Amazee Dayzee wrote: ↑Mon Apr 18, 2022 2:37 pm
Really glad you are able to get back to work on this! I hope that the break that you took really helped to reinvigorate you!
D-Rock wrote: ↑Sun Apr 17, 2022 2:22 pm
It is important to prioritize and to have adequate resting periods. Glad to hear!
Thanks for being patient guys. I mean it.
Hey, remember when I said it was 80% done last time? well, Guess what? Absolutely none of it was even used in this version cause the moment I hit 100% I reread the whole thing thought "I could do it better and chucked it in the garbage." I'm not entirely sure if this is a bad habit or not and at this point and frankly, I'm too terrified to figure out but anyway here's chapter 04
There's going to be a fair bit of dialogue in this one but I made sure to try and balance it out, and hey, I haven't done this in a while so:
Segments of this chapter were inspired by
this soundtrack composed over on youtube
Episode 03: Sword of the Traitor
Chapter 04
Fido was happy.
Better than happy, he was elated. Askal, the street dog welcomed into Babylon Gardens, was going to a sleepover. The police felt a massive weight lift over his shoulders when he heard the young dog sheepishly ask for permission, even more so when he found out who it would be with. King's pups were a few months behind Askal by his estimates, but it was close enough in his book.
There was nothing wrong with Askal finding friends in the Pridelands play production. It was an excellent experience to see how mature pets interacted, but Askal was still a pup, and he needed friends his age. Even if they shared a common interest, there would always be some form of a disconnect regarding older pets. Askal would be on more or less even footing with pets his age and thus less of a disconnect. Fido could barely contain his smile.
Fido didn't even want to miss seeing Askal off because of how momentous the occasion was. Not even a passing autumn breeze over his shaven arm could damper his spirits as Fido walked side by side with Askal. However, the evergrowing familiar screech of hard rock music coming from Natalie's room combined with the digital explosions from Deevee's gaming room managed to set the stage for some doubts to form.
What if they ignored him? What if something horrible happened? what if this was some cruel prank designed to get his hopes up only to crush it when it was at its peak. This was the site where Sasha was abducted after all, what if the culpcrit had friends who wanted to try again? Was Askal even safe to leave overnight at the wolf house?
Fido had fallen so far down the rabbit hole of doubts and fears that it took Askal's messenger bag hitting him in the face to snap out of it. At first, Fido's honed instincts thought he was under attack, and someone was about to kidnap Askal away from him. However, those fears died down instantly when he heard laughter from Askal and someone else.
Fido removed the bag from his face and was greeted by a strange sight. A cougar was laughing while lying on the lawn of the wolf house. Askal stood over him and evaded backward when the cougar tried to make a swipe at his legs.
"No Fair!" a familiar young cougar cried with a laugh. "How do you keep doing that!?"
"It's my little secret." Askal laughed as he knelt to taunt the cougar.
"Fine, keep your secrets." Fido saw the subtle smirk that grew on the cougar's mouth. "I've got friends."
Instantly a water balloon came crashing on Askal's head, dousing the dog in the water. Fido shifted towards the second-floor window to see two giggling pups, one boy and one girl, who watched with broad smiles.
"Get 'em, Pueblo!" the light brown one cheered.
"Try not to hurt each other!" cautioned the brownish-gray one.
Stunned by the sudden splash of water, Askal failed to notice when Pueblo got up and pounced on him to reverse the positions. In a flash, the cougar had Askal pinned with his hands on Askal's shoulders, and the look of surprise on Askal's face said it all.
"Pueblo!" Askal whined as he began to shiver. "that's not fair. You had outside help."
"All's fair in war. Just admit it, we got you." Pueblo leaned in closer just to rub it in.
Yet another stray breeze covered the garden causing Askal to shiver. "Alright, you win. C-C-Can we go inside now? I don't d-do well in the c-c-cold."
"Alright, ya softie, let's go." Pueblo chuckled as he got up and held out his hand.
Once Askal accepted it and was pulled to his feet, a second water balloon crashed into Pueblo, dousing him in water. The sudden nature of its arrival and the look of shock on Pueblo's face was enough to cause Askal to burst into laughter. Once again, Fido looked at the second-floor window to see the same two pups laughing at the scene.
"ROOK!" Pueblo whined
"MILTON-LINDBERG PUPS FOR THE WIN!" Rook cheered as he ran back inside, dragging the other pup with him.
Now that he was sure it was safe to intervene, Fido approached the pair and began looking for something to wrap them in from Askal's bag. It wasn't healthy to be dripping wet in this kind of weather, but unfortunately, he found only a few volumes of the Pridelands book and some scraps of paper with strange markings.
"Will you two be alright?" Fido approached, still holding onto Askal's bag for him.
"A-As soon as we get i-inside, we will. But we might track some m-mud in if we do." Askal shivered but clutched his sides to preserve whatever body heat he had.
"Don't worry, Olive's bringing us a towel," Pueblo spoke without a stutter, his thick coat shielding him from the brunt of the cold for now.
Then right on cue, a black and brown pup opened the door and tossed a single towel to the two animals. "I only brought one, so you will have to share."
"SHARE!?" Askal blurted out suddenly
"Sure," Pueblo caught the towel before it hit the ground and threw it over himself, and Askal pulled him closer. "How're you holding up, Askal?"
Askal looked like he wanted to pull away, but another breeze made Askal root into place with the towel. "Y-Yeah! Doing great!"
Fido could only smirk we he saw the young dog's face. He knew that look well. The young dog wasn't exactly subtle either his face flushed red as his tail swung wildly behind him. If that didn't scream, crush Fido didn't know what did.
The scene, however, was broken up when Olive ran up to the two wrapped in a towel. She looked the two boys up and down before a smirk grew on her face.
"Askal wanna be my second boyfriend?" Olive suddenly said with an earnest smile.
"Boyfriend!?" Fido exclaimed in surprise.
Then the sound of a metal tray hitting the floor drew everyone present. "SECOND!?" King was standing slack-jawed by the door with a face that looked like it had gone through a blue screen of death.
There were a few seconds of awkward silence before Askal fell to his knees and passed out.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Fox was no stranger to long nightshifts.
Sometimes he liked it. No matter how hard he tried to act his age, there would always be that little pup that grew up on adventure books and action movies wagging his tail with excitement inside him. Although Fox would be lying if he said he didn't hate it. His first few nights certainly took a lot out of him, and while he did get used to it eventually, Fox sometimes wished he had his old sleeping schedule.
Sleep was only one of the many things he had to give up to become a canine officer. He no longer had time to participate in club activities, although Fox had never felt more out of place after the fiasco with Fido and Sabrina, so it wasn't a significant loss. Fox also had to cut down his reading time to his break times and the rare moments of quiet, but he still had them in a short capacity.
The biggest casualty of his transition was his social life. Due to how hectic his scheduling was, Fox found it hard to maintain relationships with pets from outside the force. Fox remembered a time when he knew every dog in Babylon Gardens by name because he was part of a committee to welcome every new dog that had moved in. Unfortunately, with how long Fox had been away from the club, the number of new dogs Fox had never seen before began to climb. Heck, he can't even remember the last time he had been over to Peanut's place just to play and goof off. It was so bad that Fox only learned that his nieces and nephew learned how to speak a week after the fact.
It really made Fox think. Tonight was a Friday night. If things had gone differently, where would he be right now? Maybe at the clubhouse listening to Bino's longwinded speeches or perhaps at Heathcliff's chugging soda with King with no responsibilities to speak of. It took Fox shaking his head to bring him back to reality. Soon the crowded bar of Heathcliff's was replaced by the Japanese exhibit in The Babylon Gardens Museum.
Deciding he needed to clear his head, Fox made his rounds around the displays. Fox knew better than anyone that now was not the time to think about the what-ifs. He had already made his choice, and he was happy. After all, he got to meet Mungo. The thought alone was enough to get Fox to bring out a warm smile.
That smile was cut short when a yawn came over him. Then, out of curiosity, Fox pulled out his phone to check the time: 00:24. They still had a few more hours before dawn, so letting their guards down now would be a mistake.
"Thirsty boss?" Fox turned to see Rowan holding up a thermos. Thankfully whatever effect was under to turn him into a quadruped last night had passed, and Rowan was back to standing on his two feet.
Even though he hadn't earned the right to wear the official K-9 vest, Rowan still sported it in lieu of his regular vest. Sergeant Ralph made the executive decision that they were under special circumstances. Everyone on the mission needed to be as prepared as possible. While Fox did feel the slightest bit of jealousy when he learned of Ralph's decision, he still set aside his feelings. The operation came first, after all.
"I'll pass." Fox chuckled. "Mungo just left for the restrooms and I’d hate to leave the sword anymore unguarded than it already is."
Fox then quickly scanned the room and realized they were one short. "Speaking of numbers, where's Zeke?"
"Oh, he's over there sleeping." Rowan pointed to the corner a few feet away.
Fox leaned his body to the side to see past Rowan. Sure enough, the black dog had found a comfy corner and was blissfully sleeping the shift away. He wore the same vest Fox, Rowan and Mungo sported which was, unfortunately, going to waste. Technically, Zeke was already a cadet on paper. So it was well within Fox's right to lecture the dog's ear off about staying alert on duty. He remembered seeing his fellow cadets get the same lecture time and time again. Fox never experienced it though, so there would be no catharsis. Ultimately he decided against it. Still, after what had happened last night, Fox was slowly beginning to question what made the two dogs so special.
"Are you serious?" Fox sighed with a roll of his eyes. "After what happened last night, I thought he'd be the one to stay up more."
Rowan flinched but maintained his smile, albeit with a bit of effort. "Ouch, boss. I would've thought that you'd have more faith in me specifically. Besides, it was my fault last night's meeting didn't turn out the way you hoped. I was the one who accepted, Kitsune's invitation, and Kuya had to come along. I was also the one who took the first sip, and I was also the one who offered one to Kuya Zeke."
"Okay, poor phrasing, but I meant he's the older one, isn't he? I would've expected him to act like a better role model."
"He's my Kuya, yes but by only five minutes. Still, please don't be too hard on him because he can't keep up. He's a bit different."
"Yeah. Different in a good way. The two of you can at least keep up with Mungo, and that's saying something. I've seen that dog lift a car, for crying out loud."
Fox yawned, despite his best efforts to keep vigilant. As much as he'd like to remain alert for his duties, Fox was still mortal. His day was hectic from the moment he woke up. He had to iron out a few holes in his defense, squeeze in some practice with the new weapon Rowan had provided him, and debrief the two dogs after they had recovered from their hangover. He barely had a chance to breathe, and now that he didn't have to do anything, Fox felt his hold slowly slipping as the hours continued to pile on.
"May I?" Rowan said, suddenly interrupting Fox's train of thought. The white dog extended his hand towards Fox.
Fox was quite unsure and hesitated, "Uh, what for?"
"Just give me your hand, boss." Rowan disregarded Fox's uncertainty and reached for his hand.
Fox's hand was clasped around Rowan's while the white dog hovered his free hand over Fox's. Before Fox could ask another question, a familiar-looking blue string extended from Rowan's fingertips. The line then interwove to create a luxurious-looking ribbon around Fox's wrist. Once Rowan secured the ribbon with one knot, Fox felt a strange sensation wash over him.
A comforting warmth spread over his body, easing the various fatigues and aches that came with a long day. Seconds became minutes, and the effect grew as the grogginess Fox had felt numbed away. Of course, it wasn't completely gone, but it had reached a point where Fox could easily ignore it, thanks to the training at the academy. Then just as quickly as it had started, Rowan clenched his fist while pulling it away, causing the strings to vanish.
"So... Does Disney owe you royalties cause of Rapunzel or..?" Fox started awkwardly, his brain unsure what to say at first.
"Oh, don't you start," Rowan growled more in annoyance than rage. "When that movie came out, I didn't hear the end of it from my Tay and To."
Fox gave himself a stretch, and his body felt lighter. "Sorry, I guess I'm still a little surprised even after everything I've seen. What was that?"
"It's something I was born with. My condition makes it so that my body produces too much mana." Rowan breathed a deep sigh as he stared at the ceiling.
Fox arched a brow at Rowan's wording. "Condition? I'd say that's a gift."
"You'd think that, but the reality is I make too much. Everyone has some mana, even you, Boss. Mortals like Sir Mungo or me are born with an extraordinary amount. Think of it like filling a tank in a car. Everyone burns through some of it, even doing menial tasks. Except my tank is constantly being refueled. It can even overflow into anything that can accept my mana, machines turn it into electricity, but living things just accept it raw. If I don't burn enough of it off, I become feverish, and eventually, my mana consumes me from the inside out. The same goes for anybody exposed to my mana."
"Ouch, I'm so sorry."
"Don't be for me. It's easier to burn off mana than it is to replenish it. Due to how large my reserves are, just casting spells willy-nilly is out of the question. The chances of the spell misfiring are tenfold of the average caster, so I must channel my energy through a focus to limit the chances of something like that happening."
Rowan then unzipped the K-9 vest to reveal that he was wearing his regular vest underneath it. The white dog then unzipped his regular vest to reveal crystals growing in divets made in even spaces.
"This vest collects my excess mana and stores them in crystals for my usage later. My guns, including yours, are made to use these as ammunition. I can even change the element stored in these crystals, wind, fire, water, etc given enough time and concentration."
Fox's ears folded closer and closer to his skull the more he heard about what Rowan had to do to survive. "You said not to be sorry for you. Is your brother the same?"
"I wish." Rowan chuckled. "Sometimes, I wished we could trade. Unfortunately, Kuya Zeke's condition is the opposite of mine. Where I make too much, Kuya Zeke doesn't make enough. Kuya Zeke is actually a lot like Sir Mungo. He might not look like it, but I've also seen Zeke lift a car, and that's the problem. Kuya Zeke is too strong; his body consumes five times the amount of mana than normal mortals to fuel that strength, but his body can't compensate by normal means. Still, his body tries; Zeke is constantly tired, hungry, and sleepy to make up for his body's demands, but it will never be enough. Fortunately, our conditions cancel each other out. He takes my excess, and I provide him enough mana to live some semblance of everyday life. This means we can never be apart because if we are anything caught within ten meters of Zeke when he hits empty gets their mana drained. His bracers have a slot for my crystals in the event we are separated but those only last a minute apiece. If Zeke runs out of places to draw mana from he…
Rowan couldn't finish the sentence, and he didn't have to. Fox felt a strange terror grip his heart. Had the stars not aligned, Zeke and Rowan would’ve never lived to adulthood. If Mungo had been afflicted with the same condition Fox shuddered to think about how short his life would’ve been cut.
“I’m so sorry.” Fox placed a hand on Rowan’s shoulder somewhat unsure if he was stepping his bounds.
Rowan forced a smile to the surface. “There are some perks though. It just means that I’ll never be alone; I’ll always have my Kuya.”
A minute passed without another exchange. Then another and finally a third. Fox just didn't know what else to say. He had never stopped to consider what possible downsides would've come with having powers. Even spending most of his time with Mungo didn't alleviate such a glaring oversight. Mungo accidentally crushing and or breaking something was just the norm. The hardships the three dogs would've had to endure for a simple life must've been staggering.
"Fox," the husky's radio pinned to his collar came to life with Mungo's voice. "We've got a situation."
Like a flick of the switch, Fox was in K-9 Officer mode. Any thoughts not relevant to the operation in his mind were neatly stored away for now. "I read you. what's going on?"
"He's here at the main entrance." at Mungo's warning; Fox turned to Rowan, who nodded and ran over to Zeke.
"Zeke, Rowan guard the swords," Fox commanded as he ran out of the exhibit. "I'll meet up with Mungo. Mungo, Is he trying anything?"
"Nothing yet; he's only walking towards the door," Mungo responded calmly as Fox bolted down the hallways. "But something's different."
"Different how?" Fox asked, trying to pick up the pace towards the entrance.
The only response Fox got was in the form of loud shattering glass. "MUNGO STATUS!?"
When no response came back, Zeke's voice came through instead. "What's happening to Sir Mungo!? Should we help!?"
"Negative! Zeke, Rowan, stand guard over the sword. Do not let him claim any of them! Do you understand!?"
"Yes, Boss!" came the twin's response.
As Fox pushed himself to get to the entrance, the sound of Mungo struggling and taking blows became apparent. Upon finally making it to the entrance, he found Suicune and Mungo clashing fists. Without some form of a sword at his side, Suicune resorted to somewhat standard punches and kicks. However, since the punches and kicks came from Suicune, they were still fast, and Fox knew they'd leave a nasty bruise if they found their mark.
Mungo pressed his offense. His sheer power and size easily outclassed Suicune, and all it took for him to win was to get close enough to land anything. However, Suicune had the speed advantage and weaved his way through most of Mungo's heavier blows.
"It doesn't have to be this way!" Mungo tried reasoning, but Suicune still kept up the fight. Fox knew Mungo only pressed his offense because Suicune would be taking the initiative if he didn't. "We can talk this out, but you need to stop going after the swords. Let go!"
When Suicune was backed into a corner, Fox saw Mungo raise his hands to create golden walls to limit Suicune's escape and deliver a knockout blow. Fox felt his heart cheer when Mungo was about to make contact, but it was too early. Rather than face Mungo head-on, Suicune made contact with the golden wall, and like in the cave with Kara, the mana bent to his will. Soon the wall disappeared to let Suicune escape, and now Suicune was equipped with a sword much like the one he conjured before. Taking advantage of the situation Suicune made a bold charge with the sword to which Mungo summoned his own weapons and armor in response.
Bright flashes of sky blue and gold exploded every time their weapons clashed, and each time Suicune was forced to back off due to the overwhelming difference in power. Due to his lack of abilities, Fox found himself hiding in the shadows waiting for the right moment to spring his attack and swing the fight in Mungo's favor.
Now Mungo was on the defensive. They were given explicit orders to keep the damage done to the museum to a minimum. Fox knew that Mungo was holding back and taking the blows without dishing any in return to comply with those orders. Not only that, Mungo had to dance around critical structures and such to keep them from harm. The statue in the center of Atlus holding the globe, the numerous columns that supported the second floor and ceiling from collapsing, and even the front desk. Mungo had to accomplish the herculean task of protecting himself and the building he fought in.
As discreetly as he could Fox made his way down the stairs that folded around the front desk to see if he could find an instant where he could turn the tables. However the closer he got to the fight the more Fox began to notice. Suicune's clothes were in tatters. His right sleeve was outright missing, and the hood that usually covered his ears was now torn off to reveal his head. The only thing that kept Fox from seeing his face was the bandana mask.
"I know you're upset!" Mungo tried to reason as he pushed Suicune back. "Your entire family line was tarnished because of the actions of one ancestor. But bringing vigilante justice won't do anything to change the past."
Suicune ignored Mungo's attempt to be diplomatic and charged straight for him. His light blue katana trailed imaginary water as he swung, only to be met with the blunt force of Mungo's golden shield.
"I know you've got a good heart. You were just helping these people. I know what it's like to get carried away with your powers, have your entire life upheaved by actions that happened millennia in the past, and be regarded as a monster because of those actions. So believe me when I say I'm trying to help you."
Mungo's pleading fell on deaf ears as Suicune managed to kick off Mungo's shield. However, rather than try to get away Suicune only gained height only to come crashing down as imaginary water shaped like a waterfall formed around Suicune. Fortunately, Mungo was fast enough to create a new shield that tanked the blow that shook the ground.
As Suicune and Mungo were caught in a stalemate Fox saw his opening. With Suicune locked in close combat with Mungo, he couldn’t pay attention to anything else around him. If Fox was ever going to find an opening, this was it. So he unholstered Rowan's gun and loaded the round labeled "force." When Suicune's sword and Mungo's shield clashed one more time, Fox steadied his aim and pulled the trigger.
When Frostbite unleashed the energy from the force round, Fox felt the hallmarks of firing a gun. The knockback, loud bang, and mechanisms ejecting an empty crystal from the chamber were similar to a standard Glock. However, the stand-out difference was that Fox saw an indentation appear briefly on Suicune's side rather than puncturing a wound into the target, almost as if an invisible force punched him. The aftermath of the blow was Suicune getting launched off of Mungo's shield and into a nearby column.
“Fox!?” Mungo yelled out in surprise. “Do you just shoot Suicune!?”
"Relax, it was with Rowan's gun. It doesn't use any bullets." Fox reasoned as he joined Mungo's side in looking over a hunched coughing Suicune.
"No, You shot him in the side." Mungo rushed over to the dog in concern. "Remember Suicune still has a cracked rib. You could've punctured a lung."
As Mungo approached Fox, saw Suicune's eyes. He glared at them through a red left and blue right eye, energy seemingly radiating off his pupils. Everything went into slow motion as Fox noticed a second sword materialize in Suicune’s hand. Then, using as much of his weight as possible, Fox latched onto Mungo's torso and pulled back, narrowly avoiding the two swords that slashed at Mungo's midsection.
Suicune stood tall over Mungo and Fox with more space to act, brandishing swords in both his hands. Suicune slowly approached, but Fox felt tugged backward and into the air suddenly. Surprised, Fox's grip on Mungo slipped, and Fox was airborne for only a moment before he landed on a golden platform Mungo hoisted over his shoulders as he flew. Rather than stand their ground, Fox felt the platform move towards the second floor and toward the sword exhibit while Suicune gave chase.
"What are you doing?" Fox yelled as he steadied his aim at Suicune as the dog gave chase. "We're leading him to the swords!"
"We don't have much choice; there's too much we could break, and if we're going to apprehend him without killing him, we need the extra manpower," Mungo yelled in response, strafing accordingly to avoid the incoming swords.
Due to most of his experience using firearms in the shooting gallery, Fox had an exceedingly difficult time getting a lock on Suicune. There wasn’t exactly a moving target option to practice with. The few times he managed to line up a decent shot, Suicune either ducked out of the way or deflected with his sword as he gave chase.
As Mungo strafed through the halls avoiding any swords hurled in their direction, Fox suddenly hatched an idea and brought his radio to life. "Zeke! Rowan! come in!"
"Boss, what do you need?" Zeke's voice returned through the radio
Fox took careful note of where they were and calculated the time. "Prepare an attack on the western entrance to the exhibit. we'll be there in 3 seconds!"
"What now!?" Rowan responded in a panic.
"2!" Fox ejected a spent round and loaded a new one to continue the onslaught.
"Oh, he means now. Alright, let's do this, Kuya! Leafstorm!"
"1!" A hurled sword flew overhead, only missing Fox's head by a few inches.
"I told you to stop calling it that!"
"NOW!"
Just like Fox had estimated there was only a small window that allowed him and Mungo to fly past the western entrance to the exhibit before a typhoon-like wind current blasted through it carrying with it dozens of leaves. The sheer amount of leaves was enough to swallow Suicune whole and the mysterious dog vanished behind the veil of foliage. However, a good second later and the assault of leaves died down as fast as it had come. At a glance, it looked like Suicune had been beaten and Fox and Mungo were about to celebrate their victory. However, it all came crashing down when the K-9 duo heard the sound of glass breaking.
Sharing a look of despair they immediately ran back towards the exhibit to see a horrifying sight. Rowan was on the floor, both his vests shredded to ribbons while Zeke was pinned through his vest with multiple swords holding him down. In front of the sword display case, Suicune’s silhouette took one of the swords and held it gingerly. From the looks of it, Fox noticed Zeke and Rowan’s attack managed to shred the vestiges of Suicune’s disguise. Even Mungo managed to spot such a crucial detail and created a bright light to finally see Suicune’s appearance for themselves.
What greeted them was a dog like they had expected but one that stood out by having stripes adorning his body. He had a built physique that spoke hours upon hours of intense training at a glance. The only remains of his outfit were torn jeans and the lower half of a hoodie that clung to his waist. Seeing that Fox and Mungo were still up and ready to go Suicune then faced them and brandished his true sword.
End of Chapter 03
Obligatory Trivia section
1. Rowan saying Tay and To is a shortened version of "Tatay" which means dad/father and "Tito" which means Uncle.
2. Now that Rowan explained their powers I can finally reveal that Zeke and Rowan's names are puns.
Zeke - takes away mana meaning he's negative
Rowan - gives away mana making him positive
<--negative + Positive-->
Ze + Ro
Zero
3. Suicune's breed is real. Funny enough there's a Japanese breed called Tiger dogs in English or ToraInu and KaiKen in Japanese