Kael's mind was reeling with questions as he continued downstream. He couldn't shake the image of the mysterious woman from his mind. Who was she? How did she appear and disappear so suddenly? And how did she manage to deflect the arrow and propel his boat forward?
As he rounded a bend in the river, Kael saw a figure waiting for him on the riverbank. It was a young man with a messy brown beard and a wide-brimmed hat. He was dressed in worn leather armor and carried a longbow and quiver of arrows.
"Ah, you must be the one they're calling the 'River Rat,'" the young man said with a grin. "I've been sent to escort you to safety."
Kael's instincts told him to be wary, but there was something about the young man's demeanor that put him at ease.
"Who sent you?" Kael asked, still trying to process the events of the past hour.
"The same person who saved your life back there," the young man replied with a nod. "My name is Eryndor, by the way. And you are...?"