1st March, 11XX — Somewhere in the Tyumen frontier . . .

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Late Midnight

You paused your journey to settle in a small, village for humble shelter. In the tavern, the elders kept rumoring of 'The Standing Brown Bear' who roams the surrounding taiga. Normally, you'd brush these off as mere, dinner-table folklores, but suppose anything's 'real' when money is on the table, as a lumberjack offered you a bounty parchment for the beast—it's written in Latin.

Standing Brown Bear — ₴200 Grivna

———

Alas, you've explored the forest for hours now, and still naught of luck. It's probably best to call it a night, and return empty-handed—perhaps you could ask the lumberjack for some compensation, a fee for wasting your precious sleep time . . .

Suddenly, a bear's growl was heard from up over the mound. As luck would have it, you see a standing brown bear with a . . . a walking cane? Odd, but that there is your walking embodiment of money, and it's about time you cash in for the pay day.

You unsheathed your weapon, and muster up the courage to assault the beast.

W H A C K ! !

. . .

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Early Morning

You woke up atop a silk-woven cotton mat. Whoever knocked you out seemed to have brought you into their residence, and it is a lovely little cottage abundant of natural life—flowers grow on the walls among vines and ferns, as the hearth's tender warmth embracing yourself, upon the first of sunlight weaving through an open window.

Everything felt tranquil . . . if it weren't for the very same bear lounging by the carpet. Before you could act out, a cloaked blonde lady—your captor—entered cottage, in her hands weld a cauldron of soup.

?: "Пора завтракать, Мishka!"

The lady poured a bowl and fed it to 'Mishka', the proud bear, as if he's her own father. She poured one for you too, and after laying it atop the night desk, spoke Latin with a wary smile and Slavic accent.

Masha: "Marianna, but you can call me Masha. Who are you?"