The Last Crusader

6

A historic flower shop sits on the corner of the cobblestone block. Owned by the Tor'Hun Family for generations. Connected to acres of farmland across Nadine and Graham within the region of Nadia. The family served under Nadia's King, Obatta Sameera through his reign until an earthquake consumed his home. The first earthquake in Nadia since Gaia was created.

Many of the King's court had been arrested a decade ago, thrown into prisons across Naka to the west, and Erdu to the east. When word got out, many went into hiding. Starting quiet lives, meeting sparsely, and passing along the details of the meetings by word of mouth. Two decades ago, Nadia was thriving under fierce leadership. After the death of Obatta Sameera, the vacuum of power created chaos that seemingly destroyed Nadia overnight. While both the colonizing military, and capitalistic mafia attempted their hand at full control.

The daughter of the Tor'Hun Patriarch married into the Brooks family. Having one child with plans of more. Spending their days tending their marvelous greenhouse, a handcrafted wonder of Nadia attracting garden enthusiasts from across Gaia. Their farms had working co-ops for immigrants to find refuge and fair wages while acclimating to Nadia.

Jordan Brooks was no longer a general serving his beloved Obatta Sameera. He was a father, a husband, and a warrior in a garden, at peace.

He hadn't expected the early morning visit of three men in silver suits. As they harassed his wife, he approached with a baseball bat his eyes studying the men.

"We're closed for the day. Get on your way fellas." Jordan's deep voice captured the men's attention, allowing his wife to hide behind him.

"We're here for your kid." The smallest of the suits noted lighting a cigar.

"Devlin isn't home!" his wife nearly cries.

"Yeah, you see the problem is we need to check." The suit shrugged, taking a deep inhale of his cigar.

"You have five seconds to put that out before I break your hand," Jordan noted.

"You see the nuts on this buck?" The small man laughs with his friends.

Jordan's bat came down swiftly nearly breaking the man's wrist clean off his hands, crushing the hundreds of tiny bones piecing the hand together in one hit. The small man let out a deafening cry, screaming for his mother at the top of his lungs.

"Oh, you son of a bitch, oh my god, mama, mama, I see you. I see you, Mama." The small man falls over clutching his wrist never feeling such immediate blunt pain before in his life.

The larger men rush Jordan. Jordan sidesteps shoving his bat into the first man's stomach and then whacking him in the back of the head. While his back was turned, he heard the gunshots go off.

"Shut the fuck up, you stupid bitch." The small man, stood over Megan Samaya Tor'Hun-Brooks with the smoking gun.

Jordan lost his mind, snapping like a pen as he inhaled a giant breath of flame and burned the smaller man where he stood. When he turned his attention, the other two men had fled.

Jordan dropped down to his knees, clutching his wife. Lifting her into the air, and running her up the street to the clinic a few blocks away.