Outlaws (The Slingers Trilogy, Book 2)

Chapter 18

The town square was full of people, and therefore was the perfect place to blend in. It was a bustling place full of people from every walk of life. That's why no one noticed a large man in a suit of armour, a man in a long black coat, two identical looking teens, a soldier with a large rifle, and a man with his brain exposed walking through the middle of the place. Dante had managed to lead them on an obscure and hidden path, and had doubled back several times to make sure they weren't being followed. Once he was sure of that, he made his way back to Thadeus's place. They looked like a sorry sight when they knocked on Thadeus's door covered in dust and scorch marks, along with the Broker in tow. Thadeus looked at him, then at Bunker. "This one of those times where I shouldn't ask questions?" Bunker nodded, then Thadeus shrugged and let them in. They all sat down and took a breath, relived that they were finally able to be in a relatively safe place. Thadeus looked over at the Broker and grinned his mildly toothless grin. "Welcome. Hope you're comfortable." The Broker looked down with a mix of fear and disgust, making Koil grin. Bunker stepped out of his suit and hung it on the wall, stretching out his muscles before turning to Dante. "You were going to bail on us, weren't you?" All heads in the room turned to him, and Dante simply stood against the wall. He finally muttered a reply. "I was endangering the mission. Some unfinished business caught up to me." He looked at Koil and narrowed his eyes. "Or maybe I was sick of being around liars." Koil stood up, and Bunker stepped between them. "Enough. Dante, Elicia, Edvard. We're sorry we didn't tell you. If Andress was here, I'm sure she would be too. We need to focus on her rather than what happened 5 years ago." Dante looked at the both of them with scorn, then nodded grimly. As Koil sat back down, Bunker turned to Dante. "What unfinished business, exactly?"

He walked across the dark streets, seeing the sun setting, and lighting up the smog-covered sky. He could smell the scent of a thousand lifeforms around him. One of the downsides of having heightened senses was that he could smell everything. The katana was slung across his back, ready to strike down his opponent at any moment, but he had wandered around for hours, but hadn't found anything. The man in black was nowhere to be found. But to him, he was everywhere. In every corner of his mind, in every breath he took, in every heartbeat. Mister Zero...that was what he had called him. It was a moniker. A cruel joke. But as the brand on the back of his neck could never go away, the name never would either. He had traveled across the galaxy to find the man in black and destroy him, and he wasn't going to stop when he was so close. Yet, the man in black seemed to be getting farther and farther away. Then, he saw something that interested him. He came upon a place with a flashing sign that shone with different colours, and had letters showing it's name: "Club Morpho". There was a large group of people around it, including a few men in red armour, shouting at each other. Just as he was about to turn around, he noticed something. There were bodies on the ground. More men in red armour, but two of them appeared to be stabbed through the chest. The wounds were too big to be from a dagger. Only one weapon could have that kind of power. As he stepped closer to take a look, one of the men in red stepped forward and pointed a gun at him. "Move along, scumbag!" He looked at the man, then cut his arm off with a single slash. As he screamed, his compatriots turned around, but he killed them too before they could even think to draw their weapons. He then kneeled down to the one who was still alive and pointed his plasma blade at his throat. "Where...is...he?"

Dante's swords moved through the air like they were made of mist, things that didn't even appear to be tangible, and seemed to have no weight. After finishing his technique, he put his blades at his sides, breathing heavily. He stared down at them, and looked at their black chrome finish. He'd had these swords ever since he was a child. He remembered the man who had given them to him. He was the man who had murdered his parents in front of his face, but then taught him to become the warrior that he was today. He too, had been a pirate. Captain Piero Sirius, the Plague of a Million Worlds. Ever since that day, he had sworn revenge against him, but instead of laughing at a child's vow, he decided to teach him so that when that day came, he would be ready. He was a pirate, of course, and they could not be trusted, but he seemed different. He was strict, but stood up for him in front of the others. Anyone who touched him would have to deal with him. In fact, he was the one who had given him his name. The Inferno. The name that had terrorized a thousand systems for years. That is, until the fire had been extinguished, all too soon. He had gone from feared pirate to wandering outcast in a matter of days. And it was all thanks to one man. Himself. The mistake he made cost his entire crew their lives. And now, he was at risk of doing that again. He should have stayed with going after the Dorado Pieces on his own. It had been the only way of restoring his former glory and taking his revenge, but now it all was put in danger because he had been too weak to finish off his opponent. He could hear Piero in his head now, scolding him. "Stupid boy! Don't you know the only true way to claim victory is to see the life go out of your opponent's eyes by your own blade?" But when the moment had come, he had failed. But why? Why now? An image of Nolun flashed through his head. That kid...he was the only key to this whole thing. He had never killed. Not once. As Dante looked at his swords, he found himself not only remembering his past, but questioning it.