“Joss!...”, William whined as he tightened his grip on the boy. The bandits up ahead finally noticed that they weren’t the only ones on the road and that one of those scrawny kids had even dared to send them a dirty look.

The bandit that had a stout build and butch blond hair, stared back at the vicious boy. His expression was lax but there was a glint of joy in his eyes. This was because he had the chance to mock one of those sheeplike peasants. He laughed at the little dog that threatened to bite him. Then, he merrily went along with his partner into the thickets.

William wanted to exhale a withheld breath as the bandits were soon out of sight. But it was too early for him to relax. Joss who saw his chance at revenge slip by, mindlessly rushed towards his target.

In a flash, he was already exchanging blows with the bandit that dared sneer at him! William wanted to scream in alarm but had to keep it together. He had to remind himself that he wasn’t weak nor useless! He had a sword and lots of training to accustom himself to his current body and weapon of choice! Thus with a few wriggles, he drew his sword and went up to help his brother.

William’s throat was burning while sweat accumulated in his palms. He had never been this scared before… He was so scared because this time he felt that he might actually lose Joss…

In the beginning, Joss took care of the blondie and his dinosaur, while Vash distracted the other pair. But now that William joined the fight, Vash could focus its claws solely on the other dinosaurs. It did small tricks like drag their tails and slap their mouths shut with its tail before they could bite its human-companions.

William greatly appreciated its control on the two fishlike creatures. As he himself was busy distracting the other bandit, that wanted to backstab his brother really badly. This bandit had seen days with an abundance of food ready for grabs. Hence he was big and had some weight put into his mace, but because of his massive build, there were also many places to find safety and blind spots. This element made it possible for William to evade the enemy’s attack. Yet, this fellow wasn’t to be trifled with. For even if William could dodge his attacks, he didn’t have the time nor the necessary foothold, to make a strike back.

“HMF!!!”. A loud cough of pain came from Joss’ prey. Both William and his opponent took a glance to see how bad the damage was. They both thought: It’s unbelievable!... The young boy had actually managed to stab the bandit in his face, right in the cheek. The sword was well-taken care of, thus it smoothly went deeper into the man’s skull in a slanted angle. It even went so far as to penetrate his brain.

The moment his center was sliced, the bandit shuttered, and then like a ragdoll, he collapsed on the road.

Joss withdrew his sword as he turned his empty gaze on to his next target…

This target was not ready to die yet. Which was why, without much thought, it chose to flee. Seeing this grown-ass man run away made William hate these bandits even more. They simply had no dignity whatsoever…

He was about to scold his brother, only to follow it up with a douse of praise for his huge achievement. But this talk of responsibility never occurred as Joss was already on his way to chase the fleeing bandit!

William gaped and yelled heatedly after his brother, “Joss! You big oaf! Come back here!!!... You think that just because you felled one bandit, you’re now capable of tackling the whole world!? HUH!? Joss!?...”.

The fading figure of his brother riding Vash could be seen darting in between the trees. It was clear from his actions, that Joss wouldn’t stop until the remaining bandit was dead… Knowing this, William wanted to give chase as well, but… Should he?... With an uncertain look William glared at the scene he was about to leave behind. On the ground laid a bandit with a deformed cheek and eyes that flickered as a reflex. The bandit’s former bonded dinosaur stared at the fresh corpse. You could see from its body-language that it was tempted to feast on it…

William frowned as new vigor surged through his veins…

He thought: Although I might get killed if I follow Joss… It would still be better than to sit back and watch this oncoming scene unfold! So without regret, William ran as fast as he could after his brother’s shade…

Multiple times he called out to him as he panted for oxygen. Even though it was a pain to run through thickets and dodge trees, it was an advantage for William that they ran through a forest. For if his targets were running on plain grounds, they would have easily outrun him and disappeared past the horizon. However, in here the dinosaurs were forced to stall their potential top-speed and not only fend for themselves but their riders as well. This was mostly because their combined height wasn’t that ideal, when in an area packed with trees and low-hanging branches.

William panicked as he witnessed the last details of Joss’ body melt into the landscape. But even though he had already lost sight of Joss, he didn’t stop his dash. Instead, he ran even faster, completely disregarding his clothes and skin that got scratched and torn on the way. For he knew which direction they ran in...

He kept up this fruitless run for what felt like an eternity. Until a waft of cool air curled around his ears. It was a gentle touch of wind, that carried the fading kiss of a cold stream. William slowed his pace as he suspected that he had reached an edge. And this he had…

Only a few meters ahead of him, a group of 12 bandits took their time enjoying a show. The host of this show was an audacious scoundrel, that relished in the wounds he had caused their unexpected enemy. William’s heart stopped…

He had just managed to reach this place but it was already too late. Joss had managed to get overwhelmed by the enemy... Upon closer inspection, it looked like he had been cornered to dance on the edges of Peaktears Run, and somehow they had succeeded in giving Vash a red fling across its chest. Blood trickled from the wound, that was not deep enough to steal the dinosaur’s life but its focus and strength.

Their situation was desperate, but its rider still had the guts to glare at the bandits. Sadly, Joss wasn’t allowed this insolence for long. “Why don’t ya hav’ a swim, boy?”, The brute cackled as he stabbed his greatsword, which was massive compared to a normal blade, deep into Vash’s being. The poor creature screamed as it lost its foothold. And together with its rider, they tumbled down into the raging waters below. Ugly thumps and blunt sounds came from the two bodies that twirled down the slope. Only to finish the music with a distinct *SPLASH*.

William clawed his fingers into the tree he took cover behind. His heart still refused to beat any warmth for him to feel. He knew that he had to make a decision fast, or die... Because It wouldn’t take long for this death squad to notice his presence. If it wasn’t for the wind blowing in his direction, they would probably already have picked him out from the other forest creatures…