Taking Back

A Traumatic Performance

Warning: mild graphic violence 

As the creature prepared to sling the knife into Alisha, killing her, a blast of red and black fire roared through the hall like a hurricane, followed by an enraged prince. Before the creature could do anything, Eddie had returned, slamming into the killer and sinking his teeth into its body, piercing through the scales. As he sank his teeth into its body more, he screamed through muffled rage, "Keep your damn filthy hands off my damn woman!!!" and proceeded to swing his arm and stab the creature in two of its eyes with his fingers, nearly gouging them out.

This caused the killer to scream and cry in sheer pain, trying to run and slam him into a wall, but to no avail. As it struggled to get him off, Eddie clenched his teeth together and literally pulled a chunk of its flesh off of its body, releasing his hold on them. The creature fell to the ground grasping its newly made wound, purple fluid gushing out as the wound attempted to heal as quickly as possible. "URRRGH!" It roared, glaring at Eddie with its two remaining eyes. "BASTARD! Oh, now I'm gonna ENJOY taking this knife and–"

"You want to finish that sentence, intruder!?" Hollered out another voice. To everyone's surprise, it was the Queen, followed by at least fifty soldiers coming from every hallway leading to the library. "Surely even you are smart enough to not say anything damning in a situation such as this!"

The creature couldn't do anything but just slouch against the wall, watching all soldiers from all directions, holding them at spear-point. As it tried to catch his breath and let its severed flesh heal and recover, it simply gripped the blade more in frustration. It was cornered from all sides. Down two eyes. Its shoulder, completely taken a bite out of. This was supposed to be a simple mission, just get in, take the shot, and get out. Simple as that. Yet here the creature was, practically battered and almost dead.

RRRGH, this is gonna get me nowhere! It thought. I have to think of something fast! Then its two remaining eyes narrowed, and the creature practically smiled with its eyes, as to not let its thoughts be visible to the current enemy. Hmhm, well then. What's the ONE good thing I know how to do in a pinch? It then stood up as best it could. Well then, time to start the show.

"Young Prince," the creature then yelled out, catching everyone off guard for a brief moment. "What are you doing?!?"

Eddie simply looked in confusion. "Huh?"

Good. It said to itself. Got the bait. Now for the reeling in.

"What are you doing siding with these heathens, Your Gracious Majesty?!" It continued. "This was not part of the plan I was told to execute! Why are you doing this!?"

A few of the guards began to lower their spears just slightly, looking at one another in confusion. The creature could tell it had their attention now. All it had to do was keep the act up. It then took one small step as it continued its rambling, which caught the guards attention again.

"I-I was told you would be in serious danger, milord! Your brother, the acting King of Chermono, currently, demanded, if not, practically begged me to take on this utmost important rescue mission!"

The queen then placed an arm in front of Eddie, as Alisha, who had just been pulled back from the wreckage and behind the guards for protection. "What are you talking about, creature?" she said with a stern and calm voice. "The only danger I see here is YOU! Currently bringing harm to my guests AND my daughter!"

The creature then looked at the queen, still limping. "Silence, lady," it grunted. "It was YOUR daughter that made the first move against me!" It then glanced at Alisha, who was still currently shaking in anger and sheer panic. "She was the one who kept pursuing ME, to prevent my mission's success! I tried to avoid any violent conflict, but after throwing a knife and ripping her arms through my body," The creature showed the queen the scars and claw marks that the creature hadn't healed yet. "Surely you can see my side! I-I had no other option but to attack back in order to defend myself!"

The queen gazed at the flesh wounds of the creature and then looked back at her daughter in shock. As she did, the creature simply thought, Ha! It's a good thing I chose NOT to heal these wounds from earlier. This is going even better than I thought. Now, time to improvise a perfect finale to this facade.

The creature then pointed a finger at the royals and called out. "My top priority was to safely return the crowned prince of my land to his home, so he may be protected from the likes of you: the fiendish viking folk who DARED to kidnap him, and in his country's most horrific and depressing time of need! But it seems you'll stoop down to any low lengths to maintain your evil hold on him!"

Everyone's eyes widened in shock at such atrocious claims.

"What's worse," it continued. "You even somehow convinced your prisoner into believing that one of his own people is the true enemy! Your Majesty, say it ain't so!"

Eddie couldn't help but feel nervous and panicky, everyone eyeing him. Were they trying to scare him? Were they trying to understand the confusion as well? He couldn't tell, and that's what scared him more and more. He couldn't think, he just wanted this to stop, and without thinking it through, he simply cried out: "Leave me alone!" Which caught all the guards and the creature off guard. "I don't want you here! Just leave me alone, you stupid monster!"

The creature, both shocked and amused, simply laughed in its head, as its outer expression appeared baffled and left aghast. Hahaha, this is even better than I could've made up myself! Ohhh, I know EXACTLY how to cause some troublesome fun, hehe! 

"My- my lord?" It stuttered, clearly looking as if it was filled with sadness and fear. "Wha... what are you saying right now? I'm here to save you, yet you do NOT wish to be saved? This doesn't make any sense." Then, to add more of a performance, he took the knife and aimed for the queen. Luckily, Shoutmon extended his staff to deflect the attack, completely unaware that he had just helped the creature in its grand finale.

"Y-you too, mighty Blood-Fang? This cannot be! This must be a mistake." It then raised a hand. "That's it! It must be! You fiends! How could you dare?!? Do you have no morality or shame!?!"

"What are you on about?!" The queen shouted, now losing her cool.

"Do not play coy with me, heathens! Daring to brainwash our country's own prince, just to play him as a pawn in your sick games!!"

The guards began to holler as well, shocked and speaking in anger about how dare it talk about their Majesty this way. "Surely that's what it is! It explains why my own prince would harm one of his own subjects! You conformed him to some sort of Stockholm Syndrome, making him believe that you mind controlling monsters are actually his allies! This will not stand!"

The creature then unfurled its wings, causing a shower of black spindly thorns to float and stab into the ground, forcing the guards to back up. It then grabbed out a round black object, looked at the queen and said, "The acting King of our land will be furious beside himself at this news. Daring to puppeteer his own brother? That is such moral taboo that even I wouldn't cross. My acting King WILL be told of this news, and thanks to you, Queen, this will be all the justification he needs to finally finish what was started... and declare all-out Continental war with the Elestelian Empire, in its entirety!"

The queen couldn't handle this any longer and began to scream. "How dare you, you cantankerous devil of a monster!"

The creature laughed sharply and responded with, "You viking-blooded fiends are the true monsters."

With that, the queen attempted to grab a sword from one of her guards and swing it in the direction of the creature, but Shoutmon beat her to it. "Oh no you don't!" He yelled out as he chucked the staff at the creature. Unfortunately, the creature allowed the staff to hit the round black object, making it crack and explode in a thick cloud of smoke and sparkles, using it to flee. All that was heard after was an echoey laughter. "Prepare yourselves, Elestelians! For the power of Chermono will not be dominated that easily! And, oh, don't you worry, Blood-Fang. For the next time I see you, our battle's outcome will surely be different. Hahahaha!"

As the smoke cleared up, thanks to Shoutmon's intense staff twirling and Anaka's wing flapping, the guards found themselves trying to incapacitate each other, all of them thinking the other was the intruder.

The queen, out of everyone, was the one most upset and concerned for what was soon to come.

"I suppose this means, once again, that your visions were right, my daughter," she said with a sad and uneasy heart. She looked at her daughter being held close by the captain, who was being careful with her injuries. "Looks like we'll be going to battle even sooner than anyone, even you, could've guessed."