A wide clearing stretched before the mouth of a cavern, carved into the side of a rocky hill. Snow blanketed the ground in uneven layers, piled thick from days of relentless winter.
Near the entrance, a group of goblins worked tirelessly.
Primitive wooden shovels scraped against packed snow, their movements slow and inefficient. Each scoop took effort. Each step dragged.
But they kept going.
They had to.
Inside the cavern, the scene was no better.
Dim firelight flickered weakly against the stone walls as female goblins gathered around the young. Small bodies were wrapped in layers of thick fur, huddled together for warmth.
Even then... it wasn't enough.
The children trembled uncontrollably.
Their breaths were shallow.
Their skin pale.
This wasn't just exhaustion.
They were dying.
And yet—
There was familiarity in how the adults moved.
Careful.
Measured.
Experienced.
They had endured winters before.
But this time...
Something was wrong.
Their expressions said it all.
Grim.
Heavy.
Hopeless.
---
A figure approached from the deeper end of the cavern.
A male goblin, larger than the rest. His frame bordered that of a hobgoblin, though not quite. His body bore scars—old battles etched into his skin.
A hunter. A rusty spear rested in his hand as he stepped closer to the group tending the children.
"How are they doing?" he asked quietly.
One of the women stood, her expression tight with worry.
"Not good..." she said, her voice strained. "They're all so weak. It's a miracle they're still alive."
She suddenly flinched.
Her hand shot to her head.
"A-are you okay?" he rushed forward, catching her before she could collapse.
She steadied herself in his arms... then gave a small, stubborn smile.
"I'm fine. Don't worry." She looked up at him. "I'm not that weak, you know."
The scarred warrior looked away, sighing in acceptance.
"Easy for you to say," he muttered.
She chuckled softly... then turned her gaze toward the cavern entrance.
"Did she return yet?"
He followed her line of sight.
"No."
A pause.
"...Hopefully she's not in danger."
Her eyes shifted back to the children.
Her jaw tightened.
"Why... must we suffer like this?" she whispered. "Is there no end to it?"
The warrior stepped closer, pulling her gently into an embrace.
"Don't worry," he said quietly. "Have faith. Our lord will never abandon us."
She exhaled slowly.
Then pushed him back.
"Go," she said firmly. "Don't leave your team unguarded."
He shrugged lightly.
"It's almost daytime. Nothing roams around at this time—"
"That doesn't matter."
She shoved him toward the exit.
"Go do your job!"
He let out a small sigh... but obeyed.
---
"STEP BACK!"
The shout tore through the air outside.
Desperate.
Panicked.
The warrior's expression snapped into focus.
Without hesitation, he sprinted forward.
Behind him, the woman's eyes widened. She grabbed a slingshot from the ground.
"DON'T COME OUTSIDE!" she shouted toward the others.
Then she ran after him.
---
Outside—
The workers had frozen.
What stood before them...
Was a nightmare made flesh.
A massive beast loomed in the clearing.
Its body resembled that of a tiger, yet far larger—its size rivaling that of an elephant. Thick golden fur rippled across its muscular frame, streaked with darker patterns. Its eyes burned with a predatory intelligence, sharp and merciless like a lion's.
And from its jaws—
Two enormous tusks curved outward, ivory blades that gleamed faintly beneath the pale light.
A Saber Tusk.
The creature exhaled.
A low growl followed.
Then—
It roared.
The sound crashed through the clearing like a physical force.
Snow lifted from the ground.
The air trembled.
Several goblins staggered, some collapsing to their knees under the sheer pressure.
Fear spread instantly.
But instinct took over.
The workers dropped their shovels.
Hands reached for crude weapons—stone-tipped spears, heavy wooden clubs.
They formed a loose line.
Shaking.
But standing.
---
The scarred warrior stepped forward.
His eyes locked onto the beast.
"...A Saber Tusk..."
His grip tightened.
Then he turned sharply.
"GO!" he barked toward the woman behind him. "GET THE OTHERS AND RUN! THIS IS TOO DANGEROUS!"
She hesitated.
Her fists clenched.
Every instinct told her to stay.
To fight.
But—
"...Damn it..."
She turned and ran.
---
Inside the cavern—
"EVERYONE! HURRY! WE HAVE TO LEAVE!"
The goblins froze.
Panic spread instantly.
But their bodies didn't move.
They couldn't.
Too weak.
Too exhausted.
Too cold.
Her eyes darted around desperately—
Then she saw it.
The fire.
Barely alive.
Struggling.
She rushed forward and grabbed a handful of burning charcoal.
The moment it touched her skin—
Pain exploded through her hand.
Her body trembled violently.
The sudden heat against her freezing flesh burned deeper than it should have.
Her breath hitched.
But she didn't let go.
Her regeneration barely kept up, flesh repairing as it burned.
"Stay warm!" she shouted. "Don't move until I come back!"
Then she ran.
---
Outside—
The battle had already begun.
The Saber Tusk lunged.
A blur of muscle and force.
One goblin didn't even react in time.
The beast's tusk tore straight through his torso, lifting him off the ground before flinging him aside like broken debris.
Another charged from the flank—
A claw swept across him.
Bone shattered.
He was thrown into the snow, unmoving.
The others struck back.
Spears collided against thick fur and muscle—
Barely penetrating.
Clubs slammed into its legs, its sides—
Enough to annoy.
Enough to draw its attention.
But not enough to stop it.
The scarred warrior moved.
Fast.
Precise.
He didn't attack blindly.
He aimed.
Eyes.
Joints.
Under the jaw.
He darted in, thrusting his spear toward its side—
The tip sank just enough to draw blood.
The beast snarled and snapped toward him.
He twisted away just in time.
Again.
And again.
He moved like something beyond a goblin.
Closer to a hobgoblin in both instinct and skill.
But—
It wasn't enough.
The gap was too wide.
The Saber Tusk adapted.
Its movements sharpened.
Faster.
Deadlier.
Then—
It struck.
A massive paw swung sideways.
He raised his spear—
Too slow.
The impact landed.
A crushing force slammed into his body.
The world spun.
His spear flew from his hands as he was launched backward—
Straight into a boulder.
CRACK.
His body collapsed.
Bones broken.
Breath gone.
He couldn't move.
---
The beast turned.
Its gaze locked onto him.
The real threat.
It stepped forward slowly.
Deliberately.
Each step sinking into the snow.
Closing the distance.
He tried to move.
His body refused.
Pain flooded everything.
His vision blurred.
"...Damn it..."
It loomed over him.
Jaw opening.
Ready to devour—
---
A sharp impact struck its face.
The beast recoiled violently.
A shriek tore from its throat.
Smoke rose from its eye.
Burning.
It staggered, thrashing, pressing its face into the snow to kill the heat.
Then it looked up—
Furious.
Its right eye scorched.
Already... regenerating.
---
Standing across the clearing—
She aimed again.
The female goblin.
Her hand trembling.
Her slingshot drawn tight.
Another piece of burning charcoal loaded.
Her eyes never wavered.
She released.
The projectile shot forward—
Striking directly into the already burned eye.
The beast howled again.
---
"GO BACK!" the warrior shouted weakly. "RUN!"
She didn't even look at him.
"WE CAN'T!" she yelled back. "THEY CAN'T EVEN STAND!"
His body trembled.
He tried to speak—
Blood filled his throat.
His vision darkened.
The last thing he saw—
Was her.
Standing there.
Alone.
Facing the monster.
Still aiming.
Still fighting.
"...G-get away..." he whispered.
Then—
Darkness swallowed him whole.
...
The beast roared at the girl.
A guttural, violent sound that shook the air itself.
Steam rose from its body as it dragged its face against the snow, trying to cool the burning charcoal embedded into its flesh. The frost hissed and melted on contact, turning into thin trails of vapor.
Its massive saber-like fangs trembled as it straightened its back, muscles coiling like drawn steel.
Ready to strike.
Then—
A surge.
A violent wave of energy erupted from its body, spreading across the clearing like an invisible shockwave.
The air froze.
The goblins staggered.
Some dropped to their knees instantly.
Others couldn't even breathe.
Its eyes gleamed with raw bloodlust as they locked onto the female goblin.
The one holding the slingshot.
Her entire body trembled.
Her fingers tightened desperately around the worn grip. Her arms shook. Her breath came in broken fragments.
Tears welled up in her eyes as fear clawed at her chest—
But she didn't run.
She couldn't.
With the last fragments of her strength...
She loaded every remaining piece of burning charcoal.
And fired.
The shots tore through the air.
One after another—
Striking the beast's face.
Its already-damaged eye.
Its exposed flesh.
The impact sent sparks and embers scattering.
The beast screamed.
But pain didn't weaken it.
It fed it.
Its rage deepened.
Every goblin had fled.
Every weakling had escaped.
Because of her.
The beast roared again—louder, deeper—and swung its massive paw forward.
A killing blow.
The world slowed.
The girl's vision blurred.
Sound faded.
All that remained... was the approaching end.
If only...
If only she had done more...
If only she had taken them farther away...
At least they would've lived.
But now—
Some were dead.
Some were broken.
And she—
Was still here.
Was it her fault?
The thought echoed, hollow and sharp.
She closed her eyes.
Braced herself.
Ready to be crushed into nothing.
Then—
...
Nothing happened.
Silence.
Her eyes trembled open.
And there—
Standing before her—
Was a figure she both recognized...
And didn't.
"Is that... you...?"
The words slipped out, fragile and uncertain.
A tall figure stood between her and the beast.
A female goblin.
No—
Something more.
Clad in warrior's attire.
A silver blade rested in her hand, its surface faintly humming with an ominous presence. Pink hair flowed in the cold wind, strands dancing like flickers of flame.
A mask covered her face.
Emotionless.
Unreadable.
Her gaze, however—
Pierced straight into the beast's soul.
It was her.
Haruna.
With one hand—
She had stopped the beast's massive paw.
Effortlessly.
Her fingers tightened.
Then twisted.
A sickening crack split the air as bone crushed under her grip, blood spilling from the monster's limb.
The beast howled.
Its berserk state left it wide open.
Haruna moved.
She threw the beast's paw aside—
And in the same instant—
A burst of wind exploded beneath her feet.
Snow scattered violently as she launched herself upward.
Mid-air—
Another burst.
Faster.
Sharper.
She flipped the blade in both hands—
And descended.
Like a falling star.
The beast barely reacted—
Too late.
The blade pierced straight through its skull.
Clean.
Effortless.
Like a blade through water.
Haruna landed lightly.
A soft step against the snow.
Behind her—
The beast's head slid free.
And fell with a loud thud.
Silence followed.
Only the faint sound of wind brushing against the blood-stained snow remained.
Haruna flicked her blade once, sending droplets scattering into the white.
Then she turned.
Her gaze softened as it landed on the girl.
She walked toward her slowly.
"Are you okay?" she asked, removing her mask.
The moment her face was revealed—
Recognition struck instantly.
The girl's eyes widened.
Then—
She ran forward.
And wrapped her arms around her.
Tightly.
Desperately.
Haruna paused.
Then gently returned the embrace.
Careful.
Warm.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered softly. "I was too late."
Her voice carried quiet regret.
And this time—
Even her hardened heart faltered.
A tear slipped free.
Unhidden.
Unrestrained.
Outside the cavern, the other goblins slowly began to emerge.
At first, cautiously.
Then—
In disbelief.
The massive corpse.
The severed head.
And then—
The truth.
Some had fallen.
Others were barely holding on.
The cost was written clearly across the snow.
Haruna looked over them.
Her expression dimmed.
A quiet sigh left her lips.
Then—
Movement.
From the forest.
Two figures emerged.
Haruto.
Hana.
They rushed forward, eyes scanning the aftermath.
Even without words—
The story was clear.
Haruna, still holding her friend close, raised a hand.
"Lord Haruto, I'm here!"
They reached her quickly.
Haruto's gaze moved across the camp.
The injured.
The dead.
The weak.
His expression tightened.
"...Are you okay?" he asked.
Haruna nodded.
"I am unharmed. But..."
Her eyes shifted.
He followed them.
And understood.
This was worse than expected. Far worse.
Then—
He felt it.
A shift.
His head turned sharply.
Eyes narrowing.
Haruna felt it too.
"...Are there more?" she asked quietly.
Haruto nodded.
"I'll handle it."
His voice was calm.
Certain.
He looked at her.
"You stabilize things here."
Then he turned slightly.
"Hana—"
"Say less," she cut in immediately. "I'll start a fire."
With a simple nod, Haruto rushed into the forest.
Seeing his departing figure, Hana was slightly at unease. But she knew it couldn't be anything too dangerous for him to handle. And if something happens, he would simply retreat.
But...
Their first concern was this small goblin tribe.
Hana decided to shift her priorities,
at least for now.
...