The Tide Before the Storm
Michael and Prince Axl waited in the meeting room as they were waiting for Bucket. They had a great vantage point to watch the show, which was the two princes scolding and firing some of the guards for their disrespectful conduct. They shouldn't have pointed the spears at them unless they were doing something that could potentially harm the princes, which they weren't. A little while later, Bucket also joined them.
"So what happened?" asked Bucket.
"It seems that a rescue mission will need to be underway. We're going to need to rescue Lava Cake's commander. That's their condition for lending us troops."
Just then, the princes arrived.
"Okay, let me iron out the details," said Prince Caylen, "You'll need to sneak in using a small tunnel by the border to Crispdrop Canyon. It's on this same landmass, but it's quite far, so we can get you there. Then, you'll need to disguise yourself amongst the people. We have prepared a set of clothes. You may take a shawl, a bandana, and a hat. Infiltrate and escape. If you succeed, you'll be joined by us. I've already messaged the North Faction. They've agreed to come as well if you meet our conditions. I'll let you know about this now, but we've lost around a fourth of our troops."
"Honestly, the bare minimum we needed from your faction was 20,000. This is exceptionally good news," said Bucket.
"Is there anything we should know?" asked Michael.
"Yeah, so the tough part is having to do with the barrier. As you know, they are still an independent faction. The only reason that this is the case is that they have an impenetrable barrier that doesn't let anyone go in or out. Every time we try and siege them, their troops camp out in Crispdrop, and we're stuck on the beach. We end up getting annihilated, and we suffer heavy losses. But this time, since you're going covert, you should try to find the source of that barrier and destroy it!"
They looked at each other and grimaced. They put on their new outfits. Michael wore a pale brown shall and a red bandanna. He wore a white shirt and ripped off the sleeves. Bucket, on the other hand, wore a light green colored shawl and a white tank top. Prince Axl wore a light gray shawl and a gray tank top. Cadmus had soldiers prepare bikes for them and also handed them a small communicator. When they succeeded, they would press the green button. If everything went wrong, they'd press the red button, and if they needed to be picked up, they'd press the yellow button.
They got on the bikes and made their way past the mushrooms of Forgotten Forest and right by the border. They found small tunnels that had been carved by escapees in the past. They crawled through. Bucket did his best to lead the group even though he was claustrophobic. They crawled slowly for a few hours. They doubted whether it was even legit or not, but suddenly, a blinding light hit them. Were they caught? Even before they made it? But no, this blinding light was the sun. The sun was surprisingly bright. It made sense since they were basically at the equator.
After crawling in a cramped space for so long, their backs hurt. As they got up, they could hear small popping noises followed by sharp pains. They looked around. The hole they came from was perfectly hidden by dead bushes and shrubs that were peppered around. Suddenly, they noticed the giant temple in the distance. It looked to be from some massive civilization. Michael had the slight feeling that the barrier they were looking for was in there.
But that was not what they needed to worry about at the moment. Right now, they needed to make their way to the tide castle. They made their way to the marketplace that was near the temple. They were selling all sorts of bits and bobs, little trinkets from the temple. They sold fruits and vegetables, and best of all, nobody questioned their appearance. Everyone took one look at them and moved on. It was a good thing that their faces were tanned from all the work that they had done in the past. If they had come here looking as white as vampires, things might've gone a bit south.
They found a small merchant who was lending donkeys by an inn. He wore a cloth turban and clothes that were similar to theirs. He was a short man, and he had a lampshade mustache.
"How can I help ya fine fellows today?" he asked in a jovial tone.
"How much for ol' hee haw here?" asked Prince Axl, mimicking his energy.
"Him is 30 chips per hour"
"We'll take one eh? Is it okay if we pay you a day's worth right away? We're going down to the beach!"
"If it suits you, then it suits me. Take 'im away!"
We got on the donkey. Slowly but surely, we made our way to the domain of Tide.
By sundown, we managed to get to the next town. The people here looked much poorer, though, and Michael could see why. There was no water here. At least, the poor people didn't have any. Bucket decided that it would be a good idea to rest before confronting them. He had the funny feeling that he might need the stamina if they were going to have a fight.
The next day, they set off again. Prince Axl is more well-known than Michael, so it was decided that Bucket and Prince Axl would do the snooping. Michael would act as an emissary to see how the Tide Princess would react. He didn't have high hopes for the first prince, though, since the Tide Faction was just a bunch of terrorists. They managed to get to the front gate by early evening. Michael approached the guards. He was about to say something, but the guards just let them in. There was no way that this was going to go well, was there? Bucket used his scope to see that Michael was allowed in immediately.
"That's not fair, how come he got to go in without getting yelled that?"
"Give me that," said Prince Axl, snatching the scope, "Yeah, that's a trap if I've ever seen one. Let's make our move now. Watch this."
Prince Axl moved a distance away and shot one of the guards who was facing the lake. Immediately, all the guards moved to that area, expecting a citizen who was dying of thirst. But instead, all they found was the water... completely untouched?!
"The shot came from there," pointed one guard, "we spotted him so he ran."
The other guards immediately started leaving their posts to follow. Meanwhile, only two guards were left behind. It was Bucket and Prince Axl. They signaled to the tower to let open the drawbridge, and slowly, the bridge came down. They found levers on either side of the tower, and they closed them back up. They headed through the corridors of the castle, and they were just in time to see Michael's performance.
Princess Mari had a great presence. She was dressed in the finest silks. She wore a ruby colored silk turban as well as an emerald shawl. She wore gold mojari. She had brown hair and red eyes that seemed to look down on everything. She also wore this red ornamental necklace that looked more expensive than the entire palace. This was a town of wealth? All the chips seemed to be going to this one palace in the middle of nowhere.
"Greetings, your excellency," said Michael, respectfully as he bowed, "I am the emissary for the kingdom of the Piqs. I have come bearing a message from the first Prince."
Princess Mari said nothing. She simply kept staring down at him so Michael continued, "The first Prince requests to be on negotiable terms with this kingdom and has sent us bearing gifts"
"So... that fool doesn't even have the guts to show his face in my presence and yet he wants to command me in my own KINGDOM?!"
The whole room fell silent. Bucket started to sweat in the stuffy armor. Princess Mari started to laugh.
"GUARDS!" Bucket jumped. "Take this fool away. That'll tell the first Prince that if he wants to free them, he'd better take them back himself!"
Prince Axl and Bucket ran over and brought Michael to his knees.
Clap! Clap! Clap! The halls echoed, and a man strutted through. Michael's eyes widened in fear. It was Montag.
"Didn't I tell you, sire?"
"Your father was right. Everything has gone according to his plans," grinned Princess Mari. He hopped down from his throne and squatted down before Michael, who glared at him.
"You know what's even more fun, peasant?" said Princess Mari, holding up Michael's chin. "I didn't even need to pay him. All he requested is that you get sent to him. Then you strut right in like you own the place, right into my palm. So... are you going to tell me where the others are?"
Michael didn't answer; he just bit Mari's fingers.
"AAAargh, Stupid PEASANT! TAKE HIM AWAY!"
They dragged Michael away from the Prince and went into the dungeon. Time for step 2.
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While Bucket and Prince Axl returned to their posts, Michael decided it was still far too soon, and that decision ended up being right as Montag came walking in.
"I thought you were dead!" exclaimed Michael.
"It's a shame, isn't it? The only thing separating us is a set of bars. Still. Color me surprised. I expected your friends to break cover by now."
"I actually expected this to happen."
"To get imprisoned? Or..."
"Any faction crazy enough to side with the Leader has got to have some screws loose."
"They're not crazy, they're smart. They know that my father won't lose."
"Keep playing like that. See what happens. There's a limit to be reached when working alone."
"Yeah, and there are others. There are still captains remaining! The war will be over soon. It'll be a one-sided victory."
"I wouldn't be so sure. It's 5 v 4."
"Huh? You think numbers are enough?"
"Normally, no, but this time, quality is on our side as well."
"And there are more than 4 captains anyway."
"Ah, you must not have heard the news. They got killed trying to capture the Cookie Bandit."
His eyes widened. Michael came up to the bars and stuck his head out, his face in a sly grin.
"And soon, it'll be a 5 v 3. So just be careful."
"Tch, you're behind bars and you're threatening me? Just stay down. Or will I have to teach you a lesson like last time?"
Michael sat down, but his face didn't change. "If you were so powerful, then why did you need the Princess to help you catch a single person?"
"I didn't need her help. In fact, the O.C.R. would've run just fine without the need of that spoiled brat and her drunkard of a little brother. Ha! She thinks she's rich? She's a DITCH DIGGER compared to the wealth of the O.C.R. She's only a fake ruler."
To that, Michael smiled, knowing he had already won.
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Montag stormed out of the dungeon. Who did that self-entitled soldier think he was? He was weak. He could only make it to commander because of his teacher. How dare someone as low as him insult his father? His father was a great man! He planned ahead and was always 3 steps ahead of his enemy! He made it back to the main palace, but the gazes he felt around him were cold. He went back to the throne room where the Princess was.
"Hey, Princess, I think I'll take the prisoners now. They've had enough time in the dungeon."
"And why should I do that?"
"What do you mean by why? That was our agreement!"
"It seems like you don't actually acknowledge me as a ruler, though."
The guards pointed their spears toward him, and there was nowhere to go. He was stuck. He ground his teeth.
He broke one spear using the palm of his hand and sent it straight into the soldier's gut. He took another spear, kicked the soldier to the ground, and used spear techniques to defeat the rest of them.
He ran but said, "I won't forget this humiliation!"
Prince Axl and Bucket snickered under their helmets. The Princess looked at them and said, "Well... I'll let it slide just this once."
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It was time. Once Montag left, he wasn't coming back. He pulled a pistol out of his boot and shot the rest of the guards. He peered outside to make sure nobody was left, and then he shot the inside of the lock. The door creaked open. He looked around and found the Captain of the Guard contemplating something. He shot open the lock, and the Captain looked surprised.
"You... you're that person who-"
"Shhhh!" Michael put a finger to his mouth. Stealthily, they made their way outside. There was no way out without going through the throne room, so they silently killed some of the guards. Quickly, Michael stood at the center of the throne room. The princess looked unimpressed.
"Kill him."
The guards moved to attack, but were quickly intercepted by all the prisoners.
"Ha! I still have my two personal guards!"
But Prince Axl and Bucket turned their spears on the princess. She stopped laughing.
"So the whole emissary thing was a lie, wasn't it?"
"Of course it was. In some cases, Montag was right. You aren't fit to be a ruler. First, you take the losing side and make enemies, then you insult your allies outwardly and make your allies hate you, and lastly, you aren't aware if your staff has been infiltrated. How foolish."
Prince Axl forces her off her throne and puts her hands behind her back.
"Time to get moving... Peasant. Ah, yes, how fun it is to be royalty."
They marched her outside the gates of her castle and forced her to sit on the donkey while we walked. Now that the only person in their way was gone, they were free to leave. People gave them strange looks, but didn't attempt anything; their princess was at stake. This time, they went near the water. Ah, the first patch of grass! As they were about to pass through, Bwop! They bounced off and realized their fatal error; Montag was still there. They rode the donkey back to the temple. A bright light shone out of the top. It was the barrier. They helped the princess off the donkey, and they ventured inside the temple. As soon as they entered, the door shut. That was ominous. There were many rooms, but the traps had all been disabled.
In the first room, there were several guards waiting for them. Prince Axl charged, throwing a flurry of fists at the guards and knocking out several of them. Michael stayed back with the princess, taking out any leftovers that were either pretending to be dead or were hiding. They moved swiftly and systematically, floor by floor. Finally, they were at the end. They saw Montag waiting for them. He had a vicious grin.
"Aww, did you miss me so much that you decided to come back?"
"Montag, You Bas-!" screamed the princess, but Michael covered her mouth, "Choices come with consequences. After putting yourself in those situations. Just do us all a favor and shut up."
"Couldn't have said it better myself," said Montag, "Man, if only we weren't enemies!"
"I only have one best friend and that's Veris!" shouted Michael as he took shots at Montag.
"I was going to say that you would've made a good attendant. You really think that you're on my level?"
"Bold words for someone who's stuck powering the barrier," said Bucket, shooting the area behind Montag. The illusion broke. The Montag in front of us wasn't real. The real Montag was behind him. He was next to a mage who was sweating and face, pale white.
"So, you caught me, huh? I have to hand it to you. You're not as dense as the rest of them!"
Suddenly, executives appeared from all sides. Bucket got ready to attack, but Prince Axl was the first to get into action. As a battle maniac wearing heavy iron gauntlets, he loved bloodbaths. He threw punches and kicks, uppercuts, and hooks. Blood splattered everywhere. Bucket joined in as well, slicing and slashing with his knife.
Montag and Michael started to have a rematch. They were just waiting for the other to throw the first punch. They determined that the one who attacked first would be at a disadvantage. The world seemed to stop around them. They were the only ones in this little world. Growing tired of the wait, Michael attacked first, moving quickly. Montag dodged and tried to counter, but Elaine had taught him some of Montag's patterns weeks earlier. Michael sidestepped and decided to take a unique approach.
He grabbed Montag's waist and did a back throw, slamming him into the ground. Montag grabbed Michael's head, flinging him to the ground next to him. They started to get sloppier as they both started to lose consciousness. Michael grabbed Montag and started slamming him into the mage while punching it. A small barrier that was around the mage bounced Montag off.
"Funny that this barrier looks a lot like the ones we used to install," grunted Michael, "But apparently, this one's a lot more persistent!"
"Oh, come on, this is nothing!" grunted Montag back, "Besides, the one my dad's building is much more impressive than any of these."
"Oh?" Michael's ears perked up at the mention of the Leader, "Surely he's not avoiding war, is he?" He said, pinching his sore spot.
"HE WOULD NEVER! MY FATHER HAS BEEN TRYING TO FIGHT FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD AND YOU DARE MOCK HIM?!" Montag started to choke Michael, but he countered by bringing his legs around his neck and turning, forcing Montag into an armbar. Crack! AARRGH! Montag lept back, clutching his arm. Was he... losing? No! He refused to accept defeat. Not now! He had him in the palm of his hand! What happened?! Michael pushed him one more time into the barrier. He bounced off, but the barrier broke.
At one last crazed attempt, Montag held the princess at gunpoint.
"What are you going to do, Michael?! We've been through this situation before! I know how it plays out!"
Michael fixed his hair quickly. He then raised his gun and looked at the hole, then back at Montag. Bang! The princess slumped forward, blood flowing from her forehead. Montag was confused.
"B-but..."
Prince Axl came in and destroyed the barrier with his gauntlets, forever silencing the blue light that once burned brightly. Suddenly, a high-pitched noise played from the princess's necklace. Michael had sensed this in advance and closed his ears, and his comrades had copied him. Montag, on the other hand, hadn't realized what had happened when the noise reached his ears; he vibrated uncontrollably. His ears and nose started to bleed, and his eyes rolled up in his head. He tried to close his ears, but by this point, it didn't matter. He was no longer a threat. The mission was finally completed.
The journey out was much more peaceful now that all of the threat was gone. Prince Axl spotted a strange statue, and he was wearing a beautiful golden medallion. It was beautifully patterned. There were carvings of different people, animals, and even places. On the back, something notable was that there was a shepherd guiding sheep. He looked up. There was some text under it which he couldn't quite read. Well, the medalion looked cool enough. He took the medalion from the statue and continued on his way like nothing had happened.
Later in the night, they were picked up by the Piqs. When they showed them the body of the princess, they looked in horror.
"It was Montag," explained Michael, "We had to choose to escape or let the princess live. Luckily, the option worked out since Montag will never be a threat ever again."
Montag's body was presented, and a devilish smile formed in Cadmus's eyes. Prince Michael never thought he'd see such a cruel smile from someone whom he once knew as innocent. They had acquired their troops; now all that was left was to meet up with the Cookie Bandit and finish this once and for all!