Two Page Shorts - Nick Venom (big ebook reader txt) 📗

Giving up so much of him to escape the capital and access skills that he had no knowledge about was more than insane.

He turned away from the bridge. “I don’t think I can do that.” He muttered to himself. “There has to be another way.” He noticed a stare from an alleyway not far from him, turning away from the staring eye and walking away. He hoped that his face wasn’t plastered on any billboards.

“There is… but it requires sacrifices.”

Zee took in a deep breath before releasing it. “H-How… How many?”

“414 sacrifices are needed. The sacrifices are to be in a pentagram. To forcefully break into other branches, you’ll need to pray to the Goddess of Darkness, Cask.” Oz informed him, his voice slightly shaking.

“... H-How do we get the sacrifices?” His voice sounded uncertain.

“What about the girl from earlier?”

Zee shook his head. “I won’t hurt her. She was nice to me, so I can’t repay her by taking her life. I need to… I’ll rely on using bad people.” Oz didn’t respond instantly, almost disappointed in his decision to take the moral high ground. “Can you find me any bad people… to take? Maybe people that I could defeat. Not gang members since their gang would always look for revenge. I don’t want to deal with the retaliation.”

“Are you smart or a coward?” A man asked, grabbing his shoulder tightly. He pushed Zee away from the bridge and behind a wall.

Zee glanced over his shoulder at the older clean-shaven man standing behind him. “Who are you!” He shouted, startled. The man shushed him by wagging a finger back and forth at him.

“I don’t think you want to cause any attention… especially with what you were talking about a few seconds ago.” The man threatened. The man wrapped himself in a black cloak with his face being the only thing exposed. He gelled his red hair into a mohawk that plateaued at the top. Similar to Zee, they both had clean-shaven faces, though the stubble on the man’s face indicated otherwise. 

The man’s sea-blue eyes entranced Zee, almost appearing too perfect and rich in color.

“W-Who are you…” He asked as the man loosened his grip, letting him turn around and face him. “... What do you want?”

“I see that you plan to murder. I can help you with that.” The man whispered. He looked around before facing Zee. “If we make a deal.”

“W-What’s the deal?” 

“He has no malice towards you, but be wary of him,” Oz told him.

“I’m gonna be blunt. I want you to become my right-hand man, an assassin of sorts serving under me. I’ll teach you how to kill and I’ll let you go crazy. You’ll get your sacrifices with ease. All you have to do is give up your freedom and work under me.” He declared.

“Why me?” Z asked, tilting his head slightly to the left. He was a high schooler with nothing but the chip in his mind to his name. He had no muscles and his weapon, the scythe, didn’t exist at the moment. So why was the man interested in him, to the point that he created such an alluring offer?

“Because… I can sense that you have the Darkness element. I know many people that had that element before. They had insane powers that nearly ended with my gang destroyed. Now I see someone in front of me with the same ability… That’s why I want you.” The man told him, laying down some of his cards on the table.

“If I join… you’ll teach me how to kill right?” He asked the man. I was a high schooler an hour ago… why am I so invested in murder? It can’t be side-effects of my skill? Is my mind being corrupted? He asked himself.

“I’m afraid that I don’t know. Your case is special.” Oz answered him.

“That’s okay Oz,” Zee muttered under his breath, being unheard by the man in front of him.

“Yes, I will.” The man said, answering his earlier question. He extended his hand out to Zee. “Call me Twenty One. I’ll be your boss from now on.”

Zee shook his hand. “Call me…” His voice trailed off as he thought of a name. He knew that the king would record his full name and plaster it everywhere in time. He couldn’t use that name or his life would be in more danger than it would already be once he ties himself with the underworld.

“Call me… Darkness.”

It was the best name he could think of.

***

“Worth nothing,” Twenty One muttered to himself as he passed by a street rat passed out in the alleyway. “And,” he started, staring at the rat next to the first one, “nothing as well.” 

Twenty One continued down the alleyway, staring at all the rats passed out or glaring at him. He matched every glare as he walked by them, looking for anyone of worth. Unfortunately for him, he found nothing.

I thought that I could find someone with some kind of worth here using Insight. But it’s unlikely to meet another Anix or Gwen in a random alleyway. He thought to himself as he was spat out of the other end of the alleyway. He looked around and instantly noticed that he was by the main bridge connecting the capital and the outside world. 

His attention was instantly captured by Zee. He inched himself back into the alleyway, doing his best to not be seen. However, his stealth skills weren’t operating as they usually were. He was easily caught by Zee, who turned away and continued to mumble to himself.

“Him,” Twenty One muttered to himself before he realized he was speaking out loud. He glanced around himself, noticing that the rats in the alleyway were too far away to hear or attack him. He was a prominent leader who could be assassinated whenever another gang decided to give the order. Though, whether or not the order could be fulfilled was another issue. 

He has something inside him. It is… Darkness. He has the Creation: Darkness skill. He’s perfect. Exactly what I need. Now… how do I get him? I can convince rats with food, but what about normals? Maybe I should threaten him or blackmail him. Yeah, I’ll get access to his skill that way. He thought to himself before he scurried towards Zee to get dirt on him then use it against him. His plan worked better than he could’ve thought as Zee, who was hesitant at first, agreed to learn about murder and work with gangs. Twenty One wasn’t sure if it was his usual behavior or if… there was an outside force at play.

No matter which way it was, Twenty One had secured his right-hand man. That was enough for him.

***

Twenty One dragged Zee from the main bridge to his hideout, deep within the capital. The hideout appeared as a normal two-story building that was in a clean and untagged neighborhood. It resembled a wealthy neighborhood and nothing like Zee had expected. He assumed they were walking into the belly of the beast, but, instead, they entered a neighborhood where he stood out the most, specifically for his otherworldly clothes. 

“Welcome to your home.” Twenty One told him as they entered the building. They passed through the living room, which appeared like a standard living room, then moved through the kitchen and passed by a flight of stairs leading to the second floor until they arrived at the door to the basement. Twenty One opened the door, leading the way into the basement. Unlike the first floor which appeared like a standard house on a wealthy block, the basement, which was triple the size of a normal basement, had several tens of tunnels that were locked with metal grate doors. 

Several tens of men and women waited for Twenty One, all bowing their heads as he passed them. Zee followed after him, unsure what to do. 

Twenty One knew what to do, sitting on a cement throne at the back of the room. He motioned for Zee to stand on the side of the throne before facing his subordinates, all of them waiting for him to allow them to raise their heads. 

“Raise your heads.” His voice boomed, echoing off the walls and slapping everybody in the room. “Reports. Now.”

A man wearing an entire leather outfit, from a leather jacket to leather pants and matching shoes, stepped forward among the group. He bowed his head again before looking at Twenty One. “The Eater gang has attacked one of our businesses. The resulting scrabble has resulted in several pounds of goods wasted and a few wounded.”

“Did you inure any of the Eaters?” Twenty One asked, glaring at the man. 

The leatherman bit his lip before shaking his head.

“You know how to use your words… right?” He grimly asked.

The leatherman nodded. “We couldn’t scratch them, boss.”

“So you let the Eaters destroy you and you’re telling me-” He stood up from his throne. “-that you couldn’t leave a scratch on them?” He glared at the leatherman who crumbled to his knees and placed his forehead against the cold concrete. 

“I’m sorry, boss. They were quicker than my team.”

“Excuses?” Twenty One asked, tilting his head in an almost unhuman-like way. “Is that what I’m hearing?”

The leatherman raised his head, shaking his head. Tears had begun forming in his eyes, threatening to obscure his vision.

Twenty One glanced at Zee, motioning for him to take a step forward, which he instantly complied with. “This here is my second in command. My right-hand man. Darkness, you are permitted to call him. He will be treated with similar respect to me. Any questions?”

Nobody dared to speak, most of them unable to keep up eye contact. They simply stared at Twenty One, waiting for his next words.

“As punishment for disrespecting the Striker rules, Darkness will deal with you.” He turned around, motioning for Zee to start. “Do whatever you see fit.” He instructed him.

Zee nodded, approaching the leatherman. 

“Shall I activate the Darkness Scythe?” Oz asked.

“Activate a non-lethal skill, Oz.” He whispered. Oz scanned through the catalog of Darkness skills until he found a non-lethal one. 

“Activate Dark Steel Staff?” Oz asked. Zee nodded, watching as Oz made a bo staff materialize out of nowhere in front of him. The staff was layered in a thick coat of the blackest paint that existed. The staff was made out of black steel, a denser and more dangerous staff compared to the wooden bo staff varieties.

Now armed, Zee raised his staff. This is my induction ceremony. Punish him by whacking him on the head once and then I’m officially part of the gang. I’ll get the sacrifices in no time. He thought to himself as he gripped the staff tightly. He considered letting gravity take the staff, but a voice popped up from the darkness that clouded his mind.

“Don’t do it!” Screamed the voice from within his mind. “If you hit the man, then you’re the same as any criminal!” The voice shouted.

“Unknown has entered your mind. Clearance allowed to remove unknown?” Oz asked.

“Unknown? I’m not an unknown; I’m the other part of you.” said the innocent and childlike voice. 

“Who are you?” he whispered.

“I am Reaper! I was made to protect the host from malicious intentions. This Darkness skill is slowly taking over your brain!” Reaper declared. 

“Oz… is that the truth?” Zee muttered under his breath, unheard by the others. They simply believed that he was drawing out the punishment - an even crueler tactic.

“... Correct. Your skill has been taking over, but I didn’t deem it as a threat. Darkness is in its earliest stages.”

“So I’ve been tricked by you?” Zee muttered.

“No! I was-”

“Indeed, he was. I suggest restricting your access to Darkness to prevent it from entering your mind any farther.”

“Oz. You have been tricking me, but… what powers do you have?” He asked. Reaper stuttered before giving up, his silence as his answer. “I need to… murder. No, what’s wrong with me?”

“It’s his corruption.” Reaper insisted. “His Darkness is influencing you.”

“But he can’t part with