'Ey! I'm finally posting this up! Yeah! All right! So...this is for MusicSymphony888's Colors Contest. I am in the Red Category, which is, and I quote, "Red is the colour of blood, meaning violence. This contest is focused on combat and bloody violence (but not too much so you don't break general rule number one). Pairings are not allowed and only Smashers (no assist trophies or Poke Balls) are allowed to participate...Also, the genre you are being given is Adventure/Suspense." Hopefully, I got both genres down. Suspense, yeah. There's some suspense. Adventure...eh, I'm stretching it, but every story's an adventure, and I'm just going to use that.
But anyways! Enough about my ranting! Hope you guys enjoy this piece of mine! Hehehe...
Chapter 1: Murky Row
Murky Row. A dirty, mobbed city with rotten buildings and even more rotten people. Home to cheats, liars, drunks, addicts, gamblers, and dealers, it provided a safe haven for many to explicitly do their business in broad daylight. Of course, the tyrant set some standards to keep the city in as much order as a place like Murky Row could possibly get. Could people avoid it, they would. The horrifying red smog that surrounded the area and the gloomy stone castle that overlooked the decaying city was more than enough to make people violent in their stomachs. The people that resided in the city, whether in their own homes or the tainted streets or the dark alleyways, did not help make the situation at all better. More often than not, the words "taking out the trash" included citizens and visitors alike in both the "taking" and the "trash" parts, not respectively.
Unfortunately for many, Murky Row needed to be passed in order to get to cities beyond the long wall that one past dictator had built. One genius tyrant of the broken city commanded many of the citizens to build that very wall, on pain of being trailed by the Judge. It resulted in one of the multiple revenue methods for future Murky Row rulers. A few money exchanging at the entrance resulted in a trip through the city to the end. Yet, even when travelers paid their fees and dues, it was difficult for them to navigate through the twisting streets filled with dirty bodies, both live and dead, littering the roads. Sometimes it was quite unfortunate that some of the voyagers never leave Murky Row on one reason or another. They paid for the right of passage, not the right of safety.
One certain traveler had no choice but to get in trouble with the authorities, unfortunately. With a sword in his sheath and shield at his back, Link rathered they were in his hands instead. However when he had stopped at the entrance, the guards extorting coins from his pockets told him that fights were forbidden in the city and should he be caught, the dictator was sure to punish him in some way. As a result Link walked through the city unarmed and unsatisfied. He wrinkled his nose at the repulsive stench that floated through the open air. The citizens of Murky Row apparently had more important matters to deal with than personal hygiene. The traveler swore that he could actually see the stink lines rising from everybody. He made a mental note to himself to take a bath, a long one, as soon as he could.
The streets were surprisingly packed with rough figures, each shoving their way through to get to wherever they needed to go. Link tried his best to avoid any contact with them, but in narrow streets such as these that task was impossible to do. Even when he didn't feel a dirty body push him, he could feel various eyes pouring into him. When he let his own eyes roam around, he felt some gazes leave him while others stayed. Link saw how there were a few hidden movements shadowed by the dark alleyways, explaining some of the fading eyes. It was as if people were sizing him up and seeing whether it would benefit them to take on this obvious stranger. Link had a sinking feeling that this happened to every stranger as every citizen of Murky Row knew each other well enough to spot a traveler. His green, foreign clothes didn't help him blend in with the muddy crowd, even if the people were dirtying his clean attire.
Link continued to scan the various environments that Murky Row provided. Even in a horrible place such as this, shopkeepers and other business owners found a home here. And profit. Lots of it. Some business people seemed to reflect the average citizen of Murky Row while others, Link thought thankfully, seemed normal enough. Seemed. In a place like this, he could never be too certain about appearances. They could very well be as slippery as the ones who look it. Even now those "normal" shopkeepers stared at Link with a critical eye.
The traveler finally stopped at one of the rare open stands despite his instincts screaming at him to listen and leave this place as quickly as he could. The shadowy man leaned back with a sigh, yet Link could still feel the shopkeeper's eyes staring from his hood. It was difficult to see how he looked like with his black cloak but the hot gaze was unmistakable. He waved a lazy, black-gloved hand, "See an-tin' yi like, travlere?"
Link raised an eyebrow at the man's raspy voice and strange accent. He withheld his comment though as he continued to examine the wares. The shopkeeper had an assortment of fruits, trinkets, and other items that he made his living from. Link avoided the food products completely seeing how the flies had already claimed them. He raised an eyebrow at the wooden figures and jewelry that all had a touch of black somewhere on them. What was with this man and black? Link didn't know you could love a color that much. The feelings of regret at stopping curiously at this particular stand stabbed his chest. The young man shook his head in response before turning away.
Unfortunately in his turn, Link bumped into a man walking. He immediately recoiled back from the dirty feeling of contact. The large man stumbled to the side, almost knocking his companions over. The bag he had in his hands flew away from him to land a few feet away. One person noticed while the crowd was distracted. She looked around for any observers and saw none. Grabbing the bag as if her life depended on it, the garment-wrapped woman disappeared into the crowd. An indignant shout erupted from the citizen's throat, gaining the attention of the people around them. With the way he was reacting, you would have thought that Link shoved him on purpose. Almost as if in agreement, the people around them moved away to form a large circle with the four in the middle. Link held up both hands in apology. "Sorry!"
"Watch where you're going, you litchant!" the man shouted. He was a lot bigger than Link in size. His nostrils flared in anger as his red eyes narrowed with fury. Link noticed the spiked collar and bracelet the man wore along with the green spiked shield on the man's back. All in all, danger was written all over him. His companions looked a lot less menacing than him but still dangerous nevertheless. The one closest to him had a ripped denim jacket with odd pink pants. He wore a yellow helmet with goggles and yellow gloves, each adorned with the letter W. The last, penguin-looking man was almost as big as the monster Link bumped into. He and his fur-lined clothes were slightly cleaner than his companions, but it didn't masked the malice emitting from him.
Link raised an eyebrow at the strange word the man said. It was obviously an insult, yet it was quite ineffective as he had absolutely no idea what it meant. Maybe the guy was used to people knowing what he was talking about. Either way, Link had no intention of backing down. In a fair fight he believed he had enough skill and agility to defeat this hulk of flesh. "I already said I was sorry."
"Sorry never cuts it in this town, litchant," the man snarled, baring his sharp teeth at the traveler. He stepped forward, a fist pounding in the palm of his hand. Link instinctively reached for his sword, one hand stretched out in warning and preparation. The stranger hesitated slightly at the realization of the foreigner's weapon. The hesitation was short-lived, however, when one of his cronies looked around anxiously.
The fat man with the zig-zag moustache clutched his companion's arm tightly, causing the man to look at him. "Bowser! Where is it?!"
A slight look of confusion initially puzzled Bowser's face before tense realization dawned on him. Link raised an eyebrow when the three men looked around at the ground frantically. After a few seconds of searching, it was clear that what they were looking for was nowhere to be found. Bowser's companions exchanged horrified expressions while Bowser himself narrowed his eyes in further anger. He suddenly turned his violent eyes on Link, who flinched from the intensity of it. Forgetting that the traveler was armed, Bowser rushed right up to him and seized his arms. Link gasped at the crushing strength the other man showed.
"You! You made us lose it!"
Link swore that the man purposely let his nails grow like claws as he felt them sinking into his sleeves, ripping them. He struggled too late, Bowser's grasp already securing a hold on him. The traveler glared at the furious man. "What are you talking about?! Let me go!"
"The bag, you litchant! Our bag!" Bowser leaned close to Link. The young man instinctively shield away. Neglect of personal hygiene extended to this man's breath and face as he was quite a sight to behold. However Link had a sinking feeling that it wasn't simply neglect that caused Bowser's teeth to rot and skin to crumble. His eyes, though slightly dull, blazed with vehemence. He snarled, "You owe us, litchant."
Link held his breath at the stink. Yet he kept his glare straight as he growled right back, "I don't owe you anything."
"You owe us. It's your fault we lost it!"
"It's your own fault for losing it! I didn't do anything!" Link had absolutely no idea what the man was talking about. What did they lose that made them so anxious to lash out at him? Judging from their shallow appearance, he guessed they probably lost some type of drug that they were in desperate need of. It appalled him how many people in this godforsaken city shared similar characteristics as these three, signaling that drug usage and abuse was quite the norm. The foreigner tried again to struggle from the drug addict's hold, yet the bigger man simply tightened his clawed hands to prevent any form of escape.
Bowser's lips curled into a horrible mixture of a smirk and a snarl, "Everybody here saw how you bumped into me. It's your fault that we lost it. And now you owe us. In Murky Row, if you don't pay your debt, there are always consequences." The two companions chorused their agreement, along with a few onlookers. Link was tempted to break his stare to glare at everybody else, yet he continued to scowl at Bowser.
"I would pay my debts if I had any. I don't owe you anything," Link retorted. "So let me go."
The rotting teeth showed themselves, "Not until you pay us back-."
Link swung his leg up to kick Bowser's chin. He immediately felt the man's hold loosen, taking advantage of that to wrestle out of the grip. Link jumped away as Bowser fell backwards, his head snapped back. He quickly drew his sword in case anybody else wanted to grab hold of him. Bowser's cronies instinctively dove out of the way when their leader crashed onto the ground with a loud thud. The people around scrabbled in all directions to avoid the tension between the citizen and traveler. Bowser pushed himself up slowly. After a moment's hesitation, his companions helped him up. Yet he threw them off. All the while he glared at Link with a violent expression comparable to the devil itself. Though Link's heart skipped a slight beat at the intensity of Bowser's glower, he remained steadfast. With his trusty sword in hand Link felt his confidence rising at the thought that he would be able to do some serious damage should Bowser decide to attack.
The furious man suddenly charged forth with a snarl. The sight of the sharp sword didn't seem to faze him as he brought up a meaty hand to swipe at Link. The young man shrugged his shield over his shoulder in response. The moment the shield clicked into place of his right hand, the powerful nails racked at the wood and iron. If the contact hurt, Bowser barely reacted to it. Instead he simply reared back for another slash. Link countered this time not with his shield but with his sword. He could barely care less about hurting the guy, but that wasn't going to happen. His eyes widened at the sparks that flew from Bowser's hand. The citizen smirked at the satisfying surprise of his opponent. His gloved fingers wrapped around the sword and Bowser attempted to yank it out of Link's grasp. Link tightened his grip in response. In the back of his mind he surmised that Bowser was wearing some type of metallic glove that protected him from the hazardous shield. That was the only logical explanation for the man's' willingness to grab Link's sword without hesitation and the sparks that flew afterward.
The two men wrestled for the upper-hand as Bowser also grasped Link's shield to prevent its use as an offensive weapon. His companions cheered support for their friend, causing the crowd to play favorites. The ring of violent and excited shouts did little to distract Link. He was too focused on struggling against Bowser's superior strength. He refused to have the worm of doubt infect his mind. Too often, the traveler knew, that imagining a lost almost guaranteed a lost. Thinking fast Link slammed his head against Boswer's skull. The surprising hit sent both men backwards, ears ringing from the impact. He felt Bowser's grip fall away from his weapons. Yet Link's attack admittedly did more damage to him than his opponent. Bowser recovered soon after a few seconds, growling as he set his red eyes on his offender. Link, on the other hand, still saw stars as the noise around him spun said stars. He was in no ready position to react when his opponent gave a resounding kick straight into his stomach.
The young man felt his breath leaving him as he coughed in a futile attempt to retain it. He doubled over instinctively to protect his stomach from another blow like the last. Bowser took advantage of that to bring another clawed hand forward. This time though, Link was able to recover faster. He held up his shield once more and, instead of a wide slash of his sword like last time, he thrusted forward. He finally felt his sword bite something, and his ears registered a pained scream. Link blinked to see Bowser lean over to clutch the bloody wound at his side. It was strange, Link found himself thinking, how a wound was able to reduce this man to this state. The young man pulled the sword out, causing his opponent to stagger backwards with his hands trying to stop the blood from flowing anymore.
Link wondered whether he should continue his attack. Just as he decided not to, Bowser's cronies stepped forward, each with burning hellfire in their eyes. A sinking feeling told Link that even if he wanted to stop fighting, these three drug addicts wouldn't leave him alone. He held his sword ready for an attack.
Only to be puzzled by the sudden fear that overtook the grudging flame. He had the briefest time to wonder what commenced the change when the terrified shouts of the crowd from behind prompted him to turn. He stared in shock as an entourage of soldiers marched down the streets. The twenty or so deadly men led a horse-drawn carriage to where Link and the others stood. Many of the citizens sprinted away, including the stand owner earlier, while others were rooted to the spot by some unknown force, including Link and his opponents. The black stallions finally stopped in front of the four fighting men on command of the purple-dressed, feline-looking coachman. The dark horses reared their heads back in fury, gnashing at the air in front of them with their sharp teeth. From the corner of his eye, Link saw how everybody mirrored the same fearful look. Bowser and his cronies, however, looked absolutely petrified on the spot. The tension on the streets was so thick and palpable that Link swore he could have cut it with his sword.
After a moment's hesitation, the blonde footwoman stepped from her position and opened the door of the coach. She bowed her head low to the person sitting inside the shadows. "Your Majesty," she muttered. At her words, the ruler of Murky Row stood and stepped from the carriage. Everybody immediately fell to the ground in a bow. Link followed suit, his instincts warning him that that was the best option. Wrapped in a dark purple cloak, his piercing crimson eyes stared down at his subjects cringing before him, his mouth set in a disapproving frown. Once he fully stepped clear of the carriage, Link almost failed to stop the surprise gasp from his mouth as he looked up slightly from his position. A set of magnificent black wings spread open behind the Murky Row tyrant. Never had Link ever seen something so beautiful…and yet so ugly…He was so distracted by the wings that he failed to notice how short the ruler was compared to him. Yet there was something about his stance, his gaze that made him taller than he really was. And the aura of power enveloping him simply choked anybody who dare oppose him.
Those red eyes trapped everybody in their gaze. The ruler waited for a moment before opening his mouth to speak, "I tour my beloved Murky Row for a simple pleasure of the sights…only to find my joyous people so happily breaking the rules." Those words snapped like a whip, everybody except Link flinching in unison. He waited once more, but nobody had the nerve to speak up. Even Link, who was a clear outsider, knew better than to think that the authority would be on his side on this conflict. The winged king placed a pale hand on his cheek, tsking, "Perhaps…somebody would like to explain the reason for this atrocious fight?"
Nobody would look into his eyes. Nobody would speak to him. The tyrant felt his patience wearing thin. "I'm waiting," he snarled, the threat clear in his voice.
Finally, one man spoke up. "Y-Your Majesty…t-the cause for t-t-this fight was this o-outsider. H-He owed us something, b-b-but wouldn't pay his debt," Bowser shuddered, his head still facing the ground.
"Your Majesty, that's not true!" Link responded instinctively as he looked up in anger. A collective round of gasps filled the air, which described Link's own surprise perfectly at his reaction. Normally he wouldn't burst out in anger like that. But then he was just tired of people falsely accusing him of such things. And he couldn't stand the injustice of it all.
The ruler of Murky Row slowly turned his attention over to the outsider of his city. He narrowed his bloody eyes at Link's words, "Oh? Pray tell me your side of the story."
Link hesitated. The tyrant's gaze sent shivers down his spine, yet he knew it was a fatal mistake to drop his stare. He inhaled shakily before plugging forth, "Your Majesty…I was simply leaving after examining a merchant's wares when I bumped into him." Here, Link gestured to Bowser. A simple flick of the ruler's eyes caused the larger man to flinch noticeably. The tyrant turned his gaze back to the traveler. Link continued, "He began to say that I was the reason for them losing something important. He grabbed me, and I kicked him to escape. That's when we started fighting."
"You initiated the fight?" the winged being frowned. Link swallowed.
"I made the first move, but he forced my hand."
"I see…" the ruler tapped his chin in thought, his brow furrowed together. After what seemed like hours to everybody, a cruel smirk crossed the tyrant's face. The next words he spoke rocked Link to his very core: "Arrest these four men."
"What?!" the word exploded from Link's mouth while Bowser and his companions gave identical sobs of terror. Eight men detached themselves from the king's entourage to follow his orders. Six of them grabbed hold of Bowser and his cronies, forcing them to stand despite Bowser's obviously painful leg. The other two locked Link's arms behind him. The traveler instinctively struggled against the hold while the citizens of Murky Row watched helplessly and hopelessly. "Let go! Why are you arresting me?!" he shouted in anger. As far as he knew, he had done nothing wrong. One of the guards slapped him for his impudence. Link gasped for breath from the surprising blow. The ruler of Murky Row's smirk widened slightly, the glee obvious in his eyes.
"Why…you broke one of Murky Row's most important rules. And I must punish you for it."
"And…what rule was that?" Link managed to gasp out.
The ruler leaned forward to grab hold of Link's cheeks. The outsider absentmindedly noticed how different his appearance was from the average Murky Row citizen. His teeth were pearly white, and his cheeks showed no signs of hunger. Yet, his eyes shared the similar expression that Link became accustomed to walking through this horrible city. Insanity. Everybody here was infected with it. "There will be order in my city, boy. I won't have chaos running Murky Row when I'm here. The rule you broke? Don't…get…caught." Like a candle in the wind, the ruler's smirk suddenly disappeared. Link barely saw his hand move but he did feel the painful sting of another slap. He gasped in surprise before realizing that the tyrant had slapped him. For some reason, this slap hurt a lot more than the guard's attack. The winged king watched the outsider breathe heavily. The smirk had returned to his false face. He turned back to his carriage and stepped lightly into it. His footwoman closed the door for him before standing in front of it.
"You four are hereby arrested for breaking Rule Number 09: Fighting is prohibited here on the streets of Murky Row. You have the right to remain silent. In five days from today, you will all be placed under Trial of the Judge. All citizens of Murky Row are asked to attend the Trial," a malicious smile lit the woman's face, looking strangely unnatural, "on pain of your life." Without another sound she silently faced forward and climbed back to her position. Once he saw that his companion was all ready to go and that His Majesty was all snug in his seat, the driver cracked his whip expertly above the stallions. Their shrieks rang in Link's ears as they turned around to return whence they came.
He felt the guards behind him shove him forward, their iron grip still locking his arms behind his back. He ruefully fell into step with the men surrounding him. The traveler saw how Bowser and his cronies submissively trailed the coach, the former limping painfully. They weren't even struggling or looking for a chance to escape. Noticing a glint from the corner of his eye, Link saw the reason. Some of the guards had crossbows loaded and ready to fire at will. The young man was willing to bet that should he try to escape, a rain of arrows would soon follow. The idea of fleeing quickly died, despite how nearly impossible it was due to his hands trapped behind him. He had no choice in the matter. Wherever the mad ruler of Murky Row was leading him, he had to follow. And from the whispers and the shakes of the surrounding people's heads, Link had a feeling the Trial he faced in five days from now would be far from fair.
Kudos to everybody who could guess all the characters I used in this chapter. I will say all the characters I used in my last chapter, as I usually do. Anyways, hoped you guys enjoyed this!