Blood Beneath the Moon, Hope Among the Herbs

The morning sun warmed the sleepy village of Elmsbrook. Mist coiled like soft ribbon above the meadows, and dew clung to the tall grass and flowering herb stalks. The air was rich with the scent of lavender, mint, and wild chamomile. For Selena, it was a perfect morning.

She hummed as she crouched in a field just beyond the stream, her hands carefully plucking leaves and stems. A basket swung lightly on her arm, already half-full of herbs for the quest. She looked up and smiled at the villagers nearby.

Selena: Is this one good for medicine?

she asked, holding up a flowering stalk with small yellow buds.

A young farm girl named Lita nodded enthusiastically. "That's goldenbloom! Brewed into tea, it's good for headaches.

Selena: Then I'll take more of it

Selena said cheerfully, laughing as she reached down again.

Children ran by with sticks pretending to be swords, shouting "Monster attack!" and "Hero Selena to the rescue!" She joined their game for a few minutes, laughing as one boy declared her "slime queen" after she pretended to trip over her own basket.

She felt light. Free. It was easy to forget her past, to just enjoy being part of something kind.

One of the older villagers approached her. You've brought sunshine to this place, girl," he said, eyes crinkling with warmth. "Haven't seen so much laughing here in weeks."

Selena beamed.

Selena: Thank you, sir. It's just… nice to be useful.

He patted her shoulder and wandered off, leaving her to gather more herbs by the edge of the grove.

While the light of day brightened Selena's world, Red moved in the shadow of truth.

He hadn't seen the village chief all morning. Not at the well. Not at the common house. Not even lingering near his gaudy home. That alone was enough to confirm what he suspected: the man had lied.

There was no meeting at the old shrine.

Red waited until the sun dipped low, casting long shadows across the woods.

He moved through the trees like a wraith, soundless and invisible, the cloak drawn tight around his shoulders. His swords remained sheathed but ready, and his mind raced with calculated violence.

He followed a trail, fresh boot prints masked by a weak attempt at concealment. The tracks led northeast, far past the shrine the chief mentioned, toward a deeper part of the forest. The birds had gone silent. Even the air felt wrong.

Eventually, the trees parted.

Red crouched on a ridge and looked down into a hidden glade below.

Tents. Campfires. Horses. A few caged wagons lined one edge of the camp, each barred with crude iron. Inside them, he could make out the shapes of huddled forms, girls and young women. A few looked barely older than fourteen.

Thirty bandits. All armored in mismatched leathers, weapons worn but lethal.

And among them, near the largest fire, stood the slaver.

He wore a violet cloak lined with wolf fur, and a gold ring shone on every finger. He laughed as he counted coins from a chest, his voice rising over the camp's dull murmur.

Red's eyes narrowed.

In the cage closest to the slaver sat a girl with tangled black hair and pale, bruised arms. Her eyes held no tears, only fire. Despite her chains, she glared at her captors without fear.

The old woman's daughter.

Red stood.

And then descended.

He moved like nightfall, quiet, inevitable, and cold. He dropped from the ridge into the tall grass and was behind the first guard before the man even turned.

One sword flashed.

The guard slumped, throat open, breath stolen by silence.

Red weaved through the tents, cutting them open like a shadow. His blades hissed as they danced through flesh and leather. A man screamed, then gurgled. Another reached for his bow but was impaled before the arrow left the string.

It wasn't a battle. It was a purge.

Bandits fell one after another, their numbers working against them in the chaos. Fires were knocked over, sending plumes of smoke skyward. Horses screamed and tore free of their tethers, trampling over corpses.

The slaver stumbled back, blood on his robes. "Who—what in the nine hells is this?!"

Red stepped into the firelight.

The glow cast shadows across his black armor, making his eyes burn like coals behind his visor. The twin swords dripped red onto the earth.

The slaver's face paled. "Wait! You don't understand, I have powerful buyers! You'll die for crossing me!"

He never finished.

Red's blade punched through his chest and out the other side.

Red: You sold children.

Red: You deserve nothing less.

The slaver collapsed, gurgling, dead before he hit the ground.

The last few bandits tried to flee. They didn't make it far.

When the silence returned, it was full and complete. Only the soft cries of the rescued girls remained.

Red sheathed his blades and approached the cages. The keys hung from the slaver's belt. He opened the first cage, and Sarah scrambled back instinctively, eyes wide.

He knelt.

Red: I'm not here to hurt you,

he said gently, voice softer than before.

Red: Your mother is waiting in Elmsbrook. She's been waiting all this time."

Sarah's breath caught.

Tears welled in her eyes.

Then she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Red's neck, sobbing.

Sarah: Thank you… gods, thank you…

He held her for a moment, letting her cry.

Red: You're safe now, he whispered.

Red: It's over.

Sarah looked up at him, her eyes shimmering.

Sarah: Who… who are you?

Red rose slowly, helping her stand.

Red: Just a swordsman.

She watched him with something new in her gaze, something like awe.

Sarah: You don't even know me

Sarah: And you still came for us.

He gave her the faintest of smiles.

Red: No one deserves a cage.

By the time the sun rose again, Red had returned to the village.

Selena was waiting at the edge of the grove, arms full of herbs.

Her eyes widened when she saw him

his cloak dusted with ash, his armor smudged, but whole.

Selena: Red! she rushed over.

Selena: Where did you go?

He offered her a calm nod.

Red: Just checking something.

Behind him, a caravan of girls, freed slaves, followed in stunned silence. Among them, Sarah clutched a small locket and looked around the village with wonder.

Selena blinked.

Selena: Are those…?

Red looked at her.

Red: The ones the bandits took.

As the villagers ran out, gasping in shock and joy, the old woman screamed Sarah's name and collapsed into her daughter's arms. Everyone cried.

And Selena stood there beside Red, eyes wide, heart thundering.

Selena: You…

she whispered, turning to him.

He didn't speak. Just looked ahead.

Selena's heart fluttered.

He was more than just a swordsman.

He was her hero.