Chapter 19 - The Bronx Bomber

The gold coins kept falling from the ceiling like raindrops.

All the adventurers fought their greed, but the leader couldn't control himself.

The leader cleared his throat, then spoke to Sneaky as if he had been through this situation before.

"Remember the deal we had, Sneaky?"

Sneaky walked to his chair, which had the number 13 spray-painted behind it.

"Yes, I know."

Sneaky flipped a coin in his hand and grabbed it in midair.

"You aren't here for me. I know that, Kent."

Sneaky threw the gold coin to Kent.

He caught it and stared at it.

"Go enjoy yourself, Kent."

Kent left the group. He passed by Sneaky, then relayed a message to him.

"He's outside."

Sneaky waved Kent off, letting him enjoy the slot machines.

"That makes things easier."

Kent waved his three friends over.

As they walked past Sneaky, he handed Kent's three friends sacks filled with gold.

Sneaky leaned back in his chair and stared at the rest of the adventurers, who looked confused.

Kent clearly made sure to protect his close friends.

"Come on out, Beast Tamer Nick."

The door to the main entrance opened slowly, and a boy just about Exe's age walked through.

"Oh, Sneaky."

He looked around the room.

"How long are you going to keep living like a demon?"

Sneaky rose from his seat.

He grabbed the House Edge bat that leaned against his table.

"Demons?"

Sneaky looked around his casino as if he didn't see any demons.

"I see no demons. Only my family."

Exe backed into a corner that had no light.

"I don't know who that boy is, but it looks like Sneaky and that boy have history."

Nine hooded human mages walked through Sneaky's front entrance, then formed a straight horizontal line.

They all spoke in sync.

"We have arrived, Hero Nick."

Nick grabbed a chair, dragged it in front of the mages, and sat in it.

"You and that bat need to be separated."

Nick reached into his jumper and pulled out a rat.

"Lucy created a problem when she gave it to you."

Once Nick said that name, the whole room yelled at him.

"You better put some respect on the Black Slum Queen, kid!"

Exe thought to himself.

"Who the hell is Lucy?"

He steadied his breathing while hiding his presence.

"Is she the Black Slum Queen?"

Human mages with white-gold-lined robes appeared on each side of Nick.

"I came prepared this time, Sneaky."

Sneaky gave a hand gesture to Exe, pointing to the emergency exit that was covered in posters.

He kept distracting Nick as Exe started to make his escape.

"Lucy?"

Sneaky moved along his table with the House Edge resting on his shoulder.

"Do you mean my mom?"

Frank reloaded his Arcane shotgun and pointed it at Nick.

"Get out."

Nick stared into the barrel.

"You know that's an illegal weapon, right?"

Frank stood his ground.

"Don't worry."

Frank showed a clear shotgun shell that had birdshot rounds inside it.

"The Black Slum Queen added some modifications to the old shell so it could bypass the Neutral laws."

Nick sucked his teeth while staring at Frank.

Then he saw the back door closing and caught a glimpse of Exe's rabbit-like horns.

"So you have been hiding him, Sneaky."

Sneaky stood in the middle of the casino.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Nick moved the shotgun to the side, then kicked Frank so hard that he crashed into a slot machine and fell down.

"If you continue to help a fugitive, your bounty will increase."

Sneaky helped Frank back to his feet.

"Frank, you need to be a more hospitable man."

Sneaky looked at Nick and began to give him some history about himself.

"My bounty started at five thousand."

Nick stood up from his seat, and the mages started to channel spells between their palms.

"How long do you think it took me to get up to fifty thousand gold?"

Nick yelled out.

"KILL HIM!"

The mages fired a barrage of fire and water projectile spells at Sneaky.

Frank jumped away from Sneaky as Sneaky prepared to swing his bat.

"You've always been the one to start problems, Nick."

[ HOUSE EDGE — FIRST FORM: DEREK JETER ]

The back of Sneaky's hood and the bat glowed blue and white, creating the number 2 on both of them.

Sneaky started to hit all the spells flying toward him like big baseballs with his House Edge bat, sending them back at Nick and the mages.

Nick pushed himself through the mages and ran out the door.

"GET OUT THE WAY!"

The front door exploded, leaving half the mages face-first on the ground.

Smoke rose from the entrance as Sneaky's silhouette formed in it.

"Let's finish what we started a few years ago, Nick."

Nick came out from hiding, and behind him was a giant red gorilla.

"I should've known that I needed to handle this my own way."

Nick continued complaining about his team members.

"Bring the mages, they said."

He climbed onto the red gorilla's back.

"They will be useful, they said."

Sneaky walked around to the front of his casino.

"You know you're going to pay for this, right?"

Exe came from the side of the casino building and saw Nick standing on top of a giant red gorilla.

"Can I do something here?"

Exe whispered to himself quietly as he brought out his Blood Scythe and held it with both hands.

Sneaky yelled out loud enough for Exe to hear.

"Don't worry, Exe!"

The giant red gorilla charged at Sneaky with overwhelming momentum.

"Go to your mother!"

Sneaky's clothes shined blue and white again.

The numbers on the House Edge bat and the back of his hood spun like a slot machine.

The number 2 rolled up to the number 99.

[ BRONX BOMBER FORM — 99 ]

Exe took another glance at Sneaky before using his Burrow Sanctuary.

A dark rabbit-hole path opened beneath Exe's feet, pulling him into a hidden tunnel as the ground sealed behind him.

Sneaky's form completely changed along with the bat.

The gorilla came close to Sneaky's swing range.

Sneaky drove the bat into the ground.

The head of the bat hit so hard that it rang through the whole village.

House Edge kicked back up, and the bat shined purple as if it was charging.

Sneaky caught House Edge with one hand.

No hesitation.

He took one hard step forward, turning his body as the gorilla reached his swing zone.

He swung straight into the gorilla's head as it came charging headfirst.

BANG!

The gorilla dropped to the side of Sneaky.

Sneaky looked around the gorilla's back, but Nick was nowhere in sight.

"He went into rat form, I guess."

Sneaky heard villagers scream as they saw a giant white rat scurrying away.

"You think you can run from me?"

The numbers on Sneaky's House Edge and the back of his hood changed.

[ HOUSE EDGE — ICHIRO FORM: 51 ]

Sneaky put House Edge on his shoulder.

He ran toward the village to look for Nick.

He found Nick in his rat form.

His fur was white and looked like snow.

His eyes glowed with a faint gray color.

His body was the size of a football, and his tail was about a foot long.

Nick scurried away, going through tents and buildings.

Sneaky followed him until Exe couldn't see them anymore.

[ BURROW SANCTUARY ]

Exe spun into a dark sphere, then dug through the earth.

Inside his mother's tent, Demon Queen Lily was enjoying some Aetherplum tea.

"Thank you."

The soldier nodded his head and exited the tent.

The earth under his feet suddenly spat Exe out like a rabbit.

The soldier yelled.

"PRINCE EXE?!"

Exe landed on his feet, and his eyes met the soldier's.

"Get the carriage ready."

The soldier didn't hesitate.

He ran around the tent.

"It will just take a moment."

Exe retracted his Blood Scythe as he walked inside his mother's tent.

"Mom, we need to go."

Demon Queen Lily had just finished fixing her blouse.

"Where are we going, my son?"

Exe grabbed her hand, and they both walked out of the tent.

"Luna and I are staying in a house right now."

The soldier came around the tent with the carriage, then the side door opened.

Demon Queen Lily and Exe entered and sat down inside.

The doors closed shut.

The soldier spoke from the driver's seat.

"Where are we heading, Prince Exe?"

Exe handed him a map that showed where to go.

"We are going to House 13."

The soldier put the map in his armor, then cracked the reins twice.

"I know exactly where that house is."

The horses pulled the carriage hard, forcing it to move through the bumps.

"Get us there as soon as possible."

Exe sat back down in his seat.

"Father is alive."

Demon Queen Lily moved her gaze toward Exe, her face showing heavy concern.

"They didn't finish him in Hell?"

Exe shook his head while smiling.

"Drago couldn't enter Hell by himself."

She put her hands together, then let out a breath of relief.

"Oh, Ash… Drago really pissed you off, huh?"

Exe looked at his mother with confusion.

"What do you mean, Mom?"

Demon Queen Lily looked out the window as they went through the tunnel.

"Your father was the only one who kept pushing Drago to become better."

She put her hands over her chest.

"He treated him like he still had something worth saving."

Her voice started to crack.

"And Drago backstabbed the only person who cared enough to keep believing in him."

Exe looked out the window as the view changed from the tunnel to the slums.

"So Drago still went behind his back, even though Father favored him."

His mother nodded with her eyes closed.

"I thought I raised him right."

She wiped a tear from her eye.

"I thought if I gave him enough patience, enough chances, enough love… he would choose us."

Her hands tightened against her dress.

"But he chose humans."

Demon Queen Lily started to cry into her hands, blaming herself.

Exe couldn't say anything as his head filled with rage.

Luna spoke from the window.

"So we're going to keep crying or what?"

Exe and Lily didn't realize the carriage had come to a full stop.

"I was waiting for you all day, Exe."

He opened the door and got out of the carriage.

"A lot of things happened within the Underbelly of the slums."

Exe helped his mother out of the carriage.

"I will fill you in once we sit at the table for dinner."

Luna helped her mother inside the house.

"You're safe now, Mom."

The soldier parked the carriage next to the house.

"Let's get your stallions fed."

He removed the reins from the horses, then brought them into the front yard.

Sneaky and Frank walked toward House 13.

"Can't believe we lost Nick again."

Frank walked next to Sneaky with his Arcane shotgun holstered over his shoulder.

"Do you have Soren and Jane's room key?"

Sneaky took it out of his pocket and gave it to Frank.

"Just don't take too many weapons, alright?"