Soren leaned back on the lobby couch, eyes half-lidded as the TV droned in the background.
The lights of Everlife Medical Center flickered softly, humming in sync with the machines still monitoring Karen's vitals.
He unscrewed the cap of a vial and took a swig, and immediately winced.
"Ugh. Still tastes like liquified tire rubber." He swirls the bitter concoction in his mouth before swallowing. "But the effects are great."
The warm rush of power flooded through him. His fatigue ebbed.
He glanced toward the interface of his system, pulling up future potions he could eventually craft:
Rage Potion – Triples user's strength. Duration: 30 minutes.
Spirit Amplification Potion – Triples mental power. Duration: 30 minutes.
Netherland Soul Chaser Potion – Revives user if consumed within two hours of death. Body must be intact.
Soren sighed wistfully. "If only I had the right herbs... The Earth's too weak to grow them naturally. But once I open the Herb Garden Capsule in a stable area, the world will wonder."
Across the city...
A lone figure stood atop a neighboring rooftop, facing the ominous headquarters of Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin.
Clad in crimson armor, face masked, his billy club in hand, Daredevil prepared himself.
The city was quiet, but his senses roared with information. Heartbeats in the building. The dull hum of machines.
He crashed through the window of the top-floor office, glass exploding around him like deadly snowflakes.
"FISK!"
Across the room stood a mountain of muscle wrapped in a white tailored suit. Wilson Fisk, The Kingpin. Grinning.
"Daredevil." He said, voice deep and full of malice. "It's been a long time. I was beginning to think you forgot about me."
"You tried to kill the woman I love." Daredevil growled, twirling his billy club. "You crossed a line you'll regret."
"Regret?" Kingpin chuckled, rolling his neck. "You're the one who broke into my fortress like a mouse in a lion's den. The regret will be yours."
The crutch in Daredevil's hand snapped into its hooked mode and shot toward Kingpin.
But Fisk grabbed the cord with one hand, and in a fluid movement, yanked. Daredevil was pulled mid-air toward him like a caught fish.
Kingpin turned, swinging his own titanium-tipped cane like a club. Daredevil twisted midair, narrowly dodging the first blow, landing on his feet, and launching a flurry of attacks.
Jabs. Elbows. Knees. Hooks.
Fisk staggered but didn't fall. His body absorbed the punishment like a concrete wall.
"You punch like a child." Fisk grunted, backhanding Daredevil across the room.
CRASH! Matt slammed into a cabinet, the wind knocked out of him.
Blood trickling from his lips. "You're slowing down, old man."
"You won't be joking much longer, pajama man."
He charged. A freight train in human form.
Matt tried to sidestep, but Fisk was faster than expected. A brutal uppercut caught Daredevil in the ribs.
CRACK.
Three ribs were shattered. Blood gushed from Matt's mouth.
"Hahahahaha!" Kingpin laughed, lifting him with one hand by the throat like a doll.
"You came here with nothing but a stick. Do you even understand who you're dealing with?"
Daredevil struggled, his vision darkening. Air was cut off. The grip on his throat was iron.
His body dangled, broken and weakening.
"After all these years." Kingpin growled, his voice rumbling like thunder.
"Do you know how many people have tried to kill me?"
"You're the first to actually hurt me. I admire your courage…"
He roared, grabbing Daredevil with both hands and slamming him over his head, the ceiling cracked with the force, then drove him into the marble floor.
"GHH—!"
Blood gushed from Daredevil's mouth as his body bounced once from the impact, landing in a heap.
His organs screamed. His ribs felt like they were grinding against each other. And yet, he clawed at the ground, trying to stand.
WHAM!
A boot met his side and sent him skidding toward the office wall.
Rip.
In one swift motion, Fisk tore the mask from his face.
"Oh, isn't this a surprise…" Kingpin's face contorted into something between mockery and sadistic delight. "The blind lawyer from Hell's Kitchen?"
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Daredevil… is blind?"
"You've burned millions of dollars. Killed my lieutenants. Crippled my empire. And you did it without seeing a damn thing."
He leaned close. "Impressive. But that ends."
Matt coughed, blood painting his teeth crimson. "You… killed my father… and Karen. Why?"
Fisk picked up Daredevil's fallen crutch, twirling it like a baton before slamming it against the ground with a clang.
"Your father wouldn't take a dive. That cost me a hundred grand. And Karen?"
He gave a cold smile.
"Wrong place. Wrong family. She wouldn't stop digging."
Daredevil's face twisted with fury.
Kingpin snarled, raising the crutch high. "You're in the way of my money. So I'll do what I always do to obstacles… I erase them."
The crutch's silver spike gleamed under the office lights.
Sshhh!
Matt's head turned slightly.
Water.
His sharp hearing caught the faint trickling behind him, the sound of pressurized water pipes running through the glass-paneled feature wall.
In one motion, he pivoted and punched backward~
SMASH!
The glass shattered, and a torrent of water burst through, flooding the room and crashing into Fisk like a tidal wave.
"GHH!"
Caught off guard, Fisk stumbled back. The spike missed its mark, stabbing only empty air.
Matt, drenched but focused, moved. The water enhanced his senses, tracing the currents around Fisk's massive frame. He could "see" him now, clearer than ever.
"You made one mistake, Fisk."
He kicked off the wall and slid across the slick floor, passing Fisk's side with a sweeping motion.
"You underestimated me."
Both his feet smashed into Fisk's knees with surgical precision.
"AGHHH!"
Fisk let out a howl of pain, crumbling forward. Both legs bent awkwardly as he collapsed, unable to stand.
His cries echoed through the ruined office. The mighty Kingpin, on his knees.
Daredevil, dripping blood and water, stood over him, his crutch raised high.
Fisk looked up, a flicker of fear in his eyes.
He clenched his jaw, then closed his eyes, waiting.
Waiting for the end.
…
Nothing came.
He opened his eyes. Daredevil was still there… but the crutch had been lowered.
"Why?" Kingpin's voice cracked not from pain, but from disbelief. "Why didn't you finish it?"
Matt's chest rose and fell as he stared down at the man who ruined his life.
Blood dripped from his lip. His hands trembled.
"Because I'm not you."
He took a step back, crutch still in hand. "I am not a murderer."
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Dare you peek into my other tales? The opening three chapters of select stories are free to all.
PhantomDream