《Against all the Odds(hiatus)》


 Prologue: Alone

    Prologue


    The air was silent¡ªas if the very gales of wind that would once occupy the air, had quieted in respect for something much more significant. However, in that unending and inevitable silence, there existed a sensation; an aura, that would send shivers down the bravest of people.  This was not an atmosphere which was simply scary, no it was one of a much more ominous and petrifying revelation¡ªone in which a silent boy could cry.


    The rain pattered against the pavement, each droplet leaving a reminiscent ripple that spread outwards from the epicentre of the impact. The sky was grey, so mundane and dark that the light from above could not penetrate such a barricade. The wind was silent, but the rain was not- in fact it was the only thing that broke the silence that had self-proclaimed itself as omnipotent.


    And in such a foul weather that had brewed on what seemed a whim, a boy kneeled down, tender of age, his dark blonde hair soggy and unkempt, and his face staring hopelessly beyond. In front of him, on the dirty grass, was the bodies of two adults.


    One was female, her body orientated so that her face was in the earth. She wore her nightwear, something so casual that it could not match to the spontaneity of the dire situation which had occurred. Her hair was also blonde, however now it was dirtied by the earth which clung to her in clumps like maggots feasting on rotting flesh. Her right arm was a few meters away from her surrounded in a pool of blood which was still fresh as its vile odor filled the boy¡¯s nose.


    Next to the woman was a man, appearing slightly older than the woman in age, but his body facing upwards to the sky. His head, which was separated from his body and strewn across the grass, was still stuck in a manner of complete and utter horror, so much that even after death he still appeared scared. He had a finely trimmed beard that had greyed, and circular spectacles which were had veins of cracks arching on them. On his body which was so mutilated that his clothes could not be determined, was several substantial gashes which tore apart his limp body. At the base of the neck, blood still seeped out, as if trying to taunt the observer.


    ¡°M-mommy? Dad..?¡± A single tear formed from his eye and rolled down his cheek which was bright red from shock. The single droplet ended its journey by falling from his chin and descending quickly amongst the other droplets of water around him.


    But still, despite the severity of the situation, the young boy-his age undetermined- shook his head vigorously, his voice escaping as a small and pathetic chuckle,


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s not right mommy! Yo-you shouldn¡¯t be like that!¡± The boy slowly crawled forward, his mind refusing to believe what was happening. Tears streamed down his eyes, and his whole body trembled vigorously as the ice cold rain scarred his body.


    He raised his small trembling hands above his mother¡¯s missing hand and brought it back to her body. Fumbling around, he tried to reattach the limb, each time from different angles but nothing happened. Only more and more blood had stained his hands and had seeped onto his shirt.


    ¡°Hmm?! Why doesn¡¯t it attach? Surely it sh-¡°He stopped to look at his father.


    ¡°O-oh silly papa; you¡¯re going to need that for l..later,¡± his voice trailed off pathetically as he lumbered to his father¡¯s head. He picked it up in his hands and looked straight at the eyes which were brazen and glazed over.


    ¡­


    Time seemed to slow down as he lost power in his arms. The rain around him ceased to move and the head stopped mid-air.


    The very air around his entire body seemed to literally condense- harden, to a point so extreme that Arthur¡¯s knees completely buckled underneath the gravitational pull that so clearly plagued his entire body.


    *Crunch*


    That was the sound of his kneecaps completely fracturing forcing him to the ground in a howl of pain that corrupted the peaceful pattering of the rain that had absolutely soaked every inch of his body, making his clothes stick to him like mucus. His eyes stung and was not able to see properly. But that could not equate to the pain that stung his heart, deep within.


    ¡°It¡­hurts¡­¡± his voice squeaked out, his knees and hands planted in the dirt.


    Arthur could not cry anymore- in fact he did not have enough energy to scream nor talk. He could only stay there, hopeless and succumb to whatever fate had given him.


    But he did not want to accept that fate. In fact, fuck fate! But this was not a story. He could not summon powers he had heard off other humans gaining in the news. He was one of those without powers- pathetic and shunned by society for being weak: even for someone without powers.


    Arthur had now completely lost vision and the power in his legs. He dragged his body through the dirt in a desperate attempt to reach out for his parents¡¯ bodies.


    ¡°Mummy, daddy, please don¡¯t leave me! I- I need yo-ou.¡± Alas there was no point. Not like they were able to respond to his pleas anyway.


    He reached out and felt something. It was soft but had a leathery and disgusting texture. The tips of his fingers moistened at the touch of the blood that seeped onto them.


    Arthur smiled weakly and said in a voice that a mother would say to her baby, ¡°Ah¡­ There you are¡­ mommy.¡± Truthfully he did not know who it was, but it he could only hope it was one of his parents.


    ¡­


    A bright flash of light. So bright that even through closed eyelids, Arthur¡¯s eyes was stunned temporarily. And then he craned his head upwards and looked in front of him, about 10 meters behind his parents.


    And then he saw something that he had imagined to forget about. Something so awful and something he regrettable was visible.


    It was his younger sister. 3 years younger than Arthur making him 11 years and her 9. Lily- her name- though was not alone. In fact her hands were reaching out, as if to grasp something that she required so much. But it was air- oxygen that was being deprived from her every second, turning her face a deeper shade of blue. Around her small and frail neck was a pale hand, so pale that it looked inhuman.


    Well it was. It was hand whose fingernails were a deep shade of red and extended. But not aesthetically¡ªno, they were sharp, so sharp that they could cut through metal. And the red was not polish but rather a colour that Arthur had been associated with just recently. Blood.


    The hand belonged to a figure that held Lily a couple of feet the ground, where her legs dangled helplessly. The figure was at least 6 foot tall and had long beautiful white hair, reaching shoulders that were partly covered by a crimson, exotic red dress with frills that outlined the edges. The face of the figure was a woman¡¯s. But not an ordinary face. It was not just beautiful like a model¡¯s; it was a godly beautiful. Perfect, without any imperfections that would ruin the tranquillity of it. She was ageless, not too young but not too old. A mature but childish appearance that did not befit her aura that sent shivers down Arthur¡¯s spine. Although her dress was crimson, the blood stains were still visible. It was she, who had killed his parents. It was her who had Lily in her hands- a small and defenseless girl.


    ¡°L-lily!¡± Arthur¡¯s arm also reached out towards his younger sister. His voice was weak- but it did not matter, all that mattered was that his sister was safe.


    Lily could not respond because she could barely breathe. Instead a few tears streamed down her cheeks. He hated seeing her like that. He was supposed to be the older brother; the one who protected his sister. But instead, her eyes, although red from crying, still showed a confident look: one that said ¡®it would be alright¡¯. Although younger and weaker, she was the one who would always defend him against the bullies that had picked on him.


    But now, when she was the one in need all he could do was lie there, hopeless and useless. And he truly hated himself for it.


    The mysterious woman holding Lily chuckled, bearing fangs that were sharper than steel daggers; so shiny that they reflected the moonlight perfectly. Her eyes store into Arthur¡¯s- their bright orange texture taunting him with a gleefully painful agenda.


    ¡°Ara? And who may you be, little one?¡± Her voice was melodic but also deadly- a beautiful appearance but a putrid origin


    ¡°Give¡­her¡­b-back.¡± Arthur raked his hands into the ground and dragged himself forward. A sharp sound exploded outwards and a force of wind rocketed itself into Arthur¡¯s body causing him to spit out blood. The woman who was once standing there, had dropped the small girl and darted forward so quickly that it had created a sonic boom. She was now directly above Arthur standing up, her worthy chest stuck out in delight. However those eyes that looked down on him were bloodlust¡­


    She drove her heeled foot into Arthur¡¯s back causing him to scream out in pain.


    ¡°B-brother!¡± Arthur could hear the cry from his sister somewhere, but he was already losing consciousness.


    ¡°Since you won¡¯t answer my question, I¡¯ll ask you another.¡± She said through grit teeth, obviously annoyed at this idiot¡¯s ignorance.


    ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°A¡­ A vampire.¡± Arthur didn¡¯t have to think twice. He knew that vampires co-existed in this world with humans- for he had seen them before- walking around casually, doing mundane things, having a laugh and chattering with friends. Just like humans: harmless. But this vampire was the opposite of harmless- in fact she was the epitome of evil.


    She chuckled and continued, ¡°You are indeed correct child.


    She kneeled down slightly, her beautiful dress creasing and parting at her snow-white legs. Arthur spat out some blood which splattered onto the floor. Her slender finger traced Arthur¡¯s face, following his chin exactly causing him to recoil backwards.


    She leaned in forward and parted her lips at his ear to whisper, ¡°Do you know why I am here, child?!¡±


    ¡°F-fuck y-¡°


    She drove her fist into his chest so quickly that he had no chance to scream from shock as two of his ribs was crushed.


    *Cough Cough*


    ¡°I am here,¡± she started through grit teeth, ¡°because of your sister in particular. Your sister is very special for a vampire of elite blood such as myself.¡±


    She grinned devilishly, exposing the two signature extended canines which protruded about two inches downwards, right above a slightly forked tongue which quivered slightly at the odour of blood around her.


    ¡°Venuala Stalaz¡± Arthur muttered, his whole body grimacing at the increasing pain and the fading of his consciousness. It was not unusual to not hear of her name, especially in the news. She was one of the 4 elite underworld Vampiric overlords- based in northern parts of the country and controlling the government through illegal means, they were able to stay top of the food chain.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    She smiled: ¡°Ah, it seems you are not completely foolish human. The Stalaz family is always on the search for blood of significant taste and viscosity. Blood that is delicious and purges all the impurities of our soul. And if you haven¡¯t guessed, your sister is the perfect candidate! Unfortunately for you, you¡¯re fucking brain dead excuse of parents got in the way when we tried to peacefully take her and give her a life of pleasure. So of course I gave my grunts the pleasure of obliterating them.¡±


    She laughed demonically and then behind her, two other men appeared. They both wore extensive black raincoats which covered their appearance, all though through the clouded mist of the rain, Arthur was able to be granted a glimpse of red clothing- similar to the colour of Venuala¡¯s dress.


    One of the men looked towards Arthur and a ghoulish smile spread across his face. He then turned to Lily who laid across the floor, presumably completely fatigued.


    The shorter and stockier of the two, picked up Lily by her collar and then threw her a few meters onto the dirt again, completely dirtying her and making her scream in pain.


    ¡°G-get the fuck off of her!¡± Arthur shouted out. Of course they did not listen.


    ¡°Ah- I don¡¯t remember giving you permission to speak, young one!¡± She said ecstatically. Her foot drove into Arthur¡¯s chest.


    The lankier of the two men giggled and asked, ¡°Mistress, oh mistress! Please could you be so kind to let us have a little fun?!¡±


    ¡°But of course! She is ours to share! But don¡¯t damage the merchandise to much or your fucking dead Julio!¡±


    It made Arthur boil inside, that those scumbags would dare to treat his sister as if she was a sack of meat. But then again, to them, that¡¯s what she was.


    Arthur wanted to fight back but he could not. He wanted to protect her but he could not. All he could was sit there, like a pathetic coward and accept the fate that had been forced onto him. But he did not want to.


    No he was not going to let it happen. But what could he do?


    Nothing.


    Nothing.


    Nothing.


    Nothing.


    Nothing.


    Terror, fear, futility, depression, anxiety, guilt. All emotions that stung him non-stop, bombarding every part of his consciousness. It taunted him- that was the worst part- the fact that he knew that there was no help coming.


    So instead, he pleaded.


    ¡°P-please- I¡¯m begging you Miss! Take me instead. My-my sister, she¡¯s the only thing I have left. The-¡°


    ¡°Idiot!¡± You think I want someone as worthless as you?!¡± She snarled at Arthur.


    Arthur looked yonder, behind the woman, where the two men and his sister stood, in the pouring rain. He desperately tried to scramble to his feet, like a small mammal escaping a predator¡¯s grasp, but the woman (Despite her frame) easily managed to keep the small boy face down on the dirt.


    ¡°Tsk Tsk. Did I say you could interrupt? My boys do need to earn their pay check somehow? Oh and don¡¯t worry me and the other 11 will be sure to accommodate her appropriately.¡± A blatant lie of course.


    But the lie did not matter currently as Arthur could only sit and squirm helplessly as he gazed upon the horrific scene which would inevitably ensue.


    ¡°P-please¡­don¡¯t. Im begging you *sniff* don¡¯t hurt her¡­¡± His voice trails off.


    The taller man clicked his fingers and upheld his right arm. Black mist formulated around it and suddenly several blue sparks rocketed off his palm.


    ¡°Milkar Fvlovnir¡± He uttered in a strange foreign voice that seemed not to be his own.


    Then, suddenly, a baseball bat materialised in his hand- the particles slowly connected to each other at first and then accelerating in connection speed until it formed the shape of a 40 inch metal baseball bat.


    The tall man, who with the flick of his head revealed his face momentarily- which had blonde hair, blue eyes and ageless face- grinned and swung the baseball bat in a circular motion.


    The ¡®mistress¡¯ silently nodded towards the shorter figure who nodded in response and proceeded to pick up the limp girl¡¯s body by the arms and held her on her hands and knees.


    The man holding Lily by her hands licked his shrivelled lips and whispered into her ear, ¡°Oi, I¡¯m gonna get some fun outta yer, little bitch.¡±


    ¡°Oh god no. Please¡±


    The man with the baseball bat twirled his finger in front of his temple and hopped around a bit, in excitement for what was coming.


    Arthur knew what was coming, but he refused to believe that it would. He clenched his eyelids shut and bit into his tongue so hard that it bled.


    But Venuala did not accept that. She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and brought him to watch.


    ¡°Wh-why?¡±


    ¡°Why? Did you not know? Vampires also like to feed off fear! In fact it¡¯s considered quite a delicacy-especially when the victim experiences such levels of it that it drives him insane!¡± She cackled, her true voice becoming more apparent as if she were about to climax.


    Vampires are disgusting creatures.


    The batter wiped his gloved hand over his mouth as if already tasting the blood of the human girl below him already.


    ¡°Hmmm. Today I think I¡¯ll go for a leg shot!¡±


    He brought up the bat and lifted tightly wrapped both his hands around the handle. The shaft of it was held perpendicular to his shoulder blades, at a slight angle facing downwards behind him. His elbows, at a right angle, were poised perfectly- as if he had trained all his life.


    Arthur knew that vampires co-existed with humans. He knew that some were peaceful and accepted whilst others committed crimes just like humans.


    And then he struck. So quick that the eye could not see. The bat swung downwards and came into sudden impact with her lower left knee with a shuddering crunch sound.


    ¡°NOOO!¡± Arthur leaned forward violently, and tried to get out of her grasp but of course it was futile. He knelt there, his head and body arched forward, facing the ground as his tears were given a clear path to fall.


    Lily also screamed, but she did not have as much energy to do so.


    He knew that not all vampires should be stereotyped as those who did wrong. But Arthur did not care.


    The batter drew back, his bat not only cracked from the impact but also drenched in the red blood of the girl. Arthur could see the disgusting stares of the vampires all look at the blood.


    The batter drew the edge of the bat to his face and brought out his tongue slowly whilst inhaling the scent of the liquid that stained his weapon. Only the tip of his tongue came into contact with the blood, but visible ecstasy spread across his entire body. He convulsed in pure pleasure- his breath becoming heavy and panted like an animal.


    ¡°Truly¡­ exquisite.¡± Even in his voice, the pleasure was so obviously laced.


    Arthur could even feel the longing from the monster above him.


    Vampires, golems, succubus. All other demons should receive the same hatred that harbored within Arthur.


    The ¡®mistress¡¯ extended out her right arm, revealing her beautiful and perfect skin colour, and kept on moving it till her finger was a few centimetres away from the quivering face of Arthur.


    ¡°You¡­f-fucks¡­.¡±


    She simply giggles in response and then digs her nail right above his left eye, slightly above his eyebrow. Arthur felt blood trickle down from the puncture, obscuring the vision of his left eye. He grunts in response despite the heavy paralysis his entire body is experiencing from shock.


    She smirks and then drags her fingernail slowly, diagonally across his face, gashing into the bridge of his nose, onto his cheek and ending by his chin. Arthur screamed relentlessly in pain and anguish. But still, the vampire couldn¡¯t help but laugh as she stood back up.


    ¡°I swear; Ill fucking kill of you, you vampire fucks! I-I¡­¡±


    ¡°Oi mistress! Can I end his life- oh can I, can I?!¡± The taller one excitedly exclaimed.


    ¡°Hmmm. Although the thought of ending this pathetic weasel¡¯s life is delicious, I can¡¯t help but think-¡° She stopped to lick her lips seductively and continued, ¡°But that latest statement he made despite me beating the shit out of him, made me somewhat excited.¡±


    She hops backwards, easily traversing a few meters, in front of her two grunts and Lily. She snatches the girl off the shorter man. She lifts her up by her hair and brings Lily¡¯s face right next to hers.


    ¡°G-get off h¡­.¡±


    Arthur reached out his hand in front of his face, as if to grasp at the kidnappers who had took his beloved little sister from him. Those who had killed his parents and disgraced their bodies by mutilating them without mercy. And he was not there to protect them.


    Hatred- such a high amount, that it had blinded every other logical sense he had within his mind. An emotion that would outmatch that of love.


    The vampire licked the cheek of the younger girl who quivered in response.


    ¡°And we will make sure we take care of her! Please come and stop by sometime!¡±


    Just as Arthur lost consciousness, he could only think of one thing:


    Those who have wronged me and my family, will pay.


    Vampires and demons alike will die.

 Prologue Part 2: What has this world become?

    A/N- I''ll be switching to this font now since it seems a little more applicable to what im writing. This is the final part of the prologue outlining a bit of this world''s lore.  Dunno If i''ll be uploading again this week  but if i am it will be on saturday. But like i said, i''ll make sure to put at least 2 every week.


    Enjoy.


    Prologue 2


    Demons. Demons in this world are not simple folklore but rather exist just as much as humans do. However demons are not evil and corrupt beings who derived from the depths of hell but rather beings, much similar to humans, who most simply desire to live a normal life- working a normal job and raising a normal family with demons or even humans.


    Approximate demon populations are estimated at 6 billion whilst the total human population is estimated to be 4 billion. Of course with such huge differences, high amounts of controversial issues rise frequently, due to the vast differences between the two species. Wars, guerrilla¡¯s, terrorist groups, corrupt governments and underground syndicates are all notorious for employing large amounts of demons due to their physical and mental powers over humans. In other words, many sub-species of demons are masters at influencing, manipulating and forcing their agenda over to other people via peaceful or indiscriminate means- even at the cost of life.


    Such terrorist groups (involving anti-humanitarian dedicated demon organisations- AHDDO¡¯s), obviously erect prejudice from humans towards their entire species even though it is estimated that only 14% of demons involve themselves in crime.


    In 2004, the first major uprising occurred- northwest in Jerico- a huge metropolitan city located on the western shore of the US-, where over 14,000 innocent demons were trampled to death in a desperate human-related mob rush in the undergrounds. Many underworld criminal demon syndicates took this as a personal insult, and used the situation to brutally murder over 3,000 human rioters through the use of bullpup weapons and blades. The situation continued to arise, until eventually, in 2007, a new global counter-measure was formed- the: United Duo-Specius Allegiance  a firm, which at first, was privately hired, would maintain peace between the two species so such outbreaks would cease to arise. 4 years later, in 2009, two sub-sections would be formed, all working as part of the UDSA: the: Quick Deployment Demon Irrigation Team (QDDIT) and the group simply known as ¡®Mercs¡¯. The QDDIT, were people more suited for work in the field, sent out to mainly solve issues through peace, but were also permitted by law to solve problems concerning both demons and humans, fully funded and supported by major governments. The other team was one with people who mainly resided in countries were either war and conflict had broken out, or unstoppable demon related syndicates had ceased control of the already depleting human populous. They were vicious and crudely- and many of the royal or political families refused to fund such a disgusting method of dealing with demons. Yes- some demons were criminals, but royalties and even the government needed a bit of back-door income. Some well-known politicians have been caught and let off the hook despite involving themselves with illegal affairs with demon syndicates, simply because ¡°Well hey; their rich and they keep the crime away!¡±. And those criminals who disagree to work with the corrupt humans are then taken care off by the QDDIT.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Politicians would even go through with petitions and campaigns to ¡°Use the QDDIT instead of the Mercs! We want the demons to be dealt with; but not in an inhumane way!¡±


    But the truth? The truth was that the QDDIT- were forced to be even more corrupt than the Mercs. They would be bribed to give over human slaves, money, drugs and the sort from missions, over to the wealthy politicians who funded them. If they didn¡¯t- the whole corporation would be shut down, and those who were forced into stealing things for the politicians would be used as a scapegoat and spend life in prison. In other words: blackmail.


    But, the main difference between the mercs and the QDDIT? It was how they eliminated or dealt with demons. The QDDIT- or most of the QDDIT- was that they were humans born with innate abilities in their genes, specifically. Special genetic adaptations, people were born with, which enabled them to pass the normal physical limitations of the human body. Abilities that would ultimately lead them to fight against those who went against the law. At the time of 2020, over 345 different types of abilities had been registered and recorded- new ones being discovered every year.


    These abilities were thought of as a ¡°taboo¡± by the mercs, who thought that such abilities made them no worse than demons themselves. So instead they had opted for learning the skill of alchemy, transmutation and elemental configuration. Not to be confused with magic, which some demons use. It is the art of creating weapons, potions and armour to successfully combat against the demons with their superior strength, speed and magic.


    However, in 2017, after years of campaigning by politicians, the Mercs program was declared illegal, across the globe. Over 300,000 mercs were put to arrest and the others fled or were shot down. All because they refused to pay heed to the royalty¡¯s demand of joining in on the corruptness that had plagued the earth.


    Despite all this, some mercs still existed, in very small groups- groups of dedicated warriors who swore allegiance to the pact:


    ¡°By my blade and rifle, those who have derived from the most devilish sources of this godforsaken world, will be vanquished-


    Even If, I too, will die.¡±

 Act 1: Chapter 1-Contained

    A/N: Hope you enjoy the chapter.


    Warning- RAPE, GRAPHIC TORTURE, NAUGHTY WORDS


    ACT 1


    Chapter 1:


    A lone boy, sat there, his feet crossed and his arms tightened tightly together by a moon-white strafe-jacket, whose¡¯ buckles were tightly wrapped around his sleeves. His feet were bare and covered with scratches, bruises and gashes that- although covered by clothes- raced up his lower legs onto his thighs. Upon his face was a mask- not a simple hockey mask, nor one from a Halloween decoration. Its base was a matte carbon black, its edges roughed and its texture crinkled but still clearly visible. It was shaped narrow and sharp at the chin and sides, whilst at the forehead, three spines jutting outwards slightly began at his scalp and ended above the eye lenses. The eye lenses were so dark that they even outmatched the blankness of the carbon finish of the base. They were short but long, stretching out a few inches after his actual eyes ended. Around the eyes and leading down to the chin was a white skull- not a smooth finish, but charred and rotten- visible dentures and scars scattered all over it. And around the jaw, where the teeth should¡¯ve been aligned, was marks- like a tally, obviously etched in by finger nail or something alike in crudeness. There was 12 marks, aligned in a crescent smile shape. It was the twelve times he had attempted to commit suicide. All unique, all different, but each one with the same motive: to end the pitiful thing called life he lived.


    The room he sat in, had no windows and no openings. It was a grey concrete colour, its texture unrefined and bruised- as if beaten by the elements despite its enclosed environment. Across the walls, were labelled various words ranging from ¡°End the pain¡± to ¡°Kill me now¡±- presumably left over from the previous occupants. The cubical room was around 5 meters by 5 meters, with no artificial nor natural lights to fight against the darkness which forcibly occupied the room. In front of the boy, was a single door- only detectable or noticeable by the minute amount of light which seeped in via the cracks.


    Constant screams and squeals of agony were heard outside- each one sounding like the betrayed screech of a tortured soul. Who they belonged to? The boy did not know nor even hear. In fact, they were the voices of convicts and disgusting criminals alike. But the boy could not hear them. Well, for the first 6 months he would quiver and cower in the corner as if the walls were made of brittle lead and the others could break in, but after a while, you could say that ¡°Insanity¡± crept in, and overcame him. Well not insanity to the normal eye- but rather his body gave up trying to protect itself and collapsed giving up on even trying to listen to the screams. They were simply whispers, occasionally fading in and out from existence. Although he could not notice it, but even now he had soiled himself four times from terror and fear. If he would have access to his arms, they would be shivering too much to move. His limbs had become weak and brittle due to lack of movement- his brain become broken, warped from the disgusting conditions he had lived in for over 2 years making him 15.


    He had become even weaker than the day his parents were killed and his sister taken from him.


    (Flashback)


    *


    ¡°Arthur Powell. 12 years old, father from Japan, and mother from America. 5¡±6, small body frame, and allergies to nuts.¡± Said a middle aged man, with thick spectacles, and a bushy grey moustache. He wore a white and purple checked shirt, with his tie loosened around his neck; signifying that he had yet another long day at work. Despite his overwhelming fatigue, that not even a coffee could conquer, his eyes shone with a resilient glimmer- something that had always made him special in his specific line of work.


    He was one of the only ¡®good¡¯ cops left. Good as in not crooked or one who could succumb to bribery or persuasion, from the filthy dirt that modern day¡¯s Tokyo is. But as for those who worked around him, they had either left to join the various much better paying syndicates, or joined the government funded anti-Vampire and demon forces. To eradicate a lost cause. The demons have gotten too much of a strong hold on Tokyo. In fact this city had become so diverse and so filled with crime that it was the second most plagued city in the world, shortly after Detroit, in the states.


    He threw the bundle of tattered papers he was reading, across the table, narrowly missing an ashtray complexly submerged in cigarettes.


    He sighed and turned to the man with black hair and a stern face next to him.


    ¡°Johnny, it¡¯s your turn today, see what the fuck is wrong with this kid.¡± The spectacled man spoke.


    To be frank, he had no more effort to be looking into a case with a freak of a life form like this. He and his small team took so many jobs, that they often worked much past their shifts, despite not being government or tax paid. Their team was much less appealing than the fancy ones, used in the more richer part of Asia, funded by the government. Instead this police state, was simply funded by clients who most of the time, were criminals themselves.


    But the spectacled man had lost it, in the sense that he had not much left in him. After his daughter was killed, 10 years ago, he had been forced into joining a police force, to eradicate those who have polluted this city. But after solving or giving up on so many cases, it would seem that this kid finally did it. A 12 year old, killing both his parents, and possibly kidnapping his younger sister?!  Disgusting. And the boy seems to show no regret either.


    The black haired man, grunted and took of his suit blazer revealing his white shirt underneath.


    ¡°Is he a demon?¡± Johnny asked.


    ¡°Thankfully, doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡±


    The man nodded and then proceeded to take a small knife, whose blade was jammed into the flesh of the table.


    The spectacled man saw this and sighed, ¡°Johnny, is it really necessary to interrogate a 12 year old?¡±


    ¡°A 12 year old, who¡¯s murdered his parents, King.¡± He bluntly responded, his eyes rolling.


    Johnny and his team would often address the head detective, Frank King, by his surname as a sign of respect.


    Frank remained silent then spoke, ¡°Your right; he¡¯s a freak.¡±


    Johnny slowly walked into the corridor, opposite the room they just sat in. He turned a sharp right, and then proceeded through a steel door, unlike the wooden ones around it.


    He opened it, and the boy sat at the opposite end of a table, his hands cuffed to the table¡¯s leg was the kid. His head was left to hang and his face was looking to the floor.


    Johnny walked forward slowly, without alerting the child, and then suddenly, slammed the butt of his knife into the table so hard that the table nearly collapsed. Arthur let out a small gasp and his head shot upwards.


    Johnny slightly recoiled at how dirty and scarred the boy¡¯s face was. But he immediately steeled himself. Despite his looks, he was a cold blooded killer.


    Johnny swivelled the wooden chair around and jumped on it, settling himself the opposite way, so that the back of the chair faced the boy and his legs wrapped around it.


    He spoke out in a gruff voice, ¡°Im going to ask you one question. You are going to answer it. If you lie, you¡¯re going to get hurt. You know why? Because you have no one to help you. No lawyer or attorney. Well you are a kid.¡± The man chuckled slightly and then continued.


    ¡°Did you, kill, your parents?¡± He spaced out each word carefully for the youth to hear.


    The boy remained silent, but it was obvious that he was shivering.


    ¡°YOU DEAF?!¡± The man¡¯s voice suddenly escalated and the knife he was holding, slammed down into Arthur¡¯s hand.*


    (End of Flashback)


    Arthur¡¯s eyes snapped open, his forehead stuck in a cold sweat.


    These happened often. Too often. And they hurt. As he thought this another one struck, sending his whole body into a spasming fit.


    (Flashback)


    *


    ¡°Oi, faggot, do you think you can be rude to big daddy?¡± Snarled someone.


    ¡°No-no, I was just-¡°


    Arthur wheezed out blood as he felt a fist pummel into his stomach, so hard and fast that tear droplets formed at the corner of his eyes. He dropped to his knees which were shaking os much that he could not stand up back up. Blood trickled out of his nose, and he felt vomit broil deep within.


    Another lanky boy sneered at the pathetic weasel below him and then took out something from his sock. It was a cutlery knife, which he had managed to smuggle out of the staff kitchen. He took it out and flashed it around, as if he was proud of what he had accomplished. The knife stolen accompanied the various scars and wounds that tattered his ugly face. His hair was also blonde and let loose at the sides. It was unkempt and uneven. Just like his personality.


    The person who had just punched him was short and stocky, with a faded haircut. His dark brown hair was spikey on top and extremely greasy; however his face, if left to heal from its injuries could one day grow into a handsome man. In fact both of them could be handsome if their scars, injuries and revolting personalities healed.


    And the man standing behind them, watching the scene from a comfortable position was gigantic to say the least. Despite him being 15, he was roughly 6¡± and over 130 kilograms. His thighs could¡¯ve been as thick as small tree trunks, and the look on his masculine face radiated hostility and a disgusting mixture of vile feelings. All four wore orange jumpsuits with number plates on it.


    They were in fact, in a small room, clustered with dirty dishes and cutlery in multiple sinks lined up on a dirty tiled desk opposite them. ¡®Big daddy¡¯ sat on a small plastic chair that seemed to creak and quiver under the massive weight of the boy who sat upon it. It was the cleaning room for the ¡®camp¡¯s¡¯ diner. The ¡®camp¡¯ was a nickname that the inmates used for the co-ed prison for under 18¡¯s in Tokyo. It was split up into two parts: females and males, and was home to many of the disrespectful and scum of the city. The two parts were further split into two parts, one for the small time offenders and one for the big. Arthur and those with him are of course in the big time offenders. Being the lawless place it is, most of the time, there was only the bare minimum staff to run the place, and most of the time, the biggest and worst of inmates were given temporary jobs to run the divisions within the camp. Since they had no place out of prison to go to, this was a chance to essentially work in the prison, but also be a prisoner. Big daddy was one of those; the ¡®Scrum Lords¡¯. This position was delegated by head of the camp: the infamous ¡®Double 0¡¯, so clearly nicknamed after his signature, to brand offenders with their personal brand. Double 0 was his own personal brand, meaning that in his youth, he also attended this hell hole. But the majority of the time, if he wasn¡¯t in his penthouse, with his strippers and druggie friends, he was abusing and torturing the prisoners who attended here.


    Unless the ¡®annual¡¯ inspections made from government officials, who were either brave enough or foolish enough to visit such a place, then Double 0 would be on his best behaviour and scrounge about any number of staff to make them look good, so they weren¡¯t temporarily shut down.


    The epitome of being corrupt.


    This was Arthur¡¯s second year of being here meaning he was 14. The youngest, and weakest off the entire prison. And this was no exaggeration; during the annual pit fights, hosted by yours truly: the scrum lords, Arthur was forced to fight against even the girls. The result, beaten to the point of his entire body being paralyzed for 3 months. But, instead of Double 0 taking him to the camp¡¯s shitty hospital, or any public ones still standing, he said this:


    ¡°Common, it ain¡¯t that bad, kiddo? How about I give you accommodation as repayment?¡±


    He was hidden, in the camp¡¯s lowest level, for half a year, with not nearly enough nutritional substance to survive. He was forced to consume unspeakable things to survive. All of this to avoid the public eye. To avoid being caught doing what was so clearly wrong. At the end of the period he was so weak and frail, that he could not support his own body for a while.


    Arthur shouted out as he felt his chin get kicked and sent flying onto the floor, sideways, since his hands were tied behind his back.


    The tall blonde one giggled, ¡°You¡¯re so lucky the other 3 ain¡¯t here, fag.  You¡¯d be suffering from so much more.¡±


    Arthur shivered because he knew that was right. The other 3 was 2 girls and 1 boy. The boy, Alex, was so sadistic, that even the thought of him sent shivers down his spine. The other 2 girls, both were beautiful but one of them much more deadly than the other. The dangerous girl was manipulative, scary and smart whilst the other was calculating and silent but never did anything personally to Arthur.


    ¡°Oi, Big Daddy, I think it¡¯s time!¡± The shorter one said- his name was Derek and the other was called Oscar.


    Big Daddy¡¯s name? Even his henchmen did not know.


    Big Daddy laughed and said in a thunderous voice, ¡°I do believe so!¡±


    Oscar nodded thoroughly and then proceeded to take out a piece of cloth, which obviously had stains of blood on it from before. He tossed it across the room and Big Daddy caught it mid-flight without even looking.


    ¡°Derek, take his top off and you two leave.¡± Big Daddy spoke.


    Arthur¡¯s eyes bulged open and he spoke in a crackling voice, ¡°Wh-why.¡± He stopped midsentence as he was slapped across the face by Derek who was now ripping his upper torso segment. As he tore it off, everyone slightly gasped at how big Arthur¡¯s brand was compared to theirs. Most people¡¯s brand¡¯s ranged from the size of a coin, to a size of a small paper. However, upon Arthur¡¯s back which was less broad then a 14 year old girl¡¯s, was a brand that was at least 16 inches wide and 17 inches tall. It was a skull, slightly transparent but submerged in blue flames, flames which carried on further down, converging at one point, a few centimetres below the skull¡¯s chin. Like a ghost¡¯s tail. Unknowing to even Arthur, it was the designated signia of someone below the age of 15, who have committed homicide but showed no signs of remorse or guilt after. A true monster.


    As Derek and Oscar walked out, Derek whispered to himself, ¡°How come this faggot gets a special brand?¡±


    Big daddy grabbed Arthur by the neck and forcefully positioned him so that his face pressed sideways against the wall, his back arched downwards and his buttocks spread upwards. Big Daddy laughed and then grabbed both of Arthur¡¯s arms, twisting his wrists and brought them behind his back whilst maintaining his iron grip.


    Arthur could hear his whisper, ¡°No point screaming for help because no one will hear ya!¡±


    Using his other arm, Big Daddy got the cloth and wrapped it around Arthur¡¯s face, so that part of it was in his mouth, essentially gagging him. And since Big Daddy¡¯s gigantic hand held tight around the noose of the cloth, Arthur couldn¡¯t crane his neck.


    Big daddy heard Arthur¡¯s muffled screams and could feel his wriggling under his powerful paws and was delighted how easy it was to fondle a ¡®little mammal¡¯. Arthur¡¯s eyes swivelled to the very corner of his eyeball, and slowly a tear rolled down as he saw the disgusting, vile giant behind him drop his pants.


    ¡°no, please, no.¡±*


    (End of Flashback)


    Arthur was still on the floor, twitching and convulsing as yet another painful fit struck his entire body, mercilessly.


    (Flashback)


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    *


    Arthur stood there, his chest rising and falling at an extreme pace, and his palms accumulating sweat, that rolled down from his frail arms. The bucket, filled with musty water, was now besides him, on the floor and directly right from the slightly opened doorway. In his left arm, was a mop that he supported across his chest from dropping down and alerting others of his position.


    Arthur licked his dry lips and shuffled his feet ever so lightly until he heard from in the room;


    ¡°Have you brought my blood meal?¡±


    Arthur knew that there was people in that room but he had assumed they were guards, and his presence was unwelcome. But he recognised that voice too clearly! It was¡­the girl- the second in command, behind ¡®Big Daddy¡¯, of the group! The cold and dangerous beauty, Violet- her purple dyed hair, and her sharp gaze could seduce but also kill any man. Her clothes were also unique, specially made for her, presumably she had obtained it by engaging in¡­ unsightly activities with the camp head, Double 0.  And with her was Derek and another boy who Arthur did not know. However, currently the unknown boy was kneeling down, on all fours and gladly supported the crossed legs of Violet, who was leisurely sat down in a wooden chair.


    But her face was contorted into one of pure anger and disgust at the two punks had failed an easy job.


    Derek smiled awkwardly and bowed so low, that he could¡¯ve kissed the floor, ¡°M-mistress, Im so-sorry, but the¡­meal, we couldn¡¯t do it.¡± His voice was wobbly.


    The boy kneeling down also nodded his head profusely.


    Violet kissed her teeth and then she bared her teeth in a snarl as she drove her right leg into the boy¡¯s back so hard that a *crack* was heard and his entire body collided into the ground with another deafening sound that reverberated against the entire room. The boy laid there, his limbs were sprawled out and a pool of blood became evident below his body.


    Violet saw this and then asked Derek, ¡°Want to watch?¡±


    ¡°W-watch what?¡± Derek¡¯s answer was feeble, but he knew exactly what Violet meant.


    She paused for a while. For so long that, Arthur quickly retracted his peering head from the corner of the doorway and bit his tongue so hard that he stopped breathing.


    Violet chuckled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you hate it?¡± Derek tilted his head inquisitively, obviously oblivious.


    As she said the next part her eyes literally shone with a red pulsation:


    ¡°Don¡¯t you hate it when you catch people peeking?¡±


    Time seemed to slow down.


    She paused and then continued, ¡°Grab him. Now.¡± Derek¡¯s head swivelled around to Arthur¡¯s location, and the peeper¡¯s heart rate accelerated so much that his chest could explode any minute.


    Squealing like a pathetic animal, Arthur quickly felt his body get pulled into the room, Derek¡¯s arm wrapped around his jugular, preventing him shouting or screaming out for help. Arthur desperately tried to claw at the thick forearm that constricted him, but it was hopeless. His opponent¡¯s weight severely prohibited him from being able to flip over the opponent or escape his grasp. All Arthur could do was hopelessly get dragged in.


    Please no, not again. I don¡¯t want to have to go through this shit again.


    It was true, Arthur was sick of being constantly bullied and tortured by everyone around him; ever since his parents died, he had suffered horribly- as if it was his fault, his fault that everyone close to him had been taken. As if he had to pay back the world for his misdeeds. These sins that he had ¡®committed¡¯ required retribution in the form of half a life in this disgusting excuse of a prison.


    Arthur hated his life. The only thing he had to live for was his sister. But she was probably dead as well.


    ¡°Hey, weasel! Don¡¯t go unconscious before I start!¡± Snarled Violet.


    Arthur glumly stared ahead as he slowly felt whatever was left of his soul and humanity crumble away. His whole body convulsed as Derek tightened his grip around Arthur¡¯s neck.


    ¡°You know what I am?¡± Violet asked.


    Arthur did not respond until his head snapped back up after hearing her response.


    ¡°Im a vampire.¡± The way she stated it, was if she didn¡¯t care; as if it was the most mundane of things.


    But to Arthur it wasn¡¯t. She was one of the scum, one of the scum responsible- somehow linked to the death of his parents!


    Of course this assumption was foolish; how could one blame an entire sub-species for the actions of one? But Arthur did not care. He hated and will continue to hate vampires forever, as long as he draws breath. And this thing; this creature in front of him, had managed to go under the radar for the entire time of temporary confinement in the camp! It disgusted him, that such a disgusting demon had stayed in the same building as Arthur. Human scum were tolerable but demons? Unacceptable. It infuriated him. It made him even angrier at the possibility that the heads of the camp knew of her existence but still allowed her to¡­feed on other prisoners!


    Something flashed in Arthur¡¯s eyes and an incredible fluctuation of strength rippled across his entire body as he burst out of Derek¡¯s grip and burst forward towards violet in an attempt to do anything to stop her.


    For just a brief moment, the vampire¡¯s entire body hesitated, hesitated to a point of the enemy reaching her, but she quickly regained her posture as she struck out her arm, into his throat knocking him to the ground in a fit.


    *Cough Cough* Arthur felt his throat burning as he spluttered up a substantial pool of blood, that soaked the wooden floorboards underneath. His arms cradled his stomach desperately as he rocked around, his whole being succumbing to the spasming bursts of pain that struck him.


    ¡°What¡­did¡­she.hit¡­.me..with¡­¡± He gasped in-between his rapid wheezes. He asked, but he knew the answer; he knew how strong vampires and demons were.


    At peak ability (Dependent on pure-blood or half-blood), an average vampire could lift about 50 times its body weight, and throw something half a ton at 70mph. Terrifying would be a suitable description of such a demon.


    Despite being knocked back a few feet, he knew that she held back tremendously: presumably to make him suffer.


    Derek grabbed a hold of Arthur again, and pinned him to the floor, forcing him to look upwards, by holding him by his hair.


    ¡°Let¡­me¡­go,¡± he whispered out.


    ¡°Derek make sure he watches,¡± the vampire snarled at her underling.


    Derek nodded, but even Arthur could feel the sweat droplets forming on his palms, that held his head in place. At first Arthur was perplexed, but then his eyes bulged open and his brow twitched vigorously as he felt his blood boil. His left eye twitched, as it normally would when he was under intense pressure, anger, or about to partake in an outburst in disturbed out-of-persona outbreak. He felt his mouth and tongue dry rapidly, as his saliva was forcefully extracted into the walls of his mouth which was now gaping  open in absolute and unrefined shock.


    Violet, saw this and her boy quivered very slightly out of sadistic pleasure. What she was doing, made his body falter to a point where he could fall unconscious of shock any minute.


    She picked up the unconscious boy who just served as her pedestal, and held him up by the grip of his shirt which was tearing slightly. His head succumbed to the force of gravity and hung backwards, exposing his neck and the very throbbing veins.


    Arthur desperately tried to fumble around, wriggle his body and even bite the fingers of his capturer but he couldn¡¯t escape. His mind raced endlessly as he foresaw what was about to happen. Just like what happened with his sister and his parents. He didn¡¯t want to see it happen again, even if a complete stranger was suffering. The pure act of stealing one¡¯s life slowly and agonizingly in front of another was terrible.


    Arthur started crying, tears flooding down his cheeks as if he was a new-born infant. He cried shamelessly, to the point where his whole face was red and his whole body trembled with fear.


    Violet burst out into laughter, her long and beautiful purple-dyed hair, bopping along with her laughter.


    ¡°Fucking fool.¡± Was the last words she said as she opened her mouth and exposed her teeth¡ªno fangs.


    With vampires, they can conceal their two primary elongated canines, by accurately controlling the depth of the tooth root in their gums essentially making them shorter or longer. However, when stimulated by bloodlust, or simply under a whim or decision, they can elongate and sharpen all teeth, exposing 2 layers of razor sharp, needle-lick spines that could cut through even bone.


    And she did exactly that, within a few seconds, her teeth extended and sharpened, silently, despite bone being reformed and molded. The part that terrified Arthur, was that there was a much cleaner and painless method to feasting. They could simply use their canines, and even the victim would survive, if not enough blood had been drained. But she purposefully chose to destroy the prey that she had in her hands.


    But that was not the limiting factor that made vampires terrifying. No¡ªthat was only the tip of the iceberg. Some vampires, who still have genes from ancient demonic ancestors have the ability to modify certain body parts in order to make feeding much more efficient. Some could control the flexibility of their jaw, to make feasting easier and quicker. They could unhinge the bones on their jaws, much similar to a snake, and therefore accommodate for much more space in the oral cavity.


    Violet paused momentarily, as the once silent room, was filled with cracking and squelching sounds as slowly but steadily collapsed and her jaw hung loose, 6 inches lower than it should.


    Derek was forced to clamp his hand over Arthur¡¯s mouth to stop him for screaming out.


    Even now, Violet¡¯s purple eyes were dilated and drunk on sadistic pleasure, as slowly she spiraled down into the physiological breakdown that ensued. She too, slowly, was breaking down mentally with time, and wanted to take that path at a slow stroll, so she could maximize her enjoyment.


    Her mouth wrapped around the boy¡¯s neck, slowly and leisurely at first, the fangs that was her teeth jabbing slightly into the soft pink flesh that had blood slowly leak out at the puncture wounds.


    And then she struck. It was so vicious and brutal that it would imprint itself into Arthur¡¯s mind forever, until he took his last breath. Arthur repeatedly screamed and screamed as loud as he could, as he felt mucus fill his nose, and tears clog his eyes. He begged to be let free and tried to clamp his eyes shut, but they were kept open by Derek¡¯s fingers, which too were trembling slightly.


    Arthur was forced to stare, as what seemed more blood that the human body can accommodate stained the entire floor and walls. Not his screams, but the victim¡¯s screams were interlaced with his own. At first defiant and strong, but as seconds turned to minutes, the screams whimpered down as the boy¡¯s body lost its colour and his neck was completely destroyed, his wind pipe severed in two, and his body only connected to his head by a thin strand of flesh.


    *


    Arthur laid there, panting and his whole body quivering so much he couldn¡¯t steady himself or decelerate his heart beat. He looked onwards and saw the lifeless and limp body of the boy who had been used as food.


    His nearly decapitated head, whose hair had lost its colour and his skin become pale, stared at Arthur with his pale grey eyes that too had lost their colour¡ªno their soul. Arthur stared at those eyes, and chuckled slightly.


    ¡°Huh, you¡¯re the only guy who hasn¡¯t looked at me and insulted me, in this entire prison.¡± His voice faltered slightly as tears still left his eyes.


    He reached out his hand as if asking for a handshake:


    ¡°My names Arthur; whats yours?¡±


    Just before he lost consciousness from shock and pure fear, he thought to himself


    Well at least I made one friend today.


    ¡°Arghh!¡± Arthur¡¯s whole body convulsed in pain, as he felt a sharp, extensive pain rush through the side of his naked abdomen.


    ¡°Number 7.¡± The owner of the voice called out, his voice filled with glee.


    ¡°Kid, its best to admit your crime now, then to endure the pain. After the 12th, Im gonna be forced to keep you awake. As soon as we get this recorded confession, all charges are dropped and the torture will falter.¡± The voice was the infamous double 0- notorious for his torture and violent methods of information extortion. Although, normally he would use conventional instruments to permit the agony of inmates, this time he decided to branch out on his ¡®array of tools¡¯.


    Double 0 was using ¡®Rinse n¡¯ Mince¡¯, one of the only torture methods banned globally, and regarded as a complete and utter ¡®violation of human right and dignity act¡¯. The victim would be repeatedly lashed with a whip, ranging from 5 foot to 12, but the whip was made out of an extremely light and flexible compound, barley solid at room temperature. The circumference of the whip was aligned with tiny serrated edges, less than a millimetre long, and the spikes would be aligned opposite to the direction of the slash. Much similar to some marine predators, such as sharks, their teeth were aligned so that once it punctured flesh, the teeth would be jammed inside, making it impossible for prey to get out of the opposite grip. It also meant that the victim would bleed out much quicker. It was extremely painful by itself, but there was of course its partnering technique, the ¡®rinse¡¯.


    A bucket filled to the brim of a certain acidic drug. The drug seeps into any openings in the skin, and slowly deconstructs red blood cells at a slow and painful rate, so slow in fact, that it takes about 5 days to kill someone with the drug, because each individual cell is destroyed so slowly. It increased the already excruciating amounts of pain, to an unbearable one.


    Arthur¡¯s hands were tied, by the wrists, by a rope that was attached to the ceiling high above. He hung there with his entire body exposed; however he had already lost feeling in his abdomen and thighs. But, without hesitation, Arthur screamed once more as he felt a substantial amount of ice cold liquid enter his skin and injuries sending him into another spasming shock of pain.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe, that someone like you, would attempt to rape a helpless girl like Violet!¡± Double 0 shouted at Arthur.


    A blatant lie of course.


    Arthur slowly dragged his head upwards, his consciousness already starting to fade out of existence.


    He muttered two words.


    ¡°Kill¡­me¡­¡±


    (End of flashback)


    *


    *Knock Knock*


    He felt the steel door of his cage rattle as a guard called in,


    ¡°You have a visitor, punk. 10 minutes- max!¡±


    (what his mask looks like.)

 Act 1:Chapter 2-Prepared

    WARNING- FOUL LANGUAGE, INHUMANE REACTIONS TO HOMICIDE


    Chapter 2


    Arthur heard a couple of clicks and various mechanical noises whir as the metallic door slowly slid open, horizontally to the door frame. The guard on the other side, simply wore green khaki shorts and a black vest, and a small golden badge on his breast depicting a small golden lion on its hind legs. The Tokyo police force sign. On his back, was a rifle of some sorts- Arthur had no prior knowledge of some weapons, so he could not determine- and at his waist, attached in a gun holster was a stun gun, however its voltage was illegally modified to a level where total and permanent paralysis would occur if someone was shocked. In his black stained teeth, was a blunt- presumably with some sort of drug; many of which were allowed in the camp, despite their illegal attributes.


    The man smirked as he stepped forward and picked up the bound boy by the hair. Guards in this prison did not have to follow any rules.


    ¡°Did you not hear me the first time brat?! GET THE FUCK UP!¡± The man smashed the prisoner¡¯s head into the brick wall of the cell, cracking the mask slightly and sending it flying off his face and onto the floor.


    And Arthur¡¯s face was revealed after solitary confinement for ¡®attempted rape¡¯ for 5 months. And since then it had changed.


    The guard, despite being 3 times as heavy as the prisoner and being armed, couldn¡¯t help but let out a small gasp and backtrack a little whilst his arm hovered over the stun gun by his holster.


    The boy was silent as his eyes stared upwards, into the eyes of the guard who had just knocked the mask off. His once bright green eyes had now turned dim and no long shone, but rather pierced the guard with a deadly stare, that forced him to hesitate- if ever so slightly. The pupils of his eyes had shrunk slightly as the rest of his face was completely calm, even his mouth did not tremble. His brow stayed perfectly still, as if it was a painting, and the rest of his facial features had changed and matured a little. The bridge of his nose more defined, and his cheek bones- although sunken from lack of food- had formed appropriately. His disheveled blonde hair had gone slightly spikey and his once fringe had gone upwards with the rest of his vertical curls.


    Arthur, still silent bent over slightly and took a hold of his dropped mask by biting into it and slowly stood up. He had grown 6 inches, making him 5¡±5 at 15- still short, but he had still grown. The boy, with the mask in his mouth, and his arms still contained in the strafe jacket, took one step forward and paused as he felt blood trickle from the wound inflicted on the side of his head just a moment ago. His eyes followed the drop of blood as it left his chin and slowly descended onto the floor with a *drip*.


    The guard was now holding the stun gun, and staring inquisitively and also suspiciously at the floor where the boy was staring. And then, Arthur¡¯s cold eyes snapped up so quickly that the guard nearly fired his gun at Arthur¡¯s chest.


    A few seconds passed, and the guard¡¯s tensed body relaxed slightly and he awkwardly laughed it off whilst muttering quietly, ¡°Fucking freak.¡± But for some reason he decided to not let the prisoner know of what he said.


    He took the boy by his shoulder and pushed him roughly out the cell and into the corridor, and down towards the visitor section- the clearest and tidiest place of the whole compound.


    A room, barely lit by ancient light bulbs, about 14 meters long and 12 meters wide, its walls painted with a low quality cream colour. Half of the room closest to the heavily protected entrance/exit had a smaller separate section, protected with glass, with a single young, female accountant who was typing away at her computer on her desk. There was two armed guards at the exit, who both welded assault rifles- once again a completely foreign thing to Arthur¡¯s eyes. The room was split into two with a long desk that went horizontally across, and a thin layer of bullet proof glass acting as a wall, separating prisoners and visitors.  At a chair to Arthur¡¯s far left, right next to the barricaded doorway allowing access between the two half, was an inmate and visitor talking, through the glass. The visitor, a woman with short hair, was smoking a cigarette and did not seem too bothered, and the man who was talking avidly were oblivious to the escorted prisoner who had just entered the room.


    The accountant briefly looked up with uninterested eyes, was quickly shocked as she was met with a pair of diligent and cold eyes that forced her to look down at her monitor again.


    And a few meters, beyond the bullet proof glass, was a man who seemed to be roughly 6¡±2- a rather giant stature. He sat, leaning back in the wooden chair, which seemed to creak and groan under the pressure. He wore a pitch black cloak, which covered most of his body- but underneath was a formal suit-vest which was also black but had red rims. The golden buttons of the vest were all tightened securely, further tightening the clothing around his finely tuned abdomen.  The cuffs of his long sleeves were bright silver, so bright that the light seemed to reflect all light in the room. And upon his hidden facial features, was a black stockman hat (google it if unsure), concealing his face which was looking downwards.


    Something was strange about him, however. His whole body radiated some sort of aura; a deafening and vicious one that no one else could muster or oppose. Unrivaled in power, and unmistakably deadly. Truth be told, it was terrifying how calm he was, around such dangerous people.


    Without even looking up, he had sensed the new arrival and let the chair plop back into its original place. He leaned forward, and crossed one leg over the other, letting his foot hang low. He looked up slightly, the hat covering his upper face. And what was revealed, was deathly smile. A smile that had faced many situations. He placed his left elbow on his right knee, and let his head be supported by it, in a lazy manner.


    The guard who had escorted Arthur, audibly whimpered, and pushed Arthur forwards whilst whispering, ¡°Only ten minutes, go!¡±


    Arthur silently sat down, in front of the mysterious figure, despite his rather scary look.


    The boy remained stubborn and waited for the man to speak first, but no response came.


    So Arthur spoke first, his voice almost silent and composed, ¡°Who-¡° he stopped himself, and then continued after inhaling a breath of air. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The man resumed in his pretentious smile.


    ¡°Im your savior.¡± His voice was difficult to describe. All Arthur could place on it, was that it was deep and full of wisdom; but also deadliness.


    Despite being covered by the hat, Arthur could make out the assertive glances of his eyes, at the several guards in this room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that-¡° Arthur started.


    ¡°Yes. Exactly that.¡± The figure responded.


    ¡°But, why?¡± Arthur was genuinely confused, so much that he spoke out several times; much unlike his behavior for the past 4 months.


    ¡°I was there.¡±


    The figure took Arthur¡¯s silence as a lack of knowledge on the subject.


    ¡°When your parents were killed. When your sister was taken. I was there to watch it all.¡± He said bluntly.


    Arthur¡¯s eyes bulged slightly, and his mouth opened a little.


    ¡°I know. I should¡¯ve come sooner to get you out of prison. But I was preoccupied; sorry.¡± He chuckled lightly despite the situation.


    He continued, ¡°Im here to take you out.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Arthur¡¯s voice trembled slightly, at the thought of his family. ¡°Why-why did you not stop them?! Why did you not call for help?!¡±


    The figure smirked and responded, ¡°I ain¡¯t no super hero kid. I can¡¯t fight against three pure bloods; especially if I don¡¯t have my V-Kit. But it doesn¡¯t matter. The blood has been spilt, and I can¡¯t un-spill it. All that¡¯s left to do is to get revenge.¡±


    Arthur¡¯s blood was boiling, his whole body was in a state of shock. His fists were tightened so much, that blood started to flow out from the entry wounds. His mind was racing as well as his heart. Some random guy, had come to see him, and then said that not only had he witnessed his parent¡¯s murder, but was also here to get Arthur out of prison.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you for a while, kiddo, and I ain¡¯t pleased with how weak you¡¯ve gotten. Letting yourself getting bullied around by some no-good punks, who got nothin¡¯ better to do except prey on weaklings. When we get out of here, I hope to change that.¡±


    Arthur was still confused on who this man was, his agenda, and why he had come to pick Arthur to ¡®rescue¡¯. But most of all, he did not trust him. He trusted no one.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°How do I trust you?¡±


    This kid trusts no one. Good habit the figure thought to himself.


    He chuckled and said, ¡°Cuz, Im the only chance you got.¡±


    Suddenly one of the guards who were guarding the doorway stepped forward and said in a gruff voice that supported his appearance, ¡°Oi! Time¡¯s up! Get out of here, cosplaying freak!¡±


    The figure¡¯s brow twitched slightly, but he ignored the guard and carried on.


    ¡°Kid I know you¡¯re confused. And scared, I mean you¡¯ve pissed yourself.¡± Arthur didn¡¯t even have to look to shamefully admit that the figure was correct.


    ¡°But once¡ªif¡ªwe get out of this shit hole then I can hopefully explain to you a little clearer.¡±


    The guard behind the figure grew irritated and walked forward whilst using his free hand to grab the shoulder of the cloaked man.


    ¡°Oi, shit-head, did you not hear me the first time! I said time¡¯s up!¡± The guard snarled.


    Without even looking, the figure smirked and said quietly,


    ¡°Oh, I heard you.¡±


    With an action so fluid, that it could¡¯ve been water, the figure reached inside of his vest with a jerk of his right arm, and pulled out a gleaming metallic object that fit perfectly into his hand. His right hand gripped firmly around a pure jet black hilt, which connected to it, was a silver cylindrical barrel, whose end was gold. Without even looking back, the man¡¯s arm snapped back, his elbow forming a 90 degree angle, and his finger pressed down on a trigger.


    *BOOM* An immense sound escaped from the barrel of the object, and the guard who had just gripped onto the shoulder of the figure, no longer had a head. It was completely obliterated, only a heap of fleshly residue atop the man¡¯s shoulders.


    Arthur shouted out in surprise and stared blankly onto the hidden face of the figure.


    ¡°I¡¯d advise you to move.¡± He said, through grit teeth.


    Arthur hit the deck so hard, that he could¡¯ve knocked himself unconscious. Holding his head tightly and making his  body as small as possible, he tried to conceal his body underneath the desk.


    However as he ducked down, he managed to capture a glimpse of the weapon that the figure held in his right hand. Its complexion was so beautiful and enticing, yet it was such a blatant bringer off death. The cylindrical barrel which fed the barrel with its ammunition of death, was so iconic that not even Arthur could mistake or misinterpret its origin. The magnum 55th Legionnaire¡¯s handgun. Its relative the 2007 Magnum 44 revolver. However this one had obviously been modified to give off an explosive payload.


    The figures eyes quickly swiveled around, analysing the situation and comprehending all sources of information. Within 2 seconds he had successfully formulated a plan.


    3 people- 2 armed, 1 with a stun baton (right behind me), one with an assault rifle (behind the bulletproof glass), and a woman behind the counter, probably aiming to hit the alarm. The other two who were discussing have fled. Makes my job easier.


    The figure smiled and then spun around, using his heel as a pivot. He completely ignored the startled guard who was lifting his rifle, behind the bullet proof glass, and rushed forward with an amazing burst of speed to the guard who now also leapt forward with a stun baton in hand.


    Flicking the switch on its handle, the midnight black baton flickered with blue electrical flashes, and he swung down vertically, aiming for the head of the figure. As the baton rushed down with tremendous force, the cloaked man¡¯s figure was low and it seemed that he was too close to dodge it. However, to the shock of the guard, the cloaked figure flashed another charming smile and rotated his whole body to the right, dodging the strike and re-positioning himself so that his left arm now held the attackers swinging hand. With a quick movement, the cloaked figure brought up the magnum with his right hand and jammed the barrel into the nape of the guard who was now sweating profusely.


    ¡°P-please don¡¯t-¡° he whimpered.


    The figure smirked and said, ¡°Should¡¯ve thought of that before your dumbass attacked me.¡±


    *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*


    Three consecutive shots fired so quickly that the sounds blended into one thunderous sound. The body of the guard fell to the ground as the trembling woman, from inside her cubicle, slowly stepped out.


    The cloaked figure turned to the remaining guard who was now choke holding the boy with a stun gun pointed to his head. Although he stood firm, the shaking of his hands around the hilt were visible.


    The beads of sweat that rolled from his forehead were all too obvious.


    ¡°S-stay back, or I¡¯ll kill this fucker.¡± His voice trembled.


    The figure chuckled and he leisurely took a step forward, despite the situation.


    Despite being behind bullet proof glass, the man stepped backwards, fear visible in Arthur¡¯s eyes. The still concealed figure smirked, exposing his brilliantly white teeth, and said:


    ¡°You have five seconds.¡± His voice was neutral as ever, but behind it was an emotion so vicious and deadly that it sent shivers down the spines of the trembling guard.


    ¡°5¡±


    ¡°Five seconds to do what?!¡±


    ¡°4¡±


    ¡°3¡±


    ¡°Hey! What the hell you on about?!¡± Panic started to fill his voice.


    ¡°2¡±


    ¡°HEY WAIT! WAIT I¡¯LL LET HIM GO-¡°


    The cloaked figure didn¡¯t even say 1 as he rose the magnum up in the air, perpendicular to the guard¡¯s head.


    ¡°Hehe, you can¡¯t mean to shoot through bullet-¡°


    *BOOM*


    Arthur felt the grip of the guard loosen as the body collapsed onto the floor, limp and very dead.


    Arthur gasped as he looked at the gigantic bullet hole, with cracks arching out like tree branches.


    The man looked to his side and saw that the woman had her fingers centimetres away from the alarm button.  He could see that the woman hesitated because she was afraid of being shot. Sweat beads formed at her arching eyebrows and her hair was wet from sweat as well. Her clothes were crunched up and her legs quivered with fright.


    The figure crossed his head and spoke out, ¡°Hey lady, don¡¯t press that but-¡°


    ¡°KYAA!¡± Her fingers smashed into the button hopelessly.


    The man rolled his eyes and kissed his teeth.


    *KABOOM!*


    A powerful explosion rocketed out from the button, completely imploding the left wall, shattering the glass and decimating the woman¡¯s body. The fire alarm went off and water sprinkled down from above, soaking the man¡¯s cloak completely.


    The man gritted his teeth and said to himself, ¡°This is what you get for setting up a trap beforehand.¡±


    His face, still visibly annoyed looked over to Arthur who knelt down, staring into space, obviously shocked from what had happened.


    Grabbing hold of Arthur with one hand, and vaulting the newly created hole in the bullet-proof glass, the man ran out the exit and into the night.

 Act 1: Chapter 3-Shocking Display

    [color=red]Bad language, small amounts of violence[/color=red]


    Chapter 3


    Arthur¡¯s eyes slowly fluttered open, much to the demise of his fatigued body, and scanned the new environment he was in. He seemed to be moving, as once in a while, the whole room would shiver and quake as if it had hit a pothole.


    So maybe a car? But no¡ªthis is too large, so possibly a van? He thought to himself.


    Arthur was shivering violently, as he was petrified¡ªpossibly the police had captured him again and he was going to return to that hell-hole?!


    However, as Arthur¡¯s worried eyes continued to scan the interior of the van, he realised that he was laying down on something similar to a hospital bed, whose legs were firmly attached to the ground. Up above, on the ceiling was fluorescent rectangular lights, which did a good job at illuminating the approximately 5 meter long and 4 meter wide compartment. Slowly getting up, and firmly gripping the side of the bed, Arthur looked behind him to confirm his belief that it was indeed a van. Two steel doors, currently closed of course, were present. Looking in front of him, was a small metallic desk attached to the wall, as well as several computer monitors, and a computer tower, which wired and bleeped. On one of the monitors was- what Arthur presumed- a camera mounted on the roof of the van. Currently they were driving way too fast down a wide high way, which was scarcely populated at such a time. According the sky, it must have been midnight. The camera had a 360 degree view, so the monitor was split into 4 different 90 degree sections, which illustrated each quadrant in a high definition. Behind the van, was the fading city scape of one of Tokyo¡¯s most populated area, Chiyoda, and down south to the Koto district. On the second monitor was a congregation of graphs- ranging from line graphs and pie charts and such, with detailed labels and flowing information. The text was too small to see from Arthur¡¯s position. And on the last monitor was¡­ a picture of Arthur?


    What the hell? W-why does he have¡­ Arthur¡¯s inner-voice trailed off as he squinted his eyes and tried to read the information below a mugshot of his face. All he could make out was physical descriptions of himself.


    He planned¡­.


    Nearly toppling to the floor from another bump, Arthur held tight to the railing positioned on the right wall and crawled across the floor when he looked to his left and his jaw dropped open.


    The wall had 5 rails, each possibly 3 meters long, fitted to the brim with various guns. Assault rifles, bolt actions, handguns- even a rocket launcher was attached by small locks on the sides! The guns also jiggled with every road bump, which disturbed Arthur. Just when he was about to reach his hand to feel the guns he heard the voice of someone, probably driving, which caused him to jump.


    And with the noise, was music in the background.


    ¡°What is love?¡± The voice was blatant and Arthur immediately recognised it as the figure who had escorted¡ªno carried- him out of the prison.


    What the hell is he on about?


    Then Arthur heard the figure sing badly along with the music behind his voice.


    ¡°~Baby don¡¯t hurt me, don¡¯t hurt me, no more.~¡±


    The singer paused as he let the music play along, to its main chorus.


    Arthur chuckled awkwardly and then knocked on the front wall of the compartment, which had a small door and passageway.


    Without waiting for response, Arthur opened the door by its handle, and clambered onto the left passenger seat right next to the driver.


    ¡°Oh, seems like your awake kiddo.¡± The figure said, his identity still concealed by the oversized hat on his head.


    Seems like he has no shame to his bad singing.


    The figure reached out his hand and turned down the music, as he adjusted the driving wheel and made a sharp turn to the left, taking them of the highway and onto a more suburban road, with medium sized houses. The streetlights had just turned on as it had gotten darker much more slowly since it was summer. Even in the interior of the van, Arthur still felt warm.


    Looking at the windshield and the windows to either side of him, were shaded dark and looked thick- presumably another special material.


    Next to the driver¡¯s wheel, and on top of a small storage compartment was a bobble head that bounced according to the car¡¯s turbulence. On it was a figure that Arthur recognised from an old movie, he had saw when he was 12, with his¡­parents¡­ Quickly Arthur dismissed the thoughts, and looked over the figure, who strangely looked similar to the figure next to him.


    Something about a monster slayer? No¡ªvampire slayer!


    ¡°Wait¡ªdon¡¯t tell me that,¡± Arthur started as he looked over to the figure who was already smiling and looking over to him as well.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°Hey, you should be looking where your driv-!¡± Arthur stared in horror as he heard the beeping sound of a truck which raced towards their van. Meters away from impact, without breaking eye contact with Arthur, the figure swerved the van in


    a perfect S shape, to avoid collision.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, kiddo. Im your friendly neighbourhood Vampire Hunter! But if that alias is a little too long, I guess you could call me¡­Hmm¡­ What did the press used to call me a few years back?¡±


    ¡°Ahh! Diamond Hound! Or D.H for short.¡±


    Arthur stared at the ¡®Diamond Hound¡¯ for a few seconds and then his heart beat suddenly accelerated. Diamond Hound? The legendary and infamous villain who went against the law to do whatever he pleased? One of the last few hated Merc members who the QDDIT hated?


    ¡°Y-your that criminal I saw in the news!¡± his voice filled with terror.


    ¡­


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Diamond Hound burst into laughter, as he heard the response he got.


    ¡°Very good! Seems like the propaganda has gotten to the young fol as well, heh?"  Diamond Hound responded.


    ¡°P-propaganda?¡± Arthur asked.


    D.H smirked and continued, ¡°Kid, the news has become corrupt and has been for the past 10 years. The rich kids up north and west in Asia, as well as the states, don¡¯t want us Mercs hangin¡¯ about, do they? Unlike the QDDIT, who are bound by laws and ¡®morals¡¯- which by the way are about as fucked up as you can get- we choose to do it our own way, so that we don¡¯t have to join in on the massive cluster-fuck of corruption.¡±


    ¡°Corruption?


    The QDDIT and the law isn¡¯t corrupt! They¡¯re the ones taking demons of the streets!¡± Arthur retaliated.


    ¡°Are you a fuckin¡¯ idiot, kid? The United Duo-Specius Allegiance- head of QDDIT- is what funded your imprisonment! Whether they knew how bad the prisons are or not, they still contributed to your misinformed arrestment! They¡¯re the reason why


    you spent 4 years in that hell hole!¡±


    Arthur¡¯s eyes lit up in shock, and then glazed over as he clenched his fists and his eyes lost the colour they regained momentarily after being rescued. And just now, he realised how much he opened up to this strange Diamond Hound. How he had possibly revealed his true and utter personality- which went completely against what he vowed to do after being tortured, by double 0, due to the false accusation.


    Open myself to no one. Believe nothing. Trust only myself.


    D.H saw this and smiled to himself, ¡°After learning the truth, it makes it hard to trust anyone, huh, kiddo? But it¡¯s good that you¡¯re like this. Don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Arthur didn¡¯t respond. Perhaps it was stubbornness or just him making sure he didn¡¯t compromise his vow.


    The two were silent, as the van continued its journey by taking the 3<sup>rd</sup>exit at the roundabout and driving by a cargo yard and a dock by Arakawa River.


    ¡°Kid do you know why I rescued you?¡±


    Flashbacks of the prison suddenly grasped at Arthur and he had to stiffen his entire body to prevent them from arising again.


    ¡°I rescued you,¡± He paused and then continued, ¡°Because you and me; we¡¯re alike. We both had things taken from us, and we both want ¡®em back. Luckily for you though, you can get yours back- but for me¡­¡± He paused and then shook his head, dismissing the thought.


    ¡°Anyways, I just want you to know that you have two options of now. I can stop this van, and you can get out and be free to do whatever you want, hopefully find some orphanage that will take you in and partake in a normal life, befitting someone of your age.¡±


    ¡°Or?¡±


    Arthur¡¯s voice was weak and trembling.


    ¡°Or, you can come with me and become my disciple.¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that?!¡± Arthur struck out, his voice faltering.


    ¡°Why would I go back to a life of pain and misery, every single day?! Why would I want to end up with my family and¡­ and¡­¡±


    Arthur broke out crying as he drove his shamefully red face into his hands. He hated it so much. He hated it how his life turned out this way; that his parents died, and he was stuck with some random stranger, who merely decided to rescue him, on a whim¡¯s decision. All by chance and luck.


    ¡°Because, Im your pathway to revenge.¡±


    ***


    OK, I dont know what the fuck is up with royal road''s new update but when i copy my chapter from microsoft word, i have to manually make every sentence fill out each line (If that makes sense) so it takes a hell of a lot of time for me to edit. Hopefully they fix this soon, otherwise Im gonna have to stop uploading until they fix it.


    Anyways, hope you enjoyed this week''s final chapter. Peace.

 Chapter 4- This bad?

    Chapter 4


    (Nothing to worry about in this chapter)


    The van halted to a slow stop, in front of a large and what seemed to be abandoned warehouse, whose walls were slowly deteriorating. Its roof had several holes in it, and corrugated iron beams were visible and jutting out. The large industrialised windows were also cracked and obviously on the brink of shattering.


    The warehouse was on the very end of the harbour and cargo bay, and therefore no houses were present for at least half a kilometre. Glancing south, was the river which extended for kilometres, as far as the eye could see. The river¡¯s murky blue and green water, reflected the pale white luminescence of the moon which arced high in the sky above. Few cargo boxes were scattered across the dock and half a dozen boats rocked slowly in the midnight breeze.


    Diamond Hound, opened his door and also took a large duffel bag from the back as well as called for Arthur to come out the car. He did so silently, looking down.


    D.H, gripping onto the duffel bag tightly, walked right of the warehouse, following a small path until it led to a steel doorway, which he then punched in a few numbers on a touchscreen keypad. Hisses and whirrs were heard as the doors automatically opened.


    He called out to Arthur who was still standing by the van:


    ¡°Hey kid, are you comin¡¯ in, or are you gonna stay out all night?¡±


    Arthur, stubbornly obliged and walked slowly to where the mysterious man just walked in.


    The interior of the warehouse surprised Arthur, as it looked much smaller inside than its outer appearance. Although, it was probably due to the congregation of equipment which was present in the single massive room which was about 20 meters long and 12 meters high.


    D.H flicked 6 separate switches to the left of the now shut doorway, and about 2 dozen lights switched on, illuminating the entire room.  To the right of Arthur, was a small boxing ring, 2 meters above the floor, complete with the ropes around.  Right next to the ring was about a dozen different models of sparring dummies; rubber, wooden and even metallic dummies each one with different protruding arms. He even saw a stereotypical ¡®wooden man¡¯ dummy used in many martial arts films. To the left of the warehouse was a whole array of gym equipment, treadmills, weights, rowing machines, cycles and all other sorts of weird things for cardiovascular training. There was even two parallel steel poles which went up vertically for 10 meters. Each pole had a hook at 1 meters intervals. Another pole, 2 meters long, laid on the ground. The exercise was an extreme one, where one would hop up each 1 meter interval using the pole, meaning there was 10 levels to conquer. However if one fell down, serious injuries would be sustained- and it seemed the D.H didn¡¯t bother to put a safety mat underneath.


    Further up in the warehouse was a firing range, separated by a wall and bullet proof glass, essentially meaning it was its own separate room. From this angle, Arthur could make out a workbench, some storage cabinets as well as 20 different targets each at different levels of height and angles. Each target, however, was connected to a mono-rail system, meaning that the targets could probably move.


    ¡°Stop gawking and follow me.¡± Diamond Hound muttered as he dragged Arthur along down the aisle which was situated in the middle.


    After walking for a minute, they reached a hatch which was positioned on the floor. It stuck up slightly, and a circular, metallic hatch door was present on top. The figure, knelt down and pressed his hand up on a green touchscreen.


    A few beeps and clicks were heard, and then a robotic voice spoke, ¡°Hand recognition, perceived as correct. Please use voice input.¡±


    The man spoke, ¡°Diamond Hound. Agent 99-Registered In.¡±


    *Beep Beep*


    ¡°Voice recognition, perceived as correct, opening hatch, Mr. Hound.¡±


    A mist of steam escaped from the hatch as it slowly opened revealing a vertical ladder going down into darkness.


    Without looking back, D.H spoke, ¡°Now or never, kid. This is your last chance. Once you come in here, you¡¯ll be with me.¡±


    Arthur was silent as he sniffed in and exhaled, slowly thinking of the consequences. What D.H said in the van was true- he was the only chance that Arthur would get to claim redemption for those Vampiric fucks who took away what was most beloved to him. For 4 years, the ¡®law¡¯ had kept him under shackles in that corrupt hell hole, preventing him from pursuing revenge. They wanted to stop him. And the law did nothing to get the true murders. No, instead they took HIM in. And tortured HIM. HE was blamed for the death of his parents.


    And those who kept me in that prison, will feel the same wrath that those who took my family away from me.


    His teeth clenched and his fists tightened. He, for four years, was constantly bullied, tortured and defiled more than a boy of his age could endure. Every night, he had received horrendous treatment, and after such torture he would have brutal nightmares every single night.


    The inmates are added to my list.


    The boy looked up at the humungous figure who was, too, looking at the boy.


    ¡°I¡­I need to save my sister.¡± He said in a quiet voice.


    ¡°Good choice,¡± the man muttered as he descended the ladder.


    Arthur humbly followed.


    *


    Arthur looked around him, in the room he had just entered. It was fairly small, and felt claustrophobic, but it was well ventilated. Each and every wall was metal, and looked as if it could withstand an elephant charge. On the floor was a red carpet, which proudly presented various beautiful and exquisite patterns. To the right was a small kitchen, presumably made out of marble, and nothing out of the ordinary. A small room to the left seemed to lead to a small bathroom- once again nothing to ordinary. And outside the bathroom, was a small flat screen television as well as two red sofas, arranged in a right angle, directly in front of a water paint painting.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The man led Arthur onwards to a hallway whose entrance was in the middle of the initial room. He walked down the hallway, and pointed to two rooms parallel to each other. He pointed to the left door.


    ¡°Your room and the opposite is mine. Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ve supplied you with some porn magazines, so you don¡¯t give me any weird looks.¡±


    Arthur¡¯s face went bright red and he looked down. In the prison, or even before, he had no access to such, as he was always preoccupied with schoolwork to focus on such¡­ dirty things. Even in prison, he never had enough money to buy a porno magazine, one of the many rotating ¡®treasuries¡¯.


    The man pointed to the doorway at the end of the metallic corridor. He went up and said,


    ¡°AI, open the door.¡±


    *Beep Beep*


    ¡°Affirmative, Mr. Hound.¡± The robotic voice said.


    The door slid open. And inside was a room about 5 meters long and 5 meters wide. The walls were pure white, without any imperfections, but it wasn¡¯t a marble material. It shone, in the UV light which shone above, rendering the whole room in a purple tint.


    The man walked in front of the boy to the wall in front of him.


    ¡°Alpha-Numero-Delta 009. Weapons case 01, attachments case 01, equipment (non-lethal) 01- Open. Directive Optimal.¡±


    Suddenly, with the hiss of smoke, the once flat white wall in front of him, opened up into three separate compartments, unlocking, unhinging and folding open to reveal a desk-like platform. Multiple rows of rails, each 2 meter long rail, having 5 hooks, and there was 10 rails in each compartment. In the weapons compartment was an assortment of rifles, pistols and even crossbows, aligned so that their stocks stuck outwards and their barrels inwards.


    The man opened the duffel bag, and stocked away 2 assault rifles, as well as reaching into his holster and putting it into its own separated compartment.


    He looked behind at the gawking boy and said as if he was speaking to a baby,


    ¡°No touching.¡± He wagged his fingers and Arthur glared at Diamond Hound.


    Arthur looked towards the ¡®equipment¡¯ compartment, and inside was various pieces of tech, that Arthur did not recognise. The only thing he recognised was a few grenades and a katana like weapon.


    The man noticed the boy looking, sighed, and picked up the smallest pistol in his compartment by its barrel and handed it to the boy who picked it up feebly.


    ¡°First off all, let¡¯s see if you shoot.¡±


    ¡°S-shoot?¡±


    ¡°Well sorry Goku-kun, this isn¡¯t a battle manga, where you can fight people who have guns, with your fists.¡± Diamond Hound mocked the boy.


    ¡°Comon follow me.¡±


    *


    The man and him had now entered the firing range, and he had flicked the switch.


    *Whirr*


    As if acting as one conjoined mechanism, the whole mono-rail whirred to life, and slowly the targets shot upwards vertically, from their collapsed position.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re a newbie, looks like I¡¯ll keep the targets stationary. But remember in real life, an enemy will move at a constant speed. I mean- they wanna live too, right?¡±


    ¡°Do you know what this gun is?¡± D.H pointed to that pistol.


    Arthur shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s a M1911, single-action, semi-automatic and magazine fed pistol that operates on a .45 ACP cartridge. Designed in 1911, it was an effective model used by the Americans in the world wars and Vietnamese war, as well as the first human-demon conflict in South Africa, in 1999. Its recoil is extremely low, so even someone like you should be able to fire it safely.¡±


    Arthur nodded slowly, but in reality he had no clue what the hell this old man was talking about.


    The boy brought up the pistol in both hands, and aimed It similar to how he saw people did in movies. He closed one eye and brought the sight up to his open eye and aimed.


    *Click*


    ¡­


    *Click Click Click*


    ¡°Umm, I think your gun is broken.¡±


    Diamond Hound face palmed and took the gun from him and flicked a switch and placed it back in his hands.


    ¡°The safety was on, dumbass.¡±


    Arthur was slightly embarrassed and then re-aimed. Well it was considerably difficult to, since his hands kept shaking and the sight kept bopping about; but he timed it as well as he could.


    *BANG*


    ¡°Argh!¡± Arthur screamed out as he fell backwards onto the floor, the gun flying out of his hands and skidding onto the floor. He laid there, stunned and his hands shivering.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t feel my wrists¡­¡±


    Diamond Hound sighed and said to himself, ¡°This is going to be a long night¡­¡±