It was odd and unusual for the druids of Moonglade to reach up to her, for despite her efforts to make them her friends, some of them still frowned upon her methods of solving people’s issues. Most of them were receptive of her attempts at friendship however, which led them to reach out for help.

"Master Marvin went out to gather reagents three nights ago, and he never came back," a young druid explained, "And we also heard you were attacked close to your house these past days by bandits. These forests used to be peaceful and safe, as you may as well know. But these last few months, a lot of travelers and commoners complains of the bandits activity. Just between us, I bet some druids are willing to see past some of your actions if you show you can work towards the safety keeping of the community with a more... direct acting hand."

Kamille raised a brow. That last part wasn’t necessary, she thought to herself, as she would have gladly raised her hands to help the community even if they didn’t reach to her. After all, the bandits have already come to bully her in her own home. Such actions couldn’t go without an answer.

"Was it just Master Marvin that went missing? Did he say where he was going?"

The druid looked uncomfortable.

"Master Zaea got into an argument with the Elders this morning, and against their orders, went to look for him. Master Marvin said he was going to the Giant Mushroom fields. I've been spreading the word of these attacks to some travelers as well, just so they take care and know what they're getting themselves into. A few of them showed interest in helping, but... so far, none has returned."

---

That morning, Kamille had promised the young druid she would be investigating the attacks and went to the Giant Mushroom field, where Master Marvin was last said to have gone. Even if she wasn’t asked to do so, an action must be taken - and some part of her heart knew she was ready to level the forest to drive the rats away.

Sadly, she didn’t have the talent for tracking nor stealth, so her plan was more along the lines of looking like someone the bandits would pounce.

And, of course, to some extent she foolishly relied on Mischief. The raven cawed above her, being given the order of looking for anyone roaming the field.

She looked down, holding in both her hands two twin pieces of a chess game, both of them rooks. She wasn’t sure what they did, but she felt the magic stirr. Perhaps that would be the day she would find out what they did, so she slipped them both into her pockets.

Her feathery cloak swished softly with the wind, her cloak casting shadows over her face. For the moment being, she just roamed the fields in search for signs of fight. Master Zaea was meant to be around there somewhere too - she hoped she wasn’t late.

Beist wandered the Giant Mushroom Fields, nervously clutching his walking stick in front of him defensively. He glanced around, startled by any noises or movements. He was embarrassed to admit how easily frightened he was, especially considering his rather intimidating stature, but he was currently very on edge. He had been told that some bandits were in this area and that they had been very bold lately. They were robbing travelers on the open road, raiding wagons, and even attacking homesteads. He had a bit of confidence in his strength, but none in his fighting ability. He would probably seem like an easy target to the bandits.

He had just wanted to find some of the mushrooms he'd read stories about. They apparently were used in Fairy Rings and were believed to have properties relating to the myths of Changelings. He had no idea if these rumors were actually true, but he had to try anyways. A mushroom that could be used to change his form might lead to a breakthrough in finding a cure for his current ailment!

Another noise stole his attention. He looked up and saw a raven perched on top of a giant mushroom. He tilted his head as he stared at it, a confused look on his face. He didn't think ravens were native to the Giant Mushroom Field. He started unconsciously stroking his beard as he mumbled to himself. "...Are there ravens native to here? I thought they preferred trees. There's also hardly any food for them here. There are no berry bushes and mushrooms don't have seeds, just spores... can these ravens eat mushroom spores? Interesting... Or maybe they just survive off of meat alone... Are there even enough small animals here for them to do that, though?" he rambled on quietly, lost in thought, continuing to stare at the raven.

The raven seemed to understand Beist to an extent, because when he talked about ravens eating mushrooms, right on cue, the raven made a retching sound. Then, he stretched his wings to land on a smaller mushroom closer to him, eyeing the beast man intently.

"CAWW! Hello!"

Mischief must be close, because Kamille could hear him greeting someone. She ran for him, following the sound of the raven, but she was clearly not prepared to meet someone like Beist. He stood much taller - and overall larger - than her. And despite the fact he was as tense as her while traveling through the field, she never saw anyone like him before. As she came into the view of the traveler, she almost immediately staggered back, quickly extending her hands in front of her.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?!"

Despite being much smaller, she seemed ready to pick a fight with him. Her face was shrouded by the shadows of her hood, her feathery cape immediately making her association with the raven clear, along with the black claws etched into the tip of her gloves. She wore black, from head to toe, and once closer to him, he could feel as if the chilly winds slithering through the field could not get closer anymore. Her mere presence fended off cold, and if that wasn't enough of a hint, when she raised her hands to face him, fire started to crack around her fingers. She was a mage of the earth domain, no doubt.

Maybe even the witch that was rummored to live close to the Moonveil village, as they said.

Beist was amused by the raven speaking to him. He let out a chuckle and smiled. He relaxed a bit, momentarily forgetting about the possible threat of bandits in the area. He loved animals. This raven had clearly reacted to his words and had even come so close to him, it must be a smart and friendly bird. He wondered if it might wish to be his companion and started to reach out a finger for it to perch on, trying to coax it to come closer.

Suddenly, he heard a voice shouting out to him from behind. He turned to see a woman in in a hood and feathery cape, wearing black from head to toe. Her hands were out in front of her, fire crackling around them.

Beist was started by the sudden appearance of the woman. The slight smile of amusement he had from the raven greeting him immediately changed to a look of fear. He glanced from the woman to the raven. He could tell from the woman's attire that they were clearly connected. Some slight disappointment that the clever bird was already spoken for mixed into his fear, but he quickly put it aside. Clutching his walking stick to his chest, he tried to put on his best fang-filled smile, but his nervousness was obvious. His ears drooped low and his tail was down between his legs.

"Ah, uh, so this raven is yours? They're a lovely bird, such beautiful feathers. And so smart too. Oh! Right! Your questions, yes. Um. I am a simple alchemist! I mean no harm. I am here looking for a potion ingredient. A mushroom... I suppose that's obvious... Ah, my name is Beistmild! Please, uh, call me... Beist..." he shrank back slightly, watching the fire around her fingers. He noticed the air was warmer, but he fealt a chill down his spine. "I've heard there are bandits around here... You wouldn't happen to... be... one of them... would you?"

Silence.

Then, she slowly lowered her hands, the spell she'd been preparing just fizzling out. An alchemist? she wondered, though it wasn't unusual for gatherers and alchemists to find their reagents around those woods. She needn't look no further than herself, who had been in Beist's place several times before.

And it was also clear he was terrified, or at the very least very nervous. When she spoke again, her tone was much different, softer and gentler - almost an entirely different person.

"My apologies. I thought you might actually be one of them. Apparently, I was wrong. I'm sorry."

She looked over to Mischief, who idly flew over to Beist and perched up his walking stick. She took a moment to look him up and down. Then, she looked around for a while, as if making sure there was really no one else out there.

"Beist? My name is Kamille. This place is not safe anymore. What is it that you're looking for? I can help you, and then I'd advise you to get out of here. Like you said it yourself, the bandits around here are getting much braver these days. Did you happen to see anything unusual around here? Some tracks, or signs of struggle, maybe?"

Beist was delighted by the raven perching on his walking stick. He was tempted to try and pet the bird, but he was also a bit afraid of harming it with his claws. It also might be a bit rude to do so without permission from its owner, but now didn't seem like a good time to do so. In the end, he decided to just try and hold his walking stick as still as possible to allow the raven to perch on it comfortably.

"Ah, it is quite alright. I understand my appearance can be rather... alarming... But I am no bandit. It is a pleasure to meet you, Kamille. And you as well" he said, looking at the bird on his walking stick with a smile. "If it is not safe here, shall we move elsewhere together? There is safety in numbers, after all. And I would appreciate your company"

"As for what I'm currently searching for...." he began idly stroking his beard while appearing a bit lost in thought. "I don't suppose you know of Changelings or Fairy Rings? The rings of mushrooms that they say are portals that Fairies use to replace babies with Fairies that have the ability to change their form into the replaced baby? I am searching for those mushrooms for... personal reasons"

He looked down at the raven "I'm afraid if we're walking, your current perch will be moving around quite a lot. You're welcome to perch here if you'd like" He said as he pointed to his horns. "That would be much more stable" he smiled to the bird.

The raven didn't stay long on his staff, as he looked off in the distance and flew away.

"....And that was Mischief, by the way. Yes, it is better if we stick together. But I'm actually looking for someone here. So, I'll help you out of here and then I need to come back."

A lot of people who wandered those forests and fields did so in search of something. A mushroom, a herb... This one was looking for changelings and fairy rings? And while she wasn't one to easily judge, she had to wonder what "personal reasons" this giant beast man wanted this things for.

"The fairies around here are very shy and keep to themselves, specially after they started to be hunted down and killed by impis. Never heard or seen fairy circles or changelings around here."

For a brief moment, she considered the possibility of Beist being involved with the killing of fairies, but that quickly vanished from her mind. Despite his size, Beist didn't look malicious or straight evil - he reminded her of the druids that were so influential around there. Maybe they could help him.

"But if there is someone who could help you, it will be the druids. If you want, I'll get you to them and introduce you. They-"

"CAAWWW! Hello!"

They could hear the raven in the distance, and in the same way he greeted Beist, he found someone else to speak to. Kamille looked tense as she looked around, trying to identify where he was. They started to hear some voices and overal movement through the field. Kamille raised a finger to her lips, as if warning Beist not to make a noise.

Beist was a little disappointed as he watched the raven fly away, but he quickly turned his attention back to Kamille. Beist was about to reply to her offer to bring him to see the druids, but he heard the raven's cawing and saw Kamille's signal to stay quiet. He put a hand over his mouth to stop himself from accidentally speaking.

They looked in the direction of some voices and noises of movement nearby. Were the bandits he had been warned about here? Were they about to be attacked? He looked around nervously, his ears drooping lower and lower. He readied his walking stick to defend himself. 

Just then, four men wielding various weapons emerged from behind some of the giant mushrooms. One wielded a bow and arrows, two wielded swords, and one had a large club leaning on his shoulder. The one with the club was larger than the others by at least a head. He was also holding the raven in his other hand.

"This belong to you?" he said, holding the raven out in front of him. "Ye can 'ave it back. In exchange fer all yer valuables. Now, drop yer weapons on the ground and back off"

Beist's eyes looked to Kamille. He wouldn't want to get her pet killed, and the bird was clearly more than just a simple pet to her. It seemed more like a friend. He was rather fond of the bird himself. And the bandits shouldn't know his walking stick was enchanted, so he could probably get away with keeping it. A bit of gold and a couple of potions would be a small price to pay for a friend's life.

This time, Mischief got himself into trouble, which was different - most of the times, he just got Kamille into trouble. She preferred it that way, since now she feared for the raven's wellbeing. She also had to worry about her new friend, who despite being big, seemed rather shy.
She raised her hands, in a gesture of surrender - or so it would seem. It was easy to make the association between the woman and the raven, since her cloak was lined with black feathers, such as those of a raven, and her gloves had black talons. A few options ran through her head, and she settled with the least combative one. For now.

Kamille put on one of her most charming, most alluring smiles she could muster; one of those smiles that curved the lips only slightly, but that made her eyes light up.

"Thank you, gentlemen... For retrieving my familiar. Unfortunately, I have nothing of value to offer, as you may notice"

She made a broad gesture to indicate she carried no weapons and nothing of value at first glance. Sure she had a couple satchels, but they looked beaten and old, with herbs and flasks peaking out: clearly a herbalist's apparel.

Despite the the several weapons pointed at them, she lowered her hands and walked towards them. She hoped they wouldn’t know who she was, or else she probably wouldn’t have much argument here...

"I have no trinkets that would interest such fine gentlemen today... My companion in your hand is all I have. Surely we can reach some kind of agreement..."

Shameless and reckless as she was known, she walked up to the leader, the biggest of them - and got up close enough to trail a finger across his chest, with a wink. She was tiny in comparison, having to look up to stare at him, hoping the fact she looked kinda defenseless would have them lower their guard.

With one hand up his chest, the other she brought to her back and gestured to Beist to step away, if he could.

Beist was a bit concerned as Kamille walked closer to the bandts. He wondered what she could be thinking. Maybe she had some kind of plan? He was worried about Mischief, still held tight in the bandit's hand. He was also, of course, a bit worried about himself. He didn't have anything on him of much value, except maybe his magically enchanted walking stick.

However, the enchantments on the stick weren't very obvious unless one touched it and felt that it is always pleasantly warm, or stuck their nose close enough to smell the scent of burning coals. He really hoped he would be able to get away with playing it off as a nonmagical, worthless stick.

He noticed Kamille gesturing behind her back for him to back away. He looked surprised for a moment, but quickly hid it. He didn't want to give away whatever she was plotting. He remembered the fire magic she had shown when she first appeared. Maybe she was about to use that again, but on these bandits. He started to slowly back up, trying not to draw attention to himself.

Though, not drawing attention was a difficult task for the huge beast man. One of the bandits immediately looked at him and started shouting. "Drop your weapon, and then back up! Staff on the ground, now!"

"Ah, but it's just a walking stick. I'm older than I might look and I need it to help me walk. It's just a stick, not a weapon. So please...?" he spoke, trying to sound frail and weak as he continued to step away from the bandits and Kamille. He really hoped she had a plan and wasn't just having him make these bandits angry with him for no reason.

Things were not going according to plan, but regardless she could make use of the situation in another way. As the attention of the bandits turned to Beist, Kamille raised her hands. The man before her noticed her intentions of doing something, but was half a second too late. The still, quiet air of the night was soon filled with fluttering wings and caws. Seemingly out of nowhere, a flock of ravens descended upon the bandits, specially at the one right in front of Kamille, making her step back. The birds swarmed the bandits, pecking and clawing at them, making it impossible for them to aim or see them properly. The man in front of Kamille screamed as the birds clawed his face, his club swinging wildly around him, even hitting one of his comrades. Kamille would be hit too if she didn't step back.

Now, the bandits screams also filled the air.

As she expected - and hoped - when the birds started to try and peck at his eyes, he let go of the actual Mischief to fight the summoned birds. It was hard to tell the birds from the flock from the one that was her actual familiar, but while the flock remained at the area to torment the bandits, Mischief flew away to land on a nearby mushroom, intending to hide while they were around.

A hiss to her side indicated the one with the bow tried to hit her, but his aim was undermined by the tormenting ravens. Fire started to crack and turn in her hands. The air grew heavier as she prepared a spell.

"You should go now and protect yourself."

This lady was deadass serious about taking the bandits on her own, if need be.

Beist stopped stepping back as he watched the swarm of ravens appear from nowhere and begin assaulting the bandits. Thankfully, Mischief managed to escape the bandit's grasp in the confusion and fly up out of the swarm, to the top of a giant mushroom to hide. The lone fleeing raven was much easier to notice from outside the Swarm, where Beist was. He breathed a sigh of relief for the bird's safety.

As he stood there, he noticed Kamille beginning to prepare another spell. He didn't want to be caught up in whatever that was going to do. This swarm of ravens was bad enough of a spell to be caught up in. He continued to move backwards, but as he was moving, one of the bandits suddenly ran out of the swarm of ravens. They charged furiously, their body bent over and their hands covering their head and face. They blindly ran directly toward Beist, who was caught off guard by the sudden predicament.

In a slight panic, Beist swung his walking stick at the approaching man with a small shout. Beist clearly hadn't held back his monstrous strength in his panic. The man was hit in the side of the head and sent flying several feet, landing on the ground limply. They seemed to have been knocked completely unconscious by the hit. "Oops" Beist said, realizing his mistake. He hoped the man wasn't dead. The man may be a bandit, but he hadn't meant to kill him. He thought about pulling out one of his potions to try and save the man. Though, if the damage he did had been fatal, or even just a bit too severe, he wouldn't be able to help them with one of his minor health potions anyways.

The man that ran out of the cloud of black feathers and caws surprised her, and he would've been her first target if Beist hadn't acted on it. She was surprised by his strength, and at the same time knew she shouldn't be: he was big, after all.

But if Beist was trying not to kill them, the same couldn't be said about Kamille. The chilly night air began to stir with magic and heat and murderous intentions, as Kamille's eyes suddenly changed from their beautiful cobalt color, to reds and oranges of a burning furnace. The feathers that adorned her shoulders started to gleam in fiery hues.

She raised her hands again, and a giant fireball started to gather at her fingertips, bringing light to the mushroom forest. When she released it, it went straight to the leader's chest, and even a man that size couldn't possibly have a chance to stand it. It exploded with a shower of pyrotechnics, injuring the other bandits nearby and also dispelling the raven's flock. They played their part already.

The leader flew back several feet before landing unconscious. If he was still alive, it wouldn't be for long - and he'd want to be dead, as the flames engulfed him.

Beist flinched and held his hands over his ears at the sudden explosion. Once the fiery show ended, he looked to see a man engulfed in flame and the other two remaining bandits one the ground groaning, knocked away by the force of the blast. The swarm of ravens had disappeared. He looked at the now fiery Kamille, a little concerned.

He walked over to one of the groaning bandits and picked him up. He pulled the weapon from their hand and tossed it away before holding the bandit under his arm, pinning their arms to their sides. He walked over to the other bandit on the ground and did the same.

He did this partially to subdue the bandits and get them to talk about whether there were any more bandits around, but he also just wanted to spare their lives. It was plainly obvious that this woman had no qualms with ending their lives. He couldn't help the burning man even if he was still alive, and he himself may have killed the other man by accident. Though, he still felt a bit guilty about it even if it was an accident.

"Uh, I believe they have been defeated. Would you mind checking if that one over there is... still alive?" he said to Kamille as he carried the two bandits.