"We found something inside of a grizlewulf just the other day." Tamma stood with her arms crossed in front of her chest. She leaned her back against the closed door while Miwah and Alson stood to either side of the researcher.

"Inside?" Chaston asked before adjusting his glasses again. "What exactly was it?"

"A maggot-like creature," Miwah replied. The researcher turned his head to the seamstress. 

"I will need more of a description than that." 

Tamma spread her hands apart roughly a foot apart. "I'd say it was about this size. Brown. Ugly. Coated in gunk."

The researcher stroked his beard. "That could be a large number of creatures. What else can tell me about what you found?"

"Tell him about how the grizlewulf acted," Miwah said.

"Oh! Right! It was far more aggressive than any other grizlewulf that I had ever seen before. It stood on its hind legs and attacked unprovoked." 

"You slain the grizlewulf?"

"We had to," Tamma said with disappointment. "It was either him or us."

"You didn't hold onto the specimen?"

"We did," Miwah said. "But it was stolen. By Ghenkans."

Chaston blinked twice upon hearing the name of the clan. "Ghenkans you say? That can't be a good sign." The researcher moved past Miwah and Alson and headed over to the other side of the room. A long bookshelf covered the entire wall. Chaston ran his finger along the spines of the books, stopping halfway through the top shelf. "From the limited information you've given, there could be a few possibilities." He pulled a thick book from the shelf and it opened it. The researcher flipped through the pages before plopping onto the wooden desk to his right. 

"Is it something to be worried about?" Tamma asked as she walked to the researcher's desk. She peered over Chaston's shoulder and looked at the pages on laid out on the table.

"If the Ghenkans are invested, then there is definitely something to be worried about." Chaston pointed to one of the pages of the open book, his finger on a detailed sketch of a maggot-like creature. "Was it this one?" he asked the two women.

Miwah and Tamma looked to each other before looking down at the sketch. The hunter shrugged her shoulders. "Looks like it to me. What do you say Miwah?"

"I suppose."

The researcher frowned. "That didn't sound certain to me." He flipped through a couple more pages, stopping on another set of sketches. "How about any of these? Which one do you think looks closest to what you found?"

Miwah moved in closer. Both women scanned the multitude of sketches on the pages. All of the creatures depicted looked similar save for the small variations in width, height and shape. "They all look kind of the same to me, Chaston," Tamma replied. 

"We could have seen any of these," Miwah said.

"That's what I was worried about. From the information you have told me, there is one possibility that worries me the most." The researcher flipped back to the first page and placed his finger on the lone sketch. "This one right is particularly dangerous. It is a parasite known as a Insectus. They're known to crawl inside of a host and feed off their blood. They lay eggs in the host before leaving to repeat the process.  All the while, they excrete a toxin that alters their behavior and thoughts. It makes them more aggressive. Violent. And they multiply quickly. Especially in areas with large numbers of organisms."

"Like.... Abbus Forest?" Tamma muttered, her dismay present in her voice.

"That would be a prime location for a breeding ground. Seeing as how you already found one stowed away inside of a grizlewulf, there's no telling how much they've spread at his point."

A short silence ensued. Miwah and Tamma stared back at one another silence while Chaston remained focused on the sketch on the page. He ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head as he read through the text.

"Can they affect humans?" Alson asked shakily.

"Indeed. The species does not matter. Any living organism is susceptible to becoming a host."

"That is why the Ghenkan must have been so terrified," Miwah added.

"What do you mean?" Chaston quickly turned his head behind him. "Please, tell me everything you know about the Ghenkans and their relationship with the creature that you found."

"I stowed away on their boat. As I escaped, a crate of those maggots was smashed and they fell into the sea. The Ghenkan that tried to stop me became terrified once one attached onto his chest."

"Are you telling me... that an entire crate's worth of Insectus escaped off the coast of the island?"

Miwah nodded her head slowly. "Yes sir." 

"This is terrible then. If one managed to reach the shore, then I know for certain that more are here. Abbus Forest has been compromised if that is the case. Tell me, have you seen any others besides the one you extracted from the grizlewulf earlier?"

Both Miwah and Tamma shook their heads. "No sir," they replied in unison. 

"What about any other reports of animals acting violent or peculiar? Have you heard any murmurings of the sort?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Tamma replied.

"So there is a possibility that the majority of the Insectus drowned once they fell into the ocean. That only makes the next step more difficult if it means finding one will be difficult."

"Why is that?" Miwah asked. 

The researcher lifted his head from the pages of his book. He looked up at the wooden ceiling of the room and sighed. "I will have to get in touch with the Governor to discuss enacting an Extermination Measure."

"Oh no," Tamma groaned. "That won't go over well."

"Extermination Measure?" a confused Miwah stated. Chaston went over to his bookshelf, this time taking a thin book from the bottom corner. He quickly flipped to one of the pages in the back.

"An Extermination Measure shall be put in place to deal with the infestation of dangerous, deadly and otherwise malicious entities. To put forth such a measure, the Governor of the municipality must send a correspondence to the Remcroftian Central Authority. If the correspondence is accepted, a fleet of vessels will be sent to assist in the evacuation of the local population along with a platoon of exterminators to deal with the threat."

"It's a logistics nightmare, Miwah," Tamma spouted. "I've only seen it happen once in my entire life. I was only just a girl, but I remember it vividly."

"I remember it quite clearly as well," Chaston said. "The Pyre Rabbit infestation. By the time the correspondence reached the mainland of Remcroft, it was already too late for many of the people who had been attacked by the creatures. Not to mention that not enough boats were sent to hold the entire population. Some were forced to stay on the island while the exterminators eliminated the pests for two months."

"Spent the good portion of the evacuation rocking back and forth in the hull of the ship. Was not a pleasant experience," Tamma said.

"And that was Governor Malko's last term. He was ousted right after."

"Seems to me that an Extermination Measure is not something that the current Governor would not want to utilize unless it was absolutely necessary," Miwah stated.

"And you'd be correct. I work very closely with Governor O'Shanna. She's already not too well-received after that tax raise. Convincing her to send the proper correspondence will require absolute proof of a threat."

"And that's why you need a sample of an Insectus, right? Otherwise, the Governor is just going to sit atop her throne like usual and just hope things play out for the best,” Alson said.

"Exactly. If I can present her with actual evidence, it will increase the likeliness of her going through with the motion."

"Not guarantee?" Miwah asked.

"Unfortunately, I doubt it. But having slim chances is a lot better than a guaranteed rejection if I simply propose the idea with only the possibility of Insectus being on the island."

Miwah and Tamma looked at each other again. "Looks like we're heading back to Abbus Forest. Are you all right with fighting another grizelwulf?"

"Perhaps we can find something smaller to take on this time,” Miwah said as she pinched her fingers together. “There were… special circumstances… that allowed me to take out that grizlewulf. Remember?”

“Oh, right.”

"Take Alson with you," Chaston said as he nodded his head towards the guard.

Alson raised an eyebrow and pointed to his chest. "Me? Why do I need to go along?"

"Do you think these two girls can take on a ravenous creature themselves? There is a lot on the line here. If what they say is true, we will need a sample of an Insectus to show to the Governor. I would help out, but if something were to happen to me then who would convince her to send the correspondence?"

"I could get someone else to do it. My shift was about to end. Besides, there are way better fighters in the Farrowport Guard that could handle this." Alson then looked at an irked Miwah. "She managed to take on a grizlewulf! If anything, they should be defending me."

The researched, stood over Alson, looking down at him with a stern gaze. "I will put in a good word for you if you three all return with what is needed. I know the Governor is looking to fill the role left by one of the recent retirees. Over by her private garden. I heard it is very lax in that area."

Alson turned his head and saw Tamma standing behind him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "We could use all the help we can get."

The guard groaned. "Fine. I'll help you two out."

"Good." Chaston adjusted the collar of his shirt. "I am going back to my room to research more about this invasive species to see if there is anything else we can do in the meantime. Meet me there as soon as you find a sample. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" all three, as well as Yalch, said in unison.