“So, the two are vampires?” Silvius asked.

“Not fully,” said Gabriel. “They have many of the traits, but the transformation was not completed.”

“What does that make them then?” Hypatia asked. “Some form of hybrid creature?”

“More or less, yes,” Leonidas answered.

“The difference being they didn’t go through a full transition from one state into the other. Nor was it done with any of the normal factors taken into consideration.”

“Meaning?” asked Benkin.

“This isn’t simply changing a profession or going from one sworn lord to another. Hell, it isn’t a transformative ritual to transition one from one gender to another. These are properties and substances being used and can have terrible consequences if the body doesn’t have the chance to adapt to the change. And from what the poor woman was telling us, this is exact the type of results which can come as a result,” said Gabriel.

“So we’re dealing with two homicidal maniacs who abused vampiric blood, outstanding,” said Kveldulf.

“What do we do than, Cid?” Jeanne asked.

“We rest with the goblins for the night, to a once over for our provisions, and then get started on hunting these butchers down,” Cid said.

“Do we have any clues to where they went?” Benkin asked.

“There were footprints by what I’m assuming were them,” said Maeryn, “and they were heading north into the Aldershire.”

“That’d mean they’re only a few days from arriving to Baerney,” Jeanne said.

“I know, which means we’ll need to hoof it, proper, if we’re going to have a chance at catching up with them,” Cid said to them.

“I guess that means we should bustle then?” Kveldulf asked.

“Oh good,” said Jeanne listlessly, “I like bustling.”

“I’m sure you’d be tickled,” Cid said, “now come, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover before nightfall.”

***

Jeanne noted the sun had begun to its descent when Cid called for her and Kveldulf to him at the head of their group. “What is it?” Kveldulf asked when their reached him.

Cid pointed out to a short distance before the group. “What do you make of that?”

Both Jeanne and Kveldulf leaned forward and narrowed their gaze. In the distance there was a small pillar of smoke coming out of the top of the tree line. “You think might be something?” Kveldulf asked.

“There’s always a chance,” Cid replied, “We won’t know until check it out. Have the others take the horses somewhere off the road.”

Silvius and Hypatia dismounted first and collected the others’ horses before everyone moved towards the smoke pillar. Ducking under the brush and slowly moving forward, Jeanne looked up to the canopy above them. She heard Cid make a sharp click, turning to see him gesture, Everything all right?

She nodded. I just noticed there’s not a lot of noise from the trees.

What do you mean? Cid asked.

Just listen, there’s no birds singing, other animals moving around, or anything.

Cid looked up and around, curling his upper lip as he noticed the lack of noise. He turned back to the others, clicking his tongue twice and waving his hand towards him. Maeryn moved up and knelt between the two of them. What’s the situation? she gestured.

Can you hear anything? Cid asked.

Maeryn perked an ear up and listened to the forest for a moment. Nothing but the trees moving.

There isn’t anything else? Jeanne asked.

Maeryn shook her head before her face distorted in disgust. But I smell something, she followed, and it’s bad.

Jeanne slumped her head forward as Cid let out a low groan before giving the others the order to spread out. Gabriel took point and moved through the grass towards the smell. She threw on the mask over her face as she caught the foul scent. Inching closer, Jeanne could catch the scent herself. She had to catch herself from gagging as it touched her nose.

She felt a soft tapping on her shoulder, turning to find Benkin next to her. You all right?, he asked.

She nodded. The smell was worse than I was expecting.

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Agreed. Whatever that is must’ve been here for a while.

Moving through the brush and into a small clearing, they found a dead body resting next to a smoldering firepit. It was the corpse of a man with short brown stubble on his face, covering some of his now milky pale skin. His tunic was torn open and his feet left bare to the elements. His torso was fully ripped out, with his innards removed and thrown around the area. The humming of the flies broken the deathly silence as they flew around and slowly making a feast of the dead man’s remains.

The eyes were missing and as the man’s open mouth revealed his tongue was missing. The Wolves looked at the scene in horror as they came over the initial shock. “What on earth happened here?” Silvius asked.

“I don’t know where to begin,” Benkin answered.

“This is almost a crime against nature itself,” Hypatia said, turning to Gabriel, “no offense.”

“I’m in the same boat,” Gabriel said slowly, keeping her spear trained to the body.

“Do you think he’ll get back up?” Kveldulf asked, taking out his halberd and extending out to its full length.

Leonidas stepped forward. “I honestly can’t tell, but I don’t think so.”

“I hope you’re right,” Cid said, “because I’d rather not seeing him come back up.”

“You and me both,” Gabriel said.

“Doctor, should we … tend to the deceased?” Cid asked.

Leonidas knelt down cautiously next to the corpse, he turned to Gabriel. “I hate to ask this but—”

He hadn’t finished the sentence before Gabriel stepped next to him and impaled the body through the heart with her spear. Leonidas looked up at her with wide eyes. “I don’t want them getting more than you,” she said calmly.

Leonidas nodded, looking at the unmoving dead man for a moment before turn to Cid. “I think we’re safe to assume their fully gone.”

“Well, there might be something on them to help figure out who they were.”

“You think whoever did this wouldn’t already do that?” Maeryn asked.

“I don’t think they care too much about whether this poor soul is recovered once they pinched whatever coin they could,” Cid replied.

“This just doesn’t feel right,” Silvius said.

“Why don’t you go help form a perimeter,” Kveldulf said to him softly. “Get whatever air you can here.”

Jeanne watched Silvius move out, with Hypatia, Benkin and Gabriel heading out and taking their own positions. Jeanne walked up to Cid, “You mind if I check on Sil?”

Cid nodded. “I think this is hitting him harder than anticipated.”

Jeanne walked to where Silvius sat against a fallen log, his head hanging low and shaking and choking as he softly sobbed. She moved to the log and saw him wringing his hands and clenching his teeth. She slowly sat next to him putting her arm over his shoulders. “Come on,” she said in a whisper.

“We shouldn’t even be here,” he said, trying to regain some composure.

“I know, we should be back home blowing something up and giving Allianna a new headache.”

“It’s just, every where we go, it just gets harder and harder to keep taking everything.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry you’re all having to go through this.”

“How did you deal with all of this before?”

“The hell are you talking about?” Jeanne asked.

“Just with everything in this forsaken land.”

“I didn’t! I got the void out!”

“Oh,” Silvius replied, with his head sinking into his shoulders. “I was hoping you had a coping technique.”

“I drank, a lot. Copious amounts of booze.”

“I’m not sure my liver could handle that.”

“It’ll be fine,” she said, handing him a flask. “I know I’ve been needing a strong instance of the Shepherd’s guidance since we’ve been back here.”

“What is that?”

“Booze.”

“I know, I meant what type of booze.”

“The booze you drink.”

“When isn’t there a booze meant for drinking?”

“You’ve ever had wine vinegar?”

“That’s a thing?”

“Oh, you sweet summer child.”

“I know,” Silvius said, “this wasn’t anything I asked for.”

“That’s more than a shared sentiment, Sil,” Jeanne said, patting his shoulder. “And I know the sooner we put these bastards into the ground, the sooner you can get back home to a good dusty tome and I can enjoy a good stiff drink.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t been doing that since we got here.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Jeanne followed. “I’ve been wanting to enjoy that pleasure for a while now.”

“Do you think this will ever end?” Silvius asked with hesitation.

“Absolutely,” Jeanne said with certainty.

“Really?”

“Of course, if all else fails, there’s always death.”

Silvius gave Jeanne an unamused grimace. “Always the chipper one, aren’t we?”

“Someone’s got to keep up the morale here.”

They both turned as they found Hypatia walking up towards the two. “Cid was wanting to bringing everyone back,” Maeryn said. “We found something on the departed.”

As they returned to the others, Jeanne spotted Cid thumbing through the leaves of a small journal, covered in faced brown leather and the pages had discolored along the edges. “Anything interesting?” Jeanne asked.

Cid finished reading a page as he closed the book and turned to Jeanne. “The poor bastard was named Prydwen Silla. Seemed to be traveling to Baerney when he ran into a group of travelers. Two men, three women and several children.”

“I wonder if it’s the same two men we’re after?” Benkin asked.

“The woman didn’t mention there being any women or children with them,” Hypatia followed.

“I’m not liking this either way,” said Gabriel.

“Then I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” Cid said. “The two men described here seem to match the description of the men back at Sunnybrooke, sigil and all.”

“Then who the hell were the women and children?” Kveldulf asked.

“I’m starting to not want to know,” Jeanne said.

“You don’t think anyone would join them willingly, do you?” Hypatia asked with great hesitation.

“I’ve seen people do dumber things and be companions for greater monsters simply for the thrill of the fiend’s celebrity,” Leonidas answered.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions until we know the full story,” Cid said. “These women may not have had much say in their association with these two Kolvilles.”

“What makes you say that?” Maeryn asked.

“From what Pyrdwen wrote in here, the women looked as if they were afflicted with a constant state of fear. Hardly eating anything, saying less, and always seemingly trembling whenever they moved. There was one time one of the men was assaulting one of their … wives, and the younger brother stayed the man’s effort to stop the beating,” Cid said. His face winced as he continued reading, closing the book while looking away in disgust and letting out a groan of pain.

“What should we do with the remains?” Kveldulf asked.

“Doctor, see if there’s a chance for the departed to – return, and if we can, we’ll bring him to town and have them give what remains of the poor man a proper burial.”

“You think they’ll be a town worth bringing him to?” Jeanne asked.

“We won’t know until we get there,” Cid answered. “But I doubt they would be foolish enough to strike so soon after one raid. And they may be wanting to lay low before they hit again.”

“I hate this feeling like we’re walking into a trap,” Maeryn said.

“Let us hope this is just a false sense of alarm,” Cid said. “But come, we shouldn’t leave the poor man to be eaten by the flies anymore than we can avoid.”