PendantBlade

Hunt, Hunter, Hunted

Tenford wandered the no-man's land between kingdoms. it had been two days? a week? now that he had departed from Zerox, the City of The East.

He had stopped there to pick up supplies and gather information from it's king about Vax, the King of Vahart, but learned next to nothing aside from the fact that he liked to drink only the finest of wine.

he checked his compass again, making sure he was on the right track.

his mind drifted absently to the news of the failed rebellion.

Vax had quelled the rebellion with undeniable might ruthlessness as the army returned from the distraction the rebellion had provided.
Many had of Vahart's rioting populace had perished, including rebels and many, many innocents.

This was a major setback, the rebellion exhausting much of its resources and contacts.

His attention was caught by a flicker, then a frenzy of movement coming from his compass.

Tenford watched as the compass needle spun, back and forth, freezing in place, before falling back into its frenzied twirl.

Shocked, he peeled his eyes from the compass, Tenford scoured the wide expanse of nothingness, searching for a hint of color on the vast sands
of the Inner-Rim.

A shadow swooped beneath his feet.
He gazed skyward, and saw a large hawk soaring up ahead, it's beak glinting as it caught sunlight.

the creature soared high above the land, making it seem much smaller that it was. in perspective, it was likely much larger than himself.

'GemBeast.' he thought.

He nocked an arrow, the string tight against his fingers. The bow followed the hawk's flight. Tenford took a deep breath, and loosed the lethal projectile.

The arrow zipped through air, a faint whistle in its path as it hit it's mark, puncturing a wing.

The feathered GemBeast fell with a screech.

Tenford paced towards where the creature had fallen, and found it failing to take flight in a clearing of the ground with a WroughtOre tipped arrow lodged in its limb.

Tenford proceeded with caution, silently drawing his Fragmentblade, its Topaz shard shining a very dim orange in its hilt, making the simple one-sidded curved blade seem more well made than it was.

'Droner could still use a gem shard to craft with' he thought 'even if his skills are... questionable'

he observed the winged beast with a careful eye, bidding his time for an opportunity to strike.

the Gembeast was majestic, in a ferocious way, with crimson wings and body, its dark black beads for eyes seemed to be seaching, seaching for the poor sap it was going to tear to shreads. Its most defining feature glinted a deep red in the harsh sunlight, a razorsharp beak made of  gorgeous ruby.

Curse his curiosity, for when he was watching the GemBeast over the sand dune, he lost his footing, and a large bunk of the dune fell off its balance, creating a loud hissing sound.

The hawk snapped its head towards Tenford, who cursed loudly like a Harpeon sailor.

The hawk loomed over him, talons glimmering. Its caw pierced ears with the scratching shriek of crystal against crystal.

Inching forward, Tenford raised his Fragmentblade, centering the sword between its eyes.

His feet swept the ground, and sand erupted. The hawk staggered back, and Tenford lunged for its heart.