Sixclaw
Chapter 46
THE LABORATORY
"Yup, he's dead." said Coggs. "Has been for at least a few hours." the fox pulled the magnifying lens on his goggles up, revealing another set of the welding goggles.
"Correct." said Sixclaw. "It has been about six hours as of now." Sixclaw spoke without any trace of emotion in her voice.
"And this abnormally large bolt is what did him in?" Said Coggs, cautiously poking the metal bolt, as though its victim would awake from the dead and lash out.
They were in a bright room, filled with the most medically knowledgeable beasts in the Skullian army. Gray, the torture master leaned up against a wall and smoked a cigar. Coggs was bent over One-Eye's corpse, doing an autopsy. He was assisted by his workmates Lasher and Flametail, and the hedgehog doctor. Also in the room were the remaining two Warlords, Bootbrain and Longtail
"Yes." said Sixclaw. Why does this shit always happen to the creatures I care about?
"He could have been saved, you know. Even after that bolt hit him, he was still salvageable. Sadly, he overdosed on adrenaline once it went through." said Gray. "I have overdosed my subjects many times, and One-Eye even volunteered for testing at one point."
For a moment, everyone stared at the laconic ferret, but he continued talking anyway. "He even made Coggs prototype a device that would overcharge the adrenal glands for some reason."
"I remember that thing!" said Coggs, snapping his claws together. "I don't remember what happened to it though." Suddenly, a thought came into the foxes' mind. "Get me his armor." said the engineer.
Lasher got up and tugged on the battered metal chestplate, and handed it to the vulpine engineer. He flipped the plate around, and looked at the inside. A haphazard array of tubes, boxes and circuit panels greeted him, with two of the largest tubes leading directly into One-Eye's body. The entry points were two jagged holes, most likely self inflicted.
"What the fuck?" said Sixclaw, breaking the silence. "How the Hellgates was he even able to stand with all that machinery in him?"
"The adrenaline most likely acted as a painkiller." said Gray. "I'll stake my honor that the bolt broke something important and made him OD."
"So, are we done here?" asked Longtail. "You've cut up the corpse enough, haven't you?"
"Yes, we are done for now." said Gray. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to see about a new electroshock method of torture for our unfortunate guest.
"Freak." muttered Bootbrain, after Gray had left.
THE GATES
One-Eye awoke with a start, and noticed several concerning things. One of which was his vision. For about ten years, a third of his vision was nonexistent, due to his eye scarring over. Another was a lack of weaponry adorning his person.
"Welcome." he heard. The wildcat sat up, and looked around. He saw clouds everywhere, and he was standing on one. After a moment of inspecting the area, he located the source of the voice. A mouse in armor walked up to him, and helped the larger wildcat up. "We've been waiting for you."
"Pardon my language, but where the Hell am I?" said One-Eye.
"You're at the Gates. Or the Crossroads, if you prefer that. You died a minute ago, and I am here to judge you." said the mouse. "I'm Martin, by the way, and my… counterpart is Skull." Martin gestured to a large black ferret, who waved at the wildcat.
"Ah. Well then." said One-Eye, inspecting the ground in front of him. "Well, let's get it over with and get me on my way to Vulpuz."
"Slow down. It looks like you've got some bad information." said Skull, stepping forward. "Vulpuz doesn't rule Hellgates anymore, I do. And I'm not nearly as bad as he was."
One-Eye was struck dumb by this revalation. "How did you convince him to give up his power?"
"The funny thing is, I didn't. He decided he had enough, and shot himself in the head." said Skull. "He was reborn though, and is currently a mouse living in the northlands making high-quality hunting and fishing products." The ferret let out a mad laugh,
"So… How is it?" said One-Eye, after some time "Hell, I mean."
"It's good. Chaotic and horrible, but we've got cities, shops, and the worse you are in life, the more powerful you are in Hell." The ferret let a smirk spread across his face. "And judging by your laundry list of war crimes, civil misconducts, and murders, you're powerful enough to be an Overlord."
"Overlord?" said One-Eye. "What of?"
"The weapons district. The owner died an hour ago, and nobeast has realized yet. Prime time for the rise of a new Overlord." said the tall ferret, shooting the wildcat a sardonic grin.
"Well, shit." said One-Eye
"Congratulations, you've been promoted." said Skull. The
"But before you walk through those gates, I have an offer for you." said Martin.
One-Eye paused and turned around. "I'm listening."
"You see, the apocalypse is happening in the very near future. It was set in motion by two travelers. I believe you recognize them." said Martin, handing One-Eye a picture.
"Yup, I've seen them." said the former warlord. "Why, you want me to kill 'em?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes." said Martin. "Their entry into this timeline sent said timeline into a downward spiral. You weren't supposed to die by Sunfurs hands. He should have been shelling your troops with mustard gas at the time of your death. The timeline has been thrown off balance, and there is only one beast who can restore it."
"Me?" said One-Eye.
"Gates, no." said Martin. "You would be an old cat by the time that the apocalypse rolls around."
"So then what do you want from me?" said One-Eye. "You're all powerful, right?"
"Well yes, but I can only summon dead souls. And I can only talk to the living for a short time without bringing them back up with me." said Martin. "I'm sending you back to the living world for a short time to train the one who will restore the timeline."
"And what happens when the one who restores the timeline is fully trained? Do you just send me to Hell on the spot?" said One-Eye
"Well, not exactly." said Martin. "You will die, but not immediately."
"Will I have time to say goodbye to my friends?" said One-Eye, poking at his repaired eye. "And do I get to keep my eye?"
"Yes, you will have ample time to say goodbye before you return to the land of the dead. And no, you will not be keeping your eye." said Martin.
"Deal." said One-Eye. He reached out, shook Martin's hand, and took a running leap off the cloud he had been standing on.
Martin turned to Skull, who had just approached him. "Why didn't you tell him that you can't get back to the living world by jumping off the clouds?"
"Cause it would be funny." said Skull, smirking at the warrior mouse."
Martin rolled his eyes, and snapped his fingers, causing a portal to appear under the wildcat, sending him back to his body.
A/N
I enjoyed writing this chapter, and I apologize for the delay.
R&R
