Hero Scout

Ahead Caster was ordering his warriors aside, allowing the Feral werewolves to crash against Essenark"s Guards. The wild strength of the werewolves was swiftly overwhelmed by discipline and teamwork, yet provided just the opening Kenji needed to puncture a hole in the enemy defences so that his allies could widen the gap behind him.

"I"m going ahead!" Kenji announced and activated both his illusions and invisibility ring upon entering the Townhall. Wizards and rangers met him within, their bolts of magic and magic bound arrows blasting away his illusions from their positions on the second floor.

Appearing next to them, Kenji slit the throat of a Hydromage before twisting through the air to deliver a sharp kick to a ranger"s neck. A blast of water shot him aside, the Hydromage"s apprentice holding his Master"s stave with shivering hands, words of power on his lips as he built up a much more potent spell. Kenji saved him the trouble, a flung knife whipping through the air to plant itself in the apprentice"s skull.

Dashing from the room, Kenji was met with a series of yellow-eyed maids and butlers.

"Really, what the f.u.c.k is with fantasy dictators and monster servants-"

Before Kenji could work up his wind blades they attacked, swift claws and snapping fangs reaching for Kenji"s throat. Releasing his blast of wind prematurely Kenji was blown backwards, the werewolves similarly being blown aside. When he charged again he moved his fingers in the same motions, the werewolves bracing themselves for the expected spell.

Instead, Kenji set the blast off behind him and used the momentum to run across a wall, receiving only a single slash across his shoulder. Bleeding like a pig he flew onward, setting off greater bursts as he shot his way over the guards and their fortified positions to arrive in a great hall.

Here Kenji found George with the Mayor in his hands, and several of his personal guards positioned in a circle around him. They held steel with magical runes, their bodies emitting powerful auras and Kenji was certain each was a veteran of battle.

Behind a great open window let in the silvery light of the moon, making the great pools of George"s blood glow white with the Moon"s power. In his hands, he held the Mayor ruffly, who continued to stare at a sleek black owl in the rafters.

"Back off - or Grankash will bite off the human"s head," George snapped, yellow eyes hazy.

"You won"t do that," murmured one of the Mayor"s guards, "kill the beast."

As the guards charged, Kenji flew at one to buried his blades in the guard"s chest, the guard fearlessly turning to batter him against the wall in turn. Without losing a moment the guard crushed Kenji"s shoulder with his mace, before keeling over in a pool of his own blood. The other guards were similarly strange, fighting with too little care for their lives or even that of the Mayor"s.

Holding to his word George snapped the Mayor"s neck, and threw aside the body to dodge an axe blow - only to be skewered by a spear. Slashing the man shoulder to groin, George turned only to be speared again. Somehow the guard had kept his composure, no fear as he moved to spear George thrice.

A thown knife fixed that, landing right into the side of the guard"s head with the last of this form"s strength. Returning as Dana, he chuckled as he raised the bodies of the two dead guards.

"The Witch has ordered you retreat, cease fighting immediately," Kenji shouted, knowing only one force could have turned these grunts into monsters of flesh. Thankfully the guards halted, and backed away from George who continued to breathe heavily.

"This creature lies. Follow only my orders - destroy the werewolf," hooted the owl, who promptly sent a blast of foul green magic at Kenji. Throwing one of his minions in the way he survived, even if the undead guard was blown apart in his place. Alas, his other undead servant wasn"t close enough to shield him from the second and was blasted to pieces.

Having had quite enough, Kenji came back as his Troll body.

"f.u.c.k YOU," Kenji roared as he jumped to smash the wooden beams on which the owl sat. Fluttering madly, the owl zoomed for the open window only for Kenji to hurl the broken beam to crash through the owl, the window, and right out into the night air.

Turning to the guards Kenji stomped over, ignored their attempts to wound him and battered them away from George. "I"ve got you, just keep yourself together," Kenji grumbled, touching at the red dripping from his chest where an axe was now buried deep.

A spear planted itself in his back, and a mace shattered the thick bone of his knee. Stumbling down, Kenji raised his hands and bellowed...not that the enemy seemed to care.

Werewolf servants exploded into the room on a trail of snarls. Raking their claws along the wooden walls, they seemed frenzied in their desire to sink their fangs into Kenji"s neck. Outnumbered, Kenji put up his fists, the wound at his stomach healing over thanks to the Troll"s regeneration.

But what now? All alone they might be able to bring him down through sheer force of numbers.

At that moment a golden light blasted through the open windowsill, and the eyes of the werewolves in the room went from yellow to gold.
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"No, no no no no no..." George whispered, even as the werewolf servants suddenly become calm, and looked around confused. "Help Grankash destroy these monsters!" roared George, the servants following his command immediately to rip into the backs of the guards, throwing their weapons aside and peeling aside their armour to feast of their bodies.

"What"s wrong - that was Tenko, right? She saved them," Kenji sighed and rubbed the shattered bone in his knee as it was slowly st.i.tched back together.

"No, Grankash knows. That power lasts only a short time, and is the last resort. Priestess Tenko has fallen, wherever she fights, she has just used the last of her power," limping to the Mayor"s body, George-Grankash pulled free a series of black vials.

When the golden power fled, and the moon turned back to its white shine, the werewolves resumed their aggressive stance as they approached Kenji. Yet ready, Grankash raised up the vials and caught their attention.

"They obey whoever provides the doses," Grankash explained, handing out a little vial to each of the werewolves in turn. They scratched at their skin as they waited, biting their lips so hard blood oozed down their chin. Grankash had to pour the mixture in their mouth directly, "otherwise they"d eat the gla.s.s too. Get"s in their system that way, Grankash has seen it too often."

"And you? Did you use to take-"

"Do not speak of that. Grankash is strong, but the medicine still calls to me," Grankash visible shook as he unstoppered each bottle, a monumental amount of willpower preventing his relapse.

"Then allow me, I can do it for you."

Grankash growled, and continued to administer the medicine. Kenji nodded and stepped away, allowing the werewolf warrior to continue to take care of his own. Outside it sounded as if the fighting had ended, soon Caster and the rest would enter demanding a plan.

Taking over the dead Mayor"s body for a time, Kenji formed one. When he learned all he needed to he threw the corpse aside, not wanting it"s putrid guilt, even if he now knew the Mayor too was just a p.a.w.n. Fed the very same medicine, he was as addicted and dronelike as the rest. But realising the Mayor could prove useful later on, Kenji reluctantly put the body back on, and readied himself to rally what remained of Essenark"s fighters to the cause of destroying the Witch.

The Witch it seemed, was truly the root cause of every evil in Essenark. And with her removal, the entire land could finally heal from her corruption. To that end, Kenji would take this body that had been a p.a.w.n for so much evil, and make it a p.a.w.n for good instead.

He prayed to the Truthblade that the spirit of the Mayor would see some peace for that, and that the great shame of what his drugged self did failed to haunt him into eternity.