Emma traipsed through the unfamiliar snowy world with Karlack in hand. She regarded her new sharp friend with awe. The woman was fairly certain she’d never held a sword before, and the first time she did, it was now hers to do with as she pleased.

  She didn’t know anything about swords, but she imagined the maker of this one was fantastic. It glistened with a sharpness that easily cut through the skin on Emma’s finger with a little prick. Though, those pricks healed rapidly, and the wounds sealed themselves. The black hilt bore that same brazier insignia as the sword’s namesake.

  Emma realized that the forest around her was more quiet than it ought to be. With her hearing focused, she could pick up the distant sounds of humans sleeping the night away.

  With her free hand she continued to practice spells, summoning ice blocks with ease. She tried to imagine fire radiating from her palm like she did with ice, but Emma found the summoning of flames an impossibility for now.

  The howling winds of the snowstorm became her friend, but Emma decided it was finally time to summon herself snowy, fluffy boots. If there was one thing she knew, it was that normal people didn’t walk through the snow barefoot.

  “Normal people also don’t have skin this pale,” Emma mused. Another realization dawned on her. Communication with humans would bring about its own problems.

  She could already imagine the horrified faces of villagers upon seeing her visage. She imagined their shouts of “vampire!”

  Her steps faltered at the realization. Emma had the inkling that her visit into the village would not be so welcome. Most likely, the people inside would shun her and try to stab a stake through her chest. She had no idea if that was truly a weakness, but she didn’t want to test it.

  She frowned, finally understanding the first barrier to her new unlife. Interacting with normal people would prove a challenge. People like Karlack are probably a rarity.

  However, she promised him she’d protect the village from another monster. Her steps resumed as she remembered the final promise. The promise to rid the village of the troll.

  At that moment, a foul stench caught on the wind. It was the unmistakable smell of a wild animal. Like the smell of a petting zoo from a past life. The smell coated the air in the direction of the village.

  Emma wrinkled her nose, choosing to follow it nonetheless. Her pace quickened, and as it did, she could faintly hear the heavy steps of the beast ahead of her.

  As soon as she topped a hill, the village finally came into view. In a small valley, dim torchlight lit people’s homes. The dark wooden structures were covered in permafrost. The wooden shutters were closed tight, and there was not a single person outside.

  There were no guards, and Emma estimated there to be less than 20 houses with a quick scan. Yet, the scan returned something far worse.

  The visage of a white furred beast ran down the hill, sprinting towards the first house it could find. All of Emma’s previous thoughts and worries seemed to vanish. The world didn’t stop for Emma to think.

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  And that cruelty presented itself plainly. The monster didn’t charge into the door of the house. It’s entire body slammed against the first wooden wall it found, sending shards of wood and splinters flying everywhere. The frost troll’s body won easily against the wall.

  Emma was momentarily stunned. She expected that the beast would try to sneak around first. Wasn’t it wiser if it wanted to eat humans? Or did it assume that it would win anyway?

  Either way, the screams ahead forced her to move. She gripped the sword in both hands with no form.

  The novice swords woman broke into a full sprint. Her takeoff was much faster than she expected, but it still wasn’t enough.

  By the time she reached the new house entrance, blood sprayed the walls. The dying wails of a middle aged woman echoed before the claws ripped out the source of those cries.

  The scene was mortifying. The woman was spread lifelessly against the wall, and her throat was being feasted on by the intruder.

  White fur coated its 10 feet tall and wide frame. Huge clawed hands clung to sinews and flesh. Its sharp teeth crunched easily through spinal cord. The small pointed ears twitched, and it turned its devilish smile to another denizen of the cabin.

  It was then that Emma noticed the little girl, cowering in the corner with horrified eyes.

  Emma finally snapped out of her own stupor. She shredded all of her hesitation and charged at the troll.

  A guttural growl followed suit, and the troll whipped around to the fool who dared to stop its meal.

  As it did, Emma felt the muscular forearm of the beast firsthand. It smacked hard against her jaw, sending her crashing into a wall nearby. She landed on her rear and dropped her sword with wide eyes, but she didn’t have time to worry about herself.

  “Run!” Emma yelled. Her eyes met the little girl’s, pleading to run away. To Emma’s surprise, the girl stood up on shaky legs and nodded.

  Before the beast could stop the little girl, Emma charged again, grabbing its massive biceps. “Run!”

  A massive fist found Emma’s nose, and she heard the loud crunching of bone in that cabin. This time, it was her own bone. Blood red coated her vision, but through that small film, she was happy to see that the girl had fled.

  Her happiness was short lived. A painful elbow struck her rib cage, and more bone snapped, splintering directly into her heart. The pain was enough to bring about madness. Her eyes became clouded with red, and the teeth clenched tight. The fangs in her mouth quivered with pain.

  In that instant, she felt the skin on her face repairing. The bones fixed themselves, and the cartilage of her nose reset. The smell of blood in the air became thicker than before. And as her internal organs repaired themselves, the scent became more potent still.

  A bell tolled loudly outside, yet louder was the ringing in Emma’s ears as she was struck by another blow. Her grip on the troll was relinquished. Her body was flung violently against the wall.

  The towering beast growled, and its six piercing eyes stared into Emma’s. She never expected that a monster—a frost troll—could be so strong. Now, she half expected that she’d become this monster’s meal, eventually ending up as troll excrement. But the troll didn’t try to eat her. Through its open mouth, a cold frosty breath was building.

  Emma put her hands up to defend against the frosty breath, but it was too late. The frozen magic had already been cast, and the frozen, misty breath traveled all over Emma’s body. She clenched her eyes and mouth in expectation of pain.

  Yet the pain never came. Instead, it was a feeling of vibrant warmth. The feeling of ice helped Emma’s head become clearer. The worry. The fear of death. All of it seemed to vanquish into a calm tranquility.

  Her hand reached for the sword on the ground next to her. Before the troll’s breath could even complete, Emma jumped and stabbed Karlack into his open mouth with all of her strength.

  It passed through the beast’s large tongue, entered its throat, and exited through its spine.

  The beast didn’t release so much as a growl. It was dead the moment Emma stabbed through the spinal column. Even if it wasn’t dead right away, she severed the troll brain’s connection to the rest of its body.

  To make matters worse, the frost troll fell forward, impaling itself further with the assistance of the wooden floor.