On the foot of a mountain with snow covering it like ice cream sits a hulking figure of a man or maybe a woman.
The person removed her rusty helmet and sighed quietly amidst the snow.
"It's been three days since I was lost in this mountain."
"I finally found the way out!"
She then reached for her bag beside her and took out a round object with needles.
A compass!
She pointed her compass toward a direction and found the way back to her city.
"It should be south from here."
"I can go home at last; the first thing I will do is take a bath!"
So the woman wore her rusty helmet back and carried her belongings with her: a rusty sword and a bag.
Unnoticed by her, from behind a boulder, a small figure was watching her quietly.
The mysterious figure followed the woman, stalk-like.
Through the snowy forest walked a woman in rusty armor, sneakily followed by a small figure.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, bandits appeared from behind the trees.
Three of them!
At the front, a bald and gruff-looking bandit took the lead and shouted,
"Hey, you!"
The woman calmly looked at the situation and answered,
"What is it?"
The bald bandit replied,
"If you want to pass this way, pay us the toll!"
"Yeah!" shouted the two minions beside him.
The woman calmly took out three dried leaves and threw them at the bandit leader.
"Here, now let me pass."
"Alright! Payment accepted!"
The three bandits then jumped back to hide behind the same three trees as if they had nothing to do.
The woman walked away from the place, following her compass.
The small figure that was never noticed was filled with awe.
She walked again through the snowy forest and reached a boulder where she slept with no caution.
While sleeping, a fat yellow snake appeared and stole her bag, leaving paralysis venom on her ankle as a parting gift for the bag.
"Hisss."
(I have manners and all that. (Translation))
Chill, bro, snake!
And we moved on. Night had arrived while the sun went to greet his grandpa, black hole, on vacation.
The woman—let's finally give her a name because it's a hassle to call her 'the woman' every time.
Princess woke up groggily.
"Huh? I slept till night?"
"Eh!!!"
"Where's my bag?"
"Ugh."
Suddenly, she could not move—probably paralysis.
The small figure that was following her watched her quietly from behind a tree.
She hesitated to kill the woman because of the awe she had previously felt.
'What should I do?'
"No, I should do it!"
She whispered quietly, and her eyes started to shine bright red, illuminating the night.
Madness overtook her, and she moved swiftly, sweeping her claw through the gap in Princess's neck area armor.
"Die!!!"
Blood splashed, and Princess didn't have the time to react at all!
The small figure licked her claw that was dripping with Princess's blood and looked at the moon.
"It's finally ended..."
"Not quite."
With extreme reaction, the small figure, parried a big black sword.
"H-how??"
"How are you alive!"
Laying before her was the same one as the one she had slain.
Princess!
But this time, Princess had armor as black as the abyss, as if it melted into the dark night.
"You're foolish, oh children of the beast."
"Grrr..."
"It's fine; I'll just kill you again. Just takes extra effort—that's all!"
Small figure's eyes shone again, and her speed increased tremendously.
She raked her claw aggressively at Princess, who parried with her big black sword with precise calculation.
Small figure kept on sweeping her claw, but her energy was fading.
Princess found an opening and stabbed her big black sword through the small figure's tiny heart.
Small figure's eyes trembled, perhaps fearing the erasure of existence.
"P-Plea-!"
With cold eyes, Princess sliced the small figure in two.
Like mist, the small figure's body vanished into thin air.
"Princess... You have to grow stronger..."
Princess—or this unknown entity—muttered before fainting.
Morning arrived, and there was no trace of battle, as if it had never happened.
Princess woke up with a cloudy mind, as if her memory of last night was absent.
"Ugh. My head hurts. What happened?"
"Ah! My bag! Where is it?"
"Noo! I'm lost again!"
Princess grabbed her head.
With a slightly itchy throat, she realized she was lost again.
And who is this entity that fought the small figure to the death?
Stay tuned!