Part 6.17

For some reason beyond me and Sabo, we begin to walk around each other in a wide circle. The convicts around us have picked up by now that something is up and their old prison instincts have kicked in and they have either retreated entirely or have backed up a respectable distance and have their guns trained on Sabo. Good for them. I have the feeling that it won't do much, but I appreciate the thought.

After a single circuit of walking in a circle and sizing each other up I give him my critique, "You look like shit."

He just gives me a smirk that tells me he doesn't really care what I say and responds, "That seems awfully mean. Well, you smell like shit."

I snorted. "Let's be honest, I smell like things worse than shit but that's just leftover durian. Those things are delicious but they give me some evil shits. But enough about my shits and let's talk about you looking like shit. You look like you haven't slept in days. I can go for a while without sleep but everyone else isn't so lucky. What's wrong, has someone stolen your food? I hate it when that happens to me but it's nothing to get worked up about."

Behind Sabo my crew is moving into position. Many men with guns, swords, hammers, more guns, and some really industrious guys have hauled an entire cannon up on top of a still standing building all in the time it took for me to speak. I see Krieg standing up on top of the buildings making motions with his hands. What is that? Choking?

Krieg stops pretending to choke himself and picks up some rocks and begins to juggle them. When he stops he points at the men all arranged around Sabo and me and make some throwing motions.

Oh! Juggling. I forgot that was a thing. My juggling can be really lethal if I have enough weapons. Killed a couple of those giant Sea Kings the crew kept going on about by juggling. Maybe that would be enough for this Sabo guy.

In response to my earlier comment about Sabo having his food stolen he just continues smirking with his sunken eyes. "Nah. I just got some bad family news. You know how it is."

"Not really. I don't have a family."

"Shame. You know who did have a family? My contact here. His name was Bremden. He was a noble who was working through this crooked system on the island to set them all straight. He was almost done too. Next week Diz-Harmony would've been reformed as a democratic republic. Then you came and killed everyone."

I shrugged and simultaneously grabbed my hockey stick when Sabo put his hand on his pipe strapped to his back. "I probably didn't kill the guy personally. It was probably one of my crew. Why do you care anyways?"

"He was a close ally of the Revolutionaries and as their Chief Of Staff I was responsible for him. That's why I care."

"Okay. Fair enough." I nodded. "But why did you care?"

"Oi oi oi Fennoh. I just told you. I'm the Chief Of Staff, he was my responsibility and that's why I care."

Slowly I used my hand that wasn't holding my hockey stick to undo the straps of my mask. I held it to my side and wordlessly Schmee appeared and grabbed it. I didn't let go immediately, I made sure to look him in the eye before he took off and give him a 'look'. That mask meant a lot to em and I didn't want to lose it. I had the distinct feeling that Sabo was going to punch me in the face and I didn't want it to shatter.

When Schmee took off like he usually does I returned to talking to Sabo, "That's just a title. It literally means nothing. As far as I'm concerned you're fighting me just for kicks."

Now Sabo was frowning. I guess I would eventually push his buttons. I tend to have that kind if effect on people. "I'm not fighting you because I feel like it. I care about these people."

I raise both my eyebrows and with my mask off Sabo can actually see my expressions. It's like a whole new world. "Now you're sending me mixed signals. I thought as 'Chief Of Staff' you just wanted to protect the Revolutionary bud of yours. Then you say you care about these people. Well, I'm calling bullshit. It's too late to care about these people. They're already dead and gone. Possibly worse for all I know. Who knows what sick twisted shit the convicts are into. The only people really left are these nobles here. Nobles that I'm pretty sure Revolutionaries like you hate. So, I'm calling bullshit."

Sabo took a few moments to look over the line of barrels that contained the upper crust of Diz-Harmony encased in salt. He took a deep breath and leaned his head down, deep in thought. I gave him a moment and when he looked up again he said, "Yes. I even care about the nobles. Bremden believed there was hope for everyone in Diz-Harmony and I believed in him."

I was close enough to the barrels at this point that I could reach out and grab the head of one of the nobles. So I did just that. Then I looked Sabo in the eyes.

"Liar."

I squeezed and the man's skull exploded from the pressure, giving me a momentary shower of gore. I shook my hand free of blood and continued to look at Sabo. He definitely looked surprised. Also angry. He was somewhere between angry and surprised. But he wasn't angry and surprised enough.

I removed my fancy pistol from my belt loops and lined up my shot. Then I pulled the trigger and increased the bullets speed to make it as fast as I could.

The gunshot was very loud and the bullet's path made a bright flash that seared I to your eyes if you looked right at it. All of the barrels had been in a row, and now they all had an identical bloody hole in their sides. I tucked my gun back into my shorts and watched Sabo.

I once watched an avalanche on Level Five. It was terrifying. It was like the prison itself had come alive and was trying to hurt me in any way it could. A transformation in the landscape that would mean my death.

Thankfully I was more than fast enough to outrun the avalanche. Seeing Sabo's anger reminded me of that avalanche and I felt the same fear now that I felt then. Even tell feeling of terror was the same as back then. Except this was an avalanche I had caused and instead of running away I was going to go and fight the avalanche.

Smart move me. Why did I do that again? Oh yeah. I was just doing what Keystone had said and I was doing whatever came naturally to me.

Sabo swung his pipe, and I swung my hockey stick. With nothing further to say, we charged each other.