(Shit I overslept again)
As she awoke she instantly checked her surroundings, while holding her short bow with an arrow nocked and ready to fire.
(....No enemies or monsters that I can see, huh.. time for breakfast, or more like lunch at this point)
Carefully stretching her body, she freed herself from her camouflaged sleeping bag and reached for her bag, suspended right above her. Opening the bag, some of its contents spilt out and dropped onto her and her sleeping bag.
"Oh shit!"
As her stuff spilt from her backpack, so did a particular magic gem inscribed with runes, and she barely caught it by extending most her body out from the warm sleeping bag, breaking her balance and falling out her sleeping bag with the runestone about a meter, only being saved by her safety line.
"I'm so glad I still use this thing…"
Being saved by some rope bound around her waist she dangled about 10 meters above the forest floor, while she watched some of her food rations drop to the ground.
(If any of the other rangers saw this they would probably laugh at me… Well, I don't really care, it just saved my life. Probably… maybe.. no, I would totally have caught that branch and been saved. Who am I kidding?)
Noticing her own hubris, the young ranger facepalmed, before dangling lifelessly in her safety line for about a minute, until her stomach reminded her of more pressing issues. She quickly stopped the gem in a pouch hanging by her belt, crawled back up in her sleeping bag and ate some rations from her backpack suspended above her with some rope while she thought about the day's work ahead of her.
(Today is… the 8th day of my patrol huh.. 2 more days and I can finally eat something else than these shitty rations.)
Freeing her backpack she quickly checked its contents, before dropping it to the ground below, next she looked through her sleeping bag and found her climbing gear, consisting of 2 gloves with metal claws inscribed with runes on them. After equipping the gloves she found her boots that she had stuck to the tree trunk with the help of their spike tips. Equipping her boots the young ranger carefully crawled out of her sleeping bag and stuck herself to the tree trunk with her spiked boots, and channelled mana into her gloves and after they started to glow dimly she dug one of them into the tree trunk with no resistance. Now secure she undid her safety line and dropped it along with her sleeping bag to the forest floor some 10 meters below. Now done clearing out her camp, she climbed about halfway down the tree and then jumped down, landing unscathed with the use of strengthening magic. Quickly gathering her dropped supplies and jamming her sleeping bag into her backpack, the young ranger picked up her backpack and started her morning patrol of the Black Hollow forest.
(Ah my hair is itching, I really need a bath… and I smell too, why the FUCK did I chose to become a ranger..)
As she contemplated her career choice, the young ranger quickly moved through the forest, reaching a clearing she took out the magic gem that she almost dropped earlier, and channelled mana into it until it started glowing in a dull purple light.
(Let's see what's around here..)
Finishing the chant a faint purple light wave speed out around her and burst out from her through the surrounding forest.
(A couple of trolls and a single arachnid.. but no humans, okay next point)
The young ranger quickly moved to the next point, some 5 kilometres away, when she reached another clearing in the forest and once more channelled mana into her gem, but this time she reacted differently, and quickly climbed a nearby tree and hid in the tree's crown.
(They're close..)
Having climbed the tree the young ranger removed her backpack and nailed it to the tree trunk and drew her shortbow before nocking an arrow
(Here they come… 4? No, they're 6. 2 mages, 2 swordsmen and 2 bowmen)
As she predicted 6 men clad in black came running into the clearing, having sensed the ranger uses her detection magic.
(They look like smugglers.. first the magic users)
She quickly prepared her bow and aimed at the first mage, then shot the first arrow.
"Gah!"
"Shit! Spread out, it's a ranger!"
"Where is he!?"
"Show yourself, fucking coward!"
The first arrow hit the mage at his shoulder, shattering his collarbone and piercing his lung making collapse as his lung was pierced and he slowly drowned in his own blood.
"Frank! Fuck, he's gone! Find the ranger fast or we'll be next!"
As the mage collapsed one of the swordsmen shouted his commands while scanning the treetops, and quickly received an arrow to the face, reaping his life instantly as the arrow pierced his brain through his eye socket.
(Stupid move dude, of course, I'll go for the leader first, so don't shout commands like a madman. Next is the other mage.)
As she mentally criticized the dead hostile commander the young ranger prepared another arrow to kill her next target.
"WHERE THE FUCK IS HE!?"
"Up there! That or that tree, Jonathan!"
"WITH PLEASURE!"
(Shit, they're not completely dumb)
Having guessed her approximate position the other swordsman pointed at the tree she was hiding in, as the other remaining mage smashed the bottom of his staff into the forest floor and several rock shards ripped themselves from the ground and flew towards treetops, pelting the general area where she hid. While the rock shards flew past her the young ranger channelled mana into her body and with the help of strengthening magic, she jumped to a nearby tree, landing unscathed with the help of her climbing gear as the claws on her gloves sank into the tree trunk she received traction and quickly jumped to another tree while leaving a boot print in the tree trunk.
"There he is!"
"Shit I can't hit him, he's too fucking quick- gah!"
"Fight with some pride you fucking coward!"
After she had dealt with the last mage the battle quickly turned one sided, as the young ranger jumped from tree to tree the smugglers couldn't keep track of her, and she calmly picked them off one by one with well placed arrows.
"Fuck! I didn't come here just to die!"
Watching his last ally collapse with an arrow in the head, the last bowman dropped his bow as his will to fight evaporated, before channelling strengthening magic and running for his life.
"Shit! Was that a ranger? Nobody fucking told me that they're fucking monsters!"
The bowman came from the bordering empire, and knew therefore little of kingdoms border control forces. What he had heard he could only think had been confused with legends of the illusive and isolated elven city states, but then again he had never been the brightest subject. After assaulting a fellow hunter he had been thrown out of the guild and had struggled to find work, that is until he had been approached by one of his more shady associates offering him and some friends what seemed to be a simple job.
"Fuck this shit! 'It's just a simple currier job' I'll fucking kill him when I get out of this fucking forest!"
As the bowman ran through the forest with the aid of strengthening magic he seemingly had the energy to spare as he complained loudly.
"Ha ha ha, fuck. That must be enough distance.."
Stopping to catch his breath, the bowman was sure that he lost the enemy ranger, but turning around he received an arrow to leg.
"Ah! Fucking coward, show yourself!"
As he kept shouting the ranger never showed herself, for she had left him as a gift to the forest.
(Why did he have to run that fucking far? But at least he's acting like a fine monster lure while I check out what they were smuggling)
Having eliminated the last smuggler the young ranger ran back to the other smugglers to check what they had tried to smuggle into the kingdom.
"Let's see… that guy was the commander... no, this one?"
The young ranger took her time searching through the corpses while she held a piece of cloth over her mouth.
(They fucking smell, must have been travelling for weeks. What the hell is that valuable? Not drugs that are simply worth the effort… must be some kind of special package- yeah something like this.)
Finally finding what she was looking for, the young ranger carefully unpacked a small metal container wrapped in cloth
"What do we have here?"
Carefully examining the metal container she found a single locking mechanism.
(A mana lock.. and extremely high grade at that... This doesn't make any sense)
A mana lock or a mana essence recognition lock as the name implied is a kind of special high grade lock that only responds to a single persons kind of mana, while lower grades of mana locks can simply be forced open brute force by channelling mana into it until the mana circuit breaks, some part of the rangers intuition told her that is was not gonna be that easy with this one.
"I knew it, it's trapped"
Having recognized this particular kind of lock from her father's endless teachings, she noticed that this kind of lock had a secondary mana circuit, designed to trigger if any overload was attempted.
"Fire magic? No, it's much cruder.. a bomb, huh. This must be an extremely high value package, but that doesn't make sense at all, why where these numbskulls transporting something like this?"
It indeed didn't make sense, why have low ranked former hunters transporting something worth enough to smuggle it in a container worth several platinum coins alone?
(Unless... Shit!-)
While she had zoned out thinking about her current dilemma, the young ranger had just barely noticed a flash - some metal reflecting light out the corner of her eyes, and had immediately channelled a reckless amount of mana into her legs, and used it to jump to the side. Just in time too, as an arrow meant for her chest grazed her upper arm, ripping through it her flesh as it passed through, leaving a deep cut on her arm.
(FUCK! I knew it - A second escort)
Having dropped her bow as she had dogged the incoming arrow that was meant to reap her life, the young rangers brain went into overdrive as her training kicked in while she ran to cover, grabbing a branch on the way.
(FUCK ME! FUCK ME! FUCK ME! FUCK ME! FUCK ME! FUCK ME! FUCK ME! FUCK ME! FUCK. ME!!)
Biting into the branch she quickly gathered some surrounding mana as she prepared a crude healing spell, finishing channelling the spell in about 4 seconds she held her hand over the wound and activated the spell.
"mmmMMmmmMMm!!!!"
Screaming while biting into the branch the healing spell forcefully closed her wound by pinching the intact tissue together, ripping muscle tissue from the bone in the process. An extremely painful but effective short term solution. After the emergency treatment had completed she spits out the branch that now had deep bite marks and drew her shortsword with her intact arm.
(Now where are you at fucker?)
Scanning the area, the young ranger dodged another arrow, this one meant for her head as she peeked out from behind her cover. The arrow had grazed her head so close it had ripped a large tear in her ear, but the ranger didn't notice, as adrenalin and her training was completely dominating her mind.
"ARE YOU AWARE YOU ARE CURRENTLY COMMITTING AN ACT OF WAR!? THIS IS KINGDOM TERRITORY AND YOU ARE ENGAGING A BORDER PATROL!!"
(Now fuck off!)
Realizing she was entirely outmatched, the young ranger shouted her identification, hoping it would somehow pacify her attacker, or at least making him retreat. Receiving no response the young ranger wasn't naive enough to believe the threat had passed.
(What the hell is this bloodlust?)
Having finally calmed down a bit, the young ranger noticed the bloodlust surrounding her. Realizing she was no way out of danger, she decided to try something risky to break out of her current desperate situation.
(The only way I come out of this alive is closing range. there's no way I run away or win in a ranged fight... Here goes nothing)
Deciding that the only way she would survive was to close the range and try to win a melee battle, the young ranger briefly checked the mobility of her injured arm, before deciding to not use that hand, wielding her shortsword in her other hand.
(This is such a dumb idea…)
Taking off one of her shoulder guards she tossed it to the one side, and immediately ran out the other side, after hearing it get hit by something. Her rushed tactic turned out to be a really bad idea however, as the enemy was closer than she had expected. Not even 20 meters away stood a bow user clad in the same black clothing as the other smugglers, but that's where the similarities ended. The enemy was a woman, and her deep brown coloured skin, red eyes and two ram like horns on her head characterized her as a demonkin.
(Ah, I'm so fucked)
Realizing she was completely outmatched, the young ranger didn't flinch and continued her charge against the hostile demonkin. Moving close to the ground, the young ranger almost ran on all fours as she desperately dodged multiple arrows with a paper thin margin, and as she finally got in range she trusted forward her shortsword in a desperate attempt to kill her opponent. The attack never reached, however, as the demonkin dropped her bow and parried the incoming attack with her one hand using her solid looking and sharp claws. With the other hand, the demonkin grabbed the young ranger by the throat and lifted her off the ground while choking the light out of her.
"Arg! Fuck.. you!"
Having lost her sword as it was parried, the young ranger punched the demonkin a few times in the head, without effect as either her strength was insufficient or the demonkins skin was too tough.
".... I…. Sorry…"
As her consciousness began to turn hazy, the young ranger heard the demonkin apologize, making her focus on the demonkins appearance.
(Are you fucking kidding me!)
Looking closer, the young ranger noticed that the demonkin woman was covered in scars and her red eyes looked particularly dead and lifeless and that she had a solid looking metal collar around her neck with an ominous red magic gem embedded into.
"... I... can't... stop... I... sorry"
As she kept apologizing tears streamed down her face and the demonkin woman seemingly tried to fight some invisible influence coming from the collar.
(A slavery collar! This is beyond fucked up)
Realizing what she was fighting against as her vision turned dark and she tried to free herself from the demonkins grip.
".. I... will... bury.. you... so…. sorry"
(This... is... not... how…. I.. die.. shit)
The young ranger's mind went into overdrive as she frantically tried to find a solution for her hopeless situation. As the demonkin woman continued to choke the young ranger her tears didn't seem to stop, as she was trying to resist the influence of her slavery collar, the result being that the young ranger was still alive.
"Go.. in... peace!"
Having decided that whoever was twisted enough to use a slavery collar couldn't be allowed to win, the young ranger chose to the final option available to her, self destruction, as she had grabbed the metal container and lifted it to eye level as she channelled enough mana into it to trigger the secondary mana circuit.
"Ah!... you... too… ***.. ****"
As the demonkin woman noticed what the young ranger was doing, a smile formed on her face and bit of life returned to her eyes, and she said goodbye to the young ranger in her native tongue. Closing her eyes the at the last second, the young ranger saw life flash before her eyes, and even with all her regrets she still felt like this wasn't the worst way to go - At least she herself chose to die.
---
But she didn't die.
Awakening an unknown amount of time later, the pain had forcefully returned the young ranger's consciousness. The pain was the only thing that confirmed she was still alive, as she had found herself in a dark world without light. As she writhed in pain in the dark world some of her senses returned. Her ears kept on ringing, and the scent of burned flesh assaulted her nose, as her most recent memories returned.
(Am I still alive? Or is this hell..)
Confirming that she still had a single useable arm the young ranger patted her body slowly to check for damage. She found multiple small pieces of metal shrapnel had pierced her upper body, but as she checked her head the horrible truth dawned on her. A large piece of metal shrapnel had her eyes, turning her world dark for eternity.
(Shit shit SHIT FUCK!)
"AaaaaAarg!!!"
As the truth had dawned on her, tears had started to form in what was left of her eyes, while an almost numbing amount of pain assaulted her, making the young ranger scream in agony. That is until she remembered her current position and forcefully suppressed her screaming.
(No! Calm down, I refuse to become monster food)
But it was too late, as she felt the ground shake - something big was approaching.
(Shit shit fuck fuck calm down, how do I survive this THINK)
Feeling the heavy footsteps closing in the young ranger suppressed her breathing as her panicked mind went into overdrive and she almost forgot the agony she was in. The footsteps stopped right next to her, and after a bit, her ears were assaulted with the sound of flesh being ripped apart, and bones shattered as the area was filled with the smell of blood.
(I'm next if I don't get away fast, but how!?)
As the unknown monster presumably consumed one of the dead smugglers or the demonkin woman, the young ranger finally found a solution as she had grasped a familiar feeling magic gem. Checking her legs still working the young ranger silently prayed to every deity she knew.
(Please let this work!)
Channeling mana into the gem her mind was filled with information on the surrounding area.
(A single troll, and nothing else nearby. This can work, no I will make it work!)
The detection magic having given her a snapshot of the surrounding forest, the young ranger scrambled to her feet as she ran towards a nearby tree, with the sound of a pissed troll following right behind her. After running about 5 meters in her now completely dark world the young ranger's luck ran out as she tripped on a root. Not even having time to curse her luck, she felt her left leg being crushed, as the troll had stepped on it.
"AAAAaarg!!! FUCK YOU!!"
As she heard the sound of her own bones being pulverized she screamed and cursed at the troll in agony. After the troll had crushed her leg it picked up the young ranger by her intact leg and prepared to eat her alive as the young ranger felt it's breathing on her face
"NO YOU FUCKING DON'T!!!"
Once more challenging mana into her gem, the young ranger received another snapshot of her surroundings, and mercilessly buried her gem, along with her forearm in the eye socket of the troll with the use of strengthening magic.
"THAT'S WHAT YOU FUCKING GET!"
As she felt herself fall the young ranger judged she had killed the troll with her attack and shielded her head from the fall with her destroyed arm and quickly rolled away, as she heard the dead troll falling over. Having dogged the dead trolls fall she crawled her way back towards it, guided by her sense of smell and touch alone, having lost her gem in the eye socket of the troll.
"I. Need. That. Gem!"
Having reached the head of the dead troll she dug around in its head to recover her gem.
"Found it!"
After finding it once more, the young ranger crawled across the forest floor while pulsing detection magic to give her directions. About an hour later she had reached a tree and somehow climbed it with only a single useable arm and leg, reaching a large branch where she laid herself.
(Now to call for help..)
Using the last of her mana the young ranger overloaded her gem, making it send out a long range pulse as it cracked in half and she lost consciousness.
---
Awakening covered in sweat Terra Williams screamed in horror, as a nightmare had once more reminded her of what had happened about a year ago.
"Terra! Clam down, it was just a nightmare! You're safe!"
Feeling a warm hand and the voice of her father, Terra calmed down after a while.
"Dad, why are you here? Where's the maid?"
"I dismissed her as I have some good news to tell you"
"What? Did you finally find someone disturbed enough to marry this blind cripple?"
"No, even better I finally found someone that can heal you!"
"Please stop falling for all those scams dad, not even the bishop could heal me remember?"
"This time it's real, Alice saw it herself, and I already negotiated your treatment"
"Then what's the name of this holy saint wielding healing magic on the level of the gods?"
"Ha ahah, Haha!"
"What the hell is so funny dad? Did you finally go insane?"
"No, it's just when you called him a saint I couldn't help it, excuse me. He'll be here in a few days time"