The Tale of the Hunter and the Mage

            The village of Trogolia was well-known for its many tales. It told of dragons and castles and giants. The stories were magnificent, yet all nothing but mere imagination. All except one. Their most notorious tale, and for long their biggest threat.

The small town was rumored to have a young, powerful mage that resided within the heart of the forest. This mage was known to be vile, cruel and abhorrent of the people who tried to cease its dominion.

Throughout the years of the mage's existence, the townsfolk had always been living in fear and dread. They once confronted the powerful being, begging for him to leave. The mage had taken this as an offence. And as he spoke, his voice could be heard up until the mountains on the far East. He told them that if they didn't leave him be, there would be devastating consequences.

After he had finished speaking he disappeared, never to be seen again. But the townspeople didn't listen. Instead they raided his house and set fire to the remains, hoping this would make him stay away. However, after his disappearance, townsfolk started going missing. From a little girl to a strong smith, they all wandered into the forest one day, not to be heard from again. Some relatives described them as though the victims were in a trance, like they were drawn to the woods.

Fearing for their lives and the safety of their loved ones, the village people decided to leave the forest be and left the mage on his own accord and for years, the town was at peace. That was until one day a curious young lad wandered into the woods...

Ryan Beaumont was widely known by the people of Trogolia as the hunter's son. He was youthful, energetic, and just like any other boy his age, a bit rebellious. But he was also quite naive. As a young boy he was enchanted by the tales of his people, believing each and everyone of them. As he grew older, he of course learned that giants and fairies weren't real. However, he never ceased to believe in the ancient tale of the mage. That's why he surprised everyone when he went into the forbidden woods one day.

"Guys! Guys! Check it out!" Rye grinned proudly as he lifted the crossbow in his hands for his friends to see.

"That's wicked," Brooklyn, a gullible friend of the boy, remarked as he moved closer to check at the weapon, reaching out his hand.

Another boy swatted it away. "Don't touch it, you idiot!" he scolded.

Brooklyn retracted his hand quickly and glared at the taller boy. "Sorry, Jack.I was just curious. It's not like I was going to shoot something with it."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I sure hope not. You'd harm everyone around you and yourself."

Hearing his friend's warning but caring tone, Brooklyn moved his hand away from the bow as he asked Rye, "So, where did you get this crossbow from?"

A cocky smirk appeared on Rye's face. "My dad," he simply said.

Jack's eyes widened in amazement. "He gave you a crossbow? That's sick, mate!"

Rye nodded in agreement as he suddenly felt guilty. His father did not actually give it to him but rather, he stole it while his father was out hunting with his older brother, Robbie.

"So," Brooklyn said, "Are you gonna use it?"

Rye laughed, but shook his head. "Not yet, lads. I'm afraid I don't have quite enough experience yet."

"Then get some experience." Jack replied, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Go to the woods and shoot something! A fox or something. We can put its corpse down in front of mrs. Bailey. She will be horrified."

The boys all snickered at the thought.

Rye swung the crossbow over his shoulder, which arguably looked cooler in his head than the clumsy movement he actually made. "I'd love to, guys. Sadly, I can't."