The A day’s distance might not be enough; still, echoes in her ears, while in her mind flash images of her village. She was home beside her neighbors’, and everyone gathered in the village square to celebrate or give thanks to the gods for something —such as a good harvest, the birth of a new child, or any one of the other good occasions.
And now all of that is at risk, threatened by something she had never even heard of before.
So the pleasant images are replaced by scenes of monsters pouring out of ruins, passing through her village, killing and destroying. This is what crosses her mind, but she can´t let desperation win.
“What can we do?” she asks, with a strange calm she herself cannot understand.
The young man blinks, staring at her seriously before answering dryly:
“We can…?”
Pointing a finger at her, he continues:
“You… You can go warn them. And then you all—villagers—can try to run away.”
Of course, he is stating the obvious. What else could she do? But still, she asks him:
“Can’t you do anything?”
“Me!? What do you think? You think I’m going to clear out the Twin Peaks on my own?” he mutters, shaking his head in disbelief.
Hearing this disheartens her, but it also drives her to question him:
“What do you mean by ‘clear out the Twin Peaks’?”
He blinks lightly before replying:
“It means you gather a group of idiots, go into a ruin, and start slaughtering monsters. Preferably killing all those near the entrance.”
He pauses, wearing an arrogant expression as though what he is saying should be obvious to anyone, then goes on:
“If all the monsters are dead, they can’t leave the ruin. So there’s no outbreak.”
These words lift her spirits—it’s a way her village might avoid any danger and survive.
“Really?” she asks, hope in her voice.
He, however, hesitates, staring at her heavily before replying with an expression that almost seems suspicious:
“Of course. If the outbreak hasn’t started yet, it’s a simple, sensible plan. It lets you deal with the monsters in one place instead of chasing them while they spread chaos and destruction.”
And with that, she sees a path forward: gather people and go face the Towers—or, as he calls them, the Twin Peaks.
But before her thoughts can shape into plans, his voice cuts in again:
“Well… It’s a good plan if you have capable people. If you gather a bunch of inexperienced fools… the ones who’ll get slaughtered will be them.”
Her ideas crumble at once. Where would they ever find people experienced in fighting monsters?
Her eyes fall on the figure before her—the adventuring mage who had just discovered and fought the Old Hag with ease, and who is now warning her of this possible outbreak. Who better to handle the problem?
If she could convince him to come to her village, perhaps the situation could be solved.
“My lord…” she begins, trying to be as polite as she can, unwilling to let this chance slip away.
But as soon as she speaks, she is cut off by a resounding:
“No!”
The sound is sharp enough to provoke movement from the creature, which until now had been passive before the skeletons. They, in turn, react instantly to their prey.
Yet, though she keeps half an eye on that strange trio, her attention is fixed on the young man before her.
“Girl, don’t even think about convincing me to step into that ruin. I plan to live a long life—and with some luck, even a happy one,” he says, his frustration with the situation plain.
As she prepares to ask him why, he speaks again:
“Like I already said, that ruin is mostly suited for fighters—which I’m not…” he exclaims, pointing at himself with his thumb.
“And going in there alone, without support—and in my case, without any equipment at all…” he goes on, gesturing to his worn clothes. And truly, she realizes, he doesn’t seem equipped for such a task.
But the thought of him having to go alone doesn’t sit right with her. Her gaze drifts toward the two skeletons guarding the Old Hag.
“Smart girl!” he exclaims, clearly exasperated, making her look back at him.
He tilts his head slightly, sighs, and gestures at the skeletons:
“Those two couldn’t even handle her properly. What do you think they’d do against something more serious?”
“But…” she tries again, desperate to find some way to save her village.
Only to be interrupted once more:
“But what!!? The risk isn’t worth it to me.”
He sighs again, this time more gently, before continuing:
“Look, the best and safest option is for your village to leave and find a place with at least halfway decent walls. Even wooden palisades would do.”
Seeing no other choice, she accepts his suggestion with a nod. She prepares to head back to her village, but as the renewed shrieks of the creatures rise, she remembers to ask:
“What will you do with her?”
He shrugs lightly and says:
“Well, she’s not the only one with an interest in hearts.”
She stares at him, in incomprehension, until he nods toward the trio and explains:
“The heart of an Old Hag is supposed to be a valuable alchemy ingredient. So I’ll see if these skeletons can fetch me one. If not, I’ll see if I can convince one of the idiots to cut it out for me.”
The casual way he says such a thing leaves her speechless. The young man, however, seems to remember something and raises a hand above his head, invoking:
“The last light of magic.”
A ball of light forms in his outstretched palm and rises, illuminating the surrounding area.
As if taking her silence as a question about what he’s doing, he explains:
“I’m letting the idiots I was with know where I am. So they’ll come here.”
At the same time, the creature that had tried to kill her lets out something like a scream at the sight of the light and tries to retreat.
But the skeletons move, forcing it to choose between the light and their blades.
Bathed in the mage’s magical light, she feels even more foolish for having believed the creature was Widow Grapton. Now it is plain to see this being is not human.
But still, hearing someone calmly planning to cut out its heart does not sit well with her. After all, the creature has many human features. Yet she doesn’t know how to argue such a thing with the young man.
So she decides it is best to return to her village. She turns back to him to take her leave in the most respectful way possible. Since she doesn’t know the name of so powerful a person, she begins with:
“My lord…”
Only to be interrupted once more by a firm:
“Already told you not to ask. So don't waste your time.”
Realizing he has misunderstood her, she decides not to correct him and simply says:
“I'll be going home, then.”
He acknowledges this with a nod and waves his hand in farewell.
And with that, without another word, she turns and heads back to her village—carrying with her terrible news.
As she walks away, she hears behind her a soft:
“Damn it!!!”
Followed by the mage’s voice declaring:
“Look, if you find people crazy enough to try…”
She turns to see him letting out a frustrated sigh before continuing:
“…make sure there are at least ten of them… capable warriors… competent at working together.”
“If you find them… they tend to repeat the maps…” he adds, a comment that leaves her wondering what exactly he means by that.
“As such… the entrance to the ruins should be in the more ruined tower. And the best strategy will be to advance to the first room with three entrances and then…” he keeps talking until she realizes he is giving her potentially very valuable advice for anyone who might attempt to enter the Towers.
“… they should fortify their position there. And be very patient, waiting for the monsters to come to them. If they do that, they’ll have a decent chance of success.”
When she finally recognizes the opportunity she’s being given and prepares to ask some questions—like how she might recruit someone to venture into the ruins—
A loud screech echoes as the Old Hag takes advantage of the distraction to lunge at the mage.
Unfortunately for her, the boy reacts in time, dodging the attack while grumbling:
“Even the skeletons are asleep.”
The skeletons in question then seize the moment to strike the creature from behind, knocking it to the ground.
“Go on, looks like I’ll be busy for a while,” he says without even turning toward her.
Guessing what is about to happen. She follows his advice and returns to her village.
Running once again this night. Still with some sadness and also with a new desperation, a new fear. But, with some hope that things might yet lead to a salvation from danger that she and her people never knew.
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