Chapter Three: Hunter

The sound of footsteps alerted Rend to approach. On reflex he looked. This was the first being he'd seen in over a month, he thought. And he was in for a surprise.

It was a lone figure wearing a green cloak, a belt that held a longsword and several pouches, a strap across his chest that held a quiver of arrows and a bow, and seemingly full plate armor. He was as tall as Rend was, and as broad. But what surprised the 'Forged the most was when he realized the person wasn't wearing armor, but had actually a metallic silverish colored body and three-fingered hands...

It was another 'Forged! But Rend had never really heard of 'Forged wearing clothes like a person. They were technically genderless, and their armored bodies were more than enough protection, both from battle and from the elements. But the green cloak fluttered lightly behind this new 'Forged as he walked, and as he drew near Rend could hear he was singing or humming to himself. When he saw Rend standing there, however, he stopped singing and quickened his pace.

"Greeting," he called, lifting a hand in a friendly wave. Rend waved back, having been around humans and the other races long enough to know this was the proper response. In the back of his mind he thought there was something – different – about this 'Forged, but before he could puzzle it out he had company. "What are you going, standing out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"I am waiting for someone to come along and say that they want me to escort them, or carry something, or whatever else they might want me to do," Rend replied.

"I see... why not just walk down the road, make your own way in life?" At this, Rend was confused.

"What do you mean?"

"We're a free people, now," the stranger said.

"Yes, I know. We're free, so anyone can use us for tasks." The 'Forged chuckled. Rend had never heard a Warforged actually laugh before.

"No, no... 'Free' in this case means we don't have to listen to anyone anymore. The only person we have to obey is ourselves. We can make our own choices about our lives. The Treaty of Thronehold said that, so it's now fact." He pointed down the left fork of the road, the way Rend had come. "You could walk down that road, see someone who wanted you to carry a bag, and say 'No,' if you wanted." Rend blinked.

"Disobey an order?"

"There are no orders anymore, save the ones you give yourself." The new 'Forged held out a hand. "I'm Hunter."

"I'm Rend," Rend responded, shaking hands much in a human manner. Hunter eyed the two swords Rend wore, one on each hip secured by a worn chain belt.

"A dual-wielder," he observed. "Never my strong suit. Let me guess: You were just told that all Warforged were free and no one explained it, right?" Rend nodded.

"There were ten of us left, but Sergeant went off with a gnome, and the others found people to serve, and I was left."

"Well, I'm glad you were. It's been a lonely road. Care to join me?" Rend started to nod, but Hunter's quickly upraised hand stalled him. "Now, listen close, Rend, this is important. It's possibly the most important part of being free and alive: Choice. I am not ordering you to accompany me. I'm letting you choose for yourself. What to you want to do?"

For a moment, Rend went blank. No one had ever really asked him what he wanted before. It was always "Do – Yes, sir!" But to choose... Hunter chuckled again.

"Take your time. I can stand here just as long as you can." A glimmer of understanding pierced Rend's long-held ideas.

"But you don't have to. You could choose to leave." Hunter laughed right out loud, a broad, boisterous sound that Rend found he honestly liked.

"Yes, I could. But I choose to stay until you decide." He was smiling kindly, Rend noticed. He'd heard some humaniods say that 'Forged couldn't smile or frown, but Rend had come to understand that they could, if you only looked at their eyes instead of their mouths.

"Then, Hunter...I choose to go with you."

"Excellent! I can help you understand what's happened to us, and you can keep me company." He looked down the forks of the road. "Hmm... Which way looks good to you?" Rend eyes the road too, then looked back at his new companion.

"Um... Left?"

"Was that a choice, or a question?" Hunter's teasing tone erased the last of Rend's unease at this new, somewhat frightening situation.

"Left."

"Then left it is."