Iris found herself awake just before dawn just as the sky in the window started to change colour. She rose from the bed and looked over to the other bed. Arylos was laying on his back, not making a sound. She assumed that he was finally able to sleep somewhat. Progress!

She looked over to the desk with all of the books and noticed a brush next to an inkwell. A shrewd idea came to her and despite all of her attempts, she could not tell herself no.

She got out of bed and walked over to the desk as quiet as her feet would allow. She opened the inkwell and filled the brush as full as she could get it, trying to stifle her evil laughter. She came up beside Arylos, thinking about what she wanted to draw on his face. Maybe a joke, or maybe something entirely inappropriate, or maybe she would put ink all over his beard.

She readied her hand, deciding to start off with something simple and see what she could get away with.

“Don’t. You. Dare.” Apparently, she wasn’t getting away with anything.

Arylos’s eyes shot open, the red glow piercing into Iris’s soul. All she could do was freeze in place with a nervous smile. “This is all a dream,” she whispered to Arylos.

Arylos scoffed and raised his hand and took the brush from Iris. “If this is a dream, then I would be a cute blue slime bouncing around on an adventure,” he jokingly told Iris while lifting himself out of bed.

“Did you even get any sleep?” Iris pouted.

Arylos thought for a moment before answering. “I don't think it was sleep exactly. I just got bored so I was doing some mental calculations.”

Iris chuckled for a moment before the realisation kicked in. “Wait! You were just doing a bunch of math with your eyes closed?!”

Arylos began collecting the books he had all over the desk in the corner. “Pretty much. Got stumped on a few things, made some observations, came to some interesting conclusions, had a giggle, it was an interesting use of time.”

Iris was trying to process what she was being told. She didn’t know what was worse; him meditating instead of sleeping, him doing math instead of sleeping, or him actually enjoying said math like it’s a fun way to pass the time.

He gathered his stack of books and turned to Iris. “I’m going to return these. When I get back, we’re hitting the road.”

Iris nodded with determination and once Arylos left the room, she quickly changed into her new armour and gathered her things. She strapped Helion to her back, once again to check the fit. She remembered that Helion should be able to communicate with her now from the scabbard.

“Helion, can you hear me?” Iris called out mentally.

Loud and clear, Master. Helion replied with its ringing voice.

Iris couldn’t help but blush. “You honestly don’t have to call me ‘master’. ‘Iris’ is just fine.”

Understood; will reference you by name from now on. Helion replied.

Iris headed down to the dining area, enjoyed a light breakfast of eggs on toast and waited outside for Arylos to return, breathing in the cold morning air and enjoying the morning silence of the city as the sun rose. As the sun began to peak through, casting its light on the stone streets, Arylos returned with his head once again buried in another book.

Iris wanted to try something. She saw Arylos nose first in a book and couldn’t help herself. She lined herself up to match Arylos’s walking path and waited for Arylos to come closer. She was going to get him this time. Once he was practically next to her, she stuck her leg out, ready to trip him.

He stopped right before the outstretched leg.

Iris’s giddy smile broke as she looked up and saw Arylos was still head first in his book but his red eyes were looking right at Iris.

Iris found herself pouting yet again. “You’re really no fun, you know that?”

Arylos laughed as he closed his book. “If you wouldn't do two attempts in one morning, you'll get me one day.” he assured. “Are you ready to go?”

Iris nodded and the two set off for the eastern gate, ready to start off on their adventure properly.

“What were you reading?” Iris asked, trying to make conversation.

“Fossird was getting me nowhere, so I looked to Norinis’s investigations of the occult.” Arylos explained. “His work is speculative, but is good for referencing eye-witness accounts.”

“I have no idea who these people are,” Iris explained with a chuckle.

Arylos thought for a moment before responding. “Just take it as people who provide resources on what you call the supernatural.”

“And you enjoy reading that?” Iris asked, starting to get a better idea of Arylos.

“Do you not enjoy reading and learning?” Arylos responded, calling on Iris’s obsession with adventure stories. “Not to mention your insistence on knowing more about my past and my people.”

“That’s because you’re the biggest unknown I’ve ever come across.” Iris returned, a bit of her sarcasm coming through. “It’s like no one knows anything about you and you don’t tell me a lot.”

“One day, I’ll tell you everything,” Arylos assured. “That day may not be for a while, but trust me that you will know everything.”

The duo arrived at the eastern gate, busy with traffic as various carriages prepare for the road. The bustle of riders and drivers running around, chattering and making sales filled the air and vendors were on the sides of the streets, aiming to catch some sales from those who are missing some last things before they hit the road.

“I chartered us a carriage,” Arylos told Iris. “This way, we should be able to get to Torasu by midday and it will be less stressful than walking there; the path has many hills and dips so cutting out walking would be best.”

Iris could hardly contain her excitement. She had ridden horses before, but she had never ridden in a carriage on a road trip before. Plus, the added comfort of not having to walk the two day journey made her happy, and that meant they could get to Sentoraya sooner than expected.

Arylos and Iris approached an older man with dark skin and a long white beard and thick white hair under a worn leather hat. He wore orange and brown leather clothing that had seen better days and several knives on his belt; obviously a man who spends his life on the road.

“Arylos!” the man called out in a grizzled voice and he and Arylos shared a crisp and rock solid handshake; the muscles in their arms bulging as if they were trying to crush rocks with their handshake.

“Keratos!” Arylos returned the greeting, as if he had not seen a dear friend in a long time. The men embraced, pounding each other’s backs.

Iris couldn’t make heads or tails of what she was seeing. Arylos is a friend of the carriage driver?

The men separated and the driver, apparently named Keratos, came over to Iris. “And this must be the girl you mentioned!” he said with a big smile. He reached out his hand for a handshake and Iris returned in kind.

Or she would if his grip wasn’t so tight. Iris could almost feel her hand losing circulation in the sheer iron grip Keratos had. The man could probably rip horns off of deer with his bare hands. All Iris could do was chuckle nervously and bear through it.

“To be honest, Arylos,” Keratos continued, “when you told me you were living the quiet life now, I couldn’t believe it. But I can’t deny it now that you got yourself a woman!”

Iris’s face quickly turned red hot.

Arylos belly laughed while correcting Keratos. “Mate, I don’t know what to do if that was the case. But no; she’s a friend I’m travelling to Sentoraya with, and a few other cities to the east.”

Iris nodded her head faster than any motion she’s ever done before hiding her red face in her hands.

Keratos gave Arylos a firm pat on the back. “Hey, whatever you do in the privacy of your retirement is your business; who am I to judge?”

Keratos then explained the itinerary to the duo. They would head out at the seventh hour and follow the north eastern road so they bypass the forests along the way at the cost of the route winding through some hills. At that pace, they should arrive at Torasu by midday or just after. Since the road is relatively quiet, should they need to stretch their legs, they need only ask. Keratos then guided the duo over to their carriage; a simple enclosed four seated carriage with an open back and drawn by a stout chestnut horse. Simple yet reliable.

Iris jumped into the back of the carriage; clean with bench seats going down both sides of the carriage’s interior and a single window for each bench. Cosy but not cramped, just the way she likes it. She claimed the left bench as hers with a giddy smile.

“Do we share this with anyone?” Iris asked Keratos.

“You two are the only ones I have booked for this trip,” Keratos answered with a thumbs-up.

Iris smiled and took Helion off of her back and stretched across the bench, claiming the whole length as her own. The two men laughed and shared a last firm handshake before Keratos took his place up front and Arylos took the bench across from Iris.

“I guess I should have told you about this ahead of time so you could buy a blanket,” Arylos mocked Iris. However she just looked over at him, trying to use her apparent cuteness to tell Arylos she wants one; puppy eyes and all.

Arylos caved with a sigh and got out of the carriage. A few minutes later he came back with a fleece blanket for Iris, which she accepted with a high pitched “thank you!” and wrapped herself up in it. He may not have a woman as Keratos suggested, but he is wrapped around a woman's finger.

Arylos returned to his seat across from her and took out a different book and began reading, waiting for Keratos to head off. By his count, that would be a couple of minutes.

Iris turned to face Arylos. “So, what’s the job?” she asked him.

Arylos pulled out a folded piece of parchment and began reading from it. “The creature, the locals coin the ‘Nightwalker’, has been plaguing the village for two years. It is a creature that strikes intermittently not long before midnight, attacking and violently ripping men apart. The have sent their best but only one survived with grievous wounds claiming that stalks the shadows and strikes when your back is turned to it. The Jharl is offering 100,000 Marks for the beast’s head, double if killed without anyone dying.”

“That sounds kind of dangerous,” Iris told Arylos, concerned that this may be a bit much.

Arylos shook his head and put the parchment away. “I doubt it. Mortals often fail to properly recount such an attack in any usable detail, so it may mostly be embellishment. I do have a running theory that it’s undead.”

Iris thought for a moment. “You have a point; it attacks at night and keeps to the shadows. Unless it’s some kind of predator.”

Arylos nodded. “That’s what I’m keeping as a backup. Not undead, but some kind of animal or similar creature. They require separate approaches. If it’s undead, then I just need to find what corpse thinks it’s fun to get up and start killing and burn it before it wakes up again.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Iris agreed.

“Onward to Torasu!” Keratos howled and the sounds of reins snapping filled the air as the carriage lurched forward suddenly and began moving out. Iris jumped up to the window and watched as she could see the carriage pass through the eastern gate and head out on the road, increasing in speed to a nice cruising speed.

Iris looked on with a big smile as the trees passed by and she was met by open roads with an ever approaching horizon. This was the way to travel; none of that on foot travelling they did to get here.

Iris turned back to face Arylos again who was still absorbed in his studying. “How do you know Keratos?” she asked him.

Arylos thought for a moment and closed his book. “Since we’re taking this job, it’s only fair you know.” he told her.

She sat back down in her seat and wrapped up in the blanket, waiting for Arylos to explain. “Do you remember how I said Jhullus and Nerva belong to a specific organisation?”

Iris nodded and so Arylos continued. “That order is known as the Khymr Order.”

“Kai…mur?” Iris tried the name out.

“You got it,” Arylos confirmed to a smiling Iris, proud she finally got a non-Kaiyumian word correct. “There's a lot to them but at the end of the day, think of the Khymr as inhuman mercenaries.”

“Inhuman mercenaries? Are you a Khymr?” Iris asked.

Arylos chuckled. “I’m not, but I work closely with them enough that they consider me a member of the order. Real Khymr are completely different from you and me.”

Iris nodded, satisfied with the brief explanation. After a moment, she very slowly closed her eyes, taking in the smell of nature, the sounds of birds and the hypnotic rumbling of the carriage, the feel of the sunlight on her skin. It was enough to put her at ease; a sense of peace that she has felt only a handful of times before. The next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes and the carriage had come to a stop and Arylos was sitting in his bench waiting for her.

“You were completely out. Did you get any sleep last night?” Arylos asked, concern in his voice.

Iris sat up and rubbed her eyes, “I’m fine,” she assured. “I guess I got too relaxed. Are we taking a break?"

Arylos shook his head and gathered his things and stood up. “No; we’ve arrived in Torasu.”

Iris was shocked; just how long was she asleep? She quickly turned around and looked outside and a quiet hamlet filled the horizon. Simple houses not unlike those in Nageki surrounded dirt streets and in the distance was a finely decorated longhouse adorned with intricate carvings. Each house looked hand-built and featured a painted crest next to the door. However, there was little in the way of foot traffic in the small streets, as if everyone was hiding in their homes.

Iris gathered up her bags and sword, trying to find room for the nice blanket Arylos got her but regretfully decided to leave it and left the carriage with Arylos who was headed to the front of the carriage to talk to Keratos. Iris came up behind him as Arylos offered Keratos an envelope and a firm handshake.

“Will we be riding with him again?” Iris asked.

“Possibly,” Arylos answered. “I asked him to stay nearby for the night, but not in the city to be safe.”

Arylos then beckoned Iris to follow him and they walked towards the centre of town where the ornate longhouse awaited them. As they passed, Iris noticed that everyone locked themselves in their homes, unwilling to step out like they were afraid of the outside itself. The creature must put so much fear in them that even during the day, they're terrified.

“Here’s the plan,” Arylos explained. “We have to identify what the creature is first so we can fight it properly. That means asking around and trying to get information.”

“But how will anyone help us?” Iris asked. “They all look too terrified to talk to anyone.”

Arylos chuckled. “Welcome to my life. You try to help people and they fear you and call you a monster and try to kill you.”

One would assume Arylos was talking about the people of Torasu but Iris couldn’t help but think that Arylos was really talking about himself. Maybe there were more things Arylos needed to get off of his chest about his past and maybe how Iris’s ancestors imprisoned him in the forest using a sword that he made.

As the two walked, Iris locked eyes with one blonde middle aged woman who was hiding behind her door, almost like she wanted to open the door. In fact, the look in her eyes almost pleaded for help. Iris almost asked Arylos to stop but decided against it for now; Arylos seemed dead set on heading for that longhouse.

The two arrived at the short stairway leading up to the longhouse. The walls were painted with various crests in old and now fading paints and the wood had carved knotted designs that framed the wooden walls. The roof was thatched with a dragon’s head adorning the entryway, gazing down on all of those who would enter the doors. The draconic motif surprised Iris; dragons were always hated because of the Dragon Wars, so why would there be one decorating this hall?

Arylos approached the front door and in a series of pounding strikes, knocked loudly on the door. Iris came up beside him and mocked him “Maybe knocking that ominously doesn’t help your reputation?”

Arylos turned around and glared at Iris but was also trying to suppress a smile. The door was opened gingerly by an elderly lady, tan and fraying white hair and enough wrinkles to make a well aged tree look young. She wore a simple blue and grey cloth robe that hung from her skeletal limbs. She regarded the duo with tired eyes that have not seen the bliss of sleep for decades.

“How can I help you?” the woman asked in a strained voice. Arylos responded by simply pulling out an ornate gold coin covered in runes with a red gem pressed in the centre.

“You must be here for the contract,” the woman understood and opened the door wider to let the two in. The interior of the hall was adorned with weapons of all kinds of makes hanging from the walls and the smell of wet wood filling the air. Little light penetrated the hall and the air carried the sound of anxious whispers and a fire crackling from a large stone hearth in the middle of the hall.

At the end of the hall sat a young burly man on a dragon engraved chair. His skin was tanned with short blond hair, heavy-set and wearing a bright red vest with gold trim with draconic adornments, and black trousers. He held his head on his fist as if bored and awaiting some entertainment. To his right stood a middle aged man with short brown hair starting to turn grey and a greying goatee in simple black robes.

Arylos approached the men with Iris in tow. Iris felt her heart start to race again; she was out of her depth.

Remain calm, Helion assured Iris from its scabbard. Father will handle everything.

Iris took a breath and tried to calm herself. Helion was right; Arylos knew what he was doing so leave it to him.

“I was not told you were bringing a woman,” the seated man called out.

Arylos lightly bowed his head and replied in a deeper voice than normal. “She is my student. This creature seemed best to bloody her. Yet make no mistake, she will not hesitate to cut down what I order her to.”

The seated man scoffed and Iris could swear she saw a glint of red light come from Arylos’s eyes. “Even so, I was not aware your order of ‘Brothers’ accepted women into your ranks,” the man said, not quite believing this situation.

“We accept all who wish to kill,” Arylos returned with a fang-bearing grin. “And your name sir?”

“Vorund”, the seated man replied. “This here is Marund, my attendant.”

“‘Vorund’ and ‘Marund’,” Arylos tried the names, “no doubt names passed down from the old times. You take pride in the draconic past.”

“I do,” Vorund replied. “The dragons were the greatest force this world had ever seen; they were able to set the skies themselves ablaze. We cannot denounce such power so easily.”

Vorund stood from his seat and approached Arylos. “So, can you really do it?” Vorund whispered, his rough expressions turned sombre and concerned. “Can you really kill it?”

“I’d like to know more about what I’m hunting,” Arylos replied. “What can you tell me about the creature?”

"Only what we put in the contract," Marund cut in, "the creature attacks just before midnight and attacks men when they're alone. One farmer boy was found this morning, although his corpse has been cremated per his mother's request. I can say that the body was lashed; arms and legs lacerated, chest and gut hollowed out, and face barely recognisable."

Arylos nodded and bowed lightly as he made his way out with Iris following closely behind; he wasn't going to get much more out of them.

"The idiots destroyed the body before I could see it," Arylos complained once outside. "But if the limbs and face were lacerated, then the creature was lashing out in anger, not for hunger. Maybe there's something more to this than I'm thinking."

Iris had an idea hit her. “When we came into town, there was one woman who looked like she wanted to ask for help. Maybe we should talk to her.”

Arylos snapped. “Good idea!”

The duo quickly left the longhouse, Iris backtracking their steps until she got to the house with the woman she remembered. Iris gingerly knocked on the door and after a moment of silence, the door creaked open slightly, the same blonde woman from earlier gazed on the two with scared eyes, wearing a tattered green dress that had seen better years. Her eyes were red and she quivered in the lightest breeze.

“Hi there,” Iris said in a friendly tone. “We were wondering if you needed help with something.”

The woman looked to the ground, as if afraid, and then opened the door to let the two in. Iris couldn’t help but feel bad; the small house was cramped and single room with a small fire pit in the centre. Not far stood two crude beds in the corner; one that was neatly made and had a withered rose on it.

The woman gingerly beckoned to a small table as she reached for a pot of water from the fire pit and brought it over to the table and poured the water into three cups that already had tea leaves in them.

Arylos caught on. “You were expecting us?”

The woman nodded and sat down at one seat as Arylos and Iris sat opposite from her.

“Are you here for the monster?” the woman asked in a hoarse yet quiet voice.

“Yeah, we’re going to put an end to it.” Iris responded, trying to comfort the woman but the woman shook her head.

“But what about the real monsters?” she asked, on the verge of tears.

Iris was lost for a moment but Arylos sighed, drinking some of the tea while putting the pieces together. “This has something to do with that bed over there, doesn’t it?” he asked.

The woman regained her composure as best as she could. “Two years ago, my daughter Myrra went to gather fish at the lake south of here called ‘Anenda’. But she never came home that day. I tried asking around to see if anyone found anything but no one could tell me anything. Then…” she fell silent in her explanation.

Iris grabbed the woman’s hands, reassuring her to continue. “A couple nights later, I heard Vorund and a few of his hunting friends at the tavern talking about a girl they…they…”

Arylos heard enough and stood from the table, cup of tea in his hands. “They said they killed her, didn’t they?”

The woman had fresh tears coming down her cheeks but shook her head. He knew what she meant.

Arylos took a drink from the tea, examining the bed with the rose on it. “I take it you couldn’t get in touch with the Khymr order,” he continued. “So when you heard that Khymr were coming here, you wanted to plead your case to not kill the monster, fearing it’s your daughter, and instead kill Vorund and those responsible.”

The mother paused for a moment before explaining further. “The men dying are some of Vorund’s men and friends. That’s why I think she’s still out there. And I can’t afford to pay for the Khymr myself.”

Arylos came to a conclusion as he finished his tea and set the cup back on the table. He then knelt next to the weeping mother, resting his hand on her shoulder. “I cannot guarantee Myrran is still alive,” he explained in a soft voice, “but I will see this through so if she’s out there, she may find peace. And I will do what I can to help you.” The woman buried her head in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Arylos got up and looked towards Iris. “Let’s go,” he instructed. “We have work to do.” He then made his way out of the small hovel with Iris bowing to the mother before making her way out.

Arylos closed the door but he rested his hand on it and glowing orange runes came out from his forearm with a hum of power and rested themselves on the door in a spiralling circle of lines and runes solidified their shape and faded from view.

Iris was confused for a moment. “What did you do?”

“Placed a ward on her house for the night,” he answered. “I doubt she could have told us that information willingly. So it will protect her until this is over.” Arylos then continued walking down the dirt road. “Come, we’re going to that lake Anenda.”

After a mildly long walk as the sun began to approach the horizon, Arylos and Iris found themselves at a lake that stretched as far as the eye could see; the far southern bank being practically invisible, giving the appearance of a vast ocean. Iris could have enjoyed the site, however the shoreline was muddy and the water a murky black and green, giving the appearance of a swamp rather than a lake. Trees near the shore stuck out like skeletal hands from the ground and a light fog spread across the water.

“Well, I guess that explains why this place feels like a mudhole,” Iris said, partially joking.

“I remember this lake,” Arylos said to himself, kneeling down near the water’s edge, concern and sadness written on his face. “It wasn’t like this. It was lush, blue, and clear. I used to fish here a long time ago.”

“That was almost three thousand years ago, Arylos. And a hundred year war sparked at the time.” Iris responded, hoping the explanation would suffice.

“No,” Arylos shook his head, not believing it. “It was like that for hundreds of years before the war. This is new.”

Iris approached the water next to Arylos and the smell of rotten eggs hit her in the face like never before; the stench so powerful that it felt like her nose was burning. She covered her nose and tried breathing through her mouth but now she could taste the horrid stench. This was the closest she has been to vomiting for a while.

“You smell that too, don’t you?” Arylos asked, as if oblivious to it. All Iris could do was nod, trying to contain herself.

Arylos reached his hand into the water and upon contact, the water touching his hand boiled and changed to the hue and consistency of blood and the metallic smell accompanied the sulfuric smell. He removed his hand and the bubbling and blood faded and the water returned to its black and green colour.

Arylos stood and shaked the blood from his hand. “An Arkin” he said in realisation.

Iris’s eyes started to water and she finally started to back away from the lake’s foul waters. “A what?” she asked in a broken voice.

“An Arkin, a vengeful undead,” Arylos answered while walking away from the lake. “They are created when someone who died a violent death is not allowed proper rest. The soul rejects death and what’s left is the undisposed corpse with the faded memories of the person’s death. They lash out with anger, trying to claw their way back to life not knowing they’re already lost.”

Iris nodded, slowly understanding. The creature must be Myrra and something bad must have happened to her. “But an Arkin’s undead, right?” Iris asked. “You just burn the body of the undead and they’ll move on, right? So this is simple.”

Arylos shook his head. “Not so.” He turned to face the lake once more. “The lake here is fouled by the presence of the Arkin. That means the body is somewhere in this lake.”

Iris looked once more across the vast ocean-like lake. They would never be able to find the body in the lake by nightfall if she died two years ago, and the sun was already preparing to set. They had hours, maybe a few extra if the Arkin kept to its current course and attacked near midnight.

Arylos and Iris regrouped by Keratos's carriage and prepared. Arylos prepared various tinctures and gave Iris three potions; a red one for energy, a blue one for pain, and a white one for poison.

When handed the white one, Keratos cut in with a warning. "Careful with the white one. It will make you vomit something horrible."

Iris committed the instructions to memory and once prepared, the two went back to Vorund's longhouse. Arylos entered and two guards standing between Arylos and Vorund drew their swords. Arylos took the hint and approached slowly with his hands raised.

“We need to evacuate the village,” Arylos instructed. “The creature will strike again and we will have to fight it. If no one leaves, someone's going to get hurt.”

Vorund smiled. “And why would I do that if you already know everything?”

Arylos raised an eyebrow and Vorund continued. “I know you spoke to Norra. She told you to kill me to get revenge for her daughter, didn’t she?”

Arylos sighed, his annoyance heavy on his breath; he should have watched his back better. Almost three thousand years trapped in a ruin made him rusty.

“Look, I don’t have time for this pathetic bullshit.” Arylos said and approached Vorund with glowing red eyes and a growl.

The two guards ran at Arylos to cut him down, yet Arylos, like some spirit, sidestepped them with swiftness that caught them off guard. Arylos went straight for Vorund and struck him hard in the face and Vorund fell to the ground in an unconscious crumpled mess before he could draw his sword. Arylos scoffed at how weak this man must have been and he turned around to handle the other two guards.

Except the two guards were on the ground with their heads cleanly cut from their bodies; Iris with Helion in hand and fresh blood on the blade and a wild blue glow in her brown eyes that faded as she came to reality.

“Helion took control?” Arylos asked.

Iris shook her head and sheathed the sword. “That was me. I can’t have them backstabbing you now.”

Arylos smiled, proud that Iris could make a decision that quickly of her own free will and remain in control.

Over the course of the hours, Iris and Arylos evacuated the fifty villagers, including Norra and Marund, and got them to follow Keratos west and away from the village. Arylos tied Vorund to his chair in the longhouse as Iris stood guard by the longhouse doors, waiting for midnight.

Vorund awoke slowly, his face swelling and head aching, only partially realising that he was tied down in his seat.

Before him, a sight of horror; a man in shadow with burning red eyes staring into his soul.

“Good, you’re awake,” Arylos growled.

Vorund gritted his teeth. “I demand you release–”.

Arylos struck Vorund with the back of his hand in a sound that Iris could have sworn was the sound of thunder.

Vorund bit through the pain, trying to regain his dignity. “I am paying you to–”

Arylos struck him again, knocking a tooth out of Vorund’s mouth.

“I am hitting you because you won’t tell me what you did,” Arylos growled, baring his fangs.

Vorund ran his tongue across the empty slot where his molar was, shocked by the sheer force that he had been struck. He was fighting back tears of his own.

“I did nothing wrong,” Vorund answered. “I am reporting this to your–”

Arylos struck him with his fist, knocking out more teeth as his patience was wearing thin.

“Just so you know,” Arylos said, popping the knuckles of his punching hand, “I do not serve the Khymr; they serve me. So tell me everything.”

The fear was plain on Vorund’s face as he tried to process what Arylos just said.

“I’d hurry up if I were you,” Iris called out in a sarcastic tone, still watching the village from her doorside post. “He doesn’t like being kept waiting.”

Vorund tried biting back but could no longer hold it. “I am Jharl of this village!” he called out in a crying voice. “She was to be mine! But she refused, wanting some guard in the capital. She should know her place!”

Arylos’s growls became more intense. “She was never property for you to claim,” Arylos said, biting back his anger. “She was a woman of her own free will.”

Vorund laughed through his pain, “Aye, she was a woman. And when a man offers her a place by his side, she should be overjoyed.”

Arylos growled and struck Vorund again, blackening his eye causing Vorund to howl in pain.

“So you took her by force,” Arylos growled in an inhuman voice, “you claimed her against her will. And she served no further purpose to you like that so you killed her and threw her in the lake.”

Vorund nodded, choking back tears. Arylos roared a sound that made Iris’s blood chill and she heard one last strike with bones cracking and Vorund hit the floor. She turned and saw Vorund convulsing on the ground with a shattered jaw bone as Arylos slowly rose to his feet; his hand shaking as he tried to slow his breathing and calm himself.

Iris came up behind Arylos and rested her hands on his back. Something about this upset him greatly and he would need to remain calm for the fight ahead. Arylos turned and looked to Iris with sorrowful eyes and gave her a light hug.

Meanwhile, by the Anenda waterfront, the black waters began to boil and the shape of a human walking on four legs crawled out of the water, bones snapping, flesh tearing and stretching, a worn white dress now tattered and disintegrating in the air. Blackened skin and claws for nails, the creature stood on two legs, howling and gasping for air with a broken chest, breathing through a slit throat, tongue dangling from the mouth. Rotted eyes crying black tears stared at the night sky and a howl of pain filled the air; a shriek of a woman turned monster as water gurgled from the slit throat.

The Arkin Nightwalker had begun its hunt.