Vern slept without any interruptions until Velvet woke him up. He yawned a few times before rising from his bed and preparing for the day.

When he walked downstairs, his mind was set on how to handle this situation without revealing too much. Joyce, Dilan, and Garet already waited at the table they had sat at yesterday, all equipped with plenty of gear.

»Oh, I see you've actually come«, Joyce greeted him. »Guess that's proof enough that I was right all along …«

»Just shut up about it and follow me«, Vern replied and briefly looked around. Luckily, at this time of day, there was nobody here besides them, but he still didn't want her to constantly mention it. As he left the inn at a hurried pace, he didn't bother whether or not the others had trouble keeping up.

The grey sky lightened up significantly in the time it took them to reach the area Vern had intended to hunt in. He had chosen one of the furthest bailiwicks in this area and had even led them along its border for a while, so the chance of them encountering anybody else accidentally was fairly low.

»Why are we going in from this side?«, Dilan asked after Vern had stopped. »Isn't it easier to get deep inside by taking the paths we passed by?«

»No, that's way too much effort«, Vern replied mysteriously, and the others were noticeably worried by his answer. After all, to them, it looked like he had just lured them far off for no reason.

»Don't worry«, Vern said. »If I wanted to deal with you and hide your corpses, I would have kept walking for a little longer.« He smiled, fully knowing that this wasn't easing their minds.

»Uhm … so what's our strategy then?«, Joyce asked. »I won't be satisfied if we don't find any prey, just so you know.«

»Yes«, Vern responded and paused for a moment to enjoy the nervous expression on her face. »Well, we could do this the regular way by going deep inside, hoping we come across monsters in this usually overhunted bailiwick. Although the activity of the hunters has declined recently due to … certain circumstances … it's not like the bailiwicks are all of a sudden teeming with monsters. Therefore, we are going to do this the low effort and efficient way.«

»Low effort and efficient?«, Garet asked. »What do you mean?«

Vern smiled. »I'll show you. Just follow me inside.«

He went ahead, passing the barrier indicated by yellow markings on the sparse tree line. Hesitantly, the others followed him inside. But they were even more surprised when Vern didn't decide to walk deeper into the bailiwick and instead strolled along the border until he eventually sat down on a fallen tree. Looking at him bewildered for a moment, Joyce spoke up.

»What are we waiting for?« she asked impatiently.

»Do you hear it?«, Vern replied and pointed at his ear.

»Hmm, what are you …« But before she could finish her sentence, the approaching monster was now audible to her as well and she turned around. Her two brothers had already drawn their swords as a small animal ran at them across the snow-covered ground. It was almost entirely white, blending into the snow if it wasn't for the hint of black on its tail and his red eyes. Although being about twice as big as a common squirrel wasn't menacing in itself, it was quite fast and with its sharp fangs, it could easily penetrate deeply into human skin.

As it came into reach of Dilan and jumped at him, he flicked his sword in response and cut off the stoat's head in midair.

»See, that's what we're waiting for … the monsters coming to us«, Vern said, sitting on the log and watching their confused expressions. »Very much low effort and efficient. Wouldn't you agree?«

»But how … ?«, Dilan asked, staring at the animal he had just slain. »They usually stay deeper inside, don't they? Why are they directly at the border?«

All three of them looked at Vern, waiting for him to speak up.

»Well … you know it's secret knowledge. The monsters in bailiwicks … tend to follow certain movement patterns based on different parameters. Very complicated stuff. Consequently, if you know those, you can predict the areas and times they show up to a certain degree.«

But their faces showed that they had even more questions now than before.

»Yeah, and by the way, stop staring at me and turn around«, Vern added after Velvet had relayed information to him on more monsters closing in. »I already hear more coming, so you better be prepared.«

Shortly after, they appeared as foretold, and this time, there were more dangerous ones among them. Therefore, Joyce, Dilan, and Garet were busy dealing with them while Vern watched them closely from his position.

Although their fighting abilities were nothing compared to his, they still managed alright with their teamwork, so he didn't think they were in real danger at any time. The constant influx of monsters wasn't overwhelming either and only led to them getting tired out slowly.

He watched the corpses of animals on the floor grow and grow, and when they had finished off everything that was currently roaming in the vicinity, he jumped off his seat, signaling the others to follow him quickly. They didn't object and silently came with him, trying to catch their breath as they left the bailiwick.

When they had crossed the border, Vern turned around and looked at their blood-stained faces.

»So, I hope you're content enough now to let me alone. The many monsters you have slaughtered should fetch some decent money.«

But the three siblings didn't know what to say and just stared back at him. Eventually, Garet broke the silence.

»I … I'll go and get us a cart to get them back into the village. Dilan, Joyce … what about making a fire and cooking some of the meat in the meantime?«

»Sure«, they replied and started to clear an area of snow while Garet walked back to the village. Vern looked at them working for a few seconds and turned around since his duty had been fulfilled.

»Don't … don't you want to stay and eat with us?«, Joyce asked as she saw Vern attempting to leave. He stopped.

»That's not part of our deal, is it?«, he replied without looking back.

»Well … I just thought you could enjoy some of the food with us. After all, none of us had any breakfast … you also don't have to help us with anything.«

Hearing her mention the skipped breakfast, Vern noticed the stinging emptiness in his belly. He exchanged glances with Velvet, who didn't seem to mind either way and so he decided to take her up on the offer. At least that way he would get something out of it as well.

»Fine«, he replied and walked back over. »I hope you are decent at cooking under these circumstances.«

»Oh, don't worry«, Dilan said. »We are very experienced.«

Vern cleared a spot on the ground of snow to sit down and watched them work. As Dilan started a fire in mere minutes despite the rather wet environment, Joyce entered the bailiwick on her own to get some of their spoils. She returned with a bunch of smaller ones that she dutifully prepared while Dilan tended to the fire.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

»Why do you wear that sword on your back all the time?«, Joyce suddenly asked while skinning a rabbit. »Seems pretty inconvenient to run around with two swords like this.«

»Well, I don't mind it«, Vern simply replied, not being eager to talk.

»That didn't answer my first question as to why, though.«

She had just prepared the last of the animals and cleaned her hands with a piece of cloth. As Vern remained silent and looked into the distance, she reached out to the sword on his back, having an intrigued look on her face. »Oh, it looks very unusual, and I–«

»Hey, don't!« Vern moved and slapped her hand away with his own before she could touch the hilt.

She flinched due to his firm reaction, and Dilan who was busy with the fire turned around. »What are you doing again?«, he said to her shaking his head. »Can't you just behave normally for once? «

»I … I didn't do anything«, she replied and raised her hands, visibly upset by his words. But Dilan just ignored her and shifted his attention back to the task at hand. Therefore, Joyce glared at Vern instead but didn't dare to say anything. It wasn't bothering him too much, and he just ignored her, taking in the view from his seat instead, watching the sun rise across the snow-covered trees.

This silence continued for some time, with only the occasional crackling of the fire that reached his ear, until Dilan called over Joyce to put on the meat.

Vern's leg started to get numb from all the sitting, and he rose to walk around the area, giving them something to do.

Soon the air was filled with the smell of grilled meat, and it even looked like Velvet wanted to give it a try as he repeatedly licked his lips.

›That's quite unfortunate for you, isn't it?‹, Vern commented. ›Not being able to eat the food that you can smell …‹

›Well, you don't have to rub it in further. At least make sure you enjoy it yourself for the both of us.‹

Vern nodded and indeed, he did feel some desire for that good-smelling meat.

As he was on his way back to the fireplace, he noticed hushed voices, and it took him only a moment to realize they weren't coming from his surroundings. So before joining the others, he swallowed up a big chunk of the contents in the pocket bottle.

When the fire came into view, Garet appeared from the opposite side, leading a horse together with a carriage towards them.

Joyce waved him over and picked up one of the meat skewers she had made. But when standing up, she noticed Vern and walked towards him instead.

He stopped and turned around, taking off the muddy glove on his left hand. Next, he hastily stripped the rings of his fingers one by one and pocketed them. As he had the last one in his hand, its golden shimmer made him hesitate. He remembered the last time he had looked at it, and his body froze. To him it felt like an eternity until someone bumped into his back, and the ring slipped out of his grasp, landing in a pile of snow.

»Oh, I am sorry«, Joyce said. »I hit a root or something. This snow makes it really hard to see them.«

But Vern didn't bother to reply and stared at the ground, his now empty palm still turned up to the sky. Only when he noticed Joyce's curious gaze that followed his own out of the corner of his eyes, he hastily bent down and pushed his hand into the cold snow, picking off the ring and making sure to hide it from her sight.

»Thanks a lot«, he said and took the skewer she had brought out of her hand after turning around. He sunk his teeth into the luscious meat and walked to the fire.

Joyce followed a few steps behind him silently, and Vern hoped she wouldn't bother him with what had just happened.

»That's some surprisingly delicious meat«, Vern commented as he sat down in his previous spot. »Very unique seasoning.«

»Indeed«, Dilan replied and paused to swallow a bite himself. »It is a family secret, one of those few things we inherited from our parents. So, unfortunately, we can't tell you the details.« He winked and took another bite from his skewer. Vern nodded and inspected the meat in front of his eyes closely. There was still some reddish marinade visible on the outside, although most of it had sunk into the meat itself during the heating process.

»I made it«, a voice said right next to him.

»Ahem, is that so?« He avoided Joyce's eyes and moved away a bit since she sat way closer to him than when she had prepared the meat earlier.

»Yes. I will tell you how it's made … it only requires you to marry into our family. But that wouldn't be a problem, or would it?«

»Stop harassing our guest and benefactor with your antics, will you?«, Garet said from behind, who had just finished tying up the horse. »I can't believe that you still haven't matured at all.«

Joyce didn't reply and just glared at Garet, who ignored it and helped himself to some of the meat.

All four of them enjoyed the warm food in silence for a while, and small snowflakes started to drop from the sky, sizzling whenever some hit the flames.

»Where do you come from?«, Joyce eventually asked in a tone of genuine curiosity. »Are you here for hunting or something else?«

»You can just ignore her«, Dilan chimed in before Vern had the time to respond. »That is usually the best way to deal with her – at least in our experience.«

»Stop this! I was only asking a normal question, so there is no need for you to bully me like this.«

But her reply fell on deaf ears, and her two brothers just chuckled.

»Well, yes«, Vern said. »I am currently hunting here. But I am unsure whether or not I'll continue doing it in the future.«

»It would be a shame if you wouldn't«, Dilan said. »After all, that knowledge of yours does come in very handy. How did you get that kind of skill to be able to know where monsters show up?«

Vern scratched his chin. »Well, that's … difficult to explain … and unfortunately, I can't really tell you anything about it.«

»I understand.« Dilan nodded. »Such secret knowledge is rather profitable … especially the fewer know about it. Anyway, we're very thankful that you came with us and would be very happy if we could keep half the profits of the spoils.«

»Sure, I don't mind«, Vern replied, and a big smile appeared on Dilan's face. »You did all the hard work after all.«

They ate up all the meat, and the others didn't pry any further into his personal matters. Afterward, they started to retrieve the slain corpses from the bailiwick and loaded them onto the cart while Vern was watching them – not that he could have helped them in the first place without drawing more monsters.

From the short time he had spent with them, he could already tell how much harder their lives must have been compared to his since he never had to struggle for food or other basic needs. Before, he hadn't thought much about the privileged position he grew up in. Regardless of their circumstances, these three siblings seemed to try their best. Looking at himself, this made him uncomfortable.

When they finished, the cart was loaded to the brink.

»Joyce, you walk in the back and tell us if anything falls off or is about to, okay?«, Garet said while mounting the cart in the front. »I hope it is alright for you to walk back as well. As you can see, there is not really any space left on here.«

»That's alright«, Vern replied. »I don't mind at all.«

With that said the cart slowly moved forward, with Joyce in the back and Dilan and Vern on either site.

With each bump the wheels hit, the cargo dangerously wobbled but held for now — at least as far as Vern could tell from his side. After they had managed to come about halfway without an incident, Garet called Vern to the front.

»Hey, uhm. I just realized we don't even know how to sell these huge amounts in this village«, he said. »Will this cause a problem?«

»Well, it shouldn't. There is a merchant who buys everything at a fair price, regardless of what kind of monster. I'll show you the way when we get there.«

»Ah, thanks a lot.«

As Vern slowed his steps to fall back, he almost bumped into Joyce again, who had listened in on their conversation.

»You seemed to have some experience with selling a lot of monsters at once«, she remarked in a low voice directly behind him so only he could hear her. Vern didn't reply, waiting for her to get back to her position.

»I also know that you are in this area for another reason«, she continued. »I had a little visit with the major, and he told me that you were interested in the lore of this area. That's why I was confident I could blackmail you like this as you are looking for something here … and couldn't just leave. Am I right?«

Vern's eyes narrowed, but he didn't turn around the look at her. »I think it is very dangerous what you are doing. Continuing to pry into other people's matters will get you in trouble sooner or later. And not just you – your brothers as well. Is that really what you want?«

»I never get into trouble«, she simply replied, and Vern could hear her finally distance. He sighed inwardly while hearing Velvet laughing, both knowing full well this probably wouldn't end up being a one-and-done deal.

As the first houses came into view, Vern guided them to a large building located on the outskirts.

»There we are«, he told Garet, who stopped the horse. »You can go inside and ask to open the gate so that the entire cart can enter. I am sure you can manage the rest on your own.«

He stepped aside and signaled Garet to move the cart forward.

»You're not coming with us?«, he asked.

»No. I didn't really do anything in the first place, did I?«

»Well …«

»I'll just wait for you here.«

»Ok then«, Garet said and set the cart in motion again.

›Oh, you're not intending on leaving them now?‹, Velvet asked in his head while they watched them approach the warehouselike building.

›Well, they did promise me half of the money. Since I am running low on funds, I might as well take it.‹

›I guess … if that's all there is to it …‹

Garet parked the cart at the entrance and entered first, closely followed by Dilan. Joyce lagged behind a little since she frequently turned around to glance back at Vern as if he would vanish every moment.

When she entered with her attention on him in the distance, she bumped into another person leaving the building. Although Vern didn't catch everything that happened from far away, a smile of delight appeared on his face when he watched Joyce getting pulled off the ground and scolded by Dilan.

He pushed her inside, and after a few moments, Garet came out to guide the cart into the storage area through the opening gate.