The carriage came to an abrupt stop, disrupting the uneasy tension in the air for the people inside. The driver hopped off and opened the door, with Janette taking small steps until she felt the winter breeze on her skin. Gncing out from her hood, she licked her lips and recognized the familiar scent of booze coming from the wooden doors. She smiled and thanked the driver, who nodded in return. As the carriage wheeled by towards their next destination, Reta watched from the window as Janette entered the tavern.

  Reta looked back, facing Alphonse as the carriage rocked lightly. "Hmm."

  Alphonse looked up with a raised brow. "What's on your mind?"

  "You said this was of personal interest to me, yet you were uncertain of my name."

  Alphonse rubbed the back of his neck. "Understandable. Honest truth, I don't know you but I took interest in your affliction."

  "Affliction?" Reta scowled. "Expin yourself."

  "Seeing you transform into that wolf was a haunting sight for most, but one that caught my eye. Lycanthropy is not a common curse around these nds, at least not one that I have heard of. Not to say that we do not recognize it, just that it isn't a native issue here. I sent word about this topic to some of my friends in neighboring vilges, but recent attacks required my attention."

  Reta looked shocked. "My... lycanthropy?"

  He smiled back. "Your curse. The reason I wanted you to come with me was so that I could share all of the findings I've made."

  Janette pushed the doors and stepped inside. She felt saddened to see the tavern had more occupants than before, but most were adult men hunched over with a mug in their hand sulking. Some sat on their own, tracing a finger over the edge of their mugs, and others came in pairs or groups supporting each other. The pce reeked of alcohol and sweat, which made her uneasy as she passed by some waitresses until she arrived at the front counter.

  "Yes, is Nyitzcha here?" She asked one of the workers.

  The worker nodded, drying up a washed gss and whistling loudly. "Nyitzcha, it's for you!"

  Janette shifted awkwardly in her stool, waiting until a small ginger dwarf of a dwarf climbed up her stool to be at eye-level with her from the other side of the counter.

  "Oy! Gud t'see you again, how goes things?" Nyitzcha's loud voice added some life to the tavern, beaming through her freckled face and sliding a rge gss of ale to her. "Fancy a gss o'heaven? Ye left me wonderin' what happened after dat mess at de court. Wat's wrong, someone shit in yer bed?"

  Janette slid her hood off and forced a smile, but her baggy eyes told a different story. Nyitzcha took one look and her expression shifted from cheerful to one of concern. "Hey, today's drinks are on me. C'mon, tell me wat's in yer mind? Yer secret's safe with me."

  Janette sighed and hunched over, gripping her gss. She stared at the depressed reflection on the caramel liquid surface, then without hesitation she dipped her head back and chugged the drink in several rge gulps. Gently, she pced the gss back on the counter and wiped her mouth. "I'll need another, I haven't slept all fucking night."

  "Aye, say no more." Nyitzcha hurried back, snapping her fingers as a waitress left a rge green bottle with smaller gsses with them. "Drink as much courage as ye need."

  Janette nodded, tears running down her face. She sniffled and took another gss, feeling its contents offer something to her empty stomach. She hadn't had a meal since the dinner she shared with Syri and the others.

  "I-It's been... a rough night." She started, her voice quivering as she began to cry.

  Reta and Alphonse stepped off as the carriage left them behind. At the hatch, they were greeted by a buzzing ball of yellow light hovering above them. Reta watched as the little glow settled in front of them before its light dimmed, revealing a familiar green pixie welcoming them with a smile.

  "Oh dearie, you're here! Welcome!" Tootsie giggled, fpping her wings excitedly. "So nice to see you after what's been done."

  "Tootsie, gd to see you again." Alphonse bowed his head politely. "Nihja missed you in your absence. Sorry she couldn't make it."

  "Oh no worries, I'll see her when there's no hurries. Enter! Enter! Come inside! Your delivery is waiting at the rear side!" She fluttered over the back entrance, dancing in the air as her magic revealed the door for them. Alphonse escorted Reta inside, offering her a hand. She scowled back, to which he uneasily kept his arms to himself and led the way.

  "We're entering the Night Dweller's Hub. Eyes forward, and please keep that veil and hood on." Alphonse mentioned. "Not many people know that you're here, and I would prefer keeping your presence to be unknown."

  Reta nodded in agreement, keeping the cloak on tight as she followed him through the dimly lit room. This was her first time entering this hub, the diversity of different species occupying their tables or pying card games caught her eye. But she kept pace with her guide, making their way toward the back of a small performance stage. Some musicians were pying their instruments with no vocals, just some music to breathe life into the hub.

  Alphonse fished into his pocket and used a key to unlock a personal bck door, then motioned for Reta to step inside. Once entering, she looked around to find the pce riddled with dispy pieces. She blinked and approached a shelf with several top hats pced upside down encased in gss. One of them held a familiar decorated pattern across the rim. Peaking inside, she didn't see any light inside the hat entrance.

  "It may look like ordinary hats," Alphonse expined as he approached her left side, following her gaze. "But those things may as well be death traps disguised as head wear. One of our boys made the mistake of sticking his hand down there and it cost him a finger. Whatever's inside those things can stay in there."

  "Where did you get these?" Reta asked, spotting a total of three different top hats.

  "We fished them out from the carnival remains. We meant to return them to the owner but they ran off the day after. Whatever valuables we find belongs to the city now, so Nihja grabbed a few things out of personal interest."

  "What do you pn to use them for?"

  "Just fun magical objects to gaze at, perhaps figure them out some night when things calm down or after I retire. All of this stress and politics isn't good for my age." He admitted, rubbing his baggy eyes. "Here, I didn't bring you to show off our scavenger hunt. This was what I wanted to bring you for."

  Reta followed him toward the back of the room as he opened a chest and retrieved what Reta mistook for a scroll. He unwrapped it, revealing a handful of purple flowers with green stems, plucked fresh with their roots intact.

  Reta's eyes widened as she stepped back, catching a whiff of their smell. She sneezed and covered her nose, finding it inexplicably itchy.

  Alphonse took notice and stepped away, carefully wrapping the flowers and tying them shut with a string. "Okay, that answers that. These are wolfsbane, have you heard of them?"

  She shook her head, permitting him to continue.

  "It's a special species of roses; I had them shipped to me from some connections in the east. They were brought to me along with this," He added, grabbing a stack of papers from the chest. "This took a few days for my friends to gather but I believe it was worth the effort. These are a bundle of notes and excerpts from long ago studies, novels, and news involving werewolves."

  Reta inched forward with rge eyes full of interest. "You went through this effort for me?"

  "Well not for you specifically," He eborated, carefully returning the wolfsbane into the chest before closing it. "I have these moments where when something catches my interest, it won't let me sleep until I lean into it. It's-heh. It's sort of how Nihja and I grew close when we first met. But to stay on topic, I looked into this because once again this curse you have isn't something we've seen around here before. When I dug into our records, Kershin had nothing written or scribed about this. I didn't pn for your return but seeing you transform back into your normal state gave me the idea to share this while you were here."

  Reta reached for the studies in his hand when he held them back. "Erm, I know you can speak in our tongue but can you read as well?"

  She frowned and snatched the papers from his hand, her eyes scrolling through the notes scribbled in hand. Alphonse leaned back patiently, watching her skip to the next page.

  Janette sighed loudly, rubbing her thumb against the empty gss in her hand. "So, that's what happened since. We brought Felix here to help him heal, and then we learn about everything Perdilius did to Kershin Market when we escaped. When I think back, it's no wonder those girls didn't look to be in the best shape when they attacked us."

  "Ay, Kershin Market fought back as best they could. Those Nekomata are quick and agile things from what others saw." Nyitzcha commented, giving the green bottle a quick jiggle as it sounded near empty. "So wat's da pn now? Rebuilding yer house comes first, right?"

  Janette stayed quiet, her mind filled with thoughts of the Nekomata they lost. "You would think that but... it would feel empty without them. I-I don't know, I thought the house was comfortable for what it was. Mom and Dad urged me to find a good husband and start a family, but I didn't feel the need to. Maybe my mind was addled because I would find some nice men to befriend and spend time with, but I never found that connection with them. You know my secret, it's not easy for me to bond when my interests are... not looked fondly on."

  Nyitzcha nodded with her.

  Janette raised her head to look at her friend. "Although I would love nothing more than to struggle that old man for lighting my house on fire, I'm no fighter. And yet, I still can't rid of the thought of going after them from taking space in my mind. Maybe I should have listened before, when I would be lectured for my foolish interests. Looking into Monster Girls has brought me nothing but trouble and worry." She listed off, only to bite her lip. "But I remember her face, that smile she made. Gods, I just... I felt alive. I-I don't know what to do or make of my life now."

  Nyitzcha sighed and poured herself a gss, chugging it swiftly in one gulp. "Way I see it leaves ye with two choices. Move on from her, live yer life while ye can and search for happiness and all dat crap elsewhere."

  Janette snickered briefly, rubbing her nose. "Sorry, please continue."

  Nyitzcha grinned. "Ye know I'm nu good at dat love bullshit. Tried my hand at dat, didn't work out. Dat's life, not everyone gets happy endings. Me? I'm comfortable here, make a good livin'. Folk prattle on 'bout d'eir woes, ye hear all kinds of shit. Husband can't get it up, wife's mother being a real blowhard, or de occasional promiscuity here and d'ere. Life is too short, Jay. Ye can move on and search for happiness elsewhere, or ye can fight for yer happiness and look for her. Which would be stupid, ye ain't no fighter. Got no supplies, short on coin, and it's just you, a cripple, and his wolf friend. Not de best army to cook with, really." She snorted.

  Janette blinked her eyes as an idea came to mind. "Maybe... you could help us then?"

  "Eh?" Nyitzcha made a face as Janette lit up.

  "I know it's a lot to ask but you have plenty of war experience, maybe you could help tilt the scale on our side. And you're my business partner, surely you have some funds stored just in case. You didn't gamble it away on cards and elven escorts again, did you?" She asked.

  Nyitzche pulled back and raised her voice. "I'll have ye know dat I stopped pyin' cards with me funds months ago!"

  She settled back in her stool, her orange pig tails sulking with her as she grumbled out, "I use tavern funds for dat now, bitch."

  Janette fshed a knowing smirk. "You didn't dispute what I said about the elves, still got a soft spot for them?"

  Nyitzcha fumed, "I don't talk shit about yer preferences, ss! At least mine don't get me in no trouble." She leaned back and gnced at the backdrop behind her, where her old chest piece hung up like a proud monument. "I do miss de old days of service, but dat was a decade ago."

  "But you won the war." She pointed out.

  "We won the war, but not cuz o' me alone." The dwarf corrected her, "I-I dun know 'bout dis, Jay. I can't just pick up and go in a moment's notice. Yer family, but I need to think this over. This is yer battles, respectfully."

  "But it became Kershin's fight when Perdilius put his mind-altered cat girls to this.' Janette argued. "He took away my friends and my home. I don't have anywhere to go."

  "Ye can always rebuild-"

  "Nyitzcha!" Janette snapped, gring angrily. "You told me you volunteered because you wanted to shut the rest about your grit and height, and you proved them wrong. Your experience, your skills with alchemy, all of that can really help us with this."

  Nyitzcha considered her words. "Say dat I do, what would ye even go for? Dis man has his own army. Fttered as I am, I'm no hot shot dat can wipe out a whole army alone. I'm not well-versed in magic, I don't know any spells, an' I don't have no wizards or knights to join me. Even if I say yes, you have nuthin' to fight with."

  Janette pulled back looking prepared with her response. "We have a direction and a pn starting with this." She pced a stained old book on the counter.

  "What, Vardare?" Nyitzcha eyed the book carefully.

  "He works by absorbing memories of users, people who make physical contact with him. And Perdilius held him in his hands, so we have his memories."

  "Whoa." The dwarf cocked her head, gazing back at her friend. "Yer saying, ye can see what he's thinking now?"

  "Not exactly, just memories of what he knew the moment he first held him. I've been up all-night reading into his mind, learning what he was up to. And I know exactly where he's going, and even better! Where to find help! You see, KuliKuli's home was in this jungle up north, her sisters described it as always foggy and cold but it made it easy for them to hide. Dimyri mentioned this big tower poking out from the center of that ndscape, and that's where Perdilius is heading! If we go there, we can look for some allies to help us get them back!"

  "That's a leap of faith, yer countin' on trust an' hope." Nyitzcha countered.

  "Yes, but KuliKuli mentioned if we escaped then we could find her missing clutter in that same forest."

  "Whoa now, why would they still be there?" She asked.

  Janette took a sip of her gss to clear her dry throat. "Because where else would they run off to? She was very confident that Alma would remain there. And Alma has her own group with her, it's enough to consider trying at least."

  "Okay, say we don't find them. Then what?"

  Janette breathed in to calm herself, adjusting to her friend's question. "If we don't find anything then... then we can at least try to find the tower and go from there. I don't know, really. But I wouldn't ask you to do something against your will. If you decide not to, then I'll stop asking. Just... maybe if you know someone who can help?"

  The redhead scoffed. "Mercenaries aren't cheap, ss. An' I can't say Kershin Market has any running around. I can ask but I wouldn't be so confident in finding one here as of te."

  She paused, trying to pour herself another drink before setting the emptied bottle down and reaching for another. Janette spotted the bel and frowned. "Wait a minute, this stuff is apple cider. I thought we were drinking alcohol?"

  Nyitzcha snickered. "Nah, can't have ye gettin' drunk off yer ass when it's still noon. No way am I takin' ye back to wherever inn yer stayin' at. 'Sides, it helped, didn't it?"

  Janette sighed and gave the new bottle a twirl, reading that its the same cider inside. Popping the cork off, she poured another gss to help herself. "Whatever. Can you at least think on it for me?"

  She tapped her hand on the counter and nodded, hopping down from her stool. "I'll think on it, yes. Give me a moment to carry out some stuff while I give it some thought, aye?"

  Janette nodded in appreciation, left alone in the counter with the bottle and Vardare to herself. She knew what she was plotting was a long shot, but it was all she could think about. She remembered the exact words she gave to KuliKuli, possibly the st thing she said to her before they were gone.

  'You guys costed me my home, my way of living, and possibly my reputation. But... damn it all, I might be the most foolish woman in this pnet. Fine, what more can they take from me now?'

  She nodded and drank another gss, determined to make this move count no matter the cost.