... 9th of September 2047 ...
"Get the FUCK OFF OF ME! WHERE IS HE?" The raccoon squealed in desperation, nothing more than futile begging to the ears of those that dragged him. Desperate to know the whereabouts of his friend's location, a friend who he thought was dead. It was only met with hysterical laughter from the Dime and his friend, Sticks. Both carrying him, holding him tightly as the squirming and flailing around pursued. "You keep.. fucking SQUIRMING like that and I'll take the fucking taser to your neck, bitch!" The Dime exclaimed, staring over at his friend Sticks and giving him a nod of approval.
Jaklo was met with a quick taze to the neck that temporarily paralysed him, "WELL SHIT! Looks like I tazed you anyway! Woopsie Daisy!". Freezing up in the arms of his captors, staring up at the filthy ceiling and watching as each ceiling panel goes by. Soon, the ceiling panels turn to sky, blue clouds all around them before he was thrown into the back of a van. His pupils constantly dilating as if trying to prevent this, but his power still wouldn't allow it. Just before he could muster the strength to get up and fight back, his wrists were grabbed harder than anyone had ever grabbed them in his life, almost feeling the blood flow shift in his hands as he was lurched forward and cuffed with zip-ties. It sent him right back to the moment he had first met the Dime again, caked in mud and just outside Turner Town. Falling back in defeat against the van and sighing deeply as the door slams, feeling like an idiot for even allowing this to happen.
"We getting his friends?" Jaklo listened to them as they spoke just outside the van. " 'Course we're getting his friends, they're going to fight to the death. And when they inevitably die, it'll be the perfect message to send to the Musician, that we're not just gonna be bossed around anymore.. stupid.. bitch." Clovis states, Sticks let out a low murmur of disapproval before speaking coherently again "I don't know.. I don't know if I wanna mess with him really.. he just.. has a lot of influence--" Then he was rudely interrupted by Clovis again "HESITATING WON'T GET US ANYWHERE, STICKS! Did your fucking balls drop off?! What happened to living free?! The Musician is free! We fucking AREN'T.. But we're going to be.. Soon. IF YOU .. LET ME.. TAKE THE FUCKING REIGNS.. God I need to get back on those pills."
The raccoon couldn't hear much more after that, listening as they retreat back into wherever they were being held captive and quickly trying to muster the strength to sit up again. This would prove successful, sitting up and looking around as he felt the tense muscles in his neck forbid him from even peering around half of the time. It was empty, some seats hooked in the back. This was definitely a prisoner transport van of some sort, dried blood stained the walls and floors, there was even a hook bolted into the floor where shackles are supposed to be hooked up to. This gave Jaklo an idea of hopelessness, he was nothing more than a pawn in the Musician and The Dime's game of Chess. Ready to be thrown around at will, simply so that one of them could get the upper hand.
Coming to a stance, the raccoon would approach the doors and attempt to open them with his cuffed hands. Sighing as he had failed miserably, it was locked and though it was fruitless to try, it brought another idea to mind as he gazed down at his hands and the zip tie holding them together. Bringing it up to his mouth, he'd start trying to bite at it, using his sharp teeth in order to attempt to gnaw through the material. But, just as he felt like he was making progress on freeing his hands. The doors would swing open fast, just as fast as he was pushed down to the floor again by the Dime. Letting out a dramatic groan as his neck cracks in pain from previously being shocked there.
Two people would be thrown in alongside him, Rasmus and Ellis. Both of their hands were bound too. "You can't be trusted, can you? Slippy sunnuva bitch! Trying to ESCAPE? You're not going fucking ANYWHERE!" The door would slam, audibly locking tight as he laid again in defeat. Staring back down at the zip ties and starting to attempt to chew through them again, Ellis watched and didn't exactly know what to say to him as much as he wanted to. Rasmus was silent and accepting of what was to possibly come.
"Jaklo..? I..- I.. I'm sorry.." His stuttering voice showed fear, fear of losing Jaklo for what the raccoon had now learned. Their leader would look up from biting his restraints, not proving useful anymore as he started to respond "Why? Why did you do it? Did you lose hope in me?" Ellis' eyes would dart around, looking around the small and cramped space before coming up with something to say "You were gone.. everyone else was pretty much gone too and I- figured I couldn't take them down alone, with no one else to accompany me I figured I would just.. throw in the towel and go to the authorities. I know that contradicts .. us, but.. you were gone. I just wanted to see that bastard rot behind bars at least, I know Scarletta was in there at the time and--.. I figured she'd roughen him but.. I gave him what he wanted.. even more of an excuse to go to prison."
From how he's been acting previously, it's a surprise when the raccoon would nod as if understanding and closing his eyes. Moving forward and lifting his bound hands to lay over the bearded dragon's shoulders and hugging him tightly, sighing deeply against his frail clothing before pulling away. "I told you that I'm an Outsider, you have been accepting. As much as it.. bothers me, I am accepting of what you did too, I understand. I shouldn't have ran away.. I was scared, for the first time in a while after what he did to me." Ellis focused on him now, Rasmus' ears perking up as if he was listening "Did what to you?.. Who Krover?"
The raccoon would nod, his face drooping into a mild frown as he stares down at the floor as the van starts up and starts to drive on. "Yeah.. Krover took Rosco from me.. I was desperate, scared. I went to get him back and I shouldn't have went alone... I lost and he took all the blood he wanted from me, like a vulture." Ellis would nod, he already knew about this, deciding to tell him anyway. "Yeah- You were so beat up, I remember that night. That's one of the main reasons I became the Informant, I informed the police about Krover, his hideout at the slaughterhouse and they dealt with him. Put him on death row for what he did, he was barely in there for a day." Jaklo nods, relaxing back against the wall of the van and starting to talk again "Well, he told me he wouldn't go after Rosco, he told me he would hurt all of you if he found you.. he was taking his Rackets back, I never felt worse in my life. Maybe that's why I ran away from it all, seeing Rosco die--.. not die.. get Shot was my breaking point, I was so weak. I couldn't stop it, I watched him die over and over. I could have never stopped it, I was tortured for.." The dream he had, in this exact van flashed in his mind as he started to speak again "8 days.. 8 whole days of psychological torture and extracting and replacing my blood to keep me alive. He tortured me physically during it too, I don't know why.. Maybe he just found it fun, exciting.. I'll never forget it."
Rasmus chimed in, trying to find an explanation that sounded reasonable. "He's the sadist, right? Stardown mob boss. Probably just for his enjoyment.. either that or he was trying to coax as much of your power out of you as possible."
This connected dots in Jaklo's mind, thinking for a moment and biting his lip softly "That's right-- It makes sense.. the more I would resist and try to go back.. the more it flared up in my veins-- I sometimes forget what is real and imagine I'm still tied to that chair.." Then something else came to mind, his eyes widening as he remembers. "Rosco.. Rosco is fucking alive Ellis" The raccoon seemed excited for the first time, yet somewhat sad at the thought. Knowing a person that was practically a son to him is locked up somewhere, Ellis didn't seem too convinced though "I wouldn't listen to that junkie, you don't know for sure." Jaklo shook his head, feeling more hopeful than ever before "Nonono.. No, it's worth a shot. Wherever he brings us, wherever we go. We're going to get out of it, and then we're going to get Rosco. I don't care what happens, he's in Archer's Haven." Rasmus sighed a bit "Bummer.. that's exactly where we were going too."
Ellis fiddled with his restraints, wondering if there was a way to get rid of it somehow. "Speaking of going.. Where exactly is this taking us?" Jaklo would shrug, seeming just as confused as he looked through a bullethole in the interior of the van, unable to see much but passing trees. "Said we were going to fight something, to the death. If.. no.. when! we kill it, whoever or whatever it is.. I don't know what he'll do with us next, he wants us to die.. he's starting a war with the White Hand against the Musician."
Rasmus laughed, seeming to enjoy this fact "Yeah- Sounds about right, bunch of wolves taking territory and when all that territory is gone and there's nothing left to take, they'll start killing each other instead.. It's all about absolute control, especially for two power junkies like Dime and Musician."
Jaklo lightly knocked his head back against the interior of the van as it drove, closing his eyes and letting out another deep sigh of stress. "Let's hope they kill each other in the process and let this all be done with." Ellis would chuckle a little, basking in that little fantasy with him for a moment "That'd be the day, huh?" He still seemed a little saddened that Jaklo had found out about him being an informant, but he felt that this raccoon cared more for the fact Rosco was alive more than anything.
Reaching into his pocket, Ellis would pull out a music box. It was the music box from the store back at Turner Town that he took from one of the corpses on the Musician's men, opening it up with his ziptied hands and letting it play a soothing jingle. The fox ballerina inside would twirl with the lullaby and Jaklo opened his eyes to see it, smiling at it and Rosco followed along with a similar expression "It was from my store, still don't know why I chose to work for money in that town. But I remember this always being on the shelf, no one ever paid it any mind. Turned up on a body on one of the guys you murdered Jaklo" Said Ellis, this was evident by the fact there was dried blood over the top of it, tainting the beautiful artefact.
"Why'd you keep it?" Jaklo would ask, darting his eyes up to Ellis "Something about it caught my attention, it's pretty. I used to like lullabies as a kid and so this soothes my troubles. It does for you too, doesn't it? I can tell by the way you're looking at it." He'd ask Jaklo, to which he'd give a hesitant nod "Ironically enough, never been one for lullabies or music but here we are. I'd listen to them all night and still not be able to fall asleep, so those types of melodies.. kind of get old."
Just as they were enjoying the peaceful moment, the truck would come to an abrupt stop. Sending the music box sliding right down the truck as Ellis quickly grabs it and slams it shut, shoving it back into his pocket and waiting patiently. "Whatever happens, just be ready to fight." Rasmus states, his lip quivering showcasing his irrational fear before the doors open from the back, the sunlight gazing inside and casting the silhouette of the grinning possum. "Showtime boys! Make sure you got your balls attached because you're gonna need em! Especially a spine.. you spineless prick.." He was more referring to Rasmus when he said this, glancing over at him and causing the wolf to snarl. Climbing inside and grabbing him by the scruff of his veteran uniform and throwing him right outside to the floor, following this process by throwing Jaklo and Ellis out onto the dusty pavement.
At first glance, it looked like the trio were in the middle of nowhere. Overgrown dusty pavements, a mild wind that lifted the tuft of fur on their head and then the sight would surprise them. As they looked around they would spot a Goliath stadium, a football stadium or something similar. It looked to be in an alright condition. Many people were gathered outside it as if waiting for a match, some cars were parked nearby too. Before they could fully take in the view of the abandoned football stadium they were lifted by the scruff of their shirts and pushed along towards it, Jaklo seemed irritated by all this pushing around as did Ellis.
By the time they were pushed past the crowd of multiple if not hundreds of brainwashed citizens, cheering on Clovis as they took in prisoners seemingly excited for a fight to go down judging by a lot of their ravings. The trio would be pushed into a cold, dark storage room. They were inside this stadium and had absolutely no idea what to expect, their bonds were cut at this point and Jaklo still couldn't really muster the strength to pre cognate with his power and escape.
Immediately, as they were locked inside, Ellis got up and tried the door and of course it was locked. Rasmus sat down in the corner, silent as always now, one could easily guess he was thinking about Daisy, still deeply missing her. Jaklo was in a similar position, sitting down next to Rasmus but instead he was instilled with hope of finding and rescuing Rosco rather than breathing. This prompted him to look up with a determined expression and gaze directly over at Ellis "We're killing whatever the hell it is we have to fight, and then killing Clovis if he tries to stop us from leaving, then we're going to find Rosco."
Ellis sighed, seeming to be in a lot of stress thanks to this situation and putting his hand over his face "You've said that.. and quite frankly it's probably easier said than done. Either way, do you really wanna be dragging Rosco along on this mission of ours? That kid isn't used to this kind of work, he could be a lot different for all we know it's been years Jaklo." The raccoon quickly disregarded this thought, throwing his hand up dismissively and not wanting to weigh anymore negative outcomes on his mind right now, he was definitely getting his hopes up because that was all he could do in this situation. He could only hope.
"I'm saying it because I mean it, we're not dying here. Besides, I'm not letting him rot in whatever place they have him.. locked up in, god.. fucking forbid Krover has his hands on him.. I'll kill that prick." Jaklo states angrily just as Rasmus chimes in afterwards in defence of Jaklo's point "He's right Ellis, You got a better idea? I don't exactly think moping is gonna help us get out of this cage, Hope is a strong thing." Ellis quickly responded, bickering with them "But it's a strong lie sometimes too, you don't know the future.. You can't predict it." The raccoon raised an eyebrow, smiling a little "I sure can, It's what I was born to do. I'll keep you all safe, I'm not letting what happened to Daisy happen to any of you. Mark my words."
Their moment of talking was brought to a swift halt as the door unlocked and immediately swung open, a man being thrown inside bound by actual handcuffs as The Dime steps into the dark, damp room to fix his eyes on each and every one of them. " 'Sup! Got a new teammate for ya! He's a rebel, just like your 'Veteran' Friend over there. He's more deserving of death than any of you are, unlocking his handcuffs, he'd kick him back to the floor and immediately slam the door shut again, leaving them in darkness as the brown furred coyote sits up slowly, his pained body somewhat preventing his movement. He was dressed in riot gear, police body armour and uniform underneath, glancing around the room and staring over at the three inside.
"You too, huh? That fucker lock you guys up too?" Jaklo nodded, as did Rasmus and Ellis would speak back to him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, we're not familiar with the actual rebels around here but we support your cause. We have a likeness, we plan to kill The Musician too." The coyote would stand up, dusting himself off and chortling a little at Ellis "Seriously? You three?! Kill.. The Musician?! You've got to be joking, we have an army worth of people and it still ain't enough to take down the leader of the White Hand, let alone the Musician, look at what happened to me! They throw prisoners in this place and they never come back out again." As the coyote continued to laugh at their overestimation, Jaklo would speak up over him "What do you mean? Is this some sort of Death Camp or something? I'll find a way out either way, I can see things most others can't see."
The Coyote would step forward, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms in a playfully judgemental fashion. "Like a Psychic? I know someone like that.. it won't help, sometimes, things just have to happen and you can't do anything to stop it." Jaklo was stunted by this sentence, his maw left somewhat agape before Rasmus speaks up too "You still, didn't answer his question, what is this place? and.. Who are you and why do they keep associating me with you people." The Coyote grinned, making the most out of this dire situation "Where are my manners.. I'm Semper, we are in an arena.. where we will soon fight to the death, that's what our intel has given us anyway. I don't know what we will fight but I'm told it's a monster, survivor got out of here once, when he was lucky enough to find an escape route. Saw some other people fighting a monster." Semper would press his ear against the wall, listening intently "Can you hear the crowds yet? The cheering? The bickering and shouting? They want blood.. their minds have been twisted to enjoy this as entertainment.. seeing their enemies crushed by an unstoppable force, it brings warmth to a cruel.. empty heart."
Rasmus stood up, walking towards him in a curious nature. "So.. Why am I bunched in with the Rebels? Is it my uniform? Were you even a cop or were you just lucky on a looting run?" Semper looked back at him, analysing him up and down and seeming surprised "Ehhh.. Probably that veteran uniform you got on, there's no more soldiers nowadays they all died during The Deaf Wa-" Rasmus cut him off, speaking over him. "I've heard it enough, I am a solider.. I am not a rebel, I survived by the skin of my teeth and now I gotta be paired in with another group of lowlifes?"
Semper didn't really take that lightly, narrowing his eyes and feeling disgust for his disrespect "You watch your tongue, old man. At least we're fighting for a better future by killing these bastards, I'm willing to die here just so it means we'll secure a better life for the generation to come." Rasmus stopped for a moment, looking towards the dirty floor and then back at him to speak again. "There is no more generation to come.. You seen any babies lately? We are the last people standing and half of us are hypnotised and hellbent on dying for one person." After this, Semper would step forward, still agitated. Staring Rasmus directly in the eye "I have, I know of some children. Some people still try to get by, it isn't easy. But you show them some respect, what would you know? You sound like you don't have much of a clue of what's going on nowadays, you been sleeping under a rock?"
Before this could really escalate, Ellis stepped in because Jaklo didn't seem to care much. Stepping between the two "Look.. Look, Let's not fight. Save that anger for the menaces that truly deserve it! In times like these, we should be helping each other and you two choose to go against each other? .. Look, Semper. I'm Ellis.. Quiet Raccoon over there is Jaklo, this guy here is Rasmus.. He's grumpy and defensive but I promise you he's kind hearted."
Semper didn't seem the type to linger on stuff, his anger boiling over soon enough with a loud inhale and sigh as he reaches his hand out towards Rasmus "Again, where are my manners? I apologise. I didn't mean to initiate a fight or anything. Jaklo.. that name sounds familiar though." Rasmus would stare for a moment at the hand, soon folding his anger and shaking it graciously. "Nice to meet you, maybe if we do get out of here you can update me on what's really happening nowadays with the White Hand and Musician over a beer." Semper grinned, liking the idea and letting go of his hand "Sounds like a swell plan." The light shone on his face for a moment, the room still dim and dark and his fur was a light brown with two rings around his eyes that were a noticeable darker brown. It was either war paint or just apart of his actual fur markings.
Soon, the door would swing open. Two armed guards stepping in with military grade rifles and aiming it at the four "Get up, Walk. Follow the hallway to the left, any mistake or sudden movement and you will be shot in the back of the skull. No questions, move it." Their intimidating voice boomed and each and every person would comply, Jaklo was the only one hesitant and he was still trying to use his power. It wasn't working, only making him nauseous which greatly worried him. The time he truly needed his ability it wasn't working.
They'd follow the hallway, walking through two large steel gates that were opened for them. The bloodied and unkept grass tickled Jaklo's pads from how soft it was, the loud scraping of metal from behind them would ring out as the two guards closed the gates, locking them and trapping them inside the gigantic stadium, it was built like an arena rather than a football field. The view was beautiful, such a large football pitch that stretched seemingly as far as their eyes could glance. The rows of seats just above them would be occupied by people chanting and shouting at them. It wasn't nearly as big as most other football pitches, because in the direct middle they could see weapons like guns, swords and knives. Rasmus and Semper would immediately begin walking towards them, anxious for what is to come. Ellis stayed close to Jaklo and whispered to him as they walked "All this blood.. There's even body parts laying around.. I'm worried Jak."
It was true, as the raccoon glanced around there was arms and even legs laying around. Mocking the beauty of the once well-kept stadium, there was even pikes and poles dug into the ground with human heads and legs spiked onto them. Soon reaching the middle of the pitch, Semper took a rifle. Admiring the texture of the gun and feeling safe now that he had a weapon he was familiar with, he thought about shooting members of the crowd, but there was a limited amount of ammo that he might need for whatever it was he was going to fight. Jaklo went for a sword, picking up the knightly blade that looked like it should've been resting in a Museum somewhere. Rasmus would follow Semper' style and select an automatic rifle just like the Coyote, Ellis picked up a pistol, not so sure on how to use a weapon and so he thought it would help.
Standing in the white circle near the middle, the four would bask in the view of the audience watching over them. Cheering and even booing them, Semper, Jaklo, Ellis and Rasmus all awaited their enemy. Just as it felt as if the anticipation was for nothing, the shrill audio feedback of a loud speaker would boom throughout the stadium. The large jumbo screen above them would turn to static, remaining like that for some time as Jaklo stares into it and feels a chill run up his spine before it resumes an image of The Dime standing with a microphone clutched in his grasp surrounded by multiple armed guards and with a snarky grin on his face.
"Today.. This is not only a fucking FIGHT my people.. We are marking History with this very fight.. This fight is an act of War." The crowd went silent, staring up at the podium where Clovis stood high above all of them. Listening to him speak "We are the White Hand.. The contestants before us, carry a meaning to their eventual SLAUGHTER.. One.. Is a Raccoon, The Musician's Sworn enemy.. or so it would SEEM?! HM?! He's been rooting for his life from the very start.. wanting to capture him and keep him like a LITTLE DOLLY.. IN A DOLL HOUSE.. The others are his CAPOS!.. EXCEPT ONE! Semper.. The coyote in brown! He is a rebel who goes against everything we stand for.. Which means! We are not with the rebels by doing this and going against the Musician! We are against everyone! We will make our own rules! Run our OWN WORLD!"
The feedback would ring out every time he would slightly raise his voice, the crowd didn't seem to mind as they soon began cheering him on "Each will die.. and once the Musician finds out we killed his little playthings.. We will go against HIM! We know what he can do.. what he's capable of.. NO MORE will I be bossed around by that son of a bitch! NEITHER WILL YOU ALL! The White Hand will stand victorious with that cat's HEAD! On a fucking PIKE!"
The entire crowd would begin cheering, some even throwing rocks onto the stadium and narrowly missing the four contestants. Jaklo seemed uneasy, trying to spend these moments focusing and trying to charge his ability somehow. Rasmus was just as worried, meanwhile Ellis and Semper were more than eager to fight. "Now we will introduce our CATALYST!! THE MONSTER THAT WILL MARK OUR WAR! THE VERY SAME.. AND THE VERY DEADLY! THE WIDOWMAKER!!"
Rock music began loudly blaring through the speakers, almost outperforming the voices of the many that cheered and screamed, demanding violence. The gates directly in front of them would be opened very carefully. Shadows encompassing what was lurking within, soon being brought out into daylight by the scent of pure blood. Covered in metal, scrap and other things to perfectly guard it's skin but allow it to continue wreck havoc was a Bat.. The very creatures chasing them just a few nights beforehand "Oh.. Oh fuck.. Oh shit.." Rasmus let his guard down, becoming increasingly worried as he stepped back but Jaklo would stop him and put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a look as if telling him that it'd be okay. "I told you, we're getting out of this alive.. Look for any weakspots.."
Rasmus would desperately argue back, clutching the rifle with a shaky grasp "Nah man.. It's the armour, I told you their skin is very very sensitive to fucking daylight.. If we manage to rip it off it'll crumble before us, the armour is stopping most of the fucking sunlight from getting in and preventing our fucking weapons from getting at it at all" As Rasmus finished explaining things, Jaklo looked back at the monster with an even more determined expression. Watching as it slowly approaches with quiet growls, calculating it's approach and how it would effectively rip all of them to shreds. The raccoon thought about leading them to the crowd, but there were heavy fences put in place to prevent that from happening at all.
( The Widowmaker - Carpenter Brut would play here. )
Before they had any idea to think, the bat would rush forward and sent everyone off guard. Almost colliding with the fighters, just narrowly missing them except for the chain attached to it's armoured frame which would whip back and hit into Semper's side as he begins firing off wild shots towards the beast, everyone else would scatter and keep their distance, except Jaklo. Who would be immediately jumping onto it's back and very nearly sliding off the smooth metal surface, gripping on and trying his best to stab the sword into any open areas, even gripping and pulling at the armour. This was futile again, he was lurched from it's back and thrown like a ragdoll across the stadium, the gravel within the grassy surface wasn't good for his skin under the red fur.
Ellis kept his distance, confused on what to do as Semper held his side and recovered from the nasty hit of metal against his bare skin. Aiming the rifle just as Rasmus does and unloading fire into it's armour, bullets would ricochet dangerously and fire off into unsafe directions. A bullet would fly by and just barely miss Semper's skull. "Shit! Holy fuck!" He'd yell in disbelief, falling back further as the armoured bat starts to rush him with a furious roar.
The Bat seemed to have other plans, looking straight towards the Veteran wolf as he fires his last bullet. The gun clicking to let him know he was out of ammo, Rasmus was now faced with an absolute freight train of metal armour rushing him at full speed. Just barely being able to jump to the floor and out of the way before the loose chain clips onto his boot, the bat still had some brains left to figure out this was a good thing. Deciding to put on a show and bolting in random directions around the stadium while the group struggled to get a hit on it, The wolf struggled and continued reaching down desperately to unclip the metal hook on the end of the chain. Even desperately trying to kick off his boot but it wasn't working, the gravel pierced his skin from under the grave and was gradually scratching him to the bone slowly.
Ellis wouldn't stand for this, rushing the sprinting metal bat and attempting to lurch right at it with a knife. Only to be grabbed and thrown just like Jaklo, leaving Rasmus in an agonising dragging session while his skin slowly gives in and bleeds. Time was running out, Jaklo knew this. His friend was about to be trampled by the very ground they walked on. The bat was heading right for the metal wall, at such speed being dragged it would surely kill him upon impact. The Dead-End was coming, Jaklo rushed to Semper and grabbed a-hold of his rifle "Quit it man.. One in the fucking chamber make it count! Shoot the fuckin' thing in the head!"
The raccoon shook his head, taking aim and focusing as much as he could. Pointing the gun in the direction of the chain "Won't work, we need to break the chain." With a deep inhale, closing his eyes to adjust and fixating. He took the shot, gripping the rifle harder and staring in disbelief as the bullet misses. Watching as Rasmus is dragged and soon slammed directly into the wall, even from far away you could hear his bones crack. The raccoon would close his eyes, dropping the rifle and taking another deep inhale in as time finally feels like it's about to go back. His ability was working, his nose was bleeding and so were his eyes. His brain struggling to work, but it did. Soon he'd feel the shift in time move evenly backwards as his pre cognition works in his favour. Now back to gripping the rifle with the single bullet in the chamber, like that miss didn't happen.
"Quit it man.. One in the fucki-" Jaklo would interrupt him "I know. Let me focus." His stern expression matched the sheer focus he had in succeeding this shot, his nose and eyes bleeding hard. It was a surprise he hadn't passed out yet, but the shot was fired either way. Flying forward at such velocity and slamming into the chain, breaking it instantly and freeing the injured wolf.
Rasmus rolled along the floor of the grassy terrain, the crowd would yell and cheer in a mixed reaction of his sudden freedom. Slamming against one of the barriers that protected the wicked crowd that watched for their amusement, the bat would notice he was gone. While he was still staggering to recover and stand up, he'd be rushed again and Jaklo could only throw the gun in the direction of the bat before breaking out into a full on sprint towards the Veteran "RASMUS!"
His panicked voice could be heard for miles around. The soldier was still shook up from being dragged around, using the wall behind him as a support to lean on while he stared the incarnate of death directly through those covered cold metallic eyes. It would open it's gaping maw, the tongue would start steaming dramatically as if in pain while the direct sunlight hits it and Rasmus could only reach for one thing and one thing only, his rapier. Pulling the blade as quickly as he was taught to do so and jamming the fragile frame directly against the attacker attempting to devour him, the blade was in no condition to last against it's immense jaw strength as it was ready to chomp it to bits along with the soldier. His elbows pressed against the wall, his arms already starting to hurt as the mindset of giving up would immediately kick in.
This brought him back to the time he was pinned by Scratch, and he how almost died there. Was there any real way to get out of this situation?, he could see the fine blade was already denting heavily. All he could do was push, grunting loudly and even growling in the face of danger. Without warning, the raccoon would jump onto it's back and dramatically sink his fingers right into the gap between the two metal frames separating his head and back, Pulling and pulling. It would twist slowly, the metal beckoning to stay in it's position as the raccoon let out a startling yell that made the audience go quiet, such a determination to save his friend would cause the shocked Ellis standing nearby to smile. Rushing to help, but it was no use. The raccoon had already done what he had ran to do, the frame would give in and the raccoon would fall back onto the floor clutching a large chunk of sheet metal. Rasmus slouched down the wall as the beast finally let go, it's hideous bat like features and large face was exposed. The entire head sizzling and steaming like it was being cooked, flailing it's large, deadly claws around frantically before dropping dead to the floor. The flesh would begin to bubble, Jaklo would watch and pant. Feeling a sense of victory, immediately looking over to check on Rasmus and feeling even more victorious knowing his friend was okay.
The crowd was quiet, too quiet. They would all watch and soon the silence was deafening. This was the next place the staggered raccoon would look, up at the audience of the hundreds of eyes that watched them all around the stadium. Soon, the loudspeaker would turn on with a startling screech and The Dime would act as a voice for not only himself, but for every silent mouth in the entire sports stadium.
"You.. WERE SUPPOSED.. TO DIE!" The feedback was like nails on a chalkboard, causing the raccoon to wince. Semper would run over, as did Ellis. The Bearded dragon would crouch next to the raccoon and hold him tight, Clovis continued to speak through the microphone. "YOU'RE GOING TO DIE HERE.. THIS IS.. -- WH-.. HOW DID YOU EVEN WIN?! THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO WAY TO KILL AN ARMOURED BAT!"
Jaklo rubbed his backfist against his lip, it was busted from the sheer power of the sheet metal coming off of the face of the now dead bat and slamming into the raccoon's head. "Maybe you should've wielded it better." He knew he couldn't hear him, but he decided to taunt that piece of shit anyway. "You got.. FUCKING balls.. But I hope you aren't forgetting, you have to die here.. the Musician will find out and once he DOES.. THAT IS WHAT OUR MESSAGE TO HIM WILL BE.. THAT WE WANT WAR! You're.. going right back.. You're going to--.. And you know what else?! You're coming back here TOMORROW!"
The entire crowd would cheer again, some even throwing empty beer cans and other things onto the stadium in a dramatic celebration. A crunched blue can would land next to Jaklo's foot, eyeing it up before staring up at the hateful crowd that sat comfortably in their seats. "AND YOU'RE GOING TO FIGHT ANOTHER BAT.. AND IF YOU MANAGE TO KILL THAT ONE.. WE'LL SEND OUT FUCKING HUNDREDS.. YOU GOT THAT?!"
They were trapped, the raccoon was oddly fearful and so was everyone else. The Dime was hellbent on using their deaths as a hate message to send to the person they wanted to rebel against. Jaklo would wipe his backhand on his lip again, there was a lot of blood but this brought him to the realisation that it wasn't just his lip bleeding. His eyes were bleeding, his nose was streaming blood and his ears were slightly bloody too. The other two didn't notice this, his red fur didn't really make it obvious but Ellis picked up on it quickly. Touching two fingers against the raccoon's face and letting out a concerned sigh
"You saved him.. using your ability, didn't you? You're bleeding a lot.. are you sure you'll be okay?" Jaklo looked over at Ellis, seeming a little confused as his vision began to go blurry "Yeah.. I .- I be.. I - fine" The slurring of his words wasn't promising, suddenly falling back into Ellis' arms and passing out there and then. Exhausted, but happy things were partly going in his favour. The time for his brain to rest wouldn't last long however.
Being jolted awake, his eyes would open. The taste of something metallic on his tongue, blood. The van he was back inside had hit a speed bump and this allowed him to look around, staring at a quiet Rasmus talking to Semper while Ellis stared directly at the raccoon with a sense of care and worry. "You're awake, are you feeling alright? They had to carry you to the van and for a moment I thought they were just gonna leave you there." Looking down at his hands, they were bound yet again. The van occasionally going over speedbumps along the road which caused him to hit his head back against the interior of the van. "I'm okay El, we did it though.. Right? I killed that motherfucker.."
Ellis' eyes narrowed, looking down and appearing defeated before answering. "Oh-- of course we did.. or you did, for that matter. But we're going back tomorrow, they're ... eager to let those Bat creatures see us through to death's door." The memories coming back to the raccoon after the short lived head trauma caused him to sigh deeply, stressed out more than any other time in his life. "Mhm.. Sounds like something Dime would do, of course.. of fucking course." The van would hit yet another speed bump, continuing to drive steadily and fast. It didn't help there was a serious lack of windows, besides the bullet holes in the side but they were quite literally an eye sore to attempt to look out of.
Suddenly, Ellis leaned forward and rested his bound hands on the raccoon's knee. "I liked that back there, you stuck your neck out for us. You killed that thing, I'm proud of you." His tender voice was music to the raccoon's ears, smiling back at him bleakly and nodding his head. "I shouldn't be using my abilities too much though, one thing I've always kept in mind is the doctor told me it isn't good for me.. it can kill me."
The bearded dragon would withdraw his hands, seeming a little more saddened. Then the truck would hit another speed bump but this time it was much more powerful, the driver's in the front could be heard shouting. "CONTROL THE FUCKING CA-" Then, every passenger in the back would be sent flying around like ragdolls. The truck would crash, suddenly toppling over and stopping momentarily. One singular back door flying open upon impact, revealing a thick forest and a long lonely road. A few men would step out onto the road, dressed in military outfits and some even dressed in riot gear. There was a railway spike laying along the road, the hissing of the van's tires could still be heard thanks to this.
"Get over there, make sure our boy is okay. If any of the other's start blabbing about the Musician, shoot them." The men began to clear, approaching the truck slowly and armed with military weaponry. Through the small crowd of people, one man stood out to Jaklo for some reason like his eyes and mind were attracted to him. Laying along the floor, blurred vision and a headache he was still curious to see who he was.
"Jake, get over there and help out would you?" Another man from behind him, smoking a cigar would push the Jackal lightly. He was holding a shotgun, slowly approaching the car, dressed in police riot armour and stopping. His eyes widening as he stares at Jaklo, they both felt an attraction for each other. It wasn't love, it wasn't hatred. It was a similarity, something they knew they had in common without even having to meet. The jackal would continue to stare, Jaklo would stare back.
"You?-" Jake would say, Jaklo couldn't hear him. But, he could read his lips perfectly. The team surrounding the car and obscuring his vision as Semper let out a loud grunt. "Could've stopped the truck a little easier? I think you broke my fucking back boys.. Good to see you-" The rebels outside would laugh, starting to pry the other door open.