Bounty Hunter Bash Labyrinth Lock Part Five

 The Mind Battle 

They walked on. The only one that seemed refreshed was Strena, yet the others were feeling the tiredness of the all nighter of fights. Bash yawned the most as they walked on. She soon spotted a woman ahead of her. She was dressed in all black. As she came closer she recognizes the woman as her mother!

“What are you doing here?” She asked as her mind rushed, trying to find the answer.

Then her mother dived at her. She fell to the ground and then she felt her arm around her throat! She looked up at her in horror. She looked up at her mother’s eyes. She saw that they were empty and there was a hollowness about them. Almost like she was looking into a doll’s glass eyes. Yet she had no time to think or chance to address that as she could feel her hand crushing her throat!

Then she heard Strena scream. She looked to the side of her. She had her arms out and seemed to be struggling against an invisible foe. Her eyes were filled with fear and questions.

“Mummy? Daddy? Why-”

Her voice was cut short. This was followed by the uncomfortable sound of her choking.

Then the hand around her throat became tighter and tighter. Then she looked back at her. She went to punch her but her fist went right through her face!

Now I know what this is!

She closed her eyes.

That’s not my mother! It’s not even real! It is nothing more than an illusion.

The hand vanished. Her eyes opened. Her ‘mother’ was gone.

Quickly she dived to Strena.

“It’s an illusion!”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Wh-”

Not going to work.

“Close your eyes. They’re an illusion. Whatever it is you’re seeing is not there!”

She nodded and fell immediately after. She looked back panting and nodded.

They looked up to see that the others had snapped out of theirs too.

“How did you-”

“Well Zaryb was subjugated to many of those during his time with Grasharlo.”

“Oh! The nightmarish things he must have been forced to see and feel.”

“Yes! It was rather hilarious seeing him reduced to sobbing in terror. In fact I would see him weeping in shame and terror after-”

“Wolfox!”

“Fine!” He moaned as he rested a hand on his shoulder. “But she’s gonna learn about all of that eventually! She does look like it’ll be soon.”

“Then we will wait until she’s thirteen, and Bash!”

“Yes?”

“You will do it. Can’t that, while Zarry’s telling her, you won’t take over.”

He shrugged.

“Alright. But that’s assuming that we’re still together by then!”

“Oh. My gut’s telling me that we all will. And you, above all, know just how good my gut is.”

He then turned around.

“Now, time to.”

They then walked on. They continued to walk and walk, as they did, Bash and Chashathrophogh yawned. They turned left, then right, then left again. As they walked on their minds became dulled and groggy. Then, as they dulled, their attention to their surroundings fell and fell. Soon their vision blurred as their eyes became unfocused.

Sleep, sleep, sleep. Come on! Please let me sleep. Sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep! Their minds repeated again and again.

Yet, the only thing that kept them all awake at that moment in time was their walking. So they focused upon that. They walked and walked and walked. This worked for a while, yet their movements became slow and their feet started to drag. But as the walking was the only thing that kept them awake, they continued to walk.

“We need something to keep us awake!” Bash and Chashathrophogh snapped.

“Well, I know a way to wake you up!” Sung Cerpheres.

“As long as it isn’t pervy!”

“It won’t!”

He crouched and took out a pot and cups. He crushed some brown beans. He put water in a pot and used magic to boil it. He then poured it in some cups and gave one to each.

“Normally you’d put milk and sometimes sugar in it but we don’t have either of those. So we’re just going to have to make due, I suppose!” He moaned, dismayed.

“What’s this?”

“Dragon coffee!”

“Where from?”

“The plant Drake.”

Bash took a sip.

“Was it delivered by the dragon triad?"

“How else?” He asked, sipping his coffee.

“How did you pay for this?”

He licked his lip and let out a laugh.

“‘Pay’? I am a pirate you know!”

“So you stole it?”

He chuckled lightly.

“You’re adorable. Don’t worry. I paid a very pretty lapis for it!”

“Why?”

“Because they’re working on some interesting things.”

Oh no!

“Like?”

“Oh, ships that will be able to fly in the sky and beyond just like the dear old first dragon! As I too want to go to the planet Drake someday I just had to support that. After all, all dragon kind are quite great!” He sang like an excited girl.

What else? Bash and Chashathrophogh thought sarcastically. Honestly that guy sounds like he needs alone time.

They soon drank up. Feeling hungry they all ate a han and cheese sandwich, but, as the all nighter left them feeling nauseous, it was a slow and almost torturous process to go through. Yet they knew that they would feel better later after eating it. So they forced themselves on and on and took bite after bite until they were done.

By then it was midday. The sun was high in the sky. This caused them to become hotter and hotter and hotter. Then they started to sweat. Then they saw the ground starting to move. In fact it soon felt like everything was moving. Then as they walked on and on they were seeing double. Soon the doubles were moving away from each other. Their heads started to ache and this was made worse by the feeling of claustrophobia. 

Will we get out of here? It has been a day and a half now or maybe it is more and we still haven’t seen even a break in this labyrinth. Personally, I don’t know if there is a way out of this.

That was when they felt the break of the sun and the cool air. Suddenly their minds became awake and then alert.