Two days passed faster than I wanted.

  I spent most of that time resting then preparing for the quest. Restocking supplies, checking my equipment, making sure Nox and Fei were ready. The town was still rebuilding around me, the sound of hammers and saws filling the air from dawn to dusk.

  I'd tried asking around the guild for party members. Most of the C-rank adventurers were already on assignments or still recovering from injuries. The few who were available took one look at me and declined.

  I couldn't really blame them. Perhaps to them I was an unknown quantity.

  So it looked like I'd be going alone. Well, alone with my monsters.

  Speaking of which.

  [STATUS SCREEN]

  Name: Vera Demecillo

  Race: Human/Otherworlder

  Level: 33

  Skills: Monster Maker

  Deep inside, I was glad seeing the increase in my strength. The numbers didn't lie. I was stronger now than I'd been before the attack. Faster. More capable.

  But knowing I got this from killing the knights made something twist in my stomach.

  No. They deserved it.

  I steeled the thought, forcing down the guilt that tried to surface. I couldn't afford to be soft anymore. Not with what was at stake. Those knights had burned towns, killed innocent people, laughed while they destroyed lives. They'd made their choice.

  And I'd made mine.

  Emil needed protection. The people of Oakenford had needed protection. If killing was what it took to keep them safe, then that's what I'd do.

  Even if it meant becoming something I barely recognized.

  I dismissed the status screen with a thought and continued packing my supplies.

  I had no idea how long it would take me to finish the quest, but it was better to be prepared.

  I stared at the items laid out on the bed. Dried jerky wrapped in cloth. A leather water container, worn but functional. Basic healing supplies from the clinic. A bedroll. Flint and steel for starting fires. Everything I'd need to survive in the wilderness for days, maybe weeks if things went wrong.

  It had been around a month, maybe more, since I found myself in this world. But I still kept missing my old world.

  The little things, mostly. Running water. Electricity.

  Being able to flip a switch and have light instantly instead of fumbling with oil lamps and candles. Hot showers. Refrigeration. My phone. The internet.

  I wondered if it was even possible for me to go back there.

  The thought had crossed my mind more than once.

  Perhaps some magic spell or artifact or ritual that could reverse whatever had happened to me.

  But even as I thought it, I knew I wasn't sure I wanted to go back anymore.

  I mean, I was starting to enjoy my life here. In a weird, twisted way.

  I mean I could create monsters. I could fight. I could make a difference. I had power here.

  I missed not having to worry about being killed by monsters or people or invading armies.

  I missed being able to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, instead of making do with whatever was available.

  I missed feeling safe.

  Here, safety was an illusion. Something that could be shattered in an instant by a sword or a spell or a monster.

  I shook my head, forcing the thoughts away. This wasn't helping. I couldn't change where I was or how I'd gotten here. All I could do was keep moving forward.

  =====

  That morning, I went to the guild hall to get the final details. The place was busier than usual, adventurers coming and going, taking quests off the board, turning in completed assignments. Some nodded at me as I passed. Others just stared.

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  The quest board itself was a mess of papers, each one describing a different job. Escort missions to neighboring towns. Herb gathering in the eastern forest. Monster subjugation requests from villages too small to have their own guard.

  The Adventurers Guild was the backbone of frontier life in the Kingdom of Argus. Towns like Oakenford relied on adventurers to handle threats the local guard couldn't manage. And right now, with Drakmoor getting more aggressive and monster activity increasing across the region, the guild was stretched thin.

  Garrick was at the reception desk, still moving carefully but looking better than he had a few days ago. The bandages were gone from his chest, though he still favored his leg.

  "Vera!" he said when he saw me. "Ready for your first C-rank quest?"

  "As ready as I'll ever be."

  He pulled out a folder from under the desk and set it in front of me. "Full details are in here. Map, estimated threat level, reports from the scouts. Guild Master Renna wanted me to make sure you had everything before you left."

  I opened the folder and scanned the contents.

  The northern woods were marked on the map, stretching for miles between Oakenford and the next major settlement. The forest was old growth, dense and largely unexplored. Most travelers stuck to the main roads, and for good reason. The deeper you went into untamed wilderness, the more dangerous it became.

  The estimated threat level was listed as moderate to high.

  "Moderate to high, huh…" I muttered.

  "The scouts couldn't get close enough to confirm what's causing the attacks. Hence the uncertainty." Garrick leaned against the desk. "But they did find something interesting."

  "What?"

  "Tracks. Large ones.” He pointed to a note in the file. "Whatever it is, there's more than one. The pattern suggests a pack."

  A pack of unknown monsters. Great.

  "Any survivors from the attacks?" I asked.

  "A few. Farmers mostly. They reported seeing shadows moving through the trees at night.”

  I closed the folder and tucked it under my arm. "Anything else I should know?"

  "Yeah." Garrick's expression turned serious. "Be careful out there. I know you're strong, but don't take unnecessary risks."

  "I won't."

  "And if it's too much, retreat. Come back, report what you found. No shame in living to fight another day."

  I nodded. "Thanks, Garrick."

  Outside Nox was waiting for me there while Fei circled overhead.

  I looked up at the eagle, then sent the mental command. Fei, come down.

  He tucked his wings and dove. He landed a few feet away, his talons digging into the dirt.

  I walked over and ran my hand along his neck. "Ready for a trip?"

  He made a low clicking sound in his throat.

  I climbed onto his back, settling between his shoulder blades at the same time I mentally commanded Nox to follow us from below as usual.

  The trip to the quest marker would only take a few minutes with Fei. Perhaps another reason why the guild chose me for this.

  The urgency of the situation made me the better choice.

  Still, I felt there was something more to this quest than a simple monster investigation and possible subjugation.

  Or perhaps maybe I was overthinking it.

  I sighed.

  Somehow, I was glad everything had worked out in the end. Not many questions about Virel, which I really appreciated. Nicholaus had accepted my explanation, or at least decided not to push further.

  Still, deep in the back of my mind, there was that nagging feeling that the attack by the Drakmoor knights was not the end.

  Gorvain was dead. His soldiers were dead. But Drakmoor itself? The kingdom that had sent them? They were still out there. Still hunting Emil. Still planning whatever they were planning.

  And then there was the mage.

  Where had he gone? Why hadn't he fought alongside Gorvainn? The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. A mage powerful enough to travel with Gorvain wouldn't just disappear without reason.

  There was a big possibility he might come back.

  Another reason why I'd chosen to stay for now. To protect the town if Drakmoor sent another force. Emil was gone, safely on his way to Mistfall Mountains with Jorik and the knights. But Oakenford was still vulnerable, still recovering. If that mage returned, and with reinforcements, the town wouldn't survive another attack.

  So I really had a feeling this wasn't over.

  Not by a long shot.

  =====

  "She is on her way." A hooded figure said, his wrist held near his mouth. If one looked closely, there was some sort of crystal embedded in a leather bracer, glowing faintly with pale blue light.

  "I understand."

  The voice that responded came from the crystal itself, distorted and thin. The hooded figure stood at the edge of the northern woods, partially concealed by the thick undergrowth. From his position, he had a clear view of the sky.

  A massive eagle soared overhead, its bronze feathers catching the sunlight. On its back, a small figure sat hunched against the wind.

  The hooded figure watched until the eagle disappeared beyond the tree line, heading deeper into the forest.

  "She's alone," he continued, speaking into the crystal. "Just her and the monsters. "

  "Good. That makes things easy."

  The figure shifted, pulling his cloak tighter around himself.

  "Are the preparations complete?" the voice from the crystal asked.

  "Yes. Everything is in place. The pack is ready, and the farmers have been... dealt with."

  "No survivors?"

  "None that matter." The hooded figure's voice was cold, matter-of-fact. "When she investigates, she'll find what we want her to find."

  "And if she's stronger than expected?"

  "Then we adapt. But I don't think that will be necessary. She's powerful, yes, but she's inexperienced."

  A pause from the crystal. Then, "Do not underestimate her. She killed Gorvain."

  The hooded figure's jaw tightened beneath his hood. "Gorvain was a brute."

  "Just don't fail. We need her ability confirmed. Once we know what she truly is, we can proceed with the next phase."

  "Understood."

  The crystal's glow faded, the connection severing. The hooded figure lowered his wrist and turned back toward the deeper forest, where shadows moved between the trees. But not like any shadows but something else.

  "Come," he said quietly. "We have work to do."

  The shadows shifted, responding to his voice. Then they melted back into the darkness, following him deeper into the woods.

  Behind him, the northern forest waited.