FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter II: Guilty Fuel

"Was I insane for speaking to ghostly apparitions that told me to do things other people would consider utterly bonkers or even heretical? Was it even worse that they talked back? I knew Valours made their wielders special but when you grew up in a family where 'special' was just the norm, being 'ordinary' is what makes you special.

"Really, that's what I wanted to be. Standing on a pedestal looking down on people just gets lonely especially when the only people you have for company are those that are constantly trying to outdo you.

"And yet... I still drew Zero Hour_."_

******

The Vampiri had retreated into a distant mansion on a hill at the edge of town. Apparently, they had kidnapped a large number of people and dragged the bodies of the dead up the hill by their feet. Roads were stained with blood from the faces and bodies of civilians that had been torn to shreds as they were unceremoniously gathered.

It was odd behaviour, even for the 'Vampires of the Sun'.

"What are they doing?" Andy asked. The Leomian sat crouched on a rooftop far from the mansion, Tanar right beside him. The soldiers of the Vampiri patrolled the streets, keeping those who had not been captured firmly locked in their homes, quivering in fear. It was almost like...

"They're farming people, aren't they?"

Tanar's features were oddly still, a sure sign that he was fuming inside. The Dire Wolf sat on his haunches, peering at the distant mansion with his ears flicking right and left at various sounds of the hauntingly quiet Clockwork. Occasionally, a scream would cut through the air followed, perhaps, by a gunshot or two. The muskets and flintlock pistols of the townsfolk would be no match against the superior speed, strength and agility of the Vampiri.

Not to mention these enhanced Vampiri.

"Do you think this has anything to do with Harm's appearance?" the Leomian pressed.

Again, Tanar was unusually silent.

Knowing well when to respect his partner's ponderings, Andy turned his gaze towards the distant mansion on a hill. The acting mayor, Elena Clox, lived there. She had been instated by an official ceremony three months previously when her father had gone missing. Elena had been recruiting mercenaries and exhausted much of her personal wealth to find her father. She insisted on not using the city's funds, however. A noble gesture and certainly a reason why Clockwork remained as prosperous as it did. It was also the reason why the three of them were in the city.

"I do not think that he is the Harm Chronos we have been after for five years," Tanar said at length. "Harm was always so composed and while there were times when his façade of calm would break, it was only because he wanted it to. This Wulfun... they share the same name and perhaps the same overall appearance but they are not the same person."

Andy's ears flicked backwards in the direction of the inn. Aria and Harm had gathered a large number of survivors there and had barricaded the doors and windows to prevent entry. How effective they would be against the Vampiri would be difficult to tell. "Do you think it's a side effect of the Redaction Spell? He lost his memory?"

Tanar shook his head. "No. If he were a Chronomancer, he would have been Time Locked. If he were Time Locked, then no matter what the spell did to his memory, it would have been restored especially after five years. I do not believe he is lying either." The Dire Wolf rose, turning to the right and padding silently across the shingled roof. "He is far too... expressive. For all intents and purposes, I believe we should treat him as a totally different person. Especially since he has an incredibly powerful Valour."

Zero Hour... a Valour of such immense strength that mimicked a Chronomancer's ability to drain the Time from an object and store it within a gauntlet. It laid credence to Harm's origins as the Harm Chronos that had served the Church so diligently for two and a half millennia before betraying it five years ago at its moment of triumph.

Or...

"What do we know about Harm's father?" Andy asked.

He felt Tanar's sharp gaze upon him. "You aren't seriously considering that our Harm impregnated some woman and sired three sons, are you?"

That was indeed foolish. Their Harm Chronos was Time Locked and couldn't impregnate anyone. "No. I'm saying that knowing our Chronomancer, is it entirely out of the realms of possibility that he convinced the parents of someone who resembled him to name their son 'Harm Chronos' to throw us off the scent?"

Tanar peered over the edge of the roof, frowning slightly. "That is indeed a possibility." His frown deepened. "Andy, come over here."

The Leomian tore his gaze from the distant mansion and strode over to his friend. Following the Dire Wolf's gaze, at first he couldn't see anything in the dark alleyway between the two buildings. However, as he discerned the lines and shapes in the shadows, he could make out the faint crimson of a pool of blood and the body that it belonged to.

In the span of a second, the Leomian did a few quick calculations and answered some questions within his own mind.

... A victim of the Vampiri? Possible...

... Why was he left behind? They take all the bodies, alive or living, back to the mansion?

... What is that scent...? Frozen pine with a hint of arcane magic... Ancient. Male. Heavily armoured and wearing leather and with the scent of a heavy fur coat... smells like wolf.

Custodia Lupus_... He was left behind because whatever the_ Vampiri are doing to those bodies cannot affect Lupus_..._

Interesting.

All that he thought whilst calculation the exact angle he had to leap against the wall to descend to the alleyway below without severe injury. The moment the second ended, he was moving silently down the wall, leaping from one windowsill to the other, grasping a drainage pipe and slowly sliding down its length before jumping into a large dumpster where the Lupus laid against.

The enormous wolf-like creature was capable of standing on two feet like most nonhumans but where Andy or even Harm's stance was a distinct plantigrade, the Lupus' was that of a digitigrade. Like all Lupus, the fur was enormous, perhaps past eight feet tall and brimming with hard muscle developed over countless years fighting in the frigid Southern Frostenlands and the genetic and magical modifications that merged human males with Wulfun biology.

Dozens of severe slashes covered the Lupus' body and his right eye looked like it had been cut twice in an 'x' shape by a large sword. A broken bow lay beside him with a quiver of empty arrows resting against his back.

"Is he alive?" Tanar asked, appearing silently beside Andy.

"Barely. We should get him back to the inn."

... Harm was about three hundred and fifty pounds... This Lupus is bigger. Four hundred, maybe four hundred twenty five? Too heavy for me or Tanar to carry.

Haul him into a cart? No, too noisy and will leave us exposed. Rooftops? Impossible, hard to get him up there.

Only one option.

Andy straightened and stretched out his right paw to his side. "Chaos beckons, Celestial Crime."

His dark, right pauldron sprang to life, chaotic energies of deep reds, volatile purples and seething blacks erupted from his Valour. Large plates of black and red metal sprang from the pauldron, quickly multiplying and crawling all over his arm, stretching further than even his fingers and becoming the enormous, claw that he was associated with. There was a rush of pins and needles up the gauntlet. His arm just seemed to cease to be and his flesh became the gauntlet.

Slowly, he lifted his Valour and with a single claw, cut through the air and the very fabric of time and space. Ragged, red wounds appears in the air, blackness coiling deep inside. He widened the gap until it was large enough to fit himself and the Lupus. Satisfied, he grasped the Lupus with his arms, using Celestial Crime to cradle the Lupus' back.

With Tanar escorting him, they stepped through the tear in space.

The inn was crowded with the scared, orphaned and angry. They were stuffed into the atrium and anywhere else they could find space. Some were even crouching on the front desk, curled up into balls and weeping silently.

Harm grunted as he set down a large cabinet in front of the main door. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. The barricade probably wouldn't hold for very long if they came under attack. The suspicion of the Vampiri knowing they had holed themselves up in the inn and were just waiting to attack gave him a sick feeling in his stomach. Looking at each of the faces that were filled with so much worry and fear, he couldn't help but try and search for words that would comfort them but the only thing that came out of his muzzle was a frustrated sigh.

"Do the faces of those who look up to you unnerve you?"

Aria leaned against the cabinet, her eyes fixed on him. Her Compulsion was not active but he knew that it wouldn't take much for that to change.

"Why would they look up to me when they have a Templar who should be able to defend them right beside me?" Harm countered, with a scowl. "Aren't you Templars and Paladins meant to be capable of cleaving entire armies with a wave of your hand or something? I've heard stories where a single one of you was capable of stalling an invasion of demons."

"Demons are different from intelligent, conscious half-Batrian hybrids who happen to be the elite soldiers of the Vampiri monarchy."

He glanced over at her before turning away quickly. "Sure. Whatever you say. Got a plan there?"

"We wait for Andy to return. His scouting report should hopefully shed some light to our enemy."

"Right..." Harm turned back towards her, daring her amethyst gaze. "Hey, something's been bugging me..." He paused for a moment. There were dozens of questions that had been bothering him. Where should he start? Should he ask what the Vampiri could possibly want with Clockwork? Maybe ask what Aria and her team were doing in the city in the first place?

"If this 'Harm Chronos' is such a notorious criminal, why haven't I heard of him?"

Aria's features remained stoic and unmoving as she said, "That is not a topic for the ears of the public."

"Am I part of the public?"

"If you become a Paladin, you will not."

He could almost detect a small smile on her lips but it was impossible to tell. "I thought Angels were above blackmail."

"You thought wrong."

"Clearly."

"Quite."

"Indeed."

Aria remained silent, a slight flicker of annoyance crossing her features. Harm took some pleasure for having gotten the last word in but that thought vanished quickly when he realised it was very strange to have a 'last word in' competition with an angelic Templar.

Thankfully, his thoughts were interrupted when people began screaming from the centre of the atrium. Bright red gashes appeared vertically through the air, widening rapidly to reveal a seething darkness within.

"What is that!?" he cried.

The Templar was surprisingly calm as she approached the breach. "That is Andy's Valour at work; Celestial Crime."

From the tear, Andy emerged, shuffling backwards as he dragged someone through the darkness. Tanar padded out of the gash in space and time, flicking his tail in annoyance. Harm recognised a member of the Custodia Lupus when he saw one and amidst the scent of blood, he could detect the hint of frozen pine. The gash healed behind them and the civilians immediately gave the Initiate and Dire Wolf a wide berth.

"What happened to that guy?" he asked.

"We found him wounded and abandoned in an alleyway," Tanar responded, stepping back as Andy laid down the Lupus on the ground.

"Any of you know enough to fix him up?"

"Shouldn't you? You are part of the military after all."

Harm bristled in agitation. "Hey, I'm a non-combat engineer. My level of medical expertise is 'slap a bandage on him and hope he doesn't bleed to death'. Besides, you're the Paladin. Shouldn't you have some form of healing magic or something?"

Tanar sat on his haunches and lifted his right paw. "No thumbs."

He gave the Dire Wolf a bitter scowl. "That's going to be your go-to excuse isn't it?"

Andy suddenly stood up. "Done! He should be good."

Both wolves turned towards the Leomian and then down to the Lupus. Both were surprised to find the Lupus was sufficiently bandaged and major wounds looked like they were wrapped in a glistening, crystal wrap. The bleeding was still fairly profuse but it seemed to have slowed.

"When did you...?" Harm began, pointing towards the Leomian in surprise.

Aria, who had been crouching next to the Lupus, ran her hand over the wolf's face. "While you two were talking idly amongst yourselves, I summoned the bandages and Andy applied them." She rose, her form elegant and despite her heavy, silvery armour, she moved with infinite grace. The white scarf wrapped around her neck billowed out behind her like a pair of wings. A delicate finger brushed back a single strand of platinum blonde hair that was out of place, tucking it behind the braid that started from the part over her brow and curled around her head to lead to a long, braided ponytail that collected her hair and dropped down to just above her waist.

"Let us make sure he is comfortable," she said. "Andy, I will conjure some bedding for him and the rest of the civilians. Go fetch some supplies from the kitchens and start distributing it amongst the masses."

Andy grinned broadly. "One large helping of my famous karaage chicken ramen coming right up!" He was turning and marching cheerily towards the kitchen, the enormous arm-gauntlet of his shrinking back into a pauldron.

Harm turned to Tanar, looking utterly puzzled.

"Andy is originally from Diatollia," the Dire Wolf told him, turning and padding towards the nearby boarded up windows. "He enjoys Diatollian foods except when he's on Diatollia."

"Home sickness," he chuckled. "I know the feeling."

"You miss Haven?"

"Sometimes." He leaned against the side of the window, peering out between the cracks of the wooden boards they had set up. The streets were oddly empty and the eerie grey twilight brought on by the terrible overcast. The Solamps were on but there seemed to be a permanent haze of grey that hung over the streets. "The Sun Spire has been up for hours... It should have started dimming by now."

"Vampiri magic," muttered Tanar, peering through the cracks without having to prop himself up on the windowsill. "The Vampiri live in the Twilit Forest. No matter what time of day it is, it is under a constant twilight. The Sun Spire has no true influence there. They must be mimicking the effect here."

"Why?"

He got a piercing look from the Paladin for that. "Do you honestly think I'd know?"

"Sorry," Harm muttered, lifting his paws. "I guess that'll teach me to think Paladins are all-knowing, wise leaders of our theological society."

Tanar snorted and turned his gaze back to the eerie outside. "If I had to guess, I'd say the Vampiri are utilising Shadow Magic. They cannot use that in absolute darkness and they will be weakened in pure daylight."

Harm lifted his gaze. Not too far away, Aria was whispering words in the language of magic, the Illuminus Weizar. Small, twinkling stars gathered around her and quickly shaped themselves into soft, white blankets that she gave to those around her. Pillows accompanied the conjuration. She summoned some mattresses too but it seemed to wear on her.

He tore himself away from the window, feeling Tanar's gaze upon him. Aria lifted her head as he approached, her features stiff and unreadable.

"Yes?" she asked.

The woman who wrapped her children in the blanket Aria provided smiled gently up at him before turning to hold her frightened child.

"That's Divine Magic, right?"

"The magic of creation, yes."

"Do you have to maintain the things you conjure or do they permanently materialise?"

"They are permanent," she responded, a hint of pride touching her lips and her words. "Such is the great art of Deomancy. Creation itself is at my fingertips though it costs much magical strength to do so."

Harm kept staring at the quilt she had provided. An idea was slowly forming in his head. "Are there specific rules to creating an object? Specific words? Or can you just say something like 'clone that thing' and even without prior understanding of the object, it will be created?"

Aria's features became still again. "It is costly to do so but yes, that is entirely possible. Why?"

He cupped his chin with his paw, running his index finger across his lips as he thought. "Tanar mentioned that the Vampiri are likely using Shadow Magic. Too much light or too little could undo them. What if we could manufacture a weapon that emitted an immense, bright light that could not only disable whatever Shadow Magic they were currently using but also temporarily blind them?"

Tanar had come over, ears perked in curiosity. "What are you suggesting?"

"Cameras have flashes to increase the exposure of a subject," Harm said. "If we can build a weapon that mimicked the flash of a camera and maybe intensified it, we might be able to knocked these bastards on their asses long enough to capture one and interrogate them."

"These 'bastards' have their lips sewn shut and their tongues cut out."

Aria gently grasped Harm's shoulder, making the Wulfun freeze. She pulled him away from the civilians. "I will still be able to peer into their minds. Can you make this weapon?"

"I'll need equipment and materials," Harm responded. "Clockwork is rife with factories. Get me into one of them and I can probably scrounge up what I need and build one for you." He offered Aria shaky smile. "Might even get one to take some photographs for you."

Her expression did not change. "Just make your weapon." She turned and waved her hand, a blanket appearing before her. She grasped it and knelt beside a couple of nonhumans who were crouching together.

"She doesn't like me, does she?" Harm asked.

"Don't be offended," Tanar answered. "She doesn't like anyone."

Andy was a surprisingly good cook and he certainly made enough food for the entire congregation of refugees. How he managed to get enough chicken and soup mixture was beyond Harm but he wasn't about to ask as he devoured the salty yet flavourful broth populated by dried seaweed, thick rice noodles and bits of friend chicken.

Everyone had seen him conversing with Aria and the Paladins and with his military flight jacket, they assumed he was part of their group. Civilians kept coming up to him asking if they were going to be okay. He gave them generic answers that sounded hollow in his ears but must have seemed encouraging to the disheartened men and women. They always flashed him a weak but optimistic smile before slinking off to find comfort in someone else's arms.

Aria had begun a little sermon not too far away, gathering those that would listen at the front desk where she sat and preached about the Mother Goddess and her daughter, the Sun Goddess Apollia, patron deity of Incendius. Harm snorted derisively as she went on about how the Mother Goddess gifted those she saw worthy with Valours, entrusting them with the responsibility to protect the world of Tower Thirteen. Naturally, such a sermon suggested that those who were picked by a Valour would want to become a Paladin.

He was willing to wager that out of all the people in the world, a good percentile had Valours and were unwilling to come forward to the Church for various reasons.

"Why don't you want to join the Church?"

He set down his bowl and scowled. "Because despite all the Church's power, despite the fact that it had thousands of warships, thousands of Inquisitors, thousands of Paladins and even more soldiers, they couldn't stop a demonic invasion at the very heart of their society."

The girl leaned forward, a frown touching her beak. "You're angry at them for what happened five years ago. Don't you think with a Valour, you could change that?"

He shot her a piercing stare. "Valours don't change the world. It's the people who wield them that decide the course of the future." Reaching into his pocket, he fished out Zero Hour and flicked it open. The hands had gone down by eight hours. "If I'm anything to go on, Paladins are no more valorous than a sack of potatoes."

"Potatoes can be valorous."

"Right." He tucked away Zero Hour and next fished out his Telecube, quietly opening it to the text mode. For a second, he hesitated but his fingers were moving before he even knew what he was going to say.

'Hey, you're not going to believe what happened to me.'

The reply came instantly. 'Oh yeah? Tell me.'

Again, he paused. 'Remember that watch you gave me? The one with the words on it?'

This time, it was Daniel who hesitated. 'Remind me again? What was that?'

Harm found a rising pain bubbling up from his stomach as he quietly tapped away at the keys. 'It's a golden pocket watch you gave me on the day that I joined the military on board the H3C1 Lasting Armageddon.'

'Sorry. Can't recall that but I'll take your word for it. So what about it?'

'It's a Valour.'

'No shit! How'd you figure it out?'

Harm gnashed his teeth together, his paws shaking. He was halfway to typing a response when...

"What is that...?"

The deep gravelly voice made him pause and flick his gaze to his right. The injured Lupus was peering at him with his one good eye. The other was still heavily bandaged. Harm's jaw was partially open in shock.

Quickly, he typed, 'I'll tell you later,' hit send and shut the Telecube.

As he was about to shout for alarm, the Lupus lashed out with his injured arm, wincing at the pain that must have rocketed up his limb. "Please," the Lupus croaked. "I'd rather not cause a fuss..." He offered Harm a lopsided smile. "Just... Would you tell me what that device was?"

Harm threw a gaze over his shoulder. Andy was still distributing soup while Tanar sat at the foot of Aria's makeshift altar as she went through some symbolic religious rights like shattering a crystal. No one else was paying them any attention. Slowly, he turned back towards the Lupus. The poor guy probably didn't have much time left and was probably in crippling agony.

Slowly sliding back down against the wall, Harm showed the Lupus his device. "It's called a Telecube. It's like a smartphone except has full three dimensional holographic capabilities, integrated music, movie and recording features, fifty terabytes of memory and high-speed quantum entangling internet connection."

The Lupus just gave him a blank stare. "Why don't you just start with your name?"

"Whoa! Don't I get a drink first?" Harm laughed softly.

Stupid! You sound like you just deflected a blatant pickup like from a huge guy you've got to hots for!

Not gay!

A small laugh emerged from the Lupus. "I would offer you one but currently, I am in no position to stand."

"Okay. Well, my name is Harm Chronos. What's yours?" He half-expected the Lupus to leap up and proclaim him as some great criminal and panic, using the last ounces of his strength to restrain him. Instead, the Lupus merely gave him his name.

"I am called Smallfang."

"Pleased to meet you, Smallfang."

The Lupus wiggled his nose at the light blue, crystal cube and nodded at it. "So what does it do?"

"Put simply?" Harm asked, regarding his Telecube. "It lets me communicate with people across the Stations. No matter how far they are, as long as they have one of these things, I get to talk to them."

"Truly?" Smallfang's eyes were shining and the smile on his face looked so... blissfully happy. Harm wondered if he was delirious and 'walking into the light' or the guy had just suffered a terrible blow to the head and was not quite sane anymore. "What else can it do?"

"Well... It can play games that, ten years ago, would have been impossible to play on a mobile device. Um... I can play music from it, play movies... and access the internet!"

"I have heard of this internet," Smallfang's said, his eyes lighting up. "Is it true that you can access all sorts of information on it but it is regulated by at least thirty-four different rules?"

Harm smirked and tried not to laugh too hard. "Sort of. Here..." He unfolded the Telecube, shuffling next to Smallfang as he showed the Lupus the holographic keyboard. He accessed the Station Wide Web and brought up some random page. The Lupus' eyes were wide as he read the articles eagerly.

"Is there... Anything about the Lupus civil war in there?"

That was a good question. Harm had been warned about the civil war as he was leaving the Lasting Armageddon at the Gate Cathedral. The officials told him that since Clockwork was on the border of the Church and Lupus territory, he could be expected to be solicited by any passing Lupus to join their cause for the civil war which was apparently tearing down the noble calling. He was sketchy on the details but he decided to humour Smallfang and searched for it.

Thousands of articles were presented to him but he only went to the most reliable resource, the Daily Station. He offered Smallfang the unfolded Telecube, showing him how to scroll using his fingers or the holographic track pad. As the Lupus read, he also skimmed the lines.

Apparently, five years ago just after the Haven disaster, the Lupus had requested for something called the 'Alpha Protocol' that allowed the Lupus to form 'packs'. Each pack had an alpha and that alpha grew even stronger and more powerful with each member under his guidance. Interestingly, packs were limited to four in size save for the 'Alpha Prime' which was King Leandros, king of the Custodia Lupus. On top of this Lupus were granted the ability to transform any male from any race into one of their own, a perverse way of reproduction as all Lupus were male and to maintain their population, they had to accept volunteers from the other societies.

Not long after, the Custodia Vampiri declared independence and just became the Vampiri, making them a nation and indeed a race upon themselves. Unfortunately, this only caused an enormous schism between Leandros and his most trusted soldier, Moonclaw. Calling himself 'Commander', Moonclaw gathered about half of the remaining Lupus underneath him and declared Leandros to be a 'doddering, ancient fool stuck in his ways' as he wanted independence for his people just like the Vampiri while Leandros maintained that they remain underneath the Church of the Tower. The Church left the Lupus to their own devices, declaring that whatever they chose, the Church would support them.

Then the war broke out.

According to the current news, Leandros' loyalists were losing. Between defending their territory and guarding the icy fortress of Chillfarn to the south, Leandros had a lot less troops than Moonclaw's rebels.

Harm's eyes flicked towards Smallfang, wondering whose side the Lupus was on. Then again, he didn't think it mattered if the poor guy was going to die from his injuries.

Slowly, Smallfang handed the Telecube back to Harm and lay back on his bloodied cot, sighing heavily.

"I guess that wasn't the news you were expecting, huh?" Harm asked.

"I don't care about the war."

Did that mean he was a deserter?

Harm decided not to pry. Pity welled up in his heart. "Hey, how about I show you some lewd pictures of Lupus females?"

He got a frown from Smallfang for that. "There's no such thing as a Lupus female."

Smirking, Harm began a quick image search. "In reality but on the internet..." He found one picture and showed it to Smallfang. "Rule 34, baby!"

Smallfang's eyes widened as he took the Telecube once more. He began to browse the various images, his lips oddly dry and his nose constantly twitching. "These... These are terrifyingly convincing! Has the Church been experimenting behind our backs and creating a clan of female Lupus?"

"No!" Harm laughed. "That's just porn. People get off on some really strange stuff. You should read the fan fiction. There are hundreds of novel-length smut stories out there involving guys finding 'the only female Lupus in existence', boning her and then transforming into this big, muscular, hyper-masculine Incendian Werewolf."

"How would you know?"

Harm blinked several times and found his tongue surprisingly tied in his muzzle. Smallfang sensed his hesitation and turned soft, brown eyes towards him, curious. The Wulfun managed to quickly untangle his tongue and said, "Because I can appreciate a good story with pussy and transformation here and there."

Yeah... because I'm straight. Totally. Fantasising about transforming into a huge werewolf after boning girl is perfectly healthy.

... so why does that sound like an excuse...?

"I see," Smallfang murmured, his eyes travelling back towards the Telecube. "Would you mind if I hung onto this for a little while longer? There is much I can learn from this."

"Sure thing." Harm reached out and patted the Lupus' shoulder, feeling hard iron beneath the thin, coppery fur. "I'll be over there talking to the preacher."

Harm left Smallfang with possibly the most corruptive device in all of Incendius - even surpassing a demonic artefact - and strode through the crowd to where Aria was preaching about unity and the might of the Mother Goddess. He stood where both Tanar and Aria could see him. The Templar did not stop her preaching but Tanar sat up in curiosity. Harm flicked his ears back towards Smallfang and the Dire Wolf noticed the very conscious Lupus.

Without making a sound, Tanar rose from his crouched position and accompanied Harm through the crowd to a quiet location away from anyone else.

"He is awake?" asked the Paladin.

"Yup."

"And you gave him a Telecube which he is now using to masturbate to?"

Harm quickly peered towards the Lupus finding one of the werewolf's massive paws subtly covered by his quilt and well over his groin. A long, flat tongue was lolling out from the side of the half-Wulfun hybrid's muzzle.

"What? Aww man... That's gross..." He shook his head with a groan. "Well... I suppose if he's going to die he might as well go out with a bang."

"Who says he's going to die?"

Harm gave the Dire Wolf a puzzled look. "He lost an eye and about an ocean's worth of blood. Plus he was so cut up I'm pretty sure someone used him as a knife rack. How is he going to survive that?"

Tanar's muzzle began to split into a smile. "I think the fact that he has a raging boner beneath those sheets and is vigorously enjoying himself says a lot. Plus, Custodia Lupus have unnatural regeneration. Lost limbs cannot be regenerated but anything less than that, and they will bounce right back up."

"What!?"

Harm spun and marched straight towards Smallfang. He was a little offended and maybe a little angry that the Lupus was using his device to masturbate. It made him feel dirty and like some sort of cheap salesman of erotic stimulus.

As he approach, he could detect the distinct musk of someone who was very clearly aroused and enjoying it. His cheeks were burning in embarrassment, quickening each of his steps. He snatched the Telecube from Smallfang's paw and smacked him across the muzzle with its semi-solid form.

"Bad!" he snapped. "This is used for communicating, not masturbating!"

Smallfang's eyes widened and his ears folded back in embarrassment... though he did not let go of the rather large tent hidden beneath the sheets. Harm winced at the large wet spot forming across the otherwise pure, white quilt. "Oh... I apologise. I... I was just a little... pent up."

"I can appreciate that but please try thinking of Lupus women without using my Telecube? This thing is very expensive."

He felt Tanar poke him from behind with his nose, the Dire Wolf's wet nose pressing against his shoulder blades. "Chronos... He wasn't looking at Lupus women."

Harm quickly glanced at his cube, his jaw immediately dropping open the moment he saw the various lewd imagery of well-endowed Lupus men in sexually suggestive poses. His fingers worked quickly to exit the site, fold the cube up and shove it so deep into his pocket that he was sure he had lost it.

"Where the hell did you find something like that!?" he barked sharply.

Smallfang lowered his gaze, looking like a scolded puppy. "I saw a 'history' button and I was curious to see if that meant I could learn about the history of the Lupus women."

That burning sensation on Harm's cheeks became absolutely volcanic. Every strand of fur on his body went rigid, his tail fluffing out. He became very painfully aware of Tanar's smirk even before he turned to face the Dire Wolf.

"Not gay!" he exclaimed in an unnaturally high-pitched voice.

"Of course not," Tanar responded, nodding unconvincingly. "Let me guess. You tripped and conveniently fell on the keys that led you to the site 'Knotty Custodia'?"

Harm had his muzzle half-open for a protest when he realised anything he said would be used as evidence against him. With a scowl, he clamped his lips shut. He stormed past the staring individuals and half-jogged, half-jumped up the stairs where he was away from the judging eyes and Tanar's knowing stare.

He was on the third floor and heading towards his room when he saw two little children hefting a large pail of water between them. The children, Tigris, looked up at him. The water within the metal pail was bloodied and sickly, black globules were floating within its confines. Harm stepped aside for them to pass. What anger and frustration he may have had faded instantly.

"There's a lot more people out there suffering from far worse than me and my crisis of sexuality," he muttered to himself. Tucking his paws into his pocket, he reached for his Telecube once more and peered into the room the two kids had left. The stench of rotting flesh and decay met his nostrils, making him gag.

Inside was a Tigris male, probably the father. The poor guy was wrapped in so many bloody bandages that his orange, striped fur was nearly invisible. The sheets beneath him were soaked with his blood.

Harm quietly entered the room, opening his Telecube to the internet search. For a second, his mind flashed back to the lewd images of the men beckoning him to succumb to his carnal urges. He spared them one second worth of attention before flicking to his favourite search engine and looking up words in the Illuminus Weizar. Basic medical words were given. Highly classified words and spells that would have fully healed the guy were strictly forbidden and required Church clearance. He didn't have that level of access but he had enough words to form a rough spell that should at least stop the bleeding.

Holding out his palm over the Tigris_,_ he said, "Sana vulnera prohiberent, creuntamque."

He instantly felt the drain to his physical strength as the magic began to work. The ragged breathing of the father became a little more stable, a soft sigh escaping from between the male's lips. The sound of flesh knitting back filled the small room.

Then things went terribly wrong.

The man's eyes widened abruptly and a terrifying scream ripped from his throat. Harm panicked and didn't understand what was happening. He still had plenty of energy to spare; he didn't feel at all exhausted. Suddenly, the Tigris' back arched at an obscene angle, his spine snapping entirely by itself and his arms twisting in ways it never should have bent. His flesh began to pulsate, bubbling from beneath the bandages and forming enormous pustules that looked bloated with bodily fluids. Blood exploded in huge geysers all over his body, throwing off the bandages with frightening force.

The screaming abruptly stopped when the Tigris' lungs just exploded out from his chest, sending blood and entrails streaming against the roof and tearing open his ribcages like there had been a terrible monster hiding within that had just burst through the cages of its prison.

Horrified, Harm spun and bolted from the room, completely ignoring the fact that he was dripping with blood. His feet carried him all the way to the end of the hallway where he tore down the barricades from the window. The urge to escape overwhelmed him and he flung the window open. A drainage pipe presented itself to his right and he quickly seized it, sliding all the way down into the sickly, grey mist that hung all over the streets.

The panic flooded through his veins kept his feet pumping. He ducked into an alleyway, pressing his back against the cold wall. Images of that terrible scene haunted him. The man's haunting scream and the imagined wail of the children when they found their father horribly mutilated by some unseen force made his gut twist into knots. He clutched his stomach, feeling that ramen start to come back up again. When he felt the war touch of the father's blood soaking against his clothes, he couldn't hold it any more.

He was doubled over for a good minute or two behind a dumpster.

His stomach felt like it had lost his entire dinner but the horribly, guilty feeling still remained.

"Oh god..." he moaned. "Shit..."

He felt the girl's presence before he saw her.

"Just because you know the words, doesn't mean you can enact the spell." She gently pressed a feathered palm against his chest, forcing him to straighten a little. "In the span of a second, the mortal body uses an incredible amount of energy just to maintain itself. Furthermore, when you take away a person's Time with Zero Hour, you do not just drain this one instance of them but take them from every possible timeline and absorb it into yourself. This essentially gives you countless years worth of Time."

"But I didn't use Time..." Doubt crept into him and he peered at Zero Hour. Sure enough, he was down to forty years. "... fuck..."

"But you did. Zero Hour automatically regenerates you as you've experienced before with minor cuts and bruises. So when magic starts to drain you of your physical strength, your Force energy, what do you think Zero Hour will do?"

"Regenerate me..." he whispered like he was just a scolded child.

"This gives you an incredible resource of power, potentially endless. But despite this, without proper training, you could cause potentially catastrophic explosions or, like that poor fellow back there, flood them with too much energy cause them to explode."

"But the spell -"

"Simply instructed to 'stop the bleeding and close the wounds'." She gave him a cold stare. "You were not focusing. The words are just instructions but it is up to the caster to regulate and form the spell in their mind and soul. If you think the words are all it takes to cast a spell, then we'd have many more magicians in the world. We do not because people need a talent for spell casting."

Harm spun around and gave up what little contents was left in his stomach.

"You should learn to control this power and regulate your Time. Else, you risk doing this to people you care about."

He choked a couple of times. "Do you... Do you want me to join the Paladins...?"

"Perhaps but how will you explain your potential for infinite energy? They will not understand. But I do."

Still feeling terribly sick, he nevertheless managed to straighten and scowl at the girl. "And I bet you've got a whole list of what you want in return, huh? Well, forget it. Last time I helped one of you assholes..." He gagged again, the acidic taste in his muzzle burning his tongue. "Just... forget it..."

He staggered away from her, supporting himself against the wall with one paw. The guilt of what he had caused haunted him. That image of the poor man's horrified face just kept flashing before his eyes. It was inescapable and formed a deep pit in his stomach that gnawed at his insides. Another vomiting spree threatened to come up but he didn't have anything else left to give and just slumped onto the ground.

The guilt tore at him but he couldn't fathom was he could possibly say or do to alleviate it.

Should he go back to the children and apologise?

Could he possible use his Time to turn back the clock and resurrect the man?

But what if he overcharged the spell again?

What would end up happening?

A tear rolled down his cheek, mingling with the blood that had started to dry on his fur. He began to bang his head against the wall softly.

"Why me...?" he whispered softly. "Why me...? Why...?"

He expected that girl to appear and give him another piece of advice that was a blatant attempt to buy his willingness to do whatever it is that she wanted.

His eyes went down to his bloodied paws.

"In case you're wondering, it's not the first time I've killed. You saw what I did to that Vampiri. I'm a soldier... even if I'm an engineer. The Lasting Armageddon has been raided enough times for me to have my fair share of killing people. But that... That was... That wasn't..." He growled, clutching his head in his paws and digging his claws into his scalp. "Fuck! That was messed up! What the fuck is the use of having Time when all you can do is kill people with it!? It's just like in Haven..."

He peered up at the figure standing in front of him. His vision, blurred and tears freely streaming down his face, he said, "I mean, that guy could've lived, you know? I could have called Aria or Andy and they would've healed him. He might've lived another fifty years or so I wasn't just so damn..."

His sorrow turned to confusion. The figure in front of him was not the little girl dressed in white.

"Oh shi-"

Pain exploded from his shoulder. He felt cold metal pierce his flesh, biting hard into his muscles and scraping the bone. A pained scream escaped from his lips. He instinctively reached for the blade, trying hard to yank it out of his flesh.

Through his tears of mixed pain and sorrow, he spied the heavily armoured figure of one of the Vampiri... only this soldier's face was completely covered by a dark, scowling mask shaped like a bat's face. Only his ears were exposed.

A heavy, mailed fist came out of nowhere and struck the side of his head.

Everything went dark.

A cold blast of water shocked Harm awake. He spluttered and gagged. A dull pain emanating from his shoulder mixed with the sudden waking brought a wave of nausea rushing through his body. Every muscle in his body suddenly weakened and he dropped back against the large straw mat. Mossy, dark blocks hovered above him and only a dull light emanating between iron barns source of illumination.

Delicate features of a woman with angled features came into view, her soft, blue eyes dashing over him in concern. Her curly, reddish-brown hair was caked with blood from a ghastly wound on her right temple that had been roughly bandaged by strips of her clothing. She said something but Harm couldn't hear. He blinked a couple of times in confusion.

"I don't understand," he replied, his voice echoing in the dark cell.

Her eyes widened and she suddenly began speaking excitedly but again, nothing came from her lips. Did she have her tongue cut out too?

"What...? I don't..."

A heavy creaking noise turned both of their attention away from each other. Shadows played against the light beyond the cell bars. The woman seized his arm fiercely, her broken nails digging into his arm like claws. Her eyes filled with panic, she instantly made slicing gestures across her throat.

'Don't speak.'

Harm nodded slowly.

Heavy, black, metal boots came into view followed by the jet-black armour of the Vampiri soldiers. Three of them escorted a woman dressed in billowing, silken robes with extremely long sleeves. There was no denying all of them were Vampiri. The woman's enormous ears, sharp, exotically beautiful features and pale flesh almost made her look like an elf from those fantasy novels if it weren't for her scaly, clawed hands and sharp fangs. She spun around in place, her long, white dress dancing around her before she performed a delicate curtsy to the two.

"How are you liking your latest companion, Lady Clox?" she asked in an irritating, high-pitched screech.

Elena Clox - acting mayor of Clockwork - began shouting but again, nothing came from her throat.

The woman laughed softly. "Oh, where are my manners." She pressed a hand against her lips, giggling childishly. "I am Valhamedra, consort to Duke Dalzemor of Mirecragg. And, you should now be aware of the silencing spell placed upon this cell ensuring neither of you can utter the words of the Illuminus Weizar."

Harm was about to protest but Elena's fingers dug into his arm even deeper.

Valhamedra licked her lips as she regarded him. "Serrisa and Nephilis don't want me to touch you, my succulent little Wulfun but you are just far too delicious to pass up." She jerked her head towards the exit. "Take him. I want to play."

The Vampiri opened the door roughly and hauled Harm to his feet. They shoved Elena back against the wall despite her screams of protest. Harm was dragged out of the cell and the vile Valhamedra pressed her ample bosom against his chest. The sickly aroma of far too much sweet-smelling perfume wafted into his nose, making him gag. She pressed her cheek against his chest, gently nuzzling his neck. Her flesh felt so cold that it actually burned a little. That, in itself, was odd.

Vampiri, despite their moniker as 'Incendian Vampires' were nothing like the vampires of lore. They were hybrids like the Lupus, made from Batrians and humans. They were fruit eaters and warm blooded. Drinking blood was not something they practiced though Harm had heard that some of them did so just to play pranks on visitors to their capital of Mirecragg.

Valhamedra pulled away, sighing softly. Her clawed fingers rolled over his chest, the sharp claws tearing into his shirt. She licked her lips again upon the sight of his bare, muscled, furry torso. "Delicious..." she whispered.

Her hand trailed all the way down his solid abdominal muscles, tracing the lines they made against his shirt before gently sliding up and down his thighs. Slowly, she edged closer and closer towards his crotch. Her claws cupped his bulge, making him instinctively flinch away. A giggle came from her as she gave him a tight squeeze, a whimper rising from his throat.

"Ah, at last a response!" she exclaimed, grinning brightly. "Now, what say you to -"

"Valha!"

The Vampiri woman instantly pulled her hand away and spun towards the door. Harm did the same, trying to keep his sigh of relief tucked away within him. The door was still shut but the voice continued to echo throughout the cell door.

"C - Coming Serrisa!" she stammered. Her blood-red eyes turned back to Harm, a lewd grin on her face. "Worry not, my delicious lupine steak, I will come for you again." She squeezed his crotch again. "Keep this nice and warm for me."

As quickly as she came, Valhamedra spun and swept towards the door in a rush. The Vampiri guards threw Harm back into the cell, shutting it behind them and hurrying after their mistress. The door to the jail slammed shut a moment later.

Harm let out a sigh of relief and regarded the similarly relieved Elena.

"So... For some reason, anyone in this cell is silenced, preventing them from using the Illuminus Weizar in that way and I'm the only exception and they don't know about, right?" He hiked a thumb at where the Vampiri retreated.

Elena nodded.

"And you're Elena Clox, acting mayor of Clockwork, right?"

Again, she nodded.

"And you're hoping that my ability to speak will hopefully allow me to use magic to break us out of this cell?"

She nodded again, this time more rigorously.

Harm checked his shoulder. The wound from the Vampiri earlier had vanished, completely healed. His eyes went towards his pants pocket. For a second, there was a bolt of panic that shot through him but when he felt the familiar weight of Zero Hour, he sighed and picked it up. He now had thirty-eight years.

Remembering what it meant if he used magic, he shook his head sadly. "Sorry... I can't use magic."

Elena said something, her lips shaping the words, 'Why not?'

"It's... complicated... Trust me, people will get hurt." He crawled into the corner of the straw mat, remembering what had happened to that poor Tigris back at the inn. "Just... Just don't ask."

Anger flashed across her face and she began shouting at him. He was grateful for the silencing spell at that moment. He closed his eyes but the image of that man kept haunting him in the darkness behind his eyelids. Elena's silent screams were replaced by the all too audible cries of the two children who found their father in such a mutilated state.

Their screams burned into his mind, his soul and that empty feeling of guilt crawled back into his stomach, wriggling there and writhing like a parasitic worm that laughed at his foolishness. A growl escaped him and he opened his eyes.

He was surprised to find Elena had turned her attention away from him.

Instead, her eyes went to the cell doors... where a figure just stood out of sight, his shadow displaying against the opposite wall and through the cell there. He looked... Canonian... or maybe a Wulfun. Even though they were indoors, the scarf he wore billowed out behind him. The figure lifted a paw, a chain of keys dangling there. With a simple toss, the keys landed in front of the cell, well within reach.

"What the...?"

Harm scrambled to his feet, accompanied by Elena. They dove for the cell doors, snatching the keys and turning towards their saviour...

... but he was gone.

"Who...?"

Ten minutes prior, Valhamedra shot through the jail section of the city's watchman headquarters. Her sisters should be back at the mansion but it was not beyond one of them to check up on her. Neither of them trusted her with the prisoners and she had to admit - with a little satisfying smile - that they were right to do so. If Elena Clox was not so important to their cause, she would have enjoyed playing with her.

She didn't know why they wanted to keep the Wulfun though. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that his wounds regenerated so quickly or that golden pocket watch he held. Any time one of the Hushed attempted to take it or even one of the elite Echoes, it burned their flesh and caused agonising pain. It sparked her curiosity and made her want the Wulfun more.

However, she had to deal with her sister first.

Putting on her most charming smile, he stepped out into the reception hall of the drab, poorly decorated headquarters. Not even a single flower or coloured drapes. Everything in Clockwork was always so mechanical, artificial. No sense of style.

Her smile, however, faded when she noticed that there was some variation in the decorations... namely the corpses of the twenty or so Vampiri soldiers that had been stationed alongside her.

"What in the Goddess' name...?" she whispered, eyes wide in shock.

The hall was broad. Desks that had once occupied the floor mere moments ago had been pushed back against the walls, propped up on their legs while her soldiers were brutally crucified against them with bright, red, flaming swords. Red feathers littered the chequered floor while those soldiers that could not be bound to a desk were pinned to the ceiling by their hands, feet and eye sockets, all with those same, red swords.

Slowly, Valhamedra's eyes drifted to the entrance.

A Wulfun stood in front of her, a much more pure white than the one she had imprisoned. His eyes were also a shining gold and he was of a shorter, slimmer stature. Dressed finely in a white shirt and brown, gold trimmed vest, the Wulfun had a gentle, condescending smile on his muzzle while his paws were folded behind his back.

"You!?" she demanded. "Did you do this!?"

The Wulfun flicked his ears from side to side. "I think it'd be obvious, wouldn't it? Then again, I wouldn't expect much from a Darkened pawn like yourself."

Her eyes went wide and she scowled. The shadows at her feet began to seethe and coil. Black gas began to billow out from around her feet. "Who are you?"

"Why don't you try and kill me to find out?"

She sneered, sweeping her clawed hands at him. "You heard him! Slay him now!"

Her two Vampiri Hushed lunged at him, halberds ready. The Wulfun just grinned. Before Valhamedra could even lower her hand, both her guards were being thrown past her, flaming red swords piercing her palms, eye sockets and three embedded into their sealed mouths, piercing the back of their heads. The Hushed were slammed against the wall, the swords pinning them there.

And the Wulfun hadn't even moved!

"Goddess!" she screamed. "You! Get him!"

Her last guard, the blind and mute Echo, drew two, dark blades while his form became encased in a dark veil. The soldier charged forward, using only his hearing to detect the Wulfun. He moved with blinding speed and swung his swords at the wolf. Despite all his speed, the Wulfun merely ducked and weaved behind each of the blows, smiling softly. They danced across the room, Valhamedra watching in utter horror as her elite guard was toyed with.

With a scowl and a deafening screech, she called the power of the shadows that had been granted to her. The gaseous shadows that writhed beneath her feet roiled all over her body, consuming her eagerly. Power surged through every muscle as she felt her form dissolve into the darkness. By her will alone, the inky gas took the shape of an eight foot monstrosity with enormous, webbed wings and talons ready capable of tearing metal with ease. A terrifying screech ripped from her elongated muzzle and she lunged at the Wulfun.

She realised her mistake the moment she caught the flash of a grin on his face. Before she could stop herself, her claws were raking through her own soldier, tearing the Echo to shreds. The Wulfun danced away, still with his paws behind his back, taunting her.

"So shadow can harm shadow," he observed. "That's good to know." His smile became a dark grin. "But you know what? I can harm you too."

Slowly, he pulled his left paw out from behind him, gripping a single, red feather dangling by its stem.

"Rebirth is nigh, Firefeather."

Flames like she had never experienced before exploded out from the feather, curling around his paw to form the shape of a fiery bird. Valhamedra screamed and retreated. Just the sight of the fire burned her retinas and caused her flesh to sizzle. She felt the veil of darkness around her skin start to peel away and her strength fade. Clutching her face, she retreated, knowing full well that this foe was beyond her comprehension and her sisters had to know!

Before she could turn -

"Ah!"

A wicked, curved blade shaped like the fiery wing of a bird complete with serrated, feathery edges ripped through her chest with ease. The Wulfun twisted the blade, making her let out a soft, gagging noise. The shadows that wrapped around her began to fade. Her weakening hands clutched the blade. Smoke began erupting from the contact, her flesh sizzling. The inky, black creature of pure shadow melted away to reveal her blood-stained dress and her desperate, red eyes pleading for mercy from the strange Wulfun.

"Who...?" she whispered.

He reached past her, brushing the back of his paw against her face. Slowly, his fingers ran down her shoulders and then to her hip where he liberated the cell door keys from her.

"I am the one pulling the strings," he said calmly. "Everything you do, everything the Vampiri, the Lupus, the Church and every single person on this world does is part of my design. Time waits for no man, Valhamedra. And you... Well... You just got left behind."

He pulled the fiery blade from her chest, causing her to gasp and fall to her knees. His tail brushed against her face as he strode away.

She sneered at him, unwilling to accept defeat. She summoned the last ounce of her strength, calling the shadows towards her. Reaching out for him, she summoned the darkness to form a lance she would use to pierce his heart.

The last thing she saw... was his cocky smirk... and the two fiery, red swords shooting towards her eyes...

"Holy shit! What the fuck happened here!?"

Harm could hardly believe his eyes. In front of him lay the brutally crucified and massacred remains of the Vampiri that had held them captive. Each of them seemed to be arranged in a similar manner; pinned by fiery blades at their hands and their eyes pierced by the same devices. The only variation were the two Vampiri that flanked the door into the jail who had multiple blades jutting from their throats and Valhamedra.

She was spreadeagled on the ground, her eyes gouged out by those swords and her and swords jutting out of her heart, gut and multiple joints. Her blood looked like it had been used to draw a circle around her with the words, 'They were here first' written across the circumference.

"They were here first but they died first," Harm muttered, putting a large distance between himself and the crucified Vampiri. "Goddess... who could have done this...?"

"Do you think it was that man who gave us they keys? The one with the scarf?"

He turned towards Elena who was oddly unfazed by the gruesome sight. Harm felt sick but after having surrendered his dinner a few hours ago multiple times, he was feeling surprisingly well. The guilt gnawing at him was drowned by the fear and horror that surrounded the grisly scene.

"Maybe... I don't know very many mass murders that are this artistic. There was this guy I knew who made art about murder but..."

She shook her head in disbelief. "Truly?"

"No."

"I'm sorry. I was having trouble discerning whether you were telling the truth or lying."

"It's a talent of mine."

Harm tiptoed around Valhamedra's corpse and gently pushed open the door. He held back another swear and nearly retreated back into the guardhouse. Multiple Vampiri had been pinned to the lampposts by the same, flaming swords, their blood soaking the streets. Like the others, their eyes had been gouged out by the fiery blades that were embedded deep into their skulls. Where there were no lampposts, the bodies were pinned against the walls of nearby buildings. One was even jammed right into a nearby rotating cog, his body spinning oddly comically.

"Holy Mother Goddess..." Elena whispered, emerging from the guardhouse ahead of him. "Look at that."

She pointed to more writing across the walls.

"'The Darkness blinds'," Harm read one. At another, it said, "'We are all guilty'". And the last still said 'They were here first'. "This is right out of a horror movie..."

"What is a movie?"

"It's a -" He was halfway to fishing out his Telecube when he remembered the last few instances where he had revealed its capabilities. He was grateful it was still on his person, however. "It's kind of like a painting that moves. It records events for entertainment."

"Why would anyone want to record something as horrible as this?" she asked.

The acting mayor wandered over to where one Vampiri was pinned to the wall. Unlike the others, it looked like his lips and eyes had been sewn shut as well. Harm recognised the man's armour as similar to the Vampiri that had cornered him and knocked him out. Elena plucked one of the dead man's metal swords and checked it for balance. She clearly avoided the burning blades.

"Do you know anywhere we can be safe?" she asked.

"There's an inn," he responded, hiking his thumb down the street. "I think I know the way."

"You 'think'?"

"Yeah. Follow the horribly mutilated bodies."

They ran in silence through the odd, grey mist that clung to Clockwork. Along the way, they continued to spy countless Vampiri that had been ritualistically pinned to walls, cogs, lampposts or even doors. Blood was used to write the same phrases over and over again, turning Clockwork from an epitome of Incendian technology to a ghost town of horrors.

Harm couldn't take looking at the terrible effigies any longer and decided to break the silence.

"If you don't mind me asking, what did the Vampiri want with you?"

"I do not know," she responded with a shake of her head. "However, from what I can gather, they were using some form of magic to control the people. The Ghouls that were plaguing this town came from them."

Harm ground to a halt and regarded her curiously. "Ghouls?"

Elena nodded, her breathing heavy. "Yes. Did you not see the large number of undead that were plaguing the streets? They are known as Ghouls. They had been wandering the streets at night and taking down those foolish enough to be out at dark."

He scowled. "I should've paid more attention to the travel brochures." He shook his head and proceeded at a slower pace to allow for Elena to rest slightly. "So if you were being attacked by Ghouls, why didn't you request for help?"

"I did. A Templar and two Paladins were due to arrive. I did not hear from them."

"You must mean Aria and her gang," Harm grumbled. "They're here alright. They were the ones organising the survivors and the one that fortified the inn. You'll be able to -"

He stopped dead in his tracks.

The inn stood in front of them, doors smashed in, windows broken and empty.

"Shit..." He slowly approached the structure, feeling extremely vulnerable. Signs of struggle were everywhere. Mattresses were overturned, sheets bloodied and furniture broken. No bodies remained and it worried him that Smallfang was not present either. It didn't look like it was much of a fight, however. There were several spears made of crystal that were embedded here and there but other than that, there was little evidence that the defenders had fought back beyond the initial panic.

"Harm!"

His eyes lifted to the stairs. He bolted up to the third floor where Elena stood in front of the window at the end of the hallway. Two children, blooded and dead lay at the foot of the window. Claw marks littered the windowsill amongst blood stains. By all appearances, a makeshift barricade of furniture had been hastily erected but had been shattered by the invaders. The signs of struggle were most evident in this hallway.

"I think this is where they came in," she reported. "They must have caught these two by surprise and then made their way through the rest of the facility."

That guilt was back.

He had been the one to break down those boards, opened the window and thus exposed the inn to attack from the Vampiri.

He had caused this...

"Fuck!" he roared, spinning around and slamming his fist into a nearby wall. Pain rocketed up his paw as it slammed into the plaster and caused a considerable dent. Hot tears began to roll down his cheeks.

Not only had he killed the kids' father but he had damned everyone else in this place too!

So far, he had done nothing but make thing so much worse!

Elena's soft fingers brushed against his shoulder. "Come, it was not your fault."

"Yes it is!" he barked, turning away from her. "I ripped open the boards that kept that window barricaded! If I wasn't such a goddamn pussy none of this would have happened!"

He took a step away from her but his ears quickly picked up the noise of hard metal boots on the wooden floors. A Vampiri stood not too far away from him, halberd ready and a grin across his features. Rage boiled up deep inside of him and he quickly pulled out Zero Hour. The Vampiri's eyes were filled with triumph, his stance brimming with confidence. It all just fuelled Harm's anger and he desired nothing more than to wipe that smirk off that angled face. He imagined that smile belonging to Valhamedra and the anger burst up into a fiery inferno.

"You picked the wrong time to just pop up, buddy," he growled. "The time is now, Zero Hour!"

His Valour sprang into existence, glistening gold and making Elena stagger back with a strangled cry. The Vampiri was equally shocked. The half-Batrian hybrid, eyes filled with determination, charged with his halberd. Harm swiped at the weapon with his sword. The golden blade bit right through the weapon, turning it into black dust instantly. The Vampiri's eyes widened in shock.

Harm ended his life with a stab to the chest. The soldier died an instantly later, all traces of him vanishing into a flurry of dark particles.

That was another 40 years to his reserves.

"You have a Valour?" Elena asked.

Feeling slightly calmer, Harm nodded shortly.

A new resolve quickly formed itself in his heart and mind.

He had caused this.

So now he had to fix it.

"Where's the nearest factory to this place?"

Elena blinked a couple of times. "It's a long walk to the industrial district but it shouldn't take more than half an hour. Why?"

Harm growled, his fangs flashing. "If I'm going to start fighting back, I'm going to need guns."