Nevermore - Midnight.
"Tomorrow we have shooting practice with the whole starting team, don't be too late." (Xavier)
"It'll be quick, I'm just going out for a walk." (William)
"I hope so, I don't want to have to make up an excuse for the next captain's absence." (Xavier)
William just smiled and put away his mobile phone. His treasure hunt was more important to him than practising with people he barely knew.
*zzzzzip*
He zipped up his black leather jacket, one of his favourites, a gift from his older sister. It had arrived several months ago with a message saying, 'Learn to dress better'. It was his early birthday present.
"All right, my little golden dust, guide me."
*Gust of wind*
As soon as he opened the cloth pocket, the golden dust shot into the sky, floating like a living entity, a cloud of golden dust.
"It's fast."
William quickly changed shape, a large raven as black as night took off into the sky from the roof of one of the buildings in Nevermore, and the large stone gargoyles returned to their initial solitude.
The golden dust flew high into the sky for a few kilometres before descending and winding its way through the trees. The crow form was not suitable for the terrain, so William changed shape again, becoming a large black wolf, well suited to running through the forest.
(It is relaxing to run like this from time to time).
Running through the leaves, jumping over large fallen logs, and scaring small animals like rabbits and deer felt good.
His large paws left deep marks in the mud, and the cold night wind cleared his thoughts.
(So this is the old oak tree, literally... and I have to go in there?)
(I'd rather not have to...)
*Sigh*
The golden dust had stopped and voluntarily returned to the cloth bag. Right in front of William, deep in the mountains, stood a large, dry oak tree with no leaves. The large roots protruded from the earth, and black, foul-smelling mud formed a puddle around it.
"This thing has been dead for years. I'm surprised it hasn't rotted away completely."
After a sigh of resignation, William changed shape for the third time into a Cerval, a small but fast feline, perfect for entering the small hole in the middle of the tree trunk.
Underground Chamber Deep Beneath the Ancient Oak
."I'm tired of squirrels."
"We should catch something bigger, a fawn would be delicious."
"We're too old and weak to try that!"
Three small creatures, each about the size of a palm, sat around a fire made of small twigs, arguing.
"Yes, if only someone could get rid of the Pale Widow for us."
One of them was plump, humanoid with four fingers on each hand and thin wings like those of an insect. Their large pointed ears turned in all directions.
"We would pay you with something you want,"
said the second one, spitting a small bone into the fire. This one in particular had no eyes, but its tongue and teeth were too big compared to the other two.
"Or we would give you information that only we have!"
The last sentence was spoken by the last of the trio, whose eyes were enormous for the size of her face.
"And what are you looking for here, stranger who arrived here without an invitation?"
The three turned to look at William at once, who emerged from the darkness in his Cerval form, several times larger than these creatures.
"Someone may accept your request." (William)
William returned to his human form, sitting cross-legged. The three little fairies knew from the beginning that he was listening to everything; in fact, the previous words were meant for him.
"We are Ear, Tooth, and Eye. Tell us your name and hear our request, human."
"William Stone."
The Fairies of Ill Omen looked at each other before putting their heads together in a circle.
"He's from that family." (Tongue)
"He can do it for us." (Ear)
"And we have something he wants." (Eye)
The whispers of the fairies sounded strange, and to begin with, it was difficult for William to understand them; they spoke in ancient Latin.
"Very well, Human, kill the White Widow for us and we will give you three of our rings as a reward." (Eye)
"Why do you think I'm interested in your rings?" (William)
William rested his head on his fist and smiled, looking relaxed in this strange situation.
"Our rings are special, unique in craftsmanship and made with our blood. They allow you to attract an object to your side through space, and being a Stone, I have no doubt that you are interested in how they work." (Eye)
(That would be very useful to me!!) (William)
"What if I refuse?" (William)
"Nothing, you can run away after seeing the enemy if you don't think you can handle it." (Eye)
"Okay, I accept the offer, but I want four rings as a reward and information about the Hunter's Treasure." (William)
"The Hunter's Treasure? Did that two-headed imp tell you about it?" (Ear)
"How is he? He was so sexy!" (Tongue)
The fairy named Tongue stuck her long red tongue out of her mouth and licked the air with desire. William clenched his teeth to keep from making a disgusted face, even when saliva splattered a few inches from his shoes.
"He told me before I crushed his ribs with my shoe."
Tongue closed her mouth and glared at William.
*Slap*
"Stop looking at the human like that." (Eye)
Eye, who looked larger in size and older, slapped Tongue on the head before she could do something reckless. Risking the lives of the three of them for a simple Imp was not worth it.
"The Hunter's treasure is not ours, we cannot give it to you. It is deep inside the White Widow's cave. Its previous owner wanted to take a fruit from our tree and died before he could taste its juice." (Eye)
"Enough talk, you're ready, human. We'll open the door for you." (Ear)
William considered the matter for a few moments before nodding. At his signal, Tongue, Ear, and Eye extended one of their claws and slashed their wrists, their blue blood dripping onto the stone.
*Creak*
(So this is the door.) (William)
It was right where William was sitting, a large round door located on the floor, two slabs of solid, very heavy granite, slid to the left and right, revealing a deep descending tunnel.
(So that's a white widow, I'd say it's hard-shelled) (William)
William, in his raven form, was leaning on one of the roots protruding from the ceiling, a natural cave supported by hundreds of thick oak roots.
(A giant centipede, fantastic, if it weren't for my system, I would steal the Bow and fly away from here.)
William looked away from the enormous snow-white armoured centipede, which was comfortably sipping a golden liquid that emanated from a small golden fruit.
The bow William was referring to was the one resting in the hands of the corpse curled up in a small crevice in the rock. A hunter was hugging the bow as if it were the most valuable thing he owned before he died.
"You didn't starve to death, my friend. I'll give you a proper burial after you get out of here, and I'll take the bow as payment. I doubt you want it to end up covered in dust in a place like this."
William's words, spoken aloud, caught the attention of the White Widow, who stopped paying attention to the golden fruit. Its hundreds of legs created an unpleasant noise as they hit the stone floor when it moved.
William turned to look at it as he unfolded Titan from his waist, and with a metallic click, it returned to its base form, 2 metres (2 feet) long.
*Kriiiiik!*
A high-pitched squeak emanated from the White Widow's large, saw-like vocal claws, while its long, thin antennae savoured the air around William.
*Stink*
(As he expected, it was very hard.)
The sharp tip of Titan barely left a scratch on the White Widow's armour with a clash.
*Stink* *Stink**Stink**Stink*
William dodged the centipede's multiple attacks and repeatedly struck the same section of its body four times in a row, but it seemed to have no effect.
*Sigh*
(Time to move on to plan B)
After putting Titan back in its case, William transformed into a huge black wolf and disappeared into the darkness.
The white widow began to roam the entire site, waving her antennae throughout the area and destroying the roots and stones in her path. Her large size could easily surround and crush a horse's body.
'Melt into the shadows' was one of the new abilities of William's Grimm form. His multiple beast forms became stronger the more Beast rings he had.
*Kriiiiikkkiiiiiiiik!*
The white widow screamed in pain as the Grimm's powerful jaws crushed her head while its sharp claws dug into her lower body, severing several of her long legs at the root.
Green blood splattered all over the area, bathing the stones, the roots, and of course William in Grimm form.
"I think now is a good time, come on my sisters!!!" (Eye)
The three fairies watching the fight as they flew through the air with their insect wings sped towards the golden fruit. Eye and Tongue were the first, but Ear stopped, seeming to hesitate.
The sight of William breaking through the white widow's hard shell made her doubt her sisters' plan.