Chapter 3
The Power OF A Wolf
It was morning, and Sam woke up. He noticed that Mike was not there. Worry, he goes to search for him. Sam checks the kitchen and the living room. He checked the storage room but nothing. Mike thinks about where he might be. He was by the front door. Sam looks up the stairs.
"No…. he couldn't have."
Sam was going to go upstairs when he heard the front door. Sam turns and goes to open it. When he opened the door, Mike was sleeping next to it. Sam could smell the alcohol coming from him. Sam tries to wake him. Mike began to have nightmares.
Sam could see Mike shaking and talking in his sleep. Sam again tries to wake him. The maids were coming downstairs and saw Sam. The head maid goes over to him and notices Mike. She got close and also smelled the alcohol. The other maids got close. Mike wakes up and screams.
"Please don't eat me; I taste horrible. Eat Sam instead"!
The maids got scared, and Sam laughed off what Mike said. Mike woke up and saw everyone looking at him. He looks around and realizes where he is. Mike feels embarrassed and gets up. The head maid tells the other to get to work.
Mike goes into the house and goes to their room. Sam picks up the bag and takes it with him. He follows Mike to the room. Mike changes into some newer clothes. Sam asks about his late return. Mike then suddenly becomes happy.
Sam was confused about it. Mike turns to Sam and smiles. Sam asks him about it. Mike tells him about the woman he talked to. Sam remembers him always going to that stall. Mike brags to Sam about getting a date with her.
In town, there seems to be something going on. Stores were setting up decorations, and the townsfolk were planning for what looked like a festival. People were coming and going from the town. A wagon escorted by some armored people came to town.
The wagon went one way while the group of people went another. The group enters a bar and has a seat at a table. A waitress goes over to them. She looks at them and smiles.
"How can I help such fine Adventurers"?
A person from the group spoke up. He has blonde hair and wears glasses. He has some light armor and a handsome-looking face. The Adventurer asks about the decorations being put up. The waitress told them about the harvest festival.
The glasses-wearing adventurer smiles, and they order some drinks. The waitress leaves, and the adventurers begin to talk. A big muscular adventurer looks around the bar. He sees other adventurers and some townsfolk but is not impressed. He calls them weak.
The glasses-wearing adventurer tells him to come down. He looks like the leader. He, too, looks at the other people. He then tells the group about their mission. They were hired to look for someone. A nobleman wanted something from Lord Michael.
The adventurers got information that Lord Michael has them in the town. They were going to search for anyone who might have information about Lord Michael. The waitress came back with food and drinks. The adventurers stopped talking and enjoyed their meal.
Another group of adventurers got off a wagon. This was the same wagon the other adventures escorted. They headed into an inn. Weapons were unloaded and taken to their room. They, too, went over why they were there. These adventurers were going to wait until they got orders. They all look tough and scary.
Later that day, the glasses adventurer came to see them. He enters the room they rented. It was a large room that had three beds. They had two separate rooms. The glasses adventurer told them what was going to happen. His group will look for information on the person. Their group will wait until then.
This angered them because they were going to get bored. The glasses adventurer tells them to come down. He told them that they could go out and drink but not draw any attention to themselves. They all look at each other and agree.
Back at the house, Mike was happy. He kept telling Sam about his date. Sam was delighted for him. Mike was proud of his accomplishment. Mike bragged again to Sam about how he swooped her off her feet with great compliments. Sam began to get jealous of him. The maids were annoyed hearing the story over and over.
Sam asks Mike about when his date is. Mike snaps out of his mood and tells Sam. Their date was going to be the day of the festival. Sam was happy, and then he became sad. Mike notices and asks him about it. Sam told Mike that he had no money for the festival. Mike asks him for his reason for not having money.
Sam told Mike he lost it at the bar gambling against some townsfolk. Sam told him about his gambling problem. Mike was disappointed in him. Mike was in a good mood and offered to lend him some money. Sam becomes excited and thanks Mike.
It was late, and dinner was ready. The men ate, and the maids were also eating. Once they were done, one of the maids took food to Adolpha. She reaches the cabin door. The maid had a bracelet. She draws Mana, and the bracelet activates. The entrance to the cabin reacts, and it opens.
Adolpha was lying on her bed. She sees the maid and the food. Adolpha gets up and goes to sit at her table. The maid places her food. Adolpha eats everything but the bread. Once done, the maid takes the dishes and leaves. Two other maids with a large tube come in a few minutes later.
The maids move the table and place the tube on the ground. One maid takes out a blue crystal. She pours Mana into it and pulls water from the air. It fills the tube. The other maid has a red crystal. She activates it and places her hand in the water. The water began to boil. Adolpha undress and gets into the tube. The maids wash her.
Once done, one maid dries Adolpha and gives her clean clothes. She brushes Adolpha's hair. The other maid's body glows. She then picks up the tube and dumps the water out. The head maid comes from the house to see them. The two maids that wash Adolpha step to the side.
The head maid looked at Adolpha and said nothing. She orders the two maids to go back and get ready for bed. The maids clean up, hand the head maid the bracelet and leave. The head maid looks at Adolpha again and gives her a warmer blanket.
"Thank you."
The head maid smiled but said nothing. She knew that Adolpha was slowly changing. The head maid leaves the room. Adolpha takes her blanket and jumps on the bed. She then takes the bread and places it on the window sill.
Adolpha hears the door to Wolf's cage open. She then waits for him to stop by. Wolf stretches and goes over to Adolpha's cabin. He sees Adolpha waiting for him. Wolf got close and saw the bread. Wolf reaches to grab it and suddenly stops. The moonlight shines on Adolpha. Her beauty hypnotized Wolf.
Adolpha becomes embarrassed and hides. Wolf snaps out of it and takes the bread. He begins his patrol. Adolpha sees him leave. Wolf Walks to the house and stands there. Wolf looks up and sees the head maid. She activates the bracelet, and Wolf's collar reacts.
Wolf leaves and walks to the docks. He stands there for some time before leaving. He then makes several rounds around the island. The cold wind didn't bother him much. After some time, Wolf stopped by a tree and ate the bread. He then went and searched for a seashell.
Wolf found a colorful one and took it. He made one more stop by the docks and looked at the other islands. He saw boats arriving at them and people getting off. They were workers, and they were starting the day. Wolf heads back to the house, and his collar reacts. Wolf then makes his way to Adolpha's cabin.
Adolpha was up and waiting for Wolf. Wolf places the seashell on her window sill. Adolpha grabbed it and was happy. She loved to look at it before putting it somewhere in her room. Wolf walks back to his cell. Before going in, he takes some branches and starts a campfire. Wolf enters the cage and lays on his matters.
The fire warms him, and he falls asleep. The sun was coming up but was covered by some clouds. The maids were up and getting ready. Sam and Mike were fast asleep. A knock at the door wakes up Mike. He staggers out of bed and goes to the front door. Mike opened the door, but no one was there.
Mike looks around and then notices a letter on the ground. He picks it up, and it has Lord Michael's seal. Mike looks around for the messenger. No one was in sight. He closes the door and opens the letter. Sam comes out and sees Mike. Sam asks him about the letter.
Mike becomes upset and walks back to the room. He handed Sam the letter before stepping back into the room. The maids were coming down and saw Sam. Sam was reading the letter. Sam sees the head maid and gives her the letter.
The head maid takes the letter and reads it. She orders the other maids to start work. Sam waits for the head maid to finish reading. The head maid folds the letter and puts it back into the envelope. She looks at Sam.
"It looks like we are going to be here longer than anticipated. There are some serious problems in the kingdom."
Sam wondered what had happened. The head maid told Sam that she would tell the other about what they would do. She asks him to get Mike and meet them in the kitchen. Sam goes to the room. The head maid goes to the kitchen. She tells the other maids to stop work. Sam and Mike come into the kitchen. Mike was grumpy. The maids looked at him. The head maid began to talk. She told them about Lord Michael staying in the capital much longer than planned.
The maids ask her for a reason. The head maid had no response. She also told them how they would stay on the island until further notice. The orders came from Lord Michael. Mike made an upset noise. The maids started to complain.
The head maid gets mad and tells them to be quiet. She explains to them about some suspicious people coming to town. She did not know that they were already in town. This scares the girls. The head maid then asks them if they need to go to town.
One of the maids raises her hand. The head maids then tell her that she will get supplies for them. They are dismissed, and the maids return to work—the head maid talks with the maid going into town. The maid is told not to talk to anyone, do her business, and return.
She understands and goes to get ready. The head maid calls Mike and asks him to take her. Mike was still upset about having to stay on the island. He was already drinking. Sam offers to take her. She thanks Sam and looks at Mike in disappointment.
Sam and the maid leave the house and head to the boat. In the house, the maids talk about how upset they were and not being able to attend the festival. Mike hears them and becomes sad. He thinks about the date he had.
Sam and the maid are in the boat heading to the mainland. They pass the other islands and see the workers filling baskets and loading boats. They reach the mainland docks. A dock worker helps them tie the rope.
Sam follows the maid to some shops. The maid buys grain and vegetables. They then head to another store. There the maid buys cleaning supplies. She has Sam carry the supplies. After that store, they stop to get something to eat. They were enjoying their time on the mainland.
Once they finished, the maid said she had one more place she needed to go to. She tells Sam to head back to the boat. Sam said to her that he would go with her. The maid insisted he go back. Sam could tell that she wanted to go alone.
Sam and the maid split up. Sam walks back to the boat. He was carrying all the supplies. He stumbles and falls. Before he hits the floor, someone grabs him. Sam gets help to gain his balance. Sam looked at a man wearing glasses and thanked him. The man smiles and goes on his way.
Sam stops by a fountain he often sits by. He sat and rested. Sam looked around, and then he noticed the stand Mike visited. Sam saw the woman Mike was going to go on a date with. The woman was smiling and working hard. This makes Sam think about Mike's mood.
Sam thinks of something and begins to smile. He joyfully gets back up and heads to the boat. Unknown to him, the glasses man was looking at him. This was the glasses adventurer. The adventurer has another from the group follow Sam.
Sam saw all the decorations in the town. The people were all happy. The homes had their chimneys on; It was cold. Sam gets to the dock and loads the supplies. The maid also gets there. They are helped on, and they depart.
Sam and the maid headed back to the house. Sam notices the maid has a bag with her. She was holding it close. They slowly pass the islands again. Boats were also passing them. They greeted each other.
Unknow to them someone was following. It was the adventurer that got sent by the glasses-wearing adventurer. He took a boat and followed behind. He pretends to look at the islands. The other people on boats greet him—the adventurer waves to them.
The maid gets up and checks the supplies. Once she is done, she looks around. She sees the adventurer's boat and sits back down. The adventurer notices her movements and stops. The maid looked back, and the adventurer was gone.
Sam and the maid reach the island. Sam gets off and ties the boat. They take some supplies back to the house. When they come home, Sam places the supplies on the front door. Sam goes back for the rest. The maid offers to help. She leaves her bag behind.
After some time, Mike opens the front door. He notices the supplies. Mike was still in a bad mood. He became curious about what they bought. He looks through them and lastly picks up a bag. Mike and the maid were coming back. The maid saw Mike holding the bag.
Mike opens it but hears the maid yelling at him. Mike drops the bag, and the content comes out. The maid ran to him. Mike sees a fine piece of cloth and picks it up. The maid yells out not to touch it. Mike takes the fabric in his hand and looks better at it.
The other maids hear the yelling and walk to the front door. They see mike holding female underwear. The maid that bought it was embarrassing. She slaps Mike and takes the lingerie and bag. She runs inside. The other maids look at Mike with a disappointing look.
Mike has a confused look. Sam walks up to him and pats him on the shoulder. Sam helps Mike, and they head inside. The maids bring in the supplies. Later that day, Mike was holding his cheek. Mike was complaining about staying on the island.
Sam could see how miserable Mike was. Sam places his hand on Mike's shoulder. Mike was not sure what was going on. Some maids walk in and see them. Mike smiles at them, but they give him a nasty look. Mike gets even more upset. Sam tells him not to worry; he has a plan.
Mike didn't know what to say. Sam tells him that he will help him go on his date. Mike still didn't know what Sam was saying. Sam explains his plan to let him go on his date. Sam will keep watch of the house and handle the head maid. Mike did what to say. Sam happily smiles.
"You're my best friend; I want you to be happy. We have been through a lot together."
Mike tears up and hugs Sam. Mike offers something in return. Sam didn't want anything. Mike insisted on getting him something. Sam didn't know what to get. Mike offers him a big barrel of wine. Sam gets excited and goes with that. Sam and Mike jump up and down happily.
The head maid walks in, and the men stop. They smile behind her back and leave to the living room. It was late, and the maid had finished eating. They go feed Adolpha. Adolpha was happily enjoying herself. She finishes eating and wraps the bread in cloth. She was going to give it to Wolf.
The maids move the table and bring in the tube. Adolpha notices the head maid. She walks past the cabin to Wolf's cage. Adolpha didn't know what was happening. Once they finish, Adolpha goes to the window. She sees Wolf holding a sword. Wolf sees Adolpha staring at him. Adolpha sees Wolf leave to make his rounds. Adolpha has a worried look. She places the bread on the window sill.
It was late, and Wolf was by the docks. He looks around. On another island, the adventurer was looking at him. He was taking notes. Wolf did not feel his presence. Wolf leaves back to the house. The adventurer was gone.
The following day Adolpha wakes up. She sees the bread still on the window sill. She looks out the window at Wolf's cage. He was not there. Adolpha gets scared. The maids bring her breakfast. Adolpha ate with an uneasy feeling. After finishing, the maids clean up. Adolpha, in a timid voice, asks them about Wolf.
The maids were concerned but said nothing. They left, and Adolpha could only think about what had happened. Adolpha spent her day looking at the book Wolf gave her. It was a picture book about animals. Any noise would get her attention. She would check if Wolf came back.
In town, the adventurers look like they belong there. They made friends with townsfolk. They bought drinks for them and got them drunk. They then question them about Lord Michael. The glasses-wearing adventurer was eating with an older gentleman.
They talk about the festival. They also talk about the islands and how they raise their orchards. The older man then brings up Lord Michael and his house on the last island. The glasses-wearing adventurer wants to know more. The older man talks about the house and what it has.
The adventurer listens to everything the older man says. He then asks about a wolf beast girl. The older man didn't know what he was talking about. Their conversation gets interrupted by a drunken man. The adventurer lets him have his fun.
The drunken man asks about their conversation. The older man told him that they were talking about Lord Michael. The drunk man tells them about a party Lord Michael would have. This interested the adventurer, and he asked about it.
The drunken man didn't know more than seeing Lord Michael leave the next day upset. The adventurer offers him another drink, and they celebrate. The adventurer leaves and heads back to the inn. He goes to his room, where other adventurers are waiting.
The glasses-wearing adventurer goes over what he heard. At the same time, the adventurer that was spying on Wolf and the island enters the room. He goes over what he saw. They begin to compare notes. They conclude that the wolf girl is there.
The adventurers start to devise a plan. They go over the lay of the land. The glasses adventurer asks about the guards. The spy adventurer mentions two out-of-shape men and a wolf-beast-men. The glasses adventurer wants to know about him.
The spy adventurer tells him about Wolf. The strong adventurer gets excited. They go over the plan. It was going to be simple because there was only one real strong guard. They were going to draw him away. The glasses adventurer would contact their client and tell him about their progress. They will wait for orders.
The glasses adventurer gives them some orders while they wait. He tells the spy adventurer to keep an eye on them to see any changes. The other will look for any other person who might be a town guard. They agree and prepare.
An adventurer was reading the newspaper. He notices an article about the Umbridge Kingdom sending troops south. Another adventurer told him that he had heard about it in town. The glasses adventurer told them not to worry too much.
They need to focus on the mission ahead. The other two couldn't stop thinking about it. The glasses adventurer told them his theory. He told them it was probably the Beast Kingdom wanting more territory.
The two adventurers talk about it. They then bring up the Dwarf Kingdom. They wanted to know if they would get involved. The glasses adventurer thinks about it. He then asks where the troops were heading exactly. The newspaper didn't say. The glasses adventurer speaks briefly about the partnership.
"If the paper doesn't, that's something to think about. The Umbridge Kingdom is sending their troops right; this means its human territory. King John said that it would only call its allies if needed. So, the Dwarfs might not get involved."
The glasses adventurer packs up and leaves. He left the two thinking. The adventurer leaves the inn and heads to the letter shop. He wants a letter to be delivered. The shop owner takes it, and the adventurer leaves.
It was two days since Adolpha had seen Wolf. She has reverted to being sad. The following morning, Adolpha hears the doors to Wolf's cage open. She gets up and sees him. Adolpha cheers up a little.
The day was the same as always to her. Inside the house, Mike and Sam plan out Mike's date plan. They hide it from the head maid. Mike was counting the days till the festival. Sam was happy to see Mike laugh.
It was late, and Adolpha was eating dinner. She then hears the door to Wolf's cage open. Adolpha gets up and drops her food. The maids get scared. Adolpha goes to the window and looks for Wolf. He was gone. Adolpha asks the maids about what is going on. They said nothing.
Adolpha went to sleep sad. The following morning Adolpha wakes up and sees a big seashell. She goes over and takes it. Adolpha sees Wolf sleeping in his cage. This cheers Adolpha up again. Later that night, Adolpha takes the bread and leaves it on her window sill.
Wolf was out of his cage and went on patrol. He did not take the bread. Adolpha was slumped at her table, staring at the bread. She heard a noise and sat up. Wolf walks by but does not take the bread. Adolpha gets upset and goes to the window.
"Why are you ignoring me"?
Wolf stopped and said nothing. Adolpha was shedding tears. She asks Wolf about his job. Wolf stayed quiet. Adolpha was about to cry when a noise alerts Wolf. Adolpha stops sobbing when she hears Wolf speak.
"Hide, don't make a sound."
Wolf had a calm and collective voice. He turns and heads in the direction of the sound. Adolpha was quiet and scared. More sounds were heard, and then Wolf appeared. He tells Adolpha that it is alright now.
Things were starting to go back to normal. The day of the festival was close. Sam and Mike didn't even know what was going on. Adolpha was embarrassed about how she acted in front of Wolf. Wolf just kept doing what he was doing.
In town, the glasses-wearing adventurer gets a letter. He opens it and reads it. He calls for everyone to gather. After some time, everyone was in the inn room. The glasses adventurer opens up a make that they made. He tells everyone that the mission will be the day of the festival.
The glasses adventurer went over the plan. They will split into two teams. Five of them will distract the wolf beast-man. The other group will take the opportunity to search for the girl. The strong-looking adventurer wanted to fight Wolf. The glasses adventurer told him that he could if he came after them. The strong adventurer gets upset.
It was a simple plan because most townsfolk would be at the festival. All the noise from the fighting will be blocked because of the festival music. The glasses adventurer reassures everyone that it is going to be easy. The group was ready. The festival was days away.
The day of the festival, early winter 834. The music was playing, and the townsfolk were looking at the fireworks. The glasses-wearing adventurer was bleeding out. All other adventurers were dead. A monstrous creature walks up to him. The adventurer coughs blood.
"How could this have happened"?
The monster cuts the adventurer.