Winston stood, unmoving in the frigid snow. He’d just seen Thalysar fleeing from the wolves. How was he here? Why was he here?

  After a moment of indecision, Winston growled and continued on his way to the cave. Thalysar was long gone, and Winston needed to know what had happened.

  Shivering, he darted through the snow, expending every ounce of energy he had to get to the cave. Something was wrong. So terribly wrong.

  Winston froze as he arrived at the cave mouth. There, lying atop the bloodstained snow, was the body of a wolf. Winston didn’t recognize it, but it must’ve been on lookout. Where its heart had once been was now a gaping hole, left by Thalysar’s spear. Looking at the body, Winston felt like he’d been kicked in the chest.

  Steadying himself, he hesitantly stepped further into the cave. It reeked of blood, the scent assaulting Winston’s nose.

  Winston passed a body, and then another. Each one was like a physical blow. Winston’s paws were soaked in blood, but he didn’t notice. Every muscle in his body tensed with each step he took, terrified of seeing another body. And each time, his fears were realized.

  It was as if the rest of the world disappeared as Winston’s mind and soul focused entirely on one thing—the body before him.

  Winston’s heart beat harder than ever before, his veins throbbing with a strange mixture of rage and sadness. Winston could feel the blood pounding in his ears as he looked down upon the tiny, furry body.

  What lay before him was all that remained of the scrawny pup he’d grown so close to in his time with the pack. It was innocent. It had known nothing of the cruel world outside. It had done nothing. Nothing! Winston growled. The pup had just been Initiate 2. Thalysar had gained nothing from killing the wolf. It had been so…pure. It had reminded Winston so much of himself. And now, the pup was gone.

  Winston turned, Vision clouded with anger, and marched out of the cave. He could barely see through the darkness and snow, but it didn’t matter. Winston didn’t want to get to a specific location. He just needed to get off the mountain.

  Winston sped across the snowy mountainside, determined. Thalysar would pay for what he’d done.

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  Winston systematically made his way down the mountain, going from ledge to ledge until he reached the sheer cliff that dropped into the camp. Taking a deep breath, Winston leaped.

  Platforms of energy formed beneath his paws, stopping him from falling. As always, the energy began to dissipate at an unnaturally fast rate. Continuing to reinforce the platforms, Winston let them drop, still carrying him.

  Winston had done this several times on his way to the camp, using the platforms to move between ledges.

  The energy cost was significant, but not nearly enough for Winston to run out. He would still have plenty of energy once he reached the camp. His head had somewhat cleared during the trek, but the anger hadn’t left him. If anything, it had grown.

  [Channel Food Energy lvl 10 → Channel Food Energy lvl 11]

  Winston plummeted through the air, maintaining a constant stream of energy to the platforms beneath him.

  When he was just a dozen yards above the ground, Winston slowed himself and then leaped off. Landing with a thump, he looked around. He hadn’t been away from the camp for that long, but it still felt like his time here was in the distant past.

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  Winston began making his way through camp, staying away from any main paths and Caltherans. He was tempted to take his anger out on the passing warriors, but the little part of his mind that remained reasonable held him back. He wouldn’t kill anyone other than Thalysar unless it proved absolutely necessary.

  Winston steadily made his way towards the main tent, eyes wide for any signs of danger. He was nearing the last section, where it would be impossible to avoid being spotted.

  Taking a deep breath, Winston darted forward, rushing past nearby Caltherans. There were several cries of alarm as the Caltherans recognized him, but they were too late to stop him. Winston sprinted past the two guards at the entrance to the tent, weaving between their spears.

  And there, chatting with another Caltheran, was Thalysar. There was a smile on his face as he conversed with the guard. The poor warrior was only Initiate 9 and clearly terrified. Thalysar said something, and the guard let out a forced laugh.

  Taking advantage of Thalysar’s distraction, Winston formed an orb of energy, condensing it as quickly as he could. Thalysar’s eyes widened, and he spun towards Winston, forming a shield of mana.

  Winston’s orb morphed into a spear as it flew, shattering Thalysar’s shield before the Caltheran had a chance to reinforce it.

  A blast of brilliant light exploded in the tent as Thalysar flew back. Winston advanced, another orb already forming at his side. A nearby Caltheran thrust their blade at him, but Winston consumed it. To his surprise, the blade didn’t disappear immediately, forcing him to dodge.

  Winston felt the warrior resisting his skill, but Winston’s will was far stronger than his. A moment later, the Caltheran’s concentration broke, and Winston consumed the sword. It was alarming that the soldier had been able to resist his skill. As his enemies got stronger, would this happen with his other skills as well?

  Winston growled. He couldn’t lose concentration. In the corner of his eye, he saw Thalysar dragging himself to his feet.

  Barking in frustration, Winston blasted the now unarmed warrior away and rushed at Thalysar.

  The commander, still dazed from Winston’s attack, grasped for his spear, but it had flown off of him. Another blast of energy struck him, sending him rolling back.

  Winston moved to chase after Thalysar, but mid-leap, he found his body frozen. Winston could sense the invisible chains of energy snaking around him, keeping him in place. With a thought, he activated [Devour]. After just a few seconds of resistance, he felt his body released from Thalysar’s hold, and the energy of the skill absorbed into him.

  Thalysar was on his feet now, spear in hand. He pointed his spear at Winston, and a brilliant halo formed around it. After a moment, the white light formed into an orb and launched itself at Winston.

  Winston launched himself out of the way with ease, but the orb had been enough to blind him. Winston growled and formed a shell of energy around himself, reinforcing it as quickly as he could. And it wasn’t a moment too soon; Thalysar’s spear crashed into the shield a moment later, sending fractures along the barrier.

  The spear glowed white as Thalysar raised it to strike the barrier again. But before he could do anything, Winston attacked.

  Knowing there wasn’t anything he could do in time to stop Thalysar’s strikes, Winston attacked his mind instead.

  All of his anger poured behind his attack, pushing through the Caltheran’s defenses. Thalysar had obviously put some effort into reinforcing his mind since they’d last fought. It didn’t matter. Winston broke through with ease, shattering the measly barriers around the commander's mind.

  Even with his high mind stat, Winston knew he couldn’t take control for long. Still, he just needed a momentary distraction.

  Thalysar froze, spear just a foot from Winston. Before he could regain control of his mind, Winston rolled away. The next second, Thalysar’s spear crashed down where Winston had just been.

  Winston launched himself at the commander, claws out and teeth bared. Thalysar’s eyes widened in alarm, whipping around to face Winston. The pup had been innocent. Winston struck the Caltheran’s chest, his claws tearing through Thalysar’s clothing and into his flesh. The pup had been young. Harmless. There had been nothing to gain from ending its life.

  Waves of energy radiated from Winston, blasting Thalysar into the ground beneath them. Winston knew he was a hypocrite. In the past weeks, he’d killed countless creatures to increase his own strength. He didn’t care. Winston fell upon Thalysar, a dozen orbs of energy ready to strike the commander. This was just how life was in the Tower. Kill or be killed. But the pup? What danger did it pose? What reason did Thalysar have to kill it?

  The image of the pup’s bloody body flashed across Winston’s mind as he tore into Thalysar.

  In his anger, Winston didn’t notice Thalysar’s attack until it was too late. A pulse of mana, funneled into a thin stream, blasted up at his stomach.

  Winston formed a shield, catching the attack, but he was still sent flying back a dozen feet.

  Grunting in pain, Winston glared up at Thalysar. Winston expected to see fear, alarm, something. Thalysar just smiled.