Krystal's day was going so so. She'd woken up before dawn as usual and walked outside to enjoy the quiet that any place had at that godless time of day when everything should be sleeping. Noah and Johna had apparently missed that announcement since they for gods know what reason had just come back from a little stroll in the woods. Krystal suspected they'd spent the night out there possibly doing something frowned upon judging from their guilty expressions and half panicked behavior. They had obviously not intended to meet anyone on their way back. So much for sneaking back into the inn and act like nothing. She almost felt sorry for them the way they were fidgeting and trying to come up with excuses for why they'd be outside at this time of day.

That blond had been the jumpiest. he refused to meet her eyes and he kept on sweating as if someone was about to throw an axe at his head. They practically ran back to the inn when she finally let them go. They were an odd pair, to say the least... 

A couple of hours later after Krystal had inspected the wagons and cargo (to make sure no one had touched stuff they weren't supposed to touch) and had a decent breakfast, she met the pair of adventurers again. They had a rather odd request. They wanted help getting a door, with a frame, hinges, and lock, along with a padlock and keys to the locks. Blueprints too if possible. They wanted Krystal's help since neither of them had experience trading and had little to no knowledge of the current prices for said objects. When asked what they needed the things for they started some story about how Jerry had asked for them. 

Jerry chose that moment to walk past them in the street and nearly jumped out of his skin when Krystal shouted for him to come over and explain his need for a door. She suspected he was planning another 'upgrade' so shooting him down before he got started would be the best decision. Imagine her surprise when it turned out that he hadn't made any such request. The flustered adventurers then claimed that it must have been someone else, that they got the name wrong. The way the flailed and tried to come up with excuses and explanations was pitiful to Krystal who had far too much experience sniffing out lies because of her line of work.

She ended up agreeing to get them their door parts for a decent price. Jerry was even more confused when she let them all 3 go than when she had first called for him. Normally she wouldn't have agreed to such a suspicious deal. Maybe she was getting fond of them. Either that or she just didn't want to see Johna hyperventilating. The man looked about ready to pass out any moment. Probably from lack of sleep. Passion is good and all but don't neglect your own health! Young ones these days...

Krystal went to the same carpenter that were fixing the wagons to ask for the door and more. The old man seemed just as suspicious about the request as Krystal had been when she'd gotten it. But unlike those fawning boys, Krystal was an experienced merchant and she wouldn't take a no without a fight. The man argued and tried to pry for what in the world she needed a door for when she spent most of her time on the road.

"Maybe I'll use it to build myself a lil hut in the woods. Have a tea party with your Forest Guardian while I'm at it. I'm sure she'll appreciate a good hut with a proper door and lock."

"But Ma'am, I'm just wondering-"

"I'm not questioning your work and stuff needed for it so why don't you do the same. Either you sell me the stuff and shove those questions elsewhere or I'll go find someone else who's willing to take my money."

The carpenter was stubborn but not enough to beat Krystal in a verbal fight. She ended up with the requested parts by noon. She caught a kid that was running by the carpenter's store, gave him a shiny coin and promised him another one if he fetched Johna and Noah for her. It didn't take long for the boy to return with the adventurers in tow.

Noah had bought himself a box of tools at some point and Johna still looked sick. Krystal took her payment for the door and parts and sent them on their way without questioning them. The village boy got his coin and skipped off while admiring its shininess.

Krystal wandered through the village for the rest of the day. She broke up a fight between one of her merchants and some villagers, beat up a merchant that picked a fight with her and, finally ended up in the tavern to end the day hard and fast with a few too many drinks. She questioned her own judgment more than once while sipping her ale and wondering if she should have stopped the adventurers from entering the forest with their strange baggage. Hopefully, they'd be fine and Chow and his goons weren't at all going into the woods to pick a fight with them.

"... Ah fuck."

They're totally following the monk and the dancer to pick a fight. Hopefully, no limbs will be lost. She'd cut the fingers of whoever ended up killing the other if it came to that. Chow you fucking moron.

"Chow you fucking moron. I hope you get losht in the foresht!"

Chow was lost in the forest. He and his companions had followed the dancer and the monk with the aim of picking a fight and beating the shit out of them. Any injuries those weaklings got in the forest could be blamed on stray monsters or wild animals. Krystal's caravan paid good for protection and sharing that with two newbies wasn't on Chow's to-do-list. Giving them a scare and a beating to make sure they didn't snitch on them would be enough to get rid of them. If he could find them...

"We're lost boss..."

"Yeah, we're totally lost... Can't even see me own hands in this darkness!"

"Shut it, you idiots!"

A quick punch to the head shut his whining minions up. They were far too noisy. The sun hadn't even set yet! At least he didn't think it had. The trees had turned black and gray at some point as they were following their victims and now the abnormally big leaves were blocking out the fading light. They had long since lost sight of their quarry among the trees and darkness.

"What are they even doing in the forest?"

"Probably having sex or something. That blond one looks like he'd enjoy it up the ass."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"But why bring a door?"

"Some weird kink?"

"Would you two shut it?! We're trying to sneak for fuck's sake!"

"But, boss, we can't see them no more!"

"Yeah, we've lost them, boss. Let's go back..."

Chow couldn't believe how weak willed those whining bastards were. Didn't they have any trust in-

"Ssh! What was that?"

Chow shoved his minions to the ground to hide under the undergrowth. They were about to complain but then they too heard something. A high pitch whine sounded through the air from somewhere far away. Chow's heart was hammering in his chest as he listened. The whine was far away but what he had heard before it was much-

Snap.

A twig snapped some meters away from them. Chow couldn't help but raise his head to look. The ghostly white child stared at him with a set of black unsymmetrical eyes. He ran.

He ran. He didn't even bother with pulling his minions with him. He just ran and then he heard the giggling. Light chittering noises that sounded like music bounced in the air. Then he heard his minions scream. The giggling grew louder and then something flew down from a branch just in front of him. Chow threw himself to the side somersaulted and kept on running. He heard the light footsteps of his chaser. He felt the cluster of eyes boring into his back as he ran. Another one dropped from a tree, cutting him off. He flung himself to the side and felt the ground give way. 

The world spun as Chow tumbled down the hill. He felt his ribs snap and muscles tear as he made contact with the ground at the bottom of the hill. He just laid there for a moment, wheezing and desperately trying to force air into his lungs. 

Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine-

He froze. Slowly he uncurled his aching body to look at the source of the noise. It was a wolf. A twitching and convulsing wolf, clawing at the ground and watching him with unfiltered terror. Its stomach was swollen and moving as something inside it tried to get out. The wolf tried to stand and run but whatever was inside it didn't have the patience to enter the world the proper way.

Chow stared in horror as the flesh tore and blood gushed forth, showering the ground and sending the wolf into another whining fit. It almost sounded as if it was screaming. Then a bloody hand shot out through its flesh, grasping at air and clawing at the struggling wolf. The canine slowed down and fell to the ground with a wet thud. Chow couldn't move. He just watched as the creature clawed itself out of its mother. The humanoid form twitched and convulsed a few times after finally freeing itself from the womb. Wet blood and other body fluids splashed onto the ground as the creature threw off the last of the membranes and skin covering it. It bent down to all fours and shook itself like a dog, sending gore everywhere. Some landed on Chow but he barely noticed it. The child stood up. White skin glistening in the rising moonlight. It had patches of gray and black skin in some places. Its hair was short and unruly and its body looked chubby. Nubby little horns poked out from its forehead. 

It turned toward Chow and opened its eyes. A cluster of cruel red eyes stared at him for a second before the child abruptly bent over and screamed. He heard bones snap and then the creature's limbs extended and its skins stretched. The chubby infant grew to twice its size, making it a meter tall, give or take. It watched Chow curiously then opened its mouth. A voice that seemed to echo in his head just as much as outside it spoke to him with childish glee.

"You are not Mother. I can eat you."

Others of its kind soon joined from the forest. They ran down the slope and into the clearing where their sibling was already feasting on the human. They laughed and sung as they fought each other for the remaining flesh and bones. Flesh tore and veins bled. The children giggled as they painted each other red with blood from each other and their prey. The moon rose and welcomed them into the world. During that full moon, the visvarg children celebrated being alive by taking the lives of others.

Mikvel groaned as Sam pushed him back yet again. The arachne acted weird. Mikvel, Sam, Maker, and Noah were currently restraining Fanv and Johna with Sam's webs. They were deep within the dungeon and the sun was about to set. Sam was very adamant about keeping himself between Mikvel and the people he was restraining for some reason. Mikvel wasn't too sure about what would happen. Noah had said that Johna would go mad and try to hurt them and Maker thought Fanv would do the same. Fanv had changed her mind tho. She had started arguing and said she felt fine and that restraining her wasn't necessary. Maker was forcing her body to obey as Sam worked but she was starting to act strangely as well. Her eyes kept glazing over and her snakes and wings were twitching from time to time.

I can not control her anymore. Her mind is influencing mine.

"You can let go now. The web sshould be sstrong enough now."

Fanv grunted and tried to fling her head around but was stopped by the web. Her jaws had been tied shut after she'd tried to bite Sam. Johna was stirring just as much as the visvarg.

"You can't do this. Noah, please get them to release me! They're going to hurt me! Let's try something else?"

Johna looked at Noah with pleading eyes but the monk remained silent with a grim look on his face.

"I can't breath, the web is too tight!"

"Sshould I change-"

"Don't. He's trying to trick you."

"Are you ssure?"

"I'm not lying! I really can't breathe! It hurts! Please, Sam, don't listen to him."

Noah's frown darkened even more as the arachne glanced back and forth between him and the vampire. Johna looked weak and miserable. Sam wasn't sure what to do. Maker told him to listen to Noah, she wasn't looking too well either. Fanv's mind was screaming into hers. The wolf wasn't using words anymore. To Maker, the normally well-worded wolf had gone completely feral. Her mind was panicking and growing mad, begging Maker to let her out. To let her run and hunt.

"Noah... You promised you'd get me away from here if they did something weird... Why?..."

Noah didn't answer. Mikvel fidgeted as he watched the two captives struggle. He had to look away when Johna turned to him for help.

Time crept slowly as the vampire and the visvarg struggled. Fanv had locked eyes with Mikvel once and started purring. It was an eerie noise that seemed to beckon him closer. Sam had seen him stand up and grabbed him as soon as he took a step closer to the wolf. The purring had turned into snarling as Sam made Mikvel snap out of his trance. Pohc had come to pick Mikvel up afterwards, leading him back to his and Sam's cave to sleep the rest of the night. Sam needed to stay to repair the nets that got worn down as its captives struggled.

Johna had kept trying to convince Noah to let him free. Noah had ignored his pleas for help and his taunts and threats. The vampire had grown more and more agitated until he snapped completely and started hissing and baring his teeth towards Noah. A few hours later the vampire was laughing, giggling like a child about gods know what.

"I smell blood~ Someone is dying, no many people are dying. I want to join them. Why won't you let me join them, Noah? There is so much blood~"

Noah had glanced at Maker but she just shrugged. The delusional vampire continued his taunts.

"You don't want me to drink their blood, do you? I'm only allowed to drink your blood and the blood of animals. Am I a pet? You sick bastard! I want more than the blood of pigs! I'll suck you dry! I'll fucking kill you when the sun rises!"

Johna started another hissing fit as he hurled insults at the monk. Maker was looking tired. Her hair has looked more affected by gravity than normal and her snakes moved slowly. The night grew older and soon the vampire and visvarg calmed down as the sun began to rise. After Maker confirmed that Fanv was no longer a frothing beast looking to tear them apart, they were freed from the web. Johna kept his head low and flinched away when Noah approached him.

The monk gently grabbed the vampire and put his arm to his mouth. Johna cried as he fed on Noah's blood. After some soft words and calming embraces the few that were still awake collapsed to get a few hours of sleep before they had to take the day on. Maker watched over them all as they slept.