Chapter 59-Flint vs Bone

"AAAHHHH!!!!!"

Flint screams as he's sent falling through the black abyss below, until he slams against the bottom floor of the cave with a huge thud.

"Oww…" Flint groans as he sits up and rubs his head, where he sees a man wearing a stealthy black bandit uniform decorated with white studded spikes going across the arms, legs, and spine, as well as a white exoskeleton-like chestplate.

"Don't tell me…" Flint growls as he stands up to face his potential opponent, "You're one of Treasure Thrive bandits?"

The man in black doesn't respond.

Instead, with his back still turned to Flint, he raises a fist up and clutches his forearm with his other hand.

"Bone Charge, Level One…" the man growls as white sparks of energy begin to burst and swirl around the man's body, causing Flint's eyes to widen, "-WHITE FANG!"

"Sand Charge, Level On-" Flint panics as he resumes his Charge Stance, but before he can finish chanting his spell, the ground below Flint begins to split, and giant spears of bone fly from the ground, piercing straight through Flint, as well as the ceiling above him, causing it to tremble.

Flint spits up a glob of blood as his body begins to turn into sand then falls to the ground.

A second mound of sand then rises out of the ground and takes the form of Flint, who's clutching a huge, bleeding hole in his stomach.

"Shit…" Flint pants, "This guy's fast."

Slowly…Flint's opponent then turns around to face Flint, revealing the man's sunken white eyes, and abnormally pale and skinny frame, which makes him look like a skeleton.  Rather than hair, the man is bald, with a large black skull and crossbones tattoo plastered on his skull.

"Eh…" Flint recoils, "You look like a skeleton."

"So I've been told…" the man growls, "Do I look like a skeleton because of my BONE CHARGE…or do I weidl BONE CHARGE because I look like a skeleton?  Either way, you can call me Bone, of the Treasure Thief bandits.  And I WILL get my hands on the Secret Ingredient, so that I can wish for a normal body!"

"Your Bone Charge looks like it hurts," Flint comments.

"My Bone Charge gives me SOME pain resistance for when my bones tear through my flesh," Bone winces, "Whereas normal people would DIE once they're bones rip through their flesh…my bones serve as weapons."

"So…you're called Bone, and your E-Charge…is bone…?"  Flint asks.

"Yes," Bone answers.

Flint pauses.

"Are you…named after your element, or is it a nickname, or…?"  Flint asks.

Bone's entire body tenses up.

"SHUT UP!"  Bone roars as he raises a fist up and clutches his forearm with his other hand, and white sparks of energy begin to burst and swirl around his body.

"So that's Bone's Charge Stance, huh?"  Flint asks himself.

"BONE CHARGE, LEVEL ONE: WHITE FANG!"  Bone roars as the bone studs across his forearms shoot outwards, flying towards Flint.  Bione grunts in pain as blood flies from his bone studs, as well.

Bone's White Fang continues flying towards Flint, who doesn't move to defend.

Instead, upon making contact with Flint, Bone's spine simply passes straight through Flint, whose body turns into sand in order to defend.

"I see…" Bone comments, "So you're one of those E-Chargers who can turn into their element?"

"Maybe," Flint smirks as his body turns into sand, then drops to the ground below.  A second mound of sand then rises out of the ground behind Bone, taking the form of Flint's body.

"Wh-what?!"  Bone cries as he spins around to face Flint.

"Sand Charge, Level One: Sand Clone!"  Flint shouts as he launches a roundhouse kick towards Bone.

In response, Bone raises an arm to block, and white sparks of energy begin to burst and swirl around Bone's body

"Bone Charge, Level One: white Fang!"  Bone shouts as spikey white bones burst from his flesh, sending blood spraying everywhere, which blinds Flint.

"Crap!"  Flint cries as he begins desperately wiping his eyes.

Flint's roundhouse kick then slams into Bone at last, only to be pierced by Bone's, well…BONES, causing Flint to yelp in pain again.

"Bone Charge, Level Two: Silver Jaw!"  Bone shouts as the bones piercing Flint's leg begin to extend outwards and curve under, taking the form of a giant bone jaw, which then chomps down in an attempt to pierce Flint.

"Sand Charge, Level One: Sand Clone!"  Flint desperately cries, and just in the nick of time, Flint turns into the sand just as Bone's Silver Jaw closes down upon him.

The sand making up Flint's body then falls to the ground.  A second mound of sand then rises out of the ground a couple of feet away from Bone, and takes the form of Flint.

"Are you after the secret ingredient, too?"  Bone smirks.

"Not exactly," Flint smirks as he wipes the blood from his eyes at last, "Buuut…someone I'm with IS, so I gotta stop you, anyway."

"Now…it's MY TURN!"  Flint exclaims as he resumes his Charge Stance.

"Sand Charge, Level Five: Sandcactles!"  Flint shouts as the mound of sand which he previously turned into begins to rise out of the ground and take shape, forming a giant golem of sand.

"Destroy him!"  Flint roars as he slams a fist into his palm, and subsequently, Flint's sandcastle begins to swing a giant sandy fist down upon Bone like a hammer.

In response, Bone resumes his Charge Stance.

"Bine Charge, Level Two: Silver Jaw!"  Bones shouts as he thrusts a hand towards the cavern ceiling, and subsequently, a jaw of bone flies from Bone's arm, causing Bone to grunt as even more blood spurts from his flesh.  Bone's Silver Jaw chomps down upon the ceiling, causing the roof to tremble, as giant boulders begin to rain down, collapsing upon Flint's castle, and causing it to lose its shape, reducing it to a puddle of sand.

The ceiling cavern continues to tremble, as even more boulders begin falling from above.

"A cave i-!"  Flint begins to cry, but before he can utter out the final word, a giant boulder falls from below and crushes Flint, reducing him to a pile of sand just like his Sandcastle.

A second mound of sand begins to rise out of the ground next to the previous one, and takes the form of Flint.

"Man, that was clo-" Flint begins to exclaim, but before he can finish, a SECOND boulder crushes Flint.

"SERIOUSLY?!"  Flint cries as his body reforms out of a third pile of sand, "AGAIN?!"

Bone then resumes his Charge Stance again, before thrusting both hands outwards.

"BONE CHARGE, LEVEL THREE: PALE CHASM!"  Bone roars, and the studded bones along his arms and legs fly outwards, piercing and smashing into the cavern ceiling, walls, and floor around him, causing the ENTIRE cavern to shatter, as even more boulders begin to rain from above.

"Shit!"  Flint cries as he frantically begins to look around.

"Now, to finish you o-!" Bone begins to shout, but before he can finish, a GIANT BOULDER falls from above and smushes Bone into a pile of guts and blood.

"AH!"  Flint recoils.

Flint wincres.

"He's dead, isn't he…?"

The cavern begins trembling, and eventually, some of the rocks begin to loosen and clear away, revealing a passageway leading back up to the surface.

Flint takes one last look at the bloody remains of his opponent, winces, then looks forward again.

"Hopefully this is my exit," Flint says, as he begins heading up towards the surface.