Adventures of Sticks the Badger - Season 1

Episode 8

"Tyrone, what the fuck was that?!" Fiona asked loudly, as Tyrone, wearing his cloak, paced in front of a new metal throne that had been stolen by the other Lightning Bolts from the village, Fiona standing and not taking her eyes off him, angry, "You gonna answer me?"

"It's called sending a message, Fiona..." Tyrone responded in a deep voice, as he lifted the Phantom Ruby up to look at it, his eyes glowing the same dark red as before, "Doing what had to be done, what I should've done a long time ago. Something you wouldn't understand..."

"Something I wouldn't understand? Do you hear yourself?" Fiona asked back, tapping her foot as Tyrone turned around to look at her, an unsettling straight expression on his face.

"Of course I hear myself, and I make perfect sense, do I not?" Tyrone responded, Fiona stepping back as the dark red glow in Tyrone's eyes turned into a cold black stare, his voice going almost demonic for a moment, as he came closer to her and sniffed her neck, "I can feel the anger in your soul..."

"Get away from me!" Fiona cried as she jumped back, "I don't know what this...thing...has done to you, but if you don't give it to me now, I'm leaving, and I'm not coming back."

As she said these words, Tyrone clutched his forehead painfully, stumbling backwards as he closed his eyes, falling to his knees.

"Tyrone?" Fiona responded as Tyrone tossed the Phantom Ruby on the ground in front of her, opening his eyes, now back to normal.

"Just...take it...and go..." Tyrone told her, "I don't know what it's doing...what it's making me do..."

Fiona approached Tyrone, putting the Ruby in her pocket and kneeling down as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Tyrone...you're hurting, I know..." She whispered as she wrapped her arms around him, "I'm not leaving you like this. You did what I asked."

Fiona felt as Tyrone burst into tears on her shoulder.

"I can't lose you too, Fiona...you're all I have left..." He sobbed as Fiona closed her eyes, placing one hand on the back of his head, "But...I can't forget what they've done to me. Fink, Shadow, all of them...I'm the last of my kind left because of them...do you know how hard that is to live with?"

"What happened that day, Tyrone? With Shadow...and your squad?" Fiona asked as Tyrone pulled away, standing up as he wiped tears from his eyes, turning away from her.

"I just wanted to be given a chance, all of us...including Shadow." He started, "Not long after Tempest and I came to the island with the last of us after they attacked and murdered everyone else in the Jackal Lands 20 years ago, Shadow arrived from Acorn. I'd turned 18 not long before the attack in the Jackal Lands, Tempest was 17, and Shadow looked the same as he always has, and was still hung up on his plan for retribution against Mobotropolis...funnily enough, our mutual hatred of that murderous regime was what got us talking at first."

"The other Jackals...my little brothers and sisters...tried to fit in but we couldn't...they wouldn't let us or Shadow. They shunned us, and Fink supported the shunning for the sake of his stupid approval rating, even though he could've overruled them. Then...one day, 3 years later, one of the villagers accused one of my brothers of stealing, and when the village police tried to arrest him, I intervened, and I lost control...I lashed out, and we all set fire to the Town Hall, intending to kill Fink there. But Shadow...he tried to stop us from doing what was deserved, and ended up killing Tempest and the others. We fought, but I lost, and he ran me out of the village, before being revered and accepted as a hero himself, while I was left alone, the last of my kind."

Tyrone then turned back to Fiona, his eyes teared up still as Fiona looked shocked.

"Shadow betrayed me, sided with Fink and killed the only family I had...do you still blame me for what I've just done?" Tyrone asked, "I killed Fink because he deserved it, he's deserved it for years."

"Well, what's done is done, Tyrone, but I don't think we can stay here now, on the island." Fiona responded as she sighed, "I'm gonna ask again. Please, let's just take our new people away, start a new society, leave this place behind and start fresh. Fink is dead, Shadow is likely dead by now too, so let's just run away."

"Boss!" Wally called out as he ran towards them, Tyrone and Fiona both looking at him as he panted, stopping.

"What's going on, Wally?" Tyrone asked as Wally stood upright.

"They've found us." Wally answered, "The Diamond Cutters are here. They have the entire village approaching as well, with weapons and torches."

"Well, so much for an escape." Tyrone commented, looking at Fiona, "Hold onto the Ruby for me. I'll try and fight without it, but if I need it, you need to give it to me, okay?"

Fiona hesitantly nodded as Tyrone stepped down, taking his cloak off to reveal his belt containing two silver swords, which he pulled out as Wally and Fiona followed him outside.

Walking outside, Tyrone saw as many Lightning Bolts pushed back against the group of villagers rioting outside their base, seeing many holding torches or pitchforks.

"Tyrone!" He heard a yell as he turned to see Smithy heading towards him, holding a mace, with Mimic and Slinger following, Mimic holding a dagger and Slinger a crossbow, "You think you can just kill the mayor and get away scot free without a fight?!"

"Don't you people see the result of your shunning yet?!" Tyrone reacted as Fiona turned the other way to see Whisper and Claire both approaching, Whisper holding a shotgun and Claire a spear, "You all drove me to this! Fink drove me to this! Shadow drove me to this!"

"Don't excuse your actions, criminal!" Smithy retaliated as the five Diamond Cutters moved to stand around Tyrone, Fiona and Wally, "You're going to answer for your crimes against our village, both recent and 17 years ago. Are you going to come quietly, or are we going to have to beat the three of you down first?"

Tyrone sighed as he gestured to Fiona and Wally, Wally pulling out two pistols as Fiona pulled out her katanas, Tyrone having his swords at the ready.

"Okay, so you've chosen to fight, then? Good enough for me." Smithy acknowledged as he brought his mace back, ready for a swing, "Diamond Cutters, attack!"