Chronicles

The Hunter

He was a slight fellow for such worldwide acclaim. I pondered my approach as I studied him from the opposite side of the tavern.

He ate a simple meal with a jug of beer to wash it down. A long black cloak enveloped his frame, various hilts of weapons protruding from it depths. A longbow treated with black resign was slung across his back; arrows within easy reach. A hood shadowed his features.

"They say he can shoot through the handle of a spinning axe, a mile away." A graveled voice spoke up beside me. A fat old man with the reddish tint, of one who favors the drink, coloring his complexion. I turned towards him with a steely gaze, flustering him into speech. "It's true. Ain't it..." He shoved the man next to him, spilling his beer, but the other man nodded his affirmation albeit with a scowl. "...An' he's never missed a target. Not one. 'Azs the ears of a wolf they say, best hunter in the region." If even a smidgen of the the multitude of stories I had heard, including this man's, were true... I needed this hunter. It would be impossible to get through the Trench unscathed without him.

I walked over to the hunter, straightening my spine so it wouldn't run away from me and sat down next to him. The hunter made no move of acknowledgement. Instead, he cut off a slice of ham, savoring it slowly.

"The name is Talbiet." I said. Nothing, not even a glance in my direction.

"I have a proposition for you, I'm on a journey that involves traversing treacherous terrain and am in need a guide. From what I've heard you are the man for the job." Silence permeated the space between them as the hunter continued to eat. It felt like a test, so I held my tongue and motioned for the barkeep to bring two beers.

As a prosperous mage, I had a good sum of money and could offer more than this hunter could dream of. But he didn't seem the type to be motivated by money. I drank my beer watching him, it was hard to see past the hood's shadow. His lithe form was lean and relaxed, yet poised for any attack. He ate with slow deft movements like a hawk eating its prey.

An hour had past, when the hunter pushed aside his empty plate and asked in so light a voice I wouldn't have heard him if I was not staring at him intently. "Where?"

"The journey would take us straight through the Trench." The hunter nodded as if I had affirmed his suspicions.

"When?" His voice sounded high, how young was this man? I responded without skipping a beat.

"By the end of the week at the latest. As it'll take a week just to arrive at the trench fifty leagues away."

"How much?" He asked.

"50 crowns." I said. It was a small fortune for any guide, but the risks were great. However, the silence stretched between us.

"...Is the advance, you will earn another 50 crowns when I am safely on the other side of the trench." I added quickly.

The hunter nodded and stood up to leave.

"Two days hence you will find me by red bridge." He said and left, the black folds of his cloak flickering out the door before I had a chance to response.

Red Bridge

The light shone hazy though the red leaves overhead, leaving a blotted spotlight upon the ground below. I spun a leaf above a fingertip using a slight variation of a wind spell. It's red color and darker veins entranced me with their beauty.
Over the past two day I had bought my full list of supplies. The most important of which was a pack that I outfitted with numerous spells to dissuade thievery along with hidden pocket dimensions to hide my coin. A cream color bay clopped behind me as I made my way enjoying this last bit of fall before a hard journey ahead.

I held no qualms about the journey as it was my duty to complete this quest even if it meant my death. No one else at the academy, except for the headmaster himself, had the knowledge and power to hold the stone and bring it back safely. I hoped this hunter is what everyone claimed him to be. As I turn the last bend I spotted the bridge but the hunter was no where in sight. My heart sank, I could not pass through the trench alone without becoming endlessly lost. The amount of time it took just to find the hunter in the first place could not be used again.

Maybe he had yet to arrived. I sat on a large stone next the bridge to wait, the bay was snuffling at my fiery locks. I picked up a stick and began to whittle it to my design. I started as the hunter appeared over my right shoulder inspecting my work. I slipped off the stone with an unmanly shriek.

Was that necessary?" I huffed from the ground. The hunter said nothing and saddled his chestnut. I move a hand through my tangled hair and got up dusting my clothes. I threw a leg over my Bay and followed him.

A large white wolf moved silently from the treeline onto the path ahead. I froze, but the hunter continued following the wolf. I sped up to keep pace with him.

"Is he yours?" I asked motioning to the wolf. The hunter turned to me his cowl casting a deep shadow over his face. He nodded once and continued forward.