Johna and Noah made their way back to Ogon in silence. The few hours of sleep they'd gotten in the dungeon was far from enough but they would just have to endure the rest of the day while sleep deprived. They would manage. It wasn't the first time they'd gone through this after all.

Johna couldn't help but grin a bit. Despite the surreal things they'd gone through after discovering the dungeon, they'd still managed to stick to the same old routines. Sleep a few hours after the moon's influence has ended. Wait until a few hours after the sun has risen before drinking Noah's blood to ensure no lingering madness endangers him. Chugg the sun-protection-potion to avoid catching fire while outside. Walk back to civilization and pretend like he hadn't been a raging monster just hours earlier. Same old, same old. Except there had been a few more rats interfering than the times they hid in various different sewer systems. They'd also used spider-threads instead of chains or ropes. Being watched over by a sentient entity who's very existence is the embodiment and conscience of a magical den of monsters was a new one too though. Perhaps they had deviated a bit further from their routines after all.

Johna shrugged. No matter. It worked out so why complain about the shenanigans of monsters. They were friendly monsters so what's the worst that could happen?

Johna snapped out of his thoughts as he and Noah entered the village. Judging from the sun's position it was close to noon and people were bustling about as expected. Noah stopped abruptly just as they had stepped out of the bushes and into the village itself.

"Something's happened."

Noah watched the franctic activity with a frown. People were running around more than usual and the guards looked agitated. They spotted Krystal talking to the mayor. Her face looked grim and the mayor's face kept switching from a furious red to a ghastly white as he gestured and half shouted. Krystal turned around and spotted the adventurer duo. She waved them over.

Johna felt a shiver run down his spine as they approached. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Where have you two been? Noah, you look like shit, did you not sleep at all?"

"We were out in the woods. I had to perform some minor rituals to please Mother nature-"

"In the middle of the night?! What about Johna?"

"The full moon brings out normally dormant magic from nature. It's the perfect time to perform rituals and prayers. Johna was watching my back while I worked."

Johna nodded. Krystal didn't look entirely convinced, the mayor did though and he quickly took over before Krystal could pry for more info.

"Did you see something in the woods? Any animals acting strange or- or any monsters?"

"Monsters? What happened?" Krystal narrowed her eyes. The monk was hiding something. He was far too eager to switch the subject. Krystal put a hand on the mayor's shoulder. The shorter man calmed down a bit and let the caravan-chief explain.

"Chow's group has been killed. They were seen entering the forest last night and didn't return. The mayor sent out some guards to look for them. They found the rather grizzly remains of 3 people. A local hunter has confirmed that the were killed last night and the equipment found matches the stuff Chow's group had."

The monk and the dancer looked pale. Noah remembered the things Johna had said about smelling blood while he was affected by the moon. Johna on the other hand only had vague memories of what happened last night. He wondered if one of the dungeon's creature could have done it but quickly discarded the idea. Those creatures were far too obsessed with befriending humans to do something as stupid as killing them. Maybe Chow's group attacked them? If they were the ones that started a fight then maybe the creatures had seen it as a justified reaction to kill them. No, those city thugs would have fled from pretty much any of the creatures. They weren't used to handling monsters so no way they would have stood their ground if faced by a pack of overgrown rodents.

Krystal broke him out of his thoughts by clearing her throat. She lowered her voice and said:

"One thing the others doesn't know yet is that Chow's group was following you two into the forest. And now you two are back and they aren't. You realize what that means right?"

The mayor stared at Krystal then at the duo. His face grew pale as realization dawned upon him.

"You- you couldn't have-..."

"No! Of course not! We didn't even notice them following us."

Noah looked offended that they'd suspect them. Johna kept his eyes on the ground while deep in thought. Krystal crossed her arms and watched the two. She'd seen the remains. Hadn't it been for the clearly human equipment thrown about near the piles of blood and bones then no one would even have guessed that they had once been human. The bones had all been broken and gnawed clean from flesh. Something had spent a long time making sure that nothing edible was left behind. It was also highly possible that it was more than one creature. The many foot- and hand- prints that covered the area around the remains looked human. The creatures had been barefoot and of varying sizes. There were both small and large prints. If Noah and Johna had taken part in the murder then they wouldn't have been alone.

The most concerning part were that the remains had been picked clean, not even bone marrow remained.

"Mayor, where's the best place to do an Appraisal?"

"Eh? Full- Uh, the jail or a meeting room in the town-hall. Why?"

It was a long shot but it should draw some suspicion away from the adventurer duo. There were no animal tracks near the remains so the ones that had eaten the corpses must have been the humanoid killers. There's also the chance that a monster would have human-like feet but trolls, goblins, and other humanoid monsters weren't exactly stealthy. If such monsters lived nearby then the villagers would know. So if Johna and Noah had partaken in the murder there is a chance that they'd eaten their share as well, which in turn would give them a Title like Man-eater.

"The murderers ate the corpses. If Noah and Johna are guilty then they'll have the Man-eater Title."

"Ooh, I see! Yes, that makes sense. Let's go to the town-hall and find out then."

The mayor quickly turned around and began walking towards the town-hall, which also happened to be his house. Krystal made to follow but stopped when she saw how pale Johna had turned.

"You didn't actually do it, did you?"

"No..."

"Then why so pale. An appraisal should get you clear?"

"I... I have..."

Johna looked to Noah for help. The monk wore a grim face but remained silent. He was thinking furiously. Johna turned back to Krystal and said in a small voice:

"I have some... Titles and Skills that I'd rather not show others... It was a long time ago I got them but Skills and Titles don't disappear you know..."

Krystal crossed her arms over her chest. Johna shrunk back and lowered his gaze.

"Bad enough to get suspected for murder and cannibalism? How troublesome of a past do you have?"

"Very bad..."

"Mayor's not gonna buy that. And I'm not entirely convinced either, yet. You realize how this makes you look right? Shady as fuck. And there's just been a bloody murder in the woods and you still want to stay all shady and secretive? Hell, if you're unlucky you might even get framed for this shit. You're giving them too many things to suspect."

Johna was just about to answer when a bloodcurdling scream made all three whip around and stare into the forest. A villager came running as if chased by Death herself. Blood gushed from deep scratch marks on his head and shoulders. He somehow managed to scream through his gasps for air.

"DEMONS! THERE ARE DEMONS IN THE FOREST!"

The wounded man collapsed at the edge of the forest just as people started rushing either towards the forest to help the man or in the opposite direction, either to inform the guards who weren't in the forest or to just hide at home.

Krystal turned around to give her two remaining hired adventurers orders and was met with the sight of them diving into the bushes. She swore in disbelief.

"They fucking booked it!?"

A monk and a dancer ran through a forest. Chasing them was a red-haired powerhouse of a woman who now highly suspected them both of being involved in a murder. The woman mentioned above was also very proficient at swearing but we will be leaving the details out since the author is not.

Johna was not very good at swearing.

"Shit, shit, shit, fuck, shit, fucking hell, fu-"

The dancer's foot got caught in an exposed root and he nearly fell over. Noah didn't miss a beat and caught his friend by the scruff of his neck, threw him over his shoulder and kept on running. Behind them, Krystal roared at the absurdity of that reaction. Noah ran at impossible speeds for his build and robes that should restrict his movement. It was as if the under vegetation moved to make way for him.

Krystal wheezed a remark about "how Mother Nature is a bloody cunt who looks after her thrice-damned followers at the worst fucking time."She would offer Mother Nature an apology later. A traveler had no business insulting the deity of nature. Not that said deity would give a single shit about one lifeform spouting insults about her in the heat of the moment.

Another root tried to trip Krystal over, and just like the rest, it was ripped up from the ground by her momentum and strength. The greenery grew darker around her as she chased the duo until the leaves looked almost black and the bark either white or gray. It was eery enough to get her attention for a split second but not enough to slow her down.

The monstrous wolf that shot out from the bushes was though. It barreled towards the fleeing duo and then leaped over them and landed a breath too close from Krystal's face. She stopped dead in her tracks, lost her balance, and fell on her ass. Noah had dropped Johna and they both were cowering behind the enormous beast. It glared at her with 5 yellow eyes. A deep feminine voice rang out in her head as the wolf opened its jaws and reared its head.

"Who the hell are you?! Why are you chasing my friends?!"

Krystal swallowed as the wolf stared her down, but she stood her ground. Correction: she stood her ground after she had sat up and risen to meet the wolf's furious gaze.

"Those two are suspected of murder. They tried to flee so I chased them. Now, what the hell are you supposed to be?!"

"I am Fanv, and you stand in my territory."

"Your territory? Are you that thing the villagers have declared a Guardian?"

"Indeed I am! You will follow me to my lair and there we will all sort out what this is about, ok?"

Noah tried to protest. "No, Fanv wai-"

"Shut! Did you murder the person she thinks you murdered?"

"No!"

"No!"

"Does she believe you?"

"No! Those shady bastar-"

"Then shut up and follow me! To the lair!"

It is a bit hard to say no to a monster-wolf twice the size of a bear. Krystal thought to herself that she might have been able to take her in a fight. But a smaller wolf had appeared from a bush next to her. It was identical to the bigger one and a small herd of absurdly large rodents had sneered from behind the bushes. Wolf lady had allies. Better play along for now.