The aggressor fell to the ground with a thud, yet Ms. Moto still seemed to be in a battle stance, as though expecting the attack to fail.

  “Good work, I didn’t know you were so strong,” The knight said interrupting her shock. He nodded in approval.

  “Thanks, but less talking and more running, there might be more still on our trail,” She said, turning away to run.

  “Agreed,” The knight responded, dashing off after her.

  The next few hours until sundown were spent hiding, observing their hunters following their trail, then running. They repeated this process like a never-ending game of cat and mouse.

  More than a few times the hunters came into their view, but Moto’s quick thinking got them out of an encounter.

  Finally, as the sun set, they had stopped being pursued.

  They had run so far off the intended course that they were somewhere in the snowy hilled mountains. Snow crunched below their feet as they climbed uneven stones, shivering due to being unprepared. Their legs burned with each passing step.

  Inside a cave which they had searched for frantically upon their dropping temperatures and quickly exhausting bodies, so high in the mountains it was hard to breathe, the pair sat utterly drained in front of a campfire.

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  Their clothes were drenched in sweat from running full force for the last few hours. They shivered as both huddled close to the fire.

  They staved off the lingering cold before the fire, taking a long sentence of silence before the unspoken agreement of rest vanished.

  “Why had they chased us so aggressively? Even bandits would’ve gone for easier prey” The knight asked earnestly.

  “They’re clearly not bandits. Capturing, much less defeating a dragon is something only people of legend were said to do!” Ms. Moto said, remembering the depiction of a captured dragon.

  “We have seen something today that we were not meant to see.” The knight added.

  “Clearly, that crazed man talked about us being spy’s, Only large Clans and other organizations would have those issues”

  “Speaking of which, why hadn’t you killed him? He’s seen our face and now they’ll know who to look for”

  “I struck a non vital pressure point… If I had intended to kill him he would’ve sensed my killing intent immediately, and I would’ve most likely died”

  “He was that powerful?”

  “No, even more”

  Silence filled the room.

  “So, what now? Does your map of this place include the path back on course?”

  “No, It’ll be difficult, and this definitely has set us back a few days, but as long as we can find a familiar land mass or identifying object matching the map we should be able to continue on course.”

  “That’s good news, I guess. I’ll keep first watch. Go ahead to sleep” The Knight said, sitting up.

  “Gladly” Ms. Moto responded.

  She took out some sleeping bags and new clothes from her storage ring. She stopped a moment to think, then took bandages out of the ring.

  “We’ve been too focused on running to patch you up, but unless you want an infection I suggest you bandage that wound across your forehead,” She said, throwing a bandage over the fire.

  The knight caught it, and with a nod expressed his gratitude. He quickly wrapped it around his forehead and tied it off, suddenly looking like a battered soldier.

  Moto rolled out the sleeping bags, then began to enter it before a shiver rolled up her body. “Ew, this is disgusting. My bag is gonna be dirty and smell of sweat… I want to wash up so badly…”

  The knight laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You’re actually acting like a female”

  That day, the Knight lived through a near-death experience twice.