by Jason Krate
She kept the widow company while her father went upstairs to the room where Mark Grimsby was laying in his bed, barely breathing.
Blood could be seen on his pillow…and his hair was mostly gone now.
He looked worse than they last time Minra had come here.
After making sure the child was asleep, he took a knife out of his coat pocket, and cut open one of his veins.
His healing factor, though not as strong as it used to be, sealed up the wound sure enough…but not before he had filled up a vial of his glowing purple colored blood with what had seeped out of his wound before healing.
He then carefully pressed the vial to Mark Grimsby's lips and watched as the sick boy drank the stuff down.
Cough Syrup was what he had been told it tasted like.
He had to laugh.
The mutagen that had mutated his blood long ago sure as hell didn't taste like cough syrup going down.
One a more positive note, his mutation he had received from that foul tasting crap had eventually evolved to the point his blood could be used as the cure all he had been searching for to heal his his sister Rachel in his old life.
If he had known his blood would evolve into this with time, he would have saved himself a lot of grief with his attempts to recreate the healing mutagen derived from distilling the liquid miasmic mutagen that gave him his powers.
He watched as the healing properties of his blood began to take effect on Mark.
His hair was starting to grow back, his skin was regaining color, and his breathing was no longer laboured.
He then turned and walked away out of the room and down the stairs.
He was met by an anxious Miss Grimsby at the bottom.
"Your boy will be fine" he said softly.
He was surprised when she embraced him, "Thank you."
"Just remember what I said. Tell no one about this…" Minra said to her sternly.
"I promise" Miss Grimsby nodded in understanding, "Thank you so much for this miracle."
"It was no miracle, it was an accident of science that gave me these abilities" Minra corrected, "there is nothing DIVINE about this."
"Regardless, I'm grateful to you for this. People call your kind "Demon", I think you're an Angel." Miss Grimsby said in awe of what Minra could do.
Minra didn't say anything, he just left the Grimsby house quietly with his daughter Kilari.
As they made their way back to the town center, Kilari couldn't help but feel pride for her father in having healed that sick little boy of a deathly illness.
It reminded her of when he used to go out of his way to help people as a vigilante of the night, the Baron Knight.
He was what one would have called a Superhero.
He had doffed that mantle and title a long time ago, at the end of the Great War to be exact.
Despite his anger towards humanity, it didn't stop him from helping out sometimes.
"I'm glad you did that father" Kilari said with a smile as she walked beside her father, "reminds me of when you used to go out of your way for other people with those powers of yours. That poor woman doesn't need a child to burry. That's why you did it didn't you? You know what it's like to burry your children and loved ones who should have been the ones burying you. It was really noble of you."
"I didn't do it for just the mother, I did it for the child" Minra corrected his daughter about his motivation behind his "good deed" as he was certain she was calling it in her mind, "I don't believe that the children of the world should suffer for the sins of their parents and their generation…who made the world what it is now."
Kilari sighed, "One of these days you're going to stop being like this and be the caring compassionate man who cares about strangers before himself that you used to be, and I hope I'm there to see it when it happens."
"Well don't hold your breath Kilari. Baron Knight is dead. He died years ago…along with your mother and siblings. He's never coming back. This world has no heroes anymore…it doesn't deserve heroes. It never did." Minra Moraes said cynically.
Kilari sighed in dismay, "You always were great at ruining a good moment…why couldn't THAT part of you have gone away along with the hat and cloak?"
* * *
Brightmoon City, Kings Tower: 50th Floor: August 5th, 2063: 9:45 PM
Reginald Blackthorne.
He used to be a photocopy salesman in the old world, now, he was the feudal lord of Brightmoon City.
Funny how something like WW III could turn out in the end.
He used to be a meaningless little nobody, but after allying with the right marauders during the "panic era" of the old society's collapse, he had been made into a king.
He lived like one as well.
He had a Tower fortress, an army, a king's ransom of pebbles in his towers basement…and all the women and booze he could afford.
At this point during the beginning stages of the night, the sleazy "king" of Brightmoon City was sitting on a makeshift throne made of trash, watching with perverse interest at this dancer girl who was performing for him in the center of the room for 1200 pebbles.
She was wearing an outfit that wouldn't have looked out of place for a slave girl in one of those "Star Wars" films back when movies still existed.
She had a nice body, he wondered if she'd be willing to do…something else for him for 1200 more pebbles.
But Reginald Blackthorne's fun was cut short when the doors to his "throne room" were suddenly kicked open and in walked… no way…he knew this guy.
Punk hairdo, Dragon Tattoo on his face to make him look scary, and that freaky chick in the skimpy waste lander outfit always following him around like a dog behind him.
Denth and Muara Deathborne, the rulers of the remains of Technoforce.
What were they doing here?
The dancer girl by this point had stopped dancing and had retreated to the corner of the room, eyeing the strangers who had appeared with uncertainty.
Something about these two seemed…off.
"Hello there Reginald" Denth greeted formally, "I see you're keeping "busy" as usual."
"What are you doing here Denth?" Reginald Blackthorne asked, "How did you get through my city without being noticed by my army, how did you even get past all my guards?"
That was when Reginald Blackthorne noticed there was a third person present in the room, standing behind the two Deathborne siblings.
He had a painted black skin it seemed, and gold eyes with red irises.
He knew he had seen that face somewhere in his city before, but for the life of him right now he couldn't put a finger on it.
"Our associate here made it easy for us and OUR army to walk right into your city and take the place without anyone noticing" Muara Deathborne said with a sneer, "now all that's left, is to take the throne."
"You…" Reginald Blackthorne sputtered, "What…you two already HAVE a kingdom to rule."
"Yes, well…thing is…" Denth Deathborne said almost apathetically, "Things have changed. We're no longer satisfied with ruling just one burnt out husk of a city, so we've decided to expand our empire. Yours just happened to be the closest one out on the map so we came here first."
He then drew his sword, "But were not going to forego Marauder tradition here, you know that the code of the Marauder is that if one marauder wants something the other has, they must duel for it. So draw your sword. I want this throne, but I want it done in a way the people and the marauders/ City Lords of the country will have no say against my having it."
"You young smarmy son of a bitch…" Reginald Blackthorne growled, staring down the challenger to his throne with absolute contempt, "you dare come up here and challenge me? You think I got all this from just luck? When you throw your lot in with the Marauders of this damn country you have to be tough and learn some tricks to survive. I know you and your technique. You haven't a hope in hell…I'll hang both yours and your damn sisters heads on pikes at the front of the city bridge for this outrage!"
He then drew his sword and ran down the steps of his throne straight at Denth Deathborne, who strangely just stood there…and let Reginald Blackthorne run him through!
Reginald's glee at killing this pretender to his throne was instantly extinguished when he realised that what little blood had escaped from Denth Ghouls body was now retreating on its own power back into his open veins around where Reginald's sword and pierced through his stomach.
He was so surprised by this, he didn't see the dagger in Denth Ghouls hand before it was too late.
He felt the dagger knife plunge into his heart, and soon felt warm blood…his blood…trickle out from the knife wound where the dagger lay stabbed into his flesh.
He felt his strength weaken with every beat his fatally damaged heart pumped out.
He looked up to see Denth Deathborne, pull the sword Reginald had run him through with out of his chest and held it in his right hand.
The wound sealing up fully this time, now that the sword was free from Denth Deathborne's gullet.
The young Punk Overlord then placed the blade of Reginald Blackthorne right over the back of the injured "King" of Brightmoon City's neck.
His intentions made clear.
"What the hell are you?" Reginald Blackthorne asked in horror at the sight of Denth Deathborne's seemingly "demonic" powers, almost flat out ignoring the blade of the sword that was poised for a killing stroke above his head.
"I'm the superior being, here to make me and my similarly empowered Sister and our mind-bending friend here's empire grow" Denth Deathborne said haughtily, and then with a swift stroke of the sword….beheaded Reginald Blackthorne.
The slain "lord" of Brightmoon City's head rolled across the floor, while his severed neck sprayed blood all over the place.
Some of it landed on his sister Muara's face, she liked it off like it was some kind of candy to her.
* * *
Their mysterious "Friend" who had helped make this coup de taut possible stepped from the shadows.
He was a young man, almost as old as Denth Deathborne was, but he had ink black skin and gold eyes with red pupils.
He picked up the head of Reginald Blackthorne, and smirked "and to think, this place managed to stay afloat with this hedonistic idiot at the controls. Wait till this city gets a load of us. Things are going to become a lot more interesting around this place again…just like they were in my father's day. Congratulations people, the city is now OURS."
"Well…Mostly it's mine and my sisters, but as agreed, you'll have "special privileges" in certain areas of the city…as our "grand Advisor". Your powers could come in handy dealing with the other City lords if they ever come a knocking like we just did for this loser." Denth Deathborne said with glee, "
"So what do we do with the girl?" Muara Deathborne asked, motioning towards the terrified dancer girl who had just witnessed the whole thing.
"She's mine" the black skinned man said, and he looked across the room at the frightened dancer girl, looking directly at her eyes.
His eyes glowed brightly and two beams of mesmeric energy shot out of his eyes and right into the terrified dancer girl's eyes.
The dark skinned man grinned as he watched the dancer girl's terrified expression slowly switch to a calm and dazed state of being, and then she mindlessly almost as if in a trance stood up straight and walked over to the dark skinned man.
She put her arms around his left arm, lovingly.
While he just laughed, "I've been wanting to use my powers to force a woman to have sex with me like my father did in his time, and I think she has the perfect figure to be my first attempt to do just that. Enjoy the "castle" kiddies, but don't forget, I can give and I can take away. Don't backstab me, or you'll find that your powers don't measure up to a toothpick compared to mine!"
With that, the dark skinned man left the throne room behind with the hypnotized dancer girl in tow.
Leaving Denth and Muara Deathborne alone to stare out the panoramic window of the room out at the city they had now secured for themselves to rule.
Denth Deathborne put an arm around his sister's shoulder as she and he looked out at what was now theirs for the taking.
As he did, he thought about their humble beginnings before becoming the "Feudal King and Queen" of two cities.
They had been orphans, living on the streets of the burnt out burg that had once been the city of the Future: Technoforce.
Eventually that had led to them becoming engrossed in the marauder gangs that had swept through the country, taking whatever they could find.
Looking out for one another.
Falling in love, regardless of what other people thought of their incestuous love…like they gave a damn what other people thought.
This lead to the two of them becoming feared members of the marauder gangs they became a part of to survive before ending up becoming the rulers of Technoforce when the chaos died down.
Now, thanks to fate and their equally empowered "friend" who had just left them alone to have some fun of his own, they were now the rulers of two cities.
Denth Deathborne felt like celebrating this victory, but not in the "champagne and caviar" type of celebrating for this victory.
He had something else in mind.
"What will we do with the head?" Muara Deathborne asked her brother inquisitively.
"Tomorrow, when we announce to the gutless pinheads of the city about the change in command this city has no idea has just occurred. We'll hang that head on a pike in the middle of the city square, to show them that things have changed. There are new rulers in town, and things are going to change around here. This is our city now."
"Good." Muara said looking out at the city bellow, "Our men should be here in the early morning, they will help us lockdown and secure the city…as well as keep the people in line."
"I think this calls for a celebration…" Denth Deathborne said, and as he spoke to his sister, he was subtly slipping his hand over her exposed midriff, "Don't you?"
Muara Deathborne understood what her brother was refereeing to when he touched her on her stomach like that, and she rolled her eyes, "Denth…come on…I'm tired, it was a long walk from the bridge to this tower."
He then turned her around so that she was looking right up into his eyes, he smiled seductively "It's bad luck for a newly appointed King and Queen not to make love their first night as rulers of a new kingdom, in their new castle."
She smirked, "you just made that up…."
She then leaned forward and kissed him…, wrapping her arms around his neck while he began to start the process of loosening the clothes off of her body.
While the two of them began to fornicate, a storm had begun to brew outside.
A storm that just so happened to also be an omen.
An omen of the terrible things they were about to do to the city, and the terrible wrath that would eventually be brought down upon them due to the monstrous actions of one of their groups of "Soldiers" when they eventually and inevitably caused a literal sleeping giant to awake…and be filled with a terrible resolve… to punish them.
The Baron Knight Returns: Chapter 2
* * *
Chapter 2: A Tragic Night
* * *
Two Months Later…
* * *
Brightmoon City Transit Bridge: October 7th, 2063: 9:00 PM
A long time ago, Brightmoon City used to be connected to the mainland by many long bridges and underground tunnels.
Now, it only had the one bridge.
The old Subway Bridge leading to Lost Hallowing.
Only in today's world, subways didn't exist…or at least not in the way that they used to be.
They were pulled by horses now.
Or at least, that's what they would be pulled by for now.
Ever since that brother and sister duo took over the city the people had been in nirvana over the reacquisition of an element that had been stripped from their possession f
or so long: Electricity.
No one knew how, but somehow, the Ghouls had reactivated the long since dormant positronic reactor in Brightmoon City.
They now had lights again.
And according to the Ghouls, that was only half of what was coming for Brightmoon City.
