Soon, all of the defeated fighters had their hands tied behind their back and were dragged to an alley between two of the buildings. Jon wanted to offer to help, but he felt funny about the rough nature of the situation.

Unlike the alley where Jon found Mercy, the buildings here were really short. So, Jon still felt like he was in the open. The buildings did block out a lot of the excess noise from the port.

“Alright, now start talking!” Hector said. “Who sent you here?”

“None of your business!” Jazz yelled.

“Actually, we’re bounty hunters,” the gunman said. “We were hired by-”

Jazz reached out with her feet. “I’m gonna kill you when I get out of here, Rudolph!”

Rudolph?

“Are you a farmer?” Jon asked.

“Me? Oh, not at all. I’m just a hunting enthusiast, that’s all,” Rudolph responded. “I am quite amazed with your marksman abilities. Perhaps-”

“I have a blunderbuss. It's not that impressive,” Hector said. “Who sent you??

“We were sent by members of her clan," Rudolph said, nudging Mercy. “That’s the only reason we took it. We would need to be guaranteed protection if-”

“What?” Mercy asked. Her arms were crossed, but Jon could see her nails gripping into her skin.

“Guaranteed protection… from the business of the clans…” He motioned over to the two robed fighters.

Mercy approached them. “Why were the hundred hands clans sent to find me? This was your idea? Janna-”

“It was your father’s idea,” the girl said. “He said you were causing trouble-”

“What?” This time, Mercy yelled. It scared Jon this time, in a bad scary way. “He sent you? You listen to my father now?”

“We listen to the great clan leaders!” Janna yelled. “How dare you suggest-”

“Janna, please.” The bald man said. “We should come clean-”

“How is anyone gonna learn anything if you keep cutting each other off!” Hector yelled. “There’s a boat leaving soon, and unless you want me to leave all of you laying on your sides behind an alley, you’re gonna tell me who sent you!”

“Hector,” Mercy started. “It doesn’t involve-”

“Don’t you dare say it again!” Hector yelled. “I’m tired of your snooty attitude! It involves us. It involves all of us! Me! You! Mallory! Jon! Tallow! Sabez! Jon’s parents! My sister! Your clan! The King’s Guard. These scrubs! It involves everybody!”

“I have to solve it,” Mercy said.

“Well,” Hector replied, “for once, admit that you’re doing a pretty shit job at it, and let us figure this out!”

“You’re right…” Mercy turned to the others.

“I know we didn’t leave on good terms, Janna,” Mercy said. “I want to hear your side of the story.”

Janna looked as if she was about to cry. Jon felt bad. He wanted to shoot at people, but he didn’t want to make them cry.

“...Your father made a deal with us,” Janna said. “We help him get you back, and not only would it ease the outside pressure coming to the clans, but he would try to help mend relations between our clans.”

“He’s using me… as a political pawn piece?” Mercy looked down in disbelief.

“I mean, uh, duh.” Tallow said.

Mercy threw her a dirty look.

Tallow shrugged it off.

“It’s like Hector said," Tallow responded. “You’re a… prin… a political piece. Whether you like it or not. Gotta roll with it. It wasn’t that important, we all wouldn’t be here trying to bring you back, and they all wouldn’t be here trying to bring you back. We’re all here for you, you know?”

Mercy took a look at the people tied up in the alley and her teammates.

“...But I didn’t say it was your fault.” Tallow shrugged. “Just make the best of what you have, and work from there.”

“Thanks…” Mercy looked down to the floor in thought.

“It’s getting close to time,” Hector said. “We gotta leave.”

“Can we have our family heirlooms back?” Janna asked.

“No,” Tallow said. “The nunchucks and the claw-stabby-thingy are coming with us.”

“Give me back my claw-stabby-thingy!” Jazz yelled. “And I won’t gut you when I see you next time.”

“Come find me,” Tallow said, leaning close to her. “I’ll gut ya first.”

“We gotta go!” Hector said. His attention was on the pier.

“I agree,” Mallory said.

Mercy took out a small piece of brown parchment and a piece of black chalk Jon had never seen before.

She scribbled on it.

“Give this… to my dad.” Mercy handed it off to Janna. “When you see him.”

“Guys!” Hector motioned to them.

“We can’t just leave ‘em here!” Mallory said. “Hector…”

“Why not? They tried to attack us. What, you want me to lop their heads off or something?”

“It’s fine.” The bald man stood up, his hands raised in submission, also showing the dangling rope. “I can take care of it here.”

“Thanks, Jing,” Mercy said. “Sorry about everything. You too, Janna.”

“You are sorry for being stronger for me?” Janna asked her. “How dare you-”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t fight more together,” Mercy said. “If we trained more together… instead of fighting…”

“Then come back with us!” Janna’s voice sounded hopeful.

“I… I… can’t… I have to go back with these guys…”

Jing untied Janna’s rope. When she stood, Mercy put the letter in her hand.

Janna read it. “You want us to send your father this?”

“It’s okay,” Mercy said. “He’ll know it’s from me.”

“Why don’t you go with them?” Tallow asked. She shrugged.

“No!” Hector said. “This is King’s Guard business! We’re not just a group of people meant to bow down to political situations.”

“Hector…” Mallory said. “That’s kind of what we are…”

“He should have let us do this job,” Hector said. “If it was that simple, this would have been a simple handoff, and not an attack. That was part of the instructions, wasn’t it?”

“Yah,” The giant said, nodding. “He wanted us to beat the crap out of you.”

“Settles,” Hector responded. “I’m not letting the King’s Guard look like a bunch of bumbling delivery men. That wasn’t the job. Mercy’s coming with us, and that’s final.”

“Hector…” Mercy looked down in thought.

“Now, I’m not paying for any more tickets! Come on, let’s go!”

He patted Mallory on the back, and Mallory nodded.

“We out, then?” Tallow followed them out of the alley.

“Hey, Jon!” Rudolph called. “I have something for you… in my back pocket… if you wouldn’t mind…”

Jon walked up to Rudolph and looked behind him. It was a brown pouch,

Jon reached in and pulled out a bundle of rope.

“It’s my last one,” Rudolph said. “You can have it. I slightly exaggerated how many more I have.”

Jon nodded. “Thanks.”

“Jon, let’s go,” Mercy said. She grabbed his hand.

“Bye,” Jon said to everyone.

"Be seeing you, Jon," Rudolph responded.

Jon and Mercy then ran off after the others.

They all managed to get on the line of passengers walking onto the large brown boat.

The walkway was lifted onto the boat by a couple of crew members. Jon looked around at the others.

They had already scattered around. Hector and Mallory were talking while leaning over the side of the boat. Tallow wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

It was only Mercy by his side.

“...That was memorable,” Mercy said.

Jon nodded. “Yeah.”

“...What you did for me back there,” Mercy said. “You… It means a lot.”

Jon nodded. He didn’t think he did much.

“...In the clans, you’re told not to let anyone hold you down. You have to outshine everyone. Your family. Your fellow clansman. The other clansman. Even your elders. If you don’t get stronger, then you’re holding the clan back. Everything for the sake of the clan.”

Jon nodded slowly. “Okay.

“I think you understand how that feels,” Mercy said. “To feel like you have to do what everyone else is doing for the good of the clan.”

“...Yeah.” He did.

“Being with you… I feel more than that…”

“I do too,” Jon replied.

Mercy smiled. “Maybe… one day…”

She slowly let go of his hand while she walked out to the front of the ship and peered over the ocean.

She seemed tired and stressed, but also at peace. So, Jon decided that it would be better for him to get some rest after everything that happened.

He went downstairs into the ship and found some very thin bunk beds in a room.

He took some time to decide which one to sleep in until he chose the top one, thinking that maybe someone would want to sleep and wouldn’t have to climb up to do so.

He tucked himself in and went to sleep.