[Dark Elite_H2]

THICKETS, MASKS, AND TREACHERY--The shadow of the Steef (cont.)

Umi has never seen Stranger so happy since the time she’s been with him. He actually had a smile on his face, instead of a grin, walking through the streets of New Yolk, and up to the Bounty store doors.
“Nice work at Fatty, Stranger! Now we don’t need to worry ‘bout him comin’ back ter town to pecker with us anymore!” the clerk said very happily. Even the Clakkers around town were as happy as they can be, with all the Outlaws locked up and thrown in jail. The clerk stamped the poster, and gave Stranger his pay. Then the clerk shrugged, with a big smile on its beaky face. “Well! That rounds us up, Stranger! Thanks fer yer hard work ‘n effort to makin’ this town safe again!” the clerk bowed its head to them. “Oh! And, Doc called in. He wants you to come down to his office! The barge keeper, down at the docks can help yeh to get up there!” the clerk said. Stranger stuffed his moolah pouch up, nodding to the clerk. The clerk thanked them once more, as they left out the Bounty store. They once more headed through the Mongo River passport, and down to the docks. They walked the whole way, Umi thinking of what would happen next. They were traveling down the docks, when Umi asked the most awkward question to Stranger.
“What will happen to us? When you...get yer operation ‘n stuff done? Would we...you know...go our separate ways?” Umi asked. Stranger looked at her with a brow up high.
“What’r you talkin’ about, kid?” Stranger said. “Well, yer gonna get yer operation, right?” Umi clarified. Stranger nodded. “So, what’ll happen to us when that happens?” she repeated. They were right in front of the barges, when Stranger stopped them both. “What d’you mean “what’ll happen to us”? We’ll stay together, keep bounty huntin’ fer the fun of it!” Stranger said. Umi didn’t say a word. “I don’t imagine us splittin’ apart from all the times we’ve had together, how close we’ve gotten. I wouldn’t want to go away from you, Umi. Yer my partner...I dunno what I’d do without yeh, kid,” Stranger put a hand up top her hair. She smiled, letting out a small giggle. “Yeah. Same here, buddy,” Umi brushed off his hand, and straightened her nearly-dried hair. The barge keeper watched them within their moment, smiling sweetly as Stranger looked to it. “Yo barge boy. Can yeh, take me to the Doc’s office?” Stranger said politely as could be.
“Uh, sure thing, Stranger. Just hope on, and I’ll get this thing to get movin’. Oh! And, thanks fer takin’ out them scumbag Outlaws fer us, Stranger! We’ll be more happier without them pecker heads botherin’ us,” the barge boy nodded to Stranger. The Clakker began to take off ropes from the dock and wooden stumps. Then it ran back in to the barge, powering up its engines, feeding it coal and steam shot out of the exhaust above the barge. He gave Stranger a thumbs-up, then began to steer the ship away from the docks. The Clakkers on the docks waved good-bye to the bounty hunters, thanking and hooting loudly, their feathery arms punching up in the air. The sky was much darker, but still showed hints of the engraving of the blood-red lines and purply over sky. The sun only showed over the peaks far out in the distance, a vague orange color, as they traveled down to the Doc’s Mongo retreat office.
The barge bumped the docks, leading up to the nearly hidden office of the Vykker surgeon. Stranger and Umi jumped off, and turned back to the barge boy.
“Thanks fer the lift,” Stranget tipped his hat respectfully. Umi nodded in thanks as well.
“Er, uh, no problem, Stranger. Give a hi to the Outlaw-“ the barge boy clamped his beak shut. Stranger looked over his shoulder suspiciously to the Clakker. “-I mean Doc, fer me,” it said, scurrying back to the port, and setting off from the dock. He shook his head at the departing barge, then walked through the double fence posts that read: “Doc’s Mongo Retreat office”. What Stranger saw inside the area nearly left him heartbroken. Doc hung off from the pole, just right above his office doors, a faintly purple color. His mouth was wide open, probably from the screaming he did, and his eyes nearly popping out of his sockets. His three stubby legs and four clawed arms dangled lifelessly under the rope that had suffocated him.
“Damn! Someone strung up Doc!” Stranger felt his hands cling up in to a fist, anger stringing through him coarsely. “Now I’ll never get that operation!” he looked down from the dead Vykker.
“Yeah! And now, I’ll never get to punch his face in either!” Umi frowned down. Stranger’s ears propped up almost immediately, him looking around intently, his nostrils flaring. “Smells like a setup,” Stranger growled, his head snapping from side to side. Right when he finished his suspicion, the sign behind them exploded with the dynamite strung on to it, blocking the way out. Then, heavy footsteps above the Doc’s office rumbled through Stranger’s ears. The Outlaw let out a deep phlegmy chuckle.
“Word is, Stranger, you know where a Steef can be found. And you know Sekto pays top-moolah, for their heads...So where is it?” D. Caste asked calmly. Stranger glared up to the Outlaw, his lip twitching up over his teeth. “I ain’t tellin’ you squat!” Stranger rung his arms down to his sides. D. Caste only grinned, his eyes smoothing in to a glare. “Then it’s your way. We’re gonna get that twenty-grand, even if we have to kill you fer it,” D. Caste threatened, as outlaws emerged from the surrounding houses around the office. Stranger startled from the sudden numerous outlaws that had shone from the houses. The gun turrets behind the rickety blinds even folded out to them. This wasn’t going to be the greatest day to Stranger after all.
The gun turrets were to start off at Stranger and Umi, then the outlaws jumped down from the balconies of the houses, rushing towards them as well. Stranger hugged Umi up, running behind a sturdy wooden fence, loading up on his expensive Rabid Fuzzles and Stingbees. He laid down the Fuzzles beyond the fence, and knelt low for the other surviving outlaws that were surely to make it through the barrier of the Fuzzles. Umi held up her Needler, quivering in fear, and hearing the many outlaws approach closer to them. The Fuzzles growled and leaped off form the ground and on to the minions, chomping with various screams and yells flying up in the air. Two Nailers, three Shooters, and a handful of Shredders broke the barrier to them, and began their attack. Umi kept behind Stranger, firing her entire clip of needles at any moving object close to them. Stranger did the same with Stingbees, until his clip of ammo ran out. The minions came non-stop, charging up to the helpless bounty hunters, scratching and tearing near their flesh. It was at that point that they had to drag themselves out to D. Caste, to stop him from letting more outlaws to them. The hoard of outlaws slowly diminished, they passing through to the middle. Their luck ran thin. Stranger’s bow let out a quick squeaky whine. He searched through his ammo sack, but found no Stingbees. The Nailers held him up, making him unable to use his bow. Umi, on the other hand, ran out quickly on her ammo, but couldn’t reload. The other Nailer slapped away her weapon, and held her up by the neck. D. Caste rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then raised his arms.
“Alright, hold it, fellahs! Hold it!” he ordered, and the minions backed away from Stranger and Umi, still keeping a circle around them. D. Caste then looked down at the surrounded bounty hunters. “Now, let’s work this out, Stranger. Civilized-like,” D. Caste propped his elbow on his giant spiked hammer, rubbing his chin.
“Huh” Stranger growled, not sounding interested. “Now, we both want that Steef head,” D. Caste began his persuasion. One Nailer came behind Umi first, then awaiting the next thing to do. “So, we’ll split the profits, 50-20,” D. Caste chuckled.
“Strang-“ she was muffled, being held away by the Nailer. Stranger shook his head to D. Caste’s offer confusingly. The other Nailer came up behind him, raising a fist above his head. “That, don’t add up,” Stranger put out a hand to the outlaws coming in closer. Then all he felt was a searing pain come from behind his head. The Nailer brought down its armed knuckles on to Stranger, sending him in to a deep unconscious state of darkness.