The Serpent Rises (Part 5)

Viper had won.

In one foul swoop, Viper had taken over Alba. He turned it from a constitutional diarchy into an absolute monarchy. The regency was ended by Viper personally, and all treaties were broken. It took less than two months for Viper to annex the entire world, renaming it 'The Serpent God's Empire.' But Viper didn't stop there. He used his immeasurable power to tear holes in the very fabric of reality, opening new worlds for him to conquer. In four months, Viper had taken the entire knowable multiverse for himself. Life was agonizing. Taxes were non-existent, because Viper didn't need money. All Viper ever needed were sacrifices. Every day one person from each town would be sacrificed to make him stronger. eighty percent of produced food was used to feed his enormous army, and the draft took anyone over eighteen it could find. The death rate was seventy-four percent under his rule.

Jason and Clyde could do nothing. Neither of them had the tools or knowledge to defeat him. So they went in search of help. All throughout the worlds rebel groups rose, but they were weak and unorganized. They relied on numbers instead of strategic attacks, so all they amounted to was food. The Twin Princes knew of only one group that had lasted, one that stories were told of even before the two of them were born.

The Company of Three.


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The twins found themselves in the slums of an old city. Few people were there, and Viper assumed those who remained were too weak to be of use, so the draft and the sacrifice collectors never came. In this city, there was still one thriving place; the Company Bar. Jason did not think there was any chance that the Company of Three actually resided here, but it was the only lead they had. Clyde held out hope that this could be their salvation.

The two walked into the bar, removing the hoods they had worn to hide themselves. Behind the bar was a single man, rather bulky and with a large beard. Jason placed twenty pieces of gold on the table with a note. The man picked up the gold and read the note, then pointed to a metal door at the end of the room. The door appeared to be made of steel, possibly taken from an isolation chamber. Jason and Clyde walked towards the door quietly, and opened it.

The door led to the VIP room, where rumors stated The Company of Three stayed. In the center of the room was a white haired man mid-length hair smoking a cigar. He was dressed mostly in black, a large frock around him and black pants and shoes. Under the frock he wore a red collared shirt with black buttons. Next to his chair was a heavy crossbow and a quiver filled with bolts. In the back of the room, barely visible, was a room blocked off by curtains, where more 'illicit' purchases were made. On the far left was what appeared to be a tall man in a black cloak that wrapped around his entire body. His hair was long, black, reaching the ends of his shoulders on the sides. Jason and Clyde approached the man in the middle.

"Pardon sir, but we're looking for The Company of Three." Jason said.

The man tapped his cigar, shaking the ashes off the end. "You've found us." The man's voice was empty, as if he had no soul.

Clyde came closer to the man. "We need your help."

"Everyone needs our help, boy. This world is in great pain. Every world is in great pain."

"Yes, but we know how to stop it." Jason stepped in.

"Kill Viper and get the Twin Kings back on the throne, everyone knows."

"We are the Twin Kings, and we know how to get you to Viper."

The man opened his red eyes and looked at the young men. "So you are, and so you can. Alright, but I have a question."

"Anything."

"Where did Viper come from?"

The two were silent for several moments before Clyde spoke up. "When our father was still in power, we used an ancient spell to give me the power to slay any foe. I used the power to kill our father. After seven years of me repressing the urge to kill, the power made its own body."

The man's eyes opened wide in surprise, his cigar falling from his mouth. He quickly stood up and grabbed the two, pinning them to the wall by their necks. "YOU USED THE SPELL OF CONQUEST ETERNAL!? YOU FOOLS!" He spoke with great anger, and his voice boomed throughout the room.

Blood creeped from the corner of their mouths, and the two could barely breath. The man was significantly stronger than he looked. "Has to. . . stop. . . him. . . " With their words, the man dropped them, and they gasped for air. "It was all we could do. . . "

"And had you done nothing, the unrest would have stayed in Alba. Instead, because of your recklessness, all the worlds are experiencing something even worse." He looked down at the two. "But what's past is passed. You can make up for this by saving everyone. So then. . . COMPANY! PRESENT!" The tall man leaning against the wall appeared next to the white haired man. He unfurled his cape, revealing a white noble's garb, with a deep red inside his cape. His eyes were a deep amber, and his skin was paler than any human. "The Heretic Blood! Tsumi Ketsueki, a Dhampir, born of a widow and a vampire!" The curtains from the illicit room furled, and another man appeared in front of the twins. He wore a black leather straight jacket, with the right sleeve missing, and his left arm kept tight to his body. He had black slicked back hair, aside from a white lock left unkempt.On his back was a large sword, seeming to be made of dark purple flesh for the hilt, with an obsidian blade. "The Eyes of Hell! Blade-master Allen Oratorio Gomanti!" The man put his quiver on his back, and picked up the crossbow. "The Nightmare of Nightmares! Monster hunter A!"

The twins looked in awe at the powerful men before them. These were people who could change the world without hesitation, but simply didn't.

"From what you've said, the three of us won't be able to defeat Viper. The Company of Three must become The Company of Five. But the way you are, you won't stand a chance. We'll have to find something to make you much stronger."

"What could there possibly be?"

"An associate of a. . . lower circle, has offered us."