"The dead are walking, huh?" Angin laughed as Liron entered the room.
The staircase took greater effort than he had thought, but Ragner stood behind him, helping him. The Kin had his struggles, too, crouching to fit through the doorframe.
The guard's house had served as a smaller home for dozens of men to sleep in. The beds were thrown out, making space for Liron's allies. Jean greeted him with a nod, working on the Nanium. The Machina needed to be finished by tomorrow. The Homunculus had furthered the creation despite the Raven Hunt. Zonis and Gabriella smiled at him, warmth in both their faces. Though hers was colored in her insanity, and his expression reminded Liron of the proud face of a grandfather. Zonis and Gabriella leaned over a table filled with maps. Angin had transmuted several bedframes into a makeshift workbench, restoring his lost gear. His master had cleaned himself, wearing a guard's uniform. He appeared weak on his legs but not as bad as Liron.
"Liron, my boy," Zonis said, walking over to him, and squeezing his shoulders. "It is good to see you. But be careful. Don't overspend yourself. You need rest."
Gabriella nodded. "Yes, it would be a shame seeing you perish without seeing your full potential."
Jean didn't say anything, continuing to work.
"Good to see you, too," Liron said. "All o' you." He meant it. All of them, even Jean to a certain extent, had grown on him. Surviving these last days, sharing moments, Liron considered them all friends. And being surrounded by friendly faces was a sight he had missed dearly.
"What happened? How did you escape that shit yesterday."
"Well," Zonis said, "Gabriella and I kept to the walls, hiding right under the guards' noses. Not many Hunters went there. Adenius needs his men, so he ensured his Raven Hunt would avoid them."
Gabriella rolled her eyes. "It was dreadful. We should have sought out glory, but dear Zonis insisted on saving our strength for the execution."
Zonis nodded. "Yes, yes. When the church collapsed, we knew it had to be your doing. We thought it was some signal for us. One we couldn't ignore. We went there, waiting for hours. After we couldn't find you, we followed the path of destruction left behind by Kasper Lockram. Again, nothing. Bless Solia, we were close by when the reprocessing center exploded."
Liron frowned. He knew Angin and Ragner to pray to Solia, mother of all nature, wife to Harras Himself. But that the Qilesh also worshiped her. Thinking about it, it did make sense.
"Jean," Zonis turned to the Homunculus, speaking to him like a shy child, "don't you want to tell Liron what happened to you?"
Jean never looked up from his work, precise and cold as the Machina he built. "I noticed the Raven Hunt when the screaming started. It took an hour before it reached me. I smuggled all the Nanium we had into the sewerage and hid there. Once it had turned to night, I wanted to carry to scout the area. When the wolves flooded the Kupferrang, I knew they would be after you. So, I went outside. I wasn't close by when you blew up the center. But I found the rest as they carried you two away."
Presented with no passion or emotion. Ragner walked over to the Homunculus, shaking his head. "That's nae way to tell yer tale, laddie."
Jean frowned. "Why? I shared all that was important?"
"Aye, but folk need to remember it, dinna they? Stories are how we communicate with the folk in the distant past and future. They preserve wisdom safer and better than any bloody theory book can. Emotions, laddie. They need to be in there."
Jean thought about it, nodding. Ragner's words convinced him. If they had come from Liron, he would have ignored them. But the Kin spoke them with the confidence and understanding that Jean wanted.
Angin left his work, slapping Liron on his shoulder. He barely felt it after Ragner had done the same to him. "There you are. I told you you would outshine me, but I hoped you wouldn't do it the same day."
Liron smiled at that. Ragner had ensured him that his master was alive and safe, but seeing him in front of him calmed his nerves. If the rest of them become friends within days, Angin had turned into the uncle Liron never had. Both his parents had survived all their siblings. Either war, famine, or the cold had claimed them. Family was a rare good. One he couldn't stomach to lose more of.
Liron beamed like a child, taking Angin off guard. The Alchemist froze. Panic crawled out of his shifting gaze. But he buried it, putting back on his charming mask .
The tension between master and pupil was obvious for all, hanging in the air. Though the Kin walked right through it. He patted the Alchemist on the head, ruining his hair. Angin had done decent work with it, all gone under the brute's meaty fingers.
"Ah, me brother, ye still look like shite. Dinna you want to wash the piss out of yer hair?"
Angin pushed Ragner's hand away, grinning. "I did, but you managed to rub it in again. Perhaps you should wash your hands after finding the pot."
Ragner laughed, loud and heartfelt. "Or I should aim better."
Zonis grimaced, saying nothing to the exchange. He had lost this battle countless times already.
Ragner examined Angin's workbench. "Say, brother, what have ye done to my beauty?"
"Yours?" Angin asked, stepping next to his friend. "First, I've built it for you."
"Ye said t'was a gift, or were ye lyin'? Can gifts be taken back?"
"Well… no, but I thought you loved the idea of gifting me back."
"Ah, aren't these the best ones? The gifts ye weren't asked whether ye wanted to give them."
"Exactly. And second, you will get it back. Once we are safe. Liron, come here."
Angin waved his apprentice near, showing him what he had worked on. "You see, I've lost my shit yet again. So, this time, we will go overboard. Thanks to Ragner, we have more Nanium than we need for our plan. I did bet on that. With the Nanium from his bike, I could strengthen my gear. Look at it."
Angin held his usual weaponry in front of Liron, smiling like a parent holding their child. His new blasting rod, staff, and bombs were coated in a layer of Nanium, painting them all in a green shine. Liron narrowed his eyes, seeing Nanium pieces scattered all throughout the weapons. The Alchemist had turned the metal into flakes similar to his gold.
"You can't imagine what they are capable of now!" Angin said. "If that cunt Kasper crosses us again, I will…"
Zonis silenced Angin with a single look. He might have lost a battle, but not the war. "Well… he would regret it."
"I hope I won't regret givin' ye me beauty," Ragner sighed. "Ye better make good use o' her, brother."
"Oh, that I will. Don't you worry."
"Is that your secret weapon?" Liron asked, pointing at the new gear.
"Oh, no. That one I'll show you tomorrow. I didn't use all the remaining Nanium on this," Angin said, patting his weapons. "But there's a bad thing. After yesterday, we have no gold left. Well, we do, but we'll need it all for tomorrow. There won't be any time for healing once the fight has started. If you do need me to stitch you together, you better have a dead asshole with you."
Angin hammered comforting thoughts into Liron's head as always. At the mention of the Alchemist's healing, Liron looked at his left arm, flexing his fingers into a fist. "I haven't thanked you for… this."
Angin shone like the sun freed from the Silver Moon's grasp. "I know! Isn't it beautiful? I used three separate arms to create it. There's barely any difference to the original!"
Liron and Gabriella grimaced. She had walked back to the maps, but hearing the Alchemist speak, she twitched as if Sister Death scratched her back with fingers of bone. Ragner's face couldn't be read, written in a foreign language. Though he did seem to enjoy seeing his friend's passion. No matter how macabre it was.
"Yes, a work to be proud of," Angin said. "But it will be wasted if you don't get some rest. You're still shaky on the legs. You can sleep for more than a night."
It was noon by the time Liron had woken up. A few hours, and the Silver Moon would descend behind the Kupferrang's walls. Liron yawned. He longed for the lovely embrace of his bed. But as he looked at the Silver Moon through a window, he was reminded of the ones that howled to it.
"Say, Zonis," Liron said, turning to the Whisperer. "What has happened to the wolves?"
"They are nearby," Zonis said. "They have taken a warehouse for themselves as a den. You don't need to worry, my boy. They won't be coming after you."
Zonis let his fingers run over the maps, his mouth twisting. "They have found a good hunting ground here in Kupferrang. Three-Eyes, the one wanting your head, is trying to rile them up, but his pack has forgotten their revenge. He might be their leader, but they have lost many. There are only six left. Risking more when you have such easy prey. No, they won't come for you again. But the people of Kupferrang… well, they aren't so lucky."
Three-Eyes. So that was his name.
These beasts have hunted him since this had started. Children of Drom, savage as they were smart. He had seen and had felt firsthand what they were capable of. Truly frightening.
Something they could need.
"Angin, didn't you say that Kasper joined the hunt in Eisenrahm to tame a wolf for himself?"
"Yes, but…" the Alchemist's eyes widened. "Oh, you crafty bastard."
Liron smiled. "I have an idea."
…
The moon had risen high when they set out. Liron had slept until then, feeling fit for the coming fight. They split off into two groups, striking the pack from two directions. Liron, Gabriella, and Jean walked up to the main entrance. The wolves had torn through the wall, creating a hole large enough for them. They had carried out the boxes and containers stored inside the warehouse.
"My, my," Gabriella said, glowing eyes staring at them from inside the warehouse. "I have missed you, Liron. You have the brightest ideas."
"Thank you," Liron murmured.
Jean said nothing. He would have rather stayed behind, testing the Machina, but they required his help.
"You know," Gabriella continued, "I thought too little of you. I believed you to be nothing but a lure for greater threats to test myself against. But I was mistaken. You might become an equal to me. A rival to compare myself to."
Liron eyed her, the wolves' growls reaching them. Sneaking up on them would have been impossible. Their snouts would have detected them. No shadow could hide their scent.
They hadn't had the time to come up with a clever plan, but they didn't need one. The wolves lingered at the hole to the warehouse, cautious to not attack. Angin and Liron's trap had taught them well. They were expecting another ruse. Their intelligence became a disadvantage.
Angin stood on a roof near the warehouse. He handed Ragner a blinding bomb, and the Kin hurled it through the hole. The warehouse lit up. Expecting another maneuver like the one in the forest, the wolves hurried outside. These beasts never thought their prey would just rush them, no greater plan behind their actions. They caught the beasts off guard.
Angin, Ragner, and Zonis climbed down the roof, splitting off. Liron and his companions did so as well. The pack had only six members left. One for each of them.
The wolves moved slower than usual. They had feasted without restraint, having grown lethargic. Liron saw glimpses of the rest attacking a wolf each, but he couldn't pay any attention to their battles. He knew they would be easy wins, separating the beasts the way they did.
But his wouldn't be such a clash.
Three-Eyes sprinted at him. Unlike his brethren, he moved like lightning. His hatred for Liron drove him forward, giving him the incentive the other wolves lacked. Liron summoned his Conduit, the black blade appearing in his hands. He dulled its edges. He needed him alive after all.
As Liron ran towards his enemy, he created a cloak of smoke around him. He didn't suffer the horrid taste and suffocating effect the dark clouds should have on him, his own spell refusing to harm him. It engulfed him, only his head and legs visible. Three-Eyes leaped at him, maw wide open. The smoke swallowed up Liron whole, and he dashed out of it as the wolf was airborne.
Closer than was comfortable to him, Liron evaded the attack. Three-Eyes whined as he bit down on the smoke, coughing it out. Even the sharpest mind would be blinded by rage. Liron had pulled with him a thread of smoke, a connection to the cloud he had left behind. One slash and it carried the embers to his cloak, exploding it in the beast's face.
As he had coughed it out already, the explosion was a weaker one, scattered into countless smaller ones. Nothing to kill the wolf, but enrage him further. Three-Eyes jerked around, but Liron had predicted his opponent, rushing in underneath him. He summoned smoke underneath his feet and cut through them, igniting the clouds. While it didn't burn him, the force of the explosion hurled him forward.
He had yet to perfect the spell. It was awkward and without grace, but it worked nonetheless. Liron increased the size of his blade blade and turned it into a dull club. Embers dancing around his weapon, he bashed it into Three-Eyes hind leg. His momentum enhanced his strike. Liron heard the bone break, dropping the wolf.
The beast's cries followed Liron as he shot forward, rolling himself on the ground. He had kept the explosion minimal to ensure he wouldn't turn into crimson gore as soon as he had delivered his attack. Liron transitioned into a lower stance, perfect for evasion and counterattacks. Though, it wasn't necessary. Three-Eyes tried to stand up, but his left hind leg was unusable. Had the beast fought with wit, Harras knew who would have known.
Dragging his broken leg, Three-Eyes refused to yield, growling. But as his remaining eyes looked around, he noticed the fight had ended. Each of his pack members had lost their bout. Their strength lay in their cooperation and pursuing their prey until they collapsed. Separated for only a moment, they had lost. Liron's allies had not killed their opponents except Gabriella. She had fought an older wolf, her bird flying into the beast's maw, killing it from the inside.
She thanked her Conduit for discarding it, turning the dead wolf into her new summon. Her shadows devoured the beast, spitting out a trusted follower. The remaining wolves cowered, whining. They had no chance of escape anymore. Even Three-Eyes knew that, staring at Liron. They were at their prey's mercy.
Zonis walked up next to Liron, dancing his face into a wolf's snout, howling at them. The Whisperer was against this forceful approach. He had aided several taming processes of wild beasts, but he had always chosen the peaceful path. One where the human earned the trust of the animal through the proper means. Zonis had been translated between both parties. But this would have taken weeks. In Liron's case, longer.
The second approach was beating the animal into submission. Without a Whisperer, it would take days until the beast accepted its loss and subjugation. This was little different from turning a human into a Sinner. A slave in all but name.
So, Liron had a better idea.
Zonis explained everything to the wolves, making them pause. Three-Eyes showed his fangs, but he appeared calmer. Angin walked up to the beast, making the wolf growl. Zonis calmed him down, constantly speaking to him in lesser howls. With the healing touch of the Alchemist, the bone was set right. The Qilesh had helped Angin properly understand the anatomy of a wolf, so they didn't have to repeat the same ordeal as with the mink.
Confused, Three-Eyes stood up, his bone set right. Angin did the same with the eyes, returning his lost sight to the beast. With their leader healed, the pack forgot all hostility, howling in unison. Gone were the monsters thirsting for blood. Well-trained hounds had little on them.
Liron exchanged a glance with Zonis. The Qilesh smiled, giving him a reaffirming nod. Liron stepped in front of Three-Eyes. He still saw Dieter crushed and carried away. He heard his screams echoing through Lichtwald. How often had he fantasized about making this wolf scream the same way? He had his chance now. But what else would that be than revenge.
He wanted justice.
Liron stretched his hand out, touching Three-Eye's snout. That's what his hands were made for. Not to destroy mindlessly, but to create. To connect.
Liron looked the wolf in his eyes, his image mirrored in them. The hate vanished from the beast, replaced with something kinder. "Say, will you help me?"