Zyno has been on his journey to Pensa for just over three weeks. Up until a few days ago he had followed the elder’s instructions for travelling. Travel above the clouds, or over forest, or at night if required.
Zyno has gotten comfortable in the air. His eagle eyesight has scoured the earth below him looking for anyone to notice him for the past few days. He hasn’t seen anyone. He is sure that if someone saw a Skyman flying it would make a huge commotion, but there have been none.
So, he has flown from daylight to dusk other than to take breaks.
It is just before dusk and he has been scanning the area for a good tree to sleep in for the last miles. These long days take a lot out of him. Zyno settles on a treetop in a dense forest about a half days ride east of the city of Rhoan. Before landing he circles the forest one last time looking for danger, but there is none.
Zyno lands on a thick branch about forty feet above the forest floor. He nestles himself against the trunk of the tree and swiftly falls asleep before the last sunset. Flying all day makes for early evenings.
Hours later he is awoken by a commotion in the tree. In a shock he looks around and he sees a man on the branch below him! He has a thick beard with strange dress.
“Got you!” He screams as he locks a chain around the leg of Zyno. He immediately scales down the tree to avoid an attack from Zyno.
Zyno grabs for the chain, but it is locked in. He needs the key. Zyno is suddenly pulled out of the tree by the chain. He is unable to brace himself from the fall. He impacts the ground with the greatest force he has ever felt. Dazed he tries to stand.
Two men jump on his back to hold him down.
“Careful men, don’t damage his wings!” The one that climbed the tree shouts.
Zyno struggles with all his might, but he is weakened from the fall. The men are able to subdue the Skyman by holding both shoulders and wings down.
The other man carefully steps over Zyno’s body, he then slips a steel collar around his neck and locks it into place with a huge chain. Then he locks his hands behind his back with binders.
“Drag him over to the tree.” The lead man says.
The other two men comply and drag Zyno against the tree and loop the chain around it and lock it. Zyno cannot escape now.
“See boys, I told you we would catch him.” The leader says.
The other men agree in excitement.
The three men take a moment to look over the Skyman now that he is bound. None of them have ever seen one, they are in awe of him.
“I’ve been tracking you for four days, birdman. You don’t belong here.”
The man awaits a response, but he doesn’t receive one.
“I see… I am Ser Nunley the Hunter. I am the apex predator in these parts. I’ve captured you. If you want to live, you will speak. What is your name, birdman?”
Zyno hesitate before simply saying his name.
“What are you doing here?”
“I am lost.”
“Don’t believe that, Nun. He knows what he is doing.”
“Don’t worry Coge, he doesn’t have to tell us. We can deduce it for ourselves.”
“How?” Coge asks.
“He is close to Rhoan, and has been travelling south for at least four days… And knowing the bird-people’s history, he was travelling to Pensa. Right, birdman?”
Zyno just nods in agreement.
“See, the trick is to find out where he came from. From the direction, I don’t think he travelled from their island. It’s more westerly than he was coming from. He came from the direction of that big Western Defense base.”
“Or the Great Forge.” The third man interjects.
“Not possible, Burn.”
“How do you know?”
Nunley pulls out his dark blade sword partially from his scabbard.
“I made the pilgrimage; the forge is lost my friend.”
“What would he be doing at the base?” Burn asks.
“He probably just used it as a landmark. Right, Birdman?”
Zyno nods again, hiding the secret of the forge.
Zyno’s vision is blurry from the fall, he can’t really make out any details about the men. He hears the ill intent in the men’s voices. As his head begins to clear, the seriousness of this situation begins to set in.
“What do you want with me?” He asks.
“That’s a very good question, Birdman. We are hunters, the best in the kingdom. We are all about the trophies.”
Burn and Coge ignite the fire that they had been setting up. Zyno realizes they have been setting up camp while Nunley was talking to him.
It takes a moment for his vision to recover in the light.
Nunley stands before him. He is a large man. Close to seven feet tall. Black beard hanging down from below a helmet that fits more like a mask. The Helmet is dark scaly skin-like material. He has several rows of necklaces that are filled with teeth of his prey. His clothing is of skins from animals, and he has a strange belt made out of some kind of hair. He is a very intimidating figure.
Zyno glances over to the other two. They are similar in dress but smaller men. One is a dark skin man, the other is overweight.
“See Birdman, the helmet is from an assassin that was sent to kill me. Have you ever heard of an Underbridge Assassin? They can turn invisible, very deadly. He thought he was hunting me, but I was actually hunting him. I’m sure he was surprised that I actually knew he was coming for me, but he didn’t know I sent them my name so that I could hunt one of them.”
Zyno has never heard of such animality in a human.
“My necklace is filled with a single tooth from everything I have ever hunted and ended. My clothes are made from the skins of the Rhine. Do you know the Rhine? They are mutated like you, instead of flying they live in the swamplands. They have thick skin that is hard to penetrate, it’s basically body armor. It’s a great thing to fight a Rhine warrior, they fight with bear hands. It’s a thrill to kill them.”
Again, Zyno is shocked by this man’s speech.
“You see this belt? These are the scalps of every man that thought he could stand up to me in battle. There are sixty-seven of them. But my question is, what should I take from you as a trophy?”
“You should pluck a few feathers to hang off your helmet.” Coge states.
“Maybe.” Nunley responds.
“No, not to hang off your helmet, they should be a centerpiece of your necklace.”
“That sounds good too. How about I think about it overnight? We don’t want to rush such an amazing prize.”
The men agree.
“Time for sleep Birdman. We don’t want you flopping around all night, so we are going to put you to sleep.” Nunley says.
“How are you going to…” Zyno starts to ask before Burn forces something into his mouth. It’s a liquid that he is forced to swallow. Within seconds he passes out.
Hours later… Maybe days…
“Wake up Birdman, all you have done is sleep.” Nunley says as he shakes Zyno.
Zyno wakes from the comma whatever the liquid has done to him.
“Birdman wake up. I need you to see this.”
Zyno tries to focus, but he is still drunk.
“Birdman! Wake up! I want you to see my souvenir. It’s my greatest prize! I’ve always wanted a cape!”
Nunley turns around to show off his newest trophy on his cape.
“Is that my wing?” Zyno shouts in disbelief.
Nunley has removed one of Zyno’s wings and sewn it onto a cape while he was out.
“It is! I cut it right off your shoulder! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
As Nunley laughs, the others join in. Zyno goes into shock. Nunley sees him start to fade away.
“No! Birdman, listen to me! I need you to get your shit together right now! This isn’t over… My cape is incomplete… I need that other wing.”
“What? Why are you doing this?”
“I’m a bad man, the top of the food chain. Everything else is my plaything, and you’re my favorite pet! I want that other wing, but I insist that I earn it just as I earned this one. I’m going to hunt you again.”
“Please no!” Zyno bursts into tears.
“I am, and you’re going to try to run and hide. You will play along, or I will kill you and we will wait on your friends to come looking for you… hunt them down instead.”
Zyno thinks of Ayepex and Betta who are on the mainland already. What if they send others?
“You going to be a good bird boy or what?”
Zyno nods.
“Excellent, you need to know the rules. I am wanting to give you a fighting chance.” Nunley says as he unlocks Zyno’s binds.
“You can go in any direction and do anything you feel necessary to survive. I am going to release you now, but I will not start stalking you until first light tomorrow morning. That gives you about thirteen hours to get away. Do you understand?”
Zyno nods yet again.
“Good, take care of my wing. Listen to me, your people think of yourselves as eagles but you’re an ostrich. Run ostrich run. Now!”
Zyno runs, he doesn’t even know the direction. Desperation, shock, and fear fuel each step.
Relics of the Old Age 