The next morning, Scott woke up feeling completely refreshed, and checked his system status:

  **Survive 170 / 180 days left in the tutorial**

  He gathered his belongings and looked at David, who was clearly not sleeping, despite the loud snoring coming from the Owlbear.

  "Did you fall asleep?" Scott asked.

  "Uh, no," David replied, wiping drool from his beak and feathers.

  "Dude, I wish we could find a magical singing pot for coffee," Scott mused.

  "That would be nice," David agreed. “Oh wait, I have one right here.” he said, pulling out the stein. He started singing Gone Fishing.

  "Are you ready to go fishing for breakfast?" Scott asked.

  "Yes and no. You know I don't eat breakfast until later in the morning," David said, getting up and ruffling his feathers.

  "Yeah, that's right, I forgot," Scott replied.

  They walked through the woods back to Scott's "prime" fishing spot and sat down. David used his druidic magic to create better fishing lines from small vines, which were stronger and much thinner than the ones Scott had used. He also used what looked like a small, iridescent feather to create an elaborate fly lure for his ironwood hook.

  "How about a bet? Whoever catches the most fish gets to use the Stein today," Scott suggested.

  "Deal," David replied.

  They cast their lines at the same time, watching the still-raging water. The first fish Scott caught was, predictably, another [Draconic Trout(lvl 1)], around 15 inches long and maybe 7 lbs. The next catch came an hour later. David struggled a bit, but he managed to pull in a [Trout (lvl 5)], around 18 inches long and 10 lbs – a nice, chunky one. Scott got another bite and pulled in a [Trout (lvl 5)] as well, slightly longer than David's, though it weighed around 12 lbs, 2 lbs bigger than your normal large trout. David got another snag, but this one he fought for a while. Finally, they heard that familiar humming sound and realized it was another magical chest.

  "I'm telling you, this is a prime spot!" Scott exclaimed, excited.

  "You're not wrong," David exclaimed, setting the long chest down in front of him.

  Opening the chest, they both stared at a pair of red-tinted short swords.

  [Flaming Short sword (Rare)]x2

  This item is a short sword, and its blade is perpetually wreathed in roaring flames. The intense heat of the flames is a testament to the sword's power, but its true strength lies in its ability to consume and channel mana to create an even more devastating inferno. Abilities: Mana Combustion (Passive): The flames that dance across the blade burn brighter and hotter with the more mana you use, allowing you to deal additional damage with each strike. Fiery Inferno (Active): You can channel a large amount of mana into the blade to create a short burst of intense heat, dealing fire damage to all enemies in your immediate vicinity.

  "Well, short and sweet," Scott said, giving David a fist bump. "Nice, dude."

  David tossed both swords into his magical bag after taking them out of their sheaths and swinging them around a few times. "These have great balance. But you win. Let's head back to the cave and meet back up with the group to eat lunch there. We are about three hours away on foot."

  “Alright, let's do it in an hour and a half, "Scott said jokingly.

  “Ha ha ha, a race?” David asked, a glint of challenge in his eye.

  “Yeah I want to test out one of my new skills,” Scott replied.

  "It's a speed boost, isn't it?" David guessed.

  Scott nodded. "It's called [Surging Speed (Common)]."

  David transformed into a shrike and took flight.

  Scott also transformed into Beast Mode, and quickly put everything into his bag before asking, "Are you ready?"

  "Yep," David replied, landing next to him, lined up for the race.

  “3…2..1.Go,” Scott shouted.

  David took off with incredible speed, like a bullet, and Scott activated his speed boost for the first time, taking off running. Moving through the trees at that speed was exhilarating. It felt like he was on a speeder bike on the moon of Endor, weaving through the towering trees.

  He quickly caught up to and passed David, maintaining his lead. The boost lasted for about three minutes, and then David started to catch up. About an hour and forty-five minutes later, they arrived at the cave. Scott, utterly exhausted, dropped to the ground, reverting from Beast Mode. His [Stamina] was a mere 5/500.

  David landed gracefully beside him, prancing around with his chest puffed out, proclaiming, "I win!"

  Scott grabbed a [Stamina Potion(Common)] from his pack, uncorked it, and downed it to recover some of his energy. The journey had been eventful. They passed quite a few animals, and a bird had chased David for a while, but other than that, nothing major had occurred. Scott learned that he could use his speed boost every ten minutes, but it severely drained his stamina.

  A moment later, the rest of the group emerged from the cave. Geist, Terran, and Onyxiah ran up to Scott, enthusiastically licking his face. "Hey, guys," he greeted them.

  "I see you're not dead," Peter said,

  “Nope, I'm just the Ghost of Scott. Boo," Scott joked.

  "Good, he's back," Tomas said, accompanied by his two new undead snakes, with Bones still standing strong by his side. Tomas also had a new look, with undead undertones and a super pale complexion, accentuated by his long beard.

  "Welcome back," George said, his skin now appearing more like stone than human.

  Rick came out riding the overlord chick. He looked like a skinnier version of a hooded dark elf. "Hey, bud," he said.

  And last but not least, Osia stood there with a new witchy hat, petting Sir Puggelsworth in her arms. "It's about damn time," she said.

  "Wow, you guys all hit level 10! That's awesome! Oh, I have a few things for you guys," Scott said, pulling out the great sword and handing it to Tomas. He took off the cowboy hat and handed it to Peter. He pulled out the poisonous dagger and gave it to Rick. He handed the cooking knife to George. Grabbing the wands from his bag, he gave those to Osia.

  "Also, David and I found a stein that refills magically with any fluid non magical. Any alcohol you like. But you have to sing to the stein to get it to refill," Scott added.

  "Hell yeah!" Tomas shouted. Now clapping his hands enthusiastically.

  So they headed inside, cooked up the fish, and ate. Scott played with the pups for a little while, and then they got down to business.

  "We have been getting daily visitors from the dire wolves since the flood. So, I had David scout out the Den, and there are quite a few dire wolves there, so it will be tricky. But doable," Tomas said.

  Peter adjusted in his seat. "How are we going to get across the river since the land bridge is gone?"

  David answered, "I can do that. I'll just turn into a large fish or something and carry everyone over."

  "Or I can use this new spell I have, Air Walk," Osia chimed in.

  "That could work," Scott said.

  Tomas spoke up again. "We will need all hands on deck to deal with them. That means leaving the furries unattended."

  They all agreed and started to pack up the supplies they would need for the hunt for the next day. Each of them took some time eating and training until they all went to bed for the night.

  The next morning was the big day, they were finally going to fulfill their promise to Moon.

  Scott checks his system:

  **Survive 169 / 180 days left in the tutorial**

  The crew reconvened in the morning, making sure they were satisfied before heading out. After brief goodbyes to the "fur babies," the group set off. David transformed into a hippo and ferried them across the river one by one, then shifted back into a bird to scout the area. It took them about an hour to find the dire wolf den. Five dire wolves guarded the entrance, pacing back and forth.

  Scott scanned them:

  [Dire wolf level 8]

  "Okay, what's the plan?" Scott asked.

  "David, George, Rick, and Scott are team one. I want you to move in first to take out as many as possible. Osia will use Silence on them before that so we can do it stealthily, but remember the silence spell is an area of effect that only affects a 30ft radius which will be placed at the entrance. So don't let them leave that circle to gather support at all costs. Once we've taken out the guards, we'll set up a trap and pick them off as they come out of the den. David, you are going to be air support and medic in the field. I want you to take out stragglers and if needed help with the Alpha. If there is an injury I want you to take them out of battle and heal. Team two will be Osia, Peter, and I. We will attack from afar, and give as much support as we can. If the Alpha comes out, I want Scott and George to deal with him." Tomas explained.

  They all nodded, and the first group began to prepare for the fight. Scott made sure he was topped off on stamina potions. Then, each of them activated their skills. Osia used the [Wand of Enlarge Person] on George, David, and Scott. It was the first time Scott had ever experienced such a transformation. His hands and body grew far larger than normal, making him feel more like a giant than a human.

  Team one received the go-ahead from Tomas, who was taking the lead, drawing on his prior experience as a marine and his tactical skills.

  Rushing in like football players going for the game-winning touchdown in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl with ten seconds on the clock, they caught two of the dire wolves off guard. The other two were playing instead of guarding, so they met three of the five head-on.

  David, as a giant owlbear, reached his target first. The dire wolf lunged at him, but David pivoted to the side, running past the airborne beast. He grabbed its hind leg and began to slam it around like a ragdoll, smashing it left and right until the dire wolf was dead, then tossing it aside with a triumphant roar. "Puny beast!" he roared.

  Scott arrived second, using his speed boost, and clashed with the dire wolf in front of him. He executed a "COD slide," dropping to both knees and sliding to the side as the dire wolf lunged, dragging both blades across its midsection gutting the dire wolf in mid air before the beast hit the ground. He saw George leap over him and clashed with the dire wolf that was in front of Scott, with his fists burning bright red, he flips over and lands on the back of the dire wolf and slams both palms into its back breaking the spine in the process.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Looking around Scott noticed that Rick was in trouble. One of the two dire wolves was down but the other one had Rick's foot in his mouth and was dragging him further into the den. He ran to stop the dire wolf but as soon as the beast got out of the silence spell echoes of growls from the dire wolf were heard throughout the tunnel. Scott jumped over the downed Dire wolf using his speed he got behind the dire wolf by running on the cave walls before he dropped onto its back plunging his blades into its back forcing the dire wolf to let go a howl in pain.

  Howls erupted from inside the den, and eight more dire wolves came barreling out towards the entrance, only to be caught in one of Osia's spell traps. Red light filled the tunnel just beyond Scott, just as the wolves entered the trap. All eight dire wolves were lifted into the air, their bodies exploding from the inside out from her blood magic.

  Around fifteen more dire wolves stopped just before the edge of the spell, watching in horror as their pack was torn apart. That's when the ground began to shake. A large Alpha dire wolf ran straight through the magic circle, knocking down Scott, George and Rick in its path unaffected by the spell. The alpha continued running past David and headed for Osia who was channeling the blood burst spell.

  In the next moment, Peter abandoned his bow and stood in front of Osia, his new pistol in hand, shooting the Alpha in the front shoulder.

  Meanwhile, Tomas drew his new great sword and used its ability. Tons of blood droplets from all around the battlefield rose up and crystallized into around fifty razor-sharp daggers floating above the surface of the ground, flying towards the Alpha's backside and tearing into its tough hide. The Alpha, however, kept charging like a freight train towards Osia and Peter, ignoring the attacks. That's when Scott noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that David leaped through the air to land on the Alpha's back. Both of them went tumbling to the ground in a chaotic heap forcing Osia and Peter to dodge out of the way and her spell to fade away.

  Scott turned and looked in horror as the spell began to fade and then looked back at Rick who was trying to crawl out of the den to safety.

  “I can either try to outrun these dire wolves and try and save Rick or I can stand my ground now and try to hold them off until Rick can get to safety.” Scott thought. “These dire wolves were much faster than your normal Timberwolves and the chances of me getting Rick to safety is low to slim so i need to hold my ground here and now.”

  Activating his fangs along with his beast mode Scott began pacing back and forth, staring down the rest of the pack through the magic barrier as it finally faded away, much like Maul did with Obi-Wan after his master perished.

  The pack surged forward, and Scott charged in like an enraged barbarian, dodging left and right, then leaping over them, slashing, cutting, and biting, taking out as many as he could before they reached the rest of the group.

  One of the dire wolves managed to grab Scott's foot and pull him down. As he fell, he kicked out with his other leg as hard as possible, hitting the dire wolf in the nose and forcing it to release him.

  From an outsider's perspective, Scott looked doomed. His foot was injured and bleeding, and he was laying on his back surrounded by seven wolves. But he spun on his back, fending off the Seven remaining dire wolves with every limb he could, kicking and slashing with both arms, drawing on a move he learned in Taekwondo. The first wolf lunged for his head, and Scott shoved his short sword into its mouth, piercing its brain. “One down.” Scott mused.

  The next wolf went for his wounded foot. Scott spun around, pivoting on his back, and kicked it in the side of the head with his right foot as it stumbled back. Another attacked from his right side, and Scott rolled towards it to get some momentum, shoving his shorts word into its mouth and down its throat, before twisting and pulling it out. “Two down, five to go.” Scott thought.

  Rick appeared out of the darkness, his foot now healed, grabbed their attention, and the wolves turned, exposing their backs to Scott. Scott rolled to his knees and pierced two of them from behind at the same time plunging a short sword into each of their behinds. “Four down, three to go,” he thought.

  Rick kept two of the dire wolves distracted as Scott rolled backwards releasing his blades because the third living dire wolves decided to go back after Scott while he was still kneeling on the ground. With a lunge the dire wolf took to the air heading straight for Scott. Thinking fast Scott raised his legs up and kicked with both feet launching the Dire wolf up into the ceiling of the cave.

  Quickly Scott got to his feet as the dire wolf steadied itself in front of him, shaking off the blow. Rick disappeared into the shadows to get away, which freed the other two's attention to turn back on Scott. “Three on one doesn't seem fair there guys.” Scott growled.

  “Protect the Pack at all costs.” One of the dire wolfs growled.

  Two lunged at the same time Scott rolled underneath and attacked the one in front as he leaped over and brought both blades down on in a x pattern slicing into its side. Once he landed he moved down further into the tunnel with all three gaining on him. He leaped off the wall just as one went for his back and spun around hitting the wolf with his Fire and ice short sword freezing it as the wolf hit the ground looking like a frozen wolfsickle. To be met with one the others that lunged for him in mid air. His blade blocked the jaws as both of them hit the ground. He held the dire wolf back as long as he could, its teeth getting closer by the second. The dire wolf's saliva began to drip down onto his face, as its teeth began to chomp down and cut Scott's face.

  Just as the other dire wolf came around the corner intending to attack Scott from the side, Rick appeared and attacked from the shadows. Keeping the other one occupied. Scott tried to attack with his other blade but found that it was no longer in his hand. Struggling as his shortsword started to crack he reached back and pulled out his dagger of reckoning and stabbed the direwolves side a few times before he stuck the blade into its chest and activated the blade.

  Chunks of the wolf exploded covering his face as the direwolf fell lifeless on top of him pinning him down. Rick finished off the one next to him before having to retreat as five more direwolves came running down the tunnel. “Sorry bud but I can't take on five at once.” Rick said as he walked into the shadows.

  He pushed and tried to lift the body off him but the blood seeping out of the beast made it slick and hard for Scott to get a grip on anything. The heavy footsteps were getting closer and Scott knew he had to do something otherwise he was dead meat. With a bit of anger and a surge of strength met with determination Scott dropped his shortsword and with both hands began to lift the direwolf off of him and push it off to the side. The body fell with a nasty sounding thump followed by a split as more of the blood seeped out.

  He got to his feet, nearly slipping on the crimson red fluid covering the ground and grabbed his two shortswords before running back towards the entrance. He looked back and saw that all five were hot on his heels. His foot was aching and pulsating from the wolf bite earlier as his adrenaline started to wear off causing Scott to limp and slow down. “Dammit.” Scott yelled. “I just need to get back to my crew.”

  Scott limped out of the den with one of the wolves lunging for his back side. Just as Scott was about to dodge out of the way he tripped and fell forward. An arrow shot over him hitting the Direwolf dead in its chest he rolled to the side only to be met with four more direwolves running out of the den. Getting back to his feet with his swords in front of him, all four surrounded him and he spun around waiting for the first one to strike.

  Just then Rick came running from behind followed by George each of them attacking two from behind. One of the direwolves lunged from behind and Scott saw this over his shoulder before jumping to the side into a roll back onto his knee. The other one came up in front of him, his teeth mere inches from his face as George kicked the direwolf in its side, knocking the beast off course just enough for Scott to roll backwards and stab the direwolf as it went by flames began to engulf the beast as it ran for the forest.

  Getting back to his feet he saw the last wolf being taken on by his comrades and began limping towards the rest of the crew who was just finishing off the Alpha.

  Limping towards them, exhausted and hurt , Scott asked, "Is everyone still alive?"

  "Yep," David replied, using his nature magic to heal his wounds.

  "Hey, when you're done with your wounds, could you heal mine?" Scott asked, motioning towards his injured foot.

  "Yeah, give me a minute," David replied again.

  Both Tomas and David began healing the crew as Scott just sat there staring at the entrance of the den. His foot was now healed but the pure bloodshed was playing through his mind over and over until David interrupted him.

  “Dude are you ok?” David asked.

  “Uh yeah, I just need a second to gather my thoughts.” Scott said, snapping out of it.

  “Well we are heading into the den if you need to sit this out then…” David said before he was interrupted by Scott.

  Scott stood up and smiled. “Nope i am good i just needed a breather.”

  The crew headed into the den, which seemed to be a network of caves extending deep into the den. Scott moved to the front to scout with his infrared vision, ensuring they wouldn't be ambushed by any surviving direwolves. He noticed a blue, moss-like substance covering parts of the cave walls further into the tunnel, emitting a faint blue light that illuminated three tunnels ahead. He snuck back and motioned for the others to follow him.

  They reached the three tunnels, and Scott stopped to use his scent ability to try and pinpoint the location of the remaining direwolves. The first tunnel reeked of blood and rotting meat. The second smelled like wet dogs, while the third had a strong odor of urine. Scott motioned down the middle tunnel, and they moved forward.

  He continued down the tunnel trying to be as quiet as possible before Scott spotted two Betas standing guard near the tunnel's exit. Behind them he spotted five more females lying in the back of the cave with one considerably bigger than the others. "This must be where all the Alpha's females stay," he thought. "And I'm pretty sure the other tunnel with the urine smell holds the pups, and I am not sure what is down the tunnel with the rotting meat." Scott slowly walked back to the crew and told them what he found.

  “Ok Just like before I need team one to take the lead and take out the guards but there will not be any silence spell this time so good luck.” Tomas whispered. “Let's not get separated this time.”

  “Right.” they all whispered.

  Scott took the lead the charge while David, George and Rick followed shortly behind.

  The two guards were taking out with ease as Scott and David took on one while George and Rick took on the other one. The largest female stood up and turned as they dropped the guards, letting out a howl to alert the other four. The rest of the group came running in as the females stirred and Scott quickly Scanned them.

  [Direwolf Female Beta (lvl 8)]x4

  [Direwolf Female Alpha (lvl13)]

  The whole crew entered as all five of the females stood up. A loud howl was heard echoing through the caves as the Alpha female stepped forward.

  “Kill them, leave nothing alive.” The alpha female growled.

  “How about not.” Scott growled back.

  The Alpha female looked at Scott and tilted her head. “You are not one of us yet you can speak our language?”

  “I can do a lot of things but let's just say if you are reasonable we can all walk out of here alive.” Scott growled.

  The crew looked at him and watched as the whole encounter unfolding in front of them.

  “You come into my den and expect me to make a deal with the likes of you?” The alpha growled bearing her teeth. “Where is my mate?”

  “So a funny thing happened, well not so funny but your mate is dead and you're all that's left of the pack.” Scott replied.

  “Then you shall be my next meal.” The Alpha growled, “Kill them all.” she commanded.

  “So be it I guess we are past the pleasantries.” Scott replied.

  The alpha female went directly for Scott followed by the other four betas that were moving in behind her.

  He ran forward head on to meet her with a quick attack of his blade. She dodged backwards and then jumped to the side before lunging forward, trying to move faster and out smart Scott. He was ready and waiting knowing that they always lunged at you one way or another, he stood ready pivoting in place, swords out stretched and ready to attack at any time as they both circled each other.

  Finally the lunge came quicker than Scott could have imagined a huge Alpha direwolf could move. He attempted to move out of the way but was too late. Scott did the only thing he had time to do and that is crossing both blades in a defensive stance to try and slow down the incoming attack. Her teeth and jaw clashed with Scott's blades, and for a moment he thought the defense was solid until the dire wolf stepped back, put its head down and lunged once more into the blades like a ram using her 600 lbs to launch scott off his feet slamming into the cave wall with a thunderous thud.

  Not long after David finished his beta off quickly and joined the fight tackling the Alpha before the Alpha went in for the kill on Scott, bear-hugging her around the neck. The other three betas backed away and turned their attention towards David who had their alpha held down on the ground.

  Scott got up and shook his head and stretched his back out while moving in to help. He leaped over David and the alpha and took the other three head on while Rick and George moved in to flank them.

  Once he landed he headed for the first one in front of him a quick burst of speed caught the direwolf off guard as Scott made short work of her and moved to the next wolf continuing his momentum. One after another Scott dropped them quickly as George and Rick kept them distracted until all that was left was the Alpha.They all circled the Alpha Female, cutting into her relentlessly as David held her down until she finally fell.

  “Good team work there.” Tomas said.

  “Yeah it went better than I thought it was going to.” Scott said.

  “Ha ha, we had it. You just couldn't handle the Alpha by yourself.” David laughed.

  “That thing was a lot heavier than I expected.” Scott replied.

  “We saw, you flew like a bat out of hell towards that wall.” Osia snickered.

  “Was it that bad?” Scott asked, rubbing his head.

  “From my point of view, I was surprised you got up.” Tomas chuckled.

  “Hey I am a lot stronger than you think.” Scott replied.

  “No, you can take a hit.” Rick Snickered.

  “I guess." Scott replied.

  “Let's get moving!” Tomas commanded.

  Moving back towards the three tunnels, they turned right, entering the cave that reeked of urine. A minute later, they reached the exit and saw a horrifying sight, five small pups lying dead, with two guard Direwolfs standing over their bloodied corpses.

  Rage welled up inside Scott, his eyes turning red. Time seemed to slow as he moved faster than ever before, attacking the two direwolves with a rage. Having grown up with dogs his whole life, the sight of the dead pups triggered a deep, visceral anger.

  The first wolf lost its right paw as Scott slid past. Using his other blade, he slammed it into the rock beneath him and launched himself over the wolf, breaking his mundane short sword's tip clean off. He landed with both feet onto the wolf's back, plunging both blades down into its spine. Flipping off the corpse, he landed on the other side of the second wolf, slashing down into its side with both swords. As soon as he hit the ground, he jumped up again onto this wolf's back and bit into the direwolfs neck over and over until the direwolf fell to the ground.

  That's when he passed out again.

  "Not again!" David shouted. "Dude, wake up!"