Myths of Power

Joseph opens his eyes. He shakes his head trying to remove the mental cobwebs after the previous skirmish. He is laying on a small bed covered in roughly made quilts. He starts to get up but is blasted by a wave of pain coming from his ribs. "nmph.. oh, that's going to last a while."

"Yes, it will." comes a voice from a darkened corner. Joseph flitches in reaction causing another wave of pain. "Careful. Your ribs are only cracked, but if you keep moving like that, they will become worse."

The voice was soft and soothing, but somehow also had a hint of coldness around it. "Who are you? Come into the light were I can see you."

A woman walks out of the shadow. Joseph was expecting it to be Karen. "My name is Meyliss." She is thin and pale skined. Her blonde hair lay long agaist her side and waves with her movements. The most striking part of her is her eyes. As she stepped into the light, Joseph could see, even in his current state, that they changed from pure white to sapphire blue and were quite striking in their own respect. "Was this the same woman who beat me senseless?" he thought. She didn't appear strong. In fact he wouldn't have guessed she could take on a child, let alone a trained lycanthran warrior. "I must keep an eye on this one."

"Who you keep your eye on is you own business, Wildmane."

Joseph is stunned for a moment before realizing her true nature. "Stay out of my head Vampire and I'll make sure...nmph...not to take yours off." Joseph forces himself to a sitting position. "You're quite the fighter, although you don't look it."

She smiles and assists him in standing. "It helps when my kind has a minor telepathic ability. I could counter your movements as soon as you thought of them."

He looks down at his bindings. "Let me guess...Karen did these bindings? She never could get them right."

"I'm sorry. I haven't treated injured ribs for some time now..." Karen stands in an open doorway. Joseph looks at her and then past her.

"They'll need to be redone. As always, you never make them tight enough."

"I'll take him from here, Meyliss. Why don't you get some sleep." Karen starts to unravel the bindings and Meyliss disappears into the shadows.

"So where have you taken me, Karen? We aren't in the tavern anymore?"

"The 'Anchor' isn't going to be safe for a while thanks to you."

Karen rebinds his chest. "Tighter...Your bodyguard..what was her name?"

"Meyliss."

"Meyliss... didn't exactly calm things down. How, and why, the hell did you get yourself mixed with a VAMPIRE bodyguard?"

"It's a long story that we don't have time for..Is that better?...Suffice to say that we owe each other our lives."

"Yes, thanks. You didn't answer my first question.. Where have you taken me? I did have others with me, you know...Do they know where I am?"

"Stop worrying." Karen opens a foot locker and pulls out some clothes. "We are safe and yes... I did know there were others. Leland is kind of hard to miss. " A sarcastic grin crosses her face. "Who's the other one? I don't think I've met her before?"

Joseph measures himself up to the clothes placed before him. "No, you wouldn't. (where did you get such ugly taste in clothing?) She's his daughter."

"Daughter?! Hmm, I never thought Leland would be up to being a father."

"Personally, I don't think he is up to it. There's some very bad, very old blood between them. He tries his best."

"Really? Why's tha..."

Meyliss steps into the room from seemingly no where and cuts Karen off mid question. "There's been a disturbance in the marketplace, near the dock...a dozen guards going after a lycanthran..."

Joseph turns to Karen in anger. "Karen.. if they've done anything to Leland or Celine I'll..."

Meyliss steps between them and ,relatively gently, pushes Joseph back with a hand. "Your friends are safe. It was not them that the guards were chasing."

Karen places a hand on Meyliss' shoulder. "Are they safe, Meyliss?"

"Yes. Our contact saw the large one rescue the lycanthran and she gave them shelter before they could be seen."

Karen places both her hands behind her head in thought. "Let me see. Our only contact down that end would be.."

Meyliss interrupts. "Old Lady Harens..."

Joseph looks shocked. "Lady Harens... she's still alive?!"

"Hard to kill a noble of the clan, Joseph. Follow me. We'll take the sewers to her house, it'll be safer.

"What is it Leland? What's happening?"

Leland grabs Celine and lifts her over his shoulder. "Hey, Hey! What are you doing?" He runs to an entranceway of one of the buildings and lets Celine down. "Stay down and out of sight." He remains in front of her to keep her hidden and looks towards a clearing to see what is happening.

Running quickly through the crowd appears to be some kind of small creature with something in its mouth. From What Leland can make it, it is injured and running with no clear plan, just trying to stay away from the guards. "Celine, you stay here. I'll return shortly."

"What are you going to do?" Before she can get an answer, he runs off towards the creature, trying to head it off. Although Leland's size give him a disadvantage when it comes to speed, he is faster than one would expect and he soon finds himself directly in line with the creature's escape route.

The creature skids to a stop trying not to slam into Leland. He recognizes the creature as a canine lycanthran. It's young, in a panic and badly wounded. Thankfully the people in the vicinity are also in a panic which causes the guards to be slowed. The small lycanthran looks up at Leland in absolute fear.

Leland opens his vest. "I'll take you to safety, quickly!" It looks behind itself towards the guards and then back at Leland. Sensing that it stands a better chance with Leland it jumps for Leland but doesn't have enough strength and falls at his feet. Leland gently picks up the creature, places it in his vest and quickly moves back to the entranceway.

Celine looks up at him with anger. "Why the hell did you do that? You could have gotten us caught!"

The door to the entranceway opens and a small old lady stands behind them. "That's true dear, but he did the right thing. "

Both are caught by surprise. "Um...I'm not sure...I mean... I don't know..." Leland starts to sweat.

"Get in here before the guards arrive." she ushers all of them into the building and shuts the door. "I know what you did and what you are. What I don't know is, why are you here?"

Leland finds a bench to place his charge onto while Celine follows the woman. "Listen, old Lady. I don't know who you think you..."

The old woman spins around in a flash and smacks Celine in the forearm with a cane. "OWWW! ARE YOU CRAZY!?!?"

"You'll pay you elders some respect, girlie. I may not be as agile, but I can still show you a thing or twelve."

In a sudden state of extreme confusion, the only thing Celine is able to do is rub her arm. Leland quietly calls out. "Do you have any bandages? This little one is hurt badly."

The woman goes into a dresser and pulls out some old sheets. "These will have to do. I don't usually have wounded in my home." She comes over to the bench and takes a look.

The small body of a canine lycanthran lays helpless on the bench, stuck halfway through its transformation. Both of its arms have severe lacerations and whip marks are scattered over its body. Leland tries desperately to keep it alive. "Water..Get me some water...you'll be ok little one...you'll be ok...what happened?"

It's voice is sore and cracked. "Mother...had gone to battle...I just...i just wanted to see it for my...myself.."

"Take it easy...take it easy." Leland's hands were starting to visibly shake. "How did this happen, Who did this?"

"I followed mother here.. please don't...don't tell her...she'll be mad." It's voice was becoming weaker and trailing off. It's tiny paws grip hard onto Leland's shirt. "They got them... they caught...them...all....mother..." The body goes limp as the child dies. Streaming tears fall onto the body from Leland's face. He picks the child up and holds it tight, rocking and humming a long forgotten tune.

Celine looks at her father, not knowing what to say or how to feel. He hadn't known this child. Why did he feel such emotion over it. The old woman gently pulls Celine away and into a back room. "Leave him for a moment, child. You look confused?"

"That man is my father and I've never seen him react to a strangers death in such a way. What was that song he was humming?"

She holds Celine's hand in hers, patting it like a grandmother. "I'm not surprised you don't know it. It's an old lycanthran funeral rite. I haven't heard it sang in some eighty or ninety years. Not many lycanthrans practice it anymore."

Celine looks at her. "Eighty or ninety years? How do you know of our funeral rites?"

The old woman grins. "It's been over fifty years, but..." Celine backs away as the old woman slightly transforms, small feathers coming out of her old wrinkled skin. It lasts for only a moment, but long enough for Celine to get the point. "You were banished, weren't you?"

"Long ago, yes. I've lived here, in this village since that time, remaining in human form. What you just saw is about as far as I can go into my true form." Leland walks into the room, eyes red from the tears.

"Something must have happened to the others. We must get Joseph and head to the Lazarus."

"Well, find your friend but it will do you no good to go to the Lazarus. That ship was impounded two days ago."

--Back in the marketplace--

"Wow, Leland! For a fishing village, this place has a damn good marketplace." Celine walks through the stalls with a smile from ear to ear. Leland follows behind her, happy with the fact that his daughter can find joy in something for once.

Celine starts looking through a cart filled with dark coloured clothing and boots. She picks up a large black shirt with leather trimmings and holds it up to herself. "So.. um.. what do you think of this?"

Leland had always grown up within the clan and had never really ventured too far away, close to humans. As such he never had any real need for much clothing. It left his fashion sense a little lacking.

"I suppose it's good... but I'm not really any good with these sort of...What are you doing?!?!"

Celine is halfway through undressing herself from the itch filled cloak. Mothers in the area quickly cover their children's eyes, while the merchants who aren't quite sure what to do, continue to enjoy the show. Leland, knowing better, and remembering that they should be keeping out of the attention of any guards, pulls the cloak back onto Celine. "You can't do that here!!"

"Why not?!" Celine looks around to see at least a dozen amorous and lecherous eyes fixated on her. "Oh.. I see..." She grabs the cloth merchant by his scruff and, with little effort, pulls him over the his cart towards her. She tries to put on her best smile, but even then, then merchant wishes he hadn't gotten up this morning. "Got anywhere I can try this on? Hmmm?"

She releases him and he staggers up to his feet, wipes the sweat from his brow and points behind the cart to a small tent marked 'change'. "Th..there miss...y..you may change there."

Celine brushes the dust from his shoulders and the man clenches his eyes shut expecting the worst. "Thank you." As Celine heads to the change tent, Leland stares hard and growls at the men leering at her. They quickly, and wisely go back to their business.

Moments later, Celine emerges from the tent in a long black shirt tied at her waist, some grey, form fitting pants and black knee high boots. "I say this is perfect! well anything would be perfect next to this damn awful thing. Here merchant..." She tosses the cloak. "do what you will with that."

The merchant picks up the cloak (which he had deftly dodged for fear of attaining some rare plague) with a few fingers. "Thank you miss. I'm sure there is a fire going out somewhere that this will keep lit for ages." He quickly looks at the clothes she has taken, and tries to mentally calculate how much he can take this newcomer for, and then notices Leland. "Err.. that will be 15 coppers."

This price was, of course less than what he paid for them, but he didn't see the need to argue with a man almost twice his width.

Leland pays the man and they start to wonder deeper into the maze of carts and stands. Celine scratches her ear and looks up at Leland. "M..must be bad memories?" Leland chuckles.

After a while, they manage to find something in Leland's size, barely, and something to eat.

"Well Celine, I think we still have enough money here. Maybe we should think about picking up a cheap weapon. Maybe a nice dagger?"

Celine looks at him in surprise. "You? You want a weapon?! What happened to 'Mr. Let's-not-fight'?"

Leland tightens the purse-strings. "I just think that, as we are going to be around humans, and Joseph doesn't want us transforming back while we're here, it might be a good idea to have something we can defend ourselves with."

She looks at her father with astonishment. "Very well.. But I get to choose. You haven't been in a fight since I was little."

The weapons dealer had set up shop at the far end of the market near the docks themselves, figuring any sailor worth his salt needed a weapon. It was a decent sized cart, with a few rather nice looking weapons.
Celine however was an expert at catching out decent weapons from bad ones and knew that if a weapon looked really nice, then it was mostly just for show and would just as much snap in battle and kill the wielder then anything else.

"Ah the lady wishes to purchase today?" The accent on the man is thick and boorish. Every word, said in hopes of a sale. "Perhaps I could show you something in a beautifully jewelled stiletto?"

"No.. I'm looking for something I can actually use in a fight."

With this, the merchants accent completely vanishes, along with hopes of a high priced sale "'al right 'den miss. 'ere's wot I got..." Celine picks up a hefty dirk and Leland picks up a slightly used but very capable short sword, which in his hands looked almost like a dirk.

Just as they pay the man, a high pitched yelp comes from within the market headed towards them. Leland looks over and sees much of the crowd scattering to one side, fearful cries in their wake. Behind the spreading mass, he can see the tops of guard helmets and drawn swords. "Stop 'im! Don't left 'im get to the docks!!"

From within the shadows a door is opened up to a back room. Two figures walk into it and out of sight.

"Come in, Joseph. We can talk in private in here."

Joseph moves cautiously toward the room but pauses for a moment. He turns his head slightly. "Thanks for the ale, keep the coin." As he continues to the room, he can hear an audible gulp from the man. Joseph rubs his hands on his cloak, not knowing what to expect.

"Is this Gefra? It doesn't sound like her, but it's been some time. Who was that other figure? Maybe I shouldn't have sent Leland away." He shakes his head, suddenly realizing his own thoughts. "Get a grip, man. You're a warrior. You've fought in countless battles. Okay, maybe not any in enclosed tavern rooms, but regardless..."

He walks into the room. What little light coming in through shaded windows, shows a sparse room, with only a single table, two chairs and a small cot in the corner. Sparkling dust, hanging in the air, only adds to the foreboding feeling that encompasses Joseph. He sees a figure reclining on one of the chairs, feet braced on the table edge, a large brimmed hat covering its face.

"Well, well well. Wildmane of the Red Dust cadre. What brings you to this small fishing hovel? And in full human form, no less!"

Joseph is caught off guard slightly. "You're out of date, it's now the Red Sand cadre."

"My apologies. I will have my records updated."

Joseph scans the room with all of the senses his human form can muster. "Where is the other one? I definitely saw two figures enter. There are no other doors and the dust on the window isn't disturbed enough to have had someone crawl through it."

"It seems the rest of the patrons here offer you a great deal of leeway, Is that you Gefra? You don't sound the same. Why the subterfuge."

The figure removes its feet from the table and leans forward. "Maybe I've changed over these many years. Maybe I'm not Gefra at all."

Irritation starts to fill Joseph's body. The fingers on his right hand grow long as fingernails turn to claws.

The figure raises a hand. "I don't think you want to do that. I haven't introduced my bodyguard, Meyliss. She's VERY protective of me."

He hears a shuffle of movement behind him but before he can turn, Joseph is lifted off the ground and thrown across the room onto the cot, which snaps under his weight. Joseph can feel a trickle of blood running down his back. He frees himself from the broken cot, readies himself but can still only see the figure seated in the chair.

Anger, quickly welling up inside, instinctually causes Joseph to semi-transform back into lycanthran form, claws now fully extended, awaiting another attack. He takes a large sniff with a now much improved olfactory sense. He spins around, arm raised for an attack but is once again thrown across the room with a single pound to his chest. He hits the wall hard and crumples to the ground.

"I would suggest calming down and transforming back to human. Meyliss isn't really fond of you right now, and I'm not sure if I can, or even should, make her stop."

Joseph coughs and spits out some blood. "uhhn.. I think a few of my ribs are cracked. I've got to end this fast." Joseph turns fully lycanthran and bolts straight for the figure in the chair. He snarls as he gets close. "This Ends N..."

Before he can get halfway to the figure, he spots Meyliss out of the corner of his view. Too late to shift, she pummels him against the wall, lifting him a good foot off the ground and grabbing his left arm, forcing it up his back to a near breaking point. Joseph resists with everything he's got but can't move at all. Finding himself in a perilous situation he concedes and transforms back to human, coughing up more blood.

"Let him go Meyliss. I don't think he's going to be any more trouble."

Meyliss releases her hold and Joseph slumps to the ground. The figure stands in front of the window, light obscuring Joseph's view. She kneels down to Joseph and removes her hat.

"Huh... I expected more from my former protectorate and lover."

Joseph looks up, his vision blurring. “Karen?!...” Then all is darkness.

Eventually, the three catch up to each other in a small clearing, some minutes later.

"Look," Joseph points ahead of them. "Do you see those people?"

Celine peers ahead, straining to see what Joseph was looking at. "Ya, barely. What about them?"

"That's the docks. They must be some fishermen heading for the boats. It's almost dawn. The sun will be rising behind us by the time we get there so that can help us with our cover."

Celine continues to scratch. "Can we just get there so I can do something about this. I'm going crazy!"

Leland leans over her shoulder. "Must be fleas."

"I've never had them, and never will. The human I took this from must have had something."

Leland steps back quickly.

"Okay you two. Let's get going. and keep things as human as...on second thought, Celine, just keep quiet and follow my lead."

The port town of Sandry was built up from a small fishing village and, other than a fair bit of expansion, hadn't changed all that much. The townsmen set off early in the morning in their fishing boats and came back late at night. During the day, the market, which was set up close to the docks ended up being a gathering place for dock workers, wives, children and others whom most would call, "unreputable".

It was these others that were coming and going from a dock tavern by the name of 'The Maiden's Anchor'. A rather seedy little hole whose patrons consisted mostly of drunkards, thieves, women of ill repute and, most importantly, traders. Traders of various goods, notably not their own, silks, weapons, spices, the occasional slave, and perhaps the most valuable and rare of all... Information.

As Joseph and Celine enter the tavern doorway, a dozen or so heads turn and look at them with cautious stares. As Leland fills the doorway they all, quickly, stare back at their drinks.

"Celine, Leland? You two stay outside."He hands a small purse over to Celine. "Here. Look through the market and get something to stop that scratching. Leland, you make sure she doesn't start any trouble."

Celine grabs the purse. "You're no fun, do you know that?" They turn and start into the market.

Joseph heads into the tavern and mumbles under his breath. "And you're just a barrel of monkeys, Celine."

"I heard that!"

Joseph winces and heads to the barkeep.

He tosses a coin onto the counter. "Ale."

The old man behind the counter was rough and well aged. He had obviously seen more than his share of war and strife. A face full of small scars, only half of a right ear and missing a few fingers on each hand. Joseph thought to himself how this human could hold a drink, let alone serve one.

The barkeep reaches down, grabs a dirty tankard and fills it with a putrid yellow ale that Joseph could smell, even with a human nose, half a league away. "Yer new 'round 'ere?"

Joseph ignores the question. "I'm looking for information."

The barkeep starts to pick up the coin and Joseph grabs his hand. "Special information..."

The old man pulls his hand out of Josephs grasp. "Not sure I can helps you there, mister!"

Joseph hears chairs scrapping against the half rotted wooden floor.

He readies himself for a fight and turns to see that all the patrons have moved aside. From a darkened corner a voice speaks.

"Joseph Wildmane...It's been a long time..."

Celine runs up to Joseph. "Wait.. So what is a clan battle master doing in a dock tavern, and why would she now be a trader of information?"

Joseph continues in a light jog to catch up to Leland. "I never said she was a battle master. I said she was an apprentice when we were young. She became quite skilled over the years, a lot better than I could ever be. Later on, after she had attained a few levels of mastery, there was an...incident. She had been blamed for a clan crime."

Celine grabs his arm, forcing him to stop. "A clan crime? But thats usually a death sentence if you're found guilty!"

Jospeh camly removes her hand. "She had a good protectorate. He managed to convince the council of some questionable evidence and some mitigating circumstances. That was the only reason why she was just cast out of the clan instead of being put to death."

Celine looks surprised. "Must have been one hell of a good protectorate for that! Clan crimes almost always end up with someone being killed."

Leland suddenly stands out from behind a bush. "Well, Jospeh here was quite the orator when he was young."

"You were her protectorate?!"

"Yes, and sometimes I think it might had been better if I had let her die. I didn't really believe what I was convincing the council of. We were...friends...and, at the time, I felt that I had to do something to help her."
Joseph tosses the stick into the brush.

Leland places a massive hand onto Josephs shoulder. "You did the right thing, my friend. No-one deserved the fate that awaited her."

Joseph turns to face Leland. "What fate would that be, friend? Death, or eternal banishment from your own people?". He pushes his way past Leland and starts into a heavy sprint down the path.

Celine begins to run after him but Leland holds her back. "Let him go daughter. Telling some histories can open up ancient wounds. I know the way, we won't get lost."

"I've told you before not to call me that," Celine transforms slightly and growls. "Father." She reverts back to human form and starts scratching behind her ear.

Leland looks dejected. "Isn't it time we started getting along... for your moth.." Celine pounds him hard in the chest, but with very little effect.

"Don't you even DARE mention MY MOTHER. You have no right. not anymore!"

Celine starts running down the path.

Leland looks up at the night sky and lets out a sigh. "Oh, this is just going to be a wonderful time isn't it Helena, my love?" He sets out after the others.

Celine grabs a few cloaks and tosses one to Leland. "The docks? So we are going on the sea."

"No, just to a dockside tavern. I've been told that Gefra, or someone who knows Gefra, can be found there. We're also going to take a slightly longer route. I don't want all of us to get there together." Joseph points to the others heading to the dock. "We'll take it easy. I don't believe that she is going anywhere. Once word of this little 'meeting'" Joseph points to the bodies. "comes to light, everyones movements will be suspect and our job becomes that much harder."

The three walk towards a rocky path away from the others. After a half hour of silent walking, Celine speaks up.

"So... How do you know this Gefra?... Were you and her...?"

Joseph pauses. "For a time, yes. It was long ago, before the elven war."

Celine looks shocked. "Before the war? I had no idea you were so...old!"

Leland snorts. "oh, um..sorry." he makes he way past them, nearly knocking Joseph into a small bush.

"Did you want to hear about Gefra, or just deride me on my age?"

"Can't I do both? Sorry.. continue."

Joseph leans down and grabs a long stick. He begins to swing it around at the bushes. " At the time, we were very young. She had just become a battle master apprentice in my clan. She was one of the best. The others said she was going to become clan elder one day." Jospeh looks up at the night sky. Clouds lit by the moonlight drift past. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "If I concentrate, I can still smell the exotic oils and flowers she used to wash with."

Celine scratches her backside. "Oils and flowers? Sounds kind of prissy to me. That kind of scent would just alert your enemies."

Jospeh opens his eyes and shakes his head. "You have a lot to learn about being a woman, Celine."

Celine looks at him with mild disgust. "Just because I'm one of the fiercest warriors in our clan, doesn't mean I know nothing of womanhood." She continues scratching at her shoulders and sides. "Arr, how can these humans stand wearing these things. I itch all over!"

Joseph laughs. "Once we get the the docks, I'll see if we can't find something that suits your 'warrior' taste better. Let's catch up to Leland before those giant strides of his, make him uncatchable."

Celine laughs in agreement. "You've known Leland for a long time as well right?"

"Since before you were born, why?"

"I was just wondering. Has he always been so...so..."

Joseph interupts. "Peaceful?"

"Yes. It just seems odd for a man that size and with his heritage to be so against violence. Lycanthans are a warrior race. We're bred and born for battle, yet this...this.. this tree of a badger avoids battle whenever he can. What was he even doing back there?"

"It's true that most of our kind are warriors, but not all. I'm sure you saw me taking to that other figure while everone was dancing?"

"I saw something, smelled something actually. Who was that?" Celine scratches her nose.

"It was an old, old aquaintance. If you think I'm old, let me introduce you sometime." Joseph puts on a large evil grin. "Anyway, This aquaintance has a lycanthan companion named Valerie. A very young squirrel, sorry, Fox-squirrel. For obvious reasons, she's not one for battle, but she does come in handy for scouting missions and even a little bit of thievery."

"Scouting and theft?!" Celine looks at Joseph in disbelief. "That's hardly worthy of a lycanthan."

"Look Celine, if you want to become the leader of a cadre, you're going to have to learn that there are other ways to win a battle. Take your finger out of your nose.. now that's unworthy of a lycanthan." Celine stops and Joseph continues down the path.

"What? ...What? I'm just trying to look human!...Wait up..."

As the cadre disperses, Joseph, Celine and Leland walk toward an area that has been cleared of debis and bodies.
 Jospeh turns to the others, hands behind his back. "Have either of you heard about the lycanthran known as 'Gefra'?"

Leland looks down at Celine and shrugs. Celine walks in a circle around Joseph. "I've heard a few things, whispers mostly. He, or she, is an information dealer that likes to stay in human form. I find that unlikely and disgusting. Gefra is just a story..."

"She.. is real, and, while it is true she tends to stay in human form, she is still one of us."

Celine places her hands on Josephs shoulders and whispers into his ear. "And what does this little tidbit have to do with us?" Her claws slowly start to extract.

Joseph grabs her left hand and in a flash twists her arm to a point of breaking, causing her to wince in pain.
"Gefra has information about a mission that we three will be undertaking." He releases Celines hand and she falls backwards. "This will not be a warrior's mission and it will require that we stay in human form for the most part..." Celine spits "But it is something we need to do to accomplish our goal."

Celine Gets to her feet. "And what goal would that be?"

"I intend to guarantee the future of the lycanthran race. To ensure that our children, grand-children and great grand-children will survive well beyond the other races. To ensure that the humans will , once and for all, leave us in peace!"

Celine takes a few steps backwards, unsure how to take these statements. She steadies herself and a vicious grim crosses her feline face, fangs glistening in the fire-light. "The only way to ensure that, would be to wipe them from existence."

Leland steps forward, a painfull worry across his face. "That's not what you want.. is it, Joseph?"

Jospeh approaches him and raises his hand to Lelands shoulders, only to reach his upper arm.
"Hold your fears Leland. That is not my goal. No, we accomplish our goal with as few casualties as possible. I'm sorry Leland, but I can't say that no one will suffer."

Leland drops his head in thought. He takes a deep breath as he shrinks in size by a few feet. Leland human form is that of a man in his 40's with a still massive build and large salt and pepper mutton chops.
"I believe in you, Joseph, and if you say as few people will suffer as possible... then I'll gladly aid you in this quest."

"I knew I could rely on your help, old friend." Joseph walks over to Celine who changes to a more aggressive stance. "And you? Are you coming with us? Are you willing to become something better than you are currently are?"

Celine snarls. "I'm happy with who I am. But I'm curious about this 'Gefra'. She might have information that I could use for my own purposes. If I need to help you with your mission to advance my own, then so be it." Celine relaxes slightly and shifts into her human form, a beautiful short black haired woman, with smooth features. Her small build would distract most people from the strength that hid within her.

Joseph smiles. "Very well. Perhaps I will be able to change your mind as we progress to our ultimate goal."
He breaths heavy and his own lycanthran form shifts. His hair goes short but unkempt. Multiple, strange tatoos are all over his arms. A large scar can be seen crossing his face from the right side of his chin to just above his left eye. Joseph grabs a torn cloak from one of the bodies just inside the battle area and puts it on.

"I would suggest each of you grab one of these as well. We're heading to the docks!"