Chapter 25 - Means of Severing

788 I.C, February 27, The Pierced Veil: Laboratory, Midday

Jolts of sensation stirred within Clyde's mind. His heart picked up pace, his fingers twitched, yet something felt wrong. He tried to think, remember, open his eyes, but it felt as if a thick layer of tar had clogged his mind.

Where am I? What happened? I can't remember...

Clyde gathered his willpower, struggled, and managed to open his eyes. The world was blurry and devoid of color. Despite his impaired vision he could make out bars that surrounded him like a cage, and a shimmering field that reminded him of an aetheric shield.

Colors invaded his vision and brought along a pounding headache that made him wince. More sensation flooded his mind and made things worse. There was an intense itch that crawled and dug through his fur, radiating pain from the wound on his leg, and a hunger that made his gut feel like a nest of carnivorous beetles.

His claws scraped along the floor while he raised his head for a better look. The cage surrounded him, and the shield seemed powered by constructs built into the ceiling. Each construct hummed with energy and there were crystals the size of fists in each of them. The cage and shield was in the very center of the room while the walls were lined with workbenches.

Standing by one of the workbenches was a figure, a person, or rather, a beastkin with auburn eyes and the fur of a coyote.

He seems familiar... But I can't remember why?

Clyde pushed, eased himself up on all four, and raised his head. After only a few moments the beat of his heart hastened, pounded, and a lightheaded sensation invaded his mind. It made Clyde sink to the ground while he panted from exertion.

I'm so weak... Am I sick? Poisoned? Drugged?

Clyde forced himself to look down and focused on his leg. The area had been cleaned, and a big piece of white fabric doused in disinfectant covered the wound.

Whoever they are... They want me alive... But why can't I remember?

Clyde held his head with a pained grimace, and looked up to focus on the coyote, "W- Wh-"

The words caught in his throat, he choked, and clutched his throat with a coughing wheeze.

"There's water next to you," The coyote said with a soft and tender voice that not even a wulfkin female could produce.

Clyde turned his head, looked where the coyote had pointed, and saw what looked like a rounded hole carved out of the concrete floor. Within the hole was crystal clear water and the sight of it triggered a primal and ravenous thirst.

Within seconds he had crawled over and eagerly dipped his muzzle into the water. Gulping, lapping, and working with his hands, he soon satiated his thirst. Once done he found his gaze drawn to the water's murky reflection.

Caked dirt... Tangled fur... Not a trace of white... Filthy... Dirty... Ragged...

The sight of it made his heart sink. He had been out in the wilderness for what felt like weeks, but he had no idea that things had gotten this bad. Clyde shook his head to be rid of the thoughts and turned his head to focus on the strange coyote.

"Let me out, or else!" Clyde snapped with a guttural growl.

The coyote tipped his head in confusion but didn't say a word.

"Let me out!" Clyde barked and slammed the bars with his hand.

The coyote pushed off the wall, took a step closer, and spoke with the same gentle voice from earlier, "There's no need to put on a tough act, Clyde."

Clyde clutched his head while a concerning thought crawled through his head.

Why can't I remember!? How does he know my name? What did he do to me?

His claws raked through his fur and the grime sticking to it, "Where am I!? What have you done to me!? Who are you!?"

The coyote drew a deep breath, "I can't tell you that, but I'll fetch someone who can."

Clyde glared at the coyote who started turned and started walking toward the left side of the room.

I was running through the forest... I saw the mountains... I was so hungry...

I dug a trap... Heard someone coming... Hid in a big tree... Then... Nothing...

Clyde reached out, and clutched the bars, "How do you know my name!?"

"You'll know soon enough," The coyote answered and stopped in front of a concrete wall.

What is he doing?

The coyote reached out with a hand and the concrete wall seemed to shiver like a mirage. Moments later he stepped through, and disappeared from sight.

788 I.C, February 27, The Pierced Veil: Laboratory, Evening

I walked up to the wall, stepped through the illusion, and found myself in the basement lab. Most of it was in disarray but the things that mattered were spotless, Clyde's cell, and the shield. Clyde lay in the middle of his cage, seemingly asleep in an awkward pose on top of the bare concrete floor. The once white fur was a dried tangled mass of brown that spread a scent of sewer.

With careful steps I approached the cage, stepped through the shield, and stopped in front of the bars. The bandaged wound on his leg seeped with fluid but had shown no sign of rot when we cleaned it out.

I wonder if it's wulfkin physiology... Or the Master's blessing that's responsible for that...

I lifted my hand, held my claws near one of the bars, and let them hit the cage with a clang. Clyde jumped to life with a surprised gasp and looked up in panic.

"Hello, Clyde," I said with what felt like a wicked smile of delight.

Clyde's blue eyes focused on me and his muzzle dropped open with a faint whisper, "Avery?"

"I have a few questions for you," I said.

Clyde looked around as if to get his bearings, "I ran. I did as you asked, I stayed away..."

I nodded, "Yes, you did. But I realized that I had use of you, and now you're here."

"Why... Why can't I remember?" Clyde asked and reached up to touch his temple.

I leaned closer and mused, "How does it feel, Clyde? Are you scared? Anxious? Do you long for home?"

Clyde's expression twisted into anger, "Why are you doing this?"

"Why? Because you and the rest-" I forced myself to stop as I realized that my heart was thumping while I squeezed the bars with enough force to make my hand ache.

I still haven't gotten over this... I still hate him... I want to go in there and rip him to pieces...

"Avery?" Clyde whispered.

My anger flared and I flashed him a wolfish grin, "Yes?"

"Why are you doing this? If you just-"

A snarl jumped out of my throat and I slammed my hands into the cage, "The fact that you can even ask that!? The fact that you're so damn unaware and thickheaded! You fuck-"

Why can't I calm down...

I bit together, and forced myself to let go while I stepped back from the cage.

Clyde gulped and his ears folded back, "If you just hand the Star back, then all of this..."

I tuned him out for a moment, and focused on my own self.

Clyde doesn't understand... Just like I couldn't understand what was truly going on in Everwinter...

I could have my revenge... Not by slaughtering him... But by having him apologize...

To truly apologize in recognition of what he has done...

"... and then we can all go home," Clyde said and finished his speech.

I drew a deep breath, exhaled, and unclenched my hands, "Clyde?"

"What?" Clyde asked as if anticipating me to give up.

I lowered my voice and spoke with a calm, focused voice, "You and the other wulfkins are terrorizing the lands on this continent. You burn villages, slaughter, and pillage. Why?"

Clyde blinked, "Because you stole the Star, and we need to get it back."

Was I ever this deluded...

"Clyde, how does slaughtering villages help find me?" I asked.

Clyde stared in silence for a few moments, and then let his gaze drop to the floor, "It doesn't. But you started a rebellion in Everwinter, they destroyed the lower levels, we had no choice but to start pillaging. We had to, in order to not starve."

I inched closer, "I know about the explosion that Titan caused, but you were the ones who started slaughtering the caravans to Everwinter. Hell, you started slaughtering villages around the continent before supplies became any concern."

Clyde's eyes wandered and he seemed to chew his thoughts, "The explosion scared off the caravans."

"No, they didn't. Trade had almost stopped when the explosion occurred," I said.

"You're lying," Clyde said and fixated on me.

I reached into my coat, fetched the logbook from the wulfkin camp, and held it up, "Are you saying that your alpha was writing falsehoods in his logbook?"

Clyde clenched his fists and his lips began to pull back in anger, "You stole the Star and made the Master angry! We have to do what he says."

"So it's okay to do bad things just because someone orders you to?" I asked.

Clyde gritted his teeth and a scowl twisted his expression, "They're just humans."

"What about the beastkin? Our 'lesser' kin?" I asked.

"They're with the humans, they..." Clyde's voice turned to a whisper while he shook his head in aggravation.

"What about me?" I asked.

Clyde stopped, and looked up in confusion, "What?"

I pointed to myself, "I was human, you all treated me as such. I was a parasite according to Doros. Now I'm suddenly a wulfkin again. Which is it?"

Clyde blinked and nervously glanced around, "We made a mistake, you were always wulfkin. We just..."

"You just?" I asked.

Clyde made a sudden chuckle and leaned onto his knees, "Why are you making this so complicated, Avery? Just hand the Star back, please?"

It won't work on him... Not yet at least... He needs something more...

I motioned toward him and switched topics, "How the hell did you end up looking like this?"

"I had to hide my scent," Clyde answered and looked down at himself.

"And you naturally decided to roll around in someone's latrine?" I asked in confusion.

Clyde's ears perked and his eyes widened in shock, "I did not roll around in someone's latrine!"

"Then what the hell did you do?" I asked.

Clyde's voice trailed off for a moment, "There was... A waterhole in the forest..."

I chuckled in surprise and shook my head, "Whatever it was, it wasn't a waterhole."

Clyde lowered his head in what seemed like shame, "The water smelled fine... It was the mud that there was something wrong with. I didn't notice before..."

I sighed, pushed away from the cage, and stepped back.

Clyde looked up in an instant, "You're leaving?"

"I only wanted to check up on you, nothing more, Clyde," I said.

Clyde crawled closer in haste and gripped the bars, "Wait! Why am I here!? What are you going to do with me? Avery!"

I glanced back at him, "Think about it, you might be able to figure it out."

"Do you think you're funny!? Is this payback!? Are you insane!?" Clyde frowned and snapped.

I started backing off toward the exit, "Insane? I think not. Payback? Well, maybe a little."

Clyde raised his hand to point at the crystals in the ceiling, "I'm a wulfkin! Magic doesn't do anything to me! You're insane! Why are you doing this!?"

I mused and stifled a chuckle, "The shield isn't for me, it's in order to stop the Master's influence from breaking out."

"What's that supposed to mean? Avery!" Clyde barked in anguish while I stepped up to the wall.

I turned to face him once more and pointed to my chest, "When you try to sleep tonight, feel your chest, remember what it used to feel like before you got the Master's blessing. Trace it along your chest, and neck, feel how it has spread throughout your body."

Clyde leaned back, placed his hands on his chest, and stared in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

I waved, and stepped through the illusion once more.

788 I.C, February 28, The Pierced Veil: Laboratory , Morning

Clyde snapped to attention when he heard someone enter. In mere seconds he had gripped the bars, pulled himself up, and watched. To his surprise it was the odd coyote which had entered, not Avery. It made him slump against the cage while the coyote approached with a gentle smile.

"Morning," The coyote said.

"What the hell do you want, coyote?" Clyde growled under his breath.

The coyote glanced toward the murky water in the cell and then focused on Clyde once more, "Just thought I'd change the water."

Clyde pressed his head against the bars and glared back, "Avery is a wulfkin, you know that, right? Or did he make you his little slave to run his errands, coyote?"

The coyote's brow raised in surprise and what was followed by amusement, "Avery didn't ask me to do this, and I'm not his slave. I'm also well aware of what Avery is, and what he isn't."

Clyde sneered and bared his teeth, "How amusing, if you're not his slave, then what are you, and why would you be here?"

"I'm Talwin, and I'm Avery's partner," Talwin said and walked over to a large workbench.

"Partner? Do you really think a powerful mage, and a wulfkin at that, would consider a fucking coyote his equal?"

Talwin grabbed a large pitcher and looked into it, "I'm well aware that Avery is far more powerful than me, in both strength and his ability to wield the aether. But so what?"

Clyde tipped his head in confusion, "Are you serious? Equality is measured in power, anything else will just invite trouble, and weakness."

Talwin glanced back, "You're saying that my weakness becomes his weakness?"

"That might have been true if you were a wulfkin, but it's not even that," Clyde answered with a snort.

"Then what is it like?" Talwin asked and lifted the pitcher.

Clyde grinned, "How do I explain it to your kin. A horse is useful: You can ride it, eat it, make it carry things, but you wouldn't think of it as a packmate. Because when it comes down to it, it's still a horse, just like you're a coyote."

Talwin approached and stopped in front of the shield, "Do you really think of all other races as beasts of burden?"

Clyde raised his brow and tipped his head, "What else would you be? Your people are crude, fighting each other at every turn, no structured mating, no proper bloodlines, lying, scheming, constantly trying to make more money to bring home."

Talwin blinked in what looked like confusion, "You're like two different people. Do you know that?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clyde asked with a frown.

"I was listening when you were talking with Avery. You still sounded deluded, but there was actual feeling and thought behind your words. Now you're just acting like a brainwashed drone."

Clyde pressed his head against the bars, "The only deluded one around here is Avery, and you're just his little brainwashed puppet."

Talwin stepped into the shield, raised the pitcher, and poured so that the water hit the concrete basin from a distance, "Those lesser races that you revile so much. Did you know that they build grand cities, and wield magic sophisticated enough to power an entire infrastructure of running water, lights, music, and all sorts of other things?"

"Yes, technology and magic techniques stolen from us. You can't even properly melt ore," Clyde sneered with a wicked grin.

Talwin reached into a pocket, fetched something, reached out, and opened his palm to reveal what looked like a closed pocket-watch of silver, "Do you know what this is?"

Clyde glanced up, "Another one of those cheap trinkets you always try to-"

As Clyde spoke something began to tingle in the air surrounding Talwin's hand. Moments later the pocket watch opened like a blossoming flower, and a gentle melody began to play in the room. Clyde's voice faded and his eyes grew like saucers while focused on the small music box.

"Avery had the same look on his face, apparently music isn't a big thing in wulfkin society," Talwin said.

Clyde looked away, "Fine, you have a trinket that can play useless melodies."

Acting like a child... I hope he's not really like this...

"We also have observatories to watch the planets in our solar system, as well as ships that can fly," Talwin added.

Clyde looked back with an annoyed stare, "Ships sail the sea, they don't fly!"

"Ours do," Talwin mused.

"Bullshit!" Clyde snapped.

Talwin closed the small music box and met Clyde's stare, "You should know that certain gases are lighter air, yes?"

"... I know that there are heavy gases, they can explode or choke you," Clyde answered.

"In an ocean made of your heavy gas, what happens to a balloon filled with regular air?" Talwin asked.

Clyde's glanced down for a moment and pondered, "It goes up."

"Gas lighter than air, inside a big balloon, what do you end up with?" Talwin asked.

Clyde's hackles bristled while a low growl filled his throat, "You... You impudent little shit!"

Talwin stepped closer and raised his hand to point a claw at Clyde, "If you're so superior and the lesser races are nothing more than pests to be reigned in, then explain..."

"Explain what?" Clyde asked.

Talwin paused for a moment, "... I'd ask you to explain everything that is wrong about wulfkin society, but the risk is that you can't yet see what's wrong with it. So answer me this instead. Why have you traded magic, for a power that is so devoid of creation?"

Clyde gripped the bars, "Our power is a covenant between us and our Master."

"So you willingly enslave yourself to someone else, and lose what is a truly wondrous way to both feel and manipulate the world? How is that a sign of superiority?"

A dark chuckle emerged from Clyde's throat, "Open this cage, and I'll show you."

Talwin sighed, "Avery was more than capable of dealing with you, in fact, your power is rather useless without mages to back you up."

Clyde's eyes became like pinpricks while he bared his teeth, "You are an insect, compared to our-"

Talwin interrupted Clyde, "Have you heard what your Master is doing in the south?"

Clyde paused and his ears perked, "What are you talking about?"

"He's raising an undead army in the south, in fact, they've hardly seen any wulfkins lately."

"We're assigned more important tasks," Clyde countered.

"I've read Cujo's logbook. First they took the humans, then they got rid of most mages, then they started taking wulfkins to that 'tower' in Everwinter," Talwin said.

"The humans weren't needed, the mages were rebelling, the wulfkins were only rumors..." Clyde whispered.

"And you're supposed to be the strong one? Hiding in a ruined watchtower? Surrounded by wulfkins that were in the process of being turned into something monstrous?"

Clyde retained his iron grip of the bars while his gaze dropped to the floor, "I was just..."

Talwin continued, "You lie, deflect, project, over and over again, desperately trying to keep your delusions alive. Be a monster if you will, but at least be honest about it?"

"We are not monsters, and we are not evil," Clyde said and slowly raised his head to look at Talwin.

"Then you should have no problem explaining your actions."

Clyde slumped to the ground and chuckled, "How about you explain how ethical it is to keep me here, starving to death in a cell, without as much as a chair to sit on?"

"We can't risk you disabling this shield, and you've already threatened to kill me."

Clyde raised his head, "And your excuse for starving me?"

"... I'll fetch you something to eat," Talwin answered.

788 I.C, February 28, The Pierced Veil: Kitchen, Midday

What do wulfkins eat?

Talwin cringed a little when the answer came to him.

The same things Avery eat... The same things we all eat... I guess I don't really think of Avery as a wulfkin...

He reached into the cupboard and began to gather what he could find.

An apple... Bread... Sausage... Cheese... And... Oh... Some jerky...

The aether started to hum with a familiar presence and made him glance back. What he saw was black fur, red eyes, pupils of pure black, and white fangs that glinted.

Avery stepped up, loomed over Talwin, and glanced into the pantry, "What are you up to, Talwin?"

Talwin was forced to look up in order to meet Avery's gaze. It both amazed and scared him that Avery was still growing, despite already being a head taller. It wasn't just his height though, he was starting to put on weight. A heavy frame, broad shoulders, and heavy hands with trimmed but thick claws that could belong on a bear.

Within a moment that tingle of fear was replaced by a warm and a curious sensation that made Talwin smile, "Just getting some food for Clyde."

Avery's black nose flared for a moment while he focused on the food, "Oh?"

"You didn't intend to starve him, right?" Talwin asked.

Avery tipped his head a little, considered it, and then grew a sly smile, "Not at all. Feed him, but remember the rules."

"Don't get too close to the cage, and don't give him any hard objects," Talwin said with a nod.

Avery leaned in for a moment and gently nudged Talwin's temple, "Good."

Talwin pushed back, and savored the moment. A gentle nudge, the rich scent of wulfkin mixed with city life, a sparkling tingle when the aether mingled and he heard a whisper of his essence.

Avery's tail began to wag and bumped into the pantry with a thud, "What do you think of Clyde?"

"He's... frustrating because I can't relate with him, at least not in the way I could relate with you," Talwin answered.

Avery raised his brow, "I have a distinct memory of you calling me a demon."

Talwin felt his ears perk while he grew a sheepish smile, "I mean after that. When I had an actual chance to get to know and talk with you."

Avery made an understanding nod, "I had already realized that other races had value when I arrived here. He's still trapped in the teachings of Everwinter, and he might not want to abandon them."

"Are you saying that so that you can experiment on him in good conscience?" Talwin asked.

Avery's ears perked while his nose wiggled a little, a sign that he had been met by a valid though uncomfortable question, "I have to do this, Talwin."

Talwin nodded, "I understand that, and I support that. But we should be honest, at least to ourselves, with why and whom we're doing this against."

Avery's opened his muzzle, wavered for a moment, and then spoke, "Yes, we should. For now, feed him, and deal with him as you see fit... As long as he remains in his cage."

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Talwin asked with a skeptical glance.

Avery's sly smile returned, "Maybe, but I can't tell you, because it'll affect the outcome."

"What?" Talwin asked with a frown.

Avery stepped back with a smile, "You'll understand in time, but for now your approach will work fine."

Talwin drew a deep breath, and gathered the food on a tray, "Uh huh, and how is your research going?"

Avery's smile faded, "It's progressing, and while the results are troubling I'm also hoping that I might be wrong, or that I'm not too late at least."

"Meaning?"

Avery drew a deep breath, "Don't tell Clyde, but the Master's blessing might be more destructive than it seems. It's possible that Clyde is already dead, that he's nothing more than a husk whose mind is kept going by magic."

Talwin blinked and gulped, "... I felt him when we cleaned his wound earlier. He was warm to the touch, he bled. I pulled dozens of spines from his paws, and I watched him wince in pain despite the drugs we gave him."

Avery averted his gaze, "The samples I took from Cujo, they've all crystallized into obsidian. Every last scrap. When I cut it out of him it was flesh and blood. I don't understand how the Master's blessing works, but the result are rather clear, and the longer you are exposed to it, the worse it gets."

"So if you break the Master's blessing, and there's no life left... Then..."

I nodded, "The experiment will reveal whether this is the case."

Talwin picked up and the tray with a solemn nod, "I understand."

788 I.C, February 28, The Pierced Veil: Laboratory, Midday

Talwin steadied the tray in his hands, stepped through the illusion, and looked toward the cage. Clyde had already clutched the bars and observed with the gaze of a hawk while Talwin approached.

"Hungry?" Talwin asked.

"What do you think!?" Clyde snapped with enough anger to make his hackles bristle.

When Avery was here you were like a whimpering pup... But with me you're a furious asshole...

Talwin walked up to the shield and motioned toward the other end of the cage, "I want you in that corner, sitting down. Understand?"

"Why?" Clyde asked with a sour glare while his lumpy tail swished.

"Honestly? To protect you. If you put a hand on me then Avery would probably torture you to death, so please, step back?" Talwin answered.

Clyde's tail stopped wagging, and after a couple of moments he made a silent nod. He then walked over to the other end, and eased himself down.

Talwin moved with a quick yet determined grace when he stepped up to the cage, leaned down, reached out with the tray, and unceremoniously tipped the food through the bars. Clyde's ears perked in surprise, and his muzzle dropped in horror when the food hit the concrete floor.

"Why did you do that!?" Clyde snapped while Talwin quickly stepped back.

Strangely upset for such a thing... Floor isn't even dirty... Compared to you at least...

Talwin pointed at the plate, "No hard items allowed in the cage, sorry."

Clyde grew a stark frown, bared his teeth for a moment, and then looked over at the piled food on the floor. His expression wavered, he gulped, and knit his fists. A few moments later he crawled over in haste, and snapped hold of the sausage.

CHOMP! GNAW! GULP! NOM!

The sausage disappeared in seconds, the bread was chewed for moments before being gulped down, and the apple crumbled into pieces before being swallowed in chunks. In less than a minute the ground was picked clean and Clyde panted with drool dripping onto the floor.

Damn... You were hungry...

"You couldn't find much to eat in the forest, did you?" Talwin asked.

Clyde snapped into attention and barked out in anger, "I can hardly walk! Let alone hunt! What did you expect me to do!? Eat the poison berries!? Gnaw on the fucking roots!?"

No magic... No easy way to hunt... And the trap he constructed was primitive to say the least...

"Where did you hear about the berries?" Talwin asked.

Clyde made a dismissive huff, and settled back on his behind, "It was the first thing we were told when we arrived in this humid shithole: Don't eat the damn berries, and wear your fucking shoes."

He did have loads of spines from the forest in his paws...

Talwin made a gentle smile, "I removed as many spines as I could, how are your paws?"

Clyde hesitated for a moment and glanced down at his paws, "You did that?"

"Yeah, took some time since a few had buried quite deep. I'm surprised you could walk at all," Talwin answered.

Clyde's lips quivered with a low growl, "I almost couldn't. Every step were like daggers into my legs. I tried to break off bark to use as shoes but they only lasted so long and it left plenty of tracks."

The food seems to have made him more talkative... Guess that's reasonable...

Talwin inched closer and caught the gaze of Clyde's blue eyes, "Do you know Avery well?"

"No," Clyde answered with a growing scowl.

"Really? From what I heard you were childhood friends."

Clyde's eyes narrowed while he bared his teeth once more, "It's none of your fucking business, coyote."

"Maybe not, but Avery is my friend, and-" Talwin was interrupted when Clyde snapped once more.

"His friend? Why!? You should hate his guts as much as anyone else!"

Talwin tipped his head in wonder, "Why?"

Clyde made a sweeping motion with his arm, "This! Everything! All the death and misery! Avery is the one who brought Everwinter to near ruin and he's the reason the whole continent is crumbling!"

"Because he's in possession of your Master's Star, right?" Talwin asked.

Clyde gripped the bars with both hands, and rose on his knees, "Yes! If he just handed it back, then all of this will end! You can help, convince him to give it back."

Talwin drew a deep breath, "Let's say Avery gives it back, why does the Master stop?"

Clyde's stared, his eyes wandered, but no answer came.

"Your Master has already taken our capitol, and likely possessed our king. From what we've been told he managed it without a single wulfkin," Talwin added.

Clyde fixated on Talwin with an icy glare, "What's your fucking point?"

Isn't it obvious? You're a tool that outlived its usefulness...

"Nothing," Talwin answered.

Clyde relaxed a little and leaned onto the bars, "That's what I thought."

Talwin waited for a few moments, "So you and Avery are childhood friends?"

"Were," Clyde corrected.

"Tell me about him?" Talwin asked.

Clyde raised his brow in confusion, "About Avery, why?"

"Humor me, and I might get you some more food," Talwin answered with a smile.

Clyde rested his head against the bars, "Avery is a fucking bastard, so is his brother."

"Mind expanding on that?" Talwin asked.

Clyde reached up, scratched at a spot near his ear, and pulled out a muddy lump tangled with fur. It made him cringe before dropping the lump to the floor.

"Avery loved to push borders and ask questions you weren't supposed to ask. At the same time he knew when to stop before things got out of hand. He's shrewd like that and has always liked to dish out pain to those that mess with him."

"What do you mean?" Talwin asked.

Clyde groaned and rolled his eyes, "If someone starts picking on you, then you either learn to live with it, or hit them so hard that they never try again. But that's not very wulfkin..."

"What do you mean?" Talwin asked.

"The hierarchy is always shifting. Wulfkins fight, we gruff with each other. It makes us strong, and it teaches pack dynamics. But there was safety in being with someone like Avery. A guy that's insane enough to singe the fur off someone's face, and snap someone's shoulder out of its socket to follow up on a threat. He's a wild card that offers little reward compared to others and he made plenty of enemies as a result, but also gained respect. That kind of stability is a good fit for those in the upper echelons and the elders took note of that."

"So you used him?" Talwin asked.

Clyde's ears perked up and he snapped once more, "No! Avery may not have been like others. But he was a good friend to those he liked, even if it got us in trouble at times."

Sounds like you look up to him...

"Sorry, go on?" Talwin said.

Clyde shook his head, "He never learned and kept annoying Rastlin with questions. It never got through his thick skull that he was the only one interested in learning about something we'd never be able to use."

Magic... It makes sense they wouldn't be keen on learning something they'd lose...

"Couldn't you enjoy magic while it lasted?" Talwin asked.

"While the others were out having actual fun? Sparring, training, listening to stories. While we were stuck with listening to Rastlin as he droned on for hours," Clyde said with a chuckle.

"Couldn't you have left if you didn't like it?" Talwin asked.

Clyde made a short but intense laugh that made his tail twitch, "And face Rastlin's wrath? You're insane. The old seer wasn't scared by other wulfkins and idly punished those that annoyed him."

"I see, and what happened when you grew up, when-"

"Avery didn't change like the rest of us? What do you think happened? We needed to get rid of the shame and taint he brought on us. His weakness was a blight on us all."

"And you didn't care about Avery at all?" Talwin asked.

A menacing growl grew in Clyde's throat and he snarled while clutching the bars like a maniac, "Everyone keeps talking about Avery! What about us!? What about me!? Did he ever care about us!? Did he take a low profile!? No!"

"What do you mean?" Talwin asked and stepped back.

Clyde slammed his head against the bars with a frothing growl, "Avery kept doing what he always did! He kept making scenes in the upper quarters! He volunteered to become the fucking Seer! We betrayed him and he did his very damn best to make sure we didn't forget! He even caught Doros ire, and always kept that smarmy attitude of his while prancing in his fancy clothes!"

Talwin stepped out of the shield, "He was trying to survive and keep his sanity."

Clyde pushed his head against the bars and glared daggers, "He should have stayed away! Instead he forced us to keep proving that we were his enemies! We had to make his life hell to keep our place in the hierarchy!"

A few moments later Clyde slumped to the ground. He panted and dripped drool while his hands reached out of the cage and gripped at the air as if strangling someone.

"We suffered. We all did. The changes that ripped through our bodies... The pain, the instincts, and then there was the Master's Blessing. A blessing my ass. Avery has no idea what we went through, the fucking bastard."

"Have you tried telling him that?" Talwin asked.

Clyde's ears folded back and clamped to his head, "Avery got everything. He kept his powers, he walked around casting spells here and there, tiptoeing through the upper quarters, spreading his scent around. Constantly reminding us, rubbing it into our faces that he was still there. Then he escaped and brought hell upon us all, but even that didn't satiate his hunger for revenge. Here I am, trapped in a fucking cage, disgraced, a trophy to his fucking ego."

Talwin inched closer, "Avery lost everything as well. He was cast aside by family and friends and was tormented for years. Did you expect him to just disappear in the lower levels and eat those disgusting mushrooms he mentions every so often?"

Clyde slumped to the ground and slowly raised his head with an expression that made him look old and withered like an old rug, "Yes. For us. For his family. For Everwinter. For me..."

"And what if it had been you, not Avery? Would you have just faded away, for others?" Talwin asked.

Clyde turned around, covered his head, and whispered, "Leave me alone."

788 I.C, March 1, The Pierced Veil: Laboratory, Morning

I can choose not to do this, and possibly spare a life... No... A mind...

No... I choose to do this... Out of belief that the end justifies the means...

I reached out, held my claws by the bars, and hit them with a clang. Clyde literally jumped, flung himself toward the back of the cage, and hit the bars with a loud slam.

"Good morning, Clyde," I whispered and watched through the iron bars.

"Again!?" Clyde snapped in anger while his chest thumped from the sudden wake up call.

"And how are we feeling today?" I asked.

Clyde observed me in silence for a few moments, and then averted his gaze in silence.

"Oh? Not very talkative today? I wonder why," I mused.

Clyde's ear twitched a little but the stoic silence remained.

"I wonder, could it be that your pathetic attempts at deflecting blame are failing? Or did you figure something out?" I asked.

Clyde's gaze slowly wandered back to me, "What are you going to do to me? Why am I here?"

I leaned onto the cage and focused on him, "I've asked myself that question many times. Especially when I was trapped in Everwinter. Raymond was quite keen on telling me that I should just kill myself, and it turns out that you harbored the same kind of thoughts."

"What do you mean?"Clyde asked with a gulp.

I motioned to my ears, "I have good hearing, and spells to relay what goes on in this place. Apparently I was supposed to just accept my fate and die for you guys, the honorable way."

"Your actions brought Everwinter to near ruin," Clyde whispered.

"Wulkfin society needs to change or die," I said.

Clyde pushed himself up with some effort and focused on me, "You have no right to decide that."

I bared my teeth in a shrewd grin, "Maybe not, but do you think that's going to stop me?"

"You really hate us, your own kin, don't you?" Clyde whispered.

"Remember what was done to me, and truthfully ask yourself: Can you blame me?" I asked.

Clyde chewed his thoughts for a few moments but remained silent.

I slipped my right hand through the cage and pointed at him, "I can see that Talwin had an effect on you. He's like that, big heart, soft-spoken, yet logical and reasonable. Do you think he'd be as eager to help you if I told him what you truly did?"

Clyde shrank a little and his ears folded back, "Avery, I..."

I continued and kept pointing while reaching deeper into the cage, "Cujo, your alpha, was worried about your performance on the raids. But the last time, just days before I came to the camp, you did something to change his mind. He was proud of you."

Clyde's hackles lifted, his lips pulled back to reveal wicked teeth, and his hands clenched, "I... Avery!"

"Those plates you removed from your armor. I've built them into the floor you're sitting on. What do you think happens when I turn them on?" I asked.

Clyde's pupils widened and his tail grew slack in an instant, "You can't... don't!"

I tipped my head a little and grinned, "Oh? Come on, Clyde. It felt good to slaughter those in the village and to let go of your inhibitions, didn't it? The thought of becoming like the other monsters in that camp. To become... a true wulfkin?"

Clyde shook his head, "Avery, please..."

I tipped my head, "Such fear. Could it be that you know what the plates do, but you didn't tell the rest of your pack? Now who's the traitor I wonder!"

"Avery, don't do this..." Clyde pleaded.

I motioned with my arm within the cage, "Any last words before I turn them on?"

Clyde's eyes drifted and locked onto my arm.

That's it... Go for it...

I opened my muzzle to speak when he made his move. In an instant he lunged forward, reached out, and snatched hold of my arm with an expression of victory. The Master's blessing surged through my arm with an unnerving tingle, but I was ready with my knees planted against the bars, while my other arm provided support.

My hand gripped Clyde's wrist in response, and I pulled back with all the force I had. Clyde's paws scratched against the floor but without proper support he lost his balance. He stumbled forward and I kept pulling until he slammed into the bars. Clyde's arm was pulled outside of the cage, and I hardened my grip before pulling it toward the side.

A guttural scream of pain ripped through the room while his shoulder creaked, and his elbow groaned from the sudden strain. Moments from snapping his arm in two, I stopped, turned my head, and focused on his head which was now pressed against the bars.

"Laugh a little, Clyde. It's just fun and games, like when you chased me, remember?"

Clyde's expression was wrenched with pain and fear while tears welled up in his eyes, "Stop! Please!"

"Now that's familiar, sounds just like me back then, doesn't it!?"

Clyde winced and whimpered while tears dripped from his eyes, "I'm sorry! Stop!"

I reached down with my free arm, fetched a syringe from my pocket, and raised it. Clyde gasped in surprise while I moved it, stabbed it into his exposed arm, and pushed the injector.

A shrill yelp escaped his muzzle before I let go and watched him pull his arm back in desperation. Moments later he stumbled, fell onto the harsh floor, and scrambled to seek safety in the other end of the cage.

Clyde looked up in crying fury, and snapped, "What did you do!?"

I leaned onto the cage, and spoke with a soft voice, "You're going to help me defeat the Master, whether you want to or not. But don't worry, you should find solace in that your sacrifice will make things better. That's how things work, right? A sacrifice for the benefit of the many."

Clyde clutched his arm while his eyes bulged like saucers, "Avery, I'm sorry for what we did."

"Don't worry, I'm quite merciful. You see, that sedative will keep you asleep while the plates do their work, and when you wake up. You'll be quite different, I promise you."

Clyde began to shake like a shivering leaf and stumbled onto two legs while clutching his arm, "Avery! It's me! We're friends! Stop! I'm begging you!"

His words stirred something deep in my heart, and I felt a tickling sensation of irony trickle through me. I stepped back, couldn't hold it, and began to laugh. The laugh wasn't fueled by joy, instead it felt like an age old wish coming to fruition in a most absurd sense. It made me grin, and chuckle, while my heart thumped with excitement.

How does it feel, Clyde? To be in my seat...

Still smirking and chuckling I focused on him, "Do you have any idea what two years of torment does to a person? When you go to bed and the only thing keeping you sane is hatred and a longing wish that one day, you'll have revenge?"

Clyde blinked, shook his head, and stumbled as if drunk, "Avery... Please, I... Don't want to die..."

"Oh, but Clyde? Your sacrifice will help make things better, surely you're willing to make that sacrifice? Or could it be that you're a fucking hypocrite?" I asked.

Drool trickled from Clyde's muzzle while his breathing grew slow and labored. Moments later he stumbled, caught himself, and slumped onto his knees.

"I... We didn't want to... Even Raymond... He..." Clyde murmured.

"Hmm?" I hummed in wonder.

Clyde leaned forward and got on all four while his eyelids kept drooping lower and lower, "Don't... Do this... Pl-"

Mid sentence he sank down, slumped on the ground, and fell to the side, unconscious.

788 I.C, March 1, The Pierced Veil: Laboratory, Midday

"Scalpel?" I asked and held out my hand.

Talwin fetched it with a moments notice, placed it in my hand, and gave me a look that caught my attention. Anger, a hint of sadness, disappointment.

I looked down onto Clyde's now open chest, and the bare ribcage that was riddled with crystal, "Is something wrong, Talwin?"

"Yes," Talwin answered.

I looked up once more, "What?"

Talwin took a deep breath, "Sometimes, you can be pretty damn cruel. An outright monster."

He heard... Of course he heard... With every day he learns how to become a better mage...

"How much did you hear?" I asked.

Talwin gave me a sour frown, "Enough to hear your lie about the tiles in the floor. Enough to hear you laugh in his face when he pleaded for mercy."

"I see," I whispered.

Talwin's expression told it all, stoic, sour, anger, "Are you happy?"

I closed my eyes for a moment, "Have you ever been at the edge of falling asleep, and suddenly you feel this onslaught of panic, dread, and sorrow. A sensation so strong that you get up in the middle of the night, head to the top of the castle walls, and stand on the edge, moments from jumping?"

"No, I haven't," Talwin answered.

"Something happens to you when you stand on that edge, and you force yourself not to jump by dredging up the darkest things you can summon. Hatred, revenge, spite."

"Avery," Talwin whispered.

"I clung to that revenge and my hatred kept me going. It worked, for years I went to bed and told myself that one day, I'd be powerful enough to have my revenge. Living like that twists you on the inside, it blackens a part of your heart."

"Is that who you are, revenge, hatred, and spite?" Talwin asked.

I sighed, "I did enjoy what I did to Clyde, for a brief moment that is. Now I regret it," I answered.

Talwin blinked and his expression softened a little, "Why?"

"For a moment I made him taste what I experienced, and for a moment that darkness in my heart was satiated. But the thing is that is doesn't heal the pain my hatred was hiding," I said.

"Congratulations, you just figured out what a double edged sword that hatred and revenge is."

I raised my brow, "Don't be an ass, Talwin. Even if you're angry with me."

Talwin drew a deep breath, "Sorry, what happens now?"

I motioned to Clyde's open chest, "Now we focus on this, and we hope that he survives, otherwise I'll have to live with what I did for the rest of my life."

Talwin nodded, "And when he wakes up you'll ask his forgiveness."

"Forgiveness!? Are you aware of what he did, not to me, but to others?" I asked with a frown.

Talwin's ears perked, "No. Do you? Can you say you know what he truly did during that raid, and the circumstances surrounding it?"

"No, the logbook didn't specify that," I answered.

"In other words, you almost made him soil himself out of fright, just to satiate yourself?"

Warmth rushed to my face as I stared back, "Yes, and I'm sorry for that."

"I'm not the one you should apologize to," Talwin retorted.

"The things they did to me-" I whispered before Talwin interrupted me.

"Were horrible, that but doesn't give you the right to make them suffer. From what I remember that's supposed to be a wulfkin lesson, isn't it: Kill your prey, don't make it suffer?"

"I neither tortured nor intend to kill him," I said.

"Questionable, given what you almost did to his arm, and his mind," Talwin answered.

I clenched my teeth while his words sank in, "If he survives, then I will ask his forgiveness, when the time comes."

"When the time comes?" Talwin asked.

I looked down, "We need to make Clyde realize what Everwinter truly is. I'll apologize when the time is right."

Talwin made a solemn nod, "I understand, but it's you, not Clyde, that I'm worried about."

"Oh..." I whispered.

Talwin motioned to Clyde, "But for now, let's focus on this."

788 I.C, March 1, The Pierced Veil: Laboratory, Night

Once more...

I aligned the crystal, configured a spell for it, and triggered it. The device charged with a high pitched whine, and created a blast of energy directed into Clyde's chest. A moment later the crystal cracked from the feedback.

This isn't working... Despite being aimed directly at the core...

"Avery?" Talwin asked.

I looked up, "Yes?"

Talwin made a morose smile, "This isn't working, is it?"

"No, it isn't," I answered with a shake of my head.

Talwin looked down, "Sometimes it helps to go things over, could you explain what we're doing? What... I'm looking at here?"

I drew a deep breath, grabbed a scalpel, and pointed at Clyde's open chest, "We cleaned the hide, cut through the upper layers, and peeled it back to reveal the ribcage."

Talwin pointed at the thick and almost transparent layer that coated most of the crystal, "What's this?"

"That's a fibrous layer of cartilage, it's most likely an attempt of the body to isolate the parasitic crystals that are growing throughout his body," I answered.

"Parasitic?" Talwin asked.

I took a scalpel and pointed to a jagged dark blue core in the very center of the ribcage, "This is the core of what we call the Master's Blessing. A crystalline entity forcefully inserted in the chest of recently matured wulfkins."

"I see," Talwin said.

I let the blunt edge of the scalpel trail layers of crystalline tendrils that grew along the ribs, "Once inserted it starts growing these tendrils that spread along the skeleton."

"What does it do?" Talwin asked.

"I think the tendrils are responsible for draining the life energy and funneling it back to the core."

Talwin pondered it for a moment, "So the core gathers it, and creates an anti-magic field that's this powerful?"

I shook my head, "I don't think so."

"What do you mean?" Talwin asked.

"I find it hard to believe that a single person's energy would be able to create such a field. It would be like expecting a candle to melt tons of ore."

"Any idea of how it works then?" Talwin asked.

I nodded, "I think that the core acts as a two-way conduit to the Master."

"Two way?" Talwin asked.

"Think of the Master's wulfkins as a network rather than individuals. In most cases they simple walk around and channel energy into the Master. But what happens when one of them is under attack? The flow is redirected, and all of a sudden you don't have the energy of one person backing you up, but the entire network."

Talwin pondered it for a moment, "We're not fighting one individual, we're fighting a field generated by thousands."

"That's my best theory, yes," I answered.

"Then how do you ever hope to breach it?" Talwin asked.

I sighed, "I was hoping to find some kind of weakness. Maybe there was a limit to how much energy that can be channeled through one person? Maybe there's a delay in how quickly the system can respond? Maybe... There's some kind of gap so that I could use to disable the conduit?"

"But it's not working?" Talwin asked.

I shook my head, "No, not yet at least."

"How about one of those magical bullets?"

"Do you know the difference between a magnet and an electromagnet?" I asked.

Talwin smiled and nodded, "Certain locks can be opened with an electromagnet, father taught me."

"Oh? Anyway, a magnet is magnetic by default, while an electromagnet becomes magnetic once an electric current is run through it."

"I know, and this is relevant because?" Talwin asked.

"There's a parallel that can be drawn to the field generated by wulfkins, and the magic bullets," I answered.

Talwin pondered it for a moment, "The bullets disrupt magic because of what they are made of. The wulfkins disrupt magic because of a spell generated within them, and that's why their power ceases to function when they die."

I nodded, "Exactly. Clyde is riddled with a crystal parasite that uses intricate magic, if the core came into contact with a field that wrecked such havoc, then he'd likely die instantaneously."

Talwin's shoulders slouched as he looked down, "What if you cut out the core?"

"This scalpel can barely scratch the crystal and I can't use magic to cut it. We'd need heavy hammers to break it."

Talwin's eyes widened for a moment as he imagined the operation, "Let's not do that..."

"To make matters worse is that we're running out of time," I said.

Talwin's eyes trailed the trails of blood along Clyde's side, "Yeah. Any ideas, or do we sew him up and try another time?"

"There is one thing I haven't tried yet," I whispered.

"Oh?" Talwin asked.

I reached into my shirt, caught the necklace with a claw, and held it in my hand, "The Star."

"You're planning to drain his 'life', if there's any in there?" Talwin asked.

I shook my head, "The Star drains life by shaping magic in ways that even the Master is incapable of replicating. If I can control it, then maybe I can break through."

"You've been awfully quiet about the star, why?" Talwin asked.

I looked up and met his eyes, "The Star is more than just a tool, in some ways... It's alive."

Talwin raised his brow in wonder, "What?"

"It's primitive, but there's something inside it, a sentience." I answered.

"It's... alive?" Talwin asked.

I motioned to the other end of the room outside of the shield, "Maybe. Just to be safe, could you step out of the shield while I try this?"

Talwin nodded and stepped back, "Be careful?"

"Of course," I answered while Talwin walked out of the shield.

I looked down at the Star in my hand and drew a deep breath. There was a certain chill to it and from a glance it looked like little more than a cheap trinket. Yet, something had changed since last time. A presence rested at the edge of my consciousness, like a shadow in the periphery. With a moments focus I latched onto it, and once more felt the eerie presence.

Curiosity... Excitement... Hunger...

I tried to focus on what I wanted, to sever the ties which bound Clyde to the Master's blessing.

Excitement! Cut! Feed! Hunger! Poke! Prod! Unravel!

The Star wanted to feed and I recoiled in fright while I focused my mind.

I want to help him... Not kill him...

The excitement emanating from the Star ebbed and I felt a hint of disappointment, yet excitement at being of use once more. Moments later the there was a flare of light and the Star's core began to became a whirling torrent. It illuminated the room with a reddish glow that made the shadows dance and crawl on the walls as if they were alive.

The light focused around Clyde, and seeped into his body. His skeleton began to glow through his body and within seconds I could see the skeletal form of a wulfkin invaded by tendrils of radiant crystal and a core that flared with light.

Something grew from the crystal core within Clyde's chest and lifted into the air. It looked like a construct of parts and hovering arcane symbols that churned with activity. Jutting out of the aetheric contraption was a beam of light that pointed and disappeared into the wall.

I pondered the direction of the beam for a moment, thought of where we were in relation to the city, and found the answer. It was pointing north-northwest, straight at Everwinter.

An aetheric tendril reached out from the Star, moved towards the beam of light, and gently circled it. It then began to tug on it, and pulled the beam toward me. Within seconds the now warped beam rested in front of me, as if presented on a silver platter.

Cut!

The Star screamed at me, and I felt an urge to follow its advice, to see what would happen. I raised my hand, reached out, and saw red tendrils spread down my arm before wrapping encircling my hand in the jagged form of a gauntlet with claws.

_Cut! Cut! CUT! CUT! CUT! CUT! _

My fingers wrapped around the beam of light and the claws began to cut through it. In an instant there was a sudden but low rumble in the distance. In moments the rumble grew clearer, louder, and formed the distorted roar of an angered god.

_ CUT! _

Something was approaching on the aether's horizon, a raging roar of fury backed up by the tormented screams of thousands.

_ CUT! NOW! _

I acted, clenched my hand tight, and felt the beam of light snap under the pressure. The enraged scream ended with an abrupt click, and was followed by a sudden silence. Within moments the aetheric machinery still hovering above Clyde's chest began to flicker. The runic symbols shifted in panic, parts of it were jerked loose, and with a fizzle of energy the entire construct faded.

"Avery?" Talwin whispered.

The red glow of the Star faded and its presence dissipated from my mind.

"Is he dead?" Talwin asked.

I was jolted from my daze and blinked in surprise while focusing on Clyde. To my horror he lay still, unmoving, and the eerie silence didn't just fill the room, it filled the aether as well. My heart thumped in fright while I raised my hands, reached out, and gently touched his shoulders.

Nothing... The Master's blessing is gone...

I leaned closer, focused on the still open ribcage, and noticed movement. His heart still beat within the depths of his chest.

"He's alive..." I whispered.

Talwin walked up to Clyde's side, "I can't sense the Master's blessing."

"It's gone... The Star helped me cut the connection, but the Master noticed... He was furious."

Talwin carefully reached out, placed a hand on Clyde's arm, and nodded, "This is... strange."

I looked up in wonder, "Hmm?"

Talwin leaned closer, "The Master's blessing is gone... But I can't, you know, sense life."

I touched Clyde's throat, felt his pulse, and listened to his steady breathing, yet as Talwin said, there was no presence in the aether that indicated life. I firmly placed a hand by his side, closed my eyes, and focused on the aether.

Hidden deep within, barely shielded, humming with little more than a whisper, was a struggling presence doing its best to keep Clyde alive.

"Talwin, get the life crystals, from upstairs, and hurry," I said.