They Called Me Trash? Now I'll Hack Their World-Chapter 163: RUN!

I was walking steadily along the trail that led out of Oakmere, heading west toward the main road.

I needed to know if what Scarlet said was true.

If Duke Glimor’s men were really this close.

And if they were, I needed to figure out what the hell I was going to do about it.

I’d used my debug vision to modify my presence before leaving, dampening my heat signature, reducing the sound of my footsteps, making myself harder to detect by both magical and mundane means.

The forest around the trail was quiet. The normal sounds of birds and small animals were absent, like the wildlife had sensed something dangerous and made themselves scarce.

That alone told me something was wrong.

I moved carefully.

Then I sensed them.

Multiple presences ahead.

I immediately dropped into a crouch behind a thick tree trunk and held perfectly still.

Through the gaps in the foliage, I could see the trail ahead where it widened slightly near a small clearing.

Six men in leather armor moved along the road. Their gear was well-maintained. Three had crossbows slung across their backs. Two carried swords. The sixth had what looked like a mage’s staff strapped to his pack.

And beside them, straining at their leashes, were two massive hounds.

These were tracking beasts, probably bred specifically for hunting beastkins. Their noses worked constantly, sniffing the air and ground, searching.

One of the hunters held papers in his hand. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

They stopped as a lone traveler approached from the opposite direction, an elderly man with a walking stick, probably heading to or from one of the nearby villages.

The lead hunter stepped forward, unfolding one of the posters and holding it up.

"Excuse me, old timer. Have you seen either of these two?"

The elderly man squinted at the poster, leaning closer.

Then shook his head.

"No, can’t say I have. What’d they do?"

"Escaped property," the hunter said dismissively. "Theft. If you see them, report to the nearest guard station. There’s a reward."

The old man nodded and continued on his way, giving the hunters and their hounds a wide berth.

The hunters watched him go, then resumed their march toward Oakmere.

And that’s when my breath caught.

The poster.

From this distance, I could see it clearly.

There were two figures sketched on the parchment.

The first was Scarlet. That was for sure.

But beside her was a second figure.

A young man with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Me?

The sketch was rough but recognizable.

Did the Duke figure out it was me who hid Scarlet? How? When?

I thought back frantically to our escape from Greyford.

Had someone seen us together? Reported it? Had there been witnesses I hadn’t noticed?

Or had the Duke simply put the pieces together...

Before I could think it through further, one of the hounds suddenly swung its massive head in my direction.

Its nostrils flared.

Then it barked.

The lead hunter’s head snapped toward where I was hiding, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"You there!" His voice carried command, authority. "Behind the tree! Get down here! Now!"

Shit shit shit!

I burst from behind the tree and ran.

Not toward the road. Away from it, deeper into the forest where the trees grew thicker and the undergrowth would slow down the hounds.

"THERE!" The hunter’s shout exploded behind me. "After him! Take him alive if possible!"

The hounds’ barking erupted into a cacophony of sound as they were released from their leashes.

Heavy footsteps pounded after me.

I crashed through the underbrush, branches whipping at my face.

Damn it! Damn it! Now I’m in this fucking mess too!

This was the exact opposite of keeping a low profile.

I could hear the hounds getting closer, they were faster than me.

I needed a plan.

Needed something better than just running until my stamina gave out.

Desperately, I activated my debug vision while running, scanning the environment for anything I could use—

There.

A steep slope ahead, dropping maybe thirty feet into a ravine with a stream at the bottom.

Too steep for the hounds to follow easily. The hunters would have to go around or climb down carefully.

It would buy me maybe two minutes.

I’d take it.

I reached the edge and didn’t slow down.

Just jumped.

I tumbled, rolled, slid, hit the stream at the bottom with a splash that soaked me instantly.

The cold water shocked the breath from my lungs.

Behind and above me, the hounds reached the edge and barked furiously,.

"He went down! Circle around!"

The hunters’ voices carried clearly over the sound of the stream.

I dragged myself to my feet, dripping wet, and started running downstream.

The water would hide my scent temporarily.

Think. Think!

I couldn’t lead them back to Oakmere. I needed to lose them completely.

Or—

An idea formed.

I pulled up my debug vision and focused on myself.

Maybe I could change how I looked. Not perfectly like Scarlet’s glamour that hid her entirely, but enough to make the sketch on that poster not match my face.

Dark hair instead of blonde. Different eye color. Slight changes to facial structure.

Enough that if they caught a glimpse, they’d think I was someone else entirely.

I confirmed the modification.

[MP: 605/625 → 385/625]

The change rippled across my body. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the stream.

Dark brown hair. Grey eyes. Face slightly rounder.

Not Jin Raith anymore.

Just some random person running through the forest.

I kept running, following the stream, putting distance between myself and the pursuit.

Behind me, the hounds’ barking was getting distant.

They’d lost the scent in the water and were having trouble picking it back up.

The hunters would figure it out eventually. But "eventually" gave me time.

Just need to get far enough away. Then circle back to the village from a different direction.

And then figure out what the hell I’m going to do about Duke Glimor knowing exactly who helped Scarlet escape.

I ran.

And tried very hard not to think about how much worse this situation had just become.