Young Writers Society

Viktor just gave him a silent look. He couldn't tell if the man was just trying to complain or was trying to egg them on, but he wasn't going to let it distract him. From the expression Evie had on her face when she glanced down at their bounty, she must have been thinking the same thing. She was more subtle when having thoughts like that; it wasn't as easy to read what she was thinking. But they had been living together long enough that he knew how to guess what might have been running through her mind, and that was enough in a situation like this one.

"That's not what I meant," Viktor said, trying his best to keep his emotions out of his voice. He was terrible at it. Not for the first time, he wished he was his brother. Albedo wouldn't have trouble hiding what he was thinking-

He pushed the thought away. He had to stop comparing himself to Albedo. Evie and him had been working on it, but he wasn't sure he was making all that much progress.

"We're turning you in for a bounty," Viktor said. "An apology for a concussion is minor compared to that." He wasn't feeling guilty about what they were doing. Tiberius was a criminal, and they had caught numerous of those back in Mondstadt and even Liyue. He was just doing a job.

But he couldn't exactly ignore how they were turning someone in, and how that person would presumably end up in a prison or some kind of dungeon. A concussion would be the least of Tiberius's concerns once they reached the nearest outpost.

“Apology not accepted,” James muttered, starting to feel restless. His muscles felt stiff, but he doubted they’d take any attempts to stretch as anything but him trying to wriggle out of the woman’s grasp.

“Who are you three anyway?” James asked. “You don’t look like career bounty hunters.”

Evie wasn't sure what was weirder: not being recognized, or having someone assume they didn't usually do bounties. They didn't usually do bounties here or with their current limited resources, but they had done their fair share of them on their own and with the traveler in Mondstadt. Evie had done her fair share of them, back when she was EV-13 in Khaenri'ah and visionless.

She also wasn't used to people asking for her name in a situation like this.

"I'm Evie," she offered. She looked him over. With his arms and legs tied, it would be difficult for him to walk, but it would be possible. And it would probably be better than sitting still in her arms in the long run.

She put him down on the ground. Viktor gave her a look, and Felix took a step forward in anticipation. She kept her arm around Tiberius's shoulder and held onto his arm tight. With her grip, he'd never be able to get free. He could try, but it wouldn't end well.

"That's Viktor," she said, gesturing at him with her free hand, "and Felix is over there."

He didn't need to know their names, but Evie didn't think it would hurt.

"And we are bounty hunters," she said. "We're just...out of our element."

She caught a glimpse of Viktor trying and failing to hide a small smile at the accidental pun.

“Oh, how unfortunate,” James cooed with mock pity as he now stood with the woman death-gripping his arm and shoulder. He couldn’t help but feel like, with just a few snarky comments, he’d was already inviting more pain.

“What now?” he asked, trying not to think of the ways this could go south. “Do you expect me to hop with my ankles bound?”

"I was giving you room to stretch," Evie said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Knowing her, it probably was. Viktor eyed the ropes they had tied around his wrists and ankles. He wouldn't be able to move much, but standing would be better than staying still in Evie's arms. "I'll pick you up again once you do. You have a concussion, anyways. It's probably best to stay off of your feet."

Viktor raised an eyebrow.

"People can walk with concussions," Viktor pointed out. He had done it plenty of times before. Rhinedottir's training had been tough, and he had rescued Klee that one time with a concussion.

"Still," Evie said, "I think it's better to not be walking with one."

Evie couldn't even get concussions and had only just started looking into medical books at the library, but he wasn't going to argue with her right now. It was easier carrying Tiberius than making him walk alongside them.

James was quickly getting tired of the dopey comments from Evie and Viktor plainly stating the obvious. He guessed Evie would be the easiest of the three to garner empathy from, but she was also the biggest physical threat, so he had to be careful.

Having been thoroughly over the conversation, James only rolled his eyes and shook his head before deciding to seize the opportunity to stretch. He started by tilting his head from one side to the other and then stretched out his bound arms in front of him, though they were still tight around his wrists.

All three kept an eye on him as he stretched, though Felix notably was always keeping an eye on Viktor. Evie resisted the urge to sigh at that. They really needed to have a conversation with him where they reminded him not to use his cryo. It had to be eating him up right now, not just because he was worried about Viktor. His cryo was different than her electro or Viktor's pyro. It was a part of who he was, and had been from the very first moment he popped into existence.

...Evie admittedly wasn't sure how that worked, but she decided she could work on understanding human biology first before she moved onto whopperflowers.

Seeing as they weren’t interrupting him, James continued to stretch out his arms at different angles, and he twisted his lower back from side to side. There wasn’t much he could do about his legs without losing balance since his stance was so narrow, but that wasn’t his fault.

When done, he could feel a little looser, which was at least a small thing to be grateful for. Of course, he couldn’t be too grateful considering he was still being held captive by bounty hunters.

He looked at the others’ expectantly.

“Well… are you going to untie my feet?” he asked.

Viktor exchanged a look with Evie. Even without her saying a word, he knew exactly what she was thinking. She wanted to say yes. It was a stupid idea. If Viktor had done that while holding onto a bounty, the bounty would have been able to break free.

But Evie was the one holding onto Tiberius right now, and she had a stronger grip than Viktor ever would. They could allow it.

Viktor gave a tiny shake of his head as he walked over to where Tiberius and Evie were standing. He crouched down in front of Tiberius, carefully but quickly undoing the knots.

They were actually going to do it. They actually were going to listen to him. The sudden thrill of elation and adrenaline that pulsed through him made him want to laugh, but he pushed it down as Viktor untied his feet.

But the moment James’s feet were free, he seized the moment.

First, he rapidly knee’d Viktor in the face. Hard. And then, just after impact, he let his body go slack, freefalling just enough to stun Evie out of her grasp of his shoulders. As soon as he felt his shoulders come free, he pushed his body forward with legs, propelling between Viktor and Evie, past Felix, and far beyond their reach before they had a chance to grab at him.

His heart was pounding, but he ran, and ran, and ran, zig-zagging through the forest.

The escape happened so quickly that Viktor barely had time to process it. One moment, Viktor was untying the rope around Tiberius's ankles. The next, Viktor was sprawled against the ground with his face aching. Evie was standing, wide-eyed and surprised, with her hand held out exactly where it had been when Tiberius broke free.

And Felix-

Viktor's breath caught in his throat. He might have been upset about their bounty escaping, but that was something they could easily remedy. It was Felix, who should have been standing just a few feet away from them but wasn't, that made Viktor panic. When he turned, he could see Felix chasing after Tiberius's receding form.

"Felix!" Viktor shouted, scrambling to his feet. "I'm okay! Don't-"

Felix was out of earshot.

Evie pulled Viktor to his feet with a strong, quick tug. "We can catch up to them," she reassured him.

"But Felix is going to use his-"

"Felix will be okay," Evie reassured him. "We're the only ones in the woods right now. Tiberius might say something, but he probably won't get anything out of it—he has a high bounty, so they're probably planning on locking him up for a long time."

Viktor wasn't sure he could believe her, but he didn't have any other choice.

"Okay," he relented.

Evie and him rushed after Felix and Tiberius.

James only took half a second to glance over his shoulder, and that was enough to know he was being followed. He knew he would be pursued, but he clocked how far behind him the blonde-haired twin was.

He picked up his pace, pushing himself to go faster, leaping over bushes and tree roots as he made haste.

He just needed to figure out a way to lose them.

Evie and Viktor were too far behind to easily catch up with the two before them, but Felix had no issues keeping pace with Tiberius. While Viktor and Evie became farther and farther away—not used to the terrain, and not prepared for the sudden escape of someone so athletic—Felix darted forward with burst after burst of superhuman speed.

He pushed forward again, this time the movement being accompanied by the air chilling as ice formed underneath his feet.

James heard the feet behind him gaining.

Dragons above, that guy was fast. He dared to glance over his shoulder once he hit a small patch that was clearer, and he caught something in his lgance that he didn’t fully understand.

He could’ve sworn he saw… ice? But maybe it was just a reflection of the sun on a puddle. Or a rock? Regardless, he wasn’t going to waste time pausing to make sure what was what. He needed to figure out a way to lose his tail, but at this rate, he’d likely have to face him.

Begrudgingly so.

With a grunt, he pushed himself even more, scanning the trees overhead. When his eyes caught onto a suitable branch he prepared his mind and his body with deep breaths, and intentional strides, building as much momentum as he could.

And then he leaped, reaching up and grabbing a tree branch, pulling himself up. He’d picked a big, tall, sturdy tree, one that would be easy to get lost in.

He hoped none of the others were good climbers as he quickly started to go from branch to branch.

Felix skid to a halt at the bottom of the tree.

He peered up at its thick, sturdy roots. He could have tried scaling it. After spending his entire life in Dragonspine, he knew how to climb. But he was resourceful like the one who had raised him, so he did what he always did when it was too troubling to climb up a cliff.

He propelled himself up with a pillar of ice, eyes glinting with some cold and other. Viktor had said not to use his cryo, but Tiberius had tried to hurt Viktor multiple times. He had even succeeded the last time.

Now face-to-face with Tiberius and with a tower of cryo underneath his feet, he said in a voice eerily similar to Viktor's but far more pointed, "You hurt him."