“*pant* *pant*…”

  His vision grew hazier with each step he took. Blood was oozing through his white shirt; his stomach had suffered a severe slash. His footsteps were reckless; the noise was bound to attract any hostile guests. He seemed to be of noble appearance. Therefore, he didn’t have any experience in this sort of situation. Each step drained his energy. The only thing driving him forward was the hope of finding some clue of civilization.

  The terrain was so unfamiliar to him that traversing through the clustered trees felt like a maze with no end in sight. To add insult to injury, darkness was starting to encroach the land. This was not good. The night-hounds’ hunting instincts sharpened at this time. His anxiety was starting to increase. He needed to find safety, fast.

  The howls could be heard at a distance. It seems that they have spotted him. No, it's even more likely that they were already studying his movements.

  “This isn’t good.” he mumbled. He searched through his leather pouch to find a temporary remedy. He managed to find an elixir. Suddenly, he could hear the faint crackling of leaves and twigs. The culprit looked at him with bloodthirsty eyes. It was twice his size.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  This was the last thing he wanted to happen. He was left with a fraction of a second to think of something.

  For an instant, a bright blue light blinded his vision. The nightmarish beast was now reduced to a headless carcass. It fell to the ground with a thud.

  He turns around wondering, ‘That was a railgun, no?’. This was bad; the people who usually wield such a weapon is a mage.

  “Stop right there,” he meets a hostile answer. The man changed his aim toward the noble. “Today seems to be my lucky day. Yergen was right; you’d be stupid enough to enter the woods.”

  ‘So, he wants the bounty huh…’ the name Yergen was enough to tell him that this man was still alive, although in a critical condition. ‘Well, he wasn’t the sort to go down easily.’ He thought.

  Contrary to his belief, the armed man seemed to be a mercenary. He was relieved. The situation might have been a whole lot worse had it been the opposite.

  “Well, hand it over. This might end without anyone hurt.” The mercenary gave him an offer.

  The noble took a defensive stance. He wasn’t willing to give up the artifact. Not after everything that he has been through.

  His adversary sighed, “Heh, whatever. You’ll regret not taking that offer."