Kingdom of Loathing

Prologue: Before it All

"Where are we even going?" a young voice called out.

"Be quiet and stay still," a slightly older female voice hushed the younger one. "We can't risk getting caught."

Her powerful, blue eyes stared down at the younger girl. Following the older one's instructions, she quieted down.

Under the darkness of night, two girls jumped from cover to cover, hoping to move along without getting spotted.

"If we make it to the inner Kingdom, we'll be safe, right?" the younger one asked.

"That's absolutely right. They can't do anything to us there."

"How far is it, though? I feel like we've been running for years!"

"It won't be long. Just a few more miles and we'll be there."

Quickly ducking behind a wall, the two hid from whatever was pursuing them and the older one peeked from the corner. Her olive brown hair and pale skin were barley visible from any viewers beyond the wall. The night was silent and empty. There were no noises.

"The coast is clear. Let's move out."

Together, the duo rushed past foliage and countless trees. On the pathway lay a rock, lodged into the path. The older one took note of it and stepped over the stone as she ran.

"Careful," she warned the other. "There's a rock in this path-"

Thump. Her warning came a bit too late.

"Owww!" the younger one wailed as she slowly got up from face planting the ground. "That hurt!"

"Shhh!"

"I heard something from there!" another voice called out from the back. "There's someone here!"

In a desperate attempt to escape, the two scrambled behind a bush, but they weren't fast enough.

"There they are!" a gruff voice alerted his companions. "Kill them!"

Panicked, the younger one broke free and ran.

"No!" the older one cried. "Stop!"

But she didn't listen. Several gunshots rang out from behind her, each missing its target.

"Shoot her down, SHOOT HER DOWN!" one man yelled at a gunsman. Carefully, the gunsman aimed his rifle at the sprinting girl.

Bang.

There was a sound of a body hitting the floor. The young girl turned around immediately to see the other lying on the ground, bleeding from the side.

"Sis, no!" she rushed over to the other girl's side. "Why did you do that?!"

"Take the other down!" the same voice commanded the gunsman.

"Gotta reload!" the gunsman yelled back. "Hey, where are the bullets?"

"I thought you had them! Don't be an idiot and FIND THE DAMN BULLETS!"

"Oh? Why don't you stop being a moron and help me find some?!"

As the two men argued, the young girl clung onto her sister's hand.

"Why would you do that? Why would you take that bullet?!" the girl sobbed.

The older girl didn't respond. Instead, her shaking hand reached over to her neck and she pulled off a locket, placing the necklace in her sister's hand.

"If this is the end for me," she whispered. "then I want you to remember me by this."

"Stop saying that!" the other girl cried. "You're not gonna die! I'll just get some help!"

All the older girl did was smile. The smile was full of happiness and cheerful memories, as well as sorrows and pain. Then, she closed her eyes.

"Sis? Sis?! Talk to me! Please don't leave!"

Before anything else could happen, the two men finished their argument.

"I'm glad we could agree that Kirumi is best girl!" the gunsman nodded as he loaded his rifle.

"Who knew you were cultured after all?" the other shrugged. "Now, where were we? Oh, right."

The gunsman aimed the rifle straight towards the girl's head.

"Say bye-o-nara, kiddo-"

His sentence got cut short by a giant ball of light getting smashed into his face. The impact sent him crashing onto the wall, dropping the gun in the process. A pair of boots walked by, and a hand reached down to pick up the rifle.

Shakily, the young girl forced herself to look at the stranger. She could tell that the stranger was a woman long hair and a face that was mostly covered by a long cloak.

Holding the rifle up, the woman said, "I don't think we'll be needing this."

With those words, the gun got set ablaze and she dropped the flaming rifle on the ground. The two men in the back seemed terrified and angry at the same time. Well, to be accurate, one was terrified to the point of pissing his pants and the other had a furious, red face.

"Hey, who do you think you are?!" the angry one demanded as his partner cowered behind him. "That gun costed a fortune!"

The woman turned and stared down at the two. Her dark eyes glistened with menace and fury.

In a flash, one of the men's clothing set on fire.

"AHHHH!" he screeched, trying to pat the fire down. "I'M GONNA DIE!"

"GET TO THE RIVER, DIMWIT!"

"I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT IS, DUMBASS!"

"JUST FOLLOW ME!"

And with that, the two men left, running and shouting unholy insults back and forth.

After the two disappeared, the woman turned towards the girl on the ground. Bending down, she picked up the fallen female.

"Don't you worry," she reassured in a much more calming tone. "Your sister isn't dead. Her side only got scraped by the bullet, so with some first aid and rest she will be fine."

"Thank you so much, um, Miss!" the young girl thanked. "But for real, who, uh, are you!"

"Just a person going around, trying to stop evil. Does that answer your question?"

"Uh... I guess."

Without any further conversation, the woman began walking away, with the young girl tagging along. Little did they know, this would be the last time any of the three would see each other.