Having agreed to assist with the task of eliminating harpies, introductions were conducted in short order. The Hierophant, Nassach, and his allies turned out to all be from northern Oradas – though Lucinda was assured that the colours of skin, hair, and eyes, they all shared were merely a coincidence. Other than the leader, Lucinda had guessed the other classes accurately, with the woman, Pwyn, being a Wizard, and the remaining man, Hallan, a Fighter. Lucinda likewise introduced herself as a Druid, and offered little else other than her place of origin being somewhere in Prilemia.

With two of the three having threatened varying amounts of grievous bodily harm against her, Lucinda had been feeling quite uncomfortable walking alongside them. Fortunately, Nassach had had the piece of mind to send his companions on ahead of them as they travelled, meaning Lucinda was left with only one possibly psychotic person to deal with.

“I’m actually from a wealthy merchant family,” Nassach offered, as Lucinda walked not too closely beside him. “My father is quite famous in Oradas: Buil Arged. Perhaps you’ve heard of him?”

“I don’t think so, sorry,” Lucinda replied. “Is it far to the harpies?”

Nassach let out a brief sigh. “I can’t blame you for wanting this to be done with. My companions hardly made a good first impression, I’m sure. They’re not bad people exactly, just a bit unfriendly to strangers.”

That’s what he calls being a bit unfriendly? Is everyone from Oradas like this?

“To answer your question: It is a reasonable distance still. Camping for the night will be necessary.”

Crap… I really don’t want to share a campsite with these people…

“They will not harm you now that I have sworn an oath,” he continued, seemingly picking up on Lucinda’s unease. “But, let us put such matters aside for now. Would you tell me more about yourself? Have you, ah, lived in that cave for long?”

The absurd question brought a faint smile to Lucinda’s lips, even with the situation as it was.

“I don’t live in a cave…” she replied. “I was just visiting.”

“Ah, of course. Pardon my assumption.” Nassach’s cheeks flushed ever so slightly as he responded. “I was having trouble believing it with how tidy your apparel is, and how well kept you otherwise seem. Though Hallan was as crass as ever with his words, I too was surprised to find someone of such beauty out here in the mountains.”

“I didn’t expect to meet anyone out here, either,” Lucinda replied, doing her best to ignore the compliment that had heated her own cheeks faintly.

“Just out enjoying nature, then?”

“Something like that.”

“I must confess I’m not well versed in the activities of Druids. However, the thought of being so free of responsibility does have a certain appeal. Back home, there are always contracts to go over, new deals to negotiate, or clients to be buttered ad nauseam. Of course, I do live comfortably, eat well, have access to most things I could ever need… But, the endless stream of female suitors can be tiring. They’re just so plain… So, dull.”

“That sounds like something most men would be happy about.”

“Men like Hallan, you mean? Perhaps if he weren’t so lacking in wits he might have a chance at such a life. I, on the other hand, crave more. It is truly unfortunate I am unable to sate my adventurous spirit more often.”

“Umm, I guess so.”

“How would you feel about such a life? Ample coin to spend however you wished? The finest of foods to dine upon? Your own seamstress to craft whatever finery you desired?”

“I’m not sure… It might be nice in some ways.”

Nassach caught Lucinda’s eyes and offered her a warm smile as they continued to follow behind the distant two members of his party.

“Then, why not find out?”

What? … Ah, crap.

“The words of my companions were highly unfortunate, and I can only apologise. However, they were not far off the mark. I find you to be a vision of exquisite beauty. The fiery red hair, the breathtaking blue of your eyes, and the delicate balance of feminine features you possess. Had I not been so stunned by the sight of you, I would have prevented my allies from embarrassing me so. Again, I can only apologise.”

“Ahh… I’m not sure what to say…” Lucinda stammered, her cheeks flushing brightly.

“I want you to come back with me to Oradas, once our task is complete. I can offer you a lifestyle precious few get to experience. You would want for nothing.”

Except freedom? Maybe if we hadn’t met like this I could actually consider it… He is nice looking. But, also a worshipper of a dark god…

“I realise this is an unusual location for courtship,” Nassach continued.

“Yes…” Lucinda hesitantly replied as she grasped for the right words. “I’ll… umm… think about it.”

Lucinda’s hope that her words might forestall Nassach’s interest was short-lived, as the man began recounting the many impressive deeds he had accomplished since gaining responsibility in his father’s company. With the focus of his retellings almost always being complex financial matters, Lucinda was all too aware of how the nuances slipped her by, yet she did not let it bother her. It was simply something she wasn’t interested in, but unfortunately, Nassach entirely failed to notice that lack.

The directions given to her by the deceased member of Drepar village would have led her east along the mountain range, but the harpies’ nest instead appeared to be located more to the north. Once Nassach had finished attempting to impress Lucinda, she found out there was good reason for its location, though the answer was fairly obvious. To better steal from the caravans, whether that theft be goods or people, the harpies naturally nested reasonably close to the pass that all those caravans had to travel through. What was less obvious, was the reasons for why the harpies mainly attacked traders belonging to Nassach’s employer. In fact it turned out no one was quite sure of the reasons, and that the group had also been tasked with looking for clues in the harpies’ nest.

Even travelling into a different section of the mountains as they were, the landscape remained unchanged. The ground was still littered with snow and sporadic greenery. For Lucinda, the only real differences were the increasingly colder weather, and the noticeably less pleasant company.

I can put up with Nassach and his boasting… But, those other two…

Having spent a large portion of the day with the wolves earlier, Lucinda was dismayed to see the beginning of night approach after only a reasonably short time with her travelling companions. It was all too soon in her opinion, but that did little to prevent the party from stopping and setting up camp just as the hours of darkness fell upon them. It also didn’t prevent Lucinda from crowding around the small fire, alongside the others.

“Lucinda, here,” Nassach said, as he handed Lucinda a small, lidded box that lay open. “It is a speciality dish from the far north of our homeland.”

Being reasonably hungry, Lucinda took the offered food without complaint. It seemed to consist of some form of meat, with some unfamiliar herbs and spices mixed in. Testing it with her nose, she then gave it a taste, and was pleasantly surprised by the powerful combination of flavours that assaulted her as a result.

“Mmm,” Lucinda said, offering a thankful smile to Nassach as she tried to voice her approval around a mouthful of food. “It’s good,” she added once she was able. “What’s in it?”

“Two herbs from the far north, one that grows in the icy waters, and another that grows upon the shore. The meat is baby seal, prepared in a unique way to provide that rich flavour you’ve no doubt detected.”

Baby seal… Too late to worry about that now, I guess.

“And to go with it: Oradas spiced wine.”

Lucinda was quite surprised to see two elaborate drinking glasses emerge from Nassach’s pack alongside the bottle that contained the alcoholic beverage, but trusting in her limited poison resistance to keep her level headed, she accepted one of them.

“May as well just give her all your gold while you’re at it,” Pwyn muttered from across the fire.

“Ignore her,” Nassach said with a smile that looked rather forced. “Drink.”

Suddenly wary, Lucinda took a small sip of her drink. The flavour of wine that she still wasn’t a big fan of met her immediately, but the mysterious spices on top helped make it more palatable, at least in her opinion. Even still, she let her first taste settle for a good while before daring to take another.

“Thanks, Nassach. I’ve never tried anything quite like either of these,” Lucinda admitted a short time into their shared meal.

“Think of it as but a small taste of what we in Oradas have to offer.”

The smile offered along with the man’s words made it clear his desire for her had not diminished, not that Lucinda had suspected otherwise. Feeling uncomfortable once again, she nodded simply in return.

“Pwyn, would you set up the tents?” Nassach asked the Wizard sometime later.

Lucinda felt a faint hint of sympathy for her fellow woman, even despite how little she liked her. But, it lasted only as long as it took for Pwyn to carry out the task she’d been given, which turned out to be less than a dozen seconds. The tents were retrieved from Pwyn’s pack, and with a quick spell magically animated themselves into position, leaving three white tents of reasonable size arranged neatly in the snow near the campfire. Lucinda was quite amazed to see magic used in such a way, though she tried her best to keep that emotion hidden.

“As you can see we have three tents between us. Each is easily large enough for two to share, but you are free to have one to yourself, if you so wish,” Nassach said to Lucinda.

A tent of her own sounded like a great way to spend a night out in the wilderness, however, Lucinda couldn’t shake the feeling of worry that filled her mind at the thought of sleeping anywhere near Nassach’s companions. Even with the oath the Hierophant had made, it simply seemed like she’d be far safer if she slept in a place known only to her.

“Thanks for the offer,” Lucinda said, trying her best to sound like she was actually grateful. “But, I think I’ll sleep elsewhere.”

“Are you certain?” Nassach asked with a look of some displeasure. “I have some fine fur bedding that really is most pleasant to sleep within. No harm will come to you.”

“I realise how much your oath means, and I’m grateful. But, I would just feel more comfortable outside.”

“Let her go,” Pwyn said, taking another opportunity to sneer at Lucinda as she did. “If she wants to slum it with the animals, I say let her.”

“I understand,” Nassach replied, ignoring Pwyn’s remark entirely. “Take care, and we’ll see you in the morning.”

Lucinda offered the man a nod, before turning and moving away from the camp.

Though their mountainous route had seemed mostly safe, Lucinda didn’t feel like risking herself by traversing new territory alone. Instead, she retraced their steps, using the light of the moon to guide her away from the sinister trio.

A tent and some warm fur bedding would have been nice… Why couldn’t I have met a party of nice people out here?

Once out of sight of the camp, Lucinda took a moment to consider her options for the night. The first thought she had was to sleep in a tree as one of her smaller forms, but she also reconsidered some of her earlier observations of her forms, including badgers and digging, and goats and climbing. But, in the end, she settled on badger.

Digging turned out to be a lot fun, even if it was also hard work. Near the base of a tree, Lucinda started her tunnel, and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to begin with. But, once she needed to force the dirt she dug through, further and further away from where she was digging, that changed. Then, even once she had a small underground room for her badger form to sleep within, she had to spend some more time smoothing out the displaced dirt, and then the layer of snow atop it, before she truly felt safe.

Finally content with her efforts, Lucinda curled her furry body up, and let herself drift into sleep.

Lucinda awoke to find she hadn’t been assaulted in her sleep, which came as a very welcome realisation. Instead, she was greeted by the chirping of birds, that reached her through the small tunnel that was the opening to her self dug cave. Taking a moment to take care of her needs, and freshen up, she soon set off back towards the camp.

She found Nassach and his allies sitting around a small fire, eating breakfast. Unsurprisingly, the Wizard woman shot her a baleful glare as she approached, while the men both smiled at her, if somewhat lewdly in Hallan’s case.

“Slept well?” Nassach asked, as Lucinda reluctantly sat opposite him.

“Well enough, thank you,” Lucinda replied. “Are we going to go over the plan for fighting these harpies today?”

Her obvious desire to skip the pleasantries wasn’t lost on the Hierophant, who frowned slightly as he devoured another spoonful of his breakfast.

“We can do that. What do you know of the beasts?”

“Umm, not all that much, honestly,” Lucinda admitted, trying her best to ignore the smug smirk that Pwyn directed at her. “I know they are half-bird, half-woman, and they charm people by singing, but that’s about it.”

“Great tits, harpies,” Hallan chipped in. “They like to keep ‘em bared too. Shame more women don’t do the same if you ask me.”

“No one was asking you, Hallan,” Nassach replied wearily. “They are monsters don’t forget.” Nassach shook his head at the other man, before turning back to Lucinda. “There is little else to add. Their tactics involve leveraging their ability to fly. Staying out of reach, striking from the air with swooping assaults, and so on.”

“How do you intend to fight them?” Lucinda asked.

“Hallan and I, will use our melee prowess to take them down when possible. Which will likely mean trying to catch them as they dive, or chasing any that are knocked out of the sky by Pwyn’s magic.”

“I’ll show those disgusting things real magic,” Pwyn said fiercely.

“She’s jealous of their size advantage,” Hallan said to Lucinda in a conspirational tone, before bringing his hands to his chest and hefting his imaginary bosom. “’Course, they’ll probably be jealous of you.”

Lucinda was almost amused by the man’s antics, but she was unable to forget the threats he’d thrown her way the day before, and had no intention of trying to forget them either. She offered a faint smile to the man along with her faintly blushing cheeks, hoping to placate him

“Lucinda, I’d like you to remain in animal form for most of the battle,” Nassach said, steering the conversation away from the topic of lewdness. “As you know, the harpies’ song is a danger to humans only. To elaborate, their magic has a chance to charm those that hear it, and while charmed those affected will attempt to assist the harpies in battle.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Lucinda said, grimacing in worry.

“A chance only,” Nassach continued. “If all goes well, we will remain unaffected and be able to attack them with impunity. Of course, if someone does get charmed, all it takes is a small amount of damage to cancel the effect.”

“Oh… Really?”

“Yes, believe me, it is that simple.”

Not quite as bad as I thought… That’s a relief.

“Therefore, it would be ideal if you could handle that aspect of combat. Keep your eyes peeled for signs of successful charming, and bite or scratch the affected, or whatever else your animal form is capable of.”

“Don’t even think of biting me,” Pwyn scoffed. “You’ll regret it.”

“Yeah?” Hallan said to the Wizard. “Not as much as you’ll regret it, if you hit me with any magic.”

“Piss off. I’m not afraid of you.”

The large man made it about halfway to his feet, before Nassach pushed him back down with one hand.

“If you two are finished, I think it’s about time we moved on,” he said. “Lucinda will be using her best judgement to remove the effects of anyone charmed. However, any inconsequential damage dealt while under the influence, even with how unlikely that is, will not be cause for recompense. Are we clear?”

“Was just having a bit of fun with her,” Hallan offered as an explanation for his actions, while Pwyn released a loud, annoyed noise in his direction.

Nassach sent Lucinda a half-smile across the firepit. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man and what he seemingly had to deal with on a regular basis.

Why does he travel with these two? Not that he’s free of blame…

Once the trio had finished their breakfast, and the tents and other gear had been packed away, Lucinda joined them on the trail of the harpies. The weather had remained mostly clear since the day before, but that didn’t prevent the temperature from staying as low as ever. Fortunately, Lucinda’s travelling cloak was still enough to keep her sufficiently warm, though she did find herself wondering how pleasantly warm the fur-lined outfits of the others might be from time to time.

As they continued north into the mountain range, Lucinda learnt that the answer to a number of questions that had come upon her during the night. Including the reason behind the trio travelling through the pass before scaling the mountains, which was not too surprisingly because there was no path leading to the nest area from their side of the pass. Another important titbit was how Nassach and his allies knew where the harpies were, and how to get to them. As it turned out, witness accounts and magic was the answer to the first of those questions, while maps was the response for the second.

With the journey to their destination taking a few hours, Lucinda had little to do but converse with her companions. Nassach continued his attempts to woo her with stories of his riches and other aspects of his life, that Lucinda was sure would be interesting to many, just not her. Hallan too joined in with stories of his own, though they were often crude to the extent that Lucinda was left feeling no small amount of discomfort. Pwyn, on the other hand, made little to no attempt to join in the discussions, at least other than to make hurtful remarks about Lucinda whenever she could.

As the terrain around them narrowed into small gaps between rocky walls, signifying they were closing in on the nest at last, Lucinda was feeling reasonably nervous about the upcoming engagement.

I’ll be glad when all this is over… When I can get back to finding an animal companion like I’m supposed to be doing!

During the final stretch of the journey, Lucinda was unlucky enough to open a small tear in her travelling cloak thanks to the rough rock faces they had to clamber through. But, she barely had time to lament that occurrence, as she and the others stumbled into a small open plain, that was quite obviously their true destination.

Hallan, who at Lucinda’s insistence had been at the front of their procession, was holding out a hand ahead of them, though there was really little need to him doing so. The area ahead was covered in snow like most everywhere else in the mountains, but unlike most everywhere else it had three harpies lounging about within it. They were much as Lucinda had learnt they would look, birds legs covered with colourful feathers on their lower half and winged arms, while the remainder of their upper bodies were those of reasonably pretty women. Lucinda also noted a fact that had been neglected from her school lessons, and matched up with Hallan’s earlier crude words: They wore no garments of any kind.

With the trio of creatures seemingly unaware of the invaders within their domain, Lucinda let her eyes roam about the nests that littered the area. They were in fact, exactly like bird nests. Comprised of twigs and other natural materials, they sat in a corner of the snow-covered area, rather than in a tree or similarly raised location. Unfortunately, they also contained within them the mutilated remains of what Lucinda was certain were human in origin.

The plan for their attack had already been decided upon, and Lucinda shifted into her wolf form almost as soon as the last of their group had staggered out of the narrow gap they’d reached the plain from. Nassach and Hallan drew their respective weapons, and then at a nod from the party leader, Lucinda advanced forwards with the group. Their approach was noticed before they got far.

“Look, Sisters!” one of the harpies called out in a high-pitched, screeching voice. “Fresh meat has wandered into our nest.”

“Tasty…” another of the harpies said in a noticeably quieter voice, while licking her lips in a way that caused Lucinda to shudder involuntarily.

“Yes! What fine specimens,” the third harpy added. “Two perfect substitutes for my poor deceased husband.”

Lucinda was faintly stunned to hear the three creatures speak. Everything she had heard and seen of them had led her to believe they were simple monsters, despite their human upper bodies. Yet, she was forced to change that opinion of them in short order.

“Don’t go getting greedy, Sister!” the first replied, showing little concern at the continual approach of Lucinda and the others. “We will share, as we always do. It was your own fault for eating him when he failed to please you, anyway.”

“I can hardly be blamed for that! I was hungry…”

“He tasted good…” the quieter harpy agreed.

“Pwyn,” Nassach said quietly, as he brought their approach to a stop.

Lucinda was on edge. The harpies nonchalant attitude, and the vicious talons they sported on their bird-like legs, was a powerful combination. Even with no sign of worry from her companions, she couldn’t push aside her own concerns. But, that did not stop her from beginning a spell of her own to match Pwyn’s.

As her and Pwyn’s magic was coaxed to completion, Nassach began an ominous chant, with the deep words he whispered quietly, sending shivers of discomfort through Lucinda’s wolf body. Hallan, meanwhile, had moved to the front of the group for defence.

Amazingly, the harpies continued to chat amongst themselves all the way up until the first spell from Pwyn was unleashed. Lucinda had been trying to convince herself it was all an act, and not because they were in fact completely unthreatened, but it had been difficult. Thankfully, she no longer had to worry about that, when several icy stalagmites shot up from the snow the harpies lounged upon.

“You missed,” Hallan said with a bark of laughter.

“Shut it!” Pwyn replied as she moved to cast another spell.

The stalagmites had missed almost entirely, with one grazing the quieter of the three harpies as they launched into the air. Lucinda was dismayed that the impressive display of magical power had done little to their adversaries, but was relieved that the monsters were in fact prepared for a battle after all. Unfortunately, it also meant Lucinda’s spell was suddenly far less likely to hit anything, or would have been if two of the harpies hadn’t transitioned into a diving attack almost immediately.

Lucinda’s Scorching Orb spell finished and with a woosh of fiery magic, propelled the small ball towards the closer of the two rapidly approaching harpies, and to her relief, collided neatly with one of its wings, releasing a small explosion of flame as it did. The force of the blow was enough to interrupt the creature’s own attack, causing it to veer off mid-flight, and narrowly avoid crashing into the rocky walls surrounding the area.

“See, that’s how it’s done,” Hallan shouted, adding another barking laugh to his words.

Distracted by her efforts to hit her target, Lucinda had missed the results of the second swooping harpy, but a quick glance at the others revealed no visible injuries. Spotting the other harpy flapping over to rejoin her sisters, Lucinda could only assume Hallan had deterred it, as Nassach and Pwyn, were casting yet more spells.

Nassach’s second spell sent glowing waves of magical energy coursing over him and the rest of the group which Lucinda was pleased to see, increased her maximum health, while Pwyn’s brought several icy shards into existence before her, which then shot off one by one towards the three harpies. Lucinda had contemplated casting another spell herself, but with the harpies congregating a bit past what she believed to be her effective range, she held back. It was then that three semi-avian creatures began singing.

Despite herself, Lucinda whined in discomfort as the discordant melody reached her. While the harpies’ voices had seemed reasonably normal, their singing voices were anything but. However, she did recognise the moment as a chance to start slinging spells at the stationary trio, yet she knew it was her job to watch for signs of altered behaviour in the three humans close by. The echoing singing reduced in volume temporarily, as Pwyn’s spell crashed into the unmoving targets, but Lucinda was too closely watching her charges to be able to accurately observe its results.

Pwyn and Nassach were casting again, while Hallan had his eyes focussed on the distant monsters, and Lucinda was feeling hopeful that the singing was having no effect. That then changed once Nassach’s spell finished. Another wave of dark magical energy covered his body, and then in one smooth motion, he took his mace in hand, and lunged at Lucinda.

Lucinda wasn’t entirely caught off guard, and as a result managed to mostly avoid the hit. Even still, she growled in pain as the mace struck her side, causing about a third of her health to vanish before her eyes.

Crap! So much?

Fortunately, the man’s attacks were powerful, but somewhat sluggish, and as the next swing flew towards her, she managed to avoid it entirely, before lashing out with her fangs, catching Nassach’s gloved hand and grazing the flesh beneath. The man’s eyes flew wide as the charm effect broke.

“Apologies,” Nassach said, before turning back towards the creatures that had afflicted him.

Had she been in human form, and not in the middle of casting a healing spell on herself, Lucinda might have responded. Instead, Hallan stepped in.

“Now, you’re getting it,” Hallan boomed out with amusement in his voice. “Beating women into submission always works!”

“Hallan, focus on the battle,” Nassach replied diplomatically, though his voice held a hint of tension.

“Just as soon as they stop flying, I’ll be ready to maim the lot of them. Don’t worry about it.”

With their attempts at charming the group having produced little in the way of results, the harpies adjusted their strategy. Splitting apart, they began circling around until Lucinda and the others were beset by the monsters on three sides. Then, the harpies began attacking in earnest.

It was quite a difficult strategy to deal with, as one or more of the harpies would suddenly swoop down for a fly-by attack with razor-sharp talons, before retreating back to the sky. However, between avoiding Lucinda’s, Nassach’s, and Hallan’s reactionary strikes, the harpies too, had a difficult time dishing out any real damage.

Lucinda was almost wondering if the apparent stalemate would continue on indefinitely, when a crushing blow from Nassach collided with a swooping harpy’s wing, bringing it to the ground forcefully, and from there, Hallan fell upon the creature without mercy, slaying it with a barrage of axe swings that ended its life swiftly.

The loss of one of their number, did little to dissuade the remaining harpies. They continued to attack in much the same way, including more bouts of singing, which ended with Pwyn blasting an ice spell straight towards Lucinda and the others, allowing Lucinda to bite the Wizard on the leg in reply, and also another attempt at friendly fire from Nassach, whose sudden attack was parried by Hallan, before Lucinda brought him out of the charm spell.

Several more minutes stretched by before another harpy was defeated. Lucinda had tried her best to cripple them as they flew by, but it was Hallan who brought down the second of them, his axe swing tearing through a feathered wing without mercy. That just left the final harpy, which Lucinda launched several spells at alongside Pwyn. Lucinda scored two hits out of four with Scorching Orb, while Pwyn pelted it with several casts of icy projectiles, and soon enough its ability to fly was hindered enough for a ground assault to finish it off.

Of course, none of the group had escaped getting raked by talons, and Lucinda was intensely relieved when victory finally became theirs.

“Good work everyone,” Nassach announced as the final harpy perished. “Lucinda, would you help me with healing?”

“Sure,” Lucinda replied, as soon as she was back in human form.

With her mana still depleted from the battle, Lucinda only managed a single heal spell before she needed a break, but it seemed Nassach was in a similar position. Once they were done, just a short time later, Nassach addressed the group once more.

“Let us investigate their nests. Hallan, would you de-claw them and then join us?”

As Hallan moved off to the nearest harpy body, Lucinda followed after Nassach and Pwyn towards the nests. The faint smell of death and other unpleasant aromas only increased in strength as they moved closer, and Lucinda was soon feeling somewhat ill.

“Maybe you should go join, Hallan?” Pwyn said with a typical sneer. “If you can’t stomach a bit of blood, that is. I’m sure he’d welcome your company with open arms.”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Lucinda replied with an attempt at pleasantness.

I guess it was too much to hope that she might hate me less after battling together. I suppose I could have bitten her leg a bit less enthusiastically…

Despite her claim, Lucinda chose to stay a short distance away from the bloody viscera that filled two of the three nests. Nassach, on the other hand, did not, and Lucinda soon realised why, when he revealed the two large eggs he had found.

“Reasonably valuable,” he remarked, as he passed them to Pwyn.

Lucinda’s reply was cut short, as she watched the two head-sized eggs disappear into a bag Pwyn carried, that was for all appearances far too small to carry even one of the things.

“Poor bastard,” Nassach suddenly muttered, partway through his search of the second bloody nest. “One of the ‘husbands’ is still alive,” he offered by way of explanation.

“By husband…You mean…?” Lucinda asked, though she feared the answer she might receive.

“You really are clueless,” Pwyn said with a mocking laugh. “They capture men and enslave them with their magic. All for the purpose of producing more of the disgusting things.”

“Oh…How horrible.”

They didn’t mention that in school… No wonder.

“Wait, he’s still alive? Why aren’t you pulling him out of there?”

Nassach turned and sent an apologetic smile in Lucinda’s direction.

“There’s not much point in doing so. Continued exposure to harpy charm magic turns a man’s brain to mush. See for yourself if you don’t believe me.”

The thought of wading into the unpleasant mess that was the harpy’s nest held Lucinda back at first, but her concern for the man in question soon won out. Moving forwards to where Nassach had indicated, Lucinda found the so-called husband. He looked like a fairly average man, but his condition was troubling. He was lying on his back, staring up at the sky unblinkingly, with a stupid smile firmly fixed upon his face, and was also without a stitch of clothing upon him.

“Hello?” Lucinda called out.

Not receiving a response, Lucinda tried again, and then moved forward to shake the man’s shoulder. Nothing seemed to work, as he remained perfectly still, seemingly oblivious of the world around him.

“Isn’t there something we can do?” Lucinda asked Nassach. “Can’t you remove the magic affecting him?” she asked Pwyn.

“Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do,” Nassach replied. “At least, other than put him down.”

“Ah… Really?” Lucinda asked hopelessly. “That just seems so cruel.”

“His fault for getting captured,” Pwyn replied. “Unless he’s the type that let himself be captured willingly.”

“Who could possibly want that?”

“That’s men for you. Always thinking with the wrong part of their body.”

“Would you care to send him off?” Nassach asked Lucinda. “He may be worth some experience.”

“Oh… I hadn’t thought of that. That makes it seem even worse…”

“No wonder you live out in the wilderness, no one could put up with your pathetic mewling for long,” Pwyn said, her words cutting past the barriers Lucinda had built against her never-ending verbal jabs.

“Enough, Pwyn,” Nassach shouted out. “How many times must I command you to cease with your disparaging?”

“I’ll stop when she’s gone.”

“You want me to take her off to a quiet spot and shut her up?” Hallan asked as he returned to the group.

“Try it, and you’re dead,” Pwyn hissed.

Ah, I can’t wait to be on my own again…

“Shall I finish him, then?” Lucinda asked with a weary sigh of sadness.

“We all wish there was another way,” Nassach replied, eliciting a chuckle from Hallan, and a scoff from Pwyn.

Lucinda retrieved her knife from her pack and moved over to the charmed man. With a heavy heart, she put an end to his brainwashed existence. The man died without crying out in pain, or losing the smile that he wore, which only disturbed Lucinda more. Stepping away from his body, she couldn’t help but notice the lack of a status notification, despite not really wanting to know how much experience his death might have given her.

“Are we done here?” she asked.

“I believe so,” Nassach replied. “Not much in terms of loot to appropriate it would appear. Let me get cleaned up, and we can depart.”

Before long, Lucinda was walking beside Nassach, as they returned back the way they had come. Her relief at having completed the task without too much trouble was immense, and only hindered slightly by the words of the party leader beside her. With their time inevitably coming to a close, Nassach’s attempts at earning her interest ramped up in intensity, and Lucinda was soon beginning to worry for her safety once more.

Fortunately, by around late afternoon, they arrived more or less where their initial meeting had taken place, without incident. At least until Nassach pulled Lucinda aside, and encouraged the other two to give them some room.

“I believe our deal is concluded,” Nassach said with a small smile on his lips. “You fought well back there, as I believe I’ve mentioned already.”

“Thank you,” Lucinda replied amicably. “I’ll be going then.”

“My offer still stands: Come back with me. Your beauty has only grown on me during our time together, truly you are breathtaking.”

“Sorry, Nassach. I… Don’t think it would work out.”

“Because of them? I can send them away, you need never see either of them again!”

“No… Well, yes, they really don’t seem like nice people. But, there’s more to it than that… And I have things to do here. Things that I need to do alone.”

Lucinda felt a mixture of concern for her own well being, and sympathy for the man she was turning down as his expression turned crestfallen. He stared into her eyes for several uncomfortable moments, before speaking again.

“I understand… It is painful to accept, but, I understand. How I wish we had met without Pwyn and Hallan to sour things.” Nassach released an unhappy sigh. “If you change your mind… Or even if you just find yourself wandering in Oradas, I’d be more than willing to show you around. In fact, I’d be honoured to have you visit me.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” Lucinda replied, offering Nassach a faint smile as she did. “I can’t promise anything, but, if I’m in the area…”

“You won’t have any trouble finding me. The Arged name is known by most. Then, this is farewell for now. Which means I must give you a gift.”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to. Really!”

“But, I do. It is a tradition in Oradas, you see.”

“We’re not in Oradas…”

Nassach laughed loudly in response to Lucinda’s words, but didn’t stop rummaging around in his pack. His hand emerged again, wrapped around the small box that she had eaten from the day before.

“There is no food left within, of course. However, the box itself is enchanted to preserve any future items you place within it.”

Lucinda desperately tried to think up some excuse that might convince the Hierophant to cease his gift-giving attempts, but could find nothing suitable. Instead, she reluctantly reached out and took the box without further complaint.

“Thank you. I’m sure I’ll find a use for it.”

“Then, I bid you farewell, Lucinda the Druid. May we meet again.” Nassach offered Lucinda a small bow.

“Goodbye, Nassach,” Lucinda replied simply, adding a one-handed wave.

Lucinda watched him leave, and quietly sighed in relief at the drastic increase in her personal safety his departure signified.

Why couldn’t he have been a Paladin…?