Guild Master

Beginnings of the fantasy of adventure story I'm still working on this i'm post and is so can get some comments back

Welcome to the town of blank. Leading up to town is the hustling and bustling of ever busy commerce on the busy streets on the far side of town.  Perched upon the Hill is the Wizard Guild, looming above the town.  Within these walls we find our story.

Within this castle-like structure, lies a hidden secret form the world.  Deep underground is a labyrinth, winding and twisting its way through the countryside, and  no one knows for sure what lies at the end of this maze.  Only speculation murmurs.  Rumors of a deep dark secret are heard from everyone.  Only a very select few know what is hiding there, but that's another story.

There the Guild Master lies hidden within this thousand year-old  anatomy , filled with own his brand of knowledge and mystique, hiding within the grand library filled with ancient books and knowledge that is a secret to the rest of the world.  Magic arts, secrets, curiosities, and knowledge lies behind these doors. 

“Are you there?  Stop hiding from the shadows and come out at once!  There is no point in hiding anymore."  He voices his opinion in a high pitched, annoyed voice.  "Damn assassins and your Guild, what do you want now?  You guys must stop wasting my time in this frivolous manner.”

in ancient this place. That type of noise tends to echo throughout this old musty place  It is normally empty at this hour of night. Hurry up and tell me what you want" he says with annoyance .

“Very well, there's no point hiding, then”  a mysterious voice speaks low, from the shadows.   A faint  figure steps out from behind the bookcases, covered head to toe in a veil of black.  The only things you can see, barely, are his eyes, dark brown color piercing through the darkness touching your very soul with the kind of empty darkness that only a trained killer will pocess.

“We have business for you.  This is of an urgent matter.  Since we're alone now I will tell you that it seems one of our associates has stolen from us a relic of interest.   It will prove to be dangerous in the wrong hands. This relic has been given to our Guild. Because of its nature and properties I don't have to tell you, but this is of utmost concern to our Guild Master.   This associate and our stolen property must be retrieved immediately and with haste” 

“Can you tell me of these properties and more about this item I am looking for?” sternly voiced  the stone- faced Guild Master.

 “I hate to say that this item can cut in a manner that does not leave any scars, nor any signs of injury or blood loss. Yet it does the job, just through the saying, and this means once it cuts someone it does the same damage as a real sword or knife.”

“Now do you see why the Assassin’s Guild would want such an item back,”  he says mischievously.

“Can you tell me little bit more about the operative that went rogue and stole this item?” 

asks the Guild Master with a look of unease upon his face.

“There's not much to say.   He's been doing standard operation for us for years, mainly the cloak and dagger sort of business that you would not do or touch, gathering information, and infiltrating. That sort of nasty business that you don't touch." he said in an arrogant and demeaning manner .

“Where did he acquire such an item from?" the Guild master says with an annoyed face.

"Oh dear me . Unfortunately I do not have such information at this point in time. Please excuse this lack of information on my part.  The thing that I can say to you, is that he did acquire it in an especially dark operation and all his other colleagues on that operation are, unfortunately, dead.   All of their autopsies showed the same thing:  cut arteries and veins revealed, and yet no wounds on the outside" he said plainly, from the shadows.

“That's why we came here to you, because this item gives off a magical aura, but it's very faint to us and we thought we should come to the expert in this field”  he revealed, matter of factly, slowly slumping, head downwards, cloaked again by the darkness and shadows.

“Very well then. I accept this assignment . I will contact you when my task is completed.”

Meanwhile throughout the kingdom, gossip and rumors are bound to the local murmurings and point to Namecity, the capital city of the region The rumors are bound that the king intends to marry off his daughter to a wealthy merchant who is also very powerful in his guild, and is rumored to be the next head of the merchants guild.  That kingdom is run in a very different fashion.  Long ago, a great war split up the realm between 2 feuding heirs of the late King othername , the 2 sons split the kingdom apart in a long drawn out war over the secession.  The people became tired of bloodshed , so a secret meeting was held between the knights, merchants wizards, hunters and assassins.  The 1st ever coalition for the immediate stop to this war crowned one son, King in name alone. The other son was exiled, and formed a Guild with two powerful members sitting on a ruling Council to govern and form laws which the king would decree.

The prevailing rumors are that the King is trying to restore his power through marriage and wealth, and titles given to a very select few people, upsetting the great balance once held.  The king has 2 daughters who he's planning to marry off one is to this wealthy merchant. The other one, it is murmured and rumored, is promised to a very young, talented knight of important historical lineage.  Rumors swirl that he is related to the exiled prince Name , a distant great-great-great-grandson.

It is a contentious topic of discussion between many of the local people.

“Now let me get back to my studies" says the Guild master as the shapeless, nameless, vague form slowly sinks away into the darkness and odd little creaks can be heard throughout the grand library.

“How will I find this item?   Maybe one of these ancient books in here has some clues?”

His train of thought wanders slightly as he sinks down into a chair and quietly sighs. “Damn my annoying past - couldn't he see I was in the middle of something?  Oh well , no point in continuing my research now.”  

Surprising him, a shy timid voice comes out from the darkness "Master may I speak to you?" 

"Yes, yes!   Come on out and show yourself" and the Guild master laughs a little bit. "Oh my, by the gods, you hide your footsteps better than that foolish assassin ever could" 

A figure slowly approaches, emerging at the corner of his eye   "Well young one, what are you doing here?" A boyish figure slowly proceeds towards him . Fine pointed ears, rosy cheeks, warm smile, shoulder height, bustly blonde hair, slim fitting forest green vest, dirty patch-filled once-brown pants. Usually elfin boys are barefoot, but our influence and customs around the Guild Hall have made normal the trend to wear moccasins.  “I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but  an urgent message has just been delivered. You are needed in the council chamber “  the Elfin boy says in the in his awkward trembling voice.

“There's no need to be so nervous boy I'll be right on my way”  the Guild master says sternly and confidently.   He slowly raises himself from the small stale chair, walks amongst the many piles of ancient books, partially hidden beneath their dust , covers.   As he approaches the large, ornately decorative wooden door, he quickly opens it.  He rushes down the numerous, dark maze-like hallways towards the Council chamber

Many thoughts race through his mind, and he slows his approach.  He brushes off from his fine ornate cloth robe, intricately detailed with patterns of gold threads.  As he opens the door he sees four of the highest ranking wizards seated upon in the large armchairs, of the finest, Grey Ash lovely detailed with intricate patterns on the back of the armchairs in  harmony with the fine white linens covering the large table.  The lights from the outside windows reveals a room covered in a fine mist of dust.  Shadows and unease permeate the four corners of the room 

“Sir, we regret to inform you of this, but we have the detailed message from one of our pages in the capital city of (inserting here).  Unfortunately, the rumours that have been swirling around the capital are true. The King has found a convenient way of trying to gain back some of his lost power.  He is  marrying his daughter to the high-ranking merchant who has one of the councils seat.  We do not yet have information on the young knight Knight who he has betrothed his youngest daughter to.  

Apparently he's trying to force reorganization of the Council of Guild's. We fear that he's going to limit ours, the assassin’s, and the hunter’s seat down to one,  and therefore have a majority control over the rest of the Council through this marriage, and so restore his power to what it was before the great war broke up this country long ago.”

Great anxiety and frustration hangs over the Council room, as silence echoes on through what seems like an eternity.  Disbelief and confusion has settled in as everyone thinks of what to do now. One of the Council members speaks up. He is the head of the Guild Collections’ Quests, (insert name). "We do not have enough influence in general.  We cannot stand to nullify this vote when it comes about in the late spring’s General Assembly.  The inflow of general requests has not increased, and has in fact been steadily decreasing for a long time now.

“I hate to say this, but this really weakens the state of our Guild " he says, and his usual calm demeanor briefly shows signs of concern.  “I do have an idea , but it will go against our code of conduct. So if any council member wishes to leave this meeting do so now.  At this time all records of this part of the meeting will be stricken.  

Fortunately the King and most of his ministers and regional counsellors will now be busy with the planning of these two weddings and most of the nobles will be traveling .  A ton of supplies and materials , food, drink , fine cloth and linens, rare delicacies, exotic animals, an abundance of flowers, and all sorts of other finery must be shipped in and delivered to the capital from all other kingdoms and beyond.

We can take advantage of being here in the thick, dense forests that separates the many little towns and villages along the way to the capital.  The King has moved his resources and military strength towards the more strategic, and valuable place, near the eastern Mountain, where his Majesty's mining operations are.  Plus, it is close to the border with the other kingdom and in the past there have been frequent disputes over the land. Since it is late summer, it is now an opportune time to attack, since most of their skilled archers are off hunting for the winter supplies.  The roads in the dense forests of (name) are not being protected and we can cause a little bit of chaos!  We have enough time to collect sufficient funds, gain favor with the King, and maybe even save the wedding at the same time.  We just have to turn a blind eye and let go. Some of the rogues and thieves that we are going to employ will work only if we let them keep some of their bounty.

The only way we can do this if I go to that notorious seaport of (name here), with a favorable amount of coin, so I may have the ear of their ringleader, the King of the bandits (name), while he is in the Guild library. The Assassins’ Guild requires our services, and asked me precipitately to collect a certain artifact. I'm also hoping that (item name) has some information on the whereabouts of this item,” the Guild Master says, again his well mannered demeanor giving way, to an obvious frustration plastered on his face. “Tomorrow morning I'll head out towards the Seaport of (name).  I will now adjourn this meeting”

The loud scraping of chairs being pushed back, against the smooth well polished stone floor and the quiet murmurs of the crowd mingled and rumbled through the room as  sweat and tension lingered on.

The Guild master quietly walked out of the room towards his private chamber, and to a quiet and somber supper and an evening to reflect.  His room, reflective of his personality, takes its status modestly and lightly, not through ornate decoration, but in its fill of books and a few carefully selected artworks. 

A slow, light tap comes from his chamber door.   “Come in,” says the Guild Master as candlelight flickers throughout the room, mischievously casting out dark implacable shadows.

”My Lord, I am sorry to be disturbing you. I wonder if there's anything you need before you turn in for tonight?” The shy, timid voice speaks, and facial features slowly come into focus from the dark mists of the room.   The slight figure draws closer to him, and the Guild master begins to notices the delicate features of his face, his white silken skin, sparkling emerald green eyes, crimson pink lips, slender peaked nose, and wispy  eyebrows.

“You don't have to be so formal" the Guild master cheekily says.  “I wish I could spend the night with you, but I must be ready for the morning, so for now, your sweet, tender kiss must satisfy me, from now and until I return from my journey."   The Guild master lightly kisses him. "I love you, and I will miss you while I'm gone." 

“Please be safe on your journey. I'll leave you for tonight,” says the elfin young man graciously, still blushing. 

Early the next morn the Guild Master wakes to find it tranquil and slumbrous, as he slowly packs up for his trip to (name), to the Southeast of (being Name).  It will take roughly four days by horse.   A journey which is safer when travelled alone. Numerous travellers would arouse suspicions of the Guild - why should such a high-ranking member be traveling in such a haven of scum and thievery?

(guild master name) mutters to himself,  “I have to dress very plainly, in clothing , I do not want to arouse suspicion on my journey.   He puts on a plain white vest slightly dirty black trousers and a simple black robe with a cowl and plain brown soft soled shoes.   As he makes his way to the Guild stables, he stops by the kitchen and helps himself to the plain breakfast that's already made for him.  Simmering on the fire is his porridge and toast.   After he's done eating, he quickly saddles up his dark bay color mare and then slowly paces out of the Guild Hall down into the open streets of the muted town.   All around he hears the light chatter and bustle of the merchants early in their morning set up, as he trots through the town on his way to the forest ahead.  He slowly turned his head to get one last look at his beloved Guild before he heads into the forest  As he continues, at a trot along the dirt road, a cool breeze rustles the leafs above him as he goes through the thick forest barely seeing the sun above him through the dense brush.  He quickly picks up the pace and canters towards next town, hoping to arrive before it gets too hot in the day.  He's restless and wary and always guarded against danger on the dark and dangerous paths before him.  The quiet hum and chatter of  birds and insects echoes throughout the ancient forest.

The morning hours fly past him . He approaches a small village in a small clearing.   As he disembarks to stop and rest up at the local inn and pub, beads of sweat drip down from his face.  It has been a long hot ride, and he quickly ties up his mare and stumbles into the inn.

The dimly lit interior is stained with the grime of a hot day, and the local farmers and travelers greet him as he walks towards the front of counter.

“Well Mr. seems like you been out there for a while.  Lucky you that you're in one piece.

A bunch of thieves and bloodthirsty thugs have taken up refuge by the old windmill.  They have been steering away most travelers and merchants from around these parts. So where are you headed to?" asks the innkeeper with interest, while wiping his hands off on a rag 

“Nowhere in particular. I'm just here on some business. Nothing too special. I’ll have a pint and whatever is your best for supper. I'll pay for lodging for tonight too”  the Guild master said matter of factually,  subtly pulling his cowl up to hide his face.

The currency throughout the region is a unique blend.  Gold denomination is worth the most, and has on the front side the crown with the symbols of the five guilds the reverse.   Silver is the most commonly traded form, with the crest of the Merchants Guild on front, with the crown and the five Guild symbols on back.  Copper is little more than the change, may buy your basic needs and has the crest of the Knights Guild on front with a shield and swords on back with the five Guild symbols on it .   Commonly referred to as the gold crests , silver crests and copper crests. The symbol that is used in written form is of the mark of 3 bended lines 2 across. “All right your fee will be one silver crest , 40 bronze crests, your supper will be mutton shank with some left over bread and soup. 

After supper he quietly goes to his room for a peaceful night's sleep As he rises early next morning , he tends to his horse and he saddles her up for next day’s long venture.   As he quickly commands the horse to canter to the next small village, more than 10 hours of long riding ahead through the thick patches of dense, hot forest ablaze and lit by the late August sun. As he quietly rides along the dirt road, it is his time to think and reflect on past events.  As the sun intensely beats down on him, and the day grows hotter, his thoughts return to the bold assassin who broke into the Guild, just to make an impression on him.

He decides to turn off from the main road to find a small stream so he can refill his leather flask.  He notices in the far distance, the windmill that the innkeeper was talking about.  He knew in order to get back to the main road he might encounter the bandits that have made themselves at home around here.  He slowly and cautiously trots along this dirt road, keeping his eyes open to any sudden movements as he approaches  the old windmill.   He notices the remains of a campfire from the previous night as he lets out  a sigh of relief thinking that thieves must be farther ahead.  Maybe towards  a more dense thicket of forest is what his mind thinks, but with a caution that it is not the time to be worrying about this - he really must make it to the next village before nightfall. Whether or not I encounter these bandits and thieves along this road should not concern me as much as remembering that the forest is unforgiving at night and I could get easily lost. He continues along the forest road listening to all the light movements of field and he urges his horse to pick up the pace as the heavy sun continues to penetrate and heat up the forest, even though he notices the foliage getting much denser.  He's now fully cloaked in the shadows of leaves and all he hears is the light noses of the birds continuing go about their daily business chirping and singing there happy tune

as the bugs quietly, humble way the hot day.

Suddenly the Guild master hears a lot of snapping, a breaking of branches,  and movement in the patch of small boulders ahead.   As he hears the whistling of an arrow coming towards his horse, the horse rears up, coming to a full stop. 

A muffled voice in a low pitch growls,  "Halt there, and give us all your possessions and money, or suffer the consequences." As a dozen men covered in dirt with torn clothing, scars on their faces, and spread over their thin and hungry looking bodies. Obviously they have not eaten in couple of days.   The bandits are holding onto stilettos that are well-worn with barely any leather on the hilt and daggers seem to glisten in the sunlight, practically new looking.  He must have stolen them from a traveling merchant not too long ago.   Their bows, looking very rugged and handmade, draw back, ready to fire from the local trees.

As the tension in the air rises, the Guild master quickly realizes that there's no time for him to turn around on his horse and he has no other choice but to fight them. “Unfortunately I do not have my staff on, as I wanted to be a anonymous while riding through the forests, and a magic staff would have just weighed me down, though my magical ability is significantly decreased without my staff.  Deceit is in order, and I doubt that these rogues and thieves have any idea that the Guild Master was about to bluff his way out of the situation.”  In a bold voice, the old and weary looking traveller exclaims, ”I do not have any goods or materials that you can steal from me; I am only a poor traveller. I am on an endless  journey, trying to find odd jobs to do.”  What is not mentioned is the pouch full of golden crest, hidden in his robe, waiting to properly bribe the master of thieves in (insert town's name).   

The bandits and thieves shout, in a fluster “We will take everything that you've got no matter how worthless it is.“   It seems this confrontation is inevitable. 

The Guild Master quickly says, in a warning tone, “I do not want to hurt you, but if you take what is mine, you will suffer my wrath” 

All the bandits and thieves quietly chuckle to themselves, “What will you do to us? We have a dozen strong and able-bodied men.  And you are just one feeble person.  Quickly now, hand over your goods and we will be on our way, without having to hurt you”.  Some modest cheers and low grumbling echo out through the forest, daggers and knifes slicing the air, signaling their attempt to do harm.

“All right thieves, you leave me with no other choice” and the Guild Master slowly raises his hand, while quickly chanting under his breath a magical spell” O hear me Mother Gaia, lend me your power, thrust the Earth swiftly towards my enemies, crushing them in your wake. O hear me mother Gaia lend me your power, thrust the Earth swiftly towards my enemies, crushing them in your wake”  The earth suddenly quakes around the bandits and thieves, cracking and heaving, the ground violently thrusts skyward, throwing a half dozen men up in the air, only to come crashing down towards the earth with modest injuries - mostly a few bumps and bruises and a broken leg or two, but also a look of absolute terror on their faces.  The blood has quickly drained from their faces, and frightened gasps are escaping from the stunned and stricken men.  They have no clue about what has just happened, and the ground has returned to normal, as though nothing whatsoever had just happened.  

“F*****g s**t, men, we struck gold, we found ourselves a traveling magi.  No doubt in my mind that he must have quite a bit of gold on him.  Tough  men, stand strong, we can defeat him,” the leader of the bandits loudly and courageously yells out. 

Before the bandits and thieves can take any action however, the Guild Master once again calmly raises his hand, and says boldly to the bandits and thieves, ”This next attack will surely cause you quite an amount of damage.  Take your leave now!” 

Not one of the men facing him in battle believes his words, and so they continue to move forward as the Guild Master quietly begins chanting again.  ”Almighty Thor lend me your strength and power to crush these enemies that stand before me let your lightning strike the their very being let your hammer of lightning's strike the ground.  Chain of lightning strike now!” 

The skies above darkened quickly, the air tenses and falls heavily around the bandits and thieves, as they are mystified by the sight at the Guild Master's feet.  Brightly glowing sparks rise up from the ground in the most brilliant majestic blues, pulsating yellows and florescent orange.   The air is now charged full of electricity and their very hair stands straight up as the pulsing sparks rises up towards his hand, and builds a ball of energy.  The ball billows out streams of lightening, racing towards the bandits and thieves with such speed that they barely have time to run away before the lightning strikes them.  It crashes into all of them, striking each and one over and over in the chest arms legs and heads.  Electricity rises through their bodies as a brilliant and eery glow appears. The air quickly fills with the smells of charred and burnt flesh and their bodies lay motionless on the ground twitching and writhing.  Sounds of whooshing,  crashing and slamming booms echoes throughout the forest as the sky remains black, thick and dark.  

The Guild Master has caused the very sky above to summon its power, and now rain splashes down and the Guild Master quietly says, ”Must have been a bit too hot out for this today.  I've sped up the process.  Oh well, I must be on my way.”  As all the thieves and bandits lay on the ground, tiny puffs of smoke billowing out off their clothes, he summons his horse, and dashes over the scene of carnage left behind.

The Guild master tries to maneuver his horse through the wet muddy dirt road as an unrelenting storm continues.  

”I have spent too long distracted by this battle.

  Dusk approaches soon, and I must make haste.”   He fiercely continues to move forward, knowing that time is running out and the sky continues to grow darker, even as he hears the  rumbling in the distance and the lightning bolts through the skies flash less frequently.  ”I have no other choice but to set up camp for the night” and so he scours for a well protected area. 

 He continues to trudge on through the woods, hoping to find a decent place to set up camp as the night slowly sets in.  With no other choice but to ride through the night asserting itself upon him, he knows that the forest will soon become a virtual maze, full of unknown dangers.  He decides to stop for a bit to light his glass lantern, struggling against the new onslaught of rain, the fierceness at the evening wind.

  Conventional methods not working, he decides a magical spell will illuminate his way for a bit.  ”O Hephaestus God, of fire and flame, give me your guiding light on this dark path.  I call upon you by the ancient magics of the order of wizards, flaming spirit ball, guide my path tonight !”   A bright burst of shining red ,orange and blue light arose from the ground just above the Guild master's head.  The Guild master quickly jumps back onto his horse and  sets it galloping away as nightfall quickly takes over  As the ring dies down and fog covers the eerie forests, the Guild master hears branches and squeaks all around him, and becomes aware of a pair of glowing eyes tracking his movements.  He urgess his horse to go faster.

”Wolves!!!” cries the Guild Master out loud, hoping that the dangerous animals of the forests will not be able to catch up to him.  Howling and snarling come from every direction, quiet yelps and barks echoing after.  Throughout the forest he sees mysterious shapes, looming and bounding through the mist, piercing bright yellow eyes stare him down as he sees several bushy tails emerge from the brush.

The Guild Master's horse is a tempting meal, easy and quick, but the Guild master quickly turns his mount towards the bushes ahead, dashing over the rough terrain as the wolves chase after him yelping, howling and barking through the night. Horse and rider run through thick branches, hearing them break and snap behind, as the wolves try to jump attack the horse.  He quickly chants his third incantation of the evening, his path through the forest accompanied by the wolve’s fangs and claws, now ripping only through the night’s shadows.  

One wolf leaps at the back of the horse, sinking his teeth into soft flesh.  The Guild Master is thrown off, and lands with a loud fa-thud !! ,

“Bloosh,” the ground is still wet from this afternoon's heavy rainfall.  The Guild Master slowly stands up and moans a little from the pain of a such a harsh fall.   He turns as he hears his horse s bellow in pain, and sees the terrified look of near death, even as it fiercely tries to buck off the wolves.

 The Guild Master quickly gets back on his feet and incantats, “O mighty Volvagia give me your scorching flames of wrath so it can quickly lay waste to these scoundrels who dare harm my friend.  Lend me your fiery breath to scorch the ground.  Oh, fiery breath of fury ”  The Guild Master expels fiery yellowish orange flame, glowing intensely from his mouth, and scorching the ground beneath him and burning the wolves fur off of them.  Heard everywhere is a slow crackle of flames crawling up the nearby trees.

The wolves quickly scurry from the engulfing flames.  The Guild Master runs to his horse, trying to calm her, as she trembles from the experience. Blood flows down to the ground from her hind legs and rump. as the Guild Master gently tries to settle her and tend the deep tears and bite marks wounding her rear.   The eerie glow of  the orangey yellowly luminescent flames illuminate the dark, now still night.  The Guild Master holds the reins and gently strokes her head,  softly speaking,  ”It will be alright girl. They're gone and there is no use riding on tonight.  We will set up camp here and tend to your injuries.”  The Guild Master ties her off to a nearby tree and then wanders through the forest to gather the few twigs and leaves that remain untouched by the fire, hoping that the wolves won't try to stir up any more trouble tonight as his flames of wrath slowly burn out through the forest.

Returning to site where he left his horse, he kneels on the ground to set up a fire pit for the night.  From his traveling sack he roots out an old shirt to bandage the wounds until he can find someone to care properly for his horse.  He tries to settle her down for the night, but she is still restless and weary from the day's events.  He has had hardly any rest, as the night turns into day and the sunrise seeps into his bloodshot eyes.  He had hoped to get some rest before continuing his long journey.  Daylight approaches and the forest's sounds back into life.

As sunlight pours through the canopy of trees, he is witnesss to the damage done to forest in the night.  He sees swaths of burnt black in trees and can't help but feel bad that he has caused such damage.   He wanders over, with discomfort and the wobbliness of fatigue, to check his Mare.  The Guild Master grabs her reins and walks beside her in the still quiet of morning, listening as the birds wake and begin their day of songs.

 

Trudging through the vast forest towards the clearing, the aroma of distance sea salt wafts through, and he sees the vast open fields of late summer flowers decorating the clearing.  Catching a glimpse of the road they lost long ago, he tries his best to encourage the mare as a cool breeze gently brings them the fragrant aroma of flowers.  As they walk the road, the mare staggers weakly, seeming to have trouble breathing.  The Guild Master guides her onto the side of the road, and lets her gently lay down on the nearby field.  Her eyes weaken as her life drains away and her head slumps forward.  Her eyes glaze over, breathing becomes more shallow, softly groaning, her life comes to a tragic end because of the fierce attack she suffered last night.

The Guild Master lets out a slight sob at the lost of his long trusted companion.  Brushing himself off, he composes himself and wishes his faithful horse goodbye for now as he takes off into the distance carrying his sack.  Everything seems so distant and quiet, the earth herself is in mourning, and the birds quieted, to pay respects to this gentle being. A sudden gust of wind revitalizes life.

I slowly move along the narrow road, summer's breeze fills the area with smells of saltwater and wildflowers and I gently push forward by my self, lonely and weary from the long night struggling against the fierce wolves.  There's no time to reflect on these now past events, but thoughts continue to race throughout my travel.  I struggle to carry on as scenery and distant fields change very little, morning becomes midday and afternoon.  

The Guild Master eventually decides to stop and take a break.  Rummaging around his satchel, he finds some left over bread and cheese.  As he eats his modest lunch he watches wispy clouds cross open blue sky.  Lost in thought, he's startled to hear the trotting footsteps of a nearby horse. He turns his head and sees a nearby carriage, several minutes away, and an opportunity to hitch a ride.

The carriage stops, revealing itself to be a merchant’s carriage, weighted down by all his wares.  The young merchant on this carriage looks to be no more than 16 years old, and with no signs of maturity, skin modestly white, with no sign of tanning that comes from years of travel on the open road. 

 “Where are you going Mr.?  It is sure a long ways to the next town.  If you have a little bit of coin on you I will gladly give you a ride .” 

The Guild master rapidly  pays out 10 bronze crests, lifts himself up onto carriage, and as they start to canter off into the distance, conversation starts between the Guild Master and the young merchant, the Guild Master's quizzically interested in what kind of wares he is selling. 

Mainly this trip is for the purpose of delivering goods and supplies from one village to another is not much travel between villages during the winter months only the most southern regions can travel but they're very sparse and in between them is a very long distance to just to go down there for you odd supplies and mainly the Elven people are highly self-sufficient and rarely trade for our goods .

The only goods I'm carrying to sell right now is some cotton the rest are grains like wheat and corn this being my first year out and travelling with official merchants Guild license though my family had to go through a lot of hardship to buy this license my father sacrificed all his life savings just so me my brothers can have a better life is one good season can make all that gold and then some the most troubling thing that wanders through my mind is the constant threat of danger on this neglected road since the royal wedding has been announced a flood of merchants and caravans have been crisscrossing this country buying the finest goods you can possibly imagine and resell them them to the Royal family in preparation for me being newcomer and not having any ties to the merchants guild I had this start at the lowest and and work my way up.

as hard facts of life as as we constantly trudge on my making his headway towards the next village.

As beads of sweat poured down from face as the young merchant wiping his brow still inconstant thought and fear of the unknown as he asked me” Mr. what are you doing out on in these little use back country roads”. The Guild master replies” I'm making my way to Seaport of insert name here “

geezes what are awful place why world would respectable person like you go to the awful and wrathful ,villainess place like that “the young merchant replies with a look of confusion plastered on his face.”

unfortunately I can't give a good answer for that I can't say much about it” the Guild master replies “oh I see one them cases I heard at the no good  thieves tend to kidnap and hold people ransom sometimes I never thought that was true” the Guild Master quickly thinks himself and that's a good excuse I can use that lets out a big “sigh my lad that's only reason I would choose to visit such a awful place of thievery “ “I but be able to drop you off close by to that particular Seaport but I dare not go any further please be careful why you're in the Salty Shank that notorious bar and inn  full of the worst thieves and murderers in the known kingdom.

When you are at that bar walked up and offer two silver crests it will get you access to the lower region of the bar that's where the king of thieves normally hangs out”young merchant cautiously says in a low quiet voice.

 In the far-off distant barely make out  the buildings of this particular small village as we sat silently as we approach the young merchant slowly pulls back on the reins of his horse as we come in and stop outside the general store”Mr. I hope you don't mind waiting I have to offload some of my goods off the back and then will be on our way again.”

As he offloads a barrel full of  grain at leisurely pace  with a quiet groan hauls into the general store as he softly mumbles under his breath as he is no more than a couple minutes in the general store than he hurry back and gathers a bundle of cotton and rushes promptly into store again

as I hear inside the store”thank you for your business” as the young merchant walks out and hops on the carriage”where off again” as he gives two quick snaps of the reins as we canter off the distant “I hope we can get there before nightfall such a dangerous place” as the sun is quarter from setting in the west. Hours west from here is old campsite used by merchant and other travellers will spend the night there is way too dangerous staying around here were still very close by the forest of the wolves. As we sit silent as we canter along long winding trail full of endless meadows and fields as we both watch day turn into dusk as the night starts to set in barely a word said between the Guild Master and the young merchant than  hours time

as we stopped along a well groomed dirt campsite just the sites the open seashore

well we used already have fire pit  with some left over chard pieces of wood in its as the young merchant jumps off carriage “I do look around for more wood  I hope and that big sack of you you have a sleeping bag around these parts and it's awfully chilly in the night.”

as he wanders off into the distance the Guild Master climbs off the carriage and unravels his sleeping bag next to fire pit as he waits for the young merchant to get back he reflects on the day's events and many trials and tribulations he had to go through this long journey

as the young merchant piles wood onto the fire pit as he starts to make fire

“quite a long day Mr. I did not quite properly introduce myself please this call me Sam

all my friends and family do .“

“While Sam is been a long tiring day I'm exhausted thank you so much for your kindness if you .”

The Guild master says cheerfully

as his eyes slowly closed to the night as slowly turns into day as the morning sky lights of the surrounding area they immediately start packing up and begin on their way again as the roads get narrower winding through the coast line as he  approached Seaport of”insert name here”

his blanket its with a a fine thick white fog rolling in from coast drenching all the houses like a well placed veil as a Guild Master says his final farewells to the helpful young merchant and he hops off caravan begins to walking into town noticing the somewhat dilapidated surrounding broken windows odd trash thrown about walking further into town he notices rosy cheek fellow passed out on the ground from the night of boozing as a still the town sleeps as its  eerily quiet

looking through the many endless streets trying to find the Salty Shank's suddenly in the far off mist filled distance the Guild master see someone out for morning stroll as as he approaches her he asked”where may I find the salty Shank's” she replies”just down the a bit further to near the waterfront”as he approaches the bar and opens the door instantly feels way anxiousness, discomfort as he feels few stragglers still drinking I him up and down looking to pick them apart

as he approaches the bar down as stool he plops down two silver crests and one gold crests and says to the barkeeper”I wish to see the king of thieves tell them is urgent matter I'm willing to pay him a hefty the amount for his service”as the barkeeper  murmurs  ”yeah yeah sit right there for a while I'll go tell him that he has a customer”as spine tingling chills run up and down his back greed and lust filled with bar has tension quietly rise barkeeper comes back throws down a dagger on the soft wooden table” hey you guys don't get that look on your face this guy is unless the boss says the word don't harm this one go back to your drinks boys.

I'm sorry about that these lads get antsy over money go downstairs to the far corner of the celler

just open the door and crossed through their will be the boss sitting waiting for you he has his own private gathering room downstairs you have already paid the price of the mission go down there and state your business he doesn't like capped waiting.” As I fall him down towards the celler first thing I notices mono mental supply barrel to alcohol as our surroundings come cramped as I see at the far end metal plated door as a bartender goes up to it knocks a couple times and says “ hey get your drunken and a*s up you got customer have all freaking bloodied day”some burr shall comes from beyond the door”yeah yeah hold your Fringg , horses for bloodied bartender you can in a bloodied pain in my a*s.

” 

as a door slowly creaks open as loud creaking and scraping noises ripped through the eerie silence as some awkward stares come from the bartender and the mysterious stranger

“show this one to the boss he paid the fare” the pale young lad still in kind of a drunken stupor

please fall me this way you don't want to get lost in these passageways the spread all throughout the city as we walk through on long dirty grimy shaft with minimal light as he carries a lantern behind him as we approach up a branching path as we see on the corners very unique marketing as we continue walking through its endless maze, and slowly knows what kind of going uphill my sense of direction this loss is one corridor and other no wonder no one has filed the hierarchy of the bandits.

We finally approach a ladder going up probably 9 feet above me firmly planted in the ground as we climb up into the dark dusty room he knocks on this whole ordering door repeating these words”I passed through this wandering maze this token I offer the grant in the passage to plunder riches and wealth that none has ever seen it if I may ever tell what goes on behind these dwells rats make feast upon my bones my tongue is plastered towards the wall that is the fate of all dared defy us who may live and die pledge allegiance to these crossed bones and hollow eyes.

“

As he recites this phrase three times as old wooden door swings open older somewhat frail man

dress prim and proper says in low tone “he's waiting for you in the parlour.” “please place your weapons on the small table to your right I do not wish to clean up another blood he mess at my age .” As we slowly drift upstairs through a immaculate pristine house covered in fine paintings , vests , and trinkets and fine gold leaf wallpaper adorns every wall all the doorknobs are solid brass and copper is almost we will looks like were in noble man's house.

 

as we entered the parlour move quickly changes from from amazement and wonder to discomforting feeling of dread and minced pressure and tension feels very room as we sat down on the fineness crafted furniture this entire place mere feet from a very fine dressed man every scene was well pressed his close look pristine and new shoes of leather finally finally polish to a mirror shine wearing formal gloves sitting with a half empty glass of red wine as he stares in our very soul with a look of drifting contemplation.

Author's Note

This is only the beginning piece of work I'm still trying to work on this
by finding need some more help and input I have no names for characters yet or places as would like some motivational help in some