TRIGGERFINGER (ORIGINAL STORY) - SEASON ONE

S01E05 A Kingdom in Ruins! Mortimer's (mis)Adventure! (Part One)

Breaking out of Corporate was the best decision he'd ever made, as he watched the Kingdom's tournament unfold. This guy with the bokken was kicking ass, and the other guy shooting fire from his fingers? It was like nothing Mortimer had ever seen. Most of his time was spent watching people on computers, playing by himself, or learning boring things like algebra with his tutor. He watched in awe from behind his hooded cloak as one of the Queen's royal guards was so terrified of the ones named Ash the Triggerfinger, and Shade the Shadowmaster that he eliminated himself by jumping out of the ring.

But that's when things started to get scary. Queen Honey turned into a giant, human-sized bee-like creature and darted straight towards Ash. She was about to kill him when suddenly, two vines erupted from the sides of the Coliseum and tied her down. Now the handmaiden was getting involved?! The handmaiden attacked the Queen with such force that sent her flying off into the simulated sky. Was all of this part of the show? Had this been rehearsed?

Then Mortimer's questions were answered, as residents of the Kingdom began rioting, breaking stuff, all hell was let loose. Let's burn this place to the ground! Some were shouting. Mortimer didn't understand what was going on. He ran from his seat to find the exit of the Coliseum but it was barricaded by people attacking walls and pillars, some with makeshift weapons, others even with their bare fists. Royal guards were even there but instead of trying to keep the peace, they were ramming their swords and battleaxes into the Coliseum walls.

Terrified, he scurried around looking for a different means of exiting but couldn't find any, too many people blocking everywhere off. He noticed Ash, Shade, the handmaiden, two men in leather jackets, and an old woman trying to calm everyone down but to no avail. He ran towards them but a cluster of the rioters got in his way, so he turned around but there were more rioters behind him. He was surrounded. The wall to his right then began to shake, rioters trying to break it down. They were pulling it by the vines etched into its crevices, and it was working, as the wall began to crumble. They clearly weren't thinking, as the wall would crush all of them, including Mortimer, who wanted no part of this.

He clenched his eyes shut as the wall was pulled from place and came crumbling towards him. Then nothing. He didn't feel pain, he didn't feel anything. Yet his body was still intact, he hadn't been squashed, or hurt in any sort of way. He slowly opened his eyes, and there before him hunched over holding the wall up with his back was the Triggerfinger, staring down at him.

"Looks like my training is really paying off," he uttered through clenched teeth. "You all right, kid?"

Mortimer nodded as all the others saved by Ash crawled out from underneath the wall, running off in different directions, yelling and screaming. Ash carefully turned around, and pushed the wall with all his might until it was sent crashing to the other side. Mortimer got up and together he and Ash stepped over the debris and onto the grass on the other side of the wall. Buildings throughout the Kingdom were being demolished, some on fire. The shouting of rioters in the distance was all Mortimer could hear.

"Well," Ash said. "I guess word spreads quickly throughout the Kingdom, huh?"

Rioters then began spilling out of the hole in the wall, and Ash grabbed Mortimer by the arm and instructed him to get on his back. Mortimer did as he was told, and Ash started running, a stampede of rioters just behind them. Mortimer clung on, wrapping both arms and legs tightly around Ash as the stampede quickly approached.

***

Shade complained that it would have been easier to donk them over the heads with his shadow bokken but Kore had urged them all not to use any means of violence, words only. This method proved to be somewhat successful, as they managed to calm down a decent chunk of the rioters. It didn't work on them all however, as many had already exited the Coliseum and headed to God knows where.