a day to fight for power

week 6 since Max kidnapped Alice.

Max is walking on a street. there are two man walking behind of him. Max turns around. he stabs one of them on the stomach. he hits the other guy on the neck. Max starts to run as fast as possible.

Alice is awaiting for him on a hotel room. Max is worry that they may find her, before he arrives there. Max puts his hands on his pockets. he takes the crowned ring, he puts it on his middle finger.

there are many assassins on the town. some are working for Logan, others are working for prince Theobald Manley. Max has to fight them all as he walks around of town. some of the assassins are also fighting among themselves.

the only reason why Max left her alone is simple. he went out to buy groceries to make some breakfast for her. he has been mean towards her for so long, that he thought a breakfast can be a nice touch.

now Max is trying to run without breaking the eggs. he is so furious, because he only wanted to make breakfast for someone else. he is losing his patience. Max feels like if someone else interrupts him again, he is going to destroy the whole town.

Max walks slowly on an alley. he looks at some assassins killing each other on the street. Max wants to yield as he walks on a different street. right now it is seven am, Max has five hours before Alice wakes up.

this things of keeping a spoiled brat alive is hard, no it is beyond complicate. running away from something has never been this hard until now. now Max has to be smarter than this people.

Max is feeling like if he was inside of one of those old games, those games in which he has to find the exit. while finding the exit he has to avoid danger. maybe thinking in that way makes it easier to run away from danger.

.....

on another part of the same town; on a hotel room prince Theobald Manley talks to Cole Cotton. there are some knights. the prince is ordering his men to investigate even the last corner of the town. to even go to hotels.

the prince is eating chicken for breakfast. Cole is eating fish carp. the knights are eating mashed potatoes. once the knights are done eating they will keep doing their job. the prince isn't able to taste the food when he feels the pressure of finding the crowned ring. finding his sister is as important.

"my lord we can't ignore the villainous enemies of the nation. they are here, they are everywhere. they have cause so much destruction. everyone is afraid. we need to kill Cromwell, every Cromwell or the whole nation will fall."

said a random extra (I mean a knight.)

"I understand how you feel. if this keeps going, then Martyrium Kingdom may cease to be. I am the next on line, I am the future of this nation, as the future I can't allow my self to take the throne, not by sacrificing those who are of royal blood."

said the prince.

prince Theobald Manley knows that he needs to look like a benevolent king, if he seeks to be loved by his people. the prince needs to have marionettes to follow his orders without questioning anything. blind man ready to walk to their own death for him.

Cole just wants this job to be done. finding kidnapped kids isn't his job. he wants to go back to the battlefield to fight among other evil bastards like him. Cole is curious about the safety of the young lady he left on the brothel.

someone knocks on the door. it is one assassin, he has a mark on his neck. he tells the prince that he saw the man who kidnapped his sister. the man tells him in detail everything that happened.

.....

on the opposite side of town; on a hotel room is King Thurstan Cromwell. with him are Ramiro Gutierrez, Raku Kobayashi, and Ji-Hye Moon.

every other assassin was send around of town. there is a bloodbath out there. the battle is so brutal. the common people hide on their homes, hoping for it to end soon.

Ramiro & Raku arrived on town last night. when they were on the investigation. King Cromwell called them with information about the traitor leading to the town.

King Thurstan Cromwell is so nervous he can't think properly. the King screams with rage. if the ring can't fall on his hands, then he will burned down every town, every part of the Kingdom till there is nothing left.

King Thurstan Cromwell is smart. he is a good leader, jet he lacks many things to be a proper King. all this rage, all this bullshit, all of this was done for a personal vendetta. a vendetta this Kingdom owns to his father.

"bring it. bring his head to me. that is the only thing you useless bastards can do for me."

yields King Cromwell furiously.

Ji-Hye Moon is only looking at him. the king doesn't know that she is a spy working for prince Theobald Manley. she wants to just snap his neck to end everything now. she knows that she can't keep working as a spy for too long. not before the king finds out.

Ramiro & Raku are leaving together. after five minutes Ji-Hye Moon leaves with two knights. King Thurstan Cromwell is left alone. he is in there thinking, and thinking about his next move to make. the next move to win this battle.

there are many sounds outside. the king is worry. more worry was he when the door was broken down by Ji-hye. she is just there standing. she is covered on blood & sweat. she is holding a dagger in one hand and a gun on the other hand.

"fuck it, take this as my resignation letter."

said Ji-Hye on a peaceful tone.

two knights were about to enter on the room. she shoots at both of them. Ji-Hye shoots once on the left hand of the king blowing off two of his fingers. she runs towards him and she stabs him twice on the shoulder. then twice on the back. she jumps off the window. when reinforcements arrived, she was already gone.

a doctor from Eartho has to take care of the wounds of the King. he looks at the hand which looks terrible. he told the king that if he doesn't go to the hospital, he won't be able to reattached his fingers back.

.....

Maxwell finally arrives on the hotel. he walks towards his hotel room. there are dead bodies on the floor. Max took some coins from the dead bodies. there are some strange men talking about a traitor. he mostly ignores that and goes inside of his room.

max leaves the bag with the groceries on the table. he takes out of it everything that he bought. Max starts cooking a nice breakfast for the spoiled brat. once he is done with that he sits on an old chair. he was about to smoke. he puts the cigar down.

Alice wakes up. she looks at the hourglass. she was about to go back to sleep. Max pushes her off the bed. he then drags her to the table. he explains that he did some breakfast as an apology for his awful behavior lately.

"forcing someone to wake up, then drag them like a sack of potatoes, isn't as apologetic as it looks. next time try with words."

said Alice who is barely awake.

"look I ain't good with words. I am trying here."

said Max feeling tired for all the trouble.

Alice tries to eat the omelets that Max cook for her. Max is also eating. he tells her that he used some ingredients that he knew she would like. Alice blushes thinking about him being paying attention to her. she loved her breakfast.

once more Alice is having trouble accepting that she likes that handsome savage. it may be a little crush or it is just that, he is just like her type. Alice keeps telling to herself that he is a murderer. he is a brute, he is a caveman with the body of a caveman.

Max has no idea of the thoughts on the head of the teenager in front of him. for Max she is just a really annoying, useless, and stupid girl. Max feels like he is just doing a charity work by protecting that kid. a charity work that may put him on the good books of her eldest brother, the next on line.

.....

Cole Cotton is walking on the streets. he doesn't care about doing his job. if the princess is on town, she will be found soon. Cole is just walking around feeling philosophical by thinking in the meaning of life, the meaning of work, even the meaning of been human.

Cole looks at a street on which two people are beating each other. there are some bodies on the streets. Cole kneels as he looks at a bee flying around of a flower.

"oh, you little shit. how lame and little is your existence. you go flying from one place to another thinking you are going across continents. how small will you feel after knowing that you haven't ever leave the same old town. same for me, all my life I felt like I went to other worlds, by just moving from a country to the next one. I left that 'same old town' to explore the next neighborhood."

said Cole expecting to feel some accomplishment.

Cole smashes the bee. he keeps going with his philosophical struggle. he starts to even question his own existence. is he alive? or is he another bee flying around telling itself to be human. is this real? or is this the fantasy of a bee?

is he alive? or is he inside a world that is the product of the fantasy of a dead man? for some reason this world doesn't feel right. for some reason there is something that is lacking. Cole keeps trying to find an answer to his never ending questions.

Cole goes to a cafe that is open. he looks at some assassins on the line. he is curious to know why aren't they fighting. he looks at a sign on the wall. the sign is a warning to anyone who dares to cause any problem inside of the cafe.

Cole looks at two assassins who are arguing on the line. the barista tells them to stop. the assassins look at the baristas of the place. there are two male minotaurs, a male Ice Giant, a human male with the body of a gladiator. every person on the line puts away every sharp object they owned. they all put glasses on, and behaves with manners.

after almost two hours & forty minutes it was finally his turn to have a coffee. Cole asks for something without milk, nor sweet. he wants something bitter. he is given an Ice Americano with Ogrean coffee beans.

.....

Ji-Hye is walking around. she is covering herself with a black cloak. she has a small wound on the left side of her back. when she jumped off the window, someone shoot an arrow at her. the men of the King are behind her.

if she doesn't find the prince soon, she is going to be in danger. she has to do something soon. there are too many assassins working for King Thurstan on this small town. if she is capture by the enemy, she will die today.

Ji-Hye is starting to ask herself if she did the right thing by attacking the king. she then thinks about the way in which Raku used to look at her with suspicion. it was obvious that she was about to be found. it was now or never.

at least she can't regret leaving some scratches & scars on that king. the innocent common people from this Kingdom have no idea. they don't know how corrupted & twisted is the Kingdom that is ruled by the Cromwell family.

if they allow this kingdom to fall on the hands of a Cromwell, all the commoners will suffer hell on earth. she knows so well about the state in which the people live under the command of a Cromwell, because as a spy she lived for too long on the Kingdom of Venturae-Famis.

"we can't let those bastards to grow stronger. we must stop them, now that we can."

told Ji-Hye to herself.

there are some assassins walking around of her. they work for King Thurstan Cromwell, but they haven't recognized her jet. Ji-Hye tries to walk as fast as possible. one of the assassins calls her for her name. she turns around for a second. all the assassins are looking at her. Ji-Hye runs & fights back at the same time.

this is an unique opportunity to kill King Cromwell. he must be stop. her desires to defeat this devil, those desires are the ones that keep pushing her to not give up, not jet. she has a duty as a person, a duty to stop Cromwell's legacy from growing.

.....

Garrett Mitchell arrives on the town. he is riding a donkey. he is sweating like crazy. he seems to be pale. he made a promise to the previous king. and he failed to his lord on the first day.

he didn't even lasted a whole day protecting the princess without losing her. he is afraid of the future that awaits him. he is already writing the speech he is going to give the day of his execution. he really fucked it up this time.

he is afraid of even thinking about the idea of stepping foot in front of Prince Theobald. he isn't sure if a creative joke or a dramatic argument can be a choice to greet his highness. it freaks him out the idea of finding the princess dead.

if he finds her dead, then he is going to wish to be dead. he can't even imagine the kind of torture that he will suffer before finally be given permission to die.

"Gods & Goddesses of the Mictlan, please don't let me die as a chaste man. I want to love, have kids, and then die. in that order please."

yields Garrett nervously.

Garrett was too worry thinking about his future to see the present. he didn't notice the dead bodies on the streets nor the people fighting.

the donkey seems to be tired. it falls dead. Garrett was about to cry. then he remembered that he haven't been eating properly. maybe some donkey meat may not be such a bad idea before dying.

Garrett laughs in a sinister way. he is stab on his left leg. is now that he sees the battlefield that became this town. he is trying to understand everything that is happening. Garrett is attacked by assassins of both sides.

Garrett takes a sword to fight back. he is tired, he is hungry, he is angry, he is sleepy, and he is traumatized by thinking about his future boss, Prince Theobald Manley.

.....

Raku Kobayashi & Ramiro Gutierrez are walking together. Raku has with him a bow and many arrows. Ramiro has on him two revolvers and some daggers.

Raku asks Ramiro if he knew that Ji-Hye was a traitor. he asks if they were working together. he admits to have some doubts about her loyalty.

Ramiro didn't know about her being a spy. he only did a small act of treason because he has morals. allowing a kid to be murder isn't a line that he is ready to cross. he prefers to put his own life on risk, but sacrificing innocents never.

Raku tries to understand his companion. the truth is that Raku has been a lonely person his whole life. he never had someone for who he cared about. he is loyal to Cromwell because they are keeping him alive with a mysterious flower.

because Raku was a sick kid, he never had the company of others. he doesn't know about romance or friendship. those are concepts that are too far from his own understanding. he is healthy for Thurstan so he owns his life to him.

the freedom to walk without the pain or the side effects of the drug stopping him. that sort of freedom is deserving of his loyalty. Raku became selfish for his loneliness, it was his lack of human interactions what turned him into a person with a broken moral compass.

"you know, my IQ is high. I know the meaning of words. morality isn't one of those words."

said Raku trying to hint something.

Ramiro didn't felt like he could ever be able to explain something like morality to Raku. there are complex words with simple explanations, there are simple words with complex explanations. morality isn't a complex word.

.....

Maxwell is washing the dishes. he is whistling with joy. Alice is behind of him. she feels like a housewife watching her husband. the more she tries to fight her feelings, the more attracted towards him she is.

Maxwell has no idea of what she is feeling for him. after doing the dishes he felt strange. he felt like something was off.

Maxwell asks Alice if she wants ice cream. he has the most natural smile he has ever had. for the first time in years he is smiling naturally. Max didn't notice that he is smiling nor the reason why. he isn't aware of how much affection he feels for her.

for the last six weeks he has been taking care of her. he has started to accept Alice as a person in who he can trust. his affection isn't romantic, but it is a similar type of affection. not only lovers do feel that much affection for others.

Maxwell became cold on prison. he saw his master with respect, but he never felt any affection for his master. Alice is the first person for who he feels affection.

Max hugs Alice for no especial reason. he tells her that at some point they will become a family, he said it joking. Alice blushes accepting the joke as a reality.

there is a strange sound coming from outside. Max tells Alice to hide on her room as he goes outside to take a look. Alice obeys. Max opens the door. he looks at Thurstan getting out of the room next door.

Max and the King look at each other. they know who they are. Logan gave once to Max a picture of the king. the King saw once a picture of Max. they know who is the other one. there is some pause as none knew what to do next.

Max said hello, he started talking about the weather. Max goes back inside. he locks the door. Max runs towards Alice's room. he opens it. he looks at Alice who was about to eat flan as dessert. he tells her that the enemy is coming.

Max and Alice jump from a window. the assassins working for king Thurstan are following them. on their way trying to run from the town. knights & assassins working for Prince Theobald are also following them.

at some point they are follow for everyone who wants him dead. Max is pulling Alice from her elbow. Max wants to believe that they will make it on time out of danger. he wants to survive so he can eat ice cream later with the girl.

Raku & Ramiro are on the same road in which they are. Raku & Ramiro are following them. Garrett is also following them.

Max kills some of the assassins, others assassins are killed by others. Max keeps telling the teenage girl that everything is going to be okay. he is only holding a sword that is about to break. Max is worry to think that he is running out of time.

Raku with his bow aims at Max. he shoots an arrow. the arrow stabs Max on the shoulder. Raku uses another arrow that stabs his target on the left leg. before he could use a third arrow, he is hit on the head by Ramiro with a pistol.

Raku falls on the floor feeling pain. Ramiro kicks him on the head with enough strength to force him to faint, but without killing him.

Ramiro attacks the assassins who work for Cromwell. he had no option in order to protect his friend. Ramiro is now officially a traitor.

the three of them are running away together. correction the four of them plus Garrett who hasn't been notice by the others. Max, Alice, Ramiro, and Garrett are all running away together. they may made it on time.

an assassin stabs Ramiro on the back twice forcing him to fall on the floor badly wounded. a bullet hits Garrett on the leg, he falls on the floor. Max & Alice are surrounded by all the assassins that are working for King Thurstan Cromwell.

the king steps in front of Max. now this is an awkward situation for him. Max wants to protect the girl. he is trying to think of an answer. he can't take vengeance if he doesn't have the capacity to protect a girl.

"my lord. if you pardon my ineptitude, I must confess that brat knows how to run. and after failing to bring you her head. I wanted to return, but I was indeed scared of the punishment for my human mistake."

Max said trying to play innocent.

King Thurstan Cromwell looks at the crowned ring on Max's hand. he was shocked. all this time trying to find the damn ring. it was from the beginning on the filthy hands of that filthy nobody. the king felt so furious by looking at it.

information about a legal coronation: the ring means anyone who has it is king. it is only legal if it is given by the king himself or taken from his corpse. the second option only works if the king died by a legal duel.

to explain the rules to be holder of the crowned ring. on ancient times there used to be a lot of war and inner struggle on the structure of the old royal government. many kings were murdered by the royalty. there was so much blood, those where brutal times in which the rules were created to bring balance to the government structure.

"did you took it by the illegal way? or how can you explain that ring?"

asks King Thurstan Cromwell.

"no, it was given to me by the King I killed. he put it on my pockets when I was in the middle of my job, but why the question?"

said a confuse Max who has no idea of the importance of the ring.

"that is the crowned ring. the holder of that ring, is the holder of the whole Kingdom."

said prince Theobald Manley.

the prince steps in front of everyone with a whole army at his side. they all fight against the assassins working for King Cromwell.

the king moves his left hand. many archers on top of roofs are aiming at Max & Alice. they all shoot. Max steps in front of Alice. he whispers telling her that everything is going to be okay. he hugs her trying to protect her with his body.

knights working for the prince try to stop the arrows with their shields. but they didn't stop all the arrows. about ten arrows stabbed him. some on his back, others on his legs, others on his arms, one cut him on the neck from behind.

Max falls on his knees. tears scrambled with blood are falling from his eyes. he smiles at Alice as he caresses her face.

"we did it. now miss annoying brat is safe with a family member. next time I do a job of this caliber, I won't do it for free. too risky to do it for free."

said Max with a force smile.

Max falls unconscious. King Thurstan Cromwell walks forward holding a sword. he has intentions of hurting them. for too long he has been planning a war against the evil crown of Martyrium.

"give up warrior. is time for you to remind your own self what you truly are, a dog who slays when is told to. you are no hero and you will never be."

yields Thurstan Cromwell.

Garrett stands up holding a rock. he runs towards the king. he jumps on top of the king. he hits the king with the rock multiple times.

Raku kicks Garrett on the face. Garrett falls on the floor. Raku helps his king to stand up. they leave while some assassins are protecting them. Thurstan is thankful to Raku, his most loyal man. his most loyal sword.

"this is a victory for the royal Manley family. we have won a battle, and soon we will win the war. soon we will defeat our enemies."

yields prince Theobald Manley with pride.