The Alpha lunged.
Denver thrust his broken spear forward, every muscle screaming. The jagged point scraped across the wolf's muzzle, just enough to make the beast recoil with a snarl.
But the victory lasted less than a heartbeat.
The other wolves closed in. Shadows slithered around their paws, weaving through the grass like smoke. Their eyes glowed brighter, yellow-green in the darkness. Denver's HUD flashed warnings he didn't have time to read.
"Lumin!" he shouted.
The tiny moth Guardian zipped upward, scattering motes of silver light. For a moment, the wolves flinched at the glow — but then the Alpha snapped its jaws, and the pack surged forward.
Denver's pulse pounded. He couldn't fight them all. He couldn't even fight one. His only chance was to run.
He pivoted, clutching the egg tight, and sprinted into the trees.
The wolves howled and gave chase.
Branches whipped his face. Roots snagged his boots. His lungs burned with every breath. Still, he ran, crashing through underbrush with the pack tearing at his heels.
Too fast. They're too fast.
One wolf leapt from the side, its teeth snapping. Denver twisted, slamming the broken spear upward. The weapon splintered in his hands, but the wolf howled as it tumbled aside.
Another replaced it instantly.
"Damn it!" Denver gasped.
Luck had kept him alive this long, but luck wasn't infinite. This was it. His story would end here, in a digital forest, torn apart by glowing wolves.
The Alpha howled. The pack lunged.
And then—
A streak of silver light cut through the night.
The nearest wolf collapsed mid-leap, an arrow buried between its glowing eyes.
Denver skidded to a stop, stunned.
From the shadows ahead, a figure emerged.
She moved like she belonged in this world. Light armor clung to her slender frame, shimmering faintly with enchantments. A bow of pale wood rested in her hands, its string glowing like starlight. Her hair — silver with streaks of pale violet — caught the bioluminescent glow of the forest. And her eyes, sharp and violet like her hair, scanned the wolves with a calm that bordered on arrogance.
She notched another arrow. Drew. Released.
Another wolf fell.
"Move, idiot!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.
Denver stumbled forward, half-running, half-staggering, as the mysterious archer loosed a storm of arrows. Each one glowed, striking true. Wolves yelped and fell back, forming a wary circle around their prey.
The Alpha snarled, eyes narrowing on her.
The girl smirked. "Come on then."
Denver collapsed against a tree, chest heaving. He barely held onto the egg, sweat dripping down his temples.
The girl glanced at him briefly, annoyance flashing across her face. "You're dragging that thing around? No wonder the wolves want you."
Before Denver could reply, the Alpha lunged at her. She twisted aside, rolling smoothly, and fired point-blank into its flank. The beast howled, staggered — but didn't fall.
Denver's stomach clenched. If that thing could shrug off her attacks, then they were in real trouble.
The Alpha growled, its fur shimmering with silvery light. Shadows coiled tighter around the pack.
The girl cursed under her breath. "Alright then. Guess we're doing this the hard way."
She darted closer to Denver, loosing arrows in rapid succession.
"Listen up, newbie," she snapped. "You're going to distract them."
His jaw dropped. "Distract them? Are you insane? I can barely stand!"
"You think I can handle an entire pack alone?" she shot back, violet eyes flashing. "We don't have time to argue. Either you help, or we both die."
Denver swallowed hard. She was right. He hated it, but she was right.
"Fine," he muttered. "What do you want me to do?"
"Keep their attention on you. Your Guardian too — it glows, right? Use it. Just don't get killed."
"Great plan," he said dryly, but forced himself upright.
Lumin buzzed above him, wings scattering light. The wolves immediately snarled, turning their focus toward the glow.
Denver raised the broken shaft of his spear. "Alright, come on then. Try me."
The next few minutes blurred into madness.
Denver stumbled, dodged, and swung wildly, every ounce of focus dedicated to survival. Wolves lunged from every direction, and only sheer desperation — and luck — kept their fangs from tearing into his flesh.
Each time he should have been struck down, something intervened. A wolf's claws snagged in a root. Another flinched as Lumin's light blinded it. Denver tripped, falling just as jaws snapped through the air where his neck had been.
Behind him, the girl's arrows never missed. Each shot struck a wolf, thinning their numbers one by one. Her movements were graceful, deadly, almost mesmerizing.
Still, the Alpha pressed on, fury burning in its glowing eyes.
It lunged straight for Denver.
He froze. His legs wouldn't move.
The Alpha's jaws opened wide.
And then the girl was there, slamming into him. They hit the ground together as the wolf's fangs snapped shut inches above their heads.
Her face was close, too close. Her breath came fast, eyes blazing.
"You're an idiot," she hissed. "But a lucky idiot."
She pushed off him and loosed an arrow upward, striking the Alpha square in the jaw. The beast howled, staggering back.
Denver blinked up at her, dazed. "Who the hell are you?"
She smirked faintly, notching another arrow. "Name's Asmeria. Remember it if we survive."
The battle raged.
With Denver distracting and Asmeria firing relentlessly, the wolves began to falter. One by one they fell, their glowing bodies dissolving into motes of light.
Finally, only the Alpha remained.
It stood in the clearing, fur bristling, blood and light dripping from its wounds. Its growl shook the air, vibrating in Denver's bones.
Asmeria narrowed her eyes, drawing her bow. "This is it."
But the Alpha didn't charge. Instead, it threw back its head and howled.
The sound echoed through the forest, sharp and piercing. The ground trembled beneath their feet.
The system chimed:
[Event Escalation: Midnight Hunt – Alpha Awakens.]
[Warning: Boss Variant Spawned.]
Denver's heart plummeted. "You've got to be kidding me."
The Alpha's body shimmered, swelling with dark energy. Its size doubled, eyes burning brighter. Shadows dripped from its fur like ink.
It lowered its head, growling.
Then it charged.
Denver barely had time to react. The Alpha slammed into the ground where he'd been standing, the impact throwing him across the clearing. He crashed into a tree, pain exploding through his body.
The egg tumbled from his arms, rolling across the grass.
"No—!" Denver scrambled, but the Alpha turned its glowing eyes toward the egg.
It stepped forward, snarling.
Asmeria's eyes widened. She fired arrow after arrow, but the beast ignored them, its focus locked on the egg.
"Get it!" she screamed.
Denver lunged, crawling across the dirt, every nerve screaming. He grabbed the egg just as the Alpha's jaws snapped shut.
The impact sent him sprawling again. The egg pulsed brightly in his arms, glowing with heat.
The system chimed.
[Incubation Progress: 95%…]
Denver froze, breath catching. It's hatching.
The Alpha roared, shadows engulfing the clearing.
And the egg cracked in Denver's hands.