The small boat was completely at the mercy of the savage river, the waters lapping at its sides, trying to force itself upon it, attempting to drag it down into the depths, the howling wind stirring the surface into a frenzy, tossing the sampan around as if it was nothing but small toy. Indeed, the only good thing that could be said about the weather that night was that it was more than likely that any who might otherwise have kept a wary eye across the waters would most likely have sought shelter inside, hiding from the gale and cold, since no sane person would willingly venture out into such atrocious weather.
Soaked, frozen to the bone, and with his nerves already on edge, Jun squinted his eyes as the lights of the town grew ever nearer, as he tried to gauge the remaining distance accurately through the sprays of water, and the darkness of night.
Kuo, his feet planted squarely on either side of the boat, used a long pole to steer them clear of the river's edge, keeping them away from the thin line of trees separating the empty, snow blown fields beyond from the rushing river, the sneaking plants and questing roots that resided near the banks, along with the branches reaching down from above to dip into the waters bellow made it dangerous territory for the small vessel to navigate, and Kuo, experienced and familiar with the route he was taking them, expertly kept them from foundering in the dark.
Jun turned to sign to him that he should start trying to bleed some of their considerable speed, as he would not risk them blindly crashing into the piers of the settlement, the lights of the houses showing that they were approaching with alarming haste. As he turned to catch his eye, he caught a glimpse of Jing, sitting in the middle, between himself and Kuo, almost lying flat against the bottom of the craft, both to diminish their visibility, should someone actually be manning their station, but also to avoid being tossed into the churning waters below, the wolf having made it quite clear that he was not a capable swimmer.
Behind Kuo, her cloak wrapped tightly around her, a bag placed between her feet, sat Bai, clutching the rudder, keeping them on course, fighting against the will of the current to steer them towards the town.
Jun had not wanted her to come along, concerned that she was putting herself in harms way. It was bad enough that Kuo was forced to join him in the first place, which had proven necessary since Jun could not pilot the boat, but she had insisted, saying that she wanted to be nearby, should anyone require healing or treatment during or after the fight, and she was not going to let them go without her.
He had proven unable to dissuade her and in the end, he had to respect her decision. Besides, she was an adult, and he was a kid. There was little he could do to stop her.
Though, both her and Kuo looked wet and miserable, they seemed to be taking it all surprisingly well, while Jing on the other hand looked about as wretched as it was possible to be, his fur plastering to his skin, his layers of clothing, now heavy with the water from the river, did nothing to protect him from the cold, and Jun found that he actually sympathized with the wolf, since he himself could not claim to be in any better condition. In fact, he was actually beginning to look forward to having to fight, if just to get some warmth back in his body.
He adjusted his hood and rolled his shoulders, still getting used to the feel of his new attire. It had been a gift from Nuan, made with Bai's help, using materials they had had stored, or had bought off the villagers. It was without a doubt the nicest set of clothes he had ever worn, and now, during their mad raid on Jinhae, the weather proved to be a mighty trial of his new attire.
The cloak, now thicker, more sturdy, was a dark, full green color, and was now a lot more durable than it had ever been before, doing a much better job of keeping him warm, though for now it seemed that it was still a losing battle against the superior power of the elements, despite the vast improvement to its predecessor. The hood was voluminous, and his new black scarf was no longer a simple long, flat piece of woven wool, but was now, rather formed like a tube, which could be pulled down over his head, leaving no loose, unwinding ends dangling after him, and the whole thing was hugging tightly to his skin as it kept him a good deal warmer.
The ill-fitting armor he had worn before had been replaced with a thick, almost black shirt, made in much the same way as the wolfish armor had been, with plates of steel sewn into the fabric with spacing between them, but now it was much more fitting, almost tailored to fit him, and they had, through incredible skill with needle and thread, managed to overlap some of the plates in places, while leaving the gap between the others smaller, offering much better protection.
They had also extended the protection to areas of his pants, which was new as well, no holes or patches showing previous places where damage had been mended or left unfixed, and they now fit much better than any of his clothes had ever done before.
His new set had much the same design as his shirt, albeit not as heavily plated, giving him room to move, and was actually quite comfortable, made from a fabric he was unfamiliar with, though he was sure it was not wool, which he had plenty of experience with, nor was it silk, which he had been so fortunate to once be allowed to touch by a friendly storekeeper, having left him in awe of the softness and the feel of the fabric, wondering how anyone could ever afford to have all their clothes made from the material.
Along with a pair of fingerless gloves, and a couple of pairs of thick, woolen socks, he was as insulated against the weather, and as warmly wrapped up as he had ever been.
It was a very nice gift, and he was truly touched by the effort put into it. They had intended to give it to him new year's day, but had decided that, under the circumstances, a day or two early wouldn't make a difference. Judging by the way Nuan had looked and acted when she had given the gift to him, she was convinced that it would take nothing short of a miracle for him to make it through the night in one piece.
He was afraid, that he had to confess. If not to them, then at least to himself.
Redirecting his gaze back towards the town, he squinted his eyes, and through the haze of the spray of water, he thought he began sensing the outlines of piers and boats, the houses now fully visible, looming over the river below, wooden poles keeping them above the river below, plants and debris clinging to them as they impeded their journey downstream.
Taking out an arrow, he nocked it to the string, searching for any sight of dark, armed forms patrolling the waterfront, or keeping watch from the windows above.
The boat slowed lazily, almost groaning as Kuo forced it to bleed speed, the river trying to carry it along despite his efforts. But slow it did, and as Jun kept at the ready, his eyes continuously searched the edge of the town, and as they passed the end of the palisade, the wooden wall that protected the settlement, he caught glimpses of torches bobbing along as the low wall was being patrolled by the wolves who held it in their claws.
Breathing a sigh of relief as he saw that none were nearing, he nonetheless kept his eyes peeled for any sign of trouble. A pier, stretching out before him, a couple of crates abandoned on the other side, he saw that it was nearing rather rapidly, and their vessel was only bleeding speed slowly. As the boat bumped into it lazily, forcing Kuo to brace with one of his feet, jolting Jun in his seat, the sound of the impact, swallowed whole by the howling wind, nonetheless made Jun wince, and he quickly searched for any sign of movement, fearing that they might have been heard.
After a while, no obvious change or reaction by the nearby patrols, he stepped from the sampan onto the wooden, slippery surface of the pier, swaying a moment as he was hit with an odd sensation of the deck moving beneath him, despite the fact that he had just left the boat.
Shaking his head, trying to force the feeling away, he took up position behind the crates, aiming his bow down, into the streets that opened up before him, only dimly aware of the others coming up behind him, Kuo, taking a moment to tie his boat to the pier, gave him a moment to look around.
Although they were out in the open, more exposed than he found reassuring, he doubted that anyone would see them, the whole town seemingly shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from the torches bobbing along the wall, and from somewhere further inside the town, but hidden from his sight.
Nothing illuminated the night. No stars or moon cast their light from the sky above. No candle or torch flickered along the waterfront. No fire brightened the inside of the houses or windows around him.
The whole place was disturbingly dark. Much more so than a town this size should be.
But this worked to their advantage, shrouding them in darkness, hiding their intrusion into the town.
Swearing to himself, Kuo obviously struggled with the wet, slippery rope, his numb fingers finding it difficult to tie it to the post.
Looking around, Jun saw that theirs was far from the only boat shored to the piers of the town, a couple of other sampan of various sizes being tossed around by the river.
A large boat, he did not know the type, was tied to the far end. It didn't look like any of the other river-fairing crafts he had seen, being much larger and much sturdier looking than what was strictly necessary, but then, he knew little of such vessels, although still, he found it odd.
Kuo, walking out in front of Jun, having finally secured his boat, signaled for the rest of them to follow him as he headed inland, stooping slightly as he tried to be as invisible as possible, the others mirroring his stance, careful to keep to the walls of the low houses that hugged the river.
At the first opportunity, almost as soon as they had passed the first house, he took a sharp turn down a narrow alley, a cluster of barrels, crates and piles of fishing-nets almost blocking it off, obscuring it from view.
Looking back, he saw that Jing had taken up the rearmost position, and Jun, uncomfortable with having the wolf at their most vulnerable flank, let Bai walk past him, nodding down the alley towards the back of Kuo, and as the wolf walked up beside him, he stepped in behind the wolf, signaling, without a sound, for him to continue.
He did not object, though Jun thought that he saw his shoulders sag a little more, although, that might just have been from the cold.
They followed the narrow space between the rows of buildings, Kuo, casting a glance backwards to see if they were all still behind him, finally came to a halt in front of a worn door, the paint, once red and gleaming, had long since faded, and had peeled off in great swathes, reveling the water damaged, rotting wood beneath.
They bunched up, Jun leaning in to whisper to Kuo.
"Are you sure it's here? What if he won't let us in?"
He cast a judging glance at the house as he asked, seeing that it seemed to be in much the same state as the door, having seen better days, the owner obviously not caring about its appearance. It was difficult to tell in the dark, no lights illuminating the area, but judging by the feel and the smell, the alley was filled with the castoff of the days catch, along with the putrid remains of that of the past week or so, the smell quite overpowering.
Kuo, as if somewhat embarrassed by the venue, shrugged apologetically.
"This is the place, and if he won't let us in, I supposed you'll just have to convince him."
The lightness he injected in his voice sounded forced, revealing his nervousness. Jun quirked an eyebrow, glancing down himself quickly. He did make quite an imposing figure, he had to concede that, his new attire adding some bulk to him, while the added shadows from his hood and the folds of his cloak made him look a great deal more threatening.
Kuo looked around, his nose twitching at the appalling stench.
"Syan will be the one guarding the storehouse tonight. He's an old friend, I'm sure he'll let us in."
Given the door an odd series of knocks, Kuo, stepped in front of it, blocking his view as they waited for the proprietor to reveal himself.
Long seconds passed as they stood, waiting in the cold and dark, Jun wondering what they would do should Kuo's contact prove to be less trustworthy than the cat had promised.
Suddenly, the faint sound of grumbling and movement coming from within, a hoarse voice called out, challenging them.
"Do you have any idea what time it is! What is the big idea, disturbing a working man's rest?"
The owner of the voice sounded anything but pleased, and Jun winced as he looked back down the alley, fearing that the noise might attract unwanted attention.
"Sy, you big oaf, it's me, now open the damn door!"
There was a pause as they waited for a reply, the person on the other side apparently taken aback.
"Kuo! What in the name of the emperor are you doing here?"
With the sound of bolts and locks being undone hastily, the door creaked open on rusty hinges, and a surprised yelp sounded from within as Kuo, without further ceremony, barged through.
The way before them opened, the rest of them followed his lead and they disappeared inside, the dim light of a lantern within giving Jun his first glimpse of their host, and their surroundings.
A tall, surprisingly lean pig, only half dressed this late in the night, was standing to the side, his mouth agape as the odd band of guest tumbled in, before he regained enough sense to close the door behind them, casting a fearful glance up the alley whence they came, before he shut it firmly after him, redoing the host of locks, chains and bolts that held it shut.
Around them, stacked along the walls, were barrels filled with water and fresh fish, still waiting to be gutted and cleaned, which, guessing by the blood and guts crusted on its surface, happened at the scarred wooden table occupying the middle of the room. Knives lined along its edge in orderly rows.
"you shouldn't be here Kuo, don't you know the town is crawling with…"
The pig turned, his reprimand dying on his lips as he caught sight of Jing.
"… Wolves!"
He seemed ready to faint with fright, his eyes growing large, seemingly ready to pop out of his skull, and he pointed an accusing finger at them, stammering something unintelligible, about to scream even louder. But before he could do so, Kuo, with startling speed, rushed over and clamped a paw across his mouth, holding one finger up to his lips, shushing the pig.
"Listen Syan, we're here to help. He's with us, so just calm down. Now, don't panic, I'm going to remove my hand, and you are going to be completely silent. Got it?"
After a moment, the pig nodded, and the cat removed his paw slowly, as if testing to see if the pig would go back on his word. Seeing that he indeed remained speechless, Kuo nodded, and took a step or two back, giving him some room.
Looking between the four of them, the pig, Syan, seemed to finally gather his wits and, taking a deep breath, he glanced over at Jun and Jing, gesturing to them.
"Who… uhm… who might you be then."
Jun, placing a paw on his chest, took a step forward.
"I'm Jun, this is Jing, he's a… friend. We heard you were in trouble, and that you might need some assistance."
The pig, casting one last furtive look at the wolf who seemed content to remain silent, nodded furiously, his large ears flapping.
"I don't know what you've heard but whatever it is, it's probably true. The whole town is crawling with bandits, and more are arriving every day. They've locked up the town-guard, and they've placed everyone who even smelled of trouble in the great hall."
He looked around, perhaps expecting a reaction from them, but they remained silent, already having been told all this by Jing, who cast a 'what did I tell you?' look at Jun, who did his best to ignore him. Seeing that none of them were going to interrupt him, looking just a little disappointed, he went on.
"There are even rumors, and these are just rumors mind, that they are planning something big. I've heard that the great master Croc is moving down here with reinforcements, heading south. But he will surely be killed!"
Jun nodded, Jing's story having been confirmed. If the wolf was equally right about everything, then they had perilously little time in which to enact their plan, the depths off night already having passed, and the light of the late winter dawn nearing steadily, though still a few hours away.
"Anything else we need to know?"
The pig shrugged, looking anything but happy at the whole situation.
"They are led by this guy… I think his name is Qiang. Meanest bastard I've ever laid eyes on, all the others are afraid of him, and that's saying something. He's holed up in 'the golden barrel'. That's the big tavern at the edge of town."
He gestured vaguely with the lantern, pointing to the opposite wall. Jun nodded turning to look at the others.
Catching their eyes, he gave a thin, confident smile, mostly to reassure himself.
"Alright. We don't have much time, so we've got to act fast. Everyone remember the plan?"
They all nodded, Jun taking his time to make certain everyone looked sure of what was about to happen now.
Having dropped off Jun in the town, Bai and Kuo would sail back out, passing the town by a good few miles, and would try to find the main road, following it north, in the vain hope of stumbling upon the party from Gongmen, both to warn them, but also to beg them to hurry to the aid of the town. Hopefully, warned of the ambush awaiting them, they would be able to outmaneuver the wolves, surprising them, turning the tables.
Neither of them had liked the idea of leaving him in the town alone, but on this point he was adamant that if they remained within the confines of the wooden palisade, he would lose focus, as he would constantly worry about them being discovered. Besides, they had to at least attempt to warn the approaching party, in case something went wrong. For whatever reason.
Jing, wounded and still recovering, and, if he had to be honest, still a bit of an unknown, as he had not fully earned Jun's trust as yet, would remain here, both to keep him out of harm's way, but also keep him as far away from Jun as possible, without leaving him at Nuan's inn.
The wolf hadn't liked that either, taking offence that his actions thus far had not earned him at least some modicum of trust. But he had been forced to concede the point, and so, his part in the whole affair was over for now.
The pig, looking to each of them in turn, seemed puzzled.
"So… What exactly are you four going to do? I mean, no offence, but there are at least fifty wolves out there, and you guys number only four."
Jun, his face now covered by both his hood and his scarf, revealing only his orange eyes, speared him with a dangerous look.
"It is best if you don't know. For now, it would be a good idea to remain here until things settle down."
Nodding to Jing, he smirked unseen under his mask.
"He'll keep you company."
Scowling a little, Jing nonetheless took a seat on an old, battered chair near the table, his nose twitching as he sniffed at the air, apparently, not liking the smell one bit.
Rolling his shoulders slightly, he was about to turn and leave when a sense of foreboding overcame him, stopping him in his tracks.
The next few hours would undoubtedly be amongst the most difficult, most dangerous he had ever experienced. So much was at stake here, so many lives at risk that if he failed, he would be far from the only one who would suffer for it.
He turned slightly, seeing Bai and Kuo looking at him, their eyes filled with no small amount of worry, the couple standing close together, Kuo's hand on Bai's shoulder.
Taking a deep breath, he walked over to them, noticing how, despite them being a few decades older than him, he almost towered over them, Kuo only just reaching up to his chin.
For anyone else, anyone who didn't know the creature underneath the dark green cloak and hood, underneath the black mask and armored shirt, it would be easy to mistake him for an adult, and a dangerous one at that.
But the two leopard cats new that the creature before them was little more than a child, forced to grow up before his time, and, though they had not said it, it was obvious to Jun that they did not want him to go, did not want him to head into the depths of the bandit's territory, to dive into the lion's den.
Perhaps, they too felt the encroaching danger, felt the enormity of the task ahead of him, of all of them really. But, while Jun knew that if he failed, it would mean sorrow and misery for the people of the town, he could not place a face or name on even one of the numerous townsfolk, and though it was no excuse, it did make the consequences seem slightly more distant, as if those whom it would affect were in a distant land, far from him.
For the two cats, it was different. They knew that, should they fail, should they be unable to locate Master Croc in time, then that would mean that Jun would more than likely be overcome by the bandits, and that he would most likely perish.
For them, he was not just some unknown person, but someone that they had come to know and care about in their few short weeks together, and the concern they felt was in some way much more pressing and personal.
They stood there, looking at each other, but in the end, Jun could find nothing to say that would convey what he felt accurately enough. Hesitating, he managed only a little.
"I'll… I'll see you both after this… When were done here."
It sounded hollow even to him, but they nodded, understanding. But before he could leave, Bai suddenly jumped forward and embraced him in a crushing hug, her husband joining her a moment later, a little more gently.
"Take care of yourself out there. Don't… Don't throw your life away needlessly."
After a moment, the initial surprise of the envelopment keeping him rooted to the spot, he returned the embrace haltingly.
"Don't worry, I'll get through this in one piece. We all will."
With that, he gently stepped back, breaking their hold of him. He turned, undid the myriad of locks and, with one last look behind him, nodded to his friends, before stepping back out into the alley.
As he stepped outside, he let the breath hadn't known he had been holding escape, his shoulder slumping a little. He shook his head, before raising his bow, and nocking an arrow to the string, ready to draw it at the first sight of trouble. Now, the truly difficult part of the mission would begin.
As he left the storehouses and boat-shacks at the river edge, he made his way slowly and cautiously through the alleys and streets of the town, staying near the walls and keeping away from the larger roads within the settlement, at once taking his time, careful not to bump into anything that might make some unnecessary and revealing noise, while at the same time torturously aware that he didn't exactly have all night to achieve his goal.
The town wasn't large, though it was one of the biggest he had ever been to. It couldn't be more than a few hundred meters in diameter, the wooden palisade that surrounded it in a half circle, terminating at each end as it joined the river, forming a natural barrier, the defensive wall containing within its confines every house, store, and warehouse that together made up the unremarkable town of Jinhae.
He could see about four pairs of torches, making their slow circuit of their section of the wall, the light reveling small groups of two or three wolves, scanning the outside lazily, occasionally turning their gaze inwards, but not for long. They didn't expect trouble to arrive from that quarter.
As Jun came to a halt, pushing his back up against the cold wood of a building, a store apparently, now closed for the night, a red tarpaulin pulled out above the door and the large, closed window, sheltering an empty table and some shelves, where presumably the owner's wares would be presented in the light of day.
In front of him, stretching a few meters out, were the no-man's-land of the central road, that made its way through the town, on its way northwards. The cobblestones that made up its structure were neatly lined, and well maintained, showing no large cracks or holes in their pattern.
He could hear voices, carried on the wind, raised in conversation, and his eyes picked up the flicker of light, growing closer.
Leaning forward slightly, peeking around the corner of his hiding place, he saw a group of wolves, five of them in total, making their way up the street, two of them carrying torches to illuminate their path, all of them carrying weapons, held at the ready. While some of them made an active effort in actually patrolling the settlement, their head scanning left and right as their eyes searched for anything out of place, a couple seemed to have little interest in the task at hand, and talked amongst themselves, although, somewhat subdued.
He swore, having no wish to take on the group, or risk being spotted before his plan was ready to be set in motion. Having no other choice, he retreated down the alley from where he had come, and as he heard the clatter of their armor, and the rattle of their weapons grow fainter, he doubled back along another set of back-alleys and narrow roads, coming up a couple of streets down, closer to the northern edge of the town.
While most of the town was completely darkened, every lantern, candle and fire having been put out, either willingly by the inhabitants or forcefully by the wolves, light seemed to radiate from a large, four story building, placed next to the gate.
Every window was backlit, the light spilling out into the dark night, illuminating the street outside, clearly showing the numerous dark figures moving about outside, occasionally glinting off the polished surface of a blade or shield.
Jun realized that this must be the tavern where Qiang had made his base.
As he realized this, he took an involuntary step towards the building, his eyes narrowing, his lips splitting to reveal his teeth, a low growl escaping him.
He was so close! He was sure that he could almost smell him, could sense the presence of the wolf who had caused so much suffering.
Visions of burning houses, of villagers fleeing in horror, or lying unmoving in the stained snow. The smell of destruction and death heavy in the air.
The sight of the ruin of his home. The thought of his parents and his brother, dead.
The memory of wolves, their howls echoing in the dark night, haunting him still.
A moment passed, Jun almost forgetting why he was there, all his senses focused on the tavern. He was almost able to ignore the numerous shapes moving about outside, he was almost able to overhear the sound of at least a dozen more inside. In his mind, there was only one person in there, only one wolf that mattered, and if he could just get to him, then revenge would be his.
Then, finally, he might be able to move on.
His field of vision narrowed, and he was only able to see the open door, able to just make out movement within.
He could do it.
He could get him. He could end him.
His heartrate quickened, and the world slowed around him. He caught a slight taste of metal in his mouth, and his hands began shaking as the pent-up adrenalin fought to be released, his claws inching their way out.
He took another step forward, then another, slowly making his way closer.
His mind grew hazy, all his thoughts beginning to circle around the door, the entrance to the beast's lair.
But, something held him back. From somewhere far away, the tiniest voice, weak and distant, seemed to call out to him.
He wanted to ignore it, wanted to push on, call hear the siren song of sweet vengeance call out to him, but he found that despite how much he wanted to, he found that he couldn't.
You have a job to do. You have a mission. Bai and Kuo are counting on you. Others are depending on you. If you do this, you fail them. You fail yourself.
The voice inside did not belong to him, but he recognized it nonetheless. It was as if he had heard it before, in a half remembered dream, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not put a face behind it.
It was powerful, thought quite. While the need to destroy Qiang was like a roaring river, sweeping him along, the voice was like a thin fishing-line, cast into the current, catching him, holding him.
Despite not wanting to, despite trying to resist, he felt the rightness of it, the truth behind the words.
His world slowly returned to normal, and with a few, halting steps, he disappeared back into the shadows, casting one last longing look at the tavern, feeling a strong pull emanating from it, through supreme effort, he managed to tear himself away. As he crossed the snow-covered road, leaving nothing but footprints behind, he felt as if each step brought him further and further away from his goal, as if somehow, he was letting his final opportunity go to waste.
It was only a few more minutes, Jun taking his sweet time as he closed the distance to where the town guard were being held, not wanting to risk being seen when he was getting so near, his ears, fitting against the faint howling of the wind, now distant as the tall buildings and sturdy palisade kept out the worst of it, picked up the faint sound of voices, growing nearer and nearer.
Turning the last corner, slowly inching his way around a half-wall, circling a small garden, he laid eyes upon the jinhae garrison quarters.
The building was about what one would expect from a military outpost. Low, squat and sturdy looking, with only a few windows, and a large, iron-framed door, studded with rivets and bolts.
From where he stood, it seemed that it only had one story, the ground floor, but the existence of a basement was revealed as light streamed from below, through a neat, square cut in the road adjacent to the building, iron bars placed above it. Probably a way into the cells beneath.
The area in front of it was cleared, no buildings, stalls or stacks of crates to disturb it, but to Jun, it seemed that it served the function of either a gathering spot, or maybe a parade ground, as he could easily see a goodly number of people being able to gather here comfortably.
A few meters to the right of the door, placed close to the building itself, was an old, weather-beaten noticeboard, a few messages pinned to it, though they looked to be clinging on for dear life at the moment, wet, droopy, and obviously more than a few days old.
The building was placed up close to the wooden wall encircling the town, and Jun saw, to his horror, that one of the groups of wolves that he had seen in the distance, patrolling it, had chosen the ledge above the garrison as their resting spot, two off them leaning against the breastworks, though calling it that was being generous.
Another two wolves, leaning tiredly against their spears, were posted outside the sturdy looking door, a torch placed in sconces on each side of it, casting a warm, flickering glow around them.
One of the wolves, shivering violently, let his spear rest on his shoulder as he held up his paws close to the flames, trying to warm his frozen fingers.
"I'm sick and tired having to guard this place. I wanna be back at the bar, at least there it's warm."
His voice, previously obscured by the wind and the buildings around him, carried clearly across the plaza, and Jun found that he did not even have to concentrate to make out their conversation.
The other wolf, looking sullen and tired, seemed to try desperately to keep it together, his eyes bulging in anger, his fists tightening on his spear.
"Would you just, stop, Complaining! I'm sick of hearing you spout your mouth off every, spirit forsaken night. Can't I have. Five. Damn. Minutes. of peace!"
The other wolf shrugged, apparently suitably chastised, not in the least bit perturbed by the outburst.
Minutes passed, and Jun found a more or less comfortable position, kneeling down behind an open crate down a narrow alley, a few houses to the left of the opposite side of the garrison building.
His bow at the ready, he pulled out a couple of arrow, and laid them out before him, the quiver on his back having been refilled using some of his last surplus of arrows he had brought with him that day, now seeming so long ago.
He had brought some fifteen of them with him, the quiver not able to contain any more than that, and having left his bag, along with the rest of his possession, back at Nuan's, he had no means of resupply. He would have to make them count.
He scanned the area, looking for any more hidden enemies. He found it more than likely that there would be at least a couple inside, but there was no way to tell. Besides, he had more than enough to deal with out here.
He sighed.
There was no way he could take down all four of them. Not before one of them raised the alarm. If that happened, his plan would fail. It all hinged on him being able to free both the guards, and the people being held at the hall, before anyone was the wiser.
He sat there, waiting for something to happen, his damp clothes soaking in the cold, and it wasn't long before he cast longing looks at the torches hanging on the wall, their hot flames beginning to look enticing.
Time passed, and he found himself casting worried looks to the east, beginning to fear that he would soon see the first rays of the sun on the clouds above. It was impossible to tell the time, and his internal clock was not as good as could be hoped.
Staring daggers at the guards above, he was considering whether he could take them out before the two on the ground heard, when a miracle occurred.
Apparently, growing bored of their current vantage point, or feeling the need to move, trying to get some warmth flowing through their limbs, the two wolves, slowly, but surely, began making their way down, the wall, moving towards the gate near the tavern, their two torches flickering as the wind raced above the barrier in front of it, blasting the two guards with freezing winds.
He kept them in sight, tracking them with his eyes as the distance increased. When he was sure they were far enough away that they would no longer hear anything but a shout or a howl, he redirected his gaze to the two remaining wolves, trying to figure out how he would eliminate the one, without alerting the other.
Someone must have been watching over him that day, and Jun suppressed a cry of victory when one wolf, the one that seemed to have been tormenting his companion with his incessant complaining, turned to his comrade and made the announcement.
"I've gotta take a leak. Hold down the fort while I'm gone, would you?"
Without waiting for a reply the bandit, picking up a shield that had been resting against the wall behind him, made his way forward, before turning down a street to disappear into the shadows there.
His companion, crumbling and cursing under his breath, nevertheless seemed content enough to remain at his position alone, and resumed his watchful vigil.
Jun, unable to believe his own luck, kept his eyes on the darkness, almost expecting the bandit to come back at once. When that didn't happen, he quickly readied himself, taking careful aim at the remaining guard, mindful of making the shot count.
With one, last deep breath, he let the arrow fly, and it made an unmistakable, almost musical sound as it crossed the distance in a heartbeat, imbedding itself in the wolf.
A crimson spray, and a dry, painful cough was all that revealed that he had hit him where he had intended, and after a short struggle, the bandit pitched forward, falling into the snow, unmoving.
Not wasting a second, he readied another arrow, shifting his aim to where the other wolf had disappeared, keeping the bow at half draw, his eyes narrowing as he waited for him to appear.
The seconds drew out, but his eyes did not waver, and he was rewarded when a flicker of movement, deep within the dark told him that his target was approaching.
Appearing in the weak light cast of by the torches, the wolf gave a loud relieved sigh as he approached, his spear and shield held awkwardly as he was busy retying the laces of his pants, squinting his eyes to try and see through the dark.
"Man, I tell ya, I needed…"
He didn't have time to say anything else.
The second arrow flew as straight and true as the first one, and at this short distance, Jun would have been severely disappointed in himself if he had managed to miss.
Much like his comrade, the other wolf pitched over, dying almost instantaneously, with no time to either utter a warning, or so much as a surprised screech, simply falling limply into the muddy snow bellow.
Storing the bow across his back, Jun felt a small, satisfied smile creep its way to his lips, but as he cast a quick look to the bloody scene before him, he viciously fought it down however, swallowing and clearing his throat.
He shouldn't feel happiness at other people's passing.
Even if they did deserve it.
It was more difficult than he would have liked, trying to bury the sense of righteousness and satisfaction of their passing, but manage it he did.
Barely.
Having no need for either secrecy or stealth right at this moment, he rushed forward and, grabbing the feet of the second bandit, he dragged him back into the shadows, wincing slightly as he did so.
Having done that, he went to the next one, struggling to get him up in a sitting position, hopping that should anyone pass by on the wall above, they would not think too much of seeing one of the others sitting at his post, slouching a little.
Hopefully.
Quickly, he stepped up to the door, redrawing his bow, placing an arrow on the string.
Rolling his shoulders, taking a deep, calming breath, he knocked loudly on the door, before taking one step back and drawing the string, readying himself.
"It's open idiots!"
The call came from within, sounding incredibly distant, the door apparently as thick and sturdy as it appeared.
He did not move, waiting patiently as his heart began beating quicker, and he drew his breath a little faster.
"Oh, for crying out loud you stupid, freaking, pus-riddled…"
The door flew open, an angry wolf, dressed in dark, oil-polished armor, light gleaming off of it from the torches, his teeth barred and looking anything but pleased, looked right at Jun, seeing nothing but a tall, cloaked stranger, his face covered in darkness, an arrow leveled straight at him.
He had no time to react, as Jun released the arrow, and immediately, his other hand now free, drew his sword and stormed inside.
The arrow, released at such short distance, was hardly slowed by the wolf, passing right through him to imbed itself into the thick sturdy wall beyond, and as Jun rushed into the room, he barely took notice of him, quickly scanning the room for any others, before rushing on, through a second door, to emerge into a large, round chamber, the floor dropping down into the basement bellow, the wall lined with cells, the floor, covered in sand and sawdust.
A gangway circled the upper part of the chamber, a narrow staircase leading down to the center of the room bellow, and moving up those stairs, a sword hallway draw, was another wolf.
He looked up in surprise, his eyes widening as he caught sight of Jun, who threw himself upon the last remaining guard.
The wolf, barely managing to tear his sword from its scabbard, put up a feeble defense, barely deflecting Jun's furious attacks, already on his backfoot, having been surprised, and standing on the lower end of the stairs.
It never occurred to him to raise the alarm, and Jun did not give him much opportunity, landing a devastating strike only a few short seconds after they had laid eyes on each other, the bandit falling back down the stairs to land motionless in the center of the room bellow.
Panting heavily, the short fight having been more taxing on his cold, stiff limbs than he had thought, he belatedly realized that he had an audience, numerous miserable, but tough looking people starring at him through the bars of their cells.
Standing up straighter, Jun felt distinctly uncomfortable being the center of attention of all the occupants of the basement, but catching their eyes, he saw that they were all completely taken aback by his sudden appearance, more than a few casting worried, or maybe hopeful glances towards him, their eyes mostly resting on the wolf, lying in a pile in front of them.
It was clear that they were all wearing some sort of uniform, though none of them wore any armor. Despite these last few days having undoubtedly been rough, the guards seemed to still be in good condition, though their clothes had clearly seen better days.
Suddenly, remembering himself, he turned on his heels and rushed back out into the guardroom, hurrying over to the open door.
Looking outside, his eyes searching left and right, his ears scanning for the faintest sound that might reveal whether or not the short fight had been either witnessed or heard by any of the other bandits, he took as long as he dared to make sure that the whole thing had gone unnoticed.
After a while, hearing nothing but the whistle of the wind, seeing nothing that indicated any alarms had been raised, or that anyone had noticed the short commotion, he closed the door, locking it behind him, breathing a sigh of relief.
Rolling his shoulders, stretching out slightly as his muscles punished him for having been pushed through such a burst of action while having been as good as frozen mere moments before.
Turning to see the first wolf guard he had taken out, lying in a pool of his own blood, he grimaced as he realized that he would have to find the keys for the cells below, and his lips curled as he went over to begin the grizzly task.
The smell of blood filling his nostrils, he tried not to take too closely at his victim as he quickly found the bundle of heavy keys that hung on a hoop in his belt, and he unhooked them, stretching out and moving away quickly.
Shivering slightly, he decided that the guards, sitting in the cells bellow, had probably been left waiting long enough, and he turned to walk casually into the large room, hearing the murmur of several voices within.
As he once again appeared at the top of the stairs, the murmur immediately stopped as he once again became the sole focus of the two dozen occupants of the various cells, their eyes staring at him from the darkness of the ill-lit rooms.
One of them however, a large burly Rhino, pushed his way to the front of the cell he occupied along with four others, and, pushing his face to close to the bars to get a better look, snorted almost angrily, his large frame taking up most of Jun's view of the rest of the room behind him.
His voice called out challengingly, strong and fierce, obviously used to giving orders, and Jun's winced as the sudden noise assaulted his ears.
"And who might you be then? Friend or foe?"
Jun looked him up and down, but his clothes, along with uniforms of most of the others, were in too bad a condition for him to be able to differentiate ranks, most of it having been torn or confiscated apparently.
Not wanting to shout, afraid of drawing attention, he descended the steps quickly, and came to a halt in front of the Rhino, the thick, somewhat rusty bars separating them. The Rhino was huge, towering above Jun, his arms bulging with muscles, fresh scars crisscrossing them, while a thick bandage, made from the torn remnants of his own clothes, covering his shoulder. The four other occupants looked out from behind him to gaze at Jun with a mixture of worry and hope, all of them crammed together in the small room, a bunk bed in the corner being the only furniture that adorned the place.
He looked from one to the other, gauging their condition, surprised to see that, despite their poor quarters, he could still see some defiance and pride in their eyes, the wolves' attack and subsequent defeat of their unit not having demoralized them completely it seemed.
The rhino looked at him, his eyes squinting together as he beheld Jun, waiting for his answer.
"I've come to free you, and help you get rid of the bandits. Are you the captain?"
The rhino, looking at Jun long and hard, shook his head almost imperceptibly.
"No, I'm the sergeant. Sergeant Son. The bastards killed our captain. Guess that makes me the chief now then."
His voice grew harder and he never took his eyes from Jun, his eyes seeming to search him for any clues as to whom he was, and where he had come from, the rhino obviously not quick to trust.
It was clear to Jun that, despite having taken out his captors, the rhino did not take that as any proof that Jun was a friend or ally, rather, the violence with which he had entered the chambers seemed to have placed him directly into the category of 'dangerous individual', which was enough for the rhino to regard him as little better than a bandit, at least, for the moment.
Jun could do nothing but nod slowly, as if in agreement, having no real answer to that. Pulling out the keys he had taken, trying to find the one that fit into the lock, the sergeant watching him warily, he cast a sidelong glance towards the chute that led outside, seeing that it was still very dark, the sense of urgency growing more intense.
"The town if crawling with bandits, they've trapped some of the townsfolk in the hall, I could use your help to free them, and toss out the wolves."
The rhino nodded, looking around, catching the eyes of the others. Jun could see them all, out of the corners of his eyes, standing up, gathering closer to the cell doors, their attention shifting from the rhino to Jun, and back again.
As they met the sergeant's eyes, he could see them nod, their faces turning hard.
"Aye, we can do that."
He heard a sort of righteous satisfaction in his voice, a sliver of something hard behind it. Though it was still clear he did not trust Jun in the least, he seemed to relish the opportunity to take on the bandits nonetheless, ridding his town of their presence.
As the lock clicked, and the door to the cell popped open, the large man stepped out, the others streaming out behind him. Stretching to his full, impressive height, rolling his shoulders, the bones and muscles popping, and he sighed contently, before returning his attention back to Jun, one eyebrow crooking upwards, and he beheld him suspiciously.
"And what's your stake in this? Why are you here?"
Tossing the keys to the gazelle next to the rhino, who caught them and immediately hurried over to start unlocking the other cells, Jun had to crane his neck upwards before his orange, hooded eyes could meet those of the rhino, starring down at him from far above.
"The wolves are planning something. Master Croc is on his way here, along with reinforcements. The bandits somehow found out about it, and have taken over this whole town, just to set up an ambush to take him out."
The rhino took a step back, his eyes growing large in shock. Jun, not having time to explain further, turned and, seeing the dead wolf, still clutching his sword, relieved him of his weapon, and handed it hilt first to the sergeant, who took it immediately, gripping it firmly in his meaty fist.
"We have to hurry, the party will be here by dawn, and we have to release the other prisoners before then, and stop Qi… And stop the wolves."
Jun cursed inwardly. There was no reason to divulge Qiang's name. Firstly, it would only deepen the rhino's suspicion, secondly, he did not feel like having to explain his connection to all this, to the wolves. It would only make everything more difficult.
Luckily, the sergeant seemed to miss Jun's slipup, nodding to himself, surveying his men as more and more of them were freed, he looked around the room, his eyes resting on the door leading to the front chamber, before he returned his attention to Jun, apparently, having made up his mind.
"Alright, I hear you. But you didn't answer my question."
Taking a step closer, almost chest to nose with Jun now, the rhino looked down at him, his eyes hard.
"Why are you here?"
There was much more force behind the words this time, the question sounding nothing less than an order, and Jun's fur bristled at the treatment, but he managed to calm himself.
"I heard about what was going on, what the wolves were planning, and decided I wouldn't let it happen. And if I ruin these bandit's day, that a nice bonus."
The rhino sneered, not satisfied with the explanation, knowing that Jun held something back.
Jun knew that it was stupid to hold back, especially at a time like this, but he did not want to tell the rhino the whole story. Though he had not lied, indeed, he really did want to help, his own personal reasons for being would remain that. Personal.
Staring at each other, the rhino soon realized that Jun wasn't about to say anything else, and, huffing angrily, he turned away, checking on the progress of his men, nodding to himself, satisfied as he saw that almost all of them were free.
Apparently, deciding that he had nothing to lose by at least assuming that Jun wasn't an enemy for now, he seemed to drop the issue.
"We'll be ready to go in a minute, how many of your guys are about?"
Jun, somewhat surprised by the question, hesitated.
"It's just me. A couple of my friends are heading upriver to try and warn master Croc, but besides that, I'm all you've got."
It took a second for the rhino to comprehend what he was hearing, a range of emotions rolling across his face. Shock at the fact that they had no additional help, surprise that Jun had made his way there by himself, anger at having been misled like that, his hope of simply steamrolling the wolves evaporating, a little relief was evident however, as he no longer feared that Jun was part of a larger, more dangerous group, using his mean as fodder before kicking out the wolves.
Finally, taking in a deep breath, looking Jun up and down, he settled on nodding, looking disappointed that this was how it turned out, as it would undoubtedly be a much bloodier affair reclaiming the town. Though he did seem to regard Jun with newfound respect, both for better and worse.
"Alright, anymore weapons upstairs?"
Jun, shook his head. He hadn't seen any when he went up to fetch the keys, though he had seen the empty weapons-racks, and he assumed that they had been removed by the wolves, just to be sure no one got any ideas.
Groaning loudly, the rhino shrugged, hefting his sword.
"Guess we'll have to improvise. Now, let's go free those people. You lead the way, we'll be right behind you."
Jun quirked an eyebrow. Though it made sense, the way he said it left Jun with no illusion that there were other reasons why the rhino preferred to have Jun walk in front of him at all times, preferable within sword reach.
Jun shrugged mentally. If the sergeant didn't trust him, that was his problem. Jun had more important things to worry about, and frankly, he didn't really care right now.
Walking back up the stairs, the two dozen guards following behind him, they entered the main room, and, before Jun had time to even reach for the door, they began noisily tearing apart chairs, tables, and anything else that could remotely be used as a weapon, one of them picking up the discarded weapon of the second guards, all of it under the supervision of the sergeant.
Jun winced, sure that someone would hear, but it was over in mere seconds, almost before he had time to turn and shush them loudly, and most of them had by then managed to equip themselves with an assortment of legs, boards, and planks, holding them in gnarled fists, looking much more comfortable wielding something sturdy.
Casting a venomous glare at them, he turned and, Cracking the door open slightly, peered outside, searching for the patrolling guards, looking for the spots where the flickering torches revealing the position of the wolves.
Casting a cautious glance to the east, Jun noticed the faintest shade of crimson beginning to paint the sky in a thin, almost barely visible line, showing the dawn nearing at a snail's pace, the sun fighting its way above the distant horizon. With it would come the approach of the reinforcements from Gongmen, but whether they would prove to come prepared to aid them, or still unaware of the dangers they were facing, was anybody's guess.
Seeing nothing that indicated that the guards had heard the commotion, or seen something out of place, he pushed through, gesturing to the others, who followed close behind him, sounding impossibly loud to his sensitive ears, the hairs on his back rising as he could almost sense their eyes on him, watching his every move.
While before he had felt confident, moving quickly and silently through the shadows, never really concerned with being spotted, now he felt like he was traveling with the circus, that any moment now, a keen-eyed guard would spot them all.
"Could you tell them to quite down? At this rate, they'll hear us long before they see us."
The rhino huffed, but nevertheless, he turned and relayed his request, the whisper traveling down the line, almost in defiance of the message, but he was relieved when the racket did subside, if only a little, everyone trying extra hard to be quiet.
After a while, leading the guards down some of the alleys and roads he had already used once, knowing that they were somewhat safe, they neared the large, rectangular house that double both as an indoor storage area, and as the town meeting hall, which according to Jing was able to house most of the towns adult population.
Nearing a corner, seeing shadows flickering in torchlight, hearing faint voices, he slowed to a stop, leaning carefully forward to get his first real look at the nights second target.
Centered in the town square, the houses and workshops surrounding it giving it a wide berth, the town hall was easily the largest building in town, although it was not very ornate, it seemed to be both well-made and sturdy.
It had the look of a building which could withstand nothing short of a siege or a hurricane, the whole structure made with strength and robustness in mind.
Jun could easily see how a town the size of Jinhae could fit its entire year's harvest inside, while still having room for more. He had seen a similar building in Gonjang, which was really the only other town he could use for reference, but while Jinhae was smaller, their town-hall was obviously substantially larger.
A large well had pride of place in the plaza in front of the entrance, and Jun could easily see where the various merchants would usually set up for the day, some of their stores, little more than wheelbarrows with shelves on them, were covered with tarps for the night.
He was surprised however, by the large fire that was burning merrily not far from the well. Four wolves, standing around it, their paws outstretched, seemed to be deep in conversation, the wooden debris of various object piled high behind one of them, who reached back to pick up a chunk of it to toss on the fire, feeding it.
Jun, looking around, spotted another two guards standing on the slightly curved roof, each of them holding a bow in their paws, though neither of them seemed particularly on guard, they nevertheless scanned the area, their backs turned to one another, their attention outwards.
Apart from that, he couldn't spot anyone, and while he could see no evidence of guards on the inside of the building, he guessed that there were none there. The windows were darkened, no light coming from the inside, and after considering it for a moment, it seemed to make the most sense, keeping all of the guards on the outside, so that, should something happen, they could easily lock the place down.
He turned to talk to the rhino, seeing him look expectantly at him, on arm held out as if to keep the others back.
Inching a little closer, Jun leaned in, and in a low voice conveyed what he had seen.
"Four of them around the fire, not far from the front door. Two archers on the roof. I can take out the archers, if you can get the others."
The rhino nodded, leaning around a little, as if to get a better look at the dancing shadows. He sat there for a moment, looking thoughtful.
"If I can get some of my men around the block, we can attack them from two sides, blocking their access to the building."
He resumed his earlier position, fixing Jun with a hard, determined glare.
"Or priority is the people inside, we've got to make sure they're safe first."
Jun, glad that he wasn't going to have to have a discussion it with the sergeant, nodded, more than willing to wait a few more minutes if it meant that there was a larger chance of the people getting out of this safely.
The rhino turned, indicating a large boar to approached, he instructed him to take a group around, going behind the wolfs.
"… you can take a shortcut through Hyang's store, that woman never locks the door after her, should take you out to the alley behind the smithy."
The boar nodded, indicating a handful of the others.
"Sure thing sarge, we can see if Tang's got a few weapons lying around. He's always working on something."
Hearing them talk, Jun was suddenly reminded that these people weren't just guards, sent from Gongmen, but also locals, most of them having lived here their entire life. They probably knew each and every one of the people living here, and could name the owner and resident of every house here.
He almost wanted to hit himself. Why hadn't he realized this before?
He turned to the rhino, catching his attention, believing it best if he made use of his knowledge of the area.
"As soon as we attack, it's more than likely someone will raise the alarm. Is there anywhere we could go, make the fight more on our terms?"
Even though he didn't want to think too closely about it, it was more than likely that, as soon as they heard the fighting, the rest of the wolves would rush to the aid of their comrades, which would be very bad news for him, and the guards.
The bandits had numbers on their side, and they were better equipped than the newly freed guards who, if Jun had to be honest with himself, were not in as good a condition as he could have hoped, having spent days in the cold, dark cells under the town, with only whatever scraps of food and water their cruel captors saw fit to provide them, though they had obviously wanted to keep them alive, for whatever purpose, he did not know.
Taking a minute to consider it, Son looked back at the men under his command, taking in their condition, nodding to himself, his free hand rubbing his chin.
"Not that I can think of no. Besides, we won't have the opportunity. As soon as we make our move, we'll have to keep the pressure up, else the bastards will turn their attention on the civilians."
He looked at Jun, sizing him up.
"If we wait until master Croc is just outside the gate, we could attack the wolves from behind, forcing them to divide their forces. It would give us a much better chance of success."
Jun considered it for a while. The plan had its merits, he had to admit, and Son obviously had more than his share of experience with this sort of thing, but there were a few things that still made him hesitate.
"Won't we endanger the other group? What if my associates haven't been able to warn them?"
Son's face hardened, not out of annoyance, but because he apparently had already considered this, and had been forced to make a difficult decision. One that he found as distasteful as he found necessary.
"We'll have to hope for the best, and assume that they have. We can't take on the entire gang, and hope to have a chance of winning."
He straightened up, steeling his voice.
"And when all is said and done. My responsibility is to this town, and the people here. They are my first priority, and I do not intend to let them down."
Jun found that, no matter how much he wanted to disagree, he could sympathize, and even respect his view, but that did not mean that he had to be on board with his plan.
He would not run the risk of the great master falling, run the risk of the wolves succeeding. Whatever the reason, they had obviously gone through great trouble to arrange this whole thing, with the singular goal of eliminating one of the two remaining protectors of this realm. And if it was important for them to succeed, then it was imperative that they should fail in their endeavor.
The sun, rising more rapidly than he would have thought, illuminated the far distance, a tiny sliver of it peeking above the trees in the distance, beginning to banish the dark that had so far shrouded Jun, and the newly freed warriors.
He hissed to himself.
Time, was running out.
"What if I could provide the distraction?"
The rhino, having turned to whisper something to the man behind him, stopped and turned, his hard eyes boring into Jun's.
"We hit them now, we free the last prisoners, then, while you keep them distracted, I'll attack the tavern, force them to split their forces."
Son snorted, shaking his head incredulously.
"You sure have a high opinion of yourself. You'll be dead in seconds, and the rest of us will follow soon after that."
Jun leaned forward, trying his best to sound older and more mature than he was, venom creeping into his voice as he spoke, his own tone hardening.
"I can do it. This isn't the first time I've dealt with these particular wolves. Some of them have distinctly unpleasant memories of the encounter. Trust me. They'll have plenty to worry about."
The rhino's eyes narrowed as Jun revealed this piece of information, and his grip tightened on his sword as his nostrils flared dangerously. Leaning closer, his voice grew icy.
"I knew there was something off about you. What's your dealings with these wolves? Why are you really here?"
He seemed ready to run Jun through right then and there, even ignoring their precarious situation, the nearby band of wolves only a few dozen meters away, but Jun wasn't about to back down now.
"I told you, I'm here to help. I want these wolves gone just as much as you do. I want the people in this town to be safe, and I want Master Croc and his men to make it through here alive. My reasons for doing so are my own, and I swear, once the bandits are gone, I will leave, and none here will ever see or hear from me again, if that is how you want it."
Locked in a stare contest, neither of them seemed willing to back down. The rhino, towering over Jun, took another step closer, now almost touching Jun with the tip of his sword, his large frame bearing down on the smaller tiger.
Long seconds passed, and Jun began feeling decidedly uncomfortable under the intense glare, but his eyes did not waver, and finally, giving an almost dismissive huff, Son stepped back.
"Fine then. We'll do it your way."
Jun allowed himself to feel a moment of triumph before a meaty fist closed painfully around his shoulder, pulling him closer, his feet leaving the ground, his nose almost touching that of Son, the point of the rhino's horn resting uncomfortably on Jun's forehead.
"But I warn you, if you're playing me, if this is some sort of trick, the last thing I do before I die, will be to end you."
He sounded as if he was not a moment in doubt, that if any of his suspicions about Jun were true, he would indeed inflict a very painful death upon the cloaked stranger before him, and Jun could do little else but nod, the rhino letting him down roughly before stepping back.
"Good. Now, the others will be in position soon. Once you fire your first arrow, we'll attack, and free those prisoners."
Stretching to his full, enormous height, the rhino looked out across the town, towards the rising sun, his voice, falling to little more than a whisper, as if he was speaking more to himself than anyone else.
"Then, we'll secure the town, and free the rest of the villagers."
Drawing his breath in, slow and deep, Jun was glad that the scarf prevented it from misting on the air, revealing his position to anyone who was attentive enough to notice. Being spotted before everyone was in position was the last thing they needed right now.
None of the wolves had discovered the group circling around them, and Jun was still keeping a close watch on them all, either standing around the fire, chatting, or placed on the roof, their attention turned towards the north, their eyes no doubt fixed on the horizon, scouting for the approaching party from Gongmen.
The day was dawning, there was no denying it anymore. The light bathed the top of the roofs, warming the tiles on the surrounding houses, while the shadows still clung to the streets bellow, though they were growing thinner by the minute, the day beginning to chase the dark of night out of the streets of the town.
Jun could feel his heart beginning to pump faster as the time for the battle was approaching, his breath coming more and more rapidly, despite his effort to keep it controlled. His stomach was churning, another symptom of the stress he was suffering under, the feeling distinctly unpleasant and unsettling.
This was it. This was when he had to prove what he was worth. In the next few minutes, he would either help free the remaining hostages inside the town hall, fight off the wolves, and disrupt whatever evil plans they had. Or he would die, his goal unachieved.
His family, unavenged.
He tried to push the thought down, burring deeper in his mind, but it proved persistent, and refused to give way.
A slight movement caught his eye, and he turned his head to see the boar from before, sticking his head out from his hiding spot behind the local smithy, waving his hand slightly.
They were in position.
They were ready.
Taking in a last, deep calming breath, he nocked an arrow.
Time was up.
It was now or never.
He stepped out from his hiding place, aimed, the seconds feeling like minutes, time slowing down as he became acutely aware of his own blood flowing inside his veins.
His eyes narrowed, and he picked out his target, adjusting his aim slightly, holding in his breath.
He loosened.
The arrow sped across the distance, whistling as it flew.
It struck the wolf in his shoulder, pushing him forward, the bandit yelling in pain as he disappeared from sight.
Then it started.
With an earsplitting roar, Son charged forward, followed by the rest of his men, rushing from their hiding-places, charging the four, surprised wolves, turning to face the assault, reaching for their weapons.
Jun, remaining where he stood, letting the town guard swarm around him, and he pulled out another arrow, nocked it, and took aim.
The remaining wolf standing on the roof turned faster than he would have thought and blindly shot an arrow into the mass of guards, a pained cry revealing that it had found its mark, the bandit smirking as he reached back to grasp another missile.
Jun did not give him a chance however, as he himself quickly let his second arrow fly, the shaft flying true, striking the archer in the side, the wolf having tried to jump aside, his eyes wide as he caught the telltale glimmer and heard the whistle.
Jun reached back, grabbing a third arrow, his eyes searching for any more targets.
A howl rose to the sky, announcing to all the wolves who might somehow not have heard by now, that they were under attack, similar howls rising in reply from around the town, ringing through the alleys and streets of Jinhae, the eerie sound reminding Jun about his promise to Son.
His part of this small skirmish completed, Jun speed away, rushing towards the tavern where most of the remaining wolves where quartered, intend on waylaying as many of them as possible, giving Son and his guards the chance to free the others, and push through the bandit's counterattack.
Seeing the last of the four wolves who had guarded the hall go down under a hail of blows as he ran down a nearby street, Jun's sharp eyes caught shapes moving behind the windows of the nearby houses, frightened faces peeking out from behind the shutters and drapes that covered them, the people of the town trying to figure out what was going on, fearing that the wolves had turned on them.
He had no time to stop and reassure them, or to tell them to stay inside, to hide and wait for the battle to be over. If he didn't hurry and draw enough of the wolves away from the real fight, then Son and the rest would get swarmed, and they would fall.
He wasn't going to let that happen.
He was going to do his part.
As he turned a corner, he almost crashed into one confused sheep who had ventured out into the street, Jun just managing to avoid the collision as he jumped to the side, hearing a startled yelp from behind him.
With no time to spare, every second counting, he threw himself down another small road, squeezed through a narrow alley, and finally came out unto the main street, the tavern looming above him to his left, dominating that part of town.
At the end of the street, the tavern was a chaotic mass of pushing, shoving, and growling shaggy form, the numerous wolves who had been lodged within, all trying to scramble out at once, answering the howls of their comrades, the points of their spear, swords, axes, and glaives all catching the morning light, the sun glittering off the cruel, polished steel.
Above the din of the rattle of armor, and the crash of the dozens of wolves, one voice carried clear across the noise and the confusion, shouting to be heard, the authority and the malice contained within it audible even above the noise.
"… Moe faster, I will personally skin the last one out! I want every one of them dead! You hear! DEAD!"
And then, Jun saw him, the owner of the voice.
A gray-maned, ferocious-looking wolf, rows of daggers strapped across his chest, one of his fang snapped off near the top, directed his subordinates, the other wolves keeping a respectful, almost fearful distance as they parted around him, surging forward, towards the town hall.
Jun recognized him. He remembered him, the recollection feeling like a fist striking his gut, forcing the air from his lungs.
He felt as if someone reached a paw through his chest and seized his heart, holding it in a vice grip, his lungs refusing to work, denying him fresh air, his breath catching in his throat.
The world stopped, time stopping, everything standing still, motionless.
A memory, almost like a vision, pushed its way forward, Jun remembering everything vividly, every detail fresh in his mind's eye, every smell and sound become more real than reality. And as he came face to face with the wolf who had haunted his dreams, all other thoughts and sensations fled before that of the memory that pushed its way to the front of his mind.
His father, wounded, bleeding, dying, dragging Jun, his youngest son, into the forest, hopping to lose their pursuers amongst the shadows, seeking refuge amongst the looming trees, hoping to save his only remaining child.
Behind them, howling, fangs snapping, swords rattling, chasing after them relentlessly, howling for their blood, the wolves who had come to their village, bringing death and destruction, would not let them escape, would not let them slip from their claws.
Looking back, fearfully glancing through the memory of the forests, seeing his home burn behind him, he saw him, the same grey fur, the same, evil, hateful eyes, a hateful, looming presence, directing the others with his malice.
This was the wolf who had led the raid, who had chased after him and his father. This was the creature that had sown destruction and death amongst the residents of his village, who had torched, burned and maimed.
This was the wolf who had killed his family.
Qiang turned his head up slightly catching sight of Jun, their eyes meeting, locking together.
Jun's blood boiled, and his rage mounted, growing, becoming all-consuming, blocking out all other thoughts and emotions, all other sensations except the fire that coursed through his body, erasing all doubts and fears, removing all traces of cold, hunger, thirst and fear.
A wolf, standing next to Qiang, the top of his ear missing, pointed towards Jun, his eyes growing large with shock, and he turned to say something to the gray-furred leader.
Whatever it was, it made the wolf's hard eyes narrow, and he growled angrily.
Jun didn't care. He hardly even noticed.
He only had eyes for Qiang.
This was it.
He was dimly aware of the sound of fighting growing louder somewhere further inside the town, yelling and shouting reaching his ears, the words intelligible at this distance.
But that didn't matter.
All that mattered was Qiang.
Jun would finally have his revenge.
He brought up his bow, and sighted down the arrow, already nocked.
As the missile crossed the distance, Qiang threw himself aside, the arrow biting into one of his underlings, the wolf disappearing beneath the feet of his comrades.
Faster than he had ever been able to before, he drew forth a second arrow, and send it flying towards his target, everything inside him screaming to take him down, to finish this.
To avenge his family.
Qiang, turning to yell something to the wolf with the missing ear, brought up a shield he had picked up from the ground, the arrow thudding into it, burying itself deep, but not penetrating the thick wood.
Growling in fury, his revenge continuously denied him, Jun pulled out a third arrow, nocking it to the string, intend on finishing this right here, right now.
But he was not given the opportunity.
Either obeying the order of their fearsome leader, or acting of their own accord, a good dozen or so of the wolves broke off, and stormed down the broad street, rushing forward, running on all fours, their weapons held awkwardly in their paws, or sheathed on their backs, their narrow, glowing eyes fixed on the lone figure at the end of the road, intend on punishing him for daring to oppose them.
Jun growled, furious that he was to be denied his rightful retribution, not willing to let the wolf escape him, not willing to allow him to live a moment longer without suffering for what he had done.
Qiang would die this day. Nothing would stop him from achieving this goal.
Pulling out two arrows, he held the bow sideways, nocking them both at once, putting his left foot behind him, bracing himself, crouching low to the ground.
He hardly needed to aim, the wolves running so closely together down the street, almost right on top of him by now, but he still gave himself a moment to sight down along the deadly shafts, needing each of them to count.
They whistled as they flew, their sharpened points catching the sun for just a split-second as they passed through one venturing ray of the bright Morningstar, their points sparkling as they did so, before they disappeared, one burring itself deep under the arm of one of the attackers, the other, biting into the shoulder of another, both of them howling in pain.
Jun immediately set off at a sprint, disappearing down a side street, pushing through the clutter and trash that clustered ahead of him, vaulting a stack of crates blocking his way, angrily pushing a stack of woven baskets out of his way, scattering them.
He ducked to the side once again, weaving in and out of a half dozen alleys and backstreets, intent on finding a way around the block, wanting to resume his attack on the wolf.
But no matter where he turned, no matter which path he chose, he would come face to face with a group of his pursuers, blocking his way, forcing him to go back, to find another route.
No matter which path he took, he could hear them behind him, one of them yelling at the others, ordering them to take him out, to rush after him, warning to catch him, warning them to not let him escape.
He could hear them, even smell them. Some of them, racing along on the roofs above, where calling out to the others, directing them, preventing him from losing them in the maze of houses and buildings, infuriating him even further.
Others, chasing him along the narrow streets below, trying to catch up to him, were following him closely, never more than a turn or two behind him, preventing him from doubling back.
Gritting his teeth together in hot fury, his anger mounting to an all-consuming, numbing sensation, he let out an angry growl, feeling as if Qiang was getting further and further away every second, no doubt heading for the real fight, in the opposite direction of where Jun was going.
Jun slid to a halt, mud, dust and dirt spraying around him as he brought himself to a full stop, his claws digging into his palms as he tried to still his shaking hands, his anger making them shiver.
Fine.
If there was no other way, then he would fight them now, and then he would find Qiang afterwards.
They thought they had him on the run. They thought he was trying to escape. They were wrong.
He had no intention of escaping.
They did not understand the nature of their target.
He was not the prey in this game of cat and mouse.
He was the predator.
Letting them catch sight of him, he took off at a sprint again, injecting a newfound energy into his legs, pushing him forwards with a newfound momentum.
Taking another sudden turn, he sprinted down an alley, seeing the river through the spaces between the houses, the blue river sparkling in the morning sun, before he caught sight of what he had been searching for.
A particularly tall and robust-looking stack of crates, placed against the wall of one of the storehouses, almost resembled a set of stairs, lead upwards, towards the roof, the stack terminating hallway up the building.
Sprinting forward, his bow placed over his shoulder, the string across his left shoulder, he leapt up, jumping from box to box, before he came to the top and, with all the strength he could muster, leapt up, his powerful legs sending him flying skywards.
He almost made it, almost leapt clear onto the building, but he still needed to grab on to the side, using his arms to pull him up the last bit, pushing himself unto the roof of the building, giving him a clear view across the city.
The warehouse he was standing on was not the tallest building in the town. That honor went to the tavern, reaching upwards, now seemingly far away, but it still was of a decent height, overlooking much of the town, giving him a good view of the surrounding land.
He got a short glimpse of the white, mud and snow-covered fields surrounding the town, outside the wooden walls, the forests and trees surrounding them on three sides having been pushed way back to make room for the crops that fed the inhabitants, the boxy outlines of a couple of outlying farms visible in the distance, the great road cutting its way through the trees, making its way across the fields towards the town on each side.
However, he did not have time to enjoy the view, and he did not allow himself the luxury of orientating himself, to see how the guards fared in their fight against the wolves. He had his own fight to worry about
Turning, seeing one of the wolves jumping across the tops of the nearby houses, yelling to his comrades bellow, pointing towards Jun, he brought up his bow, nocked a new arrow, and sent it flying towards the bandit, the missile racing towards him.
It struck its target in midair, the wolf, surprised and in pain, tumbling forward, botching its jump, crashed into the top of the house it had been vaulting too, the tiles coming loose, sending it falling to the streets bellow with a frightened yelp.
"He's on the roof! Get up there!"
He stepped forward, placing one foot on the edge of the building, looking down into shade of the muddy alley beneath, seeing a handful of his pursuers rush around the corner, crowding forward, some of them already climbing the crates he himself had used.
He fired another arrow, and one of the bandits, nearly at the top of the stack, crashed down, falling into the mud, his companions, looking up, seeing him scowling down at them, scattered, not wanting to give him an opportunity to draw a bead on them, abandoning their attempt to scale the side.
Not wanting to give them an opportunity to regroup, he loosened a poorly aimed arrow at one of them, but it skidded off the surface of the road a few inches behind one of the retreating bandits, and they disappeared into the maze of the streets below before he had a chance to fire again.
Hearing the distant sound of clattering tiles, he turned to see the second group, having circled around earlier to block his advance, as they came running across the top of the neighboring building, heading towards him, the three of them closing the distance fast.
He turned, drawing his sword, and with an angry growl, he began making his own way towards them, wanting to head them off on the other side of the warehouse he himself occupied, the tiles tearing off, sliding away underneath him, clattering to the ground, threatening to make him slip and fall.
The wolves, rushing forward, jumped across the gap, sailing through the air surprisingly gracefully, and came to a sliding, halting stop in front of him.
He rushed forward, a surprisingly deep roar escaping him. Feeling the roof give way underneath him, he half ran, half slipped, into one of the bandits, who was busy trying to right himself, his arms flailing slightly as he tried to regain his balance, not having expected the roof to be so unstable.
Jun didn't give him the opportunity though, crashing into him, using his full weight to push the wolf, who, surprised, shouted out as he slipped, falling off the edge of the roof, his arms flailing even more as they desperately tried to grab onto something, before he disappeared, falling to the ground, followed by a cascade of tiles.
Righting himself, Jun brought up his sword to block an incoming strike, the head of an axe hammering into the gleaming steel of his sword.
He reached out his free hand, grabbing hold of the wolf's arm, preventing him from drawing back his weapon for another strike, the bandit looking up surprised.
Pulling him closer, making the wolf lose his footing, Jun stepped past him, his blade going low, meeting resistance, before he let the wolf go, feeling the bandit slump behind him, Jun sword coming away, dripping.
The third wolf, seeing his two companions go down in quick succession, faced with the furious, cloaked stranger before him, and with no reinforcements in evidence, took a step back, bringing up his sword, his eyes filling with fear as he glanced around for something to use that could improv his diminishing chances of survival.
Jun didn't know where the first group had gone, having lost both sight and interest in them after they abandoned their attempt to scale the side of the building, but seeing that the wolf in front of him was the last one to stand in his way, he gave it no chance to come up with a strategy to defeat him.
He leapt forward, his blade striking out, aiming for the wolf's shoulder, but the bandit, faster and nimbler than he had anticipated, turned, his own sword coming up in a blur to catch Jun's, the two of them coming apart again, before Jun tried to strike from below, sweeping his blade in a low arch.
Once again he was blocked, the wolf gaining confidence, trying to strike back, thinking he saw an opening, his sword going high, but as he did so, he exposed himself.
Seeing his chance, Jun spun, crouching low, avoiding the counterstrike, the heel of his foot striking the back of the bandit's knee, making his leg bend, sending him falling backwards, loosing his grip on his sword, the blade clattering to the roof, sliding off, falling to the streets bellow.
The wolf himself began sliding, his arms flailing as they sought to gain purchase, grabbing hold of tiles that would simply give way, and he tumbled over the side.
In the last possible moment, one of his paws closed onto the metal gutter, running along the lower part of the roof, arresting his drop, but only temporarily.
With a loud, screeching sound, the gutter came off the roof, tearing itself free under the weight of the grown wolf, the whole thing falling to the ground, taking the screaming bandit with it.
He landed in a heap on the hard stones bellow, the air driven from his lungs, his arm lying at an odd angle, but judging by the pained howl, he was still very much alive.
Jun glared down at him, seeing that he wasn't going to get up any time soon, and so, as he no longer presented an obstacle, he lost all interest in him.
Sheathing his sword, taking out his bow, placing his third to last arrow on the string, he looked around, searching for the remaining wolves, but failed to locate them.
He remained where he was for another minute, the point of his arrow tracking left and right, ready for any threat to appear around the corner at any moment.
But nothing came, the wolves having disappeared, and with dark satisfaction, he realized that he must have scared them off, sending them running with their tails between their legs.
Directing his gaze towards the heart of the city, where a growing pillar of dark smoke rose skywards, the loud sound of fighting drawing his attention, he squinted his eyes, but could not see anything, the buildings hiding the battle, shielding them from him.
Growling, he started forward.
"I'm coming for you Qiang."
He whispered it to himself, half as a reminder, half as a promise. Both to himself.
And to the wolf.
It would end here.
One way or the other.
AN:
First of all, I would like to say thank you to all those who have taken the time to review this story but to whom I haven't replied, for which I'm very sorry, and I hope you all understand that your positive feedback is very much appreciated, and welcomed.
So, this turned out to be one hell of a long chapter, dragging on and on and on. I had intended for the whole fight to fit in one chapter, wanting to use it as a steppingstone to start off on the second phase of the story, but as I rounded the 15k word count, I decided that, for the sake of reader friendliness, I would split it into two parts, to make it more easy to digest, and give me some time to finish the second half.
For some, this chapter might have been a bit violent and bloody, and perhaps, a bit dark, but I hope that it didn't get too much for you if that how you felt.
While I purposefully tried to make it darker than some of the previous chapters, I hope it doesn't get too overshadowing, but I'm afraid that its going to get a bit worse before it gets better.
I've been wondering though, seeing as the story just rounded 100k words last update (Hurray) without me having made much progression in the storyline (at least, not as much as I had planned) If you guys thought that it was progressing a bit too slowly? I don't know, just a thought.
Well, I hope you guys all liked the chapter, and if you have any notes, questions or anything else, please post a review. I just love reviews
Now, I'm going to do my very best to have the second half of this posted before Christmas, after which I will probably have to take a break from writing for at least two weeks. Yeah, sorry. So it might be the better part of a month before I update this, but fear not! I shall return.
But until then, hope you enjoyed.
