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Description
The One-Eyed Man (4)
Continued from here: What the Future Holds (7)

The river road through Avathos Forest was barely more than a trail that ran between the spur of the Worldspine and the river that flowed south towards the town of Valston. The road was not well-travelled but was safe enough for those who kept close to the river. The only real danger in Avathos Forest was for those who ventured too far from the river water into the trees where old places harboured deep-rooted threats, or too far into the rocks of the Worldspine where its own perils awaited the unwary. While civilised, the Earth Born races were also very territorial, and protective of the entrances to their underground domains.

For Hunter of Elystrl the dangers of the landscape did not even weigh on his mind. His knowledge of the trails and hidden paths of Arodar was gained through many excursions both as a child and a man. He prided himself on his familiarity with the landscape, from as far north as Lightlyn to the southernmost point of Arodar in Capitol City. That familiarity was starting to grate on Finn’s nerves as they clambered along the rough trail, and Hunter took every opportunity to point out one landmark or another to Finn’s younger brother Malik.

“Did you know the rocks around here were carved this way?” he asked the young mage. Before Malik could answer, Hunter continued. “It’s Troll workmanship. Look up there…” he pointed towards a ridge where one rock looked as though it had split in two. “The rocks have been shaped so that any falling rain runs away from the entrances to Darkholm, and flows towards the streams instead. The really interesting part is that they make the carving look like it’s the work of nature.”

“That is interesting,” Malik replied with a smile. Finn frowned from his position behind Hunter. He wondered to himself if this metal-armed man would ever shut up.

“We’ve nothing to fear from the Earth Born, lad,” Hunter added, “they don’t bother travellers, as long as they don’t stray too close to Darkholm. Hey, wait here. I need a minute.”

Malik stopped on the trail and waited while Hunter strayed away from the path towards a space where the trees were a little denser. It was obvious he had a call of nature to answer. Finn stepped up to his brother and waited for Hunter to disappear behind the trees before he leaned closer and whispered to Malik.

“You knew all that already, didn’t you,” he said, “about the rocks, I mean.”

“Yeah,” Malik nodded, “we spent a whole semester at the Academy learning about the Earth Born races.”

Finn rubbed his chin and frowned. “So why didn’t you put him straight?”

“Finn, I don’t think he’s had many people to talk to in a while,” Malik answered. “He’s just trying to be friendly.”

“He’s getting on my nerves,” Finn grumbled.

“He’s just sharing what he knows,” Malik looked up at his brother. “I do the same thing. Do I get on your nerves when I tell you what I’ve learned?”

“No, Malik!” Finn saw what looked like a hurt expression on his brother’s face. “Never!”

“So, what’s the difference between me talking about things, and him?”

“I know where you learned, brother,” Finn replied. “I know how much work you put in at the academy. I know how hard you studied. So, when you tell me something, I trust your knowledge. I’ve known that guy for a few hours,” he gestured with his thumb in the direction of the trees where the sound of pouring liquid could be heard above the chatter of birds, “and for all I know, he could be talking Bouba-shit. Don’t ever think you get on my nerves!”

Malik nodded, and felt a little ashamed that he’d brought up the thought that he might have bored his brother with his talk. “You don’t like Hunter very much, do you?” he said.

“I don’t trust him… yet,” Finn replied. “He talks too much. When people you’ve only just met talk like that it’s usually because they’re trying to distract you from something.”

“I don’t think that’s what he’s trying to do, Finn,” Malik shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I just get the impression he’s enjoying having travelling companions.”

“Yeah?” Finn asked. “Well he needn’t get used to it. Once we reach Dorn, he’s Kalgoran’s problem.”

Malik shrugged, then hushed his brother as a rustling from the trees told them that Hunter was done with relieving himself. The man stepped into view, still adjusting his pants as he walked towards them.

“That’s better,” Hunter breathed, “there’s only so long a man can hold back nature.”

“You know,” Malik said as he glanced from his brother to Hunter and back, “I should answer that call myself.” He started towards the trees where Hunter had come from, and Finn made a move as well.

“You shouldn’t go alone,” he said, but Malik waved him off.

“I’ll be fine, Finn. Keep Hunter company, I’ll only be a minute.”

Finn glanced at Hunter who smiled in return. “Fine,” he huffed and folded his arms across his chest.

“Try not to kill each other ‘til I return?” Malik called back to them as he stepped into the trees. Finn watched his brother disappear, then turned back to Hunter. Finn looked the man over while he wracked his brain for something to say. Eventually he settled on the most obvious thing in front of him and tried to break the silence with a compliment.

“Nice armour,” he said as he gestured towards Hunter’s left arm.

“It’s not armour,” Hunter replied. “It’s my arm… at least, it is now.”

“Huh?” Finn raised an eyebrow as he looked at the arm again. Hunter’s whole left arm from the tips of his fingers to his shoulder and a large portion of his chest appeared to be completely encased in metal.

“Yeah,” Hunter added, “not what I expected either. See, I thought I was making a deal with a sorceress for something that’d give me an edge in my line of work, but…”

“What is your line of work?” Finn interrupted.

“Bodyguard,” Hunter answered. “There’s a lot of money to be made as a hired bodyguard. Anyway, as I was saying, I cut a deal with what I thought was a sorceress, only she cheated me. She said she wanted one of my eyes because she was blind in one of her own… said she’d give me an unbeatable sword-arm in exchange. Fool that I was, I agreed. She took my eye…”

“Did it hurt?” Finn asked.

“No, she took it with magic,” Hunter replied, “but that should’ve been my warning - her using necromantic magic, only I was too eager for my reward. She gave me a steel arm band in return, but said she had to put it on me to ‘activate the magic’. Then she latched it onto my left arm. I didn’t even have a chance to tell her I’m right-handed – the pain I felt was excruciating. I looked down in time to see my left arm just drop off, burned away by what was now searing hot metal. It spread over my chest and then it started to grow. I was in agony, but I still saw it take on the shape of the arm you see before you now.” Hunter lifted his left arm and made a fist. The stones that glowed faintly on the knuckles shone a little brighter as he did so.

“Does it work, though?” Finn asked. “As a sword-arm?”

“Actually, it does,” Hunter conceded. “It’s like I’m just as good now with my left as I am with my right… better, actually.”

“So…” Finn paused before finishing his spoken thought, “… in a way, she did give you what she promised… a good sword-arm.”

“She didn’t say I’d have to lose my own arm to get it,” Hunter grumbled.

“Oh, sure,” Finn nodded, “I’m not saying she was being honest with you.”

“Besides,” Hunter continued, “when she handed my eye to a void demon that was hiding with her, that’s when I lashed out.”

“You killed it?”

“No, those bastards are too swift for a man in agony, but I killed her, and I burned her cottage to the ground with her stinking witch-corpse inside. The demon escaped with my eye, and I’ve been tracking it ever since. Thought I got close once, too, but it was a second demon.”

“What happened there?” Finn asked.

“Snapped its wings ‘til I got the truth out of it, then choked the fucker ‘til it died and turned to ash in my grip. But it did tell me the first one took my eye towards Dorn.”

Hunter was surprised and a little relieved that his account of the events hadn’t garnered a bad reaction from the man in front of him. Finn was actually nodding as though in approval of Hunter’s actions.

“Would you have done anything different?” Hunter asked cautiously.

“Probably not,” Finn admitted, “though I probably wouldn’t have struck a deal with a witch in the first place.”

“Yeah, well…” Hunter looked aside and saw that Malik was returning from his call of nature. “Do you need to…?” he gestured towards the trees.

“No, I’m good,” Finn shook his head.

Malik re-joined them and glanced at both men. “So, you’ve not killed each other yet?” he joked.

“Why would we do that?” Finn asked. He glanced at Hunter who shrugged in return. Malik shook his head and grinned to himself, then set off back along the path. Hunter followed and Finn resumed his position at the back.

Continued Here: The One Eyed Man (5)

Description
The One-Eyed Man (4)
Continued from here: What the Future Holds (7)

The river road through Avathos Forest was barely more than a trail that ran between the spur of the Worldspine and the river that flowed south towards the town of Valston. The road was not well-travelled but was safe enough for those who kept close to the river. The only real danger in Avathos Forest was for those who ventured too far from the river water into the trees where old places harboured deep-rooted threats, or too far into the rocks of the Worldspine where its own perils awaited the unwary. While civilised, the Earth Born races were also very territorial, and protective of the entrances to their underground domains.

For Hunter of Elystrl the dangers of the landscape did not even weigh on his mind. His knowledge of the trails and hidden paths of Arodar was gained through many excursions both as a child and a man. He prided himself on his familiarity with the landscape, from as far north as Lightlyn to the southernmost point of Arodar in Capitol City. That familiarity was starting to grate on Finn’s nerves as they clambered along the rough trail, and Hunter took every opportunity to point out one landmark or another to Finn’s younger brother Malik.

“Did you know the rocks around here were carved this way?” he asked the young mage. Before Malik could answer, Hunter continued. “It’s Troll workmanship. Look up there…” he pointed towards a ridge where one rock looked as though it had split in two. “The rocks have been shaped so that any falling rain runs away from the entrances to Darkholm, and flows towards the streams instead. The really interesting part is that they make the carving look like it’s the work of nature.”

“That is interesting,” Malik replied with a smile. Finn frowned from his position behind Hunter. He wondered to himself if this metal-armed man would ever shut up.

“We’ve nothing to fear from the Earth Born, lad,” Hunter added, “they don’t bother travellers, as long as they don’t stray too close to Darkholm. Hey, wait here. I need a minute.”

Malik stopped on the trail and waited while Hunter strayed away from the path towards a space where the trees were a little denser. It was obvious he had a call of nature to answer. Finn stepped up to his brother and waited for Hunter to disappear behind the trees before he leaned closer and whispered to Malik.

“You knew all that already, didn’t you,” he said, “about the rocks, I mean.”

“Yeah,” Malik nodded, “we spent a whole semester at the Academy learning about the Earth Born races.”

Finn rubbed his chin and frowned. “So why didn’t you put him straight?”

“Finn, I don’t think he’s had many people to talk to in a while,” Malik answered. “He’s just trying to be friendly.”

“He’s getting on my nerves,” Finn grumbled.

“He’s just sharing what he knows,” Malik looked up at his brother. “I do the same thing. Do I get on your nerves when I tell you what I’ve learned?”

“No, Malik!” Finn saw what looked like a hurt expression on his brother’s face. “Never!”

“So, what’s the difference between me talking about things, and him?”

“I know where you learned, brother,” Finn replied. “I know how much work you put in at the academy. I know how hard you studied. So, when you tell me something, I trust your knowledge. I’ve known that guy for a few hours,” he gestured with his thumb in the direction of the trees where the sound of pouring liquid could be heard above the chatter of birds, “and for all I know, he could be talking Bouba-shit. Don’t ever think you get on my nerves!”

Malik nodded, and felt a little ashamed that he’d brought up the thought that he might have bored his brother with his talk. “You don’t like Hunter very much, do you?” he said.

“I don’t trust him… yet,” Finn replied. “He talks too much. When people you’ve only just met talk like that it’s usually because they’re trying to distract you from something.”

“I don’t think that’s what he’s trying to do, Finn,” Malik shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I just get the impression he’s enjoying having travelling companions.”

“Yeah?” Finn asked. “Well he needn’t get used to it. Once we reach Dorn, he’s Kalgoran’s problem.”

Malik shrugged, then hushed his brother as a rustling from the trees told them that Hunter was done with relieving himself. The man stepped into view, still adjusting his pants as he walked towards them.

“That’s better,” Hunter breathed, “there’s only so long a man can hold back nature.”

“You know,” Malik said as he glanced from his brother to Hunter and back, “I should answer that call myself.” He started towards the trees where Hunter had come from, and Finn made a move as well.

“You shouldn’t go alone,” he said, but Malik waved him off.

“I’ll be fine, Finn. Keep Hunter company, I’ll only be a minute.”

Finn glanced at Hunter who smiled in return. “Fine,” he huffed and folded his arms across his chest.

“Try not to kill each other ‘til I return?” Malik called back to them as he stepped into the trees. Finn watched his brother disappear, then turned back to Hunter. Finn looked the man over while he wracked his brain for something to say. Eventually he settled on the most obvious thing in front of him and tried to break the silence with a compliment.

“Nice armour,” he said as he gestured towards Hunter’s left arm.

“It’s not armour,” Hunter replied. “It’s my arm… at least, it is now.”

“Huh?” Finn raised an eyebrow as he looked at the arm again. Hunter’s whole left arm from the tips of his fingers to his shoulder and a large portion of his chest appeared to be completely encased in metal.

“Yeah,” Hunter added, “not what I expected either. See, I thought I was making a deal with a sorceress for something that’d give me an edge in my line of work, but…”

“What is your line of work?” Finn interrupted.

“Bodyguard,” Hunter answered. “There’s a lot of money to be made as a hired bodyguard. Anyway, as I was saying, I cut a deal with what I thought was a sorceress, only she cheated me. She said she wanted one of my eyes because she was blind in one of her own… said she’d give me an unbeatable sword-arm in exchange. Fool that I was, I agreed. She took my eye…”

“Did it hurt?” Finn asked.

“No, she took it with magic,” Hunter replied, “but that should’ve been my warning - her using necromantic magic, only I was too eager for my reward. She gave me a steel arm band in return, but said she had to put it on me to ‘activate the magic’. Then she latched it onto my left arm. I didn’t even have a chance to tell her I’m right-handed – the pain I felt was excruciating. I looked down in time to see my left arm just drop off, burned away by what was now searing hot metal. It spread over my chest and then it started to grow. I was in agony, but I still saw it take on the shape of the arm you see before you now.” Hunter lifted his left arm and made a fist. The stones that glowed faintly on the knuckles shone a little brighter as he did so.

“Does it work, though?” Finn asked. “As a sword-arm?”

“Actually, it does,” Hunter conceded. “It’s like I’m just as good now with my left as I am with my right… better, actually.”

“So…” Finn paused before finishing his spoken thought, “… in a way, she did give you what she promised… a good sword-arm.”

“She didn’t say I’d have to lose my own arm to get it,” Hunter grumbled.

“Oh, sure,” Finn nodded, “I’m not saying she was being honest with you.”

“Besides,” Hunter continued, “when she handed my eye to a void demon that was hiding with her, that’s when I lashed out.”

“You killed it?”

“No, those bastards are too swift for a man in agony, but I killed her, and I burned her cottage to the ground with her stinking witch-corpse inside. The demon escaped with my eye, and I’ve been tracking it ever since. Thought I got close once, too, but it was a second demon.”

“What happened there?” Finn asked.

“Snapped its wings ‘til I got the truth out of it, then choked the fucker ‘til it died and turned to ash in my grip. But it did tell me the first one took my eye towards Dorn.”

Hunter was surprised and a little relieved that his account of the events hadn’t garnered a bad reaction from the man in front of him. Finn was actually nodding as though in approval of Hunter’s actions.

“Would you have done anything different?” Hunter asked cautiously.

“Probably not,” Finn admitted, “though I probably wouldn’t have struck a deal with a witch in the first place.”

“Yeah, well…” Hunter looked aside and saw that Malik was returning from his call of nature. “Do you need to…?” he gestured towards the trees.

“No, I’m good,” Finn shook his head.

Malik re-joined them and glanced at both men. “So, you’ve not killed each other yet?” he joked.

“Why would we do that?” Finn asked. He glanced at Hunter who shrugged in return. Malik shook his head and grinned to himself, then set off back along the path. Hunter followed and Finn resumed his position at the back.

Continued Here: The One Eyed Man (5)