Hey there! Okay. I know this chapter is a lot longer than normal ones but I figured I'd give you guys something special. A small thank you for everyone whose stuck with me so long, but on the bright side, WE'VE FINALLY REACHED ALABASTA! WHOOHOO! Praise the Lord it has been done!
Okay. Q&A time!
j8a8c8y8: Unfortunately, we're not going to be seeing the Whitebeard Pirates for a while. She still needs to go through one or two things first, but it will happen eventually! I promise!
SNicole25: What will she find in Alabasta? Well, you're about to find out! There's going to be laughter and fighting, some fun and some craziness!
Groundhog: Unfortunately, Alexandra has decided it would be best for her not to meet the rest of the crew until much later. Don't forget she's still a good few years ahead of when Luffy begins his journey, and since she's already in the Grand Line, she's kind of vetoed that for when they reach the Grand Line themselves. Eventually, at least.
AnimeKpop7: Well, it might have been Ronan... or it might have been one of the kids, or the townsfolk, or the Marines, or some mysterious stranger... Nah, just kidding. It was Ronan.
And Lastly, Guest: Sorry, but I would rather not spoil that. I will say she will eventually join a crew! Though it will become rather obvious when she eventually meets said crew.
There are a lot of 'eventually's in here...
Anyways. Thank you everyone who reviewed! Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter!
Read & Enjoy!
"There's an old fashioned Ford made of rubber tin and board along the road to Gundagai!" I sang my fourth song as I approached the desert kingdom. At the nearest island to Alabasta, I had hitched a ride to rest my feet and so I didn't scare the hell out of anyone by arriving on foot, from the ocean. Yeah, that would scare a few people at the docks. I had paid the captain, and was helping ready the cargo to be unloaded at the docks.
"The radiators hissing! And half the engines missing! The oil tanks running dry!" I heaved another heavy load that would've needed three men to lift normally, and headed up to the deck to place the crate with the others. The men kindly moving out of my way, clearly they were grateful for the extra help.
"There's water the in petrol! And sand in the gears! And it hasn't seen a garage for more than forty years" I placed the box down and dusted off my hands, looking to the nearby port that was closing in fast, and grinned "But oh gosh! Hear a roar! When the peddle hits the floor, along the road to Gundagai!" the men had long since gotten used to the odd song, knowing that some countries had it rough and the only way to keep up the mood was making songs that, while made perfect sense to them, made no sense to anyone else. They simply applied that logic to me, and so mostly ignored my singing, but I did catch a few humming the tune under their breath. I feel a little proud about that.
"Alright, that's everything! Thank you for your help, miss" the captain said with a smile, he refused to call me Traveller, saying it wasn't a proper name for a young lass, but since I refused to give out my birth name he simply started calling me 'miss'. Can't say I mind much. Though I'm beginning to wonder what point there is in keeping my name secret… ah well, it's fun if nothing else.
I gave a smile of my own, "no problem, it was actually a bit of fun sailing with you, hopefully we'll meet again, and on good terms!" I laughed a bit at the thought, and the captain only shook his head before turning around to order his men about. A minute later, I was waving the men goodbye as I made my way through the thick throng of people, intent on buying some suitable clothes and a meal; it had been two weeks since my last decent meal.
The town was larger than I expected, but trade was obviously good and I found myself drawn to a few little knickknacks but knew I couldn't buy them. They would only break, sooner or later. Still, it wasn't hard to find a stall that sold desert-appropriate clothing, and was soon fitted into some simple beige and brown fabrics. I bought a hat instead of the usual headset, and with a happy wave made my way out to grab a bite to eat. The crew I was with had been stuck on rations for the last part of their trip, which had been about a week before I popped up and joined them.
I looked around for a few minutes, and easily came across a pretty good place. With a smile, I quickly headed towards the diner, and looked around when I noticed the crowd noticeably thinned around the windows and entrance. At I moved to open the door, the window to my right broke as a man was sent flying through it and landed on the ground with a loud 'thud'. I blinked down at the man as he twitched, and my smile grew exponentially. Yup, definitely a good place to grab a bite. And with that thought, I opened the door and stepped inside to a suddenly silent room.
Looking around, I noticed all eyes were on me, and most weren't very friendly. Ignoring the looks, I went to the bar and sat on a stool by a big fella. Giving a grin to the man, I waited for the bartender to scurry by and looked at me with apprehension.
"What can I get you?" he asked hurriedly, obviously wanting me to order quickly so he can serve the other patrons. I looked at the chalkboard menu, and shrugged.
"I'll just have some meat and ale, thanks" he gave a nod and scurried off to the kitchen to tell the chefs the order. I raised a brow as he disappeared out one of the back doors. "Twitchy little fellow, ain't he?" I muttered idly.
"Aye, he's a squirrel alright!" the big man laughed and I sent a surprised look up to the guy, fighting a grin of my own. He was tall and broad, built like a tank, he had a scruffy black beard and warm brown eyes. I blinked at the familiar face. Squinting a little, I tilted my head.
"I have I seen you before?" I muttered, trying to think back. No way had I met him in the Blues, maybe it had been in the newspaper?
"Eh?" the dark eyed man blinked down at me, scratching his scruffy black hair in confusion, obviously trying to remember if he's seen me. "Nah, I don't remember every seeing ya, probably seen my Wanted poster though" he patted his hands down his shirt and pockets, before pulling out a strip of tattered paper and handing it to me. Curiosity won the short battle and I took the parchment, I unfolded it and found a younger version of the man sitting next to me.
"'Woodsman' Jack, reward one-hundred-and-eighty million" I gave a low whistle, finally remembering where I saw this "There was a board full of wanted posters a few islands back, I was browsing to see if there was anyone I knew, no wonder you were familiar. Your poster was one of the oldest" I handed the paper back, noting the man's proud grin and giving a small one in return. I looked around and noticed that most of these men bore the Woodsman's mark somewhere, two axes crossed over one another to make an 'X' sign, so they were his crew then. The squirrelly man returned with my food and drink, and I slipped him the bills as he placed the plate and mug down. He took it quickly, and without thanks, before running off to refill some patron's cups.
"Ha! You've got some friends in the pirating business, do ye?" he asked boisterously, smiling broadly. I shook my head and took a large draught of my ale. It burned a little, but it was good ale.
"Sort of, that's why I was looking" I sent a grin up to the larger man "So, what brings you here? A little dry for a pirate, I would imagine" I said, watching the drink swirl in my cup before setting it down to devour my meat. It was medium done, so it was juicy and well marinated. Some might say overly so, but I've always liked strong flavours and heavy foods when I'm hungry. The lighter stuff is more for snacks or deserts in my opinion.
"Ah, just restocking supplies, hit a nasty storm two weeks back, completely threw us off course! Nearly had Hammond over here go overboard! Eh Hammond?" the man yelled and addressed a dark haired man with a grey fedora and sleek but casual outfit, the crew laughed and the young man rolled his eyes in clear annoyance but the light pink tinging his cheeks gave him away. I laughed along with the men, surprised to see such a lean man in a crew full of big and burly pirates, but despite his apparent irritation, I could tell he was happy the crew liked him. Ah, the sea truly is a place for the weird and wonderful.
"And yourself? What's brought such a wee thing way out this way?" I turned on the big man, sending an indignant look up at him.
"'Wee thing'? I'll have you know I am an adult and taller than most women!" I crossed my arms childishly, completely ruining the intended effect, and the crowd burst into rambunctious laughter once again. Despite myself, I ended up grinning right back at everyone. "But yeah nah, I'm looking for someone. Don't know her name, all I got was 'she knows of death'. Completely unhelpful" I groused, propping an elbow on the bar top and resting my cheek in my palm, Jack gave a few sympathetic pats on my back and I heaved a sigh, realising just how stuck I was. I really had no clue on where the find the woman, and Alabasta was a huge kingdom, even with my not-quite-mastered-Geppo it would take weeks to get around the whole country, and even then I might miss the woman.
"Ah, that does sound like a bind. Well, I know the answer to this problem!" I looked up at the dark haired man in surprise, was it possibly he knew who the woman was? However, my hopes were quickly dashed when he grabbed a jug and refilled my cup with the honey coloured drink. I sent him an incredulous look, before I broke into a fit of laughter. I have been stressing about finding this lady for weeks, and this guy just turns around and tells me to drink away my problems?
"Okay, so it's not the answer, but everything seems better after a few mugs of ale!" the men in the room cheered, and soon barrels were brought out and cups were never empty. I simply sighed and gave in to the craziness, letting my inhibitions go and downed mug after mug, devouring my food that I ordered regularly, because I did not want to drink on an empty stomach. By my eighth mug, which was about the size of a pint, I was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol.
"And ya know vwat dat bastard goes 'n do?" Jack wailed, rivers of tears streaming down his face "H-he just gooes an' stcheels all me loot! Does-don't ev'n fin'sh da bloody fight! Jus-just roons off, toodle-doo, bye-bye, an-an-an" he really starts to cry now, wailing as he puts his arm over his eyes, unable to continue the heart-jerking story. Not sure what's it about anymore, but my eyes are misty and I'm patting his arm empathetically.
"Damn shame, sorry to hear that" I don't know how I keep my words from garbling, but I manage it, and I don't question it "Maybe you'll get a rematch, one day" the big man gives me the biggest puppy-dog-eye look I've ever seen, a look of innocent hope etch on his rugged face.
"You-you think so?" and he did a little sniffle, and I nodded enthusiastically.
"Uh-huh! It's not fair! So I'm sure you'll meet 'em again!" he stares down at me for a long while, before his eyes well up with tears again and he starts crying harder, scooping me up in a big hug and crushing me to his chest. But I don't mind. He's like a big puppy and I love puppies, he's my cute little puppy and I love him. My puppy.
I hug him back as best I can, patting his head as he starts blubbering. I look around and his crew are watching the tear-jerking scene with tears in their eyes, many sniffing and trying to stop the tears and some outright cry 'so beautiful' and start to wail. Unhappy with their sadness, I wiggle out of the big man's hold and go to each and every one of the sad crewmen and give them a hug and a pat. Hammond, the most sober of the lot, is smiling brightly when it's his turn, and returns the hug enthusiastically.
"You are such a nice little lady!" he announces, and the crew cheers up again faster than one can blink. And we're back to laughing and joking and drinking beer and ale and just getting completely smashed. By my fourteenth pint, I stumble away from the bar and head for the door, but I quickly stop and do a loopy U-turn and went back for my pack. Picking it up, and nearly toppling over, I went back to the door.
"Hey! Kit! Where-ya goin'?" someone called, and I blinked at the name. They had started calling me little cat six mugs ago, which delve into kitty three mugs after that, but I guess my names Kit now. Cool. Nice. I like it. It's cute. It's not often I get to be cute, cause I'm too busy being cool and badass.
"I gotta go home… oh wait!" I burst out into a fit of hysterical laughter "I don't live here!" the men quickly joined in, and we laughed for a good few minutes, before I eventually turned back to the door. I did three spins before I span the right amount to face the door, and I reached for the doorknob.
"Oi! Kit! Where you goin'?" someone else called out, and I blinked before turning to the crowd.
"I gotta go… gotta go… Huh, I'm not sure" the group laughed, and I pouted at them unhappily. Not my fault I couldn't remember where to go! But soon I forgot why I was mad and ended up laughing with them, I giggled so hard I fell back against the door and kept giggling. I was gonna die from giggling so hard! I couldn't breathe, but that just made it funnier!
Suddenly the wall I was leaning on disappeared, and I fell back with a yelp and a squeak. Or was it a squeak and a yelp? I don't know, but now I was half out of the building and half in, staring up at the pretty stars, pretty, pretty stars, and when did the wall turn into a door? Why would it do that? Oh wait, I start giggling again, walls can't change into doors! I gasped suddenly, looking up at the man staring down at me with confusion.
"Did you eat the Door-Door Fruit?!" I accused, pointing a finger up at him "You can't do that! That's not allowed! You're gonna ruin the story!" and the crowd inside the bar grumbled and yelled their agreements, but then they asked what kind of story was it, and then someone started singing a nursery rhyme and everyone fell into laughter once more.
Rolling onto my stomach, I pushed myself into a crouching position, but then the floor had to be really mean and tilt so I fell back and landed on my butt. I looked up at the stranger, and then behind him.
"Mr. Squirrel!" I cheered, throwing my hands up like a child. The man jumped back, startled, and I pouted at that. I'm not scary! I'm too little to be scary! Lots-a people say so! Like-like-like… people!
"Ah miss, gentlemen, the diner is closed. I'm afraid you'll have to leave" the party-pooper said, his shouldered gun glinting in the lamplight. I pouted but wobbled up onto my feet, grabbing my pack and swinging it onto my back, though I think I did more swinging. The gentlemen cried out in indignation at the treatment, but I just blew a raspberry at the two meanie-people.
"Fine! Let's move it to the street! Come on and follow me~!" I sang, and the boys scrambled to follow, taking barrels and mugs with them and smiling smugly at the two meanies.
"We're goin' wiff 'er!"
"We get to go an' you don't!"
We continued down the street, before I turned to them suddenly "right-e-o gents! We need a place to stay for the night!" I said seriously, or as seriously as I can when that lamppost is doing a silly jig. The men quickly started heading for the docks, towards their ship, and said we can all stay there for the night, and then go looking for the magic lady! I cheered and got a piggyback from one of the bigger guys, we all made it to the docks, and the deck, and the cabins, and then someone tripped and fell on some sacks of flour and I huffed out in jealously. I want a little nest!
Looking around, I gasped in delight. There were a bunch of little nests hanging about! Giggling, I ran wobbly and jumped onto the little nest with dead-on accuracy, but the little nest moved before I could land and I fell over it. Oh, no it didn't. My bag helped me fly too far, so I'll just put it down by the nest! Putting it down, I clambered into my little nest and yipped happily. Wait, birds don't yip. But I'm a Kit! A little fox, and foxes yip! But foxes don't live in nests, do they? They live in cosy little burrows, but there are no burrows here. But why can't a fox live in a nest.
"I'll be Kit the nester then!" I decided with a firm nod of my head. I'll be a little fox that lives in a nest. There! Problem solved!
"Goodnight everyone!" I cheered and everyone who was still awake, and that number was quickly dwindling, cheered me a 'goodnight' back. Which made me very happy, and I flopped back into my little nest and fell right asleep! Like a good little bird-fox is supposed to do!
Something was poking at my eyes. Not a something, many somethings. Many tiny little somethings that were very sharp and were stinging my retina's with cruel merciless persistence. Opening my eyes a little, I quickly shut them at the painful burst of light.
"Who the fuck turned on the light?" I growled out, causing someone to yelp and a loud 'thump' to be heard. Though I think that was my head, and I groaned from the horrible pounding in my skull that resonated with my heartbeat. Rolling over, I sighed as the light was blocked out. Trying again, I opened my eyes and found that, while they still hurt, at least I could see. And what I saw made me stare.
There were at least twenty men staring at me with wary caution and a bit of fear. Blinking, I squinted at them, but that only made a few pale. Many of them looked like they had pounding headaches, much like me, and nobody looked especially chipper this morning.
"Um… who… who are you?" the leanest of the group, some dude with a fedora settled on his head at an askew angle, asked.
"Who the fuck wants to know?" many of the men stepped back at my tone of voice, and I felt a vicious sort of pleasure to see them suffering and afraid. Let them suffer, that way I am not alone in my suffering.
"Uh-I… my name is Hammond, um… do-do you remember what happened last night?" I glared at him suspiciously, and he quickly hid behind some big burly guy. I blinked and then squinted at him, to which he admirably did not flinch from, though his hand did twitch in the tell-tale sign of wanting to draw a weapon.
"Hammond… Woodsman Jack?" I mumbled, and slowly the night before unravelled itself in my mind. I sighed and rubbed my eyes, slowly rising from the warmth of the hammock I had claimed as my bed. "Uh, fuck. Someone go and get me some fucking water" I forced out, my mood darkening with the knowledge I had a fucking hangover. First night in Alabasta and I decide to get pissed off my face, fan-fucking-tastic. Certainly seemed like a good idea at the time, but now… I will fucking murder.
A glass of water appeared in my vision, along with some tablets, and I downed them and the water in one go and muttered a hoarse 'thank you' but at least now I don't sound like everything I say is a death threat. Looking back to the crew, I sighed again and shook my head.
"Sorry about that. First time getting drunk" at that they all seem to relax at once.
"Ah, that'll explain it. You scared us quite a bit there, but don't you worry lass, you'll get used to it" Jack said, keeping his voice wonderfully low. I gave a shaky smile, and ran my tongue over my teeth and grimaced, which caused the man to chuckle. "Aye, terrible thing to wake up to, there's a bathroom just over there, yer welcome to it" he added, to which I happily grabbed my bag and trotted over to the gestured door. I did not run, as my legs have seemingly forgotten that they can move.
I immediately set to brushing my teeth, spending a good two minutes attacking the grime that had built up, before washing out my mouth with the clean water. The powerful mint having somewhat awakened my tastebuds so now nothing tasted like bloody sawdust anymore. I also had a quick shower and changed my clothes, luckily my maroon hoodie was clean so I could wear that along with a sports bra and some black leggings and a pair of shorts. I didn't bother putting on my bandages for my feet, they were fine now anyway. Looking down at my feet, I sat down and actually looked at the soles.
At first glance, they looked like a normal person's sole, but then I tapped at one of them and giggled. The skin had hardened and actually made a thick 'tap, tap, tap' noise, and it was smooth too, not super smooth but it wasn't all cracked and flaky or had any ridges or anything. I wasn't ticklish anymore either, back in my old world my feet had been stupidly sensitive, but now the hardened skin allowed me some level of protection.
Standing up, I exited the steamy bathroom with my clothes packed away in my bag with said bag slung over my shoulder. My head was still pounding, and felt like it was full of water, and my eyes hurt whenever the light got too intense, but it wasn't so bad now that I had freshened up a bit. One of the men, Bobby I remember slowly, was waiting for me and escorted me to breakfast. Most it was liquid based, and the group as a whole avoided dry foods, to which I thanked every god I knew of for that.
I dug in like a madman, eating enough for three people, but the crew were just as enthusiastic in their food. Everyone didn't talk much, except to ask for a drink or to pass one thing or another, but by the end of it everyone was feeling much better. I sighed and relaxed in my seat.
"So, when are you guys leaving?" I asked, taking a sip of my drink. My headache has all but disappeared, all that is left is a slight heaviness in my head, and my thoughts were a bit more lethargic, but beyond that there was little sign I had ever been willing to commit mass murder just an hour ago.
"This afternoon, we want to stay a little longer to recover and check to see if there's anything we missed" I nodded at Hammonds words, and finished my drink. Standing, I rolled my shoulders and enjoyed the 'pops' that resonated in them.
"Cool, thanks for the meal, and helping me in general. Is there anything I can help you with in return?" I asked, and Jack went deep in thought for several seconds.
"Hm… we're actually getting a bit of trouble from a… businessman who's refusing to sell us some sorely needed materials. If you could perhaps… persuade him, we would be most obliged" he sent me a grin that was much more… not sinister, but mischievous. I sent a matching grin, already looking towards the prospect of causing trouble. Though I wasn't sure how much help I would be.
"As long as I don't get kicked out of Alabasta before I can find the woman I'm looking for, I would be happy to help" the grin he sent my way at my words was perfectly predatory. He stood and we shook on it, both quite happy to have something to do besides wallow in our post-drinking recovery.
It didn't take long for us to finish up and head out to the more active part of the docks, where there were warehouses and a lot more people wearing suits among those who were just wearing work clothes. The whole crew had decided to come along, to add some 'incentive' they had said, grinning all the way.
"Hang on" I paused as my thoughts finally caught up and I realised something. Turning to Jack, I looked up at him suspiciously, "why do you think I would be of any help, I'm not exactly intimidating" I gestured to myself with a wave of my hand, not looking away from Jack's slightly surprised countenance.
"You're Traveller, aren't you?" he asked, I nodded automatically, by now I was so used to being called Traveller it seemed like a second name. He gestured to one of the men, Ken I believe, and he pulled out a strip of paper from his pocket and handed it to me. Unfolding the paper, I realised it was several sheets and that they were newspaper articles, all of them about me or ones that I was involved in.
"You're becoming rather famous. Taking on those pirates and helping the Marines in the Blues, beating that pirate crew all on your own, and helping those people on that island. A lot of pirates are beginning to take notice of you, Traveller, and no doubt the Government has as well. I have no doubt this weasel of a businessman has heard of you, and will be more willing to confer with us once he sees you with us" Jack finished with a grin. I stared up at him in surprise and looked to each of the crewmen in confirmation.
"Well" I started "Well. That is… I wasn't expecting that" I admitted, shaking my head and handing the papers back to Ken. I honestly hadn't expected to become too notable for a long while yet, seems being anonymous isn't going to work out as well as I'd hoped. Oh well, you can't win them all, as they say.
So with a nod and a sheepish grin, I continued to follow the crew of big burly men, and one lean fedora-wearing guy, to a shady part of the docks and entered a large warehouse with Jack. The rest were to wait outside just in case.
Much to my surprise, there was a smartly dressed man with light blonde hair waiting for us. That immediately put me on guard, shifting my stance wider and evening out my centre of gravity subtly. I pulled my hands out of my pockets and let them hang limply at my sides, looking around the dark warehouse, there were only two lights one, that was full of boxes and crates of various sizes and shapes, all stacked high. It made a veritable maze where hundreds of people could be hiding, and it made the hairs on the back of my neck rise.
"Ah, I knew you would come back, my large friend, they always do. Have you changed your mind and accepted my deal?" he asked, seemingly not noticing me, but then his blue eyes slid to mine and I froze. My body stiffened and I stopped breathing altogether. There was something very dangerous about this man, something that made me want to turn and run, something was telling my instincts that whatever this was wasn't worth it and to just leave. But I steeled myself, I wasn't here for myself, I was here to help Jack and his crew. They were nice enough to house me and feed me, so no matter how freaky this guy was, I wasn't going to turn tail and run.
"Actually, I was here to tell you my offer is still open and hoping that I could persuade you to accept" Jack replied, his usual manner of speaking completely absent in the face of this man. It seemed he sensed it too, but I doubt the captain was the type of guy to back down from a challenge, and that was exactly what the businessman was offering. A challenge.
"Oh?" the man chuckled "how quaint, and I suspect you brought in the Traveller to help persuade me" it wasn't a question, but it certainly proved he knew of me. Knew of my reputation, at least, which was beginning to become a bit of an issue, I think; I might need to go underground for a while after this, a bit of MIA to become forgotten and overlooked for a little while longer.
"I figured it might help" I could hear the grin in my friends' voice, though I didn't check to look. I kept my eyes firmly on the businessman.
Said businessman sighed "You know how I hate to haggle, how disappointing" he clapped his hands twice and the rest of the lights turned on, flooding the building with light, and armed men began pouring in from the crates and surrounded us in a wide circle. Well, that escalated quickly. How the hell did we not see this coming? Christ, I feel like an idiot.
"Shit" I cursed and shifted into a lower stance with my knees bent and my hands up so they protected my centre. I moved to stand back to back with Jack, who had drawn his huge axe from his back and held it expertly in his hands. I scanned the mob until my eyes landed on the smiling businessman, his blonde hair practically glowing in the light as his sharp blue eyes locked on mine again. He suddenly looked a lot more sinister, and I realised what had me so on edge when I caught a disturbing glint in this mans' eyes. He was mad. Not like Gutter had been, it was a calculated madness, unwavering and controlled, but present and needing be released. And he was letting it loose on us.
"No matter, your bounties will be easily recompensing my time that you've rudely wasted" he said mildly, and suddenly the sounds of fighting could be heard from beyond the warehouse door, which had been closed shortly after they entered. Yells and screams pierced the heavy wood and metal barrier, and I felt Jack shaking violently.
"Sonofabitch!" I hissed, tapping Jack twice on the leg before I shot towards the door. Pushing off the ground I jumped high above the mob and, with a quick prayer, pushed my legs at a horizontal angle with as much force as I could manage.
The effect was instantaneous and shocking. I was suddenly shooting through the air, straight towards the door. I only just managed to angle my body so my knee slammed into the main barrier between Jack and his crew, the door caved from the sudden force and became misshapen enough for the crew to be seen while the metal bent and broke under my touch. The sight of their captain gave the men an extra boost and they rallied with a cheer, taking down the remaining men quickly before charging in. I pushed off the door as it began to crumble and landed in the middle of the crowd between the captain and his crew. Spinning low, I kicked out the legs of the men around me, causing a bit of a domino effect, as one man fell he bumped into a guy behind him who stumbled into the guy next to him and it basically cleared a way for the crew to reach the captain, who was currently fighting off some guy with a sword.
By the time everyone had rallied to their captain, the mass had reorganised themselves and was beginning to close in on them. I looked around, trying to figure out a way to get through this, when an arrow shot past me. I grabbed it on reflex, stopping it from hitting Bobby in the arm, and snapped it with the pressure of my grip alone. That started a chain reaction, and suddenly they were charging at us with weapons raised and war cries echoing.
I threw my fist into the nearest thug, putting more strength than necessary into the blow, which caused him to ricochet into the crowd, taking out at least a dozen men with him. I immediately had to duck underneath a sword swipe, but before I could turn to take care of him he was flung away by a powerful blow to the head via a staff. I glanced behind me to see Hammond send me a quick grin before returning to the fight. I huffed out a short laugh before returning to the fight.
As the crowd began to thin, the men seemed to realise this fight was not one they would be winning. Granted, while several of us were wounded, and certainly worse for wear, we were still more than a match for a mob of half-trained thugs. They seemed to realise this too, and began to become more disorganised. After another powerful blow from Jack's axe, taking out over a dozen men in one swing, the mob finally gave up and scattered, running away or turning on each other, some tried to steal the merchandise in the warehouse while some still tried to get in a lucky shot at them, using the chaos and confusion as a cover. But that didn't work out so well.
Breathing heavily, I looked around the chaos with a smile. We won, basically, and considering how bad the odds had been before, I'd say we were bloody lucky.
Suddenly I felt a shiver go down my spine, breaking the happy, accomplished feeling and replacing it with one of cold foreboding. I whirled around and tried to locate the source of it, but no matter where I looked I couldn't see anything, and no one was doing anything suspicious- wait…
Where was the businessman?
Seeing as my spot on the ground yielded little, I jumped up to the top of a high stack of crates for a better vantage point. Looking around again, I tried to spy for the blonde haired man, but found nothing. He must have fled, then, sometimes during the fighting. I frowned at the thought, that didn't sound right at all, when one thought about it, he didn't seem like a guy that would leave a job unfinished.
Something heavy and cold settled in my stomach, and I stood from my crouched position. Looking around again, I noticed the pattern that the crates had been stacked and how it made everyone who wanted to go anywhere from the main entrance go through the paths they made. The only real open space was the area in front of the main entrance, which was mostly cluttered no from debris and bodies. I tried to figure out a reason for it, but with all the noise it was impossible to think.
"Everybody shut up!" I screamed out in frustration and a sudden, harsh, silence fell on the air as everybody froze from their fighting, running and looting. I glared at everyone for a moment before my ears pricked at a sound that hadn't been heard over the noise.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
I looked down at the crate beneath my feet; the sound was coming from the crate. Moving off it, I ripped the top of the crate off and peered inside. All colour drained from my face and I whirled to the crew and hired thugs alike.
"Run!" I was all I could scream, panic overriding my ability to talk properly, but luckily Jack and his crew listened immediately. Dropping what they were carrying and bolting for the wide open entrance. I jumped down and bodily threw some of the slower members out through the exit, ignoring the mob men that were scurrying around me, trying to run and steal at the same time. We all made it just out of the warehouse before it was engulfed in a raging inferno, the force of the blast easily throwing us off our feet. We all flew for dozens of metres before hitting the ground hard and fast, skidding to a stop or crashing into buildings, machinery or cargo.
I blacked out the first time I slammed into the ground.
Ah yes, the dreaded cliff-hanger.
So, good? Bad? Miss anything? Any questions? Yeah, not to put here...
R&R and see ya!