Bounty Hunter Bash Unlocked Part Ten

 Thief’s Delivery 

It had been a week since the failure of the sasquatch and recuperating from the injuries and stress that they had put their bodies through. They had spent a whole day before they came to a village. The huts were circular and had straw thatched robes in the shape of a comb. The people looked Animéganese, just with ruddy skin along with long, loose hair with beads and feathers decorating it. Yet they saw one of them with a feathered head piece that looked like a feathered crown with the sides going down the rest of the body. They all wore skins of animals of all kinds of shades of brown.

The moment that he saw them he walked up to them.

“I am sorry, we have no gold.”

“We are not here for gold.”

He opened his mouth to speak.

“Chashathrophogh?”

He looked on to see one of them that had a happy care-free smile and eyes.

“Askook?”

He walked up to him and their hands shook.

“Who are they?”

“My dear niece Bash.”

“Hold on! As in Bash The Touchable? The bounty hunter that took down the tyrant King Johairnis and the false god Luréigh?”

“The same. Also Luréigh was not as impressive as the cult that he amassed. The moment that his cult was looking the other way, taking him down was just easy.”

He nodded.

“The girl’s Strena.”

“Didn’t know that you were into adopting strays.”

“She’s Zaryb’s niece.”

“Oh. Hay, did-”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Congratulations! So why-”

“I wanted her to kill me.”

“Oh.”

He let out a huff.

“Seriously Zarry, you really do need to see a counsellor.”

“No.”

“Will you?”

“No.”

“And the rest?”

“The artist is Leonardo Micheal and-”

“What? The best artist that is the most wanted over his controversial paintings?”

“The same?”

“How much?” Asked Bash.

“Nevermind.”

“Oh, and the pervert’s Captain Prince Cerpheres Lockheartsmith.”

“Wow! Thought that he would be much older!”

That was when he chuckled and looked at the man. Suddenly he felt like a kitten in front of a lion. As he licked his lips after looking at him up and down.

“I am much older than I look.” He purred with a kiss.

“Ew.”

“So what brings you all the way out here? Trying to get another object to get that demon king out of him?”

“Trying to take down a Dark Lord Gajellidor Darcrogh and Dark Lady Grasharlo.”

“Hold on, did she come back from the dead again?”

“‘Again’?”

“Yeah she’s well known to die and come back again. Sometimes days, sometimes months, sometimes years. But inevitably she would find a way to come back to the land of the living.”

“What?”

“Anyway. Why are you going after those two?”

Chashathrophogh let out a huff and they had to go to his hut to explain the entirety of the story. He nodded before cooking some buffalo and handing it out to everyone and they started to eat.

“How about I steal a sample?”

“A what?”

“What?”

“But you’ll get hurt!”

He smiled slightly.

“Look, you fight them and I steal the sample and the box. That way, they will not know that it was me that stole it and if they don’t know if I stole it then how can I get hurt?”

At this Chashathrophogh smiled.

“I don’t know but you still could!”

“Well regardless of that, it still sounds like a good plan nevertheless.”

“But you’ll get caught!”

“Not Askook! He’s one of the best thieves, you know!”

Cerpheres licked his lips slowly.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me!” He patted his pocket and felt that it was flat. At this he stared down at it with wide eyes. “Ohh!”

He smiled drunkenly.

“You’re good. Tell me, how about you join us? After all, I would really, really like to see all of your greatness and see or grow until it peaks and then- and then-”

“Cerpheres!” Snapped Chashathrophogh as he hit his head.

“Don’t hide this one away! Or I might just have to cut down greatness prematurely!”

“That’s alright! I’m in the middle of a break anyway at the moment.”

“I will kidnap you!”

He shrugged.

“By the way, when do we start?”

Bash, Chashathrophogh and Cerpheres could sense that Gajellidor was near.

“About two and a half hours.”

“Great. Now, I think me and Strena could get some violin practice!”

Strena smiled.

“Then some art lessons in. Seriously, you have the potential to be a better painter than me and you have a keen eye.”

Azkook looked at both Strena and Bash’s hands.

“Think that I also could teach you the art of then. You certainly do have the hands for it!”

“Right. Leonardo, Strena’s art lesson first. Then her violin lessons after. Meanwhile Azkook, your thievery lessons will be with Bash.”

They smiled.

Soon they walked in front of the village and painted the village as Azkook gave a Bash, step by step guide on how to pick a pocket. They did this again and again and again until they could feel nothing. 

“Well done!” He exclaimed as he clapped. “I know that you’re a natural!”

By that time they could sense that their time was up and they needed to prepare for the fight that was ahead. They all looked at each other and smiled, almost nervously as they collected their weapons and left the drying painting at Askook’s hut. Then they did their stretches and were up for the battle ahead. Chashathrophogh gave him a rough scratch of the potion and the box. He took a bike and memorized the box.

“Wait until both are distracted to a point that all of their attention is on us. If you don’t then you will die.”

He nodded.

“Don’t worry. It won’t be like the Dark Temple!”

That was when they saw the figures ahead of them. The moment that they did they all took their positions and Bash loaded her bow. She could see that they had already recovered from all their wounds and they were at full power. At this she bit her lip as she already knew that this would be harder than they thought.

Yet she looked at the rest to see that they were all ready. So she fired the arrow, one after the other in rapid succession and as fast as she could. None of them hit. Then Chashathrophogh and Zaryb came up next to her. Then she had to wait for a moment before she reloaded her bow. Her and her uncle fired a row of arrows. When she fired he fired immediately after as she waited for the quiver to reload. Yet both father and daughter stopped each and every one of them as they scan the horizon for them. Yet they kept it up as they came closer and closer to the village. That was when Zaryb flung his tiny daggers at them. This stopped them dead in their tracks 

Grasharlo went to pick it up and Bash fired another arrow at her. She hardly looked up as she stopped the arrow in the air. She then looked up. Suddenly Bash felt like someone had stepped over her grave as their eyes met. That was when Zaryb threw a row of tiny daggers at her. Then Bash pushed past her strange feelings and fired as soon as she could. They kept this up as long and as fast as they could. This effort was already in vane…

That was when stars shot at them. This passed through Grasharlo and they both chuckled. As they did Leonardo started to strike two pints together as fast as he could. This made them all frown as clouds were getting thick in the air. Yet he continued to strike and-

FLARE!

The fire spread across the path. That was when Grasharlo went to summon water and threw it at the fire, only for it to ironically flare up higher and increase in size! Then the flames crackled higher as the rain started to come down making the fire worse!

How? Just how?

Then Strena pushed the fire forward and Grasharlo swiped it away. Yet, as the rain started to pour it down, the fire flared up until there was a wall of fire in front of the village! Then the fire spread across the field. That was when Leonardo ran as he started up another fire and another with a smile on his face and the third fire wall rose up. That was when Gajellidor raised his hand and, with one swipe, put out all the fire. Only to be met with a wall of fire, tiny daggers and stars. They all focused on forcing them back as they met at the front of the village.

That was when Strena dived at Grasharlo and went to strike her as silently as she could and stabbed the side from behind. She looked back and down as she had to blink as she just could not believe it. She just could not believe it. Yet she found herself shaking as a smile flicked on her face.

That was when pain flooded her entire body. The next moment she was on the ground twitching. This was followed by a kick hitting her in the face. She used the momentum to roll up. She then spotted another light coming at her. She blocked it. She saw another and blocked it again. They did this again and again and again and again, getting faster and faster and faster as they walked closer and closer to her. Then they started to put more and more power behind each and every hit. Yet she was still able to keep up with it as much as she could. 

Then they arrived in front of her. She slashed at Gajellidor as she dived back. Then she continued to deflect each and every flash. That was when she saw it, the cut in his arm. Yet the wound healed! He looked down at the line of blood and smiled almost absentmindedly as he wiped it away.

“Don’t let that get to your head little girl!” He spoke as he shot a large ball of light coming at her.

Quickly she dived out of the way. Then he drove the light away and this hit the field behind his back. Soon a blast of fire erupted behind his back. Then Strena hit the ground as an ocean of arrows, stars and tiny daggers flung at them. He moved his head as Leonardo dived at his legs, the moment that they got to him. He fell back and with his other hand he swiped out the fire and put the fire out. Then kicked his face. Then he was on his feet again and licked his lips.

That was when Chashathrophogh pulled her back and onto her feet. She looked up as Bash pulled Leonardo up. Grasharlo looked at her and was about to send a blast of light at her, when a row of tiny daggers and stars in her arm. She looked down in anger. Zaryb pulled out some more.

Yet then Strena landed in a splash 

“How did you do that?”

“Just ’cause I can't kill you, doesn’t mean I can’t get you!” Purred Cerpheres as he threw more water balls at him as he circled beside Strena a d Chashathrophogh. Then he caused the water to cease. Then sent a ball of lightning at them only for the electricity to rebound back at him. He let out a cry as they rushed a ball of fire at him.

Meanwhile Bash drew a sword of her own. She charged at Grasharlo, whacking away each and every ball of light with a mere strike. Then she was about to strike her when the witch drew a sword of her own. Its hilt was black with a vampire red blade with serrated edges.

“I see you were taught well!”

Bash rolled her eyes as she stepped on her foot.

“Aw!”

That was when she hit her in the forehead then went to slash up but she was able to dive back and she was only able to reach the chest plate causing a small wound as blood flowed. She placed a hand over the wound as Bash went in for another strike. And blocked. She went in for another and she blocked that one and they did this again and again and again. Then took her hand away to reveal the wound had completely gone! Her eyes widened.

“But I am better!”

Next she felt a foot in her gut as she looked to the left to see the tiny daggers coming at her. She whacked them out of the way. Bash then went to drive her blade to her neck and she kicked her out of the way. Then she was drenched in what smelt like cooking oil. She looked back for a moment seeing that Cerpheres was unconscious in the grass. She went to look back as the fire was coming at her. She dived out of the way and ran as another came and another came and another and another. Then she fell onto the river.

They all looked at Gajellidor as he appeared above them and they were hit by a ball of light and all went black.

✴️

When they woke they saw the box and a glass test tube in Askook’s hands.

“Now what?”

“Put the box into the first and Cerpheres, look at the sample, see how much of the potion has been made!”

“And how do you know how I would know such a thing?”

“I saw your room. It was filled with alchemic books and books on potions that clearly showed that they were over read.”

He chucked and shrugged.

“You got me!”

He nodded as Askook threw it in the fire. Suddenly Bash and Chashathrophogh felt, somehow, lighter and they could feel a strange happiness. Almost like a light has entered into their souls and mind.

“Find the secret behind the gods and goddess that you serve…” Spoke the same voice from all those years ago.

Cerpheres looked at the potion and narrowed his eyes.

“Ninety percent.”

“What!?”

“How?”

“That settles it! We are going to have to steal that potion.”

“Count me in!”

“You could die!”

“Worth it!”