There were over twenty dire wolves, each prowling through the undergrowth with hungry eyes and low growls rumbling from their throats.
But Zelda's attention was not on the pack itself.
His eyes were fixed upon the creature standing behind them.
It was nearly twice the size of the others, its fur much darker, almost black beneath the shadows of the forest. A single horn protruded from the top of its head, and its yellow eyes gleamed with intelligence far beyond that of an ordinary beast.
That was a Greater Dire Wolf.
An evolved form of the Dire Wolf, one born only after enduring extreme hardships and surviving repeated mana surges. Such creatures were exceptionally rare, requiring both immense resilience and a great deal of luck to come into existence.
Another thing that should not exist here.
Much like the Wilderbeasts.
But unlike them, this one should be capable of speech, and that should make things considerably smoother. He would rather not come to blows and have to kill some wolves merely to make a point and force their submission. Every wolf slain would be a loss.
"Oh, Great Dire Wolf," he called out. "I, the demon Zelda, order you to submit yourself and your pack to my will, and I shall spare them from a gruesome fate."
"Your words are wasted, demon," the Greater Dire Wolf answered. "None of us will follow a Silver Tongue."
Silver Tongue.
It was one of the many titles people used to describe a demon's ability to deceive others with words, regardless of race. Personally, however, he preferred the title Serpent Tongue. It aligned far better with the way demons truly spoke and was far more fitting than something as rigid and inflexible as silver.
Though popular belief held otherwise, demons rarely made use of such deception unless a specific purpose demanded it.
He could hardly count how many times he had employed it. So few and far between were those occasions.
"It talks?!" Maria exclaimed in astonishment.
He shot her a brief glance.
"No interruptions."
His attention returned to the Greater Dire Wolf.
"Surely servitude is preferable to death," he remarked.
"To serve under a demon is no different," the Greater Dire Wolf replied. "I have seen how your kind treated my father's pack."
"Ah, petty grievances of the past. While they often drive creatures to irrational actions, they should not cloud your judgment of the present," he countered.
His crimson eyes swept across the pack.
"None of you would leave this place alive. I have no desire for such an outcome, but if bloodshed is what it takes to make you understand my point, then bloodshed it shall be."
He had not come all this way to return empty-handed.
The Greater Dire Wolf bared its fangs.
"I have killed and tasted demons before," it declared. "You will fall to my fangs, just as the others did."
The Greater Dire Wolf lowered itself into a battle stance.
Immediately, the rest of the pack retreated several paces, giving their leader room while remaining close enough to intervene if necessary.
A sensible strategy.
Against most foes.
But against someone like him, it was utterly inefficient.
Should the need arise, he could kill every single wolf before any of them even realized their leader had fallen.
Though he doubted it would come to that.
All he needed to do was instill enough fear into their hearts that they would submit willingly.
"Not all demons are equal," he stated calmly. "You may have overcome weaklings before, but trust me, you will find me an impossible challenge."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Greater Dire Wolf charged.
Fast.
Faster than most beasts of its kind had any right to be.
He swung his staff in a swift arc, the bladed spear mounted at its tip gleaming as it sliced through the air.
The Greater Dire Wolf managed to dodge the strike, twisting its body aside with surprising agility before its claws dug into the earth, preparing for another attack.
Impressive.
Perhaps this one would prove worthy of leading the pack after all.
He decided to test it further.
Swing after swing, he brought down his staff, the bladed spear at its tip carving through the air with deadly precision.
And each time, the Greater Dire Wolf managed to evade.
Once.
Twice.
Ten times.
Twenty.
One after another, the beast narrowly avoided every strike.
Yet Zelda noticed something.
By the twentieth swing, the Greater Dire Wolf was beginning to tire.
Only a little.
Its breaths had become heavier, and its movements had lost a fraction of their earlier sharpness.
Not enough for a lesser opponent to notice.
But enough for him.
As expected, he thought.
No matter how impressive the beast was, fatigue would eventually catch up with it.
"My proficiency in physical combat is lacking," Zelda observed. "My expertise lies in magic."
"That much was obvious from your very first swing," the Greater Dire Wolf replied. "You are an amateur, yet the speed behind your attacks is abnormal. You must be using a great amount of mana to enhance your physical abilities."
"This is my natural strength," he corrected. "I do not waste my mana on something so inefficient."
The Greater Dire Wolf's eyes narrowed.
For a moment, the beast remained silent.
Then, to Zelda's satisfaction, he caught a faint shift in its expression.
Disbelief.
Especially among the other wolves.
"Show off!" Maria complained from behind him.
He chose to ignore her.
"If that is so, then so be it," the Greater Dire Wolf declared. "I simply have to kill you before you can use your spells."
"It is easier said than done."
He lunged forward.
Twice as fast as before.
Yet the Greater Dire Wolf still managed to evade, narrowly twisting its body out of the path of the bladed spear.
Exactly as he had intended.
"Overdrive."
Thick vines burst from the ground beneath the wolf.
In an instant, they coiled around its limbs and torso before violently yanking it downward, slamming the beast into the earth.
The impact sent dirt and leaves flying.
The surrounding wolves recoiled in alarm.
The Greater Dire Wolf tried to say something, but could not.
He had made sure to wrap the beast's muzzle tightly as well.
"I know what you are going to say," Zelda remarked calmly. "So please, conserve your energy, because in the end, all you are going to produce is some gibberish mumbling."
The wolf struggled against its restraints, growling and snarling beneath the vines, but to no avail.
The more it thrashed, the tighter the vines constricted.
"That is the thing about battles," he continued. "People always imagine some grand exchange of words before defeat. They think there will be one final declaration, some last insult, perhaps even a curse."
He adjusted his grip on his staff.
"But reality is often disappointing."
His crimson eyes met the furious gaze of the pinned beast.
"Sometimes, all you are left with is incoherent noise."
And from the widening eyes of the surrounding wolves, he could tell they understood that perfectly well.
Well, not all of them.
One wolf suddenly charged at him.
A female.
And pregnant, from what he could tell. Two weeks, perhaps.
The wolf lunged.
Without so much as a glance, he reversed his grip and swung the blunt end of his staff downward.
The female wolf was slammed into the earth beneath the force of the blow, the ground cracking beneath her as a pained whine escaped her throat.
The rest of the pack froze.
At the sight, the Greater Dire Wolf thrashed violently against its restraints.
The beast desperately tried to rise and even managed to tear through some of the vines before the remaining tendrils tightened and slammed it harder into the ground, reinforcing themselves around its body.
"The feeling you have just shown," Zelda observed calmly, "is one I have seen many times."
His crimson eyes looked down upon the struggling beast.
"It resembles that of a father or a husband trying desperately to save a wife or children who have been gravely wounded."
He glanced briefly at the female wolf lying in the dirt.
"In your case, your mate and your unborn pups."
The Greater Dire Wolf's eyes widened.
"Your expression says it all," Zelda noted. "It has also compelled me to revise my offer."
He lowered the tip of the bladed spear atop his staff, directing it toward the female wolf's swollen belly.
"I shall give you a new choice."
His voice remained calm, almost casual.
"You accept my terms, or I will cut open your mate here and now."
The Greater Dire Wolf's eyes trembled.
Its struggles ceased.