The Quest

Chapter 1 - Rumors and Bags

 Rumors are their own language. You are the one who either believes, denies, or finds the truth of it all. Most people fit in the category of believing or denying it, but there is one person in our story that wants to find the truth. Some call them truth seekers, but I like to call them adventurers, braves of the unknown to find the buried secrets of the world. 

One such secret is that one of the Key to Life and Death. Legends surround this mysterious 'key' but none have been confirmed. Regardless, many don't care to venture to find it either. King Asael, or more commonly known as the Masked Killer, proclaims himself the holder of this legend. None dispute it. How could they? Cities burned beneath him, surely only power like this is from the Key? 

Or so they say...

Present Day: It's been a peaceful time. The village of Malin has been prosperous. Trades from all around the earth have gone through this sleepy town. The only thing that goes through here more than the trade, is rumors. Recently, though, one has stuck the town by storm and falls upon our adventurer. One she hoped would never surface again.

I had heard about the rumors in passing and unusually large orders of daggers. I knew, somehow, the Key was behind all of this. I kept to myself though, even when asked by multiple people if I knew what it meant. They always seemed to believe I had something to do with the abnormal that popped up. It gets annoying. 

As I headed home after an exhausting day of making my usual daggers and a few special orders, I noticed something different on my ride home. Prix, my elegant white coated horse, was acting strange as we rode home. Something didn't feel...right. Her normal calm demeanor was more anxious and alert than usual. Paranoid, I kept my head on swivel. Prix suddenly rears and I'm tossed from the saddle onto the hard earth, knocking the wind out of me. I stagger up from the ground and whip out my dagger. A dark silhouetted figure in along cloak blocked the path. 

"Who are you?!" I demand, pointing my dagger at him. A deep chuckle sent shivers down my spine, making my whole body stiffen. 

"A man of the wind you could say." A soft voice emits from the folds of the cloak. I felt uneasy as I took a step back. "The better question is, who are YOU?" I froze in place.

"None of your business." I spat. He chuckled again, making the hair on my arms stand up and my head quiver. 

"So strong willed huh? Not that I don't know who you are anyway, Ollie." His voice cuts in. This dude was sending off dozens of alarms in my head. Got to get out of here. I think and look around. 

"How do you know who I am? Are you one of the Night Guard?" I ask him, referring to the elite group of spies/assassins of the Masked Killer's force. He scoffed.

"I'm flattered you think I'm that special. But no sadly, I am not." He says in a light almost playful matter, making it all the more suspicious.

"Well then how do you know me?" I repeat. 

"Because your very existence is printed in the universe's history forever, every being like me can tell who someone of that magnitude is." He explains, spreading his arm in a wide gesture while it remained under his cloak. My fear spiked. He couldn't possibly know about....

"Oh yes I do. I know that you're one of two people in this whole world that can survive the Key." He says. This dude was seriously freaking me out, I need to leave, NOW. I had told one person, ONE about my immunity. Wait....gods please no. 

"Nice chatting with you, I'm going to be on my way now." I put bluntly and don't take my eyes off him as I reach for Prix. She bucked again, forcing me to look away for a second to get her under control.