Chapter 72: The Wereman’s Woes

The fort of Ganamere was large. It is the largest fort that protects the town of Ganamere. The town is located behind the fort. The fort acts as the defense and only through entering the fort that anyone could enter the town of Ganamere. The town is filled with silver decorations to fend off the men turned beasts and the bloodless. The town doesn’t attract the visitors. Only fools who like coins are eager to come here. There are two types of fool that lurks in this town. Idiots who wanted to dig the silver under the damp mines or mercenaries that carry their weapons to battle the bloodless men or the beast turned ones for a reward.

The fort is heavily guarded. The town is unbearable and homes are not maintained. The carts are forgotten and planks of wood are falling out on most of the buildings. There are few ragged people wearing tattered clothes. All of them are men and there is no sight of women anyhwere inside this town. Most of them have evacuated the moment winter arrived. The town is only bustling in clamor when it’s either spring or fall. The town is nestled in a good location and surely the place will be filled with trades once spring arrives. Crooked nose bastards that have the habit of turning the silver that seems infinite under the town into jewelry to be used in Galzaea.

The folks are carrying swords or rusted tools. Most men have vacated the streets and there are few people in the shadows hiding. Jess was hiding in the shadows like the others. His eyes focused on the fury man standing in the middle of the street staring at the dead goat they hanged. The fury man was trying to bite the rear of the dead goat. They have set up the trap and so far everything is going well.

A man carried a battle axe with him. He seems eager to strike the furry man. Jess saw Gezhu crouching behind an old barrel with rustle sheet of metal around it. The furry man with slowly turning long limbs started to sniff the dead goat.

The snow fell on the furry man. The fury man was slowly being covered in white snow. Jess pulled his bow and eyed the furry man slowly. Most of the men that were eyeing at the furry man wore grim expression. The furry man they see sniffing is a wereman. A God forbidden creature that transforms into a furry humanoid beast, that could tear up any men or woman with its fangs or claws given it has the chance. The beast was noticed by one of the soldiers in the battlements. He saw the man transformed during the night and clawed up the walls of the fort before leaving. Ever since he saw the man transformed he has kept an eye on the abomination.

Ser Garland was informed about the beast. He could not leave it alone, but with how he guards the fort against the alleged dark lords roaming. He told the men of the fort to plan a trap for the beast instead. There is gold offered so most of the eager men and the foolish ones went to set up a trap.

“It’s a wereleopard.”

A man in the shadows mumbled.

“Fur of the beast doesn’t have any spots on him.”

“It should be.”

The men in the shadows whispered. They watch the wereman in the shadows. Sweat beads rolled on most of the forehead of the men. They are eager yet scared at the same time. The beast has the strength of three or four men. It can leap high in the air and its reflexes are better than most of the men gathering in the shadows. They have to rely on this trap and the moment the beast would bite the rear of the dead goat. They would attack in succession. The men in the shadows wielded silver coated weapons. Faced with beasts like this they can only arm themselves with the one thing that can harm weremen. They don’t have any magic on them so they have to rely on the prime old way to do so. Ages ago men and women fight with silver solutions rubbed in their swords. Ser Garland the most prime knight in the fort guards the fort so they need to do these themselves.

Jess had rubbed silver mercury on his blade. Most of the arrows on his quivers have been dipped in silver mercury too. He was asked to take a shot at the chest of the wereman. He just needed to shoot the wereman after it bites the rear of the dead goat.

He waited for the beast to take a bit. It was trying to reach the dead goat. The beast was not fully transformed yet so it could not reach the dead goat. The beast can be killed while still not in complete form. But doing so would allow the beast to transform into an enraged state. When the beast is in an enraged state, the beast would become brutal and faster than its natural transformation.

They don’t want that to happen so they have to do it this way. Jess would love to take a shot at the furry man immediately. But he wasn’t foolish enough to have everyone killed because of him. He waited. He eyed the beast as it slowly transforms into the abomination that it is.

The street was dead silent. Only the sound of limbs being stretched and bones crackling could be heard. The dry wind would blow the snow. The fur of the furry man rippled as it slowly turns into a beast that can be called a wereman. The beast was fully transformed. It then looked at the dead goat and with a single leap. It bit on the goat’s rear and tore it through.

The beast shed the blood of the dead goat but among the blood lies the silver mercury the men in the shadows stuffed inside the dead goat. It spilled into the beast and before long the beast howled as the silver coated the beast’s face. Seeing the beast howling in pain, the men in the shadows quickly moved.

Jess closed his left eye, aim, and shot the beast right in the chest.

...

The beast got shot rightly by Jess. It kneeled and howled and the men in the shadows use their weapons to break the furry man’s limbs. The furry man released a howl. It tried to sweep the men away but a rope was thrown around the beast. The beast tried to resist but a club hit the beast right in the head. Jess also pointed his bow at the beast. Gezhu held the rope around the beast neck as one of them digs a silver dagger between the shoulders of the beast.

The beast slowly loses its power to resist. It tried to transform back into being human but one of the men merely smacked his head. Jess put his arm on the hip as he watches the men fastened the ropes on the beast. It was really cold outside and most of the sweat they poured felt like it was already frozen. They want this to be done and over.

“Gather around!”

The man leading the hunt said. Everyone gathered around the man. Jess walked alongside Gezhu as they stand in and listened to the man.

“Good job, now all we need to do now is to hang the beast on the walls.”

“Hang? I thought we will kill the beast?”

“Not until we scalp him first obviously. The beast is a traitor and an abomination. We will hang him after the job is done, you there.”

“Me?” the shaggy man pointed at himself. “What do you want?”

“Yes, you, I want you to inform the lord commander that we captured the beast. Tell him we are planning to hang the abomination on the walls.”

“Is that all?”

“Oh, and tell him that it should be added to the reward given to us.”

“Okay.”

The shaggy man left for the fort. Jess crossed his arms while looking at the furry man. It was bleeding and the dagger coated with silver kept the beast from using its strength. There is a man with a club behind the beast. The moment it tries anything the man will surely beat its head. The beast cannot be killed simply by the club. But it will keep the beast behave while it is tied and weakened by the silver embedded on its shoulder.

The beast kept on moaning in pain. The men near the beast didn’t give any mercy. At best they would smack the beast and hit it. Jess was the same. He would shot the beast again, if necessary. Gezhu held the beast with the rope. And the man who led them kept on instructing the others.

“Let’s give this bastard hell shall we?”

The leader made a wicked smile while pulling a knife coated with silver. The man approached the wereman. He slid his dagger deep into the fur of the wereman and peeled a big strip out of the wereman. The wereman shouted in pain while the others then cheered at its suffering.

Jess was up next so he walked to the wereman and peeled himself a strip of fur. Gezhu was next and he got himself a big strip too. This continued until most of the men that participated in the trap got their own strip of fur. The beast was peeled and looking how furless the beast man was. The men who caught the beast smiled together.

It was snowing heavily. Jess could not tolerate the cold like the others. But the shaggy man had already returned before they could complain.

“The Lord Commander allows it.”

The shaggy man said. He then walked to the furry man and strip himself some of the furs to the hilt of his blade. Jess also tied the fur to the hilt of his blade. The fur of the wereman was smooth and it could absorb impact. So having some of its fur tied into the hilt of a blade would soften any blows.

Most of the men knew this hence they excoriated the man. It was not out of brutality, or Jess likes to think so. But out of pure wanting to have some strip of fur on their hilts. It was cold. The men that participated went slowly back to the fort along with the beast.

The beast was dragged by the men. They walked pass a Stonebridge that connects to the fort. Once they arrive near the gates of the fort, the fort opened up for them. There were men on the walls and they cheered as they brought the beast back inside. Some complained that they didn’t get some fur while the others poked the wereman out of spite. They dragged the beast in front of the fort’s walls. The beast had a noose tied around its neck and with men present. They hanged the beast in front of the walls. The beast struggled painfully and screeched. But sooner it died whimpering.

Jess didn’t feel any sort of guilt. The wereman killed many and now it was getting its judgment. And even if it didn’t kill anyone then it would still need to be hung. They need the assurance and the fear to keep the wereman out of the fort’s walls. Sure they can come in and seek revenge but understanding the Lord Commander of the fort. Jess believes that he would like that. He would them to appear in front of them so that he can slaughter them. The Lord Commander of the Fort was that strong. He is a step away from Paladin hood and once winter is done he will be able to retreat away from this place and become a Paladin of the Sun’s Crown.

A new Lord Commander will guard the fort and will face the bloodless and the wereman living near the outskirts of Ganamere. Jess obviously wouldn’t stay long in this place. And now that he had a taste of how was life in here. He’d be damned to stay here for another month.

He likes gold but it is not worth it to stay here. They are lucky that they are able to hang a wereman but who knows what the bloodless and the beast turned men will do to retaliate.