Bryson's hand shook as he slowly opened the door. As it creaked open, he stuck his head out. It was a darkly lit area. He squeezed the axe in his hand and took a deep breath. He noticed a flight of stairs.
Great. More walking. Just what I needed.
He dragged his feet up the steps, slowly walking up them. They seemed to be endless, Bryson thought, but after a few minutes, he realized he was approaching the top. He felt extremely high up, adding to the sense of danger.
He finished climbing the last step, his legs aching, and noticed he was now walking into a dark and narrow room. He could feel that any moment from now, he'd be attacked or killed. He wondered if this was a trap or not.
He walked around the dark room, the floor creaking. He continued forward in a straight line, and suddenly came up to a door. He searched for a handle, grazing his free hand along it, until he finally found it. He slowly opened the door and peered his head around. Another dark room.
Out of nowhere, he felt himself be yanked over. He gasped loudly in shock, and suddenly, lights began to flash on and the room was now bright.
Bryson struggled as he looked over, seeing two guards holding him by his arms. He grunted and struggled more, but it was useless. He gripped his axe, making sure it didn't fall, he needed it. It was his last use of self defense.
But then he realized.. if he used his axe, he could potentiallly murder a human being. Could he handle the thought of being responsible for taking a life?
The two guards grunted as they yanked him across the gray, empty, room. There was another door at the end of the room. Bryson realized he had to do what he had to do.
He tried to swing his axe, finding it difficult to with his arms being squeezed like this. But luckily, he managed to move his axe and it swung into one of the guard's legs. He aimed to only injure the guard.
The axe scraped along the side of the guard's leg. It wasn't too rough of a swipe, but the axe was so strong it seemed to cause the guard great pain as he yelped loudly, being forced to let go of Bryson as his hands went to his leg, the fabric of his pants being seemingly ripped open.
The other guard looked down in shock and gasped. Bryson took the chance and roughly yanked his arm out of the guard's grasp, succeding to his surpise.
Bryson made a run for it and sprinted to the door.
"HEY!" the guard yelled.
Bryson yanked the door open and rushed out, slamming it shut.
He panted and looked around. Another dark room, but there was a ladder a few feet away.
Bryson rushed to the ladder and quickly began to climb up it. As he continued scaling up, there was a hole through the building that he scaled up through the ladder. He finished climbing the ladder, and he saw a large wooden platform.
He lifted his hands up to it and leaped up, falling onto it. As he looked around, he saw a crowd of people chained up and a stage set up. It looked like Rabadan had a new place set up to comence his plan.
He looked down and his heart almost stopped. There was Rabadan on the stage, with his scepeter. The top of it was glowing, providing a source of light. He looked around, an anxious look on his face. Bryson wondered where his friends were.
Bryson's stomach churned as he realized this was his chance. His whole body trembled and he was sweating more than he ever had before. He gulped and he slowly lifted up his axe. He was aiming for the scepeter.
But then, Rabadan lifted his scepeter back and a blue burst emited from it, hitting the ladder and the platform, causing it to snap in half and break. It slowly began to collaspe and Bryson cried out, snapping his head around as it fell to the ground. Bryson jumped off of it right before it hit the ground and rolled onto the floor, the rubble smashing onto half of his axe, forcing him to let go of it. All the people chained up gasped and looked at Bryson.
Bryson panted on the floor and looked up at Rabadan.
Rabadan chuckled as he slowly walked over to Bryson. "Glad you made it. I hope you enjoyed the luxary of climbing all of that. Because it's NOTHING compared to what's about to happen."
Bryson didn't give a reply. Rabadan slowly walked back to the stage.
"People of Oz... it seems things didn't work out so well the first time, but THIS TIME... I can assure you... you're going to see how miserable this place can truly be." He announced.
He then lifted up his scepeter, causing Bryson to wince. Then, his scepeter flashed, and suddenly, Glinda appeared next to him. Bryson gasped, along with the audience.
"This woman right here... SHE is the one who maniuplates people... NOT ME! This BITCH just couldn't... she couldn't let me stay, could she? She wanted me to suffer. To suffer in war. Let me tell you everyone, war is not pretty. You people.. you've never experienced ANYTHING LIKE IT. UNTIL. NOW. NOW. YOU WILL SEE.. WHAT I WENT THROUGH!" Rabadan screamed. He sounded absoutely insane and psychotic. He hadn't seem so angry before.
Bryson could tell that whatever war this man went through... it was the reason he was this way.
"I am going to utterly defile your precious good witch, your protector, in front of ALL of you.." he spat out lowly.
He lifted her up roughly and she coughed, sobbing. He pressed against her and leaned into her ear, whispering something, then nibbled on her ear, causing her to cry more.
Bryson gasped and then turned around. He noticed his axe in the rubble, the bottom half of it sticking out. He yanked it over and turned back to Rabadan.
He started squeezing her breasts, and Bryson shook his head in anger.
He tried to not let his heavy breathing be heard. He decided he had seen enough. Killing this man seemed to be the only option. He closed one eye, then roughly threw the axe towards the bottom of the scepeter.
,Bryson's heart pounded through his chest. His breathing was hard and rapid.
And then, the axe hit the scepeter, and it slipped out of Rabdan's hands.
Bryson almost yelped as it began to fall all the way back behind the stage, and the axe onto the stage, creating a loud thud.
Rabdan gave a shocked and angry look as Bryson tried to contain a "yes!"
Rabadan snapped his head around, and then his eyes landed on Bryson. Rabadan gave an outraged look and pushed Glinda over.
"SHIT!" He yelled in anger, rushing off the stage to go fetch the scepeter.
Glinda looked around and saw Bryson, and she weakly smiled, seeming extrememly relieved.
"You came for us." She mouthed.
Bryson nodded. "Of course.." he said lowly.
He felt proud of himself.
His old self... his old self wouuld have just given up.
But he kept fighting on.
Bryson rushed over and grabbed his axe, knowing he would be done fore without a weapon. He ran behind the stage and saw Rabadan bursting down the doors. Bryson rushed after him and busted through the doors.
He realized he was now outside, and at the top of the mountain.
It had been so long that the sun was rising, it was already morning.
He saw Rabadan was kneeling down. The scepeter had been kicked out through the doors.
As Rabadan was about to pick up the scepeter, Bryson rushed over and swiped at Rabadan's hand, causing Rabadan to drop the scepeter in surprise, but no harm was done to his hand. The scepeter was sent tumbling down the mountain.
Rabadan looked over at Bryson and shoved him hard on the ground, causing Bryson to stumble over and fall down on the ground. Bryson slowly got up and then ran after Rabadan, who sprinted after the scepeter. They both stumbled due to the steepness of the mountain.
Rabadan had his back turned and they were now inches away from each other. Bryson lifted up the axe and swiped it at Rabadan's back, but Rabadan turned around and grabbed Bryson by the wrist, growling and squeezing it. Bryson groaned and Rabdan yanked at Bryson's wrist, practically throwing him and causing him to start falling down the mountain, his axe falling from his grip.
Bryson groaned as his body was sent tumbling down, causing him to feel dizzy. He eventually stopped and landed next landed close to the first structure he had walked through. He lifted his head up and shook it. "Oh man.."
He then saw his axe falling towards him and he cried out, reaching his arm out and catching it before it fell.
He put his free hand up to his head, sighing as his head slowly stopped spinning.
And then, he looked over, and he saw it.
The scepeter.
Sitting right next to the structure.
He gasped and started quickly crawling over to it.
And when he was just an inch away from it, he reached his hand out to it. That was it. If he had this thing, it was over. He would win. He felt like crying in relief.
But then, he heard running. He grabbed the top of the scepeter, but suddenly, Rabadan growled and kicked it hard from the bottom, and it was sent flying into the doors.
Bryson and Rabadan looked at each other, and Bryson quickly mustered himself up and threw himself into the doors, slamming them open and falling over inside.
Bryson saw the scepeter a few inches away and crawled over to it, but Rabadan busted down through the doors and kicked the scepeter hard, causing it to tumble across the floor, a few feet away from the two.
Rabadan tried to punch Bryson, but Bryson dodged and Rabadan's fist hit the floor. Bryson rushed and got on his feet, running after the scepeter. He fell from exhaustion and crawled to the scepeter. And then, he finally touched it, but out of nowhere, he suddenly felt Rabadan grabbing him by the neck and pulling him up, throwing him a few inches over.
Rabadan panted and grabbed the scepeter.
He then stood over at Bryson, panting some more.
"You know... you haven't been changed like I thought you would. It's a shame. It turns out you're just as stubborn as your little girlfriend."
Rabadan then kicked Bryson hard in the side, causing Bryson to cough and roll over on his back.
Rabadan kneeled down and swiped the axe from Bryson's hands effortlessly, throwing it back.
Bryson closed his eyes. He just knew this was gonna be the end.
"Did you really think a pathetic kid like you could save everyone in Oz?" Rabadan taunted. Rabadan kicked him in the side again, causing Bryson to cough more.
"You're like a twig... you're NOTHING."
Rabadan kicked him in the side again.
Bryson panted and coughed in pain.
Everything Rabadan said reminded him of his father.
All of the years his dad made him feel worthless. He was the reason Bryson became so insecure now. But he was different now. He had confidence. And he wanted to tell his dad he wouldn't put up with him anymore.
And then began to reflect onto Rabadan.
"You know what... you're the one who's pathetic. You're the one who's CLEARLY not right in the head. You prey on people like this to feel better. It's sad. You blame Glinda for sending you back home... and you act like she's the one who started the war. You're trying to get revenge on the wrong. You're emotionally unstable. And no matter what happens... even if you win. You'll always be a loser. Look at you." Bryson spat out angrily. He never had the nerve to insult somebody back. But things were different now. He was standing up for himself for once.
Rabadan gave the angriest look he had ever given and lifted his scepeter up.
And Bryson knew he was done for.