Jarek: Alone (Part 2)

Day quickly turned into night. I continued on my pursuit, determined to catch up with Tsuto and his friend. The half-elf was sloppy, leaving an obvious trail in the wood. His footprints were everywhere. Judging from the tracks, it appears that he was with his savior and they were moving fast.

This only meant two things. Tsuto might still be injured, or he could be leaving the trail intentionally, just to bait me.

The forest became alive as the sun descended into the mountains. I pulled my ranger's cloak tighter, keeping myself hidden in the thick foilage.

After two more hours, I finally caught up to my prey. I could hear Tsuto's voice in a nearby clearing. The half-elf was talking to his friend. Both were discussing battle strategy and they were not trying hard to keep themselves hidden.

I silently crept into their camp, bow and arrows ready. The half-elf was still wounded, yet he had regained some color in his face. He and the black woman were arguing over something. She muttered something and Tsuto frowned.

Pointing the arrows at the woman, I fired.

She uttered an arcane word and but her arrows bounced off her body. The force of the arrows knocked her into the ground though.

"It's about time you showed up," Tsuto announced. "You are sloppy Jarek. I heard you a mile away."

I kept quiet, drawing two more arrows.

The half elf stood up, looked over my general direction. "I know you'd come. Frankly I was disappointed that it took you this long to catch up."

I pointed the arrows at Tsuto.

"I'm offering you another chance, Jarek." The half elf said. "I can help you find Vynna. No one else in that damn village ever cared for you or your sister. I know how it feels to be misunderstood and be cast aside."

Tsuto smiled confidently as I held my position.

"Vynna misses you. She does. There's more to her disappearance than you know. I can help you in many ways, Jarek. Come out and let's talk."

The black woman gave out a sigh, struggling to stand up. "Tsuto, help me!" She hollered.

"Keep your voice down," the half-elf gave her a cool penetrating glare. "I'm talking to an old friend."

My thoughts were on Vynna and Tsuto's invitation. There was a hint of honesty and candidness in the half-elf's voice.

Tsuto gazed over to where I was hiding and smiled. "I'm willing to tell you the truth. You'll realize how misguided Lloyd, Gryffin and the others are."

I lowered my bow and slowly stepped in the clearing.

Tsuto held out his arms, openly welcoming me into the camp. "I'm glad you decided to join me. Let's talk."