《Jack K: Project Armageddon》 Beggenning Of The End This is city 83! A huge monster with poison skill has attacked. Many citizens became paralyzed due it''s sting ! Requesting back up immediately! Monster level is five out of ten! "I''ll take the mission." As the citizens of the city scatter and run away as ants a, huge monster took them down one by one. A mutated monster as big as a building is the threat, it has legs of a bird, dark black fur, each one of its teeth is as sharp as thousands of knives, its claws are like a bear, nut even bigger to match it''s massive size. But what''s more threatening is its tail, a scorpion-like tail which allows it to paralyze any creature with a single sting. The local forces were trying to protect the remaining citizens, but even when protected from the monster''s sting inside tanks or helicopters it was useless. The monsters growls and raises a tank ready to eat it whole, the soldiers try whatever they can to escape the situation but it was in vain. As things go dark a flaming creature interrupts to save the situation, with a flaming kick the monster falls down releasing the tank. "Sorry I''m late"Twenty years old Jack stands straight staring into the monster''s red eyes,"You go back ! I''ll handle this !". and with those words the city go silent. Not a single citizen or a soldier were left. Only Jack and his monsterous opponent. The monster shows its claws as if giving Jack a warning to surrender or die. "Nice knives lemme show you mine" Jack takes out two short swords, holding one in each arm he rushes at the monster. His reckless rush gets countered by a series of wild scratches, Jack didn''t expect that a monster of such size is fast. He dodges at the final moment, he looks back at the building that was hit, it was reduced to rubble my the powerful attack. "For a Thing that huge to be so fast.. no wonder it''s level five.."Jack dodges another heavy attack,"It might be fast but I''m faster !"he starts a series of fast attacks combined with burning fire in order to do more damage. Three years has passed since the arena events and Jack spent them training. After he finished high school he decided to go for the career of a hero, D,Jade and basically half of the people from the arena have decided to join. The rest returned happily to Their family''s after they healed by the help of Ghost K. Who also works in the organisation as both a scientist and a hero. Through the years that passed Jack has mastered his magic, flame became a part of him. Not only did he improve magically, but also he became more powerful physically. The monster hits Jack with a devastating kick, though Jack stops the strike with both arms then throws the monster at a building. He got a lot of scratches during the battle, he panted and checked himself, his clothes were torn off and one of his blades broke,"Good thing I am not wearing my favorite jacket" he takes off his shred off clothes showing his built muscular body it was hard to believe it''s the same kid that used to get bullied some years ago. Though the more he''s hurt the more powerful he becomes, he loves the adrenaline rush of fights. The near death situations. But most of all he loved seeing the citizens go back to their city safely once the threat is neutralized. Jack went to the building to check if the monster is dead. He gets startled seeing the monster is still alive even when it received massive damage, having the element of surprise the monster throws Jack in the air with a kick then slams him back the ground with a punch.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Jack is barely standing but his powers are raging inside, he takes a stance then thrusts at the monster punching it right in the face with a powerful flaming punch. Both sides are wounded greatly and exhausted. Jack walks slowly to finish off the monster with fire,but as he reached out his right arm gets stung and he freezes in place. The monster laughs and then walks towards he stored his meals the captured humans, it wanted to leave Jack for the last. Turning back to its opponent is the biggest mistake. Jack took a stance then he released all the energy he could through his right arm, he pushed as much as energy possible, the barrage of flames wasn''t random, it turned to a giant wolf out of fire and dived at the monster it kept going slamming the monster into two buildings finishing it off then disappearing. Jack is panting, the flesh have melted off his artificial right arm due to the power of the blow,"haha..haha.. didn''t expect a metal arm did you ?"he puts the paralyzed humans in a safe place and leaves the scene. "FIVE BUILDINGS !" The boss yells. "Two of them is the monster''s doing"Jack says defending himself. "You mean you did more damage than the monster ?! That''s typical of you. Always over doing things. I wouldn''t be surprised if a whole city was destroyed by your hands !". "But most of the citizens are safe now, you see I don''t care about what you say. As long as the people were safe I''m satisfied !"and so Jack left. "Maybe he should get a partner..a defensive one so they will reduce his damage"the boss sits down and checks the list of heroes available. Jack slowly walks over to the medical department, he chuckles seeing many people hurt but they were also laughing and telling stories about how they got hurt,"As always". He takes a seat and waits for his turn, he sees a nurse walking by and then says,"Hey hottie, are ya free tonight ?"he asks in a flirty tone. Jade turns at him, her face is bright red and her metal hands clenched as a fist,"I''m not but my fists are !"she punches Jack in the stomach knocking him to the ground. "Jade ! Not again !"Ghost huffs,"we two have been put here temporarily so we can help out the injured not increase their suffering.."Ghost sighs. "Sorry Ghost.."Jade helps Jack up,"it''s you ?!"she throws him back down. "Nice to see you too Jade"Jack laughs and sits again by himself. Jade shakes her head and rolls her eyes then goes to get some bandages, "You got hurt again didn''t you ? When will you ever be careful". She says hating to see Jack in pain. "What are you doing here ?"Jack asks trying to dodge the question. "Well I have some experience in medicals and since the entire medical team got hurt yesterday they needed all medics available" Jade smiles sweetly. "Oh really ? Try not to kill anyone then"Jacks says then relaxes, his top got shred off during the battle. Jade both flustered and angry ties the bandages fiercely around Jack''s wounds. "Ow ow ! Okay sorry sorry !"he coughs out and groans from the pain. Jade let''s go and smiles innocently, "Here you go ! Try not to get hurt again !". Jack smiles seeing her walk away,"She''s so beautiful"he whispers to himself. D teleports right in front of Jack,"My brother defensive mode was alerted so stay away from my sister"he teleports Jack away. Ghost has upgraded his device so he can also teleport other people and objects. Jack goes to his room to get rest for today. It wasn''t his first monster, he has finished off two other monsters and deserved to get a rest,"So..this is my life..huh ? Defeating monsters.. Getting hurt and resting to heal..Good thing I heal fast. Probably by Tomorrow the wounds would be gone."he smiles and goes to sleep, even though his life was thrilling he gets a little bored some times. Cody was in a field meditating, he was trying to regain his previous form. He filled his mind with happy thoughts about the future things he can do. But every time he is thinking of the bright future the darkness of the past drags him back. "I can do this.."He slowly starts reforming. In his mind springs our messages and voices yelling "Killer ! Criminal ! You''re a monster !". He remembers those he killed before when his plan was to destroy humanity. And he goes back to being a flower, and in the field of flowers he hides himself and cries, he cries miserably then yells as loud as he can,"I''LL NEVER FORGIVE MYSELF !!!". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (note: during this story you''ll see talk about hero and threat ranking heroes are distributed into four tiers. tier-1 is the lowest while tier-4 is the highest. while monsters have a numerical value on a scale from one to ten. it indicates survival chance. the lower number indicates a lower survival chance. (For instance a monster of level 2 is way more dangerous than level 5) Hot And Cold Jack opened his eyes slowly as a new day has begun. He sat up and then started tearing off the bandages,then went to his closet and changed clothes. "Where is it....oh I remember !"he pulled out his favorite jacket from a box he had that jacket almost his entire life,"here it is ! I remember putting it here yesterday after washing it" he smiles and puts it on. He gets out of his room then goes through a hallway. There was hundreds of doors. His house wasn''t his only. He once got a mission to kill a wild and dangerous monster hiding in the house. The other creatures of the house felt grateful and offered Jack a place to stay. The hero institution didn''t mind. Actually, it''s true goal wasn''t destroying all monsters, their real purpose was to create a world were humans and monsters can live together, where they can cooperate to build a better world. and having an agent living inside a house full of monsters was the first step to achieve this. As he kept strolling through the hallway a monster approached, it was a female monster that looked Similar to a spider."good morning Jackie~! I am not seeing you recently you should think about visiting more"she giggles creepily. Jack just shrugs,"work, plus I have a lot of neighbors other than you it''s hard to keep up with them all"he had good relationships with his ''neighbors'', a good friend with adults, respectful with the old and the kids looked at him as a proof of the existence of good humans, he played with them when he had free time. He got in the small kitchen he prepared for himself and then began to cook a heart. "Why do you cook them ?"the monster asked. "Well if I am stuck with eating something let it be delicious !"he sped up the process with his own magical fire then tasted the heart, he groaned at the horrible taste, "or.. let''s be realistic taste less horrible "he sits down and eats, after his meal he cleans the dish and washes his hands. "Beep !"Cody gets out from under ground,"Yo Jack ! Time to go to work !" "It is ? I gotta get a watch.. thanks for being a good alarm Cody"Jack gets a candy from a shelf then throws it to his flowery friend who happily eats it whole, including the wrapper. Jack runs to work,"tree number six hundred twenty five !"he grins and stops at a tree, its roots were entangled along a circle. The base was hidden underground for defensive measures. He gets in the entrance and closes his eyes. Everything feels weird as if gets Stretched long then released back to its normal size , "whoa ! I can never get used to this.."he drops out and lands on an anti-gravity pod to reduce the fall. Cody gets out from the group next to Jack,"okay now put me in a pot. Your father said he wants me to help him out with something !". Jack nods, in a few seconds he disappears then reappears holding a pot, he puts Cody in it then goes to Ghost ,"hello dad". Ghost wakes up," the answer is 83 !"he jumps off his chair and falls, his desk was a mess of papers, blueprints and multiple parts from machines. "Dad calm down it''s me"Jack helps his father up then gives him his glasses, "you should stop sleeping here it is not good for you.." "Yes yes I know the consequences but I am so close to Alien communication ! Yesterday Cody have sent message using an alien artifact !" Ghost smiled excited. Jack chuckles, good for you dad, now have you finished with my armor ?" Jack asks and looks around. Ghost gives Jack a metallic armor,"I''m proud you are acting responsible son. what made you consider wearing an armor ? you said before it slows you down" Ghost smirks feeling curious. "heh heh it''s nothing really"Jack blushes a little remembering Jade''s worry yesterday,"well ! gotta go warm up !"he dashes to the stimulation room. he takes off his jacket then puts on the armor,"okay let''s see how useful this is"he began training, it was almost a perfect replica of the real thing, as if fighting a monster without true physical harm, damage ''taken'' would be recorded by the room. after the training was done he checked the result, he got a lower grade in speed, but battle efficiency and health were high,"not bad..with even more training I''ll be able to wear an armor and be able to maintain speed of sound"he grabs a towel and wipes off his sweat, the armor was a light one, it provided decent protection for Jack and at the same time it barely restrained his movement.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Jade takes a deep breath and goes to Jack nervously,"h-hey Jack d-do you want to-" she talks reluctantly. before she gets to finish Jack''s phone ring,"ah ! mission notification !"he checks and smiles,"a battle huh ?" "w-wait I want to s-sa-"Jade groans unable to continue. "we will continue the talk when I am done, and don''t worry it is only a level two threat"he chuckles and runs off. Jade inhales deeply,"phew...then i will keep practicing...wait a minute...that idiot !"her eyes widened,"he always forgets that the lower the number the more dangerous it is"she groans and sits down hoping he will come back alive. ----------------------------------------------------------- Jack arrives at the scene, a house was wiped out as what appeared to be a space ship has taken its place, surrounding the ship was a bunch of aliens, strangely they looked human except that they all had blue skin. they looked like soldiers, they carried old style weapons such as swords and spears which was bizarre comparing it to the high tech space ship. what grabbed Jack''s attention was the ones with a helmet and a unique armor. While most of them had a dull plain armor,the armor that alien was wearing was light blue with spikes all over it, it looked similar to Jack''s but it was heavier , what also stood out was the helmet, it symbolized a dragon''s skull with two pointy sharp horns, the alien was holding a sword, a long sword of the same color, its handle was delicately decorated with a symbol representing ice. Jack rushed in thoughtlessly,"you ! I challenge you for a duel ! and if I win you leave !"Jack says confidently and points directly at the leader in the armor. the aliens in the back look provoked and offended, they prepare for attack but the leader raises his hand stopping them, "no...this is a one-on-one fight, if you interfere that would be dishonest"he was able to speak English due to a translator built inside his armor. his allies nod and back away,"as you wish sir"they stand still, but they still prepare their weapons not feeling safe on this strange planet. "My name is Jack K ! what''s your name ?"Jack asks and takes out his two short swords and preparing for attack. "on my planet people call me king of cold...but you can call me"the alien disappears off sight then appears in front of Jack,"Blizzard coldheart"he stabs instantly pushing Jack away. Jack gasps realizing he''s fighting an expert warrior not just a monster seeking random destruction, he feels excited and anticipated, adrenaline rushed in his body and a wide grin drew on his face. he dashed directly at Blizzard, he threw some fire to stagger his enemy, Blizzard made an Ice platform blocking the fire then he threw a punch covered with sharp ice at Jack''s face. Jack was doing the same and they punched each other at the same time, the shock wave pushed them both away, they panted a little then ran directly at each other, Jack''s artificial arm appeared and he punched again with even more might, Blizzard blocked the attack with his sword then grabbed Jack and headbutt him hard, he was wearing a helmet so Jack suffered a lot of damage, Blizzard kept a hold of Jack starting to freeze him. Jack went on fire pushing Blizzard away, he stabbed a couple of times at his armor causing multiple scratches, Blizzard blocked an attack from both swords then stabbed Jack right in the heart, he grinned thinking the battle is over. Jack growled and used fire to boast himself to dash at Blizzard, he stabbed hard in the center of the armor causing a big crack. Blizzard was pushed away a few meters, he was losing balance and eventually he fell, Jack took advantage and used his speed to cause a storm of stabs on Blizzard. Blizzard fell on one knee, his armor was cracking but his will not, he stood up and released a burst of energy freezing everything around him, including a couple of buildings, he caused ice spikes to come out towards Jack, Jack stomped the ground so hard the spikes broke then he swung hard redirecting the spikes to fly at Blizzard. Blizzard made an ice barrier blocking his own attacks, his green blood leaked from his armor, he growled and then delivered a heavy uppercut to Jack sending him flying then he jumped high and hit Jack hard in the stomach with both hands causing him to fall Back violently. Jack slowly stood up from the rubble, he was in a near-death state, blood poured out of his whole body, his armor was reduced to nothing and his legs were becoming weak. his opponent was in no good shape either, his heavy armor was about to fall off, and he was tying to reach for his sword, Jack threw both his swords making both of him and his opponent weaponless. they both took a stance ready to punch but as soon as their fists were near they both stopped and fell on their knees, Jack laughed a little,"that was epic.."he coughed out blood. Blizzard took off his helmet revealing his face, he looked twenty five years old, a little older than Jack, he was really handsome and charming, he had long white hair with multiple blue parts, his skin was blue like the others but it was really light, his eyes were sky blue,"that was the best battle I had in a while.."he said then they both collapsed at the same time, ending the battle with a tie. Heart Beat (1) Jack walked out of the medical room slowly,"if I got a dollar every time I wake up painfully I would be a millionaire"he stretches his back and sees Blizzard. He dashes at him and tackles him down,"ha ! I won !" "That''s because we aren''t fighting anymore"Ghost picks him up with a tentacle. The guards raise their guns, but Blizzard stops them from attack again,"hey hey it''s okay ! He has fighting spirit, plus he doesn''t know". "Know what ?!"Jack glared at him. "Well,we are allies, listen before you attack. we got a message from your friend Cody.. though he is not around right now, and on top of that our space ship was trashed and we can not leave even if we wanted to." Blizzard says. "What are you gonna do now ?" Jack asked. "Well I heard you have monsters,and I would be glad to join the fun" Blizzard laughs carelessly. "Didn''t you say you are a king or something ?! why are you so careless what about your people ?!"Jack said nervously. "Do not worry I got someone handling this..now let me see" Blizzard opened a paper then he pressed a button on his translator, a ray came out of it and translated the talk to his language,"I am assigned by a hero described to be annoying, arrogant, selfish and reckless". Jack smirked,"what kind of sad excuse for a hero is that ?" He jokes. "Translating the name...Jack K"he smiled. Jack started sweating nervously, "umm..."he quickly changed the subject,"wait what ?! I am working with ice brain ?!" He said as if that triggered something inside him. "Oh as If I am going to enjoy working with someone like you !"Blizzard says and they both glare at each other. "But you looked great at that fight a couple of hours ago"Ghost said then he pressed a replay button showing the best scenes of the fight. "Yea because it is natural dad ! Fire and Ice are enemies"Jack stated clearly. "I disagree !"Blizzard yelled. "What ? We can be friends ?"Jack looked confused. "No but I can''t just agree with you..". They both stare at each other for a few minutes then they both punch at the same time,"Ugh.. why is your arm so long ?!"they say at the same time,"stop it ! I mean it !"they punch again resulting in damage for both. Ghost was holding a measuring tool,"interesting...you two are exactly the same in height.."he measure their arms and legs,"even in limb length". They both look at him annoyed and speak simultaneously, "would you stop that ? I have no- ugh ! Leave me alone !"they both walk away angrily in opposite directions. Ghost looks at an empty pot,"I wonder where he is.."he gently holds it and frowns,"every since the arena events he was acting..weird."he looked sad but then stands up straight and puts on a serious face,"I am going to find him !"he turns invisible and then dashes out of the base. D appeared in front of Jack,"I need your help.."he said, he looked worried and was frowning. "What happened to Jade ? You only ask for my help when your sister is in trouble !"Jack said scared. "she haven''t come back from her mission yet, I need you and Blizzard so we can rescue her"He says feeling really worried about his sister. "wait a minute ! why do you need his help ?"Jack asks and shakes his head in denial.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "We need someone defensive, we do not have much intel on the monster" D says then he grabs his new and improved scythe, then he went to Jack and said in a soft vulnerable voice, "please Jack..Do it for Jade..". "ugh fine ! but if he does anything weird I am killing him..we can''t just trust an ice- I mean an alien.." he says even though he doesn''t really have anything against ice something inside him was just screaming on him and telling him not to trust Blizzard. D nods and then goes to get Blizzard, he tells him the case and Bliz agrees, he was feeling excited to see what challenges earth had. and so, the three go to city H-2 ready for anything, Jack and D looked intimidated by the creature, it was different. They had a strange feeling about it. The city around it was in rubles, it had tens of minions swarming the city. it looked like dragon made out of causal things, rocks from buildings, street lights, and destroyed cars. The minions of it looked like smaller versions of it made either from metal or rocks. Jack and D looked for Jade, she was trapped in a car located at the chest of the monster. "come on ! we have to save her !"Jack and D jumped but Blizzard grabbed them,"guys wait..why would the dragon not kill her ?"he asked being skeptical. "I do not know, maybe he thought she is a princess or something ? Isn''t that what dragons do ?"Jack says and takes one of his swords,"hey D..why can''t you teleport and save her?"Jack asked. "I tried to but every time I did some strange force field did not allow me to, now enough talking"He stands up and takes out his scythe,"we are going to slay a dragon"he says as he jumps directly into battle followed by Jack. Blizzard follows them but slowly, he keeps an eye on the master dragon trying to figure something out. Jack was blasting melting small metal dragons easily, D was fighting others made out of rocks, he sliced them easily with his laser scythe, the dragon watched bored then it raised its head then growled loudly reviving all its fallen minions. Blizzard gasped seeing something glow inside the Dragon''s chest, it was placed behind Jade, The dragon was using her as a shield so they will not directly strike its power source. "Guys ! it has a pow-"Blizzard yelled but before he could finish the sentence the dragon swiped him away with its tail. D looked at Blizzard and growled,"do not waste time on talking and go kill the dragon we got the minions !". Blizzard stood still not even walking near the dragon,"hear me out first !"He demanded but it was in vain. Neither of the two listened to him, Blizzard sighed and helped them finish off the minions in hope they will have time to hear him after. Still, they did not even look back, they both attacked fast and tough, having no mercy they cut off its arms and tail. They thought they won and went to save Jade,"wait stay away !"Blizzard yelled frustrated and then stood in front of them, the dragons power source glowed again and it reformed along with its minions, it sent sharp shards of metal at D and Jack but Blizzard used his powers and protected them from the heavy attack through creating an ice shield. It continued for a few minutes going through his ice shield and then stabbing him. Jack gasped as he felt his heartbeat,he slowly got closer ignoring the elemental rivalry,he coughed out blood and then helped Blizzard stand up,"I am sorry I did not listen to you ! do not fall now ! I promise I will listen !"he said as his cough became more intense,"It has a power source, It is using Jade to distract us from it.. I''ll hold the creature and you strike it from the back". Jack agrees and then he runs out of the creature''s sight. D was using his teleport skill, it was upgraded, he had the ability to teleport others and that''s what he did, when a minion charged at him he teleported it to hit another. Blizzard stood still in front of the dragon and stares at it right in its red eyes, he waited for it to attack with both claws before he countered it with claws he made from ice, he growled and kept the dragon in its place. They both started pushing trying to push the other. Jack was on top of a building, he took a deep breath then jumped towards the creature''s back, his leg went on fire and then he delivered a powerful kick going through the dragon''s back and reaching its power source, he ripped it off and then helped Jade out. The dragon fell down not able to reform again, without the special energy source it was merely a pile of stone and metal. Its minions were no better, they collapsed easily now their master was gone. D gently took his sister and teleported away to the base, luckily her injuries were not serious and she could go back to fighting in a week or two. Jack and Blizzard sat down near a destroyed building, Jack tossed the dragon''s power source to Blizzard, "this does not look human made to me..what is this ?". Blizzard examines the machine closely, it had an oval center with a grey glowing crystal inside it. Blizzard then held his head in pain and groaned,"my mind is completely blank now, I will take it to the base and get some rest. Should we do something before we leave ?"he asked. "Well usually we look for injured people and survivors, I usually do not do it but I have to return the favour.. by the way..I am sorry for the way I treated you it-" blizzard interrupted him with a carefree laugh and a pat on the shoulder,"the feeling was mutual but I guess you aren''t as bad as I thought... well, see ya !" He waved as he carried the device to the base. Jack stood up and started searching for any survivors, he did not find any creature around and the moment he planned to leave he heard something. His heart was beating slowly, he was confused since it stopped years ago, he walks towards the sound of someone crying and he sees... Heart Beat (2) ''Mamma?''Luisa looked at the remains of the cement and debris that had once been her home. It was an enormous pile, so big that Luisa couldn''t see the top.She felt scared, there was a tight knot of fear choking her in the throat and making her chest feel heavy. Her body was numb and too weak to move, a long bruise running down her right knee. She stared glassily at the the junk pile, frozen in her tracks, wanting to be able to see her mother again.''Papa?''There was an earthquake and Luisa burst into fresh tears as the rabid monster growled and took down a new series of buildings. She sobbed helplessly, clinging to her torn blue blouse, inching away from the creature that had luckily not taken notice of her. Yet.She really wanted to see her mother again, feel her warm hand caress her cheek and wipe her tears away, tell her that everything was okay. She wanted to hug her father again, that huge, suffocating yet comfortable hug that told her that she was never alone.Where were they? She wanted to see them, she wanted to cry as loudly as she could but all she could do was release fresh tears that were silent, fearing that the monster would see her.At the age of five, Luisa didn''t know that her parents, along with their dog, Popo and her nanny, Nina, were gone forever to a place from where one could never return.For her, fate seemed cruel and so did her family, who had so selfishly abandoned her when she had needed them the most. If she hadn''t run out into the street to chase her favourite ball, then that very moment she would have united with her family. The creature''s gigantic paw would have crushed her too.The sky had turned an ominous red above her and she felt her body shiver, not knowing where to go or hide.She would have stayed there, mesmerized by the destruction that the creature of death brought, had not the monster roared and slammed its paw right on the street before her.That woke her senses.She clasped her mouth in utter terror and turned to run, tripping as she did so and scrapping her knee in the process. She got up, fighting back the salty tears and sped away as fast as her little, tired legs would carry her.At that point, she did not know where she was running to. The street felt soft and jelly-like under her feet and her limbs became like lead before she collapsed before a looming destroyed building.Luisa did not know how long she had bern running or where she was. She just wanted to disappear in a corner and cry.She shifted to a dark corner and wept with her head between her folded feet, the betrayal and agony coming back to her.''Mamma and Papa left me.''The place felt cold and musty. Her bruises hurt. Her breath was uneven and her stomach growled.''Nanny Nina and Popo too.''She never heard the last cry of the monsters that had raided her home. ''I wanna go home.''She never felt the presence of another human. When she did, she stopped midway in her sniffling and looked up."Who are you?" She croaked.Jack took a deep breath and looked at her softly, he was planning on acting gentle so he will not scare her,"Do not be afraid young one, I am a hero. I came here to help you, where are your parents?" He asked and kept a smile on his face, it was a forced smile since he was feeling a lot of pain due to his severe wounds."They..." Luisa sniffed and looked away. "They are gone."There was a strange warmth in her chest, knowing that there was somebody else other than her. Somehow, she didn''t feel scared.She looked up at him. "W-what''s a hero?". Jack gasped and his eyes went wide. He looked at her in a strange way, it wasn''t his first time seeing a child survivor but that child usually had parents that he returned them to,But this one, she was different, when he looked at her he saw himself as a kid, he saw himself crying and sitting down lonely until Tom arrived and helped him.He took a deep breath holding back his tears then spoke,"A hero is someone who does good things..l-like helping you now, and saving the innocent.".Luisa''s whole body felt warm. "So," she looked up at him and smiled. "You saved me?"It was strange for her to not be shy around strangers, but sitting there in that broken down, gloomy, rubble, there was something about this man that put her at ease. It made her happy, and that thought overwhelmed her.What if he wasn''t actually a good man? Luisa couldn''t decide.Then the sudden exasperation and happiness broke and Luisa sank back in doubt. He had felt special to her. Maybe because after all the monster had taken, he had emerged before here, mortally wounded but glowing like an angel. For once she had thought that she would disappear too.Now that didn''t seem like the case.Luisa felt uncomfortable to say anything else. Jack sighed and then tapped his artificial hand, the hologram of skin disappeared, his hand had a symbol on it, everyone knew it belonged to the hero organisation even animals recognized it.He sat down next to her and showed her the symbol,"is this a good evidence for you ?"he asked .Luisa had seen it before. She looked at it with wonder."That''s so pretty. Is that the logo?"Jack nodded with a smile,"Yes, it means you can trust me. I will not hurt you". He looked around and thought, the place was in rubbles and he didn''t see a human anywhere, then he got an idea,"You can not stay here...it is dangerous, do you want to go home with me?"he asked. Luisa looked at him uncomfortably. "I can?". Jack smiles and gently picks her up,"Of course you can "Luisa gave him a bright smile. "That would be amazing."She stopped abruptly. "But what about Papa and Mamma and Popo and Nanny? Won''t they ever come to look for me?".Jack looked nervous,"I think I got an idea" a built it in spray can came out of his arm, he drew the hero institution''s symbol on a few buildings to tell people he was in the city,"I left them a clue where to look"He said with a smile. Luisa brightened up. "Thank you mister!" She stood up and walked over to him."I wanna go with you then.". "You''re welcome, oh and my name is Jack what is yours?"he asked and stood up, he noticed she injured her knee so he picked her up and started walking towards his house ."Luisa," she said and smiled radiantly. "Nice to meet you Luisa" Jack said and gently patted her head and kept walking, he went to the woods not so far from the city. He passed between the many trees."Say, mister," Luisa looked up at him. "Where are we going?"The morning freeze felt wonderful and soothing, so comfortable was it in fact that she forgot that her bruises hurt. She felt really happy. Jack smiled and stopped in front of his house, it was slightly old and creepy but when he got inside it looked clean, cozy and nice,"oh yea I do not live here alone, I have many neighbors and they are...unique". "Oh, I wanna see them." Luisa looked up at him and grinned energetically. "If they are your neighbours, then they will be as nice!"They were standing before a huge, pale-colored building now and Luisa felt excited. There was a happy feeling in the air that seemed to welcome her. Jack slowly walked in in front of her, he saw one of his neighbors, Jack looked nervous of Luisa reaction to the monster,but to his surprise the monster acted before,"Human!"He screamed and ran away.Luisa sweat-dropped. "Uh, what happened to him, mister?". Jack looked at the monster run,"honestly I do know..why don''t you rest in a room while I check?" He asked, and then opened a door marked ''safe''. It was a normal bedroom,"here..stay here"he smiled. "No, I wanna be with you." Luisa held his sleeve and looked at him with huge eyes. "Please?". Jack sighed and nodded,"Alright, but stay behind me. I do not want you to get hurt by accident"He said as he went to his neighbour and asked,"what was that?!"he asked. "Human...scary.."the ten foot monster said and shivered. "Oh come on she is just a kid, and plus I am a human too"Jack smiled,"Y-you are a nice h-human..others bad.." The monster kept shivering."Hey..I came here to convince you that not all humans are bad,now talk talk to her"Jack picks up Luisa and holds her towards the monster."H-hi.."the monster smiles nervously at her, he had sharp teeth.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Luisa looked at him and smiled radiantly. "Hi." She said sweetly, somehow not fazed by the monster and his teeth. "I am Luisa, nice to meet you!"She looked up at Jack. "Can you put me down, mister? It kinda hurts."Jack puts her down gently,"oh sorry". The monster looks rather excited,"n-nice to meet you too...oh my God, I talked to an outsider! I am going to tell everyone!"the monster an off. Jack rolled his eyes and sighed,"Oh well, at least it went better than I imagined". "Are there other monsters too, mister?" Luisa asked innocently. "And are they all like this?"She then thought of the hero logo and smiled a bit. "Are there other heroes too?". Jack shook his head,"Not really, monsters are like people. They come in different personalities. Also, no monster has become a hero..yet, we are planning to. I am similar to an ambassador." He tries and explains to her. "Mister," she stared st him. "Say, are there any humans too? I wanna see what heroes are like. They sound like really nice people!". Jack shook his head,"I am sorry, but you are not ready yet, the base is a secret place and the hero''s might be too busy.". "Oh," Luisa looked down. She wished she could have seen the others too."Okay then! As long as you are there, I am happy." She smiled at him. Jack laughed and picked her up,"Are you hungry ? You must be starving" he patted her head. Her stomach growled and she blushed. "Yes!" She grinned. Jack went to the kitchen and then started a small fire, he grabs a piece of meet he has for guests and cooks it with his fire. Luisa was roaming about his room. It really looked nice and comfortable. She lay down on his bed and fell asleep on the process. Jack comes back with the freshly cooked meat, he added some spices for taste,"here you go Luisa". "Hmm...?" Luisa looked at him sleepily.She yawned and got up. She looked at the food and stared at it for sometime."Thanks," she smiled and took it wearily."It''s good!" She said after eating some of it. Jack laughed happily and sat next to her,"Oh yea and do not worry about me I ate before the mission" He said not really wanting her to ask exactly what he ate. "Don''t missions make you hungry?" She looked up at him.Jack shook his head,"no, I did not get hungry, actually I am just tired right now.."he yawns and then lies down on her bed."Oh, okay!" Luisa said, but the bowl aside, lay down and completely fell asleep. She was tired too. Jack falls asleep, he was even quick with that, as he slowly drifted to sleep he grabbed Luisa and hugged her close.Luisa cuddled up to him and felt comfortable in his embrace.Jack smiled too, he was feeling less lonely now there is another human around.He was not willing to let her go unless her actual parents come for her. Harming her was like hurting his younger self, he was happy that someone took care of him back then, and he wanted to give the same joy to her. ----------------------------------------------------------- At midnight Jack woke up so he can eat, he took the opportunity of Luisa sleeping. He did not want to scare her by letting her know he eats hearts to survive. He went to the kitchen without knowing someone was following him. Jack almost had a heart attack when he turned around and suddenly saw His father staring at him. "I was watching you Jack..and between all the reckless stuff you did this is the most," Ghost says and continues,"You know we must tell the institution about any lost child! Also, what makes you think you can take care of her?! you barely can take care of yourself!"Ghost said sternly, he did not really care about the rules. Though, he did not want to see his son getting hurt or the child to be raised wrongly. Jack stood up straight and looked his father in the eye,"Because I can not do that father,"he says confidently,"This girl..she reminds me of myself and I can NOT let go of her. Dad, I know I am not responsible when it comes to my own acts, but when it comes to others I will not disappoint her.". "Son I know how you feel but listen-". "NO! you listen father, I want you to trust me in this! give me sometime and I can prove it.". some tears escaped his eyes, Ghost looked amused seeing his son so moved. He only saw him this touched when it came to Jade and the few people he considered them close. Ghost''s stern face softened and almost turned to a smile seeing that his son is this serious about this,"I trust you, you can take care of her under two conditions. One, if her true parents arrive you will give her back. Two, I give you three months,I will come regularly and check how you are doing. If I see you can take care of her I will convince the institution you are qualified enough.". Jack smiled and hugged his father tightly,"Thank you father, I promise I will not disappoint you.". ----------------------------------------------------------- Jack was sitting on the couch next to Luisa telling her about his various adventures and quests. Luisa was listening intently. Looking up at Jack, listening to his stories, she too wanted to be a hero one day.She loved being with him all the time. He was something really, it felt nice.One of his stories gets interrupted by a knock on the door, Jack checks the door. It was Jade, He opens the door for her to enter and she quickly says,"thank you for saving me yesterday!"she says almost yelling. Jack blushes and smiles at her,"Y-you''re welcome".Luisa followed Jack and looked up at her. She then looked back at Jack and asked innocently, tugging at his sleeve."Mister, who is she?". Jack looks at Luisa,"This is Jade,she is umm m-my friend"He says nervously.Jade seems a little disappointed then she looks at Luisa,"wait..who is she ?"she asks the same question."I found her while looking for survivors and I am keeping her here until her parents come.."Jack said ''come'' only in front of Luisa he didn''t want to tell her that with such destruction there is a little chance that anyone could survive. Jade looks at Luisa with soft eyes,"aww that is so sweet of you!". "My name is Luisa!" Luisa grinned. She then looked up at Jack. "Mister, there is something I want to tell you." She beckoned him to lean over so she could whisper in his ear. "This is strange, but do you like her?"She looked in Jade''s direction. "She looks really nice.". Jack blushed,"no..yes..I don''t know..h-how old are you again?"Jack says flustered.Jade yells to them from afar,"what are you talking about?"she asks."Five," Luisa grinned mischievously. "But you shouldn''t underestimate me for that!". Jack sighed and just nodded,"a flower, and now a five years-old is telling me about feelings. am I really this horrible with love?"he asked."I don''t know really," Luisa said bluntly. "Maybe you are.". Jack looks at her and then sighs and pats her head,"I will be over there talking to her, tell me if you need anything"He said then walked to Jade."Say mister, " Luisa walked up to him. "Do you have friends? "She looked at Jade in wonder. She couldn''t possibly be his only friend. Jack looked at Luisa her question has stopped him, he waited a minute then said,"It is not really about how many friends I have, the friends I already have are loyal, strong, and they are true friends. I wouldn''t ask for more". Jack said, what he said made him realize how lucky he is. Even Blizzard, he was not close though they had mutual respect. A good start for a future friendship. "That''s so nice," Luisa said and looked up at him with huge, admiring eyes. "I want to have some one day too!",then she turned to Jade and asked,"Uh... Why are you here?".Jade took out a basked full of what seemed to be coals. "What are those?"Jack asked. "Th-that are cookies I made for you as a thanks for yesterday"Jade says and gives one to Jack. Jack stares at it,"Watch out!"he pointed behind Jade.she turned around quickly ready to fight, Jack threw the cookie away while she wasn''t Looking."Um mister... "Luisa looked up at Jack. "That wasn''t exactly... ".Jack looked at Luisa and asked her,"would YOU eat this ?" He asked her. "I don''t think so, " Luisa muttered. Jade looks at Jack and glares,"Are you messing with me there is nothing!"she tackles down Jack and raises her fist,"Okay calm down! Calm down,"Jack said then whispered to Jade,"No violence in front of the kid,".Jade gets off him then puts on a nice innocent grin,"H-hey kid! do you want to go on a walk?"She asks. Luisa smiles at the walking proposal and accepts,"Sure I want!". "May I join as well?"Jack smiles and both the girls agree, the three goes out in the woods. They talk, joke and laugh. They looked like a wonderful family, Like a puzzle piece that came together. Meanwhile at the base. Blizzard stared at the machine, His eyes didn''t get off is. Something in his mind kept telling him it is serious. "Hey Blizzard,taking a break will not hurt,"Ghost said with a smile,"The world is not going to end or anything.". The sentence woke up blizzard''s memory his eyes went wide and he had an expression of fear on his face,"Ghost..I am afraid it is..". "number twenty eight was shut down. But, our weapons is ready, all three shoots shall we fire?"a pilot asked and waited for his Leader to answer. "FIRE! Do not hold back!" Another Arena A massive monster was destroying the center of a city, it was light brown with black tentacles and human faces on its back, all the faces had an expression of fear. Most heroes sent to deal with it were tiers one and two, so they could not hurt the citizens held captive. A few tier three heroes joined so they can hold off the tentacles, there was only a single tier four hero hidden in the crowd of heroes. Jack got notified about the monster attack and opens his device,"Four out of ten." Jade said having received the same message. Luisa looked at them with confusion, suddenly a devastating earthquake occurred making the three of them lose balance, a tree almost fell on Luisa. Luckily, Jade interfered and used her claws to push away the tree with a single blow. Jack looked at his device again and looked scared,"J-Jade...zero", He said with a scared look then he quickly grabbed Luisa and ran to the house. He looked around at the monsters running into a shelter, only the strongest monsters stayed outside in order to guard. Jack gave Luisa to a skeleton couple,"Luisa I want you to hide with them.."He said and turned away but Luisa grabbed his sleeve and tugged on it,"N-No! Do not leave!"she cried, just yesterday she have lost her parents, her nanny and dog. She could not endure the lose of him. Jack looked at the door holding back his emotions,"I can not,"he looked at her maintaining a strong expression,"I must do it! It is my job," he gulped and then said to her,"I promise I will come back.."he said clenching his fists. He hated to make promises,when he was about her age, his parents promised him to come back on the same night they disappeared. Jack pulled away from her and ran off directly to the base, not looking back. Inside the base was chaos and panic, there was tens of photos showing a huge hole in the ground, about half the heroes were gone, and even the ones who survived were barely able to move. People were baffled, no one could believe how could a single blast can cause so much damage. Ghost was controlling his cameras via computer and stared at the computer screen,"I found it.." He broadcast the photo of the thing responsible for the attack. It was a massive space ship, It was black with hundreds of weapons, The biggest weapon was the canon that just fired. The boss rushed out worried, a hero grabbed him and asked him"where are you going sir?!". "Metalo! I sent him there."he looked worried. "He is unscratched."Ghost said showing them the picture of the only hero who was able to stand. A little kid about ten years old, He stood there strong and mighty. The weapon fired again with a concentrated beam, Metalo ran to the ray and blocked it with his body. Devices were blasted out of the ship, It was the same energy source of the dragon defeated one day ago. No longer than a few minutes later,monsters made out of nature came to alive, they slowly walked towards Metalo who was struggling with the beam itself. Andrew (boss) looked at the screen and then looked away,"I..I.."he groaned and hit a wall, he was full of regret seeing the kid suffer. He was full of regret he even allowed someone that young to be a hero, yet regret can never change the past. "The weakest point!"Ghost said uneasy,"They are planning to destroy the planet!"He continued with a concerned look. While heroes went in chaos, Andrew stood straight and had the determination and strength to issue orders,"Ghost, I need you to gather a squad and protect Metalo! There can be future places where monsters will be sent." Even though he never showed any magic or something similar, Andrew''s ability to be a leader even in the toughest situation was considered a super power by many. The heroes nodded and rushed to do their tasks. Ghost gathered a team of tier four heroes to help him defend Metalo who keeps the planet from destruction. "Why are you still here?!"Jack asked Blizzard angrily,"hush! I am getting a message. this is your friend Cody, but the message is...weak.".If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Jack stood near Blizzard and looked at device he was holding,"what does the message say?" he asked. Blizzard groaned,"it keeps getting blocked, the length is the same so it must be the same message. I got it! It says: Save me.". "Where is coming from?!"Jack asked and pulled out his sword ready to go as soon as he gets a location. Blizzard gulps and shakes his head,"this most be wrong..he is..on the enemy ship," Blizzard said while checking the source of the message,"This can NOT be happening!" Jack got annoyed and slapped him,"what is wrong?!". "The golden one has powers that can suppress any one of the current enemy. His element weakens them, your friend Cody is our best hope." Blizzard grabbed his stuff and stood up. Andrew noticed the two and went to them,"hey what are you two doing?!". "We have a plan to defeat the Parasites!" Blizzard said confidently. "Para- you mean these darn aliens? Tell me what you know ice cube.". Blizzard sighed and started explaining,"Parasites used to be our neighbors, until their planet became unstable and they had to live in this ship. The planet had a special unknown condition that allowed the parasites to live, the same condition is said to be provided by the ship. The reason they are called parasites is because their ship runs on planet remains. They travel between galaxies and destroy planets to keep their ship running."Blizzard explained, after that he told the boss about the need to save Cody. Andrew''s reply was,"gather a small rescue team. Be stealthy, and remember that your main task is to rescue that flower, do NOT try and do something reckless.". Blizzard turned to Jack and said,"you are the one who works here, I trust you to chose the people who will aid us.". Jack sent a message to Jade and D telling them about the mission, he trusted the two deeply and relied on their help. Jack also told Blizzard he must come along, he is the one who knows most about their enemy and he has proven to be a powerful warrior. D and Jade arrived quickly. The team prepared their gear and D used his teleportation necklace to teleport the team to the enemy ship. They arrived in space suits except Blizzard who could survive in the atmosphere inside the ship. "They were expecting us..I do not think th-agh!"Blizzard groaned and fell to the ground, he was stuck in energy ropes that paralyzed him magically and physically. The others pulled their weapons out, but they were quickly caught in the same trap. The four was taken to the leader of the parasites,Tofay. They were thrown in front of him where he started speaking. They did not understand a thing of his alien language (except Blizzard), Tofay noticed the confusion of the humans and wore a translator,"oh much better! I believe you are here for this." Tofay clapped and Cody was brought out, he was caught in a transparent cage. The cage itself seemed to be forcing information into Cody''s brain, it was brainwashing him. "Oh I suppose I should execute you and all. But where is the fun in that? You will be taken to the arena where you will fight my knights,The strongest of my troops, after that you will be given a chance to fight me and save your friend~"Tofay laughed and ordered his servants to take the intruders to the arena Jade looked around, brain washing, the design of the walls and now an arena. Without doubt Malik was a parasite.The three who once faced the horrors of a similar arena were having flashbacks of all the pains they had to endure. They were thrown in a room for the human team and a machine appeared asking for their names. Their suits notified them that the atmosphere was safe and they took off their space suits. "There is no point in breaking out. There is probably hundreds of guards and defeating them will take forever. Our only hope is to fight." Blizzard said and checked the first match. Blizzard VS Aqua The match would start in half an hour. Blizzard looked at his human companions and noticed their moral is low, he looked at them in disappointment and then spoke,"where the heck is that excitement you had on earth?! I know those expressions..You are scared. But we did not come here to give up! The only thing separating us from saving your planet is a couple of fights! We are going to crush our enemies and save the planet!" Blizzard yelled, it did not go in vain. Everyone looked ready to fight, they were burning with determination,"Yea let''s destroy all disgusting aliens!" Jade yelled. "I find that offensive.."Blizzard said. "Oops. I meant disgusting parasites"Jade chuckled. Tofay was watching them, their was a camera recording their talks and actions. He laughed at them and rolled his eyes,"oh I love when they think they can win.". "E-excuse me s-s-si-" a servant approached him hesitantly. "WHAT?!"Tofay asked annoyed. "Sir it is about one of the knights. Phantom..he is alive but, he seems to be trapped. Or more precisely absorbed..." The servant said. "Phantom you say? Haha....HAHAHAHA! PERFECT! SEND AN ENERGY DEVICE, TWO,THREE HUNDRED! GET MY FAVORITE KNIGHT BACK ON HIS FEET!" Tofay began to laugh insanely. His servant nodded and sent an energy device to give the fallen knight a boast to escape his prison. "Wohoooo! these things are not so tough when you know where to him em right Ghost?" Alpha looked at Ghost, he looked uneasy seeing that Ghost is sitting down with a pale, scared face. "Ghost are you okay?" Alpha asked again and checked his ally. Ghost coughed badly and looked up at Alpha, his eyes were full of tear, and he looked like he was holding something back. Ghost gathered his remaining energy and whispered. Kill me.