It turned out to be a beautiful day to take a walk in the country of Incubax. Alana, the only child in her household, now 18, was told by her mother to messenger a letter to Slath the Warlock. The reason for this urgent letter was that her father had fallen ill to an unknown disease. He could no longer tend to our crops, therefore hunger and starvation was on the horizon. If Slath could not help, who could? A lot rested on the outcome of his words.
Alana set out on her journey along with a bag of dried fruit and nuts her mother had given her. "Don't be careless, I love you and please stick to the main path" her mother had said upon her departure. Alana left her village with excitement. Never before had she been away from her village without parental guidance. Alana was unconcerned with the dangers of her journey, for she had won many medals in the field games of her village and this knowledge had given her a sense of pride and confidence as she walked down the path that took her further and further from home.
After a considerable amount of time walking, a fork in the path presented itself. Upon observation, she determined that one path circled around the deep dark woods and the other was a shortcut through the woods. she remembered her mother's warning "please stick to the main path", but her father was in desperate need of help. Getting to the warlock quicker would ultimately help her father quicker. This reasoning made her choose the shortcut, a choice she would soon regret.
Deeper and deeper Alana walked into the dark forest of Incubax. She was surrounded by massive dark trees with moss and vines hanging from their branches. Strange sounds of birds and insects infiltrated the silence. Her imagination led her to evil stories she had heard about the forest when she was young. Insecurity crept into her mind, but this she did not make known outwardly. She crept on, into the bowels of the forest.
Later, Alana decided to stop for a snack to relinquish her pained tummy and relax her legs. The sun did not penetrate the surface of the ground because of the thick foliage of the trees above, but Alana still found warmth within the forest. This may of been because of hot spring waters, bubbling forth from ponds found scattered within, beside one of these she found an old tree stump and sat while consuming figs and nuts.
After her snack, she was about to be on her way when she noticed a figure wandering about near the opposite edge of the path. The creature had not yet noticed her, but any sound would quickly alarm him. All Alana could do was observe this grotesque beast. He was a creature of half ape and half man. He did not walk erect like a man, but hunched, with bent knees and with a limp. He wore only a torn loincloth to hide his private part, the rest of him was naked.
