The Innkeeper

Lex was cycling as fast as he could, but he knew that he would not be able to match the stamina of an entire wolf pack. Eventually they would catch up. Fitting the Fancy Monocle in his eye he turned around once more to take a look at his assailants. A single glance was all it took for the monocle to record all the data he needed. The giant wolf, which Lex assumed was the leader of the pack, was at Spiritual Awakening while the rest were normal wolves. Spiritual awakening was the level that animals entered when they became spiritual beasts, and was equivalent to a human Qi training. The fact that the rest of the pack consisted of normal wolves did not make Lex's life any easier either, as their numbers continued to increase! So far sixty wolves were already chasing after him, with the leader of the pack still standing in the back.

Various thoughts raced through Lex's mind as he decided the best course of action. The most obvious option was to take out his gun and shoot, but the recoil on that was too strong and would probably knock him off his cycle. He could use his short sword to attack them if they get close, but if they overwhelmed him with numbers he wasn't sure about being able to protect himself let alone Tiffany. A few other thoughts ran through his mind before he looked up at the sky. The sun was getting low, but it was still about an hour away from dusk.

"Tiffany, do you know any good places we can hide? Or get a vantage against the wolves?" he asked, but the young girl was frozen in fear and she was not able to answer. Lex shook his head and swiftly made a plan.

He reached a hand into his backpack and rummaged around till he found two small cylindrical items. When he pulled them out they looked like shotgun shells, but they served a different purpose. He cracked one and thick gray smoke started pouring out, completely covering the road behind them. This was a compact smokescreen-maker that he had bought. The smoke not only affected visibility, it would sting the eyes, nose and throat of anyone in the smoke. Lex was not sure how strong the effect would be on these wolves, but he was certain it would at least slow them down and affect their senses. Waiting till night was a very important part of his plan and he had to delay things as much as he could.

"Tiffany, hold this," Lex said as he handed her the smokescreen maker. He had to repeat himself a few times but the young girl eventually obeyed, and held onto it tightly. Slowly, she was coming out of her initial shock and although she was still afraid she was no longer frozen. "Tell me when the smoke stops coming out," he instructed and put his hand back into his bag. Some more rummaging and he took out what looked like an injection.

Wasting no time he stabbed himself in the arm and squeezed the injection. This was a booster that would act like adrenaline, boosting his speed and giving him energy, and it simultaneously relieved the fatigue his muscles built up. With that done he turned his attention to cycling, and sped up even further. After a few minutes the smokescreen maker stopped working, but Lex didn't immediately use the second one. He only had two and he had to use them effectively!

The wolves had slowed down and the distance between them had increased. The pursuit continued like that for another twenty minutes before the wolves seemed to have recovered from the effects of the smokescreen and sped up their chase. He waited till they came closer and used the second smokescreen as well. This was nothing more than a delaying tactic, as he would not be able to go far enough to completely escape them no matter what he did. Besides, running away was never his plan to begin with.

The second smokescreen bought him some time, as the wolves seemed to be affected even worse the second time. They were also hesitant in coming near him, and Lex was sure that if it weren't for the orders of the leader of the pack they would have stopped chasing after him. Speaking of the leader, it seemed completely unaffected by the smoke, but did not venture away from the pack to hunt Lex alone. That was quite fortunate as Lex would have to risk using his gun if the large wolf chased. The sun eventually set, and fortunately it set earlier than Lex had expected. He put on his night vision goggles and, to Tiffany's dismay, veered off the road and directly into the forest.

His cycle was already the best in the shop that he had gotten it from, but he doubted it would last long with such rough use. Cycling on no clear path, over tough tree roots and various jagged rocks he expected at least the tyres would give out soon. He reached into his bag one more time and took out a flashbang, pressed a red button and dropped it on the floor. It had a ten second delay, which should be enough to blind the wolves immediately behind him and give him some time. Not slowing down at all he made his way through the increasingly dark forest.

"Tiffany, listen to me," he said, once again reaching into his bag. "I'm going to hide you and attract the wolves. Wait till they're out of sight and run away!"

"What? No!" the young girl exclaimed in fear and shock.

"There's no choice. We can't risk you getting caught. Listen to me, I'll be fine. But you need to run! For the Lord Protector, you have to be safe!"

Lex's words seemed to resonate with the girl, but she had gone completely pale and bit her in anxiousness and frustration. Tears welled up in her eyes but she did her best to keep them from falling.

Finally Lex pulled his hand out of his bag with his special deodorant. He sprayed Tiffany from top to bottom, making sure to eliminate any and all smell on her. "Get ready," he said when he heard the flashbang go off in the distance.

He stopped for only a moment, grabbed the girl with a single hand and lurched her high up onto a branch of a very tall tree. That should keep her out of sight, and with no smell they wolves shouldn't be able to track her. But still despite that, he didn't want to risk going too far. He cycled just a little bit further and waited till the wolves were in sight. He needed to ensure that they kept pursuing him. He only needed to wait a few more seconds till they came in view.

"Hey you filthy mutts!" he roared as he started cycling away again. "Do you think I'm easy prey? Keep chasing after me if you have the guts! We'll see who hunts who!" Lex kept yelling as he cycled away. Coming closer to the inevitable confrontation Lex was filled with nervousness, but also excitement. Lex the zombie slayer was about to try his hand on slaying some wolves!

*****

Tiffany was hugging the trunk of the tree, having covered her body in some leaves she had broken off the branches. In the dark it was already hard to see, but there was no harm in trying to camouflage herself some more. When the first wolf crossed from near the tree she almost let out a startled cry, but she was able to control herself. After that the wolves kept passing her by, and as she saw their vast numbers fear gripped her. She knew Lex said that he would be fine, but she was not an idiot. She did not believe he could survive all these wolves attacking him. She closed her eyes and tried to distract her thoughts. For the Lord Protector, she had to survive! She couldn't let Lex's sacrifice be in vain.

After a few minutes peace returned to the forest around her. No more wolves had run past her tree for a while now, and she could no longer even hear Lex's yelling and taunting. As much as she wanted to stay in the tree and continue hiding, she knew she had to move. She stopped hugging the tree and dropped all the leaves attached to her body, ready to climb down, but when she turned her body froze. Right in front of her, a giant sparrow sat in the tree, staring directly at her. Tiffany gulped as she tried to stop her body from trembling.