There was just too much happening for Blue to know what to do. They were busy fighting a Werebear, but a swarm of wild animals was still charging out of the forest to join the fight. The Ur-Beast looked like it was under control, but it felt wrong. Blue could sense the magic in the air, the ooze detecting the energy in the air like a shark detecting electrical signals in the water. There was something weird going on with Cirice that they didn't understand, the energy around her dark and dangerous feeling. They felt like it was something they needed to stop. But, they had no time to do so. If they let the Werebear go, she might chase after the fleeing humans.

The weakened Ur-Beast's vacant eyes stared forward, unable to look toward anything, but it grit its teeth and spoke in a weak growl.

"Wretched demoness. Don't think I'll go down so easily."

The animals of the forest all focused their assault on a single target, charging directly toward Cirice. Birds came diving at her, talons pointed to rip into her. Reindeer and bears picked up smaller animals and threw them at her in the air.

The Werebear Blue was fighting turned around and also charged directly toward Cirice, forgetting about Blue. Every minion under the Ur-Beast's command forgot everything except for the one doing the most harm to their master. The running humans screamed out in fear from afar. Another one had suddenly stopped, white fur sprouting all over their body and their clothing tearing at the seams as a second Werebear turned around and charged at Cirice and then a third. Everyone that had received even a tiny scratch as they fled the Ur-Beast transformed and then ran to defend it, like nature itself was disapproving of whatever dark entity had taken control of the girl.

Blue also started running toward them, wondering what they were supposed to do in this situation.

This really was becoming a mess, if the fight didn't end soon Cirice threatened to be consumed by the monsters or the darkness she apparently held inside her. The latter half of those problems could be addressed later, monsters first. Gerhart was going to try and end this now.

His own pair of wings would unfurl from his back, luminous and vibrant covered in the same starry pattern that covered his skin. Electricity coiled around his limbs as he took to the skies with one powerful thrust of the wings. He suddenly moved quickly to the side, almost like a spark of lightning arcing across a gap. In the air he positioned himself in the center of where the werebear and the Ur beast seemed to meet.

Before his sudden descent, Halcyon would swoop down and gently scoop Blue up to clear him from the coming explosion. Gerhart's eyes would flash just for a moment and take the same color as Cirice's as the moon elf finds herself enveloped in a familiar magical protection.[1]

"Let them feel the weight of the stars, the heaven's power hitting them." Madadh-Allaidh's voice calls to Gerhart.

In a flash, the ranger hits the ground, thunder and lightning crackling from the impact point.[2] Arcs of searing lightning burn sickening marks into the fur of both beasts leaving them in an even sorry state than they had been. The Ur-beast lets out its death roar, shaking the three of them to the bones as it rattles even nearby trees.

Werecreatues descending upon Cirice suddenly found themselves paralyzed by the explosion, caught in the arcs of lightning that knocked them out of their senses.

---

1. Black Shield (cast from Cirice's Ring)
2. Astrid's Valkyrie Strike

Cirice opened her eyes as she felt the spell settle over her form like a second skin. She looked up to see Blue aboard Halcyon and Gerhart descending like a glittering star falling from the heavens in a crash of light and electricity.She barely registered the werecreatures near enough to gouge out her throat as her attention was fixed solely on her shining knight.

Revulsion bubbled up from somewhere deep inside her and she blinks at the feeling in confusion. If anything she thought he looked majestic, but her instincts screamed at her to be wary. She shrugged off those feelings with a hard shake of her head and realized that she was about to be beset by all manner of forest creature and the pair of werebears who sizzled with lightning.

Well this is a tight spot. A few more seconds and she’d be forest food. Halcyon is up above, maybe she can… She disappears and in an instantly reappears in the air above the Kestrel, slightly too far to the right and way higher than she’d meant to appear¹. She has faith that the bird will catch her and if he doesn’t her wings can unfurl and hold her aloft.

Her eyes are still drawn to Gerhart and the shimmering wings sprouting from his back, so familiar and yet so foreign. He had never mentioned being aligned with any particular god, perhaps this was a recent development he hadn’t had the chance to tell her about. Whatever the case she’s surprised. The wind tears against her hair and clothes but all she can think about is the conflicting feelings swirling around in her heart.

---

1 Blink

Blue ran across the snow, their speed in their direwolf form easily able to catch up to the charging Werebear. They were still conflicted though. This was someone the Ur-Beast had transformed, a person, not some animal or mindless monster they could just kill and devour.

Their form shifted again, returning to their armored humanoid form. The fur receded to reveal the metal plates as they shrank and morphed. Their arms and legs returned to normal as well, not wanting to slash the Werebear. They'd just shock it into unconsciousness with their bare hands. That should be enough. But suddenly, before they could attempt to do so, they were grabbed by a pair of talons as Halcyon scooped them up and carried them away.

The bird was lucky that the red lightning surrounding Blue had also faded without them noticing. The cold no longer froze them solid, the thermal core finally able to combat the cold again as the Ur-Beast's magic had dissipated and the cold had returned to a natural frigidness instead of the magical snowstorm that penetrated the core's protection.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Blue kicked their legs as they were dragged into the air despite their protests by the big bird.

Below them, an explosion drew their attention as Gerhart(?) used his magic to attack the Ur-Beast, along with all the other creatures around it, with a powerful burst of lightning. The bear lied there dead. It was hard to tell if it was completely blackened by the lightning, or Cirice's magic, but either way it was like a pitch black hill among the snowy expanse of white around it.

All around, the animals that had survived the explosion darted back into the forest, no longer under the Ur-Beast's influence. The three humans who had been turned into Werebeasts however, still remained, but were no longer being forced to charge at Cirice who was suddenly gone.

Wait, shit, she wasn't gone! One of Blue's arms extended to catch the girl that had suddenly appeared above them high in the air, wrapping around her torso like a thick blue noodle with a gauntleted hand at the end and bouncing like a bungie cord.

One of the Werebears on the ground was lying either unconscious or dead thanks to Gerhart's attack, but the two who were farther behind turned around and started running away, toward the fleeing humans. There was still a bit to deal with before this fight could be called completely over, but the main threat was brought down.

---

Soft Body

Halcyon slowly drifted to the ground to set the two down before landing beside them. He let out a cry to further scare off what few beasts remained. The werecreatures seemed to hesitate, unsure of what to do next.

With the ur-beast dead, the preternatural rage that had consumed them was gone. The adrenaline still coursed through their veins, but they had no idea why. Until 15 minutes ago many of them were nothing more than just simple townsfolk, they had no idea what would become of them now.

"Pl-please help, this body....it burns, it hurts." One trembling voices comes out of a werecreature as it looks between the group. "Please, before I go mad again!"

"Don't worry, we can help...or get you to people who can." The starry marks and form that had infused with him seems to ebb away as Gerhart speaks to the werecreatures. "I'm not too familiar with magic and such, but I have an idea of what you're feeling....It's scary, feeling helpless, but you're not. You're still you, whoever you were before this. What are your names? I'm Gerhart."

The two left look curiously at each other, "Keppler......Maria"

Gerhart brightens his smile, "Good to meet you both. Do you mind if my friends maybe see if they can help? They know a lot more than me, that's for sure."

While the tension still lingers thick in the air, the werecreatures have at least seemed to back off from their defensive posturing. It's an unsteady agreement for the moment.

Bouncing in Blue’s grasp as the ooze knight catches her out of the air Circe smiles at them. Eyes clear and bright as usual and spooky shadows all gone.

“Thanks Wolfie, great catch!” she giggles, seemingly back to normal. “I tried to guess but I was really off, I owe you a feast or two.”

Once they’re back on solid ground she gives Blue a big hug, whispering into the general vicinity an ear would be in for a normal knight. “Sorry you didn’t get to eat the creatures. Let us skin the big bear and I’ll keep everyone busy long enough for you to have a good snack.”

With a wink she turns to pat Halcyon before heading over to Gerhart. She reaches up and gives him a gentle kiss on the cheek, strangely relieved he no longer looks all starry.

“That went fairly well I think.” She smiles before looking over the werebeasts. “Hi, I’m Cirice. Nice to meet you. Hmmm… I might be able to help with this. It’s a powerful spell and I only really have enough power to cast it twice but it should put you back to normal. I think. Good thing there aren’t more.”

The pair look at one another uncertainly. They’d seen what she had done to the Ur beast and their new-found primal instincts were screaming at them that she’s dangerous. Regardless they’re being offered freedom from the curse and that is enough for them both to come forward reluctantly.

She holds out her hands and gently rests them on the pair’s shoulders. The runes on her arms begin to glow violet and a wave of light passes over each of the werebeasts. Suddenly the fur starts to recede as they go back to normal. Regular, naked, normal^1,2.

"There was go. Ta da!" She claps her hands together and collapses into the snow, completely worn out. "Oops, maybe that was a little much... I'll stay here if you wanna skin it, my love."

---

1 Dual Cast
2 Remove Condition

"No problem!" Blue replied, giving Cirice a thumbs up with their normal, not stretched out hand. When Halcyon landed and they were both on the ground again, their arm retracted back in and returned to its usual length again. They were a little surprised when Cirice hugged them, but smiled excitedly beneath their helmet at what she whispered to them and nodded.

"Th- th- thanks." One of the former Werebears stuttered as his teeth chattered and he held his arms close around him, shivering in the cold without any of his warm clothing on. The coat and thick pants he'd been wearing before his transformation were lying in shreds on the snow.

Blue pulled some clothing and blankets from seemingly nowhere, warm garments emerging behind their back, their origins hidden beneath their cloak. Blue didn't mind giving away some of the random assortment of clothing they'd accumulated in their travels. Not while they were practically buzzing with excitement, looking forward to the feasts Cirice had promised them later.

The two cured Werebears quickly took all that was offered, covering themselves, grateful for both the warmth and their decency. But one corpse still lied on the ground, charred and slightly smoking. One of the woodsmen that had been transformed into a Werebear that had been unlucky enough to be caught in Gerhart's blast along with the Ur-Beast. It was unfortunate for her, but at least she seemed to be the only casualty besides those who had been outright killed by the beast as they ran through the woods.

Still, Blue looked at her and felt a bit upset. They'd been doing their best not to kill her since they knew she'd been an innocent person, even as the ooze fought her, Wolf vs Bear. Gerhart had killed her, seemingly without a care. Not something they would have expected of him. He seemed so nice. Was it just because he was acting weird, or had he always been capable of this? Blue didn't know.

"I can help! I've never skinned something before, but I can give it a try." Blue said, both wanting to try something new and hoping to speed up the skinning so they could get to the eating faster.

!! Gerhart catches Cirice before she completely hits the snow, gently setting her down against a tree. "Whoa, hey...take a little seat for a second."

Giving her a moment to rest, the ranger quickly checks in with the couple to give them some additional lays of clothing and warmth. He also makes sure they have a plan on where to go after this and when he felt they would be safe they all part ways.

Internally, Gerhart didn't feel great about what had happened either, but in the chaos of the battle, being knocked out, and the rush to protect Cirice there are casualties. He does stop by her corpse first to close her eyes, muttering something under his breath, before standing again.

Quietly making his way over to the bear, he puts a hand on its now still brow, fingers feeling how dense and thick the fur is. "Skinning something of this size is almost impossible. Bears, sure, but this guy is quite a bit bigger."

He gives a small smile and laugh trying to stir himself back out of the thoughts of the people laying here, "I can take a few teeth and show you how to carve that. Is that OK?"

If Cirice is amenable to the idea, he will take out the larger canine teeth. Each fang almost felt the size and weight of a dagger as he put them in his pack.

"I do want to bury everyone here though. You can head back to town with Blue if you want Rice, I know you're tired. I wouldn't ask either of you to stay out here with me."

From Cirice’s position against the tree she watches Gerhart as he tends to the dead, putting on a smile and a laugh to mask his guilt and regret. She struggles and gets to her feet.

“Then take the teeth and Blue can clean up the body of the beast. But we’re burying anyone.” She says with a determined look in her eye and a deep breath. “I can squeeze a little more mana out. I can bring them back. I might pass out, but I’ll be okay. If you’ll carry me to bed darling? It's worth it to bring the innocents back.”

She steps over to the bodies and leans down, placing her hand upon their chests. The strange runes on her arms begin to glow, the light building slowly brighter. She closes her eyes, brow furrowing and sweat starting to bead on her face.

“Mother Moon please grant me enough strength to return these souls to their lives.” She prays.

Her shadow wavers around her as the soft violet light begins to spread across each body at a snail’s pace. Cirice’s eyes are clenched tightly and her nails almost dig into the bodies as she concentrates, wringing the last of her strength and mana from her body to perform one more miracle^1,2. She doesn’t want Gerhart to leave with any guilt in his heart, to that end she’ll tear herself to pieces if she must.

Beneath her palms, the chests of the corpses rise slowly in a breath. They’re alive.

“That’s…” She huffs, “It for me I think. Mother Moon's blessings upon these people.... Blue, enjoy your sna…” She slumps over, completely spent, and begins to snore softly. 

---

1 Holy Revival
2 Dual Cast

The two corpses stirred and then started to stand. The blackened fur and hide fell away from the charred Werebear, the skin and fur beneath looked like it was new and perfect. The other corpse, a human who had bled out from his wounds from the Ur-Beast before it had spread the curse around, also looked as if he'd never been injured at all. He still had his clothes at least, but they were torn badly by the Ur-Beast's claws. Blue gave him a new coat to help keep warm.

The Werebear woman changed back into her human form, just as naked as the other two. Blue tossed her plenty of clothing as well. For now, she was just confused and cold. Just like the other two, the Ur-Beast no longer had any control over her, but its curse remained even in its death. With Cirice drained of her magic, she'd need to wait for Cirice to recover to be cured, or find someone else who could do it.

Blue had never seen anyone bring someone back from the dead before! They didn't know Cirice was capable of such a thing. Actually, they didn't know Cirice was able to do a lot of the things she'd done today. But there was one last thing she was trying to do, and that was give the ooze a chance to eat.

"Don't worry, I can clean all this up, no problem! You should take Cirice and all these people back to town. I'll be fine alone. I can fly back when I'm done." Blue said to Gerhart, giving a thumbs up.

Gerhart unfortunately had no more clothes to offer, just a bit more food and a direction to go in. He was a little dumbfounded at the sheer power he had seen from Cirice today, but he catches the elf nonetheless. Cirice is shifted to be carried bridal style as the people that are left scatter and only the three adventurers are left.



"I'll leave Halcyon here with you....don't wanna completely abandon ya Wolfe...if something goes wrong, Hal can book it back to me and get ya help." He smiles as the bird caws. The bird had been enjoying its pick of meals from the woodland creatures that went into a frenzy.



He sighs, looking down at Cirice and pulling her jacket around her a bit tighter. "It's only a few hours walk to the city, so we'll probably get back at the same time. Don't freeze out here."

Cirice snuggles into Gerhart’s chest in her sleep, her lips curled in a small, content smile. After about an hour of Gerhart trudging through the snow towards town proper, her eyes flutter open and she looks up at him groggily.

“Mmmm... Gerhart? So cozy…” she mumbles, “What’re we doing? Did we win? Is everyone okay?”

It seems she’s slowly coming out of her slumber and she leans up and kisses his cheek.

“You were amazing… My shining hero. I love you.” She gives him a warm, loving smile and snuggles into him, happy to be carried in the warm safety of his arms. She sneaks a peek back towards the former battlefield and sees the formerly cursed and formerly dead and she feels proud of what they’d accomplished. Its not everyday one fights a massive divine beast. Doing so alongside her friends was the best.

“We’re going to rest now? Can I just stay like this? For the rest of the day? Soaking in your warmth?”

Blue stood with their hands on their hips, looking at the big bird that Gerhart had left to keep them company. Darnit Gerhart, you just didn't want to make this easy, did you? They just wanted to eat without anyone able to see them, but now they had a feathered chaperone watching them.

"Alright, let's make a deal. You can have all the little crispy ones you want, and I'll get the big one, and you won't tell anyone how I cleaned this all up. Deal?" Blue asked the bird, not thinking about whether the bird could actually understand them or not. They didn't wait for a reply before getting straight to work.

Blue transformed into the largest wolf they could, but even at that size the bear was a massive beast. There was no way they'd be able to swallow the whole corpse at once, so they settled on tearing off and slurping down chunks of it at a time until the entire thing was devoured. Even after consuming the entire bear, they looked like they hadn't eaten a single bite, their wolf form still slim and streamlined.

After letting Halcyon eat as many of the smaller ones as they wanted, Blue cleaned those up too and then let out a satisfied burp.

"Alright, let's head back now and get dinner!" Blue said excitedly before transforming into a giant bird to fly to town alongside Halcyon.

Luckily for Blue, Halcyon wasn't actually a good choice to leave behind. The bird keeps most of its attention on the direction Gerhart went, like a dog staring at the door after its owner has left. They turn their head when Blue talks, tilting it. It's clear Halcyon, while intelligent for a bird, only seems to communicate with Gerhart through whatever bond those two shar.

On the road, Gerhart smiles down at Cirice with a light laugh, "All thanks to you yeah, everyone is safe...We are getting you back to town though to sleep and rest up."

The kiss floods a blush to his cheeks, helping to warm his face a bit. "I don't recommend like this, any longer and your cheek might stick to the armor and that would be bad." He gives another small laugh.

The ranger does eventually get them back into town and the inn that had settled up with rooms in. A few of the stragglers from the forest had wandered in, confused staff helping give them clothes and warm food. It's a quiet victory party as most people are still shaking off the fear and the feelings of changing shape.

Gerhart finds a corner by the fireplace where he can stretch out his legs and keep Cirice close. His intent is to keep watch for Blue or Halcyon until either arrive, but before he can, Gerhart finds himself drifting off to sleep in the warmth of the fire.