Don woke up with a swollen cheek and aching jaw. He hadn't seen the woman coming. Before he begged for leniency, she had knocked him out with a kick to the side of his face.

Thankfully, he still had all his teeth.

Don's hands and feet were tied to a wooden pole. A woman stood at each end of the pole, carrying it on their shoulder. He faced the sky while being moved. He felt like roasted meat. If he were in a sexual circumstance, then he would have enjoyed the foreplay. He had dreamt of such a scenario many times. A harem of women surrounding him, whispering sweet nothings while feeding him fruits. It was the dream of dreams.

But unfortunately, he had a bounty on his head. And he doubted the women that captured him wanted any part in his harem.

"Hey, scary ladies!" Don called out, hoping one of them would take the bait and look at him. All I have to do is smile, and they'll let me go. "Hey, scary ladies!" he called again.

The woman wearing a lion skull glanced at him. She carried the front end of his pole. Her glaring green eyes sent a chill down his spine. He gulped before looking away from her. She was the one who had knocked him out.

That was close. Sweat coated his forehead and upper lip. He glanced at the woman holding the back end of his pole. She wore a gorilla skull, and her light-green eyes glowed behind it. She was muscular, looking like there were two women stuck inside one body. I can't convince her to let me go. She might squeeze my head in her thick thighs and pop it like a balloon. However, that wouldn't be a bad idea. He giggled.

Don glanced to his right and saw two other women carrying Sky on a pole. Sky also looked like roasted meat. If she didn't try to kill my sweetheart, she wouldn't be in this mess.

"Why are you smiling, Thief?" the woman at the back of Sky's pole asked. She wore a cheetah skull, and her dark-green eyes sent daggers towards him. A cigarette sat between the fingertips of one hand, while the other carried Sky's pole.

Let me try manipulating her. Don smiled at her. "You've heard about me, Cheetah Skull?"

"Are you stupid?"

"Depends on who's asking."

"Everyone knows about you."

"I'm flattered."

Cheetah Skull scoffed. "Whatever."

"Since the four of you know about me, let me repay the courtesy. It's a pleasure to meet you, Bones," he said. "Now, can I know who's who between the four of you? I know there's a Jojo, an Echo, and an Ono. I wasn't informed about a fourth member." He referred to the one wearing a fox skull. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to put names to bodies since I can't see your faces."

The four women gave him a single glance, then looked away.

"Nothing? All right, let's try this again. I know Echo is muscular–Gorilla Skull fits the description. Ono is scary and has short hair–Lion Skull matches that. Then the brat Jojo–"

"Kiss my ass," Cheetah Skull said.

"–has a bad temper. You must be Jojo, Cheetah Skull. Also, kiss your ass? I would love to." Don made kissy faces at her. "So who's the other woman? A recruit? Someone's sweetheart? A lost sister you recently found? So many possibilities." Don laughed.

Fox Skull dropped her end of the pole.

"Hey, what are you–"

Fox Skull flipped off Jojo before heading to Don. "Would you like to know who I am?" she asked him.

Don froze in fear. He sensed a wicked aura coming from her. He couldn't tell how, but he knew something within her was rotten. It was as if she had an evil presence inside her, leeching off her soul bit by bit.

He glanced at the other members and caught them staring at him. Sky remained unconscious. He knew better than anyone how hard the gauntlets were. Being struck by one was like getting hit by a speeding truck in the face. It would take a while before she awoke.

Fox Skull removed her mask, revealing her scarred face. The scars looked like leeches on her fair-skin. "Do you remember me now?" her sky-blue eyes stared at him.

Don gulped, then shook his head. He wouldn't have forgotten meeting her. The wicked aura she gave off showed she had left the realm of humanity. She resembled a long-forgotten monster.

Fox Skull scoffed. "Even now, it seems you've lost your manners. If only you knew of a place that sold some."

Those words sounded familiar. Don dug deep into his mind, and the memories from the auction returned:

Don didn't care for the purple masked man talking to Stella. It was his moment to impress, and he knew he wouldn't get another chance. Whatever Gods that were watching out for him and his love life, he promised to thank them once he returned home.

He tapped Stella's shoulder, and she turned towards him. The purple masked man scoffed at him before walking away.

"Yes?" Stella asked. Her sky-blue eyes stared into his soul, judging if he was worthy of breathing the same air as her.

"Excuse me, Miss. I think you missed the memo, but everyone is required to wear a mask." Don raised the gray one he held. "I don't think the host will be too pleased if she realizes you don't have one. And even though I do enjoy looking at your pretty face, please, don't make me tell on you."

"Is that how you approach a woman? Where are your manners?" Stella asked before taking the mask from him.

Don searched his pockets. "It seems I lost them. You don't know where they sell manners, do you? I could use some at the moment."

Don gasped, then stared at Fox Skull. Tears glimmered in his eyes. "No, it can't be." He shook his head, not wanting to believe it. "Is it you? Is it really you, Stella?"

"It is, Adventurer." Stella kicked him on the head, knocking him out.

o-o-o-o

Sky dreamt of falling in an endless void before regaining consciousness. White spots blurred her vision at first, and she felt herself moving. But after blinking the spots away, her vision returned to normal. She noticed her hands and legs bound to a pole while she faced the blue sky.

Two women carried the pole–one on each end. She couldn't see the one in front of her, but the woman at the back smoked a cigarette. The end of the pole rested on her shoulder as she walked.

She must be Jojo. The smoker.

Everyone knew who Bones were. The trio covered their faces with animal skulls. It had been an identifier of theirs since they gained notoriety. The former assassins turned mercenaries turned sky pirates took pleasure in murdering people. They had no allegiance with any individual, guild, or government. It made them unpredictable and untrustworthy.

But not in her lifetime did Sky expect Princess to join Bones. Princess had no fighting bone in her body. She was as weak as they came. The only thing Stella had going for her was her looks. Without them, she was worthless.

Ah guess ah drove her to Bones. Sky chuckled. She wants revenge after ah nearly killed her. Her chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh. She seemed like a crazy woman, making Jojo arch a brow at her.

Then she frowned.

The word "nearly" brought a bitter taste to her mouth. It meant she had failed to kill Princess. She was a member of the Guild of Fallen Leaves. They were known for their efficiency in eliminating their targets. Even though going after Princess wasn't guild related, she still had to uphold the guild's prestige.

Ah have to honor Sandie, Sky thought. Princess has to die. She needs to. Tears welled in her eyes, and her chest tightened. The image of Sandie eating ice cream as they sat on the roof of their apartment building surfaced:

"What do ya want to do when ya grow up?" Sky asked.

"Ah want to be a mercenary like ya," Sandie said.

Sky chuckled. "Ya are too afraid to kill a cockroach. Ya won't be able to take someone's life."

Sandie licked the ice cream dripping at the sides of her cone. "Ah can. Ya will see. One day ah will be better than ya. And ya will call me, Sandie Queen of Mercenaries."

Sky laughed. "Such a title doesn't exist."

"It will when ah become a mercenary." Sandie smiled.

Sky had been afraid of telling Sandie about her profession. Then the day she did it, and the girl revealed she had known for a while. Sky had never been as happy as that moment. She had felt a weight lift off her chest. She wouldn't have to keep secrets from Sandie again. From that day until Sandie's death, Sky had always been honest with her.

At the thought of Sandie, rage took control of Sky. Her blood boiled with anger, and she snarled like a hungry wolf. "Princess!" she shouted, jerking her body left and right, trying to escape the restraints. "Ah will kill ya! Ah promise!"

"Silence." Jojo kicked Sky in the head.

Pain shot through her head, and she stifled a groan. She didn't want to give Jojo the pleasure of seeing her in agony. The kick had rocked her vision and left her stunned. She felt her back touch the ground.

We've stopped moving.

"What's wrong, mercenary? Can't handle the pain?" Jojo blew smoke in Sky's face, then kicked her ribs.

Sky groaned with a clenched jaw.

"That's enough, J!"

"But O, I won't kill her," Jojo whined.

"She's Golden Locks' kill, not yours. Understand?"

"Yes." Jojo nudged the stub of her cigarette on Sky's forehead.

Sky clenched her jaw, trying her best not to scream. She hadn't been in such a vulnerable position in ages that she had forgotten how much it hurt. And from what she had heard of Bones, this wasn't one of their torture methods. Jojo's was being her sadistic self.

Jojo knelt beside Sky and whispered, "Scar-Face better kill you. Otherwise, I will torture you until you lose your mind. I don't know what she did to you, but she's mine. No one hurts her but me. Remember that."

Sky waited for Jojo to leave before she sat upright. She felt powerless with Bones around and didn't like it. Did Princess feel like this when I was beating her? She pulled her knees close and buried her face in them. Sky screamed her heart out. Her knees muffled the noise, making it look like she was humming.

"Hold it right there, wenches!" a masculine voice shouted.

Sky lifted her face and glanced towards the voice. The pole made it hard for her to turn quicker. First, she noticed Don lying on the ground, snoring. Idiot. She smiled. Even with the bounty on their heads, the thief found time to sleep. Second, a group of men had blocked their path. Bones and Princess stood still, not saying anything.

The one who had called them wenches stepped forward. He was tall and muscular, and his fair-skinned was red from standing in the sun too long. The white vest and denim shorts he wore hugged his body like a sloth to a tree, exhibiting his large arms and legs.

"Ah don't know who ya wenches think ya are, but those two," he pointed at Don and Sky, "are ours." He had two revolvers strapped to his waist.

Ono laughed. "Is that so?"

"Do ah need to repeat myself, wench?" the man said, and his friends laughed. They had bottles of alcohol in their hands. "Give me to us, or we will hurt ya."

Either they're idiots like Don, or they don't know who they're dealing with, Sky thought. But being drunk is not a good reason for their cluelessness.

It became quiet. The tension in the air thickened, making the hair on Sky's arms rise. The bystanders watched from the sides and apartments. Some chewed their lips, while others bit their nails.

They picked a fight with the wrong group.

Ono removed her cloak and handed it to a giant woman; Sky assumed to be Echo. White tribal tattoos covered Ono's arms. Few people knew about this, but Bones were the last living members of the Crossbones Tribe. It was a clan of sky pirates that got slaughtered by Lord Hyu two centuries ago.

"Keep an eye on Don and Sky," Ono told Echo and Jojo.

"Take their eyes and tongue, O," Jojo said.

Ono glanced at her. "It's what I'm known for." Then, she darted towards the men.