For the first time in what felt like forever, Lucatiel experienced the physical sensation of waking up from a state resembling sleep. Her first thought on the matter was how nice it felt, followed swiftly by the confusion at having experienced it once again. Ever since she had become afflicted with the infernal Darksign, she had not felt a single pang of physical hunger nor thirst, and whenever she seemingly dozed off it was more akin to feverishly phasing in and out of consciousness than restful slumber.

As her piercing deep blue eyes took in her surroundings, she was mildly shocked to find no sign of Aldia's keep, instead laying under the shade of an old oak in the middle of a forest. In a flash, she had scrambled to her feet, instincts honed from previous experiences guiding her as she frantically scanned the ground nearby her. Her state of near-panic settled somewhat upon finding her sword in its sheath by her side, her shield slung onto her back and feeling the familiar weight of her hat and mask upon her head. Drawing her sword and holding it out before her, she focused her breathing until the blade was perfectly still, keeping her from hyperventilating at the prospect of having been displaced without her consent, only one thought raced through her head:

Where in the blazes am I?!

The dense woodland all around brought the Shaded Woods to mind, yet this place had a few key differences, lacking the impregnable mist that the former was notorious for alongside the bands of murderers and deserters who stalked those caught travelling through. Another difference was that where Shaded Woods was perennially silent as the grave, Lucatiel could hear the rustling of leaves in a faint breeze and birdsong all around. As she looked up through the forest canopy, she took note that judging by the position of the sun it looked to already be midday. As the sky would not be offering much aid in terms of navigation, she simply looked around and started off in the direction she spotted a clearing in.

As she neared the treeline, however, she heard a sound that seized her breath and chilled her to the bone. It was a sound that she would gladly go Hollow without ever hearing again, that spurred her to draw her sword, unsling her shield and charge into the clearing like a woman possessed.

The sound of children's screams, accompanied by wolf howls.

Her heart beat within her chest, a silent war drum she paced her strides with as she emerged into the edge of the clearing and kept running through it as though the Smelter Demon was on her heels, only to be brought to a grinding halt as she took in the bewildering scene before her eyes.

The monsters that had backed their prey-to-be against a lone tree were indeed wolf-like in appearance, but instead of flesh and fur, their bodies seemed to be composed solely of twigs, branches and leaves, yet they were nothing strange in comparison to what she had previously encountered in her trek through Drangleic. It was the sight of their prey, however, that caught her blindsided.

The three creatures at first glance looked like foals, but as she observed them she noticed differences between them and any other horse or pony she had ever laid eyes upon. For one, their eyes were gargantuan, even more so when compared to the size of their heads, the muzzles on which were far more flat than any other equines, giving them an almost human look. The legs looked far stockier than they should have been, and the pastel palette for their coat and mane colors told Lucatiel that these were no regular beasts of burden. That and they were the source of the screams for help.

As the strange equines huddled next to each other with their eyes shut tight, their voices seemingly having given out, one of the wooden wolves suddenly lunged at the trio, teeth bared and aiming for their throats, the unmoving ponies providing an unmissable target. So it was a great surprise for all involved parties when the deadwood lupine crashed into the ground a scant few feet short with a sword lodged deep into its neck, which the pristine blade cut through like cooled butter, severing the head and causing the body to break down before Lucatiel.

Ignoring the shocked gasps behind her, Lucatiel covered her left side with her shield and brought her sword arm across her chest, the tapered point of her blade leveled at the snarling timber-wolf in front of her. While shielding her from two lines of attack, assuming this stance had exposed her right side, which one of the wolves was quick to capitalize on, silently lunging for her right shoulder.

Just as she had planned.

Flicking her wrist to realign the blade, Lucatiel brought her sword to bear in a sweeping cut that relieved the timber-wolf of its jaw. The wooden beast stumbled and came to a stop, just in time for the remainder of its head to be crushed against the heel of the knightess' boot. Wasting no further thought for the disintegrating wolf, Lucatiel whirled around just in time to catch the third timber-wolf with a thrust that entered its fanged maw and exited through the back of its head.

Bracing her boot against the timber-wolf's head, Lucatiel pulled her sword free and turned to catch the last wolf's attack with her shield. As it turned out, she was an instant too late, the momentum of the lunge slamming into her and bowling her over. As she fell on her back, her sword slipping from her grasp, the back of her head struck a stone with a resounding crack, dazing her.

Eyes unfocused, Lucatiel frantically pushed on her shield with the failing strength of her arms, desperately keeping the wooden wolf from tearing her throat out even as every breath and heartbeat seemed to summon a new wave of pain from her head.

"Is this it, then? Is this my limit, the point I cannot surpass by any effort?" Lucatiel thought to herself, feeling a twinge of disappointment in herself. All the horrors of Drangleic combined had failed to stop her, yet it would be these altogether fairly mundane monstrosities that would get the better of her, in some random forest in the middle of nowhere. Still, she reflected, I suppose I did save those three, whatever they were. Forgive me Aslatiel, it seems I won't be able to keep my promise to you after all.

It was at then that Lucatiel heard shouting through the ringing in her ears, right after which the weight pressing down on her vanished as the last timber-wolf was sent flying by the strike of a magenta-colored burst of light. Freed from the strain of defense, her arms went limp and Lucatiel released a shuddering breath, feeling the warmth of blood trickling down the back of her skull. As she kept gazing at the open sky above her, her vision was suddenly engulfed in canary yellow blur with a massive set of teal eyes staring into her own with what seemed to be concern as she faded from consciousness.

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed this first chapter of what will hopefully be a long story.