The Arch-Mage

Chapter 2

Miran woke up in the middle of the day, his head pounding from his hangover. He turned to were Aran was supposed to be sleeping to see that the man was gone but that he had left him a ring and a letter. Miran got up as best he could and stumbled to the letter. It read:

Mornin' Miran, I'm sorry to have left on such short notice but I had no choice. I lied about the book, it was just a mage's diary. Nothing more. The one thing of value that he had was the ring I left with you to thank you for last night. It was a blast. If you ever need to contact me again, you can find me training soldiers in the nearest military town. I look forward to seeing you again.

Aran.

Miran smiled at the man's letter. He decided to put on the ring and found that it was a perfect fit. Having done that, he slowly walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen which was just a table and an open flame. Brune was eating sausages. The smell of food made Miran's stomach do somersaults. He ran outside and threw up his dinner

You're such a lightweight, I would have thought you could handle a few beers.
Shut up, it's my first time drinking and I was a little overenthusiastic. That's all.
Right... I had a quick chat with your friend to find that we served in the same regiment at one point.
Good for you, you met one of your old compatriots.
Yeah anyway your free to do whatever you want today so go have fun but first, I've gotta ask, wanna eat?

Miran was worried about throwing up again but decided to eat since having something in his stomach couldn't hurt. After having devoured the sausages, he put on his jacket, grabbed his bow and arrows before heading out. To decide what he would do, he looked at the current situation. They had more than enough food, their cart was in good shape, their clothes were okay and his bow was cracked. Since a cracked bow is bad for hunting, he decided to go buy a new one, even if it wasn't the bow he wanted. He cheerfully walked through crowded paved street until he finally saw the bow shop which was owned by a young woman called Helen. Miran and Helen knew each other since they were children and are on okay terms. The hunter pushed the door open and scanned its environment until he saw her.

Morning Helen, I know you said you'd try to make a bow like the last one but this can't wait I need a new bow.

Helen was holding a piece of paper which she was intently staring at. After what seemed like minutes, she turned to her patron, a ghastly look on her face. She quickly looked at his bow before handing him a new one.

You need to get out of town, now! Exclaimed the shop owner
Why, did something happen?
Malik's father put out a warrant for you arrest under assault charges. If you're caught, he will do his all to make you suffer so you need to leave now.
Alright Helen. Thanks for the bow, I won't forget about this. Quickly said Miran as he switched bows and ran out of the shop.

Miran ran at full tilt to get out of there. Everyone seemed like a possible threat to him. He had no problems until he ran headfirst into a guard. It took a couple of seconds for the archer to get up but, when he did, he had to avoid the blade of the guard's companion. Miran put his hands up but it seemed like the man wanted to fight him. The quick-witted hunter knew what they were doing, they were tying to make the charges against him bigger so that his case would warrant the death penalty. Miran made it look like he was about to attack before turning tail and running into a different street. When he got there, he noticed that the gate was wide open so he broke out in a sprint and got through the gate. Archers started shooting at him but, a few seconds after the first shot, he was out of their range. After running for five minutes on a beaten dirt road, he had finally reached his home. He ran in through the door and jumped onto his father, giving him the biggest hug he could manage.

Is something the matter?
I'm gonna have to skip town for a while.
What do you mean? What happened?
Malik, Aran, Will and I had a brawl last night. It seems that they put out a warrant for my arrest in town. I was being chased when I got here and I need to go.
Alright, give me a second.

Brune walked into his room an walked out with a bag and a massive sword. The bag seemed quite heavy and then he added food and a small dagger. He then grabbed a holster for the massive blade. After putting the holster on Miran, he pulled the blade out of its scabbard and showed it to Miran.

This was the great-sword I used when I was in the military, it can resist about anything and, if used properly, can block even the strongest of attacks. I was planning on teaching you swordsmanship when you became 18 next year but that isn't an option anymore. Take this an' run.

Miran grabbed the blade while Brune put its scabbard on his back. The great-sword measured at least 4 feet in length. It was quite thick at the hilt and was quite large. The sword was a two-handed weapon and weighed at least forty pounds. It was the biggest weapon Miran had ever seen and he wondered how this could even be considered a sword.

Listen to me Miran, head for the military base, join up with Aran, he will take care of the rest. Alright?
Alright.
One more thing, I want you to know that I love you like you if you were my own son.
Thanks dad.

Miran walked out of the house and pulled up his hood before stalking into the woods. He turned around and saw his father standing cross-armed in the middle of the road, waiting for them. The fugitive thanked him mentally before accelerating his pace into the woods. It took a long while but, behind him, he could hear sounds of fighting. He considered turning back and fighting but decided against it since it would make his father's sacrifice useless. Instead he picked up his pace. He walked following the sun, only to stop when the sun went down. After a short break and supper, he went to sleep on a tree branch. On the third night, he looked through the bag his father gave him to see 1000 silver coins. He looked up to the sky, teary-eyed and mumbled to himself.

You shouldn't have. He said, knowing that it was worth 2 years of work.

On that night, he held the bag close to him and fell asleep looking at the moon.