Bounty Regression: Wanted

The bar's door creaked as they stepped inside.
The smell hit immediately. Cheap liquor. Stale smoke. Sweat. Old wood. Beneath all of it was something Tatsuchi couldn't quite identify, a faint metallic smell that seemed stronger near the back of the building.
Saltmere was full of places like this. Small buildings squeezed between narrow streets, crooked signs hanging above entrances, windows permanently stained by years of smoke. People came here to drink, gamble, complain, or disappear for a few hours.
Sometimes all four.
Tatsuchi stepped inside first, followed by Zhenyu and Asumi. The conversations slowly faded around them. One table stopped laughing. A group near the back lowered their voices. A man holding a glass glanced toward Tatsuchi's sword before quickly looking away.
Asumi, however, looked like she was enjoying herself. She walked toward the counter and leaned against it, resting her elbows on the worn wood. The bartender looked at her and then the rest of them. His expression tightened.
"You... can't be in here. You don't look old enough." Asumi blinked. "Really?"
"Yes."
"That's unfortunate."
The bartender stared at her for a moment. Asumi smiled. "Because if I wanted to, I could make your life really difficult." The bartender's expression immediately changed. His eyes flicked toward the golden insignia attached to Asumi's clothing. It was the emblem of high ranking Gate Guards.
"I don't want trouble."
"Neither do I," Asumi said cheerfully. "That's why I'm telling you in advance." Zhenyu sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Asumi."
"What?"
"Stop threatening the bartender."
"I'm not threatening him."
"You literally just told him you could make his life difficult."
"I was establishing boundaries. It's not like I could actually do anything serious!"
Tatsuchi glanced at the bartender.
"Ignore her."
Asumi's mouth fell open.
"Captain."
"You're making this harder than it needs to be." Asumi pouted. Her cheeks filled with air. The bartender opened his mouth to respond. Then he stopped. Something moved behind the counter. A large, dark hand appeared first, then a tall, broad man stepped into view.
His dreadlocks hung around his neck, and his shoulders nearly filled the space behind the bar. He looked old enough to have been standing in that building longer than most of the people drinking inside it. His eyes were sharp, his expression was relaxed, but there was something about him that made the room quiet.
"Who's threatening my bartender?"
His voice was deep and carried a noticeable southern drawl. Zhenyu sighed as his hand dropped down to his blade. There were some voices you forgot over time. And that wasn't one of them.
"...Dad."
Lytle Mori looked down toward him. For a moment, his expression didn't change. Then a slow smile spread across his face. "Well, I'll be damned." He stepped around the counter, wiping his hands against the front of his shirt. "Look who finally decided to visit his pops." Zhenyu's shoulders stiffened. "I didn't know you worked at a place like this." 
Lytle let out a hefty laugh that filled the empty space.
"HAHAHA! I don't work here." Lytle gestured around the room.
"I run it."
Zhenyu frowned.
"Still got that attitude?"
Tatsuchi watched them carefully. She didn't say anything. The tension between them was obvious. 
Lytle walked closer to Zhenyu, looking him over.
"I haven't seen you in what?"
"Three years."
"Three and a half."
Zhenyu looked away.
Lytle closed his eyes and kept a reminiscent smile on his face. "Something like that. You came to visit me right after you had fought in the tournament to join the Gate Guards back in Eyrhaven." Lytle studied his son for another moment before his eyes moved toward Tatsuchi.
"And you."
Tatsuchi raised an eyebrow.
"Me?"
"Still full of fire." He gave a quiet laugh.
"Don't think I forgot the shit you and the 7th pulled in Rocspirit." Tatsuchi's expression shifted slightly.
"Four years ago? Hmm, I don't seem to recall an event. Was it the illegal stuff you did that required two Gate Captains to come and intervene?” Tatsuchi said with a sinister grin poking at her lips.
"Exactly."
Lytle leaned against the bar.
"You weren't supposed to win."
Tatsuchi's mouth curved upward.
"I know. But that's what to expect from somebody as honored as myself."
Asumi looked between them.
"Wait."
She pointed at Tatsuchi.
"You two already know each other?"
"Unfortunately," Tatsuchi said, rolling her eyes back.
Lytle laughed.
"It was her first mission after becoming a Gate Captain four years ago."
Tatsuchi nodded.
"She had apparently heard of what I was up to and was joined with the captain of the seventh, Ouya Katsuragi."
"But isn't Rocspirit under the jurisdiction of the eighth?" Asumi asked. Tatsuchi looked over at her, “If you know anything about the captain of the eighth, then you should know that it would've been safer without him involved.” Zhenyu tapped Asumi on the head with his palm, “Shut it Asu, I wanna hear the rest of this.” Before Asumi could hit him back, Tatsuchi threw them both a look. They settled into their seats and waited. 
Lytle shook his head and laughed, before continuing.
"That was a hell of an introduction for a new captain." Lytle said with a fondness in his voice. "I remember you walking into Asavaris, looking like you were sixteen going on forty. You were there to infiltrate the arena and steal information to get us all locked up. The seventh was supposed to handle the fighting itself."
Zhenyu glanced at Tatsuchi. "You've never told us this story."
"I didn't think it mattered."
"It was your first mission."
Tatsuchi shrugged.
Lytle smiled.
"That's what I liked about you." He pointed at her. "You didn't care who got the credit." Tatsuchi looked at him.
"I cared.”
"Really?"
"I just knew I'd be better eventually."
Lytle burst out laughing.
Asumi shook her head, her blue eyes keeping on Tatsuchi.
"You're impossible. Four years later and you're still like that." Tatsuchi smiled. "That's debatable." Lytle's laughter eventually faded into a grin. "You slipped into the back offices while the seventh tore through half the operation downstairs. You came back with enough information to shut down seven routes."
"Eight."
Lytle raised an eyebrow.
"Eight?"
"You forgot the west of Bayvice."
He stared at her for a moment. Then nodded. "Yeah." A small smile appeared on his face.
"Eight."
Tatsuchi folded her arms. "Then you remember correctly." Lytle leaned closer. "And after all that, you still decided to fight me yourself." Lytle looked back down at her. "I wanted to see if you were actually as strong as people said."
"You put down your sword."
Tatsuchi nodded. "And you put up your fists. I would never fight with a blade when the other isn't."
"All of that pride."
Tatsuchi smiled. "You were slower than I expected." The bar went silent. Asumi slowly turned away from her and Zhenyu closed his eyes. "Why do you keep doing this?" Tatsuchi looked at him. "Doing what?" "Insulting people who are twice your size." Tatsuchi shrugged. "I'm just being honest."
Lytle laughed. He looked at Tatsuchi with genuine respect. "You fought until the end. Didn't complain. Didn't ask Katsuragi for help. Didn't blame anybody." Tatsuchi's expression softened. "Don't let it go to your head."
Her smile almost appeared. Asumi slapped a hand against the counter. "I knew it." Everyone looked at her. She grinned. "She's been like this the entire time." Zhenyu nodded. "Unfortunately." Asumi looked over at Zhenyu. "And you're still babysitting her?" Zhenyu sighed. "Apparently." Tatsuchi frowned.
"Hey! I'm the Captain. If anything, I babysit you two all day!"
As the silent bickering between the three continued, Lytle's eyes moved between the three of them. For the first time since they'd entered, the joking expression disappeared from his face.
"You three aren't here for drinks, are you?" Zhenyu's expression became serious.
"No."
Lytle's eyes dropped toward the bounty papers tucked beneath Tatsuchi's arm.
"Thought so."
Tatsuchi placed them on the counter. "We're investigating a bounty network."
Lytle didn't touch the papers.
He looked at them.
Then at Tatsuchi.
"You're involved in this?"
"Obviously."
"Not you."
His eyes shifted toward Zhenyu.
"All of you."
Zhenyu nodded.
Lytle took a slow breath.
"You should be careful."
Tatsuchi leaned against the counter.
"About what?"
Lytle glanced around the room.
"About the Revolutionary Army."
The noise from the bar seemed to shrink.
“The revolutionaries?" Asked Asumi. Lytle nodded his head.
"They're everywhere. From my experience, their top men are nothing to be dealt with, unless you're a step above the rest. Even then, being special has nothing to do with it, this world is stronger than you think."
Lytle finally picked up one of the bounty sheets. "Small towns. Trade routes. Farming communities. Desert settlements. From here, across Harpyra, and all the way to Stratusa, I can almost guarantee that they're everywhere." He tapped the paper with one finger.
"Some people even disappear after revolutionary activity." Tatsuchi frowned. "That's not proof." Lytle looked at her. "I didn't say it was." He placed the paper back down. "That's the problem." A man at a nearby table spoke without turning around. "They don't need proof." Everyone's attention shifted toward him. He was older, with a gray beard and dust-covered clothes. His hands were wrapped around a glass that looked like it had been sitting there for hours. "I've been trying to get home to Vallcera for months." Tatsuchi studied him. "Why?" The man gave a bitter laugh. "Because I can't."
"Roadblock?"
"Roadblocks."
He lifted his glass. "Three different routes are blocked."
Zhenyu leaned forward slightly.
"By the Revolutionaries?"
"What do you think? Unless you can get onto the Titan Bridge Train, its getting harder and harder to travel to Harpyra." Tatsuchi closed her eyes to think, “What about Victor Combs, captain of the tenth? Shouldn’t he be making sure the region is safe for its people and travellers?” The man shook his head. "Sometimes gangs. Sometimes local militias. Sometimes people wearing masks and carrying symbols I've never seen before. Victor Combs hasn’t been seen by the public in months, he’s as dead to us as our gang riddled lands. And… my son"
Asumi's expression became more serious. "So what about the cults?" The man looked at her. "You've heard?" "Rumors."
"Then the rumors aren't rumors." A few people around the room shifted in their seats to get further. The man continued. "They've been taking people." He looked down at his drink. "Farmers. Travelers. Children." Tatsuchi's eyes hardened. "Why?"
"I don't know."
"Then how do you know it's connected?" The man looked back at her. "Because everyone who comes back talks about the same thing." He swallowed. "Rituals, sacrifices, their leaders. His voice settled over the room. Nobody moved. Zhenyu's expression tightened. Asumi stopped smiling. "Rituals for what?" Tatsuchi asked. The man shook his head. "Nobody knows." A second voice came from another table. "They're looking for something." Tatsuchi turned. A younger man sat against the wall. "Something in the Pleiades desert." The first man scoffed. "That's just another story."
"It's not."
"How would you know?"
"Because my brother disappeared looking for whatever it was." Silence spread through the room. Tatsuchi studied him. "Your brother was a revolutionary?"
"No."
"Gate Guard?"
"No."
"Then why was he looking?"
The man's eyes dropped toward his glass.
"He thought they were."
Tatsuchi frowned.
"Who?"
"The revolutionaries."
The man took another drink. "He thought they'd found something. Maybe he thought it was treasure. I'll never know the tales of a dead man" Tatsuchi folded her arms.
The Revolutionary Army had become more than a story.
A rumor.
A name.
People whispered about them, blamed them, feared them. But Tatsuchi had barely encountered anything that justified the reputation. She'd heard reports, she'd seen bounty notices, she'd fought criminals claiming to work for them. But where were the commanders? Where were the armies? Where were the great battles that so many claim to see? The Revolutionaries were supposed to be the most dangerous organization in the world, and yet they remained strangely distant.
Tatsuchi leaned back against the counter. "If they're really as powerful as everyone says, why don't we ever see anything major from them?" Nobody answered. Zhenyu looked at her. "Tatsuchi."
"What?"
"That's exactly why they're dangerous."
She turned toward him.
"They're hiding."
"Or they're small."
Zhenyu shook his head.
"That doesn't explain how they're operating across the five major nations."
Tatsuchi looked away.
"Maybe everyone exaggerates."
Lytle's expression hardened.
"Don't,"
Tatsuchi looked back. He wasn't joking anymore. "You can doubt them." His eyes narrowed. "But don't underestimate them." Tatsuchi held his gaze. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Lytle looked toward Zhenyu. "Your mother would've told you the same thing." Zhenyu's expression immediately changed. The words had barely left Lytle's mouth before the air between them became heavier. Zhenyu looked down. 
Tatsuchi noticed.
Of course she did.
Fourteen years.
That's what she remembered.
His mother had died fourteen years ago during the Sun God Incident. 
Zhenyu had never liked talking about it. Lytle didn't talk about it either. Whatever happened after her death had left something between father and son that neither seemed willing to touch. Tatsuchi said nothing. She wasn't going to. Some things weren't hers to expose. Lytle looked away. "Anyway." His voice returned to normal. "If you're looking into the bounties, you should talk to people who actually know how the underworld works." Zhenyu frowned. "Youre talking about the Tomidoru." Lytle nodded. "Exactly." Tatsuchi's eyes sharpened. "The Tomidoru, one of the five Great clans within Avethryn."
Asumi stepped closer, close enough to be covered in Lytle's shadow. "And what about Hades Vault?" Lytle looked down at her. "You're better informed than you look." Asumi smiled. "I hear things."
"Apparently."
Tatsuchi reached into her shirt and pulled out a folded document.
"The Tomidoru offer access to anyone of royal blood or sufficiently high lineage."
Lytle nodded.
"Good grace."
"Or leverage."
"Usually both."
Tatsuchi unfolded the paper. "Hades Vault is supposed to contain records on the underworld. Names. Contracts. Routes. Debts. Bounties. Pretty much everything that Peregrinara can't do publicly." Lytle's expression became unreadable.
"Not everything."
Tatsuchi noticed immediately.``"What do you mean?"
She stared at him.
Lytle closed his eyes.
“Nothing.” .
Zhenyu looked between them. Lytle's eyes shifted toward Zhenyu. "Son." Zhenyu's expression stiffened. "We'll talk later." Zhenyu nodded. "Of course." Lytle's tone remained calm. Zhenyu looked away. Tatsuchi and Asumi watched them. They didn't need to ask. Whatever that conversation was, it wasn't happening here. 
Asumi suddenly reached for the bounty papers. "Wait." She spread them across the counter. "There's something else." Zhenyu leaned over. Tatsuchi moved closer. A separate paper underneath the bounties contained names that seemed to be the ones who placed them. There were about twenty of them. At the top of the list was a name Tatsuchi didn't recognize.
"Forest Kyōga."
She stared at it. "Never heard of him." Zhenyu shook his head. "Neither have I." Asumi looked toward Lytle. "You?" Lytle didn't answer immediately. Then he shook his head.
"No."
Tatsuchi's eyes narrowed. She picked up another sheet, then she froze. She stared at the poster, and her own face stared back at her.
Her hair was tied into a messy bun, loose strands escaping around her face. Her white shirt was partially unbuttoned, and a strand of hair hung across her forehead exactly as it always did. Her purple eyes stared directly into the camera. Tatsuchi stared back. For once, she didn't have anything to say.
Zhenyu noticed.
"...Tatsuchi?"
She didn't respond.
Asumi leaned over to look. "Oh." Tatsuchi's fingers tightened around the paper. "Over two million Yorin." Zhenyu looked down. His expression darkened. "Only alive." Tatsuchi read the line again.
Only alive.
Not dead.
Not preferred dead.
Alive.
Someone wanted her captured.
Asumi's shadow shifted beneath the table without her noticing. "That's a lot." Tatsuchi placed the paper down. "I've had worse." Zhenyu stared at her. "You have not." 
"That's beside the point."
"No, that's exactly the point."
Tatsuchi leaned back. "Why would they want me alive?" Zhenyu shook his head. "We don't know."
"Then we'll find out."
Asumi looked down at the bounty again. "Someone had the Revolutionary Army put a price on the daughter of the strongest." The bar had become noticeably quieter. Then Asumi's eyes moved to another sheet. She stopped. "...Guys." Nobody answered. She lifted the paper. Her voice dropped.
"The Sun Monarch."
Tatsuchi looked over.
Yuta Kuroainaru, Tatsuchi’s father. 
The number beside his name was enormous. Even people who hadn't been paying attention suddenly turned toward them. The room seemed to understand the significance without anyone explaining it. Zhenyu took the paper from Asumi. His jaw tightened.
"One point five billion."
Tatsuchi stared at the number.
For the first time that night, the confidence in her face disappeared.
This wasn't a bounty on some random noble.
This wasn't an underworld message.
It like someone was testing the boundaries of the world.
Yuta Kuroainaru was the strongest man alive.
The Sun Monarch.
A man whose name alone could change the behavior of armies. And somebody had placed a bounty on him. Tatsuchi slowly looked toward her own photograph. Then toward her father's. Someone was testing the waters. "Someone's testing the government," she said. Zhenyu nodded. "And they're doing it through the Revolutionary Army."
Asumi looked toward the list.
"Then the Tomidoru clan must know something." Tatsuchi sat down. Her chair scraped across the wooden floor. "Then we're going to find out what." Zhenyu looked at her.
"You mean Hades Vault?"
"Yes."
"Tatsuchi."
She looked at him.
"What?"
"This isn't a normal mission anymore."
Tatsuchi smiled.
"I know."
"You're talking about walking into the center of the kingdom's underworld information network."
"Yes."
"And you don't think that's dangerous?"
Her purple eyes narrowed. "Of course it's dangerous." She picked up her bounty. "But if someone wants me alive badly enough to spend over two million Yorin..." She folded the paper. "...then they probably expect me to be stupid enough to walk into their trap." Asumi smiled. "Are you?" Tatsuchi's grin widened. "No." Zhenyu grabbed his coat from the back of his chair. "That answer worries me more than if you'd said yes." Tatsuchi looked toward Lytle. 
"One question." Lytle raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead."
"Do you know someone going by the name Forest Kyōga?"
"No."
"Do you know who's moving these bounties?"
"No."
"Do you know why the Revolutionary Army is involved?"
Lytle's expression became serious.
"I know enough to tell you that they are involved, and that you shouldn't assume they're weak just because you haven't seen them." Tatsuchi held his gaze. Then nodded. She understood. Tatsuchi turned toward Zhenyu. 
"We're leaving."
"Where?"
"Back toward the capital of Phoenixis ."
Zhenyu blinked.
"Now?"
"We need information from the Kuroainaru records."
Asumi stood and pulled her coat into place.
"And after that?"
Tatsuchi smiled.
"We march to Condoran and enter Hades Vault."
Zhenyu grabbed his coat.
"You really don't know how to do anything normally." Asumi followed them toward the door. "That's why she's fun." Zhenyu opened it. Cold night air rushed into the bar, carrying the sounds of Saltmere's streets with it. Behind them, the room slowly began breathing again. Conversations resumed. Glasses clinked. Someone laughed nervously. Lytle remained behind the counter. He watched his son leave. For a few seconds, his expression stayed unreadable. Then he looked toward the bounty papers Tatsuchi had left behind. His eyes stopped on the name Forest Kyōga.
Something changed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Lytle quietly folded the paper. “Why are you so afraid of the new generation? Or does one of them interest you that much?”
Then, he quietly slipped it beneath the counter.
Outside, Tatsuchi walked down the dark streets of Saltmere with Zhenyu and Asumi beside her. The city stretched around them, loud and restless, neon signs reflecting against wet pavement while traffic moved somewhere beyond the narrow streets. She looked toward the distant road leading back to Anzicalis. Too many questions were drifting around in her head. None with answers. 
Tatsuchi smiled.
For the first time since arriving in Saltmere, she felt completely awake.
"Come on."
Zhenyu looked at her.
"Where?”
"Home. We have a lot of work to do."
Behind them, the lights of Saltmere flickered against a silhouette in the dark. His purple eyes glowing against the moonlight.