Jamie stepped out of the transport portal and onto the marketplace grounds to see a crowd of village men surrounding an imposing man of 6.5ft. The man was built like a tank with soft brown eyes, his sword wasn’t drawn as he kept lowering his hands, up and down, attempting to calm the pitchfork village men.

Jamie raised her palm and created a mana cage around the man the villagers assumed was a shapeshifter. Once he was contained, the village men rushed in and jabbed at him with their farming tools through the mana bars. Jamie whispered a spell and pushed them back with a gust of wind and the men fell from impact.

“Stop! He’s human!” Jamie shouted.

The men stopped and looked at her with shocked expressions.

The caged man held onto the mana bars. “Please help me, they won’t listen!”

Master Edwards turned to the forty men present. “Please return home, we’ll handle it from here.”

The village men looked at each other and muttered curse words as they walked away.

Jamie and Master Edwards approached the man. “Who are you?” Jamie asked as she released the man from her mana cage.

“I am Alaric of Little Creek, a village south of here,” he said and looked at them. On closer inspection, Jamie could tell the Alaric was a trained warrior, while the villagers outnumbered him, they were mostly farmers and old men, and thus stood no chance with the stranger.

“I’m Jamie from Pure Earth and this is Master Edwards of the,”

“Veinhams,” he said, his eyes widened. He shook their hands eagerly. “I’ve heard tales, never met a Veinham before. You’re all everyone talks about nowadays. People either hate or love you.”

“Ha! The honest type, I love that type. You’re here for the shapeshifter I assume?” Master Edwards asked.

“Yes, my lord. I’ve been tracking a shapeshifter that took my sister. I saw it tonight and stopped it from making off with a girl. I fought it, it surprisingly wasn’t that tough. It threw the girl but when I released the girl from the bag. She screamed for help. Folks came rushing out and the monster escaped while everyone assumed I was the shapeshifter.”

“You must forgive them. Fear doesn’t bring out the best in people, especially those who feel powerless.”

“I get it.”

“How long ago was your sister taken?”

“Just three days ago. Two days before this village was attacked. This one’s smart. It goes into a village, gets a girl or more, and runs off. How many were taking here?”

“Four,” Jamie responded.

“That’s a lot compared to my village, it only took my poor sister.”

Master Edwards looked at the man, “How many 14 to 17-year-olds were in your village?”

“Just my sister,” he said and looked down. “Our village is a small one, mostly made of families. Girls are sent off when they’re 15 years old as apprentices in other villages to meet suitors or at least get a trade. My sister is 16 years old, she was the only girl in the village because she’s learning carpentry from my father. No other carpenter is willing to take on a girl for fear of issues, since they all have boys as apprentice.”

“How was she going to find a suitor then?” Jamie asked.

Master Edwards gave her a look and Jamie looked back at him. “What? It’s interesting.”

“Focus.”

“My sister was lucky or so I thought. She already had a sweetheart. That’s why I’m here. Aengus was my best friend. He died trying to protect her. So I’m here for revenge and my sister.”

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“You are aware she probably is impregnated by now,” Master Edwards said.

“Yes. But we’re not like some of those cruel villages. I’ll help her kill the monster in her.”

“You have good intentions. However, if found, we will place a seal on your sister and we will be there to ensure the monster is eliminated.”

“I understand. The world is a cruel place, but on the bright side, it needs her so she should be alive.”

“The monster I’m talking about isn’t the shapeshifter,” Master Edwards said and gave him a look. “You should consider moving to the mountains until the creature within her can be killed. It should take six months and then relocate to another village.” He handed Alaric a scroll. “This is our survival guide for shapeshifter victims. In the past, villagers did not kill the girl since many were attacked back in the day, but now, due to the low number of shapeshifters, we cannot predict how the villagers will respond. Our family will be providing victims with financial support to help them get back on their feet.”

“Thank you.”

Master Edwards raised his palm. “The villages may leave you alone for now, but they can’t sense shapeshifters like us. I am concerned they might try to kill you out of fear. Come stay with us at the cabin.”

A few minutes later…

They returned to the cabin and slept for the rest of the night.

The next day, Jamie woke to the sound of someone chopping wood. She walked out of the cabin and watched Alaric chopped wood in his white linen shirt.

He’s gorgeous, she thought. He noticed her and smiled, “Good morning Miss. Jamie.”

“Just Jamie is fine, good morning.”

She blushed. “So that is your type,” Master Edwards teased as he appeared behind her.

She released a sigh. “Good morning Master Edwards. Should we head to the river? Might see something we missed in the dark.”

“Works for me, unless you want to stay here with Alaric?”

She slapped his shoulder and he laughed. He walked over to Alaric and they exchanged pleasantries.

“Who is that?” Benny asked as he held the pup.

“Alaric, his sister was kidnapped by a shapeshifter.”

“Isn’t it right there?” Henry said and pointed at a figure in the distance. Jamie looked in that direction. He’s right, she thought. The figure’s mana has the same wavelength as the one she met in the cave.

“Master Edwards, it’s a shapeshifter!”

“Are you waiting for permission?”

“What? Jamie, you can’t possibly go after one yourself,” Alaric said and turned to look at Jamie, who had already vanished. He grabbed his axe and sprinted over to the figure.

“Easy…” the shapeshifter said as Jamie pressed a dagger close to his throat. This shapeshifter was on the smaller side, 5’10, and disguised as a man.

“Tell me one good reason, I shouldn’t kill you and just traced your mana scent back to the women you kidnapped.”

“I know who killed the couple,” he said.

“Who?”

Before the monster could say another word, Jamie slashed a dagger thrown by someone, the dagger was aiming for the monster's head. The shapeshifter threw down a stone, jumped into it, and vanished.

“Where is it?” Alaric said.

“It used a transport stone,” Jamie responded and picked it up. The gray stone turned black, then to ash, and blew away with the slightest suggestion from the wind.

“Those are rare, wonder how it got its hand on one,” Alaric said.

Master Edwards smiled. “Mysteries after mysteries.”

“This is just annoying, all the other contestant ants probably killed all of them already.”

“Actually, they’re having trouble tracking them down,” Master Edwards said.

“Everyone?”

“Well, Navarda already got two.”

“Of course,” Jamie said and kicked the grass.

“Before we continue looking for more, let’s visit that cabin.” Master Edwards opened a transport portal and the group entered.

They approached the cabin with the olive-clover grass symbol doormat.

Jamie knocked on the door.

A man’s voice shouted, “Coming!”

Jamie, Master Edwards, and Alaric heard some rustling of papers and then the door opened.

A friendly-looking man, middle-aged with a purple mustache opened the door and greeted them, “Hello there, what can we do for you?”

Jamie looked at the man, it was the same face that the shapeshifter from before had mimicked. What is their relation, Jamie thought.