Claire took a moment to reflect on her fight as they ascended the stairs. It seemed far easier for her this time. Like she could actually keep up, rather than just pull attention. Either these women were far weaker than the last, or she truly had grown a lot.
She was pulled straight out of her thoughts when a werewolf rounded the corner ahead of them. Claire and Hannah immediately closed the distance between themselves and raised their shields. The wolf crashed into their shieldwall and nearly sent them both down the stairs. It bounced back and shook its head widely.
Claire stared directly into its yellow eyes. There was fear and shock, with a trail of blood going down its forehead. Its ears were back, and its tail was between its legs. It wasn't trying to fight, it was trying to escape. It flinched after feeling the floor shake.
A bone-chilling howl came from behind it. Not one of Ursa's, nor one to strike fear. But the last sounds of a dying wolf.
It turned towards the window to jump, but Hannah was faster. She reacted quickly and caught the tail of the wolf. She yanked it back, stopping it from even breaking the window. It let out a yelp and bared its fangs at her. It tried to bite at her, but Claire used her Defensive Strike on it.
It was dazed, but wary enough to jump back. It growled at them even when its stance was wobbly. Claire and Hannah slowly approached the feral wolf with their shields ready. While they didn't have the tools to kill it outright, like poison or Ursa's axe, they could keep it here. Keep it away from their backline outside.
Hannah moved first, using her own Defensive Strike that the wolf managed to dodge. It leapt backwards, letting Hannah and Claire claim more ground. There were only a handful of windows near them, the closest one now being behind them. They kept pressing the wolf back towards Ursa. One at a time, they'd strike or push forward, not giving the wolf any room to breathe.
It quickly grew frustrated and impatient. It started snapping at them, attacking when it could, and glancing back to make sure Ursa wasn't behind it. Claire was able to make contact with the wolf with her sword. Her quick jab pierced the skin, leading to the wolf bouncing back.
Claire nearly lost her sword, but she was able to keep hold of it. The sheer force of the wolf's jump nearly knocked her off balance. Hannah helped steady her, but that gave the wolf too much room. It immediately turned and headed straight for a window. Its escape within sight.
Claire could only do one thing. She dropped her sword and switched her shield, brushing off Hannah. She cocked her arm back and threw her shield with as much power as she could, activating her Shield Throw ability. The shield went sailing through the hallway and slammed into the wolf's chest mid jump.
Claire was shocked at her own strength. The shield caused the wolf to tumble away from the window, letting out a gargled yelp. Claire was almost too distracted to catch her shield as it ricocheted back to her hand. Even Hannah was left motionless.
"That was insane," Hannah muttered under her breath. She shook her head and pressed towards the wolf. She could think about it later.
Claire let out a nervous laugh as she picked up her swords to follow Hannah. She was starting to think she'd gotten a lot stronger. Either through levels, or her bonds with her lovers.
The wolf was just barely recovering by the time Hannah got to it. Not wanting to be outdone by Claire, she slashed at the wolf with her axe. It was embedded in its shoulder, so Hannah abandoned it. The wolf snarled and shook Hannah off of it. It was pissed now. Its glowing yellow eyes were solely focused on the two now.
Hannah backed up without her axe. She grabbed her personal knife and moved back towards Claire. She readied her shield to take on the wolf when a blur slammed into the wolf.
Hannah blinked. She saw two wolves now.
She looked to her left to find Ursa standing in the room beside them. The second wolf was dead already, causing the first to panic again. Ursa growled at the wolf and charged at it. She reared her axe back and brought it down before the wolf could move. It cleaved through the wolf's flesh like butter, killing it almost instantly.
Claire barely got her shield up in time to block the blood splatter.
Ursa growled at the corpses. Her entire body was seething at how her Goddess's blessing was being corrupted. Claire's touch did calm her anger. She turned towards Claire, her expression softening. She could feel her Berserker Trance lessening.
"Anymore up here?" Claire asked softly.
Ursa took a moment to take in her surroundings. She could hear Elsie's magic make contact with someone, and stamping feet outside. But nothing inside. No signs of life, no breathing, no heartbeats besides the two women beside her. She shook her head and pointed towards the window.
"Only outside?" Claire confirmed. She glanced out the window, stepping over the wolf carcass. She found several dead bodies near the entrance, and a few more racing towards the forest. She worried only for a moment, seeing Clara running out to meet them.
Ursa turned towards the opposite end of the stronghold. She could hear horses galloping towards them. She shook Claire and pointed towards the wall of the room she was just in.
"Hannah, go down and help," Claire commanded the knight. Hannah nodded. She pulled her axe from the wolf's shoulder and ran towards the stairs. "More?" Claire asked as she walked towards the room Ursa was in. She walked over the corpses that Ursa had taken care of. She counted four werewolves in total.
Claire was relieved that Clara and her party hadn't fought these people. They didn't have the means to kill werewolves. Shaking that thought away, she glanced out the window. She felt Ursa press against her to look over her shoulder.
Claire's hair stood on the end of her neck.
Three carriages were heading their way. They didn't seem to be sprinting towards the stronghold, so their presence wasn't known. She glanced back at Ursa, who was baring her teeth.
"Shit," Claire tugged on Ursa's arm. "That's far more than twenty women. Come on, Ursa."
They had maybe three minutes until the carriages made it to the stronghold. So Claire had to act fast. She pulled Ursa away from the window and sprinted towards the stairs. Ursa resisted at first, but went along with her. They moved through the building like a blur. Before Claire even realized it, she was outside.
The two raced towards the rest of their party. Claire hoped they were fast enough not to get caught, but she didn't dare turn to make sure. The two raced towards the woods, thankfully not seeing Clara or Hannah's bodies on the way. Claire and Ursa made it to the woods, finding the group waiting for them.
Claire was catching her breath, unable to speak. She held up her hand. She took a long, deep breath, then started to explain. "More coming. Far more."
Ursa and Hannah ushered them behind cover, while Clara scanned the stronghold. The carriages were just rounding the corner of the stronghold. The veteran adventurer could just barely hear them shout.
"Fuck," Clara muttered. She turned towards Vanessa, who was peaking from behind a fallen tree. "Looks like we'll be needing your help."
Vanessa nodded. She didn't have the smile Clara was used to. She had a more serious expression. "Right." She said, barely above a whisper. The young ranger readied her bow, giving it one last inspection.
"Vivienne," Clara turned towards the mage. The young mage was shaking, obviously filled with nerves. "Vivienne."
Hearing her name again snapped her out of her trance. "Y-yes?"
"We may need your help, too," Clara said calmly. She cracked her knuckles and turned back towards the stronghold. Several women were following the trail of bodies towards them. Clara could see the tattoos on several of their bare arms. "Listen to the two mages."
"Yes, ma'am," Vivienne nodded and clutched her wand.
"How many did you three take care of inside?" Clara asked Claire.
Claire took a moment to think. Nine downstairs, four werewolves, and two women upstairs. "Fifteen? Ursa took care of eight of them."
"Gods," Clara shook her head. "That is impressive."
"But, there's something you should know," Claire took a deep breath. "There are werewolves among them."
Right on cue, one of the women came towards them, transformed.
Clara's eyes widened. It wasn't the first time she'd encountered a werewolf, but she didn't expect lowly bandits like this to have the curse. "What the fuck?"
Claire turned to Ursa. "Focus on the wolves. We'll handle the rest."