“Aah… here we are,” the man said, sitting on a wooden stool and leaning his stick at the table. With clumsiness, he manually moved his injured leg in a more comfortable position.

The two fellow adventurers sat in front of him, curious about what he had to say. “So… do you want to tell us the real reason why you were hurt or…” Yoichi requested, getting the ball rolling. ​​

“As I told you, I’m a tamer too. Both my Oracle and I were injured by a group of Komoeuru two days ago,” the man answered, taking off his hat and placing it in front of him.

“Komoeru? The bat demons?” Enatsu interrupted, showing that he knew almost all the most common demons’ names.

“Yes, but… let’s take a step back. It’s clear that I didn’t pay for your lunch just to thank you for kicking Kato’s ass. I have a great favour to ask you,” Hyobe replied, looking Yoichi in the eye.

“We’re listening.”

“I had organized an expedition with my friend Yataro: we were heading to Blackvault Mines, about twelve miles south of here. Both he and I wanted to capture a Komoeru to expand our demons roster and finally get recruited into a guild, but… I think you’ve already realized that something has gone wrong.”

“Was it the Komoeru who reduced you like this?” Yoichi asked again, not even knowing how those looked like. Based on Enatsu’s words, they had the characteristics of bats.

“Yes. When we got there, in broad daylight, Yataro decided to enter the cave first, going on ahead. I told him it was a stupid idea because we didn’t know how many specimens lived there, hidden in the darkness. My friend… well, he was devoured by the Komoeru,” Hyobe explained, expressing from his gaze the sadness he was feeling.

“Ugh… I’m sorry, man. What happened to you? Did you run away?” Enatsu intervened, narrowing his eyes as he imagined the raw scene.

“When I heard Yataro’s screams, I immediately ran into the cave with my Oracle, but what I found left me speechless. We both knew the Blackvault Mines was a dungeon for two, maximum three people, but… something must have changed recently.”

“That is? What happened? Go straight to the point,” Yoichi remarked, trying to avoid the pointless turn of phrase, which only made that story more heartbreaking.

“About twenty Komoeru were devouring Yataro’s body, while one of them, much bigger than its companions, was sitting a few meters from the entrance to the cave. It was more than two meters tall and had huge wings. I will never forget those fierce red eyes staring at me in the darkness! I shudder to think about it!”

“A boss?! In the Blackvalut Mines?!” Enatsu quaked, resting his hands on the table. After the sudden movement of the young merchant, the legs of his chair crawled on the floor. Some men sitting at a table not far away began staring at him.

A dungeon, a boss… but what the hell are these two talking about? What kind of place is Blackvault Mines? Yoichi pondered, remaining silent to hear every word of that terrifying tale.

“I would have reacted like you too if someone had told me before! Yes, a giant Komoeru, above average, commanded the smaller ones. I think that was the real reason behind their aggression,” the man acknowledged, wiping the sweat on his forehead. “When I stood still watching that scene, the Komoerus rushed on me. Because of the darkness, I couldn’t figure out how many there were… five, maybe six. They hurt my Oracle and me, but thankfully, being not very far from the exit, we managed to escape.”

“The Komoerus cannot live in the sunlight. Their eyes have evolved into darkness, and the sun’s rays damage their retinas,” Enatsu explained to Yoichi, trying to make him better understand what kind of demons they were talking about.

“The problem was that… one step away from the cave exit, one of those demons clung around my neck and ripped my necklace off.

“Your necklace? What kind of necklace?” Yoichi inquired, raising an eyebrow. Their interlocutor’s appearance was very bad, and the only memory of that event visibly troubled him.

“It’s the only memory I had left of my wife. She died three years ago, too. She was a beautiful and brave tamer… my flower!” Hyobe whimpered, closing his eyes. A tear passed through his cheek, falling on the rough wooden surface of the table.

Enatsu and Yoichi looked sorry. They tried to communicate with their gazes, sharing Hyobe’s sorrow and deciding that helping him was the right choice.

“What exactly do you want us to do?” Yoichi asked, centring the point of the matter.

“I humbly ask you to bring that necklace back to me!” the man cried, resting his hands and forehead on the table, begging the two adventurers. “I’ve seen the way you fight, and I’m sure this is a mission within your reach! Believe me. You will be properly rewarded! Don’t be fooled by my appearance: I’ve worked for a long time as a tamer and I’ve got a lot of money!”

Despite the loud volume of music played by the bard, Hyobe’s cry echoed in the tavern. Other unknown people began to look curiously towards their table.

“Okay, now calm down, man! There’s no need to let everyone know about that, don’t you think?” Enatsu muttered, grabbing Hyobe’s arm and helping him sit still. “There you are, it’s much better now. Take a long breath and try to calm down.”

Showing that he had a pure and generous heart, Enatsu simulated an anti-panic manoeuvre in front of Hyobe, causing him to calm down within seconds.

“I apologize, my friends. But try to understand my pain… I lost my wife, then my best friend… and now… I lost that necklace too!” the man repeated as if tears were automatically coming out of his eyes.

Yoichi remained silent throughout the story, reluctantly witnessing that harrowing scene. A poor man had seen his life turn upside down before his eyes, and his pain was palpable. When Enatsu’s words were no longer enough to fill the silence, he spoke.

“We will help you.”