The Guardian's Balance

Chapter 1

ORDER OF THE HUNT CITADEL, DEEP INSIDE THE ALPS

1591 AD

"He'll see you now," the scribe said with a noticeable tremble in his voice. Kain was used to the reaction, especially from Scribes who knew the truth of what Hunters of the Order were. On the most basic level, they were highly trained killers. Standing head and shoulders over most people with a muscular build, Kain was an intimidating figure. His pale facial scars certainly didn't help the situation. Four long scars covered the left side of his face, and despite the best efforts of multiple healers, were still very noticeable as they carved white lines through his closely cropped black beard. Luckily, the healers had been able to save his eye. The Hunter's green eyes provided a striking counter to his dusky complexion and the dark stubble of his shaven head. If one looked close enough, they would notice that his left eye was tinged with a light red, but very few had ever been that close. Ever since the Lich had shredded his face, his night vision had improved to the point that Kain could see almost as well in the dark as he could in the day. However, a Hunter with supernatural abilities would not be tolerated by the Order and since the touch of a Lich was supposed to be fatal, it was unclear what the implications might be. This trick he would have to keep to himself. Kain politely nodded to the Scribe as he walked past into the dim hallway beyond, though the lighting was no longer an issue.

This was the first time in three years that he had been summoned personally by the reclusive Huntmaster himself. Jobs were usually assigned by Agents of the Hunt. Despite being a veteran Hunter of over twenty years, the old Huntmaster still had a way of making him nervous. After killing hundreds of living nightmares, that was a rare thing indeed. Kain paused outside the enormous carved oaken doors. Scenes of dramatic hunts and fantastical creatures were woven in perfect harmony on the heavy, wood doors. Fairies danced amongst the trees alongside Nymphs and Satyrs. A Hunter was engaged in epic battle with a Minotaur next to a scene of Mermaids lounging on ocean rocks. A massive Dragon, wings spread wide and fire spewing from its jaws provided the top of the mural. The sculpting was so exquisite that Kain could make out individual sinews in the wings keeping the beast aloft. Most humans would assume they were purely mythological scenes pulled from the pages of stories, but Kain knew better. He could identify all the creatures by name, and had hunted most of them. Except for the Dragon of course, but one of those hadn't been seen alive in a very long time. They had either been hunted to extinction or were hiding deep in the earth. Kain grimaced at the thought. By all accounts they were noble and beautiful creatures who reacted as anyone would when invaders came to their home. Dragons rarely reproduced and their numbers were always kept low to avoid decimating the food chain of any given region. In the end, the superior human numbers had won out and civilization's expansion continued. His own order had played a heavy part in that, but "progress" didn't always create proud legacies.

Kain took a final moment to straighten his dark leather armor, and adjust his armblade. The silver blade, carried on the right forearm, had a wide triangular blade on the front that extended to approximately the second knuckle, and a longer, thinner blade that extended past the elbow with a slight curve outward. The blade was sharp enough to shave with and designed primarily for quick decapitations. The crescent blade could be retracted most of the way into a hollow in the bracer if concealment was needed. Only a small elbow spike would show when in the closed positon. A trained precise flick of the wrist would release it to full extension or close it. Upon release, the blade would sing with a high pitched metallic ring due to the special nature of the metal. The blade of pure silver was enchanted, and served as not only the primary weapon of a Hunter, but as a symbol of his Order. The blade's magic made the Hunter immune to all mundane disease and poisons, and even some magical ones. They were rarely worn in public when not on assignment, and would command a wide berth if seen. Not much about Hunters was known to the general population, but people knew enough to respect them, if not fear them. Many regarded them as heroes, grand tales of shadowy warriors to be told around the fire, but not all held this image. Some thought of them as mercenaries, others as government agents, yet very few knew the true calling of the Order; the extermination of Prey. Prey, much to Kain's distaste, was defined as almost any type of non-human in existence. All were seen as a threat to the human race. Rare exceptions existed of course. Fae, for example, were considered too innocuous to bother with, but the exceptions were far too few for Kain's liking. Dwarves were left in peace as well, but that most likely had more to do with the fact that the Order lacked the ability to do anything about them than a true tolerance. Underground stone citadels defended by hordes of legendary warriors were not a hornet's nest you wanted to kick.