Beist awoke with great yawn and then a sigh. He couldn't do much more than that. Judging from the feeling of something touching his sides and a couple of weights on his back, he was guessing his animal companions had used him as a pillow or bed again. They did this often enough that he was fairly used to it, but there'd be no stretching or getting up for him until they all got up first. And he hoped that would be soon. He kind of needed to pee.

The giant Beastman just laid there, waiting. He thought about the research he and his host, Taki, had done last night and smiled. He was proud of it. It'd been a lot of work, with a lot of research subjects, but they'd gotten it all done in only one day. Granted, a lot of the information they'd written down was already known to them, but it was still an accomplishment to compile it all into one book. Technically two books, since they'd both made their own copy. The authors might have been different, with slightly different points of view, but they should both be nearly identical in what information they contained though.

He looked to the table where the books had been left last night and gasped. They were gone! He knew they'd been there as he went to sleep though! Where were the books? Had Taki woken up before him and come outside to move them? Had one of the animals moved them? Had someone stolen them!? Oh no! No no no! That wouldn't do at all, they needed that research to submit it to the Mage's Guild! They could write new copies, but those had taken all day and they'd poured their hearts and souls into them! They needed to find those books at once!

...Or as soon as his companions got off of him....

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Information Retrieval
Chapter: Two
Description: The information was right there, within reach of you, however it slipped right through as another party managed to nab it. Be it thieves looking to sell it, or cultist trying to figure it out themselves, they somehow got the jump on you. So your new mission is to hunt them down and get the information back. You can go about it however you desire, sneaking into their base while they sleep, or killing them all where they stand. What's important is you get the artifacts, clues or information back to us.

Requirements:
- Requires at least two people (you and one other, the other does not need to be interested in the guild)
- You must make at least 6 post with each post being 150 words to complete the mission.
- You must locate those who stole the information from you and get it back anyway you like.
- Once you complete this mission you gain entrance into the mages guild.

---

Bringing Pets:
Griffon (Sleigh Bell)
Woolful (My Best Friend)
Mephit (Stables)
Raccoon-Dog
Snow Owl

"Taki!"

"Miss, please wake up..."

"TAKKKIII!!"

"No need to shout Kamina."

"But..."

Groaning, the shaman opened one eye just slightly to see Rina and Kamina standing on the edge of her bed looking like the building was on fire.

"I'm up... what's the emergency?" Replied the groggy shaman.

"The notebooks are gone."

She nearly tossed the pair off the bed as she sprang up, eyes suddenly wide open. Without waiting for them, she threw her Morph Suit on and went careening out the door. Her body protested but her mind was overriding the strain as she sprinted across the courtyard and into the open barn where they'd spent the day researching.

Sure enough, the notebooks had wandered off some time in the night. She let out a shrill whistle, loud enough to carry through the woods. Within a few minutes, her companions all gathered to the barn as she looked about for Beist. Laying beneath his companions, she understood why he'd not gotten up sooner though she could tell he was equally concerned and determined. She suddenly felt bad for not sending Rina and Kamina to get the others but this was no time for politeness and subtlety. Their hard work was running off as they stood in the doorway, something Taki wouldn't abide for one moment longer than needed.

"Kamina, Yukina, Shuna, Shion... the four of you pair up and search the area as we've been training for. Hanehiko, we'll be taking to the sky as well. Do you think you could carry Beist and whomever else they might need as well?"

"Yes miss." Said the four, darting off in pairs in opposite directions to begin searching in opposing circles.

"I'll try my best, but will the saddle handle so many?"

"You make a fine point... but I do think the new saddle can handle the strain."

"Very well, I'll try my best."

She waited for Beist to rouse from his pile of companions as she saddled the manta, listening intently for a signal from her companions.

Beist was able to get up pretty soon thanks to the commotion of Taki and her companions waking up the pile of creatures around him. Each of them awoke and did their usual morning routine. Dora got up gracefully and stretched like a cat while Awd rolled onto his back and yawned as he stretched his paws out before rolling right back over to try to continue sleeping. Sadly for him, he couldn't keep sleeping on top of Beist who was slowly getting up.

"No need to worry about that, I can ride on Dora here." Beist said once he was back on his feet. "But, flying might not be the best option right now anyways."

He began to transform, his giant body shrinking down again back into the monkey-like form he'd spent a majority of the previous day in. When he finished, he looked to the raccoon-dog who looked like he still wanted to sleep some more, but he'd have to wait. His abilities were needed.

"Awd, time to show Taki and her companions those tracking abilities I mentioned yesterday." Beist said as he picked Awd up and brought him over to Taki. "I had that book on me for hours, and you yours. They should still smell like us. Hopefully Awd here can track those scents to whoever made off with our research."

He held a hand out for Awd to sniff and nodded to Taki for her to do the same.

---

Raccoon-Dog
Amplified Shape Change

Holding out her hand, she signaled Hanehiko to go back to relaxing, along with her other companions who weren't already searching. She was curious to see just how good the tracking abilities of Beist's companion were, and could call the others pretty handily. With Yukina and Kamina in the skies above, and Shuna and Shion below, they had a better chance of rooting out these would be thieves before they got too far.

"Very well, we'll take your approach Beist... but I'll let the others search as well, it's good practice and they may spot something we cannot from the ground. Lead on Awd, and don't worry, I can keep up just fine." Said the shaman, who was quite confident in her own ability to traverse the area around her home. Still, she was mentally kicking herself for letting the notebooks be taken so easily. She cinched her gear down, her outfit changing to a form fitting suit she often used when she wanted the most mobility possible while maintaining a modicum of modesty. She wasn't averse to strutting around in what amounted to strips of fabric barely covering her, but usually not in the company of folk she'd just met. Once she was ready, she gave a nod to Beist and his companions.

"Let's get our hard work back, so it can be delivered to it's rightful home." She proclaimed, a gleam of determination in her eye. The sudden nature of the news was finally settling down and Taki relaxed a good deal as the adrenaline and frustration subsided. One way or another, she would get those books back... hopefully peacefully, but she could feel the embers within stirring...

Awd sniffed at both Beist and Taki's hands, memorizing their scent so he could follow the trail. Taki's scent was already very present around the whole area as were the scents of all of her animal companions. Unsurprising since they lived here, but Beist's  and his companions scents was also in the air after spending the night. Two different but very similar scents were present from Beist. That was one of the reasons Beist had transformed back into a monkey before having Awd get his scent. It was just a bit different from the scent of his true form, and he'd been holding the book in his monkey form for the most part. He wanted to give Awd the best chances of success he could.

With their scents in his nose, Awd sniffed around at the air to find a trail. It took a few moments, but he eventually found a trail that had both Taki and Beist's scents as well as some that were totally unfamiliar. He knew the smells of all of Beist's other companions after living together with them, and he was at least a little familiar with the smells of Taki's companions now, but there were two scents he didn't recognize at all following the same trail. Whoever these scents belonged to, they were almost definitely the ones who had stolen the books.

Awd followed along the trail and Beist followed behind Awd. With a quick tap to some jeweled charms hanging from his horns, Dora, Leon, and Moe all disappeared into the pocket spaces within them. Sorbet walked along behind Beist, purring and seemingly oblivious to the whole situation. That, or just unconcerned.

---

Pet Pocket

Taki followed the pair as they begain tracking the whereabouts of their missing research. She watched as several of Beist's companions seemed to have some sort of storage magic. Convenient, to say the least she thought to herself. Her companions probably were a bit too wild and used to the freedom she gave them, but in emergencies could be very handy. She made a mental note to ask him about it later on when there was time. It seemed that Awd was following a trail quite doggedly, with a surety that most thinking beings could hesitate with. Having experience with such things herself, she enjoyed not being the one who had to look about for signs of passage.

She did however notice things as they were walking along, places where the bamboo had been disturbed, brush trampled, and other various bits that pointed to someone trying to hurry away from her home. She was still furious, both at the culprits and herself for such an event. There was only so much she could do at this moment, so she did her best to calm the emotions building inside her spirit. Ever since her encounter with a primordial elemental deep within the depths of the Ash Ruins, her emotions had sometimes worried her. At times she would be stony and stoic about towards things she enjoyed or was passionate about, other times... something would set her off like an erupting volcano. It was a challenge to bare the gift she'd been given, to experience the magics of the Earth domain in much the same way her benefactor did. While she knew the primordial still resided in the depths of the world, she grew more sure that the spirit was living vicariously through her own journey as well.

Whoever had stolen the research, they weren't professionals. Leaving tracks and evidence of their passing, they might have been able to track them down even without Awd's nose, though likely not at as fast a pace. Beist was no expert tracker, but even he noticed some of the obvious evidence of their passage.

The thieves also, evidently, weren't that fast. They must have stolen the books not that long before Beist and Taki had awoken. With them travelling quickly to catch up to the thieves and retrieve their research, it didn't take long to spot them at all.

The trail lead through the trees and bushes, but it eventually broke out onto the road. They must have gotten tired of trekking through the uneven ground and shoving their way through the undergrowth. Just more reason to believe these thieves were total amateurs rather than experts.

The group could see two figures running in the distance. They weren't too far ahead, and they were completely out in the open.

"That must be the culprits. Now seems like a good time to fly, don't you think?" Beist said, looking to Taki and tapping the charm on his horn to bring Dora back out.

"I'll make sure they'll be waiting for you Beist." Said the shaman, who slid her feet across the ground carefully. Her senses tuned outward as she gathered the spiritual magic coursing through her body. Next to Taki, one of her guardians appeared, while the other manifested just behind the pair. Now weakened by the aura that accompanied the pair, the two slowed to a crawl ahead. She approached, taking cautious steps as she prepared for the second part of her plan.

As she nodded to her compatriot to take off, the shaman's eyes took on an ethereal glow and she reached out with all four arms. Her hands grabbed something invisible and arcane, pulling with ferocity. In front of the pair, the ground rumbled and complained for a brief moment before two large spikes of pure crystal burst forth in their path. The pillars were angled to a corner, sheer prisms that forced their path back towards the waiting Beist and her guardian. Taki took a steadying breath, giving Keta a pat at her side. She let out a trio of signals that carried through the forest, calling the others from their patrol. She was impressed by Awd's senses, and Beist's calm demeanor and gathered her wits as she approached on foot, ready to cut off any escape paths they might try.

The two thieves panicked as their path was suddenly cut off by pillars of crystal bursting from the ground. They turned around and saw a spirit and felt like their limbs were weighed down, making them slower than usual. It didn't help the situation at all when a huge griffon flew overhead, blowing a heavy gust of wind directly down onto them with each flap of its wings. They both hugged each other, cowering, and expecting to die, but then heard someone call out to them from above in a very polite voice.

"Excuse me, could you both kindly return our research?" Beist asked from Dora's back. He didn't know who these two were or why they'd stolen the books, but he did try to be civilized and use diplomacy rather than resorting immediately to attacking the pair.

The two looked up in confusion, thinking for a moment that it had been the griffon that spoke, before noticing the monkey-like thing on its back. Dora landed in front of them and Beist climbed down. He stepped forward with one hand held out and repeated himself.

"Could you both kindly return our research? We worked very hard on it you know."

It was then one of the thieves realized who he was, a light of recognition in his eyes. He pointed at Beist as he spoke angrily, the confusion and fear on his face replaced with fury.

"You! You're one of those monster freaks from the Spirit's Retreat! What do monsters need research for? Let us go or we'll find the guards!"

Beist was incredibly offended. He put a hand over his heart and took a step back. "Wha- Monster?" He mumbled sadly. Did they seriously just threaten to call the guards on him when they were the ones who stole his and Taki's property? Did they think he was a monster? He hated to admit he knew he looked like one. But it was what was inside that mattered, wasn't it? His ears and tail drooped sadly. He'd called himself a monster before, but having someone else call him one, it hurt.

Dora didn't take kindly to the two hurting Beist so badly. The griffon took one step forward and let out a furious screech. The thieves suddenly lost all their bravado, screaming and cowering again.

Taki came running up just in time to see Beist looking deeply saddened. She stalked up to the pair of thieves and stared at them hard. Clearly they were fearful of the griffon, and rightly so... whatever had been said or done, the creature seemed as furious as their master was saddened. Without waiting for their consent, she fished through their pockets and retrieved the notebooks.

"Why have you done this? Who are you?" She demanded, her tone hissing.

"Tch... like you care... damn monsters, mocking scholars..."

"Oh? Well this monster has the decency not to steal the hard work of others, or complain about who is or isn't valid as a researcher... anyone who pursues and shares knowledge is more respectable than whatever scheme you two are about."

"Like a beast of a female like you could comprehend the work of true genius? Only men of the highest, purest calibur can comprehend the ethos of the world."

"That's some incredibly narrow thinking for someone claiming to be a scholar. You pitiful creature, so trapped in the cage you made for yourself."

"You got what you came for..."

Taki pulls out the notebooks, then opens them to inspect their contents. Blank, empty pages greet the shaman though she knows something about it isn't quite right. The way the pages shimmer slightly at the edges clues her in, so she glances sidelong to see the man concentrating hard on something. She keeps the notebook held open as she approaches him, stalking like a hungry viper.

"Now be a good lad and keep concentrating, I want to see how long it takes for your body to drain itself and you collapse at the folly of your own spell."

Huffing, beads of sweat well up on the man's forehead as his cheeks flush. Less than a minute goes by before he drops to one knee, looking as if he'd just run a marathon.

The man clicked his tongue in frustration as he had to stop using the spell, his body too drained of mana to continue. The blank pages of the books in Taki's hands suddenly filled up once again with the familiar handwriting of her and Beist. The plan to try and have them think these books were empty fakes and leave without them has failed as miserably as their attempt to simply snatch them and run.

"Smarter monsters... than I thought." The man on the ground mumbled to himself between exhausted breaths, still winded from using up so much of his magical energy. He hadn't expected to need to keep the spell up for that long. He'd completely underestimated their intelligence, thinking of them as simple monsters. The irony in that he was stealing literal research from who he had assumed to be mindless beasts didn't click in his mind.

Beist was starting to see just who these people were. Fools who couldn't change their mind after making it up. These people had seen him and Taki and thought they were mindless monsters and it seemed nothing they did would change their mind. He didn't even know these people, so it wasn't like he was dedicated to changing a couple of strangers opinion of him, but he still felt hurt by their insults.

It would probably be best to just take their research back and report them to the authorities. Bringing them to some guards might not even accomplish anything though. There was no proof they'd stolen anything, and who knew if the guards wouldn't be as prejudiced as these two? Maybe they should just leave.

Beist put a hand on Taki's shoulder. "We've got our research back. We should go."

He patted Dora, trying to calm her down. She still looked angry, but she had held her anger back enough not to outright attack the two thieves. He knew she was well behaved enough not to cause him trouble so he hadn't worried too much. He was a bit touched to see her so angry on his behalf though. Dora narrowed her eyes at the two before turning around with a screech that was the avian equivalent of a huff.

Beist looked back at the two thieves one last time with a smile. He wasn't usually one for pettiness, but this situation gave him an idea. "If you'd like to read our research so badly, maybe they'll publish it after we submit it to the Mage's Guild."

The man on the ground didn't look happy to hear that at all.

Taki shook her head as she walked away from the pair sniveling on the ground. Whoever they were, they weren't worth dealing with any further. Such hateful bigotry was rife amongst some societies in Charon, and it was deeply disheartening to the shaman. In order to get back home, she took three bounding steps, hopped at a steep angle to build momentum and shapeshifted into a Snowy Owl with bright red eyes and teal markings instead of the usual browns or black. Pumping wide, nearly silent wings, the shaman quickly caught up to Beist and Dora. She banked away and let out a call to inform her traveling companions to break for home. She returned a few moments later, sailing on the air currents as the group returned to her home.

Landing in the courtyard, the shapeshifting effect ended and Taki sighed softly. She watched as her companions joined her, giving them each a treat for their efforts. Glad that was handled, she made room for Beist and Dora to land safely. She walked over to the well and took a long drink from the cool waters within. Turning to Beist as he unloaded from Dora's back once again, she let out a sigh of relief, handing his research notebook back to him.

"Let's get these delivered to the guild without any further interruptions... perhaps afterwards I'll be able to finish sleeping." She said, the adrenaline of the situation wearing off and leaving the shaman feeling groggy and sore.