Chapter 12b: Hunted Becomes Hunter (Part 1)

Rigen's perspective

I'm now heading to the West, I don't know exactly where Hinter Forest is so I keep coming to the West. The people on the streets are looking at me, curious about the weapon I bring and the military bag on my back.

Some of the people on the streets then realized me, they realized this was John Rigen. The people are now gathering into the crowds, they chasing me, like to tear my body apart.

But I managed to shoot some bullets in the air, the people that were chasing me then stopped. They realized the loud noises they heard earlier and ran in panic, then I used that situation to escape from the crowds.

"Advisor! Where to next?"

"Just keep that direction, John!" - Advisor told me to run in the same direction to Hinter forest

Then after a few minutes of running, I finally see the border gate on the West, seems like outside will lead to Hinter forest.

Some of the Attenta border guards notice my appearance, their commander sends five guards to the border gate, the border gate is now still open.

"Hey! Stop! That man! Where do you think you are going? " - The border guards shouting at me

Then I raise my rifle to the sky and fire a few shots, the guards are shocked at the gunshots, they froze like ice stones.

I am now easier to get through the border gate, I run towards the forest I see, running as fast as possible.

"Hey! What are you soldiers doing? Arrest that man, now!" - The border gate commander shouted to the guards

Wow! Seems like 30 minutes have passed since I got into the forest, I had gone a bit far now. I am now hiding under the grass, the guards are now still finding me, they are using torches, searching around the place.

"Find anything?" - The border gate commander asked his guards

"No, Sir! That man may have escaped!" - The guards answered that commander

"Damn it! Withdraw, we don't need to waste our time here anymore, withdraw!"

Alright! The guards are now withdrawing but I have to make sure that they won't be around here anymore. After 10 minutes, I'm now sure the soldiers are now gone, I slowly get up from the grass.

"John! Seems like no one is following you anymore, just head to the North about 50 meters and you will see a river right there, seems like you can be able to have a sleep there!" - Advisor suggested to me

Then I walking more closer to the direction Advisor told me, there is a river there! I chose a nice place to make my camp, without Reimi and Shera. The camp is completed a bit longer, at least about 1 hour, I think! I have to prepare many things to make the camp.

Now I have finally completed the campfire, I'm now sitting at it, and my bag is placed beside me. I am now thinking about Shera, and Reimi, the memories I had with them, that was a short time but very memorable.

"Hey, John! I don't want to disturb you but you have used up 39 bullets in the fight against the assassins and while escaping to the border, your rifle now only has 196 rounds left! Use them wisely!" - Advisor reminded me

"Yeah! I know!"

"Do you want to have some chat, John?" - Advisor asked me

"What kind of chat?"

"I was very surprised that you had killed bunches of people but you seem didn't scare, didn't feel guilty or something like that!"

"That's what the Army will teach you, Advisor! You robot don't know much about it!"

"Also I had fought in Afghanistan once, there were many terrible things I saw there, the things you saw me did was just very normal to me!"

"Why don't you tell me?"

"No, of course not! I had been PTSD for a long time, now it is gone but I cannot sure if I can get it again when living in this another world or not!"

"Okay, I won't say about those things anymore, anyway! Why don't you read the letter that Shera sent you, John?" - Advisor reminded me, I almost forgot about the letter

Then I take the letter out of my bag, opening it, the envelope itself is made of furs and also the letter is made of it too.

I struggle a little bit, though I have used to the language here about the words are written are another problem, I don't know if the handwriting skill of Shera is bad or my mind has problems.

Okay! Finally, I have found out the details of the letter Shera gave me.

Dear John Rigen! If you are reading this, then you must be on your way to the border of Jager Kingdom after being hunted by my brother's Assassins, Hoster Sonne.

I have something want you to know about Kingdom of Jager:

That Kingdom is using the language Englis, the most common language of this continent as same as us so you won't face any problems when talking to the people there.

That Kingdom also uses the same currency as Attenta Kingdom so you won't have any problems when using the money.

The powerless people are all welcomed in Jager Kingdom, that Kingdom isn't like the other Kingdoms, it is a heaven for the powerless, who can't cast magic, you will be fairly treated there as a citizen of its Kingdom.

Kill assassins bounty: Attenta Kingdom is very well known to be hostile to Jager Kingdom, if you can bring the Assassin cards from the assassins you killed to the border gates at Jager Kingdom, you will be rewarded with money.

Your money will run out soon so you need to have work, just get to the Adventurer's Guild of Jager Kingdom, the Guild is available in any town and city of any Kingdom on this continent.

If you don't want to face dangerous things, just try to be smith by working at the weapon shops, but the money you will be rewarded will be less than working at the Adventurer's Guild if you work at the weapons shops.

In every city, and town of any country on this continent, there will have big boards that show the messages from the people want to send to their relatives.

I will write them to you too, Sir Rigen! I will write a message to you once a week! Remember to let me know how is your life there!

You will contact me by codenames, my codename is Sunshine, and yours is Sunrise! These are special codes used only by our royal families.

When you write me a letter with that code on it, the letter will be a priority sent to me and also like when I write a letter to you.

Hope your journey will be safe! And please live, Sir Rigen!

Princess Shera Sonne

Day 22 of the third Spring, year 1172

Sunshine

I have done reading the letter that Princess Shera gave me, seems like there are some details that I see interesting.

Now I have knew the language that is being spoken by the people in this world, Englis! Englis, huh? That language seems a bit familiar to our English.

I also don't know about the calendar, the time of year in this world but I now I know that.

The year 1172, day 22 of the third Spring? Then I should be in the April 22 year 1172 if I convert those details into my world's calendar.

About the other details that were written in the letter, maybe I will do the research for them when I got to the Jager Kingdom.

"Advisor! Do you see any possibility that I will be ambushed by the assassins?"

"No, John! The perimeter of 500 meters I scanned has no human except you! Maybe you won't be chased but that is just my theory, the assassins may hunt you down in the meantime! Maybe in the dawn!" - Advisor suggested to me

"I will have a week to get to the border of Jager Kingdom! My rations might run out sooner! Do you see any animals in this forest, Advisor?"

"There are some animals but very less! I think you should rest here tonight, John!

"Right! If I got hunted by the assassins, are there any chances for me to escape?"

"I see this forest has many good places for guerrilla tactics, John! If you still have stuff in your bag, use them! Or you will choose to run forever until die!"

"How many hours left for the battery?"

"I think you only have 15 hours and 56 minutes left!"

"Advisor, stay on the highest alert! I will use you all night, if I am safe the next day morning, I will consider charging your battery!"

"Roger that!"

Then Advisor does the guard for me, I also going to sleep, I am now thinking about taking out all of the assassins that chasing me, maybe they won't chase me but if they do and I lose my guard, I will die.

Shild Meister's perspective - The next day morning

"Remember don't let your guard down! Our target is only one man but that man had killed 32 men of ours by only himself!"

"This assassination mission is too risky! But we cannot refuse it! Each man will go with teams, 10 men! Divide into the other directions! That man John Rigen is very near for us now! We had searched for his footprints all night!"

I don't know why our Clan had to have a mission like this, the most prohibited thing when you do an assassination, you must not expose yourself too much, you must do the mission stealthy!

But instead of doing it like that, our customer, Prince Hoster Sonne had hired us to do the mission, he hired 200 men of the Clan, even me, the head of my Assassin's Clan.

Our clan, the Death Dagger is the most well-known on this continent, every mission we choose will be completed.

We always do our assassinations by poison, faking the scene like an accident or killing the target secretly and leaving no evidence back on the scene.

But this assassination is already failed in its beginning, I had ordered two of my men disguised as the waiters to poison the wine glass that the man John Rigen was supposed to drink but somehow he managed to escape that.

I was also shocked when two of my men died, they were all rookies but they were not that bad! They were very well selected when since their first days joining our clan!

I don't think one man can even kill 32 men of mine, he must have some powerful magic tools and magic items with him. I was more shocked when I knew the target we are going to kill is just powerless! How did he kill our men so easily like that?

Our clan only has 200 men! They are the very best of we have, and now we only have 168 men. I cannot forget the nightmare I had from the first days I joined this clan.

Because of all of my faults, 10 of 9 men of ours had been killed, only me survived! We were so rushed in that assassination. That's why I had sworn not to do that kind of assassination again in my life, every assassination should be operated stealthily.

But seems like I have repeated my mistake, because I am now leading all of my men to join the assassination, we are all now sneaking into this forest, we have tracked down our target's footprints, he is now near us than ever.

I am now looking at 10 of my men, they are sneaking away from us about 40 meters, I look at them a little bit then join again to go with my group. But in a blink of an eye, just a few seconds after I let my eyes out on those men, I now regret because of that.

"Boom!"

A big explosion appeared away from us near the direction of the people that I let my eyes out earlier, the ground near them was torn apart.

Explosion magic? I thought about that but I know the target we are about to kill is just a powerless, did he use his powerful magic tools to kill us?

Then I rushed towards my men that had been hit by that magic strike, I was shocked, the ground is torn apart, my men, some of them are dead, some still alive but they are screaming in pain, some of their limbs are lost.

"Men! Watch out for the ground, do not move until I find out what is going on!"

But too late! Some of my men panic and ran away after hearing that explosion, then a few seconds later, more and more explosions appeared, our situation is now in the hands of Death, I must do something to stop it.

Rigen's perspective

I woke up in the dawn, I started going at the time I woke up and now am walking through the jungle.

I wonder how far can I go until I can get to the border of Jager Kingdom, I don't know any routes to go faster to it.

"John! I have detected the human signs, I can see through my detection, they are about 30, no 60, no! Give me a few seconds!" - Advisor suddenly alarmed me

I think the people Advisor detected must be the assassins, I am now noticing that around me now is just a flat jungle that has many trees around, maybe I can use these advantages for an ambush attack.

"John! There are totally 168 men, they must be the assassins that chase you! Use everything you have in your bag to kill them, you have been surrounded by all sides! They are away from you about 487 meters!"

"What?"

I'm very shocked! I don't think these assassins will be that much, damn you, Hoster! I know there is no way out for me, I immediately put my military bag on the ground and take some stuff out of it.

"John! Put the mines around the marked points I marked to you on the map, according to my calculation, there will be 90 percent that the enemy will step in there!" - Advisor suggested

Then Advisor turns its screen into the area map I am now standing, the red marks are marked around the place, I bring out the mines from the bag and place them around the marked points.

After doing that, I go back to the bag and was about to bring some more, but then Advisor reminded me.

"Save as much of your supply as possible, John! Let's see how the situation goes! Climb up to a tree above and watch the assassins, I want to know the details of the situation!"

Then I climbed up a tree, the highest tree there, I hope I won't kill myself by choosing that tree, when climbing up the top of the tree, I watched from above with my binoculars.

A few minutes later, the first groups of the assassins appeared in my binoculars sight, they are all dividing their groups to step inside my place, I see they didn't spot me yet.

Then a few seconds later, the first mine exploded then in a blink of an eye, the other mines also exploded to it, the assassins are now panicking. I have no escape now! I must fight against them, it is me or them! My fate is now near death than ever.