Debt is a bitch. In the last seven years, I haven't had a place to call home. I've spent my days roaming from town to town. It's only a matter of time before he finds me, but I like to think I've cheated death too many times before to care. I think a loss in my tangle with death is long overdue. I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in forever. I can't even recall the last time I felt at ease. Bounty hunting is a nasty line of work, but it's decent pay, so I'm not complaining. At least not too much. It'll take a while to pay off my debts, but we'll get there when we get there.

One week ago, a bounty of 60 million was placed on the head's of two fugitives. Normally, the king lets his men handle matters like this. But, things are different this time around. Most of the jobs I take come from shady people. But on the off chance a public bounty pops up? That's an opportunity I can't pass up.

I know nothing about these two, only that one wears glasses while the other has a blue bow in their hair. That's all I need.

My name is Frederick Scott, but my enemies know me as the Red Viper. I don't care who I have to kill, as long as I can continue living on my own.

When he placed the bounty, King Oddmin was very specific that they be left alive. Any hunter that violated that rule will die alongside them. I'd prefer a quicker route, but I'd rather not get on Oddmin's bad side.

I left Luna Village about 4 days ago to make my way to the Viridian Valley. If they haven't died due to the climate yet, I can find them. I've already charted their possible routes, and I can easily catch up to them.

After a long day of traveling, I decided to stay the night in a town called Badhassa. As I roam the streets looking for the nearest inn, a voice calls out to me.

"Hey."

I looked over at where the voice was coming from, squinting slightly.

"You're the Red Viper, right?"

He seems to know me, then again lots of people come to me with assassination requests. But the malice in his tone tells me he's got something else in mind. I turn to him and raise an eyebrow.

"You need something?"

"Cut the small talk."

He reaches to the leather satchel on his side and pulls out an aged piece of paper. He holds it in the air, seemingly flagging me with it. A bounty poster? He's worth a whole lot, maybe I should go after him later...

"That man. He was my brother."

He takes a moment to stare at the page, then back at me.

"You killed him."

Come to think of it... he does seem familiar. Now that I get a better look at the man on the page, I can't help but snicker while thinking about the chase.

"Hehe, I remember now. That old bastard was quite the chase. He almost escaped on a ship to the Quoman Islands before I caught up to him. How long ago was that?"

The man glares at me while I continue my story. While I go on and on, he narrows his eyes. After a while, he rudely interrupts me.

"Is this some sort of a joke to you?"

Alright, maybe I shouldn't have done that...

"Sorry, sorry. I guess my lack of sleep is getting to me-"

I already know this guy's got some ulterior motives, but I'm trying to get out of here as fast as possible and clock out at the nearest inn. Although I wouldn't mind a small fight before the night ends. As the clock strikes 11, the bell tower rings, and I turn away from the man.

"Guess that's my sign to leave..."

I shuffle forward, but he puts a hand on my shoulder. He's not gonna let me off the hook, is he?

"We're not done here."

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Ugh. Of course we aren't.

"My brother's blood is on your hands! I'm not letting you go that easily! This isn't some game!"

I groan as I turn back to him.

"You're right, it's not a game. It's business. I only care about getting my paycheck. Your brother was worth half a million, If you're concerned about that..."

I reach my hand to the hilt of my katana, and gently inch it out of the sheath.

"You're more than welcome to join him."

As quick as the words leave my mouth, he's already drawn his sword and rapidly approaches me. An amused chuckle escapes my lips.

"Well, alright then!"

I quickly draw mine and block his slash, following with a kick to his gut. He takes a moment to wipe away the blood trailing from his lip. The man angrily points his blade at me and opens his mouth.

"That was a cheap move!"

"Yeah, that's why I did it."

While he's caught off guard, I charge at him and slice at his neck. He quickly moves out of the way, but I managed to graze his ear.

"Argh! Damn you!"

I snicker at his weak insult. He grasps his ear and winces in pain as blood flows from the cracks between his fingers. I turn to my sorry excuse for an opponent and point to the troubled bystanders.

"You mind taking this elsewhere? We're causing a scene."

"Shut the hell up!"

He once again charges at me, this time leaping and making an aerial attack. Bad move. I slowly come to my knees and look up at him. I put my sword back in my sheath. A faint smirk grows on my face as he comes closer.

His barely functional body slams against the wall of an alley. I brush a dash of blood off my shirt and turn to him.

"You really don't know when to give up, do ya?"

He coughs up a bit of blood before looking back up at me.

"S-Shut up."

I lean down and pick up his katana off the ground. It's such a nice blade. Shame it was wasted on such a lousy user.

"...If you cry and say you're sorry, I might let you live."

I toss the katana to his feet.

"Or you could just try again. Maybe you'll kill me eventually."

The man looks up at me while struggling to breathe. He winces in pain as he grips his abdomen, which had been punctured by my blade.

"I'd much rather die trying to avenge my brother, than to die bowing to the likes of you."

Bold words. I nod in agreement as I take a seat on top of a nearby trash bin.

"Always so sentimental. I don't get people like you."

It seems he's forgotten all about death, and now put all his strength behind his words. He slowly stands up while using a dumpster as a crutch.

"That's because people like me have a heart. I don't expect you to understand that."

I stare him dead in the eyes as he shuffles his way to me.

"I did understand at one point, but my heart died when I watched my home go down in flames. When the person who had been by my side since birth was pried away from my arms, sold off to a man I will never know. When I watched the one thing I loved wear a bullet hole in her head."

His breath gets shaky as I slowly approach. I wrap my fingers around the hilt of my blade as a warning.

"I know more about loss than you ever will, so when a punk like you wants to use the loss of another as an excuse to throw away their own..."

I violently push him back on the ground. He goes down with a shriek and a loud thud. I point my blade at him.

"Your name was Jack, right?"

He slowly looks up at me, blood gushing down his forehead.

"Just how the hell do you know that?"

I reach into my pocket and pull out a rusty medallion.

"Your brother, Sam Raiden. He told me your name. Matter of fact, he told me everything about you. He also said when you come after me, I should give you this after our fight. Although, I think he was placing his bets more on me than you."

I flip the medallion to him, and watch as it lands between his legs, the bronze face of a skeleton leering up towards the sky. As he reaches for the medallion, I see his eyes open wide. Clearly, the medallion means at least something to him. But what would I know?

"You're really stupid to come all this way just to kill me, even if it's over your brother. But, I can admire that. Even in his final moments, you were the only thing he talked about."

He grips the medallion so tightly I can see blood pouring from the spaces between his fingers, tears start to form beneath his eyes. I've done enough here.

"To kill you would be pointless. I've got things to do."

I turn my back on him and make my way to the town square. I hear the sounds of Jack struggling to get up.

"If you want to leave with your life, I don't suggest you get back up."

"Shut up!"

Within a moment's notice, the clothes on my back rip and a sharp pain attacks my back. The warm trickle of my blood drips down from my back and to my legs.

"Oh you BITCH!"

I turn to him and see him shaking, using all his might just to stand straight. His grip on his katana grows tighter as he yells at me.

"Never turn your back on your enemy! Scars on the back is a swordsman's dishonor!"

There was a short pause after he said that, the silence being interrupted by a small scoff emitted from my mouth.

"Well, lucky for me, I'm just a guy who knows his way around a sword. Being a swordsman comes along with a code of honor I don't intend to follow."

I reach for my katana, and within seconds it's over. I made eye contact with him for the final time. As he falls down, his blood stains the snow beneath him. I plant his katana in the snow in front of his corpse.

"See you later, Jack."

I suppose letting him go wasn't a great idea. Now I have to find a doctor, and who knows how much healthcare costs around this place...

Sympathy is such an odd thing. I glance at his satchel and examine it. He's already dead. I don't think anyone would care if I just...

I pry the satchel away from his body and take a look inside. Knives, paper, and some liquids I dare not to question nest inside the bed of leather. A small pouch stands out from the rest. I open the pouch, and the golden glow of a few coins grace my sleep deprived eyes.

Just what I was looking for.