I started the day with mocking dragoness, I kicked ass of some overconfident brat, I ate lots of really good food and put a young maiden into dilemma: to follow wishes of her family or to risk everything she has two fulfill her dreams! That is one GOOD day! I am living the dream! Can this day become any better?! It has to start raining with cakes in order to make it any bett…

By instinct I jumped to the side, for some projectile was launched in my direction. It fell perfectly on the spot where I was standing. After quick inspection I noticed, that it was a piece of strawberry cake.

… it’s raining cakes. I kneeled on the street.

“Thank you, oh merciful goddesses, for fulfilling desires of this one, the unworthy. May your names be blessed and praised, you, who are feeding the poor and lost in the time of need…” “I WILL FUCKING SLAUGHTER YOU!” angered roar sounded from the guild.

I looked into direction of the voice, into open window, just to notice yet another portion of food being thrown through there. So, no miracle but furious adventurer? I knew that it couldn’t be this beautiful. Still, to defile a cake?! WHAT THIS PIECE OF STRAWBERY DREAM DID TO YOU, YOU BLOODY SAVAGE?! … the earth will be painted with your insides for this profanity.

I entered the inn section and walked directly and raging Gisele.

“YOU!” she yelled pointing at me “… ME! QUEST! NOW!”

And she left furiously.

With curiosity I looked further inside into inn section.

…

….

………

Horror, horror. I have seen the heart of darkness, into abyss of madness I have sank by soul, for terror I witnessed shall forever and ever haunt me in my dreams.

“Ok. What happened, and who is responsible? I am asking only to know how to deal with the situation” I asked the only one conscious adventurer. “She…” he only pointed with his head toward the body of panther girl, that someone put her into sleep. Violently “…she wouldn’t stop joking about Gisele. For over a hour she kept making new jokes. She didn’t stop when Gisele was all red on her face, nor when she begun exhaling steam, nor when she got bloodshot on her eyes…”

My-my.

“And Gisele managed to take a quest and walk away?” “After smashing whole inn and biting crap of everyone… I… I survived only because I played dead! I HAVE LOOKED DEATH IN THE EYES!”

Poor bastard witnessed hell. PSD granted.

“Everything was a weapon!” He kept mumbling to himself “… first sword, but when she wasn’t looking someone took it away from her, so she smashed the table and used it as shield and bat… but it’s cheap crap and broke easily… She used baguette as club… CARROT CAKE AS SHIELD! STRAWBERIES AS THROWING KNIFE! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SOMEONE GETTING KNOCKED DOWN AFTER BEING HIT WITH WATERMELON IN THE FACE?!” “Shush now…” I put one of my hands on his shoulder and the other one on his head patting him gently “…It was just a bad dream. Just listen to yourself. Food as weapon? It was just a nightmare.” “W…was it?!” “Yes, rest now…” “But it was so real!” “Hush child. Hussssh. No more screams, just dreams…”

The pressure this man faced must have been colossal, for he really fell asleep. I turned around and ran after Giselle. Now I knew what I was about to oppose.

“Gis…” I started with neutral tone “WHAT?” “… nothing. I… I am sorry.” I said with tone so dramatic, that I didn’t even know that I was capable of such thing “I think it’s all my fault.” “BECAUSE IT WAS!” “I… I just wanted… No, forget it.” “You wanted to laugh at me, did ya?! Well, ya did well!” “It’s not like that… I.. just for a moment wanted to at least pretend… That someone like me could… no. You are right. I am sorry.”

I said while lowering my head, yet checking on her reaction.

“…Could what?” her tone was a little less angry then before “Nothing. Once again sorry… for forcing my selfish needs. I just wanted to pretend… even if only for a moment, that someone could actually… like me… or, just more than like? I knew, stupid, right? Who sane would even consider treating me as…” I slapped myself twice in a cheeks “What were we talking right now? A-ha! That’s right! Quest! I don’t even know what are we about to do! Hahahaha!”

Did she take a bait? Hard to say as for couple next minute I have to look away, keep smiling when she would be looking at me and then, as she would avert her gaze and think that I don’t know that she is looking at me, lower my head at force my tears back.

You won’t someone to stop being angry? Just push him into feeling guilty! Well, at least works for me.

“R…right! To be honest, I have no idea… I just took the quest without looking so…”

She brought the piece of paper to her eyes.

“Oh my…” “What is it?” I said trying to look over her shoulder on the request. It was hard task, for her shoulder was more or less on my eye level “…Oh my…”

Your party have picked [Investigation of the Mausoleum] questJob Rank:A+Job Description:Few people have recently vanished from town. It started with beggars and hooker, yet last time even merchant daughter could have been kidnapped.

Trail led to the old Mausoleum, South-West from town, group of city guard that went inside to look for missing never came back.

In addition a weird noises could heard from inside at nightRewardDepending on outcome of investigation;

No less than 00g80s00c per party memberJob GiverAgrah Major

“Did you just… pick the most difficult quest from the board? Look here, small print – we suggest a whole party made of A rank adventurers…. You, me… would be nice to have two, or three more people… maybe ask Nyx and twins…” “…I am not going back!” “But…” “No! Period!” “What with preparations?!” “Equipment and food supplies are here!” he shook her bag “… Are you coming?! No, wait, why am I even asking you? You are coming!”

… negotiations failed.

“Do you even know what can we face?” “Mausoleum, so probably undeads…” “Gis, undeads living in such places wouldn’t kidnap people from the town, so it is either higher undead, lich… or even a vampire… or a necromancer! Eventually some intelligent predator made himself a nest there, used to attack city at night but recently he became arrogant… or was fed up feasting on dirty homeless… We should talk with guards patrolling the slums, with friends and families of victims…” “And why is that so!? How chit chat would help us?!” “FOR FUCK SAKE! GISELE! Ask guards if they saw or smelled something strange or felt differently, shape and smell could tell us what kind of monster it is, if they felt weaker, they could have been under effect of charm! That would mean that beast can use magic!” “… and friends with family?” “To ask if victims were similar! If they were same gender, age or look the same, it means that monster has preferences, if not, it could mean that it is necromancer! For him corpse is a corpse! Gisele! I beg up!” “… Fine! But we will move out today!’

So we went toward guards barrack first. The officer in charge was glad hearing that someone will check what happened with his men, and eventually avenge them. He quickly checked on plan the names of guards which were patrolling routes around places of living of the victims. We have been asking same questions over and over again.

“The night when disappearing begun? No, I am sorry, I didn’t notice anything special. It was exactly as boring as usual, trust me, those night are all the same so I would notice if anything would change…” man with huge mustache said. “Same with me…” the bald man followed “… The only thing that scared the shit out of me was that scratching sound…” “Can you tell us more about this?” I almost raised from my sitting. “No, it was probably nothing. Just some cat on the roof, it simply moved suddenly and caught me off guard…” “Wait… As you mention it now… there was a night when I heard something similar. I went to investigate it, but all I saw were scratching marks on the wall of one of the building. Long, but shallow, cat falling from the roof could made them…” “As soon as we would finish talking with the other, would you mind showing us those scratching?”

We quickly finished asking over 20 guards. And yes, six of them heard same scratching noises, and one told us that he saw [something] moving from shadow from shadow, but as it was moving on all four he simply thought it was some stray dog.

We moved to the slums, we were moving past beggars crowded around fireplace, they were seriously frightened.

“When attacks took place?” “What exactly do you want to know?” “Frequency. Maybe like, every few nights? One of moons were full? Or maybe night was completely dark?” “Is that so important?” “… Will someone, one day, stop asking me about every detail?” I massaged my temple “.. Yes. If attacks are periodical, it means that we are faceing the monster with feasting habits. One night it could kidnap its target, in second it could eat his prey and feel no hunger for next day, just to attack again at day fourth… then, there are creatures that are more active during completely dark nights. If attacks happens when at least one of the moons was full, we may be dealing with werewolf, some more questions?” “N…No sir, I doubt it, the last victim, was attacked two days ago, then beggar were attacked four, twelve and fourteen and sixteen day ago…” “So it has regular habits…” “H…How?” “It started attacking beggars, did it? Those are people that no one cares about. You certainly wouldn’t notice every single one of them vanish. It may be attacking every two nights…” “S..sir, we are here, those are scratching I was talking about.”

Indeed, wall had long, yet very shallow scratches. If we weren’t looking for something that is killing people, I would also though that it was either a cat, or some drunk guy was checking if his knife is sharp.

“You checked roofs?” the men denied with their head “…Gis, mind giving me a lift? I will check if there is something…” I couldn’t even finish sentence before I was grabbed and almost throw on the roof four meters above the ground “…THANKS!... oh my…” “Is there something there?” Gisele asked from below “Yes.” “What is it?” “Scratching marks. They are everywhere. Like, every-fucking-where. Not only on this house. Half of the roofs are having them… Also… Blood?”

I kneeled over red stain. Yes, it is pretty old and with wind blowing hard over the roofs more of the smell was neutralized.

Blood is spattered, so the blow that made the victim bleed was strong and tore the skin, it is possible that after that the body was carried, for if the blood was formed in a pool, it would mean the he got stabbed and left in place for some time.

I jumped off the building.

“Ok, now we are going to talk with people that knew the victim, you know where we can find them?” “Officer told us, that he would call them to the barracks, so as soon as you would finish investigation you could talk with them in same place. That way he will save your time…”

Indeed quite few people were sitting inside one of the office, few were looking blankly into the wall, few were sobbing every once in a while, and merchant was walking furiously around the table. When we entered the room he almost stormed us.

“Did you find anything? Did you find my daughter?! Why are you slack…”

A slap in the face calmed him down. It was officer that put him back in place

“I allowed myself to already ask them. There indeed are similarities. All were woman, no younger than 15 and no older than 25. Similar height and posture, yet different eye and hair color.”

…

“Fuck.” “What’s the matter?” “… it brings us nowhere. The creature is moving at night jumping from roof to roof. It has claws and possibly moves on all four. Violent, may kill at spot and then carry the bodies to lair… but on the other hand it is intelligent enough to avoid city guards. Normally I would say it’s a werewolf, new one, the one that is still resisting the curse and have rest of sanity after transformation… But it is attacking not only while full moons, and is hunting for specific targets, so a vampire, but then… why claws?! And why running over roof and hiding if he could turn into animal or mist, or hypnotize a victim AND guards. Do you have some library here? Or book store with bestiaries? Because I, myself, have never heard about something like that…” “We have no time for that.” Gisele disturbed me “Why is that so? Gisele, we have no idea what are we dealing with! And we are about to enter its lair!” “But you said, that creature may be attacking every two days, last attack was two days ago.”

… holy fuck.

“If we won’t move now there will be another victim…”

I looked around,

“Gisele, officer, my I ask you on the side?” we stepped away from the group of family and friends of the victims “… Gisele, if someone would ask me, I would wait.” “… what about a woman that will get killed?” “I don’t give a damn. Yes, that’s right. People are being killed by monsters every day, yes, someone may die today, but if we would head out now, we will die. And then yet another woman will die in two days, and after four another one. And after six another…” “This is what you will tell to husband of next woman? You will tell the orphan that her mother died because you needed to read a fucking book?!” “We have no time for those quarrels! Gisele! Preparation is everything! What will you take? A sword? What if the creature has thick skin?! Hammer?! What if it is swift and agile?” “Twin axes sound like nice compromise!”

Are you fucking serious?!

“Great, what kind of axe will you take? Silver for vampire? Silver is fragile! If it won’t be a vampire you will destroy your weapon on its skin!” “THAN I HAVE FIST COVERED IN SCALES! I WILL PUNCH HIM INTO THE DIRT!” “WHY ARE YOU SO FUCKING STUBBORN!” “… I never had a family… a true one. Yes, I have Jericho, and I have friends from guild. But I will never forget the face of woman when I brought her son back home. I have never seen anyone cry from joy as much as that woman. And I also know how much one can cry after knowing that he will never see the one he loves again. And I won’t be able to handle witnessing this suffering again. Zari. I am going in there. And I will kill whatever it is. And if I had to, I will collapse the whole building over head of mine and that creature, to stop it for good.” “You… dense… idiot…” how can one be so stupid?! “… at least ask someone from guild to aid us.” “Guild is at opposite side of town, and dusk will fall soon. We won’t reach the mausoleum before the creature would leave foe a hunt if we would turn now. We have to move. Right now.”

This woman is insane!

I took her face between my palms and brought her closer to myself

“Don’t you even dare to die, or I will learn necromancy and resurrect you, just to kill you myself!” “I knew that I can count on you…” she smiled.

After this all is over, I will tell everything to Jericho. Every-fucking-thing! I know that he will punish me too for letting her go, but there is one thing I know for sure. She will get smacked far worse then myself.