Author's Notes: Hey everyone, sorry that it has been so long since I updated. Hope that this makes up for that, as always I own nothing.
Clare's last attack had broken the back of the enemy's assault, those who had survived fled back through the gate. Once it was clear that the battle was over, at least for the moment, Oswald started organizing the men into work parties. Some were set to work ensure that no living Beastmen remained it the city, others were tasked with blocking up the gate and another was charged with putting out the fires and ensuring that the town did not burn down. Karl had taken Clare to where the physicians and other healers were tending to the wounded. He had wanted to remain there but he was told to take his place on the wall, it being acknowledge that he had the best night-eyes in the garrison, though he had been careful to ensure that just how superior his vision was remained a well-kept secret.
He took a position in the gatehouse and stared out into the forest. He altered his eyes and nose as much as he dared and stared into the woods and sniffed the air, but try as he might he could see nothing and the only Beastmen he smelled all smelled pleasantly of decay. It seemed that the foe had withdrawn back into the woods to lick their wounds and regroup. He would like to think that this meant that their will was broken and they were slinking off but he knew better. More likely, they were merely gathering their strength for another assault, they were nothing if not stubborn. Looking back over the town he could not see them withstanding another assault if they came with the same kind of strength as they had before. Especially if Clare was not yet awake when they came back.
The healer had assured him that she would be fine, that she had merely exhausted herself and would be fine after some rest and food. Still, he wished she would wake up. He inhaled deeply and froze, he could smell magic, faint but close. There was only one wizard in the town. That must mean…
"Clare!" He said turning around and found that Clare was not there.
"Sorry to disappoint, said a familiar voice. "But I fear the dog must be content with his mistress and not his paramour." With that Wilhelmina appeared before him, seeming to step straight from the shadows.
"What are you doing here?" Karl asked, suspicion of her reason for being at Helmsburg making him uneasy.
"I was passing through and I heard what was going on here and I came to get an accurate assessment of the situation for myself in case Marx should want a report."
"There were more of them in the first battle." Karl said. "Have you seen anything of them?" She made a dismissive gesture.
"I wouldn't worry about them. The messengers this town sent got through. An army is being raised and it is more than enough to deal with them. I would not worry about them, all that is left is the force in the woods. Granted they are no threat to any of the larger cities but they could cause a great deal of damage to the various villages and small holdings before they are crushed. I would rather not have that happen. So, I have decided to deal with the brutes here and now and it is fortunate that I should find my loyal dog here to help me." He raised a sardonic eyebrow.
"Oh, are the two of us to go into the woods and challenge the whole army? Or shall we make it more entertaining and fight them in duels one after the other?" Her response was an exasperated sigh.
"Stick to killing dog and leave jesting to your masters." She sighed again and then became serious.
"The Beastmen only follow their leader because he is the strongest. We merely have to kill the leader and the tribe will fall into infighting. Then, once another leader emerges, we kill that one as well and again and again till the herd has been reduced to a size which can no longer threaten this town or anyone else."
"Which still leaves the problem of cutting through the brute's army to get to him." Karl said. Her reply was to pat him on the shoulder with condescending.
"Don't worry my dear pet, I shall slay the monster you merely have to keep it guards busy. As for getting close to it, leave that to me."
Giving no further word she slid off of the wall onto the ground below. Karl waited till his relief arrived and as soon as he was out of sight he slipped over the wall and followed Wilhelmina's scent to just inside the woods. Karl was prepared to head into woods when she put a hand on his arm.
"Just a moment. Let me prepared something."
"What is it?" Karl asked her.
"Something which will allow us to get through without being noticed. Now if you would kindly let me continue?" She said, in a tone which suggested Karl should be quiet.
She began muttering words in a language which Karl did not understand. He knew that she was casting a spell like Clare, but at the same time it was different. Where Clare's spells were vibrant, full life and heat, Wilhelmina's were different. Hers were low and dark, like what shadows would sound like if shadows made sound. He had heard her cast spells before but he hadn't really notice how she had sounded before. Then he noticed that the air around them was becoming…thicker, looking around he saw that things were becoming even darker, also it seemed that everything was becoming dimmer, harder to hear and even his sense of smell was hampered. It was almost like being inside a shadow. At last Wilhelmina finished her chanting.
"It's done, this glamor should ensure that we are not seen. They may be able to pierce it if they have a shaman of their own. However; I rather doubt that they do. They are clearly followers of Khorne and they would have little to do with magic."
"Who?" Karl asked, made uneasy by the clear loathing that he heard in her voice.
"Value your ignorance and do not ask again. Now silence." From there they moved on in silence.
Apparently they could disrupt the glamor by rapid movement because they moved slowly, even though Karl could have pick a trail through the woods which would have allowed them to move faster. It seemed that, though they moved through woods for what seemed like hours, it did not seem as if they were getting anywhere. Then Karl went stiff as the scent of Beastmen came to him, even though the hindering effect of the glamor. Afraid to speak, lest he give them way, he stopped and he put his hand up. Wilhelmina got the message and silently came to a halt. She silently motioned for him to get into a nearby hallow created by a fallen tree. Once there they hunkered down and waited.
About a minute later a half dozen of the Beastmen came into view. They were ambling along, clearly not looking for Karl and Wilhelmina. They stopped not far from where they were hidden and sat down to rest. Karl looked at Wilhelmina, seeking direction. She silently shook her head, clearly telling him not to attack them. Just then the light breeze changed direction, place Karl and Wilhelmina upwind of the Beastmen. The one closest to them went stiff and raised its head to smell the air. Apparently they were close enough that they could smell Karl and Wilhelmina thru the glamor. The Beastman made a chocking, barking noises which attracted the attention of its comrades and they all turned to look in the direction of the hallow. It was clear that they could not pinpoint where the smell was coming from but could detect them, at least slightly.
Two of them started moving in the direction of the hallow, Karl slowly drew his breath in and began to tense his muscles, ready to spring. Just then a deer, doubtless frightened by the Beastmen, burst from the trees and bolted passed the Beastmen and vanished into the trees behind them. They gave a series of happy sounding cries and took off after it. Karl gave a relieved sigh and felt his muscles relax. They lay there in silence for several minutes, waiting to see if they would come back but they did not reappear. Either they were still chasing the deer or had caught it and were eating. At last she signaled for him to get up and move from the hallow and they continued on.
They encountered several more bands of Beastmen but none of them came as close as the first one had. As they moved on the smell of the creatures was getting stronger and stronger and the Beastmen bands were being encountered closer and closer together. Then Karl began to detect sound coming towards them and the smell of Beastmen became mingled with the smell so of fires and burning meat. They came upon a large clearing which was clearly the Beastmen camp.
Karl could not see how many of them there were but there were clearly thousands of them. Their camp resembled nothing like the human camp; it was a chaotic mass of tents, heaps of unidentifiable substances and bones and broken gear lay everywhere. There were several pits with fires burning in them. Over these fires, roasting on spits, were the carcasses of animals and one which looked horrifyingly like a person. Around these Beastmen sat or stood eating, drinking and in many cases fighting. So absorbed was Karl in taking it all in that he nearly jumped when Wilhelmina placed her hand on his shoulder. She hissed at him to be silent and pointed towards a large hut made of various hides stitched together and what looked like a standard planted in the ground in front of it.
"That's it, that's the leader's tent." She in a low hiss. "I need to either get in there or have it come out. What you are going to do is create a distraction to draw the Beastmen around it. Once you have their attention run into the woods and draw them away."
"How exactly do you propose I do that?" He hissed in an equally low voice. She threw him an exasperated look.
"Make a loud noise, let them see you! Use your head! I can't do all of your thinking for you! Just count to fifty and then move." With that she moved away. As she did so the air seemed to shimmer and his senses returned to normal, the sights, sounds and smells grew more powerful, nearly overwhelmingly so, especially the stench. He tried to see where Wilhelmina had gone but there was no sign of her, though he thought that he could detect an area where things were not quite right.
He turned his attention back to the Beastmen camp. How in the name of Sigmar was he supposed to distract an entire army? Well, there was nothing to it but to try. Wilhelmina had told him to leave his weapons at home so he shifted himself into his wolven form. An idea came to him, it was probably a bad idea but he could think of no other idea. He moved to an area where he could make a clear run, threw back his head and howled at the top of his lungs. The sound of it rang through the forest, many of the Beastmen turned toward the sound but made no movement to investigate. Well, that hadn't worked, he would have to think of something else. He thought for a moment, trying to think of something other than simply running into the camp and attacking everything in sight, though that would likely succeed in distracting the Beastmen from whatever it was that Wilhelmina was planning to execute. At last he came to an idea, a bad one, little better than rushing in and attacking everyone, which was exactly what he was trying to avoid, but there was nothing to it.
He crouched as low to the ground as he could and crept up to the encampment, making sure that he stayed upwind. The howl had unnerved the Beastmen but as time passed and nothing else happened they had begun to relax. Karl moved up on a small group of them who were closest to the trees. One of them stood up and moved towards the trees to make water. Its mind on its task it did not see Karl as he crept up on the creature. With one hand Karl covered the creature's mouth and with his other he racked across its throat. He held it so that it would not make any noise as it fell to the ground. Karl dragged it off into the woods and then returned to the edge of the clearing. There were now only three Beastmen near him, he could work with that.
To improve his chances he climbed up a tree, a branch of which hung over one of the Beastmen. Karl crawled out onto the branch till the creature was directly blow him and then dropped down onto its back. With a loud crack its back snapped as it crumpled under Karl's weight. The other two sprang to their feet, weapons in hand, but they had been taken by surprise by Karl's sudden appearance. This caused them to freeze for a moment and that was all that Karl needed. With his fingers extended out like a spear on his left hand he thrust it into the throat of one. While at the same time he grabbed the other's throat and crushed it. As he had expected this did not go unnoticed, all around him Beastmen turned towards him and then began to run towards him.
That was why Karl had had to kill those four Beastmen, not only to get the others' attention but also to ensure that he had sufficient space to get enough of a lead on any persuaders. He took off into in the woods, with what sounded like dozens of the creatures chasing him. Not wanting to endanger the town he took off in the opposite direction, heading deeper into the woods. The smell of Beastmen filled the woods and he could hear them as they pounded through the woods in pursuit of him. While most of them were too slow to catch Karl there were a few who, doubtless through some mutation, were capable of running far faster than the others and he soon heard them gaining on him.
Suddenly, one of them sprang onto Karl's back. It seemed to be smaller than many of the Beastmen and had too many limbs, with both four legs and four arms. With one set of feet, which had claws instead of hooves, it dug into Karl's back while it wrapped the other around his waist, or rather tried to as they were too short to wrap all the way around Karl's back. The same help true for its arms, they were strong and clawed yet were not long enough to wrap all the way around Karl's waist. Never the less, the thing weighed enough to cause him to stumble and fall to the ground. As Karl lay on the ground the thing wrapped one of its pairs of hands around Karl's throat and began to squeeze.
Karl struggled and clawed at the hands but he could not get them loose. He could hear his blood hammering in his ears and black spots began to appear before his eyes. Abandoning his efforts to dislodge the creature from his back he placed both of his hands on the ground and pushed up. The creature was heavy but not heavy enough to keep him on the ground. As he stumbled to his feet he began running towards a nearby tree. As he drew near he twisted so that creature was the one who hit the tree. There was a snapping crunching sound and the fingers around his throat went slack and with a quick shake the creature fell off his back. Karl heard if fall to the ground but did not have time to finish it off, he could hear the bulk of Beastmen closing fast, the delay caused by dealing with the thing had given them time to catch up.
He shot off again as fast as he could but the near strangling had left his throat bruised and he found that he was having trouble getting his breathing regular due to coughing it his vision was taking its sweet time clearing. To his horror he realized that they were gaining on them and there sounded like there were hundreds of them. His attention was seized by the sound of rushing water. Off to the side was a small ravine, at the bottom of which there was a river running. Not knowing what else to do he dove into the ravine, as he fell he shifted into his human form. He had feared that the water might be too shallow and he would end up crashing into the bottom. Fortunately, the water turned out to be deeper than it had looked in the gloom. He slid through the water and then resurfaced without injury.
He looked up to see if the Beastmen had seen him. He heard the sounds of Beastmen running above him and some of them clearly did not have either Karl's eyesight or his hearing and several of them tumbled down from above to crash into the water. Fortunately they seemed to lack Karl's swimming ability and after a few moments furious struggling they went under and did not come back up. The situation also worked in his favor because the Beastmen clearly were not inclined to investigate the river further and they moved on. There were so many of them that it seemed to take forever for them all to move on, it did not help that the sound of the water crashing against the walls and rocks made hearing the sounds of the Beastmen above Karl, who was clinging to the side of the wall, difficult.
After waiting for what seemed like half of the night Karl at last decided that he had waited long enough and began to climb up the rock wall. Despite his claws he still found the way difficult, the rock had a healthy growth of moss in places and the rock walls were wet and slippery. At last, after receiving an impressively large number of cuts, scrapes and bruises, he made it to the top. Karl just lay there panting for several minutes before he was able to get up and start moving. He shifted back into his wolven form and began retracing his path back to the Beastmen camp. Though he could smell them he did not see any Beastmen aside from stragglers here and there.
As he drew near the camp he heard the sounds of fighting, it seemed that not all of the Beastmen had followed Karl into the woods, or possibly even not the majority. This caused Karl to take a slower, more cautious, approach to the camp. As he drew nearer the sounds of battle increased in volume. When he drew near the edge of the clearing he again crouched down and stared onto the ongoing battle.
Two brutes of truly massive size where battling in the center of a ring of other Beastmen. At their feet lay several bodies of other Beastmen who appeared to have been killed recently, blood still oozing from the wounds. Nearby at the tent Wilhelmina had identified lay the body of a Beastman which dwarfed all of the others. It had had no less than six horns sprouting from its head and had an equal number of arms, a sword in each hand, not that they had done it any good. Strangely, as it looked like it could have put up a ferocious fight the fact that it had its weapons in its hands meant that it had not been taken off guard, there were no wounds on it except for a single wound to its throat. The wound itself was surprisingly small, almost surgical in appearance. Karl turned his attention back to the fight.
It was clear that the fight was almost over, one of the combatants was favoring one leg and was rapidly being beat down by its opponent. Just as its opponent was prepared to deliver the death blow Karl sensed a gathering of magic, there was a sudden blur of motion. Karl was certain that the Beastmen had not seen it and Karl was not actually certain that he had seen it himself, but they all saw the results. The would-be victor stumbled forward, blood pouring from a wound which had suddenly appeared on the back of its leg. Its opponent took advantage of this and lunged forward. It stumbled but managed to land a blow which not only killed the other Beastman, but nearly decapitated it. It through back its head and let out a screech of triumph. A screech which was cut short when another Beastmen came from the circle and thrust a sword through its back. As it fell to the ground its killer found itself challenged by another from the watching throng.
Karl was still watching when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, he jolted and turned, fangs bared. He caught himself when the smell of magic came to him. Sure enough, it was Wilhelmina, who gave him an annoyed look on her face.
"It would appear that your senses are failing you." She hissed in a condescending tone. "I will chose to think that rather than you were intentionally trying to harm your owner. Come, our work here is done." Without waiting for his consent she climbed onto his back and motioned for him to return to the town. He loped through the trees on all fours, his eyes and ears alert for the sight or sound of Beastmen in the woods, but there were no signs of them, they were either wandering in the woods looking for Karl or were watching the fights going on. Thus, they were able to reach the edge of the trees unmolested. He was about to leave the trees when Wilhelmina pulled on his fur, causing him to halt. She dismounted and scratched his ear. As always he found that both irritating and strangely enjoyable.
"Get back into town," she told him. "When you get there go back to your dwelling, I'll join you there." Karl crept from the trees and down the hill to the wall of the town.
Though it was nearing dawn he was not seen and was able to scale the wall unnoticed. Once inside he shifted to his human form, deciding that while it would cause comment if seen his wolven form would result in panic and lynch mobs. Fortunately, most people were either still working on the fires or other repair work and he was able to make his way to his room at the inn undetected. Clare was resting at the healers so he had the room to himself. When he had first gotten to the town he had been given more clothing and he changed into some of these when his nose told him that he was no longer alone. Turning he saw Wilhelmina sitting on the bed.
"Nice place you have here." She said in a sardonic tone, looking around the one room.
"What are you doing here?" He demanded.
"I needed to have a talk with you without the risk of Beastmen interrupting. And since your…companion," as she said it Karl detected the note of dislike in her voice; "Will not be interrupting us we can talk." She paused and gave him a stern glare.
"Where is the vampire?" She demanded in a tone of voice which made it clear that she was not interested in any dodges or evasions.
Karl found himself resisting the urge to squirm. He had been afraid of this since he had first seen her. It had been moved into the background by the need to deal with the Beastmen. Now that the subject had come up, however; it all now came rushing back. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry, and went over to the table where he had placed a bottle of cheap wine and took a deep swig before turning back to Wilhelmina and forced a smile to his face.
"You know that is actually a funny story." He said, a nervous laughter escaping from his lips. She did not look amused.
"Do tell." She said dryly.
"Well…" he paused for a moment and then began to speak. He started from the beginning and recounted all that he and Helena had done. Wilhelmina never said a word but her eyes grew harder and harder. When he mentioned taking the collar off Wilhelmina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. At last his story came to an end. For a moment she just sat there and stared at him, on her face was a look which reminded Karl how easily she had dispatched the Beastmen leader. At last she rose from the bed, walked up to him, took the wine from him and returned to the bed where she took a deep swig. She sat in silence again for several minutes before she took a deep breath and began to speak again.
"So let me see if I heard this correctly; you let the vampire, the create we all went through a great deal of trouble to capture. Trouble which, I may add, involved you and me going into a haunted city which nearly cost me my life. Not being content with that folly, you dropped your guard long enough for it to attack you and escape." All of this was said in a tone that indicated that she was holding her temper with only the greatest of efforts, then her voice dropped to barely above a mutter. "I knew I should have gone and not you." Karl did not know what to say but something told him it would be better if he said nothing at all, at last she took another deep breath and looked at him.
"I should report you to Marx, this is serious and our master would not be happy if he finds that we were concealing this matter from him." Karl found his heart beating faster and his breath caught in his throat. He remembered the feeling of the band around his throat and the feeling of strangulation. He definitely did not want to feel that again and who knew what else the wizard was capable of doing if his wrath was provoked.
"Still," she said after a moment; "You are a useful and loyal beast and you will be mine one day. I would hate lose you.
"This is what is going to happen. I will not lie to Marx about this, not that I could do so successfully in any event. However; I will not bring it up and will give you a chance to fix your mistake by finding the creature and bringing it back. If you can do that, then there is no reason to ever speak of this incident." Karl felt his breathing and heartrate return to normal.
He was relieved and even grateful for the chance she was giving him but he could not help feeling a little exasperated. He had been planning to hunt the vampire anyway but where was he going to start looking for the thing? By now it could be anywhere. Plus, while he could hardly complain, he did not enjoy having his failures rubbed in his face, which made him feel annoyed all the more at her tone and her ordering him about and made him feel petulant.
"And where do you propose I start looking for the thing?" He asked, exasperation and sarcasm coloring his voice.
"Well, you're the tracking animal. But if I were you, I would head west from here to Schultzenburg."
"Why Schultzenburg?" Karl asked. "I've never heard of the place."
"It used to be a large city due to its being a trade center, then the trade routes to Bretonnia shifted and the city waned in both importance and population. As of now we are not aware of any vampire activity in the city. I don't know if this is known to our vampire. It is, however; the largest and closest city in the area. Its kind are creatures of the city so it will likely remain there if it makes it. Even if it does not, you are more likely to pick up its trail there than if you spent your time wandering around in the woods." Karl could not see any flaws in her argument and it would beat wandering around in the woods.
"Very well," he said after a moment; "I shall make for Schultzenburg."
"I am so pleased." She tone was clearly mocking, but not maliciously so. "You should leave first thing in the morning."
"The morning!" Karl said, startled. "Are we sure that the Beastmen are dealt with? They may come back." She shook her head.
"They won't. I killed the leader and all of those who might be able to keep the herd united. By this time tomorrow the herd will have torn itself apart with in-fighting. If any do attack the town again they will be far too weak to pose a serious threat. I suspect that in a day or two it will be safe for the people to begin returning to their villages." Karl looked at her and remembered the village where he had fought alongside Clare for the first time and the thoughts that had filled his head in the aftermath of that battle.
"They will never be safe, even if the herd is no longer a threat." She looked at him for a moment and then nodded her agreement. They remained silent for several minutes before Karl spoke again.
"I may have to stay a day or two, if I leave too soon questions may be asked. Once they confirm that the threat is confirmed to be gone then I can leave without suspicion. They think me a mercenary and will expect me to move on once there is no more fighting. She gave him a suspicious look then nodded.
"Very well. Just make sure it is not too long. You don't want to risk the vampire getting away, again." So saying she rose and began taking her boots off.
"What are you doing?" Karl asked.
"I am tired, it has been a long night. I might be noticed if I sleep somewhere else." By now her boots were off and she undid her belt. Her trousers fell to the floor, her shirt reached half-way down to her knees, which to Karl's relief she kept on. She then nonchalantly climbed into the bed. For a moment Karl just starred at her.
"And where am I supposed to sleep!?" Karl demanded. She just gave him a curious look.
"Come now, it's not as if you've never had a woman in your bed. You can take your wolven form if it makes you feel better." Karl was tempted but the bed was likely too small to hold him in that form so he pulled off his boots but left his other clothing on. He couldn't be sure, as he lay with his back to her, but he could have sworn that she had a faint look of disappointment on her face.
Karl slept late the next morning, not having duty till evening. When he did awaken Wilhelmina was gone and there was no sign to indicate that she had ever been there. He rose, dressed and went down stairs. In the common room there were a number of men and women, many of them stained with soot from working on the fires. Karl got a plate of bacon and black bread and a mug of ale and sat down at one of the tables with three other men.
"How go the fires?" Karl asked.
"Good." One of the men said. "We have managed to get most of them out and should be finished before nightfall."
"How about you?" One of the other men asked Karl. "You have been on the walls. Has there been any sign of the beasts?"
"I haven't been on the wall since last night." Karl answered him. "But when I was up there I saw no sign of them." He found that he enjoyed this. Knowing something no one else knew, that the threat was gone and everyone was, for the moment, safe. He wondered if this was how Marx felt, always seeming to know more than everyone else and pulling everyone else's' strings.
"Well," said the third man; "I hope that they are gone for good."
"Don't be daft man." Said the first man, snorting derisively. "Those animals never give up while even one of them is capable of fighting."
"I don't know." Said the second man. "We bloodied them pretty good the other day. We may have knocked the fight out of them." Despite his words Karl saw that the man did not really believe that the danger had passed and was mostly trying to convince himself.
"Aye," the third man said; "The witch did quite a bit of damage to them." At the mention of Clare the other two got dark to their faces.
"The witch may be useful but her help came at a high price, did as much damage as the beasts would have. Does it really matter who burns our homes and shops? Burnt is burnt." The other two made sounds of agreement. Finding that he lost his appetite and quickly excused himself. He left the tavern and headed towards the healers to check on Clare. It was likely that others in the town felt the same way and he wanted to ensure that she had at least one friend, possibly her only friend with her. It was not far and he soon arrived there.
Clare was on a cot but had moved herself into a sitting positon, leaning over a small table. She was clad in a nightgown but looked better, her color and breathing having returned to normal. On the table were parchment and ink and she was writing something. It was clearly difficult, as she took her time writing out many of the words and doing so with great care. As Karl approached she looked up and smiled.
"Karl! It's good of you to come! How are you?"
"Very well, thank you." Karl told her. "And, of course I would come. I see that you are feeling better, that's good."
"Yes," she said, as she smiled rather ruefully. "I made a stupid mistake, I overdid it and drained myself. It's one of the first things they teach you how to avoid in training. So stupid." Determined to try to cheer her up Karl quickly changed the subject.
"Well, it's a good thing you did. You killed a bunch of the creatures and they fled, if you hadn't been there we very well might have been overrun." She smiled again at that.
"Yes, I am glad that I was able to help. And it is pleasant to contemplate those creatures burning," here her smile turned vicious; "I hope they suffered greatly before the end." There was such hatred in that last part that Karl, who already knew of her hatred, was slightly unnerved by it.
"Well," he said after a moment; "You'll be happy to hear that there has been no sign of them since you drove them away. Some have even started to say that they may not come back." Her response was to give him a dark look.
"We will never be safe as long as just one of them is still alive they will come for us. If we ever want to be truly safe, we need to kill them all." Karl wanted to disagree but he could not.
"Well," he said after a moment; "At least we beat them today. Let's take a moment to enjoy that." She smiled and nodded, her mood seeming to improve a little, though she still seemed disappointed at the prospect of not being able to kill more Beastmen.
As Wilhelmina predicted there were no further attacks. After a few days Oswald sent out patrols into the woods, Karl among them. After some searching Karl and some of the others "found" the Beastmen camp. It was deserted save for a number of bodies, it seemed that the fighting had spread from single combat to include the rest of the herd. Whomever had won, if there had indeed been a clear winner, must have decided that it could not take the town and had moved back into the forest. At the command of the leader of the expedition word was sent back and soon more men came to them. Together they gathered the bodies and burned them.
In the town work on repair was set aside while, first the people went to temple where a service of thanksgiving was held. Afterwards there was feast for all the soldiers and townspeople, with all the people singing, dancing, eating and drinking. Karl and Clare were there, of course, and even though many still kept their distance from her, she was not as much a pariah as she had been before. She had told Karl that this sometimes happened, a wizard might be welcomed for a while after performing some service but their welcome was usually short.
"What will you do now?" She asked him as the evening drew to a close and they were headed back to the inn.
"I will be leaving here soon. I have business to conduct. And yourself?"
"I will be returning to Altdorf. I must report to the college what has happened and then I shall be assigned a new master and continue my studies."
"After what you did I would think that you were beyond needing a master." She smiled and laughed in a self-deprecating way.
"Oh, I am far from that. A true Fire Wizard would not have overdone themselves like I did and would have been able to put their fires out afterwards." She then got a worried, yet hopeful, look on her face.
"You will come and see me in Altdorf won't you?" He smiled and she looked relieved.
"Of course I will, as soon as I can."
The next day she and a number of the soldiers and Clare headed upriver by barge, those same barges would be bring refugees home, as well as bringing back raw material to aid in the rebuilding of the town. Some of the soldiers under Oswald till the town could organize its own defense, they would then also return Altdorf. He had told Karl and the other surviving woodsmen that if they ever sought employment with the army he would put in a good word for them. Karl did not know for certain but he had a feeling that having the goodwill of an officer in the army would prove to be an advantage.
The following morning he took off in the direction of Schultzenburg, since the city had once been an important trade city there was a road which connected Schultzenburg and the town. Unfortunately Karl had no money for either supplies or a horse. Granted he could hunt in his wolven form for food, but he was not looking forward to walking, in or out of his wolven form. But, as he did not have much choice, he grit his teeth and set off. He journey for a time in the company of several of the woodsmen but around noon they left the road to journey through the woods to see if their own homes were still there and to rebuild them if they were not, leaving Karl to continue on his own.
Once he was certain that there was no one around he shifted into his wolven form and ran alongside the road, though hidden by the trees. He kept his senses alert for any signs of Beastmen in the area but there were no signs of them. It seemed that all the Beastmen in the area had joined the army that Karl and the others had fought. The herd which had come after Karl and the other survivors had torn itself apart and Wilhelmina had told him that the others were being taken care of, he hoped that she was correct as there was nothing he could do about it now. He had his plate full with the vampire, he really hoped that it was there, he did not feel like chasing the thing all over the Empire, or even beyond.
The journey took four days, fortunately without incident. Schultzenburg was larger than Hamlinburg had been, at least the wall around it was. Like Hamlinburg, Schultzenburg was near a river. Karl got there around noon, he was able to merely change back and then enter the town. Though there were guards they did not challenge him and allowed them to enter the city without incident. Though large the city seemed half dead, some of the building looked as if they had not been lived in for some time, possibly before Karl was even born. Even though it gave the city a depressed air, it also proved to be of value to him. He went down a side street and forced his way into one of the empty houses.
Once inside he sat down and considered his options. If the vampire was in the city were would it be? While it would be logical to lay low in the abandoned part of the town, just as he was doing now, but during their time together and based off of what he had seen of the other vampires that was unlikely. The creatures appreciated the finer things of life and he doubted it would be giving those things up, especially if it thought that the only one who knew it had fled was dead and rotting. So it would seek to insinuate itself among those inside the city with power, so Karl had to figure out who those were. But how was he to do that? It was not as if he could simply go banging on doors and asking who the most powerful men in the city were. No, he would have to be more subtle about it. With that decided he lay down to get some rest.
Author's Notes: Hey everyone, sorry once again that I took so long to update, I hope that this makes up for it. So what did you think, ever get the idea that of all the recurring characters Karl is the only sane one? Not sure when the next chapter will be, muse taking vacation at moment and school starting, but it will be there so please hang in there. Till then please pray for the Pakistani woman on trial for her faith, the Americans held abroad, victims of kidnapping and human-trafficking, the sick, hungry and homeless and all who need prayer. Bye and may Jesus bless you.