Chapter 551: The Ones That Lurk Beneath

A Few Hours Before

"That was a Virelop," Tobias said, already moving, his voice cutting through the uncertainty. "It came to scout."

"If one is here," he continued, his tone hardening, "then there are more. And it will not attack from the front."

"Warriors," he called, his voice rising just enough. "Blades out."

Steel answered him.

"Those injured—center," he ordered. "Now."

There was no delay.

The formation shifted immediately, bodies moving with urgency, closing in around those who could not defend themselves. The healthy took the outer ring, their movements tight, controlled despite the exhaustion weighing them down.

Tobias felt the shift around him.

Felt the way they moved closer to him. He too was injured, and so it wasn’t surprising they surrounded him.

"Stay together," he added. "No gaps. It will use your blind spots, but it will attack the weak ones first, so the warriors around will help defend."

They nodded.

"Now, for goddess’ sake, fucking run. A Virelop is a sign that there will be more nearby."

"More Virelops?" someone asked.

"No, more beasts—more danger than the Virelop," he replied.

The pack members didn’t need to be told twice. They immediately picked up pace without breaking formation.

They ran.

Snow crunched beneath their feet, uneven and hurried as they pushed forward. The cold bit harder now, air tearing through lungs that were already strained, muscles screaming with every step.

The path ahead stretched long. But they were close.

Tobias’s breathing grew heavier, but his pace did not falter. His eyes remained forward, his focus locked on the distance ahead—the unseen entrance, the promise of safety just beyond reach.

Behind him, footsteps pounded.

Beside him, breath came sharp and fast.

Around him, tension tightened.

They are coming, Ryker said.

That was the only warning they got before the Virelops attacked.

They came fast.

White blurs broke from the edges of the forest, from behind rocks, from dips in the snow where no one had thought to look. Their bodies were low, their movements were silent until the very last second, and then the sound came.

A sharp, wet snap of jaws opening far wider than they should.

"Hold formation!" Tobias’s voice cut through the panic before it could take root.

The first Virelop lunged at him, but it didn’t get to its destination.

Steel drove straight through its chest, clean and precise, the force of the strike stopping the creature mid-air before it could even twist. The warrior didn’t hesitate—he shoved the body off his sword with a grunt.

The Virelop hit the ground with a sick, gurgling sound.

Then it shrieked.

A high, gnashing cry that split through the cold air like something being torn apart from the inside.

It died seconds later.

Another one came.

And another, and another.

They didn’t stop.

They came from the sides now, testing, probing, darting in and out of reach like they were playing some twisted game. One went for the rear. Another circled wide, trying to slip between two warriors.

"Heart!" Tobias barked. "Aim for the heart—don’t waste time anywhere else!"

That made things easier for the warriors. They followed his instructions, trusting him and aiming for the heart only.

A warrior stepped forward. He caught a Virelop mid-lunge and drove his blade straight into its chest. The creature spasmed violently, its small body convulsing as that same gnashing sound tore from its throat before it dropped dead.

Tobias hated the sound these beasts made whenever they died. At some point when he was younger, he had asked Daniel if there was a way to stop it because it irritated his ears, but alas, there was nothing Daniel could do, as it wasn’t like it was Daniel who had created the beasts after all.

"They’re light," Tobias informed the warriors. "Don’t let them drag you off balance. If they miss—kill them before they recover! And do not get injured too."

A Virelop darted low, aiming for a woman’s ankle.

It never made contact.

A sword came down from above, splitting through its back and into its chest. The creature shrieked, its red eyes wide before going dull.

The formation held tight. No Virelop could slip through, and Tobias noticed how the beasts were annoyed at that.

The Virelops circled and adjusted, but no matter what they did, they were still taken down.

One appeared at Tobias’s left—

Another at his right—

Two more from behind—

All at once.

They lunged.

The warriors surrounding him moved as one.

Blades cut through the air, precise and brutal. One Virelop was skewered before it could even open its jaws. Another was knocked aside mid-leap, its body slamming into the snow before a second blade drove through it.

The rest didn’t even make it close.

Bodies dropped.

White fur stained red.

The gnashing sounds came again.

And again.

And again.

One of them stayed just out of reach, its red eyes flicking between the warriors, watching the pattern of their movement. Tobias noticed it immediately.

"Left flank—don’t break rhythm," he said sharply.

The warrior there adjusted just in time because the Virelop lunged... and died immediately.

Tobias exhaled slowly, his grip tightening around his weapon.

They thought they were smart.

And they were.

For beasts. But they had no idea that Tobias grew up in this place, and he was accustomed to them.

Another wave came, this one faster and more aggressive. They aimed for him again, but like the previous wave, they all died before they could reach him.

The warriors cut them down with growing confidence now, their movements sharper, more certain. Fear had been replaced with focus and understanding.

Tobias had no use for the sword he held, which, if he was honest, he wasn’t really good with.

The last Virelop twitched once on the ground before going still.

No more came. Soon they were surrounded by silence.

Tobias would have been happy if he wasn’t still on alert. There had been fifteen Virelops only, and most times, the Virelops attacked in larger groups.

His eyes narrowed slightly at that.

"They’re gone?" someone asked, voice uncertain.

"For now," Tobias replied.

Perhaps the Virelops had retreated, the ones he was very certain were in the forest. Maybe they had retreated because they didn’t think they could win. That would be a smart choice.

"Move," Tobias said immediately. "We can’t stop."