Night Eighty Seven
Age 1991
Chrysanthemum City Alleyways...
"Tell me... Did you really thing you could win at this little game... You thought that just because you were a commoner I would leave you alone... No, no, no... You're just as bad as them..."
The snow was painted a dark red in the alleyway. A man could be seen laying in the snow as he crawled back. His teeth were all busted and broken and his left leg was gone having a steady stream of blood flow out of the wound. A large knife, like a really big knife, nearly the size of a small sword was poking out of the man's gut.
"Y... You son... Of a..." The man tried to gasp out as his eyes grew heavy. He was dressed in what looked like a butlers uniform which was now stained red in his own blood. His vison was blurry as he stared up at the man who was in front of him.
A large white skeleton. The skeletons face seemed to morph into a half grin as he inched forward slowly. A large white marble could be seen at the top of its skull. It's Equation.
The skeleton crouched down in front of the man as its hand came out and it gripped the base of the knifes handle. "You know... You guys take the cake on the worst place I've ever been." He twisted the knife making the man yell out in pain. "I grew up in a lab when I was a kid. Lot's of awful experiments done there, like a girl who pull things into her body, or a boy who could slow down time. Of course the worst one was that boy... Row as they called him. That Dragon." The skeleton seemed to shiver for a moment before his jaw clicked slightly. "They were trying to make something you know... That's what it's always been about... The Crests, the Rebirth, the Seraphins, and the Dragons. It was all the head towards a single goal. Me... I was like Row, or that Vil boy." The skeleton reached up and placed a hand on one of his rib bones showing an 'S' shaped scar in the bone. "It's called a Crest you see. Think of them like Equations... You see this thing in my forehead is my Equation. Didn't even know I had it until I was stabbed. But this S... It's something far more scary... This one is S for The Silence. It's the reason you can scream so much and yet no ones come. We're in a bubble. No one can hear you but me..."
"S... So what..." The butler hissed out spitting a globe of blood onto the grinning skeleton. "You act like I care what those things are or do..."
"I guess my Crest wouldn't matter to you would it." The Skeleton said cocking his head to the side. "That makes since. After all you don't know what a Crest really is. They're related to dragons you see. 26 in total... A through Z. However only three humans have them. The other twenty three... Well... The dragons have them. The C Crest, the D Crest, and the S Crest. These are the things humanity will use to fight back against him... They call him God."
"I still fail to see why I should care..." The man groaned laying back in the snow and staring up at the black sky for a moment as snow rained down. For a second the image of a young woman, and a little girl came to his mind... His wife and daughter.
"You're right. No reason for you to care. I'm just rambling. Though... There is something I can do that you'll be interested in..." The skeleton reached up placing his hand on the man's open wound and stuffing it into the hole making the man scream out in pain. "You see... I've learned something new with my powers... I've only had them for a while but... Level Two..." His body seemed to morph and change as he began to seep into the mans body and he began to shake. "I can replace someone's skeleton now..."
The man screamed in utter pain as his skeleton i his body was broken down to nothing. Seconds later a new skeleton began to form as the monster entered his body fully leaving the man alone in the alleyway. He shook and then suddenly stopped as his vision faded to black and his brain went dead, and his heart stopped.
However despite being a corpse that wasn't the end of him.
The leg wound bubbled and morphed as a bone leg came out of it. The man's eyes began to re-focus as he slowly stood up wobbling slightly. The movements were off though. Like a puppet being moved with to few many strings...
He seemed to jerk his neck snapping it as a grin came onto his face and he stood on his new leg, one covered in flesh, and the other nothing more than a bone.
"Yes..." The man nodded his head for a moment, as the voice of the skeleton came out of him. "This body will do for now... Let's continue this game for-"
"Hero hold me."
"No."
The skeleton, who was now in a body, stopped for a moment as his head jerked up. He moved slowly to the edge of the alleyway not making any sound somehow, despite the weird way he was walking.
For a moment the image of a young woman with silver hair, and blood red eyes came to his mind as a frown crossed onto his face.
"Hero..." He whispered as his frown grew. He peaked around the corner but he didn't see the woman. Instead all he saw was a bunch of Enforcers that made him growl slightly. "She's not here-" He stopped as one of them stood out.
A Sixteen Year Old boy with snow white hair, and ruby red eyes.
"Row... Row... Row..." The man gripped his wrist trying to stop the urge to run out and attack the boy. His grip grew tight enough to snap his wrist making the bone stab out of the flesh but he didn't seem to notice. "Why is he here... Why is he in Enforcer clothing... Why... Why... Why... Why... Why... Why... Why... Why... Why... Why... Why the hell is he here!"
"I don't like these people." The boy with the red hair, and headband announced. His arms trailed down gripping the handle of his blade for a moment as he gave a cool pose. "They give Nobles like us a bad look..."
"Noble..." The man growled out again, and again, and again as he breathed heavily and rage was filling his eyes. "Row, and a Noble... Why... Why... Why... Why... Why... Why... Why... Why... Why... Why..."
"Our hotel is up ahead..." One of the small tiny members in the group said. Despite her being tiny he could feel the aura of power coming off of her. Someone so small was so strong.
"We're staying at a hotel." Row asked.
"Yeah. A few of us are going to be staying in the Nobles home as well. We believe he will be the next to be targeted so it is our duty to keep him safe." The small powerful girl responded.
"Neat." Was Row's simple response. It would seem he hadn't changed a bit.
The man stood there as he watched them leave as gritted his teeth hard enough to shatter his jaw and cause his teeth to fall out of his mouth. The eyes of the corpse he now resided in slowly turned to look towards the largest building in the city. The manner that 'Noble' stayed at...
"You'll have to wait..." He said glaring at the manner. "I have new targets..."
***
The Nobles Manner...
A older looking man with blood red hair, and blood red eyes was seated in a large chair. He wore a blood red suit, and held a glass of red wine.
It seemed red was his favorite color...
This man was William Bathory, a Noble, not one of the Twenty Sacred Nobles but still a high ranking Noble who often funded the Enforcers when they needed it.
He swirled his glass of wine as the smallest hint of a smile crossed onto his face. He tilted a pair of red glasses down staring at two people who were across from him in his office.
"So... I let you all into the city as you asked..." William said still having a smirk.
"That you did sir..." Two people were in the seat across from him. The first was the Jester, the girl covered in bandages and wearing a jester like mask. The second one was the robed figure who rested behind her, holding a long silver katana in his hands. His appearance couldn't be seen though due to his wooden mask and white robes.
"What happens now Ms. Jester?' William asked.
The Jester let out a small hum as she seemed to think about it. "Well... As you know my little Organization, a group called the Organization, which is the joke, is here because you let us in... We have our own mission which will take a while to set up but until then what is it that you wanted us to do?"
William let out a hum of his own as he leaned back in his chair taking a sip of his wine. "A few things actually... First of all travel carefully through the city."
"Why?"
"Well not only do I not want to be associated with you, but also the Enforcers are here."
"Right now?"
"Yes. They just arrived." William let out an amused laugh as he set the glass on a table and brought his arms behind his head. "You see we've been having a bit of problems. I'm sure you've heard of a few of them. The whole murder situation. It's gotten worse now. Some of my butlers, and maids, have been murdered already. He'll becoming for me so I hired the Enforcers for some protection. Of course I don't really agree with them. It's hard to keep up with their good graces by paying them off, and their debts. I don't think they'll be able to keep me safe though..."
"So you want us to protect you?"
"If you wouldn't mind."
The small woman seemed to let out another hum. "Very well... I'll leave One here with you. He'll watch over you."
The white robed figure gave a small nod of his head as the only sign that he heard the woman.
"Is he strong?" William asked.
"Would you like to test him?" The Jester asked cocking her head to the side. "Like all Nobles when you were born an Equation was made with you, coming out of the womb of your mother the same day you came out. That means you have an Equation right?"
William gave a small chuckle as he eyed the white boy. "Normally I would be flattered but you see I'm no fighter and-" William jumped up mid speech as he threw his right arm out as a large red lance made of his own blood formed that he stabbed forward directly into the white robed figure.
Only the white figure was no longer there his red lance stabbed into the wall.
"What? Where did he-"
William was stopped when a large katana was placed at his neck making his eyes go wide when he saw the white robed figure was standing behind him.
"H... How did he? I didn't even see him move..."
"One here is very special..." The Jester said standing up as she placed her hand on the boys head patting him. "He's like a son to me. He's a powerful Equip Type able to Temporarily slow down time... I assume he'll be enough to protect you."
William let out a small snort as his red lance vanished. "I see... So that's it. Well then... I guess I'm in safe hands aren't I... Very well. Clear out the one murdering the people of my City, before the Enforcers, in the meantime you can carry on with your goals."
"Why thank you wise Noble..." Jester said giving a small bow. She turned away and quickly left the room leaving One behind.
"So... How did it go my lady?" A voice asked once she stepped out. She looked up seeing Viper, Turron, Mr. Snow, and Fox. It had been Mr. Snow who spoke.
"It went well..." The Jester said nodding her head. "But no need to worry about that right now... We have a game to play... Turron... Viper... I have a new mission for you two."