Advent Of A Gunslinger

Mio looked at Spitha. The tom wanted her to be the one to make a decision on how to handle it. Rongu was ultimately her ex, and he wanted her to have the final say in how it would work.

The dragon woman could feel Mio’s expectant gaze, and pretty much knew what he was thinking. “He wants me to be in charge.” And so, she decided to respond first. “I want to go in, stop his entire operation, and give him a piece of my mind.”

“Slavery is an act worthy of execution--should he be found guilty,” Mau replied after swallowing another bite, “So it sounds that you’re willing to go in and make the capture, hm?”

“I am,” Spitha replied with a confident nod.

“So am I,” Mio spoke up next, “I want Klugetown to be fully incorporated into Abyssinia’s rule again. I know it’s going to take a while, but I know that I can rally its citizens with the proper motivation.”

“Slow your roll, youngster,” the queen urged him, “No use worrying about the future if we can’t bypass the wall we have here in the present. But it sounds as if you two really have a plan in mind…”

Mio leaned forward, “So will you support us?”

“Given that your intentions are focused around the safety of those at large, and not petty revenge…” Mau replied with a nod, “I’m willing to offer you as much support as you need. Hun?” he turned to his wife.

Bombay was busy eating through two pancakes at once. “Hmf?” she swallowed the mouthful she had, and gave her approval. “Yes. In fact, I believe I have something that can help you both. Do you remember the sheriff she-cat that helped you?”

“Oh yes--though we didn’t catch her name…” Spitha said as she recalled the young woman to mind, “Why?”

“She’s part of a group of individuals that work under me,” the queen continued with a smug, cat-grin on her face as she reclined in her seat, “I call them the Yewushas. They’re...nightwatch customs agents to put it simply. They act stealthily around the kingdom to keep everything safe.” She turned to her husband and shot him a teasing grin while sticking out her tongue. “I told you they would prove necessary, didn’t I?”

Mau gave a small chuckle and shook his head. “Ah...yes. Yes you did. I suppose I’ll be eating my words on that subject matter.”

“Oh no,” she purred into his ear while walking two of her finger up the side of his arm to his shoulder, “You’re going to be eating something else entirely--...” When she realized that she was still speaking in the presence of guests, she quickly ceased her actions. “Er...that is to say--anyway--”

Mio had to do his best to stifle his laughter by covering his mouth with his hand due to having food in his throat. “...Hm!”

Spitha tapped the side of his head with her tail as a subtle nudge to calm down.

Mau gave an amused purr in response. “Rrrrr--never change. Anyhow,” he addressed the dragon and tom, “You’ll have the support of my wife’s agents. They will be the ones helping you capture Rongu. It’s preferable that you take him alive so that he can stand trial and so that we can gain information from him.” His eyes turned cold as he stared at the dragon woman. “Can you promise me that you’ll put logic before emotion and bring him down without killing him?”

“...” Spitha looked away for a moment, and responded with uncertainty. “...I can’t promise anything.” She then made eye contact with the king again, “However, I can assure you that I’ll do my absolute best to make sure he lives to endure the consequences of his actions.”

“Alright. That’s about all I can ask of you. What about you, young man?” Mau glanced at Mio next, “What say you?”

“He’ll suffer for what he’s done and we’ll make sure those ponies are freed,” Mio assured him with a strong response, “I can promise you that.”

“Good. With that settled, follow BB once you’re finished eating. She’ll discuss the rest of the details regarding her Yewusha group and how they’ll provide you with assistance.”

With that in mind, Mio and Spitha finished their meals and offered their thanks to the generous king. After that, they left that side of the building, and went to the western wing where Bombay’s office was located.

Once there, they could see the queen--now dressed in her formal attire--speaking with a familiar sheriff she-cat.

“Ah, they’re here,” Bombay remarked as the tom and dragon entered the room. It was similar in size to Mau’s, albeit more box-shaped than circular with purple carpeting and several bookshelves surrounding the desk. “Perfect timing you two. I was just speaking to one of the Yewusha agents that are going to help you on this mission. You’ve already met Tabs, haven’t you?”

The she-cat turned to them and waved with a gentle smile on her face. “H-hi! I was the one that brought you here...remember me? My name is Tabitha--but Tabby or Tabs works just fine too.”

“Ohhhh...so that’s who you are,” Spitha remarked in a state of realization, “My apologies. I thought you were an invader who was after us.”

“What? No!” Tabs replied with a tip of her hat, “I’m a rootin’-tootin’ tried and true customs agent!”

Mio nodded, giving his approval of the situation. “If you’re that good at simply sneaking in, then I can’t imagine how great you’ll be at everything else.”

“Now that introductions are out of the way…” the queen walked around to the front of her desk, “Mio. I would like you to explain to me everything that you know regarding what that dragon is doing in the territory of Klugetown. We have heard rumors that abyssinians are involved and working with them, but we’re not certain…”

“Ah...yes…” the tom replied with a somber tone, “As much as I hate it, it’s true. There are loads of abyssinians working there as nurses--castrating ponies and turning them into obedient work-horses.” He adjusted his glasses. “They also...harvest the wings and horns of the pegasus and unicorn ones. It’s a complete hoosegow over there and as you might expect, nobody is able to do anything about it.”

“I see…” Bombay sighed as she leaned against her desk, “Sickening. If only we had the resources to mount a full-scale invasion…” She shook her head, “But that’s neither here nor there. For now, we’ll need to be as stealthy as possible. But first, you need to meet the other Yewushas that will assist you.”

Mio raised a concerned brow. “Wait, there’s more? I hope our group size won’t be too terribly large if we’re to handle this discreetly…”

“Oh no, don’t worry,” she replied casually, “Two others will be joining you and Tabs on this mission. Is that okay with you?” she looked at the dragon while asking the question.

Spitha responded amicably. “That’s perfectly fine. The more help we have, the better. Who shall be joining us?”

BB clapped her hands. “Enter, girls.”

Two more of her agents would enter the room from a door located behind the queen’s desk.

The first, a bobcat woman who was also wearing a catsuit similar to Tabs with a holster tied to a belt that contained a single revolver--and of course a traditional cowboy hat. “Howdy. The name’s Baretta. I’ll follow your orders out there.”

The Loner

And next was an unexpected, yet familiar face.

A white-furred she-cat with a familiar, plump body wearing a simple brown vest with jean shorts and carrying a first-aid kit. “...I’m Leona. But you two already know that, right?”

Mio was relieved to see her, but his fur was standing up as he flicked his tail. “...Leona? You’re going to be joining us? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“You need a medic out there,” she said while gesturing her free hand towards the kit. “And...I told you that I’d do all I could to help you. Klugetown is a part of our home and our home needs to be rebuilt. If I can contribute to that in any way, then I’ll work until we can manage it.”

Spitha was also elated to see the nurse she-cat. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Everything will be smoother with you around, I’m sure.”

“Agreed,” Mio added, “I’m happy that you’re willing to help us. But what about Mona? Is she going to be fine with you leaving?”

“I already talked to her about it,” she explained, “Mona approves and is willing to help us out if we ever run into trouble. You have my word.”

“Good…thank you,” said the tom.

The queen would then gather everyone’s attention as she pulled out some files about Klugetown from her desk drawer. “Alright, everyone. Listen up and listen well. This is what you’ll be dealing with…”