Chronicles of a Mage, Book One

Interlude Chapter: The Lone Huntress

Atop a small oak in a small forest stood a blonde woman with pointed ears. She wore a dark green shirt and brown trousers as well as a leather pauldron on her left shoulder, which helped her blend in with the tree and leaves around her and kept her light on her feet. She held a bow with the arrow nocked and trained on a buck down below. She'd been stalking it for quite some time "You're right where I want you" she thought as she released the arrow, hitting the buck right above the eyes and quickly reached for an arrow in the quiver attached to her hip which she then nocked and fired in rapid succession, hitting her prey in the leg and stopping it from running far. The buck ran about 100 meters in panic but the woman could easily see it as it went limp from blood loss. She  jumped from tree branch to tree branch in order to catch up to it, careful not to alert any monsters or other predators to her presence. The monsters in this forest are usually smart enough to stay away from people but the forest is also home to criminals and outlaws who wouldn't hesitate to take her by surprise if it meant stealing her valuables... or worse. People in her experience were far more dangerous than any monster, but if some cutthroat tried to get the jump on her, she'd easily know with her well honed senses and shoot them down just as easily. "Looks like I'll be eating tonight." She thought again "Agh but I can hardly carry all of this back to town. I'll have to take the hide and leave most of the meat. I guess I should also take some of the bone for stock." She then started carving the deer with a knife , trying to fit whatever she could in the various satchels and bags on her waist and thighs. Indeed she had no way of fitting every piece of dead buck in her satchels so she carefully chose what to take with her and what to leave behind. It pained her to have to waste so much, but such is life. After skinning the deer she promptly left the scene and the various animals were quick to feast on what was left.

"You got a good haul today, Aisa." A broad nosed man in a small tanner shop took the hide handed to her by the blonde elf. He reached for his money pouch placed a few coins on the counter "This stuff's nice quality. I'll give you 5 silver" he then got out a single gold coin and also placed it on the counter "And because I'm feeling generous, I'll add a little extra"

Aisa thought for a moment. 15 silver isn't half bad. A person could live of off that for a few months if they really needed to. "Deal" She said, taking the coins and dropping her own money pouch "Pleasure doing business with you"

Aisa sat in her home, doing maintenance on her bow and arrows while a pot simmered over a fire next to her. The house itself was nothing special, just a single room with a fire place, a bed and a table. But she always liked the view of the forest's edge and the mountains that cast their shadow over it. Before she could reminisce however, a knock came from the door "Excuse me, is this Aisa's home?" Aisa then opened her door to reveal a lithe boy with a satchel and a letter in his hand "I've been looking for you. Got this letter"

As Aisa was handed the letter she asked "A letter? Who's it from?"

"Some fella. Think he was a mage. He had black robes and a cape, and had this light purple ponytail. But I've little time to chat. Got other deliveries to make." And so the courier ran off to who knows where.

Mage. Light purple hair. Ponytail. cape. "No... there's no way... could it be?" Aisa thought with the unopened letter in her hand. "Only one way to know" She said to herself as she opened the letter to read it's contents.

Dear Aisa

I hope this letter finds you easily. Couriers here in Kizirukt are nowhere near as reliable as I'd like them to be. I'll keep this brief. I know when you left home it was on... less than amicable terms. What happened back then was entirely my fault, and as a father, I failed you. To this day, I am grateful to Rernac for keeping you safe on your journey.

I have dire news however, the town you grew up in has been destroyed. I shan't go into detail lest those who lurk in the shadows happen to find this letter, but I am certain that the tragedy that befell that town was no accident. With that said, your mother and I have managed to find a home here at Kizirukt city and I hope that, if you find it in your heart to love your old man again, that you seek the address enclosed in this letter. I understand if the thought of seeing us again sounds displeasurable to you, but on behalf of both me and your mother, I beg you to at least write back. We both still love and cherish you as our daughter.

Sincerely, your father, Maugan

P.S Do not worry about Tharvan's child. He's not with us here in Kizirukt city but he knows we are here. He's a smart boy and I have no doubt that he will make it here.

It was a short letter but It gave Aisa much to think about. Aisa left home a few days after her uncle, Tharvun had died. She does not remember the specifics, but she remembered she had a terrible argument with her father and the day after that she hitched a ride with one of the few travelling merchants that came to Tlalil and left her home forever, with a man who was close friends with her family. In truth she doesn't resent her parents anymore. She doesn't even know why she had an argument with them in the first place. Rather, she missed them, she missed her mother's cooking, she missed playing with her baby cousin. She missed home. She was 12 when she left home and now she was 27. 15 years had passed her by and now she was an adult.

"What was his name again? Was it Horus? Korace? No, that's right. It was Sorace." She ruminated. Sorace was 10 years younger than her "That means he was 2 when I left and 17 now. I wonder what he's like. Would he even remember me? I hope so..." As she pondered the contents of the letter and the state of her family, Aisa went into a sleep.

The next day she gathered all her belongings and exited her house as the blue skies and the sun beared down on her. The wind blew the grass and her hair as she spoke to herself. "Mum, dad... I love you."