The Drunken Hydra smelled worse in the morning. Kaito covered his nose as he stepped in, eyes still half closed. Inside, Lyria was already up and armored, standing in front of the guild mission board like it had insulted her mother.
"Anything that doesn't involve rats, please?" Kaito asked.
Seren came in behind him, stretching with a yawn. "I swear, if another request tells me to clear barrels or catch chickens, I'm hexing someone."
"No rats," Lyria said. She tapped a fresh piece of paper on the board. "But we've got this."
> Hunt Request: The Screeching Hollow
A lone beast has been howling near the edge of the Deadwood. No confirmed deaths. Locals are scared.
Reward: 15 silver, plus tips if you bring back something nasty looking.
Kaito frowned. "That sounds… weirdly vague."
Lyria with her arms now crossed. "Probably is. But better to deal with it now before it turns into something worse."
Seren rolled her eyes. "Or maybe it's just some sad fox with a sore throat."
"But sure. Let's go get killed."
"Maybe, But it's money. And we need money."
---
They headed out by midday. The road past Ashveil was rough, more dirt than usual and lined with dense trees that shook without the wind.
We was never a good sign.
Lyria led them, sword strapped across her back, eyes sharp on the trail.
Seren followed behind, reciting small scan spells under her breath.
Kaito was stuck in the middle, as always. Trying not to trip over roots while the Error System glowed softly in the corner of his vision. It hadn't said a word all day. Just flickered.
The deeper they went, the colder it got.
"Does it feel weird here?" he asked.
"Dead magic," Seren replied. "Or dying magic. Like something sucked the life out of the ground."
Lyria raised her fist suddenly, and they all stopped.
The path ahead looked wrong. The trees were twisted, bent toward the center. Moss covered stones circled a patch of open ground. The dirt there were new - ish, claw marks running deep into the earth.
This definitely doesn't feel right.
A single figure crouched in the middle.
It was huge. Its skin looked like cracked bones wrapped in wet bandages. Long limbs, sharp claws, and not much of a face, A smooth stretch of black where eyes should be.
In short, they creature was terrifying.
It turned. It saw them.
And it screamed.
The sound was sharp and jarring, like glass shattering in their ears.
Then it charged.
Lyria met it halfway, blade flashing. The beast slammed into her, claws against metal. They wrestled for a second before she shoved it back with a kick.
"Move!" she shouted. "It's fast!"
Kaito stumbled aside, grabbing a thick stick from the ground. The beast turned toward him then bolted again.
He didn't know what to do.
It was on him in seconds.
He was working with instincts now..
He swung the stick, hitting it in the side. It didn't do much, but it slowed the thing down. Enough for Lyria to slam into it from the side, sword aimed at its ribs.
She cut deep.
The beast shrieked again, lashing out wildly. One claw sliced across Lyria's armor, forcing her to roll away.
Kaito backed up, breathing hard.
"Seren? Anytime now!"
She lifted both hands, reciting faster, and sent a wave of frost crashing into the creature's back. Ice spread across it's limbs, slowing it down just a enough.
"Hit it now!"
Kaito rushed in again, using the stick like a spear. It hit the creature's side, jabbing through the icy skin.
The beast snarled, turned toward him...
And Lyria drove her sword through the neck from behind.
The creature collapsed with a heavy thud, twitching before it dissolved into a pool of black goo.
The forest went quiet.
Kaito fell to one knee, panting.
Lyria stood over the remains, blood smeared across her cheek. "You okay?"
"Yeah," he wheezed. "I think."
Seren stepped up, her arms folded. "That thing wasn't natural."
"No," Lyria agreed. "Like it was made. Or changed."
Kaito looked down at the mess, then flinched as his system flickered to life.
[New Sub-Fragment: Bestial Curse Logged]
[Memory Residue Detected: Feral Codex — Locked]
"Feral Codex?"
He groaned. "More riddles."
Seren crouched near the mess. "I've seen this magic before. It's old. Probably now experimental."
Lyria's grip on her sword tightened. "So someone sent it after us then?"
"Maybe." seren replied.
Kaito looked at both of them. "Then i guess we just kicked their pet's ass."
Let's take that skull back to the guild, we will figure it out later."
---
Back at the guild, they dropped the creature's twisted skull on the front desk.
Marra raised a brow. "What the hell is that?"
"I have no clue," Kaito said. "But it screamed, and then it attacked..."
"And now it's dead." Lyria added, her face emotionless.
Seren smirked.
Marra stared at the remains. "You brought back something you shouldn't have. Be careful. This kind of kills gets attention."
"From what?"
Marra leaned forward. "From whoever sent it."
She probably knew something, but she didn't want to say.
---
That night, Kaito's Error System blinked again.
[System Update: Threat Level Raised – Region Hostility: Elevated]
[Warning: You are being observed.]
"Of course."
He stared at the message. Then at the dark window.
Something out there was still watching. And it wasn't finished.