The Bounty Hunter

October 23rd, 2088

Terra’s POV

In the bustling port-city of Malkith, a child was desperately running down a deserted alley.  She was truly cute, with short green hair in a pixie cut over her short pointy ears and big chocolate brown eyes set in her heart-shaped face.  She had simple shorts and a tunic on over her smooth pale skin along with strapped sandals that had small wings made from actual feathers on her small feet. 

Her age appeared to be around 10 years old and her overall appearance would tickle the protective instinct of even the most heartless criminal.  She looked over her shoulder and saw me on the terracotta rooftops.  Her eyes widened and she quickly picked up her pace as I continued to chase her.  She managed to get out of the alley and into the crowded marketplace busy with the morning trade. 

The little girl easily weaved in and out the crowd at a blinding speed.  The winged sandals on her feet glowing with magic the entire time.  Honestly, if I weren’t currently on the rooftops I wouldn’t be able to catch her.  I was breathing heavily as I continued leaping across, taking the shorter route as I kept my eyes glued to the girl.  I was running out of rooftops and the girl was cutting across an empty street that would take her right to the main road of the city. 

I would have no chance of catching her if she reached that point so I took a deep breath and decided to do something reckless.  As I came to the last 2 story roof I jumped off into the deserted street below.  The girl was taken completely off guard as I suddenly landed with a crash in front of her, causing large cracks in the cobblestone.  Phew, I guess my improved physique could handle the drop.  I should really take some time to find out my physical limits. 

The girl skidded to a stop and ended up slipping and falling on her butt in a very cute way.  I, however, was unaffected as I quickly took out my ninjato and stabbed them into her feet, staking them into the ground.  “AHHHH!”  The girl let out a tearful wail of pain, but I immediately pinned her down and said “Tell me about the supplier for those Bellowers.”  The girl had tears rolling down her lovely face and she replied “I want my mommy and daddy, please stop hurting me!”  I was unmoved and instead broke her right arm.  She screamed out in pain yet again and I said “Stop with the bullshit, Delorix, your good friend Rouive has told me all about you and asked me to send his regards.” 

At those words, the sniveling little girl’s expression changed into a sneer.  “Tch, that little cocksucker decided to screw me over a lousy 10 copper coin debt huh?  So what does the infamous Terra the Peerless want?” the pixie named Delorix asked.  Pixies are one of the minor civilized races in this world that look like human children with the exception of their pointed ears.  They live for as long as elves and are what otakus call loli-babas.  Physically, they are weaker than other species and thus rely on their cunning to survive. 

They often use their innocent looking appearance to manipulate others and they are exceedingly mischievous.  This set of traits makes them well-suited for crime although obviously most pixies aren’t criminals.  One of my first bounties was for a pixie and I ended up taking a poisoned shiv to my side after hesitating due to his child-like appearance.  They may look like children, but pixies can be a bigger headache to deal with than a drunk Asuran.

“I want information, Delorix.  If you answer my questions, I’ll let you go and even give you compensation for the trouble.”  I said as I placed a small bottle and 1 gold coin next to Delorix’s head.  Her eyes widened at this “What do you want so bad from me that’s worth holy potion and this much coin?”  she asked with a small smile on her face.  That’s the face a pixie makes when they are about to scam you. 

I promptly broke her other arm, causing her to cry out again in pain.  “Don’t fuck with me.  I know you’re the smuggler for the slavers that have been causing trouble lately and that you have been running those Bellower magic weapons for them.  Unfortunately, they fucked with the wrong people and so here I am.”  The Bellower is the name given to firearms in this world and my investigations into the slavers has led to Delorix.  With the amount of weapons she has been smuggling, she must have met with the executive’s personnel here in this world.  Delorix made a face at my words and responded “Who’s the ‘wrong people’?  As far as I know the Cult don’t hire bounty hunters and I don’t know anyone else who’d be scary enough for the slavers to avoid.” 

At those words I briefly flashed her the emblem of the Royal house which I counterfeited for situations like this.  Delorix’s face paled “I just run arms and supplies for them since they can’t exactly walk into town with the Cult after their ‘eads.  I has nothin’ to do with they’s work and I sure as hell did nothin’ ta piss off the Darkmoons.”  She flinched as I moved, expecting me to break something again, but I simply picked up the gold coin next to her.  “You keep yanking me around any longer and I’ll take the holy potion as well and you can die here.”  “Alright! Alright!  I’ll tell you what I found out on my last job about the supplier.  I was meeting with the bloke who usually gives me them Bellowers, he’s always worn a hooded cloak so I can’t see nuffin.  It was windy as hell this time though, and his hood was blown slightly off.  He fixed it right quick but I was able to see a Slave Mark circled with chains on his neck!  He was one of the Cult’s slaves!”

 This info from Delorix made me pause due to its implications.  All slaves bear the Slave Mark, but the Cult of Chains does not sell all the slaves it collects.  It keeps some of them for itself to serve as workers and soldiers.  These slaves are emblazoned with a chain circle around their Slave Mark to show that they belong to the Cult.  Only Bound Ones can command them.  “See!  If the Cult has a rogue Bound One working with slavers I don’t want no part of it!  I toldz you all I know so please let me go!”  Delorix pleaded. 

I nodded in response as I retrieved my ninjato and poured the holy potion down her throat.  Holy potion is a super high class healing potion, second only to Panacea and Elixir in terms of effectiveness.  Delorix’s injuries were healing at a rate visible to the eye and I walked away pondering the information I got.  I wasn’t worried about Delorix selling me out since I had some slow-acting poison applied to my ninjato.  Holy potion can heal wounds but not poison, so Delorix should kick the bucket in the next 15 minutes or so unexplainably.  Pixies tend to hold deep grudges and have long memories so if you ever injure a pixie, finish the job or else it’ll come back to haunt you. 

Besides, I only said I would let her go not that I would let her live.  What’s more pressing is the fact that a Bound One is flouting the scripture of the Cult.  This guy is likely one of the executives working with Fujioka.  It would make perfect sense.  With a Bound One making Slave Marks without restraint, anyone could be enslaved.  They could make a fortune selling them or build a slave army. 

And if the slave army were armed with guns… they could conquer this world.  Furthermore, they could take over my world as well by enslaving top military and government officials and using them as puppets.  Is that what’s going on?  Is this Redemption group aiming for world conquest?  By using the technology of my world and the magic of this one it’s not that difficult, but what’s the giant magic ritual for then?  Haa, things are getting more and more complicated.