dynamiteboom12345: ...Perhaps. :3

Connie the Hedgecat: I'll try!


Chapter 8: At the Bottom of the Barrel

"Lets stuff our faces!" We find our heroes...villains...whatever, at The Bottom of the Barrel: Bar 'n' Grill, where our Hooligans are stuffing their faces with ribs, burgers, wings, and all the booze they could stomach as they celebrated their get away a week ago from Northern Tundra. It was the biggest haul of cash either of them pulled in. After all, $120,000 was a lot of cash.

"I'll drink to that!" Fang laughed as the weasel drank down a pitcher of beer. The weasel was probably enjoying himself more than everyone else. He laughed boisterously as he chugged more and more alcohol into his system.

"Looks like you're not driving." Fiona criticized. The fox was wearing a black cut-off shirt with a pair of jeans and black boots. The fox and actually bought the clothes with the money earned from the job.

"Hey! I'm fine to drive! Besides, it's my bike!" Fang protested, "If anyone's not OK, it's Bean."

"Hey! I'm-hic-just as able as anyone else!" Bean was obviously in no place to argue. The demo-duck was intoxicated after just two cups of liquor. Bean was wobbling from left to right as he clumsily ate at a rib. Bark groaned as he eyed Fiona and Fang, as if having a psychic conversation.

"Don't look at us. You're his keeper." Fiona pointed out as she pointed at the Polar Bear.

"Yeah. If anything, you should have known better." Fang continued. Bark rolled his eyes as he admitted defeat. Bean kept laughing, seeming much crazier than normal.

"Yeah, Barky! You shhhhhould have known betterrrrrrr." slurred the duck. Bark just sighed as he grabbed a burger and began to devour the thing.

"Lighten up, Bark. We're celebrating! So what if Bean gets a little drunk!" Fang cried as he grabbed his pitcher and pulled it to his face, ready to drink.

"HEY HOOLIGANS!" The sudden scream shocked the weasel as he spat out his cold beverage from his muzzle. The booze sprayed and splashed Fiona, Bean, and Bark in their faces.

"Agh! Damn it, Fang! This shirt's new!" Fiona shouted, ready to strangle the sniper. Bark wiped the beverage off his face as Bean just laughed histerically.

"Whee! Fangzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz za sprinklerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr." the duck slurred. Fang coughed whatever beer left in his airway out as he turned to the spazz who screamed, who just so happened to be Scratch: Concierge of the Bar n Grill.

"Wow...how nice." the robotic chicken began to clean up the beer that was sprayed over him as well as his incredibly fancy suit.

"What do you want, Turkey?" Fang growled as he wiped his muzzle of the remnants of his drink. He was very annoyed with the badnik: that was good beer!

"I'm a Rooster! Rooster!" Scratch shouted, "And I'm here because you got a guess. A very important one." The four-well, three since Bean was distracted by how shiny a pitcher was-looked at the guest next to Scratch.

The guest was a purple Bat-Mobian who was covered in various gems and jewelry. She had a sort of white mask over her mouth and wore a black dress with a yellow gem on the chest. Her eyes were deep blue and her hands dressed with sharpened claws. She also had wings on her arms.

"You four must be the Hooligans." the bat sat down at their table as Scratch left to attend other business.

"Yeah. And who are you?" Fang questioned, reaching for a gun on one of his holsters.

"There is no need for such hostility. I have no weapons nor any form of protection." the bat woman assured her, Fang not letting up in the least, "Right. Business."

"Yeah." Fang nodded, "Who exactly are ya?" he questioned.

"I am the current Bride of Rich Nights: leader of the Yagyu Clan." the Bat-Mobian informed.

"What exactly happened to the original?" Fiona questioned.

"She was assassinated." the new Bride stated calmly. Both Fang and Bark looked disturbed, as did Fiona. "I plan not to suffer the same fate."

"Right..." Fiona muttered.

"Look, what exactly do you want?" the sniper questioned.

"Oh, yes. Business." repeated the ninja, "I, Bride of Rich Nights, wish to hire you, Team Hooligan, for a job." Fang smirked, his large namesake flashing. If your client is called 'Rich Nights', then she had to be loaded.

"What's the job?" Fang asked, trying to sound professional. His lust for greed was demanding this job.

"The job is for you to acquire this item." Rich Nights pulled out a picture that appeared to be a dark-purple gemstone, "It is called 'The Spirit Stone'." she informed.

"Uh huh, sure." Fang was not at all listening to what the ninja was saying, "So...how much are you paying us?"

"2 Pounds of Gold."

At those simple of words, Fang's jaw dropped as Bark looked a bit shocked. 2 Pounds of Gold?! For a rock? The Polar Bear thought that something was up. He could feel it...or it was Bean drooling on his arm.

"Why are you paying us so much?" Fiona asked skeptically, the Weasel shooting her a 'Don't question it, damn it!' look.

"You see, tension between the Four Ninja Clans have increased as of late." began the bride, "My clan, after the death of our first bride, has grown weaker and smaller in size. In a war, we would be destroyed by the other clans. It is said that 'he who has the Spirit Stone, controls ghosts'. Hence, we're after this item.

As the greatest thieves of the Four Clans, we would have no problem stealing this rock. However, I've sent 3 Yaguya Lords and 2 platoons of Yaguya Ninjas, but all returned pale as sheets and too scared to move."

"So you're sending us to pick up the slack." Fiona put together, "But surely they're other Mercenary Groups better than us."

"No their aren't!" Fang argued.

"Actually, they are." Rich Nights corrected, "But that is the problem. They are far too famous. If we hired them, it would alert the other clans and they'd attack us without a second thought. Our clan cannot afford such a risk. So we figured we'd find the 'bottom of the barrel' as it were." Fang felt a severe blow to his pride at this, but there was no way he was gonna give up a job worth 2 pounds of Gold. Hell, he could always go the a hospital for his pride!

"Sign us up." Fang nodded.

"Yeaaaah! Sign-hic-us up!" Bean laughed giddily.