The Hunter:Sun Warrior Chronicles Book 1

Chapter 2:A Warm Welcome

The Hunter hopped on his speeder. He activated the engine, and the vehicle sped forward, away from his hut at the edge of Zyrion Forest.

After a little over an hour, the Hunter arrived to Teron, and slowed his speeder, directing the vehicle to a small docking area. He hopped off, his cloak flapping in the morning wind. He walked through the streets, finally stopping before Sun Warrior, one of the local inns. He walked up the door, opening it, and entered the inn. The dozen other customers and the owner turned to him, some recoiling in disgust.

"What do you want, Talaeos?" the owner asked in a rude tone. "A glass of ale or two, and a room for the night. Nothing more" Talaeos replied. "Pfft. Sun Warriors are rare visitors, but they are always welcome here. You, on the other hand, are not. Get the hell outta here, dung rat, or I will have soldiers take you away" the owner snarled. "That would not be wise, my friend. I do not want trouble. Only a room to rest for the night, and I will be gone tomorrow morning, with triple payment for you. Heck, I can give you more right now, if that will satisfy you" Talaeos said. The owner's eyes glowed, and the Hunter saw him battling with his greed. "Fine. Drink up and get outta my sight" he finally said, setting a mug of ale on the bar stand. Talaeos drank gratefully, and placed the mug back. He placed a pouch of bronze Roens near it, and after the owner handed him a key, inclined his head and went up to the stairs. Only then, did the other occupants return to their drinks, but the heavy atmosphere remained. Talaeos walked to a room with an open door, and walked inside, closing the door shut. He took off his cloak, and unholstered his pistol and unbuckled his sunsword, placing them by the bed. He took off his gloves, and lay down, though his eyes remained open. Finally, after a quiet hour, he dozed off, giving in to his waking dreams.

...

Sometime during the night, the creaking of stairs woke him. He opened his eyes and sat up. His hand moved to his sunsword, his eyes on the door. He drew light into himself, enhancing his sight and hearing. The steps were closer, and louder now. Then, the door handle started turning, and the door opened slightly. He lay back down, so as not to startle the intruder. Another set of footsteps followed, and then two more. The door opened wider, and four of the occupants from before entered the room, their swords drawn. With his enhanced sight and the light from the moon seeping in trhough his windows, Talaeos could easily see the flowing patterns etched on the metal. He recognized Altaarium, an immensely durable and light metal, capable of going toe to toe with a sunsword and similar melee weapons. Each was also armed with a standard issue civillian pistol. These were no common thugs, but rather highly trained and wealthy mercenaries. Still, as a former Sun Warrior, Talaeos was powerful enough to easily subdue them should things get ugly, as they most certainly would.

The mercenaries got closer. As the first one raised his sword, Talaeos jumped from the bed, sunsword in hand. He met the mercenary's weapon and agled his blade, letting his foe's sword slide along, and slammed his elbow in his jaw, before pushing him away with a kick to the chest. The four retreated with confused expressions on their faces. "I could kill you all without any trouble. But I will not. Enough innocents died in Vanraael because of my mistake. I do not wish to end any more lives unless absolutely necessary. Leave me be for the rest of the night. I will be gone in the morning" Talaeos said, as he conjured several balls of light, and released the magic enhancing his sight and hearing.

"Leave you be? My whole family died that day. My friends here lost their as well. No, I am afraid we can't let you leave alive. Nor do we want to. Casting you out from the order wasn't a severe enough punishment" the first man said.

"I am very sorry about your families. I wish I could give back life to all the innocents that died that day. Unfortunately, it is not within my power. Not even the wisest and most powerful Sun Warriors alive ever attempted such a feat. Those that did succumbed to the weakness of their bodies. As for the severity of the punishment, I often wonder whether it was just or not. But the Elders made their decision. Their verdict can not change. I do not wholeheartedly accept their verdict as just, but it is what it is, and the best I can do, is to do whatever good that I can, to perhaps, decades away, repay for my crime. Every day, I feel guilty for that massacre. But even if I could take it back, I wouldn't. I will not unleash the Kalsari on the world again" Talaeos replied.

"Damn your Elders! They are fools! Old, fat, corrupt fools!" the man cursed. Talaeos's golden eyes flashed dangerously, and the four mercs backed off. "Never insult the Elders. They made the best decision they could under the circumstances. It was not a perfect decision, that much I agree with, but it can not be revoked. Their verdict is final. Now leave. Do not force my hand" the Hunter said.

"You bastard!" the merc exclaimed and attacked. His friends backed him up. Talaeos blocked their strikes, but did not retaliate, merely waiting for them to tire out, while his magic allowed him to keep his energy levels up. He ducked under a slash and twisted the man's arm behind his back, spinning around and, with his enhanced strength, picked the man up, kicking one of his comrades in the nose, dropping the man. Talaeos shoved the man he was holding aside. The other two charged him, but he unleashed a telekinetic wave, sending both into a wall. One of them aimed his pistol at him, but Talaeos enveloped the muzzle in a telekinetic shield, and the weapon exploded as the bullet was pushed forward, leaving a few burns on the man's hand and wrist. The Hunter dashed forth, and rendered him unconscious with a slam to the temple. The fourth merc swung, but Talaeos pulled him by the arm, twisting it and spun, flipping the man over his shoulder. He landed on his back, groaning in pain. He knelt down and placed his palm on the man's chest, and channeled light into his body, healing him of his pain. He then healed the second man's broken nose, and the third man's wrist and hand. The four mercs tried to stand up, but he waved his hand, and they collapsed, snoring softly.

He looked out into the window, and saw the first rays of light appear over the distant Zyrion Forest. He promised the owner he would be gone by morning, so he hurriedly holstered his pistol and belted his sunsword, put on his cloak and grabbed the room key, along with a pouch of Roens, and went down the stairs. He placed the pouch and the key behind the bar stand, where the owner would be able to find them. He wrapped his cloak tighter around his body and exited the inn, walking over to his speeder. He hopped on and sped off, leaving Teron behind.