Chapter 9 - Kill Or Be Killed

"Remind me again of why I listened to you."

Exasperated, Drake scratched the back of his Yscalent's ear, making the Ifere shake in pleasure. Next to him, Higler was grinning from ear to ear.

After the ranger had promised to Major Johnson that he would punish the bandits, Drake thought that their paths were about to part. However, using the excuse that they were going the same way, Higler convinced him to go after the criminals together. Hell, he even convinced the major to let Drake permanently keep a Yscalent. After that, there was no way he could decline to help them.

Deep down, Drake knew that wasn't the true reason why he agreed to help Higler. He set out to travel looking for excitement, and there was no better way to get it than to follow a ranger in a manhunt. Besides, who wouldn't want to see a ranger in action? They were literally legends. Although Drake couldn't help but think that the stories about them were a little exaggerated, seeing how easygoing - and sometimes dumb - Higler was.

"What should we do when we find them? You know I will be more of a hassle than anything, right?"

"Yep."

Drake, who was speaking in a self-deprecating tone, was startled by Higler's answer. The ranger didn't even try to console him, instead he instantly agreed with what Drake said.

"Hey!"

"Haha... Jokes aside, you just have to let me deal with them. Stand back and watch, it will be important if you want to survive in the wilderness for long. By the way, let's see if you were paying attention to my lessons earlier today. How many are they?"

Drake stopped, and looked at the tracks. They weren't on the main road, but following the outlaws through the forest. Unbeknown to the criminals, by avoiding the road for fear of being spotted, they had left a perfect trail. If they had walked on the road, their tracks would have been mixed with that of dozens of others.

"Uhmm... Seven. No, eight. And... I think one of them is following the others from a distance. Maybe a sentry? He seems to turn his Yscalent a lot."

He turned around expectantly. Higler had been showing him tracks from many wild Iferes, and asking him to identify them, since they left the outpost. With his tips, Drake had been improving quickly, even though his first lesson was just this morning.

"Good job. You almost got it. They really have one of them on the rearguard. However, they are only seven, not eight. Do you see how the footprints of this one are lighter than the others? It isn't carrying someone, but most probably supplies."

Drake nodded slowly. If he was learning all of this in a classroom back at university, he probably would have found it extremely boring. But here, in the middle of the wilderness, everything was new and exciting.

"Ben?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did the outlaws kill those soldiers? I mean, Moontrit's tusks are valuable, but not enough for it to be worth having the army after you."

"You are right. However, the military is to blame for this one. Instead of being the rightful servants of the law as they are supposed to be, most army people follow a 'shoot first, ask later' sort of thing. To survive in the wilderness, you have to be ruthless, but that led to the criminals doing even worse. Not only in Menoraz Kingdom, but everywhere you go."

The ranger sighed, and patted Warkin pensively. Clearly, he didn't blame the army, since criminals were criminals, but Drake sensed there was more to it than it showed on the surface.

"Unfortunately, that affects us rangers too. We prefer to arrest than to kill, but we rarely can make that choice. Most outlaws see us as something worse than the plague. It's quite amusing sometimes. Haha..."

Although he was laughing, a dangerous glint flashed through his eyes, reminding Drake that whatever easygoing the man was, he was still a ranger. As people who lived every day on the brink of death, they obviously were forced to make use of their weapons more often than not. The expression on Higler's face told Drake that he was totally indifferent to killing. He didn't like it, but he also wouldn't restrain from it, if necessary was.

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Looking at Drake's back, Higler was in deep thought. When 'that person' had ordered him to go to the distant Menoraz Kingdom, and keep an eye on someone he never heard about before, he was surprised. He was even more surprised when he found out the boy he had to look after was just a new traveler, who had never left the big city before.

Still, he didn't dare to disobey that person. Besides, he liked Drake. He was curious, respectful, and reminded Higler of his younger self.

It wasn't the first time he scouted for potential talents, so he just brushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He had also noticed that night was approaching, which meant the time to strike was coming.

"Slow down, Drake. Not seeing anyone on their tail for the entire day, it's almost certain that they will stop for the night. We don't want to alarm them now."

Saying that, Higler got down from the Yscalent to better analyze the tracks. As he had expected, they started veering off to the west, going deeper into the forest. Clearly, they wanted to be as far from the main road as they could.

"From now on, only speak if needed. Follow me."

Quietly, Drake obeyed. Higler nodded to himself, approvingly. The task he had been assigned turned out to be quite enjoyable.

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"Do you think someone is after us?"

"Yes, all thanks to Frisco. Why did you have to kill that soldier, idiot?!"

"Shut up, Malt. You know I can't stand them. They put me in prison for three f*cking years!"

Around a campfire, six men were talking and arguing loudly. Another one was a few meters away, looking at the trees. Although he was keeping guard, the empty bottle of alcohol next to him showed that he wasn't taking his job too seriously.

"And I will say more! If you don't cool down, Malt, I swear I'm gonna..."

"Hey, fellas! Got room for one more around that fire?"

The moment the unknown voice rang out, everyone turned to look at it's source, hands already grabbing their guns.

"Oh, oh, oh! Calm down. I just wanted a warm place to stay at night. I don't want no trouble."

Seeing the black man approaching them, the seven criminals relaxed slightly. He was just one person, while they were seven. He was just a stupid traveler who unknowingly entered the wolf's den.

"One hell of a sentry you are, Bart. Letting someone slip right under your nose."

"Come on, friend, and excuse us for our reaction. You can never be too careful, right?"

Higler laughed, seemingly carefree. His eyes darted from one person to another, and he decided on a plan of action. His lips curled in a slight smile.

"You are right, you can never be too careful. Otherwise, you might leave tracks that lead to your dirty past, no? Like killing an army patrol, for example."