Dream Hunt: Chapter 4

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Chapter 4: Diary of Madness, Part 2
 Roland jumped behind the balcony, where the bartender was hiding.

 The bounty hunter put the paper bag on the floor to her right and turned to pick Max’s shotgun. She checked the ammo – the two bullets were on their place.

 Roland:  You’ve got any more ammo?

 Max:  Sorry, I’ve spent all I had the last week, when a crazy man tried to…

 Roland:  Oh, shit… I just hope two is my lucky number…

 She grabbed a tomato inside the paper bag and threw it behind, in the direction that the pirates were.

 Pirate Leader:  Hohoho… A tomato won’t be enough, you better have some potatoes too, miss Okama, or you won’t escape alive!

 As their leader shouted, the other eight pirates approached the balcony. Luckily for her, Roland could hear their steps.

 Roland:  (smiles) Nah, the tomato will be enough.

 Indeed, it would, because that tomato had, inside of it, a very little smoke bomb.

 Once the smokescreen was spreading and the pirates started their surprised reactions, Roland stood up. “Time to make Chekov proud!” She thought, looking to the gun, and pulled the trigger.

 When the smoke spread and the surroundings were visible again, the pirates saw their superior on his knees, his pistol destroyed on the ground, and Roland pointing a shotgun at his head.

 “She shot the gun amidst the smoke!” One of them shouted and the others had the same surprise.

 Roland:  Now, if you value your… this guy’s life, get your swords down!

 “Gah!” Axellia yelled, as she had a pirate pointing a blade at her throat.

 Pirate:  (blade pointed to Axel) We don’t mind killing a kid… Do you, miss Okama?

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland:  Appealing to my morality, huh… Oh crap, I do mind…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland dropped the shotgun and raised her hands.

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<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  … This was not forged by humans, you know, Miranda. I doubt you’d ever see something like that.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Miranda:  Uh, err… It does look very pretty, but it looks like a regular sword, to be honest…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  To the untrained eye… Here, give me your hand. You have to touch it slowly, feel the iron as if it was velvet. You see?

<p class="MsoNormal"> Miranda:  Uhh, you are too close, miss Toruviel… Oh my, my face is getting all red, isn’t it?

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  I’m just showing you my sword, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, we’re all alone in here…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Miranda:  Ehh, I suppose we are, but… You can drop my hand already, I… Why’re you getting closer? I need to go back to work…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  Ahh, c’mon, your break is not over yet.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Miranda:  I… I… Yeah, I suppose I have a few more minutes…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  Perfect…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Making a loud noise, someone repeatedly knocked the door.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Waitress:  (from behind the door) Miranda! Go back to work or I won’t take my lunch break! You can visit that customer’s room after your turn is over!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Miranda:  I’m sorry, miss Toruviel…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  It’s fine.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Miranda:  My turn ends after six. If you want I can…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  I’ll be waiting.

<p class="MsoNormal"> The waitress behind the door knocked, strongly, three times.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Waitress:  Come on! Marines are surrounding The Deadly Queen, I want to see what’s happening before it’s over!

<p class="MsoNormal"> A sudden, but very probable thought came to the elf’s minds that second. She walked to the door and opened it.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  Why are the Marines there?

<p class="MsoNormal"> Waitress:  You’re a woman? I didn’t know Miranda liked…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  Just answer my question!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Waitress:  They’re saying that pirates are inside the bar, with two women as hostages. They know one of them is quite young because she wouldn’t stop screaming she needed her father.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  Father, you say… Miranda, my dear, I need to take care of some business, but I promise I’ll come back as soon as I can.

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<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland was sitting on a table, her hands tied on her back. Axel was close, with a piece of cloth in her mouth, since she wouldn’t stop yelling, and her whole body was tied on a chair.

<p class="MsoNormal"> A thin fillet of blood, coming from Roland’s nose, reached the huntress’ mouth – she hated the taste of blood more than anything. She had been beaten twice on the face up until that moment.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Pirate Leader:  There are a lot of Marines gathered outside, so why don’t you tell us where the armaments are? It’ll avoid much trouble, for us, and for you.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland:  Say please.

<p class="MsoNormal"> With his pistol, the pirate hit Roland’s face. He then pointed it at her head, but, seeing that her expression wouldn’t change, proceeded to direct the gun to Axellia.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Pirate Leader:  What about now, miss Okama? Will you please tell me where our paid armament is? Not in the mood to talk, eh… What about this: I’ll count to five and then I’ll blow out this girl’s brains. Sounds fair, don’t you think?

<p class="MsoNormal"> A chill crossed Axel’s whole body that same instant.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland stared at the pirate’s eyes, showing her teeth as if she wanted to bite his face.

<p class="MsoNormal"> The pirate, on the other hand, grinned.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Pirate Leader:  Five…

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<p class="MsoNormal"> The Deadly Queen was surrounded, all sides, by Marine officers. There were at minimum twenty, Toruviel thought upon arriving the scene, but no more than forty. The other people there were all citizens, trying to spy over the shoulders of the officers – “go to your homes, it’s all under control”, they kept repeating.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Unnecessary to say, no one obeyed.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  Now to find out if the little devil is here… I can’t go to the Marines there, too many people on the way... Hmm...

<p class="MsoNormal"> It was then that she saw.

<p class="MsoNormal"> “The mighty Danny Craw will destroy them all with his strength!” One of the Marines yelled. He was big – big in the sense that he was of the size of a bull, with the same amount of muscles… If he ate the same as a bull, Tor thought, that wouldn’t cause much surprise. He, apparently, was quite handsome too, with his beautiful, long blonde hair and chin that looked like a statue of a god. Toruviel, since she did not care for what made a man handsome, took that last conclusion because an awful amount of women surrounded him, excluding the Marines he repelled, who tried to tell him of the situation in the inn.

<p class="MsoNormal"> There were two facts that got the elf’s attention regarding the man. The first one: he had just arrived at the scene – probably because he was of a higher rank – and as such, was reachable from where Toruviel was, aside a few fangirls. The second one: he carried a big ball and chain.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Guided by those two observations, the elf decided to get closer to Danny Craw.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  Mr. Craw, is it?

<p class="MsoNormal"> Maybe due to her lack of clothes on the upper body, or because she came yelling, or due to the sword she carried on her back – probably all the same time – Danny Craw and his fans all looked towards the bounty hunter.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Woman:  Hey, we got here first!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Teenager:  Yeah! Wait for your turn!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Craw:  Calm down, ladies, there’s enough of me for every one of you, after the mission is completed, of course.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  I just wanted to know if I could touch your ball and chain.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Craw:  Hohoho, that’s new… I normally talk to my fans after my job is done, but how could I say no to a beauty like you? I’m opening an exception for you, so feel lucky.

<p class="MsoNormal"> The fangirls complained, for which Tor responded with an evil grin and showed her tongue.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  (holds iron ball) Very pretty… I can see it’s a bit old, but still nice…

<p class="MsoNormal"> It was then that she pulled the weapon from Craw’s hands.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  I’ll borrow it for a minute, okay?

<p class="MsoNormal"> Craw:  Hey, you, what do you think you’re…

<p class="MsoNormal"> He was knocked out after Toruviel glared at his face. Uncommon as the situation was, all the fans, with a few Marine officers, went to help the fallen Danny Craw.

<p class="MsoNormal"> “Not a strong will, as I thought”, the elf briefly smiled and went to the other side of the street, climbing the stairs to the first floor of the jewelry. She was lucky that the street between that building and The Deadly Queen was not much large, the chain she had “borrowed” was of the right extension, and the walls of the inn had more than five meters of height.

<p class="MsoNormal"> “Why not leave the situation to the Marines?” a brief reflection crossed Tor’s mind, “why not walk away and leave the men of law doing their job?”

<p class="MsoNormal"> The answer, she already knew, was quite simple: the law proved itself quite ineffective regularly – it was the “Age of Pirates”, after all – and she had a friend inside… Maybe friend was a too strong word. Anyway, Toruviel was worried about Axel and did not trust the officers enough to take care of the situation.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Besides, arresting criminals usually meant money.

<p class="MsoNormal"> She tied the chain to her sword Isengrimjyouu and threw it ahead. It stopped, piercing the wall of the inn exactly as she planned, a little lower than the roof.

<p class="MsoNormal"> The elf held tightly to the iron ball, passing the chain around her arm until it was totally extended, and jumped. If the plan went as she wanted, the chain would be a pendulum.

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<p class="MsoNormal"> Pirate Leader:  Three…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland bit her lip.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Pirate Leader:  Two…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland:  Okay, okay! I tell you where your weapons are!

<p class="MsoNormal"> The pirate smiled, a smile which lasted as much as the swing of a sword.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Suddenly a woman flew through the window on the left, turning the glass into broken shards and falling on the ground heavily.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Axel vibrated upon seeing the woman.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  Ouch… Oh, hey, Axel. Never do what I just did if you’re smart… Ugh, my ass… Am I bleeding somewhere?

<p class="MsoNormal"> Pirate Leader:  … Eh?

<p class="MsoNormal"> Since he was distracted with the woman who had just appeared from nowhere, Roland acted. She kicked the pirate’s private parts, ran away from him and jumped behind the balcony, before he could react.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Pirate Leader:  (holding where he was kicked) Ugh… That bastard, get her! I don’t know who is the one with the blue hair, but get her too!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Automatically, the eight men went in Tor’s direction. The leader, meanwhile, kept massaging his parts with one hand, looking for the gun he dropped with the other.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  (picks her nose) Hang on a second, Ax.

<p class="MsoNormal"> An iron bell, of the size of a dagger, appeared on Tor’s hand. Holding it by the ring on the top, she swung it to the direction of the first pirates who approached.

<p class="MsoNormal"> He was knocked out on the floor, with a broken nose that would take long to stop bleeding.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Upon seeing their comrade on the floor, the nose bend to the left, the seven remaining pirates stopped.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel focused, glaring at the opponents, and like magic, four of the five also fell unconscious.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  Only the worthy now, eh?

<p class="MsoNormal"> Putting her right arm in front of her body, the bounty hunter entered battle stance, spinning the bell with the ring around her fingers, in a sign of provocation.

<p class="MsoNormal"> The pirates held their swords more tightly, ready to rush towards the woman.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland:  (holding an apple by the stem with her mouth) I have a bomb!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  Eh… Hate to spoil the fun, but it’s an apple, sis.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland:  No, it is not! It may look like a mere apple, but it is made of “bomb stuff”. They know what I’m talking about, don’t you, you band of monkeys? Now drop your swords! You, blue, come untie me!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  Okay…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Tor jumped the balcony and started to untie Roland’s wrists.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland:  Now that you dropped your weapons, you can lay on the floor, stupid pirates! Gahahahaha!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Having her mouth widely open to laugh, the apple on Roland’s mouth fell.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland and the Pirates:  GYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  … It explodes by pressure.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland and the Pirates:  YEAH!!!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  Oh crap…

<p class="MsoNormal"> There was only ten centimeters left for the bomb to hit the floor when the hand of the pirate commander held it in the air.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland:  OH MY GOD, THANK YOU!!! Uhh… I think I lost ten years of my life with this one…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Pirate Leader:  It will be a little more than ten.

<p class="MsoNormal"> He was pointing his pistol to her.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Pirate Leader:  Now, give us the address already for me and my crewmates go home!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland:  Err… There’s no chance of escaping I guess… You won. Your armament is hidden on…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Someone burst through the door.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Marine:  Drop your weapons!

<p class="MsoNormal"> When everyone inside The Deadly Queen could realize what was happening, there was about ten Marines, all carrying pistols, invading the inn.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Marine:  I said “drop your weapons”! That includes the apple on your hand, pirate! Quickly!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland:  It is actually a bomb, so…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Marine:  (takes the apple) This? Oh, don’t make me laugh! (Throws apple behind his back)

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  … And all I wanted was to spend some time with Miranda.

<p class="MsoNormal"> She ducked, pulling Roland along, to the protection offered by the balcony that was surrounding them.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  Oh, Axel, please survive this!

<p class="MsoNormal"> On the next instant, the bomb exploded with a boom. Considering it was not very large, The Deadly Queen was considerably damaged.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland:  I… I heard a “boom” and I felt heat… Am I alive? I don’t want to open my eyes, so tell me if I’m alive… What is this pressure around my body? Is this some kind of…? (Opens eyes) Are you hugging me, blue?

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  (getting up) Axel!

<p class="MsoNormal"> She ran to the dokken, who was still tied, with open, living eyes. Around the chair she was sitting, there were glass shards, most of them burned.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  (untying Axellia) Oh, you used the mirrors to protect yourself from the explosion, you clever girl!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Axel:  Tor! You came to save me again!

<p class="MsoNormal"> The girl jumped on the elf, making her fall with the impact. Laid on the floor, Tor grabbed Axel and removed her from over her body.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  I told you I don’t like hugs…

<p class="MsoNormal"> Axel:  Hehe, sorry.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Toruviel:  For now I’m just glad you’re alive… You gotta tell me how this mess happened after we get out of here.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Axel:  Yes, yes… Over there, it’s my diary! Aww, it is practically all burned… I can still read a bit… What? I didn’t write this… “When the swallow hits the tree you have to…”

<p class="MsoNormal"> The burned pages and leather of the notebook suddenly exploded.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland, sat on the balcony, had just released the last bullet of the bartender’s shotgun.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland:  That was my diary! Argh, I should’ve paid more attention!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Max:  My inn! What… What did you…?

<p class="MsoNormal"> Roland:  Shut up! Ugh… You know what? I don’t care! The bomb certainly did not kill everyone in this place, so let’s just get outta here before we get arrested for something!

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"> To Be Continued