[Greetings, human.]

A voice rang out in his head.

A young male’s voice, its tone was stiff and teeming with regal mannerisms.

Whatever this being was, it was communicating directly with Beowulf’s consciousness.

Yet there was still no sign of it.

“I don’t suppose you could reveal yourself?” Beowulf said with a bit of sarcasm and caution in his voice.

[Your Request shall be denied.]

Again.

How was it doing that?

As he wondered, Beowulf sensed a small breeze on face.

And in the next moment, he felt claws digging into his face and his whole body went spinning as he fell.

“Are you alright?” Viglaf tried his best to lift him off the ground. “You just spun and fe-”.

Viglaf’s sentence stopped mid-way when he saw Beowulf’s face.

There were three claw marks on his cheeks, blood seeping out of them.

“Fuck”, Azlan cursed.

“Are those gonna heal? They look pretty bad!” Viglaf was panicking.

“They will probably leave scars” Beowulf got up. “But this isn’t the time for that, this thing is invisible”.

“Invisible!?” Viglaf looked around. “Then, that means we’re dead, you can’t kill it if you don’t see it!”

“Not necessarily”, he replied.

Beowulf closed his eyes and tried to hear any sounds the being was making.

But to no avail.

It was staying perfectly still, wherever it was.

“Are the sentient beings of Everness so petty, that they hunt like cowards?” Beowulf taunted in his mind.

[Your taunting is pointless.]

Or so it said, but Beowulf knew better. He could hear it faintly.

It was moving.

Beowulf turned all the focus he could muster towards hearing.

He could sense it.

It was approaching Beowulf from his back. Oddly enough, it was ignoring Viglaf completely. Perhaps it had deemed that the kid was not a threat.

Beowulf waited for the moment it would come within arms range, at that point he would spin and strike back.

It drew closer.

Only a few meters away, Beowulf clenched his fist.

Its speed suddenly increased and he braced himself for the clash.

Adrenaline rushed into his system.

He readied himself to spin, as the being nearly was within arm’s reach.

........

............

And then nothing.

All traces of its presence vanished.

“Why did you stop?” Beowulf asked.

[So you can indeed hear me.]

A human probably could not hear its movement.

But a wendigo, especially one who had consumed vile essence, probably had a mild chance.

[Your scent almost deviates from a human’s.... It reeks of filth.]

“You’re not attacking me”, he was trying to pinpoint its location.

[Do not peg me for a fool. You could have nearly killed me if I entered within your reach.]

It was more of a gamble, rather than a sound strategy.

“Why are you after us?” he asked.

[To eliminate anyone that trespasses. You brought these monstrosities here.]

How straightforward.

“We didn’t”, Beowulf replied, accessing the situation.

[That is not possible, you humans are responsible for this.]

Monstrosities were usually formed in the misty valleys and very rarely they wandered out of them, that much was true.

However, there was one exception.

That was in case of Greater monstrosities. They were fundamentally different than the lesser ones. One glaring difference being the phenomenon termed as affliction.

If a living being was injured or killed by a greater monstrosity, it was infected with a blood borne disease that changed them into lesser monstrosities, that was affliction.

That was the truth behind the corpses of cattle coming to life. Although, Beowulf had dismissed the first one as something that had crept out by itself, but after three more had appeared, he knew what was wrong.

There was a greater monstrosity lurking in Morvest, and sooner or later the whole town would be reduced to ghastly abominations.

“Humans were not responsible for this”, Azlan said to the sentient being.

[How do you humans lie so boldly?]

The effects of the elixir were almost diminished and Azlan was in no shape to engage in combat.

“I can show you, it’s not the work of humans”, he offered and hoped for the best.

It was quiet for a while.

[...Very well.]

Azlan was partially relived, it didn’t seem like the being was hell-bent on killing them. In fact, it seemed very straight-laced.

[But do not mistake my agreement as mercy, I can simply eliminate you whenever I wish.]

“This is very one-sided, I can’t even see you after all”, Beowulf stepped forward, the wound on his leg had already started to heal slowly.

[You are injured, and your vile scent is fading.]

So, it was aware of Beowulf’s state.

[You pose no threat.]

And the being was correct.

[In that case, I deem my elusiveness unnecessary.]

The being gave out a quiet roar. It was similar to a tiger’s yet very different, far more fear inducing.

And slowly, its invisibility started to wear off.

Beowulf was a bit surprised.

The being had thick whitish fur like snow with black spots on head and neck, but larger rosettes on the back and flanks, the exception being its belly, which was without spots.

But the two characteristics that stood out immediately were that: one, this giant leopard like animal was a bit larger than the size of a normal tiger. And two, it had a most unusual tail, it was almost longer than the length of its own body, and it was thick, also covered with even thicker fur.

He noticed its long and slender canine teeth as it gazed at him with icy blue eyes.

[Shall we proceed?]

---------------------------------

“Hey, who were you talking to?” Viglaf was curious. “Was it the invisible thing?”

It seemed like Viglaf couldn’t hear or see the ghost.

Probably an intentional act on the Ghost’s part.

Beowulf lifted his head and looked at the cloudy sky. Sunlight was always obscured by grey clouds on this godforsaken province. He could see the Morvest stables a few meters away.

“Go on ahead”, he motioned Viglaf to go inside town.

“What about you, Beowulf?” Viglaf asked.

“That doesn’t concern you”, the last thing Beowulf wanted was others to know that a greater monstrosity was here, that would surely ensue unnecessary panic.

“But I want to come with you”, he protested.

“Why are you so keen on heading towards danger?” Beowulf didn’t want a repeat of last time. “I can’t be there to save you every time”.

“Because I don’t want to do nothing”, Viglaf raised his voice somberly.

“Sometimes doing nothing is the best thing you can do”, Azlan tried to talk him out of it.

“Even someone like me can do something to protect others, anything is better than doing nothing” Viglaf seemed to be aware of his own shortcomings.

“And I am telling you, your actions will cause inconvenience”, he was getting irked a bit.

“I want to protect the town, in my own way”, Viglaf retorted.

“The way you are now, you can’t even protect yourself, let alone the town”, Beowulf replied.

In one moment, Viglaf’s expression changed from somber to frustrated, and finally anger.

“Kh-”, Viglaf lost his cool and punched him.

Beowulf simply moved to the left and lightly kicked his foot, causing him to stumble and fall.

Viglaf fell, and laid amongst dried leaves and branches for a brief while.

Azlan had told the truth, albeit a bit too coldly.

“You’re no different from the others”, Viglaf got up, his back facing Azlan.

As Viglaf walked away towards the town entrance, Beowulf raised his arm to say something, but ultimately decided not to.

The silent observer was looking at the whole exchange.

“Why couldn’t he see you?” Beowulf asked it.

[I did not wish to involve him. He is unrelated to my objective.]

“That so”, he gave a meager response as he walked towards the guard barracks.

[Our objective is not that way.]

“I know, I’m just making sure the brat doesn’t do anything stupid”, he dismissed it as they neared the barracks. He didn’t enter the town because he didn’t wish to encounter any residents, as there was a chance that someone could recognize him.

“Done with the job are ya huntsman?” a guard greeted him as he entered the barracks.

“Almost done”, he replied. “Can you keep an eye on the boy you sent with me? Make sure he doesn’t goes out of town”.

“Alright, but why the sudden request huntsman?” the guard said groggily.

“Think of it as a favor”, Beowulf said as he started to walk out, but stopped as if he had remembered something. “Why is a kid a part of the townsguard?”

“Ahh, ya see. It ain’t like we enlisted him or anythin’, after his parents kicked the bucket, the little lad kept coming to us an’ kept pestering us to allow ‘im to join” he explained. “Who are we to stop ‘im, if he wants to join so badly?”

“I see”, Beowulf exited the barracks.

“It really is just a family name”, he inaudibly mumbled.

-------------------------------------------

[What are you looking for?]

It asked.

“A greater monstrosity”, Azlan was pondering about his next step.

[And how do you plan on doing that?]

The Ghost cat stared at him with its icy blue gaze.

“I suppose by tracking it down, starting with checking if it left any tracks”, Azlan sighed. “Either ways it’s going to be a long and arduous process”.

[I can simply track down its scent.]

Of course, it said that in the most matter-of-fact way possible.

“Just like that?” Azlan stopped dead in his tracks and asked.

[Just like that, what else there is to it?]

The snow leopard may not have intended it, but it came off as extremely smug.

-----------------------------------------

Alone, Azlan had no chance of slaying the monstrosity. However, with this thing in tow and the three elixirs he had managed to extract, it was not entirely impossible. In fact, they had quite a good chance.

They were walking on the path which lead out of Morvest, the same path the carriage had used to travel into town. It was surrounded by woods on the both sides, the trees wrinkled and lifeless due to the cold. The ghost cat was tracking the monstrosity’s scent, leading him closer by the moment.

[That boy... he addressed you as ‘Beowulf’.]

The being’s voice rang out in Azlan’s head as he was following it.

“That he did”, he would rather have it focusing on tracking.

[Was not your kind supposed to be extinct since long ago?]

“Wasn’t your kind supposed to be just rumors?” Beowulf answered back.

[No, we have always been here. Humans have forgotten us, they seem to be... busy with other matters.]

Apparently, it didn’t detect the sarcasm in Beowulf’s tone and replied earnestly.

“This path, it will branch into two if we keep walking that way”, Azlan pointed out. “One will lead to the valley and the other will lead to the path that will eventually lead to other towns”.

[Why two paths?]

“The one that leads to misty valleys is used by huntsmen, vagrants and wendigo usually. The other higher altitude one, is for civilians, merchants and traders”, Beowulf explained. “I would advise against heading into the misty valleys, when I’m in this state”.

[The scent isn’t coming from the valleys, I suspect it lies somewhere near this path, before the road branches, as you have told.]

Beowulf looked at it, with mild curiosity and a certain degree of wariness.

“Are you sure you don’t need to cloak yourself before we arrive at our destination?” he asked.

[Not necessary.]

Came a reply. It didn’t even look at Azlan, seemingly focused on tracking for the moment.

“How do you do that?” Beowulf pondered.

[Do what?]

“Cloak yourself with invisibility”, he replied.

[That is simple deception magik? What else is there to know about it?]

It said nonchalantly.

“Simple for you perhaps, but magik isn’t very common among humans”, Beowulf replied.

[That was not the case in the past.]

“Times have changed, the methods that are required for the use of certain types of magik are considered... not so viable in modern times”, or so he had heard, Azlan himself was not knowledgeable about this particular subject.

[I do suppose my kind is not well informed about the state of humans now.]

“You say as if that wasn’t the case in the past either”, he voiced his thoughts.

[You would be correct to assume so.]

“What caused the change?” Beowulf questioned.

The giant snow leopard turned his head to give him a look.

[As you yourself have said, times are not the same. In the past, we have had dealings with humans, but now even the notion of getting spotted by a human can lead to exile from the mountain.]

Beowulf sensed a tinge of melancholy in its voice.

“Yet here you are, talking with a human”, he raised a fair point.

[That is true as well. I am curious about humans and their ways, always have been. However, I consider myself to be the odd one out, most of my kind do not share my ideology. The old ones stick to their ancient ways.]

The being certainly could be talkative.

“I thought that maybe you were here on orders”, he wondered.

[No. My kind’s response to the current situation was to not meddle at all. The fault lies with humans, after all.]

However, Azlan was aware that humans weren’t at fault, it was the work of a greater monstrosity.

He guessed that the sentient beings were not knowledgeable about the affliction. They could hardly be blamed, they had been isolated from the world for who knows how long. That didn’t seem all too bad when you considered their expertise in magik, perhaps their proficiency was linked to their isolation.

Some humans would give fortunes just to study the deception magik the being was using for cloaking itself, not to mention that odd communication method it had been using. In fact, that raised a question in itself.

“That communication magik, the one you’re using to converse with me, does it allow you to read my mind and thoughts?” he had been wondering about that for a while, since he and Viglaf first encountered it in the mountains.

[No, it does not.]

“Yet you sensed it when I taunted you in my mind”, Azlan countered.

[That was different. It is about intent, that time you wanted to relay your thoughts, consciously or unconsciously. I cannot read your thoughts if you are not directly projecting them at me.]

It swung its tail in an arrogant manner.

[I would further elaborate the workings and mechanics, but I am quite afraid your uneducated mind cannot even begin to comprehend it.]

How bitter.

That was uncalled for, it definitely did that just to rub it in his face.

The being’s ears perked up slightly.

[Be attentive now, I have a rough estimate of its location.]

It faced left towards the ruined woods.

Beowulf understood and nodded. With its intent conveyed, the snow leopard started moving towards the woods, with muffled footsteps; and Beowulf soon followed suit. His footsteps made crunching sounds due to the dried leaves and twigs scattered everywhere. How the being was moving without making a sound was beyond him. Possibly magik or perhaps simply it was due to its feline physique.

Despite what it had implied, Beowulf couldn’t hear any sounds or signs of the monstrosity’s presence nearby. And soon enough he had an answer for this inconsistency.

For there was a cave in the distance, its gaping entrance wretched and foreboding, as if it was a warning to anyone who wished to enter. The being slowly neared the gaping entrance and gave out a roar.

And soon enough, two ice spikes appeared above it, seemingly out of thin air.

Similar to the Ghost’s example, Beowulf too, took out one vial of elixir and consumed it. Something he had noticed was that whenever the being used magik, it usually roared. Mayhap it served as some sort of evocation.

[The scent is strongest in this place, there is quite a high chance the monstrosity you seek resides here. Let us proceed.]

He wondered for a moment why everything that came out its mouth was so formal and stiff. But that was a thought for another time. Dismissing it, he followed the Ghost as it disappeared into the synonymous void.

The first thing he realized was that it was quite dark inside. The giant cat was moving around with ease. However, Beowulf even after taking the elixir, was having trouble navigating through it. So instead of sight, he focused on moving with the aid of hearing, his footsteps echoed in the dark, combined with him using his hands to feel the wall of the cave, made the traversal somewhat possible.

As he went further into the cave, he could feel the walls dampen with moss growing on them.

They had traversed only for a few minutes scant when the being stopped.

[I don’t believe we have to go much further, the cave extends further but the monstrosity’s scent only lingers in this area.]

“Keeping the fact in mind that we haven’t had a face to face with it yet means that it’s not here anymore. The scent only indicates that it was here at some point. Am I Wrong?” he summarized.

[You are not wrong, but one thing I would like to add is that, the scent is very recent. The monstrosity was here not too long ago. Regardless, there are some items of interest here. They are foreign to me, but perhaps a human such as yourself knows about their purpose.]

“Hold on a few, my eyes are still adjusting”, Beowulf tried to focus all of his concentration towards sight.

His hand touched something, it was like a beam. No, like a lot of iron beams intertwined with each other. It seemed rather man-made, and he had a faint idea what it was. The question was, what was it doing in a place like this?

As his eyes adjusted, his faint hunch converted into certainty.

It was a cage, a bloodied mangled cage.

Scattered around were torn ropes and broken chains, their existence a proper a fit for this macabre scene.

The realization slowly dawned on him.

How the Ghost was adamant about its belief, how he had experienced rarity after rarity, all of this piling up to be a big coincidence.

He had been lied to.

The townsfolk, or rather at least, the spokesman was aware of this.

Then why was the contract for a lesser monstrosity, when they knew that a greater one lurked about. The more he looked around his surroundings, the more apparent it became.

Leading up from the entrance to the cage were bits and pieces of flesh, not torn out flesh. Rather it seemed to be cut with a sharp tool, the smell of blood had been used to lure something.

This thing was lured here from the misty valleys on purpose, and then there had been an attempt to confine it with the purpose of killing it, a failed attempt, as evident by the horrific unrecognizable human corpses strewn about the cage.

But who would try to meddle with a monstrosity, this was certainly the work of amateurs, not the like of vagrants or huntsmen.

Ah.

Someone who cared about sovereignty and status.

Someone who coveted accomplishments.

Someone desperate enough to act recklessly for attention.

[Is this the proof you spoke of? Were you correct?]

The being’s eyes were shining in the dark.

“I was wrong.”

-------------------------------------------