Chapter 16

  Danny expected to see a demon with a blood-stained maw devouring his friend, but the Dreadwolf just watched him. Up close, the monster had inky black fur that seemed to soak up all the light that fell on it, a void-like shape that made it hard to see the definition of the creature beneath. Eyes like cloudy red planets carefully regarded him. The monster was…pitiful. Deep claw marks tore and split its hide. Sickly red seeped into the soil. Bite marks wrapped around its neck like savage jewelry. It wheezed with every exhale. Labored breaths racked its body. A [Level 25 Dreadwolf] reduced to this… The wounds looked suspiciously familiar. They were the same ones that had been upon the body of the Oni Baboon and its kin. Was there something bigger on the prowl?

  A fuzzy orange worm wriggled its way out from under the Dreadwolf. “Indy!” Danny readied his weapon that he had relaxed when he saw the state of the Dreadwolf, prepared to put this monster out of its misery to save the fox. The fox cocked its head slightly. Indy walked away from the wolf and nuzzled Danny’s leg. The monster didn’t stop him. It was all so surreal. Here, a creature that stood easily past Danny’s waist and had a mouth full of razors looked resigned as it watched the fox affectionately pat its head on his leg.

  What is going on? Whining, Indy pulled on Danny’s clothes. Danny didn’t drop his guard. The fox let go and bounded over to the injured monster. Then, Indy licked the wolf’s open wounds. “Indy get away from there, that thing is dangerous!” The fox again shot a puzzled, head-cocked look at Danny. It resumed first-aid. Why— what is he doing? The bizarre display continued until the fox returned and pulled Danny closer to the Dreadwolf. “What do you want me to do?” The sorry excuse for medical attention would do the monster no good. It was obvious that the monster would succumb to its wounds shortly. Probably less than a day left, if Danny had to guess. At this point, it would be a mercy killing. Since when did I start thinking that way?

  Being a veterinarian had been Danny’s dream before the Integration. He spent countless sleepless nights grinding out online classes so that he could maintain a perfect GPA. The gap years he had taken after graduating high school had made him feel like he was behind the curve, so he worked extra hard to catch up. Accelerated classes, competency based programs, all while working at the pet store full-time. Still, he had been on a hotdog-and-ramen budget in order to make it all work. And the student loan debt…not that it mattered now.

  All that to say that Danny was struck now by how much his state of mind had changed. I had set out to help not hurt. Danny remembered. The choices he made about what weapon to use and what techniques to practice, it had all been to search for a way that had less of a violent finality to it, something that had been lost along the way. He thought about that bat again, the one that almost got away. “Ok Indy, let’s try to make a better way.”

  Danny pulled out the water vessel that he always kept on him, courtesy of Aspen’s extensive survival training. Stepping as carefully and non-threateningly as possible, Danny approached the Dreadwolf. He was close enough to feel the ragged breathing warm his skin. The cool water pooled in his hands as he offered it to the monster. His nerves were taut as the great furred head wearily sniffed the liquid. Danny realized that this was a very stupid, very bad idea. The only idea that would be worse, at the moment, would be making any sudden moves, so Danny simply stayed on alert as the rough tongue lapped up the water. The wolf never took its eyes off him.

  Hydration was amazing and all, but it did little for the shredded flesh and blood loss. Danny was at a loss for what to do next. The robes he had used for bandages would have no way to fasten on such a large creature. Looking at the massive claws that could turn him into ribbons, Danny dismissed trying to sew the wound shut. He didn’t have the materials for that anyways. In the past Danny had always used… The necklace.

  Whether or not the Necklace of Rejuvenation would even work on someone— something— else was something that Danny had no knowledge of. He tried activating it and focusing or redirecting the energy toward the monster, but the healing power did not answer to him. Another stupid idea struck. Danny took off the necklace and tried to put it around the wolf’s neck. When his hands got near a low growl was given as a warning. Danny deeply enjoyed having both of his hands attached to his body, so he quickly retreated. He decided to just set it on the monster and see if that would get a result. The wolf craned its neck in a way that was sure to be uncomfortable to keep Danny in its field of view.

  After putting the necklace on the Dreadwolf’s back, Danny tried to activate it. It was much harder than doing so when it was on his person. Danny had to focus intently on sensing the healing power of the necklace. What he sensed first was the Dreadwolf. The aura of the thing was unsettling. Truthfully, it would be terrifying were it not for the fact that it was so weak, like a campfire could evoke the feeling of a wildfire, but few were afraid of it. First and foremost, there was a wrongness to it. This thing was unclean. Corrupted. A ferocity was beneath. It reminded Danny of Aspen, but instead of a restrained, yet still threatening, primal strength there was no rhyme or reason to this creature’s viciousness. That feeling made Danny want to abandon the project entirely.

  If another way besides a cycle of killing monsters to get stronger and then killing stronger monsters to get yet more stronger existed, this was something that Danny had to take a risk on. The wolf hadn’t bit him when he provided water. It hadn’t lashed out when he put the necklace on it, this one was different. Or maybe they were all different and Danny had never given the monsters a chance. The ones he had killed…Danny couldn’t save those ones, not anymore, but this wolf… Danny had to try.

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  He pushed past the unsettling feeling of the monster’s Soul laid bare and he found the necklace. Sending a stream of Qi, Danny powered it. The healing effect bled off into the surroundings. Without properly wearing it, much of the effectiveness was lost. A small amount did enter the wolf though. Blood began to clot on the open wounds. Pink irritated stretches of skin began to fade. The wheezing grew less noticeable. Danny could have sworn that the red clouds began to clear from the monster’s eyes, but a low growl sent the energy into chaos. The eyes shone scarlet.

  The ravenous aura of the beast descended on the necklace. The inky blackness invaded the artifact that had been made for healing and drank. The green jade began to lose its luster. Even the Qi lost to the atmosphere was not safe. The wolf pounced and chased the energy and feasted. Upon consuming the energy, however, the healing effect was lost. The current state of the monster’s injuries were still touch and go. While improved, the situation was still dire. The wolf would have days to live instead of hours, but would surely die if it continued to tear apart the power that sought to heal it. “You are going to die if you do this! Why can’t you see that?” The monster gave no indication of hearing.

  Danny couldn’t tell if the monster couldn’t control itself, or if this had been part of the plan all along, but he stopped being gentle. He raised both arms, dropping the staff. With all his focus and the help of his Qi Manipulation skill, Danny grabbed onto the beast’s aura. He wrestled with it. But he was wrestling a cloud. It defied any attempts to contain it. Danny made a box around it. He bound it with bands of Qi, like a leash. He encircled it, he bear-hugged it, he put his own energy between the thing and the necklace. And something interesting happened.

  For one inexplicable moment, the struggle ceased. A connection was made. Danny heaved as it seemed he had finally subdued the Dreadwolf. But that was only how it seemed. With renewed ferocity, the corruption struck. The Necklace of Rejuvenation blackened and shattered. Next, it turned on Danny. Tendrils of tainted energies tunneled into Danny. It spread on his Qi like a poison, straight to the source. Danny’s core was under attack.

  Resistance proved to be ineffective. Danny tried to send a flood of his energy to wash it away, but it was adding fuel to the fire. Think, Danny, think! Resorting to his only proven tactic, Danny shot a jet of pressurized Qi at the invading force. It cut through, only to have the energy replaced by the endless well of rage and hunger. How do you stop an infection from spreading? That was what this was, an infection, something foreign seeking to take Danny’s strength for its own gain. Danny’s mind turned to amputation. Cutting off a necrotic limb. The infection had spread too far though. It was nearly to his core. Fire, burn it!

  Whether it was illness-carrying clothes or disease-ridden bodies, burning had a successful track record when it came to stamping out infection. He imagined his Qi blazing hot, but it wouldn’t catch. Danny had always imagined his Qi as something approximating water, how could water burn? There was one thing that water could do, however, and that was boil. Purify. Danny set his Qi to a roiling, scalding torrent. Then he hosed down the infection. There was a scream and a growl. Insides cooked from within, guts roasted, flesh turned a lobster red. Unconsciousness took hold.

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  The sofa cradled Danny like a loving mother. He would be late, but what was five minutes? He pushed his head deeper into the cushions and pulled the blanket over his head. I’m so glad TJ let me crash here, he has the softest couch. Danny’s sleepy mind thought. He really should be going soon. There was something very important happening…he was going to be late to work. One more occurrence and Danny would be out, three strikes as they say, he couldn’t bring himself to move.

  “Bro, you can’t keep doing this,” TJ said. “I barely make rent, I can’t be your welfare check too.” TJ worked at the same place Danny did. It was a shipping fulfillment center. A fancy name for a big warehouse full of guys who drove forklifts for little more than minimum wage, and who didn’t believe in deodorant.

  “Five more minutes.”

  “No, dude. I put my ass on the line for you. Stuff has been rough lately, I get it, but that was a year ago. You have to get your shit together or I’ll have to… I’ll have to ask you to go somewhere else.”

  “Whatever.”

  “No, not whatever. Danny, get up. Danny, wake up. Native, wake up! Can you hear me native?” TJ’s voice morphed into another. The sunlight was colored orange by the tent’s thin walls. Danny had to blink his eyes and squint to make out the figure with him. Aspen, Danny’s fairy guide, sighed like a crushing weight had been lifted from his back.

  “Oberon’s balls, native, do you have a death wish?” Danny lifted himself onto his elbows but immediately regretted the decision. He tried to remember what had happened. Indy. A monster. It was hurt badly. He had tried to help it and then…

  “Where’s the—” That was about all Danny could get out before he coughed. His mouth felt like he had been binge-eating sand. When he inhaled through his nose he noticed a crusty substance and, upon wiping it away, realized it was dried blood.

  “Easy. The earth creature is fine.” Danny heard high-pitched whining and saw the silhouette of a fox lying at the tent flap that served as the entrance and exit.

  “What about the—” Another coughing fit took Danny.

  “Stop.” The guide passed him a wooden vessel of water. “Drink.” The relief, the care, slipped from Aspen’s expression. “Then, you will tell me everything.”