Chapter 17 — The Cost of Trying
The bounty did not fade.
It grew teeth.
By the third night, everyone knew the number.
Fifty million.
Enough to erase debts.
Enough to buy loyalty.
Enough to convince desperate men they were different.
They weren't.
The first serious hunter came alone.
That was his mistake.
He tracked quietly—too quietly—shadowing a Knight safe route he thought was blind. He watched patterns, waited for separation, calculated angles.
Professional.
Confident.
He never saw Will behind him.
By morning, the hunter was found alive—tied to a lamp post at the edge of the district. His weapons were arranged neatly at his feet.
His hands shook so badly he couldn't pick them up.
Carved into the metal above his head, shallow but unmistakable:
TURN BACK.
He was still there at sunrise.
Crying.
The second group came as a team of four.
They planned an ambush near a fuel depot—tight space, clear exits, overlapping fire.
Jack walked into it first.
They fired.
Missed.
Because Eva moved before sound finished traveling.
One went down screaming.
Another dropped his gun and ran.
Jack caught the third.
The fourth hid.
Sam found him later.
Alive.
Terrified.
He was released an hour later—with a message burned into his phone contacts:
NEXT TIME, YOU DON'T LEAVE.
Word spread.
Fast.
Not that the Knights killed everyone.
But that they chose who survived.
And those who did… never tried again.
In underworld circles, the bounty was still there.
Untouched.
But conversations changed.
"How many came back?"
"Did you see their eyes?"
"He wouldn't stop shaking."
"They let him go."
Let him go.
That was the worst part.
Scar listened to the reports with interest.
"They're conditioning the city," he said.
"Smart."
An aide frowned.
"Should we increase the reward?"
Scar shook his head.
"No," he said softly.
"Fear works best when greed is still tempted."
He smiled.
"Let them come."
At the safe house, Sam laid out new intel.
"They're hesitating now," he said.
"Hunters are asking questions. Demanding guarantees."
Jack laughed quietly.
"Good. Means they're thinking."
Eva looked at John.
"And the ones who still come?"
John answered without hesitation.
"We make sure they're remembered."
No anger.
No excitement.
Only certainty.
Outside, the city adjusted.
Guns stayed holstered longer.
Eyes looked away quicker.
Men with dreams of fifty million woke up sweating.
The bounty was still active.
But now it came with a price.
And everyone was calculating whether it was worth paying.