The three travelers journey through the forest. Suddenly, mist rolls in before they reach the first houses.
"Niflheim," Lee mutters, guiding them down the village's crooked main street. Niflheim is a human village separated from Oakwood by the large forest between them.
Aki waves his hand through the fog. "Why is everywhere covered in mist? I can't see much."
"The Land of Mist. It's probably a side effect of The Great Surge," Lee answers.
The mist slowly fades, revealing a desolate scene— broken carriages and dilapidated buildings loom before them. The three travelers continue on foot, surveying the town's ruins. The place is in no shape to be called a town. More of a graveyard. No sign of life anywhere.
"Yeah, I'm getting down. Something feels odd." Aki pauses and gets off his horse. He walks toward one of the buildings, his eyes scanning the walls. Then he spots it— deep scratches on the wood— large, four-clawed marks.
A shadowy figure darts between buildings.
"Hey, did you see that?!" Lee shouts.
"Yeah. That isn't normal." Merlin dismounts his Pegasus and draws his sword. "Ran on all fours. Nothing moves that fast on all fours." He hears footsteps approaching and prepares for a powerful swing.
"Stop!" A voice cries out.
A young boy appears in front of the knight. He has bright red hair, pale skin, and looks about ten or eleven years old.
Merlin's sword hovers inches from the boy's head. "Why did you do that? I could've killed you! Who the heck are you?!"
"Please, please, just come with me." The boy tugs Merlin's hand, pulling him toward a nearby cabin. Aki and Lee follow, exchanging skeptical looks.
"We'll keep the horses here." The boy ties them to a rod outside.
Inside the cabin, the room is warm—far warmer than the cold mists outside. A fireplace crackles in the corner. The three adventurers settle at the dining table near the entrance.
"What was that thing, kid?" Merlin asks, getting straight to the point.
The boy's voice cracks. Tears streamed down his face. "I don't… I don't know. It just came to our town a week ago and started eating our animals, then our people... it killed—" He pauses, sobbing. "It killed my parents!"
Aki moves closer, kneeling beside him. "Sorry about that." He places a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "Is there anyone we can talk to about the whereabouts or usual sightings of that thing?"
The boy sniffles and wipes his sleeve across his face. "Yes. The governor."
"Is he still alive?" Lee stands with his arms folded.
The boy nods. "Yes. He took refuge with the other survivors at the office. I can take you there." He points to a building in the mist.
"Okay then. But what's your name, kid?" Aki asks.
"Jani."
"Let's go find ourselves the governor, Jani." Aki stands and opens the door. Heavy wind and mist flow in. He begins to whistle and spin his staff as he walks closely behind the boy.
They reach the governor's office. Aki and Jani open the doors.
"Hello? Anybody here?" Aki yells into the empty space.
"Yes! And who might you be?" A voice comes from behind the desk.
"Just a traveler. An adventurer, to be precise. Let me get straight to the point—I want to kill that thing, and I'm here to engage in a contract. I kill it, you pay me."
The door creaks open. A short man with half a face full of beard emerges. He sighs. "I'm the governor of this place. I just want what's best for them." He looks at the door, then back to Aki. "If you're serious about killing that thing, then how much are we talking about here?"
"Just thirty pieces of gold and five small-sized gemstones, my good sir." Aki smiles.
The man's eyes widened. He blinks. "Excuse me." He lets out a dry cough. "But isn't that too cheap?"
"It's enough," Aki replies.
"Thank you! I'm grateful!" Tears rolled down the governor's eyes. He rushes to open the door, revealing farmers, fishers, men, women, and children gathered together—people unable to defend themselves from the horror.
"We'll kill it alright." Aki stands confident.
The governor hurriedly removes a pen from his pocket. "I'm sure you will. Now where do I sign?"
Afterward, Aki leaves Jani at the office and returns to the cabin. With a cheeky grin, he pushes the door open, cups his hands, and hollers, "I'm home!"
"Jeez! Are you trying to deafen us all?" Lee rubs his ears and stands.
"I'm wearing a helmet, so I don't really care," Merlin says, watching the fireplace.
"Well, I'm very happy for you," Lee replies with a sarcastic tone.
"So now, compadre, where do we start?" Merlin cracks open a bottle.
Aki gazes out the window. "Well, the governor said local farmers and loggers first noticed the unnatural movement around the forest."
"So yeah, we're going back to where we came, but this time into the forest. Not the walkway. Interesting." He raises an eyebrow.
"Alright, alright. Let's get moving. But, uh... are we getting paid for this?" Lee grabs his gear from the table.
"Of course. I charged him thirty gold coins and five small gemstones."
Lee facepalms. "I really have to teach you how to negotiate better."
The forest twilight deepens. The three warriors arm themselves and head into the forest. Birds caw. Branches blow in the wind. Owls hoot. Crickets chirp. They've gone deep. The part of the forest closer to Niflheim is still surrounded by mist.
"So, how do we find this thing?" Lee asks, loading his pistols.
Aki turns to him. "The governor told me if we walk loud enough, it'll come to us. I guess we could try that."
Lee looks at him. "This kid is going to kill us."
"You guys have more experience than me. I just hope I won't die on my first guild mission. That would suck." Aki sighs, still maintaining his facade of calm. Somehow, he's beginning to feel like this wasn't such a good idea. He can't help it now. He told the governor he'd take down that thing. As they continue moving deeper into the forest, a shadowy figure begins to circle them.
"Shi—!" Lee fires several shots. They barely come close to hitting the target.
"The damn thing won't stay still!" He yells and fires more bullets.
"Don't worry... it's just running around in circles," Aki says. "It appears to have basic intelligence, but not high enough."
"Let's keep it that way." Lee removes another pistol and reloads.
"Wait! Not yet!" Merlin gestures at Lee to cease shooting. He observes the creature moving in rapid motion until he begins to perceive it with a little more clarity. The creature's form snaps into focus.
"Lee! Shoot it now!" he yells.
Lee positions his pistols. "You don't have to tell me twice."
Two shots pierce the creature. It falls, weakening, but returns to the blurriness of the mist.
"Seems like we scared it off," Lee says, holstering his pistols.
"So, how are we going to—"
He's interrupted. The creature hurtles out of nowhere and slams into him. It sends Lee flying. He crashes into a trunk and drops limp to the ground.
"Lee!" Aki yells, spinning to face the beast.
He spots the creature lunging at him from the right, but his reactions aren't quick enough. Aki raises his staff, bracing for impact. The creature's claws rake across it. The force sends him slamming into a tree.
"Ugh, my head". He blinks, vision blurring. It's his first battle, and he's already hit a tree. Not bad for an adventurer.
"Damn, it's quick." Merlin stands on guard, his grip tight on his sword. He waits patiently for it to come at him.
He realizes what it's done—it's spread the crew to different zones. Three warriors, now out of sight from each other. Wounded. Each must face this creature however they possibly can. Hopefully, they'll make it.
"I'm not dying today. Not today, you hear me!" Merlin screams, scanning his surroundings. He looks left and right. The creature will plan a surprise attack. He's sure of it.
"I have to kill them. And I will kill them. Every single one of them!"
He hears a loud sound. The creature charges. A clash of steel and claws on the battleground. Merlin snarls and tosses his sword aside. He seizes the creature and crushes its spine with brutal force.
The creature drops. Merlin exhales. He picks up his sword and returns it to the sheath. "Now that it's over, I should try to find—"
He turns to check the creature. His eyes widened. Nothing. Nothing?
Boom! The knight flies into several trees, pummeled by something.
He lies flat on the ground, struggling to rise. He watches in horror through his visor as the creature transforms. this is more than the average humanoid form. Seven feet of muscle and black fur.
Four-fingered claws. Sharp blue eyes that stare into his soul.
Frightening. It's just like the stories he read as a child. Or even worse. He's come face-to-face with a werewolf.
"You're going to die here," the creature growls, looming over the knight.