The training of Jean-Paul Dubois and Angus Macgregor intensified at the remote compound. Thomas MacIntyre, with Elias providing System-derived insights into their Feral Striker physiology and potential, pushed them to their limits and beyond. The [Feral Striker Field Training/Evolution Sub-Routines] were proving remarkably adaptive. Elias found he could input specific training scenarios – urban combat, forest tracking, sustained high-stress encounters – and the System would provide optimized regimens, highlighting developing strengths and lingering weaknesses in each Striker.
Dubois, with his boxer's foundation, excelled in close-quarters brawling, his bone claws becoming devastating extensions of his already formidable punches and grapples. His "Battle Fury," initially a wild, uncontrolled surge, was slowly being honed through brutal sparring sessions with Thomas (whose Barbarian resilience could withstand the punishment) into a focused combat stimulant, heightening his strength and pain tolerance without sacrificing all tactical awareness. His senses, though not as acute as Macgregor's, were sharp enough to make him a deadly ambush predator. His healing factor, while not Wolverine-level, allowed him to recover from injuries that would sideline an ordinary man for weeks in a matter of days, sometimes hours.
Macgregor, the trapper, developed differently. His physical strength was less than Dubois's, but his agility, stealth, and sensory acuity, particularly his sense of smell, were exceptional. He became a master of silent movement and tracking, able to follow a scent trail days old over difficult terrain. His bone claws were leaner, almost rapier-like, suited for quick, disabling strikes rather than brute force. His Battle Fury was less explosive than Dubois's, more of a cold, predatory focus. He learned to use the environment to his advantage, becoming a ghost in the woods, a whisper in the tall grass.
Elias even conducted small, controlled experiments with them. He exposed them to various toxins (non-lethal, gradually increasing doses); their Feral Striker physiology developed a marked resistance. He subjected them to extreme temperature variations; they adapted with surprising speed. They were becoming more than human, purpose-built for survival and combat.
Their loyalty to Elias, filtered through their unwavering respect for Thomas and their dawning understanding of the extraordinary power they now wielded, solidified: [Dubois, J-P: 92% (Unquestioning Loyalty to Pack Alpha – MacIntyre; Profound Gratitude/Awe towards Thorne). Macgregor, A: 90% (Primal Pack Allegiance – MacIntyre/Dubois; Respect for Thorne's Perceived Power/Wisdom)]. They were bonding, forming the nucleus of his "Adamantium Guard."
Meanwhile, in London, Elias – as "Mr. Blanchard" – deepened his entanglement with Allied intelligence. The destruction of Adlerhorst and the subsequent disarray within Hydra's Alpine command structure had significantly impressed Major Davies and Penny Worthington. They now saw Blanchard not just as an information broker, but as a man with tangible, if deeply covert, operational capabilities.
"Your 'associates' on the continent, Blanchard," Worthington had remarked, her voice holding a new note of respect during a meeting in a quiet Bloomsbury bookshop, "seem to possess a rather… emphatic way of dealing with obstacles. We have… other such obstacles, concerning individuals whose loyalties are questionable, or whose research veers into dangerously heretical territory for the Reich."
She was subtly offering targets, testing Elias, seeing if his "associates" could be directed. This was precisely what Elias wanted.
Anya Petrova, acting as Blanchard's discreet liaison and intelligence analyst, became the primary point of contact. She cultivated a small, trusted network within the lower echelons of MI6 and SOE, individuals who admired "Miss Sharma's" sharp intellect and quiet efficiency. Through them, she gathered whispers, decrypted enemy intercepts that baffled conventional analysts (her Archer-enhanced pattern recognition proving invaluable), and identified potential Hydra cutouts, sympathizers, or facilities operating under deep cover, even within Allied or neutral territories.
One such thread led to a series of dummy corporations and discreet scientific retreats in neutral Switzerland and Sweden, supposedly focused on "humanitarian medical research" but whose funding trails, when unraveled by Dr. Finch from Montreal (using financial data Anya acquired), pointed suspiciously towards known German industrialists with SS ties and pre-war occult connections. These became priority targets for investigation.
Logan was dispatched. Elias didn't send him alone this time. Recognizing the need for logistical support and a modicum of deniability if things went sideways in neutral territory, Elias selected two of Thomas's most reliable, non-empowered "Thorne's Guard" members – a stoic ex-Mountie named Corporal Miller, skilled in firearms and covert observation, and a former merchant marine engineer named 'Chief' O'Malley, a genius with mechanics and improvisation. They weren't told what Logan truly was, only that "Mr. Logan" was a "special consultant" with unique abilities, requiring discreet support for Mr. Blanchard's sensitive European operations. Their loyalty was to Elias and Thomas, and they accepted the dangerous assignment without question.
Logan, Miller, and O'Malley, traveling under forged neutral passports, began a quiet hunt through the neutral nations, targeting these suspected Hydra fronts. Logan, with his senses and brutal efficiency, was the spearhead. Miller provided ranged support and handled any official interactions. O'Malley provided technical expertise, disabling alarm systems, bypassing security measures, and ensuring their exfiltration routes were secure.
It was a new kind_of war for Logan. Less overt carnage, more stealth and precision, though violence was always a close companion. In a Swiss lakeside villa masquerading as a philanthropic foundation, he uncovered a Hydra cell attempting to weaponize a newly discovered neurotoxin. The cell was neutralized, the research destroyed, the surviving scientists "debriefed" by Logan before Miller and O'Malley arranged for their permanent disappearance.
[HYDRA Bio-Weapons Research Node (Switzerland) Neutralized. Intel on Toxin Development Acquired. Key Personnel Eliminated. Prime Essence Shard Echo Acquired: +0.4 Shard Fragment (from lead scientist with minor SS bio-enhancements). Total Shards: 1.6/5.0 for Feral Striker (next unit) or 5.2 (if pooling for advanced template upgrade).]
The Shard income was slower from these smaller, less augmented targets, but it was consistent. And each operation provided invaluable [Combat Data (Wolverine – Urban Stealth/Covert Neutralization)], further refining the System's understanding of Logan's capabilities and slowly pushing Elias towards unlocking those new Sub-Routines. Logan's loyalty also continued its upward trend, now at [58% (Effectiveness Validated; Growing Trust in Host's Targets/Intel; Pack Dynamic with Support Team Developing)]. Having Miller and O'Malley, competent professionals who didn't question his methods but simply supported his objectives, seemed to have a marginally civilizing effect on him. He was still a beast, but a beast with a purpose, and now, a semblance of a pack.
Back in Montreal, Elias Thorne received the reports from his agents across the globe. He was weaving a complex web, his influence spreading through the cracks in a war-torn world. His personal power continued to grow subtly with each System recalibration, each piece of absorbed combat data, each fractional Shard. The mirrored senses of the Wolverine were now second nature, his physical prowess integrated. The mental discipline required to manage the berserker rage had also honed his already formidable intellect and willpower to an almost inhuman degree.
He wasn't just a player anymore; he was becoming a hidden architect, shaping events, removing threats, and cultivating power with a patience and ruthlessness that belied his sixteen years. Hydra was his primary shadow enemy, but he knew other, older, perhaps even stranger powers might be stirring in the chaos of global war. His Feral Strikers were sharpening their claws, Logan was hunting in the European twilight, and Elias Thorne was preparing for a future where the stakes would be nothing less than the destiny of a world teetering on the brink. The age of super-humans, for good or ill, was dawning, and he intended to be its unseen, undisputed master.