Chapter 75 - End of the Line

Max didn’t bother to hide himself. It would eventually be impossible anyway. His Stamina was running low, as despite his high levels of Cultivation, the fatigue was getting to him. But he knew the lizards were more tired. They had seen Max and their slow but steady march had turned into a scuffed, stumbling jog. They were at the end of their rope.

Empowered by this, Max chugged down a [Stamina Potion] and took to a jog himself.

“I want to capture one,” Max said. “We should be able to make it speak.”

“I like that,” Maverick exclaimed. “Let me be the bad cop! I’ll shoot their kneecaps!”

“Sheesh,” Max said between breaths. “I’d rather not get brutal with them.”

“They’re the enemy,” Maverick said. “Don’t be such a wussypants.”

“There’s a difference between a clean death and torture.”

“What difference? Is it somewhere between using monster bugs that eat people alive to kill your enemy.”

Max grunted and said nothing at first. He was sure of his victory. The [Trapper] was in a massive disadvantage and Max had certainly faced worse odds. But he didn’t quite know what to do if and when he got a prisoner.

“Look,” Max finally said. “I don’t know how well you understand fear and pain, Mav. I’ll just say this. I’ll do what I have to in order to help my people. But I would rather not become something I can’t respect in the process.”

“Yeah, I don’t get it. We good guys, they bad guys.”

Max got a little annoyed at that. But he controlled himself. How could Maverick understand? “I’ve only recently started liking myself again. Brutal torture isn’t something humans can afford to engage in.”

“Maybe what you can’t afford to do is to be a wussypants. This is why I should be the bad cop.”

Max recast [Alter Gravity] and kept on the run. The enemy had maybe a mile on him. He wished he knew where they were running towards, so he would know how much time he had.

“I just don’t see what’s the big deal,” Maverick said. “You’re alright with killing them in cold blood.”

“That’s why you don’t get to be the bad cop.”

Maverick huffed.

“Look. I have to kill them. I have to hunt them. But I don’t have to make them suffer.”

“They seemed to be willing to rip you from limb to limb, given an excuse,” Maverick reminded him.

“That may be so,” Max muttered. “All the more reason to make sure that humans win this game.”

“You meatbags are strange creatures.”

“We might be,” Max admitted. “But who else is going to carry you around?”

“Fair enough,” Maverick said. “Besides, we need to catch someone before we can tort— err interrogate anyone.”

“Let’s pick up the pace then.”

They ran on and caught a decent bit of distance. Max could already see the enemy clearly. They continued on their desperate, stumbling jog towards the edge of Dreadlands. They had less than half a mile, maybe 600 yards of distance left.

The last of them kept looking back and shouting something. Max wasn’t in shooting range and he didn’t want to sprint or use [Tether] yet to gain the distance.

I’ll wait until they’re climbing the cliff. That way some of them will want to climb up and escape, and some of them will stay. It’s still six against one.

“You don’t think you can take them on?” Maverick asked

Max wiped his mouth after putting his water flask back. “It’s risky.”

“It’s risky letting them escape.”

Max had to agree with that. If he let any of them escape, they would run off to tell their people that the guy with the massive bounty on his head was right here under their nose.

“There is a world where we could use that to our advantage.”

Maverick scoffed. “More advantageous than keeping them in the dark?”

“I suppose…”

“I think you’re just being a tired wussypants,” Maverick said. “Just suck it up and kill all but one.”

It was Max’s turn to scoff. “Fine. I’ll show you.”

“That’s the spirit meat-taxi!”

Max picked up the pace and started using [Tether] to gain on the distance. The enemy noticed almost immediately. With alarmed shouts they picked up their jog-march into a full sprint.

Good, tire yourselves out.

The edge of the valley was maybe five hundred yards away from the enemy’s position. Max chugged down a [Potion of Greater Mana Regeneration]. He didn’t like it. That left him with only one left, but this was not a moment to be miserly.

Another [Tether] followed another and soon Max was in shooting distance. It would have been impossible for anyone to aim properly in these conditions, Half-running, half-tether-sliding along the bumpy ground while pointing [The Maverick] at the enemy. No matter how steady a person’s hand was, nobody could shoot in those conditions from a hundred yards away, much less with a pistol weapon.

Nobody but [The Maverick] himself.

The last lizard running yelped in surprise and pain when the first volley of shots landed.

The lizards reacted immediately. They fanned out. Slassekhsnas, taller than the rest of the lizards, ran at the head of their formation. She was clearly exhausted, but her long legs kept her stride steady. Max pointed Maverick at her general direction, and the gun let loose a few bullets.

Then something unexpected happened. The other lizards turned and stopped. Slassekhsnas kept running.

“No way…” Max said between breaths.

“Why are they stopping?” Maverick asked between shots.

“They’re sacrificing themselves so Slassekhsnas can escape,” Max said.”

“Damn, these lizards are smart,” Maverick said. “Now Slassekhsnas will surely escape.”

“They’re not just smart,” Max muttered. “Humans are smart. But this kind of ruthlessness…”

“Focus, Max,” Maverick said. “That guy’s gonna throw a spear.”

“I see it. Ready for me to toss you?”

“Baby, I was born ready!”

“Please, never call me baby again,” Max muttered as he cast [Alter Gravity] on Maverick and chugged him as high and far as he could with his adequate Strength score. Max took a note of his Mana. A moment later 150 Mana was gone.

When Maverick was but still ascending, he started to spin around frantically and to rain hell down on the lizards.