“Hey, I can see the village!”, Joachim called from the front of the wagon.

“Great”, Kranos grunted, “I swear, this stupid wagon will bust my ass off if I sit here any longer.”

“You could always just walk”, Cerberos suggested, doing just that a few steps to the side.

“Naah. I’m good.”

“You reckon there’s anything to it?”, Jasper asked.

“Villagers get fussy over the smallest of things”, Cerberos said, “Though this sounds pretty strange. Either it’s a rogue [Thaumaturge] or the [Witch] went mad, ‘s my guess.”

“Sapient monsters aren’t that rare”, Ludwig said.

“Hah, wanna bet?”, Kranos cheered.

The diminutive [Eldritch Scout] sitting in the back of the wagon turned around to face his companion. After a moment he shook his head and turned back.

“Thought so!”

Kranos laughed, his massive body making the cart shake. The two oxen pulling them complained loudly over the unexpected shifting.

“Calm it, Kranos”, Joachim said.

The leader of the Plains Brigade was as average a man as it got. He had dark brown hair and was of middling height with a forgettable face covered in slightly-cared-for stubble. His body was muscular and well trained but the loose shirt and pants he wore over his armour disguised his stature. He was looking grim at the prospect of a village being taken over by madness and warp. Those things never ended well. And if there was even a hint of taint, he would immediately call a retreat and notify the Church.

From this distance, the place looked as normal as could be. Fields of wheat surrounded a wooden palisade. It was not very tall at only two metres but would keep out vermin. A gate was placed in every cardinal direction and two men stood guard at the one pointing to the road. They were likely expecting them and had placed the men there to look good.

The houses were simple only two larger ones sitting in the centre. People were milling about as he could see from the hill they were on at the moment and nothing looked out of place. With one exception. There was a watch tower on the southern gate. Had they found a threat in the forest and were being more vigilant? If so, the Brigade’s preparations would pay off. Even though it was not fun to spend weeks in the mountains, it was good when work did not end up useless.

“I don’t see anything amiss”, Cerberos said, “Looks like there’s no obvious warp.”

“I’ll trust your eyes on this one”, Kranos said, “Looks like we aren’t too late, whatever this is.”

Jasper’s sigh of relief was interrupted by a gasp from Ludwig. Everyone went silent. Joachim stopped the cart on the spot.

“What’s wrong?”, the leader asked.

Ludwig held up a hand.

“Give me a moment”, he said.

The silence was palpable, even the oxen holding their breath. Their scout was known for picking up on the darker sides of thaumaturgy. Everything from slight increases in flux to terribly warped or tainted beings. That was why they were chosen for this task. Lord Ekos had paid a hefty sum to verify the claims the [Village Head] sent notice of. A sapient beast was not unheard of but with the Church controlling nodes, it was incredibly rare to find one on the human plains.

Ludwig turned to his team. His eyes were wider and his fingers shaking.

“I have never felt something like this before”, he whispered.

The others waited for him to elaborate. One minute passed. Then another. Finally, Jasper spoke up. The man’s soft high-pitched voice did not fit his voluptuous appearance.

“Please, Lud. What’s going on?”

“I… This feels worse than any thaumaturge I ever met. This much warp… How could anyone be sane like that?”

“So it’s a thaumaturge?”, Joachim said, “Great. Should’ve called the Church.”

He thought for a moment before speaking up again.

“Should we turn around?”

He looked at their scout but the question was directed at everyone.

“Yes, please”, Jasper said.

The man was the highest level of them and still, thaumaturges turned him into a skittish doe. His Class [Meat Wall] was incredibly useful against mundane threats but his Intelligence and Wisdom were lacking a little making him an easy target for specialized Skills.

“You’ll be fine”, Kranos said, putting a hand on his friend's wrist. They shared a short smile only Joachim noticed. Ludwig was too occupied with his sensory Skill and Cerberos too oblivious.

“I think… we can move on?”, the scout said, “There’s only the one mind that’s influenced. We should try to find it. Maybe we can say we’re on our way through to look for nodes in the mountains?”

“Bad idea”, Cerberos said. The [Eagle Hunter] had great vision and just as great a mind.

“If there’s a [Thaumaturge] there, they’ll be looking to protect their node. Or nodes. Which we will likely find if we move into the mountains.”

“We should try to identify, if not even [Identify] them”, Joachim said, “It would make the Church’s job much easier.”

“They already sent for some Paladins, right?”

“That’s what the Priest said when we left, yeah. They’ll still take a while. And we can easily get back in time even if we stay for two or three weeks.”

“I say we check it out”, Cerberos said, “We got our task from Lord Ekos. Find if there’s really a sapient beast in Greypeak and if they are willing to be part of human society, potentially even join his employ. Let’s just proceed with that.”

“Any better ideas?”, Joachim asked.

Shaking heads surrounded him in answer.

“Good. Let’s get going. I want to sleep in a proper bed tonight.”

“Do they even have an inn in a place like this?”, Kranos asked.

“Let’s hope…”

The cart rolled down the dirt road for most of the afternoon. Ludwig was still fidgety but his Skills could only tell about warp and it was not spreading. An hour before dusk, the mercenaries reached the fields. A few villagers were out and about, likely farmers checking on their crops and removing any parasites. The men and women hailed the cart and the mercenaries answered with greetings of their own.

Finally at the gate, they introduced themselves to the men standing guard. Both of them carried a spear and had a bow and quiver ready on the other side of the wall. The Plains Brigade was let in without much fuss, one of the guards leading them to the house of the [Village Head] where they were received warmly by an old couple and a young man.

“Welcome to Greypeak!”, they were greeted, “I am Thomas Helio, [Village Head]. Thank you for coming. I take it Lord Ekos sent you?”

Joachim nodded.

“Indeed. We are the Plains Brigade, mercenaries employed by his lordship to respond to”, he pulled out a folded sheet of paper, “Herbert Helio’s letter.”

“That would be my father”, the young man said, “I have taken over his position a little over a week ago.”

Herbert and his wife nodded at them.

“I’ll be helping him out for a while yet so feel free to tell me if you need anything”, the old man said.

“Thank you”, Joachim said, “We could use some food and a bed. I don’t suppose you have a hot bath?”

“We could heat some water over a fire. Dear, would you be so kind?”

Joanne nodded and retreated into the house.

“As for boarding, we can offer you the warehouse over there. It’s not used for food at the moment so you can take a corner for yourselves.”

“We moved some beds inside as well”, Thomas added, “Set them up however you need ‘em”,

“Thanks”, Joachim said, “Guys, get everything loaded off and feed the oxen.”

His team nodded and got moving.

“Come back here for dinner when you’re ready”, Thomas said, “We still got some meat from the festivities.”

“Will do”, Joachim nodded, “Let’s talk business tomorrow. This isn’t all that pressing, right?”

The [Village Head] nodded and saw them off from his door.

Joachim huddled up to Ludwig as they entered the warehouse.

“Anything?”, the leader asked.

“It’s weird. The warped is currently a little south into the forest, I think. They were in the village earlier. Wait. They’re moving. And fast.”

Cerberos looked up.

“Aerial threat!”, he said, clear and loud but not shouting.

His bow was in his hands moments later.

The others looked out through the open door of the warehouse. There was a platform built just above the door blocking some of the vision but they could still see a large bird flying in from the south. A few villagers were nearby and looked up as well. A brat of no more than eight years turned to the mercenaries and laughed.

“You guys need to chill! That’s just Fio!”

Cerberos just barely held his hand from pulling the bowstring.

“That’s what?”, Joachim asked.

“Fio! She moved in with her family like… a few days ago? That’s when their tower was ready.”

The owl, as they were now able to make out, was clearly observing them. Ludwig flinched at its gaze.

“Lower your bow”, Joachim said.

Cerberos glanced at his leader but did as asked shortly after. The bird lost its tension and circled down slowly. Soon after, it landed in the midst of several humans. Villagers that should be terrified by what was clearly a magical beast. And yet, three brats were laughing and trying to pet it while soft tendrils of darkness gently kept them away. The adults looked on with smiles. Only a few seemed to be slightly worried.

A girl a little over ten years ran up to the owl.

“Can’t you just wait for me?”, she asked, “I don’t have wings!”

The owl looked up. And then it spoke. She spoke. Without moving her beak.

“I wanted to see what this was about. They came in response to Herbert’s letter, right?”

“Probably?”

Both of them looked over at the mercenaries.

Jasper gulped. Kranos waved with a grin. Cerberos stood motionless, his arrow still nocked. Ludwig was shaking. His scout could not take his eyes from the owl. And Joachim could not ignore such an obvious warning.

“You, owl”, he called out.

“I have a name”, came the voice.

“What are you planning with these people?”

The faces of the villagers turned confused.

“Nothing?”, the bird answered with a tilted head.

The leader glanced at his scout.

“Is this the one?”, he whispered.

A tiny nod was his answer.

“Am I the what?”, the owl asked.

Good ears, of course.

“The warped”, Joachim said.

The villagers' confusion turned to hesitation.

“Oh, that”, the owl said, “It’s a side effect.”

“Of what?”

“Of my evolution.”

So it was an evolved beast.

“You are not a [Thaumaturge]?”, Joachim asked.

“No. Can you [Identify] my Class?”

So forward? Maybe he did not have to worry?

“Ludwig can.”

“Then do it”

The scout focused. Then his shaking stopped. As did his breath. The leader stepped over.

“What’s the verdict, Lud?”

“Not… not a [Thaumaturge].”

A breath of relief went through the villagers. They started talking again. A short bit about the owl but mostly about the mercenaries and how they ‘only brought chaos’. Joachim cringed.

“Fine. Let’s settle down?”

His team agreed and they continued unpacking their things.

“And you, owl. What’s your name?”

“I’m Fio. And that’s Circe.”

“I’m Joachim of the Plains Brigade”, he introduced himself. The names of his team members followed.

“We’ll need to talk about things. You’re the reason we were sent here, I think.”

The bird nodded.

“That is highly likely. Will you be eating at the [Village Head]’s space later?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll be there too!”, the girl smiled, “See you, then!”

With a push, she made the owl move towards the house and followed.

“Well, that’s something. Lud, breakdown.”

“Right. Evolved owl, obviously sapient. Species is new to me. Sgiathan Dorcha Owl. Specialized in discovery, exploration and… friendship? I think. Two years old. Name is Fio Catori. Enriched Beast Core, medium. Likely the cause of the warp. Race level… 101.”

A gasp was heard from the others.

“Continue”, Joachim bid.

Ludwig nodded.

“Class 1, [Assassin lvl 92]. Class 2, [Apprentice Witch lvl 10] Force high thirties, Speed low forties, Will… three digits. 104 in both, to be exact.”

“Those numbers don’t add up”, Cerberos said, “Double Attributes from race?”

“Probably”, Ludwig nodded.

“The Beast Core worries me”, Joachim said, “Where did she find a source beyond major quality?”

“Maybe we can ask? It’s an owl. She can fly”, Jasper suggested.

“True. Likely reached level 100 recently and joined the village for an apprentice Class. Why [Witch] and [Assassin], though?”

“If I may”, Cerberos said, “[Assassin] was likely her first option when reaching sapience. At such a high level it would be stupid to ditch it. She is likely not a professional killer, even if skilled.”

“I agree with that assessment”, Joachim said, “Engagement risk?”

“High”, Ludwig said, “We have no idea what racial Skills she could have. With such a high enrichment, there’s bound to be a ton of magic. Might taint the village…”

“Her race is about friendship?”, Jasper asked.

“It seems like it.”

“Then let’s be nice?”

The others shared a look. Only Kranos stood behind the massive man, an arm on his shoulder.

Ludwig shrugged.

“She gives me the chills but I don’t see why not. The villagers are clearly getting along. We need to know if the node is within a week's travel. Other than that, I don’t see an immediate threat.”

“Cerberos?”

The slim hunter had his eyes narrowed.

“I don’t know… I don’t like the bird.”

Kranos laughed.

“It’s an owl. You’re and [Eagle Hunter]. Of course, you don’t like her.”

Cerberos scowled.

“You may be right.”

“Then it’s settled. Let’s be friendly. We won’t risk the villagers for a low immediate threat and assess for further procedure.”

Agreement was voiced and the group settled from their tense postures.

“Let’s get some food?”, Jasper suggested.

“Yes, let’s!”, Kranos laughed.

The others smiled. Maybe this assignment would be easier than expected.