"This part of the forest looks kind of strange... Are the plants sick?"

Johna shrugged from the fallen tree he was sitting on. His monk friend Noah continued to mumble about sick trees and corrupted earth as he rustled through bushes and touched seemingly random rocks. They'd been wandering the woods for hours now with nothing to show for their effort.

"Maybe they're supposed to be black. You haven't been to these woods before, have you?"

Noah waved away that suggestion without taking his eyes off the tree he was currently inspecting.

"No no, these are oaks and maple trees according to my [Identify Plant] Skill. Oaks and Maple shouldn't be this color and the leaves are way too big..."

"Do a full appraisal? That should give you all the details you need."

"Full appraisal takes way too much time," Noah turned away from the tree as he spoke. "Besides, we're not here to look at plants. Are you ready to continue searching?"

Johna let his head loll back and stared at the ceiling of black leaves.

"We've practically combed through the forest already. We should just bury me in a hole during the full moon. It's not like it would actually kill me."

"You hate getting suffocated."

"I hate attacking you more."

Both kept quiet for a while, thinking through their options. Noah was the first to break the silence.

"We could ask the villagers about borrowing someone's basement? Surely there's-"

"Villagers are way too nosy. They'd find us out in no time and then I'd either go berserk in the village or someone would manage to cut my head off."

The monk crossed his arms and frowned in thought. His companion kept staring at the branches above while bouncing his leg. The dancer was growing more and more restless. Noah turned to survey the surrounding forest. The gray trees with their oily black leaves looked eery and uninviting. He sighed and turned back to Johna.

"Let's keep looking. We haven't gone far into this part of the forest. Maybe these strange trees hold a secret hideout or two."

"The abandoned cabin in The Edge was a fluke. Secret cabins with sturdy, lockable basements aren't exactly common."

"Come on Johna, don't be such a pessimist. Lady Luck has been kind to us so far, let's not offend her with doubt."

The dancer sighed again but rose from his seat. It took some coaxing but soon they were on their way through the forest again. The sun was setting above, encouraging any outsider to go back to the safety of their home. The monk and the dancer simply switched places, having Johna lead them through the forest instead. The monk saw next to nothing past the veil of darkness, the huge black leaves above blocked the otherwise bright light of the nearly full moon. Johna, on the other hand, had no trouble seeing through the dark. His faintly glowing red eyes revealed to anyone watching that his nightvision was not a human attribute.

The pair walked slowly through the thickening underbrush and would have gotten way further through the forest had Johna not frozen midstep, nearly making Noah walk right into him. Noah was about to say something when he too saw the 5 glowing eyes locked on them. The wolf rose from its crouch and the pair felt their hearts stop at the sight of it. Its limbs seemed to unfold and extend as the beast rose, revealing abnormally long legs and a snake-like neck. It opened its maw slowly, revealing rows of wicked teeth and a red tongue, seemingly the only spot of color besides the eyes. A deep yet feminine voice filled their heads and it took them a moment to figure out that it was the wolf speaking.

"Who are you? Why are you in the forest at night?"

The two humans in front of Fanv just gaped at her, apparently too startled by her sudden appearance to answer. The bald one wore dark blue robes and was tall enough to meet Fanv's eyes without looking upwards. The shorter one wore slightly more ornate clothing than your average commoner. Colorful shawls were wrapped around his arms and waist, both to look pretty and supposedly to hide some equipment. The dagger hilt sticking up from behind one of them supporting that idea.

The bald man broke out of his shock first and his voice was enough to put his companion on alert as he spoke.

"My name is Noah. This is my companion Johna. We are travelers looking for a place to spend tomorrows night in peace away from others. May I ask who you are?"

The man named Noah spoke with respect and carefully chosen words. His companion was slowly grasping his dagger in what he must have been a very hard to notice way for anyone with less than 5 eyes. Fanv's sensitive eyes picked up on the small movement though. She acted as if she hadn't noticed it to keep form alerting them. She cleared her throat and tried to sound as dignified and confident as possible.

"My name is Fanv and I guard this part of the woods. Tomorrow is a full moon, it is not safe for humans to stay in the forest during that time."

The humans shifted a bit at that. Of course, they'd heard the stories of the Forest Guardian. The one that had taken the Mayor's son and saved the women kidnapped by bandits. She was a shapeshifter and had claimed Ogon as part of her territory. Other than that, little else was known about the mysterious being. Johna steeled himself and locked eyes with the wolf. If anyone knew of a place to keep him trapped for an entire night then it would be the Guardian of the place.

"We know it is not safe. That is why we are here. We need a place to keep me detained during tomorrow night."

The Guardian looked confused. She glanced at them both before opening her mouth again.

"Why?"

Johna was a bit taken aback by the short reply. He looked at Noah for advice. Other sentient races didn't exactly like his kind and he had no idea how the Guardian would react if they told her. Noah looked as unsure as him, but thankfully he sounded more confident than Johna felt when he spoke to the wolf.

"My companion is a vampire. The full moon makes him lose his mind and attack friends and foes alike. He does not want that so we lock him up during those times, but the thing we've used the past couple of months is now unusable..."

The box reinforced with metal and padding to soundproof had suffered greatly in Jerry's little wagon incident. They even suspected the man had removed some of the parts from it to use in his so called 'upgrades'. It was now broken and way to weak to suppress a raging vampire. Thankfully the potions used to lessen the damage the sun caused Johna had been stored elsewhere and were unharmed.

Fanv stared at the pair in front of her. A vampire? A real vampire? Wow. And they grow mad during the full moon as well? She didn't know that. Vampires are way too rare and secretive so very little is known about them. They're considered sane enough to be part of the sentient races but they're not exactly a loved race. Their thirst for the blood of their former race makes them outcasts at best, executed at worst. The only real reason they're tolerated is the their talent for politics and manipulation. The huge island to the northeast called Duskdale is almost entirely ruled by vampires and their military power is nothing to sneeze at. A country where the sun's light is pale as the moon and the cities are made underground to shield the rulers from the sun- speaking of which-

"How do you travel? Don't you burn in the sun?"

The humans- human and vampire, looked at her in surprise. This was not the reaction they'd expected. Johna was the one who answered.

"I'm a relatively young vampire. I've only been one for about 2 years so the effects aren't as strong yet. I can avoid getting burned by using potions and enchantments. It should work for another 2 years at least."

"So the effects increase with age? Will you go madder the older you are then?"

"Erh, no... The madness gets a bit better I think. Or I get meaner and more like my mad self. I'm not sure... But older vampires have more trouble with the sun and some herbs and stuff."

"Like garlic?"

"...Yes, garlic."

"Can you turn into a bat? Or walk on the ceiling?"

Noah cleared his throat to get the wolf's attention away from the now clearly uncomfortable vampire.

"So now you know our reason. Do you know of any place that could keep him trapped for long enough?"

The wolf scratched itself behind its ear and closed its eyes in thought. She seemed conflicted about something. Johna and Noah waited for her to decide. Noah was tempted to use his [Identify Animal] Skill on her but past experiences had revealed that the Skill spooked or annoyed the animals it was used on and he didn't want to risk upsetting her. After awhile Fanv finally made up her mind and spoke to them again.

"Aight, I got a place and a way that should work but we must ask Maker if she's ok with it. If Maker says you can't stay then there's not much I can do."

The pair gave her questioning looks. "Who's Maker?", they both asked. Fanv stumbled over her words a bit, unsure about how to reveal the whole "We are actually a dungeon" to the outsiders.

"You know about dungeons right?"

"Ah, yes. We're adventurers so we know a lot about them. Never been to one though, I and Noah are not skilled enough just yet and we'd need more people to explore one. A party of 5 is recommended."

"Adventurers... Don't tell Maker that ok? Let me tell her or she might snap."

Fanv rose and started leading them towards the cave entrance. Johna seemed a bit suspicious about Maker.

"Who is this Maker, and why doesn't she like adventurers?"

"Ah, you see... Maker is... A Dungeon Lord. Lady? Dungeon Lady."

Both Johna and Noah stopped and stared at Fanv in disbelief and alarm. Johna spoke while Noah crossed his arms and started contemplating something.

"A Dungeon Lady? Like, the strongest creature that protects the core of a dungeon? A monster?"

"Don't be rude. She's no more monster than I am."

"You're not a Guardian are you?..."

"I mean, not exactly. I guard the dungeon but I'm not a magical embodiment of an area."

"Then what are you?"

"A Visvarg."

"A what??"

"Visvarg. Evolved werewolf. Maker saved my life and made me stronger. I am the first of my kind."

"That makes sense..." Noah's comment was ignored.

"So you're a monster too?!"

"Hey, I'm perfectly human. All and any fights between me and other humans have been the human's fault! Doesn't your kind eat humans? What's so different from you and me?"

"I-... I don't... I don't kill others to drink blood. Drinking blood can be done without killing."

"You drink from the bandits we kill. She has a point."

"Quiet. It's not the same."

"Werewolves could totally be part of the sentient races if people just stopped trying to kill them on sight."

"Werewolves are mad all the time! They eat people cause they think it's fun! I drink blood cause I'd die otherwise!"

"Lies! We're only mad when affected by [Frenzy]. Surely you act funny too when there's blood everywhere and people are dying."

"[Frenzy]? So you're born with a Skill? Only monsters are born with Skills! Skills are used for violence. Monsters are born to be violent!"

"Listen here you little runt, Skills are gained through certain actions. Everyone knows that! And werewolves hunt food, like deer and rabbits, so of course, they gain Skills easier. You won't get a combat Skill from buying a sausage in the marketplace! I didn't even get [Maneater] until waaay later-"

"YOU HAVE [Maneater]?!"

"Oh shut up Johna, you have [Vampire], it works nearly the same. You crave blood and she craves flesh. You're working yourself up over useless stuff again. It's the moon. Take a deep breath."

The trembling blond did as told and took some deep breaths to calm down. The monk patted him on the back when he stopped shaking.

"I apologize for my friend. He get's anxious this close to the full moon."

"You're a sissy, Johna. Get your shit together, you're almost as explosive as I was before I evolved."

The vampire tried to retort but was quickly stopped by Noah. The underbrush was starting to grow less dense and up ahead a familiar slope appeared. The odd group was greeted by a breathtaking sight as the few trees surrounding the clearing gave way to let the moonlight flood the area. Tall stone gates stretched towards the sky, grasping at the stars above. The ancient ruins covered in moss and vegetation loomed over the group as they descended the slope and entered the clearing. The red glow of fruits and flowers hidden behind black leaves made the sky look more black than blue. Fanv puffed out her chest in pride as she watched the two stare in awe at Maker's handiwork. She took the chance to inform Maker and the others about their arrival so that Maker could move her core if she wanted to.

"Welcome to Mageon, the pale dungeon! Please be respectful of the resident creatures and don't pick fights or you'll be eaten in seconds."