chapter 1: the first step

Sylvia stood uneasy behind the fallen tree trunk as she stared at the colossal spider web blocking her path. The man she was with waited just ahead with looks of weariness and amusement on his face. She reached her leg out in front of her and over the log, trying her best to stay low and avoid contact with the webbing above her. As she squeezed through the space, she found her foot caught within a creeping vine and fell face first with a loud thud.

"I swear, this forest is out to get me." She said, vexed.

Sylvia never was too big into hiking though forests or being outdoors for that matter. She preferred the quiet life of the small village she lived in that was about a few weeks travel from the kingdom's capitol. This posed a small problem for a young woman in her mid twenties, as Sylvia wanted desperately to find a man who she could settle down with during her prime years. The lack of traffic that came through was especially cruel given how lucky she was to be blessed with such good looks and a nice body to compliment. While her overall figure was thin, her breasts were more than ample and her hips smoothly curved into her well-rounded ass. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and light skin, which were well maintained from living such a cozy life. It was too bad many of the men in her village were either already married, too old, or just not quite to her liking.

Being a healer in the village temple, she was able to meet most of the travelers coming through from their arduous journies despite how few of them there were. It was on one particular day that Sylvia met Cailan, a strong and handsome hunter that had become badly wounded after an intense fight with a Chimera in the west. His stories of heroism infatuated her and drew her to come very close to him. After a few weeks of tending to Cailan, Sylvia knew what she wanted and would do just about anything to get it.

When Cailan was about to set out, Sylvia packed all her belongings and pleaded with him to let her come along. She told him she had never seen much beyond the village and wanted to experience what the life as an explorer was like. As amused as he was to hear this, Cailan couldn't sit well with bringing her along. The reaches beyond civilization can be dangerous and full of unpleasant surprises. Of course, it could never hurt to have a beautiful woman tending your wounds on the road through all your journies. How bad could this really be?

"That looks pretty bad." Cailan said as he approached the defeated Sylvia. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." She reached into her pouch, pulled out a small amulet, and proceeded to whisper something under her breath. The gashes on her arms soon began to close and look as good as new. "So I know I've asked quite a few times now, but what exactly are we hoping to find in this forest?"

"This is the Garden of Giants!" He said with enthusiasm. "Legend has it that large, ancient beings were grown here from the ground long ago. Many giants today draw lineage from this very place."

"Right... But what are we trying to find?"

"Is the journey not enough?" He leaned on the side of an old tree, perplexed. "Well, I supposed we could find some cool stuff as well. Old tokens, artifacts, maybe even some giants! That would be fun!"

After having a moment of rest, Sylvia gathered herself and remembered why she was here. Despite the exhaustion and occasional foreign object finding itself in her hair, she was excited to see something new. However, she would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't terribly nervous.

"If we go up against any giants, I'll be sure to give them a piece of my mind for all this undergrowth in their 'garden'." Sylvia said as she pulled away from the bramble catching her feet yet again.

Cailan laughed. "I pity whatever crosses your path in this forest. I fear even I wouldn't be able to help them!"

They both gathered their things and continued deeper into the forest, eager and uncertain for what would be waiting for them.