The jungle was quieter now, but the silence did not bring comfort. The trees stretched endlessly in every direction, their dense canopies blocking most of the moonlight and leaving the forest floor drowned in shadows. The only sounds were the occasional rustling of leaves and the distant cries of creatures that lurked deeper within the wilderness. Every now and then something moved in the darkness far away, but whatever it was never came close enough to reveal itself
The group moved carefully through the thick undergrowth. Draven and Korr walked a few paces ahead, pushing aside branches and scanning the path in front of them. Thalen remained closer to the back, keeping a steady eye on Soren as they moved. The faint glow of Draven's fire magic occasionally flickered across the trees when he conjured a small flame to light the path before quickly snuffing it out again
They could not afford to be seen
Too many people were looking for the boy
The bounty issued by King Stormguard had spread across the region faster than any wildfire. Hunters, mercenaries, adventurers, even desperate civilians hoping for fortune were all searching for the same target. Moving through towns or trade routes during the day would be suicide. Someone would recognize the shackled boy eventually
So they travelled through the most dangerous places instead
Monster territory
Soren walked between them with slow, uneven steps, the mana sealing restraints digging into his wrists every time he moved. The chains restricted the flow of his magic completely. He could feel the absence of it like a hollow emptiness inside his body. He was left completely powerless and three experienced hunters surrounded him
Yet he didn't complain. He didn't say anything. He just walked
After a while Draven slowed his pace and glanced over his shoulder
"Keep moving," he said calmly
Soren nodded slightly
"I am"
Korr snorted from the front. "Doesn't look like it. You walk like your legs stopped working''
"The restraints make it hard to move properly," Soren replied quietly
Korr laughed under his breath but did not respond further
They continued walking for another stretch of time before Thalen finally stepped ahead to check the path. Draven took his place near Soren while Korr remained several paces in front of them
For a few minutes neither of them spoke
Soren kept his eyes on the ground as they walked
Then he broke the silence
"Why are you doing it?"
Draven glanced down at him
"Doing what?"
"Chasing the bounty"
The older man did not answer immediately. His eyes remained focused on the jungle ahead as he pushed aside a low hanging branch
"Money," Korr called from the front without turning around. "Same reason anyone does"
Soren nodded slightly
"Fair enough"
Draven remained quiet for a moment before speaking again
"It's not just money"
Soren looked up slightly
"No?"
Draven shook his head faintly
"I have a daughter"
Korr groaned loudly. "Here we go again. Can't go one day without hearing about your daughter"
Draven ignored him
"She's talented with magic," he continued. "Far more than I ever was. But talent alone isn't enough. Training under skilled mages costs money. More than most people will ever see"
Soren listened without interrupting
"The bounty will cover that?" he asked after a moment
Draven gave a small nod
"And more. She could study somewhere proper. Learn from people who actually know what they're doing"
Soren lowered his gaze again as they continued walking
"That kind of money would change her future"
Draven did not respond immediately, but the faint tightening of his jaw suggested he agreed.
Ahead of them Korr scoffed again
"You're acting like the kid cares"
Soren just stayed silent at his remark he did care about what Draven had to say, but not in the way that Korr thinks
For a while the conversation faded again. The jungle thickened slightly as they moved deeper through the forest, forcing them to slow their pace while weaving around thick roots and fallen branches
After several minutes Soren spoke again
"So how does it work?"
Draven glanced down at him once more
"What?"
"The bounty"
Draven frowned slightly. "What about it?"
"Do you split it?"
Korr laughed loudly
"Of course we split it. What do you think this is?"
Soren nodded slowly
"Three hunters means three shares"
"That's how it works," Draven said
Soren considered that quietly for a moment
"That's still a lot of money"
Korr shrugged
"Yeah. It is"
Soren lifted his gaze briefly toward the dark sky barely visible through the trees
"A bounty issued by the king himself must be enormous"
Draven did not deny it
Korr let out a low whistle
"Yeah, it's big alright"
No one spoke for a moment after that
But the idea had already slipped quietly into the conversation and Soren simply kept walking beside them as if he had said nothing important at all
Thalen moved ahead of the group, his figure blending almost naturally with the darkness of the jungle. Unlike the others he did not need light to move. His steps were careful and deliberate as he examined the terrain in front of them, occasionally crouching to inspect disturbed earth or broken foliage before continuing forward again. Every movement suggested the same thing. He was planning their path several steps ahead of everyone else
Draven walked behind him with steady, careful steps while Korr drifted a little further to the side, lazily watching the darkness around them
Soren walked between them, chains shifting softly with each step
For a long while he said nothing
He waited until Thalen had moved far enough ahead that only the faint sound of branches moving marked his presence
Korr eventually wandered further ahead to check something near the tree line, leaving Soren walking beside Draven
Soren glanced briefly toward the older man before speaking
"You mentioned your daughter earlier''
Draven looked down slightly
"What about her?"
Soren hesitated as if unsure whether to continue
"Nothing important"
Draven raised an eyebrow
"Then why bring it up?"
Soren shrugged lightly
"I was just thinking about it"
Draven waited
Soren spoke again after a moment
"She must be talented if you're willing to risk something like this for her"
Draven's expression softened slightly
"She is"
Soren nodded.
"Magic training must be expensive"
"It is"
"Especially if the teacher is strong"
Draven gave a quiet grunt of agreement
Soren remained silent for a moment as they continued walking
Then he spoke again, almost absentmindedly
"Still… if it works out she could become something important"
Draven said nothing
Soren continued quietly
"A strong mage could change a lot for a family"
Draven glanced at him again
"That's the idea"
Soren nodded
"I guess that kind of future needs a lot of support"
Draven did not answer, but his jaw tightened slightly
After a while Korr returned from the trees and Draven moved ahead to check the path instead
Now Korr walked beside Soren
The man stretched his arms lazily as he walked and the chains around Soren's wrists shifted softly as he stepped over a large root. Korr noticed and glanced down at him
"You're slowing us down again," he muttered
"The restraints make it hard to walk," Soren replied calmly
Korr rolled his eyes but said nothing else
They walked for a minute in silence. The jungle around them rustled softly with distant movement. Somewhere far away a creature screeched and then everything returned to quiet
Korr stretched his arms slightly as he walked
"Still better than dealing with another swarm like earlier," he said
Soren glanced at him
"You hunt monsters a lot?"
Korr shrugged
"When the pay's good"
Soren nodded slightly
"So mostly for the money"
"Obviously"
Korr kicked aside a loose stone as they walked
"Why else would anyone do this?"
Soren thought for a moment
"So what are you going to do with it?"
Korr looked down at him
"With what?"
"The bounty"
Korr smirked slightly
"Spend it"
"On what?"
Korr shrugged.
"Gear. Drinks. Whatever I feel like, money exist to be spent after all"
Soren nodded as if that made sense
"That's a lot of money to spend"
"Yeah"
Korr grinned faintly
"That's the best part"
Korr cracked his neck slightly as he walked
"King's bounty. Those don't happen often"
Soren nodded slowly
"I guess it makes the job worth it then"
"Oh it does"
Korr sounded almost amused now
Soren was quiet again for a moment
Then he spoke casually
"Still feels like a lot of effort though"
Korr glanced at him
"What do you mean?"
Soren responded, ''Going through all of this just to end up splitting all of this, why settle for less when you can have more. That's what I like to think anyway''
For a brief moment Korr did not respond. He simply looked at Soren, studying him as they continued walking through the dark jungle. The sound of insects filled the air around them and somewhere in the distance something large moved through the undergrowth before disappearing again
Then Korr let out a quiet laugh
"You talk like someone who thinks they know how the world works"
Soren shrugged slightly, the chains around his wrists clinking together
"Maybe"
Korr smirked and shook his head
"Doesn't matter anyway. You need a team to catch targets like you"
"Do you?"
Korr looked down at him again
"Of course"
Soren tilted his head slightly
"You seem strong enough to handle most things yourself"
Korr's smirk widened just a little
"Well that part's true"
He cracked his knuckles lazily as they walked
"Those bats earlier? I probably could've handled half of them myself"
Soren glanced at him briefly
"Your lightning was pretty fast"
Korr grinned
"Pretty fast?"
He let out a small scoff
"You didn't see half of what I can do"
Soren nodded slightly as if considering that
"I guess I didn't"
Korr seemed pleased with the answer. His posture straightened slightly as he continued talking
"Most bounty hunters rely on brute force. Swinging swords, throwing fire everywhere. But electric magic is different"
He lifted one hand slightly as faint sparks danced across his fingers before fading again
"It's fast. Precise. You don't give your target time to react"
Soren watched quietly
"Sounds useful"
"It is"
Korr glanced ahead toward the darkness where Thalen had gone before continuing
"Half the time I'm the one finishing fights anyway"
Soren followed his gaze
"Even when you're working with people like them?"
Korr shrugged
"They're useful"
That was the word he chose
Useful
Soren nodded slowly
"I guess every team has someone who carries most of the weight"
Korr chuckled under his breath
"You're not wrong"
They stepped around another thick root as the jungle path narrowed
For a few seconds neither of them spoke
Then Soren said quietly,
"Still seems like a lot of work though"
Korr raised an eyebrow
"What does?"
"All of this"
Soren gestured slightly with his bound hands toward the dark forest around them
Korr shrugged
"That's the job"
Soren nodded again
"Yeah"
He paused before adding calmly,
"Just seems like the kind of job where the strongest person usually ends up doing the most work"
Korr smirked again
"That's usually how it goes"
Soren glanced at him
"Doesn't that get annoying?''
Korr looked down at him
"What do you mean?"
Soren shrugged
"Doing more than everyone else"
Korr let out a short laugh
"You sound like you're trying to start something"
"I'm not"
Soren looked back down at the ground as he walked
"I'm just saying what it looks like"
Korr was quiet for a moment
Then he shook his head slightly
"You're a strange kid"
"Maybe"
They continued walking through the jungle for another stretch of time before Korr spoke again, almost casually
"Still… you're not completely wrong"
Soren did not look up
But he listened
And then he smiled