Serpent path
East from the growing Swampfort village was the serpent path, a trail leading to the Eastern villages and towns in Diora; the path was a lush Savannah with strange yellow plants that looked oddly like giant snakes. However, the great danger in this path wasn't snakes but instead bandits.

4 ugly-looking men wearing rusted armor stood near a huge yellow shrub, waiting for unsuspecting victims.

'Gidiga gidiga gidiga' the sound of a carriage came from far away, the men couldn't see it very well but the carriage horse looked strange.

"Look alive, boys; no guards. Must be a local party, let's get 'em," the bandit leader with a bald head said, holding his rusted sword.

"Boss, the horse does not look like a horse," one of the bandits with a lump on his right eye said, pointing at the carriage.

"Huh, stupid! Of course, it's a.............." The bald boss looked closer and made a terrifying discovery.

"Paaaac, paccc, paccaaa Paaaakaa!" The supposed steed yelled; however, this wasn't the sound of a horse; this was a giant black rooster, it had a special harness on its back used for pulling the carriage.

"Caaaaaaaaawwwww!" The demonic bird shouted. It stares at the bandits with its red eyes.

"Ahhhhhh!" Before he knew it, the bald boss lost control of his body and became as stiff as a vegetable. The same could be said for his men.

The carriage passed by their petrified bodies and left them to their demise
The carriage ride in charge of the giant chicken revealed himself, he was a plump youth with curly red hair styled like a pompadour wearing a gray tunic with a blue sash around his neck.
With His kind green eyes, he looked at them and said, "How sad".

In the carriage a dark-skinned boy dressed in green and black light clothing with a bow and arrow quilt slung on his back said
"Nothing could be done, Mr Edward; their lifestyle led to their end. Chukooko wouldn't have done it if they weren't evil," he said, styling his dark brown hair and closing his green eyes.

"Paaaakaaaaaaa!" Chukooko the basilisk cried out, he was a being born of a snake and a cock with the ability to petrify people.

The plump boy frowned. "Zion, that doesn't mean they don't deserve pity; write that down," The guy, now known as Edward, said, pointing at the other boy's white backpack.

"Yes, yes, teacher....' scribble, scribble' the Archer known as Zion said, writing something down in his strange black notebook.

"Haha, Zion got scolded!" A dark-skinned girl laughed; she had long black hair tied into a ponytail at the back, she wore a light blue shirt with a white circle pattern on it, and a brown leather chest plate protected her well-developed bosom. She also wore black spats revealing her thick thighs as she went barefooted.

"Calm down, Miss Sofia, you'll wake up the kids", a Young blond woman pleaded with the overactive girl,; she was dressed like a nun you'd see in a monastery, however, her cute cat ears on the top of her head said otherwise along with her fluffy tail connect to her spine.

"Oh yes Abigail, the kids that have been asleep for hours! Carefree Brats..... Wait a sec why is Valerie sleeping too!" Another light-skinned young woman with short light green hair wearing a Green receptionist uniform screamed.

5 children were sleeping on the wooden carriage floor almost all the kids had animal features except one
"Snnnnnnnoooooreeeee!" A loud snoring noise came from a girl with big ears and bushy, unkempt orange hair. Her dress was squeezed, and her boots were off, revealing her freshly shaved top feet. Valerie was a Hobbit, so even though she had the height of a preschooler, she was already a teenager.

"By the way Basil, why are you here again? We're just going to drop off some beastmen orphans in the beastman village since the Swampfort village orphanage is full" Edward said curiously asking the pissed-off reception

"You want me to spell it out for you! My family stays in that village too since the rent there is cheap! Just going to see them for a visit since I'm on break! Hmph," Basil pouted and turned her face.

"Nyohoho underneath the iron lady is a soft family gal," Abigail, the Nun, teased the receptionist.

"Shut up you Alley cat!" Basil yelled again but that still didn't wake up the kids.

"This sure is a long trip, Teach," Zion said as he looked at the two women fighting.

"Tell me about it" Edward deadpanned as he looked straight at the road.
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FURIRAN VILLAGE

After about 3 hours on the road, the party found themselves in a lush and beautiful village overrun by half-human, half-animal people known as the “Beastmen” abnormals.
Their homes were made of clay and wood, giving them a more traditional look; there was a big lake in the West where some Cat people were fishing in, while the more carnivorous beastmen came from the huge jungle in the south with fresh game.

Edward was surprised to see some beastmen looking more beast than human, they seemed like animals standing on their hind legs.

"Welcome to Furiran village everyone, my home!" Abigail came out of the carriage and presented.
"That huge building over there is the town hall; the kids will be able to find people who will take them in there by the grace of God," she said, putting her two hands together.

"Yaaaaaawwwwwwnnnn...... Is it morning already?" Valerie, the Hobbit girl, finally wakes up and adjusts her clothes.
*****************************************************

Town hall

As soon they entered the town hall a group of adult beastmen of different species rushed them and started smelling the kids.

"This one smells like he'll be a good Hunter," "She has the scent of a leader," " Ugh, this one stinks of the ground! Wait, that's a Hobbit". The beastmen continued to talk confusing the humans even further.

"Here, we mostly base our decisions off scents, like if we smell rain we won't go out to hunt," Abigail explained.,

"Oh, that makes sense," Edward said, putting a hand on his chin while behind him, Zion was writing down something.

After sorting out the kids, the party was about to leave the town hall when...

"Ugh, what's that unpleasant feeling!" Basil turned around to see a very pissed-off black Sheep beast woman looking at her as if she had just scammed her.

"I'm used to receiving stares but that one just offs me" Basil spat uncomfortably.

Outside, the gang was heading left while Basil was heading right.
"Hey, Basil, are you going to your parent's house? Why not wait after we visit mine?" Abigail asked.

"Tsk, like I want my family to think I'm friends with a bunch of weirdos!" Basil hissed and walked off.

"She's certainly bitchy." Zion said pissed.

"Language, God is watching," Abigail said to him and held her hands together.

Abigail's parents' house
The game entered a night clay bungalow that had Pillars in it; strangely, the pillars had scratch marks on them.

Suddenly, a big cat beastman with gray hair and a beard came from one of the 5 rooms. His ears were saggy, and his tail was touching the ground; his black tunic had a hole in the right pocket.

"Ah, Abigail! Didn't expect you so soon! " The old beastman said with excitement.

"I'm home, Papa, and I brought my friends," Abigail said happily.

"Oh,..... Is this one your mate?" He points at Edward who in turn blushes.

"No Papa!, I'm a woman of the cloth I can't get married!" Said embarrassed at her father's behavior.

"Grrrrrrrr," Sofia growls. For some reason, her cheeks pouted.

"Sure, sure, hey, here comes your mother." Papa Cat looks over his shoulder as his right ear stands up.

"Oh my, my daughter and a bunch of guests? What a pleasant surprise! I was about to serve lunch." A gray Cat wearing a brown apron came walking through another door. She was about half the size of Papa Cat.

"Mama, I'll help!" Abigail said happily and walked over to her mom.

(Mama?! But... Soo tiny?! How?!!) Edward, Valerie, and Zion all wondered in their minds how such a small cat could give birth to a humanoid.

"Catoo, catoo" 'sh' Sofia shouts happily as she sees the Mama cat, her body shrinks and grayish blue fur covers it, she grows cat ears and a tail too, and her clothes transformed as well due to it being a magic item,
"Me too, me too!" She runs around the house happily.

(So she can transform into different races too? Interesting) Zion writes down.

"Oh my... How interesting" the Mama cat said as sweat drops from the other members of the party.

During lunch, the people in the house introduce themselves while eating a delicious fish casserole.
"Sorry for the late introduction. I'm Greg Onyan, and this is my wife, Mimi Onyan," Greg says happily.

"Thank you all for saving my daughter and her town. That time, she vanished from the witch's charm," Mimi bowed her head.

"No, it's alright, ma'am. Actually, the person who beat the witch was the leader of our party; I'm just the temp, my name's Edward Anderson," Edward said, humbly referencing Remi.

"Sofia is Sofia!" Sofia, still in beast mode, said, stuffing her face with more of the fish casserole.

"Valerie here, in charge of the shiny stuff." The Hobbit waved her hand and continued to good off with her food.

"And finally me, Zion. I'm an other-worlder, the newest member of the wrath party still getting used to the weirdness of this world," Zion said nonchalantly, writing down his thoughts of the casserole.

"Nyuhuhuhu" Abigail laughed gently at the exchange of words.
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MEANWHILE IN BASIL'S HOUSE

Basil's house was a small wooden cabin with 4 rooms including a kitchen.
Outside of the house was a young boy with light green hair in brown clothes chopping wood, this was one of Basil's 3 younger siblings.
Inside twin girls with similar long green hair braided were doing house chores while Basil was in the biggest room with an elderly man talking.

"I'm glad you managed to get a job with a high-class guild without relying on that power," the man said, smiling.

"But father... If I used that power, we wouldn't need to stay in this puny place, I could get you guys a proper home in the Capital..." Basil said but was cut off.

"NO! Your mother said the same words to me 8 years ago; I allowed her. She used to send us money every now and then until she just stopped; I later found out she ran away with a younger man!" The man yelled.
"That power you inherited makes people greedy; I raised you to be a hard-working woman, not a carefree scrub." He finished.

"Yes, father," Basil submitted to her father's words.
************************************

OUTSIDE OF THE TOWN HALL

The beastmen had gathered around a podium decorated with white and red cloth. On the left and right sides stood beefy-looking ox beastmen wearing black armor.

In the middle was a small beastmen with whiskers and a rat tail. His gray hair gelled backward, and he wore a very neat-looking black suit.

The Wrath party and Basil were amongst the crowd watching.
"That's Mayor Rets speaking, He's such a great man/rat," Abigail said while smiling.

The mayor spoke into a floating red orb and his voice became louder.

"Good afternoon great beastmen of Furiran! I, Mayor Rets, once again, want to thank you all for keeping the Peace; I know we've had tiny disputes with normal humans, yet we solved these issues with words, not claws! Because of this, we can expect more resources from the capital in a week, and it's all thanks to you folks!" He happily yells.

"Yeahhhhhhhehhhhhaaaaa!" The crowd went wild. The Beastmen and humans had their fair share of differences, but thanks to their peaceful nature, war Never broke out, leading to the Gifts being given.

Edward smiled at the mayor, but suddenly, he got a bad feeling coming from behind him; he sensed the type of blood lust he hadn't sensed for months and, almost out of instinct, casted magic.

{Air wall x2!}

He created 2 large barriers of air covering the entire podium. Everyone was surprised.

An incredibly powerful arrow bolt shot out from the forest. 'Crack!' destroying the first barrier. 'Tic!' and being stopped by the second; it was apparent that the Arrow bolt was meant for the mayor.

"Everyone get down!" Basil yelled and the crowd panicked.

"Protect the mayor!" One of Ox beastmen said as he and the other shielded Mayor Rets.

"Sofia, Zion!" Edward yelled at his two teammates.

"Roger!" "Yes, yes!" both of them rushed towards the forest in search of the assassin.

In the forest, a man with bat wings instead of hands was desperately trying to fly through countless branches quickly
"Shit! Shit! Why the hell are knights here! Our plan is ruined!" He said in a cracky voice, his whole body was covered in black fur, and he wore a blue jacket

"{Arbor shot}" Zion, from a far distance, shoots an arrow with a green aura surrounding it, 'pic!' the arrow hits one of the trees in front of the Bat-man, and strange enough, the entire tree expands into a wall.

"Kyaaahhhhh! Magicians?!" The bat yelled and stopped in mid-air.

"Why don't you make things easier for me and surrender" Zion moves in closer with bow in hand.

"Me? Zetts the blood assassin! I'll never submit to you, human... " As Zetts was speaking, he didn't notice the giant shadow above him. "Huh?" He finally realized it was already too late.

[Bear drop!] A giant blue bear fell on top of him. 'Bam!' the fall knocked out the bat instantly.
"Hehehehehe Bat go splat!" A cheerful voice came from the blue fur ball.

"Sofia! You knocked him out before we could question him! What if he has friends!" Zion yelled at the girl.

"Blah blah! I can just smell him and find them 'sniff.' " Sofia's nose transforms again into a dog's own, and she smells the bat.
"Ahaaaaaa! That way!" She points east into the forest.

'Sigh' Zion sighed and wrote something down in his book again, "Come on, let's wait for the others then we'll go after them" he put his book away

While back at the podium, a dog beastman came running towards the mayor, saying, "The deed! Someone stole the deed to the village!" He cried out loud.

Deep inside the forest near a rocky plateau, 4 individuals were patiently waiting for the return of the bat.

"Wasn't Zetts supposed to give the signal already?" An antelope beast woman said; she wore a skin-tight black jumpsuit, and her black horns stood on top of her head, fitting nicely with her yellow and brown hair.

"Hyehehehehehe! Annabelle has a point, Graven. Did that idiot forget the path or something? Hyehehehehehe!" Addressing the antelope was a dark-skinned hyena beast woman; she wore a torn blue jacket and skinny jeans, and a bulge could be seen from her left leg...

The one she referred to as Graven was a white lion standing on his two feet; the only thing human about him was his posture and his black loincloth; his beautiful white main flowed in the wind as he stared at the forest with deep red eyes.
"Bonny, Things have gone south, it seems." he folded his muscular arms.

"South baaaaa! Don't give me that crap! I hired you guys for a reason baaaaa! If you can't kill the mayor, me having the deed doesn't make me in charge baaaaa!" A smallish black sheep wearing a white secretary dress said she pulled out a white paper from her wooly black Afro.

"No longer shall we beastmen bow to the humans for scraps, once I become Mayor, it will be warm! We shall claim all of the humans' lands for ourselves, baaaaa!" The black sheep said with hate I'm her squeaky voice

"You're one blood thirsty sheep, ma'am," Edward says as he comes out of the deep forest; behind him are Val, Sofia, Zion, and, strange enough, Basil.

"Knights?! Shit baaaaaa! Graven take care of them baaaaa!" The sheep tries to escape with the deed.

"Not on my watch you shitty sheep!" Basil chases after her.

"Watch out miss secretary!" Graven charges at Basil, however.

{Air wall!} Edward creates a barrier blocking the white Lion, "Your opponent is right here!" The boy said calmly.

"Damn you, wild Hunt! Take down the enemies 'Growwwwwlll!' " Graven commands.

"Roger " , "hyehehehehehe!" The beast women take arms against the humans...