Hattie woke up early as usual. After a quick bite of bread and jam, she packed her stuff.

"Can you wait till lunch to eat?" Hattie asked the wolf.

Monte didn't mind. Hattie appreciated his patience.

Hattie made her way downstairs. Eudora was there, and Hattie almost felt as if the propreitress had never left, and had manned the floor the entire night. Eudora served breakfast to a couple, two middle aged lodgers. The breakfast smelled so hearty and good, Hattie somewhat regretted not paying for it.

Hatie shook her head and reminded herself of her now limited funds. She wished Eudora a pleasant day and set off for the guild. Outside, the sky was cloudy, the air tinged with humidity.

She hurried down the streets to the Adventurer's Guild, Monte padding next to her.

"No need to wear you unnecessarily," Hattie told Monte, "The roads here are quite even and there's no reason to rush. And I enjoy walking these streets."

They turned down another street. A young mother was sweeping outside her door, and paused to greet Hattie. Hattie responded in like, and let the woman pat Monte's head. As they walked away, Monte sent her a sense of satisfaction.

"You funny thing--attention seeking, are you?" she said. Monte was amused at her comment.

Hattie was impressed with the way their bond had coalesced in such a short time. The constant proximity and agreement they'd made must've helped, Hattie surmised. But the complexity of Monte's communication did seem strange. Hattie glanced at her partner, an uneasy feeling shadowing her mood for a moment. But her fears were baseless at this point, so she brushed off the bad mood and focused on her upcoming trip. This would be her first real mission as an adventurer. Today would be a real step forward in doing something wonderous.

"I do wonder what Ally's team is like," she said, as she thought about what the day woud bring.

Hattie arrived at the guild, and saw Ally, along with a group of young men and women were already there. They were no fresh faced recruits, that was certain. From the way they held themselves, to their well kept, if somewhat scuffed equipment and supply bags.

"Miss Hattie," Ally waved her over, "This is my brother, Alex, and our teammates, Alastrina and Balewin."

Hattie walked over to the group, and smiled at them. Alastrina, who wore her hair in intricate braids that Hattie knew even some of the maid's back at Derington Binding would have had trouble twisting into shape, stepped forward.

"Hello, and please call me Trina," she made a face, "Alastrina is too much of a mouthful."

"It's a beautiful name, my dear, but I shall call you Trina if you insist," Hattie gestured to the wolf, "This is Monte. His help will ensure I don't keep you moving at a snail's pace, and," Hattie lowered her voice, "he knows how to defend himself as needed."

Balewin smiled, "Ally's said you're a game changer, Miss Hattie." Balewin was a sturdy young man, hefty and muscular.

Hattie chuckled, "What praise. Thank you."

"We've already registered for the mission, and we have all our supplies ready," Alex said. Hattie got a strong sense that Ally’s brother was not pleased Hattie had joined their team. Well, she was going to prove her worth, and then he would have no reason to be irritated about her presence. The staunchest allies often took time to warm up to you. But once they did, they stayed through fire and storm.

"So," Alex continued, "we can move out now. We're headed to Valehdart Forest. There've been complaints about an overly aggressive Agnibear, and we'll also be culling our usual."

Alex looked at Hattie, and as a way of explanation, said, "Roggs."

Hattie didn’t have the faintest clue what a rogg was.

Ally, noting her confusion, elaborated, "Total pests. Most monsters are plain dangerous, and great for profit, but roggs also mess with the local ecosystem."

“Ah ha,” Hattie said.

Explanations finished, Hattie swung her leg over Monte’s back, and the group headed out of town towards Valehdart Forest. The young adventurers moved at an almost inhuman speed, and Hattie was glad she had Monte. Without his help, working with a team of adventurers would have just been a pipe dream. Something to yearn for and waste away over, not achieve. Though, of course, Hattie had had a backup plan if the guild had rejected her. It went something along the lines of, ‘lobby for change using any means possible, act in any underhanded manner as needed, and make them regret refusing her.’

A wicked smile twisted Hattie’s face at the thought of what tricksy fun that would have been.

Hattie rather thought that it might have been as exciting as this monster culling mission. She’d get to exercise her old lady rights and make all the younguns acquiesce to her demands, just to get her to leave them alone.

The forest came into view, and Alex took the lead, since he knew where the rogue agnibear was reported to be. The group moved with such quiet, that their presence didn’t seem to disturb the forest. Hattie knew she’d have caused a ruckus, and snapped every twig on the forest floor. But Monte could move like a ghost.

They passed through thick foliage until they came to a clearing with a small spring that fed into a stream. The water danced, the sunlight making the water appear to sparkle. It was gorgeous and peaceful, until Hattie noticed that a large shape she’d mistook for a large outcrop of rocks was in fact a huge bear taking it’s morning nap. Her eyes widened, and the group moved forward to flank the creature. This was the agnibear that had gone mad.

Ally moved closer to Hattie and whispered in her ear.

“Let us do the work, but if you have a clear shot, take it,” she said.

Hattie nodded. Underneath her, in anticipation of the impending violence, Monte tensed. If danger came after them, he was ready to spring away, and attack. Balewin was the first to move, shooting a metal bolt at the agnibear. Alex kept his distance, as his specialty was close range fighting, if his morning star, a type of club, was any indication. Trina let loose a volley of ice magic, needle thin icicles shooting towards the agnibear.

Seconds after Balewin’s arrows sunk into the agnibear’s back, Trina’s icicles pierced agnibear’s limbs. With a confused roar, it wobbled up, and the peace of the forest was shattered. The agnibear’s eyes were pits of molten fire, an impression of summer’s heat. The tips of its thick brown fur morphed into flames, and when it took a step, a huge black print was seared into the dirt of the forest. Nearby vegetation burnt to a crisp, and the fire spread, in direct contradiction to a sane agnibear’s nature. The agnibear was truly deranged.

A second volley shot into the agnibar, courtesy of Balewin and Trina. Now that the monster was crippled, the pain made its attacks sloppier and less cautious. Ally entered the fray, her two blades slashing through the agnibear’s flesh with skill. Alex was at her side, using his morning star to puncture and damage the beast.

But the creature was tough, as monsters were, and continued to advance. It swiped at Ally and Alex with its massive flaming paws. It managed a glancing blow on Alex's shoulder, and he batted out the flames on his shirt. Somehow, he ignored the pain, and continued to advance forward. Hattie winced, and knew that his shoulder must ache something fierce.

Ally covered for her brother during that brief moment, her swords so fast they were a blur to Hattie's eyes. The flames the agnibear's produced became more erratic, turning a paler color as their heat grew more fierce. Their heat washed over Hattie's face, and Ally and Alex’s faces turned pink and dry.. The creature’s resilience was admirable, but after several more minutes of a constant stream of attacks, it went down.

The agnibear was defeated, but there was much more work to be done. Hattie rolled up her sleeves, mouth set in determination. This was where she came in.