As the sun went down and gave way to the bright moon, Iris and John had to stop for the night. They were in the midst of a forest, surrounded by long trees. The forest floor was covered with fallen leaves of different colors and shapes. It was easy to find the wood necessary to start a bonfire.

The light cast by the flames danced across the dark trunks of the trees, twisting and curling in obscure shapes. It provided some light in the midst of all this darkness. The fire was pulsating, its glowing embers moving in rhythm with the flames. Its colors were brilliant reds, oranges, and faint yellows. Sparks flew. The heat was warming Iris and John.

John had been silent all this time, quietly accepting his fate. He blamed himself for all this trouble, not without reason. ‘If I only I was thinking!’ he thought more than once, barely holding his thoughts to himself. He wanted to shout and slap himself. ‘See beautiful girl, follow beautiful girl!’ he mocked himself. ‘What a bloody idiot I am!’

With the heat from the bonfire though, he began feeling warmer and relaxing, calming down. After some moments of silence, he finally decided to speak. “Who…what are you?”

Iris smirked. “You do know what I am. You saw it with your very own eyes.”

John did have something in mind but despite all he had seen it just seemed utterly ridiculous to him. Even so, he decided to utter it. “A… sorceress…” he slowly said, afraid that the woman would laugh at him for suggesting something so stupid.

Iris simply nodded in approval.

John’s face became ashen white and he gaped in shock. This whole idea of sorcery sounded ridiculous but he had seen it with his own eyes and now this mysterious woman was confirming it. “I… I thought this was just a legend. You people really exist?”

“A few of us do. When the Unity Party came to power, they started a purge against us. We were the freaks. Abnormalities… a mistake of nature. We had to be eliminated for the safety of society. Human sorcerers could more easily blend in to the majority. Those of us who belong to another race though…”

John had heard before of the other two known races, the elves and the orcs. The orcs were more populous. They were outstandingly tall and muscular green humanoid creatures with large tusks, brow, and lower jaw. Their physical strength meant that many found work in places that required heavy manual labor. This was especially true for the mines of Al-Kwad which used orc criminals as free labor force. Orcs and humans generally got along despite stereotypes of ‘stupid’ orcs and ‘effeminate’ humans.

The other race though, the elves, were far less numerous; only a few hundreds remained. A highly intelligent race of scholars and strategists, it is said that during ancient times they used superior technology and enslaved orc armies to build the first interplanetary empire. No one knew why or how that empire collapsed. When humans began expanding out of their initial planet and colonizing the other planets of the Helian system, elves were already reduced to a population of a few thousands wandering scholars and poets. Their arrogance and peculiar ways meant that they generally did not get along with the new majority and remained isolated. When the Unity Party came to power, it vowed to eliminate the few remaining member of this ‘dangerous’ race.

Iris removed her headscarf. John could see her pointed ears. “We are not all gone.”

John was gazing in sheer amazement for a brief moment but quickly recomposed himself. “I don’t understand what you want from me. I am a simple farmboy. I am not a great fighter either; I just won a small-time village tournament.”

“You are more special than you think.”

“How!? Explain it to me!”

“You have the gift. Why do you think you won the tournament? I was there in the crowd and helped unlock your potential.”

John laughed. “Come on. You’ve got to be kidding me. I am no sorcerer. I am just a simple, normal guy.”

“You can’t run away from what you are. Trust me. I know.”

John tried to keep up his smile and dismiss all of this as simply the delusions of a deranged woman but inside him he knew that she was saying the truth. His heart beat fast, his breath became heavy. It scared him. “So what if I have this… gift? I want to have nothing to do with sorcery.”

“You will have to come with me to the Alliance. There you will learn how to use your abilities for good.”

“The terrorists!? I ain’t joining terrorists.”

The Alliance was the only form of opposition the Unity Party faced. An alliance of radicals from different political leanings, freedom fighters, a few politicians and noblemen and more than a few of smugglers, thieves and other kinds of criminals, it waged a guerrilla war against the party and vowed to restore liberty to the Helian system.

“I do not think you have much of a choice,” Iris replied while showing the laser knife on her belt. “The Alliance needs people like you. Our few soldiers and spaceships are no match for the resources of the entire realm that the party has at its disposals. Sorcerers like you though can help us tip the balance.”

John sighed. There was no point in wasting any more of his time trying to talk his way out of the situation. He laid on the ground and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep and rest after such a tiring day.

“Commissar!” the butler shouted. “Mr. James is here!”

Heinrich and Smith were sitting on a silk brown couch and drinking some gin as they waited for the bounty hunter to come in. It was the least the mayor could offer to Heinrich after the whole debacle.

“You’ve started the party without me?” James chuckled as he walked into the hall. He was in his late twenties. He was tall and slim, with shaggy brown hair, brown eyes and a laser blade scar on his right cheek. He was wearing black shirt and trousers and a dark blue jacket. “Can I have some?” he asked, pointing at the gin.

“Pour him some!” the mayor ordered the butler who did so at once.

After tasting the drink, James sat comfortably on a white sofa and allowed himself to relax. “Nice… You really know how to live life mayor.”

Smith simply smiled.

“Let’s get to business!” Heinrich barked. “We’ve got no time for your shenanigans.”

James laughed. “Relax… you know me. I always get the job done.”

Heinrich just sighed and set up the hologram projector on the hall’s large wooden table. He activated it and it showed the recordings of the camera.

“Interesting…” James said. “That should be a nice challenge. It’s been some time since I’ve hunted down one of those.”

“I want both the boy and the sorceress to be neutralized as soon as possible; if you can’t capture them, take them out.”

“Don’t worry, I will get them and you will finally get the promotion you deserve!” James chuckled. “As for my fee… I do think I deserve something extra since my services will help you get promoted. Don’t you think?”

“How much extra?”

“15%”

“10%. Take it or leave it.”

James sighed. “Oh well, since we’ve known each other for some time I will do you a favor and accept the 10%.”

Heinrich loudly clapped and his subordinates at once walked into the hall. “Follow all of his orders. He is in command of the operation and is to be provided with whatever he asks for.”

James smiled. “You’ve heard him boys. Let’s get to work. I want drones to survey the village’s surroundings. I also want snipers and mines brought at once on location. Need a map of all buildings in the village too. Come on! No time to waste! Get moving!”

The sun opened up as a flower on the horizon. Its bright rays caressed the land. The sky glowed. John and Iris had woken up and were journeying ahead. As they walked out of the forest and onto the dirt road, they saw a wooden road sign. It was one of those used for government announcements. In most places it would usually be a wide digital screen but in this backwater the good, old wooden sign was used.

There was a bulletin on the road sign. It read:

Announcement!

On orders of Commissar Heinrich Schneider, Jonathan and Martha Haidt of Winsorsmith Village have been found guilty of high treason against the Unity Party and the Helian Realm. For their traitorous acts, they are going to face the penalty of public hanging. This should serve as a lesson to all terrorists who defy the law!

John read the time of execution. It was only four hours away. He clenched his fists and trembled in anger. He felt his blood boiling, rushing to his head. He was fuming, his face almost red. “They are my parents!” he screamed. “I have to go back and save them.”

Iris sighed. “You really think you can simply rush into a village full of troopers and save your parents like some kind of superhero?”

“I am a sorcerer, right? I can do it! I have to do it!” His every word was clipped, punching into the air.

“You won’t! You have to think of the wider picture. Killing yourself will not help your parents but you can save other peoples’ parents and children if you survive and learn to use your abilities. You can help us put an end to this tyrannical regime.”

John gritted his teeth and kicked the ground. “I don’t give a fuck about other people! You understand!? I couldn’t care less. I want to save my parents!”

“I won’t let you.”

“What are you going to do? Kill me?” John mockingly asked as he grinned. “Do it! I am not afraid of death! If my parents die, I may as well do the same.”

Iris was silent. She had her laser knife in her hands but hesitated.

“What? You can’t threaten me? You see, you need me. If you kill me, you kill one of the few sorcerers who can help you and your terrorist friends. You either save my parents or I kill myself and you lose.”

Iris thought about this for a brief moment. The only sounds that could be heard were the gust of the wind and the chirping of the birds. “I… can try to save your parents. But you have to remain here and not move. You will only slow me down if you come with me. And you have to promise me that regardless of whether I succeed or fail you will come with me to the Alliance.”

“Fine.”

Jonathan and Martha were standing up on a wooden platform that had been hastily set up by the government troopers. The rope for the hangings had already been brought and two muscular men, the executioners, were waiting for James to give them the sign. The bounty hunter was smoking a cigar and drinking a glass of whiskey as he waited. He did not really believe that the two fugitives would be so stupid that they would fall for such an obvious trap and had ordered more than a few drones and soldiers to search the village’s surroundings. However he had made preparations just in case they were that crazy that they would barge into the village.

The villagers had been ordered to stay inside their homes. Anyone stepping outside would be shot without second warning. Some of the buildings that had more than one floor had been confiscated and filled with snipers. The execution platform was surrounded by mines. James walked up and down the platform, anxiously waiting for the time for the execution.

Beep!

It was his watch’s alarm. “Finally!” James exclaimed. “I can kill those two and begin the hunt for good. Executioners! Do your job.”

Beep! Beep!

This time it was an alarm from one of the drones. It had spotted Iris walking into the village. “Wow! She is either really stupid or really crazy,” James stated as soon as he was notified. “Both probably.”

Iris was walking forward in the main, broad dirt road leading to the village center. Suddenly from buildings on both sides of the road ten soldiers barged out and aimed their laser rifles at her. She smiled. She had brought the magic eye balls with her and twirled them with her hands. An invincible energy shield surrounded her, deflecting enemy fire. With another twirl of the eye balls, an energy wave swept away the soldiers, sending them flying. Some hit wooden walls, others crushed through windows and a few lucky ones simply landed on the ground.

Four more soldiers, this time armed with laser axes, arrived at the scene and charged at her. Iris unsheathed her laser knife and rushed forward. She elegantly twirled around the axes, their laser axe heads passing right beside her. It was dance like. Her knife stabbed one of the soldiers in the head, right through the brain. She twitched it, making a crunching sound, as blood and brain tissue flowed downward. Without wait she kicked another soldier on the groin with a back kick and at once slashed her knife across his cheek, cutting it wide open. The man collapsed on the ground screaming. The two remaining soldiers lunged forward, attacking her with fury. Iris twirled the eye balls and a powerful energy wave swept them away.

Iris reached the village center. She could see James, the two executioners and John’s parents on the wooden platform. James had wide grin on his face. He threw away his cigar and placed on the floor his glass of whiskey. “Welcome to our little party, lady!” he shouted. “It is rare indeed when a prey comes right to its hunter.”

“Indeed,” Iris replied. “It is even rarer though when the prey sets up a ‘party’ for its hunter.”

James laughed. “You think I am another one of those troopers? You are wrong. I am specifically trained to hunt down people like you. I have killed more than my fair share of you.”

James motioned the executioners to place the ropes around the necks of Jonathan and Martha. As they began doing so, Iris lunged forward. Suddenly a succession of loud bang sounds overshadowed any other sound. Smoke clouded the entire village center as many mines exploded at once. James did not have the time or resources to bring the real heavy mines, such as plasma, but he had mined the place with smoke mines and gas mines. The smoke clouded the sorcerer’s vision while the gas made her tipsy and dizzy. Her magic eye balls and knife fell from her hands and she coughed.

Snipers from nearby buildings began firing en masse. They were firing a non-lethal paralysis laser that would paralyze the woman. As Jonathan and Martha were being hanged, James stepped down from the platform to see if his plan had worked. As the smoke gradually cleared away, he could see Iris coughing and trying to stand up.

He approached her and tried to grab her but she slapped him hard and pushed him back. “Oh, you are still able to move?” James chuckled. “Impressive!” He approached her again, this time though when she tried to hit him he grabbed her hand. It was easy as the paralysis laser had slowed down her movements and she was dizzy from the gas. He squeezed hard her hand and slapped her face. “Not so impressive now without your magic tricks.”

Heinrich accompanied by three soldiers approached James and Iris. The Commissar had been notified of the trap’s success. “Told you we had nothing to lose by setting up this trap.”

“Yup,” James replied. “Didn’t believe she would be that crazy but she is. Oh well, easy money for me. Want her dead?”

Heinrich was silent for a brief moment. “She is dangerous but bringing her alive to the capital for our scientists at the labs to experiment with would allow me to get a much grander promotion. Do you think you can keep her guarded? Otherwise I say we kill her and spare ourselves of the trouble.”

“Don’t worry. I can keep an eye on her and ensure she doesn’t go anywhere.”

“Fine. But if there is the least danger of her escaping, do not hesitate to kill her.”

“I won’t. By the way… since I will be guarding her, can I have some… how to say it… quality time with her?”

Heinrich looked with disgust at James but he had no wish to pick up a fight with him over her. “Fine.”

James laughed. “Seems today is my lucky day!”

It was late evening and it was dark. The sun was setting away, giving its place to the moon. John was still waiting in the woods. He was anxious and tired, pacing up and down. He had cold sweat on his forehead and was cracking his fingers. “Where is she!?” he wondered aloud. “She must be dead or captured. This means my parents….”

John began running, making his way back to Winsorsmith. He bolted forward, sprinting as fast as he could. His mighty strides allowed him to cover much ground. The pounding noises of his shoes resonated in the otherwise silent woods. He had lived in this place all his life. He knew the shortcuts, he knew every pathway. His heart was pounding hard and he became vaguely aware of a stinging in his legs. Sweat rolled down his skin in thick, salty beads but he did not care. He had to go.

An hour later he was in the outskirts of the village. As he approached it, he fell to the ground and snaked through the grass. With the cover of the night, he was able to nimbly avoid any unwanted attention. He slowly made his way into the village through a shortcut and then rushed through an obscure alleyway. He was thus able to evade the drones still looking for him.

As he carefully stepped forward, he saw three soldiers chatting and laughing in one of the alleyways. They had taken off their helmets, their laser rifles were laid down and they were smoking cigars. They surely did not expect someone to suddenly attack them; after all they were surrounded by scared villagers only, the sorceress had been taken down and the only fugitive was a boy. The drones would notify them if anything was wrong.

John nimbly made his way to the alleyway, making sure to step on his toes to avoid making the slightest of sound. Their loud joking helped him. They were making crude jokes about a James and what he would do with the sorceress in the mayor’s villa. As John approached them, one of the soldiers noticed him and tried to push him back. John grabbed that hand and bent it back to his chin, while punching him in the stomach at the same time. He then quickly grabbed him by the hair and crushed his head on his knee. Blood spattered around and he collapsed on the ground.

Another soldier tried to grab his rifle from the ground but John kicked him on the chest. The soldier let out a cry but did not give up. He tried to grab John, when the young man whirled to land one solidly on the soldier’s jaw, right below his eye, knocking him out. The remaining soldier was about to scream for help when John kicked him solidly in the midsection, knocking the breath out of him. He then kicked him on the chest with a powerful back kick that took him out.

John at once undressed one of the soldiers and wore his armor and helmet. He took one of the rifles with him as well as an ID card. He walked through the center of the village when he saw on the wooden platform the hung bodies of his parents. He felt as if he was out of breath. He was barely able to stop himself from taking out his helmet and rushing to embrace the bodies of his parents as he so dearly wanted. He swallowed hard, willing his eyes to remain dry, but they did not. John felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart by a knife. His eyes became glazed with a glassy layer of tears. As he blinked, they dripped from his eyelids and slid down his cheeks. The memories he had of his parents were sharp and cut right through him. Even the good moments had turned into a knife, piercing his soul.

John clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. “I will take revenge…” he whispered. First he had though to rush and save Iris. She was the only one who could take him to the Alliance and aid him in learning to use his abilities so he could take revenge on those who had taken away his parents. ‘Thankfully those idiots divulged where she is held,’ he thought, referring to the joking soldiers.

Iris was lying on a soft sizable bed. The pillows were silk and the whole room was decorated with expensive furniture. That room was one of the best in the mayor’s villa. It had been granted to James for his stay. Iris was handcuffed. The cuffs were made out of a special iron from the mines of Al-Kwad. They were among the strongest material in the entire planetary system.

Iris tried to concentrate and use her abilities to get free but she was still feeling dizzy and weak from the ambush. It was at that moment that James walked into the room. He had a wide smug smirk on his face. He sat beside Iris on the bed and caressed her face. “You are really beautiful. Too bad you are needed for experiments,” he said.

Iris was disgusted by his touch but she could do nothing. It was physically revolting to her and she stared at him as angrily as she could. James simply laughed it away. “You know, I’ve never fucked one of your kind… Elves are rare but you must already know that.”

He slowly unbuttoned her dress and slipped it down, revealing her small perky breasts. As he began sucking them someone banged the door. James got up at once. “I am coming!” he barked. He did not usually get angry but being interrupted in a moment like this was infuriating. ‘This better be important or I will punch whoever interrupted me!’ he thought.

As he opened the door, he saw a fully armored soldier before him. “Sir, I have an urgent report,” the soldier said in his buzzing voice.

“What?”

Bang! Without any warning, the soldier slammed his rifle at James’ head, knocking him out. The bounty hunter was lying on the floor, with blood pouring from his head wound. The soldier took off his helmet, revealing himself to be John. “It’s me! Let’s go!”

John had managed to enter the mayor’s villa thanks to the ID card he had grabbed. He was easily able to pass through the guards in order to report an emergency. Three soldiers had been knocked out. Which was true; he had knocked them out. The drones confirmed his story and gave him the credibility needed in order to avoid any suspicion. John was able then to make his way through the villa; he had been there before.

John for a brief moment looked at Iris’ naked body. He had never seen a woman’s naked body before. He immediately blushed and averted his gaze.

“He has the keys for the cuffs on him!” Iris said. “Don’t just stand there. Search him!”

“Oh yes!” John exclaimed. He at once began searching James’ pockets. Soon enough he found a pair of keys. He used them to unlock Iris’ handcuffs. Iris at once buttoned her dress.

“Sorry for... eh…” John was stuttering.

“Don’t be such a child! Let us go! It won't be long before the guards will realize your intrusion."

John nodded. He aimed his rifle at James' body when Iris stopped him. "Shooting would cause too much noise and betray our position," she explained to him. "We need to get out of the villa now. Our first priority should be to escape."

The two of them rushed out of the room. As most of the troopers were searching for the one who had knocked out the three soldiers, John and Iris were rather easily able to pass undetected to the villa’s garden. As they made their way through the flowers, bushes and grass of the garden, two guards noticed them. They were rather relaxed as they thought John was one of them.

“Who is she?” one of them chuckled. “One of the maids?”

John laughed as he grabbed his rifle. He then turned around and with a precise shot on his chest killed the first soldier. He tried to shoot the second but he missed as he did not have much experience in shooting.

“Give it to me!” Iris said. She quickly grabbed the rifle and fired at the second soldier before he could defend himself. She had a clear shot on his head, instantly taking him out.

With the two guards dead, the pair rushed away. As the firefight had taken place in the garden, the noise of laser rifles hadn't given away their position, and they could make it onto the nearby woods.

James was still feeling dizzy from the hit and his head hurt. He had cold ice on it and was sitting on his bed.

Heinrich was calmly but sternly looking at him. Staying calm during times of crisis was a major asset for any military officer and Heinrich had this virtue. “Maybe if you weren’t so busy trying to bed her, you would have seen this coming.”

“Come on! I can get her back. It was only a temporary setback. They can’t be that far away!” James protested. “She is still not fully recovered and the boy was just lucky. I can capture them.”

“No. I want them dead. I cannot risk a disaster like this again. It’s better to play it safe.”

“Fine!” James smiled. “Let the hunt begin!”