Author Note: So here is chapter two, a little earlier than I originally planned to post it. What can I say, I lack self control. Thank you everybody who reviewed the first chapter.

Day One:

I stood slowly, and she handed the sword back to me.

"Thank you, your highness." I bowed once and she dismissed me. I turned to walk out the door. Bro and John met me half way and we forced ourselves to stay silent until we were out of earshot.

"That was simpler than I remember it being." I sighed in relief; the hard part was over.

"Well, it can seem that way." Bro quipped, "We should get you to the knight master; he has an assignment for you."

"I can find him on my own." I nodded once, "You should go home and tell Rose how it went. Besides, the assignment probably won't take more than a day. I'll see you tonight."

"Fine" Bro grasped my shoulder, "Good luck." He released me and waved once, quickly vanishing from sight. John congratulated me as well before returning to his training, his pale face set.

I headed towards the knight master's room; he probably would be there at this hour. I knocked on his door, and he answered after a few long moments.

"Ah, Dave Strider." He was a rather cranky guy and had a very short temper. His eyes were almost the same shade of red as mine. He also liked to swear profusely. "You are fucking late."

"Sorry about that," I shrugged, smirking slightly "I was being knighted."

"That's what they all say." He grumbled. "Your assignment is to go to Lofaf for the witch hunt that recently started there. They were fucking complaining that the government isn't helping them, so you have to go find their witch and kill her." Then he slammed the door in my face. I blinked once in surprise, taking one step back. I could hear a scratchy female voice asking him who it was, and he responded that it was no one.

I went back home to tell Bro and Rose about the mission and to change into my armor. They didn't really have anything to say, except to be careful and not get killed. Bro in particular was quiet, staring off into space thoughtfully. I put my shades on before leaving.

I packed up enough food for a week then went to the stables to get Equius. He was my loyal stallion, and though I didn't ride him often, we had a close bond. I brushed his fur for a few minutes and fed him a couple nuts before putting his saddle on. I made sure to give the barn cat, a tabby named Nepeta, a pat on the head. She caught all the mice in the barn and got along surprisingly well with Equius. It was almost like he neighed a farewell to her as we left the barn. We set off out the south exit and I prepared for a long ride.

Lofaf was about 60 kilometers to the east of Prospit, and only had a population of about 300 people. I didn't know they had a witch problem, but I was determined to do my job properly. Anyway, a witch hunt was the perfect first assignment for me.

The countryside was serene as Equius and I rode through it. Nothing dared to disturb a knight and his horse. The 60 kilometers would take about three hours at a decent pace, so we should've arrived before sunset. We saw a few small animals on the way; nothing really out of the ordinary.

I didn't realize I had arrived until there was a house right next to me. A cow in a nearby field mooed loudly, seemingly angered with my presence. A sheepdog barked with it. Equius whinnied and stepped back, but I tugged his reigns to control him. Something about the town seemed to set him on edge. Maybe he missed the cat.

The city was mostly farmhouses with two roads running perpendicular through the center. There was a group of buildings huddled around these roads, so I headed there to start my search. I never actually met a witch before, so I wasn't really sure what to look for. I figured the center of town was the best place to start, and I might as well check in with the local government. Though the Queen's jurisdiction extended beyond this town, she permitted them to govern themselves locally as long as they paid tribute and followed Prospitian laws.

I trotted in slowly, and the few people out on the street stared with wary gazes. Equius's hooves clacked against the cobblestones, producing the only sound for some distance. I didn't pay the townspeople any attention until I felt an eerie prickling on the back of my neck. I spun my head and shoulders around, meeting a firm green stare. The person hid in a shadow between buildings, so I couldn't make out his form. But his eyes were a vibrant green, and they glittered in the darkness. I looked away hastily; it was almost like he could see through my shades.

I rode over to the tallest building in town, since it was usually where the government resided. I tied Equius to a post before going in, trusting him to fight off anybody who might try to steal him.

I was right; it turned out to be town hall.

There were two people inside, both sitting behind desks. Their placards read Kankri Vantas: Mayor and Porrim Maryam: Secretary. Porrim looked up as my footsteps echoed on the wood floors. She rose from her chair, smiling slightly.

"You must be Dave Strider. Welcome to Lofaf." She nodded in greeting. Her jade green eyes reminded me of the pair I had spotted, though they were a few shades deeper.

"Thanks" I approached her table. "I'm here to check in and get any information you might already have." Kankri fidgeted in his seat to my right, adjusting his bright red sweater, and Porrim sighed at him.

"Very well," she said, "Kankri will brief you on the situation." She rolled her eyes before sitting back down.

Kankri tugged on the ends of his sleeves, gesturing for me to come over to him. He cleared his throat. "You see, Dave Strider, we have had a bit of a witch problem lately." He tugged on the collar of his sweater as he spoke. The man did nothing to hide his red gaze, and I wondered if the people accepted that blindly. My eye color was certainly frowned upon at home.

"It could be a warlock." Porrim interjected, glaring pointedly at Kankri. I resisted chuckling.

"A witch or a warlock." Kankri glared back. "They have been living in close proximity with our town for some time now, and their familiar recently started terrorizing the citizens. We don't know where they live, but I do have a rough sketch of the animal." Kankri shifted through the piles of paper on his desk. He found the paper and handed it to me. It was a drawing of a large white dog, big enough to kill a man.

Kankri kept speaking. "The creature was spotted in town last week; it demolished Cronus's house. We need you to find them, and kill them. The people have already voted on the witch's punishment, so we are not infringing upon the witches rights." The last sentence was said in a pompous tone, as if daring his counterpart to argue. She didn't, but I could feel it coming.

I could handle this assignment; I had my own reasons to want to kill witches. "Alright, I'll get started right away."

"Excellent." Kankri handed me another slip of paper, "You can stay in the inn down the street during your stay here, and the office will cover your bill."

"Thank you very much." I tucked the slips of paper into my armor and bid the pair farewell. As I exited, I could hear them start to argue about what kind of rights a witch should have had in the first place. I didn't stay to eavesdrop.

I untied Equius from the pole and walked him over to the inn Kankri mentioned. Re-tying Equius across the street only took a few seconds, but they dragged as I forced myself not to look at the staring eyes. As I entered the front door, I could feel the green eyes watching me. I didn't give them the satisfaction of my acknowledgment.

The inside of the inn had a musky smell to it, and was lit by the front windows and a few candles. There were some tables scattered about; only a few were occupied. What seemed to be a counter sat off to the left, and I weaved through the tables towards it. A young woman sat behind it. She adjusted her spectacles as she wrote fervently into a notepad. Her name tag read 'Aranea'. After a moment of watching her write, I cleared my throat. When she looked up, her eyes were a dark cerulean.

"Can I help you?" She questioned, setting her quill aside.

I handed her the second slip of paper. "The Mayor sent me here."

She read over the paper quickly. I couldn't read her expression for sure, but it looked like her eyebrows furrowed slightly. I could've sworn her eyes flicked towards the door for one heartbeat. She opened one of the drawers of her counter and removed a metal key. "Fine. You can have room five for as long as you need." She was still perfectly polite.

"Thank you." I received the key from her and went to deposit my one bag into the room. There was one long hallway in the back with eight rooms attached to it, four on each side. I found room five easily and used the key to let myself in.

The room was small; it only contained a bed, a stool, and a candle, but that was all it needed. I dropped my bag on the stool and locked it in the room. I still needed to find somewhere to stable Equius before the sun went down.

It turned out there was a stable behind the hotel, so I left Equius in the care of a stable boy there. I still had a few hours until sundown, so I went walking around town. I still got a few stares from the locals, but less than I did earlier with my horse. I doubt many of them had ever seen an armored knight before.

There were 15 buildings in what I would consider downtown. One was the inn, another was the town hall, and at least two of them were some form of bar. The rest were stores or homes. The smashed home was all the way on the end, but the wreckage was abandoned. The house was completely demolished without a single wall still standing. I had trouble believing that a dog could have done this, but perhaps it was larger than the drawing implied. If so, I might have a tough time beating it.

I walked the entire downtown area, but I didn't see anything I would consider strange. No witches and no giant dogs appeared in my path. I was heading back to the inn when I sensed the same pair of green eyes watching me yet again. Since the sun was setting, the shadows from the buildings ran deep and bled together. In between two of the buildings, the green eyes stared out at me.

I wasn't going to put up with this anymore. It could have been the giant dog, that damn devil beast, so I put one hand on my sword hilt. The green eyes widened as I approached; clearly he wasn't expecting my reaction. He probably though I hadn't noticed him there. I drew my sword and took a deep breath. This would be my first battle as a knight; I was ready.

My heart skipped a beat and I stopped in my tracks as he stepped out of the shadows.

I mean, as she stepped out of the shadows.

End Note: Thanks for reading! It will be a little longer until chapter three, I'm planning on waiting a week.