Zaki, Dimitri, and a small group of deserters who were interested in the reason they were being hunted took turns carrying the guard.

The man awoke several times while being carried but was knocked unconscious again by the person carrying him.

The deserters encountered more hunters, but Zaki and the others opted to avoid them and continue travelling because the hunters outnumbered their group.

After a long day of running, it was finally nighttime, and the gang slowed down and began to rest.

While the most of the gang loosened up a small group, including Zaki, appeared to be rather lively as they gathered around the unconscious injured guard who was lying down under a tree.

Zaki created a waterball and splashed it on the guard's face, causing him to awaken.

"ugh..."

"Raise and shine, Mr. guard"

"ARGH"

Dimitri said as he tapped the guard's hand with his leg, prompting him to scream.

"I'm sorry I didn't notice that; let me fix it."

"ARGH!"

"Enough, Dimitri; we haven't even asked anything yet."

Dimitri shrugged and remained silent.

"Alright Mr guard, why are y'all trying to kill us like there's no tomorrow?"

"what do you think? We have orders to kill deserters, it's been part of the law since the founding of the kingdom!, listen man, I have no choice here, we are in a similar situation and are just trying to survive" the guard said, still wheezing from the pain.

Zaki looked towards others with inquiring eyes, and one of the deserves spoke up

The provincial guards may be a bunch of dishonest, cowardly, and worthless people, but they are still a component of the kingdom's armed forces, and if they disobey the imperial edict, they will be put to death without a trial.

Zaki approached the guard and knelt next to him while gazing into his eyes and asking, "So you have no choice because you'll die if you don't kill us on sight?"

The guard hastily nodded as if he had discovered a way to survive: "Yes, there are several senior cultivators designated as law enforcers, and they'll kill anyone who disobeyed orders! And we can't stand against them; they are too strong.

"I see, but that's the stick, where's the carrot?"

The guard looks confused.

"what?"

"All right, let me rephrase that: what's in it for you?" What do you gain by killing us? "How much is this head worth?" Zaki used his thumb to gesture to his head.

The guard immediately became apprehensive and shifty-eyed, saying, "I'm not sure what you mean."

Dimitri leaned down closer the guard and stated, "you know exactly what we mean," before touching the guard's hand with his foot again, causing the guy to scream again.

"Dimitri, can you please give us some space?"

"...sure, should I do it again?" I saw an adventurer fix a man's broken hand and tie a bundle of sticks to hold it together, so I think I can do it too."

The guard already pale face became a shade paler.

"There's no need for that right now, Dimitri; he's been compliant for now, and you can fix it if he stops."

"...it's a shame, I even got the sticks, and I don't even need to tie the sticks, it will stick to the skin by itself," Dimitri "looked" dejected while holding many thorn-filled sticks.

The guard looked horrified as he just saw the thorn-filled sticks in Dimitri's hand.

"So will you spit it ou-"

"The enforcers will reward us an inferior grade nutritional fluid for every dead deserter! Pant* Please keep that guy away from me!"

'We barely even started our 'show', and this guy folded faster than laundry.' Zaki thought.

This was to be expected; after all, this guard is simply a regular guy doing a regular underpaid job; not everyone can be unaffected to intimidation and perhaps torture.

"Why would the 'enforcers' reward you for killing us?" Isn't that your job? Why should you be rewarded for doing your duty as guards?" Nastya was suspicious.

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"...well-"

"Dimitri!"

Seeing that the guard hesitated, Zaki called Dimitri and continued their "Show".

Seeing the "crazy guy" get closer again with the thorny sticks the guard lost his will again and talked again.

"T,t,they will reward us with acupoint realm cultivation techniques for every deserter captured alive!"

Now this was something that shocked many deserters, even though acupoints realm and its equivalents are just the second realm in cultivation, the techniques are still not within the reach of commoner like themselves.

The ways for the deserters to get their hands on such techniques are either to be born in cultivation families that has one or several such techniques in their libraries, or join certain organizations, such as sects, gangs or government institutions like military or police force like provincial guards, of course there other ways such as buying it from shops, but such techniques cost more than an arm and a leg, making it far from the reach of commoners like Dimitri that worked in a tavern or other deserters that were farmers or hunters.

Usually these techniques are given to members that are at the peak of first realm and has made contributions to the said organization, which is why it's very strange and suspicious that such techniques are being given to anyone that brings a deserter alive.

" are there any other conditions or they just give the techniques if someone brings a deserter alive?"

Nastya asked.

" both rewards are valid as long as the deserter has passed the third checkpoint, thats all I know! Please let me go, I had no choice here!"

"What checkpoints?"

Zaki asked while confused, but he wasn't the only one, several other deserters were confused too.

"there are seven outposts or you could call it checkpoints from the border fortress towards the border city which the two armies clashed just outside of, the seventh outpost is furthest from the fortress and the first outpost being closest."

Dimitri proceeded to lay down the thorny sticks on the ground in a triangular shape and then he laid another stick in the middle of the triangle, cutting it in two smaller triangles, all the while ignoring the fearful jolt from the guard that saw the thorny sticks.

" this is the border fortress"

Dimitri said, pointing at the tip of the triangle, he then pointed at the stick that cut the triangle in two.

" and this is the road that passes through the fortress and towards the city, you see the two smaller triangles? This are the forest that we are in right now."

Dimitri then pointed at the base of the triangles and slid his hand toward the tip.

" the forest we are in is massive and this triangle is just a tiny part of it...and the safest part, in this area there isn't any spirit, demonic or ferocious beasts, which is why we are still alive, and as y'all can see, as we move closer to the fortress, the narrower the "safe" part of the forest gets, and the closer we get to the main road and the outposts, which will result in the more encounters with guards and more battles to fight through.

Everyone looked grim, the bombshell Dimitri just dropped indicated their survival chances took a dive again.

"Do we have to go through the fortress? Is there any other way?"

Since the fortress's residents may have cleaned up the "dangerous" forest nearby, it should be a bit safer. Perhaps we could pass through it to get around the fortress.

Nastya spoke slowly, as if even she didn't believe what she was saying.

"I don't recommend that, the kingdom uses the forest as a natural barrier against smugglers and other vermin, cleaning that part of the forest will be detrimental to the kingdom, so it's probably teeming with beasts that can wipe us all out even if we run into only one of them."

Said a deserter that looked unusually clean.

"So should we do? Go through the fortress? We have no other choice" Dimitri said while looking at the unusually clean deserter, while feeling something was off.

Zaki narrowed his eyes and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword" I don't think I have seen you in this group before, mind introducing yourself?"

Dimitri's eyes widened and it clicked in his mind, he haven't seen this guy in the group before.

The air between the deserters got tense again and everyone subconsciously distanced themselves from the new guy with their hands on their weapons.

"My name is Ansgar Kempf, and I'm an archeologist. Don't worry, I'm one of you because I was conscripted by the army as well."

Ansgar, the deserter, put his gloved right palm on his chest and nodded to Zaki while introducing himself, obviously knowing who the unofficial leader is here during the time he mixed with the the group.

"When did you get here? "What exactly do you want?"

Zaki was concerned.

"A couple of hours ago, I saw your group running and decided to join, my apologies, I did not have time for proper introduction as everyone was moving in a hurry."

"Not to mention, if I had any malicious intentions, you wouldn't have stood a chance if I had ambushed you," he continued as the air around him blurred, akin to the wavey air over fire or other extremely hot items.

Everyone was taken shocked by this sight; the blurry air around him was an indication that he had reached the pinnacle of body tempering.

When a cultivator reaches the apex of the body tempering realm, his internal energy becomes so potent that it starts affecting the air around him.

It was a blatant display of power, and a very effective one at that, even though a stranger with immense power appeared out of nowhere within the group, it actually reduced the vigilance of the group, after all as he said, if he was malicious the group wouldn't stand a chance.

"What drew you to join this group with your strength?" With your strength, you can take care of yourself in this wilderness; a group will just hold you back."

"I joined for the same reason that kid just explained; taking on a fortress or circumventing it through a dangerous part of the forest, even with my strength, is just looking for Death."

Zaki nodded but he felt somthing didn't add up, the guy was strong, the guards shouldn't have been able to capture him and conscript him by force, but it was not Zaki's business, as long as the new guy didn't do do anything that reduced his chances of survival it didn't matter to him why or where he came from, and as a matter of fact, the new guy actually increased their chances of survival which was even more of a reason for Zaki to not pursue the matter.

Zaki turned his attention away from the new guy towards the guard" what should we do with this guy?"

Seeing everyone's attention turning to him, the guard panicked" I,I said everything you wanted to know, please let me g-"

His pleading was cut short by a stab to the neck, by the guy with the tree bark shield

"Why did you do that!?"

"What do you mean? You got what you wanted to know, now was the time for this guy to die as per the agreement."

Although Zaki felt uncomfortable, he couldn't say anything after all that was the agreement, even though it was decided by Nastya, Zaki had acquiesced to it.

Zaki took a deep breath and turned his head away from the guards eyes that looked extremely unwilling, then went towards one of the trees further from the group and sat under it, ignoring the new guy, the deserter that killed the guard and others.

He had a long and tiring day, and he had to collect his thoughts.