~Chapter 4- Young bounty hunter~

On a rainy night, a rotund man known as Ekor waited in a tavern with information. He had burn scars in the shape of a hand on half of his face.

A blonde young man entered the tavern, a bounty hunter who had been rounding up the criminals troubling their land. Their face was veiled by a hood, and they took a seat at the table with Ekor.

"What do you have for me?" The young man asked.

Ekor shifted a map of the surrounding area to them and pointed to a cave, "That's where Chill's remaining crew is," Ekor gave this information in trade for his freedom, having given up his life as a bandit for a simpler one. If the bounty hunter wished, he could very simply subdue and arrest Ekor.

They traced a finger over the map, drew it into their pocket, and left the tavern promptly. The bounty hunter looked at his surroundings before running forward with great speed, darting through the muddied landscape.

Chill was a Mecarne bandit who was able to store and release cold at will, and was extremely dangerous. His gang had suffered a serious blow a year ago, and the only ones that continued to follow him did so out of fear.

The bounty hunter found a dimly lit cavern that Chill waited in. He strolled in unafraid. The bandits living there attacked, firing arrows and charging at him with axes and swords in hand. He evaded the arrows with ease, and when someone swung a sword at him, he caught it in his bare hand. A bandit swung an axe at his arm, and when it impacted with him, it shattered to pieces.

The bounty hunter delivered quick and light strikes to each of the bandits, felling each of them with a single blow.

"Chill!" The bounty hunter shouted out, undoing his hood and revealing his blue eyes and neat blonde hair. The bounty hunter was a fourteen-year-old named Jirro.

"Chill, come out here now!" Jirro shouted, " Everyone besides Chill can leave! As long as you don't attack me, I won't touch any of you."

A crowd of bandits came forth, with the cyan-tinted Mecarne leading the way, his eyes narrowing as he looked upon the boy.

"What're you doing here, kid?" Chill asked callously.

"Didn't you hear, there's a bounty on your head? Figured it'd be a good way to make some easy money," Jirro said with a smirk, "How's your arm?"

Chill wriggled his fingers. The last time they fought Jirro used Focus to injure his arms.

"I don't know what you managed to do when we fought before, but that isn't going to happen again. If you know what's best for you, you'd turn back now." Chill said.

"No," Jirro replied, " If you know what's best for you, you'll give yourself up without a fight."

Chill flexed. The air around them became shrill, and the hair on Jirro's neck stood. The teal Mecarne's hand flexed, and several spheres of ice formed at his fingertips. He tossed them at Jirro.

Jirro ran forward, weaving between the ice projectiles Chill was tossing at him. The other bandits occupying the cave scattered in panic. Jirro allowed Chill to swing at him, and he dodged each attack effortlessly.

Jirro barely defeated the cruel Mecarne the last time they faced each other, but he had spent his time as a bounty hunter honing his abilities.

Jirro threw a single devastating punch to Chill's gut, and he fell to his knees. The boy patiently waited for him to rise back up and come at him again. Chill jumped meters back and began tossing more spheres of ice at him, all futile of course.

Jirro punched the air, and a blue light emanated from his fist and traveled towards Chill at great speed, piercing the spheres of ice that were in its way. The light struck Chill and knocked him unconscious. The remainder of the bandits fled the cavern.

Jirro dug into his pockets for cuffs, the sort used on exceptionally powerful individuals, ones like Chill. With him incapacitated, Jirro searched the cave, dragging the unconscious Mecarne behind him. The cave was filled with stolen trinkets. He found Chill's massive freezer; In order to store cold within his body, he slept inside it each night. Jirro tossed him inside and sealed it.

He delivered Chill to the authorities with him confined in his own freezer, and he was paid handsomely for the capture of the criminal.

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Jirro traveled to a hill and set up a small camp for himself that night. From his bags, he laid out all the money he had earned as a bounty hunter. He counted it carefully. He had a plan for how he would use the money, but he was far from his goal. If he managed to win the tournament... he might have enough.

The fourteen-year-old boy decided to take on these bounties in part for money and to clear out what remained of the bandit gangs roaming about. A few elusive gangs had managed to evade him though. But he did this primarily to track down his father and uncle.

Jirro had not seen his father since the last tournament. Since then, he's heard rumors that he was once one of the notorious Sky Bandits, a group of seven powerful criminals who pillaged many nearly 15 years ago.

After months of research and meeting with victims of the Sky Bandits, Jirro was able to find the reported names of them all. Sky Bandits 3 & 4 were black-haired men named Lucar and Razan. Though Jirro didn't want to believe it, this confirmed that his father and uncle were in one of them.

Sky Bandit 6 was a blonde-haired woman named Michta, sharing the name of Jirro's mother. A family who owned a convenience shop north of Dialtown told him that Michta apparently threatened to break their arms if they didn't hand over their valuables. He never imagined his mother being such a woman. She died of Focus sickness when Jirro was very young.

Sky Bandit 7 was a red-haired woman named Bonnie. While Aero and Corri never knew their mother's name, it's likely that it was this woman. Sky Bandits 2 and 5 were a man and woman by the names of Vos and Diva. Both had brown hair and were apparently lovers.

Sky Bandit 1 was the most elusive of the group, described as being monstrous in appearance, unlike any Ralosian, Densius, Phantine, or Mecarne. They were something else entirely. But eventually, Jirro found a name.

Lunahreim. The leader of the Sky Bandits.

The history of Lunahreim was the most perplexing. There were rumors of sightings of this individual at the time of the Sky Bandit's prominence, and throughout history as well. Lunahreim, or one that looked like him, was sighted centuries ago. There were tales of a Lunahreim who challenged the Three Deities and failed nearly 800 years ago.

But through all these accounts, Jirro found that while the Sky Bandits stole from many, there was no sign that they seriously harmed anyone, even if they threatened that they would. If his father was truly part of these bandits, Jirro could take some solace in knowing that they never hurt anyone.

The bounties on the Sky Bandits 3 & 4 were still active. The other members of the Sky Bandits seemed to have disappeared completely. Michta was dead, so her disappearance was explained. But Jirro could find no explanation for what happened to Bonnie, Vos, Diva, or Lunahreim.

Jirro laid out on the hill, gazing up at the vibrant stars above him, all of varying colors and sizes. He could see the Platt Mountains to the north, his old home. He considered dropping by, perhaps visiting Ruben and the other Densius there. Maybe his cousins would have returned there as well. He'd prioritized seeking out his father... but after finding nothing for so long, he decided otherwise. Jirro would head towards Platt Mountain tomorrow.