Specter

Chapter 8 (Day 1): Mascot Mayhem

We last read Chapter 7, in which T.J. becomes the victim of an unannounced visit from the Rusted Citadel's superheroine Specter, who almost spontaneously declares him to be her sidekick during her investigation into the recent string of Iron Kingpin dissenter attacks that have been plaguing the newly-liberated city for some time. After T.J. quickly accepts and invites her into his house to watch him eat breakfast—since Specter herself had already eaten breakfast prior to that point—he briefly vents more about his turbulent school life and reveals slightly more about his reasons for becoming truant, such as derisive comments from his teacher, her sheer refusal to make accommodations for him, and his plummeting grades that have resulted. This causes Specter to go out and give off an extremely frustrated scream, momentarily alerting the residential district residents to the noise and making them think that someone was really getting into their football game.

Then, Specter heads back inside the house and orders T.J. to eat his breakfast quicker; the young boy heeds her words, and soon, both she and him depart for their first stop on their investigation: the rebuilt Beheaded Bengal Saloon, which was first destroyed shortly before the final battle against the Iron Kingpin two years ago in 2021.

This time, Specter and T.J. arrive at the Saloon, begin asking around for potential clues, and end up recruiting an unlikely "ally" to their cause.....

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-Beheaded Bengal Saloon, Rusted Citadel, Asia-

Specter and T.J. walked up the recently-laid cobblestone pathway leading to the new and improved Beheaded Bengal Saloon, which had transformed from a run-down bar meant for the wretched and criminal underbelly.....to a much livelier and family-friendly establishment that served any resident of the Rusted Citadel willing to stop by.

The Beheaded Bengal Saloon—specifically its former iteration—had also played a significant part in Specter's rebellion against the Iron Kingpin two years ago. Its old bartender, Vincent, supported the resistance and provided some of its superhero allies—The Viper, Dr. Duncan Drevis, and The Crawler—with vital intel and supplies on a regular basis; without him, the rebellion wouldn't have been nearly as successful as it was. Unfortunately, shortly before the final battle against the Iron Kingpin and his forces, the Beheaded Bengal Saloon was violently blown up by loyalists, resulting in the heartbreaking death of Vincent and the complete destruction of the building.

It had taken the liberated city two years, but the Beheaded Bengal Saloon soon got itself back up and running once more through sheer teamwork, effort, and perseverance by Citadel residents who still believed it had a future; those who mourned Vincent and did not wish to see his life's work die with him.....and those who simply didn't want to lose their only way of obtaining a piping hot pint of Guinness at the end of a difficult work day.

The Saloon was now under new management, of course, but it never forgot where it came from; a large and revered framed picture of Vincent himself hung eternally over the main dining area, as though he were still with them in spirit, forever watching his employees and patrons grow and thrive.

And currently, the Rusted Citadel's superheroine Specter—and her new sidekick T.J.—were about to pay it a visit.

"Moody.....I miss Vincent....." T.J. said sadly, looking at the reconstructed Saloon. "He.....he really was the heart of this place."

Specter sighed wistfully as she looked in the same direction that he was. "I miss him, too. But he died defying the Iron Kingpin, like so many others. To tell you the truth.....sometimes I wish there was a way for us to tell him that we succeeded. That he did not give his life for nothing. And that the Rusted Citadel honors him—and the rest of the fallen—every single day."