Recudor: Feared Wolves Den

RD and the others step out of the gate from the Southern District. Ahead of themselves they see a road that splits into three paths, one leading along the city, and the other two leading into the forest.
Somewhere within the forest is their target- A pack of feral wolves that have been terrorizing Villagers and Townsfolk in and around the forest. RD Takes a look at the roughly sketched together map he recieved with the bounty note. According to this, it would be pretty far into the forest, maybe an hours worth of walking and tracking.

It's evening by now, and the sun is setting. Not too long before the sun goes down and the moon rises. The thought of the full moon reminds RD at Doc's condition. The change that will have occurred by morning. Trying to push those thoughts aside he turns to address the group, and give them a recap of their objective.

Richard walks towards the forest at a decent pace. He glances up at the sky, flashing a slight grin setting sun. Twilight was always an odd time, some people beginning to pack it in for the day, and others just starting their night. As he thinks of the night, two thoughts come to mind, both in relation to the Doc.

The first being a slight advantage in his old friend's power due to the moon's phase, but therein lied the second thought, a problem, the more apparent shifting of personalities from Atrium to Jericho. "Dammit..." RD thought to himself, turning his gaze over his shoulder, to the man currently following his lead. Jericho and Richard never got along for any stretch of time, the two possessed very different views on life as a whole which caused them to constantly clash. The next few days were bound to be stressful, so RD instead shifted his focus back onto getting as much stress relieved as possible during this mission.

He turned his attention back to the path, and spotted a crossroad approaching, thinking this was a good time to go back over the mission specifics he slowed to a stop and turned to adress the current party. "Alright so as you two well know we've got ourselves a lil' huntin' mission; judging from how its laid out ," He shows them the map so they can get a better grasp of just how far in the wolves seem to be "... they're relatively deep within. 'bout an hour's walk by my guess. Remember people in order ta get paid we need ta make sure we find th' emblem the royal courier was carryin' when the wolves got em', takin' out the wolves is a plus but secondary ta findin' the item." He read the bounty note again to make sure, reassuring himself of the goal. He then shrugged at the irony of the bounty focusing on getting rid of the wolves but the objective being vastly different. "Seems in the end the wolves only really became a problem once the courier died... Guess they started listenin' ta what th' people had ta say then."

Richard then held the letter out towards the pair before him between his pointer and middle fingers, offering it to them in case they wished to review it for themselves. "Any questions? Concerns? Oh, 'nd just so ya know even if th' objective is ta find the trinket, feel free ta take out as many of the wolves as ya see fit, it is, in essence, what we grabbed th' bounty fer."

Airgetlam nods at the map after noting several locations and annotations. She opens up the bolt cylinder in her crossbow and loads it with the iron ammunition, since it's just going to be wild animals, nothing special needed. She looks back at RD.

"How many targets are we to expect? I would think six to ten but I don't know the usual strength and frequency out here. I just don't want to get surrounded once we spot one and it turns out to be an ambush." She asks RD. Whilst awaiting her answer, she looks at Doc and wonders as well if this guy will show up right in the middle of it all. That wouldn't bode well at all for them. She looks back at RD, pulling her hood over her head but with her eyes still definitely visible.

Doctor Atrium smiles as he looks around the field. He can feel the moon rising and his power growing as it does so. He decided to leave his jacket at the house, he didn't want any of the wolfs to use it to pin him down or grab him. He wearing his red button up long sleeve shirt and has his scalpels in all the slots for when the fight starts. He listens to what RD has to say and nods when he his done.

"I do not mind that we hunt some of the wolfs. We could use the meat and if we can sell the pelts. Though before we start, RD. Your Rock Cleaver...it isn't effected by magic right? If that is the case, I need you to hold it out like you are going to block an attack. I just thought of a spell that I wanted to try. I would rather us it on something that isn't going to get damaged if it works and wont matter if it doesn't."

"I would assume ten ta fifteen at most." Richard answers Air as he bounces a few feet backwards, then removes his cleaver from its sheath with a quick flourish and readies it before him in a battle stance. "There must've been many ta take down a royal courier whom i assume would've had an escort. Even if there are less i'd assume the worst, anythin' better is a pleasant surprise." He turns back to Atrium, adjusting into a defensive stance as he addresses the 'Good Doctor' "Alright, Hit me wit yer best shot."

Airgetlam stops for a moment. Ten to fifteen, a bit larger than she thought, but with a protraction-user and a big mercenary, along with her abilities, she reassures herself that it's not so bad.

Her eyes go wide at the sight of RD's sword, scanning just how large it is in comparison to other swords she's seen. To be honest it might just be a giant meat cleaver, fitting though since he probably could hunt big game with it. She looks at Doc, wondering about the spell he'll use.

"Only works with enchanted or otherwise magic or protraction-related weapons right? Just curious, I'll just observe I guess." she says and watches for Doc to perform his spell.

Doctor Atrium lets the magical power of the moon fill him as he gets ready to preform his spell. The rush and the warmth of the moon's energy makes him smile for a moment, he loves this feeling. He then focuses, his hands start glowing grew as he channels the moon's energy to be used for shadows. He decides to use his shadow so RD can see it coming and he will be able to brace himself. The shadow races out from under him and when it reaches in front of RD it stops.

"Ok, Here we go!" He says with excitement.

He raises his hand quickly with his fingers pointing up and right then five pitch black spikes come out of the shadow and quickly try and pierce through the Rock Cleaver as hard as it can. The force of it pushes RD back a little but he soon catches his footing and is able to stand agents the spikes. Doc lets the spikes stay there for a little bit, then he cancels the spell and the spikes go away. Doc is smiling ear to ear. The spell was a success.

"Ladies and gents! I give you, Shadow Spikes!" He does a quick bow and waits for them to say something.

Richard takes the force from the Doc's 'Shadow Spikes' relatively well. The attack's impact definitely pushed him back and forced him to regain some lost footing, but seeing the attack coming at him from Atrium's shadow definitely helped. "Not bad..." RD responded allowing his guard to relax somewhat, and chuckling a bit at the exaggerated bow the man gave after his 'show'. "It hits hard nd' comes out very quickly, figure out what else ya can do wit' it 'nd that attack could definitely cause some trouble."

He then turned to Air, "Yea Rock Cleaver is a bit enchanted it seems..." He glances at the blade, still unsure of it's exact origins, "... But it seems that enchanted, magic, or protraction-woven weapons and items posess an ability ta repel magic somewhat. Some can completely dispel certain magics, others shield against them. Th' cleaver 'ere can do both, but to dispel it needs ta be charged wit' a bit ah magic itself, 'nd even then the wielder needs ta apply th' force necessary to 'cut through' the spell. Oddly enough that 'charge' allows it ta 'cleave' other solids easily as well."

Richard then slid the weapon back into it's sheath and continues down the path towards the woods. "Come, we can chat on our way to th' den, Don't wanna take too long gettin'  back 'nd make the others worry."

Airgetlam nods and walks along with the two men. She shifts her eyes, wider than usual, between the two of them.

"I honestly thought you were going to just charge or coat his weapon, but bravo." she says, giving Doc a small golf clap.

She thinks for a moment and comes up with another question for Doc regarding the other person that will be coming out tomorrow morning.

"So um, he doesn't use shadows, does that mean he uses light?" she asks.

Doctor Atrium smiles as the others seem to like his new attack.

"I can use it like my Shadow Claw. If there is a shadow, I can make spikes out of them. They seem easier to control and making one doesn't require a lot so I am able to make a few at a time. I think they will come in handy."

He keeps up with the others. After a bit of walking he turns to listen to Airgetlams question.

"Yes, he only uses the moons light. He knows moves that I don't know how to do. I only used the moons light to heal, not harm. I am sure that he knows how to fight with the moons light...in fact I know he does. I am not sure how to make the spell but I have some muscle memory of some of the ways he casts spells. But since I have no clue what spell he is using or how much power to put in it, all I have is a stance and some movements."

When he is done talking, he looks over at RD.

"Did you ever learn how to make things with pelts? I remember you saying that you wanted to learn. If you have and if we get enough wolf pelts, I could use a good wolf clock and hood. Kinda like you see with the extreme hunters where the wolfs head is part of the hood."

The three of them continue conversing as they move to the forest. Not very far in they come across an abandoned hut with some strange metal extention sticking out of the top of it. Doc and Air recall this place from where they found Hitomi. Judging from the map and the landmarks, the wolves are a little further up north. Based on the location, its a wonder that they hadn't accidentally stumbled across the wolves den, as it was very close to the camp they had found on their way to Castle Vikuur. Thinking back on those last moments make Airgetlam shudder. The zombies, all the people locked in Vats, and that terrible Demon that tried to destroy the Castle before anyone could escape. Unpleasant memories, but fortunately in the past.

Richard can't help but laugh at the idea of Atrium in a Wolf Cloak, "Y-you want a wolf cloak? Heh! I'm not exactly sure it'd look that good on ya, but what the hell, i'll see if i can make it happen. I can skin them pretty well, but being able ta make clothing out of em' ain't my strong suit. I'll look inta it for ya though, turn it inta another side hobby maybe."

As they continue along the path they come across a run down, abandoned, hut with a strange metal extension sticking out from it's top. RD takes a moment to glance at the building, the two accompanying him seem to have seen the place before though, Air in particular shuddering somewhat at it's presence.

"Hm? I wonder what that metal thing could be, don't think i've ever seen anythin' quite like it..." Richard ponders as he passes the hut. He looks back at the other two only to see them looking upon the hut with mixed emotions, possibly a bit of fear. He thinks back to things said earlier, trying to recall whether or not they had spoken of the area before, "... Wait a tic... is this...?" He looks back at the place with a renewed interest, "... Are we... gettin' closer ta this 'Vikuur' ya'll mentioned earlier?"

Airgetlam can't help but shiver and squirm a little bit for every thought back to that hell. She looks upon the house they found Hitomi in, and though it brings back memories of the castle, it also reminds her that some good at least came of their excursion. Without looking at RD, and fixated on the hut and their surroundings, she answers RD's question.

"Sort of. This is the place we found Hitomi in. She was being hunted by something and we managed to rescue her and scare whatever was tailing her off. Up the road are some ruins, and there was a portal that lead to the castle. You can't reach the place without going through that magical gate. The gate's probably destroyed now, the portal sealed on both sides. Personally it's a rather... unpleasant experience. What we found was disturbing. I'm not about to go into it right now." She says. She hefts her crossbow and looks down the scope mounted upon it, scanning the perimeter for any signs of the pack. None that she can discern right away. If they start heading more north they'll have to make more use of the trees and foliage, though the cover of night should also help.

Doctor Atrium cannot help but feel a little sad when he things of what happened in Castle Vikuur. He wanted so much to help Lady Dahaka but there was no way to help her without someone else getting the shaft. He is still a bit upset that she went from being trapped in a different relm to being trapped into a gem. He lets out a sigh and looks over at RD.

"Yeah, we know this place. As Air said, this is where we found Hitomi...Lets get going, I don't want to be here any longer then we need to be. Castle Vikuur is...was just a place of sadness. I dont want to be here."

With that Doc start walking to were they need to be going.

Doc slowly begins to leads the group past the house and further into the forest. As Air is spying through the scope, it doesn't seem like there is anything of note- Though just when she relieves her aim, she spots something further north-east in the treeline. She quickly checks her scope again, but nothing remains. Maybe it was her imagination, perhaps not, but she gets a sense of unease, as if there really had been something. It would still be a while before they reached the specified location, but it wouldn't come as a surprise if the Wolves were out hunting, given their vicious reputation.

Richard struggles for a bit with turning his gaze away from the old hut. Though old and worn beyond use, he feels a connection with the house's remains... as if something tragic had taken place there years ago, something that was significant to someone... something that changed their life forever.

"Hm... so Hitomi was here eh..." RD says rather longingly, almost as if he himself had lost something in whatever tore the place apart long ago. He lowers his head, giving whatever he felt perished there a moment of silence out of respect and turns back to the group.

He had already received an explanation of what had occurred in Vikuur, Sharpe had explained it pretty thoroughly. In that one event, Atrium learned of the loss of nearly the entire guild he used to belong to and helped cause the end of the man who led to it's downfall. The group saved Clarent, who was kidnapped before their eyes, only to watch as the lives of many other captives were stolen away in some deranged experiment. They observed the release of a great demon, only to imprison it within a new cage.

That's how adventures are. Full of ups and downs, twists and turns. Fairy Tale endings were hard to come by but of course what everyone hoped for. In reality no matter how grand the victory is, it always comes at some price. He knew it deep within himself, he himself had failed many a time to obtain the 'happy ending'. They had good reason to not want to speak of it. Good reason to just let the memory fade. Still; in order to improve, in order to even have a shot at the smile at the end of the tale, one had to keep hoping, moving forward, and learning from their past. Always remembering what was lost as well as what they gained, doing what they can to honor those who fell. The 'path' of a 'hero' will always be a rocky one.

Raising his head towards the pair before him after that moment of introspection, he sees Air double-take at something she may have caught a glimpse of within her scope, "Ya see somethin'?" He asks quickly in almost a whisper, his palms already hovering above both of his sidearms.

Airgetlam stares long and hard at where she saw the movement occur. It could be a wolf, but it could be something bigger, something worse too. She's heard some stories of things that will creep the hell out of a group or lone wanderers and then proceed to stalk them, or try to meld in with them. She waves the thought from her mind, that's not good, it'll only serve as a distraction and as paranoia fuel.

"Maybe, but if there was something there it's gone now. We should slow a bit and keep a close eye out as we advance." She advises, noting her footing and elements on the ground. Twigs, leaves and bushes would be their detriment, so it would be wise to move with caution, lest they stir the wolves or whatever might be in the vicinity.

Not having a scoop or any hunting skills, Doctor Atrium missed whatever Airgetlam saw or thought she saw. He looks around seeing if he can spot anything but in the end he stops and listens to the two talking. He shrugs and keeps on walking but he keeps his guard up.

"You think it was one of the wolfs scouting out? it is getting rather late."

As if on queue, when the doctor finishes his question, a wolves howl can be heard somewhere in the distance. It's impossible to tell from where, but it seems like quite a distance away.

Following Airgetlam's advice, the group continues on with their guards up, eyeing every bush and looking between the trees for any signs of danger.
The further they move, the more the natural sounds of the forest come to light, making the air a bit tense. Occasional snapping of twigs or rustling of bushes and treetops can be heard as small animals go about their business. Even in the dim light of the forest as the sun is setting more and more, it's still easy to see most of the immediate surrounding without any source of light. Checking the map a few times as they traveled, trying to get a rough estimate of their surroundings, RD realizes they are pretty close to a large, natural, cave. Having to constantly check the map and try and figure out their location makes RD think of the Radar that Sharpe still has in his possession. This probably would have come in handy, but it's too late to worry about something like that now.

Just as RD finishes his thought, he hears what seems to be a low growl, almost inaudible. He jerks around just in time for a loud snarling bark to startle Airgetlam and the Doc-
A wild wolf, easily half the size of the average human is lunging at RD, who manages to react just in time.

As this is happening, several other wolves, making 4 total, slowly emerge out of the thicket from all directions, snarling and growling, ready to attack.

Richard narrowly avoids the first wolf's attack with a quick roll, his trench knives already in his hands as soon as he recovers his footing. He curses under his breath as he quickly analyzes the situation before him. "Four wolves. Possibly more hidden nearby whether they're further behind the others, or are hidden within the nearby cave. I need them to focus me so the others can get some space and provide support."

RD keeps his knives drawn and stays low, making sure he looks each of the wolves directly in the eyes. He makes sure that each one of the animals knows that he's issuing a challenge to them. His own eyes begin to take on a red hue of their own as adrenaline begins to course through his veins.

"Doc, Air, get some distance, slowly. I'll keep their attention so ya'll can take yer positions. Keep an eye out fer others, and feel free to attack as soon as ya have a chance, watch yer steps 'nd keep an eye out for each other... The big one is mine." he speaks quickly,  and lifts his chin somewhat at the the wolf he narrowly dodged a moment ago.

"These wolves... they're far too used to attacking the common folk. We're not gonna be able to resolve this peacefully in any way, shape, or form...Fine with me, I never expected to anyway" . A sadistic grin creeps its way across his face as he takes his stance and prepares himself for the next strike, focusing mainly on the wolf who took a swipe at him, whom RD can only hope is the pack's Alpha.

Airgetlam lightly slaps Doc's arm.

"I'm going see-through, you keep me covered while I find someplace to pick them off from." She says, and her hand shoots straight to her hip where she keeps the makeshift stealth device handy. She turns around, looking for a higher place to go but there isn't one, so she settles on a bush with enough space for her to crouch or maybe go prone.

She points to the bushes. "Cover me while I go there!" She says, and flips on the device, sprinting around to get in back of the bushes so the bushes won't suddenly move and attract attention.

The first attacking wolf lands to RDs side, spinning around and growling agressively as the other three begin to pace around RD, occasionally jumping around his flank or his back, but not really engaging, instead focusing on their prey- the giant of a man standing between them.

Airgetlam manages to sneak off to a brush, confirming that there isn't any immediate danger at said brush. She gets into position, seeing the scenario unfold, with the four wolves circling around RD and Doc just standing there, apparently completely zoned out, as he hasn't reacted to what she told him and chooses to simply stand there. One of the wolves circling around RD quickly pounces next to him- immediately jumping away before he can react, whilst the first wolf jumps at RD as well, trying to snap at his heels. Using the distraction, the other two wolves split from the group momentarily to assault the Doc, with one of them clearly expecting him to dodge, lunging past his back, and the other growling before sinking its teeth into Docs leg.

Richard, surrounded by wolves, keeps a steady and valiant guard stance up, awaiting either one of the pack or one of his allies to make a move and create an opening. He quickly  darts his gaze towards one of the wolves, who pounces nearby, but can tell by it's quick retreat it was meant as more of a feint. He turn his full attention back to the bigger wolf just as it lunges low to snap at his heel.

RD takes a quick half-step back with his left foot to avoid the attack and counters the lunge with a quick kick from his right foot, enough to take the wind out of the beast's sails and stun it for a moment. He spins on his left toe using the kick as momentum and is able to see that using the exchange as a distraction, two of the other wolves have charged the doc; one getting behind him for a follow-up to an expected dodge, the other going straight for his leg and... landing a sucessful bite?!

Richard had already been charging the pair when the wolf connected, opting to sheathe his left hand knife for his next attack. He grabs the wolf biting into the doc by the scruff of his neck with his now-free hand and brings the knife in his right hand, reverse grip,  past the wolf's head and up through it's throat, twisting it and ripping it back out before releasing his grip on the fatally wounded animal.

"Wake up Atrium." RD growls as he quickly switches his grip to a forward grip and flicks the gore off the blade before returning to a reverse grip, now staring down the wolf at Atrium's back, and still wary of the two a yard or so behind him. He returns to his stance once again, pulling the second trench knife out in preparation for the pack's next strike. Both knives in a reverse grip, the left in front of his chest with its tip pointed out towards the wolf before him, the right lined with his forearm somewhat behind him; the rest of him in a low stance with his knees bent for a solidity but allowing some flexibility. His eyes now a bright crimson, seemingly glowing in the encroaching evening, he prepares himself for their next move. Still grinning, almost as if he's goading the beasts into more ferocity... Or perhaps enjoying himself...


RD's 'Trench Spike': https://www.sworddemon.com/popup.aspx?src=/images/product/large/SD-34234.jpg

Airgetlam deactivates her cloaking device and sets up in the brush, eying the situation. one wolf down, the others encircling RD, and two attacking Doc... one of which has bitten his leg but he seems to not be doing anything.

"Shit..." She whispers to herself. He better not have had a moment of confusion. She takes aim at the wolf that was going to pounce the doctor in case he dodged, considering that if he reacts and kills the one on his leg that the other will just take advantage of his pause. She aims at the throat and pulls the trigger, letting loose a bolt into it's neck. She cycles the cylinder and pumps, chambering another bolt. She shifts her sight over to the other wolf clentching Doc's leg but finds that RD has taken care of it, so she shifts around looking for another target and begins aiming for the 3rd wolf.

Timing has never been on Doctor Atrium's side. Just before the big would jumps out and the three of them get surrounded by the wolfs. Doc lied when he told Airgetlam that when he changes, it is just a switch. He didn't wish to worry her about fight to stay in control while they are out hunting. He was hoping the first battle with Jericho would of happened sooner then it had. If RD remembers, then he can tell when Doc is fighting to be in control. One eye will be normal and one will be the bright silver. While the wolfs surround them and the fight starts, Doc is in his head fighting a battle of his own.

"The moon is almost full, full enough for me to start this pointless battle we always have. Why don't you just save time and effort and just let me take over now."
"NO! The moon is not full! You get two day and two nights. That is the deal! Back off!
Why must we always go through this? Why do you hate me so? I am you. You can't hate me. Are you ashame? It doesn't matter. How much longer will you be able to keep this up?
As long as I am awake! Crawl back to the hole where you belong! It is NOT your time!
I will be back. And when I return, I will-

It is at this time where the wolf runs up and bites Atrium's leg. Outside his head, Doc doesn't reach but inside both he and Jericho let out a painful scream. Jericho looks at Atrium and shakes his head.

"Now is clearly not the time for this. Get out there and kill whatever attacked us. I will be back."

And with that, Doc returns to normal and the silver eye fades to his normal color eye. Doc then feels the pain of the bite and falls to his knee. He looks at the bite then at the wolfs around him. Angry as all hell, he slams his hands on the ground.

"Soon the light of day will be lost! Let the darkness in you feral dogs!" Atrium yells at them in a deep almost a growling voice. He pulls shadows from the wolfs, RD, Air, the trees and even himself until the ground they are all standing on is covered in shadows. Atrium then looks around to see where the wolfs are and with a quick motion, he raises his hands above his head. The shadow spikes come out of the ground all around him stabbing in every direction. He then moves his arms out to his sides, pointing at the wolfs on each side of him and the spikes start lunging out at them with quick speed. He watches as the spikes hit the wolf that was expecting him to dodge. The spikes hit the wolf from underneath and they go right through the wolf like a hot knife through butter. There are at lest seven spikes that pierce through the wolf and lift it in the air. Doc makes sure that two of the spikes go through its head so it doesn't have to suffer. He then turns and watches the other trail of spikes go after the big wolf hoping that if he takes it out, the others will back off.