The trees only got denser the further into the forest Ryn and Lupo trekked, eventually getting to the point where they could no longer travel side by side and Lupo had to take up the front while Ryn followed close behind, a hand on his blade, ready to draw it at any moment. They’d been listening intently as they walked for any sounds that resembled that of a lumbering ox making its way through the trees, there had been over five oxen stolen from not only Panu’s farm, but other’s surrounding the village as well, and the two men had only come across two; they had to keep their guard up, not to mention that whoever had killed the first ox, may very well still be in the vicinity. Based on Ryn’s observation of the body, the beast hadn’t yet been dead twenty-four hours.

“What reason would someone have for making so many Beast Demons?” Ryn inquired quietly as they hiked, swifty avoiding stepping into a giant hole in the ground, which he soon realized after looking down wasn’t a hole at all, but a massive hoof print.

“It’s unclear, most Beast Demons are used for tasks such as luring in prey or as servants to their masters, however I’ve never seen someone use an animal the size of an ox as a vessel, an animal of that size would require an intense level of energy that most common practitioners don’t possess.” Lupo specified.

“Could a demon possess the level of power needed?”

“Certainly not a low level one, if this is a demon we’re dealing with, it’s a very powerful one and we should keep our guards up.” Demons weren’t uncommon, they traversed all over the mortal realm and the types of demons that existed were nearly as diverse as the individual species on the planet, everything from Black Curse Worms all the way up to more complex demons, like the ones who could disguise themselves as humans.

“You would think if there were such a high level demon in the area, we would have picked up on it the second we stepped foot in the village, and I don’t remember there ever being reports of demonic activity in this region before.”

“There is one other explanation.” Lupo explained. “It could be a low level demon, it’s aura not strong enough to alert anyone who would be sensitive to it.”

“Then how would it manifest enough power to create these beasts?”

“If a low level demon was able to find something that could amplify its own power, the source of it would be external and wouldn't radiate from the demon itself. It would provide the energy needed for such spiritually taxing spells.” The trees began to thin out again, and Ryn moved to once more walk by Lupo’s side.

“What could possibly provide that kind of power?” Ryn asked.

“There are a number of artifacts throughout the realm that could theoretically achieve such a result, but they’re incredibly rare, the chances of one being here are low, but not impossible.”

“And if that ends up being the case?”

“Simple. Nullify the artifact, you weaken the demon, it won’t have enough power to maintain the beasts it created and it’ll be easier to subdue.” Lupo explained it like it was the simplest explanation in the world. “There’s a clearing up ahead, let’s hurry.” With that, the duo quickened their pace as they approached a breach in the trees. The second they stepped into the clearing, the two could immediately sense the static in the air, the atmosphere around them was charged, crawling up their skin and making their hairs stand on end, it was a familiar feeling to them both.

“There’s a barrier here.” Ryn observed, reaching his hand out. Unsurprisingly he found his palm resting flatly against a wall he could not see, but the static from it traveled up his arm and caused his muscles to twitch under his skin, someone had erected a barrier here to hide themselves, those without the key would be locked out, or at least most people without the key would be locked out. Ryn stole a glance at Lupo, who’d already began drawing a sigil in the air with two fingers, a look of complete focus overtaking his face. Lupo never disclosed to Ryn where he’d learned to wield the magic he did, but he was highly skilled with it, and there were very few types of barriers that could keep him out.

Once the sigil was finished, it glowed out in front of them for all but a moment before sinking deep into the invisible wall of the barrier. A fizzling sound traveled through the air as the barrier easily fell away, revealing what looked to be an old cabin in the middle of the clearing, worn down by the passing of time. The holes in the walls and general disarray of the building would lead most people into believing it abandoned, but if it was abandoned, why did someone go through such trouble to hide it behind a barrier?

The static in the air dissipated, and in its place rose the familiar feeling of a wicked aura, one that made the air thick and difficult to breathe. “Be on your guard.” Lupo said simply before taking a step forward. Ryn nodded his head in agreement before following close behind. The cabin was small and the door was hardly held firm on its hinges. It didn’t take much for Lupo to push it open, and it fell forward with a slam onto the ground, both of the men’s eyes following it all the way down. “Lovely place they have here.” Lupo breathed.

The inside of the cabin was modest, a simple bed big enough to house one person in a far corner, a small table near a dust covered hearth. There was a rug on the ground that had begun to tatter and fray at the edges, from beneath it fled dozens of small insects, suddenly surprised by the sudden intrusion into their small abode. There was a candle on the table by the stove, and as Ryn looked at it, he could still see traces of black smoke rising from the wick, it had been extinguished recently. Without a word Ryn motioned toward it and Lupo followed his gaze before shooting him a look. Ryn drew his sword, moving at the ready should there be an ambush, Lupo mimicking his movements. However, as they searched the entirety of the small cabin, opening cabinets and wardrobes, checking under the bed and beneath the table, the pair came up empty handed, there was no one here.

“Perhaps we just missed them.” Lupo supplied as he moved to sheath his weapon, Ryn was about to do the same until he noticed something odd, and he held up a hand to halt Lupo’s movements, which he did, pinning Ryn with a curious expression. Ryn pointed a finger toward the rug in the center of the room, Lupo’s eyes falling to it before a look of recognition dawned on his face. The two moved slowly across the creaking loose floorboards, careful to make as little sound as possible as they made their way toward the center of the room. They were careful to listen for any movement from below as Ryn slowly and carefully pulled the rug back, exposing what he’d seen pushing up from beneath the thin fabric, the handle of a cellar door. Lupo reached down and curled his fingers around the metal loop, looking up at Ryn who counted down from three with his fingers. Once he reached one, the cellar door was ripped open and the two leapt inside, falling for only a moment before their feet landed hard on the dirt floor below. Within a second Lupo formed a ring with his index finger and thumb before blowing into it, from his breath emerged a white sphere that emitted enough light to illuminate the room. The sphere followed him as he walked around the cramped space. While it was a small dwelling, it was significantly better kept than the cabin above, hardly any dust collecting on the plain furniture, paintings hung on the wall and two large book shelves filled with scrolls and books lined the far wall.

“The cabin above is a distraction,” Ryn observed. “This is the real dwelling, and someone has been here recently.” He pointed toward the table by the small bed in the corner, a small, well worn candle still lit on its surface, producing just enough light to illuminate that one corner.

“I don’t know if ‘been here recently’ is the correct term,” Lupo commented. “Do you make a habit of leaving candles burning when you are not present?” They both froze at that point, because that meant that whoever they were looking for was still very much here. Suddenly a loud shriek broke through the still silence.

“HELP!” A voice shouted from somewhere beyond the cellar. “PLEASE SOMEONE HELP! I’M HERE!” Both Ryn and Lupo shared a look before turning to look where the sound was coming from, and they found it was from behind the two bookshelves. Ryn extended his hand toward one of them and sure enough, he could feel airflow traveling from behind it. Without a second thought the two men worked together to push one of the bookshelves aside, nearly toppling it over in the process, books and scrolls all falling hard to the floor. Behind the large bookcase extended a long hallway that led into infinite darkness; it seemed the cellar was much larger than either of them had initially thought.

Lupo led the way as the sphere of light floated alongside his head, illuminating the passageway, the voice getting louder and louder as they walked.

“PLEASE SOMEONE! I’VE BEEN CAPTURED! PLEASE GET ME OUT!” The two walked with a renewed hurry until Ryn heard a loud crunch under his step. Looking down to see what had made the noise, he was confronted with what he could tell was what remained of a human skull. He and Lupo shared a look before they started running down the hallway, desperate to get to whatever survivor may still be trapped within its confines. “PLEASE BY THE GODS RESCUE ME, I DON’T WANT TO DIE! I DON’T WANT TO BE EATEN!” Eaten? Ryn’s expression darkened.

All at once the two burst through the entryway to another room, and once it was illuminated by Lupo’s light, both men stood frozen at what they saw. Piles of body parts littered the floor, hands, arms, legs, feet, torsos, heads, all appearing to belong to young men, more than likely the very same young men who’d gone missing from the village. There were dozens of them, many of them showing the obvious signs of being partially devoured, clear teeth marks marring the flesh, pieces clearly having been ripped off. The two men felt bile rise up in their throats at the sight. As they walked, their steps were sticky and heavy, looking to the ground, Ryn realized it was because the floor was caked with a thick layer of drying blood.

“You’ve come to save me! Thank the Heavens!” A voice echoed from the other side of the chamber, and immediately Lupo shined his light in the area. They saw a man, his hands had been shackled and he’d been chained to the brick wall, his body slumped on the ground and his clothes tattered. It was the elderly owner of the tea house, a look of surprise and hope painting his wrinkled features. Ryn and Lupo jumped into action, Lupo swinging his sword down hard enough to break the rusted chains, freeing the man’s arms as Ryn bent down to curl one of them around his shoulder, hoisting the man up and onto his feet.

“Sir, have you been injured?” He asked as he led the old man back through where they’d come from.

“No, thank the gods, but who knows what would have happened if you two hadn’t arrived, I’d have been devoured for sure.”

“Do you know who’s been doing this?” Lupo asked as he led the way, slowing his pace slightly to allow for Ryn and the elderly man to keep up.

“I didn’t see his face, only his teeth as he locked me up down here, it’s a monster, a real monster! It’s been stealing men from the village to devour their flesh.”

“Is the creature still here?” Ryn inquired as he paused to give the man a rest.

“No, he must have heard you two come in and vanished, who knows where he is.” A terrified expression crossed over the man’s face, as he made a desperate effort to twist around in the darkness, his eyes darting to every wall. “What if he’s still around, he’ll kill you! He’ll kill you both and eat your flesh!”

“I’d like to see him try.” Lupo remarked as they began moving again, finally reaching the end of the hallway. Making haste, Lupo instructed Ryn to climb up the ladder to the upper level, taking over holding the elderly man upright as his companion did as he was told. Once he was up above, he lowered his hand down, taking the tea house owner's hand in his own and helping him climb up, pulling him through the cellar entrance. The last to emerge was Lupo, who’s sphere of light faded as he breached through the darkness of the room below back into the main building of the cabin. The old man heaved as he caught his breath, clearly his body having a hard time keeping up with the other two.

“My deepest thanks my boys.” The old man gasped. “Please catch that wicked creature and destroy it, it won’t stop, it’ll keep taking men from the village, you must go now! I can make it back to the village on my own, please you mustn't waste time!” He pleaded.

“We assure you, we will exterminate this demon, however I refuse to leave you to find the village on your own. We will accompany you, then we will return as soon as you’re safe and sound.” Ryn explained as he once again helped the elderly man to stand.

The tea house owner seemed to sigh in defeat. “Such kindness toward this old man.”

“Of course,” Lupo confirmed. “You are an elder after all, this is our responsibility.”

The trio began to make their way from the cabin, stepping over the door that had collapsed when Lupo had opened it before, Ryn’s hold on the old man tight as they walked.

He was grateful to feel the sun on his face as he breached the doorway after having been in such a harrowing place, however, within seconds of having exited the cabin, Lupo drew his sword and pointed the tip of his blade directly at the tea house owner’s throat, a look of shock taking over the old man’s face.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” He exclaimed, looking toward Ryn with panic in his eyes. “Do you see your friend? He must be the creature in disguise, hurry and dispatch him!” However when he looked over, Ryn’s face was stern and his grip on the old man’s arm tightened to a near painful strength. “What do you two think you’re doing!?” The man Shouted. “Someone help! Help!!”

“Something doesn’t make sense.” Ryn stated calmly, never raising his voice even an octave above the old man’s shouting, the tea house owner immediately shut his mouth, looking at Ryn with a questioning fearful gaze. “Every other victim that this demon has taken from the village has been a young man in his prime, all of the victims were between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two, the merchant we spoke to confirmed it. So why would this creature, who clearly has a very defined taste, go after an elderly man? It doesn’t make any sense now does it?” Lupo’s blade never wavered as he started speaking next.

“You know I’ve been thinking, and it’s been bothering me this entire trip,” Lupo admitted, his gaze cold as stone, if his eyes had been blades, they would have cut the tea house owner down where he stood. “What could possibly make dozens of men, all in their prime, simply leave their homes and vanish, without any sign of a struggle or a break in, like they up and left, and it wasn’t until we got here that it dawned on me just what must have happened. The men did in fact just up and leave.

I suspect that these men must have known about the disappearance of farmer’s oxen in the area, and knowing that would impact the farms ability to produce food for the village, these men, being young and respectable, wouldn’t have thought twice about trying to solve this problem themselves.”

“What must have happened,” Ryn spoke up, his grip never wavering from the old man’s arm as he drew his attention. “Is that late at night, these men awoke and when looking out the window, they must have seen what looked to be an ox, presumably the same oxen who’d been going missing. Being drowsy from sleep still, these men would fail to realize that these oxen were significantly larger than any ox ought to be.”

“They would indeed walk out of their homes to approach the creatures.” Lupo took over again as he finished piecing together the story. “Once they get close enough though, the ox probably attacked, subduing the men and bringing them back to this very cabin, where a vile demonic creature lied in wait to devour their flesh, but the wicked creature became gluttonous, eventually only taking a few men here and there by using just one ox wasn’t enough, it needed to steal more of them, thus the use of so many oxen.”

The old man had a wicked look upon his face as he stared at Lupo. “While that is a worthwhile theory, I fail to see why that results in you pointing your blade at me. Do you think an old man such as myself could truly be such a creature? You’ve lost your mind young man!”

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“Then why didn’t you mention the missing men when you originally told us about this case?” Ryn questioned, his eyes sharpening toward the man he was supporting. “Surely you would have known a lot about it, considering you lived in the densest part of the village, but yet you only informed us of the oxen being stolen. It’s almost like you didn’t want us to know about the villagers.”

“Or you saw a potential meal and wanted to lure us out into the open where we’d be easy to grab, considering we weren't villagers, it wouldn’t have been as simple as just luring us out of our houses like you’d done the others.” Lupo finished. The old man was quiet for a moment, his previously wide eyes darkened by shadow as he seemed to be considering his options. The sounds of the forest seemed to go quiet the moment the three had stepped outside, not a sound erupting from the trees, like every bird, chipmunk and squirrel was waiting to see what happened with bated breath. Then a wicked smile split the man’s face as he began to chuckle.

“You two looked so delicious, young and tender, your flesh would be delectable,” The old man laughed and Lupo’s grip on the hilt of his sword tightened, his jaw clenching as he waited to see what the man before him would do. “I didn’t expect you to be such a pain in the ass!” With that the man began to struggle fiercely in Ryn’s grip, his fist only tightening where it was wrapped around the tea shop owner's arm. Lupo pushed his blade forward, the tip kissing the man’s throat and finally he ceased his movements, his expression still hidden from the two.

“I just have one question,” Lupo asked. The man said nothing, but tilted his head as if to say ‘I’m listening’. “You’re a low level demon, hardly capable of making beasts of this size, what are you using to amplify your power?” Suddenly the man began to laugh hysterically, his entire body shaking in Ryn’s tight grasp and finally he lifted his head. His eyes, which had previously been a light shade of gray, were suddenly blown out wide, over encompassed by an inky blackness, his skin seemingly looser than before as dark black veins rose from underneath his eyes. The demon inside the man’s body was finally letting its facade drop. Without saying a word, the man opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, it was a tongue far longer than any humans ought to be, stretching down far below his chin, and placed on his tongue was a single gem like stone, it was a purplish color and seemed to radiate an aura that Ryn was wholly unfamiliar with. It sent static down his spine the longer he looked at it. The long tongue was pulled back into the man’s mouth, the gem with it as the old man swallowed.

“I got so lucky, finding this treasure in the middle of fucking no where!” The man shouted.

“What is that?” Ryn inquired, looking at the man’s face and mouth even after the gem had disappeared.

“Fuck if I know!” The man exclaimed. “But it’s mine!” With that, a burst of energy erupted out of the man’s body and both Lupo and Ryn were flung backwards, Ryn’s back colliding sharply with a tree behind him, the resulting crack of his skull against the wood sending pain down his spine. Looking up, the old tea house owner stared at him for a moment, before he moved faster than any human had the capability to, darting from here to there as if toying with the men until he came to a stop just before Ryn, reaching down to pick him up off the ground by his throat, slamming his body back up against the tree, his fingers squeezing impossibly tight. “You boys are strong, devouring the flesh from your bones will truly be a treat.” Ryn’s hands came to wrap around the man’s wrist, tightening enough to hear the bones crack, but the old man’s grip never faltered, instead it only tightened until Ryn’s vision was beginning to darken, his mouth opening to attempt to drag air into his desperate lungs. The man tilted his head before his smile grew even larger and more wicked as he lifted the taller man up high, his boots no longer touching the ground. The old man threw him to the side hard enough for Ryn to crash through one of the walls of the cabin, landing harshly on the wooden floor, gasping to catch his breath once he’d come to a stop.

“Ryn!” Lupo shouted before drawing his blade and charging at the old man, but strike after strike the man would only dodge effortlessly. This was bad, neither Lupo nor Ryn knew what the artifact he was using was or how much power it actually gave him. Lupo shouted in frustration as he thrust his sword once more, but the blade only cut the air, the old man sidestepping easily and darting to stand behind him, his hand coming to grip the back of Lupo’s neck, squeezing hard until Lupo heard a small crack, pain echoing through his body. He dropped to his knees, sword stuck into the earth to keep himself upright as he kicked out one of his legs, boot colliding hard with the man behind him, successfully escaping his grip and sending the man backward hard enough for him to crash hard into the trunk of a tree, nearly breaking it in two. The crack of the wood echoed through the forest, a flock of birds fleeing into the sky at the commotion. When the man fell, his face hit the ground hard, and when he lifted his head, Lupo was greeted with the horrifying sight of his flesh beginning to peel from his skull, though the old man hardly seemed to notice. This man was a walking corpse! Lupo pulled the belted chain from around his waist, gripping it as the metal began to glow a brilliant white, swinging it in the air a few times before letting it fly toward the old man, who was trying to lift himself up off the ground.

“Restrain!” Lupo commanded and the chain twisted itself around the arms and body of the old man, preventing him from being able to move as he grunted in frustration. He struggled to free his arms, but the chain only grew tighter the more he twisted and fought. Taking the moment of peace, Lupo rushed through the hole in the wall that Ryn’s body had created when he crashed through it, seeing his companion beginning to lift himself off of the ground, his normally pristine white surcoat stained with dirt, dust and blood.

Lupo hoisted him up by his arm, Ryn using him as an anchor to regain his footing. “That demon has a hell of an arm.” Ryn jested before wincing at the pain in his spine. It would fade quickly, but that made it no less unpleasant.

“It’s a Corpse Eater,” Lupo explained as they started on their way to exit back out of the cabin. Ryn was familiar with Corpse Eaters, though he’d never met one before today, he was educated on them.

Corpse Eaters are very low level demons, unable to take a corporeal form of their own, they often inhabit the bodies of the recently deceased, using it as a makeshift flesh suit to do their bidding. They were notorious for devouring human flesh to keep their own rotting body looking fresh and alive, often choosing victims in their prime, sucking out their youthful energy. More than likely the demon had stumbled upon this village and found the old tea house owner, elderly and weak, it used what little power it had to subdue and kill him, probably in his sleep before inhabiting his body. It probably wandered into the forest where presumably it found the artifact that had given it so much power, using the old man’s soul to create its first rudimentary Beast Demon. It would have been smaller than the others, taking into account that the old man’s soul wouldn’t be as strong as a man in his prime; but the soul would do for collecting his first set of victims.

“How did we not figure that out earlier?” Ryn sighed as they stepped back outside and made their way toward the still struggling demon on the ground, growing more and more frustrated with the binds now crushing its body’s ribs as the chain grew tighter and tighter.

“I WORKED SO HARD TO MAINTAIN THIS BODY!” The corpse eater screamed. “LOOK AT YOU! YOU’RE RUINING IT! RUINING IT!”

“There are plenty of demons with a taste for humans.” Lupo supplied before grabbing the man by his hair, or what was left of it that clung to his now half exposed skull, he hoisted the demon up, pinning him back against the tree.

The demon struggled for a few more minutes before shouting. “Who the fuck are you two!?”

Lupo smirked. “Pest exterminators.”

Without another word, Ryn drew his blade, laying the tip directly over the demon’s non beating heart before plunging it deep into the thing's chest; no blood dripped from the wound as it had already clotted inside the corpse’s veins. He pulled down on the hilt of the sword, splitting open the demon’s chest and stomach, instead of a look of shock or pain, as most humans would wear, this demon only looked angry as the flesh suit was destroyed. Once the torso of the creature was opened, Ryn unsheathed his sword, grimacing before reaching a hand into the man’s stomach.

“Careful, that tickles.” The old man chuckled as Ryn dug around his insides. “Looking for something?” Lupo slammed the demon’s head against the tree, effectively shutting his mouth while pinning him with a deadly glare. Finally Ryn’s hand emerged victorious, the violet gem held within his palm, effectively diminishing the demon’s power. Swiftly, Lupo dug a small vial from one of his pockets, uncorking it before holding it close to the old man’s mouth.

“Expel.” He demanded, and a black smoke began to leak out of the man’s mouth, flooding into the vial until the old man’s eyes turned from black to a milky white, his jaw dropping open and his body going limp. Lupo corked the vial before slipping it back into his pocket, removing the chain from around the corpse’s body and laying him onto the ground, tying the chain back loosely around his waist. “The Black Curse Worms will recede once we remove the demon from the area, and without the power from that artifact, any remaining Beast Demons will drop dead within a day, our work here is done… Ryn?” Lupo turned to look at his companion, who currently had his hand stretched open, staring at the gem that laid in his palm, a complicated expression on his face. “Ryn?”

The gem in his hand began to glow brighter and brighter, almost pulsing as if it were excited, both men staring at the crystal, mesmerized. The gem lifted itself from Ryn’s palm, suspending itself in the air just before him, its pulsing light getting more and more erratic as a crack formed in its surface, then another, and then another until the gem broke into so many pieces it looked like little more than floating dust as it plunged itself directly into Ryn’s chest, absorbing through his body. Ryn dropped to his knees, barely managing to catch himself on his hands. Immediately Lupo was at his side, calling his name, but Ryn couldn’t hear it, all he could hear was the sound of this heartbeat in his ears and strangely… the sound of voices as the world went black.

~

“I believe your sword arm has gotten even more formidable, my lord.” The man stood before Ryn commented, his breathing heavy as he took a few steps back, resting a hand on his knee. The man was tall, at least a few inches taller than Ryn himself, his hair was long, half tied up tightly, the rest cascading down his back in ink black waves, he wore unfamiliar red attire, a heavy leather red surcoat fitted under golden armor. Looking at himself, Ryn realized his own attire was not much different, though instead of red, he wore white. “Worthy of your title.” The man before him added.

“Or your just getting old, Juma.” Ryn joked, a playful smile on his lips, though looking at Juma, Ryn could hardly see the man being older than his mid twenties. Ryn was breathing deeply, as if he’d just finished a fight, his long brown hair pulled up tightly at the crown of his head. Juma gave an unamused look before lifting his sword to point directly at Ryn, though his stance was nonthreatening.

“Careful now, we aren’t that far apart in age.” Juma stood, readjusting the grip on his blade swiftly before moving into a readied stance. “If you’re so spry, let’s see if you can take me in a real fight.” Juma lunged forward, rearing back his sword arm for a strike, but Ryn easily countered it with his own, the two blades clashing. Ryn didn’t recognize his own footwork, dodging effortlessly as Juma launched attack after attack, each more aggressive than the last, Ryn’s own blade having little trouble keeping him at bay. The fight was arduous, but fair, Juma pulled no punches, and Ryn threw a few of his own as metal collided with metal. ‘When did I learn how to fight like this?’ he asked himself as he continued on the defensive.

“You’ll never win a fight properly if you keep yourself on the defensive, put some more effort into it, at this rate your sister will surpass you.” Juma taunted. Ryn grinned, parrying Juma’s last attack before raising his leg and slamming a kick hard into his chest, staggering the other man a few steps before Ryn lunged forward, switching from his defensive posture to an aggressive one, forcing Juma back step by step.

“What was that about being on the defensive… My lord?” Ryn tacked on at the very end as he taunted. Suddenly the images before Ryn’s eyes began to grow fuzzy, Juma’s response muffled and distorted as if he were speaking from under water.

~

Ryn’s eyes opened to the image of Lupo staring down at him, a concerned look distorting his normally stoney features, the sky having grown darker behind his head. Ryn was lying flat on his back, the grass tickling the back of his neck and a dull ache in his chest as he blinked, taking a deep full breath. Lupo’s hand appeared behind his head, his other pulling him up by his shoulder into a sitting position on the ground. Looking around, Ryn recognized where they were, but it still seemed unfamiliar. Looking around, the corpse of the old tea house owner had disappeared.

“What happened to the old man’s body?” Ryn asked groggily as if he’d just emerged from a deep sleep.

“I buried him once I was sure you weren’t gonna die or something, never mind that, what the fuck happened to you?” Lupo’s voice was assertive and demanding as always, but there was a layer of unease underneath it.

“I…” Ryn struggled to find words to describe what had just happened to him. Was it a dream? But it hadn’t felt like a dream, it felt like he was fully conscious the entire time as he watched the events play out. “I don’t know.” With help from Lupo’s outstretched hand, Ryn was hoisted off the ground and back onto his feet. “But I’m fine, just a little groggy.” Lupo didn’t seem completely convinced, but he accepted the answer before looking up at the quickly darkening sky as the sun began to set.

“Let’s head back to Panu’s farm, let him know the job’s done and get the fuck out of here, I wanna reach Inval by noon tomorrow.” Ryn nodded, following close behind Lupo as they made their way out of the forest, the events of what Ryn had from the violet gem replaying in his mind.

“We’ll alert the Village head and have him send a team out to collect the bodies of the deceased first thing.” Panu promised after Ryn and Lupo explained what had happened when they arrived back at the farm.

“He always seemed like such a kind old man,” Meva said as she processed the fact that the tea house owner had been the one stealing their oxen, a look of disbelief carved into her normally fair features. “I can’t believe he was such a horrible creature.”

“He probably really was just a kind old man at some point,” Ryn explained as he took a sip of watered down tea. “Corpse Eaters are disgusting low level demons, and probably used trickery to lead him toward his death before comendering his body. He has been laid to rest now.”

Meva nodded, seemingly put a little at ease knowing the demon had been taken care of. “Would you boys like to stay for supper again? It’s the least we can do.” Both men leapt up from their chairs before the woman before them could sit them down again.

“While we appreciate the offer truly,” Lupo explained, a nervous smile on his face at the thought of being surrounded by so many children again, each asking him question after question and pulling at his hair. “We plan to head out to Inval and hope to be there by noon tomorrow, so we really must be on our way.”

“Inval is quite a ways West,” Panu pointed out. “What could you boys possibly be planning for all the way out there?”

“Inval is a good point of reference, get our bearings and prepare for our next job, a home base of sorts.” Ryn explained.

“You two must travel a lot,” Meva guessed and the two men nodded. “Well if you won’t be staying, allow me to give you something for the road.” The men had intended on insisting she didn’t have to, but the look she gave them quickly made them both shut their mouths and zip them tight. Meva disappeared up the stairs, but she was only gone for a moment before she reemerged, a beaded necklace in each hand, an odd pendant hanging from them in the shape of a misshapen star. After she approached, she clasped each necklace around each of the traveler’s necks. “This is a pendant of the god Tovih, he protects travelers on the road.” Lupo gained a complicated expression, but didn’t argue as the necklace was fastened around his neck, the pendant hanging heavy over his chest.

“You boys are welcome back anytime,” Panu said as he stood from his seat to see the two out, however before the group made it far toward the door there was the sound of sprinting down the stairs. The group stopped and just as Lupo began to turn, two small arms latched themselves around his waist, effectively freezing him in place, his shoulders hiking up in both shock and confusion as he shot Ryn a pitiful look. Ryn only responded by barely managing to contain his laughter.

Looking down, Lupo was greeted with the big brown eyes of Fiko. “Don’t go mister! What if our oxen start disappearing again?” The child shouted. Lupo stood frozen in place for a moment, clearly unsure of what to do in such a situation, but eventually he sighed, placing a hand on the top of the kids head, rubbing his hair affectionately.

“They won’t, the demon who’d been taking them is gone, but if they do, we’ll come right back.” Lupo explained.

“You promise?”

“We promise.” Ryn added, a friendly smile on his face. After a moment, Meva managed to pull her son away from Lupo’s waist.

“That’s enough Fiko, now go wash up for supper, and make sure your siblings are ready as well, dinner time is in fifteen minutes!” She shouted the last part as Fiko quickly rushed back up the stairs to get his siblings. Meva sighed as she watched him go.

Baohe was leaning against the wall by the door when the two emerged from the house, his arms crossed over his chest, his head dipped low as if he were resting, his features were hidden by the brim of his hat. Lupo reached into his pocket, pulling out the same vial that held the Corpse Eater, swiftly tossing it to the man, who only raised his hand and caught the vial with ease.

“Take care of that, would ya?” Lupo asked as he, Baohe and Ryn made their descent of the stairs. Baohe tucked the vile safely away into his belt before speaking.

“And yourself?” He asked plainly, not a hint of emotion in his voice.

“Heading to Inval, I’ll let you know if anything changes.” With that, Baohe stopped at the edge of the steps, folding his hands behind his back and finally lifting his head.

“I’ll stay here for a few days until they can get themselves a new ox. I've been so bored recently, maybe some fresh air will be good for me.” Boahe said. Ryn looked around, much of what had once been overgrown grassland was now tilled and ready to be planted, a job that should have taken many days, but only took Baohe one to complete.

“I’m sure they’ll appreciate the help.” Ryn said, turning to gaze at the tall man behind him. Baohe only hummed his response before turning and heading toward the shack behind the house, presumably to turn in for the night. Ryn watched him go for a while before Lupo’s voice cut in abruptly.

“Come on, let’s go,” He demanded. “If we stay out here all night we’re never gonna hit Inval in time.”