She travelled all alone on her journey across what looked like a normal field.
The girl wore an expressionless face, with dull dark violet eyes devoid of life. She has medium-length, straight dark violet hair with bangs that frame her face, and a small petite body further emphasized by her perky chest.
She wore a black leather, form-fitting, short sleeve, tight mini dress that features a prominent large white ankh symbol—an ancient Egyptian cross with a loop at the top, cantered on that perky chest of hers.
The lower part of the dress has intricate grey ornamental patterns resembling damask or floral designs along the hem.
Her legs are clad in mismatched leather thigh-high socks—one solid black on the left leg, and the other grey on the right leg. She completes the outfit with shiny black platform boots with buckles.
But do not be fooled, as looks can be deceiving...
"How unfortunate..." she murmured.
Her voice was soft—almost gentle, yet utterly cold, stripped of warmth or pity.
"...To think that you'd be reduced to such a state. Rejoice, I will give you your salvation."
Dark violet energy swirled in her left palm, coalescing into a small, brutal cleaver dagger. She turned it once in her fingers, testing its balance.
A low growl rumbled from the underbrush.
The monster that emerged was a grotesque hybrid—a thick-bodied lizard crossed with a rattlesnake.
Its forelegs bulged with corded muscle, far too powerful for its size. Spikes ran in a jagged crest from neck to tail, where a bony rattle quivered. Venom glistened on dagger-length fangs as its forked tongue flicked, already dripping poison.
To an average mage, it would have been a serious threat. To an ordinary human, it would have be certain death.
The beast locked eyes on the seemingly defenseless girl and charged, its claws tearing earth and jaws wide to deliver its lethal saliva.
She watched it come without flinching, and made her move. One fluid horizontal swing of the cleaver—it looked as though she had merely sliced empty air.
The monster's head tumbled free before its body even registered the loss. It crashed forward in a heap, severed neck pumping once, then twice, before going limp. The rattle on its tail gave a final, feeble twitch, fading into silence.
"I'll sell the corpse and find somewhere to sleep." she said flatly, her voice calm and unreadable, as if the kill had been no more eventful than brushing dust from her sleeve.
The dagger vanished into motes of dark violet as she grasped the monster's tail and began dragging it toward the nearest settlement.
She reached a small village on the edge of a minor barony just as dusk settled.
The villagers immediately froze at the sight of a slight girl—no older than in her late teens, hauling a beast several times her size down the dirt street.
However, that wasn't the only reason for their shock.
Monsters rarely ventured this close to the village. The local threats were weak vermin that even a farmer with steel tools could dispatch. A creature like this belonged in the deep wilderness, not dragged like game through their quiet lanes.
"Look at what we have here." a man said.
"Poor thing, she must be lost." a girl added.
They stepped into her path.
Both had light brown hair—the man's was curly and messy, the girl's slightly longer and curly at the ends. A thin scar bisected the man's left eye while the girl bore no such mark.
He wore shorts, a golf shirt, and slides while she wore a simple spring dress and sandals. The man looked to be in his early twenties and as for the woman, she looked to be in her late-teens as well.
"I've got an idea," came a deeper voice. "Why don't we help her?"
Another man had appeared—older, better dressed with black suit jacket, white shirt, navy jeans, clean sneakers. A matching scar marred his left eye.
"As expected of the leader." the first man muttered.
"He's always looking out for people." the girl agreed.
The rest of the villagers had already vanished into houses and shops the moment the trio emerged. Their reputation preceded them.
"What can I say? My generosity knows no bounds." The scarred leader flashed a toothy grin, gold glinting on one canine. "Now then, little one, hand over that monster, and let a proper adult handle it."
"How much will you pay for it?" the girl asked, her expression unchanged.
"Who the heck do you—" The first man started forward.
His mouth snapped shut, jaws locked by an invisible force.
"I was speaking to him," she said, not sparing him a glance. "Don't interfere."
"Big bro, are you okay?" The girl rushed to him, hands fluttering uselessly.
He grunted, clawing at his own face, muffled sounds escaping.
She flicked her gaze toward them both.
Instantly, their bodies locked rigid.
"I told you not to interfere." now facing only the leader, she continued. "Now, about the snake-lizard?"
She's no ordinary teenager. She stopped the siblings without even lifting a finger. I have to have her—whatever the cost.
The man thought before responding.
"Of course," he said smoothly. "Let's discuss this somewhere more private."
"Alright. It's fine by me." She complied, releasing the two.
The leader turned on his companions, his voice ice cold. "You two are useless to me. Get out of my sight."
"But—"
"Leave." He unleashed a pulse of pressure, making the ground beneath them tremble.
The siblings shuddered, despair evident in their eyes, and fled.
The man then led the petite girl to a modestly sized mansion—apparently, it was the baron's estate, though it was little more than a large, prettily decorated house.
The snake-lizard corpse lay outside, unguarded. No one in the village was foolish enough to steal from Goldtooth. They all knew the consequences of such an act.
"Make yourself at home." he said, Because this is where you'll be staying from now on.
he thought with a grin.
She ignored the implication and sat on the couch across the low wooden table from him.
"My name is Goldtooth, vice-leader of the—"
"Where's the money?" she cut in, seemingly uninterested in what he had to say.
He rubbed his hands together. "I have something better than mere coin. A proposal."
"I'm not interested. Just pay me and I'll leave." she shrugged.
"Just hear me out. What I'm offering is worth far more than that snake-lizard's hide." He stroked his smooth chin. "Work for me. You'll have riches you won't know what to do with. How does that sound?" He extended an open hand.
"If you have that kind of money, then you can pay for the snake-lizard."
Stubborn little peasant. She should be begging for money, not bargaining for it. Does she not realize how grateful she should be that I'm giving her this opportunity? he thought, visibly frustrated.
The air grew heavy. Goldtooth felt it, but chose to ignore it.
"Be that as it may—"
"I've wasted enough time." She stood. "It seems as though you have no intention of paying me and thus, there's no reason for me to stay here any longer."
Goldtooth seized her arm, yanking her back. "Where do you think you're going?" He poured killing intent into the grip, pressure meant to crush her will.
Yet she didn't flinch, not in the slightest.
"Let go," she said quietly. "I don't like killing things unnecessarily." she said, her tone lacking any emotion.
Impressive. She's completely unfazed even after I poured this much killing intent. As expected, I need her. "From now on—"
Those were the last words he spoke as he caught a glipms of his head flying on a mirror.
Huh? he thought.
Then darkness.
What a mess, she thought, surveying the bloody room. I'll handle it later… or maybe not.
An idea came to her.
She left the mansion and walked back toward the village—dragging the snake-lizard, as the last light bled from the sky.
—Later, in a shadowed alley—
"What do we do now, big bro?" The girl sat on the ground, knees drawn up.
"I'm not sure, little sis." The man massaged his jaw. "But we should leave before Goldtooth finds us, otherwise he'll kill us for sure."
They sat in miserable silence, agonizing over their current situation.
"At least we've got enough saved up to get you into the magic academy." he said finally.
She looked at him. "No. We can't waste—"
"That was always the plan. Remember?"
"That was before. Things are different now."
"Nothing's changed. It's what mom and dad would have wanted."
His voice cracked with regret.
"You're the only one of us who can use magic. It would be a waste if you didn't learn how to properly use it. Attend the academy, graduate, get a proper job, save lives, and maybe you might even meet the Hero someday."
"But what about you?" Tears welled in her eyes.
"I'll figure something out. Your big bro always does." I'm sorry for lying to you but, this is the only way you escape this life. Find something better for yourself. A life worth living.
He smiled gently and ruffled her hair.
That's when a petite girl appeared before them, causing the two to panic.
"It's okay. I'm not here to hurt you." said the petite girl.
They froze, clinging to each other.
"What do you want?" The brother demanded, his voice shaking.
"I killed Goldtooth." she said casually.
"That's… impossible." The sister whispered.
"Whether you choose to believe it or not, it's the truth."
"Then... are you here to kill us too?" The brother asked, shielding his sister.
"No. I'm not."
"Then why spare us?" the sister asked, wiping her eyes.
"I left his bloody corpse in the house. I need you to go and clean up the place."
The sister simply stared, her mind drifting in thought.
She looks just as old as I am, yet she says that she killed Goldtooth. She doesn't look like she's lying—then again, I can't tell what she's thinking based on her expression. "Are you planning to take his place?" she asked carefully.
"If you're wondering why I killed him, he was just in my way. And I needed somewhere to stay tonight. So I thought, why not? You call it, killing two birds with one stone."
She's so casual about murder. Getting involved with her would be dangerous, far worse than Goldtooth. She glanced at her brother.
He exhaled. "Since she's not here to hurt us… we'll do it."
Of the two siblings, the sister was the muscle, while the brother the thinker—at least sometimes. Alone, they were average at best, but together, they could handle most threats short of someone like Goldtooth.
Goldtooth used earth magic, granting him greater individual power.
With the knowledge from the magic books he had stolen—from the villages he plundered, he gained power and influence over remote villages and small towns, and was eventually scouted to the position of vice-leader of a guild created a dictator.
"Then hurry," the petite girl said. "I want it presentable when I return."
She turned to leave.
"Wait!" the sister called out.
The petite girl paused.
"I'm Runa. This is my older brother, Rowan." she said.
"Noted."
With that, the petite girl walked away.
"That was rude," Rowan muttered. "She didn't even give us her name."
"At least we're breathing. That's what matters now." Runa retorted.
"I guess so."
"That said, what do we do about her?"
"Let's play along with her for now. More importantly..." He clasped his hands, feeling guilty. "Sorry!"
"Sorry? For what?" she tilted her head.
"I promised to get you to the magic academy, but I ended up dragging you into this mess. Please forgive me."
Runa stepped close and patted his head. He had to bend down slightly so that she could reach it.
"It's not your fault. You've always put me first in everything you do, even protecting me from getting a scar on my face. There's nothing to forgive." She smiled faintly. "Besides… Goldtooth can't stop us anymore, so I can still attend the magic academy, just a bit later than planned. We'll get through this, like we always do."
"Yeah." He returned a warm smile. "You're right."
"Now, come here."
She wrapped her arms around him, and he hugged her back tightly. They stood together under the emerging stars, holding on for comfort.
Eventually they walked hand-in-hand toward the mansion, ready to clean up the blood and prepare the house for its new, terrifying owner. Runa's cheeks warmed slightly at the touch.
Not bad for the first day. I'm sure things will only get much more entertaining from here on. Also, I hope these two don't have a weird incest relationship or anything like that. Then again...
High above the so-called mansion, the female silhouette hovered motionless, its gaze locked on the distant figure of the girl that it had chosen to observe.
That said... I wonder if I should let things play out normally, or interfere with things a bit... or a lot. Something to think about in the meantime.
Itturned itshead to the opposite direction.
Also, I sense something in that other direction. Could it be...? Well, a little distraction wouldn't hurt, so why not?
The silhouette divided itself in two.
IT did so not out of necessity, but desire instead. For though IT possessed the power to perceive all things, everywhere, at once, IT chose instead to observe humanity first-hand.
The newly formed silhouette was just a male version of the first silhouette, with shoulder-length flowing hair.
Let me guess, you though I'd be bald? the male version spoke.
Yeah, kinda. the female responded. Anyways, good luck.
Thanks, I'm off.
The male silhouette vanished from the scene, and in its wake, not a single trace of its existence ever remained.