Waking up to Chiyo's face an inch from his own was certainly not the most comfortable experience.
But it certainly got the job done in getting him out of bed.
"Chiyo! What the hell!" Jack exclaimed as he fell to the floor in shock. Her eyes just widened slowly as Jack realised that he hadn't been wearing that much.
"You're lucky!" He heard Nika say as she walked in having heard the commotion. "Usually with Sephy she just yeets her- oh hello!" She whistled on seeing Jack.
"You can oggle me later, unless you want to watch me use the bathroom?" Jack replied dryly, completely unimpressed.
Well…
"That's a 'no', Chiyo," the Kizun grinned, to an unimpressed look from the Ilithii. "We need to hurry up and get ready, then probably wake Sephy up again. Plan is to get a quick rest and a hearty breakfast at the tea garden as early as possible, then make a line for the city limits. The quicker the better too, a few local hunters have publicly announced their intention to go after Jack's bounty, and goodness knows how many others…"
That got Jack's adrenaline flowing. Not needing any prompting he rushed to the bathroom to change and got ready in rapid time.
******
Though Jack was now much more heavily armed than before, he was still rather terrified as they briskly made their way down the relatively deserted streets, quickly reacting to any sudden movements. Alora tried to reassure him, and calmed him to the point where he didn't have a constant grip on his rifle, but that didn't mean he wasn't ready to draw and let loose the moment something went wrong.
Despite some shifty gazes from passersby, they made it to the tea garden in excellent time, picking a remote, out-of-the-way table close to the exit. Jack constantly kept his hood up to conceal his identity. It was a risk coming here, but the others were insistent on a warm hearty breakfast before they set off. It was a long trip after all, and even with Jack and Nika carrying the lion's share, they could only carry so much. Jack had to admit though, when the breakfast platters Alora had ordered showed up, he was more than happy with the compromise. There were several stacks of unusually flavoured pancakes which Chiyo immediately helped herself to, with several sweet syrups and spreads of all sorts of colours. There were also unusual-looking eggs and several different meats which Nika insisted everyone eat to get their dose of protein in, though Chiyo wanted to argue against it in favour of more pancakes. They had ordered their own teas as well, with Jack electing for a yellow citrus brew served in a large tankard that, according to the menu, would 'focus and sharpen his senses'. Whether that was just a bunch of marketing crap or legitimate he didn't know. All he knew was that it tasted pretty dope.
Nika had also insisted on a round of Swifts, which was apparently a popular energy drink that the girls liked, rationalising that it would help them make good distance from the city limits in a short time before taking a rest, avoiding the bounty hunters. Jack had consumed Red Bull before, but these were slightly less sugary. For the others though, the green liquid served to properly wake them up.
Do we know which bounty hunters have publicly laid their claims on Jack or Alora? Chiyo asked while gorging herself on yet more pancakes.
"A few low-level hunters have put their puck on Jack's bounty," Nika replied in between calculated sips of her tea. "Many seem to want to get into House Mal'kar’s good books with the lethal bounty, but a couple of hunters are known to use non-lethal methods and probably want to bring him in alive. I've checked them out, many probably won't try it on seeing us together, so if anyone does actually go for it they're stupidly desperate.”
Anyone in particular you think will? Chiyo asked curiously.
“We’ve got ‘Zhal Han the Magic Man’ who claims to have mastered a close combat style that rivals all others and has given him near godlike power. He’s put videos up on NetTube with obvious paid actors that are just too damn funny. He keeps dipping and dodging challenges from other masters and so wants to claim some notable bounties to legitimise his claim.”
I’ve seen those videos! I almost want him to find us so you or Jack can kick his ass!
"And I’d be happy to!” Nika grinned. “We’ve also got this guy…” She pulled out her device, and Jack could see a severely morbidly obese avian. “Bit of a scumbag. Calls himself ‘The Redeemer’ for some reason. He has quite a lot of bounties on him as well for being caught talking inappropriately to young girls, racism towards other species… apparently there’s even one for ‘excessive sniffing of fingers in the presence of high society.’ and another for riding on the name ‘The Redeemer’ which is used by another, more experienced hunter. He’s coming after Jack because he wants money for weight-loss surgery.”
“We can shoot that one, right?” Jack asked, as he was not completely sure of the group’s rules of engagement.
“Only if it turns hot,” Alora gently replied, though Jack could see she was a bit conflicted on that. “Honestly, maybe the other hunters will go for him instead if they don’t find us.”
“Agreed. Let this guy be a distraction for the rest,” Nika confirmed. “Last guy that looks interesting, ‘Dubaaku’ claims to be a former priest of Nekdon that received a vision compelling him to kill Jack. Not much is known except that he’s claimed to have visions sending him after other people somewhat regularly, so it’s likely he’s just mentally ill rather than getting messages from a dead god. He’s probably the biggest threat out of those that have announced themselves.”
“Nekdon’s one of the school’s founder gods, right?” Jack asked. “What was he god of again?”
“He’s mainly known for dark secrets and hidden knowledge.” Chiyo shrugged. “But he had darker portfolios when he was alive, like undeath. Undead and dark wizards used to worship him a lot.”
“Any other threats we should know about?” prompted Alora.
"Social media seems to be pretty active too," Sephy added, looking a little worried. "Most of them are probably just datanet tough guys trying to look edgy and hardcore, but I’ve seen some that look serious. A few Red Legion affiliated groups are trying to band together and form a posse, but there are arguments on who will lead it. Got some gang chatter about Jack as well, apparently a few of them seem to think that Jack looks like an unknown entity that completely ripped the Ravagers gang apart at the Pallid Pit. Most want to avoid him for that reason, but a few gangs are talking about taking him down for street cred."
"Any gangs in particular you think are a threat?" Nika asked.
"The usual krakshit crazy undead assholes." Sephy shrugged. "The Crypts started talking about it so naturally the Bloods want a piece of the action first. No idea if this will come to anything though, since those two fight over everything. Most sensible gangs don't care, but we might get some trouble from either the crazies or the ones with something to prove."
"Then we shouldn't give them the opportunity." Alora shrugged. "What about my bounty?"
"Only House Mal'kar wants you dead, the rest want you alive," Nika confirmed.
Still, we should avoid conflict with hunters if we can, Chiyo added, typing the message out for Jack to see. However should one successfully track us down, we should show no mercy. Sending a message to the others will hopefully get them to back off.
Jack decided to say nothing. His friends were more experienced with this kind of thing, so he would leave it to them for now. Certainly he hoped he was prepared for anything that might happen.
"We will cross that bridge when we get there." Alora decided. "Let's finish up here and then we could…"
They were interrupted by a small group of ratfolk waiters (who according to Chiyo were a species called 'Lizta') that quickly and quietly approached them, with the oldest among them speaking up apologetically.
"We are most sorry, honoured guests, but a situation has arisen."
"What situation?" Alora cautiously asked, as she gave a quick, knowing glance to Chiyo.
"Unfortunately, another guest is refusing to respect our establishment as accorded neutral territory, and has begun asking questions regarding Mr Frost and Miss Glenphyranix, disturbing the other patrons," another Lizta spoke up, resting a reassuring hand on the first speaker's shoulder. "We would like to apologise for your meal being disturbed and offer you the use of our staff tunnels in order to make a discreet exit, as well as waive the fee for your meal."
"Oh no, waiving the fee won't be necessary," Alora politely replied as she looked towards Chiyo, who gave a subtle nod of her head.
Auras check out, they are being sincere
"But we would appreciate the opportunity to leave without causing any trouble," Alora finished.
"How did they even find us?" Sephy asked. "I thought we were safe."
"If I may," the elderly Lizta spoke up to answer. "The individual does not know you are here currently from what we understand, but rather has learned of your previous visits to our humble establishment, for which we are most grateful for. If you would please follow us and try not to bring attention to yourselves, we will escort you to the next district."
They quickly gathered their things and subtly made their way towards one of the central serving huts, hearing a loud, boisterous voice as they got closer…
"LOOK HERE! LOOK LISTEN!" The voice yelled, as several other early-morning patrons nearby were visibly uncomfortable. "SOME GUY CALLED JACK'S BEEN VISITING THIS JOINT AND I WANNA KNOW WHERE HE IS! REAL TAWK!"
Jack took a quick peek at the speaker from around the huts, having used the nearby furniture and building to block their sight. It was the morbidly obese Avian Nika had shown them a few minutes ago. What was his name again? Oh yeah. The Redeemer.
"Excuse me, sir?" Jack spoke up to the old man, feeling bad. "I don't want to cause you any trouble on my account, I can go and confront him if you want."
"That's very kind of you young man, but that won't be necessary," the elder Lizta replied with a warm smile. "My grandson has told me about what you can do, and though we appreciate the offer, we would prefer that this be resolved with discretion."
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"You're Kritch's grandfather?" Jack asked, surprised.
"Indeed," the old man replied. "Here we are. Skreeti will show you the way." He nodded to one of the younger Lizta in the group before whispering into his comm, "Sniper teams, are you in position?"
"If you would please follow me!" Skreeti nervously spoke up as he opened the door to the hut to reveal a staircase before leading the way down. Sephy quickly tapped Jack's arm to draw his attention to another very subtle shadowmark, this one being a simple circle within a triangle. Nodding his understanding, Jack quickly followed the others down the stairs as they heard the Redeemer continue to rage as the Lizta confronted him.
"I'M GETTING REAL TIRED OF THESE SNIPERS MAN!"
"Sir! I must ask you to immediately remove yourself from the premises or our sniper teams will open fire. You are no longer welcome at our establishment, and you will be shot on sight if you return…."
"I wouldn't be surprised if the old man puts a bounty on him for this," Skreeti joked as they quickly made their way through an immense warren of tunnels before emerging into what looked like an abandoned house. Listening intently at the door and presumably finding it safe, he quickly opened the door and ushered them out.
"Alright you should be good now!" The Lizta nodded at the group. "Just for reference of where you are, the Temple of Hope is that way." He pointed vaguely to their right. "Anyway, I'd better get back. We hope you come back despite what has happened."
"We will!" Alora chirped up. Thank you!"
Skreeti simply nodded once more before closing the door and leaving the group alone on the deserted street.
"Using tunnels to burrow up into abandoned houses, huh?" Nika bemusedly asked.
We need to start moving. Where one asshole makes a scene, more will quickly follow.
"Yeah we need to go," Sephy agreed, as Jack subtly brought her attention to another identical shadowmark carved into the doorframe where they just left. It was unlikely to be a coincidence…
"Alright, let's hustle then," Alora decided. "Towards the Temple of Hope for a quick blessing at the wayshrine for whoever wants it since it’s on the way, then carrying on to the city gates!"
They picked up the pace, putting distance between themselves and the tea garden they had just fled. Jack knew it had been a risk to go there, but he was still surprised that someone had come along and gotten close to finding them, even if they had been a complete idiot. It made him wonder what his smarter enemies were doing to try and find him. He had been to the Temple of Hope before and had admitted as much to his form class, so it was entirely possible they were walking into a bad situation.
He pulled up his hoodie again, and gripped his rifle tightly.
It was still early in the morning, but as they quickly made their way through the honeycomb of districts towards the temple, Jack noticed more and more people start to wake up, though he agreed with the others when they said they were either early risers or nocturnal based on their species.
Hey, you don’t need to worry so much! Chiyo messaged him, sensing the anxiety in his aura. Most people don’t check the boards - the only way most people know about bounties is if it appears in the news if people have done really bad things! Even if these people know about it, they’re not going to care!
“It might not be everyone we meet that wants to kill or capture me,” Jack whispered back, not relaxing at all. “But it could be anyone…”
“Should be good once we leave the city, very few people go out and about on foot unless they’re up to no good!” Sephy added, Chiyo apparently telling the others what she’s writing to Jack. “Usually people take ships between established towns and cities if they can afford it, so most people far from the city are either some kind of asshole or some kind of hermit, who are usually also assholes.”
“So wait.” Jack stopped. “Why aren’t we taking a ship?”
“Riskier for you for one thing.” Nika sighed. “Spaceports and chokepoints are the first places bounty hunters like to hang out just in case any targets come by, it’s lazy but it works. The closest we’d get by public shuttle is the town seven hours away on foot anyway, which is too expensive and only runs once a month. Trust us, it’s better this way.”
“Fair enough,” Jack conceded, not having known about the logistics.
They eventually got to the temple district, which just so happened to be on the way to the city gate they wanted to take. It had been Alora’s idea to visit the wayshrines on the way out, apparently an old tradition among pilgrims and travellers which petitioned any gods that could hear to bless them with safe passage. Jack didn’t worry about it, not knowing too much about the gods save for the scant few he had learned about over the past few days. Instead he kept Sephy company, who didn’t look too comfortable being around the temple again.
“Don’t worry about me, we’re just passing through.” Sephy sighed as she sat down next to him on a nearby bench. “You should go ask for a blessing from Astara or something.”
“Wouldn’t even know how to go about doing that, to be honest.” Jack chuckled. “Aren’t the gods meant to be watching over us already? What would going for the blessing even do?”
“Haven’t a clue if I’m honest.” Sephy smiled. “It’s more tradition for the others, and it’s important for them so I don’t kick up a fuss.”
“Fair enough….” Jack replied, not really knowing what else to say. He knew he should probably bring up what happened between them at the tower, but a combination of the early morning, not finding the words and everything that had happened in between then and now stopped him. He’d bring it up later. Giving his excuses, he got up and took a walk, trotting over to what looked like a noticeboard, figuring that he’d try and be useful and see if there were any local bounties. In hindsight he should have probably spoken to Nika or Alora about where to look first, since he didn’t find anything that was really useful. There was a freshly posted alert about a creature sighting north of the city limits and a tattered sheet of paper with the message ‘buying gf’, but apart from that it was just rows upon rows of missing people posters, many having last been seen in the districts attacked by the Killer Klown.
As the group reconvened and set off, they passed many groups of refugees and others displaced in the attacks. Jack could see the blank faces of those that had lost it all. It deeply echoed how he was when he first arrived, and how lucky he was that the temple was in a position to help him. Only this time, there were too many, and he didn’t know if the temple could help them all.
When they passed an automated donation station, Jack didn’t even know how much of his cut from the Prefect’s Lockup he donated to the relief efforts before catching up to the others, but the looks of shock and awe the nearby volunteers gave him hope that it would mean things would get better for some of these people.
The group hurried through the streets, wanting to be well away from the city before it got busy. Though Jack did get several curious looks, Chiyo reassured him that it was more of an idle curiosity than any ill intent. They hadn't ever seen a human before, after all.
As they got closer and closer to the city exit they had planned beforehand, Jack could see the devastation around them get progressively worse. Seeing the attack on TV had certainly been an experience, but seeing the aftereffects up close was simply….harrowing.
"You guys are sure we're not going to run into the Killer Klown, right?" Jack asked, suddenly much less worried about the groups and individuals actively gunning for him.
"Quite sure," Alora answered seriously, also taking in the ruins around them. "Their war party is being tracked by powerful organisations looking to destroy them, so we'd know if they were close, but there may well be a pocket or two of Klowns separated from the main group after the chaos of battle."
"Who I want us to engage if we can," Nika added. "They're weaker the further they are from their leader, so it's an easy bounty for us. Not to mention they fucking deserve it, of course."
"Agreed," Alora simply replied.
"Could they be interrogated for information?" Jack asked. "Find their hideout or rendezvous point?"
"Nope," Sephy answered. They were silent for a few moments before Chiyo elaborated. They lack the intelligence to do so, having much of their sentience removed in what is believed to be an invasive magical and surgical procedure.
"Sorry Jack, it's a good idea but no," Alora added. "Though it's unknown to the public if that's the case for the officers. They're few in number and can't be taken alive."
"That we know of," Sephy pointed out.
"Give no quarter and show no mercy," Jack answered in understanding. "Got it."
The militia at the gate had been mighty suspicious when the group requested to be let out, but didn't stop them. Alora had just stated that they were going on a camping trip to some old ruins to the west to check for artefacts, and they seemed to buy it, warning them to be careful.
Jack had to admit, he wasn't sure what to expect outside of the city. He had seen forests and public gardens around, which he had mostly chalked up to artificial decoration, but he certainly didn't expect to be walking through a full-blown overgrown forest. He knew that Hive Station Bastilla was an artificial god-construct that formed a ring around the star, and was many, many times the size of traditional planets, but he never expected things to look so….natural.
Through the canopy above he could see mountains rising up into the clouds, he could hear the birds chirping in the sky and animals scurrying among the trees.
It was beautiful.
"Alright!" Nika enthusiastically exclaimed, about 15 minutes after they left the city limits pointing ahead. "That's Feathertop Hill. Once we cross into the next district we've just got to climb it and get our bearings."
That elicited groans from the others, excluding Jack. Even Chiyo who was floating the entire time didn't look too pleased.
"Nika, we have a navroute," Sephy complained, bringing up a visual display to show her. "We don't need to 'get our bearings' by climbing a big-ass hill. Didn't you say we needed to make distance? This isn't helping."
"Nice try Sephy," Nika grinned. "But you know as well as I do that the networks don't cover the wild territories and we planned the route using old maps. It'd also be a good way to see any signs of activity from any other groups operating in the area, so I'm afraid there's no getting out of it!"
"Couldn't you and Jack just run up and tell us?" Alora asked despairingly.
Rule 1. Chiyo reluctantly countered, typing it out to make sure Jack wasn't left out.
"What's Rule 1?" Jack predictably asked.
"Don't split up on a mission unless you have a really good damn reason," Nika clarified. "And a small hill like this one isn't a good reason."
"Does this even count though?" Alora asked. "We're about 15-20 minutes outside the city, it's not like we're in hostile territory…"
"It counts if the fucking Killer Klown was nearby recently," Nika adamantly stated. "And it helps Jack learn how we should go about this kinda stuff."
"Fine," Alora stated. "But a five-minute rest when we get to the top "
"I’ll allow it." The Kizun snorted in amusement as she led the way.
Jack had no idea why the girls were so bothered about a hill. It wasn't even that far out of the city and they were worried about being tired? Was it to do with their alien biology? Would they be doing this the entire trip?
As it turned out, it was mostly the sleep deprivation talking, rather than the physical difficulties Jack was worried about. The mood lifted as they began the steep walk up the winding path, and though there was slight panting from Chiyo as she followed the others, Sephy was quick to hand her a bottle of water when they got to the top, the grateful Ilithii sitting down with her and Alora to take whatever rest Nika would allow them.
After making sure the others were alright, Jack joined Nika on the edge of the summit as she looked around, making notes down on her commlink.
“Everything alright?” he asked.
“Meh, should be good,” she replied, distractedly. “We’ve gotta make some more distance before we have a proper rest, but we’ve made alright progress.”
“How much more can the others take? You’re not pushing them too hard, are you?”
“Should be alright.” Nika nodded. “We’ll all need a long rest when we get to the spot I have in mind, but it’s better than dawdling and having hunters find us. I still had to get up here to check the route though, we might have a few shortcuts where district walls have crumbled, but I’ve not seen anything bad yet.”
“The tree cover won’t help,” Jack noted as he looked around. “But larger groups would be easier to spot if they were around.”
“Agreed.” Nika sighed in relief at the confirmation. ”We should be safe….”
“Hey Dad! Isn’t that the guy with the bounty you were talking about earlier?” a boy’s voice sounded from nearby.
“Hey! You’re right, Braandun!” A jovial reply came from close by. “Let’s go talk to them! I’m sure they’re nice people!”
“Fuck.” Jack and Nika groaned.