Cockatrice

Noon comes. Everything is packed and ready. The three of them went to the usual path after the forest hatch. There might be no coming back after Cynthia locked herself in the corridor interrogation room.

Niva's mind immediately thinks about Lynel's offer. Even with Lynel accompanying them, there is no guarantee that the non-humans will turn friendly. There is also no guarantee that Lynel's true face is not what it seems to be. Deep down he might be holding grudges against the human settlement that expels his kind.

This is the reason why Niva always keeps everyone at a finger length. But not outright tell them to not come closer.

As of Lynel's explanation in the underground corridor, The minor brown essence dungeon near the Village Sari is named The Seismic Whispers. It is not because of a reason. The ground occasionally moves apart. If that happens they should keep each other's hands to prevent splitting apart.

Lynel does not give any further description. He simply said that the ones that split off from the guide group never came back home. They are forever cursed to become mud golem. An earth type monster that is a common monster inside.

Back then he saw something off with his teammates. Lula's right hand seems to be twitching nonstop. It is not the first time he encounters a strange condition in her. Back at the rented house he saw similar conditions when taking care of Krilo. And everything seems to be alright after she drinks a pill in her backpack.

She quickly covers her hand, seeing Niva keep staring at her twitched hand.

"Are you not drinking your medicine?" Niva might as well directly confront her seeing that he is caught looking. He once sees her drinks the pill.

"I am about to." Her left hand tremor is getting frantic. She holds the pill with her left hand and gulps it whole.

Suddenly her hand goes silent without any shaking whatsoever. "That's better!" She smiles.

"You haven't told me about your condition. What happened to you?" asks Niva curious.

"Anxiety. It was after the burning of our house back in the Crimson Wind. I made this medicine using my class as a [Doctor]."

Niva does not dare to ask her life details. What matters is that everything will turn out okay in the end.

He can see Lynel in front peeking from the corner of his eyes. Only to look in front when Niva sees him.

"Stop!" yelled Lynel, stopping his movement. He then kneels and inspects the dirt footpath. A sequence of talon imprinted in the path forward. The problem is that it is big. Almost 100 centimeters in length alone.

"I want to ask you both something, what is this creature?" Lynel most likely is testing the support class behind him, or is it?

Either way Niva knows this and tries his hardest to come up with a rather systematic answer. But before that he needs the characteristic of the creature first to give the desirable output.

'The first sighting of the talon begins at this spot. A particular open space with a little tall vegetation. Good for landing. The aforementioned creature can fly.'

'The big talon obviously means that the creature has a pair of birdlike legs.'

Niva goes further in front to get. Several feathers are laying on top of the grass. Two different colors: One colored brown and the other is pale green. Some of its feathers are a hybrid of the two colors.

'A large birdlike creature. But I need another clue.'

He walks further. A neatly crafted sculpture is all over the grass. All of them have distinctive features: terrified of something. But the scariest part is that they are not sculptures. Still warm like a body heat. The blue haired boy breathes slowly. These are not the monsters that he wants to face right now.

"It is a Cockatrice." Niva hands over the petrified critters to Lynel. "A winged dragon with a chicken head. A notoriously dangerous creature that can turn animals and humans into stone by just making eye contact."

The Foxtren wipes his face. "That is unfortunate, one may lurk over here."

"Is their nest really this close to the dungeon?" ask Lula.

"Sazigi plateau not far north west from here is the main breeding ground. Mother cockatrice seems to be gathering food for their younglings," adds Lynel pointing at the Helios's general direction.

Monsters always have a breeding ground far away from humans. The dangerous presence of the monsters encourages humans to hunt them all until nothing is left. The Hunter's Den, one of The Adventurer's Guild sub branches, are given incentives by The Volingen Kingdom to hunt and ensure new human settlements persist.

"Well maybe waiting for the creature to depart from here is a good idea," insisted the pacifist Lula, seemingly against the brute force idea that typically comes from the guys.

"No. It means that this area is safe enough for them to roam freely. It is better to vanquish one to give them a message. They love to play safe. Besides, a severed cockatrice head yields a hefty amount of Volvalen in the hunter's market."

The two of them then look at the idling [Bard]. Every discussion that they throw at each other, it is still Niva as the decision maker. The problem that comes from him intertwining both of their fates makes him the group de facto leader.

"If it blocks the dungeon entrance point, all of us will face it. We have several [Anti-Petrifying] potions right, Lula?"

"Y-yes it is all right here." There is a brief pause before her answer.

Niva looks at Lynel's eyes. "Let's move!"

The talons footprint is getting clearer. At the same time, toppled petrified creatures are more to be found. Carcasses of deer and pigs are spilled along the way, making the road eeriely paved with blood.

Bunch of avocado and papaya fruits also found above the ground with their respective trees almost toppled. Roots are exposed and a big talon mark crushed the trunk. A full force talon stomp can result in the crushing of bones.

Lynel keeps moving forward as the spearhead of the team with both Lula and Niva trailing behind, acting as the wing. The sound of thudding is getting more prominent. Niva can feel the ground's vibration.

In no time they finally meet a figure currently eating a dozen papayas right in front of the dungeon entrance. Judging by the pile of fruits still available, the cockatrice will stay here for a while.

The three of them together hide behind a bush. Lynel is paying attention carefully to the feasting cockatrice. Presumably forming a plan to what to do to slay the beast. The two of them can only look at Lynel or staring blankly at the cockatrice.

After a while, Lynel looks at the team behind him. He nods once, then Niva, and finally Lula.