“It’s 5:00 AM. I’m on sector 7-C. All clear,” the soldier reported with his buzzing voice to his superiors through his comlink, a long-range communication device. He was slowly but steadily walking forward, laser rifle at hand ready to shoot anyone on sight. The only sound that could be heard was the crushing of fallen leaves as he walked through the forest floor. As the night’s darkness was overwhelming and the silvery rays of the moon could barely penetrate the dense canopy above, the soldier had to rely on his helmet’s night goggles to see what was going on.

“See a target!” the soldier said to his radio. “Can’t identify. Do I shoot?”

The command from his superiors was clear; he was to shoot anyone in the forest. The sorceress had to be taken out, even if in the process innocents were accidentally killed. The soldier aimed his rifle at the lone figure standing beside a tree trunk. His night vision wasn’t good enough to identify if it was a man or a woman but he could tell that he or she was holding a knife. As his finger was about to press the trigger, a pew! sound was heard and laser fire pierced through his helmet, right on his forehead. The man collapsed on the forest floor, his pouring blood painting red the yellow leaves.

The shooter was Iris. She had seen the soldier a few moments ago and had used John as bait to get him in the right position to be shot. She was using the night goggles of John’s helmet to accurately target the man. With the soldier dead, Iris grabbed his rifle and sprinted forward. She handed it over to John.

“Need to get going,” she said to John who was resting after hours of walking through the forest. “There will be more troops here soon.”

John swiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a ragged breath. His heart was still beating fast and his legs hurt. “Can’t you take them out with your sorcery?”

“Sorcery is not to be used lightly,” Iris replied. “Its overuse can have grave consequences. Without my magic eye balls, I cannot afford to take the use of my powers lightly. We should be able to make it to Arcadis soon enough anyway.”

Arcadis was one of the largest urban centers of Bremman. It had the infrastructure necessary to support spaceports. Hence from there John and Iris could have a chance of escaping the planet with a spacecraft.

Heinrich and James were waiting for reports on a dirt road, just beside the forest. They were guarded by several troops who were also communicating through radio with their comrades inside the forest and reporting their progress. James had divided the forest into thirteen sectors and sent out squads of troops in each sector to locate the two fugitives.

“Sirs,” a trooper said after first saluting Heinrich and James, “a troop has gone silent on sector 7-C. I am not sure if its malfunction or he is down.”

“We cannot take any risks. Have all soldiers concentrate on sector 7. They should all at once diverge there. Encircle the place!” James barked. “Send the drones there too. Activate their thermal sensors. They should be able to locate sources of heat amidst all this coldness and so they will give us an even more precise location of where those two are going. Shoot anyone on sight. Do not care about civilian casualties or friendly fire. I want those two dead!”

James inspected his blaster pistol and the laser knife on his belt.

“You are going in person?” Heinrich asked.

“Yup,” James replied. “This mess is my fault, so I will have to fix it personally. Besides, I love hunting!”

Buzz!

A black spherical drone was flying above the forest. Its invincible rays were surveying the forest floor for any signs of extraordinary heat that could indicate a life form. Boom! With a single accurate shot, the drone had been shot down and exploded.

“It won’t take them long to find out that this drone is down,” Iris said as she threw away the laser rifle. “We are out of ammo too so this is useless.” Now only John was armed.

“I know of a pathway to the west of here that can lead us out of the forest,” John stated. “I used to play hide and seek in this forest with other kids, so I know the place well. Follow me.”

John led the way and Iris followed right behind. They sprinted to the west, going through a narrow path, which was made uneven by the knotted roots that crossed it, branched at intervals. As they ran forward, they heard the sound of footsteps. They hid behind a tree before taking a careful look. It was a soldier patrolling the area.

They could hide away from him but they needed one more gun. While John was armed, Iris was not. John handed his rifle to Iris who was a better shot than him. She aimed and fired. This time though she missed, her laser fire hitting a tree a few inches away from the target instead.

The man aimed at them and fired back, barely missing. Before the soldier could fire again, John lunged forward, punching the trooper on the face. The punch was so powerful that there was a slight crack on the soldier’s helmet. The trooper felt dizzy and had to take off his helmet to see what was going on. As he did this, John grabbed him by the throat and squeezed. He heard the man’s neck crack and then the soldier went limp, never uttering a single word.

John grabbed the dead soldier’s rifle. Now they were both armed.

The sun appeared in the sky, heralding the coming of the day. The sky was filled with blended tones of rosy pinks and sandy yellows. The dawn was sending shimmering rays on the forest, lighting the place up a bit.

James was rushing forward, stepping on his toes. Yet the mosaic of leaves on the forest floor meant that even his careful steps could give way his location. The leaves were golds, reds and browns. They were of a myriad of shapes and sizes. But to James they made no difference; they were not a sight to be beholden but rather an obstacle to acquiring his fee. He held his pistol in his hand, ready to shoot at any moment.

James heard a shot hit a tree beside him, then another from the opposite direction. He scrambled to his feet, keeping his head down. He dove for the cover of a tree. He could hear laser shots being fired at him. He took a quick look and identified the directions from which he was being fired at. He fired three rapid shots with his pistol at them before pressing himself behind the tree. He was being fired at from both left and right, so he had to be extremely careful when firing back. ‘If I could survive the encounter at the dunes of Nar-Sal, I can survive this,’ he thought.

James saw on his left the farmboy. He fired, getting off two quick laser shots before he ducked behind the tree again. His heart raced. He took a quick look to his right, where the sorceress was preparing to fire at him. James took a deep breath and began firing at her in a rapid tempo, concentrating on her. He fired six laser shots in rapid fire. He then quickly ducked behind the tree and turned to the other side, firing three more shots at John. He had failed to hit them but at the very least he had forced them on the defensive.

“One against two!” he loudly exclaimed. “How is that fair? My darn luck!” He knew that sooner or later the firefight would catch the attention of the patrolling troops. But until reinforcements came, he was all alone. He reminded himself of the time he had to fight back a whole squad of armed orcs at the mines of Al-Kwad and smiled. He could do it. He had to.

Pew!

A laser shot hit the tree behind which James was taking cover. Another one hit one of its branches, cutting it off. As James tried to fire back, laser shots passed right beside his face, forcing him to quickly duck behind the tree before he could manage to take a shot. James remained steady for a brief moment. He had to decide within a few seconds his next moves; if he was wrong, he could die.

‘The farmboy must be less experienced with guns,’ he thought. ‘I will take my chances and focus on him.’

He began rapidly firing at his left, aiming as best as he could at John. The boy had to take cover behind a bush. What James had not realized was that while he was too busy gunning at John, Iris had moved to a more favorable position. From there she had a clear shot.

Pew!

James yelped as his left leg was shot. He had to stop firing at John and scramble back behind the cover of the tree. James tore off a long piece of his shirt and wrapped his leg up tightly, using it as a bandage to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. It wasn’t the first time he had been injured on a battlefield, so James was calm but he could feel the pain. He gritted his teeth and did his best to not cry out in pain. He fired back two laser shots. He wasn’t aiming or even looking at where he was firing at. He simply wanted to scare away his enemies and prevent them coming closer now that he was down.

“Where the fuck are they?!” he wondered aloud, referring to his troops. “Are those fucking idiots deaf or what?”

Pew!

A laser shot was fired. This time though it was from the opposite direction. James turned around. It was one of his troopers. He was accompanied by four more troops. They were all firing with their rifles at John and Iris. James laughed. “I fucking did it!”

John was hiding behind a thick bush. While he was still not that good at accurately aiming, after firing so many shots he was beginning to get the grip of it. He got up, fired at the soldiers and then quickly ducked down. Laser shots were flying right beside him, passing through the bush. John breathed deeply as he prepared for a counterattack. A rattle of rapid shots sent one of the soldiers reeling away with one arm hanging.

“Ah!” a loud cry was heard. John looked; one of the soldiers had been taken out by Iris. Three more to go.

Loud pops came from the direction of the remaining soldiers as they and Iris exchanged fire. John used the chance to fire, taking a clear shot at the chest of one of the soldiers. He let out an exasperated cry as he collapsed on the ground, dead. Another soldier was killed by an accurate shot by Iris on his throat. The last remaining soldier tried to take cover behind a tree when he was shot by John; the shot hit him right on the spine and he screamed in pain as he collapsed.

“Get moving!” Iris screamed. With the solders dead, John and Iris tried to sprint away. As they were tired after all this firefight though, their sprinting was rather slow.

James grabbed a laser rifle from the hands of one of the dead soldiers. He fell down and snaked his way forward. Moving to favorable location, he carefully laid the rifle down on the ground. His blunt hands were steady as they held the gun. He was doing his best to keep calm despite his leg’s excruciating pain. He aimed at John and was about to fire when he let out a faint cry; despite his best attempts, the pain was becoming too much. He fired at once but John had heard the cry and leaped to the left, barely avoiding a fatal headshot by less than an inch.

James did not care about aim anymore. He just kept firing at all directions, hoping to shoot them. Iris and John were firing back, they too without much concern about aiming. Laser shots were flying all over the place, hitting randomly trees, bushes or the ground. The firefight loudly echoed across the woods. All three of them were soon out of ammo.

James cursed as he unsheathed his laser knife and charged at the two fugitives. Seeing him charging, Iris waved her hand, causing an energy wave that sent a tree branch flying at James. The bounty hunter leaned downward, the wooden object passing right above him. He stabbed at Iris, who had to take a few steps backward to avoid the knife.

Iris waved her hand again, sending a second energy wave at James. The man was pushed back, falling on the forest floor and hitting his face hard. Blood was streaming from his nose. “Bitch!” he shouted and threw his knife at Iris. Its blade slashed Iris’ left arm. Before either Iris or John could attack the now defenseless James, a laser shot came at them. They couldn’t see from where it was coming and did not have a gun with them, so they began running away instead.

James got up and began chasing after John and Iris. “You won’t get far away!”

The river was a slice of mellow harmony amid the fragrant leaves. It had a turquoise color contrasting with the green of the forest. The sound of running water in the river had a relaxing, hypnotic quality. John and Iris had made it there after more than fifteen minutes of running away. James and the soldier were still chasing after them.

The one to catch up with them first was the soldier. He wasn’t injured like James after all. As he was about to fire at them with his rifle, John grabbed one of the stones on the side of the river and threw it at him. Stone throwing was a rather popular game in the countryside, so he was good at it. The stone hit the soldiers’ chest. The man felt his breath cut short and coughed. He took off his helmet, granting valuable time to his enemies.

“I will deal with him,” Iris said. She grabbed her laser knife and lunged at him. The soldier used his rifle to block the incoming laser blade, but with a quick back kick Iris kicked him on the ground.

As Iris and the soldier were battling it out, James arrived on the scene. He was limping forward. His broken nose was caked in dried blood, congealed and cracked. The now browning blood had drizzled down his face like rain down a window. Yet he had a slight smile on his face. He refused to give up. He had survived the dunes of Nar-Sal and the mines of Al-Kwad. He had fought for years against numerous sorcerers. He wasn’t going to be taken down by a young female elf and a farmboy.

“Game’s over!” he shouted. “Enough is enough. You did well for a simple farmboy, certainly far better than some sorcerers I’ve faced, but I am taking you down!”

John punched forward but James blocked him with his elbow. With a quick move, he kicked John’s chest with his right knee. “Come on!” James barked. “Do better. Remember; I hanged your parents. I killed those old bastards! I am the one who destroyed your life.” He laughed maniacally. “That’s how I laughed when I ordered their deaths!” James knew what he was doing; an angry opponent was more prone to mistakes and easier to manage.

John had never before felt so much rage. He could feel the heat dry his skin, scorching. His rage held all the power of a wildfire. Everything went red. His vision was blurred; one could practically see the flames roaring in his eyes. His brain went on overdrive. He was fuming in rage like a volcano. Without even thinking, he lunged forward and threw a sharp uppercut punch with as much strength as he could muster. Yet his punch was rushed, violent, without much thought in it. James was easily able to parry it with his elbow. He then struck back, his fist hitting John’s jaw. John spat some blood and retreated by a few steps.

“Pathetic!” James mocked him. He laughed. His laugh a reminder to John that he was weak, too weak to take revenge for his parents. He was useless, a disgrace to his parents.

John roared and sped forward with the force of a raging bull. He pummeled James hard, his fists smashing into his face and body. James tried to block John’s angry fists but they came with such speed and ferocity that he was unable to defend himself. It was as if John had suddenly acquired superhuman powers. Blood was flowing, flying. John’s hands were covered with it but he did not care.

The bounty hunter fell on the ground. He tried to cover his face with his hands, further enraging John. The farmboy grabbed a nearby rock and crushed James’ hands. The hunter had become the prey, crying out in pain and screaming so loudly that surely he could be heard from miles away.

He was lying defenseless but John couldn’t care less. He pounded James’ face with the rock. Again and again, each time with more fury. Splatters of blood were everywhere on his face. ‘I’ve had a good run,’ were the last thoughts of James as he died. Yet John kept pummeling his lifeless body. He was screaming, crying, acting like a pure madman. Blood flowed out of the dead body and splattered onto the nearby river. It flowed like so much red gravy, turning the turquoise color of the river into a bright red.

“Stop!” was Iris’ stern command, who had in the meantime knocked out the soldier. Yet John kept pummeling James’ body. Iris grabbed him by the hair, violently turned him around and slapped him so hard that his cheek became bruised. “Stop!”

John let out a deep breath. He let go of the bloodied rock. He was trembling, his heart beating fast. His breathing was even faster. He swallowed hard. Seeing the defaced body of James, he felt a physical pain on his stomach. It turned him sick. He vomited on the ground.

“I…. what… did….do….” he stuttered. He couldn’t believe what he had done. The picture was so gruesome that he felt that he would vomit again if he did not shut his eyes. “I shouldn’t have…”

Iris shushed him. “He hanged your parents and destroyed your life. It is only natural that you were so enraged that you lost control. However you shouldn’t let anger control you.”

John cried as if his brain was being shredded from the inside. He grabbed onto Iris so that his violent shaking would not cause him to fall. From his eyes came a thick flow of tears. Iris embraced him. She wasn’t sure what to say or do. She could only silently comfort him.

It was early noon. Heinrich was looking over the terribly deformed body of James. If it wasn’t for his trademark jacket, he would have had a hard time identifying him. He sighed and turned away, clearly disgusted by the awful sight. ‘They must be heading to Arcadis,’ he thought.

“Prepare my shuttle in Arcadis!” he ordered one of his subordinates. He was going to take the locomotive from Winsorsmith to Arcadis, where his shuttle was stationed. From there he could take off Bremman and leave the planet. “I shall be visiting admiral Char.”

“Yes, sir!” the man said.

“Oh! One more thing; I want you to send a radio command to headquarters to send over to Arcadis two Shadow Hunters.”

“Are you sure, sir?”

“Yes. It is an emergency. We cannot afford to let them escape the planet.”