"This is a bit unexpected." Valsh said, struggling with the keys.

"Tell me about it," Aranea responded, making sure that the portable terminal was hanging freely from her neck, "But a job is a job."

"Perhaps we should call the maintenance team? It is dangerous going in there all alone, especially at night."

Aranea could see what he meant. The projectors lightly lit the stone surface around the water tower, however, barely a few guards were in sight. Somelhaen’s guards never left either his side or kept watch over his workers, and, frankly, no one in their right mind could have hoped for their help after what happened. Now his guards were finishing the preparations to leave tomorrow, intending to deliver the working generator on time.

The commune severely lacked personnel, all trained soldiers and Breathtakers on duty were positioned at the walls, ready to repel any sudden assault. The commune never had a proper maintenance team—just people who worked in the mines and made some repairs occasionally. Because of this, the tower looked like a patchwork monstrosity, its foundation was covered with metal plates, leaving gaps wide enough for a kid or insectoid to sneak in. But how would an insectoid walk through the entire village? And why pass people and go for the generator? Perhaps it came from the mines?

"Sorry to bother you, sir, but we are planning to leave with the trader tomorrow." Aranea replied stubbornly, feeling herself stupid. She is no technician, why is she here?

Virginia clearly warned Aranea that someone was about to stick a knife or two into her back, this much the halfbreed understood. It explained why Virginia was so insistent on keeping Sveta either with Aranea or with herself, to keep an eye on her. Galaro was the most likely suspect, the regulator's hatred was most likely as clear as day. Could he strike now?

She followed the abbot inside the tower. The machinery responsible for producing water was now silent; no doubt it used to fill the room with a thunderous roar, or so Aranea imagined. This whole device looked like a thrash pile, with one piece of equipment crudely connected to the other and exposed wires and pipes everywhere in sight. Three round walkways encircled the pile of machinery, each a little lower than the other. Aranea rolled her eyes, seeing actual ropes hanging from the ceiling and piles of sharp-looking tubes at the bottom.

"What are you…" Aranea ignored the abbot's yell and lunged at one of the ropes. Nimbly climbing down, she heard how the abbot hurried down the stairs on the lower walkway, shouting warnings to her, "Stop! Without a full crew, it is dangerous! You can fall!"

"Sorry, holy father, I've got a job to do." Aranea excused herself, climbing even lower and hanging on a single rope.

According to the reports, this was the damaged area of the generator. She noticed a melted area around one of the plates that covered the generator. If the locals were to be believed, the insectoid sneaked inside, fell from above, spilled the acid, and was impaled on pipes and iron below.

The wolf hag narrowed her eyes. The situation was weird. The damaged area was behind the entrance door. Ok, this was simple enough—the insectoid sneaked into cracks from behind the building. But is she expected to believe that this creature fell here, failing to grab any of the ropes? Scratch that, insectoids can move across the walls and ceilings—how in the abyss did this one fall to begin with?

Aranea reached out, touching the melted metal around the damaged area. The generator was damaged in one of the worst areas possible, if the locals turn it on, the whole machine will explode from the uncontrollable surge of energy. Her fingers cracked away a piece of steel from the damaged area. Before licking the metal, the wolf hag examined it from every angle. She tasted a very faint trace of a familiar acid—very familiar. Okay, this was definitely an insectoid acid. And along with it, she tasted something else. The taste of welding. The metal was not melted through with the acid, it was overheat…

Aranea felt the rope she was holding go weak. The rope started falling from the ceiling, accompanied by the panicked shouts of the abbot. Huh, is it? Aranea reflected as her claws pierced the outer metal shell of the generator. There was no fear in her and no anticipation. Years of training taught Aranea how to look for a way out, even in a safe environment.

The wolf hag held herself standing against the outer metal plate of the generator, feeling how the metal started to slowly give in, threatening to drop her down and smash her with a metal plate for good measure. Aranea considered this minor concern, making sure to catch the falling rope in her arms.

"Aranea! Grab my hand!" The abbot shouted, grabbing the guardrail with one arm and extending his other arm toward her.

The wolf hag looked at him, surprised, while she prepared to jump from the metal and land next to Valsh. At the last moment, she reconsidered, jumping away slightly and grabbing his hand.

Valsh could be an old man, and Aranea did eat a little too much in the passing weeks, however, the old man held her with a hold that would make even a scout nod in respect. This answers one question. Aranea decided, easing herself. If Valsh were to drop her, she would simply use her big and long toes to grab any metal pipe below her, arresting her fall.

"Heuugh! You bloody idiot!" exclaimed the abbot as he dragged Aranea to safety, landing her next to him while he was breathing, wiping cold sweat from his brow, "I told you that this was too dangerous! This is… What are you looking at?"

"Cut," Aranea said, pointing to the end of the rope, "it was cleanly cut."

Her ears perked up at the sound of a faint noise from upstairs. It felt as if someone was squeezing somewhere. Without thinking, Aranea grabbed the keys from the abbot, jumped on the guardrails, and jumped from them two floors above, leaving the old man trying to catch up with her on foot.

Her fingers caught the platform's lower end, and the wolf hag pushed herself upward, landing right on the platform next to the exit. The cracks in the wall were too small for her, forcing Aranea to spend precious time opening the door in the hope of catching up with her potential murderer.

She flung the door open, realizing that it was too late. The night was calm, a few guards were playing cards next to the hospital, looking surprised at Aranea. The wolf hag not bothered shouting any questions at them, instead walking outside.

I will slice Galaro piece by piece for this. She thought, looking at the cracks in the tower. Wide enough for someone of his build to slip in and… She sniffed loudly, trying to find a familiar smell in the air.

"Aranea, what is…" Valsh charged from the tower, making a step and placing his hands on his knees. The elderly abbot breathed heavily and trembled slightly, both from worry and exhaustion. Strong he was, but this running had eaten away at his stamina. The prime of his life was long behind him.

Aranea stopped him with an open paw, taking a flask of water from her belt and pouring some on the man’s head before giving it to him. She turned toward one of the cracks, sniffing again. Upon catching a familiar trace, the wolf hag thrust her arm all the way to the elbow into the crack, grabbing something.

"Alert your people, holy father," Aranea said coldly, turning to Valsh and showing him an eyepatch, "Galaro tried to kill me."

Valsh wanted to say something when a shockwave threw him off his feet. Aranea caught the old man, feeling the tower next to him tremble, while several cars were thrown to the sides, their tires flying and their windows cracking. A building that housed the "protector", the generator that produced an energy shield around the entire commune, was licked away from the world by several charges of explosives. Stone and rubble flew to all sides, while the force shield around the town flickered once and went offline.

"You! Keep the abbot safe. You and you! Help put out the flames from the bazaar at once!" Aranea started shouting commands to Somelhaen’s people when a loud noise of a siren pierced the night, followed by the sound of the turret’s fire.

And there was a wild howl coming from the direction of the main gates. The howling that was coming from thousands of throats.

****

Hm, arrogant. Annie decided after seeing a flash of fire coming from the mountains. Tiny and her group were calling Annie for another round earlier than expected.

The wolf hag obliged this challenge, painting her claws yellow and leaving the remains of half-eaten insectoids behind. It was good to be all alone in the field again. Virginia was… weird, and Annie still hated the damn upstart for nearly killing her… At the same time, she was calm, knowing that Sveta was with Virginia. The idiot would sooner die than allow any harm to come to Annie’s sister.

Feasting on her prey, Annie was getting worried about Tiny’s stubbornness. The little one wanted to prove something, rejecting any advice from the wolf hag. Usually, in trials such as these, the wolf hag would drop the team once, or twice at most, before they will listen to her pointers and beat her down. Tiny persisted, eager to prove something to the one person who cared about none of these things.

Perhaps I should go even weaker at them… Annie shook her head, banishing the thought. The enemies will not go easy on the soldiers. No, she will humiliate them as long as it takes for Tiny to put aside her stubborn pride for the sake of the group. The Spirits know, Annie needed a proper beating to learn this lesson. It's time to dish it out to others.

She charged toward the entry point between two hills, locking her eyes on Geldi’s figure. A change of plans? The sniper was usually the last one, whom Annie had taken down in the previous rounds.

The wolf hag ran across the stone ground, creating cracks in the ground and allowing drool to fall from her open jaws to mimic the mad charge of a beast. The goal was not to fight with her usual elegance, although Annie failed at this in the previous round, but to act as a force of nature.

Geldi took aim at Annie’s right arm. Her finger was never on the trigger, which made the wolf hag smile. She is waiting for me to dodge. No dice. Like an arrow, Annie charged forth, allowing shots coming from the hills to her left and right to paint the ground behind her in blue paint.

Annie almost closed on the Regulator, starting to make a swing with her right arm. She expected a hint of fear or uncertainty in her foe, anything. Instead, the wolf hag was met with a ferocious determination that made Annie smile despite the circumstances. Aranea was right, pushing Geldi into training left her with very few moments to sulk in her despair. She will come out eventually. I almost feel sorry for the fact that Geldi is about to have her head cave into the stone…

Annie’s eyes widened upon seeing how a ball filled with paint left the barrel of Geldi’s weapon. All her instincts screamed at the wolf hag to dodge, she had the skills and time for this. However, the mad creature, whose role she was playing, would not dodge. The wolf hag pushed on, feeling a ball explode against her shoulder and allowing her right arm to hang helplessly.

A wire. Geldi never moved her finger. The clever bastards tied a wire to the trigger, firing the gun remotely. Annie smiled, crashing into Geldi, expecting to throw the young woman onto the stone with enough force to knock her out. You may not be of the Wolf Tribe by birth, but I accept you, Geldi. Hope you can endur…

Annie’s body passed through Geldi, kicking the weapon out of her hands and feeling an electric sensation around her body. Phasing. The clever girl used phasing to pass through Annie, jumping at the ground behind her and rolling to the side, her back covered by gunfire from her hill allies. Tiny was not planning a sacrifice strategy! Wonderful!

Annie was relieved, even delighted. Tiny surprised her by finding a way to immobilize her arm. In the long run it means naught and… Annie jumped, hearing a click behind her leg. The land beneath her rose like a boil, exploding with paint instead of pus. Drops of paint narrowly missed her fingers. The wolf hag made an elegant somersault in the air, dodging the shots and landing with grace. Shit, again! Annie cursed, dropping to the ground and smashing stones with her head in punishment. She hated losing. She loved being efficient and dominating others. But right now, Annie was breaking her own rules. If Tiny came up with a way to win, then, by the Spirits, this team deserves their win.

But I will make them sweat for it. Annie lunged forth, running on all three limbs and allowing her right arm to hang loosely. The shots from the team forced her to make a half circle, not allowing her to get close to the hill and force a close fight with the team. They are leading me… Annie jumped, hearing another click, and turning her "wounded" arm toward the explosion to shield herself. Several splashes of paint fell onto her hip, but nothing that would constitute a "damaged bone", just a "cut" at best. Annie landed, rolling to the side at the sound of another click. A shot hit her across the back, forcing the wolf hag to start limping around.

The situation annoyed her to no end. Her body demanded that she stop pretending and jump over this weird minefield. Dragena’s teachings demanded that she stand by the rules. I am really a terrible instructor. Annie decided, noticing Lucendra hiding behind the stone ahead. So obvious. So vulnerable. Annie lunged, mimicking the role of the wild beast perfectly, flying over the minefield and aiming her claws at Lucendra’s neck.

Instead of aiming the shardgun at Annie, Lucendra turned her weapon to the side, trying to use the weapon like a shield. The wolf hag frowned disappointedly at this decision, preparing to slice through the weapon and stop the claws before they could harm her soldier. Lucendra had potential for becoming a scout. If only the stupid woman would start making the right decisions…

A shield bubble came from the weapon, and Lucendra released claws on her legs, allowing them to bite down on the ground. Her muscles bulged, almost to the point of snapping, while the warrior held her ground, pushing Annie back. Gin and Kaleb jumped from the hill, landing behind the warrior and helping her overpower Annie’s impulse. The stone next to her fell apart, allowing Sly’s mechanical arms to strike at Annie, pushing her to the side.

These annoying, clever, dirty… Annie thought quickly, wanting desperately to use her right paw and grab the edge of the hole. The four soldiers threw her to the side, leaving the ground open underneath her. The wolf hag reached out with her leg, grabbing the trap's edge, hoping to free herself with the strength of her feet alone.

The stone cracked. Kate, you blasted bi…. Annie wanted to scream but instead smiled as she fell into some wires that sprouted into action and bound her arms to her torso and wrapped around her legs. She bulged her muscles out of instinct, forcing herself not to dislocate her bones and escape this trap.

For a moment, Annie felt serenity. Geldi distracted her, luring the wolf hag into the trap. Sly lent his shield generator to Lucendra. This weird trap really felt like something assembled by her warrior, Lucendra liked unorthodox traps and contraptions. Kate and Geldi both used their powers to the team’s advantage. Tiny, you’ve made this bunch into someone capable of beating me! Attagirl!

The group appeared at the edge of the trap, pointing their training weapons down, and Annie frowned.

"Payback time!" Sly eagerly said, firing his weapon, and Annie closed her eyes, feeling paint balls crash against her body and coloring her blue.

Oh, I will get you for this. She promised.

****

"I knew your every move, got it, Annie!" Sly laughed mockingly when Tiny gave the command to stop the fire.

The wolf hag was soaked in paint to the bone, her muscles bulged to their limit from barely holding back rage. Instead of a smug smile, her lips were tightly pressed into a scowl. The ground around her was covered in paint as well, leaving the wolf hag lying in a pool of paint.

"Wolf hag, I apologize for my behavior," Lucendra said quickly, "and please allow me to assist you in freeing from..."

"No, no," Annie growled, "You won, you get to carry me back to the fortress. In fact, it’s quite comfortable in here."

"Really, we don’t need to…" Tiny started speaking.

"Nope," Annie smiled, opening her eyes. There was no anger in these amber embers, only wickedness, "I am a dangerous beast, and you properly took me down like one. Now, as tradition dictates, you must deliver the trophy back home. In your hands, all together, with no help. You get to enjoy this to the very last bit. Get to it, soldiers."

"Is it too late to accept defeat or surrender?" Geldi looked herself over.

"Yep. You won."

"Fuck. And I just recently cleaned myself." Kate sighed, her body shook slightly. At the admission of defeat, she, Tiny, and Lucendra received a surge of reward, their blood ran hot in their veins, the bones got slightly bigger and thicker. Kate started breathing quickly to calm her nerves.

"Eh, if something must be done, get it done." Gin said, and Kaleb nodded in agreement. They and Sly felt a surge of power as well, but their reward was weaker, barely throwing them off balance. To them, it was a pleasant breeze, while to the warriors and scout it was like a storm.

Both males walked to the edge, preparing to jump down. Instead, they were flung away, thrown aside like dolls by a black shape that swooped from the skies, crashing into the group and throwing them off the edge of the trap.

A thing of horrors landed at the hole's edge. Pale skinned, its veins looked like a host of worms beneath its skin. The head of this being was elongated. The soldiers noticed that the being's beak-like mouth reached its shoulders when it turned its head to the side to look at the group with an opaque black eye. Something was dripping from the clawed hands of the creature, causing vapor to rise from the ground.

It laughed, a horrible mix between a female voice and a bird croak, and spread massive leather wings, jumping up in the air. There it gave an ear-piercing shriek. From up the hill, countless voices roared in response, and a being covered from head to toe in bone plates came forward, leading a horde of mutants behind it.

"By Plague Raven's will!" The bone creature pointed at the soldiers, and its minions charged forth.