Ori invited the adventurers to a meal, but they couldn't decide whether to trust him quite yet.
Still, to avoid drawing any unnecessary suspicion, they followed him; but not without preparing a safeguard along first.
Kanna felt a strange sense of disconnect from Ori, and while she couldn't quite put her finger on it, something about him just felt ever so slightly off.
For that reason, she gave Rennie a silent gesture with her hand hidden behind her back - away from the hermit's sight.
Rennie instantly grasped her intent.
Without wasting a moment, she shoved her hands into her pockets - the insides were lined with several pre-inscribed magic circles.
Rennie only ever resorted to using those in emergencies, as the circles would need to be redrawn after one use.
But now, with the need to remain unnoticed, was as good a time as any to activate them.
After channeling essence through a particular pair of circles, designed to establish a mental link between a group of people, Rennie tapped both of her companions on their skin and focused on her inner voice.
Fortunately, she found it much easier to hold a conversation via telepathy, as the barrier of social cues and gestures was removed.
'Ah, ah. Do you hear me?'
Rennie's voice echoed in Kanna's head.
'Yeah, loud and clear. Did you connect Bill as well?'
'She did. Your voices are going straight into my head - feels intrusive as ever, alright.'
Even as they spoke, they didn't stop following Ori, all the while keeping their expressions neutral to avoid drawing suspicion.
Finally, with the connection established, Kanna could ask the question that'd been clawing at her mind:
'How're we feeling about this Ori guy?'
Bill was the first to respond.
'He's certainly a strange one. Everything he'd told us so far made sense but I can't get this weird feeling, like he's hiding something, out of my head.'
Rennie agreed with that assessment, and spoke in an uncharacteristically articulate manner.
'I think so too, but still… We should come with him.'
Kanna, after being slightly taken aback by Rennie's concise speech, directed a counter argument her way.
'I don't know about that. He's suspicious as hell. I'm of the opinion that we should turn around and repot about his presence to the guild.'
'But this could be a great opportunity. Think about it - this forest is so dangerous that it's been designated as a Red Zone, and our town is struggling with suppressing just the few demons that accidentally find their way to it. And yet this hermit claims to have been living here all on his own.'
Bill quickly caught on to her thought process, and added:
'She's right. The guild's in desperate need of information. If we learn how the hermit survives in these lands, the knowledge could prove invaluable. Who knows - he might even possess a method of warding the demons off.'
They talked for a while longer, until eventually - though reluctantly - Kanna also came on board with the plan.
Like so, the decision was made.
They would follow the hermit and learn everything they could from him, to hopefully gleam some valuable insights on the threats present within the forest.
***
As they kept walking in step with Ori, signs of habitat came into view.
They found themselves in a field cleared of grass - scorched, to be exact.
Bill shot Ori a look, asking for an explanation.
"Curious why I set the grass ablaze? Well, it's quite simple, really. The surroundings are teeming with bugs of all kinds. Some are harmless, but most are venomous. Plus, I really don't like insects crawling around my house, so I occasionally burn the grass to keep the critters away."
"Huh. Never thought of that. Aren't you a smart one, kid?"
The explanation prompted Bill to pat Ori on the shoulder, impressed with his resourcefulness.
But was meant as a lighthearted gesture was met with a pained cry.
"Argh, shit! …Sorry, I'm still injured from a recent bout."
Bill apologized with a guilty expression.
"My bad."
"Nah, you're good. I should've told you earlier, if anything. But nevermind that - we're almost here."
Along with those words, Ori stuck his finger out, pointing towards a small mound.
And indeed, they were close. The triangular tip of a wooden roof perked up from behind the small hill.
Finally, they stepped over the mound and a wooden hut fully came into view.
"This here is my humble abode, friends. Help yourselves; I'll go cook us something to eat in the meantime. Oh, and there should be enough chairs for everyone. I made a few spares just in case."
He flashed them a pleased smile, as if proud over something so mundane, and strolled inside without waiting for a response.
The three exchanged glances.
"Uhh… I guess we should do as he says?"
"Yeah, let's do that."
"Mm."
With nothing left to discuss, they also went inside.
It was a deceptively spacious building. The hut housed two separate rooms.
The first was the probably a kitchen, where Ori was currently busy cooking, and the second one had a bed, a table, a few chairs, and a multitude of tools.
They observed the surroundings further, and it was only then that they started noticing the abnormalities.
The sense of incongruity grew stronger.
The hut was unlike any they'd seen before - in fact, everything within shared the same unusual traits as the hut itself.
The wooden planks were connected to each other through some unknown mechanism, as if fused - or perhaps woven together.
And the same went for every tool and piece of furniture present, as far as they could tell.
Kanna was the first to point the oddity out.
"Hey, Bill. You used to be a woodworker, right? How is something like this possible?"
Bill stroked is beard as he inspected the unorthodox display of craftsmanship.
"It's not, as far as I'm aware. I've never seen a method that allowed one to mesh two planks so seamlessly…"
Kanna walked up to the table, noting that it, along with the chairs tucked beneath, were also constructed in the same way.
"Didn't he say he made the chairs himself? Wouldn't that imply all of this was made by him?"
"So he did."
They mulled over it for a while longer, this time opting to use the mental link established by Rennie, but in the end failed to find a satisfactory explanation.
Having more or less given up, they sat around in wait, until eventually the kitchen's door creaked open.
Ori walked in with a large pot in hand, four empty bowls held in his teeth due to only having one usable arm.
Whole the sight was comical, something else caught their attention; the smell of freshly cooked meat permeated the air.
…Wait, meat?
Kanna, suddenly feeling a bad premonition, cautiously asked:
"This wouldn't happen to be a meat stew, would it?"
After setting the bowls down to free his mouth, he replied dismissively.
"Hmm? Of course it is."
"What kind of meat is it, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Hehe, you'd be surprised! I've tried all kinds of different beasts, but most had a disgusting aftertaste. But! I recently came across a pack of ashen wolves - and let me tell you, their thighs are to die for."
Those words struck the party of adventures like a hammer.
Finally, all the pieces started clicking in place - the strangely built house, the sense of wrongness that just wouldn't leave their minds, and now this.
This hermit. He is no human.
A demon's flesh was corrupted - permeated with the very same demonic essence that turned them into violent monsters.
In other words, it was downright lethal to ingest.
The question then is, what kind of being could eat such corrupted flesh and remain unharmed?
There were only two potential answers.
Either the hermit was a heretical demonic arts practitioner - or something much, much worse.
A fiend, possessing a nature so vile that a royal execution decree was issued five years ago, all to ensure humanity's safety in their presence.
The adventurers would've loved nothing more than to be wrong.
And yet, every sign pointed to one simple truth.
The hermit… Is a Threadripper.
***
As I went into the kitchen to concoct something delicious for my guests, I listened in on their conversation. That much, I could to.
Hah, they're clueless. Are humans easier to trick than I expected?
They went on to talk how unusual the construction of the hut was, but it was nothing to worry about.
Naturally, I've prepared an excuse for damn near anything they might ask. This included.
However, at one point, their conversation abruptly stopped.
The same thing happened while we walked earlier.
Is it some form of non-verbal communication?
Any dialogue, voiced out loud or not, would inevitably be accompanied by subtle gesticulation, only noticeable by someone with extremely heightened senses.
Like myself. Honestly, aren't I just the best?
Stroking my ego in this manner made me feel kind of ridiculous, so I dropped it and looked down at the pot.
Looks good. Let's see what they think.
As I opened the door, the fragrant smell of spiced Ashen Wolf stew spreading through the air, a variety of different reactions came from the bunch.
And then, I was asked a strange question.
"What kind of meat is it, if you don't mind me asking?"
Huh. Is Kanna a bit of a picky eater? Wouldn't assume so from her robust build, but it I guess anything's possible.
Without a hitch, I proudly proclaimed that it was cooked with Ashen Wolf thighs, expecting a positive reaction from the apparently picky adventurers.
But instead of enthusiasm, their fear spiked aggressively.
Muscles tensed, heart rates accelerated, and sweat started secreting uncontrollably from their palms and foreheads.
That was when I realized I've made a massive, unrecoverable slip up.
It seemed like living an outcast's life for so long clouded my memory, as the mistake, in hindsight, was unbelievably obvious.
How in the hell did I forget that humans can't eat demonic flesh?
It all made me feel so fucking stupid that I couldn't even bother to keep the amicable facade up anymore.
I covered my face with the one functional arm in a fit of hysterical laughter, before slowly lowering it, the leaving my face as if never there to begin with.
"So, it's come to this. Fine. Let's not waste any more time playing games, shall we? My dear adventurers…"
Now you've gone and done it.
Left me with no choice.
Couldn't you just keep your curiosity to yourselves?!
I clawed at my neck in frustration, leaving three deep cuts seeping with vibrant blood.
My mood had turned terrible.
I'll make your deaths painless, bastards.