The Rakshasha was already fading, its strikes all but insubstantial against Glenn’s armor. People had scattered as he reacted, likely due to Glenn’s yelp and blind flailing. He doubted anyone else had even seen the fake Rakshaha. Jahid was gone, and Glenn had no way to track him.

Yet he didn’t need to track Jahid. He simply needed to prevent Jahid from escaping the walls of Wolfpine. Now that he’d resisted arrest, Jahid would face the same problem that vexed Anna and Alan. There was only one gate in or out of this small town, and two very alert Town Guards stood guard every hour it was open.

Glenn sprinted for the gate with the full speed of his [Swift Boots]. As he ran, he shouted to clear a path. Everyone got out of his way, rapidly. No one wanted to be run over by a sprinting Town Guard, and Glenn didn’t want to run anyone over either. He reached the gate to find Logain and Martin in place as always. They stared out over the green of Grassea, alert sentinels ready to defend any Adventurer who ran into town needing aid.

“Fugitive escaping!” Glenn shouted to his fellow Town Guards. “A man in [Moonsilk Robes]! He’s also a Mindbender, so he may even now have altered his appearance! No one leaves without first revealing their Status Sheet!”

Jahid chose just that moment to appear in the middle of the town gates. He sprinted off into Grassea with a loud shout, yet as he did so, he tossed several glistening black objects behind him. As Glenn rushed toward the gate, those crystals shattered.

Four massive Demons unlike any Glenn had ever seen in any book appeared.

These Demons were obviously far higher Level than even Rakshaha. They were like giant caterpillars, cursed with what looked like endless sets of sharpened legs, and the “head” of each demon ended in a toothy maw big enough to swallow an Adventurer whole.

Yet Logain and Martin didn’t hesitate. The two of them rushed toward the giant caterpillar Demons without fear, protected by [God Armor] with their [Guardian Maces] glowing bright white. When Logain’s first swing didn’t destroy the Demon caterpillar, but merely injured it, Glenn knew he couldn’t leave the two of them alone to fight four. Yet if Jahid escaped, he could release more Demons!

Glenn redoubled his sprint and rushed between two caterpillars that tried to cut him off. Jahid was already almost 50 paces beyond the walls, and Glenn knew he couldn’t pursue him further than that. Not if he wanted to live to see tomorrow. Yet he did have one last trick up his sleeve ... a trick he’d practiced, as a last resort, on his mace training days with Karl Coldbreaker.

As he ran, Glenn readied his mace. He then tossed his weapon as hard as he possibly could. Due to its divine nature, his mace was much lighter than a weapon of similar size would be.

His giant [Guardian Mace] hurtled end over end as it left the boundaries of Wolfpine. Glenn whopped as it slammed into Jahid hard enough to knock him senseless. The man hit the ground so hard Glenn was momentarily worried he’d killed him, but he couldn’t just go and check.

“Redwood!” Logain shouted from the gates. “Need an assist!”

Glenn spun. Two of the big caterpillar Demons were now ashed, but the last two looked to be giving Martin and Logain a terrific fight. He had no mace, but he had his shield and his fists. Glenn charged back into the fight and, when presented with the back of one of the large Demon caterpillars, slammed his shield into it as hard as he could. The Demon roared and reared up.

Logain’s next thunderous swing took the Demon directly under its mouthy maw, shattering tooth and jaw alike. As the large Demon rolled away Logain kept after it, smashing it again and again until its large Health Bar finally charred full black. The Demon burst into purple ash.

Martin continued to harry the other one, but now it was one against three. Working together, Glenn, Logain, and Martin finished off the last Demon. At the end of the fight all three of them were breathing heavily, and Martin was absolutely covered in what looked like toxic black drool. Yet none of them were injured. [God Armor] had protected them as it always did.

“Now that was a fight!” Martin exclaimed.

Glenn only then realized Martin sounded thrilled. Had the man truly enjoyed what just occurred? Perhaps, like Glenn, Martin missed fights that presented an actual challenge.

“What just happened?” Logain demanded. “Who was that man?”

Glenn glanced in the direction Jahid had fled. Sadly, the man’s body was gone, which at least assured Glenn he’d survived getting clocked by a [Guardian Mace]. So while he hadn’t captured Jahid, he also hadn’t killed him. As rough as it was to lose his fugitive, that was a tradeoff he would take.

Jahid might have escaped, but he wouldn’t be entering Wolfpine anytime soon and, if he knew what was good for him, wouldn’t be returning to Grassea. Glenn had Jahid’s name, Level, and Class, and could inform the Blazers to put out a bulletin to arrest him. That is, of course ... if Jahid Rockhollow was his name at all. If the man even a faction of the intelligence one might accord a professional bounty hunter, he’d likely have lied about that.

Worse, Glenn’s [Guardian Mace] was now beyond fifty paces of Wolfpine’s walls, meaning he couldn’t retrieve it himself. That was a problem he had yet to figure out. There was a reason tossing a mace remained a guard’s last resort.

As they all walked back to the gates with the threat now dealt with, Glenn took but a moment to fill Logain and Martin in on everything that had occurred after he found the pouch of Demon crystals in Jahid’s lot in the public storage house. Once he finished, Logain shook his head.

“You should have gone with Chelsea.”

“I know,” Glenn said. “I got excited. It won’t happen again.”

Logain thumped his shoulder. “It’s one mistake. I’ve made far more. And one good thing did come out of Jahid’s escape.”

“What good could possibly come out of all this?”

“Those were likely his most powerful Demons. And since he unleashed them right here outside Wolfpine, we were able to destroy them. They won’t threaten anyone in Grassea now.”

Glenn supposed that was one good aspect of this whole debacle. Behind him, a woman loudly cleared her throat. “Hey, Town Guards? Is there a bounty for this guy?”

Glenn turned at the same time Logain glanced her way. A tall blond woman in [Steel Armor] walked toward the gates with an unconscious man slung over her shoulder. She lugged Glenn’s [Guardian Mace] in her other hand, and looked weighed down by both.

Glenn grinned wide. It seemed Jahid Rockhollow hadn’t escaped after all. After Glenn’s mace strike knocked him senseless, this woman must have found him and ... picked him up. That was why his body hadn’t been where it fell!

“Citizen,” Logain said calmly. “We did attempt to arrest that man. Please, bring him over here.”

The woman smiled brightly as she approached. Unlike Leo’s [Steel Armor], which covered his whole body, the woman’s [Steel Armor] opened at her midriff, revealing a tan and muscular stomach with multiple scars. She had blue eyes and a narrow but attractive nose.

The anonymous Adventurer stopped just short of the gates and tossed Glenn’s [Guardian Mace] at their feet. “How much?”

Logain watched her. “As in ... the bounty?”

“Yup,” the woman said.

“One moon,” Glenn said, which caused Logain to glance his way in consternation.

“Six Hells!” the woman exclaimed happily. “You’re willing to pay that much?”

“The town of Wolfpine actually doesn’t have a bounty on this man,” Glenn said calmly. “But he is, I believe, wanted by the Blazers.” Or he would be once Glenn told Leo what this man had done. Unleashing Demons in Grassea was a wretched crime.

The woman’s grin dampened. “So ... is there a Blazer in town?”

“In the town square,” Glenn said. “But you’ll need to let me cuff him and carry him there.”

The woman lifted Jahid’s body, which Glenn was relieved to see breathing, and handed him over without another word. “Sarah Feathergrip, Level 10 Duelist. If you plan to report my heroism, that’s the name for the flyer.”

“I’ll be sure to take that into consideration.” Glenn worked to keep his sudden amusement from his voice. “And thank you for returning my mace.”

“No problem,” Sarah said. “Oh, and nice throw!”

“Thank you.” Glenn took his mace and stowed it on his back. “Now, Miss Feathergrip. Please follow me.” As Glenn slapped his [Lawgiver Cuffs] on Jahid’s unconscious form, he glanced at Logain. “Assuming that’s all right with you, Captain?”

Logain nodded sagely. “Carry on, Redwood. Toss him in a cell once you see the Blazer.”

Glenn appreciated Logain’s trust. If Logain had any thoughts on Glenn volunteering Leo to pay a bounty for the Mindbender who’d summoned Demons outside the town gates, he kept those to himself. Perhaps Logain also saw the value in bringing this man before the Blazers.

The crime Jahid committed today against Wolfpine was grievous indeed, but he’d also likely committed other crimes outside the town walls. To be absolutely sure Jahid didn’t escape justice, it would make sense to ensure the Blazers also charged him. Their jurisdiction crossed all Landers, so they could arrest lawbreakers anywhere.

As Glenn led Sarah to the town square, easily carrying a still unconscious and cuffed Jahid over one shoulder, he glanced at her. Her presence here was curious and a little convenient. “Out of curiosity, why did you decide to bring Jahid back to us?”

Sarah looked his way as if worried he was a bit slow. “I watched you clock a guy with a flying mace hard enough to knock him out. Given the fact that three Town Guards were chasing him, I picked him up in hopes I’d score a bounty today. Why? Would you have left him out there?

Glenn was just questioning everything now, out of habit. “I suppose not.”

“And this is all my bounty, right? I don’t need to share it with you.”

“Town Guards can’t accept bounties,” Glenn assured her.

“Good,” Sarah said, then winced. “I mean ... sorry. That sounds rough. But still, you know. I could really use the crescents.”

Glenn shrugged. He was simply glad Sarah had happened along when she did. He’d made excellent progress in clearing Anna’s name today. If he could get Jahid to admit his crimes and implicit his employer—Anna’s brother—in hopes of leniency, he could likely clear Anna’s name before dinner.

And even if Jahid admitting nothing, no more Demons would threaten young Adventurers in Grassea. Knowing they’d now be safe ... or rather, safer ... was a good feeling.

So long as they weren’t more immoral Adventurers with Demon crystals out there.