Barefoot Cowboy (Hiroshi)

"This damn foot, won't it stop hurting, huh?"

It wasn't much long after the explosion.

I had lost a certain memory of where I was standing before the explosion, and how the hell did I exactly end up there. My body was hit by many rocks, little to big, and losing track to that Panda and Knight, I lost my pace on searching.

I was a bit more consistent, but now I was getting much angrier on the bruises I got, and the silence I was covered with.

"Hey! Panda!"

I was lost with every wall and rubble I had faced with. There wasn't any entrance, exit, a hole to fit through, or light incoming to show me a way through. So I lit my lighter, and started looking around even for a little sight.

The explosion was so strong, that I could feel my ears still ringing. Bones aching, after I hit a big part of my shoulder and fell down on sharp walls. I was left with many injuries just in seconds and had to find a way to sort out where others went.

It's just that we accidentally stepped on something and made all of that happen. Maybe we were even in a place where we would have to stay for hours.

"I'm not even hearing any sound. Does this mean I'm buried way under the ground?"

I had no problem with breathing, nor catching up to it. It was just the wind that was hitting my face and beard. Making it wavy and chilly. But at the same time, even though it wasn't strong, the breeze, the flow of the air, was hitting my body. It was proving to me that I was in a rather wide space, instead of a small one that I was captured.

I could find a way, If I tore myself up a bit more.

However, the path I followed was also getting longer as I walked.

"What the hell..."

It was quite calm and quiet all around, so this made the environment tenser. It was a time that we came to a random area where they set traps, for us, not knowing when or where to get there, in ways they would know.

There was a possibility, they could have set the bar much higher, act sneakier and we could have been attacked or trapped anywhere at any moment.

I didn't know, how those bastards knew, but I had to be careful.

Keeping my composure, I was heading in the direction the wind was coming from. After all, they could have jumped out of a corner at any time with any weapon.

Maybe they could have even done it to others, or been on their way to do it.

However, even though I looked around carefully, there weren't any traps around. Neither a piece of rope nor an absurdly prepared ground trap, wall trap, or something caught my eye. Maybe they didn't set up a trap thinking that one bomb was enough. Maybe they thought it was enough to get rid of us.

Either way, they didn't spend time on their latest move. But what was it then? What did they plan exactly? They knew every move of ours, before we even knew them. They created a big mess around these people. Killed them mercilessly.

But for what exactly?

What were they so ready for, for such a big sacrifice?

It was for sure, they were somewhere planning something bigger, and getting ready to do it.

I wanted to light a cigar to take my tension away. But I only had one left in my pocket. And I wanted to keep that for a much more special moment. After all, it was not so easy to get such things when traveling with that Kid. I was even miles away from my usual store. No way of getting it easier.

So I kept walking with a dry mouth, without taking it out of my pocket. It was better for me to be a little more patient than for my nerves to be breaking down.

And luckily, after a little walk, I have reached a place with a light beam, that hit my eye. It was a little light source, coming through the rubble. A straight one, that was slowly falling beneath my body and was hitting the ground.

It was quite bright and clear, getting through the small hole, the light source behind it had to be so strong, it illuminated the dark area decently.

Regardless, even though it was definitely where the wind came from, but it wasn't exactly outside.

Since the impact of the explosion was quite large, it was very likely that we had created a deeply dug pit. We hit our bodies and fell from a high place too. We were definitely way under the surface. And the fact that the dust and airflow in the environment did not strengthen even as I approached. It was maybe the biggest proof that I had.

"I have to get out of this damn cave anyway."

Without thinking much, I put my hands between two pieces of rock, and with a little effort of my body, I decamped to the zone of light and managed to get out of the darkness.

It scratched my hand, but I was out seconds later. And turning my head to the left, I saw what was awaiting me.

"So this was their little secret..."

The place I came out of was inside a volcano. The one that we encountered while running towards our destination. I didn't know how I found that place before anyone did, but it looked like someone or some people did it even before me, creating some gigantic underground.

It was very big inside. Besides everything else, the shaped rocks, made out of a path and a long bridge in front of me. Other than that, the surrounding rocks resembled the basalt rock type one-on-one, and there was a big hole on top of me, that the rocks probably had shrunk over time into a circle, and formed that shape.

I was remembering that we saw this much earlier than even entering the palace, but having a secret hideout type cave under it?

"Oh, you tell me..."

Using the underground, they made a path from the fortress to the volcano, which was obviously understandable to a point, but still a mystery on why they did such a thing. Moreover, the volcano I was in had gone out, a pretty long time ago. There was no temperature around, no liquid that was dripping among the rocks, neither a burnout smell. I wasn't even able to see any kind of trace when I looked down.

It was just light hitting from outside, and there was a long wooden bridge in front of me.

The opposite side of the bridge was the continuation of my path, and I could see the other exit at the end of the bridge. Walking all the way roughly, I managed to get past the cave in minutes. And as soon as I got to the end of the bridge, I was feeling a little funny and swallowed by all of the stress.

All of this mess we had to go through, was like a big old headache.

But while I was thinking, about whether it was so easy, just to walk through their "secret base", I felt something on my neck. Like a thing creeping up right behind me.

And when I turned to see what was it exactly, something dangerous, from above and through the hole, stood in front of the sun, while its sound and shadow rose.

The shadow was hitting the bridge I was on, while it also crossed the level of my head, creating certain darkness. But still, that brought me the face of the person standing on the hill, invisible to me.

It was just a silenced atmosphere that tagged along with me.

I was holding my left hand, right above my holster, and tried to keep my eyes on whoever was approaching. But not to something that caught my attention.

"Dammit!"

A huge crack, informed right beside my feet, after the person tried to land on my head. He was quite fast, that I almost lost my head if I stayed there for seconds more.

And just when he landed, he stretched out his legs and started talking,

"Look at who's coming, with his little heart beating in his chest. We've met again, human." He said as his claws got sharper.

"I'm just paying a second visit, you fleabag. I'm not here to throw a stick for you."

"Being so sarcastic won't get on my nerves, Cowboy. It's just that I've suppressed my desire to kill you, but it's just an unnecessary and desperate act that you do. But still, even though you may have ran away from me last time, it won't happen again."

"You are being so sure about who is the hunter, aren't you? After all, I can sell your hide in an open field. I'm sure there will be people who will pay a decent amount of money."

"Oh, trust me. The one who's easier to skin, will be no other than you. Just when I will go through it the slowest way."

While tilting his head over, he continued,

"You're too brave for a normal person, cowboy."

"And you're wilder than any of those little mutts I've ever seen. But I can't say I know how you use what's on your head based on your size."

"Very soon, the person we serve to be our leader, will reach the furthest limits of invincibility, and will grant us worthy of her grace. Then when the time comes, we will bring a new system and order to this world. By eliminating each weak one by one, of course."

Then he grinned and said,

"That's why your friends must be out of this plan. You may not even live to see them, nor they can."

"Your stupid leader will bring nothing to you but pain. You are all creating a mess and trailing her because of the things you gain. You all feel some pleasure doing this, but don't know the exchange of it. Everything you did, even the lives you have taken will, come back to you."

"Then let us see."

At first, he was just standing there with his creepy smile and drooling mouth. But just after he stopped talking, it became quite obvious that he would attack directly.

Locking its eyes on me, it began to run on all four legs and stuck its claws at every step it took. It was approaching, on a can't be underestimated, while making me annoyed and faster on taking decisions. It was just like being in the wild.

But instead of a normal human being, it seemed to have revealed its true nature and really turned into an animal. Quite quickly, as it ran, the wooden bridge we were on was also shaking as it stepped again and again. It was a swing that shook all my legs and the bridge. And almost made me lose my balance to fall at the rocks.

At that moment, even though if I ran backward, I wouldn't have made it since there was so little time left. So stepped my feet on the ground, and shook my arms towards its direction. To the aiming moment and facing it, I realized it wasn't the best move.

So bending down, I dodged the incoming attack. Thanks to this, I crossed to the other side of the bridge and left him behind me. But he used his hands as his front legs, and he tried to kick me with his back turned.

I pulled myself back again, escaped the kick. But once again, making a move, he clung to the ropes of the drawbridge, turned, and tried to kick again with its other foot.

Luckily, I threw my arms forward and prevented my chest from getting hit.

I was slightly pulled back by the impact of the kick, however, I managed to stop myself using the ropes.

We have now faced each other again and come eye to eye. That damn animal and I, both knew that only one person would get out of here, but knew it had to be determined too.

That's why I was waiting, with my hands on my gun hilt, and waiting for the slightest move to happen. Because to my knowledge, this fleabag was going to visit people that I didn't want it to visit.

And if they didn't get the immortality water just yet, It meant there was still time.