Freight-Tale And The Tomes Of Mortality

1 - Shattered Skies

The city of London was shrouded in darkness as Freight-Tale soared through the night sky, as he had so many times before. In his flame form, he could see every street, every building, every detail with crystal clarity. But his head was the very opposite, full of terrible images and sounds, visions of fire and destruction, people screaming for help, dead and dying, friends screaming, the world afire, all around him.

Sky's head pounded with the horrifying memories he has acquired from Ribernal, from The Outcasts' fight against Bonez, Skeletal and AV4X, from his sister's sacrifice. He tried to shut them out, tried to think of happier things, but all he could see were the skeleton knights, all he could hear were the anguished screams of his friends, the fire devouring everything he loved, and then the sight of his sister sacrificing herself to stop Bonez.

He was so full of grief and anger that he was on the verge of exploding. All that kept Sky in check was the thought that it had been the only way. She was his little sister. His best friend. She sacrificed her life so that others could live, and he would never be able to repay the debt he owed her.

Freight-Tale scanned the still-damaged streets, looking for any signs of danger. It was past midnight, and London was quieter than usual. Still, there was no guarantee that there would be no trouble at all. The only thing certain was that things could turn deadly in the blink of an eye.

Sky kept scanning the area, but there was still nothing to report. No signs of any strange activity, no unusual shadows. Everything seemed quiet, calm. Peaceful. But there was an air of danger, of impending violence.

The city seemed to be dead silent. Sky's eyes and ears were strained from searching, but that's when he heard it. Down on the street below him, in the dark alley. A whisper, a soft cry of pain.

Sky swooped down, past the rebuilding structures and the new in-progress embassy, turned back into his normal self, and peered into the darkness.

A young boy stood in the shadows, clutching his injured leg. He was surrounded by three immature thugs in black and white chequered outfits, who were taking turns kicking him while taunting him.

"C'mon, you're nothin'!" one of them yelled. "Try your best!"

The boy cried in pain as the other three continued to kick him. He had to be in his early teens, perhaps just a bit younger. He was dressed in rags, his face dirty. He tried to fight back, but he was no match for the thugs.

"Just give up!" another one of them taunted.

Sky was filled with anger. His blood was boiling. He could not stand seeing injustice. The thought of allowing such an unfair fight made him furious. The boy was injured, helpless. The thugs, on the other hand, were ready for a fight, full of rage and power. Plus they were double his size and much older. They had everything on their side, and they knew it.

"What a loser!" said another of the thugs.

Sky couldn't take it any longer. He stepped out into the street.

"Step away from the kid!" Freight-Tale announced, his voice booming towards the thugs.

They turned to look at him, their faces full of surprise and contempt.

"Who are you?" one of the thugs asked.

Freight-Tale said nothing. Instead, he rushed towards them and grabbed one by the throat with one of his hands. Sky raised him in the air, high above him as if he was nothing more than a rag doll. With his spare hand, Sky sent a fire-covered punch straight to his opponent's face, sending him flying, hitting the ground and rolling.

The hit was brutal, but it was enough to stop him.

Sky turned his attention towards the next thug and sent a super sped kick straight to his midsection. His opponent was thrown back several yards, colliding with a metal pole that was attached to a wall and slid to the ground, completely knocked out.