1 Thieves on the Run

''Stop! You crazy brats!''

An angry voice echoed. Flurried steps of many feet reverberated like the sound of horses galloping over the ground. All came from soldiers clad in metallic armor who seemed to be in so much hurry.

Ahead of them were three kids no more than fifteen years old. They ran swiftly as if their lives were on the line, which was probably the case as well, since the town soldiers were there to chase and capture them dead.

But no worries could be seen flashing from their eyes. Instead, their eyes were sharp and fierce as all the three of them were even smiling. If one would just look at them, people might think that those kids were just playing tag with the town soldiers.

After a good while, they found a certain alleyway and went straight into it. The town soldiers immediately followed suit, thinking that this was finally their chance to catch and capture them.

The three kids, on the other hand, entered the alleyway as if they knew the route like the back of their palm. Not unexpectedly, they found a group of more than ten thugs along the way. Those thugs were harassing a few adult men whose foreheads and knees were embracing the cold and rough ground. Blood dyed their bodies red, and these adult men also wore bruises of black and blue. All of whom were begging for their own lives to be spared.

''Ben, Jajah, it's your turn to shine,'' Jax, the one running in the middle, spoke with a slight smile forming on his lips.

''Roger,'' Ben and Jajah responded with a snicker.

Then Jajah went on, she made sure to raise her voice high, ''BIG BROTHERS, WE BROUGHT THE ITEM! BUT THOSE STUPID SOLDIERS ARE CHASING US!!!''

''Hurry, big brothers! Kill them all while their guard is still down!!!'' Ben added, as if he really was seeking help from his big brothers.

Many question marks floated in the dim alleyway. The group of thugs was surprised when someone suddenly shouted at such a high pitch. But what surprised them all the more was for them to hear such concerning words.

They subconsciously hurried their gazes to shift to the source of that sudden voice. They saw three brats running in their direction. But they didn't recognize those brats. Who the hell were they? And what in the world were they talking about? What item? What soldiers?

The confused thugs narrowed their gazes and looked far behind the three kids approaching them. And to their horror, they found several soldiers rushing in.

What the fuck?!

All the thugs widened their eyes as they jumped up in sheer shock and trepidation. Why the hell were those soldiers here of all places?

Weren't they in big trouble?

''Big brother, here, catch it,'' Jax spluttered as he threw a small bag to one of the thugs in there the moment they got close enough. After which, all three of them ran past the group of thugs and said their farewell, ''We'll leave the rest to you. Take care, everyone!''

The confused thugs only watched them leave, still processing the entire situation in their heads. On the other hand, the thug who caught the bag thrown by Jax stared at the small bag in his hand for a moment. One question mark floated over his head.

''Those brats have accomplices as expected! Hurry and catch all these bastards!''

A roaring voice reverberated in the air, snapping all the thugs back to their senses. The town soldiers finally caught up, and they all prepared to catch all the thugs out there.

''Fuck, everyone! Get ready for battle! Fight as if this is your last day in this world!'' One of the thugs, probably the leader, ordered with his voice at its loudest. He was also the one who caught the small bag that Jax had thrown a moment ago. He tightened his grip on the small bag, and realizing that it carried great importance for the soldiers to come after it, he turned around and ran away swiftly.

''That guy is quite cooperative,'' Jax spoke with a faint smile. He retracted his gaze from behind as he noticed that the guy to whom he threw the bag had also run away from the town's soldiers.

But he didn't care much. He ignored that guy as he and his companions started running faster to the point that anyone chasing them wouldn't be able to catch up anymore. Then they headed out of the alley. They blended straight into the crowd of busy people across the street as if they were just kids playing tag with each other.

They ran swiftly until they finally reached the town's gate.

The guards were on post, but they didn't bother them when they rushed out of the town. That was expected since quite a lot of people were coming in and out of the town's gate.

The guards were only there to deal with those who would dare to cause trouble.

Meanwhile, only when Jax and the other two exited the town's gate did they gradually slow down as they headed straight into the nearby forest where trees stood tall. It was the place where many kinds of savage beasts could usually be found, either wandering or lurking in the area. It was a dangerous place, but for them who knew that place like the back of their palm, it appeared like it was a playground to them.

After putting a safe distance away from the town, they found a place under the shade of a certain huge tree and rested there to gather back their strength, gasping as much as they needed. They at least needed this much after the breathtaking ''mission'' they just accomplished.

But thinking about it again, all of them suddenly wore a joyous smile, removing the fatigue and nervousness they felt earlier.

Then their gazes fell on a small bag held by Jax. It was a bag similar to the bag he threw to one of the thugs. Their smiles became more excited than before upon thinking about what was inside the bag.