Chapter 14

Enemies Old And New

For a couple of days, Erin had been forced to journey through the unforgiving badlands of the Western Continent. During this time, she had to avoid violent beasts, roaming bandits and soldiers, while struggling to find food, water and shelter. It was a constant battle for survival.

While the area in the Western Continent wasn’t particularly hot or cold during the day, the nights were absolutely freezing. A traveler needed to find some way to keep warm during nighttime or else they would easily freeze to death. What made this worse was that you couldn’t build a fire to warm yourself, as it would easily attract predators to your location. This was something Erin had to learn through the hard way, as a large wolf had tried to come and eat her. Had she not been able to lure the wolf to a giant snake, the beast would have certainly made a meal out of her.

However, while the creatures and cold nights were dangerous on their own, the real danger of the area was in its lack of resources. Finding food and water was a constant struggle, since most of the land was dried up and there were very few edible plants around. Most of the animals themselves were also too fierce and dangerous to be hunted, forcing Erin to catch smaller creatures in the hopes of getting at least something to eat.

In the end, the redhead had been able to survive and make her way to a town called Grand Ravine. The place got its name from a large and deep ravine that surrounded the place, making it into a natural fortress in a way. On the other side of the town there were large mountains that were close to impossible to overcome, so the town was protected very well.

The only way into the town was a single bridge that had a pair of guards at the front. If anyone suspicious were to try and get in, they just needed to call the guards on the other side and there would be no chance for the intruder to get in.

Much like all other travelers, Erin made her way towards the entrance. Despite her exhausted and dirty appearance, the guards didn’t take any chances with the newcomer and approached her like they would with anyone else.

“Halt! Who are you and what is your business here?” one of the two guards asked.

“...I’m a traveling mercenary by the name of Rachel. I was on my way to a nearby town, when my vehicle was destroyed by a beast,” Erin lied. “I was hoping I could come here to rest and get back on my feet.”

“Show me your ID, miss,” the guard requested as he pulled out a scanner.

The redhead took an ID card out of her pocket and handed it to the guard. The card was a fake that Ryan had made for her in case situations like this came up. There were quite a few places that would ask for an ID before letting you in, so having a card was necessary for a person like herself.

Actual cards were made by government officials that would look into a person’s past, both what they were told and what could be found in any official records. Since Erin couldn’t go and get an actual card, she had to get a fake one. The way the cards worked was that they had your personal information recorded on them that would show up upon being scanned. This information included a picture of your face, name, sex and occupation. Due to her requiring weapons in her actual profession, the redhead’s card showed her occupation as a mercenary, along with a mark that stated she was a registered at one of the guilds as well. Almost all her other information was fake as well.

The cards had a function where wanted criminals that had been recognized had their cards marked by the people that were operating the system. Because of this, a lot of criminals had to get fake cards made that fooled scanners. Depending on the quality, they could fool most scanners, but the higher the level of security, the more advanced the scanners were, which would catch most fakes easily. So far, Erin’s ID had worked in all the places that needed it, but now she could only pray in her head that the guard inspecting her ID wouldn’t see that it wasn’t a real one.

She also hoped that these people hadn’t yet been informed about her as a wanted criminal. If her identity was known, there would be no chance for her to survive, if she had to make a run to the wasteland again.

“All seems to be in order,” the guard finally said, as he finished scanning Erin’s ID and handed it back to her. “Enjoy your stay in our town.”

The redhead gave a simple nod in response before walking past the guards. When she was no longer close enough for them to hear, she let out a sigh of relief. It might not have been visible, but she had been extremely nervous through that whole exchange. Erin could feel her heart beating within her chest, as the guard performed the check. Thankfully, all had gone well.

Walking through the front gate, the redhead took a look at her surroundings. Unlike back in Rockmoore Town, there didn’t seem to be the same type of bustling one would expect from a busy city. There were far fewer people walking the streets and even the police officers seemed to be a lot more relaxed and casual than in the previous town. Judging by some of the outfits and tools she saw on the people she walked by, this place seemed to get most of its income from mining operations.

As she kept walking aimlessly through the main street, Erin eventually ended up at a walled off area. The wall in front of her was incredibly tall with barbed wire on top. She couldn’t help but wonder what was on the other side.

“Hey you! What are you doing here!?” a voice called out to the redhead.

Erin turned towards the source of the voice and saw a pair of guards walking towards her. Unlike the guards at the gate or the police she saw patrolling the streets, these guards were dresses in very flashy and fancy outfits. The redhead immediately became nervous upon seeing them, as she feared they could have recognized her as the wanted assassin that General Lune was chasing.

“This area is off-limits to the general public. Mind explaining what you are doing here?” the guard asked.

“I’m sorry. I’m new around these parts, so I didn’t know this was such a place,” Erin quickly explained. “What exactly is on the other side of that wall?”

“That is where the most influential people of the town live,” the guard answered. “It’s basically the home of the mayor, as well as his family and closest aides.”

“So in other words, it’s where the cream of the crop is?” the redhead asked.

“Exactly. And the people there don’t want to mingle with bottom feeders like yourself, which is why they had the wall built in the first place,” the guard explained in a tone that basically dripped with malice. “Now, we have been ordered to not let anyone suspicious anywhere near this place, so it would be in your best interest to get out of here. Otherwise, we might throw you in jail just to be safe. And you wouldn’t want that, would you?”

Erin simply nodded and walked away, not wanting to get into an argument with the guards. Not only was she far too exhausted from her journey through the wasteland that she didn’t have any strength for a fight, but she didn’t want to draw any attention to herself. That was the last thing anyone trying to run away from powerful people wanted.

With that in mind, the redhead began looking for a place to get some food from. This proved to be much harder than she had imagined, as a lot of the restaurants and stores had very high prices on their products. Even a simple cup of water cost at least five times more than back in Rockmoore Town.

Erin was eventually able to get some food bought, but it took a lot more out of her wallet than she would have liked. Not only that, but the moment she stepped out of the store, there were quite a few stares she got from the locals. It seemed like the high prices hadn’t just affected the redhead, as the locals were going hungry as well.

Not liking the attention she was getting and fearing that she might get attacked, Erin decided to find a more quiet place for her meal. With her brown paper bag full of dry bread and fruits, the redhead found herself a nice alley to eat at.

Just as she had started biting into a piece of bread, she heard someone walk up to her. With a sideways glance, Erin saw that it appeared to be a child wearing clothes that seemed far too big for them. The cloak that the child was wearing dragged on the ground and covered most of their face as well, making it impossible to tell whether this was a boy or a girl.

Much like Erin had expected it, the child walked up to her and stood in front of her. The redhead was certain that begging for food would come next.

“Hey! Hey, miss!” the child called out, revealing themselves to be a girl. “Can I ask you something!?”

“Look, kid, I know you’re probably hungry and everything, but I can’t give you much,” Erin said with a sigh. “I only got enough food to feed myself here, so I can only give you either one piece of bread or a fruit, okay?”

“Oh, I wasn’t looking to get your food, miss!” the girl replied. “I wanted to ask something else from you!”

This was a bit of a surprise for the redhead.

“And what would you like to ask me then?” Erin asked back.

“You seem to be new in town. Are you a bad person?” the girl asked.

“What makes you think I’m bad?” the redhead asked, surprised by the quite blunt question.

“I see a lot of people come in here. Those who are good and nice can’t afford to buy food here, while those who are bad can,” the girl explained. “That’s because the bad people got their money from doing bad things. Or at least that’s what I was told.”

Erin was silent for a moment, thinking about herself. While she wasn’t as horrible of a person as Gibbot or Lune, she certainly was no saint. She had plenty of blood on her hands to make that much clear. Not only that, but there was her personal past back in her own world that also showed how she wasn’t exactly a good person.

“...I suppose that I’m a bit of both,” the redhead answered after a bit of thought. “I try my best to do good, but I often get forced to do things that are wrong and I don’t want to do. Not only that, there are quite a few things I’ve done that I simply can’t forgive myself.”

“Does that make you good or bad then?” the girl asked.

“I’m not sure. But maybe I can answer that at some point,” Erin said before digging through her paper bag and pulling out a dried fruit. “Here. Take this and go back to your family. I’m sure they’re worried about you.”

“Wow! Thanks miss!” the girl said happily, causing the redhead to smile a bit.

However, what happened next came as a complete surprise to Erin. Just as it looked like the girl would grab the fruit, she instead grabbed the redhead’s wrist with an insanely strong grip. Before Erin could even yell out in pain, her arm was twisted, causing her to fall on her knee. This was followed by a knee to the guts that knocked the air out of the redhead’s lungs. Finally, she received a kick to the side of her head, knocking her against trash cans.

Despite being dazed from the sudden beating, Erin got up from the ground. As she did this, she noticed that the little girl that had attacked her was changing. Her body grew in size to that of an adult and she dropped the cloak she had been wearing, revealing a well-toned body from underneath.

It took a moment for the redhead to realize it, but when she did, she felt her jaw drop open upon recognizing her attacker. It was the blonde woman she had talked to in the bar back in Rockmoore Town, Ryle.

“Y-YOU!?” Erin yelled in shock. “W-What are you doing here!?”

“You remember me? I’m flattered!” the blonde woman said with a grin. “As for what I’m doing here, it’s rather simple. You see, I happen to live here. Back in Rockmoore, I was there simply on business. I was going to head out today, but luckily you brought my work to my home.”

“What the hell are you talking about!?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m here to take YOU to the authorities!” Ryle answered with a big grin. “There’s a big bounty on that head of yours and I am gonna make it mine.”

“...So general Lune’s bounty has reached this place then,” Erin said as she got herself ready for a fight. “I got careless when I didn’t see any posters in town and no one seemed to recognize me.”

“Oh, don’t feel bad about it! I’ve got my own sources that help me keep a step ahead of others in this business!” the blonde said. “But anyways, we should get this party started, shouldn’t we? The way I heard it, the big shots would really like to get you back alive. If you’re dead, I lose on most, if not all, of the money I’m supposed to get. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t give you the beating of a lifetime, so feel free to struggle. I like to play around a bit at work, you see?”

The redhead responded to her opponent’s taunt by quickly pulling out her pistol and firing it at the bounty hunter. However, Ryle easily avoided the bullet and in what seemed like the blink of an eye had closed the distance between the two of them. Before Erin could do anything, her wrist got grabbed and twisted, causing her to drop her gun, before she was thrown on the ground. The redhead then had to roll out of the way as a foot almost came down on her head from above.

“Man, this is the easiest paycheck of my life!” Ryle said mockingly as she picked up the gun Erin had dropped. She then broke the weapon with a single punch. “I’m honestly having a hard time believing you’re worth so much. I’ve caught pickpockets that were harder to deal with!”

“Sorry to disappoint, I suppose,” Erin said with barely hidden anger. “But I’m afraid I won’t be such a nice paycheck in the end. I can’t let myself get caught here.”

“And I can’t let you get away either,” the blonde said in a surprisingly serious tone. “I’ve got too much riding on this myself, you know?”

The redhead was a bit taken aback by the tone of voice her opponent had just used, which created an opportunity the blonde immediately used. Erin barely managed to take out her sword fast enough to block the kick that came at her, which sent her flying backwards. The redhead ended up flying out of the alley and landing in the middle of the street, causing the people nearby to run away upon realizing what was happening.

Erin got up quickly and took a stance with her sword, but it proved to be useless. Ryle was once again right in front of her and threw a punch that connected with the redhead’s stomach. While she managed to hold herself up and attempt at hitting the bounty hunter with her sword, the blade was easily avoided. After dodging the desperate attack, Ryle kicked Erin in the back of her head. The blow was so heavy that it almost caused the redhead to black out, but she managed to stay awake. Apparently, Ryle had expected her attack to knock out Erin, as she almost got hit by the redhead’s sword, when she swung it in response.

“Gotta admit, you’re holding up a lot better than I thought you would,” Ryle commented as she readied herself for her next attack. “But this is where it ends!”

Once again, the blonde closed the distance between herself and her opponent in just a moment. This time, she had both of her arms pulled back, readied for a powerful strike. There was even a faint, golden glow surrounding her hands. With both palms open, she struck at Erin’s chest, causing a shock wave to rip through the air.

The attack was so powerful that it caused Erin to cough up blood, before getting sent through the window of the building behind her. On the inside, she crashed into a table, where she laid still. The place seemed to be a restaurant, judging by the food that fell from the broken table.

It didn’t take long for Ryle to come inside the building as well. She looked around for a moment, noting that all the other people seemed to have left, leaving her alone with her target. The blonde bounty hunter wrinkled her nose a bit at the smell that was on the inside of the building, before walking up to the redhead that was seemingly unconscious.

“Well, that was fun, but you know what they say, right? All good things must come to-”

Before Ryle could finish speaking, Erin suddenly grabbed a handful of the food that had fallen to the floor and threw it at the bounty hunter’s face. This caused Ryle to scream like she was in pain as she furiously wiped away the stuff on her face. Luckily for the redhead, she had remembered that the bounty hunter had quite the keen sense of smell, as she had commented to Erin how she smelled like blood back in Rockmoore Town. Not only that, but the way Ryle wrinkled her nose at the strong smells seemed to confirm this suspicion. It might have been a gamble, but it paid off in the end.

“You shit! I’ll-” the blonde began to threaten, only to go silent upon seeing Erin holding a chair above her head, ready to strike down. “...Oh crap.”

The piece of furniture came crashing down on Ryle’s head, knocking her to the floor. The blow left her nearly unconscious, allowing Erin to go and get her sword, which she had lost upon falling on the table. The redhead walked up to her opponent and readied her sword to strike down the bounty hunter with rage burning in her lone eye.

However, before the blade could be brought down, Erin was once again plagued by visions. This time, she saw how Ryle had grown up in this town’s poor sections, always struggling to find enough food and water to survive. Not only that, but she had become a sort of a big sister figure to a lot of orphans that she would take care of. There was even one boy, who seemed to be especially important to the bounty hunter.

The visions caused Erin to drop her sword out of shock and stumble backwards, allowing Ryle to recover from the blow she had suffered earlier. The bounty hunter looked up in confusion at her target, who seemed to be on the verge of tears for some reason now.

“The hell is up with you?” Ryle asked as she got up from the floor, readying herself to continue their fight. “You know I’m trying to take you to the authorities, right? Considering your bounty, you’ll never see the light of day when they catch you. So why not finish me off when you have the chance?”

“I… I just-”

Before Erin could explain herself, she heard the familiar sound of guns having their safeties taken off. It took her less than a second to realize what was about to happen.

“GET DOWN!” the redhead yelled before tackling Ryle. Before their bodies hit the floor, machine gun fire opened and tore through the wall, like a wave of destruction.

Once the firing ceased, a familiar voice that Erin immediately recognized spoke into a megaphone.

“Do you hear me, miss outlaw?” the voice of General Lune called out to the redhead. “This is General Milas Lune of the Golorath Army! You may have managed to escape me back in Rockmoore Town, but we have now tracked you down. I suggest you give yourself up before this has to get any messier.”

“You’re the one who creates the mess, you bastard!” Erin yelled back. “Why did you have to destroy Rockmoore Town!? It is me that you’re after!”

“Oh, that was nothing but a precaution. Once we heard that you had managed to escape, we couldn’t take the risk of letting those who sympathize with you get away. Had those foolish townspeople brought you to me, they wouldn’t have faced such an unfortunate end,” Lune explained with a cocky smile on his face. “Anyways, I was ordered to take you in alive, so I would greatly appreciate it if you simply gave up. Knowing the things you’ve done so far, I was certain you wouldn’t get caught in this type of an attack, but I am willing to use even rougher methods if needed.”

Erin could hear several footsteps approaching the building. It seemed like Lune was planning on having her get overwhelmed with sheer numbers and then take her beaten body back to his boss. Just before the door got kicked down, the redhead threw all of her smoke grenades at the approaching enemies, covering the whole area in a thick cloud.

“Now! Get out of here while you still can!” Erin yelled at Ryle, who was still in shock over what was going on.

“Why the hell are you doing this!? I’m your enemy, remember!?” the bounty hunter asked. “What good does it do for you to help me!?”

“Does it matter!? Just get going before-” the redhead began to say, only to suddenly fall to her knees from pain, as she held the right side of her body. “Dammit… I guess they got me now…”

For a small moment, Ryle thought about the opportunity she had before her. She could still take the redhead in and claim the bounty for herself. With the kind of money she would get, there would never be a need for her to work as a bounty hunter ever again. All she needed to do was take in a person that was too injured to put up a fight anymore. A bounty hunter’s wet dream basically.

However, this person had become inured due to trying tp protect Ryle herself. Had Erin not done what she did, the blonde would most likely be dead. That’s what made Ryle do the opposite of what she should have done.

The bounty hunter quickly picked up the redhead and threw her over her shoulder, before running away with her supposed bounty with her.

“W-Why…? What are you…?” Erin tried to ask.

“Shut up! Just shut up!” Ryle yelled back as she carried the redhead with her away from the army. “I have my own reasons for doing this, so just shut the hell up for now, okay!? And don’t you dare die on me! Got that!?”

It was then that all the pain and exhaustion finally took their toll on Erin, causing her to black out.