Authors Notes: Still do not own anything. Be warned this chapter is a bit on the gory side.
Karl did not know how long he sat there, no one came to see him and there were no windows. He felt woozy and sick from the silver, which continued to burn his wrists. Then he felt the pain that had felt the night before, his bones breaking and his skin stretching and the roaring in his head. But tonight was different. The pain was not as intense as before, it almost seemed that something was force his bones to stay together and his skin to stay in place, even the roaring was not as overwhelming. The increased sensation of burning coming from his wrists gave him a good idea why. While all the pain caused by the manacles was unwanted at least he was able to maintain control because of them.
The commotion outside distracted him. There were the sounds of voices raised in fear, the clash of arms and bellows in deep guttural voices. What was going on? Karl did not know but he had to find out, the sounds were getting louder and closer. Frantically he pulled on the chain connecting his manacles to the post. Each jerk caused fresh ways of pain to shoot through his arms but he kept at it. Finally, with a strength he never knew he had he gave a final heave and the chain burst.
Just then the door burst open and the witch hunter literally flew into the room, his flight caused by a blow from the creature that came in after him. It stood over six feet tall it would have stood taller but it walked in a stooped manner. Even though he had never seen one before Karl knew at once what it was an orc, its green skin unmistakable. It looked from the witch hunter, who was obviously dead, to Karl and smiled a horrible smile and started toward him.
Part of Karl wanted to back away in fear from the horrible creature, but another part did not. The part that had been with him since the half-remembered night wanted to attack this thing, to kill it before it could kill him. With a cry that was half a scream of terror and half a beast-like cry of challenge he threw himself at the orc. The creature was taken off guard by the attack, obviously not expecting any resistance. Karl bore the orc to the ground; he straddled the orc, and began to flail the brute's head with the length of chain still hanging from his wrists. The orc's head was soon a bloody deformed mess; all fear gone now, drowned in a tide of euphoria, Karl threw back his head and howled in triumph.
Lowering his head he turned to look at the body of the witch hunter, fighting down the urge to tear the body shreds he moved over to the body and after a brief search he found what he was looking for, a ring of keys on his belt. It took a bit of effort but he managed to get the key into the lock and undo his manacles. Grimacing in pain he pulled the spikes out of his skin, it turned out the spikes were serrated as well. As soon as they were gone he felt the roaring increase in volume as did the feelings of stretching and breaking. But something, most likely the lingering effects of the silver seemed to cause it all to happen slower and he was still able to focus, though with increasing difficulty. He howled again this time in agony as his whole body seemed to change. He felt his bones stretched, break, and reform, and his body swell and grow. He felt the blackness swirling up to smother him as it had before. Determined not to let that happened again he reached for the discarded manacles. As he reached for them, they seemed to be farther away then he remembered, he was shocked to see that his arm was now covered in black fur and his fingers were tipped with claws as long as a dagger blade. Grabbing the manacles he raked it up and down his arm. The pain was intense but the howling and blackness receded somewhat and he was able to stay focused.
Rising to his feet he headed out the door, he now had to stoop to fit. He was momentarily stunned, his senses overwhelmed. His eyes could see better and sharper than ever and his nose was filled with scents, many he had never smelled before, and he was almost deafened by all the noises assaulting his ears. Then there was what was going on in front of him, it was chaos. Orcs were everywhere and villagers were running in screaming in all directions. He looked just in time to see old Brome, two dead orcs at his feet, swing his halberd and decapitate a third. As the creature fell another ran up and thrust a spear into Brome's back with such force it burst through his chest.
Karl loosed a roar that had nothing human in it and charged. The orc saw him coming and began to emit and a new smell that Karl recognized, though he did not know how, as fear and it drove him nearly out of his mind in excitement at the feeling of power the smell invoked in him. He sprang forward and lashed out. With his right hand he tore the orc's stomach open and with his left he tore the front of its face off. As the orc fell Karl looked about, eager for more, he did not have to look long. Everywhere he looked villagers were either dying or fighting in small groups, here and there he saw the witch hunter's men fighting alongside the villagers. Off near the village temple he saw the priest that had accompanied him herding the village children out of it, its roof on fire. Before they got very far several orcs came out of an ally and headed toward them. The priest placed himself between them and the children. As Karl ran toward them, unconsciously dropping down to run on all fours, the orcs reached them.
The priest parried the blow with his hammer and with a single blow crushed his opponents head. Two more came at him and attacked him simultaneously. The priest blocked the one the left with the haft of his hammer and ducked under the blow from the one on the right. Its blade continued on and struck the orc on the left. That one turned and knocked the offender to the ground. The priest took the opportunity and slammed his weapon into its stomach, when it doubled over he struck it on the back of the neck with such force he almost beheaded it. Unfortunately for him the other orc clambered to its feet and struck the priest on the shoulder. The man dropped his hammer and clutched at his shoulder with a cry of pain. Laughing the orc swung again and the priest's head flew from his shoulders. With another laugh the orc turned toward the frightened children.
Before it could act Karl reached it. Standing up on his legs again he reached out grabbed the top of the orc's head and pulled it back and down. He leaned down and tore the orc's throat out with his teeth. Letting the body drop to the ground he turned back to the children and was stunned to see them backing away, looks of terror on the faces, and then he remembered he wasn't human anymore. "Get away monster!" Cried one then they all turned and ran. He went after then trying to reassure them but as only animal sounds came from his throat it only seemed to make things worse. They ran back into the temple, just then the roof collapsed. Karl tried to go to them but the flames were too intense and he was forced back, the screams were brief but heart wrenching.
Karl through back his head and howled in grief. As he fell silent he realized that the village had gone quiet, turning he saw that fighting seemed to have stopped. Everywhere he looked he saw the bodies of the villagers and orcs mingled together, the chaos and noise of battle replaced with a quiet that was almost as terrifying. Then he heard footsteps approaching him. Turning towards the sound he saw a band of orcs, about a dozen coming toward him. In the middle was one that stood a full head and shoulders above the others and was bettered armored in a shirt of rusty chainmail. It looked at him and laughed. "Yous fights good wolfy-boy! But I's about to gut youz and make ya pelt a cloak!" Karl's eyes blazed with hate and the beast inside him roared. This thing was the leader, he had brought them here, and he was why all the people were dead.
He rushed forward, wanting to tear it limb from limb. But the orc hand anticipated this and shifted so only his side, covered by his shield, was facing Karl. Karl slammed into it, forcing the orc back but was unable to break past it to get at the orc. It for its part swung partially around to position himself to deliver a blow from his blade. Fortunately his blow was high and took Karl in the ribs rather than in the stomach, it still carried enough force to go half way through several ribs. Karl wailed in pain as the orc tugged and twisted the blade trying to work it free. It finally drew back his shield and bashed it into Karl, knocking him to the ground and freeing the blade.
Karl crashed to the ground, from there he rolled onto his stomach and slashed at the orc's legs drawing lines of blood. The orc screeched and jumped back then lashed out in a savage kick which caught Karl in the same place the blade had, causing several of the damaged ribs to break entirely. Karl blanked out for a moment then forced down the pain and tried to get to his feet. Before he could however the orc brought his blade down on his left shoulder, almost severing the arm and rendering it useless. Karl made a sound that almost sounded like crying, in desperation he lunged forward and bit at the orcs groin. It twisted away at the last moment and Karl's teeth sank into its inner thigh.
The orc squealed and jerked away, leaving Karl with a mouthful of its flesh. Karl took the opportunity to get to his feet and charged, he planned this time as he closed with the orc, he twisted so his injured left side slammed into to shield, driving the orc back against the side of a building and pinning the shield against the orc's body. While with his right arm he grabbed the orc's weapon arm, rendering it useless. Before the stunned orc could react to this Karl shot his head forward and bit down on the orc's head. The orc screamed and twisted his head from side to side but all that accomplished was to shred the skin on the sides of its head, including part of its left ear.
It felt like he was biting a block of stone but Karl held on and continued to pull back. Muscles in his neck burned like fire but he stubbornly help on. Finally, almost simultaneously, the skull collapsed in with the sound of a loud crack and the head tore loose from the neck.
Releasing it Karl turned to face the others. There was no way he could fight them but he snarled at them in defiance anyway, though to him it sounded little better than a whimper. But to his amazement they seemed to have lost all desire to fight with the death of their leader. They turned and fled in all directions. Karl had no desire to give chase and no strength to do so even if he had wanted to. With the adrenalin of the fight leaving the pain and weariness rushed in forcing him to the ground. He lay there panting like a dog for several minutes till blissful oblivion took him, while all around him the village burned.
Authors Notes: Well another chapter done. I hope you all liked it. To visualize Karl in his other form think the werewolf from the movie Van Hellsing, but I include a tail with mine. Please review especially about the fights if you think they need work. Will try to update soon, bye for now and may Jesus bless you all. Oh, to answer Kit, your gander was right, it is in Fantasy version.