Morning sunlight filtered through the streets of Snake's Coil as Jaxon, Kade, Elias, Reed, and Sinthia gathered outside the Dungeoner's Guild. The warmth of last night's celebration still lingered, but today, a new challenge awaited them.
A town in distress.
"We have a request from the village of Hollowbrook," said Garrick, the burly warrior they had met the night before. He stood with arms crossed, his expression grim. "They sent a messenger early this morning. Something is attacking their people—taking livestock, wrecking buildings. Some have gone missing. The villagers think it's a beast, but no one has lived to confirm it."
Elias leaned against a wooden post, flipping a card between his fingers. "Sounds like a job for us."
Sinthia nodded. "If we don't help them, who will?"
Jaxon looked at Kade, who gave a slight shrug. They had been through worse, and a town in need meant an opportunity to test their strength—and perhaps uncover something more.
Reed tightened the straps on his pack. "If people are getting hurt, we can't waste time."
Garrick grinned. "Good. I thought you might say that." He tossed a rolled-up map onto the table. "Hollowbrook is two days' travel west, at the edge of the Fenmire Swamp. Watch yourselves—the roads aren't safe. Bandits, beasts, worse things."
Jaxon picked up the map and scanned the route. "We leave now."
The road to Hollowbrook was quiet at first, the landscape shifting from rolling hills to dense forests. Birds called from the treetops, and the scent of damp earth lingered in the air. But as the sun dipped lower, the atmosphere changed.
The trees became gnarled, their branches twisting like grasping fingers. The path turned muddy, and a thick fog crept in from the swamp. The silence was unnatural. No birds. No wind. Just the slow, distant ripple of unseen water.
"I don't like this," Sinthia muttered, keeping a hand on her daggers.
"Neither do I," Kade said, his spectral chains slithering slightly in anticipation.
A sudden scream split the air.
They broke into a run, tearing through the fog, weapons drawn.
A clearing opened before them, revealing a wrecked cart, its wheels shattered and supplies scattered. A man lay slumped against a tree, his breathing ragged, blood staining his tunic.
Reed dropped to his knees beside him, already channeling his Healing Domain. "You're going to be okay. What happened?"
The man's eyes flickered open, filled with terror. "The beast… it came from the river… too many heads… it… took my brother…" He coughed violently, blood flecking his lips.
Elias' grip tightened on his deck. "Too many heads?" He exchanged a glance with Jaxon, who nodded.
A hydra.
Jaxon turned to Kade. "We're hunting a monster."
Kade's eyes glowed faintly in the fog. "Good."
The battle ahead would be brutal. But they had faced worse.
And they weren't about to let Hollowbrook fall.