Ch. 18 - A Futile Endeavor

In Bamboo Cave, a nightly chill accompanied the air, the sky was dull and the only sources of radiance were the candles that stood flickering at the corners of the rectangular altar. A figure remained partly hidden beside Chaty’s ‘dead’ body. Lust believed the figure belonged to the Aborigine Chief, and even in a poorly lighted environment, Lust could make out a smile on the Chief’s shadowy face.

“I swear to God I will make you suffer!” Lust was trembling in anger, his hands tightened their grips around the dagger handles.

“Uh-oh. Too late,” The aborigine replied. “The Ancient City Evil Ghosts are feasting upon this fairy’s soul. There’s nothing you can do about it. Bwahahahaha! I admire Chaty for having spirited friends like you, though.”

Chief Aborigine was a tall guy. The muscular frame, ebony skin, and deep pair of eyes all conformed to his virile but clear voice. The Chief was the highest rank for an aborigine. Secondary to that were Officers; the aborigines who had completed the tough-guy training.

“Ancient City Evil Ghosts? Mykee verified. “So you worship those apparitions now?”

“What the heck Mykee, you know about the City Ghosts?” the Pokemon hunter Ash inquired.

“Well, yes. I saw pictures of them once in a paranormal show on Discovery Channel.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! You don’t believe me, do you? The Ancient City Ghosts are always found in ruins. According to experts, they are souls of men who had sweated blood in the development of their civilization. They were so obsessed with their craft that even in death, they couldn’t abandon their worldly masterpiece: the city.”

“Very good.” The aborigine confirmed Mykee’s elucidation. “In exchange for allowing us to live here, we offer the ghosts human sacrifices,” he added.

“Like a rent or something? You pay for your settlement rights with people’s lives? Is that what you’re trying to tell us?” Magina’s voice raised, his pulse quickening and his heart pumping harder in his chest.

“I guess.” The aborigine shrugged nonchalantly. Then he continued, “You should go home. Don’t worry I won’t do anything to you. But if you decide to attack me, then you’re welcome to die trying.”

“Hopeless psycho!” Magina blurted. The enraged assassin scampered towards the nigga to give him exactly what he needed: a nice, fat slit in the throat. However, before Magina could even touch his target, Lust barricaded the path and yelled: ‘Nooooo!’ Truth was, Lust wanted to slaughter the chief personally. Yet, despite all his efforts to hold the Anti-Mage back, the latter escaped him and closed in on the aborigine. Meanwhile the chief was chanting: abayga…gopalako… Everyone was appalled when Magina turned into a random critter!

“He got hexed! Hahaha! Lust lol’d.

“Faaaaak! Is he gonna be okay?” Morphed asked with a dead-worried look.

“Uh-huh. Hex lasts for 5 minutes at the most. Hahahaah! Look at him!” Lust pointed at Magina who was changed into a cuddly little blue bunny. It kinda squealed.

“Cute!” Mykee quipped.

And then Lust, without warning, rush fainted and planted his daggers up to the hilt on the aborigine’s body. The daggers were extorted from the chief’s firm muscles with a squelching sound. As a result, blood gushed right out of the deep stab wounds. When the Chief finally fell dying, the assassin looked down on him and muttered, “What happened to Ralph Allan?”

The expiring aborigine managed a response: “…You mean the foolish old man who offered himself as a sacrifice to stop the attacks of the Wild Mules? Haha… W-what a futile endeavor. Not even for 1 second did the mules take a break from dining on humans. Hahahaahah!... But there was this family that he spoke of: a wife and a son. Hmmm.”

Lust was dumbfounded by the Chief’s words. He took a deep breath then let out a long sigh. With a patched up composure, he said in a low voice, “I am the son, by the way.”

The pair of Soul Recall Daggers in his hands swooped down and tore through flesh and bones. Lust relished every second of the blood bath. It was all personal to him, and this time’s sweeter, because nobody showed up to steal the kill.