Olly quickly scooped up the cockatrice bait in a small knapsack and tied it tight around one of the belts that secured her quiver to her back, giving her easy access to the hundreds of arrows at her disposal. She was proud of the weapons she had learned to craft from her mother, her arrows being light as a thimble but could slice through even the toughest of dragonscale. She drew her bow and knocked an arrow, her stance low and quick as she moved and tracked where the cockatrice had been sneaking through the bushes of the village. Now in full hunter mode, she felt out with her light, seeking anything that might stand out as her eyes scanned around the area. All around stone villagers stood, the haunting silence coming once again and Olly breathed slow to steady her heartbeat. She could do this, she had been alone hunting for years growing up, this shouldn't be any different. She could remember stalking the cockatrice's in the crops and fields of Silverymoon. But this time she didn't have Atticus or Brienne hunting with her. If she was bitten or turned to stone, she would be stuck like that until the next Ranger found the village. And how embarrassing would it be if a Duer was found turned to stone by one little cockatrice?

Olly smiled to herself, if it happened she knew exactly what her father would say. "Bet you won't be so slow next time right my little goblin?" she could hear his voice gently chastise her before he would give his warm smile and ruffle her head like a toddler "Let's get this place cleaned up."

"You're right" she breathed "Let's get this place clean."

Suddenly she saw it, the glimmer of slimy drool along the side of a few crates. Now she could track it no problem, it had left it's calling card, now it was time.

"Gotcha" she smiled and she hustled along, finding more and more drool until she creeped around the corner hearing the tell tale tearing of flesh. Olly knelt against the wooden shed that housed the local sheep and goats, her white glowing eye peeking around the corner to spot the ugly demon chicken tearing away at a fresh goat carcass that was slowly succumbing to the stone venom from the cockatrice's bite.

"Here birdie birdie" Olly breathed and she drew back her bow and let her arrow fly right at the beast. Unfortunately she felt part of her foot slip underneath the wet grass to only realize she missed the cockatrice by a fraction of a inch as it whipped it's head towards her and let out another horrible shriek.

"Shit shit shit" Olly breathed out before rolling to the left of her as the cockatrice charged for her, slamming into the side of the wooden shed before shaking it's head, letting little black feathers scatter in the air before it narrowed it's gaze at her. Olly stood up quickly, watching the demon chicken look her up and down before giving another charge. This time Olly didn't slip, her hands like lightning as she skidded around the cockatrice, her hands grasping at the back of it's neck and firmly twisting it fast. Yes, Olly hated killing animals and beasts that did not deserve it, but the cockatrice was more of a infestation, if she had let it go into the wild it would have either came back to the village or found another one to terrorize. Some beasts needed to be put down.

Olly made quick work of the cockatrice beak, slicing it off and taking the ooze of venom that dripped from the teeth into a vial she had tucked away in a side pack. She had spotted a small pond that livestock used to drink from. She could easily bless it as a moonwell and use the fey water to conjure the serum that would help everyone. The sun was going down though, she had to make the twilight count as she hustled over to the pond, lighting a prayer paper to Meilikki in hopes that she would turn her eye on the young Ranger and bless her attempts at trying to set things right. This whole time that's all she had ever been doing, although it always felt like she was more running away. Closing her eyes, she began to meditate to bless the water before her. To concentrate, she started to focus on her goal at hand.

She needed to find Nole, she needed to bring him home. Nole was the baby of the family, her mothers youngest child and Olly's best friend. When he had been born she had remembered climbing down into the flooded temple to help her mother, her brother and sister's cries for her to come back deaf on her ears. She needed to help her mother, she needed to help her new sibling. The floods had been terrible, the dark water swirling and taking everything under it's waves. Olly could only think of her mother, down in the temple as the waters rose...

"Go back Allana!" she had heard her mother cry out "Go back! Papa will be here soon I promise!"

But the cry of her new brother stopped all thought. There was a baby down there with her mother, and she could help...

"Allana no!" her mother cried but Olly hadn't listened. She had dove from the roof down into the water, treading the swirling sea that twisted around the columns of the temple. The current had been strong, but Olly was a good swimmer. She had made her way to her mother and took Nole in her arms. She had been eight years old when Nole's glowing white eyes had looked into hers, and she knew she had found a friend for life. He was just like her, so similar, the same eyes...

Olly broke from her meditation by the livestock pond, happy that there was a quarter moon tonight, plenty of moonlight to bless the water. She took off her forearm guard pads and removed her nice worn gloves that her sister Mari had given her last harvest. She whispered the Druidic words her mother had taught all of them and dipped her fingers lightly into the water. The magic of her words and her light felt like it was slowly running from her shoulders down her elbows into her wrists and out of her fingertips as the water began glowing a beautiful blue. Olly smiled at her work, happy that she could still bless water to be moonwells, her magic a little out of practice since she used her weapons on the day to day. Also Olly didn't mind using the livestock pool, if anything the cattle would drink from it and be a little more jolly and healthy than normal. Either way the farmer wouldn't know the difference.

Olly poured the vial with the cockatrice drool into a flask and then dipped the flask into the blessed moon water, filling the flask full before giving it a good shake. She could hear the drool and the water sizzling inside the flask and smiled to herself, happy with her work. Careful not to fall into the moonwell, Olly steadied herself and stood straight, giving another quick prayer to Meilikki before taking off into the village.

The goddess wasn't really talked about by her name. Her mother had told her that the druids on the Moonshea's worship and call her the Earthmother. She is known as the Queen of the Forests, and had been a frequent idol on her families alters since she could remember. Olly offered her a fruit every year during offering season, and the air always seem to smell sweet when she would have the best dreams at night. She knew the goddess watched over her family, her father almost a descendant of her. Sometimes she wondered if the guide inside her was the voice of Mielikki, which is why it didn't speak to her...

At night now, the village seemed even more empty, the night air giving a hollow sense to Olly as she moved to the first person she saw that had been turned to stone. It must have been the goat farmer by the attire, his face covered by his hair that had fallen right when he turned to stone. She dipped a piece of cloth on the mouth of the flask and gave it a good tip, wetting the cloth sufficiently before giving one good wipe across the exposed cheek of the goat herder. Quickly she went to the next person, a young child that seemed to be in the process of falling over before it was turned. Olly moved some hay underneath the child to lessen the fall and then did the same ritual with the cloth to the child's face. One by one Olly worked as the moon above crossed the sky until it was setting into the horizon and the first rays of dawn were cresting through the mountains up above in the hills next to the village.

Olly finally had stopped at Ed, his body still laying where she had left him and plenty of cockatrice serum left in the flask to spare. She didn't want to hesitate, for fear that if she waited even a second longer it might be too late for Ed. She gave the cloth a good dousing and then seemed to smear the liquid over Ed's stony face. Maybe she used a little more than she had on the rest of the village, but nobody would know that except for her...

Taking a deep breath she sat back and waited. As soon as the sun hit the affected people they should turn back to normal. Olly breathed in the cool morning air, happy that she had done something completely on her own for once in a long while. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad, she had proven she could do something all on her own, despite her fear and doubts. She had been so focused on saving Ed and the villagers, everything else didn't seem so scary. She had never prided herself on being brave, although many had told her otherwise. Ed though, had trusted his life with her, something she didn't take lightly. He had trusted her, not knowing what would happen, but knowing she would do what was right.

The sun's rays shot through the crests of the mountain now, lighting up the top of the trees and the roofs of the village. Olly sat next to Ed's body, watching the village around them start to breathe into life as the sun hit the stone bodies. As the light touched the stone, it seemed to melt away in flakes of ashes, blowing away into the wind to reveal the living breathing person underneath the stone. People that had been in the process of falling thankfully were braced thanks to Olly as they caught themselves, all of their eyes slowly blinking in the light as if seeing it for the first time. Olly smiled tiredly as she watched the villagers awake, happy that it was all going to be okay. She had felt such fear, such uncertainty, but wasn't that what life was?

"Uncertainty at every corner, her mother would say, but also hope, and love, and adventure."

It was the life Olly had always dreamed of having, of going on an adventure with someone she could see spending her life with. Her parents had thankfully given her the hope that love really was out there for her, maybe though, it just wasn't with Peren like she thought...

A loud yawn suddenly came from beside her as she whipped her head to find Ed blinking hard a couple of times before stretching himself up, greeting the morning sun with a smile. Flakes of stone fell off from his vestments and armor, his arms raised high as he turned to her.

"Man, that was some nap. See I knew everything would be okay" he smiled at her as Olly felt tears well up in her eyes, her smile matching his.

He reminded her of the sun...warm and kind.

"Hey?" he said getting concerned as tears welled up in her eyes "What did I say?" but Olly just laughed and wiped the tears away, her arms wrapping tightly around Ed as she hugged him.

"I'm just glad you are okay!" Olly laughed sheepishly as she pulled away, Ed's face lighting up as he nodded at her.

She had actually hugged him! The stone angel was actually having good feelings finally. The thought made him warm inside and he stood up with a little more vigor than the rest of the villagers who were now noticing the two travelers. Ed offered his hand out for Olly and she stared at it for a good moment. None of this could have happened if Ed hadn't told her that he trusted her, his light kept her bright, and if she stayed bright who knows what she could actually do?

Olly took Ed's hand, holstering herself up as a more regal looking gentleman approached the two. Olly straightened her back, ready for a tirade of questions when the man simply nodded to the two and gently asked "Did you two do this?"

"Yes" Olly spoke up, stepping in front of Ed "We got word that your village was in trouble. But the danger is over, you had a cockatrice problem but we took care of it."

"I'm sorry sir" Ed stepped in "She took care of it, I just got caught up like you folks. This is Allana Duer, Monster Hunter."

"Duer?" the man perked up "As in Atticus Duer? Or Weylyn Duer?"

"My brother and father" Allana bowed happily.

The man suddenly knelt to her "Blessed be Chauntea for saving us from this plight and sending the angel of Faerun, Allana Duer" he said as the villagers followed suit bowing and curtsying.

"Oh uh" Olly got red in the face "Thank you, there's no need for that but thank you very much. I'm glad we could be of help."

The man who must be the village priest rose up and grabbed Olly's hands, shaking them as he smiled.

"We couldn't have asked for a better Ranger, ours having his own agenda and all" the priest said a little more gruff than Olly thought he intended. Olly remembered that the milk maid they had saved yesterday had mentioned the Ranger Gunner.

"Gunner is your Ranger for this area yes?" Olly said taking her hand away from the priest now on her own agenda as well.

"Yes" the priest nodded as more villagers came around them "He gave notice to me that he would be gone for a night or two but that was over a fortnight ago and then this whole stone turning started. I have no clue where he might be right now."

"Where was he heading last?" Ed asked beside Olly now.

"To the mountains" the priest pointed to a southern peak that was rising tall above the hills. They had missed those mountains with the trail through the grasslands along the river.

"He had heard strange noises coming from one of the caverns and thought he might investigate. Nothing has come down to the village though, except for that demonic beast you thankfully took care of" the huffy priest proclaimed.

"Right" Olly nodded "Well thank you again Father, but I think we better get moving."

"Bless you both" the priest said waving his hand "May you have high prayers at harvest."

Olly bowed and Ed followed her as they moved north away from the village, peasants and farmers alike thanking them and blessing them as they left. Ed wasn't use to such pleasantries with folks, his healing being for the dying and the damned, but Olly seemed to take it in stride, her smile unwavering with each person that approached them. Ed mimicked her and nodded his head smiling at each of them until they were finally alone on the outskirts of the village where the road began to once again cut into the forest.

"So?" Ed said looking back at the village "Where to now?"

"East" Olly said looking at the mountain top "We need to find out what happened to that Ranger."

"What about your brother?" Ed asked concerned she had thought he didn't want to pursue their original quest.

"The only way a Ranger goes missing is because something bigger and scarier got to them. Rangers don't leave other rangers, and if we find Gunner, maybe he has information on my brother as well. It's our best bet, plus, these people need someone to look out for them. And if nobody looks out for the small town Rangers, nobody will" she said starting to pace towards the cliffs.

"Well said" Ed said smiling down at how much Olly did truly care about her calling "I follow your lead then my lady."

"What did I say about calling me that?" the Ranger snorted at her companion.

"I'm sorry" Ed smirked "I'll follow your lead Madam Duer."

"Ugh that's even worse!" Olly sneered and waved him away as he laughed.

Olly smiled at Ed and walked into the forest, headed for the eastern mountains to find Gunner. If it was a big and scary, it wouldn't take long until her and Ed found it as well...