We continue the serial story of "The Maevis Matter" in the Direwald Diaries. In our previous entry, Eli the gunslinger decided to take Maevis to a doctor to investigate the cause of the strange, pinprick-like bites on her arm. Maevis claimed they came from her mother, after she transformed into a monster. Concerned, but skeptical, the doctor Eli brought the young girl to was a Ticker, a half-human, half-clockwork being. Known only as “Doc,” the being confirmed that the bites may have come from a Botiskin, a term used to describe the offspring of a human and demon. Faced with this news, Eli must now decide if he wants to accept Maevis’ offer to hire him to kill his mother.