Fair warning: This story contains some pretty dark themes. If you're okay with that, I hope you enjoy.
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Not even Meerach's lewd caresses could have lessened the blow.
The rain hid Ana's tears, as she looked from on top of a hill at what remained of Forestwood. The charred husks of what once were houses had been overgrown by grass and weeds. There at least stood a graveyard for all those that lost their lives. Unfortunately, most of them were unmarked. There would be no way to tell if anyone survived.
Beyond the town limits stood a small military barracks – maybe one platoon of soldiers from Durandia. Next to it stood a small outpost with a bulletin board with a number of wanted posters. A few moments later, Ana was in front of the posters, studying them. The first one that got her attention was her own.
WANTED
GEM OF MEERACH
THE GEM TO THE AMULET OF MEERACH STOLEN FROM ORDER OF SAIS
10,000 GOLD COINS TO WHOMEVER RECOVERS THE GEM
THE THIEF MAY BE TAKEN DEAD OR ALIVE
Too bad for them, I'm never going back.
Ana shivered in delight as Meerach's touches intensified for a moment. She had to admit. Her fears about the demon were unfounded. Exercising her newfound powers with those adventurers felt very good.
"Who are you?!"
A soldier had spotted her and was already pointing a spear at her back. He was unsure if he should have been scandalized or scared. The woman was armored, but her backside was...exposed. More surprising was how she did not move or even flinch. In fact, she was completely non-responsive.
"I said who are you!?"
She finally turned sideways and looked at him. Despite the very accurate human details of her breastplate, the soldier turned almost as pale as her at the sight of her eyeless helmet. Worse yet, was the barely concealed rage on her face as she pointed to the poster she had been looking for.
WANTED
DEAD OR ALIVE
PERCY THE PREDATOR
LEADER OF THE SILENT MOONS BANDITS
FOR PILLAGING, RAPE, AND MURDER OF THE KING'S SUBJECTS
REWARD OF 500 GOLD PIECES
"Where?" Ana demanded.
The soldier stammered "I-i-i-i don't think that's a very..."
"WHERE!?"
The guard flinched away from her. "In the hills to the south! That's all I know! Don't kill me!""
The entire camp heard the shouting and came to investigate. All they found was was the young man sitting in the mud, shaking in fear. Thankfully, the rain had hidden the fact that he had wet himself. What he was shouting at was gone.
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Do not stay your hand . Do not hold back. Vengeance will soon be yours.
Meerach's voice kept echoing in Ana's head as she ran tirelessly through the hills looking for the bandits' hideout. It was no wonder the soldiers failed to find them. The area made for an almost perfect place to lay low. Almost.
A few hours later, the rain had ended and she had found them. A small fortification could be seen in front of a cave opening - a mine, perhaps? A small palisade with a wooden gate had been set up, plus a couple of wooden platforms as lookout points. Indeed, there were a pair of archers on the platforms, but they must have been either blind or asleep. Ana was making no attempt to hide herself, and no one seemed to notice.
Now is the time. Do it. Kill them all!
Without any second thought or hesitation she drew her sword and charged, screaming at the top of her lungs. As expected, the sentries were quite startled and scrambled to nock their crossbows. Too late. Ana had already leaped on top of the wall and with a single swing, she easily removed the head of one of them. Before the body even fell, she used her clawed gauntlet to rip out one of the man's ribs and hurled it into the other's forehead, right between the eyes. The second man's eyes rolled up as the rib protruded from his skull, and he, too, fell dead.