The night never did forgive any trespasser in its domain, its hollow plane dutifully guarded by the incessant flesh-eating creatures roaming through its impenetrable veil. Stalkers hidden behind the unseen, waiting for the unprepared prey to lose its way.

Alas, this simple-minded tactic could work on the witless animal looking for a snack, however, it rightfully proved to be inefficient against a more adaptive target like the humans.

Following the well-known three-man rule, the trio walked between the trees in an uneasy hurry. Under normal circumstances, all three of them were supposed to hold a lit fire-lance which could serve both as a torch and a weapon to repel the nocturnal creatures. But current circumstances did not allow them such luxury.

One was leading the way, fully-knowing which path to take despite the blinding obscurity while lightening its way with the weapon. The other two were too busy carrying a heavy weight with them, carefully dragging it by clutching on the cloth covering the large luggage.

“Ah, shit. Fuckin’ root!” grumbled the man carrying at the front.

“Be quiet!” whispered his comrade helping him, “You want us killed?”

Provoking too much noise in the middle of the forest at night sounded like a terrible idea, unless you wished to attract undesired attention.

“Shut up and move, dumbass!” commanded the third one leading them.

Although making noise was quite suicidal, they were already pretty attractive with their bright torch which served both as a repellent against the darkness and a beacon to its concealed monstrosities.

The men wore clothes that could be labelled as civilian, tight leotard sewn with cheap cotton, a long coat which didn’t seem to be quite resilient and colourless socks paired with short boots. Their meagre appearance was sufficient to categorize them in a lower class of society, yet one still able to live leisurely in the streets of the city.

Despite the dirt sticking to their legs, the three didn’t mind at all walking through this grimy and cumbersome path. Delivering the package was way more important than minding some mud on one’s shoes.

Alone in the dark, the canopy masking the stars and any sort of landmark disappearing in the depth of the night, it was merely thanks to the guide’s solid knowledge of the local map and his rock-like guts they managed to not get lost in the woods. As proof to comfort the others, he pointed to a distinctive sigil carved on the trunk of a birch, an emblem well-known in the kingdom, and especially familiar to those three.

“Let’s go.” commanded the leader, opening the path with his light with a renewed energy, born from the satisfying yet still not tasted sense of going back home, far and safe from the dangers lurking around them.

Somehow rekindled, the trio walked a bit faster, and the more they moved forward, the more they started to recognize the area, even for the one who was the less accustomed to the remote place. At last, even the freshest of the crew could recognize the location: a short descent immediately followed by an arduous slope, and in the middle of all of this stood a black hole with its menacing teeth sharpened by the lack of visibility coupled with one’s lugubrious imagination.

Letting a sigh of relief escape from their sore throat, the three men closed the distance with the cavern’s entrance before waiting for the sentinel on duty to catch sight of them. As per the protocol, it was established that, unless in case of a dire emergency, nobody was to rush inside the hideout without a proper check. This simple rule was to make it easier to distinguish friends from strangers, just in case some random fellows decided to visit the cave without any prior notice.

Then, as if the black veil was disturbed by the approaching fire, a bright light emerged from the shadows with a clunky sound, blinking once to allow one figure to appear from behind the hidden door.

“What’s the password?”

An easily answerable question to the used folks here.

“Leon sucks ass.”

“That was yesterday’s password.”

Many people made mistakes in their lifetime. Sometime, a mistake made at the wrong time could decide one’s fate. Happens too often.

“Well he still sucks.”

“Well said. Come in, quickly.”

Fortunately, the one wielding the fire-lance was informed but also used to those secret communications, and successfully proved he was part of the same group. Now allowed entry, the trio passed through the door which disappeared in the rocks, leaving no trace of light to the outside.

After going through the secret passage, their first reflex was to frown while diverting their line of sight from the shining lantern hanging about the round table. Too used to the obscurity, now they had to adapt to this dimly lit environment. Once half and quickly done, the leader put down his fire-lance and disarmed the hot blade after plunging it in water to keep the iron rigid. It always was a risky gamble to see if the blade would crack under the sudden difference in temperature, because when it did the part was as good as broken and had to be brought back to a smith to be recycled. A loss of time, of money, and the risk of being discovered as an owner of an illicit fire-lance.

“What in the Sky are you bringing here, John?” the voice resounded from behind, interrupting his little verification and forcing him to lay his eyes on the package.

The thing was still wrapped in several layers of clothes, its nature completely indistinguishable from its appearance. It was lying on the ground, inanimate like the pile of junks they usually brought from the city to try turning it into a meagre profit. But this time, their delivery was quite unusual.

First, it wasn’t the usual large bags they barged with carrying on their back, but one long object which was too out of the ordinary, making it even more difficult to identify.

“Just wait and see.” commented the leader, watching his two colleagues quickly unfolding the surprise for everyone to witness.

The first thing the sentry caught sight of was a feminine face, which surprised him quite a lot. He didn’t expect those three to arrive with a woman no matter her origin or the cause of her presence here, but chose to say nothing for now. It wasn’t that rare to receive new products these days, even more with the astounding growth of society thanks to those steam-coughing chimneys scattered in the megalopolis. Someone had to make those machines roll, and the cheaper and more dedicated the crew was the better.

However, the second thing he noticed made his eyes roll out of his sockets.

When put out of context, what he saw could be described as a small mattress or a cushion, maybe even a scarf for the higher circles of nobility, but when put together with the visage of the woman and pushed by an unreasonable instinct, the word instantly gushed out of his aghast mouth.

“No way! It’s a fuckin’ harpy!”

It was complicated to deduce from his expression if he was terrified, astonished or enchanted to see a captured monster here. The beast was still sleeping, or maybe in some sort of coma when looking at its inexpressive face which was actually a tad too red, probably because the poor thing was partially suffocating under all those layers without being even able to react or complain. Yet, he didn’t mind her expression at all, as his eyes were quickly caught and glued to the shimmering feathers on her wings, sparkling under the fidgeting flame of the lantern.

The deal here was most certainly real, and what more she was even alive when looking at her faintly rising breast, a fact which was both attractive and frightening for the man gulping in nervousness.

“Nice catch, right?” the leader tried to ask with a big smile on his face, certainly aware of the dangers such a creature posed to them, yet dismissing them as trivial for now.

“How the heck did you even manage to catch one?”

“Well, the thing is…” he started to raise his arms before answering nonchalantly, “We didn’t do anything.”

Sceptic, the sentry frowned upon his answer, not sure if he should accept this excuse or throw them outside.

“That’s true.” added one of the carrier, “We found the harpy lying on the ground and bloodied.”

“Right.” completed the third one, “So we dumped everything we had on us and brought her here.”

He was all smile when recounting their short adventure, but it all vanished when he reminisced himself they actually brought a monster here.

“It wasn’t a good idea, was it?”

While checking the harpy from afar, the sentry responded with uncertainty, at least glad the monster was still unconscious which saved him from driving crazy under the stress and the folly of this funny scene happening before him.

Under normal circumstances, it was normal to finish the monster with a dagger piercing its throat and then leave the cadaver in the open. Unless it was a dragon or another beast with some materialistic value, there was no need to bring back the corpse in town. Maybe looting a few feathers from a harpy just to make some cash was still within the acceptable spectre of possibilities. But bringing one alive, here out of all the places in the neighbourhood? He scratched his head, unsure what to do with the good.

“It’s been so long since we last dealt with a monster, I don’t think there’re still any buyer in town…”

“Maybe one of those nobles with that hobby would be interested?”

“As I said, it’s been so long. The last wares were either fake or completely crippled and unsellable. Now you bring me a healthy one out of nowhere like it’s normal. I don’t know what to do with it, man.”

During those days when hunting monsters was still the norm, adventurers always brought back what they called as “materials” or “items to sell” at the end of the day. Of course, this brimming market lured the eyes of people who coveted something more alluring than mere body parts, and the back alleys quickly seized this opportunity to racket as much money as possible. Traffic of monsters became a profitable occupation, until there were no more monsters to capture in the world.

This global extinction perhaps brought peace to the world of humans, however, it also marked the end of the line to the merchants who relied on selling monsters. As the merchandises became scarcer, the prices skyrocketed in equal proportion, and it didn’t take long before the stocks were emptied. This happened only a couple of decades ago, so maybe a few customers would still be looking for the last gems, but it was also probable that the majority would turn a blind eye in disbelief when suddenly told there was one more monster to buy.

“Did you say a word to the Broker in town?”

“Nah, we were already on our way here when we found her.”

“Then go and tell him, maybe he can help you sell her.”

“And what if he does?”

The expected outcome was that even the Broker could not offer the harpy to a buyer nowadays. There were many reasons like the obsolescence of the trend of keeping a monster at home, however, the most expectable one was the lack of trust in this dead market as it’s already been many years since anyone saw a monster this close to their home.

“Good scenario: we chop her and somehow sell at least the feathers and bones. Best scenario: we smuggle her inside the city and she’ll live the rest of her life with a caring master.”

The last line was both insincere and honest, betraying the deviant but easily guessable intention of anyone who would buy a harpy in such decent state.

Probably because his words got conveyed to everyone here, they all glared at the sleeping lady, all sharing the same luxurious idea of sharing a bed with such a beauty.

“Too bad I can’t have my way with her…”

“Unless you want her to wake up and eat you.”

“All of us, you mean.”

“If you want to do it, go inside and buy a woman instead of wasting my time.”

“I’ll do. In the meantime, make sure to gently take care of her.”

“Screw off.”

Leaving the room with short laughter, the trio left their package with the sentinel and went their way inside the underground town full of ruffians and thugs. Meanwhile, now alone with the monster, the sentry cautiously approached the unconscious harpy just to be sure she was really unconscious. No response, no twitching, she was most certainly locked in her dreams.

He has never been the courageous nor the audacious kind of man, he was the type to aim for a leisure pace while avoiding the common fate of meeting one’s death because of a wandering beast. It was a twist of destiny which sent him here to become the sentinel of this place full of illegals doings, but as the salary was good and the risks were low, he didn’t mind much about his current situation.

Now, this man lacking courage stared deeply at the harpy, encouraged by the curiosity of someone who met for the first time a phenomenon which he had always heard about but never saw with his own eyes. A monster was lying in front of him, healthy and breathing, completely harmless and peacefully resting.

It was a sight to behold, a picture he would probably never forget in his entire lifetime.

Pushed by this same curiosity, and also endorsed by his desire as a man, he sent his hand to unwrap the rest of the harpy’s body, unveiling her waist, her hips then her legs. The hourglass shape was definitely enticing, and even he could understand those noble’s wish to taste something exotic when looking at the strange melange of a woman and a bird.

Alas, something caught his eyes which worried him. They said she was bloodied, but never explained how much or even what caused those injuries in the first place. Her body was covered in a mixture of blood and ink, something which wasn’t easily noticeable without a source of light to make the texture shine to the eyes.

Looking at the many bites and scratches on her skin, anyone could tell the blood was the harpy’s. However, nothing seemed to explain the excessive amount of this black liquid covering her body. But what seemed scarier to him was the fact that the wounds were already closing despite the blood loss being obviously fresh from a really recent fight.