Chapter 17: The Good, The Bad, and The Wicked
Night time, the hours of incognito. The creaking of the woods at this hour kept the crickets awake, and the shadows crept through every possible area they could fit in, slithering forth until light could be found. A rustle emerged from atop a cliff at the hole in the darkness where not even darkness can touch, and two figures could be spotted eyeing this mysterious light down. The light blue eyes of one of them stared at it with anticipation. "Well, looks like we're here."
Runner turns to a badger, who's now wearing different clothes made from leaves in order to stay out of sight. If she had to wear clothes, they had to be camouflage. "Seems like it. So what's the plan?" Sticks asked.
"Ain't it obvious?" He answered with a question. "We're gonna bust in there and beat their asses."
It was like asking a teenager what baby he was going to steal candy from. Sticks felt the need to kick herself while wondering why she even asked. For some reason despite not knowing him well, there was no surprised he'd wanna jump right in there. "We don't even know how many of those guys are down there, or what they're armed with, or where they're keeping your sister," she argued with her hand on her hip. "So shouldn't we think this over?"
Runner shook his head, looking off into the distance. "I don't care about all that. I just wanna get over there and help her escape."
"What do you mean you don't care about it? We could be outnumbered!" She began to get a small headache, wondering what to even do in the event they do get in trouble. She knew she could handle herself, but she couldn't hold her own against an entire army if she was with those who couldn't fight.
"You seriously underestimate the two of us, you know?" He says, tossing a stick out into the dark trenches of the forest. "Of course I care, but I also told you I trust her entirely. So let's not waste our time on thinking and do this thing already."
"What? That doesn't even make sense." Sticks replied, getting off of the ground as she rubbed the sore spot on her head.
"What I'm saying is Prix has her own special technique, so I'm not gonna ruin it for her." He says, chuckling as he tickled the underside of his nose with his finger. Annoyed, Sticks then clutched his fur and raised him four feet in the air.
"Then quit bein' so vague and spit it out!" She demanded as her bruise looked to be getting even redder. He chuckled though, with her anger only growing and his care in what may happen if she hit him rising pretty fast.
"Simple. You see, I've got all my practice in on robbing joints. It's just what I'm good at." He said, snickering to himself. His chest was starting to hurt from the weight his body had on the fur Sticks held, but it wasn't so bad that he needed to be down. He was actually happy to be able to see higher over her head than before. It made him feel taller. "Despite that, I was always too loud. Prix, on the other hand, was more careful." He shook his head, looking towards the largest tent in the corner of the Alligator Base. "In other words, she's more into the element of surprise."
~With Prix
"This ain't the move." An alligator says with his head against his left hand, pressing against the wooden table as if he were just waiting for something to occur. Another Alligator sits beside him, an accomplice, with his arms crossed and he's standing up leaning against the wall with his eyes scanning through a paperback book with a bent cover. "Why do we get stuck babysittin' the runt?"
The other Alligator cuts his thumb with the lick of his tongue and opens up another page of the novel. He seems more into that than whatever is going on in the room at the moment. "Look, the boss asked us to watch over the kid. He didn't say we had to talk. So don't bring your complaints to me." His voice was a more somber tune, and with his large build, it was a silly looking trait.
"Dude, all I'm sayin' is that we could be out there gettin' more Gold, or girls." The first Alligator responds, trying not to doze off. "If the boss wanted watchas, he should've had Ronnie and Pete come in." Defeated, he closes his eyes for a brief moment in an effort to rest them and only that.
The other Alligator sighed, finding his occupant to be the worst. The book wasn't helping him find peace considering he didn't know how to read in the first place. His eyes motioned to the cell besides them that filled half of the room. The room was small, where the two Alligators were on their small side with a coffee table, books, trash and a fridge for food and the other side was the cell, dedicated to the unlucky prison who had to sit in the center of the dark wooden walls and the black bars that split the room in two. "I don't think it matters all that much anyway." He replied. "Look."
The first Alligator, which I should mention is shorter and skinnier than the other, looked in said direction. In the corner of the dark cell, a dark figure sat in the shape of a cone, backed away in the position of fear. "Ah, she's so scared, we got her shiverin' in the corner!" The Alligator laughed a hefty howl, letting it bellow throughout the room to which the larger Gator cringed. He went back to reading his book.
In the corner of the glum-looking cell was indeed a figure dressed in black, however the assumption that it was a person was invalid. It was moreso a dark tinted blanket sat up against the walls that covered a hole beneath it. Underneath the hole was Prix stuck to bottom of the building, hidden in the shadows of the two-story suspended prison. As silent as she came she flew over to one of the four wooden, cylinder pillars that kept the building standing up.
They were suspended in swamp water with very few lilypads and vines dressing the area up nicely. A curtain of vines kept her hidden in the shadows underneath the building.
Though she drew near, she kept her distance of cobwebs sticking to the walls and scanned the area for guards. Flies, all of them were that scattered cross the ground in cool fashion. Some would come and go in pairs, others with a third wheel; they carried boxes that varied in size and even rode them to other buildings across the Fort. That is what it was like along the Strip.
What was interesting was the fact that none of them used the water to traverse or go anywhere. Perhaps the swamp water was there for show? No worries for Prix, as she typically found a use for such things.
Looking up past the cobweb edges were towers where more Gators sat and watched from up above. They weren't real towers, but rather elongated stands with ladders that helped reach a platform on top. She thought it cheap and creative, as much as a silly way to stand guard and survey. It could almost make her laugh if she could make a sound. But how could she move around with them keeping watch that high?
Along the ground were shadows casts by the nearby lights, emitting from the four pillars that kept the building afloat. With her being as dark as she was, she could easily maneuver within the shadows. The only issue was the angle the look out towers had on the building. She could go forward and glide along the shadow, but the tower from the right could spot her from a different angle. Maybe another route?
Prix descended about 24 feet until she reached the swamp water. It wasn't very clear but using her hearing ability, she could tell nothing dangerous was underneath. Rather, even more helpful was the bamboo that protruded from the earth and stood above the swamp water. It was like giving a serial killer a weapon. This whole area was advantageous for her.
Determined, she inhaled sharply and held her breath, submerging herself in the swamp water.
~Runner and Sticks
Sticks looked out towards the camp across from them. It sat in the center of a swamp with trees and water covering most of the ground, and providing good cover. There were roads too that separated certain plots of swamp water. It only then dawned on her the meaning of the words Runner spoke of earlier. But she didn't think it was a good idea. Despite her usual reckless and wild lifestyle, it seemed pretty dangerous to go rushing in.
"Let's see..." Runner said as he looked around. He scouted the woods for a fairly flexible tree, only to find one to be exactly that of which was able to support the weight for what he wanted to do. "This ought to be good."
"Huh? For what?" Sticks asked while watching him tangle himself up in the branches of the trees before breaking free and emerging from a thick bush of wood and tree leaves.
"Fuhgetaboutit, come take this vine and pull it over there." He ordered her, lending her one of the many hanging vines from the tree to which she hesitantly grabbed and went on to pull it downward. She figured that he could've at least said please. She walked it a few feet behind the tree, near a small mound before stopping and looking up to see if she satisfied Runner's 'polite' demands.
Runner shook his head of course, pointing more in the direction she was headed to before. It was almost as if he was walking her in the opposite direction of the camp. "Farther, so that the top of the tree is literally in the ground."
She frowned, blowing out air to keep from getting upset. "You know, you CAN come down and help."
"Hehe, right." He chuckled, sliding down the body of the tree and sprinting behind her. He grabbed a portion of the vine behind her and began to help her pull it back.
As large and skinny as the tree was, it was flexible and easy to manage. Yet, like with any other type of flexible object, some point had a lot more force than others. In this case, it had to be the core.
Sticks continued to pull the vine, hoping it wouldn't just tear off as cork would from a bottle of bear. But something about Runner's help gave her some clarity, where she felt his warm welcoming aura behind her and the heaves of his breath churning out like a train engine, she also felt relieve and hope.
The same could go for Runner as well, considering he was used to more easy work and found the pulling to be more than what he could've handled on his own, Sticks helping gave him a sense of relief and ease. Sure, she was weird and confused him sometimes with her wardrobe choices, but she made him feel stronger in a way he couldn't convey.
Further back than they thought they'd wind up, Runner and Sticks pulled the wooden giant until it's head was practically on the ground and resting. Nearly out of breath, Runner forced himself to keep going and retrieved some large rock, affixing the vine to it and securing the trees placement on the ground.
"Y'know...you're...insane, right?" Sticks asked through a few pauses to regain her breathing. But Runner didn't readily respond, but instead started to climb atop the trees head and sit there for a moment. He wanted to catch his breath as well, letting the thin patches of cool air blow against his muzzle and through the light layer of his fur.
It felt great, like the type of night where you snuck out and did something stupid with your friends; when you weren't even supposed to be awake. Maybe it was the slight fear panging in his chest, or just the adrenaline. But he felt truly alive to do something reckless tonight. "Yeah, you too."
~With Prix
Across the camp, she began to emerge from the water, disposing of the bamboo pipe she used to breathe underwater and quietly climbing one of the two towers that watched over everything while drips of water patted the steps of the ladder. Luckily for her, being wet didn't mess up her grip or stealth-like approach. Unfortunately, she still disliked getting soaked in swamp water. That smell wasn't leaving anytime soon.
Out of her fur, she held a small necklace that was around her neck. It was always hidden in her fur for safe keeping for times just like these. At the base was a small cylinder with liquid in it. Prix opened it, allowing whatever it was that sat in it marinate and spread into the atmosphere
.
To quicken her pace, she flapped her black wings and lifted herself to the summit of the long stands. In the moonlight, she appeared like a demon out of horrorbook.
"What the hell?" This left the guard at the top shook and paralyzed on fear. Before he could react, she through some of the liquid down into his face. "Achoo!" He sneezed, falling back and into the wall of the small fort. Before he knew it, he was fighting himself from falling sleep. "Wh...what?..."
She quickly tore off some of the fabric of his shirt and balled the liquid up in it, using a dry bamboo stick she happened to collect before from under the Prison building to shoot the ball to the other tower. The other tower wasn't too far from it, thankfully. However, she still needed to aim.
She tilted her head backwards a little, blowing hard into the bamboo stick as if it were shooting a dart somewhere. It flew across gap seemingly slowly but landed into the fort.
Curious, the Alligator Guard looked down at the seed sized wad of fabric and picked it up, smelling its fumes. "Is that... Bubblegum?..." He said before he fell against a stand and collapsed. The strong scent of Magnolia overcame him as well, leaving him in the silent state of slumber.
Prix blushed in a way that made her lips form a mischievous grin. It was like she was getting high from this. But she knew she wasn't done, far from it actually. Now she was in need of guards equipment. Like any master of stealth, the better the materials, the better the strategy. But at this point, she had to make do with what was given to her.
She shuffled through the pockets of the big guy she took down and through the rustling of his clothes, she could only pick out some goggles, a flashlight, and a box of matches. Anything could come in handy with the right usage, at least that's what she figures. After laying each item onto the hard planks of the tower floor with a silent knock, she rose to her feet and looked over the edge with the goggles placed firmly against her face.
For her, goggles always came in handy because she couldn't see as far as Runner could. But now she could see that this swamp wasn't as intimidating as she first thought. The camp was littered with a scarce populous of maybe 20 or 30 Alligators. Most of the noise she was hearing wasn't the roaring of a crowd, but the cluttering of tools and minecarts.
These guys were legitimate businessmen, digging up gold and other goods from the mines. It...wouldn't hurt to check out what they found, I suppose. Judging on where the carts were going, they weren't so far at all. Getting in was going to be tricky, though.
But Prix, having been with Runner for so long, was confident in her abilities. She wouldn't have it any other way. Swift like the wind, she scooped up the matches and the flashlight and hopped over the barrier of the guards tower, descending into the swamp of the Alligators Den.
~Runner and Sticks
"Are you absolutely sure about this?" Sticks asked, holding a sharp wooden object in her hand.
Runner looked at her, swaying his ringed-tail back and forth in a playful manner. He looked at the moon, which made his blue eyes glow brightly. It was much like her own, which made her look at his eyes even more. She wondered if hers, too, glowed like that. He then turned to her with a warm smile, nodding in approval.
She was shook by his gaze, losing her train of thought for a split second before deciding to cut the vine with the stick. She leaned over with the make-shift dagger, crossing her legs around the trees' body, swiping it across the vine and releasing the vines hold.
This sent them upward, forcing them to be flung from the tree and shot into the air effortlessly. And trust me, they flew. Though they ragdolled for a moment, they'd regain their balance to secure a safe landing. At least, that's what Sticks had hopped for when Runner did all this. But Runner didn't even think the Slingshot idea would actually work. It was literally a shot in the dark.
When they quickly started descending towards the swamp, Sticks soon realized this and started panicking, shrieking as they began plummeting into the Alligators' Den. "YOOOOUU IDDDDDIIOOOAAAAAAHH!"
Runner and Sticks, already alerting the Alligators in the swamp with their presence, begins to fall into the direction of a lone Alligator pushing an empty minecart. The guy looked up in shock, screaming himself in terror. "HE- HEY WATCH OOOUUTT!" He cried.
Without warning, they crash land right into the cart with so much force that it pushed it back into the Alligator, causing him to tumble inside as the cart began sliding backwards against the railway. It rushed past a number of Alligators trying to run and avoid the runaway cart before it turned and shot into the direction of a small depot shed filled with a few barrels and Alligators talking. Runner and Sticks stuck their heads up and looked, as well as the Alligator that landed in the cart with them. The Alligators looked at them, and they looked back at the Alligators.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" They all screamed in terror, moments before their demise.
Almost instantly, the cart slammed into the shed, causing it to explode in a loud burst of wood and metal, with only the cart and the six people in the incident lying there. Luckily, Runner and Sticks recieved lesser injuries than Alligators, which cushioned their impact.
The two misfits slowly emerged from the smoke and debris better off than the four Alligators they just put in the hospital. "Ow..." Sticks whispered, holding on to a wooden column besides her as she tries to come back to reality.
Runner and Sticks were now surrounded by a crowd of Alligators who now looked like predators stalking their prey in the depths of the night. Luck didn't seem to be on their side at the moment. "They don't look too happy to see us." Sticks softly spoke while weighing their options.
The tune of her worrisome voice filled the Lemurs ears with a slight thread of dread. He couldn't fall into it then and there, not if he looked towards a brighter tomorrow. "S'all good," Runner scoffed, jerking his head around to get the crick in his neck out. "I didn't think they would anyway."
Bodies begin to close in, like monsters lurking from the alleys coming to stomp on them. But we weren't dealing with any good guys here, and there were no heroes. "I hope you know how to fight." She told the boy as she stood on his left side. She couldn't focus on him at the moment. It was every man for himself; that's what she wanted to believe.
He chuckled with his hands on his hips and his chest showing, asking "You kiddin' me? Oh please, I'm a party animal." There they stood, at each others backs like a couple of badasses ready to take on the world. The question is if they were up for it? "Let's get this party started!"
[As if there were a record player somewhere within the Alligators' Den, the sound of a tape or something dropping in would echo throughout the swamp, giving the empression that maybe a song would start playing. And in fact, that was the case.]
?[Now playing: Ain't No Rest For The Wicked]
The sound of a peculiar set of strings play starts off the match as the Alligators begin swarming in to kill Runner and Sticks with sharp weapons and brute strength in their mitts. Quickly, Sticks tears the last standing wooden column from the ground and swings it at one Alligator in particular, bringing his sharp spear to a halt.
[I was walking down the street when out the corner of my eye
I saw a pretty little thing approaching me]
Runner's eyes widened and he smirked, leaping on to Sticks' stick (giggady ?) and performing a backflipping kick into the Alligators face, allowing him to continue the backflip until he bounced off of the long column entirely.
[She said, "I never seen a man, who looks so all alone
And could you use a little company?]
A couple of Alligators brush passed the one Runner kicked who had seemed to be falling. One of them had a giant metal hammer aimed at Sticks, swinging it horizontally. Sticks leaned back, falling to the dirt, put catching her self with one of her hands clinging to the dirt. The other leaped over him, attempting to pierce her through the chest. Sticks backflipped as well, carrying herself out of the way as the second Gator missed and pierced the ground.
[If you can pay the right price, your evening will be nice
But you can go and send me on my way"]
Runner leaped over Sticks, somersaulting and kicking the second Gator with the spear into the face, knocking him into the Gator behind him with the hammer. With the Hammer still stuck in the ground, Runner turned his feet onto the Hammers handle and landed on it, causing it to have a Seesaw Effect and slamming into the Gators face, knocking him out.
[I said, "You're such a sweet young thing, why you do this to yourself?"]
Runner looked up, his mouth stretched from ear to ear with an evil smirk painted on his face. He was getting excited, shown by his bubbly demeaner and his hopping around like he was ready to go wild. He looked back at Sticks, awaiting an expression that wanted to see if she was feeling the same.
[She looked at me and this is what she said]
Sticks looked back, serious and a bit winded, but that straight face soon grew a smile and blew out a fun-filled chuckle. She turned and began running towards the Lemur with only one predetermined destination to go.
[Oh there ain't no rest for the wicked
Money don't grow on trees]
Runner nodded, leaning down and letting her feet press against his palm before helping her leap into the air and land on a Gator in the back of the crowd. She smashed his face in, burying him into the ground before sprinting out of the way and avoiding the swing of a giant fist the barely swung atop her frizzy-looking hairdo. She kicked the fat reptile in his belly and sent him falling against his own kin.
[I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed
There ain't nothing in this world for free]
Runner watched her get away, but only briefly prior to turning into a knuckle sandwich which caused him to block midway and flip out of. He charged for the culprit, jumping and hammerkicking the guys own guarding arms, crossing his chest. Runner fell and roll, avoiding the offending Gators' next few punches. When he was ready, he shot up and uppercut the Gator, followed by a two piece and a biscuit.
[Oh no, I can't slow down, I can't hold back
Though you know, I wish I could]
Runner looked back and saw that Sticks was on the verge of getting socked by a large Gator who's mouth was out of portion due to a snaggle tooth. Without very much thinking, he put all of his faith into his foot and soccerkicked a large rock on the ground, causing it to spin like a hockey puck and hit the behemoth across the head and send him to sleep.
[Oh no there ain't no rest for the wicked]
Sticks looked at Runner, sweating a little and smiling. She wouldnt have admitted she was a little embarrassed for him having to save her.
[Until we close our eyes for good]
It wouldnt have mattered though. Just by looking at her, Runner could tell she was grateful. And so he winked, stealing her thank you.
~Prix- - - - -
[Not even fifteen minutes later after walking down the street
When I saw the shadow of a man creep out out of sight]
With all the mess going on outside m with Runner, Sticks, and the Gators, Prix had enough time to sneak into the treasure room where the minecarts were being left. It was just her luck that they chose then of all times to infiltrate. And as much as she wanted to leave, she didn't want to return to Runner empty handed. However, rather than focusing on gold this time, Prix figured the gems would be a better score since they weighed less and were worth more.
[And then he swept up from behind, he put a gun up to my head
He made it clear he wasn't looking for a fight]
She began filling her pockets with the goods when she noticed a gemstone that looked different than the rest in the room. No, actually it looked different than any she's ever seen. This one was glowing brightly. This one was mesmerizing and she wanted to hold on to it for sure, but those thoughts were cut short when she saw something in the gem. A premonition, maybe?
It looked like there was a menacing and threatening figure behind her, reaching to grab her. Her heart skipped a beat, but she kept her movements calm. Quickly, she whipped out the flashlight and shined it behind her. Little did she know, that dream was about to be realized as the Gator behind her got blinded and began stumbling back.
[He said, "Give me all you've got, I want your money not your life
But if you try to make a move I won't think twice"]
The Gator fell against a stagnant cart, and fearlessly, Prix pushed the Gator into the cart. She wasn't that strong but it was enough to cause the Gator to start rolling back. Seeing what lied ahead, Prix lit a match and joined it with those in the box, tossing it into the cart with the Gator.
[I told him, "You can have my cash, but first you know I gotta ask
What made you want to live this kind of life?"]
The Gator rolled all the way out and across the path, bumping into a bunch of other enemies who were moving some leaking canisters of oil. As soon as the Gator in the minecart regain his senses, he saw the fire from the match and tossed it at the other Gators, which tossed it back and forth, to and fro, like a game of hot potato.
[He said
Oh there ain't no rest for the wicked]
Eventually, the heat and sparks of fire caused the oil canisters to combust and blow up a building, sending debris and parts of the building flying.
[Money don't grow on trees]
Sticks saw the explosion behind her and grew cautious, cartwheeling out of the way of a small piece of wood and into a large Gator who accidentally ran into her while trying to avoid the falling debris.
[I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed
]
She backflipped out of the Gators way and picked up the debris that fell below her, tossing it at the back of the Gators head. As she did, she almost fell into another grasp, sending her two feet down into both of it's shoulders and front flipping away from it.
[There ain't nothing in this world for free]
In midair once more, Sticks was met with a twirling log of wood coming off of the head from the Gator she just flung it at. She kicked it back to him, hitting him once more and making him walk in the path of more falling debris.
[Oh no, I can't slow down, I can't hold back
Though you know, I wish I could]
Sticks landed, backflipping again, only this time she spun and avoided some more falling wood and a charging Gator. She landed behind it, going for a tuck and roll, but no before swiping the Baton off of the Gators holester.
[Oh no there ain't no rest for the wicked]
The Gator turned to attack, but Sticks was faster and smaller, leaping and kicking the Gators face. This let her backflip one last time, throwing the Baton at the Gators face and sending him into the rubble with his buddy.
[Until we close our eyes for good]
At this point, most of the Gators have started to evade the swamp. With the seemingly endless raining debris and fire spreading, it was the only plausible idea. Some just started running other, while others took to the swampwater and escaped that way.
[Guitar? Portion]
Through the fire and the flames of the battleground, Prix could just barely make out Sticks and Runner. Now that they seemed alone, Sticks and Runner began to regroup in the one spot that seemed safe from the flames.
"Hey, look, there's Prix!" Runner said, yelling against the roar and crackling of the flames. Sticks, squinting to see the black and reddish bat, turned to scan past the smoke and fire.
Prix could hear them and just barely make out their figures, but with her ability to fly, getting to them was no issue. She flapped her wings and rose above the fire, landing right between Sticks and Runner.
Runner laughed and fell to his knees, spreading his arms wide as the small bat ran into them and hugging him tight. "Haha, we worried about you," he told her as he hugged her back, twice as hard. "I'm sorry for letting them take you..."
Sticks too kneeled down and hugged the little girl, as well as Runner. It was a group hug, an awkward, first time, group hug. But it somehow worked. Prix looked up and let them go, smiling with a warm look on her face. She was just happy to see them all getting along.
Suddenly from across the swamp, a door swings open from the biggest building in the Den. It was the head Alligators' house, the Boss. He was just taking a nap when he noticed all the commotion. "Wh...what?!"
He looked around at his small camp, watching as it was all starting to burn to the ground. It was like watching hell on Earth and it wasn't his type of humor. The boss gripped the door handle, shattering it's golden exterior within his grasp. His teeth were starting to grind as well, as if them gritting weren't enough.
The Boss couldn't hold it in anymore. With a vein in his head popping and his muscles throbbing, he let out a might roar. "HHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" The ground began shaking and a strong air current blew from his mouth, dispersing the flames like a kid blowing out candles.
The three misfits turned in shock, guarding themselves from his strong bellow. It was so strong, they almost got carried away. But they only slide across the ground a few feet. "This...isnt good." Sticks said.
"Nope. Boss is never good." Runner said as he prepared for the thick of it. The Boss began to charge at the three, and seeing how they couldn't run at this point, they decided to face him head on. So Runner and Sticks began charging at him too. The music was starting to play again.
[Well now a couple hours past and I was sitting in my house
The day was winding down and coming to an end]
The Boss was obviously heavier, so his force was stronger than theres. He barreled through the two of them like a cocky quarterback, sending them rolling across the ground. Regardless, they couldn't let him get the best of them.
[And so I turned on the TV and flipped it over to the news
And what I saw I almost couldn't comprehend]
Runner leapt up from the ground in an attempt to punch the Boss, however the mammoth caught him by the tail and swung him into Sticks, who was planning a sneak attack. Alas, it failed and they flew into a stack of crates which shattered upon contact.
[I saw a preacher man in cuffs, he'd taken money from the church
He'd stuffed his bank account with righteous dollar bills]
Prix looked at the both of them in terror, hoping they weren't finished. And it truly did look like they were in real pain, as they were struggling to find their footing. Sadly, this distracted her. The boss found her vulnerable now and went in for the kill to put the little bat out of her misery.
[But even still I can't say much because I know we're all the same
Oh yes we all seek out to satisfy those thrills]
Runner's eyes widened, a flash of green illuminating across them. It was like he just got a second wind how he just burst from under the rubble and headbutted the Gator Boss off course and headfirst into a metal pole.
[Oh there ain't no rest for the wicked]
The Boss turned, swinging his gigantic fist towards Runner. But Runner jumped, dodging it and punching the Boss in the face. He then fell back, Prix pulling him out of the way and pouring all of her vial into the eyes of the Boss.
[Money don't grow on trees]
He was blinded but he kept swinging. This time Sticks leapt up and Prix caught her, swinging her into the Bosses temple and allowing her to kick him in the snout. The Boss then stumbled back.
[We got bills to pay, we got mouths to feed
There ain't nothing in this world for free]
Sticks fell back now, leaving Runner to catch both Prix and Sticks grasps as they pull him forward to hammerkick his face in and cause the Boss to stumble back a bit more before getting his balance back.
[Oh no we can't slow down, we can't hold back
Though you know we wish we could]
Sticks lands on her feet behind Prix, followed by Runner who grabs Sticks hand and begins pulling her in circles.
[Oh no there ain't no rest for the wicked
]
Surprisingly, this causes Sticks to swing Runner around fast, and she starts spinning around faster and faster until she lets go and Runner shoots off into the air uncontrollably.
[No there ain't no rest for the wicked]
Prix gasps as the Boss sees Runner fly away. He starts laughing, beginning to charge the two.
[Oh no there ain't no rest for the wickeeeeeddd]
Unbeknownst to him, Runner was coming back around, still spinning at nearly mach speed before appear on the other side of the Boss. He smirked. "Boomerang BANG!"
Runner struck the the Boss, letting all the force he built up lay into the Bosses face and send him flying into the giant jail house, causing it fall in on him and bury him under it's rubble.
[Until we close our eyes for good]
[End... ]
Runner, Sticks, and Prix began approaching the fallen building as the smoke and dust began to clear rather quickly. They were careful about it though, not wanting anything bad to come out without warning.
With it clearing, the Boss could be seen clear as day. If he wasn't knocked out cold by now, he was definitely immobilized because he wasn't moving much. This alarmed Sticks a little, as she started to rush in and grab the Bosses arm.
"Hm?" Runner hummed as Sticks proceeded to check the Old Reptiles pulse. "What are you doing?" He asked, crossing his arms.
Sticks felt around the Gators wrist, feeling a pulse on its backside. Now she allowed to feel relieved and at piece. For the most part, anyway. "Make sure you didn't kill him."
Runner scoffed and turned, looking away and off into the horizon. In his direction, it looked as if the sun was finally rising after a long night of mischief. It was no longer the cool, rebellious night it once was, but it was instead the start of a new day. "Of course I wouldn't kill him. I'm not a murderer..."
Sticks looked at the both of them, watching as Prix wiped her eyes and yawned as she approached Runner and leaned against his body. He looked down and rubbed her head, keeping a straight face. He too seemed pretty tired. Sticks smiled, feeling just as tired as well.
"Yeah...well you surely are something.." Sticks said as she got up and walked towards the both of them. It's been a long night and the journey there was pretty long in itself.
"And what's that?" He asked with a calm smile on his face.
Sticks smiled with the most innocent face she could put on before delivering a mighty left hook to Runner's muzzle that resulted in a trail of blood following him across the swamp grounds. "AN IDIOT!"
Prix's expression changed from tired to fully awake, her eyes wider than they've ever been. She hadn't expected the Badger to clear her older brother the way she did and somehow it frightened her to the core. But it seemed light Sticks wasn't even done with her tantrum.
She began approached Runner with dangerous stomps against the mud. "The next time you take me anywhere without planning an entrance, I'm pulverizing you! Actually, there won't be a next time! NEXT TIME, I'M PLANNING YOU HEAR ME?!"
Sticks started interrogating Runner to the core, but her punch was so hard, he couldn't even think straight. It would've been impossible to get an answer out of him now.
...
Somewhere above the swamp, behind the tree and in the shade of away from the slowly rising sun, one hopeless Gator stands in fear. His legs are trembling alone from just standing as he looked down at the ruins of the camp. "Oh no...t-this is bad. Like..s-s-so b-bad..." Just by the look of it, he knew his fate was sealed. "The boss is gonna k-kill me..."
Thank you all for being patient and waiting on me to release this part. I will say it's been hard writing this part because I wasn't sure how I'd incorporate music. As for my absence, there are no excuses. I simply have put priorities on my studies in school. I've also decided that it may be best to take my time in writing this as it helps me think better and handle personal things in my personal life.
That being said, there'll be no distinct schedule for how I write. I'll just start posting when I am able to finish a chapter. Thank you for staying along with me so far. And Merry Christmas!
Be ready for chapter 18!