Advent Of A Gunslinger

Meanwhile, in the Far East…

When the sun rose, Axel and his little band of mercs had awoken with notes under the doors. They were all requested by Juzo himself to meet him in his throne room. Curious and invested, they all gathered up their belongings and left the guest rooms of the palace and met up in the hallway before they headed downstairs.

“Vaqueros. Did you all catch this note on the doorknob?” Vido asked the group, showing them the small piece of parchment in his claw. His wings had been banaged up from the injuries he sustained the night before.

Vido, Axel, and Chang all had identical notes.

“That I do,” Axel replied, “Guess the big man wants to talk’ta us.”

Chang sighed, and crumpled the note up in his left hand. “I sincerely hope it’s nothing long-winded. We have schedule to keep up.”

“Whatever the case, we musn’t dawdle,” Kora suggested as she made her way towards the stairs with some bandages on her head as well, “Come along, everyone.”

Vido was the first to follow, leaving Axel and Chang behind.

The primate prince stepped up to the gunslinger. “Lord Remington...have you thought about what you told me?”

“Damn. He’s still thinkin’ ‘bout that, huh? Can’t blame him.” Axel broke eye contact, and adjusted his facemask with his right claw-hand. “...Yeah. Let’s just say I’ve already figured it out. You’ll know when I’ve decided.”

Chang fell silent and ultimately chose not to press the issue. The last thing he wanted was for one of his new friends to feel uncomfortable in a situation where he felt like he didn’t belong. That was a sensation that Chang could relate to.

“...Alright,” said the prince, “But just remember what I said. We’ll all support you no matter what.” With that said, he turned and started to walk down the stairs.

“...That’s exactly why I need’ta keep ya’ll outta harm’s way,” Axel thought to himself as he trotted down.

Soon enough, the four would enter the throne room and be met with the familiar orange monkey man. However, there was one key difference this time. There were bags under his eyes and his hair was in a disheveled mess.

“...” Chang’s mouth was agape in disbelief. “Father? Is that--are you well?”

“Huh? Wha--? Oh,” Juzo was shocked awake, and looked up at them all. “Excuse me for my...unkempt appearance. I was rather busy last night.”

“Wait, busy, you?” Chang questioned his father as he took another step forward. “Weren’t you the one who said that they would likely destroy themselves?”

Juzo sat upright upon his throne with a regretful frown on his face. “Once the royal guard brought Sun Gao back to the palace and arrested her fellow gangsters, it was then and only then that I realized the extent of the damage they had caused.”

Axel was next to speak. “Whatcha talkin’ ‘bout, Lord Kong? Didya’ll actually manage’ta bust that operation goin’ on down yonder?”

“...With a bit of help from a certain purple primate,” Juzo replied, “Yes.”

Upon hearing that, Chang’s fur stood up on end.

Kora then asked, “Okay, but do you mind if I ask what specifically prompted you to summon us down here this morning?”

“To show you what we found down there.” Juzo snapped his fingers.

It took a few seconds, but soon enough, the group would watch as a monkey soldier would roll a wheeled table into the throne room. Sitting upon that table were about a dozen dismantled rifles and shotguns with specially modified bullets and buckshot cartridges nearby. The key thing to note about them was the fact that, like the weapon Kai used and the weapon Vido had acquired, these weapons all had some kind of diamond or gemstone plating with a mantis engraved onto one side.

“Oh my…” Kora muttered as she looked at the tray of weapons.

“...How many of them things did ya’ll find?” Axel asked.

Juzo answered with a yawn. “Awhhh...about a hundred or so. I had the soldiers raid the entire location through the late hours of the night until the early hours of the morning. As you can see, it was very successful.”

“What about the captive ponies?” Vido asked, “Did you manage to rescue them?”

“We did,” said the emperor, “As of right now, about fifty ponies are in shelters as they prepare to leave for their home nation. I need to address the Empress of Neighjing so that she’ll be aware of what’s going to happen to her people.”

Chang would then call to attention a detail uttered moments ago. “...Father. This ‘purple’ one. Where is she now?”

“Oh, she should be around…” Juzo looked at the soldier that had wheeled in the evidence, “Qù bāng wǒ zhǎo tā ba.”

The soldier nodded, and pulled the table out of the room.

About five minutes later, the same monkey woman that Chang had bested the night before would appear in front of them, entering through the same hallway--fully clothed of course. “...Prince Chang. You’re here….”

Chang stepped up to her, and asked, “...I...you were willing to help us save those ponies and confiscate those illegal weapons? Why?”

Rufang put both of her arms behind her back. “...Because you showed kindness to me. Giving me a chance after I was tossed away. For that, I am eternally grateful, and decided to repay the kindness of my own accord by dismantling that club…” She looked down at the floor, shyly kicking her foot. “Seeing those ponies and their horrified expressions, realizing that I had been essentially part of a slave-laboring operation...I instantly regretted my entire life up to that point and wanted to make amends.”

“...I see,” said the prince, “If you ask me, you have already more than repented for your--”

That wasn’t enough in Ru’s eyes. She got down on one of her knees, and kneeled as a way to showcase her devotion to him. “No. I shall do whatever you want me to. Please punish me as necessary. I am a disgrace to Wukong’s citizenship.”

“...Do not say such things, Rufang,” Chang ordered, “Rise. You are a smart young woman who clearly values the lives of others.”

Relieved, Ru would adhere to the order and stand upright. “...You think so?”

“I do. In fact, you have shown me that you have a lot of honor within you,” Chang turned to look at his father. “As such--father, I have a request.”

Upon hearing his son call for him, Juzo snapped awake once more. “H-huh? Yes, my son?”

“...I was partially wrong,” Chang stated, “You have proven to me that you can be a good ruler when the situation calls for it. However, you still have a ways to go.”

“...I can’t argue there,” Juzo replied sleepily, “This is the hardest I’ve worked in the last year or so. I suppose that I have been lacking and need to improve our security to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

That’s when Axel chimed in. “Hold up now. What about them corrupt lawmen that was helpin’ find folks fer that damn messy little fightin’ ring. And the big ape--is he dead?”

Rufang would respond first. “...I cooperated with the royal army and told them everything.”

“That she did,” Juzo added, “All of the policemen who were involved are now imprisoned alongside Sun and her associates--including those that tried to perform an unlawful execution on the on known as Zing. He is fine and is currently in witness protection as we assess his record. The rest are currently waiting to stand trial as well. Don’t you worry, sir. They won’t be enslaving anymore ponies. I can promise you that.”

Which meant that the abyssinians who stole his family from him had officially lost one of their contacts and no longer had a source of slaves to draw from. Ultimately, he was one step closer to getting the retribution he desired.

“Alrighty,” said the gunslinger with a tip of his hat, “The rest is on you, Mr. Emperor. I got business elsewhere.”

“Just one thing,” Chang interrupted, as he looked at his father, “I believe that you have made a great start towards rectifying your mistakes. However, I would like to make a request.”

“What is it, my son?” Juzo asked.

The prince looked at Rufang. “I want you to take Ru as your Royal Advisor. She knows more about the horrors of the underworld more than anyone. So she can assist with keeping things in order.”

“W-wait...m-me?!” the purple primate shrieked, “Are you sure?”

“Why not?” Chang folded his arms. “As I said, you have proven yourself to be a valued individual with keen insight on the criminal activity that our citizens don’t normally pay attention to. Including the corrupt officers who assisted in such activity. All of Wukong would benefit from your knowledge--should you choose to accept this offer that is.”

Ru put her hands together and nodded. “Yes-yes! I would love to help the citizens. The life of a performer is behind me now that my eyes have been opened.” She looked in the Emperor’s direction. “Is that fine with you, my lord?”

“If it’s fine with my son, then it’s fine with me,” Juzo replied with a nod. “However, there’s one more thing I would like to ask: Chang. What about your future place as heir? Do you intend to stay or…?”

The prince thought about it for a second, and shook his head. “I shall only return if you or mother have passed. Which shouldn’t happen for a long time. Speaking of which, where is mother, anyway?”

“She is currently in a meeting with various citizens to discuss the events that have occurred,” Juzo replied with a wry grin, “I figured Su could use some more time engaging with those she governs.”

This got a chuckle out of Chang. The fact that his father finally had some backbone to show meant that he was comfortable leaving the care of the empire in his hands. Well, him and Ru’s of course.

“That is very good,” Chang replied as he walked back over to his group, “But for now, I’m more than happy with my wonderful extended family.”

Vido tilted his head. “...Is he talking about us?”

“Of course I am!” Chang put both of his arms around Axel and Vido while using his tail to pull Kora in for a hug. “You all are my dearest friends that I would go to the ends of the earth for. I can’t leave until I at least see you all achieve your objective.”

“Aw…” Kora sniffled, “...Thank you very much, Lord Chang. Your words are very encouraging.”

“Ay, she’s right,” Vido added, “This has been one hell of an experience!”

Axel’s response was delayed, as he wasn’t sure how to respond at first. But soon enough, he had to concede. “...I won’t lie, I don’t mind travellin’ with ya.” But in the back of his mind…

“...Do I really wanna stay with ‘em?”