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Chapter 11: Kokuyōseki Rokku[]
Sarabanto, sometime during the night.
Mayor Griffin finds Clancy wandering down the main street towards the port, and calls out to him. The engineer pauses, and then turns around with a small smile, resting on his cane.
Clancy: Griffin. This is an unexpected pleasure.
Griffin: I learned what I needed to know, Clancy. I know the threat to this town.
Clancy: Surely there is little to be known about it? Pirates are pirates, after all. If you grant me permission to take proper defensive measures, I should be able to deal with them effectively.
Griffin: Spare me the pretence. What are you really after?
Clancy: I'm sorry?
Griffin: You made demands you knew we couldn’t meet, and then pretended to defend us from your own attacks. Why? What is it that you would destroy this whole town to find?
Clancy half smiles, and then shrugs.
Clancy: You tell me. What would an engineer desire above all else?
Griffin: I suppose it doesn't matter. Leave the town, Clancy. And take your mercenaries with you.
Clancy: Or?
Griffin: What?
Clancy: This town is still threatened. You need my protection.
Griffin: I said spare me the pretence. Rokku is the only true protector we have, and he would be enough-
He trails off as Clancy wordlessly pulls a mask with a pointed nose out of his pocket and holds it up for inspection. Griffin stares at it, and says nothing
Clancy: Such a shame. We never caught the ones responsible. No doubt the pirates will be holding him hostage.
Griffin: You did this. You're behind it all.
Calncy tilts his head and puts the mask away. He smiles with some amusement, but the expression lacks warmth, instead showing a hard edge of calculating confidence.
Clancy: Then you really have problems, don't you? After all, that would mean that up until now the only thing really keeping you and your town safe is a vigilante who is now defeated. I’d say you’re rather defenceless without me. You understand your position, don’t you?
Clancy takes a step closer to Griffin and stares hard at him
Clancy: If I am the villain here, I'd have no more reason to hold back if you stood in my way. Not when I could just take my objective by force. Nothing is stopping me. Nothing at all.
Griffin: Damn you..
He steps back from the mayor and turns away
Clancy: Of course, if you don’t make any wild accusations I could just as easily continue as things are. With the loss of Rokku the threat to the town is greater, but I am certain with some adjustments to my plan I could ensure the safety of all of the townspeople at least. After all, nobody gains anything from pointless bloodshed.
Clancy walks off down the street without looking back. Griffin glares after him with his fists clenched, but says nothing.
Clancy: Consider what your priorities are, mr mayor. I’m sure we can reach an agreement.
The next morning
Clancy had somehow managed to get word out that he had an important announcement, and many townspeople have gathered in front of the town hall in order to hear what he has to say. Clancy himself is standing on a box at the front, facing his gathering audience, flanked by four of his defenders. A handful of people, such as Robin and Corvus, are missing, and The Obsidian pirates and the few other visitors to the island are entirely absent, but there are enough people present that the message will be heard by the whole town soon enough. Clancy pauses while people gather, and then begins to speak in a loud and clear voice.
Clancy: I will not waste time avoiding the truth. Disaster has occurred, and the threat to this town is now far greater than it was. At some time during the previous evening, the vigilante Rokku was defeated by the pirates, and apparently captured.
He takes out the mask and holds it up. Gasps and murmurs sweep through the crowd and everyone shifts uncertainly. Clancy continues speaking for a while, but eventually falls silent and allows them to discuss among themselves.
Unbeknownst to the islanders, Mayor Griffin watches from the shadows of an alleyway, staying out of sight of the public, trembling with frustration and anger. And unbeknownst to everyone, even him, Kat is watching from a sloped roof overlooking the street. By keeping low down at the crest of the roof, Kat can see everything that is going on while remaining out of view herself.
Kat: He’s lying, of course. He must be the one who did it.
Caspian: And we know that! So why is he getting away with it?
The doctor, newly turned pirate, is next to Kat, also ducked down on all fours to get the same view.
Caspian: I mean, Griff is respected, right? If he called Clancy out-
Kat: Clancy still has his mercenaries and could attack any time. Griffin wants to say something, but he can’t without putting his citizens at risk. They haven’t even found out he’s safe yet.
Dimitri: Seems to be quite simple, to me.
They both turn to the captain, who is sitting up on the sheltered side of the roof, leaning on the chimney. He has rolled up his sleeve, flipped his right hand open to reveal the internal weaponry, and pulled out a sliding compartment near his elbow to check through the ammunition. Kat, who hadn’t known about his weaponry at all, stares at his arm, surprised and slightly unsettled.
Dimitri: Clancy is only a threat because of his defenders. So if I just beat them all up, that solves everything, right?
Finishing his check of the various bullets and explosive shells, he slides the chamber shut again, flips his hand back into place with a flick of his arm, and clenches his fist several times as he speaks. Kat is clearly curious about the weapon, but doesn’t ask.
Kat: He has Corvus as well... He keeps saying captured, right? If we just charge in and attack then he might…
She trails off without finishing. Caspian turns to her. His expression softens slightly, then becomes thoughtful, before becoming somewhat excited and hopeful. He looks back at the captain
Caspian: You could really handle the entire of Clancy’s force if he attacks?
The reply comes not from Dimitri, but from the window beneath, which Byrn is now leaning out of
Byrn: Just one person would be a stretch, but with all of us here?
His eyes narrow slightly, and though his face is covered Caspian finds he can imagine a terrifying smile under his scarf.
Byrn: It’ll be easy.
Caspian’s expression becomes determined and focussed.
Caspian: Then all we have to do is get to Corvus before they really know what’s happening. I have a plan. Just be ready when the fighting starts.
Byrn: Oh don’t worry about us being ready for the fight. We’ll be the ones starting it.
Not long later
Clancy has managed to calm the crowd down enough to continue talking, though they are still muttering among themselves
Clancy: As you are no doubt aware, the loss of Rokku makes it much harder to hold off the pirates. He has been a huge obstacle to the attackers until now. It may be necessary to reconsider how best to protect the people of this town, and ensure they remain unharmed in the coming events. I for one-
Somebody small pushes to the front of the crowd with the help of two similarly sized friends
Finch: Exccuuuuuuse me Mr Quincy!
Clancy: *flinches* Clancy. It’s Clancy. Do you have a question?'
Finch: Sorta! See, I heard from a friend of mine just now, that you’re the one behind the pirate attacks!
The people nearest to the front groan at what appears to be a clearly false rumour, and Clancy, despite being momentarily off balance, also smiles with amusement
Clancy: What? Who told you that?
Robin: I did.
The boy is standing near the back of the group, alongside Kat, but his voice carries clearly. More people are listening now, and there’s less amusement. Robin is well known as Dr Albert’s assistant, and that gives them pause for thought. Clancy briefly sees the mayor looking confused and alarmed in his hiding place behind the crowd, and realizes with some confusion he isn’t involved in the sudden rumour at all.
Clancy: Well, I suppose I should assure you all-
???: Kyyyyyeeeeee!!!! I’m right here! Arrrrrhahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
Everyone turns and looks up at the sudden shout. Somebody is almost dancing on the rooftops above them. Not all of the townspeople had seen the black cloaked figure in the long nosed mask before, and none of them had in the light of day, but all of them immediately recognise Rokku.
Rokku: Did you think you'd caught me so easily, Clancy?! I’m the invincible warrior! And I will protect this island from your treachery!
Clancy falls silent mid sentence, then opens his mouth again to speak, and then shuts it as words fail to materialise. The crowd is starting to rumble again. He glances around, noting everyone present and judging their reactions.
Magpie: Wait. Clancy is the one who tried to capture Rokku?
Cathcart: He really is behind the pirate attacks. Why else would he want to do that?
Clancy sighs and snaps his fingers, and his mercenaries immediately gather into a formation and step forwards. The crowd suddenly finds themselves facing a dense group of armed men. At Clancy’s signal, one of the captains rummages through his pockets, but comes back empty handed
Captain: It’s no good sir! Our Den Den Mushi are gone!
Clancy: Then go and fetch the reinforcements on foot! He’s trying to sabotage us!
At his signal, two of the mercenaries rush off down the street, and Rokku turns to follow them by rooftop, leaping across a street as he does.
The remaining handful of mercenaries push towards the civilians, who start to back off nervously.
Marley: Alright, we’re up. Everybody stand back!
The warning is immediately accompanied by a high pitched whistle as something streaks out of an alleyway and explodes, knocking several of them flying. The others turn as Byrn and Marley rush out of the alleyway, weapons at the ready. Marley immediately leaps forward to scatter them with a swing of his mindsword, as well as putting himself firmly in front of the retreating crowd of townspeople.
Byrn: Keep everyone who isn’t fighting back towards the town centre! We’ll handle the attackers!
Griffin: Do what they say! These men are helping us against the true threat!
Amid the sudden confusion, Clancy lifts his cane up onto his shoulder and walks off briskly down a side street towards the port. Nobody challenges him.
When the mercenaries try to rally, overcoming their shock at the dreadlocked swordsman and his ghostly looking blade, Byrn catches several more off guard with an equally translucent explosive blast from his gauntlet. In turn, Marley uses the opening this creates to attack again, keeping the mercenaries on the defensive. Between the two of them, they make short work of the vanguard.
By this time, the gathering has been well and truly dispersed. Sarabanto’s residents are still milling around nervously, but have backed off to give the fighters room. Some of them, including Kat, Robin, and Alberts, are no longer present. The remainder simply look on nervously.
Marley: I expected it to be tougher than this.
Right on cue, there is a shout from down the street, where the next wave of mercenaries is already coming into view. Some of them are wearing ragged jumbled outfits that make them look vaguely like pirates, some are wearing uniform and are obviously Clancy’s mercenaries. All of them are brandishing weapons and are clearly working together. At the front, an obvious leader brandishes a pair of swords.
Byrn: you probably shouldn’t have said that
Marley: Eh, we can take these guys as well.
Byrn: Don’t get careless! More will be on the way!
Both pirates ready their weapons as the next wave advances
Marley: Got it.
Elsewhere
On a nearby rooftop Kat follows the two guards that Clancy had sent running. They had already passed several groups of mercenaries and sent them to join the attack, but Kat had ignored that, trusting the fighters to handle them. The guards pause at a junction below, and Kat does the same above, creeping behind a chimney to stay out of sight. The cloaked and masked figure of Rokku drops down next to her.
Rokku: They don’t see us?
Kat: We’ve been out of view for a while. Rokku’s laugh is different, by the way. You got it wrong.
Caspian briefly takes the mask off.
Caspian: You were the one who asked me to do that part.
Kat: shhh.
Caspian falls silent and puts the mask back on as the mercenaries turn to each other. One, carrying a gun, starts to talk
Gunman: I thought we’d dealt with that guy, Jikio.
The other, carrying a sword slung across his back, lights a cigarette before replying
Jikio: Seems not, Kohan. But we have our orders. The first and second wave fighters are already on their way. I’ll go and wake up the reserve group. You go check on the warehouse and see what happened to let him loose.
Kohan: Yeah, I got it. Those guards must have been drunk or asleep.
They split up, the swordsman, Jikio heading for the port, and the gunman running into town
Kat: It worked. He’ll lead us straight to Corvus!
In the Backstreets
By this time other parts of the second wave, some disguised as pirates, others clearly nothing of the sort, are on the attack elsewhere. They rush in large groups through the streets, chasing back the townspeople, and sowing chaos on the orders of their superiors. In the main street near the town centre, Marley and Byrn prepare to meet any that come their way. Even they might have had trouble fighting all of them, but fortunately, there is plenty to contend with in the attacker’s path already, and most never get that far.
Robin had managed to sneak away and take control of his Rokku puppets, and harasses many of the mercenaries with barrages of arrows. Those that manage to take shelter in the narrower alleyways find their advance halted by extremely dense forests of thorns blocking many of the routes through town. The less fortunate ones find such oddities as exploding pine cones, incendiary berries and gigantic leaves that function more like catapults. One group even tried to burn their way through the hedges, only for an unexpected explosion to trigger an avalanche of giant tumbleweeds. Several of them manage to evade the worst of it by clinging to the brass piping in the alley, only to find another large hedge behind the first one
Mercenary: Where did all this stuff come from?!
There is a distant shout above them as somebody rushes across the rooftops
Livingstone: Wooooohahaa! Piraaacy!
Something crashes into the wall next to one of the mercenaries and immediately explodes into pieces. And then several more somethings appear with a thud in the wall next to the other mercenaries. The Leader looks at them. They look like very thick straight twigs from some unusual tree. It’s only when one of them thuds into the wall next to him that he recognises the feathery leaves at one end as fletching.
Mercenary: Arrows? That size?
He looks up. Livingstone looks down on them, and levels his tree branch, now fully carved and strung into a large longbow. The Mercenary stares with some bemusement at the bizarre figure.
Livingstone: You might want to retreat!
The mercenary almost starts to laugh at the threat, then stops as it occurs to him that, bizzare as the bowman appears, he does have very long limbs, and for the bow to be proportional to him it itself must be very long and broad. Which in turn means a lot of firing power. And he had just shot with very good aim. His gaze slides to the arrow next to him, which he suddenly realizes has literally lodged in a brick wall from the impact. It’s still quivering slightly. He looks back up to Livingstone, who has already notched another arrow.
Mercenary: Ohhhhh dear.
elsehwere, a slightly more successful part of the second wave is rushing towards the town centre by a different more open route, townspeople fleeing ahead of them. Their leader, a spear wielding mercenary in a pirate costume, keeps glancing at the rooftops frantically as he does
Spearman: Don’t let your guard down! He could come after us at any second. You know how fast Rokku is!
While his caution was not unjustified, he was worried about the wrong thing. Rokku does not appear on the rooftops in any capacity. Instead, just as they get close to their goal they hear a loud bang, like a large gun going off, and look up to find an entirely different dark figure arcing through the air towards them.
Spearman: Wait. What is that?!
Dimitri: Blast punch!
There is a second loud explosion, and the captain suddenly plunges down out of the sky, right fist first, smashing into the ground in the middle of the group with such force that mercenaries are blown in all directions by the impact, cobbles shattering with a crack. Several regain their balance, but as they do Dimitri also straightens up and backhands one away before they can even attack. He raises his right arm to deflect a sword stroke, and kicks away the wielder, and then turns to aim his left fist at a fighter further away who is trying to aim a pistol
Dimitri: Spring gun!
His fist, propelled by a suddenly uncoiling spring, catches the would-be gunslinger in the chest and knocks them straight through a glass shopfront. Another sword wielder uses the distraction in order to get inside Dimitri’s arms to slash at his chest, but is surprised to discover a large number of holes opening up in it of their own accord as the pirate turns his attention to his assailant
Dimitri: Aaannd… Counter barrage!
The swordsman flips head over heels, an expression of shock on his face, as a barrage of boxing gloves erupt out of the holes in the pirate’s chest, pummelling him with considerable force. More fighters step around him as he crashes to the ground and rush towards the captain, who opens his arm cannon up with a quick flip of his wrist.
Dimitri: Who’s next? Keep them coming!
Meanwhile, two streets away
Jessica pauses in the shadow of an alley entrance, hearing a few of the mercenaries running towards her position.
Jessica: Let’s see.. element of surprise, and then what?
She rummages in her pockets. Kat had offered her a spare crossbow, but with a lower rate of fire it seems less useful in this situation. Instead, she pulls out a flash bomb and a smoke bomb that Byrn had given her. As the mercenaries get closer she suddenly throws both out into the open, and then charges out as soon as they go off, using the smoke as cover. She turns all her fingers into gilded claws, and tries to make her animated hair fold into snake heads. She isn’t quite happy with the result, but by this time two hammer wielding mercenaries are in view, so she just screams at them and rushes forwards, brandishing her claws.
Jessica: Flee mortals!
Both mercenaries stop dead for a second. Jessica questions the wisdom of trying to scare professional mercenaries, but there is no time to hesitate. And then the mercenaries drop their weapons and turn tail.
Fighter: Gorgon!
Henchman: Her eyes! I nearly saw her eyes!
Fighter: Don’t look back!
Jessica hesitates, not expecting that result, and then shrugs
Jessica: Well, works for me.
Jikio: Hey.
The smoke clears fully, revealing one last mercenary. He has a nearly used up cigarette in his mouth, and has a sword slung across his back.
Jikio: Guess the guys I’m working with are idiots, huh? Not sure what weird power you’re using, but that sure as hell ain’t a gorgon. I ain’t stoned. And whatever it is you do have, I’m Clancy’s strongest fighter! You’re no match for me!
He spits out his burnt out cigarette and approaches. He ignores his sword in favour of picking up one of the abandoned hammers, and Jessica hurriedly grabs the other one with her hair and pulls it back to her.
Jessica: We’ll see!
Formerly abandoned warehouse, edge of town.
The warehouse had been implemented by Clancy’s men as a store space for weapons and troops they wanted to keep away from the port. There weren’t that many of either left in the warehouse, however. Instead there are stacks of empty crates, a pulley and hoist system with even more barrels and boxes suspended from it, a disgruntled swordsman in a cage, his swords, and a pair of equally disgruntled guards who are staying well away from the cage after several near injuries. The gunman who had accompanied Jiko earlier comes rushing in.
Kohan: What have you two idiots been doing?!
Guard: Huh?
Kohan: Boss told you to keep an eye on that guy and not let him out. So how is it that he’s now messing us around again in broad daylight-
He suddenly notices Corvus in the cage on the far side of the warehouse.
Corvus: Having trouble?
Guard: He’s not been going anywhere. Are you drunk again, Kohan?
The gunman blinks and starts angrily
Kohan: Now what are you trying to say? You know that I never-
Second Guard: Wait!
The shout was unnecessary, as both of them suddenly fall silent anyway as realization strikes.
Kohan: He’s not out?
Guard: Nope.
Kohan: Then who-
Kat: Hello?
They both turn around. The girl, slouching slightly, is standing in the doorway of the warehouse, trying not to look at them directly.
Kat: There’s fighting everywhere, I’m sacred, and I don’t know where to go. Are you the defenders?
Corvus: Katrina!
The three mercenaries hesitate, then take a step forwards towards her.
Kohan: Girl, you should just run along now.
Kat: Can you help me? Wait.. why do you have a man in a cage?
There is a slightly awkward pause, in which the mercenaries are clearly torn between needing to be threatening, and not wanting to threaten a young girl. Unseen by them, Caspian, still disguised as Rokku, slips into the warehouse and hides in the shadows of one of the crates. He looks at the cage, where Corvus is watching the events in the entranceway unfold, and then at the three guards with the keys, and then at the pair of swords leaning against a crate on the other side of the room. There’s no obvious way to get across to any of his objectives without being seen
Caspian: Well. I got this far. Time to improvise.
He crouches in the shadow of a crate larger than he is, and gives it an experimental shove. It rocks slightly. Caspian flexes his fingers
Caspian: Alright, let's do this.
His hand starts to glow slightly, and small yellow sparks begin to rise off it.
The guards had been trying to shoo away Kat relatively peacefully, but are finally losing patience with her. Kohan is practically at the point of levelling his rifle at her.
Kohan: Just scram kid!! Before there’s trouble!
At this point they realize that the girl doesn’t actually look that scared. In fact, she’s starting to smile at them.'
Kat: Too late.
Caspian-as-Rokku: Hey!
The three guards all spin at once to see the apparent vigilante standing behind them. And next to him a huge, clearly unsteady, stack of oddly luminous yellow crates.
Kohan: What?
Guard: What?!
Rokku: Arrrrhahaaaaaaaa!! Catch!
He shoves the bottom, normal crate, and the entire stack starts to lean over. All three of them look up in horror as its shadow falls on them, and then the crates themselves also fall with a deafening crash as they smash to pieces. Kohan dives to one side, but the two guards are buried under the debries and knocked unconscious.
After a few seconds, Kohan realizes he is relatively unharmed, and climbs back to his feet, snatching up his rifle from the floor.
Kohan: Never seen that trick before. But it wasn’t enough. Now let’s see you dodge a bullet without any rooftops to hide on.
He turns to face his masked opponent, who is caught in the open without any cover to dive behind. He raises one hand, holding a marble, and the yellow sparks flicker across it again.
Rokku: Sculpt!
Kohan cocks his rifle. In the same instant a large orb, identical to the marble, only bigger and coloured yellow, appears in Caspian’s hand and he hurls it overarm at the gunman. It hits the gun just as Kohan is lowering it to point, and it jerks back, discharging harmlessly into the ceiling
Kohan: Damn it.
He starts to reload again, before a sudden creaking and rattling indicates that the last shot might not have been so harmless after all. He looks up.
Kohan: Oh.
And then the sling of suspended barrels, cut loose from the ceiling pulley by the bullet, comes crashing down on him, and he is also left unconscious. Kat stares in shocked silence as the large copied marble roles back to Caspian’s feet, and he picks it up, equally shocked.
Caspian: I planned that.
Kat: You ate one of the fruit?
Caspian: A long time ago. Was saving it for the right moment.
The yellow copied crates flicker for a second and then disappear. Kat picks up a key from the unconscious guard, and then rushes towards the cage, where Corvus is still watching in surprise. As soon as the door his open, he climbs out, only for Kat to hug him, looking somewhat relieved.
Corvus: Katrina. What’s happening to this town?
Kat: Clancy’s stopped pretending. Everything’s gone crazy, and the real pirates are fighting the fake ones. And they're winning.
Corvus blinks in surprise
Corvus: The pirates are helping us?
Kat: I told you they might not be so bad.
Caspian has already turned to leave as Corvus straightens up and retrieves his swords
Corvus: Hey, wait a minute. Kat clearly trusts you if she gave you that mask, and I gotta admit you really helped us out... But who are you?
Caspian: Me?
He pauses in the doorway for a second, letting the cloak billow dramatically, and raises the mask with a grin.
Caspian: the names Caspian. And I'm a pirate!
To be concluded