The Deal

The old man skimmed through the fields at speed. Felix lumbered behind, struggling to match the stranger's pace. He did match it, though, for a good distance. Head down and breathing through his mouth, Felix staggered on disregarding the warnings he had heard so many times. Without any thought of the danger, Felix blindly followed the man's path until he could go no further. He looked about him for the first time, and cursed at his own stupidity. He didn't know where they were.
This was a very strange thing for Felix to experience. He had lived in the same house, near the same village with the same people for all of his life. From the first time he was allowed to wander by himself he had been taught to stick to the paths that he knew, gradually expanding his knowledge as he grew. This was too unfamiliar, as was the growing sense of panic in his chest.
"Ha! No stamina, eh?" The odd face loomed close to Felix. "No sense of adventure either, by the look of things." With that, the old man began to chuckle to himself. "Not far now and then you get the instructions for your suitability test." His crinkled face erupted into chortling fit. At the renewed laughter, Felix felt the anger rise slowly, bubble up and finally, boil over.
"What are you on about? What test?" He exploded.
"You mean you don't know who I am or why I came for you?" The man's mood switched instantly. His eyes flashed and his face became grave. "You will be my new apprentice, Felix."