Yet such men come not always in shining armor, bearing flashing blades before them upon their noble quest. Some are malevolent shades themselves, ghosting through the shadowed woods that, for any other, spell doom and desolation upon they and all they hope to achieve. Men like these are products of the darkness itself, slipping unbidden and unhindered through it with the familiarity of overlong experience and intimate knowledge of the environment, disturbing no terror of the wood, nor showing terror themselves at those monstrous occurrences which, to them, are as the closest of comrades or the most familiar of adversaries.
One such man would not be found in the wood that night...leastwise, not by anything less than his own intent. For there can be seen naught but a shadowy disturbance in the air as he passed, made no sound, left no print to mark his passage. Nothing but the intangible feeling of fierce intent, that something bad was going to happen to someone or something, somewhere, tonight.
For such was in the thoughts of Crual-lassa'Ras Le'Valeron, Elf, Ranger, creature of the shadows, and wraith in the night. His booted feet fairly flew across the ground, carrying him invisibly across the forest. He knew not for what he searched, only that he would know when he found it. There was no doubt in his mind that the girl would never be found again, no matter how much gold the elders of the foolish town dumped at the feet of whoever made the attempt. Forests such as these were fickle, menacing the borders of the people who made their homes at their edges, yet not striking, luring in victims with the truths of beautiful glades and magnificent nights, only to spirit them away when they thought they could have befriended the villainous wood. Yes, the founders of this town had been fools indeed...and the populace as well. For this wood was not, nor likely would ever be the friendly green forests of their old homes. And it would not return it's price for such foolishness, not though it be turned to ash in search of her.
But the elf's quest was not so noble. He had no hope of returning the girl to her mourning parents. His dreadful task was far simpler, far closer to the lines of his chosen life and skillset.
Vengeance.