I've been an adventurer for five years now, but I've never been so far north. I hate snow and cold climates. I sit slightly closer to the campfire and look at my team. Tessa looks as cute as ever in her thick cloak, with only her face showing. Matt is scowling, as usual, checking his bow. Lina, our last member, has refused to step outside her tent. We are a well-rounded team, the four of us.

I take out the wanted poster once more to look at the info. We usually don't do wanted quests, but the pay is enormous. I wonder a bit what this ‘Reagan Barlow’ did. I heard he was the leader of a fairly well known mercenary band, the Trusted Steel company. Apparently, all of its members are gone except for him. There are more than a few strange rumors about it.

I hate him for making us go north though. He was spotted not too far from here last week by a silver rank team that had to retreat. It says he should be solid gold rank from his mercenary days, we should be able to handle him without too much hassle as he is alone, even if he is a bit stronger now.

The only info I got on his abilities is that he is known to be strong against mages thanks to his sword that can negate magic. Apparently, something he got from his adventuring days. He is a melee fighter who can either use two swords or sword and shield. Nothing special there. It is not known if he can cast magic, but if that's the case it should only be basic spells, so nothing to worry about.

There isn't much north of here, the only likely place he could be going to is the Gray Tower. A small mage society that is neutral and simply researches magic, far away from the rest of us. I mean as a wanted man with such a huge bounty, it is one of the few places he could get refuge in I guess. In any case, we are soon at the shivering pass, one of the few places to go through the mountain passes to reach the Gray Tower. We should reach the pass by tomorrow unless something unexpected comes along.

The sun's rays leave us as the white draped trees block it on the horizon. Cold permeates my limbs and even the fire is having a hard time warming me up.

"Matt, could you help me get the fire going stronger? I'm freezing my ass off. I don't know how you guys do it." I ask the ranger of the party.

"You should have bought a thicker cloak, dummy." He scoffs. Dummy? Really? I'm the team leader but I still don't get any respect out of these people. In private at least.

"Is that a yes or a no?" I sigh as I stand up and start to make blood flow through my cold extremities once more.

"Yeah yeah. I'll help." He says, resigned to his terrible fate. We both go around camp looking for some more branches, preferably thicker ones as the fire is already started. I suddenly stop as I spot something a bit further into the forest. I squint my eyes to see better, but the few falling snowflakes get in my way. I walk back to the camp and dump the branches I found on the fire.

"I think someone is close by, be ready." I say in a normal voice. I know Lina heard me, she might be in her tent trying to keep warm but her hearing is very good. The others don't change what they are doing, but I see them checking their gears discreetly. Who would venture out here all alone? My question is quickly answered as I see a man, shorter than average, coming up to our camp.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to disturb you but could I sit by your fire to warm myself tonight?" The man has a thick cloak, black short hair and a beard. His eyes are brown and he looks normal. Bounty hunter? He doesn't look like an assassin or something sneaky.

"Who are you?" I ask our solitary guest.

"Max, I'm a bounty hunter. I guess you guys are here for Reagan too?" I nod at that. He looks slightly familiar but I can't seem to place him. Could we have crossed roads with him before?

"Have we met before?" I can’t help but ask.

"I'm not sure, are you guys adventurers or bounty hunters?" He asks me.

"Adventurers through and through." I respond proudly.

"I used to be an adventurer, maybe we crossed paths then.” He says as he looks up to the sky for a second.

“So I take it I can enjoy your fire tonight?" I look towards the others and see that they seem ok with it so I nod.

"Sure." I confirm. While he sits himself down, I peek at the wanted poster and look over the image and description once more. He is cleanly shaven on it, not a lot fits, but his face resembles the man. The beard makes it hard to be sure, and one thing is clearly wrong. It says he should have red eyes. Maybe it's not him, or he found a way to hide it? I might be paranoid but it doesn’t hurt to be in my line of work. The face on the poster is pretty common, no features that stand out. The only thing that matches for sure is that there is a resemblance and that he is shorter than average. Might be a coincidence, but out here? We'll keep an eye on him tonight.

Trying to warm his hands, he mostly keeps to himself after our initial exchange. My gut is telling me it's him but it doesn't make any sense for him to come up to us if it was. I mean the black hair could simply be colored, black is the easiest to do. But how do we go about this to be sure?

I mull about it when Matt comes up to me. He gestures for me to follow him. I get up and we get out of earshot but close enough to see the small camp. The snow crunches under our feet until we come to a stop.

"You think it's Reagan too?" He asks.

"Yeah, the resemblance is there, but it's not enough to be sure." I bite my lip in thought.

"Mhmm, the beard makes it hard to be sure." He agrees.

"Yeah, well I got a simple plan then I guess." I say as I spot our guest going behind a tree to pee.

"Well don't let me hang here?" Matt says.

"Just follow my lead. It's nothing very smart but should be enough." I say. We make our way back to camp, and Matt gets Lisa out of her tent. I see 'Max' coming back, and I tell him I have some more questions for him.

"What do you want to know?" He says, looking rather relaxed.

"Well, it’s suspicious that you are out here all alone. Plus you do resemble Reagan, you know that right?" I tell him up front.

"So? I work solo." He scoffs. So? That's his defense? Could it really not be him? His confidence is making me doubt. But there is one way to be sure.

"Well, to be sure I'll need you to shave your beard. It really makes it hard to be sure. Plus if you aren't Reagan, this shouldn't be of any consequence to you." He is silent at that for a bit. He seems to be thinking it over but suddenly, he feels a lot more relaxed, like he resigned himself to something.

"And here I thought there would be no way to be sure for you guys, damn I'm stupid." He tells us. So it is him! He isn't how I thought he would be. So relaxed like he is in control. We are four lower gold adventurers here, how can he be so calm?

"I have a question before we begin in earnest." I ask him. It lets us all get truly ready and synced up too. I see the other 3, hands on their weapons behind me.

"Shoot." He looks at me like we are having a nice conversation. It's unnerving. Can't he feel the tension in the air?

"Why aren't your eyes red, like it says on the wanted poster? Did you use magic to conceal it?" I ask him, acting relaxed while tensed and ready to pounce.

"No, nothing fancy like that. They are supposed to be brown. You don't want to see them turn red." He says in an ominous and sad tone. What is that supposed to mean? I steel myself at the fight I know is coming, slowly sinking into my stance. All four of us stand at the ready, while he just stands there, seemingly not ready to fight. We stand like that for a while, waiting for some unknown signal to break the tension and let it all explode into action.

No clear signal marks the start, but suddenly everyone is in motion. I see Lina casting a [Fireball] and Tessa throwing two knives at him while moving to surround him on the left. At the same time, Matt quickly moves to the right to shoot an arrow out of his line of sight. I charge straight at the man as he cuts the fireball, and it disappears suddenly. Simply dodging out of the trajectories of the other projectiles he comes straight at me.

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I prepare myself to receive his charge straight on, using the reach of my greatsword to keep him at bay while the others bombard him. Suddenly, he switches target right before being in my range, and his speed is suddenly completely insane. [Burst of Speed]? Must be. Before he can reach Tessa, I use [Body Guard] and my body throws itself in his path, faster than I could possibly move otherwise.

Not surprised, he stops in his tracks and slashes behind him, a red crescent comes out like a wave towards Matt who is caught off guard. Did he see it coming or did he simply make the best of the situation? I have never seen a skill similar to what he just used, and it seems awfully close to magic. But casting magic without saying the spell is impossible unless you are an archmage.

Matt somehow dodges the wave with a skill, but it still catches him in the leg. It’s a shallow wound and he isn’t crippled by any means but he is still slowed down. Taking some more distance Matt continues to obstruct his movements by shooting arrows, forcing him closer to the center. [Burst of Speed] has worn off but we don’t know how many times he can use it.

I close the small gap he made while attacking Matt and use my best skill right off the bat, we clearly can't underestimate him. My sword glows slightly at the use of [Cardinal Strike], suddenly it looks like there are 4 swords attacking from four different angles. Managing to block two of the hits, another is a glancing blow, but the last connects well on his left shoulder, leaving a deep gash.

I hoped he would use [Burst of Speed] again to block the attack as it would have tired him out a lot. We do need to take him alive, although no conditions are set on his state. I press forward, slashing left and right, Lina has opted to buff me instead of using attack magic. Tessa has taken her position behind him opposite to me, somehow making no sound in the snow.

Feeling a [Swiftness] and a [Bull’s Strength] spell kick in, I continue to attack, keeping him occupied. He parries or dodges all the blows, and I know he is stronger than me in a straight up fight. But with Matt shooting arrows in critical moments, it forces him to parry some of the blows instead of weaving out of the attacks. The threat of Tessa also keeps him honest.

As if she knows what I'm about to do, Tessa lunges forward silently using [Piercing Blow]. I use [Cardinal Strike] again and from the corner of my eye, I see Matt's arrow become two as he uses [Double Shot]. Strikes coming from all sides, he still doesn't react. Just when the different attacks are about to hit, a huge wave of power blows us all away, snow flying up everywhere. Again, an unknown skill. Getting up as fast as I can I don't see very much with all the snow blocking my view. I must have flown at least four or five meters back. I look around quickly, spotting Tessa and Matt at the edges of the falling snow.

I turn to check if Lina is alright behind me. I see him standing above her unconscious body. Gritting my teeth I charge him. Without [Swiftness] I'm definitely slower than he is, and when I swing at him horizontally, he deflects the blow into the ground. For a second I'm without support and my greatsword is useless as I won't have time to get it up to block. Defenseless I try to jump back, abandoning my sword, but he is faster than I am. Completely open I'm surprised when he doesn't go for a killing blow, simply getting in two good cuts in both my legs before backing off. Tessa and Matt are on him, but he is slowly retreating into the white draped woods.

I touch my amulet and say a quick chant. My legs slowly heal and I get up on my feet, slightly wobbly from the fast healing. My steps grow steadier as I run after him in the woods, trying to join the others still fighting. As I get closer to the fight, I see that Tessa has taken several cuts as she had to go into a straight up melee with him with Matt supporting her.

Jumping back, Reagan suddenly shouts at us to stop in a commanding voice making everyone pause for a second.

"I don't want to kill you, but I will have to if you continue. You are not strong enough to stop me so give it up." He is panting and I can see that he is tired. I use this short break to get closer, standing by Tessa. Breathing heavily, we look at each other. Is he bluffing? But we almost have him! So close, but the warning and his previous actions of not going for killing blows make me hesitate.

Matt looks at me with a determined expression. I glance at Tessa and she nods back at me. I nod at Matt before charging him again. He swings his sword before I can get in range and a red crescent of energy comes forth yet again. It's wide enough that we all have to dodge out of the way. I look at Reagan again and I see that his eyes have turned slightly red, a small cruel smile creeps up on his face. The air about him changes before he shakes his head and his serious expression returns just in time as I engage him in melee.

I only have it in me to use [Cardinal Strike] one more time. Judging from his tired state, he might have another [Burst of Speed] in him at most. What worries me is that dark reddish energy he uses. I sustain a few small injuries in our brief exchanges as I buy time for Tessa to get in a good position. Matt's support helps me avoid more serious injuries. An arrow finally strikes true on his left arm, and I see Tessa use her best skill. She can only use it once a day but it's our ace. She rushes at him from behind, lunging like last time, only when he swings at her [Shadow Strike] activates and only her shadow is left as it swings at his own shadow. I use [Cardinal Strike] and I see him moving at inhuman speed once more, this time parrying all of my blows, but Tessa swing hits him straight on as he is distracted by two arrows flying at him.

A large gash across his back paints the white snow red behind him. Murmuring something I can't make out, I see the cut closing on his back, a creepy smile back on his face, his eyes burning red. The air around him changed in a snap and I can feel cold sweat run down my back. I'm not sure what is happening but he is more dangerous now than ever before. My eyes meet his and I unconsciously take a step back. He seems huge, like a predator looking at prey. I don't even see him move, but suddenly, his face is a few centimeters from mine.

"You should have listened to him." His evil smile is all I can see.

He backs off, pulling the sword I hadn't realized was deep inside my chest out. He missed my heart, but I'm bleeding out. Falling to my knees, I look on with horror as Tessa screams and lungs at him, swatting her away like a fly with the back of his hand, she flies through the air before hitting a tree.

Matt is frozen, further back. Slowly walking towards him, I try to tell him to move, to get out of here, but only a gurgle can be heard as I sputter blood. Move Matt, please I beg of you. Despair grips my heart, I see the look of fear on his face, unable to move. He stands next to Matt, ever so slowly raising his sword.

"ENOUGH." I hear Reagan yell. I can't see his face, but Matt has fallen on his butt, slowly breathing, mouth slightly open as he stares at him. Reagan turns away and looks at me, his murderous aura gone. His brown eyes pierce mine as he speaks up for all of us to hear.

"Don't follow me, and give up on this bounty. It will only be your death if you push me." He says with a certain finality. I try to nod and see his walking form slowly continue deeper in the forest. The only sound is his footsteps crushing snow beneath his feet as he walks away. Pain flares and I can feel blood oozing out of my wound. My vision darkens slowly. Is this how I die? I lay in the snow, feeling my body getting colder, not only from the freezing weather and snow.

—

I wake up in a familiar tent, I try to get up but stop as immense pain flares up from my chest. I sense someone by my side in the cramped tent.

"Thank the gods, we thought we lost you." I hear Lina's familiar voice.

"How are you feeling?" I don't answer immediately, unsure of what to say to that.

"Like I almost died." I finally answer.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have been knocked out so easily." Her voice is full of remorse, but I'm not mad, how could I be? We didn't stand a chance from the beginning. That man is a monster. I recall those eyes, looking at me like I was nothing more than an insignificant insect. I shudder at the memory, before trying to sit up slightly. I huff in pain as I manage to get somewhat upright.

"It's not your fault Lina. I'm just relieved you are alright." I really am. Silence reigns for a bit before Lina steels herself.

"What happened? I asked Matt but he just stayed silent." She tells me, clearly curious. I ponder the question a bit. I truly do not know what that was, what he is.

"I'm not sure. The only thing I know is that he could have killed all of us easily." I finally answer. Lina looks at me shocked.

"Are you sure you are not exaggerating things? Yes, he was strong, but not that strong." She scoffs. I can hear disbelief in her voice, and I don't blame her.

"You don't understand, that wasn't even his real strength, he was holding back. Tessa attacked him and he just slapped her away Lina. Slapped, and she flew through the air like she was nothing." My voice trembles at the memory.

"What do we do now?" She asks.

"We get the hell away from that monster." I say as I feel my hands shiver not only from the cold.

"What? But if he is that strong, we have to warn others! I don't think we were the only ones going to wait at the shivering pass. And maybe with others we could capture him." She tells me.

"No." I say firmly.

"But-" She starts.

"I said no." I cut her off.

"Fine." She walks out of the tent. I stay there, reflecting on the events.

—

After another day and more healing, I'm back up and feeling almost normal again. Lina came more than once and tried to make the case to go to the shivering pass to at least warn others. Matt was against the idea, but Tessa thought it was a good idea to at least warn the others that might wait there. After talking it through, we decided it is the right thing to do, but not to engage him in any way, and run if he comes at us. Lina begrudgingly accepted. It was clear she didn’t understand what we are up against as she wasn’t part of the last bit of the battle.

Two days after the battle, we decided to go straight to the pass using the main road. With a bit of luck, we could make it there before him. Surely he had to recover as we did, plus he can't use the road as a wanted man, and the snow should slow him down enough, at least I hope so. We take off, our group more silent than usual with everyone mostly keeping to themselves. Let's hope the others won't compete against each other, thinking he is an easy target.

Thinking about it, I can’t help but imagine blood covering the pass, with that man in the middle of gruesome remains. I shake my head to try and dismiss the thought, and urge the others to move faster. Let's hope it doesn't come to that or that we don’t arrive too late.