The Two Kings

Bad Weather

It had been a week since the events of Demon Bull King's return took place. During this time, Parker had moved in with Pigsy and MK. Pigsy had been very insistent, making it clear that he wouldn't allow a young boy to be homeless while he could help.

Parker gratefully accepted the offer and settled in. To make him more comfortable, Pigsy ordered a new bed and frame. The assembly process was time-consuming, but Parker persevered. With the practical necessities taken care of, Parker then set about dressing the bed in the crispest, whitest cotton sheets he could find, topping it all off with a pair of lush, scarlet-hued pillows to rest at the head.

Resting just above the newly-made bed was the gleaming form of Parker's Liuyedao sword - the same fiery weapon that had served him so well in the battle against the Demon Bull King. In the aftermath, the blade had taken on a more solid, defined shape, its grip a deep, inky black and the scabbard a stunning ruby red, adorned with an elegant design of cascading flames. 

Sighing contentedly, Parker allowed himself to fall face-first onto the invitingly soft mattress, already feeling a sense of ease wash over him as he settled into this new, welcoming environment. However, his moment of peaceful respite was swiftly interrupted by the sudden arrival of the ever-energetic MK, who came bursting into the bedroom, his staff slung over his shoulder and a palpable air of excitement surrounding him.

"Hey, bud! You good here?" 

Parker nodded, his eyes growing heavier by the second. He was tired, that much he could admit. Whoever he was in his past life, must not have taken very good care of himself, because the man found it very difficult to get to sleep. Adrenaline was not a rare thing for his body to experience. 

"Hey, wanna come with me? I'm going to Sandy's if you want to join."

"Sure." Parker said with a groan as he sat back up again. He threw on his coat that Mr.Sandy had thoughtfully repaired. At the center of the coat was an embroidered sword just like his. The edge of the weapon was lodged into a ruby red flame that rested at the middle of his back.

Quickly, he followed MK out the door, narrowly avoiding the sleeping form of Pigsy, who had worked a grueling quadruple shift the day before and was now thoroughly exhausted. Parker carefully draped a blanket over the sleeping pig-man, taking care not to wake him.

"C'mon," MK whispered urgently, and Parker raced out the door behind him. 

"Wait, Mr. Sandy's boat is on the other side of town. How are we going to get there?"

MK grinned mischievously. "Oh ho ho, my dear, naive friend. We're going to use this bad boy!" He presented his staff to the confused Parker.

"Your staff? MK, isn't that a little irresponsible? You shouldn't be using your powers so recklessly."

"Oh, please. It'll be fine! Besides, I'm invincible. What's the worst that could happen?" Without further ado, MK grabbed Parker by the waist, and with a resounding bang from his staff, the rod grew rapidly in size, sending the boys soaring through the air towards Sandy's boat.

"You stupid monkey kid!" Parker screamed, his voice fading away into the distance. 

 ╚══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══╝ 

It had been an hour since the boys had made their way to Sandy's boat. Sandy was working on repairing his vessel. Mei and Tang had joined the group shortly after the boys arrived. And Parker and MK eventually went their separate ways on the ship.

Tang was enjoying a bowl of noodles while Parker sat next to him, reading Tang's new autobiography.

"This is very detailed, Mr. Tang," Parker remarked as he turned to another page.