CHAPTER 14: The Black Nest
Sun rays peaked between the tall buildings of Zion City. A band of pigeons rested on powerlines, tilting their heads to find some breakfast. Suddenly, all of them were startled and turned towards a loud grunting sound. A black, punching bag is slammed multiple times by Komo, relentlessly chaining hit after hit. "One more!" commands Percy, causing her to pull back her entire body for the final blow. "GRAH!!" The powerful punch sends the bag rocking off it's mount and into the grass. Komo jumps on top and continues the beatdown. "Stop! That's good." No response. "Komo, that's enough." Nothing. "Hey! I said stop!"
Komo seemed unphased by everything. Her mind trapped in an infinite loop of punching, until Percy pulled her off by the shoulders. The entranced girl looked up from the ground and returned to her senses. Concerned for his friend, Gren carefully offered his hand to help her up. "Are you al-" She slapped his hand. "I'm fine." Percy reattached the punching bag and said, "That was a bit reckless, but you have great form. Think you can box like that, Gren?" "Umm, I think so," answered the boy with a bruised eye.
The mentor took his student's hands and raised them in front of his chest and face. "The trick is to always be on offense and defense. Punch with one arm, and keep the other held up. Otherwise, you'll get-" "A black eye," said Gren with an embarrassed look. Percy pats him on the back. "You got it. Now let me see some punches! GO!!"
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Morning light shone through the cracked window and into a small room with a bed. Victor squinted his eyes, still wearing his long yellow coat, black under clothes and crystal armor. The small, dirty room had been his resting place for the night after the strange man offered him a place to stay out of the storm. Thinking back on it, he realized how stupid that was, but after a night like that, he wasn't exactly in a good mental state. The frightening memory of the swordsman's mask and glowing, green eyes flashed in the teen's mind, and he thought of the boy who took his dream away. "Gren..."
Stepping out of the room, Victor found a dirty hall with cob webs in every corner. The building he was in appeared to be an abandoned car dealership. Office spaces had been converted to makeshift bedrooms, with some goons still sleeping inside. Opening the door at the end of the hall revealed a large, open floor housing multiple crates instead of vehicles. Graffiti covered the walls, with an odd theme of bamboo and pandas. Victor's eyes traced the painted jungle until he found an unfinished piece. A girl in a black skirt and white top sprayed a can on the wall. Her hair was put into two puffs like a panda's ears, and a stick of bamboo rested in her back strap.
Victor approached the crouched girl and asked, "Uh, do you...work here?" The girl dropped her spray can, causing an echo across the whole room, then turned her head towards him. A panda mask smiled at the boy, and the girl behind it spoke in a high-pitched, cheerful voice. "Oh! You're finally awake! I've been dying to get to know you! I'm Pamda! Yeah I know, it's not very clever. What's yours?" Victor's instincts told him to run far away from this girl, but he answered her anyway. "Victor. Where...am I exactly?"
Out of another door leading from the garage, a figure in a cowboy hat and boots stepped inside. Behind his brown vest were straps that appeared to be connected to a folded hang glider of sorts. His cold eyes were laser focused on Victor, and his hands hovered over both guns at his sides. "Oh don't mind Dusty," said Pamda, grabbing Victor's hand, "He's just cautious." The masked girl leaned closer and spoke more quietly, "Help me make him jealous." "What!? No! Tell me where I am!"
Spurs on Dusty's boots rattled louder as he approached. Soon Victor found himself only a foot away, standing a few inches shorter than the cowboy. "Pam, this guy botherin' you?" "He tried to kiss me, Dusty! He's very romantic!" Pamda twirled and acted like she nearly fainted, which caused a negative reaction in Dusty. "You were what!?" "No, wait! I didn't do that!" The masked girl latched onto the cowboy and said, "Oh, you are jealous! Tell me you love me, Dusty!" Under the shade of his hat, Dusty blushed and pried his admirerer off of him. "Woman, I ain't your lover! Get off me!" "Please, Dusty! Just say it once!"
Seeing the chance to get away, Victor quietly walked backwards towards a door, but before he could grab the handle, it turned. Rusty metal groaned as it slowly opened. The tall man in the feathered cloak from last night stepped inside. Light-rays from the sun shone passed the edge of his silhouette, as his raspy voice said, "Ah, good to see you're awake. I hope you rested well." Victor was becoming more impatient than nervous at this point. "Where am I!? And who are you lunatics!?" "Why, you're in the Black Nest, and I prefer the term, opportunists. Walk with me." There was nothing stopping the teen from running out the door now, yet he hesitantly chose to follow.
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The cloaked man with a cane led Victor to his office. What was once a car salesman's quarters had been decorated with various cameras from different eras. The most bizarre item, however, was a dartboard on the wall with Percy's face on it, having many holes in the eyes. Also strange was the man's lack of need for his cane. He simply carried it with him, but why? "Make yourself comfortable," he said. Victor sat down in a torn, cushioned chair in front of the stranger's desk. The man fluffed his feathered cloak and placed himself on his throne.
"My allies and enemies alike know me as Krow, and you are Victor, correct?" "How did you know that?" Krow relaxed in his seat and kicked his legs up on his desk. "Last night, in the alley. I watched it all. You fought this boy to restore your former glory and claim what is rightfully yours. Do you recall how that ended?" Victor's eyes narrowed as he thought back on his humiliation. "That loser couldn't beat me, but Percy showed up out of nowhere, and he..." Krow grinned, waiting for his guest to finish. "...scared me into shocking myself."
The man in the feathered cloak leaned forward and grabbed a throwing dart off the desk. "Yes, that last part was rather difficult to watch. Trust me, I was rooting for you. To think that Percy would use his stature to intimidate a child." Krow threw the dart directly at the left eye of Percy's picture. "He should have welcomed you. Taken you as his apprentice for defeating that boy." "I don't want his mentorship! Not anymore." The cloaked man put his shoes down from the desk and handed his guest a dart. "What do you want?" Victor stared at the dart in his hand, anger rising to the surface. He tossed it at the board, hitting way off center. Krow nodded, "Hmm, well that was unimpressive."
Reaching into his desk drawer, the cloaked man handed Victor a photo. Inspecting it showed a teenage Krow smiling beside Percy at the arena. "I feel your humiliation, Victor. Really I do. Percy stole everything from me. Doomed me to live disgraced in the gutter!" The feathers on his cloak began to shake, as the wearer's voice grew louder. "I was destined for greatness! The stage was set for my rise!"
The bitter man stood abruptly, and his cloak spread out across the office room, revealing it to be a pair of black wings. Victor jumped from the sudden movement, but stayed seated as Krow composed himself. "But we...can help each other. If you join me. If you become my apprentice, I will assist you in defeating our common foe...Do we have a deal?"
Victor's thoughts betrayed him. Of course he wanted revenge, but could he really trust this man? Whatever the Black Nest was, it certainly couldn't be good. The teen sat with his eyes to the red carpet, unable to commit to an answer. "I'll think about it," he said, standing from his chair. Krow opened the office door for his guest and gifted him one of the feathers on the floor. "Take all the time you need. Return with that feather, and I'll know you're serious."
Sunlight entered the dark building, as Victor stood by the emergency exit. After taking one step out, Krow gave one final note to the teen. "Of course, you're not going to tell anyone about this location, correct?" Looking back inside, Victor noticed the cowboy with his guns drawn and Pamda swinging her bamboo staff like a bat. "No," the teen answered. A grin rested on Krow's boney face as he chuckled to himself. "See you soon, Victor."
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