"I will tell you why..."
Rudy glared at King Zander as he stood a few feet in front of them. The sound of the king's voice made his body freeze and he found it hard to move anything. Not even the fingers on his right hand. It was as if he was encased in a large piece of ice and the king was watching from his outside icy prison.
He could barely fight back the tension and emotion that was rising up inside of him. His mind was screaming at him to respond in some way. Here the king was. They could capture him and force and deal and...
No, that wasn't like them. He and his friends couldn't do that. Such an act would only further confirm the Chalklantian zoners' opinions on them. If they wanted to prove to them that they were wrong, they would have avoid such acts, no matter how intolerable they might be.
He tried to ignore the pain in his arm. That turned out to be impossible. It thundered through his arm like some sort of parade, traveling up the limb and over his shoulder, and back down again. The pain was intense and stabbing, and felt like someone was constantly pounding on the limb until it broke. He hissed as he felt a shockwave of pain move up suddenly and he tried to clutch his arm. He barely managed to stop himself.
A broken arm. Great, just great. That was all that he needed right now.
And the king knew about his broken arm. He could see the way he was looking at him. Those dark brown eyes moved up and down his broken limb. Rudy tensed up, holding his right arm over his broken left. There was little doubt in his mind that King Zander would use this to his advantage.
At least it was his left arm this time. He still had his artistic skills. But he was still at a disadvantage, and the pain... How long would he last in the arena now?
His thoughts were interrupted when the king's long, tense-filled silence was finally broken. The king cleared his throat, and tapped against the mic that he still held, causing a string of feedback to erupt through the arena. He, Penny, Snap, and Barney tensed up and watched as the king began to make another speech.
"You are responsible for the head deflator disease to strike my beautiful city!" King Zander snarled into the mic. Rudy and his friends looked at each other in confusion. "Many years ago, some of my citizens were struck by this debilitating disease and are no longer with us. I had thought that it was all over, but in recent events, I had discovered the disease had returned. Already a handful of my citizens had perished in this disease, including two of my nobles. I cannot permit this to continue on!"
Amidst the anger-fueled speech that the king was giving, Rudy couldn't help but feel confusion regarding what he was talking about. He looked at his friends, and they seemed confused as well. None of them had ever heard of such a thing before. A head deflator disease? What exactly did that entail?
Looking over at Barney, Rudy noticed that he was fumbling his hands a little nervously. There was little confusion in his eyes. Instead, horrific realization. Barney seemed to know what this disease was. Judging from his reaction, it wasn't anything good. The sight of Barney's expression made Rudy's stomach sting and churn as he started to feel ill. Was this disease as bad as the balloonemia one?
"I knew I had to find a way to stop this dreaded disease. So I took it upon myself to find out what was causing it and where it had come from. After much research, I had found the cause and the culprits. And that would be you, oh Great Creator..."
"What?!" Rudy cried in shock. "But..."
"How can you blame him? He's always helping people! He wouldn't..." Snap stared to say. He was silenced when King Zander rounded on him.
"Yeah, he's helping alright! Helping to bring about a new apocalypse for my people!" King Zander snagged Snap up by his neck and held him in front. Rudy, Penny, and Barney watched in shock as Snap struggled and kicked in the king's grasp. The king was choking him. "And I know that you and the girl there helped him!"
"Snap!" Rudy cried.
"Let him go! Please!" Penny pleaded with him.
King Zander stared at her coldly. "Why should I? You murderer..."
Penny bit her lip nervously, pulling her head back. "Please, I...I didn't mean to..." She shook her head once and glared at him. "You're not going to try to guilt trip me. Now let our friend go!"
King Zander gave a cold chuckle at this. "You forget who you are speaking to." His eyes narrowed dangerously as he tightened his grip, causing Snap to gag. "No one speaks to me orders..."
Penny's eyes widened in horror at this. "Please.."
Rudy took a step forward, ignoring the agonizing pain in his arm the best he could. "Come on! Please spare him! He didn't do anything to you!" He hissed in pain, and felt a pang of growing worry and horror in his stomach as he watched Snap try to pull the king's fingers from his neck. His hands kept slipping. "Come on...we'll do anything... Please let him go..."
Rudy tried to fight back the tears. He tried not to look as desperately broken as he really was. He didn't want the king to have that kind of sick pleasure.
Such a task was futile. He couldn't stop the tears from moving down his face. He couldn't stop his shoulders from shaking. He couldn't turn his eyes away from his struggling friend. He could feel his heart ache and twist as he watched Snap's kicking legs slowly weaken. And the blue color spreading across his face...
"Please let him go!"
"Hmm..." King Zander stood there in silence for a while. The only sound that could be heard was Snap's gagging and struggles to breath. He slowly looked down at the zoner. At this point, Snap looked like he was going to pass out any second. "Well..."
Without warning, King Zander threw Snap into the ground. The zoner laid there in a heap, shakingly holding himself up with one hand while his other pressed against his chest. He coughed and gagged as he struggled to refill his lungs with oxygen.
"Snap!" Penny rushed to Snap's side, grabbing him gently by the arm. "Are you okay?!"
Snap opened his mouth to speak. But only a cracking gag could be made before he went into a coughing fit. Penny stayed there with him, gently rubbing his back.
Rudy stared at this in shock before swinging a glare at the king. "You..."
King Zander raised up his hand. "Not another word out of you, boy. Or do you want me to be more thorough next time?"
Rudy's eyes widened at this. He growled softly, then took a step back and lowered his head.
King Zander smiled slightly at this. "I didn't think so."
Rudy continued to glare at King Zander. He could feel his blood heating up at the way he was treating him and his friends. But there was nothing he could do about it. If he dare try to take a move against him, he would only incur the wrath of the king and his people would surely come to his aid. So he remained quiet.
Rudy looked over at Barney. The centipede had remained quiet the whole time. He never once tried to defend Snap or get the king to let go. The thought of this infuriated Rudy. A part of him wondered if Barney was even a friend at all.
But the expression on his face made Rudy have second thoughts.
Barney still looked horrified by the whole ordeal. But there was something more in his eyes. Rudy soon realized that it was recognition, as if the zoner had experienced this before and...
King Mumbo Jumbo.
Rudy's eyes widened at this. Barney must have been in this situation before with King Mumbo Jumbo. They had taken him from him. They had locked him away as hostage. Barney must have tried to plead for him. And it made things worse. It was no wonder Barney remained silent here.
"Now where was I before I was so rudely interrupted...?" King Zander tapped a finger against his chin. "Oh yes, I remember now." He folded his arms behind his back as he began to circle around the group of four. "After I found out it was you, I had to figure out a plan soon, or else all my people would continue to suffer. It wasn't easy making a decision, I tell you." He stopped. "But then I thought... Why not bring you down here..?"
King Zander looked over his shoulders and stared right at them. His smile came back. Thin, fake, hiding so much negative emotion. "Here, away from your...zoner pals up there, you are helpless. I wouldn't need to fear a retaliation. Then with you isolated, I could make you pay for what you did. I can make you take away the disease that you unleashed, and make sure you are punished for bringing it in the first place."
"We didn't...!" Rudy started to say.
King Zander cried, "Enough of your lies, boy!" He swung his hand downward in a demanding fashion. "I'm sick of it! We're all sick of it! It's bad enough you come from the surface! Where all of our past enemies had come from! But the fact that you are a disgusting, filthy human makes it even worse! Don't put yourself in a deeper hole by denying what you have done!"
The crowd all around began to shout in agreement with the king.
"Yeah! We know what you did!"
"Stop lying to us!"
"Admit the truth!"
"Horrible human! You won't get away with this!"
King Zander raised his hand up. "Silence!" Immediately, the crowd died down. They continued to glare at the group as the king turned to address them again. "I know you get your kicks from spreading chaos and acting like some hero, boy..." Rudy glared at him. "But you should have the decency of at least admitting what you have done..."
Rudy took a step forward. "I didn't do anything."
King Zander's eyes widened at this. Then they narrowed dangerously. "Still fabricating the truth to escape justice, I see. I should have known. You're just like all the other past creators, who always acted like they weren't to blame for the chaos that they wrought!"
"But we're telling the truth." Penny said softly. "Yes, Rudy accidentally caused some problems, but..he didn't meant to! And he always fixed them!"
The king cocked an eyebrow at this. "It sounds more like he's just covering his tracks. Typical creator."
Rudy gritted his teeth, stifling himself. There was little point in arguing with this madman. If he was so hellbent on blaming him for what was going on in his kindgom, then there was little hope of convincing him other wise. The same went for his people. They all followed the king so loyally and agreed with what he was saying about them. He knew none of them would be convinced.
In the end, he and his friends were still trapped here, a slave to their twisted sense of entertainment. Dealing with an allignment of Skrawl, Craniac 4, and Jacko sounded like a vacation compared to ths. At least those three were straightforward about how they were and what they wanted.
Rudy let out a hiss of pain when King Zander suddenly moved in closer to him. His thick fingers grabbed onto his chin and he pushed him back slightly, brushing against his broken arm. He fought back the tears as he glared at the king.
"It is incredible." King Zander tilted his head. "How do you hide such evil behind those eyes of yours? You have such beautiful green eyes.."
Rudy stiffened up at that comment.
"And yet it's all just a mask of hiding how dangerous you really are."
Rudy rubbed his chin when King Zander released him. The king walked away from him, pacing around the group slowly. He and the others watched him carefully, wondering if he was going to make a move towards them. So far, King Zander didn't try to attack, but all that could change in a blink of an eye.
"Now I have a question for you, Rudy." King Zander spoke as he closed in and walked around him only. Bardey chewed his fingers nervously and Penny and Snap looked ready to come over, hesitating only due to the security. "Why don't you tell me exactly where you found the head deflator disease..."
Rudy turned his head to follow the circling zoner. "What?"
"Tell me where the head deflator disease originated. If you relinquish the information, I'll be more than happy to consider letting you and your friends go. If not..." King Zander stood behind Rudy, moving his head until it nearly rested on Rudy's left shoulder. "I cannot guarantee you a mere broken limb will be the worst you'll get. Kairos will see to that."
Rudy shot a horrified glance at his friends. He could feel his blood chilling at the thought of what that bird would do to him and his friends. King Zander was willing to have them killed. And all for a crime that he himself did not commit.
Rudy did have a choice. He could lie and act like he was responsible. He could stop fighting the accusations and roll with them, and then try to help them stop it. Maybe if he did that, even if under the guard of the king himself, maybe the zoners here would at least let them go. He wouldn't mind being banished from here. He and his friends would be fine. They had no intention on coming back to Chalklantis.
But...would that really be fair? He would be convicting himself of something he didn't do. If someone else had released the disease, he would be allowing them to escape. Then something like this could happen again.
Not to mention, he didn't know where it came from or how to stop it. His lie would be exposed soon, and the king would realize this and spread mor slander about him and his friends. He could get the whole kingdom worked up, and he and his friends would be in huge trouble. What would be the odds of escape then?
So he did the only thing he could do.
He told the truth.
"I didn't release any head deflator disease. I had been on many adventures in ChalkZone, and the only epidemic I had ever encountered was balloonemia."
At the mention of this, several zoners began to speak at once. It was easy to tell that they recognized the disease. There were some worried expressions, but nothing too fearful. This made sense considering these zoners lived underwater, so the infla...the tiny red bats couldn't get to them.
Rudy continued, "I am, however, willing to try to put a stop to this epidemic. I found a cure for balloonemia. I can do the same for head deflator. Give me a chance, and I can cure the ones stricken, and I will drive out the disease."
"You can trust him! He will do whatever he can to help you! If you would just give him a chance..." Penny said.
Snap nodded. "He won't rest until that disease is capoot!"
Barney remained silent for a while. He still had that worried look in his face. He still must be suffering flashbacks of what had happened before. That ordeal with the king...it must have been horrible to keep him silent for this long.
But then Barney started to frown a little. He turned to the king and, slowly, he started to walk forward. Rudy watched, feeling impressed that the centipede was going to stand up to the king. That must be taking all the courage that he had left inside of him. Barney's trembling legs were a giveaway that he would rather run off. Yet here he was, walking towards the king, trying to look as brave as he could.
Barney soon positioned himself in front of Rudy. His long body stretched across in front of him, while his front and back arched towards the king. Barney glared at the king for a few moments, his brave face doing little to hide the fear that he was feeling.
"Barney, what are you...?" Penny found herself saying.
"Barney, get back here." Snap said, who kept looking at the king nervously. He rubbed his throat, his eyes flashing with the memory of what had nearly happened to him.
But Barney didn't listen to them. He just focused on the king. The two locked eyes with each other for several moments. The tension that grew in the area was unnerving. Rudy shivered as he felt it close in all around him, threatening to crush him.
Penny and Snap moved closer together. Penny put an arm around Snap protectively as she looked around. The king had said nothing yet, but there was still a chance that he could snap his fingers and cause the guards surrounding them, higher in the arena, to jump down. Their electrical staffs were raised, sparkling menacingly.
"What do you want, insect?" King Zander said. There was a bit of annoyance in his voice. He sounded tired of dealing with Barney, making the trio wonder the full extent of their confrontations. "And be careful of what you say. Your friend is in enough hot water as it is."
Barney flinched at that threat for a moment. "I just wanted to tell you...tell all of you...what Rudy has done for me and the citizens of ChalkZone! When the balloonemia was unleashed, he and his friends resolved to stop it! When he found out he caused it, that only increased his determination to do something about it! He and his friends risked their lives to combat the dreaded disease! Rudy was even going to sacrifice himself to stop the bats!"
This admittance caused some murmuring to spread through the crowd. Rudy wondered if some of this was getting through to them.
Barney spread his hands outward. "I know that you are all angry! But rest assured that Rudy Tabootie and his friends would do whatever they can to stop this! Give them a chance!"
Silence fell upon the arena. None of the Chalklantians were speaking at this point. Their expressions were unreadable. Rudy couldn't tell if they had actually listened or if they were getting tired of 'hearing their lies'. Despite the odds, Rudy quietly hoped that at least some of the zoners were awoken from this nonsense.
King Zander, however, simply stared at Barney with folded arms. His eyes were narrowed softly, part of his lip curled up. Despite looking a bit mad, the king made no move towards the insectoid zoner. He just stared at him as if he was waiting for Barney to be completely done with this speech.
When Barney said no more, the king pulled his head back. He tapped his fingers against his shoulder. His eyes remained narrowed as he contemplated a response of some kind. Everyone watched him cautiously, waiting for him to make his verdict.
"That was a nice speech there." King Zander said, a soft smile stretching across his face. "The boy was certainly...heroic."
Rudy felt a small sense of hope rising inside of him. Could the king finally be starting to see reason?
"Indeed, locking himself inside the temple, and letting him perish due to lack of food... That certainly is quite courageous. Not many people would be willing to do such a thing."
At first, it really was starting to look like the king had gotten some sense knocked into him. It seemed like he was starting to understand that Rudy would love to help people, and that he would be more useful that way, instead of just being punished and destroyed based on what was likely a misunderstanding.
Suddenly, the king's face contorted a little, the smile fading slightly as his head tilted. "However, as much as I love a good story..."
"It's not just a story!" Barney cried. "It's the truth!"
King Zander ignored him. "I'm afraid it's not good enough to alleviate the troublemakers." He folded his arms against his chest. "Accident or not, it was still their fault, and they still must be punished."
Rudy stared at the king in shock, unable to believe what he just said. Was the king still going to punish them even though they were willing to help out? Was he really going to pass up their offer based upon these beliefs that he was sticking by? Just...why was he doing this? It didn't make any sense.
He could feel his blood heating up. He could feel his lips spreading to show his teeth. He could feel his body shaking with emotion. He looked at his friends. Penny looked shocked while Snap looked just as angry as he did regarding what the king had said. And Barney himself as a mixture of both.
Rudy took a few steps forward as he joined Barney at his side. King Zander turned and looked at the boy with some interest. His glare had softened up as he waited for Rudy to speak. He gave a nod of his head, allowing the boy to proceed.
"Don't you think you're being unfair? My friends and I are offering our services." Rudy raised his hand up in the air. "We are offering to sacrifice our time to come down here and aid you all in combating this disease. But you..." Rudy moved his hand towards King Zander. "You're not even willing to give us a chance! How can we prove ourselves and how can the disease be stopped if you think we did it and yet you won't let us lift a finger to help?!"
The zoners in the stadium were starting to see the point. Loud murmurs and statements spread all around as the zoners looked at one another and spoke.
"He does have a good point."
"Why don't we let him clean up his mess?"
"What better punishment could their be than forcing him to own up to his mistakes?"
Rudy smiled at this, looking at the king. The people all around were speaking up, their voices getting louder and louder. While this wasn't a democracy, he knew that the king would have to be swayed a little by the voice of the people. Especially if he wanted to retain any level of loyalty. If he destroyed the ones that could stop this disease...how well would that reflect upon him?
The king looked annoyed by this turn of events. Rudy could see the scowl on his face, his narrowed eyes looked into his. Rudy knew he had the king, and just folded his arms and smirked at him. The king would have no choice but to comply, or risk an uprising from his own people when he deliberately destroyed the one thing that could save the mall from the epidemic.
Soon the king lowered his eyelids and sucked in a breath through his clenched teeth. Rudy could practically feel the energy radiating off of that breath. The king lowered his ears slightly and stared at Rudy, who awaited for his answer.
"Very well then." King Zander said. "I will consider your offer." This was spoken through slightly clenched teeth, and Rudy could detect the hesitation in his voice. King Zander turned his head to the guards. "Escort them back to the cell. I will join them shortly to talk more about this."
Three winged guards came down, their electrical staffs raised. They pointed them at the group.
"All right, let's get going!" A guard snarled.
Rudy gave the king one last look before he followed the guards as they were escorted back to their cages. This time, unlike before, he didn't have that feeling of dread or anger. Instead, he smiled softly, exchanging hopeful looks with his friends. Things were finally starting to look up for them. He was certain that the king would make the right choice, and everything would be straightened out.
sss
As Rudy and his friends were being escorted away, the king glared at them in disgust, his lip raised partially. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this infuriated and offended. The fact that this boy was trying to shirk out of responsibilities was awful enough, but to make his own people turn on him like that...
He narrowed his eyes. He had to think of something that he could do. His next move was crucial. What he did next, he would need to be very careful. He didn't want to look bad in front of his people. He couldn't allow everything to be ruined all because he couldn't control himself.
What was he going to do now? He already knew what he wanted to do, but if he went through with it, his people might question it if word got out. Rudy and his friends would definitely say something in the next arena. His citizens may be more willing to listen to what they had to say then. If he was going to go through with it, he'd need to update his plan a little.
His eyes began to twinkle as a plan started to formulate in his head. His ears flipped upward and a smile spread across his dark-colored muzzle. Yes, that just might work.
He turned his head to look towards a shadow on the wall. He knew very well who it was. He raised his fingers, placed two in his mouth, and whistled.
"Kairos! Come here!"
It only took an instant for the bird to rush towards him. The zoner lowered his head in respect, only cautiously seeking eye contact with him.
"Yes, sire?" Kairos said nervously. "What do you desire?"
King Zander smiled as he took a step closer to Kairos. "I need you to take care of a couple of things for me." Kairos stared at him expectantly. "I did not appreciate the way that centipede stood up to me. I would like you to do something about that."
Kairos gave the slightest hint of a smile. He looked excited, but he managed to contain himself. "Yes. I'll get right on it."
"And one more thing..."
Kairos paused. "Yes?"
"Hand me a piece of the boy's magic chalk." King Zander said. He held out his hand. "I trust that you still have them with you?"
Kairos nodded his head. "But, what do you..."
"Just hand me the chalk." King Zander hissed under his breath.
Kairos did as he was told. He reached into his sash and pulled out a piece of magic chalk. He handed it to the king, who gripped it in his hand. King Zander stared at the piece, his eyes practically glowing with desire.
"Yes..." King Zander lifted the piece up, staring at it intently. "Things are about to get a little more..." He snapped the piece of chalk into two. "Interesting..."
sss
Snap wasn't sure what to think of the situation.
Here they were, back in the cage. Barney was in his own, while he was with his human friends. They had only been in here for a few minutes, already his head was aching from what had happened recently. He wasn't sure if he could relax any time soon.
The king did let them go. Sort of. They were back here. But it seemed as though their speeches they gave had gotten through to some of the zoners. No.. a lot of them. He remembered the looks on their faces. They all had mosty abandoned those aggressive looks. Most of them seemed interested in making them 'clean up their mess' at this point. It was clear to Snap, and to the others, that these zoners cared more about stopping the disease rather than tearing them apart.
But the way the king had looked at them as they left... He could practically see the rage in his eyes. The king did not look happy in the slightest. He wondered if it was because the king was now going to have a tougher time making a decision. The zoners here seem to support him and look up to him, and if he did something that was against what they expected...
Well, he was still the king. Should he even be worried? What could the citizens do? He had all kinds of monsters, or so it seemed, and he had plenty of guards with wicked-looking weapons. Could the citizens really do that much damage?
Well considering they greatly outnumbered them... yes they could.
"I know what you're saying, Bucko.."
Snap stared over at his friend. Rudy looked quite happy and excited about this turn of events. Even though they were still imprisoned, the idea of being used to help stop the disease did sound like a lot better of a fate than gladitorial combat.
But that didn't stop Snap from remaining worried.
"But we should be careful." Snap turned his head and stared down the doors that they had come in from. No use going out that way; a large board on the other side kept the doors shut. "I'm not sure if I like this."
"I have to agree with Snap, Rudy. King Zander hasn't exactly been the most understanding person." Penny looked down at her fumbling hands. "And I did kill that manticore, and he looked angry... And he didn't look happy with well...any of us. Do you really think he is just going to let that go?"
"I know you're still upset about the manticore, Penny. But..." Rudy turned to look at Penny. "It wasn't your fault. Besides, I doubt King Zander is all that upset. He never really shown any sign of caring for these beasts. He was probably just upset that he lost his favorite one."
Snap chimed in. "That doesn't mean that he wouldn't want to get even with her for that."
"True." Rudy admitted. He paused for a moment as he thought about what he was going to say next. He looked back at his friends. "I admit, I'm a little nervous myself. But...guys, what can the king do now? If he tries to hurt us and go back on his word to speak to us, then wouldn't his citizens get upset? Wouldn't they try to do something? They outnumber him."
"You might have a good point. But remember, Rudy." Penny looked at him with a worry-filled expression. "This king has given us very little reason to trust him."
"I know, Penny. I know." Rudy nodded his head slowly in understanding. "But let's not..."
Snap cut him off.
"I know where you are getting at, Rudy. But let me go ahead and offer up this scenario. We all know that Skrawl has those Beanie Boys, right? He rules them. They obey him. But there's a lot more of them and they are strong. But I've never seen a Beanie Boy retaliate. Skrawl has them wrapped around his finger, and he does a lot to abuse them."
Rudy was quiet for a moment. "Where are you getting at, Snap?"
"What I'm saying is... would the citizens even go against the king?" Snap held up his hand in gesture. "Think about it. Your plan relies on the citizens turning against the king. Even if they did get angry, what are the odds of that? They are still 'lower than him', aren't they? Would the king be all that worried? Yes, I can see for a little while, but..what if he hatches a plan to quickly take care of them? Then what?"
Rudy's eyes widened at this. "I..I didn't..."
"You didn't what?" Snap turned his head to one side. "You didn't think that far ahead? Rudy, I would expect myself to rush in without thinking a plan through, but not you."
Rudy narrowed his eyes. "Well, I.."
Suddenly the door opened up.
Penny spoke in a hushed voice. "Someone is coming!"
Snap turned his head towards the source of the sound, where the gate was far up ahead. He could see some shadows forming and stretching. There were a few zoners coming towards them slowly and deliberately.
Snap narrowed his eyes when he saw that it was Kairos and three guards. Kairos himself had a sneer on his face while the three guards wore frowns. They weren't looking at anyone in particular; just staring out ahead as they awaited their orders.
Kairos stood out in front of them, standing about three feet away from the cages. Snap and his friends glared at the bird, while Barney was looking with an air of caution. The bird turned his beak from one side to the other as he regarded them. This time, he carried no flash of sympathy, if what he had shown before had been real sympathy.
"Why are you here?" Rudy asked, clenching his right fist.
Kairos tilted his head. "Oh such anger... But I don't think you should be mad at me." He placed a wing against himself. "I'm not the one who put you in those cages. My king did."
"Yeah, well your king is..." Snap stared to say.
Penny glared at him. "Snap, hush!"
Snap managed to stifle himself. But this wasn't easy. As he glared at the bird, the growing anger inside of him made it harder and harder to keep quiet. Oh the things he would say to this bird if he could get away with it...
"Anyway, I am here on official business." Kairos straightened himself up, an attempt to make himself appear more regal and important. "And as long as you are willing to cooperate, it won't take very long."
Rudy took a step back, staring at the bird with caution. "What did you want?"
"You mean, what did my king want?" Kairos tapped his fingertips together. "He was considering striking a deal with you. You see, he has decided that the gladiatorial combat should still continue."
"What?!" The trio cried.
"But..." Barney said softly. "Didn't he say he was going to think about it first?"
"Yeah!" Snap nearly grabbed the bars before he remembered the electricity. "I heard him say that he was going to consider the idea of having us help him!"
"Yeah? Well, he's decided." Kairos folded his wings. "There's no changing his mind. I'm sorry."
Rudy narrowed his eyes. "Like you're sorry..."
"But why would the king pass up our help? We were going to..." Penny was cut off.
"King Zander has decided it's too big a risk. Besides..there is one way to stop the disease." Kairos lowered his head and stared at them intently. "Destroying those responsible..."
This caused a collection of gasps to spread through the room. They all looked at each other, their eyes wide in horror and shock. They couldn't believe what was happening. Just when they thought things were looking up... Snap knew he was right to be suspicious. He knew that the king would find a way to go back on his word.
King Zander was a filthy coward and a cheapskate. He could have accepted their help and they would have found a non-violent way to take care of this problem. But instead, he opted for the easy way out by destroying them. Regardless if it would work or not, this was still a cowardly way out. He was not willing to consider other ideas. How disgusting...
"More over, he wants you..." Kairos pointed a metal feather at Rudy. "To be the one to tell our citizens the bad news."
"Me?" Rudy asked.
Kairos nodded. "I'm sure the citizens will be quite pleased to hear that the savior won't save them..."
"That's not fair! It's not Rudy who backed down from the deal!" Snap protested. He pointed a founded hand at the bird zoner. "Why doesn't the king just tell them himself?"
"It would make more sense if the king did it. After all, he's the one in charge around here." Penny was trying to keep her voice calm, likely in hopes of not triggering a violent reaction out of Kairos or the guards. "It would look unprofessional if he made someone who wasn't even a citizen, let alone a member of his royal court, to make such an announcement."
Kairos was silent for a moment. He then smiled lightly, raising one wing up, positioned in such a way that the wing blades were verticle, only slightly curving inward. "Yes, well, that's what the king has decided."
Snap growled at this. Not only was the king expecting them to continue with the gladitorial fights, but he was also expecting Rudy to be the one to basically tell the zoners in the audience that the deal didn't pull through, as if it was somehow Rudy's responsibility. But King Zander was the ruler. He should be the one making the announcement, not Rudy.
He was certain that the king was going to use this as more slander against Rudy. He could make it out to look like that Rudy refused or changed his mind, and get the other zoners to turn on him again. He narrowed his eyes deeper. Yeah, that's exactly what was going on. The king just wanted to regain the upperhand by being conniving and manipulating. Even if it means to his own people for this one time.
Barney raised a finger up and cleared his throat nervously. "I know it's not my place to ask, but... Exactly how does the king plan on getting Rudy Tabootie to agree to such a thing?"
"Yeah? What makes you think that I would willingly tell the zoners that I declined the offer?" Rudy asked as he stared intently at the zoner. "How is he going to get me to agree? Why would I want to go through with this?"
Kairos simply stared at them and smiled. A smile spread across his beak, stretching along his face. He didn't say a word at first. He just smiled, his facial expression distrubing the group as they cringed back, turning their heads slightly to the side as if he was going to shoot out laser beams from his eyes.
"I'm so glad you feel that way! Otherwise, it would have been pointless for me to bring them with." Kairos gestured to the boar zoners beside them. "How embarrassing would that have been?"
Snap sucked in a sharp breath. He stared wide eyed at the boars. The sight of them, combined with the words and tone that Kairos displayed made his blood start to chill. Just what was the bird up to...?
His friends looked nervous as well. Rudy and Penny exchanged worried glances. Rudy's frown from before was gone, replaced with confusion and apprehension. He could also see pain, as if the negative emotions were making the agony in his broken arm increase tremendously. Barney was also making a few nervous gestures, his head lowering and his antennas curling up.
"You see, they're a little restless. And they do need the exercise..."
Snap's mind raced at ths. He could feel his breathing increasing as he took a step back. He wasn't liking where this was going. He and his friends move closer together in an instinctual move to protect one another. They kept their feet firmly planted on the ground, staring intently at the squire and the guards. The tension in the room rapidly built up the longer Kairos remained quiet.
Snap slowly managed to narrow his eyes and he bared his teeth. If this guy was going to try to hurt his friends, he would have to deal with him, too. There was no way that he was going to stand idly by and let it happen. And he knew his friends felt the same way. They'd do whatever they could to protect each other.
Kairos seemed to take note of this. He stared at them intently, turning his head to one side. "You three really do care about each other, don't you?"
Snap nodded his head. "You bet we do!"
"And I take it that you will do whatever you can to protect each other?" Asked Kairos.
With a nod of his head, Rudy said, "Yeah! You mess with us, you mess with all of us!"
"How interesting. How noble." Kairos commented, continuing to smile at them, his eyes partially closing. "Such true companionship." He watched them, regarding them with an up and down motion of his head. His eye then shifted to the side for a moment, and he looked back at them. His smile began to broaden. "But I am curious about one thing."
Penny replied in a cautious voice. "What is that?"
Kairos ran his metal feathers along the bottom of his beak and face in a contemplating way. "What about Barney...?"
Eyes widened. Hearts twisted. Gasps were let out. No..he..he wasn't going to...
"He has no one to protect him...now does he...?"
A wave of horror washed through everyone. They remained frozen, unable to move for several moments. Their minds felt like it turned into ice. They could see Kairos, but they couldn't formulate anything to respond to him with. They were just silent, shocked, and horrified.
Barney let out a whimper and cringed back. He remained silent, staring at the bird and the boards in fear. He occasionally looked back at them, as if he was hoping that they would be able to do something to get him out of that mess. Snap wished he could do something to protect him, but they were seperated. Any attempt to help would only result in destruction.
Snap couldn't believe it. Kairos...he was going to... No, he couldn't. That wasn't fair. What did Barney do to deserve that? Why would Kairos do such a thing?
"No!" Rudy cried as he shook his head. "You can't do that!"
"Leave him alone!" Penny joined in. Her eyes were wide like saucers.
"This isn't fair!" Snap snarled at them, his body shaking. "You..you can't just gang up on an innocent zoner like that!"
"Innocent? Bah!" Kairos waved a dismissive hand. "He lost his innocence as soon as he stepped into our land without our permission."
"Please just leave him alone!" Rudy begged him. "I-I'll do anything...! Just leave him and my friends alone!"
Kairos folded his wings in front of him. "That is a tempting offer." He closed his eyes and raised his wing upward, the light glinting. "I am going to have to decline. After all..." He reopened his orange eyes and stared at them intently, a grin spreading across his beak as he watched their horrified expressions. "I did want to make you all beg to simply being trapped..."
Snap held his breath at this. His mind flashed back to when Kairos had first visited them. He had mentioned about being an 'expert on pain' and had made it very clear that he had a very strong opinion regarding getting hurt vs being trapped.
"You're...you're not going to..." Barney backed away from the front of his cell. "Please...I..." He stopped when he realized he was getting too close to the back. He looked behind him, staring in horror at the electrified bars behind him, and then looked back at Kairos. "Can't we talk about this...?"
Kairos simply smiled at him. He turned his head towards the guards. He made a quick flick of his head. "You know what to do..."
"No!"
"Leave him alone!"
"Get back!"
But no matter how many times Snap and his friends pleaded, nothing stopped the boars from opening up the cage and dragging the centipede out of the cage. Barney struggled, jerking himself from side to side as he tried in vain to free himself. But the boars just tightened their grip and twisted his arms, causing him to yelp in pain.
Kairos watched the centipede struggle to escape and chuckle. His eyes trailed along the zoner's body. Then his eyes focused on one part in particular. "...those are some mighty fine wings you have there..."
Barney's eyes widened at this. "N-No...you're not..."
Kairos turned his attention to one of the guards. "You guys earn a little reward. Why don't you... 'play' with him for a little while?"
Before the trio could protest, the guards had immediately went to work. They threw the centipede into the ground. The trio's blood ran cold and their eyes widened in horror as they watched the boar zoners begin to attack Barney's wings. The centipede's screams echoed in the room, with Kairos staring with that cold, icy smile.