The Villain Wants to Quit

Thievery Gone Wrong (2)

As Theo's blood splattered to the ground, the dark red blood writhed as it shifted to a deep, black hue.

The black pool stretched farther than it should have been able to, and a great, clawed paw emerged from the darkness.

This was the reason warlocks were so hated.

Theo's blood was an agent used to summon creatures from...well, he wasn't sure exactly where they were from. Regardless, he had no control over the summoning.

His existence simply lent itself to evil no matter what his will was.

Of course, nobody believed Theo when he tried to explain the summonings were involuntary – Well, nobody except for Dullahan.

And unfortunately for Theo, Dullahan was the absolute worst person to know about the nature of his magic.

Scrambling claws on stone drug Theo's attention back to the present.

An impossibly large wolf emerged from the ground, shaking its matted fur. It was an underfed creature with bones so prominent they threatened to stab through its pelt. It smelled of death.

Its back was even with Theo's shoulders, and it showed its dagger-like fangs as it licked its chops.

'A paltry sacrifice,' The wolf's voice reverberated in Theo's mind.

The wolf growled while its glowing gaze fixated on the trail of blood that Theo was attempting to stem with his palm.

'Then go back,' Theo responded with his thoughts. 'I don't want you pup.'

Theo glared at the wolf before splitting his attention to Marie and the children.

Marie was adjusting her grip on her sword while taking advantage of Theo's and the wolf's distraction to weigh her options.

The wolf wound around Theo, lingering beside his wounded arm. Theo shifted into a defensive position. There was never any guarantee that the summoned creatures wouldn't turn on him.

'You are stupid, Warlock.' The wolf snapped. 'Fighting a mage with a dagger. Only wish death on your enemy. Not yourself.'

Theo glanced back toward Marie who was in a defensive position and drew in a deep breath. He could sense that this wolf was fearsome, but...

While her expertise was fighting with enchanted bullets, Marie was proficient with the sword.

He could trust her to survive a fight with this wolf while protecting the children, even if she didn't want to risk using her mana.

"Bye," Theo gave Marie a quick wave before dashing out of the dungeon with a strangled sound that was something like a laugh.

It was ridiculous of him to attempt to play hero from the beginning.

The best he could do was shove problems on others. Though Theo supposed that was a talent in itself as well.

His other talent was getting out of trouble only to land himself in more trouble.

Several guards were running at him down the hallway with swords drawn. Behind them was a man with a staff – a sorcerer. The sorcerer clanged his staff against the floor and began chanting.

Someone with a more formal education in magic could predict what spell the sorcerer would cast and strategize based on that.

Theo, however, was unlearned, so he aimed for the straightforward technique of attacking faster than they could chant.