The Misty Forest

The Misty Forest, few places have a more apt name. Many travelers lost their way trying to traverse the thick blanket of white fog that envelops the woods most hours of the day. Only the ignorant, stubborn, or fools would even think about setting a single foot outside the lantern-lit road while crossing such a confusing place.

One such woman was wandering across the forest. "Damn, this cape covers nothing," Min complained, trying to wrap her cloak, the only piece of clothing she had, around her slender body. "Where even am I? I really should have asked Touly for directions back to town. Ack!"

With such a heavy blanket of mist, Min couldn't even see her feet or the root that tripped them. She stumbled headfirst into the dirt road, her cape riding up her back. With her derriere aiming high in the air, Min whined. "Owwww… at least no one saw me fall this time…"

A powerful gust of wind blew the fog out of Min's surroundings. To her surprise, she had wandered into a quaint village next to the forest's entrance. Woodworkers, peddlers, and peasants stared at her, for she was in the middle of the town.

"Of course, why do I open my mouth?"

Some of the townspeople were snickering at her misfortune, others gasping at the indecent sight of a naked foreigner that appeared in their midst. Why did everyone act like that around Min? It can't be that funny to watch her fumble around, can it?

Min needed to act tough! To make it seem like it did not bother her! That would shut them up. With a hot blush coloring her cheeks, Min stood up. Her knees pointed inwards, her cape heroically flowed with the wind and did nothing to cover her pale backside. Moving her hands away from her rosy nipples to put them over her waist, Min tried to address the town.

"H-hi everyone. I'm Min, the Adven-Oh, screw it!"

Yep, this did bother Min. It bothered her a lot. The naked woman tried to retrace her steps and flee but only succeeded in tripping over the same root as before, landing in the same position with her butt aiming at the sun. The townsfolk began full-on cackling at the jester's routine she was putting on.

"Over here, knight." A door opened next to Min and she crawled inside to take refuge. She entered a small stone hovel inhabited by two people, a tall woman with wild chestnut hair and a run-out-the-mill boy slowly stirring a cooking pot.

"T-thanks!" Min breathed a sigh of relief. The door closed behind her and she sat against it to compose herself a bit. She was no longer the town's laughingstock ...for the time being.

"Don't sweat it, knight. I, too, have run afoul of the fairies' vile trickery. Honestly, you are a sight for sore eyes. I thought the Order abandoned us!"

"Err, not that I´m complaining, but why are you calling me a knight? I´m not exactly dressed in shining armor."

"Well, you got this weird air about you, like you are a veteran adventurer or something. And besides, you are wearing the Order's cape, even if it's the only thing the fairies let you keep."

"Ahh, y-yes, that´s me! A member of the Order of the Shriveled Rose or something..." Min closed her eyes. Better people thought she was an ambushed knight than an incompetent adventurer. It´s not like Touly and her Order would mind, right?

Wait, this whole situation thing rang a bell. Min remembered Touly mentioning something about fairies defeating a squad of knights in some sort of misty forest. Coincidence? Probably not.

"So, erm, where are your reinforcements? Are you going to take on the fairies alone?" the woman asked.

Take on the fairies?! If a whole squad of knights couldn't handle them, how could she?

Because she was a magical adventurer from another world, that's how! She already had a couple of quests under her belt, as ignominious as they ended up being. She had yet to know all the knots, but she at least knew the ropes of this adventuring business.

Time for her first big solo adventure! This could be the chance to start turning her reputation from a naked loser to the great heroine she was destined to become!

Min subtly crossed her arms over her chest, trying to appear pensive when in reality she was attempting to cover up her breasts. Neither of the hut's occupants were ogling her, but still.

"I am all you are going to need, I assure you." Min beamed a confident smile.

"Really? Thank you! It's finally time someone took care of that winged menace. Everyone else says that we should get used to them. Bah! I know they too are tired of having to endure the childish pranks of the fae folk. They are just too afraid to say so!"

"Don't mind my sister," The boy finally spoke up, slurping a taste of his soup. "She is just mad because the fairies won't let her hunt anymore. They are quite the nature lovers, so you can imagine who their favorite target in the town is."

Huh, Min didn't notice before, but the hovel was filled with arrows, bear traps, snares… the instruments of a hunter.

"Well, excuse me for trying to do my trade. I know you are as tired as I am of eating mushroom stew," the woman snapped back.

"Well, in any case, we can't let the fairies keep doing whatever they want," Min said. "I´ll stop them, but to take them down, I need information. Can you tell me what happened to the other knights?"

"Of course, it's a well-known story around here..."