The voice boomed one last time "Jin if you go after that thief you're fired!"
Jin had no time stop for his boss, he made his way down the sandy road sprinting forward while The sun etched it's light into his pupils. The target rushed into a narrow alley way of the street. He stretched his legs farther apart, opening up his stride, following the Targets path. The short raggedly clothed Target was already heading into the merchant filled main street. Jin cursed himself, and knew he would lose the Target if it got across. He stopped right in his tracks near the entrance of the alleyway, Jin looked around the ground, and bent down, grabbing a fairly big white round stone. He held it tightly into his balled fist as he adjusted his stance. The sand shifted around Jin's feet as he widened his legs apart, grounding his feet onto the sand; he inhaled slowly. His heavy breathing disappearing while his mind felt more focused and ready. Jin pulled back his hand with the sandy round rock wrapped in his fist. He felt his pupils shrink as he increased his strength in his hand; crumbling the sides of the stone. The whites of Jin's eyes consumed his pupil and Iris, his palms fill with an intense heat. His palms illuminated with a crimson flair, melting the rock, fixing the crumbled sides, turning its previous round form into an oddly shaped thin spike. Meanwhile the target was just twenty steps away from its successful escape.
Jin whispered "You got this...three, two, one."
The sound of a whispering launched arrow filled the narrow alleyway. The un-ignorable sound caught the attention of the ears of the Target, and turned around as a reaction. The blur of a white arrow pierced the Target's cloak right between its left arm and torso, pinning it into the ground; simultaneously pulling the Target, dropping onto the floor. Laid flat on it's back, stunned by the fall the Target didn't have time to check what pinned him down as the sun's light suddenly moved away from the Target's face and a shadow loomed over instead.
"You sure do know how to run, Boy" Jin said, as he smiled, looking into the kid's light green eyes.
The boy seemed irritated, and out of breath "Or you just suck at running?" the Boy said.
As Jin looked down he saw the kid struggling, trying to take out the stone dagger out of the ground, he lifted his foot, placed it on top of the stone, stopping the boys attempts.
"Tell me kid, why are you wanted for so much? If you act smart again, I'll go collect my reward now."
The boy's razor like eyes shifted to Jin "I'm warning you, I'm a Hallow! I didn't want to hurt you bu-."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're not the only one here" Jin interrupted, with a smile wrapped across his face.
The boy looked at the stone, and realized that the sides of it where almost crushed but partially melted into a unnatural slender form, he gasped in awe "Did you use A'nam? Wait that scar on your left eye, are you Jin? the One Eye Demon of Nabal!"
Jin's smile disappeared and looked around the alleyway. He bent down, and grabbed the boy's mouth pinching his cheeks together "First, don't say that stupid nick name here, second, I'm not that guy anymore, I'm just Jin. Now tell me quickly, why are you being hunted or else I can't help you."
The boy reached behind him still pinned to the ground, but with eyes of excitement, reached behind him, and pulled out of a rugged worn out pouch. The boy dug his hand into the pouch, and showed a crystal of some sort "I stole the King of Aridia's Ohrn Stone."
In an instant Jin's hands were already on it, Jin pulled it up to see it better, ignoring the kids whining, wanting back the stone. "The sharp edges, deep purple in the middle of green gem, you sure are stupid for taking Aridia's sacred treasure, but its real, and I can feel my A'nam responding to the stone."
The boy continued to whine "Hey give it back to me! I-"
Jin once again grabbed the boy's mouth mushing his cheeks even harder. "You just payed the fee kid, Jin's protection business here at your service, just tell me your name."
With his cheeks still mushed he said "Areon."
Jin let go of Areon and stood up while taking out the stone dagger from the ground, holding it in his hand "Let me tell you something."
Areon got up dusting himself off, and focused closely to what Jin had to say.
Jin's face grew tense, whispering calmly "Apparently we caused a seen, there is a hunter stalking us right now, when I say three, sprint to that main street. I'll hold him off, ready? One, two, three!"
As Jin turned around as a dark green hooded hunter leaped into the alleyway with a bow in hand, a pulled back string with a primed arrow. Jin saw the way the hunter aimed his bow. He still held the white stone in his hand, and threw it even quicker than the last time.
Hearing the piercing noise hurdling toward him, the hunter removed his aim from running boy to the speeding stone, and shot. The stone, and arrow collided with each other in the air. Rock pieces, dust, and wood splinters burst into a violent flight near the hunters face. He felt the impact of the remains of the projectiles blast toward his eyes, his vision became painfully blurred, he staggered backward, dropped his bow, and drew his sword from its hilt. The hunter's body started to quiver to the uncertainty, his body tensed and swung his sword. As he forced open his pain stricken eyes, the sight of a deserted alleyway greeted him.
Shifting through the current of people, Jin made sure he looked like any normal passerby,but felt his stomach churn as he was anxious knowing he doesn't have enough time before more hunters track them again. Jin headed further out, he felt a sudden tug on his elbow, he turned around and saw Areon. Jin sighed in relief, and discreetly pointed forward to the direction he wanted them to take. Little time passed by, they kept a silence between them, prepared for another interruption.
As Areon followed Jin, he barely noticed the merchant street disappearing, and the slum that came into sight. The ground was riddled with rubble, kids without shirts playing with dead animals, the air brimming with the sound of the drunk. Areon almost ignored these things as for a certain thought kept circling in his mind and eventually couldn't keep the maintained silence "I got to get this of my chest, that Hunter back there, you could have just let me handle him. You would've been amazed."
Jin looked around the street "No more talking for now, put your big boy cloak on, and stay close."
Areon focused more around himself, seeing the place. He gasped underneath his breath, he finally figured out where they were, and in a panicked tone, broke the silence once more. "Um...I got a question..."
Jin uninterested said quietly "What?"
Areon stated firmly in his biggest quiet voice, barely bordering between his normal and quiet tone "What in Astra's name are we doing now!?"
Jin suddenly stopped, and stared at the only well-kept stone building.
"We're going gambling."
