Karsten followed behind the nun as he made his way through the halls of healing. Mary behind him. When they had begun their search around midday they had run into a slight problem in the fact that nobody had had any idea just which guard post had responded to the tavern fight, and as a result they had spent several hours looking through various places with a stop off to grab something to fill their stomachs on the way.

He would have enjoyed the chance to eat alone with Mary more if not for the fact that his captain was still missing. As it stood it was a rushed meal, followed by more running about the unfamiliar city, following Mary's lead. When they did eventually track down the guard post, which was on the other side of the river. They found that rather than have the child recuperate there that they had taken him to Saint Altairs, and the sun had already begun to set in the sky when they finally arrived at the cathedral, greeted by the nun that they had seen sitting with the boy the day before.

“You are Abbot’s party members yes? He must be… interesting to travel with.” The nun smiled at that, and he and Mary gave a knowing look in return. “He's just in here, poor thing burnt himself out fairly fiercely, but he never went into shock from what I can tell. Perhaps his attunement to the light at such a young age has given him a preternatural degree of healthiness.”

Karsten got about half of that sentence but nodded along anyhow. “How long until he wakes up?”

“A few hours I'd guess, maybe sooner, maybe later. That's up to God, but he's at no risk of death or permanent damage as far as I can tell. He just needs to have his mana replenish.”

“I see the pigeons still like him,” Mary commented, her voice slightly exacerbated. “Honestly Karsten, why does your boss have to be so troublesome.”

Karsten gave his girl a glance with one eyebrow raised and she turned away coughing. No doubt remembering the orc raid on her parent's farm.

“Alright so maybe we're all a little troublesome. Still, the animals thing is strange. That's a druid thing, and he doesn't look like a druid to me.”

“No, that's true.” Karsten nodded. “Sister Henrietta, you're more educated than us, can you guess at why Abbot seems to attract all manner of creature?”

The nun scratched her temple in through before nodding slightly. “I've given it some thought, and it does seem a bit unusual.” She took a poignant glance at one of the birds nesting in the child's hair. “If I had to take a guess I'd say he's favored by nature spirits, but I can't fathom why, Humans typically aren't particularly inclined towards life magic, and he hasn't demonstrated any mastery of it. I suppose it could be born into him, but I couldn't fathom how.” the nun seemed to drift into thought at that, before snapping back to reality. “Most likely though he's received the blessing of a particularly powerful nature spirit.”

“A nature spirit huh?” Karsten looked at his sleeping captain, before nodding lightly. “I can bel-”

Suddenly, a cracking and popping sound drowned out his words, echoing through the carved granite halls of the cathedral. After a few moments, it stopped, before starting back up again, quieter this time.

“What was that?” Mary asked, her rand rapidly going for the firelock at her hip.

Sister Henrietta for her part, looked up warily. “It doesn't appear to be the stonework… Oh my.” the nun moved her hand to her mouth. “Someone is trying to breach the reliquary.”

Mary gave him a questioning look, and he realized that with Abbot down the decision fell to him…

After a moment's hesitation, he came to a decision. ‘The captain wouldn't want us sitting this out.’

He managed to convey his question to Henrietta with a look.

“Down the stairs behind the altar.”

Without a second thought, he grabbed his spear and started running that direction. Mary keeping his pace just behind him to the right.

“Who robs a church?”

______________________________________

The human Cathedral was surprisingly easy to infiltrate. They didn't seem to have any monsters guarding it, so they were simply able to enter the back gate with a lock that the assassin quickly opened, simply cutting it off with his clearly magical blade.

“The reliquary should be located underneath the altar according to the building plans.” The elf said, carefully opening the gate so as to avoid making a sound that might give them away. “We only want one thing there, so it's just a get in and get out. There will likely be one or two guards, but you can leave them to me.” He pointed a slender finger at her. “You will focus on opening the door and brute forcing your way through what wards they have in place, while Fang will keep watch. Speaking of which, is there anyone in the building?”

The large human sniffed the air for a moment before narrowing his eyes. “Yes, there are a few people towards the front and a pair near the center where the altar is. There's something strange towards the front as well.”

“Strange, how so?”

“It smells…” the man made a strange face as if fighting with himself “Well, the wolf in me thinks that it smells very nice.”

‘So he is a shape-changer after all then.’ Catalina had suspected as much from his appearance, as well as his name.

“Odd, but not what we're here for.” the elf stoked his long, pointed ear lightly. “very well, the ones towards the front may come to investigate when the Wards fall, you two will take them down while I recover the item. Then we'll escape.”

‘He will betray us.’ Catalina decided, beginning to formulate her own plan of action, and she thought it likely that the werewolf would do the same. She would memorize a path in and out. The city's sewers would likely be good enough shelter to escape pursuit. Especially with her skills at navigating underground.

The three of them moved quickly to the courtyard entrance, and the elf whispered a spell of some sort that sent inky black tendrils drifting from his hand. They wrapped around the door’s hinges and he quickly pushed it open, utterly silent in its movement despite its enormous wooden bulk.

He lifted a hand for them to stop, and when he spoke it was as if he was speaking directly into her ear. “Hold here for a moment, I will go and deal with the guards. I will signal you to follow when they are dead.”

She nodded her head slightly, and Fang may have done the same. Instead, she took her time observing the human cathedral. The stonework was better than she had anticipated and had clearly stood for a very long time, though it had a different purpose than that in the deeps since it was a freestanding structure. The great ribcage of the cathedral bore intricate carvings across its surface no doubt depicting battles of the human god, and with her sharp eyes she could make out that the carvings stretched all the way from floor to ceiling, despite the place being lit only by moonlight drifting in through the enormous stained-glass windows.

There were numerous other exits to the main hall, as well as several balconies at the upper level, something that bothered her significantly. There was little on the ground that would provide cover from an archer on one of them, and their railings were stone.

At the sound of somewhat heavy breathing from her side, she looked up to see Fang once again sniffing the air. She supposed it was an impulsive trait of the human-werewolf.

A black tentacle of shadow soon extended out from behind the altar, waving back and forth and beckoning them. The two of them spotted it and moved into the cathedral as quietly as we could manage, she was thankful for the spell the elf had put on her armor earlier, keeping it quiet.

The stairs behind the altar were built into the Dais that the entire area was leading up to, raising it a few feet above the pews of the cathedral floor. Their stonework was more plain, utilitarian even.

What stood at the bottom was not. Situated at the end of a large marble hall decorated with enormous columns depicting various religious ceremonies was the Vault Door to the Reliquary.

‘Fek.’

The thing was nearly fifteen feet tall, and runes seemed to flow across its surface in streams of light in patterns She couldn't recognize.

“You want me to brute force That?!?” Catalina whispered through clenched teeth. “It's thrice my size?”

The elf glanced at the thing before turning back to her, tossing her his knife. “Stab that into it. What worries me is the magical feedback, not the size of the door. Do this one thing and you'll be free to go.”

She glared at the unapologetic elf, before grabbing the knife off the floor, they had to work quickly after all. And she knew well she wouldn't leave here alive if she didn't obey the powerful assassin.

“Fine. Bastard.”

With a shuddering gait, she walked towards the vault.

This was it. Either she would die here, or live and face the life of a fugitive. No middle ground.

As she clutched the dagger close to her side she had one final question in her mind.

‘I wonder if the Goddess would call this dying in battle?’

Then, with a lack of hesitation born from long years of brutal training, she plunged the magical dagger into the door.

For a moment there was no sound.

Them a cracking sound came as if the entire cathedral would fall on her head at any moment.

Finally, in the next second the lights which streamed across the door stopped, and for a moment she thought that it was over.

Then came the pain.

______________________________________

Kerlon raised his eyebrow slightly as the grey-dwarf began to convulse. He was hoping that she lived through it personally, she could be a useful asset in the future. Still, just like the curse-bearer beside him, she was ultimately expendable.

Still, he had little time to worry about such things. Time was of the essence now that the wards failing had made such a furor. “They will have heard that.”

“Indeed, I can smell two of them approaching a man and a woman, both human.”

“Go then, kill them if you can, delay them if they are strong.”

“Yes.” The werewolf nodded, leaping for the stairs and already beginning to shift into a more bestiary appearance, even as Kerlon himself moved towards the door. Where the magic no longer seemed to be affecting the Dwarven woman.

Reaching down he felt that despite her obvious pain she was very clearly still alive if a little scorched.

‘excellent. A future asset indeed.’ his hand reached out and three inky black tendrils of shadow struck forth a couple of feet, slipping inside and pulling the vault door open. He grimaced slightly as it creaked on its hinges, however, it moved soon enough and revealed the tunnel beyond. Lined with rectangular drawers built into the walls every few feet.

‘Now where would I put a cursed Gem?”

______________________________________

*Click*

Mary smiled as the wheel hooked into its ready position, she had already loaded the charge and the pan, and the “dog” (The component which strikes the wheel in order to create sparks that ignite the flash pan.) was in the proper position against the wheel.

The firelock in her hand was ready to fire, and she kept it steady at her side even as she followed Karsten’s long steps into the main hall of the cathedral. His armor making a racket that would surely alert the thief as to their approach.

The main hall was a towering chamber, and difficult to see into due to the moonlight. Karsten stopped her at the door, placing a hand across her stomach.

“You hear that?” He asked softly, she could see his other hand tighten around his spear. Listening closely she heard what he was asking about, distant heavy breathing, like a bull about to charge.

Karsten, the brave guy that he was, entered the room spear first, cautiously glancing side to side, before beginning to move for-

*Crash* From the pews across the Cathedral floor an enormous shape came leaping forth, splintering the Oakes pews that it jumped off of across the floor behind it. It was a large humanoid figure, but it was hunched forward even as it bounded forward, wicked inch long claws and vicious can in teeth wet with saliva gleaming in the moonlight.

Fortunately for both of them, Mary had a quick reaction time, even with the new weapon. Her hand flew up as she stepped to beside Karsten and pulled the trigger on the handgonne. The wheel at its side spun against the pyrite “dog” for a fraction of a second. Then a Crack as the thing discharged smoke and her arm was flung back slightly. The spherical lead bolt hit the pouncing wolf-man, and it was indeed a wolf-man, dead in the Torso, slowing his charge and sending blood spilling out of the hole it made onto the cathedral pews. Karsten beside her braced his spear, preparing to receive it regardless. The thing slowed down after being hit, letting out a growl of pain even as she started to reload the firelock.

Karsten, without saying a word, charged forward surprising the creature and meeting it's slowed charge with one of his own. Giving her enough time to reload and actually driving it back for a moment. His spear was like a blur as he trusted repeatedly, forcing the wolf-man to not only cease his charge but actually driving him back a bit.

At least, that was the way it seemed for a moment, but as it reached the pews once again the creature leaped up above Karsten, and while he tracked it with his spear he was unable to block a heavy kick to the head as the creature passed over him. Though he did inflict a gruesome looking cut on the beast's thigh.

She wanted to shout but knew it wouldn't help, and Karsten wore a helmet at least, so it shouldn't have hurt him too badly. With her man down the beast turned towards her, and as it stepped into the more clear moonlight, she got her first clear look at the creature.

The Monster was perhaps 8 feet tall if not hunched over, unnatural, lanky arms descended from a barrel like Torso, rippling with powerful muscles and tipped with jagged claws. The beasts dark fur did little to hide the bestial musculature that covered its nude form. Its legs were shaped like those of a dog but ended in unsettling and misshapen human feet.

Perhaps most disturbing of all, she could see the wounds inflicted by herself and Karsten healing themselves. The bullet hole was slowly shutting and even the fresh cut on its thigh was no longer leaking blood.

‘Werewolf, damn.’ It was well known that only the higher metals of Copper, Silver, and Gold could permanently injure a werewolf. She had hoped the monster had simply been one of the beast-men of Veluca, but it seemed that their luck was not that great. She glanced around for objects that might help, sure that there would be some in a cathedral. Unfortunately, she really didn't have time to look.

The bestial thing howled a guttural roar that seemed to shake the very cathedral itself with its fury, before charging towards her, moving with a gait like a dog that was made more horrific by its humanoid arms. She fired again, but the hit to its stomach only staggered the thing for a moment before it resumed its terrifying charge. It crossed the distance in seconds, powerful hind legs letting it tackle her through the doorway with ease, pinning her shoulders to the ground with its arms and rearing back atop her in preparation to bite. It's slavering jaws held wide above her head as if it planned to swallow her whole.

She wondered if that would be the last sight she would ever see.

Fortunately for her, Karsten had other plans, and blood splattered down on her as the head of his spear punched diagonally through the things chest. The force of the stab knocking it sideways and letting her roll out from between its legs. It's weight no longer pinning her down beneath its bulky frame. She quickly took a proffered hand from Karsten as they pulled back into the cathedral proper, the werewolf now bleeding in the hallway connecting the main cathedral to the halls of healing.

Karsten voice was ragged, and she realized the head blow may have been worse than she thought as she saw a line of blood trickling down his face. “That should have him down for a moment at least, go, use those thief skills of yours and find us some silver if you can. I'll watch him here.” the spearman, who was, she remembered, even younger than her. Pushed her back away from the door, opting to risk his life fighting the beast instead.

Mary rolled back, she couldn't think about the fact that he'd saved her right now, they might still, die, much as she wanted to just run up and kiss him. Her eyes crossed the decorations of the cathedral, trying to remember how silver looked in the dark.

After a moment she found something for it. ‘That candlestick is gold.’ She dashed Across the hall, hoping in her gut that Karsten’s blow would mess up the werewolf’s body badly enough that her man would still be alive when she got back.

All the while, Karsten stood by, his eyes sharp as he watched the battered creature begin to rise.

______________________________________

Wolf growled, trying to stand up.

Fang had lied to him, told him that these humans would be easy prey.

They were not easy prey, and while they had the good smell, they were not the good smell.

‘quickly kill him before the girl can get a weapon that can kill us.’ Fang commanded in his head, but Fang was stupid. Wolf knew better than to keep fighting the male, he wasn't prey, the female might be, but the male was protecting her, and that meant that he could get hurt again if he went for her.

The good smell called to him, it set a fire in his stomach, though he wasn't sure why, he had never smelled anything like it before, it called to him in a way he didn't understand. It wasn't just the smell either, something just drew him towards it, a compulsion that made him excited.

He rose to his feet, sniffing the air.

The good smell was closer now. So close. The male wasn't as fast as him, he would find the good smell instead and leave these behind.

Fang was screaming, yelling that they needed to distract the male and the female, but Fang was wrong, Fang was always wrong.

He leaped down the hallways of the cathedral away from the man before the Spearman could react. Guided by his nose he making for the door where the good smell was. There were other smells there too, some small prey, another human female…

He made the turn into the door but was rewarded with pain instead as he ran straight into a wall of solid light.

The door was sealed by magic, inside he could see a stone chamber. There, another female, this time in cloth instead of leather, held her hands up, sweating. She must be the one keeping the wall up. Next to her, on a stone table in the center of the room, surrounded by small prey a child.

His eyes widened at the sight. He felt his mouth begin to drool, the fire in his gut that had spawned earlier from the smell alone grew bigger and the hairs on the back of his neck gear to stand up. He wanted to curl up against the child too, to keep him in his presence, the ecstasy of it alone.

He raised his clawed fist, pounding on the wall of light. The wall did not change but the woman inside shivered. A toothy grin made its way across his drooling jaws as he continued to pound on the wall.

After the first blow, the woman stumbled. Shock crossing her face at the attack on her spell, he had broken such magic before.

At the second the wall began to Crack and he saw the prey-woman look up at him with dawning horror.

With a third blow, the wall shattered and he was into the room, the good smell was everywhere here, coming from the boy in the middle. He knocked the prey woman to the side, he could have her guts once he had gotten the good-child. He reached forward, he would take the good-child and leave, his skin tingles even just being this close to him, soon he would have him and-

‘Grah.’ He really back as the prey animals around the small child turned on him, scrabbling up his legs and biting at his loins and his heels, the pain sent him stumbling despite the rapturous presence of the good-child. He wiped the pests away with his claws, their shrieking noises filling the air as their blood decorated the floor. They would not stop him, nothing would, not them, not fang, not the male…

‘The male’ He turned on his heel even as a thrown spear went sailing by in front of him, the male and female were there, clutching candlesticks of gold.

He snarled, he was so close to the good child, so very close. He would take him and then go out the window yes…

He made a bound towards the stone bed where the good-child was, but the female stepped into his path, swinging the gold into his side. He felt it burn his skin where it touched, the pain overcoming him.

‘Oh for God's sake.’ the Gold weakened wolf's hold on his body, and Fang came back with a vengeance, his control once more overpowering the beasts. ‘Get out the window now. Leave the child.’

With the burning of the gold in his side, even the child's euphoric smell could no longer let him overpower Fang’s will and he ran for the window instead. The male threw another candlestick at him, but it missed, crashing through the stained glass alongside him. He leaped over the iron fence around the cathedral easily, knocking over a cart parked there for the night and bounding up onto the rooftops. As he got farther from the child, Wolf's grip began to fail. His body and mind falling away, until Fang was all that remained.

Fang leaned against a chimney, naked as the day he was born, his breath heavy and his side scarred by the touch of gold.

He broke into a sweat, confused by the situation, and by his injury. ‘What the hell was that?’ Wolf had never gone mad that way before, even when he had first learned to gather some modicum of control over his curse.

He pushed down on the will of the animal inside him just as he forced down the bile in his throat.

‘That kid is dangerous.’ There was no doubt in his mind that compulsion wasn't natural. Something about that kid was fucking with the nature spirit within him more than anything else he had experienced. Either way, he wanted nothing to do with it. ‘I ain't going back in there. Boss and shorty are going to have to get out on their own.’

______________________________________