Fro Ninja: What's up people? It's the Fro Ninja here with another Illegal Freedom update. The recent flow of the series has gotten me refreshed on what direction I want to take it in, so I hope you guys will be ready to support your boy as he turns these chapters out. This will also be the chapter before the finale of the Blind Bandit arc, and I got even more events planned after that, so stay tuned. So without delay, let's get started!
The bandits unleashed an uproar of howls that turned into laughter as their leader made his disdain for Huey and Zechal known. The Blind Bandit's leader treated the two boys like a curious case, pacing around them to get a feel for the aura their presence emanated, as well as sniffing them on occasion. His thick blubbery lips curled into a smile as he ran his hands across the texture of the boy's faces. His voice, which had the tone of a deranged monkey, had joyously howled out to his subjects.
"My niggas, my niggas! This is a good day today! We've finally caught two little upstarts that have been killing our brothers. Somebody pinch me. It must be my birthday because this is the sweetest gift anyone brought me." The bandit leader said; he received a standing ovation from the rest of his crew as if such a belligerent speech was on par with the rhetoric of a general. The bandit leader cracked his knuckles and brought them across the face of Zechal and Huey, knocking them to the cool floor of the cave. He smirked at the sounds of agony the boys were in from such a strike, but it was far from the only punishment he intended to inflict."Ooo, that punch locked my joints in place. You boys is tougher than I thought. You gots' to be if you going around slicing and dicing up my men all night. You might even be worth pissing on when I get done with you."
Zehcal pushed off his foot to turn himself over and face the leader.
"Cowards. Absolute cowards, the lot of you." Zechal said. His voice came through clear, bouncing off the stone walls of the cavern that silenced all of the bandits. The leader came to attention from the determination present in the young knight; it was more from curiosity rather than fear that made him listen in."What kind of warriors would strike another while he is impaired and incapable of fighting back? You say this is in a gesture to your fallen brothers? You sully their name with such methods."
Huey glared at Zechal with a face that told him to shut up before he makes the situation worse. Zechal squeezed his teeth as he picked up his upper body to sit on the heels of his foot in a lotus position. His eyes scanned the room, disgusted at the homely sight of the blind bandits as if it were for the first time he encountered them. Many of them looked comfortable with the less than savory conditions they were living in-sleeping on beds made out of aged leaves, using the dirty water from rainy nights to quench their thirsts and bathe themselves. Their clothes were stitched together from filthy rags used for laundry. The conditions were a stark contrast to Zemuria in every regard, especially how they treated their prisoners. Zemurians recognized their prisoners as warriors that were to be treated with respect for prowess on the battlefield. There was no such treatment to be found when being forced to lay among filth like this.
"I can hardly believe that we considered you people a threat. If barbaric torture for the sake of entertainment is your way of avenging your comrades, you honor their memory better by having them stay dead." Zechal said.
The room went quiet. Dead quiet. The air began to turn cold, with the aura of the bandits shifting into something twisted. The leader cleared his throat, approached Zechal, grabbing him by his neck with enough force to puncture his throat, and held him up off the ground. The leader huffed a heavy and putrid-smelling breath onto Zechal's face before punching him square in the gut. Zechal felt like his lungs were being sucked out from his mouth; his body was stretched outward from the punch that almost pierced through. The leader then hit him again. Then again, and then again. A warm crimson liquid leaked out from the knight's mouth, drooping down his robes and to the floor. Huey saw a pool of dark red mixed with a bright yellow form on the bottom; he looked up at Zechal as his body began to twitch from the sudden pain.
"Now see, I did you a favor, little nigga. But you had to push it. I was fine with just smacking y'all around a couple of times, maybe cutting a few fingers or toes to get some nice acoustics out of you, but now playtime is over."
"How dare this little fucker talk about our brothers that way!" One Bandit screamed.
"I'm gonna tear his throat out!"
"Don't you ever talk about our brothers that way! You killed them like dogs! What would you know about honor?"
The entire catacombs were filled with the noise of the bandits, but instead of barbaric howls, it was the blood-curdling cries for vengeance. Huey could feel the hatred flow around in the air, twisting the energy of the bandits into something unrecognizable. The leader threw Zechal onto the rocky ground and then came over to Huey, who had been struggling to break free of his restraints. Huey was hoisted up by the collar of his robes; he looked at the aged face of the Blind Bandit leader, taking note of the pupilless eyes gazing through him. Huey fought his desire to wince once he saw the leader wind up for a punch and then stopped in his tracks.
"Hold on." The leader said as he began to sniff Huey with more fervor than before. The leader's nostrils flared when he had got a whiff of the sweaty and blood-soaked Huey. "I know that smell. You smell like the Number Two."
The entire cave went into a frenzy when they heard mention of the Number One leave their leader's lips, which put Huey on edge. He wasn't surprised to hear his master's name in vogue, especially among highwaymen, but such a title can cause various reactions.
"Are you the Number Two, little nigga?" The leader asked him.
"I'm not." Huey admitted."I'm his apprentice. A student to his style."
The leader's eyes widened with disbelief, with his voice reaching a high pitch in screams of joy; his cohorts followed suit when they heard of Huey's relation to Afro.
"Indeed you are, ain't you? Let me get this straight. Not only did two little niggas kill my brothers, but one of them was the student of the Number Two?! Oh, lawd spank my bottom and call me a newborn. We hit the jackpot, fellas,"
The leader headbutted Huey into his face, cracking his nose, and threw him next to Zechal, who was still recovering. The leader walked over to the cavern's center and raised his fists to the air, rallying his men into a singular scream.
"My niggas. We can finally make our mark on this world. This little nigga is the apprentice to The Number Two. That means he's on his way here!" The bandits applauded in a sparse sound that sounded like fireworks being let off sporadically. Huey, obviously, knew it was only a matter of time before his master would discover the Bandit's hideout, but the copious number of the vagrants would be too much to handle for any man. He also understood that their leader knew it as well but was even more put off by another realization."When he comes, we'll be able to challenge him for the Number Two headband.; after that, the Number One headband is ours!"
The bandits let out a cheer so loud that Huey could feel the very foundation of the earth-shaking around him and Zechal; the tiniest pebble began to shake and roll around on the ground. The leader then turned and walked over to the boys-Huey noticed that even with the noise, the leader could locate them several feet away; it was very telling that escape wouldn't have worked should the thought arise.
"I almost forgot to introduce myself to you, little niggas. Colonel H., muthafucking Stinkmeaner. Leader of the Blind Forest Bandits. Until the Numbah Two get's here, we gonna be having a hell of a time."
Afro took his blade out from the last of the bandits that assaulted him; the blood leaked off the steel and dripped onto the greenery of the grass where the body laid. Without a moment of regard (or respect) to the five bandits dead at his hand, he sheathed his sword and proceeded onward. A few minutes of walking into the deeper parts of the thick forest had brought him to a large cave entrance, guarded by two bandits that quickly saw their end by Afro. Ninja-Ninja hopped on a nearby tree (almost blinking into existence) and began scanning the environment.
"Damn. Is it me, or does every single part of this forest look the same? I feel like we've walked in the same part for the past five minutes."
Afro grunted and inspected the cave entrance, taking note of the crudely written sign that let intruders know what awaited them. Ninja-Ninja rubbed his chin in muse before jumping down the branch by Afro. He produced a pipe from his robes, lit the herb from the pot, and inhaled a deep smoke; a large cloud of cannabis blanketed Afro's view, although it surprisingly didn't bother him.
"Guess we know these niggas really are blind if their writing is that shitty." Afro stayed silent even after Ninja-Ninja nudged him for a retort. Ninja-Ninja cackled at Afro's stoic expression but then suddenly stopped when his cohort held his hand out. Afro ran his finger across the grass, which had several patches and trouts laid out through it, implying multiple feet trudging on the ground. Usually, it spelled a struggle of some kind. Ninja-Ninja puffed another smoke from his pipe and synced up to his thoughts with Afro's."You think this is where yo boy is at?" He asked him. Although Afro was still silent, the grimace on his face did, at the very least, serve as confirmation to Ninja-Ninja's question. Afro's mind walked him through the battle took place, retracing the steps of the combatants-his apprentice in the thick of it judging by the pattern of the footwork-as they lead into the cavern.
Stepping closer, he heard the faint noises of howling echoing around the cave's walls, which sent Ninja-Ninja in a frenzy. "Oh damn! There better not be any damn wolves in this bitch. Say Afro, why don't we just bounce man? You could always find another whipping boy; we ain't gotta save him if it means we gonna fight something with four arms!"
Afro drew his sword out with such speed that if Ninja-Ninja blinked, his head would be used as an ornament."Shut...up." Afro said and ventured into the cavern. The well-being of Huey dwelled on his mind more than ever, especially given he wasn't at one-hundred percent to fight off a horde of bandits. This would allow Afro to see if his apprentice could survive despite any injuries sustained in battle on another side of thinking. Although given the circumstances, it was likely that he surrendered to the enemy to avoid further damage and investigate the enemy stronghold. Both of which satisfied Afro in being aware of his student's ability to survive and adapt.
The cave wrapped around Afro's line of sight with its darkness filling every corner he turned; what little light from the torches that guided his way gradually began to extinguish with every step he took, and a mysterious wind stirred around him. He unconsciously gripped his sword as the strong scent of blood reached his nose. Progressing further into the maze of the filled-out cavern, he sensed a powerful killing intent surge through his body; something was calling him to venture onward with his own killing intent to match it. Ninja-Ninja blinked into existence once more and sucked his teeth in disbelief at the sensation Afro just felt.
"This is some old bullshit," Ninja-Ninja said."You know this is a set-up, right? There's no way your boy would just wander in here on his own unless someone took him to drag you out. I mean, did you feel that shit. I can taste it more than those Dango I bodied earlier."
Afro responded in his usual grunt; Ninja-Ninja took it to confirm his suspicions, but not as a reason to run. The gauntlet of these blind bandits had gone on long enough to Afro that he was willing to throw himself in a lion's den to gain results-the results being their complete and utter destruction. He had no reason to fear them as he did any other man since they fell the same way when flesh meets blade; the kidnapping of Huey did much to fuel that incentive. Soon they came to a fork in the cavern's path, with the surge of killing intent calling Afro to the left. Coupled with the killing intent growing more prominent, the primitive screams and roars of what Afro could assume were animals-wearing the skin of humans-coming from the catacombs. Afro walked past Ninja-Ninja and his desperate attempts to get Afro to turn back on his path.
"This is suicide," Ninja-Ninja said. "You know it as well as I do, man. These guys aren't anything like what we've gone up against. They don't have any morals at all. They won't hesitate to stick that hairy bush of yours on a pike while you're still breathing."
Ninja-Ninja turned his back on Afro, expecting his usual grunt, but to his surprise, Afro stopped in his advance with his mouth opening up; words slowly crept across his tongue.
"They won't get the chance," Afro said and continued walking.
Ninja-Ninja watched Afro walk further and further into the darkness until he was out of sight. He adjusted his sunglasses and brought his knife across the throat of a blind bandit that attempted to get the jump on him.
"Nah, they won't," Ninja-Ninja said. "That is if they won't take it themselves." His body suddenly vanished with little remaining of his presence as droplets of leaves fell down onto where he was standing.
Huey gritted his teeth against the next punch that came from another blind bandit who stepped up from the circle they all formed. The tiny crack of vision that his swollen eye gave him the sight of Stinkmeaner leaning back on a pile of bones melded together as a chair. His hands rocking his tachi back and forth and his blubbery lips smiling as the pounding of Huey's flesh echoed throughout the chamber. Stinkmeaner somehow could feel Huey's piercing gaze even as he remained occupied with his men and burst out laughing, the volume of which halted the blind bandits in their activity.
"I feel you mean mugging me, little nigga." Stinkmeaner said and got up off his throne, slowly walking over to Huey and a barely conscious Zechal. "You got that fire in you boy, I can feel it even when you getting you ass creamed by my boys."
"Nothing less," Huey said, struggling to speak through the abundance of cuts in his mouth."Than what you deserve then."
"And what, pray tell," Stinkmeaner said as he grabbed a handful of Huey's hair and held him up in the air."Do you feel I deserve?" He then gestured to the rest of his crew, who were practically salivating to continue the torture."If you ask me, I feel I deserve it all. An entire village where my people and I can live with no food shortage, plenty of water, and wandering travelers in the dead of night meeting my blade. I'd say it's quite a reasonable thing to have for people like us. Being discriminated against for one defect of our bodies. Acting like that makes us inhuman and shit; fucked up, ain't it?"
Stinkmeaner's ears twitched when he heard a sniffle echo somewhere in the crowd his men formed.
"And who the fuck is crying like a little bitch?" Stinkmeaner said."What about what I just said makes you cry, huh nigga?" His ear twitched once more and guided him to the blind Bandit in question that made the noise; the other bandits quickly cleared the way as Stinkmeaner zoomed over to the individual in question."Tell me right now. Why the fuck are you crying when I'm just telling it like it is, huh?"
"It's just." The Bandit said."Hearing about where we came from and listening to you speak about it, sir. It's very inspiring."
"Why, thank you very much, my nigga, for that wonderful commendation," Stinkmeaner said and nodded to one of his other men, who then stabbed the Bandit that spoke out in his heart. The steel traveled upward and downward on his torso and ripped through his shabby robes like the Bandit was attempting to make strokes with a paintbrush. Huey's bloody mouth flew agape as the Bandit's body fell to the cold and damp cavern floor."Ain't no-fucking-body asked you what you thought. When I'm talking about what we deserve, that's a conversation that I have, and you listen to." Stinkmeaner spat at the Bandit's corpse and turned his head to Huey once more."Sorry for that interruption. My boys were born in Ryukyu. Discipline and learning when to shut the hell up is lost on them, sadly. Me, on the other hand, I was taught better by a teacher who knew exactly what he was getting with me."
"You kill your own as well, admitting that you'll take what you think you deserve." Huey said."You're a monster. You deserve nothing but death."
Stinkmeaner laughed once more, not out of amusement but out of pity.
"Little nigga," Stinkmeaner said."Ain't you ever heard the phrase, 'preaching to the choir'? What about who I am, what I do, and how I do it surprises you? Every muthafucka that takes up a sword takes what he wants when he wants. I've held a blade in my mother's womb when I cut my way out through her heart; my first victim, and I've been killing ever since. This world didn't give me shit, so I figured I could just take what I want before it had a chance to snatch it away. Hearing someone call me a monster is just a humblebrag at this point. Where I come from, not becoming a monster meant you weren't normal."
"Who is you to talk yourself anyway? You killed my boys yourself, didn't you?"
"That was self-defense!" Huey said."They tried to kill my comrades and me."
"A killer with a conscience," Stinkmeaner said. "Bitch-nigga shit fo' sho. You ain't nobody special little man. The only thing you can do to say you ain't no better than me is to spit that you do it in the name of honor or some tired shit like that. In fact, you can't even say that knowing who your master is. Do you have any idea how many men that nigga has killed? He makes me and boys look like chumps in comparison."
"My master is nothing like you." Huey said."He doesn't aimlessly kill for his own amusement or for some sort of twisted vengeance on the world. He's not a murderer."
Stinkmeaner did his best to hold in another chortle, but Huey's statement made it almost impossible. He pulled Huey in closer, so close his rancid breath put Huey in a daze from the scent.
"You have no idea what the nigga did to get where he is now, "Stinkmeaner said. "The fucked up shit he's done." Stinkmeaner paused as he caught a whiff of a familiar scent-one that identifies a person who lives by his own morals as the souls of those who have fallen by his blade remains etched on his soul-blood. The thick and rich fragrance of the scarlet nectar was intoxicating to Stinkmeaner; the very smell slipped down his nose so swiftly that he swore he could taste it bounce on his tongue. His blubbery lips slowly curled up into a smile that stretched his face out from cheek to cheek; in tandem with his pupilless eyes, Huey could be forgiven for thinking that Stinkmeaner had just been possessed by a demon."Aw, shit! It's party time y'all. He's here, baby. He's here and ready for some action."
On cue, Afro walked in the chamber of the bandits, lathered in a fresh deposit of blood spread across his robes; he threw the carcasses of two bandits in front of Stinkmeaner and his men, accompanied by a look that was intimidating as it was baseless. No hint of relief for seeing his apprentice still amongst the living or finally setting eyes on the man who has made this day quite the event of carnage and chaos.
"Master." Huey said."You're here."
Afro nodded in confirmation and pointed his sword out toward a zealous Stinkmeaner.
"Are you the leader?" Afro said.
"Bitch, I might be," Stinkmeaner said with a playful grin. "Who wants to know?"
Afro silently cut down three bandits that made a slight move against him; one stabbed through the cranium; one sliced from the waist downward; one decapitated from a quick horizontal slice that went through the flesh with the smoothness of cutting an apple before anyone could take a breath. The speed of the execution shocked the bandits to their core as they heard three bodies suddenly hit the floor, save for Stinkmeaner, who could barely contain his excitement.
"I'll ask again." Afro said."Are you the leader?"
"Say that I am." Stinkmeaner said."What's up?"
"I'm going to kill you." Afro said."That's what's up."
Stinkmeaner slurped up some drool that had been leaking from his mouth and collected himself.
"Your master is one cold muthafucka." Stinkmeaner said to Huey."Makes it that more exciting to kill him."Stinkmeaner then threw Huey next to Zechal, who had just started to come around; his eyes shot open at the sight of Afro.
"Master Afro." Zechal said."I can't believe it."
Stinkmeaner drew his sword out and ran his tongue across the steel while seizing the moment of feeling the sensation of Afro's menacing stare, as well as the presence of his aura. His killing intent resonated with his own, so much so that it appeared the two were in their own world. Zechal looked at them with curious eyes and felt an overwhelming pressure grip his chest as killing murderous intent spread throughout the cave.
"What is this power that I feel?" Zechal said to Huey. "These two are demons come to life."
Huey picked himself from the ground with a sharp pain surging through his body. He leaned against the wall where Zechal had been, watching in awe at the same sensation permeating through the room.
"Master," Huey thought. "Is this the power that you warned me about? The power to kill whoever stands in your way, fueled by the thrill of meeting an opponent stronger than you?"
Although Afro and Stinkmeaner had already drawn the swords out, neither of them had made a move. An ordinary watcher could conclude that they were waiting for the other to make the first hit, but in reality, the fight between them had already commenced. Their minds raced with visual information of them battling, instantly replaying events of both fighters being cut down by the other's attacks. Right slash from the sternum, dead; Vertical slice from the pelvic area all the way up to the right arm, blocked then countered. Afro took a deep breath from the abundance of scenarios that played in within his head and went for a forward thrust at Stinkmeaner, who used one of his men to shield him from the hit. Stinkmeaner stepped back a few feet when he saw Afro's blade extended farther than he anticipated.
"Boss...why?" The blind Bandit said as his life drained from the blade going through his heart.
"Be proud nigga," Stinkmeaner said."You just saved my life, and that counts for a whole lot."
Afro twisted the blade from his grip and kicked the body of Bandit toward Stinkmeaner. Stinkmeaner stepped to the side and brought his sword up from the ground in a vertical slice that Afro dodged quickly; Stinkmeaner switched his regular forward grip to a reverse one and got the blade down at an angled cut that Afro swiftly dodged as well. Stinkmeaner erupted with a flurry of quick slashes that met Afro's sword hit for a hit; every second of every hit produced a loud clanging sound that clued the bandits in on how the battle was proceeding and began cheering for their boss.
Afro and Stinkmeaner came to a deadlock. Afro shifted his back leg and pivoted around Stinkmeaner's flank for a quick attack. Stinkmeaner anticipated the attack, bent his body backward to dodge, and threw out an upward slash from the same angle that Afro not only dodged but grabbed Stinkmeaner by his arm and threw him over his shoulder. Stinkmeaner recovered on his legs and thrust himself upward before Afro brought down his sword through his head; Stinkmeaner's body quickly turned with his sword following his movement into a horizontal slice that Afro halted with a block of the blade. The two locked swords once more. The pressure came from attempting to push each other back to follow through with an attack, but neither gave a single inch.
"This that good shit right now!" Stinkmeaner said."I heard stories about you, you know. How you kill niggas within a second of them blinking; how you slaughtered an entire village because they looked at you wrong; killed a hundred men in a single night. Lemme tell you something, none of that shit do you any justice." The two exchanged attacks once again before coming to another deadlock."You the real deal Two. Bred to kill, just like me. I can smell the blood of everyman you ever killed." Stinkmeaner smirked."Even the blood of the 'family' that you loved."
Afro's eyes shot open and began to gain more ground with the deadlock, pushing Stinkmeaner back on his feet. Stinkmeaner whistled, signaling the command for his men to take Afro out. Huey and Zechal struggled to get to their feet despite their injuries when they saw the bandits moving.
"No!" Zechal said.
Nearly a dozen bandits suddenly fell to the floor; a crimson lake appeared around their bodies. The remaining bandits-about five-took the deafening silence of the slaughter as a sign that something went wrong. One of them desperately searched around the area for any sound that told further information but felt a sharp thrust of a blade tear through his stomach, unleashing a plethora of guts onto the stone texture of the cavern floor. Huey's eyes shot open when he saw the endearing but welcome sight of Black Dynamite yanking his sword out of the Bandit's body. He also managed to catch the presence of a fragile line gleaming in the moonlight, which stretched just a few inches above where the dozen bandit's heads used to be. Another shock came in the form of a young girl dropping from the open roof of the cavern and throwing out small but sharp knives that hit the target of the four remaining bandits-head, eyes, and even neck were spared no expense.
Stinkmeaner's mouth flew agape at the sound of several bodies dropping and immediately backed out of the deadlock from Afro.
"What the fuck just happened?!" Stinkmeaner said.
"I'll tell you what just happened." Black Dynamite said."You turkeys just came up a few men short of a baseball team."
The girl that Huey saw jump in from the top of the cavern shot him an expression that spelled both wonder and disappointment as she warped over to him and Zechal. She undid their cuffs and helped Huey to his feet.
"The apprentice of the Number Two." The girl said."I must say, I'm not impressed."
"Who are you?" Huey said while snatching his arm away from her. An air of distrust was plastered over Huey's face as he attempted to process what was happening and why this mysterious girl was together with Black Dynamite. Just then, however, the rest of the bandits resting on the top sections of the cave jumped into action. Black Dynamite answered their killing intent, coming into contact with five bandits all it once by pulling out a second more miniature sword-a Tachi by its stature and length.
The girl shot Huey a brief smile."My name is Ming, should you wish to thank me when this is over."She then disappeared from Huey's sight. Three more bandits deflect several knives falling from the sky; without warning, the blades that fell to the ground from the deflection had exploded, not only engulfing the bandits in a burst of flames but sending a shockwave through the foundation of the cavern. The rumble of the earth woke Zechal clean awake, and he adopted Huey's sense of shock when witnessing the scene.
"Master Huey! Zechal!" A voice chimed in from the catacomb entrance; a wave of relief surged through Zechal as he heard the angelic voice and saw the sight of a girl with bright hair and hazel green eyes.
"Your highness!" Zechal said with a sharp groan as pain shot through his body.
Jazmin ran over to the boys with bated breath. Her mouth flew agape at the number of injuries they sustained through the Bandit's torture and attack.
"You must be in so much pain," Jazmin said.
"Yeah, we're on the brink of death," Huey said, which unexpectedly made Jazmine smile. It showed that despite his pain, he still possessed vigor.
The roars of the battle and the noise of steel scraping against steel drowned out Zechal's retort. Black Dynamite was making quick work of the bandits despite being outnumbered; taking full advantage of his brute strength, size, and dual blade technique allowed him to fend the bandits off and even reduce their numbers by a wide margin. Two bandits fell to a broad swipe of his main hand sword-an Odachi that had been customized to accommodate the desire of having both strength and speed-and two more to his Tachi with well-placed strikes to their tendon areas all the way to their torso. The girl named Ming pulled her weight accordingly, although not in the same upfront fashion as Black Dynamite; she took from the shadows and dispatched bandits with attacks from the rear with knives-marked with explosives-that found their target in five more bandits that joined the fray. Despite the showcase of two styles in play, Huey looked to Afro for his progress in the fight; the current event had Afro gaining even more headway against Stinkmeaner, who literally had his back against the wall.
Huey started to walk over to join the battle until Jazmin pulled him by his arm.
"Master Huey, you're hurt. You must rest." Jazmin said.
"I have to help my master," Huey said while holding his side.
Jazmine held his hand."With how you are now, you won't be able to help anyone." She said with a face that was deep in thought."But you won't be for long."
Huey raised his eyebrow as Jazmin closed her eyes and appeared to concentrate intensely.
"Your highness, you mustn't!" Zechal said and attempted to stop Jazmin until she held her hand out in front of him.
A bright light slowly shimmered from Jazmin's hand within a few seconds as she muttered something in a mysterious language. Huey then felt a strange sensation surge through his body that gradually reduced the pain that he was in; it was warm and rejuvenating that he could say he was reborn. All the injuries suffered at the hands of the bandits, Stinkmeaner, the discipline given to him by his master, were growing to be moot as the energy Jazmin flowed through Huey's body. He was at a loss for words at what was currently occurring, with the bright smile from Jazmin being a significant factor for Huey's loss of speech. And why wouldn't it? It was the first smile he had seen in a very long time.
The bright light dimmed down when it was all over, and Jazmin slowly released her hand from Huey. They looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity to them until the event of a blind bandit charging towards them brought them back to reality. Huey's eyes shot open as his body reacted to the Bandit's charge with a swift punch to his stomach that knocked the wind out of him. Huey's body responded with practically none of the strain he had felt for the past couple of hours. He was back at peak condition.
He grabbed his and Zechal's sword over by Stinkmeaner's throne; he slid over Zechal's sword to him while Huey equipped his. Feeling the familiar weight of the blade, he jumped over two bandits that had been approaching him; he tilted his body in midair and gave a horizontal slash that decapitated both of them in one fell swoop. Another bandit that had been knocked away by a clash with Black Dynamite had stumbled into Huey's viewpoint; Huey brought his sword down onto the Bandit's head, cleaving it in two while his feet rested on the Bandit's shoulders, cushioning his fall. Huey ran through the crowd of bandits, cutting down all that charged towards him, over to his master engaging with Stinkmeaner.
Stinkmeaner's ears twitched as he picked up the sound of Huey fast approaching and broke off his deadlock with Afro to retreat to a safe point. Huey and Afro stood side-by-side once more, and after a nod, they pursued Stinkmeaner, who was taking a second to catch his breath. Afro lead the strike with a high angled slash that Stinkmeaner blocked; Huey quickly pivoted around Stinkmeaner to follow up with a slash behind him. Stinkmeaner used focused his strength to push Afro back to turn and stop Huey's sneak attack. It didn't take long for Afro to come back for successive attacks in the form of a vertical slash that meant to carve his opponent's head but instead cut a mark on Stinkmeaner's torso due to the way his body was angled to fend of Huey. Stinkmeaner found himself blocking another attack from Huey-a swipe that reached his legs- which came consecutively after Afro's-a horizontal slash to his neck area. Stinkmeaner leaned his entire body to the right, hopping off his feet and twirling into the air, allowing him to dodge both warrior's attacks and recover on his feet.
Stinkmeaner quickly came up to his feet and got into his stance. Huey and Afro did the same, awaiting a single move from the bandit leader. Stinkmeaner heard the noise of countless men losing crying out in pain and death storm through his ear lobe; he gripped his sword in frustration and begun to focus his strength.
"You niggas like to pull the rug out from a player." Stinkmeaner said."But now it's time to even the score."
Huey and Afro remained on guard as a mysterious wind began to blow through the cavern, with Stinkmeaner's aura beginning to change before their very eyes. Suddenly a black mist manifested around the Blind Bandit, with the air growing heavy and stifling. Huey was about to charge until Afro stopped him by holding a sword in front of him.
"Master, what are you doing?" Huey said. "Why are you stopping me?"
"I will handle this."Afro said."You aren't ready yet." He slowly approached Stinkmeaner as the wind began to pick up in the cavern, with the gleaming moonlight becoming extinguished.
Jazmin clutched her chest as the air around everyone began to warp. Her breathing became labored.
"Your highness?" Zechal said."What's wrong?"
"That man."Jazmin said."He's no man at all. He's a demon come to life."
Chapter 14 END
Fro Ninja: What did you think of the latest event? What kind of power is Stinkmeaner hiding, and what will Huey think of his master now that he's heard he isn't who believes him to be? Find out this and more in the conclusion to the Blind Bandit Arc. Peace out, remember. One Love!