-Northeastern Siberia-

On the edge of sparse woodland, a scary man sat around a campfire.

Five wolf carcasses surrounded the man, and on his face, a mask made of wolf-skin hid his facial features.

The man was eating cooked meat, and he was enjoying it so much it seemed that he hadn't eaten for days.

"Ah, to eat meat after a diet of air and faith energy, what a blessing!" Hermes resumed his habitual monologues.

He decided to wear a mask to hide his identity, and also simply because it made him look overbearing.

After a long and hearty meal, he moved on from this place.

As he energetically flew through the skies, he suddenly heard a commotion.

In the distance, a roar rang out through the lands and into his eardrums.

Hermes decided to check it out and followed the direction in which the roar was the loudest.

Suddenly, earthquake-like tremors reverberated on the soil from the direction of the noise.

Soon, the source of the loud sounds was in his view.

"What is that thing?" Hermes stared confusingly at the scene in front of him.

A body that was the height and size of an ancient tree.

Thick brown fur covered its entire body.

Curved and threatening teeth that hung out of its mouth.

It has wide and heavy legs and those seemed to produce the tremors from earlier.

Around the creature, a crowd of armed, minuscule humans attacked it.

Nonetheless, against this monster, the stone spears and arrows of the group were futile.

"Brothers and Sisters! If we can't defeat the woolly mammoth, we will starve for the winter!" Hermes heard an exclamation from the crowd.

The rest of the humans enthusiastically screamed in response, and their morale against the monster was restored.

However, morale did not do much against a creature that made humans look like ants.

Every time it moved, its legs threatened to accidentally crush someone to death.

The mammoth roared and bolted towards the person who raised the morale of the group earlier.

The man couldn't dodge, and in a split moment, it seemed he had accepted his death and closed his eyes.

Before total darkness consumed him, he saw that a member of his tribe stepped in front of him in an attempt to defend him through sacrifice.

"Don't!!!!" The man opened his eyes frantically and expected to see a corpse in front of him.

Though, his vision betrayed his expectations in a miraculous manner.

Large, feathery wings unfolded like a shield.historical

From the perspective of the tribesman who wished to sacrifice himself, the turn of events was even more miraculous.

A short and slender man was in front of him.

This kind of body shape was rare in this part of the world because someone who didn't have ample body fat wouldn't be able to survive the harsh and unpredictable winters.

On top of that, the man was wearing such thin clothing he might as well have been naked.

*Clank*

In the man's hand, a staff with two serpents coiling around it countered the sharp and tall fangs of the mammoth.

"That was close, but I'm not letting the first humans I see die off.." Hermes rubbed the sweat off of his forehead and sighed.

Then, in a flash, he disappeared from his position and reappeared in front of the mammoth's gargantuan eyeballs.

In one swing, the left eye of the mammoth became a bloody mess.

*ROAR*

"Get away from here, he'll become agitated!" Hermes exclaimed to the tribespeople in the language they spoke.

The tribespeople looked at the man who seemed to be their young leader for judgment.

The man stunningly nodded and exclaimed, "Do as he says!"

Hermes smiled, and now truly began his rampage.

The mammoth roared continuously and stepped up and down.

But, Hermes was now in a blind spot of the creature, and the latte's body structure didn't allow it the range of movement to move him away.

Yet, it shook its head fervently, in hopes that he would get thrown away like a ragdoll.

However, Hermes held on tightly to the thick fur of the mammoth, which worked to his advantage.

Then, in a flash, he easily blinded the mammoth's other eye, and the fight was on easy mode at this point.

The animal was extremely agitated and roared in anguish.

Hermes clenched his fists.

"It's either you or the humans who survive, I'll choose the latter!" He disappeared in a flash again, and a cut appeared on the back of the mammoth.

As the bleeding became greater, the mammoth collapsed on the floor, and the fight was over.

When Hermes looked around, he was surprised that he did not find the tribe.

However, as it turned out, they were all kowtowing to him.

The man from earlier stood up very gently, and said, "Lord, what may we call you?"

"Wolf-Mask."

'Sorry, Artemis.'

"Do you have any settlements? I need somewhere to rest," Hermes asked the man.

The man frantically nodded.

Then, he said, "My people! Let's move the mammoth and celebrate Lord Wolf-Mask's great victory!"

Cheering rang out from the people, and they gathered around the mammoth.

Using a combination of thick twine, and the combined strength of dozens of people, they very slowly began their advance.

Hermes walked along with the tribe leader, and inquired, "Do you live here all year round?"

"Yes, throughout the generations, we've gotten rather used to this harsh land, and since there is no competition here, we've been able to sustain a small tribe..."

Speaking of tribes, as they talked, small hut-like structures soon emerged into their view.

With the ambient temperature, they didn't even need to refrigerate the meat, as the air did that for them already.

"Amaruq?" Hermes recalled his mission, and even though it was unlikely, he would still investigate any possible places.

Amaruq was the name of the tribe leader.

Hermes engraved writing of a strange language on a rock and showed it to the man.

"Have you ever seen a tablet with this kind of writing?"

Amaruq examined it closely.

Unfortunately, he shook his head.

"Forgive me, Lord, I have never seen this language before."