The weather grew a bit colder as the day draws closer to an end, the sky dark growing dark with the sun fading into the horizon while the crescent moon ascends into the empyreans above. The streets were already empty, shopkeepers had packed up to return home to be with their beloved ones and women on their way back home with bags of groceries held in their hands to be on time to cook dinner for their family. Silence reigned supreme throughout the land and it was finally disturbed by the loud whistle of frigid winds that blew across the town of Marigold. Dry leaves that were scattered on the hard ground were lifted up by the harsh gales as they swirled away into the distance.

Strands of silver hair blew in the away, glistening underneath the moonlight that shone down upon the town. The fragrance of the shampoo would waft in the air before it was carried away by the wind. The owner of the said perfect hair was no other than a young girl who was already in her adult years, her height slightly shorter than of average. She stood there, almost like a statue, gazing up at the stars as if she was seeking for answers to the questions that ran wild in her mind. The wind was rather cold, despite how the it was season for summer. Her metallic body parts can still differentiate between hot and cold however, it did not bother her as much as it did before since her body had learnt to withstand the temperature.

The only source of light among the empty streets was by the light of the moon, which hung in the skies like a great luminous pearl on the radiant breast of heaven. The lights from the street lamps were nothing compared to the moon, flickering down upon her as they struggled to maintain their luminosity. Each building by the streets went dark, one after another and she would be finally left alone, with only the stars and the moon to accompany her lonely presence. She gave a small shake of her arm to straighten the watch on her wrist and glanced over it to check the time. As disappointing as it was, a couple of hours still remained before she was to meet someone at an appointed time, although she was still slightly doubtful whether they would show up or not.


A warm, lovely day it was, with the citizens and tourists roaming through the roads to enjoy the wonderful village view of the town, labourers carrying carts to transport the products to a different location while the shopkeepers by the market yelled on the top of their lungs, attempting to attract the people that pass by their stores. The place was loud, although it was much better compared to what she had to deal with back in the popular towns, such as Magnolia and Crocus. As usual, Snowflake wandered through the crowd, her eyes shifting from one place to another, seeking for something that might catch her attention.

Her fingers idly ran over the soft texture of the brittle sheets that were pinned up against the quest board as she skimmed through the lines written on the paper. Nothing seemed to interest her until her eyes fell upon one that was titled ’Bandit Attacks’. After doing missions that were simply too boring or too simple for her, she wanted something different that might require a bit of action. Sure, it would be dangerous for her but it wouldn’t hurt to be risky sometimes. Her steps would all but falter as she addressed the message written on the paper properly, the crowds that filtered through the streets of Marigold shuffling quietly around her figure.


The lonely android roamed about the streets at night, silently waiting for the bandits to show up although there were still a few minutes remaining. It was likely that the bandit would choose to rob one of the stores nearby but she was unsure which one specifically. She had her guard up, her eyes and ears peeled for any kind of sounds and any sort of incoming sights. Somehow, she felt like one of the guards that is supposed to be on duty. With another glance at her wristwatch, she confirmed herself that the bandits would show up around this hour. The people had already gone to bed and the town was quiet, after all.

The mage would silently hide behind the trees that were littered around the area. She was an agile hunter, with silent and fast movements just like an assassin. Snowflake enjoyed the surprised look on their faces upon seeing her and they would already be dead before they could utter a word. It was her expertise. With her back pinned against the trunk of the tree, she waited. Soon, the sound of multiple footsteps shuffling, the clink of weapons and the soft whisper of men was enough to convince her that it was already time. Through the gaps between the leaves, she made sure to not lose sight of the bandits and watched every single movement they made.

It was no doubt that they would choose the jewellery store. Even with a single piece of gold, it would be enough for them to make a living off the item. At first, they struggled slightly to break into store but somehow, they managed the door open. The alarm did not go off and the bandits would begin to take away the jewelleries that were located inside the glass box. With just one person against many, it was risky for her to just enter the store and attempted to catch them since she was not that strong to handle all of them by herself. She approached quietly and slammed her fist against the glass door, followed by the loud blaring of sirens.

The bandits would begin to panic and they would start running out of the door with whatever that was left in their hands. Of course, she was not going to let them escape, at least not all of them.

There was no point for her to go in to the store to stop the bandits since she was not that powerful in doing so. In fact, she would even end up in a dangerous position if she had chosen to do that. Waiting by the outside of the store, Snowflake began to count the numbers of the bandits and resulted in five. Just by numbers, she would have lost the battle if she had decided to start one, which was why decided to wait until at least most of them were out of the store and she would just kidnap the last one. If her plan was successfully, she could possibly hand him over to the guards and he might tell the location of their hideout. It was how she had planned originally although there is a possibility that it might fail, which would just lead to a total downfall of the entire quest.

Snowflake had her back pressed against the hard wall, her palms flat against the texture, waiting for the perfect moment to carry out her plan. Every now and then, she would peek out of the side of the wall just to see if the bandits have left the store or not. Despite how the alarm had rung, there was no appearance of the police nor anyone else who should be on duty. After all, it was a quiet town with very little citizens so most people would just not bother with such dangerous actions. Through the glass walls, she would peered into the room and would catch sight of the bandits attempting to break the glass boxes where most of the jewellery were encased in. Nervous, her palms began to get sweaty as she swallowed an anxious lump down her throat.

The sound of footsteps hurrying across the pavement brought her back to her senses as she peeked out of her hiding spot once again. With bags filled with jewels, they were attempting to escape the scene already. They had their faces hidden with masks but she was able to memorize their physical appearance. Just as all of them escaped the room, the girl approached the last bandit and pushed him down on the ground, with all her weight forced upon him. The other bandits turned around due to the noise caused and without any hesitation, they left their comrade pinned against the ground while they escaped with the remaining jewels. ”Tch. Your friends are quite mean, aren’t they?” She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, her voice almost in a mocking tone.

”Like I care. I just wanted the money.”

”Well, now you’ve been caught. It was unlike her to tease her victims although in all honesty, she was slightly enjoying it.

”Pfft. You think I’m weak.”

The man broke free of her grip, pushing her backwards into the dirt. The man threw the bag of jewels onto the ground and began cracking his knuckles and neck as if he intended to fight her. Snowflake dusted off the dirt on her clothing, her eyes still fastened upon the man that stood in front of her.

Honestly, Snowflake was surprised by the sudden change of outcomes although she wouldn’t have minded if she had to defeat this man to catch the rest of the people. Numbers flickered continuously before her eyes as if they were trying to process something before it settled down; 21, 17, 18. The statistics only had meaning to her and no one else and they were used to define how strong her enemies would be. With such a precise estimation, she was aware of the strong points and weaknesses of her enemy although his abilities were still unknown to her. Taking a defensive stance, she prepared herself for the man to charge towards her and just like her expectations, he made the first move.

By the help of the statistics she had just seen, she was highly aware that her speed was nothing compared to his although she was still stronger than him in strength. She figured that if she would be successful in landing a couple of punches, the man would be knocked off his feet. Despite how she may be not as strong some other mages, she was still smart. Her eyes were still fastened upon the man, watching every single movement he made and even measured how long he took in his breath. As he thrusted his arm outwards to her, she quickly dodged the attack but what happened next was something she did not expect. It seemed that the man had used the first punch as a fake attack to land another one her.

A grunt escaped her lips as she was pushed backwards due to the force that was produced from his punch. Grabbing her stomach, she struggled to balance herself on her feet and before she knew the bandit had already continued his next move. Her petite body allowed her to make swift movements and thus, she quickly rolled to the side, placing herself behind the man. Without wasting any second, she kicked his buttocks, causing him to lose his balance and fell face first into the ground. She threw herself on top of him afterwards and with her strength, she pinned him down and landed a punch on his face. Before he could do anything else, she immediately stepped back a few feet away from him. With a bulky body like his, it was easy for him to just pick her up and throw her into a distance, which was why she planned to keep a safe distance from him.

The next move would be the crucial part of the battle, she thought. To her, it was a battle of fists. She might not be as fast nor as strong as the man however, she was witty enough to overwhelm him. With whatever limited motions she had, the young mage dodged the punches left and right before twirling around and landed a final kick across his face. By the time the fight was done, the officers had arrived the scene and took him away to interrogate him.