In the snowy mountains, footsteps echoed over the rooftops of ruined buildings, racing through the remnants of an abandoned city. A lone figure fled, chased by a being or rather, a monster.
Behind her, structures crumbled in a thunder of stone and snow. The creature pursuing her was a grotesque construct of countless giant hands, somehow forming the shape of a monstrous humanoid figure.
The fleeing figure, cloaked in black, gasped for breath as she clutched a small, ornate treasure chest to her chest. She darted swiftly through the streets of the ruined city, which appeared to have been destroyed by the very monster now chasing her.
Dodging debris and collapsing walls, she slipped inside a half-destroyed building just before it was entirely crushed. Outside, the monster's countless hands surged forward like writhing limbs, scraping and pounding the ground with an eerie, chittering sound.
Amidst the chaos, two figures pursued the monster. One was short and burdened by an enormous backpack, the other tall and broad-shouldered, towering and muscular.
"We must hurry," rumbled the big one.
"⸸⟊⟒𐌑 Ϟ⟟⚚ ⟁⧫ꖜ 𒑰⧉⫷ !" squawked the small one in a language that made no sense to human ears but somehow, the big one seemed to understand.
Neither looked quite human; they resembled animated golems, faces hidden behind masks that made them appear more goofy than fearsome.
Suddenly, the fleeing girl stumbled and fell from a shattered floor, crashing onto the concrete below. She lay there, battered and dazed, staring in terror as the monster loomed closer. Her girlish face twisted in despair as she clutched the treasure chest protectively.
"F*ck," growled the tall golem. Without hesitation, he seized the small one by the scruff and hurled him at the monster.
"⟁⟟⟊ ꗌ⚝𐌖 ⍫!!!" shrieked the small golem as he flew through the air. Mid-flight, he twisted around and launched himself feet-first toward the monster.
But as he flew, his body expanded, growing bigger and bigger until he matched the monster's colossal size. With a mighty double-kick, he slammed into the creature, sending it crashing back in a massive explosion of snow and rubble.
The girl slowly turned, her chest rising and falling. "Hah… Finally…" she whispered, relief flooding her face.
"There's no time to waste," the big golem said, extending a massive hand to help her up. "Can you walk?"
"Yes," she said, standing shakily.
In the distance, a strange cry echoed: "OUIOUIOUI!"
An instant later, the small golem hurtled back toward them like a meteor, crashing into the ground and nearly flattening them. Pots, pans, and random trinkets spilled from his backpack and flew in every direction, with even a frying pan clanging off the tall golem's head.
Both golems stared in shock as the small one staggered to his feet, flailing his arms wildly.
"ꖇ⍫⧁ 𐍈⩇𒑃 ⟁⫽⧉ !" he screamed, cursing at the monster in his bizarre tongue. He started running back toward the beast, but the tall golem grabbed him by the collar and held him back like a misbehaving pet.
The monster, now visible amid swirling snow, took on a clearer shape, a true creature from nightmares and old legends, a towering terror.
The three unlikely heroes stood together, battered but resolute.
"So… there's no time to run, huh?" the girl said with a small, daring smirk.
"Indeed," said the tall golem gravely. "Such misfortune."
The little one bristled with energy, still struggling against the tall golem's grip.
"⫷𐍂𒍟 ⫷𐍂𒍟⦿⧠𐍉⸸⟊⟒!" he yelled, hurling curses at the monster with frantic gestures.
The girl lifted her arms in a swift, graceful motion. As she moved, the air shimmered around her, and the soft rustle of cloaks mingled with the rhythmic ticking of unseen gears, as though time itself were shifting. From thin air, a gleaming flintlock pistol materialized into her right hand, smoke curling from its barrel as if it had already fired a shot in another moment. While on her left, she clutched the small, ornate treasure chest to her chest.
Beside her, the big golem dropped into a martial stance, his colossal form radiating power. In one massive hand, blue flames roared to life, crackling like lightning over ice. In the other, red fire blazed, swirling and pulsing like molten lava. Slowly, he pressed his palms together, and the two raging fires twisted around each other, fusing into a single, blinding torrent of purple flame that cast wild shadows across the snowy ruins.
Facing the nightmare creature amidst the swirling snow and shattered ruins, the three struck fierce, defiant poses.
The monster loomed over them, its many hands unfurling like a demon's wings.
A fight was about to begin.