EarthBound 200X Ch. 6: Patriot

On top of a small plateu near the castle of Dalaam sits the small and humble building that houses the king's Royal Guard. Late on the night that the Chosen Four were nursing the wounds given to them by Cain in their most recent encounter, the Captain of the Guard, Agraj, slept peacfully in his chamber.

Suddenly a tall Dalaamese man burst through his door. Agraj shot up in his bed and the intruder instantly got onto his knees and bowed.

The Captain spoke, "Rashal? What are you doing in here at this late hour?"

Rashal spoke from his bowed position, "Sir, the night watch has spotted the lights coming out of the eastern cave again."

Agraj sighed, "I've told you the last four times that this happened not to worry about it."

Rashal looked up, "But sir, shouldn't we at least look into it? A recurring incident such as this is cause for suspicion."

A brief look of annoyance crept into the Captain of the Guard's voice, "It is most likely nothing! It is probably just some average peasant doing something equally average in an even more average cave! Let it be!"

Now it was Rashal's turn to be annoyed. He stood up and spoke, "With all due respect sir, it is in the best intrest of our king to investigate any and all suspicious activity that could be detrimental to the future of the country! As the second in command I should not have to be telling this to my captain!"

Anger falshed across Agraj's face, "Very well, assemble the rest of the Royal Guard. Leave me now while I change into my armor."

Rashal bowed again and turned to leave when the Captain spoke, "Oh, and Rashal?"

Rashal turned, "Yes sir?"

"Might I remind you to remember your place in the future."

"...Yes my Captain."

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Ten minutes later all ten members of the Royal Guard and the Captain had assembled outside of the eastern cave. All of them wore gleaming steel armor plated with gold and carried tall spears and two katanas at their sides. Agraj himself wore similar armor but had a glistening ruby embedded into the forehead of his helmet. The group of eleven highly trained bodyguards marched silently into the eastern cave. A pale white light emitted from somewhere far into the cave.

Eventually they came to a sharp turn and Rashal signalled for them to stop, "Allright, we've come this far uneventfully, but that might all change once we turn this corner. I doubt that it's anything important, but prepare yourselves just in case."

Agraj gave the signal and the group silently turned the corner. Agraj was met with the point of a large scyth an inch away from his throat.

Shocked, he looked at his assailent and his eyes widened in surprise, "K-Koga?! Where have you been all these years?"

A child's voice came from the distance,"You don't have to answer that Koga. Now is not the time."

For the first time since turning the corner, Agraj looked up at what lay ahead of him. The only thing he could do was gasp. What had once been a small cave had been expanded into a gigantic cavern. Conveyer belts and strange machinery with logos from every major robotics corporation were everywhere. Standing in front of one of these machines was a small, fat, blonde haired boy and a tall yet sharply dressed man.

Agraj managed a small, "What is this?"

The fat boy looked at him and smiled, "This," he motioned around him, "is the factory that will create the invasion force of Dalaam!"

As if to emphasise this point, the sharply dressed man threw a lever on the machine behind him. It began to make whirring and hissing noises while large pistons quickly moved up and down. Clear rubber tunbing showed metal pumping into the complex machine. After a moment, the conveyor belt began to move and out of the inky blackness of the machine's innards rolled a gleaming silver figure. It's two legs formed into two feet that ended with a sharp point. Attached to the smooth torso were two tentacled arms that ended in even sharper points. It's head was nothing more than a round bump with a visor as black and emotionless as a moonless night. It's body was smooth and featurless, save for the strange geometric insignia stamped onto its chest. The black visor flipped open to reveal intricate circitry. A robotic arm attached to the conveyor belt whirred down into the silver robot's exposed head and made a spark upon its connection. The arm retracted and the visor flipped shut.

The robot made a long whirring sound and then finally a click. Much to Agraj's further shock, it sat up, walked over to the fat boy, and kneeled. It then spoke in a hollow metallic voice, "All hail," another click, "Master Pokey."

Pokey turned to Agraj, "You see, I've been paying every robotics corporation I could get into contact with to lend me the parts I needed to make these Starmen. I had to make the first one by hand, but then that one made these machines that mass produce the rest of them."

Agraj whimpered, "'Rest of them?'"

"Oh, how silly of me to forget." Pokey turned to the sharply dressed man, "Cain, hit the lights."

Cain walked over to a nearby switch and flipped it. To the left, a previously dark section of the cave lit up and revealed row after row of hundreds of gleaming Starmen.

Pokey spoke again, "And the great thing about these things is that they don't need transport ships to get to the surface, they can teleport! Isn't alien technology neat?"

Agraj finally began to regain his senses, "Wait! Where did you get the money to do this?"

"The king gave it to me."

"That's absurd! The king would never approve of the building of an invasion force! For that matter, who are you? I've never seen you anywhere in the castle, much less near the king!"

"I am Pokey Minch, former minion of Giygas, King of Dalaam, and future ruler of this world! What's it to you Pig's Butt?"

"King of Dalaam?"

"Watch this stupid!" Pokey pulled out a small device and pushed a button on it. For a moment his appearance shimmered and then changed into that of the king.

Agraj became infuriated, "I understand now! You killed Prince Poo and his real advisor and then took his place!"

Cain spoke for the first time since Agraj's arrival, "Wow, you're a regular detective extrodinair aren't you?"

"I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS! You might have my neck at scyth point, but my team is still free!" Agraj snapped his fingers and the rest of the guard calmly stepped forward, "Kill the usurper!"

They didn't move.

Agraj spoke again, angrily, "Didn't you hear me!? Put a stop to this madness! KILL!"

Rashal stepped forward and stood next to Pokey, his hands on his two katanas at his sides, "We won't take orders from you anymore. I'm taking control of the Guard from now on." He snapped his fingers and the other nine members of the Royal Guard stepped forward and stood at attention next to Rashal.

Agraj said in a shocked voice, "You had this planned the whole time didn't you Rashal? Then why even take me to this cave? Why not just kill me in my sleep?"

"It was a test. Originally, the plan was to offer you a choice, join Pokey, or die. But I wanted to see if you were even worthy of being leader of the Guard. And after not coming to investigate this cave from sheer laziness and then walking into an obvious trap, I have found you unfit to continue serving the throne."

Agraj was angry now, "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME OF BETRAYING THE THRONE!" He quickly batted away Koga's scyth and charge at Rashal with spear at the ready before Koga could do anything. He swung the spear at his former second in command only to hit air as Rashal rolled under the blow and stood up behind him. Rashal drew his twin katanas and stabbed at Agraj. The Captain of the Guard quickly swung his spear behind him and deflected the blow while turning around. While Rashal was off balance, Agraj quickly thrust his spaer at him. He responded by jumping lightly into the air and landing on the flat side of the spear. Rashal jumped again and delivered a spinning kick to the side of Agraj's head. Agraj flew into the ground and accidentaly threw his spear a few feet away. The Captain stood up just in time to see Rashal swinging one of his katanas at him. He jumped back and avoided it but was caught off guard when Rashal swung his second katana and cut through his armour and across his stomach. Pokey snorted with laughter at this.

Rashal neared him and raised both of his katanas above his head to deliver the killing blow. Agraj rolled away at the last second and wearily stood up. He looked to his right and saw the entrance to another tunnel. Clutching his stomach he darted off and into the dark tunnel.

Pokey turned to Koga, "Go after him. We don't want that pig's butt to blab."

Rashal stepped forward and bowed, "No Master, please let me go after him."

Pokey smiled a little, "Fine I guess you've got a grudge with him huh? Well I know what that's like. Go ahead, and be quick about it."

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Agraj stumbled through the dim tunnel towards an unkown destination. His left arm was wrapped around his bleeding stomach and the right was supporting him against the rocky wall as he walked. Through his own heavy breathing he heard running footsteps behind him. He stood up straight and quickly concealed a knife in a compartment in his armour's right arm. He'd only have one shot to use it and he had to make sure that he made it count. He turned to face Rashal as he neared him.

Once Rashal was about ten feet away from Agraj, the second in command jumped forward and landed a few inches from him. He quickly punched the surprised Agraj in the right cheek and sent him sprawling into the ground.

Agraj looked up angrily at his former comrad, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? HOW COULD YOU BETRAY THE FORMER KING BY SERVING SOME SPOILED BRAT?"

Rashal kicked him in his injured stomach and said in a disgusted tone, "Don't speak of the king in such a manner traitor!"

"You're calling me a traitor?! That fat thing want's to rule the earth! Countless innocent people will die in the invasion! Do you think that this is the legacy of Dalaam's old kings?"

"Yes! Dalaam will no longer sit in the clouds apart from the modern world! We will become one with it and rise to glory! You wouldn't understand. That is why you must die here!"

Agraj smiled, "No, I don't want to understand that kind of insane logic." As Rashal stepped closer, Agraj pulled the knife and charged at him. Rashal sidestepped and grabbed his outsreatched arm. In one fluid movement he broke Agraj's arm, grabbed the knife as if fell from his hand and thrust it into Agraj's chest, killing him instantly. After the former Captain fell to the ground, Rashal bent down and stole the jewel encrusted helmet of the Captain of the Guard and put it on himself. In that moment, Rashal became the new leader of the new Dalaam Royal Assassin Squad.