Dakota Bruder: Yes, Ben will also learn about this story, as well as I intend to introduce him to other characters from this and previous games. How? You guys will see.

Lir123: Sorry it took me so long to reply to your comments, and yes, here comes the monster party hehe. I suppose a "new addition" to Ben's Monster Aliens category would excite you, right?

bulk Locke the the grim head: noted.

…….

"The Dimitrescu's daughters should be around the woods. If they were here, they already would have found me. I'll meet them tomorrow anyway." Ben thought.

As much as he wanted to be in bed at this hour, he still had two different places to look for anything that looked like a man-eating monster. If Ben wanted to check out the forest, he would have to go the same way he did when he arrived in the village for the first time, still in the condition of "easy prey".

It is not the first time that Ben suspected that there was something strange in that forest. Marcos and Edward said that they themselves would not dare wander through the forest, whether day or night, the most propitious time for man-eating monsters to appear.

"Yeah, anything can happen in a forest at night. Man-eating monsters on the loose, weird clocks falling from the sky, a Pyronite in a panic burning everything around him… the list goes on." Ben was heading towards the forest he came from, before entering the village in the morning, while nostalgic memories of when he turned into Heatblast for the first time, ran through his mind.

The Pyronite silhouetted on the face of the prototype Omnitrix, his index finger pressing down on the retractable core, and in an instantaneous flash of blinding green light, fiery reddish rock surged from the watch, covering it before sprawling down its left arm and into its eyes.

When Ben found himself, he was on fire, his head literally on fire. The fear, panic and adrenaline were too intense for the confused boy to control in that situation, until he realized that despite being on fire, he was still fine, as he had never been before.

Since that moment, Ben's life has never been the same.

With his newfound powers, he's been facing aliens invading and hiding on Earth, bounty hunters, world conquerors, arms dealers, for seven long years.

Upon entering the forest from which he had arrived, Ben was greeted with a less than encouraging vision of darkness as he walked through the trees. He took a certain distance from where he had entered, until he was sure that nothing or no one in the village who was still awake would see him enter the forest.

At this point, Ben thought it would be better for him to transform into something that would make him not have trouble seeing in the dark, but also not draw too much attention. And this transformation would be precisely the one with which the Merlinisapien form, from minutes before, would have trouble facing it..

Upon entering the forest from which he had arrived, Ben was greeted with a less than encouraging vision of darkness as he walked through the trees. He took a certain distance from where he had entered, until he was sure that nothing or no one in the village who was still awake would see him enter the forest. At this point, Ben thought it would be better for him to transform into something that would make him not have trouble seeing in the dark, but also not draw too much attention. And this transformation would be precisely the one with which the Merlinisapien form, from minutes before, would have trouble facing it.

-Mmmmm… there's nothing like a delicious snack during the service. A hooded brunette woman, wearing a black dress with long sleeves, black gloves that covered her hands and half of her forearms, and a necklace with a yellow pendant adorned her neck.

The woman's skin was pale, the irises of her eyes were yellow, and there was a tattoo on her forehead that resembled or was vaguely shaped like a rose. She was sitting on a rock, savoring something that would make anyone who spurned cannibalistic habits retch: a man's severed forearm.

-It's a pity the man-thing didn't last that long. A red-haired woman, wearing identical attire to the brunette, was licking the blood off her gloved fingers. This one had a necklace with a green pendant around her neck.

- He wouldn't shut the fuck up, Dani. He cried more than a damn brat. The brunette said, with a frown on her face, before taking a bite of what she was eating. There was blood around her mouth and teeth, just like the red-haired woman she was talking to.

- And speaking of a brat… next to the other two, there was a blonde woman, dressed in clothes similar to those of the brunette and the redhead. There was also blood around his mouth and teeth.

She was breathing deeply with her eyes closed, as if she was…sniffing something.

- Some boy-thing decided to go for a tour. What do you think of that, Dani? The brunette asked, referring to the redhead, smirking. That smile, added to the yellow glow of her eyes, and the defined lines of her face, gave her a unique beauty, if it weren't for her face being stained with blood.

- It's a little boy… a very disobedient little boy… and mine. Did you hear that, Cass? The redhead said, referring to the brunette, with that look and mischievous smile full of teeth, revealing her sharp fangs.

- It's who gets it first, sis. The brunette said, throwing the severed forearm with deeply bite marks away, discarding it, still keeping her gaze on the redhead.

- And the best part: his blood smells different. And "different" means... the blonde intentionally hadn't finished her sentence as she wanted her companions, and sisters, to finish it.

- Outsider. The brunette and the redhead said in unison, who were sitting on rocks before they got up.

- Exactly. And we, from the Dimitrescu house, have a duty to give our visitor a proper welcome. The blonde said, with a hint of leadership in her voice.

- Cassandra, Daniela, come on. The blonde said, calling her two said sisters to follow her, as if she was their leader.

- Hey, Bela, since when are you our leader? Cassandra, who also went by the nickname Cass, asked, seeming to dislike her blonde sister's boastful posture.

- Are you two really going to argue about "who bosses who" again? Daniela asked in mild exasperation, like if she were already used to seeing her sisters debate over who should lead the hunt. For her, that was boring as fuck.

- Since when Mother herself said I'm the best huntress in the house... and daughter. Bela said, giving her brunette sister a cocky smile, just to push her buttons.

- Huntress?!

- Daughter?!

Cassandra and Daniela asked, respectively, both appearing to be surprised by that supposed revelation.

-Exactly. Now stop your bratting, a delicious young prey is literally begging to be captured. Belle said in an authoritative tone, leading the way as was, or seemed to be, her usual way.

"Best huntress? That's we'll see, you bitch." Cassandra has always hated how arrogant her eldest sister could be. She saying that she is the best huntress in the house Dimitrescu was almost an insult to the middle sister.

"This will serve as a warning to others. And best daughter?! What audacity!" Daniela didn't like very much what her eldest sister said with such arrogance. The man that the sisters had captured and mutilated was dead and sitting on the ground with his back against a tree. He was brutally beaten by the three to the point of disfiguring his face and breaking almost every bone in his body. His clothes were mostly torn apart during the process. He had his belly ripped open and his entrails exposed. This was what happened to all those who dared to disobey the curfew, especially men. The sisters didn't seem to be in a hurry, because for them, it was just another helpless prey that was practically already dead. They agreed to go to where the boy-thing was, simply walking, each carrying a scythe in their hand. However, something unexpected surprised them.

Since the first time the scent of fresh human blood hit the sisters' overly keen sense of smell, they kept smelling it, and somehow, the smell changed instantly.

The scent the sisters were smelling from a distance of 50 meters was anything but human blood. And the strangest thing: it wasn't anything familiar or anything they'd smelled before. It was something strange and new.

-Am I going crazy? Or... Daniela was the first to express her strangeness about the situation, waiting for an answer.

- I am also smelling the same. Cassandra answered Daniela's question, confirming that she was healthy and she wasn't the only one who noticed this abnormality.

- And whatever it is, it's coming straight for us. Bella said what sounded like a warning, like something dangerous was coming. After a few seconds, they weren't just smelling the strange blood, the sound of something relatively large that seemed to gallop, became audible. Whatever it was, it was a living, four-legged thing.

The sisters' hearing was beyond that of any human being and many animals, being able to hear living things move and even breathe for hundreds of meters. Their unique biology allowed them to have this very effective advantage.

This added to the fact and vision, equally exceptional. As the sound of the thing's footsteps increased in volume, its heavy breathing could also be heard, which suggested that the thing was something ferocious, a predator. Bears were common in that region, but the sisters also knew the smell of bear blood, and it was nothing like they were smelling.

"It's not a human, it's not a bear... What the fuck is that thing coming here? Cassandra was also confused and, slightly apprehensive, with the whole situation.

If they were confused at that moment, what they saw next would mess with their minds as bizarrely as the thing leapt out from behind a bush, and landed right in front of them.

The thing, or creature, was a specimen they had definitely never seen in their lives.

The creature was very reminiscent of a canid, but due to its size comparable to that of a person, robustness, and thick orange fur, they took away the privilege of resembling a dog. Beneath its four paws, the creature was as big as a person, but its size was the least of oddities. The creature's head was an extension of the body where there was no snout, nostrils or even visible eyes. Just a big mouth where the sharp teeth of the lower jaw overlapped the ones on top, and with black lips. There were dark markings on the orange fur on that being's neck, which resembled gills. The scent of the strange creature's blood was what replaced the scent of human blood from that boy that the sisters had sniffed out earlier. Bela wasn't the type to say any bad word that came into her mind, but in that moment, she couldn't help herself.

- What the... the fuck... IS THIS THING?! The blonde asked an exclamatory and rhetorical question. She wasn't scared by that sight, she was just surprised in an unexpected way.

- It's the first time I've seen one of this kind. Cassandra shared the same impression that her blonde sister had about the creature, which was 3.50m away from the trio.

- Actually, it's the first time WE've seen one of this kind.. And... looks like it has an owner. Daniela said, as did her sisters, watching the weird creature's features. She was the only one who noticed what appeared to be a collar around the creature's neck. The object was predominantly green with a black band encircling it. Something bright green connected to the collar was also visible.

….

Minutes before…

….

- Uncataloged DNA sample detected at 50 meters. The Omnitrix's synthesized voice, said to Ben's surprise, transformed into Vulpimancer Wildmutt. He definitely wasn't expecting this. Not when he didn't think about the hypothesis that there were aliens in that place, or even in that world different from his own.

"Aliens? Here? No fucking way! It must be some fault with the clock because I'm in another dimension. Or…" Ben thought of a hypothesis that could explain what was going on there. The Omnitrix wouldn't alert Ben that some being with strange DNA was hanging around aimlessly, however, that strange DNA could be who Ben just thought might be out in those woods at night. Whatever it was, there was only one way to find out.

Ben started sniffing the air, and when he smelled something that was just 50 meters away, he started to gallop towards the place where the Omnitrix, through the Remote Scan function, was guiding him.

- Cold. Cold. Warm. Getting warmer. Getting warmer. The Omnitrix's voice said as Ben ran, jumped from bushes, rocks, that even the trees blocking the light coming from the full moon, it wasn't something that Ben, like Wildmutt, could not "see".

Vulpimancers have evolved so that they don't rely on eyes to see or perceive their surroundings.

As a species originating from Vulpin, a very dark planet situated at the edge of the galaxy, eyes became expendable to Vulpimancers over time, until they no longer needed them at all. Instead of eyes, a Vulpimancer's brain uses its extremely keen sense of smell to sense the smell of anything or its surroundings, and somehow creates a 3D simulation of whatever the Vulpimancer can smell, allowing it to "see" everything around it.

- Getting warmer. Hot. Hot. Ben could already sniff whatever the Omnitrix detected, approaching, like if it already knew something was looking for it.

"The thing, or things, already know I'm coming for them. Besides, there's something else that doesn't smell good. I'm hoping it doesn't… Argh, eww!" Ben was feeling full of blood and guts. Something has been killed and its body cut open and its entrails exposed. Familiar with that odor or not, Ben thought it disgusting all the same.

"They're here!" It was the last thing Ben thought of, before jumping over a bush, arriving at the place where the Omnitrix had indicated the presence of a strange DNA sample.

Ben came across three women dressed in black with hoods covering their heads, and carrying scythes in their hands. He heard them refer to him as the monster they were seeing, not knowing what and where it came from.

….

Now

….

- Scan completed. New DNA sample acquired. A synthesized female voice emerged from the glowing green object on the collar only to break the brief silence, which for the Dimitrescu sisters, was something unheard.

"The witches." Ben was "seeing" the three women represented by humanoid figures emitting heat through the 3D simulation projected by his brain. Vulpimancers' nostrils also functioned like a Jacobson's organ, present in snakes and some species of lizards.

- Did this thing's collar really do what I just heard it do?! Daniela asked, her yellow eyes wide, surprised.

- That's what Uncle Heisenberg calls... Cassandra began her question, also surprised at what she was seeing é hearing, but was stopped by her older sister.

- Technology? Yes. Belle answered her brunette sister's question, carefully analyzing the creature and the strange collar it sported. What she said was quite illuminating for Ben.

"Yeah, technology is a privilege only for the Lords apparently." Ben understood only part of why the people of that village weren't familiar with technologies other than outdated things like antenna televisions and radios that didn't have USB and memory card ports.

- Yeah, but what about the freak? Cassandra asked, referring to the creature, pointing her index finger at it.

- Notice that it looks a bit like Vârcolac, which, as we well know, is Uncle Moreau's creation. Bela replied, showing that she was sure of what she was saying, while receiving curious looks from her two sisters.

- If I remember correctly, Vârcolac had eyes. But this one doesn't seem to need it. Cassandra said, as she took a few steps forward, closer to the creature, which began to growl and assume a defensive posture, showing that it did not want to approach the woman who smelled of fresh blood, among other things.

-Hey, Cass, he didn't like you. And he doesn't even have eyes. Daniela didn't miss the chance to make a funny comment about what she saw. She laughed a little, finding that amusing.

- Maybe it's because I slaughtered the prey it was probably hunting. It would be better if it had eyes. It is a failure as a predator. Cassandra said, showing to be the most daring and self-centered of the sisters, looking at the sisters and pointing her index finger at the creature, with scorn in her voice.

"I don't need eyes to spank you, bitch." At this point, Ben knew what he was dealing with. He really was willing to fight, but he had to stop himself, after all, what he could have saved earlier was dead.

-WE, Cass. But let's leave the man-thing's remains for it to eat, and let's go home. We've had enough for tonight. Bela said, it almost sounded like an order, which to Ben meant that this one was the leader of the three.

- We're not even going to name the thing first? How about... Daniela really wanted to name the creature, but before she could, she was interrupted by her older sister.

- It must already have a name, and I want to sleep. So let's go now. Bela said, looking at Cassandra who was still a few steps away from the creature, calling her brunette sister. Cassandra looked once more at the creature, which even though it was 5'7 feet tall on all fours, was smaller than the brunette.

- See you around, fucking freak. Cassandra said, before spitting right in the creature's face, it felt something wet hit its orange fur, and cleaned it with one of its front paws. Cassandra had a sadistic sneer on her bloodstained face, and turned to join her sisters, walking away from the creature.

"You'll pay for this, you fucking bitch." Ben hated that. He really wanted to take advantage of the brunette's back and off guard to attack her, but still, he had to contain himself. The spit was the least of his worries, it still had the corpse of someone Ben could have saved, but unfortunately, he wasn't around.

-Was that really necessary? Beauty questioned Cassandra about her attitude, with an arched eyebrow.

- Do you want to go there and pet the freak? Feel free. Cassandra said sarcastically, revealing more of her self-absorbed and narcissistic personality.

"Poor Wildmutt." Daniela, in her thoughts, referred to the creature by the name she wanted to give it, which coincidentally, was the same name Ben gave to his Vulpimancer form when he was ten years old.

After that brief conversation, the three women dematerialized in swarms of flies and disappeared with surprising speed. Ben was wise not to attack any of them, cause he didn't know what they were capable of, other than the fact that the Omnitrix revealed his voice, a hasty action could compromise his disguise.

Ben approached the corpse, following the scent of fresh blood and guts and did the only thing it was possible to do for the dead man in that situation: bury him.

Ben, still as Wildmutt, dug a five foot deep hole in the ground and placed what was left of the man, and the sisters' victim, inside the hole, before filling it with earth. Maybe that wasn't a decent burial, but it was the best that could be done.

After burying the man, Ben returned to his human form, still looking at the burial he had just made, with a sad face.

"That man needed a hero." As much as Ben wasn't okay with that whole situation, he still had to stand firm, because there were others in that village who could still be saved, who needed a hero, just like that poor man.

"That bastard made the worst enemy of her life. And by all indications, the Omnitrix was interested in their DNA." Ben was deep in thought. By then, he was back in the village, leaning against the War Maiden statue, looking up at Castle Dimitrescu with a look of anger and hatred on his face.

"And to think I'm going to see those three tomorrow, and pretend I never saw them. But they're going to get off… really badly." Ben knew that Gretta, Bianca and Gabriella could still be called upon to work in that castle, and now that the legends about it proved to be true, he had to think of a way to prevent those three girls from ever setting foot in that castle.

Ben remembered a historical fact that happened during the 15th to 18th century where innocent women were burned alive for being judged as witches by the church, who were the ones who dictated the laws of society at that time. And that place had characteristics similar to everything Ben knew about the Dark Ages.

Before making his way to Luiza's house, where he was staying, Ben looked at the castle one last time, with determination on his face, telling himself in his mind:

"The 'Witch Hunt' season will begin, And this time, it's for real."

…..