《Freakshow》


 Chapter 1

    ¡°Cease or we will shoot!¡±


    Freakshow laughed and flipped off the PC¡¯s pursuing him before leaning forward, his hands twisting on the handles of his brand new, shiny white Lightning, making it go even faster, weaving to avoid the gun blasts hitting the ground around him.


    He rode through the dry fields outside the city, kicking up dust. The tails of his white headband fluttered in the wind behind him and the wind slipped under the popped collar of his jacket, puffing it up. The PC¡¯s fell further and further behind him, their wailing sirens getting drowned out by the wind whipping around his face. But the dusty, wide-open plain made it hard for Freakshow to truly lose his pursuers.


    The zipper on his jacket started to slide down and Cyclops, Freakshow¡¯s one-eyed gray cat, stuck his head out of Freakshow¡¯s jacket. Freakshow took a hand off the handles of the Lightning to gently push Cyclop¡¯s head back into the jacket and zip it back up. After a short while, Freakshow had gotten out of shooting range and once he had finally gotten out of view of the PC¡¯s chasing him he redirected towards Lieri city...


    ¡°Well... fuck.¡± Freakshow¡¯s hands loosened on the Lightning¡¯s handles, slowing down to a stop as the city came into view.


    Towering over even the tallest buildings were 6 Knights. In the far corner of the city, fires raged, ¡°We¡¯re nowhere near the front, what the hell is happening?¡±


    As he stared, dumbfounded, one of the Knights engaged another, clumsily pushing with its arm out and stiff, stumbling like a drunken man. ¡°Traitors?¡± Freakshow muttered the question before swallowing hard and shaking his head. He gripped the handles again, turning the front wheel away. Only before he could hightail it out of there the nearest Knight was knocked to the ground. The crash was so big, so loud, that it shook the ground, knocking the Lightning, and Freakshow with it, over.


    Freakshow¡¯s back hit the dirt and his breath left his lungs with an audible whoosh. Cyclops spooked, wriggling out of Freakshow¡¯s jacket and bolting for the city gate. ¡°Hey, wait!¡± Freakshow called out after him, scrambling to right the Lightning and get back on.


    ¡°Cyclops! Cyclops come back!¡± Freakshow screamed, choking on debris as he raced along the streets on the Lightning. As he leaned into a turn pebbles kicked up to mark and dent the shining white coat of the Lightning. Freakshow slowed down as he caught up to and overtook Cyclops, scooping him up off the pavement. He immediately curled up in the crook of Freakshow¡¯s elbow, shivering. ¡°Well maybe you shouldn¡¯t be an idiot and run away.¡± Freakshow muttered sourly under his breath. He took a sharp left turn toward the center of town so he could get his bearings. After another turn the Lightning sputtered to a stop. ¡°Fuck you!¡± He snapped, stepping off the Lightning and shoving it to the ground.


    Freakshow held Cyclops closer as he shook and continued down the street on foot, leaving the Lightning where it was, half vaguely hoping it would still be there when he got back with gas and half already making plans to steal a new one.


    A stomp of a Knight¡¯s foot resonated through the city, the closeness of the sound sending a chill up Freakshow¡¯s spine. Cyclops nearly jumped out of his arms again but he held him tighter as he quickened his pace. Freakshow reached his free hand to the back of his head and untied the white band around his forehead to expose his third eye. Just in case.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    As the sound of Knight¡¯s battling grew closer Freakshow broke into a jog. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a black and gold Knight towering over the short buildings to his right. He broke into a sprint. The building to his right crumbled under the weight of a Knight¡¯s foot. Freakshow turned his shoulders away from it to protect Cyclops from any flying debris.


    A child¡¯s scream stopped Freakshow in his tracks and made him turn around. A little girl ran along the street behind him as the buildings around her collapsed in the battle between two Knights. As he paused to watch, the little brat tripped on her own feet and was sent sprawling out on the dirt. He sighed as debris started to rain down, threatening to crush her. He focused his third eye on her, covering her with a forcefield. She stared up at the chunks of concrete and brick above her without moving.


    ¡°Hey kid! Come on! I can¡¯t hold this shit up forever!¡± Freakshow shouted to her. She didn¡¯t move. Using his third eye¡¯s power, he glanced into her mind. Her mind was completely blank in shock.


    Freakshow jogged towards her, wrinkling his nose at the smell of urine clinging to her as he approached. As he attempted to close the distance between them the battle between the Knights turned in the favor of the black and gold Knight. The black and gold Knight shoved the other, blue and white, Knight to the ground¡­ right on top of the child. Unsure if his forcefields were strong enough to stop a Knight, Freakshow bit his lip and held his left arm out in front of him. He pulled the girl to him with a telekinetic tug releasing the forcefield when she was clear. He caught her shirt in his left hand and tucked her under his arm, sprinting away from the scene quickly.


    After a few moments she started to squirm. Freakshow looked down at her, ¡°You come back to your senses?¡± Her face tilted up and her eyes locked onto him. Her mind was filled with his face and fear. He knew the word was coming before her lips even started to form it.


    He dropped her. She let out a cry of pain as her butt hit the ground. ¡°Run you ungrateful little shit.¡± She scooted away. He took a threatening step towards her. ¡°I said run.¡±


    She did as she was told.


    He shot a depressed glance to where the Lightning used to be, now crushed. Another Knight, this one white and gold, showed up to block a final, crushing blow from the black and gold one. The new one seemed stronger, not even denting with the strongest blow from the black one. The black one recoiled from the force of its punch being blocked and the new one took aim, a gun sliding out of a compartment on its arm and firing at the black one¡¯s cockpit. While the black one didn¡¯t fall... it also didn¡¯t move.


    With the fight decided, Freakshow glanced around for his fallen headband and, upon spotting it in the rubble a few feet away, pulled it towards him with his third eye. He plucked the white strip of cloth out of the air then started back on his way to the center of town.


    ¡°Wait! Come back!¡± Someone called behind him. He looked over his shoulder as a blonde woman in a shimmering green dress crawled out of the cockpit of the white and gold Knight. She dropped to the paved road and ran towards him. A Cerun man in black with light blue hair crawled out after her.


    Freakshow tied his headband around his forehead again, covering the third eye, before turning to her. She stopped in front of him and paused to get her breath back. Her Cerun shadow stopped a few feet behind her drawing knives from his sleeves and watching Freakshow coldly. Freakshow stared at the knives before tugging on a tail of the headband and pulling it off once more.


    The woman straightened her back and looked him in the eyes, a confident smirk on her lips. ¡°How would you like to join a royal Knight squad.¡±


    ¡°Yeeeeaaaaahhh¡­.. no.¡± Freakshow rolled his eyes.


    Her smirk disappeared, replaced by a cold glare, ¡°Kathan¡± she barked. Freakshow turned his gaze back to the man and his knives but for once he wasn¡¯t fast enough. One of the thin knives embedded in his shoulder. His head grew heavy and with its weight he sank to the ground. As he failed to fight off the wave of unconsciousness he heard the woman say, ¡°So sorry to give you the illusion of choice.¡±

 Chapter 2

    Freakshow stirred, metal cuffs biting into the skin on his wrists. With a jolt, Freakshow tried to sit up but was pulled back down by the rather short leash of the chains on his arms. His headband was still on, covering his third eye and a hard metal plate was on top of his forehead holding the headband down. With his head propped up slightly by some pillows, making it easy to glare down at the man sitting at the foot of the bed. The man with shoulder-length blonde hair and skin that was a little lighter than most Kreilans sat on a small stool, bent over a military ceremonial sword that he was polishing. He wore a white and blue military uniform, the jacket open, showing off his muscular chest with a huge scar that carved a path from his left shoulder to his right hip. His uniform color matching the Knight from earlier suggested he was most likely part of the same squad.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Freakshow barked, when the man took too long to look up. The man glanced up to meet Freakshow¡¯s glare and Freakshow¡¯s eyes widened. Not only were the man¡¯s eyes blue but he had the distinct pink markings around the eyes of a Cerun.


    With an expression of boredom, the man stood and set the polishing cloth down on the floor next to a small bottle of oil. He took a step closer and patted Freakshow¡¯s leg with the flat of his blade, ¡°You don¡¯t seem very concerned about your situation?¡±


    Freakshow did the best shrug he could while laying down, ¡°I¡¯ve been kidnapped before. My kidnappers don¡¯t tend to live long.¡±


    The man¡¯s face split into a grin and he barked out a wild laugh. He sheathed his sword, ¡°I like you. The name¡¯s Io by the way.¡± Io wrapped a knuckle against the cuff around Freakshow¡¯s wrists, ¡°these chains are made with the same metal as Knights, nothing stronger in the world. So good luck with killing us.¡± Io took a step back and cracked his neck, ¡°Besides Kathan already took you down once.¡± Io laced his fingers behind his head and turned his back on Freakshow, heading for the door.


    Freakshow lifted his head up slightly to call after him, ¡°You can¡¯t count on me underestimating him twice!¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Io flapped his hand dismissively without looking back, ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Io stepped out of the room and the door slid shut behind him.


    Freakshow scowled at the door for a few seconds before letting his head flop back down on the pillow. He glared up at the ceiling, his anger boiling in the silence until it boiled over. He started thrashing, pulling against the chains until they cut into his skin. His throat vibrated with a frustrated scream that filtered out through his closed lips.


    *


    Walking into the common room, Io unclipped the belt that held his sword and hung it up on the wall with the others, ¡°He¡¯s awake. Threatened me but clearly the chains are enough to hold him so you should be safe, Princess.¡± Io jumped over the back of one of the couches, landing heavily.


    Across him was the only single chair, on which sat Princess Calmisa, her back straight, her legs crossed, and her eyes closed. Slowly, her green eyes opened and fixed on Io, ¡°Why did you take your sword off? You¡¯re going back in there with me.¡±


    ¡°Whaaat? I¡¯ve been watching him for hours. I deserve a break.¡±


    Calmisa stood, pulling her loose blonde curls into a thick ponytail, ¡°You¡¯re not a soldier, you¡¯re a dog, you don¡¯t get breaks.¡±


    Io dropped his cheek into his hand and grinned up at Calmisa, ¡°Even a dog deserves a bone once in a while, don¡¯t you agree, Princess?¡±


    Calmisa narrowed her eyes at Io, ¡°I don¡¯t like that lecherous look in your eyes dog.¡± As she spat the last word, Io tensed, his grin turning to a grimace as pain ripped through him.


    But then a yelp of pain came from the other room, breaking Calmisa¡¯s punishing concentration. Something small streaked out of the bathroom, taking shelter under one of the couches. Seconds later, Faren stumbled out of the bathroom. His uniform jacket was tied around his waist and his undershirt was soaked. His uniform pants were cuffed, showing off a sliver of his metal prosthetic legs. A shallow cut on his cheek dripped blood. ¡°The... the cat!¡± He gasped.


    Io pointed at the couch the thing had run under. Faren got down on his knees and reached around under the couch until he pulled out a sopping wet and yowling cat. He held it to his chest even as it hissed and shredded up his bare forearms, ¡°I know, I know,¡± he cooed to the cat, scratching between its ears even as it struggled against him, ¡°baths are unpleasant, I know, but you are just too stinky.¡± Faren whispered to the cat as he walked back to the bathroom.


    After the door shut behind him, Calmisa sighed, ¡°Come on, Io.¡±


    With a groan, Io stood back up, ¡°As you command, Princess.¡±

 Chapter 3

    With the push of a button the medbay door slid silently open. Calmisa stood in the doorway, arms crossed, and watched the man thrash against his chains like a wild animal. Her eyes widened for a second before relaxing back to normal. She took a step into the room, the sound of her shoes on the metal floor drawing his eyes to her and halting his thrashing. His stare sent a chill through her but she moved closer anyways, arms still crossed over her chest. His vibrant green eyes practically glowed as he glared at her, ¡°Let me go now or you¡¯ll regret it.¡±


    With her lips curling into a smile, Calmisa took a seat on the foot of the bed, ¡°And how are you going to make me regret it?¡± she asked, tilting her head, dark green eyes open innocently wide.


    Once again like a wild animal, the man snarled. When that didn¡¯t get a reaction out of her, he snapped, ¡°at least tell me where my fucking cat is.¡±


    Calmy, Calmisa looked back at Io who had followed her in and now stood a few feet away, fingers laced behind his head. ¡°Unchain him.¡± Io jolted forward, hands coming apart and hanging by his head in confusion, a few strands of his shoulder length strawberry blonde hair clinging to his fingers. At the same time Io and the man said, ¡°huh?¡±


    Calmisa narrowed her eyes, keeping the man¡¯s suspicious glare in her periphery, ¡°don¡¯t question orders. Unchain him.¡±


    Shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head, Io approached the man. As Io got closer to the man, the man strained against the cuffs on his ankles to try and kick Calmisa, though he couldn¡¯t quite reach her, ¡°hey, why didn¡¯t you answer my question? Where¡¯s my fucking cat?¡±


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    Calmisa watched Io unlock the man¡¯s cuffs, ¡°don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll let you see him soon, so long as you cooperate.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand how this is going to work.¡± The second the man was free he bolted upright, reaching one hand out for Calmisa and the other to the metal plate strapped to his forehead. Io jumped back, the balls of his feet sliding across the metal floors, his uniform jacket fluttering slightly as he unsheathed his sword and shouted, ¡°Princess, watch out!¡±


    But the man froze, his fingers hovering a few inches from Calmisa¡¯s face. Only his vibrant green eyes moved, flitting back and forth, widening with panic. Io slowly straightened out of his fighting stance, his sword drifting down until it pointed at the floor, ¡°You chipped him? When the fuck did you chip him? Where did you even get a chip?¡±


    Calmisa tucked her loose blonde curls behind her ears and smiled to cover her relieved exhale, ¡°It¡¯s Kathan¡¯s. I had Koki remove it ages ago.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡± Io sheathed his sword aggressively and took a step toward Calmisa, ¡°What if someone found out? Kathan and Koki would be executed immediately!¡±


    Raising her eyebrows, Calmisa leaned forward and rested her chin in her palm, ¡°Oh? Since when do you care about stuff like that? I was under the impression that you ¡®didn¡¯t give a shit.''¡±


    Io crossed his arms, scowling, ¡°If you had him chipped, then why did you need me here playing bodyguard?¡±


    ¡°Well I wasn¡¯t quite sure it would work, considering what I saw him do.¡±


    ¡°Now that you know it works can I go on my break?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Io threw his head back and groaned loudly. Ignoring him, Calmisa stood, turned to the man, and folded her hands behind her back, ¡°Blink twice if you¡¯re willing to negotiate now.¡±


    For a few heartbeats the man just glared while Calmisa held his gaze unwaveringly. Then, slowly, he blinked twice.


    Calmisa tilted her chin up, eyes narrowing as her lips curled into a smirk, ¡°Good dog.¡±