The urge to scratch was almost irresistible.

Suffering delivered by the infirmary, Rinvar thought. If only he could claw his way through the bandages and rid himself of them. He was thankful that he could walk far enough to grab something to eat on his own – something that he wasn't able to do without Elena's help a few days past. At long last (Rinvar couldn't help feeling that he stayed longer in bed than he was supposed to), these trials were to be over. The ward was just up ahead; a couple of meters more before he was to see the last of his bindings.

He opened the door to be greeted by a resident doctor; the scent of disinfectant was still fresh and every single bed around him was perfectly flat. The sun just climbed its way beyond the hillsides; faint and warm beams passed through the window with one of them bouncing off a dark green vase to the captain's right. Rinvar was the first patient to be entertained by the attendants.

"Captain Rinvar De Melvich, yes?"

Rinvar nodded; the doctor used an open palm to lead him to the bed to his left.

"This will be your last day here, records say." A glimmer was seen on the edges of his spectacles. The doctor put down the clipboard and took out a pair of scissors from his drawer. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better than before – that's for sure." Rinvar took his shirt off and set it aside. Pointing to his wrappings, he said:

"These things are becoming itchy."

"Let's cut them away and make your skin feel better."

Rinvar eased his back, allowing the doctor's implement to slide through the bandages. He felt the cloth give way to the snipping metal blades. White wrappings slid to his lap; a smile of satisfaction ran across his face. His skin was finally allowed to breathe. He hesitated to stretch his back at first; Rinvar wouldn't want to have another reason to stay longer at the infirmary. A soft current of air passed by and caressed his back; the cooling sensation was something his skin welcomed. He arched his back and slowly flexed his arms before completely straightening his body again. Every day spent out of action meant that a possible lead slipping away from discovery. While it was true that he still had no lead as to where the syndicate lord might be operating, there was always that feeling of losing an opportunity to find a clue to the answer.

He was relieved to finally pass by the exit doors of the infirmary later on and yet, he felt that this would not be the last time he would be confined here.

A short squeak was heard from behind; there was a soldier sporting the reds and blues of the Blaurosen Guard who entered the door. He gave a quick salute, standing straight before Rinvar nodded for him to proceed.

"Captain. The Director wishes to see you in her ward."

"A new assignment? Right on time." Rinvar took his shirt and slipped himself into it. "Tell the Director that I'll be there shortly."

"Immediately, Sir." The soldier gave one last salute before he closed the door and left.

Rinvar buttoned his shirt and gave a short salute to the doctor, who responded with a slight nod and a smile. He wasted no time, striding his way out of the ward and back to the hallway. Farin Arinas' room was two turns from where he stood. He found no issues getting there, since the halls were almost empty during the time of day. A guard stood by the door and took notice of his arrival. The door was opened to him immediately, giving way to Rinvar's superior.

Much of her head was more visible, but the captain could not properly remember if she was bandaged from her neck all the way down. Locks of maize-colored hair were brought to view by the soft wind that came from the window. At least, he could remember that Farin could finally use her left arm (the doctors might have taken notice that she could use it with no problem by then).

"Good to see you in better shape, Captain. I can't wait to free myself from this bed..." Farin waved her arm before continuing, "...but as you can see, it's not going to be anytime soon."

"You're on your way there." Rinvar made a thin grin before sitting down on the director's bed. "I'd like to spend a few more days off, but you have a new task for me of course."

"I'm not keen on letting you take long breaks from work, even after getting in the same incident that brought us here in the first place. There's an envelope to your right."

Rinvar stood up and approached the nearby table and took the documents. He opened the envelope's contents and scattered them across. There were pictures that were taken from somewhere dark; there were no hints or signs of roadwork or any nearby town on them. Rinvar could see scattered strips of light on some of the photographs; they revealed a place that sat deep inside a forest. His eyes looked away from the pictures and moved back to the director.

"The Antikwald?"

"Odd that I'll be sending you there, isn't it? There was something interesting on that report that may have a faint connection to who we're after."

"Let me read through this report to find that out."

"Well, sit through it as long as you want." Farin waved her hand and called on the attention of the standing guard. She said, "Marius, can you bring me a glass of cold cider? Or better yet, make it a pitcher."

Her guard made two quick nods and left the room.

The entire document was about a fire that started at the middle of the old wood, but there were other details that gave the notion that somebody started a fire in the place. Pictures of a few scattered bullet casings and what looked like something large that plowed through a section of the forest were brought to the captain's attention. Another picture showed a soldier standing beside a strangely-shaped cavity on the ground.

"An odd place to have a firefight." Rinvar put down the photographs and took the writings before returning to Farin's bed. "That huge hole the soldier's standing beside. Is that a footprint?"

It took time for Farin to answer, but she had to ask the captain to hand over the picture to her to take another look. She gave the picture back to Rinvar before saying:

"Well, it does look like one, but don't be silly Captain." Farin tried to stop herself from laughing. "You, of all people, still believe in monsters? It might have been caused by a bloke with a grenade or some other explosive."

"Uh... ah... it's not like I'm selling that to you." Rinvar showed the director the photo again. "It could have been a grenade crater, but it's too detailed to be some random hole on the ground made by a bomb."

He still couldn't remove the thought from his mind: that had to be a footprint of sorts. Rinvar couldn't get it off his head. Monster or no, he felt that something made that shape on the ground on purpose. He wanted to share the same thoughts Farin had, yet this whole incident might have something else that needs to be discovered once he would arrive there.

"It just happened to look like that, not that this debate is going to help us in this case." Farin's laughter still escaped her lips, but the captain knew her when she was not convinced. "There were accounts of travelers who heard gunfire from inside the forest before the flames took over. Also, I've informed the Imperial Constabulary that I'll be sending you to the place. The Army sent its investigator ahead of us there, but I'd like to make sure that we're not missing out on anything important."

"So, we have armed groups deciding to stage gunfights in the middle of the woods - very interesting indeed."

"Perhaps the Army's crackdown pushed them out of towns to scramble for holdings in the Antikwald. It made a very good hideaway for our ancestors centuries ago."

"They'll have to forget traveling by any vehicle if that's the case. The forest overtook the roads that were built through it."

"You do have a point, but this fire was set inside the Guilenfrau Ruins"

Farin watched the door open; Marius returned with a pitcher of the requested drink. A filled glass with a straw was handed to her. It was hard for her to even take a sip of the drink; her lips missed the straw twice before she managed to get to it.

"This is going to be interesting indeed. This has to make sense somehow."

"I leave that to your capable judgment, Captain."

††

The ride to the forest took longer than it should; the road threatened to swallow the vehicle every few meters. Rinvar and some of the soldiers had to push their transport free of the earth's grip at some points in the journey. His squad arrived at the southwestern edge of the Antikwald, where a temporary encampment was erected to watch over the many vehicles that gathered there. The next part of the journey was done on foot; spotlights led the way as Rinvar's group negotiated their way through a network of large roots and rotten leaves. The scent of damp earth rose up to their noses with every step closer to the site. They were finally at the Guilenfrau Ruins. Tents were erected around the place; constables and a few soldiers stood watch on all directions.

"Captain De Melvich." A uniformed man with a deep red cloak stood before him and saluted. "It is a pleasure to know that you'll be working with us. Have you come here on your father's approval?"

"I'm sorry, but my visit is not influenced by him in any way." Rinvar forced a smile on his face and looked at the man. "Are you the investigator the Army sent here?"

"Ah, yes, Captain." He offered his hand after his reply. "Lieutenant Fleischmann, at your service."

Rinvar took the offer and made a handshake. "Let's get down to business."

"Of course, Sir."

Rinvar followed the lieutenant and was brought to the area that was most ravaged by the fire. Ash and soot was scattered all over the place. The scent of charred wood strayed at their noses at unexpected times.

"What have you found so far?"

"We were able to identify some of the areas where firefights occurred." The army officer stood at one place and pointed out a few areas of the ruins. "Bullet casings were found at the northwestern entrance to the ruins. For some reason, the shooters did not pursue whoever they were against upon setting foot at the Guilenfrau."

"Did not... pursue?"

"I too, am completely puzzled by it, but you must see it for yourself."

Lieutenant Fleischmann guided Rinvar out of the ruined courtyard. Three soldiers went ahead, sweeping the landscape with white beams before the officers proceeded. Captain De Melvich imagined that the shooters took a few shots and withdrew into the shadows.

"There is something we found that might interest you."

The lieutenant retrieved a small bag from his pocket. He signaled one of the soldiers to point the spotlight at it. He retrieved what seemed to be a small black blot that stood against the white surface of his glove. It looked like plain crushed rock to Rinvar, until he examined it a little longer.

"These are bullet fragments?" Rinvar did not touch the article, but he was quick to identify it based on the part that kept its metallic color. "Was this burned by the fire?"

"Most unlikely, Captain..." the army officer brought the piece back to the bag. "There should have been any piece that oozed to the ground. We think that this bullet was destroyed midair, if ever this was a bullet before."

"There is a point. If this is what I think it is, that bullet might have come in contact with something that vaporized it upon impact. Do you happen to have more of these?"

"We kept another sample back at the officers' tent. It will be yours to take, given that we have our own for study."

"I can work with that. Also, could you show me the..."

"Giant footprint?" Fleischmann found it easy to predict Rinvar's intent. "Of course. The scientists are more than eager to come here because of the discovery, but we had to make sure that everything's secure before they are to be allowed."

Both went to the front of the castle ruins, where large searchlights were erected and pointed in and out of the perimeter. There were more soldiers stationed here than on the encampment; guns were trained as if they would expect something to come out of the woods. Lieutenant Fleischmann brought Rinvar to the site where most of the strange depressions were found. The captain scanned the surroundings; he found out that some parts of the castle walls were burned by the flames. Was the fire that hot to melt through stone?

They arrived at the site of the first footprint; the photographs were not exaggerating after all. It dug onto the earth deep enough for a grown man to sink both his feet onto the cavity. Other impressions were found on the old stone, but there was nothing to tell him that the creature ran off somewhere else. It belonged to a large creature, but he did not recall any animal living in the forest that could leave footprints more than half a meter wide. Could it be a bear? He had read the books when he was a child, and no great bear was reported by the Imperial Science Bureau to inhabit the forest.

"Just what kind of animal is this?"

"I wouldn't know much, Captain. Perhaps the later arrival of the scientists can help us answer that."

The footprint resembled that of a lion's; five claws that dug on the ground. There was no mistake that a great cat from the Dark Continent could have been set loose on the Antikwald, but Rinvar found the impression too big for even the largest of beasts. This must be a colossal species, towering at least four times the size of men. It must have tried to flee from the blazing forest, but should there be a set of tracks that would lead to the creature's lair or hideaway?

"Were you able to find any other tracks that would lead us to the beast?"

"We had our hounds sniff the tracks," the lieutenant answered. "None of them led us outside the courtyard. They only converged here."

Rinvar looked behind him. There were areas marked by the Army that had bloodstains in them. Even the light of the search lamps could not let him identify if these spots were from the men involved in the firefight. The footprints were not those left of creatures of old. They were still fresh, as if the massive unknown beast stumbled upon this place. It may have been a struggle between hunters and the animal, but it was impossible for anybody to take the carcass out of the forest unnoticed, even if they cut the creature up into sections. There would have been a giant pool of dried blood should they resorted to that. Other thoughts entered his mind; perhaps this was a monster that flew into the forest and ate the men that came to the ruins. It was too farfetched to be a remote possibility. Did the hunters kill the creature and burned it? No, there should be a smoldering skeleton for everybody to see if it was what happened. One thing was for sure: the possibility of a syndicate-related incident was too far to be even thought of.

Rinvar took his mind off the footprint and looked elsewhere. A part of the courtyard reclaimed by the forest had an imprint that made everything more baffling than before.

"I need light!"

Soldiers with small spotlights rushed to where the captain was. Three men placed their lamps over where he pointed them to. The depression was something that wasn't seen anywhere else. The imprint could have been made by an object, probably that of a large stationary machine. It looked to rest on a solid foundation rather than a set of legs.

"Lieutenant!"

"Yes, Captain?" The soldier almost rushed to area; his cloak was almost lifted from his body.

"Have the men check if there are any other impressions similar to this."

"Of course." The lieutenant went ahead and alerted the soldiers who stood by near the area.

The ground played a tune to the sound of boots striking against it. Men scrambled with their spotlights pointing at the earth, looking for what seemed to be machine-made impressions left at the ruins.

He remembered the old men's tales of monsters again, based on where Rinvar was standing. It was impossible; the last of their kind was driven off or hunted down long ago – centuries past perhaps even before the first of the De Melvichs set foot on the land. It could be that the creature was still alive, gut loaded with men who attempted to take it down. It would be up to the scientists to conclude if such entities live and breathe in the Empire. It could have been a well-planned hoax made to scare the citizenry, but why at a time like this? It would serve no purpose if somebody pulled it off and walked away like this.

"One thing's for sure: this is going to be a lot of work."

Rinvar scanned for his pockets, counting on one of the very few things that helped him get on by in times like this. He pulled out a small object wrapped in black and peeled it away to reveal its dark brown content. He took his first bite while staring at the impression he just found.