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When Harry made it to the town locating his 3rd and final job he was jumped by the people that call it home and dragged into the town square. It happened so fast that Harry was thankful to his seeker reflexes or else he wasn't sure if he would have been able to keep up with the flurry of movements.
Harry looks around at all the faces of the townsfolk. He sees hope and fear in their eyes. They look at him with hope, but he would see one or two look towards the forest surrounding the town with fear. Harry guesses that is where his target is.
Harry is dreading this request. That is why he saved it for last, but he is praying that he can get this done and over with quickly before his bad luck kicks in again and has this job be something so much worse.
"So…can any of you tell me what the problem is?" Harry asked after standing in the same spot with nothing happening for a good 3 minutes.
The townsfolk meet eyes with each other, and then look back at Harry. "Well, I'm sure you read what it is on the request, correct?" Harry nods his head at this. "Okay, so…the monster wolf lives in the forest surrounding the town. Anyone who tries to go in never comes back alive," one of the men in the town said.
A female – Harry is guessing the guy's wife or girlfriend – takes over from where he left off. "At first we thought they were just sleeping, but when we got close to them we saw that they were dead. I don't know how, but it is like their souls just left their bodies."
Another, older man steps forward to continue the story. "We also can't leave the town. I came here for a vacation a few weeks ago, but I have yet to leave because of the monster wolf. It allows people to come in, but not out. We think that it may be eating the souls of those who go into the forest, and then gives us back their bodies for us to find no sign of injuries on them. Like it is some kind of warning."
Harry took this time to think about what he just learned. He can't help but feel like this all sounds familiar in a way. "Why do you think this thing is a wolf? Have you seen what it looks like?" he asked.
Everyone in the town shakes their heads in the negative. "We think it is a wolf because it howls just like one, but it has a sound to it that makes it different from a normal wolf. It is an awful sound, like the souls it has eaten are crying out with it at night. It makes the whole town shake. Other than what we told you is unknown to us," the first man said.
Harry sighs, but doesn't allow himself to be discouraged. "Alright, I'm going to go into the forest now and deal with this thing. If I'm not back within the next 24 hours contact my guild and tell them that I may need help or I'm dead," he said to them. 'Hopefully none of that needs to happen, but I do feel like it is going to be a close one.' He starts making his way to the forest, not knowing that he is right about the monster being more than it seems.
Mira was cleaning up some of the dishes when Master Makarov comes running toward her bar on his little legs. At first she thought he really wants some booze, but the worried look on his face derailed that train.
"Mira, do you know who it was that took the 'Monster Wolf' job?!" Makarov demanded urgently.
Mira thought for a bit for an answer. She almost grabbed her record book of all the mages and jobs they go on when she remembered. "Yeah, it was Harry. Why, is there something wrong?" she asked worriedly.
With a defeated sigh, Makarov says, "There was a mistake in the job's ranking. It was just found out that the monster isn't a low level like the townsfolk believe it to be. One of the members of the Magic Council remembers this monster to be a demon. The job is supposed to be S-Class."
Now Mira is really concern. Harry has been gone for a few days now, and she doesn't know which job he did first. For all she knows he took this S-Class one first and died and that is why it is taking so long to get back home. She prays that Harry decided to pick this one for last.
"What's going on Gramps?" Mira looks up to see Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Happy, and Erza standing there behind Makarov with confused looks on their faces.
Makarov looks up at them, but didn't say anything. His mind is too busy thinking while staring at them.
After a moment of silence, Makarov speaks up, "Alright, I need you children to go and bring Harry home. One of the jobs he took is a misplaced S-Class quest. The job is located in Oleander, and there is a demon you will have to fight and kill. Let's just hope that Harry didn't already have a run it with this thing."
"Alright let's go team!" Natsu called out.
"Aye sir!" Happy followed.
"Not so fast!" Erza said firmly to them, and then looks back at the master. "Why did it take so long to get this information?" she asked.
"I don't know why. It could be that they didn't realize the mistake until now, they just found out like they said, or the message was late getting to me. Either way it no longer matters. Just go and bring Harry and Fawkes home safely," Makarov said firmly with a hint of worry in his tone.
"Right!"
Harry is walking through the forest looking for this monster wolf, but he hasn't seen hide nor hair of it. He hopes he finds this thing before it finds him.
{Hey Harry, I see a cave over there,} Fawkes said. Harry looks in the direction Fawkes' beak is pointing, and sure enough there is a cave. He wouldn't have seen if it weren't for his familiar, however. The cave is hidden by vines. Harry walks closer to it to get a better look. Maybe this is where the wolf lives.
Harry brushes his hand over the vines and pauses in his action. He focuses on the vines to see why the touch of them is cold to him. He can barely see it, but there is a light frosting on the limb-like plant.
{What do you think about this?} Harry asked his bird friend.
{I don't know… It seems familiar though,} said Fawkes.
Harry decides to store this bit of information for later. He finishes moving the vines out of the way of the cave and looks inside. It is dark, no sunlight can reach inside. It is cold due to the same frosting all along the walls, worse than the vines covering the entrance. Other than the ice covered walls, floor, and ceiling, the cave is empty.
{Well, there is no monster wolf here,} Harry said as he was about to stand up straighter. He felt Fawkes shift on his shoulder, most like to check behind them.
{Harry, look out!} Fawkes shouted in his head. Harry didn't even bother thinking about why Fawkes wants him to dodge. He dives to his right just in time as the thing that attacked him missed him by a hair's breath. He looks back to see what it was, thinking maybe it is his target, but what is now in his former place is not a wolf but some kind of demon. Harry doesn't think this thing can even be called a monster.
In front of him is a creature with stag-like horns, wears a long, black cloak that reaches down to its bony ankles, black, torched, leathery, rotting skin, white, dead eyes that are bloodshot around the edges, a gapping mouth with no teeth and looks like a black hole getting ready to swallow everything in sight, and long, bony limbs with long, claw-like fingers and toes.
Harry feels a shudder go down his spine in fear, but also because a cold feeling is radiating off this demon. He can even see it. On the ground by the being's feet is frost. Everywhere this thing goes ice just seems to follow it.
"What is that?" Harry questioned softly in horror. This thing made him remember what a dementor is, but from what he remembered, it didn't look like this. This demon also isn't making him relive his worst memories, but this thing has just made it to one of the top three – specifically number one.
{I have no idea…} said Fawkes. {I have never seen anything like it.}
"It looks like a dementor, but at the same time…" Harry trailed off.
{It looks worse,} Fawkes finished.
The demon howls, sounding like a mix of a wolf and something else that can't be described. It sounds eerie and haunting, like this creature is suffering, and being the one to bring suffering. Once it finished howling that awful sound, it attacks Harry at such speeds with a claw hand reaching for his throat.
TBC
CLIFFY! XD It has been a while since I did a proper one. Sorry, I had to cut this one short. An idea popped into my head for this chapter, but by the time it did, I was already almost done it. At first I was going to make the demon be based solely off a dementor, but then an idea for a wendigo comes into mind. Both not the most creative, but then I thought, "Why not combine them?" That is how that abomination was born.
There is a second reason for why I'm cutting this short. I want to put my full attention on the fight without rushing it. I'm sure you understand. :)
Well, the jobs are almost done. After that I'm going to update 'Natsu Hates it When Zeref is Bored'. Yay! :D
Voldy: I want that thing… *dreamy eyes*
Enj/Dark: No, you can't have it. -_-
Voldy: Why not?! D:
Harry: You don't need something like that. You're terrifying enough with the dementors, but with that thing…
Voldy: That is the point though! DX
Zeref: That thing belongs to-
Natsu: *cuts Zeref off by putting a hand over his mouth.* Wait for the next chapter before finishing that.
Zeref: *nods*
Enj/Dark: It is your turn, Lord Voldemort.
Voldy: You're only saying my name like that to get me to do it, aren't you?
Enj/Dark: *stays silent*
Voldy: Please review. I might get that beautiful, yet deadly creature if you do.
Harry: *whispers: No he won't.*
