"What do you think Beardcutter? Any clues in here that might help us in finding these orcs?"

"Not sure. The goblins have been dealt with but there does not appear to be any signs of the orcs connected with this nest."

Goblin Slayer and his party had taken on two different goblin quests; dealing with the two nests and rescuing the surviving women had definitely been beneficial to the neighboring villages, but there appeared to be no connection with the orcs. It was decided that they should return to Frontier Town to check in with the others, that and Hero, Sword Maiden and the others would also be returning from their own quest.

"Perhaps it was an isolated incident; these orcs were only spotted in the villages closest toward the capital." Half-Demon Thief thought about the goblins they had killed, the largest among them was a hob and none of them had any armor.

"She might be right, those that escaped may have disappeared back to the wastelands after you caught them and killed so many of their patrol." Priestess too wanted to offer something that might ease her husband's nerves.

"Maybe. I need to make sure the goblins are not evolving."

"You worry too much Orcbolg, especially about the smallest detail. True things aren't quite as exciting as they were when we were out dealing with the Necromancer, but you should try to go on more than just goblin-type quests."

There was certainly truth in what High Elf Archer was saying. Over the last few years, many rookie adventurers in Frontier Town had greatly improved their skills by seeking out training with the warriors of legend. Even Goblin Slayer found individuals receptive to his stern methods and these figures had not only eager to learn but were more successful in their goblin quests. Guild Girl had remarked that more of the new adventurers were returning from their quests thanks to the advice they had received from Goblin Slayer, Spearman and other fellow silvers.

For the first time in a long time, Goblin Slayer felt confident that others could handle the excess goblin quests which allowed him the opportunity to indulge the others and go on other quests. He did not always remember the names of the monsters they dealt with, but the quests were not boring and his friends were happy to see him trying new things.

"The number of goblin quests have become more manageable. The adventurers who undertake them are far more competent." Goblin Slayer thought about those who would now greet him and seek out his knowledge. "These new creatures, these orcs, are troublesome. If the goblins are evolving into these new monsters, then a new threat could befall these lands. Creatures new adventurers and villagers would be powerless to stop."

Goblin Slayer's comrades could understand his apprehension, but with no new leads on these orcs all they could do at this moment was to return back to Frontier Town and see what news they could acquire. Leaving the forest, and starting up the hill, the group could see thick smoke wafting up toward the sky.

"Look at that smoke, much too large for a simple fire." Lizard Priest frowned as he looked toward the smoke with concern.

High Elf Archer's ears began to twitch as over the wind and crackling of fires she could hear the screams of people and laughter of the apparent attackers.

"Over there! The village is under attack!"

"Goblins?"

"In the middle of the day? With the bright sun overhead?" Priestess could not help but look up to see the bright sun in the party cloudy sky.

"It may not be goblins but that doesn't matter right now. Those people need our help!" Half-Demon Thief already took off in the direction of the smoke, not waiting for the others.

The others were right behind Thief, Dwarf Shaman and Priestess riding atop Wolf to keep pace with the others. The six adventurers could now clearly hear the screams of the villagers, sounds of people trying to fight back and the voices of the attackers.

"Could be bandits seeking food and money from those who can't defend themselves." High Elf Archer frowned as she continued to push herself over the gently sloping hill.

"We'll know soon enough. Once we get over this next hill we'll..."

Half-Demon Thief could not finish her sentence as she looked down the hill at the battle unfolding down below in the village. The villagers screamed as they ran, many of their houses set ablaze as more than a dozen man-sized figures with greyish skin hacked at those who dared to stand up to them or were not fast enough to flee. At the center of the chaos were three figures of interest, an orc barking orders at the others around him, a human-sized individual in black robes and a larger figure covered in jagged armor.

"Come on you slags! We got a schedule to keep! Round up as many women for breeding! Kill the rest!" The lead orc sneered as he looked toward his right watching the other orcs bring over the screaming women, then back to his left. "We drew too much attention to ourselves by the Capital my lord, but here on the edges of the Frontier we should be more successful."

"We must acquire as many females as possible if we are to continue with my master's plans." The demon mage chuckled beneath his robes as he then moved toward the larger figure on his left side. "A truly imposing figure by themselves, imagine an army of these brutes running at you."

The massive figure had come along as an extra form of defense should there be any trouble the orcs could not handle. Upon appearing within the village they happened to draw the attention of a group of four adventurers. The group was easily dealt with, not even a single orc had been lost in the battle but it did waste time they did not have.

"Come on you damn salve trash! Get a move on!" One of the orcs tugged at the chain which was connected to the hands of seven women, all crying from the pain and trauma they had endured during the attack. "WE have such wonderful plans for you a…"

The orc let out a shrill cry as the arrow pierced his eye, all eyes were upon him as he struggled to stay on his feet but eventually toppled over. The orcs stopped their rampage to look back in the direction the arrow had come from and found a group of adventurers rushing down the hillside. Before they could react another orc was struck by two more arrows, one hitting the left side of its neck and the other piercing its gut where the armor had a gap.

"Don't just stand there with your heads up your asses! Slaughter the adventurers!"

The orcs roar and rushed forward to meet the adventurers while the lead orc stayed behind with the demon mage and the larger figure.

"Now!"

Goblin Slayer gave the command as he went for his sword, and Priestess immediately went into action.

"O Earth Mother, abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in darkness…Holy Light!"

The blinding light flooded the area and the orcs closest to the group growled as they stopped to shield their eyes. Goblin Slayer and the others quickly moved in to dispatch the first set of orcs. Goblin Slayer and Lizard Priest's blades easily cut through the orc's armor while Dwarf Shaman and Half-Demon Thief aimed for the weak spots between their armor. The demon mage grew nervous as he watched the group of adventurers dealing with the orcs with ease.

"These aren't rookies like the other group we dealt with! They'll end up killing me at this rate!" The demon mage nervously took a step back as he saw the battle unfold and knew he needed to ensure his safety. "The two of you! Kill them now! I'll activate the gate."

"You damn coward, I know you're only worried about saving your ass." The lead orc growled as he looked toward the demon and then back to the adventurers. "Though if I do nothing I'll die too. Damn it. Hey! You damn lummox! Get in there and slaughter these fools like the others!"

The massive creature in armor growled as it looked down at the orc before taking out a short broad sword and bladed shield to march into battle.

"Beloved. There are more approaching."

Goblin Slayer finished slashing at the orc closest to him and turned toward the right to see two armored orcs moving to face him.

"Two orcs. The smaller one rushing at me and the larger slowly coming behind it. I must deal with them then the figure in the robes."

Goblin Slayer pushed ahead of the others to deal with the two orcs, the smaller of the two howled with anger as he slashed at the approaching human.

"Damn human, I'll take your head clean off your…"

Goblin Slayer crouched low to the ground as he scooped up some dirt and grass with his left hand only to throw it at the orc's face. The orc bellowed before using his free hand to try and rub at his eyes only to feel a deep pain along the left side of his neck. Goblin Slayer's sword cut through the black armor and went deep into the flesh of the orc's neck; with a grunt, he tore the blade free to now deal with the larger orc as the smaller one fell to his knees trying to the stop the blood from spilling out of his neck.

"That's seven…" Goblin Slayer watched the orc fall forward toward the ground then looked toward the larger orc in front of him. "…You'll make eight."

Goblin Slayer swung with his sword only to have it knocked back by the large creature's shield. Goblin Slayer suddenly saw the orc swing its broad sword towards him and instinctively raised his shield to brace for the blow. The strike easily knocked Goblin Slayer to the ground, but he managed to roll with it and was quick to ready himself to continue the fight. He looked toward his left arm; the shield had a large tear through it, but his arm remained intact.

"The damage to the shield is quite bad and made with such a crude weapon." Goblin Slayer studied the larger creature's weapon; dull with hardly any sharpness to it. "This orc had great strength behind its attack. I need to be careful when getting in close."

"Orc? Did you refer to me as an orc?" the figure spoke in almost a growling voice as it moved closer to the still crouching Goblin Slayer.

"You speak just like the orcs I fought. I have no words to waste on creatures so similar to goblins."

Goblin Slayer moved to reach for his mace as he would now attack with both weapons and bring this orc down in one combined attack. Goblin Slayer was back on his feet and rushed in to attack with mace but as he brought it down, the larger orc used the broad sword to hold back the attack. This, however, was not Goblin Slayer's only attack as he brought up his right hand and struck the armored monster across the side of its head. The blow knocked off the monster's helmet and caused a bit of black blood to run down the side of its head. Goblin Slayer looked at the creature and noted there was a difference in the skin tone of the orc. Rather than the grey of the other orcs, this one had dark, reddish-brown skin. Coming down the back of its head with long, thick black hair.

"Stupid manbeast. Goblins are puny and weak. Orcs are no different." The creature's yellow eyes studied the armored man with a mixture of anger and mockery. "I am Uruk Hai."

The Uruk Hai dropped its shield to grab Goblin Slayer by his neck and effortlessly lift him off the ground before tossing aside as if he weighed nothing. Goblin Slayer grunted as he hit the side of the nearby building but thankfully there was no severe damage. The Uruk Hai turned his attention toward the snarling dire wolf, ready to cut it in two with his broadsword but stopped as it felt a slight pain in its chest. It looked down as in the spot where there was a break in the armor he could see an arrow when it grunted again as a new arrow pierced the right side of its shoulder; the Uruk Hai looked ahead and saw the elven archer readying another arrow.

"Damn she-elf." The Uruk Hai grunted as he tore the arrows loose from his flesh and tightened his grip on his short broadsword and went for his shield. "You too will…"

His sword was struck by something, the strength of the blow forced him back a step and to his surprise, he could see a large lizard man ready with sword in hand.

"You are quite large for one of these 'orcs' I've heard about from Milord Goblin Slayer, but you shall fall just the same as the others." Lizard Priest stood ready to continue the fight with the mistaken orc.

"Orc! Fools all of you! I am Uruk Hai!" The Uruk Hai struck at the lizardman's weapon in his mad fury. "I am the offspring of man and orc! Bread to fight under the sun without fear! The race of orc perfected!"

The Uruk Hai's speech was quite concerning to all, they had finally seen the orcs the Goblin Slayer had battled near the capital and now they witnessed this new monstrosity.

"The product of orc breeding with humans. Goblins will produce new goblins but these orcs create something worse. They must be destroyed." Goblin Slayer grunted as he slowly got back to his feet.

"Orc or Uruk Hai I care not, your heresy shall be destroyed here and now!"

Lizard Priest struck at the Uruk Hai's broad sword, each being pushed back by the other's blow as Wolf would charge in snapping at the monster. The Uruk Hai would attempt to cut down the dire wolf but Lizard Priest would strike at him to prevent this. Wolf lunged forward and bit down on the Uruk Hai's wrist as it brought its hand down to strike and pulled hard. The Uruk Hai roared and raised its bladed shield to strike at the beast but did not see the armored adventurer rushing in from the side.

Goblin Slayer struck with his mace to knock the shield away and followed with a swing of his sword. The strike from Goblin Slayer's sword cut through the metal and sliced the Uruk Hai's left forearm off. The Uruk Hai grunted in pain as it looked to the stump on his left side, black blood oozing from the wound, but before he could strike the dire wolf was still biting at his right wrist. Lizard Priest rushed in and stabbed the struggling Uruk Hai through its right leg to hopefully stop it from moving any further.

"ENOUGH!"

The Uruk Hai used its massive strength to lift the dire wolf slightly off the ground and swing the beast toward Goblin Slayer. Wolf's grip weakened as it tumbled with Goblin Slayer as both rolled to the ground. With arm free, it swung its sword toward Lizard Priest cutting at the flesh upon his right arm, forcing Lizard Priest to back away as he placed his left hand over the slight wound on his arm. The Uruk Hai grunted as it dropped its sword and tore the curved dragon tooth blade out of its injured leg before throwing it back at the lizardman.

"NO!"

Half-Demon Thief quickly threw one of her own daggers forward and struck the flying dragon tooth blade as both blade fell to the ground.

"Many thanks Lady Demoness."

"How you holding up Scaly?"

"A minor wound Sir Mage, I am more than capable of continuing the fight."

The injured Uruk Hai growled as it looked toward the adventurers, the dwarf and lizardman to his right, a female demon, elf and female human coming up the center, and the armored warrior and dire wolf to his left. He grew annoyed that these puny flesh creatures had injured him so much and would pay dearly for this. He reached forward his sword only to have a wall of fire flare-up between him and the adventurers, he was unsure of the cause until he heard the chanting in black speech.

"Conjour ij wall ro flameuk!" The demon mage waved his hands as he stood before a portal of yellow light. "Get your ass over here!"

The Uruk Hai growled and looked back toward the adventurers through the wall of flames as the adventurers stood ready to attack the moment the magic ended. Goblin Slayer and the others looked up at the wall of flames; High Elf Archer or Half-Demon Thief could easily get around it but faced the unknown magic of the demon mage.

"The moment the wall falls we finish this…Uruk Hai."

"We're ready Orcbolg."

The Uruk Hai lingered for a bit before chuckling, the adventurers grew worried that the injured monster might have something planned.

"I have your scent…man flesh. You and the wolf. When next we meet, I shall feast on your flesh and wear his skin as a coat."

Goblin Slayer clenched his fingers while Wolf growled but the Uruk Hai offered a smile before turning to walk toward the still yelling demon mage. There was not enough time to grab the captive women, just enough to save themselves. The demon mage walked through first, quickly followed by the Uruk Hai before the light vanished and with them so did the wall of fire.

"They're gone Goblin Slayer." Priestess looked toward the spot where the two had been then looked over toward the whimpering, bound women. "I'll start treating their wounds immediately."

"We need to look for survivors and deal with these fires to the houses." Half-Demon Thief put her weapons away and moved to check the nearest house in the village.

The others followed her lead and moved to help the villagers; within the hour the fires had been attended to, the surviving villagers had been secured and the dead were laid out for proper ceremonial prayers.

"All the orcs were dealt with Milord Goblin Slayer, save that last abomination and the magic-user."

"I can see why you were worried Orcbolg. These ones aren't the cowards like those smaller goblins."

"I was wrong."

"What do you mean Goblin Slayer?"

"These orcs…the offspring is far more dangerous. These Uruk Hai have intelligence and durability like Champions."

"It seemed that our attacks seemed to annoy him rather than slow him down. A true predicament indeed." Lizard Priest let out a sigh as he looked toward the cloth bandage around his arm.

"So what now Beardcutter?"

"We return back to the Guild and see what other details we can acquire. These orcs must be destroyed before they produce any more of these…Uruk Hai."

xxxx

"Y, you sure I'll be safe? Two o, other noblemen have been murdered and none of you are any closer to finding the murderer."

The carriage moved along at a steady pace; it was a fancy carriage with polished wood, felt curtains and velvet-covered seats. Inside the noble and his attendants nervously sat as they traveled down the road, further away from the City of Light and Shadows. In the few months since the initial murder, two more nobles had been killed; the Inquisitor's and the Royal Knights had not found any other clues to help them catch the culprits responsible. With the lack of progress made in this situation, many of the nobles began to pay exuberant amounts of money to hire knights to act as their guards and escorts.

"You have my solemn vow that you will be safe with our escort." The Royal Knight had a smirk as he traveled along side the carriage while keeping his eyes open on the land around them.

Four knights traveled along side the carriage, two on the left and two on the right. Royal Knight had agreed to accompany the nobleman as moving through the forest near the mountains would be the perfect spot for a potential ambush. The assignment was simple, keep the noble alive as he journeyed from the city to a neighboring village for a particular good. Even as the approached the woods the other knight who was riding behind Royal Knight increased his speed to keep pace with him.

"You do know what 'good' we traveling for yes?"

"Of course, he's off to visit his favorite mistress." Royal Knight chuckled as kept an eye on trees on either side of him.

"I don't understand, why go through all this trouble to visit some whore?"

"If his wife found out, she'd ensure he would never be able to sire any further children."

"Did you all say something?" The noble could hear some type of discussion from within the carriage but did not know the exact details.

"Nothing my lord, just going over our plan to protect you." Royal Knight flashed a smile to his friend and the driver of the carriage but the smiles soon faded as he saw something. "Slow the carriage. Ahead of us."

The driver pulled back on the reins of the horses and the escort did the same as a large tree covered the path in front of them. The four knights dismounted the horses and motioned for the driver to stay with the carriage.

"Wha, what is it! Are we under attack?" The noble looked toward his attendants, neither of them had any weapons, so his only defense was the knights escorting him.

"Nothing to worry about my lord. Just stay within the carriage while we deal with the minor inconvenience." Royal Knight looked toward the tree in front of him and could instantly tell this was not a natural occurrence. "See the marks around the trunk?"

"Yeah, axe marks. We're not alone here."

"Alright. I want you two to attempt to push this out of the way." Royal Knight pointed to the two knights closest to the tree to move it then looked toward his fellow comrade. "You and I will keep watch, only a matter of time before they attempt to attack us."

Royal Knight kept his hand on his sword handle while his comrade readied his crossbow while carefully watching the forest. The other two knights grunted as they started to push the log unaware of the figures now maneuvering behind the trees. One of the knights pushing the tree continued to push only to catch sight of something glinting in the dark woods, it would be the last thing he saw as an arrow pierced through his left eye. His comrade gasped as he saw this only to then see three more arrows suddenly pierce through the knight's armor as he slumped over the tree.

"Ambush!"

Royal Knight and his comrade heard the cry of their fellow knight drawing his sword and quickly moving away from the tree. More arrows flew from the woods this time striking the carriage driver who cried out before falling out of the driver's seat.

"W, what's going on? What's happening?"

"Stay in the carriage! We'll deal with the attackers!" Royal Knight rushed toward the carriage and forcefully pushed the door shut as someone attempted to exit. "Knights defensive position! Watch for arrows!"

The three knights moved toward the rear of the carriage as the horses whined as they too were pelted with arrows before collapsing to the ground.

"Can't afford to lose any more of the horses." Royal Knight moved towards his horses and gave a hard smack on its backside. "Get! Hurry, give the horses a good smack on the ass and get them moving."

"But what about leaving?"

"First worry about surviving then we can always go and get the horses later!"

The other knights followed Royal Knight's orders and sent the other horses running as the arrows continued to strike the carriage but soon enough the barrage came to and end. Royal Knight slowly peeked his head around the side of the carriage, still expecting the arrows to come, but soon watched figures draped in dark robes emerging from behind the trees. Royal Knight could see their faces wear hidden save their eyes, but there was no way to determine who exactly was attacking them.

"Bandits!"

"I'm not so sure." Royal Knight moved from behind the carriage with sword ready as he looked over the figures. "We just happen to run into bandits right when this noble is on the road, far too much of a coincidence. Looks like about 20 but there might be more hiding."

"Kill the knights! Slaughter those in the pathetic wagon."

"Defend the carriage at all costs! For the King!"

The Royal Knight and his comrades rushed toward the group as their swords clashed. Royal Knight struck at the bandits, defecting their blows and then slashing with his blade. The bandits briefly cried out as their blood splattered against his silver armor. His comrade fried a bolt from his crossbow smirking as it struck another one of the attackers through the eye.

"Good. Just need to be smart and…gah!" Royal Knight looked toward his right arm and could see a black arrow had pierced through his armor. "Damn! Watch out for archers!"

The warning came too late as his fellow knights were also struck by the arrows. To his right, the knight with the crossbow dropped his weapon as an arrow found its new place in his right hand. Further right, the last knight had been hit by three arrows and was forced to take a knee, but this only allowed the bandits to pounce.

"NO!" Royal Knight tried to rush to aid his comrade but was held back by his fellow knight.

"It's too late. We need to move further back to the carriage." The other knight grunted as he tore the arrow out of his hand and moved to draw his sword.

Royal Knight grimaced as he watched the bandits hacking at his comrade, blood flying up into the air as he screamed.

"A, avenge me brothers!" The knight cried out even as his arms were severed from his body and the blade was cutting into his abdomen. "Brothers avenge me!"

His screams came to an end but the sickening sound of his body being torn apart continued as the bandits laughed as they attacked. Royal Knight and his injured comrade slowly backed up toward the carriage as the bandits now turned their full attention toward the remaining knights, even the archers now revealed themselves from behind the trees with a sinister chuckle.

"We, we should run!"

"Don't be absurd. The archers would stop us before we got five steps and then the rest would descend upon us." Royal Knight looked over the remaining numbers, they had managed to kill four of the bandits but that still left 16 of them. "Besides, a knight never runs from their duty."

"Then what are we to do?"

"For now, maintain your composure. We show no fear before our opponents." Royal Knight too grunted as he tore the arrow out of his arm. "Have faith, help is on the way."

"Help? But no one else knows of our assignment!"

The bandits looked toward the survivors and laughed, blood still present on their weapons as they readied to tear them both apart as they had the other knight. The archers drew back on their arrows, blackened steel bolts ready to tear into the armor at a moment's notice.

"Firebolt!"

The archer's attention was drawn away from the injured knights as streaks of fire flew at them, the archers cried out as the fire cut through their bodies and engulf them in flames. The rest of the bandits turned to see the archers thrashing about on the ground but the sound of galloping horses now drew their attention back to the front. Five figures could be seen riding forward, each wearing a bright blue hooded tunic with a different animal design on the center; leading the group of five was a young man with a dragon present on his tunic.

"Inquisitors! Slay the attackers!" Dragon Inquisitor jumped off his horse and drew out his twin swords as he rushed to meet the bandits.

The other inquisitors followed him and moved to attack as did Royal Knight and his comrade. The bandits were shocked by the sudden arrival of the new knights and attempted to fight back but the superior skills and weaponry easily cut through their own crude blades. The last two bandits attempted to flee as the rest of their number were cut down but Dragon Inquisitor rushed ahead and cut them both down.

"That should be the last of them." Dragon Inquisitor sheathed both blades and turned toward the others. "Are the other bandits dealt with?"

"All bandits are slain." Raven Inquisitor too put her swords away as she looked down at the fallen bodies.

"Then tend to the wounded."

Raven Inquisitor moved toward Royal Knight who had removed the armor around his right arm to examine the severity of his wound.

"How is the wound? Anywhere else you were injured?" Raven Inquisitor frowned as she moved to wrap the cloth bandage around the injury.

"I fear the wound may be fatal. The only possible cure would be a kiss from a beautiful woman." Royal Knight smiled as he wrapped his left arm around Raven Inquisitor's waist. "Can I count on your aid?"

"You'll be fine." Raven Inquisitor gave a final hard tug on the bandage, a small scowl on her face as she looked toward her friend. "If only there was medicine to cure your stupidity."

"Ouch! Be a little nicer to the injured." Royal Knight smirked as he turned his attention toward the others.

His fellow surviving knight was treated as well, then there were the two fallen knights whose remains were being gathered by the other Inquisitors. The nobleman repeatedly bowed his head and thanked Dragon Inquisitor for his speedy aid while admonishing the four knights who had escorted him for not doing their job properly.

"I guess the important thing is the nobleman is safe and the attackers are dealt with. That being said…" Royal Knight looked down at the body of the attacker, face still hidden behind the dark cloth. "Let's see who was targeting the noble."

Royal Knight tore away the cloth and gasped at the sight of the attacker. A creature with greyish skin, various warts around its face and crooked yellow teeth.

"What is it? Some type of demon?" Raven Inquisitor was disgusted by the sight of the corpse at her feet.

"I, I don't think so. It almost resembles a goblin in appearance, but these creatures could speak clearly, and these things are as big as a man. Hmm, what's this?" Royal Knight could see something shining within the cloak of the monster.

Dragon Inquisitor finished removing the straps among the dead horses and replacing them with the rescued horses that had come running out of the forest.

"It's a good thing we spotted you running out of the forest, otherwise we might not have arrived in time." Dragon Inquisitor smirked as he tightened the last strap and then looked toward the noble. "Your horses are ready, and our two knights shall finish accompanying you on your journey."

"You have my thanks, Inquisitor. I should have hired you all from the start rather than these foolish knights. Honestly, had I only had them here I would have slain as well."

"Our knights fought valiantly and were outnumbered. I would request you not speak ill of those who fought to protect you."

"Yes well, that is their job. That said, I still have important matters to attend to. Have the knights act as my driver since he will no longer be able to serve me." The noble clapped his hands twice before returning back inside his carriage.

"It shall be done." Dragon Inquisitor clenched his fists, annoyed that the noble would look down on his comrades who fought and died to keep him safe. "Pompous windbag."

Dragon Inquisitor surveyed the situation, the corpses of the bandits and horses had been moved far away from the side road so as to not bother any travelers or merchants, the wildlife in the forest would take care of the remains. The two fallen knights had been wrapped in sheets and placed over the backs of horses for proper burials. With everything taken care of, he could turn his attention to his friends who were examining something over the body of one of the bandits.

"What have you got there?"

"Hey, take a look at this." Royal Knight had a frown on his face as he handed the object over toward Dragon inquisitor.

Dragon Inquisitor looked at the object and was surprised to see it was a silver medallion bearing the symbol of the red griffin, the same symbol used by the king he swore to serve.

"What is this?"

"More importantly, look at the body of the bandit."

Dragon Inquisitor looked at the body and was surprised at the sight, he believed they might have been humans or possibly demons as part of his theory, but this monster was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

"What does this all mean? Unknown monsters with the symbol of the kingdom." Raven Inquisitor was worried about there being a connection between the two.

"I'm not sure. These strange monsters, the symbol of our kingdom and the targeting of the nobles. I fear something terrible has befallen our kingdom." Dragon Inquisitor looked toward the castle and city in the far distance with a frown.

xxxx

Half-Dragon Priestess and her party traveled through the woods, their business with the Violet Death concluded and a final farewell to Rabbitfolk Warrior and her party meant they were back to exploring the world. Looking at the map showed them they were not too far from reaching the coastline, it had been far too long since she or her friends had seen the ocean.

"What this ocean again?" Saber Rider snacked on the piece of dried meat he had picked up in the city before they had departed.

"Think of it like a giant lake, but the water is very salty and you can't drink it." Padfoot Monk smiled as he continued to walk along with the others.

"Water you no can drink, that sounds bad. There fish in this…ocean?"

"There are plenty of fish in the sea, there are even tales of fish so large they can eat people." Wolf Brawler too smiled, her nose already able to pick up the slight smell of the ocean from even this distance.

"No fish gonna eat me! I'll drag them back to land and cut them with axe."

"Knowing our luck, we'd have to rush in to help you the moment you're in over your head." Harpy Scout smiled as she happily teased her comrade.

"It would be nice to catch some fish and roast them along the shore. It would be a good little break from everything we've been through." Half-Dragon Priestess too laughed, a great weight off her shoulders as she enjoyed the time with her friends.

As the party continued through the forest, high in the trees figures carefully watched them, moreover they were focused on Saber Rider and Fang.

"There, the saber cat. It follows that one."

"Yes, we must act."

As the group traveled further into the forest, Fang stopped and began to look off toward his left, pupils growing wider as the new scent entered its nose.

"Fang? Why you stop?"

The others stopped to see Saber Rider trying to get Fang's attention only for the saber cat to rush off into the forest. Saber Rider called out for his brother then rushed off after the large cat before the others could stop him.

"Damn it, what now?"

"Not to worry. As the best tracker of the group I can find them, I've got eyes like a hawk and ears like a fox." Wolf Brawler closed her eyes as her ears began to twitch.

"Don't you mean ears like a wolf?" Harpy Scout raised an eyebrow as she looked down toward her friend.

"That too. It's something I picked up from Priestess's grandpa." Wolf Brawler smiled as her ears could hear the cat's meow in the distance. "There we go! See, I told you I have ears and nose like a wolf."

"Next time we'll ask Specter to find them." Half-Dragon Priestess teased her comrade as she looked toward her dire wolf.

"Laugh all you want, but I got their scent and can hear the cat. Come on."

Wolf Brawler charged into the woods, unlike saber Rider, she was accompanied by the others but found themselves further away from the path. After a few minutes, they found Saber Rider and Fang asleep on the ground near a large green bush, the saber cat purposely rubbing its head against the plant.

"There they are. What's this plant? Fang seems to like it." Half-Dragon Priestess curiously looked at Saber Rider who snored as he slept by the plant.

"It's catnip." Wolf Brawler took in a deep breath as she studied the plant and her sleeping comrades.

"This plant isn't dangerous is it?" Harpy Scout worried that this plant was like the fungus they had dealt with as it seemed to have put Saber Rider to sleep.

"No, the catnip shouldn't put him to sleep but…I do…smell something els…"

Wolf Brawler's eyes closed as she nearly toppled over to her side but was thankfully caught by Padfoot Monk much to the surprise of everyone around them.

"Huntress I have you! I…no…this scent is…"

Padfoot Monk too fell over onto the plants, both he and Wolf Brawler peacefully sleeping near the others. Half-Dragon Priestess rushed to check on the two, trying her best to wake them up but they were both sound asleep.

"Priestess!"

Half-Dragon Priestess turned to now see Specter sleeping as well. Half-Dragon Priestess and Harpy Scout stood back-to-back with weapons drawn as they looked around, worried they were about to be ambushed by an unseen enemy. Up in the tree tops, the figures watched the last two adventurers standing but it would not be long before they too fell asleep.

"Keep and eye out Scout. No telling when…"

Half-Dragon Priestess could feel Harpy Scout leaning heavily against her; she quickly turned only to now see her friend also asleep as she slumped to the ground dropping her weapons.

"Scout no! Wait…" Half-Dragon Priestess found her vision beginning to blur but was still lucid enough to remember what Brawler had mentioned. "Strange scent…need to clear the air."

Half-Dragon Priestess breathed out a quick puff of flames and was able to clear her head as she looked around but still did not see any possible attackers.

"Okay, now just need to burn this plant and wake the others up before…"

An arrow flew down from the tree and struck Half-Dragon Priestess in the chest but the arrow did not have a steel tip but a small bundled cloth. The moment the arrow hit, a strange green powder exploded from the cloth and she breathed in much of it while coughing and trying to wave it away. Half-Dragon Priestess's head felt heavy as she collapsed to her hands and knees before her eyes shut she could see two figures climbing down from vines attached to the trees.

"Who…why are you…"

Half-Dragon Priestess finally collapsed to the ground sleeping soundly like the others as the two figures now stood over the sleeping adventurers.