Shorter than the last chapter, but that's how it goes. Hope people like this, I enjoy writing whenever I get the chance.


Stephen hung from seastone chains on the wall, his arms lifted high above his head. His arms were burning from being kept up for so long, his body wracked with pain. His suit was in tatters, revealing the bruises stamped across his body from the kicks. The dungeon he was kept in was musty and dank, and next to him in the same position lay a skeleton that had already begun to decay.

"You know, you really made a mistake with Stryker," Tim the guard said, having been put in charge of Stephen while Stryker was busy. He was throwing an apple up and catching it repeatedly, "Honestly, he's a great boss. Money, women, a little bit of power, it's really good."

Stephen raised his head to glare at Tim who chuckled at the teen. He took a large bite out of his apple, the juices spraying down into his dirty beard. "Kid," Tim continued, "You're not so scary when you don't have a bunch of animals behind you. Even less scary when you're all caught up in chains." Tim stood up.

"So I think I'm gonna fill in for Stryker, and take the smirk right off ya face, eh?" Tim spit into Stephen's angry face, apple chunks striking him in the forehead. The spittle from the guard's mouth slowly dripped down in Stephen's eyes. He clenched his eyes in disgust, and in that moment, Tim dropped his apple, and then delivered a swift kick into Stephen's ribs. Stephen tried to shirk away from the pain, the kick stopping him from being able to breathe. He tried to suck in a gasp of air but Tim struck him across the mouth, a left hook cancelling Stephen's efforts.

"How'd that feel, kid? I got a sweet punch, don't I?"

"Yeah, pretty sweet punch" Stephen said lowly, his head craned downward to the floor. A threatening aura around him made Tim hesitate a little before kicking Stephen again, causing the teen to groan in pain. Afterall, how much of a threat can the kid in the chains actually be?

"You ain't getting out of here, kid. So go ahead and stop that train of thought at the station." Tim leaned in, "Stryker's gonna have his way with you, slap you around a little, maybe cut off the delicates, and then he's gonna kill you." He raised Stephen's head by his hair, "Do you hear me, boy?"

"Loud and clear…" Stephen hissed out. "So how about he comes down here now? Let's get it started."

"Eager boy. Don't worry, you'll have me all night."

Tim delivered another punch straight to Stephen's head.


Sheamus said goodbye to his marine friends, giving Ed a giant bearhug before wishing them well on their way. Ed wished he could give aid to the people of the island but with the World Nobles in the way, he would just have to trust Sheamus which meant trusting a criminal. It went against everything Ed thought he stood for, but Sheamus seemed like a good man.

Sheamus walked around the town, the people marveling at his giant size. His eyes shifted from one poor person to the next, each looking desperate for one thing or another.

"Sir...Sir!" An old woman called up to Sheamus, shuffling her way toward him. "Please, do you have any money, any food?"

The crowd started to circle around him, shouting for mercy and food! Sheamus tried to tell them that he had no food to give them, that he was sorry for their plight. But his voice was drowned out by the rambunctious group.

"Alright! Alright, that's enough everyone!" A voice called out, commanding the group to quiet down. An elderly man brushed past them all, his walking stick slowly tapping along the ground.

The old man looked Sheamus up and down, "You're certainly a big one, aren't you?"

"Aye, old man, it's nice to see ya eyes still work."

The old man chuckled, "My name's Kurtis. Kurt for short. How are you, my friend? I'm sorry for the welcoming, times have been tough." Kurt glared around, "C'mon, back to work everyone!"

"It's alright," Sheamus smiled, "I can see that ya havin' a rough go of it. What happened here?"

"Walk with me, young man, I'll explain in my home." Kurt motioned for the giant to follow along with him to a rickety, old home. Kurt slowly pushed open the door, allowing Sheamus to enter first. Sheamus had to duck his head to go in, the ten-foot man a sight to see in the small living room he found himself in.

Kurt laughed, "Oh, my friend, you've been needed for a laugh for a while." He sank down into a rocking chair, slowly going back and forth. Sheamus chose to stand, deciding he'd rather not test some of the old furniture in the house.

"My name is Sheamus," the tall man told Kurt. Kurt slowly nodded as if the information would have to digest within him. "What is goin' on with ya town?"

"Terrible things, Sheamus. And it's my fault…" Kurt sighed. His features were tired, his eyes wet. He seemed incredibly stressed out to Sheamus.

"How?"

"Because he's a bastard!" Sheamus looked to the door where the voice came from, a teenage girl standing beneath the archway. She looked defiant as well as dirty, covered in days-old grime. Kurt accepted her insult without fighting back, too tired to continue fighting.

"And a murderer!" she screamed, walking towards Kurt aggressively. Sheamus stepped over to stand in her way, making himself into an intimidating figure.

"Hold on, little lass, he's just an old man. He can't 'ave murdered anybody…" Sheamus guarded Kurt, the only person on the island to show him kindness at that point.

"He's the reason Sean is dead! My brother is dead because of you!" the young woman stepped past Sheamus to face the old man.

"Abigail…" Kurt said sadly, his face downcast.

"Lass, you're goin' too far. I'm gonna ask ya nicely to leave now, I ain't gonna stand here and let ya beat down Kurt." Sheamus placed his hand on her shoulder, his hand big enough to grip almost the entirety of her arm.

Abigail jerked herself away from Sheamus's grasp, "I'm just here to pick up the rest of my stuff, this'll be the last time Kurt ever sees me."

Kurt motioned to a crinkled cardboard box which Abigail picked up and ran out of the house with. Sheamus slowly closed the door, the tenseness remaining in the air.

"I don't blame her for her reaction…" Kurt said, his eyes focusing on the ground.

"What was she on about, old man? Who could you have killed? No offense, but ya not the strongest looking type." Sheamus said skeptically, raising an eyebrow at the guilty admittance from Kurt.

Kurt looked up, but not at Sheamus. Instead, his eyes looked past him at the door where Abigail had run out. There was a dazed look about him, and Sheamus could almost feel a chill in the air that raised the big man's red hairs on his arm.

Kurt said, in a low, melancholic voice, "My son, I killed my son."


Stryker surveyed the holographic image in front of him, watching as the young girl, Abigail, sprinted out of Kurt's house. Stryker chuckled to himself, in spite of the danger he saw in the giant man that had arrived on his island. A dumb teenager like Stephen, Stryker could handle, even if Stephen's abilities had potential to aid him in his work, but this gigantic man looked like he could more than handle a group of guards. But even with that in mind, Stryker still found humor in the situation Kurt had placed himself.

"I wonder how Stevie is doing. I do hope Tim is treating him well," Stryker murmured to himself, a bright, shiny grin stretching across his face. He reached over and tapped onto a red button labeled "Dungeon IC".

"Tim? Tim, it's Stryker, how are you faring down there? You showing our visitor a nice time?" the short man asked, still studying Kurt's house to see if the big man had left yet.

"Hello Mr. Stryker. Yeah, I think he's really going to enjoy his time here." Tim's voice came through the intercom, a jovial tone attached to the words he was saying. Stryker smiled even more, enjoying the brat getting a little comeuppance for his behavior. "How dare he throw me like some kind of child!" Stryker thought, "The sheer imputence is grounds for execution."

But Stryker had other ideas for Stephen. A little torture can go a long way, and when Stryker was through with Stephen, the boy would be begging Stryker to let him work underneath his feet. And in that moment, when the boy would be at his most vulnerable, Stryker would tell him to fuck off, and stamp his brains out into the dirt.

Stryker leaned into the intercom microphone and told Tim, "Tim, my loyal guard, you've done so well in these straining situations. I want to promote you!" Stryker found Tim to be a dull and stupid man, but he was useful in ways. Giving him a false promotion would keep him loyal.

And it seemed to work as Tim excited accepted, his voice ringing out of the intercom, "Thank you, sir, thank you! What should I do?"

"There seems to be a new arrival at Village Number Ten. I want you a battalion of our finest men to go down there and give him a warm welcoming. As in, kill him. It seems that dastardly man, Kurt, is talking to him, so I imagine he won't be jumping to join our side." Stryker ordered.

"Yessir! And what about the kid?"

"Leave Stevie to me, I'm coming down right now to have a chat."


Sheamus stared at the old man in shock, his hand now lightly gripping his axe. Sheamus found what Kurt was saying hard to believe, but if it was true, he wanted to be prepared for anything.

"No, my friend, it wasn't with these old hands. If these hands could still fight as well as they used to, this whole situation could have been resolved. I caused my son's death through my incompetence as a leader." Kurt said, sadly.

Sheamus's hand relaxed, before reaching out to grip the old man's shoulder in support. Obviously, whatever had happened had struck the old man with insecurity and shame. But Sheamus was smarter than he seemed, and could connect the dots between his new friend's child dying and the bitter place the island had become.

"What happened here, old man? This island's got a negative feel, what caused all of it?" Sheamus asked lightly, leaving the old man room to decide whether or not he would tell.

Kurt sighed, but there seemed to be some kind of resolve in his eyes now. Kurt felt his heart wrench as he began to relive the memories held inside of his head. "Stryker, he controls this island now. I...I thought it would help the island. He promised more prosperity, that he help our people."

"Hold on, Kurt," Sheamus interrupted, "Stryker? Who's Stryker?"

Kurt looked at Sheamus apologetically, "I'm sorry, my friend. Let me start from the beginning."


I have trouble with pacing, hopefully that improves as I continue writing this. Just trying to set up Stephen and Sheamus right now, show their personalities and shit. Hopefully you liked it, feel free to tell me your thoughts in a PM or review. And if there are any grammar mistakes or if I forgot a word, tell me that too.