Fog and darkness obscured their vision up ahead. The scent of dead flesh lingered in the air cloying at their senses. The crackle of burning wood was constant, as the group tried to see ahead.

"Something's up ahead." Ada whispered to the others. "I can't-" Her words were interrupted.

A sudden wind swept through the clearing with a shriek. The smoke and fog cleared. Looking past the trees, A river divided the clearing. A sandy bed, full of stones, kept the water clear. Several rafts were already burning on the water. The ground opened up, revealing a subterranean cavern below. Burning tents and makeshift shacks illuminated the surrounding area.

From the other side of the clearing, Fritz could see slain beastkin mixed with dead wolves near the entrance of the cave. On the other side of the river, two familiar looking deathly pale women stood. The taller one wore a crimson hooped skirt with a black bodice. A thin onyx colored rapier dripped blood onto the ground. The shorter one wore mourning clothes with a face veil. Behind them, recently slain beastkin littered the ground. Their blood mixed with the river, swirling crimson swept downriver eventually fading away. Fritz could feel the blood in his veins freeze looking at the two. The two pale women turned towards Fritz.

"Wonderful! The stars of the show have arrived. I was wondering how long the dogs would take to herd them!" The tall woman clapped loudly. "And what an audience we have! Come to witness such sordid offerings!" The woman's voice was sharp like a sadistic knife. Fritz's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the woman.

"Run!" Ada shouted. Neva, Marcelle and Ada shot off running away from the woman. Fritz's legs felt like jelly. His brain told him to run, yet his body wouldn't listen. His mind screamed for his muscles to obey, yet the crimson eyes of the pale blonde woman held him still. The two pale women stalked towards him. Fritz's brain screamed at him, as he watched death approach him.

"We don't have time for this! Grab him!" Neva shouted. Fritz felt hands wrap around his chest. His view shifted as he was thrown, pack and all, onto Ada's shoulders.

"They're higher undead! We just need to last until sunrise! We'll be safe then." Marcelle shouted back.

"How do you know that?" Ada yelled back.

"Shut up and run! Run!" Neva shouted again.

The three women, carrying Fritz, ran into the forest. Brambles, thorns, and branches snapped at their faces, clothes and legs.

"Oh, how I love the chase." The lady tittered. Her voice carried itself through the trees. "Very well! Do entertain me! I don't mind earning my meal!"

Recovering control of his body, Fritz spoke up.

"Let me down. I'm fine! I can run!" He said down to Ada. Without missing a beat, Ada righted Fritz's body. His feet touched the ground and he started sprinting alongside them. His pack bounced up and down on his back, as he tried to keep up.

Fritz ran as fast as he could through the forest. Ada and Neva slowed their pace to match his. Marcelle seemed to struggle with the pace just as much as Fritz. Fritz looked back for undead wolves. Only a piercing consuming blackness was behind him. Holding his torch high, Fritz ran faster trying to catch up to the others.

The sudden flash of movement caught his eye ahead. An onyx rapier darted for the jugular of Neva. The crimson frilly dress of the tall pale woman trailed behind the blade. Her eyes shone with bloodlust, as a cruel, warped smile spread across her blood encrusted lips.

Neva's sword rose to intercept the attack. Fritz watched as Neva's sword barely scraped against the blade, deflecting it slightly off course. The onyx rapier scraped against her shoulder. Neva grunted as blood pooled down her arm. The pale woman stopped and turned on her heels. She flew back into the woods disappearing. Fritz's eyes went wide, as he tried to make sense of her superhuman speed.

Everyone stopped running, as Neva slumped forward a bit. Her hand went to her shoulder, it came away tinged with crimson.

"Neva, are you all right?" Ada asked. She rushed over to the older wolfkin. Neva grunted in pain, as she tried to ignore the others and search for her attacker. Her scarred face warped with anger.

"Stay alert! She's still out there." She barked.

"Do you need a bandage?" Ada asked. Fritz blinked away his confusion, as he jogged over.

"No. We need to keep moving. We need to keep moving till the sun comes up. They'll leave then." Neva said. "Bitch got me."

"How the hell is she that fast?" Fritz asked.

"Vampire. Probably pure born. Certainly not a simple necromancer. Fighting is not an option." Marcelle said.

"She's a fucking vampire?" Fritz asked incredulously. Marcelle gave him a barely perceptible nod.

A peal of high pitched laughter echoed from the woods nearby. Fritz turned around as he tried to find the source.

"Enough! We can classify later! We need to move!" Neva shouted. She gripped her sword tighter. "Be ready for anything. She's hunting us."

The four kept running into the forest. Fritz's breathing was growing ragged. Sweat accumulated on his brows, as he tried to keep up. His pack felt heavier and heavier with each step. Marcelle slithered beside him now. Her purple tail undulated rapidly to match Neva's pace. The torchlight cast rapidly moving shadows around the trees. Fritz kept his eyes open and his senses ready. He felt a wave of energy emanating ahead of him. He could sense hostile mana approaching rapidly. Instinctual fear over took him.

"Get down!" He yelled out, as he fell to the ground. His chest hit on an exposed root. Ada and Neva fell prone, as Marcelle seemed to drop down like a spring. Fritz looked up, as a crescent of dark crimson blood sliced through the treeline behind them. A peal of laughter emerged from ahead, as tree's crashed to the forest floor behind them.

"Awww you didn't want to die? Still want to play? Good! Good!" The vampire taunted.

Fritz jumped back up to his feet. The four kept running forward. A desiccated decapitated corpse was ahead of them. Running past it in the dim light, Fritz could see it had been entirely drained of blood. Its body was shrunken down as the skin compressed pulling tight against the woman's bones. Fritz felt a wave of revulsion flow through him, as he ran by.

The adrenaline kept the pain in his legs at bay. His shirt was drenched in sweat. The continuous running was exhausting, yet death kept all thoughts of his internal fatigue at bay. Approaching a boulder, Fritz saw a shadow leap up far into the treeline before descending down.

"Ada!" Fritz shouted. The blonde wolfkin's attention shot upwards, as she hefted her spear towards the attacker. A lightning fast series of rapier thrusts snaked past Ada's spear. The blonde wolfkin dodge backwards. Ada rolled to her feet as Neva hefted her sword. A circle of flame spiraled down Neva's blade ready to be unleashed. The vampire woman landed, flourishing her rapier in a guarded stance. The woman's ruby necklace glittered in the torchlight. A coy smile wrapped itself around her lips.

"If you surrender--" The vampire started to speak, but was interrupted by a thrown spear. Steel ripped through the air searching for the monster's heart. Fritz watched her shadowy form twist as she dodged. Without missing a beat, she advanced upon Ada. The onyx rapier was raised towards Ada's heart. Jumping out of the way, Ada reached for her sword. Neva rushed forward, her sword full of flames. Swinging the sword down, a spectral blade of flames extending past the steel's reach. Spiraling tendrils of flame launched towards the pale woman. The vampire rapidly jumped backwards into the gloom of the forest, completely unscathed.

"We need a plan." Fritz said between breaths. "She's fast." Neva grunted at his assessment. "Ada? Need another weapon?"

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"Yeah, do you have something in mind?" She asked. Her breathing was even and slow, unlike his own. Fritz suppressed his envy, as a peel of high pitched laughter rang out between the trees. Fritz searched for the source in vain.

"I'll need a minute to concentrate. If only we could hide." Fritz said.

"We can't hide from a vampire. Their sense of smell is extremely powerful. She'd find us." Neva said. Marcelle nodded her head in agreement. "Our best bet is to keep running. Once the sun rises we'll be safe."

"We don't have that kind of time." Marcelle hissed.

"How powerful is her nose?" Fritz asked.

"Extremely, more powerful than a wolf's. League's better than ours." Neva pointed towards Ada and herself. "She can smell fresh blood for miles."

"I can do something about her nose." Fritz said confidently to the others. "Who knew being part of project SKUNK would be useful?" He muttered to himself.

"I may have a solution." Marcelle moved forward. She kept her voice low. "Although it pains me to share. I have some potions of invisibility. If we can stop her from tracking us. We can slip away unseen."

"Fritz? Can you disable her nose?" Ada asked. She scanned the surrounding trees looking for their pursuer.

"No, but I think you can. I need a second though. Guard me." Fritz replied, as he dropped the torch in his left hand. He spared a brief look at the machete before hooking it into his pack.

The stink bomb he was concocting was the stuff of nightmares. He needed it to hit the vampire directly for maximum effect. Ada was clearly the superior thrower. She could throw spears like a fastball, in direct defiance of the laws of physics. All Ada needed was the vampire to sit still for half a second. With a rush of determination, Fritz decided on a plan of action.

Fritz closed his eyes as he imagined the solution to the first step. A pair of steel bolas appeared in his left hand within an instant. Still with his eyes closed, he let his memories flood back into him. Images of EvaMaxx's development laboratory filled his mind, as he searched for the culmination of project SKUNK. He smelt it exactly once. A single whiff had nearly sent him to the hospital. The rest of the researchers howled with laughter at his pain as he collapsed onto EvaMaxx's floor. The sensation burned his nose for hours, lingering like a bloated corpse. Getting rid of the smell took days, and afterwards he had never been the same since. He grimaced as he focused on recreating the weapon. Seconds later a small ball no bigger than a thimble appeared in his hand. He opened his eyes. No one else was looking at him.

"Ada, stop her movement with this." Fritz said. He held out the steel bolas in his left hand. "Afterwards, throw this with all your might, and hope you hit her." Fritz held out the small ball shaped stink bomb. "Whatever you do, don't breathe it in. Then we take Marcelle's potions and run."

Fritz looked around towards others. Ada and Marcelle looked towards Neva for permission.

"All right, seems like a good enough plan. Do what he says." Neva said gruffly.

Marcelle handed out a trio of potions. She handed two to Fritz and Neva, before stuffing the final one into Ada's pack.

"Done with your little meeting?" A hidden high pitched voice sneered at the party.

A blur of movement erupted near Neva. The injured wolfkin held her flaming sword at the ready to intercept her foe. The vampire's figure pivoted as if on instinct, her path moving towards the blonde wolfkin. The onyx blade was poised to strike. Fritz could feel time slow, as he watched. The blur of crimson clothes, rocket towards Ada. She reacted, twisting her body to throw the bola. The steel balls rotated in the air, as they spun towards the vampire. The woman never deviated from her course as she made straight for Ada's throat. One bola went towards her chest, while the other, towards her legs. With frightening supernatural agility, the vampire twisted her body. She jumped, and like a contortionist, compressed herself between the spinning bolas.

Fritz felt his heart drop, as he watched. His mouth opened, as he tried to shout. The machete appeared in his hand, as his feet moved to protect Ada. To the right of him, Neva repositioned herself as she moved to pursue the vampire.

Yet she was too fast. Neither of the two were going to make it in time. Ada had no weapon. The woman, with her crimson eyes, full of bloodlust, pulled her sword back as she neared Ada. For a moment, Ada grimaced as she saw death approach. The onyx blade thrust out. Doing the unexpected, Ada pulled her body towards her foe. Grabbing the ball conjured by Fritz, she pushed it into the vampire's face. The ball exploded. The figurative bowels of hell erupted into the forest. The stench was indescribable. Fritz could only feel a physical reaction, as his mind tried to catch up. His legs stopped instantly as he fell forward. Fritz retched onto the forest floor.

The vampire screamed, as she dropped her blade. She ran into the forest, screeching like a banshee. Neva was stunned and reeling as she heaved. Ada was doing her best to hold onto her breath as she searched for her invisibility potion. Marcelle gagged, but was the most lucid.

"Potions! Now! Potions! You fools!" Marcelle screeched from behind. Fritz heard her voice, yet it took him seconds to process her words. His world was overturned as his senses tried to normalize. He grabbed his potion of invisibility and swallowed it as best as he could gagging all the while.

In an instant, his body became transparent.

"Follow my voice!" Marcelle shouted above the confusion. Fritz looked around. The others were gone.

Fritz moved towards the sound of Marcelle's voice. He bumped into something hidden, feeling his nose collide with something solid. He clutched it as he struggled to assess the situation.

"East! Head East!" Neva said.

"Screw this. Just follow Ada!" Marcelle shouted.

"How? We're all invisible." Fritz protested.

"You reek! Follow the stench! You were supposed to throw it! Stupid! Imbecile!" Marcelle screeched.

"We need to find water! We have to wash you off as soon as possible Ada!" Neva shouted.

Fritz could hear the frustrated whimpering of the blonde wolfkin, between the sounds of her coughing and gagging.

"Move! We don't have all the time in the world!" Neva shouted.

"Get going stinky! Keep a bit ahead!" Marcelle shouted.

"Watch your step!"

Fritz groaned as he struggled to jog in formation with the others. He clutched his nose as he ran. Yet his need for air, opened his mouth. The taste wafted onto his tongue. He sputtered spewing spit onto the forest floor. For hours, the worst possible smell lingered in his nose. Nausea and exhaustion mixed together within him. Yet the fear of pursuit kept him moving al the same.

Fritz, Ada, Neva and Marcelle ran into the night. For what felt like hours they ran, until the light of early morning greeted them.

Dawn broke as Fritz reached a flowing river. It was wide and deep and crystal clear. He called out to the others.

"Is everyone here?" He asked. He turned around, looking for the others. The potion of invisibility wore off. He looked down, to finally see his hands. He turned them over. Running through the forest, had torn his clothes. His hands were covered in minor scratches. Blood pooled around him. He looked at the others. Ada was miserable and scowling. She dropped her backpack, as she moved to dive into the river. Fritz watched her jump up, easily clearing ten feet as she hit the middle of the river. Her body disappeared into the water. Fritz looked over to Marcelle and Neva. Marcelle was panting heavily as she sprawled out in a bed of tall grass. Neva clutched her shoulder. A grimace of pain flashed over her face as she re-adjusted her shoulder. Fritz was exhausted. He wanted to flop onto the grass. Yet, he needed to keep moving.

"We should take a look at that." Fritz said approaching. He conjured a packet of medical gauze, and placed it onto her shoulder. The shoulder was still bleeding slightly from Neva's constant movements. Fritz did his best to wipe the blood away.

"Thanks." Neva said. "Dawn's coming. We've bought ourselves a bit of breathing room. But, we're still not out of the woods."

"Literally or figuratively?" Fritz asked.

"Both. Idiot." Neva replied with a weary smile. She brushed a small lock of her gray short hair out of her eyes.

Ada resurfaced in the river. Her clothes were completely wet. Fritz looked at her for a moment. A bar of soap appeared in his hands. He tossed it to her. She wordlessly caught it and got to work.

"So what's our plan?" Fritz asked.

"We were heading for Trira. That doesn't change." Neva said. She closed her eyes as Fritz cleaned her wound. "It's a special timber town. Right now, we are on a connecting river. If we keep following the river, we'll reach the town."

"How big is it?"

"Maybe a thousand. It's hard to remember. The town's population depends on how big the timber demand is. How many convicts get shipped in."

"Convicts?"

"The town runs on prison labor. The convicted get shipped to Trira to chop wood. In exchange their sentences are reduced."

"Makes sense." Fritz replied. "Will we be safe there?"

"Probably. It's a tough town, for tough people. Felling lumber in the Northern forests takes guts. Civilians can enter the town. A lot of families come up with the prisoners. We'll be fine if we don't stay too long." Neva said.

"Will the vampire follow us?"

"Most likely. But we've bought some time. I don't think she'll bother assaulting Trira."

"When we met her in the clearing, what was that?"

"Cultists. Bandits. Outlaws. I don't know. It looked like a whole base of them. No clue."

Fritz finished cleaning and dressing her wound. Neva sagged into him as he worked. Fritz's fatigue was catching up to him. Marcelle hadn't moved after collapsing. Ada was busy cleaning herself. Fritz inspected the river. The water moved rapidly towards Trira. He felt the dawn's sun on his skin, and he closed his eyes. Birds chirped far in the distance, driven away by an oppressive stench. Fritz breathed in the fresh air. He didn't enjoy the smell, but at least he was safe for now. Fritz opened his eyes and he looked up and down the river. Standing up he walked over towards the river bed.

Upstream, just a bit, was a raft. He blinked for a moment, as he walked towards it. One of its corners was stuck on a large boulder. The sides dug into the loose gravel of the river. Fritz ran back to Ada.

"Ada! There's a raft. Just upstream." He yelled pointing up the river. "It's stuck. But we can use it to get to town!" Ada looked at him for a moment, as she continued to scrub herself off in the river.

Later, after a long nap in the early morning light, the party drifted down the river. Fritz had conjured a long wooden pole to steer the raft. Due to the size, and his own fatigue, it had taken him several attempts. Marcelle was coiled up in the center of the raft. Her large chest rested on her own tail as she cuddled up. Neva and Fritz sat in the front, as the raft moved with the river. Ada steered the raft from the back. Hours passed as the wood bobbed on the moving water. The river carried them swiftly towards their next destination. Fritz dreamed of a warm bed and a long bath waiting for him in Trira.