The air was filled with the chaotic sounds of battle. Occasionally an artillery shell would strike the castle, sending stone, dust, and debris hurling to the floor below, creating quite the mess of the expansive, shadowy throne-room. In the center of the massive space, two heroes, a young lynx and a lilac-furred cat, battled against a large, humanoid creature clad in armor of the darkest black, with a purple cape which flowed behind it. The creature wielded a massive sword which seemed to swallow all light it touched.
"Your efforts are futile," said the demon-king in a booming voice. "This world and yours will be mine!"
"You will never win, you monster!" retorted the purple feline. The lynx followed up with a rude hand gesture.
"Yeah, up yours, pal! This ain't over yet!" he shouted.
The creature swung downwards towards the lynx, who cursed and leapt back before swinging in with his own sword. Having lesser skill with the blade, the blow was easily blocked. In the lynx's other hand was a massive revolver, which he quickly brought to bear against the demon, but was knocked out of his hand. The lynx fell backwards from the force of the blow and began pushing himself away from the dark creature, who moved in for the killing blow. Once more, the demon-king raised his great sword and brought it hurling towards the defenseless man below.
"No!" screamed the cat, who hurled a ball of flame at the demon and lunged…
XXX
Hi! My name's Sky. Sky the Lynx. You might have guessed it by now, but that moron lying on the floor waiting to be killed is me. I'm many things: the best pilot to ever live, an epic adventurer, a master of the poker table, and a lover of the ladies. But as you can see here, I'm no swordsman.
Thankfully I have the beautiful princess, Blaze, backing me up. She's that gorgeous kitty throwing heaters at the bad guy. Of course, you probably already knew that, seeing as she's one of the "official" heroes who gets to be in video games, comic books, and- Ah, whatever, I'm rambling.
So look, you wanna know how some unimportant chump like me ended up sword-fighting a demon-king in a crumbling castle? Well, strap in buddy, because this one's going to be a doozy! This whole fiasco started about a week ago when me and my boy Jax were out and about, just engaging in some harmless, everyday hooliganism…
XXX
"…Seriously?" Sky panted after such heavy exertion. It had taken the two pilots an eternity to get to the end of the cavern, which had been filled with booby traps, unstable bridges over bottomless pits, a blind monk, and more than a few heavily-armed robotic pirates. What's worse, the entirety of the cavern's floor was coated in a rancid, oily substance of which its origin was unknown.
"What?" Asked the blue lizard standing next to him, Jax. The pair were identically dressed, with leather bomber jackets, scarves, thick gloves, and knee-high boots. Both of them had a good slavering of the aforementioned oil on their legs, arms, and torsos.
"Whaddya mean, 'what'?! A ring?! You drug me out to the middle of nowhere for a simple ring?! This thing is probably only worth like, what, two hundred bucks?!" Sky asked in exasperation, gesturing to the simple, silver ring on the pedestal in the center of the circular chamber in which they stood. There was no doubt that this ring was the main attraction, because is was illuminated by a single beam of sunlight which shone through a narrow tunnel in the ceiling. The only other things of significance in the room were two stone dragon heads on the back wall, and there was no way the lynx was going to try hauling them back to the plane. Beside him, Jax shrugged.
"Look, man, you heard that monk back there! This thing has some sort of special power or something! It could be as powerful as a sol emerald for all we know!"
"Yeah, I'm feeling the power oozing from the walls. Oh, my bad, that's just this god-awful slime!" Retorted Sky sarcastically. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed before moving towards the platform. He saw no pressure plates like before, so it seemed safe enough. "Whatever. We came all this way, might as well get it-."
"They be this way!" a mechanized voice rang out from far down the hall from whence the two troublemakers had come.
"They shot Avery! Kill 'em!" came another. The sounds of metal boots clanking on the hard floor could be heard as well. Jax reached onto his hip for his revolver, a beastly thing with a long barrel and more than enough power to be a threat.
"Sky, hurry up! We've got company!" the lizard warned with just a little fear in his voice. Sky drew his own cannon and without thinking, swiped the ring from the pedestal. At first, nothing happened, which raised his hopes that there would be a-
From the open maws of the two dragons on the wall spurted two jets of flame. When the fire made contact with the cloudy oil on the floor, the mystery substance lit up like a firework. The blaze began spreading rapidly, but not so rapidly that the two pilots couldn't outrun it.
-Trap. There was always a trap! Sky yelped in surprise, feeling the heat of the flames licking at his boots, before turning tail and sprinting away. Jax looked back, and once he discovered the flames, ran as well.
"You idiot!" yelled Jax as they ran back down the way they came, through a narrow, rocky corridor. When they'd first come in, it had been dark, but now it held a flickering orange glow from the flames just a few yards back. "Why didn't you check for traps?!"
"We don't have the luxury of time here!" Sky shouted back through labored breathing, occasionally slipping on the oil. "Get ready for a fight!"
At this rate, they'd run right into the blood-thirsty reinforcements of the pirates they'd killed on the way in. And lo and behold, they were right! They came to the end of the tunnel, which abruptly opened up to a gaping chasm. High above, they could see the blue sky between the imposing cliff walls. Below them was a rapidly-flowing river, some two hundred feet below. On the other side, about fifty yards away, was another tunnel similar to the one they'd just come out of, connected only by an ancient bridge constructed with rotting boards and frayed ropes. Across the gap, several armed robots jogged out of the tunnel and stopped. There was nothing as the two groups stared at each other in silence. Then, their captain, who was much larger than the rest and wore an ornate hat, stomped to the front. The others stepped aside to let him through. The captain let out a hearty laugh and rested his hand-held cannon on his shoulder.
"Well, would ye look at what we've got here, boys? Seems we've got a couple-a rats aboard!" he chuckled lowly. The other bots followed along with their own laughter, and both pilots gulped. The pilots were definitely outmatched. Sky and Jax looked back, and saw the roaring flames fast approaching as well. The duo was trapped between two equally unappealing ways to die.
"What now?" Jax hissed to the lynx beside him. Sky's brown eyes scanned frantically for a way out.
"I-I don't know! Stall them!" he hissed back. Jax grumbled and stepped forward, raising his hands.
"H-Hey, look! We're, uh, really sorry about your pals and all!" Jax called to the pirates, who snarled audibly.
"Yar! Ye killed our crew! Don't think ye can weasel yer way outta this, ye scurvy-infested curs!" Boomed one of the pirates. Jax groaned silently and continued regardless.
"Yeah, but, that just comes with the territory and all! Piracy and treasure hunting are dangerous business! What if we just cut a deal? Or something?" Asked the lizard, desperately looking back at the approaching flames, and Sky slipping the ring onto one of his gloved fingers. His friend hadn't done much else, which worried him. On the other side, at least, the pirates seemed to be pondering his words. The captain stepped forward again.
"Aye, a trade, then? If ye give us the ring, we'll let ye pass!" offered the robot. Jax looked back at Sky, who shook his head no. Jax agreed. Pirates could never be trusted. As soon as they got the ring, they'd quickly slaughter the two. That ring was their ace in the sleeve. They needed to hold onto it in order to get out alive.
"N-No, I don't think that'll work-!"
"Ye have no choice, far as I can tell. The fire's creepin' up. You're runnin' outta time."
"Crap. Sky? Got anything?" Jax whispered, looking back to the lynx. His eyes widened when he saw Sky raising his revolver. "No! No! No! No! Don't-!"
BLAM!
The bullet barely missed the captain, instead striking a lackey, who flew back into the wall from the force of the bullet. Jax yelled and cursed as he ran back into the tunnel. More bullets and even a cannonball from the captain's weapon struck around him, sending rock and dirt flying every which way and rattling the tunnel dangerously. Jax pressed himself up against the wall and crouched behind Sky, who was firing off potshots across the gap. The pirates retreated into their own tunnel, but still brought their guns to bear on the pilots. More bullets and cannon shot slammed against the walls, causing Sky to duck back in. Jax punched his shoulder.
"That was your plan?!" the lizard roared, looking back at the flames, which were starting to make the tunnel nice and toasty. Sky shrugged.
"Not my fault you're a bad negotiator-!"
"Cut the rope, ye fools! Let 'em burn!" the captain's voice could be heard yelling from the other side. Soon after followed the sounds of ancient ropes snapping from the strike of a sword, and a booming crash that could only be the one bridge out of here crashing into the side of the cliff. Both pilots swore and peeked their heads around the corner. Sure enough, there was no more bridge. It was only connected on their side, swaying violently against the imposing rock wall to the raging river below. The two pilots looked to each other and groaned.
"Hell, what now?!" Jax asked, having to inch up to keep the flames from catching his jacket on fire. Sky growled and looked around frantically. The pirates were on the other side, still firing on them. It was impossible to go across. The only way he could think of was either up or down. But there was no way they'd have the strength to climb such a steep incline. That only left down, and it was a harrowing fall to the bottom. Unless…
"I got it! Get to the bridge and try climbing down. It's gotta be close enough to the bottom to jump from. I'll cover you! Go!" Sky hissed. Jax rolled his eyes and went prone, crawling towards the edge while firing his revolver at the pirates. They fired back, and bullets began slamming into the ground around him, stinging his face with the little chunks of rock that flew up in response. But he kept going. A bullet was a much better alternative to burning. Sky poked around the corner and began firing as well, which took the pressure off Jax immensely. The lizard peered over the edge and found that Sky was right in that the bridge nearly reached the bottom. But the ropes were rotted along with the boards. There'd be no guarantee that the whole thing wouldn't collapse and send him plummeting! Heart in his throat, he none the less swung his legs over the edge and began descending, using the wooden slats as rungs on a ladder. Above, he could hear Sky firing back on the pirates. It took the pressure off him, but occasionally a bullet would strike near him, forcing him to descend faster. Every few steps, a board would snap, sending him tumbling a few feet. This was insane! Why had he ever thought of coming here?!
"Why did I let that idiot drag me out here?!" Sky grunted as he ducked back into cover to reload. The flames were beginning to lick at his jacket, forcing him to inch closer to the edge of the corner. Any further and he would be in direct line of sight of the pirates. The flames didn't feel that hot to him, but he chalked that up to his thick, leather clothing. It would give him a precious few seconds. He just needed to wait until Jax was safely at the bottom. He leaned around the corner, placing one hand on the wall to steady himself, and raising the revolver in his other. He let off three carefully aimed shots at a group of pirates who had mustered enough courage to peek around their own cover. He was pretty sure he grazed one, but other than that they ducked away again unharmed. He had to conserve ammunition. He probably only had two cylinders left worth of bullets in his coat pocket, plus three in the can right now- fifteen shots.
"Come on! Where's your A-game?!" Sky called out angrily, his ears pinning back against his head, and fired off another shot. "Make a line! You'll all get your turn!"
If he'd been paying attention, he would have realized that the oil on his boots had just caught fire. For some odd reason, he couldn't feel it. The flames moved on to his trousers, then to his jacket. Only then did he realize what was happening and let out a terrified scream as he dove away from the flames, right into the line of fire. He danced and rolled, trying to avoid bullets whilst engulfed in flames. Instinctively, he rolled away from the gunfire, right back into the flames. Instinctively, he began screaming in pain… only to find that he felt none.
"The hell?" he whispered to himself, peeking his eyes open to find that besides the oil, the fire seemed to be ignoring him entirely. In fact, it felt sort of pleasant, as if he were taking a warm bath. He looked to the ring in shock. Could this thing-?
"SKY! SHOOT! THE DAMN! PIRATES!" Jax's voice rang out, bringing Sky back to the present. Sky quickly got back on his feet and sent a few more shots across the canyon, still marveling at how the fire did not affect him. The pirates took notice as well, momentarily holding their fire to point and whisper. But it didn't last. Sky ducked back down as more shots came his way. He needed to get out of here.
The lynx took a deep breath, counted to three, and darted from cover, firing wildly at the other side, who once again retreated into cover. Sky raced for the bridge, stowing his revolver away and grasping one of the ropes that ran the length of it before hopping off the edge. Then, he was sliding, with more bullets whizzing past his ears. One even tore through the loose fabric of his jacket, causing him to yelp and momentarily let go as he plummeted for the river below, still on fire. He regained control after his mini heart attack and looked back up.
"Oh my gooooo-!" he began screaming as he saw the flames beginning to burn the last anchors. He could feel the robe rattling in his hands. The snapping noises grew in intensity. Just a little further! Just a little-!
His whole world seemed to move in slow motion. He could no longer feel the tautness of the rope as the anchors themselves collapsed. He was weightless, falling backwards, arms uselessly grasping the air, and on fire. The rest of the bridge began following after him. Was this it? Was this where he died?! On some unknown island in the middle of nowhere, fighting for a useless ring that in the end would be worth nothing? He could hear himself screaming at the top of his lungs, but it sounded so detached and far away that he could have sworn it was someone else's voice. Just how far was he from the water-?
Darkness.
He didn't know how long he'd been out, but when he came to, he was aware of someone's arm wrapped around his torso in a death grip. He was cold, and there was a loud roaring in his ears.
"…KY!" a muffled voice shouted in the distance. He slowly blinked his eyes open and immediately shut them again from the blinding sunlight. He needed to sleep. Just take a quick nap. That would be nice. His head hurt like hell. His everything hurt like hell. Just… Needed… Some… Rest…
"SKY!" The voice called out once more, this time clear as day and right next to him. His eyes snapped open as he began to recall where he was and what he was doing there began rushing back to him. He twisted and jerked around in the grip of the unknown speaker, but calmed when he saw it was Jax, pulling him through the river. They'd exited the canyon and were now in the middle of a lush jungle.
"…Jax?" Sky mumbled in confusion. Jax glanced around frantically and shook the lynx some more.
"Sky, wake the hell up! They're still after us! We gotta get back to our planes and get out of here!" hissed the lizard urgently. Sky shook his head, trying to get rid of the disorienting headache he was experiencing.
"…Planes?" He asked, then took a breath. "Right. Planes. Escape."
"Jesus, you got knocked out! Can you swim?" Jax asked, quirking an eyebrow. Sky nodded and was released. He began stroking along with his friend, their heavy aviator clothing making the task difficult as the cool water soaked them to the bone. They followed the river to the shore of the small island, where they dragged themselves onto the warm sands of the beach. The sand clung to their clothes and got into Sky's fur, but they didn't care. But they had no time to rest. They needed to be in the air before the pirates found their planes and destroyed them. They were far enough away from any major shipping lanes that it could be weeks before anyone found them. So they took off jogging down the beach, using the large, central mountain at the center of the island as a landmark to guide them. The pirates' ship was on the opposite side from them, and their planes were straight ahead, hidden as best as they could manage. They kept an eye out for the pirate crew, who to the best of their knowledge, were still hunting them. The pilots possessed the only treasure of any real value on the island, and they wouldn't just let them walk out of here with it.
For the most part, they didn't see anyone. Occasionally they could hear one of the search parties call out in the distance, but they seemed to be searching the mouth of the river and its surrounding shores.
"Crap! Hide!" Sky hissed when he saw a group of five well-armed pirates come ambling along from far down the beach. They seemed inattentive, so the duo had a chance to creep into the jungle and go prone in the undergrowth. Now they could add mud and leaves to the growing list of stuff that they'd have to wash out of their clothes! They lay still as the sounds of footsteps got steadily louder, until the search party was moving right past them, a mere five feet away. As the robots passed, Sky and Jax could hear their conversation.
"…I say we just leave them. Whatever this ring be worth, it pales in comparison to what we'll be paid fer-!"
"Oi, shut up ye blunderin' fool! The cap'n jus wants some insurance! We be plannin' an attack on the crown itself! It's bound to go awry! Now shut up and keep yer eyes peeled."
The two pilots held their breath as they waited for the pirates to move away. They sat in silence, pondering those words. When they were sure their pursuers were gone, Sky looked to Jax with wide eyes.
"Did you hear-?"
"Yeah, I know, they're going to try attacking your girlfriend. She's rich. What else is new?" the lizard grumbled quietly as they picked themselves up and began running down the beach again. Sky growled lowly. The princess was not his girlfriend! Just… one of the most beautiful and majestic creatures he'd ever encountered. She often brushed him aside in what little interactions they'd had over the past couple of years, but that never stopped him from trying. Flowers, compliments, the whole nine yards. She'd have none of it. In fact, it made her angry more than anything, and more than once she'd threatened him with jail time. But Sky loved it when her majesty was angry. She had a fiery- no pun intended- disposition about her that made her stand out from the standard fare. Sky knew from experience that Blaze could handle a couple of run-of-the-mill pirates no problem, but from what he'd heard, it sounded like they were being paid off by someone or something much bigger. It wouldn't hurt to swing by at least, whatever good that would do. Last time she'd set his scarf on fire, but now with this supposedly fireproof ring, that wouldn't be an issue hopefully.
Off to the right, out at sea, they could see a lone rock with a ruined old ship nestled against it. That was their landmark. Turning an immediate left to where two palm trees made an archway at the edge of the jungle, Jax and Sky began pulling away preplaced brush that they'd used to conceal their ride out of here: The Ace of Spades and the Temptress. Two beat up old biplanes with single nose-mounted machine guns, belonging to Sky and Jax respectively. The two aircrafts shared much in common. Their fuselages were riddled with bullet holes and burn marks from many aerial battles and hectic escapes, with little spots of rust here and there from so much time spent in the salty sea air. The Ace of Spades was colored a dark, shiny black, with white spades on the edges of the wings, while the Temptress was a rich cream color, its only decoration being a scantily-clad female lizard painted on the sides of the body. A pilot's plane was like a sailor's ship. They each had a unique name and design that spoke volumes about the owner. Sky loved gambling, Jax was kind of a horndog, and etcetera.
"Help me push this!" Jax hissed, standing behind one of the wings. Sky nodded and ran to the other side, where the proceeded to heave the biplane out onto the sand. No need to make any more noise than they needed until they were set to go. They ran back to the Ace of Spades and began doing the same, but they had only pushed it halfway out when the boom of a cannon rang through the air.
"Get down!" Sky yelled, but before the two could dive away, the cannonball impacted right in front of the plane, sending a plume of dirt and sand high into the air, and both pilots hurling away from the blast. The impact sent a spike of pain through Sky's already injured body, but now his adrenaline was surging, and he was able to shake off the impact, roll over on his stomach, and draw his pistol. About seventy-five yards down the beach, it seemed like the entirety of the pirate crew- about twenty in all- had finally regrouped and figured out where they'd run to. Sky took careful aim and proceeded to fire off six shots.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
Three pirates fell. The rest, including their captain, rushed into the tree line to take cover. Shots began ringing out in the air beneath the hot tropical sun, and Sky rolled himself like a log back towards the plane, feeling shots impacting the dirt around him. He skirted beneath the fuselage and found Jax already there, heaving the machine with all his might.
"I've got this," he shouted over the chaos. Sky flicked open the cylinder of his revolver, letting the hot brass fall to the sand, and began fumbling in his front pockets for more ammo. "You keep them off us!"
"Got it- HEY! STOP PUTTING HOLES IN MY PLANE, ASSHOLES!" Sky roared, feeling his heart and funds sinking with each loud clank that signified another bullet ruining his aircraft. This ring had better be worth it! The lynx popped up, using the top of the plane to steady himself, moving in sync with Jax, and shot another pirate. The cannon resounded again, sending a cold chill through his spine. The cannonball sailed through the trees, knocking down several smaller ones, and buzzed right over the tail of the plane. It continued down the beach, where it created another plume of dirt and debris.
They had to get rid of that thing! It could destroy their rides with no effort! Where the hell was that captain?!
"Destroy the planes! Don' let 'em leave!" He heard the large robot howl just as a group of seven, followed by the captain himself, came rushing out of the undergrowth some twenty-five yards away. It was a smart move. The two pilots were armed with simple revolvers. There was no way they could get them all when they rushed.
"JAX!" Sky yelled in utter terror.
"WHAT?!"
"GUN!" Sky ordered frantically, reaching his left hand behind him whilst firing haphazardly with his right. He heard a squeak of surprise behind him, and moments later he felt the weight of the other revolver in his hand. He leveled both guns on the advancing mob and began firing in quick succession. Two pirates fell, holes blasted straight through their torsos, but the others scattered and began weaving back and forth to try and avoid the lynx's shots. The captain raised his cannon, now at point blank range. The pirates were upon them, ready to move in and finish the job if the next heavy hit didn't do it. At that moment, Sky was dead sure that this would be the moment he died. Then, there was an explosion.
Everything went dark, the only noise being the hellish ringing in his ears that quickly faded to nothingness.
Once more, he found himself lying in the sand, face buried. He could feel a sharp pain on his right shoulder, and the foul flavor of dirt and grit on his tongue. He used his arms to push himself up, and immediately regretted it. A burning sensation flashed through his shoulder, and with a yelp he fell right back down. He blindly felt that area of his body and felt a flat, solid object protruding from his jacket. When he brought the hand back in front of his face, he found his palm was covered with blood. The air was still and quiet. Once he came to his senses, Sky shook himself and scrambled to his feet, peeking over the tail of the plane. The bots were scattered about on the beach, many missing limbs, some completely destroyed. In reality, losing a limb wasn't as big of a deal for a robot, so they could still be considered threats. But at the center of the explosion lay whatever remained of the captain, which wasn't much. That's when the lynx put two and two together and realized that one of his hasty, unfocussed shots must have traveled straight into the captain's weapon and struck the explosive shell within. Of all the improbable-!
"Jax, get in the air! Hurry!" Sky hissed at the lizard, who dusted himself off and began sprinting for the Temptress. Sky looked back and saw that the pirates were already recovering. One of the few who survived the blast started to pick himself up, and Sky put a bullet right through his metal head.
"Argh! The captain be dead!" an enraged voice roared from down the beach where the rest of the party lay in waiting. A low rumbling was picked up in the air, growing in intensity. It reached its full intensity when upwards of twenty pirates came charging out of the jungle, all howling madly for the pilots' blood. The Temptress fired up with several loud bangs. Jax wasted no time in gunning the throttle and racing down the beach. Sky was alone now, with an injured shoulder, two guns, and not nearly enough ammunition to take them on.
"Alright! Okay?! Y'all wanna play it like that?! Come and get it!" Sky tried to yell in the manliest, action-movie voice he could muster. Unfortunately, it sounded very uncertain. In fact, Sky only had the courage to fire off three or four more shots before tossing Jax's gun in the back seat of his plane and scrambling into the cockpit. His wound burned like hell, but the fear of being impaled on the end of a pirate's sword drove him on. With his left hand, he began madly hitting switches to start the engine, and with his other arm, unable to rise to full height, he fired off the rest of his cylinder without bothering to aim. It was more a desperate response than anything else.
POP! The Ace of Spades' engine made a weak effort to spin up. Sky cursed and craned his neck to see a few sizeable bullet holes where the engine sat ahead of the pilot. Then, he looked right, and saw the pirates right on top of him, their battle-cries becoming deafening. A high-pitched buzz began increasing in volume from somewhere off in the distance, but Sky didn't really pay it any mind. More focused on the pirates, all things considered!
"Come on, old girl! You've been through worse!" He screamed and slammed his fist down on the console. The engine whined in protest and banged once more, and pungent, black smoke began billowing out of the compartment. Here he was, an underpaid, unknown pilot on some god-forsaken island, covered from head to toe in dirt and grime, with a piece of metal in his shoulder, an empty gun, and a horde of violent murderers getting closer by the second. That just about summed up his luck so far in life. He let out an odd mixture between a laugh and a sigh and leaned back in his seat, watching the pirates move in. If this was the end, might as well give it his all he thought as he began trying to hoist himself out of the cockpit.
"Damn… Bring it on! I'm not gonna make it easy-!"
The buzzing was now louder than the pirates. A rhythmic cracking filled the air, obviously from a machine gun. Instinctively, Sky ducked forward into his cockpit. He heard the horde of killers begin screaming, not in outrage, but in terror. Looking back up, he watched the robots scattering as lead rained from the sky. Jax didn't let up, holding down the trigger with a white-knuckle grip and only leveling out at the last moment. He buzzed right over their heads and took off again into the sky, readying himself for another pass. Sky's hopes of survival shot up ten-fold in that moment, and with a woop he quickly resumed trying to start the plane. He gripped the key and twisted it with all his might, ignoring the plane's protests and uninspiring noises until finally, the aircraft began to vibrate and hum lowly, the winds from the prop driving away the acrid smoke.
Sky cheered with all his might and pushed the throttle forward. The Ace of Spades lurched forward and began pulling itself desperately through the sand. Sky brought the plane around to face away from the pirates, and as soon as he was sure he had a straight run at it, gunned the throttle. The engine roared to full power, and he felt himself being pressed into his seat. Not bothering to check his airspeed, he made a wild guess at it and pulled back on the stick. Against all odds, the biplane soared skywards, occasionally rattling from the damage suffered. The plane was still fighting him, but it was flying. Behind him, Jax made another pass at the robots, further thinning their ranks. When the lizard caught up and lined up on his wing, the pilots brought their planes around towards the center of the island, heading due northwest, towards home. They came up over the mountain, looking back down at the ravine they'd been in not minutes before. The flames still raged in the tunnel that lead to the treasure room. Beyond the summit, the terrain dropped down into more jungle for about a mile, where there was another beach, then the open ocean. Just off the coast sat a large monstrosity of metal and wood that passed as the pirates' ship. Sky looked over to Jax and grinned. The lizard returned his smug gesture.
Might as well make it difficult to follow them.
They soared higher for a moment before pushing forward on their sticks and lining up for a run on the ship. What few pirates remained saw them, and before they knew it they were weaving and dodging ground fire. But it was too late. Both planes opened up with their machine guns. The sound never sounded so good to Sky, who felt each shot rattle the airframe. Their bullets bounced off the thick armor plating of the hull but tore through the skeleton crew and the wooden decks, penetrating deep into the bowels of the vessel. It was weird, the lynx thought. Usually, most pirate crews placed their ammunition storage near the bow-.
KABOOM!
A hellish geyser of smoke and fire erupted from below decks, sending bots and metal and other debris hurling every which way. Based on a rough estimate, Sky could see that the ship was probably still in operation, but barely. That would be enough. The anti-air fire ceased as the survivors rushed to scoop up the wounded and douse the flames. They shook their fists angrily and screamed insults that fell on deaf ears as the two pilots raced by, gaining altitude once more before disappearing over the horizon.
XXX
Like I said: Average, everyday hooliganism! Days like that had become pretty par for the course over the past couple years. On a planet with no continents, it's only natural that sea travel would be the go-to way to get supplies and people where they needed to go. Of course, this means piracy, but until about four years ago it was manageable, you know? As long as you stuck to the main routes, kept your wits about you, and didn't stop for hitchhikers, the seas were relatively safe. We could always count on the princess and the military to keep things in line. Then, rumor had it that the princess' "sol emeralds" got scattered about the multiverse, or something, so she had to divide her attention between running a kingdom and searching for the emeralds. Apparently, these little rocks were responsible for keeping our whole universe intact, so you know, I don't really hold any ill will towards her. But because she was gone, the pirates and that crazy scientist Nega began growing braver by the day.
With the military scattered to thin, life became hell for the innocent people of our world. Entire villages being raided and taken over in broad daylight, pirates riding around openly displaying their flags, it was a nightmare! So, to avoid the seas, we took to the skies. One of the princess' close friends, some genius tech-wiz fox-kid, lent us some designs which lead to the mass production of airships, fighter planes, and other wonderous flying machines. Many islands cleared land for runways, and people felt confident trading and travelling again in their zeppelins. Of course, there was still the danger of being shot down from below and having your cargo raided when you crashed, but that problem was remedied by us; those brave young men and women who strapped ourselves into our biplanes, seeking our fame and fortune in the air. We escorted airships, breaking off and distracting the pirates long enough for the others to slink by. Some of us actively took up bounties and hunted down some of the more troublesome criminals. Some, like me, simply moved from place to place, doing good where we could, raising hell, and occasionally running into trouble with the law. Nothing too serious, but there were definitely some places I would never want to hang around longer than I had to.
One of such places was the royal archipelago. It was the largest concentration of islands on the planet, and as the name suggested, home to the princess' palace and several key military installations.
Unfortunately, that's exactly where we were headed…
XXX
Author's Note: Thanks for sticking around this far! It means a lot! This story is based off Sky the Lynx, on Mobius Roleplay. You can find his picture and bio there!
It's a chat-based Sonic rp that's a lot of fun! Anyways, if you have anything you'd like to say, feel free to leave a comment. I'm always open to constructive criticism, or even just a good compliment to satisfy my ego. Stay tuned!
