As the group entered the hall of quests, they were greeted by Lucy, the clerk who had arranged their last mission. “I have two quests for you today,” she said, handing them a pair of scrolls. “The first is for a missing family. They were a big part of the local community and they want to know what happened and are willing to pay 250 gold. The second is for a monster that has been harassing farmers far to the south. It's been causing quite a lot of trouble, and we need someone to deal with it. that's worth 300 gold”
Gilby's eyes lit up at the mention of the monster quest. “I'll take that one,” he said, his voice filled with determination. But Lucy hesitated, shaking her head. “I'm not sure that's a good idea,” she said. “Some town guards never came back from looking into that monster. It's dangerous, and we don't want to risk losing any more lives.” Irena looked nervously at Gilby, her eyes pleading with him to reconsider. “Maybe we should take the missing family quest instead,” she said. “It might be safer.” But Gilby was undeterred. “No,” he said firmly. “I want to take on this monster. We're a team of skilled adventurers, and we can handle whatever danger comes our way.” Reduzia and the others looked at each other, then nodded. They knew that Gilby was right. They were a team, and they were ready to face any challenge that came their way. “Alright,” Lucy said, reluctantly handing over the scroll for the monster quest. “But be careful, okay? We need you to come back in one piece.”
As the group traveled south, they stopped for the night at Gilby's home, being careful not to let his mother know just how dangerous their quest really was. The next day, they continued on their journey, the road stretching out before them as they made their way deeper into the countryside. At one point, they came to a side road that led to a small field. Irena noticed that the road was being magically disguised, and she hesitated, wondering if they should investigate. But Savean convinced the group that it was not their quest or their problem, and they should continue down the main road. Reluctantly, the others agreed, and they set off once again.
As the day wore on, the road grew more and more treacherous as it wound through dense forests. Eventually the group approached the farms, and saw that it was getting late, so they started to make camp by the side of the road. But just as they were setting up their tents, a farmer approached, a worried look on his face.
”You're not going to stay here, are you?” he asked. “There's a creature on the loose, and it's not safe to be out after dark.” The group explained that they were there to find the monster, and the farmer's eyes lit up with hope. “Oh, thank goodness,” he said. “We've been praying for someone to come and put an end to this terror. Please, come stay with us in a spare room. You'll be much safer inside, and we can talk more over dinner.”
The group accepted the farmer's invitation, grateful for the chance to rest and regroup. Over dinner, the farmer told them about the string of disappearances that had plagued the area, starting with his own dog. ”I knew something was wrong when my poor old mutt vanished,” he said, shaking his head. “I searched everywhere, but I never found a trace of him. I'm just glad that Culhaven is taking this problem seriously. Maybe now we'll finally be able to get some answers and put an end to this monster's reign of terror.”
The next day, the group set out early, tracking the creature through the woods and over rocky hills. As they searched, they noticed that the area was littered with odd grey chunks of stone, some with smooth, polished parts.
Suddenly, they spotted the creature, a strange, lizard-like chicken with multiple legs, laying among some boulders. It was a cockatrice, a dangerous and highly venomous monster.
As everyone began to stealthily take up positions, Ethan suddenly broke ranks, running right at the cockatrice with a fierce cry. The creature gave a loud squawk, startled by the unexpected attack. As it ran at Ethan, its sharp claws outstretched, the group sprang into action, rushing to defend their friend. The battle with the cockatrice was fierce, but despite their best efforts, Ethan was bitten by the venomous creature. As the group fought to defeat it, they could see the poison coursing through Ethan's veins, sapping his strength and vitality. To their horror, they saw that the poison was starting to turn Ethan to stone, his skin hardening and his movements slowing.
Just as they were finally able to kill the cockatrice, another one, its mate, came running out of the woods at them, its sharp claws bared and ready to attack. The group knew they had to act fast if they wanted to save Ethan and defeat the creature. With a fierce cry, they sprang into action, attacking the cockatrice with all their might. It was a desperate and dangerous fight, but in the end, they were able to defeat the creature and ultimately Ethan was able to resist the poison and recover.
Gilby examined the area where the cockatrice had been laying and made an incredible discovery. Among the grey chunks of stone, he found the stone head of one of Culhaven's guards, as well as a totally smooth, round stone. It was a cockatrice egg, a rare and valuable find for the right buyer.
When the group prepared to leave, they made sure to gather evidence of their victory, carefully placing one of the dead cockatrices into a bag as proof that they had completed the quest. Then, with Ethan recovering from his brush with the poison, they set out on the long road back to Culhaven.
