A Celebration To Remember

An Unusual Guest

Journal Entry 1, 03:00
In the outskirts of Briar Valley, it was a dark and chilly night on the morning of All Hallow's Eve in the year 1413. A night that's said to be full of mysteries and fun, colorful costumes for the locals, and a bountiful of tricks as many treats, turns into a horrifying nightmare for Monster hunters such as I. While those fools are dressing up,playing pretend, and collecting sugary sweets,the real monsters blend in and lie in waiting. Some people say once a human is caught, you are then transformed into a monster yourself. Others claim that people just disappear entirely or worse. If you're lucky enough, you may encounter a prankster monster. But if you ask me, they are the worst type of monsters. They're nothing but a nuisance compared to the more dangerous monsters lurking in the shadows. Like that good for nothing Knight of Dusk. The scoundrel has caused more trouble than I can count and of course I have the unfortunate luck of being tasked to catch him. But sadly, I haven't gotten close. Ever since I've been given the assignment from King Henryk István of the Kingdom of Heroes, I've traveled from The Queendom of Roses to the Shaftlands, and all I got to show for it is muddy clothes, dead end clues, and frustration. However, I can't turn back now after diving in this deep. If I were to quit, I would damage my family's reputation as monster hunters for generations. Thankfully, I had gotten a tip from a knight in shining armor known as The Knight of Dawn. He told me that creatures of the night like the Knight of Dusk reside in Briar Valley. He also said that the monsters there become stronger on the night of All Hallow's Eve, so he warned me to be cautious.

Upon setting foot on the grass, I could feel the intensity in the air. The wind howled through the trees and the darkness seemed to swallow the entire place with only a few spots of moonlight shining through. Not to mention the ever growing fear that someone was watching your every move. It was enough to make even the bravest of hunters cower in fear.

Yuu: "It's not the most welcoming of places, is it?" I trembled as I swallowed a hard lump in my throat. "It's no wonder this place is inhabited by monsters. It's practically a monster's paradise." "I really rather not stay in such a place for too long."

Nevertheless, I had to muster up the courage and press on. King Henryk was counting on me. I had a job to do and no amount of uncertainty and darkness was going stop me. Besides, the very thought of retreating back to the King because of being frightened would be dishonorable of the highest order. Therefore, I took a deep breath, grabbed my backpack of supplies, and continued walking forward.

05:00 31 October 1413

What seemed like walking for miles suddenly came to a halt when I approached a village. It seemed to be a quiet little village from a distance. Perhaps if I'm lucky, I won't encounter any monsters and can finish my task quickly or so I thought. As I walked through one of the smaller towns of Briar Valley, I raise suspicion from the locals of the village. "I honestly wasn't expecting this many individuals to be awake at this hour, but I suppose it's normal for monster folk to be active on All Hallow's Eve." Murmurs whispered all around me with every step I took. I had hope I wouldn't run into monsters so early on, however that seemed impossible given what day it was.

The best thing I could do was hope that I didn't arouse so much suspicion that they decide to attack. My first instinct was to reach for one of my tools and/or magic pen, but I must resist the temptation for now. After all, a Monster Hunter's goal isn't to harm their prey, but to catch the ones that frequently cause trouble to others. Aggression was only to be use as self defense or as a last resort if the monster cannot be reasoned with. To harm a nonaggressive or innocent monster is violation of the treaty signed by both monsters and hunters alike. It also would cause a hunter to loose there license indefinitely.

Despite that, it didn't feel too good to have all eyes on me. Even if I didn't completely blend in, I was hoping not to raise suspicion so easily. If The Knight of dusk was here, I didn't want him to know and flee, or worse try to capture me.