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The wind blew gently, fluttering Luna’s cloak as she walked up the path through the forest. She had left the town behind a while ago, so the only sounds around here were those of the rustling leaves, chirping birds, and whatever happened to be scampering through the undergrowth. She had been walking in the direction the young boy had indicated, not having any other leads, when her sharp ears picked up the sounds of laughter a bit deeper. She walked over one last rise and found herself facing the bandit’s hideout.

It was situated in the middle of a large clearing. Ramshackle buildings that appeared to be made from the remains of old boats and ships dotted the clearing, men and women, at least a couple dozen, walking in, out, and between them. A few campfires burned and the smell of cooking food made Luna’s mouth water and her stomach growl, but she resisted it. She was here for a reason, after all.

She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a pair of leather gloves, the backs of which were plated with steel. She pulled them on as she closed the distance between her and the bandits. As they began to notice her, she called out, [color=lightblue]”Alright, I’ve had a pretty shitty day, but I’ll give you all a chance! You’ve got two choices! Make it nice and easy, bring out your boss, and I’ll only have to kick the snot out of one of you! Or, you can make this fun for me!”[/color]

The bandits all rose to their feet, brandishing various weapons. One of them, a huge, heavyset man strode up to Luna, a club hoisted over his shoulder. “Big talk, comin’ from such a little thing,” he said as he bent over. “We’ll give you a chance to take your words back and go back the way you came before things get ugly.”

Luna scrunched up her nose at the man’s breath and waved her hand in front of her face as she said, [color=lightblue]”Trust me, buddy, with you, things are already plenty ugly.”[/color]

The man’s face twisted up in anger and, with surprising quickness despite his size, he brought his club down, the ground cracking under the blow and kicking up a cloud of dust. When it cleared, his eyes widened when he saw Luna still standing, having side-stepped the attack. [color=lightblue]”Not bad…but not good enough.”[/color]

Luna twisted and threw a punch into the man’s stomach. Despite his ‘natural padding,’ he felt the blow deeply, as if someone had fired a cannonball into his stomach. The blow sent him flying back until he crashed into one of the dilapidated huts, bringing the rest of it down on top of him. Everyone else, eyes practically popping out of their heads, slowly turned from the collapsed building back toward Luna, who was rubbing her knuckles. She glared at each one in turn and simply asked, [color=lightblue]”Who’s next?”[/color]

With that, the rest of them charged with a furious roar, which Luna greeted with a grin. She sidestepped a stab from a dagger and drove her knee into the assailant’s stomach before she pivoted on her heel and slammed her shin into the side of another’s head. She caught the wrist of an attacker coming from her left, gripping it tightly enough to feel his bones grind together in her hand. With a yell, she used the man as a weapon, swinging him into a group of three bandits before she threw him into another.

Her ears twitched and she could feel the presence of someone else behind her, but she didn’t react fast enough before she felt them grab her hood from behind. They yanked it down, exposing her snowy hair and canid ears. Electro suddenly flashed from her body, electrifying them before she spun around and connected a haymaker with the side of their head. She turned her attention to another bandit and raised an Electro-enhanced fist, ready to drive it into their face.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!!

The command was delivered with such authority that everyone stopped where they were, Luna, included. She turned toward the largest building, which seemed to serve as a kind of headquarters, where a massive, bearded mountain of a man stood. His curly, black beard was bushy enough that Luna would be almost convinced that the hair that used to be on top of his head simply migrated to his jaw. A large scar ran from his eyebrow toward the back of his head, as if someone had dug an axe into his skull at some point. He had proper armor, a steel breastplate made of layered plates with matching shoulder guards, though the dents and scratches showed its age. In fact, now that Luna had calmed down some, she noticed that many of his men wore the same thing or something similar. Their armor was even in the same shape as his. “I take it you’re the reason why my men haven’t returned, yet?” he growled in a voice that sounded like a landslide.

Luna thought for a moment, then remembered the two that accosted her back at the bar. [color=lightblue]”Ohh, you must mean Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumbass. Yeah, they were bugging me, so I showed them why that was a bad idea. And you can tell me whose bodies you looted all this equipment off before or after I kick your ass.”[/color]

Rather than get angry or take a swing at her, the man took Luna by total surprise: he laughed. It was a genuine belly laugh, one that was almost contagious, made even more so by the fact tears of joy were streaming down his face. He wiped his face and said, sniffling, “Boy, you’ve definitely changed. I remember when you were this shy little thing, hiding behind your mother’s legs.”

Before Luna could ask what he meant, the man suddenly kneeled, as did his men, or at least the ones dressed like him, to the surprise of everyone else. The man then said something she never thought she’d hear, his voice quivering with emotion.

“I’ve been dreaming of this day for years. We are at your command, Princess Luna Nox.”