Harlowe ran through the forest, her posture having shifted into an animalistic sprint. Her claws, both artificial and organic digging into the snow as she tore through the woods. She could feel her breath condensing and running down then out where the iron of her mask met the skin on her neck. There was a kind of thrill to all of it, for just a moment she wondered if this is what it would feel like when she fell to the curse. She came to a stop, the thought disrupting the fluidity of her movements.

"What in the hells am I thinking?" Harlowe straightened her back and surveyed the area. "You know what those lost to the curse are like; empty, hollow, pathetic things." 

Something white landed on her shoulder. Harlowe only paid it mind because it was unusually large to be a snowflake; then it flew off her. The white moth landed on the side of a snow encrusted– no, moth covered tree. A woman's face appeared out of the many insects and then her whole body pulled out of the tree, leaving only bare bark. Her emerald eyes fixed on the half ghoul. 

Harlowe turned slightly, adjusting to better face the woman. "I take it these are your woods?"

The woman's lips curled briefly into a faint smile. "Indeed they are." 

"Then you are the one who the hunter owes service to, the Spring Maiden. I am not her, additionally you and yours have not sought me out until now. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Harlowe bowed as deeply as she could without taking her eyes off the Fae in front of her.

The Spring Maiden stepped closer to Harlowe, her footfalls not disturbing the snow at all in contrast to the deep tracks the half ghoul had made. "A lord needs not explain her motives, however, I will deign to do so. You are a curiosity."

"In what way, my lady?" Asked Harlowe.

"You are not alive, yet not dead." The Spring Maiden began walking a circle around Harlowe. "Part flesh and part artifice." She paused at the half ghoul's side. "The pixies and other fair folk are frightened by you." She fell behind a tree and reappeared on the opposite side of Harlowe. "You hunt your own."

Harlowe tensed, the joints of her prosthetic hand creaking. "I do not hunt humans."

The Spring Maiden leaned in close to her ear. "Yet." 

Harlowe swung at the Fae lord, the enchanted glass talons extending as she did. The blow struck a cloud of fluttering moths that reformed back into the Maiden. "That muzzle you wear won't stop you." She dispersed again as the half ghoul continued her assault. "You'll take months, even years to starve," she said from a half formed mouth. "And all that time you'll keep killing."

Harlowe began to regain her composure and held her right arm out, palm towards the Fae. "I'll just have to make sure I die before the curse takes me." The internal trigger pressed up against the canister in her arm.

"Don't you need that?" Asked the Fae

Harlowe closed her fist, the trigger pulled back from the canister. "I…"

"See, you can learn, little ghoul. Now go on to your death." The Spring Maiden gestured with her hands, shooing Harlowe away.

Harlowe's posture wavered. She was going to her death. But that was a good thing, meant she couldn't hurt anyone. She could hear the Fae laughing. Harlowe raised fist and shouted, "lorg!" 

From between her metal knuckles flew a trio of steel spikes wreathed in arcane energy. The Spring Maiden's body split as they sped towards her, the darts twisted midair as they missed and pursued the swarm of moths which scattered into the forest.

"Shit," muttered Harlowe. 

The darts were far gone now and going back to look would be wasting too much time, she had to end this whole situation before anyone else got hurt. The ports on her artificial arm closed with a small exertion of will. She took a moment to get her bearings after the encounter with the Fae then took off running. Her mind was filled with the words the Spring Maiden. The Fae told her it was only a matter of time before she lost control, before she hunted people. 

The scent of other ghouls mingled with rot met her nostrils. She paused and traced the hinge of her mask. “Scaoileadh.”  

The heavy iron mask clicked open and hung from her neck. Harlowe let it fall into the snow. The nest was nearby. She walked upright, resisting the urge in the back of her mind to sprint across the remaining distance on all fours like the very monsters she was coming to slay. Her heavy steel feet pressed into the living earth of the clearing that housed the nest. It shrieked and she crushed the ring-mouth the sound had come from. The glass talons of her prosthetic arm slid out, magical formulae subtly glowing inside them. 

From around the nest and within came the lesser ghouls born of the forest’s animals and twisted by the Undying Flesh within the Ark the nest was made in. Saliva poured out of their mouths as they began to circle Harlowe. She bent lower, breath condensing as it slipped between her needle-like teeth. 

A ghoul deer charged at her, bleating horribly from it’s distended, toothy maw. She caught it by one of its twisted antlers with her left hand. With a quick jerk she snapped its neck. Harlowe dashed towards what was once a wolf. It ducked under her swing. Another wolf abomination clamped its teeth onto her left arm. It yanked her to one side, tearing a chunk of flesh out. Harlowe turned on one of her mechanical legs and caught the attacker in the side, sending it to the ground, broken. 

Harlowe glared at the remaining monstrosities. “More of you…” Her jaw unhinged, ready bite. 

_______________________

The light of dawn flooded the room where Harlowe and Clair had been staying. She had retired to the room after her talk with Erich only to find Harlowe missing. It took time, but she had been able to convince herself to trust that the half ghoul knew how to take care of herself so that she could sleep. Now the searing dawn of a clear-skied sunrise met her eyes, waking her from a dead sleep. Clair shot bolt-upright, and turned from the light. As her eyes adjusted to the light she scanned the room for Harlowe. 

"She's still not back," Clair said, her voice strained by a building anxiety. 

Clair stood up and got dressed, pulling on her snow boots before leaving the room. She strode past the villagers in the tavern section for the Folly and into the streets of Imerre. 

"Hoi, Clair!" shouted Marcus.

The massive man was holding a spear in one hand and a shield in the other. At his side was his child, Vance, who held a folded chain shirt. Despite them being no further than shouting distance she'd have missed them had Marcus not called out to her. 

Clair pushed down the growing worry to greet the pair. "Marcus, Vance, have either of you seen Harlowe today?"

Marcus kept walking toward her as he shook his head. "Can't say I have, is she missing?"

"Yeah, she's been gone since last night." Clair exhaled and slouched forward slightly. I know I shouldn't be worried, she's more capable than me in a fight."

Marcus paused in front of her. "I wouldn't say that. Though, of what I did see of her fighting I would bet she's doing just fine." He held the spear out to her, point up. "Here, you'll feel more capable after you've got a weapon again."

Clair looked at the weapon, the haft was pure white ash and the head gleaming steel. "Thank you, Marcus. I can already tell the balance is perfect." She leaned the weapon against the side of the Folly. 

"Nothin' too special, though the wood for the haft was one of those things that Vance get from their mother." Marcus looked to his side. "Now Vance, give her the chain." Marcus leaned down and pushed Vance forward gently with one of his large hands 

Vance stepped forward and held the chain out towards her. "Here Miss." 

Clair leaned down and grabbed the heavy shirt. "Thank you too, Vance."

"Da, let me help make it." They beamed up at her.

She held the shirt out and looked at the work done before nodding and slipping it over her head. "I was worried it'd feel off wearing chain again, but it feels like I never stopped." 

Marcus grabbed the sides of the round shield he'd brought. "Decided against a kite shield, would have to be too heavy to use to withstand the things you face."

Clair took the shield from him and felt the weight. It was a heavy thing for its size, though the smith had a point. "Is this solid metal?"

"Nearly, a bit of leather to soften the feel on your arm," said Marcus. 

"Considerate, thank you again, old friend." Clair tightened the strap of the shield and gripped the handle before testing her range of motion. "Feels much lighter on my arm than holding it in my hands." Clair paused, then grabbed the spear. "Marcus, can you tell Erich to get the militia ready?"

"They've barely had a single day to practice from my understanding, why muster them now?" Asked Marcus.

"Call it a bad feeling. I need to see Rene, if I'm not back by evening assume something has gone wrong," said Clair as she turned from the father and child.

"I understand," said Marcus, leading Vance to the Folly. "Now kid, remember if anything bad comes round to go to one of those hiding places the fair folk have shown you," he said to Vance as Clair left.

_______________________

The harsh light of morning shone on the clearing in front of the nest, pools of black ichor and vibrant crimson reflecting its brilliance. Harlowe stood bleeding amid the viscera strewn across the area, her breathing heavy. Her eyes hurt, her body hurt, everything hurt. Another twisted forest creature leapt at her and she caught it in her mouth by its neck. She jerked her head and tore the monstrosity's throat out. 

From over an embankment came one of the humanoid ghouls, its back blackened during its last encounter with Harlowe. It watched as half a dozen lesser ghouls harried her. As Harlowe turned her back it loped down towards her and caught her around her midsection. The ghoul managed to knock her to the ground. Its jaw unhinged and it bit down on her shoulder. Harlowe grunted then swung her right claw at it. The ghoul caught the blow, the arm's joint creaked and whined. Its free arm pinned Harlowe's left to the festering earth. Her artificial arm joined her organic one against the flesh of the nest. 

This wasn’t going to happen, she’d escaped this situation years ago when she was first infected. Harlowe brought up a leg and caught the ghoul's thigh with it. She kicked at the limb until it's mouth released her shoulder. It went to bite again, but she caught the side of its face with her own teeth. It pulled back, flesh tearing away. 

Harlowe stood up and swallowed the piece of the ghoul's face. 

_______________________

Clair stood in the door frame of Rene's home. The door was taken off and a replacement was leaned against the inside wall while the warded door was placed with great care on a table. 

Rene walked over to meet Clair, her neck scars visible. "Clair, you're here early. Is something going on? And don't worry, I've got Bea under control, she's sleeping on the couch."

"Rene, I'm here because Harlowe's been missing since last night," said Clair.

Rene folded her arms and sighed. “Give me a moment.” The mage moved over to a pile of debris and gestured with a hand, the mess being thrown by magical force to one side. “While the mirror at the elders would work just as well, we are here and if there is any problem it’s best to know sooner than later,” she said leaning down and pressing a hand against the etched circle.

Clair’s brows knit together. “You think she might be in trouble?” 

“Can never really know, even the greatest warrior can fall to a lucky amateur or something as simple as a bad slip in the bath,” said Rene as she tweaked a few runes.

“That isn’t reassuring.”

“Wasn’t meant to be.” 

Rene stood up and tossed a small vial into the center of the circle. Tendrils of purple magic reached up from the circle and grabbed the vial, holding it midair. 

The pair of them watched as the vial shattered and a small rift opened vertically above the circle. Inside the rift was a vision following a path through the forest, it lingered briefly on a trio of darts impaling a black beetle before it continued on. The vision flew over the piles of ruined ghoul corpses and to the gilded door inside the nest that leads to the Ark.

Clair turned and bolted out of the door.

"Clair!" Shouted Rene 

She tried to pull together a spell to stop the cleric as she ran. The array formed then cracked, crystalline shards of ice splitting it. The spell was countered. Its gathered aether spilling out of the fractured array as glittering motes while Clair disappeared past the treeline.