Legacy Super-Zero Quest

Corinne sighed and gritted her teeth "Alright, what are you two planning?".

"Well, probably not anything that should be discussed in public," Totenblut hissed beneath her grin, as some private detective or another walked through the door for a coffee. "Why not somewhere a bit less crowded?".

She, pulling out a dark umbrella despite the lack of rain, and Rouge swiftly led Corinne out and around into a dusty alleyway, cracked bricks and rusted cans surrounding them. "Good, now a little demonstration, if it'll illuminate things".

At Totenblut's glance, Rouge-Garou removed a glove and held out her hand. Licking her lips, Totenblut bore her fangs and bit into Rouge's palm, blood staining her teeth.

Corinne stood back "Y-you're vampires?" she exclaimed, her breathing intensifying "What, are you planning to make him into one of your ghouls or whatever?".

"Oh calm yourself, mortal," Totenblut simply said, before with a turn of her head correcting "I am only the vampire you see before you, and we have no intent to harm you. Bad for your image after all to just kill and devour indiscriminately, gets quite a target painted on you. As for Rouge, well, she's..."

"It's okay," Rouge then spoke up "I do not mind her knowing, I doubt she could bring harm to us", with her removing her hood and moving her cape to reveal a set of furry ears and a large, bushy tail.

At the sight of this, Corinne simply slumped and sat down on a back alley doorstep "You're some sort of... wolf-girl? Werewolf? I mean like, I knew this city was strange and all, but I thought everything was rooted in some sort of science or another" she groaned.

"Well, we clearly exist, so does that not therefore make us 'scientific'?" Totenblut smirked, before going on to clarify "Yes, a werewolf, and this is a more restrained Rouge too. But to business, right now we have no desire to make this dead man of yours my thrall, we're simply here to fulfil what you ask. Although," she had to admit "While I could bring him back longer, a half-life as a ghoul is... hardly ideal, to put it mildly, but we can easily give him the chance to say one last goodbye to his family".

Corinne wasn't quite sure how to process this, Sounds awfully kind of them, all too kind, she thought. "Yeah, but what's in this for you? What makes me so special when there'd be a bigger demand to revive that Bruiser Buck guy, find out his killer?"

"Ugh, don't put yourself, insecurity's not a good look," Totenblut narrowed her eyes "Besides, we don't need to reanimate this Bruiser Buck to find out who killed him. To us European supers, his murderer was never any mystery," she said, with another smirk and a fold of her arms "No, new and inexperienced capes are of far more interest to us than the heavier hitters, Rouge and I have been around so long that we need the young to make us still feel alive, hmhm".

"I perhaps would not put things as bluntly as Lady Totenblut" Rouge did speak up, something of a blush appearing on her pale cheeks.

"Okay, but look, can't I at least tell Midway's widow about all this first?" Corinne stood up and said, her nerves on edge. "If we're gonna try a stunt like this, shouldn't we at least get her approval?".

"Ah, why of course," Totenblut smiled "We never meant to suggest otherwise".

"Alright, thank you" Corinne breathed out, feeling relieved. Now I just have to find where Midway's widow even is.


Corinne tried keeping her search for the widow to Noxville as, other than Ophiuchus' hospital, it'd been the only place she'd seen her. Think I can rule out Malicetown, I considered checking around the Trio's old lair, but I think Midway and his widow were kinda on ice, she surmised.

Corinne then thought of tracking down the former Musclemoiselle, Ryan Torrance she remember her name being, since she was the only other person she knew who'd worked that closely with Midway, well her and Master Funhouse, but she was in no mood right now to check on him in whichever prison he'd been placed in.

Figuring that, if Ryan was still out of jail herself, then there'd be only two places she'd likely be, Corinne headed over to the closest of these.
A ring of chalk scratched out in the middle of a nearby park in Noxville, and not the nicest-looking park either, being strewn with vines, Venus flytraps and a tough-looking crowd huddled around this ring, cheering something on.

So, this is that fighting tournament I saw on that flier, Corinne thought, making her way up the nearby rooftops to get a good enough view without having to pay any admission fee. From here, she could see two fighters circling each other in the centre of the ring, one a scowling guy with blue-tinged white hair despite his age, having what looked like a moth mask on and wearing an aurora-patterned coat, and carrying around something like a flamethrower, though no heat was coming out of it.

His opponent Corinne took a second or two to recognise, being a bobbed reddish-orange-haired young woman wearing black pants and a tank top that left her well-toned physique exposed.
Ah, there you are Mus- er, Ryan, Corinne thought, almost didn't recognise you without your circus makeup and hair dye, you look... normal otherwise. Well, aside from your muscles, natch.

The white-haired guy blasted not fire but snow from out of his 'flamethrower', covering the makeshift arena and able to reflect a shining light off of it, forcing the gathered crowd to cover their eyes. This guy can weaponise snow blindness? Corinne thought, as even she had to at least squint at this distance.

One advantage to Ryan's strength was that her eyes were able to push through the glare of the reflective snow, with her kicking back the snow with a single sweeping kick. She then leapt up onto a nearby tree and pushed herself off it to jump even higher, and as her opponent readied his snow-machine to fire up at Ryan, she from a somersault delivered a flying kick straight down at him, plunging into his stomach and knocking him to the ground.

With a ring of a bell, the fight promptly ended, the tough-looking crowd gathering around Ryan to cheer, while her beaten opponent skulked away. "Grr, she got lucky 'cause this was a one-on-one fight," Corinne could hear him snarling, his fist shaking "Were Dancer Dark with me, that girl would've stood no chance. Plus, Noxville's way too shrouded for to use my reflective snow, and we shoulda been hunting down that killer- Ah screw it, I'm makin' excuses," he sighed, skulking off into the darkness.

There finally being a break in the crowd for her to go up and talk to Ryan, Corinne made her way down and over. "Hey, Ryan!" she called out, smiling "So uh, who was that jerk?".

"Libra- um, Corinne?" Ryan, the former Musclemoiselle, asked, before saying "Oh, him? Calls himself 'Frostbright', but that's all I cared to find out. Er anyway, how did you find me here, like were you just passin' through, or were you intentionally looking for me?".

"Simple. With you liking to show off your strength, I figured you'd be in either one of two places I knew of. The Everguards wrestling stable was the other place I thought of, but this was closer, and hey looks like I got lucky," Corinne said with a grin. "Er, I take it you're no longer Musclemoiselle?".

"What? Hell no, I'm not going back to that name," Ryan flinched, before saying "Did take some time figuring what to call myself now, like I vaguely remembered 'Fugue' was a word for flight. Ah, not that I can fly, but my strength lets me leap real far, like a luchador or something, so yeah, I'm Fugue now. Way shorter too" she grinned.

"Right, although um, I'm gonna have o ask you some more about your past-" Corinne began, but got cut off.

"Fine, okay then, what?" Ryan, now Fugue, snarled upon hearing that.

"Oh, it's just that I needed to ask you about Mr. Midway" Corinne said, beckoning Fugue behind a tree for privacy.

"What, Mark? Huh, well nice to see someone still cares about him," Fugue sighed "Was worried he'd go unremembered, now that he's gone. Hey that's alright, and good that you're not askin' me about Grimaldi, I don't wanna even think about him now".

"Specifically, I wanted to ask how much you knew about his widow?" Corinne said, straining to admit "I was basically the one who killed him, so I thought the right thing to do was come clean and tell her".

"Hah, aren't you just precious?" Fugue had to stifle a laugh, before clearing her throat and saying "Hey Corey, the guy was trying to kill you, don't beat yourself up for acting in self-defence, you're not some monster. Hell, I tried to kill you just for getting in my way, so I'm the monster if anyone is.
Hmm, not know much about his widow, Mark wasn't all too comfortable talking 'bout her, they would've been going through some real rough times, we all were. Let's see, I know her name's Eileen, her kid and her have a flat in one of the more 'presentable' parts of Noxville, that's 'bout it".

"I see, still, I can work with that," Corinne nodded, but then asked "What about the Hepcat Gang? I do know Midway was in their debt, and that Eileen was being hounded by them".

"Pfft, you don't need me to tell you about the Hepcat Gang, any loser in this town could give you the lowdown on them. Vitamin 4X dealers, operate out of the Hot Tin Roof 'Jazz Club', leader's some guy named Hippodrome. Some conspiracy loudmouths will tell ya they're just the Noxville branch of a world-spanning, 4X-dealing Syndicate, but eh. Only reason nobody's squished them yet is they've got the police in their pockets, oh and 4X, unstable as it is, giving their clients superpowers, that too" Fugue hissed out.

"Thank you, that helps a great deal," Corinne thanked her, taking all of that in.

"Hey, don't sweat it" Fugue giggled.

[ ] Remember to ask Fugue to help you take out the Hepcats sometime.
[ ] No, someone a bit more subtle might be more help with any Hepcats.
[ ] Write-in.


A phone directory could've let Corinne call up Eileen Columbus, but she decided she ought to do ask her in person if anything.

Having donned her Libraria outfit, thinking Eileen would respond more positively to the one who'd saved her the other night, it didn't take long wandering around Noxville's snazzier neighbourhoods to spot the red-jacketed woman, walking her black-haired, pig-tailed daughter home from school.

"Excuse me, ma'am" Libraria spoke, trying to sound professional.

Eileen and her daughter was startled for a second, but were then relieved when they saw who it was. "Ah, you're Libraria! Th-thank you for rescuing me the other night, I've told my daughter all about you".

"Yeah, you look kinda like some teacher, but you're way cooler than any of my teachers" her daughter spoke out.

Corinne had to blush under her face-mask, but said "Oh, thank you, I see. Er, listen, Miss Columbus, I do need to talk with you, and um, I'm not sure how your daughter will take this" Whew, thank G-d that Super-Spotlight thing on me hasn't aired yet, would've made this even more awkward than it already is.

Eileen was taken aback, but she quickly regained herself and said "I understand, this must be serious. Belinda, I'll have to ask you to run home for now".

The young Belinda's jaw dropped "B-but Mum, I wanna hear what the superhero was gonna say- Oh, fine" she grumbled, stomping back to her house.

Eileen looked gravely at Libraria, making the hero hesitate in just what to say. "Look, I know your husband, Mr. Midway, recently passed," she finally said, removing her mask to show herself as Corinne "I, I was offered a deal that could bring him back to you. Well, only briefly, but at least you'd be able to say a proper goodbye. Thought you had the right to hear about this".

Corinne's words sinking in, Eileen at first didn't know what to say, but then her eyes narrowed and she said "Look, call it off, whatever it is. Oh I know there are ways of bringing back the dead or whatever you call it, but Mark suffered enough indignities in life, I won't just watch him be profaned in death!" she almost lost control of herself.

Knew this wouldn't work, Corinne thought, muttering "I'm sorry" And I haven't even brought myself to tell her the worst part.

"No no, I should apologise" Eileen said instead, her aggression fading "It's just, I've been so stressed recently, what with Mark's debts and now his, his death. I'm just worried sick for Belinda, that's all, I mean I can't defend myself against common criminals, let alone superpowered ones. I even thought of taking 4X, just to able to protect her, and there's the rent on top of everything".

"Look, that gang will be dealt with soon, there's more than enough heroes here to take them on" Corinne tried to comfort her.

"Oh sure, that's what people keep telling me" Eileen huffed.

[ ] Try to convince Eileen to agree to Midway being brought back, maybe you just need to word it better.
[ ] Go back and straight-up tell Totenblut that this isn't gonna happen.
[ ] If Eileen's desperate enough to try 4X, would she be willing to receive vampire powers from Totenblut?
[ ] If Eileen's desperate enough to try 4X, would she be willing to receive werewolf powers from Rouge-Garou?
[ ] Once you're back at work, try to get Arachne to install some real security around Eileen's apartment
[ ] Head after those Hepcats first thing.
[ ] Maybe now hunt that killer, sounds like Eileen could use some of the reward money?
[ ] Write-in.

"You will?" Eileen gasped, before nodding and saying with quivering tones "Oh thank you, but really, I hope I'm not asking too much of you-".

"Well, it's likely I was gonna get tangled up in the gang's activities anyway, the turf they've carved out's not too far from where I live," Corinne told her, putting her Libraria mask back on "And I can't just stand by and do nothing, when I know other people are being targeted".
Neither woman knew what to say next, but biting her lip and drawing in her breath, Libraria figured she should finally tell Eileen about her husband's death, Even if I don't, she'll probably put two and two together once that Spotlight Special comes on.

"Also, Miss Columbus, to clarify..." Libraria began, her throat nearly seizing up as she tried to say more "I-I was there when your husband died. He, he fell off a roof, and was then ran over by one of his own inventions".

Eileen froze, but then managed to say "I see. I'll admit, I had concerns about him fiddling around with gadgets too much. I mean, it was quaint and charming when he was just a fairground mechanic, especially when he made little trinkets for Belinda and I, but he just kept getting more and more carried away.
But wait, wouldn't you have some sort of power, why weren't you able to save him?" Eileen then asked, making Libraria flinch.

"Well, really I'm just a masked vigilante," Libraria said at first, A fair few in Noxville are, or maybe she tries not to hang around with the rougher types. "I've got some special tech a friend or two gave me, and I'm quite in shape and knowledgeable, but that's about it, really. Also..."
She tried to talk further, but with her whole body shaking, she collapsed to her knees before any further words could come out "I was the one who pushed him off that roof!" She burst out all at once, cradling in her head in her hands "I--I just wasn't thinking, I'd never even stopped to think that I- I could kill someone!".

Eileen, to Libraria's surprise, then bent down her to slowly help her back up. "It's, well, it's understandable," Eileen may've then said, yet she sighed "I was beginning to get suspicious anyway, at least that there was something important you weren't fully telling me, and I-"
She stopped, a burning snarl forming on her face before she strained to return to a normal expression "Look, that you came straight to me and outright said you were responsible for, for this, and not trying to taunt me or the like. I can't call that anything any real merciless killer would ever do" she admitted, giving a weak smile "Besides, it's not like I could turn you in to the Noxville Police anyway, knowing their sort".

Libraria gasped with relief "Th-thank you, Mrs. Columbus, I- I won't let you down".

"It'd be Ms. Phair again now, to be exact," Eileen corrected "But, I'm grateful, even if, much as I want them gone, I can't say that getting rid of the Hepcats wouldn't just switch them out with some other gang.
Oh, Libraria, from what you said, didn't you have a deal with a necromancer of some sort? I have to wonder what you'll tell them now" Eileen brought up.

"Ugh, with a vampire, and yeah, no idea what I'm gonna tell her now," Libraria groaned, also saying "Yeah, I can tell that about those Hepcats. Still, even if some hydra head will just pop out again when I cut this one off, doesn't mean we should put up with having them around, right?".

"No, of course not" Eileen gave a mild laugh.


The two parted soon after, but as Libraria scurried across the rooftops, she couldn't help but think, is what Eileen said true, is my lack of real powers just holding me back? Yeah, I know there's plenty of pulpy, powerless heroes, but... they tend to have more experience under their belts than just a high-school level education. I know 4X gives powers, but from what I know they're completely random, and I don't need another addiction, well, other that some caffeine anyway, but that's different.

She tried texting Josephine, as Libraria knew that an effective way to get rid of a gang was to track down where all their money came from, and an AI should, hopefully, be good at scrummaging up their transactions. My first plan of action was little more than sneaking into the Hot Tin roof and punching Hippodrome's lights out, but I was still fired up then, Libraria thought, probably pays to be a little less gung-ho.

-Holo-Girl, you there? - Libraria texted. She was stuck waiting a while, using that time to search up anything she could about Vitamin 4X. Unfortunately most of the information she found was classified, but she was at least able to gather that it was the latest refinement of Vitamin 2X, whose history went back to WWII, and it was harvested from the sting of the Sarcophagus Beetle, a species she actually recognised from Biology class. Namely, that it was a type of beetle thought long extinct, until specimens were again discovered.

After a little while, she did eventually get a reply in -Hiya Corey, wow didn't expect ya to be phonin' up little ol' me anytime soon. Oh ace, you're using my code-name! Wait, this mean that there's already some villain or other out and about? -.

-These guys've been out and about for quite a while- Libraria told her, -Listen, you know Noxville's Hepcat gang? They're fairly infamous, was hoping you'd been able to track down any transactions they've made. Meanwhile, I'm heading after their suppliers-.

-Alright, that all? Yep, on it, ma'am! - Josephine rather enthusiastically replied, though Libraria felt by now she was like that with anything.

That's that taken care of, but what am I gonna tell Deadblood? Libraria thought as she hung up. She wouldn't have long to think of an answer, as while she was texting, two familiar figures had stepped onto this roof from out of the shadows.

"Corinne, greetings!" Totenblut flashed a toothy grin, "So, what did our widow have to say?".

Libraria gritted her teeth, "Deal's off, that's what" she said frank. "Bringing her husband back as a ghoul to her, if only briefly, would just crush whatever dignity in death he had".

"Oh, a spoilsport!" Totenblut sneered, but then put "Well, back to square one for us. At least all Rouge and I have wasted is our time, and we're immortal so we have more than enough of that".

"However, I have thought of something else you could help me with," Libraria was quick to fill in, "Take it Noxville would've told you of the Hepcat Gang, right? The drug they deal comes from a North African beetle, and with the Goldenguise Airport being way too high-profile, they probably get their supply from the Noxville airship docks".

"Oh, you want us take out some drug-dealers?" Totenblut didn't need to be told, her then bursting out laughing, "Why, how girl-scout that'd be of us! Dealers typically don't get high off their own supply, so there's at least some good eating on their blood, and as luck would have it," she grinned "We've already been contracted by a gang who'd love nothing more than to see the Hepcats out of the picture".

Libraria winced, another gang looking to take over was exactly what she'd feared. "And who is this gang of yours?" she didn't stop to ask.

"'Gang of mine'? Ohoho, yes and no, Rouge and I have worked with them, but we just have an 'arrangement' with them, we have no plans of shackling ourselves to anyone," Totenblut put a thin had to her lips and giggled "We're not just gonna give their name away to you though, we are professionals after all".

"It should be said," Rouge-Garou spoke up "That their leader, the one we're working for, not Hippodrome of course, well... He'd get mad if you called his gang a gang. He's always seen himself as more, way more, that that".

"Ah, no need to worry, Rouge. Dear Leader's head is firmly in the clouds I'd say," Totenblut smiled and put her hand on Rouge's shoulder "I've lived long enough to see many poor fools' delusions of grandeur come crashing down on them.
Well Libraria, the Noxville Skydocks did you say?" Totenblut asked to confirm.


Noxville's Skyharbour, separated from the rest of town by a short brick tunnel, replaced the usual gothic rails and turrets of the borough with large warehouses and cargo-holds that looked more like giant, rusted tin cans. Unlike the usually eco-friendly Skyline Moderne, the place was choked by fumes, and everything was bathed in the dim yellow glow of the flickering streetlamps.

The warehouses though were still dwarfed by the cargo vessels chained to the piers, once said ships became visible as the low-lying clouds parted. These airships were hulking, inelegant vessels of copper and diesel stains, with a series of smokestack-like towers on their backs and sharp, jutting prows.

At least one of them had to be carrying a drug shipment, but at this time of day the docks weren't too active, with most of the other people there being some burly sky-sailors on break, space-sailors possibly, given that Libraria could spot some Venusian bug-men among them, and a detective or two likely investigating someone's cheating spouse. Only other thing here that caught Libraria's eyes was a neon hologram, quite a sight against all this brown and yellow, advertising a cabaret showgirl called 'Fancy Rat' dancing around some sort of portal, who would be performing later at, this part really getting her attention, the Hot Tin Roof.

Still waiting for any sign of the Hepcats, the three sat by a kiosk to chow down on some of newspaper-wrapped fish, the exact species not specified, and chips in the meantime. Well, Libraria and Rouge did anyway, whereas Totenblut took one look at all the grease and decided she'd be better off hunting after some local pests for their blood instead.

While sitting and waiting, Corinne was approached by by a woman with pink hair in loveheart-clipped tails, wearing a fluffed-up feather jacket, black shorts and covered in fishnets. "Well hey there, believe I've seen ya on that broadcast they do. You go by Libraria, don'tcha doll?" she giggled, her voice deeper than what age her looks would suggest.

Libraria blushed, unsure how to respond, and seething upon hearing she'd missed her own Super-Spotlight-Special. "You'd be correct, I am Libraria" she stated.

"My my, aren't I lucky? So, tell me doll, what's a rising star like you doing down here for; on the lookout for some ne'er-do-wells I take it? Good to see you're making somethin' of your life I guess, but not like I don't have my own fun though," this girl smirked, fiddling with her burnt-out cigarette "Call me Zoanne, by the way".

"On the lookout for the Hepcat Gang, matter of fact" Libraria was quick to reply.

"Oh my, you don't mess around, do you? Well dearie, you'll find them gathered most days around Wharf 9, though they like to get a cop to patrol the port to watch out for anyone else muscling in to their affairs. I'm not too proud to say that I've offered my own... services to them in the past, they pay well at least" Zoanne drawled on.

"Services?" Libraria picked up on "What, like drug-running, heists, hitjobs?" she gasped.

Zoanne couldn't help but be amused by this "My, you do have quite the imagination. No, nothing so cloak and dagger, just a few... favours".

Libraria blushed a deep red under her mask "Oh, okay, you'd be a sex worker. that, um, would've been my next guess".

Zoanne looked Libraria right in the eyes and smiled "Perceptive, or maybe just quick to judge? But you're right, got in it one," she leaned back as she put her legs up on an empty stool "It's okay though, some of the men I meet in my line of work aren't so bad. I handle my own accounts too, so my job has a lot more maths than you'd expect. So then, Libraria," she then handed over a loveheart-studded business card "Now that you bring it up, lucky you, my schedule's free for the rest of the day. I should say up front, most of my experience is with men, but it pays to keep your options open. Besides, I have quite the thing for librarian types, and latex seals the deal" she then purred.

(Note: Not being a Mature-rated Quest, saying yes will mean a fade-to-black)
[ ] Yes, yes. "Yeah sure, I'll just finish my stakeout first."
[ ] "I'm a bit occupied right now, but I wouldn't mind meeting up later"
[ ] "No thanks, b-but it's not you, it's me."
[ ] "No thanks, I've... never really been that attracted to anyone, I confess."
[ ] Write-in.

"Alright then. By the way, who're the other two girls you're with?" Zoanne asked, "They've sure got some striking goth fashions, and the pale brunette's making me jealous honestly".

"Oh, Deadblooded and Rouge," Libraria groaned "They're just helping me with the Hepcats, I'm... not sure whether you'd call them heroes or villains, don't know that much about them. Probably save you a headache if you stayed away from them, else they drink your blood" she whispered to Zoanne, remembering that Rouge-Garou was sitting right by them.

"Ooh, sounds kinky" Zoanne giggled.

It was at that moment too that Totenblut promptly reappeared "Rouge, Libraria, I've tracked down those zoot-suited 'gents' at the other end of the harbour. So, I take it we have a plan?" she asked, before having a closer look at Zoanne "Hmm, so who's your friend here, Libraria?"

"Huh? Oh Zoanne, she's-" Libraria tried to explain.

"It's okay, Libraria, I should probably get going now. If a fight's about t break out, civilians like me should be standing a safe distance away" Zoanne said, picking up her purse to go.

Ah right, the plan...
(Multiple votes allowed, as long as they intersect)
[ ] "Let's hide behind some crates, see what they're planning first."
[ ] "Heard they've bribed a cop to patrol around here, we should probably deal with him first."
[ ] "Let's jump out and ambush them, if we can."
[ ] "We'll lose them, but how about we uncouple the supply airship from the docks, sending them off?"
[ ] "Actually Zoanne, er, I don't mean to involve civilians, but you could distract those gangsters."
[ ] "Actually Zoanne, er, I don't mean to involve civilians, but you could distract that cop."
[ ] Write-in.

(QM's Note: By the way, Legacy Super-Zero Quest should now be, wordcount-wise, my longest-running Quest, having surpassed the 30K mark set by Mahou Ronin Sachiko!)

"Indeed, we hardly need a bought cop prying in. When he's furthest away from that pier on his patrol, Rouge can jump him, she'll be more than enough to take him down," Totenblut grinned "It'd be a poor-showing on our part if we left that cop for you, risk turning the police against you".

Rouge was nodding in complicity, but Corinne however had to speak up.
"I appreciate the kindness but, well, since we're going against this gang anyway, the cops being in their pocket means I risk them coming after me, or at least me as Libraria, either way," Libraria said "Still, first things first".

Libraria started sneaking over towards the crates by the pier, Totenblut taking the particularly vampiric approach of transforming into a bat to hide beneath a lamp-post above her. Listening in to what exactly the Hepcats down at the docks were saying however had another complication, that they mostly spoke in a jargon-heavy thieves' code that Libraria could only make a few words out of, her Linguistic classes coming surprisingly in use here.

What little she could pick up on however was very telling, as the co-ordinates the zoot-suited gang members brought up when talking amongst each other sounded to her like points on a street-map, hopefully the location of their warehouse or wherever their supply was stashed. Huh, from out among the members, she even spotted two who looked vaguely like the goons she'd run into on her first night.

They naturally danced around the name of whoever their supplier was, from what Libraria heard. just a muffled references to 'The Company' they were dealing with, her thinking, so some corrupt pharmaceutical company I take it?
A box she could spy getting carried down off the ship would seem to indicate that this company was in fact... Potion Power, the chemical lab up in Sciencity? No wait, these guys know they're doing something illegal, so why would they display their own logo? Maybe it's someone else, attempting to frame Potion Power?
Libraria quickly checked her phone's internet for info on any rivals to Potion Power, keeping her phone's light turned down to not give herself away. In each article that came up, the name 'Paracelsus Pharmaceuticals' was listed as Potion Power's most frequent competitor, and while Paracelsus had far more influence worldwide, unlike Potion Power they'd turned down the chance to set up shop in Skyline Moderne, being uncomfortable with the city's government intervening much more in corporate affairs.

Gang members didn't tend to be exactly all buddy-buddy, so it wasn't much of a surprise when the zoot suits broke out into an argument about, from what she could make from their accents and slang, something about payment and most of the money going to the boss and his moll.
While this was going on, Libraria slowly inched the edge of the pier to swipe a booklet she'd spotted atop the crate. Sure enough, it was their shipping manifest written down, presumably on something physical so it couldn't get traced through the Internet.

She'd stole it just at the right time too, as only a second later a loud yelling and howling broke out right where Rouge-Garou had headed off to confront that policeman. Rouge's claws at come clashing the cop's baton, said cop having attempted a blow to her stomach. With her free hand Rouge slashed right at that cop's face, only for him to stumble back and then, for some reason, grab a nearby dockworker. Why he did that was soon made clear, as he was able to make said dockworker burst into flames with but a touch, before picking him up and throwing him at Rouge in retaliation.

"What in the hell- That 4X's already kickin' in for him?!" one of the Hepcats spoke up in response "Shoot, we'd better skedaddle, we've already got the stuff!".
However, the bat Totenblut promptly swooped down and slashed at this gangster's face, before taking them all by surprise when, in a cloud of mist, she transformed back into her human form and bit right into that gangster's neck.

A quick look she shot back at suggested, well Libraria assumed so anyway, that the girl vampire had got this and Libraria better take this chance to maker her escape. Well, Totenblut and Rouge say they've been around a long while, so figures they'd know what they're doing, Libraria thought, before steeping her way back into the shadows.

As if on cue, Rouge sent the cop hurtling back by delivering a clawed uppercut to his jaw, leaving him sprawled out right by the Hepcats. Libraria, looking behind, could see this cop's face looked like none other the very same guy she'd met at the police station desk, when she'd first heard about the Big Top Trio.
Guess this guy couldn't be satisfied with office work, she thought with a snarl. His glowing red eyes could well be another giveaway that he was a 4X taker.

That cop however soon got up, turned to the nearest gangster and said "Well now, I've got just the job for you". Grabbing him, the goon was set on fire by the cop's touch, who again threw him straight at Rouge. She tried to swipe the burning gangster off with her claws, pushing him over the pier into water below, but not without having to put out the flames that'd now spread to her cloak.

Totenblut took this chance to produce a weapon of her own, an upturned scythe fitting enough for her looks and background, and swung at the cop while his back was turned. The cop tried to turn around, only to receive a bleeding gash right across his face.
In response to these two girls, the Hepcats pulled out their guns to fire, however with, Libraria would think, no silver in their bullets and Totenblut moving around precisely so no bullet would hit her heart, the bat and wolf girls were able to quickly regenerate and regrow from any damage, regardless of any blood spilt.

Soon needing to reload, the gang members tried stepping back, only for Totenblut to pounce, swiftly sinking her fangs in to drain one after another of their blood. The staggering cop though, in one last move, grabbed a free gangster, set him alight with his 4X power, and held him right down to pier, making it catch aflame. While the cop held the goon down to start the fire, Totenblut took the chance to bring her scythe right down upon the back of his neck. The cop screamed out in pain, before Totenblut swung her scythe to send him hurtling off the pier.
That may've finished him, but by now that still left Totenblut, a vampire, surrounded by flames and water. Rouge-Garou however lacked the same inherent weakness, so braced herself to the dash through the flames and scoop up Totenblut, carrying her back to over dry land.

Having watched this fight go down, while Libraria had been proven correct that Rouge and Totenblut could easily take down these thugs by themselves, they er, were certainly more violent about it than she would've liked. They are a vampire and werewolf duo who spent time as mercenaries, Libraria did think, so I could ask what else did I expect? Still, I should probably be more cautious about who I work with in the future- oh wait, I said I'd finish off the Hepcats with Fugue, right?

The three then met up again then, at the other end of the tunnel away from the harbour, where Totenblut, still with Rouge holding her up from over the shoulder, asked of Libraria "So, take it you've got all the dirt you need, eh? Wunderbar, Rouge and I have certainly had our feat, while you should be able to track down their drug storage. I'd say you've more than earned our services" Totenblut giggled.

"I see, thank you," was all Libraria could say in reply for now, before they were all interrupted by those two thugs from the other night.

"Hey you, yeah you! Ya keep stepping in our business, well how'd ya like this?!" the first zoot suited Hepcat shouted, trying to open fire on Libraria... only to find out too late that he'd long used up all his bullets.
"Not again, not this again. Let's scram!" the other tried to say, but Libraria thought to give them one last message.

[ ] "You two, tell your Boss Hippodrome that the Hepcats' days are numbered!" That should get their boss paranoid.
[ ] Then thought otherwise, as she didn't want to set Hippodrome on higher alert than he'd already be.
[ ] Something more general. "Educate yourselves, Libraria has no tolerance for delinquency!"
[ ] Write-in.

With them gone, Libraria then turned to Totenblut and Rouge-Garou "Er, well at the very least, you've been a great help. I'm thinking that gang you said you were helping out will be pleased by this", a shiver ran down her spine.

"Oh, undoubtedly" Totenblut flashed a wicked grin.

"Miss Libraria, it has been a pleasure working with you" Rouge-Garou got a chance to say, smiling at the hero. The wolf-girl then turned her head to the side to hold Totenblut in her embrace, their lips locking around each other.

Libraria did have to blush a little, Before I'll say I was jealous of Totenblut's beauty, now of her relationship too. "Must be nice, being with someone who also has powers, don't have to worry as much about your loved ones when they're super too" Corinne had to say.

Totenblut grinned and giggled "Jealous, are we? Hah, I get that a lot. Funny you'd say that though, you don't exactly have powers yourself".

"You are a recent arrival to this city, are you not? Please don't worry, I trust you'll find someone" Rouge-Garou tried to tell Libraria.

The two soon bid farewell and left Libraria, who now went out to look for these co-ordinates. She was able to track down the drug warehouse the co-ordinates pointed to shortly enough, which from the outside, conveniently for the Hepcats, looked like any other warehouse. Piling some nearby bags, shopping carts and trashcans together, Libraria was able to construct a makeshift ladder up to one of the windows, where looking on she could see the exact same symbol as on the crates at the dock, confirming this was the place.

But who am I going to contact now? she slumped down and thought, I can't go to the Noxville police, they're in on this too.

She checked her phone in the meantime, trying to catch up on that special on her she'd missed. Not that it took long to find:
"Super-Spotlight-Special! today, we've got a rising young flame in The-
[ ] Encyclopedic -
[ ] Ace -
[ ] Mind-melting -
[ ] Ingenious -
[ ] Lightspeed -
[ ] All-Knowing -
[ ] Super-Smart -
[ ] Write-in
Libraria! Now that Big Top Trio terrorised the city with their mirror stolen from Doctor Aether, until our barely-graduated heroine swooped in and stole it right back! Her knowledge is vast, having aced every school subject there is! Libraria was the top student of another educational hero, Miss Education, and while she's only started she's already doing her name proud!"

Er, maybe a little much, Libraria thought to herself, And well, I guess it'd be wrong if they didn't mention Miss Acorn. She was then snapped out of those thoughts when her phone started ringing.

"Corey!" Josephine's voice came through, her even transmitting herself as a hologram above "I've located them crooks' money-pile! So, we got any plans from here?"

Noxville's police not being an option...
[ ] Contact Arachne Computers. You've asked a lot of them so far, but they've always been willing to help.
[ ] Contact Potion Power Chemicals, they'd be more than wanting to know about a rival wanting to frame them.
[ ] The Founders are likely busy, but there has to be another big-name hero around able to dispose of these drugs.
[ ] Contact The Daily Theremin, they should love a scoop like this!
[ ] Dispose of all these drugs yourself, another fire could do it.
[ ] Write-in.