Although their clan had fallen to ruin, and the majority of their kin were gone, the wealth belonging to what had once been Clan Fjorgyn remained.

The Eve Clan may have sailed on the winds of progress, but the wealth amassed over a millennium was in no way lesser.

It afforded Agda the means to rent a secluded mansion in the lower valley, even at Katya’s exorbitant rates.

Agda’s driver opened the door for her and she exited the vehicle with all the grace and composure of royalty before walking towards the mansion, her gait perfect even as she walked across the rustic cobbled path.

However, the moment the heavy door to the entrée closed behind her, her demeanor changed. Shock and worry warred across her perfect features as her breathing became ragged and uneven.

Her wards fell next, unleashing the bottled up emotions she’d kept in a vice-like grip. They flooded out into the building, but careful sigils laid out by a freelancing witch kept the psychic reverberations within the building and away from prying eyes.

However, that didn’t stop the occupants from noticing the immense turmoil happening within Agda’s thoughts as her instinct and emotions went rampant from years of laying dormant.

The remnants of her clan, a scarce few dozen, rushed from around the building crowding around her, but not daring to utter a single word or make a noise. They were a mass of silent ghosts moving at inhuman speeds towards their target.

Agda could feel their attention and anticipation, many expecting the worst but all hoping for the best.

That’s why they remained alive after all, hope.

She could claim no such notion. Her reason was duty, as it is for every matriarch of a dead clan. It was her obligation to see the end of her clan, to be there when the last of her kin drew their final breath.

But that dark fate was no more.

She now carried their hope. She had seen it, felt it.

“It’s true, and the child is pure.” Agda struggled out as her mouth felt dry.

Gasps and quiet sobs echoed around her, while many simply stood dazed looking at her, fearing this might be a dream and they’d wake up any moment, as many of them had before.

“Are you certain?” Agda’s Second asked, a mountain of a man called Ivar.

“I felt the child within my granddaughter. It had no traces of the grotesque experiments or vile rituals attempted by the desperate before us.” Agda responded as Ivar extended a hand to help her to her feet.

She brushed herself off even though she remained as pristine as when she’d left, her wards falling back into place and her expression once more being hidden behind a pleasant mask.

Ivars’ sky-blue eyes peered into Agdas as his deep, rumbling voice asked what everyone present was thinking.

“What do we do now?”

***

“Don’t let it get away!”

“I got it, I got it!..... I don’t got it.”

“Block it off at the trees!”

A pack of children rushed after one of the spiderbots as it skittered away from them while chittering furiously at the audacity of the younglings chasing it.

Some of its compatriots occasionally stopped in their work to look upon their fellow’s plight, only to become thankful they weren’t the one singled out for whatever superficial reason the mix of Pups and mundane children had chosen.

Nala could only look on as the weird little spider-ant robot fled into the canopy of a nearby tree, its screen like facial features sticking out from behind the leaves to admonish the oblivious children circling the base below.

“I can’t help but feel a little sorry for it...” Lydia sighed as she stood next to Nala with her arms crossed.

“John has told them not to, but any time he leaves the camp for even five minutes, they start stalking the slowest one in the group.” Nala said, exasperated.

“They ever catch one?” Lydia asked, turning to Nala.

“Not that I know of. It usually climbs up a tree or under one of the campers and waits them out.” Nala shook her head with a sigh.

“Then I think it’ll be fine...” Lydia locked eyes with the small drone from across the clearing and she could have sworn she saw a look of betrayal on the small mechanical looking creature’s face.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Lydia reiterated with a lot less certainty.

The pair walked towards what was starting to look a lot like a homestead... If you looked past the insect-like swarm of tiny workers traveling in trails like ants.

Lydia couldn’t argue their efficiency, they’d done in three days what would have taken the pack weeks if not months to accomplish, from establishing a makeshift quarry to transporting and drying lumber, they’d even laid the foundation for the buildings they were planning to construct.

Most of the pack members didn’t mind sleeping in the rough because they had a thick coat of fur to stay warm and comfortable, but not everyone in the pack was a Therianthrope.

A lot were simply family members who were aware of their kin’s more four-legged natures, and although there were plenty of tents and a few campers, many were starting to feel the strain of their new rugged lifestyle.

***

It was late afternoon, and the sky had changed into a cascade of orange and purple clouds as the sun began to set behind the mountains, casting the valley and pack’s territory into an early evening.

Dinner was being prepared on a variety of makeshift outdoor kitchens and roasted over red coals as everyone in camp began to settle down to eat, a low buzz of conversation enveloping the meadow.

“Anyone seen Cole?” A rugged older woman asked as she carried a pot the size of her torso and placed it at one of the tables.

“He’s out on one of his nighttime patrols,” a teen girl mocked, rolling her eyes before getting smacked lightly on the back of the head by her mother eliciting a wave of chuckles as the girl looked back at her mother with an expression of betrayal.

However, it was short-lived.

Every Therianthrope in the camp froze as if in a daze, their eyes turning yellow before their heads snapped east in unison.

“That’s blood.” Lydia stated, staring into the darkening forest as two silhouettes came into view.

***

“Seriously, why couldn’t we just have driven there?” Tessa groaned, leaning up against a tree.

“They don’t have roads, pack of wolves, remember?” I responded, snickering to myself as I vaulted over a fallen log, blocking the dirt trail we’d been hiking through for the past couple of hours.

“Are we even close? It’s getting dark... Wait a minute, Natasha said they were living out of campers and tents. How’d they get campers up there if they didn’t have any roads?” Tessa slowly muttered.

“..... Magic?” I replied, trying to sound convincing and failing miserably.

“You didn’t....” Tessa accused with vitriol.

My silence was as good as an admission of guilt.

“WHY?! We’ve been hiking since noon!” She whined at me.

“Well, it would have gone a lot faster if you weren’t slowing me down.” I retorted, grinning at her.

I’d never tell her the truth that even though I had a driver’s license, I’d never actually driven a car before. I had driven and ridden plenty of other modes of transportation, but never a car.

“Oh, this was low...” Tessa grumbled, but paused when she saw me stopped ahead of her and gesturing for her to stay back.

We were moving against the evening breeze, and it seemed the canopy had muffled our voices, but something seemed off. I had an oddly familiar feeling that I couldn’t quite place.

I instinctively crept forward, unknowingly leading Tessa along with me.

It wasn’t long before we heard the sounds of rough laughter, like a convention for chain smokers.

“I can’t believe that little shit actually charged me.” The loudest and most obnoxious of which said before breaking out into yet another throaty chuckle.

“Gotta give the kid credit. He took a good chunk outta you. Might be worth it to bring him back with us and let Chopper work him over for a couple of weeks, maybe even dose him up for the next full moon.” A female voice laughed.

“What are we doing here?” A man asked, sounding unsure.

“We’re making sure those stuck up, arrogant Noble-mutts know not to come back.” Someone replied, getting a chorus of agreement.

“No... No, something’s wrong? Cooper, this doesn’t make any sense, Connor told us to let them be. Why are we even here?” The man continued, sounding increasingly incoherent.

“Shut the fuck up, Collin.” A Gruff voice growled.

“But this doesn’t make any-” Collin stopped mid-sentence, and they all went quiet.

“It’s a shit idea to sneak up on people. How about you come out where we can see you? If I have to send someone to go get you, I’ll make sure they make it hurt.” The gruff voice belonging to the man named Cooper called out.

“Hello there! I mean no harm, but I seem to have gotten lost!” I said as I walked ahead of Tessa, waving her back a little as I scaled the small hill, a flickering bonfire coming into view.

“Come on out then, we won’t bite.” The woman joked, getting a couple of chuckles.

Five people were seated around the fire on various blankets and bedrolls a couple bikes were parked nearby.

they were all unkempt and had a wild glint to their eyes, like they were ready to go off on a psychotic tear at a moment’s notice, their leather vests and jackets each sported a patch with a deformed wolfs head and the word Mongrels beneath it.

“Pretty far off the beaten path, aren’t you... Both of you.” A gangly man in his forties sitting on the opposite side of the bonfire said, his voice matching the one they’d called Cooper earlier.

“Could say the same for you.” I replied, seeing my innocent hiker act wasn’t gonna fool anyone. “As far as I know, this is private property.” I continued.

Their focus drifted to behind me, one of them sniffing the air before flashing a grin full of yellow teeth.

“She smells pretty. I like pretty.” He said as he stood up and made to walk past me toward Tessa, but as he was about to pass me, I reached out and placed a hand on his chest.

The air around the campsite changed, the mocking smiles and veiled threats were made blatant as the group stiffened, like a predator before the kill.

“That was a big mistake.” The man beside me rumbled, his vocal cords thrumming out in a bassy tone, followed by a growl.

I felt it now.

It had started out as an itch, something I’d felt the night I returned, something familiar but somehow different.

“Lycans.” some old repressed part of me growled. No sound was heard, but I could feel the vibrations in my chest.

Seconds passed as I fought for control, but my silence and frozen expression were misconstrued as fear, spurring the Lycan in front of me on. A savage expression overtook his features before they twisted and morphed.

His face elongated like a wolfs, but far too short. No fur sprouted from his skin, only a grayish, sickly tone. His ears sharpened and lengthened several inches and he let out an inhuman groan of pain, showing off vicious canines.

His frame widened, and I took a step back to the quiet laughter of the unphased people around us, their eyes now reflecting the light of the fire like glossy marbles.

He buckled forward, steadying himself with a barefooted stomp to the ground, shaking the leaves above us, his arms and legs stretched out into gangly, wide reaching limbs disproportionate even to his now foot taller frame.

This was what I remembered, this grotesque, awkward form, unnatural and repulsive.

His change seized and something not quite sentient leaned forward to get to eye level with me, staring into my eyes, and as I stared back, I saw none of the albeit limited intelligence I had seen seconds prior, only feral sadism.

***

Tessa peaked over the hill just in time to see the man change into something out of a nightmare, its appearance sending shivers up her spine and her chest felt tight as she struggled to breathe from the sheer wrongness of his appearance.

She couldn’t quite comprehend the scene as no one else seemed even remotely phased by the man turned monster in front of them, Mr. Titanos appeared frozen in place, a rigid expression of indifference on his face as if there wasn’t a seven foot tall snarling monstrosity inches from his face.

Then, as if simply reaching for something, he brought his hand up and a dark piece of crystal materialized in his hand before passing under the monster’s throat, releasing a geyser of blood.

It stood there, dully for a moment, as if its brain was too slow to realize what had just happened, when it finally caught up and swung out its clawed arm in an arc almost as far as it was tall, Mr. Titanos had already moved just outside its range, its claws barely grazing his chest.

The people around the fire weren’t laughing anymore but looked on, frowning in confusion, all except for the man Mr. Titanos had spoken to earlier. His expression was one of twisted rage.

***

It’s just as slow-witted, its movements as predictable, even its appearance is strikingly similar.

But just like with the Sanguinares, it was like something was missing, some piece of the puzzle that didn’t quite fit right with what I remembered.

The dull creature in front of me stood back up to its full height in a display of intimidation, the cut along its throat already closing.

But its movements soon halted as the change in posture revealed a protruding shard of obsidian, the length of my forearm sticking out of its ribcage where I’d placed it a moment before backing away from the predictable feral swipe.

The creature looked down at it, puzzled, before trying to grasp hold of the shard and pull it out, but as its wiry clawed hands closed around the shard, it simply shattered into hundreds of small fragments, tumbling down its torso, abdomen and left thigh.

The tiny fragments caught on any remnant pieces of clothing and tufts of hair before cutting into its flesh with ease, dotting the creature’s body with black glinting stones.

It tried to brush them off, but its efforts were in vain as the razor sharp fragments simply dug in ever deeper, burrowing beneath the skin with every panicked movement of its body.

Barely a moment had passed before its left hand was little more than shredded strips of bleeding meat, its side hemorrhaging as a pool of blood formed at its feet, appearing pitch black in the moonlight.

It finally collapsed to its knees, heaving for air as its lungs filled with blood, shards having made their way through its body or broken down into smaller pieces in its bloodstream.

It took one last pleading look at what I assumed was its leader, the one called Cooper, then its head slumped and its breathing stopped.

I turned towards the remaining four, materializing yet another shard in my hand and flashed a taunting sneer.

The leader’s lips pulled back into a snarl as he nodded angrily at my little display, then he kicked forward from his seated position, spraying the coals and still burning logs towards me in a blinding wave of ash and smoke.

One of the others circled around me drawing a bowie knife from his back instead of trying to take the time to change, but I didn’t take my eyes off the silhouettes moving at the other side of the cloud of ash in front of me, highlighted by the moon at their backs.

Their forms changing and morphing into the familiar misshapen body of their fallen compatriot.

The one having charged me in human form acting as a distraction to buy them time to change uninterrupted.

He got within six feet of me when a spindly dark crystalline appendage resembling a spider’s leg sharpened to a point, slammed down from above him, piercing his skull and staking him to the ground, brutally stopping his momentum.

He let out wet gurgles as his hands struggled to find purchase on the obsidian limb before the last vestiges of life left his body and he fell limp.

I felt the pull on my shoulder blade where the shadowy appendage connected to my physical body as I pulled it free from his skull; I hesitated for a moment as I felt the push on my domain from my shadows trying to break free and take physical form to aid me, but I forced them to stay put.

I’d reached my limit already with the number of worker drones and the security for Sophia’s meeting, not to mention the roamers patrolling the valley.

“I didn’t finish the foundation of my Rune-Body just to overdraw at a time like this.” I thought stubbornly.

Another spindly limb erupted from my left shoulder to skewer a second Lycan approaching from my blind spot, his reaction time and quick thinking surprised me as he leaned to the side far enough for the three inch wide limb to miss his heart, instead only puncturing his right lung and embedding itself in the dirt behind him.

I moved forward casually to inspect him closer, his body the same sickly gray color, but the proportions were more balanced, and the sparse tufts of fur seemed healthier, a piece of his vest remained draped over his shoulder showing a patch with the name Collin.

He swiped at me, but the only thing he accomplished was impaling himself further.

I took a step back and dispelled the shadowy obsidian limbs and he fell to the ground wide-eyed, the intelligence in his eyes moments ago was now replaced with a feral fight-or-flight instinct as he slowly backed away trying to find an opportunity to escape while never entirely taking his eyes off me.

The manifestation had pushed me even closer to my limit, but it had become a point of pride for me not to rely on channelling raw Immaterial energies to solve all my problems, the downtime to recover from the strain made me vulnerable, and now wasn’t a time I could take that risk.

“TESSA, COVER YOUR EARS AND OPEN YOUR MOUTH!” I yelled over my shoulder as I jabbed my hand into a thin mist of shadow and pulled out three circular shapes with rune carvings slowly coming to life with glowing crimson light.

I pulled the pin on all three grenades, releasing the spring-loaded lever and waited for the internal fuse to reach a point I was sure they couldn’t be dodged before throwing two ahead of me and one to my far left where Cooper was trying to sneak by me to get to Tessa.

The explosions rocked the forest, felling a tree, Tessa being safely hidden behind the decline of the hill while I took my chances with the shrapnel, although I tried to gather the energy to shield my head, the command simply fizzled out.

As the smoke cleared, I approached the area I’d sensed the leader, his body now partially returned to his human form as half of him tried to regenerate a missing leg and forearm, his eye socked was crushed as a faintly yellow eye dangled from a nerve like a string, his other eye having turned back to a dark brown.

“What th-” He didn’t finish his sentence as I brought down my axe on his skull, splitting it in half like a dry log.