“Monsters.”

Such a simple word, yet oh so full of meaning. Monster. Seven letters to strike fear or at least wariness, into the hearts of all but the bravest alive. Or the maddest. It was a word that was well known, used as a call or warning the world over. Yet to someone new to the world, the word and what it represented might not have been taken as seriously as it should have.

“Monsters? Where?”

“Jack, Mrk thinks we should run to village.”

“To the village? Why not the forest?”

“Have not smelled nymph recently. I thinks village is safest.”

“Nah, Mrk, Melena would never… wait, you can smell her?”

“Sometimes...” Mrk said, anxiously glancing at the spot the five had ran away from. “Jack, Mrk thinks we should run now.”

“Fine, but I kind of wanted to see those things. Guess the village is closer- oh, look!”

While the two chatted, one more relaxed than he should be and the other righteously frightened, the aforementioned monsters crested the hill and neared the Sheperd’s Pond. In truth, Jack expected the monsters to be similar to the things he saw in the forest. Weird porcupines or little stick men. Maybe even angrier-than-normal bears. He was not prepared for what he saw.

“What… what are those?!”

“Monsters, Jack.” His friend exasperatedly replied. “Now, run!”

One could forgive Jack for failing to appreciate the danger of monsters, seeing as how he had forgotten his conversations with Lola. One could especially forgive him, after seeing the look on his face when he had spotted the monsters. Pure fear. And he was quite right in being terrified, since the things approaching him did not look remotely like they should have been a part of the animal kingdom.

The first rank of monsters resembled rabbits, if said rabbits decided generations back to mate with slugs. Their bodies were similar to the fluffy creatures, though larger, coming up to three feet in height, even while running. Their eyes, however, were standing atop tendrils, protruding from their eye sockets. The fact that they were sprinkling off slime as they ran was noticeable as well.

Behind them came odd… rolling things. The average onlooker might have confused them with boulders or round stones. Indeed, they did look like someone had taken a stone, chiseled it in a roundish shape and rolled it down the hill. That, however, did not explain how those things were rolling up hills. Or how, every so often, one such boulder would stop rolling for a moment, while two stone eyelids parted somewhere on its surface to reveal an eye, taking in its surroundings.

What other monsters came after those two types were witnessed by none, since everyone that could have noticed them had already hightailed it towards the village. And the village had woken up. There was no wall around it, only houses and streets. But the entrances towards those streets had already been barricaded by men and women, alarmed by the shouts of the five boys that ran to it earlier. By the time Jack and Mrk arrived, the villagers were on high alert.

To the detriment of the two.

“A monster, look!”

“Gods preserve us, look at its teeth.”

“Stay back! Back!”

They were, of course, talking about Mrk.

“I is not monster!” he shouted back at the men, currently half-crouching behind an upturned cart.

“It speaks!”

“Mrk is not a monster!” Jack shouted. “He’s a ratling and my friend. Now let us in!”

“He’s not a-“

“Of course, he’s not a monster, you clod headed fool.” A voice suddenly said.

While everyone in the village, with the exception of some of the more able-bodied men and women, made way to the forest, Elia had come running towards this particular entrance. With Lola in tow.

“Have you never heard of a ratling before?”

“I- Well, how do you know it’s not a monster?”

“Because I read! Move aside!”

She pushed away some of the wooden pillars, while motioning towards Jack and Mrk to come inside the village. Which they wasted no time in doing so.

“Miss Elia! Thank you! On behalf of me and-“

“It’s Elia, Jack. And hello there, Mrk. I’ve been hearing about you.”

“Hello.” He tentatively said.

“Jack, I was so worried!” Lola spoke heartfully. “I thought those bastards left you and Mrk behind. Which I now see they did.”

“Who? Oh, Louis and his gang? How did you find out about that?”

“Because he came yelling that ‘a Jack and his monster friend’ attracted monsters to the village. I knew he was taking about you two.” She said, before wincing. “Sorry, Mrk.”

“Mrk no mind.”

“She was with me at the time. We found out what direction they came from and decided to get there, in case you two showed up. Thought you might have problems entering the village.” Elia said.

She spoke the last sentence while giving the three men behind the cart a meaningful look. Which they pretended not to notice.

“Elia, shouldn’t we run? Those things were right on our trails.” Jack asked.

“Not yet. Whenever monsters attacked before, they waited a while before actually entering the village. Some of our hunters say they do this to wait for the slower moving among them. We have a quarter of an hour before they decide to move. Maybe half. It’s why we’re fortifying the entrances to the village.” She said, gesturing to the cart making up part of the impromptu barricade.

“But… why? Are you protecting the village this time? I though you all ran to the forest when this happened.”

“We do, Jack.” Lola answered. “But people need time to bar doors and windows or gather their more valuable possessions. Even help the elderly move. Monsters aren’t that smart, if there’s something in their way, it will still slow them down.”

“I don’t know about that girl.” One of the men suddenly said.

He was peeking over the cart, looking on in the distance.

“What do you mean?” Elia asked.

“There’s more monsters than normal. Almost as many as that time when… well, almost as many as then. Big ones too. They might push through this without stopping.”

“Can’t you hold them off?” Jack asked.

The man snorted before responding.

“With what, lad? There’re no warriors in this village. We have hunters, even a couple of |Hunters|, but they’re used to hunting game, not monsters.”

“And we don’t have weapons.” Another spoke up. “We have hatchets and farming tools. But nothing to fight them with. Not that we would, when the forest is just over there.”

“Could this help?” Jack asked, while showing them his rapier.

“Fancy sword there, boy. Where you got that from?”

“I won it in a duel from-“

“That’s enough of that.” Elia said suddenly. “If those things are coming and can’t even be slowed down, there’s no time to waste. You three, build this a bit higher and thicker and then run to the forest.”

The three didn’t look like they appreciated taking orders from Elia, but they didn’t look like they wanted to cross her either, not when she was this riled up.

“And you three, with me.” She said, before turning around and walking away, quick paced.

“Mrk thinks Miss Elia is scary.” Mrk muttered to Jack.

“It’s Elia, Mrk.”

“Yes, M- Elia!” the short ratling immediately replied.

“Elia, where are we going?” Lola asked. “Shouldn’t we head towards the forest?”

“We will. But before we that, I need to lock up my shop. If those things start eating my products, who knows what might come of that.”

Jack tried to think what would happen if one of those rabbits ate a fire mushroom cream.

Probably add anger to horror. Or its eyes might pop.

They made it to her shop in moments. Jack noticed that despite Mrs. Winnow’s warning, Elia’s shop seemed better off then the last time he had seen it. It certainly had more products on display. Elia walked inside and the sound of hurried rummaging and shutting could be heard. She exited it before a minute had passed and turned to them.

“All right, I have something for- wait, you all have pouches? Only Lola. Here, take these.” She said, while handing Jack and Mrk two hemp drawstring pouches.

“Take these. These” she said, while pointing at a small clay container “are healing ointments. Use them on cuts and burns if you get any, but don’t rely on them for serious wounds. These tangled spheres are for chewing. If you see a monster, pop it in your mouth and run. It will make you run a bit faster. Normally, I’d have something better, but I’m sold out and-“

A roar could be heard from the direction they had come from.

“Damn.” Elia blanched. “They’re here. Run! To the forest!”

She took off, with Jack, Mrk and Lola hot on her trails.

As if a signal had been given, all around them on the street, people started running. People that weren’t even on the street, moments ago. Jack supposed they were those who had lingered in their homes, trying to hide or take something more than the basic necessities with them. They weren’t that many of them, most must have already made it to the forest, but they were enough to make running down the street difficult. Twice was Jack required to run around somebody, because they were running too slow.

A screeching sound made Jack turn. Behind him, he saw winged creatures in the air. They resembled bats, but instead of only one pair of wings, there creatures had two. And they were far larger than regular ones, wide and long, noticeable even from a distance. An entire swarm of them was headed their way and catching up.

As Jack turned, so did others. Which caused those that were still running to bump into the frozen villagers and stop on the spot themselves. In seconds, a crowd had formed, full of angry, screaming men and women, split between looking at the flying monsters in fear and trying to push others out of their way.

“Move! Keep moving! There’s Ball Bats right behind us!” Elia shouted desperately.

“Jack, bats is coming!” Mrk shrieked.

“Please, get out of the way!” Lola begged the quarrelling woman in front of her.

All the while, the bats had caught up to the slow runners. Jack could see one of them fly down towards a short old woman and envelop her with its wings. After they were in place, it looked like a giant living membrane had covered the woman. Jack could see she was still struggling, judging by the sudden bulging in the membrane. In a second, the membrane expanded in the shape of a sphere and rolled out to the side of the road, even while other bats darted down and tried to claw at it.

“Move, dammit! Don’t just stand there paralyzed- …Wait. Fear! It’s Fear!” Elia shouted.

“Mrk feels much fear, yes.”

“No- I got this!” She said and started rummaging around in her pockets.

Jack tried to look away, to step back, but couldn’t. It was as if looking into the eyes of a great predator. He knew he should move, but he couldn’t. The people around him were similarly affected. The bats, however, had stopped advancing and seemed satisfied in enveloping every villager they caught.

A part of Jack’s mind thought it a blessing that the monsters were taking more time fighting over prey, than hunting the villagers down.

Still at this rate, they’ll get all of us. I can’t move. I can’t-

“Jack!” a voice snapped him to attention.

“What?”

“Your Skill. You can make fire?”

“Ah… yeah. Once a day.”

“Good. Light this up.”

“Light what up?”

“This.”

“I can’t see it.”

A heavy slap nearly knocked him of his feet.

“Look at me!” the voice from before commanded.

It turned out that it was Elia who was trying to get through to him.

“Don’t look back, focus only on my face. I need you to light this.” She said, bringing her hand up to his eye level.

It was a tied-up bundle of twigs and herbs.

“…what-“

“Don’t think! Just do it, Jack. Please! Burn this!”

Almost unconsciously, Jack raised his hand and spoke his Skill.

“|A Fire a Day|”

The leafy bundle ignited, along with a part of Elia’s hand. She winced in pain, but transferred the bundle to her other hand and started waiving it around. Thick, fragrant smoke came out of it. She moved around Jack, before going to Mrk and Lola. She then started wading around the crowd, using her other hand to waft the smoke through the air.

The effect was quick. Suddenly, the fear and paralysis subsided. What was before a crowd of people, standing awkwardly in place, was now a rush. Everyone that came to started running again. It was as if a curse had been lifted.

What was that? I couldn’t move. I could barely think at the end.

“Run!” Elia shouted at them.

The bats, sensing the commotion, started flying towards them quickly again. Elia tossed back the still burning bundle, which landed in the middle of the street. The smoke created a light screen in the air, which seemed to make some of the monsters hesitate flying through it. The ones that did, flew slower, after coming out on the other side.

“What was that?” Jack shouted, as they were running.

“Ball Bats. They catch and eat their targets alive. They secrete a scent that makes you afraid at first, paralyzed after. It gets worse with time. I forgot they could do that in large numbers.”

“And the burning thing?”

“Something I thought up on the spot. Ingredients for courage, clarity and fear suppression. Didn’t know if it would work, but I’m glad it did.” She laughed.

“Wait, you didn’t know if it would work?”

“No, but what else could I do?”

“Mrk happy you did.”

“Me too, Elia.” Lola said.

“Ah, yeah, me too, Elia. Sorry, I was just surprised.”

“No worries about it, Jack. It’s coming out of your pay.” She laughed again, while waving a hand.

He laughed too, before wincing.

“Also… sorry about your hand.”

“I’m a famous |Herbalist| around these parts, Jack. I can take care of a little burn.”

They managed to reach the forest in minutes, though they were among the last to manage it. No more people were coming out of the village. The ones who ran away were either there, standing at the edge of the forest or lost.

That thought was sobering for Jack. Elia didn’t seem to mind though, judging by her grin.

“Why are you so happy?”

“I’m not. It’s just, you know, the rush! I’ll probably break down in tears a little while later, but for now, I’m just happy to be alive.”

“Me too.” Lola spoke up. “Though I think my breaking down might come sooner rather than later.”

“Mrk is hungry.”

Jack had to laugh at that. Though he was feeling hungry as well. He hadn’t eaten since before his ‘duel’ with Louis and there were just a few hours of daylight left in the day. Luckily, people were wise enough to bring torches with them. Unluckily, it was a group of those torches that were approaching them. Along with the ones who carried them.

A burly man stepped forward, before noticing Mrk. A look of disgust passed his face.

“This thing shouldn’t be here. It should be out there.” He said, pointing at the village.

“This thing, Berlow, is a him. He’s named Mrk.” Said Elia.

Berlow? Where have I heard that before?

“I don’t care what it’s called, Miss Elia. It’s got no place with us.”

“Mrk’s got all the… place. He lives with me, in the forest.” Jack said.

The man gave him an unfriendly look.

“I didn’t speak to you boy.”

“Oh, look. It’s the thief.” Another man spoke.

“Thief?” Lola asked.

“You don’t know who you’re rubbing daisies with, girl? That boy there’s a thief.”

“I’m no thief!” Jack responded.

Wait. I’m not, right? I only took things from the forest. Am I forgetting something?

“Oh, yes you are. My boy told me you stole a sword from Mrs. Winnow’s son. That same sword I see hanging from your belt.” The burly man said.

Oh. Oh! Berlow! That’s where… wait. He named his own son after himself? What a prick.

“Give it here!”

“That’s enough of that.” Elia said, stepping forward.

“You stay out of this, Miss Elia, if you know what’s good for you.”

“I didn’t steal this sword. I won it from Louis. In a duel.”

“You cheated, you lying-“

“Please. As if my son would ever enter a duel with you.” A voice spoke, from behind the men.

Jack saw Mrs. Winnow step up, accompanied by her son. A fat man, in fine clothes, walked behind them.

“My son simply wished to teach this vagrant a lesson. He earned it sure enough, after insulting us, in public no less. And this… hooligan, along with his pet monster, assaulted my son. You can see what they did to him.”

Indeed, Louis sported two black eyes and had signs of dried-up blood around his nostrils. While this conversation was taking place, people had started to gather around them. It seemed that, with nothing better to do than wait, the villagers took advantage of any distraction they found. And this was quite a distraction.

“Your son invited me to a duel.”

“He did not.”

“He did. He sent his friend, Moran, to invite me.”

“Did he now? Louis, do you know where Moran is?”

“Yes, mother. Moran!” he yelled back.

The young man materialized in seconds.

“Well, Moran. Tell me. Has Louis ever told you to invite this vagabond to a duel?”

Moran had already started nodding his head, before a look from Mrs. Winnow had him shaking it desperately.

“There we have it. There was no duel. Only assault and theft. And there will be punishment for this.” The woman said, looking at Jack.

“That boy was nodding his head, before you gave him the stink eye.” Elia said.

“Watch your tongue, young woman. Before you lose it.”

Grimly smiling, Elia continued to speak.

“My apologies, Mrs. Winnow. But you know, I still have the herbs from last time. The ones that can make a man spill the truth. I can give it to them. Just to be sure.” Elia smiled.

“I will not have your poor attempts at crafts hurt my son. Or any other boy from this village.”

“I’ll take them!” Jack said.

“You’ll… what?”

“I said, I’ll take them. Elia’s herbs work on everyone, right? So, I’ll take them and let you all know what happened. What’s the worst that can happen?” he grinned.

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Lola said quietly.

“Don’t feel bad.” Mrk assured her. “Must be Jack to think Jack thoughts.”

“Well, I-“

“Allow me to help you, my dear.” The portly man spoke. “You, boy, are not part of the village. But Miss Elia is. And I will not allow you, Miss Ellia, to supply anyone at this point in time.”

Sounds of shock came not only from Elia, but even from the surrounding villagers.

“Sir, I’m sorry for interrupting this, but-“

“Then don’t.” the fat man simply said.

I just bet he’s Mr. Winnow.

“Mr. Winnow, please. You can’t do this. It’s not right.”

There it is.

Wait, where do I know the other guy from?

“It is my decision, Mister Veil, as |Village Head|.”

Ah, Veil. I was right about him being a nice enough guy.

“Yes, sir, but-“

“Enough. As |Village Head| I decree that Mis Elia will not be spreading her products around. Not at this time. She is without her shop and there is an inherent risk in using her products without preparation. I will not allow anyone to take that risk, whether they are from this village or outside of it.”

“How cautious of you, Mr. Winnow.” Elia said.

“Why, thank you. Though, perhaps it would be good to learn something of caution yourself, hmm?”

That statement was barely a veiled threat, in the sense that the veil was thin enough to be almost see-through. Indeed, thin enough that there was no one around that didn’t deduce the true meaning behind Mr. Willow’s words. Though none spoke up about it. It seemed that while the man was not very physically imposing, he carried a certain weight around himself, which seemed to be pressing on the villagers quite heavily.

“There. Now it’s settled. So why don’t you return my son’s sword?” Mrs. Winnow addressed Jack, with poisoned sugar in her voice.

“Hold on. If Elia can’t give me the truth weed-“ Jack started.

“Not what it’s called.”

“-then I can’t prove it was a duel. But you can’t prove it was theft either!”

The look of anger on Mrs. Winnow’s face returned, though Mr. Winnow’s face displayed only grim amusement.

“Why… I mean to say, that is not… You little mud-caked fool! Do you have any idea who we are? Does your tiny feeble mind even comprehend who you are talking to? Give me the sword! And the bracelet! That was a gift to him, from me!”

It was hard to tell with all the bruises, but it seemed like Louis was having a jolly nice time, listening to his mother screaming for him.

“Mrs. Winnow, you can’t demand Jack to give them over. That would be theft.” Elia said.

“You stay out of this, if you want your business to remain afloat.”

“Mrs. Winnow, please-“

“Silence whore.”

“Lola not whore.”

“You oversized pest! How dare you speak to me? If I say she is a whore and you are a monster, then that is what you are!”

Mrs. Winnow’s tirade was increasing, in both pitch and volume.

“Mrs. Winnow, please. Why don’t we all calm down and-“ Mr. Veil started to say.

“And you! All of you! You have forgotten who it is that I am! My husband is the |Village Head|! And I. Am. His. Wife. You all own your livelihoods to us. We own-”

“That is quite enough, my dear.” Mr. Winnow cut in.

To say that Jack was displeased with what he was hearing was putting it mildly. Yet, though he did not notice, his displeasure at Mrs. Winnow’s outburst was mirrored on quite a number of faces around him. Indeed, most onlookers seemed peeved at what Mrs. Winnow had said and perhaps would have been even more peeved at what she was about to say. Luckily for her, her husband had more skill at reading the public mood.

“It is correct that we cannot prove Louis was assaulted and robbed of his possessions. Though, of course, that was the probable cause, since my son engaging in a duel with a vagrant is preposterous.” He addressed the crowd. “Even so, I, as |Village Head|, along with my family, will always respect our laws and customs. This I can assure you of.”

“Oh, and… Mr. Veil, is that right?”

“…Yes, sir.”

“You are a… farmer?”

“Yes sir. I also help with woodworking. Mend carts, fix tables… I help where I can.”

“Oh, good, good. Sounds like you have your hands full. To relieve you of your burden, I can tell you right now that my family will no longer be requiring your services, if it ever had. And I believe others inside our village will also let you enjoy more free time.” He smiled at Mr. Veil.

“Oh, uh, thank you, Mr. Winnow. But I don’t mind working, sir. It’s my living and…”

Mr. Veil stopped his attempt at salvaging the situation, as Mr. Winnow had by then already strolled off, along with his wife and son.

“Stops his wife from antagonizing the others, before harming a single man’s reputation. Just to remind everyone who he is. No wonder he’s |Village Head|. He’s not good at much else, but he is good at imposing himself on others.” Elia fumed, before turning towards Mr. Veil.

“I’m sorry for that. I know you were just trying to help. If I ever need any work done on my shop… or I just need help at all, I’ll call on you.”

Mr. Veil himself looked somewhat lost. Jack realized that because he came to his defense, this man might have just lost a portion of the coin he’d have earned in the future. The injustice of it all made his blood boil.

“And if you ever need anything from the forest, just let me now and I’ll find it for you. Free of charge!” Jack told him.

Dizzily, the man turned to them, as if he had just remembered they were there.

“Oh… Thank you, Miss Elia. And thank you too, lad. I didn’t expect Mr. Winnow to take it out on me, but I imagine he wanted to set an example.”

“Of his cruelty.” Lola muttered, just loud enough to be heard.

To the nodding of others, Mrk suddenly spoke up.

“You is farmer?”

Somewhat wary at being addressed by the, most likely, first member of a species different than his own he had ever met, Mr. Veil nodded.

“Mrk has garden. You grow plants, I grow plants. If wants, Mrk help you grow plants. For helping Jack.” The ratling enthusiastically continued.

“I… thank you… Mrk, you said? Mrk. Ah, that’s a mouthful. Yes, thank you, I’ll take all the help I can.”

He still seemed a little out of sorts. Jack thought it might have been as much the thought of a ratling working his fields, as it was the discussion he had just had, so he decided to sweeten the deal.

“I’ve got a |Gardener| Class, Mr. Veil. Not many Skills and I don’t know if they’ll work on somebody else’s plants, but I can give it a shot, if you’ll let me.”

That seemed to brighten Mr. Veil’s day, judging by the way his face lighted up and he was about to respond to Jack, when a sound interrupted him.

A howling came from… something, just outside the village. It looked like a wolf, only bigger. In moments after the howl, more wolves emerged from the village, clustering around the one who made the call.

“Rockhide wolves.” A man spoke, from the crowd.

“What are they doing?”

“Rockhide? Are you sure? They looked like normal wolves to me.”

“They’re Rockhide, not Rockfur. Of course, they look normal.”

“Normal? Can’t you see how big they are?”

“What are they doing? Why are they looking like that at us?”

The voices weren’t panicked, not exactly. They all knew that they were safe in the forest, even if they were at the very edge. The nymph would always protect them. But there was an undercurrent of fear in the air.

“Mrk thinks we should hide deeper in forest.”

“No use in worrying. Nothing will harm us. The nymph always kills any monster that gets close to the forest. And those Rockhide wolves are smarter than that.” Mr. Veil calmly explained.

More monsters were exiting the village. Jack saw the boulder-like round monsters rolling across the ground, before stopping at the same distance from the forest the wolves did. Even the misshapen rabbits were present, though none of those actually stayed in one place.

“Why are they grouping together like that?” Lola nervously asked.

“Monsters do that, when there’s a lot of prey to be had. I’m guessing those monsters sense us being here. But they’ve tried this forest enough times to know what happens if they come near it.” Said Elia.

Jack saw as one of the rabbits came closer, before darting away. His next bounce brought it even closer to the forest, before hopping away again.

“What’s that weird rabbit doing?” Jack asked.

“Slime Hopper. It’s testing the forest, I think. A few of the stupider monsters do that, every time they attack.” She calmly replied.

If anything, the look in her eyes was resembling the look of someone calculating what would the raw materials obtained from such a monster be worth.

“You know, after the monsters leave, I can try hunting one of those for you. If they’re still around.” Jack said.

“What?” Elia, asked in surprise. “Oh, Jack, you’re a man after my own heart.” She laughed. “Well, they’re not too dangerous, so if you could fetch me one of them, alive or dead, I can give you a pretty good deal.”

Jack was about to ask what a ‘pretty good deal’ entailed, when something splashed the ground in front of him. Looking down, he saw some kind of mucus like substance, sprayed over the dirt. And two feet next to it was one of those horrible rabbits, sitting on its hind legs, one of its eye-on-a-tendril turning to peer at Jack.

“That… that’s not supposed to happen.” Elia spoke.

The same wolf from before howled again, before dashing towards the forest, his entire pack behind him. The other races of monsters followed them, forming a great wave of teeth and claws, barreling straight at the terrified villagers.

“RUN!” yelled Mrk.

This time, there was no one who didn’t listen to him.