Rhenigan could feel his blood pumping in his head. The adrenaline from battle made him feel strained like every muscle was on alert, but this time felt more severe. Do I just shoot my rifle? Should I tend to Findle first? What’s taking the others so long or… are they already dead? Rhenigan felt paralyzed by decisions. What would save his friend in front of him? His thoughts were broken by the werewolf charging forward again.
The werewolves had fully surrounded the camp by the time Niera noticed. Three of them encroached upon the light of their campfire. Niera had grabbed her weapon quickly and cast a shield over Findle, but it did little to stop the heavy claws of the first lycan. The gnome lay bleeding heavily in the cart but Niera had no reprieve to check his condition with the other two werewolves immediately pressing their advantage against her and Rhenigan.
The next werewolf pushed forward passed Niera and charged towards Rhenigan who sat crouched with his rifle in hand. In a panic, Rhenigan hurled a small bottle of oil that he had previously been using to grease his weapon. The fluid splashed harmlessly in the wolf’s fur, but Rhenigan wasted no time raising his rifle to meet the creature’s face. With a panicked, but decisive, squeeze of the trigger Rhenigan fired his rifle. The hammer released to strike the crystal inside and Rhenigan was soothed by the fear in the eyes of the werewolf as it felt the heat traveling down the barrel. A single bolt of magical fire was propelled into the monster's oil-slicked coat igniting the creature. A howl of anguished pain was silhouetted into the dark of the forest by the flickering of the campfire, now drowned out by the light of burning fur.
Niera watched Rhenigan take down the first opponent and she started to cheer, but found her air quickly pushed out of her by the weight of the other werewolf pressing against her. The wolf’s fangs punctured through her chainmail piercing through her skin like a row of jagged daggers. Niera wailed out in pain and could feel a cold numbness rush through her arm. The lycan tore its teeth out while wrestling Niera back and finished its assault by digging its claws into her stomach. Niera did all she could to set her blade so that she was able to stab through the werewolf but the creature minimized the blow, sacrificing only an arm in exchange.
“Niera!” Rhenigan looked on in horror but couldn’t bring himself to move closer to help. “I’m coming to help you just hold on.”
Niera struggled to focus on her fight and respond to her friend. “Just get away from here. Find the rest of the party and come back. If I die I'll just be reborn anyway.”
Rhenigna knew he couldn’t abandon his only friend. He was descended from paladins, noble knights who swore oaths on their souls to protect others. He contemplated every moment that he had shared with Niera and knew it wasn’t possible in any reality that he could leave her here to die. Why? If that’s true then why am I doing this? The draconian felt his body moving on its own, defying every order he gave himself.
Rhenigan raised his rifle again. He knew the crystal chamber needed to be cooled before it was fired again but he couldn’t take the time. He pulled the trigger and prayed for the best. The crystal spun again as requested and fired another shot at the werewolf in front of Rhenigan. This time the creature fell to the ground, still, as the flames consumed it. Rhenigan hardly had time to process his kill as he was already sprinting for his bags on the cart.
As he scurried across the ground he imbued the stones around him with magic causing them to fly forward at the werewolf by the cart. Each stone struck the creature with one managing to strike its face, temporarily blinding it. Once Rhenigan got close enough to the cart he was able to see Findle’s body carelessly tossed to the ground like a child’s doll. It’s too late to help him. He’s already dead. There’s nothing more we could do. These are werewolves, they’re just too strong for a party of apprentices. Rhenigan did his best to soothe himself and make for the darkness of the forest in the hopes that the creatures wouldn’t be able to track him before he could find his other comrades and warn them.
As he reached the boundary of the campfire’s light, Rhenigan felt a moment of relief. The sensation was immediately punished by the weight of the blinded werewolf trampling down on him. Even while blinded, the wolf’s fangs managed to find Rhenigan’s shoulder blades. The two fell to the ground and Rhenigan waited for the creatures eviscerating claws to tear into him, however the attack landed in the soil next to him. It still can’t see? Rhenigan could then feel the warmth of blood drip onto him. He was able to get his head turned around enough to see the shaft of a weapon jammed into the creature’s shoulder. He turned his head back in the direction the weapon was thrown from just in time to see Moss sprinting out of the forest’s shadows. Moss tackled the werewolf off of Rhenigan, wrestling it to the ground in the process.
“Don’t just stare! Grab a weapon and finish it off. I can’t hold it for long.” Moss grunted at Rhenigan as spit flew with every strained word. The draconian could see that Moss had already allowed his more animalistic blood to take over from the presence of claws and fangs that the beastkin was now presenting.
Niera wasn’t sure what was happening, but it sounded as though Rhenigan was able to find one of their comrades and take care of the other two werewolves. She tried to keep her focus on the creature above her but it took every effort to just maintain consciousness let alone formulate a battle plan. Her blade remained impaled into the lycan and as it sank its claws deeper her sword also pressed further. Niera knew that her wound would prove to be the more fatal of the two.
“I’m not going to die here easily.” Niera quietly swore under her breath. “I’m next in line to inherit the seacrest mantle and I won’t be killed in a nameless forest by some mangy pack of half beast monstrosities.” Niera focused the last of her magic to her wounds and one by one began sealing them. As the last of her magic faded, she could feel her strength returning to her body.
The werewolf had little time to react to Niera’s miraculous healing since in that same moment, the air around both of them crackled. A faint floral aroma began to fill Niera’s nose. Orchids? No, it's sweeter. Orange blossoms? It seemed a strange time to contemplate the smell considering the concentrated beam of magic being fired just over Niera. The werewolf on top of her had little time to respond as it was propelled back.
“That’s two for two today. I’m on a roll!” Roze screamed as she pushed her way through the bushes.
Niera wanted to feel relieved but Kesh’gar quickly followed Roze carrying Hazel who appeared to be badly injured as well. With Hazel on his back, Kesh’gar touched his spell tome and pulled several small motes of magic from its cover. With a single word, each one bolted at the disoriented werewolf creating multiple consecutive impacts. The barrage beat the creature into the ground until it was still. Niera refused to take chances however and withdrew the blade from the creature's arm, using it to quickly separate its head from its body.
Rhenigan looked for a weapon, trying his best to move quickly before Moss lost control over the werewolf. He couldn’t think of anything to finish off the creature and instinctively returned with one of his hammers. He swung at the creature's face attempting to deliver a decisive blow, but the hammer met a hard skull that seemed almost unbothered by the small tool. Rhenigan pulled back to strike again but the creature took advantage of the opening and kicked out a leg jamming it fully into Rhenigan’s stomach. He could feel ruptures from inside of his own body and waited for the impact with the ground. The landing came and Rhenigan realized as time slowed in the air, that he was losing consciousness. I’m dying again? I won’t even touch the ground this time? Rhenigan felt like he had plenty of time to collect his thoughts now. He scanned the battle towards Niera and noticed Roze, Kesh’gar, and Hazel had arrived. At least they’re all safe.
“Help him!” Niera shouted across the campsite. The werewolf had little time to gloat in its victory though. When it turned to see the helplessness in Niera’s eyes it could only survey the corpses of its two comrades and the return of several more adventurers. Moss took no time to deduce the werewolf’s thought process.
“Turn back now.” Moss whispered in the creature's ears. “ I haven’t decided whether to kill you yet but I can promise if this fight continues, you will die.”
The argument was more than convincing and the monstrous animal quickly began shifting from its bestial form back into a humanoid form. The sound of its bones cracking beneath skin and organs repositioning themselves made the entire party, except Moss, deeply uncomfortable. The creature that was left was a scruff looking human man who appeared close to Moss’s age.
The wounded members of the party and Findle were laid together by the fire. Moss stood over them speaking a prayer of healing. Magic radiated off of him like small fireflies and landed on the bodies of the three. Hazel and Rhenigan shot back up to consciousness. Rheningan began checking his body trying to determine if he was truly back again or not.
“What about him?” Niera asked, pointing to the still body of Findle.
“His injuries were pretty bad.” Moss started to walk away. “There isn’t anything else to do at this point.”
“We’ll take the body with us.” Rhenigan spoke while still trying to inspect his body for any remaining injuries. “We could at least bury him properly. Possibly torch the body just in case he is infected with the curse. Werewolves are bad but a zombified one could be worse.”
“That’s not how the curse works Rhen.” Niera replied in a less than convincing tone.
“She’s correct. A person would need to be alive to turn. Findle’s corpse is safe to be buried.” Moss kneeled down to carefully inspect Findle’s body for any signs of life. “You on the other hand,” Rhenigan felt a surge of discomfort as Moss’s gaze shifted to the draconian. “I will make sure to dispose of you carefully, before you become any more of a risk.”
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