I took a breath, I had a bit of time before the Ursans closed in. They were being cautious, perhaps the recent losses they’d experienced against the freshly armed and more dangerous Rens had taught them a lesson or two. I took another improvised rope from my pack, tied one part of it to the Undertaker, still screaming through duct tape, and a rock. I threw the rock over a high sturdy branch above me and after it was over and landed, I hauled my ward up until he was dangling around twenty feet up, then tied the rope to a nearby tree. Once that was done I climbed a tree above where I believed the Ursans would approach from.

A few minutes after I’d settled in, my new sword drawn, standing from the branch, I started to hear the sounds of the Ursans moving through the woods. They were unnaturally quiet for beasts as large as they were, and I wouldn’t have heard their approach if I hadn’t already been listening for it. They were both as large as the others I’d seen, around the size of a small house. They made their way into the clearing and toward the writhing form of my bait, who was doing his best to be enticing, like a worm on a hook.

The Ursans separated and started approaching the undertaker from two different angles, warily looking along the edge of the treeline and searching the ground as they slowly moved toward him. It looked as if I was right that they’d gotten smarter since the Ren’s began more actively hunting and trapping them. It was hard not to look at such an easy meal as a trap. In all fairness, it was a trap, but I would’ve preferred them to be a bit dumber for my own sake.

When one of them reared up to approach the undertaker and sniff at him, the other passed beneath me. I leapt down and activated the enhanced edge of my new sword. To my surprise, the Ursan actually rolled away, avoiding the blow I'd aimed at the base of its neck.

I slammed into the ground hard, driving the sword deep into the patch of earth I’d landed on. I drew the sword out quickly as the Ursan slashed at me with claws the size of bowie knives. It bit at me, and I slashed at it, driving it’s head back. It slashed at me again, and this time I met the blow head on, with the blade of my sword activated. It neatly bisected the creature's paw, and it let out a pained cry as hot blood splattered the ground in front of it.

I moved in for the kill before it could recover, but its companion leapt toward me, cutting me off before I could reach it, and slamming into me with its shoulder. I was knocked backward, but recovered quickly. I raised my sword and ran at both of them. It would’ve been suicide before, but with my enhanced healing, strength, and new sword I knew I could handle them.

The uninjured Ursan attempted to back away from my blade, but was at a disadvantage in the narrow clearing. I drove my blade deep into its side, and drew it downward. I smelled blood and saw the neatly severed halves of ribs sticking from its side. It hunched down, seeming to lose consciousness, but before it fully fell down, its eyes flicked to me and it managed one more attempt to bite my leg. Before it could reach me, I drew my sword close and let the momentum of its attack slice its own head in half. The other Ursan, started to back into the woods, but I didn’t let it run.

Before it could build up speed I ran toward it and severed its hind leg at the knee. It roared in pain as it fell, crashing into the treeline as it did so. I didn’t let it suffer for long, moving to its chest and driving the blade into its heart.

I deactivated the sword, moving to clean it, but realized that there was no blood or viscera still on it. Whatever powered its enhanced edge must keep it clean as well. Feeling spiteful, I cut off the head of one Ursan, then the other. I still had meat leftover from the first one I’d killed outside of the rEvolutionarly virus bunker, but I sliced off a few fresh steaks anyway, eating one as I lowered my fellow deadman down from his spot in the air. He seemed to be writhing a little less, perhaps broken from whatever madness he’d been experiencing by what he’d just witnessed.

I knelt down next to him after he was lowered and held the fresh, bloody meat of the ursan up to his face. “You hungry?” I asked. He didn’t respond, but he didn’t scream either. I took a risk and ripped the duct tape off his mouth.

“Let me go back you fucking piece of shit! Put me back where you found me! I swear to god I’ll rip out your fucking throat if you dont-”

I gave him a firm, open-handed slap across the mouth. “I asked if you were hungry?”

He was silent for just a moment, and I hoped he’d snapped out of what the sound had done for him. He lunged at me, flinging his entire body in my direction like a coiled snake.

I caught him by the hair, and held him for a moment, sighing. “I’ll give you until we’re back at the Ren’s castle. If you don’t eat by then I’ll probably have to force feed you. Not sure how long you’ve gone without food.”

He hurled a number of new insults at me in response.

I soaked a rag in water, shoved it in his mouth, then duct taped it shut again. I could at least try to keep him hydrated. Once that was done I hauled him back up, and strapped him back to me, along with my backpack, and the two freshly severed Ursan heads. I’m not normally one to take trophies, but I figured the Rens may be up to trade for them, and maybe for the location of the corpses themselves as well. I could’ve hauled them too…but that might be pushing it at this point.

It was late night when the castle came back into sight. The walls were lit by a mix of torches and lamps, and they were able to see me approaching the front gate. With my newly enhanced smell I could tell there were roughly two hundred people in the castle. There was also a heavier smell of smog and gasoline in the air. I guessed that another Horde patrol had arrived.

At the gate, a spotlight was shined on me, temporarily blinding me. It was a different person manning the it, but they opened it without giving me any hassle. Apparently they’d been informed of my presence in the area. Once I made my way through the second section of gate, I saw Shay standing there, with the familiar face of Angela next to her. Angela looked much the same as the first time I’d met her. A mohawk stood proud on top of her head, arms covered with tattoos marking her as a high ranking warrior of the horde, and a cigarette hanging loosely in her mouth.

Shayera looked me up and down, noting the blood that covered me. “Do you need me to get the apothecary?” she asked.

“Bloods not mine.” I reached back and pulled the Ursan heads from the side of my pack. She likely couldn’t see their dark fur in the darkness, but their shape was unmistakable with the nearby torchlight.

Angela took the cigarette out of her mouth and whistled. “Well fuck me. How’d a sunavabitch like you get more dangerous?”

I shrugged. “It came down to that, or dying.”

She nodded, the few loose hairs of her mohawk bobbing a bit as she did. She stood on her tip-toes and nodded at the undertaker tied to my back. He’d passed out, making the last leg of my trek mercifully easier. “Whose your friend?”

Shay looked as well. “Is that one of the undertakers you were searching for?”

I nodded.

“Then the other?”

I didn’t respond.

She nodded quietly, I noticed some softening to her features from the last time we’d spoken. “Does he need medical attention?”

I shook my head. “No, but do you have a dungeon?”

Angela chuckled. “That’s the freshest line I think I’ve ever heard someone open with.”

Shay ignored the comment. “Yes, but why?”

“Undertaker got exposed to some nasty tech in a bunker. I’m hoping it’ll wear off, but until it does he’s a danger to himself and others.”

She nodded. “The dungeon’s unoccupied… haven’t had much use of it since the Khan’s ‘Justice’ arrived here.”

“Careful,” muttered Angela with a touch of danger to her tone.

Shay grunted. “I’ll go ensure it’s ready. We’ll get a room for you as well.”

I shook my head. “I’ll stay in the dungeon too. Need to keep my eye on him.”

She nodded, and went on her way.

“Wondering why I’m here?” asked Angela.

I shook my head. “Not particularly.”

She smiled. “The Khan wants to speak with you.”

I gritted my teeth. “I can’t make a trip to Fette now. I need to get to the front and bring him back to Pott’s.” I gestured to the load on my back.

She smiled. “Don’t worry about it. The Khan’s here.”