Skadi and Cassie joined us to check on me.

“Did anyone else get hurt?” I asked them.

“Just scratches.” Skadi answered.

Helena nodded. “Same for me.”

“Nothing got too close, I am fine.” Cassie said.

“We need to check on those cages. There are people inside.” Skadi said.

“I think we got all of those thugs but you should command your undead to secure the area. One archer could ruin our day if they get a good shot.” Helena pointed out.

I focused on my undead. I currently had 32 zombies. About 5 of them were not in a great state. I dismissed them. Then I ordered the remaining 27 to guard the area.

“I really need to learn how to turn them into skeletons.” I muttered, then louder I said: “Done.”

Next I spent some mana to heal Frank. He had taken some damage but it was repairable. Nyx joined me. “You did well fighting the mage!” I praised her. She purred.

While I was busy with my undead, my friends released the prisoners. I winced as I walked over to them. My muscles still hurt.

I could see a small group of people. One middle aged man and two boys, not quite old enough to be men. I suspect he was their father. The boys were standing next to two women, probably their mother and sister. The man was talking to my friends.

“Greetings.” I said, as I approached.

“This is Koyuki, the final member of our team.” Helena introduced me.

“Thank you.” The older man said and bowed.

“What happened?” I asked.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“I was just telling your friends. My name is Greg and I am a hunter. My family lives in a small house near the edge of the forest. I do have a royal hunting licence.” He quickly pointed out. “I was tracking a deer with my boys when they caught us.”

He paused for a moment, gathering his strength. “They interrogated us… I told them where we lived. They went there and captured my wife and daughter too.”

“What did they want? Slaves?” Cassie asked.

“I don’t know.” He said, shaking his head.

“Would your family not be missed?” I asked.

He shrugged. “We visit the village once a week. They would report us missing. But being a hunter is a dangerous job. I am not sure if the guard would care…”

“Your family were the only prisoners?” Skadi asked.

“I never saw any others. But they only had us for two days.” He said.

“Two days? I wonder why they did not hit the village in that time.” I said.

“Maybe slaves were not their main goal. Just a bonus. We are not that far from Lupos. The army would definitely go hunting if a village disappeared. Or if too many people got robbed.” Helena mused.

“I am sorry. I do not know what they wanted.” The man said.

“It is fine.” Helena assured him.

“We should search the tents.” Skadi said.

“Are… are those undead safe?” The man asked. Nyx stared at him, then she materialised a tongue and licked her lips.

“Nyx! Bad kitty!” I told her. “They won’t attack you.” I assured the man. He did not look entirely convinced but he nodded.

“Let’s search together. We don’t know if there are any surprises left.” Helena suggested.

“Ok, let’s start with that fancy tent, it’s probably from the mage.” Skadi said while pointing at a big ornate tent.

We agreed and started our search. The tent was fairly large. The man had a small desk inside! The sleeping area looked comfy, for a tent. He had furs and fluffy pillows. Most importantly, there was a heavy wooden chest. And it was locked.

“Damn.” I said. “Do you think we can break the lock?”

“Don’t mess with the chest of a mage. It might explode.” Helena said. Cassie grinned. Skadi pulled a key from her pocket. “I took that from the mage we killed. Most of his stuff, like the clothes, were destroyed by Nyx. But I found this key.”

I took it and placed it in the lock. It fit! The chest unlocked with a satisfying click. I opened it…

“Are those gems?” Skadi asked.

We stared at a chest full of red crystals. I took one and examined it. “You know, they remind me of something…” I said.

“Those are vampiric nightshade seeds!” Helena exclaimed.

“Were they harvesting those, or planting them?” Cassie wondered.

“I have a feeling they were not here to hunt us. We were simply witnesses, just like that family. Maybe we came too close to their operation.” Helena theorised.

“If they were harvesting and this is the result, the whole forest could be filled with those plants!” I said.

Skadi took one of the seeds and studied it. “Surely someone would have noticed them by now. I think it is more likely that they were planting them to cause damage. If they wanted to set up a farm they would find a more remote location.”

“You think this was meant to cause a disturbance? Maybe have one of the nobles who hunt here eaten by a plant?” Helena wondered.

“How fast do they grow anyway?” Cassie asked.

“No idea. We should just report this and let the army handle it.” I said.

“And we should ask for payment.” Skadi added.

“Speaking of payment, how are we going to loot that camp? It’s getting late and there is a lot of stuff to carry. Did anyone see horses? Carts?” Cassie asked.

“Well, I do have some zombies…” I said.