Soul Lovers

Betrayed.

Under the stars in the city of bounty hunters—Here, the extension of the night sky phenomenon shows a broad brand of diffuse white light with varies of twinkling colors, visible in the night sky more clearer and prettier than any other stars Node'd saw during his days at the Inhumane village; however, he decided to walk through the scene without ever looking up or to take a glimpse at the beautiful night sky above. Hobbling through the city of bounty hunters, with a bent neck and a dragging feet as he was continually lost in his thoughts.

This part of the city of bounty hunter it was filled with small houses and shops on both sides if one to look from above the city it was arranged in a well organized way in squares of houses, pubs and shops built-in with gravel paths on each sides to support no running— all kinds of beings from far away kingdoms chattering together with no signs of discrimination filled this part of the city unlike the way they came in few days ago which was muddy and antipathy for him to see and on the other side of Node were beings shouting and fighting against each other for some drinks inside one of the pubs until the owner which was a Nymph kicked them outside using her vines ability—the city of bounty hunters was merchandised and established together of real criminals and runaway beings few decades ago during the time of the fourth great war between the kingdoms—The era of derangement—

Suddenly, someone hit Node's shoulder.

“Hey watch it.” The person said, he rolled his eyes down to Node then held the lost in thoughts teenaged boy's shoulder.

“Hey kid, are you new from here?! Cause' you look uncontaminated by the horrors of the city. Look how fresh you are. Tell me boy what are you feeding on?” Node didn’t answer but kept staring at the ground completely zoned out. “Didn’t you hear?! Am talking to you!” He yelled as bypassers glazed at them wondering what was going on. Node shove the man’s hand from his shoulder and left him standing.

The angered man furrowed his brows.

“You little piece of--” He yelled as he jumped towards Node with a punch.

Node stopped without looking back with his his head still lowered.

“Am with the bounty collector.” Node countered. The man froze, he slightly shivered, took a step back. Without saying a word he left. Node scoffed and walked to the opposite direction then he heard noise from a distance, people chattering and singing, raised his head to look spontaneously his pupils dilated.

He saw Sniffia in the cage which was laying outside near a beer pub in there the expats were having fun with the diamonds paid to them.

“Sniffia!” he articulated, hid himself near a wall, scanning the expats inside.

“We are rich… rich… rich. With this diamonds. I can buy anything. Anything I want~” Ade shouted, holding a wooden cup filled with barley malt.

“Calm down. Ade we haven’t collected the balance here.” Aghul said.

Ade looked at him and hiccupped, probably drunk.

“You mean there is more?! Is this a dream!” Ade yelled, jokingly punched Aguda's back where he was seated this made Aguda's drink spilled on his chest—every Expat there were wearing nothing but fur clothing with few having no upper clothing as most of the male revealing their muscular chest and abs.

“Aguda are you hearing this?!” Ade hiccupped.

Everyone looked at Aguda including the ladies from other kingdom; they were only there to admired the muscular male expats. Seeing Ade had gone beyond his boundary—No one dare to hit Aguda just like that, see what drunkenness had gotten him into. Ade blinked frequently, yawned staring at everyone then winked to the ladies with a smile at the other seats which they all blushed with repressed giggling back at Aguda.

“Huh?!” one of ladies gasped.

Aguda stood up breathing heavily held Ade's head as he hiccups and flung him aside, he hit the furniture in the pub and landed on the table of the seated beautiful ladies.

Everyone was silent then suddenly, they shouted, praising Aguda.

Node rushed to Sniffia, as he rolled to her.

“Sniffia. Sniffia Wake up… ” he said, gently tapping Sniffia, she turned, saw that it was Node, her eyebrows raised and leaned forward.

“Node you escaped?!” She looked behind Node, moving her eyes. “Where is Peirce?”

Node shook his head.

“Not here with me but I have a plan to save him. Did they do anything to you, have you eaten?”

“No and yes. Leave this place before someone sees you.” Sniffia warned.

Unaware to the teenagers Azra and Aquila walked passed them, they stopped looking at Node and Sniffia.

Node swallowed.

Aquila about removing her daggers then Azra stopped her.

“Forget him, we have caused enough problem for these kids already.” He said and went inside the beer pub.

Everyone hailed him as he entered.

“Where is Aghogho... ?” Azra asked.

Meanwhile Aquila was still staring at Node with her hands still on her daggers then she sighed removed her hands and went in the pub also.

Both Node and Sniffia sighed in relief then she turned to him.

“You should go before they change their minds.” Sniffia said, pushing Node away.

“Fine, fine.” He stood, walked away then stopped, “Don’t worry Sniffia, I will definitely save you.” He said, going back to the bounty collector's shop, Sniffia slightly smiled, stared at the beasts inside the pub and laid back down.

-

To the present moment in the bounty collector's shop. Azra scowled at Aghogho and Aghul.

“Your greed finally drove you to the point you betray your own kind. Your Alpha! Aghogho!” Azra raged, Aghogho shook his head in disagreement.

“No. Azra Miller, you did. How you leaded us, wasn't good enough. You were too kind and trivial for your own good, becoming our Alpha wasn't good for we expats, no wonder Alpha Obae took you for a joke.” Aghogho told.

—This stories wasn't true the reason why Alpha Obae made Azra leave the Beast kingdom was because he saw him as a threat, so when he'd found a way to push Azra out then Alpha Obae ordered he should never come back until he find the last survivor of the Silver Maned Beast which was a rumor that was going on within the Beast kingdom which was Sniffia.

Aghogho glanced at Aquila while her camouflage wasn't working as she tried to pass through the chains and Aguda struggling to break the chains strongly twined around his body.

“I realised those two were the only ones that will follow you, no matter the decisions you take. So I had to come up with a plan that is talk to the bounty collector about the girl and her breed. On how much she is important and how much we could make selling her off. Yes it was all well planned even before we captured the girl.”

“Lives are not meant to be discussed like this!” Azra fumed, Aghul laughed.

Azra looked at him.

“Azra Miller, now using the kid's words? How far have you fallen?” Aghul cackled.

Azra clenched his fist, immediately he turned into his beast mode as his dreads unlocks each other as it levitated in the air instantly every where was slowly vibrating then beneath his feet the floor cracked.

“Aghogho you… ” Azra coughed out blood as his dreadlocks all of a sudden dropped down to his back, he staggered.

Aquila and Aguda glanced at him.

“Azra Miller!” Aquila called.

The bounty collector stood up from his carcasses throne, smiling.

“You really thought, we won’t have a plan to deal with you also.” He said clomped to Azra, “Remember this. The scroll Sheik brought to you for your signature was different from every other scroll. We have two kinds of scrolls. One is for well trusted customers and the other scroll, you guess it right is for beings that might betrayed us in future. I called it the toxoid scroll. That's why you couldn't scent it or so because it has the ability to retain it's toxic while inside one's system. Thank Frankenstein for that.”

Azra tried lifting up his arm. The bounty collector immediately punched Azra which he flew, then Sheik brought out his chains, rounding Azra in the air and slammed him down to the ground. The bounty collector laughed.

“Puny beast. Quick bring the girl, let’s finish our agreement.” He said while clomping back to his throne. Sheik smirked, the bounty collector pressed a button on his throne which was also thanks to Frankenstein for making it possible.

Suddenly, the room shook—the ground gave a huge thumped. And opened, divided into two then Aquila, Aguda and Azra fell on a bunch of dried bones of beings before them while the chains held tightly around them.

“With the help of Frankenstein, we have accomplished this much. Goodbye, Azra Miller.” He said as the ground closed back to its normal position.

“Now the girl.” Sheik said, Aghogho nodded then he whistled. Ade walked in holding Sniffia by her neck as her hand, firmly tightened together. He threw Sniffia to the ground near Sheik, looked at the cages and everyone inside it.

“Where is Azra Miller and the others? That mean you have taken care of them. Alright, I'm going back.” Ade said as he left.

“Aghogho?” Sheik called, Aghogho looked at him. “Watch him, he might be a problem in the future.”

Aghogho looked at Aghul. “Don’t worry old friend, we do have a plan.” Aghul said with a smile. Then the bounty collector waved his hands, immediately the two little girls came in, dropped a huge sack of diamonds, swiftly dragged Sniffia away. Sheik picked it up, tossed it to Aghogho, he caught it with a smile.

“Bye for now old friend.” He said as he leave without looking at the ground were Azra and the others were buried.

Sheik turned to his master.

“Write a bid on her head and share it to the boards around the city also tell Aje about the girl." Sheik bowed and left, "Go tell Frankenstein our plan.”

-

Meanwhile in the lab, Frankenstein looked at the strange screen, nodding his head.

“Finding your source of Vigor is a little bit hard for me, but I took noticed of the scar near your navel. I recognized the scar is a little bit sundry than the rest. Well taking a inside look at the scar won’t do anything.” Frankenstein said as he pressed the strange screen, the clamped around Peirce wrist, tightened. A long thin needle came under the chair, Peirce rolled his eyes downwards at the long thin needle, slightly struggling to removed himself as it crawled towards his scar.