Somewhere in Alta Verde.
Rian rubbed two coins together. Their latest score – a merchant caravan – had proven quite the prize indeed. With the amount of money they'd made, he could even go honest; not that he wanted to do so in the first place. Banditry brought in too much for him to even consider another way.
He leaned against the cavern wall. Next to him, four other of his comrades were rolling dice, playing some dumb game that they had all the money in the world to bet on. Even here, money made the world go 'round. Rian was too tired to join in, though.
Suddenly, he heard something drop. Turning around, Rian unsheathed his sword.
At the mouth of the cave, barely visible through torchlight, was a young woman in a tight-fitting blue uniform. As far as Rian could tell, she wasn't armed. Rian looked to his comrades – they'd already noticed the woman standing, and had ceased their game of craps. "Who's there?" Rian said, pointing his sword at her.
"Rogues and villains, I'm warning you. Stand down or face the consequences!" the woman said, her voice echoing through the cave. Rian took a second to think about what she'd said, and then laughed – a laughter joined in by the other four bandits.
"And why shouldn't we come over there, drag that pretty little face of yours down to the cellar, tie you up, and –"
"Because I'd break all your fingers if you even tried to touch me," the woman said. Through the torchlight, Rian could make out a smile.
"This is your final warning. Stand down!"
"A'right, fuck this," Rian said, breaking into a stride. "Get 'er!"
The first to charge at the woman was a bandit wielding a battleaxe – once he swung, Rian thought that the woman would be cut clean in two. Instead, she disappeared in a blur, then reappeared behind the man – she chopped him in the neck, then sent him flying into the nearby cavern wall with a roundhouse kick.
Rian stopped mid-charge and took a step back. The remaining three bandits had also been stunned, which was enough time for the woman to rush forward and knock one of them out with a swift uppercut to the jaw. She followed it up by punching to the stomach to the adjacent bandit, causing an audible shockwave – as he keeled over, she clapped her hands around his helmeted head and Rian heard a crack.
The last bandit had been slowly advancing behind her, and just when her guard was down, he lunged with his dagger...only for it to meet thin air as she twirled past it and delivered a right hook straight to his face.
The woman turned and began slowly advancing onto Rian. He could see her features more clearly now – she had her golden hair done up in curls, and a wide smirk on her face.
Rian dropped his sword and held his hands up. "I surrender!"
The woman walked up and stood on her tip-toes, so her face was level with his. "A wise choice," she said, cocking her head sideways.
That was the last thing Rian saw before she flicked him in the forehead, and everything went dark.
