A Cup in the Oak Cup

The bounty hunter had plastered Ostiarium with as many posters as he had prepared, some areas were definitely friendlier than others. One man had given him an uneasy look in the docks, not that it really bothered Alcuin, he had never been welcomed with open arms everywhere he went. He had returned to the Oak Cup for some well-deserved grub. There was a group of soldiers laughing and drinking, one spotted Alcuin and approached him. "Hail bringer of justice," the soldier laughed jollily.

"To you too," Alcuin said smiling, he was raising a fork with a slither of meat hanging on the end of it.

"You're a brave man bounty hunter, these new-worlders are dreadful folk."

"They're not all bad I suppose," Alcuin spoke with a mouth full of food. "Sorry bad habit I know, I'm just starving."

"Good grub?"

"Very good," Alcuin nodded. He swallowed the slice of pork. Then the soldier slammed his gauntlet-covered hand flat on the table, then raised it to reveal a few coins. "What's this for?"

"A drink of course! What will you be having?"

"You're too kind, a mead I suppose please." The soldier took Alcuin's order, he called over the barkeep who brought a cup of beautiful golden yellow mead. "You're too kind sir," Alcuin smiled at the soldier.

"What's it like being one of you bounty hunters?"

"Well..." Alcuin thought for a moment, "I guess it could be worse. I was taught well, my mentor was one of the best in the game. Beornraed his name was. One of the most feared men in all of Torja, well feared by criminals."

"What happened to him?"

"The same thing that will happen to us all sir, he died. One of the said criminals got cocky, somehow they caught the mighty Beornraed."

"How did they catch him?"

"Y'know I never found out. But one day he never returned to our guildhall, so obviously, I knew something was off. I spent days looking for him and by the time I found him it was too late. I still feel somewhat responsible, to be honest," Alcuin's happy expression changed to one of slight mourning. "I remember I barged into this little stone house and there he was, tied by the limbs to a chair. His face was bruised and bloody. The bastard who got him bludgeoned him to death."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the soldier said softly. "There's some evil devils out there hunter, I have seen many in my time."

"I can drink to that soldier! Let's hope that the gods damn them all!"

"Indeed," the soldier nodded raising his goblet. "I better return to my party, I'm sure our paths will cross again hunter."

"I hope they do," Alcuin bowed his head to the soldier as he walked off. Then he sat with a plate of half-eaten food, he couldn't get his memories of Beornraed Hild out of his head. He was frozen in reflection of the closest friend he had lost.