Quest of the Bounty Hunter: Kidnapped

Elizabeth

Elizabeth crept through the woods; the soft moonlight shone through the leaves to haunt her path. Every step she took was careful so as to avoid stepping on any stray twig or branch and alert someone to her presence.

Elizabeth held two daggers in her hands. Their ebony handles had been carved beautifully and the blades were polished to gleaming. The daggers were a matching set and had belonged to her mother. They had gotten Elizabeth through every fight in her past 5 years as a bounty hunter.

She passed through two tall trees and felt the sides for the recognizable knots. As her hands passed over the rough bark, she knew she was near.

Sure enough, after a few hundred paces through a dense copse of trees, the faint lights of the tavern appeared in front of her.

Elizabeth spent so much time here, it was practically her home. She picked up on the latest gossip and news from the castles, mainly in Meldest, which almost always helped with her hunts.

Elizabeth slipped in the door silently while pulling her mask over her face and her hood over her hair. Anonymity meant everything in these parts, where danger lay around every corner, especially since bounty hunting was an illegal activity. Elizabeth didn't just work for the authorities, she worked for any party that offered her money, which sometimes meant going behind the backs of the leaders' of the kingdoms.

Sliding onto a stool in the corner, Elizabeth pulled out a notebook and pencil to jot down anything important.

Looking around the tavern, she noticed a few regulars as well as some newcomers. The man with the hook hand was laughing heartily with his mates at his regular table across the room from her.

Elizabeth had never spoken to him, but the alcohol sure made him talk loud enough that she could always hear what he said. Though it was never very important.
She also recognized the old man in the corner with the white and blue hair. Normally, he was always in disguise, but Elizabeth had seen him here so many times that she'd memorized his gait and the way he sat hunched over his mug. He seemed to be studying the Wanted posters hanging on the wall in front of him. Elizabeth skimmed them quickly. One depicted a man wanted for murder at a price of 10 gold pieces. The next showed a rough illustration of a girl, who couldn't be much older than her, wanted for treason.

Elizabeth shivered. That could be her face if she was ever caught.

A few more were pinned up on the wall, but they were so old that the pictures had faded and the people were probably long gone.

Two other people also sat in a corner, the one opposite her, but they were so swathed in cloaks that Elizabeth couldn't tell who they were, not even their gender. She would definitely need to keep an eye on them.

Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth saw someone slip in the door and head straight to the bar.

"Ah, my friend. What shall I get for you?" The bartender said quietly, standing up with a smile.

So they know each other, Elizabeth thought, this could be good.

"The usual," The person muttered.

The bartender turned to fetch the drink, but continued to whisper with this customer. "Do you need information?"

"Yes, actually. I can pay you if you have any information on her," The person said quietly, turning to point at the Wanted poster of the treasonous girl.

"What sort of information?" The man asked, handing the drink to the cloaked figure.

When the figure had turned, Elizabeth had seen a mask similar to her own. Could this be a rival bounty hunter?