Putrescence in the atmosphere. Emanating from the mold crusted vents and the endless cracks in his one bedroom death-trap. Stagnant, like the rotting sphincter of a weeks old rat corpse but worse.
Damn.
He taped his guitar neck.
He may have cracked the guitar across the spine of a moron who interrupted his music set. Idiot. Damaged his instrument more than he damaged the disruptive moron.
Strings popped. Pegs missing. Freaking guitar neck was one hard strum away from swinging like a wooden guillotine.
Mental gaps flooding… Recalling the night.
Head pulsating.
He caught a glimpse of himself in his cracked mirror. His sickly- pale frame and sunken eyes.
Tape. He needed tape.
He searched.
Not a single piece of tape below the sea of empty bottles and ripped pages.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Open up!’ Landlord roared through the keyhole.
Rent day? Crap. Losing whole days now.
“Hold on!” He abandoned his tape search to find booze.
Thoom! Thoom! Landlord pounded with something heavy.
He found a half empty marble flask. This’ll do.
He opened his door. “What?!”
A gelatinous, cane-carrying gimp with a kickable face, piss-colored eyes and teeth like rotting toenails was at his door.
“We want you out,” Landlord said. “Tonight.”
He smirked. “I’m all paid up, bitch.”
Landlord narrowed his eyes.
“Gold watch I handed you was collateral,” He said.
“What gold watch?”
He laughed. “Don’t play stupid.”
The watch worth more than your shitty existence.
“I’ll pawn the watch. Get you cash,” He said.
“Bullshit.” Landlord popped two cupcake sized pills. “Pay what you owe then hit the sidewalk, deadbeat.”
I shrugged. “And my watch?”
“Ain’t no watch, shithead,” Landlord jabbed him with his cane. “Get out or get your kneecaps split.”
He balled his fists. “A threat?”
“A vow. ” Landlord poked.
Each syllable of Landlord’s threats and lies echoed in his mind.
Pak!
He smacked Landlord’s cane from his hand. Backhanded Landlord across the face.
Landlord staggered. Rubbed his jaw. Wiped tears. Rushed him swinging like a blind swordsman on steroids.
He snatched the cane out of the air.
Cane was heavy. Denser than it looked. Nearly broke his hand when he caught it.
“Wait!” Landlord pleaded.
He beat landlord bloody with the cane. Kicked him and his cane down the jagged stairwell.
Tried to be peaceful. Fuckin landlord wanted this.
He walked to the window. Stared longingly at Rose City’s skyline.
Fucking city… Just die already.
He took a swig from his marble flask.
Forget the watch… not worth it.
Boom! A blast through the door caused a hole as big as his torso. Dust cleared and two piss yellow eyes were peering through the hole. Landlord pumped his cane. Aimed.
A pump action cane… interesting.
He grabbed his guitar. Escaped through window and onto the fire escape. Flashed Landlord his middle finger.
Fire escape gave way. He and the rickety structure crashed four stories onto the sidewalk.
A once a century, secret Congress of the most powerful and influential monsters of all nationalities, species, and realms. A parlay among humanity’s predators. He was tasked with surveilling the meeting by the foolish and misguided Humanic Order. He had greater plans. The Order will thank him whence the smoke clears.
Red Vampire, the host, was in his cross-hairs. Succubus brides trailing behind him, arranging and rearranging furniture. Preparing for their big feast.
They bared the mark. His was the mark of a Knight of the Humanic Order. Far more prestigious than that of Squire. He was born superior. A living weapon. A machine sculpted by the Gods.
“Is a preemptive strike the right move?” Squire asked.
Squires were servants. Living tools and nothing more.
Their existence is a declaration of war.
Squire sighed. “I think we shoul-“
He twisted squires ear until it bled. “Are you Knight or Squire?”
“Sq… Squire, sir.”
“Then be a squ-“
Squire’s pupils turned white.
Its time.
Phwoosh! Inter-dimensional tears formed near the mansion walkway.
He released Squire. “Clean yourself.”
Squire’s blood could attract Red and his wives.
Dragons, basilisk drawn carriages, private jets, stretch hearses and cloaked helicopters emerged from the inter-dimensional tears. Filth. Creating portals with accuracy. Strong magic.
“Camera,” He commanded.
“Should we contact-“
“No.”
The Order would stop him. Or try.
Squire handed him the full-spectrum camera. “Red organized all this.”
“Irrelevant.”
Monsters swiftly gathered in the mansion dining room to feast on the raw carcasses on display.
Squire’s eyes widened. “Temporal-“
Knight yanked Squire to the ground.
Whoosh… Whoosh…
Dragon wings materialized among the stars.
Teleporting dragons. Blind, with other Godlike senses encircled them for several minutes. Vanished as fast as they arrived.
Idiot squire left blood-specks on his shoulder plate. Attracting the beasts.
Must act before squire ruins..
“Amazing,” Squire said.
Knight loaded his cannon.”No more waiting.”
Enough watching.
“Claim your weapon,” He commanded. “Time to cleanse this world.”
Explosion will eliminate most. Then he and Squire will head down and finish all who survive the blast.
Squire knelt to reclaim his scythe but pulled back.
Coward.
He drew a pistol and trained it on Squire. “Claim. Your. Weapon.”
Squire claimed his scythe.
Monster unification is a threat to mankind. Can’t allow it.
“Cleanse the world…” Squire said.
“Yes…
“Okay.” Squire sliced Knight’s neck open with his scythe.
Knight desperately held this throat together with his hand. Collapsed.
Blood gushing. Shadows appearing around him. Reapers? No… worse. Red Vampire and his succubus wives.
Traitor.
“All yours.” Squire handed a succubus bride the bloody scythe.
“I can feel its power,” Red sampled Knight’s blood.
Succubus danced around Squire.
“Stay for dinner?” Vampire sampled Knight’s blood with his fingernail.
“I’d be honored,” Squire answered. “To discuss peace-“
“Yes…Yes… peace.” Red Vampire licked his fang-tips. “Prepare a meal for our human ally.”
Humans gathered in the city square. Visibly frightened but with an unmistakable resolve in their eyes.
They offered me no praise, nor sacrifices they’ve owed me.
“You no longer want immortality,” I concluded.
I wasn’t the creator, but I protected them as such. And unlike my mother– the creator, I was conflicted. Caught between virtuous duties as a cosmic being, and obligations I bestowed upon myself when I shielded them from extinction.
“We’re grateful,” The Governor declared. “But we can no longer offer you our children.”
I was not mother. My power required Life for life. An expensive, but unavoidable cost. Draining my own cosmic well could be catastrophic for all realities.
“You’ll be erased,” I warned.
Governor wiped tears. “We understand.”
They chose offspring over immortality. Perplexing.
“Are you certain?” I asked.
Governor nodded.
I summoned swords. “Worship me.”
“Okay…” Governor’s face ashened. “Michaela.”
‘Michaela”… the embodiment of mother’s wrath. The sword with dreams of being a shield.
My protective seal appeared above the city.
I wished to give, not take life. But they left me no choice.
I raised a sword to the exosphere. Let it simmer in the hellish heat before cleaving the seal with angry force
My seal shattered on impact. Mother can see them now. The city and everything in it, turned to dust.
Damn you, mother.
I felt rage. Sadness. Guilt.
Brother was right to rebel.
“Mother!” I slashed gashes in reality. “Show yourself!”
She licked the venomous gloss from her lips. Swallowed hard.
It’s done. Now it was her turn. To die. To set herself free.
The negligee she wore was literally to die for. Red and glossy all over with a candy coated sheen. She was a heartshaped box of chocolate wrapped in a silk ribbon. To die for.
She smirked.
The perfect outfit for the perfect night.
She admired the full Red Moon– shades lighter than her silk negligee. She admired the shining constellations. Tracing them with her fingertips. Admired the post-midnight darkness spreading illusions of clean, shimmering Rose City harbors. She knew better.
“Proud now, mother?” She laughed as she dried tears.
One kiss. One taste of her poison. Widows orgasm. Slow agonizing death in a lipstick dispenser.
She’d taken vials of his blood. A sweet chaser for her champagne and deadly venom she concocted for him.
She longed for the power to resurrect the dead. So she can disarm him again with her pleasure. So she can reintroduce him to the worst agony. Over and over again. For several goddam eternities.
She finished her aged champagne. Tossed the bottle over the railing.
“Fuck!” She screamed into the watery abyss below.
His face. Etched into her nightmares. Her wrists.
She took years preparing body and mind for him. Advanced degree. Martial arts. Gun ranges were her sanctuary. The men she fucked. Women. The countless people she killed. Mobsters. Assassins. Law enforcement. Friends. Her innocence. Her humanity. Parts of her capable of feeling love. She murdered them all. For him. And all it took was a simple kiss. She wanted more. Needed more from him. There had to be more.
She climbed over the bridge railing. Tightroped along the slippery edge.
Murdering him was supposed to release her. Free them from purgatory. But slaying the demon only blackened her void.
Turbulent waves below. Sharp concrete slabs from broken platforms blanketed by waters.
She’d condemned herself to hell. Their faces were fading. He’s rotting but still robbing her of everything. She’ll jump. She’ll shatter on impact. She’ll drown and see their faces clearly once again.
The memory of his body turning cold made her lip quiver. Warmed her pelvis.
She gripped the railing. Clasped her eyes.
The sound of the crashing waters a hundred feet below piqued memories of the spa where she ended his life. Of her breasts pressed against his slender, muscular frame.
She trembled.
I… hate.. you…
She parted her robe. Parted her lower lips with her fingertips. Slow, deep circular motions to spread the wetness running down her thighs.
Her one-handed grip on the rail was slackening.
She bit down hard on her bottom lip as her body erupted.
“You… took… Everything… from… me.” She moaned.
Fwoop! A sharp pinch on her neck.
Warmth vanished. Replaced with arctic cold. Rage. Dizziness.
She faced her assailant.
“My love.” He withdrew the needle from her neck.
“You!” She jerked away from him and lost her grip on the railing.
She stomped on the demon’s chest. Used the leverage to dislodge the divinespear of E’lees from itsbelly.
The Demon’s breaths were shallow. Its crushed rib cage slowly rising and sinking beneath her heels. Its long, shattered wings flapping wildly as if trying to escape its broken body.
The Demon spat in her face. “Finish me, insect!”
She plunged the consecrated spear through the Demon’s left eye. Twisted. Drilled it into the back of its skull. No regeneration this time.
Swooooosh! Escaped souls fired from the Demon’s socket. Ricocheted through the room like vexed lightning.
One more.
She raised the glowing spear to deliver the finishing thrust.
“Prophecy always prevails,” The Demon whispered.
Not this time.
She spent her childhood training to combat her so-called prophecy. Awaiting battle against the fate, clerics and superstitious townspeople claimed was inescapable. One strike to its remaining eye and none of it comes to pass. One more strike and she’s free.
The Demon cackled. “See ya.”
She plunged the spear into the Demon’s remaining eye.
Shrieking souls exploded from its skull. Destroyed her remaining dark magic artifacts and sigils in the room. Shattered the towering stain-glass windows.
She withdrew the spear. Wiped demon’s bile from her eyes. Lowered from its corpse before collapsing to a knee upon landing.
Victory.
“E’lees,” She praised.
She couldn’t free every abducted soul. The souls used for sustenance and to power the Demon’s machines… Gone forever.
“E’lees, forgive me.”
Movement!
She trained the spear on the quivering Demon.
Hiss… The Demon’s form disintegrated to ash. The ash quickly dissolved in the breeze.
She exhaled.
Relief. Exhaustion.
Its done. The goddess E’lees granted her strength. The will. The arsenal. All she needed to defeat the Demon. To defeat prophecy. To prove mortals weren’t slaves to destiny.
Iku… I’m coming home.
She shuffled to a shattered window to bathe in the the sunlight. To inhale the sweet scent of grass on the breeze. To take in the sound of caroling birds.
Hell’s ice was thawing. Life was returning to the region. She was going home where there were endless hills, waterfalls and flowers.
To see Iku… To disembowl every thing you love.
She gasped.
I didn-
Murderous thoughts increasing. Defeaning. Consciousness being crushed. Replaced by another.
Kill them all. Destroy everything… you… I care about.
“I defeated you!” She took an attack position. “You’re-”
Forearm burning…
“Ach!” She rolled up her sleeve.
Black scales formed on her arms and across her collar bone. Organs rapidly shifting. Expanding. Growing.
“Iku, I-”
She’s dying. But she’d never felt stronger. More alive.
“I’m sorry.” She released the spear.
She jerked forward. Landed on all fours.
They tore through her flesh. Her shoulder blades. Her prickly black wings whooshed angrily.
She cried. Tears of pain. Tears of sadness. Tears of laughter.
Prophecy prevailed as it should. She gleefully embraced what she’s meant to become… The Scale Lord.World devourer. Her true self. Fate.
The impact of my thunderous kicks to his shins crumpled him. Nearly brought him to his knees.
He shifted his stance. Switched his lead leg. Shocked his horse.
Didn’t matter.
Still on the offensive, I sank lower and pushed forward– in my horse.
Crack! The sound of my foot connecting with his fresh shin echoed through the Kwoon. I swore the impact shook the weapons and photos on the wall.
I’m flexible but I’d never go for a taller opponents head. I’m short so I prefer low kicks. More efficient. Chop a bigger opponent down to size.
He thought of reaching for his aching leg. I saw it in his eyes. But he retreated into Full Gan Sau instead.
I smiled. “Good… get away.”
He Lurched his shoulders.
I could tell he was frustrated. I saw it in his posture. Training this art would do that to you.
“Simultaneous offense and defense,” I said as I stalked him around the sparring mat. “Both hands.”
He lunged.
I zigged zagged, covering myself at every angle. Batted (pak sau) his hand out of the air. Palm striked him in the jaw. To stun. Not to knock out.
He took a knee.
“Constant forward pressure.” I said. “Coverage. Horse.”
I kept changing angles to keep him busy.
He’s bigger. Wouldn’t dare facing him head on. That’s suicide.
“Always on guard,” I said.
He went for the shoot, but I managed to sink into front horse and spread my legs wide so he couldn’t take my hips, all while dropping elbow and all of my body weight into the back of his neck.
He stumbled.
I struck him on his way down to ensure he wouldn’t recover quickly. He’s overly aggressive.
Was he getting angry? He needed to calm himself. Breathe… The impatience of youth.
“Flow with the power,” I said as I backed off of him. “Maintain center-”
He interrupted with a swing to my head.
I weaved back, allowing his punch to fly over me while simultaneously covering and catching him with a low kick he never saw coming.
He groaned.
I’d stabbed him below the belly button with the point of my toes. Pressure point. Couldn’t have felt good.
I wasn’t done. Only the first half of the move.
“We are smaller.” I sprung forward and caught him with a savage Arrow Punch.
My fist and his face collided.
It was ugly. I felt terrible. He should’ve covered.
The impact sent him somersaulting backwards. The impact sent a painful shock up my wrist and into my shoulder.
“Less skilled.” I relaxed my guard and offered him a hand. “Am I missing anything?”
He smiled. Took my hand and allowed me to help him to his feet.
“You okay?” I asked.
He bowed several times. I could tell he was grateful for the lesson. Its why I chose him as a private student. As the one who will continue the legacy.
“You people?” Omolola snapped as the cold energy radiating from her palms enveloped the air. “What you mean ‘you’ people?”
“Breathe,” Oshun pleaded. “He meant no harm.”
“Bullshit!” Omolola cried as the icy blue aura ripped through her forearms, causing pain she was too enraged to acknowledge. “I dare him to say it again!”
