Author's Note: Hello again and happy new year everyone. Hope you're all doing well. It has been some time since I last posted. I'm not the fastest of writers and I tend always revise my work alot till I'm satisfied with it. Also, if you're wondering about scheduling chapters, there isn't one currently.
Chapter 3: Den of Hunters & criminals
On the planet Kew, there's a well-known pub every criminal and bounty hunter goes to, The Burly Blaster and Kursed did not like it. This bar was a local hang-out for bounty hunters and criminals on planet Kew in the city of Neo Aresse, a place to conduct shady businesses, get contracts, or see the latest bounty up for grabs. It smelled of cigars, narcotics, cheap alcohol, and other unsavory scents that could turn away the most upstanding citizen. There was even an intimidating bartender stationed behind the establishment's bar. The occupants of the Burly Blaster liked it that way as they didn't want anybody getting in their business, and if they did well, a broken nose would be preferable to leaving in a body bag.
Since entering the bar with her newly met acquittance Denman, Kursed has received glances from the occupants but returned to what they did before, either not caring or realizing who she is and not wanting to receive her ire. Denman led them to an empty table at the corner of the bar, away from prying ears trying to listen in on their conversation. "This will do nicely," Denman said as he sat down on one side with Kursed sitting on the other.
Not wanting to waste any time, Kursed got to the point. " So what is this partnership you wanted to discuss with me?" the vixen asked.
"Straight to the point, I see," remarked Denman. "But relax. There will be plenty of time to discuss that. Let's sit down and decompress. Not every day, you nearly escape with your life from an exploding building.
Kursed huffed," Listen, I did not come here to waste my time with idle chit-chat."
"And you won't," replied Denman. " I said we would talk about how to deal with Zero, and we will. I prefer to talk business with some drinks, so pick your poison."
The tapping of wood could be heard as Kursed's nail repeatedly hit the table in a show of annoyance at Denman's attitude. With a frustrated sigh, she relented to his offer, knowing she wouldn't get far if she didn't humor him, " Just get me a Rhum Royale."
" A lady with taste, I like that," Denman said as he got up to retrieve their drinks. I'll be right back."
Kursed watched Denman as he went to the bartender to get their drinks. When he was out of view, her view returned to the empty space where Denman sat. Thoughts of doubt surfaced in her mind as she rethought of going along with him and his plan. Before she decided on what to do next, a gruff voice interrupted her train of thought.
"Hey, is this seat taken?" the voice asked. The vixen looked to her left to find a male bulldog standing there. The canine was dressed in typical punk attire with arms covered in tattoos. From what Kursed guessed, he was a typical gun for hire, someone of no interest to the vixen. One whiff of alcohol that came from his person and the cocky attitude gave him away. Kursed didn't have to read his mind for what he wanted. The vixen looked at him, rolled her eyes, and returned to her thoughts.
"Not interested," she said dryly.
The canine put his hands up in defense. "Hey now, there's no need to act cold. I just wanted to have a conversation."
The purple-haired vixen looked at him again, already feeling annoyed by him. "Listen, I'm not some ditzy female who will come back to your place just because you showed some muscles and a smile."
He flashed her a smug smile. "So you're saying there's a chance?"
If he expected her to laugh, he failed miserably. It just made her angry. "Leave. I won't tell you a second time," she said coldly.
Not getting the message, the bulldog put on a cocky smile and continued to press his luck, " Oh, come girly, I'm not so bad once you get to know me." he said as he reached his hand out to her shoulder, an action he would soon regret. Just before he touched her, Kursed quickly grabbed his wrist, surprising him. She then pulled his arm forward, making him lose his balance and having his face collided with the table. Before the canine could recover Kursed unsheathed her knife and slammed the blade onto his hand. The knife's edge easily punctured through his flesh and embedded itself into the table. The bulldog yelled in pain, causing the other patrons to look in their direction.
" Warned you," Kursed said.
"My hand! You bitch!" Cried the dog as he clutched the knife, trying to separate his hand from the knife.
Kursed only looked on with coldness and disinterest in her eyes as the bulldog struggled to free himself. "Keep trying. I think you're close to freeing yourself." She said casually.
The bulldog continued to pull at the blade but made no progress. Kursed, on the other hand, no longer wanted to see this pathetic display and proceeded to give the dog a hand." Let me help with that." She spoke. Kursed swatted the his hand away and grabbed the handle and, with little force, pulled the knife from its fleshy sheath. The canine fell back on his back, clutching his hand as blood gushed out from the fresh wound it received. "Maybe next time you'll listen when someone says to piss off, now … PISS OFF''
Not needing to be told twice, the scared bulldog did what he was told and high-tailed it out of the bar. As he ran, he nearly knocked into Denman, who sidestepped out of his way. The cat turned his gaze towards Kursed, who was cleaning the blood of her knife with a calm expression. Putting two together, he figured out what just happened. " Are you like that with everyone?" Denman asked as he sat with their drinks—a mug filled with beer and a glass of Rhum Royale with the bottle.
"Just the ones who don't take the hint," Kursed responded, getting the last of the canine's blood out of her weapon with a rag. After a quick look over, she saw there was no more blood and sheathed her knife.
"I'll note that," Denman said before sipping his drink.
Kursed reached out and grabbed her drink. " Yeah, you do that," she said, swaying her drink. The familiar light-burning sensation of the whiskey could be felt as it traveled down her throat and filled her system with its alcoholic goodness.
The jaguar and vixen sat silently with their drinks in their hands until Denman broke the silence. "Well, now that we got our drinks, we can finally talk."
'Finally.' Kursed thought to herself.
Denman fished a small tablet from his jacket's pocket and placed it on the table. Denman then pressed a button on the device, bringing the screen to life. A 3D model of a familiar titanium and bronze armored individual appeared. "This is Zero, the target."
The mention of his name caused her left ear to twitch in anger as she remembered her previous run-in with him. Never did she come across someone like him. She remembered hearing a few rumors about this individual during her many bounty hunting and side gigs but never paid them any mind. Usually, anytime Kursed went after a bounty, she never put much thought into it, and it was bagging the prize, getting paid, and going home. How wrong she was with this bounty. But now, looking at the bounty of 250,000 credits piqued her interest. "What did he do to earn such a large bounty?" she asked.
Denman shrugged. "Who knows? Last I heard, he crossed some shady people by mucking up some of their operations and wanted him dead. Why does it matter?"
"To me? Not much, but after our little meeting, I want to avoid being caught in another trap. "
'Well, sticking your nose in other's business can put a target on your back." Then Denman looked at Kursed with a severe look. " Plus, it's not like Zero is an easy mark to get."
Kursed scoffed. "You make it sound like he's some elusive ghost."
"You think I'm joking, but I'm not. Anyone who has gone after Zero has died. You remember the bounty hunter named Zed?"
Kursed remembered hearing about that bounty hunter. "Yes, a venomian soldier turned bounty hunter at the end of the Lylat wars. He was quite well known in never failing to get his quarry, till he one day disappeared." She explained.
"Well, you have Zero to thank for that," Denman casually said as he tapped the device with a clawed digit.
Kursed looked at Denman with a face of confusion and surprise. "This guy? He was the one responsible for Zed's disappearance?"
"Yup, a buddy told me Zed had a contract to go after Zero. Next thing you know, he was never heard from again. Since then, not many have tried to go after him. The ones who do either are greedy thugs or idiots desperate to make a name for themselves."
With the information Denman gave her, Kursed started to think that this bounty would be more challenging than her other ones. "You know, if I didn't know any better, this offer is more trouble than it's worth, and I, for one, am not looking to get myself killed," She said to Denman, looking annoyed.
Denman held out a hand. "Look, I wouldn't come up to you to make an offer without a plan to get this guy."
"And what would this plan entail, if I may ask?' Kursed asked.
"Two parts. First, we will need a team to get this guy."
"A team?" Kursed asked
"Well, yeah, there is strength in numbers. It will consist of my five-man team, with you being the sixth." Denman explained.
Kursed thought about what he said, but working with a team wasn't her style. She always did bounty hunting alone, with no one to share the money with or to slow her down. But with what Denman told her about Zero, he may be more of a challenge than her other jobs. Considering the circumstances, having a few extra hands wouldn't hurt. "You told me the first part. What's the second?" She asked.
"We are going to strike where he least expects it, his home," Denman stated bluntly.
She raised an eyebrow with a questioning look. "And how do you propose we do that when we don't know where Zero lives?"
Denman smiled, "Well, as I said before, my team and I have been tracking him for some time and found out that there's one planet he always leaves and comes back to."
"And that is?" Kursed asked.
He smiled and tapped the table, " Our target's base of operation is here on Kew in the city of Neo Aresse."
Kursed was surprised by what he told her. It had to be a coincidence that she tracked Zero to this planet and met Denman soon after. When she considered it, it worked out in her favor. Her target was still in the area, which meant that she could still catch him and, with backup, make taking him down a lot easier. " So, have you had any luck finding where he is?"
Denman's smile dropped into a frown. "Unfortunately, we haven't. Even though we followed him back to this planet, finding him in Kew's largest city is a different story." the Jaguar explained.
Kursed clicked her tongue in annoyance, knowing it wouldn't be easy, but any information would be helpful. The failure to find his exact location didn't deter her, as she could easily track him down again. What she wanted to know was who she would be working with. " So, this team of yours, are they up to snuff?" she questioned. " Because I won't work with amateurs."
"Relax," Denman said confidently, "My team can handle themselves. You will meet them in due time. The money may seem tempting, but I'm no fool, and I'm not taking any chances with this guy until I know what we can learn about him." He let his words sink in for her to consider and hopefully get her on board. The people he gathered for the mission were skilled and didn't need much convincing due to the reward money, but this was Kursed. Her reputation was well-known throughout the system, and having her on his team would give him the edge he needed to pull this off. "So, what do you think?" he asked, filled with hope and enthusiasm for her response.
Even with the reassurance, Kursed still didn't like it. However, Denman seemed to have done his research, gathered people willing to participate, and provided valuable intel. Though she wouldn't lie to herself, the money did look tempting. If Denman had a plan and the numbers to support his offer, she couldn't find any fault. "Alright, I'll join you in this little endeavor. I expect to be paid fairly when the job is done," Kursed said.
Her acceptance brought a big toothy smile from Denman, elated that she would join him. "Fantastic, Zero won't know what is coming to him," he said with a toothy grin.
Denman grabbed his stein's handle and raised it in a pose that suggested he was making a toast. "To a very profitable partnership."
Kursed picked up her glass and tapped it against his, making a clinking noise. They took a swig of their drinks, letting the liquid slide down their throats, satisfying their taste. For the rest of the night, the mercenary and bounty hunter discussed the details of the plan.