(Due to the graphic nature of some bits, I threw on a 18+ rating. So if you're under aged, or easily offended, go read something else, like....Twlight, or something equally as sparkly.)
Part 1: The Forest Is Alive
"It's fine, we'll just cut up your pretty lady instead," the bandit leader drew the knife close to the quivering woman tightly embraced to him, sliding the blade so that it drew just a thin vein of blood, better proving the point that he was not simply playing around, "if you don't hand over the money, that is..."
The merchant held up his hands, dropping onto one knee, "W-wait, don't do that, you don't want to do that....She's innocent and she has nothing to do with this, y-you just want the money, right' Here, take it, take my wedding ring....Take all my wares in the carriage, just, please, don't hurt her anymore..." The merchant untied the sack of coins from about his waist, and tossed it to the bandit leader's footsteps, including his wedding ring.
The bandit leader's many cronies drew their swords, and laughed. Money wouldn't suffice, this evening. They would take the carriage and the horse, his clothes, and then his wife. If they left him in a pool of his own blood, still clinging to life, then they had done their deed for the day.
"There, you got the money, so please, let my wife go, please, at least grant me that?" The merchant begged with the man, grovelling, almost welling up with tears as he witnessed the skin of the one he loved marked by the sharpness of that dagger, so viciously pressed against her throat. Fear gave way to hatred, longing to run his own sword through that scoundrel's gut.
How dare they ruin their once peaceful lives " how dare they do such a thing to hard working folk. They deserved punishment. They could not get away with this. But what he could do' He was but one man, and they were at least ten heavily armed psychopaths. It was hopeless.
All the merchant could do, was hope and pray, that nothing would go wrong.
"Good, seems like the dog can take orders, now, then....You held up your end of the bargain, it is only fair that I too let go of your woman, right?" The leader beamed a smile of rotten teeth, and released the whimpering woman from capture, throwing her not towards the merchant, but towards the other men.
They fell upon like savage wolves.
"W-What are you doing"!" The merchant could not contain his rage any longer, "We had a deal!" He stood briskly to defend his wife, but was struck down by a blow to the back of the head; the heavy thundering blow of a long sword's hilt splitting his skull almost wide open, showering blood down his face in slow, but steady streams.
Fortunately; like his wife had always said, he had a hard head to crack and thus, became only momentarily dazed by the blow. He took a step forward, and found the tip of a sword pushing up against his chin.
The merchant's gaze went along the length of the blade to the bandit leader, who grinned at him, in that smug, pitying expression.
"You're going to watch," the leader chuckled, "and if you don't' We'll kill her."
"You....Sick....I'll kill you..."
"Oh' I think the problem right now is, you got no choice in the matter. Me and the boys get awfully lonely out here in the wilderness. We need some fresh meat to liven us up, make us real men. You understand, don't you?" The bandit leader ran his hand through long, greasy black hair, "We'll kill her after we're done. As a man, I would never leave a woman in such a state of despair....It's just best to kill them, to save them from their misery, huh?"
"You're not men....You're animals!" The merchant snapped back, his face glowing red with his rage, his eyes seething " almost bloodshot with a crazed blood lust he had never felt before.
"Ho ho....Now we've grown a backbone have we?" The bandit leader relished in the mixture of emotions displayed in the man's features. He was not sure what he liked the most. The fear, or the hatred...
The leader inclined his head, to the woman, whose clothes were now in tatters, her womanly curves now bare to the world to see, as the hungry fingers and lips of all of his comrades smothered her futile screams and attempts to flee.
There was no where to run, not here, not in the wilderness, not this far from the city of Rhy'Din....This was their territory, their jurisdiction. Their law. Anything that passed this stretch of road, belonged to them. Including the women.
During his moment of self gratification in the merchant's defeat and the sodomy of his wife, he noticed the defeated man staring more so, behind him. As if something stood there, far more terrifying than he.
The bandit leader twisted his head, and glanced over his shoulder. His heart clenched tight, and his breath left his lungs, as he now stared into a face that was pressed up against his, with glowing red eyes and a wild manic grin, bearing fangs like a creature of the night, with a complexion of a ghost bathed in the pale moonlight.
Instantly, the leader of the bandits howled a frightful surprised yelp, and turned, ignoring the merchant entirely as he swung his blade wildly in the air as if he was battling some ethereal existence. His frenzied swipes at nothing and everything, stole his comrade's attentions, forcing them to momentarily forget about the woman they were attempting to rape.
As they voiced their concerns and moved to ready themselves for whatever their leader was attempting to attack, one of them fell, as if tripped over by something. They turned at their comrade's yelp, and recoiled in horror, as he was dragged across the ground, and into the night, screaming, as he disappeared from their sights.
They knew not what took him, for they could see nothing.
It was as if, the forest itself, had swallowed him up.
The leader of the badits eventually calmed, and sheathed his blade, his eyes wide with terror, as the distant scream of the bandit that was taken away, suddenly silenced.
An eerie void of soundless space fell upon them. Even the forest, with its many creatures " they too, were quiet. Each ragged breath of every man, could be heard as clear as a pin drop in the distance. They all looked between each other, unsure as to flee or remain.
Their course of actions, was forced, as another one of the bandits, was taken. This unsuspecting bandit was plucked from the ground as if something flew over ahead and had snatched him up, his form quickly disappearing into the canopy of the evergreen trees, wailing and flailing as he did so.
With their almost non-existent morale shattered, they all scrambled different directions. They were not going to stick around and become another victim for the forest to take. They were not going to die " they were not going to lose their life to some....Unknown enemy they cannot see, or fight.
Regardless of the leader's rallying cries, they ran off into the dead of the night, leaving him to fend for himself, against....What, exactly"
Part 1: The Forest Is Alive
"It's fine, we'll just cut up your pretty lady instead," the bandit leader drew the knife close to the quivering woman tightly embraced to him, sliding the blade so that it drew just a thin vein of blood, better proving the point that he was not simply playing around, "if you don't hand over the money, that is..."
The merchant held up his hands, dropping onto one knee, "W-wait, don't do that, you don't want to do that....She's innocent and she has nothing to do with this, y-you just want the money, right' Here, take it, take my wedding ring....Take all my wares in the carriage, just, please, don't hurt her anymore..." The merchant untied the sack of coins from about his waist, and tossed it to the bandit leader's footsteps, including his wedding ring.
The bandit leader's many cronies drew their swords, and laughed. Money wouldn't suffice, this evening. They would take the carriage and the horse, his clothes, and then his wife. If they left him in a pool of his own blood, still clinging to life, then they had done their deed for the day.
"There, you got the money, so please, let my wife go, please, at least grant me that?" The merchant begged with the man, grovelling, almost welling up with tears as he witnessed the skin of the one he loved marked by the sharpness of that dagger, so viciously pressed against her throat. Fear gave way to hatred, longing to run his own sword through that scoundrel's gut.
How dare they ruin their once peaceful lives " how dare they do such a thing to hard working folk. They deserved punishment. They could not get away with this. But what he could do' He was but one man, and they were at least ten heavily armed psychopaths. It was hopeless.
All the merchant could do, was hope and pray, that nothing would go wrong.
"Good, seems like the dog can take orders, now, then....You held up your end of the bargain, it is only fair that I too let go of your woman, right?" The leader beamed a smile of rotten teeth, and released the whimpering woman from capture, throwing her not towards the merchant, but towards the other men.
They fell upon like savage wolves.
"W-What are you doing"!" The merchant could not contain his rage any longer, "We had a deal!" He stood briskly to defend his wife, but was struck down by a blow to the back of the head; the heavy thundering blow of a long sword's hilt splitting his skull almost wide open, showering blood down his face in slow, but steady streams.
Fortunately; like his wife had always said, he had a hard head to crack and thus, became only momentarily dazed by the blow. He took a step forward, and found the tip of a sword pushing up against his chin.
The merchant's gaze went along the length of the blade to the bandit leader, who grinned at him, in that smug, pitying expression.
"You're going to watch," the leader chuckled, "and if you don't' We'll kill her."
"You....Sick....I'll kill you..."
"Oh' I think the problem right now is, you got no choice in the matter. Me and the boys get awfully lonely out here in the wilderness. We need some fresh meat to liven us up, make us real men. You understand, don't you?" The bandit leader ran his hand through long, greasy black hair, "We'll kill her after we're done. As a man, I would never leave a woman in such a state of despair....It's just best to kill them, to save them from their misery, huh?"
"You're not men....You're animals!" The merchant snapped back, his face glowing red with his rage, his eyes seething " almost bloodshot with a crazed blood lust he had never felt before.
"Ho ho....Now we've grown a backbone have we?" The bandit leader relished in the mixture of emotions displayed in the man's features. He was not sure what he liked the most. The fear, or the hatred...
The leader inclined his head, to the woman, whose clothes were now in tatters, her womanly curves now bare to the world to see, as the hungry fingers and lips of all of his comrades smothered her futile screams and attempts to flee.
There was no where to run, not here, not in the wilderness, not this far from the city of Rhy'Din....This was their territory, their jurisdiction. Their law. Anything that passed this stretch of road, belonged to them. Including the women.
During his moment of self gratification in the merchant's defeat and the sodomy of his wife, he noticed the defeated man staring more so, behind him. As if something stood there, far more terrifying than he.
The bandit leader twisted his head, and glanced over his shoulder. His heart clenched tight, and his breath left his lungs, as he now stared into a face that was pressed up against his, with glowing red eyes and a wild manic grin, bearing fangs like a creature of the night, with a complexion of a ghost bathed in the pale moonlight.
Instantly, the leader of the bandits howled a frightful surprised yelp, and turned, ignoring the merchant entirely as he swung his blade wildly in the air as if he was battling some ethereal existence. His frenzied swipes at nothing and everything, stole his comrade's attentions, forcing them to momentarily forget about the woman they were attempting to rape.
As they voiced their concerns and moved to ready themselves for whatever their leader was attempting to attack, one of them fell, as if tripped over by something. They turned at their comrade's yelp, and recoiled in horror, as he was dragged across the ground, and into the night, screaming, as he disappeared from their sights.
They knew not what took him, for they could see nothing.
It was as if, the forest itself, had swallowed him up.
The leader of the badits eventually calmed, and sheathed his blade, his eyes wide with terror, as the distant scream of the bandit that was taken away, suddenly silenced.
An eerie void of soundless space fell upon them. Even the forest, with its many creatures " they too, were quiet. Each ragged breath of every man, could be heard as clear as a pin drop in the distance. They all looked between each other, unsure as to flee or remain.
Their course of actions, was forced, as another one of the bandits, was taken. This unsuspecting bandit was plucked from the ground as if something flew over ahead and had snatched him up, his form quickly disappearing into the canopy of the evergreen trees, wailing and flailing as he did so.
With their almost non-existent morale shattered, they all scrambled different directions. They were not going to stick around and become another victim for the forest to take. They were not going to die " they were not going to lose their life to some....Unknown enemy they cannot see, or fight.
Regardless of the leader's rallying cries, they ran off into the dead of the night, leaving him to fend for himself, against....What, exactly"