This is riddled with clichés. Simon is totally a rip-off of Vincent from FF7. I think this is from 2005...
Atrox City
Joshua Berube
Chapter One
The gods cried over Atrox City, their thick tears smacking down onto the hights of the skyscrapers and plummeted to the streets below. The puddles grew, pouted by rainbows, until they flooded the paper-clogged drains.
Over it all, perched on the massive clock of the Atrox Nation Bank, stood Simon. The blood like cloak he wore barely rippled in the weak, stagnant wind and sour smelling rain. As water dripped from his tangles of black hair, he stared out at nothing. Below him, he felt a dull rumble as the hands of the clock readjusted themselves. Smiling, he drew back from the edge and headed inside. He had a date to get to.
A fast series of thuds and flashing bursts of neon filled the massive nightclub. The bodies of patrons writhed together in formations that seemed more at home at the shady place down the street than on a dance floor. Simon stepped inside, brushing aside a casual warning from the bouncer. He forced his eyes to see through the flashing light, seeking one person. He spotted her, with some difficulty, trying to chase off a couple men in the corner. Moving towards them, he was able to pick up their conversation.
“I bet I can take this boyfriend of yours with one hand .” Their voices were slightly slurred and Simon quickly understood why the men’s swaying wasn’t even close to being in time with the music.
“What do you think, Simon?” The girl suddenly interjected. The men jumped, turned, and jumped again when the noticed Simon’s eyes.
Simon’s eyes were a vivid violet, a color so piercing that most people took one look at them and decided they had better places to be. Drunken men, it seemed were an exception.
“What are you? Some kind of...” The man’s voice trailed off.
“Careful, boys. I think you had better get going.” The girl almost sang, knowing they’d stay and get exactly what they deserved.
“.... Hell spawn?” The man had found the word. The wrong word, it turned out, as Simon stepped forward and shoved all of the men out of his way.
“Come on!” The girl’s voice was tinged with false disappointment. “I wanted to see blood...”
The girl was Eleanor or “Elli,” but only if you knew her well. She had a sort of half-goth look to her. She had hair so black it couldn’t be natural, and wasn’t, as well as pale blue eyes that seemed to light up when she was happy. She also happened to be seventeen, two years younger than Simon, but who was counting.
“Sorry, Elli. Joe at the door told me he would personally drag me out if I started any fights this time.”
Elli laughed. “Only you would know every bouncer in the city by first name.”
“Oh, I doubt that.” Elli looked at him for a moment, trying to figure out what he had said through the sound.
“It too loud in here, let's go somewhere else.” She grabbed her jacket and stood up.
“It’s raining out.”
“That’s never stopped us before.”
Chapter Two
Distant thunder boomed and that seemed to scare more raindrops out of the heavens. The renewed strength of the downpour sent a pair of men running. The first man was tall and lean with short frosted hair and a pair of silver rings around his head. His eyes shown with the color of gold. The second man towered over the first. They hurried out of the shelter and ducked under the police tape surrounding the entrance to a shady looking hotel.
“I’m not happy about this, Crudge.” He spoke quietly to the larger man. “The Slayer Project thinks it can just stick its nose into royal business.”
“Sadaj was royal business right up until he started killing people.” The speaker was a young woman, appearing to be in her early twenties, who had just stepped out of the building. “You must be the royals that we’ve been expecting.”
“I’m Alexander Zarcove.” The smaller of the two men offered his hand.
“Jezebel Sarrow.” The woman took it and looked over the man shoulder at his the large man. “Who are you?”
“That’s Crudge, my bodyguard. He doesn’t talk much.” Alexander thought for a moment. “Sarrow, eh? You wouldn’t happen to be related to a Simon, would you?”
“You know my worthless brother?”
“Yeah, he’s a friend of mine, actually.”
“Ah.” Jezebel turned and walked into the hotel. “Well, let me show you what we’re dealing with.” Alexander and Crudge followed her in. As soon as they crossed the threshold, Alexander shuddered. There was an lingering energy to the air and a pale smell of death. They walked up a set of stairs, carefully avoiding the slicked parts of the upper stairs. When they reached the top, Alexander’s stomach dropped back down. A pair of young women were sprawled out on the ground. Their faces were twisted into a horrifying expression of fear and from their battered bodies ran the red rivers that had slicked some of the stairs.
“Magic.” Alexander’s voice was firm, there was no doubt.
“We thought so.” Jezebel turned from the grim carnage and looked at Alexander. “Any idea what spell?”
“I think so.” Alexander carefully leaned in to inspect one of the bodies. Sure enough, he found oozing slits in her skin and bruises around her neck. “Ira. This is defiantly Sadaj’s handiwork.”
“I was only given a limited briefing on this guy. How much do you know about him?”
“I met him a couple times.” Alexander shook his head, never before had the nine years seemed quite so long. “He was a member of a fallen royal family and his father was obsessed with returning his family to pure-blood.”
“Isn’t that impossible?” Jezebel, Alexander, and Crudge had left the building now and were standing outside on the steps.
“As far as we know, yes. That didn’t stop his father from trying every experiment he could think of, though. He even went so far as to graft a spell to Sadaj’s arm.”
“The ‘Ira’ spell, right? That’s the big thing we were warned about.” Jezebel turned to address a paramedic who had come over to speech with her. Nodding she turned back to the other two. “Our victims have been proven to half-bloods and that means we can tie this back to Sadaj. I think that’s all I need to get access to the royals' files on him. I’ll come by to look at them tomorrow.”
“If you’re sure you’ve got the stomach for it,” Alexander muttered as he walked away.
Chapter Three
Sighing heavily, Alexander stepped into one of his favorite bars once Crudge cleared the doorway. He was hoping to quietly get a couple drinks and be on his way but the bartender spotted him.
“Oi! Alexander! That kid of yours just came in here looking for you. He’s waiting in your booth.” The booth wasn’t actually Alexander's but it was specially designed so that people could speak without being overheard. There was even a seat specially positioned so that a bodyguard could sit in it and see everyone in the bar. Crudge, however, remained standing as Alexander slid into a seat.
“Well, if it isn’t ‘that kid of mine.’ Good evening, Simon.” Alexander smiled at the booth’s other customer. “How did your date go this evening?”
“I’m only two years younger than you,” Simon muttered.
“You’re also on my payroll and have proven yourself to be in need of guidance.”
“Come on now! I’ve been clean for nearly a year!”
“That you have.” The bartender came to the booth then, asking about drinks. Simon ordered a soda while Alexander simply asked for something strong. “So, Simon, why did you come looking for me?” He asked only to be polite. Simon would want to know about the Sadaj case.
“Well, I heard that there was another attack. I just wanted to know if I should be worried about-”
“Eleanor?” Simon nodded and Alexander regretfully continued. “I can’t say for sure how safe she is, as she is a half-blood.” Alexander paused again as the bartender returned with the drinks. “Actually, Simon, I was wondering if you wanted a raise.”
“You’re actually going to let me help with this case? What changed your mind?” Quickly, Alexander detailed the latest attack.
“So now I’ve got a Slayer Project Agent working with me.” Swishing the liquid in his glass for a moment, Alexander gave in and sent it down in one sip. Simon knew what that meant.
“And this agent wants to see the old records.” Alexander nodded. “Which agent is it, anyway?”
“Funny you should ask,” Alexander’s lips played with the idea of a smile. “I think you know her. She’s fairly young, goes by the name of Jezebel.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Wouldn’t dare.” Simon’s face turned several shades of pale. “Come on, Simon. She can’t still be angry with you. She hasn’t heard from you since you cleaned up, right? She’ll be physiqued to see that you’re not on the streets anymore.”
“You obviously haven’t spent much time with her. Jezebel holds grudges better than Crudge here holds his tongue.”
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