Wolf steps away and returns home before returning later with three mugs and a pot of tea which he sets on the nearby desk “You should probably get some sleep Tiltain, I’ll get you if something happens”

Tiltain thinks about it before shifting his head off of Roxie “Sleep tight kitten” Then slowly pading away.

Wolf pours out the tea which is handed to Roxie and Damien before he slumps into a chair with his own “How you feeling?”

“Sluggish. Soft?” Roxie tilts her head as she thinks about it.

“Can you use magic?” Damien excitedly asks as he sits on the other side.

Roxie splitters a bit and hand her tea back to Wolf “Too bitter” She then turns to Damien “Gonna need to write the spells first”

“Oh” He says sadly.

Roxie continues looking at him for a moment before saying “Can you get me some paper, please”

Damien excitedly runs off and brings back a ledger, opened to a blank page.

“And something to write with?” Roxie chuckles as Damien dashes off again.

With a pencil in hand she scribes her first spell, taking nearly half an hour to do so. She cuts out the page with a claw and holds it up before focusing on it for a second before it ignites into ash.

Damien flinches back with all of his feathers on end whilst Wolf just sips his tea.

Roxie then holds out her hand to her rejected tea. Then scrunches her face up in concentration. Then the side of the mug jumps up a little and Roxie falls back with a wince.

“Maybe you should wait for your mana to settle before casting” Wolf suggest.

Damien meanwhile looks at her in wonder “That was awesome, your reserves haven’t even settled yet, and you can already cast!”

Wolf pauses mid sip before nodding “It is actually”

Roxie just shifts in her cot, smiling to herself.

“Can you lift me!” Damien jumps up to his feet and spreads out his wings.

Roxie snorts into a laugh before chuckling “No. I can’t”

“Aww—” Damien sags and slumps back into his chair snapping upright with a glint in his eye “But when your better?”

Roxie takes a calming breath and shakes her head “No, at least not when your conscious. Just like how your immune system stops germs, your soul will stop other people’s mana from affecting you”

“Just like people’s systems it can’t stop everything. but will cause damage if it's forced” Wolf says as he pours himself another cup.

“Oh” Damien enthusiasm disappears, leaving him a little sullen.

A silence holds for a while before Wolf asks, “Can’t you fly with your wings?”

Damien responds with a melancholic smile “Na. Moms' potion was a bit too good, so now I don’t have hollow bones anymore”

“Sorry to hear” He nods and returns to his tea.

Wolf is woken up the next day by a knocking on the door from his old friend, “Inquisitor Hunsmith”

He smiles and says, “Come now Wolf, Fred is fine” He then gestures inside “Can we come in?”

Wolf steps aside to let Fred and a woman in who then sit at the table in the kitchen. Wolf then sets to making a pot of tea as the two settles.

The woman looks around “This is a nice little house you have here? Think we could get one?” She smiles at Fred.

“We already have a house Mary” Fred says with a hint of concern.

The couple continue discussing the pro’s and cons of moving into the village as Wolf serves the tea which both refuses.

“So, what have you found?” Wolf sits himself and drinks his tea.

Fred searches through a satchel and pulls out a brown envelope which he hands to Wolf “The equipment belongs to an academy run by Hestle Vertris, but my investigation shows that it was broken and disposed of several months before. Most troubling is that all soul imprints were scrubbed from it beforehand” he leans closer to Wolf “Which is impossible”

Wolf thinks for a moment “Excuse me for a minuet” He then gestures to the teapot “Please help yourselves”

He leaves the house and returns later “Roxie says that it’s probably a Scanthama. They’re like witches but focuses more on healing of the soul than controlling, they know how to scrub away soul remnants”

Fred and Mary share a look before she asks “Aren’t they those octopus people?”

Fred idly rubs his chin “Yes. And they came over to teach actualy”

“Before you continue, the beasts are extremely against necromancers and I doubt any would work with them, Roxie also assured me that Scanthama especially so as they train to counter them specifically” Wolf raises a hand to get their attention.

“We both know that there are always exceptions” Fred narrows his eyes at Wolf which he responds with a nod.

“For now, what information have you got us?” Wolf settles back into his chair.

Fred opens the envelope and spreads out the various documents with details on a dozen students “We investigated the academy beforehand; it was under attack by these” He slides over a small crystal slate with the image of a large, quadrupedal creature, it's hairless body warped with muscle and sporting massive lower jaws “Those students—” he taps one of the accompanying documents “Fled shortly after our arrival, somehow destroying their soul samples as they did so” He then pulls out another set of image slates, showing a large cavern with similar equipment to the necromancers lab, complete with melted Spawners and bloodied operating table with a crystal that has several more golden rings set into it “We did track the monsters to here”

Wolf looks over the documents before asking “Do you need some hunters?”

Everyone assembles the next day in the centre of the village, standing on the large brass dais, ready to leave.

Except for Roxie who's sporting a frown “Right you lot, don’t forget my crash course. And don’t forget your silver and salt, you should have plenty”

She nods to them, who each nod in kind and raise their new gear; S'tance now sports a second sword, Wolf has several silver rings whilst Maggie now has a quiver of silver lined bolts. Fred meanwhile has refused any weapons but is carrying a large bag of pure salt and silver powder mix.

“Also, don’t be afraid to ask Tarrow to bring help over” Elder reminds everyone as the dove in question hop on Wolf's shoulder, it's one eye staring between everyone “And remember, the weapons are gifts but that doesn’t mean you can just go and sell it all”

Roxie kicks him as she heads off “Now you guys get going, I’ve got the dressmakers waiting for me”

They each wave and separate, the team emptying out their lungs as instructed before everything snaps black. They each flinch into action as Tarrow chirps and hops down the branch towards Yggdrasil. After recovering from the teleporting, the group starts making time, following the dove over branches and bridges in a rout that only Fred and Mary know, all to come to the lowest branch in the canopy.

The group hops off the Bifrost, each casting a glance to the unseen end of it as it shatters and flows back to its obelisk. “I have a question Tarrow; how the fuck did you know that rout?” Fred scratches as his jaw as his face turns to concern “It was actually a bit quicker, the trip would normally take an hour”

Tarrow starts hooting and chirping in response, gesturing wildly with its wings, all the while Fed, Maggie and S'tance nod along.

Wolf just looks between them as the dove finishes “So what did it say?”

The four of them look towards him with confusion until Fred snap his fingers “Right. You're spiritually dull” Wolf frowns and squints at the dove as Fred raises a hand and simply explains “The angels are the ones who made the obelisks, this one studied the old maps” He then walks down the branch.

Shrugging, Wolf follows him and the others as they come up to a large nest where a dull black raven rests. It looks up to the group as they arrive and caws at them loudly.

Marry searches through a pouch and kneels next to it, offering a jerkied eye which it takes and places on a nearby flowery plate. She then strokes its head and vanishes. Fred and S'tance steps up and strokes it, disappearing as well. Wolf walks up with the dove on his shoulder and reaches down but the crow twists its head away and eyes the dove before pecking his finger and sending him off. Once the world untwists itself, he finds his hand near a statue of a raven. He looks around the cave and spots S'tance who's to the side puking vigorously as Mary rubs his back and Fred is speaking to the wary guards who turn their ire to Wolf.

“Are you defying my orders?” Fred commands, his words echoing a bit in the cavern.

The guard’s shy’s away and steps aside, letting the group pass without heard complaint. They make way through ever branching tunnels, led solely by Fred and Mary who pause regularly to read the walls. After an hour of the cold moisture of the tunnels, they’re greeted by the harsh sunlight and humidity of the jungle above, both carrying the same unnatural silence. A carriage with horses and coachman, made from leaves and vines descend from the canopy in the clearing in front of the tunnel exit.

The coachman nods to Mary “G’day inquisitors. Where may I take ya?”

“Oh, hello Vinny. Madam Sarthe’s please” Mary asks as she steps into the carriage.

“Are you sure m’am. Surely ya’ve been told of tha’…. things harassing that place?” The coachman leans around to look at the group.

“We are here to clear them out” Wolf adds as he steps inside.

The coachman straightens up and shrugs “Ya’ the boss” It whistles and the horses trot forwards along the dirt path that forms through the jungle.

After a short moment of comfortable riding, Mary pushes a small door open that leads to the driver’s seat “Has anything changed?”

“Yes m’am. The forest seems to be dying in large areas around where the freaks are coming from. We can get information from it anymore, only pain” Vinny’s voice becomes more sombre as he carries on “The students have been evacuated, only the staff and faculty staying and scrubbing what they can” before Mary can respond, he asks “What you lot going to Sarthe’s for? She’s the only one in her manse”

Mary chews her words for a while “We believe that some of the students may have turned on us, from Sarthe”

A silence falls between them and Mary closes the door.

“This doesn’t sound good” S’tance mentions in a quiet voice.

Wolf rubs his stubble idly “No. it doesn’t, but that is what we are here for”

S’tance nods and idly thumbs the hilt of his sword “Yeah”

Wolf gives him a pat on the back which he jumps at but relaxes and shows a small smile.

It doesn’t take much longer for the group to arrive at the facility, each taking time look over the damaged sandstone walls. Littered throughout the front gardens are various warped and shattered bones being wardened by stone women which all snap their overwatch to the carriage. After a short moment, as the group step out, Madam Sarthe is wheeled before them, holding a blob of darkness which unfurls out into a snake.

“Why hello there” She croaks out the word with an obvious effort.

Mary immediately kneels besides her and hold her hand “You can stop the familiars; we’ll protect your home whilst we’re here”

As she tells her this, several shadows and bolts of light launch out of the guardians to latch onto the snake, each forming a scale with the pattern of an eye until its half covered.

Madam Sarthe takes a deep breath and life visibly returns to her “Thank you, I do quite need the rest” She speaks with a much fuller voice with which she asks Mary “But why are you here dearie. I haven’t seen you in, oh spirits, a decade at least” Marys face softens, becoming more apologetic which Sarthe mirrors “Oh, I didn’t want to believe it. But it is true is it not. My dear little students are to blame”

Mary nods then stand up and addresses the student who wheeled her out “Why haven’t you evacuated with the others!”

The boy scoffs, turning his nose up “I’m not like those spineless ingrates who’d leave to save their own hide”

Tarrow chirps at him, flapping his wings as he does so.

The boy frowns and spits “What is this nonsense your familiar spouting. The soul is infallible, it can’t become diseased”

Sarthe tuts “You should not doubt the words of an angel, they know more about the soul than anyone should”

“That is not an angel” the boy points at Tarrow “That is a vermin spouting nonsense”

Tarrow starts to flap, but instead pecks and tugs Wolf’s ear, pulling his head around as a claw flies towards Sarthe. He catches it and the tendon pulls taught, wrenching the body on the other end towards him; what emerges from the jungle is a mountain of fat, rusting plates of spikes bolted around is jaws which bisects its gut. The body opens into a mouth large enough to swallow Wolf whole who releases the claw and instead braces himself with his arms crossed, red chi arcing off himself as the two meet. The body closes around him whilst Wolf springs his arms out and grabs the top and bottom halves by the teeth, then rips it in two. The top half carries on living, reaching out to Sarthe, only to be run through with a silver sword by S’tance which drains the life out of it, starting a wave of rot over it which leaves it nothing but bones and dirt.

Wolf nods to him as he readies for the second to emerge; a pair of huge bodies, gaunt and stuffed in armour that only covers their chests stride out of the forest before sprinting at the group. They swing their arms in unison, one aiming for his head and the other one goes for his legs which he counters by stomping the bottom arm in half and backhanding the top, his silver rings flashing with purified energy as it blows that arm in half.

The bottom one tries to stop but slides which causes its trapped arm to rip out of its socket as it goes whilst the top one caries on, only to be stopped by S’tance who thrusts forwards with his silvered sword, but it glances off its breastplate. Wolf stomps down on the one that slid as S’tance recovers with a second thrust, his normal sword in his lower arms, this one impaling it. He then twists and wrenches sideways to cut open its gut. He then uses the silvered sword to cut off it’s remaining arm and legs in a single stroke before decapitating it with his usual one before it hits the ground.

S'tance pauses to glance at Wolf who's retrieving his foot from the crushed breastplate, a chance the body takes as it’s blown off arm regrows. It swipes at him. An attack he doesn’t notice until it's stopped by Fred's rapier. Instead of ignoring the damage and carrying on, it screams, its atrophied lungs pushing out a whistling cry whilst a ruby rot descends its arm. Fred, with casual ease, steps down onto its head, stopping most of its thrashing as it's completely taken over.

His face scrunches up as the colour in his face starts to fade before he asks, “Where did you come from?”

The body continues to scream and cry, not even attempting to answer his question.

The rot returns to the rapier and Fred pulls it free with a huff “When she said they had rotted souls, I assumed that they had souls”

“I’m afraid so, a hex nor curse works on them” Madam Sarthe speaks up, being wheeled out of the mansion for the second time.

The boy wheeling her focuses intently on the thee new skeletons added to the garden “They didn’t have armour before” his gaze lingers on the re-grown arm that hasn’t rotted with the rest of it.

“No, this is a recent development. Acquisition or desperation is the question of this change” She pointedly looks between everyone in the group.

Mary produces and flicks through a large notebook as S’tance thanks Fred.

“Hey, where’s Vinny?” Wolf walks off to the Carriage where both the driver and the horses are gone.

“Down here boss!” Wolf looks down at a large pumpkin which starts rising as Vinny’s body emerges beneath it “Don’t worry, more durable than most me”

Madam Sarthe claps her hands together “Now, I recommend that we all retire inside for the evening. I will have food prepared and we can plan after”

“I will keep watch” Wolf hold up his hand as people start to gather closer.

She gestures to the door “I must insist that you come in”

“Madam Sarthe, please” The boy asks with a hand on hers.

She shakes her head “Oh fine” then points for him to wheel her inside.

The rest filter inside, leaving Wolf and Vinny who each take a seat on the edge of a planter as the rest of the stone guardians stop and settle into statues.

Vinny pulls out a pipe from his pocket and offers it to Wolf who shakes his head “Fine by me”

Wolf waits for Vinny to light his pipe before asking “I didn’t know that dryads could smoke”

“we can, it’s just not as effective” he takes a drag and shrugs “Suits me, I can make it as strong as I want” a moment of silence falls over the pair before it’s broken “Are you going to fix this. Or just do damage control like the witches are”

Wolf cocks a brow to him “hmm?”

He blows out several lungs full of smoke in one before answering “The witches took one look and decided that it’s too much and, despite our protests, refuse to get you guys involved. Even threatening to defect if anything is done”

Wolf mulls the information over for a bit “Can’t you and the rest of the dryads do anything?”

“We can’t do anything, where they step, the forest dies and our influence shatters” He then mutters under his breath “Fucking like they’re made to kill us”

Tarrow flutters and ‘speaks’ to him. Something that he seems to take an interest in.

“Yeah we got some silver and salt lying around, though I don’t like the idea of killing our own forests” He responds, chewing on his pipe.

Wolf looks up and pinches Tarrow’s beak closed “What are you suggesting they do Tarrow?”

Vinny frowns at him for a moment before nodding “He said that spreading salt and silver around will stop the undead from drawing in the soul of the forest”

“Oh” He lets go of Tarrows beak which is an opportunity he takes to peck at Wolf’s scalp “I do hope salting the surroundings is not a regular tactic you recommend”

Tarrow continues to peck and rage atop Wolf’s head as he starts giving Vinny the crash course that the others received that morning.

“So hey, where is this Roxie girl?” Vinny asks as the lesson lulls.