After agonizing over it for a while, Shalltear shook her head and let out a long sigh. "Forget it," she muttered. "This is way above my pay grade. Let master handle the mess."
She knew her limits. She wasn't a planner or a diplomat. She had her own tasks to focus on, and that was enough.
With a huff, she squared her shoulders and forced the worries out of her mind. If trouble came, Alex would deal with it, he always did. And as for her? She just wanted to live her best life, maybe open a cozy kitchen somewhere one day.
All this cloak-and-dagger stuff was exciting, sure, but at heart, she wasn't a warrior or a schemer. She was a chef, and that was just fine with her.
Shalltear's stomach grumbled, she hadn't eaten in over half a day and just wanted to find a quiet corner to cook something. With that in mind, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a monitoring spider, sticking it to her forehead like a mobile camera.
Her plan was simple: grab a blood sausage from her tactical vest and eat in peace. But before she could even unzip the pouch, something on the street ahead caught her eye.
She was standing at the edge of the residential zone, near a row of tall buildings that looked like magical animal hospitals and barns. From one of them, a group of wizards had just opened the heavy door and were pushing out a large iron cage. Inside was a creature she immediately recognized, the Thunderbird.
"Wait... is that the little Thunderbird everyone's been looking for?" she muttered to herself, suddenly wide awake. "They had it locked in a confinement room this whole time?"
The sight of the creature gave her a jolt of energy. All thoughts of food vanished.
Just a few nights ago, she'd been searching for that very same Thunderbird, sneaking through the base under cover of darkness, checking every breeding compartment she could find. It had almost cost her, she'd come dangerously close to being eaten by some of the more aggressive magical beasts prowling the area.
This place was a living zoo of death; she'd seen eight different kinds of dragons, plus vicious griffins, snarling chimeras, and manticores that glared at her like she was a chew toy.
Seeing the Thunderbird now, so close, snapped her into action. She climbed out of her hiding spot and began crawling along the ledges and rooftops above the breeding pens, keeping a careful eye on the wizards and their prize.
The cage rattled as it rolled over the stone path, the group turning through several alleys until they stopped in front of a large compartment draped in a weathered old blanket. This was in the Central Ring, much more guarded than the outskirts.
One of the wizards cautiously stepped forward, appearing ready to open the cage. The others stood on alert, fanning out to either side, wands drawn and hands tense.
"Seriously?" one of them muttered, clearly annoyed. "It finally calmed down today, and now you're moving it back to Shed No. 26?
You're just asking for trouble. If it flips out again, we'll be lucky to get away with only a few scratches. Last time I tried to help subdue it, it nearly clawed my face off."
"Orders are orders," another wizard replied with a sigh. "Shed No. 4's already been scheduled to receive that Nundu today."
Everyone winced at the name.
"That thing's no joke," the second wizard added. "If it gets loose, it could kill every creature within shouting distance. We have to clear the entire area before it arrives."
Another wizard nodded grimly. "The night shift guy said the Thunderbird's been acting better since last night. No more lashing out or breaking spells. Should be fine."
"They all say that until something goes wrong," the first one snapped. "These creatures are all unpredictable. Sure, the Thunderbird can be handled if you're careful, but the real nightmare is the Ukrainian Iron Belly in Shed 34.
It went berserk again last night. Something about the smaller creatures they brought in ticked it off, and now it's belching fire at anything that moves. The poor nurse who brought it breakfast this morning barely made it out alive."
Shalltear narrowed her eyes. If they were moving the Thunderbird around because of another creature, it meant the base was juggling more than just breeding, it was containment, too. That only made things more complicated.
But for now, she didn't care about the politics of it. Her hunger was long gone. The hunt was on again.
Hearing that, the wizard who'd been complaining earlier, Jimmy, scowled. "Merlin's beard, that's awful. Honestly, I'd rather take on three young Thunderbirds at once than deal with that Ukrainian Iron Belly.
I swear, one of these days, one of those creatures is going to snap and eat me alive. At this rate, Sir Claremont should start handing out hazard pay."
"Jimmy, quit whining," a third wizard cut in, his voice sharp and commanding. He seemed to be the team leader.
"Sir Claremont's already done more for us than most. If it weren't for him, you'd still be scrubbing tables at that dodgy tavern back in Dudden House. Now focus on handling the Thunderbird."
"I'm not whining, Captain," Jimmy shot back, clearly offended. "I'm just saying it's not fair. We're risking our necks every single day with these magical beasts, while those patrol team blokes get all the good stuff handed to them on a silver platter. It's not right."
"The good stuff?" the captain repeated, puzzled for a moment before realization clicked. "Oh, you're talking about the protective vests, aren't you?"
"Exactly!" Jimmy said with emphasis. "Matthew told me those vests can cast protego on their own. Can you believe that? Gear like that could save lives."
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice and giving a conspiratorial wink. "Just between us, Matthew let that slip last night. You know how he is, always showing off like he's the smartest bloke in the room."
The captain let out a sigh, shaking his head. "That big mouth again? Matthew's always talking rubbish. Just because he's Claremont's nephew, he thinks he knows everything."
"Wait, Captain, is that really true?" one of the younger wizards asked, wide-eyed.
"Those vests are actually magical? I thought they were just part of a new uniform. Are we ever going to get gear like that?"
Jimmy's remarks had clearly struck a nerve. Several of the other wizards started crowding around, voicing their questions one after another.
"Alright, alright, calm down," the captain said, raising his hands to settle them. He took a deep breath before answering more gently, "Yes, the vests are enchanted. But they're expensive. Only the patrol unit gets them for now, since their job involves scouting beyond the base and dealing with unknown threats. That's the logic behind it."