The Revenge of a Huntress

the one with the Huntress

"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.

And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."

-Friedrich Nietzsche

A Ranger of the North rode silently through the forest on a black horse. Rather than holding onto the reigns, the Ranger had their eyes peeled on their surroundings, holding their bow tightly with an arrow ready to fire at will.

There were no sounds coming from the forest.

Years of training caused the hairs on the back of the Huntress' neck to stick straight up, and she felt her muscles loosen as adrenalin flowed through her bloodstream. She was ready for a fight, for she knew a fight was soon to come.

A scream pierced through the air.

Her horse shifted slightly, and she nudged Mithril's side to lead her toward to scream quickly. Her horse took off, darting to where the scream erupted and cut all too short.

If only she would let out another noise, then the Huntress knew Mithril would lead her right to the woman.

"Help! Someone, please help me!" The Huntress gritted her teeth and clicked her tongue once, allowing Mithril to make the chase.

Her trusty steed sped through the forest towards the defenseless woman, the next victim of the men she had been tracking for months. The Huntress knew she had them right where she wanted them. It was only a matter of time before she could take care of the situation herself.

"Shut up, you wench!" A man's voice echoed in the trees, followed by a smack.

The sounds of tortured sobs reached the ranger, who nudged Mithril with her knee to slow the horse down to a slow trot as they came upon the scene. There were three men, all wearing dark clothes with worn boots. The man who had spoken was balding, with many gold rings that adorned is fingers. The Huntress let out a low hiss at the sight of the bloodied woman he held in front of him.

"I'd do what he says, doll," another man with a scar of a burn on his right side of the face quipped, walking up to the woman before petting her wiry brown hair possessively. "You don't want to know what we do to girls who scream."

The woman leaned away from the man's touch, causing the Ranger's grip on the bow to tighten. This was always the worst part.

The Huntress watched as the men started to tie the woman up and place a chain around her neck. They walked her to a carriage where she knew they must have others with them, though if they were captured or not was what she was waiting to discover.

She crouched quickly as one of the men turned to face her direction briefly while grabbing at the woman's knotted wrists and pushed her forward after not seeing anyone in his sight. The edges of the Huntress's lips quirked. They had no idea.

The man with the rings opened the back door to the carriage as the Huntress looked on. In disgust, she noticed several other women that were bound and gagged in the back of the carriage, looking back at the others with terrified eyes. This was the confirmation she needed.

She took a deep breath before moving in. Three men against one, not counting the other women in the carriage, although the Huntress figured that they wouldn't be much help in their state- especially if the men used some sort of sedative to keep them quiet.

Knocking her bow, she let an arrow fly towards the men and without looking she knew she hit her mark as a man screamed in pain. Her arrow pierced through the man with the ring's hand and slammed into the side of the carriage, pinning him in place.