Condemnation
Chapter three:
"This is the place all right," Spawn told himself as he read the note he found earlier in his jacket, "At least I hope it is, whoever wrote this has awful handwriting. I can't tell whether this is a two or an eight."
"You shouldn't say your thoughts out loud, kid, it's stupid and very dangerous."
"Qué!" The dark-clad boy spun and saw a green-haired punk. "Who the hell are you?"
"Introductions aside, for the moment," the skinny man requested. "Let's get down to business, you've got something you have no knowledge about, yet you insist on using it."
"The suit!" The rookie exclaimed as his eyes gave a green flash, "You know where it's from, what it is!?"
"I know everything," Vinnie said as he put his hand on the boy's shoulder, with a smile so fake it created more nervousness instead of relief. "Let's go somewhere private, too many nosy people out here."
"What are you talking about? I don't see anything, except for that-" They both became a puff of green smoke.
"Caw." Kashaku came down to the spot they were standing on and pecked about, there was no trace except for a sulphurous smell. Definitely a demon, not uncommon, they always send someone to keep an eye on the hellspawn. He flew up to where the air was fresher. But there are still too many questions, to many pieces out of places. (sigh) I just hope the warrior's having more luck than I.
"Hijo de perra!" Vandalizer smashed the curb Karasu was standing on, the demon hit with so much force that the lampposts shook. The undead hero recovered from the fright caused by the transformation instantly and reacted with a spinning kick that hit right in his jaw. "You should keep your guard up, a thing that size is too easy to hit."
"A lucky shot, that's all it was," the purple beast grunted, "But boy, you're not strong enough to win!" Vandalizer leapt forward, ready to bite his opponent's head clean off. All Karasu had to do was duck and counter with an uppercut. The only problem was that there was too much bulk and the longhaired teen was nearly squashed underneath. He made a tremendous effort and managed to push him away. Vandalizer grabbed Karasu by the leg and threw him against the wall. "You're tougher than I thought, runt," the demon wheezed as he rubbed his aching stomach, "I guess there's more than one reason why you mimes shouldn't be messed around with."
"You're clever, maybe enough to understand this." The pale warrior took on a menacing stance and his voice became darker. "I am the reason for you to leave Juan Aguirre alone. I don't care how much work it took you to make him, or how long you had to search in order to find just the right candidate, Spawn will not be part of your army because I'm bailing him out." Vandalizer's response was mocking laughter.
"You don't know the first thing about the spawn, do you?"
"I know enough, and I'll slice out your guts if you don't crawl back into your hole." The large demon's chuckles continued.
"Stupid kid, tell me, where do I come from?" Karasu raised an eyebrow.
"Hell."
"That's right. And what is the prime element in Hell?" The undead warrior was a little baffled because of the tone and obvious answer, so it took a couple of seconds for him to respond.
"Fire." The monster nodded and spat out two fireballs. Karasu leapt away but the blasting continued, forcing him to move to where Vandalizer wanted. The moment he was within the large-jawed demon's reach, he was grabbed by the leg, swung, slammed and thrown high into the air. Vandalizer inhaled deeply.
"One more and I'm having roast chicken for dinner."
"Ebon Shears!"
"ARRGH!" The attack was unfocused, so there wasn't much damage, still, it hurt quite a lot. "You'll get yours, junior!" The red-eyed beast cursed a couple of times before teleporting away. Karasu landed and fell to his knees, breathing heavily.
"Pendejo, magic can kill you," he reminded himself, "Had I been hit, I would've become a cinder in an instant." A few more seconds and he was fully recovered. The dark-haired teen made some quick planning as he made his way through the rooftops. This encounter had been a useful experience, next time he would know how to fight the demonic brute and win. Chingada, I can already hear Kashaku scolding me. Maybe he can tell me something useful if I describe this Vandalizer guy, so far, he's never failed to have information.
Old (make that centennial) and young rematerialized at a littered alley. Spawn stumbled towards the wall, clenching his stomach. He clawed desperately against the mask and gasped when it retracted.
"You okay, kid?" Vinnie asked.
"S, I umm, (gulp) give me a second."
"I'm surprised you didn't hurl," Vinnie admitted, "most people do so after teleportation, even after experiencing it a dozen times." He went over to a trash can and opened it. "Having your atoms separated, moving at the speed of light, then being put back together… very nasty. I've grown used to it, I can even eat right after the ride." The spiky-haired demon popped something into his mouth and started chewing. "You want some?" Juan got closer and noticed that he was being offered worms, his face went green and he ran off. "Hmm, I guess it was too soon." Good thing the dark-clad boy didn't see the rotting corpse inside.
"Oh god, I'm dying," the brown-haired one whined after three minutes of vomiting. He took a few deep breaths and stood up as best he could. "You (hack) you're the guy who sent me to my neighborhood the other night."
"Bravo! You're smarter than you look. By the way, my name's Vinnie, short for Vindicator, one of 'The Five Fabulous Phlebiac Brothers'." He announced this title as if it were something grand and majestic, Juan could only give an awkward stare. "We were going to make it 'fabulously fantastic', but we agreed that it would be too annoying. Anyhow, here's the deal, I'm here to tell you how to be a Spawn."
"Spawn?"
"Yup, if you're wearing the K-Unit, then your one of our soldiers."
"K-Unit? Soldiers?" Juan held out his hand as he shook his head in confusion. "First thing's first. What is this thing I'm wearing?" The green-haired demon wiped his glasses on his greasy shirt and started explaining.
"The K-Unit is what you're wearing, developed and bred to work as both an armor and a weapon. It's supposed to serve and protect you, but you haven't been doing your share."
"In other words, I'm letting the batteries run low. That explains why I've been so exhausted lately," the shorthaired boy deduced. "But I've figured out how to charge it. Did you hear about that big traffic accident this afternoon? Well, I noticed that being excited somehow strengthened me, so I think this suit feeds on adrenaline or some other hormone."
"You're not far off with the emotions factor," the skinny demon replied, "but it's got nothing to do with chemistry. The K-Unit feeds on emotions, negative vibes, and she's a real glutton."
"Negative vibes?" Juan remembered this afternoon's hallucinations, what he had seen and felt was the panic and loss caused by something so horrible and sudden. Imagine, one second you're talking amiably, the next either you or your companion are covered in blood as you fight for your lives. Add this to the screaming and chaos in the air, and you've got a feast fit for a devil.
"What happened today was a tragedy," Vinnie said with his fingers crossed behind his back, "but something good came out of it, you learned."
"I've learnt that I need to be near people who suffer in order to maintain my strength, possibly even my life," Juan retorted angrily, "How am I supposed to manage that? Hang around at the fire department or police station and wait for someone to get killed?"
"No, no, no, you don't have to dramatize." Vinnie had the rookie hero sit down on a box after shooing away some rats. "You wanna be a crime-fighter, right? Then use that! Scare 'em, rough 'em up, slap 'em around. You've been trying, but you gotta do it harder if you want to be taken seriously."
"Harder, huh?" The brown-haired boy thought of how he'd been using the suit for intimidation, fashioning whips and tying people up. "Only half the crooks I meet take me seriously, though." He realized that nastier looking weapons were needed. He got up, raised his hand and thought about spikes; lo and behold, they appeared along with a scaly gauntlet.
"Use your will and imagination, young grasshopper," Vinnie chuckled. The fighter-in-training made blades, whips and claws. He then realized something important.
"What if I lose control? Weapons this sharp could get someone seriously hurt."
"Tío, you're going after criminals, people don't care about them, all the contrary, they want them to pay." Vinnie came up and patted his unofficial disciple on the shoulder. "Don't be afraid of being too scary, it's often better than being admirable. Either way, you'll make the headlines."
"I don't care about fame, I just want to help people." The mask reappeared and Spawn looked at his hands. "All right, I'll do as you say, anything to get this watchamacallit unit to work." The green-eyed rookie turned. "What about-?" But Vinnie was already gone. "Coño! How am I supposed to get home?" He got out of the alley and saw that he was in familiar territory, still, he was far away from home. "It'll take hours for me to get back, especially since I have to remain hidden, unless…" Spawn looked up at the tall buildings and had an idea. The dark-clad fighter grew thick pikes on his hands and feet, just right for climbing walls. Several thoughts filled his mind as he made his way up. He had learned something about the suit, its energy source, but a lot of doubts remained: nature, purpose, origin. "I used to think this costume was some sort of military project. I may still be right, except for the small detail of that guy eating worms." Spawn paused to get rid of the nausea. "Either he's an alien, or an exotic gourmand." The hero-in-training made it to the top and looked upon the city. It was a majestic view, lights above and below, the historic mixed with the modern, it all made an inspiring combination. However, the shadowy observer thought of how this perspective made everything seem small, he felt swift, strong and gigantic. "I've been given power, and power gives authority." A nasty grin showed through the mask as confidence was increased, perhaps too much.
At the top of a taller building nearby, Vinnie watched as his apprentice/victim leapt from rooftop to rooftop. He laughed maniacally as he revealed his true form; a large demon with gray skin, red eyes, scrawny arms, an exaggeratedly long jaw that showed countless yellow teeth and, like Vandalizer, a horn growing behind his head. Despite being thinner than his brother, Vindicator was just as strong.
"All your life you've been servile and obedient, Juan Aguirre, and you wanted power in order to serve better." An evil smile curled his lip-less mouth. "I know your type, the only person you really care for is yourself, and with my direction, you'll end up working for us."
Saint Isabel High School:
The following day, Carlos and Kashaku were waiting for Juan at his school, the dark-eyed teenager had gotten the address by going through the kid's home.
"I don't understand it," the black bird said with a frown, "He lives at the same house, goes to the same school, keeps his human appearance, and he hasn't been absent for a long period of time. This is the total opposite of what a Hellspawn's background should be."
"Like I said, it's all a house of cards, ready to drop the moment he feels secure." The undead teen's gaze became darker. "They're just like Raven, their whole work is based on deceit."
"If it is a ruse, it is quite elaborate," Kashaku replied. He shook his head. "Anyway, the demon you faced last night is one of the Phlebiacs. Five mercenaries who will take on any job that pays well, especially if there is a chance for destruction. They seem to have a link with the hellspawn in general which is yet to be determined, other than swaying them towards the convenient path."
"Heh, sounds like our relationship. Except you're slightly better looking."
"What do you mean by slightly?" Carlos snickered as his guardian ruffled his feathers. The bell rang just then and the students started their recess.
"All right, here's the plan: I'll take the indirect approach and talk to Aguirre's friends, try to find out if they've noticed anything unusual about him."
"Very well. I shall keep my eye on Hellspawn and call you if the need arises. Good luck warrior."
At the schoolyard, Enrique and Rosa were getting ready for lunch.
"I've got mushrooms today," the blonde boy said, "How about you?"
"Sardines. Wanna trade half and half?"
"Yeech, forget it." Enrique looked around. "Where's Juan? He always brings good stuff."
"He told me he had something important to take care of." The girl ran her hand through her pink hair, "He better not start skipping meals, otherwise he'll go weak again."
"You're right, that was quite a recovery, although he seemed a lot more distracted than usual. Could he be planning something?"
"Whatever it is, I hope it's not incredibly stupid."
"You sound almost certain."
"We've been friends our whole lives, I know him like the back of my hand." Rosa looked up and saw someone approach.
"Hey there," Carlos greeted, "Remember me? We met yesterday."
"Ah s, you're Carlos, the one who gave Juan a hand," Enrique responded as he shook hands, "That accent… Are you Mexican by any chance?"
"Sí, from the other side of the pond. My family moved here a couple of days ago and we're looking for schools, my dad's talking to the principal and I'm taking a look around. How is Juan, by the way?"
"Quique and I were just talking about him," the tan girl answered, "He just fainted yesterday, that's all; big impression, low blood sugar, you know how it is. He's feeling a lot better now."
"Glad to hear it. Is he around?" The undead teen already knew thanks to crow-vision, Juan was training at an old warehouse.
"Not right now. We'll meet him later when class is over," Enrique offered. "What about you? How do you like the school so far?"
"It's okay, the gardens are nice, and I like the way that new computer room looks."
"Don't miss the soccer match next Thursday," Rosa added, "they're always exciting. Oh yeah, rumor has it that a new teacher's coming."
"That would be me." The three youngsters looked up. The dark-eyed one recognized her immediately, it was the blue-haired woman he'd aided, or rather, had fooled him the other night. "I'm Carolina Barrera, you may call me Carol, and I'll be substituting your science teacher for a few days."
"Shouldn't you be in art class?" the tanned girl questioned, "the guys would love to have you for a model."
"That's a smart mouth you've got there." The ponytailed woman came down to the girl's eye-level. "Using it around me could get you into a lot of trouble."
"I'll keep it in mind," Rosa replied. I'll also take it as a challenge. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go powder my nose."
"I have to go as well, there's still a lot of work for me to do," Carol said. She turned to Carlos, "You're new here too, aren't you? We could use this similarity to get to now each other."
"I'm looking forwards to it," the Mexican deadpanned.
"Shouldn't you be leaving too?" Enrique asked, "Your parents should be done talking with the principal by now."
"Nah, I can hang out for a while," the undead teen answered as he sat down, "Say, do you know about the guy in black the newspapers are talking about?"
"Sure, since the beginning. Juan's the one who showed us the note, otherwise we'd never have seen it, it was unbelievably small. He's been following the newscasts closely since then."
"Sounds like he's quite a fan."
"You can say that again." The blonde boy rubbed his chin. "Now that you mention it, it is kind of odd. He made a certain prediction that the guy would become a top story, and he's never been good at forecasting."
"Maybe he noticed a je ne se qua," Carlos replied, "a useful instinct if he plans to become an agent." He got up. "It's time for me to go, give Juan and Rosa my regards."
"Sure thing, see you around."
The tan girl came out of the bathroom stall.
"Coño, that new substitute got much too close, I hope she didn't notice anything." She looked into the mirror. "Just as I thought, time for a touch up." Rosa took out her makeup and started covering the bruise.
A jewelry, later that night:
"It was sure worth the wait," the first of four thieves chuckled as he stuffed necklaces into a bag. "I can't believe the old fool gave you, not just the key, but the combination for the security system."
"If I remember correctly, you're the one who said getting a job here was a stupid plan," the mole reminded, "and laughed the most when I got that rubber nose and fake moustache. But you all proved me right, at the end, the most important part of a crime is the getaway."
"We won't get anywhere if we don't start moving," the third one said as he closed his attaché, "Everyone got his plane ticket?"
"S, let's go." They went outside and headed for the car, where they were greeted by a surprise.
"Get back inside and call the police," Spawn ordered, " then you will wait until they pick you up." His tone was a strange mixture of certainty and doubt; the rookie hero had gotten a pep talk from Vinnie, but failures from the past now raised their voices. The crooks looked at each other and started laughing.
"You're the one everyone's talking about? A kid in a carnival costume?" The laughter increased, along with Spawn's anger. The green-eyed youth raised his arm and grew three short blades, which he used to tear open the vehicle's roof. This movement had the desired effect, the crooks were frozen with shock and Spawn felt it, eager for more, he created whips and attacked. Two thieves were smashed against the wall, the other two were hoisted ten feet into the air. Panic abounded, and the dark one grew stronger.
"I've been trying to stop you people because stealing is bad, but none would listen." Spawn swung his captives closer. "I've thought about it, and realized I've been taking the wrong approach," he narrowed his eyes, "actions speak louder than words." The pair was raised and swung around violently, they didn't know whether to feel scared or nauseous.
"Ebon shears!"
The bonds were cut and the unconscious crooks fell, the rookie hero spun and was kicked in the face.
"That's enough, don't you think?" Karasu scolded, "I too use punishment, but you have to learn how much and who to apply it on."
"The Crow," was Spawn's only response. He made a blade and charged, an attack that was easily avoided. "I received a message from Vinnie earlier, he's already warned me about you."
A name with 'V', must be another Phlebiac, the dark-eyed teen thought. "Juan, listen to me, you've been lied to! Forget what you've been told and come with me!" But the green-eyed fool kept slashing away, naturally, it was impossible to score a hit.
"Don't play me for an idiot. The suit attacked you for a reason, it knew you're a trickster of the worst sort." Karasu landed from a backflip and gave a frightening frown.
"You want to do things the hard way? Fine by me!" The undead fighter unsheathed Seventh Sin and charged. Spawn tried to entangle him but to no avail, a hook to the stomach knocked the air out of him, and an uppercut took him down for the count.
"What will you do now, Warrior?" Kashaku asked as he landed on a mailbox.
"I know a place where we can talk, lots of room, and it should be empty at this hour." Noticing that the suit had retracted, Karasu picked up Juan with one hand and broke the jewelry's window with the other, activating the alarm. "The cops will take care of these guys, and the insurance company will fix the window, if he's smart enough to have one."
King Alcazar's Park:
Half an hour later, Juan was still out cold as they entered the Arab-styled gardens.
"Oh come on, I didn't hit you that hard!" Karasu protested as he put the shorthaired boy down unceremoniously. "Andéle, wake up, I'm not gonna wait for you all night, you know." He shook him vigorously, with no results. "Kashaku, you told me that these guys have military experience, but Juan looks about my age. What could he know?"
"I was asking myself that same question last night," the guardian answered, "Our doubts should be cleared once-" A shadowy blur flew overhead. "Caw! Look out, Warrior!"
"Say goodnight, runt!" Vandalizer roared. The brutish demon tried to grab him but the undead hero managed to drive his katana through the thick wrist. "GAAH!" The purple monster threw Karasu away. "Heh, not bad, you're pretty quick," he chuckled as he pulled out the bloody weapon, "But I'm afraid you've unarmed yourself."
"If you think I need my sword in order to beat you, you're even more stupid than I thought."
"What you are going to need is company."
"Qué?" Karasu hardly got a glimpse of the gray demon that backhanded him away. Grunting painfully, he got up and analyzed the situation. "Number two, huh? Let's get it over with, where are the other three of you?"
"Aren't you brave," Vindicator mocked, "Our brothers have business to take care of, and you should be thankful for that. You wouldn't last a second against all of us."
"You can't even stand against us both," Vandalizer added, "so save us some time and stand still while we gut you."
"Sure thing, when your people grow in need sweaters. Ebon shears!" The two demons leapt away in the nick of time.
"By Satan's goatee, you weren't kidding!" the gray one exclaimed.
"See? Next time you won't accuse me of drinking on the job," his brother replied. "Drinking that much, anyways." Vandalizer looked up and saw that Karasu was making a run for his katana. "Oh no you don't!" The muscle-bound monster tried to grab him, the undead hero took hold of his arm and tossed him over his shoulder. While he was busy doing this, Vindicator sneaked up from behind and grabbed him by both arms. Karasu no shi is no easy catch however, he trashed and kicked like a rodeo bull. The skinny demon had to use all of his might to pin him against the ground.
"I've got him, Van! Let him have it, right in the kisser!" And someone got it alright, Vindicator. A newcomer had entered the fray, a woman in silver armor. Actually, it was more like a metal bikini with a deep blue loincloth. The outfit got odder, a slipper on the right foot, boot on the left, plating over the right arm, and long ribbons flailing about. The crow's attention was drawn to one single characteristic, the sky-blue hair done in ponytails.
"Is this a private party, or can anyone join in?" she asked boastfully as she spun her battleaxe. The Phlebiacs frowned, they weren't worried about this new adversary at all, but the battle was going to be prolonged and Juan was certain to wake up at any given moment. Vindicator shouted some gibberish and a thick mist spread out. When Karasu and the woman got over their coughing fit and were finally able to see, the demons had already taken the boy.
"Chingada, all that work to bring Juan here, and I lose him just like that." The dark-haired teen turned to his unsolicited helper, she gave a menacing frown and rubbed a finger against the edge of her weapon.
"Honey, you have no idea of how much trouble you've gotten yourself into."
