As the duo approached the horse drawn wagon, one of the guards sat on the ground fiddling with the strap on their gauntlet before looking up at them. Upon noticing the Ranger and Goblin, the guard turned his head right and shouted at the figure standing several paces away, to the deputy captain surveying the landscape facing away from them. Alerted to their presence, she briskly walked over to the back of the wagon and procured a small sack, carrying it in her left hand as she started towards Vern.

She stopped a few feet in front of him, her voice flat and emotionless as she greeted him. “Ranger.”

“Deputy Captain.” He replied, crossing his arms as he mimicked her tone. “Got everything I requested?”

“Yes.” She raised her right hand in a gauntleted fist, extending a finger for every item she listed off. “The rope, the net, crossbows, antidotes.” She paused for a moment, lowering her right hand as she extended her left, holding the sackcloth pouch in front of her. “And these of course.”

Vern sticks out his own left hand as she gently places the sack in his empty palm. He lightly bounces his hand up and down, testing its weight. “Meticulous as always Cathleen.” He said with a slight grin, trying his best to conceal his exasperation brought on by her presence.

“Only the best for our ever-vigilant woodsman.” Cathleen placed a hand on her hip as she spoke. “Now, are we ready to begin?”

“Not quite.” He replied, walking past her towards the wagon, and the three guards the deputy had recruited for this mission. His gaze was fixed on the one who was sitting on the ground, still adjusting the straps on his armor. He is a man with a large nose and a short, dark brown goatee peppered with gray, with hair too short to be seen poking underneath his helmet. His guard standard shield and spear were sitting on the ground beside him. Vern’s attention is drawn to another guard leaning against the wagon, a woman with thin cracked lips and slightly baggy eyes stared over the horizon, seemingly looking out for any signs of trouble. Strands of loose dirty blonde hair stuck out under the back of her helm.

“Hey there Garran, Ennie.” Vern politely addressed each guard in turn.

“Hallo there ranger!” Garran replied, not looking up from his task.

“Vern.” Ennie replied flatly in a slightly raspy voice, her eyes flicked to the ranger then back to the landscape

A voice called out from the driver’s seat of the wagon. “So! What have you gotten us into this time then huh?”

Vern looked up to see Jano, his usual driver, looking down at him from his perch. Jano had a squared chin, slightly crooked nose, and dark bushy eyebrows raised in a curious arch. “This all seems a little extreme for one poacher doesn’t it?”

The ranger’s mouth pulled into a wide closed-lipped grin as he shook his head. “Of course not, you all are the intimidation! You get to stand there and look tough while I break another nose.”

Jano slowly nodded in response to the nonsensical explanation. “Well so long as I don’t have to do any paperwork, you go right ahead.”

Cathleen stepped up to the wagon alongside Vern. “Everyone here has been debriefed on the situation, about the monster…and even your tagalong.” She gestured towards Zee who was standing off to the side, examining the sturdiness of the wagon wheel with a light kick.

Ennie turned her attention to the goblin. “That thing isn’t going to bite me is it?”

Zee turned to face her, bringing her hands up to head, fingers outstretched as if about to pounce. “Depensh, how tashty are you?” She said with a wide toothy smile, showing off her sharp yellowing teeth.

Ennie flinched at her response, taking a defensive step backwards. “Don’t even try it you little green toad!” she hissed.

Vern and Cathleen watched the interaction as she leaned over to whisper into his ear. “I know you know better than to bring someone along who’ll cause any problems. Correct?”

“Oh don’t you worry about her, She’s a playful one but she wouldn’t even think about hurting any of us.”

“I’m more concerned about you, Vern.” Cathleen turned her head to face his as she continued whispering. “I know you’ve been our main contact with the tribe, but don’t you think you’re getting too comfortable wi-”

“She can probably hear us whispering, by the way.” He warned, cutting her off.

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Cathleen turned to look back at Zee, who was met her gaze with twitching ears and a smug expression plastered on her face. The deputy shot Vern and annoyed glance before clearing her throat to speak aloud. “Well ranger, we’re in your jurisdiction now. What are we doing?”

Vern doesn’t respond as he moves away from the group, taking several steps before kneeling down, placing the objects he was carrying on the ground. He unfolded the leather pouch containing four pockets. The leftmost pocket contained two flat, long, curved pieces of wood. Each piece had a slit cut on the top, and a metal bolt the length of a finger sticking out of the bottom. He pulled them out, laying them above the pouch. The next pocket to the right contained a hollow steel grip, two cone shaped metal brackets with an L-shaped pin welded onto them, two small flat wheels, and a bowstring wrapped around itself in a loose knot.

He took the two brackets and placed them on the top ends of the wooden pieces, snapping them into place with a metallic click. Then similarly, clicking the bottom ends of the wooden pieces into the grip, forming the assembly into a bow. Setting the bow frame aside he began to unwind the long string.

Vern began to speak as he worked. “We may be facing something no one else has before. I don’t think we’re dealing with an average manticore, but a relative or a subspecies. Even so it’s still a dangerous beast. Strong, fast, and venomous.” He placed the wheels on each L-shaped pin, fastening them in place with a simple round cap, then strung the bow string along their edges, stretching it tight from top to bottom. Plucking the string to test its tension, he sets the completed bow aside and pulls a large bundle of headless arrows from the third pocket, setting them aside.

“We’ll need to keep our distance.” He continued, reaching into the sack Cathleen gave him, pulling out a silver, spade shaped arrowhead. He held it up, showing it to the rest of the group. “That’s why we’re using these. Silver arrowheads and silver crossbow bolts. Not as good as moonsilver but still highly effective. With a few well placed shots we can pierce its hide with ease.”

Garran, who was now standing beside the others, spoke up. “Will the net be enough to hold it down?”

“I doubt it.” The ranger responded as he started attaching the arrowheads one at a time to his bundle of arrows. “The net is mostly to prevent it from flying away, entangling its wings and more if we’re lucky.”

“What if we’re not lucky?” Ennie asks with a hint of concern in her voice.

Vern holds up an arrow to examine it, lightly tugging at the fixed arrowhead to ensure it’s holding fast. “Then we improvise.”

***

The midmorning sun shone before the group as they traveled north-east, casting long shadows behind them. Vern and Zee took up the lead, closely examining and following a path of flattened grass covered in sparse flecks of dried blood where something large and heavy would’ve been pulled through. The wagon was pulled behind them several paces away, Garran and Ennie walked on each side as Cathleen sat next to Jano in the driver’s seat, reins in hand, keeping the horses moving forward in a slow walk.

“Is this leading to where I think it’s going?” Vern quietly spoke his thoughts.

Zee was kneeling down, sniffing a handful of grass before looking up at her friend. “Ish there a place you think itsh neshting in?

“I do.” He declared as he continued walking forward, Zee stood up to follow. “There’s an old shack nearby. It’s been abandoned for decades, but I still check it every now and then for squatters.” His face turned grim. “If it is there, then I would’ve come across it by myself this trip.”

Zee banged the top of her chest with a closed fist, eyes filled with determination as she smiled up at Vern. “Well isha good thing yer not alone!”

He looked over his shoulder back towards the wagon, noticing Cathleen sitting in the passenger’s seat with arms crossed, staring intently at him with her usual neutral expression. He whipped his head forward. A knot formed in his stomach as he wondered about what she could be thinking. Did she suspect some sort of disloyalty? Like he would betray the Village allying himself with the Tribe? Or were her suspicions more personal…scandalous?

“Yeah…I’m not alone.” He quietly said with a wry smile.

The group continued onward, until the treeline that divided the lands from the plains to the forest came back into view. Before that, sat a decrepit shack. Upon seeing the building, Vern raised a closed fist, ordering the small caravan to a halt. The driver obeyed, pulling on the reins to stop the horses in their tracks.

“What is it, Vern?” Jano questioned as he scanned the fields in front of them, holding a hand up to his forehead to block out the sun.

Vern knelt down again to examine some claw marks in the dirt as Zee peered over his shoulder. Suspicions all but confirmed, he sighed. “We think the monster is holed up in that old shack. There’s nowhere else for something that big to hide, especially during the day, there’s no caves or cliffs or anything else out here.” He explained, pointing towards the building.

Garran stepped closer to Vern’s position, looking to where he was pointing. “Couldn’t the beast just dig a hole in the ground?”

“No, its claws are long, thin, and hooked. Ideal for climbing or catching prey, not for digging.” The ranger stood up again “The shack has a basement underneath it. If there’s anywhere this beast is gonna hide, it’s there.”

Ennie threw her hands up in frustration “So what? Are we all just going to cram ourselves into that rickety death trap? Vern what do you expect us to d-”

“Listen to the ranger, Ennie. I’m sure he has a plan” Cathleen cut her off before she could finish, a hand raise in an order to silence.

Vern scoffed before continuing. “Let’s get closer, when we get about forty paces away we’ll unload the supplies and continue on foot.

Zee rubbed her hands in anticipation “We’re comin ta getcha, monstie!”