KNIGHT's Code

This was first meant to be an RP…I’ve had this idea for a LONG time and finally decide to write this story. There are a few things I ripped off of FFVII/Crisis Core but…I thought of it before playing either game. >< This may be confusing so sorry. The introduction is a little odd…but the story itself will be better! I promise.

.::*~Chapters~*::.​

Introduction to the World
Chapter 1: The "Hero"
Chapter 2: Running Late
Chapter 3: Odd Happenings
Chapter 4: Late Again
Chapter 5: Why Care?
Chapter 6: Rebels or Terrorists?
Chapter 7: Worrying
Chapter 8: Behavior is Evidence
Chapter 9: Arrest
Chapter 10: A Slaughter
Chapter 11: A Friend...?
Chapter 12: An Attack
Chapter 13: The Resistance
Chapter 14: Don't Turn Back​

.::~Introduction to the World~::.​

Humans have always been obsessed over the thing known as war. They have long since tried to perfect this complex art of combat. The most recent advancements were those of human enhancement, and that was 200 years ago. HERO(Human Enhancement Research Organization) has even given the biological enhancements to everyday civilians to make daily life easier and certain dang. The only side effects are, unusual physical mutations causing some to gain attributes of animals(HERO had developed their drugs with the help of animal genes).

To keep the peace and order in the world, HERO recruited volunteers of normal civilians to be turned into super soldiers code named, KNIGHT. To prevent any of the KNIGHT operatives from going berserk, they were also given another drug to limit the amount of emotions they could feel. The first test subjects were found to be unstable and too powerful, leading for nearly all to be killed by a now unknown weapon created by HERO. They tested on one other subject years later, trying to avoid their past mistakes. A weaker yet still too powerful KNIGHT was created. Unlike the first subjects, this one did not go berserk and was allowed to live. About 60 years later, HERO developed a new substance that removed all of the unwanted effects and the KNIGHT program was active again, under the command of one of the first KNIGHTs to be created, now codenamed the LEGEND.

It’s been five years now. The world’s government is more corrupt than ever although nobody can do anything about it. A group of rebels have emerged trying to do anything to spite the government, as well as blaming HERO for all the recent happenings. The economy is at an all time low, so many people have died of diseases due to the fact they have no money for any form of medication, nearly half of the population is homeless, the only way they survive is by sticking together. KNIGHT has been called into action to put an end to the uprisings. Even more tension is building because the current LEGEND is about to be replaced and the KNIGHT members are arguing amongst themselves on who their new leader will be.

That isn’t even the most of their problems…portals form other dimensions have opened up…Demons of all sorts have appeared, killing any living thing they see. Their numbers are small as of now and the attacks have gone for the most part, unreported. But with all the chaos going on…so many fail to see what is about to take place.

.::~Chapter One: The “Hero”~::.​

A black cloaked male glanced up from the stainless steel bar table, hearing the overweight bartender speak in rough voice. “Let’s see what’s on the news.” The bartender dug into his torn and worn out pants and retrieved a small remote, pointing it at the television fixed on the corner of the very dimly lit bar and changing the channel. The male turned around on his stool and stared at the TV screen with his yellow eyes which almost glowed under the darkness of his hood. On the screen there was a frail, young, scrawny-looking girl with large brown eyes, wearing a brown hat with the red news logo(shaped like a falcon or some kind of bird) on it. She had a small black microphone clipped to her vanilla-colored shirt. The reporter wore a dark brown sleeveless leather jacket. The mysterious-looking male finally took note of the girl’s surroundings, she was standing in front of a dull gray building that looked a simple block of concrete.

“This afternoon, an attempt to destroy HERO supplies has been made by a group of civilian extremists. It is unknown if they had other plans or received help from workers at this warehouse but most of the equipment remained undamaged due to KNIGHT’s quick action.” She said, speaking in an Irish accent.

“These reporters get younger everyday.” A man stated harshly from the corner of the bar opposite of the TV.

“Nah. She’s been there for awhile ya dumbass. I can’t ‘member her name though. It’s…ah…” Another man trailed off, leaving his mouth open as the alcohol in his breath flowed out.

“Her name’s Ashley.” The bartender said from behind the bar table, now leaning against it with his elbow on top. “She’s a fine piece of work, she is. Too bad she’s just so young.” All the men in the bar laughed except the silent one in the black cloak a few inches away from the bartender. “Come on! Lighten up, son! You haven’t had anythin’ to drink this whole time!”

The drunk man from the other corner of the room rose to his feet, swaying slightly as he made his way over to the hooded figure and sat beside him. He punched him on the shoulder lightly and laughed. “Is somethin’ the matter? Why don’t I order ya a drink?” The drunken man placed his large hand on the male’s shoulder.

The cloaked male finally spoke in a dark and serious tone. “I don’t like how you idiots are talking. Shut up and let me watch this.” He brushed the large hand off his shoulder, not turning to look at the other man.

The listeners in the bar, mainly the drunk ones, let out a childish “Ooooo” as they watched.

“Looks like this doesn‘t like you much, Robby.” The bartender told the drunken one.

“I’ll give ‘em a lesson to remember.” Robby replied, standing up and placing his hand once again on the male’s shoulder. “Just try an’ move me.”

“Just remember. You wanted me to do this.” The male rammed his elbow into Robby’s stomach, sending him crashing against the wall, making the well organized glasses behind the bartender shake from the force of the violent response. Blood trickled down the back of Robby’s head as it lolled to one side. “He’ll live.” The cloaked one said, standing up swiftly as he turned towards the exit. “And I’ve got work to do.” Before he walked out of the door the last things he heard the reporter say echoed in his mind.

“KNIGHT’s LEGEND, Alaric was the one who stopped the attack. There have been some reports that his actions caused more damage to the warehouse supplies than there normally would have been using other methods. Also, he did not apprehend the extremists until after having seriously wounding and hospitalizing them.”

Sounds like some people are complaining because I did the right thing. Whatever. I wasn’t trained to be a hero…

I was trained to be KNIGHT.

.::~Chapter Two: Running Late~::.​

Alaric listened to the sound of his footsteps against the cracked concrete as he walked, staring up ahead of him to see a column of smoke in the distance. A loud buzzing noise came from his left hand coat pocket. He dug it out and answered the slim black phone that he had without looking at the caller ID.

“What is it?” He asked in a business-like tone.

“You see the smoke, right? Get over there. Make sure nobody gets hurt.” A male’s voice at the other end of the line said before quickly hanging up. Alaric stared at the phone, letting out a deep breath before shoving the phone back in his pocket and continuing to walk.

“Could’ve said please.” He complained, chuckling to himself quietly and picking up his pace before breaking into a sprint, buildings and cars becoming a blur of colors as he sped towards the pillar of rising smoke. In his mind he began counting the seconds, having a rough estimate how long it would take him to run about…a mile. One…two… He skidded to an abrupt halt right next to a large beat up white news van. He stared at it for several moments, turning his head to and from the now close by burning building and the vehicle.

“I hate this job!” A female with an Irish accent shouted from within the old van, the back doors bursting open as the thin reporter from earlier stepped out, barefoot. A man, probably somewhere in his mid thirties, followed after yelling at her.

“You don’t ‘ave another choice ya know! The boss could easily replace yo-” He stopped mid-sentence as he caught a glimpse of Alaric. “Oh great. You’re here.” The man said, running a hand through his dark brown hair as he glared at Alaric.

“Listen, camera man. I’m just here to do my job. If you want to bring up how much you hate KNIGHT, then do it later.” Alaric retorted angrily.

“The name’s Aren.” The man growled.

Alaric sighed and took a step towards the building, staring up at it and trying to find where the top was. There was too much smoke to tell were the roof would be.

“Hey! What are you doing here anyways!?” The familiar female voice called out to him.

“Yeah yeah…you don’t like me. I get it! It’s your story and by me somehow being here it ruins things! Just let me-” Alaric was cut off as Ashley stepped in front of him, staring hard at him with her now bright blue eyes.

“Let you hurt the innocent!? Abuse the justice system!? Make our lives worse!?…” She soon moved on to insulting Alaric, none of her rude remarks even made it to his mind. He just blocked her out and waited for her mouth to stop moving so much. Ashley was out of breath by the end of her speech. It was probably one of the shortest speeches she had given him…every chance she had, she would try to make some kind of witty insult about him, KNIGHT, or HERO which was a little ironic since HERO actually owned the TV station she worked for and was paying her enough to survive. Her eyes weren’t naturally brown, they were a very bright and almost glowing sky blue which was so rare that anytime she went “on air” she wore contacts since blue eyes were some kind of bad luck thing or taboo-Alaric didn’t really know the full story behind it.

“So can I do my job now?” Alaric asked, having been patient the whole time.

“F-fine!” Ashley hesitantly said as her breathing finally evened out.

“Thank you.” Alaric moved towards the building slowly before stopping suddenly as a figure emerged from the building.

“You’re slow. I already checked this place out. What took you so long, Alaric?” Leo, a long time friend and fellow KNIGHT member of Alaric’s, said. He laughed, dusting off his black uniform. “Seriously! I wear black and this thing stains. How do you do it? You’ve got a white uniform! It stays so clean…is that a specialty of LEGEND-only clothes?” Leo joked.

“Err…” Alaric turned towards Ashley and raised an eyebrow. “Leo was here and you didn’t tell me?”

She smiled and winked, tipping her hat to the side and taking a step back towards the van. “I didn’t want to ruin the surprise. You’ve been screwing up a lot lately.”

Honestly! It’s like I got a delayed call! No way he could’ve beat me here! I’m in enough trouble as it is… Alaric shook his head slowly and glanced over at Leo. “Well, you beat me here. Hell, if you keep this up you could be the next LEGEND.”

“Maybe.” Leo grinned and turned his back on them, beginning to walk away. He drew out his cell phone, probably to make a report his mission.

He might be a good replacement for me…I’ve known him for so long but…I really don’t want to give up this job… “What do I do now? Coming here was pointless?” Alaric asked himself, looking over at the news van which was peeled out and sped down the street.

“HEY!!!” Aren was left behind, he ran a few steps after the van, waving wildly. He stopped, knowing it was a futile effort. “She ditched me again! Stupid girl!”

At least I’m not that guy! Alaric smiled and laughed loudly.

.::~Chapter Three: Odd Happenings~::.​

The battered white news van screeched to an abrupt halt as it nearly went over the curb when it parked. The driver’s door opened as Ashley stepped outside, several strands of her reddish-brown hair sticking out from under her new cap.

“Stupid HERO. Stupid KNIGHT.” She muttered, wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm as she walked into an alley. She was trying to get to her apartment which, to her, seemed to be the cheapest place HERO would let her stay in. Her whole life was run by them, if it wasn’t for them, she’d have no job and would have nowhere to stay. She hated being owned by them.

Ashley lowered her head as she stared at the ground, recalling memories of the past.

”Get her out of here! I’ll hold them back!” A coarse male’s voice came. Echoing throughout Ashley’s mind. There was a loud bang. “They’re at the door.” The male added in a hushed tone. “Move!” Another bang came, followed by yet another and the sound of wood cracking and splintering.

There were a few ruffling noises and grunts. “There. They won’t find her…” A younger male’s voice spoke, probably in his late teens. “Dad? I’ll help. Let me!”

“Stay with your sister!” The wood creaked as it received several more vicious blows.

“They won’t get her!” The younger male spoke loudly in frustration.

The door fell down from the force of a powerful attack, slamming to the floor. “For crimes of treason. All of you are sentenced to death.” A dark voice said aloud.

The older man shouted loudly, rushing at the intruder.

BANG!

His lifeless body fell to the floor before he ever attacked. The younger male howled in anger, being much louder than his father. “YOU BASTAR-”

BANG!

He yelled in pain, the sound of his body hitting the floor was followed by snap. Someone had stepped on him. It was unknown where but from the gruesome crack, it was obvious that a bone was just broken. The teenager screamed in agony. “I’LL K-KILL YOU!”

“Finish it.” A cold command came.

BANG!

Then there was silence.

Ashley shuddered and shook her head quickly, trying to get the memories out of her head. “Ugh.” The next thing she knew, she rammed into something since she wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking. Ashley fell to the ground and stared up at who she ran into. A tall man, showing clear signs that he neglected his hygiene.

“Watch where you’re standing!” Ashley angrily shouted at the man, slowly rising to her feet and brushing some dirt off her worn baggy brown shorts.

“You’re that news girl, aren’t ya? My lucky day.” The man bared his crooked teeth. “Gonna ‘ave some fun with ya.”

Ashley growled and took a step back. “I’m warnin’ ya mister! You don’t want to mess with me! I know how to fight!” She warned, lying about the last part, although she could always try to claw his eyes out.

“Shush. This’ll hurt less if ya give in.” He rushed towards her, Ashley barely reacting fast enough to step to the side and let him pass her…although during that, her foot somehow managed to get in the way of the man’s legs and trip him, sending him to the ground. He crashed into the floor harder than Ashley would imagine someone could fall. She winced, watching as a crimson liquid dripped out of the side of his head.

Did I just kill him!? She slowly moved backwards away from the body, freezing as she felt herself brush against something. She had ran into yet another person. Ashley spun around, raising her fists while shouting, “Come on! I can take another one dow-” She cut herself off and she saw who stood right in front of her.

“Alaric! You’re getting creepy ya know!” Ashley yelled, lowering her fists.

“I’m a little late I guess.” Alaric, being taller than Ashley, looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow when he noticed the fallen man. “Thought you needed saving.”

Ashley huffed and crossed her arms, pouting. “I can take care of myself, boyo!”

“You know I’m older than you, right?” He sighed and turned his back on her.

“Why do you bother wearing that stupid cloak if your eyes make it so obvious that you’re…you!? You’re bad at being sneaky.” Ashley stated, sounding more childish than usual.

“And walking around in that white uniform is so much more inconspicuous?” Alaric asked, already walking away.

Ashley groaned, thinking of what to say. She knew she couldn‘t handle another random stranger on her own. Sucking up her pride, she called after Alaric as she began following him. “Don’t ditch me!”

.::~Chapter Four: Late Again~::.​

Dried flakes of mud and dust particles flew through the air as the blond haired male known as Leo patted his clothes, trying to get them to look somewhat presentable. Feeling a little satisfied, he lowered his arms and rolled his broad shoulders.

“They should give us clothes that don’t get dirty.” He complained to himself, walking into the large black building in front of him, it having a slight resemblance of a medieval castle. Leo looked straight ahead with his emerald colored eyes, as he moved about in the shining and almost sparkling entrance room. Ahead was an elevator that would lead him directly to a briefing room, where he and a few other high ranking KNIGHT members would meet to discuss who would be the next LEGEND. Alaric was supposed to be at the meeting but no one had seen him. Knowing him, he was probably doing something…stupid.

Leo pressed the green button labeled with an upward pointing arrow, the two sliding metallic doors opening soon after. He stepped inside and waited for the doors to close. Unlike the elevators of last century, these did not play any annoying music, they just simply moved. Nearly two seconds later a high “ding” sounded off in the elevator, another convenience of these elevators was that they were several times faster than any previous model.

The doors slid open, voices echoing in the hallways could be heard. “Guess they didn’t wait for me.” Leo muttered, wishing the other would’ve at least stalled the meeting until he, the second in command of KNIGHT, had arrived. You would figure that being the only second generation KNIGHT member would give me a little respect…then again, a first generation like Alaric hasn’t gotten too much either. He hurried out of the elevator, determined to get to the meeting before it ended. Although…before he would get into the briefing room, he would make a call to the one who needed to be there the most.

~~~~~~~​

“Not so tough are you?” Alaric teasingly asked, watching as the young reporter took in several deep breaths as she recovered from climbing three flights of stairs.

Ashley was hunched over, resting the palms of her frail hands on her knees. “I could…take you on…any day…” She muttered in between breaths. When she finally caught her breath, she looked up at the one who walked her to her apartment…which was regrettably paid for her by HERO. She stood upright and glared hatefully at Alaric for a moment before turning her head towards her door.

“You could thank me, you know.” Alaric muttered, jumping backwards and perching on the railing of the stairs.

“I’m not thanking a HERO lacky like you, boy!” Ashley rudely retorted as she dug into her pockets and searched for her apartment key.

Sighing, Alaric shook his head feeling a little disappointed…and a bit depressed. She’s always so pissed off at me. I never even did anything to her…I’ve even saved her a few times in the past and I all I get in return is just a glare and a stupid insult! He groaned, not feeling like making a witty comeback. Alaric opened his mouth, about to say good night-something he normally didn’t do to her-when his cell phone vibrated.

“Excuse me.” He mumbled, not waiting to here Ashley’s reply as he moved back to fall off the railing. Landing on his feet, Alaric drew out his cell phone and answered it. “Hello.” Was the only thing that he felt like saying at the moment.

“Hey! You’re freaking late! Get to the meeting! It’s almost over!” Leo’s voice came from the other side of the line. He then abruptly hung up on Alaric as he always did.

Alaric groaned in frustration and shoved his phone hastily into his pocket. He cursed under his breath and broke into a sprint, heading towards the HERO building. Why the hell am I starting to be late for everything!? Recently things have just been…harder…

.::~Chapter Five: Why Care?~::.​

BANG!

The door nearly flew off it’s hinges from the force of the male’s kick. The room inside was almost empty, a long white table placed in the middle surrounded by chairs and a map of the city pinned down on its center. Someone was already inside, waiting for the male to enter.

“You missed it.” Leo’s voice spoke first, moving in front of the doorway to face Alaric, the one who had just kicked the door open.

Alaric growled and turned his back on Leo, taking a step away only to be stopped by being pulled back by Leo’s hand. “I’m tired of being late.” Alaric hissed.

Leo dragged him back a few feet by his shoulder and pushed Alaric back into the room. “At least let me tell you what’s going on.”

Alaric crossed his arms and glared hard at Leo, biting his tongue to hold back his retort. When he calmed down, he managed to slowly nod his head.

“First off…it pretty much looks like I’ll be replacing you when you’re…retired.” He began slowly, a hint of pride in his tone. “There’s been some talk about how you’ve been acting. The past few days you’ve been…let’s just say you’re taking your emotions out in a lot of odd ways. Like tha-” Alaric cut him off.

“That guy pissed me off. It’s not like I killed him!”

Leo sighed. “But you hospitalized him and I bet ya traumatized the poor fellow!” He replied, slightly annoyed.

“He deserved it.” Alaric responded immaturely, turning his head away.

“Just because he was a lower ranking member of KNIGHT!? This is what’s bothering people, Alaric! Be serious! A few years ago, nothing bothered you! You were able to complete any mission without even coming close to making a single mistake. You weren’t sloppy like you are now. You were never late, didn’t let your emotions control you…now look at you!” When he finished speaking, Leo took a deep breath.

“Quite a rant. But…tell me this. Why should I give a damn on what the others think? Huh?” Alaric grinned and stared hard at his friend.

Leo couldn’t help but laugh and shrug. “You’re still the same cocky as-” His voice was drowned out by a loud clicking noise that echoed throughout the room. A calm female’s voice spoke from the speakers above.

“Alaric and Leo. Report to the helicopter pad and await further instructions there.” With another click, her voice faded out.

“Since when do I receive instructions?” Alaric complained, lifting his head as if to speak with the woman.

“Since you answered all those phone calls telling you what to do.” Leo joked, heading out of the room. “Come on! We were the only ones called out for this assignment. I bet it’s gotta be good!” He added optimistically.

“Right. And if this isn’t good, I’m blaming you.” Alaric said as he followed Leo out of the room. “Let’s get our stuff before heading out.”

“You mean our equipment, right? Stuff can mean anything ya know.” Leo responded, turning back to face Alaric again.

“Yeah, yeah. That. Now let’s move!” Maybe this assignment is just what I need…something to keep my mind off of things.

.::~Chapter Six: Rebels or Terrorists?~::.​

The two arrived at the lazily named Equipment Room, Alaric and Leo both heading to the back of the room where their own weapons were stored. Although most of the members of KNIGHT used various guns, both Leo and Alaric found guns to be a form of uncivilized weaponry and preferred much more simple items such as swords.

“Come on Alaric.” Leo impatiently said, pulling out an emerald tinted sword with a blade so thin one might think it would break if it hit anything. “We don’t have all day and you know you only own two different swords. Pick one already!”

It was true. Alaric only owned a longsword with a white blade, silver and gold hilt, a diamond that constantly changed colors when danger, and a tip that narrowed quickly to its point and the other…it was several times larger and while it was technically one sword at the moment, it could be split into several forms ranging from two swords to about seven. “Whatever.” Alaric mumbled, taking up the longsword to avoid carrying around the much larger and heavier split sword.

“Finally.” Leo let out a frustrated sigh as he turned to leave the room.

Mr. Impatient pants. Alaric laughed to himself as he followed Leo, both of them heading into an elevator and going all the way up to the rooftop which took less than a minute even though the building itself was quite tall.

The quiet hum of helicopter blades could be heard as the doors slid open. The two walked out at the same time and stared straight ahead at their transportation. A slim tall man in a black suit was waiting near the helicopter, staring down at a paper, his slicked back black hair barely moving with the force of the helicopter blades.

“What is it?” Alaric asked bluntly as he stopped in front of the man, holding his sword in his left hand.

The man raised his head slightly, his eyes shifting from the paper to Alaric. “There hasn’t been any reports sent back from an outpost in section D4-”

“That desert, huh?” Alaric interrupted.

“…Yes. As you should know, the research done in that area is-”

Once again, Alaric cut him off. “Important and can only be done there because of the temperatures and stuff like that. Just say what happened and Leo and I will handle the rest when we get there.”

The man took in a deep breath, obviously trying not to get angry with Alaric. “Alright. We sent a small team of KNIGHT operatives to investigate but we still haven’t received any status reports from them. We’re assuming that they’ve been intercepted by rebels who are raiding the outposts and you two should be enough to handle this.”

Grinning, Alaric awaited no further details as he moved passed the man and took his place inside the helicopter. Leo, following after his friend, simply waved slightly at the man before sitting next to Alaric. The doors slammed shut and the noise of the helicopter blades were muffled inside.

“Rebels. They like making a lot of trouble.” Alaric muttered, placing his sword across his lap.

“They’re nothing more than terrorists. We should take them ou-” Leo started to say.

“Why though? Maybe taking them in…putting them in jail for awhile and then…I dunno. We can’t just go around slaughtering them.” Alaric quietly responded, his eyes fixed on the diamond of his sword.

“They aren’t children who should be slapped on the wrist! They probably killed some of our own men! It’s for the best that we get rid of them. Unless you want more of our people to die.” Leo responded darkly.

“Of course not! But I’ve seen so many rebels up close…some are children. But…you do have a point…” Alaric took in a deep breath and dropped the subject, lowering his head. He was glad Leo didn’t make another comment, he wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore until they reached the drop point. I can’t help everyone…

.::~Chapter Seven: Worrying~::.​

Two males coughed as dirt circled around them, they put their arms over their face to keep from getting sand in their eyes. The hum of a helicopter was beginning to get distant and soon it faded away. As the sand settled, the two lightly armed males could easily feel the heat of the Sun beat down on them. The one wearing a white uniform glanced at his black uniformed comrade and chuckled.

“Feeling the heat yet?” Alaric jokingly asked as he immediately began brushing off sand from his uniform.

“Stupid black.” Leo responded, ignoring the sand on his clothing and starting to walk forwards toward a group of buildings made out of bricks. He was soon followed by Alaric who seemed to have gotten rid of the sand on his uniform.

“Those outposts are so old. You’d think they’d…what’s the word…fix them up, huh?” He raised his hands and rested them on the back of his head as he walked, his eyes taking notice of the closest structure which hade a dim gray metallic door that reminded him of a garage. A large antenna was sticking out at an odd angle from the roof. “Guess that’s where the last signal was sent.” He muttered to himself. “Let’s go over there. Maybe someone’s there. From the looks of things, it looks like they couldn’t communicate with us because of the damaged antenna.”

Leo nodded and glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah. Alaric? Is it just me or does it feel like we’re running into something…well, bad? As in worse than usual.” They soon got close the first building and stopped walking.

“Nope. I just think we’re running into something that might not be a pretty sight. As in…well…” He didn’t know what to say, he began having a peculiar in the pit of his stomach, something which some would call “butterflies”.

“So you’re gonna check first?” Leo asked curiously, placing his hand on the hilt of his own sword.

“Yeah.” Was all Alaric could say. As he approached the metal door he heard footsteps behind him, Leo was obviously feeling uneasy about the assignment and was ready to fight. Alaric’s left hand found its way to the sword strapped to his back and drew it out of its sheath about an inch. His other hand reached out for the door before moving away from it. I might as well kick it down. No point in making a slow entry. He quickly stepped back before slamming his heel against the door which caused it to fly backwards.

The stench that came from inside was sickening. The two swiftly used their free hands to cover their noses. “Ugh.” Leo groaned behind Alaric. “Can you see what the hell’s inside there?”

Alaric drew his blade and nodded. The sight disturbed him, never before had he seen so much carnage and…so much blood! Body parts…torn clothing…Alaric did not like what he saw. Rebels couldn’t have done this…WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!? It’s as if they were eaten alive! He lowered his hand away from his face and took out his cell to call the HERO base.

In a short moment he managed to get a hold of the director of HERO. “Something’s wrong here. Rebels didn’t do this. No survivors. We could need backup.” Alaric quickly said, not giving the director a moment to speak. He was the only one who never addressed the director as “sir” or “director”. The director was the only one with the power to relieve the KNIGHT’s own leader of their position and pick a new one. He held great political power and yet most people just knew him as the director of HERO.

“Calm down. You two should be able to handle this. It isn’t as if this is your first mission. Request for reinforcements denied. Sorry.” Came the director’s almost cold and emotionless reply. The line was cut, leaving Alaric frustrated.

“Damn! I really have a feeling that whatever did this is still around!” Alaric told Leo, his voice was followed by the sound of Leo drawing his own weapon.

“Then let’s find it before it finds us, then we can just completely tear it apart.” Leo replied as he took off, heading towards another building.

“Hey! It’s a good idea to-Eh…whatever.” He glanced over at the fallen KNIGHT members, of the remains that were left he could easily tell that something wanted to snack on them and…probably got full from eating at least a dozen humans. It’s probably hungry right about now…

“A LITTLE HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED!” Leo shouted as sounds of metal making contact against some sort of hard surface was heard in the distance.

He got himself in trouble already!? Great! Just great. Cursing to himself, Alaric broke into a sprint, trying to find where Leo’s voice came from. He slowed down as he saw Leo exchanging blows with what could only be described as…a demonic-looking wolf. It was as big as a bear, had black scales, ice blue eyes, and claws around three inches long. The beast was moving just as quickly as Leo if not faster which was amazing seeing as how both Alaric and Leo had physical abilities far beyond any other living thing…although Alaric knew he was a bit stronger and faster than Leo.

As he watched, five more of these creature started to surround Leo, possibly waiting for their chance to take part in the fight.

Alaric shook his head to snap himself out of it, he had spent too much time examining the creature. He sped over to Leo’s side and in two deft movements of his blade he knocked the creature on its back and thrust his sword into its neck. “Done.” He coolly stated, ripping his sword out of the beast. Alaric looked around, seeing the other wolves run away from seeing one of their own be slain.

Leo stood there, his mouth open from amazement. “How did you know where to hit it…? Before you came I was practically hitting it everywhere. My blade didn’t cut…”

Alaric shrugged and yawned quietly. “I dunno. And…why did they run?” Am I that scary?

“I’m as clueless as you are. Okay. Maybe not that clueless.” He laughed a little and sheathed his sword before taking a moment to examine his torn uniform and newly acquired wounds.

“You alright?” Alaric asked, sounding concerned.

“Obviously. Not like a few cuts are gonna hurt me. You know that.” Leo sighed and took his cell phone out. “Seriously. Don’t worry. It’s not like you. It makes you sound like a wimp. It makes you weak.” He made a call to report the mission.

How can he be acting like this when he just saw what I did…he must’ve seen it. All of them were dead! Geeze…he’s ungrateful. Alaric crossed his arms, wondering what they would do about the other creatures. He hadn’t killed them…the mission would probably pass by as something that happened because the crew at the outpost did something to anger the creatures. This isn’t right. We have to do something. Alaric continued thinking to himself, although in the back of his mind he wondered if all his worrying did make him weak.

.::~Chapter Eight: Behavior is Evidence~::.​

It was only a short wait before the hum of a distant helicopter could be audible. The two KNIGHTs were taking shade next to one of the many outpost buildings, both leaning against a wall. Alaric looked to his side, seeing that Leo had his eyes closed. He bit his lower lip, unsure of what to tell his friend. Alaric shook his head slowly and looked straight ahead once more, deciding not to speak.

Once the helicopter had landed, the two headed over towards it and took their seats inside. Leo now stared hard at Alaric, his green eyes curiously examining him.

“Seriously.” Alaric muttered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s creepy.” He crossed his arms and lowered his head, sighing deeply.

“You’ve been acting odd. It’s just…well never mind. Keep it to yourself I guess.” Leo turned his head to gaze out of the window, his blond hair hiding his face from Alaric’s sight. “That reporter girl…Ashley I think. Why exactly does she hate you so much again?”

Alaric, glad that the subject had been changed, answered quickly. “Because I’m the best there is.” He confidently stated, laughing afterwards.

“Surrrreeee you are. Just because you’re physically the most capable member, doesn’t mean you’re the most skilled. I bet I could teach you a thing or two with my blade.” Leo ran his hand slowly through his hair, pulling it back slightly to look at Alaric from the corner of his eye.

Alaric stopped himself from accepting the challenge, as tempting as it was. “Well you can think what you want but…well, you’ll have to report what happened back at the desert to the director by yourself. I need to check on something myself.”

Leo’s smile vanished as he nodded slowly and the awkward silence took over once more.

~~~~~~~​

“I’ve never seen ya without that cap. I know you dye yer hair an’ all but honestly woman!” Aren’s gruff voice came from outside the battered news van.

“Oh, shut up. It’s all their fault. They make me do so much more than I have to. Do you think I like hiding my natural looks? This world just isn’t fair. And HERO makes it worse.” Ashley fixed her cap, tucking in the loose strands of her hair hastily behind her ears. Outside of the van she heard a yelp and almost laughed when she heard it. “Don’t be so impatient Aren. We have to wait for one of those HERO fellas come here and tell us why they sent their two pets out to the desert and…” She trailed off, losing her interest in saying the rest of the story. As she turned to exit the van Ashley opened her mouth and let out a small gasp before covering her mouth with her boney hand. She took a small step backwards and took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she looked at the one who opened the door.

“Yeah, yeah. Knock before you enter.” The white uniformed KNIGHT rolled his eyes and leaned his head inside the van. “You two are jumpy today. Didn’t expect me back so soon?”

Ashley lowered her hand and stuck her tongue out childishly at him. “Why aren’t you back with the others, Alaric?” She hissed in an annoyed tone.

“You mean with the other pet?” Alaric moved back and shrugged, obviously trying to hold back a smile. He wasn’t even sure why he decided to speak with Ashley. Although he had a faint hope deep down that if he somehow made friends with the “crew” that he would somehow show that KNIGHT wasn’t as bad as so many people thought it was.

~~~~~~~​

Leo had a surprise of his own when he confronted the director face to face in the main entrance of KNIGHT’s building. “Sir…?” He stood straight, feeling self conscious about how he presented himself.

“I already know of what happened on your mission.” The director plainly stated. As Leo opened his mouth to speak the director raised a hand to keep him quiet. “Alaric was able to kill one of those beasts with one strike, yes?” Leo nodded quickly. “And the other beasts fled after they took notice of him?” Leo nodded once more. “It is as I feared.” The director turned his back on Leo. “I know how long you two have known each other…and as much as I wish that this did not happen, we cannot ignore this threat.”

“Director…?” Leo stepped forward, curious as to what was going on.

“We’ve been keeping an eye on Alaric. His recent behavior is…well he’s unstable. He’s mentally unfit to be in KNIGHT. You know he was part of the first batch that were supposed to be the beginning of KNIGHT. He was the only one deemed fit enough to not be terminated.” The director paused for a brief moment. “Sadly, the operation preformed on Alaric is not without its flaws. His emotions are getting the best of him and that extended life of his…Simply put, he will begin to age. Not rapidly but as if he was nothing more than a normal human. His rebellious attitude is what frightens me the most-”

“Sir, are you trying to say that Alaric would do something to destroy HERO?” Leo asked quickly. Although Alaric was acting up, Leo strongly doubted that his friend would do anything to hurt anyone.

“I’m afraid so. Those beasts that you two fought are his creations. We have evidence. An entrance to a makeshift laboratory was found in his room.” The director held his hand out towards Leo, knowing that he would want to interrupt. “I’m sorry but your friend is now an enemy. We must hunt him down and neutralize any threats that he’s made for the good of this world.”

.::~Chapter Nine: Arrest~::.​

There were several moments of awkward silence that passed as Alaric stared at the two reporters inside the van. Ashley and Aren were not about to make conversation with someone like him anytime soon. Alaric’s eyes shifted down towards the ground as he began to tap his fingers against the van’s rusted door.

“Are you planning on staying quiet all day or can we get on with our jobs?” Ashley impatiently asked.

Shaking his head to snap out of his daze, Alaric lifted his head to look at the young woman and opened his mouth to reply. Can’t we just talk? That was something he would have liked to have said but something else came out instead. “Whatever. I was just making sure you two haven’t died yet.” Alaric turned away from the two, hearing Ashley shout something about her being invincible…or something like that. Why do I even bother?

He soon came to an abrupt stop as four KNIGHT infantrymen blocked his path. By the looks of their plain green uniforms, Alaric knew they were new recruits probably sent to give him a message. He crossed his arm and examined them carefully, seeing that their eyes were not nearly as bright or…unnatural as his own or Leo’s. “What do you guys want?”

One of them walked forward and held out a piece of paper that Alaric instantly knew was something that came directly from the director. “This is for your arrest. You are officially no longer the leader of KNIGHT and have been charged with conspiracy to-”

“This has got to be a joke!” Alaric ripped the paper out of his hand and looked it over. It was true, the director would never pull something like this unless it was serious. No…I didn’t do anything like this! I don’t have some damn lab! He looked back up at the four, knowing that if he went with them it would be certain death.

“Come peacefully with us, sir. We’re not alone.” The closest one said, already beginning to move back as he drew out his gun.

Alaric’s eyes quickly narrowed as he searched the surroundings without turning his head. From what he could see, each rooftop had at least one man on it and knowing the director, the four that came for him were probably more than just new recruits. Damn it. I’ve got no weapons on me…I know I’m innocent…but for something like this, there’s no trial, just an execution. Leo! He should be the new leader! If I can get to him…

“Did you hear me? Come with us!”

He glanced over at the van, noticing that Aren and Ashley were watching the whole thing. They seemed to be surprised from what had just happened. Alaric raised an eyebrow, one of the infantrymen was walking over towards them. He could barely hear what the man was saying but apparently the two were also under arrest for communicating with him. Damn it. Now I have to worry about them as well!

“Get yer damn hands off of me!” Ashley screamed as she and Aren were dragged beside Alaric. When the man let go of her arm, she began to rub it before glaring at Alaric hatefully. “This is your fault! I’ll make you pay, boy!”

“Shut up.” Alaric muttered angrily. As Ashley opened her mouth in protest, Alaric lifted a hand to quiet her. Think! There’s gotta be something I can use… He could have laughed when he spotted one of the infantrymen wearing a grenade of some kind on his belt. Just found our way out of here!

He did not even give anyone a chance to react when to lunged forward. Alaric reached out and pulled the pin from the man’s grenade without even removing it from the belt. Although he was unsure if it was an explosive or not, he prayed it was something that would help. Alaric then ducked, a bullet from one of the sniper’s just missing his left shoulder. He spun and kicked an infantryman in the stomach, sending him flying back several feet before ramming his elbow into the jaw of another attacker. Alaric grabbed the man with the live grenade still strapped to his belt and used him as a shield as three bullet made contact and killed him. He let the body drop and jumped backwards, yanking both Ashley and Aren out of the path of a burst of gunshots from the remaining infantryman.

BANG!

A flash of light blinded all those looking in the trio’s general direction. The infantryman dropped his gun and covered his eyes with his hands, staggering back as he yelped with pain. He opened his eyes soon after, finding that everything looked hazy. There was one thing that he knew he would not see when his vision fully returned…a cameraman, a reporter, and the most dangerous person he had ever met.

.::~Chapter Ten: A Slaughter~::.​

“What the hell have you gotten us into!?” The small girl shouted, stomping her bare foot down in frustration. If it was not for her heavy Irish accent, Alaric would have taken her more seriously but instead, he put a hand over his mouth and kept his laughter suppressed.

“It’s not funny you ass!” She screamed at her captor, glaring furiously at him.

“Settle down girl or you’ll get all of us in trouble!” Aren growled lowly, putting a finger over his lips and making a loud, “Shh!”

When Alaric calmed down from having found Ashley’s rage so amusing, he took a step away from the small patch of artificial light coming from above the manhole he was standing beneath. “Just because I got you guys a few blocks away from where they last found us doesn’t mean you two can go about shouting your heads off.” He calmly stated.

“We wouldn’t need your damn help if you didn’t get us involved with you in the first place!” Ashley shouted in response, swinging her rather tiny fist at Alaric threateningly. “We’ll be going our own way from here on, got that?” She hissed.

Alaric shrugged slightly and sighed aloud. “If you think you can escape the rest of KNIGHT and come out unharmed, give it a go.” He paused. “I have total faith in a cameraman and a young reporter.” He sarcastically added.

“I’ll kick their asses! You’ll see…” Ashley grumbled, crossing her arms and turning her head away from Alaric.

Aren looked to and from the two, seeing how angry Ashley was at Alaric…but then again, she always was, even after he had saved her life on a nearly daily basis. “I wonder if I’m the only adult in ‘ere.” He muttered quietly. “As much as I hate to admit it…” Aren said aloud, scratching the back of his head…which sent some dandruff flying. “…But Alaric’s the only one who could take on one of those KNIGHT guys.”

“It’d be a lot easier if I had a weapon but…thanks for your confidence I guess.” Alaric said, watching as Ashley now glared at Aren for saying something that sounded like a compliment towards him. “Do you two have any ideas on where to go?”

Ashley began to smile at the question, a little too much for a situation that they were in. “As a matter a fact, we do!” She snapped her fingers. “And I’m pretty sure I know how to get us there!” Aren raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly, moving closer towards Ashley.

“You plan on taking him there as well?” He whispered quietly, assuming Alaric could not hear him. “You know what’d they would do!”

“Uhm…excuse me, but we can’t linger here all day.” Alaric interrupted.

Ashley pushed Aren out of her “personal space” and continued to smile at Alaric. She spun on her heel and began walking away from the two. “I hope you’re not scared of the dark, boyo.” She taunted in her most mature voice.

Aren followed behind Ashley without making a comment while Alaric opened his mouth to make a witty comeback…but nothing came to mind. “I’m older than her.” He said under his breath.

~~~~~~~​

“Do you really think Alaric would do something like this, Leo?”

“No. It must have been something that wasn’t human. Just like that desert outpost we were at…”​

“Leo, you should go after him. Alaric’s already gotten away from the squad sent to capture him. You’re probably the only one who can get close to him and match him in combat.”

“Yeah…”​

“I can’t believe they were all killed. They were supposed to capture him but they got slaughtered. If Alaric didn’t do it, who did?”

“…”​

“So what do you think did this?”

“Well it looks different than the attack at the desert. They don’t look like they were being eaten alive…just torn apart by something bestial.”

Alaric, what the hell did you get yourself into?​

.::~Chapter Eleven: A Friend...?~::.​

“How much longer is it?” Alaric asked, beginning to get bored after having walked at least mile with Aren and Ashley.

“What? Are you getting tired?” Ashley teased, glancing over at him only to stick her tongue childishly out at Alaric. A drop of sweat rolled down her cheek and the girl was beginning to look as if she was about to collapse. It was only obvious that her will to keep from embarrassing herself in front of Alaric was what kept her from keeling over.

To keep from injuring the girl’s pride, Alaric remained silent and simply followed the two. After what seemed like an eternity, he heard both Aren and Ashley curse loudly. Alaric raised his head, having been staring at the ground, and saw that up ahead the passage just came to an abrupt stop. They three were standing by a gaping hole around one hundred feet in diameter. There were several beams and pipes along the entire area giving it the appearance of a spider web.

“They took down the bridge!” Ashley shouted, her high voice echoed throughout the chasm.

“A bridge in the sewers?” Alaric raised an eyebrow, never imagining that a bridge would be built in such an odd place.

“Yeah! I’ve only been through here twice before and there was a bridge here last time!” Ashley groaned loudly in frustration and pointed out towards the opposite side of the abyss. “See that?” Ashley was pointing at a small circular patch of light across the hole, it must have been where the bridge would have taken them. “Now we have no way of getting across!”

Alaric’s eyes wandered around as Ashley continued to speak, paying no attention to her. The pipes and beams in the chasm stretched across its entire length and looked wide enough for him to stand on. He smiled a little to himself, knowing it would be easy to take the others across in no time at all. “I can carry you guys to the other side.” He pointed to a sturdy looking pipe just twenty feet beneath where they were standing. “By using that.”

“Like hell I’m letting you carry me!” Ashley angrily shouted, crossing her arms and turning away from Alaric.

Stubborn girl. Alaric stepped towards Ashley muttering, “I’ll make this as painless as possible.” Hearing this, Ashley defensively raised her fists and spun to face him, backing away quickly.

“Don’t take another step closer or else I’ll-”

“Hit me with your puny hands? I don’t really see how you’ll manage to hit-”

“Guys! I see something on the other side!” Aren interrupted the two, causing both to turn towards the chasm and focus on the opening on the other side. A shadow moved about and was just barely distinguishable as being human. Alaric raised an eyebrow and moved towards the ledge, wishing he had at least stolen a gun from when they had escaped.

“Just wait for me to take care of this…” Alaric jumped onto the pipe and watched as the figure on the other side did the same. I wonder… Alaric’s eyes focused on the one ahead as he walked across the pipe.

“Figured you would be here.” Leo’s voice echoed in the darkness, causing Alaric to nearly lose his balance from the surprise.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Alaric crouched down slightly as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light.

“First off, did you kill those who were sent after you?”

“No! Wait…why?”

There was a small flash of light, it had come from the reflection of a perfectly clean blade. Leo stared at the sword for a moment before placing it back in its sheath and tossing it directly at Alaric. “Now’s not the time for that. We’ve got plenty of time before we’re found so-”

“Why’d you give me a weapon? You could at least have given me a gun or something.” Alaric nevertheless strapped the sheath to his side.

“A gun runs out of ammo. Plus it makes it too easy to kill.” There was a long pause in which Leo wondered whether or not to say more.

“I get it…You came here on your own to satisfy your own curiosity.” Alaric lowered his head and sighed quietly, hating the thought of losing his friend due to a misunderstanding.

“I need to know. We’ve always held back…” Leo drew his own sword and stared hard at Alaric with his bright green eyes. “To the death.”

Alaric reluctantly placed his hand on his sword, not expecting to use it so early. “We’re supposed to be friends…” He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, hoping that when he opened them, Leo would be gone. “I don’t want to kill you.”

“Did you hear what I said!? It’s to the death! Friendship doesn’t matter right now! I’m following orders. Now get ready, Alaric.”

“You must be the new leader of KNIGHT, huh?” Alaric opened his eyes, seeing his friend standing ready to strike. “You’re lucky…You don’t have the mind to question orders.” He drew his sword slowly, watching the blade reflect the light from the distance. “I’m not sure if I’m willing to get killed over this.”

Alaric heard footsteps on the pipe head towards him and glanced up to watch Leo come at him at full speed. Shaking his head, Alaric jumped up high into the air and landed on another pipe, wanting to avoid damaging the one he preferred to use as a bridge to help the others across.

Leo leapt onto the pipe and charged at Alaric, swinging his sword violently downwards only to have his attack be avoided by a backwards jump. Alaric slashed down at the pipe, causing it to collapse immediately and force the two to a beam higher up.

“Fight me directly!” Leo shouted as he sprinted towards Alaric who ignored him and began to seemingly flee by leaping continuously to higher ground. Frustrated, Leo began cutting each pipe Alaric landed on as he jumped from section to section, attempting to corner him. Sounds of metal crashing against the pit’s walls echoed throughout the area loudly, almost resembling that of church bells. The noise continued endlessly as Alaric kept his distance from Leo by staying above his former friend, ignoring any insult Leo threw at him.

“Coward! I won’t kill you unless you face me!” He yelled as his blade struck something other than steel.

“We were farther down than I thought…” Alaric muttered as he tapped Leo’s sword which was now buried in a concrete ceiling. He reached into Leo’s coat ignoring his shocked expression. “Deep down, you’re more reckless than I’ll ever be.” He pulled out a small device and fixed it onto the ceiling. “Glad you still carry at least one explosive on you.”

“Do you plan on killing us both!?” Leo struggled before finally prying his sword free from the ceiling, knowing that he had chased Alaric all the way to the top of the abyss and that the two were now only a fifty feet from the surface. He figured that Alaric would use the explosion to escape with the other fugitives, although he had no idea how he would do it if there was no way to get back safely to the ground before the falling debris would crush them.

“Don’t worry. I have a plan.” Alaric pressed a button on the device and a small timer flickered on its display. With the explosive’s design, it would be impossible to remove it from whatever it was placed on and with so many beams having been destroyed, the only way to get down quickly was to fall.

“Damn it! You should have just fought me!” Leo shouted, not getting a response from Alaric afterwards.

Alaric jumped off the pipe followed soon by Leo as the ceiling exploded and began to rain large chunks of concrete down on the two. As he fell, Alaric used his sword to cut through any debris that got near him and used the larger pieces to slow his descent by jumping off of them. He paid no attention to Leo and continued to slice through the rocks, watching as they split into several bits when he struck at them.

Ashley and Aren watched as the rubble fell and moved away from the tunnel opening in response to the destruction happening above. They saw Alaric land on the pipe nearest the tunnel and brush his clothes off like nothing happened as debris continued come down around him. He looked around and narrowed his eyes, seeing nothing else moving along the pipe.

Leo must’ve fallen all the way… He sheathed the sword and lowered his head, in the back of his mind he hoped that his friend was still alive. Alaric stared down the chasm for a long moment, listening as the fading echo of the destruction ceased.

“Can we go now!?” Ashley shouted impatiently, causing Alaric to lift his head and turn her way.

“I don’t think we’d make it across that without a little help!” Aren added, pointing towards the pipe which, for a normal human, would be nearly impossible to balance and walk on for long due to its narrow width.

Sure…I’ll get moving. With a deep sigh, Alaric began to walk towards Ashley and Aren, figuring that he better not stick around for long.

My best friend tried to kill me…and now everyone I’ve ever worked with is against me…I wonder if I can trust Ashley and Aren for long…

“Put me down!” Ashley screamed as she pounded her small fists against Alaric’s back as soon as he hefted her over his left shoulder. She let out a high pitched yelp as he jumped towards the pipe and immediately stopped hitting him, using one hand to clutch Alaric’s shirt and the other to keep her cap firmly on top of her head. “This is abuse! You should be more careful with a lady!” She whined in a childish tone.

Alaric rolled his eyes and ignored her complaints as he headed towards the other side. What do I do from here? Remain a fugitive forever? Or maybe I can fight back… The thought sickened him. …Fight back against so many people who’ve looked up to me… He glanced over at Ashley who seemed to have quieted down and almost smiled at the sight. Is she pouting? He laughed quietly to himself which attracted Ashley’s attention.

“What are you laughing at?” She hissed.

Aren stared at the two, able to hear everything Ashley said towards Alaric. He sighed and lifted a hand, smacking it against his forehead. “I’m gonna be dead in a week if I’m stuck with those two children any longer.”

.::~Chapter Twelve: An Attack~::.​

It was a long walk but eventually the light in the distance grew larger as the three drew closer towards the exit. Alaric’s bright eyes gazed at the exit, curiously examining the area outside the tunnel. The dark landscape outside was just that…dark. It seemed quite barren and the air was dry enough to give him the urge to cough. Alaric lifted his head to stare at the artificial light hanging above his head from the ceiling. I was hoping the light was coming from the Sun…

Ashley suddenly pried herself off from Alaric’s shoulder, landing on the ground with a thud. “Ow!” She whined, slowly standing up before glaring at him. Ashley headed forward, the dim gray sand crunching beneath her feet. Alaric’s eyes lowered, wondering why it did not hurt Ashley to be walking barefoot on the sand. He crouched down slowly and scooped a handful of it into his palm, letting the grains slip through his finger. Alaric raised an eyebrow as he was amazed by how fine the sand was, it was almost soft to the touch.

“Are ya gonna stare at the dirt all day or what?” Aren gruffly questioned, following closely behind Ashley.

Alaric sighed as he stood up, letting the rest of the sand fall to the ground before beginning to walk after the other two. “I wasn’t staring at the dirt.” He spoke lowly and he rubbed the palms of his hands together.

“Then hurry up why don’t ya!?” Ashley shouted as she continued walking. She turned her head to stare hard at Alaric from over her shoulder as if trying to scare him into hurrying up.

Alaric stepped forward, about to follow after the two before taking a moment to look around at his surroundings, staying still. At the back of his head he had a feeling that they were being watched by something. “Stay still you two. Something’s not right here…” He said in almost a whisper as his left hand reached down to grip the handle of the blade at his side. At least Leo did me a favor by giving me my sword.

“What is it now?” Ashley complained as she completely turned to face Alaric. “Are you trying to scare us or something? Or are you just being paranoid?” She pointed her index finger at Alaric and waved it at him in a scolding sort of way. “Sometimes you just get on my nerves, boy!”

“I said be quiet!” Alaric slowly began to draw his sword and his eyes shifted from side to side, scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary.

“Are you threatening me with that? All you KNIGHT-folk are the same! You just ‘ave to use violence for everythin’ now don’t ya? Now don’t tell me to shut up!” Ashley took a step towards Alaric as she clenched her small hands into fists, her eyes furiously burying into the male.

“I think I’ve had it with your attitude girl! Yeah, I do want you to shut up! You’ve been so ungrateful after all the times I’ve saved you. Do I ever get a thank you? Hell, I don’t even remember asking for one but it’d be proper of you to show some gratitude! What did I ever to you anyways? I’m not the one who got your family killed, okay? I don’t know who was responsible for it! Do you want me to apologize for everything that went wrong in your life!?”

Ashley hissed at Alaric’s outburst and stomped on the sand angrily with her foot. “You don’t have the right to talk about my family! It’s people like you that killed ‘em! I hate you and I don’t need your apologies! Just go and die already!”

Alaric’s hold on his blade loosened at these words finding that they stung him in a way he did not expect. He tried coming up for some sort of response but was had his thoughts soon cut short. A pair of red eyes seemingly appeared from nowhere from behind Ashley with no discernable body to which they belonged.

“Watch it!” Aren called out, apparently having seen them too.

Before either Ashley could react Alaric swiftly moved in, shoving the girl to the side as he brought his blade upwards to thrust up in a low arc to connect with whatever beast the pair of eyes belonged to. Blood splattered onto the ground as both Alaric and the thing he struck at brutally wounded each other. There was a thud as Alaric’s eyes caught sight of what he attacked. It seemed to be some creature similar to the ones that had attacked both he and Leo earlier. The beast blended in perfectly to the dull gray sand for the sole exception of its eyes.

I hate wolves…or whatever these things really are… He placed his right hand on his chest feeling as the hot blood flowed from the deep gashes the monster had left on him. Alaric ripped his sword out of the creature and glanced over at Aren and Ashley both of whom were completely still with their eyes wide from gazing at the sight. “Stay behind me, both of you.” Alaric barely managed to say, his chest feeling tight and his head feeling light from the continuous loss of blood. The two merely nodded silently as they obeyed, moving to stand just a short distance behind Alaric.

The sandy landscape seemed to glisten with small red rubies that edged closer towards the three. Alaric’s golden eyes narrowed as he gripped his sword with both hands, trying to steady his breathing as the wolves drew near. Come on… A thick black drop of liquid dripped down from the tip of his blade, the sound of it being enough to signal the pack to attack. The KNIGHT managed to duck under one of the wolves at it leapt straight at him, having to guess how far down he would need to go. Alaric stabbed up, catching it in midair and let the dead being fall to land directly behind him and in front of Aren and Ashley.

“I’ve still got some fight in me so come get some!” He shouted at the pack of beasts, firmly planting his feet on the ground.

The blood-red dots swarmed in and relentlessly attacked Alaric who fended off each blow directed at him while standing his ground. He never took a step back as he ducked out of the way of everything that came his way occasionally blocking with his sword before counterattacking to cut down each beast that came within his reach. Sweat rolled down his cheeks as he struggled to stay standing despite his injury and yet no matter how many limp bodies piled at his sides wave after wave of the nearly invisible enemy came in. His arms began to sting as the battle wore on, Alaric had stepped forward as the dead bodies of the wolves were beginning to hinder his movement. Even with distancing himself from Ashley and Aren the wolves paid them no attention as each and every attack was directed at the lone KNIGHT who seemed to be gaining a new cut with every wolf he felled. Alaric lost track of time, while he felt that he could have slain several hundred of the beasts it seemed like their numbers only continued to increase and that if he kept at it, the bodies would soon pile up to render him unable to adequately move to avoid their attacks. The sword he wielded gleamed black from the wolves’ blood and he was beginning to imagine that such a thick coat of it weighed the blade down. It was getting so heavy… His arms ached and begged him for rest which he would not give and every swipe of his weapon began to slow down enough for the beasts to actually dodge his slashes easily. The edges of Alaric’s vision grew dark as he backed up towards Ashley and Aren, refusing to let any harm come to them. There were only four pairs of eyes visible but even with hope of an end to the fighting he could no longer will his body to continue any further. Alaric’s body shook violently and he struggled merely to stand but it soon became a futile effort as he fell to his knees. His hand was clenched too tightly to his sword to let it go but he could no longer raise it.

I need to…fight…It just can’t…end…here…Please…​

Ashley screamed while Alaric’s vision faded. That was the last thing he heard before slipping out of consciousness.

~~~~~~~​

“Red! I think we’ve got it!”

"That’s great, Halcon! I didn’t think you and Furnace would make such a good team. With this cure we’ll be free men!" There was a pause followed by the sounds of three males laughing. "I mean free people since there are girls in this little group of ours. Anyways, why don’t you give it a try?"

“Alright, Furnace? Why don’t you give it a go first. I kinda have a thing about needles…”

“Tch. Wimp. Give it to me! I won’t miss these stupid powers, so long as I can walk out of here without anyone pursuing me it’ll be all worth it!”

“Red? What do you want to do when we’re all back to normal? We’ve all said what we want. Furnace and I are planning on opening moving out to the country…before that all disappears. Got any plans on being with a certain someone? Ehhh?”

There was some more laughter. "Serena and I? Nah. She doesn’t have a thing for me anyways. …Does she?"

“Here Halcon, your turn. These stupid needles are larger than I thought.”

“Alright…here goes nothing.”

“Anyways, I’ve seen the way you two look at each other! Guys like Halcon and I aren’t the type to settle down but we’ve seen it in you man! Go have your life, I’m sure you two will be happy together once this is all over.”

“Ow! I really hate needles…”

“Oh shut up Halcon and take it like man!”

Both Furnace and Red laughed while their comrade kept silent. "Thanks guys. It’s been nice sticking with everyone. I’m sure the others will be happy to know that we’ve finally got the cure. Especially me! It’s hit me the wors-" A coughing fit ensued, keeping Red from continuing.

“Take it easy, Red. Otherwise your blood will end up everywhere!”

”Oh shut up…” The voice was strained and barely audible.

A moment of silence passed.

Sounds of two males gagging and gasping for air filled soon took place.

"Guys, don’t play games. I don’t sound that bad."

The choking didn’t stop.

"Guys…? DAMN IT! WE NEED A MEDIC!"

.::~Chapter Thirteen: The Resistance~::.​

“It wasn’t my fault! Don’t make me responsible for what I couldn’t know.”

“Furnace and Halcon are dead because of you. Why the hell didn’t you listen to me? I told you that getting that so-called cure was too easy. You should’ve been the one to test it, not them!”

“Calm down Blitz, it wasn‘t Red‘s fault. The two weren‘t forced into it. We don‘t want you causing anymore damage to our little shack.”

“Shut up girl! Don’t try and defend him, Jade. He’s got more blood on his hands than us. In more ways than one. If there‘s any of us that deserved to die it was hi-”

“Do you have any better ideas besides whining? We’ll all die if we don’t hurry this whole thing along. Red made the right call to jump at the chance of a cure. This disease has been screwing with us long enough!”

“Been awhile since you’ve spoken out. Thanks you two but maybe Blitz has a point. Why don’t we let him decide the next course of action if he thinks I’ve done such a terrible job?”

“That’s gotta be your worst idea yet.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?”

“Psych’s got a point there…Knowing Blitz…”

There was a pause in which the group contemplated what their options were.

“Well I do have an idea. We’re all gonna to die if we don’t act soon, right? We have nothing to lose if we break into the very place that made us what we are. Going around to mysterious warehouses owned by that stupid organization hasn’t worked for us has it? Let’s up the ante!”

"How stupid can you-"

“Exactly what I’ve been avoiding…but to be honest that’s our best chance.”

“Are you crazy!? In your condition you can barely fight! We can’t take Serena with us either. She might be the most stable and healthy of our bunch but she’s just too…well…you know! She’s not the type that needs to be brought into a fight.”

“There’s still another four of us that you’re forgetting. Take them… with…you...”

Red’s voice faded as he continued to speak. As soon as he stopped speaking he went into another coughing fit.

“It’s settled. We’ll head out tomorrow.

“Not to get off topic but I think we just found a little nickname for Red. Sorry but I think we should just refer to you as B-”

~~~~~~~​

“We should kill him.” Came a dark voice belonging to a male. “You shouldn’t have brought him here, Ashley. What were you thinking!?”

“He saved my life as well as Aren‘s! Even after…” The female’s voice lowered to an inaudible whisper so the rest of her sentence went unheard.

“He’s KNIGHT.” The stranger responded sternly.

“Not anymore he ain’t.” Aren’s voice suddenly came in. Soon the three’s words went fuzzy to the one listening in to it all.

My head…ugh…Where am I? Alaric stirred and opened his eyes slowly only to see nothing but darkness. For a moment he almost believed he was blind but it passed and his vision returned showing him the dimly lit tent he was in. He opened his mouth to speak but his throat was too dry for him to utter a word. Everything hurts… Slowly, he turned his head towards the voices he had been hearing. Alaric was able to see who was the third person in the group who was a male roughly the same age as he was. More precisely it was someone who appeared to be the same age as Alaric. The male was wearing low class body armor that probably would endure the punishment coming from the standard weapons KNIGHT members carried. This was not the most pressing detail however, the boy’s hair was. His hair was a bright shade of red.

“You tricked us into giving him medical treatment too. If it wasn’t for his abnormal rate of recovery we would have never figured it out! You brought the LEGEND to our grounds and put everyone here in danger.” The male started to walk in Alaric’s direction.

Ashley jumped in between the two, unaware that Alaric had regained consciousness. “Leave him alone Cathal! Don’t you dare take another step closer.” With the mixture of Ashley’s own accent and her frail appearance Alaric found it to be a miracle that he did not burst out laughing when he heard how serious she sounded.

“Step aside.” The one Alaric now knew as Cathal spoke. A familiar click sounded from what he knew to be a gun. “The second he wakes up he’ll kill us.”

“So you’ll kill him while he can’t defend himself!?” Ashley shouted angrily.

By this time Alaric figured it would be best if he finally brought it to their attention that he was listening and was not about to let Ashley defend him. “You should listen to him.” Alaric muttered, causing Ashley to jump in surprise and spin to face him. “Besides…you wanted me dead anyways.” Alaric sat up and took a brief glance down at the bed he was in. It wasn’t much of one but it could have been worse. “I’m not letting you fight my battles for me, if the child over there wants to take an easy kill why don’t we let him? It’s not like he could do it any other way.”

Cathal took the opportunity to point his pistol directly at Alaric while Ashley was out of the way. “Shut up. What makes you think I won’t take the shot? You wouldn’t be the first KNIGHT I’ve killed and you won’t be the last.”

Alaric sighed as he stared down the barrel of the gun seeming to be unphased by it. “Think you can pull that trigger before I rip that toy out of your hands and fill your body with the entire clip?” It was an idle threat as he had not the energy nor the will to perform such a task. “Also, I know you haven’t been paying attention to the news lately. I’m not the current LEGEND. I’m actually being hunted down by KNIGHT as we speak.” He turned over to look at Ashley as his eyes seemed to dim. “And she probably brought me here so you people…the resistance, could kill me.” Alaric lowered his head and clasped his hands together. “Do it if you want, I’ve hardly got the faith left in anyone to continue fighting in this bloodfest.”

“That’s no way to be talking! You saved us back there!” Aren growled as he took his turn to step between Cathal and Alaric. “I owe ya one. Now that you’re up again I’m gonna repay you one way or another.”

“Step down Aren. Don’t make me put a bullet in you as well.” Cathal darkly said as he kept his gun steady. “It’s my responsibility to make sure that he doesn’t get us all killed. Now get out of the way!”

A tense moment of silence passed before anyone would speak. Ashley, who had been staring at Alaric due to a loss of words, finally spoke up again. “No Cathal. You’re not killing him. You’ll have to shoot me too.”

“What!?” Both Alaric and Cathal shouted, the two gazing at the girl in surprise.

Ashley stepped over by Alaric’s side and sat by him. She avoided eye contact and merely stared down at the ground while tapping her fingers together timidly. “I’m sorry…” She said softly.

“Why are you putting your trust in that guy!?” Cathal shoved Aren out of the way and lowered his pistol. A seething hatred burned in his eyes although Alaric was beginning to be unsure of who it was directed at.

She apologized…I suppose that’s a start. Alaric thought to himself before rising to his feet. “And why are you so intent on trying to kill me when I’ve saved these two? You even threatened them to get to me.”

“Those monsters started appearing when you got here. The second you showed up a whole wave of them arrived right behind you. I bet they can smell it in you. That you’re KNIGHT. You’re not human and they’re tearing through anything and anyone to get to people like you.”

“How was I supposed to know they’re after me?” The subject of the monsters reminded Alaric that he had not even seen his sword around. “Where’d you take my weapon to anyways? My blade’s the only reason why the three of us are alive and I’d prefer it if I had it on me.”

Cathal opened his mouth as if to further an argument or insult Alaric but the thought of it seemed to be lost almost instantly. He growled and said something under his breath before turning around. “Stay here. Or else.” He ordered before leaving the tent.

“Quite a temper.” Alaric commented before turning towards Aren. “Thanks…for whatever it was that needed thanking.” He said which only resulted in a nod from Aren. Alaric directed his attention back at Ashley who was still seated at the bed with her hands now clasped on her lap. “You’ve got a sudden attitude change.”

Ashley kept her eyes fixed on the ground as she took a moment to respond. “Y-yeah…I guess so…”

Alaric folded his arms and winced, lowering them immediately as his body still ached from the fight. “Ow…” He lifted pulled one of his sleeves back upon noticing that his arms felt unnaturally restrained. Alaric raised an eyebrow when he saw bandages that he guessed stretched all the way to his torso. “Guess they did give me some medical attention.”

“Not exactly.” Ashley mumbled. “They only handed over enough things to get your wounds cleaned and dressed. I had to do all the work…” A faint hint of pink covered her cheeks telling Alaric exactly what had happened.

“Ohhh…” Alaric laughed nervously and scratched at the bandages. He thought it over for a moment before making a teasing comment. “So…did you like what you saw?”

Ashley’s face shot up at him and immediately reddened further. “Alaric!”

.::~Chapter Fourteen: Don't Turn Back~::.​

“Well it‘s not much compared to my old clothes…” Alaric muttered to himself as he stared down at his new attire. His uniform was too torn up for him to walk out with it and be taken seriously but he was still reluctant to try anything new. The Resistance had given him a common pair of dark green cargo pants that were thankfully not as baggy as he thought they would be. As for the rest, they had given him a plain black shirt and a tattered faded out green jacket. ‘And now I fit in perfectly with these people.’ He rose to his feet slowly and glanced over at Ashley who had her back turned so he could change.

“You can turn around now and laugh if you want.” He spoke lowly, turning his head to the side as he waited for any remarks the girl had to make.

“At least we finally got you to were something modest. That uniform you’ve been dragging around just didn’t suit you!”

Alaric raised an eyebrow and turned his attention back towards Ashley. “Modest? You mean rags, right? Who would even wear anything like this-” He cut himself off, realizing what he was saying. Ashley was not dressed in anything he would have called “modest”. Her shorts were torn at the bottom and her own shirt was stained and faded far worse than his “new” clothing. At least the Resistance offered her a pair of their own muddy boots as Ashley did not even have shoes earlier.

He sighed out and raised a hand to scratch the back of his head. “Fine. Whatever you say. It‘s modest.” Alaric muttered, folding his arms over his chest.

“That’s the spirit!” Aren said as he stepped into the room. He had been out talking to Cathal, the Resistance leader. “Anyways, seeing as Cathal’s sucked up his pride and admitted Alaric’s got the best chance at taking down KNIGHT…”

“Yeah…?” Ashley curiously asked, leaning in closer.

“The guy wants Alaric to go on a suicide mission. The ******* wants Alaric to go in alone!” Aren growled, his fists tightly clenched. “I don’t know why we ever joined up with these lunatics! They’ve got the brains of a-”

“It’s a good plan now that I think about it.” Alaric cut off Aren.

“What are you saying!?” Ashley gripped Alaric’s collar and shook him slightly. “You can’t take ‘em all on!”

Alaric shook his head slowly and pulled away from Ashley’s grasp. “It’s not like the whole collective force of KNIGHT is ever in the same place. If I can get to the top floor and take out the director…they’ll be easy targets without a leader. Those that still fight anyways. A lone guy like me breaking in through the front doors of KNIGHT will at least take a hit on their morale. I know they don‘t have any sort of army in the building. Plus I know all the types of security they have. So I really am the best for the job.” Alaric went over towards the bed he had woken up in and picked up the sword laying on the bloodstained sheets. It had no sheath and without his uniform he didn’t have anywhere to hang it on. ’Guess I really am going in like this.’

“I don’t suppose they’d offer me any other weapons.” Alaric directed towards Aren.

“Nope…an’ I even tried to jimmy the lock to their little armory but I was nearly caught. These guys really hate our guts.” Aren scratched his chin. “So you’re gonna head in with just that?”

“I’ve…got another idea. If all this doesn’t work out then…” Alaric motioned towards Ashley who came over towards him silently. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear.

“You’re goin’ nuts aren’t you!?” She shouted as she stepped back away from Alaric. She showed him a faint smile before it turned into a bright grin. “But I like where you’re going with that!”

Aren looked at the two, obviously confused. “Er…huh?”

“It’ll be a long walk back. Just try and make the most of it. I’ll kick down their front doors, you guys do your thing, and then-”

“What about those demon things?” Aren interrupted Alaric.

“Right…well, one problem at a time. Someone in KNIGHT must’ve set me up. Maybe along the way I’ll find out what happened.” Alaric replied, stepping towards the tent’s exit as he reached out and pulled one of the flaps open. His mind wandered over the conditions these people were living in. So many had it worse than the Resistance and they were all in the city. So many were willing to fight despite the fact that they knew they had almost no chance of making it out alive. Alaric turned his head and glanced over at Ashley. Her entire family was killed and whether if it truly was by KNIGHT’s hand or just a gang trying to further taint his own reputation he still felt responsible no matter how many times he had told the girl that KNIGHT hadn’t killed her loved ones.

’Ashley…I’m going to set things right. You…Aren…and everyone else will not return to that life once I’m through.’

Alaric showed a faint smile as Ashley’s own grin disappeared, the girl unaware of what Alaric’s true thoughts were. “Ashley will tell you what I have in mind, Aren. Now take care of her. I’m counting on you two.” With that Alaric left the tent, not daring to take another look back at the only two people he now considered to be his friends.

 

Thanks. 8D It would've died as an RP...>>

*nod, nod* I added more talking. AKA that "word". XDDD

Yeah, yeah. >> I'm not a great writer. You'll get over the SOLDIER/KNIGHT similarities sooner or later.

Yeah. ^^ Thanks for reading.

8D Yay.

UPDATED This chapter was fun to write...

 

Next Chapter!!! He'll be VERY important.

Thanks. Eh. The beginning of this new chapter is a little...ehh...>>

I did. ^^ I'll update slowly. Dx UPDATED

 

Thanks. ^-^

Sorry for taking so long. School and life stuffs have been keeping me busy...>>

I got lazy on this chapter...<<

Eh. I write for a bit of fun and to get some ideas out of my head. I'm not a very good writer. It's always been my worst...thing. Harry Potter and Eragon? Why not?

UPDATED

 

Who? 8D Ashley will show up the rest of the story. ^^

Sorry for making it confusing. ; ;

This chapter isn't too long. 8D I got lazy though...>->

Ahh...I see. I know they aren't perfect but I like them a lot. <-< Still, you're the expert compared to me. xD

UPDATED