Chapter 2

 

A dark wet cellar. Vile rats scurry around the young man chained to a wall with one window above him. As he wakens his head begins to pound and he begins to remember what happened at Gimora Gates. The young man gently shakes his head as he slowly closes his eyes, and concentrates on his breathing. When the young man slowly begins to calm down the cellar doors fly open, and numerous guards pour in the room and line up on either sides of the door. The evil tyrant enters quickly; his face squinted, looking around the cellar in disgust. “I am truly sorry for putting you in this dreadful place…what is your name?” The tyrant inquires. “Shall I go first? I am Carlucious, King of Halo Island.”

             The young man looks up under his brow and says, “I am Khan, I am from the prison sector of Skull Island.”

            “You lived in a prison sector?” Carlucious asks.

            “I was brought up there.” Khan whispers. Carlucious smiles and calls over one of his soldiers. He falls to his knee and holds out Khan’s sword, Carlucious takes it from him as he tell the solider to fall back. “Where did you get this sword Khan?” Khan lowers his head and gives no answer. Carlucious quickly puts the blade to Khan’s neck and exclaims, “If you do not wish to have your throat cut open now, you will talk!”

             Khan turns his face away from the blade and yells back, “The sword is not my own!”

            Carlucious moves the sword away, running his finger over the lightning bolt on the handle, than says, “It was your fathers, was it not?” Khan quickly faces Carlucious and glares up at him. The King kneels grinning in Khan’s face and says, “I knew your father well, I can recognize this sword as if it were my own. I fought by his side for years, he was the greatest warrior I will ever know. When he would battle the heavens would cry and the gods would rattle the skies. The earth would rumble when he screamed into battle.” Carlucious leans in closer, “How is it you, the son of a god like warlord, ended up on a Skull Island?”

            Khan slumps his body, feeling weak and overcome with sorrow as he replies, “When my father was about to leave for the final battle of the New Land War, he told my mother to leave for the Skull Island, he said he would meet us there. We would leave and begin our new life here in Crimson City. He gave me his sword that day. He told me, never to allow my own demons to control who I was. Those were his last words to me. When my mother and I arrived to the prison sector, I imagined it to be what hell was like.” Carlucious stands and turns away from Khan to hide a wicked grin, than says, “What of your mother, you left her there?”

            Khan muscles tensed as he screams, “Never! One night when she was putting me to sleep, bandits stormed into our house, and when my mother fought them, they beat her, they...they raped her. All in front …OF ME! When they finally left, I ran over to my mother and I grabbed her hand. She was…so weak. She told me to run and wait for my father. She told me I was an angel, and I’ll never change, and she had never loved another like how she loved me. She died in my arms that night. I ran away, hiding in every vile and disgusting corner I had come across. Growing in the dust. Months later, I heard of my father’s death, and I knew right then, all worth living was lost.”

            Carlucious turns to face Khan and says, “When I heard of your father’s death, I wept for him...but I am glad he never had to see his son reduced to this pitiful creature that lay before me now.”

            Khan fights his chains and kicks his feet wildly in Carlucious’ direction but realizes it is useless. Finally with pride in his voice, he screams, “My father knows me well! He speaks to me…in storms.”

            Carlucious laughs loud and long than says, “What are you doing here boy?”

            Khan begins to breathe and composes himself than says, “I need a new life. The Skull islands are being invaded by the Tri-Islands, with the coming of war, I fled to the place my father wanted us to live. Here.”

            Carlucious, giving Khan’s sword back to the solider, puts his hands around Khan’s neck and says, “For the memory of your father, I shall set you free,” Khan trys desperately to escape Carlucious’ suffocating grip, “But listen to me boy when I say, that if trouble follows you where you go in Crimson City, you will not enjoy the spoils of my mercy.” Carlucious calls over a soldier, who brutally knocks Khan out, they release him and carry him out. Carlucious walks over to his Captain and says, “Malcom, keep a weather eye on him, we need this boy dead no longer. Also send a message to the Tri-Islands, inform them of there failure.”

           

 

The blistering midday sun in Crimson City. The hot sandy ground greets Khan’s face as he regains consciousness. As he stands and looks around the streets of Crimson City he hears thunder rumble somewhere in the distance, and a gentle wind cools his face. He whispers to the wind “I am here now father.” From behind him he hears a man yelling in his direction. He turns to see the giant from Gimora Gates coming over to him with a huge smile taking up half of his face. Before they can exchange words the giant lifts Khan up off the ground and hugs him, nearly crushing his ribs. “Bless you sir, had you not intervened I’d be under the ground right now!” The giant exclaims. Khan laughs as he is put down and says, “Your gratitude is not needed sir, I wish I would have stopped them earlier, had I not been so hasty. My name is Khan.” Khan extends his hand as the giant says, “I wasn’t given a name, but my friends call me Bear.” They warmly shake hands and begin to walk, Khan asks, “Bear, what had you done to provoke such a beating?” Bear’s mouth seems to almost disappear beneath his thick beard as he replies, “I was stopping the Round…every three weeks a small group of soldiers goes to every village, and picks the three strongest men for soldiers, and three of the most gorgeous women, for the King himself. My sister was chosen today, and I was not going to allow them to take her.” A sad silence was shared between the two. Bear smiles and says, “That reminds me now, my sister wanted to meet you, will you come to see her? I have your horse there waiting for you.” Khan smiles and replies yes.

            Bear’s village, full of sorrow and misery. Huts falling apart as little children starving in there doorways sit and watch the cloudless skies. They enter Bear’s hut as he yells for his sister. Out from the back room she walks out, her hair flowing gently behind her from a gentle breeze. Her powerful brown eyes look over at him. Khan looks at her, hypnotized by her beauty as he stops breathing. His heart begins to beat slower and harder, as his ears became warm. His stomach begins to tighten, and his throat begins to dry as she steps in closer to him, her wonderful body moving toward the warm rays of the sun. Her thick beautiful lips seductively begin to move as she says in a deep sensuous voice, “So, this is the brave hero, who rescued my little brother from those monstrous soldiers?” Bear walked toward her and said, “Julia, this is Khan.” She looks at him in his eyes as Khan starts to feel his knees tremble. “Well say something, brave warrior.” Khan slowly begins to ignore her beauty as he is annoyed by Julia’s rudeness. “Not incredibly bright is he Bear?” She snaps.

            Khan steps in close to her and says, “Such a beautiful face should not have such pestering things to say.” She looks surprised than asks him what he said. Before Khan was given a chance to speak again a man wearing bear fur and covered in jewelry walks in, and kisses Julia softly on the lips. He looks over at Khan with his round soft face and dry green eyes and says with a high voice, “Who have we here?” Julia with a less eager tone says, “Obrean, this is the man that saved Bear this morning.” Obrean walks over with a slight limp in his step to Khan and says, “I suppose thanks are in order, for saving my future brother in law. He is my best soldier.”

            Khan looks over at Bear confused, “Soldier?” He asks.

            “Yes, he along with many men in this village, and neighboring villages, are part of my militia, the Crimson Resistance.” Obrean says with a triumphant sound in his voice.

            Khan with interest replies, “Resistance against what?”

            The room went silent, “Resistance against what? Resistance against that tyrannical monster Carlucious and everything he stands for. Your eyes cannot be shut, you have seen the horrors…the people in this city cannot live, because there days are filled with service to that monster. The people of this city suffer and we intend to put that to an end.”

            Khan lowers his head and says, “You think rebellion will put an end to that?”

            Obrean feeling agitated begins to walk out the hut, than turns and says, “We are having a celebration tonight to acknowledge the first time a Rounds has been prevented, it would be appropriate I believe for you to be there.” Obrean turns to Julia, “Come Julia, finish getting ready.” Julia rushes out with Obrean, darting one final glare over at Khan. Bear follows as well, as Khan is left alone in the hot tent.

            Late at night in the center of town, a large fire illuminates everything as people dressed in colorful clothing dance around it celebrating. The children all sit on a log, tired, but with joy in there faces. Khan walks around observing everyone. He says to himself, “What a wonder man is that in times of trial and strife, a celebration filled with laughter and dance may occur.” He notices Obrean standing with Julia, Bear and a few other people. Julia sees him and quickly walks over to Khan. Furious, she yells at him, “If you be a log travelling down stream, I beg you leave now! This Resistance is vital to my people’s survival, whoever takes such things lightly need leave now.”

            As Julia continues screaming in his face, Khan begins to feel uneasy. He looks around the dark wood surrounding the village. He interrupts her and inquires, “Do you have watchmen at this celebration?” She stops and stares at him, “Tell me!” Julia looks confused and says, “Yes…they report to Obrean every 5 minutes but-”

            Khan walks over to Obrean and tries to talk but Obrean puts his hand in Khan’s faces and says, “Please, I have things to do, you canunderstand that can’t you?”

            Khan grabs Obrean’s arm forcefully and says, “When was the last time a guard reported to you.”

            Obrean throws Khan’s hands off him, pushing him back and says, “I say thee get off! Do not test me pilgrim.” Obrean storms away as Khan begins frantically looking for Bear. Suddenly from somewhere in the distance an explosion rattles the earth. The King’s soldiers begin coming from all directions, surrounding everyone. The rebels try desperately to fight them off as they yell to for the children to run, but they are quickly overwhelmed. Malcom walks into the center of the screaming crowd and yells above everyone, “You, infectious waste of Crimson City, you have spread your plague of unnecessary rebellion for far to long, we therefore plan to execute all villainous scum who do not submit to King Carlucious’ rule…tonight!” The soldiers begin to attack everyone savagely, as Khan unsheathes his sword to fight back as many as he can. He frees many rebels and tells them all to run. He see’s Julia trying to fight off Malcom, she is struck to the ground. Khan rushes over to her aid to fight off Malcom.

            Malcom turns to Khan as he smiles and removes his armor. “Let us see boy, if you are worthy of that sword.” Malcom quickly knocks Khan in his head with the back of his fist. He quickly overpowers him and clutches Khan’s neck, bringing him down to the ground. Khan feels a burning in his chest and begins to shake as Malcom continues to speak, “Your useless gesture of sacrifice was rather foolish, I beg thee stand up to a mountain and blow, see if the mountain will move. You and your people shall all die. Death, like a wolf, is relentless, we cannot escape it.” Khan closing his eyes loses control and finally lets all the anger in him burn as he lets out a terrible scream and slowly pulls Malcom’s arms off of him. He continues to scream as he feels his entire body burn with rage. Khan quickly spins and gives Malcom a devastating kick to the chest, causing him to spit blood and fall back. He yells wildly as three soldiers grab him and beat him. They struggle but are unable to subdue him. Two more desperately try to hold him as they finally bring him down to the ground, beating him madly with there staffs. He quickly throws all of them off as he jumps up and darts over at one of them and wildly punches his face, screaming over the sound of all the madness. More soldiers run over and begin to beat him viciously. He knocks a couple off of there feet but Khan slowly begins to blackout. Suddenly Khan see’s a luminous white light engulf everything around him. Khan passes out from exhaustion.