15 All Hail the King! (1/2)

Ed and Mordy reached the location of the collapsed building where they had met Quake. They waited for close to an hour before he showed up.

”Yo! Glad you guys made it!” Quake smiled and waved.

Ed and Mordy waited for Quake to get close. Once he got close enough they both glanced at each other and nodded. Mordy shot a rain of acid into the air towards Quake. Quake frowned as he quickly backed up. Ed used his powers to melt the ground behind Quake, which caused him to sink into it. Ed quickly solidified the ground to trap him.

Quake now only had his head above the ground. Ed walked near him and aimed his gun at a nearby building. *Boom!* A lead bullet shattered a window of the building. Ed loaded another bullet and aimed at Quakes head. ”Tell us what we want to know, and a bullet won't go through your brain!”

Quake panicked for a second, but quickly calmed down. ”Sure. Ask away!” He smiled.

”How did your king unite all the espers here?” Ed questioned. ”Also, how did he manage to prevent World Walker from picking us up?”

”I'm afraid I can't answer your first question. As for the 2nd question... I have no idea what you're talking about!” Quake grinned. ”I've answered 100% honestly. Please keep your word and let me go now.”

”Stop fucking around!” Mordy yelled and whacked him with the pipe he carried. ”How the hell is that supposed to be an answer?!”

”Ugh!” Quake groaned as the pipe slammed into his head. Some blood poured from the side where the pipe hit him.

Ed frowned. ”What do you mean when you say you can't answer us?”

”The king ordered not to say a word about it!” Quake answered. ”I can't tell you even if I want to. Now then…” The ground started to shake. Large cracks appeared in the road. Ed and Mordy stumbled backwards as Quake easily climbed above ground. ”Will you come with me to meet the king now?”

Ed and Mordy glanced at each other and nodded.

…

Ed and Mordy followed Quake through the city. They soon reached the former city hall. Quake led them into the mayor's office. They saw a large leather chair and expensive wooden desk. The chair wasn't facing them, but they could see a golden crown atop a pale head. An old granny was standing next to the king. Her face was covered in wrinkles and her gray hair was wrapped in a bun. The chair slowly turned around…

”Jarrod?!” Ed and Mordy yelled in shock.

”Hey guys!” Jarrod smiled. ”Long time no see. It's been what, three days?”

”I thought you took a mission?” Mordy questioned. ”What are you doing here? How did you become these esper's king in a mere three days?!”

”Two days actually.” Jarrod nodded. ”The first day was a living hell…” Jarrod glanced at the old granny standing next to him.

The granny spoke in a hoarse screechy voice, ”Hello brats. You may call be Luny.”

Ed glanced at Jarrod. ”She is…?” He questioned.

”Right. I figured you wouldn't know.” Jarrod nodded. ”Allow me to explain how my life has changed over the past three days. It all started when Stone knocked us out… World Walker didn't want a useless esper like me in his entourage. So, he sent me to Luny. She was here in Reef city looking for new espers...” Jarrod turned to Luny and smiled, ”Please explain the situation to them.”

”Okay.” Luny nodded and stepped forward. ”I was one of the very first espers in this world. I've been in many organizations during my lifetime. I create potions and other necessary items these groups need.” She smiled. ”In exchange, they provide me with the research specimens I require. Jarrod here is one of my latest subjects.”

”Subject?!” Ed and Mordy questioned. They glanced between Jarrod and Luny.

”Right!” Luny nodded. ”World Walker sent Jarrod to me to be my test subject. I specialize in the field of 2nd awakenings.”

”2nd awakenings?” Mordy questioned.

”Don't interrupt!” Luny yelled with red eyes. Then she continued as if nothing had happened. ”There is a secret amongst stronger espers. It is the 2nd awakening. It is a very strange phenomenon that can drastically change an esper's powers.”

”Cut to the point!” Mordy frowned.

”If you interrupt me one more time I'll kill you!” Luny threw a blue vial towards Mordy. He didn't manage to block it and it exploded in front of him. A blue goo covered his mouth and prevented him from speaking.

”Now then…” Luny continued. ”2nd awakenings… I've researched them most my life. I've managed to discover two ways to instigate a 2nd awakening. The 1st method is just like when a human first becomes an esper. However, it requires a much more extreme amount of emotion. The 2nd method usually has weaker results, but is much safer. I cut open an esper's head and perform surgery on their mana-core. I grind away the six weaker elements from it. Once I've removed as much as I can, then I take mana-cores from mutants and grind them up. I take the appropriate element and patch the esper's mana-core. Nice and safe!”

Ed's eyes widened, and his body trembled in fear. He didn't dare speak, but screamed internally, 'Safe?! How the hell is that safe? This Luny is completely Loony!'

Luny placed a hand on Jarrod's shoulder. ”This has been my greatest success so far!” She looked towards Jarrod with loving eyes. ”I used the 2nd method and his powers changed far beyond my expectations! You must understand, the mortality rate is 99.7% using the 1st method and 70% using the 2nd! Even when I succeed, the results are usually powers that have barely improved!” Luny started laughing, ”Gahahaha! This boy though! The surgery went perfectly!”

”Right.” Jarrod nodded. ”My power is no longer lust. I've named my new power as king.”

”King?” Ed questioned. Mordy stared quietly since the goo covered his face.

”Right.” Jarrod smiled and pushed up his glasses. ”My mana increased tremendously after the surgery. I can't be compared to ordinary new espers like you two anymore. As for my power… I can form a king's symbol on any esper to make them my loyal subject. They're 100% loyal to me and each other. With Luny's help it was quite easy to conquer all the newly awakened espers in Reef city.”

Ed glanced behind him at Quake. Upon careful examination, he saw the symbol of a crown on his left hand. Ed looked towards Luny and saw a crown on her left hand as well. His eyes widened in surprise. He turned towards Jarrod and spoke, ”Isn't your power just the same as Jessica's now?”

”Hmph!” Jarrod snorted. ”How can I be compared to trash like her. She brainwashes puppets that need orders to do anything. They also lose all growth potential. My subjects retain their individuality and can grow stronger. There is no comparison!”

”I see…” Ed nodded. ”So, you put Luny under your control?”

”Of course.” Jarrod smiled. ”I can't let a valuable resource like her go to waste. As for World Walker…”