It was morning, but barely. While Brian was by no means an expert, by the position of the sun he thought it about eleven. It seemed a bit unseasonably warm, not that he knew what time of year it actually was. With everything else going on, he'd neglected to get a calendar. The light green on the trees told him it was maybe early spring, the equivalent of March? This lack of a place in time was driving him mad, yet he did nothing about it. All he knew for sure was it had been three days since his training session with Ylva.

He walked second in line with his companions down a dirt road. Trostenwald was several hours behind them, replaced with open fields and the occasional copse of trees mostly to the left. The land just outside the town was almost completely dominated by farms, some privately owned, some the property of larger conglomerates and wealthy families. Now that the five of them were far away from those farms, the signs of civilization were sparse. Most people weren't much interested in living far away from the relative safety of civilization.

A clear exception to this would be their destination. Edgar had given them their second assignment the night before. A chicken farm owned by the Bellor family had been beset in the resent weeks by a pack of wolves. The five of them were to travel to the farm and eliminate the beasts. It was to that end that the party now traveled.

Brian observed Hector in front of him. The old man fed a pellet of some sort to his new familiar, a fruit bat named Noche. It had taken him almost all of their downtime to figure out how to cast find familiar, but once he did the two were inseparable. Brian had never actually seen a bat up close. He had to admit, while bigger than expected, Noche was absolutely adorable.

"Do Fey bats even need to eat?" Calvin called from just behind Brian.

"I don't know," Hector admitted, "but he doesn't seem to mind."

"What are you giving him, anyway? I thought fruit bats ate, well, fruit," Brian asked.

"It's a preserved fruit bar, mostly dates and raisins. I bought them because I didn't know how long we'd be out here. Do you want one?" Offered Hector.

"No, thanks." Brian waved a hand. "I'm allergic to raisins."

"Man, how is it that some people are allergic to raisins but not grapes. Aren't they the same thing?" Calvin changed the subject.

"I'm not sure. I never figured that one out," Brian said.

"Makes no sense." Calvin shook his head.

From behind the big man, Tiffany and Ylva could be heard talking. Unlike the boys, the two of them walked right next to each other.

"Shouldn't we be getting close by now?" Tiffany asked. "My feet are killing me."

"The contract said to go just past the sign pointing to Alfield, then take a short foot trail on the left all the way down the hill. I haven't seen the sign yet," Ylva said.

"That doesn't help," Tiffany complained.

"I know."

"I glad we actually have directions this time, though," observed Tiffany.

"I know, right?" Brian called back.

"It's certainly a nice change of pace," agreed Ylva.

The party walked on for roughly an hour longer. They did eventually come across a sign pointing to Alfield, though Brian doubted they were anywhere near there. With the mostly clear landscape it was easy to spot the path they were meant to take. Hector led them down it. The incline down the hill was a nice medium slope, not gentle but also not steep.

Smoke rising in the distance was the first sign of a home. It slowly rose into view as the party advanced toward it. The building was a wide two-story structure of repeating white panels separated by dark wood beams. A large fence stretched off to its right with three chicken coops on the far side. Brain didn't see nor hear any fowl, though, so he guessed they were all locked up.

Hector walked up to the front door and gave it three solid knocks. Within seconds it opened. The man inside was a human male, skin kissed by the sun and made somewhat leathery by it. Just a hair shorter than Hector, the years of hard manual labor put lean muscle on his bones. With blue eyes and brown hair flecked grey, he was handsome in his middle years.

"Greetings," Hector said.

"Hello," the man returned before Hector could continue. "I saw you come down the hill. Are you with the Adventurer's Guild?"

"Yes, we are," confirmed Hector with a nod.

"Right. Come in, and I'll explain the situation." The man faded away from the door, leaving it open. The party filed inside. With Ylva the last to enter, she closed it behind her.

The door opened up into the kitchen. A cast iron stove sat against the left wall with a wash basin right next to it. There were counter tops around most of the walls, each of them with a cabinet both above and below. A square dining table with four chairs dominated the center of the room. The whole space, while plenty big enough, had a slightly claustrophobic feel with all of the clutter. Brian wasn't sure if he liked it. But, he wasn't there to scrutinize the feng shui.

"I'm Fredwick Bellor," The farmer went around and introduced himself to everyone.

"We hear you've had some trouble with wolves, Mr. Bellor," said Ylva.

"Yes, trouble is certainly a word for it," Fredwick began. "It's been going on for a few weeks now. They used to only come around when there was no one outside, but now they're getting bold. That's why I went to the Guild. I've seen them several times while I was outside, and my wife and I have been chased off by them before. I'm afraid for my family, for my little boy."

"We'll do everything we can for your family," Hector said.

"Do you know where they come from?" Ylva asked.

"It's always from over that hill, the same one you guys came down. Other than that, no," said Fredwick.

"We could track them," Calvin said. "If we know where they're coming from, we could find their den and fight them there."

"We might not find them," Hector said.

"Or, they could attack while we're gone," added Ylva.

"Well, what are we supposed to do, then?" Calvin began. "Because we can't stay here, either. I'm no wolf scientist, or whatever the fuck, but I don't think they'll attack if they see all five of us hanging around."

"What if they don't know we're here?" Brian interjected. All eyes turned to him and he found himself suddenly embarrassed for having spoken.

"Go on," Ylva prompted.

"Hear me out," Brian began. "I'm thinking we hide in the house, use a chicken as bait, and wait for the wolves to show up. When they get close, we rush out. That way they're cornered and they'll have to fight. Or, if they run away, they'll be easier to track."

"What about my chicken?" Fredwick asked immediately.

"You can run out and bring it inside before the fight begins."

"That..." Hector said, then hesitated. "That might actually work."

"We might have to stay here for a little while, but if they attack as often as you say, Fredwick, then we shouldn't have a problem," Ylva said.

"I'm down for anything that requires less effort," Calvin said.

"Tiffany, what do you think?" Hector said.

The blonde girl wore a deer in headlights expression for a moment. She clearly hadn't expected to be called on. The surprise passed, and she went back to her neutral gaze, which lived somewhere between aloof and annoyed.

"I really don't know what's going on," she began. "I'll fight with you guys, but the planning part goes over my head. You all have way more experience with that than I do."

"In the game, maybe, but not real life," Ylva countered.

"It's the same idea, just that now you're doing it on location, instead of in a basement. If you want to wait for them, then that's what I'll do." Tiffany crossed her arms as if to give the statement an air of finality. All it really did was make her look like a stuffy teenager.

"Well, I guess that settles that, then. We lay a trap," Hector said.

…

And they waited. And they waited. ...And they waited. Until Brian thought it the only thing he was capable of doing, they waited. Fiction always made stakeouts seem exciting, or at the very least engaging. This was neither of those things. The only sensation Brian felt was absolute, overbearing, boredom.

The minutes crept by like hours, each one an exercise in tedium. The adventurers shuffled restlessly around the kitchen, none of them able to make a decision on how to best occupy their time. In the real world, Brian would've just pulled out his phone and messed around with it until something happened. Here, he didn't have that option. It was distressing to find out he had no idea what to do with his hands if they didn't have a phone in them. In that way, he tried to see this as a positive. It taught him, whether he liked it or not, how to operate without technology. Next time he found himself in this situation, he would surely bring a book.

At one point, Hector had the brilliant idea of sending Noche out as a sort of advanced warning system. The bat could perch in a tree then fly back to the farm when it saw the wolves approaching. This occurred rather late into the watch, so the bat was barely gone thirty minutes before it flapped right back over the hill. Tiffany, sitting next to the window, saw it first.

"Guys! Noche is back," she called, rising from the chair which had been pulled up to the window.

Like clockwork, everyone in the room turned their heads to inspect the validity of such a claim, and then focused their attentions on the hill. One by one, they gathered at the window. Ylva removed her shield from her back. Brian, taking a cue from his teacher, did the same.

Several agonizing seconds stretched on into eternity. Noche flew up over the house and, Brian assumed, perched atop it. Not long after it followed a pack of wolves. Brian's heart somehow managed to simultaneously leap into his throat and drop through the floor. He counted seven. He hadn't mentally prepared for so many.

"Not yet," Ylva called. "Wait for them to get closer."

"Can I at least go get my chicken?" Fredwick asked.

"Come out after us. Let us make a barrier between them and you," instructed Ylva.

They watched the wolves stream down the hill. The creatures fanned out in an offensive formation as they got closer. These were timber wolves their dirty coats of grey and brown. Except, that was, for the one in the middle. It was jet black with strands of grey in its coat. This beast stood at the shoulder tall as an average man. The player in Brian knew this was a dire wolf.

The moment the wolves crossed what looked like a hundred feet of the house, Ylva threw open the door. She drew her sword and ran out. The party flew out behind her. Fredwick was the last. He grabbed up the bait chicken. The now spooked bird flapped in his grasp, but he tucked it against his chest and ran back inside. Brian thought he heard the farmer bar his door with something.

"Formation, everyone, just like we discussed!" Ylva shouted to her companions.

Ylva stopped directly in the middle of the fenced in area. Calvin ran past to stand ten feet from her left. Brian stopped ten feet from her right. Hector sidled up right behind her, while Tiffany threaded the gap between Brian and Ylva ten feet back.

The moment these humans appeared, the wolves slowed to a crawl. Their shape inverted so the dire wolf was at the back of the V while those on the wings moved into obvious flanking positions.

Tension sat heavy on the air, so thick Brian could have smacked it with his hammer. Or tried to, at least. Through it all, breathing. Not his own. Brian leans to look around Ylva. There he found Calvin, shoulders hunched, chest puffing all the way up and then out through his nose in rapid motions. A growl grew on his lips, louder and louder until he leaned back and erupted a war cry to shake the heavens and tear the Earth.

"Come get some you overgrown poodle motherfuckers!"

The wolves of course, were unphased, but Calvin's outburst set the tone for hid allies. They were ready

They could do this.

Brian clutched the holy symbol around his neck with his free hand. He raised a quick silent prayer to Bahamut, that the Platinum Dragon would shine His light down on Calvin, Ylva, and Tiffany, and bless them in this fight. Warmth welled up within him and vanished quickly as it came. Something told him that was a sign of success.

When the dire wolf was within range, Hector slathered some butter on the top of his staff, pointed it at the creature, and painted it across a controlled area. The butter glowed a sick brown before it was consumed. The ground beneath the dire wolf bubbled up in a greasy patch of the same color. The dire wolf and the beast to its left fell upon a splayed limbs. The wolf to the right faltered, but remained upright.

Calvin planted his feet, holding off on his attack until the perfect moment to strike. He would not break formation. They had to come to him.

The fire wolf stood up and rushed out of the grease, slip sliding all the way. Once out it found a burst of speed and ran up to Ylva.

The other wolves in the grease both exited it, one of them after standing. Though free of the difficult terrain, it would still take them a moment to join the fray.

One wolf outside the grease ran up to Brian. It used momentum to leap up as and grab his arm just above the shield. Sharp teeth found gaps in his armor, while the jaw threatened to crush his bones. He gave it a few solid thumps on the head. It let go, but prepared for another strike. Another wolf was on its way over.

A wolf managed to grab hold of Calvin's calf. He reared back and brought his kanabo down. The wolf let go and stumbled a step away, clearly more hurt than its target. Another came up to Calvin, but he managed to dodge the teeth aimed for his throat.

Ylva took a swipe at the dire wolf. Surprisingly fast for its size, the creature sidestepped the blade. With a shout, Ylva came back the other way. This time she managed to carve a channel through its front left thigh.

Tiffany shouldered her weapon and fired at the wolf assailing Brian. Her bolt hit its hind quarters, but did not bury quite as deep as she might have liked. Snarling, she reloaded her weapon.

Instead of drawing his hammer, Brian touched the head of the wolf before him. Thick black energy emanated from his palm and into the canine skull. A withering moan leaked from the wolf's throat. Flesh beneath Brian's palm festered and died. The effect spread until the wolf's whole head was nothing but black rot. It let out one last whimper before succumbing to the wounds. It fell, dead.

Hector took three pecan tarts from his pouch and crushed them. He then waved a feather in the air. A pink mist traveled from him and overtook the leftmost wolf to exit the grease. It fell into a fit of laughter not unlike that of a hyena. So great was the humor, it could not remain standing. It rolled over on its back and cackled with hideous glee.

Calvin crashed his weapon down upon the wolf he'd previously hit, to strike it square on the head. It was piled into the ground chin first. The thing upended to land on its back beside Calvin. It did not move. The other wolf attacking him landed another bite on the same leg, but again did very little damage.

The dire wolf snapped giant jaws at Ylva. They skittered uselessly against her shield.

The laughing wolf recovered from its spat. The thing struggled to stand, clearly exhausted from the recent endeavor.

The wolf running up to Brian finally reached him. It lashed out with barred teeth, but Brian put his shield in the way. The beast pinged off, dazed. Another wolf reached Ylva to attempt a similar tactic, with equally similar results.

Ylva herself ignored the smaller threat. She sliced along the dire wolf's chest. Red coated her blade and trickled to the ground, yet the leader of the pack stood strong.

Tiffany aimed at the new threat compromising Brian. He was still the most injured, and thus in need of the most help. She fired. Her bolt found the wolf's neck. It yelped then fell silent, bleeding out on the grass.

Brian clutched his holy symbol. White light gathered around his hand. A second, and he unleashed it at the dire wolf. The constant undulations of combat made the large target hard to hit. Where it once was, Ylva now stood. She heard the crackling buzz as the beam of light sped toward her. She crouched down at the last second. The Norsewoman shot him an accusatory glare as she stood back up. Brian did his best to look apologetic.

Hector crushed three more tarts and waved around another feather. This time, the pink mist overtook the dire wolf. Unlike its tinier companions, the large beast did not fall prey to the effect. It winced for a moment, but shook off the magic. If a dire wolf could glare, this one most certainly did at Hector.

Calvin gave a mighty swipe at the new wolf attacking him. His attack made a solid impact. Bone crunched beneath the great club. The beast's front left leg was clearly broken by the attack, although it remained upright. It passed a few teeth through Calvin's undamaged leg, but still couldn't do much in the way of meaningful damage.

The dire wolf made another snap at Ylva. Her combat experience was simply too great for the large creature to circumvent. Its attacks were too easy to spot. Ylva put her shield in the way, saving herself again from another attack.

She could not, however, block two things at once, not when they came at drastically different angles. The other wolf at her feet grabbed onto her shin. Some of the teeth wrapped around behind the metal to sink into her calf. With a great yank, the canine pulled Ylva's foot out from under her. She fell upon her back, kicking vainly at the creature with her free leg. It shook like a dog with a squeaky toy, sending terrible pains through Ylva's entire body. She wondered if this was what it felt like to have a hip joint ripped from its socket.

From somewhere within, she gathered the strength to prop up on her shield and lash out with her sword. She cut a deep river across the wolf's face. It yelped and let go, bleeding profusely from a ruined eyeball. The shieldmaiden stood on feet that could barely support her weight.

The wolf Hector had sent into a laughing fit just moments ago saw an opportunity for revenge. It moved around where Ylva struggled with its brothers to lunge at the wizard. Hector, in a panic, put his staff in the way at the last second. The wolf gnawed on it a few times before drawing back in preparation for another attack.

This little altercation prompted a response from Tiffany. She fire a bolt at the wolf trying to bite Hector. But, with the old man blocking the shot, her target was rather small. The projectile went wide. She reloaded.

Brian walked over and placed his shield hand on Ylva's shoulder. The other grabbed his holy symbol. Light traveled through his arm and into her. The bloody punctures on her leg closed up almost completely.

Hector used his telepathic link with Noche to give the bat a simple command: help. Noche flew off the building and fluttered around the head of the wolf attacking its master, erratic squeaking circles that the beast flailed around to try and escape. This distraction allowed Hector to get off a spell at point blank range. He said the words in Sylvan and thrust his staff forward. A ray of pure cold shot less than a foot at the beast. Ice formed around its shoulder while the flesh turned black, but it was far from dead.

Calvin couldn't stand the fact that he'd made an attack without killing something. He wound up a giant golf swing and hit his wolf right under the chin. It flew back and landed in a motionless heap. Calvin let out a few ragged breaths before moving up next to the dire wolf.

The dire wolf once again made an attack against Ylva. This time, suppressed by exhaustion and pain, the strike rang true. Her chain mail did nothing to stop the jaws from piecing into her shoulder. It pulled back, ripping cloth, metal, and flesh with those giant teeth. Ylva couldn't even cry out for the agony which rocked through her. She swayed on her feet. The only thing that kept her upright was the shield she managed to lean on.

When the other wolf at her front made a move, she had no hope of defending. It latched onto her armored sword-hand wrist. The bite wasn't hard, and didn't even piece the skin, but it was enough to take her down. The last thing she remembered were distressed screams from both Brian and Hector before the world went dark. She remembered thinking how nice it was that she didn't feel the pain anymore. Her eyes closed. Though breath still came, she was in no condition to fight.

Tiffany felt pure wrath boil up within her. Ylva was the closest thing she had to a friend out here. Nothing, no wolf, nor man, nor God himself, would take that from her. She let loose a bolt at the beast still trying to wrench free Ylva's trapped arm. The projectile found a spot in its chest at a perfect angle to piece straight to the heart. The wolf died before it hit the ground.

Brian, too exhausted to do much more spellcasting, took he only option available to him. He raised up his hand to cast fire upon the dire wolf. The pack leader darted out of the way just long enough to avoid the attack. It then resumed its position over Ylva, ready to dig into the fresh meat.

Hector ripped the healing potion from his pouch and shoved it between Ylva's lips. Just like he'd seen her do for Brian, he lifted up her head just slightly. He wasn't even conscious of the last remaining normal wolf while it tore a chunk from his calf. All that mattered was his friend.

Ylva's eyes flew open. She coughed and sputtered against the liquid still in her throat. Agony took her leg, wrist, and shoulder, but she was alive. Hector removed the empty bottle from her mouth. She looked up at her savior with a soft expression. No words passed between them, for none were needed. Hector knew what she wanted to say. There were more important things to worry about.

Calvin drew back his weapon to slam it upon the back of the wolf harassing Hector. The spine gave way beneath his blow. The wolf clattered to the grass, internally smashed in twain.

The dire wolf didn't like that his last companion had died. It especially hated that its prey kept getting back up. It lashed out at Ylva, who managed to guard her throat with her shield. She kicked it off.

Battered and broken, the woman stood. She locked eyes with the dire wolf. All the hatred she'd ever known seeped to the surface in that moment where their gazes met. She plunged her sword deep in the monster's chest. It struggled against her, yelping in pain, but Ylva dropped her sheild to put both hands on the weapon. She held it in place, cutting off any avenue of escape. Even still, the writhing caused Tiffany to miss her shot.

Brian attacked with sacred fire. Hector, arcane frost. Calvin put all of his strength into a crack at the base of its skull. The dire wolf was strong, but it could only take so much. Its eyes bulged for a second before it crumpled.

The greatest threat clear, Brian drew his war hammer and looked all around. He inspected each of the bodies from afar for any signs of life. None of them moved, nor seemed to draw breath. Still, he kept an eye out. Adrenaline from the battle refused to let him calm down. If there were any more threats, he'd be ready.

"I think you can relax, Bri," Ylva said, a hand on his shoulder.

It wasn't her words, but the touch, which soothed him. Brian's breathing returned to normal. He put away his hammer. The two of them shared weak smiles. She was bloody and in obvious pain, but still went out of her way to calm him down. How could he not, with that in mind?

"Do you really think that's all of them?" Calvin asked, looking around much as Brian had.

"I don't think Wolves attack in waves. We're probably okay," Ylva said.

"No, he's right," interjected Hector. "There's bound to be more of them somewhere, young and sick ones, and the wolves left behind to guard them. We should find their den."

"That won't be necessary," Fredwick said, walking toward them. No one had noticed him leave the house.

"What do you mean?" Asked Hector.

"I've been dealing with wolves and similar creatures my entire life," Fredwick began. "In my experience, if the pack is mostly decimated, the ones left won't be strong enough to be a threat. And, even if they were, they'd figure out this place isn't safe anymore and leave it alone. I think with all this," he looked around, "we can consider the job done."

"So, you'll sign the contract?" Hector carried a hopeful twinge to his voice.

"I will," Fredwick nodded.

Hector pulled the contract from a pocket inside his robes. He handed it to Fredwick, and then dug out a quill and ink pot. The quill he offered up, but the ink remained in his hand. The farmer quickly signed his name on the piece of paper, blew on it a few times to make it dry, before handing it back to the wizard. Hector stoppered up the ink, put it away along with the quill, and rolled the contract back up to be stored again within his clothing.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Bellor," he said.

"No, thank you for helping me. I'll admit I was a bit hesitant about hiring the Adventurer's Guild, but you did fantastic work."

"It's our pleasure."

"Now, I don't think you'll be making it back to Trostenwald before nightfall. I sent my wife and son there to keep them safe, so his room is empty. You all could squeeze into there and the guest room, if you wanted to spend the night."

"I certainly wouldn't object," Hector said. He looked back to the rest of the party, but received no contrary opinions.

"I really don't wanna walk all the way back there in the dark," Calvin said. He gathered nods from Tiffany and Brian.

"Then, if you would be so kind." Hector said with a little bow to Fredwick.

"Of course. I'll show you the way."

"We should skin the wolves before bed," Ylva said, her voice deep with exhaustion. "The pelts could catch a good price."

"I can help you with that. I've butchered a fair few creatures in my time," Fredwick said.

"That would be greatly appreciated."

Brian walked into the house, sure to keep close to Ylva in case she needed help. The cleric wished he had enough strength left to heal her just one more time. Hopefully a good night's rest would see not just Ylva, but all of them healed up.

The five of them were a bit worse for wear. However, the battle went about as well as it could have. The formation they'd devised worked perfectly, only one of them got badly hurt, and—most importantly—no one died. Maybe, just maybe, they were getting the hand of this whole adventuring thing.