Snaps of twigs and sticks as heavy set feet step across the heavily forested floor. A stout woman adorned in a heavy Aquillian steel, giving the steel a almost blue tinge when seen at a certain angle in sunlight. The plate coverings on her hard leather boots added alot of weight which often made her feet come crashing down. Not that she cares for being stealthy all the time, but track this bounty will be harder if she scares them off.
Looking down at the poster again that she pulled from her belt satchel. Reading it quickly as she diligently looks at the tracks left behind.
WANTED: Argus Of Broadfoot; Ex-Mages Guild apprentice, wanted for hume trafficking of young females into slave trades. Wanted also for murder of Lord Tremane, County lord of Serc.
Appearance: Long shoulder length red hair, pale skin. Stands at five merte's, 7 inkles tall. Often wearing light blue robes.
Note: he will not be alone as he is with his gang. Last seen in the Mand-lynn forested foothills.
Reward: 1000 Imperial Silver piece for his capture to stand trial. 250 imperial silver for just his head. 20 imperial silver for the heads of anyone else who try to defend him.
Tossing the poster back into her satchel. She continued to follow the trail while keeping a sharp ear out for any sounds of Wisps or other creatures that are notorious for roaming this area. Though this is nowhere near Behemoth territory; The Mand-lynn foothills have been known to house Will-o-wisps and other imps. She knew they were mainly nocturnal, but if a hide out was in this area, having those things roam the forest at night would prevent alot of night time rogues from trying to sneak into their hideout. Even though daylight could easily lose her element of surprise.
The trail came to a stop at the river. Checking her map, the Stout brunette woman found the river on a local map she purchased from local scribes. "Oh Anna, Think..." she said outloud...
Just then Anna caught sight of something caught in the rocks in the river bed near the shore. It looked like shreds of a dress. The river itself is flowing outwards towards the ocean. It must be coming from further up the river running between the foothills. Their hide out might be in the side of the rocks. She thought to herself for just a second and decided to react to this hunch.
After 3 hours heading up the river to its source she came to the first set of large foothills, the river seemed to carve a way through these hills like a groove between bricks that line the imperial streets. Just then she could see some smoke that was faint, obviously not meant to attract attention. Getting closer and sticking more to the trees she watched her steps very closely as not to make too much noise.
Coming within 200 mertes of the encampment. There was three men with a tent and a camp fire. Too heavily armed to be campers or even loggers. Then she spotted a weak planked wooden door open that was partially hidden in the rock face. It was large enough to get a cart in. So far the numbers of the men were up to four with the addition of another armed bandit. But no signs of the mage. If she were to do this, it would have to be fast and hard.
She knelt down and prayed softly as not to be loud and draw attention. "Oh Tythus, This is going to be a glorious battle. And not just for you, this battle is to bring back freedom to those who would be taken from their homes. If I were to die this day in battle. Let it be known I die fighting to my last breath for the good of others. Please grant me passage into your halls. Where the brave can live forever..." She became quiet for a few moments to reflect on her thoughts. Her past, her present and the men that lie before her.
Had she been raised on good looks she would take the time to seduce the men with her charms, but that takes too much time and there is no glory in that. She pulled from her back sack a pair of bracers with 3 spiked blades protruding out and facing forward. Made from the Coridite steel it is almost as hard a obsidian but not as black. They had no shine, with a thin piece of leather underneath with some fur to for comfort and taking up moisture. She strapped them to her wrists.
Next she pulled out a helmet and a single shot mini crossbow. The helmet came down over her head with a hard metal piece covering the bridge of her nose. It made it hard to see around her but it would have to do in order to protect her head. Reaching behind her she pulled out a large spiked warhammer.
Without a word she charged out from the bushes; it was about 100 mertes that the men realized a warrior was charging at them, they tried to get up, one closest to her pulled up a repeater crossbow. Two of them pulled out large clubs almost the size of tree, the other a old jagged longsword.
Anna pulled out her mini crossbow, exhaling while in stride and took her shot. Aiming for the eyes hoping to get a one shot kill, the bolt landed in his throat. He began to gargle blood and fell to the ground kicking unable to to breathe. She threw down the crossbow and focused on her hammer, while the two men with clubs charged at her.
Swinging and tossing her hammer, it hit and shattered one of the thugs knee caps, he fell and broke his leg upon impact on the ground, he cried in pain. While the other hopped over him and took a swing at Anna, using her bracers she blocked the club and charged through him knocking the man off his feet, she swung around and punched him in the face. Her fists landed on his front teeth but the spikes jutting out impaled him through the eyes.
The last man took a defensive stance, inching towards the door as his comrade that was still alive was crying out in pain. "Stay back you crazy *****!"
Turning her body to face more towards the door she charged in his direction, before he could make a move to the door she grabbed him by the leather armor he was wearing and using her momentum swung him around and tossed him through the old wooden planks. The whole thing shattered.
As the dust settled she saw a blast of white and blue. It was cold and sharp in terms of pain. It hit her helmet freezing it. She took it off and threw it to the ground where it shattered.
"Come on and show your face, or would you rather rather I melt this girls face at point blank range?" the angry voice said as it echoed out of the cave.
The sound of a woman crying inside could be heard, so he was not bluffing. Anna had to think; but she did not want to endanger the life an innocent woman. She picked up the blade one of the men dropped and used the semi reflective surface to look around the corner to where he might be. She could see what looked to be like a single figure.
The goon was wailing in pain outloud, it made it hard for her to think on the spot until...
"Where are you?..she will die." He cried out.
Just then Anna came around the corner and he shot out a bright green light that made her body constrict. The sounds of the crying woman stopped as he came towards the entrance. "Wow, I did not expect you to be so stupid to fall for the old hostage trick. Its amazing what a simple sound illusion spell can do."
he moved closer to Anna as her hands were stuck to her sides, the sound Argus's still alive man was yelling "Gods, kill the ***** already!" Argus just ignored him as he moved closer. Thinking how much fun he was going to have with her before he would end up selling her into slavery. But as he got to the entrance he noticed something in her hand.
"What...really?! You are trying to trick me with stupid trap?" as he made her drop a rock wrapped with a simple strap that made one of the corpses fall out from behind the rocks. He gestured with his hand and slammed against the rocks, just that second a bolt hit him in the shoulder.
"Actually the first one was a distraction, the second one..." She held out her other hand which was a rock with a thin long line of woolen thread leading to the repeating crossbowin a nearby tree facing the spot where he would be coming out of. "was the real trap."
She rushed at him and stabbed his right hand with her spiked bracers. Quickly she put a cloth on the wound and started to tie his hands together behind himself. "There, and just to make sure you don't try any stunts with word magik..." She said while jamming a piece of wet cloth that was dunked into the river into his mouth and created a muzzle for him.
She found a work Chocobo that was stabled in the far corner of the cave, she got it ready with a saddle, and slung Argus over her lap as they took off like a flash down the river and back to town. She would collect on her reward, but before leaving she noticed a book on the table next to some coin, while she took the coins, the book was important to her as it had the names of the clients who were buying up the women slaves.
As they headed back to Aquillas, She decided that handing Argus over to the authorities was important for justice as well as her pay. But book was hers, As now she would soon be on the hunt for the names of those who would think to exploit these female slaves.
The End.