Chapter Six:
An Impossible Escape
Moonlight seeped into his cell, its celestial glow cutting through the dark, and gleamed off the walls. At this time, after the guards' visit, he'd be asleep, dreading what the next day would bring.
After today, Axol had his limit. No more.
He was breaking out tonight, and he was taking advantage of the guards' next visit. It didn't matter if he left Inkweaver in the hands of that monster for the time being, Axol had to get out, and he was not going to stay in this palace any longer. The more he stayed, and the more he permitted that chameleon to torment him, the axolotl wasn't sure if his sanity would survive.
Countless hours of forced court jester service, and being dominated by Francis' anime waifus at the gecko's command, had left Axol in a broken mess while he looked to happy memories from before the horror began.
Once he was out, he wasn't going back. Axol would make his way off the island by any means necessary, and travel to whatever safe refuge was out there in the world. Almost every region was under the control of Francis' anime army, but it was known that a good five percent of the planet was safe.
From what Axol had heard, there were a couple lands around the Mushroom Kingdom that weren't under enemy occupation. One way or another, he had to make a break for freedom.
Dinner had been served a few hours ago, and it had already been digested. Axol stood near the door, waiting for the moment to move. He grimaced to the sound of women wailing somewhere else, knowing that Francis was once again dominating his unwilling waifus, and Axol didn't want to even know if the chameleon was taking Meggy tonight.
'Patience, patience.'
Axol listened to the sound of footsteps, doors opening and closing, and locks clicking. The guards were checking on the prisoners. They would be near his cell soon, and he was ready to make his move, regardless of his limited weaponry.
He held a crowbar in his hand, ready to use it, and it was the only weapon he had at the moment. Axol hoped there weren't too many guards to worry about, given that most of them were sleeping at this hour. The manga artist could hear a light snoring from a Goomba outside the cell, even as more doors opened and another door closed soon after.
'Steady. Steady.'
The opening-and-closing of doors was getting louder, indicating to Axol that the guards were getting closer. He stood back, ready to make his move.
CLICK!
'Now!'
A pair of Koopas entered the cell, and Axol raised his crowbar. He bonked the first guard on the head, then he kicked the second into a wall. The Koopa grunted as his head made impact, and he toppled over unconscious. Axol smacked the crowbar in his hand softly, and slowly stepped outside his cell.
He leaped on top of a Goomba, crushing it like a pancake, then he looked around the hall, and closed the door behind himself. Axol heard footsteps approaching and ran as fast as he could, knocking another guard unconscious along the way.
So far so good, at least for now.
Axol threw himself against a wall, taking cover before a couple Chargin' Chucks walked by. Once the guards had passed, the axolotl ran in the direction they came, and proceeded down the right-hand corridor. The exit was around here somewhere, buildings always had exits, and castles were not an exception.
Francis and his goons had put a lot of work into this castle, and it nearly felt like a maze with how big it was. Axol recalled the throne room, and the prison room he'd been held in. He had no desire to take a major tour of this palace of kinky slave acts, not for the rest of his life.
Unbeknownst to the Inkopolis-born manga artist, he was being observed from a measurable distance by a pair of Samurai WeaBoos, who bore Francis' unmistakable logo upon their helmets.
Torchlight caught the axolotl anime fan's eye as he took a right, making his way through a short foyer into what had to be the great hall. The exit was somewhere, he could feel it. Axol turned, seeing a nearby door underneath a banner that depicted Francis holding a voluptuous bikini-clad anime woman with long brown hair in his arms.
'What an egotistical maniac.' Axol thought.
"HEY! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING HERE?!"
The determined axolotl had been hard focused on escape, he didn't take into account there would be guards close by. He turned around with his crowbar still in hand, spotting a pair of Koopas and Monty Moles in guard attire bearing Japanese fans and various anime-related weapons.
"You actually think you can escape Lord Francis' domain?" A Koopa demanded. "Not on our watch, Axol-san!"
"Oh yeah?!" Axol made a break for the door, only to be blocked when a Thwomp came down from the shadows, blocking his potential exit. The Thwomp glared furiously at the manga artist, and Axol turned to face the guards.
"I'm getting out, one way or another!" He told them, "If you anime-obsessed lackeys think you can keep a manga artist imprisoned while making him do tricks for your master, you're in for one hell of an awakening. I am done serving as Francis' court jester, and your sense of love for anime is unhinged!"
"He insults the majesty of anime!" A Monty Mole shouted angrily, "Let's get him!"
The guards ran towards the escaping axolotl artist with a flurry of Japanese-sounding battle cries, and Axol twirled his crowbar. He leaped onto a Koopa, prompting the turtle to retreat into his own shell, and the tormented manga writer picked up the huddled goon before throwing him at the other guards.
Axol sidestepped to avoid being hit by a hammer thrown by one of the Monty Moles, and brought down the crowbar on the guard's head. He leaped into a backflip, evading a Koopa guard's sword, and kicked him in the head, knocking over the anime-obsessed guard as if he was nothing.
Four Koopas threw themselves at the anime artist, holding kunai knives in a confident manner, and Axol swung his crowbar, knocking them out one by one.
He grabbed one of the knives, and threw it at a Monty Mole, impaling him in the head. Axol ducked low, and kicked a Koopa across the chest, knocking him into the base of a Francis statue. The turtle grunted as his head made impact and he slumped over, laying motionless on the ground.
Determined, and brimming with frustration, the axolotl glared at the other guards. One Koopa shrieked, "Damn! This guy is tough! SOMEONE GET BACK UP!"
The axolotl looked behind himself for a moment, and saw the Thwomp was still there. He looked back at the guards, right as a puff of smoke filled the room, and a tall, slender woman with brown hair and a voluptuous build in a revealing kunoichi outfit made her appearance. Axol's heart pounded, and he locked eyes with the newcomer;
Mai Shiranui, the incarnation from the Fatal Fury OVA.
A fan appeared in her hand, and the kunoichi struck a sultry pose. One Koopa wolf-whistled with glee, and another Koopa cried, "Get him, Mai-Chan! Axol-kun's been taking us out, and he's trying to escape!"
'I can't believe I'm about to fight Mai Shiranui.' Axol thought uneasily.
His hand twitched, and continued to grip the crowbar tightly. Mai twirled her fan, and her ponytail flapped in the light breeze, as she faced down the axolotl with a smirk.
"Master Francis won't be too thrilled." The voluptuous kunoichi told Axol, a hint of dry teasing in her voice, "Anime Island is a paradise. Why run away when you can submit, and have fun here?"
She arched back, and ran towards Axol in a Naruto-style dash. Mai leaped into the air, and threw out her leg, attempting to kick the axolotl down. Axol ducked, and Mai landed behind him. The combat-capable manga artist swung his crowbar at her, aiming right for the back of the head.
A hand came up, blocking the axolotl's attempted attack. Mai turned, and lagged her finger at him. She winked playfully, and she kicked her leg up, aiming to land a strike upon Axol's torso. The axolotl backed up in a swift fashion at the last second, avoiding Mai's attack, and the kunoichi dashed towards him for another attack run.
Mai raised her arm, and an aura of fire materialized around her fist as she threw a hook towards the desperate axolotl. Axol ducked, and swung the crowbar, striking Mai across the leg. She gasped and toppled over, groaning with surprise.
"MAI-CHAN!" A guard yelled.
Axol stood up, and stared down at the seemingly hurt Mai Shiranui with a hint of concern. He didn't want to badly injure her, not after the night they had shared all those years ago, even though she was clearly one of Francis' most-willing waifus at this moment.
"Sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you too badly." Axol quipped.
"How chivalrous." Mai replied with a smile, "I'm fine, but you should watch your back..."
'Eh?'
In the span of a second, something slammed into Axol's back, and the manga artist toppled to the floor. He looked up as Mai rose to her feet, and the axolotl saw a heart hovering above. A few guards wolf-whistled again, just as a woman with black hair, and a shapely, voluptuous body in a purple dress surrounded by a blue glow, advanced towards the downed Axol with a stern look.
'God. Why?' Axol thought.
Boa Hancock, a replica of the famous pirate queen and Axol's former flame summoned by Inkweaver, had entered the fray. Axol stood up, and clutched the crowbar he'd been carrying. However, Boa pointed at him, and the axolotl was frozen in place by an eerie glow of pink-purple light as the crowbar slipped from the manga artist's hands.
Moments later, the near-helpless escapee heard a loud streaking noise, and a force of energy slammed into his body. He gasped in pain, and all sense of consciousness slipped away. Moments before he blacked out, Axol found himself face-to-face with his final attacker;
Vegeta, the Saiyan Prince.
Perhaps tonight wasn't the night, but it was worth a try.
His eyes closed, and the Inkopolis-born manga lover was out in moments, surrounded by enemies as the guards laughed mockingly at him.
Axol's senses took some time to kick back in, and he felt a sharp pain in his neck. He grunted, and slowly opened his eyes to see where he was now. The tormented axolotl saw he was back in his prison chamber, and, this time, he was in a white straight jacket as he sat upon the cold drab bench. He felt a needle-sharp pain again. This time, something was being pulled out of his neck.
Saiko sat next to him, wearing a hospital cap and a revealing nurse's uniform, with a syringe in her hand. Axol felt dazed, with slight bruising from that last attack, but he made eye-contact with the anime girl.
"You brought it on yourself, you know." The anime queen told the axolotl, "Sometimes, it would be a lot easier if you thought it through."
"Heh, I didn't know you were an anime nurse." Axol quipped with a chuckle.
"It was just roleplay with the anime king." Saiko explained, "But it looks like an occasional gig now."
A laugh directed the helpless Axol away from the pink-haired anime queen, and he was face-to-face with Francis once more, flanked by two Koopas with Mai Shiranui accompanying him. Saiko stepped away, and stroked the chameleon's shoulder seductively. Francis was holding Axol's Inkweaver, rubbing the salt into the wound. Again.
"Oh, you've been a naughty, naughty baka!" The chameleon told the once-great manga artist, "And your escape interrupted my evening foreplay with 'Nurse' Saiko. Looks like you won't be getting any waifus for a while, and it's straightjacket time for you."
"You piece of shit." Axol growled.
"Language, language!" Francis chided with a laugh, "And as a further consequence, you're going to be watching... a special anime, featuring me with one of the waifus. Heh-heh-heh! BRING IN THE MONITOR!"
Both the chameleon, his anime queen, and Mai Shiranui stepped aside, allowing False Boa, False Nami, and a couple Boos to carry in a desk with a TV set on it. Francis laughed gleefully, and a Goomba handed him the tape, then the villain popped it into a player connected to the TV.
A Boo slapped a muzzle on Axol's mouth, muffling him completely. Finally, Francis pressed the power button, and the TV activated, with the selected "special anime" rolling. The gecko and Saiko left the room, with the latter shooting Axol an apologetic look, followed by "Boa" and "Nami", leaving the helpless manga writer/artist alone.
The axolotl watched the content of Francis' anime, and, when he saw who the waifu was, all he could do was scream.