Author's note:
Chapter one of my side project is now live. We are thrown into the past, with an original character (of my own creation) with supporting characters (also of my own original creation) in a city (of my own creation). This is a prequel to the story, that acts as prequel as well as a lead in for the missing events in my other story 'The Mobian Adventures'. The story is darker, more twisted and full of sin. It is not a romantic pow-wow, although there is some romance...
Feed back would be loved, and i will be updating this story every so often. Yes, they are purposely this long. I don't plan on making this story as many chapters as 'The Mobian Adventures' will be reaching... but depends on feedback as well as how much i fall in love with this story.
Oh, and also, this particular chapter is special cause besides the fact the characters are animals, there is no clear tie from this story to the world of Sonic the Hedgehog... but i promise that from Chapter 2 and on you will be able to see the parallels.
Cruel
It was a wet and dark night, the moon was slightly eclipsed by the clouds in the sky and its eerie glow reflected off of the water pooling on the paved roads between the city. The street lamps magnified small puddles and created 'havens' between the dark limbo betwixt the street, where a string of murders have been happening recently. Walking down the street, without a fear in his face, was Thoice Ocelot.
As he walked down the street, he passed alleyways that belched the ghostly whine of the wind rushing through their empty bowels. The light from the street lights guided the only walkway for the civilized to tread, on the broken back of the sidewalk. The ground had been worn away from years of treading, as she cracked and gave way to the erosion of the earth's crust. The windows of the nearby stores reflected Thoice's being and gave him a presence that only stood out in the black back drop that was the night.
Thoice was covered in a dark cloak that obscured the bulk of his appearance, but one could discern that he had a thin frame and his white hair reflected only brighter in the moon light than he desired. He had a monocle over his left eye and a top hat donned his head, he had a cane in his right hand and he seemed to be heading towards a formal gala. A large art gallery was in front of him, named 'Gallery 32'. The gallery was world renowned for its amazing pieces over the year, and tonight was the black tie event that the rich all were looking forward to. Thoice was here for reconnaissance.
"Well, this monocle sucks to wear… I keep forgetting to use my cane in my steps and this hat is so not working for me! But this is my only chance to figure out who the 'kingpin' is" he thought, reminding himself of his mission beforehand.
He had been contacted by a group known as the 'Liberty League' to bypass this gallery's perimeter and find out who this 'kingpin' figure was. The recent string of murders had been followed back to this elusive figure, and knowing who it was would really help the city. Thoice had been found through a string of contacts, for being one of the best infiltrators in all of Galextrium.
"Your invitation sir?" the doorman asked as Thoice reached the front of the line.
"Oh yes, one sec" Thoice replied as he reached into his cloak and grabbed a small needle dipped in a fine poison. In a swift action he handed the doorman his hand, and as the doorman returned the action, Thoice cut his hand and the poison stymied through his body in a matter of seconds. The doorman had a groggy look in his eyes and let Thoice pass while he slumped against the wall to stay standing.
"So far, so good" he thought as he grinned at his ability to do so much with so little poison. He had been a master alchemist for years; at first he adopted his prowess for mere profit. Selling potions and remedies to the people of the city. But as time went on, he studied people's bodies and how the reacted to certain things to slowly create the world's first take on poisons.
He soon learned how to pass these poisons to unbeknownst targets and figured that he would be a wonderful assassin. He was contracted through hundreds of contracts throughout his two years acting out this fantasy. He only accepted a total of sixteen targets, and he flawless accomplished each one. But the guilt of murder and the fear of his own abilities soon made him a skeptic if he was remaining moral.
He had become known as the 'sandman' by certain members of the underworld, because his targets would be found dead in their beds. He always hated the name, and soon abandoned his 'hobby' of being a hit man and went back to being a simple alchemist. Namely to clear his conscious and purify his soul from the murder he had committed. He soon was a town healer, curing hundreds over a few years in his post. But that too became a chore for him and he staged his own death and moved on to Galextrium to just find peace.
He was found out in a bar by the Liberty League, who asked him to do one mission. Albeit, he argued against them for some time, he finally succumbed to their reason and swore that he would only do this one mission. And now, here he was, in the middle of the aristocracy at one of their precious parties. Looking for a man who pulled the strings behind the city, arranging killings of members of the Liberty League, who were trying to free the city from his grasp.
Thoice walked into the main room, checked his cloak and hat into the coat checker and begun to mingle his way into the party. He was wearing a fine jacket over a dress shirt, thus he tucked the monocle away and carried the cane sarcastically as he moved through the crowd, his mind set away trying to find someone who would know about this mysterious figure.
"Heya handsome" a beautiful lynx said to Thoice. She was wearing a full dress in a beautiful shade of red, and her skin was that of a pale white. But somehow, the dress made her seem otherworldly, almost like an angel in mortal flesh. Thoice looked her over for a second and smirked back. "Well, tonight doesn't have to be boring…" he thought.
"Names Thoice, and what name did the heavens bless you with?" he said, as he bowed slightly and took her hand to plan a gentle kiss on it. She blushed a few shades and giggled her reply back.
"The name is Sierra, and my aren't you the romantic." She exclaimed, taken aback by Thoice's approach to the fine art of social interaction.
"Nonsense, a gem as bright as you deserves some extra attention" he playfully said, still casually panning the room for any thug-like party members. "So, may I ask if you are attended or not?" he said genuinely.
"Oh? Well… I'm the daughter of the museum curator…. So I am just here to give daddy a good impression with the kingpin… errr. I mean" she said, realizing she gave up more than she should of "Sorry, excuse me" she said, turning to get away from Thoice.
Thoice placed his hand on hers and turned her back to him and said "Sierra, don't worry. I don't care; let us just talk like adults. Business or whatever, that can be done later" he said calmly, trying to not impose his intent on seeing how much she knew.
"Oh… well… if you insist" she said, blushing back. "Why are you here?" she said, beginning a topic.
"Why, I just love a piece of art as much as the next fine-learned scholar" he said earnestly "Which begs the question, is a piece of your work framed in these glorious halls?"
"Funny you should mention" she said, as she took his hand and lead him around the corner of one of the corridors and showed him a giant portrait of the city. "I painted this forever ago" she said, blushing as she said so.
"My, well it certainly is impressive" he said honestly, as he gazed over its detail. He noticed there seemed to be a pattern weaved through the picture "Sierra, there seems to be a … pattern of some sort inside your piece of art" he said casually.
"Oh that? I just wanted to try something new out…" she said nervously, as if Thoice hit a tender spot.
"Let me guess, kingpin again?" he teased as he took one last look at the picture and looked at her. She nodded her head to his guess. "Sierra, you seem to be living in fear of this man. What if I was to tell you I was here to meet this man tonight?" he said to her.
"I'd say you were a fool. This man is ruthless as he is corrupt. Or at least… that is what my dad said… before…." She said, tears pooling under her eyes "before they took him" she exclaimed, as she lost her control and a few tears streamed down her face.
"Aw, Sierra. Don't cry." Thoice said, as he reached out with his hand and used his thumb to swipe away her tears. "I'm here to help. You know where this man is?" he asked calmly.
"Yes… but Thoice… I don't want the same fate to happen to you…." She said, blushing as she had tears rimming her eyes.
"Sierra, I can handle myself. I may not look it, but I am a … sort of expert in this" he said, as he took her arm and walked her outside the exit door into the alleyway.
"Thoice… I feel like I'm… falling for you" she said, looking into his eyes "And I don't want these people to hurt you" she said, hugging him closely.
"Sierra… let me help" he whispered back, thinking of what to do with her after he got the information.
"Take me for a walk, and I'll tell you what I know" she said calmly, as she looked at him with a clear face.
Thoice and Sierra went to the nearby park, and the rain had let up whereas the moon seemed to only add the unnatural glow to everything in the park. They walked next to each other, and remained silent for a few minutes.
"How am I going to extract anything from her? And still protect her in the end?" he questioned himself, realizing he was starting to have feelings for her.
"Thoice…" she said, finally breaking their silence. "I was placed there waiting for you, so that I could lead you to the kingpin and he could kill you." She said, and Thoice smirked hearing that "Please, don't enjoy that. This man wants to kill those Liberty League people, and he would have found all about them through you. I protected them by saving you" she said, trying to sound as noble as possible.
"Sierra, please. Like I said before, I know what I'm doing. This kingpin figure needs to be toppled, so take me too him" he said, calmly yet coolly.
"Thoice… I can't. I feel like there is a connection between us… and I don't want to lose you to him" she said yet again.
"Sierra…" he said, as he stopped and looked right at her "I promise I'll be fine" he said, as he hugged her. His hand slipped into his pocket and grabbed a small needle laced with a special compound designed to weaken people's ability to hide the truth. He cut her back carefully, and the poison seeped inside as he whispered in her ear "Let's have a seat and we can talk… just casually" he lied to her.
She said yes, and he led her back to her house. They went into the main room of the estate, and there was a fancy living room. Complete with stone-brick fireplace and red velvet couches. There was a large bear-skin rug on the floor, almost seeming angry at Thoice for entering the room, and it's eyes seemed to glimpse into the future and feel sad. The room had a rustic feel to it, full of large book cases and end tables sporting vases and beautiful cases of scotch and the finest glasses for such. He sat her down on the couch next to him and they just talked casually for a bit, taking the beauty of the room in with her every word.
"Thoice… as the night grows on… I feel like I can trust you more and more" she said, the poison making her looser in her secrets.
"That means a lot to me Sierra" he replied "But I really need to know where this bad man is. So can you tell me where the Kingpin is?" he asked nicely, as he stroked her hair.
"Your white hair is just so attractive…" she said, looking up at him. She reached into her pocket and handed him a piece of paper "Just follow the directions sweetheart" she said, as she passed out on the couch.
"I am sorry Sierra, but too many lives are at stake" he said to her body. He bent over and kissed her brow as he walked out the door. He read the note, and on it was an address. He followed the address to a building, a large complex to be exact. It appeared to be a warehouse, named 'A-7'. He walked in through the main door and saw the entire place was empty.
"Damn, did she lie to me?" he said to himself, as he looked around to find something. There was a door in the back, so he walked over and opened it to see a stairwell that lead down stairs. He followed it down.
He soon was in a large cave-like system, the walls had torches on them for light and the ground was nothing else but dirt. He walked for a few minutes till he came to a large room. There were a few thugs walking back and forth, loading crates up in a pile. A few of the thugs had swords belted to their sides, and a couple carried a mace or an axe. Thoice looked around to see if there was a kingpin anywhere, and saw a room off in the back. He knew where to go.
He slipped into a nearby room and found a few outfits hanging up on the wall. "Just my luck" he grinned as he grabbed the outfits and dressed up like the thugs. He rubbed some dirt into his white fur and grabbed a sword and fastened it to his belt. And he grabbed a small knife and slipped it into the back of his belt, knowing that he would rely on it for the combat he would be fighting. He walked out of the room and managed to sneak his way into the line of thugs.
He carried a few crates with them and helped stack them up, slowly learning the room and figuring out what to do. He saw that there was a room marked 'Officers only' in the back, which he had to know more about it. He slipped off from the crowd and went into the door to find a gas heater. He grinned as he lit a match, knowing this would solve his problem of having to fight. He put the match on the edge of the tank and walked out.
He managed to sneak back into the crowd of thugs, to which he thought this was all too easy, and helped to carry some more crates. In a matter of a few minutes and explosion happened.
BOOM!
And the door was thrown off the hinges and crushed three thugs. The rest freaked out and ran around in chaos trying to figure what just happened. Thoice used the chaos to sneak over to the door he noticed much sooner, and to his surprise, the door was unlocked. He let himself in and hugged the wall as he begun to walk down a nicely paved corridor.
"Man, this is a far too easy mission" he said to himself, as the lights flickered above him and the corridor seemed to stretch on for what seemed a lifetime. Finally he reached the end, and he opened the door and walked inside.
There was a large bear sitting down in a desk and two rabbits standing next to the desk. The rabbits had their ears slightly torn off, one had an eye patch. The both carried a small fire arm and a melee weapon. The rabbit on the left had a sword and the other rabbit had an axe. The both were dressed in suits, one green and the other blue. The room had a homey feel to it, like a room for an important CEO.
"Ah, yes. Thoice is it?" the bear asked. "Don't be alarmed, I've been waiting for you all night. Sierra was supposed to pass that information to you much sooner…" he digressed as the rabbits fidgeted with their weapons, both pointing a gun at Thoice.
"So I take it you're the kingpin, eh?" Thoice said calmly, as he took notice of his surroundings. Thinking back to the bearskin rug in Sierra's room and cursing himself for not connecting that sooner.
"Guilty. The name is Edgar Axel, but you can call me Eddy" the bear said, pouring himself a glass of scotch. "So, I think we both know I have to kill you. But let us be civilized for a few minutes" he said as he took a drink.
"A villain who is polite, I must have fallen down the rabbit hole" Thoice joked, as the rabbits flinched at a mention of their race "I am here to kill you, yes. But I want to know why you think I shouldn't." Thoice said calmly.
"Oh, I won't argue. But I'm curious." Edgar admitted "Why aren't you scared of their guns? Most people would be begging for me to spare them at this point" Edgar asked as he took another drink.
"Because they won't hit me. Come on Eddy, we both know I'm here for a reason. They want you to die, and I'm the guy to do it" Thoice said, taking a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting a match to it as he took a puff. He coughed at the smoke and threw the cigarette on the ground and stomped on it. "Sorry Eddy, I wanted to try something new. I guess I'll never get used to that" he laughed.
"You certainly are a character, I'm only sorry it's under these circumstances…." Edgar said apologetically as he nodded to the rabbits. They flicked the safety on their guns and aimed at Thoice. "Like I said, you have to die. Nothing personal" Edgar said.
"None taken" Thoice said, as he grabbed his knife in his belt loop. "Just don't cry when things turn against you" he said, as he threw the knife at the rabbit on the left. The knife embedded itself into the rabbits head, and he fell back, squeezing a round out his gun into the other rabbit, which fell over dead firing a round to the left of Thoice.
"Damn it! Those two were my closest men" Edgar cursed.
"Before I kill you too, I need to know why." Thoice said, walking up to the desk. "Why kill innocent people in the streets? What does that accomplish?"
"Innocent? Innocent!" Edgar shouted "There are no innocent people in this city! It is a seedy hell where sin and lust live freely. Those so called 'Liberty League' are nothing more than a hopeful group of freaks that want to be the ones in power. By killing me, you won't be any closer to saving this city!" Edgar said powerfully.
Thoice laughed at the bear's accusation "Eddy! I don't care. This isn't my city anymore than it is yours. Let it be a hell. I was asked to kill you, and that is literally all I care about. I'll live at peace afterwards. Between you and me, I'm done with this life. I just want to be able to sit in my kitchen, enjoy a cup of tea and not have to be sent out to end lives anymore. It really tires one out" Thoice admitted, gesturing at the bear to get up.
"You will regret mocking me!" the bear swore, as he knocked over his desk and leapt at Thoice. Thoice rolled out of the way and swung a kick into the bear's back. Edgar roared in pain and turned to Thoice, unsheathing his claws and swinging madly at him.
"Christ, this bear has me out classed done in both weight and strength. If he can land just one good hit on me, I could be done" Thoice grinned, as he dodged and placed his left hand into his left pocket. He fumbled in the large space to find a small vial in there. He pulled it out and rolled behind Edgar during a reckless charge made at Thoice. In that exact moment where Edgar's back looked back, Thoice took the vial and dipped his left claw into the solution. He then put the vial back and rushed in to engage Edgar in combat.
"Brave, or very foolish!" Edgar roared as he swung down at Thoice, who sidestepped the swing and slashed at the bear's ribs with his left claw. The poison seeped into the bear's body, and Thoice rolled away to avoid being swung at anymore.
Thoice then leaned against the wall and looked back at Edgar and said "Poor Eddy, your done" he said, wishing that he could smoke the cigarette now.
"You fool! It would take more than one hit to bring me down!" the bear roared as he stepped towards Thoice, his left foot crumbling under him as he hit the floor. "What! What is happening to me!" The bear demanded.
"That, is me. I poisoned you with my claw. You have roughly thirty seconds of life left after it hit your heart, so enjoy the last few minutes of your life." Thoice said, as he walked over to the bear to watch the effects.
"You… may of …. Gotten me…." The bear struggled to say, his breathing becoming more and more ragged and his limbs falling limp to the floor "But… I'm …. Not …. The…. Last" he said, as he passed into the beyond, a peaceful look taking his face while at the same time, looking horrified as if he had seen the gates to hell.
"Wonder what that meant?" Thoice asked himself, as he rummaged through Edgar's suit for any Intel, taking the mental imagery of Edgar's distorted face to memory. He found a note in there with an address on it, and a picture of some lynx tied to a chair. "Oh yeah, Sierra had a father. Let's go get him… I guess" Thoice said, as he took to the door to walk out of there.
A few minutes passed, and Thoice found himself back on the city's streets, with one kingpin's corpse decomposing below him. He had begun to walk down the street to a run-down building complex, which matched the address on his note. He walked in the door and looked around. The place looked like it had been abandoned for years, "No sign of really anyone. Still, worth a look I guess" he said as he walked up the staircase.
He walked into a few rooms, but they all were torn down and beaten rooms. He had given up finding anything as he opened the last door. There, on a decomposed bed, was a corpse. It had skeletonized, but he could tell it was a lynx. He felt a tear forming in his eye, knowing he would have to tell Sierra that he found her father dead. "But… then again, how do I know it is him?" he asked himself, as he walked over to the clothed skeleton. He looked in its shirt pocket and found a picture of Sierra, but the picture crumbled into dust as soon as he figured that out. "Damn, how long had he been dead?" Thoice said, as he grabbed some heart-shaped locket out of the corpse's hand. He opened the locket and saw a picture of some female lynx, who Thoice assumed was Sierra's mother. Beneath her was a date, showing that she had been dead for some time.
"Romantic, but sadly useless. I guess I'll go break the news to Sierra and then I can tell the Liberty League that I'm done with this gig." He said hopefully, as he left the room. He turned back at the door way and shed a tear for the dead man, having felt that he wanted nothing more than to be a good father, and Thoice cherished the man's memory. He then left the building and went back to Sierra's estate.
He went into the main room and found that Sierra had awoken and sat there watching the fireplace. Her ears pivoted back and she turned to look at Thoice. Tears were still visible on her face, and it looked like she had been crying for some time. "THOICE!" she cried out, as she ran over to him and gave him a hug "I thought I had lost you!" she said, her tears freely flowing from her as she held him close.
"Sierra…." He said calmly "I told you nothing bad was going to happen to me…." He said, knowing that this night was only going to get rougher. "Can we sit down, I've been exerting myself a fair bit today" he joked and they sat down.
"So, tell me what happened handsome" she teased, as she sat there with her legs crossed as she looked right at him with innocent and hopeful eyes.
"Well… I killed the kingpin Edgar. And then I found he had a note in his pocket… so I followed the lead and well… I found your father…" Thoice said, with his heart sinking at what was about to happen.
"You did! Where is daddy?" she said hopefully, almost jumping up with joy.
"You never told me how long they had him…." Thoice said "He was nothing more than a skeleton when I found him. In his hand was this…" Thoice said as he reached into his pocket and handed the locket to Sierra. She opened it and looked at the picture and she looked like she had just been shot. Her eyes widened, and then tears formed over the edge. She then lost it and started to bawl crying to her mother and father, completely beyond reconcile.
Thoice just sat there, not quite sure what to do. He let her cry for a few minutes while he sat there thinking about the kingpin's last words. Finally Sierra stopped crying and said "…Thank you Thoice…. At least now I can live in peace" she said, a grin showed on her face for a second covered by a new stream of tears.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save him…" Thoice said, not sure what else to say. "You want to talk about them?" he asked.
"No… you don't need to know about them. Just thank you Thoice. You're a good friend" she said, as she got up and walked over to him. She gave him a hug and then wore the locket.
"Looks good on you" Thoice said, trying to cheer her up.
"Yeah… it was my mother's…. But after she died, dad wore it in remembrance of her. And now that dad is dead…. Well" she said, almost sad that she seemed to be predicting what happens next.
The next few hours passed, they drank together and chatted in happy topics, all in memory of those who had died. Thoice drank only water, while Sierra drank some red wine the entire night, seeming to be less pale with each glass. They laughed and told jokes to each other until the wee hours in the morning.
"Well… it has been great Sierra, but I have to go contact the Liberty League… I will see you around though" he said, as he hugged her good bye and left.
"Don't be a stranger now, ya hear!" she called out, as she went inside and closed the door.
Time passed, and Thoice finally entered the secret base of the Liberty League. A large red squirrel sat behind a desk and a turtle and a fox stood in the room. They greeted him, and Thoice told them what he had done.
"Well done Thoice. I mean, really! Well done. Maybe now we can save this city!" The squirrel said, happiness pouring out of his words. The turtle and fox also cheered, Thoice said that it was nothing and then left.
He walked down the street, the sun just starting to peak up over the horizon. Sleep finally seemed to eat away at Thoice. He found an inn and checked in to a room and sat on his bed.
"Well, at least I can work on clearing my conscious now…" he said, thinking about the lives he ended tonight and the friendship he made with Sierra. He lay in bed, and passed into dreamland.
3 years later
Thoice awoke in his small cottage outside the city, where he had been alone from civilization for about three years now. He and Sierra had become close friends since then. The Liberty League had been working around the clock to clean the city, and it showed. The city was actually somewhere that people were proud to call home. Crime was at an all time low, and people were happy for once.
A knock wrapped at his door, so Thoice walked over and opened the door. Sierra stood there wearing a lovely blue dress and had a white umbrella over her.
"Aw, Thoice. You said you'd be ready by now" she chastised him.
"Wait… what?" he said, looking at his watch. "Oh snap! Sorry, I overslept." He said, and invited Sierra in. "Please, make yourself at home. I'll be ready in a sec." he said, running off to the bedroom. He hoped into the shower and quickly got ready for the day, and got dressed and met her back in the living room.
Sierra was there looking at the pictures of them on the counter. She had insisted on them taking pictures as their friendship grew. And three years of their friendship showed on the counter in eight distinguished pictures of them. Thoice's favorite was the one of the two of them kissing as the sun set over a hill. They were next to a tree, and had Sierra's friend Sammy take the picture.
"Come on, Sammy is waiting" she said, as she gave him a kiss. The two then walked outside, she opened her umbrella back up to protect herself from the sun, for she had very sensitive skin. The two then walked back to town. Sammy had been waiting on them for a few weeks to come back, Sammy being the leader of the Liberty League. Although Thoice technically wasn't a member, Sierra was and he often used Sierra to get Thoice to help them from time to time.
"Look, Sierra. I really don't want to go on another mission. The kingpin murder was the last time I want to kill anyone" he said, having grown a pacifistic nature since then. Memories of Edgar coughing up his last words still haunted Thoice in his dreams, and he had been carefully trying to forget his past.
"Don't worry Thoice, Sammy just wants to reward you for what you have done for the city" she said, as she made him pick up the pace to the city. They reached the mayor's residence in a few minutes and went inside.
A pair of armed foxes were at the door, their guns held in their hands. They looked and noticed Thoice and Sierra and let them pass, as they were very well known. The two went up the staircase to the main room. Sammy sat behind a podium, and he saw Thoice and got up to say.
"Greeting hero, and of course greetings to you Sierra. The two of you still look cuter with each passing day" he teased to them, having been one to frequently suggest that the two date.
"What do you want Sammy?" Thoice said, hating the squirrel for mentioning that again. Thoice had wanted to date Sierra for a little over a year now, but Sierra wasn't ready for commitment. She still was sad from the loss of her family and she valued Thoice as a friend too much. Still, she gave him a kiss on his birthday, which Thoice was able to look at every morning in the picture.
"Thoice, no surprise. I need you to do one last thing for us. Turns out there is a faction of the old kingpin's men moving around. They want to cite a rebellion, and I need you to quell them." Sammy had begun said.
"No." Thoice interjected.
"What Thoice means to say is that he will think about it" Sierra said quickly, nudging Thoice in the arm.
"Look Thoice, they have some crazed hedgehog as their leader. He named himself 'Toppler' as a warning to us that he is going to topple the estate." Sammy said worriedly.
"And I told you Sammy, I was done after Edgar. I don't want to kill again" Thoice said.
"I really didn't want to have to pull this card…" Sammy said, as he grabbed an envelope and slid it across the table to Thoice.
Thoice grabbed the envelope and looked inside, and saw some documents and most importantly a picture. It was of a male lynx. He seemed to be bloodied and bruised, but very much so alive.
"Who is this?" Thoice swore at Sammy.
"That…" Sammy begun to say as Sierra looked over Thoice's shoulder.
"FATHER!" she exclaimed, grabbing the picture from Thoice. Thoice looked at Sammy with murder in his eyes.
"Why would you show me that?" Thoice demanded.
"Because… he lives." Sammy said, as Sierra looked up at Sammy. "Their leader sent us that picture as a way to get to you. He wants to avenge Edgar's death… and that would mean you. He is willing to trade you for the lynx" Sammy said cautiously.
"… Thoice? I love and miss my dad dearly… but please…" Sierra begun to say.
"I'll do it. Where do I have to go?" Thoice said, as Sierra interjected but he silenced her.
"Go to where you killed Edgar, they will be waiting for you there" Sammy said, and Sierra had tears rolling down her eyes as she followed Thoice out of the building, begging him not to do it.
"Please Thoice, your life isn't worth my father's. You are something the people worship around here… and I would miss you too much!" she said, among other things. After a few minutes of letting her vent, Thoice finally said.
"Sierra. I want to. I'm tired of living with the guilt of murder in my head. And getting your father back, that will only make my sacrifice that much better" he said, as he quickly injected her with a sleeping poison. She cursed him as she slumped against the wall. Thoice carried her into the nearby building, and asked the resident to watch over here. He then went to the caves where he ended his last life.
Thoice walked past the torches and dirt floor, past the room with the giant explosion still in the wall, and down the corridor towards the room where he killed Edgar. He opened a door and sitting there, on a chair was a hedgehog.
The hedgehog was green with a cut across his face. He was wearing a suit, nothing too fancy but still better dressed than Thoice thought he would be. He had a sword on his belt and he stood up as Thoice walked in. In the corner was a lynx tied to the wall with his mouth gagged. Thoice recognized it as Sierra's father, after seeing so many pictures from Sierra over the years.
"So, you're the man who killed Edgar. My pupil. I thought you would be… I dunno, more menacing?" the hedgehog teased.
"What you see is what you get. Now free the lynx and take me." Thoice said, willing to die.
"Oh… ya see. I decided why not strike two birds down with one stone" the hedgehog said, as he threw a knife into the lynx. The knife hit the lynx right in the neck, where the lynx gurgled as blood seeped out of his neck. In one of the most painful looking deaths ever, the lynx slowly died. His arms and legs flailing as the blood poured out of the neck. His eyes shot wildly around the room and he could only gurgle. In his last few seconds of life, he looked at Thoice and his eyes seemed to say "I'm sorry" as he died.
"Now that he is done, I want to kill you. You know an eye for an eye and all that" the hedgehog said as he pulled his sword out.
"You. What is your name?" Thoice asked calmly, feeling the anger and rage flow through him.
"Oh me? I am Nigel. And I am the last thing you'll see" Nigel teased as he played with his sword.
"When I killed Edgar, I was saddened by the death. I murdered a man in a painful way, and for some reason I felt that I killed the wrong man. His death haunted me in my dreams for several years now. I almost regret what I did. But you… you I won't mind killing." Thoice said as he took out a vial and clearly dipped his claws in it. "If I cut you even once, you can share the same death Edgar took" Thoice said venomously, as Nigel seemed a little worried.
"But you'd have to hit me" the hedgehog teased, as he rushed towards Thoice at a blinding speed. Thoice rolled out of the way and swung where the hedgehog should have been, but wasn't. Nigel was on the other side of the room laughing. "You'll never hit me if you swing that slow" he laughed as he rushed at Thoice to attempt to cut him again.
Thoice swore and begun dodging Nigel with every swing and attempting to lay just one cut into his enemy. Time passed, and Thoice was starting to tire. Nigel only seemed to get faster as time passed. "I have to end this soon, or else I die for nothing" Thoice thought frantically. The idea hit him and he realized what he had to do.
Nigel rushed towards Thoice yet again, and instead of dodging, Thoice threw his body into the blade. He felt the sword cut straight threw him, but in that action Thoice swung with both his claws and hacked away at Nigel's body. The blood poured fiercely from Nigel, who kicked away from Thoice as Thoice hit the ground on his knees. The blood poured out of his chest, and his breathing becoming ragged. His eyes flickered as the blood loss made him tired, and the room grew dark.
"F*ck! You son of a b*tch!" Nigel swore, as he limped towards Thoice wanting to cut him again. "At least you die with me, you ugly f*ck! I poisoned my blade just as well." Nigel smirked as he hit the ground and died from the rapid spread of the poison. A twisted smile on the dead hedgehog's face.
"Oh… I'm not …. Dying from …. You" Thoice said, as he took out a bottle and dripped its contents into his wound. The pain blinded him and he screamed from the pain, and lay back as he blacked out from the pain. The vial shattered against the floor.
THOICE!
Thoice looked around and saw he was lying on the floor still, but he was alive. He looked at his wound. The bleeding seemed to of long stopped and was all clotted up. He felt incredibly weak and looked over to see Nigel still lying there, dead and smiling. The sight almost haunted him.
"Thoice, oh my! You're alive!" Sierra cried as she kneeled next to him and helped him sit up. She hugged him and said "I thought you were dead!" as she cried into him.
"I…" he coughed some blood up "…I said I wouldn't die so easily" he said. As she laughed at his stubbornness. She helped him up and the two walked over to the wall. Thoice leaned against it.
"Wait…" he said, his mind finally putting pieces together as he watched Sierra walk over to her slain father and shed some tears to the figure. She then walked over to Nigel and stabbed him with his own sword. "Sierra… how do you know where I was?" Thoice asked.
"Never mind that, we need to get going. Nigel had a backup plan in case you lived!" she said, as she grabbed him and lead him into a back door in the back of the room. The two walked through the tunnel, while Thoice tried to piece this together.
"I was so worried when they sent Nigel after you, and yet you stubbornly went after him. Also, you f*cking drugged me again" she said angrily, shooting him a venomously look.
"Look, Sierra… I'm sorry" he said, coughing up some more blood. "But… still. How do you know all this?" he asked.
"I said never you mind. I'm just trying to help you live. And you won't in your condition. Here, lets rest here." She said, as they came into a clearing. She helped Thoice down to the ground and he lay there just trying to stay conscious.
"Do you trust me?" she asked him with her innocent eyes.
"Sierra… I always have" he admitted. She reached into his inner jacket pocket and grabbed one of his needles.
"Then, understand how sorry I am for this" she said, as she stabbed him in the stomach.
"Sierra!" he said, as his eyes grew heavy. The sedative was surging throughout his body.
"I'm sooo sorry Thoice!" she cried to him, tears rolling off her face as he passed out.
BOOM!
An explosion happened and Thoice quickly sat up. Sierra was across from him, next to a hole in the wall. They had apparently managed to set an explosion up in the wall, and then she looked over to Thoice.
"Good you're awake. I was worried I might have to carry you" she teased as she walked over to help him up.
"Uhm… yeah thanks" he said, still dazed. Some hunger seemed to claw away at him, but he dismissed it and looked around. "Sierra… what are we doing?"
"We are escaping silly" she said, as she kissed his cheek and pulled him along with her through the door she made.
Thoice followed her, as he inspected his wound. He seemed to of fully healed, whereas Sierra seemed to have a slight limp in her step.
"Sierra, are you hurt?" he asked.
"Oh, what? No… probably just got hit by the explosion" she said distractedly.
"Oh… well what about me. I didn't know you knew first aid" he admitted.
"I dabbled…." She said "Thoice, I just don't want to lose you." She said.
"I told you, you won't" he said to her, and she smiled and said that they needed to pick up the pace. So they made a faster pace. A few hours passed, Thoice was starving, but he didn't bring anything up.
"Ok, I think we are here" she said, as she opened a door in front of her. They walked out to see a sea cove. The ocean was rolling into this cove, and it seemed very peaceful. There was the beautiful sea water lining up into the cove, rolling into the far reach in the back. The smell of the sea water gave the entire cove a salty smell, the same as a sailor would be well accustomed to. There was a carefully lined walkway up to the left that seemed to of been here for years before.
They were about a good mile up above the sea, and it was a thin walkway. The light had all but illuminated the cove, as the reflection of the moon seemed to shine from the water, given Thoice the faint impression of the physical structure of the cove. She walked up the left path and pulled Thoice with her.
"Sierra… where are we?" he asked.
"Never you mind" she said, and had him follow her as his mind buzzed with questions.
They got up to a small cottage off in the corner in the cave, she got Thoice inside.
"Ok, Sierra. Seriously. You need to talk to me. You found me in a place I never told you, then you lead me into a place I never knew and now we are down by the sea in some safe house. What is up?" he exclaimed.
"This was my dad's safe house… and it is somewhere Nigel's men don't know of" she said plainly.
"Fine, I'll let that slide. But how do you know about Nigel's men or what they know?" he asked.
"Because I was working with them…" she said sadly. "They had my father… remember Thoice!" she exclaimed.
"I remember I saw him die too" Thoice said, feeling sick from the memory.
"Well Nigel said that if I worked with him, that he would give me my father back. Well… time passed and he hadn't given dad back. But he learned of you through me… "She said as Thoice shot her an angry look "I'm sorry! Nigel cleverly manipulated me" she said with tears forming up.
'Fine! Whatever. So let me guess, he told you to lead me down there so he could kill me. You said no, and then when Sammy got around to it, you wanted me to not because you knew what would happen. I was to stubborn, and what happened, happened. Am I right?" Thoice deduced. She shook her head up and down to signify a yes. "Fine, I can live with that. I'm sorry Sierra" he said as he hugged her.
They hugged for a few minutes on the couch and then Sierra excused herself from him and went to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of wine and poured to glasses. She brought them back. "Here, drink this" she offered him one. Thoice took it and looked at it.
"You know I don't drink, right?" he said to her.
"I know, just trust me though. Please?" she asked.
"Fine, this once. But then I want some more answers" he said.
"Anything, I promise." She said.
Thoice took a drink and energy flushed through his body. He felt awake and as if he had a full night's sleep. His body felt at a hundred percent. "Whoa! What is in this stuff!" he said as he finished it.
"Secret family recipe" she teased, as she drank her glass.
"Fine, you can keep that secret. But you're going to talk about this whole deceitful thing." He said, his eyes getting heavy.
"Usually you'd be right. But you need some sleep first. Again… I'm sooooo incredibly sorry" she said as he blacked out again on the couch.
Wake up!
Sierra yelled at Thoice, as he awoke on the couch. She was panicking around the room, grabbing some guns and ammo. "Oh thank god your awake, I need you to help. Nigel's men are right outside. We need to fight them for our survival." She said.
"Uhm… yeah sure" he said, shaking himself awake and getting up. "I wish you'd stop drugging me" he said.
"Yeah, well now we are even" she smiled back as she handed him a gun.
"Do we have to?" he asked, the weapon of death sitting in his hand.
"I wish there was another way" she said to him, as she handed him a few bullets. "You know how to fire a rifle right?" she asked.
"Unfortunately" he admitted, as he loaded the weapon and stuffed the ammo in his pocket.
"Now let us finally earn our freedom" she said, opening the window and aiming down the path at the mass of troops.
"Sierra… those seem to be …. Wearing Liberty League outfits" Thoice said, seeing them.
"Thoice, they are disguised. Nigel was planning on sneaking them into the capital to take over, but now they want revenge" she said starting to shoot them.
"But what if they aren't!" Thoice reasoned, smacking Sierra's gun out of her hand.
"Thoice, trust me" she said, as she kissed him and then grabbed her gun. She started shooting at the troops, who started to shoot back as they ran up to the cottage.
Thoice stood there, dumbstruck by the kiss, and then trusting her he used his gun and started shooting at the targets.
Time passed and Thoice and Sierra were out of ammo, and the incoming army still had a fair number of them left.
"Thoice, follow me!" Sierra said, as she went out the side door, Thoice ran after her and the two ran across the cavern around the water.
"Sierra, do you have a plan?" Thoice asked her.
She looked at him with sad eyes and then looked forward and kept running. "That is never good" Thoice thought.
Behind them a large explosion happened at the cottage, sending pieces of the haven across the cove, lightening the entire place up in the gruesome color of red and orange, giving Thoice the impression he had passed from the eternal plain into the pits of Hell, but as he saw Sierra ahead of him he was able to reassure himself that he was very much still alive.
They got the end of the cove's path, looking right at a large pile of rocks that seemed to be teasing them that there was a safe place only behind them. Sierra grabbed and hugged Thoice.
"Sierra, we can still go on. I see a passageway behind you" Thoice said, seeing a trail behind her, lined next against the rocks.
"Thoice… I haven't been true the entire time. I've had to put on an act around you for the last three years… so I'm just going to come clean. Those were Liberty League members." She said, as Thoice pushed himself away from her in disgust. "Thoice, please, there is more. My father died, as you saw. But you saw him the first time. He died many years ago. Well before I meet you. I killed him." She said.
"Sierra…" Thoice said, as he stood on the ledge of the walkway that overlooked the sea.
"I killed him for initiation. My mother died before from illness, and my father was a bad man. He was a terrible father and unfortunately my only family. I killed him to gain entrance into the crime syndicate. Soon I worked my way up from a thug to a captain." She said, almost rushing to tell Thoice as much as she can, while fresh tears pooled under her eyes.
"But why Sierra?" Thoice said, his memories wanting to fight against everything she said.
"I had no choice. I needed freedom and power" she said "By the time the Liberty League hired you, I was used as the piece to kill you. But I meet you at the party and I couldn't help but fall in love with you" she said, blushing as she went to her past. Thoice blushed as well, but his anger and confusion quickly took over.
"So why not just kill me then!" he asked in anger.
"I loved you from first sight. I spent most of the night trying to get you to give up your mission so nothing would happen. You drugged me and got what you needed from me, but I was only following my orders from that point. I gave you the location to where you were suppose to die. But I was hoping the entire time you wouldn't die. I was going to follow you in there and help you… but your damn poison kept me from helping…" she said, but he didn't quite believe the last part. A part of Thoice felt she was telling him most of the truth, but there was something she clearly wasn't saying.
"What about your father's corpse I found afterwards!" Thoice asked.
"That was his body… yes. Edgar always found that picture of him tied up before his death to be a way to remind himself that I was a killer. That night he had that on his pocket, as well as the address of where I killed my father because he was going to move the base of operations there after they killed you." She admitted.
"Ok, and after I killed the kingpin?" Thoice asked.
"Then I became kingpin…" she admitted. "I used my connection to work with Nigel, as a way to topple those Liberty League members. But I also used you as a way to gain their trust. All while resisting falling in love with you… but in the end I couldn't" she said, crying as she blushed.
"Ok, so you lured me to kill Nigel why?" he demanded.
"Because Nigel wanted to kill you. I was hoping you would say no to such a ridiculous trade… but you didn't. You were being honorable and good, a reason I love you. I meant to stop you, but you drugged me from helping you again…" she said, still it sounded like she was only telling part of the truth.
"Ok… and so why didn't Nigel kill me?" he asked
"Oh he tried. He used poison on his blade to kill you, and he had his uncanny speed. But he knew you wouldn't fight him unless provoked. So he murdered a look alike of my father to get your rage, but unfortunately your rage was too much for him. He died and my loose end was tied up. I ran down there to get you so we start a life together as members in the city." She admitted, smiling for a minute while she thought about it "But, upon seeing your condition and what happened… I realized we would never be able to live together. So I helped you flee with me. But you were dying from the fight…." She said remorsefully.
"So, you killed your own father. Why should my life be any better!" he said heatedly, torn between loving her and hating her.
"I actually loved you, unlike my father. So I slipped you some of your own poison to yourself and cured you from death" she said bluntly, failing to extrapolate any further. "Then I sent a message ahead to prepare some transport for you…" she said, her story gaining massive plot holes.
"Ok…. What transport" he nervously asked, unsure what power she had now.
"I then lead you down the secret tunnel to my family's special cove" she said, ignoring his question "We hid out at our special cottage. Unfortunately, the Liberty League figured our trail out to fast and we had to flee" she said.
"What was that wine you gave me?" Thoice demanded, remembering the power of the wine.
"And now here we are my love." She said ignoring him again, as she walked up to him. "I've always loved you Thoice, do you love me?" she asked
"Damn it Sierra…. I don't know right now" he said angrily "Up until about five minutes ago, I loved you unconditionally… but now learning about what you did… I'm a little…." He said as she leaned in and kissed him.
Their tongues danced over each other and she held him close and he returned the gesture. Their passion was unmatched, and Thoice felt as if he was leaving his body with the bliss that filled him. He didn't even care how much she betrayed him at this point, everything was just perfect. As they kissed and held each other, Sierra placed the locket into Thoice's hand, and he grabbed and held it dearly as he enjoyed the passion they shared between their beings.
"I'm so sorry love, but we can't be together" she said as she pulled away….
…And pushed him into the sea below.
"SIERRA!" Thoice yelled as he fell into the sea below, thoughts racing around his head. "I love you so much Sierra" was the last thought that crossed his mind as he hit a steel coffin set floating in the water.
His body broke upon impact, but his hand never let go of the locket as it fell limp against his corpse. A large seal took a welding torch and welded the top of the coffin on, and then kicked the coffin out to sea, where it started to sink into the briny depths below. Then the seal leapt into the water and swam away from the cove.
Sierra looked down from the Cliffside, tears pouring down her face as she ran into the passageway behind her as the explosive charges went off and the passageway sealed off.
Well, there it is. Done. Totaling almost 10,000 words... so my biggest chapter written, PERIOD so far. I have a forum link up and going, so if you want to contribute your own original character into the story please do. All my own rules and shiz are there... the link is on my profile page...
ALSO, i have a poll on my profile page, it'd be lovely if you'd come by and visit it. Asides from that, i really can't ask for anything else.
Uhm, that aside, Rate and Review this work. If you love it, favorite it and such. I look forward to the feedback.
Love,
Steven 'ZiGeNaToR' Ziegler