Martin woke up with regret that he had to use his “purge soul” blessing once more. He had to push the lycanthropy back as far down as possible. It hurt but it would be the last time he would have to do this. Alice was already up and reading a book. She looked a little groggy but she was up and she was slowly regain her wits, there was more clarity recognition in her eyes. Vivian and David were up already they practised a bit with their weapons of choice.

David still had to regain a little proficiency with his right hand. Before he would be confident to switch his fighting style back. Vivian was almost as sharp with the one artificial eye as she was with both her natural eyes. The perception enchantments on her equipment and artificial eye certainly helped her cope.

They ate together a simple meal of grainy bread and fried fish. Then they sort out the witch finder, she was busy speaking to the sheriff going over the villages defence. She finished her discussion with the sheriff and followed them to a private area, away from the rest of the village.

She looked at Martin “you want me to remove the curse now, your aware that it can be quite painful and time consuming? You don't want to wait until after the battle for this village”. Martin was resolute, “It took everything I had to wait one more night. Even if I am knocked out for a few hours I want you to do it now, I can’t stand being this thing”.

The witch finder readied herself cracking her knuckles, “this little yard is private, I can use my ability to restore you. To remove the lycanthropy it is often lethal and time consuming to recover from the process and it really hurts”. He nodded without hesitation.

She held out a hand the other on her holy symbol, “this will hurt more than you can comprehend”. “Strip curse” it hit Martin like an avalanche. He was on his knee's pain overwhelming him. His mind was shaking, his thoughts erratic his nerves no longer responded. His blood felt like it was boiling in his veins. His heart was thumping like a trip hammer his soul was arching like lightning was coursing through it.

He blacked out for a second then sighed and tried to regain his feet. His limbs would barely twitch, his head felt like it was being set upon by a gang of men with sledge hammers. His lips croaked faintly “over”?

Her face was an emotionless mask, “That was not it, that was just to soften it up, cure lycanthropy” the air was compressed from his lungs and he was physically thrown back. It was hard to describe the sensation exactly. The barest words would paint it a pail comparison to reality. True suffering, it was as if a part of every single cell in his body was grasped and twisted.

At the same time it felt part of him was anchored to the point where he had previously been kneeling. Yet his body was forced away the tangible and intangible shredded one from the other. It was pulled out of him, wrenched and twisted rung out of his blood cut form his cells. The sensation was also something of the soul, his existence was ripped apart. Something intangible malevolent fought back clawed to live. A shadow that was layered over his self was wrenched away in an equally brutal and unforgiving fashion as it had been imposed upon him.

Martin regained his focus there was a black something standing in the spot he had been. It was a shadow in the shape of a wolf. It seemed to turn one last hungry haunting stare then began to fade. His eyes lost focus as the rest of his mind flooded with the unadulterated agony of every fibre of his being stripped of the werewolf's influence. He was alone in himself, He felt his body twitch the tips of his toes and fingers began to regain their sensation, “holy god almighty that … there are not words for the … dam pain”.

He moved his ankles and flexed his fingers, he realised that he was sunk into the earth. He had been thrown back with enough force to dig a shallow trench into the earth. He was six inches in and ten foot back. His chest hurt and he was amazed he had not thrown up his breakfast. David and Vivian stepped forwards to help, him he held a hand up to stop them. He flexed his shoulders and back freeing himself from the indent in the earth. He rolled onto his right hand side and got to his knees.

The witch hunter casually walked over to him, “in human vitality 70 points of endurance or more. A total level around eighty. If there was someone who could recover from that it would be you. I am amazed that you are awake, let alone getting up. I ripped the curse form every drop of your blood and your very soul. No one less than a master would survive that, and even then they would need a healer to intercede, you show a lot of promise”.

Martin rose from his knees to a standing position he swayed and righted himself. He grinned and wiped a drip if black blood from his nose, flicking it to the floor. He took one deep breath then another and another. He reached out his hand and shook hers, “thank you Nicole is there anything that you can do to help my companions. I am much as I once was but can you help any of the others recover”?

“Alice come forwards”. She looked nervous “yes”. “I have abilities to help people recover from abuses of magic”. She held her holy symbol and touched Alice's head lightly, “free mind” there was a brief glow. Alice looked slightly less tired slightly more focused, “it is a blessing that can ease the recovery from your trauma Alice”. She curtseyed respectfully in response “thank you …I think that is about half a week … off my recovery time”.

Nicole looked at them, “the professor has been quiet since we cut his puppets strings. He must be planning something or he would have already started to harass us again. I believe that he must be starting to assemble a new attack force, or debating to commit his last reserves to one final attack. He must know at this point reinforcements form North port are on the way. So he needs to win quickly or withdraw”.

She looked at the duty and fire in her eyes, “I want to be proactive. To hit him before he is ready. To do enough damage to cripple his forces, to force them to withdraw. Even better if we can corner him, between the four of us we could kill him”. David looked at her calculating, “what's the price on the professor’s head”? Nicole could see how to motivate her audience, “Before this little episode it was 30 gold. Now I could get it bumped up to 35 gold, think about it 700 silver each for a single kill. He has a bag of tricks, but it’s not like he's an elder vampire”.

She called the sheriff over, “alright Alyson the defence of lighthouse hill is yours for the moment. We are going to pay the archanist a little visit”. She turned to the party, “as an emissary of the triune I officially deputize you four for a special mission, we will shatter them lets go”. They let themselves down from the village wall using a rope. Alice had a little trouble but Martin helped her. Nicole took the lead following a path behind the settlement up the beach.

The encountered some very basic enemies, a few scuttlers brass hounds and two ordinary walkers. The archanists dregs the professors very last forces. The witch finder looked back at the group, “quiet if possible”. The witch finder skewered a brass hound with her rapier. Martin got two of the scuttlers with thrown knives and pounded a third down with his mallet.

Vivian took one of the walkers down with an arrow. David cut a couple of scuttlers and brass hounds down. Alice melted the last walker with an acid strike. They piled the remains into one mass and Alice hit it with a couple more acid strikes, to be sure. They didn't want to start a fire, this was the second best way to make sure nothing salvageable would be left.

As they came round the corner it was quite clear why the professor was not attacking. He had to build his forces back up, something he was attempting now. There was a line of 20 spider constructs, waiting to be upgraded to greater spider constructs by a foundry mother. In crates were about 40 half-starved dogs that would be converted into brass hounds. There were several hundred rats in cages and raw materials that would become scuttlers. Twenty frightened scrawny slaves had been shoved in a few under sized cages, they would be destined to become greater walkers.

The biggest threat on the field was a creature above a foundry mother. A greater foundry mother for want of a better word. It was actively building a second foundry mother, it was about 60% of the way, leaving a very skeletal construction that could not yet function. The greater foundry mother had an abdomen the size of a cart. Made from brass iron and preserved flesh it was somewhat like a bellows. She had eight gigantic segmented limbs made form iron bronze and wood.

Where a usual foundry mother would have a woman's torso. This one had a segmented section of its body ten feet long made from iron and copper plates, some gears and pistons could be seen in-between. There was a woman's torso and she was encased in brass, but she had three eyes and six arms. Extra donations from some poor victim, the arms were spread evenly about. But the eyes were all on the right hand side. From her body several green fleshy tendrils worked on the foundry mother below her slowly and meticulously building her, almost like weaving in a loom.

To balance out the ranks there were two overseer primes. A half dozen greater spider constructs and the 8 greater walkers from the previous night, somewhat repaired. They had to stop the greater foundry mother producing a new abomination. They had to stop the other foundry mothers making more constructs, they had to smash the lot of them.

Nicole was quick to give orders, “shield zealot clean up the small fry. Myself malice and eagle will take the founders mothers at range”. David charged into the nearest group of greater walkers. He knocked them over like bowling pins. He chose the nearest target and cut down into it until it stopped moving. Martin pulled his four barrelled pistol free of its holster. Four shots and four of the spider constructs fell to the ground deactivated with large holes in them.

Alice could now maintain four spells simultaneously, she cast her physical shield spell and illusionary allies. She sent two fire balls crashing into the foundry mother processing the spider constructs. The witch hunter pulled two of her pistols from her bandoleer she focused her fire on the foundry mother and let lose. Both double barrelled pistols hitting the construct in the chest. Vivian focused her fire with her bodkin arrows at the same target. Putting two into its side and one into its head the matron construct collapsed, too badly wounded to stand.

The constructs tried to organise themselves, the incomplete foundry mother started to limp away as fast as she could putting herself between the adventures and the greater foundry mother. The greater foundry mother screamed in indignation, the scream almost sounded like hissing steam. From the back of her body two heavy repeating crossbows emerged. They swivelled towards the witch finder. The two overseers sprang into action, the first ran over to the dead spider constructs. He worked on one spraying them with preservative fluid and shocking the wound site to try to cause it to regenerate. The second overseer attempted to rally the remaining greater walkers and spider constructs for a counter attack.

Martin targeted the overseer trying to patch the spider construct back together. His pistol the lionhearts hammer rang out, removing most of the overseers head. It ceased in its attempts to repair its compatriot. Its limb came up to inspect the damage, what was left gave out and it collapsed deactivate. Martin emptied his remaining two pistols into two more of the spider constructs. David cut through two more of the greater walkers. Then had to doge back to avoid the greater spider constructs that were closing in on him.

The witch hunter emptied her last pistol into the greater foundry mother. Destroying both of the repeating crossbows. The wounded foundry mother was finished off by Alice and Vivian with two more bodkin arrows and two acid strike spells shattering her armour plating and dissolving her limbs, she collapsed in a slowly expanding pool of contaminated oil.

David tried to get to the overseer, but the rest of the constructs got in his way. He was able to cut down two of the greater spider constructs. His mithril blade sliced through bronze leather and reanimated flesh. Martin expended his octium blades in a series of focus throws. Cutting down four more of the spider constructs, right through there masks into what reanimated remains of the brain that piloted the automatons. The witch finder held up her holy symbol “obliterate” a chunk of the greater foundry mother’s side exploded out with a flash of white light. Alice hit it with a duel cast fire ball, Vivian put three mithril arrows into its side, a few serious wounds but nothing to finish it off.

“Flesh time to be harvested” the greater foundry mother hissed, in a raspy voice like escaping steam. A dozen tendrils sprouted blades, a short jet of flame emerged from under her body and she advanced towards the group attacking her. The overseer continued to try and coordinate the attacks on David, the remaining constructs mindlessly surged forwards. The incomplete foundry mother continued to hobble away.

Martin had his holy symbol ready he grinned it was good to have himself back, as a werewolf it hurt to call on the power of the divine now it was bliss. “Field of wrath” every construct in front of him suffered a bit of damage, “sphere of consecration” the spider constructs around him suffered even more damage as they tried to close in on him. They had steam coming off of them the preservative fluid in their veins boiling there mechanisms tarnished then failed one by one. Each dropped around him, he took a few hits but they were soon no more.

David hit the nearest greater walker, the wound slowly started to close. Another two greater walkers tried to push in to shield there colleague. David knocked them back with his shield and delivered a power attack that shredded the greater walker he had injured. He stepped back as a greater spider construct landed where he had been, he cut is head clean off and dodged back further. The witch hunter used her holy symbol “accuse” part of the greater foundry mother lit on fire then there was an impact that staggered her, the monster reeled back a flailing windmill about to fall before a storm. Alice and Vivian aimed for the legs acid strike spells and octium arrows struck the same place, the foundry mother was reduced to seven spider limbs.

The greater foundry mother closed in on Nicole, cutting into the spot she had been standing Nicole dodged back. Alice and Vivian were already pulling back out of the way. The last overseer noted how Martin had chewed through the last of the spider constructs and was heading for him. He pulled a canister bomb from his side and lobed it at Martin.

Martin held out his holy symbol “guardian angel” the bomb detonated and the blessing absorbed the impact. Martin thrust his holy symbol forwards like a weapon, a zealous wrath in his voice “pillar of salt”. The overseer collapsed to the ground twisted then crumbled into salt. He grinned pulling out his mallet “fortress of faith” Martin started to swing for the spider constructs, while David took on the greater walkers.

Quickly enough David carved up two more greater walkers, they were un-lead and distracted. The greater foundry mother was hit with fire balls, various flavours of arrow and various divine powers. Piece by piece it fell apart, its flame thrower gutted and died. It lost four of its tentacles and two more limbs. Noticing how badly wounded it was and how badly its allies were doing, it started to make a break for the ocean it didn't need to breath after all.

David cut through the remaining two greater walkers and turned round. He was hesitant for a second to go after the incomplete foundry mother or the greater foundry mother, he took the biggest target and charged forwards. Martin used his divine retribution blessing and his mallet to finish off the last three greater spider constructs. He drew his four barrelled pistol again, reloading it he would finish off the incomplete construct before it could flee. Alice threw acid strikes at its remaining legs Vivian put iron arrows into its joints she had run out of better arrows. The witch hunter hit it with obliterate again and again.

David crashed into the massive construct severing one of its hind legs with his sword. He immediately jumped back as it crashed to the ground. He started to deliver power attack after power attack into its side as he set about destroying it. The creature managed a hissing “nooo ...” then plunged into the wet sand collapsing as they continued to thoroughly destroy it. Martin emptied all four barrels of his pistol into the incomplete foundry mother in the chest, its limbs twisted and contorted pulling in tight together, and then it collapsed unmoving bleeding a puddle of oil and preservative fluid. Finally the greater foundry mother twitched her gears slowing and stopping.

The level up hit. They all gained two levels Martin got one class level at 70 and another level of combat medic at 71. He unlocked the ability to perform a focus resuscitation to get someone's heart beating again. For the class level he gained greater psionic resistance, every mental attack would be useless against him but he could not gain the benefits of a friendly psionic or use a mental link over distances to co-ordinate.

Of course this didn't come without a bit of a price his mind felt an ear splitting pain coming from inside it. His thoughts echoed inside his mind growing louder and louder as they became more and more erratic. His mind was altered hardened deadened to make him immune to this weakness, he could feel the irreversible change and it truly hurt.

He gained three blessings another use of field of wrath. A blessing called citadel of faith allowing him 300 points of temporary health and 40 points of armour. The best blessing though was pillar of fire once per day he could summon a pillar of fire that would last five seconds and deal 400 damage per second very good against vampires.

Alice hit level 62 allowing her to upgrade her poison gas cloud spell to the grand version giving her quite a boost in damage. David hit level 58 his counter heavy armour skill rose to level 3. Vivian hit level 60 she gained a class level being able to train baronial body guards who importantly gain the made of iron perk. She maximised her shatter shield skill. The witch hunter also gained a level at last hitting level 81. The witch finder looked about “good work now let’s get on with the clean up the professors not hear, I suspect he was recovering some troops to add to this lot”.

Vivian collected her arrows prying them from the remains of the destroyed constructs. Martin and Nicole reloaded there pistols. Alice used her healing magic on David Martin and Nicole. She had been too close to the foundry mothers bladed tendrils a few times and suffered a couple of nasty wounds. David set about dragging the remains of the destroyed constructs into one pile so that they could be burnt up in one go. The pile rapidly grew as Vivian Martin and Nicole started to drag the two foundry mothers back to the pile.

They used some smashed crates for wood a little oil that Vivian carried and the pile was set on fire. They burnt the lot, the foundry mothers were slow to ignite but burnt well. There were several barrels full of the green preservative fluid used in the creation of the constructs. The preservative fluid went up quickly, it was a good accelerant and allowed them to easily set the husk of the grand foundry mother on fire. The constructs flesh was consumed by the fire the lingering remains of the enchantments used to put the mechanical components together faded and shattered. The physical leather and metal ignited and warped, there would be nothing for the professor to recover very shortly.

The remaining cages were the next priority to free the slaves. It was a sad fact that there priories were like this, but a necessary part of survival if you wanted your opponents to stay down. One to get themselves ready for the next fight two to make sure that the enemy could not recover and three to recover the victims. Vivian approached the first cage, “who are you, what's happened to you”?

“I was a farmer were all farmers or labourers we were promised work in grey forge, but our caravan was captured by the brotherhood of the Black Hand. They sold us onto a vampire who worked us away in a coal mine. After nine months we started to get weak couldn't produce much no good as thralls so the vampire sold us onto the archanist. We were going to be spare parts please help us”. Martin worked away on the lock, after a minute he blunt forced the old worn lock open.

The second cage filled with people had a similar story people due to work at a new mill captured by the red blades of Saul and sold on. They left the mangy diseased dogs in their cages when it was over the villagers might come back for them. The cages of rats were another matter, David took one look at the packed rats then started walking. No one objected as he casually cast the cage into the sea the rats clawed at each other as the cage sunk below the water.

The witch finder held her holy symbol out. She could not find a hint of corruption or taint Alice could detect no magic within them no spell laid against them. Nicole directed the former slaves back to the village to the front gate where the sheriff could help them.

The witch finder looked at the others, “the professor must have acquired those half dead slaves very recently. When he saw that his plans were not working out, he must have started to scrape together anything he could use to fight against us. He will probably be back with a few more forces just to try his luck, not anticipating this lots demise”. Martin looked at the last slave limping away. “I suppose we should protect them just in case any more constructs were wandering about. I would suspect that they were safer in the cages then out hear with the professor wandering about”. Nicole focused on the big picture, “I think all of them could survive”.

Vivian looked about her artificial eye focusing on something. “Keep an eye open I can see something coming. Let’s get a bit further back so were are not out in the open. I am not sure what ranged abilities he has, do you know”. “I am not sure I have heard tails of past encounters but he has a habit of upgrading himself. Compact crossbows have been noted as well as a ship that he used as a mobile laboratory. Though later tales tell of him having some sort of flying creature, perhaps he turned a wyvern griffon or a small dragon into some sort of construct”.

Moments after they ducked into cover of some stone a wyvern landed quite awkwardly on the beach. It was obviously an archanists construction, its white flesh was tinted green a strange sort of sickly pallor to it. There were several parts of its anatomy held together by stitches of wire and brass staples. Its head had been greatly repaired with one eye being replaced with a purple blue crystal. The front right leg and rear left had been reinforced with iron and leather braces to keep it working. There was leather stitched over part of its wings. The wyvern had been around level 25 when it was killed. Its reanimated flesh would be tougher, but it would be far less flexible than a live one.

The next part was quite a surprise, the professor had a mode of aerial transportation. Its arrival was announced by a slow whirring noise over the course of a few minutes. Something arrived crossing over the sea, it came round a bend in the coast it appeared larger and larger. It looked like the professor had taken a ship which was half way in size between a sloop and a brig and heavily modified it.

The ship was suspended from a balloon that appeared to be stitched from canvas held with rigging. Some gas or chemical lighter than air filled the balloon giving it buoyancy. It had two rotating engines much like the sails on a pair of windmills that propelled the craft. They were what was creating the noise. The professor had obviously been away to scrape together some final forces before abandoning his current enterprise.

The engines slowed and stopped, the craft started to sink towards the ground. It was probably sea worthy so could rest on water as well as sand. Martin looked at it as a craftsman would, it would require a master archanist to keep it running. Not a practical thing to reproduce, the weight of the ship was slightly more than the balloon could lift so it needed the engines for both propulsion and lift.

Alice looked as the ship it was a naval vessel an old one adapted over time by the professor. She had no doubt that it would be his laboratory as well, packed into the old wooden hull. She could sense the enchantments that powered the engines. Somewhat similar to the constructs but there was a source of magic that reminded her of a lich's phylactery but larger. Which had some disturbing implications on the power source for the vessel.

David saw a target to be dismantled, it was held together with a boats rigging a few cuts to the ropes and the whole thing would separate in two, most likely it would pull itself apart. Vivian could see its use as a tactical asset. They had to wait for the professor to emerge, it was quite likely that he had some surprises on-board. It would be best to wait for him to get off the vessel, then they could tackle him out in the open, a look at Nicole and a nod and she was sure that she was right.

There was a cabin at the front of the vessel. It allowed the professor to steer the ship using some control device that looked similar to a bronze nautical navigation tool. A gang plank dropped to the sand and he strode down. His movements were erratic twitchy his stride was off, like he was barely containing his anger. He had three reanimated trolls with him and the wyvern that landed close by. He had stitched it back to life. He did seem to be reduced to his last few toys.

The three trolls were each about 8 foot tall. Not massive by troll standards, they had encountered an old adult before twice as tall. But then they had killed it with a battle alchemist and his party splitting the reward, these were far less impressive. They were stitched and riveted together replacement limbs a few extra parts. With lots of reinforcements around the head and neck. The wyvern came over to the professor and remained waiting for commands.

The professor was tall six foot six, he had a large tall black hat something a dwarven merchants had apparently imported, it reminded Martin of a stove pipe from a furnace. He had one artificial eye and one human eye, possibly even his original. His skin was chalky white with a few hints of the usual green preservative fluid. He wore a massive light brown leather coat that obscured most of his body.

He had a blue and brown face mask with some brass augments on it. His chest moved up and down though heavily altered. He still barely remained in the land of the living. His feet and lower legs could be seen under the coat sinking into the sand. They were artificial, made of bronze and iron they looked almost skeletal with leaf springs cables and pistons instead of sinew and muscles. The hands were pail they had an extra set of digits made from brass. He looked over the remains of his creations.

A second set of mechanical hands emerged from his jacket. They were thin but solid sprouting four fingers and a thumb a piece. They drew a pair of blades from inside his coat that extended to become a pair of rapiers. In his hands he held some sort of heavy wrench like tool. A third set of limbs came up from below his coat. Ending with a pair of dart launchers ready and primed to deliver there poisonous contents to whoever had dared to smash his toys.

He was becoming enraged that his creations were destroyed again and again. They saw his supreme skill used. The professor gestured towards the three rebuilt trolls, “upgrade”. The trolls were surrounded by a green light very similar to how a sorcerer or necromancer could enhance their minions with conjured armour. The archanist had conjured extra green plating and mechanisms around the trolls. It was almost like they had been encased inside a mechanism built around them from translucent green energy, how long the upgrade lasted they were not sure.

The professor turned to the groups hiding spot. “I can sense you, do you think I am a fool, come out. You have smashed so many of my fine works, you dare to face a full archanist? Do you want the price on my head come to your deaths”. Nicole looked at the group, “so much for surprise zealot take the wyvern, shield take the trolls. The rest of you focus on the professor with me”.

Alice remained behind the rise in the ground where she could fire from safety. She sent two fire balls streaking at the professor who jumped back to avoid the fiery explosion. He landed right in the path of one of Vivian's arrows. The arrow struck with a dull thud. The professor pulled it out where it was lodged in his armour plated chest. Only to violently jump to the side to avoid a shot from the witch hunter. David charged around him to meet the trolls, Martin signalled the wyvern to come and attack him, not that it would understand. He had his four barrelled pistol in one hand and his holy symbol in the other.

The professor sent a scattering of darts at the witch hunter and lobbed a canister grenade at Vivian. Vivian was quick enough to skewer the thrown grenade with an arrow, detonating it harmlessly in mid-air. Alice threw two acid strike spells at the professor who intercepted them with darts from his launchers, he was a very difficult opponent to pin down.

David met the first troll construct and cut into its arm the creature was well protected David's blade cut through a few layers of the green conjured mechanisms. It was like an extra armour plate hard to remove. Martin used his blessing “seraphim guardian angel”, it would allow him to take four hits from the wyvern constructs breath weapon before he would take damage. He unloaded his pistol into its head as it made passes trying to douse him in electrified corrosive fluid.

Alice had her icy tomb spell prepared she needed to time it right, a look to Vivian and they coordinated. The professor dodged one bullet form the witch hunter only to be grazed by a second doing a little damage. He saw the telegraphed attack from Vivian and jumped to the left as the arrow hit the ground. It was obvious as he stepped right onto the spot Alice was aiming. The icy tomb spell took hold freezing the professor slowing his movements down and doing a lot of cold damage. Not that the professor didn't seem to be easily able to resist the cold damage, he could not negate the effects of his limbs being coated in an aggressive layer of ice.

David mistimed his step and was sent flying by a blow from a troll. His layers of armour cushioned him but he was still hurt he had to immediately roll to one side to avoid a second troll that tried to jump on him. The troll construct landed where David had been only seconds before. Only for David to hit it in the ankle with his blade. The troll wobbled and fell it was wounded but far from out of the fight. The troll scrabbled back to its feet as David did the same. He would fight a little more defensively the trolls seemed to be smarter than the average construct, that was not saying much.

Martin had a blessing ready for the wyvern, he had held one of his most powerful back as an insurance policy “hand of judgement”. The power of the divine manifested as a hand above the wyvern construct. A smashing force sent the wyvern hurtling to the ground where Martin had every intention of stopping it getting back up into the air. Martin drew his pistol the lionhearts hammer and blasted the crystal eye from the wyvern. He held his holy symbol out he used his pillar of salt and wrath of the almighty blessings on the wyvern’s wing joint. It would not be getting back in the air. He had to dodge out of the way moments later, a hail of caustic bile from the wyvern flew towards him.

The witch hunter emptied her last pistol into the professor. The pistol balls hit something even if it was not something important. Alice could maintain several spells at once the professor was knocked back as a duel cast fire ball hit him. Vivian targeted both of the professors dart throwers with broad head arrows. Two impacts and the professor was limited to melee and his grenades, neither of which could use very efficiently while semi encased in a block of magic ice.

Martin wished he didn't need a long rest to be able to use unlocked blessings, the pillar of fire would really be useful about now as the wyvern tried to fight him. Martin activated his “martyrs sacrifice” blessing he used it to enhance his speed against the wyvern. At the cost of ripping his own flesh apart he had two octium daggers ready it was stupid but he was on the wyvern's back stabbing away at anything that looked important. It started to twist around to dislodge him he gritted his teeth and kept stabbing away.

The witch hunter held out her holy symbol “accuse”, the professor screamed and reacted in pain as part of his coat ignited and he was hit with a crushing force. She had obviously managed to hit something more sensitive with her divine attack. Vivian targeted his lower artificial arms carrying the blades two octium arrows and his offensive abilities were cut down.

The wyvern was not going down easily neither were the trolls, David kept stabbing away stripping the constructs of their upgraded protection soon all three were almost completely stripped of their extra protection. David could focus on putting them out of the fight. They acted smart for a construct and a troll. When he injured one the other two would step in the way to allow the regeneration unit inside to put the wounded troll back together.

David had a plan when he had wounded one badly enough that it dropped back. The other two came in to protect it. David used an adrenalin shield block to send the closest troll hurtling into the second giving him the opening to finish off the wounded one before it could regenerate, he cut off its head. Then dodged out of the way of the counter attack. The headless troll got up seemed to twist round realising its head was no longer attached then down it fell again losing its footing. From the stump green fluid leaked out, slowly the troll’s movements slowed.

Martin was thrown from the wyvern he quickly rolled out of the way. His concentration was broken and the martyrs sacrifice blessing evaporated. He used several healing and defensive blessings then drew his pistols and shot the wyvern in the head again and again doing a bit of damage. The professor started to limp backwards as he thawed out from the after effect of the icy tomb spell.

The witch hunter had her rapier at the ready. With a thrusting blade she put it into her opponent’s centre of mass again and again. The professor slashed back with his own blade until an arrow from Vivian took it off at the elbow joint. Two more fire bite spells from Alice hit the professor. The professor had obviously determined that he had bitten off more than he could chew as he looked around.

The wyvern was being hit with every last blessing Martin had from his basic wrath blessing up to his hallowed earth, the wyvern would not last much longer. David cut a second troll down, first removing its right arm then of came its head. He charged towards the last troll. The professor's offensive abilities were mostly negated. He had lost four limbs and most of his weapons, he threw the giant wrench at Nicole she ducked and he was off sprinting back towards his vessel.

Alice and Vivian focused on the wyvern construct it was almost destroyed but they nudged it over the edge with a few octium arrow to the head and acid strikes to the body. Down it collapsed the last troll fell to a thrust from David and all eyes were on the professor. He threw a dozen canister grenades in front of him to act as a screening tactic as he ran for his vessel. Jumping over the gangplank up into the bridge and activated the vessels engines. Martin held out his holy symbol “archanist constructs are healed by electricity, let’s see if it affects this thing the same”.

“Chain smite” bolts of lightning slammed into the side of the professor’s vehicle. It had some enchantments to enhance its durability but they could not hold out against the constant stream of bolts. Planks burnt and shattered the vessel managed to make it off the ground, the lightning bolts hit the engine. It spluttered and stopped after a second bolt struck the delicate mechanism the ship started to lift but listed to one side. The bolts of lightning travelled upwards striking the balloon the entire ship was falling engulfed in fire.

A very weak creation as it was about to hit the ground the front bridge disengaged from the rest of the ship. It spread a set of glider like wing and rapidly sailed away under the power to two smaller motors. Martin tried to turn the chain smite attack towards the smaller craft, but it was rapidly beyond his range, the entire wreckage crashed to the ground and burnt.

Alice noticed the shattered giant soul jar in the burning wreckage. The trapped souls seemed to escape to wherever they were destined to go. The professor headed up south the witch finder looked exasperated. “Everything you face over l00 is as slippery as they come. Dam he got away, good work everyone your reputation is well deserved. Especially to you Martin now he will have to start again, a pity about the gold on his head but there will be other days”.

The level up hit defeating the professor destroying his vessel his elite creatures had gained the party two levels. Alice reached level 64 she mastered her poison gas cloud. David reached level 60 gaining the same class level Vivian had gained, and the fourth level of the counter heavy armour skill. Vivian reached level 62 she gained two ranks in a skill called strike through target, she could now have a much better chance of piercing a target and hitting whatever was behind it. Martin gained two levels reaching level 73 he gained two levels in combat medic unlocking the ability to perform a focus limb set and a brief diagnosis.

They recovered there weapons and cleared the remains from the battle ground, Alice healed a few injuries. The witch hunter looked about “A good days work let’s get some food and rest and wait for the reinforcements”. Martin looked down the mask that the professor had dropped it had been knocked off. He examined it, it was not enchanted. A chemical filter of some sort he tried it on and grinned, it was reinforced with steel he could use it to protect his face.

The walk back to the village of light house hill was a slow one. A great deal of tension was gone the attack was over. The professor didn't have enough materials to even try another attack. They could get a break Martin was free of his lycanthropy, he could feel the exhaustion catching up with him even with his massive endurance it was catching up with him form the ritual earlier today and the fight with the wyvern.

At the gates the sheriff greeted them with enthusiasm, “we saw the fireworks did you get the bastard”. “No but we destroyed every last toy he had”. They put their hands upon the holy symbol outside the settlement and were let in. The slaves that they had freed earlier were being tended to by the local priest and the mage Mary. A couple of villagers were bringing them water food and a few blankets. Martin and Alice check out the former slaves they were very malnourished with a few coughs and colds, but no supernatural coatigan waited inside them, it didn't hurt to check a second time.

They ate a very large meal of fish and vegetables, then had a few ales to wash it down. In a little time the witch hunter the local sheriff Mary the mage and the local priest joined them. The mayor and merchants guild representative attempted to join them. There was a glowering look from the witch finder and the two local representatives retreated. They had not helped at all during the siege of the village they were very low in the witch finders view. She was the senior official of the triune in the area so she was very much in charge. They had a few more drinks then there was the sound of an alarm.

Rushing to the gate house three coaches arrived, the first of the reinforcements a coach load of vampire hunters one filled with crusaders and a third filled with mercenaries. Nicole spoke to them bringing their commanders up to speed. “The archanist known as the professor a servant of the Empress of shadows he has been trying to destroy the local settlements”.

“We defended this settlement last night and destroyed the bulk of his forces. This morning we counter attacked and demolished the last of his forces. We destroyed his vessel he has escaped but was heavily wounded. There will be stragglers I charge you to scour the area for anything left, a few walkers brass hounds have probably been left tomorrow you will start the clean-up”.

The party turned in for the night, Martin was not far away from becoming a grand master the rest of them were not too far away.