The ghoul incursion that night was swift and bloody, though thankfully, there were few fatalities throughout the camp. Elaina had made short work of the creature she’d taunted with her tit before moving on to the rest of the camp. The magic she had put into her sword made the stroke of her blade sharper, quicker, and heavier, resulting in a clean beheading for the hungry ghoul. It had been a chaotic scene everywhere she went, with soldiers and workers desperately trying to put down the fast-moving ravening undead. Elaina dropped four or five of them as she stalked throw rows of tents, catching ghouls in the act of tearing flesh from living people or attempting to do so.

Though Elaina had found little opposition against the magic of her weapon, the numbers the ghouls had come in still posed a challenge. She caught stray blows and had close calls with the creatures’ claws. Once or twice she was tackled head-on by something that wanted to tear her throat out, getting a few bruises from various impacts across her body. All told, though, the damage to herself was minimal while she, in turn, took limbs and heads.

When it was over, the landgraf demanded to know how the creatures had got the jump on them, “We have guards posted for a reason!” she fumed before a small assembly of the ranking members of the delve in her tent. Elaina hung near the back, wanting to get the update but not wanting to be front and center of anything. The clean slip she’d put on only a short time ago was now covered in fluid and other dark foul substances she didn’t recognize.

“I’ll go out immediately to find out what went wrong,” Kitch offered the landgraf with a salute. She turned quickly, grabbed two seemingly random men to accompany her, and the trio left the tent.

“You look like hammered shite,” Resius muttered as he eased his way into the tent behind Elaina. She looked over to give him a scathing retort, but the words stuck in her throat when she saw him just as covered in the disgusting aftermath of the battle as she was. The difference between them was he looked as though he’d suffered more wounds in the process.

Elaina had cuts, bruises, and scratches, but she could see a great deal of blood running down the side of her friend's head along with a distinct bite mark on the side of his neck, “Gods, they almost got you?”

Resius nodded grimly as he uncorked the flask and took a long pull from it, “Caught me while I was taking a leak.”

The swordmage considered scolding him for drinking so much, as it was likely to blame for his being caught unaware one way or another. At a time like this, though, she didn’t want any more conflict or fighting. She especially didn’t want to make Resius feel worse than he already looked. They’d butted heads enough for one day.

“My Lady,” Royce began, addressing Elsebeth formally, “We should also consider the filth that ghouls typically bring. Ghoul Fever is obviously the biggest concern, but the creatures carry all manner of diseases due to the nature of their unsavory diets.”

A murmur went through the small crowd as people started to look at one another as if they thought they could tell who might have been infected. Ghoul fever was a wasting disease that eventually if one died from it, would turn a person into a ghoul themselves. If they didn’t do something about it, they would have to contend with undead comrades attempting to kill them within days.

Elsebeth raised a hand, and almost immediately, a hush fell over the crowd again, “Do you have a proposal, Royce?”

The witch leaned on her staff, which had a dark gem affixed to the end of it, with the wood of the staff itself looking like a gnarled hand clutching it tightly. She drummed on the gem a few times with the golden claw accessory she wore on one hand, “Well, I can prepare some spells for those who appear to be most at risk, but we’ll have to organize that quickly.”

Elsebeth nodded in agreement, finding the measure to be a good start. Royce continued, “For everyone else, we will need to look at basic hygiene. I know that most Zelmescans are accustomed to going without bathing for long periods due to the war, but if we’re going to be battling undead and demons this frequently, it needs to become a top priority.”

The witch glanced toward Resius and Elaina, the faintest hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of her dark lips, “I’ve already spoken with a few who have expressed a desire to properly bathe before this incursion. They must be in even more desperate need of it now.”

Elaina’s face went hot with embarrassment, though only Resius seemed to pick up on who Royce might have been talking about. He leaned a little close to her and lightly sniffed, “She mean you?”

The redhead gave a swift backhanded slap to his arm to quiet him down before anyone noticed his teasing. The witch turned her gaze back to the landgraf.

“While admirable, I worry that it would be a waste of our time and resources to set up such things,” Elsebeth doubted, her eyes shifting to Trevik, “What do you think?”

Trevik, who had been standing near the front of the group, looked immediately uncomfortable with speaking in front of a crowd, albeit a small one. He stepped forward, smoothed out his wiry hair, and cleared his throat, “Erlaucht Willowridge, if you decide that it is best, I can ensure that it happens.”

“Erlaucht?” Elaina whispered aside to Resius.

“Uh, It’s old Zelmescan,” he whispered back, “translates to “illustrious,” at least roughly.”

“Ah, so he *can* be polite,” Elaina chuckled.

Elsebeth shifted her weight from one leg to the other as she tightened the sash of the thick fur robe she had thrown around herself when all hell had broken loose, “I’ve no doubt of that fact. But do you think it a wise use of the resources we have available to us?”

“It’s less a question of resources, your Ladyship,” Trevik said with remarkably little irritation, “at least that of which we brought. We would need a good source of clean water. We have the barrels we brought, but we’d burn through the entire supply within days if we used it for bathing. And that’s for the absolute bare minimum.”

“And if we managed to secure clean water?” Elsebeth questioned.

“I could rig somethin’ up in that case,” Herrog cut in, taking some of the heat off of Trevik in the process, “I could get a few of the boys to hammer together some stalls. Couple of buckets and pulleys, and you have a crude shower. You’d just have to refill it after each one.”

Elaina could see the wheels turning in Elsebeth’s head even from here, “Very well, that needs to become our priority then: a clean source of water.”

“With a little more time, I could actually rig up a much more intricate system that could hold more water across multiple stalls,” Herrog mused, seemingly excited at the idea of being able to build something.

“The basic design will suffice,” Elsebeth affirmed in a level tone, which put any further musings on the dwarf’s part to rest.

“Willowridge has a cistern we could use,” Elaina said hesitantly. Most of the crowd craned their necks to see who was speaking, many of them stepping aside to offer a clearer line of sight between her and the landgraf. Unfortunately, being put on the spot like this, covered in the gore of the battle in nothing more than a slip, was immensely embarrassing for the swordmage.

“Miss Woodlock?” Elsebeth asked, raising her voice to ensure she was heard, “What was that?”

Elaina cleared her throat, “Willowridge. It has a large cistern that can be accessed from inside the inner bailey or from the storage cellars of the keep.”

Herrog shook his head gruffly, “Nah, it’d be too tainted to be useful.”

Elsebeth frowned, the glimmer of hope that Elaina had offered for them being dismissed almost immediately, but Elaina pressed on, “Well, not entirely.”

Herrogs bushy brows knitted, not liking the contradiction the newcomer was giving him. Elaina pushed through it. “Because of Wilowridge’s location, it has a different kind of cistern than most of the other castles the Imperium left behind.”

“Different, how?” the landgraf asked curiously.

“It’s filtered, my lady,” Elaina explained as she quelled the anxiety that came with so many people listening to her speak, “It’s hewn from the rock in the mountain itself with an additional sand filter. So it should be well and truly isolated from any incidental contamination from the castle’s surroundings.”

The dwarf’s brows shot up, unaware of these particular details, “And the taint from the rift?”

Resius cleared his throat and raised a hand lazily, “I can take care of that, mate. If I can get a blessing down in there, it should clear the desecration from the water.”

“Turn the entire tank into holy water?” Royce scoffed. It was a lot of water to bless all at once. Usually, when clerics did it, they used basins or sometimes barrels, but a whole cistern was a tall order. In addition, Resius was no cleric. But the man didn’t balk at all and simply gave a short nod.

“Basically, yes,” he confirmed. Everyone there glanced at one another before turning to hear the landgraf’s decision.

“Excellent, then we have a plan,” the landgraf confirmed, “Woodlock and Resius, I want you back here in twenty minutes ready to go. We need to get this done as quickly as possible.”

Elaina and Resius nodded their acknowledgment, though Elaina wasn’t sure she was doing enough by simply nodding. Wasn’t she supposed to bow or something?

“McKenna,” Elsebeth said, looking over to Royce, “I want you to start assessing the wounded immediately and establish priority. Cast whatever spells you need to and have the rest get as cleaned up as we can until Hardcoat has completed the stalls.”

Elsebeth dismissed everyone to carry out their duties, allowing Elaina to slip out the flap of the tent and make her way back down the main aisle ahead of everyone else, with Resius close behind.

“When did you figure out this filtered cistern business?” Resius said, rubbing at the wound on his neck.

“Back in South Gate, actually,” Elaina answered dismissively before pointing at the wound, “Shouldn’t you have Royce check that out to make sure you’re well enough even to go?”

“Probably,” Resius admitted, “but we’re on the clock, mate. No time to waste.”

After passing row after row of people cleaning up the chaos created by the ghouls, the duo arrived again at Elaina’s tent. The redhead stepped through the flap and immediately pulled the gown over her head, feeling much less self-conscious around Resius as time passed.

“I can’t believe everyone was looking at me like this,” Elaina griped, “I should have just kept my mouth shut.”

“Nah, mate. You did the right thing,” Resius assured her, “Besides, even the landgraf was in a state of undress.”

“Yeah, in a big furry robe. Not a gore-soaked slip with my titties poking out all over the place!” Elaina argued as she wiped herself down for the second time that night. She motioned for Resius to do the same with another cloth she had. She reminded herself that if she did things like this more often, she would have to have some proper wash basin or a spell that just cleansed the filth from her.

“They’re nice tits, though,” the occultist remarked as he took the cloth, wet it, and wiped down his face and neck. The bite didn’t look so bad once he did.

Elaina smirked and punched his arm gently, “Don’t start.”

The two finished the quick wipe-down so that Elaina could throw some clothes on. As she reached for her armor, her partner waved her off it, “No, no. Not this time.”

“What? Why?” Elaina asked, confused.

“We’re going to have to be quick and quiet about this. The place is still crawling with shite, and it will be hard enough to evade detection as it is,” he explained as he pulled off his armored coat and set it aside heavily. It was a lot more weight than Elaina had realized. The tunic he wore under it was loose and rumpled, adding to his already disheveled appearance.

“And if we get into a fight?” Elaina postulated.

“Then we’re probably fucked,” he replied flatly, “So let’s crack on, hm?”

They emerged from her tent a couple of minutes later with the gear they could take with them comfortably and quickly returned to where the meeting had been held. Elaina was sure to bring the schematics and notes she had taken along with her. The large tent was now mostly empty, with only the landgraf, a couple of guards, and Kitch inside. The table sitting in the corner earlier was now more centered with a map spread across it.

“We found them here,” Kitch said, pointing at a spot on the map as Elaina and Resius approached, “All dead. There were still some ghouls feeding on them when we arrived, but we dispatched them easily enough.”

Elsebeth closed her eyes, letting out a pained sigh. She didn’t seem to take any casualty lightly. She’d changed out of her robes and into the same clothes she’d worn during the battle earlier, making her look just as neat and beautiful as ever.

“The ghouls get the drop on them somehow?” Resius asked as he examined the map.

Kitch made a strange clicking sound with her tongue, shaking her head once, “Non, I don’t think so. I couldn’t examine all of them due to the... predation of the ghouls. But one of them had a clear wound here.”

The Kyrsahn pointed to a spot on her brow right between her eyes, “Gunshot.”

Elsebeth looked up, a dark look of concern on her face, “You’re certain?”

“Oui,” Kitch said with a firm nod, “There is no mistaking such things. When it goes in, it makes a small hole, but in the back where it exits the skull....”

“Pulps the flesh,” Resius finished with a note of disgust, his hand resting absently on the firearm in its holster at his side.

Elsebeth nodded quietly, “So then we have others up here with us.”

“Orbonne company probably,” Elaina suggested irritably, “They might have known about the ghouls nearby and dropped a couple of bodies to draw them away from their position and into ours.”

Kitch looked at Elaina with an expression she found difficult to read for a moment but eventually realized was thoughtful when she looked back down at the map, “Hm, alright. So then, maybe here?”

The spot she tapped was north of their position. Elaina leaned a little closer to examine it, her eyes wandering from the spot east toward where she and Resius had encountered the dead mercenaries on the way here. The route they would have to take seemed a bit more roundabout, but it seemed possible. Elaina unrolled one of the Willowridge schematics and set it on one side of the table. It was the first time anyone except she and Resius had seen it here. She turned it to orient it similarly to the map underneath it and carefully searched the castle grounds' north side.

“Here,” Elaina pointed, “there’s a concealed postern that opens into one of the lower levels.”

“Someone must have remembered where they used to take their smoke breaks when they worked here,” Resius joked.

“How many do you think there are?” Elsebeth asked openly, leaving it for anyone to answer.

“They are not Kyrsahn?” Kitch asked Elaina. She shook her head. To the best of her knowledge, they didn’t have any Kyrsahn in their number; if they did, it would just be a couple. Kitch continued, “Then probably a small scouting party. Half a dozen at most. Zelmescans do not fight like Kyrsahn, and posterns like this are not very large.”

“That makes sense,” Resius agreed, “Without the schematics, the best they can do is by memory from years ago, and for all they know, it’s gone to the dogs since then. So they need fresh intel.”

“Well then, we still hold the advantage,” Elsebeth declared, “But we must move quickly. Are you prepared to make your way to the cistern?”

“Aye, ma’am, ready to go,” Resius said cheerfully, though Elaina remained skeptical.

“Vazdu’s swiftness to you, then,” Elsebeth declared. Resius gave a respectful nod, prompting Elaina to do the same, then backed away before turning and leaving the tent at a brisk walk. The swordmage lingered momentarily, glancing at the materials she’d brought with her and left on the table. Finally, the landgraf gave her a subtle nod to indicate they were safe in her care.

Elaina quickly caught up to Resius outside, “Do you think we’re going to run into those clowns inside?”

Resius looked more disheveled than ever at that moment, “Eventually? Yes. But hopefully not tonight. Different priorities.”

It was a good point. They were looking for a water source they could continue to use to halt the possible spread of disease in their ranks, while the scouting party was essentially looking to map a safe entry point. They were ahead of them for now, but she didn’t doubt that if they happened upon each other on the castle grounds, the mercenaries would open fire on them just as they had done with the guards at the edge of camp.

“I didn’t hear a gunshot earlier,” Elaina realized, “the ghouls came right by my tent at the start, but I didn’t hear anything before that.”

“That mage we tussled with back in town might be with them then,” Resius speculated, “if they opened fire from inside the zone of a silence spell, you wouldn’t even know you were under attack until someone took a hit.”

Firearms were concerning enough for Elaina, but combining them with magical tricks like that made her feel much less confident about their chances if they were caught off guard. If they weren’t careful, they’d never see it coming until one of them was already dead.