He
had traveled this road before. Not the dirt path that led to the highway,
but the leaving of friends to complete his task. He had done this hundreds
of times now and it never grew easier. His quest began hundreds of years
ago. The only guide he had was that once he had found a new path, his quest
would be over. No one knew the true origin of the quest, save for that
two of the Primordial Forces had set it. He was the most well known man
in the world. He could not die of disease or old age, only by an other's
hand. When another's hand struck him down, the quest would then pass on
to whom ever struck him down. He had lived for over eight hundred years.
His thoughts were dismal as
he led his pack horse onto the main highway heading north. 'Perhaps there
I shall find more clues,' he thought to himself as he and his beast trudged
along their way. He had long since forgotten his own name, simply accepting
the title "Quester."
Across the five continents,
there is little that he has not seen. Bandits, footpads, and the like know
him on sight and know that he will not interfere and that to harm him will
bring his punishment upon them.
Every few years of traveling
he would find a place that felt right. When he came across one of these
places, he would set up his home. So it was the last time. What was unusual
about this one was that there was no people within fifty miles, the closest
stream was a good mile, and that the soil was too poor for crops. Even
in the face of this he set up his home.
True to his instincts, people
came. The dirt trail he wore from getting water became part of a highway
system and a town grew up not far from his home. He got to know the townsfolk
well. After two generations there the place felt wrong. As if something
had changed. As he had told the people he would, he disappeared into the
wilderness in which not even a hunter could have found him.
For over one million years
a quester has existed. The legends have become vaguely remembered fairy
tales, the end to the quest was lost in war, and the quester has been passed
down a total of 34 people, including the current one. Be kind to the lonely
man who is walking down the road that has been well worn by his own shoes.
Don't ridicule or perhaps you'll have to face his quest too...