Chapter 11

Nabo wrapped the two intruders in vines. "Gotcha!" He said.

"That's the last two," Bootstilla said, having sent three bounty hunters through a portal.

Calabaza sent two more into the portal. "Did she post something to make all these bounty hunters come here?" He asked.

"Odalia must know that Amity and Luz are somewhere around here with the girls," Nabo said before he looked at the two he had wrapped up in vines. "Tell Odalia that she is never going to have those girls in her clutches."

"She's on here way here now," one bounty hunter said snarkily.

"Is that so?" Calabaza said, smirking. "Blossom?"

"On it," the female bounty hunter said, taking to the sky with Batty. "Alright, Batty. You ready?"

He squeaked and they began flying in a circle, making the wind circle around like a sphere. Nabo added to it by spewing fog from his mouth. The two trapped bounty hunters couldn't see a thing, but did hear a match being struck just as the vines let go. Panicking, the two fled.

"This isn't worth it!" One of them said before they vanished into another portal.

Bootstilla dispelled the wind sphere and floated down to the two pumpkin-headed cowboys. "She's getting too desperate," she said. "And these bounty hunters have been sloppy."

"Next ones might not be," Nabo said.

"We need to figure out a way to cut Odalia's way of contacting people so we can capture her and bring her to the council," Calabaza said.

A twig snapped and Nabo turned sharply, calling up a vine that caught something.

Or rather, someone.

Hanging by her ankle from a vine was Luz and she held a staff tightly, a snake-like palisman on the end. Bootstilla sighed. "Is this going to be a thing? Where we tell you to wait and you're still going to approach us?" She asked with minor annoyance.

Luz looked a bit sheepish. "Well, you weren't too upfront with Amity," she said after a minute before pointing her staff at them. "So I want some answers."

Calabaza smirked. "Pretty bold of you to demand that when you're the one caught," he said.

She glared at him, keeping her staff pointed at them. "You think I'm scared of you three?" She asked firmly, but the three heard her voice tremor slightly.

Nabo went up to her and playfully poked her sides, making the young woman squeak and giggle. "HEHEHEHEHEHEY!" She laughed out.

"You going to calm down?" He asked, smiling in amusement before moving his hand and the vine holding Luz shifted from holding her up by her ankle to cradling her like a baby. The action surprised the young woman, who looked up at him.

"Okay, you guys are acting different for bounty hunters," she admitted as she sat up on the vine.

Calabaza smiled. "Dad retired from bounty hunting years ago," he said. "I'm more of a guardian myself."

"The person who trained me to be a bounty hunter also taught me to have honor and to recognize a true bounty from a false one," Bootstilla said as she came forward, Batty on her shoulder. String Bean went up to her and she held out a hand for her to land on, smiling. "Hello, little one," she said, gently rubbing String Bean's head. The shape-shifting palisman purred happily, which caught Luz's attention.

"Why are you guys going against Odalia even though she paid you to kidnap my daughters?" She asked.

"She didn't pay me," Nabo said gently. "I refused to accept her money."

"It's fake anyway," Bootstilla said. "I charged her a thousand dollars and when she gave it to me, I left it with my bartender friend, asking him to look at the money when he got a chance. That very same night, he found out the money was all fake and told me."

Luz was shocked. "So she cheated you," she said in realization.

"I knew she was going to, which is why I 'charged' her so little. My fee is actually five times that amount and I require half up front if I accept the job."

"She also researches to make sure that the person hiring her isn't someone with bad intentions," Nabo said.

Calabaza nodded. "Odalia may not realize it, but everyone knows she's got bad intentions ever since it came out she sided with Belos," he said.

Luz nodded before looking at Bootstilla. "What does Odalia want with my daughters?" She asked.

Bootstilla looked pained but took a deep breath. "She wants to use them as leverage to make Amity return to the other world and become her puppet again," she said before her face hardened. "But we're not going to let that happen, Luz. I promise you, as sure as the stars glow in the night, that evil woman will never get her clutches on your daughters."

The brown-haired woman nodded. "Has Belos come back?" She asked, her face worried.

"No," Nabo said soothingly. "Odalia is acting alone, though she is having scouts bring her any magic they find."

"Palismans?" The girl asked in horror, holding String Bean protectively.

"Thankfully, no," Calabaza replied.

"Still, with enough magic, she will be troublesome," Bootstilla asked.

"Do you guys know where she is?" Luz asked.

"No," the bounty hunter said ruefully. "She's hiding somewhere where she can't be found, but were keeping our eyes peeled."

The brown-haired woman's eyes widened. "You're hunting her, aren't you?" She asked. "Does she...have a bounty on her?"

"You catch on fast," Nabo said, smiling gently before looking serious again. "But yes, Odalia does have a bounty on her and it's growing every day."

"The council want her to face the punishment for her actions, but she vanished not long after you and the others stopped Belos and convinced the Collector to help you fix the realm," Bootstilla said.

Luz nodded before looking at them. "If she does come here, let me know so I can join you in battling her," she said, her voice firm, indicating she wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. "She's caused my Sweet Potato enough grief, but to go after my daughters is crossing the line."

"We feel the same way, Luz," Calabaza said.

Nabo looked worried, which Luz noticed before looking at him. "No offense, but you guys are going to need a lot of help if Odalia gains the power status that Belos had, or close to it," she said.

"She's got a point, Nabo," Bootstilla said with a nod. "We could use all the help we can get. Plus Luz and Amity are skilled."

"And brave," Nabo said with a nod. "Alright, Luz. You've got yourself a deal."

She looked relieved at that, which made the others smile before they heard Amity calling for her. "Go on, Luz," Calabaza said, smiling. "We'll be nearby."

"Odalia thankfully doesn't have your location yet, but we're still keeping our eyes open," Bootstilla promised.

"Keep your family close and ask the Owl Lady to gather your friends to prepare for battle," Nabo said.

"Will do," she said, heading back to the house, her mind a bit of a whirlwind, but she took a deep breath and steeled herself.

"Odalia, you're going to regret ever coming after us," she said to herself.


Looks like Luz is ready to go into battle, which will happen later on in the story.

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GoldGuardian2418