Ryder wrenched the wheel, aiming Betsy's powerful beam toward the sound. The truck lurched off the dirt track. The headlights sliced through the trees, illuminating the source.
In the light was a young woman stumbled through the undergrowth, running for her life. She wore a grease-stained, once-bright red overall, now torn in several places, and a pair of slightly askew engineer goggles were perched on her forehead.
Her clothes were torn and dirt-smeared, and she was frantically slapping a strange, futuristic-looking hand cannon, sparks showering from the malfunctioning weapon.
Hot on her heels, a pack of feral, corrupted wolves bounded forward. Their eyes glowed with a sinister red light, matted fur and exposed, glistening muscle visible even in the harsh glare of the headlights.
Ryder slammed on the brakes. The truck bucked, groaning in protest as it skidded to a halt, its headlights momentarily stunning the attacking wolves. The air filled with a discordant symphony of snarls, the girl's desperate cries, and the sudden, shocking silence as Betsy's engine cut off.
He threw open the driver's side door, already moving.
"System, buy Headlight Torch! Betsy, demanifest!" he commanded internally, the thought crisp and urgent as his boots hit the ground.
[ARMORY PURCHASE: "TRAILBLAZER" HEADLIGHT TORCH - 1000 POINTS DEDUCTED]
A sturdy, powerfully built flashlight materialized in his hand, just as he jumped clear of the cab.
The moment Ryder was out, Betsy shimmered. The enormous red-and-chrome giant dissolved into the night air as if it had never been there, the truck's piercing headlights winking out along with it.
Ryder landed with a grunt, immediately thumbing the switch on the Trailblazer. An intense, focused beam of white light stabbed through the gloom, replacing the truck's broader glow.
He deftly clipped the powerful flashlight to his belt, angling it forward to keep the path ahead lit and freeing his hands, before sprinting towards the sounds of the struggle.
The small clearing was now starkly lit by the unwavering beam of Ryder's belt-mounted torch.
The girl was on the ground, scrambling backward, her wide eyes fixed on the pack of Corrupted Wolves that had turned their attention from her to the sudden bright light.
Their snarls were guttural, promising pain.
As Ryder closed the distance, the girl, with a desperate yell, threw a small, metallic cylinder at the closest wolves.
CRACK-BOOM!
The device exploded with a powerful blast and a blinding flash of blue-white light. Two of the wolves were flung back, yelping in surprise and pain, their forms momentarily obscured by a plume of bitter smoke.
Ryder reached her side just as the remaining wolves refocused their predatory stare.
He summoned his sword and shield into his hands. The polished steel of the blade and the sturdy surface of the shield gleamed in the torchlight.
There were more of them than in that tunnel back in Crowpoint, Ryder assessed, his senses sharp. But they felt… less substantial. Their corruption wasn't as potent. Still, they moved like a coordinated pack.
"Stay behind me!" Ryder's voice cut through the snarling, sharp and clear.
He didn't waste a second.
A shield-bash, swift and brutal, slammed into the nearest wolf, sending it tumbling away from the girl with a surprised yelp. His sword became a silver blur, slashing at its critical points.
The girl, propped on an elbow, stared, her breath catching in her throat.
Gods… he's incredible. So fast… and that light… it's almost blinding.
The fight was a whirlwind of savage grace and brutal efficiency.
He moved with deadly intent, a whirlwind of steel and focused purpose.
A wolf lunged from his right, jaws snapping wide, but Ryder met its charge with a swift shield bash to the side of its skull. The impact echoed with a dull thud as the creature was sent sprawling with a pained yelp.
Another, bolder than the first, tried to circle around to his exposed left flank, but Ryder pivoted on his heel**. His** blade became a silver arc that bit deep into the wolf's shoulder, drawing a howl of agony.
He flowed from one wolf to the next, a strong defense between the girl and the snapping teeth.
One wolf charged head-on, a clear distraction, while another darted low from Ryder's left, its teeth bared as it aimed for his legs.
Ryder reacted instantly, stamping down hard on the low attacker's snout with his reinforced boot, causing a sharp crack and a whimper. Simultaneously, he parried the frontal assault with his shield.
He didn't give the stunned creature a chance to recover, following through with a quick, brutal sword thrust that pierced its chest.
The girl, heart still hammering, scrambled to her feet. Her fingers fumbled with the strange handgun.
"Come on, you piece of junk…" she muttered, smacking it again. "Work, blast it, work!"
A spark, then a hum.
She aimed, her hand surprisingly steady despite her terror, at a wolf that had managed to slip partially past Ryder's flank, its red eyes fixed on him.
FWOOSH!
The handgun discharged with a crackling, buzzing sound, unleashing a bolt of crackling blue energy.
The creature let out a gurgling howl as its body was violently hurled sideways, crushing into a thick tree trunk with a sickening thud, before slumping to the forest floor.
"Finally! Stupid thing!" the girl exclaimed, a note of triumph mixed with frustration in her voice. "Take that, you overgrown mutt!"
With the girl's timely shot thinning their numbers, Ryder dispatched the last few wolves with brutal efficiency.
He sidestepped a clumsy, snapping bite from one wolf, his sword flashing out in a precise arc that opened its throat in a spray of dark ichor.
Another lunged desperately at Ryder in its last attempt.
Ryder met its charge head-on with his shield, the heavy metal stopping it dead in its tracks with a bone-jarring impact.
Before the creature could recover from the shock, his sword found its heart with a swift thrust.
With all the wolves finally dispatched, silence returned to the night, broken only by their ragged breathing and the faint crackle from the wolf the girl had shot.
Ryder kept his sword and shield manifested, his head swiveling, scanning the tree line for any signs of other corrupted creatures.
But the woods remained dark and silent.
Satisfied for the moment, his weapons demanifested with a soft shimmer. The Trailblazer on his belt, however, remained on, its beam a reassuring presence in the heavy darkness.
He turned to the girl. She was leaning against a tree, her strange handgun still clutched tightly. Her chest heaved, and her face was pale beneath the grime, but she was upright.
"Are you okay?" Ryder asked, his voice a little rough. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
She shook her head, her eyes wide and still reflecting a touch of the terror she'd endured. Her gaze darted to Ryder then quickly away, a faint blush rising under the grime on her cheeks. "No… no, I don't think so. Just… scrapes and bruises." She took a shaky breath. "Thank you for saving me! You... you were amazing! So strong and so fast!"
The girl pushed herself straighter, though her cheeks were still a bit pink, a flicker of resolve returning to her eyes. She extended a hand. It was trembling slightly and smudged with grease.
""I owe you. Big time," she said, managing a small, tired smile that didn't quite reach her flustered eyes. "My name is Kaela Rustspark. Uh, I'm a magi-tech smith. I also tinker with Anchors too, sometimes. Thanks again for saving my life. Really. You were... wow.""
Ryder took her offered hand. Her grip was surprisingly firm despite the tremor. "Ryder Vance."
As their hands clasped, a familiar warmth bloomed in his vision.
[TITLE EARNED: ROADSIDE RESCUER]
[You have unlocked 3 Titles. Your presence in this world grows stronger.]
[Base Strength Enhanced.]
A jolt of pure energy flowed through Ryder. His muscles felt more potent, the lingering fatigue from the day's travel and the brief, intense fight receding as if washed away by a cool tide.
They stood in the small, torch-lit clearing, surrounded by the silent, dead wolves, the vast, dark wilderness pressing in around them.