Siderius and Rea jumped down from their horse. Siderius walked in the front with his hand on the handle of the sword. Rea walked behind him, leading the two horses by the leashes.

They scanned the scenery of Pannitha. There was no one in sight, only tumbleweeds rolling in the wind.

"Should we shout to see if anyone is around?" Rea said.

Siderius shook his head. "We don't know what is going on. The best course of action is to avoid attention. Let's keep going to see if there is anyone outside."

The pair continued on the lonely road. Pannitha was a small town with short, clustered structures. Their road was unusually wide, a remnant of a busy trading city.

This made Siderius wonder what happened to this place and turned it into this state.

They kept going. All the houses were still shut tight with blood drawing around their doorframe.

Alas, they found a church in the middle of Pannintha. In front of the steps, a bald priest in his brown robe knelt on the ground. His hands clasped tight together, trembling non-stop.

"Stay here." Siderius said. "Keep your weapon close."

Rea nodded. Her hand rested on the short blade.

Siderius approached the priest on the ground. He didn't get too close and kept a fair distance between them.

"I am Nyx. A weary traveler. That is Rea, my companion. We want to look for shelter for the night and food for our stomach. We will pay greatly for the hospitality." Siderius said.

The priest stopped praying. He looked up at Siderius with eyes wide open.

"You need to leave! You need to leave! This place is not safe!" The priest yelled in a panic.

"Hmm."

Siderius hid his hand behind his back and summoned the silver bracer. He secretly drew the <Esturo> Sigil in the air and directed it onto the priest.

Suddenly, a surge of numbness washed over the priest. His pupils dilated and his gaze became daze for a few seconds. Then he returned to normal with a much calmer demeanor than before.

"Tell me. What threat is terrorizing your town? I am a High Lord. I might be able to help."

"A high lord? I don't know if you can help us. The last one who came to our aid was killed by the creature. It is the burden of our town alone, high lord. You might want to consider leaving."

"Don't worry, priest. I have no fear of such a foul creature. I will stay.

Why don't we find a better place to talk?"

The priest stood up and dusted his knees. "Apologies for the unsightly scene. I was panicking just now. Please... Enter our church. We can house you for the night."

Siderius nodded. He gestured to Rea to lead the two horses into the courtyard of the church.

The masked hunter looked up to the roof of the church before entering. It was a tree with wide expanding foliage. Siderius had seen this tree before, it was carved on the silver coin of Eldoria.

The Tree of Woe.

This church worshipped the Mother Trees and Mother Goddesses. A different religion than the Outsider that Siderius had encountered before.

The pair entered the church. Apart from that single priest, there was no other member inside the church.

The priest led them into the backroom of the church and prepared a few cups of water for the traveler.

"You have to excuse me for the state of the church. Most of our priests and nuns have left this place. I am the only one left."

Siderius connected to his Salt Extract in the S.Y.S.T.E.M. and secretly drew a small seal on the palm of his right hand. He hovered his right palm over the water, checking its content.

The seal lit up slightly, without notifying the priest.

The Salt Revealing Seal showed that the water was safe to drink, both physically and magically.

Siderius gave Rea a nod, telling her silently that the water was safe.

"What is your name, priest?" Siderius sat down at the table.

"I am but a humble Xeros, traveler. And you are?"

"You can call me Nyx."

Rea grabbed a cup of water and chugged it down. The road really had worn her down.

Siderius continued. "What were you so afraid of, Xeros?"

The priest sighed deeply before answering. "The night monster."

"Tell us more. What is this 'night monster'?"

The priest shook his head. "I don't know for sure. But it comes at night and slaughters us.

Not every night. But some nights. We don't know when it will come or why. We tried to plead to the Royal Court and they did send someone to help.

The High Lord died tragically.

There is still time until the sun completely disappears. From the bottom of my heart, I suggest you leave before the sunlight is gone.

Or else, you would face the same fate as us."

"Why don't everyone just leave then?"

Xeros smiled bitterly. "The nearest town from Pannintha is at least one day and one night away."

"Hmmm. The creature also attacks people out of town?"

"Yes. There was a noble here once. He tried to leave. We found his drying corpse the next morning in the town gate.

We don't even know if anyone was able to get out of Pannintha alive. They might have died. All of them."

Siderius leaned back on the chair.

"I am a very capable High Lord, Priest Xeros. But everything has a price.

I expect to be paid. In coins or in other means. To deal with this threat."

Xeros seemed skeptical of Siderius' offer.

"Of course, we can decide my reward first. But I will only take it once I bring the head of the creature to your door. If I die, I die. No harm for you."

Xeros rubbed his chin in deep thought. He walked around in the dining room and stopped at the window. His eyes gazed upon the disappearing light in the horizon.

"I am not the one who made such a decision nor do I have the wealth to reward you.

We are a poor town but we do have some coins left. You have to meet our Bailiff for this."

Siderius nodded. "Of course. If you would be so kind to lead me to him. The sooner we make a deal, the sooner I can deal with this creature for you."

"Very well. I will prepare a meal for you. Once you're done, we can go to the Bailiff."

"Much appreciated, Priest Xeros." Siderius lifted the cup up high.

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