Luna slept so soundly that when she woke up, it was past noon the next day.

She could not remember the last time she had slept that long or that comfortably. Her throat was scratchy and dry, but to her surprise, there was a mug filled with water next to an empty bowl on the same bed table as the child’s. Luna wasn’t surprised that the bed beside her was now empty or that she was the only one left in the tent, as everyone had probably got on with their day.

What surprised her was that no one woke her up even though it was so late.

Luna left the tent to find a beautiful sunny autumn day. She made her way through the medical camp that bustled with life. It seems the mood has changed from last night, with the medics, enforcers, and other civilians now happily chatting with one another.

She passed by some tents where the elderly civilians were located, and she already saw the dramatic change in their mood. Some of them smiled as they watched the children who ran around and played with the medical automatons. She was trying to find the tent where they served food when Luna heard someone calling out to her.

It was Shinaki, still dressed in the same metal armor with her hand on her sword, but she had removed her hood that always covered her face. She had long black hair tied in a tight ponytail and unfairly smooth and fair skin for a warrior. Her thin lips made her seem stern, which matched her small face and sharp, piercing brown eyes. But she seems to only have one emotion every time Luna sees her, a permanently stoic yet scowling face.

“Lord Solomon has requested for you.”

Lord Solomon?! That’s new.

“He is waiting for you in the dining tent.”

Shinaki turned and left. Luna complacently followed.

She led her through the camp, and right near the entrance was a tent that was much bigger than the rest of the tents in the medical camp. Shinaki opened the flap for her to reveal a large dining hall with four long vertical tables filled with all sorts of food and drinks.

The patients, enforcers, nurses, and doctors of all races were all enjoying the feast spread in front of them. On the other side of the tent was a horizontal table, and in the middle, Luna saw Solomon, who stood up and lifted the mug he held.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like all of you to welcome the hero of the hour, Luna! She is the woman who planned and led the Luton mines rescue, as well as one of the continent's top Ablan bounty hunters! Give a round of applause to our hero!”

The people in the tent gave her a standing ovation. Some of the people who sat near the entrance approached her and gave her their gratitude; some even cried with thanks. Luna was still shaking a lot of people’s hands when Shinaki forcefully escorted her away. She grabbed her by the arm and brought her to where Solomon, Max, Ketil, Gerwulf, and Filias were. They reserved a seat for Luna right next to Solomon’s right. Shinaki bowed and left, while Solomon waited for Luna to sit down before he did too.

Luna observed the impressive spread in front of her. The smell of roasted potatoes and meat got the better of her manners and she started to pile it on her plate.

“You missed this morning’s reporter’s conference.” Solomon said as he watched her begin to dig in on her tower of food while he drank from his mug. “Max got to advertise himself for free while you missed out.”

Luna looked at Max and Ketil. They drank and chatted with each other on Solomon’s left.

“Did he credit me in anyway at least?”

“He did. Doctor Gerwulf insisted on your behalf.”

Luna then looked to her right, where Gerwulf and Filias were having a conversation with each other as well.

After a big meal and two mugs of honeybrew, Luna had never been so full. She and Solomon then talked about what would happen to the civilians after the day when Filias and Gerwulf joined them.

“The Syndicate has already commissioned six trucks to load the civilians and bring them towards Yeten City, the closest city with a sky harbor, where they will board an air ferry back to Braenarim. Those with more severe injuries have been evacuated this morning, so after everyone has enjoyed the feast by around early afternoon, Captain Ketil and his enforcers will help with loading everyone on to the trucks and escort the convoy. They will personally guard all of them until they reach Braenarim.”

Solomon smoked a cigar and offered one to Luna, who declined.

“It will be a long trip to Yeten by land, but the enforcers are willing and have been well compensated. Of course, your payment has already been deposited into your account as well.”

“Yeah, and it was a big one too.” Filias joked. “For the price we paid, we could have bought a small army with it.”

“So what are everyone’s plans? Are you all leaving this afternoon as well?”

“Yes, I have the gyrocarrier on the way to pick up everyone, aside from you, of course. We will ride it to Yeten and board an airship from there.”

“You are not joining us, Luna?” Gerwulf looked at her confused.

“I’ll pass. I enjoy riding more than I do flying.”

Luna then felt a cold mug placed on her head.

“What are you all talking about over here?” When Max and Ketil joined them, she swatted the mug, which made Max chuckle.

“Discussing leaving arrangements.” Gerwulf was the one who answered for her. “Maxene, did you remember to take your medication?”

“Already finished with-” Max put his arm around Ketil's shoulders, “my good friend Ketil being my witness. Isn’t that right?”

Ketil, who was confused about being put in the center, replied, “Uh… Yes?”

All of them, aside from Ketil, laughed.

“Oh, and by the way, Luna, Elizabeth is looking for you.” Gerwulf said to her while Solomon poured all of them another bottle of wine.

"Who?" Luna declined Solomon.

“Your bunkmate last night. It seems our little patient is quite a fan of bounty hunters and was very eager to talk to you. In fact, this morning she waited for you to wake up, but seeing how you were asleep, resorted to escorting me everywhere the whole day.”

“Ah yes, of course. Will you excuse us everyone?”

Solomon gave Luna a nod, and she and Gerwulf left the tent.

=0o0=

The medical camp was now slowly being packed away, with some of the victims in cots and stretchers being carried towards the entrance where the trucks were. Automatons and enforcers helped the nurses bring down the tents and pack away equipment as well.

Gerwulf led both of them outside the camp. There was a large group of children playing near the trucks. Orks, bestian, glorkan, and human children were playing and chasing each other around while a couple of enforcers were doing a head count. Gerwulf then left Luna to address the children and returned with a big group of them, while at the front of the group was the golden-haired little girl and a little boy with sandy brown hair whose arm was in a cast.

“Children, this is Lady Luna, an official Ablan bounty hunter and a member of its shadow council. She was the one who led the rescue last night.”

The children looked at Luna with their eyes filled with amazement. She was not used to the attention and was unsure what to say to the children except-

“Um... hi. I’m Luna.”

She was suddenly swarmed by little kids that either thanked her or asked her about being a bounty hunter.

Luna was bombarded with questions while Gerwulf watched with a smile.

Every child on the continent of Aelmion grew up hearing about the Ablan bounty hunters. In bedtime stories, they are always painted as heroes that do as they please, saving people for the right price. Famous bounty hunters of the past had their posters in all capital cities, their faces and exploits in newspapers, and some even had toy figurines made in their image.

Well-known bounty hunters were treated like famous actors, athletes, artists, or even nobility, which is why so many children dream of being one. Gerwulf smiled as she observed Luna answer question after question from the curious children, but she soon signaled her for help to break the children away from her, shooting the doctor looks that clearly said “Help Me.”

“Children.” Gerwulf addressed the group with her most commanding tone, “That’s enough now. We need to do a headcount so we can start going, so everyone say goodbye to Lady Luna.”

The sounds of disappointment among the children were audible, but they all said goodbye to her and followed Gerwulf back towards the trucks.

One of them stayed behind, however, and it was the girl with golden blonde hair.

She looked much better, and Luna could see that she wore the star pendant on her neck. She still had bandages on her legs and arms and a wrap on her neck to hide the bruise, but the child looked better than she did last night. The little girl wanted to say something but hesitated for some reason, so Luna crouched down until her eyes met with hers.

“Hey, Are you feeling better?” Luna gave her a smile and hoped it would put the child at ease.

The child nodded at her but kept her head down.

“Got a name?”

“Elizabeth.” She said softly.

“Elizabeth. That’s a very beautiful name. The doctor said you wanted to talk to me about something.”

The child fiddled with her hands, then met her gaze, and finally, after a long while, she finally spoke.

“Lady Luna... Can I contract you?”

The question surprised Luna in more ways than one.

“You want to... contract me?”

Luna wasn’t sure if she should take the child seriously, but the look in the child’s eyes was serious and hopeful.

“Do you, um, understand what you are saying?”

“Yes, Lady Luna. And I have this to prove I’m serious.” Elizabeth pulled out the coin from her pocket and showed her the shadow's mark.

“Do you know what this is?” Luna took the coin and pretended to have never seen it before.

“A hunter’s coin is used when hiring a bounty hunter.” The child said as she recited from memory. “If you would like to be Lady Luna, I want to hire you as a bodyguard.”

Luna sighed with relief.

At least the child doesn’t know the secret of the coin.

She decided to humor her but also thought of a way to decline the child’s request.

“A bodyguard? Well, that is quite the contract. But I’m sure you know that bounty hunters ask for a lot of money. Can you... even pay for it if I ask?” Luna gave her a wry smile.

But when Elizabeth heard the word pay, it seems she was conflicted about what to say next.

“I can pay you with tons of money, but I don’t have it.” Luna huffed softly, which made Elizabeth quickly continue. “But my aunty, my gramma or grampa has tons of money! Please, you just need to take me to them!”

“Fine, who is your aunty or your grandparents?” She suddenly panicked, which made Luna wary.

“I.. I can’t say.”

And with that, Luna decided to stop indulging Elizabeth. The child knew she had lost the bounty hunters' interest. “But... but they can pay, I promise, with a lot of money!”

“Why do you want me to take you to your aunty or grandparents? What about your mom or dad?”

Luna could have asked tons of questions, better questions, any question and she did not know why she asked that first, but it seemed she had chosen poorly when Elizabeth began to sniffle and cry.

Luna panicked and realized her mistake.

“Oh my. Please no. Don’t cry. Please don’t cry, sweetie.”

But her words offered no comfort as the child cried in front of her. Luna offered the child a handkerchief from her pocket, but the child ignored it.

“Mama and Kinney are missing too! Mama fell, and Kinney was stuck up there when I fell and-”

Luna could not understand a single thing as the child shuddered through tears and tried to tell a story that she could not follow.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough.”

Luna tried to wipe away the tears and snot that dribbled from the child’s nose. She looked around to try to find Gerwulf, but all she could see were several people that were looking at her and Elizabeth.

“Alright, alright, where is your Gramma or grampa? Where do they live?”

Elizabeth spoke with shuddered breaths. “Gramma and grampa live in Braenarim, while my other grampa is in Aspana.”

“Ok, that’s good. Can you tell me their names?”

But Elizabeth suddenly cried harder, which made Luna flinch.

“Mom said, Never tell anyone who I am and who they are because if people find out, bad people will come-”

Elizabeth shuddered and broke out again in tears. Luna, unsure of what to do next, desperately tried to calm the child down. It was clear she would not get any information from the child, so Luna just did her best to comfort Elizabeth. She embraced her and hoped it would help when Elizabeth suddenly latched on to her and buried her head in Luna’s chest.

“I want to go home! I want to see Mama! I miss Gramma and Grampa!”

The child cried and shook while Luna held onto her. She let Elizabeth cry as much as she needed to, no matter how long it took. Luna forgot that these children were separated from their families, and right now they are all scared and anxious.

Maker you are dense Luna! Stupid and dense!

“Elizabeth, Look at me.”

She addressed the child when her cries finally stopped. The child removed her face from Luna’s chest while tears streaked down her cheeks. She shuddered when Luna wiped the tears from her face.

“Your gramma and grampa are living in Braenarim, right?” The child nodded.

“That is where everyone is going. The enforcers, they will bring everyone to a sky harbor, and then they will escort everyone to Braenarim. You will all be riding trucks and an airship, and your friends will join you too.”

“Please come with us. They will come for us.” Elizabeth begged. “Gramma and grampa will pay-”

But Luna would not let her finish.

“Elizabeth, it will be safe.” She assured her with a smile. “You will travel with your friends, so you won’t be lonely. You will also have lots of enforcers and automatons with you, and they are very strong. Remember the enforcers who helped everyone last night?”

“But-”

“I promise.” Luna made a cross on her chest. “They will protect you; I will make sure of it. In fact, I personally know the leader of the enforcers and he will guarantee to watch over you. Do you want to meet him?”

Elizabeth reluctantly nodded.

Luna held her hand and they slowly returned towards the entrance of the medical camp. It seemed some time had passed, as most of the civilians were already boarded and they were doing the final head count. Luna then spotted Ketil, who was holding a chart while he gave orders at the front of the convoy.

“Captain Ketil.” Luna approached him; Ketil gave her his stoic face, which seemed to have softened when he saw the child she was accompanying.

“Ahh Lady Luna, who is this young lady?” He lowered his chart and greeted them properly.

“Captain, this is Elizabeth. She is a very good friend of mine.”

Elizabeth, however, hid behind Luna’s legs.

“Elizabeth, this is Captain Ketil. He is from Braenarim too. He came all this way to bring everyone back.”

Ketil gave the child his most reassuring smile.

“Captain, my friend wants to know if the trip to the sky harbor and to Braenarim will be safe. She is a bit rattled, you see.”

Ketil recognized the wink right away.

“Of course.” Ketil bent down to address Elizabeth. “It will be very safe for Lady Elizabeth. We have a lot of enforcers that will guard everyone, and the trucks are very sturdy and safe.”

But the child still hid behind Luna.

“Captain, Can I ask for a favor? Could you personally guard Elizabeth until you both reach Braenarim? That way, she will be really safe and secure from any danger.”

Luna placed her hand on Elizabeth’s back and urged her to step forward.

“With pleasure, I will personally be her shield until we both step down into the White Harbor.” Ketil extended his hand, but the child turned to Luna.

“Please come with us. Please?” Elizabeth begged as she gripped onto her pants, but Luna put her hand on the child’s head and gave her a smile.

“I can’t Elizabeth. But I promise you will be safe. No one will hurt you. Captain Ketil is one of the best and he will make sure to get you back to your gramma and grampa safely, Alright?”

Luna then guided her towards Ketil, who gently took Elizabeth’s hand.

“Promise me you will keep my friend safe?”

“Of course, and just to make sure, I will be right beside her every step of the way. In fact, Lady Elizabeth gets to ride upfront with me.”

Elizabeth gave Luna one last pleading look, which she replied to with a nod.

“Right, well, we are heading out, Lady Luna. It has been a pleasure working with you.” Ketil said as they shook hands. “I must also admit that you truly surprised and impressed me. A full scale armed raid and yet we suffered no casualties or even serious injuries, and that is with non-lethal methods. You truly are one of the best.”

“Not so bad for someone working with criminals, right captain?” Luna joked, which made Ketil's cheeks red.

“Ah, I hope you will forgive me for treating you with a prejudice. I hope there is a way I can repay you if we ever work together again in the future.”

“Tempting offer, Captain, but working with a bounty hunter might damage your credibility. Just deliver Elizabeth safely to her family and we can call it even.” Luna gave the captain a punch in the arm.

“Done deal.”

Ketil gave her a final salute, and then he led Elizabeth towards the trucks. The child looked back at her one last time while Luna gave her a smile and waved goodbye.

As Luna watched them board the trucks, she considered joining them.

It’s not that she did not want to accompany the child; in fact, she wanted to stick close to Elizabeth. There was something about the child that made her gut say that she needed to look out for her. But she will be much safer with over forty enforcers and combat automatons who will look over her. And when they get back to Braenarim, they have better resources to help Elizabeth get back to her family.