PLANK

Plank still can't believe that a pair of nobodies from the Acropolis had dared to lay their hands on him. Especially that smug bastard Remnant. He'll kill him with his bare hands. Yes! He'll tear him apart then he'll fuck that bitch of his. He stops suddenly which makes some of his fellows jump a bit. You'd think they were the ones that had been shown things unimaginable by a little girl. He shivers at the thought of her blackened eyes, those things rising up to kill him.

"Boss," one of the fellows says.

"Yeah mate," Plank turning to face him ,says.

"We're at the Tavern eh. Are you sure they'll return cause the place seems pretty empty," the fellow says.

Plank takes a good look through the blast-proof glass door and true to word there's no movement inside. He's getting too big for this sort of situation. He is Plank, the Black Knight's favourite and most feared Enforcer. He'd once fought off the biome Jack the Ghoul and almost killed him. The bastard had never shown his face ever again in the city; least not that he had heard of. All that for him to quiver over a pair of outsiders from that bourgeois city. How many Remnants had he seen off to the Crossworld?

"Oh they'll be back alright. They thought they could use me as bait for my master is what I reckoned but oh have they another thing coming," Plank says forcing himself to laugh a bit to ward off the fear.

He glances a bit at the street and sees one of those nightmares coming at him.

"Inside now!"

A tall fellow, a biome hacks into the club's security system and they all walk in ,Plank going first muttering something about being the head of the gang. Immediately the lights flick on, Plank lets out a little scream. The whole gang pulls their weapons, all pulse rifles this time. 

Plank aims his rifle at the figure seated at the bar with his good arm for a while afore one of his own exclaims that it's just a kid. A good many of them laugh at him though they dare not do it to his face. He puts the rifle away and approaches the kid acutely aware that this may as be a trap set for him by those heathens. 

"Hey kid what are you doing in here at this time of night. Don't you know some men prefer young asses like yours?"

He waits for the lads to laugh and sure as he looks back at them smiling they let out a few giggles. Usually they'd laugh at all his jokes without him reminding them that the humour was in his incredible fists. He forces the lad to turn around on the chair and is a little shocked when he finds a biome face staring at him.

It's eyes are green and it's teeth are all metallic blue light glowing from within his mouth. The teeth, that sort of metal was unlike any he had ever seen in the city and even outside it. This sort of things could only exist within the high ranks of the Remnants in the Goldilocks in Acropolis which means that this thing here must have come with those two. This is a trap.

"Boss,"

Plank turns around ready to punch out the teeth of the fellow who made the noise nearly making him run. The sight he meets may as well have killed him as all his lads stare at him wide eyed. All of them have their weapons aimed at him.

"Put those away. Hey you whatever your name is put that thing away from me right now. Put that away dammit!" Plank pleads.

The lads do not move and as he turns around to face the biome kid, he hears it counting for the first time. 

Seven, six, five...

A bomb! It's got to be. Plank's heart threatens to tear out of his chest and he would let it if it weren't for the rifles aimed directly at it. He considers shooting at the thing sure that it's what's controlling his lads. He raises it just as the thing says zero.

Plank hears the crash before he sees the massive and familiar cause of fear break through the glass doors. It squashes a couple of the lads, their blood spraying onto him. An even bigger figure walks into the club through the broken doors.

Without as much as second thought, Plank fires his rifle at the thing moving back as it approaches. It kicks the First Knight tearing his head apart, Plank's heart skipping its beat twice. He moves back till he feels the biome's knee against his back.

"Argh Tanji you've broken the door. The nice bartender's gonna be so pissed and disappointed,"

Plank breathes out all his fear feeling his knees going weak and something warm and wet going down his thigh. He lets out a whimper as he watches the girl and the one who called himself Sirius walk into the bar. Sirius walks right up to him and holds his shoulders.

"Dear me Mr. Plank you seem shook. I take it that my friends have scared the good little boy you once were right back into you eh," Sirius says. His smile makes some part of Plank want to punch him till he spits his pretty Remnant teeth on the floor.

"Apologies for the door. I know the Tavern's your favourite of them all in this cursed city,"

The nobleman takes a while to stare at Plank, then the smug bastard laughs right in his face.

"See Jcob, I know you. I might even know you even better than you know your own self. Say do you want me to tell you the name of the whore that brought scum like you into this world?" Sirius says laughing again.

Plank hears as the girl behind him laugh, her sounds cutting through the night in high pitch. His rage flares at her awful voice.

Sirius then signals to the biome seated behind Plank, causing Plank to jump as it moves.

"Jonah let the man have the seat,"

Plank doesn't even feel it till he sees it stand next to Sirius. The Remnant strokes its head affectionately staring still at him.

"Sit Jcob. I have a story to tell you and I hope you'll understand its entirety,"

Plank doesn't move seeking to defy the man in way he can. Sirius stops stroking the biome.

"Sit, please." He says.

Plank takes the seat changing his line of sight to one of his own lads who lays on the floor. Plank watches as he pulls out a blast pistol and smiles from within just before Sirius turns into a blur and the lad's head appears right next to him. For the first time in his life, Plank screams out of true fear.

He doesn't stop when Sirius the wretched Remnant tells him to. He doesn't stop when he walks closer to him till his hands lay at each of Plank's shoulder. They lock eyes and what he sees in those eyes shuts him up.

"Good he's silent again." Sirius says.

He pulls up a chair from the nearest table sitting directly in front of Plank smiling again. The rest stand next to him including the gigantic metallic monster.

"Right then. Let us begin. As you already know I am from the city Acropolis, the greatest city that still exists eh. My friends are also native to the beautiful city and..."

"Sure but they're not as bourgeois as you eh" Plank cuts him.

For the first time the hulking thing speaks and Plank's whole body feels the chills spreading all around with every word.

"You -will-not -interrupt the captain!" It screams.

"Thank you Tanji. Now as I was saying we're all from Acropolis and we would have stayed there all our lives. Sadly we find ourselves in this city of muck and sin. Now dear Jcob ask me why we're here and I shall tell you," Sirius says.

Plank sits there staring at the man wishing he could cut off his head. He already knew what he would use.

"Come on my good man, you've got to want to know why we would attack you like this in your own city?"

"Why?" Plank asks.

"Well you see even though Acropolis does not interfere with its lessers, its lessers seem to want to cause harm to it."

Plank snorts at that. This fuckward was going to sit here and tell him about his city not messing with others. The same lot of inhumans who had launched the attack that had killed his sister and mother?

"Still I hear you ask 'how did we cause harm on Acropolis?' Well my good man you haven't yet and that's what's most important here so listen carefully.

Four months ago one of our most esteemed scientists was robbed of a very dangerous thing by three fellows who had coloured masks on. I believe them to be the Brothers Achi who serve under the Black Night who in turn serves under the King."

Those stupid boys. He was going to kill them once he got free the little gits.

"Here's the reason why you're still breathing Jcob. My job is to retrieve the very dangerous thing, let's call it Rose, the big bad Rose. Rose the big bad however is in the hands of the King who I very much fear just as you do and everyone else in this city.

"You are a favourite of his most loyal hunter and right hand man the Black Knight I hear. You're going to help me get Rose back from the King through his man and I'll spare your life when I leave. How does that sound."

Plank takes in a deep breath before yelling the worst profanities he's ever heard said at any table he's ever been to. Sirius watches him calmly till he runs out of breath.

"So will you help us Jcob?" The crazy man asks.

"Are you mad you thing? Nobody in his right mind would even think to speak the man's name alone in his room and you want me to betray him! I'd rather die first.

Sirius stares at him, judging him for sure but Plank doesn't care anymore. The fear he felt at looking at those eyes is gone in that moment of defiance. Finally Sirius stands headed for the door. He stops at the mangled opening and looks back at him something like pity crossing his eyes.

"As you wish my good man. Tanji, Jonah outside. Alish you have fun with this one eh." Sirius says.

Tanji and the biome Jonah follow him outside just as a nightmare approaches Plank. His screams fill the night.