The guild receptionist raised an eyebrow as JP collected the quest slip.
"Lost poultry?" Lyra asked flatly once they stepped outside.
JP shrugged. "Hey, coin is coin. Besides, it'll give us a chance to test the new gear without something trying to eat our faces off."
They followed a trail of scattered feathers through the city outskirts until they reached the small farm. A frantic old woman wrung her hands at the fence.
"They broke loose again!" she wailed. "My prize warhens—don't let 'em get into the fields!"
JP blinked. "Wait. Warhens?"
The ground shook.
From the barn burst three monstrous chickens the size of small dogs, wings flapping furiously. Their eyes glowed red, beaks snapping like daggers.
"...Okay," JP said, tightening his vest straps. "Maybe they will try to eat our faces."
The first hen charged like a feathery battering ram. JP braced, the tusk-plated vest absorbing the hit with a solid thud. He staggered but stayed upright.
"Ha! Worth every silver!" he crowed.
Lyra was already loosing arrows, each one pinning a hen's wing just enough to slow them. "Stop celebrating and catch them!"
JP lunged with his rope, only to get yanked off his feet as the chicken bolted. He was dragged five feet through the mud, flailing wildly.
"Lyra! It's too strong!"
"You're losing to poultry."
"It's very aggressive poultry!"
After several undignified minutes of wrestling feathers, mud, and his own pride, JP finally managed to corral the hens using his satchel-merged Inventory. He simply shouted "Store!" mid-grapple, and one unfortunate warhen vanished in a shimmer.
Lyra froze. "...Did you just put a chicken in your bag?"
"Temporary containment solution!" JP huffed. "Totally safe."A muffled squawk came from inside.
When they returned to the farm, the old woman cooed over her hens like they hadn't just tried to kill them. She handed over a small pouch of copper coins and a basket of fresh bread as thanks.
Covered in feathers and mud, JP tore into the bread on the walk back. "Best quest yet. Easy money, free carbs."
Lyra smirked. "You looked ridiculous."
"Correction: I looked heroic." He puffed out his chest. "The Chicken Tamer of the City."
She actually laughed this time, a real laugh that made JP's ears go red. For once, the danger and shadows seemed far away.
But only for a moment.