Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 33 - 32 Dog Training Memoirs

Over three meters tall, with a body length of nearly ten meters, compared to it, the rabbit hole seemed like a mere speck. Yet, this massive creature had emerged from there.

Lyle could not find a single thing about it that could be deemed cute.

Its eyes, reflecting a ghastly green light, were like two sinister orbs of ghostly flame. Its fur stood up sharp and bristly, dagger-like claws gleamed with a cold light, but what was most terrifying was its gaping maw. As it bared its fangs, revealing rows of crisscrossing canine teeth, even the most fastidious dentist could not find fault in them—they aligned neatly like saw blades on a chainsaw. The massive jaw resembled the hood of a car snapping shut. Holy light, you would not want to see it open.

This did not look like the adorable creature Mr. Dragon had described. Perhaps it had hit a growth spurt recently; it was significantly larger than a carriage. Though Ghost Dogs were known to feed on souls, Lyle suspected that Chaichai wouldn’t mind changing its diet and sampling some fresh meat. Lyle did not believe he would remain intact in that maw, akin to a shredding machine.

Chaichai hadn’t launched an attack yet. It just stood in the doorway of its home, staring at Lyle and William. The two men also fixed their gaze on the giant face, not even daring to breathe out. The situation had reached a deadlock, and sweat began to trickle down Lyle’s face.

Chaichai took a step forward with its front paw.

It was like flipping a switch. William immediately prepared to turn and run.

"Don’t run, idiot." Lyle hissed, fearful of startling Chaichai, trying to use the smallest voice possible to ensure William could hear.

William heard. His running motion froze mid-air, ultimately transforming into a step backward.

"Why are you calling me?"

"Don’t you know? Never turn your back to a wolf. And one more thing, canines will prioritize chasing those who flee. Don’t panic. Slowly move closer to me—yes, just like that, keep going."

Under Chaichai’s watchful eye, William and Lyle regrouped and stepped back onto the marshes.

"Lyle, have you thought of a way to escape?"

"It’s scrutinizing us right now, but dogs don’t have much patience. It won’t be long before it attacks. When it does, we’ll split up and run, then leave it to fate."

"A choice between the two, huh?" William considered. They were at a distance from each other, with Lyle currently behind him. If Lyle pushed him from behind, the giant wolf would likely pounce on him. He didn’t fancy being the sacrificial lamb. He quietly twisted a Flame Talisman in his palm. If Lyle got close, he could instantly knock Lyle down to use as bait, ensuring his own escape.

"There’s another way, William. I could act as the bait, but I need something from you in return."

"What’s that?"

"Where’s the modified Featherfall Talisman?"

"In the left pocket of my coat, along with some Agility Talismans."

"Alright, I’m going to take some of them. After that, I’ll draw the giant wolf away, and you run in the opposite direction."

"I have some Attack Talismans in the other pocket too."

"I don’t need them; they’re too weak to be effective." Lyle reached his hand into William’s left pocket.

William heaved a sigh of relief. Not taking the Attack Talismans meant Lyle had no intention of attacking him. What William didn’t mention, was that he had a way to detonate the Destruction Talismans remotely.

"Okay, I’ve taken enough of them. Now, get ready. I’ll count to three, and then we’ll run in opposite directions."

"Got it!"

"Three!" Without continuing the countdown, Lyle activated the talisman, and ran towards the edge of the mist like a bird in flight.

Caught off guard, William was a step behind, regretting his naivety. To his amazement, the giant wolf actually gave chase to Lyle and paid no attention to William, who remained where he was.

Lyle truly wanted to cover his retreat, scolding his own dark thoughts, William ran toward the Lafillin ruins. With the giant wolf gone, Lafillin was absolutely safe, and it also had solid ground, conducive for him to manoeuvre. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

...

Lyle dared not look back, gripping the talisman in his hand tightly. He released an Agility Talisman and felt as agile as a monkey, as if he had eyes on the back of his head.

With no warning, Lyle leapt aside, dodging a lunge from Chaichai. The giant shadow plunged into the bog, splashing mud that sent Lyle, weighed down by the mud-drenched feathers, even farther away, creating a small gap between them.

Chaichai was trapped in the swamp, half-submerged, but it was not panicked. Its body became more transparent, and the mud lost its viscosity, falling freely and regrouping. Chaichai freed itself from the mire. Its spectral form meant its body and those substances were in separate worlds as it continued to charge at Lyle, unimpeded and on all fours, moving much faster than Lyle.

Soon back within its range, Chaichai leapt high, shifted to solid form, and with immense inertia and gravitational force, struck Lyle.

This time, luck wasn’t on his side. Although he dodged the attack, the sharp claws tore through Lyle’s reed raft, disrupting his balance. He rolled over in the bog, his body now covered in clods of mud. Fortunately, the talisman was still effective; he merely slid on the surface for a distance instead of plunging to the bottom.

His movement slowed by the sticky mud, and with fewer talismans left, Lyle’s prolonged exertion was taking its toll – another piece of bad news.

Fortunately, Lyle had reached his destination.

It was a vast swamp where nothing but black mud could be seen as far as the eye could reach, not a single reed in sight.

The talisman in his hand began to heat up— the cost of casting it was about to take its toll on him.

Lyle stopped running, standing on the surface of the swamp. He turned to face Chaichai, "Come bite me, you stupid dog."

The dog would not refuse.

Another swamp bomb detonated. With his agile body, Lyle dodged the range. He jumped forcefully toward the center of the explosion. Now, gravity was taking effect; the mud struck him, and unlike before, he wasn’t tossed far away. Lyle was like a ship’s bow splitting the waves, his body hitting the wall of mud with such force that he felt as if he was crashing into a wall. Amidst the pain, piercing through the barrage of mud, Lyle saw the dog.

Because the swamp was vast and among the deepest, Chaichai’s entire body was below the waterline, still not touching bottom.

Lyle threw the talisman that enhanced gravity toward the dog, and Chaichai immediately sank further.

Finally, he was above that massive skull. Even as Chaichai raised its head, it couldn’t reach him.

Lyle stretched out his hand, raised high above.

Chaichai watched the arm swinging in the air, its eyes seeing nothing else. It barked happily, and with an unknown burst of strength, jumped upwards.

Its mouth opened wide in an instant, nearly a hundred and eighty degrees, its teeth arranged neatly like cutlery on a five-meter-long dining table.

Lyle, carried by his own momentum, fell downward as if diving into the gaping maw.

An Agility Talisman came into play once more; his body completed a somersault in mid-air. With his posture adjusted, Lyle struck down with force.

"Stupid dog, shut your mouth for me!"