Somewhere at the border of the Asta Empire.

"Stop if you know what's good for you!"

"Never!!"

"Get him!"

(Whistle!)

"Lassie! Get!"

"Hahh... hahh..."

A boy was running through the woods trying to evade his pursuers. Wearing a flat brown leather cap, white long-sleeved shirt, and slightly loose denim pants whilst carrying an oversized messenger bag at his side.

"Ah?!!"

The boy shrieks when the wolf pounced on him from behind. It gnawed at his shirt trying to tear it apart.

"Go away! Go away!!"

"Hey! Don't kill him!"

"Nah we're good. Lassie! Stay!"

At his master's command, the wolf stood still beside the child.

"You gave us a bunch of problems you know, but thanks to you we'll strike it rich!"

"Give me the bag!"

"No!!"

(Grrr...)

When one of the pursuers took the bag from him the boy tried to snatch it back, but the wolf stepped on him keeping him on the ground.

"What the heck is this? Herbs?"

"Can I see?"

"Here."

"Aren't these the herbs they use to make healing potions out of?"

"Did we get the wrong person?"

"Nah, it can't be. Hey, kid!"

"Ugh!"

"Where did you hide it?"

The man kicked the boy in the stomach-turning him over.

"Hide what?"

While in pain he held his stomach, as he glared at the person asking him.

"Don't play dumb. The empire wouldn't such an extravagant bounty on you if they don't have any reason to get you alive."

"Look through the bag thoroughly. He may have just hidden it somewhere inside, seeing that he was anxious to get it back."

One of the men tips the bag over dropping its contents on the ground. Then the man beside him picked something off of the floor.

"What's this small round thing?"

"It is more like an oblong shape though."

"I know that! Hey, runt."

Both of the men examined the tiny unfamiliar object. Unable to understand what it was they went back to the boy.

"Urgh!!"

One kicked the boy for the second time in which the child nearly spat out, but it gave him the chance to slid his hand into his pocket.

"Tell us what thi-"

(Shatter!)

The child threw a thin glass ball at the wolf. When it hit, it broke releasing a dense smog.

"SON OF A?!"

"Violent smoke? Poison?!!"

"Antidote! Antidote!"

While his pursuers were disoriented. The child used this time to snatch his bag and escape.

After some time... the wolf was staring at both of the men who were holding their necks gasping for air while rolling on the ground.

"Huh?"

"This is just smoke! We've been had!!"

The child ran as fast as he could till he got to the stream. Catching his breath he leaned on a nearby tree.

"What's that awful smell?"

Following the smell. He immediately covers his nose and mouth when he sees where it was originating from...

He saw with his own two eyes. Bodies, a lot of them floating in the stream. A majority of it had gotten stuck in the bank.

"The wolves had the scent!"

Hearing them nearby, he panics and shoves his bag into the hole of the tree he was leaning on. He then ran to the bank to where the bodies were.

"Where's the kid?"

"Dunno, Lassie led us here."

"What the fuck is that smell?!!"

Both of the pursuers immediately covered their noses upon seeing the corpses.

"Where did these bodies come from?"

"Judging from the current these may have come from the Pilapil Mountains..."

"Do you think that they fell off a cliff?"

"Who knows..."

"Oy, there's a chick here."

They saw a woman lying by the bank. Her wet golden hair covering her face.

"Too bad she's dead she was good looking though."

(Whiz!)

When one of the pursuers used his foot to spread the woman's legs open. A large arrow suddenly went past in between them and hit the tree that was on the other side of the stream. The force of the impact made the tree lean over a few degrees, displaying the power behind it.

"What do you think you're doing?"

There were five people by the trees. One had her mythril longbow angled at the ground.

They all wore magnificent clothing with the same rising closed-fist crest by their left arm.

"The empire corps?!"

"Why are you spending time looking at a woman's privates instead of searching for the boy?"

"O-our apologies the wolf brought us here."

The woman angrily approached and questions them searching for answers.

"Artemis, I know that you are disgusted by these kinds of acts, but can you let it slide for now?"

"I'm sorry I lost my composure, Lionel." [Artemis]

The woman glanced back as she offered her apology.

"That's ok I understand why you did that." [Lionel]

"So the scent huh? Any idea where the kid went?"

"No... he may have crossed or swam down the stream..."

Another person asks the trackers but he felt unsatisfied with the answer they had given.

"What do you think Grant?" [Lionel]

"He couldn't have gotten far." [Grant]

"Hughes?" [Lionel]

"It would be much more efficient if we split up. That way we can cover more ground quickly." [Hughes]

"Do you want me to cast a web in the area?"

"Appreciated Lynette, but no need. By the time you finished invoking the kid may have been out of range by then." [Lionel]

"Understood." [Lynette]

"Well, then how about you guys?" [Lionel]

"We will uh..."

"Go back to town, we'll take over from here." [Lionel]

"But we took the bounty request first! If we go back empty handed we'll have to pay for the fine!!"

"You've already received a sum as part of your payment for tracking the boy, but you weren't able to catch just a simple child. The Emperor is very unpleased at your performance that he has decided to send us in order to retrieve him." [Lionel]

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Didn't the Emperor call us because we are the best of the best? We are certain that we can catch him just let us have more time!"

"We are moving under the direct orders of the Emperor! If you chose to delay us any further then we will have no choice but to dispose of you." [Artemis]

Artemis lifted her bow and aims it at the man. The projectile is an arrow made out of titanium the size of an arm.

"Wait-wait!!"

"We concede, do what you want!"

One immediately raised his arms to show that he wanted nothing out of it, while the other grunted at them. The five waited until the trackers left the area and soon after they scattered.

(Splash!)

"Pwah!"

The boy rose out of the water catching his breath. The small straw in his mouth was filled with water that he used to breathe in air, but the uneven flow may have let some water inside of it...

There was a small indentation in the rocks behind the woman that could fit a small person. He was under the blonde woman and used her clothing as cover.

He was relieved that the trackers hadn't noticed him when they moved the woman's skirt.

"I'm sorry for using you as cover, but I hope that you'll forgive me. So to make up for it I will give you a proper burial..."

The boy held the unmoving woman by the arm.

"Cold..."

As he was about to pull her off to the bank.

(Thump-thump... ... ... thump-thump...)

"A heartbeat? She's alive?!"

The boy looked everywhere troubled on what to do.

"Ahh?! Her pulse is dropping!"

Due to the direness of the situation, he quickly put his small arms around the woman's shoulders and tugged with all his might. Slipping a few times here and there from the mud till he got the woman out of the embankment, where she was on dry ground shone on by the warm sunlight.

Running back to his bag he immediately searched for its contents and brought it over to the woman.

"Please let this work..."

The boy took out something small and puts it into the woman's mouth and prayed for the best.

Like magic, moments later the woman's pale complexion reverted back to their natural color.

"Yes!!"

"Urgheh! Urgheh!"

As if having the water being forcibly taken out of her lungs she gagged and spat.

"A-are you alright?"

Slightly opening her eyes, she glanced at the boy before falling out of consciousness again...

"Hey?!"

Nightfall came as the boy waited for the woman to wake up. He was sweating profusely because he needed to move her to a place that was out of sight.

He started a small campfire to keep themselves warm and to dry their clothing. At first, the boy thought of leaving her by the campfire, but it would only defeat his purpose of saving her.

The border between the Blackrock Republic and the Asta Empire is known to be riddled with monsters because the border acts like a protected zone where there is little to no disturbance coming from either side.

The Asta Empire had once waged war with the Blackrock Republic about a decade ago and both sides have received massive casualties during their battles. Knowing that continuing the war will only weaken both countries they have issued a ceasefire. It has only been three years since the ceasefire was in effect, but the scars of war still remained...

"Mmn..."

The woman groans as she curled up from the cold, so the boy moved to her side to help her warm up.

Checking out his pockets he pulled out a couple of silver coins and a few bronze coins. Wedged in his shoes were a small dagger which had a couple of nicks on its edge, not from use but from the low standard it was made.

He sighs and shakes his head. Looking up at the starry sky as if trying to forget his worries. Soon after his stomach rumbled, his face flushed red he turned towards the woman, he was thankful that she was still sound asleep. The boy remembered that he hadn't eaten much in days from running continuously away from his pursuers.

(Rustle...)

The boy jumped upon hearing the bush move. He brought out his dagger and pointed, anticipating something to come out.

(Rustle... rustle... rustle...)

"Eek!"

He screams when the thing jumped out of the bush. When he took a second look at it his tension relieved.

"Just a deer..."

He marveled at the deer that was in front of him and somewhat felt hungry while watching it. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that it was breathing heavily looking around with its ears perked up scanning its surroundings.

A second later... something pounced on the deer. It pinned it on the ground with its fangs against its throat.

It was a sabertooth... The boy watches in horror as the deer struggles kicking and moving its head side to side trying to break free from the hold.

The sabertooth bit harder and it sent blood flying all over the surroundings.

When the deer ceased the sabertooth licked its dead carcass and the blood from its paw. It's like it wasn't even bothered that they were there...

Afterward, the boy and the sabertooth gazed down at one another. It then glanced at the woman who was sleeping by the fireplace.

"I-I won't let you pass!"

The boy moved in between the sabertooth and the woman. He tried putting on a brave front but his shaking body and voice showed the opposite.

The sabertooth soon made its move and it slowly tries to go around the boy towards the woman.

It made a few false charges because the boy kept blocking its way every time, but the sabertooth soon had enough of his meddling and it tackled the boy to get past him.

He fell but managed to pull at its leg. Making the sabertooth hit its head on the ground.

When he reached for his dagger he couldn't grasp it. Perturbed he desperately searched, only to know that it had fallen somewhere.

The sabertooth then jumped on top of him. It attempted to bite at his exposed neck, but he used both of his arms to push away its jaw.

"?! Ahhhhhhh!!!"

Pain surged through the boy as the sabertooth buried both of its sharp claws at his shoulders. The boy cried knowing that there is nothing he could do as the saliva fell from the sabertooth's mouth on top of him.

Closing his eyes wishing this to end quickly so that he wouldn't feel any more pain and suffering.

(Swish!)

The sabertooth stopped moving and all of a sudden its lower half fell on his left and the upper half fell on the right.

Bewildered he sat upright and right in front of him whose silhouette was overshadowed by the fire, was the woman holding the dagger. Its edge dyed in a radiant crimson.