In the streets of Damir Port, the garrison soldiers fought tirelessly to fend off the monstrous creatures assaulting the town, but inevitably, some slipped through their defenses, infiltrating residential areas where civilians lived.
Experienced residents quickly lit any available lamps, hoping to avoid the deadly attacks from unseen monsters lurking in the shadows. Unfortunately, unlike the cities on the continent—Backlund, Enmat Port, or Pritz Port—Damir, being a small colonial outpost, lacked the gas infrastructure. The streetlights were few and far between, casting only dim candlelight along with the faint red glow of the moon peeking intermittently through the clouds, barely illuminating the ground and outlining the houses.
Amidst the confusion, a thin mist began to spread throughout the town, especially in the northern areas where most of the two-story houses stood. The already sparse lights flickered, dimming further before suddenly extinguishing entirely across vast swathes. The chilling silence of snuffed-out cries filled the air as the buildings turned dark and still, as if long abandoned by life.
Ebner followed Mr. Gaston, left hand clutching his revolver and right hand holding his cane-sword, which had transformed into a longsword. He moved cautiously through the increasingly quiet streets, while Xio took position to his rear, ready to provide cover at any moment.
A hollow "whoosh" echoed through the mist, a cold wind swirling that sent a chill across Ebner's scalp. His spirituality alerted him to an impending threat, prompting him to stop and activate his spiritual vision. He turned to warn Mr. Gaston, "Watch the rooftops!" knowing that the Seer pathway's sense of danger was generally low and that Mr. Gaston might not notice the threat in time.
Just then, Xio, who had already activated her Ring of Premonition, raised her revolver and fired several shots toward the second floor of a house up ahead.
A sudden image had flashed through her mind. In it, a black shape the size of a watermelon darted from the shadows of the second floor, lunging toward Mr. Gaston's ear.
Trusting Ebner's warning, Mr. Gaston didn't hesitate. The instant Xio fired, he activated a Beyonder item in his left hand—a stone the size of a goose egg engraved with intricate sun symbols. The precious object glowed with a pure, radiant light that beamed forward in an arc, striking the shadow directly.
"Awooo!"
With a shrill scream, the shadowy creature was forced back as the holy light scorched it. The wounded figure retreated, unwilling to face the relentless purity of the sunlight.
In the light of this sacred radiance, Ebner could finally discern the nature of the attacking creature through his spiritual vision.
It was a bird whose body had almost entirely decayed.
The bird-monster floated eerily mid-air, its once feathery body now covered in mold and maggots. Rotten flesh dripped with yellow-green ichor, stretching loosely over visible bones, as if it had once been a pigeon. Its eyes, empty sockets teeming with writhing maggots, stared out blindly. Broken remnants of a beak revealed sharp, bloody fangs where there should have been none.
A decaying pigeon with fangs? Monsters really are something else! Ebner thought, marveling at the monstrosity while swiftly casting six wind blades toward it. The blades sliced through the air toward the demon-pigeon, conjured by the Sea Breeze Cap's Wind's Blessed ability.
The grotesque pigeon, despite its ragged appearance, maneuvered deftly in the mist surrounding it, evading the wind blades with surprising agility before diving straight at Ebner.
But Ebner remained calm, a gust forming beneath him to propel him backward by several yards.
"It's a Misty Pigeon. Dispel the mist around it!" Mr. Gaston shouted.
Ebner had studied numerous mystical texts with his mentor, and while he had learned about Misty Pigeons, he hadn't recognized one until Mr. Gaston's reminder.
"A Misty Pigeon… of course. Pigeons and doves belong to the same family… I remember reading that its abilities mostly rely on the mist around it. Once the mist is gone, it'll become vulnerable."
With a plan in mind, Ebner activated his Sea Breeze Cap again, summoning a forceful gale that cleared the mist on the street in a sweeping gust.
The Misty Pigeon, unexpectedly deprived of the mist that kept it aloft, fell from the air in a dazed tumble. Seizing the opportunity, the three raised their revolvers in unison.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Three shots rang out, each bullet finding its mark as the anti-magic rounds tore through the pigeon's skull. Its limp body hit the ground, unmoving.
Mr. Gaston held up a small mirror to examine the creature before sighing in relief, "It's dead."
Ebner and Xio also relaxed at the confirmation. They knew that parts of a Misty Pigeon could serve as primary ingredients for Sequence 7 potions, giving it power at the level of a Sequence 7 Beyonder. If it hadn't taken a direct hit from the holy light at the start, killing it might not have been so easy, even with Ebner's wind abilities.
"Cover me while I gather the materials. We'll split up the spoils after we're done here," Mr. Gaston said decisively.
"Understood." Both Ebner and Xio nodded in agreement, understanding that it was too risky to distribute items on the spot.
After Mr. Gaston quickly stored the Misty Pigeon's remains in tin boxes, the three continued heading northwest toward a building where they heard sounds of a fierce battle.
They avoided heading to the military's frontline outside the town; they didn't want to risk getting forced into service as cannon fodder. While they were willing to help defend against the monster invasion, they weren't about to sacrifice themselves needlessly.
"Monsters slipping through the town's defensive line won't be too numerous, perhaps three or four at most. Creatures like Misty Pigeons, which are desperate enough to scavenge, will come for us anyway, given that they're attracted to the strong spirituality of Beyonders." Mr. Gaston commented as they made their way.
"And even a dim-witted bird like the Misty Pigeon came straight for us," Ebner replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a sailor's hat for Xio, who was keeping her head low.
"What's this?" Xio asked, confused.
"It's a hat I made with ritual magic. It'll mask the wearer's face, so you won't have to worry about the side effects of the *Ring of Premonition*." Ebner explained. He admired Xio's decisiveness in battle; despite any embarrassment the ring's side effects might cause, she hadn't hesitated to use it. She was a reliable and trustworthy companion.
Xio pressed her lips together, the simple action turning comical with the ring's distortion, her lower lip jutting nearly up to her nose.
Ebner stifled a laugh, pretending not to notice, while Xio promptly put on the hat to conceal her face.
---
In a two-story house in the northwest part of town, Anne Gwen stared at the dimmed arrow on the floor with a wry smile. It was the arrow she had just exchanged for at the Beyonder gathering, meant for her hunt against the Dragon-Eyed Python… but here she was, using it up before the expedition had even started.
Even worse, despite hitting the creature with the holy fire arrow, it was merely repelled. If it weren't for its reluctance to risk another attack, she'd likely be in an all-out struggle to survive.
"This won't last much longer. It's bound to test my defenses soon, and the moment I show any weakness, it'll strike with full force… and the army is still busy fending off the main horde outside the town. No help is coming." Annie Gwen's spirits fell, memories of her past creeping in—her parents, her friends, the easy life she once led…
Gradually, her mind spiraled from frustration to regret, regret to sorrow, sorrow to despair…
Suddenly, a faint golden light washed over her, an unseen force merging into her body. In an instant, she felt warmth and comfort, like basking in summer sunlight that chased away the bone-chilling cold inside her.
"Ah!" She gasped, her courage returning as she realized how close she had come to being ensnared by the creature's sinister power. If it weren't for the Sun's blessing, she would've either been corrupted into a monster herself or driven to suicide in her hopelessness.
"So that creature wasn't even stalling… its attack was already underway." Relieved, Annie Gwen knew that she'd narrowly escaped its grasp because of her unexpected reinforcements.
---
Half a minute earlier, downstairs, Mr. Gaston had been watching the monstrous dog with a peculiar expression. "It seems to have been repelled by the arrow I just sold."
"An upright eye, human ears… and a dog-like appearance… this must be a Despair Hound," Ebner remarked, unfazed by the grotesque creature now turning its gaze upon them. "A product of muddled demonization rather than a legitimate demonic transformation. It's capable of diverse powers, mimicking whatever it's tainted by."
"There's no such thing as a proper potion-trained monster, but Despair Hounds tend to have a knack for mental manipulation. I'll activate the Solar Halo, then we'll go in for the kill!"