The Last Favor

Chapter 1

The night passed silently as the first ray of sunlight found its way to Tristan and gently caressed his eyelids open. He is not usually a heavy sleeper but exhaustion has its way of catching up with you when you expect it least. That dawn, however, exhaustion and a sort of a good night’s sleep were not the only surprises to greet the hunter on a new day.

Shockingly, the lad who calls himself Bryce was sound asleep on Tristan’s lap, dreaming of a safety he only felt around the people who had given him life, the very people who had abandoned him in this strange village that was horribly unfamiliar to the small boy.

Tristan, the most gentle person one has the fortune to meet since never, got up with no warning waking the kid up in quite the brutal way, an action he quickly realized he would regret if the boy is as painful company as he remembers him to be and a good memory is one of the few blessings he cherishes in his life.

“Good morning friend” with a booming voice, Bryce declared full of energy.

The 7-year-old assumed the stranger he had now chosen as companion to help him face the coming loneliness his days tend to hold is not exactly one most people would describe as an early bird. Or at least he did not have the mood of one at such a time.

“What’s for breakfast?” the boy questioned refusing to take the hint of a needed silence.

Tristan, not one for companionship, royally ignored the small chap and walked away without a care in the world for he did not plan on caring for this stubborn little fiend.

He’s never been one to pity any being nor is he familiar with guilt. If there is one thing this 6-foot-4 beast believes in is that his moral code, or lack thereof, is what allows him to go on with his way of life. In order to survive in a cruel world, Tristan has given up on beliefs and such idiocies. He has learnt long ago that the idea of right and wrong is just an illusion that society has created to fake the idea of a peaceful life.

Tristan took a piece of bread out of his sack and ate it while heading to the heart of the village to look for any hunts or quests worthy of his time. Meanwhile, Bryce was still following him like a lost puppy awaiting his share of breakfast. To his disappointment, the Lezterp ate it without giving him the time of the day.

“What about me, friend?”

The kid had no doubt in his mind that the seemingly cold stranger would eventually put an end to his farce and feed him.

“Don’t call me that.” Tristan asked indifferent to the kid’s needs.

“Call you what?” It’s fair to say Bryce was confused.

“Friend.”

“Well then, give me your name and I’ll call you that instead.” The lad smiled innocently.

In response, Tristan looked him up and down then he stood in place as he leered at him before continuing his path.

Pouting, the little human sneaked to the edge of a farmer’s land and stole an apple for breakfast. He then ran to the side of his friend whose name he has yet to discover.

On the other hand, Tristan glanced at the boy and hid the fact that he was impressed with his survival abilities. If only he wasn’t so annoying then maybe, just maybe, they would’ve made a good team after he grows up. That is if Tristan gets to live that long.

Passing the inn he was supposed to rest in the previous night, a sigh of disappointment escaped his lips as he pulled a coin from his collection and flipped it. He stood in place in anticipation while the kid stared wide eyed. “Blessed”.

Eight.

Today he can take a mission, he thought to himself as the kid screamed in shock once the coin disappeared “It’s magic. Woah! You can use magic.”

Once again, the bloke was intrigued by this child’s ignorance. Had he not seen magic before? In this day and age? But not one to care, he kept walking towards the board to find a monster to capture or anything that allows him to buy dinner.

He scanned the board in search of a quest worthy of his time, a job unlike any other, one that him and only him could accomplish, a mission that pays well enough. And his eyes land on quite an intriguing one.

“The thief in the forest: Whoever captures the monster that steals my merchandise shall receive a reward of 200 gold – Luther of Levria.”

And so, the fellow made his way to the market while being stalked by an infant who seemed to have a death wish. Going around the vast docks, Tristan asked around for a certain Luther of Levria all the while ignoring the little chap’s comments about his new ability to communicate.

“And who is it that asks?” a booming voice reached out to both of them.

“Tristan of Noria. I’m here about the hunting quest.”

“Ah yes! I am Luther of Levria indeed.” The Lezterp ignored the bloke’s strange way of speaking. “Ah dearie me had given up on any response at this point. You see, on my way to town this green giant attacked me and stole many of my belongings that I hoped to sell. They aren’t worth as much as your reward of course but they do mean a lot to me and I went through such great trouble to earn them.”

“Where did the attack occur?”

“In the eastern forests, next to the mountain my fair lad.”

Without any more delay, Tristan walked away towards the east. According to his experience, our fella was dealing with a Taem and he’d likely find him inside a cave on the base of the mountains where the troll-like creature probably still guards the valuables.

After 5 minutes of walking, Tristan was already tired of Bryce’s incredulous stare that hasn’t stopped following him ever since their – or rather his- conversation with the merchant.

“What?” with a voice as dead as always, the now busy man did not stop to hear the little guy’s answer but expected one nonetheless.

“Tristan. Tristan of Noria. That’s your name. Your name is Tristan of Noria.” Bryce was all giddy with this new information while the man of Noria couldn’t really comprehend his excitement.

“But Noria’s all the way south of the kingdom. It’s really far from here. Why are you so far from home, Tristan?”

“No.”

“No what?” confusion seemed to have become a better acquaintance to Bryce than Tristan plans on ever being.

“Talking.” He replied as he sped up his pace until the child had to run to catch up with his gigantic steps.

Finally, at the edge of the forest, Tristan glanced at the boy and declared “You’re not coming. It’s too dangerous and I don’t want to deal with your whining, kid.”

“That’s the longest sentence I’ve heard you say.” The boy giggled.

“Do not follow me. I will tie to a tree again if you so much as bother me.” Tristan let out an exasperated sigh.

“Right! Because that worked out the last time.”

“I’ll just kill you then.” He did not joke as he walked away.

Petrified, Bryce was paralyzed for a few seconds until he chose to ignore the threat and ran to Tristan’s leg once more since it seems like a handy trick that worked well in the past.

Tristan grabbed him by the neck and whispered into his ear “you know what? You’re walking to your death anyway. This warning is the kindest I’ll ever be to you: I will not help you and I will hesitate to kill you for absolutely no reason.”

While our protagonist continued walking all the while ignoring the child, Bryce was celebrating what he considered a victory as he followed into his newly found idol’s footsteps.

After one look to the dark monster filled forest, Tristan took a deep breath as he realized this was going to be a painfully long adventure.