Desperate times call for desperate measures.

In the heart of the forest, the whisper of the cold wind made the last golden leaves dance, creating a melancholic but captivating spectacle. The trees prepared for the approaching winter, leaving behind the vestiges of autumn in a whirlwind of colors and memories. The calm of nature seemed to herald a period of rest and renewal, where the forest prepared to be reborn under a blanket of shimmering snow.

To the south of the cursed forest, very far from any "human" civilization, a large fortress had been newly built there, fenced in solid wood. It opened onto a large space capable of accommodating several thousand inhabitants. It had a hexagonal shape, so that on each of its sides, a very high observation tower had been placed. In each of these towers, there were a minimum of three soldiers, two archers and an observer, sometimes a messenger, who reported on the abnormal behavior of the surrounding creatures.

And as expected, no major attacks were reported in the days following the completion of the fortress' construction, as potentially dangerous creatures in the area had been effectively eliminated or driven back. All the "lookouts" in the towers had been strictly ordered to kill any creature suspected of being aggressive or that could represent any form of hostility. No beast or monster survived under the barrage of arrows coming from the watchers posted in the towers. However, if a monster managed to resist the arrows, a group of four awakened ones would quickly deal with it before the situation became too problematic.

The doors of the fortress opened again, revealing a young woman dressed in full armor, from head to toe. His armor was astonishingly sophisticated, neither too imposing nor too thin, but strangely effective. Her silver hair waved as the winter breeze gently caressed her brown skin.

The young woman moved forward with grace and determination, her imposing silhouette contrasting with the delicacy of her movements. His impassive face showed nothing of his deep thoughts. His crimson eyes seemed capable of piercing the darkest mysteries of the universe. Nothing escaped him, every detail was analyzed with surgical precision. She advanced, carrying her large halberd on her shoulder, her graceful gait attracted the curious glances of the young men who held back hard from whistling at the sight of this attractive spectacle which took place right in front of them.

But still... A grotesque hiss was heard.

Everyone turned around, looking for the source of the noise, and immediately noticed Seth, the leader of the cleaning crew sitting near a small table with other young men in the same age range as him, a large bowl and four other small containers of a strange liquid which they brought back to their mouths from time to time.

Noticing these young gentlemen lounging around to the point of taking such a risk of whistling at such a Warrior, they knew that they really no longer had their wits about them.

"Hmm, give some kids some alcohol, they'll think they're man enough to whistle behind the ladies" Dahlia said as she slammed the handle of her halberd violently into the ground. She calmly walked over to him and grabbed him by the collar and lifted him as high as she was.

"You need a lot to make yourself into a man, little brat" she had mocked, seeing the frail young man trembling under her influence.

"If you weren't the master's pet, my fists would have made you a male worthy of the name"

An ironic smile appeared on his lips, Seth looked away from the valiant huntress, perhaps because his mouth already reeked of alcohol, he was apparently embarrassed that their faces were so close...

"Oh, really? Is that why you stopped playing the sweet and kind woman? You saw how the master appreciates the valiant and muscular Yadha, don't tell me that he has already conquered her? Your place? That of the darling, obviously!" he replied, widening his smile.

"Ah yes, I almost forgot, it never belonged to you"

Dahlia looked at him coldly, an avalanche of emotions had hit him, everything that came to his mind was only... pity, his tender heart could not bear to commit such a crime "he is still young" she reassured herself.

"Let's just blame it on the alcohol, boy," she said, setting it down gently, "I hope you forget what you just said soon, because right now I'm holding back to crush your bones"

So she turned and walked away, leaving her halberd still stuck in the ground, right in the middle of the road. The crowd was in awe of such a monster. It was tall and wide, its two sharp sides stained with the red blood of a panther, a variant monster that had ventured near the fortress following the enticing scent of the fortress' demi-humans. Due to his agility and great resistance, arrows quickly proved ineffective against him. So, they quickly called upon the awakened Dahlia, the strongest who was available during the Patriarchs' absence. It didn't take her long to take care of a single variant monster; it was a real spectacle for the inhabitants of the fortress to contemplate through the cracks in the walls such a fight with this weapon which could easily cut through its skin and bones, renowned for their hardness.

So the panther, even before it reached the edge of the fortress, had been carefully taken care of by the hard work to protect it. Dahlia had fallen into a chair, her body was accumulating fatigue, night was approaching and it was at this time when the attacks of these abominations became more frequent. She would have liked to spend more time training her affinity with the element of fire, but she was constantly asked to deal with these monsters here and there, no longer having time for full concentration. and all the greatest fire mages already accompany their master in the operation.

"I miss him…" she whispered softly.

"I wonder what he's doing right now."