Sunrise awoke Michael from his fitful slumber. He groaned quietly as he stretched out his still sleeping limbs. Then he began searching the ground for signs the Lycans had been through here. A few minutes passed before he found a soft paw print a few yards from where he had slept. The man cloaked in blue sighed and began following the tracks.
However, it did not take long to stumble upon the sleeping pack. It was a small pack, sleeping the day away until night came and the moon empowered them. He quickly slashed the throats of the Warg beasts, knowing they would give him the most trouble. Unfortunately before he could do the same to the sleeping Lesser Lycans, one whose sensitive ear caught the sound of the blade across flesh, startled awake and woke up the others. Once again a sigh escaped the lips of Michael. He then charged, cutting off limbs, blocking slashes and severing heads until all lay dead around. For a moment, he believed himself to be done when he heard a scrambling in the bushes and took off after the smaller Lesser Lycan, most likely a scout, knowing it would lead him to the rest of the pack. He chased it on foot to meet up with three others when he heard the sound of galloping hooves, and on the road just outside the forest he saw a flash of red as a member of the Brotherhood rode by on a white horse, being chased by Warg Riders.
Michael scoffed at the coward attempting to escape from a small pack of Lycans. Then he wondered if maybe he wasn't running from them, but toward their Alpha, if it existed, and that's why their attention was mostly on him. So he quickly kicked off a passing Rider and took control of a Warg, it did not pay attention to its shift in riders. Probably because he was covered in Lycan blood, so he smelled like a Lycan. He followed as quickly as the beast would allow, slashing the Riders he passes by, until he saw the white horse, which he could now see was decorated with glowing runes, probably some form of light magic creature summoned to aid this man, jump off the cliff and sent the Brother onto the other cliff across the gorge. He tried to follow but the Warg stopped suddenly as he is flung off it's back and over the cliff, heading straight for some Ivy on the cliff side. When he landed and rolled on solid ground he knew the plants were covering the entrance to a cave and started following it out.
All manner of normal creature tried to stop him, large spiders and trolls mostly, but they were no match for his blade. He stepped out of the cave and into the light, and once again he was falling, landing on something soft, and furry, and alive. Looking around him as his eyes adjusted, he found himself in what appeared to be a small arena. The stands were crowded with Lesser and Greater Lycans, along with humans who have either not been bitten or have not seen their first moon yet. Michael was surprised to see such a "civilized" community structure, even if it was a temple of blood and violence.
Then he remembered what he landed on and found himself looking a the top of a Great Warg, that was beginning to realize prey had landed on it's back. Thinking quickly, Michael buried his sword in it's skull before it could move, saved by it's momentary confusion. The spectators roared out in anger and began swarming the floor. A loud, long howl stopped them dead in their tracks and Michael got his first view of an Alpha. It was far from what he was expecting. He had expected something as big and powerful as a Warg but with the mind and bipedal build of a Lycan. However, he saw this was not the case and that an Alpha is caught somewhere between Human and Lycan, with the powers of a Lycan but the full thoughts and faculties of a Human. The Alpha seemed to be a bit on the Lycan side, with the seemingly backwards legs and hairy body, even with a wolven face. However his eyes shone with a Human intelligence that made Michael instantly wary of this new foe.
Then his eyes rested upon the sword in the Alpha's hand. It was not a straightsword or broadsword which is what is commonly used by all beings who wield swords. it was curved, slightly, coming to a soft point. The blade was made of a dark metal, nearly black, even in this sunlight. The handle however, was the same as any straightsword, a cross-guard and hilt shaped like a T, with the leather on the hilt also black. Michael almost jumped in surprise when it started to speak.
"You have come to the wrong place, Human. Now you shall be turned or eaten, whichever I feel like doing." He smirked a fanged smile and charged with his sword held high.
"Wrong, I shall wipe out your pack today and deal a great blow to the forces of Darkness!" Michael also charged forward, sword at the ready. Not held high like the Alpha, he wanted to save his energy, while the Alpha, with its strength and stamina has no worries about holding his sword aloft like that.
To say the swords met with a clang would be a lie, the Alpha's blade cut right through his like warm butter. Michael luckily saw this coming and side stepped the slash in time. He flipped what was left of his sword into an inverted grip as he was taught to do when wielding a dagger, and hoped the hilt could stop the Alpha's blade.
Michael was a strong young man, in his prime at 23 and on a very strict exercise regimen, which is usually enough to counter Lesser and sometimes Greater Lycans but he had no chance head-to-head with the Alpha, he had never felt anything like it. He caught the blade on the hilt and noticed it stopped it but the blade had bit into his cross-guard. He grabbed the Alpha's wrist and quickly slashed up it's sword arm. He saw the pain in its eyes and it's threw it's arms out in pain, tossing it's sword and his away from them before attacking the now unarmed man. Michael stood at the ready, he saw the Alpha's mouth open to bite him and Michael took the chance and shoved hi fist down the beast's throat. Careful not to cut himself on the teeth, and while it was stuck there and gagging, Michael grabbed a throwing knife with his left hand and slashed across the beast's belly. He let it fall dead at his feet before picking up it's sword and preparing to fight off the rest. A majority of the Lycans ran from the one who could slay their Alpha, but a handful of Greaters charged, hoping to overpower him and take revenge, only to be cut down by Michael's new sword. He let the other's go, scattered to the four winds and knew someone would pick them off, one by one.
He marched into the Alpha's "throne room" and saw all the gold and dead bodies littered around the seat of power. he found what he was looking for, the scabbard to his new blade but something else caught his eye, a trinket, silver with a sickly green gem in it. He touched it and felt power course through him and a voice spoke in his mind.
'This is the power of Death, the end of all. Use it to complete the arduous journey ahead of you. Call upon its power and instill fear in the hearts of your enemies.'
He did not know where it came from but he found it clipped to his belt easily, as though it were made for him. He then carried on, in the weathered mountains and found himself face to face with Cornell, Lord of the Lycans...