Chương 143: The Bounty

At the royal palace, King Oscar had decided to accept Xarath's help. It had not been an easy decision. In addition to his advisors, Teresa had also firmly opposed it. In fact, of everyone, she seemed to be the most strongly against the idea. After what Xarath had put her through, that was perfectly understandable. Oscar, however, was an extremely pragmatic young man. To win the war, he was willing to do anything, even accept the help of the sorcerer who had kidnapped and enslaved his mother.

Xarath sat at the head of the table with his legs resting on it, displaying an air of complete indifference. His expression was calm, almost amused. Faced with the immense power he possessed, the royal hierarchy and any code of nobility meant absolutely nothing to him. Teresa, on the other hand, stared at him with barely concealed anger.

"I can't believe we're actually accepting his help", she said, clenching her fists. Oscar sighed softly.

"We have no other choice, Mother. Don't let the hatred you feel for him cloud your judgment". He then turned toward Xarath.

"Sorcerer Xarath, could you summarize how you intend to help us?" Xarath smiled faintly.

"With pleasure, Your Majesty. I will help you reclaim the lost territories by fighting on the front lines. And I won't be alone. I will also make use of other powerful mages who are indebted to me". He paused briefly.

"In truth, I would be enough on my own. The problem is that I cannot be present on every battlefield at the same time. With their help, however, we can speed up the process considerably". Teresa narrowed her eyes.

"Tell us why we should trust you. You kidnapped me and held me hostage for a reason, didn't you? How do we know you aren't an infiltrator working for the enemy?" Xarath tilted his head slightly.

"Yes, Queen Mother, you are right to be suspicious. When I took you hostage, I intended to hand you over to the coalition. But not to help them. I had a personal matter to settle directly with their leader". His smile widened slightly.

"I could have killed all of you in an instant, and yet I didn't. That is your guarantee".

"Who is their leader?" Oscar asked curiously.

"The Seer Aelira". Xarath leaned back in his chair.

"She is an extremely powerful mage, but she still believes in foolish things such as the legitimacy of power and earning the trust of the people. That is why she fights this war as though she were a mere human". He then rose to his feet.

"So, are my explanations sufficient? Or do I need to do something else to earn your trust?" Oscar stared at him for a long moment. Eventually, he nodded.

"That is enough for me. Thank you for your cooperation". Xarath returned the gesture with a slow nod, visibly satisfied. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Aqareth, Felicity and Ethan made their way along the dusty streets. Despite the money Felicity had stolen from that rich man, they were still short on cash. Aqareth was an extremely expensive city, and for that reason, they had no intention of staying there for long. The city, however, had one particularity that set it apart from the others.

Although job opportunities were scarce and most occupations paid very little, there was one profession that offered considerably better earnings. Bounty hunting. Posters offering rewards were practically everywhere in Aqareth. The problem was that honest bounty hunters were few and far between. Many were just as corrupt as the guards and soldiers. They accepted money from criminals in exchange for their freedom, pretending they had never found them and, above all, without turning in their heads.

The situation had become increasingly common as the economic crisis caused by the war worsened. The rewards offered by the kingdom were becoming increasingly meager and, as a result, even a mid-level criminal could afford to pay a bounty hunter to spare their life. There were still men and women willing to do their jobs honestly, but they had become a rarity. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Felicity and Ethan had decided to take a bounty on one of the local criminals. It was the highest reward currently available. After leaving the inn, they had set out on his trail. Ethan turned around several times to look at the building, now growing farther and farther away. He was worried about Agnes.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to leave her there?" he asked.

"What if she escapes?"

"I locked the door", Felicity replied without stopping.

"She won't be able to get out even if she wants to".

"What if someone breaks in?" Felicity sighed.

"You're really paranoid. She'd be much less safe coming with us, don't you think?" Ethan hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. Their target was Seth, known as the Bastard. He was the leader of a gang responsible for numerous crimes: murder, kidnapping, theft, and assault. According to some rumors, Seth had recently gotten into a fight with the members of his own gang, and the group had disbanded. Now he was alone. His head was worth one hundred and fifty crowns, an extremely high sum in times like these.

The rumors had led them to the outskirts of the city, into a completely abandoned area. The place was littered with sand, collapsed buildings, and structures reduced to ruins. Almost no one lived there, aside from a few homeless people and criminals looking for somewhere to hide.

"The rumors say he spends the night here", Felicity said, carefully observing the area and wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

"He might have moved. Can we really trust these rumors?" Ethan asked.

"The last person to see him was a prostitute. He brought her here from the center of Aqareth. He wanted to keep her for himself and had even offered her a lot of crowns". Felicity continued walking.

"Fortunately, she managed to escape and told the local authorities everything. Didn't you read the poster?"

"Only briefly", Ethan admitted. The two continued exploring the abandoned area. Aside from the sand and ruined buildings, there were people sleeping directly on the ground, wrapped in old blankets. Then, all of a sudden, they heard a scream followed by the sound of shattering glass. They exchanged a glance and quickened their pace. They soon reached the place where the noises had come from.

A tall, heavily built man with deeply tanned skin had just smashed a bottle of alcohol over the head of another man, who was much shorter and thinner.

"Do you know how much this bottle cost?" he growled.

"You made me waste it, you damn worm". He kicked the man in the head again, knocking him unconscious. Then he sensed the presence of the two hunters and turned toward them. A large sword was strapped to his back. Felicity studied him carefully, comparing him to the portrait on the wanted poster.

"It's him. It matches. The face and the sword". She slowly moved her hands toward the hilts of her weapons. The man smiled.

"Bounty hunters, I assume".

"Turn yourself in without resisting", Ethan said, stepping forward.

"Clear your conscience". Seth burst out laughing.

"Should I let myself be arrested only to end up hanged? What a ridiculous scenario". He raised his hands in surrender, although his smile did not disappear.

"Listen, you aren't the first ones to find me. I'll give you two hundred crowns and you walk away. What do you say?"

"That's more than the bounty", Felicity murmured. Ethan, however, took another step forward.

"We won't accept money from a criminal. Who knows how many people you killed to get it?" His expression grew serious.

"I'll say it again: don't resist. Otherwise, we'll have to fight". Seth's eyes hardened.

"You're both idiots". At that moment, more armed men emerged from the surrounding ruins. One after another, six men surrounded Felicity and Ethan. Each of them wielded a sword. Felicity and Ethan immediately stood back-to-back.

"Three each?" she asked, carefully watching their opponents.

"I'm in". The blades were drawn almost simultaneously. Felicity lunged at the first three. The first man swung his sword directly at her head, but she deflected it with ease. With a swift, precise movement, she drove her blade into his throat and immediately pulled it free. The other two attacked simultaneously. Felicity stepped back, parrying both strikes. She then took advantage of the opening and pierced the first man through the chest.

The second tried to capitalize on the opening, but Felicity spun around and slashed his stomach open with a deep cut. On the other side, Ethan dodged a flurry of sword strikes. With one clean movement, he decapitated the first opponent. Then he turned toward the other two.

"You don't have to die. Surrender". The two ignored him. The second swung at his chest. Ethan blocked the strike and immediately drove his sword into the man's abdomen. The last man attacked at once, aiming for his stomach. Ethan deflected the strike, closed the distance, and slammed his forehead into the man's nose. The man staggered backward. Ethan did not hesitate. With a swift movement, he cut his throat. Silence once again descended over the abandoned area. All six men were dead.

Ethan slowly lowered his sword. He had killed three people, just as Felicity had killed the other three. And yet, the difference between them was obvious. Felicity's eyes were completely impassive. Ethan's, on the other hand, showed a hint of sadness. He had killed people before. Many, in fact. But every time, it hurt him to do it. Felicity turned toward Seth. Ethan did the same. The criminal watched them with a smile, clearly impressed.

"Not bad". He slowly reached for the enormous sword strapped to his back.

"You're no ordinary swordsmen". He took a step forward.

"Are you really sure you want to refuse my offer? It still stands. I'm even willing to raise it to two hundred and fifty crowns". Felicity looked at Ethan.

"Doesn't sound bad".

"No". Ethan tightened his grip on his sword.

"Even if he offered us a thousand". Felicity stared at him for a few moments before scoffing.

"Your damn moralism…" Seth laughed. With a slow movement, he drew his enormous sword. The blade glinted beneath the sunlight.

"Then you've chosen to die". He took up a fighting stance. The smile was still plastered across his face, but there was no trace of lightheartedness left in his eyes. He was ready to fight.