Once the order to retreat has been issued by Ringorn, the members of Fang packed up their equipment and their materials. The five leaders of Fang, Ringorn, Brayno, Angela, Lakish, and Ulmar took charge of the retreat and the supplies needed by the group.

One of the younger members of Fang asked them,

“Why are we running away from a group of hunters?”

“These aren’t ordinary group of hunters. This group specializes in hunting rogue guilds like ours. One fearsome individual leads them, and not even I, Ringorn, am foolish enough to confront them head-on.”

“But you’re already strong, boss.”

“Some people are stronger than you. At some point in your life, you need to accept that.”, said Ringorn.

“Alright sir.”

After that brief conversation, Brayno went towards Ringorn.

“Its highly uncharacteristic of you to admit that there is a group stronger than ours.”

“I had to do so. Otherwise, our men would have some sense of false bravado and attack stronger opponents. If it was just the five of us, maybe we could take them on, but we have a group we need to take care of.”, said Ringorn.

“Agreed with that old friend. With that said, where do you think we should go?”, asked Brayno.

“We can go South, but we need to be wary. A guy named Barone has set up a base on the Southern Provinces.”, said Ringorn.

“Isn’t that the infamous hunter who became a bandit?”, asked Brayno.

“The same one. He and his brother have a group of their own, and if we move there, it might be taken as an invitation to invade their territory. We should not spill unnecessary blood.”, said Ringorn.

“We do need to fight them at some point. They are bandits, but we are an adventurer’s guild. We need to stop them from going against innocent people.”, said Brayno.

“Yeah. We should stop them. You know what, let’s go south and defeat this group of bandits. We can establish a presence there.”, said Ringorn.

“Agreed. But we need more men who can help us.”, said Brayno.

“We can’t just go from town to town. We need to go to the Amarino Forest.”, said Ringorn.

“Does anyone know how to navigate that forest? They say people get lost there.”, said Brayno.

“We’ll find one.”, said Ringorn.

“I wish I have your confidence.”, said Brayno.

“How about you and Angela scout the towns surrounding Amarino Forest?”, said Ringorn.

Hearing that he and Angela would spend sometime together, Brayno’s face turned red. Embarrassed, he hid his face from Ringorn, attempting to hiding his obvious blush.

“Hahahahahaha. I know you’re going to love it. Go with her and scout the area. The two of you can pretend to be husband and wife looking for a place to stay. Hahahahaha.”, said Ringorn.

“Dammit, I need to go.”, said Brayno.

Brayno went back to the camp and assisted the other members of their guild. Looking at his friend, Ringorn still has his grin, knowing that Brayno at least have some sort of victory during this time.

When Brayno went to the camps, Ringorn approached Angela, telling her the same thing he told Brayno. Heavily blushing, Angela simply nodded to signify her agreement with her leader. Much like Brayno, Angela decided to assist the other members of Fang.

During the day, the Fang of the Sabres managed to leave their camps and started to move towards the Southern Provinces. On their journey, Angela walked with Brayno. Although Angela has been a member of the Fang for years, she still does not know why Fang was formed and why a group of raiders saved her.

“Hmmmmm. I think it’s time to yell you.”, said Brayno.

“Alright. I’m all ears.”, said Angela.

“Me and Ringorn established Fang of the Sabres to help outcasts. Both of us grew up as orphans. I lost my parents when I was just 10, while Ringorne never knew his parents. He only grew up with his older brother.”, said Brayno.

“As we grew up, Ringorne and I spar with each other. The two of us started out evenly matched, but he got better and better. Sadly, there was an incident in his teenage years that left an impact on him to this day. Then again, that’s not my story to tell.”, added Brayno.

“I’m not going to press you for this.”, said Angela.

“Thank you.”, said Brayno.

“Anyway, while we are growing up, we saw that some of the more rich and powerful families abuse their powers. They are reveling in their mostly inherited wealth, while other people still struggle for a living. Seeing the outright disparity between the rich and the poor people in our old hometown gave motivation to myself and Ringorne.”, said Brayno.

“And that is when you started the Fang of the Sabres, am I right?”, said Angela.

“Not yet. Although the idea started during that time. Before we went rogue and create an adventurer guild of our own, we heard that a man by the name of Yukioh started his rebellion in a town named Talkion. Although initially successful, his magic is not potent enough to sustain his rebellion.”, said Brayno.

“So, the two of you decided to learn spells.”, said Angela.

“Yeah. Me and Ringorne would sneak to the local library and learn spells from their books. Furthermore, we observed some wizards and travelers use spells and copy them. It wasn’t until we have a mentor that we were able to get better.”, said Brayno.

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“Who is this mentor of yours?”, asked Angela.

“A great woman by the name of Hilgrave. She took us in and trained us in the strictest possible way. She would always tell us, ‘The world will always try to get you, so you need to be tough and strong’. During the training, Ringorne’s full potential would show itself, increasing his already latent magical prowess.”, said Brayno.

“What happened to this mentor of yours?”, asked Angela.

“She died shortly after training us. Although she was a powerful fighter in her own right, she had an incurable disease. Not even clerics can cure that disease of hers. Even to this day, we miss her.”, said Brayno.

“Sorry for your loss.”, said Angela.

“No need to be sorry. It was a long time ago anyways. So, after our training, Ringorne and I decided to wander the world. Once we got stronger and, in some ways, more infamous, the Wizard Alliance offered us a deal, but me and Ringorne don’t want to be restricted by their rules, and so we remained rogue adventurers in their eyes.”, said Brayno.

“You’re not worried that the Alliance would go after you?”, asked Angela.

“Not really, since we aren’t really doing anything out of the ordinary.”, said Brayno.

“Although the two of us were not afraid of the Alliance, other rogue guilds would try to mess with us. Back in those days, I was so confident in my skills that I would pick up a fight with them. Most of the time, I was lucky that Ringorne was with me, saving my ass. However, there was one incident where I was ambushed. At that time, Ringorne was away on an errand, so I was alone when confronted by those thugs.”, said Brayno.

“Did you feel any fear in facing them alone? Or were you foolish enough to engage them by your own? Hmmmm… I’m leaning towards the latter. Am I right on this?”, said Angela.

“You do know me well, Angela. I in my arrogance decided to fight a group of 10 fighters by my own. Although I managed to hold off some of them, the numbers were too much. Once again, I was lucky that Ringorne was able to save me.”, said Brayno.

Lifting his shirt, Brayno revealed a visible scar across his abdomen to Angela. The latter’s eyes widened upon seeing the scar. Upon seeing this scar, Angela realized that even someone as strong as Brayno would leave battle scars. With a solemn look on her face, Angela’s resolve strengthened. She would not be a weakness to be exploited against the Fang.

“This scar is the proof of my recklessness. I vowed to myself that I would never be reckless again.”, said Brayno.

“I think that vow of yours is one of the few that you were never able to fulfill.”, said Angela.

“Sadly, your correct on this one, Angela.”, said Brayno

“I know just how reckless you can be. Just promise me that you’ll always be safe.”, said Angela.

“Yeah, I will.”, said Brayno.

“To continue with my story on the founding of our group, that ambush and subsequent rescue by Ringorne, prompted us to create a guild to ensure that we can assist as many people as possible.”, said Brayno.

“Initially, how did you find your members, and how were you able to recruit people to join your cause?”, asked Angela.

“People were desperate during that time. Affordable food is only available to a few, and most were unable to live in a shelter. The lack of basic needs would force people to go to a life of crime and loot other people. Ringorne and I established Fang of the Sabres to give a home to those impoverished. They need a group who would take care of them.”, said Brayno.

“And for that, me and my brother are grateful. If you didn’t rescue us back then, who knows what might have happened to us.”, said Angela.

“I’m glad we were able to help you.”, said Brayno.

“Why were you at Quanxo during that time?”, asked Angela.

“We were simply walking and looking for people who need help. If I’m not mistaken, we already recruited Ulmar to the Fang during that time. You and your brother were running away from some group when we found you. Speaking of that, you never told us why you were running from that group.”, said Brayno.

“You’re right. We never did tell you why we are running from that group. But I am glad that you saved us.”, said Angela.

Seeing the sullen look on Angela’s face, Brayno patted her on her back.

“It’s okay if you don’t say anything. What matters is that you are fine and well.”, reassured Brayno.

“Thanks. Anyways, my brother and I were running from slavers during that time. Even if the Alliance were patrolling the Southern Provinces, some of the nobles have managed to conduct a clandestine slave trade in the regions. After seeing me and my brother, one of these nobles, a man by the name of Giorgos decided to get me and my brother for entertainment. Sending some of his elite guard after us, we managed to evade them until we were at Quanxo. There, we were concerned. Luckily for us, you and Ringorne arrived on time to help us.”, said Angela.

“Yeah. Sometimes, it is better for a person to have good luck than to have extraordinary talents.”, said Brayno.

“Agree with you on that one.”, said Angela.

“Let’s hope the focus of the group never changes and that our bonds would remain as strong as ever.”, said Brayno

“I’m just glad that we met you.”, said Angela.

Looking at Angela’s face, Brayno can’t help himself, and hugged the assassin. Angela is glad that Brayno has her in a tight embrace, since her face is all red.

“Angela, I promise you that I will always be there for you. I will protect you and if you want to, have a family with you.”, said Brayno.

Upon hearing those words, Angela became speechless. She can’t hide her excitement at Brayno’s last sentence, and suddenly, moved her face across his. Without hesitation, Angela kissed Brayno deeply.

The two lovers failed to notice the gathering of the other commanders of Fang behind them. Ulmar grinned towards Lakish, teasing him.

“Looks like you will have a big brother soon, and maybe a nephew or niece as well.”, said Ulmar.

“He is a good person. I’m just glad that big sis chose him.”, said Lakish.

“I’m happy for them. We’re going to have a party later. Hahahahaha.”, said Ringorne.

Upon hearing Ringorne’s laugh, Angela and Brayno looked back. Upon seeing the other commanders of Fang behind them, the two hid themselves in embarrassment.

“You were spying on us!”, yelled Angela.

“Sorry Sis. We just really want to see you and Brayno together.”, said Lakish.

“Hahahahahahaha. We’re going to a family within a family.”, said Ulmar.

“Hey, guys, when the two of you go on the mission, try to focus on the task. Although I suggested that the two of you could disguise as husband and wife, maybe I should have said, try to be yourselves. Because as far I as know, the two of you already act as husband and wife.”, laughed Ringorne.

“Sorry for this Angela. I thought we might have a private conversation here.”, said Brayno.

“Don’t be. I know my brother would spy on us, but I never realized that they would spy on us so openly.”, said Angela.

The two of them huffed and pouted away from their group. With the two walking side by side, the two gripped each other’s hands. When the two were away, Ringorne talked at Ulmar and Lakish.

“If those two are going to have a family, we need to get stronger. As commanders, I expect you to take your trainings seriously. We have a mission to protect the downtrodden and give them a sense of home. For us to succeed, we need to be better.”, said Ringorne.

“Agreed.”, said Ulmar

“For the sake of big sis and my future brother-in-law, I will train.”, said Lakish.

The group traveled throughout the day, walking past the towns and villages. Looking at a travelling caravan, some of the more eager members of the Fang dashed towards them, eager to score a loot. But they were stopped by Ulmar. He sternly told them,

“We do not go after mere merchants. We go after the nobles and their lapdogs. They are the ones causing trouble in this area, not mere merchants. Or have you forgotten the purpose of our group already?”, said Ulmar.

“Sorry, Master Ulmar. We won’t do that sort of thing again.”, reassured one of the men.

“Good. The last thing I would want is senseless violence.”, said Ulmar.

The group rested throughout the night and partied. Although they were infamous in the Southern Regions, they would not engage with the Wizard Alliance, and the different adventurer’s guild under its supervision.

On the next morning, while the group is marching, Ringorne found a small child who looks hungry and in rags along the road.

“Are you traders? Or are you executioners?”, said the child.

“No, we are here to help you.”, said Ringorne.

“I have no name. They simply call me 75519.”, said the child.

Upon further look at the child, Ringorne realized that he was an escapee. With a strong sense of duty he told the child,

“Join us. We will protect you.”

“Thank you.”, said the child as he collapsed.