Advent Of A Gunslinger

And so, with all of the ammunition and weaponry they needed, our heroes prepared to make their assault on Klugetown and hopefully rid the world of Zula and the remnants of the ‘Felidae’ so that none would remain.

For starters, Axel, Vido, Kora, Fleche, Mio and Spitha all traveled together on the aforementioned griffon’s airship. The reason being was so that the tom and hippogriff could communicate in regards to ways that they would be able to approach the situation.

Meanwhile, Celaeno, Roseanne, and Chang had returned to her own zeppelin-like ship and informed the rest of her crew what their plans were--having also procured armor for them as well.

Lastly--the minotaur warriors led by Martha would follow the airships on foot from the ground with their weapons at the ready. Since they were used to the desert climate, they had no issues trekking through it.

However, first we’ll check on Axel and co.

“So what’s the plan, cat man?” Axel asked Mio, “You know this here shindig better than any of us.”

“That I do,” said the tom while looking at a small paper map of Klugetown. “Zula will likely have security posted from all angles.”

“Seriously?” Axel scoffed and shook his head at the mere idea. “And to think--I thought we had taken out at least half’a their people by now.”

Mio adjusted his glasses and replied, “I know how Zula operates. She’s a rather resourceful little pussy who will make use of anything she can get her grubby little paws on. Trust me--do not expect an easy, simplistic entry into the capital.”

“You right--and I ain’t,” Axel explained as he gave it some thought, “I’m just wonderin’ who else could be left at this point and willin’ta join her cause.”

“Not much we can do about that right now my friend. All we can do is figure out a way in. And I’ve already deduced the best way.”

Axel peered over at the map and asked, “That bein’?”

To which Mio replied by tapping a finger upon the map--below Klugetown. “We’ll have to find a way to get in by tunneling underground. I’m almost certain that it’s not something Zula would think of. In fact, she’s almost certainly expecting us to attack either straight on or from above. But from below…”

“We’ll have ourselves an advantage,” Axel added, then immediately questioned this plan with a raised brow. “And just how exactly do we get ourselves down there?”

Mio showed off his fangs with a classic cat-grin once more. “As a strategist, I’ve already figured that out. When you’re dealing with crafty individuals like Zula, it’s important to have contingencies…and contingencies for those contingencies. Regardless, ask yourself this: Can you think of any creature that’s particularly adept at digging?”

It didn’t take long for Axel to come up with an answer. “...Diamond Dogs, right? But just…how are we gonna--?”

“That’s where my contingency plan has come in,” the tom continued, “I may or may not have taken…a bit of a detour on my way here and stopped by a certain Kingdom. Apparently the work you’ve done there has earned you quite the reputation.”

“I cotton,” Axel replied, stating his understanding thus far, “S’pose my work has reached lots of faces.”

“Exactly,” Mio said with a snap of his fingers, “With that in mind, you’ll have nothing to worry about when it comes to getting in underground. You’ll recognize the ones who’ll be there to help us get in.”

The hippogriff folded his claw arms. “...Now this I gotta see.”

From nearby…

Both Kora and Spitha were observing the gentlemen having a discussion regarding their plans on getting in. Eventually, the she-cat proposed a question to the dragoness.

“Mio is quite the shrew isn’t he? I suppose I pegged him for the wrong type of person upon first meeting him.”

“To be fair, he wasn’t exactly on your side when you first met,” Spitha replied, “So I don’t exactly blame you for not trusting him right away. However, the key difference between people like Mio and say, Rongu or even Gatto--was that he is no sheep. He is not going to follow someone else’s goals or ideals to his death. He’s going to look out for himself and those that matter to him.” She sighed while leaning against the table she was sitting at. “Admittedly…I wish I had done the same sooner.”

Kora flicked her tail and asked, “Whatever do you mean, Ms. Spitha?”

“Focused on myself,” she elaborated, “And took better care of myself. Maybe if I did, I would’ve realized I was being lied to and that my so-called ex-husband was working with an organized gang to further destroy the land I thought he had brought me to in order to repair. It was a lie I believed for five years believe it or not…”

Such a revelation caused Kora to nearly bite her tongue. “...F-five years…? That’s the sort of conniving skullduggery we’re dealing with?” Upon realization, she immediately started flipping through her Abyssinian spellbook. “Enough is enough…I’m going to make use of all that I can to make sure they’re completely wiped off the face of the earth.”

Spitha looked at her with a nervous, well-meaning smile as a bead of sweat ran down the side of her face. “...You really don’t need to take it so seriously, miss. I’m in a much better place now. And I’ll be in an even better place once this is all over and done with.”

“All the more reason to prepare for the use of the most dangerous spells in this book…” Kora purred with a devious glint in her eye, “...among those that I can handle of course.”