The next settlement was a haven. The kid, being a Fa'ar, was forbidden to enter, as the security guard near the haven's gate reminded. Raine decided to accompany him while Jacques entered the gates.

Like many havens, remnants of the past were preserved within the walls of Macksten. The people within the walls opened their gates to the bleak world of the wasteland after numerous explorations deemed the outside world to be safe. Yet, it was a slow progress for the people of Macksten to start settling outside the walls. A combination of the harsh world, and the changes caused by the aftermath of a centuries-long war, brought them the decision to stay within the walls and let outside elements to come to them while also preserving what's left of the pre-war cultures in museums and archives.

The focus on keeping everything as it was within the walls created a jarring change of scenery once Jacques cleared the security at the gates to enter the haven of Macksten. Outside the walls, there were ruins and hastily constructed buildings. Within the walls, there were proper buildings under construction and an industrial landscape that seemed to have no end. Macksten was not one of the best havens when it came to urban development, though their need to preserve the past had caused a maze of industrial landscape that seemed to be worse than whatever's outside the walls. This fact was the primary reason for them to establish suburbs outside the walls, ostensibly to increase life quality for the descendants of the haven dwellers.

But the Loup did not care much about all that. All he wanted was the police station. He hoped it was still up there and not claimed by anyone. Even if it was claimed, whoever took that job needed all the help and skills they could get while also confirming that he was already dead. This next one was quite unique in his own ways, and one that drew Jacques’s attention for the circumstances of the bounty.

Senesin Kestal was one of several criminals around the part and a very conspicuous one. There weren’t a lot of Lizans in the wasteland who looked like Kestal, as he belonged to the chameleon subrace. While there was no reason why a chameleon couldn’t live in a desert wasteland, Kestal’s bright green scales and weird, pinhole eyes made him a very identifiable target. If all those did not make him conspicuous enough, his crime would.

Kestal was accused of many crimes, such as being a part of a dangerous doomsday cult and for manslaughter, both involuntary and voluntary. His problem with Macksten’s law enforcement began after he accidentally killed someone in a sex club during an apparently intense and extreme sex. Kestal’s escape from the club was also sloppy, as he killed someone who saw him escaping. Kestal’s appearance was too unique to be missed, and everyone who got in contact with him instantly identified the chameleon-type Lizan.

He disappeared after he escaped through the gates. No one claimed him as his crimes did not warrant a high bounty. Jacques took the job without hesitation, earning praise from the attending police officer who was in charge.

“It’s about time someone’s taking on the pin-eyed freak,” said the human. His comment was rather degrading and insulting, but it wasn’t Jacques’s problem. “No one’s taking the job since his bounty’s too low to be of interest."

“Shouldn’t he be much more rewarding since he killed someone?” asked Jacques.

“Don’t ask me. I don’t assign the prices. You shouldn’t even take this job. There are more rewarding bounties on the wall. Let the police handle it. Kestal’s a small-timer. He’ll be in the slammer in no time.”

“This one’s personal,” said Jacques. “How did you know he’s part of a doomsday cult? Is he planning something?”

“Found some Nihilo bullshit in his house unit,” said the officer. “And since that cult’s a criminal enterprise, he got a little bit of additional reward for his head. Still not high enough to be of notice, though, but since it’s personal, it’s personal. I don’t go asking questions when those words are said.”

“Merci,” said Jacques. “Just out of curiosity, what’s the highest bounty did?”

“Screwed the wrong girl and got himself a personal reckoning from her father,” said the officer.

“Good thing I’m not that pressed for money,” said Jacques with a smile. “Nothing against the father, of course. I’m just bad at keeping tabs.”

“A wanderer, eh? Well, if that life suits you, then go for it. Good hunting, wolf.”

Jacques simply nodded as he walked out of the building, carrying the picture of his latest target in his right hand.

***

“Five-thousand for being a member of the cult?” said Raine, astonished. “I never even heard about the Church of Nihilo before.”

“Then you’re not that observant,” said Jacques. “They were once very big, but they, uh…they crossed the line.”

“Got too cocky and ends up burning themselves up, huh?” remarked Raine. “Cults. Never change.”

Jacques simply grunted in response.

“So, how are we supposed to track down Kestal? You got something of his for that amulet of yours?”

“Unfortunately, no. The police didn’t allow me access to the evidence, so we’re stuck with good old-fashioned tracking skill.”

Raine, visibly disappointed, said, “You could’ve been more insistent.”

“And waste precious money for some discarded clothes? I thought you’re the one who want to cut down unnecessary expenses.”

“Well…you got a point there. So, where do we start?”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Kestal’s problem is that, even if he tried not to, he’s too conspicuous. No one’s going to mistake a chameleon for something else, especially if they’re a Lizan.”

“He could be using a camouflage spell to make himself invisible,” said Raine.

“He won’t be invisible for long,” said Jacques. “Let’s try the nearest free town.”

The free town in question was just like any other free towns that dotted then land. It had no official name, and it was populated with all the unsavory elements that havens and proper settlements tried to weed out. Criminals, both willingly or unwillingly, made up the bulk of the people living in free towns. It was also the only ‘settlements’ where slavery was not criminalized, which made the Fa’ar kid uncomfortable when he saw unwilling and clearly suffering Fa’ars being sold as slaves. The slaver looked at him intently, clearly thinking that he was a slave from the collar and the head harness he wore. He lost interest when the kid walked closer to Jacques, who didn't mind whatever the Fa'ar was doing.

Free towns were also places where discriminated races could stay without any rules or scrutiny. There were more Fa’ars in the town than the kid realized. Traveling with Raine and Jacques afforded him a chance to enter proper towns, so he had never been to a free town before. Well…he had never been to a free town as a free Fa’ar. This was the reason why he was unsettled by the slaves.

Jacques soon realized that they could only get the information they needed by paying a hefty price, so he avoided that and simply ask for rumors over a bottle (or a couple bottles) of beer. It was less than bribing someone and the bartender, thankfully, was more than happy to talk about anything the Loup asked her.

“A weird-looking Lizan, eh?” she said. “It depends on what Lizan you’re talking about. There are a lot of them out here.”

“How about one with pinhole eyes and curled tail? Someone who looks like this?”

When Jacques unrolled the bounty picture, the bartender looked at it intently. She then said, “Yup. He was here. Got a couple of drinks and asked for a room when someone spooked him.”

“So, someone’s also hunting him,” said Jacques.

“Yeah. A stocky Croc wearing traditional Croc stuff, though he might not be looking at the Lizan. He asked me about a certain Fa’ar, but I couldn’t help him. I mean, how are you able to find one specific Fa’ar? They look identical to me.”

“Not…exactly,” said Jacques, referring to the Fa’ar kid he knew who was wearing a very unusual getup. “So, where’s this Croc now? He might know where the Lizan he spooked went.”

“Not in the bar, clearly.”

Jacques let out a sigh, though he understood that the bartender did not know or did not care about the Croc. As a token of appreciation, he gave her some money as tips, then drank his fill of beer.

Raine was also searching for information and the Fa’ar kid was trying to. If it wasn’t for his muteness, he could get some information from the Fa’ars in the town. He started to wish that something surprising would happen and he miraculously recovered his voice, but that's just stupid. He of all people knew that the last scream he ever let out caused considerable pain to his throat, which lingered to the present. Knowing he couldn't help when it came to information gathering, he stayed close to Raine.

Raine stopped at one of stalls when the shopkeeper told him that he knew about the chameleon-type Lizan he was asking around. As always, Raine suspected a trap, but went along with it in hopes of ever finding Kestal. As he listened to what the shopkeeper had to say, he noticed the kid trying to help, but couldn’t say anything more than a croaked voice. The cat-eared human really should teach the kid how to write if he wanted to be of help.

But as Raine kept listening to the shopkeeper (finding his explanation intriguing, but a little drawn-out), the kid bumped into a giant, at least on his perspective. He wanted to say sorry, but a mixture of being intimidated and muteness prevented him to say anything but mouthing the word.

But he did not have to, for the one who bumped into him simply said, “I got you” and, without warning, grabbed the Fa’ar. His panicked squeaks alerted Raine, who was not even listening to the rambling shopkeeper by this point and rushed towards the noise, only to meet the kidnapper towering over him.

The Crocodilian, like he did towards the Fa’ar kid, also intimidated Raine. This momentary distraction gave the Crocodilian a chance to grab Raine by the collar of his shirt and threw him away before he started to run away. The human quickly recovered and gave chase, passing by the bar that Jacques exited from.

Raine noticed the Loup looking confused, so he exclaimed. “Jacques! The Croc’s got the kid! He’s getting away!”

Quickly remembering that a Croc was somehow involved in their hunt for Kestal, Jacques shook his head and gave chase. His digitigrade legs made him nimbler than Raine, causing him to catch up with the Croc in no time. The Croc, however, anticipated this. On one of his hands, a staff appeared out of nowhere. He outstretched the hand wielding the staff and, just as Jacques readied his revolver, a bright, white light appeared from the ornate staff head that shot at the Loup’s hand. Jacques was surprised when a powerful force knocked his revolver out of his hand. Trying to pull another revolver resulted in the same thing happening.

Raine, realizing that the spell could easily be countered with his counter spell, caught up with Jacques and held his sword in front of the Croc. The Croc, apparently realizing something’s amiss, instead cast a flash spell that instantly let out a burst of blinding light that stunned everyone in the area

Both Raine and Jacques were stunned quite a while before they managed to get a hold of themselves. When they came to be, the Croc was long gone.

“Shit!” exclaimed Raine. “He couldn’t be that far away! How the hell does a Croc that big move that fast?!”

“He isn’t,” said Jacques, who had started looking at the prints left by the croc. “He went into that building.”

Jacques glanced at a rundown building near where they were, and quickly realized the problem. The building was not just one building, but was a massive complex of buildings, both repurposed and ruined, that was the main landmark of the free town. Clearly, the town was built over the ruins of a previous civilization’s town, given that they would not be as sturdy when made of scraps in the middle of a desert. No one would object.

But the building complex made it clear that the Croc, even with his imposing size, could hide long enough to slip by the two and escape with the kid in tow. Not only that, the unsavory elements living in the complex could make things harder than it should. Either the Croc planned this thoroughly, or he found a perfect chance and he took it. Either way, he was successful in kidnapping the Fa’ar kid.

But for what purpose? The kid’s no longer a slave as his slavers were all dead or captured. The only reason they could think of was that the Croc was hired by someone who took a personal liking to the kid, or it was the Croc himself. Knowing the implications of what a massive reptilian race like the Crocodilian could do to a small murine race like a Fa'ar disturbed Raine.

“Thinking about it won’t get the kid back,” said Raine as he stopped thinking about it. “We gotta find him.”

“In this shit hole of a town?” said Jacques as he looked at the complex. “We aren’t going to find him for days.”

“Then use that amulet of yours. It might not find Kestal, but it might be able to find the kid.”

Jacques almost forgot about the tracking amulet. Without hesitation, he pulled it out of his coat. Fortunately, he already had something to track the kid: one of his broken claws. It was broken when he was tinkering with his junks. The Loup took it, knowing that he would use it someday. He never thought he would use it so soon.

He put the claw on the crystal. It let out a green glow and, soon, Jacques could see the wispy aura leading into the complex.

“Alright,” said Jacques. “Let’s get this over with.”