“Hey, Dad, look!” The boy enthusiastically pointed to the sky. “It’s starting to rain… There won’t be any fires today!”

The old man smiled and patted the boy’s head.

“Oh, yes, it’s going to be hard for the wolf to start any trouble… But don’t be mistaken, when Evil happens during sunlight, the worst is still to come in the rain...”

“How? I mean… it’s just water.”

“I don’t know – nobody does… It’s just that nothing good can happen when even the skies can’t hold back their tears.”

…

“Oh, shoot, it’s raining.” Harry tried to cover his brand new hat.

Rasla raised her head, looking at clouds and feeling the little drips run through her face.

“I don’t think it’ll last long, the clouds don’t seem very loaded… I do wonder if the fire will resist them.”

“Don’t worry, I’m almost done.” Erion told her.

The cook was preparing their lunch, a giant worm they had found not much before while chasing a big pink slime through the woods. They discussed for a while about whether it was or wasn’t a monster, the first point being proved right after when the worm spitted acid on Max’s boots. Erion didn’t have a prepared recipe for her, so he decided to improvise a roast with some non-poisonous herbs he had found on the way and a little bit of dried pepper he was carrying.

Cooking a monster that he wasn’t sure about its nature was risky, indeed, but everything seemed on the tracks, especially with the provocative smell dancing in the air. It was an aroma straight up reminiscent of beef with a subtle hint of pork.

“Hm… I guess it’s okay. You guys wanted rare, right?” The chef asked.

Most of them nodded, only the Cavalier objected.

“It’s well done for me. I don’t know if I want to eat raw monster, even if it’s just a little bit.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll keep roasting one for you, the rest can serve themselves.”

And another great meal happened. Maybe the flavor could be a bit more refined by adding some extra spices and black pepper, not that it was bad by any means. Everyone ate at least two rings of the worm, really enjoying the juicy “meat” and the crunchy, salty peel.

“I don’t know about you but I wish we run out of food faster from now on.” Harry said. “This is a more than suitable substitute for meat.”

“Wouldn’t it be crazy if we ended up addicted on monster food and started refusing normal stuff?” Rasla joked.

Max gave on the piece he was about to eat, looking at his plate for a while.

“Well, if we had Erion by our side, it wouldn’t be too bad, I’ll be honest.” The Warlock laughed.

The rest of the trip to Aseena had been much like this. A goblin encounter here, a slime hunt there. The group did surprisingly well for a party that had to abandon most of their supplies before crossing the deep forest – lucky timing for hiring a cook able to make food out of dire creatures.

Now, as rain started pouring heavily onto their heads, the path was finally coming to an end.

“Ok, we’re rested and everything… Now it’s just a small walk to Aseena. Look.” The Barbarian signaled a tree. “Burnt leaves. In the bushes too.”

They were on the Fiery Wolf’s area now.

“I doubt it’ll appear during the rain, but pay attention to your surroundings anyway. We don’t know where he’s hiding.” Rasla complemented. “This is mostly for you, Erion, since you’re new to the job and all.”

He nodded. “Okay, I get it.”

He started returning the utensils to their original form, leaving the smoldering fire to be put down by the falling water.

“C’mon, kid, we want to get there as soon as possible!”

Once again, Erion was almost left behind as the other four ran ahead.

…

The door opened again.

It was Joolo Felgorn and his little son – the last one to arrive.

Garbo, the oldest man, cleared his throat.

“Time to start. Joolo’s here.”

“Meow.” meowed Furball, the village’s leader.

“Sorry, guys, had to pick up little Janlo at school. Classes are ending sooner due to the fires, y’know?” Joolo said while hanging his soaked coat.

“Really? Little Amy’s staying at home with her mum, I don’t want to put her in a wooden building for a bunch of hours.” Errol, the carpenter, said.

“A wooden building? Are these still around?” Garbo asked, scratching his (VERY) long white beard.

“Oh no, Janlo’s school is made of bricks, Errol. You must be talking about a different one.” The man joined the meeting table with the kid on his lap. “In fact, I think the wooden school burned down last week.”

“Oh… Is there a brick school? Damn, that girl tricked me”

“Purr.” purred Furball.

“Alright, alright, let’s discuss the important matters now.” Garbo raised his voice.

The only woman in the table raised her hand.

“Yes, Florence, I was going to call you. Updates on the requests?”

“They should be reaching the guilds today, time until the adventurers get here will vary between two days to one week, I believe.”

“Great news then.” The old man continued. “Now about the help from nearby cities...”

Florence’s hand went back to the air.

“...Yes, Florence?”

“An early group is coming too. They should be here today or tomorrow.” she said.

The men around the table started to whisper. Furball meowed in anger, shutting everybody up.

“Thank you, sir.” Garbo said to the cat, turning back to Florence afterwards. “An early group? How did they hear about the wolf before the guilds?”

She raised her shoulders, answerless.

“I guess they’re from the region. Rumors spread like the plague even for an isolated village.”

Coincidentally, someone knocked on the door right as she finished her sentence.

…

Nobody of the party of five had ever been to Aseena, but they could definitely tell that the village had seen better days.

At least half of the buildings were no more than ashes and toasted wood, fitting with the tree border composed of mostly gray and black. People walked around carrying at least a bucket and at max a cart full of water bottles, always looking around to see if the wolf’s flames appeared (everything under heavy rain, mind you).

“Hm, curious town.” Harry observed.

“And it’s only one wolf… Lucky them he wasn’t in a pack.” Max said.

“Well, if it was a pack then certainly we wouldn’t be the only ones here.” Rasla countered. “Let’s stop with the sightseeing and get to the inn, this rain is starting to get on my nerves.”

“Just pray that the inn is made of bricks.”

Luckily, it was. At least the new one was – a temporary replacement for the one that, well, burned down. It looked exactly like all of the houses nearby, except for the badly painted INN sign above the door and the drunkard sleeping under a window.

“Always follow the drunks!” Harry laughed. “Wew, the ale smell really does its thing after a few sober days.”

“Calm down, right now we’ll only book our rooms and then we’ll go pay a visit to the village’s leader. Ale only after we’re finished with our obligations.” Rasla said.

The five entered the place, obviously calling the commoners’ attention with their adventuring aspect. No one like them really stopped by and they were the first attracted to the fiery wolf’s menace. The room was completely silent as people judged their looks until Giard, probably in a state of five or six jars, raised his mug and saluted:

“Hey, our heroes arrived!”

A huge mess started. People got up from their chairs and waved around with their half-filled cups. The most curious were quick in getting close to them and started asking completely pointless questions, which no one really remembered after the sentences were finished. Rasla was big enough to open a path through the people using brute force – it still took more than it should to reach the innkeeper, a man (or was it a woman?) watching everything from his seat behind the counter.

“May I help you?” He (or she? Goddammit.) asked.

“Oh--” someone interrupted her with a heavy pat on the back. “--we’d like a room, please. Or two, better said.”

The innkeeper smiled.

“Lucky you! There are exactly two rooms left!” He/she forgot to mention that the temporary house only had those anyway. “And they’ll cost you… 10 silver coins a night.”

“Alright.” Rasla handed her 20. “We want them for two nights at the moment – we’ll talk to you if we need an extension.”

“Great!” The genderless innkeeper commemorated. “And here’s a free mug of ale for each of you, heroes-to-be!”

She/he/it filled five cups instantly and the crowd went crazy with applauds and whistles. Some guy almost threw Erion into them.

“Oh gods, let’s go meet the leader right now, please!” The chef pleaded while Anda slapped the crazy lifter’s hand.

“Sorry, sir… Miss… uh, whatever… er, but we’d like to save our drinks for later, we’ve got some business to deal with at the moment. Important stuff.” The Barbarian apologized while trying to identify the person’s gender.

“Oh ho ho, no problem. Your free drinks we’ll be waiting.” No info on his/her gender.

The party turned, looking at the people obsessed with them. The young chef saw in their eyes that the five were the first “heroes” they had seen outside of books and paintings. The warm reception lead to a strange, but cozy feeling, a feeling of belonging to a place where you had never been to.

They did the reverse path to the door, still dealing with the numerous interruptions and human blockages. Outside, the rain showed no sign of stopping.

“We should’ve brought umbrellas.” Harry commented.

“Or a Sorcerer.” Max said. “I heard they can summon air barriers that follow you – like shields, or umbrellas.”

“Hmpf, good luck finding one.”

“Do you know where the leader’s house is, Rasla?” Erion asked, noticing her looking at both sides of the road.

“...We should’ve asked, huh?” She answered, scratching her head.

Immediately, Anda turned around and slightly opened the door, inserting her head on the gap. The noisy room once again became silent.

“Where is the leader’s house?” The Assassin looked around.

“Two blocks to the north! Turn left and walk straight up until you see the tallest place around!” A voice shouted from near the bathroom entrance.

“What if he isn’t there?” She continued.

“Then he’s on the reunion building, which is right beside his house.” The same voice responded. “Or he’s playing in the sand lot, but I doubt he’d do that during the rain.”

“Thanks.” Anda then closed the door. “Did you guys hear that?”

The rest of the group nodded.

“Did the voice say ‘playing in the sand lot’?” Max asked.

“I believe so.”

“Interesting.”

They followed the instructions, turning left and walking straight up until they saw the tallest building around.

“Definitely that.” Everybody said at the same time with the same words.

Rasla knocked on the door. No response. She tried again. Still nothing.

“I guess he’s on this building.” Anda pointed to her left, where a building with the sign “REUNION CENTER” was located.

The group wasted a few more steps to get there and the Barbarian knocked once again.

A few seconds passed before they heard a voice.

“Who’s there?” it asked.

“We’re here to hunt the wolf!” Harry shouted. “And we’re adventurers, don’t worry!”

The voice whispered, probably to whoever was inside. Then it went back after a few seconds.

“Come in.”

A not crowded room was refreshing, although a good amount of people were sitting around the large reunion table at the center. The place had a classic atmosphere, badly lit with a fireplace burning behind the heads. A man sitting in the middle coughed, nothing related to the newcomers, however.

“Meow.” declared Furball. “Meooow.”

“Welcome, my dear adventurers.” Garbo raised from his chair, opening his arms to the party. “We, people of Aseena, are very happy to see you come for our aid.”

“Er, sure, no problem.” The huge woman said. “Are you the leader?”

“Oh, no, no.” He laughed. “Never. I’m just a mere counselor. The leader is Furball as you see there.”

The old man pointed at the cat, who at the moment was taking a quite nice bath on his chair.

“Whoa...” Max was astonished. “Can I pet him?”

“Of course! He loves it.”

The man, clad in armor, sneakily walked towards the feline and scratched behind his ear.

“Purr.” purred Furball.

The other four were frozen on their spots.

“Your leader is a cat?” Anda asked.

“Yes!” Garbo smiled. “And a very cute one! I mean, isn’t he just adorable?”

“Indeed.” Rasla admitted. “Fluffy, I’d say.”

Surprisingly, it was Erion who had to take action.

“Uhh, we’d like to know everything you have about the wolf… Sightings, behavior, stuff like that.” The young chef said.

“Oh, obviously.” The man with an (EXTREMELY) long beard laughed. “You definitely didn’t pay us a visit to pet the cat, right? Although I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I believe Danner here is taking care of these matters.”

He pointed at a young man sitting on the darkest corner of the table, who raised his hand to be properly identified.

“He’ll take you to his place in the forest, he has everything recorded there.”

Danner got up, showing that he was almost as tall as Rasla, and walked towards the group.

“Nice to meet ya’ll. I’m the one you’re looking for.” He greeted them and offered his hand.

“Let’s not waste time then.” The Barbarian accepted the offer with a firm handshake, which could probably break the fingers of a weaker person. “We’ll have this wolf on a platter by tomorrow night.”

“I hope so too!” He laughed. “Things have not been easy around. I mean, you saw the burnt houses, didn’t you? Imagine what the thing does to humans.”

“Barbecue, probably.” Harry answered.

“No need for the tasteless jokes, Harry!” The woman looked at him like she was about to hit his face. “Now… shall we go before it gets dark?”

Danner stuttered.

“Uh, sure, sure… The meeting was almost over, anyway.” He went forward and picked up his coat.

“Is your catloving friend coming?”

Their necks snapped to see Max on the floor, playing with an agitated Furball.

“Gods… Max! Let’s go! We’ll buy you one when we get home.”

The Cavalier looked at them, his expression showing no regrets.

“Oh… Fine.” He got up with his very heavy armor. “But we’ll pay a visit to Furball before we leave, right?”

“Right, right...”

…

The silhouette stopped. He had found it.

The cave was well hidden inside the forest, no wonder the wolf had chosen it as its lair. The shadows approached, slowly, he needed to be extremely careful to not trigger the creature’s instincts.

An orange hue painted the entrance’s walls, it couldn’t be the wrong place. The figure walked closer, he could almost see it. A flame, a huge one, in the back of what seemed like your average wolf. A miracle of nature turned into its own species. It tilted its head down.

Offspring.

More Evil thoughts crossed the shadow’s mind. No, too insecure. Just the mother would do. The scar on the back of his right hand started to shine in purple flame, unintelligible words came out of his mouth.

“Become, wolf, creature of the Evil. Carry the flame from the Void.”

The beast howled. Pain? A call for help?

It twisted its own body, it was reluctant to accept the outside forces – laughable efforts, nothing could do it. Slowly, it let the fire in.

Purple light filled the cave.