The Tale of Korjia
Chapter 1: Prey and Hunter
The hum of the soft wind was almost silent as it flowed through the camp in the branches. A gentle rain fell, as it almost always did, in the morning of the Overgrown Forest. The terrain around the camp went for a few miles, and was far too dense to be cut, burned or ventured through. It was the perfect place to hold a clan of assassins that wanted to be kept secret for an eternity.
The only people who could enter were the assassins of the clan Jherrick. Humans, Dwarves, Halflings, Gnomes, Dusklings, and Elves of many kinds made Jherrick's population. In ancient times, when their races were given life, a certain amount of people were entrusted with the responsibility of upholding the laws of nature given by the divine beings that created them. They were given the power to slay even that which is immortal, so that no power could grow stronger than another to the point of threatening the course of life.
As a means of healthy wishes to the victims of Jherrick's assassins, they created the Sacred Prayer,
The peace must be kept. The evil must be slain.
The Ancient responsibility must be dealt with.
To Balance,
To Slay,
Your soul is destroyed!
After the line, the assassin strikes the final blow, and finishes-
Free of sin…
Rest in peace.
The morning started calmly and at an easy pace. Thomrin was slowly awakened by thunder from a far away distance. Thomrin slowly opened his eyes and turned in his bed. He looked around his room, then out the window. The bed felt soft.
Yet another rainstorm started the day. Thomrin got up, brushed his teeth, washed himself, and removed the curtains blocking the illumination of his glowing orbs on his wall. He looked the window again, and felt at ease from the storm, since rain gives him an at-home feeling. He was found by the clan's elder guildmasters on a rainy day. Almost every day in the Overgrown Forest came with a storm. Such weather is Thomrin's element.
He got out his old razor and shaved off what little scruff he had, leaving a triangular beard he decided to keep. Outside of his doors, he hears, "HEY THOM!"
Thomrin stepped outside, still tired. "What's up?" he asked, as he looked down to the grassy floor. His friends, Isnam and Shamia were waiting for him with spears in hand, bows and quivers across their backs and smiles on their faces.
Shamia: "Come on, it's time to go hunting! Our chore today is getting breakfast!"
Thomrin gave a facial gesture and a hand sign of approval as he ran inside to grab his hunting spear and bow. He turned around and faced the threshold of his hut. He took a breath, closed his eyes and gathered his focus. He opened his eyes and dashed at the door. The moment he reached the porch, he jumped off and flipped once, over to a branch. Isnam and Shamia climbed to neighboring branches as well.
Isnam: "Let's do it! I've been looking forward to some real action for the past week!"
The trio bounded off from tree to tree into the somewhat blinding mist with joy and determination.
After a while of searching from the treetops, they came across a Crocodile, waiting in a pond for its next prey.
Isnam: "I got this, you guys be ready to pounce"
As Isnam whispered the plan, He pulled out his bow and an arrow. He took aim as Thomrin and Shamia readied their spears. Moments later, an arrow sped through the damp air and struck the croc in the back. He jumped to the ground and allowed the gator to charge in anger. The croc was a snout's distance away from him with an open, hungry, angry mouth as the two hidden assassins in training skewered its back with either of their spears with a jump from the branches.
After a few short minutes, the trio of friends made it back to the camp, lugging a huge croc behind them. They dropped it off in the gathering pavilion as the other guild members cheered for them, for they knew carrying a four-hundred pound croc through the rough terrain was no easy task. Their bodies were sore, but they felt no pain because of their victorious feelings.
Kosha: "These three have brought the heaviest croc in the past year to the camp so we could eat breakfast! Let's hear it for 'em!"
The three friends watched as the crowded pavilion audience cheered gleefully, shouting things like "CHEERS!" or "WAY TO GO!" The three huddled over the table and began discussing what they would do for the day, after they finished their chore of cleaning the carcass they had already gutted, miserably.
Shamia: "Who's up for a few rounds of Prey and Hunter after we finish?
Thomrin: "Sounds good to me. Best way to train if you ask me."
Isnam: "I'll be the hunter first."
Thomrin: "You enjoy being the hunter, don't you?"
Isnam: "Yes I do!"
Just then, Grand Master Kosha intervened in the conversation.
Kosha: "Good morning, Children."
Trio: "Good morning, Grand Master."
Kosha: "Feel free to go ahead and take the rest of the day off. As a reward for breaking the record of croc weight brought in, the carcass has been taken care of."
Trio: "Thanks!"
Grand Master Kosha left the table, as the trio went back to relax and Thomrin's hut.