The next morning, Sebastian decided it’d be an excellent idea to practice awhile with his bokken. It not only helped him refine his technique, but was also a wonderful workout for his arms. Before he started though, he stretched limbs to evade any harm to himself like what happened last month. After a solid warmup, Sebastian set up two dummies made of joined-up hay on rods of wood in their small backyard.

As he was picking up the bokken from the floor where he had left it earlier, there was an ominous ‘flump’ that occurred behind him. When he turned around, he sprang back in shock to see an animal moving toward him, inching on all fours. A relatively enormous creature had crept its way into their yard, searching for its next meal. The pelt on its large body was bronze, covered with gray spots, legs of a mighty grizzly bear crossed with a head resembling a hyena. Every step it took, its lengthy tail lashed the ground beneath it, dispersing dust into the air. Its mouth opened with a low growl, revealing its long, pointed fangs with two rows of filthy teeth and drool dripping down its jaw.

He gripped onto his bokken’s handle in front of him, bracing to defend himself as he grinned. He did not dare make a sound or leave the animal out of his sight. Taking precaution, he drew his right leg in front of the other, lifting his left heel to take his stance. As he was ready to strike, he heard his mom inside the house gasp through a window. At that very second, the beast rushed toward him with fury, its claws ready to shred his skin. Immediately, Sebastian brought his bokken downward to his left and cut as hard as he could diagonally upwards, hitting the monster square on its jaw as he pivoted to his right. The fiend crashed right into the wall behind him with a resounding ‘crack’. Sebastian immediately faced the intruder again, ready to strike if needed. After a minute of watching it motionless on the ground, he let out a heavy sigh.

“Estas bien, Sebastian?!” His mother instantly ran out of the house and searched him for any injuries.

Sebastian dropped his bokken to the floor, feeling his limbs almost collapse from the fright. “Yeah, I’m okay, mom. The Cransavo caught me by surprise.”

Sebastian’s mom hugged him tightly like his life depended on it, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have made any noise, I put you in danger!”

“I’m fine mom, you’re strangling me!” He exaggerated by sticking out his tongue.

A knocking at the front door interrupted them. Sebastian’s mother left to open the door as he remained near the Cransavo to make certain it was really dead. His legs shook in place, driving him to kneel as the shock faded gradually. The bokken he had discarded earlier had a minor crack along the edge of it he noted as he did his best to control himself. He took a deep breath while picking it up, then supported himself on it to stand back up.

A minute passed, during which Sebastian collected his mind as he lingered standing, drawing in the air into his lungs with his eyes closed. A door slammed disrupted his thoughts along with the voice of Camila calling out to him. He exhaled the air within him and opened his eyes to catch her racing up to him.

“Are you okay?” She hugged him worryingly.

“Yeah, I was just collecting my thoughts-” Sebastian hugged her back, “- I’ve never had to fight one of these things since my dad was always here when one showed up. Scarier fighting one than watching from the side.”

“They really are, I’m glad you’re fine.” Camila let go, then looked back at the creature. “That’s a big one. How did you kill it?”

Sebastian recounted to Camila what transpired. After, she went up to review the beast to confirm the kill with some insistence from Sebastian to be careful. According to her, he managed to break his jaw while the wall shattered its skull from the sheer force of its jump. She praised him on a good first kill with no injuries to himself.

After taking the body to one backyard corner so Sebastian’s mom could utilize it for its meat, they all spoke for a period. The conversation wasn’t about any significant matters, essentially his mom asking Camila how she was doing. During the discussion, Sebastian’s transmitter began to produce a ‘tapping’ sound. He only knew one person who called like that, so he excused himself to answer it in a different room.

Sebastian rose the transmitter to his ear and began to say, “Hey Nia, how are-”

“No time for greetings, I need you and Camila, if she agrees, to meet me at my house.” Nia spoke rapidly with the sounds of paper turning.

“Is something wrong? Are you okay?” He asked as his heart started to race.

“I’m fine, but it’d better if we spoke in person. It has to do with a potential cure?” Her last sentence came out like she was uncertain of how reliable her information could be.

Sebastian thought for a moment, “You don’t sound too sure about it. Where did you-”

“As I said, it’d be better if we talked in person.” More shuffling papers arose from her side, cutting him off.

“Alright, I’m coming. I’ll be there in a few.”

“Thank you.” The noise of collapsing books erupted as she cursed, followed by the connection shutting off.

Sebastian moved back into the room to tell Camila and his mom the news that Nia had given him. Surely enough, they had questions that he wasn’t able to answer since Nia herself didn’t tell him everything. Camila agreed to come since she was aware of the struggles Nia had been through. They departed Sebastian’s house with haste to not keep Nia waiting.

Along the way, they bumped into Andrea, who had left earlier to pick up some orders for their mom. Intrigued, he asked to look at one of the papers quickly:

“Gonzales Household,

10 Pounds beef stakes

5 Pounds Cransavo ribs

6 Pounds bacon

We are having a get-together and you are most welcome to come by in two days! Thank you so much for all the meat you have sold us, no one can top your cuts, Jennifer!”

It was always strange to him seeing or hearing his mom’s name. Her shop, in the center of the village, was well known among the people. Sebastian gave the order back to Andrea, who had been tapping her foot with a sour look on her face.

It took Camila and Sebastian about ten minutes to arrive at Nia’s house. Her home was a tad different from the rest of the houses in the area; they had their backyard open to the woods right behind them. As a result, they were able to make a small stable for some horses they owned. The two-story house was built with wood at its corners to make it much sturdier than other housing that was constructed of only clay.

Sebastian knocked on the dark, wooden front door to then be greeted by Nia’s mom by each one lowering their head, holding one of her hands and touching it with their forehead. After entering, her dad welcomed them, who was sitting on the living room couch. Upon closer inspection, the father had a scar that ran down from left his brow to his cheek that he gained a few years ago while chasing a deer. The room was beautifully decorated with their crafted bows as they hung from the walls, each one varying from the wood used to produce it. The Aquino family was well known for their hunting skills, but also for having misfortune.

The sound of crashing books came from a nearby room, accompanied by Nia bursting out of the place along with papers floating to the ground. “You’re here, good. Hopefully, you two can help me.” Short winded, Nia pulled back her messy hair covering one of her eyes while gesturing them to come over.

After excusing themselves from Nia’s parents, they followed her to the room. It was a cramped space, hardly enough to fit all three of them, but loaded with shelves of books. They had arranged each of the pieces of literature into types of material from essential needs to hobbies. One in particular shelf was empty from what Sebastian noticed; the herbalism section. From the look of it, they appeared to be the volumes that were spilling off of a desk onto the floor.

“So, what’s this all about of a potential cure?” Camila wondered as she glanced at the mess.

Nia sat on a short stool in front of the desk, “Well, my mother was chatting to one of the traveling merchants who came by every so often. She asked if they had learned of any new medication which could heal my dad, but wasn’t given a straight answer. The only information they gave was that they had heard of a herb manageable of curing what virus he had. They said this herb has fluorescent red fruit that grows from it. The only problem is-” She picked up a small notebook from the desk behind her and threw it on the ground in frustration, “- I can’t find any other clues about it.”

Sebastian picked up the notebook she had thrown to flip through its pages. “Did you go through all of these books by yourself?”

“No, both my parents helped all of yesterday while today I was double-checking.” Nia hunched, placing her fingers on the temples of her head. “The only thing I can think of is… it's maybe inside Willbury Woods, but I’m not sure.”

There was a small silence, all of them taking a moment to ponder. Camila frowned, thinking aloud, “I mean… it’s not impossible for it to be in there since we know little about the woods. We could check, but it’d be dangerous.”

“You’ve explored those areas, haven’t you, Camila?” Sebastian set the journal on its shelf.

“Yeah, a few times. Recently, I went in to take care of a certain basilisk who had been causing trouble.” Camila took out her daggers from their scabbards to reveal the runes on the sides of them.

Snapping his fingers, Sebastian pointed at her, “So THAT’S how you got them inscribed, you killed Snithen, the two-headed puto that was eating the livestock.”

“It wasn’t easy, I had to hire expensive help.” As Camila chuckled, she returned the weapons back into their place. “Anyway, if we go in, we will need to prepare. I’m not completely sure what we may see.”

It was apparent what they had to do, so they set out to go to the village center. Hours passed as they all gathered what they needed to buy from food plus any medical supplies they may need. Fully recognizing that Willbury was enormous, the bought products were sure to last them at least a day. Any longer could put them at further risk from wildlife.

The day flew by rapidly while buying the items they may require, pretty soon it was turning dusk. After all was in place, they began to walk home as they planned the course they should take. During their preparations, they heard two guards call out to them from the adjacent street.

“Hold on there, you three.” The two officers walked up to them, resting a palm on their weapon handles in case of anything. “We have been getting reports that a group of three individuals has been loitering around the village.” One man got real close to Nia, using an intimidating tone, “You wouldn’t happen to be them, would you?”

“No we are not them, we live in the village and I suggest you don’t try intimidating us unless you want trouble from my family.” Camila stepped in front of Nia, scowling at the guy.

The men burst out cackling, “And who the hell are you supposed to be?!”

“My name is Camila Reyes. I think you may recognize my father, Javier Reyes, part of the village council?” She grinned as she raised her brow.

As soon as Camila mentioned her father, their laughing abruptly ceased, fixing their posture, “W-We are sorry Miss Reyes.” One stumbled with their words.

“I should tell my dad about this, but I am feeling generous today. Make certain this doesn’t happen again, understood?” Camila firmly spoke as she looked down on them.

“Y-Yes, understood.”

As the men left their sight, Nia let out a sigh, “Thank you, Camila.”

“I did it more for Sebastian’s sake, so don’t mention it.” Camila semi rolled her eyes as she began to walk.

Sebastian sped up his pace and caught up with Camila, then whispering, “Hey, lighten up on Nia a little. She has done nothing to you.”

“You know why-” She snapped at him. “- she could take you away from me.”

Sebastian placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her, “She’s not into me nor is she into anyone. Just-” Sebastian sighed softly as he withdrew his hand off her. “- do it for me, okay?”

They both stopped, then Camila took a small glance at Nia, who was tailing not too closely from them. With a bite on her lip, she thought of a second. “Fine, I’ll do it for you. But don’t expect me to immediately start acting nicely to her.”

They reached Nia’s home first. After going over the plan for tomorrow, they said their farewells so Sebastian could drop off Camila. Stopping in front of her door, Sebastian hugged her, apologizing for their slight argument from earlier. She nodded, but before she was able to say anything, her front door opened.

“What do we have here?” Mr. Reyes laughed as he hugged Sebastian. “How are you doing, Seb?! Keeping my daughter in check? I hope she hasn’t been a handful!”

“Dad!” Camila joked, gently punching him in his side.

Sebastian hugged him back with three pats on the back. “I’m doing well, Mr. Reyes, and she’s been doing okay.”

“Oh, come on-” the dad let go of him, beaming, “- I’ve told you to call me Javier!”

From inside the house developed a scrumptious aroma with the echoes of pots being placed on the table. Soon after, Mrs. Reyes came from behind her husband. “Oh, Sebastian, how wonderful to see you! How has your family been doing?”

“They’re all doing well, thank you for asking, ma’am.” He hugged her and kiss on the cheek as she did the same.

“Well, since you’re already here, want to join us for some Cazuela?” Mrs. Reyes kindly suggested.

Sebastian scratched his head, “I don’t know, I don’t want to intrude.”

“Ahh yes he does, he’s just too polite to answer yes! Come on in!” Javier grabbed Sebastian by his shirt, pulling him in.

Wrapping up a small call to his mom to notify her he’d eat with Camila’s parents, Sebastian enjoyed the dinner with the family. Mrs. Reyes told many stories of when she was younger, feeding the townspeople of Yetta with her delicious dishes with the restaurant she owned. Her clients used to call her “la Peque” for her shortness, but all was in good fun. Javier reminisced of how he met her during a storm and he had to help her close a stuck door, leading him to get drenched. Everybody was in a merry mood as they ate their hearty meal.

“So, have you learned anything about Analyn?” Sebastian asked mindlessly as he was about to take in another spoonful.

With a kick in the leg, Camila gave him a rude glance, causing him to spill his food in the bowl. “Sebastian!”

“What? I-” Realizing what he had brought up by mistake, he straightened his back, “- I’m very sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

Mr. Reyes shook his head, smiling, “It’s alright, Seb.” He let out a small groan as he put his arms on the table, “We have received little about her, only that she’s safe and far away.”

The conversation reverted to a lighter mood as they finished their supper. It wasn’t long until Sebastian had to say his farewells to them as it was late. After leaving their house, it was only himself left to get home under the darkened sky with only a few lights to illuminate his path. This wasn’t the first time he’d had to do this, but it always unnerved him when a brisk wind hit him.

It’s not unusual to catch stray cats wandering during this time; looking for food in the trash or scraps on the floor someone may have dropped. No, what made his imagination run wild the most were the sounds as they could be anything. When he made these kinds of trips, Sebastian always looked around to assure himself there wasn’t danger. Any shadow he saw moving behind him made him nervous, developing scenarios in his mind.

Time ticked slowly as he walked in the night, feeling his skin crawl with each step he took. As he crossed the road that led to his home, he caught three silhouettes on top of one of the buildings. Sebastian hid himself behind a tree near him, hoping they hadn’t spotted him.

His breathing quickened as he thought, “Crap crap crap! Who are they?! What are they doing?” Sebastian drew a deep breath and looked behind the bark to investigate. “Okay, they seemed to not have seen me.” As he kept observing, he figured they were talking silently to each other with their heads bobbing and hand gestures. A loud trash can fell, causing them to crouch close to the floor. They traveled in unison to one of the edges of the residence. One by one the intruders fell to the ground with a silent ‘thump’ on the soft grass that surrounded the building.

When they turned the corner, Sebastian progressed to that street, making sure the lawn muffled his footsteps. Once again, he took in a profound breath and peeped around the corner to catch what they were doing. To his shock, they had vanished. Baffled, Sebastian stepped out of hiding, searching everywhere to determine if any indications would show where they ran off. The trail they were on only formed a ‘U’ turn and behind the housing were the woodlands.

“Hey you, what are you doing?” A voice emerged out of nowhere from behind him.

Startled, Sebastian immediately spun around with a gasp. He let go of his breath as he realized it was only a patrol. “S-Sorry, I thought I saw something in this street.”

The guard finally caught up to him, the light reflecting off of his armor. “There’s nobody here, now move along.”

“Y-Yes, I will.” With that, Sebastian scurried off to his house.

When he arrived at his home, Sebastian informed his mom what he had witnessed. She grew worried the more she heard of what he encountered and questioned him for more details. Andrea even seemed concerned, taking him back since she’s never the type of person to show her feelings. It took a while for them to settle down, eventually letting him relax after being interrogated. Knowing Camila would already be asleep by now, Sebastian decided to not call her tonight.

The following day, Andrea brought in some grave news during breakfast. “Apparently someone was murdered last night.”

Jeniffer’s eyes widen as she placed her fork down to stare at her, “Sabes quien lo hizo?”

Andrea shook her head, “No, at the moment no one knows who did it, but they are looking into it.”

“You don’t think it’s the three people I saw last night, right?” Sebastian looked at both of them.

“If it was, you got very lucky-” Jennifer let herself relax, “- and I’m glad they didn’t choose you.”

Seconds after she had expressed her relief, Sebastian’s transmitter turned on. Noticing it was Nia’s tapping, he pardoned himself for a minute and departed for his room.

“Did you hear about the murder?” Nia’s sounded as if she had just woken up a while ago.

“Yeah, it’s horrible what happened.” Sebastian sat on his chair, leaning back. “Andrea told us just now before you called.”

“I just heard of it a minute ago from my mom.” There was a pause as if she was thinking of the right words to say.

“You okay? It’s not anybody you knew, right?” Sebastian asked.

“No no, it’s just-” Another pause, this time mumbling came from her end. “- okay I’m just going to say it; the person who was murdered is the same merchant that told my mom of the herb.”