Chapter 28: Bounty Head

CLANG 

CLANG 

CLANG 

The sound of metal clashing echoed through the forest. 

"I never got to introduce myself, did I? My name is Jo... SEPH." With a swing of his saber, the man once again aimed for Jihan's neck. 

CLANG 

"I don't think I've had the pleasure!" After defending against the strike, Li tried to hit Joseph in the stomach with the palm of his hand, but the glove was deflected by the saber's blade. 

"You know, kid, there's quite a hefty bounty on your head right now!" shouted Joseph. 

"Can't imagine why!" replied Li. 

CLANG 

Joseph stepped back, and three other men took his place in the fight against Jihan. Li's concentration doubled as he faced the new adversaries. 

"Get ready," the bandit leader said to the other three who were waiting. "In a few minutes, you'll switch with them." 

Jihan's eyes quickly reacted to the movements of the surrounding enemies, trying to catch every muscle twitch to predict the opponent's next move. 

"These guys... except for their leader, I don't remember any of their faces. Could it be I've never seen them before?" 

Li remembered something Amélie had told him: "There are many enemies hiding their strengths here. Be careful, Jihan." 

"So, they finally decided to show up? Well, all I have to do is deal with one problem at a time." 

URGH 

"Hahaha! Hey, boss, this one's tough!" 

Li diverted a fraction of his attention to assess the situation. Behind him, the other two men were attacking Selene and Irmin. 

"Do you really have time to worry about others?!" One of the men swung his sword through the air. Li quickly refocused, and the strike only grazed him. 

"Damn, I need to finish this quickly, but these bastards..." 

"Boss, why don't we all attack at once?" asked one of the bandits who were waiting. 

"Precaution... it was a tip from above. The kid might look like a rookie, but he managed to fatally wound a troll before even awakening." 

"A... troll?" 

"Exactly. They say the rebound from the blow almost killed him... that said, I'm not willing to trade my life for his. If we all get caught at once, it'll be our end." 

"Scare the snake by hitting the grass, then?" 

"Yes, the idea was to wear him down until he gets desperate and plays all his cards... but..." Joseph's eyes turned to the two women struggling with the other two men. "I have a better idea. You three, help those two idiots finish the job." 

"Boss?" 

"Let's see how he reacts to this," Joseph concluded. 

"Damn! They must have figured it out from my reaction." 

"Irmin, run!" 

Realizing that the situation was only becoming more unfavorable, Li quickly decided. 

"And you guys... BACK OFF!" Jumping into the air and raising his fists, Jihan descended vertically, punching the ground with all his might. The impact repelled the bandits surrounding him, giving him a brief moment to run. 

Irmin, understanding his intention, pushed the two men tormenting her with all her strength and turned to start running. 

"Ir... Irmin??" Before she could say anything more, Selene was grabbed by the waist and slung over Jihan's shoulder. "Hey! How dare you!" 

"We don't have time for this." 

"Get them!" shouted Joseph. 

"Selene, do you know any magic that can buy us some time?" asked Li, as the girl was on his shoulder. The conjurer thought for a few seconds and decided. 

"Maybe... but you better not drop me!" she warned. 

"Trust me." 

TSK 

"I can't believe I have to do this again." 

Selene closed her eyes and took the deepest breaths she could, repeatedly. 

PUSH 

FSSSSS 

With each breath, the concentration of blue mana around Selene increased. 

"A bit faster, please, they're catching up!" 

Unbeknownst to Li, a vein popped on the conjurer's forehead as she continued to breathe deeply. After a few more seconds, Selene's eyes opened, revealing a strong blue hue. Still on Jihan's back, she raised her hand holding the staff. 

"RISING" 

A heavy pressure grew on Jihan's shoulders, as if the woman he was holding multiplied in weight. 

"TIDE!" 

The ground beneath Li's feet trembled, and with the moisture from the soil being sucked in along with the mana concentrating around the conjurer, a three-meter wave rose toward the assassins. The backlash from the spell nearly knocked Selene off Jihan's back, but with difficulty, he managed to keep his promise to hold her. The tide surged toward the men; some farther away managed to stop before being hit, but the wave swept away those closer. Despite the short duration of the spell, it was enough to gain distance from the pursuing enemies. 

"Boss, they're getting away!" 

"Let them run..." Joseph said, watching Li's figure disappear in the distance. "We'll meet again... soon." 

"Hey, are you okay?" 

After running for some time, the trio stopped to catch their breath. Selene, however, had been unconscious since casting the last spell. 

"Don't worry, she just used too much mana" Irmin, still holding her shield, replied. "It happens more often than you think." The way she spoke became rougher and less respectful when she held a shield, as if having something to defend herself with made her braver. 

"And you?" 

"I'm perfectly fine." 

They both fell silent, which lasted for a minute. 

"Sorry for getting you involved in this. It's not fair that you have to face more difficulties because of my..." 

"You're softer than I thought you'd be," Irmin interrupted him. "And dumber, too." 

"Dumber?" he questioned, surprised by the woman's attitude. 

"You're more famous than you think, Jihan," she continued. "You think we didn't know what we were getting into when we saw your name on that list?" 

"That doesn't make it any less unfair!" 

"Don't take on faults that aren't yours!" she retorted. "If we slow you down, that's our problem. If we're weak, that's our problem. If a situation arises where you have to choose to leave us to die... that's also our problem." 

Jihan stared at her in silence for a few seconds. 

"We're not children... we're warriors, with motivations and fears just like you," Irmin looked him in the eyes. "We'll keep fighting even if it means dying." 

CAW CAW 

Hearing birds flying out of the forest near where they were, the woman adjusted her armor. 

"Let's get going," Li said. "We'll be safer if we move to another island. I think it was intentional for them to find us so soon, but I doubt there's a way for them to track us across the whole map." 

Lind agreed, and with Jihan once again carrying the unconscious Selene on his back, they resumed walking. 

"So, how did you two meet?" After some time, walking in silence, to break the tense atmosphere, Li asked. 

"Do you really want to talk about this now?" Irmin reprimanded him. 

"It might be my last opportunity," he joked. 

TSK 

With a click of her tongue after a few minutes, Lind broke the silence herself. 

"We're from the same village; we've grown up together since we were kids." She spoke. "It might be hard to believe when you look at me, but she always saved me from my troubles." 

"And how did you end up here?" 

"That..." Lind frowned. 

"You don't have to say if you don't want to." 

"No, it's fine," Irmin continued. "Like I said, she always saved me from my troubles... but one day, I got into a big mess. Selene ran to help me again... it was a trap." 

Li looked into the woman's eyes. 

"So?" 

"Half a dozen older boys ganged up and beat her nearly to death... they didn't lay a finger on me," Li stopped walking for a second. "Do you know what she asked me when she could finally speak again?". 

Irmin stopped and turned around. Jihan didn't respond. 

"She asked if I was okay". 

"And the boys?" 

"We got our revenge on them about two years later" a voice from behind Jihan answered. 

"Finally awake?" the other woman asked. 

"Yes, but I still can't move," Selene replied. "That's how we ended up here, Mr. Li. We kill to survive and survive for each other; if it's for that cause, we'll take any risks". 

"I see..." Li walked over to the giant woman and handed her the still-immobile Selene. "We've reached the bridge; it's time for you to go". 

"Didn't you hear what I said?" she asked. 

"Every word, and that's why I'm saying this," Jihan replied. "I can't protect someone immobile while I fight. It's my fault, so I'll take responsibility here". 

"HEY BOSS, THEY'RE CLOSE!" a voice sounded nearby. 

"Just do it. You have someone to protect; you know that". 

Lind grabbed Li's shoulder and pulled him close. 

"You! Don't you dare die, Li!" Selene shouted. "We'll meet on the other side". 

"In no time". 

Irmin turned, carrying Selene, and passed through the forest to cross a large stone bridge connecting two landmasses in the sky. 

"Are you sure it's okay to do this?" Selene asked. 

"He can handle it... I know he can" she replied. 

As she spoke, a loud crash echoed through the air from the direction where Jihan was.