Jacques returned to Raine and the Fa’ar kid after he obtained the blood needed for the amulet to track her daughter’s whereabouts. It did not take much: a prick on one of her fingers was enough. Once done, the amulet shone a bright green color and immediately, Jacques could see how it functioned.

Or rather, only the wielder could see the amulet’s function. When Jacques gave the amulet to Raine, what he saw vanished in a blink of an eye. They both saw a wispy line that extended to the horizon, possibly towards where Taira Gusara was, or what remained of her. The amulet was specific enough to know which individual it was tracking, especially after it was wrapped in one of Taira’s clothes. An amused Raine could only say the amulet’s a good investment.

“It’s a haven stuff,” said Jacques. “Of course, it’s a good investment. Maslania’s a haven for magic crafters. There are lots of other magic items on sale.”

“But is it accurate?”

“Only one way to find out.”

Jacques hoped it would be accurate, even though there was a possibility that it wouldn’t. It was the cheapest tracking amulet he found, and it was in one of the less prominent shops. He only hoped that it did not break down so easily. It wasn’t cheap for people outside of Maslania.

The kid wanted to see, too, but Raine was skeptical. Nevertheless, he gave the amulet to the Fa’ar. The rat did not see anything, and he sighed. It wasn’t surprising, but still disappointing. Without a word, he returned the amulet back to Jacques.

“Sorry, kid,” said Raine. “I know you want to see it, too, but…well, you can’t.”

The kid shook his head and smiled, while mouthing ‘it’s okay’ to Raine, though it was hard to tell given his rodent features. The kid wondered if there was a place where he could find a technological tracker. Maybe the wasteland would surprise him.

The kid would find that it would, especially since the tracker took them into the ruins of an abandoned city, or a suburb. The settlement and the area around it were not a wasteland desert, but it was near an abandoned city left in ruins, with many relics from the past could be found, rusting and slowly claimed by nature. Many salvagers stripped scraps and junks to be resold or remade into something functional, though the deteriorating nature of the scraps meant that they were subpar if compared to the manufactured items in havens. Of course, many junks also came from havens and were sold at prices much lower compared to the newer ones. Thus, despite the ruins being possibly hundreds of years old, there were junks that looked contemporary, or not as damaged compared to most of the relics.

The abandoned city was made into a dumping ground for recent items, and that’s like a treasure heap for the kid. While Raine and Jacques focused on following the tracker, the kid looked around and gathered many things while also carrying them on his hands. Raine looked at him and smiled, happy to know that the Fa’ar was excited.

“He seems to be happy,” commented Raine as he saw the Fa’ar kid scurrying around searching for things that fancied him. “Guess all he needs are kind people.”

“You’re the one who cared for him,” said Jacques while following the tracking path. “I was just dragged into your shit.”

“Hey, don’t be like that, bud. I’m sure you already deliberated about it. I don’t blame you. It’s a hard enough life traveling by yourself. Good thing he’s not that kind of Fa’ar.”

“Maybe so.”

“And I kinda feel bad if I happen to leave a malnourished young person for himself.”

“Then he’s your responsibility. I’m just tagging along.”

“Nah. You want someone to talk to. It can get lonely out here.”

“I did say I work alone, didn’t I?”

“Well, you’re presently not. Just…try not to get too annoyed. That Fa’ar got the short end of a fucked up stick called life. I don’t know how old he is right now, but I can say he got robbed out of it.”

“Everyone outside havens is,” said Jacques.

“But I bet you don’t get to be treated like vermin. Like I said. Short end of the stick. Still, even with the world against you, to see him so happy makes me feel like I accomplished something. Don’t you feel that way, Jacques?”

The Loup let out a grunt, which did not indicate anything. Raine could only sigh. While he respected Jacques and saw him as a friend and a rival, his nonchalant attitude could be frustrating at times. But he had seen Jacques doing altruistic things before. Sure, they involved deaths and mutilations, but he was doing it to save a child. Of course, she was not a Fa’ar. Jacques might not hold the same value towards a Fa’ar. Raine did not mind that unless the Loup was truly unkind towards the kid. That’s when he knew he trusted the wrong wolf.

As for Jacques, he personally did not care about the Fa’ar unless he started doing something he did not like, such as betraying him or causing too much trouble for their own good. He had no problem about his race, only the problems associated with his race. He was the first Fa’ar who brought sympathy out of him, all because of his genuine pain. The fact that he could still be a child made him sympathize with him even more. Unfortunately, he made the wrong decision. He should’ve just tried a freed him instead of returning him to a hell of a world he had just escaped from.

Good thing Raine was there to make sure his decision was correct. He could be in a lot more trouble if he ended up killing them without knowing who they were affiliated with. Still, it could end the wrong way.

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That’s how unpredictable everyone was. That’s how unpredictable everything was.

Jacques returned his focus to the tracker. It led the three into an apparently abandoned building. It was a rather dull-looking building with not a lot of features except the essentials. It was also very geometric with sharp edges and none of the curves and smooth angles some buildings might have. Only a small amount of the building had windows, and even if there were, those windows were already broken.

The front door fared worse than the rest of the building. Clearly, it was once made out of glass. None of them were left intact, leaving only the frames and the hinges to indicate what was there. Even the glass shards were gone, tempered by a thousand-year worth of changes. It was a shell of what it once was, much like everything else in the ruined city.

The kid noticed a green plaque with a name written on it. He couldn’t understand what it said; whatever’s written on it was a language from the ancient past. He wanted to call Jacques and Raine, only to find that they were already in the building. The kid proceeded to run on all four to catch up with them, all while carrying the scraps and junks that he gathered throughout their trek.

Jacques continued walking when Raine stopped him. He then pointed down and put his index finger on his lips. When he heard the noise made from the Fa’ar’s gathered junks, he also turned to the rat person and shushed him. He understood, letting Raine know by mimicking him with a nod.

“Proximity sensor,” whispered Jacques. “Powered by mana battery, no less.”

“I can disarm it,” said Raine. “I just need to—”

“You do not need to.”

An unfamiliar voice made all three of them turned. A human walked down the stairs with unkempt hair and wide eyes that looked as if he had seen something so shocking, he refused or unable to close. He looked like he had not been asleep for a while. He was wearing a white robe with ornaments that consisted of stars and skulls of animals. It did not take long for the two experienced bounty hunter to deduce who he was.

“Armon DeCroce, I presume,” said Jacques. One of his hands on his pistol.

“The very same.” DeCroce bowed, apparently flattered, though it came out like an attempt to mock the two. “And you’re after my head.”

“What else?” said Raine. “No one’s gonna look for you to have a tea. At least you know why we’re here.”

DeCroce chuckled ominously. “I see. But then…do you really think you’re the only ones after my head these past years? Maybe you ought to look behind you.”

The two turned around, expecting to see something horrible. Instead, the Fa’ar kid, who had not been listening to DeCroce and was obscured by the two, took something that looked like a pick, then proceeded to walk to the ‘sensor’. DeCroce’s expression turned from smug to worry as the Fa’ar looked at the sensor intentionally. The two bounty hunters, however, saw what DeCroce was trying to show them: a mutilated corpse of a man caught in a trap and impaled on a twisted, rusted metal.

“So, this isn’t a proximity sensor,” said Jacques. He soon realized what the Fa’ar was doing, and with a concerned tone, exclaimed, “Wait! That’s not—”

He was too late, but at the same time, astonished. The Fa’ar kid hit the button-like part on the sensor with the pick and a crudely fashioned hammer made from rock. He repeatedly hit the button until it came off, then proceeded to jam the pick into it. Without hesitating, he walked through the proximity, causing DeCroce to panic.

“Impossible. You…how did a rat managed to…,” stammered DeCroce, a moment before he was forced to duck into cover when Jacques pulled his gun and started shooting mana bullets towards the human. He retaliated by casting a fire spell, causing the kid to jump back as Raine and Jacques ran towards the stairs, fearlessly jumping through the fire.

“Not bad, kid!” praised Raine.

The kid smiled and proceeded to follow the two by running on all fours, but then noticed something dangerous and tried to warn them before realizing that he still had no voice. Knowing he must act quickly, or they would die, he jumped at them and pulled at the back of their jackets with all his strength to stop them, moments after Raine tripped a wire that sent a blade flying down where his head was a second ago. Once again, Raine was amazed by how perceptive the rat person was.

“How the hell did you know?” asked Raine, before the kid pointed at his eyes. He quickly realized what he was implying.

“Oh right,” said Jacques. “Murine eyes. Very good in the dark. Guess you’re starting to earn your food, kid.”

The kid did not seem to be distracted by Jacques’ praise. He pointed up where a flash from a spell cast could be seen moments before a fireball came towards them. This time, Raine was quick enough to pull out his sword and held it in front of him. The fireball harmlessly bounced over the sword, with Raine directly it away from the three. It exploded near some chairs that had been reclaimed by mold.

“That’s an interesting toy you got there,” said DeCroce. “Magic fireballs don’t just bounce off a sword.”

Jacques was not the kind of person who’d spend his time taunting his target. As Raine started to taunt the unhinged-looking man, Jacques followed the man’s voice. He pulled his gun and fire without hesitation, this time using real bullet. The loud bang was followed by a cry of pain as his shot connected.

“Fuck!” shouted DeCroce, before he let out cries and screams of pain, along with curses and insults. Jacques had no time to be insulted. He ran up the stairs and, using a light crystal, found the human and shot his leg, causing him to scream even louder. The bullet Jacques used was strong enough to blast a hole through the leg, spraying blood everywhere.

“Goddamn it, Jacques!” exclaimed Raine. “We have no use of him dead! Don’t get too worked up!”

Jacques, however, let out a frustrated groan and shot the man’s head, killing him instantly.

“Jacques!”

“Don’t bother. This man’s not DeCroce.”

“Eh?” said Raine, confused. “Then why…?”

“He never confirmed nor deny who he was. He’s just a stool. Look at his face. Does he look like the man in the picture?”

It was to see the man’s face properly until Jacques lent the cat-eared man his light crystal. He looked at his features. It was hard to determine since his head was blown off, but Raine had the same conclusion as Jacques was.

“His eyes are blue. DeCroce’s brown,” said Raine as he examined the man. “Jawline’s too square.”

“And we’ve wasted enough time. Come on. He must’ve been alerted already. We don’t have much time before he slips away.”

Jacques walked over the dead body, climbing the stairs with his revolver drawn. Raine shook his head and sarcastically murmured, “This partnership’s off to a good start.”

The kid followed closely. He looked at the dead body of the fake DeCroce, feeling uncomfortable. He was no stranger to deaths, but to hear someone screaming in pain before being abruptly silenced by gunshot was too disturbing, even for him.

He started to wonder if this was what he would experience throughout his journey. That death would not come in a flash, but in an agonizing way that would not make it easy for the kid to deal with.

Yet, he accepted this fact, and moved on, following the two upstairs while keeping his eyes peeled for hidden traps.

Unfortunately for the kid, that would not be the worst thing he would see that day.