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I can assure you that the initial prologue and three chapters will probably seem rather dull for most, and I apologize in advance for that. But once things get rolling, it is designed to be very interactive and action packed. The main character is indeed one of my main fursonas, so these stories are a reflection of things that I would do in this campaign/series. I hope you grow to enjoy it and continue following the series :D\n\nJude Magress was just a simple 21 year old youth living a pleasant life until his world became flipped upside down upon realizing he was a werewolf. Leaving his home to set off on a quest of self discovery and learn to control his wolfish side, Jude will face great perils/challenges and come across new friends in his journey to correct the mess that has plagued his family for years and make his mark as a servant of the realm.\n\nA no-holds bar match between beast and man in the city streets comes tonight. Who will walk away with the victory...or their life?", "description_bbcode_parsed": "This is an adventure series that follows a young werewolf over the span of a world. I can assure you that the initial prologue and three chapters will probably seem rather dull for most, and I apologize in advance for that. But once things get rolling, it is designed to be very interactive and action packed. The main character is indeed one of my main fursonas, so these stories are a reflection of things that I would do in this campaign/series. I hope you grow to enjoy it and continue following the series :D

Jude Magress was just a simple 21 year old youth living a pleasant life until his world became flipped upside down upon realizing he was a werewolf. Leaving his home to set off on a quest of self discovery and learn to control his wolfish side, Jude will face great perils/challenges and come across new friends in his journey to correct the mess that has plagued his family for years and make his mark as a servant of the realm.

A no-holds bar match between beast and man in the city streets comes tonight. Who will walk away with the victory...or their life?", "writing": "Chapter 5: One on One\n\n\tThe guards stepped back in an arc as their leader stepped forth towards the gate, motioning with one hand for the others to maintain position: no one was to intervene. Even the hooded men at the iron gate, still slowly making leeway with raising the gate, dared not mess with the two combatants. They didn't know how Jude or the beast he now was would react to their interference, despite trying to help him. No. This was a warrior's code invoked from the challenge. And the red-bearded knight was up for the task.\n\n\tThe Inquisitor was no slouch of a warrior, despite being the former head of investigations for the kingdom. He was once a decorated officer in the previous Great War against Dalkia when it tried to invade the forest regions of Gallia. His leadership was decisive and swift by the tactics he used, earning him lasting respect among the men who served under him as well as his superiors, which included Lord Stark of Valenhold. On the battlefield, he fought like a demon, showing no mercy to any foe who attacked his men or the innocent. Fortunately for his enemies, the Inquisitor was chivalric in all he did, going so far as to even spare wounded foes or grace them with a swift death. The man was a legend. Yet staring down the massive animal that paced before him with unwavering eyes, he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time: fear.\n\n\tThe werewolf circled its mark cautiously with each step, the anticipation building by the second for a taste of his flesh. Saliva trickled off its black lupine lips as its tongue tasted the cold air. His lungs sucked the scent in from his prey with each breath from his barreled chest. The primal hunger could not be denied from him. The beast's last \"toy\" was no fun. It died too quickly and hardly fought back. But THIS one smelt different. The wolf grinned his toothy maw with delight as he finished his survey, a low growl escaping its mouth.\n\n\tMy sword will be useless against this creature, thought the Inquisitor has he glanced down at his blade. Silver and magic are the only effective things to kill these beasts, and I have neither. I'll have to improvise something if I'm to subdue it. \n\n\t\"My lord be careful!\" hollered one of the rear guards. \"That beast is-\"\n\n\t\"I know who and what it is soldier,\" the bearded knight shouted back. \"I order none of you blokes to intervene, no matter how badly I get hurt. This is my prisoner... He's my responsibility, and I'll take care of it.\"\n\n\tA low chuckle belched from the werewolf at the remark. \"Bold words...human,\" it uttered in a bone chilling voice.\n\n\t\"I've fought yer kind before along the Gallian border. You don't phase me in the slightest,\" rebutted the warrior as he spit beneath the towering creature. The Inquisitor glanced down to unbuckle his belt and sword as the wolf looked on. \"Hold this lad,\" he told a guard as he tossed the set over to him. Cracking his knuckles a few times, the knight stood tall as he clasped his palms to his center and closed his eyes to concentrate.\n\n\t\"Fighting me with no weapon...you won't lay a scratch on me,\" the lycanthrope uttered as it ran its firm paw down its left arm. \n\n\tA slow smile crossed the humans lips. \"I don't need a weapon to beat you...not when I am a weapon.\" Suddenly, the street rocks began to ripple and shake as a wave swept along the ground. Taking a deep breath, the dark emerald knight flexed his arms to his side in one fluid motion as he barked out at his foe: \"IRON STANCE!\" In an instant, his outer frame began to pulse with a strange aura. The werewolf was perplexed at what had occurred, but not threatened in the slightest.\n\n\t\"I grow tired of waiting...\" the wolf growled as it clicked its hind legs against the ground before catapulting itself towards the Inquisitor. As a vicious swipe rained down, the knight braced himself and raised his left arm to meet the blow, catching the wolf by its tattooed wrist. Try as it might, the beast couldn't make the man budge or break free his grip as it swiped forward with its other claw in frustration. The man anticipated the follow up attack and reached forward with the other hand, locking both claws in place as the wolf snapped several times towards his bearded face. Rearing his head back, the knight simultaneously pulled the beast forward as he launched a fearsome headbutt in retaliation to the charge. \n\n\tThe creature yowled from blow as his skull cracked slightly from the impact, like getting hit by a battering ram to the face. Seizing the chance while the beast was stunned, the Inquisitor yanked him back again and slammed his iron forehead smack into the black nose of his foe. The wolf pulled its grip free as it brought a paw to his nose, blood now trickling from a nostril as his gaze glanced to see the warrior now squatting down with fists extended. It tried to side step the coming attack, but the strike was swift and hit true. The Inquisitor blasted the wolf's chest with a palm strike as its ribs warped inward slightly from the blow. The wind burst from its mouth as the werewolf went flying several feet down the street before flipping and landing flat on its bruised chest. \n\n\t\"I can't scratch you while I lack silver,\" boasted the Inquisitor as his stared down his battered adversary. \"But that won't stop me from breaking every bone in yer body till ya grovel like a beaten pup. You might as well give up, lad. As long as I'm in my Iron Stance, ya can't harm me.\"\n\n\tAs the beast slowly rose up with an extended arm, the knight charged it with a fist at the ready as the wolf still was on its knees. A slight toothy grin flashed across its muzzle as a clenched fist hurled toward its head. \"Too slow!\" barked the werewolf as in an instant it shifted its body in an arc around the blow and swept the lunging knight off his feet with a heavy kick, landing face first into the icy gravel. The creature was on him in a flash as it pinned both his arms to the ground and raked both its hind legs down the back plate of the armor. Despite the strong aura, the beast's claws grinded through the metal as sparks and shavings flew with each strike. The Inquisitor gasped in his chest from underneath the creature's massive weight, using all his strength to throw it off before it tore through his armor. After a few heaves with no success from the beast latching onto his arms, the warrior flipped himself with a strong blast of his arms against the ground to place himself now on top of his foe with his back to its chest. The werewolf growled and took a bite at his exposed head, but the knight flexed his neck just out of reach of the bite. \"Get...OFF!\" the beast roared as it hurled the plated fighter like a rag doll into the side of a building. \n\n\tJumping back to its feet, the lycanthrope charged its prey as it slashed out with reckless fury. The Inquisitor shielded most of the blows with his bracers, but a few scratches swung across his chest and legs. He focused his resolve to block out the pain as the beast jumped up to deliver a devastating gut shot with its foot, making the man crash back first and bounce off the wall again. The warrior yelled a war cry back as he rushed forward and volleyed a flurry of several punches at the beast, but each blow was gracefully dodged by the wolf. The beast seized a moment for a follow up strike with a claw swipe, but the bearded fighter wouldn't go down so easily, charging shoulder first into it and ramming its back into the nearby lamppost. The structure held fast as the furred body collided with it, sending it reeling in pain as it paced backward, giving the Inquisitor a brief moment to catch his breath as he spit out a glob of blood. In a rage, the lycanthrope bellowed a deep growl before charging the winded knight. Now's my chance! thought the knight as he balled up his fist. Although the raging beast couldn't see it since the warrior's back was to it, energy slowly faded from the aura as his fist shimmered along his plated glove. The beast raised its right claw skyward to meet its prey as the Inquisitor was already turning to face it head on. \"LION'S HOWL!\" yelled the burly man as he swung his concealed fist. \n\n\tIn a split second, the werewolf reacted as best it could at the coming attack, turning its swipe sideways as it shielded with its right arm. The sound of cracking bone split the air as the fist connected with the muscled arm; the shockwave from the impact rippled the bone to pieces as a stunned looking werewolf was launched flying into the iron gate. The metal gate was only halfway up by now from the hooded man's effort (no doubt from the lever being bolted down tightly) as the beast crashed against it. It fell back to the ground as it kneeled and roared in pain, feeling several back ribs fracture from the collision. \n\n\t\"Brother, the gate's jammed shut now!,\" yelled the hooded man from below to his colleague along the wall. \"Jude's feral side won't relent any aggression at this rate. We have to get him out another way.\"\n\n\t\"Now's our chance. We got them cornered and the beast is wounded,\" pointed one of the rear guards towards the massive wolf as it staggered to its feet and fell again to his knees. \"Get them!\" A hearty yell rushed forth from them as they rushed forward when suddenly the burly fighter turned to them and yelled at them to not interfere at all. But the guards were too fueled with moral to care about following orders as they continued forward. Despite his efforts to hold the men back, the Inquisitor was only one man; they were a force of over 20 soldiers. He slammed one to the side with a swift punch and knocked out another to the ground with a side kick before the stampede buried him on the ground. On the other end though at the gate though, the beast was already getting back on its feet and staring down the mob as the hooded figure charged forth to keep the beast back from them. It was a fight the werewolf couldn't win, but the adrenaline and primal rush from being in a feral trance blocked out all reason. All it saw was an even greater challenge and more corpses to add to the streets. The wolf grinned with a blood stained fangs as it trudged forward, it right arm mangled and dangling to its side. The hooded figure shouted at it face to face as it tried to pull him toward the ladder, telling Jude to snap out of it; he'd be kill by all of them if he fought, regardless of no silver weapons. An annoyed scowl crossed its face as it instantly grabbed him by the vest and tossed him to the floor. \n\n\t\"Hmmph, I'm sorry to do this Jude. But if you won't come willingly, then we'll make you come,\" muttered the downed man as he swiped a hidden black vial from his coat and hurled it into the creature's face as a black gas contaminated the area. His partner followed suit and tossed a few balls of the same substance below as it dowsed the guards that rushed through the fog. The masked man immediately rushed the creature as it fell to the floor, knocked out cold from the gas; fortunately the mask shielded the man from the vapors so it wouldn't affect him. More than half of the guards rushed through the fog without stopping as they dropped forward immediately after coughing through the smokescreen; the others floored the brakes in their run to not be caught, shielding their face quickly from the fumes. The men only had a minute to act before their diversion would vanish. The wall figure reached to side of a barrel for a nearby rope, tossing it below to his colleague as the big man tried to dead lift the incapacitated werewolf onto its feet. Sweat soaked into his robes from the physical exertion to lift the nearly 360 pound furred body just inches off the ground, but he somehow got it up enough to wrapped the rope a few times around its torso before braiding it in place. His partner began to hoist the body upward to the ramparts while he gave a push from below, but he flinched briefly to grab his side from a jolt. The masked man glanced at the glove as crimson dampened the black leather. Just a flesh wound, he reassured himself as he took both hairy legs pushed upward again. The werewolf only needed a few feet to go as it dangled now close to twenty feet in the air, but remained knocked out. Suddenly just a few feet from the ledge within pulling distance, the rope began to slip from the man's partner as the friction burnt his gloves. The wolf fell a few feet before the partner fastened his footing against the icy stone to stop the descent. Acting quickly, he tossed the rope around a column point along the wall for more tension and tugged as hard as he could to pull the beast up. Down below, things were looking grim as the fog had all but vanished now and a few guards who still stood emerged forth. The masked man knew they were out of time, but they needed to stall a little longer. Glancing to his side at the rampart access point as a guard rushed him with his blade, the man brandished his shortsword again to parry the blow and sink spare dagger in his free hand into his back, dropping him dead. The figure leapt up to grab a ledge and pull himself up as another guard rushed and slashed at his chest, only to strike the building instead out of reach. \n\n\tBack up the street as the chase unfolded with guards rushing to find a spare bow, the Inquisitor was now back on his feet. He stared with a determined gaze as the two figures pulled the werewolf onto the ramparts as the guards rammed the barricaded door below that led to the upper level (no doubt done earlier by the mystery men). Blast it, the Inquisitor thought as he spit the ground with blood. The warrior retrieved his sword as he joined his men at the barricaded door to ram it down, telling them to get back. Channeling the remaining aura he still held, he thrust an open palm strike against the metal frame as a shockwave erupted forth and blasted the metal off its hinges. Their boots scrambled up the staircase to the top in a matter of seconds as it was a tight corridor. The Inquisitor exited the opening first to be shocked at the sight but figured it made sense. \n\n\tWith the gate jammed shut, the only way out of the castle was over the side wall and onto the bridge that extended forth. But the drop was steep and the bridge had an roof that covered the gate entrance, making the jump less easy to pull off, much less with large werewolf that was still out cold. \"Halt don't jump!\" barked the Inquisitor as he rushed forward with a few men, yet his command was all but ignored as one of the hooded men took the beast onto the side and heaved it over. The man stared in shock from the werewolf's arm slipping from his grip too early as he tried to heave it over the gate roof. The beast's body crashed against the tiles and kicked off some snow patches as it couldn't make it the distance to slide down the front; instead, it caught the side slope that went away from the bridge as it plunged back first into the frigid stream that ran below. His brother blocked the swing of the Inquisitor has the warrior charged the masked man, forcing him to parry the swing and hold the sword at bay, keeping it a good distance from him. The man could only curse under his breath as he barked back at an order at his stunned colleague. \n\n\t\"Hurry and jump. I can't them off forever!,\" yelled the man as he shoved the Inquisitor back with his boot into the others, knocking them into the passageway. \"He'll drown in those waters!\"\n\n\t\"No brother, we must both go. I won't leave you here,\" pleaded the other man as he looked over the edge. He needed to act fast, lest Jude would be lost in the current.\n\n\t\"There's no time to argue! You were told to keep Jude safe while I delivered him,\" he barked back as his steel clashed again with the emerald knight. \"Now get going!\" \n\n\t\"Don't do it fool, you'll die from falling from that height, ya hear?,\" shouted the Inquisitor as the man glanced a gaze back to his partner. In a stand still, they simply nodded at each other, knowing it had to be done. In an instant, the figure was gone as he plunged over the side into the frigid waters. \"Damn it man, why can't you listen to reason?\" questioned the burly man as he stared past the clashed blades to the man behind the mask. A pair of eyes staring back was all the response he got. \"There's nowhere left for ya to go. The crime of harboring a fugitive is punishable by death on sight.\" As he muttered the words, the knight pressed the blades close to the masked man's face as he disarmed him with a swish of his wrist before shoving him into the wooden barrel on the rampart corner. Slowly with guards huddled behind him, the warrior paced forward with gleaming blade at the ready. The masked man remained silent, clutching his the bloodied side of his vest as he sat against the barrel. \"Have ya any last words?\"\n\n\tAfter a brief silence, a hearty laugh came from under the mask at the question, the knight clearly not amused. \"Last words, you say? Only those...who are their end...are they fitting for.\" He shook his hooded head. \"Your name, sir Inquisitor?\"\n\n\tThe warrior was surprised by the response, but complied nonetheless. \"I am High Inquisitor Barnham, former head commander of the royal guard.\"\n\n\t\"Heh heh...Barnham.\" After a pause, the hooded figure looked up into his eyes and remarked \"I'll remember that name when we meet again.\" \n\n\t\"What did you-\" the Inquisitor had no time to get his words out as another vial slipped out of the downed man's robe and burst a flash of light in front, blinding the guards. When their vision returned, they scoured the sides of the ramparts and below, but there was no trace of the man. If he had jumped, he would already be washed into the nearby lake with the others that went by now. Slamming his fist against the side wall, the knight stared over the wall as the frigid air blew in the evening sky, listening only to the sound of the running stream below.\n\n\t\"What should we do, Lord Barnham?,\" asked one of the rear guards.\n\n\tSheathing his blade, Barnham stroked his beard with a sigh as he addressed the men. \"Rally the horses at the southern gate in one hour with fresh patrolmen. And get my horse ready. I need to relay the news of the escape at once to the Duke.\" \n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Chapter 5: One on One

\tThe guards stepped back in an arc as their leader stepped forth towards the gate, motioning with one hand for the others to maintain position: no one was to intervene. Even the hooded men at the iron gate, still slowly making leeway with raising the gate, dared not mess with the two combatants. They didn't know how Jude or the beast he now was would react to their interference, despite trying to help him. No. This was a warrior's code invoked from the challenge. And the red-bearded knight was up for the task.

\tThe Inquisitor was no slouch of a warrior, despite being the former head of investigations for the kingdom. He was once a decorated officer in the previous Great War against Dalkia when it tried to invade the forest regions of Gallia. His leadership was decisive and swift by the tactics he used, earning him lasting respect among the men who served under him as well as his superiors, which included Lord Stark of Valenhold. On the battlefield, he fought like a demon, showing no mercy to any foe who attacked his men or the innocent. Fortunately for his enemies, the Inquisitor was chivalric in all he did, going so far as to even spare wounded foes or grace them with a swift death. The man was a legend. Yet staring down the massive animal that paced before him with unwavering eyes, he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time: fear.

\tThe werewolf circled its mark cautiously with each step, the anticipation building by the second for a taste of his flesh. Saliva trickled off its black lupine lips as its tongue tasted the cold air. His lungs sucked the scent in from his prey with each breath from his barreled chest. The primal hunger could not be denied from him. The beast's last "toy" was no fun. It died too quickly and hardly fought back. But THIS one smelt different. The wolf grinned his toothy maw with delight as he finished his survey, a low growl escaping its mouth.

\tMy sword will be useless against this creature, thought the Inquisitor has he glanced down at his blade. Silver and magic are the only effective things to kill these beasts, and I have neither. I'll have to improvise something if I'm to subdue it.

\t"My lord be careful!" hollered one of the rear guards. "That beast is-"

\t"I know who and what it is soldier," the bearded knight shouted back. "I order none of you blokes to intervene, no matter how badly I get hurt. This is my prisoner... He's my responsibility, and I'll take care of it."

\tA low chuckle belched from the werewolf at the remark. "Bold words...human," it uttered in a bone chilling voice.

\t"I've fought yer kind before along the Gallian border. You don't phase me in the slightest," rebutted the warrior as he spit beneath the towering creature. The Inquisitor glanced down to unbuckle his belt and sword as the wolf looked on. "Hold this lad," he told a guard as he tossed the set over to him. Cracking his knuckles a few times, the knight stood tall as he clasped his palms to his center and closed his eyes to concentrate.

\t"Fighting me with no weapon...you won't lay a scratch on me," the lycanthrope uttered as it ran its firm paw down its left arm.

\tA slow smile crossed the humans lips. "I don't need a weapon to beat you...not when I am a weapon." Suddenly, the street rocks began to ripple and shake as a wave swept along the ground. Taking a deep breath, the dark emerald knight flexed his arms to his side in one fluid motion as he barked out at his foe: "IRON STANCE!" In an instant, his outer frame began to pulse with a strange aura. The werewolf was perplexed at what had occurred, but not threatened in the slightest.

\t"I grow tired of waiting..." the wolf growled as it clicked its hind legs against the ground before catapulting itself towards the Inquisitor. As a vicious swipe rained down, the knight braced himself and raised his left arm to meet the blow, catching the wolf by its tattooed wrist. Try as it might, the beast couldn't make the man budge or break free his grip as it swiped forward with its other claw in frustration. The man anticipated the follow up attack and reached forward with the other hand, locking both claws in place as the wolf snapped several times towards his bearded face. Rearing his head back, the knight simultaneously pulled the beast forward as he launched a fearsome headbutt in retaliation to the charge.

\tThe creature yowled from blow as his skull cracked slightly from the impact, like getting hit by a battering ram to the face. Seizing the chance while the beast was stunned, the Inquisitor yanked him back again and slammed his iron forehead smack into the black nose of his foe. The wolf pulled its grip free as it brought a paw to his nose, blood now trickling from a nostril as his gaze glanced to see the warrior now squatting down with fists extended. It tried to side step the coming attack, but the strike was swift and hit true. The Inquisitor blasted the wolf's chest with a palm strike as its ribs warped inward slightly from the blow. The wind burst from its mouth as the werewolf went flying several feet down the street before flipping and landing flat on its bruised chest.

\t"I can't scratch you while I lack silver," boasted the Inquisitor as his stared down his battered adversary. "But that won't stop me from breaking every bone in yer body till ya grovel like a beaten pup. You might as well give up, lad. As long as I'm in my Iron Stance, ya can't harm me."

\tAs the beast slowly rose up with an extended arm, the knight charged it with a fist at the ready as the wolf still was on its knees. A slight toothy grin flashed across its muzzle as a clenched fist hurled toward its head. "Too slow!" barked the werewolf as in an instant it shifted its body in an arc around the blow and swept the lunging knight off his feet with a heavy kick, landing face first into the icy gravel. The creature was on him in a flash as it pinned both his arms to the ground and raked both its hind legs down the back plate of the armor. Despite the strong aura, the beast's claws grinded through the metal as sparks and shavings flew with each strike. The Inquisitor gasped in his chest from underneath the creature's massive weight, using all his strength to throw it off before it tore through his armor. After a few heaves with no success from the beast latching onto his arms, the warrior flipped himself with a strong blast of his arms against the ground to place himself now on top of his foe with his back to its chest. The werewolf growled and took a bite at his exposed head, but the knight flexed his neck just out of reach of the bite. "Get...OFF!" the beast roared as it hurled the plated fighter like a rag doll into the side of a building.

\tJumping back to its feet, the lycanthrope charged its prey as it slashed out with reckless fury. The Inquisitor shielded most of the blows with his bracers, but a few scratches swung across his chest and legs. He focused his resolve to block out the pain as the beast jumped up to deliver a devastating gut shot with its foot, making the man crash back first and bounce off the wall again. The warrior yelled a war cry back as he rushed forward and volleyed a flurry of several punches at the beast, but each blow was gracefully dodged by the wolf. The beast seized a moment for a follow up strike with a claw swipe, but the bearded fighter wouldn't go down so easily, charging shoulder first into it and ramming its back into the nearby lamppost. The structure held fast as the furred body collided with it, sending it reeling in pain as it paced backward, giving the Inquisitor a brief moment to catch his breath as he spit out a glob of blood. In a rage, the lycanthrope bellowed a deep growl before charging the winded knight. Now's my chance! thought the knight as he balled up his fist. Although the raging beast couldn't see it since the warrior's back was to it, energy slowly faded from the aura as his fist shimmered along his plated glove. The beast raised its right claw skyward to meet its prey as the Inquisitor was already turning to face it head on. "LION'S HOWL!" yelled the burly man as he swung his concealed fist.

\tIn a split second, the werewolf reacted as best it could at the coming attack, turning its swipe sideways as it shielded with its right arm. The sound of cracking bone split the air as the fist connected with the muscled arm; the shockwave from the impact rippled the bone to pieces as a stunned looking werewolf was launched flying into the iron gate. The metal gate was only halfway up by now from the hooded man's effort (no doubt from the lever being bolted down tightly) as the beast crashed against it. It fell back to the ground as it kneeled and roared in pain, feeling several back ribs fracture from the collision.

\t"Brother, the gate's jammed shut now!," yelled the hooded man from below to his colleague along the wall. "Jude's feral side won't relent any aggression at this rate. We have to get him out another way."

\t"Now's our chance. We got them cornered and the beast is wounded," pointed one of the rear guards towards the massive wolf as it staggered to its feet and fell again to his knees. "Get them!" A hearty yell rushed forth from them as they rushed forward when suddenly the burly fighter turned to them and yelled at them to not interfere at all. But the guards were too fueled with moral to care about following orders as they continued forward. Despite his efforts to hold the men back, the Inquisitor was only one man; they were a force of over 20 soldiers. He slammed one to the side with a swift punch and knocked out another to the ground with a side kick before the stampede buried him on the ground. On the other end though at the gate though, the beast was already getting back on its feet and staring down the mob as the hooded figure charged forth to keep the beast back from them. It was a fight the werewolf couldn't win, but the adrenaline and primal rush from being in a feral trance blocked out all reason. All it saw was an even greater challenge and more corpses to add to the streets. The wolf grinned with a blood stained fangs as it trudged forward, it right arm mangled and dangling to its side. The hooded figure shouted at it face to face as it tried to pull him toward the ladder, telling Jude to snap out of it; he'd be kill by all of them if he fought, regardless of no silver weapons. An annoyed scowl crossed its face as it instantly grabbed him by the vest and tossed him to the floor.

\t"Hmmph, I'm sorry to do this Jude. But if you won't come willingly, then we'll make you come," muttered the downed man as he swiped a hidden black vial from his coat and hurled it into the creature's face as a black gas contaminated the area. His partner followed suit and tossed a few balls of the same substance below as it dowsed the guards that rushed through the fog. The masked man immediately rushed the creature as it fell to the floor, knocked out cold from the gas; fortunately the mask shielded the man from the vapors so it wouldn't affect him. More than half of the guards rushed through the fog without stopping as they dropped forward immediately after coughing through the smokescreen; the others floored the brakes in their run to not be caught, shielding their face quickly from the fumes. The men only had a minute to act before their diversion would vanish. The wall figure reached to side of a barrel for a nearby rope, tossing it below to his colleague as the big man tried to dead lift the incapacitated werewolf onto its feet. Sweat soaked into his robes from the physical exertion to lift the nearly 360 pound furred body just inches off the ground, but he somehow got it up enough to wrapped the rope a few times around its torso before braiding it in place. His partner began to hoist the body upward to the ramparts while he gave a push from below, but he flinched briefly to grab his side from a jolt. The masked man glanced at the glove as crimson dampened the black leather. Just a flesh wound, he reassured himself as he took both hairy legs pushed upward again. The werewolf only needed a few feet to go as it dangled now close to twenty feet in the air, but remained knocked out. Suddenly just a few feet from the ledge within pulling distance, the rope began to slip from the man's partner as the friction burnt his gloves. The wolf fell a few feet before the partner fastened his footing against the icy stone to stop the descent. Acting quickly, he tossed the rope around a column point along the wall for more tension and tugged as hard as he could to pull the beast up. Down below, things were looking grim as the fog had all but vanished now and a few guards who still stood emerged forth. The masked man knew they were out of time, but they needed to stall a little longer. Glancing to his side at the rampart access point as a guard rushed him with his blade, the man brandished his shortsword again to parry the blow and sink spare dagger in his free hand into his back, dropping him dead. The figure leapt up to grab a ledge and pull himself up as another guard rushed and slashed at his chest, only to strike the building instead out of reach.

\tBack up the street as the chase unfolded with guards rushing to find a spare bow, the Inquisitor was now back on his feet. He stared with a determined gaze as the two figures pulled the werewolf onto the ramparts as the guards rammed the barricaded door below that led to the upper level (no doubt done earlier by the mystery men). Blast it, the Inquisitor thought as he spit the ground with blood. The warrior retrieved his sword as he joined his men at the barricaded door to ram it down, telling them to get back. Channeling the remaining aura he still held, he thrust an open palm strike against the metal frame as a shockwave erupted forth and blasted the metal off its hinges. Their boots scrambled up the staircase to the top in a matter of seconds as it was a tight corridor. The Inquisitor exited the opening first to be shocked at the sight but figured it made sense.

\tWith the gate jammed shut, the only way out of the castle was over the side wall and onto the bridge that extended forth. But the drop was steep and the bridge had an roof that covered the gate entrance, making the jump less easy to pull off, much less with large werewolf that was still out cold. "Halt don't jump!" barked the Inquisitor as he rushed forward with a few men, yet his command was all but ignored as one of the hooded men took the beast onto the side and heaved it over. The man stared in shock from the werewolf's arm slipping from his grip too early as he tried to heave it over the gate roof. The beast's body crashed against the tiles and kicked off some snow patches as it couldn't make it the distance to slide down the front; instead, it caught the side slope that went away from the bridge as it plunged back first into the frigid stream that ran below. His brother blocked the swing of the Inquisitor has the warrior charged the masked man, forcing him to parry the swing and hold the sword at bay, keeping it a good distance from him. The man could only curse under his breath as he barked back at an order at his stunned colleague.

\t"Hurry and jump. I can't them off forever!," yelled the man as he shoved the Inquisitor back with his boot into the others, knocking them into the passageway. "He'll drown in those waters!"

\t"No brother, we must both go. I won't leave you here," pleaded the other man as he looked over the edge. He needed to act fast, lest Jude would be lost in the current.

\t"There's no time to argue! You were told to keep Jude safe while I delivered him," he barked back as his steel clashed again with the emerald knight. "Now get going!"

\t"Don't do it fool, you'll die from falling from that height, ya hear?," shouted the Inquisitor as the man glanced a gaze back to his partner. In a stand still, they simply nodded at each other, knowing it had to be done. In an instant, the figure was gone as he plunged over the side into the frigid waters. "Damn it man, why can't you listen to reason?" questioned the burly man as he stared past the clashed blades to the man behind the mask. A pair of eyes staring back was all the response he got. "There's nowhere left for ya to go. The crime of harboring a fugitive is punishable by death on sight." As he muttered the words, the knight pressed the blades close to the masked man's face as he disarmed him with a swish of his wrist before shoving him into the wooden barrel on the rampart corner. Slowly with guards huddled behind him, the warrior paced forward with gleaming blade at the ready. The masked man remained silent, clutching his the bloodied side of his vest as he sat against the barrel. "Have ya any last words?"

\tAfter a brief silence, a hearty laugh came from under the mask at the question, the knight clearly not amused. "Last words, you say? Only those...who are their end...are they fitting for." He shook his hooded head. "Your name, sir Inquisitor?"

\tThe warrior was surprised by the response, but complied nonetheless. "I am High Inquisitor Barnham, former head commander of the royal guard."

\t"Heh heh...Barnham." After a pause, the hooded figure looked up into his eyes and remarked "I'll remember that name when we meet again."

\t"What did you-" the Inquisitor had no time to get his words out as another vial slipped out of the downed man's robe and burst a flash of light in front, blinding the guards. When their vision returned, they scoured the sides of the ramparts and below, but there was no trace of the man. If he had jumped, he would already be washed into the nearby lake with the others that went by now. Slamming his fist against the side wall, the knight stared over the wall as the frigid air blew in the evening sky, listening only to the sound of the running stream below.

\t"What should we do, Lord Barnham?," asked one of the rear guards.

\tSheathing his blade, Barnham stroked his beard with a sigh as he addressed the men. "Rally the horses at the southern gate in one hour with fresh patrolmen. And get my horse ready. I need to relay the news of the escape at once to the Duke."

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