I groan, throwing my head back. “Uuuuurgh, you’re lucky I love you, you brat!”

Dana cackles, grinning in delight as she kisses me. “Well done, two wyverns at once! Anyway, if you like, I can process the corpses for you?”

I nod, sitting down on the fallen trunk of a tree, sap leaking from shattered branches. Dana gets to work, drawing a long knife with a blade made from a strange, silvery metal, cutting carefully into the corpse of the flattened-paper wyvern, almost like cutting the corner off a bag of cheap wine. The internal organs and crushed bones pour out into the bowl-crater, and she opens it up to dry out a little, casting a water spell, followed by a wind spell, to clean the hide off, as she produces a pair of pliers, wiggling the grips into the gums and twisting carefully, snagging each pearly dagger and piling it to one side, then doing the same to the claws.

While I relax, Dana turns to the second wyvern, the smaller of the pair, her knifeblade flashing as she carves off its hide, laying it to one side as she carefully folds the bigger hide and sets it aside. She’s very good at it, her dextrous fingers and bladework rendering the second of the two cadavers into its constituent parts. Stepping back, she smiles.

“We don’t need to worry about the bodies; they’ll be consumed by whatever hungry beasts are around. We should get moving, if you wanna keep hunting?”

I nod, smiling, before giving the taller girl a kiss. She bundles up the hides in her inventory for me and produces a compartmented bag, storing the fangs and claws in different sections, snapping the latches closed and beaming at me. “Let’s go! There’s more to hunt!”

I giggle, stretching my wings and taking off, Dana’s butterfly light-wings fluttering and acting as a beacon. Following her, I glide and swoop playfully through the air beside her, occasionally blowing her a kiss. Something catches my eye, a small community below, wooden houses and walls made of rough-hewn logs, guards with helms and spears and crossbows curiously peering up at us.

One of them waves, beckoning us down. “Excuse me! Hello! Can I have a minute of your time?!”

I exchange a glance with Dana, nodding, before diving, landing not too far away from the motioning guard.

“Good morning! What’s up?”

The guard, now rather nervous that they’re face-to-face with a pair of well-armoured and well-equipped women, clears their throat.

“Well, we’ve been trying to clear some land not far from here, but our work crews have been attacked every time. No-one’s been killed yet, fortunately, but the repeated occurrences have made them all terrified. They absolutely refuse to go anywhere near the place.”

I fold my arms. “That’s not good. Do you have any idea what’s causing the problem?”

The guard nods. “From what the workers said, they were attacked by a huge wolf. They said that their tools and stuff seemed to pass through it like it wasn’t there, but its claws and teeth connected with flesh easily enough.”

I exchange a look with Dana. “Can you pinpoint the area on my map?”

“Ah, sure. I’d be willing to pay you a couple hundred for your time, and, if you can get to the bottom of the matter, I’ll happily double it.”

I shrug. “I don’t mind. I’ll give it a once-over, see what happens.”

After receiving the location, I get in touch with Professor Jerome Templeton.

“Good morning, professor, it’s Kettrin, the Skyborne? Would you happen to know anything about giant wolves that seem to be intangible unless they’re attacking? There’s a small village out near the Black Peaks that’s having trouble with an entity matching that description.”

“And a good morning to you as well, young lady. Goodness, you always pose such fascinating quandaries of this old scholar, don’t you? It’s more fun for me, though! This old man still has his wits around him, you know, heheheh! Well, let me see… hmm…. I vaguely remember an editorial or some such… where did I put it…?”

I wait patiently for the venerable academic to find himself. A few minutes pass, and his voice comes through clearly.

“Ah-ha, I think this is it. Hmm… ah, I think I can help. Do you happen to have any way to return to the city? I think you’ll need a specific item. It won’t be cheap, but I believe it’ll allow you to resolve this more peacefully.”

“Oh? What do I need?”

“First, you’ll need to go to a well-known vineyard, called the Moon Mist Winery. It’s been in business for approximately… four hundred years. Look for the Alv master vintner, Gharrul.  He’s the one who’d be able to provide you with a bottle. You’ll need to request a library bottle of… Year-920… I recall it was from a batch named ‘Faithful Hound’. Ask him about the story behind the wine.”

I tilt my head, curiously wondering what I need a bottle of wine for, and Dana stares at me inquisitively, having only heard my side of the conversation. I fill her in on the details, and she nods. “I can help you with that. I just picked up a nifty little magic item with two charges left today! Here!”

She produces a small, spiral-shaped crystal, glowing with a strange, opalescent light. I take it, looking closely at the shimmering gemstone. “What is it?”

Dana’s eyes sparkle with merriment. “It’s a teleportation stone. It’s a rare little magic tool called a Stone of Rapid Transference. This allows you to travel to places you’ve been at great distances. This way, you can head to Vassim, pick up your wine and story, and then bamf right back here instantly!”

 I smile. “Thank you, I’ll return it when I get back!” I poke the tip of the spiralling crystal, focussing on the street outside of Bloodbath & Beyond. The world wobbles, and I find myself standing in the middle of the sun-drenched street. A few people start at my sudden appearance, but otherwise, no major reaction.

I find a guard in the armour of the city’s military, and ask about the Moon Mist Winery, and receive the directions I asked for, handing him a few coins as thanks. It always helps to ingratiate oneself to those who might one day have reason to arrest one.

It takes about half an hour to reach the Vintner’s District, then another twenty to find the Moon Mist Winery, stepping in through the arched main gates, the smell of sun-warmed grapes and ice filling the air, and I keep my wings furled tighter as I admire the displays of bottles, each one of a different vintage. A few employees bustle around, as well as about half-a-dozen civilians perusing.

Approaching one of the workers, I ask, “Could I possibly have a word with Master Vintner Gharrul, please?”

The slim, pointed-eared Alv pauses, and then nods. “I’ll go see if he’s busy. Please wait a few minutes, ma’am.”

I nod as she slips into the back of the building. About ten minutes later, she returns. “Please, follow me.”

I shadow her as she leads me back into the rear of the building then down, into a dark, cool chamber beneath the winery. There’s a group of Alvs all working at different station s in the dim light, their hands moving steadily as they produce new varieties of wine. At the very back of the chamber, an Alv with a face lightly marred with crow’s-feet, his age evident, even for a member of the long-lived race.

 

He turns to face me, bowing slightly. “Ah, one of the Skyborne? You are quite the rarity… I have not had dealings with many of your race. I am Master Vintner Gharrul.  My daughter was telling me you had questions?”

I nod. “I’m looking for a specific bottle from your… Library. A bottle from the year 920, from the ‘Faithful Hound’ batch. I’d also like to know the story behind it.”

Gharrul’s eyes widen slightly.  “Now THAT is quite the special item. I haven’t had a request for that particular distillation in many years…”

He turns to the Alv who’d brought me down here. “Shyllah, please take over here for a few minutes, would you, dear?”

“Yes, father.”

He turns to me and beckons. “Follow me, I’ll take you to the vault and get your chosen bottle.”

He heads towards a door behind him, pulling a key from his pocket. It looks like an ordinary golden key, but, as I look carefully at it, I see the teeth shifting and reshaping themselves. Whatever lock this fits would be almost impossible to pick. He slides the key into the lock of a very, VERY impressively-sturdy door. It’s more like a bulkhead or something than a normal door.

 

“In here is the bulk of the Moon Mist’s library of rare vintages, ranging from 175 years old to over a millennia, all kept in conditions perfectly suited for each magnum. This… is a great part of my life’s work.”

As he begins prowling the collection, I stand by the door, watching curiously. Master Vintner Gharrul moves with clear purpose, his eyes darting across the preserved bottles, running a gentle hand over the glass.

 

“920, hmm… where is… Ah. Here, this is the right year. Now, Faithful Hound batch… Yes, here! This is the one.”

 

I smile as he rejoins me, carrying a lovely green bottle, a label depicting a canine beast curled up and staring out towards the world. He smiles back. “This wine has quite the history, you know. It was created according to a very specific formula, using the same recipe, in memory of the man who used to drink it.”

I settle into listening mode, keeping eye-contact with the older Alv.

“Almost three and half centuries ago, this city was home to a legendary beastmaster. He used his skills at dominating and controlling monsters and other beasts to exterminate many dangerous creatures. The city owed him a great debt of gratitude, and, instead of monetary reward or treasures, the hero requested the creation of a singularly-unique wine. A wine that, no matter how inhuman, all could drink of it and enjoy its intoxicating effects, with the hero and his beasts particularly fond of it. However, this hero had enemies with many a grudge against him, and they sent assassins to slay him. They… succeeded. They buried him somewhere near the Black Peaks, and, it is said, on that day, his most loyal beast, a huge and fearsome wolf, let out a terrible howl, before leaving the city, never to be seen again…”

I swallow. “So… that’s where the name came from?”

Gharrul nods, his eyes sombre. “Indeed. Those assassins never returned, either. If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say the wolf hunted them down while searching for its master’s unmarked grave…”

 

I swallow, starting to piece together what’s happening. “I… see. How much for the wine?”

The Alv winemaker pursed his lips. “For such a rare bottle, plus having been stored in perfect conditions and preserved immaculately… I would price it at… 15,000 ducats.”

My eyes widen, but I dig into my coinpurse to pay. “I’ll take it, thank you.”

As I cradle my newly-purchased, expensive-ass alcohol, I smile. Master Vintner Gharrul quirks an eyebrow. “If you’ll pardon me, miss, but something tells me you don’t plan on starting your own personal collection. Just what do you have in mind for that bottle?”

I smile. “There’s someone who I think will appreciate it more than I would. And, I think they deserve a taste of nostalgia.”

I thank him and turn to leave, as he frowns in bemusement. Making a note on my map in case I ever want to come back here, I use the last charge of the Stone of Rapid Transference after stashing my prize away in my inventory, blinking back into existence almost on top of Asteria.

“Well, that took less time than I thought. You were barely gone an hour!” she smiles as I hand her the magical item back, its glow extinguished. Stuffing it back in her pouch, the willowy Alv grins as I fill her in on what I’d learned.

“I seeeee, there’s more to this than just some wild animal attacking people. I think we should take our first look at the site, yeah?”

I nod and the pair of us take flight once more, as we follow the rough, cart-worn track into the forest in the direction we’d been told to go.