Author: knickknack
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Night had fallen across the part of Paragon City known as The King’s Row. Many of the local citizens had fled to their homes and the whisper of security those homes offered. Only those who had to be out dared the nighttime streets, and they all seemed to keep a wary eye out for any sign of trouble that might come their way, namely the gangs.
The gangs had become a growing concern for all the citizens of King’s Row. Everywhere you looked, there were members of the gang known as the Skulls lurking, tagging a nearby wall or mugging whatever unfortunate citizen chanced across their path. They weren’t the concern of the small figure standing atop the tram station on this night however. Though many heroes dashed about taking down many of the Skulls in the area, he was hunting a different prey.
Spiky hair, colorful hair and a mocking grin set in a clown’s face marked the figure as the young hero known as Knick-Knack. Once, he was nothing more than a child’s stuffed clown toy, but when he was unearthed during the recent reconstruction of Overview, he was something else entirely. It was a surprise to the workmen that uncovered him and to Knick-Knack as well when he drew in a deep breath and sat up.
That moment was his first true memory and something of a defining moment for him. He saw the signs of devastation that surrounded him and silently swore to prevent anything like this happening again if he could stop it. Now, his eyes roved the nearby rooftops and grassy areas surrounding the tram station while his mind ‘remembered’ his life before his ‘awakening’.
There were vague memories of his crafting. Unknown hands lovingly fashioned his four foot frame out of cloth and stuffing. Those same hands carefully sewed his colorful clothes to fit him perfectly. They shaped and painted his face and attached his tall spiky hair. But there was also the memory of some strange, heart-shaped object being placed securely within the stuffing of his chest. A strange voice whispered, “This shall be your heart, my little Knick-Knack, and when the time is right….”
The voice and memory faded at that point, blocking any attempt he made to remember more. What followed though were happy ‘memories’. The laughter of children as they played and danced with him were there. The warm feeling as one child or another snuggled him at night while they slept was there as well, but what always followed was not happy. There was pain there, and he shook his head as if to stop the memories from coming. It was then that he spotted the green glow on a rooftop not far from where he stood.
Triggering his Raptor pack, Knick-Knack soared toward the rooftop, and there they were, the Circle of Thorns. A mage known by his robes and staff as a Life Mage and a pair of Defender attendants were in the midst of a ritual, and there in the center, suspended in the air by magic, was a young woman in fear. She was the mother of three, he knew in an instant. He seemed to have a sixth sense about such things when children were involved, and he knew that those children were likely at home eagerly waiting for her to return.
He thumbed the switch of his pack to hovering flight and began to concentrate his growing anger into a deadly lance of psychic energy. The lance struck true a moment later against the mind of one of the Defenders, and the robed figure went down in a quivering heap.
Toggling back to forward flight, Knick-Knack flew in to land on the rooftop even as the other two began to register that their third had fallen. He launched a flurry of psychic blasts, fueled by the pain of his memories, at the remaining Defender, and in moments, the other was down before he could reach the young hero. Wordlessly, Knick-Knack called on the dark power of the Netherworld to shroud the Mage in blinding darkness, but the Mage’s initial blasts from his staff struck true before the darkness cloaked him.
With a wicked grin, Knick-Knack once more called on the dark power, this time to heal him, and used the Mage as fuel for his healing. Another barrage of psychic attacks flew to tear at the Mage’s mind, and the Mage staggered from the assault.
Weakened severely, the Mage rushed at the small hero, intent on self-destruction to take down what he once deemed nothing more than an annoying pest. Knick-Knack met him with a flurry of punches, his fists shrouded in darkness. The blows struck true, interrupting the concentration the Mage needed for his final spell, and the Mage lapsed into unconsciousness as the final blow caused him to fall.
“They were going to kill me”, a woman’s voice said from his side with a tremble.
Turning his head to smile at the woman, he replied, “Go home and take care of your children. You are all they have left, and children need their mother.”
Surprised, the mother rushed off, and Knick-Knack turned away from her departure to look for any further signs of Circle activity. The Paragon Police Department would arrive soon to cart these three off to jail, but his night was only just beginning.
Unseen, a small tear rolled down his painted cheek.
To Be Continued….
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