Having left his warriors behind, Kenji approached the single pair of yellow eyes before the rockface with a series of huge animals carved into its side. The stone art piece was now overrun with moss, the vague outline of stone structures at its base all that had remained of some ancient settlement.
"It's only Kragg. Ah...are you...you?" Kragg hissed, stalking out from behind a stone wall that was now supporting a tree, his yellow eyes staring into the distant snarls of the Furbolg far behind Kenji with contempt.
"This wasn't the plan," Kenji said carefully. "Where are Tenko and Elder?"
"Gone. That potion the Elder drank? Well, it didn't just heal him, it turned him into a fucking lapdog!" Howled Kragg, "when the Witch's apprentice ordered he bring the pack to the witch immediately he agreed. Tenko, Kragg and others refused and they tried to forcefully take us! Kragg can fight anyone but Elder, and what attacked was something far more vicious than Elder. It was...so eager to please her," the werewolf shuddered and looked up to find Kenji biting his claws.
"Fuck," Kenji whispered. "We...uh, we need help then, if we can at least find out where the Witch lives we can steal back the Forest's Heart. Then the Furbolg Druids, this body especially, should be able to undo the bewitchment woven on the Elder."
"We'll need George, he's been tracking how they've been receiving the drugs in Essenark. Unless the Furbolg's know of anything?"
Kenji slowly shook his head, "not really. They tracked the Witch to a huge patch of forest her blight was spreading from, but human hunters and their Unsouled werewolves would attack if we got too close. The animals, spirits and trees won't help either - that patch of land is completely controlled by her magic. So asking George for help is a great idea, we can leave the Furbolg warriors outside the village while we ask too."
Kragg looked Kenji up and down, "Kragg can turn into a human, but what about you? Going to shuffle into that cesspit looking like a white fuzzball?"
"I'm going to do so in my human form. But I'm only morphing when well out of sight, understand?" Kenji indicated towards the waiting Furbolgs, and Kragg nodded.
"Aye, damn fools. Better this way though, if we have to attack the Witch head on I don't think we could do a whole lot by ourselves. George could help though, he was even stronger than I before he left."
Soon they were all heading to Essenark together, Kenji having to work overtime to keep the Furbolg warriors on board. They were sceptical, but deeply trusting of their leader at the same time. Similarly, Kenji practised with his new magical power a little, even if every touch of the potent magic within left his heart pounding madly and a chorus of concerned scolding from his Furbolg followers.
Concerningly the little warrior niece hadn't come with just warriors either. While Kenji had spoken with Kragg a great marching had come through the forest as hundred of Furblogs led by the little girl from before proudly followed the aging Furbolg. Kenji pleaded with them to stay, saying only he and those trained should be risked. They refused, the Grandfather's memories were equally infuriated and proud of his people.
Kenji continued to feel that Grandfather did not blame him. Indeed it was as if the old Furbolg had expected his life to end soon, and seemingly approved that his body might be used to bring about lasting peace. Such a feeling greatly soothed terrible guilt that had been wracking Kenji and made him more certain than only utter peace between Werewolves and Furbolgs should be his goal from here.
Nearing Essenark the others at last accepted that they should stay away, only for the Druids of the Thorn to adopt human forms. Curiously, Kenji found he too could do the same. Delving deep, he discovered too that from the Grandfather's memory that Furbolgs and Werewolves had once been similar species indeed, although in the distant path the Furbolg had supposedly been the bloodthirstier of the two.
How that had changed, was thanks to the land. The forest. The trees. While the Furbolg had renounced their berserker past, the Werewolves and revelled in the warrior way of their ancestors.
Kenji too turned into an old human male and quickly cast a [Glimmer] spell that made him and his followers appear fully dressed peasants instead of naked barbarians. They still were in the nude beneath the magic, but since no one could tell Kenji assumed that was just fine for the moment.
Through town they went, and to the Mayor's Townhall.
In the streets they found a handful of werewolves walking aimlessly, twitching and frothing at the mouth. The humans ignored the creatures or hurried away, more than a few of the Hunter General's men trying to pull them by the neck, only to get battered aside. When the werewolves sprouted claws and fangs the hunters gave up and retreated themselves.
The Townhall appeared ready for a siege, fifty of the Hunters arranged on its roof, town guards and Adventurers arrayed before it's entrance and a sour George standing in the entranceway itself. Actually - Kenji shouted:
"Caster! Caster it's good to see you!"
The new leader of Warden Company adjusted his gaze as he stared at Kenji's snow-white beard, his many adventurers ceasing their construction on a series of barricades while they too got a peak.
"Do I know you?" Caster said carefully, hand lowering to the hilt of his blade. Back stern as ever, brown hair dutifully combed and still wearing shining steel it could be no other.
"Well, just a moment," Kenji ducked into a nearby alleyway, Kragg and Arti quickly pushing their way in. The Werewolf warriors and Furbolg Druid of the Thorn appeared ready to fight to the death in moments, but both were intrigued to watch Kenji shift into the Boy Knight.
"Is that a druidic technique Grandfather?" Arti said with wide eyes, "I've never seen it's like."
"Indeed, a specialty of mine. And something I've developed to hopefully get me a few more years in this life," Kenji chuckled like an old man and returned to the streets. Seeing the Boy Knight, Caster's eyes softened, even if his hand remained on his hilt.
Now that Kenji thought about it, Caster wouldn't have known about his ability to transform.
"What's this about - who are you?" Caster said, his adventurers now in alarm drew their weapons. Growling Kenji's followers bristled, their auras leaking as power lashed across the earth.
Kenji raised his hand.
"Stop! Caster, I was here for the Hero Guild. To search for Tenko's family, remember? Well, things have gotten complicated, if you're here now you should know that. It is very important that you help me before things get out of control," Kenji said.
"Enough," George announced. "All of you, go now. You don't have much longer to live if you stay within Essenark tonight."
Everyone turned to George at that.
"What do you mean?" said a hunter with a few more tassels on his shoulders than the rest, the new Hunter General Kenji guessed.
"We're out of the drug, it won't be long now before this entire town is overrun with feral werewolves. There isn't much you can do either, attacking them will just trigger the change faster. I advise leaving, that includes you 'Hero Guild' for while I know the Mayor hired you, there will be no reward collected from a corpse."
Behind Kenji's warriors, the werewolves began to appear in their twos and threes, all drifting towards the Townhall.
"Medicine!" they screamed.
"We need medicine, NOW!"
Yet far too few, and Kenji could read it on George's face, of the many werewolves in the region only a dozen had assembled? Even he could tell that wasn't right.
"Do not worry, George. Everything has been settled already, while the shortage will cause these few to go feral I have already sent the majority of our stock away to be sold in foreign markets," the Mayor announced from the second floor of the Townhall, looking down at them all from his balcony.
"I do not recognise you folk either, who are you?"
"Travellers-"
"What do you mean sold?" George hissed, his fine-combed hair bristling.
"George, heel," the Mayor whispered.
Instead, George turned into his humanoid wolf form and appeared before the Mayor in a blink of the eye. "WHERE HAVE YOU SENT THEM?" he roared, clutching the fat man by the throat.
"Kill him," the Mayor gurgled, completely unphased by his throat being squeezed.
Roaring George pulled the Mayor inside as his guards and hunters rushed inside after him. Flying through the air went several feral werewolves who were flung into a craving frenzy, and howled about "medicine" as they fought their way inside.
"Do not let the Mayor's body be destroyed, and save that werewolf if you can!" Kenji yelled as loud as he could before he turned into the Sun Elf Queen and charged into the fray. Without the Mayor, they could not possibly know the location of the Witch, and without George, they might not have a chance at bringing her down.
If only there wasn't such a mess of a battle in the way.
Kenji flew forward as the first volley was shot from the hunters on the roof, feral werewovles slashing at everthing in arms reach, and screaming filled the night air like stars did the sky.