Tale of quest

Beginnings

I carried my great sword to the nearest tavern, hoping that a drink might ease my troubles. I had just entered when one of the locals called out my name from behind me.
"What do you need?" I asked, turning around to face him.
The man grinned at me. "You look like someone who could use a drink and a friend, maybe even two."
I hesitated. "That is true. You would have done well to ask me in person instead of trying to sneak up on me."
He laughed. "I'll take that as a no then? I don't want to be a bother, but it seems we both need a drink tonight. How about you come with me, and we can find somewhere quiet for us to sit down? And I'll buy you something to eat?"
It was tempting. I could feel myself starting to relax, and the prospect of food sounded good. However, there was still that nagging feeling deep in the pit of my stomach telling me something wasn't quite right. I couldn't place why or how, but these last nights without had told me to reconsider my options.
"yeah okay. Let's go," I sighed and followed him outside. He held the door open for me and I slipped through before he shut it again. It was only after we were settled in an empty booth that I realized it wasn't just my gut feeling telling me something was wrong. We hadn't been sitting in silence for long before my eyes started wandering over to the bartender. Something didn't seem right here too.
When our server returned with my ale, I leaned towards him. "So why invite a stranger like me for a drink?"
His smile faltered slightly. "Uh... well you know... this is a small town and I've never seen you around these parts."
His brow furrowed slightly, probably worried about whether or not I would be insulted by his answer. "And I figured it's better to make friends then an enemy. what about you though, what brings you here?"
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should tell him what I was really doing. But this guy seemed nice enough, and my curiosity got the best of me.
"I'm looking for someone," I said.
"Really? Who are you searching for?"
The question caught me off guard, and before I could answer the server appeared beside our table, interrupting our conversation.
"Hey," he smiled. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but your food has arrived."
I looked down at my plate and saw, indeed, that it contained the most delicious smelling steak I had ever laid eyes upon. The meat looked tender and perfectly grilled and the sauce looked thick and rich.
Without thinking, I dug into my meal eagerly, hardly noticing when the server left. My mind was so consumed by the taste of the beef that I barely noticed what he was saying. When he finally stopped talking, it took several moments for me to realize what he had actually said.
"Excuse me? Did you say something?"
He chuckled softly. "I said that I can see your meal is delicious. who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"
"My name is Dust."
"Well it's nice to meet you, Dust. My name is..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a loud scream filled the air.
I dropped my fork. I stooped to retrieve it before looking back towards the noise. In the middle of the road stood an enormous man, dressed in some sort of armor made entirely of gold. He wielded a giant sword and ran directly towards us.
I grabbed hold of my great sword and readied myself for whatever may happen next. This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all.
Before the man reached us, he let out an ear piercing roar and charged towards us. At first he seemed completely unaffected by the sheer weight of the blade, which fell harmlessly to the ground beside him. Then he swung his sword again, and again, and again. Each swing was accompanied by a deafening clang as each of my swings connected with the giant's blade.
I knew I was strong, but I wasn't exactly sure how much more of this I could take. I couldn't afford to let up, especially now that he was beginning to tire and slow down. I didn't know what to expect, but he definitely seemed capable of taking a bit of punishment. I could hear the sound of his armour shifting slightly as his movements slowed, signaling a sign that he was nearing the end of his strength.
I waited a few more seconds, watching closely for any signs of weakness that would help me decide what to do. His attacks became weaker, and finally his sword began to slip from his grasp. Before he could regain his balance, I lunged forward and struck hard and fast into his neck. As soon as my sword pierced his body, the man collapsed to the ground.
The battle ended just as quickly as it had begun. Once the man was dead, I turned to look at the other men in the tavern. Most of them were staring at me with wide eyes, mouths agape. They must have thought I was crazy.
A woman who sat a couple tables away raised her hand slowly. "Who are you mister?" she asked. Her voice was soft, but I could clearly hear the fear laced within her words. "I go by the Black Death".
I frowned, remembering the old stories I had heard growing up about the Black Death. He came out of nowhere, killing everyone in his path. A couple years ago the story of how he came to be had caused a huge panic among the people, especially amongst those living along the western coasts. There weren't many survivors, and no one knew where he came from. For all anyone knew, he was a ghost. And now they were looking at him. I gave my thanks to the bartender for the ale and took my leave of the tavern.
As I walked outside, the image of the man falling to the ground kept repeating itself in my mind. What had he wanted with me? I tried not to dwell too long on this as I pushed the thoughts aside and continued on my journey.
For the rest of the night I decided to make a campfire at the forest and rest up for the day. I wasn't able to sleep. I tossed and turned until I eventually gave up, pulling the sleeping bag closer to me and attempting to relax.
The wind blew gently against my hair, rustling it gently with its passing. I stared up at the stars overhead and felt strangely peaceful. Despite everything, this was a far cry from what I expected to be doing on my travels.
"What are you doing here?"
Startled, I rolled over to stare in the direction of the voice. Standing in front of me was another traveler, dressed in ragged clothes and covered in dirt. She wore no shoes and had a cloth wrapped around her head and forehead to protect herself from the cold.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "Are you a robber? Or perhaps a murderer?" I asked sarcastically.
She smirked. "I am neither. I am merely asking you a simple question. Are you here to rob us?"
"No, I am not. I am simply resting and enjoying the peace and quiet. If you would kindly excuse me?"
She glared at me. "You are a strange one, aren't you. Why are you here in the woods alone? Where are you going?"
"That is none of your business. Leave me alone."

"If you insist. Just try not to get yourself killed." With that she turned on her heel and began walking back the way she had come, leaving me to wonder what on earth she was talking about. I rolled back over to lay facing the sky once more, hoping that she would have taken the hint.
After a while I began to drift off to sleep, but I still had no clue where I was or where I was going to head tomorrow morning, I just hoped I had found somewhere safe and that there wouldn't be any bandits roaming around.