The outsider excused herself,leaving the elders to talk to themselves.Kuru was brushing his long hair with his fingers,smiling.He never thought that the outsider was sharp and even beat him to point out the fact.

  "And may I also add,soon or ter we need to enforce warriors on the outskirts of the vilge at daytime.Who knows when the next attack will be,"Kuru said to his companions.

  Mori tched,"Not only are we struggling with the food but now we have to deal with monsters at daytime!"

  "It can't be helped Mori,that's why a lot of our people left the vilge already,"Tina said.

  "They thought they would be able to escape the danger but little did they know they are actually going straight to danger themselves,"the scrawny old man commented.

  "Should we avoid people from leaving our vilge then,Polyo?,"Micha asked.

  The scrawny old man sighed brushing his beard,"I don't think people will take it well if we say they better stay here."

  "No one wants to stay in a vilge where nightly terrors attack each night,"Tina added.

  "And let us not forget our food shortage,"Mori said.

  Polyo again sighed then Kuru cleared his throat very loudly.

  "I know that you will probably don't like what I am going to say but I won't just stand here and watch when there are possibilities,"Kuru said.

  "We are a tribe worshipping Ameyalli and ever since those fiends start attacking our vilge,our crop yields significantly dropped.We are blessed by our deity with a boy and yet what are we doing?Fearing him because of an incident 9 years ago,"he said."So how about we let him be useful,"Kuru turned to Micha.

  "Are you out of your mind?,"Mori shouted to Kuru.

  "Mori,calm down,"Tina held her shoulder.

  "Please,think about this.If we let everything py out as it is,we will eventually lose our residents.Do you really want them to starve to their deaths or walk to the jaws of some animal in the forest?,"Kuru said seriously.

  "Kuru,I understand your point but asking us to decide right now is too much.Please,give us some time to think it over,"Polyo said.

  "My~Of course.I understand,"Kuru nodded.

  ...

  Amallis opened his eyes,it's dark in the forest.He walked through it,through the thicket and the reaching branches of trees.He continued then continued and continued...there seems to be no end.

  SNAP!

  CRACKLE!

  He stopped then looked back.There's nothing but trees in the darkness.He continued onwards,his heart beating loudly,his gut screaming at him.He quickened his pace.The beads on his ankles snapped,spilling on the forest floor.He was now running,snapping through branches and bushes.Scratches on his biceps,it stung against the cool breeze.Finally,the beads on his wrists snapped.

  His footsteps become smaller in each stride,it belonged to a child.

  The blue tearful eyes of a child looked back to see nothing behind him.Nothing?No,there's something there...and it hungers.It yearns for him...

  The child tripped,it nded on mud.He tried to stand up but he scratched his knee badly.

  Something touched his leg.

  He looks back.

  ...

  When Amallis opened his eyes,the dancing fmes greeted him.He shook his head,hard.He looked up to see that the sun was nearly setting.

  CLINK CLINK!

  He heard gss,he looked behind him to see Sae preparing some of her gss bottles.

  "Sae,did you sleep?,"he asked.

  "No,"she said without looking at him.

  He stood up rubbing his neck.

  "I'll come back,"he said leaving Sae,heading to the forest.

  Sae looked at him.Her eyes settled on the string of beads on his wrists,biceps,ankles,and waist.

  "Could those be suppressing his mana?,"she thought.

  She looked to see the expression on his face,furrowed eyebrows with a pursed frown after waking up.

  She has a hunch that he had a nightmare.

  She returned back to her work.

  "I need to get a transtor,"she thought.

  "I have to see that fiend."

  ...

  She was walking alone in the dark forest,thanks to the moonlight she doesn't need to use an ember potion.She left the other potions on the hands of the tribe so that they would be able to use it without her.For tonight,she has something to take care off.

  She had a few potions on her belt,night vision,suppressants,and energy potions.Before taking those she needs to find the fiend she first encountered without alerting it.

  "If I can find it though,"she thought.

  She traced back her directions to her cave where she first spent the night.Then she combed the area to find the circled mark she did with a blue chalk.She eventually did.

  She unhinged the suppressants on her belt and drank it.With these,nothing can detect her temperature and scent but she still has to be careful with her movements.She id low and carefully scouted the area.

  THUMP THUMP!

  Her ears perked.Could it be?She carefully raised her head to look.The moonlight passed through the curling smoke tail of the fiend.It looks ironically majestic under the moonlight.

  It continued to trudge in the forest,walking on all fours,while Sae followed close behind while hiding in the bushes.

  It sniffed the air with it's snout and pounced forward sprinting,Sae also hurried.

  The fiend was prowling on an elk,but it was no elk.It only wears an elk's skin and behind it hides a sharp teethed predator.

  The fiend pounced on it but the elk managed to dodged it.It mooed aggressively but if you listen closely,it has a growling undertone.The fiend bared its white teeth while the elk unhinged its jaw showing multiple rows of sharp teeth with a long slithering tongue.

  "It's a lingua,"Sae thought.

  The fiend pounced again,drawing its sharp cws.It clung on the lingua's skin and it bit it.It hollered,no longer mooing but releasing a deafening roar.The lingua controlled its tongue and stabbed the fiend's shoulder,repeatedly trying to make it let go.

  The fiend didn't,it's gaze hardened.Its irises started to shift color,from purple to magenta.Sae leaned closer.The fiend's back started to evaporate,moments ter the bck mass circled and settled on the back of the lingua.Its head materialized then it bit the lingua's neck.She can hear bones cracking.The lingua dropped on the floor.

  The fiend carried the lingua's corpse,bitting it's dangling neck skin and started to walk away.Sae followed behind.

  The fiend strode,passing by trees.The grass transitioned to dirt which made Sae raised her eyebrow.The fiend is walking on the forest path made by the town.

  "Where is it heading?,"Sae thought.

  She accidentally stepped on a crunchy leaf.The fiend looked back.Sae immediately hid behind a tree trunk,she covered her mouth and slowed her breathing.

  Its ears twitched then it started to sprint away.Sae tried to catch up but it returned to the forest.She tried following the direction she st saw it went but all she found was the lingua's corpse.Its sharp tongue out.

  "Shit,"she cursed.

  ...

  That morning Sae went to the bestiary,to inquire some questions to Liam.

  "Overhunting?,"Liam asked.

  Sae nodded.

  He sighed,"Well,I guess you suspect it too,huh."

  Liam went to the backdoor and returned with a thick bound book.He settled it on the table and started to flip the pages.

  "The town's popution is 1,980 with 791 registered hunters.The forest is around 2 acres but only half of it is considered as hunting grounds.Supposedly out of those 791 hunters,there are 680 families and 1 deer would be able to feed a family of 4 in almost a week,"Liam looked at Sae who's listening pensively.

  "I'm trying to look at the math here.We usually hold a hunting census every month to each family with a registered hunter and to the market's stock as well.But if we look at it logically,it would need a 100 hunters hunting everyday nonstop to be able to put a dent on an animal's popution."

  Sae nodded,"Do you suspect that there are illegal huntings then?An organization,probably?"

  "It's the most likely answer,"Liam answered.

  "Have you any leads then?,"Sae asked.

  Liam shook his head.

  "Oh my~What do we have here?,"someone just said.

  They all turned to see Keeran,hands behind his back,a few meters away from the reception.

  "Keeran,what are you doing here?,"Liam asked.

  "Just checking what my good friend is doing.The apothecary will not open yet after an hour,"he strode to where they are.

  "I am not expecting to see missy here,"he looked at Sae then to Liam,"I see that you two are good friends.I am quite jealous."

  Sae squinted her eyes.

  "So what are you talking about?,"Keeran asked.

  "I already talked to you about it.It's about the possibility that some group may be overhunting,"Liam said.

  "Ahhh,"Keeran excimed,"I see.By the way Liam have you heard,another girl went missing."

  "In the forest?,"he asked.

  "Nope,her family said she was prohibited from entering the forest which is understandable,"Keeran asked.

  "That's...like the 4th disappearance this month,"Liam commented,slightly with disbelief.

  "Yeah,it's indeed concerning,"Keeran nodded thoughtfully.

  "Missy~,"he turned to Sae with a cheery smile.

  "How's the gathering of pnts tely?,"asked Keeran."You haven't visited me for a while,I thought you abandoned me,"he dramatically sighed.

  "I have been busy tely,"Sae bluntly answered,avoiding eye contact.

  "Oh come on,I thought we're friends,"whined Keeran,"You should visit me sometime~,"he suggested.

  Sae looked at Keeran sharply in the eyes,"I rather not,"she said.

  Keeran felt stabbed in the heart.He dramatically clutched his chest,"Ouch,my maiden rejected me."

  Liam quietly giggled.

  ...

  People are passing by,some with baskets with goods over their heads while some are herding their livestock out of the way.Sae was looking in a public bulletin board,4 missing persons papers attached and another one being pced by a tired man.

  The man left,walking slowly.

  Sae was about to ask the man when a rge hand was pced on her shoulder.She turned around to see a rge man with a bushy beard smiling at her,he has a child on his shoulders looking at her curiously.

  "Long time no see,miss."

  He greeted cheerily.

  The man who she cured his broken arm insisted on having a chat on a bench nearby.His child is pying a toy close.

  "How's your arm?,"Sae asked.

  The man had a jolly ugh,"It's all good!Thanks to your magic."

  Sae nodded and looked straight to the walking people,minding their own businesses.

  "I saw that you're interested at the missing people,"he said.

  Sae looked at him,"Yes."

  The man heavily sighed,"It's a mystery actually.Most of them are youngsters."

  "Are they interested in the forest?,"Sae asked.

  "I am not sure but all of them are educated,"he answered.

  "Huh,I see,"Sae said.

  Sae recognized someone,he has leather boots and a gray beard and wavy hair.He was looking serious.Its the hunter she encountered once in the bestiary.

  The rge man noticed her looking.

  "Oh,that's Azzam,"he said.

  "Azzam?,"she said.

  "Yeah,he's a hunter and he usually visits the forest.I am surprised he is still alive after many visits."

  "Huh...",she softly said,thoughtful.