Soul Lovers

Introducing the bounty collector's henchmen and henchwomen.

There were eighteen of them standing, if one should count with the alphabetical markings writing on each part of the body excluding the bounty collector, two out of them glowed; one in gold and the other in white under the skies slowly filled with suffocating thick, dark clouds.

“I think those people are definitely against us.” Dante said in a low tone. “With the way they dressed I thought of beings who traveled for pleasure.”

Dante’s words were right. Most of the bounty collector’s henchmen were dressed in a funny way one could mistook them for voyagers or someone with a little or no physical encounter however for who they were, this was just a normal way to dress representing each of their terrain.

“Jared the Divine Humane,” The Humanes' eyes went to the one who talks. “You will pay for the torts, you and that girl you claimed to be your daughter did to so many ‘Families’ under the name of purging, rendering many of them homeless and some their lives. What’s your say about this? Never will you say it was all an expedition given by your current King.” Said a beautiful middle-aged lady, raven-haired at armpit length, having a fair skin and a hourglass figure, dressed in a long-sleeved upper eggshell garment secured with brooches worn with a long piece of cloth adored with embroidery. Her bright eyes glared at Jared just as cool wind slightly blew revealing the letter ‘O' on her right side of her waist.

Jared side looked Abbey then gently looked around him. As the case may be, the Shadow Inhumane must have seen Sniffia with those two Inhumane boys perhaps about moving out of the city, I will use every opportunity to drag this discussion longer before fighting our way out of here.

“I thought everyone of you know nothing about my past life?” He drawled.

“Past life? Spouting nonsense. We were informed you stopped your raids few months ago right after your defeat. There are rumors going round within kingdoms that you fought a mythical Dragon and lost.” Said a hairy middle-aged man with a bearded Norse skipper. Glowing in gold, dressed in a plain clothing, having a muffler scarf also glowing around his neck with a letter ‘I’ shown on his right eye like a scar.

“Jared, what the crackers, is your double talking about?” Dante questioned. Wow, he does looks like Jared with a single scar on his face.

“Is it all about the girl?” He drifted their attention.

“Girl? Oh, that girl." Dante put his hand on his jaw as he rubbed. "Come to think of it. Haven’t seen her around after the pursuit of that larcener from the Inhumane.” Then he looked at Jared, “Where is she?”

Good. Good, drag this conversations longer. But don’t ask me all this sensitive questions not when. Abbey is right here.

“Jared?” Dante called.

Abbey looked straight at the bounty collector, putting his palms one in the other, gaining more composure and self-confidence before the marked figures.

“Hey. Yes, you the heavyset over there. The girl everyone seems to be talking about, where could she be?”

“Who do you think you are calling with that mouth of yours, ponytail.” A blond braided, marked young lady said, just like beings from the Forest Nymphs, also having the letter ‘V’ marked on her left wrist while she pointed her weapon—A Sai— to Abbey.

“Pft… ponytail.” Dante sniggered, Abbey groaned at him. “Hey, don’t mind me, I’m just spectating.” Dante said raising his arms up. “Nevertheless, I’m not part of these team—can’t you see what I’m wearing. Look at my headband. Bounty Hunters Forever!”

“Oh my. Today sure is the Bounty collector’s lucky day. Like using one bird to kill two stones.” Another male voiced wearing a dark cloak, glowing bronze in one eye with the letter ‘C’ emblem below the glowing right eye while putting his hand on the young lady’s blond braided hair as she pursed her lips for she was average in height seemingly the shortest.

“Yet again, Casaba. That was an unfitting phrase. It’s killing two birds with one stone.” A tall female said, dressed in a dark blue gown halter garment with a plunging neckline. Her face concealed behind a white yashmak with a little trinket around her neck and the letter ‘J’ emblem on her right shoulder as she folded her arms under her copious chest.

“It’s a pleasure to see not just two great Humanes but four of them; one of each is enough to fully annihilate a thousands ordinary beast beings. All at once. I’m honored.“ Hailed a bald dark skinned male with the letter ‘H’ tattooed on his lower chin looking more like a traditional lower Ichin tattoo. Dressed in a long, flowing white robe with long sleeves decorated with golden embroidery around his neck-line down to his chest and both the tips of his sleeves while holding a cap closer to his chest area.

‘A thousand beast’ is the way beings outside the Beast kingdom do gauge each and everyone’s potential or know how strong they are in respect to Beasts elevated population. And to my idea, in which Jared earlier fought a hundred of them. It seems not all were ordinary beast at least quarter of them were at alpha levels who were banished for one thing or the other.’

Now let’s rate them accordingly;

‘A ordinary beasts of tens are rated together as one as strong as those royal multi-colored capes in Humanes kingdom and few stronger bounty hunters who I know of.’

‘A ordinary beast of hundreds are rated together as one as strong as a completely equipped, well skilled Inhumanes; these are the ten physically capable beings protecting the Grand Emperor also includes hunters and guardians of the Nymphs.’

‘A ordinary beasts of thousands are rated together as one as strong as the Divine Humanes here with few fully armoured Inhumanes that personally lived their lives not by the rules, some of them even have in possessions one of the strongest armour created by one legendary Inhumane woman since the creations of armors and weapons all started with them.’

‘A ordinary beasts of ten thousands are rated together just for the three Alphas leading the Beast kingdom. And maybe the Queens and Kings of the Nymphs should fit in with this rating.’

‘A ordinary beasts of hundred thousands are rated together as one as strong as the King of Humanes this is solely for him alone with his all consuming white flames, some say the Grand Emperor of the Inhumanes has equal strength as the King of Humanes, sort of a hidden giant of the continent haven’t fully revealed himself yet but no being as seen him in a fight before, that’s because those who saw him never lived to see the next day.’

‘And finally. A ordinary beasts of millions to billions this kind of might is impossible to be seen but was given to the ancient beings that lived way before us: that’s the Immortals and the Dragons, more like beings that could cause the destruction of our whole wide world.’

‘Note: Some of those positioned on the beasts of ten thousands thence to move onto destructive level of hundred thousands ordinary beast given the right reasons to go beyond.’

“Really? Wait… why tell us all this? You know we have beings from the Beast kingdom in our midst... Oh, that’s why, forgotten you are still a freak to wisdom. ” Said a young male wearing a olive colored c****d brimmed hat, having a red pickdevant beard and mustache, dressed in black with red doublet and breeches with a sword holder worn strapped over his chest while seating on a fallen debris facing the other side of the fight that would later caused the full eradication of the city of the bounty hunters. Exposing the letter ‘U’ marked at the back of his neck.

“What a waste, look at those royal guards, ain’t you guys useless. To be a guard for these great men. Is just a waste of time if you ask me.” A female voiced wearing a full scale mail with a plume of white feathers attached like a comb on his helmet without a weapon held but a gothic war hammer strapped on her right side with the letter ‘L’ designed on her gauntlet.

“Seems like a dream, a grand entrance like this gives our opponents a shill to their spines not to talk of the opponents right now are the Humanes who we once looked up to.” Said a sallow skinned male yet attractive, his lips as red as cinnabar, holding a recurved bow wearing a multi-colored beanie covering both ears with the letter ‘R’ carved on his small wooden guitar worn behind without an arrow seen.

“I concur~ Most of us Humanes here, working with the Bounty Collector or serving here at the city of bounty hunters has given us the power of acute observations and perceptions~ The King trying to merge all Kingdoms of the Humanes including the beasts is nothing but a fragile dream that will break in no time~” He sang, clothed in embellished robe, holding a shimmering long sword with the letter ‘E’ blaze on it and in the other holding a decanter filled with the mixture of glowing honey and soaked egg in it.

“Earlier I saw two of the Divine Humanes fighting those bounty hunters and it was magical, on the other hand not threatening enough.” Said a middle-aged male having a grandiose and a muscled body, with his brown dreadlocks packed upward, balbo bearded, dressed in fur clothing only covering the lower part of his body with the letter ‘G’ scared vividly on his brown-skinned muscled back.

“… Why is anyone not talking about the strange pillar of green light and the odd glowing big fist we observed before all these? Who created it? Who was the being? Anyone? Anybody? Know what could've caused it?” curiously questioned a emerald haired single-tailed-series woman at a tailbone length with a close-knit green brows, dressed in one shoulder dress having a slender waist also wearing gladiator’s scandals with the letter ‘M’ emblem on her forehead. Shown as the cool wind blew pass her.

“Come to think of it, where is Sheik and Lazarus?” A clip-clop sound was heard revealing a lady dressed in strapless sweetheart dark-blue shirt with brown skinned-tight trouser having two Irises of different colors; the right eye, daisy and the left eye, stone blue while on a mystical creature having a fluffy-curly daisy colored manes and beards flowing upwards with a body marginally glowing stone blue scale. Having two large and long antlers on the head. known to be a ‘Kirin’ with the letter ‘P’ scraped on it’s neck.

“Hmmm. Probably dead. I saw earlier Sheik was defeated by that odd glowing big fist. And Lazarus well, maybe he have no time for us while he experiments in his lab.” A young glowing white male having a black spiky hair, an inky eyes, worn a singlet with a flared tiffany trouser while standing barefoot. With the letter ‘Q’ emblem at his instep spoke.

“Quit blabbing and let’s fight them. Remember one is really fast.” A large glittering eyes was seen with leaves and sands hurling around it then his full body appeared afterward, marked in the way of the Forest Nymphs on his neck, plain in appearance. And the letter ‘D’ seen on his left ear.

“You mean me?” Dante said, “I can’t believe we stood still and listened to your banalities,” he puts his hand right around the marked 'D' right shoulder, immediately everyone near him leapt from their positions except the one whose Dante’s hand was on his shoulder. “I’ve seen those moves before. From the Forest Nymphs, I'm I correct?”

“Damn, he’s that fast?” The marked being ‘Q’ asked in shock.

“Eyes here.” Gage said as he was close to the one that spoke.

Sigh. They’ve stopped talking. Will that be enough for their escape. Jared thought staring at the Bounty Collector.

Suddenly lightning bolts from above struck where the Bounty Collector stood but it was fully absorbed by one of his Henchmen with the letter ‘K’ emblem on his palm he used in absorbing Abbey's thunderbolt.

Abbey only groaned at the sight of him.

.

.

.

From a very far distance on a hill facing the city of bounty hunters stood only a single stupendous figure staring at the dark clouds forming above the city with thunders roaring within and a few visible lightning was seen as the cool breeze blew…

“Flawless. I never thought. Our youngest fat brother would take great care of things easily for us.” The figure said, “with the information given to us, the king of Humanes not in his kingdom with the course of things going on with the Nymphs and the Humanes; And now, most of the stronger Humanes are all gathered here at the city is the perfect chance to attack the Kingdom of the Humanes at this state. The females Aurorae will not know what hit them because every single one of them will be dead before anything else.”

“Aje.”

Suddenly a black figure appeared before the shawdoy figure in a full irregular blackish-caped armour holding a thick blacked claymore on one hand and a large decorated black heater-shield in another with no letter seen on the armour.

“Go help your brothers at the city, Our fight was never yours to begin with.”

Aje nodded then vanished before his eyes.

“Now brothers let’s descend and take what is rightfully ours.” He turned staring at many shadowy tall and brawn figures only their eyes and teeth could be seen smiling vigorously at the voice of the figure in front of them.

.

.

.

“Ugh!... My body… feels… dead… “ A bruised body spoke as it slowly crawled on his chest in agony inside a slightly shaded collapsed building at the sound of a small mass of liquid dropping onto the ground wetting the lowly weeds that lowly dwell around his path.

“Hadn’t I used my chains to cover this weakened body of mine… I would not have survived the fall… Damn… I underestimated the— huh?”

Suddenly, he heard footsteps which echoed with a clanking sound heard with every steps taken then it stopped right in front of the bruised body who was later known to be Sheik.

“Oh, kid it’s you… Where is the Bounty Collector?” He shakily spoke in pain.

“Go call, Frankenstein for me, tell him I need his help in healing my— Ack!... You… little… how dare you… “ He grunted with a clenched bloody teeth as his eyes slowly rolled up into his head.

The shady figure removed it’s bloody little hand from Sheik's back at the splatter of blood around the walls, staining the wet weeds and little puddle of water of which could be slightly seen under the shades.

Raised it’s little body up then licked it’s bloody hand, revealing a gleaming ultramarine upturned eyes incising through the darkness.