AKnackForContriving~

The Next Morning in the Dragon Kingdom

As the weasel retorted, Khan found himself growing more and more exasperated-

"Catch up to me?" Nack asked, a bit puzzled, before he smirked and snickered a bit. "Ha! D’ya really think they could catch me?" He asked, though his smirk faded and the snickering stopped. "An’ d’ya really think I give a rats ass if I kill a monarch? I already knew who ya were, kiddo.”

"The law always catches up with people like you in the end," the monkey growled. "No, I don’t expect you to care about my fate. Lawless selfish vagabonds like you never do! But you probably should care about the punishment you’ll get, huh?” Standing slowly, he gave ‘Jet’ another prod with the dormant end of his weapon. “It’ll fit the crime, right? You’d go away for a hell of a lot longer for murder than you would for just burglary, you fool! As for attacking a monarch - the courts’d probably see that as more than a murder… it’s an act of terrorism. Some nations execute you for that.” He spoke far more calmly than he felt, tone even, voice barely wavering as he struggled to keep the lid on his temper, but his hands were shaking. He ought to blast this thief’s brains out right here and now, and oh how he longed to! Restraint, Khan, show fairness and restraint. Make the princess proud.

"Fine, shitsack. Just keep that thing away from me an’ I’ll bugger off." He said finally, lowering his gun very slightly, but still keeping it raised in case Khan decided to go back on his word.

Staring his foe right in the eyes, Khan hesitated for one long moment - wrestling inwardly with himself, the desire to kill and wrench out his frustrations on this petty criminal who deserved more than a thorough beating, versus the desire to rule fair and just, as a good king should… he heaved a sigh, lowered the weapon.

"Go," he sighed. "Get out of here."

#kingofthefreepeople #end of thread

Nack remained fairly silent throughout Khan's whole speech, though he did snort a bit. He winced as he was prodded, backing up a bit.

“It’ll fit the crime, right? You’d go away for a hell of a lot longer for murder than you would for just burglary, you fool! As for attacking a monarch - the courts’d probably see that as more than a murder… it’s an act of terrorism. Some nations execute you for that.”

"Ya think I'd jus' let m'self be taken t'jail an' executed? Hell, even if ya did manage to bring me t'jail...I'd bust outta there quick. Nobody'd stop me. Ya say that as if it'd scare me int'not doin' this shit."

Oh, it'd scare the weasel if the threat was right in front of him-- it practically was at this very moment in time-- but unless he was being dragged down there right now, no hope of escape...He wouldn't show fear. At least he'd try not to.

But his point still stood. The king had said all of that as if Nack hadn't thought about it before. He was willing to take the risk. And honestly, he really didn't care unless he was actually caught.

"Go," he sighed. "Get out of here."

Nack's ears pricked. He paused for a long few moments before he slowly began to rise, wincing a bit.

He looked Khan in the eyes, and, without a word, he ran off in the opposite direction, inwardly cursing himself out for losing the precious artifacts.

The Next Morning in the Dragon Kingdom

Shrugging at the floored weasel and his gun, Khan rolled his eyes. “My skull is reinforced by titanium!” he informed ‘Jet’. “And so is most of the rest of me!” He threw up a hand in exasperation, voice raised in heightened aggravation. This fuzzy little bastard just didn’t know when to quit! Heaving a deep breath, Khan attempted to calm himself, exhaled slowly through his nostrils, and let out a frustrated sigh. He wanted so badly to give this disreputable excuse for a mobian a very good and thorough beating… but… well, the guy really was rather pathetic, and it would be neither worth his while, nor fair, to flog a petty thief who couldn’t defend himself.

Slowly, and keeping the atom bat trained on the criminal at all times, Khan walked forward, slowly, slowly, slowly and cautiously. He knelt down on the floor, about a metre from his foe, pointed the weapon at him. “Even if I’m bluffing,” he said quietly, dropping to a low, growling tone, “…and you want to try your luck with that gun, you’d be done in for murder whenever they catch up to you. And not just any murder. You’d be murdering a monarch.” Yes. Good. He was managing to retain his calm now, use logic and reason, talk his way through the situation, instead of tearing the criminal’s guts right out as he wanted to. Sally would be proud if only she could see him now.

"You’re just a pathetic little robber," Khan went on. "You really wanna add murder to your criminal record? Huh?” Turning the atom bat in his hands, he prodded the weasel in the stomach with the dormant end.

"I’m gonna take this stuff back now," he said, breathing heavily - shaking only slightly with a fury he barely contained, as he tried his utmost to keep the lid on his temper, "and then, you little shit, you’re gonna run as fast as you can back to wherever the hell you came from. I could throw you in the prison,” he added, “but we’ve limited space there. I’m saving it, for more serious criminals.” The word was heavily emphasized. The message was clear: this weasel was really not worth his time.

He was, however, giving ‘Jet’ a chance. But if the mustalid tried any other tricks, Khan wouldn’t hesitate again before locking him away. Petty thief or not, the king didn’t particularly need some criminal idiot getting in the way of his routine. He had more important things to worry about.

As Khan informed Nack of his titanium-re-enforced body, the weasel looked to Khan's wounds and then back up at the king.

"No shit!" He snorted. "I still thought that you were a normal Mobian. Silly fuckin' me."

As Khan walked towards Nack, the mammal tensed, tightening his grip on his gun. He grit his teeth, trying to keep his hand an arm from shaking due to the electricity. "Back off." He growled again, though his threat went unheeded. Nack's ears lowered slightly as the gun was aimed at him, and his eyes went slightly wide. Shit.

Yet, instead of charging up the weapon, the monkey just kept on talking.

“Even if I’m bluffing,” he said quietly, dropping to a low, growling tone, “…and you want to try your luck with that gun, you’d be done in for murder whenever they catch up to you. And not just any murder. You’d be murdering a monarch.”

"Catch up to me?" Nack asked, a bit puzzled, before he smirked and snickered a bit. "Ha! D'ya really think they could catch me?" He asked, though his smirk faded and the snickering stopped. "An' d'ya really think I give a rats ass if I kill a monarch? I already knew who ya were, kiddo." He was now uneasy with the atom bat being pointed at him, so he left his mocking to a minimum. He also kept his voice quieter than normal. This guy certainly wasn't a normal Mobian, and Nack took it that he'd better believe Khan's statement about being re-enforced with titanium. Nack didn't feel like being wrong today, especially with the threat of being electrocuted--this time around, probably to his death.

Nack winced as he was prodded and glared at the monkey king. He wanted to sneer and tell the king that he didn't know what he was talking about-- the weasel was far more than a mere thief-- but kept his mouth shut. Now that the weapon was even closer Nack wanted to risk things even less.

A Khan went on with how pathetic Nack was, he ground his teeth together somewhat, wanting to tell Khan off. He didn't know what he was blabbing about. But, his ears flicked up at the mention of being let go.

...He didn't enjoy the idea of letting all of those artifacts slip away, nor did he enjoy the idea of giving in.

But on the other hand, he suspected that Khan could just blast him to smithereens right here if he really wanted to. That and even if he didn't kill the weasel, Nack didn't entertain the idea of being locked away again.

The thief came to a quick decision and sucked in a breath.

"Fine, shitsack. Just keep that thing away from me an' I'll bugger off." He said finally, lowering his gun very slightly, but still keeping it raised in case Khan decided to go back on his word.

(Back from the convention.)

#OOC

(Important update: On Friday, Saturday and Sunday (of this week) I'm going to a convention, so I likely won't have much access to the internet. This is just a heads up in case I don't respond in those three days.)

#OOC

The Next Morning in the Dragon Kingdom

Khan was seething- he could hardly believe it. He’d shown friendliness and respect for this guy, offered to show him around Stormtop, and even helped him get fixed up for a bed for the night, and for what? Only to find that Jet had been planning this hiest all along. He’d been tricked, played for a fool, and that made the simian angry.

As soon as he scrambled to his feet, the damned weasel immediately began firing off more shots from that gun of his. Air filled with the deafening sounds of gunshot. One of the bullets caught the king on the wrist, before bouncing off and clattering to the floor, the other embedding itself in his belly. Of course, though it tore right through his flesh, it could not penetrate his metal organs - and yet, for a moment or so, it hurt like hell, causing the simian to stumble and hiss with pain.

"Augh!" Gripping the atom bat more tightly, Khan now swooped it in a wide arc through the air above him, and once the momentum had powered it, he aimed it at Jet. Without further hesitation then, Khan delivered a mild blast of electricity right at the weasel. Not enough to injure him badly, but enough, at least, to floor him. For a moment the room was filled with that blinding white light again as tendrils of live power twisted around the weapon’s end.

As soon as Nack fired off those several shots, he knew he likely wouldn't have much time before Khan recovered; with that in mind, he turned as soon as he finished shooting the monkey, continuing his run for the exit.

Then, it hit him. It became difficult to see now that the blinding light had returned. Yet that wasn't what he reacted to-- he instead let out a loud yelp of pain, stumbling a step or two before falling face-first onto the ground.

The weasel grimaced, ears flattened against his skull. His body twitched from the electricity, yet he reached for the bag that had fallen only a few inches ahead of him.

He had to get out of here. Who the hell knew what the king would do next with that freaky staff of his?

Though...A thought occurred to Nack, making him stop reaching for the bag of loot.

Instead, he, wincing in pain, gripped his gun, weakly turning over onto his back despite the pain and aiming the pistol directly at Khan. What he needed to do now was to get rid of Khan as soon as he could. He very well couldn't steal the items now that Khan, seemingly an unstoppable Mobian, thusfar, was so determined to get them back.

"One shot from this an' you'll be dead..." He breathed out, still in shock from the electricity, still waiting for it's effects to wear off. "Just one bullet through yer head. Back. Off."

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The Next Morning in the Dragon Kingdom

The weasel’s aim was indeed accurate. As shot after shot rang out, the sound of gunfire reverberating through the hallow air, Khan found himself pummelled by a stream of bullets in his legs and lower body. Letting out a surprised, strangled scream of pain, he was forced to abort the attack mid-leap, cluttering to the floor and immediately rolling to break his fall.

Ugh, that stung! Most of the bullets had bounced right off from his metal bones - a couple had embedded themselves in his flesh. He was bleeding from several wounds - though of course, not too badly. The cybernetics that laced through his veins had already begun to clot the blood, getting to work at healing the injuries the moment that his blood cells had touched the air.

No time to attend to that now. He had to stop the theif! Scrambling to his feet, Khan made a dash toward the weasel, reaching down to grab the atom bat and with a flick of his hand, power down the pulses that were flowing through it. This action had the effect of turning the weapon back into a normal staff - hard and heavy, but the threat of electric shock was gone. At least for the time being.

"I SAID PUT THAT DOWN!" the monkey roared, sweeping the weapon across the floor in a wide arc, beneath the weasel’s running feet. Hopefully, that would trip him up, and send the little bastard tumbling to the floor.

Nack's ears twitched to Khan's scream; Good, that meant that he'd stay down. With a small grin, Nack continued running. There was no way that monkey could catch him now, nobody could have gotten up with that many bullet wounds.

...Unfortunately, Nack was wrong, realizing this as the staff was knocked against his feet. Letting out a surprised yelp, Nack fell to the floor, tumbling a bit before he stopped. Some of the items he had taken now spilled out of the bag. The weasel cursed violently, scooping up a few of the items that were near him and putting them back in the bag, picking it up once more.

Damnit that had hurt! Nack hissed in pain as he got up-- his legs were almost shaking, given how hard the hit was due to how heavy and hard the staff itself was. It took effort to stand, but the weasel did it.

How the hell did Khan get up?!! Nack stared at the king, eyes narrowed. Just who the hell was this guy?? Or rather, what?

"In yer dreams, you fucking shit!" Nack growled back, raising his gun once more. This time, he fired off shots first directed at the hand that Khan was holding the staff in-- maybe if he hit his hand, he wouldn't be able to pick the damn thing up anymore-- and then, he aimed for the stomach. The bastard wasn't completely organic, that the weasel as sure of. He saw the small bits of blood, but there was no way that he could have stood after all those bullets were fired at him.

At least, not if he was fully organic. Nack couldn't think of what else the monkey could be, at least, not at the moment.

The Next Morning in the Dragon Kingdom

Khan dropped the atom bat as the bullet hit it - not because of the force of the blow, but because of the burst of electricity that ran through the weapon upon impact. A metal projectile, travelling at high speed, was enough to knock the flow of electromagnetic pulses right out of whack, sending a jolt through Khan and knocking him, stumbling, off balance. As it clattered to the ground, a tendril of lightning flickered dangerously over the weapon, and for a moment it lay there, wriggling on the floor in its smothering of uncontrolled electrical charges.

He should have counted himself lucky not to have gotten a stronger shock, but the shock itself was enough to drive the simian wild with fury. Forgetting the atom bat - it would need a few moments to cool off anyway - he launched himself at the weasel, leaping at him with hands extended and fingers stretched in readiness to grab him by the throat.

Nack watched in slight astonishment at how the atom bat reacted, but deciding to dismiss it-- he'd much rather prefer to get away than to just look at the thing-- he prepared to make a run for it.

That is, until Khan leapt for him, ready to grab his throat. Nack's mind immediately took this as Khan wanting to strangle the life out of him. He certainly looked pissed off beyond all reason, and backing up, Nack raised his gun again, firing off several shots, hoping to get the monkey in the legs in order to cause him to fall. Or hopefully he'd miscalculate where he was firing and get that damn monkey in the stomach. But, considering that Nack's first instinct was to stop Khan's advance on him, he continued firing at Khan's legs.

As he did this, Nack backed up, clutching onto the bag. He stopped firing after a few moments, taking this chance to blot towards the exit once more. With that electricity going through the atom bat, he didn't want to risk picking up and shocking himself. With how many shots he fired Khan wouldn't be getting up anytime soon to grab it, and with luck, he'd give in from the pain if Nack hit the right places. Which meant he would be able to make a clean getaway before the king had a chance to grab his atom bat once more.

The Next Morning in the Dragon Kingdom

The weasel would not find himself at too much of a disadvantage - Khan was suffering from the brightness too. Having flung himself right into the temple to stop the intruder without a second thought, he’d overdone it, and now he could not see where the thief had got to.

Dammit! He always reacted so rashly and abruptly, always forgot to think things through before doing what needed to be done, and now he’d lost his target. Dimming the light to a more manageable level, the simian leapt back, attempting to position himself in the arched doorway, in order to prevent the thief from escaping.

And then he saw him… shit, he recognized that face—! That was no ninja- that was the visitor who had arrived yesterday! A lowly thief all along. And now he was dashing right for the doorway! Leaping between the doorway and the weasel, Khan held the atom bat horizontally in order to prevent his escape.

“YOU!” he barked, incredulous. “I’m not letting you get out of here with all that stuff! PUT IT DOWN.”

He charged the atom bat once again. Should the thief refuse to cooperate, Khan would make him do as he was told.

Nack skidded to an abrupt stop as Khan leapt in front of him. now able to see better than before. "Fuck!" He cursed, taking a few steps back once he had stopped.

So, it was Khan that had caught him in the act, eh? Damnit all. He was so close to escaping with it all, too. Still...He wouldn't just hand it all over to the guy!

He eyed the atom bat, seeming somewhat surprised at it's power. Had the monkey caused all that flashing and such with just the bat...? He had to have. Nack was used to seeing things sort of like it-- items with a lot of power. He vaguely remembered talking about it with Khan at one point, and now, watching it charge, he came to the conclusion that it wasn't just for show.

“YOU!” he barked, incredulous. “I’m not letting you get out of here with all that stuff! PUT IT DOWN.”

Gritting his teeth, the weasel glared at the monkey king, quickly grabbing his gun from his holster. In one swift motion the weasel lifted it, clicked off the safety, and placed his finger on the trigger.

He fired, aiming at the atom bat. He hoped to knock the thing out of Khan's hands, to give him time to escape. If he didn't hit it this time...Then he'd just fire again.

The Next Morning in the Dragon Kindgom

The weasel would have plenty of time with which to stuff his bag undisturbed. Khan enjoyed a breakfast of tea and toast, and then lingered in the teahouse for a while, chatting idly to some of the other patrons there.

Eventually however he would move along, hauling his atom bat onto his shoulder and making his slow way back to the palace. It was only by chance that, as he passed by the temple, he decided to take a peek inside. Left unguarded at the moment, the rich artefacts and treasures, though mostly stashed away, were prone to the burglary of any ninja out and on the prowl. Khan knew full well how they’d love to get their grubby little hands on them. He hadn’t seen anything untoward, but… well the Shinobi could hide out anywhere. There weren’t enough people here to stand guard at all hours… so checking in from time to time had become a habit of the king’s.

Padding through the doorway, he immediately became aware that something was not right. The soft clanking sound of metal being dragged from surfaces and tossed down in a heap reverberated around that high ceilinged and hollow room - seemed there was a robber here! And Khan had just caught them in the act! Charging forward, he powered up the atom bat - refraining from striking for now, but lighting the room in a sudden, and blindingly white glow.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" he yelled once he saw the figure at the displays, before running toward the thief full-tilt. As yet, he could not see well enough to make out who or what the villain was - the darkness followed by the blinding brightness had thrown their features into obscurity.