The shards of ice shattered on the surface of the lake had succumbed to Rivaril's ruthless cold, refreezing into a thick new layer. Deathly silence blanketed everything until a dark, expanding shadow emerged from the depths of the ice.
The layer of ice erupted like a volcano from a massive blow from below. Amidst the scattered ice shards and freezing water, Firel launched himself to the surface.
As he exhaled the air filling his lungs with a steamy growl, his body was undergoing a terrifying metamorphosis. His eyes, glowing through his wet hair, were a blood-red too inhuman to belong to a man. The water trickling down his chin crystallized at the tips of his elongating, pointed canines. His face widened, his skin thickened, and stiff, black bristles sprouting from his arms tore through his skin. He was no longer a human; he was the embodiment of nature's wrath.
On the opposite shore of the lake, the Kakiru leader, staggering away in pain from his severed left arm, heard that heavy, raspy breath behind him. This was not the sound of a human running; it was the earth-shaking steps of a massive bear that had caught the scent of its prey.
When the Kakiru turned his head in horror, his field of vision went black with Firel's massive, fur-covered fist.
The impact was so violent that the thud drowned out the sound of breaking bones. The Kakiru's head exploded as it was buried into the trunk of the ancient pine tree behind him. Blue blood and brain fragments scattered over the white snow like hot rain.
Firel let out a heavy breath as the bestial adrenaline from the transformation slowly receded. "That was a close one, huh..." he muttered. His voice resembled a monster living in the depths of the forest rather than a human voice.
He spread his arms wide. Orange sparks glowing in his palms suddenly flared up, engulfing his entire body. The intense steam rising from his wet clothes made him look like a misty monster. He took off his drying clothes, hung them on a branch, leaned his back against a tree, and slumped to the ground.
Just then, a shrill scream broke the silence of the forest.
"I WILL FIND YOU EVEN IN HELL, CARLOS!!!"
Hakan shot out from the bushes like a cannonball. He was running so fast out of fear that he didn't notice the massive silhouette in front of him, crashing into Firel and tumbling into the snow. Right behind him appeared Carlos, his face pale as a sheet.
"CARLOS, THERE'S A BEAR HERE! RUN!" Hakan shouted, thrashing on the ground.
However, when Carlos looked back in horror and noticed the massive figure in front of him, the expression on his face changed for a moment. Fear gave way to relief, as if finding a safe harbor.
"Boss..." he said, panting, his lungs burning. "The Gariran Wolf... is after us."
Firel slowly turned his terrifying head, half-bear, half-human. His skull was still shapeless; his forehead wide, nose wet and black, and ears on top. Hakan stared at this nightmare, blinking. His brain rejected what it saw.
"What boss, man? That's literally a bear!" he screamed hysterically.
"Shut the hell up!" Carlos landed a hefty slap on the back of Hakan's neck with his massive hand.
At that moment, the shadows among the bushes deepened. It was as if the oxygen had been sucked out of the air. The Gariran Wolf glided out of the forest's darkness in all its majesty. The spiritual pressure it radiated was so intense that even the snowflakes hesitated as they fell.
Firel stood up. With his 2.30-meter body transformed into a mass of muscle and fur, he stood before the wolf. Two apex predators weighed each other up silently. Firel's red eyes locked with the wolf's pitch-black ones.
Breathing angry steam from his nose, Firel slowly took a non-threatening step back. This was not a sign of fear, but a compromise.
The Gariran Wolf growled; the sound coming from between its drooling teeth resembled a fork scraping against a plate. With its claw, it pointed to the sack of gold Hakan held tightly in his hand.
Hakan gripped the sack with trembling hands and threw it toward the wolf in desperation.
The wolf snatched the sack sailing through the air with incredible agility. It didn't even chew the gold; unhinging its jaw like a snake, it swallowed it in one bite. Without taking its eyes off Firel for a second, it backed into the bushes, blended into the shadows, and disappeared.
When the danger passed, Firel's shoulders dropped.
"What are you doing in the forest at this hour?" His voice was slowly turning from a growling bass back to that familiar authoritative tone. "Did you drop your duties to go treasure hunting?!"
As he spoke, his body began to shrink with horrific sounds. Fur shed, elongating bones snapped back into place, and sharp teeth receded into his gums.
Hakan was frozen on the ground. His mind was trying to process this image. Is the boss half-beast? And a freak who completed his third evolution...
Carlos rubbed his hands together like a guilty child. "It's Hakan's nonsense, boss... He told me there was an important matter and dragged me to that damn cave at the crack of dawn."
Firel's face, now fully returned to human form, turned to Hakan in anger. "But you claimed the plan once we found the gold?!" Hakan shrieked, trying to defend himself.
"Silence!" Firel rubbed his temples. "My head is splitting."
He took his clothes from the branch and started to put them on. While buttoning his shirt, he fixed his eyes on Carlos. His gaze was even more freezing than the cold water moments ago.
"Weren't you supposed to maintain order in the town?"
"Y-Yes, boss..."
Hakan tried to intervene. "But boss, this is more important than the tow—"
"You shut up, scrawny! And you were supposed to secure the shipyard. I caught monsters watching us! If you can't protect that ship, I'll replace you with someone who can protect their post, Hakan, what do you say?"
"I apologize, boss... My mistake. I will take care of it immediately."
Firel leaned over Hakan. His shadow fell on the man like a tombstone.
"If you don't," he whispered, but this whisper was more terrifying than a shout, "You will end up like your brother whom I split in two."
Silence returned to the forest for a moment.
"We don't have the luxury of slacking off. Both of you, understand the seriousness of the situation. Get out of my sight."
Hakan bowed his head, gritting his teeth. The fear in his eyes had been replaced by hatred, but he couldn't make a sound. Carlos, on the other hand, was looking at his boots in shame.