Thatberg Profiles

Chapter 3

(i had no idea this would do so well, who knew my story's would be liked by people who aren't in my eclectic brain)

It was a stormy night, wind whipped Stupendio's long cloak, rain battered his mask as he stood waiting for the museum to close. As someone who had enjoyed English in high school, he noticed nothing good ever happened on stormy nights. He briefly contemplated lighting a cigarette but decided against it, as lighting anything in this wind would be impossible, and as a man who fought an ash demon and an evil wizard on a bi-daily basis, he knew what was impossible.

He held a three of clubs against the door, waited three seconds then pushed the door open softly. As he stepped into the dark backroom, he silently thanked his abilities for the lock-pick. He slipped into the inky darkness, closing the door softly behind him, blocking out the sound of car horns, barking dogs and the smell of damp cigarettes.

keeping close to the wall, he inched around the wall to the door on the other side of the room. Nothing besides the hum of distant air conditioning could be heard. Saying you could hear a pin drop would be cliche, so instead I will say you could hear a large, possibly drunk man coming through the door Alex was headed to. In the dim light, Alex saw the man wearing tactical gear, so he deduced he was a mercenary of some kind. As his eyes were fixed on the man to see what he would do, he stopped looking at the ground. His foot knocked into a pile of cans and it all went downhill from there.

The man let out a drunken wail and charged across the room. Alex deftly leapt over the table behind him, his cloak seeming to hang in the air like the wings of a bird. His opponent brought their hands down onto the table, shattering it like one breaks a bread stick. His surprising strength made Alex realize his opponent probably had some sort of power, so he would have to switch up his strategy.

Recalling his high school days, he briefly remembered what his teacher had told him. Faking a swerve to the right before weaving to the left, Alex drove his fist into the man's side. The man winced and swung his arm, fortunately Stupendio was faster, executing a slightly showy flip onto a box behind him. Coming out of a crouch he leapt forward into a flying roundhouse kick. The man must have some kind of boosting power, as he hardly reacted to the connection.

Alex rolled out of the throw as he flew through the door. Things he thought were useless from high school had saved him yet again. The man came charging through the door just as Alex hid behind a dumpster. He was surprised when he heard two sets of footsteps rather than one.

One set was the shambling, searching set from the mercenary, but the other set of footsteps where leather soled, purposeful and relaxed. To his great surprise he saw a Tsukinomi walking past the dumpster he hid by, but this wasn't the dorky himbo he knew. Rather this was a more refined, intentful Tsukinomi, dressed in a sharp suit, his hair brushed back.

As the man shambled into his path, Tsukinomi came to a relaxed halt. "The fuck you want" the man leered in a thick Russian accent. "I came here to reclaim something." said Tsukinomi, his English accent contrasting strongly with the Russians. "Get out you posh fucker" yelled the man, his voice still slurred from intoxicants, swinging a massive fist at the professor. Much to Alex's surprise, Tsukinomi didn't try to dodge, but rather he ever so slightly shifted his center of gravity, Countering the goons punch with his own. The following crunch of fingers breaking would have made an experienced poker player wince. Expressions can tell a lot about a person, and the look of anger and pain on the goon's face told Alex who had one.

Like some nightmare tornado Tskuinomi leapt into the air, whirling around like the devils spinning top. His foot connected with the goons jaw smashing it against the concrete wall. Tsukinomi landed gracefully and brushed dust off his suit. Walking past the disheveled mercenary, Tsukinomi walked straight into the building, being closely stalked by a very shocked Alex.