No Rest for the wicked eh?

That was his thought as he stirred the wagon to the edge of Koschei Forest. The tree line showing no showing no signs of light peering through its branches and he could smell the swamp that laid beneath it. This place was cursed, he knew it, and everyone knew it. A curse placed by the fallen tree of this land. Yet they had to go once again into a cursed place, but this time was a pretty decent paying job and did not have to deal with the undead.

He could tell that Sehr could sense something unnatural about the place also, as he was hesitant to move. The horse was tough, just like the woman who owned him, but one cannot deny that animals can sense things that others couldn’t. “That’s far enough then, we can call this base camp,” he said to the horse and hopped down from the seat of the wagon.

Zanar and Kaylani were contacted shortly after the events of Harena desert. He honestly did not expect that he would acquire a job so soon after he put up flyers at some bars, but here he was. They had to find and take care a group of what seemed like a bandit group that had made a nest in the Koschei woods. Zanar knew these parts though, he knew what this isle was more famous for so they had to make sure they were prepared.

“We are stopping here, seems Sehr is feeling the curse of this place, don’t want to distress the poor thing anymore,” He grabbed his long coat and making sure he had the new knives he had to replace back in their slots. “We need to be more on guard than usually, shifters and vampires tend to be more commonplace here. Yet let us hope that these bandits are nothing more than that.” He warned her. When he got everything together that he needed he sat down at the table and let out a sigh

“After this though, let’s just go somewhere for ourselves. We barely recovered after Harena and immediately had to cross oceans to get here,” glancing over at Kaylani, as she was starting to prepare herself “Hell I slept for a few days on the water cause my body was pushed to the limits.”

Kalyani sat next to Zanar on the wagon as he steered Sehr. This was their life now. Putting up fliers and getting a job. Not that Kalyani minded. While they were on the road she also did her own business. This was one job, however, that Kalyani stuck close to Zanar for. The vampires and other inhabitants of Kurayo were too strong for her to just beat into submission. So she stayed close to him.

She nodded as he stopped the wagon. “This is as good as any base camp I’ve been in.” She teased Zanar before she started to make a fire. Getting some of the leftover soot from their last one she began to pour it around in a circle. An incantation was leaving her lips as the soot sprung forth white mushrooms. It was fey magic.

“There… Now nothing can see our base camp…” She wrote runes on the inside of the circle with a twig and hummed softly as she worked. “I’m glad they had the decency to tell us where we were going straight forward. It made collecting the ash much easier.”

She came inside the wagon as she heard his fears. “I would be doing fortunes here but this might be the one place outside of Sularia that people could outright kill me instead of the other way around. She pulled her shawl closer as she went over to the stove and brewed some tea. “Base camp is safe now. No one is getting in those wards but us.”

Thinking about it she chuckled a bit and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Abed has some of the bed bathhouses there are… and the culture is nice to. Their market is top notch we might be able to get something there. Safe little island aside from… rumors of cultists.” She leaned into him and snuggled her head against his neck. “You can rest a little bit before you go out. Like I said base camp is safe.”

“Aaah the beauty of being able to cast stronger magic, I will admit there are times that I miss it.” He said to her as she explained about the warding. Seemed like they both offset each other, with him being the physical muscle and she the magical one. Her physical prowess was still something he did not take for granted though.

“Abed you say? Yes, I have heard of their bathhouses, one place I have wanted to visit.” He chuckled at the mention of cultist rumor. “I think while there, we need not worry ourselves with that rabble for once.” It was said in jest, and it was all a rumor, so they did not need to worry about it.

He wrapped his arm around her waist as she leaned into him, holding her close as he looked out ahead. “Aye, you are right we are safe here. I do not doubt that at all.” He kissed the top of her head. The truth was he wanted to stay for a bit, yet the mercenary in him was coming more out that he wanted to admit.

“We need to get this done though, then we can rest anywhere and for as long as we wish.” He hoped that she would understand, yet he knew just saying that would cause troubles. He just wanted them to be out of danger before anything else happened.

He went off to gather the last few things that he needed for the trip, which included his blades. He had been practicing using the kopesh that he found in Harena and seemed to have got a feel for the blade, the cursed enchantment would work well for the living also.

He came back into the main area of the cabin. “So where do we go from here? Been to Parvpora very little. I do not have many contacts to get information from.” He asked maybe she had met some people in her travels that could help them.

Kalyani chuckled a bit at him as he sounded like he was reminiscing about magic. “Trust me, if I lost all of my magic I would probably literally die. Rosenites are very bound by their essence. I don’t know what would happen if we suddenly got our mana veins cut.” They did make a great team though, she couldn’t deny that. Though Kalyani was still pretty intimidating with her cast-iron skillet should one piss her off enough.

“So, what I’m hearing is that we completely ignore if trouble starts in Abed while we’re there? I’m all for that idea.” She chuckled a bit more. “Alone time will do us good and I’m sure Sehr will love the spices and grasses of Abedian lands.”

The half-elf snuggled her snuggle into him as his arm went around her waist. “Well good… I would feel mighty insulted if you felt otherwise.” A chuckle left her lips as she teased him. Though once he started on she knew that he just wanted to get it over with. A slight frown crossed her lips and she nodded. She would have to pin him down the next time she had a suggestion… Otherwise, she felt like he would ignore her. That thought actually made her audibly chuckle as she waited for him in the dining area.

“Well, I would say in a Forest of Death while looking for living creatures… We go towards the very much alive creatures.” She was being a smart ass now judging by the smirk on her face. “Shouldn’t be too hard to find a heartbeat in woods like these. Pin drop silent… Even our breathing will give us away. I’ve heard that the forest is so filled with death that most avoid it. So whoever is here… they can survive in this place and that means they will be tough.”

She wrapped her shawl a bit tighter as she left her skillet hanging up this time. She had to get another one because she lost the last one in the pyramid. She wasn’t about to lose this one as well. Magic would have to do. Once they were outside the barrier Kalyani looked back and made sure she couldn’t tell where the camp was without finding her markings. Once she was sure it was safe they set off into the woods.

It wasn’t as dead silent as everyone made it out to be. Matter of fact it was eerier than that. The clacking of belongings hanging from the trees. The rust and corrosion from the centuries or more of hanging there visibly showed. They would have to go around banshees that they would see in the distance floating about looking for its next victim. They had decided to avoid those for now.

Deeper into the woods Kalyani stopped to get her breath and her amber eyes snapped up. “Zanar…”

Snap.

The dead grass rustled behind her. “What’s behind me.” There was a terrifying roar as an enormous man grabbed Kalyani like a doll. He was hanging her now by her ankle of all things. “Put me down this instant!” She yelled as she punched him right in his jewels. He dropped her out of pure shock and she ran behind Zanar. “You are a brute… He is a brute. Do brute things.” She did a shooing motion with her hands. “Like killing him, for example, would be dandy.”

He couldn’t help but to roll his eyes are her remark. Yes, he knew that finding the living amongst the dead would be helpful, but at the same time, he guessed he deserved it.  “Seems like we just can’t avoid places that are connected with death, first it was the pyramid and now this forest.” He stated they were definitely taking a break after all this was said and done for.

She made her final checks of the wards before they entered the forest. His hand was kept on his hilt of the blade while they were making their way through; he had to be ready at a moment’s notice. This place and its overall feel were unnatural as if the curse of the trees could be felt through the air. They had their fair share of run-ins with spectral beings as they progressed, taking every possible route to not run into them. He did not want to be another victim of the forest

He heard the snap of the twig before he could react to Kaylani stopping. Immediately turning around the sight and sound of the roar of the man before they seemed surreal, he had also grabbed Kaylani by the ankle and held her up. He had the strength to match his size, which was for sure. She took care of her self but striking out where no man wanted to be hit. This stunned their assailant enough to drop her and she ran behind him.

“Please do not put me in the same category as this….thing!,” He snarled at her and drew the Kopesh from his belt. As he did this the assailant seemed to snap out of his shock and very quickly approached them throwing out a jab. Zanar barely had the chance to react, but managed to turn the blade to its flat acting as a shield, as both him and Kaylani slide back from the force of the strike.

“This is no human…that is for sure. The speed and strength..,” He said softly to himself. Zanar ran towards the man and tried for a quick underhand swing, but the man dodged the attack with ease and the follow-up strike. The swordsman spun around and tried to and trick out a dodge reflex with a throwing dagger, setting the brute up for a downward strike.

Zanar's wrist was encompassed by the hand of the brute, and what seemed like a little grin appeared on his face. ”Too slow boy.” Zanar was tossed aside like a rag doll, the blade dropped to the ground. He had never felt so humiliated and the pain didn’t help as Zanar stood back up. He was in pain that was for sure. Yet he had to protect Kaylani.

“I was just testing you! Now to get serious,” Zanar cockily said as he unsheathed Nox. It seemed the presence of the blade got a reaction from the man as he let out another bellowing roar. He must’ve felt the magic that came forth from the blade. Cracks and snaps ran out through the forest as the man started to change before their eyes. Fur erupting from his skin as he fell over onto his hands, and within seconds no longer a man stood before them.

“Shit..” Instead, it was a large black bear, far larger than any bear he had seen before.

“Well, you are a brute. There are many kinds of brutes. You are just the type of brute I would have in my bed.” Kalyani nodded to a certainty as her sense of humor got worse as the stress came down on them.

In a reaction almost being knocked on her butt Kalyani held onto Zanar’s waist as he slid back. It stabilized her and allowed her to look around at the man. This was going to be terrifying. She yelled for Zanar as he got rag dolled. When the man came for her next Kalyani stood her ground and took his blow easier than Zanar did. They were on a whole other level than the human with them.

Kalyani let out a low hiss as pushed the man away. It wasn’t as strong as she normally showed meaning even she was having problems. Once Zanar was back up she let him take back over. Nothing in her arsenal could help this. She was only strong enough to hold the man off for little bits at a time. Enough to keep the man preoccupied until Zanar could hit again.

“HE’S A WEREBEAR!” She knew he had been something out of the ordinary but she hadn’t guessed that. It was a rare form similar to lycanthropy. “Brute strength is his game.” Kalyani knew from Angela’s husband Adraejen.

It was about to get a whole lot worse. Werebears tended to stay in a pack and it wasn’t long before three more showed up. The situation went from bad to worse since they all focused on Zanar first. Kalyani would be easily enough. They bit and began to tear into him. Kalyani was screaming and beating on them but she got knocked back.

It was a wolf growl that she had heard next. A large wolf of black that came in and took on the group of werebears on at once. A sword of light cut through them. “Kalyani?” The voice was so familiar and yet Kalyani was so disorientated. She couldn’t feel her ribs where she had gotten knocked back. She felt herself get picked up. “Eirik grab the man as well. We’ll take them back to the manor and get them fixed up. We have to hurry though.”

Zanar was lifted up by a man larger than any of the werebears that had attacked him. Blood was everywhere but they were worried about that for now. Once at the house Aaryona got one of the doctors in Kurayo. It was expensive mainly because she was part of a lower house but that wasn’t the kicker. Zanar’s body had begun to heal on itself own at a rapid rate which only meant one thing. It was good but at the same time troubling. Kalyani’s ribs were broken but she was healing just as well.

They were laid together in bed. Aaryona wondered just what one would wake up first. The lithe redhead sat in the room with them. The tall large man named Eirik stood in the corner just in case. “You guys can wake up any time now.”

Zanar didn’t even get to react before he felt the brute force of a paw against his face. He was surprised that he remained conscious after that attack but soon would wish that he didn’t. For he immediately felt the blood run down the side of his face as 3 more of his kin showed up.

Was this..a setup?

That was the thoughts that ran through his head as he felt claw and fang tear into his flesh. He couldn’t get out any words, any screams, his body was numbed. He only managed to catch what he thought was the final glimpse of the woman he had grown to love. Damn…my weak human form..damn it all. Finally, the loss of blood and the attacks knocked him out, but not before he heard what was a howl of a wolf in the background.

He floated in what seemed like eternal darkness, with nothing all around him. So was this the end of it all? Was this limbo, the between of life and death? He didn’t know, nor did he care for he felt nothing anymore. It was a peace, an uneasy one but a peace none the less. Rest, this is what I needed. What I wanted. He was content with his soul to drift in the darkness forever.

Then an overwhelming fear struck, a fear he never felt before. Then it appeared, a ghostly figure of a large bear and it bore its teeth down upon his neck. He gasped and sat up quickly, a cold sweat covering his body. He looked around not knowing where he was. Confusion, fear, and what seemed like anger spread through him.

“Whe-, wha-,” He couldn’t get the words out. He felt hot as is something was going to burst through his veins. Then it struck him, the attack, he looked down at himself. There was nothing at all on his body. No wounds and no blood. He didn’t understand, even the old scars from his torture were far less noticeable than before.

How? What the hell is going on?

He saw Kaylani was in the same bed as him, still asleep. He looked around the room and noticed the two figures and tried to reach for his blade, but it was not there. Did he drop it in the forest? Was it taken from him? He had so many questions and wasn’t getting any answers. This rage in his chest he could feel it grow more and more.

“Who the hell are you? And what the hell is going on?” he growled, unlike his normal self, staring at the redheaded woman before him.

Aaryona was used to the change in many people. Whether it be a vampire, were-creature, or what have you. It was never pleasant and the venom if you would call it that was deep routed in Zanar’s blood now. She could smell the musk of bear all over him by the time he jolted away. Her arms were crossed on her chest and at first, she didn’t respond. Eirik came forward to stop him from possibly harming her and Aaryona held up her hand. “He’s fine Eirik. It’s just the beast blood.”

Her fingers tapped on her arm and she frowned. “You are in Kurayo. You are lucky that we were in the Koschei forest when you were. We caught the scent of blood and roses… Thought it was one of the Rosenites. Came across you and Kalyani. I’m Angela’s daughter Aaryona.”

She stood up and held up her hands. “You’ve been infected with werebear blood. You’re in the middle of the change now… First full moon and you’ll have your first shift. It’s why your body is healed as good as it is. Kalyani wasn’t so lucky. Her body is used to her blood so it isn’t healing as fast as yours did. Eirik carried you here…” Aaryona pointed to the large barbarian man in the corner.

“You are probably going to be really angry for a while… Beast blood does that or so I hear. Other than you probably feel like you are going to burst out of your skin from the boiling blood… how do you feel?”

Kalyani began to stir but just groaned as she tried to move and closed her eyes again. “I had to give her some herbs to help her stay down… Otherwise, she would just hurt herself. She’s going to be out of it for a while. I at least want her ribs to be alright before I let her attempt to talk me out of letting a healer see her.” After a few seconds, Aaryona finally smiled. "I also found Sehr and the wagon and brought it back here. He's in my stables. I knew Kalyani's magic enough to find the place she put it. It was going to be a few days without food for him so I knew I had to find him. Kalyani would be right upset with me if I hadn't."

Beast blood? He did not understand what she meant by that as the woman finally spoke. He listened as she answered his questions, but his thoughts were still racing. The things that stood out to him were the mention of Angela and the Rosenites. She claimed to be one, yet her eyes did not hold the same markings. Kaylani’s didn’t because of her elf blood, yet he believed her. It would be unwise to claim they were the daughter of a good anyways.

His heart sunk when she mentioned that he was a carrier of the werebear blood now. This explained his rage; it was the beast instincts coming into play. “It’s not rooted yet. Not until the first transformation. That is what I have heard at least…,” in defeat he spoke. He looked at the man as she pointed, he could feel something come from him. “The wolf howl…”

“I feel fine. For what just happened to the both of us that is.”Zanar answered her inquiry. She was right about the anger; it was like a knot in his stomach that wouldn’t let go. He was also afraid, afraid of what would happen when the first moon changed him. Would he end up killing people? Would he Kill Kaylani? The men they faced had control of their forms, but a rampaging first change would be far worse in his mine.

“And talk you out of it she would. A stubborn woman she is.” She was alive and that was the most important thing to him. Hopefully, it could stay that way. It hit him when she said a few days without food. They were out that long? He looked back over at Kaylani. “Even for her, these men did that much damage. We had to have been set up, no way would someone just hire a single mercenary to take on a group of shifters.” Just thinking about it struck the anger even more and he grasped his forehead to try and calm himself down.

“Where is the blade that was with me? It cannot fall into anyone else’s hands.” He asked his eyes closed trying to focus.  “The katana that is, the kopesh I could care less for.” He managed to suppress the rage some opening his eyes again. “I also have one other thing to ask. Is the moon to be full anytime soon?” If it was he was going to need to go somewhere where he would not hurt any innocent people. Somewhere where he would not hurt Kaylani either.

“It’s rooted enough. By the time someone who would know how to get rid of it could get here it would be too late. So the best case of action is to just prepare yourself.” There was no way out of it now. Kurayo just wasn’t known for being able to help strangers get out of afflictions and even if it was, the price for such a thing would not be worth it at all.

“Aye, the wolf howl was Eirik. He’s a shifter from the Haza. He’s been looking for a fight lately and I would say those werebears gave it to him.” There was a chuckle from her lips as Eirik almost groaned at her. It was easy to see they were much more than what met the eyes.

“That’s good, at least the money for getting you two both healed the best we could short notice didn’t go wasted,” Aaryona rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s not an ideal situation I know there just isn’t a lot of people who can reverse the bit of a werebear… or really anything that could bite you on this island.” There was a laugh from Aary now as she looked over at Kalyani and nodded. “That’s always been her thing. Being stubborn that is. It helps her deal with most unsavory people who don’t want to pay her.” But when it came to the damage she shook her head. “Kalyani is very weak for a Rosenite mainly due to the Elvish blood. I’m surprised she held up that well against one. She’ll recover just fine it will just take time. I have a feeling her healing is diminished because of the lack of sunlight here in Koschei.”

Aaryona tilted her head. “It’s downstairs in my study with the rest of your weapons. Don’t worry I made sure to grab everything when we brought you back here. As for the moon… It’s in a couple days actually. I recommend going out into the forest for it and I’ll have Eirik lag behind and make sure nothing gets in the way of it. He can handle himself if you catch wind of him. After the first turning, you’ll be fine. I can keep Kalyani here with me so you don’t have to worry.”

Kalyani groaned a bit more as her eyes opened fully now. “Whatever hit me needs to die a painful… painful death.” She moved her hand to her ribs as she let out a low hiss from the pain as she tried to move.

“Now do not force me to knock you out again. Stay down Kalyani or else you’ll be in bed much longer than I know you want to be.” Aaryona got up and went over to the half-elf. “Besides you don’t want to be any more trouble for this man do you?” Kalyani groaned a bit more as her head hit the pillow again with Aaryona’s help.