Chapter 3
A New Queen is Born
Ebony fell hard to the ground, her staff leaving her hands.
The fight was over. The position as queen was decided as Java stood over the now defeated Ebony, a grin of triumph on her face while Ebony's was consorted with pain and anger.
Both she and her sisters had plenty of share of pain and anger in the past.
But tonight was Java's night. She had to be happy as it was she where Zoot stood by now, with his arms around her waist.
"My female warriors! I give you your queen! All hail, Java!" Zoot shouted.
"Power and Chaos! Power and Chaos!" they cheered on before Zoot held his hands in the air.
"And I give you your lieutenant. Ebony." Zoot motioned his hand down at the fallen girl who all gave her the title, "Queen of Warriors."
But now tonight, a new Queen of Warriors had been born.
Finally, Java had gotten her revenge on her most hated sister. Quiet frankly, it felt good.
Java bent down to her sister.
"This time, little sis, there's no way your gonna have your way with Zoot."
Jave stood back up, grinning like she had just taken over the universe.
But when she turned, Zoot was already walking up to another girl.
"Have you unlocked the codes?" he asked.
"The codes have been changed, Lord Zoot. Only one person was capable of doing this."
"Ram." Zoot hissed.
"Our trackers have told us that Ram has been spotted in a town called Liberty, not too far from the city." the girl explained.
Zoot nodded. "Head to the city, into alley in between a furniture store and a movie theater. There, you'll find a door, and look for an assassin. He's the only one there. Tell him that I said it's time to return the favor."
"At once, Lord Zoot."
The girl hurried off.
"Liberty?" Pride asked.
"Yeah. It's a town. Sorta based on those old cowboy movies in a way." Lex explained. "But they said that Ram has been staying there for the past month."
"So we've got him." Patch said.
"Exactly. My plan is, we break in, take him and tie him up, arrest whoever is helping him, trade him in for Salene, then maybe we could find Ebony."
"And Java." Mega added.
"Since when did you care about the well-being of that witch?" Lex asked with unmistakable challenge in his voice as he glared at Mega.
He still didn't trust him. That was just Lex being Lex.
"I think we better plan something else thought." Jay insisted. "We can't just break in, and we can't just give those other two what they want. We should get Ram, but we can trap the renegades using Ram as bait and…"
"Aw come on! This place, Liberty, might be crawling with Ram followers and Paradise users. I say, we get ourselves some fighters, and do things my way."
"And get innocent people killed?! Who do you think you are, Lex?!" Jay stood up.
"Obviously someone whose gonna break your face in…"
"That's enough!" Trudy shouted, shocking them both.
"Look, we're not getting anywhere." Trudy began. "Lex, Jay is right. We can't just go in and cause bloodshed. We've had that before, remember?"
"Oh yeah. I remember well, Supreme Mother." Lex turned his glare at her.
"I think you need to get over the past, Lex." Pride spoke up.
"No, it's all right, Pride." Trudy assured him. "Look, I don't know what you see me as Lex, and quiet frankly, I don't care. But I'm telling you Lex, that if you start another war for us, you're no better than Ram, or the Guardian, or Zoot."
Lex's face fell at that.
Each day she's becoming stronger, Jay thought as he looked up at Trudy surprised.
"So then," Lex said in a much more calmer voice, "What do we do?"
Amber stood up. "We got to Liberty. We talk with Ram. No fighting. Understood." She looked to Lex, Pride, and Jay.
Lex gave her a nod, while Pride and Jay said, "Yeah."
Finally, the place was starting to look descent. No brawls, no rule-breaking. Just people having fun without a riot.
And it was all thanks to a man standing by the entrance with his arms crossed.
I knew I made the right decision in hiring him, Ruby thought.
To top things all off, there were no Paradise users tonight.
The saloon owner walked up to the dark stranger.
"Hey." she said. "How are you feeling?"
He said nothing.
"Thirsty?" she asked.
He shook his head as he continued watching the crowd in the saloon.
He suddenly leaned down to her.
"There's a man with a knife. The one in the blue vest." he pointed out.
Ruby saw the man he was talking about. She grabbed her whip, and tossed it around the knife in the young man's back pocket, then tugged her whip back with the knife still wrapped in its coils.
She tossed the knife over the bar in a box.
"Happens all the time." she told him. "You know, it's always lively when at night here."
"…"
"Oh. Forgot. You only talk when it's important to." she smirked.
Still nothing from him, even if that was an insult.
"So, what exactly is it that you do for a living?" she asked him.
And he had no problems or insecurities answering that.
"Bounty Hunter." he answered.
She spit out her drink.
"No kidding." she choked as she wiped her mouth. "Are you after somebody in this town, or are you just taking a break?"
"You ask a lot of questions." he said.
"Just curious about the people who are working for me. I have to make sure if there here to make trouble or not. You have a problem with that?" she asked.
Suddenly, he turned his head so he was facing her.
"You hired me. You pay me and I follow your orders."
For a moment, they just stared at each other. Almost like they were sizing the other up.
Her emerald green eyes traveled under the rims of his hat as she peered at his eyes.
It was confirmed officially now. She knew she recognized him.
For a moment, her eyes full of respect stared back at his blue eyes that showed…nothing at all. Not a single emotion.
Almost like if he was dead.
"Hey Ruby!" Ram called to her. "I need you over here for a sec!"
"Coming!" she called back.
She took one last glance at the stranger before heading over to Ram.
A New Queen is Born
Ebony fell hard to the ground, her staff leaving her hands.
The fight was over. The position as queen was decided as Java stood over the now defeated Ebony, a grin of triumph on her face while Ebony's was consorted with pain and anger.
Both she and her sisters had plenty of share of pain and anger in the past.
But tonight was Java's night. She had to be happy as it was she where Zoot stood by now, with his arms around her waist.
"My female warriors! I give you your queen! All hail, Java!" Zoot shouted.
"Power and Chaos! Power and Chaos!" they cheered on before Zoot held his hands in the air.
"And I give you your lieutenant. Ebony." Zoot motioned his hand down at the fallen girl who all gave her the title, "Queen of Warriors."
But now tonight, a new Queen of Warriors had been born.
Finally, Java had gotten her revenge on her most hated sister. Quiet frankly, it felt good.
Java bent down to her sister.
"This time, little sis, there's no way your gonna have your way with Zoot."
Jave stood back up, grinning like she had just taken over the universe.
But when she turned, Zoot was already walking up to another girl.
"Have you unlocked the codes?" he asked.
"The codes have been changed, Lord Zoot. Only one person was capable of doing this."
"Ram." Zoot hissed.
"Our trackers have told us that Ram has been spotted in a town called Liberty, not too far from the city." the girl explained.
Zoot nodded. "Head to the city, into alley in between a furniture store and a movie theater. There, you'll find a door, and look for an assassin. He's the only one there. Tell him that I said it's time to return the favor."
"At once, Lord Zoot."
The girl hurried off.
"Liberty?" Pride asked.
"Yeah. It's a town. Sorta based on those old cowboy movies in a way." Lex explained. "But they said that Ram has been staying there for the past month."
"So we've got him." Patch said.
"Exactly. My plan is, we break in, take him and tie him up, arrest whoever is helping him, trade him in for Salene, then maybe we could find Ebony."
"And Java." Mega added.
"Since when did you care about the well-being of that witch?" Lex asked with unmistakable challenge in his voice as he glared at Mega.
He still didn't trust him. That was just Lex being Lex.
"I think we better plan something else thought." Jay insisted. "We can't just break in, and we can't just give those other two what they want. We should get Ram, but we can trap the renegades using Ram as bait and…"
"Aw come on! This place, Liberty, might be crawling with Ram followers and Paradise users. I say, we get ourselves some fighters, and do things my way."
"And get innocent people killed?! Who do you think you are, Lex?!" Jay stood up.
"Obviously someone whose gonna break your face in…"
"That's enough!" Trudy shouted, shocking them both.
"Look, we're not getting anywhere." Trudy began. "Lex, Jay is right. We can't just go in and cause bloodshed. We've had that before, remember?"
"Oh yeah. I remember well, Supreme Mother." Lex turned his glare at her.
"I think you need to get over the past, Lex." Pride spoke up.
"No, it's all right, Pride." Trudy assured him. "Look, I don't know what you see me as Lex, and quiet frankly, I don't care. But I'm telling you Lex, that if you start another war for us, you're no better than Ram, or the Guardian, or Zoot."
Lex's face fell at that.
Each day she's becoming stronger, Jay thought as he looked up at Trudy surprised.
"So then," Lex said in a much more calmer voice, "What do we do?"
Amber stood up. "We got to Liberty. We talk with Ram. No fighting. Understood." She looked to Lex, Pride, and Jay.
Lex gave her a nod, while Pride and Jay said, "Yeah."
Finally, the place was starting to look descent. No brawls, no rule-breaking. Just people having fun without a riot.
And it was all thanks to a man standing by the entrance with his arms crossed.
I knew I made the right decision in hiring him, Ruby thought.
To top things all off, there were no Paradise users tonight.
The saloon owner walked up to the dark stranger.
"Hey." she said. "How are you feeling?"
He said nothing.
"Thirsty?" she asked.
He shook his head as he continued watching the crowd in the saloon.
He suddenly leaned down to her.
"There's a man with a knife. The one in the blue vest." he pointed out.
Ruby saw the man he was talking about. She grabbed her whip, and tossed it around the knife in the young man's back pocket, then tugged her whip back with the knife still wrapped in its coils.
She tossed the knife over the bar in a box.
"Happens all the time." she told him. "You know, it's always lively when at night here."
"…"
"Oh. Forgot. You only talk when it's important to." she smirked.
Still nothing from him, even if that was an insult.
"So, what exactly is it that you do for a living?" she asked him.
And he had no problems or insecurities answering that.
"Bounty Hunter." he answered.
She spit out her drink.
"No kidding." she choked as she wiped her mouth. "Are you after somebody in this town, or are you just taking a break?"
"You ask a lot of questions." he said.
"Just curious about the people who are working for me. I have to make sure if there here to make trouble or not. You have a problem with that?" she asked.
Suddenly, he turned his head so he was facing her.
"You hired me. You pay me and I follow your orders."
For a moment, they just stared at each other. Almost like they were sizing the other up.
Her emerald green eyes traveled under the rims of his hat as she peered at his eyes.
It was confirmed officially now. She knew she recognized him.
For a moment, her eyes full of respect stared back at his blue eyes that showed…nothing at all. Not a single emotion.
Almost like if he was dead.
"Hey Ruby!" Ram called to her. "I need you over here for a sec!"
"Coming!" she called back.
She took one last glance at the stranger before heading over to Ram.