Bounty Hunter Bash River Towns Lock Part Seven

 The Town On The Water

Part One: The Attack

They came to a town in the water; the lower areas were built with wood and bamboo that looked like huts sitting on the water and scattered like stars. The doc seemed almost beautiful but eerie. Yet as they rowed into the higher areas there were wooden and stone buildings that had their foundations under the water and were connected by arching bridges made of stairs instead of flat roads. The streets were narrow and in-between each building there were stairs that led to the upper levels.

“Shui Hé Zhu! Hasn’t changed that much!” Cerpheres commented, combing through his hair back and touching his spider broach with the other. Then his face dropped.

“Finally found out what was stolen!” He grumbled. Then he shrugged. “Oh well!”

He then closed his eyes and moved his hands out and then the flames of the torches turned different colours. Then fish of many colours sprang out of his hands and flooded the whole river.

“How did you do that?”

He chuckled.

“Well ladies!”

“Young ladies.”

“Whatever! It’s a simple piece of summoning magic. However, it can only be used if you are the rightful owner of what you’re trying to summon.”

They nodded as they saw a large hut on the water. It had the scent of meat and fried vegetables. 

Suddenly they all craved something more than crocodile, snake or fish. So they looked at each other.

“Do you think that it’s a good idea?”

“No, my dear niece. Remember what happened last time?”

“But I want something else than what we’ve been forced to eat over the past three weeks!”

“So do I!”

“But-”

“Fine! Let’s put it all to a vote. Zarry?”

“No. But Wolfox wants chicken and a bed.”

“Doesn’t get a vote.”

“My dear niece?”

“I want to but after the last time I have to say no.”

“Strena?’

“I guess we could. After all, we can all take a break and stretch our legs.”

“Leonardo?”

“Sure. I haven’t tasted duck from here before.”

“Alright.”

“Hay! Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

“Cerph-”

“Yes.”

“Fine!”

So they all rowed to the café. They looked in and noticed that it was flooded with light and there were people who were still in there. They walked in and noticed the tables were low and people were sitting on low caution stools. Then they noticed the many dishes beside each other. They walked to the counter. Cerpheres placed a lapez-lazuli coin on the desk.

“Do they still serve wine with the special meal?” He asked in Mandarin. 

He looked at him with wide eyes.

“That’s an old thing to ask for! But yes. We do.” He replied as he looked down at the coin. “In fact that’s worth six!”

“Yeah. There are beauties that I want to spoil.” He sang lazily and he glanced back at them.

“What?”

He looked at them and then at Bash and then nodded.

“On it.”

“Come on!”

"But we haven’t-”

“Don’t worry. I already did and you’re gonna love it!”

Soon they took their seats as they waited for the food to arrive, which was the table of six closest to the doors. They all looked around and kept their eyes peeled for any man or woman that could try anything.

Then the food arrived on plates and bowels. They were all given a rice bowl each and were filled with nothing more than water.

“That’s to clean your hands.”

Yet soon, after Cerpheres had taught them all how to use the chopsticks, they dug into the duck and found they all liked it. They soon tasted everything, yet Bash and Zaryb found that they did not like the prawn bread.

“So, when was the last time you were here?”

“Years and years ago.” He sang, waving his hand in the air.

That was when Chashathrophogh spotted a man in the corner. He stared at then throughout the whole meal. He sat there, eating nothing as they finished their meal and, after a good hour and a half and all the people were gone, was about to leave when he saw an arrow in the air. Chashathrophogh spotted this and stopped it.

He looked around to see where it was coming from and soon spotted that it was where the man was, yet he was no longer there. So he scanned the landscape to see where he was. He soon found him above them. He threw out a shard of ice at the man. He rapidly rolled out of the way. He sent one after the other in just as rapid succession and he dodged just as fast.

He flung out several ninja stars at him and he put up a wall of ice, which smashed into pieces a second later. He then reached out his hand and they all fell. That was when he caught a glimpse of movement to the left. He flung up a wall of ice and stopped the stars. Then he saw the next set coming from the right which he was able to stop in the same way. That was when he felt a pain in the back. He already knew what was going on.

It’s alright. Cerpheres will be able to heal me later.

Hold on. Did I really just think that?

Ah! Why am I relying on him after all I have seen of him?

Ahh! I don’t have time to think of that!

He scanned the landscape for the assassin. Yet he could not see him. Then he looked up to see a hat falling. That was when he saw the tin circular blade at the bottom pointing to the centre. He dived out of the way like a drunk man and raised his hand and the blade twisted back. The blade cut off a head and fell and the rest of his body fell.

He looked up at beams above him and the rest to see that it was falling on Bash. He flung out a shard of ice and hit the falling beams away from her. He jumped up and staggered. He looked around as he pulled out several stars. He summoned a bow made of ice and fired. It hit him in the head as he reached both for him and Chashathrophogh dived at him as he still held a knife.

He then punched him in the throat and sliced the back of his neck and the second assassin fell.

“Who hired you?”

“Queen Shedray McDragoinfree.”

“Did your job include Bash?”

“Drew!” He spoke before he died.

He picked him up and walked outside and laid him down on the ledge. He looked up and down to see a piece of paper which held a letter to explain his mission as his vision was getting blurry. Then he felt a hand on his back.

“Soo! Who was he?”

Chashathrophogh took off his mask.

“Anuméganese. Assassin hired by my sister.”

Then he could feel his back healing as he passed out. That was when he placed a hand on the dead man’s head. He saw that he was only passing by in the Northern Kingdoms then walking to a castle. He saw his sister in his mind’s eye.

“You will kill my bastard brother Chashathrophogh Dragoncursefree and take my treacherous daughter to King Skipher. I have declared that she will marry him, the moment that she arrives.”

He blinked.

“Oh my!”

“What?”

“Your mummy dearest wants you to marry King Skipher.”

“What!” 

Bash looked at him horrified. Yet she felt a great pang in her heart as she remembered all the times her mother tried to force her to marry people she should have known better than to. She remembered how King Skipher had been known to be a tyrant and would do terrible things to his wives if they refused him.

Her eyes took a glance at Zaryb. She knew that she would have to stop her plan and there was only one way to do it. Yet she could not help but think about what he had been through and what Wolfox used his lips to say to her. She looked down at her uncle, wishing her father was here with them, as she took his hand and hugged it.

“We will speak more of this when Uncle Chashathrophogh wakes.”

“Good idea.”

So they rolled the assassin into the water and Cerpheres took the other one and dumped both his head and body into the river. Then they went on board the barge. It was at this moment that she noticed that they were low on weapons.