Kai arrived at the edge of Cliffside Farmland just as the stars winked to life above him. The terrain was soft and grassy, rolling hills framed by tree groves and broken fences. A faded sign swayed in the breeze: Welcome to Cliffside.
Kai raised the quest paper dramatically. "Time to find you, mysterious creature of mystery. I shall tame thee. I shall name thee. I shall—"
His stomach grumbled.
"—get something to eat first."
He patted his pocket. His coin pouch was light. Too light.
He opened it, slowly, like a cursed relic.
Empty.
"Wait... WHAT?!"
He dropped to his knees in the dirt. "No... don't tell me I spent all my money on cheese bread."
Flashbacks of melted cheese, spicy sauce, and golden crusts danced before his eyes.
"No regrets... no regrets... okay, maybe a few regrets."
He sighed and stood, brushing off his pants. "Alright. Back to broke. It's just me and this dumb piece of paper now."
As he wandered deeper into the farmland woods, he grumbled about his life choices.
"Sir 8 said don't spend it all. And I was like 'haha, cheese bread good.' And now here I am. Broke, alone, and hunting a creature I can't even pronounce."
He unfolded the flimsy quest paper: F+ Rank: Find and Report Location of Liyern. Issued by: Old Man Tendo of Cliffside Farmland.
"Liyern," Kai muttered. "Sounds like a soft pillow. Maybe it's a giant flying ferret. Or a chicken... with antlers."
He scratched his head and ventured into a tree-dense area, lit only by moonlight.
"Whatever it is, it better be worth it. Maybe I can sell the info and then hit that spicy spa. They do volcano saunas... maybe even a foot massage. That's the dream."
Just then, he stopped beside a tree to relieve himself.
Mid-pee, he sighed, "Y'know, things aren't that bad. I'm alive. I've got... uh... dreams. I'm probably not being watched by anything creepy—"
CRACK.
A low rumble rolled beneath the earth.
Kai froze, mid-stream.
The wind stopped. The birds, gone. Trees trembled as if something massive stirred within the shadows.
He zipped up with record speed, spinning around.
From the woods, came a deep, throaty growl.
Yellow eyes blinked in the dark.
"Nope. Nope, nope, nope—"
A sudden gust blew through, and more shapes began to shift. He couldn't count how many, but they were big. Way bigger than Kai.
He grabbed a stick and held it like a legendary sword. "Okay, Kai... this is your hero moment. This is how legends are born—or how they get eaten by forest monsters."
Another low growl echoed.
Kai's knees wobbled. "I swear, if this Liyern turns out to be a mutant chicken-dog hybrid, I'm suing someone."
And then... a shadow leapt.