S'tance idly watches out the window of the carriage as it rumbles through the jungle again, the trees shifting to make a path for them, eventually leading to another academy. Wolf departs with S’tance, each looking around for threats.

“Good luck there. Just call and I’ll be here” Vinny says as he, with the cart and horses, descend into the ground.

Wolf stride forwards and S’tance scampers behind, quickly unsheathing his swords as he flicks his head around to every corner. Wolf gently pushes the front door open and steps into the foyer, the floorboards protesting his entry. The room leads into six directions, two up a set of stairs, two besides them and two circling the building.

S’tance looks around before suggesting “We should split, cover more—”

Wolf turns around and shakes his head “No”

“I can hold my own” S’tance firms up his posture, steadying his shaking.

Wolf looks down the right hallway “We know where we’re going, no need for unnecessary risk” He takes a few steps down before pausing “I know you can”

The pair creep through the hallway, taking time to glance through each of the classrooms which have been either tossed beyond recognition or stripped bare. Even the decorations, which would have consisted of gold and silver, have been stripped from the walls. They tentatively open the door to the forges on the side of the building, only to find that they too have been stripped completely bare, even the chimneys have been removed.

Wolf strides through the room to three large rectangle cut outs in the wall “Even the forge masters were taken” The pair head out, not checking the rest of the academy “You search that way, I’ll get Vinny and send him with you”

The pair search their side of the academy, finding nothing. Until the sound of thumping steps attracts their attention. The pair run, sticking together as they make their way to the other side. Only to be intercepted by a mutant, the type with the long tail, leaping from the roof into their path. S’tance has little time to acknowledge that its claws and spike has been replaced with metal and that its form has become more animalistic as the source of the sound launches at them, leaping through the trees. It’s metal armour and sheer size forcing itself through the canopy with no effort. S’tance is pushed out the way and pulled further with vines as Vinny sinks into the earth.

S’tance catches himself and raises his swords then closes the distance between them and the assailant as it stumbles. He stabs into its hip from the side, then splits it up from hip to temple, a flash of spirit pushing his blade and singeing the wound as it goes. He kicks off and away to get distance and prepares to strike with his silvered sword but pauses as the massive wound he inflicted snaps shut, pulling the metal around with it, the jungle also visibly loses some of its colour as it does so. S’tance jumps back as the mass swings an arm at him, smashing several trees as it does so; he then dashes forwards and jumps up, cutting a deep gash in its arm as he does so, following it this time with the silvered sword that severs it before springing off it.

The mass brings its other arm around trying to catch him; he cuts off its fingers as he goes but still gets smacked by its palm, sending him into canopy which catches him. He starts getting passes from branch to branch, the leaves hiding him from the mass below. Despite the cover, the mass leaps up and nearly snatches him out of the canopy.

S’tance leans forwards, the twigs letting him go as he does, and springs down as the mass lands. He thrusts with his sword and catches it in the neck whilst landing on its shoulder, he then twists himself, cutting its throat open as he does so and springs off again, swiping with the silvered sword as he does so but only blunts it against the remains of the chainmail. As he lands the mutant makes its move, launching from the shadow of a tree and smashing into the net of roots that forms between them.

S’tance nods to the thumbs up that has emerged from the earth and makes some distance between him and the mass which is currently stuffing the blood-soaked earth into its mouth as it lumbers after him, lethargic from the continued blood loss from its stump. S’tance continues to back away from the mass as it stuffs everything it can into its mouth, eventually falling over as it succumbs to both its wounds and gluttony. He doesn’t approach however, waiting as it begins to shake and stand back up, he then takes his chance, rushing forwards and thrusting with his main sword, aiming for its head; it also acts, dropping back down and skewering its head on his sword and continuing on into S’tance himself. He’s saved by his body being thinner than the two-hand handle and guard of the sword, stopping the mass from crushing him into the hardened dirt, instead just slamming him in the chest.

S’tance scrambles back as it lifts its head, avoiding the groping hands that reach for him. He grits his teeth and grasps at his chest, most of his front carapace cracked from the blow, mirroring the mass’s armour which is crumpled from its own weight shifting. With his silvered sword in hand, he braces himself as the mass rushes forwards; S’tance ducks as it starts swiping with its arm, its undeath pushing its body past its limit and control, resulting in it only hitting air before its arm wraps around itself with a snap; S’tance then thrusts with his silvered sword, a spark of spirit at its pommel. Aimed at its heart, the blade is forced through the ruined armour, through the rib, and into its heart. The mass freezes, black smoke rising from its helmet before falling backwards. After a moment, S’tance mirrors its fall, blood coming through his gambeson in patches. He then staggers upright as he remembers that there was the mutant but relaxes as he spots it hanging from the canopy, vines mangling and cutting into it as it rages in its undeath.

He stares at it with his mouth open as Vinny pops out of the earth.

“That was something” Vinny sighs, slouching even as he’s half buried in the ground.

S’tance pulls himself up, repeating “ow” as he does so, his carapace quietly clicking against itself. He pulls up his shirt to reveal the crumbling remains of his chest and stomach.

Vinny leans up to look at the wound “Stay still a sec” he focuses with his hands in the earth. Vines wrap around S’tance’s body and begin secreting a sap which stings his wounds and hardens “That should do till we get back ta the Madam”

After a while of recovering, Wolf runs over, skidding to a stop and looks between the pair, the mutant and the mass “Good work. Got a little worried” S’tance and Vinny stare at the half of his face that is bruised as he looks between them, eventually raising a hand to the area and wincing “Yeah, they got me good—” He starts walking back to Vinny’s carriage “We’ll come back later with Fred and Marry”

The trio head back, bringing the tangled mutant with them, dragging behind the carriage. A surprise happens as they drag it in; its thrashing steadily turns into a berserking rage as a black mist is pulled out of it and into the silver decorations that plaster the walls of the unmolested academy. The silver tarnishes until the mist stops and a dim flash covers it all, leaving it with a new shine with the previous dirt dropping off. The mutant drops limp as the mist stops, every orifice the mist came out of blackened and dried.

Madam Sarthe stares at the scene, her aid’s face frozen in disgust “Well, it seems we won’t be getting a live sample any time soon” She gives a trying smile to the trio before gesturing for them to follow “Let’s get you to the doctor”

They follow her and her aid through the halls until they enter a medical theatre, complete with audience seats. Various tools organised between different professions line the table, not just medicine. Five metal figures come out of perfectly formed alcoves in the walls and start spreading out the medical tools.

The one wearing the doctors suit steps forwards, lowering its medical mask to address the group “You, Tebrien, remove the shirt and get on the table, and don’t mind the others”

As he follows her orders, one wearing hunters’ attire with falconers’ gloves pushes a trolley covered in various pliers and tweezers, a set of sponges and two large pots besides it, one filled with sap and the other with a water that smells like lemons. She then applies the water that melts the previous sap and sets to removing broken pieces whilst setting the still attached ones. As this goes on, another figure in blacksmiths attire offers to dab a salve onto Wolf’s bruised face.

“What happened to you two?” The aid asks, his voice hinting at concern.

Wolf start recounting what happened whilst S’tance grips at the rests of his chair as the doctor pulls at a large piece.

“Here my boy” Sarthe wheels herself closer and pulls a flask from under her blanket, offering it to him “Drink up”

He takes it and hesitates, taking a deep breath before drinking the whole flask in one go, gasping as he hands it back “What was that?”

“Why it was gin, my own make” She smiles at him with pride.

He coughs and sputters “Thank you, it was…. Nice?” He doesn’t say this with much confidence.

After his front is glued back together, Fred and Mary are called down and loaded up into the carriage. S’tance reluctantly stays behind, his reserves of spirit drained and injuries hampering his mobility. They resume the search, finding a large trampled path behind the academy leading into the jungle. As they trek through, the jungle shifts from its verdant greens to dirty browns, the foliage fading to bare dirt and the canopy letting the harsh light above in and the moisture out, leaving an atmosphere of dry heat and rot. The ground is just as harsh, the networks of roots below have rotted to leave the soil crumbling underneath, a hazard that catches them off guard multiple times. What little life is around eventually fades completely, giving the group clean sight to the hills. The path goes from long dried footprints to deep grooves, evidence that they suffered the same pitfalls.

“Do you think they have moved their base?” Fred asks as he pulls the brim of his hat further down.

Wolf glances across the landscape “My question is why it has taken so long for anyone to come here”

Vinny shifts and scratches “You expect us to just stroll into an area where the life has been sucked out?”

Wolf states “It was obvious that this was their work” his impatience bleeding through.

“Our craft doesn’t work here” Mary announces with worry, looking between everyone “Any hex I release is absorbed by the air—” She then settles on Wolf “We couldn’t do anything, even if we did come here”

He sighs, cracking his knuckles “I think we should start picking up the speed” he drops into one of the grooves and starts running the others joining him in short order.

It doesn’t take long before they spot the smoke of furnaces. They use that as a guide instead of the tracks and take a more direct route through the open space. It doesn’t take long for the group to hear smithing and complaining. They come upon the trio manning the forges, lazily going between stations as they make armour.

The three off them are muscled and emaciated, their backs burnt to blisters and the rest is sickly pail. As the group gets noticed, the three of them drop what they’re doing and run. Fred flicks out his rapier and a ruby red rope catches one by the ankles as Wolf rushes forwards and grabs the other two by the necks. They flail and try to fight back but only manage to hurt themselves as they smack Wolf. They’re gathered into a pile and tied up with Fred’s rope.

Mary looks them up and down, paying the most attention to their eyes before muttering “They’re the forge golems”

Fred’s eyes go wide as he looks at Mary in disbelief, eventually settling on the three.

“Is this what they offered you?” Wolf asks, impassive as he searches the forge.

They each look between Fred and Mary with contempt “Why wouldn’t we, we have bodies, proper bodies. I can actually feel now”

“And your soul?” Wolf asks from behind them, looking over the various bars of metal “How are those doing?”

The three of them look down at their feet, gritting their teeth.

“Not good” he walks up in front of the one who talked “And you three have just been ignoring what’s been going on around you”

“Why should we care” He scowls at him “We were stuck in that tiny room for days on end—”

“Because you three were fragile and new. Your souls were not complete” Mary speaks up, compassion and confusion in her speech.

They look around, avoiding eye contact. Except for one “They’re north of here. In the old cauldron”

The other two stop their scowling and just resign themselves, sagging in their binds.

After tying them up again but in chains, Vinny is left behind to watch them as Mary leads the way, referring to her notebook the whole way. They trek through the empty jungle, avoiding the various tracks carved into the ground and pits collapsed by rainfall. They come to a small fortress, mostly collapsed and ruined with a large tract of land around it carved out for a mote.

Tarrow drops off Wolf and start calling for the others to follow, leading them away from the ruined fortress and to a small hill nearby. He hops up to a flat section of the hill and lets out a small burst of light that seeps into the hill. The dirt starts to peel off as bricks of marble fold back, revealing a passage behind, its lamps flickering alive in unison.

Fred and Mary look between each other before following Tarrow and Wolf in. The tunnel was clearly made for something bigger than them as they couldn’t even reach the ceiling if they jumped. At the other end, they are met by another wall which Tarrow opens, this one moving forward and to the side. Waiting for them is a small pen of Spawners, alive but modified with metal and gemstones. They barely react to the group moving through, even as Fred wretches at the invasive smell of blood. They stride out of the repurposed storeroom into a large lab, big enough to need several supporting pillars throughout. Lined up in rows are large tubes, each one etched with various written commands containing bright lights writhing and shifting inside. Across from the group is a young woman who’s quickly abducted back into the storeroom.

Her eyes flick between the group, voice muffled by Wolf’s hand.

Fred grabs her by the hand and slowly pushes the tip of his rapier into the skin, a crimson pigment then washes over her “Now, what are you making spirits for?”

Wolf removes his hand as she struggles, eventually confessing “To make the perfect body”

“What?” Mary asks, turning from watching out the door.

She continues, her eyes glazing over “We will have one, a perfect body immune to disease and exhaustion, no wound can kill us, our fate wont end”

Fred waves over her eyes, snapping her from her trance “Keep focus. Where are the others, who’s in charge?”

The woman struggles again for a moment “Deeper inside, they found ancient technology and are trying to make it work. Illa is leading us, she’s the one the necromancers approached first”

“Excellent” as he says this, the woman faints and is left on the ground.

Fred looks to Tarrow who gives a salute with his wing and starts hopping off, leading the group up to one of the pillars. On the other side is a glass door which opens as Tarrow approaches, letting everyone onto the platform behind. Everyone steps onto it and Tarrow lights up one of the buttons on the console nearby. Then starts hopping as the platform fails to move but a quick stamp from Wolf gets the platform moving again. They stop at each level but continue on after the door opening and the resulting wave of dust; they pass cracked tubes filled with the skeletons of bull horned giants, humans and elves, stores of long decayed medical samples and one littered with massive operating tables and stepladders, some with their patients still strapped in. whilst each room had stale and frozen air, their final stop is hot, humid with the invasive smell of meat smashing into them. They step out onto a stone gantry overlooking a vat of swirling meat and blood, slowly being mixed with a viscous green goo.

“Illa! Inquisitors, they’re here. The inquisitors are here!” A student rushes out the room at the other side and starts running and screaming, heading for a set of double doors.

The group rushes after him, bursting through the doors to find a pair of masses and one of the long-armed ones pulling themselves free from various tubes that were inserted into them. Wolf grabs a handful of the marble floor and spread his chi through, pulling up an obscenely sized longsword which he then spins and smashes into the legs of one of the masses. Fred meanwhile draws his sword and coils up before thrusting it out, shooting a red line out and through the head of the other mass. Mary meanwhile draws her crossbow and fires one of the silver bolts into the heart of the long-armed one. Each undead drop, Wolf finishing his own by smashing its head with the sword. The students have taken this time to run, fleeing to a wooden cargo lift which has left. Wolf runs to the shaft and crouches, his body arcs with red chi and he jumps, launching after them and smashing through the bottom of the lift and further on a bit before slamming down next to them, each one screaming and cowering at the edges as the platform itself jumped up with him. A ruby red ribbon wraps around one of the ropes pulling them up and brings up Fred and Mary through the smashed open floor.

“Right. Are we going to stop running and instead submit ourselves for questioning? Else this will get violent” Fred calmly suggests as he and Mary separate.

The various students continue to cower but do calm down and assent. As the elevator stops, wolf is blasted into the far wall by a bolt of black, another heading for Mary and Fred each but gets drawn into the bag of salt and silver at Fred’s hip. The student waiting for them at the top starts to run but is caught in the ankle by one of Mary’s bolts. Fred rushes back to Wolf whilst Mary strides forwards and fires bolts into the student’s shoulders.

“Now” she says as she pulls back the string on her crossbow “You are going to explain to me, why you did all of this. Miss Illa”

Despite being pinned to the ground, Illa shows no signs of pain, only irritation until she realises that the bolts are silver at which point, she stops her struggling and instead scowls at her, not saying a word.

Mary turns around and calls “Fred, dear. She’s going to need your special touch”

Done with checking Wolf, he leaves the bag of silver and salt on his lap at Tarrow’s suggestion and heads over, setting to interrogating her. As he sets off, Tarrow starts to peck at Wolf and, despite them not being visible before, pulling fragments of darkness out of him and throwing them into the bag. In a short moment, Wolf is back to consciousness with a shout. Swinging for everything nearby, nearly decapitating one of the nearby students who’s saved by their buddy pulling them away.

“Where not fighting!” one of them cries out, getting Wolf’s attention.

He rushes towards them, a burst of chi racing up his arm, then collapsing into a screaming heap on the floor, clutching at his collar. A few of them start leaning forwards to check but are stopped by Tarrow who lands atop him, before indicating to the bag and for them to bring it over.

Fred stops halfway, seeing as Tarrow has Wolf handled, and returns to Illa “What to do with you?” he sighs as he looks down at her, half her body covered in crimson.