Okay, so it's just down to Leon and Thoad now. Wait 'til you see Leon's post. It really is the largest and the longest.
Um, you spelled the name wrong there, "Leon's post". While the Z sound would indicate a single letter, it's actually five letters long. The Xz at the beginning just makes the Z sound. Now that you mention it, that L should be a Z. You also mixed up the N and the O :P
If I missed symbols, sorry. This entry's long. I also don't know how AG reads indentation. Not well, I bet. Oh well, I'll find out.
Part Eight: Reaching Out and Touching Leon Leon stared at his opponent.
"A bull man." Leon stated.
"The Bullman." The Bullman asserted.
"A Bullman or the Bullman?"
"The Bullman."
"The Bullman?"
"The Bullman." The Bullman responded.
"What is your name, anyway?" Leon asked with genuine curiosity.
"I'm the Bullman." The Bullman said simply.
"No." Leon said, pointing at the Bullman. "There can be only one Bullman. Who are you?"
"There can be only one." The Bullman agreed. Leon stepped back and melodramatically threw his arm to his side.
"Huh." Leon laughed. "I guess that makes you the Bullman, and him. . . Metal Bullman."
"Metal bull man?" The Bullman asked.
"Metal Bullman." Leon affirmed. "He has a name, too." The Bullman remained silent.
"I'm sure your momma didn't name you Bullman." Leon continued.
"She didn't." The Bullman replied.
"What is your name, then?" Leon demanded.
"Call me the Bullman." The Bullman repeated. Leon thought back to his conversation with Strop.
"Very well." he agreed. "Call me Leon. Or Gnollman. Or Bluebell. Doesn't matter." The Bullman nodded. Leon looked back at him. His hyena stood behind him, face poking out to look at the Bullman.
"How are we doing this then, Bullman?" Leon smirked.
"Surrender or discuss terms." The Bullman demanded, hoof-hand resting on his magical rubber ducky. Leon glanced at the bath toy, but he was more concerned with the Bullman's size.
"Discuss terms." Leon replied stiffly.
"You surrender or make me surrender." The Bullman explained, hand resting on his water cannon.
"Yeah, I mean, how do we decide who surrenders?" Leon countered.
"You will surrender because if you don't, we will fight, and I will win!" The Bullman proclaimed with confidence.
"No." Leon replied simply. "I'm not going to fight you." The Bullman was taken aback.
"Why not?" The Bullman asked, puffing up his chest.
"Because... yeah, that." Leon said. "You look pretty tough."
"You know when you're outmatched, so you won't fight?" The Bullman asked, genuinely intrigued.
"You've got it." Leon answered slyly. "How shall we decide this, then? You could just admit defeat." The Bullman considered Leon for a moment.
"I will concede if you beat me in a fight." The Bullman countered.
"If you want to start something, bring it, cowboy, but I don't want a fight, and neither should you." Leon exclaimed, pointing accusingly.
"It's the Bullman." The Bullman corrected, chest deflating slightly. He knew Leon was right. He couldn't start a fight with someone who didn't want to fight: That's not what heroes do.
"You aren't going to attack me, are you?" Leon goaded.
The Bullman folded his arms. âNo.â He said shortly. Leon smiled.
"If not a fight" the Bullman suggested "you look well-traveled."
"I am." Leon smiled knowingly "I have traveled to the far corners of my home continent, selling rare jewels and telling old stories. Sometimes even new stories. Have you heard about the time we were told to go into a cave by a five year old man? The man was secretly a demon, and-"
"I'm sure you've had many excellent adventures. Perhaps we should have some sort of competition. Who has the most exciting and heroic tale of exciting heroics?"
Leon cackled. "I like how you think, Bullman!" The mirth vanished from Leon's face. "No dice." The Bullman blinked. Leon had preempted his next idea.
"I bet I could out drink you!" The Bullman declared proudly.
"I bet you could too." Leon agreed. "You're a bigger drinker than me, I'm certain."
"A drinking contest it is!" The Bullman agreed.
"No thanks. You'll win." Leon answered more directly. The Bullman's ears drooped.
"How sharp of a shooter are you?" He asked.
"I can shoot the wings off a fly at ten paces." Leon lied immediately.
"Impressive." The Bullman nodded. "Maybe we should have a duel." Leon looked up at the sun. It was burning bright, in the middle of the sky.
"A duel at high noon." he mused. "Can't be a quick-draw duel. I'm slower to the bow than you are to your duck." The Bullman looked at his rubber ducky. "Maybe a different type of shootout. Time's a-wasting. Come on, we'll figure it out while we walk."
"Why walk?" The Bullman asked sensibly.
"Gives the illusion of progress. Come on!" Leon turned around and beckoned the Bullman. Together, they began to walk through Armor Games.
"The first one hit loses." The Bullman stated as they passed the Community Hall.
"Fair enough." Leon agreed. "But ricochets don't count, and no splash damage."
"Hits to the horn or hoof don't count either." The Bullman added. "What about a shot limit?"
"My quiver only holds twelve arrows as is. No limit is necessary." Leon explained. "I'll recover arrows if I can."
"Seems fair." The mountain of a man agreed as they walked between the Library and the Post Office.
"Where shall we fight?" The gnoll asked. "I suggest the forest. Nice amount of cover." Leon knew the forest would give him many places to hide, as his years of hunting had given him plenty of experience sneaking around, particularly in forests. The Bullman stopped in his tracks.
"Well, what do you thi- hey, what are you looking at?" Leon turned around to see that the Bullman had stopped. His gaze followed the Bullman's. Behind them stood the massive, partly constructed skeleton building, with hundreds of workers working on scaffolding, riding elevators, working cranes, or messing about with construction vehicles. Near the building was an open area, with some piled beams on carts, stacks of concrete tubes, and a few inanimate vehicles for cover. Separated from the open area by a deep but narrow ditch, with steep but climbable walls, leading to a pool of dirty water, was a staging area, with many trucks, trailers, and piles of raw materials.
"Excellent choice, Bullman." Leon said, walking towards the Construction Yard.
"Of course!" The Bullman followed.
The Bullman and Leon stood among the doodads of the open area as though they had a license. They were about fifty paces apart (forty-five paces for the Bullman) with the sun high above them and a convenient piece of cover close beside them. Leon fixed the Bullman with a glare. The Bullman snorted. Leon adopted a more aggressive posture, hands in front of him. The Bullman wiggled his fingers above his rubber ducky. Leon waited. The Bullman waited. Suddenly, Leon's hands darted toward his bow. The Bullman, quick as a flash, drew his rubber ducky and fired a blast of water. Leon leaped behind the pile of concrete tubes right beside him. As soon as the Bullman's jet of water subsided, Leon nocked an arrow and darted out of cover to fire at the Bullman. He missed. The Bullman turned his rubber ducky on him. Leon hid once again before the Bullman could fire water. Leon's hyena hid in a concrete tube as Leon nocked the next arrow. The Bullman fired some water over Leon's head and past the cover. Leon fired another arrow at the Bullman, but he didn't have much time to aim, so he missed again. The Bullman began lumbering toward Leon. That one looked around for another piece of cover.
"Alright boy!" Leon said in an excited voice. "Run for that truck over there! I'll meet you there in a minute, okay?" The hyena yipped with excitement and dashed for the truck. As Leon had hoped, the Bullman fired at the hyena, freeing Leon to make a dash to the truck. He slid behind one of its sets of wheels while the hyena hid behind another. The Bullman pressed up against a stack of iron beams and peaked out at the truck. Leon looked around. He knew he was faster than the Bullman, and that he stood a better chance at a longer distance. He eyed the partially constructed building. The height would also be beneficial with that in mind. He made a dash for a large roll of orange plastic closer to the building. The Bullman began to shoot water at the plastic in the hopes of disrupting Leon's flight. The gnoll braced himself against the roll to keep it from rolling over on him.
"Go!â Leon shouted, gesturing toward the building. The hyena cocked its head. "Go!" Leon repeated. The hyena gave Leon a last lingering look before running off for the building. The Bullman relented his assault on Leon's roll, but he knew not to pursue the hyena, having learned that trick. Leon cursed silently and dashed for a trio of barrels. He peaked around them. The Bullman was still following him, but he was far enough behind that Leon felt safe running for the building. The Bullman raised his ducky and tried to aim at Leon, but he was unable to line up an accurate shot. Slightly disappointed, the Bullman lowered his rubber ducky. Leon, meanwhile, reached the ground level of the building. He ran under a wooden platform suspended by metal bars and onto a wooden ramp. The ramp led to another wooden platform, which in turn led to the third floor of the building. Leon raced onto the third floor past some confused workers and and looked back to see how his adversary was progressing. He was about eighty yards out and and three stories down, but he was bounding toward the wooden ramp at a respectable pace, his large steps partly making up for his natural slowness. Leon aimed an arrow, but the Bullman vanished behind a bulldozer. Leon kept his bow trained on the hiding place. The Bullman stuck his head out from behind the bulldozer. Leon shot. The Bullman pulled his head back, denying Leon his victory. Leon turned and ran to the corner of the floor, near a small, additional, connected building only two stories tall. The roof of this building was featureless, save a ventilation unit and an empty metal drum. Leon looked around for the Bullman, pulling his hood further down to protect his eyes from the bright sun. The Bullman was nowhere to be seen. Leon tried to formulate a defense plan. A large stack of 2x4's near the edge would be usable cover, and a worker about fifteen feet away could be utilized as somewhat ineffective mobile cover. His possible routes of escape were the ramp he had used to enter, a jump to the two story building and an elevator on the opposite side of the floor. He started by hiding behind the two-by-fours. After a few minutes, Leon heard the Bullman's signature footfalls coming up the ramp and onto the third floor. He waited, bow at the ready. The Bullman stopped. By the sound of it, he was only thirty feet away.
"Have you seen a hyena man around?" The Bullman asked.
"Yes, he's crouched behind those two-by-fours over there." The worker replied. "Is he a friend of yours?" Leon's ears flattened and he bared his teeth. He jumped up with the intention of shooting the Bullman and then possibly the worker. The Bullman was quicker to fire, driving Leon back to cover before he could fire. The worker screamed and ran, coming within a few feet of Leon. Leon pounced on the worker, putting him in a choke hold to use him as a human shield. The Bullman raised his ducky after a moment's inhibition. Leon threw the worker at the Bullman and ran for the edge. He jumped off and onto the roof of the two story building, doing a roll to absorb the shock. The Bullman ran for the edge and unleashed a torrent of water. Leon ran desperately, the jet of water close behind him. Just as the spray was about to consume him, Leon jumped and grabbed the barrel, pulling it over and jumping in it simultaneously, so that the open end of the barrel faced away from the Bullman and Leon would be protected. He let out a shout as his body slammed into the roof and flattened his ears as the Bullman's water pounded against the barrel. He crawled deeper into the barrel and pulled his legs in so that he would be protected completely. The Bullman knew that following Leon would be the best way to get him, so he jumped and fell through the roof down to the ground level with an enormous crash, followed by many more slightly less enormous crashes. Leon slid out of his barrel and ran to the end of the roof. Looking down, he saw the entrence to the small building. Panting, Leon nocked an arrow. The Bullman stumbled through the door. Leon fired his arrow. Whether by accident or by design, the Bullman staggered to the side, avoiding the arrow. Before Leon could draw another, the Bullman slammed a fist into the concrete wall of the building. Either by accident or design, Leon lost his footing from the force. He whirled his right arm around trying to maintain balance on one foot, but he failed, falling forward off the roof and onto the Bullman. He landed on the Bullman's neck. Leon was hoping the impact would break it, but the Bullman was made of tougher stuff than Leon would have hoped. The Bullman began to walk forward, tossing his head from side to side. Leon grabbed onto his horn with one hand while attempting to sheath his bow with the other.
"Get off me you coward!" The Bullman commanded, staggering and bucking.
"Yee-haw!" Leon shouted. "Gitty up!" The Bullman snorted in annoyance. He grabbed Leon around the waist and threw him. His cape sustained a small tear from the Bullman's horn as he flew through the air. He slammed into the ground with a yelp and bounced a few feet in the air before landing prone. Leon pushed himself up and started running at full speed without looking back. He opened his mouth to take in lungs full of air as he sprinted along a small but paved road toward a huge ramp up to the partly constructed building. After covering about fifty yards, Leon turned around to look back. The Bullman, standing over a pile of ruble near the small building, held his rubber ducky above his head triumphantly. He caught sight of Leon and began his pursuit, firing spurts of water. Leon resumed his sprinting. He ran past a truck and swung around a pole to change direction onto the ramp. As he charged up the ramp, he realized that it did not lead directly to the building and that there was a ten foot gap between the ramp and the building. As he was about to turn around and attempt diplomacy, a crane picked up a trio of massive concrete tubes - suspended by ropes - lying between the ramp and the scaffolding. Seeing his opportunity, Leon jumped to the tubes.
"Hey, what's that guy doing?" A worker at the bottom of the ramp shouted as Leon climbed to the top pipe.
"Probably one of those urban climber guys." the site manager told him "Get down from there!" Just as tubes became level with the fourth level, the Bullman rounded the corner onto the ramp. Leon knew he only had a few seconds to act before the Bullman shot. He used this time to grab onto one of the two ropes supporting the trio. The Bullman squirted a blast of water at Leon. That one ducked the ducky and began to chew on the rope.
After a few seconds of vigorous gnawing, the rope broke. Sending the tubes falling to the ground and Leon leaping to the forth floor. Two of the tubes smashed into the ground, but one landed on the ramp, sliding and rolling down at an angle, end furthest down headed for the Bullman. The workers shouted and pointed, fearing for their lives. The Bullman acted quickly, grabbing the concrete tube. With great effort, he slid it to the side, away from the workers. They began to applaud as the tube smashed into a big rig. The Bullman began to pose and flex his muscles in front of the mass of broken concrete, twisted metal and flames that was once a big rig. The gaggle of workers cheered.
"Wow, uh, thanks for that, mister...?" the site manager said, walking up to the Bullman.
"I'm the Bullman." he replied.
"Nice work." the site manager said. "Thanks for saving our lives and all, but you probably didn't have to wreck that truck. Just saying." The Bullman's nose twitched. Everyone's a critic.
"Any idea who that climber guy was, Bullman?" a worker shouted.
"Yes." The Bullman replied. He would have loved to tell everyone of his ongoing battle against Leon, but he didn't have time. He had to stop the bad guy, because that's what heroes do. He lumbered back to the road and looked both ways before crossing. He would have to find Leon.
"You think that bull guy is going after that climber?" one construction worker asked.
"Yeah. The Bullman's a moderator, isn't he?" a second replied.
"I don't think so." said the first.
"Huh." The second grunted, nodding his head.
Meanwhile, Leon trotted along the sixth floor toward a set of precarious metal stairs. As he neared it, he heard a voice to his left.
"Stop!" Someone shouted. Leon turned around to see someone pointing at him, wearing a cowboy hat. Leon also noted the revolver holstered at the stranger's waist.
"I saw what you did back there, with those... tube-y things." The stranger accused.
"What are you, some kind of moderator?" Leon chuckled. The stranger smiled and attempted to draw his revolver while twirling it around a finger. The weapon flew out of the stranger's hands and clattered onto the floor beside Leon. That one picked it up with a smirk. The stranger groaned. Leon opened the revolver and shook the six shells out onto the ground.
"That's what you get for being needlessly showy, kid." Leon laughed, tossing the emptied weapon back. The irate stranger twirled the revolver a finger as it was holstered. The stranger then drew and holstered the revolver twice, twirling it each time. Leon chuckled. With a sound of annoyance, the stranger turned and ran for the stairs. Suddenly, Leon's hyena jumped onto the stairs from above. The stranger whipped around to see Leon walking up from behind.
"You caught me." The stranger said, hands in the air. Leon smiled and delivered a phoenix punch to the stranger's neck.
"My neck..." the stranger mumbled, falling to the floor unconscious.
"Good to see you again, boy." Leon cooed, patting his hyena on the head. The two of them then continued to ascend.
Soon, Leon and his companion found a semi-sturdy-ish vantage point near the top of the building. Leon glanced up at the sun [never look directly at the sun, kids! - ed]. It was still high in the sky. About an hour after noon.
"You're my spotter, boy." Leon declared, taking a seat. "Now we wait."
A few hours passed. The sun now hung low in the sky, casting long shadows and golden light everywhere. The Bullman had searched high and low for Leon, but he hadn't been able to find him. He even tried telling the staff to keep a look out for him, but no one seemed able to discover the elusive gnoll. The Bullman was standing in the open area of the construction yard, aware of his vulnerability but sure of his defensive capabilities. He noticed a cart on wheels. Perhaps Leon was hiding under it. He bent down to check. At that moment, Leon fired. The arrow, fired true, would have hit the Bullman's abdomen if not for the Bullman's looking under the cart. As it was, the arrow broke against a horn.
"Um..." Leon wondered out loud. Had he hit? The Bullman stood up and looked around. He was unaware of Leon's exact position, but the shot seemed to have come from the tower. The Bullman looked in that direction and pointedly pointed to his horn. Leon, hundreds of yards away, nodded, unknown to the Bullman, who was now heading for the tower.
"Look!" Leon shouted to his hyena, firing at the Bullman again. The Bullman saw an arrow shatter against the ground a few feet to his right. He picked up the pace, occasionally taking cover. Leon fired another arrow, but the Bullman ducked behind a forklift. He looked around for more cover, but none seemed close enough to be safe. Another arrow came dangerously close to his nose.
"Bah!" Leon shouted. "Next shot." The Bullman had to do something fast. He needed the cover of the forklift, but he couldn't get it to follow him. It would just have to go in front, then: He began to push the forklift toward the tower, steadily picking up speed. An arrow flew through the body of the forklift, embedding itself in the seat. The Bullman abandoned the forklift and ran into the tower before Leon could shoot again. He quickly ascended the stairs, reaching the sixth floor in a mere three minutes. He walked across the floor, to the next set of stairs. Lying near them, he saw a person in a cowboy hat. The person's eyes opened.
"Taking a nap?" The Bullman asked.
"No, I was- are you the Bullman?" The stranger asked, eyes wide open.
"The one and only." The Bullman remarked.
"Wow, I'm a big fan of yours." The stranger declared, getting up. "What brings you here?"
"Have you seen a hyena man?" The Bullman queried.
"Yeah, he punched me in the neck." The stranger answered, rubbing the spot Leon's punch had struck. "I think he went up."
"Thanks." The Bullman said, walking toward the stairs once more.
"Wait!" The stranger shouted. The Bullman turned back. "The elevator is faster." The Bullman followed the stranger to a small, caged elevator in the middle of the floor.
"Oh... you need a key to get in." The stranger realized with disappointment. Some might have needed a key, but the Bullman was not some: He casually punched the doors, denting them. He then pried the doors open using the opening he had created. He stooped a bit and stepped into the elevator.
"That was so cool!" the stranger whooped. The Bullman hit the up switch, causing the elevator to lurch and carry him slowly upward.
Leon skidded around a corner, hyena in tow, and onto an elevator. He flipped the switch to down, hoping to give the Bullman the slip. His elevator began descend rapidly. To his surprise, he discovered the Bullman was riding an elevator up in the elevator shaft right beside his. The two stared at one another for a brief moment before Leon passed out of sight. The Bullman flipped his switch to down. Leon hopped out of the elevator as soon as he got to the ground level and waited. The Bullman's elevator crashed into the ground. Seeing Leon, the Bullman prepared to fire his rubber ducky. Leon dodged to the right and punched at the Bullman, who ignored the blow. Leon slid in to deliver and elbow strike to the solar plexus. The Bullman grunted slightly as he ignored the blow and swung a huge arm at Leon. That one ducked and jumped toward the Bullman to bite him. The Bullman grabbed him with his right hand and punched him with his left, sending him bouncing across the pavement once again. The hyena jumped and distracted the Bullman faithfully, jumping and snapping. After a moment's inhibition, Leon ran for the ditch. He slid/fell down into the stream of orange water and began to scramble up the opposite side. He found himself in the staging area. The maze of crates, carts and trailers would be perfect: The Bullman wouldn't be able to use the cover as effectively as he. He hid in the back of a pickup truck and took to waiting once again.
The sun was setting when the Bullman arrived near Leon's hiding place. He was walking among the rows of materials, looking for Leon. He would occasionally look back over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed. Leon silently cheered his hyena as he noticed a patch of fur missing on the Bullman's right shoulder. Leon climbed out of the pickup truck and began to sneak toward the Bullman, who was now heading for a tent. Leon followed quietly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his hyena trotting up to him.
"You okay?" he whispered. The hyena licked his face. Leon aimed for the Bullman, but his back disappeared into the tent. Leon followed.
"Okay, here's the plan." He said, standing near the enternce to the tent. "You go around and laugh to distract him. I'll come up from behind to finish him off. The hyena panted. "Got it? Go!" The hyena started to go around the tent. Leon smiled and began stalking through the tent. He rounded a corner (it was a big tent) and saw the exit, outside obscured by a tent flap. He stood by the exit and waited. Soon, he heard the laughter of a hyena. He jumped out of the exit and saw the Bullman, looking at the hyena in confusion. Leon fired. Less than fifty feet, unaware, unmoving, large target. Somehow, the arrow whizzed past the Bullman, less than an inch off target. The Bullman whipped around and soaked Leon with his rubber ducky. There was silence. The Bullman walked up to the dripping wet Leon.
"I have-" Leon started.
"I have lost." The Bullman declared quickly.
"What? I missed you!" Leon exclaimed. The Bullman showed Leon his arm. Leon's eyes widened as he saw a small cut.
"I grazed you." he corrected himself. "Does that really count?"
"A hit is a hit." The Bullman shrugged.
"Why are you telling me this?" Leon demanded. "I would have let you win! You could have let me believe I missed!"
"That's not what heroes do." The Bullman reasoned. Leon looked surprised. Then, he laughed.
"I guess you're right." Leon said, still chuckling. "Good match. You are a more than worthy opponent." Leon stuck his hand out. The Bullman looked down at it. Leon smiled and extended his hand even further.
"Good match." The Bullman agreed, shaking Leon's hand.
"Maybe I'll see you around." Leon said as he went to collect his hyena. The Bullman just waved as he walked off into the sunset.
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My only regret as that it isn't 4 paragraphs longer. Kirby's lucky I was busy this weekend.
