A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Yet, it was useless. Soon, they all watched in horror when Emily pressed her hand against Olaf's forehead while life seemed to leave his eyes before he was released from his bonds and fell to the ground.

After falling down, Olaf, still in beast form, staggered back to his feet, yet his eyes were glassy. He simply looked at Emily, waiting for his orders, all defiance and fury gone.

Stunned, furious, and horrified at these events, Nora, Björn, and Anne forgot to continue attacking the barrier as they stared at Emily, petting their comrade's head with a grin. "There's a good boy. Follow your new mistress now." After those words, she went to stand beside Erik with the enslaved Olaf in tow.

Erik rolled his eyes at her behavior and decided to put a halt to it. He didn't want to make these people into life-and-death enemies, especially not their leader. "Don't humiliate the man, Emily. We're just trying to give ourselves a better hand in negotiations, not create enemies."

Immediately, Anne began to hiss. "You think that's still possible, you race traitor?! How dare you allow a filthy human to take control of Olaf?!"

Nora, having now lost her lust for Erik, voiced her agreement. "Olaf would have preferred death over enslavement by a human. Let him go!"

Björn joined in, too, having lost some of his awe for Erik. "The guy was an asshole, but he doesn't deserve this! I thought you were a real warrior!"

Only their leader didn't say anything, but the disapproval in his eyes was unmistakable.

Panning his gaze between those four people, Erik's gaze turned contemptuous as he snorted at their behavior. "You people are pathetic." He turned to their leader. "Even you? I would have expected better from you."

The now ginger-furred werebear frowned at Erik's calling him out specifically but ignored it for now, focusing on Erik's first words. "What are you talking about?"

Hearing his question, Erik waved his hand dismissively. "You people blame an entire race for the actions of a few. How pathetic can you get? Humans are no worse or better than shapeshifters and vampires."

If there was one thing Erik had learned on a planet filled with as many different races and species as Söl, it was that there were only two types of people in existence—those against him and those with him. Race or species had no impact on that, despite his past.

Anne seemed to lose all reason upon hearing those words. "I dare you to say that to my face." She screeched.

Seeing an opportunity, Erik grinned evilly. "Sure, come over here, and I'll do just that." At those words, Elora created a small gap in the barrier, just in front of Anne.

Lost in rage, Anne was just about to charge through when a large bear claw grabbed her shoulder and stopped her. Having lost the opportunity, the gap quickly closed again.

Erik chuckled at the werebear. "Nice reaction speed. I almost gained the complete advantage there."

The werebear growled as he continued to hold Anne back. "Don't let yourself be goaded, Anne." His gaze panned to Nora and Björn, who were both seething. "And the same goes for the rest of you."

Then, he turned to Erik. "As for you, your words sound wise, but you haven't gone through what some of us have."

Hearing those words said by that man, Erik could only smile wryly. "Are you sure about that?" he asked, with pain in his voice. Then he sighed. "Anyway, I suppose I shouldn't blame you for your attitude too much. I may have my own painful past, but I had the opportunity to get some perspective that you're still missing."

The werebear and Erik stared into each other's eyes for a moment, and Erik's opponent couldn't help but feel a strange sense of recognition, though he couldn't put his finger on it exactly.

In the end, he sighed as well. "Well, whatever the case." He turned to Emily, who was watching this all with a slightly bored expression. "Isn't it dangerous to hang around with someone of her abilities, regardless of race? What's to stop her from enslaving you in your sleep? Or perhaps she's already done that…?"

While Erik lacked the glassy eyes of Olaf, to simply deny the possibility that he might be enslaved, only because of that, would be foolhardy.

Before Erik could respond, Emily began to laugh loudly. "Enslave him?! Last time I tried that, I…" Suddenly, she stopped laughing and looked thoughtful for a moment before scratching her head. "Well, actually, that didn't end up so badly in the end." She shrugged, "Anyway, the point is, I serve him, not the other way around."

Erik gave her an amused smirk when he realized this was the first time she openly admitted to serving him. Then he turned back to the werebear and shrugged. "You heard the lady."

The werebear looked skeptical but sighed and let it go for now. "Well, whatever the case. It seems we've reached an impasse. We can probably break through this barrier with time, but I don't like our odds on the other side, especially because you still have a ghoul and another human somewhere.

Meanwhile, you can't stay in there forever and I don't like your odds on this side. Naturally, we're not leaving without Olaf and a way to fight the ghouls, yet we can't send one of us out for reinforcements because the remaining three wouldn't be able to contain you. So what now?"

Erik couldn't help but grin with excitement. 'This is what I've been waiting for!' he thought. "How about we duel, you and I?" he proposed.

The werebear frowned. "A duel?"

Still grinning, Erik nodded. "You versus me, an all-out brawl. If you win, I'll answer whatever questions you have, do whatever I can to help you against the ghouls, and release Olaf.

If you lose, I'll still answer whatever questions you have, but I'll keep Olaf for a few days as punishment for being an instigating asshole, and I'll only consider helping against the ghouls. Meanwhile, none of you will be allowed to leave until my group and I do. I won't have that third-rank leader of yours knocking on my door."

Since these people didn't seem to know anything of sigils, and their body suits didn't leave enough room to hide any other communication methods, at least nothing that would work in the current day, he didn't imagine they had a way of contacting their leader remotely.

Yet, before proposing this, he needed to even the odds. Otherwise, why would they accept when they had the advantage?

While Anne continued being lost in a rage, Björn and Nora seemed genuinely interested in his offer. Even if they lost, they still got something, and they had confidence in their leader's victory.

Even if the werebear himself wasn't as sure about his victory as he eyed the heavily armored werewolf with a large hammer in front of him, he, too, could see the benefit in it. Anything was better than their current stalemate.

He growled, "Let's say I agree; how do we do this?"

Erik explained. "Simple. Your three companions move away far enough that they can still see us but can't interfere quickly. Then, we fight just outside of the barrier. I lose my protection, and you lose your companions. I'll even remove my armor, but I'll keep my weapon."

The werebear frowned. "Why would you take off your armor?"

To which Erik shrugged with a wild grin on his wolfish face. "Because otherwise, beating you wouldn't be any fun."

While that truly was Erik's main consideration, the fact was that his armor was still damaged and would only get worse if he wore it in this battle.

Suddenly, the werebear's mind went back to a time in the past when a certain woman had said the same thing while wearing that same wild expression. The reasons were different, but the rest was the same.

For a moment, he had a lost expression on his face. Then, he shook himself free and looked at Erik strangely. 'If I didn't know any better…' he thought, but then shook his head again. 'No. That's impossible.'

"You alright there?" Erik quipped.

The werebear nodded with a complicated expression. "Yeah, you just reminded me of a certain fierce woman for a second. No offense…"

That stunned Erik for a moment. 'Could he have meant my mother? Now I'm suddenly feeling impatient to ask him about her…' But then the excitement he felt for this fight drowned out those thoughts, and an excited grin reappeared on his face. 'I'll ask him later.' He thought.

Erik chuckled in the end. "None taken. So, do we have a deal?"

The werebear nodded seriously. "We do. But how can I be sure you'll keep your word?"

Dark green energy began to appear on Erik's arm while he answered and shrugged. "Personally, you seem trustworthy enough, and I'd prefer to make this a gentlemen's agreement, but if you really want to, we can make something akin to a magical contract."

He stuck his arm covered in covenant magic through the barrier and waited to see if the werebear would take it. Erik's opponent stared at the hand for a moment and then shook his head in apparent unbelief. "You truly have unique methods. But I'd rather not mess with strange magic. A gentlemen's agreement it is."

Erik grinned and shook his arm, dissolving the dark green energy. "Good choice."