The rain poured down, thunder could be heard in the distance.
Early august had brought change of weather, and new adventures.
Inside a small bar in southern Germany sat 4 friends. These of course being, Linus, Erik, Nikolai and Armin.
They sat around a table enjoying butterbears inside a hidden magical bar. Linus had received a letter from Nikolai about the meeting before the training had finished.
The details of the letter were scares, but Nikolai seem to really want to meet in southern Germany for some reason.
Linus took a sip of his butterbear, put it down and asked. "Alright Niko, tell us why we are here." (Niko short Nikolai)
Armin and Erik turned to Nico as he took a big sip of butterbeer.
He sat down the mug with a thud. "I want to hunt poachers."
The words hung I the air for a moment. Armin and Erik looked at each other before they turned to Linus.
Linus just nodded. "Alright"
Armin eyes widened. "What do you mean alright, just like that before hearing anything else.?"
"Do you have anything else to add?" Linus asked Niko.
Niko shock his head." No that's is all, I just want to take down some poachers."
Erik Sighed. "Alright I'm in"
Armin looked at Erik with a look of defeat. "So we are just going to hunt some poachers down. We don't even know any hunting grounds around here…"
Before Armin could finish talking, Niko laid down a map on the table with a big red circle around a forest spot. "Here" Niko just said proudly.
Linus took a look at the map, then looked at Niko. "Why do you want to hunt poachers? And why Germany?"
This didn't feel like a random thing to come up with. It felt like he had a reason to do this.
Niko looked at Linus. "Alright, I will tell you." He said in a lowered voice. "The poachers that are there. They killed my families animals."
'So revenge' Linus thought as he heard the explanation
Armin seemed to relax a little more now. "When you put it like that, alright I'm down as well."
The four had come to an agreement. Tomorrow they would travel into the forest and look for traces of the poacher gang.
The next morning.
As the four walked through the pine forest, drenched from the constant rain. The mud under their boots making every step a risk to slip. The forest was dense, it smelled like pine and rain. Faint wind gust came from time to time.
"We could have waited until the rain had stopped." Complained Erik from the back.
Linus chuckled. "Oh, come on, that doesn't sound very Durmstrang of you."
Armin and Nico laughed a little by this. As Erik always was one to say that Durmstrang students were the toughest and strongest, so hearing him complain about rain was funny.
The team continued walking through the dense forest for two more hours before coming across the first piece of trace.
Niko knelt down, in front of him laid a dead mooncalf. "Its not been dead long." He noted. He looked around the area to find more traces. footsteps could be seen in the mud here and there, hard to trace.
Linus walked away from the calf looking in the mud. "They seem to have gone this way." He said as he saw traces.
The traces lead further south. The rain didn't let up and continued to pour.
The four walked around like shadows with dark robes and clothes, melting into the dark forest.
Niko held up his hand in a fist, marking to stop. The others stopped and looked where he was looking.
He had seen two people walking, about 100 meters in front of them. the group went behind trees and observed the two. Niko crouched ran next to Linus.
"Is it them?" Niko asked in a lowered tone.
Linus took a hard look at the two, rough gear, beards and rough looking haircuts. The cloths were typical poacher gear, the robes were brown, rough pants, with thick shirts. "They look like poachers, but can't be certain."
Linus walked closer, but silently. The rain helping masking out sounds as the group walked closer.
"… The mooncalf needs to be picked up soon, cant have it being found."
'That's the evidence we need' Linus thought as he turned to Niko, who already had his wand aimed.
"Wait…" before Linus could finish, Spells flew from Nico's wand. The first spell hitting one of the men, the second spell hitting a tree with a bang. the second man reacted quickly, and countered with his own spells.
While Nico had shot his spells Armin had flanked the two from the right and got the jump on the second guy.
"Petrificus totalus!" Armin shouted, the spell hit the man and his body froze and fell.
The man who got hit by the first spell laid against a tree grunting. Erik walked up to him and took his wand.
The group formed a circle around the two. One frozen and the other hurt.
Niko knelt down next to the wounded man, "Tell me where the hideout is" he said coldly, the other just staring coldly at the man. This seemed to have an effect.
"ah fuck, why would I tell a bunch of kids that?" he chuckled and grunted, both in pain and probably by the situation. Being hunted by four twelve-year-olds would probably look funny.
Linus walked closer to the wounded man, the wound was on his left arm. So Linus grabbed it, and ice started forming. The ice grew slowly. "tell us or you will become a ice sickle."
The mans eyes winded. "Wa-wait, what are you doing!" he shouted out in panic
"The more time this takes, the more ice you will become." Linus said coldly.
The ice had reached man mans shoulder by now.
"Alright alright I will tell you just stop!" he shouted.
Linus stopped the ice. but held onto his arm. "You have three seconds."
The man was pale by now. "About two kilometers to the west from here. the path me and him walked leads right towards it!" the man said fast, his breathing strained.
"Thank you." Linus said as the man became unconscious. "Alright they should be out for a couple of hours."
Erik looked around at the group, "should we kill them?" the question hung in the air for a moment.
Niko and Linus exchange nods. Linus formed and ice sickle that flew into the two men's heads, killing them instantly.
Armin looked uncomfortable with this, "Armin, they would have done worse to us." Linus said to him. This seemed to have made Armin think about it and made him feel better.
The group moved the bodies away from the trail, and made shallow graves for them. before they moved on. Niko, Armin and Erik stood before the graves. It must have been their first time doing this, murder or is it really murder.
The group walked in silence towards the supposed camp. The rain still pouring. The others seem to still think about what happened.
'They will need to get used to it' Linus thought as he looked at Armin's expression.
After about an hour of walking slowly and carefully. They seem to have found the hideout, it was located in a cave.
The cave had a wall made out of wood to block the entrance, only a small door was the access point.
The rain had stopped. And a fog had started rolling in. the forest now had a earie feeling as the fog covered the ground. It became silent after hours of hearing the rain.
The group pulled back a little to form a plan.
"We should split up, two on the left and two on right." Linus started. "We take out the three guys outside with the totalus spell, but make it quiet. Me and Armin take right."
The three others nodded in agreement. They split up, Armin following closely behind Linus as the got closer.
The right side had two men standing talking to each other, and the other was on the left.
Armin and Linus prepared to make themselves invincible as the would go up to the men.
The two waved their wands over their heads and started walking slowly to the two men guarding. Linus came up to his target first but waited for Armin to get into position. Once Armin made his move Linus followed quickly.
The two guards fell like stones at the same time.
Linus turned to see the left side and saw Niko and Erik had taken care of their target.
Once at the wooden gate.
"Alright how do we do this." Niko whispered.
The four looked over the gate, there really was just two was. Either blow the whole gate and let everyone know that we are here, or go through the door somehow.
Linus felt the wall, it wasn't protected. He could use some flashy veil spell, but was this really a time to use it. he didn't know how many were inside the cave, he tried using his senses but the cave was deep and something made it hard to see.
'Wait I can use a knight' Linus thought. He waved his wand on the door. And the door started melting like dough and turned into a wooden knight.
The four quickly went inside quietly. Linus waved his wand again and the knight turned back into the door, but not attached as it was before, now it was just standing there.
They stood just by the entrance. Silently listening. the inside smelled of smoke, and something metallic, blood maybe. The sound of fire crackling and water dropping from the ceiling could be heard. The cave went downwards, sounds coming from deeper below.
As they walked slowly down deeper into the caves, the passed crates filled with pelts and other materials coming from animals.
Cages with sleeping animals stood here and there.
The cave opened up to a big cavern. There were cages, boxes, beds, tables everything they could need for their operation.
They sneaked up to a couple of boxes. Linus whispered to the others "Alright, same plan left and right, if things get spicy, just start throwing spells."
The other three nodded, and they split up.
Linus looked up over a box and saw a couple of them standing and sitting near the middle of the cavern.
His eyes caught the women with the fancier robe than the others. It has fur lining and looked very stylish.
'Must be the leader' he thought.
Armin sneaked passed him as he looked at the group of poachers.
Over on the left he could see Erik and Niko sneaking around behind cages and boxes.
After walking around by the walls of the cavern, the group meet up in the back of it.
"There's at least four, could be more but didn't see anyone else than those in the middle." Niko whispered.
Armin looked nervous. "What do we do?"
Linus thought for a moment, "We are in the back right now, they wouldn't except being hit from behind. We should just go for it. we have surprise to out advantage."
The others seem to hesitated before nodding.
"Niko you shoot the first spell, aim for the women in the fancy robe." Linus whispered to them.
He nodded and went into position behind a big box. Linus and Erik took position on the right and Armin close to Niko.
Linus locked eyes with Niko. They nodded to each other and he went out of his hiding, and his wand lit up.
"Confringo" the spell lit up the cavern as the spell flew into the women robe. She was hit to the ground but quickly stood up.
The men by her took out the wands and aimed at the entrance. They confused where the spell came from.
Meanwhile the others had also gotten out of their position and spells flew into the backs of the poachers.
Two of the poachers fell from getting their backs hit by spells. The women and the other poacher finally turned towards the group and returned spells. It quickly became a shoot out of spells. And soon two other poachers reinforced them. it was now a four against four.
Spells flew past and hit boxes with bangs.
Armin saw one of the poachers going out of cover and took the shoot. "Depulso!" the spell hit the poachers and he flew into one of the cages behind him, knocking him out.
Niko started going cover to cover to get closer, Linus joined him while Armin and Arik kept up the spell shooting from a distance.
"Incendio!" was heard and a torrent of flame flew over the box that Niko was behind. It didn't hit him.
A large amount of wand arrows were casted, as Linus looked back towards Erik he was hit by one, making him scream out in pain. Linus took the chance and aimed his wand towards the poacher who shot the spell. "Bombarda maxima!" the spell flew right into his chest.
Blood splattered everywhere and the corpse fell. His chest had been ripped open.
Armin ran over to Erik to check on him.
"Is he okay Armin?" Linus Screamed out.
It took a moment, "Yes, just a scratch!" Armin screamed out and the spell battle continued.
The room had become a mess. Boxes burning, the animals in the cages were going crazy. But the group stayed strong.
Niko was just about to stand up when the box he was hiding behind got pushed by a depulso spell, hitting him hard. He laid on the ground. "Niko! You good?" Linus shouted out.
Niko looked around, his head was bleeding. "My fucking head hurts!"
'this isn't good, time to end this.' Linus thought as he went out of cover.
He raised his wand and walked calmly towards the poachers. His first target appeared soon after, the last poacher man stood up from his cover.
"Fulmen" Linus said calmly, the lightning bolt hit the man with a roar. When it hit the man just stood for a second, but later collapsed with smoke coming out of his mouth and ears.
The women looked over and got panicked. "Wtf are these kids!" she said as she shot some arrow spells towards the approaching threat.
The spells she had shot towards him had just disappeared midair, leaving only sparks.
She started running towards the entrance. But quickly got stuck, she looked down towards her feet and saw them stuck in two ice hands gripping from the floor.
She feel over. And clawed at the hands to let her go.
A shadow slowly covered her body. She looked up and was meet by a pair old cold blue glowing eyes looking down on her.
"W-wait, I I can pay! Please!" she women said in a panicked way, tears rolling down from her eyes.
Linus's was aimed at her started glowing. "Stupefy" the spell hit her and she got knocked out.
He quickly turned away and walked towards Niko.
When a got to him, Armin and Erik were already by his side, giving him wiggenweld potion. "Did you get her?" Erik asked.
"Yeah, she's knocked out by the entrance" Linus said. "You okay Niko?"
Niko looked up and gave a thumbs up. "Yeah, the box just made my head spin."
The four looked at each other, and they started chuckling a little. In disbelief about the situation, they just got themselves into. Not everyone could say that four twelve-year-olds took down a poacher gang.
"We did good boys, really good." Linus told the group.