Advent Of A Gunslinger

As it turns out, it wasn’t very difficult at all. Sure, it took them about an hour of searching, but they were eventually able to pin down some motion-based activity within the capital city thanks to the heightened sensory abilities of the group.

Vido and Axel took to the air and had flown around to get a feel for what they were after. The winds of the night were calm, and allowed them both to glide around at a leisurely pace as they searched for any movement.

On the ground, Kora used her nose to find her way through the city. One thing that really gave her an advantage was the fact that the air of the Wukong territory was crisp and clean. Much cleaner than the air found in Klugetown. As a result, she was able to smell the air for any moving monkey fur. Chang was close behind of course, keeping tabs on everyone’s movement.

...And that’s when it hit everyone.

The gents in the air flew downwards and the she-cat scampered across the dark, lifeless streets until they all found themselves down an alley. The group came together to discuss what they saw.

“Spotted a dogie runnin’ this-a way,” Axel pointed in the direction of the alley and where it led to. “Right, Vido?”

“Si,” the griffon backed up his claim, “We caught a glimpse of something moving like little chickens across a field.”

“I see,” Kora said as she sniffed the air, “Yup. I’m catching a lot of monkey fur. Mixed with a bit of sweat. I wonder what that could be…”

Sweat? The idea of such a smell being detectable sent Chang into a small frenzy as he ran his hands through his hair. “Bù--bù on everything--this isn’t good.”

“What’s wrong, pard?” Axel asked. “Don’t freak out on us now. You’re our leader.”

“He’s right. I need to remain in control.” Chang calmed himself down, and took a deep breath as he lowered his hands. “Alright. I think the sweat smell leads to the possibility of an underground fighting club.”

Vido raised an eyebrow, surprised at the fact that Chang would come to such a conclusion right away. “...Are you sure about that, Chango? What makes you think that’s what’s up?”

“There have been rumors of illegal fighting clubs cropping up all over,” he explained as he adjusted his glasses, “Some of which my father continues to believe doesn’t exist. In the spirit of being a good ruler, it is up to me to thwart this if that is what is truly happening.”

“But how do we make our entrance?” Kora pointed out, “Given that we had a choice encounter with their leader, we would surely be recognized the moment we stepped inside, wouldn't we?”

Chang gazed at the building’s rooftop and something came to him. “Ah. I have an idea.” He turned to the she-cat. “Lady Kora, can you head topside and enter one of the vents? Maybe you can find a way to Sun’s office.” Next came Vido’s portion, “Lord Magpie, fly up and keep watch over her and the general area.”

Both of them agreed to his orders.

“On it, Chang,” Kora crawled up the nearest wall.

“I’m right with you,” Vido added as he flew after her, still carrying the sniper rifle he had gotten from Juzo.

Which left the gunslinger and the prince.

“What’s the orders, boss?” Axel looked at the primate doctor.

Chang had disrobed and removed his labcoat from his body. “They won’t recognize us if we are wearing different things. Though in your case, you could probably ditch your mask and hat and they wouldn’t be the wiser.”

“Huh. That ain’t a bad idea.” Axel conceded. That was a rather good plan indeed, and many didn’t realize the face behind the gunslinger’s usual getup. So he removed his mask and hat, allowing his full face and frizzy red hair to be exposed. “So what do we do from here? Just head on in casually?”

Chang folded his white coat into a neat little square, and took hold of Axel’s hat and mask. “Something like that. But first…” He tossed their articles of clothing onto the roof nearby. “Vido can watch over them for us. Now. Are you ready?”

“That I am. I’m followin’ your lead, pard,” Axel said with a confident nod.

From there, the two would approach the nearest armored door, and Chang would knock upon it.

Soon enough, the metal slit near the top of the door would open up and reveal a set of eyes. A voice would call out, “Mìmǎ.”

And Chang replied with, “Ba Sing Se.”

The door opened up, and the monkey behind it would step aside to allow them entry. “You made it just in time. The real show is about to begin downstairs.”

“Thank you, friend. Come--this way,” Chang stepped forward and made his way through the room where the empty gambling tables were located.

The doormonkey led them to a staircase where they could take a flight of stairs down to what appeared to be a basement at first glance.

But in reality, it was a large underground room that was the size of a buckball court.

“...So far so good,” Axel muttered to his primate companion, “Nobody here looks like they notice us.”

Chang replied, “Indeed. These are very common types of glasses too, so I’m safe as well. But now I wonder…”

Axel was a bit familiar with the concept of backstreet brawls behind barns and bars but nothing like this. Something so organized and set up with the intent of betting to win money like Saddle Arabian Horse Races at betting booths nearby. It was strange to say the least.

“What in the hell…”

What made it even more peculiar, was that the audience wasn’t solely made up of the monkey citizens that inhabited the Wukong territory. There were plenty of abyssinians, minotaurs, dragons, and even a few griffons all cheering in anticipation for the next battle.

Chang and Axel stood against a nearby wall where they could have a full, clear view of the entire room as well as the empty space in which combat was supposed to take place.

“...How does this…?” The primate in particular was already disgusted by what he saw. Rows upon rows of men and women of all different species primed and ready for illegal martial arts to take place within Chang’s own homeland. “Disgusting. How have my father and the royal guards not noticed what’s going on here?”

Axel was carefully gauging the situation around him. As expected, no one realized who he was due to the fact that he wasn’t wearing his signature hat and mask. This let him go unnoticed as the fight got started. “We’re about’ta find out, pard. Shit’s about’ta go down.”

What sounded like a female announcer shouted over an intercom to the audience. “Dàjiā hǎo! Welcome! Today’s battle will be a dangerous one! By popular demand, we start with our reigning champion--she’s the biggest and baddest of our ladies, the one and only: Shāshǒu Rǔfáng! Also known as Shannon Ruffie for you Western folk!”

Soon enough, a monkey woman would enter from the opposite end of the room much to the crowd’s enjoyment. She had purple fur and pale skin underneath. Her abdomen was chiseled to perfection with thighs that looked rigid enough to crush a melon. Despite this, she had a well-endowed set of breasts and a plump behind--both jiggling with every step she took. There were no prizes for guessing why she was the current champion.

But interesting enough, she was carrying no weapons…

The gunslinger hippogriff noticed this right away, and whispered to Chang. “Hey now. Don’t ya’ll monkey folk use a buncha different weapons and such? Ain’t this supposed’ta be a fightin’ tournament?”

“I am just as confused as you are, friend,” Chang replied as he glared at the unarmed monkey woman’s figure. “I suppose this is a hand-to-hand situation?”

The voice over the intercom would speak once more. “And our challenger! He’s looking to put our champion, Ms. Rufang, in her place and make her beg for mercy, it’s a convicted felon who’s trying to scrub his name clean: Zing!”

Chang and Axel both perked up when they heard that, but of course, they kept their mouths shut to avoid drawing attention to themselves. But it did raise quite a few questions: A convict? Just how did he escape from prison? Why was he here?

They were about to find out.

Moments later, they could see two Wukong police officers escort an 8-foot tall giant cercopes (a sub-species of tailless monkey) man wearing black and white prison garb--easily two feet taller than his opponent. His hands were cuffed together, and when he finally reached the middle of the room where Rufang was waiting, one of the officers undid the cuffs. Then, they both immediately backed away.

The champion of a primate licked her lips with an excited chitter. “Wonderful. I’m sure you know the rules, big guy. If you can beat me, then you’ll be able to walk away a free man. Lose, and you’ll be put to death.” She stuck out her tongue in a playful manner. “Understood?”

Axel and Chang exchanged a quick glance at each other. They were both thinking the exact same thing.

“SOME OF THE OFFICERS OF MY OWN HOME ARE CORRUPTED AND WORKING WITH THEM?!”

“...Classic. Sheriffs meant’ta uphold the law be workin’ against it under the cuff. Sumbitches…”

Meanwhile, just above them…

Topaz and Alade were set to watch the battle from the upper level. The unicorn leaned on the railings like an excited filly. “Ooooh--iz zis what our monkey friend meant? How exciting!”

The abyssinian couldn’t help but agree--though he still kept his thoughts to himself. “How is she going to deal with him?”