The Custodes

Chapter 13 - A Monster In The Dark

Neo came sprinting around the last corner of the street, looking dead ahead at where the park Noah mentioned was situated. It was roughly midnight at that point but luckily the light from the nearby lampposts made it fairly easy to see his surroundings. The closer he got to the park the more he realised something was definitely off. For starters there wasn't a single person around - either in the streets or in the park itself - like the place had been completely evacuated in the time it took Neo to get there. Secondly, there didn't seem to be any fighting going on. Noah said he'd been tracking Zuro and knew exactly where he was, but if that were the case then why hadn't they crossed paths yet. As well as the unsettling atmosphere, there was a far more pressing worry at the front of Neo's mind. On his way over he managed to take the time to think about exactly what Noah had said over the phone, and he quickly realised what it was he had implied. He mentioned an orphanage, as well as the fact that Zuro had done something terrible, but Neo was trying extremely hard to think positively and hope to God that what he was suspecting hadn't actually happened. And if it had-...he took a moment to try and compose himself, though he could feel his anger quickly becoming more prominent as his fists tightened. That, coupled with everything that had happened with Kayla, and Neo was sure that this time he wouldn't hold back in the slightest when fighting Zuro this time. He ran through the front gates of the park, eyes darting around rapidly. It was a wide, open stretch of green, with a stone path splitting straight through the centre of it and darting off in numerous different directions. It was a scenic park, Neo had walked through it numerous times out of sheer boredom, so there were lampposts along most of the paths, illuminating all of them. To his right there was a large, vibrant flower bed that had been planted to form a sort of maze, one that kids would no doubt love to run around in. Further up from that was a fairly large pond, however Neo could only see the edges of it in the darkness of the night. He knew that past the pond a vast forest lay, which curved around half of the outer part of the park before making its way towards the centre, and that was the only area that likely didn't have any lights. An actual kids playground was situated at the leftmost side of the park, too far for Neo to see at the moment, but closer to that was a small patch of trees and bushes. That was likely a good enough place to start, so Neo hurriedly took off along the path, eyes scanning the side of the park where he knew it should be. He was tempted to call Noah but decided against it for the time being, choosing instead to search for either him or Zuro. It was entirely possible that they'd left the park, but then where would they have gone? There wasn't any sign of fighting anywhere nearby, nor any sounds of civilians shouting and powers being used. It was somewhat eery to Neo, wandering around the park when a mad man like Zuro could be lurking around any corner. And the severe lack of light didn't help in the slightest. The boy could conjure darkness himself, but that didn't mean he could literally get rid of already existence dark to allow him to see. He reached the patch of shrubbery, moving towards it, but suddenly something sparked loudly behind him and he spun, ready to fight whatever it was. The light from the nearest lamppost managed to illuminate the figure just enough however, and Neo instantly recognised Noah's features, though they were brimmed with worry and uncertainty. "Quick." He said, and before Neo could even open his mouth to speak, placed a hand on his shoulder and teleported them both away. They reappeared on the far side of the park, on the path near the tree line, as Neo quickly looked around, failing to find Zuro, before locking eyes with Noah again "Where is he? What's going on?" "Right there." Noah said, looking past Neo towards the trees, with the boy hurriedly following his gaze. His eyes searched for a while, until to his shock they managed to make out a very faint figure in the darkness sitting calmly against the base of one of the trees. Red eyes glowed ever so faintly on the figures face as he looked right at Neo, and though none of his features were visible the boy knew for a fact that Zuro was smiling. "What the hell is he doing?" Neo asked Noah, eyes not moving from Zuro's despite how frightening the image was. "Waiting. He's done nothing since I got here - I would've wondered if he even knew I was there had his eyes not been boring into me the entire time. There was no way I was gonna try take him alone, and he knew that. I think he also knew I'd bring you, but...I still don't know what he wants." Noah explained, glancing at Zuro uncomfortably as he stood extremely tensely. "You mentioned an orphanage. What did-" Before Neo could finish his sentence, Zuro's voice cut him off from his spot by the tree "Neo. I've been waiting for quite a while." He slowly pushed himself up, beginning to make his way slowly and menacingly towards the pair. Both of them stayed silent, watching as the man moved through the darkness until light slowly began to shine on him ever so slightly. Neo inhaled sharply as he saw Zuro fully for the first time, and how horribly stained his clothes and bare arms were with darkly, sickly blood. Most of it had dried up, but there were streaks across his face and neck, and a number of splatters over his torso and trousers. Neo placed a hand to his mouth, struggling not to gag as the smell reached him and Noah, despite Zuro still being a good distance away. Noah simply stared, almost in disbelief at what he was seeing, since despite having tracked Zuro since the orphanage he hadn't actually gotten a good view of him. "That's far enough." Neo said, struggling to sound confident as he choked down his disgust and glared at the man, who halted his stride. The blood was starting to confirm what Neo suspected, bringing his rage right back up to the surface as he clenched his teeth and fists hard. "What did you do Zuro...?" Noah questioned hesitantly, almost scared to ask as he watched the man cautiously. "Just a little something for Neo to enjoy. Don't worry, I'll get to yours later." Zuro said with a wide grin, not so much as glancing down to examine the blood he was soaked in. "What the hell are you talking about?" Neo asked, fighting the urge to attack Zuro right away. He wasn't sure Noah and him would be as lucky as last time, but a fight was starting to seem inevitable. It was simply a matter of who would strike first. "You know what...I think it'd be far better if I just showed you." Zuro suddenly sprung into action, bolting right at the pair and reaching out as though trying to grab a hold of Neo. The boy only had a split second to react, darting to the left to narrowly avoid Zuro's hand. That wasn't right. Why the held would Zuro grab at him instead of just going for a punch? He was up to something, Neo knew it, and whatever it was did not bode well for him and Noah. Using Zuro's own momentum against him, Noah tried to swing a charged fist into the man's abdomen, but he had already darted clean out of the way and was lunging for Neo again. He moved so quick that Neo hadn't even righted himself after dodging the first grab before Zuro's hands seized his torso, pulling him off the ground. Neo cursed and reared a fist back, coating it in darkness before sending it straight at Zuro's face. In a flash the man's hand was in front of the fist, catching it and gripping it tight as Neo struggled to pull it free. Before he had the chance to swing again with his other hand, red tendrils began to slither out from Zuro's palms, travelling up Neo's body incredibly quickly. Almost instantly the tendrils wrapped all the way around him, slipping up past his shoulders and circling around his arms, then suddenly locking them in place as though they had paralysed any part of his body they were touching. Zuro dropped his grip on Neo, leaving him suspended by some of the tendrils that had attached themselves to the ground, then turned to deal with Noah who was trying his best to counterattack him. It seemed Zuro had cranked his abilities up to a hundred since their last fight however, as the man rapidly dodged every one of Noah's punches without so much as breaking a sweat, then sent a kick right into his stomach and caused him to immediately fly all the way backwards past the tree line. Neo gritted his teeth as he watched, kicking his feet to struggle in any way he could as he hoped desperately for Noah to be okay. Zuro grinned, then turned back to Neo and began walking towards him casually "Now, it's about time we get to the only reason I wanted you here. I don't plan on sticking around; I just really, really want to hear you scream after I'm finished." He stopped about a foot away from Neo, grinning wider as he reached out towards the boy's face. Neo continued to kick, wanting to shout out and fight back, but it felt like even his powers were being constrained by the tendrils. Zuro pointed his finger at Neo's temple as a red glow appeared right at the tip, slowly getting closer and closer until, just when it was a centimetre away from making contact, a huge red beam fired straight past Neo's face, completely obscuring his view of Zuro's arm for just a second. When he could see it again, he saw that Zuro's hand was badly burned, clearly being caught by the blast as he tried to pull away. The flesh had all but completely melted off, with Zuro cursing loudly as he looked at it. His eyes and Neo's darted in the direction the beam came from, both of them spotting Axel sprinting across the grass towards them, each hand already charging another beam, with Synthia and Kelsie not far behind. "Damn, I was aiming for the entire arm. Guess I'll just send one straight through your skull instead!" Axel shouted as he fired his next beam at Zuro, but the man was far more prepared his time and darted out of the way. Neo knew that in a one on one Zuro had much more up his sleeve than Axel, and that if he tried take him on like that then he would definitely lose. But it soon dawned on him that Axel wasn't trying to win. He shot his next beam at Zuro, causing him to jump back as he clutched his injured hand. He was far enough away from Neo now for someone to free him, and that's exactly what Axel wanted. "Neo!" Synthia said worriedly as she appeared in front of him, quickly starting the tear the tendrils off of him with some assistance from her metal powers. In no time at all Neo fell free, able to move again, and landed in Synthia's arms "Thank you. But we need to help your brother - now." At that moment Zuro was simply watching Axel, each of them waiting for the other to strike. Neo realised that Zuro was actually intimidated by Axel, that's why he was keeping his distance. If he closed the gap between them then Axel would have a much easier time landing another hit on him - almost losing his hand certainly did a number on his confidence. Kelsie was soon beside Neo, looking as concerned as always "You're not badly hurt are you?" "No. But Noah is over there by the trees somewhere, he took a nasty hit from Zuro." Neo answered immediately, pointing in the direction Noah was blasted in. Kelsie nodded, not saying another word before she ran off towards the trees. "Come on, lets beat the shit out of this fucker." Synthia said, moving to let Neo stand on his own as they both looked at Zuro. Synthia fired two beams of metal at him, though it was more like shooting a sharp pillar of metal out of her palms, then took off running across the grassy field. Zuro's head darted to the side, letting one zoom past him as he shot his own red beam straight at the other and caused it to explode completely, sending pieces of shrapnel in all directions. Neo quickly threw up a dark barrier to block the shrapnel, dismissing it again once it'd taken the blow before starting to run at Zuro, Synthia doing the same a little bit behind him. Neo swung a fist, with Zuro easily ducking backwards out the way, only for it to be followed up by a slash from Synthia, her arm from the wrist up completely becoming a metal blade. Zuro's uninjured hand came up, causing Synthia's blade to slam straight into his palm without so much as scratching it as he gripped it tight. She let out a gasp, unable to tear her hand free, but Neo was there before Zuro even had the chance to attack Synthia. The boy pulled his fist back, coating it in darkness, then sent it straight at Zuro's wrist with all his might, connecting with a loud bang. The man's arm snapped to the side, much to his surprise, releasing his grip on Synthia's arm as she immediately moved to hit him in his moment of shock. Suddenly her hand was coated in metal, then the rest of her arm to reinforce the attack as she smashed her fist into Zuro's chest. He let out a half-choked exhale as he skidded back across the ground, stumbling but remaining upright. Just then another one of Axel's beams flew through the air, but unfortunately Zuro was far less off guard and backed away just in time, almost seeming to hover rather than take an actual step. The beam blasted harmlessly past and then ceased, but the second it was out of view Neo was emerging from the sea of red, his arm coated in a sharp, javelin-shaped darkness which he sent plunging straight at Zuro's side. The man quickly caught the very tip of the javelin, holding it back as Neo put all his strength into pushing it closer. Zuro instantly started to force him away as the boy used his other hand to put even more strength into it, but alone he was no match for Zuro. Suddenly Synthia was by his side, grabbing his dark coated arm and using all her might to push it forward as well, metal coating her feet and locking them tight into the ground as she pushed. Slowly Zuro began to be forced back, his feet scraping against the ground and leaving a deep trench in their wake as Neo and Synthia stepped forward with him, still trying to break the grip his arm had on the javelin. Just when it looked like they weren't going to achieve it, one of Axel's red beams smashed into Zuro's arm, causing him to actively shout out in both pain and anger as he lost his stance, allowing the javelin to drive straight forward with enough momentum to completely obliterate Zuro's side, tearing into the flesh and plunging clean through and out the other side. Zuro let out a gargled cry, clutching his side as Neo retracted his hand, before hurriedly backing away as he glared at the trio. "Piece of shit...that actually hurt." He grinned, but it was intertwined with a slight wince as Neo and Synthia panted heavily, their eyes watching Zuro to wait for his next move. Rather than attack however, he simply stood up straighter and closed his eyes. As the two watched, Zuro's pierced flesh and charred skin began to pull itself together, and even through all the blood they could see the self repair plain and clean. It seemed he was focusing on his arm and side at the moment, where he'd been hit with Axel's beam and Neo's spear respectively, since they were healing fastest, but his next to destroyed hand was going at a much slower pace. "Don't let him heal that hand!" Axel shouted as he ran towards Zuro, charging up his beams "Its our best advantage, we'll barely stand a chance if he gets it back!" Neo immediately nodded and ran alongside Axel, but before he even made it a couple of feet, Zuro's red tendrils came flying from his arms and grabbed hold of him and Axel, holding them back. "Bastard!" Axel shouted, his arms being forced to point at the ground so he couldn't shoot at Zuro, though that didn't stop him from struggling hard. Neo was doing the same but he knew there was no way to get free of the tendrils, especially if they managed to paralyse you. Luckily, Synthia was already on the move, hurriedly slashing both Neo and Axel free from the tendrils before another set could go for her. Zuro remained completely silent, though his eyes were now open and watching the three intently. Axel fired his beams immediately, though Zuro managed to dart sideways rapidly, easily avoiding the first and then the second before continuing to heal. Neo ran at him as more tendrils came flying towards him, trying to grab a hold as he hurriedly slashed and shot them into nothing. Just as he was about to reach Zuro one of the tendrils grabbed a hold of his ankle, tripping him up as he let out a shout and hit the ground, hard. He glanced up only to see Synthia sprint straight past him, both her hands becoming razor sharp metal blades as she elegantly severed practically all the tendrils, even the one that held Neo's leg. They all dissipated into nothing as they were cut, and Neo watched in mesmerised awe as Synthia got closer and closer to Zuro, until it suddenly dawned on him that she was actually close enough to deal real damage now, and Zuro was still in the middle of his healing. Synthia swung her blade down right on Zuro's head, about to slice it clean off, until in a single instant it wasn't there anymore. The man's body leapt into action, bolting to Synthia's side - safely avoiding her swing and suddenly now close enough for him to deal damage of his own. "Synthia!" Neo cried out, watching in horror as Zuro's half healed hand flashed red and a beam was sent right into the girl's stomach. She flew backwards, right past Neo, tumbling along the ground until she stopped face down a few metres away, not moving as a pool of blood slowly started to form around her. Neo clenched his fists tight and sprinted at Zuro, shouting out as his eyes burned with fury. The man's two main injuries were done healing now, with only the rest of his tattered arm to go before he was back at full health. Neo watched as the fresh skin slowly climbed up his arm, coating the burnt flesh in a completely new layer as it moved closer and closer to his hand. Tendrils erupted from his arms again and slammed into Neo, completely immobilising him as he tried with all his might to break through and get to Zuro. The tendrils became more and more layered, securely holding Neo still as he watched the man's healed skin get closer and closer to his wrist, about to reach it until suddenly-