A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Katya Ironova, third-rank Runebound, the Iron sentinel, and leader of the European Council's peacekeeping force, the shadow sentinels, watched with curiosity and surprise at Erik's transformation.

At the same time, she cooed, "Ooh, you're a fellow shapeshifter, nice!"

When he was done and made his declaration, she couldn't help laughing, "I like you! You've got spunk! But while it's impressive you managed to beat the vampire girl in your human form, beating me will be another matter entirely. Are you sure you're up for it?"

Erik's wolfish lips curled into a grin, "Couldn't hurt to try, right? Either way, I'm not one to run from a good fight."

Katya's blue eyes showed a glint of appreciation and cunning, "You know if I couldn't see the conviction in your eyes, I might think you're trying to play me."

She wasn't an idiot, after all.

Erik shrugged, "Why can't it be both?"

He didn't see a point in trying to lie about his intentions.

She laughed again. It was a burst of belly-type laughter that you didn't often find in women, but Erik didn't mind that. In fact, Katya seemed like a woman he would get along with.

Regardless, they were on opposite sides for now.

When she was done laughing, her eyes gained an intense focus, clearly readying herself for a fight, "I suppose that means the Ashcroft sisters are currently fleeing? Fine, little pup. If you want a fight, I'll give you one. I don't much care about this Emily girl, anyway."

She grinned widely, "But if you actually want these girls to get away, you'll probably need to entertain me for at least thirty minutes. Think you're up to the task?"

Erik's most crucial part of the plan was delaying Katya for a while, ensuring she didn't simply attempt to rush past him inside the mansion or after the sisters.

Not that he was doing all this for the sisters. While Erik could certainly admit to caring about the sisters, Seraphina had already made arrangements so their fate in the council wouldn't be so bad.

Instead, he did this mainly because this plan would give the highest chance for his and Elora's survival and freedom.

So he matched her grin with excited determination, "Absolutely I do".

The iron sentinel chuckled at his enthusiasm, "Fine. But before we start, tell me the situation inside. It will determine my treatment of you after I beat you up a little."

Assuming she was talking about her subordinates, Erik shrugged, "They're all fine, just unconscious in the living room. Seraphina and Enzo included."

This time, Katya truly looked surprised, "Oh? You knocked two second-rankers unconscious without bringing the house down around you? If true, then I would really like to know how you did that."

Grinning because he had once again increased Katya's interest in him, he said, "Maybe you'll be able to find out."

Katya snorted, "You've already completed your goal of gaining my interest, pup. There's no need to continue acting so mysteriously."

She spread her arms and smirked, "And anyway, you'll tell me all I wish to know soon enough. Now, give me your best shot. Let's see if you do better against me than Seraphina did against you. Let's see if a second rank can force me to shift!"

While Erik was a little annoyed by her stance, he could understand the sentiment.

Since he couldn't delay any longer, Erik decided to just enjoy himself.

With a grin, he picked up his hammer and touched one of his lightning runes, causing light purple markings and sparks of lightning to appear all over his skin.

This was the same skill he used to win his bet against Elora two nights ago, only on much higher intensity. It flooded his body with electricity, making it harmful for anyone to touch him while increasing his reflexes and speed.

Katya cooed, "Ooh, lightning, aren't you lucky. Perhaps you'll actually be able to penetrate my defences then."

Certain affinities had some advantages against others, like lightning against metal. Still, the impact of these advantages would decrease exponentially as the power ceiling increased.

With an excited grin and hammer in hand, Erik charged at Katya.

He first approached with a sidewipe, aiming to hit her with the flat side of his hammer.

The woman mirrored his grin when a thin metallic sheen covered her right hand.

Next, she backhanded the approaching hammer, easily making it fly off course before she closed on Erik and punched him heavily in the stomach.

Coughing and only barely able to hold on to his hammer, Erik flew back a few meters, before stabilising himself.

Erik wasn't deterred despite eating a big loss in their first exchange. Instead, his grin only got more excited.

He knew it would be this way from the start. After all, Katya's body was the strongest he had ever fought against.

Katya chuckled as she observed Erik's resilience. She might actually enjoy this fight, as it had been a while since a second rank piqued her interest.

She flexed her metallic-covered hand and beckoned Erik to come at her again.

Erik, undeterred, lunged forward, his movements quickened by the coursing electricity that enveloped him.

This time, he charged his hammer with the same concussive lightning blast he used against Seraphina.

He wasn't afraid of revealing he had more skills and spells than he was supposed to since his goal was to increase Katya's interest in him without giving away too much.

But the Iron Sentinel was no ordinary opponent. She swiftly dodged Erik's attack, showcasing her surprising agility.

Yet her dodge was not good enough. The concussive blast exploded, somewhat surprising Katya, as these kinds of attacks were not standard for Runebound.

Yet, they did appear, so she quickly shook off her surprise and the blast before retaliating with a swift kick to Erik's side. This time, she encased her leg in a metal sheen.

The impact sent him sprawling, but he managed to roll and regain his footing.

Katya grinned, "Not bad, pup, you surprised me with that one. But you'll have to do better."

From this point, Erik kept attacking, as Katya continued to defend and retaliate, apparently refusing to go on the offensive.

Erik didn't care. He enjoyed the chance to go all out against a seemingly insurmountable foe.

As the fight continued, Katya seemed to become increasingly impressed with Erik's abilities and eventually even began giving him tips.

"Remember, pup," Katya called out, "speed isn't just about moving quickly. It's about being unpredictable."

It was a good tip for Erik, who wasn't used to relying on his speed. Usually, he was the one with the more powerful body. Even when he once fought a third-rank Arcanist back on Söl.

The unfortunate fact was that, back on Söl, he'd never had a real teacher, as no one could know the full extent of his uniqueness.

His entire fighting style was self-taught with Elora's help. Only his hammer technique was partly taught by someone else.

It wasn't long before Erik began showing off his other skills and spells.

At one point, Erik saw an opening. When he was about to be kicked in the side again, he stood his ground instead of purposefully moving with the force to reduce the impact.

Katya was surprised but didn't reduce the power of her kick.

When it connected, she didn't hit the expected fur and flesh, but a small layer of ice that quickly shattered but gave Erik the time he needed to launch an attack.

He opened his mouth wide and howled as an icy blue magic circle appeared, releasing a powerful blast of icy shrapnel straight into the Iron Sentinel's face.

Katya yelped in surprise and was just barely able to cross her arms in front of her face before the attack hit, and she slid back across the ground a few meters.

When she stabilised, her face showed a grin while she shook her arms to remove any remaining ice.

There were no wounds, as her arms had been encased in metal.

She looked with amusement and surprise towards Erik, "A second affinity? And you managed to bring it to the second rank as well? Nice going, pup! The surprise attack was well executed, too."

His ice affinity was actually still in the first rank, but he simply gained one ability each for his Arcanist and Runebound paths.

Erik grinned, "Thank you. But I still haven't even put a scratch on you."

Katya chuckled, "I like your attitude! Come on then, keep trying!"

Erik attacked again, a feral smile adorning his wolfish lips.

They continued to fight for at least an hour as Katya gave Erik tips while he improved with leaps and bounds.

He realised the benefits a good teacher could have on his fighting style, and here on Earth, he could have a teacher without hiding his shapeshifter side.

It was a shame his revenge took precedence in his mind. Otherwise, he might have tried to get this Katya woman to take him under her wing.

And if that led to a more intimate relationship, well… he couldn't deny the idea of having a different kind of battle with this powerful, mature beauty was an interesting one.