A young man opened the door revealing the inside of his home, the insides were full of weapons, animal traps, animal pelts or hunting trophies and various tools.
The young man looked somewhat rugged and wild in appearance, his age was between 17 and 20 but he looked to be more experienced in the ways of the world compared to most of the village people.
It was clear that he had a story or two of his own but from what Ki knew of this person everything about them was just a facade or a disguise to blend in with the crowd.
He remained isolated within a small village close to the borders of the north so either he had offended someone so was laying low or he was a criminal.
The capital or central city was located in the central lands where the martial alliance mainly occupy, they hold absolute order within their own territory closer towards the capital city.
In the north beyond the borders are the land of ice and snow where people have to endure the harsh cold and from lack of food sources.
In the east beyond the borders are the rural tribes surviving within the dangerous forests enduring attacks from wild beasts or poisonous creatures.
In the south are the port cities and towns along with the dangers of sea creatures and pirates.
Finally there is the western borders which are the desert lands which are low on water sources and their people have to endure extreme heat and a harsh environment.
Each person from every region has their own characteristics and beliefs but the young man had characteristics from the central lands.
The young man spoke without any vigilance seeing that it was a young girl at his door. "Who are you and why have you come?"
'Now that I have a face to face with him he really does fit the description as someone who was brought up as a guard or within a sect but perhaps he did something wrong or offended someone so went into hiding.' Ki examined him and that explained in a soft childish voice. "My parents told me I have a task to complete. I need someone who is experienced in picking up tracks and hunting animals to scout the forest area surrounding the village. We need to make sure there are no signs of dangerous animals entering the village and causing problems. The villagers recommended you because you usually hunt within the forest."
'So that's it. Maybe I can use this the approach the family. They seem to be rich and I can find a way to get out of this harsh life of hiding. It seems like the young miss is being given some sort of test for the heirs of the family, if I help her it should help build a relationship.' The young mans eyes flickered briefly before smiling. "Of course let me grab my things."
He then picked up a hatchet attaching it to his waist and a bow which he hung on his back along with a quiver before leaving his home. "Keep in mind we need to be as quiet as possible so be careful stepping on dry grass and avoid stepping on branches and dry leaves as you may alert a nearby animal of your presence. Keep close, keep your footsteps as light as possible and keep your eyes and ears open in case of animal ambushes."
"Okay I will try to do as you do." Ki nodded obediently.
Ki followed his footsteps and kept watching his movements. 'He is not as refined in his skills right now. That is good.'
Within the forest there were signs of the day beginning to reach its end but daylight still shone slightly through the gaps in the trees.
Ki followed the young man unskilfully but rarely made any mistakes, she quickly noticed a change in the mans relaxed demeanour. "Most of the way we have located no signs of any animals so the village should be safe but…"
"What is it?" Ki asked in a quiet voice.
"I found some tracks of a deer, would you like to learn how to hunt one?" The man asked with a smile. 'This way I can gain more good will from the family if I can take up a mentoring role and teach the young miss a few useful skills. Hehe kids are so easy to influence.'
"Sure. Lead the way." Ki's face lit up in happiness. 'He will be thinking that I wish to use this opportunity to gain some achievements to bring back to my family after completing the families task. Then he can be the one who assisted and gain their support and trust. Hmph'
Following the hoof print tracks in the dirt the man continued to slowly follow while keeping a lookout and listening for any sounds of movement.
Ki followed behind and tripped falling to the ground and held her hand over her mouth to stop the scream coming from her mouth during her fall.
The man heard the quiet sound of a thud behind him and turned around, noticing Ki had fallen down he let out a relieved sigh after listening again for further movements.
He reached out his hand helped Ki up from the ground taking her hand when he felt a slight prick on his palm as if he has been stabbed by a very thin or tiny needle or bitten by a small bug. "Ah."
"Let's hurry and get this over with." He let go of Ki's hand upon letting her stand up again, he quietly inspected his hand which showed no signs of being injured and looked at Ki again. 'Never mind… she's just a kid. There's no need to be so vigilant, I must of just got my hand caught on something briefly when picking her up. No damage done.'
Ki nodded quietly while showing a confused face then followed behind.
They eventually reached a cave entrance and the tracks showed that the deer had entered the cave.
"Good it is trapped inside. While the only escape is through me i am sure I can take it down before it reaches me." He took out his bow and placed an arrow ready to fire before slowly entering the cave. "You follow behind and make sure to light up the cave so I can see."
Ki followed after taking a small wooden torch from him which had been lit. "Mm."
Upon reaching the end of the cave the tracks stopped, the man looked confused. "Did it double back on its tracks or what? What's going on…" He was lost in thought for a moment and then noticed an abnormality with his body. 'Why is my bother so stiff.'
He heard a voice behind him as his legs began to weaken, there was a noticeably cold and calm change in the child's voice. "So it's finally taken effect."
"You what ar…" He could barely speak because his body became more stiff. 'What are you doing? Why? What is this?!'
"Shh… we have so much time to talk while you are in this state." Ki spoke behind him. I think it's time for us to get reacquainted."
The young man began to feel an eerie chill on his back. 'She was hiding this all along, this child is a monster!'