"Well... We can wait here for when Kundal gets home... Is this why most queens have guards?"
"Well, unless they're really pissed in my experience."
Throwing regal hauteur out the window, Blaze takes to the streets, determined that with her cap and un-gown she can still princess and the pauper her way up close to her prey, stalking him through a spoor of rumor and habit without him being any the wiser...
The settlers happily tell Blaze that Kundal has been seen stumbling around disheveled and drunk in the early morning of the past few days. He usually spends his days hawking furs and pelts on the streets of Safehaven. It doesn't take long for you to track him down. The rugged man's clothe are roughspun and his appearance is unkempt. He is in the midst of haggling with another settler and hasn't noticed your approach quite yet.
The undine sighs and nods. "You're right. Well, shall we talk to him?"
Somewhat hesitantly, Vesi approaches Kundal, fiddling with the braided wool hanging from the flaps of their ushanka. "Hello and good morning! I'm rather new here and I don't think I've seen you before. Are you a hunter?"
Kundal gives Vesi a surly look and grunts, "Aye. You wanna buy somethin', you gotta wait your turn." He gestures to the person he has been haggling with and then turns his back on Vesi.
Blaze would probably dress Vesi down for being so meek, but Vesi did interrupt Kundal, so they wait. When the hunter is finally done with his haggling, they try again.
"I don't want to buy anyth-" Perhaps they should buy something, to make Kundal more amenable? "Er, I think my vest needs a new fur lining. Anyway, we were just wondering, if you're having any, um, trouble or anything. With things. Anything that we could help you with."
'Are you a werewolf?' is hardly polite conversation to have in the middle of the market, Vesi is pretty certain of that.
"No," Kundal says curtly.
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Russ seeing things go a bit pear shaped for Vesi, but not wanting to take over the situation completely silds up to Kundal and gives his pant leg a tight tug.
"I humbly suggest you take the young druid up on their offer of assistance Mr. Kundal. There is a very quickly approaching future where it will be out of your grasp."
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"Look, Kundle, we've been to your house. We found Saki's earring covered in blood. Is this a 'please please, be merciful, you've gotta help me' situation, or is it a 'grawr-rawr-oh no I'm on fire!' situation?"
Kundal looks startled for a moment. Then, his eyes gleam yellow and a low growl escapes his throat. His muscles begin to swell as coarse gray fur starts to sprout all over his body! The settler he was haggling with yelps in terror and runs away as Kundal's transformation continues!
"We are trying to HELP you, you- you-" Frustrated, Vesi pushes their open palms in front of them, and water gushes forth in a powerful torrent towards Kundal. If nothing else, at least the hunter will get a good washing - which Vesi's nose tells them he needs.
Knaxshi wasn't expecting this to go well and his gun slides into his hands in a well-practiced move.
Cursing, he moves back and reloads.
Kundal avoids both Vesi's blast and Knaxshi's bullet. Kundal completes his transformation, his features now a horrid hybrid of man and wolf! With a snarl, he snaps his jaws at Russ'ruk. Luckily, the kobold is able to keep the werewolf's gnashing teeth at bay!
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Blaze gestures with one finger, spinning it faster and faster in a spiral until the air itself ignites and tears open into a brief portal behind Kundal.
With a snarl very uncharacteristic of its smaller kin, a horse-sized skunk bursts through the fiery portal to join the fray, dousing the werewolf's snoot with an unbearable stink!
And giving Russ a flank regardless
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As Kundal goes to bite Russ he gives the werebeast a quick jab in the side of the jowl to divert the bite.
"Kundal, on the charge of assault of an official of the land, as well as the suspected murder of two of your fellow citizens you are hearby under arrest pending trial for the latter crimes."
He swiftly pulled his blade with one hand and struck as he drew the weapon to bare it fully before bringing it down with both hands across the same path.
After the twin bites he pulled the blade across his own body defensively, "Continued assault will raise these charges to attempted murder of a kingdom official and the sentencing shall be immediate death. What say you?"
"You better listen to him, Kundal, and surrender! We'd like to help you, but only if you let us!"
Vesi makes a last-attempt appeal to reason as they try to entangle the werewolf so he does not try to flee justice.
Knaxshi sights in on Kundal, but holds to see if he's willing to surrender peacefully.
Kundal is unaffected by the giant skunk's spray. Russ scores a hit with his blade as Vesi tangles the werewolf's feet with a vine. The druid tries to appeal to Kundal's better nature, but it seems the beast has fully taken control and he responds only with a howl of fury!
As Kundal attacks, Knaxshi opens fire, narrowly missing! The werewolf bites down on Russ'ruk, attempting to worry the wound and drag the kobold away. Russ resists the attempt, but Kundal follows up with a sharp claw to Russ's chest!
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As Kundal howls Russ begins "Very we-"
Chomp
The kobold is bloodied by the beast and with the follow up claws digging through his armor and into his chest he gasps for air.
He takes the opportunity to create a more viable situation for the party and nearby citizens. Stabbing into Kundal at an awkward angle and wrenching down on his weapon with his full weight to disrupt the beast-man's movements and cause additional hemorrhaging.
Quickly slipping a hand up to his gaping chest wound he breaks some sort of vial in his hand over the wound causing a hissing burn for a few seconds which he grits his teeth through.
"Hells! Russ, get out of his mouth, or at least choke him!"
Blaze's borrowed skunk hoses down the werewolf again, while Blaze raises her gaze to the skies, heating and troubling the clouds above until they release a single shattering bolt of lightning!
As he reloads, he calls out, "All it takes is one good shot and you go down forever."
Then he takes his shot
Mos of Vesi's goodwill towards Kundal evaporates when the werewolf begins to rip Russ'Ruk to shreds, so the undine hurries to heal some of the damage while their companions are blasting Kundal with everything they have.
Russ'ruk's attacks leave Kundal off-guard. However, the werewolf bites the kobold again as Russ stops to heal himslef!
The skunk's spray sickens the werewolf, distracting him enough that he is unable to completely avoid Blaze's lightning bolt. Vesi heals Russ while Knaxshi shoots Kundal, scoring a hit.
The angry werewolf attacks Russ'ruk again, biting him and dragging him a few feet away, unable to get far due to the vine around his legs. Still, Russ'ruk is gravely wounded! Kundal rakes a claw to try to take Russ down but the kobold's armor protects him from the finishing blow.
"Damn it, just die already." he says, "But not you Russ, I owe you a drink!"
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Russ feels the rush of blood running from his neck and the weakness taking hold of his body as Weredal drags him about. Setting his legs he strikes out with one last strike. Twisting and breaking free of the beast's grip he ducks back retreating towards the others.
Through ragged short breaths he glances to Vesi, "Don't think he re-cough-grets any of this."
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"Not yet," Vesi responds darkly as they stretch their hands before them. Vines shoot out of the ground, growing with incredible speed and writhing as they weave themselves into a small basket. Two cherries spill out, joined together by their stems, and Vesi tosses them to Russ'Ruk.
"Eat up."
More thiols fill the air as Blaze's beast continues voiding its musk gland, while Blaze drops another earthsplitting bolt of lightning on Kundal's head.
Russ slashes Kundal again before cautiously backing away. Knaxshi shoots the werewolf, though he narrowly misses a vital spot. The werewolf resists the skunk's spray again, but this time Blaze's lightning bolt strikes him full blast, leaving him scorched and badly wounded!
Yelping in pain, Kundal falls down on all fours as his body shifts and changes until he has become a full wolf! He turns and starts to flee, tail between his legs!
Vesi runs after the wolf, throwing their bola at his legs.
Knax is on the move, reloading with a greenish alchemical round without missing a step.
Kundal resists Blaze's attempt to cause him to lose his bearings. Vesi misses with their bola, but Knaxshi's aim is true. His acidic bullet burns into the wolf's side, and with a final whimper, Kundal collapses!
Rushing towards the fallen Kundal, Vesi shouts "I'll try to stabilize! The people deserve a trial, not this butchering in the streets." Besides, the undine was curious about how the hunter had acquired the lycanthropic affliction. And her mentor was also not far from the undine's thoughts - someone who was a lycanthrope as well, but didn't go around murdering people.
They druid kneels next to the body, rummaging inside a pouch to produce a handful of medicinal leaves that they slap over the biggest wound.
Blaze seethes, clearly furious at the sight of Vesi tending to the murderous werewolf themself.
"You're kidding me! He tried to kill us over a conversation; he probably ate that other woman, and now we're gonna heal him up just so we can kill him again?! Look, we started out the merciful way. We knew he'd killed someone - at least someone and I still went in all soft and gentle. I would've helped him if he wanted, but instead he wanted to chow down on Russ! And then probably someone softer and squishier! Like what if he ate me?! I don't want that!"
"Eh, we put on a big trial and it will spread word more than just killing him." he says laconically. "It'll look all official and such."
Heat visibly shimmers off the back of Blaze's neck, and trails of smoke wind their way up her ears and out past her horns and crown. "We're not trying to deter people from getting turned into woman-eating monsters! That's already stuff that reasonable people are deterred from! I'll write a Hells-damned ballad about the importance of telling someone about your flea-bitten lunar rampage dreams while they're still just dreams. I'll tell the dogsblooded tale that we've healed, and spared, and gently laid to rest all kinds of things that just didn't actively try to eat us during. I can get the flaming word out. In a very fetching crown, no less.
"If I could make him bring back Saki or Karl I'd do that instead, but I'll be damned, bound, and pacted before I let this waste of life waste more."
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Russ gazes up, slowly from tending his wounds.
"Blaze.. I understand your want right now. In the end the decision is yours as ruler."
He motions very gingerly to the people who remain nearby, since they were just sitting there in the streets while all this went down. The people that all of this is being said right in front of, their people.
"They all saw it and I'm sure would gladly vouch that we were not the aggressors in this situation. I already gave a sentencing as well. So all has been done." He presses a pack of cloth into his wound and holds it tight, gasping as he does so.
"Just do what's right for them."
It was hard to defend Kundal's actions, and Vesi does not attempt to do so beyond what they have already said. Instead, the undine rushes back to Russ'Ruk, pulling out healing supplies.
Knaxshi looks at Blaze. "Better make the pronouncement to the assembled group. One way or another." He reloads, taking the time to do this precisely. "If you need it, I'll act as the executioner."
"...Fine. Not in the streets."
After being knocked out, Kundal transforms back into a human. You drag him away, taking him to your town hall in lieu of an actual prison. Tonight is the last full moon of the month. How will you proceed?
"He bit you, didn't he? I'm not sure, I'll think about what options we have to help you. Don't worry, Russ, you won't become like him."
The undine leans a little closer, lowering their voice. "My mentor back home, she would change her shape like that, but she never killed a person."
"We can chain you up." offers Knax. "that way you can be sure of not hurting anybody else."
"Yeah that kinda change goes a lot better when it's your idea... Huh, did Kundal have any big cages? For the animals he'd sell?"
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Russ frets a bit, "Sure.. chain me up this time, but what if that's not an option or if I break free.. we don't exactly have a proper prison or holding cell."
He sighs, "It may be the best unless Vesi comes up with a better plan in the meantime." The kobold rubs at his eyes, "What a horrible start to our time as rulers."