There were many a mystery to unravel and unearth under the promise of adventure, and there wasn’t such a thing as a journey too grand or too insignificant to aw woman who’s greater ambitions lay in the matters of wandering aimlessly among the crowds, seamlessly navigating the roads that traversed the neighbouring cities like nobody’s business. It wasn’t as though she was out wandering without any purpose and it would be unspeakable for her to put off the duty of attending the plea mission that was requested of her.

Her eyes glossed over the lines written on the piece of parchment paper and the young maiden folded the paper over its neat valleys for the last time: its words now a jumble of objectives stapled into her prior, before letting it rest in her pocket, a silent sigh released from her chest as she forged forward, moving past others with a haste that would befit the situation with her weapon producing a metallic clang with every step, her hood shadowing the make-shift bravery she upheld in her eyes.

It was that sort of evening; the kind that’d soothe a rhythmic trance into your old bones and the night seemed restless as ever, with the brilliant stars and the crescent moon illuminating above and the lights from the city shone so bright even from this distance. It was almost as if the town was reminding her that she wasn’t alone.

Now, she was told that she would be on the mission with another mage, just like her previous ones, though she wasn’t briefed with any details so she had yet to know who her partner was—nor was she curious since it wouldn’t matter to her anyway, for she would hardly even bother conversing with them unless it was required. Such was her attitude, cold and detached, seeking no personal communications as she found them a hindrance to her work.

At a short distance was plumes of smoke rising into the air and instinctively, Snowflake bolted inside the village to witness what was going on. Praying to the gods above, she hoped that she wasn’t already late enough to the action. Upon her arrival, the villagers scurried around, some panicking whilst the men attempted to extinguish the fire that was already spreading the village. From the looks of it, it seemed that someone might have attempted to torch up the village, or simply that it was an accident. She doubted the latter with everything that was going on in Fiore at the moment. The woman pushed herself through the crowded villagers, walking up front facing the flames. It was hot, but the heat was nothing she couldn’t handle with her magic. She lowered herself onto one knee and with her palm planted onto the ground, a patch of freezing ice began to grow around her hand until it covered the village enough to entirely extinguish the flames.

With all the commotion in the village, Snowflake hadn’t noticed the werewolves that had caused havoc within the village. It wasn’t until she heard low snarls behind her, and even if she did turn around, she wouldn’t have made it on time to parry the werewolves’ attack. She ceased her spell and brought her weapon above her in an attempt to shield herself, preparing for the werewolves to pounce on her. Instead, it went silent. The werewolves’ growls were gone—at least not around her, and all that was left was the whirling tornado before it dispersed into gentle gales that blew across the vicinity, brushing past her acolyte white hair and cloak. She squinted her eyes through the dust and smoke a familiar figure emerged into her vision.

”Oh,”—was all she could manage out of her mouth upon seeing Kazimir, clearly surprised by his presence. Her partners were always those whom she never expected, first Faye and now it was the Rune Knight she’d met just a few days ago. ”So it seems.” She folded her arms across her bosom and glanced over at the young man. ”Good to know that you’re my mystery partner then.” She was honestly glad it was someone she knew rather than a random stranger. It would have been difficult to work with another person; it didn’t matter who, she would struggle with every person she was assigned to work with, but at the very least, she had a bit of information on who he was and how he acts.

It was quite the mess the werewolves had created; broken roofs and walls, some huts even burnt down from the fire, so she assumed that the villagers might have to rebuild and repair the damages themselves. Snowflake could assist with that but she wasn’t up for some construction building, rather, she would be up for some hunting instead.

”And that’s why we’re here to protect the village.” She lifted her chin high in confidence, perhaps a slight bit of arrogance as well. ”We can help find rations for your village, and let your capable men stay to protect the women and children while we’re gone. There’s two of us, so there’s needn’t to worry,” she reassured, gently resting her hand on the mayor’s shoulder, but she wasn’t done just yet. ”In return, I hope you can provide us some shelter to keep our things and rest.”

For someone who had always crawled up in her little hole of solitude, she was introduced to the joy of having a companion to accomplish requests with. Usually, the task of completing missions previously seemed boring—nothing out of the usual. Now, however, this experience held an element of enjoyment that she found herself appreciating.

Snowflake had always been good at soothing people, with her cool and composed demeanor, albeit her first impressions on people were always pretty bad due to her expressionless visage. Holding up to her offer, their belongings were taken away, leaving her with nothing but her weapon that she’d brought to her side. She involuntarily glanced upwards into the sky above her and noticed how the last rays of brilliance had vanished into twilight darkness with specks of illuminating stars. For a moment, she wondered if this would be the right time to begin hunting since it was already getting dark. Animals tend to return back to shelter around this hour and those who only lurked in the forest are the wild animals.

Nevertheless, she nodded in accordance with Kazimir’s plan. There were two of them after all, it would be fast, she thought. Supposedly, they were hunting for werewolves: the threat to the village and she assumed they could also be used as a source of meat. Wondering how werewolves meat tasted like, she pointed at the forest not far ahead of them. ”I’m guessing they fled back into the woods there.”

Kazimir had found some clues near the edge of the forest and it seemed that they were right after all. Where else would the werewolves go back to, anyhow? ”I assume they wouldn’t be so far from us. We can keep hunting a few them, but return early before we delve too deep into the forest.” It was late and she was apprehensive as to them getting lost in the woods without any proper sense of direction. She was more worried that her awful directional sense might lead them to somewhere else they were expecting to be. ”Sounds good?” She wanted to confirm with her partner before setting off into the forest to kill some time as well as werewolves before dusk.

Upon the forest floor lie trees of yesteryear, fallen in storms long forgotten. The seasons have been harsh, stripping away the bark and outer layers, yet rendering them all the more beautiful as dense thickets of half-drowned trees pressed close around the two mages, branches dripping with curtains of pale fungus. They have the appearance of driftwood, twisting in patterns. The wind had blown off, leaving a loud bright night, with wings beating in the trees. The gales were cold and cut to her, though she scarcely even notices the cold due to her boy already getting accustomed to the freezing temperatures, and she loved the wild sound of the woods and the smell of the grass beneath them and the deepened sense of solitude.

Her eyes and ears peeled for her surroundings, she tilts her head left and right between each every several seconds to look for any source of vision or sound that might be interpreted as their enemies. It didn’t take them long to observe until they heard howling of werewolves in the distant. Her ears had perched up, though they weren’t unlike any of the animal kind but, she tightened her grip onto her weapon, instantly alerted. It seemed that Kazimir had already become guarded as well, as they both prepare for the looming battle ahead.

She nodded in response to her partner. ”That was rather fast.” She took a stance, her legs slightly bent for a lower and solid foundation as she held onto her weapon in her hand and whilst her other hand was kept free to cast spells, though she doubted she needed to use them, as confident as she was on her abilities. As the animals emerged from the shadows of the woods, she began noticing how odd they looked. These didn’t took the form of normal wolves but, different. She preferred not to converse in the midst of battle, unless it was necessary so for the entirety of the combat, she remained silent, keeping her restless thoughts to herself.

Her feet kicked off the sand from the ground as her legs finally broke into a run, so fast that she could almost feel as if she was in the air. Within a mere second, she was behind the animal in the bushes, before giving him a big slash across his neck. Another attempted to leap onto her and while it was in mid-air, she recoiled her arm back and with a force so strong, she propelled her lance straight through the mouth of the beast, piercing it through the back of its head before the weapon lodged itself onto the truck of a tree. ”Bullseye.”

She needn’t another look at Kazimir, because she knew that he was capable to handle them by himself, but it didn’t restrain her from asking, ”All good?”

With an ‘oomph’, the woman dislodged her lance from the tree and wiped it against the trunk to clean her blade. Polished and perfect, that was how she liked her property. She’d give a nod to Kazimir in return to confirm that everything was settled and going fine. Planting her weapon into the soil beneath her, she bent down on her knee and observed one of the wolves that laid lifeless on the ground. Pity left her being at the defeated and futile state of the wolves, but the remorse of her enemies soon evaporated as fast as it came to her.

”Definitely. I’ve never seen any of this kind,” She examined the body with her fingers, though very briefly. The general structure of the body didn’t seem that different from the werewolves she’d seen before, although the appearance made them look unfamiliarly strange. ”It seems like someone must have mutated them.” That was her wild guess. It could be a person, or it could have just been anything that they’d eaten in the woods.

Walking up ahead, Snowflake noticed more werewolves’ tracks leading further into the distance. ”I think we should follow these tracks. It might lead us to their lair.” Their adventure had already gotten her curiosity piqued and with the two of them there, it should still be safe enough. Besides, according to her partner, Kazimir could lead them back to the village easily. At the very least, his directional sense was better than him, which she was very thankful for.

The snow maiden had her eyes on the sky again, and she fears it’s now an impulsive habit of hers to commit to the clouds whenever possible. Meanwhile, she figured that they still had enough time before it was late enough for them to retreat back to the village. Into the dense woods, they headed down and she could feel the wet soil pulling onto her leg muscles with each step she took.

With an ‘oomph’, the woman dislodged her lance from the tree and wiped it against the trunk to clean her blade. Polished and perfect, that was how she liked her property. She’d give a nod to Kazimir in return to confirm that everything was settled and going fine. Planting her weapon into the soil beneath her, she bent down on her knee and observed one of the wolves that laid lifeless on the ground. Pity left her being at the defeated and futile state of the wolves, but the remorse of her enemies soon evaporated as fast as it came to her.

”Definitely. I’ve never seen any of this kind,” She examined the body with her fingers, though very briefly. The general structure of the body didn’t seem that different from the werewolves she’d seen before, although the appearance made them look unfamiliarly strange. ”It seems like someone must have mutated them.” That was her wild guess. It could be a person, or it could have just been anything that they’d eaten in the woods.

Walking up ahead, Snowflake noticed more werewolves’ tracks leading further into the distance. ”I think we should follow these tracks. It might lead us to their lair.” Their adventure had already gotten her curiosity piqued and with the two of them there, it should still be safe enough. Besides, according to her partner, Kazimir could lead them back to the village easily. At the very least, his directional sense was better than him, which she was very thankful for.

The snow maiden had her eyes on the sky again, and she fears it’s now an impulsive habit of hers to commit to the clouds whenever possible. Meanwhile, she figured that they still had enough time before it was late enough for them to retreat back to the village. Into the dense woods, they headed down and she could feel the wet soil pulling onto her leg muscles with each step she took.

The woods accelerated the moonlight, shrinking what would normally take an hour into just a few minutes. When Snowflake trudged on the rutted path, carefully avoiding the hoof-sized pools, the light from the horned moon had faded so little she could hardly notice the difference. It wasn’t a long trek to where they were headed, it was muddier deeper in the woods for sure, but it would get them to the werewolves lair to find the clues and the reasons of why the beasts looked so abnormally strange. Her eyes had adjusted slowly to the encroaching gloom and soon, she picked up her pace but in only five more minutes, it was undeniably dark.

The trees had become silhouettes, the air was colder and the gaiety of the woodland had been replaced with a sense of isolation. Though she didn’t have her sense of smell wasn’t as keen as animals, there was the scent that she had detected earlier on the mutated werewolves growing stronger the further they went into the woods. The eerie feeling that she couldn’t quite put her finger onto kept bothering her and it wasn’t until a small cave emerged into the sight in a short distance. The claw marks engraved into the stones and the large animal footprints clearly indicated that it was indeed the beasts’ lair. On the side of the chamber was a stream bubbling and she tilted her head in confusion. She’d never seen such a stream like this unless it was incorporated with some kind of chemicals. It was already suspicious enough to her, who knows what they might find out inside.

The young woman turned to Kazimir and nodded in confirmation as she inched towards the entrance, her ears peeled for any kinds of sounds. She’d expected some low growls, hinting that there would be more werewolves inside but what she heard was a human speaking, as if he was in desperate need of something. ”Blood serum?” she whispered, making sure she remained quiet enough so that their location wouldn’t be compromised.

”I think that’s what he’s using to turn the werewolves into those hideous creatures.” Snowflake battled with her thoughts whether they should go in or not. If they were to retreat back to their base, there might be a larger threat of these creatures and it would only mean worse. Curious, the woman peeked further, until she lost balance on her feet and fell right at the entrance.

”Who’s there?!” the man beckoned, evidently on alert.

And, she could only curse in dismay. ”Ah, shit.”

The worst just had to happen to her. But, as Kazimir said, there was practically no turning back after she just blew up their cover. The woman clicked her tongue at the roof of her mouth, clearly disappointed that a perfectionist like her would mess up a strategy as simple as this—not that they were following any schemes, but their plan was to discover their hideout and attack later with a precise strategy. Well, since that completely failed, they didn’t have any other choice but to deal with the problem right there and then.

”Sorry…”—was all she could manage out of her mouth as she climbed back onto her feet. For a woman who rarely concedes defeat or state her apology, that came out rather naturally. Preparing themselves, the two wizards had already travelled deep into the cave, but before they could go any deeper, they were greeted by the low snarl of the man who was responsible of mutating possibly all the wolves within the area. From the sound of his voice, it seemed that he might have mutated himself as well, into a creature of another world.

That was dark magic and illegal, and if he was caught, she was sure he would be taken into custody—she would make sure of that before he endangers anyone else’s lives again. Seeing his full transformation, the woman had to admit that she was shocked by the ability that was granted. She could see the silhouette altering into something that was beyond her imagination as the creature stood meters above her, muscles protruding out of its entire figure.

”What…” she found herself speechless, unable to form the words properly. ”…is that?” The creature had started charging towards them, its immensely long claws dragging across the hard ground. Behind them were more loud growling as she turned around to face the mutated wolves just like the one they had encountered before earlier in the woods. Inside the cave, they were trapped between the wolves and their boss. This was going to be a long night, she thought.

”Well, I don’t technically have an ice dome…” her words trailed off but it was too late. As if she read what Kazimir was planning to do, she rooted her weapon deep into the soil beneath them and held onto it as if she was holding on for dear life. The wind picked up around them furiously, her vision clouded by the sand and the dust that filled the vicinity she could hardly see what was going on, whilst she held onto the hilt of her weapon so as not to be blown away. Her heels dug into the ground, and even then, she struggled to withstand against the force of the gales.

Snowflake barely saw anything but when she regained her vision, a good portion of the wolf pack had been defeated. The hole in the ceiling of the cave informed her that the tornado that was casted earlier must have caused that. The enemy’s numbers decreased to their advantage, although the fight was still yet to be over. ”You handle the wolves, I’ll deal with this guy.” Without bothering to wait for a response from her partner, she began charging towards her enemy. It was a head on attack, but she knew she was fast for speed was her expertise, which was why it was good for her to handle one enemy at a time instead of the bigger numbers by herself.

With his brute force and size, Snowflake was aware that it would’ve been deadly for her if the beast was to land a hit on her. As long as she can get the hint of the attacks she can use her speed to her advantage, she reassured herself. At the snap of her fingers, icy mist emerged around her hands, gradually forming into ice chains that dangled around her waist. The chains as if coming to life attached itself onto the nearest body part of the best and clung onto him. In the midst of accelerating, her body lifted and the chains drew her closer to him but before she could reduce their distance completely, the beast grabbed the chains, snapping it in half.

The enemy was in control of her movements as he took hold of the chains and yanked her body towards him so hard that her body nearly jolted forward with such force that made her feel as if her petite body was being hauled around. Her legs wouldn’t do much in mid-air and it wasn’t until his fist came flying into her face.

Snowflake would’ve handled it fine, despite taking the blow due to her cloak acting as an armour and soaking in all the damage, but it seemed that Kazimir decided to come in for the rescue. Wings protruded behind his back as he flew towards her and held her while she was in mid-air, thrown back from the impact. Snowflake dangled from his grab as they chose to distance themselves from the scene and reposition themselves and began heading towards the hole through the cavern. It wasn’t until the remaining pack of the wolves took a grip onto his leg, taking him down to the ground, but using that to his advantage, the duelist was swung into the air. Briefly, she experienced a moment of bliss soaring through the sky before gravity pulled her towards the ground, wind blades cutting through her exposed skin as she came crashing down head first.

She outstretched her hand, casting a seal just a few meters before the ground to control her momentum without injuring herself. If she were to cast an area spell, it would’ve been risky considering her partner would be inside the spell as well, hence she had no other option but to get close to attack her enemies—not that she minded, for she was more reliant on her weapon than her offensive spells. The magic glyph that she had casted previously softened her land and without any hesitation, she hoisted her hand to create more glyphs around the boss enemy; one each on his left and right and another one above.

Her knees bent slightly, she shot forward to the closest seal and with the glyphs guiding her easily as well as his vision impaired from the shot that Kazimir had thrown, it was almost too fast for the naked eye to see and for her foe to catch up with her. Her lance pointed undeviating, she pierced through the take-over user as she leapt from seal to seal repeatedly until the enemy was rendered defeated. The body remained still at the end of her endless attacks before it dropped onto the ground as blood sept out of his wounds.

With the boss vanquished, the remaining wolves retreated slightly in its tracks and she could see that the creatures were smart enough to think their foes were stronger here, albeit it would be up to Kazimir’s decision whether he wanted to finish off the mutated wolves or not. Later, she reminded herself that after the fight, she wanted to thank him for cushioning her from the blow earlier and compliment him on his fast responses to aid her in battle. But, that’ll do after she saw him treated from his wounds after they return to the village.