[FN] The Hunter's Call Part 1

“Pardon me, but I’ve been watching you and your table. You are adventurers, aren’t you?”

 

Khet Amisten glanced back at his table and nodded.

 

The giant smiled. She was a woman with a chiseled face, silver hair, and green eyes.

 

“I want to hire you for something,” she said.

 

“What is it?” Khet asked cautiously.

 

“You’ve heard the rumors?” The giant asked. “About strange monsters in the Western Flats?”

Khet nodded. He’d heard the rumors. That was all the tavern was willing to talk about.

 

“It isn’t rumors.” The giant said firmly. “It’s the Hunter’s Call.”

 

“What?”

 

“I’ve travelled a bit. I’ve heard stories from all the different races.” The giant said. “The wood elves have a story about the Hunter’s Call. Atris, the hunting god. He’s the one who rouses the wood elves to war. He sounds his horn and raises an army to follow him into battle.” She paused. “The giants call it Vigdis’s call. I’m sure the goblins have their own word for it.”

 

Adum’s call. They said that the sun god roused goblins to battle, and those who answered his call would win eternal glory.

 

The giant dropped two silver coins into Khet’s palm. “I want you to answer Atris’s call. Whatever he’s warring against, it cannot be good.”

 

Khet closed his hand around the two coins. His heart thudded in his chest. Already he could hear Adum’s call.

 

He walked over to Gnurl and Mythana. “We’ve got a job,” he said to them. And told them about the Hunter’s Call.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

They heard the bewitching call as soon as they set foot in the Western Flats. A horn, sounding in the distance.

 

The Golden Horde pursued the horn, but it always sounded in the distance, echoing on the rocks.

 

Eventually, they stopped to make camp.

 

Khet wondered why they were no more closer than they had been a day ago. Had Atris rejected them? Was the army for wood elves only?

 

Would Adum be pleased Khet was answering the call? Or would he be furious his follower was answering the call of another god?

 

Before he went to bed that night, Khet folded his hands in prayer.

 

Send me a sign. Whether you want me to answer the call or not. Tell me if I should continue my path or if I should change course. Send me a sign.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Khet was standing in a jungle. Monkeys screeched and birds sang their odd songs. Khet’s throat was dry and he licked his lips. He needed water.

 

As he felt for his waterskin, he noticed the runes carved into the bark of the trees.

 

Khet studied the runes, then shrugged his shoulders. He’d figure the runes out once he’d had a drink.

 

He patted himself down. Where was his waterskin?

 

“Thirsty?”

 

Khet looked up. A night elf with sleek orange hair, shining gray eyes, and an old shield tattoo just beside his left eye sat on a boulder, which was surrounded by running water. He wore black robes and held a wizard’s staff.

 

He tapped the water with his staff. “Have a drink,” he said.

 

Khet walked over, then knelt and gulped down the water. The night elf watched him, a smile on his face.

 

When Khet had drank enough, he wiped his mouth and said to the night elf, “Thanks.”

 

The night elf inclined his head. He said nothing.

 

“Where are we?” Khet asked.

 

“In my pocket dimension.” The night elf said.

 

Khet looked around. It was a very detailed dimension.

 

“Did you create this yourself?” He asked.

 

“Aye.” The night elf said.

 

A rainbow-colored bird flew from one branch to another. Khet watched it in awe.

 

“I didn’t expect to see someone here.” The night elf said. “Who are you?”

 

How did Khet get in here? He didn’t know.

 

‘What’s your trade?” The night elf asked him.

 

“I’m an adventurer.” Khet said immediately.

 

“Ah,” said the night elf, “I was hoping to find an adventurer.”

 

Khet looked at him.

 

“I had a golem. Built it myself. Unfortunately, it didn’t like that it had a master and broke free. It’s somewhere in this jungle, in fact.”

 

Khet looked at him, grinning. “You mean there’s more to this dimension? Because I haven’t seen it.”

The night elf looked solemn.

 

“I may have made the golem too strong,” he said grimly. “I gathered a thousand of my colleagues to contain it, and out of all of them, I was the only one who survived. If wizards could not stand a chance, then what hope does one warrior have? Adventurer or not?”

 

Khet cracked his knuckles and grinned. “You’re underestimating the skills of a wolf!”

 

“Spoken like an adventurer. It’s always a delight to speak with you, Ogreslayer.”

 

Khet frowned. How did the night elf know his name?

 

The night elf tossed his staff in the air. It spun, before turning into a flaming sword. It landed in the night elf’s hand. No, not a night elf anymore. Now he was a goblin, towering over Khet. He had curly blonde hair and hazel eyes with an adventurous gleam to them. He was clad in leather armor, and looked like he had just spent days on the road. He was muscular and scarred, the way every typical adventurer looked. He shone with the light of a thousand suns.

 

Adum, the goblin god of glory, the sun, travel, and patron of adventurers.

 

Khet immediately knelt. “Forgive me, Defeater. Ah dinnae recognize you.”

 

“Stand up.” Came the god’s response. “Wolves don’t kneel.”

 

Khet stood and looked him in the eyes. Adum was here to speak with him about something. Gods didn’t make visits to mortals for the Dagor of it.

 

“I hear you’re following the Hunter’s Call.” Adum said.

 

Khet nodded.

 

Adum gazed at the tree. “There is an army of dwarves on the march. Actually, army is too kind. It’s a horde of dwarves, made up of dwarven raiders. They have been raiding elven settlements, mostly. Attacked Atris’s temple. Their leader, Sam the Firestarter, has declared he’ll tear down the elven gods, starting with the wood elves. That’s why Atris is gathering an army.”

 

Khet cracked his knuckles and grinned. “Better fight this warlord, then/”

 

“Don’t concern yourself with Sam the Firestarter,” Adum said firmly.

 

Khet squinted at him. “Are ye mad? This dwarven warlord wants tae kill the elven gods! My party-mate’s an elven priestess, in case ye haven’t been payin’ attention tae my prayers!”

 

Adum opened his mouth.

 

“What happened tae seekin’ glory?” Khet growled. “Ah’ll answer the Hunter’s Call, an’ there’s nothin’ ye can do tae stop me!” He lifted his chin. “Unless ye want tae smite me.”

 

Adum met his gaze. In his eyes, Khet saw fire. He saw enemies falling at Adum’s feet, cowardly warriors screaming as their heads morphed into ram’s heads, greedy kings burning from the inside out. The man standing before him, this god, was more powerful than Khet’s mind could even comprehend. Khet’s life was a grain of sand, compared to the things this god had experienced. He was nothing but an ant, that could be crushed on a whim.

 

Khet should kneel. Beg for mercy. Take back what he’d said. But it would be an insult to Adum to lie. He had meant what he’d said. He had dared Adum to strike him down/ And if the god chose to strike him down for his disobedience, then so be it. Khet would die as an adventurer should, staring down into the face of certain death without flinching.

 

Suddenly, Adum threw back his head and laughed. Khet jumped at the noise.

 

“You adventurers have no respect for authority. A lord, a king, a god, doesn’t matter. You’ll do as you like, and if they don’t like it, you’ll go to your grave defying them.” He grinned. “It’s why I made you my followers in the first place!”

 

Khet laughed, because he was relieved Adum wasn’t striking him down for his insolence.

 

“You shouldn’t concern yourself with Sam the Firestarter,” Adum said to him. “Even though he’s a driven man, a quick thinker, and an arrogant bastard, he’s not the one who concerns Atris.”

 

“Why?” Khet asked.

 

“Sam the Firestarter is just a puppet. Of an evil sorcerer. Maida Hallowrock. That’s what she used to be called, anyway. Before her sorcery turned her into something neither living or dead. She’s known as Maida the Lich now.”

 

Khet swallowed. A lich? Atris was raising an army against a lich? He couldn’t simply strike the lich down? He had to get untold mortals slaughtered?

 

Adum must’ve noticed the fear on his face, because he smiled at Khet reassuringly. “It’s just a nickname. She’s no lich. Simply a woman who got herself corrupted by dark magic. A sorcerer. You’ve fought sorcerers before, right?”

 

Khet nodded, relieved. Sorcerers were powerful, no doubt, and they definitely didn’t go down easily. But liches were so much worse. Khet would rather fight a sorcerer than a lich.

 

Adum clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s time for you to take the next watch. Good luck, Ogreslayer, and do me proud.”

 

Khet opened his eyes, back at the Golden Horde’s camp.

 

Gnurl was kneeling over him. He smiled when he saw Khet was awake.

 

“Perfect timing! It’s your turn for the watch.”

 

Khet sat up and moved to the boulder close to their mats. They’d dubbed it the sentry spot.

 

He sat down on it, and glanced at Gnurl to see his friend was fast asleep.

 

Khet watched the desert, admired the night sky. Odara had outdone himself tonight. The sky was full of stars, the souls of long-dead warriors looking down on Khet.

 

He couldn’t wait to tell the others that Adum had visited them in his sleep, reassured him they were on the right track, tell them everything the god had said. But would they believe him? Or would they say it was just a dream Khet had? What proof did he have that all of it was real and Adum really had talked to him? Was it possible that it really was a dream, and Adum had never visited him? And how would he start that conversation?

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I had a strange dream last night,” Mythana said.

 

It was the next morning. The adventurers were walking again, following the ever-elusive call of the horn.

 

Khet thought of his own dream. Gnurl almost looked startled at Mythana’s words, for some reason.

 

“Well?” The dark elf sounded annoyed. “Doesn’t anyone want to know what my dream was about?”

 

Khet shook himself. “Right, uh, sorry. What was the dream about?”

 

“I was floating on top of these massive cliffs in the mountains, when Estella came to talk to me. She mentioned the Hunter’s Call…”

 

“And she told you about Sam the Firestarter and Maida the Lich.’ Khet finished for her.

 

Mythana frowned. “How did you know?”

 

“I had the same dream. Only I was in a jungle and Adum was the one who spoke with me.” Khet told Mythana and Gnurl about the dream.

 

Gnurl scratched his head. “This is odd.”

 

“What?” Khet asked. “You don’t believe us?”

 

“Oh, I believe you. It’s just that I had a similar dream last night. Like you two.”

 

“You did?” Mythana asked.

 

Gnurl nodded. “I was standing in a valley, in a city of dead men. T’kan came and talked with me about the Hunter’s Call. He told me everything you two had mentioned. He said that I shouldn’t pursue the Hunter’s Call. Even if you two wanted to, I was supposed to leave you to go die at the hands of Maida the Lich.”

 

Khet blinked. “He said that? I thought Lycans valued loyalty!”

 

Gnurl nodded in agreement, then continued his story. “I refused, obviously. Told him you were my pack, and I wasn’t going to abandon you for anything.” He paused. “He liked that answer. I think it was a test. To see if I really was willing to pursue the Hunter’s Call.”

 

He turned his head away and kept walking. Khet and Mythana followed him. They walked in silence for awhile.