LIMBO
10 YEARS AGO
Plague doctor, walks while reading from a book projected from a rough textured grey piece of stone. Her veins glow silver levitating a stone box behind her. Beside her is Decagon, a man in all black carrying in his right hand a battleaxe comprising a silver blade with a decagon sigile engraved on it attached a black handle with a sharp end.
"Copperfield, can I inquire something?"
"Shoot...and call me by my name, I am Caesar Decagon tge third. The eleventh lord of tge Decagon legacy."
"Okay...er... Caear, why do you carry around that weapon, you could harm yourself. "
"I appreciate your question m'lady ; you see my ancestor "Richard the Brave" was one of the twelve warriors who fought to save our world from Nigh the Timeless. After the war and the victors claimed their spoils, he chose a small estate to grow his legacy. By the age of nineteen, the latest heir would be cast out into the world to complete the ten " trials of the brave" before they are allowed to return home. "
"Wow...that's fascinating Caesar but I really meant why do you carry it around instead of in a sheath?"
"Oh , tis' just a matter of preference...and pride."
"Of course."
She notices from the corner of her eye the Red Mask and goes to speak with him.
"What do you want, plague doctor?"
She's caught aback by his response.
"I just came to thank you for saving my life."
"Whatever, princess...I mean Plague doctor ."
"Erm..why did you call me that?"
"I would say it out loud but I wouldn't want to ruin your cover. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
"Th...thank you."
"Your mask, it looks homemade but good quality, am I right?"
"Yes it is, actually!" She says excited.
She notices him limping and asks
"Was that when you pulled me away from.that statue?
"It's nothing I can't walk off. Hypotheticall if you were a princess, does that make me your knight in shining armour?"
"Maybe my crimson knight in camo."
She gently nudges him with her shoulder
He briefly chuckles
"I can live with that."
The box suddenly stops moving and starts turning to gold.
"Oh no." The red mask comments as the box explodes.
Caesar dasges forward swinging his axe back, as the blade reaches the Goldsmith, his veins glow gold and he catches the blade with both hands.
"Nice try,kid."
He says, effoortlessly tossing him away but Caesar catches himself then rushes forward towards his foe. He evades the strike as it hits the wall behind him, shattering it.
The Goldsmith grabs tackles him outside the wall into the grey void outside .
Plague doctor wants to run after them but Red mask holds her back.
"Don't. This casttle is the only structure within limbo. Everything else is just an emdless void."
As Goldsmith falls, his veins glow bright and a giant pillar extending downdward appears beneath him, the top of the pillar is big enough to allow him to stand comfortably.
Caeasr falls, swinging his blade but nothing happens.
"Dammit..."
He lands on a golden slab and it levitates upwards.
As he stands up, two blade like structures emerge fromtge slab not far from each other.
Goldsmith lands on the slab with him.
"You seem to be an honourable man, so let's settle this the old fashioned way.
He rests the back of his heel on one of the blades.
Caesar grins.
"I like this."
He takes off his shoes and rests the back of his heel on the other blade, now both Caesar and Goldsmith are facing each other.
"Hey, Red Mask, can you be our referee?!"
"You're an idiot!"
"What are they doing?" Jasmine asks.
"Knife edge death match. They place the back of their heels on the knives and use just their fists to fight, the last man standing is the winner.
"Wait, isn't Goldsmith holding up the slab? If Goldsmith loses, Caesar is also going to fall."
"Sadly, our comrade only thinks in the moment."
The fight between Caesar and the Goldsmith begins. Caesar swings a jab at his opponent eho duxks underneath the attack and lands a strong uppercut. This forces him to lean backwards and the blade digs into his foot.
He he groans but lunges forward landing a jab on Goldsmith's face forcing him to lean backward and the blade digs into his own foot.
"Good one."
The punches continue for almost an hour with blood dripping splashing from their faces and staining the golden slab and trickles downward into the grey void below.
Red mask taps Pllague doctor on her shoulder.
"Hey, I have an idea but I need your help."
"What is it?"
" I need to touch your hand."
"At least buy me a drink first. "
"Do you wanna help or not?"
She takes off her glove revealing her light caucasian skin.
Red mask takes off his glove as well his veins glow blood red and he touches her hand.
As the fight progresses, three spikes emerge from the walls of the giant stone spiral castle they're in and impale the Goldsmith.
"No...!" I was just about to beat him."
Caesar protests.
"Too bad."
Red mask rebutts
He the pillars recede and Goldsmith falls into the abyss.
"Grab on," Sir nuisance"."
The foldsnith climmbs upp the pillars .
"How did you do that? You replicated my ability and cintrolled greystone, the element no one in my family coukd manipulate.
"It's all about mindset. Maybe I can tell you over dinner tonight."
"Smooth, Red Mask."
PRESENT DAY
NEO-LAGOS
Eduardo Bliss stands in front of a mounted mirror in his bathroom in a pair of dull yellow boxers as a man in a red suit and mask stands behind him.
"Red Mask of the Machiavelli."
Bliss says with intense fear in his voice.
"Ah, so you heard of me."
Red Mask responds in a monotonous machine like tone.
"I know the rumor that those who see your face don't live to tell the tale."
"It's not a rumor, Mr. Bliss."
Eduardo Bliss is now visibly sweating, with drops falling to the floor beneath himself.
"P...please I haven't betrayed you . "
"That is for me to determine,Mr.Bliss. Tell me about the Goldsmith...and Pryce's whereabouts."
"I...h...he's dead! They both are!"
"I'm going to give you one more chance to tell the truth."
The room is getting warmer and the air heavier to breathe.
"I swear, the Goldsmith's body is deteriorating, he won't last more than a week in his current state. As you know, he was put in the pseudohuman program over five decades ago, then ten years ago, he was restored and Machiavelli was sent to neutrlize him as he was a threat to the Incar...I mean our organisation. "
"I remember..." He says with audible malice in his voice.
"Eduardo Joaqin Bliss. Assistant to the weaponmaker and father."
"W...what are you takinh about?"
"Oh, I forgot...you weren't aware. Your ex was pregnant five years ago. Congratulations. "
The veins in his brown skinned hand glows bright red, as it does, the lights start to flicker.
He places the hand on Eduardo's head and a red dome appears around them.
Eduardo suddenly cannot see anything, the scent coming from his bathroom completely disappears and all he can perceive is the smell of blood. He looks down and sees a river of blood beneath him , the fluid is thick and is up to his ankles.
He feels a sharp pain in in his head as he struggle to make sense of his environment.
"Where...am...I? Who...am...I?"
He raises his head and sees a hallway with doors by the side with words on them like "Dreams", "Fears", "Powers". He walks to the silhouette of person standing in front of a door labelled "Memories." The person turns around and the silhouette fades revealing Professor Pryce in a white labcoat over red shirt, trousers and loafers.
"Hey Ed."
"P...professor? No...you died."
He develops a sharp headache.
"No, I didn't. "
"No...you didn't. "
"Now, open the door."
"Y...yes sir."
Eduardo.opens the door and Red Mask sees tge last conversation he had with Goldsmith from Eduardo's point of view.
"Hey man...thanks but I gotta go."
"Where will you go?"
"Just in case someone goes prodding into yer noggin, I'll just tell you this, I'm going to find what's left for me.in this big blue marble."
"Please stay safe..."He says as Goldsmith walks out the door.
Red Mask raises his hand from Eduardo's head who now has saliva drooling out of his mouth, his eyes are rolled back and tears falling from them.
"Well, that was...useful." Red massj remarks as Eduardo falls to the ground and he leaves.
He takes off his mask in a hotel room, as he takes off his shoes Jadmine hugs him from behind.
"How did it go?"
"Found out what we need to box that fool in."
He turns around to face her and place his hands on her waist.
"I'll need you to send two of your agents, one to Six and the other to Pryce's favourite experiment."
"Consider it done"
KINGSBRIGHT SHOPPING COMPLEX
NEO LAGOS.
Six in a white shirt, leather jacket, tight blue jeans and black platform heels walks arm in arm with Julia whose in a long sleeve white top, pink shirt and ehite heels with a handbag in her other hand.
"Thanks for taking me out,Julia.".
"Are you kidding? I'm an only child,my parents are alwsys busy and most people think my interests are weird."
"Thank goodness I'm not most people. Let's check out that new arcade."
Unknown to them someone is stakking them, six feels something off and turns around but sees no one.