Unmasking the Monsters

A Cry For Help

The sun set steadily over the mountains, casting the village in a warm yellow glow. Villagers were beginning to trickle inside, seeing as they didn't wish to be out when the sun went down. And for good reason.

Most villages had an iron golem to protect them through the day and night. Not this village. You see, iron golems cost a good fortune to hire, not to mention that they can and will eventually die, so it doesn't do the village much good. Though they did have knights to protect them. Unfortunately, those knights could only do so much.

As the sun steadily set, letting the moon rise, the knights began to grow tense. A mist was seeping in from the forest, and they knew enough about this village to know what was going to happen.

As the last light of day died away, revealing the activity of the night, the mist grew into dense fog, causing people confusion and fear to run through them. They knew what was happening, and they were terrified about it. 

In the midst of the fog, three creatures moved. They were quicker than the knights could even see. One darted around in the air, occasionally setting foot on the ground. Another would be in one space, before appearing in another space with purple particles flowering where they were before hand.

Something darted close to the ground, its speed causing it to not be seen, though the fog already made that difficult. The knights drew their swords, ready to slay the creatures that dared to enter their town, but dropped them in a heartbeat.

A sounding screech echoed throughout the village, causing many to drop everything and cover their ears as the screeching continued. Something swooped in from the tree line, and the knights only had enough time to register it's glowing amber eyes, before they were thrown from their posts and into the forest, either coming back when the sun was up, or they were going to become monster food. 

The villagers tried to identify the ones who were there, but they couldn't see through the thick fog. Not to mention, the ones that were there had done this loads of times, the way they practically glided on the ground without making a sound proof of their experience. 

The villagers all rushed to their homes, hoping that the creatures would leave them alone. Dozens of doors slammed close all at the same time, multiple locks could be heard echoing through the house as the parents tried desperately to make sure nothing would come in. Not like anything would.

The four creatures still moving through the village plundered through, only grabbing what they really needed to get. Taking multiple piles of wood, bamboo, and unplanted tree saplings. there was one who was raiding the fruit stand, taking bunches of apples, berries, carrots, and potatoes. 

After around 10 minutes, the fog cleared, and the people inside the homes couldn't see the creatures that had raided their village anymore. The guards were back, and were on even higher alert that usually. Afterall, nobody likes it when they get chucked into a forest.

Knowing now that it was the dead of night, the villagers all went to bed, the same thing going through their heads. Over the past couple of years, these attacks had happened 1-2 times a month, and they were starting to worry the village about more of them coming and eventually destroying them. 

After all, a hybrid could never be trusted....

The warrior grunted, looking up at the snow ridden horizon, watching the pale yellow sun finally show it's face after a long night of rest. The soft light reflected off of the snow, making it brighter and painful to look at, but he didn't look away. Just continued to watch the sun rise.

That was, until he heard a soft growl come from behind him. Turning around, he grinned as he saw a white bundle of fur standing behind him, their pale blue eyes gazing curiously into the light brown ones of his owner.

"You're probably hungry, aren't ya Steve?" The owner said, making the polar bear start to wiggle, imitating the wagging tail of a dog. The owner chuckled at this, before walking over to his humble abode.

It was a simple little cottage up north, with white stones and wood floors to keep it cozy. He walked up the wooden stairs, smiling slightly when the arctic breeze flew past his long hair, sending a chill down his spine, but it was quite refreshing. 

Opening the creaking spruce door, he walked in and proceeded to go through a chest right by the door, Steve happily bouncing around outside the house, excited for his food. After rummaging through the contents for a moment, he brought out 2 frozen cod, and grimaced at the smell that came with them. 

He walked out the door, holding the fish at an arms length but laughed when he saw how excited the polar bear was. He did really imitate a dog during times like these. But his smile was quickly wiped of his face as a blur of white fur darted from the forest around 50 yards away.

Quickly throwing the cod away from him, he rushed down just in time to meet the arctic fox next to the stairs. The fox was panting, but seemed to be happy to get attention from it's owner. There was a scroll in it's mouth, but he didn't worry about that, just about if the fox was hurt or not. 

After checking over the fox, he finally noticed the scroll in it's mouth. Placing his hand beneath it's mouth, the beautiful creature dropped the scroll obediently into his palm, yipping with happiness as the owner scratched behind it's large ears.

He smiled, patting the fox on the head, before standing up and unwrapping the scroll, walking over to the stairs and sitting down to read it. He frowned as he scanned through it, not really liking where this was going. That was until he saw the reward.

Dear Technoblade,

We call for your services. For around 2 years now, 1-2 times a month, our humble village has been attacked by the savages known as hybrids. They steal from us, and often destroy carts and wagons that we have built.

Living up in the north, you don't get those resources enough, so when these miscreants steal from us, it really hurts us. We have finally gotten enough money to hire you to come down and deal with them, but only if you agree to it.

If you find that you don't have the time to deal with this, then we will be more than happy to reach out to one of the other hunters, but your reputation proceeds you.

Here are the coordinates of the village, and we hope to see you soon, great warrior.

Signed,
        Mayor Freebird

Well.... a little cash wouldn't hurt, would it?

1145 words

-Zia