Just like Alex and Ross, Julia ended up alone.
And unlike the calm reactions Alex and Ross had at the realization, Julia was pissed!
She hated being separated from Alex. So long as it wasn't by her decision, it was unacceptable. She, of course, knew the reason they were brought to the planet and the dangers present, yet she
And carrying that anger around only meant doom for anyone and anything that crossed her path. She completely ignored the mission and was hell-bent on finding Alex, no matter the cost.
"Out of my way, mongrels!"
Right now, she was fighting a pack of Frostfang Wolves that dared to bear their fangs at her, yet it was proving to be a challenge.
Finding herself in the cold mountainous range with snow everywhere, Julia promptly rushed down the mountains towards the woods below and in search of her beloved when the low growls of the wolves came from behind the tall trees.
And instead of calming down to assess her situation, she rushed in without plan. Fortunately for her, their numbers were manageable.
She counted eight wolves, seven if you excluded the one she killed.
The Frostfang Wolves had icy blue fur, sharp crystalline claws and the ability to manipulate the ice element.
Their size though was an entirely different issue; they were as huge as horses and they moved swiftly, each member of the pack knowing exactly where to be and how to control the hunt.
It was the due to this that even though Julia had the power to kill them with ease, she was having trouble.
Having been exposed to her ice element and losing one member due to this, the wolves played it smart and circled around her waiting for an opening.
Julia released a breath to calm her raging emotions.
'Calm down, Julia. Going in blind and without a plan is reckless. What's the point if I end up dead? There could even be veiled spaces around.'
It took her some time, but she was able to calm down. With her sword in her right hand, Julia watched closely as the wolves circled her.
Her eyes darted left and right to make sure she wasn't taken by surprise. She also made the decision to reserve her mana for fighting void creatures instead of wasting it on magical beasts.
'That must be the alpha.'
Julia spotted a wolf was larger than the rest. Its head was raised slightly with its blue piercing eyes focused on Julia.
*GROWL…*
Suddenly, three wolves moved from the encirclement. One from Julia's front, the second from her left and the third from her back.
With no intention of waiting to be marred, she stormed from her spot to meet the one in front of her.
'You may be fast, but not fast enough!'
She promptly arrived before the wolf and swung her sword in a wide arc that cut through the air and clashed with the raised claw of the wolf.
*CLANG!*
With a yelp, the wolf was sent flying.
But that was just the beginning.
The other two wolves were already before her. The one from her left attacked with opened jaws, its sharp teeth glistering in its drool as it closed in on Julia's head.
The third wolf instead, went for her back with its two claws. Naturally, her armour could protect her, but taking an attack simply because your armour could take it wasn't the mark of a good hunter.
'Hmph! It's not that simple!'
Her move was swift with no wasted movement. First, she bent back and avoided the jaws, allowing the wolf over her head.
Next, she flung her sword over her head, bringing it to a rigid stand that blocked the claws of the wolf. Finally, when her sword dug into the snow, she used it as a clutch to backflip.
Now mid-air with the wolf below, she drew back her sword and plunged it into the wolf's head, claiming its life.
But the rest of the wolves weren't standing there waiting for their turn. Moments after the first three wolves rushed her, another two gathered their mana and condensed an energy ball in their mouths.
*BZZZT!*
Julia in an instant noticed the blue-white energy balls that rushed in on her form two sides.
'Fuck. I can evade one but not both!'
When the two balls of energy arrived, she barrel roll spun gaining a bit of height and successfully dodged the first ball and managed to bring her sword before her when.
*BAM!*
"Urgh!"
She was blasted away.
But some way somehow, she landed on her feet and skidded across the snowy ground. Before she could come to a stop though, another the sixth wolf was already behind her.
But she had spotted the creature before it even began to move.
With a small smirk, she plunged her sword backwards. The wolf did not expect her move. In its mind, the ball should have disoriented her.
*THUD*
"Two down, five more to go."
The alpha observed Julia with the occasional low growls. Losing three members of its pack did not sit well with it.
It finally stepped forward while the other wolves stepped back. The alpha's imposing stature was awe-inspiring and majestic as it moved with purpose.
"Finally decided to join the fun, have we now?"
She sneered at the wolf's fruitless action to intimidate her.
Julia brandished her sword and took a stance with her sword pointed at the alpha's position.
The two locked eyes with each other, silence settling in the vicinity with only the rumbling of thunder above.
A few moments later, both Julia and the alpha disappeared and then clashed midway.
*BOOOM!*
Their clash generated a gust of powerful wind that blew the snow and everything within that spot away.
Julia was pushed back with wide eyes, the wolf getting pushed back as well.
'That bastard is as strong as I am! Bu—'
Her train of thought was interrupted when she noticed the alpha move again. The creature wasn't planning to give Julia any more chances. It realized she was just as strong as it was.
It was the reason its pack members weren't able to defeat her. Normally, it would stay back as it watched its members do the hunting.
But this new prey proved to be more than a claw-full.
The two clashed again creating powerful blasts of air as they moved around the clearing, exchanging claws with sword swings.
The other wolves had to distance themselves to avoid getting caught up in their clash.
A small imperceptible smile emerged on the lips of Julia—she was enjoying the fight!
When was the last time she had a satisfying fight like this? Alex had grown too strong for her and unless he set his strength to her level, she wouldn't be able to keep up.
In those spars, she knew it was not his true strength so she was never truly satisfied. Sparring with Ross had its moments too, but her life wasn't on the line!
Right now though, her adrenaline was pumping, her heart racing with the knowledge that a small mistake could cost her dearly.
'This is exhilarating!'
Suddenly, the two separated after clashing for more than two minutes nonstop. Julia's breathing had gotten heavy and so was the alpha wolf.
And while it had cuts and bruises here and there, they weren't deep enough to slow it down.
'I won't be able to kill it if I don't use my mana.'
This was the conclusion she arrived at after exchanging hundreds of blows with the alpha. The alpha was an animal but the way it fought and moved showed real experience.
Having made her decision, she channelled her mana through her sword. The blade hummed to life as the mana circuitry within it accepted the energy.
The sword began emitting a chilling cold that decreased the temperature around Julia.
The alpha squinted its eyes as it watched on, the mana blazing around the prey more intense than anything it had experienced.
It knew the battle was coming to an end, but it never backed away from a fight. Its pride wouldn't allow it. What's more, its pack members were watching!
There was no room for cold claws.
With a menacing growl, it charged at the prey again—its speed increasing slightly. It planned to put the prey into the ground before things went south.
With its jaws widely opened, it lunged at the prey with swift speed.
"Checkmate."
Julia put her right foot forward, her sword aligned horizontally to her chest and then lunged the sword forward.
A beam of intense cold energy short out of the blade piercing through the wolf's opened maw. It blazed through the wolf and emerged from its back.
*THUD*
The wolf hit the ground and skidded across the snow before coming to a stop at Julia's feet.
"Haa… That was intense."
The wolves watched their alpha fall with whimpers before disappearing into the woods. With their leader fallen, they knew they stood no chance.
There was no point in fighting that ridiculously strong prey!
"Now then, let's move on."