Upon leaving the border town, it had taken us approximately 8 days to reach the western province of Papos. Here, there are very few large-scale towns and cities. In contrast, many homesteads, farms, and rural plantations exist.
Along the way to the mission location, we had encountered some very strange instances. The first being on the second day of travel. It was early in the morning when we encountered what I thought to be an abnormal monster not native to this area. The shadow it casted along the dim sunlit path made the figure appear as a one-winged creature meandering forward.
Initially, I thought it could have been my mind playing tricks on me. Or it could have been that goddess sending one of her minions. But as the figure kept drawing closer, I could hear its footsteps and smell a rancid bloody fragrance fill the air.
