CHAPTER 35: BONEHOWLERS

There were barely five minutes in the Soul Maw before their first challenge came, and it wasn’t in the form of other players, but from the things that called this place home.

It came in the form of Bonehowlers,hounds that prowled the ruins of Kareth’Zul. They stood taller than any warhorse, their bodies coiled with lean, predatory muscle beneath hide the color of rotting bronze. A ridge of jagged, bone-like spines ran from their skull to the tip of their whipcord tails, quivering with each breath. Their eyes burned with a sickly, corpse-light glow, and their elongated jaws were filled with fangs like splintered ivory. Every movement was fast, their clawed paws crunching over the skeletal remains that littered the streets, as if daring anything to challenge their claim.

When they raised their heads and loosed their namesake howl, the sound was not merely heard, it crawled under the skin, a hollow, mournful wail that carried the promise of death.

Stephan counted seven of them.

"What the hell are those?" Yennefer asked, her voice taut.

"Whatever they are, they’re not friendly," Stephan said. "Stay close."

Anna Mary and Yennefer stepped in, their shoulders brushing his.

The Bonehowlers moved fast, circling like seasoned predators, paws crunching over bone. Their growls vibrated in the air, never breaking eye contact.

"We’ve got no choice but to kick some ass," Stephan muttered.

"Are you going to summon Grief?" Anna Mary asked, glancing at him nervously.

"No. Not yet." His gaze didn’t leave the pack. "But there’s one thing I can borrow from her."

A shimmer of soul-light flickered in his grip, and Grief’s spectral sword materialized, its ghostly steel humming with menace.

"Is that... Grief’s sword?" Yennefer asked, her tone colder than fear. The sight of it twisted something in her chest. She remembered that blade too well, the same one Grief had used to almost kill her.

"Seems I can borrow my soul servant’s weapons," Stephan said.

"Last time we fought, you had a dagger," Yennefer said.

"Well... Grief broke it." He shifted his stance, eyes locked on the beasts. The sword felt unnervingly right in his hands. The last time he’d wielded it, he’d torn it from Grief’s own grip and driven it back into her. Now, it felt as if it had always belonged to him.

"Come at me, demon fuckers," Stephan hissed.

As if they’d understood the invitation, one of the Bonehowlers lunged, fast, a blur of claws, teeth, and hate.

The Bonehowler’s charge was a blur of muscle and teeth, each step pounding the cracked stone like a war drum.

Stephan shifted his stance, ready to meet it head-on, when the air directly in front of the beast tore apart in a spiral of violet light.

"Tsk. Anna?" Stephan’s voice cut sharp, startled.

The Bonehowler didn’t even slow. It plunged into the rift with a muffled whoomph, its momentum carrying it into darkness. The portal snapped shut in an instant, only for another to rip open just behind Anna Mary, spitting the creature back out in a violent tumble.

It landed awkwardly, claws screeching against the street as it whipped its head around, corpse-light eyes burning with confusion. Then it saw her. The snarl that tore from its throat was raw, almost panicked, as it lunged again, jaws yawning wide to rip her apart.

Anna Mary didn’t move. A spartal blade coalesced in her grip, cold light glinting along its ghostly edge.

The Bonehowler’s maw engulfed the weapon. The impact landed with a splintering crunch, steel splitting bone, followed by a wet crack as the blade tore through the roof of its mouth and burst from the back of its skull. Purple blood sprayed in a shimmering arc.

The beast convulsed, claws gouging stone, before it sagged and collapsed with a hollow, gurgling death rattle. The sound died quickly.

"One down... six more to go," Anna Mary announced with a cheerful smile.

I can’t let Stephan think I’m weak, she thought. Otherwise, how would I stand beside him?

"The next one’s mine," Yennefer declared. Her grimoire snapped open in midair, pages fluttering as emerald energy began to coil and crackle around her.

If the Bonehowlers were meant to be intimidated by the death of their packmate, they hid it well. In fact, their growls deepened, reverberating through the ruins. Their corpse-light eyes burned hotter, pupils narrowing into dagger points.

"Looks like we’ve just provoked them instead of scaring them," Anna Mary said, tightening her grip on her spectral blade.

"It doesn’t matter if they’re angry or not," Yennefer replied, her tone sharp. "I’m still going to smoke them all."

"Seems like you girls won’t be needing my help after all," Stephan said, planting the spectral sword into the cracked stone with a dull thunk. He stepped back, slipping his hands into his trouser pockets, his gaze lazy but unreadable. "I’ll let you handle them."

To their surprise, the Bonehowlers split apart with almost military precision, three peeling off toward Yennefer, the other three angling around to flank Anna Mary.

Stephan’s grin was small but sharp. "So... they’re not just mindless beasts. They’re organized."

The hounds moved in arcs, their steps measured, eyes never leaving their targets.

"Be careful," Stephan warned, his tone dropping. "They’re not just attacking,they’re hunting."

"No need to tell me," Yennefer replied, emerald light flaring around her grimoire. "I’m well aware."

Two of the Bonehowlers lunged at Yennefer in perfect sync.

"Azrael’s Path of Death Form A: Destructive Cannon," she intoned, her grimoire flaring to life.

Twin emerald blasts tore through the air, searing past the charging beasts, but the creatures split at the last second, veering in opposite directions. The blasts missed by inches, scorching the stone.

"You’ve got quick reflexes, huh?" Yennefer said, a cold smile forming. "Let’s see you dodge this."

"Azrael’s Path Form B: Soulbinder Bloom."

Chains of spectral green burst from the cracked street, snapping up one Bonehowler mid-stride, coiling around its legs and torso. The other dodged cleanly, streaking toward her with terrifying speed.

"You can’t escape my chains, honey," she said sweetly.

More chains erupted ahead of the second Bonehowler, a jagged wall of spectral links. It screeched, trying to halt its momentum, but its own speed betrayed it. It slammed into the chains, tripping and rolling violently before crashing at Yennefer’s feet. The impact echoed with a sickening thud.

"Destructive Cannon."

The words were ice. Emerald fire roared from her hands, engulfing the first Bonehowler still bound in chains. A sharp, agonized whimper split the air, then silence, as the creature’s body went limp and the glow faded from its eyes.

The second Bonehowler thrashed, claws scraping furrows into the stone as it tried to rise,only to be yanked back down by Yennefer’s chains. It snarled, a guttural, animal sound that rattled in its chest.

"Persistent bastard," she muttered, tightening her grip.

The chains constricted with a metallic groan. The creature heaved, muscles bunching, but the links only bit deeper. A sharp crack split the air as one of its jagged spine-bones snapped. Another followed, the sound wet and ugly as the spectral links burrowed into flesh. Its howl twisted into a high, broken whimper, then silence, as its body went slack against the cobblestones.

She enjoys this, Stephan thought, watching the satisfaction flicker across her face. If I’d been weaker than her... I could have met the same fate.

Across the street, Anna Mary’s three Bonehowlers fanned out, their growls reverberating through the ruins. She twirled her spartal blade in one hand, the violet edge shimmering like cut glass.

One lunged first, fast, low, and aiming for her legs. A violet rift split open at her feet, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished. The hound’s jaws snapped shut on empty air. The portal snapped open again above its head, and Anna Mary dropped through, driving her blade down in a clean arc. Purple blood splashed as the beast crumpled.

The other two struck together, claws tearing at the ground. Anna Mary flicked her wrist, opening another portal behind them. She flung a chunk of shattered masonry into the rift, and in the same instant, her body shimmered and switched places with it. The stone clattered harmlessly where she had been a heartbeat before; she now stood directly behind her attackers.

Before they could turn, she was already moving. One spartal blade flew from her hand, whistling through the air, its edge biting deep into a Bonehowler’s spine. The creature buckled with a strangled yelp. The third spun to face her, jaws wide, only for her to vanish again, switching places with her embedded blade. She appeared in mid-air, yanking the weapon free as she twisted. The cut was clean, and the Bonehowler’s head hit the cobblestones before its body did.

Anna Mary landed lightly, breathing evenly, as the last of her opponents fell twitching to the ground.

The last Bonehowler hesitated, its burning gaze flicking between Yennefer and Anna Mary. Then, with a guttural snarl, it made its choice,charging straight for Stephan.

Stephan’s lips curled into a dark smile. "Wrong move, buddy."

He didn’t step back or even raise the sword until the last moment. When the Bonehowler lunged, jaws yawning wide, the spectral blade swept upward in a clean, merciless arc.

The strike carved through the roof of its mouth, down the length of its spine, and out through its tail in a single fluid motion. For a heartbeat, the beast’s body held together, then it split apart, upper half sliding away from the lower in a wet, final collapse. Purple blood fanned across the cobblestones, and something like slick, alien intestines spilled onto the street with a soft, nauseating slop.

"That’s what you get for attacking a god," Stephan said coldly, eyes lingering on the twitching remains before turning away.

The two halves of the Bonehowler hadn’t even finished twitching when a flicker of translucent blue light pulsed in front of Stephan’s eyes.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

[Target Eliminated: Bonehowler]

[Classification: Tier-F Predatory Construct]

[Designation: Soul-Maw Hunting Beast]

[Description: Bonehowlers are not native wanderers. They are bred and conditioned by unidentified entities within this dimension, most often used by Orc warpacks as hunting animals to flush prey from hiding. Their tracking is relentless, focusing on soul-signature as well as scent and sound.]

[System Notice: Entity classification in this dimension remains limited. Full data on handlers is unavailable until confirmed kills are made. Presence of Bonehowlers strongly suggests their master is within operational range.]

Stephan’s eyes narrowed at the last line. So they’re not alone. Which means whoever’s holding the leash is already nearby.

Orcs? The word flashed through Stephan’s mind. Did the system say Orcs?

He glanced at Yennefer and Anna Mary. "Hey...don’t drop your guard just yet, we might have...."

He didn’t finish.

His eyes went wide as something massive moved behind Anna Mary, too fast for its size. A hand, thick and gnarled like a tree trunk, burst forward, sinking deep into her ribs with a sickening thud of breaking bone and tearing flesh.

Anna Mary’s breath caught in her throat, a wet gasp spilling crimson from her lips