They Accept Venus' Offer

The blonde priestess' smile grew brighter, “We would love the company, wouldn't we, Meera?”

The redhead, presumably Meera, nodded as well, “I doubt that we'll get much in the way of a reward from the villagers, but if what we've heard is true, it wouldn't hurt to have another skilled fighter with us when we find the bugbear.”

“Great!” Venus actually found that she was excited to take part in their mission. Though a part of her wanted to continue her pursuit of the werewolf, she knew that she needed to take her mind off of it, if only for a little while. It wasn't as though fighting a bugbear was going to be a cakewalk, but with the other two hunters, she was pretty sure they could manage it. “I'm Venus, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

Meera grinned, “The Beast Hunter? I've heard of you. I'm Meera, of course, and this is my friend Hilde.” The half-elf motioned toward the priestess, who rose and offered Venus her hand.

“A pleasure,” Hilde said, and the Shadow Hunter gave it a warm shake in greeting.

“So, when are you planning on leaving?” Venus asked, eyebrows raising in curiosity.

Meera looked to Hilde and then back, “As soon as possible, actually. If what we've heard is true, we don't want to leave that village defenseless any longer than we have to. God knows what that bugbear is doing. I just hope there's a village left by the time we get there.”

Hilde shuddered at the thought, and Venus was inclined to agree with it. Bugbears were a goblinoid race, sharing some tiny shred of blood with goblins and hobgoblins. However, when it came to goblinoids, bugbears were firmly at the top of the foodchain. Though hobgoblins were a disciplined and dangerous race, they couldn't hold a candle to the raw power of a bugbear. They were deadly strong, and it was no surprise that they were often found leading around packs of goblins.

Which was what made this particular mission so strange and intriguing to Venus. It was very rare for bugbears to be on their own, not that they were a very sociable bunch, but they liked to boss around weaker creatures when they could, or travel with other bugbear. Though it wasn't unheard of. Solitary bugbears sometimes were survivors of tribal fueds, or they were just especially antisocial for one of their kind. Whatever the case, even the reports of lone bugbears were of beasts ambushing lightly protected caravans or travelers, never full on raids on villages. Whatever the case, it needed to be dealt with.

Before the sun set, Venus had gathered up her things and joined Meera and Hilde outside of the tavern. They were carrying traveling bags as well, Meera carrying her bow and Hilde an elegantly carved staff, probably suited more for ritual than for combat, though it looked sturdy enough and she carried it with experience, enough to give anyone pause who might think her an easy target due to her lack of armor. “Are you ready? We should get going while there's still some daylight. Moyer's not too far, but we'll still have to camp for the night.”

The trio headed down the trail, Venus keeping one hand on the strap of her traveling bag and another on the hilt of her sword. They were an imposing group for even the cockiest band of ne'er-do-wells, but it was still better to be on guard. However, they had luckily encountered no difficulties during the first leg of their journey. They made it several miles before the sun began to sink beneath the horizon, and Meera stopped them, “Alright, we should camp until morning. We'll each take watch. I can see better in the dark than you both,so I'll take second. Hilde, you take first. Venus, you take last watch.”

Venus wasn't about to argue, thankful for the opportunity to rest after their long hike through the woods. The ladies set down their bags and went about making a fire. Laying on their bed rolls, they enjoyed their trail rations, sausages, bread, and some elven berry wine of Meera's, even traded stories of past missions with one another. It wasn't until the sun was gone and the moon was firmly above them that Venus curled up and let the fatigue that had built up lull her into a gentle sleep, or at least as gentle as it could be sleeping on a bedroll on the ground.

It seemed like only a few moments had passed before Venus woke again, rubbing at her eyes as she sat up. The fire had died down to a few glowing embers, but as she surveyed the campsite, Venus realized that Meera and Hilde were nowhere to be found. The bedrolls and bags were still there, just not the ones that they belonged to. The huntress felt a cold chill run down her spine and she hesitantly spoke, “Hello? Is anyone there?”

A second later, a nearby bush shook, Venus bracing herself as something emerged from behind them.