Nirou woke up significantly more well rested the next morning, a feeling that he made sure to savor given it would definitely be short-lived. Hiking through the jungle was on the day's agenda, and this time it wasn't even with the goal of getting to any place in particular. They would just be scouring the whole area with the thought that they could be attacked at any time in mind. Fun stuff. Heading into the dining room once more, Nirou found the entire rest of the group at the table. Ajandi hadn't slept in this time, which meant it was Nirou that everyone was waiting on. Luckily it seemed that the holdup wasn't very significant, as there was no comment about it when he went to sit down. Everyone had apparently only just begun to eat. For today's breakfast, the Elder had arranged a gigantic dish of fruit in the center of the table. Nirou was sure there must have been at least a dozen varieties, all of them diced into chunks and put into a neat spiral pattern. Around the dish were a bunch of small pointed sticks like toothpicks, presumably for eating the fruit one piece at a time. At each person's seat was a bowl of what looked to be scrambled eggs mixed with some kind of vegetable that Nirou couldn't recognize for the life of him. It tasted just fine, though. Nirou briefly thought about how their mission here didn't have a set length. Were Ramajayh and his family going to keep dishing up meals like this twice every day? The thought of imposing on the old man for a month or more made Nirou hope that they could hurry and get their work here done sooner rather than later. "Alright team, today we start scoping out the jungle." Captain Rashen began his brief as everyone neared the end of breakfast. "And that's gonna be what we do every day until we take care of the Beastmen. So be ready for a fight at any moment. Don't leave your gear behind." As he gave that instruction, the Captain turned to look at Hamid and Ajandi. Apparently they were the ones that needed to be reminded to bring their stuff. Hamid just smirked and shook her head as if to say such a reminder was beneath her, while Ajandi merely nodded several times to confirm he understood without taking any time away from his meal. After eating, the group thanked their host and got ready to head into the jungle. Ajandi made sure to strap that huge shield to his back again after leaving it off the day prior. Nirou wasn't sure how he pulled it off with only one free arm, but he must have been quite used to it. Hamid left most of her bags behind, having settled on bringing a single one along. It looked fairly heavy, and she managed to hand it off to Ajandi so he could carry it instead. While reluctant at first, his tune changed as soon as he held the bag in his hand. Given his content expression Nirou figured that the contents were nice and cool, which would be a boon for walking through the hot and humid jungle. Everyone else just brought along what they had been carrying the whole time, which seemed to be nothing obtrusive. Nirou wasn't sure how capable he would have been with more stuff anyway, so just the one sword and his light armor was good enough for him. Everything was settled, and the team stepped out of the clearing and into the jungle proper. Despite having walked through this terrain in the middle of the night, Nirou was more anxious than he had been at the time. Perhaps it was because he had a better idea of what might happen. He made sure to keep his hearing piqued, as if they got attacked he would basically be a sitting duck. The few treebound buildings that made up the outer limits of the village were soon behind the group, and they were truly in the wilderness. "There's a lake nearby that the island's primary river stems from." Kishaldam explained to ease the monotony of hiking without a clear purpose. "Since the Beastmen would have to drink, we'll first check to see if we can glean any hints from water sources. Many of the attacks were nearby as well, so it's the most reasonable place to look first." After a few more minutes of carving their way through the dense jungle, the team was able to see the canopy thin out a bit. As the trees broke up, a body of water came into view in the distance. It was a decent sized lake, at least in Nirou's opinion. Accounting for the fact that it was on an island. It seemed to be the highest point on the island save for the actual mountain and the land leading up to it. Nirou found it a bit strange that there was such a convenient spot for all this water to pool right before a steep incline, but it sure seemed to be convenient for the village. Looking around the edge of the lake, Nirou was also able to pick out some small rice paddies. And by small, he meant that he was surprised that they could grow enough to feed their whole village every year. Rice must have been a bit of a luxury. It made him feel even worse for making Elder Ramajayh set some aside just for their group. Several points along the lakeside had wooden stakes driven into the ground, probably for tying fishing nets to. A large portion of the village's food and water all came from here, so it was understandable that the village would be in extreme duress from not being able to make trips here safely. The group circled the place, making sure to take specific note of the precise sites of the Beastmen attacks. They were long enough ago that there weren't any useful clues or anything, but Kishaldam was apparently hoping that she would be able to put together some sort of pattern. "It seemed strange to me that the Elder said this village served no strategic importance." Laska made conversation as the group stopped for a midday snack and water break. "The majority of the island's fresh water is essentially under the village's control. One might think that would be worthy of a bit more urgency." "Well there just aren't enough enemies making their way up here to bother worrying about that, in their minds anyway." the Captain made his best guess. "Unless you think a couple of Beastmen are smart enough to contaminate a water supply." "Do you think they're not?" Laska asked sincerely. "I don't have any experience with Beastmen. But you've dealt with them more than most have, and you all said they were cunning. What would stop them from having such an idea?" With the exception of Ajandi, the Four Winds took a moment to seriously ponder the notion. It was eventually Hamid that spoke up to answer. "They probably could, I just don't think it's in their nature. They all seem to love fighting to the death, even when they're all torn up. I think they'd shy away from tactics that don't involve killing their prey with their own fangs and claws. But that's just my opinion." The rest of the group nodded, seemingly finding that explanation sufficient. Nirou was able to tell that Laska wasn't completely satisfied, since it kind of sidestepped the intelligence issue that she was trying to focus on. But she didn't bother pressing the topic any further. The group finished up at the lake and started checking out the area downstream. Three of the attacks had taken place in this direction, which when coupled with the five from around the lake made up the majority of the incidents. If there was something to be gleaned from the attack sites, they'd probably have to get it form here. As Nirou followed the others down the riverbank, he took note of the large number of fruit trees growing in the area. It seemed that rather than establish an orchard, the village just promoted the growth of trees already out and about to pick from them. They had a low enough population to not have to worry too much about growing a lot. He guessed that the vegetables they used in the village were probably treated the same way. It was likely just the rice that was scarce. After travelling for a couple of hours and surveying all the attack sites along the river, Kishaldam started to lead the group off in another direction. "One of the attacks took place this way. At the edge of what the villagers call 'the ravine'. Apparently it's impossible to miss." It was only a few minutes of hiking before Nirou and the others discovered just how true that was. The trees suddenly disappeared and gave way to nothing but the empty air. The group came up to and stopped at the edge of a huge canyon, as if a giant gash had been cut out of the island. It was quite confusing to Nirou, who tried desperately to make sense of it. It only had a tiny little stream running into it, nothing that could have carved such an enormous ravine. He wasn't even sure that an island like this could support the glacier it would have taken to create this landform. And that's not even taking note of the actual depth. At the bottom of the ravine, one could make out the movement of waves against the sand that had piled up along the walls. It seemed like it truly did go all the way down to sea level. They were a decent distance away from the center of the island by now, but it was still crazy. There were even a few Odolanna on the shores of the ravine, the giant lizards making use of it as a hideaway of sorts. "One of the attacks took place here, after what was assumed to be a chase." Kishaldam explained as she scoped out the view. "Unfortunately, there's no outrunning a Beastman. And here the victim found himself between a Beastman and a sheer cliff face. Not an enviable position." It really did sound like an awful place to be. Just thinking about it was making Nirou depressed. This kind of thing was surely the reason the Elder had no reservations about treating his guests. Anything to get rid of the oppressive fear that they could be hunted down the same way. "There is one last attack site to check." Kishaldam had apparently finished gathering any information she needed from this place. "However, it isn't near any notable landmark like the others. It might be a bit hard for us to find, but it might also be the most important one." The group head back up the river that they came down, but turned off into the jungle before hitting the lake. To Nirou it seemed like they were just walking with no direction, but the whole team followed Kishaldam without question. She had been given directions, and that was apparently plenty enough for her comrades not to have any doubts. Eventually the sun was beginning to sink, and Nirou was starting to worry whether they would make it back to the village before it got too dark. He didn't know how far away they really were, his sense of distance wasn't quite that good. But luckily it seemed like they had reached their destination, the last attack site. As Kishaldam had said, there were no notable landmarks around. It seemed like any other random spot in the jungle. However, it was clearly the site of a Beastman attack. The deep gashes cut out of several trees in claw patterns could attest to that. "One of the village's hunters was killed here while they were out. He did try to put up a fight, though. You can see evidence of the struggle." Kishaldam went to get a close look at the claw marks. "Regrettably, he stood no chance." "Are these traces of battle the factor that make this site the most significant?" Laska asked, taking in the scene herself. "Perhaps you can tell the type of Beastman from the marks." "I can, but that's not the important part." Kishaldam dismissed the suggestion as if it was trivial. "The location here can help me narrow down the Beastmen's likely area of operation. For them to have happened to stumble upon a hunter here, this would have to be a place they would have reason to pass by. Hopefully from this, I can determine their lair." "So Kishaldam, what are we dealing with?" Ajandi asked, going back to the identity of the Beastmen. "I mean, we're strong enough to be okay no matter what. But just so we aren't surprised when we see them." "One of these sets is too large to be anything other than a male Bear Beastman. The other is probably a big cat. I would guess a Lion. But the hunters had already had their suspicions, so just confirming this isn't that impressive." Nirou wasn't looking forward to confronting the creatures in question, but the Four Winds all seemed perfectly comfortable with the idea. If they had all fought Beastmen several times before, then this probably wasn't anything to worry over. He tried to calm his nerves with that notion. The day had nearly run out by this point, so the group headed back to the village. However now that they had actually begun their search, enjoying the meals and sleep was considerably more difficult. At least for Nirou it was. After a somewhat anxious night of rest, the team was back on the trail. Kishaldam had decided to scope out a particular area closer to the base of the mountain. Apparently it made sense to check based on the dimensions she had assumed the Beastmen operated in. Everyone was on much higher alert than yesterday, which Nirou took to mean that they really trusted her judgement on this whole thing. To them, this was indeed the likeliest situation to run into the Beastmen and get in a fight. At least that would mean they could potentially wrap things up here quickly. Nirou contributed what he could, keeping his ears alert for any sudden movement. As far as he knew no one else in the group had enhanced hearing, so it could actually prove useful. The rest of the group followed Kishaldam while looking around for any signs of the Beastmen. Expectations on that front were not particularly high however, as they were assumed to be able to cover their tracks pretty well. Their den may be the only place they would lower their guard. At the base of the mountain, the terrain suddenly took a steep shot upwards. The trees thinned out considerably past this point, and the rock of the mountainside was full of little crevices. "We're likely to find some caves here." Kishaldam told the group. "And I assume one of them will be the hideout our quarry chose." Led by Kishaldam, the team began to circle around the base of the mountain slope in search of significant nooks that could make for a Beastman's den. The plethora of tiny crevices housed all kinds of small animals, but no Beastmen yet. Eventually however, a larger cave revealed itself. The entrance was plenty tall, and it looked to go far back enough for someone to hide out in comfortably. Everyone instantly assumed this could be the place they were looking for. The group stood in silence outside of the cave for a few moments, trying to catch any sign of Beastman presence. Nirou turned his ears to the cave and listened closely, but heard nothing. "I'll go in and make sure." Captain Rashen volunteered. "It's probably empty right now, but be prepared to jump in." The group's leader sidled up to the mouth of the cave, then ran in at full speed with him arms ready to swing punches at the slightest notice. Nirou could feel the sweat dripping from his brow as he trained his eyes and ears at the entrance, his body tensed up and ready to spring in any direction but that one. He could hear the sound of punching at empty air from inside the cave, and began to worry. He mentally prepared himself for a giant bear person to burst out at any moment. After about a minute, the relative silence was broken. "All clear!" the Captain announced from inside. Nirou was startled enough to flinch at the message, but then sighed in relief. Hopefully when it actually counted, he'd be able to steel himself better than that. The entire group made their way inside to scope the cave out. It didn't lead to a cave complex or anything like that, rather just tapering out to a point a ways into the mountain. Some makeshift bedding made from leaves and such was scattered around in two places. Some dark stains could be seen on the ground, distinct from the spots of the cave that were merely wet with water. It was probably blood from some hunted animals. Nirou tried to see if he could move anything there, but he had no luck. It seemed to have been too long. This notion proved to be more true than he realized. "They're not just out right now, this place hasn't been occupied for days." Hamid informed the rest of the team. "No one's slept in these spots for a few nights, the bedding isn't gathered into anything comfortable and it's old enough that it should have been replaced by now anyway. They must have abandoned this cave for a new place." It wasn't as immediate of an acknowledgement as when Kishaldam said anything, but after a brief check by the rest of the Four Winds Hamid's assertion was accepted and the group made to move on. Nirou was a bit disappointed that it seemed like all their searching had been for nothing so far, but Kishaldam continued making her way around the base of the mountain as before. She was apparently confident that wherever the Beastmen had moved was still nearby. The group continued to check crevices in the mountainside as they went, in case any one of them could be the cave they were looking for. At about midday, Nirou was starting to hope that they would take a break for lunch soon. Sure it would just be some dried rations, but he was getting hungry. However, his thoughts were interrupted by a sound in the distance. A sound he had only heard before on television or in movies. Despite never hearing it in person, it was unmistakable. The roar of a large carnivore. This wasn't just one instance either, it kept recurring every few moments. He could only imagine this happening in a confrontation between two beasts. There was no time to waste. "I can hear them!" Nirou alerted the rest of the group, who were still investigating the mountainside. "These roars are from the Beastmen for sure. They're that way, further along the mountain!" Nirou pointed further down the path that the group would have been taking anyway, meaning that the team would surely have run into the Beastmen regardless. But now there was no reason to keep checking as they went. At least, there shouldn't have been. The Four Winds started off a bit skeptical of the claim. However the second Nirou pointed in a direction, Laska took off running at full speed. She didn't bother with any doubts. Seeing her move without hesitation implored the rest of the group to do the same, with a somewhat surprised Nirou making up the rear. Obviously the idea was for everyone to go along with what he said, but it was still hard to believe it actually worked. As the team drew closer to the source of the sounds, they became more clear. Eventually everyone could hear exactly what Nirou was talking about. Roaring, growling, and snarling of all kinds repeated over and over again. There was no telling how long the confrontation would last, so the whole group went as fast as they could manage in the terrain. Nirou struggled to try and keep pace with the others, running through the jungle with everything his legs could muster. If it wasn't for the Amulet of Fortitude he wore, he was sure he would have collapsed. While Nirou trailed a bit behind the rest of the group, he was close enough to see the moment when the Beastmen came into view. The trees opened up into a small clearing by the side of the mountain, and within it stood two Beastmen looming triumphantly over a third. The one on the ground was the Tiger they had heard all about, propping itself up with its elbows. The other side consisted of the Bear Kishaldam had correctly identified, and a Lion to fit her big cat guess. Upon catching his first glimpse of the creatures, Nirou had to stop running. Not merely due to his labored breathing and aching muscles, but because he couldn't convince himself to approach any closer. The Beastmen were just too frightening to see. They were at least as huge as the actual animals they resembled, but their bodies were oriented like a human's. Longer limbs, faces pointed perpendicular to their spines, more articulate digits. It was uncanny. They even wore some clothing, even if it was just some dull cloths hung from their shoulders and around their waists. Even Laska couldn't keep up the enthusiasm of her approach at her first time seeing Beastmen. She hesitated a bit and slowed enough to be overtaken by the Four Winds, who were anything but hesitant. Kishaldam broke into the clearing first, then jumped and flipped forward with her leg extended as if to make some sort of ridiculously exaggerated axe kick. There was nothing close enough for her to hit, but that was quickly proven not to matter when an arc of fire burst from Kishaldam's leg as it swung down. The wave of flames cut right between the Tiger and the other two Beastmen, forcing the latter two to jump back in order to avoid getting singed. The Captain came out next, running further to set himself in obstruction to one of the avenues of escape the Beastmen were left with opposite the direction of Kishaldam's fire. He held his fists up, ready to fight with his gauntlets. Ajandi tossed the bag that he was carrying for Hamid to her, who pulled out her weapon. It was a large ball of ice attached to a chain that also seemed to be made entirely of ice itself. The moment she held it though, the surface of the ice ball shed off a few perfectly shaped chunks to form a slightly smaller ball but with spikes. She swung her ice flail around a bit, measuring up her opponents. "This size should be able to get through their hides." she said, grinning. After handing off the bag, Ajandi used his now free hand to grab the bandages covering his right arm. The arm under the bandages seemed to pulse and writhe as he started to pull them off. "A bear, huh? That sounds pretty good. I'll go with that too." After the initial loosening was done, Ajandi quickly pulled the entire length of bandages from his arm to reveal the right forearm of a bear sticking out of his shoulder. Seeing the fur covered limb attached to a human body was possibly even stranger than the sight of the Beastmen. Pulling the shield from his back, Ajandi lowered himself into a defensive stance with his shield and bear arm at the ready. The Bear and Lion Beastmen took up stances of their own, suddenly tensing up way more than they had been just a moment ago. It seemed like they hadn't been entirely serious before, but now they were completely focused on the new arrivals. Rather than the Tiger who they could apparently afford to fool around against, they knew these enemies were not to be underestimated. "Ajandi, Hamid, you take the Bear. Kishaldam and I will handle the Lion." Rashen delegated responsibility for the opponents among his team. "Nirou and Laska, you two try and keep the Tiger-" The Captain didn't even get a chance to finish before he noticed the Tiger Beastman scrambling for the cover of the jungle. The Four Winds had set up their positions to contain the two Beastmen that seemed to pose more of a threat, which had allowed to last one to slip by. "Damn it." "Don't worry, Nirou and I will go after it!" Laska announced, volunteering her companion along with herself to give chase. Her hesitance to approach the other Beastmen seemed to not apply in this case, as she didn't even wait for acknowledgement from Captain Rashen before running into the jungle after the Tiger. Nirou was both too winded and too surprised to go after her right away, and just stood in place for a moment. "Nirou, make sure she doesn't get into any trouble!" Rashen gave an order. "Don't prioritize capturing the Tiger, keep her and yourself safe first!" Letting himself say only that much, the Captain turned his entire focus to the Beastmen in front of him from that point on. Nirou could recognize that there was no need for a response on his end, and all he should be doing was going after Laska. It was hard enough to run on the way here, and doing it all over again was not on the top of Nirou's list of things he'd have liked to do. But there was a place he needed to be, and it wasn't here. After a couple of deep breaths to prepare himself, he took off running into the jungle once more. In pursuit of Laska and the Tiger Beastman.