Morning had him up again soon enough, with more work to be done. Wulfric was washing himself behind the little house with a pot and bucket while Ben was fixing something to eat back inside. An ear flicked up as he heard the front door inside the house open and close. Ben was speaking to someone now, their voices calm and friendly sounding so Wulfric wasn't worried. It was probably that informant friend that had been mentioned before. He dried himself off and went back inside, pulling his shirt on as he entered.

The guest was a woman, a little on the smaller side. She looked like another Vaden, blonde haired and a little pale from not enough time outdoors. Her clothes were simple but nicely made and she smelled clean, so she wasn't poor.

"I only know about this because one of my dockworkers filled me in about something he'd overheard." She was saying, her back to him as she spoke with Ben. "It's happening soon, while everyone is occupied with the festival above. Down at the fisheries on the east end, that's where they're making the exchange. Going to be a fairly big meeting so one of the leadership is probably going to be there, I don't know if-"

Ben looked up, seeing Wulfric enter, his gaze drawing the woman's attention and making her turn, seeing him standing there. "Oh... I didn't know you had company over." She said, giving Wulfric an odd look. "Ben, why didn't you tell me?" She hissed, giving him a little glare.

Ben looked from the lady to Wulfric and back again, then held up his hands. "Wait, this is not what it looks like."

Wulfric cocked his head. "What does it look like?"

The lady looked from Wulfric back to Ben. "Ben, mind explaining?"

Ben scratched the back of his head. "He's just um. Well we met in this pub and, we had a few drinks and..."

"I... see?" The lady said, sounding very dubious and confused.

"What does this look like?" Wulfric asked again, crossing his arms and giving the two of them a stern glare.

Ben fidgeted. "Look he's going to help me deal with the smugglers, is all I was trying to say."

The woman put her hands on her hips, pursing her lips at Ben. "Oh so now you've pulled someone else into this obsession of yours? Gods only know Ben, the only reason I help you is because you'll get yourself killed running around on your own." She looked back to Wulfric, giving him a once over. "You know what you're in for with him kid? Because it's sure not going to be easy following him on his damned crusade." She huffed. "My name is Ida, by the way, Ida Calina. Been a friend of Ben's for a while now. This is my house you're crashing in. One of them at any rate."

Ben put a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Hey, he can hold his own, I've seen him fight. And he has his own reasons for going after these bastards."

The Valdyrkin huffed, not liking being ignored. "I'm here on my own mission, these smugglers have helped kidnap someone I need to find and retrieve, working together with Ben makes sense. So, it sounded like you know something?"

The lady sighed. "Yes, I suppose you heard most of that. I own a couple of fishing docks down on the river. I've been using a couple of my most trusted workers as informants to fill me in on the more illicit things that go on down there, and one of them has told me about a smuggling deal going down today not far from my docks. One of the guild's lower ranking leadership is certainly going to be there to oversee the deal and make sure they aren't getting conned out of their gold, so if you can go there and break up the deal..." She left it hanging.

Wulfric nodded. "Then we could interrogate this boss and learn more about the organization. Maybe even where they're keeping my target."

The lady nodded. "It's probably your best lead. Unless you get lucky and find some hard evidence on them then interrogating the leader is probably the only thing you can do. If that doesn't pan out..." She held up her hands and shrugged.

Wulfric rubbed his chin. "I suppose it's the only option I've got." He growled softly, he did not like being in the dark like this. Still, he'd been in more uncertain situations before. "Alright, I'll have your back, Ben. Just promise you'll help me get a lead on my missing person."

Ben nodded. "Aye, I promise. I'll do whatever I can. I just hope ye can find something useful at the meeting. These are some notoriously slippery bastards, but if this doesn't work then I really don't know what else you could do."

Wulfric shrugged. When only one path lay before you it was fairly easy to choose to take it.

A few hours later, the pair were down on the docks, Wulfric wrinkling his nose at the stench of fish guts and trying to find where this meeting was taking place. As it turns out, directions to 'the fisheries on the east end' were not very specific, as there seemed to be quite a few fisheries on the eastern end of the river. And of course a smuggler's exchange was hardly going to be advertising its whereabouts to any passing strangers. The pair of them were walking the back streets again, keeping their eyes open for any unusual looking activity that might clue them in to where this was happening.

Ben sighed. "I wonder if this was all just a big mistake now." He grunted, glancing over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed. "We could be walking into a deathtrap."

Wulfric sniffed the air again, frowning as all he smelled was more fish. "Chin up. If we don't do something then who will?"

Ben snorted. "Nobody. Which is the point. If nobody gives a damn then maybe this is all just a waste of time."

Wulfric was about to try and lift his spirits some more when the wind shifted. The Valdyrkin stopped, lifting his nose and sniffing a little. "This herb they're trading, what's it smell like?"

"What?" Ben asked flatly. "What would that have ta do with anything?"

"Just tell me, do you know what it smells like?" He asked, trying to follow the scent.

"Uh, a kind of spicy smell I guess." Ben said with a shrug.

"Sort of tickles the back of your nose?" Wulfric asked, locking onto the scent trail and starting to head down another alley.

"Yeah!" Ben said, eyes lighting p as he caught on, following behind Wulfric. "Do you mean, you can smell it? I can't smell anything."

Wulfric rolled his eyes. "That's an understatement. None of you people seem to have proper noses. Come on, it's not that far from here."

They skulked through back alleys, following the scent that grew stronger and stronger as Wulfric homed in on that scent, until it overwhelmed even the smell of fish guts. They arrived at a low stone walled warehouse, a few grungy windows too covered in filth to see through.

"Well, it's right on the water." Ben said, seeing the river and some docks just past the building. "Probably going to move the stuff onto a boat, they must be repacking it here."

Wulfric held up a hand, ears straining. "Shh, I can hear something." He muttered, stealing closer to the window and listening in. It was muffled but he was able to make out what they were saying. "They're talking about a shipment, more to come, payment in full, when they're supposed to leave and take it out of here... this is certainly the place."

Smirking, Wulfric cleaned off a tiny bit of the grit off the window and peeked in. "Alright... there's... I see about a dozen people in there, but a few of them are just stacking crates, not all of them are armed. Hmm, I see someone giving orders, pointing the others around, looks like he's talking to someone from one of the boats out there."

"That'd be our leader." Ben said, reaching into his coat.

Wulfric glanced around. "There is a side door, and the front out onto the riverfront over there. I'll go in the side and you go around front to make sure they can't run away.

Ben nodded, drawing a pair of knuckle duster daggers. One he gripped with the point up, the other blade down. "Alright." He said. "If this works, it'll be the biggest blow I've ever dealt to them. So... did you have a plan of some kind?"

Wulfric thought about it, then shrugged. "I was thinking we just sort of... jump in and start hitting them."

Ben blinked. "That... is not much of a plan."

Wulfric shrugged. "Did you have a better idea?"

Ben thought about it, then shrugged as well. "Not really I suppose."

With that, they broke apart and went around the building. Wulfric readied his axe and crouched by the doorway, not sure how long he should wait, but decided that after a minute Ben should have had enough time to get ready. He drew his axe and tried the door. The handle didn't budge, locked. The rattling of the handle drew some attention from inside and he heard someone mutter "Hey, you hear that?"

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Wulfric growled and stood up, drawing back one booted foot and then kicking hard, smashing the door open wide before he jumped through. The room full of smugglers jumped in surprise at his sudden appearance, the Valdyrkin raising his axe. "Where is the lady Isabel Idrenne?" He demanded, not knowing what else to say.

All he got back were blank, surprised stares.

"I'm only going to ask nicely once." He warned.

The leader of the group took a few steps back and pointed at the intruder. "What are you all just standing around for, kill him!"

Wulfric snarled and readied himself for the fight as the smugglers began drawing weapons. Then the other door flew open and Ben jumped in, his daggers up and ready, closing the door behind them. "Nobody's coming ta help you lot." He spat, readying himself. "It's just you and us. Be smart and surrender now."

The big man's words were brave, but Wulfric could smell his anxiety.

It looked like the smugglers weren't going to back down, they did have the two of them outnumbered after all. Wulfric kept his back to the wall, in a fight like this he couldn't let the enemy get behind him, that was a sure way to get stabbed in the back, or have his arms pinned. He raised the axe, and took his nimble stance, dancing on the balls of his feet, amber eyes shining with the anticipation of the kill to come.

He'd positioned himself carefully, a wall to his back, a stack of barrels to his left, limiting the approaches that could be made at him so they couldn't take him in a rush. Three men were squaring off against him, with more hanging back and watching. Daggers and knives, one nasty looking spiked mace, no swords though. The men took it in turns, jumping in and stabbing with their blades, probing his defenses. Wulfric didn't overexert himself or betray the nerves of his hammering heart, swiping at the prodding blades, driving the attackers back. He jumped forward and slashed, then retreated, making them all flinch away. He could smell their fear and uncertainty, but they were rallying themselves, taking solace in their strength of numbers.

The blade came in again, stabbing towards his belly, one of his opponents growing overconfident. Wulfric dodged to the side and grabbed the man's wrist, twisting powerfully and forcing the knife from his hand. The axe blade came up, then flashed down, burying itself between the man's eyes and cleaving his skull open. He wrenched the weapon free with a crack of bone and twisted, diving into the fray. He was in among them now, hacking and slashing with his blade, kicking out and deflecting blows with his hands.

A blade came in towards his face, slashing at him and he sent it back with a blow of his own, kicking at someone trying to get in behind him. The tense standoff had instantly devolved into a whirling melee of blades, boots and fists. Wulfric twisted and turned, drawing blood with the axe and then pivoting away before he could follow the strike up, all he could do just to avoid taking a more serious blow himself. A blade slashed across his arm, the thick leather preventing the knife from reaching his flesh, before he gave the offending criminal a solid hit for his trouble.

Wulfric spared a moment to glance over at Ben. The big man had laid at least one of his opponents out, but he'd taken a few hits himself. He was hanging on but who knew how long he could last? The brief moment ended as Wulfric jumped to parry another incoming blow, and he was lost in the melee again. It seemed to go on and on without end, when one enemy got injured he would back off and a fresh opponent would jump in while the first licked his wounds and prepared to come in again. Wulfric grunted as he deflected another blow. These bastards were just going to tire him out until he got sloppy.

He looked up, glancing past his opponents to see Ben's fight. He'd been pulled away from the door, leaving his back exposed. It had hardly been a one sided fight, with a couple of his enemies bleeding profusely now, but he was vulnerable. The smuggler's leader had seen his vulnerability and was moving in behind him, big dagger ready to strike from behind.

"Ben!" Wulfric shouted out. "Behind you!" The big man heard him and started turning, but it would be too late, the dagger was already poised to strike. Wulfric did the only thing he could do and hurled his axe through the air, the blade tumbling end over end as it flew past his own opponents to embed itself in the man's side, making him cry out and crumple to the floor. He'd saved Ben, but left himself disarmed, and his own enemies were jumping in at him, ready to avenge their fallen leader.

Wulfric had other plans. He jumped back and bought himself a moment's time by grabbing the stack of barrels next to him and pulling them down, sending the whole stack clattering down to the floor. In the brief moment he had before they clambered over the obstacle, Wulfric focused inward. He tapped into the primal energy in his heart, the power that was his birthright, and began to feel himself changing.

The Valdyrkin were known in the old texts as the Family of the Wolf. Children of the wolf goddess of the north and the human god of war in ancient times. The average Valdyrkin had a number of features in common with their canine brethren, long ears and shared eye color, hair that seemed an imitation of a wolfish coat. They were blessed with sharp hearing and smell, and the ability to withstand the cold of their icy homeland better than an outlander could. But there were some among them who were granted more impressive powers.

Wulfric's hair thickened and lengthened, and began to spread, more sprouting over his exposed face and running down into his coat which began to bulge as his body started to grow. His gloves strained as his fingers grew longer, before the leather simply vanished under the fur as if consumed by the shaggy fur that rapidly sprouted, wicked claws flashing out on thick fingers. The rest of his gear similarly vanished, his clothes, pack, everything he was carrying simply melted into the spreading fur and vanished completely, as if displaced along with his human form.

His attackers had just navigated the fallen barrels and looked up, seeing Wulfric in mid transformation, the determination on their faces turning to horror as they watched his body shifting. He had grown larger, and more powerful with a thicker torso and limbs. His legs had changed, going from the plantigrade limbs of a human to digitigrade limbs belonging on a canine instead, though he still stood upright. His skin was now completely covered in thick shaggy fur that completely enveloped him, from his elongating snout to his broad paws to the bushy tail that now sprouted behind him.

Wulfric grinned, cracking his neck and spreading his arms wide, the transformation was complete. He now wore the form of a Varulfur, a werewolf, halfway between human and wolf, and bigger than either. Of the man he'd been before there were only a few remaining signs. The hair atop his head had turned to shaggy wolf fur. Atop his head it was mostly black as his hair had been, with the dark color continuing down his back. Towards his front it shifted through greys and browns, to finally become white, the coat of a northern timber wolf. Apart from that his only recognizable feature were his eyes, shining amber eyes set in a face that now bore a long canine snout and was topped with triangular ears.

Wulfric chuckled, his voice deeper in this form than in his human one. "Have any of you seen what an angry Varulfur can do?" He asked, his voice still perfectly understandable. "No? Then let me educate you." He growled, readying his claws.

The men were overcome with fear, some raised their weapons while others turned and tried to flee. Wulfric leaped forward in a great bound, flying over the scattered barrels to land with both paws full on the chest of one of the men who'd stood his ground. He slammed the man to the ground, feeling his ribs crack before tearing at his throat with a swipe of his powerful claws. A blade stabbed down at him, nicking him in the side, one of the criminals keeping his nerve more than the others. The blade was somewhat damped by thick layers of shaggy fur, but still managed to draw blood.

The injury was little more than a pinprick for the big beast though and he turned, snarling at the offender, who'd just managed to pull the knife free. Wulfric tackled his attacker, bearing him down and sinking his fangs into the man's throat, tearing it free in a rush of blood. Wulfric stood, looking to his remaining opponent, swallowing down the gobbet of flesh in his mouth with a loud gulp. The man almost dropped his sword in terror, and Wulfric leaped through the air, pinning him to the ground and tearing into him with his claws, rending him apart with little more effort, dropping the torn body at his feet.

Just as suddenly as it had begun, it was over, nothing but bodies now in the warehouse, save for Ben and the panting, shaggy beast. Wulfric growled and looked around, hoping to find someone still willing to offer a fight. The skirmish had just gotten his blood up, and he wanted more of a challenge than this. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, remembering what he'd been taught. Breathe, focus inward, and find yourself. Bloodlust was his weapon, it was not his master.

Wulfric opened his eyes a little calmer, overseeing the devastation he'd wrought. Ben was looking on him with a little fear, but determination as well, holding his blades ready, but not attacking either. "What the hell are you!" He demanded.

Wulfric held his hands out to his sides, lowering his ears a bit. "It's me, Ben. Wulfric." He offered, not presenting too much of a threat, though he was still dripping with the blood of his defeated enemies. "I won't hurt you."

Ben looked dubious, but Wulfric locked eyes with him, showing the man that his eyes were still exactly the same. That spark of recognition seemed to calm him a little, making him lower his daggers a bit. "That's really you?" He asked, his fear starting to turn to wonder.

Wulfric nodded, his pose more relaxed now as the battle rush finally left his system. "Yes, it's me."

"How... are you a wizard or something?" Ben asked, looking Wulfric's new form up and down.

The Valdyrkin shook his head and walked closer. "No, I can explain but not here, we should probably leave before... hmm." He looked down at the leader of the smugglers, his axe still lodged in the man's side. "This one's not quite dead yet."

Ben looked down at the smuggler, grimacing. He tugged the axe free and handed it up to Wulfric, rolling the groaning man onto his back. "Now, listen to me, you bastard. I've got me a potion 'ere that will stop that blood flow and save your worthless life." Ben pulled a red vial out of his bag, waving it in front of the man's eyes, which latched onto it after a moment. "And if you want it, you'll have to tell me what I want to know. And my friend here." He added, nodding to Wulfric.

Wulfric loomed into view, his terrifying visage making the man's eyes go wide. "Yes. Answer our questions, or I'll start eating you before you bleed out." Wulfric added, licking up some of the blood covering his muzzle making that threat rather more genuine.

The man nodded jerkily. "W-What do you want to know?"

"First of all." Ben grunted. "Where were you hiding this stuff before you brought it here? Where's your hideout?"

"I can't... she'll kill me." The man choked, growing more pale.

Wulfric growled. "And I'll kill you right now if you don't answer our questions."

"It's underground." The man choked out. "Under the city, there's tunnels and rooms down in the foundations, t-through the sewer."

Ben raised his brows. "Damn, no wonder I could never find them. Now answer my friend's question."

The fading man looked up at Wulfric. "W-Who?"

The wolf growled. "Lady Idrenne, Vaden woman, long blonde hair, green eyes, brought here by a bunch of cutthroats within the last day or two?"

There was a spark of recognition in the man's eyes. "She... she was... at the hideout... just yesterday, she..." The man breathed out and did not breathe back in, laying still on the floor.

Wulfric growled, letting out an annoyed rumble. "Well, it's more than we had to go on before." He sighed, stepping back from the body.

Ben nodded, rifling through the dead man's pockets, pulling out a few papers and stuffing them in his own shirt. "Alright, we'd better get out of here before..." He trailed off, distracted as he watched Wulfric change back.

Fur receded across his body, bones shifted and joints popped. The receding fur revealed his clothes and personal items back in their proper place, until once again he was his old self, wiping blood from his face and hands. Ben just stared at him for a moment before catching himself again. "Right, yeah let's go." Stopping for just long enough to grab the money that was going to pay for this shipment of illicit materials, they hightailed it out of the warehouse, leaving the bodies behind as they skulked off through the alleys and back streets to get back to Ben's home.