Breakfast gave me a chance to clear my hangover and think things through, so I pondered my situation over some eggs. Who was looking for my help? Why? How did they come to hear about me? I was really hoping this wasn’t another criminal trying to hire me. That’s a long story; it was a desperate time and I was more naive.

I made sure not to leave a speck on my plate before heading out, it’s rare for me to have a hearty meal before a job. Jocham told me the man had purchased the deluxe suite at The Velvet Vineyard, and was waiting for me to meet him there. That told me everything I needed to know, this was someone with the Marks to spend on the nicest inn Thorneglade had to offer.

Typically I don’t do my business here, with Thorneglade being the agricultural hub for the rest of Knightbreak, Merchants don’t want monsters (or more commonly bandits) ruining their precious crops. They have men on their payroll to handle these problems well before I ever stepped foot here.

That’s the one problem a lone monster hunter like me has, just how rare a ‘monster’ really is. They just aren’t that common, pay is good but it’s not consistent. I try to avoid places where Mystic Watch guild members frequent, as I said they aren’t keen on me. They’ve made threats at me before, hoping I’d leave wherever they’re stationed. Usually I wouldn’t back down from a fight, but a high ranking guild mate could take me down. They are specialized killers, with the same skills as me. I’ll take my chances with a beast; at least they’re less crafty.

So why am I here now? Two months prior I heard from a reliable source that the southern half of Knightbreak was suffering from a disease, or a plague if you will. While I do know some rudimentary alchemy and skills, I’m not going there to help cure the disease. Dead bodies from the plague meant more monsters, plenty of work to be done. The Mystic Watch will definitely be there too, and I run the risk of catching the disease myself but I was willing to take the risk, sometimes the best course of action is to sail directly into the storm.

I stopped in Thorneglade to rest and pick up supplies, but one thing led to another and I ended up getting delayed here for two weeks. Suffice to say I’ve been itching to continue my journey, but before I hit the road again I needed money and this guy seemed like my best option to get some. Thorneglade was a beautifully scenic place, putting other places I’ve been at to shame. Lush fields and rocky hills, clear blue lakes that shimmer when the sun is out. Roads were clean and paved, houses were painted with bright colors, nicely trimmed hedges and colorful flowers littered the ground. The vineyards were the nicest place in Thorneglade, a crisp sweet smell lingered in the air tempting me to never leave this place.

Before me stood a wooden door with carvings of naked women holding grape vines between their breasts, I had arrived at the Velvet Vineyard. I stepped inside and immediately felt out of place, this room was exquisitely decorated. Curtains blocked the outside, the room instead relied on candlelight. Performers gently played a tune in the corner. I tried my best to act natural and glanced around for the man who wanted to hire me; Alistair. Just then it dawned on me that Jocham forgot to tell me what this man even looked like. Here I was standing at the entrance of this place looking like a lost child. I considered going to the barkeeper to ask for the man’s whereabouts when I heard an; “Over here!” to my left.

It seems like he noticed me first, a man sat at a table alone waving his hand for me to come over. He sat in the corner towards the back of the inn, secluded enough for a private conversation. Who else could this be but Alistair?

I navigated my way through the busy dining hall until I reached the round table. He sat at the end with books and scrolls laid out in front of him, in the center were two wooden cups and an expensive looking bottle of red wine. The man stood up from his seat, looked at me and smiled.

“Morning friend, care for a drink?”

The first thing I noticed was how not aristocratic he looked and behaved. He was dressed in a white buttoned shirt and slacks, both of which looked rugged from the road. Everything on his table was strewn about haphazardly, and he seemed to have no better table manners that I did.

“I’m not thirsty.” I responded, pulling a seat out and sitting down across from him. “Are you Alistair?”

“Correct. Alistair de Havilland.” He uncorked the wine bottle and poured himself a drink.

He was a ginger with pale skin and freckles across his cheeks and forehead. His eyes were green with specks of brown in them. He looked to be twenty, maybe even nineteen. His hair looked scruffy underneath the gray cap he wore. Alistair was short and skinny, he didn’t look like the type who should be traveling the wilderness on his own.

“I’m sorry, but I only know you as ‘The Drifter’,”

“I’m Cassian Nightwater.”

“Nightwater, that’s an interesting surname. Are you from Knightbreak?” He asked me.

“I am.” I responded.

If he was a native to Knightbreak I probably wouldn’t have been able to get away with that lie. I’m not actually from here, I was born on the other side of the continent in a country called Mystheim. It’s the capital of The Seasworn Empire, a place I’d rather not tell people my connection to considering Knightbreak fought in two wars against them. My mother was a naval captain, like her fathers before her. The name ‘Nightwater’ came from our talent of sailing during the night and winning battles in the dark. I haven’t been affiliated with the Empire since how long now, ten years? I didn’t expect the locals to be accepting either way.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“But you’re clearly not, where are you from?” I inquired.

“Draconfurt.” He responded.

That surprised me, Draconfurt is a land of Dwarves and Draconians, not so much humans like us. Though it’s a really large place, perhaps he was from the Northern border.

“What’s a man from Draconfurt doing all the way down here?”

“I left home a couple years back, family tiff yanno?” Alistair explained. “I was in Knightbreak and heard about the disease. Decided to put my talents towards finding a cure.”

“How noble of you.” I said half sarcastically.

“Not entirely noble, if I cure the plague there’s a lot of fame and glory in it for me. I’m not going to pretend that doesn’t motivate me.”

“A good deed is still a good deed.” I countered.

Alistair paused, gazed at me as if trying to peer into my soul. He then smiled to himself and took a sip from his glass.

“Maybe so, but I can’t be a noble hero without my horse. Some degenerates stole her, and that’s why I’m contracting you.”

“Some bandits stole your horse, and you want me to get it back? You clearly have the funds to just buy another and be on with it.”

“True. This horse is special to me though. I was never particularly good at athletics, especially fighting. ” Alistair said as he grabbed the jewel encrusted cane that sat beside him and stood up.

Alistair’s right foot was enlarged and bent out of shape, the bones all in the wrong places. The heel of his foot faced out to the left. It looked painful to walk on. Hence the limp Jocham told me about.

“You can see why I’ve never been a prized fighter.” He continued, in what sounded like an attempt at dry humor. “I wouldn’t have survived a day on my own without Soteria. She gave me the freedom to leave home, she gave me the speed to evade danger. Hell I could even fight on horseback if things got tough.”

“So she means something to you.” I affirmed.

Alistair nodded to confirm my statement.

“Don’t misunderstand me, I’d be happy to take your coin,” I finally responded. “But despite whatever you might’ve heard about me, I hunt monsters - not purse snatchers. Just some free advice, your money would be better spent finding a guard captain or a local huntsman.”

“You may be right.” Alistair admitted, “But they don’t have the good word of that innkeeper from The Sightly Gorgon, he told me you were capable and reliable.”

I smiled, dare say I even blushed a bit! Turns out ol’ bastard has a fondness for me after all. When I was passing through Thorneglade he was dealing with a thief problem, so I volunteered to help him in exchange for a couple nights rest in the Sightly Gorgon free of charge.

He agreed and a day later I uncovered that his ex wife gave her spare key to a competitor innkeeper out of spite. We contacted a locksmith and had the other inn shut down by the baron. I never dared to ask Jocham about his wife.

“Besides, this situation is a little more complicated than that.” Alistair added.

I let out a sigh, “How so?”

“I was attacked by robbers in a place, have you ever heard of The Sleeping Bog?”

“I have, it’s a few miles North of here. Why the fuck were the there?”

I’d never been to The Sleeping Bog myself, but I heard about it from some local folk tales an old granny told me about. It seemed nobody ever went there.

“I was gathering fauna for medicine, you can find some good stuff in places like that. I thought the stories about this place were just superstitious rumors, I don’t expect villagers to know much. But after the robbers shoved me off my horse and took off with her, I felt myself falling asleep. It was strange, I tried to fight it but I couldn’t.” He explained. “I woke up outside the bog, a few hours later.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to judge next time.” I told him.

“Yeah, lesson learned. But do you see why I asked about you? I need a person who can deal with abnormal shit like this. From everything I’ve heard; you're my guy.”

I gave his story some thought, combing over the details. This was all very strange, but Alistair seemed sincere enough.

“Okay fine, I’ll do the job.”

Alistair beamed a smile at me.

“One question though. Why’d they only take your horse? Was it an expensive kind. Maybe you got an expensive saddle?”

“Huh, the saddle’s not worth a lot but Soteria is an import from Koromeer. A gift from my father when I was sixteen years old. Why?”

“They had to know that the horse was worth something if they were willing to run off without checking you for valuables. Never heard of a highway robber that was such an equestrian before.”

“I didn’t even think about that.” Alistair admitted. “The leader of the gang rode the horse, he was dressed nicely under his armor.”

“Okay. What does Soteria look like?”

“She’s a white horse. My saddle is brown with red accents. Hard to miss.” Alistair described to me.

“I got everything I need to know. How much am I getting paid for this?” I asked him.

Alistair reached into his belt pocket and pulled out a pouch made out of some elegant look material. He placed it in my hand, the texture was silk like, coins rustled inside it; a beautiful sound. I untied the pouch and opened it to see a small pile of gold coins, round with the center carved in the shape of a square. Across the top and bottom of the square a red stripe was painted, these were “Redmarks”, a valuable coin you could spend anywhere under banner of the Empire.

“There’s ten Redmarks in there. Another ten when the job is finished.” He said.

I didn’t want to show much of a reaction but I couldn’t help but let out a smile, it was my lucky day.

“I’ll get your horse back, but before I go I’d like to try that wine you’ve been drinking.”