I had nearly dozed off when Scott elbowed me in the ribs. I looked around excitedly, trying to see what was up.

“Over there.” Yol whispered. He pointed out into the fog. I didn’t see anything.

“Where? I can’t see through all the fog…” I muttered.

“Neither can we.” Scott said. “But listen…”

I paused, letting the sounds of the graveyard flow into my ears. An owl hooted, a rat scurried, and two heavy feet plodded across the dirt. A Nairu. It was walking around, maybe thirty feet away, shrouded in the mists. I heard more footsteps to the creature’s right and left.

“There’s more than one?” I asked in a low whisper.

“Yes.” Yol answered, slowly pulling an arrow from his quiver. “I’m guessing four of them.”

Both Yol and Scott pulled out arrows and placed them in their bows. They pulled them back, setting the string taught, and held steady. I knew they wouldn’t release until the Nairu came into view. I just hoped that they would be able to see the Nairu through the fog. It was lifting a little now, but was still thick enough to conceal the four twenty foot long predators ahead of us.

The footsteps continued, along with some hushed growls and hisses. They were coming closer; the footsteps were getting louder. Then I saw one break through the fog. It’s scales were jet black, and a bead of saliva dangled from it’s mouth. It looked left, then right, then left again. It made a low growl, almost a purr, and proceeded. The others followed, coming into view shortly after the first.

They sniffed around the cemetery, scratching the ground with their claws and peering into empy graves. One lifted it’s foot onto a small headstone and pushed it over, text side down. It snorted and walked over the headstone, and began clawing at the dirt in front of it. Yol let loose his arrow. The Nairu shrieked as the arrow pierced it’s throat and shot out on the other side. It toppled over on top of the grave in a puddle of blood, it’s hind leg twitching.

The other three Nairu spun around, looking right at us. Scott cursed under his breath and released his arrow as well, firing it at the closest Nairu. But now the Nairu could see us, and would not be ambushed so easily. The Nairu ducked down, and the arrow splintered against a large headstone. The Nairu roared hellishly and charged forward, claws extended and jaws open. It was now or never.

I jumped out from behind the tree, heaved my hammer high above my head, and ran at the attacking beast head on. I brought down my hammer, slamming it down on top of it’s head and shutting it’s jaws. The force of the blow thrust it’s head down, throwing it off balance. The scaly fiend did a summersault, collapsing on top of me. I shouted, punching the monster in the face and trying to kick it off of me. The sound of a flying air rang out, and the Nairu went limp on top of me. I threw it off with a loud grunt.

“Thanks for that.” I called to Yol.

“No problem,” Yol called back, sliding on his blade arms. “But that was Scott!”

“Hahahaha, you better believe it!” Scott chuckled, pulling out another arrow.

Yol ran out into the battlefield with me, his arm mounted blades shining in the moonlight. The remaining two Nairu hissed and charged forward. Scott fired another arrow, hitting the ground in front of one of the Nairu’s feet. It roared and took to the air, leaping over our heads and crashing down on it’s feet in front of Scott. The Nairu shoved him to the ground with it’s head and planted it’s foot on his chest.

“Ooooof!” Scott howled. “So, you wanna fight me hand-to-hand, do ya?!”

Scott reached up and grabbed the Nairu’s leg in both hands and yanked it out from underneath it. The Nairu fell to the ground, and Scott scrambled up to his feet. The Nairu lunged, and was met with a fist. Teeth flew from it’s mouth, and Scott grabbed the Nairu around the neck and pulled it back down to the ground. It growled kicked Scott in the stomach, throwing him back against the tree. I started to rush to his aid, but the other Nairu was upon us.

I swung my hammer, bashing it in the chest. It reeled back, and Yol attacked with his blades. His blows were quick and brutal; it seemed like a blur or silver and crimson. It lasted for several second, then ended abruptly. The Nairu fell over on it’s back, it’s face and chest covered in deep gashes.

“Wow.” I said, raising my brows. “What happened to being opposed to killing Nairu?!”

“Self defense.” Yol grunted, blood dripping from the ends of his blades.

“A LITTLE HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED, LADS!” Scott thundered, attempting to put the Nairu in a headlock.

We rushed to Scott’s side and lashed out. Yol slashed the Nairu across the back, and as it read it’s head back to yelp, I slammed my hammer into the side of it’s face. The Nairu hit the ground with a thud, and Yol finished it with a blow to the throat. Scott got up gingerly, holding his stomach.

“Are you okay?” I asked, looking down at his stomach. His shirt was torn.

“Bah!” Scott growled, clutching his gut. “He gave me a right fierce kick, there! Claws went in, I think…”

“Not deep, though. You’re lucky.” Yol said, examining the wound. “You’re barely bleeding.”

“Well at least I’ve got that goin’ for me,” Scott laughed painfully. “Because I feet like my belly just hit a brick wall!”

“Here,” I said. “Tear your shirt. You can use it as gauze on the wound.”

“It’s fine.” Scott said. “No need for that. Besides, I like this shirt! Haw-haw!”

“Suit yourself.” I chuckled.

Yol bent down beside the dead Nairu that had struck Scott. It’s skull had been shattered in several places, pulverized by both hammer and fist. It’s eyes were still wide open in death.

“Well… it seems that we’ve put an end to Greyburg’s Morgue Thief problem.” He finally said.

“Indeed.” I said, looking down at the corpses. “They will be most grateful.”

“There’ll probably be a reward, too.” Scott said, cringing as he pressed his hand against his stomach.

“Perhaps we can get you some medical attention with the money…” Yol muttered.

Suddenly, a loud shriek cut through the still night air. It sounded just like the ones made by the late Nairu. I looked at Yol with a worried expression on my face.

“You don’t think there could be more, do you?” I asked.

“Only one way to find out.” He answered, helping Scott up. “YOU need to stay out of the fray, though. You’re injured enough as it is.”

“Awww,” Scott moaned. “Come on! I can still fight!”

“No. It’s too dangerous.” I said, walking through the cemetery gate. “You should wait behind us and avoid conflict. These Nairu specialize in picking on the weak, injured, and dead… you’re in no shape to face them right now.”

Scott scoffed, but said nothing in disagreement. We walked back into the streets, with Scott hobbling along slowly behind. Yol set him down on a curb by the market and joined me in the search.

“It sounded like it came from in the town. They must be scrounging around for table scraps or something.” I said, shifty eyed.

There was another shriek, this time followed by a man yelling and a loud crashing sound. We ran towards the commotion as fast as we could. We came upon the guard, standing over the body of a Vile Nairu. His halberd was dark red with use, and the Nairu’s head was missing.

“Something tells me your Nairu infestation is worse than you let on.” I growled.

“Well, no one would’ve come if we told them!” The guard said in his defense.

“How many are there?” Yol asked.

“We don’t know. They always come by night or fog, we rarely glimpse them all.” The guard said. “But they’re getting bolder. They’re moving in the streets now, eating out of the garbage. But that’s not all…”

“Yes, we know.” I said, crossing my arms. “They eat people too.”

“There’s no time to waste,” Yol said. “We have to drive them out now before there harm any innocent lives!”

“Drive them out?” The guard growled, lifting his halberd. “You weren’t hired to drive them out. You were hired to exterminate them.”

“And exterminate them we will!” I said, glancing back at Yol briefly.

****

Sitting on the street curb, Scott sighed heavily and leaned against an empty stand.

“Humph. ‘Stay behind and avoid conflict’… bah! That’s not the warrior way!” Scott grumbled to himself. “If I’m going to be a fighter, I ought to do it right! Sitting around doing nothing’… bah…”

“Scott!” Yol shouted, running down the street with the guard and I. “Everything clear here?”

“Huh?” Scott muttered, getting up with a cringe. “Uh… I havn’t seen any Nairu, if that’s what ya mean. Why, are there really more?”

“Yes.” I said. “A lot more than our friend here let on.” The guard frowned and looked away.

“Good! That means I can get my hands on one more before I call it a night!” Scott boomed, his face suddenly lighting up.

“Oh no you won’t!” Yol said, cutting off Scott as he tried to hobble down the street. “We already told you- you’re in no shape to fight. You’re going to stay right here, and the guard is going to protect you!”

“What?!” Scott complained, weakly stomping his foot.

“Don’t worry.” Said the guard. “You’ll be perfectly safe with me around.”

“Oh yeah?” Scott snorted, raising an eyebrow at the guard. “If you’re so great, why did you have to hire us?!”

The guard’s face turned red and he shut his mouth, fuming in silence.

“Now…” I said, walking away with Yol. “We need to find the other Nairu and kill them before they do any more damage…”

“I still don’t see why we have to kill them.” Yol said quietly. “We could just scare them out of the town.”

“That wouldn’t help the villagers,” I said. “The Nairu would just come back again and keep robbing graves.”

“Not if we gave them a reason not to…” Yol said.

“And exactly how do you plan to do that?” I asked.

“I… don’t know yet.” Yol muttered.

“MmmHmmm…” I said, grinning. “So we’re back to the whole ‘save the Nairu’ thing, eh?”

“There’s no reason to kill them if we don’t have to.” Yol said defensively.

“But there is a reason, Yol! These Nairu are feeding on the dead, stalking around the same streets where children play, and are becoming increasingly curious about what a human would taste like alive. As far as I’m concerned, that’s reason enough.”

Yol grumbled.

“Look…” I said, stopping. “I know you don’t want to kill anymore Nairu, and I can understand that. But you have to keep in mind that these aren’t the same friendly creatures that we’ve been riding through the countryside. These are dangerous, wild animals…”

“It still doesn’t feel right.” Yol said firmly. “But… I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

“No,” I said with a chuckle. “I suppose you don’t.”

****

Striding through the dark, the Vile Nairu pack was on the move. There were three of them, and three of their brethren were on the move elsewhere. Four of their pack mates had gone missing after scouting ahead to get a start on their nightly feasting. Now they were in the human town, sniffing around, hiding in the shadows. They pounced at rats and alley cats as they snooped around garbage, looking for a quick snack while they searched for their missing pack mates.

One of the Nairu stopped, sniffing the air anxiously. It had caught a new scent- humans. The scaly skinned monster’s giant olfactory lobes processed the information and sent it to it’s brain in the blink of an eye, and already the Nairu knew it’s visitors. Two males, and judging by the strength of the smell, they were full grown and fairly nearby. The smell of blood carried with them; the humans had been in a fight. As the other Nairu caught the scent, they began to feel uncomfortable.

They knew what had happened to their pack mates.

The Nairu began to hiss and growl, spreading out and slipping into the shadows and into alleys. They moved quickly and silently, moving towards the humans. They were going to ambush the dangerous humans, call the pack, and then enjoy a leisurely night or gorging themselves on corpses…

I walked along the street, holding my hammer firmly and watching the shadows cautiously. Everything was so dark, so eerie… my imagination ran wild, envisioning things moving in the shadows. I felt as though I were being watched, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up straight. Why couldn’t we be hunting something that liked to terrorize people during the day?!

Yol stopped and raised his hand. Something was up. I turned my head slowly, looking towards him. I searched the darkness, trying to see what he was seeing. But all I saw was blackness. Suddenly Yol’s bow was in his hands, and an arrow shot through the night. There was a clang, and a pierced trash can rolled into the street. Out of the darkness sprang a Vile Nairu, it’s fangs glinting in the moonlight.

A second arrow soared through the air and hit the Nairu square in the chest. The Nairu hissed and was pushed back a step, but what was felled by a third arrow before it could counter. There was a roar, and more Nairu sprang out from all around us.

Four more Nairu appeared in the darkness, clearly an organized pack. Their eyes reflected the moonlight and glowed, their black pupils fixed on us with malicious intent. Yol and I stepped back, standing back to back. Yol pulled back another arrow, returning glares with a Nairu ahead of him. I lifted my hammer up over my left shoulder and narrowed my eyes. This was going to be messy.

****

Stepping carefully in the shadows slunk the remaining Nairu. It walked close by to the buildings, ducking under windows and concealing itself in the dark. It was on the trail of a strong, fresh scent: blood. Just ahead was injured prey, easy pickings… the only thing standing between him and his meal was the guard human… but not for long…

The Nairu crept around the corner, it’s eyes watching the guard with irritation and hunger. The Nairu positioned himself in the shadows behind the tall, halberd bearing human. The Nairu crouched down, flexed the muscles in his legs, and pounced from the darkness. He slammed into the guard’s back, shoving him down to the ground and sending his weapon flying out of his hands. The Nairu planted his foot on the human’s back and pinned him down, then turned his head to see the other human. The injured one. The defenseless one. The one… that had a scimitar in it’s hands?!

Scott swung from his spot, nicking the Nairu on the snout. It reared back and growled, then lunged forward. Scott dropped down to his back, and the Nairu’s jaws snapped shut above him. Scott thrust his scimitar upwards into the throat of the Nairu, slicing into the flesh and splattering blood onto his face. The Nairu slumped down, and Scott shoved his hands up to the falling beast. He caught it’s weight with a grunt and shoved it away, allowing it to collapse without pinning himself to the ground. Scott lifted himself up into a sitting position and wiped the blood off his face, then turned to the guard.

“You alright?” Scott asked.

“Mmmhmmm…” The guard grunted, still face down.

“Good.” Scott answered, laying down on his face and exhaling loudly.

****

The Nairu advanced, and the battle began. Yol released his hold on the arrow, and it whizzed through the night sky, arcing through the air and touching down on the skull of the closest Nairu. The force of the shot drove the Nairu down to the ground face first, where it remained in a crimson puddle. Another Nairu rushed forward, then planted one foot down firmly and spun around to whip me with his tail. He swung my hammer about as he did, hitting him along the back and shoving him through the air. He landed on his shoulder and slid, and my hammer was upon him before he could rise. My blow came down on his head, ending his cruel life in an instant.

As the third Nairu in the pack turned it’s attention to Yol, he threw down his bow and reached behind his back. The Nairu pounced and Yol brought up his blade arms, and the two collided. The dual blades slid deep into the Nairu’s chest, and the force of the beast’s pounce sent Yol crashing down to the ground. Yol slid across the street, kicking away the corpse on top of him.

The last Nairu charged, hopping over Yol and the corpse of the other Nairu, and landing directly in front of me. It’s jaws swung wide open and it shoved itself at me, chomping down on the handle of my hammer. I struggled with the Vile Nairu, trying to push it away. It released it’s grip and jumped back, uttering a fierce growl before attacking again.

Ready for the next advance, I swung my hammer skyward. My blow connected with the Nairu’s chin, slamming it’s jaws shut and causing it to flip and fall on it’s back. I lifted my hammer into the air, glaring down at the Nairu with fury.

“STOP!” Yol shouted, rising from behind the Nairu corpse.

I pulled in the opposite direction as hard as I could, stopping the hammer’s strike. I turned to Yol with wide eyes as I tried to understand why he had shouted such a thing.

“Stop!” Yol repeated, taking a few weary steps forward. “Let it go.”

I shook my head in disbelief.

“What?? Why?” I shouted.

“Let it go.” Yol said firmly, dropping his blade arms. They made a loud, metallic clang as they hit the ground. “It’s not coming back.”

I peered down at the Nairu laying on the ground. A small trickle of blood came from it’s mouth, and as it began to stand up, I could see that it’s movements were shaky. The battered monster’s pack was dead, and having tasted the wrath of human weaponry, surely had no intentions of ever bothering human beings again. The frightened creature backed away from me, eyes widened and fixed on me. It limped away with a quiet hiss and disappeared into the night. I sighed and eased my hammer down to my side.

“Thank you.” Yol said softly, wiping the sweat from his forehead and sitting down by his blade arms.

****

In the morning we regrouped and got Scott properly bandaged up. The guard, at this point too furious or embarrassed for words, gave us our gold and stormed off to his keep. Having no arguments with a handsome reward of two hundred gold pieces a man, we took to our Nairu’s and left town. We celebrated by heading back to Glendyle and purchasing a mount for Scott, much to the surprise of Jacob the Nairu Rancher. With his sore feet spared thanks to Grunt the Horned Nairu, Scott was in a much better mood along the following trip. We were now on the road again, heading to who-knows-where. But even though we didn’t know where we were heading, we knew one thing for sure: We were now officially beast slayers.