Friendly laughter and idle chatter could be heard all throughout the room. The delightful smells of fresh cooking wafted through the air. Ringing of the front entrance doorbell rang out as patrons entered or exited. People lined up at the counter and patiently queued in an orderly fashion that was quickly extending toward the entrance. Despite the unusual location of the facility, the atmosphere within the dining room was warm and inviting. It was an average morning at the Stonehaven mess hall.

As a group finished their morning meal and started leaving, Aridean would approach the empty table. With haste, the minotaur would collect dishes and utensils in a small plastic tub. Having cleared the table, she would sit the tub in one of the small chairs before thoroughly wiping down the table with a damp rag. Before collecting her dish tub and retreating into the kitchen, Aridean made sure that all of the chairs around the table were neatly pushed in.

Having performed her first duty, the minotaur waitress took her dishes back into the kitchen. Behind the door leading to the kitchen of the mess hall was a rather impressive setup. Multiple stovetops and ovens with plenty of counterspace and several sinks lined up in efficient rows filled most of the room. Perhaps it was just an impressive kitchen to Aridean as her only other exposure to such a facility was Mutt’s Tavern in Thellia. Regardless, Aridean happily avoided all of that space as she was solely a staff member who would only wait on patrons and clean up. After her only demonstration of her cooking ability, the rest of the kitchen staff were also happy that she kept away from the cooking stations.

Aridean moved through the kitchen to a large sink that had a few dirty dishes already sitting within and several other tubs with even more to be cleaned. She added her tub to the growing collection and opened the hot water tap. A steady stream of water began to flow from the faucet and Aridean began to intently wash the dishes she had piled up. The assortment of used dishes slowly diminished as the minotaur worked but other staff would occasionally add to her load.

Eventually, Aridean had managed to clean all of the dishes that had been brought back. Just as she was sitting the last plate on a rack to dry, she heard the familiar and friendly voice call out to her, “Hey, Aridean, your shift’s almost up. Why don’t you go ahead and call it for today? There’s someone out in the dining room that’d like to see you anyway!”

Aridean turned to see Sven looking up to her from the ordering station with a bright smile on his face. It appeared that things were slowing down already as Sven did not have anyone else walking up to place an order. Aridean thought to herself that she must have lost track of the time with how long she had been cleaning. She glanced to her enormous stack of dishes to see that she had washed more than double the number of dishes she had started with. With a relieved sigh, Aridean gave Sven a gentle smile and nodded.

I don’t mind coming in to help so early, but I am looking forward to relaxing a little now, Aridean thought to herself as she untied the apron she was wearing. As she made for the door leading into the dining room, Aridean deposited the apron in a large hamper to be washed later. It had been a bit of an adjustment for her as she had become accustomed to maintaining her apron herself from her time working in Thellia.

Pushing the swinging door open and entering back into the dining room, it only took Aridean a second to spot Vidor and Rana. They were a bit difficult to miss as Vidor had been intently focused on the doorway waiting for her and waved her over the instant she opened the kitchen door. With another smile on her face, Aridean began to make her way through the loud and pleasant-smelling dining hall to the table her friends were seated at.

“Morning Aridean! You’re finally done here, right?” Vidor greeted with childish enthusiasm. As Aridean sat down at the table, Vidor pushed a plate holding an omelet on it in front of her. Rana closed a book she had been reading and gave a gentle smile.

“Good morning, Vidor. Good morning, Rana. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, I got a little carried away washing dishes again,” Aridean replied as she grabbed her fork to begin eating. It was clear that both Vidor and Rana had already finished their breakfasts by the empty plates that sat in front of them.

“You do not need to worry about that, Aridean. I’m glad to hear you were enjoying yourself. If anything, we are sorry we did not wait for you to finish up first,” Rana apologized as Aridean started chewing on a bite of her meal. Although her food was starting to cool, Aridean was delighted by the flavor. She had been cleaning dishes for so long that she had not realized she was as hungry as she was.

Aridean’s breakfast was delicious. While it may have been the same thing she ordered every day, the flavor was absolutely incredible. As Aridean ate her meal, Rana reopened her book while Vidor began tinkering with his crossbow. Despite the morning having been as normal as possible given the circumstances, Aridean could not help but feel something was off. Looking to the empty seat across from her, she thought for a moment as she swallowed another bite of her omelet.

“Uhm, I don’t suppose you two know where Maggie is, do you?” Aridean asked while looking from Rana to Vidor. Vidor rolled his eyes and grunted quietly.

“Nope,” replied Vidor bluntly.

“I’m afraid I haven’t seen her at all since we got back from Hunlio. Don’t worry too much: she’s a bit headstrong for her age but she’s demonstrated she can handle herself,” Rana answered as she flipped a page in her book.

Maggie’s made herself oddly scarce since we got back… I saw her asleep in her bed when I left the barracks to come here. But that was especially early and the first time I had seen her since we got back yesterday; she had just vanished after we unloaded the wagon, Aridean thought to herself. Although she agreed with Rana’s sentiments regarding the girl’s wellbeing, Aridean still felt Maggie’s distancing was a bit different despite their short and altogether unusual acquaintance. Regardless, Aridean pushed the thought out of her mind and resumed focusing on eating her breakfast.

“So, I was thinking we pick up where we left off before that last assignment: you up for a little camp-out, Aridean?” Vidor asked with his signature goofy looking grin on his face. Aridean swallowed the food in her mouth before looking to her friend and giving a gentle smile of her own. Just as she opened her mouth to answer, however, Rana let out an exasperated sigh and closed her book again.

“I’m afraid I have to be the bearer of bad news: we’re waiting on grandfather to decide on our next assignment already. There are two urgent matters that need our attention and we’re stretched thin. I’m sorry you two, but you’ll have to postpone your camping trip,” Rana announced with her usual kind tone of voice. Despite how sweet and considerate Rana’s voice sounded, Aridean could hear her reluctance to have shared that information with them. Vidor turned to his face with a particularly upset expression.

“What? We only got back yesterday! Yeesh, what’s grandpa wasting our time with now?” Vidor, begrudgingly, asked his sister. Rather than answer her brother, Aridean noticed that Rana’s eyes had shifted slightly upward. Aridean followed Rana’s gaze, her eyes immediately going wide at the sight of what it was Rana had focused on. Vidor raised an eyebrow upon seeing the startled look on Aridean’s face, “Hmm? What are you looking a—grandpa’s standing right behind me, isn’t he?”

“I believe Rana informed you that this is an urgent matter, Vidor,” boomed the authoritative and stern voice of Mikali Stonehoof. Having been spooked by his grandfather’s sudden appearance, Vidor jolted upright in his chair as Mikali moved around to the remaining open seat at the table. Aridean put down her fork and watched silently as the oldest minotaur pulled his seat back and joined her and her friends at the table.

“Good morning, grandfather,” spoke Rana as Mikali leaned his walking staff against the wall behind him. The old minotaur heaved a weary sounding sigh before surveying his grandchildren. Aridean was not certain, but she thought she saw the beginnings of a smile on Mikali’s face.

“Good morning, Rana. Good morning, Vidor. Forgive me for having cut your stay at home short again. We have made a decision regarding what task your team shall undertake,” Mikali began to speak. As he finished his thought, Mikali turned to look across the table at Aridean. Aridean noticed the old minotaur’s one good eye widened slightly after a brief period of examining her. Mikali had gone silent and his jaw seemed to drop somewhat. Aridean could not tell if she were more confused or disturbed to see the old minotaur freeze up the way he had.

“Grandpa? You okay?” asked Vidor after a few seconds of awkward silence. Aridean noticed Mikali blink a few times before shaking his head, as though he were waking up from a dream or trance. He turned to look at his grandson with his normal, gravely serious look on his face. The old minotaur cleared his throat before answering.

“Of course. Anyway, we’ve spent time debating whether your team would act as diplomats to the lizarians of the Great Wiir Swamplands or be investigating some odd occurrences in a southern Empire town,” Mikali explained with renewed composure and authority.

What was that about? I know we’ve never really seen eye-to-eye but was he really that surprised to see me sitting with Vidor and Rana? Aridean thought to herself while feeling slightly annoyed.

Whenever they were in the same room together, Aridean could almost feel the animosity and bitterness between herself and Mikali. Despite having been members of the same organization for the past two years, the two made little effort to speak to one another. Although she would never bring it up to anyone, Aridean was still resentful of the old minotaur for having basically forced her into enlisting in the rebellion army. While Aridean could not think of any specific reason why Mikali would be so disdainful of her, she got the impression that he cared little for her wellbeing.

“What was decided then, grandfather? From what you were telling me, it seemed like we could be going either way,” Rana chimed in. Mikali turned to face his granddaughter before responding.

“We’ve decided that you will make your way south, to a small hamlet known as Cortonne. Reports have indicated that something unusual is occurring there. Rumors that entire squadrons of Empire soldiers are disappearing without a trace have originated from that settlement. We need to know what has transpired there,” briefed Mikali. As Mikali took a breath at the conclusion of his thought, Rana immediately turned to Aridean.

“What do we know about Cortonne?” asked Rana. Aridean paused for a moment to think back to what she knew of the small town.

“I’ve never been before but Cortonne is a small town far to the south. I recall history lessons mentioning something about a noble family that worked to cure a horribly infectious plague over one hundred years ago owning the entire settlement. I can’t think of anything special about the place, but I’ve always heard odd rumors from travelers back in Thellia,” Aridean began to answer.

“Odd rumors? What sort of thing did you hear?” Vidor chimed in as his ear twitched with curiosity. Even Mikali had raised an eyebrow in interest, much to Aridean’s surprise.

“Well, according to the rumors, the disappearances that General Mikali mentioned are not recent occurrences. Supposedly, once a month, several travelers staying in Cortonne will slowly vanish at night with nothing left behind to indicate where they may have gone,” Aridean elaborated, her voice becoming more and more lax as she spoke. It was abundantly clear that Aridean did not truly believe the bit of gossip she was sharing. Working in Thellia as a waitress, Aridean had overheard many conversations. Every conversation she heard about the hamlet of Cortonne had been entirely outlandish. Even so, despite the different customers’ accounts, the stories all shared worrying similarities.

Mikali grunted loudly, “What nonsense. It seems other races will believe in any children’s ghost story they are told.”

“I agree that we should check things out if the Empire continues to send soldiers only to have them disappear. However, I find it difficult to believe these rumors if the town itself is still functional. Surely people would not live there nor visit if these vanishing acts were actually taking place,” Rana said thoughtfully. It was at this point that Aridean noticed most of the mess hall was starting to clear out.

Morning conversations were beginning to quiet down as less and less of the patrons remained. While the enticing smells of fresh cooking lingered, sounds of chairs being scooted under tables started assaulting Aridean’s eardrums. Looking around the dining room, the vast majority of the morning crowd had already left. Only a few tables nearer to the order counter had occupied seats. There was also a short, kitchen staff member wiping down a table just behind Aridean. Strangely, Aridean did not recognize the one cleaning behind her.

Hmm? I may not talk to much of anyone besides Mr. Sven while I’m working here but I don’t know who that is at all… Aridean thought to herself with curiosity. With their back turned, the staff member leaned forward and stretched as far as they could as they were wiping down the table. Not wanting to be caught staring, Aridean quickly turned back to her companions at her own table.

“Grandfather, do you know if we may be able to find out more about Cortonne in the archives building or library?” Rana inquired. Mikali turned to his granddaughter and took a deep breath. However, before the minotaur elder could respond, a familiar voice could be heard from behind Aridean.

“Cortonne? I’ve heard that place is cursed,” came the unmistakable voice of Magdalene. Aridean turned around again to see that the unfamiliar mess hall staff member was standing back up after having finished wiping down the table they were at. Her eyes widened slightly as the worker dropped their rag into their dish tub and spun around to face her and the others. To her surprise, the unfamiliar employee was the half-elven thief, Magdalene. Upon closer inspection, she was still wearing her usual get-up of a white button up with a light blue skirt. Her normal clothes were underneath a mostly clean apron that was a bit large for her. Magdalene also had her sleeves rolled up and had contained her long hair under a white cap.

“Maggie? What are you doing here?” Vidor immediately asked with a skeptical look on his face. Magdalene glanced at her half-full dish tub before locking eyes with Vidor. She had a somewhat irritated expression.

“Uh, what does it look like, dummy? I’m cleaning tables and washing dishes,” replied Magdalene, mild agitation in her voice.

“I see that, but why?” Vidor rephrased his question with a loud grunt. “What’s a rotten thief doing actual work for?”

“Hey! I might be a thief but that doesn’t mean I don’t know honest work,” Magdalene retorted, her tone sounding particularly indignant after Vidor’s last jab. The friction between the two was interrupted by a loud sigh from Rana.

“And it seemed like the two of you were starting to get along…” Rana groaned quietly. The female minotaur shook her head and recomposed herself, “Maggie, do you know much of Cortonne?”

Aridean watched as Magdalene took a deep breath and wiped her hands clean. Before speaking again, the young girl turned around and grabbed a chair from the table she had been cleaning. Magdalene moved the chair to the space between Aridean and Vidor at the table and then sat down with the group of four minotaurs. Aridean was still somewhat surprised to have found Magdalene working in the mess hall while Vidor appeared less than pleased by her joining them at the table.

“I don’t know much about the place, but there is something weird about it. Pa… Pastor had told me there was something dark and evil about the town, but he was never clear on that. I do know that the noble family that owns the place is the Impalivik Family. I don’t know any details but apparently that family isn’t very active in the Empire anymore,” Magdalene explained. The girl rested an elbow on her knee and her chin in hand while she waited for Rana to think. Across the table from her, Rana could be seen contemplating what little knowledge the group had regarding their next destination. Mikali let out a weary sigh.

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“I know what you are thinking, Rana. While I’ve no information of use to share, we need to investigate the disappearances,” Mikali spoke softly and patiently. Rana looked up to her grandfather and gave a gentle smile.

“Don’t worry, grandfather; I won’t let this turn into another sasquatch incident,” replied Rana. Although she had a smile on her face, Mikali’s face filled with concern. While it was clear the old minotaur’s mind was filled with worry, he kept his opinions to himself. However, having heard the word ‘sasquatch,’ Magdalene’s expression immediately filled with confusion.

“Sasquatch? Gonna have to ask Ari about that later…” Magdalene could be heard muttering to herself. Vidor, having overheard the girl’s comment, grunted his annoyance.

Aridean watched as the girl pushed her chair back from the table. As Magdalene stood from her seat, she patted out some wrinkles in her apron before turning to move her chair back. Mikali also seemed prepared to take his leave as he reached for his walking stick and rose from his own spot at the table.

“So, I agreed to help out here for a little while longer. Dummy, Rana, you two done with your plates?” Magdalene asked, collecting Vidor’s plate before he even responded. Although he was finished, Vidor still rolled his eyes. Rana passed her empty plate to Magdalene, who looked to Aridean’s plate, “Hey, Ari, not that I care, but are you okay? You’ve only eaten half your meal.”

“I thought that odd as well. Are you unwell, child?” Mikali joined in, much to Aridean’s surprise.

“Uh, I--,” Aridean began to speak but found she was too surprised by Mikali to finish a thought.

“Vidor, see if she needs medicine and ensure she gets some rest in her bunk. You may have youth, but don’t overexert yourself, child,” ordered Mikali. Although he spoke in his usual gruff and serious voice, Aridean thought he almost sounded… concerned. Whatever the case, Vidor nodded to his grandfather as the old minotaur stood by his chair.

“Well, when we heading out this time?” Magdalene could be heard asking as she deposited the dishes into her collection tub. Vidor immediately began to glare at the girl as she picked up the tub.

“Who said you were going?” barked Vidor, sounding particularly aggressive. Magdalene turned back around, looking a bit stunned by Vidor’s sudden hostility. Even Aridean and Rana both looked to Vidor, both feeling a bit of worry over the outburst.

“W-well, I-I thought—” Magdalene began to reply with uncertainty. In that moment, Aridean thought the normally brash and hotheaded girl looked almost as if she may start to cry. That moment did not last, however, as Magdalene shook her head and composed herself, “I still owe you three. I’m going so I can pay you guys back.”

“We’re supposed to believe that after that scene back in Hunlio?” Vidor snapped aggressively. Magdalene’s confidence wavered and she was unable to look Vidor in the eyes anymore.

“T-that was--,” stuttered Magdalene.

“Vidor, drop it!” both Rana and Mikali ordered in unison. Vidor did not continue to antagonize Magdalene, but he had not stopped glaring at her. Aridean noticed that Rana looked somewhat upset by her brother’s insistence that Magdalene not be allowed to join them. Rana sighed deeply as she began to stand from her chair.

“You are that child of human and elven blood, yes? They will be setting out tomorrow morning for Cortonne,” Mikali spoke.

“Maggie, you needn’t join us if you do not wish to. Why not think things over a bit and let Aridean know if you will be coming along again,” suggested Rana with a sweet and kind voice. Vidor let out an annoyed grunt which earned him a rather scary glare from his older sister. Aridean turned to Magdalene, who took a deep breath before locking eyes. Confidence and determination had returned to Magdalene’s face.

It’s almost like I can already hear her saying she doesn’t need to think things over. Rana did say she is headstrong for someone her age, Aridean thought to herself. She gave a friendly smile to the half-elven girl and nodded her understanding.

Mikali and Rana proceeded to excuse themselves, both commenting on having some more business to address. Magdalene turned from Vidor and Aridean, collected her dish tub, and made her way across the dining hall toward the kitchen. Even after the girl was out of sight, Aridean noticed Vidor’s immense irritation. Although she had given thought to asking about his uncharacteristic resentment, Aridean thought it best to avoid the subject. Instead, she continued to eat the remaining half of her now cold breakfast as Vidor began to engage in idle conversation about how they would go camping for sure after this mission.

Upon finishing her morning meal, Aridean and Vidor stood from their table and made for the door. Aridean noticed that the dining hall was almost empty; it must have been getting later in the morning than she believed. Vidor moved ahead of Aridean in order to pull open the door leading outside. With a goofy smile on his face, the gentlemanly Vidor gestured Aridean out of the mess hall. All around were people of various races moving about the city of stone. Plenty of conversation between rebel soldiers and civilians alike could be heard, as could the idle chatter and laughter of less serious discussions. Aridean heard the mess hall door shut and the clop of Vidor’s hooves on the stone walkway as he moved to stand beside her.

“So, did you really need any medicine or was that just grandpa again?” Vidor asked with his same silly-looking grin. Aridean turned to him while feeling her face warm up with embarrassment.

“I-I was just giving General Mikali my attention, t-that’s all,” bluffed Aridean, the anxiousness in her voice making her statement rather unconvincing. Vidor let out a laugh before gesturing down the road.

“I know you don’t have an easy time talking to him. Grandpa can be a bit tough at times, but he really is trying to do good for the minotaur people; that includes you,” Vidor said as he and Aridean started walking along the road.

You say that, but he left me the options to join a rebellion or be thrown in prison. It’s hard to think he’s thinking of me, Aridean mentally commented. She was a bit annoyed by the thought but managed to put on a convincing enough face for Vidor to not think anything was wrong.

Together, the couple walked through the stone streets of Stonehaven on their way back to the barracks. All the while, the two listened to various different conversations taking place around them. Aridean heard all sorts of different topics being discussed as she walked with Vidor. Another team of soldiers were discussing their next assignment and how the captain expected everyone to do as they were told. Someone else was talking about what was on the menu that evening at the mess hall; having just ate, Aridean thought making dinner plans this early was a bit odd. Finally, Vidor and Aridean both came to a stop just before reaching the barracks as a group of school children had sprinted out in front of them from around the corner of another building.

Aridean and Vidor watched the kids run by them in a hurry to get to school. It did not seem they were in any particular rush, however, as the children were in the middle of a game of tag on their way through the city of stone. Laughter and shouting who was ‘it’ could be heard all the while. Among the group of kids, Aridean spotted the three that were always fawning over Rana. Timothy, Julie, and Hamuln all stopped upon noticing Aridean and Vidor; they waved with bright smiles on their faces. Vidor and Aridean both waved back to the children, the latter feeling a bit anxious. After a few minutes, the kids had taken their game and moved at least somewhat closer to the schoolbuilding. Aridean took a quick but deep breath before moving to the door to the barracks building.

“Well, regardless of whether it was grandpa or you not feeling well, you should still get some rest. Dunno when Rana’s gonna get us going but knowing her, it’ll be early tomorrow morning,” Vidor stated with a smile as he opened the door for Aridean again. Aridean gently smiled back at him as she moved a little closer. Although her face felt warm with embarrassment, Aridean wrapped her arms around his neck in a snug embrace. Clearly thrilled by the sudden affection, Vidor stuttered, “W-whoa, eheheh, I-I uh—w-what’s the occasion?”

“I’ll see you later, Vidor,” Aridean gently replied as she released her grip on Vidor and entered the building. Although she was already making her way inside, Vidor stood still at the doorway. She did not see it but Vidor had the widest smile on his delightedly nervous face as he let the door shut behind Aridean.

I really hope he didn’t think that was too bold of me… Aridean anxiously thought to herself as she slipped into the women’s barracks. Much to her surprise, the entire barracks was empty. Not a soul to be seen inside the large sleeping quarters; no one was still sleeping a bunk and no one was getting ready for the day. Although it was a bit unusual, Aridean shrugged and proceeded toward her bunk.

The instant she arrived at her bed, the minotaur dropped to her knees and lowered her head below her bunk. Aridean reached under the bed and pulled out her chest that held all of her clothes. The stillness in the room was only disturbed by the sound of her clothes chest scraping against the stone floor. Aridean popped open the lid of the box and quickly grabbed a clean shirt and pair of pants. Having collected what she intended to from the chest, Aridean closed the lid and slid the container back under her bunk.

Standing up on her hooves again, Aridean took a deep breath. She began to remove the shirt she had been wearing. Normally she would not change just to take a nap but her current clothes were stained with some sauces that had splashed all over the kitchen floor and then again onto her as she was cleaning up the mess. As her shirt was lifted over her head and removed from her body, Aridean heard a quiet clicking noise. The shirt she had just taken off was promptly dropped to the floor beside her hooves as Aridean removed her necklace.

In her right hand, Aridean held the gift that Vidor had given her twice now. The minotaur seemed lost in thought as she stared at her reflection in the ruby. Slowly, Aridean used her left hand to open the locket that Vidor had attached to her necklace. Her face slowly shifted; her sorrow was readily apparent. She heaved tired sigh as she examined the two portraits that her father had decided to put into trinket.

“Finally alone, are we?” came an unexpected voice from somewhere nearby. Frightened, Aridean’s grip on her necklace tightened as her body seized up slightly. With wide eyes and her arms wrapped around her modestly covered torso, Aridean began turning around. Confusion struck the minotaur, however, as there was no one in the room with her.

Am I… going crazy? Aridean thought to herself before being startled yet again.

“Oh no, did I frighten you? How… interesting,” spoke the voice again. A quiet gasp escaped Aridean as she managed to narrow down the direction of the voice this time. She slowly turned back around, eyes wide with surprise. Aridean was now facing her bed again, “There we go, you’re getting closer. I’ll just come out now.”

Confusion and shock were still painted on Aridean’s face as the voice continued to speak. Her eyes ran up and down her bed but did not see anything out of the ordinary with the bunk. It was not until she felt something wrap around her left leg, just above her hoof, that Aridean looked down. A long, white furred arm was extending out from under her bed, its hand with two clawed fingers and one clawed thumb wrapped snuggly around Aridean’s leg.

“AHH!!” Aridean screamed as she stumbled back. The frightened minotaur, free from the grip of whatever was hiding under her bed, fell backwards. Aridean fell onto Magdalene’s bunk and continued to roll backwards and ultimately into the floor on the other side. She hit her horn on the bedframe opposite Magdalene’s bunk and had also slammed her hand against Magdalene’s while trying to catch herself. With deep breaths, Aridean slowly picked herself up only enough to peak over Magdalene’s mattress at whatever it was that had just grabbed her. A hearty and boisterous laughter erupted from underneath her own mattress.

“Ahahaha! You seem fun at least! But be at ease, I mean you no harm,” the voice spoke again. Unable to respond through her shock, Aridean cautiously stood up enough that she could see the arm coming from under her bed, “I just wish to introduce myself. I noticed you examining that glorious, little trinket around your neck a moment ago. Do you like it? My master received it from his daughter some time ago; it made him very happy.”

“Y-your m-master? S-Simon?” Aridean hesitated to ask, all the more confused by the creature. Aridean had initially considered fleeing the barracks until the odd entity mentioned its master.

“Yes! My master loved that locket. Whenever he grew upset or saddened, he’d look into that precious gift and smile,” replied the creature under the bed. Aridean nervously swallowed as she moved in closer.

I-is this… thing telling me the truth? Simon… h-he really… loved my gift to him? Aridean internally wondered as she stood at the foot of her bed now. She watched the white furred and clawed appendage gesture about on the cold, stone floor. She was certain to keep out of reach, however.

“S-Simon… liked the locket?” Aridean asked anxiously. A disappointed sigh came from whatever it was under her bed.

“Why do you refer to him like that? He’d be so hurt to think you moved on from calling him ‘father,’ you know,” stated the bed-dweller. Aridean’s eyes went wide again and she found she was having difficulty breathing.

“H-how did you know--,” Aridean began to ask.

“I’ve been with Simon Gray even before you were born, Aridean Gray. Don’t think ill of him for hiding me from you; he didn’t have a choice,” the creature interrupted. It laughed again, “Why don’t you come down here for just a moment? I’d love to do proper introductions face-to-face.”

W-what the hell is going on? I am… I am going crazy, right? A dream, this is all just a dream. E-even so… its voice sounds… familiar, Aridean mentally told herself. She watched the hand pat the ground beside the bed, gesturing her to look underneath. With another anxious breath, Aridean found herself slowly dropping to the ground. As the minotaur began to lay down on the ground, the white furred arm receded under her bed. It was only at this moment Aridean wondered how anything fit under her bunk with all of her belongings.

Having finally gotten down and now able to peer under her bunk, Aridean let out a gasp. Her eyes had grown even wider than she thought possible as she finally saw what it was that was speaking to her. Beneath her bed was pitch black darkness; her belongings could not be seen through the eerie and unusual shade, it as if Aridean’s possessions were not even there. The only thing visible through the otherworldly gloom was her unexpected guest.

“It’s so nice to see your face after so long! You certainly have grown up these last two years, haven’t you? How have you been?” the ghastly creature greeted with a toothy smile on its terrifying face.

Aridean’s jaw dropped and nothing but frightened panting escaped her lips. Her guest seemed to obscure his or her or its body in the all-consuming darkness and solely its head was revealed to her. However, the creature’s head was horrifying enough that Aridean did was not sure she wished to see its body. Whatever this entity was, it had a wolf-like looking head covered in white fur. At least, it had white fur where it had skin; halfway down its snout, the flesh just stopped and revealed white bone. This creature had no lips and its canine looking teeth were all visible in its wide smile. Its left ear was long and pointed while its right ear had been partly cut off. Aridean was unable to see her frightened expression reflected in the beast’s eyes as it only had a dim and dark yellow glow deep in each of its otherwise empty eye sockets.

Aridean was stunned and unable to respond to the monstrous creature before her. Still breathing heavily, she could feel her entire body trembling but could not move a muscle. Having noticed her unease, the creature’s head shook as it let out another exasperated sigh.

“Oh dear, is it my face? I may not look as good as I use to but there’s no need for that. Come now, I know you’ve been taught that it is impolite to stare,” the being under the bed spoke as its head slowly rolled over. Still frightened by the extraordinary visage, Aridean blinked a few times before taking a deep breath.

“Ari? What are you doing on the floor?” came an unexpected second voice from behind Aridean. Having been startled again, Aridean jolted backwards and hit her head on Magdalene’s bedframe. Rubbing the back of her head, the minotaur stood up and turned to see the owner of the bed she had just hit her head on. Magdalene stood on the other side of her bunk with a confused look on her face. Aridean had never heard her enter the barracks. Having seen Aridean’s back, Magdalene commented, “Huh, I thought your fur was a solid brown color.”

It was the first time Magdalene had seen the three streaks of white fur on Aridean’s back. The girl seemed oddly enchanted by the bizarre pattern in Aridean’s fur. Nevertheless, explaining her fur was the last thing on Aridean’s mind.

“M-Maggie, u-under my b-bed,” a panicked Aridean stuttered as she gestured under her bunk. Magdalene’s face scrunched up with even more confusion.

“Under your bed? I-if it’s a rat, get Dummy to deal with it,” Magdalene replied, her voice becoming noticeably uneasy as she mentioned a rat.

It’s not a rat! I don’t know what the hell that thing is! Aridean was mentally screaming. Despite her internal panic and fright, Aridean was unable to speak. Magdalene examined Aridean’s anxious face for a moment before letting out an impatient sigh. The young girl moved around her bed and past Aridean. Magdalene got down on the ground and began to look under Aridean’s bunk.

“What am I looking for? I-if there’s a rat down here, so help me I’ll…” Magdalene started to say before trailing off. The girl had managed to spook herself with the idea that she might come face-to-face with a rat and was unable to finish her thought. However, Aridean was left entirely dumbfounded by Magdalene’s rather normal question.

Aridean quickly got down on the ground again at the base of her bunk. As Magdalene stood back up, Aridean was left shocked and amazed by the sight under her bed. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the scene: all of Aridean’s belongings were accounted for and in a neat and organized fashion.

“W-what? B-but it… what?” Aridean barely managed to speak clearly. Another impatient sigh came from Magdalene.

“That Sven guy said I could go ahead and have the rest of the day to rest since we’ll be leaving tomorrow. Not that I care or anything, but it sounds like you really need some sleep or something,” Magdalene suggested in her own way. Aridean was still focused on her magically reappearing property as Magdalene continued to mutter, “Ugh, is this how I’m gonna turn out working at the mess hall? Lord, give me strength.”

“S-some… sleep… Y-yeah, I think that’s exactly what I need,” Aridean nervously responded after her flustered nerves had calmed somewhat. Slowly, the minotaur stood back up and turned to her half-elven companion. Magdalene had gone to collect some bathroom amenities from beneath her own bunk. The girl began moving toward the lavatory facilities but stopped at the door.

“Real quick: is there a reason you’re standing around in just a bra and pair of sauce-stained pants?” Magdalene asked Aridean. Aridean looked herself over before quickly grabbing the clean shirt that was laying on her bed. Her face was hot with embarrassment as she fumbled to get the clean shirt over her horned head. Magdalene rolled her eyes as she entered the bathroom.

Aridean stood at the foot of her bed, staring at the door Magdalene had disappeared behind. The minotaur took a deep breath and could feel muscles tensing up. She got back down on the ground and surveyed the scene beneath her bed again. Nothing unusual about the sight came to mind, all of her organized property was stored under the bunk.

I-I just imagined it? Am I that tired? Aridean internally asked herself as she stood back up. The minotaur took a moment to swap into a clean pair of pants and put the dirty clothes she had removed into her dirty clothes collection. Aridean rubbed her eyes before climbing into her bed. She stared up at the ceiling as a strange drowsiness began to take over. Her eyelids grew heavy and slowly began to gently close shut. Just before slipping into her sleep, Aridean could hear a voice.

“We’ll try introductions again later. For now, sleep well.”