First Encounter

"Jasmine! Wake up!" Eris's voice cut sharply through the early morning. Her tone was urgent.

"Mhmmm," Jasmine mumbled, burying her face deeper into the pillow. She stretched lazily before finally opening her eyes.

"Seriously, Jasmine, get up! We need to move now!" Eris was already dressed. "There are some weird noises outside, and I think they're getting closer."

Jasmine's eyes flew open at that, her heart skipping a beat as her sleep-addled mind struggled to process the words. "What do you mean? What kind of noises?"

Eris continued packing as she explained, "I don't know what it is, but it's certainly not human. Maybe it's a weird bear or something. Anyway, let's get going." she asked in panic as she flung the blanket aside and scrambled to find her clothes.

The moment they were ready, they slipped outside, and sunlight filtered through the trees as they headed toward the forest. Everything looked normal.

For a few minutes, the only sound was the crunch of leaves beneath their boots, the forest around them unnervingly still. Then, without warning, Eris stopped suddenly. "Wait," she said quietly, holding out her hand. Jasmine froze, looking around nervously.

"Do you hear that?" she whispered. "I hear someone coming."

"Where?" Jasmine asked, freezing mid-step. She turned around quickly. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

"There." Eris pointed into the woods.

Jasmine squinted her eyes, trying to see better. Something moved. She saw it again. A figure.

"What the—"

An enormous beast appeared, rushing towards them at high speed. Its claws tore through the ground, sending dirt flying everywhere. Its massive size made it impossible to miss. But it wasn't just some forest creature. It had to have come from somewhere else. From its pores, it oozed some nasty goo. Its tentacles swayed dangerously behind it.

It charged towards them with a roar, but Eris and Jasmine both reacted fast.

"Oh, crap!" she yelped. "That thing's huge!"

As the creature got closer, Jasmine thrust her hand upwards, summoning a swirling ball of fire that flickered and hissed between her fingers. It crackled loudly, filling the air with the scent of burning leaves and grass.

She focused her gaze on the approaching beast, sending it hurtling through the air in a blazing arc toward her target.

The fireball exploded on impact, engulfing the creature in flames. It screamed in agony, stumbling backward. But it didn't give up. Instead, it turned and ran.

"We should go after it!" Jasmine exclaimed.

They ran after the creature, chasing it through the woods. The beast had some good momentum, but Eris and Jasmine caught up easily.

With her eyes firmly focused ahead, Eris jumped up and landed on its back. She threw herself forward and sank her two horns deep into the creature's shoulder.

Her attack enraged it, causing it to roar and thrash violently. Jasmine seized the opportunity, rushing up beside it and punching it in the stomach with all her might.

The creature was thrown off-balance, tumbling backward, slamming into the ground, and coming to a halt. Immediately, Jasmine conjured another fireball and hurled it at the creature. This time, it was engulfed by a blast of pure fury and hellfire, sending flaming chunks of flesh flying in every direction. Its corpse sizzled and melted, reduced to little more than ash.

"Gotcha," Jasmine cackled.

Eris brushed her hands clean as Jasmine backed away from the stench. "Ugh."

"That wasn't an animal or a demon, was it?"

"No," Eris responded, stepping forward. "And I'd wager it has more of its buddies out there. It seems otherworldly. How did this creature go unnoticed for so long? Was it in hiding? Either way, it poses a serious threat. Jasmine, it looks like we might have some work to do."

"It is a little harder to do some proper research on this thing when we're hiding ourselves. Can't really go around asking people or without people running away or fighting us on sight," Jasmine grimaced.

"True. We need information fast," Eris continued, glancing at the corpses around them. "Let's go back for now. If there's more coming, we'll look for where they originate from. Otherwise, we won't know what we're looking for or where."

Jasmine nodded.

***

"Y-you actually killed all these monsters yourself!?" one soldier asked in disbelief. "Unbelievable! That's incredible."

Another nodded. "This girl isn't a hero, she's a damn miracle worker!" he added. "W-who did you say you were?"

"She's the got damn descendant of the hero," one of them called out, and Alice grinned, flipping her blonde hair.

The crowd of soldiers began talking amongst themselves, and Alice was able to catch a few phrases here and there. She knew what they were thinking. "Hero" and "Descendant" were like a badge of honor and reputation for her. She was proud to be associated with such titles.

"See, what did I tell you?" she chuckled to herself, a cocky grin plastered on her face. "Never doubt Alice Sinclair." She looked into the horizon. "Athainia is close. There's gotta be a lot more of these monsters there," she looked back at the soldiers and general. "Just focus on rescuing as many people as possible. I am on a journey to form a party strong enough to rival Arthur's! So I have some matters to attend."

"Well then..." the general's expression darkened, worry creasing his features. "Good luck. Do not underestimate them. Be careful."

"Will do, mister General," Alice chuckled. "And besides. They ain't got shit against my bloodline." Alice skipped off, swinging her blade as she headed west on her horse. "Just you wait."