Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I hope you liked the last chapter and will like this one as well. As always I own nothing.
Karl felt wonderful the next morning, he had bathed the night before and had eaten a large meal then slept till late the next morning. By the time he arrived downstairs the dishes from breakfast had been cleared away but he was able to wheedle some biscuits, cold ham and an apple from the cook. As he ate the Halfling servant told him that Marx would like to see him at his earliest convenience in the library. Knowing what that meant Karl quickly finished off the rest of his food and hurried after the servant to the library.
It was the same room that they had spoken in the night before, indeed Marx looked as if he hadn't moved from his seat since then. Taking the initiative Karl sat down in a chair facing Marx, for several minutes the only sounds were the ticking of the clock and the scratching of Marx's quill as he wrote. At last the wizard put down the quill and looked up to regard Karl.
"Well my boy, it seems that you are quite recovered from your ordeals." Karl got an uneasy feeling, it sounded like Marx was setting him up for something and he really was not ready for another assignment, not that Marx ever seemed to care about how he felt when he dumped these jobs on him. He just hoped it paid well.
"Unfortunately," Marx continued; "I have another task for you." Thus confirming Karl's suspicions. "Fortunately, you do not have to go far. In fact, you will not have to leave the city."
"Indeed?" Karl said; "What's the job?"
"Indeed," Marx said dryly; "The job is in the lower part of the city. In recent weeks there has been a series of grisly murders, the victims literally torn to shreds. The Watch has been unable to locate any suspects or any clues to his, her or their identity. Not that they have tried very hard, they generally do not hold a very high opinion of the citizens of that part of the city so they have not put a great deal of effort into stopping these attacks. So I fear that you shall have little help from that quarter."
"So I shall be operating on my own then?"
"Not entirely, there is a man there, one Oldric Pfeiffer, who resides in the district. We have had dealings in the past and he is a man of some influence in that part of the city."
"Is he some kind of business man then?" Karl asked, Marx's response was a derisive snort.
"I suppose if one were inclined to generosity one could call him that. No, Pfeiffer is the leader of one of the gangs that hold power in that part of the city. These gangs control virtually all commerce in that part of the city, legal and otherwise. Indeed, many residents of that part of the city call him the King of Altdorf."
"How exactly do you know him again?" Karl asked, his tone revealing his surprise at the man's profession. This seemed to amuse Marx who chuckled.
"My dear boy, I work with, among other things, a werewolf and a vampire. Do you really find my working with a gang leader so hard to believe?" Karl shrugged to show that Marx made a good point. "Now as to answer your question; we have worked together a number of times over the years. I helped him rise through the ranks of the underworld, and done other favors for him, in exchange he provides me with information and other recourses over the years when I have need of them. The man is utterly ruthless and amoral but he does have a crude sense of honor, which means he will repay favors that he owes to others.
"Of late things have deteriorated between the two of us but when these attacks started to hurt his businesses he came to me to ask for help. So, in addition to ending these murders, you will ensure that he remembers how much he needs me. Now, off you go. Go to the Orc's Head tavern near the gate that you came into the city from, one of his men will be there to take you to him. Good luck and be careful."
Karl found the place without difficulty, it was a run-down, smoke blackened place which mainly catered to soldiers, mercenaries and caravan guards. Karl ordered a beer and before he finished it a man approached him. The man was of medium height and build clad in boiled leather armor. He had mud brown hair and his face was covered with stubble, except for the numerous scars that covered his face.
"You the one the boss sent me for?" The man's breath stank of beer and garlic and it took an effort not to wince so Karl merely nodded. "Right, boss want to talk to you so let's go." So saying the man turned and walked out, Karl right behind him.
They walked in silence through the streets and alleys as they headed into the poorer parts of Altdorf. The further they went the poorer things became till they were walking through what was little more than rundown slums. The streets were filled with beggars but they all seemed to know Karl's guide and kept their distance. Looking around him as they walked Karl saw that it was not just them that the people were afraid of, the very air seemed to have an air of dread about it. The killings clearly had the people on edge of panic.
At last they arrived at their destination, a three story building that seemed little better than the other buildings around it. Lounging in front of it were several burly and clearly well-armed men. They said nothing, merely nodded them through the door. Inside was as dirty and worn as it was on the outside and filled with armed men, whom were all giving of smells of uneasiness. Karl's guide took him up the stairs to the top floor and down the hall to a large room. Inside were more men, but these were clearly a cut above those below, being better armed and armored than the others. They all seemed to be waiting for the final figure in the room to speak.
He was a tall man, muscular and covered with scars but with a pronounced belly and a second chin, a man who had clearly had a hard upbringing and was now enjoying the fruits of his labor. He was clad, not in armor like the others in the room, but in cloths that had once been fine but were several years old and were dirty and worn with frayed edging. He looked Karl up and down for a moment before began to speak.
"You don't look like much. But I know Marx and he doesn't keep useless people around. So boy, I assume your master filled you in on what is going on?" Karl bristled a little at being called boy but he restrained himself and answered calmly.
"That there have been a number of murders in this district and you want them stopped."
"That's the gist of it, I want them stopped and I want whoever is responsible to die…very painfully. These people around here pay me for…protection and if they start to think I will let something like this they may decide that that is money poorly spent so yes, I want you to stop these attacks." Karl nodded, as he wracked his brains trying to think about what questions Brother Werner would ask in a situation like this.
"Did the victims had anything in common?"
"No, they were shop keeps, some whores, street urchins, beggars and even a few of my boys who I had looking into the other killings." Karl was about to ask more questions when there was a disturbance outside the room.
There was a commotion in the hallway, followed by a pounding on the door. One of the men opened the door and a man in the rags of a beggar. The man was visibly upset and seemed eager to talk to Pfeiffer. The gang leader gave a signal and his men let the man through. The man stumble forward till he stood in front of Pfeiffer. The man stood there for a moment panting till he managed to regain his breath.
"Boss…boss it's happened again! The killer has struck again!" Instantly Pfeiffer shot to his feet while those around him tensed.
"Where and who?!" Pfeiffer demanded.
"The old whore by the abandoned tannery." The man informed him. Pfeiffer then turned to Karl.
"Well, this is why I asked for your master's help! Go and find out who is doing this and stop them!" He then turned back to the beggar. "Go show this man where it happened!" The man was clearly not enthusiastic about that but nodded, clearly more afraid of Pfeiffer than of whoever was committing all of the murders.
The man led Karl through a series of narrow and filthy alleys. They did not have far to go, within fifteen minutes they came to a rundown building which Karl took to be the old tannery. There was a small crowd gathered around a corpse, though they parted when they saw Karl. Once they parted Karl could see the body of a woman. At least he assumed that it was a woman, in truth the body was so badly mauled that it was hard to tell.
He drew closer to take a better look at the body when he suddenly ground to halt. It was not the body that made him halt but rather the smell, it was familiar in the most intimate way possible. He smelled it on himself every time that he changed. The killer was a werewolf.
Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I hope you liked the chapter. It was suggested that he meet another werewolf so here we go. They will not meet right away as I plan this to be a mystery as he hunts the other werewolf, during which please feel free to speculate as to the other ones motives as I enjoy reading them. Till next time please pray for persecuted Christians and all others who suffer persecution, the sick, the homeless and runaways, victims of human trafficking, those who suffer, Gail Berry, a friend of the family suffering from mental deterioration and all others who suffer from physical and mental degeneration and all who need prayer. Bye and may Jesus bless you.