Promise City, Connecticut
19th October
18:46 (6:46 PM)
2019
It was a cold night in Promise City, rain fell around the city like tears for this was the world's place of the damned. Salarymen shuffled quickly into the public transport that made up the city's vast transportation network. The roar of the ultra fast railway echoed throughout the streets above as the maglev above shook the city's tall towering skyscrapers, vibrating their glass with constant tremors. The two mega towers of the LawGroup and Kodoma Corporation dominated the dark sky, both equally as tall as one another, seemingly competing for the dominance of the city itself. But unlucky for both of the MegaCorps there was a hero that couldn't be bought.
Near. Promise City's guardian, its protector. The brooding vigilante hadn't been in the city long and so had much to learn. The following thirteen nights would affect him forever, always sceptical of the supernatural, despite ironically being the vessel for a fallen angel, they would reshape his understanding and perhaps convince him otherwise.
Two figures had entered one of the many stores that quickly prepared for the scary festive holiday. It was a Toy store owned by the Kodoma Corporation through a shell company. Not only did Kodoma Corp own the majority of the city's infrastructure it now also owned most of the toy distributors for the youth. The two unusual figures smashed one of the windows that lined the building using one of the many bricks that laid on the sidewalk.
'Typical MegaCorps.. First the housing, the food, hell entertainment and NOW TOYS!' One of them muttered, impaling one of the security cameras that perched high in one of the many dark corners using a wrist mounted crossbow.
'Clear their register then go right?' The other asked nervously, his eyes darting around him.
'No. We're sending a message.'
The two emerged from the darkness. One of them, pale, short and bald, wore orange construction workers fatigues, on his back were multiple mechanical tendrils that creaked with every movement. He wore heavy metallic boots, of which he used to kick wooden crates out of his way, with a crash they landed and exploded upon impact with the concrete. He held a shotgun in both hands of which he used to open the metallic security doors within the building proper.
BLAM BLAM
'COME IN MY FRIEND! QUICKLY NOW!' He gestured to his partner in crime.
Another figure emerged from the dark, he was unremarkable and easily forgettable. A clean pressed brown suit, neatly polished black shoes, neat slick back hair, and circular spectacles. He was meek and small, definitely not the type to be in that situation.
'Oh I dunno Roman, picking a fight with the Kodoma's is BAD NEWS. You know they don't forgive…'
'Wasn't counting on it, friend.' The extravagant criminal bowed, throwing two grenades behind him, blowing up the inside of the store with pieces of toys falling around him. The meek gentleman stumbled backwards.
'Don't worry lil Jim, that was just the Christmas stock, I know right?! Christmas IN OCTOBER now THAT'S criminal!'
'How much was that in damage…?' Lil Jim asked.
'About a hundred thousand, why? The whole building is worth a couple million.'
'THE WHOLE BUILDING?!' Jim screeched. 'That would surely draw attention!'
Roman laughed dismissively. Breaking off a piece of the store's computer.
'I know it would, that's why we're here, kid.'
'The Corporations are scary, but I am scared of something worse…'
Roman looked behind him. With a smirk.
'Awe, scared of the Angel? The guardian of Promise City? The big BAD KNIGHT?! BAHAHA! Oh come onnnn. Him and me, were like besties. I blow shit up, he appears. I run away, he chases. So chill out Unlucky Jim. It'll be okay.'
'Ok?! All I wanted was a nice walk, and YOU came along and said "hey Jimmy, wanna walk together?", and HERE WE ARE!'
Roman snickered.
'Relax Jimmy boy. It'll be fine.'
Jim stood besides Roman who was quite a bit taller than him. He adjusted his glasses as he looked anxiously around him. All he could see was the empty dark void staring back at him.
Jim then whispered his voice and made a squeak.
'Y-you… don't think HE is watching…do you?'
Roman laughed, amused by the meek man's panic.
'You aren't scared are you? The famous Unlucky Jimmy Callahan! Don killing, hero slaying hitman.'
'I didn't do it on purpose!'
'Well, it's time to put your rep to the test kid.'
Then there was a thud. And a creek upon wood. He had arrived.
Roman turned to face behind him, his smiling gleaming like the moon. Jim? He almost passed out, pale as the moon, mouth gaping and all colour draining like an unplugged sink.
'FINALLY' Roman roared triumphantly.
'Eeeeeeeee!' Jim internally screamed, with the amusing sound being all that left his vessel.
'Busy?' the figure asked.
With a thud, a cloaked figure rose from the darkness. It rose to its feet, with each step its boots tapped the concrete ground.
'When I received the alert of a break in at the Promise Toy shop, little did I know it would be you two. Puppeteer.'
Roman turned around, his smile gleaning like the moonlight and as sharp as a blade. He cocked his shotgun with a vicious click. He slowly turned to face the figure of the night.
'Well y'know Near..' Puppeteer turns abruptly, firing off a shot with a thunderous BLAM. A buckshot of lead rained towards the shadowy figure who narrowly avoided the blast. He was gone, Near had escaped into the shadows that surrounded the pair.
Puppeteer followed up his first volley with a second BLAM and third BLAM.
'He's still out there Lil Jim. Keep your eyes peeled.'
'R-Right Roman, you can count on m-' Unlucky Jim's eyes locked on the shadowy figure within the shadows, its eyes pierced right back at him. They narrowed and when they did…
'EEEEEEEeeeeeeee!' Jim screeched, flailing his arms around.
'ROMAN HE'S RIGHT THERE!'
BLAM Puppeteer fired a blast and,
Gone.
WHAM Near struck the criminal in a flash.
Puppeteer fell to his knees, he was struck in the jaw, he swayed for a moment, his vision a blur. Puppeteer on his knees, smiled. Behind him, looming in the cupboard at the far end of the store, hidden amongst a pile of boxed Halloween decorations, two pairs of beady red eyes focused on the vigilante who used the darkness for cover.
'COUGH COUGH…. Do you really think I would come alone?... AND I DON'T MEAN THAT SPINELESS WRECK!'
'HEY!' Jim responded offended, clutching on a rusted metal pipe he found randomly on the concrete ground.
'I've brought a couple of friends Near, and you know them well…. Well you KNEW them but since our last encounter I've given them a little upgrade… BEEP.' Puppeteer pressed a small button on his wrist console with a mechanical click. Immediately the horrors hidden began to mechanically hum as electrical current roared across their metal frame, their inner mechanisms cranking and optics adjusting with a multitude of clicks, adjusting and readjusting their vision for what seemed for the first time in many decades.
The cupboard door was smashed off its hinges, it crumbled into splinters upon its landing upon the concrete ground.
The dimly lit emergency lights within the store revealed a mechanical, thick, rusted, water damaged arm clenched into a fist.
Near was caught by surprise, before he knew it, a hooked metal foot picked him from his sanctuary of the dark and planted him into the concrete ground with such force, the ground itself cracked from the immense pressure.
'Uhhhgghhrrrr…' he moaned, holding his ribs. Struggling to resist the weight that pressed against him.
('I…I need to find a way out of this….') he thought, frantically looking for a way out of his predicament.
Puppeteer rose to his feet, and adjusted his bloodied jaw with a CRACK.
'No need for introductions…. BUT….I will give them anyway…Near, meet Rabbit Joe, Rabbit Joe meet Near…'
With a screech of rusted metal the mechanical rabbit nodded in acknowledgement but also twisted faux pleasantry.
The mechanical rabbit was seven foot tall, wide, with an additional foot tall because of its gaping overextending ears. Its face was a nightmare in itself, the old colourful pink, purple and white details around its eyes were still in good shape, an array of colours circled the eyes, once those colours brought joy to kids, but now the eyes roared a bloody red. Its jaw, once an inviting smile, was replaced with razor sharp obscenely white teeth, many of which bent and mangled. Its body, humanoid in its bearing and gait, standing almost like a person, if it weren't for its failing gears in its arched back which screeched and jolted with every movement. Its legs were rather thin, impressively thin considering how well it kept the rest of the body off the ground, while its sharp pointed feet were comedically long, like clown shoes. They were painted like a rabbit's foot, the toes a bright white, whereas the rest of the body for the most part was a dark water damaged pink.
Near had fought this monstrosity before, and so he knew what to do, aim for its legs, its weakness. With all his might the much smaller vigilante pushed the metal mountain off of him, while using his other hand to plant a small incendiary device on the connecting gear of the thigh and leg.
With his hand, despite being forced onto the cold ground, Near clenched the trigger for the incendiary device. Triggering a powerful but small explosion. BANG
freeing him from the mechanical puppets grip. He drew his blade, reaching to his broad back and with a screech of metal, he held his katana's blade. As the debris cleared, Near threw the blade towards the looming second threat that stalked in the darkness.
'Should've known that ONE of my puppets isn't enough to hold you Near. But luckily for me, I have a second friend-'
The second mechanical nightmare emerged from the shadows, Tanner the Tiger.
'This one was long hidden in the ruins of the old McRonald's Burgerland Company Headquarters in Vault…' Puppeteer points casually to the hulking mechanical marvel in the corner.
Tanner the Tiger was one of many mascots used by the McRonald's Burgerland Company in the 1920s. Long abandoned and forgotten this once cheerful symbol of youth was twisted, augmented with spitefully cruel instruments of terror. The metallic feline's sharp, pointed smile gleamed from the embers of the small explosion that still continued to glow faintly. It stood 8 feet tall, a long serrated tail that curled behind its wide broad back. Its drowned out orange and black lined paint dulled by the many decades locked in a damp basement. The moisture trapped in its gears involuntarily glitched, sparking furiously with each movement. Its giant four fingered metal paws creaked as claws erupted from its fingers.
'OOOHOHOHO he's a BIG ONE!' The Puppeteer laughed overjoyed, clapping amused.
'Umm Roman… shouldn't we… y'know….. Run? While we still can?' Jim said nervously inching closer to the already open door, a quick escape into the wider dark Promise Cities tight corridors.
'You can go Unlucky Jim, I will stay HERE!'
Near clenched his fists as he and the mechanical monster charged at one another, all the while Puppeteer watched on in absolute delight at the spectacle.
('Never thought I would fight my childhood fear tonight.') Near thought to himself as he slowly prepared his next move…
Meanwhile, As Near faced the metal beast, far beyond Promise City's skyline, another presence stirred, not that of Crown Obsidian's Earth, but a pocket realm that hangs on the edge of its existence… Mystogen the magician, keeper of secrets and hoarder of enchanted artefacts of lost worlds, reads the Book of Thirteen.
The End
Hope you enjoy this Halloween Season. This is the first chapter of a mini story taking place on the Halloween of 2019 in Crown Obsidian's world, if you have read Vigilante Saga this takes place before that Christmas season.