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| Rebel Alliance; Medium Quest | |
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| Topic Started: Aug 15 2016, 08:00 PM (111 Views) | |
| Ox King | Aug 15 2016, 08:00 PM Post #1 |
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Topa Topa island was not like how Ox remembered it. Sure, the beaches were still there, the swaying palm trees and the tropical weather. But there were new additions, namely armed policemen patrolling near everywhere, along the beaches and through the towns. The only news channel available on the television in his hotel was the state news channel, which conveniently failed to mention the various power cuts that took place in the city, while praising their Grand Czar, Mitzurugi, as the bringer of a new age, a new dawn, and claiming that Topa Topa had the 'highest GDP growth in the world', which certainly raised Ox's eyebrow as he saw the dilapidated streets and run-down areas. Now Ox was not one to criticise another land's politics, that was their matter for them to decide. Only trouble was, the residents of Topa Topa were not deciding this. Mitzurugi had led a violent takeover just a few years ago, and while the townspeople were already fed up with the inadequacy and corruption of their current bureaucracy, they had no idea what was in store for them under this tyrant. So why was Ox here? It had just been a couple of weeks since he had stopped a martial artist causing chaos in a bank, and the bank clerk who served him had now written him a letter. She was grateful for Ox's intervention at the bank, and then went on to explain that her brother lives in Topa Topa and is leading a resistance against this cruel tyrant, and needs Ox's help. It was not an easy decision for Ox to make, he was unsure whether it was wise to get involved in national politics at such a high level, to the point of supporting violent rebellions and insurrections. History proved that these could often go very badly. Though he had received assurances from her brother, Gregor, that it would be a peaceful transition to a parliamentary democracy that truly stood for the interests of the people. And after Ox had seen the dilapidated streets and cruelty for himself, he could not help but feel compelled to get involved. As Ox walked through the streets of Topa Topa, he noticed a large billboard with Mitzurugi's face on it. He was an old, yet muscular man with a thick black moustache and greying army-cut hair, and wearing military uniform. As Ox walked the streets it confirmed to him that he had made the right decision to help out, and grit his teeth, holding back as he witnessed a policeman pushing around a man who had simply dared look him in the eye. Now is not the time to act, I could ruin everything. With one street brawl, Ox could be taken down, arrested, and who knows what else, the entire rebellion could be at jeopardy if they managed to torture Ox and figure out why he was there, and get him to spit out some names. Of course Ox did not think himself someone easy to blurt out sensitive information, but there was no telling what even the bravest of men would do under the horrors of torture. As Ox made his way around a corner, he found the appointed meeting spot, at 12 Acre's Yard. As instructed, he stepped up to the door and gave it one loud knock, followed by a pause, and then three loud knocks. In a few moments the door opened, with the chain still attached, and two eyes emerged peeking through the gap, widening as they looked up and down at the huge man before them. "Who are you?" "Ox." "Gregor is downstairs." The door then opened, and Ox entered. As with most any home, or any building for that matter, he had to crouch and duck his head as his giant frame squeezed through the door, and then made its way down the stairs. It was a modest looking home, and looked relatively innocent, devoid of secret plots and hushed words of revolution. Ox reached the basement and turned a corner to see a group of men sitting and discussing and plotting. They turned to look at him, and one of them walked forward, arms outstretched, "Ah, Ox! Good to finally meet you in person, I am Gregor. I heard what you did for my sister, and I am very grateful." Gregor was a clean-shaven muscular man, standing at six foot five, with a thick accent and wore a beret, as well as military gear. He came forward and hugged Ox, and Ox had to bend down as Gregor gave him a peck on each cheek. "Please, come sit down." Ox complied, and appreciated the thought as a much larger chair had already been brought in for him. "I hope your journey here was not too unpleasant. Our streets are not the same as they used to be. Poverty is rife on a level we have never seen before, everyone in government is corrupt, and Mitzurugi is at the centre of it all, his iron fist holding this rotten carcass together," Gregor spat at the ground in disgust, and continued, "We will strike tonight. But we must co-ordinate several different attacks at the same time. We cannot simply march on the Grand Czar's palace, if we were to do so, the military could either rescue Mitzurugi or simply install a new dictatorship of their own. No, we must march on both. We have guerrilla fighters located at several military bases around the island, which we will have to take simultaneously tonight." Ox looked concerned at this, this plan was sounding more and more ambitious. "Do not worry, compadre," Gregor continued, "It is not vital to our success that all of these attacks succeed. Rather, they must distract and disorient the military enough that it provides enough of a distraction for we the people to well and truly take back power. What is vital for our success are two missions: The attack on the main military HQ, who are really a professional mercenary group hired by Mitzurugi, from which the grand general must be captured, and the attack on the royal palace, from which Mitzurugi will be captured and we can finally have vengeance on him and his entire wretched family-" "And by vengeance you mean, giving them a fair trial-" "Yes yes, of course of course, compadre," Gregor laughed and patted Ox on the arm, "Don't worry, we are the good guys here. We will transition this island into a fair, transparent and accountable democracy." "Glad to hear it." Ox politely smiled, though doubts began to slowly creep their way into his mind. Was he sure what he was getting himself into? Ox pushed such doubts back down, it was too late to start changing his mind, he had thought long and hard about this already, and knew that Mitzurugi had to go. "Right, so what do you want me to do?" "From what my sister has told me, I know you will be central to our operations, Ox. You possess a skill set that my other men do not have. They know how to shoot a gun, but they do not know have your brute strength and close-quarters combat. I want you to lead the task force that infiltrates the military HQ and captures the general. I will lead the task force that infiltrates the royal palace and captures Mitzurugi. The military HQ and royal palace are fortunately not too far from each other, so we should be able to convene afterwards and celebrate freedom for our people!" Gregor stood up and beckoned to Ox to follow. Ox complied. He led Ox to an adjacent room, this one much larger, it was a long hallway, and Ox could not even see the end of it. It was strange to think this fit underneath a house, until Ox realised it was in fact a well-lit tunnel that extended underground, and who knows for how long. "This tunnel has been built straight to the military HQ, and to the royal palace. Follow it to the left, and you will come out of the tunnel right inside the headquarters. I will be following it to the right, to reach the royal palace," Gregor then called the other men who were sitting in the room to come out, "This is your task force, Ox. A small infiltration unit capable of invading and neutralising from within. Rolf, Darun, Stefan and Ling." Ox nodded at the four men, all of whom were of similar size, clad in combat gear and helmets, bulletproof vests and all, and carrying some powerful looking rifles. "You do your thing, and these men will provide the cover you need." "Good to meet you all," Ox walked a few steps down the tunnel, which to his pleasure was built large enough to fit his height quite comfortably. Was he really going to be leading men? This was all such a rush, but now was not the time to play the amateur. Back in his glory days, Ox had led his townsfolk into battle before, this was part and parcel of being a King. This elderly, endearing facade had to fade away, and the older, genuine Ox King had to return. He turned around to face the men that would be fighting alongside him, "Shall we begin?." WC: 1,559 |
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| Ox King | Aug 15 2016, 08:01 PM Post #2 |
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After about an hour of walking, the tunnel twisted off to the left, and became narrower. They were finally getting to the end of the tunnel, and under military grounds. At the end of the tunnel was a ladder that seemingly just led to the ceiling, and Ox could now be confident they were directly underneath the military headquarters. Fortunately it was a pretty sturdy ladder, one that could withstand Ox's huge mass as he began climbing up it. His infiltration unit was right behind him, and readied their rifles as they followed him up the ladder. As Ox reached the ceiling, he pushed up against it with his hand, and felt something give way as a large square tile was lifted up, and Ox pushed it to one side. Once again he had to be thankful that it was large enough for him, and thought they must have taken his size into account when constructing the tunnel. He climbed up and over onto the ground, as did his task force who followed. Ox was greeted by metal corridors and bright white lights. His mind was racing as he processed any potential threats in the area. For now, the corridor was empty, though one of the task force who climbed out, Rolf, signalled down the corridor. "Thermal imaging picking up hostile on patrol around the corner, will be entering the corridor ETA 15 seconds." "On it." Ox strode down the corridor, his pace increasing, though he did not break out into a full run for fear of making too much noise. As he neared the end of the corridor, a soldier just turned the corner, and was greeted with a fist as Ox knocked him to the ground out cold. His other hand came up and signalled his men to follow. As they came round the corner, Rolf signalled down the hallway again, this time in the direction they had to go. "Just keep following it around, sir, and we should reach the general's office." Ox nodded, and they strode down together. So far, so good. There had been minimal problems, and honestly Ox had expected a lot worse. Perhaps he had spoken too soon. As they rounded the corner, Ox was warned there were more hostiles, and peeked around to see a large open room, with a staircase leading up to the general's office, while six soldiers were standing together by the staircase and talking to one another. Well, here goes nothing. Signalling to his men to cover him, Ox emerged and charged at the six soldiers, growling as he did so. The hulking figure's right arm came up and became covered in red ki energy, an ability Ox had picked up fighting the martial artist at the bank, and as he neared the soldiers, who were scrambling for their weapons in the face of this giant beast, he jumped and landed on the ground in front of them, punching the ground hard with his ki-embued arm. The ground underneath cracked, and sent shockwaves that sent the soldiers off their feet. Immediately Ox's task force emerged from behind him and cocked their rifles at the soldiers who were now on the ground. "Drop your weapons. Raise your hands, and don't be stupid." His men took the soldiers' guns and tied their arms. Ox then walked onwards, up the stairs and towards the general's office. By now the general could very well have heard the commotion, and Ox had to be ready for anything. Gregor and his task force should also be in the royal palace by now, and if things were going accordingly, all should be said and done within the next hour, and the country's tyrannical government brought down in one swift strike. As Ox reached the top of the staircase, he suddenly heard gunfire break out behind him, and turned around to see that more troops had arrived and were now engaged in combat with his own infiltration unit down on the ground. He could see his men ducking behind cover, as did the incoming troops, and engaging in a firefight that could last for who knows how long. As Ox stared down, he heard another gunshot, and a sharp jolt of pain in his left shoulder. His right arm came up instinctively as he yelled out in pain, and he turned around to see a man standing with arm outstretched, pistol in hand. The man matched the description of the man he was after, General Kurijima. His hair was greying, his face looked like it had certainly seen many decades of warfare, and his build was athletic. What was of most interest however, was the general's two exposed arms. They were metal. The general pressed the trigger again, and Ox's eyes widened as another bullet sped towards him. Ox had heard of martial artists who could move so quickly they could dodge and even catch bullets. Ox was not quite on that level yet however, and yelled in pain again as it made contact, with the front of his left shoulder this time rather than the back. Flesh was torn through and bone was cracked and splintered as the bullet made its way through. Ox needed to move, now was not the time to think about his pain. He stumbled forward and broke out into a wild charge, his vision red as he charged up his fist with ki energy once again. The general smirked, and unexpectedly threw the pistol to one side. "I will not give an enemy of the state the satisfaction of a quick death." His metal arms suddenly whirred and hissed, their cybernetic servos and motors firing up as he readied for combat. Ox's fist came forward, and was met by the general's metal fist. The metal tore through the skin on Ox's fist, metal clashing with bone. Ox growled in frustration, and his eyes widened as he felt his fist slowly pushed back by the general's superior strength, courtesy of his cybernetic arms. "Game over, brute." Kurijima's arm then whirred more loudly, the motors working faster as his arm increased in power and pushed Ox back completely, knocking him off balance. The general took no time to waste, leaping forward and whipping around for a roundhouse kick to Ox's right cheek. And boy did his foot hit hard. Ox realised, rather too late, that Kurijima's legs were also cybernetic, as he felt the cold, hard boot smack him with an unprecedented force and sent his whole body twisting backwards to the left. As Ox twisted around however, clearly about to go to the ground, his right arm quite instinctively reached out, looking for something to grab onto. And his right arm did indeed find something to grab onto, Kurijima's right foot as he was still in mid-air, the grizzled general's eyes widening in surprise as he felt his body pulled down. And so Ox fell to the ground, but brought Kurijima down with him. Ox brought his right arm around, slamming Kurijima down to the ground next to him. They both grabbed each other, and Ox used his huge weight as he turned on his side to overpower the general and pin him down to the ground, both his arms holding down the general's. The general was stronger than Ox, but not when he had to contend with Ox's weight also pressing down on him. As Ox pinned the general's arms flat to the ground, staring him in the eyes, he knew he could not allow the general's arms free again or any chance to escape, for they packed a punch that could easily send Ox flying away. There was only one way to go about this, and it was not pretty. As Ox pinned down the general's arms, he began to pull them outwards. The general yelled in pain, but Ox continued, he had no choice. The servos and motors shrieked and hissed, as the cybernetic parts began to spark and blow. Slowly parts of the cybernetic arms connected to the shoulders began to break off, bit by bit, cybernetic ligament by cybernetic ligament, until the both arms ripped clean off, a spurt of blood spraying Ox in the face as all that was left were wires and sparks from the general's two shoulders. The general was screaming now. Ox threw the metal arms to the side in disgust, and wiped the blood off his face. "Tell your men to stand down." The general continued to yell in pain though, his face contorted with pain. Okay, this definitely ranked among the worst things Ox had done in his life. Maybe he was too old for this, as he definitely was feeling his dinner rising in his stomach as he looked upon the poor armless man he had just dismembered. It's fine, Ox reassured himself, He'll just get another pair of cybernetic arms, no big deal. And anyway, they were cybernetic arms, surely pulling them off could not have hurt that much. Ox realised immediately and shouted in the general's face, "Your arms are cybernetic! You're not in that much pain, General. TELL YOUR MEN TO STAND DOWN." The general suddenly grew quiet as he was not able to distract Ox as expected. He spat in Ox's face. "Screw you." "Don't tell me you love Mitzurugi that much. You know how this is going to play out. Mitzurugi is going down tonight. After he's gone, there'll be no one to protect you, or bribe you. Giving up now and declaring your allegiance to the people could save your job and reputation in any transition of power." The general chuckled, looking to one side, "So the brute can reason, can he..." "Please, General." Both of them were panting, and the general rested his head back and closed his eyes. "Fine. Get off me." Ox hesitated for a moment, then looked at the general's armless torso, felt a bit guilty, and eased off, standing up. The general smirked as he stood up, as his cybernetic arms came crawling back to him of their own accord at a pace Ox couldn't stop, climbing up his body and locking themselves back into their sockets. Ox got into a fighting stance again and scolded himself for being so stupid as to allow the general a chance to recover. As Ox was about to charge however, the general turned around, and walked towards the staircase, where his and Ox's men were still engaged in a firefight. "Men, stand down." His soldiers did as commanded, not questioning or hesitating for a second. Ox watched in surprise, as the general turned back towards him. "You've raised a good point, brute. I received a telegram ten minutes ago that military bases across the island were under attack, and now the royal palace itself is under siege and losing ground. There is no point in me resisting the will of the people any longer." "I am grateful for your understanding, General." "Yes yes, go on and do whatever it is you must. The army will not be intervening any further." Ox nodded, and turned to leave, before the General spoke again, "Just one thing." Ox turned and moved back towards Kurijima. The general spoke quieter now, his face a solemn and stern shade, "I know you're not from around here. I know you believe you fight for a noble cause," the general moved closer to Ox, "And indeed, it may be a noble cause. But beware of those you fight amongst. Beware the mob. You think you are constructing civilisation, beware that you do not in fact tear it apart entirely." Ox sighed. "I know. Thank you, General." Ox turned to leave, walking down to see his fellow fighters. Rolf was wounded, clutching his stomach, and the others bore more minor injuries, though did not seem too bad. "Darun, get Rolf to a medic, there will surely be one on these grounds. Stefan and Ling, you are in charge here now, along with Darun once you've taken care of Rolf. Ensure that all military equipment is locked down and the General can't have a sudden change of heart," the men nodded in response, as Ox continued, "I will go to the Royal Palace and aid Gregor." The night was wearing on, and while Ox had done everything he had been asked to do, he had a bad feeling things would not be as simple as they appeared. WC: 2,076 TWC: 3,635 |
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| Ox King | Aug 15 2016, 08:01 PM Post #3 |
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Another hour had passed, as Ox walked by himself through the tunnel. His bullet wounds were bandaged up and treated, with the bullet shards having been quickly removed by the medic while back at the military HQ. He had gone back along the route they had taken, but then turned right instead of left, following the route Gregor would have taken. As he neared the royal palace, he could hear shouts and yelling, clearly the townsfolk had gathered on the royal palace, and seemed to have broken through the gates. Ox was still underground and could hear thousands of footsteps above him, a stampede that made the tunnel shake and dust fall, threatening to collapse. Ox hurried his pace, and reached another ladder at the end, which he climbed up and found that the hatch above had already been opened, as would be expected. He pulled himself up and brought himself to the feet. Ox was standing on grass, outside the royal palace. The gates had indeed been broken up. Around him townsfolk were shouting and running towards the palace. The palace was, as the name implied, a large, majestic thing, made of stone with a single spire in the centre that shot up into the sky. The place was in chaos, and Ox watched as royal guards were attacked and beaten. The sky was a deep purple, with the moon shining brightly over the grounds, and the only other light was the castle and grounds dotted with the flames of thrown fire bottles. Ox had observed enough, it was time to join Gregor. He ran behind other townsfolk as they entered through the main doors of the castle, crossing the bridge over a moat. The interior of the palace would have been luxurious indeed, if it were not now crammed with people, who tore down paintings and drapes, and took hung rapiers off the walls. Ox pushed through the mass of people, climbing up the stairs and making his way to the central spire. There was a mob of people all around him, shouting and tearing down whatever they could. Ox could see raw anger. Is this democracy? Ox felt pity for the people around him, they had been mistreated and abused for years now, and now they finally had their chance to change things, to show their rage, their unfettered hurt and suffering. Ox had to find Gregor, before things got out of hand. He asked one of the townsfolk but they did not know. Nothing seemed very organised, but rather they were all rushing up the stairs to find Mitzurugi. From what Ox could gather, it appeared that Mitzurugi and his family had barricaded themselves in the bedroom, and they had not yet been able to get through. The flights of steps seemed to go on forever, as Ox and other townsfolk raced up them to reach the bedroom. If Ox had not been training with Master Roshi, these stairs would have been the end of him. Fortunately, looks can be deceiving, and Ox was much fitter than those around him would think. Eventually they reach the top of the spire, and came to a large hallway, which was already full with people. Ox sighed with relief as he saw Gregor at the front, holding a makeshift battering ram with his task force and slamming it against the large oak double doors that lay at the end, presumably leading into Mituzurgi's bedroom. The crowd in the room were shouting and chanting, yelling for Mitzurugi to come out and face them. Ox made his way through the crowd, his huge mass an advantage as he pushed through. Before he could reach Gregor however, there was a loud crash as the oak doors finally gave way, the battering ram smashing through and into the next room. With the doors open, Ox could see Mitzurugi sitting with his wife and child on the bed, looking absolutely terrified. The mob around Ox suddenly flooded into the room, with Gregor leading the charge. Ox watched in horror as Gregor grabbed Mitzurugi, and the people formed a crowd around him, obscuring him from view, but Ox could see a man raise a bat high into the air. No, no this was all going horribly wrong. "No, stop!" Ox was now shoving the people around him to the ground, charging into the room as quickly as he could. Mitzurugi's wife ran forward to help her husband, but someone in the crowd simply slapped her and pushed her to the ground, sending her cowering back to the corner with her little boy. Ox pushed into the crowd that surrounded Mitzurugi, and looking over them could already see he was a bloodied mess, his face bruised and battered, and the one doing most of the beating was none other than Gregor, who repeatedly slammed Mitzurgi's face with a truncheon. Ox growled in frustration, he should never have helped this man. He was now sweeping his arm through the crowd and taking people off their feet as he barged through them. He finally reached Gregor, and crouched down as he ran, lowering his hands and pushing Gregor off of Mitzurugi hard, sending him into the wall. "You must stop this madness! Gregor, what are you doing?!" Gregor picked himself up, wiping his mouth, "Stay out of this, compadre. You've done this island a great service. Your service has now come to an end." Ox stood over Mitzurugi, his arms outstretched to warn the encircling mob not to get any closer. "I can't let you do this, Gregor. You assured me he would get a fair trial-" "You do not know the unspeakable things he has done, Ox! You don't know the pain he has caused! The lives he has ruined! The women who have lost their husbands! The men who have lost their daughters!" "Please, Gregor. Not like this. This isn't how it should be." "Mitzurugi must pay for his crimes. Step aside, Ox." "No." "Okay, you want a trial? I'll give you a trial." Gregor raised his hands and clapped three times. "Ladies and gentlemen. Our large compadre here wants Mitzurugi to receive a fair trial." The people around Ox began booing at him, hissing and spitting. He heard a shout from one woman in the crowd, "Mitzurugi has never been fair to us, why should we be fair to him?!" Another man called out, "Mitzurugi must be punished!" The crowd cried out in agreement, and were shouting and booing at Ox. Gregor raised his hands, "Alright, alright. If Ox wants a trial, a trial we will give him." The crowd became silent, as Gregor walked back and forth, and began to address the bloodied pulp that was Mitzurugi directly. "Mr Mitzurugi, you have committed crimes against your fellow man and against this great island. You have been accused of murder, bribery, stealing, cheating, kidnapping, blackmail, and the violation and removal of the people's human rights, and the prevention of free and democratic elections." Gregor now looked to the crowd, "Tell me the verdict, jury! Is he guilty, or innocent!" The mob exploded into noise, crying out "Guilty! Guilty!" Gregor smiled and looked back at Mr Mitzurugi, "Ah, the jury has spoken! This is your fair trial, something you would never give to us. And now, Mr Mitzurugi, for the crimes you have committed, the heinous acts and unspeakable deeds, I sentence you... To death!" The mob erupted into cheers, a bloodthirsty look on their eyes that craved vengeance. Ox remained motionless, his arms still outstretched. Things were getting very bad very quickly. "And still you resist, Ox! Haven't you realised yet? This isn't your land! These are not your people! Leave!" "Please, Gregor, stop..." Ox was pleading now, he could not bear to watch this madness. Gregor spoke to the crowd again, "Oh, my fellow Topa Topans, this is Ox, a mercenary who has been very helpful to us! But his time here has ended, he is not one of us!" Members of the crowd started chanting "Leave! Leave! Leave!" Gregor quietened them down again, "Oh, I'm afraid, my dear people, that Mr Ox will not be leaving. He has joined forces with Mitzurugi, and has become an enemy of the free peoples of Topa Topa Island!" The crowd erupted into noise again, while Ox continued to look around with his large arms outstretched, keeping away any would-be assailants. Gregor continued, "My people. We will not be robbed of justice. After all these years of oppression, we will not be robbed of what is ours!" Gregor raised his truncheon, and stepped forward towards Ox, "My people, rise up, and take what is ours!" Gregor now charged forward, smashing his truncheon against Ox's back. Ox growled in pain as the mob now rushed in on him, some with bats and sticks. This was going horribly, horribly wrong. Ox had to ignore the pain of the truncheon, he crouched down and scooped up Mitzurugi's bloodied body, which was fortunately still breathing, placing him over his shoulder, and charging through the mass of people, his left arm sweeping away all that were around him, and trying to ignore the pain of the punches and kicks on his sides. There was a balcony door at one end of the room, it was Ox's only chance to escape. He cried out to Mitzurugi's wife and child to run to the balcony door, they were already in the corner near it, and got to the door before Ox did, frantically opening it for him. As Ox reached the door, Mitzurugi still over his shoulder, his arms came around and grabbed Mitzurugi's wife and child, and then lowered Mitzurugi himself from his shoulder to be locked together with his wife and child in Ox's huge arms. And then, Ox jumped off the balcony. As Ox fell through the air, he could see why Mitzurugi had not made this jump himself. There was indeed a moat underneath them, which Ox certainly hoped the water would be deep enough for, it certainly looked quite deep when he arrived. But they were a long, long way up. Maybe he should have stayed at home, and never gone and trained with Master Roshi. As Ox fell helplessly through the air, he wished he had that ability advanced martial artists had to just fly. He closed his eyes and tried to focus his ki around him, willing himself to defy the laws of gravity and take to the skies. Ox could feel the ki gather, and was urging it to lift him up, to bring a halt to this deadly fault. Ox could feel something tingle inside of him, he could feel the ki energy gather around him, his heart swelled with hope as he felt the ki begin to pull on him... And then nothing. Yes, Ox was still falling. He held tight onto the infamous family that was now in his grip, and twisted his body around so that his back was facing the ground, not his front, resting Mitzurugi and his family on his belly as he held them close. Ox should never have come here. He should never have been so naive, and vowed that he would not make the same mistake again. Violent revolutions have a certain reputation for being... violent. Ox had no business getting involved, he should have assessed these risks and dangers better, and not be so foolish. Lost in thought, and simply looking up at the sky, falling with his back facing the ground, Ox was taken by surprise as his back smacked against the water below. Oh did it hurt, but the force of the impact on the water did not seem to have broken any bones, and the hulking man then sunk into the depths of the moat, pushed by the force of his descent. He let go of the wife, who was clutching her son and was able to swim to the surface, while Ox swam up with Mitzurugi, who was conscious enough to have held his breath as they were submerged in the water. There were little indentations in the wall to help people who fell in the moat to return to the main palace grounds, though not the palace of course, for that would defeat the point of a moat. Ox and the Mitzurugi family climbed up, with Mitzurugi still over Ox's shoulder. His body certainly felt broken and beaten, and Ox regretted that he could not have gotten to him sooner. If I had just walked faster in the tunnel, if I had just ran, if- Enough. Ox needed to act now. What was done was done. After they climbed up onto the grounds, Ox was glad to see that most of the townsfolk who were in the grounds were now in the palace, and did not notice his landing. The few that remained had their attentions elsewhere. Ox hurried the wife and child, who looked shocked but unharmed by the fall. They ran alongside Ox, while Mitzurugi had to stay on Ox's shoulder. As they ran, Ox could hear Gregor screaming from the balcony, "GET THEM!" The townsfolk in the grounds looked around in confusion, before spotting Ox and the family, and started running after them. Ox looked around and could see the mobs surging out from the palace, running towards him. They no longer looked human. They looked like rabid animals, consumed by revenge. Ox had deep pity for them, but right now he needed to get Mitzurugi to safety. Regardless of the deeds of this man, he had to undergo a fair trial. Mob justice would set a terrible precedent. Sure, sentence him to death if that is your punishment, but it must be done in a fair trial, one in which he can defend himself, in which an impartial jury sits. These are the foundations of a free civilisation. A nation born out of mob justice will persist in mob justice. Where does it end? Ox could not allow this to happen. Gregor should have known better. He clearly had much influence among the crowd, he could have calmed them down and done this properly. As Ox ran out of the grounds with the family, they were now in the town centre, and fortunately for them the whole town were in the grounds behind them. Ox turned to the wife, "We need to get to the docks. From there we can take a boat." The wife nodded, and she led the way as she ran, Ox following close behind. Ox could hear shouts and jeers behind them. The docks were not too far away, it took a good ten minutes of running before they reached a cliff that faced the docks. The cliff stood about fifty metres above the ground, though there was a path that ran along to the side of the cliff, down a steep hill that would take them to the docks. Ox set Mitzurugi down into a wheelbarrow that was laying nearby, ready to wheel him down the hill. Mitzurugi's wife turned to Ox, "Why are you doing this for us? We have done nothing to deserve it." "I know. I am not doing this for you, but for this island. Without fundamental limits on the state, like the right to a free trial, it will not be better than it was before." The wife nodded with understanding. Ox gave a light smile. He was tired, and just wanted this day to end. As Ox moved to push the wheelbarrow down the hill, he was suddenly interrupted by a thud he heard behind him. Gregor had jumped down from a rooftop, panting and sweating. He had scaled the rooftops and managed to catch up. Ox's heart sank as he saw him, and motioned to the wife to push Mitzurugi down the hill herself, and for her and the child to get in a boat down at the docks. Gregor stepped forward, outstretching his hand, "Stop this, Ox. Mitzurugi cannot be allowed to leave." "I trusted you, Gregor. You did not keep your end of the bargain." Gregor watched as the wife pushed Mitzurugi down the hill, and cried out in rage, charging at her. Ox sidestepped to block his path, grabbing Gregor and throwing him across the street into a wall. Gregor got up and shook himself off. "You have picked your path. Fine." Gregor now charged at Ox, who had his back to the cliff face, pulling out a long knife and yelling at him. As the knife came slashing in Ox's direction, he quickly sidestepped again, and Gregor could not stop himself in time, as he kept running... right off the cliff face. Gregor yelled in horror as his feet found mid-air, not solid ground, and he began to fall, with a 50 metre descent that would invariably result in his demise. Ox span around and dived forward towards the cliff face, his arm coming forward and managing to grab Gregor's left arm before he fell to his death. Ox was now lying flat on his front, his face and arms off the edge of the cliff, as he held Gregor left arm and prevented him from falling. "Okay Gregor, just hold on, I'll bring you up." Gregor looked up at Ox, his face expressionless. "Ox. Mitzurugi cannot get away. He must be served justice here, at my hands, under my leadership." "Gregor, it's over. Mitzurugi is down at the docks, they've probably found a boat already. But don't you worry, I will find them and ensure they are given a trial." "It's not the same. I cannot go on knowing he would be alive, or did not suffer the same pain in his death that I suffered when I lost everything I had to that tyrant." "Gregor..." Ox began to pull up Gregor, but Gregor shook his head. "You will never understand, compadre. I am sorry." "Huh?" "Vive la revolution." Gregor pulled himself up, but only so that his right arm could now swing around, still carrying his knife. He stabbed Ox in the hand, the same hand that was holding onto his arm and keeping him from falling. Ox cried out in pain, his hand instinctively releasing Gregor. Ox's left arm reached forward to try and catch Gregor again, but it was to no avail. He watched as Gregor fell to his death, his eyes constantly locked with his, a faint smile on Gregor's face. Gregor knew he had the real victory. Ox could only watch in horror as Gregor's body hit the ground fifty metres below with a crunch. Ox watched in silence, his mind failing to process what had just happened. And then he let out one guttural roar, one only a giant of his size could make, he looked up at the stars, his soul wrenched at what had just taken place. This had all gone horribly wrong. This was not how he had envisioned things. Ox got to his feet, he could not stay here forever, and the angry mob were close behind, he could hear their shouts grow louder. He also had to find Mitzurugi, no doubt they had sailed far away by now, and Ox knew it was his duty to Gregor and this island to bring Mitzurugi to justice, but through the right way. Ox walked down the hill to the docks, his face downcast. Everything seemed different now. Before he took up fighting again, perhaps being inactive and purposeless was not so bad. It meant you did not have to see such horrible things, it meant you did not have to see the worst tendencies that lay within the human soul, the tragic dangers of mob rule, and have to fight with your former comrades and see their bones crunch at the bottom of a cliff. As Ox reached the docks, he saw a woman standing on a boat, waving at him. It was only when he got closer that he realised it was Mitzurugi's wife, and Ox was in shock. He approached the boat to find her child there, and Mitzurugi himself too, wrapped up and lying in the centre of the boat. "You waited for me..." Ox said in disbelief to Mitzurugi's wife. "No. I wanted to leave. He waited for you." She gestured down to the injured Mitzurugi. Ox could not believe what he was hearing, and as they motioned to him to join them, he climbed aboard the boat. He sat down, next to Mitzurugi. Mitzurugi coughed and spluttered blood, before speaking in a slow, raspy voice. "I could not leave you behind. You saved me." "Mitzurugi... But do you know where I will take you now?" "Yes, to a court, to a trial, to justice." "And you're okay with that?" "A man cannot run from his demons forever." Ox responded in silence, as the sail was deployed and the boat began to move out into the sea. Ox looked back at the island, whose government was now toppled, the townsfolk now had what they wanted. Technically, his mission was a success. Ox had helped overthrow Mitzurugi, and now the townsfolk had their island back, and could do whatever they wanted with. Did Ox feel like it was a success? Not one bit. And he feared the mob rule that would now ensue on the island, though it would indeed be the townsfolk's own doing, now that they owned the island. As they sailed out into the sea, Mitzurugi turned to look at Ox. "You are a good man." "If I was a good man, I would never have come here." WC: 3,613 TWC: 7,248 |
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10:13 AM Jul 11