"I can't believe it's only a week and a few days until I see my sister again" Killer gushed while looking at his brand new black and red custom Taitanzu jacket. It had a detachable hood with the kanji for 'Titan' on the front right part of it, the words '3rd Branch Head' on the left sleeve and the gang slogan 'Kill Them All' on the printed on the back. It's base color was black with the sleeves, upper body, hood and kanji accented in red.
It was a week since their sleepover and Boris had made new gang jackets for the Heads and the Heads alone since their old ones were now looking tattered as hell because of their vigorous daily training.
"When we're done here we have to go check out the stadium where Brawlhalla is going to be held. Apparently we and any other participating gang leaders in Tallahassee going to be meeting the creators of this tournament... though there is a high chance of them not showing up at all...." Boris spoke to his two childhood friends as he slung his own jacket over his shoulders.
His was essentially the same as the rest but instead of a detachable hood it was lined with fur and had the same design as his eye-patch on the back.
"A gang leader meeting? I feel like it could be a trap set by that Reaper guy. I fear something is going to happen while we're gone..the stadium is kinda far...." LR voiced his concern while tying his own jacket round his waist since the sleeves were a tad too short for him. He still appreciated it though.
"You may be right but I doubt whoever this Reaper is they'll attack an entire gathering of gang commanders" Killer said while looking at his reflection.
He wasn't one for fashion or anything but he had to admit the jackets were amazing.
Boris brushed his shaggy hair out of his eye and took in a deep breath, his mind racing with multiple thoughts.
"Whatever happens.. let's hope Casey and the rest will be able to hold the fort back at base"
***********************************
"Are you sure this is the right city?" Amber picked her nose while walking absent mindedly into the abandoned side of Tallahassee, straight into the heart of Taitanzu territory.
"How should I know? You're the one who dragged me here against my will" Joan deadpanned while scrolling through her phone, hoping they could get this over with quickly and head over to the meeting in the new stadium that was going to be hosting Brawlhalla.
"My gut tells me this is the right place to be for some reason. Y'know what...how about you head to that meeting while I walk around a lil bit?" Amber stopped in her tracks and looked at the cloudy sky above her. If her guts were right she was probably going to find this Killer person and fight him. Hell if she was very lucky she could meet Last Resort and have another battle before Brawlhalla even began! The thought of it made her heart thump in excitement.
"You sure? What if that Reaper person shows up? What if they've been following us thus entire time?" The FLW Deputy asked with concern lacing her entire voice. It would absolutely kill her if Amber got hurt by a serial killer with a grudge against gang commanders.
"I'll be fine. Trust me" the grey haired girl spoke answered in a firm and dark tone that clearly gave no room for disobedience, a strange glow in her eyes as she smiled at Joan.
The smile that when seen by other people usually struck fear into their hearts but to Joan was a reassuring gesture.
"K then. If you die I'll kill you!" Joan patted her commander's head and ran off in the opposite direction, leaving the 14 year old Alvarez by herself in the middle of the empty street.
"Where to go...where to go...." Her eyes scanned the desolate buildings that lined the deserted part of the bustling city, the only thing to be seen being the occasional stray dog and the distant sound of what seemed to be several people fighting. She was about to follow the sound which unknown to her was actually the Taitanzu gym when her sharp eyes spotted something that immediately took a her attention.
"Ooooooooooooh is that an abandoned arcade?"
********************************
"I hate being kept on house duty...." Noah wined as he once again failed to beat Boris' high score on the old Donkey Kong game that Triple and LR had managed to fix.
"You could have easily joined Casey, Triple and your cousin to train the members for Brawlhalla...but you were feeling lazy and now you're stuck with me" Eliza stuck her tongue out at him and chuckled.
"Nothing interesting ever happens in Tallahassee. I mean look at Fort Lauderdale and Tampa. Shit is always going down there!" Noah slammed his fist into the game's buttons in frustration, failing once more to break Boris' record.
"Be careful what you wish for Noah" Eliza took her hat off and pulled her favorite sweet out of it and stuck it in her mouth.
She was about to say something else when she felt something.
She wasn't sure what it was but it was like that feeling of dread when you break something in your friends house...or when you get an F on a final paper. The sense that something bad was about to happen. She didn't know why she felt that way but she could tell that whatever it was...was on it's way.
Noah likewise had stopped playing the game and instead had a perplexed...no it seemed like a concerned expression on his face. Like Eliza that feeling had suddenly descended upon him and neither of them could place a finger on it.
And then they heard it.
A faint jangling sound, like pieces of jewelry clanking together. And it was coming closer and closer.
Noah blinked once, twice and immediately started sweating bullets.
The jangling was a signal of one commander and one commander alone. The sound though simple, was effective enough to make even the hardest of gangsters think twice about a lot of things.
The sound of breaking glass and concrete was heard followed by a voice that made both Taitanzu Heads quake in their boots.
"Anybody hoooooooome?" Amber flung the remains of the locked door aside and walked into the arcade, the Taitanzu HQ and came face to face with both Noah and Eliza.
"Hm? Who the hell are you two?" She cocked her head to the side like a puppy, even sticking her tongue out like one.
"You... you're Amber Alvarez...." Eliza got up and prepared for the battle of her life, her body was practically bursting with adrenaline,her fight or flight reaction triggered just from the mere presence of the legendary gangster in front of her.
"That's me. Is this like you guys HQ or something? Looks pretty neat. Lots of classic games in here to pass the time..." The little sister of Killer continued rambling, making Noah and Vice unsure of what to do. Whether they were supposed to attack or not was lost on them; standing before them was the only person to ever fight on par with The Last Resort of Tallahassee and she was talking about videogames?
"Anywho I'm looking for a guy named Killer? Seen him around here before?"
"Yeah.... he's with our gang. What do you want from him?" Noah warily took a step close to her, his red eyes were narrowed and watching for any sudden movements.
"That's none of your business I'm afraid. Just tell me where to find him and I'll be on my way" she smiled at him as sweetly as possible, though it was obvious she was starting to lose her patience.
"I'm sorry but we can't just tell you where our members are for no reason..." Noah cracked his knuckles and took another step closer, his usual friendly smile was gone and replaced with a menacing glare. Eliza swallowed her cigar and tightened the strap of her belt. It was apparent there was no way to avoid conflict.
"If you do not wish to be useful...then I guess I have no choice but to kill you" she said sweetly while taking off her jacket, a deadly aura could suddenly be felt surrounding her entire being.
"I hate to fight you. You seem to be so cute too" Noah chuckled darkly as Eliza put her fists up behind him.
Of all the interesting things to happen in this world...they managed to encounter the Devil.
Go figure.
Before Noah could even signal an attack pattern to Knotts he felt a bone shattering kick to the side of head, the impact of the kick was equal and almost superior to that of Last Resort's, sending Noah flying into the wall and cracking it.
"Oops. I hope I didn't kill you with my first hit" Amber said in a sing-song voice as she rushed at Eliza at such an inhuman speed that the 3rd Branch Deputy thought she teleported.
"This might hurt a little!" And the next thing Eliza was launched headfirst into a Pacman game, breaking it and causing it to spill out a multitude of decade old coins.
"Oooooooh money!" Amber ducked an incoming kick from Noah, putting some of the coins in her pocket while grabbing his leg and swinging him like a rag into one of the cracked pillars holding the arcade up.
Before the Branch Head could react he was barraged by a flurry of punches and kicks that he didn't react fast enough to to block, each of them felt like being hit by a baseball and the speed at which the strikes made contact with him seemed unreal. It was like being attacked by a human assault rifle. He was pretty sure he felt a tooth break under the overwhelming strength of her attacks.
"Y'know for being in the same gang as that Killer guy I thought you'll be a lot stronger..." Amber sighed and pulled Noah up by the hair, smiling at him before dragging his head down to make contact with her knee; breaking his nose horribly as blood began spraying out of it uncontrollably.
"And as for you girl-" She was cut short by the impact of a steel chair smashing into her skull and breaking in half.
"Oh. That kinda stings a little..." Amber grabbed Eliza by the face and slammed her entire body into the ground, knocking all the wind out of her and successfully breaking a few ribs.
Amber grinned as she stepped lightly on the barely moving Eliza's arm, her eyes glowing like fireflies in the dark of the dimly lit arcade.
Without a word, Amber crushed the forearm of the red head with tremendous force, the awful sound of bone shattering accompanied by a scream that could probably be heard for miles.
Noah groaned as he gingerly got himself off the floor, his vision hazy and his head throbbing. He could feel one of his teeth were missing and his nose was gushing blood like a waterfall.
"Come on....leave her alone!" The blonde boy jumped on Amber from behind, utilizing one of Triple's submission moves and holding her in a choke hold; his forearm was pressing against her throat making her cough and sputter.
"...nice... move...but...full of holes..." Amber croaked, a big smile on her face indicating that she was clearly enjoying tormenting these two.
Wordlessly she swung the back of her head into Noah's, hitting him dead center on his already broken nose, doing even more damage than before causing Noah to release the hold and almost pass out.
"This...is hopeless...so strong...." The Branch Head muttered under his breath while spitting some blood unto the floor.
Amber was surprised that he was still standing. She hadn't fought anyone who took this long to put down...most people just passed out after the first hit.
This one tho...he was a different breed. Nobody except Last Resort had lasted this long in a fight against her...and seeing someone refuse to back down...it was almost heartwarming. She felt she was going to shed tears of joy.
"Hey... what's your name?" Amber giggled like a child that was playing a game, clearly enjoying the pain inflicted upon her latest victims.
"Name's Noah...fucking...Goldlewis... remember it well. For it is the name of the person.. who is going to defeat you!" He charged at her with strength born from unbreakable willpower. Strength that someone who had a broken nose and bones shouldn't have. Strength that allowed him to plant a solid punch on Amber's jaw, completely surprising himself and the girl; who for a second looked like she had seen a ghost.
"Heh..." Amber rubbed the spot on her cheek where Noah's knuckles had landed. "I finally got a punch to the face...at last. This is the second most exciting thing to happen to me in a fight!" Amber spread her arms wide and cackled, a manic expression on her face as she looked directly into Noah's soul.
"As a reward you get to fight me at 75% of my full power! Isn't that exciting!!!"
Noah almost dropped dead.
All this time she wasn't even using up to 75% of her complete strength. Whether he was supposed to be frightened or in awe was completely lost on him. It was such a terrifying prospect to see someone so young be so overwhelmingly powerful. He felt almost honored to have fought such a strong opponent, but also a bit disgusted with said opponent for the terrible things she had done to her opposition and even fellow gang members. He never felt so conflicted and emotional about something as simple as a fight in his entire life.
Alas his deep thought will come back to bite him because he is quickly thrown out of his thinking session by a right hook straight to his temple, snapping his head viciously and knocking him out almost instantaneously.
"Hm? Did you just die?....hello...Mr Noah?" She tapped his motionless body with a perplexed look on her face.
She wasn't at all expecting him to just black out after she had gifted him the opportunity of seeing her at almost full strength. She thought most people will be honored and try and fight till the very end.
"Imma give you two some credit...for such an entertaining match I shall let both of you go with none of your body parts missing. Just a shit ton of blood loss and a lot of fractures" she spoke to the unconscious bodies of Noah and Eliza (who had passed out from the pain of a broken bone) like they could hear every word she said.
"Oh and before I go. Tell Killer I said hi!"
***********************
"What the hell happened in here?" Casey asked nobody in shock at the state of the Taitanzu HQ when he had walked in looking for his motorcycle key.
Practically everything was trashed, a good portion of the games were broken and the stench of blood filled Casey's nostrils, making him gag.
Then from the darkness he heard a sound.
It sounded like someone fighting.
Casey rushed over only to see Noah and Eliza both standing on wobbly legs, the red head motionless while Noah was slowly and groggily punching invisible opponents without a word being said between them.
"Oh my God are the both of you okay?" Casey asked with concern as he took an eyeful of the terrible injuries that the both of them had sustained, even hearing the movement of shattered bones grinding against themselves in Noah's body as he punched another invisible person. It was like they had been attacked by a gathering of wild bears.
But neither of them answered...in fact it was only Noah's eyes that were opened. But they were a blank white and barely open.
That's when it hit Casey.
They weren't conscious at all, their bodies were only being kept stable because of the will not to die in them, especially in Noah. It was evident that something had happened and neither of them were willing to lose, their willpower still allowing their bodies to move in such a broken state.
"Whoever did this to you...is going to pay..."