Gasps rippled through the air. In the stillness that followed the gunshot's echo, all eyes were riveted to the shattered remains of the Seekflower. The harsh crack of gunfire still rang in our ears as we took in the sight of the once vibrant flower, now nothing more than a scatter of shrapnel and dying petals over the melting battlefield.

James shattered the silence. His voice simmered with a controlled anger that sliced through the frigid air.

"You three have really done it now, haven't you?" His steely gaze roamed over us, accusing and challenging in equal measure. "Not content with merely interfering in our operation, you've gotten the Seekflower destroyed. A loss the Bounty Hall won't ignore."

Jack's eyes darted between James and the ruined flower. "What? I didn't touch a thing," he protested. "None of us did."

Saber, with a weighty sigh, stepped forward.

"Jack did you no harm," she said. "Sophia only moved to protect me. I made the first move, and if anyone should shoulder the responsibility, it is me alone."

"And you certainly shall," James replied.

Tanin's figure slumped, a tangible manifestation of frustration. "This isn't your cross to bear, Saber," he said, the lines of his face etched and grim. "It was Gunther who broke it, not you."

"No way she isn't an accomplice," James said.

James, that bastard. To think that I once believed him to be a reasonable man.

My gaze snapped to him, demanding his full attention.

"Do not report this to the Bounty Hall," I commanded with a stern authority that invited no argument.

James scrutinized me with a raised eyebrow, his arms folded over the expanses of his armored chest. "And if we don't comply?" he challenged, the tone of his voice a mix of derision and curiosity.

"You'll be leaving over my dead body," I shot back, my gaze unyielding, squarely meeting the dare in his squinted eyes.

He responded with a dry chuckle, and his shoulders shook in silent amusement. "You really believe you can stop us? Count again. Gunther abandoned you; now it's a three-on-three. We have been navigating Gold far longer than you. Survived things you've never seen. We'll take our chances."

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"It's absolutely not a three-on-three," Tanin objected. "Oh heck no. I won't be lifting a finger in this fight. I have no obligations towards the Bounty Hall."

"Tch," Roger said. "We came all the way out to save you, and you won't even help us?"

"What I don't understand is why you take this all so seriously." Tanin tilted his head at Roger, then James. "What's in it for you? Why this blind, unshakable loyalty to that Bounty Hall of yours?"

"We deal with the enemies of the people," Roger replied tersely. "And we deal with the enemies of our own. That is the Bounty Hall. That is our justice. And we cannot tolerate compromise."

Saber steeled her voice. "And who determines the guilt?" She pointed at the scattered remnants of the Seekflower, her sapphire eyes blazing with an indignant fire. "Are you suggesting that a life should be ended over any theft or vandalism? That anyone that opposes or disagrees with you is guilty of death? How is that just? Biased justice is no justice at all."

"There is no unbiased justice," James told her annoyedly.

"Roger, James," Tanin said, his voice low and heavy. "If you won't consider reason, I might as well throw my lot in with Sophia and Saber. Forget bringing me with you. You and I, we part ways here. I'll follow them to find Atlas, and you can forget any respect I ever had for you."

Sighing deeply, James pinched the bridge of his nose, the lines of his face hardening into a mask of reluctant acceptance. "I am obliged to report this to the Bounty Hall," he conceded. "The Seekflower is gone. They will not leave this disaster unaccounted for. But to help, I can give you some advice. On how to survive the hunt, that is. Count yourselves lucky."

James' gaze slid towards me, a glimmer of sympathy in his frosty eyes. "There's an abandoned supermarket on the other side of the house you were staying at. It's too far from the Bounty Hall, dismissed as a strategic point. There's enough food and water, and you'll probably find ragtag factions to keep yourselves company."

Jack, however, wasn't appeased.

"And what, you're still gonna report us? Put a bounty on Saber's head?"

"Report this, I must. The outcome will be for the Hall to decide."

"Very well," Saber conceded. "We will head to the shelter. But for our own safety, we'll take Roger with us, as a navigator. And a token of goodwill."

At this suggestion, Roger visibly balked.

"You're insane," he said. But Tanin put a hand on his shoulder.

"Do it for me, Roger," he implored softly.

"They could kill me," Roger protested.

"They wouldn't," Tanin assured. "As much as you wouldn't kill me. I swear to you, on my own life."

Finally, after a moment of tense silence, Roger nodded.

"Fine," he said. "I'll do it for you, you bastard."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Tanin shot him a glance. "I love you too."