PREVIOUSLY ON T.A.H
" Welcome to the academy you are now apart of the hunt."
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"Academy... Hunt?" I asked confused at what he said. " The hunt boy. You asked to be like me and the way to do that....is to be a huntsman." As I came to grasps with what he said I was first stunned the happy.
I had heard of the huntsmen when growing up, I mean every child had and how couldn't they, when the bards constantly spread their tales to every corner of the continent. Their tales varied but one thing which was constant was that each huntsman had enough power to be feared by the masses and I was now one of them.
"That's that mean...." I began excited by he doused my expectations as quickly as he lit them up. " hold you horses boy, for now you are just a member of the hunt. It has yet to be confirmed whether or not you will live long enough to be a huntsman." as he said so I calmed down for he was right I was still weak and had a long way to go.
Seeing his words had a desired effect he smirked and spoke up once more. "Normally this would be asked before you step in the academy but you were.... well unconscious so I'll ask this now, during your time here you will experience the trials and your life is not guaranteed do you still want to continue, take heed that once you agree your life is no longer yours and there is no going back." the atmosphere getting more tense with each, word and once he was down he looked at me with his piercing gaze and without a shred of hesitation I shouted, "yes!" my determination evident in my eyes seeing this he smiled " then from now on I am your mastet and you are my disciple. I Gareth of the hunt claim you as a disciple" and then the serious atmosphere was gone with his next words "now get dress it's time for food."
I hurriedly got ready and went into the hallway to follow him, I was dressed in leather made from the hide of an animal I did not recognise. As we headed to the dinning Hall to eat I took in the beauty of the architecture of the building. We soon arrived at the dinning Hall which was also another architectural marvel making me seriously start to believe this place might have been made by the gods.
I sat behind the table and he fed me a plate of food. Seeing the food which had never looked so appetising I grabbed a wooden spoon and quickly took in a mouthful which I spat out not a second later as it was the most horrid taste I had experienced, it was a though it was a dish made by the mistress Dusk herself and Death.
Seeing my reaction Gareth burst out laughing proving he had a hand in this, looking back I should have realised something was wrong when I saw the devious smile I often saw in the village. " What was that?! " I asked glaring at him, seeing that he laughed even harder before he spoke up, " that boy, that was the first trial.... oh. It doesn't just take like poison it is poison. " He continued laughing but seeing the look of horror on my face, he decided to explain.
"That boy is the first trial eating nothing but poisoned food for a month, every huntsman went through the same thing." " why would you do such a thing. " " to build poison immunity whilst on hunts you are not always going to have the privilege of poison free food this is preparing you..... though I do have to warn you this trial has a death rate of 60%" " What?!!" " don't worry this trial has the lowest death rate." hearing his words I grew paler by the second which seemed to amuse him even more.
I sulked an ate through the disgusting thing called food at that point I remembered my mother's words "looks can be deceiving." I continued to eat begrudgingly when I realised something , "Oi! you keep mentioning other huntsmen but how come your the only one I've seen." At those words he wore a somber look "....you don't know" at that I shook my head, after looking at me and determining I was speaking the truth he sighed then began to speak. "twenty years ago, most people only remember it as the year the twelve kingdoms declared themselves empires but before that an event occurred, one I would never forget..... that year all the kingdoms on this continent decided unanimously for the first ever time and it was to perform something they called the purge. They waged war against the hunt, it was so sudden none of us were prepared. The elders tried but no matter how hard we fought we were still mortal in the end..... we lost that day. I managed to retreat here but I was the only one, since that day I have yet to see another..." he stood abruptly and left but when he got to the doorway he spoke up for the last time.
" sleep early, training begins at dawn."