The Golden Girl

I'm Out, Peace!

Chapter Six: I'm Out, Peace!

I sat in the little diner area the inn had, eating pancakes. The morning was warm and slow. Blas was still sleeping, and there weren't many other guests up at this hour. I munched on the food, the taste feeling like home. If I had a home.

Ha! Gotcha, of course I have a home. It's just really far away and I miss it. But things must get done before the end of June. Like going and finding the legendary Mirror of Cath the Undaunted. The old Angel leader supposedly left it somewhere in Spain during an ancient battle. It is rumored to let you see want you need the most, but gives you what you desire.

Ooo, or the Great Sword of Jack the Lover. Jack the Rippers brother, only it heals and gives unconditional love to those it kills.

Tons of stuff over here in Europe. What should I steal or gain or try to find next? Knowledge is a great challenge, and I for one want to win them all. 

Necromancers love power, love the feel of gaining it. So being the last means I have both the best and worst traits of the necromancers running through my veins. I must be able to abuse those traits when needed. And I want stuff. Lot's of it.

The shuffling of feet made me break my gaze away from the magazine filled with German studs. Love sat down, holding a plate of waffles and sausage. "Mind if I join you?"

"Go ahead. Though now I might want waffles."

She smiled, and it didn't seem painful. Her eye patch looked clean. Guess she washed it. "I must say, the events of the past few days I could never have expected."

"I could have. The world is small. And large. Once you know what something is and how it works, it's easy to see what's going to happen." I shrugged, taking another bite. "This is just another day in the life."

"What was my major mistake then?" Love asked, leaning in closely. Ah, so she didn't forget. "You said you'd tell me."

I tapped my lip with the fork. "Your mistake was assuming that I've never fought bounty hunters before or that I've never been hunted like how Blas was."

Her head cocked in surprise. "You've had this happen before?"

"Multiple times yes," I said. "In fact, you should consider yourself lucky. Normally the bounty hunters aren't so......er......alive after my encounters."

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

"In my encounters with poachers, collectors, and bounty hunters, only two poachers, one collector, and as of right now, one bounty hunter have escaped me with their lives." I stared at her blankly. "This is quite unusual. I honestly considered having you kill yourself. But I felt bad."

She belched. "How many poachers, collectors, and bounty hunters have you faced?"

"Fifteen poachers, twenty collectors, and seventeen bounty hunters." Judging from her scared yet fascinated look, she wanted me to continue. "How do you think I met Gedec Hath?"

"Hmph, I heard rumors that he was a collector......." Love drank what looked like apple juice, but could have been beer. This is Germany, who the hell knows or cares. I want a beer now. "So he must have kidnapped you?"

"Eh, something like that."

Love gave me a weird look, as though this was either the most outrageous thing to ever happen or just so wild that maybe it was like being in a dream. "You never planned on letting Talimus leave here did you?"

"Oh no, not a chance in hell," I said. That bastard was going to die by my hand no matter what. "The price for hunting me is death. That's all there is too it."

"So I guess you were his destiny," she added, licking her lips clean of sausage grease.

"Excuse me?"

She made a wait motion, swallowing the rest of her food. You know, Love looked kind of not like a serious killer. But the moment was gone, and she said, "We are all destined to die. Sometimes though, I'm the one who kills you. I'm your destiny. You were his."

Huh, that sounded very poetic. The Lord of Death approves. "I like it. Death is destiny. My kinda saying. All though I do have a lot, so I may not say it all the time."

"You can't steal my saying."

"Bitch, I'll do what I want. This isn't some high school class." Gosh, what's wrong with people? If you have the power to stop me, then go ahead. But since no one I've ever encountered has been able to beat me, I can do as I please. Power to the wise, but strength to the worthy. "Anyways, I'm leaving this afternoon. So I'll never see you again."

"Actually," Love said, glancing at me. "I was wondering if you'd like to come with me. I've been wanting to train someone in the art of bounty hunting, and you'd be perfect for it."

Interesting. I glanced at the clock in the room. "Can you do that in like, two months? See, I already have a master, and we made a deal. My master teaches me for six months, and I go out into the world for six months. I have to be back by the set date, literally by the hour and minute, or else the deal is off."

Love blinked, the laughed really hard. "Oh, you are a treat. Yeah boy, two months, that sounds like enough time to teach you the basics. Probably enough for you to teach me some things as well."

"Very well. We got a deal." I stuck out my hand, and she shook it. "But if I die on your watch, don't let anyone know how it happened."

XXXX

Blas gave me a hug, not sounding all that sad to see me leave though. "Thank you for all you've done. I'd most likely be dead if it wasn't for you."

"No probs Bob. I'm always willing to do my best." Except when I'm not. "Be safe. Don't be afraid to hurt if you need to."

She nodded, then said nothing as I walked off, pack on my back, satchel on one hip, Ever Heart on the other, and Love beside me. We went down the stone road, heading to the nearest light portal, in hopes to make some shit happen.

Five years it's been. And oh how I've changed.