In mere minutes, the clearing was transformed. The bandits, who moments ago had been so assured of their dominance, now lay scattered and defeated. The leader, still clutching his abdomen, tried to rise but found the woman’s boot on his chest, holding him in place.

“Who are you?” he wheezed, his arrogance shattered.

“I’m someone you should never have crossed,” she replied, her voice steady and cold. “And someone who won’t tolerate your kind in these woods.”