Hana couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about the village. In her travels, she had been to different villages and had an idea of what was normal. The village on the island may be in danger but she couldn't shake the feeling that they had their secrets too. It's not like the folk of the island were going to tell her what was happening so she realized that an investigation was needed.

When approaching the smokehouse, Hana quietly excused herself and told Pallas to convince Ulberto. The half-elf shrugged when his companion left and knocked on the door. It was odd that someone responsible for smoking meat was important enough to be a leader so there had to be something in the smokehouse that could tell her more about the village.

There was a side door to the smokehouse that Hana entered through quietly, taking advantage of Pallas unknowingly distracting Ulberto at the front door. The room was covered in thick smoke that made it difficult to breathe. The sorceress covered her mouth with her sleeve and crouched down low when moving to another door, ducking underneath the meat that was hung up on hooks.

The other door in the smokehouse led to a storage room filled with stacks of lumber and charcoal along with sacks of salt. While it didn't seem like there wasn't anything in the room, Hana took notice of paving stones that looked loose beneath one stack of lumber. She carefully pushed the lumber aside so as to not alert Ulberto of her actions and lifted the stone to reveal a hidden cache that was covered in oil-soaked cloth.

Hana uncovered the cache and her eyes at the sight of rusty weapons. Although she thought it was possible Ulberto was a leader because he had these weapons, they looked far too old to be of any use. She then took notice of two journals set aside to the corner of the cache. She didn't think anyone on the island could even read but the journals may be what she needed to learn the truth.

After Hana took the journals, she undid her work, covering the hidden cache with the stone and lumber. She held her breath and emerged into the smokehouse, quietly closing the storage room door behind her. She made it out the side door and closed it just in time to hear the front door close. After a moment of tense waiting, the sorceress sighed in relief when it became clear that she wasn't going to be caught.

All that was left was to send Pallas away so that she could research her new books in peace. The sorceress didn't trust her companion as much as she did Arannis and Nordak so she thought it best to leave him out of the loop. After hiding the journals in her robes, she approached the half-elf who had stepped away from the smokehouse. He waved her over, but before Hana could say anything, he asked a question that caught her off guard.

"Did you go inside that smokehouse?"

Hana gasped. "How did you know?"

"You didn't smell like smoke five minutes ago," Pallas answered with a smirk and took another sniff. "You better not have done anything to upset Ulberto. He's not a man of peace. I think he would cut me up into pieces if I did anything to upset him."

With the truth revealed, Hana took one journal out. "He had a secret cache of weapons and these. I don't think he wrote them."

"Let's get out of view before someone starts asking questions," Pallas said and stepped away from the smokehouse, beckoning for Hana to follow him.

Hana followed and flipped through the pages until she made it to the final page. The journal's contents had faded over time, but while it was difficult at first, she was able to make out something about a forest. Her eyes turned away to the woods that bordered the village, taking notice of how they were dark and ominous. She doubted that any animals lived there but it was possible that hid the secrets of the village.

"We need to get the others," Hana said and flipped to the front pages of the journal. "I think there's something in the woods."

"You think?" Pallas asked and raised an eyebrow.

"It's a long shot, I know, but there's something off about this village," Hana stated. "I want to know the truth."

"So this doesn't have anything to do about defending this place from whatever's coming," Pallas tapped his chin in thought. "Your hunch may be wrong."

"I'm prepared if it is wrong."

"Then you should know that we may be better off leaving the others to their work," Pallas told Hana. "If you're wrong about this lead and we have the others searching with us, the village will be undefended."

"In that case, shouldn't you help and I go alone?" Hana pointed out.

"First, there's no way I'm letting you go into what's probably a haunted forest," Pallas said as a smirk formed on his face. "Second, if you're wrong, this is probably the only way I get to slack off."

Hana sighed. "I suppose I could use you as a guide. I really need to focus on reading these journals."

"Read on," Pallas shrugged. "Just try not to lose sight of me."

It wasn't ideal to have Pallas tag along with her but Hana would make do with the situation she found herself in. At the very least, the monk was sober, and for now, not complaining. She could take what assistance he did have to offer to multitask on searching the woods and studying the journal. Pallas led the way into the woods with the sorceress following close behind. If there were any secrets about the village, she was going to find out what the folk were hiding.

After spending some time studying the journal and carefully navigating through the woods, Hana was able to piece together a story that the two journals told. One of the journals was written by the captain of a ship known as the Abundant Serendipity, a merchant ship. The vessel was filled to the brim with gold, gems, and priceless works of art and books for trade. The Abundant Serendipity set out from Melvaunt to Mulmaster, sailing across the moonsea.

However, the merchant's cargo made it a valuable target for pirates. The second journal belonged to Reeve Sar Testain, the captain of a pirate crew that manned the Audacity. The pirates attacked the Abundant Serendipity, killed its crew and looted the ship before sinking it in the Moonsea. The Audacity then sailed toward an island and enslaved the people on the village. In the final journal entry, the captain noted that some of the folk have been meeting in the woods and that he was going to punish them at their next meeting.

"That's it," Hana said after explaining the story to Pallas. "None of this makes any sense."

"Makes perfect sense to me," Pallas shrugged. "The island folk got together and killed the pirates. They then used the pirate's ship to make some of the buildings like the barn."

"I doubt that even sixty years ago, the people of this island were capable of killing a capable crew of pirates," Hana shook her head in disbelief. "Not alone, at least. We need to find what the villagers found in the woods."

"If you say so," Pallas said, not looking back at Hana while leading the way through the woods. "Until we find out what happened, we don't tell the others."

"And why not?" Hana asked sternly.

"Because if we do, Nalos won't shut up about ghost pirates," Pallas answered. "He's a good kid but I can only deal with his superstitions for so long while sober."

Before Hana could reply, the two made it through a treeline and came across a cliff edge that they nearly stumbled off of. Below was a water-filled ravine with the rock walls covered in briars and thorns. However, the two adventurers were able to spot a cave. Unfortunately, there wasn't a way to walk down to the cave. Hana wasn't an inexperienced free climber but her curiosity got the better of her.

The sorceress stepped forward to the cliff edge and started to climb down. Pallas sighed, but after a moment, he started to climb down. Hana did her best to be careful with the climb since she didn't want to cut herself. However, when she grabbed onto a loose stone, the sorceress gasped when she fell backward.

Hana had only let out a short scream before something grabbed onto her wrist. She looked up to see Pallas holding onto her tightly with one hand as his other arm was stretched upward to a firm rock that held him in place. The half-elf gritted his teeth, exerting his full strength to stop his companion from falling down. The sorceress grabbed onto the rock with her free hand and stabilized herself, allowing for Pallas to let go.

The two made it to the bottom of the ravine and found that the water was only about knee-deep. Hana rubbed her forearm, red from the sudden grab, while Pallas reached into his backpack. With a sigh, the sorceress slowly let her arms rest to her side.

"I suppose I should thank you for saving me," Hana said, although her words were far from enthusiastic.

"The fall wouldn't kill you," Pallas said and took out an unlit torch. "You probably would have broken some bones, and knowing my luck, I'd have to carry you back to town."

"How selfless of you," Hana said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"And if the fall did kill you, I wouldn't have someone to light my torch," Pallas continued and held out his torch.

Hana rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. The sorceress made it no secret that she didn't like Pallas. Most of the time, he was drunk, and when he was sober, he was far from kind. If it weren't for the monk earning Arannis' begrudging respect, she wouldn't give him the time of day. Still, despite what he said, Pallas did save her life. Hana was no fool either and knew that while she couldn't see in the dark cave, the monk could with his elven blood. The torch wasn't for him but for her.

With a snap of her fingers, Hana set the torch aflame. The two adventurers stepped into the cave with the torch lighting the way. The tunnel led to a large room that had a block of stone shaped like a rectangle in the center. Black candles were melted to the stone that was also stained with rust-covered splotches. The stone was an altar with several gold bars, worn-out books, and a single scroll. Hana froze in place, unable to find the will to move even when Pallas stepped forward toward the altar.

"This is a dark and evil place," Hana muttered, barely loud enough for Pallas to hear. "We should leave. Now."

"You're the one who wanted to find out what the folk were hiding," Pallas said with a shrug. "Most of the books are too drenched but I think there's a few that can be read. They're yours."
Even in spite of the offer, Hana couldn't move forward as if something was holding her back. "Pallas, please, let's leave."

"In a moment," Pallas said, shoving the gold bars and books into his backpack with one hand. "No one's been here for years. Why are you all the way back there?"

"I… I can't move forward," Hana exhaled, her voice quivering.

Pallas grabbed the scroll and broke open the seal. The black candles suddenly burst into flames, lighting the room up even more. While Pallas, caught by surprise, read the scroll anyways, Hana found her eyes drawn towards the cave walls. The paintings on the walls were crude although the sorceress could still make out a five-headed serpent rising from the sea, devouring people. One of the stick figure drawings poured a sack of coins into the water from behind the serpent. Hana gasped out a single name, fully aware of the lore of dragons.

"Tiamat…"

"Damn!" Pallas cursed suddenly. "Hana, you were onto something! The folk of the village made a deal with a group called the 'Servants of the Queen.' The people of the island traded their souls and all the treasure they could find for the power to cast the Outsides away. They banished the pirates you told us about to Hell!"

Hana took several steps back. "It couldn't be the pirates that have been attacking the Moonsea."

Pallas shook his head. "That's the good news, at least. The bad news is that there's a clause that if broken, would free the pirates from their damnation."

"What is the clause?" Hana questioned as she heard movement from behind her.

"The clause is that no Outsides are to discover the deal the island folk made," Pallas said with a weak chuckle. "Just our luck!"

Hana turned her head to look over her shoulder and gasped in fear. Moving toward her was a creature unlike anything the sorceress had seen before. It had no legs and was more like oozing flesh. The creature did have a torso with two claws and a horrifying face that emerged from it.

With the monster advancing on her, Hana tried to back away but the presence from before still stopped her from entering the chamber. She fell onto the ground, tripping over a stone. Before she could even chant a spell, the creature paused in place after a thrown scroll struck in the face. Pallas jumped over Hana and delivered a swift quick to the abomination. When it lurched forward in pain, the half-elf grabbed its head with both hands and twisted it. There was a gross sound of mutilated flesh followed by a snap and the creature fell down, unmoving.

"What the hell was that?" Pallas asked.

"Some sort of devil," Hana predicted, trying her best to calm herself through careful breathing.

"It's time we let the others know," Pallas said and offered his hand toward the sorceress. "Come on!"

Hana didn't need to be told twice. She put her thoughts regarding Pallas aside and grabbed his hand. He helped her up from the ground and the two ran out of the cave. They could only hope that they would be able to warn their companions of what they discovered before it was too late.

A/N: I'm back with another update. We're nearing the climax of the story, and I imagine that Shadows over the Moonsea will be completed by the end of the month, or if more time is needed, around the start of March. For now, I'm going to look at some other projects. Be on the lookout for an update to Defense of Greenest in a few days.

Until next time.