Hemsberg was a small, unremarkable town on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Oriaet, a modest nation nestled deep in the cradle of a sprawling mountain range. Its location, buried in the shadow of the towering peaks, had saved it from the greedy eyes of neighboring kingdoms—too much effort for too little reward. The only excitement the villagers typically saw came in the form of the occasional goblin raid, swiftly dealt with by local guards. Life, for the most part, was peaceful and predictable.
That peace was shattered during the Lunar New Year festival three days prior when the heavens opened up, and a streak of fire crossed the night sky. Half the kingdom bore witness to the spectacle, believing that a fragment of a comet had descended from the stars, crashing somewhere within their lands.
The entire town had felt the impact; the ground beneath Hemsberg trembled as if awakening from a long slumber. Word spread rapidly, and soon half the population was scouring the dense forest at the base of the mountains, desperate to locate where the mysterious object had fallen. The town's inhabitants knew better than to let this information reach outsiders. If word of the comet’s fall spread beyond their borders, nobles, soldiers, and commoners alike would flock to the town, seizing whatever reward might be gained from the discovery.
Vern and Geran were not men of virtue. Petty criminals by trade, they saw an opportunity in the chaos. Like many others, they ventured into the forest, but they had no intention of sharing any discovery with the town. Their only goal was to find whatever had fallen, claim the glory, and secure a reward from the king—a reward that would set them up for a life of ease far from the dreariness of Hemsberg.
"Say, Vern, you think we should be heading toward the center of the forest? Seems like everyone else is goin' that way," Geran muttered as they trudged through the dense undergrowth.
Vern, ever the more cunning of the two, shook his head. "Nah, if it landed in the center, we'd have seen something by now. I'm betting it came down closer to the mountain. Trust me on this one."
Geran shrugged, deferring to his brother’s judgment. "Yeah, guess you're right. You usually are."
The sun had climbed high in the sky, casting long shadows through the forest canopy. The further they ventured, the quieter the woods became, the sounds of wildlife fading into an eerie stillness. As they moved closer to the mountain’s base, Vern noticed the trees around them bore strange marks—deep gashes and twisted branches, as if something had violently torn through the landscape.
"Oye! Look over there!" Vern pointed excitedly, breaking into a jog toward the damaged trees. The forest in this area was scarred, the trunks of several trees bent and splintered as though something massive had crashed through them.
Geran's face lit up with excitement. "You were right, Vern! We're gonna be rich!"
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The brothers pushed through the debris, their anticipation growing with each step. As they entered a small clearing, they found themselves staring at a shallow crater. At its center, lying motionless amidst a pool of dark, inky liquid, was a young woman.
Her appearance was otherworldly. Shoulder-length white hair framed her face, and her flawless, porcelain skin seemed almost luminous in the dappled sunlight. She looked young, though her exact age was impossible to discern. The inky substance surrounding her was thick, darker than the deepest night, and it clung to the ground as if alive, pulsing with a strange rhythm.
Vern’s instincts screamed danger. His rough features, worn from years of living on the edge of legality, hardened as his gaze flicked between the woman and the strange liquid. He’d always been cautious when it came to the supernatural; more than a few fools had met their end by meddling with things they didn’t understand.
Geran, however, was less concerned. He stared at the young woman with wide eyes, his curiosity piqued. His unruly hair fell into his face as he leaned closer to the inky pool, a crooked grin tugging at his lips. "What d'you think this stuff is, Vern?"
Vern’s eyes narrowed, scanning the woman more carefully. There was something about her that felt... wrong. For one thing, her ears were pointed, unmistakably elvish. But there hadn’t been any elvish kingdoms near Oriaet for as long as anyone could remember. The elves had all but vanished centuries ago. His mind raced with questions, but the most pressing one was how this woman, who clearly wasn’t human, had ended up here.
"Don’t be stupid, Geran. This isn’t natural. Keep your distance." Vern’s voice was tense, his instincts telling him to turn back, but his greed kept him rooted in place.
As they descended into the crater, their footsteps muffled by the thick underbrush, Vern scanned their surroundings. The forest was too quiet, too still. His gut told him that something was very wrong, but the sight of the woman—so serene, so ethereal—held him captive. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, the only sign that she was still alive.
"Look at her," Geran whispered, crouching down beside the pool. "She's beautiful... but she's naked!"
Vern groaned, his patience wearing thin. "Yeah, Geran, I noticed. But this isn't normal. This... this is what fell from the sky. You saw the comet. This girl—she’s not human. We need to be careful."
Geran’s hand hovered over the inky substance, his curiosity overriding Vern’s warnings. The liquid seemed to ripple beneath his fingers, responding to his presence with a faint hum of energy. For a moment, Geran hesitated, as if sensing the danger. Then, he pulled his hand back, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips.
"Maybe you’re right. This stuff... it’s giving me the creeps."
Vern exhaled in relief, his muscles tensing as he kept a wary eye on the girl and the strange liquid surrounding her. The air felt charged, heavy with something beyond the brothers’ comprehension. He could feel it in his bones—a primal unease that sent shivers down his spine.
"Let's think this through, Geran. We can’t just touch her, or this... whatever it is. We need to be smart about this."
Geran scratched his head, his excitement dimming as the reality of the situation began to sink in. "So what do we do, Vern? Just leave her here?"
He didn’t answer immediately. His mind raced with possibilities. This girl, whoever—or whatever—she was, had fallen from the heavens. That much was clear. But why? And more importantly, what would happen if they took her to the king? Was she a gift from the gods, or a harbinger of something far more dangerous?
For now, all they could do was wait and hope they weren’t already in over their heads.