Meyra awoke in the morning by her key snorting into her ear and stomping its hooves on her pillow. She eventually made her way downstairs after cleaning up. Kalin was sitting alone, his staff propped up against his chair. Meyra sat down across from him, watching two people fighting by the food.

They stood in front of the buffet of meat, others staying clear of them. There were multiple cuts available, and they were fighting over the last piece of one type. Everyone else was glaring as they grabbed the other cuts of meat with the vegetables and grains available. Meyra rolled her eyes as one of the guild staff members broke them apart. 

“Neither one of you is getting the last piece! Stop acting like children!” The worker dragged the grown men by their ears off to another room.

"Well that's a great way to start the morning,” Kalin chuckled, “We received a mission. We'll head for a debriefing once the others arrive." Meyra smiled at Kalin before she went to grab her food. 

The two sat and talked over their meal shortly interrupted by the others coming down. Kalin and Ren were dressed similarly to yesterday. Unlike Ayra who had her hair held back in a bun by two daggers. Her whole body was covered in straps containing potions and other weapons. She wore leather boots with the laces tucked in. Meyra’s heart lurched, unsure of what she was getting herself into.

Everyone sat down and ate quietly. Ayra's tip of her tail twitched back and forth over the meal as she laughed. Ren shifted in their seat, moving their robe back to show a crossbow with arrows and a satchel bag. They rearranged items in their bag, showing Meyra various liquids and powders contained within. Some of the vials were empty and contained in a separate bag within. 

"Sorry for coming in late, Ren was lacing my daggers with poison." Kalin appeared unfazed while Meyra bit her lip, her hands beginning to shake as her heart rate increased. 

Meyra stayed silent as they finished their meal. The group made their way to a room at the end of a hallway. Meyra shivered as they walked through a barrier, the other three appearing unfazed. The group sat down around a table as Rendel came in with a basket covered by a sheet.

He sat down at the front of the table, laid out the map, and handed a bag of food and drink to everyone. It contained salt-preserved meats and shelf-stable snacks, along with a pouch of water. Kalin groaned, wanting the fresh cuts of meat served at the guild. Ren stayed quiet, combining the bags under their robe.

“We have a nice down payment this time.” Rendel grinned as he dropped a sack of coins on the table. 

“What's going on for the down payment to be this high?” Ayra questioned while eyeing up the pouch. 

“The monsters are leaving the forest and keep coming closer to the farmlands. If they breach there, they're coming here.” Rendel drew with his finger along the forest to one of the first villages. 

“So we don't have a choice?” Kalin grumbled as he leaned back in his chair. 

“You three are our best. Now that we have Meyra as a supporter, I think you can handle this.” Rendel smiled as he circled the village on the map. 

“How much money are we getting when we complete the mission?” Ren asked while leaning on the table. 

Rendel pulled out four much larger bags of coins. Meyra watched as the three locked on the bags like ravaged beasts. Still not quite understanding how the currency worked, she kept a poker face and watched. 

“Alright boss, lay it on us,” Kalin said with a grin. 

Rendel explained their route on the map while drawing it for them to follow. The entrance to the forest they would use is used by the farmers. They are required to stay the night with the farmers to use that entrance. From the covered basket, Rendel handed a glowing red hair clip to everyone. 

“These are what the farmers wear when going into the forest, the spiritualists will allow you in while you wear these.” Rendel demonstrated how to put them in their hair. 

The farmers used their savings as the down payment, as their food source had been cut off by the encroaching monsters. Meyra felt queasy at the thought of taking their money when they had nothing else. She remained quiet while the three talked about how they would spend their money. Rendel finished the briefing and left, leaving the four to finish their discussions. 

After everyone collected themselves, they left. The group passed by the inn Meyra had stayed at, and she poked her head in the window. She slipped a note under the door when she saw no one there. They checked in at the exit to Rildin, the elderly lady awake this time. 

The group walked along the road per the map given to them. They passed multiple groups of people walking by towards Dovin. Ren and Kalin were oblivious as they walked, but Ayra intently watched each family that passed by. 

“They need to support the people out here,” Ayra grumbled, referencing the lack of religious presence in Rildin. 

By early evening they arrived at the village they would be staying in. It appeared to be deserted with the dilapidated houses. The ground was cracked and dusty with no plants in sight. The only people they could see outside were two elderly people in rocking chairs. 

The chairs rocked but the people remained still, Meyra feeling wind brush past her as they walked closer. Cups floated up to their lips, allowing them to drink without their arms. Their clothes appeared to have been recently tailored to remove excess fabric with the rough hems on the sides. Their faces were partially sunken in and their hand bones were protruding through the skin.

"I'm glad to see you brought food, we don't have much extra around here." The elderly man coughed, making their glasses shake in the air. 

“We burned the bodies last night, it was the first time they made it into the village.” The old man shakily pointed at the burnt spot in the ground where a pile was. 

“No one touched them, they collapsed there,” the elderly woman spoke with a breathy voice. 

Ayra stayed back to speak with the elderly people and the others walked over to the bodies. Before they reached the bodies, Ren grabbed an arrow from their carrier and loaded their crossbow. They kept the crossbow at their side as they closed in on the site. 

Ren crouched down to the ground, pulling out a tool from their satchel bag hidden by their robe. They scraped various materials from the pile without directly touching them. They placed the solids and liquids into vials before sliding them into their bag. Kalin stayed back, a hand over his mouth as he looked at the ground.

Meyra looked at the skeletons, seeing their hands held together. Both had person-like frames, and one had wings like hers. She winced as she heard the metal scraping against the bones as Ren worked. Meyra held her head low and remained quiet as she observed. 

The three walked back over to the elderly people, Ayra seated on the ground due to her height. Meyra took a seat beside her allowing room for her wings to hang over the edge of the porch. Kalin stood beside Ayra with his arms crossed, while Ren was at the other edge of the porch going through their bag. 

“Some of them look like us, it's disturbing.” The old man groaned as he used his wings to push himself up and out of the chair. 

He grabbed his cane and said, “Their behavior is odd, unlike the others.” He pulled out a vial from his pocket. 

“This substance was in their mouths, it dribbled out as they dragged and tripped over their feet here,” he said. 

The vial contained a white foam that was taken before the bodies were burned. The seal was completed using flames to prevent anything from escaping. Ren walked over and the old man gave them the vial. They began to hold it up to the light on the porch, observing its movement in the vial. 

The elderly woman stood up and grabbed her cane. She slowly walked down the two steps and beckoned for the others to follow her. They began to walk to a small hut closer to the forest, it was the furthest house from the village. Meyra looked up at the small building built above the hut. 

“This is our watch post,” the elderly woman spoke as she opened the door inside. 

The hut was in poor condition, but better than all the others. The few people took turns rotating and it was a village chore to keep the watch post in the best condition possible. The bedding in the corner covered in dust had a small nest of creatures asleep in it. On the ledge were a pair of glasses to make it easier to see the monsters at night. 

Kalin climbed down from the nest, giving a thumbs up. Meyra smiled and the elderly woman wished them a good night before leaving. Ayra sat at the single desk and began to unpack her bags. Kalin and Meyra went upstairs to look out of the nest, eating their meal while doing so. 

“Ren will come back when they're ready, don't worry.” Kalin smiled as the two sat in front of the window. 

Ayra sat in the corner of the nest eating before the second half of the night watch. Her tail twitched as it covered her abdomen until it moved to the ground. Kalin and Ayra both went downstairs to rest for a bit, leaving Meyra alone in the nest. 

She rested her arms on the ledge looking out the window. Meyra listened to the creatures and the night breeze peacefully as she observed.

A piece of paper blew in through the window, going to the back of the nest. Meyra got up and grabbed it, noting the paper had been folded into the shape of a fox. She tried to open it but the paper was sealed shut. After attempting for some time, her paper sliced on the edge of the paper. 

Do not get the substance on you.

The paper burned with nothing left behind. Meyra looked out into the distance, looking for the god that was watching. Unable to see the fox, she kept watch over the monsters along the border of the forest. She saw rustling of leaves along the edge and grabbed the warning bell. 

From the forest’s shadow, multiple eyes began to glow. The monster stepped out, one pair of wings on its back but much smaller. Along their wings and torso were eyes, each blinking and moving individually. Their once white wings were stained pink with the blood pouring out of their eyes. Instead of a bipedal form, their lower half was replaced with four legs of similar stature of a horse. 

It had a small mouth on its head under its nose and eyes. On their lower abdomen was a large mouth with fangs covered in blood. The blood dripped out, sizzling when it hit the ground. Along its long back were multiple sets of small wings, but they had no ideas. 

The wings had few feathers, appearing as if they had been picked. The bones stuck out against the skin, its lower ribs visible through the dark fur. Large paws with claws were there instead of hooves, with dewclaws on each of the legs. A tail came out the back about the length of the lower torso. 

The monster stared at Meyra with its upper torso’s main eyes crying tears. The hair that adorned their head was ripped out, leaving large patches covered in blood. Their lower torso was in the shade, with the upper torso trying to pull itself out using the tree limbs. Their tail whipped up and sliced at their hands and back, making them let go of the tree. The monster cried out before the lower torso dragged it back into the darkness. 

Meyra slumped down to the ground, baffled. This monster appeared intelligent, not having the foaming mouth as seen by the villagers. She knew she would be unable to fight, so she went downstairs to tell the others. Kalin and Ayra were fast asleep and Meyra went back upstairs to take notes. 

“Anything interesting so far?” Ayra yawned as she climbed up the ladder. 

Meyra explained what she saw while Ayra stood and looked out into the forest. She sat down, still towering over Meyra and took the glasses from the ledge. Her tail flicked back and forth as she used the glasses, watching the tree line. 

“I will keep an eye out and update you if it's urgent. Get some rest,” Ayra said with a grin. 

The following morning Meyra woke up to smell someone cooking. She stretched out her wings, making sure not to hit anything. Meyra flipped through her notebook, the smells bringing back memories that she wrote down. With a smile and glassy eyes, she locked and put it in her bag. 

“Well that was an interesting night,” Kalin said as he climbed down the ladder. 

All three had seen multiple monsters loitering along the tree line. They all displayed higher intelligence, looking and acknowledging them. Like Meyra had seen, none of the monsters had the foaming substance the villagers saw. As they finished up their meal, Ren came in and slumped into the empty chair. 

They started to explain their results overnight after working with the elderly people they met. The white foam appeared to be contagious due a powder aerosolizing when the bubbles popped. When burned, the bubbled became a fluid and did not create the powder. They adequately prepared and thankfully got none of the powder on them. 

Ren was unable to determine what the source of the powder was. Magic was imbued into it, making it impossible to discern the source. Ren and the elderly people spoke of their plans for future issues. They have a villager that specializes in telekinesis that moved the body last time. 

That villager was at the border of the forest early that morning surveying. The creature Meyra saw was dead just outside the tree line. The villager transported it to the same burning site they used the previous night. According to them, the monster had some foam in its mouth, but much less than the two monsters that they burned. 

“Please follow me,” Ren said and walked the others over to the monster before it was burned.

This one appeared to have self-inflicted damage. There were large puncture wounds and gashes in its upper abdomen, which matched the claws on its lower abdomen. The wounds, in addition to its mouth, had foam coming out of them. Meyra’s stomach lurched at the sight, turning away from the monster before leaving. 

The three remaining watched the villagers burn the bodies. After packing up, Meyra went up and helped the group set up a perimeter around the village. The villagers thanked the group before they left.

They walked until they saw a sign in front of the forest, identifying they were at the correct entrance. The forest was eerily quiet, there were no signs of life. A light breeze blew through the tops of the trees, rustling them, but not where they were. A small clearing appeared, and a barrier blocked them. 

The group put in their red hair pieces and walked up to the barrier. A large lace-like pattern great from the ground and they passed through. Meyra winced at the electric shock she felt. In front of them someone stood waiting.