In many other cases, the wolf would be active and tearing flesh by now, but the mission's two-star rating meant rather little when you had three-star classes heading in to investigate. Kunai jabbed into the skull, the frost and lightning thrumming through what passed for its nervous system, there was nothing that would survive such a thing and continue its annoying existence. After a heave of black ichor between the teeth the body was rigid on its feet, electric currents locking what passed for muscle mass. Its eyes rolled and twitched, unfocused as everything was slipping away...

Kanji narrowed his eyes and noted the cords attached to the beast. With one more push, he passed the current through the springs, coming up against barrier after barrier, the old man's attempts to keep all pain and injury separate from its puppets.

Oh, no. He gets to feel this, too. But he was coming up against what felt like a brick wall now... the last wall.

"Need just one more push! Old bastard's tryin' to keep the circuit from runnin' through!"