Chapter 31

“Another round,” Stone said, lifting up his glass. The bartender nodded and poured the gin into his glass.

“My, my, Stone, you seem to be in a good mood,” Madame Nightshade said with a grin. “Something good happen recently? Did you finally land yourself a woman? You’re not getting any younger these days, after all.”

Stone chuckled before leaning forward. “We all know you’re the only girl for me. And anyway, the kid went and got us a new place of business.”

“Kid?” Madame Nightshade tapped her chin until it hit her. “Ah, that adorable little upstart you and Fuze brought with you. How did he manage to do that?”

“Boss pitted him against the other representatives in PVP,” Stone said, making Nightshade gasp.

“PVP?! That dangerous blood sport?!” Nightshade said. “I admit the youngster is talented, given what I saw that night, but to put him in PVP so soon? How badly did he get hurt?” That question only made Stone laugh out loud.

“Him get hurt? Ha! He took care of those mooks like a dog against a bunch of rats,” Stone laughed.

“Is that so?” Nightshade said. “And I’m assuming he’s also the reason why Alduck called for two of my girls?”

“Right again, doll,” Stone clicked his teeth at her before he took another sip of his drink.

Suddenly, the doors of the club swung open and a group of men walked in. They looked around the club as if trying to get a feel of the place, all with looks of ill-contempt. The men made their way to the bar and sat themselves down by Stone.

“What’ll it be, fellas?” NIghtshade asked nonchalantly.

“Tequila,” one of the men said.

Nightshade nodded to the bartender, and he poured all the newcomers a shot of tequila.

“Nice place,” the man said, almost sounding sarcastic. “Although, the smell is a little musky.” He glances at Stone with a mocking smirk. “It smells like somebody took a shit in the corner.”

“Sure it’s not just your upper lip, buddy boy?” Stone asked the tool in a drunken stupor.

“Funny,” the man scoffed as he sipped his drink. “It’s quite a fortunate coincidence that we meet this night, Mr. Stone.”

“And why’s that, dick-nose?” Stone asked the guy before reaching for his switch blade.

“Because your little protégé cost our boss a large some of money,” the man said, when suddenly his men pulled out magical pistols and aimed them at everyone. People screamed when the guns were drawn and one of the armed men hopped over the bar to take Nightshade hostage.

“I’d drop that little toy you got hidden away, Stone,” the man said smugly as he continued to sip his drink.

Stone smirked, either from overconfidence or the drunken haze, but he felt defiant.

“Sure.” He took the blade and stuck it in the guy’s hand and stapled it to the table.

“Aaaaah!” The guy screamed before Stone punched him right in the face, took one of the pistols, and shot the guy who took Nightshade in the head.

“Come on, you tequila-suckin’ simps! Come and get some!” Stone shouted before firing at another of Nacho’s men.

A full-on shootout erupted in the bar as the attacking men ducked behind tables while Stone took cover behind the bar. Guests and employees ran for their lives while Stone did his best to fire back at the men.

“Damn that Serrano Pepper!” Nightshade snapped. “I knew he was a sore loser! Alduck will have his balls for this!”

“Hate to break it to ya, doll, but I don’t think Serrano is in on this!” Stone said as he avoided more shots. “My money’s on that fat puke of a nephew of his!”

“And I’ll add to that if you keep shooting!” Nightshade pleaded as she started making molotov cocktails. “You got a lighter?”

“Gave up smoking a long time ago.” Stone then felt around the body of the guy he killed and found a small book of matches. “Luckily, this guy still did.”

Nightshade wasted no time and used her cloth napkins to stuff into the bottle. She lit a match to ignite the cloth and threw it over the bar. The bottle broke near one of the attacking men, setting him and the surrounding area on fire. The man screamed in agony as he was burned alive.

“Nice one!” Stone praised and also managed to kill another enemy. “You mooks should’ve never underestimated us! When we fight, we fight to win!”

As Stone went to shoot another thug, he was blinded when one of them through a bottle right at his face. This gave an opportunity for another thug to take the pistol away from him and shoot him in the kneecap.

“AARRGGH! FUCK!” Stone yelled and soon the rest of the men piled on him.

“YOU BASTARDS!” Nightshade shouted but the leader simply backhanded her face, making her fall to the floor.

The men kept beating and kicking Stone into submission until the poor man couldn’t keep up his guard anymore. His bones were broken, his knee was destroyed, and his was beginning to lose consciousness from the relentless onslaught.

“¡Suficiente!” The leader commanded, causing the men to stop the beating. The leader wiped his brow and gazed down at the barely conscious Stone. He raised his pistol to finish him off but soon they heard sirens in the distance from outside.

“Maldita sea…you got lucky this night, Mr. Stone,” the leader said and holstered his weapon. “Be sure to tell that little brat that this is what happens when you fuck with the wrong people.”

As the men turned to leave, they heard something crash off to the side. One of the men reacted immediately and fired his weapon at the noise, thinking it was a gunshot. However, to their shock, an innocent barmaid held her bloody stomach with tears streaming down her cheeks. A broken vase lay scattered on the floor by where she stood as she tried to speak, only to collapse to floor.

“PETAL!” Nightshade cried, holding her face.

“Vamanos!” The leader yelled before shoving the guy who shot the barmaid.

As the men made their escape, sirens from both the guards’ carriages and firefighters rolled up to the club. As the firefighters went to work in putting out the fire, Nightshade weeped as she held the poor dead girl’s body in her arms.

The Next Day
Manehattan Central Park
Axel 1st POV

“Woah…!” Diamond said in awe as we walked through the path, and she marveled at the big green trees and vast grassy plains.

I found myself admiring the park as well. To this world’s credit, it looked similarly to the Central Park in New York, back in my world. I had only been to New York once when I was younger, and the park was the only thing I remember.

“Glad you came to the park, Diamond?” I asked with a smile. “Told you it’s a must see.”

“It is! The grass is so green and the water on the pond is shimmering like a million diamonds,” Diamond mused while she kept looking around.

“Just like you,” I said, making her blush. “Oh what, I’m not allowed to compliment my cute little friend?”

“I know, but you don’t have to say it out loud,” Diamond blushed as we went on our way.

I chuckled and tussled her hair a bit. I never had any siblings growing up, and it was fun being viewed as a brother figure to Diamond. When I first met her, I thought she was just a spoiled brat using her father’s name to get whatever she wanted. But ever since I saved her from those goons, it’s like she had a complete change of heart. Not to mention the fact that Mr. Rich sometimes reminds me how grateful he is for setting her straight.

We came across a small bridge that stood over a creek. Diamond and I spotted a family of geese swimming along the water, and I used my phone to take a picture of her standing by them. It was a mommy and daddy goose with their little chick, and the chick looked so happy with its parents as they swam together. It was then I noticed Diamond staring at the family of geese with a small frown.

“What’s wrong, Diamond?” I asked.

“Nothing. It’s just that…I miss my mom,” Diamond said while watching the geese. “She wasn’t the best mom in the world, but she was mine.”

I frowned and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Your dad told me they split up.”

“He never told me why she and he separated. Every time I asked, he would change the subject or give me bits.” I could tell Diamond felt depressed after saying that.

I felt bad for the kid after hearing that. I was never one to pry in personal affairs like this, and I never asked Mr. Rich about his divorce since it wasn’t any of my business. I’ve known plenty of people back home who’ve experienced their parents splitting up and they either move on or they let it affect their social life. Diamond was probably younger than she is now when they split up but something tells me she may know why her parents split up even though her dad never told her. But, be that as it may, I still wouldn’t pry.

Seeing Diamond all sad made think of a way to get her back into high spirits. I thought about just giving her a flight around the park, but I didn’t think that was gonna cut it. She’s already seen me show off my powers before, and I wanted to show her a good time. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. I pulled out my phone and began scrolling through my apps.

“Do I still have it…?” I muttered to myself.

“Still have what?” Diamond asked as I kept scrolling through my phone.

“Aha! I knew my lazy ass didn’t delete it!” I said as I found the app in question. I tapped it and let it load up. “Ooh! My data is still here! I would’ve been pissed if it wasn’t, considering all the effort I put into it.”

“What are you talking about?” Diamond asked.

“I’m gonna put on a little show for you, Diamond,” I smiled and held my out phone towards an open area of the park. “Sure hope this works though…and it doesn’t screw up my phone.”

I activated Video with my phone in my hand and focused. The screen from my phone shined brightly as my digital power sparked around my hand and arm. Suddenly, a digital beam shot out of my phone, and a group of individuals started to take form in front of us. Like a hologram, their shapes became more visible while having a video-like appearance. I kept using my power until the individuals finally finished taking form. Diamond was at a loss for words as the new group stood in front of us. They were an odd-looking bunch and looked like they were made of leaves and branches. Each of them was carrying different kinds of instruments and wore different styles of hats.

“Sweet! It actually worked!” I cheered.

“Wow! What are they?” Diamond asked.

“They, Diamond, are the Shugabush Band!” I said proudly. People who were walking by stopped and stared at the strange newcomers.

“A band? They sing?” Diamond asked.

“You better believe it,” I nodded and looked at the band. “Alright, let’s see if they’ll do as I say. Get into position!”

As if they understood me, the monsters nodded and walked a few feet away from each other as if they were getting ready on a stage. They tuned their guitars and the drummer beat on his drum set to test it out. As they prepared, I noticed more people approaching as they wondered what was going on.

“Seems we’re getting a crowd,” I smirked. The singer of the group gave me a thumbs up and a nod. “And it looks like they’re ready to go.”

Wanting to make a big spectacle, I summoned my digital wings and flew up over the band with my phone in hand. I then cleared my throat to address the oncoming crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” I called out. “Please give a warm welcome to my singing monsters, the Shugabush Band!” I looked down at Diamond and playfully winked at her. “Hit it!”

The Shugabush band played the song and immediately, Diamond and the crowd were eating it up. The music began attracting more people passing by as they began to dance along with the music. Meanwhile, I kept hovering in the air with my phone and bobbed my head to the beat of the music as I watched everyone enjoy the performance. As I watched the spectators, I saw that Diamonds mood had vastly changed from dreary to cheery. It seemed to be infectious, because I couldn’t help keeping the same smile off my face.

Diamond started dancing and laughing like she was having the time of her life, along with some other children in the crowd. When she looked up at me with those innocent eyes, I couldn’t help but feel a sort of bond between me and Diamond grow stronger. She waved at me with her bright smile and laughter, which stirred a warm and familial feeling of joy and warmth.

I’ll do anything to protect that smile… I thought to myself.

The song soon came to an end and the crowd cheered for the band. The Shugabush monsters all took a bow for their performance in response to their cheering.

“Hey! Who wants an encore?!” I asked the crowd.

Their answer came in the form of a huge uproar that could arguably rival any stadium. I nodded and the Shugabush Band got back into position to play another song.

The song seemed to get many people to think of their situation and it brought a smile to their face. A lot of them started to sing to the repeating lyrics, and I could see Diamond was joining right along with them.

When the song ended, the crowd erupted with cheers and applause as the Shugabush band bowed once more. I then decided to fly back down where Diamond stood while keeping my power activated. As soon as I touched down, Diamond jumped on me and hugged me tight with her little arms.

“Heh, I take it you enjoyed the show?” I said while holding her with one arm.

“It was amazing!” Diamond chirped as she leaned back while keeping her arms wrapped around my neck. “You’re amazing, big brother Axel!”

I smiled at her and nodded at the girl. “Just remember, Diamond, no matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you. Because you’re also like a little sister to me.”

“Really?” Diamond asked with stars in her eyes. “That’s…the first time you’ve called me that.”

“Because it’s true,” I said, still smiling warmly. “From here on out, you and I are family. To you, my little sister, from me, your big brother, we’ll be together forever.”

Diamond’s lip quivered as she smiled and hugged me tight. Tight enough to actually make it a little difficult to breathe.

I laughed as some of the crowd awed at us, and eventually I set her down, but she stood close to me. I noticed I was still using my powers and the Shugabush Band were standing there waiting for my next orders.

“Well Diamond?” I said, looking down at my new cute little sister. “What’s say we keep this party going?”

She nodded while holding me close to her. Wanting to illustrate our redefined relationship, I had the band play this little number. A few of the Shugabush’s stepped forward to play the song.

Diamond and I danced with each other while holding hands as the crowd danced around us. Diamond was laughing and had the biggest smile on her face as she and I skipped to the beat of the song. I lost track of how long we were at the park together, and I had the Shugabush band play more songs throughout the day. Safe to say, I may have just made Diamond the happiest girl in the world.

Later That Night
Dante 1st POV

For fuck’s sake, Axel, you sure took your sweet-ass time today, I thought annoyed as I flew towards Alduck’s estate.

It was fortunate that the kid fell asleep as soon as Axel brought her to the hotel. Rich made sure to prolong the time for our little conscious switch by giving Axel an hour-long speech of how grateful he was to him. I almost had half a mind to just force Axel to switch with me, no pun intended. Eventually, Axel managed to convince Rich to excuse him for the night since he said he wanted to venture out into the city. Soon as he and the big wig parted ways, I wasted no time in taking over and took flight in the night sky.

Seriously, how many times is Rich gonna express how grateful he is? We get it, his kid’s happy, whoop de doo, I thought as I rolled my eyes.

For a single father who had to deal with a troubled child, his praise is warranted, Axel retorted. Though, I do have to agree, his praise is starting to sound like ass-kissing.

My point, exactly, I thought as I I neared the estate.

When I touched down in front of the gate, I noticed the guards looked a little on edge. They opened the gate for me right away, and I could tell the atmosphere around here felt different than usual. I spotted Fuze at the front door pacing back and forth while wiping his forehead with sweat. Guy looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

“Sheesh, Fuze, what’s got you on edge?” I asked. “The missus got your balls held hostage?”

“Not the time, kid,” Fuze said before lighting a cigarette. “Stone’s in a bad way.”

This took me by surprise as Fuze led me into the mansion. “What do you mean? The hell happened to Stone?” I asked.

“Nacho. The little bastard sent his goons to Nightshade’s club and ransacked the place. They beat Stone within an inch of his life. They even killed one of Shade’s girls, Petal,” Fuze explained as we moved further into the mansion.

“What the fuck?!” I snapped, feeling my rage build. “I knew I should’ve ripped that fucker’s guts out! Tell me where he is! I’ll make his life a living hell!”

“And risk a war with Mexicolt?!” Fuze snapped, confusing me.

“Elaborate, please? What’s in Mexicolt?” I wondered, then realizing it was this world’s version of Mexico.

“Trafficking, contraband, and smuggled goods. The only thing down there other than illegals,” Fuze said as we stopped at a door where a small group had gathered outside a double door.

“Wow, the trifecta,” I said.

“Not only that, but Alduck made it clear to everyone never to fuck with the Cartel,” Fuze said. “Those psychos know to hold a grudge against anyone who dares cross them the wrong way.”

Fuck me! There’s even Cartel in this world?! Axel yelped in my head. I knew fucking with those guys would bite us in the ass!

Calm down, we haven’t done anything to them…yet, I thought.

Dante, please, I beg you, don’t do anything stupid! Axel begged.

How about you hush up and let me handle this, I thought as the doors opened for us. I saw Alduck in the middle of screaming at someone on the phone.

“Listen to me you insignificant cunt! I don’t give a damn who you have to slap around, or whose knees you gotta break! You find those shit heads before the week’s end, or I’ll have you beaten worse than Stone!” Alduck barked before slamming the phone into the receiver. “Fuck!”

“Um…boss? Dante’s here,” Fuze said.

“I heard what happened, boss,” I said, stepping forward. “So, who do you want me to rip apart? In fact, I’ll go straight to Nacho right now and burn him alive.”

“You'll do no such thing!” Alduck barked. “By all means, get his goons, but we don’t touch Nacho without a sit-down with the Commission.”

“Why would that shit stain do this?” Fuze wondered. “He’s basically spitting in the face of the treaty between the Commission.”

“Probably because of me,” I admitted, making them look at me. “Think about it. I sabotaged his plans for the PVP last night, cost him who knows how much money, and I sliced up his face pretty good. He’s probably lashing out at Mr. Alduck since he knows he can’t do anything to me.”

“So, what do you plan on doing then?” Fuse asked me.

“Simple, what Mr. Alduck suggested,” I said with a menacing grin. “If I recall, didn’t Serrano say something about Nacho running a prostitution ring somewhere in the city?”

Fuse smirked before patting my back. “There’s an alley at the end of Restaurant Row that leads to all the low-end joints. Look for a guy named Slim. He’ll get you what you want to know.”

“First thing’s first,” I said, and turned to Alduck. “Don Alduck. Do I have your permission to retaliate in any manner of my choosing?”

Alduck poured himself a drink while looking out at the city from afar through his window. “Kid. Make it loud.”

I flew straight towards the street where popular restaurants were located. I could only imagine what Stone looked like in his condition and how poor Ms. Nightshade must be feeling after seeing one of her employees get killed. The lack of respect and overuse of authority that Nacho displayed by sicking his goons on the club made my gut churn. There was no way he was gonna get away with this, not by a long shot.

Dante, please think about this, Axel said. I get you’re pissed, but something tells me we’re poking at a hornet’s nest.

“Pissed doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel,” I said aloud. “They disrespected me when they attacked Stone. And no one disrespects me like that. Ever.” I arrived at the alley Fuze mentioned and started looking around for my contact. I saw a fatass with gross-looking wings on his back hanging by the door and tried for him. “Hey! I’m looking for Slim.”

“I am Slim.” I had to take a moment to hold back my laughter when I heard this fat sonuva bitch was Slim. “Whatchu want?”

“Name’s Dante,” I introduced myself. “Don Alduck sent me to derail Nacho’s business.”

“‘Bout time. That prick’s been needing an ass whooping for a long time.” Slim gestured for me to follow him down the alley illuminated by a dim light.

“So, what’s the play? Do I just tear shit up?” I asked.

“Exactly. Start with the pizza parlor down on 3rd street. Nacho has a prostitution ring in the basement. Start there,” Slim said while handing me a slip of paper.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“A couple of names. One, a mister Booker, keeps the books. And the other guy, Lumber…he’s the guy who killed Nightshade’s girl,” Slim told me.

That last part made me grit my teeth in anger. The fact that they’d be willing to kill a poor young woman in cold blood made me sick to my stomach. Even if I myself am a cold murdering bastard, I’d never stoop so low as killing without any other choice.

“You’d best get out of here, Slim,” I said, walking past him as smoke wisps billowed off my body. “Because these streets are gonna flow red with blood.”

Slim nodded and took off as quick as he could while flapping his wings. My march to the pizza parlor was quick as I slowly unraveled my chain from my wrist. My power made my chain glow red as little red cinders floated with my smoke trails behind me. I could feel Axel in my head wanting to say something, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. Which was fine by me, because I was in no mood to hear his bitching. My trek eventually came to an end once I reached the parlor. I peeked inside the restaurant to see no one inside. Just a couple dudes hanging out behind the counter. Not bothering to be subtle, I approached the front door and kicked the door as hard as I could. The door was sent flying off its hinges and crashed into a couple of tables. The men behind the counter were startled at the sudden loud noise until they saw me walk in with a blood thirsty glare directed at them.

“Knock-knock, motherfuckers,” I snarled.

“What the fuck, ass-wipe! You looking to get killed?!” The guy with the mustache said while reaching under the counter and bringing out a bat with a couple of nails in the wood.

I raised my left hand and fired a cinder shot at his head. The blast exploded his whole face off and he fell backwards like a limp rag doll.

“Woah…” I said with a grin. “Guess that Blast Core Axel absorbed had a little more oomph than I thought.”

“¡Qué mierda hombre!” The scrawny looking guy shouted before rushing into the back room.

I ran after him as he tried shutting the door on me. I smashed right through it to see him desperately running down a flight of stairs. He glanced back at me with terror in his eyes and he ran into another room at the bottom. I chuckled a little as I took a step back and jumped all the way down the stairs and busted the door down again. Inside was a larger room with more thugs and some women. Beds and mattresses were spread out in different corners of the room and the scent that filled my nostrils almost made me gag. Some men were either fully nude or barely had any clothing on, same for the women, which was disturbing, but the one thing I noticed right off the bat were the women themselves. While most looked to be in their mid twenties, or older, there were a few girls who looked like they were in their teens. The sight of these girls in a place like this only fueled my growing anger as more cinders and smoke billowed off my body.

“You fuckers are so fucked, you don’t even realize it,” I hissed, spinning my chain around. “I’m gonna enjoy making you all squirm!”

“¡Demonio! ¡Es el demonio!” The guy who ran screamed in terror while he zipped past the larger guys.

Some of the men scrambled to get whatever weapons they had stashed around. I immediately got to work by whipping my chain at the nearest thug’s bear back. His flesh was ripped off his bones from the searing heat of my chain, and I fired a couple more cinder shots at the other thugs. The women in the room began screaming in terror as they tried escaping during my onslaught.

“You like that?!” I said maniacally as I wrapped my chain around a thug’s neck and yanked it, melting his head off his shoulders. “You all like getting hot and bothered?! Well, I’ll make sure you’re all burnt to a fucking crisp! Where the fuck is Booker?! Bring me Lumber too! I got business with those sick fucks!”

As I kept burning and beating the shit out of these mother fuckers, my eye caught a glimpse of a guy wearing Caeser Romero’s clothes holding a gun to one of the younger girl’s head while heading up a separate set of stairs in the back.

“Oh no you don’t…” I growled as I whipped two more thugs before giving chase.

I ran up the stairs as more thugs, who were dressed and armed, tried cutting me off up the stairs. I raised my hand and charged up a cinder blast and fired. A massive explosion sent the lot flying out from the other side they came from. Fire began burning the walls around me as I continued up the stairs and made it to the top of the roof on the third floor. The guy kept his gun held against his hostage’s head while he had his arm wrapped around her neck.

“I’m gonna make a wild guess and say you’re Booker?” He flinched at the question. “I guess you are. Every second you keep your gun pressed against her head is a second more I take to make the last fleeting moments of your life a living hell,” I threatened.

“I don’t think so, puto!” Booker had the girl dangle off the side of the building while still holding her. “You kill me, she falls to her death! You come any closer, I shoot her in her pretty face!” He cocked back the hammer to show he was serious. “Get the fuck out of my sight, and I let the little puta live! When my boss hears what you did, everyone you know, and love, will be skinned and butchered! ¡Nunca debiste habernos jodido, cabrón!”

I had to weigh my options here, much as I didn’t want to. I could use my Neon and just sprint at him before he has a chance of killing her and falling off the edge. There’s a risk that during my power up, he’ll just kill her right then and there and it would all be fore nothing. The girl looked scared out of her wits, and she was saying something in Spanish that sounded like she was praying.

Dante! I suddenly heard Axel yell. Why the fuck are you hesitating?! Save her! You can do it!

Don’t be naïve, Axel, I thought. Just look at that shit-head. I even twitch my finger the wrong way, she dies.

Well, you gotta do something! Switch with me! I can save her! Axel begged.

And if you can’t? I thought.

It’s a risk I’m willing to take! Just let me briefly take the reigns! Axel demanded.

…

“I got a better idea,” I said while switching to Neon.

Whew…okay, just focus on making a break for the girl. The Blast Core I absorbed should’ve given us enough power to boost our speed as well. So, you’re gonna have to time it just-

ZAP!

The silence in the air was almost too deafening to bear. Booker blinked as he was frozen stiff as a statue for several seconds until he managed to slowly look down. To his horror, a fresh wound had torn through his shoulder, slowly rendering his arm’s functions useless. But that wasn’t what he was looking at. What he was seeing was another wound that pierced right through his hostage’s head. The girl’s eyes were widened with shock and horror as the life in her eyes almost immediately snuffed out, and her body began to go limp. Booker then looked back at me and saw my hand raised at them, glowing a fluorescent red glow as I had fired a concentrated neon beam. All the while, a menacingly twisted smile grew across my lips as the fire behind me had grown more violent. I would imagine the spectacle made me look like some kind of demon from Hell in his eyes.

“I’ll save you the trouble,” I said with a sadistic tone.

D…Dan…te… Wh…why…? I could barely hear Axel in my head as his presence faded away back into my mind.

Shaking in his own shoes, Booker dropped the girl’s body into the streets below while slowly backing away with his gun pointed at me. “¡Quédate atrás, carajo! ¡Te juro que te mataré! ¡Quédate atrás!”

I slowly took a step forward as fear ran through his eyes. Booker fired at me, but his shaking made him miss me entirely as the magic bolt whizzed by my head. I made my way towards Booker as he desperately kept firing at me, only to keep missing each and every time. It wasn’t until I was only a couple of feet in front of him did he try firing once more at close proximity, only to hear the click from the empty gun.

“You’re all out,” I mocked.

The sniveling shit panicked and threw his gun at my head. I just caught it before throwing it right into his face. The gun hit him square in the nose, and he was about to fall backwards but I caught him by his collar.

“You’re one of the shit stains who ransacked Nightshade’s place,” I growled and glared deep into his eyes. “Were you the one who killed that girl?”

“I-It wasn’t me! It was Lumber! The stupid cabrón shot her because she broke a damn vase! We thought it was a gunshot!” Booker said.

“Where is he?” I demanded.

“In the basement at the taco shack down the road!” Booker said. “Are you here to avenger her, you hypocrite?!” He spat.

“No, it just makes finding him easier for me,” I said.

I pulled him back and pinned him on the roof while wrapping the chain around my fist. “Now, you’re going to tell me all about Nacho’s operations, and if you don’t, you’re going to lose some teeth. Got me?”

“You have no idea what you’re-!” I shut him up by bashing his face with two teeth flying. “¡Joder!”

“Better start talking, while you still got some teeth to do so!” I barked while getting ready for another punch.

“¡Vete a la mierda, perra!” Booker spat in my face.

I punched him again, knocking out a molar this time. “Keep it up, motherfucker, and I’ll have you chocking on your own balls! Now tell me about Nacho!”

“I…I am loyal to Señor Nacho!” Booker seethed in his pain-filled state. “I will die before I reveal anything!”

“Oh, I’m not gonna kill ya,” I said as I switched to Video and summoned my digital demon claws with my free hand. “I’m just gonna hurt you. Really…really…bad.”

Without any hesitation, I dug my claws in the open wound in his shoulder and began twisting and clawing away his flesh and bone.

“AAAAHHHH!!” Booker screamed in pure agony.

I clawed and pulled at his flesh for nearly twenty minutes and lacerated his other arm with my claws. I then jammed one of my claws in his eye before scooping it out before he decided to talk. “Alright! Alright, alright! I’ll tell you what you want to know!”

I forced him to look over the edge of the building to look out at the other buildings in the area.

“Point out where the rest of Nacho’s prostitution ring is,” I demanded.

With a shaky hand, the filth pointed out a laundromat, a liquor store, the taco shack he mentioned before, a small fishing warehouse at the docks, and finally, a toy store of all places. These are some disgusting people.

“There, now you know, now let me go!” Booker demanded.

I let out a low chuckle as he turned his head to me with fearful confusion. It was then he realized that I was holding onto him from falling over the edge of the roof. He looked at me with pure horror in his remaining eye as I loosened my grip on him.

“Very poor choice of words,” I said and let go of him.

As Booker fell screaming from the roof toward the pavement, I couldn’t help the laughter that I let out. He fell headfirst on the ground, and I heard a sickening crunch of his neck shattering and his head being crushed from the fall as blood splattered everywhere. I had to admit, this was very fun.

As the fire surrounded me from the burning building, I took note of the other buildings that the guy pointed out. I figured by now someone must’ve called the guards or more of Nacho’s goons were called for backup and they be on their way. I then got an idea what would both save time and make things a bit louder than it already was. I used Video to summon a red digital demonic circle. The circle called forth over a dozen digital demons around me.

“Master,” one of the demons hissed as they all bowed to me. “What is your bidding?”

“Swarm those buildings,” I commanded, pointing at the buildings Booker pointed out. “Rip the thugs to shreds, leave no quarter, burn it all down. As for those who’re unaffiliated, you may choose to leave them be.”

“As you wish, master,” The lead demon bowed along with the other demons before heading toward the buildings, some cackling like crazy.

“Okay…now what?” I asked no one in particular.

How about you get the fuck back into my head before I find a way to give you an aneurysm and take us both out, you fucking psychopath! I heard Axel roar in my head. What the absolute fuck is wrong with you?! You killed a teenager who was begging for help! I told you I could’ve saved her if you’d’ve just let me take control! But no! You just wanted to satiate your fucking bloodlust! I should…I should…! Fuck! I can’t even think straight! That’s how pissed I am at you, and myself for letting this shit happen!

Hey, I did ya a big favor, jackass, I spat in my head. That guy had a twitchy finger and was ready to ice the girl any second. If I let you take the wheel, you’d’ve probably done some stupid shit like try to talk the guy down or, as you put it, use your power to save her. It was too big of a risk, so I took the risk out of the equation.

That is such fucking bullshit! You wanted this to happen! You wanted to kill her! She didn’t have to die! She was just a fucking kid! Axel argued back.

Wouldn’t’ve made much of a difference. She was going to die anyways, might as well be me to do the deed. I then used digital to conjure some wings and flew high into the air, and centered myself above the buildings Nacho had dealings with. Now shut up. I got some music to make!

Just as the demons began tearing up the town, I raised my arms and started waving my hands synchronously. I hovered in the air as I looked down at the pathetic thugs trying to make a break for it, only to be torn asunder by a pursuing digital demon. As if conducting an orchestra of death and destruction, I continued waving my hands with a twisted smile as I watched my minions tear the town apart. The sounds of magic gunfire were heard popping off as the thugs tried to put up a fight.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE THESE THINGS?!” One thug screamed as he tried to shoot a demon.

“JUST KEEP SHOOTING, IMBÉCIL!” Another thug screamed while rapidly firing at the horde, hitting none and accidentally killing one of his fellow thugs.

The demons were on a rampage as they continued raiding every building and setting fire from within. The civilians that were caught in the chaos all fled for their lives while screaming in terror. Some looked up in the sky to see me, which only made their fear grow drastically. Although they couldn’t quite make out my face due to the dark of night and how high I flew up in the air, my digital red bat wings made me look like a demon who reveled in the destruction taking place. Over at the laundromat, an explosion caused four thugs to jump from the third floor before being picked off by my digital demons.

“Such a wonderful sight of destruction and mayhem,” I said to myself as I continued waving my arms. “This’ll send a message to that fat prick not to fuck with me or the Don.”

Soon, all of Nacho’s buildings were engulfed in flames, the streets were alive with the sounds of screams and sirens blaring. Such beautiful chaos and destruction. Almost brings a tear to my eye. I then caught sight of a man who wore similarly fancy clothes who was trying to make a break for it by desperately flapping his wings as fast as he could while carrying a couple duffle bags that were no doubt filled with money or gems. I glanced at one of my demons, to which it looked up at me, and I signaled it to catch the guy trying to fly away. The demon nodded and flew right at the guy and managed to catch him in midair, making him drop the bags. The man yelled frantically as my demon forced him to fly over to me until he was right in front of me in the air.

“I’d like to go two for two with this guessing game and say, judging by your fancy-ass attire, and the fact you’re trying to bail with those bags filled with stolen funds, you must be the other piece of shit, Lumber?” I said, making him look at me with pure fear and confusion.

“Wh-Why are you doing this?!” Lumber yelled.

“And we got a winner,” I said, and flew in close. “Take a good long look at what’s happening down there, Lumber,” I said, pointing at the death and destruction below us. “I did this because I wanted to send a very loud message to your boss. I want him to know that while there may be consequences with fucking with him and his people, there are even more consequences when fucking with me and my boss. And I realize I may sound hypocritical, but you people hurt a good friend of mine and killed a girl in cold blood.” I leaned in close to glare into his eyes. “You are the only one who I am choosing to spare because I want you to tell your boss everything that happened. I want you to tell him that if he ever tries to fuck with me, my boss, or anyone I know, I’ll be sure to pay him and his fucking uncle a personal visit to give them my own message. One that requires me ripping out both their tongues and shoving them up the other’s ass. So, fly, Lumber, fly as fast as fucking possible before I decide to do the same to you.”

I nodded at my demon, and it let Lumber go, allowing him to fly as fast as possible away from me. In the distance, I saw some more flashing lights that was coming straight towards my location. Probably the local authorities finally responding to all the mayhem.

“That’s my cue,” I said, then looked down at my demons. “DEMONS!” I called out in a loud voice. “SEARCH THE BUILDINGS FOR ANY VALUABLES! MONEY, JEWELRY, GEMSTONES, AND WHATEVER ELSE YOU CAN FIND! GATHER EVERYTHING! WE MAKE OUR LEAVE!”

The demons let out a chorus of roars before diving back into the buildings to loot all they could. I slowly descended back to the ground with a triumphant smile. Most of the buildings around me were burning to a crisp while the streets were littered with Nacho’s mutilated goons. I strolled down street and admired my handiwork.

“You…monstruo.…!” I stopped and glanced over to see a thug looking up at me with a missing arm and torn out eye. “When…Señor Nacho…hears of this…he will…have your head…!”

I used Video while unsheathing my Amp to conjure a digital black and red blade before slicing off his head.

“Yours first,” I retorted as his head rolled away and I sheathed my Amp back.

I could hear sirens closing in on my position. The authorities were getting closer.

“Time to go!” I called out, and my demons all came out carrying various bags, safes, and boxes.

I flapped my digital wings and took flight with the demons following close behind. I glanced over my shoulder to see the authorities arrive at the scene, and I smirked to myself while imagining the look on Nacho’s face.

Alduck’s mansion finally came into view after flying high in the sky as to avoid any prying eyes from the citizens below. My demons clung to my haul of treasures and valuables the whole way, and we made our way down to the Don’s. We landed just in front of the front door and my demons landed behind me. Just then, Alduck and Fuze, followed by a few of Alduck’s men, came walking out to see me and I gave them a mock salute.

“Evening, sirs. As promised, I made sure I was loud and proud,” I said.

“Not bad, kid. Nacho will no doubt go to his uncle. That’s when the real battle will begin,” Alduck said before gesturing me inside.

“I aim to please,” I said as I snapped my fingers and my demons disappeared after they set the cargo down for the men to haul away. “So, how’s Stone doing?”

“He’s conscious at the moment. Want to see him? He’s been talking about you in his dreams,” The Don said while puffing his cigar.

We moved through the house to the bedroom where they were keeping Stone. When we entered the room, I saw Stone lying in bed, bloodied and bruised. When I stood at his bedside, he turned to me and chuckled.

“Here I am with a brutal ass kicking, and I still look better than you do,” Stone joked.

“Heh, you wish,” I said back and took a seat. “Sorry this happened to you, old man.”

“Watch it, kid, I’m still spry enough to spank you down the street and back the other way,” Stone said, making us all laugh but he grunted in pain.

“How long will you be out of commission?” I asked.

“Doc says another three weeks ‘till I’ll be able to walk. At least another month before I can get back to cracking skulls and breaking legs,” Stone smiled before reaching for a glass of whiskey.

I couldn’t help but felt bad for Stone and the situation he was in. Both he and Fuze were pretty decent people under the Don and they showed me the ropes how to work around here. It wasn’t fair for him to be cooped up in a room shitting in a pan for a month and half. So, I decided to do something about it.

“Stone, I’m gonna throw you a bone,” I said, standing up while activating my electricity in my hands. “Don’t freak out, but this’ll feel really weird.”

“Kid. At this point, nothing you do can surprise me,” Stone said while laying back down.

I looked at the Don as he stared at me curiously. “With your permission, I’ll get this man standing right back up and busting heads like he used to,” I said. The Don raised a brow at me but nodded his head regardless.

I nodded back and red sparks danced between my fingers and along my hands and arms. I held them over Stone. Stone flinched as I put my hands on his chest, and I began pouring my healing energy into him. Stone gasped when he felt his body healing at a miraculous pace, and he could feel his bones being put back together. The black eye disappeared, the gash on his cheek closed up, and I noticed him moving his foot under the cast again. I kept using my power until there wasn’t even a scratch or bruise left on the man. I slowly deactivated my power and took a deep breath before stepping away. Everyone in the room was silent as a mouse due to the shocking spectacle they just witnessed. Stone looked down at himself and looked back up at me, to which I just gave him a smirk.

“Well? Get your ass out of bed,” I said playfully.

Stone hesitated but actually managed to move his body much more easily than before. He sat up on the edge of the bed and rose back up to his feet. Stone looked down at his hands and stamped the ground a few times with his previously broken leg.

“How do you feel?” I asked.

Stone chuckled a bit before patting my arm. “I feel like I’m twenty again!” He then brings me into a near bone crushing hug. “Kid, I owe you a damn beer, and at least twenty more!”

“Oof! Glad I could help!” I said as he set me down.

“You did more than that, my boy,” Don Alduck said. “Tonight, you sent a message to Serrano that when he bites my hand, I make sure to bite back twice as hard. No doubt he’ll try to blame me for what happened, but it was his nephew who instigated it all.”

“Couldn’t agree more, boss,” I said.

“In fact, it’s a bit shameful to keep you as a mere enforcer of my group,” Alduck said and snapped his fingers. A man came in with a little box and he brought it to Alduck. Alduck opened the little box and inside was a fancy-looking ring.

“What’s this?” I wondered.

“My boy,” Alduck began before taking the ring and walking up to me. “As of tonight, you’re a made man.”

Everyone in the room, including Stone, bowed their heads to me while placing their hands over their hearts. Alduck took my right hand and gently put the ring on my ring finger with a proud smile. I looked down at the ring and felt a little pride well up inside me. I had only joined this mob for a short while, and now I’ve become one of the top dogs of the criminal underworld.

“Oh yeah…” I said subtlety to myself. “It just keeps getting more and more interesting by the day.”

Author's Note

The Red Hawk, Dante, continues to make his name more infamous.

Side Note
One word: college. That is all.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…