Victoria took the lead as the two hunters proceeded to walk back towards where they had left their horses. Shadow was grazing on a tall patch of grass next to his front hooves. Chloe walked up to her mount and untied the reins from the post before swinging herself into his saddle.
"Where do you want to start? We've got little to no information about the group's whereabouts." Victoria posed the question and heeled her horse to a canter towards the other side of the village.
"I suppose we could start over by the well that the innkeeper mentioned but I doubt it'll be of much use." Chloe moved Shadow next to the other horse so that the two hunters could talk with more discretion. "If the daughter was taken a month past, then it's likely any trails have long since disappeared. Dan said that they roam the area and that they've been at this for at least two months which would suggest that they have an encampment somewhere." Victoria nodded pensively.
"They'd need somewhere distant but not too far from the village. Somewhere they wouldn't be spotted and could keep the women captive. It also means they won't be on the move, they have a permanent base of operation somewhere."
"There can't be too many of them though. This village is small and I doubt they have the means to protect themselves against ten or so armed men. Yet they haven't been attacked outright. They're picking off women who go out alone, probably to mitigate the risk of injury to their own men. So maybe anywhere in between three to seven targets. It'll make it harder to find a small group like that."
"I agree. There's far too much forest around here. It could take us weeks to inspect even a fraction of it and that's assuming they chose to hide in there."
"You think we'll find their daughter?" Victoria sighed, she shook her head.
"No. If this is a trafficking operation like I'm inclined to believe… Those rely on keeping the victim on the move and passing them on to the next group quickly. Their daughter was probably shipped out within the week she was captured." Chloe found herself agreeing with the hunter's words. It would take a miracle to find the girl.
"So what do we do Vic? I don't think we'll find her either, even if we tracked this group all the way to the next and then the next… All the way to the top of the chain. Chances are that their daughter has already been sold off to some unknown person and taken to some unknown place. We also don't have the time to take down an operation of this size in two days. Getting paid rests on the assumption that we find their daughter. Without her, there's no way to complete the contract."
"We could leave. We didn't take the coin in advance so it's not too late to turn back and regroup in Frauy." Chloe glanced at the scowling hunter riding next to her. Victoria didn't look happy to utter those words. It was clear that both hunters felt the same way.
"It doesn't feel right letting those men roam around and pick off whoever they want. This village is at their mercy."
"We won't be paid for this…"
"Do you care?"
"No."
"I don't either." They stopped their mounts at the village's edge, next to a small wooden house. There was a large forest to their left. Dead ahead and to the right were long stretches of plains and hills.
"So what do you want to do?" Victoria's eyes squinted off into the distance as she took on their surroundings. Chloe took a moment to consider their next move, it seemed that the short haired hunter was deferring to her command.
"I say we hunt down the group of men working in this area and take them out of commission, permanently. It'll only be a small blow to a much larger operation but at least it'll keep the village safe. And maybe… Maybe this'll offer some sort of closure to Dan and his wife. At least they'll know that the people directly responsible for taking their daughter were dealt with. It's not much but it's all we can really do."
"Sounds like a plan…" A loud coughing fit made both hunters turn on their saddle to look to Chloe's right. A short elderly woman was making her way slowly towards them. She spoke with a raspy voice that showed years of wear.
"It's dangerous out there lasses. Come down from your horses and come share a cup of tea with me until we can get the mayor to round up some of our men to help you on your way safely. It shouldn't take too long…" The old woman coughed once again.
"Don't worry about us Ma'am. We know how to take care of ourselves." Victoria smiled back at the woman warmly. "It's a very nice offer though."
"You wouldn't happen to know where the town well is situated, would you? I'd like to go fill up my gourd and water my horse before our long trip." Chloe asked the question quickly after Victoria was finished talking. She didn't want the old woman to try again to convince them to stay.
"It's down that way…" She pointed to Chloe's right towards a hill. "It's been a long, long while since I've gone there though so my memory might be somewhat rusty. It's somewhere on the other side of the hill."
"Thank you so much. Have a nice day." Victoria smiled once more and signaled with her head to Chloe. Both hunters took off at a steady pace towards the direction the stranger had pointed out.
It seemed that the woman's memory had proven itself true, the small ride over the hill had brought them right to the old well. It was made of stones piled onto each other with a small wooden triangular roof hovering over it. It was about two paces in diameter and looked old enough to fall apart at the touch. Cracks and missing stones told the story of its age and up keeping. Chloe swung off her horse to take a closer look while Victoria laid back in her saddle and looker over the area from her vantage point. The hunter noticed a worn trail heading to village but nothing really out of the ordinary. There were horse prints around but still nothing that would give a clue as to the targets' location. Another few minutes of close investigation led to the same conclusion and Chloe finally grunted in dissatisfaction.
"You have any luck?" Chloe asked the question with an edge in her voice, she wasn't overly happy with the lack of a trail. Victoria looked down at her.
"None. Just as you said. Anything that could have been useful has been gone for a long time." The blue-scarred hunter got on Shadow's back once more before looking up to the sky. It was still well into the day.
"Let's put ourselves in their boots. If you were a trafficker, where would you go? Keep in mind that they need to be close enough to the village, yet far enough away and sheltered from view." Victoria mulled it over for a few moments.
"I wouldn't stay around this area. It's too open in the plains which is just asking for trouble. The forest is a good spot of course but…"
"Difficult to protect against retaliation from the village if you have a small number of men. Also easier for a victim to make a break for it and hide." Victoria nodded.
"Right… So possible but unlikely if they're smart."
"The top of a hill or a cave?"
"Sounds more likely. A cave would be best, one that's hidden from view. You could have a spotter on top of the hill looking into all directions to know if someone is approaching. Easy to defend against an attack too and a victim would be stopped the instant she tried to make her way past a sentry at its opening. Also a good place to hold captives until you're ready to ship them away to the next group. A hilltop would suffice if they can't find a proper cave."
"So we've narrowed it down somewhat" Chloe remarked.
"Still leaves quite a bit of land to explore."
"Mmmhm." She exhaled slowly. Chloe looked around and booted Shadow into motion towards the far right. "Let's start looking. We've only got so much daylight before nightfall."
"We could split up to cover more ground." Chloe shook her head.
"No. If they have a spotter, we'll look like a more appealing target by ourselves and we might get shot with an arrow that we didn't see coming. If we stick together it's more likely that they'll just let us pass by. They clearly aren't looking for a fair fight." Victoria started after the hunter and the two began their search.
They'd been looking around on horseback for the better part of the last five hours with no luck. Chloe was about to call it in and head back to the village for the night before she heard Victoria utter a curse under her breath.
"What's wrong?"
"I just spotted a man. He's on our left, on the hill with the oak tree sticking out from the side." Chloe turned her head slightly and reached down to a bundle on her pack saddle next to her left hip. She felt at it unconsciously and tried to get a look of the man with her peripheral vision. It wasn't pitch black outside but the sun certainly wasn't lighting the hilltop well enough for the hunter to catch a good look. "He's in the big red shrub, bottom left corner." Chloe shifted once more and finally managed a steal small glance at the corner of her eye. They were separated by a distance of roughly eighty yards. He was well hidden, it was almost impossible to tell he was there except for the slight movement of the shrub when the man turned his head to keep them in his vision. Chloe found herself impressed at her fellow hunter's perception.
"Good catch." Chloe went back to a normal riding posture. "You've got a better angle on him. What do you think we should do?" Victoria didn't reply right away, both hunters slowed their mounts to a trot.
"He's not reaching for a bow, I think he means to let us pass and report what he saw. That could be dangerous, we'll lose the element of surprise. If we rush him, he'll shout and we have the same problem."
"Let's double back and hit them tomorrow. They won't expect it then."
"Could you make that shot?" Chloe's eyes widened. That was the last thing she'd expected to hear.
"That's asking for trouble. Hitting a target at this range when he has eyes on us… He'll just step aside the moment I lift my crossbow and the bolt will miss him."
"But you could get him if he doesn't move?"
"Yes…"
"I want this done tonight. You've got daggers, a blade and a crossbow on you and I've got a metal fist attached to my bloody arm. There's no way they'll think of us as travelers. If they think a pair of hunter finally took Dan's contract seriously they might get spooked and pack up."
"How do you want to go about this?"
"I'll split off from you and head closer to him. You get behind cover and dismount. If he tries to line up a shot on me, he'll have to get out in the open." Chloe bit her lip, it was a risky maneuver that offered great benefit if successful.
"Alright. Let's do it." The duo exchanged a look and moved in different directions. Victoria moved to the left, in a straight line towards the man. Chloe to the right, around a small hill that stood taller than her horse.
Once she was out of sight, the hunter leaped off the horse and scrambled up the small hill on her belly. Shadow didn't budge a step, he was trained not to move when the reins were dropped. She unslung her crossbow and hurriedly reached for a bolt in the leather bag on her back. Grasping one with her fingers, she smoothly loaded the crossbow and put her right eye to the silver spyglass attached to the handle. The man had moved out of his hiding spot and was now hiding behind a tree. He was holding onto a long bow and a single arrow. Her target was closer to a hundred yards away now, she had to wait until the man left cover and exposed himself. A small breeze ruffled her cloak but she barely noticed it, her focus was entirely on the scene unfolding itself in front of her. She took a moment to steady her breath. In one smooth motion, the man moved a pace away from the tree and brought the fletching to cheek. Chloe fired. She watched through the spyglass as her broad head bolt flew at its target and connected with the man's face. The bolt rammed through the bridge of his nose and ripped its way free right out the back of his head. He dropped to the ground lifelessly and his body rolled off the side of the hill. The hunter felt relieved. She joined Victoria a few moments later at the base of the hill, the woman was looking over the corpse of the man. The bolt had torn up the front of his face, his clothes were covered in blood. Victoria's head turned back to Chloe once she got closer.
"Good shot."
"Damn right. You get worried?"
"Never. I trusted that you'd take him down before he ran an arrow through me." Chloe smiled and crouched to pat down the corpse. She found a handful of silver coins for her trouble.
"Let's leave the horses behind. Seems we've found where our targets are hiding." Victoria nodded.
Both women made their way silently around the hill until they found what they were looking for. On the opposite side of the hill where they had left the two horses, an opening led into a cave. It was covered very well by a large array of small trees and vines. Chloe couldn't see how deep it was but she could hear loud shouting emanating from the inside. An orange hue flickered on the walls of the cave to offer lighting, the targets had a fire somewhere inside. Victoria placed her hand on the hunter's shoulder and then pointed to her back. Chloe got the message. She unslung her crossbow and loaded it prior to entering the enemy's base. She might not have time to do so later. Victoria for her part turned on the metal fist on her left arm. A small crackling noise could be heard as the circles on its knuckles shone blue. Chloe took the lead and started down the cave's mouth, she reached her destination in a good ten paces. The cave grew bigger exponentially the further down they went until she reached a good sized area that looked to be fifteen paces across in each direction. She could hear the man that was shouting a lot more clearly now.
"I'm tired of this bullshit! We've been sitting on our asses for the last three weeks doing absolutely nothing!" The voice's owner sounded somewhat deranged, it jumped up and down in pitch as he spoke.
"Calm down! I've told you that the mayor is trying to contact a hunter so we just need to lay low until it's safe to go back. Then we go back to taking more of their women." A second deeper voice answered the first.
"I'M NOT SCARED OF SOME BLOODY HUNTERS AND I DON'T CARE ABOUT CAPTURING WOMEN!" The first man's voice lowered to just above a whisper, the words escaping his mouth sounded as deadly as a sword leaving its sheath. "I'm better than that now… Stronger… I don't need the measly amount of coin they offer us. This makes me invincible. Hell… I could slaughter a whole battalion by my lonesome..." Chloe peeked around the corner to see the unhinged man shaking his fist. He was tall and lean with long black hair that reached past his shoulders. A ring on the man's finger was the center of attention, the three other men sitting down by the fire were all looking straight at it. She felt her mouth drop open when she got a good look at the man's eyes. They were completely black, not even a hint of white showed.
"I don't know what the hell has gotten into you over the last month but it stops now! You were the one that wanted us to get in with this lot in the first place! They know where our families live and if we abandon our post, they die! That's on you! Because you got us involved with them! This isn't up for debate, we stay here and follow orders!" The big burly man who sat closest to the wall had stood up and was shouting back at the man with the black eyes.
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT! THINK WHAT WE COULD ACCOMPLISH NOW! WE COULD KILL ANY WHO OPPOSE US! STEAL AND LOOT FROM ANYONE WE WISH!" Spittle flew from the man's mouth from the intensity of his shouting. The atmosphere in the cave was palpable.
"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!? WHAT ABOUT YOUR WIFE?! YOUR TWO KIDS?! I SEEM TO REMEMBER YOU BEING THE ONE THAT SAID WE SHOULD DO EXACTLY WHAT THEY SAID BECAUSE YOU WERE SCARED FOR THEM! YOU MIGHT'VE CHANGED YOUR MIND, BUT I WONT RISK MY FAMILY!" The big man was now red faced with anger, he was getting closer. His right hand hovered near the dagger by his side. Suddenly, a black wispy shadow clutched at the man's throat and lifted him a foot off the ground. The lean fellow with the black eyes leaned forward intensely. His frame seemed to shimmer, black outlines of himself were shifting next to his body in constant movement. It made Chloe blink her eyes repeatedly from the strain of trying to focus on him.
"MY FAMILY?! WHY SHOULD SOMEONE LIKE ME BE SADDLED DOWN BY A FAMILY?! THEY ARE NOTHING BUT A WEAKNESS TO BE EXPLOITED! LET THEM DIE!" Black shadowy wisps escaped the man's mouth as he yelled, dissipating in the air a hand span away. The burly man's face betrayed his absolute terror. The two men at his side had stood up and were cowering at the end of the cave. A hand touched Chloe's shoulder and she almost shrieked. Victoria was leaning against her, eyes wide with terror. "I'M DONE WITH BEING A LACKY! I'LL FIGHT AND CONQUER ANY I CAN FIND! COMMON FOLK WILL TREMBLE AT THE MENTION OF MY NAME!" The crazed man's hand tightened to a fist and the man hovering over the ground screamed. Black mist rose from the ground and surrounded him, suffocating his shouts. His flesh started to boil, blood oozed from his pores until his skin was coated in a layer of red. Chloe looked away, gagging. The stench of burning flesh filled the cave. The two men that had been trying to stay still at the end of the cave finally broke and ran for the exit. The tall man's hand rose and a black filmy bolt of lightning escaped his fingers to strike one man who was fleeing. He fell and slid to the ground devoid of life with a hole in his back. The second man's ankles were suddenly surrounded by shadowy wisps and he was sent flying backwards like a doll thrown by a petulant child. He was sent into the side of the cave with violent speed, the sounds of bones shattering echoed once he connected to the surface. "I ALWAYS KNEW YOU WOULD BETRAY ME! I CANT TRUST ANYONE!" The man was still yelling at the corpse of the man he had killed moments before, his black outline shifting rapidly. His eyes were now leaking dark wisps just like his mouth.
Chloe backed up quickly in fear and she ended up shouldering Victoria who was still crouched behind her. Both hunters tripped over each other and fell to the ground. The man's head whipped towards the sound and he snarled like a rabid dog. Chloe brought up the crossbow she held and shot a bolt at his face. He brought up his hand and the broad head bolt shattered into smaller pieces before reaching him. The splinters tore into his neck and face like shrapnel but he didn't react. Black filmy wisps escaped his skin where the pieces had cut flesh and the small wounds closed back up on their own as if healed by a witch's touch. Victoria scrambled to her feet and ran into the cave, her metal fist glowing blue. A loud bang echoed in the cave and the man was propelled back first into the cave's wall. He grunted as Victoria closed the distance and stabbed him with her dagger in the neck. Chloe loaded another bolt as a black filmy bubble shot out of his body. The attacking hunter and all the scattered items lying about were suddenly thrown through the air and away from him. Victoria landed on the ground next to the fire, heaving for breath. The man raised his hand to her friend and Chloe loosed another bolt before throwing her weapon aside and taking out her enchanted blade from between her shoulders. The bolt struck the man in the side of the head and he stumbled back. An alarming amount of black smoky shadows leaked from the man's neck and head. The bolt was embedded deeply, as was the dagger, but he still stood as if nothing had happened.
Shadows suddenly wrapped around Chloe's head, impairing her vision and suffocating her. The hunter clawed at her neck but her fingers found nothing but her own skin. She could feel cold tendrils seeping into her lungs, eyes and ears. They twisted in her body and enveloped every organ, every blood cell. Her body felt colder than ice, there was no air left in her lungs. She tried screaming but nothing escaped her lips. "I'm going to die!" Another bang and she was freed. The hunter took in a large wheezing breath, her whole body trembled and shook violently.
She saw Victoria's metal fist glowing orange, pointing straight at the man who was now kneeling on the ground. He held onto the side of his head, black wisps leaking from his ears. She shot once more and the man grunted, his outlines were slowing down their frenzied shaking. Chloe ran the few paces required until she stood over him and she swung her enchanted blade down onto his left shoulder, separating the arm from the body. Black clouds rose from the open wound, obstructing her vision. Victoria landed a solid kick into the man's chest and he fell to the ground. Thousands of tiny birds made of shadows sprung from his mouth and rammed into the hunters, sending them to the ground. The man rushed to his feet, his missing arm not fazing him at all. Victoria raised her metal fist, it glowed bright blue and sent the man a stumbling a few feet into the wall behind him once more. Chloe got up with her hand covering her face, the tiny birds were pecking at her exposed skin. She got right next to him and this time swung for the man's right hand. The moment it severed the limb, the shadows dancing around the hunters dissipated. Smoke rose from the man's eyes and he screamed as his body crumpled to ash. Chloe fell to her knees, her lungs felt on fire and her breathing was labored. She turned her head in panic.
"VIC?!" Victoria rose slowly from the ground, she had small lacerations around her hands and face from the fall she'd taken but nothing serious. She stood on shaky legs and wobbled slightly as she made her way closer.
"I'm alright Blue… You?" Chloe closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing to no avail. She could feel the adrenaline pumping in her veins. She swallowed hard, her thoughts running a mile a minute.
"I thought I was going to die..." The thought of the black tendrils made her hands shake uncontrollably. Victoria kneeled down next to her.
"So did I. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life." Chloe looked over the pile of clothes and ash in front of her. She saw a golden glint reflecting out of a smaller pile and bent down to blow on it. The ashes gave way to a golden ring with a socketed onyx gem. Victoria reached for it and Chloe batted her hand away quickly.
"Don't touch it! I don't know what that thing does but I'm bloody sure we shouldn't touch it." Chloe took an empty coin pouch off the ground and carefully placed the ring inside with the help of a dagger. "I'll bring it back to Frauy, maybe Max will know what it is." She wrapped the coin pouch tightly in a layer of torn cloth before placing it in her pocket. Victoria shrugged and got up. Both hunters spent the next few minutes searching the small cave for anything useful. Neither hunter looked in the direction of half liquefied corpse, the smell permeating the air was still making Chloe nauseous. The hunter finally found what they were looking for under a pile of rubble that had been knocked loose in the fighting. "Vic."
"What is it?" She moved closer to peek over Chloe's shoulder. The blue-scarred hunter was holding a small leather bound notepad. Inside were locations and dates ranging up half a year ago. Many names and numbers were scrawled onto the side, next to the dates. These men had been good at their work, Chloe counted up to nineteen names before she forced herself to stop. The last name on the list had been shipped off roughly a month ago, it didn't say to whom or where to. "Andrea, 15."
"Burn them!" Victoria scowled and looked away. Chloe had known that this would probably be what they would find but it still stung. There was nothing either of them could do for the girl now. "Do we tell them? It might be less cruel to just say that she's dead."
"I don't know. I need to sleep on this, my back is sore and my body feels like it's shutting down on me."
"Let's get out of here then. There's no way I'm sleeping in here." Victoria turned and headed for the exit. Chloe shoved the notebook in her pocket and followed shortly after.
