ask for two things? After all, should I fail this game your alpha gets both our meat and the glory?"

"This is an acceptable request."

"Alright then. First I would ask for the location, or the packs best guess as to the location, of the magical staff said to be in this dungeon. My second request is that I would claim one of your pack as one of my own." At this there were growls, but the old one nodded all the same.

"The prize is acceptable. The game will now begin!"

The air immediately changed. It became heavy, dense even. Again, my hairs and scales lifted, and the distinct smell of ozone filled the air. The wolves all-round yipped and barked as the alpha began to circle me. I watched his steps carefully, knowing that these wolves were literally lightning fast when they needed to be.

Sure enough, mid blink, the alpha lunged forward. There was no dodging at that speed and so I landed a palm to the top of his head and forced my body up and over his body. His fur felt bristly to my fingers, his muscles hard and unforgiving. Deciding that I should take what ever hit I could I slashed my claws down his back.

The wolf roared but I knew I hadn't even broken his skin. Damn but its hide was tough! I cussed and spun on my heel, not wanting my back to the beast for even a second. It occurred to me that Drogin was still around my neck but I made sure to send him a mental order not to interfere. He was not a two legged weapon as the wolves put it, but it may be seen as cheating if he attacked.

"You will die here, demon." Snarled the alpha, making another lunge for my throat. I managed to duck aside this time. "I will kill you and then my pack will know they have a good alpha."

I rather doubted that. In fact, I suspected the old wolf had once been the alpha, before his wounds made him loose the post. I was sure that had to of been a while ago. The old wolf's wounds did not look new. But I was also sure that this alpha was new to the post. Maybe the pack had been jumping from alpha to alpha since the old one had to give up the post? Either way, I doubted if the wolf beat me now he would be any more esteemed in this packs eyes. They barely listened to him as it was.

This time I was the one to attack. I shot towards the wolf, aiming for his eyes. Given the damage to the old wolf and the scar on the other one I saw, the hide of the face may be thinner than that of the body. The wolf tried to dodge but it was clear he had not expected me to dive head first for him and his was slow. My black claws dug in deep and the smell of fresh blood met my nose, making me smile. I did not let the wolf lick his wounds and shot forward once again.

Despite one of his eyes now being out of commission, he managed to avoid my next blow and the one after that before taking a swipe at my thigh with his own paw. I was not able to fully dodge the blow and my own blood flavored the air. I stifled a scream as the pain ricochet through my body. But I couldn't stop. The moment I stopped moving was the moment I died. Cursing my slow reflexes I grabbed a hold of the alpha's right ear and tugged, pulling my body up onto the wolfs back.

The beast snarled and tried to buck me off but I dug my claws in deep, mangling the ear. I shot forward and locked my teeth onto the other ear. Hot blood filled my mouth and I was a little disturbed to find that not only did that not gross me out but I didn't mind the taste at all. It wasn't making me any hungrier, but I also didn't want to hurl. So instead, I bit harder and shook my head like an animal.

With both ears bloodied the wolf fairly screamed in pain and rage. He continued to buck but couldn't shake me. Now that he couldn't zip away from me, I took the opportunity to get my tail around his middle. His hide was thick and I was sure I couldn't saw through it like I would a mans neck. But was it as tough as armor? Vale's training had upped my stamina, speed, and reaction time, but my actual strength stayed the same. At the very least the tail helped to keep me on the animal's back.

Just as I was about to sink my claws into the alpha's other eye, I got the feeling of impending doom. I had to get off the wolf, now.

Fearful, I unwound my tail and nose dived off the wolf's back. Not a second too soon it seemed either, as a bolt of lightning roared through the air and struck the wolf, precisely where I had been sitting a second before. I watched as the wolf was lit up in a blue light, grinning a wolfish grin at me, the air smelling so metallic that it stung my nostrils.

"Holly crap!" I heard Kassidy scream a short distance away.

The air rumbled and clouds gathered densely over head, and I knew this attack was not over. I got to my feet and ran. I stayed in the circle and tried to keep away from my party as I zig zaged across the battle area. Within seconds another bolt hit the ground, missing me by a foot or more but the shear heat scorched across my body, my right side feeling like I was on fire.

"Take this!" I screamed and tore Drogin off my shoulder and threw the newt at Vale as I passed him by. I didn't have the time to be sure the bastard caught my dragon as I was still trying to dodge lightning bolts from on high. Still, an unexpected crashed into the dirt would do a hell of a lot less damage to him than being hit by a billion volts would.

Despite my running over the last twenty seconds, the wolf hadn't moved an inch. Beneath him was a spell circle, blue and intricate.

I had two options: wait for the spell to end while dodging freaking lightning, or attack head on despite the spell. I was no where near skilled enough to keep side stepping his attacks so there really was only one option...

With an aggravated growl I dashed forward, still zig zagging though I suspected that the wolf did not control where the bolts hit. I assumed it was simply that I was the tallest thing in the spell area. I would have no chance if I didn't finish this fast.

"You are dead little demon!" Roared the wolf. "Nothing but a stain in the moss!"

I dropped to the dirt, my momentum carrying me forward through the sticks and moss. Just as I was about to slide under the wolf's belly, his head came down and powerful jaws locked around my middle. I screamed in pain as the fangs sunk deep, penetrating even my thick hide. Then everything froze, the lightning stopped, and the clearing grew quiet.

"Is she dead?" Asked Roran, not sounding to put out about it.

"She- she is not." Breathed Vale.

And indeed, I was not. Bruised, burnt, beaten and bloody? Definitely. But, thankfully, alive.

The alpha fell to the dirt, its upper body pinning down my legs. I groaned and coughed. Damn lightning dog, trying to fry me. Sure, it wasn't against the rules but what the heck!

"But, how?!" Exclaimed Kassidy, looking pale. The party approached as the wolves looked on in confusion.

"Ow." I groaned, dragging my body out from under the wolf. "Stabbed the little shit in the eye with my tail." And with that I tugged my tail and it came out of the alpha's eye socket with a revolting squelching noise and a splattering of crimson blood. "That was close."

"Damn." Said Markus, holding out a hand to help me up. He could nearly fit my whole forearm in that meaty palm. "You have some guts girl."

"Everything hurts." I sighed.

"You need more meat on your bones. You are as skinny as a stick."

"Ugh, why do people keep telling me that?" I groaned but did not wait for an answer. I turned to the pack of wolves, all of whom seemed to be milling about, eyeing us, but not attacking.

I watched as the one-eyed wolf got to his three feet and leapt off his rocky perch. He padded toward us and Markus palmed the haft of his axe. But the wolf did not attack, instead it sat a few feet away and stared at me.

"You have won the game." He said, sounding tired. "You may now claim your prize. You wished to know the location of the Staff that lays within this dungeon, yes?"

"What's it saying?" Asked Vale. He reached up, moved my hair aside and examined my neck for injuries before plopping the little red dragon down in his usual perch.

I sighed. "Thanks." I said stoking Drogin's small red head. "He says that since I won, I can claim my prizes."

"What exactly are these prizes. You never told us."

"I get two. The first thing I asked for was the location of the Staff we came here to find. He is telling me now."

Kassidy gasped but didn't comment, waiting for the old wolf to tell us what we needed to know. Seeing that I had stopped speaking to my companions, the wolf went on. "There is a section of the forest that we wolves do not go. In fact, many monsters refuse to go there. Those with any common sense at least. We refer to it as the darkness. It is an area so choked with vines that hardly a trickle of sun light can make it down to the ground. A great dome of vines, hidden in the mists. It is in there that you will find what you seek. I'd say that it is about a twelve-hour hike due east of here."

"Thank you." I said and turned to the others. "he says that there is a big old dome of vines about twelve hours from here in the east. The staff is in there. Apparently all monsters know not to go there so I assume there is a big old boss monster there."

"Twelve hours huh?" Said Markus. "Apparently coming across these wolves was a good thing after all. We may have been in here searching for days without ever finding what we were seeking. It is insane how huge this place is."

"What was the other prize?" Asked Kassidy, seeming to be excited now that she knew where she needed to go.

I grinned broadly. "I get to have my pick of the pack."

"Of course..." Sighed Vale, rolling his eyes.

The wolf nodded and said, "Yes, any one of these wolves will go with you, as was agreed by our alpha before his death. Any you pick who refuse will be killed as per pack law." The fact that he addressed the topic the others and I had been discussing proved that, at least this one wolf knew the common language of Hearth, and not just his own wolfy one. I doubted he had the ability to speak it, as he had a muzzle and not the correct vocal cords, but he could under stand it.

The wolf looked over his brothers with a decerning eye before turning back to me. "This one is the next strongest after the alpha you just dispatched." He said indicating the Steely grey wolf. "He would have been alpha next."

"That's fine." I said cheerily, in the common language now that I knew he could understand it. It was better than having to repeat myself to the others. "I pick you!"

I was constantly surprised at how often people went quiet when I spoke. It was almost a ritual now. I would say something and then everyone stopped making noise and stared at me. Kind of rude, really.

"Sorry?" Said the wolf at the same time Roran laughed darkly and Vale said "you have to be kidding me..."

"There are, what, fourteen other, strong and healthy wolves here!" He huffed. "Why pick the one that is half in the grave?!"

"Because I like him!" I said chipperly. And it was the truth. I did like this wolf. He was clearly much smarter than the other wolves from what I had seen. And he took no BS. I felt like I could relate. Besides, with my taming method, those faults may not be such a hinderance in the end.

"You really are out of your mind." Laughed Roran. "What ever you like I suppose. We have the information we need and that's all that really matters."

"I am sorry, but did you say you wish that I would be the one to go with you?" Asked the wolf as I rummaged in my bag.

"Yes, that's what I said. I want you."

The other wolves made chuffing noises and with out so much as a fare well, began taking off back into the woods. Abandoning the old one to his fate. No doubt taking off before I could change my mind and pick one of them instead. The one-eyed wolf watched them go.

"Would you prefer to go with them?" I asked. "I don't need you with me if you don't want to be."

"It hardly matters to me." He said. "I am old. My bones always ache, I can hardly run to keep up with the pack as it is, and I have one eye." He looked at me sadly. "I can't even use my magic anymore, young lady. So no, for the short amount of time I have left, I do not care one way or the other where I am. But I feal you may have risked your life for nothing."

"Not nothing." I laughed. "We got the information and I stopped my group from being jumped by a pack of crazy Storm Wolves. Getting a partner is a bonus just for me. I can be pretty selfish like that." From my bag I pilled out my trusty Grimoire with a flourish.

"I don't know what you are doing but let me heal you." Sighed Kassidy. "Your guts are about to spill out."

I looked down at my stomach. It wasn't all that bed. The cuts where the fangs scrapped my ribs hurt far worse. Not to mention the burn. "Not yet. I could use the blood."

"What?" She asked, aghast.

"For the taming." I explained, waving the book a little.

"You need blood for that?"

I sighed, flopping to the ground as standing hurt too much. "For the permanent kind of contract, yes. I will need yours as well, wolf."

I flipped open my grimoire and turned to an empty page. I dipped a claw into my oozing belly wound and began to draw the sealing circle there.

"I do not recall a book being needed for this process." Said Roran as the others stepped closer. All of them giving the large wolf its space. He may have been old, but he was a monster.

"You will see." I said. I normally would have been to worried about people seeing what I could do. Seemed to be the story of my life at this point, hiding things about myself. But I was in pain, tired and just wanted to get this done. Besides, they already knew I was a demon, knew I had a crazy amount of mana... really, whatever at this point. "Try not to be too impressed mister 'I can summon Heroes.'" I added with a weak chuckle.

I re-wet my finger with blood and continued to draw. "You have any preferences for a name, by the way?" I asked the wolf. "I can call you Wolf, or Old One, if that is what you like. But they seem more like descriptions than names."

The wolf sighed, resigned. "You may call me what you will. I admit it hadn't occurred to me that you were a tamer. Much less that a demon would feel the need to give their tools pet names."

"Its not a pet name." I said, getting a little dizzy. Maybe Kassidy had been right, and I was more injured than I had thought. It was probably smart to listen to the healer now that I thought about it. It was fine though; this would only take a moment. Thinking as hard as I could while getting feint from blood loss, I picked out a name I thought sounded good. "Ill need some of your blood."

"She needs monster blood too?" Asked Markus but I wasn't really paying attention. The spell, if I wanted it to work the way I hoped I could get it to work, would need my concentration.

"I have never heard that a monsters blood was needed for this ritual..." Mumbled the priest. "Whether the contract is a temporary one or a permanent one. Perhaps the blood loss has gone to her head?"

The wolf stepped forward as the party discussed weather or not I was about to keel over and weather or not it was a good idea to just go ahead and heal me now. I wiped the blood off my hand and reached out to the wolf. I was about to pierce his skin when I remembered that my claws had no effect on his tough hide. It seemed mean to go for his face...

"The flesh on my torn stub is thin." Said the wolf, turning so that I could reach the pink skin on his shoulder. Feeling a little bad, I cut a wound in the skin and used the blood to begin adding the wolf's new name to the top of the page.

Once done, I sighed and placed an open palm on the wolfs warm flank. "Seal." I said, watching the red circle form beneath the wolf. It was bigger than when I made the contract with Drogin, but then again, he was bigger than Drogin. "I name thee, Vendaval."

Unlike with Drogin, the amount of mana leaving me was very noticeable. Nearly all my mana fled my body in an instant. The sensation made me dizzy and nauseous. I whimpered and began to fall forward but caught myself, panting.

"You alright?" Asked Kassidy.

"Don't touch her." Said Roran. "Remember not to disturb a caster mid spell."

"Holly blazes!" Gasped Markus "What's happening to the wolf?!"

We all watched as Vendaval began to change before our eyes. I tried to concentrate on what I wanted. After all, Kradiff had explained to me that belief and imagination could influence magic. This was my magic, and surly I could direct it if only a little.

Unlike Drogin, Vendaval seemed to be feeling some discomfort, getting to his feet and growling as his flesh began to move. The first thing I noticed was that his fur was no longer faded, patched, and ragged. Suddenly he was sleek and darker than night. Then the bones and skin around his eye socket began to shift. Within seconds the wolf had two eyes once more. One was yellow, and the new one was blood red, the scar was gone.

Next it was the stump that be gang to shift. I watched as new bone began to grow and then flesh to cover it. But fur did not flow over the new skin, instead thick black scales ran down the limb and the paw grew large dark claws. The shape was that of a massive wolf paw, but it looked more like a dragon one. I saw that the other paws had also grown similar sharp black claws. He growled and I watched as his k-nines grew out till they were nearly as long as my hands.

Eventually the shifting stopped, and a new Storm wolf stood before us. No longer did Vendaval look old and tired. He looked to be in his prime, with a thick, light absorbing, black pelt and scales on his left foreleg. His miss matched eyes shone bright and healthy. Heck, I think he even grew a few inches.

"Impossible..." Breathed Roran.

"Damn, I didn't realize tamers could do that." Blinked Markus, gazing in amazement at the wolf who also seemed to be shocked.

"They can not do that." Said Vale, bending down so he could help me to my feet. I was barely conscious at this point. "No one can do that..."

"I don't understand."

"You wouldn't." Said Roran, looking at the wolf like it was probably going to eat him. "There would have been no reason for you to know this before now. But monsters, normally, do not have names."

"I have read of several." Objected Kassidy, rushing to my and Vale's side. "Lay her down over here and I will get to work." Vale did as instructed, and Kassidy cast her spell. "There was Florian, a dragon from like six hundred years ago. And I remember there was some sort of big sea creature in the silver kingdom that was taking out ships for ages. That had a name too."

"Yes," said Vale. "There have always been a few named monsters, and nearly all of them were truly monstrous. Feared by all and spoken about for centuries. Every once in a while there have been named monsters that were seen as good... but normally they are disaster class fiends."

"And all of those monsters got those names because hundreds- thousands- of people gave them that name. Gave them the name in fear and awe. Eventually it sets into their very flesh and bones. Into their spirit. It is a magic spell of sorts."

"Why is that a big deal?" Asked Markus. He was still staring at the wolf, Vendaval, who had assumed an unthreatening pose by settling down on his stomach and watching as I got healed.

"It is a Divine magic!" Spat Roran. His fists were clenched, and he was glaring murder down at me. "A magic only used by the gods them selves! To bestow a true name- how can a demon do such a thing. No one should be able to do this. No one! The mana cost alone-" The air rushed out of his lungs.

I laughed in the dirt. It was a weak sound and the feel of my skin knitting back together was uncomfortable and painful. "But I have a lot of mana." I said, answering the unasked question. "Mind you that nearly tapped me out. Someone remind me to think twice before doing that with B-ranked monsters... Not that Vendaval is B ranked anymore."

I saw the priest glaring down at me. "And your damn lizard?"

I grinned up at the man, getting a perverse enjoyment from his rage. "The only C ranked Dragon Newt around. I don't just call him Drogin, I Named him Drogin."

"This is absurd!" Snapped the priest. "You can not just name a monster! Not even if you had infinite mana. Its- its like saying you can raise the dead! It's impossible. Much less for a damned-able demon to do in a matter of moments. What kind of monster are you?"

"Whoa. Calm down High Priest." Said Markus, trying to settle the man. "It clearly is possible. Getting mad and offensive won't make it any easier for you to swallow."

"Was it this book?" Roran asked, spinning on a heel and stepping up to the grimoire on the ground.

Vale sprang forward and scooped up the book while Vendaval growled at the priest. Both men stood, staring at one another. Vale's face was blank while Roran looked enraged. "No demon should be aloud to wield this power." He hissed. "A demon, able to name monsters? Think about it! Think about the carnage she can wreak!"

"You could toss that book in a fire for all the good it would do you." I told them, sitting up and making Kassidy curse under her breath. "From what I was told, no one but me can read it, and not a soul can take it from me. Destroying it is a form of taking it. Besides," I added, laying back down. "I thought at first that the grimoire gave me this power too... but I don't think that anymore. It is just a tool. It is precious to me, and has a lot of information when it wants too. It even lets me store my tames in its pages. But in the end, it's a tool. A tamers tool, just like the staff you want for Kassidy is a healer's tool."

"What are you saying?" Growled Roran.

"I am saying that, even without the book, I could probably still tame and name monsters. I certainly would attempt it." I glared up at the man. "And what would you do about it? Kill me. I very much doubt you could. Even as we speak there is an A class monster sitting on the ground right behind you more than willing to kill you faster than a blink if you tried." As if to punctuate that fact, Vendaval let out a deadly growl.

Roran cussed, glared at the book, cussed again and then stormed off to the other end of the clearing. I assumed he was trying to cool off. What ever. Where did that ass get off making it sound like I was set to start some damn named-monster-army to take over the world. Prick. Gods, I really did not like that guy! I could tell that he really did want what was best for this world but his own prejudices were clouding his judgment.

"Ow." I said, as the burns on my side tingled.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt so much if you would stop moving around." Kassidy chastised.

"Ugh." I spoke. "Sorry. I get pissy when I am tired."

A wet nose touched my side, and I looked down to see Vendaval standing near my knees. "Thank you, mistress." He said. "I am whole again. Not just whole, but better than ever. I thank you for my name and will carry it with pride."

"You're welcome." I said feeling all the feels. "Sorry about the scales and the color of the eye. It was my first time trying to guide the change."

"I am honored to carry your likeness Mistress." Stated the wolf. And it was then that I realized that he was right. He had black claws and scales like me as well as a snazzy red eye.

"I suppose there is no point in asking how you can speak in growls and snarls to monsters is there?" grunted Vale, sitting on the moss next to me.

I laughed. "I might tell you one day."

"Yeah, sure you will." He placed the book on my lap. "How long till she is healed up?" He asked Kassidy.

"If she actually stays put? Another five minutes." Said the hero. "You are lucky that I am used to stubborn people squirming around while I try and patch them up." She smiled down at me. "I can't say I fully understand what Roran is so upset about, nor the significance of what you just did. I just don't know enough about this world yet to make any sort of informed opinion. But I do know that I am grateful. Yes, what you did saved yourself, but you also kept my needs in mind too by asking for the location of the staff."

"Had she just used her brain she would not even have had to ask that." Sighed Vale, looking at me like I was slow in the head. Sad to say it was a look that I was getting used to getting from him. "If you were going to tame the old wolf then you would easily be able to ask him the location afterwards."

"Thinking takes too much energy sometimes."

"I vote we set up camp." Laughed Markus. "It's a little early but Sin seems to be down for the count now. We would have to set up camp before taking on that vine place anyways. I don't much like the thought of heading in there in the dark."

"A good point." Agreed Vale. "Maybe the high priest will have settled down after a nights rest anyways."