Within the confines of Blackthorn County, a procession of chained women dragged through the woods. Their limbs shackled to one another as soldiers whipped them from atop their horses. They whimpered in pain and fright, begging for the men to let them go. The women had husbands, children, and families to be with. ''Why must our families suffer because of Count Blackthorn''s depravity?'' The thought circulated through the procession unanimously.
"By the order of Count Blackthorn, all who reside in his territory belong to him!" A knight uttered from atop a white steed adorned with armor.
"Screw that fucking pig!" One of the women finally snapped, her anger erupting in protest. She had just been celebrating with her parents that her fiancée asked her to marry, and now she was at risk of being some bed warmer for a lard-bellied toad.
"Wench, you dare criticize the count?" The knight uttered as he dismounted his horse. He unsheathed his sword with one fluid motion that showed his experience and aimed it toward the woman.
"Why are you acting so haughty for?" The woman snarled, "You''re just a dog, wagging his tail for the count''s favor!"
"You don''t know when to quit," the knight said as he approached the woman and pushed her down. He stabbed his sword into her thigh and, with his steel boot, stepped firmly onto her calf. "You wretch, if one of you disappears, Count Blackthorn won''t be upset by that fact. Know your place."
The woman cried out in pain as blood gushed out from the stab wound. The man''s boot placed pressure on the wound, causing the blood to flow out without stopping. "Damn you!" The woman spat, "Where are the chivalrous knights the empire prided itself on?"
The man was about to strike again when a change occurred. The skies shook, and the land quaked. From above, flames of azure and gold roiled through the clouds. The nighttime sky lit up like the end of times, a drastic change that paused all the soldiers in their tracks.
"What''s going on?" The knight muttered as his gaze turned to the sky, where the blazing light approached ever closer. Sweat rolled down his brow, and his nerves were taut with tension.
Before he could think about it, the light struck into the forest, and debris and trees flung across as dust billowed into the air. It was a loud crash that splintered everything in its path, startling the men and the captive women.
"Go check it out!" The knight ordered his men, who were reluctant to leave. But orders were undeniable, and they had to accept their duties.
Meanwhile, in the woods, Priscilla stood in a crater, her body shimmering in a translucent glow that protected her from the crash. Her eyes scanned the area, her lungs breathed in the fresh forest air, and she felt the nighttime chill against her skin. ''I''m back...'' the girl thought, clenching her fists. A wide grin spread across her face as she took the feeling in; Priscilla was so distracted that she did not sense that the woods were stirring around her location and that the sound of rustling approached her.
It took a while, but the noise finally came close enough to Priscilla until it awoke her from her stupor. ''What? Is there someone near me that got attracted by the crash?'' she thought, her wariness bristled as she took the sounds in, ''Bandits? Merchants? Is there a town near her?''
"Who''s there?" Priscilla yelled coldly; if someone wanted to start trouble with her the very moment she returned to life, they should be ready to face the consequences.
As she spoke out, several men emerged from the underbrush wearing light armor emblazoned with a crest that Priscilla recognized as a noble''s emblem. She did not know which noble it belonged to, but the men were likely a nearby noble''s retinue.
Priscilla noticed the blood and furrowed her brow in displeasure. ''Why were a noble''s soldiers resembling common bandits and thugs?'' She wondered as the men approached warily.
"Girl, how''d you get here?" One of the men asked angrily. "This is Count Blackthorn''s territory! All women belong to the count; submit now. While we''re being nice."
The men unsheathed their swords, circling the suspicious woman. "I repeat, submit! The count demands all of his territory''s women to present themselves while he is being kind!"
"What?" Priscilla asked in a chilling voice, "Are you bandits playing a game?"
"You dare! We are Count Blackthorn''s guard! How dare you compare us to mere bandits!" The leading soldier hollered with a belly full of fury.
At the same time, the forest rustled once again as the knight approached with a long chain of shackled women breaking through the canopy of trees that separated the path they were on— and Priscilla''s crater. "What''s the situation?" The knight asked, his voice booming across the landscape.
"Sir! There is a strange woman in front of us; we''ve got her encircled for now."
"A woman?" The knight asked in confusion as his eyes narrowed upon Priscilla, "Who are you? How did you get here?"This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Priscilla''s eyes narrowed as she gazed upon the women, covered in blood and wounds. The women''s clothes were torn to shreds, leaving them distraught and weary. Priscilla recalled the month she spent imprisoned, the torture by the guards her father sent day in and day out. It was clear these women were experiencing just the same.
"What do you think you''re doing to those women, you damned animal?" Priscilla questioned. Her voice was the lowest it had ever been as the atmosphere around the men chilled.
The knight laughed at Priscilla''s outburst; it would not be the first time a woman was upset at him in the woods. "Didn''t my men already tell you? All you wenches belong to the count. Kneel and beg for mercy; perhaps we''ll take better care of you than the rest of the fodder."
"Get her." He added flatly, signaling to the soldiers to attack.
The soldiers began to approach her, their feet sliding down the slope of the crater that Priscilla stood in. Priscilla became encircled by eight soldiers instantly, while the knight stood back, holding onto the chained women. "C''mere girl, submit, and you''ll have nothing to worry about for the rest of your miserable life," one of the soldiers said while reaching his arm out toward Priscilla''s shoulder. The soldier''s kind offer was responded to with pain as Priscilla slapped his hand away with a forceful gesture. "YOU DARE?" The man snarled.
"I don''t plan on going anywhere with you pigs, and if you keep pestering me, you won''t be going anywhere either." Priscilla threatened as she glared coldly at the dead men.
The men laughed uproariously at her threat, "Who do you think you are, girl?" One of the soldiers said as he spat a large wad of phlegm on the ground. "You look as if you barely weened off your whore mother''s teets. Kid, who the hell do you think you are to threaten us?"
The soldier''s face dropped with a chilling intent as he frowned upon Priscilla. His hostility radiated off him as he held his sword readied. He lunged swiftly at Priscilla, ignoring the woman''s demeanor. Had he paid attention, he would''ve noticed the murderous gaze that gleamed in her eyes at the mention of her mother.
Priscilla threw herself forward with a swift step, slapping the man''s sword-wielding wrist hard enough that it detached from the bone. The man howled in pain, but Priscilla merely continued striking him in the throat, silencing his porkish squeals. She twirled, grabbed him by the hair, and jumped, kneeing the man in the jaw. With his hair still in hand, she pulled down with a strength that belied her petite form and smashed his face into the earth.
The other men were startled by her actions. They rushed at her all at once; their minds could not and would not process how the woman moved so agilely as if the wind was carrying her. Their swords pierced at her from all sides, intending to make a training dummy out of her. Priscilla leaped into the air, propelling herself upward with the wind. Her foot stepped on one of the blades before she turned with inhumane velocity and struck the man with her foot, twisting his neck in one fluid motion. She then jumped backward, placing distance between her and the remaining men. The man toppled to the ground lifeless; half his face caved in, and his neck turned to the back.
"DEMON, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" The knight shouted frantically, his mind buzzing with disbelief at the way his men died.
Hearing this, Priscilla froze for a second. ''''What did you just say?'''' She asked flatly. Her heartbeat intensified as it coursed blood through her body.
''''You heard me! You''re a monster, a demon, a witch! You killed him!'''' the knight uttered like possessed, his legs trembling. ''''Screw this bitch, attack her! ATTACK!'''' he shouted, throwing the chain that latched onto the captive women down and rushing toward Priscilla.
His words were a point of no return when something snapped inside Priscilla. Her silent, seething fury burned inside her chest as she lunged at the men closest to her; she grabbed their heads with her palms open and toppled them to the ground. Her fury sparked as her hands glowed a deadly crimson that snaked out from the tips of her fingers and covered the men in a searing flame that consumed their flesh instantly. The two men howled and rolled on the ground in an attempt to put the flames out, but they could do nothing to a fire that defied life. They cursed and spat and foamed, but all it resulted in was them turning to ash and bone faster.
"Impossible! You truly are a demon!" The man cried out in fright; he and the soldiers felt a deathly chill run down their spines as they stared at the demonic woman before them.
Genuine fear seeped into their souls; she was beautifully flawless on the outside, but they could only see her as a monstrosity of death. They regretted it— they regretted everything; why did they provoke this creature? One of the men pissed himself as the foul odor wafted into the air. They were losing their minds and their lives. They knew it— they felt it. They attacked with abandonment, flailing their weapons with no skill or logic. Priscilla dodged simply to the back, avoiding their attacks with graceful movement; she kicked her foot out, slamming it hard against one man''s ribs and sending him tumbling on the ground. He coughed and held his torso as he felt the throbbing pain assault him.
Priscilla was out of control; she attacked with cruel intention— but they provoked her first. She couldn''t care less about them now; she hated being called a monster; it was the same as her father— her friends. They all treated her like a monster, and it angered her immensely. ''''Fine!'''' she muttered, ''''You wanted a monster, then you''ll get one.'''' her cerulean eyes glowed crimson as she kicked out at one of the remaining men into the chest. He heaved as he felt the forceful disconnect of his bones shattering and the ungodly pain.
Priscilla was a beast unshackled; she went through the soldiers as if they were beasts for the butchers. It did not take long before only the knight remained, kneeling before her. Tears and piss flowed in equal parts as he begged for mercy. Clarity struck Priscilla''s mind when she witnessed the pitiful state of the man. Reason told her that she should act with grace and dignity. Being heavy-handed cannot cure everything in the world. But the other part of her mind spoke as well. Telling her that she was always the one being put down and labeled and that no matter how innocent she was, they still found a way to besmirch her. Her momentary pause gave the knight a chance; his eye gleamed with viciousness as he pulled a short blade from a harness on his back and struck it toward Priscilla''s heart.
"No, Goddess! Be careful!" One of the women shouted— the same one that defied the knight earlier.
Her warning, however, was unnecessary. Priscilla''s instincts, honed by countless battles in purgatory, were honed to perfection; when the knight struck out, she reflexively clashed with him. A blade of ice severed his head cleanly as it rolled on the ground with widened eyes. ''What a wicked witch!'' The thought flashed through his mind for a split moment before the life faded from his eyes.