Naida stepped closer, after seeing Asher stuck in a dilemma, "We must act swiftly, Your Majesty. The Rustbloods are as fierce as their poison. I would advise to kill as many of them as possible even if it means sacrificing some."
Asher's eyes narrowed as he understood what she was talking about.
He let out a sharp sigh before saying to Eradicator, "Lower some of our defensive powers and use them to blast away these dogs trying to enter our ship. Let's give them a taste of our Skycrawler's wrath."
Without a word, Eradicator's fingers danced across the control panel, expertly reallocating the ship's resources. The Skycrawler's hull began to hum with more aggressive energy, its barriers pulsating with deadly intent.
But everybody could see the defensive light of the ship's shield dimming, the lightning from the storm causing even more turbulence to their ship.
"Ohh…won't our ship sustain damage?" Leonidas asked Caelum in a low voice.
Caelum nodded with a serious look and answered, "Yes, but it is better than those dogs entering our ship, right?"
"Right…" Leonidas mumbled with a grim look.
"To your stations," Asher commanded, his voice echoing with authority, "Prepare for battle."
Everyone dispersed, each moving with determined strides to their designated positions. But in the shadows afar, Oberon hesitated, his thoughts racing with self-preservation. He turned to stealthily make his way back to his room, contemplating an escape plan.
Why the fuck should he die because of that alien dog?
However, his heart skipped a beat as Asher suddenly materialized before him, blocking his path with a chilling smile, "Oberon. Where do you think you're going in such a hurry during a situation like this?"
Oberon's face paled slightly under Asher's piercing gaze. But he gathered his wits and answered with a forced smile, "I-I was just going to... prepare for the battle. Yes, that's it."
Asher's eyes narrowed, "Good. Then let's see how prepared you are, Oberon. This situation will require everyone's effort, even more from you, since you are the strongest compared to the other three. So you should position yourself at the back of the ship to discourage them from entering."
'You fucker…That is the most likely area they are going to enter!' Oberon cursed this dog for purposefully putting him in such a dangerous spot.
"What? Are you afraid?" Asher asked with a curve of his lips. If only Rebecca was here to see her son's helpless face.
"Of course not…" Oberon could only nod stiffly, a mix of fear and resentment bubbling within him as he walked away.
Asher's presence was a constant reminder of his downfall and the precarious position he found himself in. But he had no choice but to comply. Turning away, he headed to arm himself, his mind racing with thoughts of survival and revenge.
At the same time, the werewolves clung desperately to the belly of the Skycrawler, their snarls and growls a cacophony amidst the storm.
However, as the ship's shield intensified in heat, their resolve began to falter. The acrid smell of melting claws and burning flesh filled the air, and their howls turned to ones of agony.
But before they could resolve themselves to endure it, a powerful shockwave emanated from the belly of the ship, causing many of them to get blasted away with agonizing howls while some even had their bodies shattered completely and killed on the spot.
However, a few of them were very swift and had good reaction times, making them anticipate this and jump up towards the ship to avoid getting blasted away.
But their faces fell as lightning bolts immediately fell upon them, and not even a whimper escaped from their maws as their bodies turned into crisp ash and were swept away by the powerful winds.
Inside, Leonidas watched with a mix of thrill and disbelief as the werewolves were repelled, "Oh yeah! Take that, you motherfuckers!" he bellowed, his voice full of adrenaline-fueled exhilaration. He gripped his weapon, ready for any who might breach the ship.
Just like Leonidas, Caelum, and Silvan, stationed at strategic points, remained vigilant, eyes scanning for any sign of an intruder.
Naida was standing at a not so obvious location with a clear intent.
She stood in front of the largest window and through the thick glass of the window, she locked eyes with three werewolves who were trying to sneakily crawl over one of the lower sides of the ship to enter it.
However, just as they crawled a bit further, their eyes happened to lock with Naida's gaze, startling them.
Naida smiled as she slowly blinked her bright red eyes.
The three werewolves had stumped expressions, but they then got distracted upon seeing terrifying lightning bolts curving through the sky and heading straight for them!
Panicked upon seeing such lightning bolts with strange behavior, the three of them let go after having no other choice.
But their eyes widened upon seeing that no lighting bolts struck the ship, and they realized too late that it was an illusory trick!
"Groaargh!!". They plummeted into the abyss of the storm, a look of horror and anger etched on their faces.
Asher, witnessing the scene, couldn't help but admire Naida's subtle but frighteningly powerful abilities.
The ship continued to shake and shudder under the relentless assault and movement of the werewolves, but Asher and the others inside remained unyielding.
Oberon, having returned armed and begrudgingly ready, stood at the back of the ship alone, his expression filled with anger and bitterness.
If only he could kill that dog with his own hands.
*THUD!*
Suddenly hearing heavy, menacing thuds up above the ship, Oberon gazed up, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Even more such thuds echoed as it was obvious the werewolves were landing on top of the ship, "Insane..." he muttered under his breath, shocked by their audacity to brave the storm.
How were they not getting killed by the lightning?
Above, beyond his vision, the werewolves, their bodies sheathed in dark green armor, moved with a predatory grace. They latched onto the shield with the claws of their feet to not let the wild winds bother them.
Their eyes, glowing with a sinister dark green light, scanned the ship's exterior. The armor seemed to merge seamlessly with their muscular, furry bodies, making them appear even more formidable.
The lightning, which had been relentlessly striking the ship, held nothing back as some of the bolts descended with deadly intent, towards them.
But just before they could touch the bodies of these werewolves, a translucent dark yellow barrier suddenly formed around their bodies, deflecting the bolts with astonishing ease and harmlessly shooting back into the chaotic sky.
It was as if the werewolves were unfazed by the very elements of the storm.
Then, amidst the howling wind and the clashing thunder, a seven-foot-tall werewolf made his appearance by landing on the top of the ship after jumping off from his mount.
He was a giant among his kind, his stature and aura commanding immediate respect and fear. His pack instantly recognized his authority, bowing in a display of fealty and reverence, "Chief!"
Boragor surveyed the ship with a menacing glare. Raising his massive claws, which gleamed dangerously even in the dim light of the storm, he growled out his orders with a voice that resonated with primal power.
"Tear apart this ship, leave no one alive... except for the alien brat. He's mine to kill."
His words were met with roars of approval from his pack. They began to unleash their fury upon the ship, their claws clawing away at the weakened shield.
Inside the ship, the mood shifted rapidly from confidence to concern as Leonidas, Caelum, and Silvan realized the severity of their situation.
The sound of claws scraping against the hull of the Skycrawler echoed ominously throughout the cabin.
Leonidas's earlier smugness vanished, replaced by a look of consternation, "Oh devils, they are trying to claw their way in!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with frustration.
Caelum nodded gravely, "This is bad... They came prepared. It's not just a random assault; they have a strategy."
Silvan, trying to piece together the werewolves' motivations, mumbled, "To go all out like this... What is making them go so far?"
In the control deck, Asher, standing beside a stoic Eradicator, turned to her with a question, "Why can't we just blast off those werewolves on top like we did with the ones below?"
Eradicator's response was calm but carried a weight of concern, "Our ship has already sustained some damages. Diverting more power from our defenses to offense will expose us to the storm. We risk tearing the ship apart, and the werewolves could use that opportunity to breach our defenses."
Naida, who was analyzing the situation, added, "These werewolves are willing to make sacrifices to get inside. Their chief must hold a deep grudge to risk so much. Did you happen to kill anyone important from their clan?"
Asher narrowed his eyes as he remembered helping killing Serkan while Ceti killed the other two who accompanied him on her own. But why would their chief care about a bunch of replaceable warriors? Was their chief that caring?
Wait…his son. Asher heard the news of the Rustblood Clan's chief's son not returning from the quest, and he remembered seeing a dead body of other werewolves from that clan when we woke up beside Ceti after somehow getting saved. One of the dead ones might have been his son.
Still, there was no proof he did it. Or did they just need an excuse to kill him?
*Kreak!*
The sound of the shield up top enduring cracks only continued to echo louder and louder.
Asher's expression darkened as he looked at the two and said in a determined, cold voice, "It doesn't matter. Let's go up top and let those dogs realize they chose the wrong people to mess with today."
