Werewolf Leveling: Building the Strongest Pack in the Apocalypse

"This is it," Ivy said as we stared at the downtrodden community of Grey Waste.

To be honest, it looked more like a wasteland than a part of the city. They were separated from the rest of the city by walls, and there were death knights patrolling to make sure no one left or entered.

Ivy knew a spot where we could sneak in, so that was how we entered.

"This is Grey Waste?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yep, where the main population consists of ghouls and ratfolk."

Looking at Grey Waste invoked a feeling of dread. Most of the buildings were run down, almost collapsing. They looked disfigured, almost like Swiss cheese. They looked as if they were melted.

"What happened to the buildings?" I asked.

"It happened centuries ago, during the great war. Some noble vampire went crazy and melted half the city. Most of the city was repaired by the witches, except here of course."

The main population were ghouls and ratfolk, exactly what Ivy said. The ratfolk lived in one of the many mountains of trash while some had taken to the sewage. They all had their noses down on the ground, sniffing and searching for food.

On the other hand, the ghouls were pale and malnourished, even the young ones. Except for the fact that they were starving, they lived and acted like regular people. I spotted a few business among them. They seemed to have their own currency separate from the rest of the city. A few of them shot us glares when they saw Ivy and me walking through their community. But none of them said anything or tried to harass us.

"So where are the gang members who took your sister?" I asked.

"The ones that took my sister are staying at a building not too far from here. But they are like a hive; the moment we attack that group, the rest will come after us. Plus they are unreasonable. There is no way they'll accept any deal we offer. I've tried many times. I know it sounds unreasonable, but we have to kill them all in order to save her."

"Don't worry about it. I have a plan that will ensure that only the necessary people get killed."

Ivy looked at me with wide eyes.

"You do?"

"Of course. This is what we'll do…"

…

With a confident smile on her face, Ivy strolled towards the apartment building where the gang of ghouls lived. There were a few ghouls positioned outside keeping watch as she walked toward the building. Apart from trying to take peeks up her skirt, they didn't try to hassle her.

"So you came back?" One of the ghouls who were familiar with her asked. "Is this about the bitch who tried to steal from us? You don't really think we'll let her go, do you?"

"I just want to talk with your boss," Ivy said calmly.

"Too bad, boss isn't here right now. Sven is the one in charge for now. You know how he is; do you still think it's a good idea to see him?" The ghoul asked, his words sounding like a warning.

Ivy knew exactly what this Sven character was like. How nasty of an individual he was but still, she didn't waver.

"Yes, I do."

"Suit yourself," the ghoul sighed. Before turning towards the entrance and shouting, "Skrag!"

Not a second later, a ratfolk crawled out of the building on all fours, sniffing the air, before standing up on both feet and waddling towards them.

"Miss Ivy, how have you been?" the ratfolk asked, smiling at her.

"I've been good, Skrag. How are you?" Ivy answered with a kind smile.

"Idiot!" the ghoul shouted before smashing his fist down on the ratfolk's head. "I was the one that called you. Stop gawking at her!"

The ratfolk held the top of its head and grimaced in pain.

"Oi! I'm sorry!"

"Just, take her to see Sven." The ghoul said sounding frustrated.

"You didn't have to hit that hard," Ivy interrupted glaring at the ghoul.

"Huh, it's disgusting watching him trying to flirt with you."

"No, I wasn't. I'll already have a mate," the ratfolk quickly denied it.

"Ignore him, Skrag. He's just an asshole. Let's go."

The ratfolk nodded and began leading Ivy into the building.

"Umm, Miss Ivy, I got a little more information about your sister if you need it. It's not a lot though." The ratfolk said as the entered the buiding.

Ivy smiled kindly.

"Thank you, Skrag. Any little bit helps. So what have you got?"

The ratfolk smiled happily knowing he could help and began explaining.

"The ghouls that have been watching her have been complaining a lot. Your sister is a real troublemaker; she's been giving them hell."

"Ha! Typical," Ivy laughed. "They have always been scared of her."

"Is that because she's crazy? Even I'm a bit scared of her. The ghouls that came here say she's enjoying being captured and tortured. Nothing they do seems to faze her. They say she even asked for more punishment and reprimanded them by telling them to up their game. And the boss has grown tired of her."

Ivy sighed.

"Of course she's enjoying it. My sister is… special. She has been like that ever since she was little, and there is nothing I can do to change her, so I just decided to accept it. But this time for sure, when I get to her, I'm going to beat some sense into her."

"Wouldn't that just make her more crazy, Miss Ivy?"

"You're right. I'll chain her in a room and torture her since she likes it so much."

The ratfolk stared at her with his mouth open wide.

"You're both crazy."

Soon they arrived at the room where Sven was. They pushed open the door to see a room filled with ghouls. There were four ghouls inside: three girls and the only male was Sven. The girls lay together on a sofa while the male took his time sampling each of their flesh. The room stunk of blood and sweat.

A frown appeared on Ivy's face when she saw the sight.

"So this is what you're up to when your boss is not around," Ivy said, folding her arms while staring down at Sven with a look of disgust.

Sven paid her no mind, his eyes locked on the girl in front of him, her legs spread. He slowly lowered his head and bit down on the soft flesh on the inside of her thighs. The girl moaned loudly and grabbed the top of his head as blood trickled down her thighs.

"You guys are no better than vampires," Ivy mumbled under her breath turning away from the sight.

Sven continued to feast on the girl's flesh before wiping the blood from his mouth and turning his attention to Ivy.

"What do you want?" he asked in a calm, cold voice, his eyes the color of blood and his mouth widened to accommodate more rows of teeth.

"I came to make a trade," Ivy said before reaching into her pocket and taking out a vial with a red liquid. "Have you ever had blessed blood before?"