TSS 3: Knight's Son Ch. 01

A new villain steps out to find themselves in a world on the brink of disaster.

* * * * *

End of the World

The day I signed away my soul to become a bad guy changed my entire world. Hell, that week changed the world for everyone!

For the record, the only reason I'm writing this is that my therapist thinks it'll help me cope with everything that's happened. What does she know, though? She has a vested interest in making sure I survive. Of course, I'll have to do it while I'm running around and trying to not be the bad guy.

Maybe, if I pretend I'm telling you a story, it won't be so hard. Since I'm supposed to be honest here, expect to get uncomfortably close and personal with my psyche. Ha! Take that Mrs. IknowWhat'sBestForYouAndThisIsIt!

I guess with any epic bull-shit story, this one started in a tavern.

* * * * *

Yeah, you read that intro right. This all started in a freak-loving tavern. Who knew these things were still around in modern-day California? Since discovering that other magical world, fantasy themes have become the "in" thing to do. It sure as hell wasn't my scene, but I couldn't deny the eye candy in there that night.

Gas lanterns offered flickering light along the walls as country music played on the speakers. I guess they didn't want to shell out for a live folk band or anything. The pool tables in the back seemed out of place below mock-medieval shields and tapestries. A dance floor took up most of the floor space, with two bars serving up drinks to a combination of college students, LARPers, and old people. Each bar even had a large hologram screen over it playing the news, with a wizard figurine posed as though the toy were casting an illusion. All told, it was a weird hodgepodge of fantasy themes in a modern dance club.

"So, what'd'ya think it'll be tonight," Adam asked before taking a sip of his beer and looking around. He regarded me with his hazel eyes, hopeful. We were far enough from the dance floor that we could hear each other without having to shout.

I sighed, understanding what he asked. Too many people believed in the blurse that I supposedly had. Despite the early hour, the tavern was packed, even for a ladies' night. "How should I know?" I said as every eye at the table turned to me. "I'm surprised there are so many people here after the bombs in Wyoming this morning."

"They're probably here to forget," Joey piped in, his brown eyes flicked to the hologram screens showing the aftermath of the terrorist attack that morning. "The news can't make up their minds if the Lydenese are responsible or the Paladonic Knights. Fuck 'em both, right up their tight little assholes. I just want to have fun!"

"You already had your fun with the blurse!" Adam cut in. "It's my birthday. I want to take advantage of it."

I shook my head. I didn't believe in that nonsense, no matter what the others claimed. Or the evidence to support it. People made their own luck. But that didn't stop my friends—and others who'd heard of the blurse—from dragging me out to a new club or bar every ladies' night. They paid for my drinks, so they didn't have to drag me too hard. I let them know I didn't believe in the nonsense, but I still played it up. "It's your twenty-first birthday, Adam. Why don't you look around, and let's see what happens." The supposed blurse didn't work that way, but since I didn't believe in it, I didn't care.

"Damn right, it is!" he whooped and looked around with eager hope. "Let's see... I don't want too crazy, so those LARPers are out. Experience is nice, but I want someone closer to my own age..."

I ignored him as he started to ramble. This was the first time Adam joined us, and I was just happy to be out and about. I mean, who could pass up free drinks? Other than my roommate, who did it for religious reasons. Ugh. All I had to do was play along with some silly superstition. Magic might be real, but who really believed in a combined blessing and curse? Especially one that took the Good Luck Chuck curse and twisted it? Unoriginal, if you ask me.

"Careful, Bobby," Tina spoke next to me. "It looks like he's putting together a whole shopping list." Her almond eyes regarded the birthday boy with disgust.

Too bad she's a lesbian, I thought. She had a petite gymnast's body, and her Asian heritage made her look exotic. She got along with us heterosexuals fine, as long as no one tried to convert her. And, of course, everyone here except for Joey liked seeing her dance with other women. She'd enjoyed my supposed blurse a few weeks back, and like the others, wanted another crack at it.

So far, it hadn't struck twice, but everyone hoped. Of those at the tavern at this table, only Adam and I hadn't experienced the stupid superstition.

The others at the table started pointing out women to Adam, who seemed to be incredibly picky. I sipped on my whiskey sour, looking around myself.

Most of those who weren't LARPing wore some type of cowboy gear or western outfits. It clashed with the theme of the tavern but matched with the music playing. Some women looked really great in their tight jeans and brush-poppers, but I wasn't interested in chasing any of them myself.

Not after my last relationship ended. Megan was a great girlfriend, until she wasn't. I think that's a big reason why I wasn't interested in any of the LARPers. Knowing that she'd taken off after that magical freak still hurts.

"Do you think any of those LARPers are actually magical?" Joey asked as though reading some of my thoughts. "I mean, look at that guy dressed as a satyr. It's really well done. Oh, the things I'd like to do to him."

"Then go dance with him," I told my friend. It didn't bother me that he was gay, but I didn't want to hear any of it. Call me a hypocrite if you like, but I'd much rather hear of Tina's exploits than Joey's. I'm open-minded, but I'm very straight.

"Naw, I'll wait to see what your blurse brings in," Joey chuckled but kept his eyes on the satyr.

"Holy shit! Would you look at the stacks on that one?" Adam all but shouted. "She stands out like a porcupine in a nudist colony. Bobby, go talk to her!" He slapped twenty dollars down on the table, his eyes hopeful as he ran his hands through his short-cropped blonde hair.

I had no problem identifying who he meant. I didn't know if she was supposed to be part of the LARPers or mixed up her music-themed night, but her heavy eyeshadow, too dark lipstick, pale white skin, and black leather outfit didn't match anything in this tavern.

Sighing again, I grabbed the bill from the table and walked to the bar. How was I supposed to hit on this chick? With her over-done makeup, she looked dangerous. The right side of her scalp was shaved almost to skin, the rest of her red and black hair swooped over into a ponytail on the other side. A black leather get-up to include black six-inch stiletto thigh-high boots gave her an air of, "Don't fuck with me." Her outfit had an opening in front, showing ample cleavage that I admit I was a bit intimidated to admire. She also appeared to be in her mid-thirties, making her older than anyone else at my table.

She beat me to the bar, and I stepped up next to her. She was barely taller than me with her boots and looked down at me as I tried to think of what to say. I hadn't met her eyes yet, as the bartender took my order.

I was still trying to come up with an opening line when a glass was set in front of us. I laid Adam's money on the counter, grabbed the glass, and took the shot. I had nothing in common with goth chicks, much less women that landed squarely in the MILF category. As the liquor burned its way down my throat, I turned to her, ready to invite her to our table.

Instead, I froze as I met her light eyes and one delicately trimmed, thin, raised eyebrow. She looked pissed. Considering how pale her skin was and how dark her lipstick and eyeshadow, she reminded me of a vengeful spirit. Maybe she was here with the LARPers after all.

"Do you often steal another person's shot?" she demanded, her dark-painted lips dropping in a scowl. "Or is it just because I'm a woman?"

"I... Wait, what?" I asked, trying to get my brain to shift gears. My tongue ran around my mouth, and I realized that I tasted tequila and not the whiskey I ordered. I looked over to the bartender, who was also glaring at me. "Order another one of those for her, and take it out of my money," I told the man.

I turned back to the goth, my mind racing for how to recover. The news playing overhead gave me an idea. "Sorry about that. With the news of what happened this morning, I guess my head isn't in the right place."

"And that excuses you from stealing my drink?" she demanded, hands now on her hip.

"I'm paying for that one," I told her, feeling my spine stiffen. Sure, I'd made a mistake, but couldn't she see I was trying to make amends? "And if you want, I'll pay for the next one also."

"Oh, right, because I need a man to buy my drinks," she snapped at me. "You must be a really nice boy."

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing, finding the whole thing absurd. "I'm paying twice as much as you would since it's ladies' night. If you don't want the drink, fine. I'll just take mine and go back to my friends."

The bartender put two drinks on the counter and my change. This time I paid attention and grabbed mine before turning and walking away. Adam would need to find someone else. Usually, the woman fell into my lap, so-to-speak, and this lady wasn't doing that. My friend would have to wait and see what happened. There was no guarantee that whoever showed up would end up going home with him, anyway.

"Dude, what did you say?" a new guy asked. I didn't recognize him and guessed that he was a hanger-on, just following the rumor of my blurse. He must have shown up after I went to the bar. "She looks pissed. Is that how this thing of yours works?"

I ignored the guy. I only played along with this whole thing to get free drinks. What did I care if I upset some old lady going through a midlife crisis? Adam would have to find his big-tittied goth MILF somewhere else.

"Sorry, Adam," I said to the birthday man as his eyes got wide. "That one was a bust."

Perhaps I should have realized why he looked at me like that, but I thought he was disappointed.

"What about my bust?" the woman asked right behind me. Since we were far enough from the dance floor, she'd heard me perfectly.

I grimaced before schooling my features and turning around. My eyes lifted to hers, and this close, I could tell that her eyes were a nice blue-green. She was maybe an inch taller than me with her heels, and she tried to use that to her advantage. Strong women didn't usually intimidate me, though, so I offered her a smile and ignored her question. Women who wore shoes that could double as weapons and looked like they'd spent time behind bars might or might not intimidate me, however.

"Pull up a seat," I smiled and pointed to the chair that Joey vacated to go talk to the satyr. "We're celebrating Adam's birthday tonight."

Goth lady regarded me for a moment before turning to Adam. She looked him up and down, then grabbed a different chair and pulled it next to me.

And so it begins, I thought with a rueful shake of my head. Her eyes narrowed as she regarded me before turning to the rest of the table. I noticed her many earrings and the chain connecting each one.

"What a terrible day to have a birthday," she said to Adam. "Everyone will remember today as the day that the Paladonic Knights bombed America.

"Or that the Lydenese did," Tina interjected. "The news keeps flip-flopping on who is responsible."

The woman grimaced, her pale face darkening. She could almost be pretty if she didn't try and hide it, I thought.

"I don't understand why either group would want to bomb the middle of bum-fuck Egypt," I added. "I mean, what strategic advantage does the Wyoming wilderness hold?"

The woman regarded me for a long moment before holding out her slender hand. Her nails matched her outfit. "I haven't heard anyone use the full name for BFE in a long time. We may have gotten off on the wrong foot," she told me. "My name is Charlotte."

"Bobby," I told her, taking her hand. Despite her slender frame, her soft hands held a firm grip.

"I'm Adam!" the birthday boy leaned out and offered his hand.

Charlotte regarded the hand for a moment before saying, "I heard Bobby introduce you." She turned back to me as Adam's face fell. "So, is Bobby short for Robert or something? And don't try and be funny, saying it's short for Bobert."

It was a question I'm used to, though I'd only ever said that Bobert thing once when I was truly sloshed. "Nope. Bobby is what my mother put on my birth certificate, and I'm not old enough to go by Bob. Do you always go by Charlotte, or do you shorten it to Charley?"

"Don't call me Charley," she snapped, then softened her tone. "Charlotte is good enough for now."

"Is this how the blurse normally works?" Adam asked the guy next to him. Most of the table cringed.

"Blurse?" Charlotte asked, looking around. "What's a blurse?"

"Nothing," I spoke up, not wanting to get into it with a stranger.

"Bobby is blursed," Adam continued, not reading or ignoring the quick hand gestures from everyone else. "He has a blessing and a curse on him. A blurse."

"I'm going to get another round," Tina broke in, trying to change the subject. "Does anyone else want anything?"

A few people handed her some money, and she walked away.

"I'm genuinely curious about this blurse of yours, Bobby," Charlotte said with a hungry grin. "Do I need to back away from you? Is it contagious? Am I going to wake up tomorrow with demons crawling out of my eyeballs, singing praises to the Pillar of Light?"

"What? No! Adam doesn't know what he's talking about," I told her, giving the other man a sharp look. We'd never talked about the blurse when an outsider was around.

"Nonsense," Adam laughed. "Half the campus knows about it. There's even a lottery to see who goes out with us. That's why Michael is here tonight." Adam indicated the new man that I didn't know.

This was news to me. I knew people believed in the blurse and noted a different person with us each week but never paid much mind to it. My ire rose a bit until I remembered that I was getting free drinks from the whole fiasco.

"So... I'm interested," Charlotte smiled at me. "What does this blurse entail?"

I opened my mouth to deny it again, but Adam spoke up before I could. "Ever since Bobby broke up with his girlfriend, he's had this blurse. His friends took him out to get his mind off of her, and this lady showed up, hitting on him. From what I understand, she kind of embarrassed herself but was super hot. Like, someone call the fire department, h-a-w-t! I wasn't old enough to go to the bars then, so this is all second-hand knowledge."

"It's also all made up," I said, wishing Adam would shut his trap. Charlotte was already easily upset, and if Adam didn't stop, she'd think that we all thought she was an object at the whims of this blurse nonsense, instead of a woman. Charlotte alternated between glaring at Adam and looking interested.

"Oh, come on, Bobby," Joey said, the dance lights reflecting off his shaved head. He'd returned to the table without the satyr. "Even you have to admit the odd number of coincidences since Megan dumped you over three months ago. Listen, girlfriend. Every night we go out, someone hits on him and then goes home with someone else. We have the best sex of our lives and then never hear from them again."

I groaned, burying my face in my hand. They were right about what'd happened, but that didn't mean that I believed someone had actually blursed me. What was the point? I didn't care if my friends hooked up with random people. I wasn't interested in a relationship.

"I don't understand," Charlotte cut in, sounding more confused than angry. "How is that a blessing and a curse to Bobby?"

Tina returned and handed out drinks. I hadn't asked for one, but I swallowed the contents of the glass put before me. Perhaps if I got wasted, this conversation would end.

"You're actually talking about the blurse in front of the mark?" Tina asked, scandalized. "I thought we explained you weren't supposed to do that, Michael."

"It wasn't me," Michael quickly defended himself, pointing at Adam.

I watched Charlotte's dark gaze spear me, demanding answers. "I'm a mark, now, huh?"

Lifting my head, I met her gaze. I didn't like upsetting people, but at this point, I couldn't say that I really cared about this woman. She might be attractive if she dressed a little more cheerily or didn't wear such dark makeup. Her personality was abrasive at first, though that could easily be my fault. After joining us, she'd seemed friendly enough until Adam had to get jealous and open his big mouth.

"It's a blessing because attractive people hit on me every time we go out," I found myself saying, trying to defuse the clusterfuck that Adam started. "Everyone else sees it as a curse because they never go home with me. The truth is, I couldn't care less. My friends are happy, and I still have a social life. No, you're not a mark. I don't choose who is attracted to me. It just happens."

I watched as the anger leeched from her eyes, replaced with speculation. "What's wrong with you that they go home with someone else?"

Adam spit out the drink he was sipping on and laughed as a few ways to answer that went through my mind before I decided to be honest. "I'm not looking for a relationship. My last girlfriend cheated on me and left. I'm not looking to jump into another one just yet."

"That was over three months ago," Tina elbowed my side. "You need to get over that slut."

"I am over her," I said as I glanced over to the bar and froze. The news feed still played but was showing an interview. There was no way I could miss that fiery red hair or that bright smile. There was no volume, so I couldn't hear what they were saying, but there was no mistaking the way Megan hung on the arm of a broad-shouldered man. Is that the freak, or did she find some other man? I wondered as I felt a pit open in my stomach.

Blinking, I realized that the conversation continued while I was distracted. Instead of trying to pick up where it went, I looked into Charlotte's eyes and asked, "You want to dance?"

By the way she looked at me, I knew I caught her off-guard. I didn't wait for her to respond before grabbing her hand and hauling her to the dance floor. If she wanted to argue, she didn't resist. Before I could let my brain consider what I was doing, I pulled her close and only then paid attention to the song that played.

A small voice in the back of my head screamed, asking what I was doing. I ignored it, just as I disregarded the hologram and Megan giving puppy-dog eyes to the dark-haired man next to her. The song was slow as we started moving together, her body pressed close to mine, her lips near my ear.

"This isn't my type of music, and this was quite unexpected," she said, loud enough to be heard over the music.

My eyes caught sight of our table, and I noticed the shocked looks on my friends' faces. Adam's face was angry, though Joey and Tina both smiled. Michael looked bored and didn't seem to care.

What am I doing? I demanded of myself. I'm not into goth women or MILFs. Did seeing Megan really bother me that much?

"Not interested in talking, huh?" Charlotte asked, pulling back to look at me, her eyes full of curiosity. Had I really thought she was scary-looking? Even with her makeup, this close, she was almost beautiful. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine." I forced a half-smile on my lips. "I was tired of listening to their nonsense and thought I should get out here."