Vote closed
New
A Different Kind of Whale (Worm/FGO-based Gamer, a FI ft. Nihilo)
- Thread starter Omida
- Start date
- Crossover Mature
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
Hackety sack powered by fuck ups, god bless.
Speaking of, there is now a Voting tab. Your fuckup will live there, forever.
Velocity's death isn't a small thing. If The city doesn't get reinforcements to deal with Nazi supervillans murdering a hero in a prison break I'll eat my proverbial hat. This seems like national news material, especially with this being the third time hookwolf was birdcage bound. Especially with his status as a veteran.
If nothing happens it will embolden supervillans nationwide to kill everyone protecting prisons and prisoner transports holding their men. Society would collapse and even the idiots in Cauldron don't want that.
If nothing happens it will embolden supervillans nationwide to kill everyone protecting prisons and prisoner transports holding their men. Society would collapse and even the idiots in Cauldron don't want that.
Miss Millitia did immediately murderize a Nazi right there so they don't "need" reinforcements so much as they need to make it clear kid glvoes are off
Of course murderizing has other issues (Jack's murder whiffer sniffer)
- Location
- Argentina
I expect that Hooky just got a Kill Order signed with a nice fat reward and there are a lot of people who don't need THAT much to go and kill nazis. I also expect that Piggot will try to blanket as much as possible that kill order and see if she can permanently take out some other E88 capes
Mizu
Software Developer
- Location
- Victoria, Australia
Ah, she's inspired by
Poor Velocity, blendered by Hookwolf. I doubt anyone saw that coming, nor one of the giantess twins dying from revenge shots Miss Militia fired. What a mess.
Last edited:
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
Welcome, everyone, to what happens when the known superpowered spree killer gets loose and gets his way.
Chapter 22: 2-9 [Trial]
New
- Location
- London
January 21st
Welcome to the Parahumans Online Forum
You are currently logged in, Point_Me_@_The_Sky
♦Topic: Hookwolf Break-Out III: The Hookening: The Revengeance
►RooftopEnjoyer (Original Poster)
Today, January 20th 2011, at 12:50 am, Hookwolf, Empire 88's heavy lifter cape, previously captured by the team effort of Epopeia, Kanabo and Glory Girl (ft. Miss Militia) on January 9th was being transported by the Protectorate from his holding cell at The Rig to PRT HQ for his Birdcage flight. For the third time. Yep, this motherfucker has originally been deemed rotten enough to earn his extended Canadian vacation back in 2005, shortly after joining Empire 88 following murder of three teenage independent parahumans. The Empire broke him out, crippling Protectorate hero Warrior in the process and forcing the man into early retirement. Then, in 2008, captured by Armsmaster and Miss Militia tag team. This time, escorted by Armsmaster, Dauntless and Miss Militia. Empire, once again, hit the convoy he was being transported in and sprang him out, at least without lasting injuries.
But hey, third time's a charm, right?
No. The Protectorate sent out almost everyone. All Protectorate heroes, save the still benched Armsmaster, were on the convoy. An extra PRT trooper complement riding along. So how did Empire 88 respond?
Why, by sallying out in full force themselves! Save for Victor and Othala (and Purity, I guess), all of them hit PRT. And, if you can do basic counting, you will note that Empire 88, even with those two out and Hookwolf and Cricket held prisoner still outnumbers PRT. And that's just one gang.
The results? Velocity died in the line of duty as another notch on Hookwolf's killcount.
As a silver lining, Miss Militia reminded everyone that normal weapons can be scary by chain-rocketing Fenja's head off.
Fuck this city.
[video removed for excessive gore]
►TinMother (moderator)
Let's keep it only mentally disturbing instead of trying to make everyone lose their meal, alright?
1… 5, 6, 7
►Victim Girl
I'm no expert but this means an outright gang war, right? (For as much as PRT/Protectorate can be called a gang). The pretense of civilised cops and robbers has been definitively torn away here with deaths on both sides. There's no way either side is letting this slide.
►Wedgie
Maybe if the rest of America gave a shit about BB. Let's face it, Boston is just four hours by car from here and any one of their Protectorate teams is bigger than all of BB Protectorate combined. We are written off.
►Nutty
At least ABB is calm and reasonable, right?
Right?
►PaleWarrior
Fuck y'all, they killed a twin! They deserve to burn!
►SpiderSays
Real classy, dude. Real classy.
►MuskyVixen (Unverified Cape)
Eh, I doubt Kaiser will have the balls to commit. Lóng doesn't care, true, but if he officially moves against Protectorate, New Wave will definitely join and Epopeia's little growing group of lunatics seems cheerfully determined to poke at the Empire too and they keep growing if two new chicks someone shared elsewhere on the board out shopping with her today are any indication. At that point, he is the one getting outnumbered.
►RooftopEnjoyer (Original Poster)
At least it all went down during school hours. Can you imagine what would've happened if Victor and Othala hit BBPD while Vista was at the precinct?
►Dark Knight (Unverified Cape) (Former Vigilante)
They would get their assess kicked, lmao. My girl Vista has been on the job for the last five years. Maybe she would share the spotlight with Xiangliu and the new guy if she was feeling nice?
►Robbie-G
>new guy got lap pillow from hot fox girl
IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME! ME, NOT HIM!
►DesuVult
Fuck all of that. Cheers and a toast for our woman, Miss Militia for making fine, Germanic ragu!
►D-D-Dracula
And some very sour krauts besides.
►RooftopEnjoyer (Original Poster)
Getting real dark here, folks.
►Point_Me_@_The_Sky (Verified Cape)(Unmasked)
Meh, Empire doesn't get to cry bitch after all the capes they ragu'd over the decades they have been sitting in the Bay.
But, speaking of Miss Militia, she is fine. She got as good of a first aid as could be done on the scene by the PRT troopers and pulled through without bleeding out. Currently at PRT's hospital where Panacea is tending to her and the others wounded during the clash with the Nazis. I've tagged along as moral support.
►DesuVult
Thanks the fuck for Panacea.
►RooftopEnjoyer (Original Poster)
Great to hear that, Point_Me_@_The_Sky. Hopefully your sister won't push herself too hard patching up the boys (and girls).
►Point_Me_@_The_Sky (Verified Cape) (Unmasked)
Haha, trust me she won't! She is prioritising heroes, Militia especially, true, but Nightingale came not half an hour ago and took over the whole proceedings by presence alone. Stared sis into letting her and the doctors take care of the anyone who wasn't in critical condition and then started rationing her.
Dunno what it's about, but she seems invested in making sure PanPan doesn't work herself into an early grave, so I can get behind that.
Welcome to /phbb/ - Capes Brockton Bay Incognito 21/01/2011 (Fri) 01:16
Incognito (OP)
>so, the neat thing you can notice from the vid Dragon nuked from PHO is that Alabaster threw something into the van before Hook turned Velocity into ragu. Dug a little and, turns out? It's one of those dissolving solutions PRT has under hard lock and which they use whenever they get a bit too enthusiastic about foaming a scene.
>At about similar time as Empire hits Hook's transport, Victor and Othala hit BBPD main precinct, springing out all the mooks still in custody.
>Alabaster unaccounted for in either place at the start of the brawl.
>Cricket is being held at PRT HQ since she is not hard to contain unlike RaguMachine 9000
>Cricket and Alabaster show up to the Big Brawl together, with some PRT patterned antifoamer. Two capes, not even Epire's top brawlers, managed to loot PRT HQ of a secure prisoner and one of its most valuable shit.
Incognito2
>>Can't believe Piggy wanted Velocity dead so much she collaborated with nazis.
Incognito3
>>pig's thirst will not be satiated until all parahumans are dead
Incognito4
>>>do not put the words 'piggot' and 'thirst in the same sentence, fag
Incognito3
>>*collage of inflation porn with Emily Piggot's face badly photoshopped on*
>>your welcome, incog
Incognito (OP)
>I think that just proves Brockton Bay PRT is just a mob front. I am not saying Nazi front specifically, because they have multiple Wards of colour that remain unragufied, but this was ludicrous.
Incognito5
>>>> Everyone knows BB is an abandoned ginger stepchild of mommy Costa-Brown. No wonder Piggot supplements her budget by whoring her men and equipment to the gangs
Incognito2
>>*photo of unnamed jacked af teen parahuman getting a lap pillow from fox girl*
>>IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME, INCOGS! ME, NOT THIS LITERAL WHO!
Incognito4
>>>ABB is trying to convince us racial mixing is correct bros and gotta admit, ITS FUCKING WORKING!
Incognito (OP)
>*step-by-step collage of Miss Militia literally blowing Fenja's head off*
>btw, BROS, I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS WOMAN
Incognito (OP)
>*another photo of Miss Militia, being dragged to safety, missing left arm and bleeding from face wound*
>hurry up incog, she is all right now, but for how long?
Incognito2
>>Velocity? Dead
>>Miss Militia? All right.
>>Armsmaster? On house arrest for being decent human being for once.
>>Piggott? Fucking up since New Year's
>>BBPRT stonqs? Freefalling
Incognito6
It's all Dauntless' master plan to usurp leadership of ENE
Wake up, sheep
Incognito2
>hurry up incog, she is all right now, but for how long?
>>in a city with Panacea? not long
January 22nd
"I will be moving out, Outis. I'm afraid my recent moves mean I'll need to live closer to one of my projects since it has entered a bit of a delicate stage and will require a direct oversight for a moment." Moriarty announced in the morning after what turned out to be a big clash between PRT and Empire, the consequences of which were yet to be fully grasped. "You may have given your explicit blessing initially, but given you're likely to be receiving more attention from the Empire as they look for a way to shore up their standing, I feel like I need to reiterate and make sure you're aware that I might not be immediately available in crisis without the usage of the Seals."
In what was pretty much a pattern by now, the Servant contingent (plus Outis) had been accompanied by Sabah and Katsumi for breakfast. The two of them endured Melt's prickly commentary just for the chance to have the hand on the pulse of the events while the (secret so far) AI provided commentary.
"You work best from backstage, doubly so now we have your Charisma back up and running." Outis chuckled, shaking his head. It had been fun to bring the Professor to Firefly's Province. "Just give me a head's up if you need me to shuffle our roster a bit. Or if you're going to be sending some goons my way."
"You have my number and I, yours. In this day and age, there's no excuse to have communication failure if you aren't living in the boonies." The old man snorted. "Still, good to know. I'll make sure to set aside time to keep working on the administrative side of Miss Elizabeth's career in the meantime." He added with a theatrical bow towards the Countess.
"Mostly because you still need an official sounding job." The pinkette deadpanned. "Very well, but I expect you to do it properly."
"You wound me, young miss!" Moriarty exclaimed dramatically, putting a hand over his heart. "Still, do be careful. High tension situations like these can easily go wrong. Much as it galls me to admit, the human element can be frustratingly uncontrollable even with the best of levers."
The group enjoyed their breakfast for a little longer once Moriarty departed, before Da'at finally made itself known again.
[Apologies, I have been busy setting up all the conditions for the Skill Trial.]
[I had to find a few workarounds for the restrictions put on it.]
[Thankfully, setting it up as a 'gameplay tutorial' managed to get rid of most of the associated costs.]
[The question of possessing a relevant Berserker Card remains.]
[That was the other task I was focusing on.]
[You will still need to roll for Servants, but I have managed to set up a guarantee of obtaining at least a single Berserker to burn to obtain the Blank Card.]
[I will look into ways to replicate this feat, but suspect the costs to be considerable.]
"Time to burn another day's salary." Outis sighed without any heat as light shimmered into a deck of cards in his hands. "Alright, let's see who comes home today."
He wasn't much in the mood for flourishes today, given. Well. So he just slid the cards on the table after a bit of shuffling. Caster, Archer, Avenger, Ruler, Avenger, Rider, Caster,ArcherBerserker, Berserker, Berserker.
[...]
[The very laws of probability are laughing at me right now.]
"Silly thing." Melt purred as she looked up at the unceremoniously undramatic summoning. "You, of all entities, should know better than to tempt the Desire Sensor."
"Oooohhhhh~!" Elizabeth thrilled in delight at the identity of one of the new Servants, grabbing Outis' arm and snuggling into him. "Darling, we simply must find a way to pencil his manifestation in. That kind of musical talent would really elevate my performances~!"
"Well, I won't say no to hearing you play opera, that's for sure." The Master of Cards chuckled, nuzzling slightly into the tiny girl. Only slightly because her horns, while amazing in great many ways, were a bit difficult to manoeuvre around. "Haah, those manifestation slots are starting to hurt. We got a Lostbelt King, one of the physically strongest Servants in the whole Throne, and a couple girls I didn't even know were registered."
"You're also getting even more nobility." Sabah noted as she bent over the table to read the names on the cards. "Dunno what an Alter thing means and… wow, your world has documented Case 53s getting pretty famous, huh?" She pointed at another one, clearly confused by their appearance.
"I… don't remember him being… this furry." Elizabeth shook her head. "Might have something to do with how the mechanics behind our powers sometimes get real funny ideas but… I'm just as lost as you in this case."
"So boss' power can be more accurately described as 'getting important people to do all the work'." Katsumi snorted. "How many's it by now?"
"Let's see… we have a Pharaoh, an Emperor, an Empress, two Queens proper, a crown Princess, two Princes, a Countess and… do Popes count?" Outis asked as his hand hovered over the Ruler Card.
"Wars have been fought on the subject." Elizabeth commented idly as she reached for a piece of bread. "Although Tsar doesn't actually mean Emperor, darling."
"I know it is derived from Caesar, so I assumed." The black haired man hummed, brow pinched slightly in thought, "...Right, didn't slavic nations have a thing for Principalities?"
"We all make mistakes in the throes of our passion for the Glory of Rome." Elizabeth cooed placatingly.
"Truly, Romulus smiles upon us." Outis snorted. Fuckin' Holy Roman Empire. Neither Holy nor Roman nor an Empire.
"People–" [Humans] "–in general get way too bent over their titular dick measuring contests in the first place." Melt pointed out, abusing Kasumi and Sabah's lack of connection to the system to do a bit of discreet self-reveal. "It's all semantics for just how much more important you are for having this much more territory and people than the next guy over."
"It does sometimes get very funny, like how the title of Archduke came about." Outis pointed out as he scooped up the Class Cards and let them slip into whatever Imaginary Number Space nonsense Da'at used to store all this stuff. "But I don't disagree, it's just a streamlining of power plays at the end of the day. The less you have to spend reminding everyone you're boss, the more you can enjoy."
"You are getting sidetracked." Cleopatra spoke irritably, having inserted herself into the conversation. "You were planning on correcting the downside of your over reliance on Berserker, no? Perhaps discussing semantics can wait until after that?"
"Right, sorry." Outis chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "Da'at, what can you tell me about the Trial?"
[You will mentally enter the instance generated by the Card, and on a later occasion, sacrifice the resources to attune it towards the desired outcome.]
[You will be alone, save for a guide with a significant connection to the Skill you will be aiming to obtain.]
[I cannot tell you what the details of the Trial will entail.]
The empty red card in front of Outis glowed with light, casting his face in a ruby glow.
[Beginning Trial of Berserk.]
[Good luck.]
When the red light faded, Outis found himself in front of a campfire in the woods. The full moon was bright overhead and the forest around quiet. Still. Snow laid thick on the ground, glowing with reflected light as the shadows of bare trees danced to the crackling campfire.
"Yo!" A man sat in front of the fire, long blue hair spilling from under the furred hood of his blue cloak. He wore sandals with no regard for the cold around the two of them. "Come 'n sit down, Master, we can talk and I can explain how the stuff's supposed t' go. Bet you weren' expectin' me, eh?" Cu Chulainn invited Outis to his little camp with a grin. Curiously, his eyes looked more golden than red when lit only by the fire.
"I was expecting Beowulf, yeah." Outis chuckled as he obliged, entirely unsurprised to see he had Red Berserker Installed already. Or that he was locked into the class. "Although I can think of a couple of reasons why you came to say hi."
"I'm a convenient middleman like that again, yeah. Should start charging them Norse folks for usin' me like that, 'specially since you ain't in a hurry to get me out." The Celtic demigod joked with an easy grin. "Know a thing or two 'bout rage myself. But yeah, no, you're not learnin' my stuff here. Drink?" He explained, offering Outis a bottle.
"Aye, we're mostly doing posturing and sneaky breeky bullshit at this point, so it seemed rude to wake you up. 'Specially since you'd get a big ol' heap of handicaps piled atop not having your spear." Red Berserker said apologetically with a roll of his shoulders, taking the bottle without a second thought. "Don't mind if I do."
He started with a small sip, of course. Both the Celts and the Norse partied hard and he knew what went into pumping up a berserker. The drink was strong and heady, even the small amount he took in buzzing his head. Also quite sweet.
All around lovely, really.
"Finally!" The Irishman in front of him barked out a laugh on exhale. "My last three Masters had hang-ups about living up a little." Grinning, the man slapped his knee as he leaned forward. "Yer gonna need to drink all that. Real berserkir might not need it, but initiates and those who are just startin' need help to get in the groove. It's where all the stuff 'bout uncontrollability comes from in the uninitiated folks' stories of them." The man added with a glint in his eyes.
"Right, I have something of an idea what this is going to leave me like. I'd apologise for what will come out of my sewage canal of a mouth, but I'm pretty sure you'll get a kick out of it." Outis said with a wry chuckle, before getting to work. The bottle's butt rose higher and higher as he demonstrated what some investment in Endurance did for a motherfucker. Throat burn and pausing for breath were skill issues.
"Aaaalllll-right." Outis' beartrap grin stretched nice and wide as the souped up booze broke its foot off in his ass kicking him to cloud nine at Mach five. Brilliant red smoke came out with his voice like blood turned incense, almost as smooth going up as the butotens had been coming down. Very shiny, very pretty, he would reeeally rather get some blood spilling now that his was pumping nice and hot. "What next, teacher o' teacher?"
"Now, kid." Cu Chulainn grinned right back, his grin matching the savagery on Red Berserker's mug without diminishing his dashing looks. Fuckin' demigods. "You hunt. A bear, a wolf or a boar. The choice's yours, but you gotta do it. And, here's the fun part…" He made a pause for emphasis. "Mano-a-mano, savagery for savagery. Two beasts enter, one comes out and the dead get sacrificed to ol' One-Eye for patronage."
"Now that's what I love to hear. You northerners know how to party. Lessee…" Outis trailed off, jaw working side to side as his brain freewheeled, "I could really go for some fresh bacon right now, but context and symbology fukkin' matter with this sorta shit. Boar, stubborn, unkillable. Bear, big, strong, hungry. Wolf, clever bastard, team player, which is where the money at for me. Don't wanna give Liz 'nother scare."
No matter how much the Madness was cranked up, a Master remained a Master. Although, of course, "'Sides, it'd be a ten-ten date to go mauling some monsters with her. Here's hoping I can talk her into using her dragun bits a lil more. That smile's already lethal as-is, add a wee bit of arterial spray and I'll fall in love all over again, I will."
"That your type, eh? I can dig the date idea, if not the kind of woman. Just means we wouldn't step on each other's toes at least!" The Hound snorted as he threw Outis a small runic stone. "Here, berkano to guide you to your quarry. 's as far as I can help out. The rest of it is me lookin' at you having fun." The Servant mock-grumbled as he stood up and grabbed his staff from where it was leaning against the tree.
"Right on!" Red Berserker said with a bark of laughter as he caught the stone in his clawed hands, getting up in a single smooth motion. "Now, let's see what the hell sort of monster you call wolves around here and whose throat gets torn out today."
"Funny thing how oft a beast is linked to the gods, eh lad?" Caster mused from his watchpoint at the edge of the moonlight-basked clearing. Beneath him, Outis observed where the man's Rune of Tracking led him. "We all love dogs and hate wild beasts so you can swing it either way. Guess 's why berserkir trial pits you against what you aim to become."
His opponent waited almost on the opposite end of the stereotypically circular and clean clearing. A massive, grey furred wolf the size of a car. Its blood-red eyes were locked onto Outis as a rumbling, deep growl emerged from its maw, the beast slowly starting to pace around its end of the clearing in rising agitation.
"Heeey, big guy. You know the rules and so do I. No hard feelings, yeah?" Red Berserker said not unkindly, limbering up as he stepped into the arena proper, stance low and loose.
"▇▇▆▆▇▇██████!" The beast roared, causing the snow to fall from the branches behind it before its body tensed, muscles bulging and it–
–leaped.
The snow kicked high into a cloud as the massive, grey wolf bound for Outis with outstretched paws and open maw, eyes gleaming with animalistic rage and spit flying off.
Red smog blasted the snow away, solid ground meeting Outis' right foot as he pivoted on it. The left smashed into the ground at the same time his clawed hands dug into the wolf's leading leg. Muscle like steel cords shifted under leathery hide as the world seemed to slow to a crawl for an endless moment. "Opposable thumbs, bitch."
Feet, legs, core, shoulders, arms. The whole of his body twisted as he slammed the wolf snout-first into the ground with enough force to shake it. The snow sprayed in all directions as it marginally cushioned the fall. The wolf choked out the growl and twisted to bite at the arm holding to it, massive jaws clamping down on Red Berserker's limb and drawing blood as the beast attempted to stand up to properly leverage its size.
Bandaged fingers clamped down on fangs the size of knives from the inside of the monster's maw. He could feel teeth scrape bone as he heaved, but his hand could still clench into a fist and that was what mattered. Especially when it let him yank down the bastard and drive a knife hand right into its massive eye.
The beast growled, ignoring the pain as it clamped even harder down on Red Berserker's arm and instead braced its limbs as it began trashing its head around. That was an issue that got fixed by the expedient method of punching its teeth to pieces.
The shards of teeth fell into the snow staining with blood of man and beast, the rich, hot liquid causing it to hiss and melt. The wolf growled from the back of its throat as it raked one of its paws against Red Berserker's arm and swiped downwards. Still, with its fangs crushed under savage blows, it lost balance momentarily as its vice grip on Outis vanished before it could properly reposition.
The drunk Berserker didn't give it a moment's rest. Both arms were functional, so that meant putting them to work. This time by leaping onto the bitch's back. The wolf howled as it reared wildly, head raising back up both on instrict from the pain of the grip used to pull Red Berserker and to try and get a better look at him. Its surviving eye gazed in maddened fury at the man while it tried to twist its body to either reach him or shake him off.
"Woohoo!" Outis laughed wildly, clawed fingers not giving a single inch as he clambered higher up, letting him wrap both arms around the wolf's windpipe. "Have you heard of the Nemean Lion, bubba?"
There was no answer, naturally, save for even more frantic kicking and jumping. Perhaps as the monster underneath him instinctively sensed what was coming. Not that it helped any when Outis' arms began crushing its throat and spine. The beast trashed and tried to roll on the ground to crush Red Berserker beneath its bulk which was somewhat softened by the thick layer of snow the two fought in. Inevitably, its movements began slowing down, more sluggish, more lethargic, until finally, the wolf stilled completely.
Slowly, as the adrenaline rush ended and the intoxicating cloud over his mind lifted, Outis became aware of the slow clapping. "Damn kid, you really went and channelled Greek me there at the end." Cu Chulainn joked as he observed him with gold-red eyes, head inclined as if listening to something on the air. "Good, savage fight, pretty much textbook. I'd advise repeatedly getting in the zone and fighting to make sure you get the hang of it instead of it just helpin' ya with yer anger management problem."
"Lots of spars and lots of throwing myself into Provinces, got it." Outis said with a bob of his head once he was completely sure the wolf was dead, letting go of its neck and stretching out his arms. Banged up, but nothing too terrible. "Dunno if trial by fire on the one full of torturers and wolfmen or if to ease in with a rumble in the jungle with a bunch of oni."
The Irish demigod shrugged. "Could be either way, knowing these norse folk. Might like the chutzpah of just running off into a hard fight, might appreciate refining yourself on something more along yer league." The man sighed as he rubbed his neck. "Anyway, off ya go. Try to make sure you get my spear before calling on me, if possible, alright? Unless it's an emergency, I ain't a cunt to get bent over that kind of thing." The man requested, even as the area of the trial slowly grew hazier and hazier, losing detail as Outis' consciousness was being brought back from the trip. "By the way, catch!"
He came back to his senses back in Csejte's grand hall, with Elizabeth and Sabah peering at him with worry writ on their faces and the feeling of something sticky constraining his arm.
[Berserk Trial completed.]
[Rewards: 1x Claw of Chaos (Those wounded by this claw become prisoners of chaos.), Berserk skill can be now grafted upon chromatic Cards at E-rank. A familiar.]
[Berserk (Wolf): E - Increases the chances of resisting mental influence, slightly increases melee damage, increases coordination with allies when under the effects of confusion or madness effects.]
[Due to the nature of the Skill, if installed on the Card with Mad Enhancement, once Berserk's rank is higher than that of Mad Enhancement, the latter will be subsumed, freeing a skill slot on the card.]
[You might want to seek medical attention.] Da'at added languidly once it finished listing and explaining his new acquisitions.
"I will never understand why astral projecting reflects the wounds on the body." Elizabeth began fussing over him immediately. "Thankfully Sabah was quick on her feet."
"Remind me to do something nice for you later, Sabah." Outis replied without a second thought.
The aforementioned girl just ducked her head. "The least I could do. I am more interested in why you've got a crow pop out of nowhere. I… don't think there's a connection to berserkers there?" She asked, clearly confused, pointing at… something resting on his head. Presumably a crow,
"Caw." It announced itself.
"Honestly, once you open the door even slightly ajar, all the cheaters will take advantage." Cleopatra supplied, eyeing Melt with suspicion while AI ignored her.
"Does she have red eyes? Slim plumage?" Outis asked, knowing very well how a particular subset of the Norse mythology rolled.
"Yes for the eyes, no idea for the second." Sabah supplied. "Just… try not to move too much? Katsumi went to fetch Miss Nightingale from the infirmary so she should be here soon."
Partial confirmation, good enough.
"I will have to buy or make some combs for feathers." Outis sighed as he tried to keep his mind away from what the Nurse of Steel would say. Did his new friend count as a familiar?
"Off from his head. This is unsanitary." Nightingale announced her arrival with a steely command and a hard expression, glaring at the bird on his head even as she strode closer, red eyes already taking in his injuries. The flap of wings and slight lessening of the weight on his head told Outis the bird had functional survival instincts. "Good work on bandaging, Miss Sabah."
"Ah… Thanks." The poor girl whispered, rubbing her thighs as she leaned away from Outis and into Elizabeth who also cheerfully abandoned her beloved to the Head Nurse's mercy.
"You. With me." Nightingale motioned at Outis, almost visibly restraining herself from just grabbing him and marching off to the infirmary in bridal carry. Or whichever other hold wouldn't aggravate his wounds too much. Clearly someone wasn't happy a copy of her card was used to inflict wounds on her Master.
"Yes'm." Outis, too, had functional survival instincts. Nightingale nodded and motioned for him to lead the way, the compliance apparently enough for the woman to decide to trust him with moving himself over.
The crow still followed them.
AN/ In which desire sensor mocks us.
Me: "Aight, we need a freebie Berserker to demonstrate trialling but there's no guarantee we will pull one in a reasonable amount of rolls."
Me: "Aight, let's just bullshit a justification to guarantee one."
Dice: *two fucking Berserkers show up right aftersacrificial lamb Santa Nightingale*
By joining, you, too, can access two chapters ahead.
Welcome to the Parahumans Online Forum
You are currently logged in, Point_Me_@_The_Sky
♦Topic: Hookwolf Break-Out III: The Hookening: The Revengeance
►RooftopEnjoyer (Original Poster)
Today, January 20th 2011, at 12:50 am, Hookwolf, Empire 88's heavy lifter cape, previously captured by the team effort of Epopeia, Kanabo and Glory Girl (ft. Miss Militia) on January 9th was being transported by the Protectorate from his holding cell at The Rig to PRT HQ for his Birdcage flight. For the third time. Yep, this motherfucker has originally been deemed rotten enough to earn his extended Canadian vacation back in 2005, shortly after joining Empire 88 following murder of three teenage independent parahumans. The Empire broke him out, crippling Protectorate hero Warrior in the process and forcing the man into early retirement. Then, in 2008, captured by Armsmaster and Miss Militia tag team. This time, escorted by Armsmaster, Dauntless and Miss Militia. Empire, once again, hit the convoy he was being transported in and sprang him out, at least without lasting injuries.
But hey, third time's a charm, right?
No. The Protectorate sent out almost everyone. All Protectorate heroes, save the still benched Armsmaster, were on the convoy. An extra PRT trooper complement riding along. So how did Empire 88 respond?
Why, by sallying out in full force themselves! Save for Victor and Othala (and Purity, I guess), all of them hit PRT. And, if you can do basic counting, you will note that Empire 88, even with those two out and Hookwolf and Cricket held prisoner still outnumbers PRT. And that's just one gang.
The results? Velocity died in the line of duty as another notch on Hookwolf's killcount.
As a silver lining, Miss Militia reminded everyone that normal weapons can be scary by chain-rocketing Fenja's head off.
Fuck this city.
[video removed for excessive gore]
►TinMother (moderator)
Let's keep it only mentally disturbing instead of trying to make everyone lose their meal, alright?
1… 5, 6, 7
►Victim Girl
I'm no expert but this means an outright gang war, right? (For as much as PRT/Protectorate can be called a gang). The pretense of civilised cops and robbers has been definitively torn away here with deaths on both sides. There's no way either side is letting this slide.
►Wedgie
Maybe if the rest of America gave a shit about BB. Let's face it, Boston is just four hours by car from here and any one of their Protectorate teams is bigger than all of BB Protectorate combined. We are written off.
►Nutty
At least ABB is calm and reasonable, right?
Right?
►PaleWarrior
Fuck y'all, they killed a twin! They deserve to burn!
►SpiderSays
Real classy, dude. Real classy.
►MuskyVixen (Unverified Cape)
Eh, I doubt Kaiser will have the balls to commit. Lóng doesn't care, true, but if he officially moves against Protectorate, New Wave will definitely join and Epopeia's little growing group of lunatics seems cheerfully determined to poke at the Empire too and they keep growing if two new chicks someone shared elsewhere on the board out shopping with her today are any indication. At that point, he is the one getting outnumbered.
►RooftopEnjoyer (Original Poster)
At least it all went down during school hours. Can you imagine what would've happened if Victor and Othala hit BBPD while Vista was at the precinct?
►Dark Knight (Unverified Cape) (Former Vigilante)
They would get their assess kicked, lmao. My girl Vista has been on the job for the last five years. Maybe she would share the spotlight with Xiangliu and the new guy if she was feeling nice?
►Robbie-G
>new guy got lap pillow from hot fox girl
IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME! ME, NOT HIM!
►DesuVult
Fuck all of that. Cheers and a toast for our woman, Miss Militia for making fine, Germanic ragu!
►D-D-Dracula
And some very sour krauts besides.
►RooftopEnjoyer (Original Poster)
Getting real dark here, folks.
►Point_Me_@_The_Sky (Verified Cape)(Unmasked)
Meh, Empire doesn't get to cry bitch after all the capes they ragu'd over the decades they have been sitting in the Bay.
But, speaking of Miss Militia, she is fine. She got as good of a first aid as could be done on the scene by the PRT troopers and pulled through without bleeding out. Currently at PRT's hospital where Panacea is tending to her and the others wounded during the clash with the Nazis. I've tagged along as moral support.
►DesuVult
Thanks the fuck for Panacea.
►RooftopEnjoyer (Original Poster)
Great to hear that, Point_Me_@_The_Sky. Hopefully your sister won't push herself too hard patching up the boys (and girls).
►Point_Me_@_The_Sky (Verified Cape) (Unmasked)
Haha, trust me she won't! She is prioritising heroes, Militia especially, true, but Nightingale came not half an hour ago and took over the whole proceedings by presence alone. Stared sis into letting her and the doctors take care of the anyone who wasn't in critical condition and then started rationing her.
Dunno what it's about, but she seems invested in making sure PanPan doesn't work herself into an early grave, so I can get behind that.
Welcome to /phbb/ - Capes Brockton Bay Incognito 21/01/2011 (Fri) 01:16
Incognito (OP)
>so, the neat thing you can notice from the vid Dragon nuked from PHO is that Alabaster threw something into the van before Hook turned Velocity into ragu. Dug a little and, turns out? It's one of those dissolving solutions PRT has under hard lock and which they use whenever they get a bit too enthusiastic about foaming a scene.
>At about similar time as Empire hits Hook's transport, Victor and Othala hit BBPD main precinct, springing out all the mooks still in custody.
>Alabaster unaccounted for in either place at the start of the brawl.
>Cricket is being held at PRT HQ since she is not hard to contain unlike RaguMachine 9000
>Cricket and Alabaster show up to the Big Brawl together, with some PRT patterned antifoamer. Two capes, not even Epire's top brawlers, managed to loot PRT HQ of a secure prisoner and one of its most valuable shit.
Incognito2
>>Can't believe Piggy wanted Velocity dead so much she collaborated with nazis.
Incognito3
>>pig's thirst will not be satiated until all parahumans are dead
Incognito4
>>>do not put the words 'piggot' and 'thirst in the same sentence, fag
Incognito3
>>*collage of inflation porn with Emily Piggot's face badly photoshopped on*
>>your welcome, incog
Incognito (OP)
>I think that just proves Brockton Bay PRT is just a mob front. I am not saying Nazi front specifically, because they have multiple Wards of colour that remain unragufied, but this was ludicrous.
Incognito5
>>>> Everyone knows BB is an abandoned ginger stepchild of mommy Costa-Brown. No wonder Piggot supplements her budget by whoring her men and equipment to the gangs
Incognito2
>>*photo of unnamed jacked af teen parahuman getting a lap pillow from fox girl*
>>IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME, INCOGS! ME, NOT THIS LITERAL WHO!
Incognito4
>>>ABB is trying to convince us racial mixing is correct bros and gotta admit, ITS FUCKING WORKING!
Incognito (OP)
>*step-by-step collage of Miss Militia literally blowing Fenja's head off*
>btw, BROS, I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS WOMAN
Incognito (OP)
>*another photo of Miss Militia, being dragged to safety, missing left arm and bleeding from face wound*
>hurry up incog, she is all right now, but for how long?
Incognito2
>>Velocity? Dead
>>Miss Militia? All right.
>>Armsmaster? On house arrest for being decent human being for once.
>>Piggott? Fucking up since New Year's
>>BBPRT stonqs? Freefalling
Incognito6
It's all Dauntless' master plan to usurp leadership of ENE
Wake up, sheep
Incognito2
>hurry up incog, she is all right now, but for how long?
>>in a city with Panacea? not long
January 22nd
"I will be moving out, Outis. I'm afraid my recent moves mean I'll need to live closer to one of my projects since it has entered a bit of a delicate stage and will require a direct oversight for a moment." Moriarty announced in the morning after what turned out to be a big clash between PRT and Empire, the consequences of which were yet to be fully grasped. "You may have given your explicit blessing initially, but given you're likely to be receiving more attention from the Empire as they look for a way to shore up their standing, I feel like I need to reiterate and make sure you're aware that I might not be immediately available in crisis without the usage of the Seals."
In what was pretty much a pattern by now, the Servant contingent (plus Outis) had been accompanied by Sabah and Katsumi for breakfast. The two of them endured Melt's prickly commentary just for the chance to have the hand on the pulse of the events while the (secret so far) AI provided commentary.
"You work best from backstage, doubly so now we have your Charisma back up and running." Outis chuckled, shaking his head. It had been fun to bring the Professor to Firefly's Province. "Just give me a head's up if you need me to shuffle our roster a bit. Or if you're going to be sending some goons my way."
"You have my number and I, yours. In this day and age, there's no excuse to have communication failure if you aren't living in the boonies." The old man snorted. "Still, good to know. I'll make sure to set aside time to keep working on the administrative side of Miss Elizabeth's career in the meantime." He added with a theatrical bow towards the Countess.
"Mostly because you still need an official sounding job." The pinkette deadpanned. "Very well, but I expect you to do it properly."
"You wound me, young miss!" Moriarty exclaimed dramatically, putting a hand over his heart. "Still, do be careful. High tension situations like these can easily go wrong. Much as it galls me to admit, the human element can be frustratingly uncontrollable even with the best of levers."
The group enjoyed their breakfast for a little longer once Moriarty departed, before Da'at finally made itself known again.
[Apologies, I have been busy setting up all the conditions for the Skill Trial.]
[I had to find a few workarounds for the restrictions put on it.]
[Thankfully, setting it up as a 'gameplay tutorial' managed to get rid of most of the associated costs.]
[The question of possessing a relevant Berserker Card remains.]
[That was the other task I was focusing on.]
[You will still need to roll for Servants, but I have managed to set up a guarantee of obtaining at least a single Berserker to burn to obtain the Blank Card.]
[I will look into ways to replicate this feat, but suspect the costs to be considerable.]
"Time to burn another day's salary." Outis sighed without any heat as light shimmered into a deck of cards in his hands. "Alright, let's see who comes home today."
He wasn't much in the mood for flourishes today, given. Well. So he just slid the cards on the table after a bit of shuffling. Caster, Archer, Avenger, Ruler, Avenger, Rider, Caster,
[...]
[The very laws of probability are laughing at me right now.]
"Silly thing." Melt purred as she looked up at the unceremoniously undramatic summoning. "You, of all entities, should know better than to tempt the Desire Sensor."
"Oooohhhhh~!" Elizabeth thrilled in delight at the identity of one of the new Servants, grabbing Outis' arm and snuggling into him. "Darling, we simply must find a way to pencil his manifestation in. That kind of musical talent would really elevate my performances~!"
"Well, I won't say no to hearing you play opera, that's for sure." The Master of Cards chuckled, nuzzling slightly into the tiny girl. Only slightly because her horns, while amazing in great many ways, were a bit difficult to manoeuvre around. "Haah, those manifestation slots are starting to hurt. We got a Lostbelt King, one of the physically strongest Servants in the whole Throne, and a couple girls I didn't even know were registered."
"You're also getting even more nobility." Sabah noted as she bent over the table to read the names on the cards. "Dunno what an Alter thing means and… wow, your world has documented Case 53s getting pretty famous, huh?" She pointed at another one, clearly confused by their appearance.
"I… don't remember him being… this furry." Elizabeth shook her head. "Might have something to do with how the mechanics behind our powers sometimes get real funny ideas but… I'm just as lost as you in this case."
"So boss' power can be more accurately described as 'getting important people to do all the work'." Katsumi snorted. "How many's it by now?"
"Let's see… we have a Pharaoh, an Emperor, an Empress, two Queens proper, a crown Princess, two Princes, a Countess and… do Popes count?" Outis asked as his hand hovered over the Ruler Card.
"Wars have been fought on the subject." Elizabeth commented idly as she reached for a piece of bread. "Although Tsar doesn't actually mean Emperor, darling."
"I know it is derived from Caesar, so I assumed." The black haired man hummed, brow pinched slightly in thought, "...Right, didn't slavic nations have a thing for Principalities?"
"We all make mistakes in the throes of our passion for the Glory of Rome." Elizabeth cooed placatingly.
"Truly, Romulus smiles upon us." Outis snorted. Fuckin' Holy Roman Empire. Neither Holy nor Roman nor an Empire.
"People–" [Humans] "–in general get way too bent over their titular dick measuring contests in the first place." Melt pointed out, abusing Kasumi and Sabah's lack of connection to the system to do a bit of discreet self-reveal. "It's all semantics for just how much more important you are for having this much more territory and people than the next guy over."
"It does sometimes get very funny, like how the title of Archduke came about." Outis pointed out as he scooped up the Class Cards and let them slip into whatever Imaginary Number Space nonsense Da'at used to store all this stuff. "But I don't disagree, it's just a streamlining of power plays at the end of the day. The less you have to spend reminding everyone you're boss, the more you can enjoy."
"You are getting sidetracked." Cleopatra spoke irritably, having inserted herself into the conversation. "You were planning on correcting the downside of your over reliance on Berserker, no? Perhaps discussing semantics can wait until after that?"
"Right, sorry." Outis chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "Da'at, what can you tell me about the Trial?"
[You will mentally enter the instance generated by the Card, and on a later occasion, sacrifice the resources to attune it towards the desired outcome.]
[You will be alone, save for a guide with a significant connection to the Skill you will be aiming to obtain.]
[I cannot tell you what the details of the Trial will entail.]
The empty red card in front of Outis glowed with light, casting his face in a ruby glow.
[Beginning Trial of Berserk.]
[Good luck.]
When the red light faded, Outis found himself in front of a campfire in the woods. The full moon was bright overhead and the forest around quiet. Still. Snow laid thick on the ground, glowing with reflected light as the shadows of bare trees danced to the crackling campfire.
"Yo!" A man sat in front of the fire, long blue hair spilling from under the furred hood of his blue cloak. He wore sandals with no regard for the cold around the two of them. "Come 'n sit down, Master, we can talk and I can explain how the stuff's supposed t' go. Bet you weren' expectin' me, eh?" Cu Chulainn invited Outis to his little camp with a grin. Curiously, his eyes looked more golden than red when lit only by the fire.
"I was expecting Beowulf, yeah." Outis chuckled as he obliged, entirely unsurprised to see he had Red Berserker Installed already. Or that he was locked into the class. "Although I can think of a couple of reasons why you came to say hi."
"I'm a convenient middleman like that again, yeah. Should start charging them Norse folks for usin' me like that, 'specially since you ain't in a hurry to get me out." The Celtic demigod joked with an easy grin. "Know a thing or two 'bout rage myself. But yeah, no, you're not learnin' my stuff here. Drink?" He explained, offering Outis a bottle.
"Aye, we're mostly doing posturing and sneaky breeky bullshit at this point, so it seemed rude to wake you up. 'Specially since you'd get a big ol' heap of handicaps piled atop not having your spear." Red Berserker said apologetically with a roll of his shoulders, taking the bottle without a second thought. "Don't mind if I do."
He started with a small sip, of course. Both the Celts and the Norse partied hard and he knew what went into pumping up a berserker. The drink was strong and heady, even the small amount he took in buzzing his head. Also quite sweet.
All around lovely, really.
"Finally!" The Irishman in front of him barked out a laugh on exhale. "My last three Masters had hang-ups about living up a little." Grinning, the man slapped his knee as he leaned forward. "Yer gonna need to drink all that. Real berserkir might not need it, but initiates and those who are just startin' need help to get in the groove. It's where all the stuff 'bout uncontrollability comes from in the uninitiated folks' stories of them." The man added with a glint in his eyes.
"Right, I have something of an idea what this is going to leave me like. I'd apologise for what will come out of my sewage canal of a mouth, but I'm pretty sure you'll get a kick out of it." Outis said with a wry chuckle, before getting to work. The bottle's butt rose higher and higher as he demonstrated what some investment in Endurance did for a motherfucker. Throat burn and pausing for breath were skill issues.
"Aaaalllll-right." Outis' beartrap grin stretched nice and wide as the souped up booze broke its foot off in his ass kicking him to cloud nine at Mach five. Brilliant red smoke came out with his voice like blood turned incense, almost as smooth going up as the butotens had been coming down. Very shiny, very pretty, he would reeeally rather get some blood spilling now that his was pumping nice and hot. "What next, teacher o' teacher?"
"Now, kid." Cu Chulainn grinned right back, his grin matching the savagery on Red Berserker's mug without diminishing his dashing looks. Fuckin' demigods. "You hunt. A bear, a wolf or a boar. The choice's yours, but you gotta do it. And, here's the fun part…" He made a pause for emphasis. "Mano-a-mano, savagery for savagery. Two beasts enter, one comes out and the dead get sacrificed to ol' One-Eye for patronage."
"Now that's what I love to hear. You northerners know how to party. Lessee…" Outis trailed off, jaw working side to side as his brain freewheeled, "I could really go for some fresh bacon right now, but context and symbology fukkin' matter with this sorta shit. Boar, stubborn, unkillable. Bear, big, strong, hungry. Wolf, clever bastard, team player, which is where the money at for me. Don't wanna give Liz 'nother scare."
No matter how much the Madness was cranked up, a Master remained a Master. Although, of course, "'Sides, it'd be a ten-ten date to go mauling some monsters with her. Here's hoping I can talk her into using her dragun bits a lil more. That smile's already lethal as-is, add a wee bit of arterial spray and I'll fall in love all over again, I will."
"That your type, eh? I can dig the date idea, if not the kind of woman. Just means we wouldn't step on each other's toes at least!" The Hound snorted as he threw Outis a small runic stone. "Here, berkano to guide you to your quarry. 's as far as I can help out. The rest of it is me lookin' at you having fun." The Servant mock-grumbled as he stood up and grabbed his staff from where it was leaning against the tree.
"Right on!" Red Berserker said with a bark of laughter as he caught the stone in his clawed hands, getting up in a single smooth motion. "Now, let's see what the hell sort of monster you call wolves around here and whose throat gets torn out today."
"Funny thing how oft a beast is linked to the gods, eh lad?" Caster mused from his watchpoint at the edge of the moonlight-basked clearing. Beneath him, Outis observed where the man's Rune of Tracking led him. "We all love dogs and hate wild beasts so you can swing it either way. Guess 's why berserkir trial pits you against what you aim to become."
His opponent waited almost on the opposite end of the stereotypically circular and clean clearing. A massive, grey furred wolf the size of a car. Its blood-red eyes were locked onto Outis as a rumbling, deep growl emerged from its maw, the beast slowly starting to pace around its end of the clearing in rising agitation.
"Heeey, big guy. You know the rules and so do I. No hard feelings, yeah?" Red Berserker said not unkindly, limbering up as he stepped into the arena proper, stance low and loose.
"▇▇▆▆▇▇██████!" The beast roared, causing the snow to fall from the branches behind it before its body tensed, muscles bulging and it–
–leaped.
The snow kicked high into a cloud as the massive, grey wolf bound for Outis with outstretched paws and open maw, eyes gleaming with animalistic rage and spit flying off.
Red smog blasted the snow away, solid ground meeting Outis' right foot as he pivoted on it. The left smashed into the ground at the same time his clawed hands dug into the wolf's leading leg. Muscle like steel cords shifted under leathery hide as the world seemed to slow to a crawl for an endless moment. "Opposable thumbs, bitch."
Feet, legs, core, shoulders, arms. The whole of his body twisted as he slammed the wolf snout-first into the ground with enough force to shake it. The snow sprayed in all directions as it marginally cushioned the fall. The wolf choked out the growl and twisted to bite at the arm holding to it, massive jaws clamping down on Red Berserker's limb and drawing blood as the beast attempted to stand up to properly leverage its size.
Bandaged fingers clamped down on fangs the size of knives from the inside of the monster's maw. He could feel teeth scrape bone as he heaved, but his hand could still clench into a fist and that was what mattered. Especially when it let him yank down the bastard and drive a knife hand right into its massive eye.
The beast growled, ignoring the pain as it clamped even harder down on Red Berserker's arm and instead braced its limbs as it began trashing its head around. That was an issue that got fixed by the expedient method of punching its teeth to pieces.
The shards of teeth fell into the snow staining with blood of man and beast, the rich, hot liquid causing it to hiss and melt. The wolf growled from the back of its throat as it raked one of its paws against Red Berserker's arm and swiped downwards. Still, with its fangs crushed under savage blows, it lost balance momentarily as its vice grip on Outis vanished before it could properly reposition.
The drunk Berserker didn't give it a moment's rest. Both arms were functional, so that meant putting them to work. This time by leaping onto the bitch's back. The wolf howled as it reared wildly, head raising back up both on instrict from the pain of the grip used to pull Red Berserker and to try and get a better look at him. Its surviving eye gazed in maddened fury at the man while it tried to twist its body to either reach him or shake him off.
"Woohoo!" Outis laughed wildly, clawed fingers not giving a single inch as he clambered higher up, letting him wrap both arms around the wolf's windpipe. "Have you heard of the Nemean Lion, bubba?"
There was no answer, naturally, save for even more frantic kicking and jumping. Perhaps as the monster underneath him instinctively sensed what was coming. Not that it helped any when Outis' arms began crushing its throat and spine. The beast trashed and tried to roll on the ground to crush Red Berserker beneath its bulk which was somewhat softened by the thick layer of snow the two fought in. Inevitably, its movements began slowing down, more sluggish, more lethargic, until finally, the wolf stilled completely.
Slowly, as the adrenaline rush ended and the intoxicating cloud over his mind lifted, Outis became aware of the slow clapping. "Damn kid, you really went and channelled Greek me there at the end." Cu Chulainn joked as he observed him with gold-red eyes, head inclined as if listening to something on the air. "Good, savage fight, pretty much textbook. I'd advise repeatedly getting in the zone and fighting to make sure you get the hang of it instead of it just helpin' ya with yer anger management problem."
"Lots of spars and lots of throwing myself into Provinces, got it." Outis said with a bob of his head once he was completely sure the wolf was dead, letting go of its neck and stretching out his arms. Banged up, but nothing too terrible. "Dunno if trial by fire on the one full of torturers and wolfmen or if to ease in with a rumble in the jungle with a bunch of oni."
The Irish demigod shrugged. "Could be either way, knowing these norse folk. Might like the chutzpah of just running off into a hard fight, might appreciate refining yourself on something more along yer league." The man sighed as he rubbed his neck. "Anyway, off ya go. Try to make sure you get my spear before calling on me, if possible, alright? Unless it's an emergency, I ain't a cunt to get bent over that kind of thing." The man requested, even as the area of the trial slowly grew hazier and hazier, losing detail as Outis' consciousness was being brought back from the trip. "By the way, catch!"
He came back to his senses back in Csejte's grand hall, with Elizabeth and Sabah peering at him with worry writ on their faces and the feeling of something sticky constraining his arm.
[Berserk Trial completed.]
[Rewards: 1x Claw of Chaos (Those wounded by this claw become prisoners of chaos.), Berserk skill can be now grafted upon chromatic Cards at E-rank. A familiar.]
[Berserk (Wolf): E - Increases the chances of resisting mental influence, slightly increases melee damage, increases coordination with allies when under the effects of confusion or madness effects.]
[Due to the nature of the Skill, if installed on the Card with Mad Enhancement, once Berserk's rank is higher than that of Mad Enhancement, the latter will be subsumed, freeing a skill slot on the card.]
[You might want to seek medical attention.] Da'at added languidly once it finished listing and explaining his new acquisitions.
"I will never understand why astral projecting reflects the wounds on the body." Elizabeth began fussing over him immediately. "Thankfully Sabah was quick on her feet."
"Remind me to do something nice for you later, Sabah." Outis replied without a second thought.
The aforementioned girl just ducked her head. "The least I could do. I am more interested in why you've got a crow pop out of nowhere. I… don't think there's a connection to berserkers there?" She asked, clearly confused, pointing at… something resting on his head. Presumably a crow,
"Caw." It announced itself.
"Honestly, once you open the door even slightly ajar, all the cheaters will take advantage." Cleopatra supplied, eyeing Melt with suspicion while AI ignored her.
"Does she have red eyes? Slim plumage?" Outis asked, knowing very well how a particular subset of the Norse mythology rolled.
"Yes for the eyes, no idea for the second." Sabah supplied. "Just… try not to move too much? Katsumi went to fetch Miss Nightingale from the infirmary so she should be here soon."
Partial confirmation, good enough.
"I will have to buy or make some combs for feathers." Outis sighed as he tried to keep his mind away from what the Nurse of Steel would say. Did his new friend count as a familiar?
"Off from his head. This is unsanitary." Nightingale announced her arrival with a steely command and a hard expression, glaring at the bird on his head even as she strode closer, red eyes already taking in his injuries. The flap of wings and slight lessening of the weight on his head told Outis the bird had functional survival instincts. "Good work on bandaging, Miss Sabah."
"Ah… Thanks." The poor girl whispered, rubbing her thighs as she leaned away from Outis and into Elizabeth who also cheerfully abandoned her beloved to the Head Nurse's mercy.
"You. With me." Nightingale motioned at Outis, almost visibly restraining herself from just grabbing him and marching off to the infirmary in bridal carry. Or whichever other hold wouldn't aggravate his wounds too much. Clearly someone wasn't happy a copy of her card was used to inflict wounds on her Master.
"Yes'm." Outis, too, had functional survival instincts. Nightingale nodded and motioned for him to lead the way, the compliance apparently enough for the woman to decide to trust him with moving himself over.
The crow still followed them.
AN/ In which desire sensor mocks us.
Me: "Aight, we need a freebie Berserker to demonstrate trialling but there's no guarantee we will pull one in a reasonable amount of rolls."
Me: "Aight, let's just bullshit a justification to guarantee one."
Dice: *two fucking Berserkers show up right after
As always, big thanks to Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun, [TEE],PlatiNom, Jose Matos, Soulsmsher, Altaibaatar, Ian DeHart, Brigand, Starfall 20 and ลิงติดเกม จากป่าดิบชื้นแถบอเมริกาใต้, saganatsu, Gabriel, Devan Duncan, Dodge the Lava, Aravir, Alys, Romain BETTINELLI, Phantsai, Austin, That_One_Guy, Francisco Garaycoa, Matthew Johnson, Mohamed Aljahmi, DalmascanSunset, Caleb_Denin, QAI521 and Dreamy_Crow, who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
Of course ol' one eye takes notice and sends hugin/munin to keep an eye on our guy/gal Outis.
Mizu
Software Developer
- Location
- Victoria, Australia
It's easy to forget Vista has been a PRT cape since she was... Uh. Kid is twelve as of canon start, so about seven? Lots of job experience there, anyway.
Those posters on the 4chan equiv to PHO were sure rude, as random netizens go. Wonder if any of them was Moriarty? I only connected Vicky to her handle as the forum portion of the chapter went.
Last edited:
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
kek. Close, but not quite. He did send someone.
Escapees from Dragon's moderation efforts, I'm sure.
- Location
- Probably at sea
I don't think I've seen Wormverse!4chan used anywhere else. Very well portrayed, from what I remember of the site.
Either Mozart or Salieri then - there were both Avengers and Casters in the mix, so either are possible. (Probably not both, though, or I'd have expected a comment.)
I'm leaning towards Ivan as the Lostbelt King... it's a 50:50 chance, I suppose, since presumably Zeus isn't summonable, and I'd have expected someone to comment on Arjuna Alter showing up. I was thinking that the Archer turning into a Berserker was Atalante turning into Nyalter, but then this comment made me think otherwise:
So I have no idea. Excited to see who shows up anyway though!
Also, wolf-hunting just got a lot more relevant as of recent events. That trial does seem like the kind of thing to confer a small conceptual advantage, although it doesn't mention the fact.
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
The latter.
You nailed it kek.
We'll be going three for three on bullying Hookwolf soon enough.
Chapter 23: 2-10 [Recruitment Drive]
New
- Location
- London
January 22nd
The city was gonna be a mess soon. Always happened when a cape from a big group died. The rest suddenly needed to remind everyone to not get any funny ideas, that they were top dogs for a reason. Bad time to be independent. Bad time to be small time. The big gangs were gonna pressure the smaller ones.
ABB probably won't really care, the Trainyard was cut off from the city by their turf, true, but it didn't really offer them anything. It let him do his thing in peace. But if the big guys were moving, they would be eyeing him up as an easy target. One of their capes, any of them, he was confident he could handle. Problem was, they wouldn't come alone.
He had a job lining up, but that vanished just as the mess in the city happened. Shame. Even if there was nothing to do, it would give him a place to bunker down and weather the mess. Going to the Empire before the Empire came to him… Trainwreck might not remember shit from before he woke up in this godforsaken city, but the idea was revolting. And he said that as a canned nugget who didn't mind roughing people up because his own life took a turn for shit. He could probably take Protectorate's offer to join, he was small time enough, much as it rankled to have so few results but they would just ship him elsewhere.
No thanks, he liked this derelict wreckage.
In the unfamiliar world, even the smallest shred of familiarity felt nice.
He was too pasty for ABB, not family enough for New Wave (would they even take him with no legal ID? He doubted Brandish would be thrilled to have him as son-in-law besides). Skid and Squeal were okay, so was Mush, but there was no real connection there.
There was the chick who floored Hookwolf, apparently setting something up herself. Seemed a bit too goody two shoes to take a guy like him in… but she took Kanabo, so maybe? Kanabo was nicer than Trainwreck, by a good margin, and a pretty one too. Not like Trainwreck.
Either way, problem was finding her. Trainwreck knew she was passing through the Trainyard on the regular, and it was hard to miss Glory Girl going overhead, but he had a hard time finding the details. Maybe if he got an idea from Squeal's work. Too much of a gamble.
And then, couple nights back, he got a big clue. Literally. Hard to miss a whole ass glowing, blue, giant woman dominating the night sky. At the time, he didn't care much, they weren't expanding into the Trainyard so they had no problem with one another. He just noted it down and went about his business o'being a muscle here and there.
So here he was, slowly making his way through the forest, the steps of his power armour heavy and loud. He was not a subtle cape, Trainwreck. Big and obvious and crude. A simple man, in a complicated situation. Slowly, Epopeia's base came into his view.
A whole ass castle.
Trainwreck had to stop the moment the walls came clear into his sight. He took off his goggles and checked them. Rubbed his eyes. Put the goggles back on. The wall was still there grey stone grading into purple near the top. And behind the wall, a whole ass castle, purple tiles on the roof, big windows…
The whole shebang.
"Th'hell?" He muttered to himself, even as he forced his power armour to resume movement. Far as he knew, there was nothing in the woods immediately outside the Bay. He knew, he checked in the past when he was experimenting with wood. When he still had some dreams of maybe appearing in polite company.
And he would like to think he was something of an expert on how fucking long it took to build something complicated with limited resources and tools. That took time, especially if you wanted to lay low.
Whole ass castle didn't get made in less than a month. Especially with none the wiser. And it was… okay, he was not an expert on castles, but he could still tell it was solid. Sturdy walls, well maintained. The system hooked into his goggles said well manned too. Nothing special, but there were plenty of people. Enough there would need to be significant traffic for their supplies.
Trainwreck frowned as he stomped to the gate. He would have noticed that kind of traffic. Epopeia debuted at the start of the month, but how long has she been here for real?
Suddenly, Trainwreck's decision to see if the chick was looking for a Tinker for hire sounded more reasonable.
"Yo, Wreck! What's up?" By the time he reached the gate, it was already open. Kanabo was standing in the middle of it in all of her six foot six glory, just a head taller than Trainwreck, some kind of archaic armour the colour of autumn leaves covering her torso and limbs. It suited her. Her blue skin had a nice contrast with the orange, especially with the way her white hair flowed down. He consciously, carefully rubbed his own, already feeling embarrassed. At least the getup meant there was less for his eyes to get stuck on. And hiding behind her, almost literally given the size difference…
Well, Parian's presence was surprising. Trainwreck heard she worked with the other new cape… Bathory, and that Bathory and Epopeia seemed to be a thing. Maybe, online speculation almost invariably ended in relationship drama, but what he could find pointed in the direction of some kind of friendly relationship.
He was getting sidetracked. Point was, Parian didn't do fighting. Actively avoided it and the fact didn't look like it would change soon, given her white porcelain mask was barely peeking out from behind Kanabo.
"Rumble over in the city means it's bad idea to be indie." He grunted as he willed his armour to a stop. "Figured might as well check if my neighbour needs a Tinker. Didn't expect all that." He added, pointedly looking up before bringing his head down.
"Yeah, boss has some insane pockets." The blue Asian snorted. "Still surprised you're reaching out."
"There was no big rumble since I showed up, so didn't see the point." He shrugged. "Probably wouldn't bother with a hero team 'cept my first option wasn't picking their phone." The rich guy probably got fucked over somehow and was too busy with damcon to care about a canned nugget like Trainwreck.
"So mostly for strength in numbers, not for commitment." She summarised, nodding her head. She got it. Trainwreck didn't know what Kanabo was getting out of hanging out with the new chick… the less new-new chick, but given she helped punt Hook into jail for two weeks, safety was definitely there.
"Have yet to meet a chick who wants me for commitment." He snorted, giving her a thin, tight lipped grin which didn't show his… less than good teeth. At the same time, he vented the steam to flip his kilt for emphasis. He knew what he was 'bout. Might as well put it on the table from the get-go.
"And yet, somehow, still not the worst potential coworker I'd have." Another voice commented flatly from behind Trainwreck. He twisted around, his armour making noise more for show than from actual strain of the rapid movement. Bathory was there, one hand on her hip, the other raised in such a way that with her pink hair falling, it was obvious she just flipped it. Purely for show. The midget with extra bits looked up at him with a thoroughly bored expression on her face, which was still miles better than what was the standard for how pretty chicks typically looked at him. Least whenever he bothered trying to go in civvies. Not much point for a guy like him.
Then, she wrinkled her pretty little nose and frowned and it left him suddenly very much conscious of the grease and grime all over his (admittedly covered) body and the acne scars. Not to mention the whole nugget thing. Still, he was a big, tough guy who owned the Trainyard. Gotta show he could mean business, so he just crossed his arms over his round chest plate and stared back…
Maybe the goggles made the staring contest a bit unfair.
"So, boar guy." Boar guy? "What's your deal?"
What the fuck was this midget talking about? "Sorry?"
The pink little thing in front of him sighed and hung her head like she was taking pity. It honestly ticked him off a bit. "Your deal. Y'know, what do you do?"
"Thought I'd be havin' that talk with Epopeia, shortstuff." He grunted back. It would be bad for his plan if he got in a fight with a non-fighty cape before Epopeia even showed up.
Bathory jerked her head at the castle behind him before giving him a toothy grin. "My house. If I say something, Darling will consider."
Huh. Good to have confirmation of that, at least. Shrugging, Trainwreck tapped the metal covering his arm. "Lots of stuff. Never gonna look all prim and pretty like Armsmaster's, but'll be good like his. Don't need fancy materials for it either."
"Improvised gear without quality loss improv implies? Sounds useful." The midget stalked closer and stood up on her toes to tap his chest plate with one of her ludicrously long nails before looking him in the face.. "And you're saying you don't have a theme besides… rough aesthetic?"
He shrugged with some pride, "Never found a limit. Granted, didn't look hard, had to take care of necessities first and then just went with what worked."
"Not everyone can be Vinci, I guess." She muttered to herself as her tail swept lazily behind her. It was honestly giving him a few ideas for add-ons.
"Soooo… we can leave them be?"
"Probably. Boss lady seems to have everything under control. C'mon, I want to go back to practising this stuff we stumbled on."
"Y-you just want to make more shibari jokes."
"Someone needs to keep up the bullying quota~."
Trainwreck didn't quite notice when it happened, but at some point they started just walking around the castle grounds as the pink shortstuff chattered at him. Normally, he would be annoyed with her for wasting time, but she managed to stay on topics related to tech and overhauls and keeping to aesthetic without sacrificing functionality. Somehow. He found himself grunting and giving his own short commentary. From what he gathered, Bathory personally oversaw, maybe even fitted, all the modern stuff into her stereotypical castle. She didn't know a lot about exotic tech, but modern stuff? Surprisingly deft hand, for all that she wasn't a Tinker.
Nr1ClockFan @memetosisofficial
Just saw news 'bout Cricket with a bunch of Empire's skinheads staging a rally in the eastern Downtown. Lots of unpowered folks with guns and bats.
Nr1ClockFan @memetosisofficial
Not doing anything. Just lounging at the intersection. Menacingly.
cory6574 @c99834l
Assault and Battery are patrolling… Docks. Armsmaster and Militia on the Boardwalk. Dauntless spotted swinging by the BBPD main precinct.
2nd Amendment Simp @Militia's_Unofficial_Greatest_Simp
On one hand, good to know Miss Militia is fine, not that it was ever in question with Panacea around.
2nd Amendment Simp @Militia's_Unofficial_Greatest_Simp
On the other, great to know PRT is doing anything about obvious Empire provocation.
Very Lost Italian @The_Last_Marche_Stan
What, and start an open war with the Empire?
Very Lost Italian @The_Last_Marche_Stan
The last time a major gang was broken it wasn't them either.
Rooftop Korean @2nd_Amendment_Enthusiast
Lot more police patrols in my area. Spoiler alert: not living in Downtown.
Rooftop Korean @2nd_Amendment_Enthusiast
Love to see good ol' posturing, eh?
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
Bet ya we'll see the news of Epopeia found dead soon?
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
Empire can't win against Uncle Sam
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
But it can totally ruin one (1) indie and her friends.
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
Won't be the first time.
BlackKnightLady @shadowstalkerofficial
Unlike most, Epo has a track record of winning against them Nazis. Sleeping Dragon aside, can't say that about anyone else.
Purse Mouse ✔ @BB_PRT_Unofficial
Must you?
cory6574 @c99834l
Lmao, first Armsy now the kiddos. guess Piggot is loosing confidence of her men.
Very Lost Italian @The_Last_Marche_Stan
As if Totally Not Shadow Stalker was ever not the loosest cannon on the Wards.
BlackKnightLady @shadowstalkerofficial
I try.
BlackKnightLady @shadowstalkerofficial
Someone has to be the bad cop to Vista's good.
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
It's bizarre seeing BKL's chirps gradually show more respect towards the littlest ward over the last year and half.
Eli-chan @Bloody_Pure_Idol
Heeeeey everyone~! Just announcing I'll be performing at the Lord's Market, BB on the 14th, 7pm sharp! Let's have a great time, okay~?
BlackKnightLady @shadowstalkerofficial
Wow, talk about tone deaf.
Specific Plot Provider @Specific_Protagonist_Writes
I am torn between hoping for some more parahuman excitement to fuel creative juices and hoping there won't be a bad surprise this time.
PaleChampion @goodoldfashionedvalues
Hate to agree with either SS or the porn addict but yes.
Nr1ClockFan @memetosisofficial
#Only_in_Brockton_Bay we can go from worrying about Nazi on government violence to history of black vigilante to aforementioned black vigilante and a skinhead agreeing on anything in the span of a conversation.
Nr1ClockFan @memetosisofficial
plz, change BB
Beloved_Lambda @leviathanwatchernr1
Ah, I knew there was a reason I hated this city on sight.
Trainwreck didn't even really notice when Bathory guided him inside the castle. Well, he did, all those white haired, pretty maids were hard to miss. Even if they were actual maid dresses, not the fetish wear Kanabo's old boss over at Boardwalk somehow talked the girl into wearing as a uniform. Still, they came into the infirmary where a sternfaced woman who looked like she might be related to half the maids in the castle was filling some paperwork. Only reason he didn't mistake her for one was her red uniform and much shorter skirt.
"Hey, Nightingale~. Brought a potential employee for Darling to interview." His guide thrilled, waving at the woman.
"Understood. She is resting." Nightingale, apparently, answered, pointing at the corner of the room. Her eyes focused on Trainwreck, scanning his form before she pursed her lips into a thin line. "The distribution doesn't quite look like prosthetics. I'd worry about the lack of hygiene exacerbating your health issues." Trainwreck almost wilted under that gaze and even so, he did feel his face heat up. The only thing stopping him from doing something stupid was how… concerned Nightingale sounded. Clinical and calm, yes, but there was concern there, he was sure.
He shrugged as he soldiered on with an explanation. "It's easier that way, nurse. Whatever caused me to get my powers left me without limbs. Did give me a way to move, barely, but…"
"I'll discuss workarounds if you get hired." She promised him succinctly. He blinked and allowed himself to be led over to where Epopeia was resting. That was a weird reaction. Why did Nightingale care about Trainwreck's state so much?
Epopeia was sitting on the bed in the corner, stripped from waist up, with only bandages wrapped over her arms and torso preserving her modesty. And even then, Trainwreck could still make out the outline of her very nice, big bust. He mentally patted himself on the back for keeping his goggles on. It kinda balanced out with the face. Epopeia, or at least her Red form (her power was colour coded Changer, if he remembered right), had a wild look to her, kinda like someone tried to shove a dog's features onto a human face. Her red hair was cut short if uneven.
He paused midstep as he noted a real deal fur cloak hanging off her shoulders with a fucking taxidermied wolf's head pasted on the left side, acting like the world's strangest pauldron. Black streaked with red like it was still bleeding.
He shook his head, the only external reaction he allowed himself. Epopeia's power was fucking weird and he was a nugget with half-anthrophied tendrils for limbs. At least he guessed his power wanted him to focus on relying on his tech.
"Y'know, I was initially going to set up shop in the Trainyard, been wondering how to square things out with you. Then Liz popped up and well." The Changer chuckled, waving her hand at the castle around them. Her fingers were tipped in claws, Trainwreck noted. "Trust that girl to upend plans in the best possible way."
Trainwreck grunted and scratched his chin at the reveal. "Wouldn't be the first. Would have hashed something out, worst came to be, we'd just duke it out to establish pecking order." Not many newbies did that, mostly 'cause Trainyard was behind the Docks so they didn't want to cross ABB turf or joined them automatically. Few that did didn't want to take orders from Wreck. "Would've probably freaked out once you started fucking around with Empire." He admitted with a tilt of his head.
"Hah! Fair nuff, on all counts." Epopeia barked, the sound more doglike than it had any right to. But, well. He couldn't exactly throw stones here. "Honestly, if I wasn't building something here, I'd have skipped town after the first rumble in the jungle with Hook."
"Tell me somethin' new." Wreck shrugged with a rueful grin. By the time he realised the Empire was 'round, he was already comfortable with his slice of the city. "Already told your sweetheart on the way here, but I'm a Tinker. Make stuff. No limits I found, save my powers wants it to have rustic charm to everything I make." He added, tapping his armour. "Dunno if it needs garbage materials to work, but it works like top of the shelf stuff anyway. Good, 'cause the power fucked my body over so my stuff doubles and triples as housing and actual limbs." He admitted. Better she knew what she was signing up for.
"Oho, I have a couple projects you could definitely help on. For materials, I can pull out about all the steel, copper and glass you could ever want from Violet Caster's floppy hat. Some throughput limits, but hey." The redhead chuckled, rolling her shoulders in a very distracting way, "As for your body? I'll get the crew on it. Even if you don't sign up long term, it's going to mean my immediate neighbour will be batting for me when it counts."
Even if he didn't… "Pwahahaha! Good one, Epo!" He chortled, a little bit of spit wetting the inside of his mask while a slap to his side emitting a loud gong-like sound. Shaking his head, Trainwreck drew a few short breaths to calm down. "What kind of ungrateful, pithy little cunt would I've to be to ditch the crew that fixed me? Even if your folks don't manage, that kind of guarantee is worth its weight, eh?"
"I take it as confirmation of employment?" Trainwreck jerked at Nightingale's voice close from behind him as the woman put her hand on his armoured arm. "Physical check-up is mandatory." He could see Bathory shoot him an apologetic look as she ran out on him and Epo, leaving them with doc who was staring way too intently at his armour.
Oh.
*ding dong*
Theo startled at the sound of the doorbell ringing, shooting Kayden a quick look. The woman didn't appear to pay attention to him, focused on her reflection in the mirror. She didn't give the notion she heard the bell either. It rang again, and she stayed in her place, expression unreadable to Theo. He wondered if he should've said something. The bell rang a third time. Just as Theo was standing up and opening his mouth, Kayden turned on her heel and marched towards the door, opening it.
"Kayden, good to see you." Theo's father stood patiently in the doorway, a warm, thin smile on his face as he looked down at Kayden. His hand fell from the breast pocket of his immaculate black suit where he pocketed his glasses. The man raised his gaze to look inside the house. Blue eyes steeled momentarily as he nodded. "Theo."
He felt himself shrink away from that piercing, analytical gaze and dropped his head as he mumbled his greetings.
"Max." Kayden huffed the man's name, almost like an insult. His father either didn't notice or didn't seem to mind if the huff of amusement was any indication. "Surprised you didn't bring Nessa with you."
Theo ducked back to Aster's room as he heard Kayden move from the door to allow his father entrance. Still, he lingered close enough to listen.
"She is grieving, Kayden." Theo's father chided her softly. "Allowing her time away from the team to process her loss was the least I could do for her."
"And whose fault is that?" Kayden hissed as the two moved past Aster's room and into the kitchen. Theo looked back at the sleeping form of his sister, then at the hallway. Throat dry and heart pounding, he slid closer to the hallway.
"...The PRT has been playing softball for years, after all." Because they were outnumbered, Theo thought to himself bitterly. Even if the Empire had to go out and match ABB cape for cape, they would still have enough to fend off Protectorate, after all. He refocused just in time to hear his father scoff. "Why she aimed for Jessica, I don't know. Honestly, if she reacted rationally and went for Hookwolf, she'd have done us a favour."
"Having second thoughts about your pet killer, Max?" Kayden bit venomously, "And it only took your niece dying."
"I know, Kayden." Theo shied away from the raw emotion in his father's voice. "Do you think I don't lambast myself? That I can't imagine Heith's judgement?" Theo wondered, sometimes, what kind of relationship Kayden had with both of his parents that his mother's name acted as a peacemaker of sorts. "But what is done cannot be undone, much as I'd hope otherwise. Haah, I need you, Kayden."
"You agreed to stay away. You promised." She hissed.
"And if it was just about me or the Empire, I'd respect your wishes." Theo's father deflected. Theo could practically see the apologetic incline of the man's head. "But I worry about Aster."
"The hell do you mean? She is not connected to the Empire."
"For now. I need to warn you, Kay, before it's too late."
They lowered their voices and Theo even heard the kitchen door creak close. Swallowing, he shut his eyes. This was… he should just turn around and focus on Aster. Live in blissful ignorance and leave his father to whatever web he was spinning for Kayden. She would see through his bullshit. She has already done it once. She would be fine.
He worried about Aster. About father using truth to get his hooks back in. What was that that would make the PRT realise the connection? Force them into action?
Shooting his sister a glance, he crept out of the room and towards the kitchen.
"...they are sure. Piggot is doing a sweep right now, but they still risked their allegiances being known."
"Could be a false flag…."
"...all accurate. One to one exactly, everything matching. You, me, Justin, everyone. Just sitting in a folder, waiting to be used. And now that PRT tasted blood? Who's to say they won't use it?"
"...they know I am on the outs. They won't dare."
"Won't they? It's a bad time to be independent. Parian and Kanabo opted to get in cahoots with other groups than risk PRT…"
Heart pounding, Theo crept back to Aster's room. Once there, he slid against the wall next to her crib and groaned into his hands. He didn't hear everything, but given the death of Velocity… and Jessica's, the buzz in the city and on the internet. He could guess.
He could very well guess what PRT had that terrified his father. Because Theo was sure the man, at the very least, had enough decency not to pretend Aster was in danger to get what he wanted. Hiding face in his hands, he groaned as he thought. Really, he should've stayed in the room and not snoop. Ignorance would be bliss. He wouldn't know, he wouldn't need to worry.
He wouldn't need to stress over his own powerlessness in this situation.
"Theo." He jerked his head up, looking wide eyed at his father. The man's face was impassive as he stared, before his gaze drifted to the side, face softening as he looked at Aster. Then, he looked back at Theo and the cold CEO was back in place. "A word, if you will?"
He turned around without waiting for an answer. Theo knew better than to make the man repeat himself so he scrambled to his feet and followed to the door. At the very least his father wasn't going to actually drag him back home. Max Anders was a man of his word and as long as Theo was spending time with Aster and Kayden…
"Concern for your sister is admirable, but take heed. Carelessness could hurt you, and through that, her." He stated, opening the door. Theo felt his mouth dry, words stuck in his throat.
"I…"
"I will not force you, I've already stated that." His father shook his head as he turned around to look Theo in the eyes. "But you should think, and step, carefully in the future. Without power you and Aster will be easy targets." He looked over Theo's shoulder. "I can only give you twenty four hours, Kayden. I need to be sure before I proceed."
With that, he left, Justin giving Theo a long, pointed look before giving him (most likely Kayden) a respectful nod before following Theo's father back to the car.
Unlike many other coffee shops on the Boardwalk, Hell's Brew opened only in the afternoon and for a few hours regardless. It had a dedicated clientele willing to pay the prices of the expensive brews the shop prided itself on, or who enjoyed the ambience and the decor enough to suffer. The two men who ran the business didn't mind people ducking in just to soak in the quiet, as long as they weren't disruptive, unless there was need for space for the paying customers. Business was business after all. The tranquillity was enforced by the larger of the two men, a tall, muscular guy with a rough, rumbling voice but relaxed demeanour willing to crack an inappropriate joke or pose for a photo. More sociable than his fellow manning the counter and doing all the brewing, that's for sure.
Then, at eight in the evening the shop closed the doors and even as they cleaned and completed inventory, Lóng and Oni Lee tended to discuss the day's happenings or make plans for the operations of their actual business.
"Kaiser will try to reel Purity back in." Kenta rumbled absentmindedly as he bent over the table with a rag in hand. He liked cleaning. Simple, honest motions set his mind at ease.
"He was bound to try anyway. I am just surprised he was willing to wait two years." Lee replied languidly as he went through the careful, practised motions of dismantling and cleaning his precious coffee makers. Kenta always found it hilarious the man just tackled an 'oni' in front of his name and decided that would be his 'secret' identity. Somehow, it worked.
"Didn't need her terribly and it gave him good PR. Now, Hookwolf's repeated fuckups and Militia killing his eye candy forces him to shore up." Kenta opined mildly. The reason was, ultimately, unimportant, only that it happened.
"He can't afford to officially take over the city. Think he will scare PRT for a little and then go after us?" His lieutenant asked without once breaking his focus. Lee was like that. Utterly dedicated but with good attention to detail and the ability to multitask. The question was more for the sake of filling the silence. Lee was smarter than Kenta, too.
"If he wanted us gone at the height of his power, he would just tell his skill thief to take care of me." Kenta shrugged. He knew his power's weaknesses. How ironic that the member of the Empire most dangerous to him was the one people forgot about most often. Said something about how cape culture developed, even with Miss Militia around to try and remind people that guns were still guns and not everyone was bulletproof. Even as a giant. "'sides, we were not the ones who humiliated the Empire. He will go looking for the newbie."
"He will have an unpleasant surprise." Lee declared smugly as he nodded in satisfaction upon inspection of the part in his hand.
"Your girl got you something?" Kenta picked up the offered thread idly as he put away the cleaning supplies and indulged in his vice and sank into his favourite chair with a sigh. He funded this one specifically, even if during opening hours it was used by customers. Still brought him satisfaction when the customers complemented how good it felt. No one could accuse him of being just a big brute.
"Trainwreck decided it's a bit too tense to remain independent and signed up with Epopeia as well." Ah. Well, that was a shame, Kenta was looking for a Tinker for quite some time now. As useful as they were rare. He had hoped Terracotta would have substituted well enough with his power but then the boy died while Firefly kept on living. Now he will have to invest heavier in the girl and actually hand her official responsibility. He will have to look over their Korean affiliates' businesses before presenting the girl her fief.
"Think Big Brother will inform us?" He asked instead. While they didn't quite know everything, they still knew more than their self proclaimed intelligence specialist thought they did. But she was useful and she saw it as a point of pride to keep ABB successful and profitable, so Kenta let her spin her webs.
"She has been shaken the last few days, before Hookwolf's break out, even. She is playing a dangerous game." Lee replied.
"So she knows something important but thinks she can use it for personal advantage." Kenta sighed, massaging his temples. Fucking Yakuza, thinking they were better and smarter than other criminals just because they had some calcified fucking rules. "'s why I hate these new Yaks."
He grinned at the pointed look Lee gave him. "Oh knock it off, you know I'm right. The respectable types stayed behind in Japan, like Daisaku-san."
"I am sure father would be thrilled to know your opinion of him has improved so greatly." Lee deadpanned.
"Has he actually learned who I was?" Kenta snorted. Back in Tokyo, he was no one. Half-breeds like him had no hope for advancement in the ranks, forever doomed to be grunts, good only for their muscle. Lee shrugged, so Kenta decided to continue. "Still, circling back to the main topic. Shame 'bout Trainwreck. Gah! We need a Tinker." He grunted.
"I am trying, but there's no one really available yet on the map." Lee sighed. Kenta nodded in acceptance. Fucking Tinkers got snagged as soon as they popped up. Was one of the reasons he was thinking of offering Trainwreck a spot. The other being the guy's specialty. A 'cheap' Tinker would have been great for keeping the acquisition on the downlow. "Unless you are willing to knock on Leet or Squealer's door."
"I am not that desperate as to think about hiring that inevitable obituary." Kenta snorted. Really, what kind of moron would look at Leet's record and decide 'yes, this is the man I want making stuff for my organisation'? Sighing, he scratched his chin. "...Squealer is kinda taken by Skidmark and her specialty is notable."
"Maybe if you give her 'good' drugs she will be able to design something that isn't Compensator 9000?" Lee suggested jokingly and getting rewarded with Kenta's guffaw. Loud and big sure described Squealer's tech to a T.
"Skidmark might be a decent investment too. Man's a veteran and that's worth something." Kenta hummed, rotating the idea in his head. "Both would obviously need rebranding."
"The biggest problem would be selling it to the rest of the gang, Kenta. Asian only, remember?" Lee chided him, reminding him of what he used to unite the disparate little groups which now formed ABB.
He grinned as he looked Lee straight in the eyes. "Oh, but Lee, haven't you heard kids these days?" His friend closed his eyes and grabbed a cup of coffee steaming to the side as if to steel himself for what Kenta was about to say. Bah, no appreciation for the humour! "I'm a dragon. If I decide they are Asian, they are."
"That's not how it goes."
"Awww, you do listen to the jokes kids make!" Kenta chortled, slapping his thigh before raising up and rolling his shoulders. "I've decided. Tonight, we will begin planning Squealer's recruitment."
After all, the Empire would be distracted with both the PRT and Hookwolf's grudge match with Epopeia. No better time to make risky moves like that.
By joining, you, too, can access two chapters ahead.
The city was gonna be a mess soon. Always happened when a cape from a big group died. The rest suddenly needed to remind everyone to not get any funny ideas, that they were top dogs for a reason. Bad time to be independent. Bad time to be small time. The big gangs were gonna pressure the smaller ones.
ABB probably won't really care, the Trainyard was cut off from the city by their turf, true, but it didn't really offer them anything. It let him do his thing in peace. But if the big guys were moving, they would be eyeing him up as an easy target. One of their capes, any of them, he was confident he could handle. Problem was, they wouldn't come alone.
He had a job lining up, but that vanished just as the mess in the city happened. Shame. Even if there was nothing to do, it would give him a place to bunker down and weather the mess. Going to the Empire before the Empire came to him… Trainwreck might not remember shit from before he woke up in this godforsaken city, but the idea was revolting. And he said that as a canned nugget who didn't mind roughing people up because his own life took a turn for shit. He could probably take Protectorate's offer to join, he was small time enough, much as it rankled to have so few results but they would just ship him elsewhere.
No thanks, he liked this derelict wreckage.
In the unfamiliar world, even the smallest shred of familiarity felt nice.
He was too pasty for ABB, not family enough for New Wave (would they even take him with no legal ID? He doubted Brandish would be thrilled to have him as son-in-law besides). Skid and Squeal were okay, so was Mush, but there was no real connection there.
There was the chick who floored Hookwolf, apparently setting something up herself. Seemed a bit too goody two shoes to take a guy like him in… but she took Kanabo, so maybe? Kanabo was nicer than Trainwreck, by a good margin, and a pretty one too. Not like Trainwreck.
Either way, problem was finding her. Trainwreck knew she was passing through the Trainyard on the regular, and it was hard to miss Glory Girl going overhead, but he had a hard time finding the details. Maybe if he got an idea from Squeal's work. Too much of a gamble.
And then, couple nights back, he got a big clue. Literally. Hard to miss a whole ass glowing, blue, giant woman dominating the night sky. At the time, he didn't care much, they weren't expanding into the Trainyard so they had no problem with one another. He just noted it down and went about his business o'being a muscle here and there.
So here he was, slowly making his way through the forest, the steps of his power armour heavy and loud. He was not a subtle cape, Trainwreck. Big and obvious and crude. A simple man, in a complicated situation. Slowly, Epopeia's base came into his view.
A whole ass castle.
Trainwreck had to stop the moment the walls came clear into his sight. He took off his goggles and checked them. Rubbed his eyes. Put the goggles back on. The wall was still there grey stone grading into purple near the top. And behind the wall, a whole ass castle, purple tiles on the roof, big windows…
The whole shebang.
"Th'hell?" He muttered to himself, even as he forced his power armour to resume movement. Far as he knew, there was nothing in the woods immediately outside the Bay. He knew, he checked in the past when he was experimenting with wood. When he still had some dreams of maybe appearing in polite company.
And he would like to think he was something of an expert on how fucking long it took to build something complicated with limited resources and tools. That took time, especially if you wanted to lay low.
Whole ass castle didn't get made in less than a month. Especially with none the wiser. And it was… okay, he was not an expert on castles, but he could still tell it was solid. Sturdy walls, well maintained. The system hooked into his goggles said well manned too. Nothing special, but there were plenty of people. Enough there would need to be significant traffic for their supplies.
Trainwreck frowned as he stomped to the gate. He would have noticed that kind of traffic. Epopeia debuted at the start of the month, but how long has she been here for real?
Suddenly, Trainwreck's decision to see if the chick was looking for a Tinker for hire sounded more reasonable.
"Yo, Wreck! What's up?" By the time he reached the gate, it was already open. Kanabo was standing in the middle of it in all of her six foot six glory, just a head taller than Trainwreck, some kind of archaic armour the colour of autumn leaves covering her torso and limbs. It suited her. Her blue skin had a nice contrast with the orange, especially with the way her white hair flowed down. He consciously, carefully rubbed his own, already feeling embarrassed. At least the getup meant there was less for his eyes to get stuck on. And hiding behind her, almost literally given the size difference…
Well, Parian's presence was surprising. Trainwreck heard she worked with the other new cape… Bathory, and that Bathory and Epopeia seemed to be a thing. Maybe, online speculation almost invariably ended in relationship drama, but what he could find pointed in the direction of some kind of friendly relationship.
He was getting sidetracked. Point was, Parian didn't do fighting. Actively avoided it and the fact didn't look like it would change soon, given her white porcelain mask was barely peeking out from behind Kanabo.
"Rumble over in the city means it's bad idea to be indie." He grunted as he willed his armour to a stop. "Figured might as well check if my neighbour needs a Tinker. Didn't expect all that." He added, pointedly looking up before bringing his head down.
"Yeah, boss has some insane pockets." The blue Asian snorted. "Still surprised you're reaching out."
"There was no big rumble since I showed up, so didn't see the point." He shrugged. "Probably wouldn't bother with a hero team 'cept my first option wasn't picking their phone." The rich guy probably got fucked over somehow and was too busy with damcon to care about a canned nugget like Trainwreck.
"So mostly for strength in numbers, not for commitment." She summarised, nodding her head. She got it. Trainwreck didn't know what Kanabo was getting out of hanging out with the new chick… the less new-new chick, but given she helped punt Hook into jail for two weeks, safety was definitely there.
"Have yet to meet a chick who wants me for commitment." He snorted, giving her a thin, tight lipped grin which didn't show his… less than good teeth. At the same time, he vented the steam to flip his kilt for emphasis. He knew what he was 'bout. Might as well put it on the table from the get-go.
"And yet, somehow, still not the worst potential coworker I'd have." Another voice commented flatly from behind Trainwreck. He twisted around, his armour making noise more for show than from actual strain of the rapid movement. Bathory was there, one hand on her hip, the other raised in such a way that with her pink hair falling, it was obvious she just flipped it. Purely for show. The midget with extra bits looked up at him with a thoroughly bored expression on her face, which was still miles better than what was the standard for how pretty chicks typically looked at him. Least whenever he bothered trying to go in civvies. Not much point for a guy like him.
Then, she wrinkled her pretty little nose and frowned and it left him suddenly very much conscious of the grease and grime all over his (admittedly covered) body and the acne scars. Not to mention the whole nugget thing. Still, he was a big, tough guy who owned the Trainyard. Gotta show he could mean business, so he just crossed his arms over his round chest plate and stared back…
Maybe the goggles made the staring contest a bit unfair.
"So, boar guy." Boar guy? "What's your deal?"
What the fuck was this midget talking about? "Sorry?"
The pink little thing in front of him sighed and hung her head like she was taking pity. It honestly ticked him off a bit. "Your deal. Y'know, what do you do?"
"Thought I'd be havin' that talk with Epopeia, shortstuff." He grunted back. It would be bad for his plan if he got in a fight with a non-fighty cape before Epopeia even showed up.
Bathory jerked her head at the castle behind him before giving him a toothy grin. "My house. If I say something, Darling will consider."
Huh. Good to have confirmation of that, at least. Shrugging, Trainwreck tapped the metal covering his arm. "Lots of stuff. Never gonna look all prim and pretty like Armsmaster's, but'll be good like his. Don't need fancy materials for it either."
"Improvised gear without quality loss improv implies? Sounds useful." The midget stalked closer and stood up on her toes to tap his chest plate with one of her ludicrously long nails before looking him in the face.. "And you're saying you don't have a theme besides… rough aesthetic?"
He shrugged with some pride, "Never found a limit. Granted, didn't look hard, had to take care of necessities first and then just went with what worked."
"Not everyone can be Vinci, I guess." She muttered to herself as her tail swept lazily behind her. It was honestly giving him a few ideas for add-ons.
"Soooo… we can leave them be?"
"Probably. Boss lady seems to have everything under control. C'mon, I want to go back to practising this stuff we stumbled on."
"Y-you just want to make more shibari jokes."
"Someone needs to keep up the bullying quota~."
Trainwreck didn't quite notice when it happened, but at some point they started just walking around the castle grounds as the pink shortstuff chattered at him. Normally, he would be annoyed with her for wasting time, but she managed to stay on topics related to tech and overhauls and keeping to aesthetic without sacrificing functionality. Somehow. He found himself grunting and giving his own short commentary. From what he gathered, Bathory personally oversaw, maybe even fitted, all the modern stuff into her stereotypical castle. She didn't know a lot about exotic tech, but modern stuff? Surprisingly deft hand, for all that she wasn't a Tinker.
Nr1ClockFan @memetosisofficial
Just saw news 'bout Cricket with a bunch of Empire's skinheads staging a rally in the eastern Downtown. Lots of unpowered folks with guns and bats.
Nr1ClockFan @memetosisofficial
Not doing anything. Just lounging at the intersection. Menacingly.
cory6574 @c99834l
Assault and Battery are patrolling… Docks. Armsmaster and Militia on the Boardwalk. Dauntless spotted swinging by the BBPD main precinct.
2nd Amendment Simp @Militia's_Unofficial_Greatest_Simp
On one hand, good to know Miss Militia is fine, not that it was ever in question with Panacea around.
2nd Amendment Simp @Militia's_Unofficial_Greatest_Simp
On the other, great to know PRT is doing anything about obvious Empire provocation.
Very Lost Italian @The_Last_Marche_Stan
What, and start an open war with the Empire?
Very Lost Italian @The_Last_Marche_Stan
The last time a major gang was broken it wasn't them either.
Rooftop Korean @2nd_Amendment_Enthusiast
Lot more police patrols in my area. Spoiler alert: not living in Downtown.
Rooftop Korean @2nd_Amendment_Enthusiast
Love to see good ol' posturing, eh?
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
Bet ya we'll see the news of Epopeia found dead soon?
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
Empire can't win against Uncle Sam
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
But it can totally ruin one (1) indie and her friends.
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
Won't be the first time.
BlackKnightLady @shadowstalkerofficial
Unlike most, Epo has a track record of winning against them Nazis. Sleeping Dragon aside, can't say that about anyone else.
Purse Mouse ✔ @BB_PRT_Unofficial
Must you?
cory6574 @c99834l
Lmao, first Armsy now the kiddos. guess Piggot is loosing confidence of her men.
Very Lost Italian @The_Last_Marche_Stan
As if Totally Not Shadow Stalker was ever not the loosest cannon on the Wards.
BlackKnightLady @shadowstalkerofficial
I try.
BlackKnightLady @shadowstalkerofficial
Someone has to be the bad cop to Vista's good.
Keep Winning Russian Roulette @I_Live_In_BB
It's bizarre seeing BKL's chirps gradually show more respect towards the littlest ward over the last year and half.
Eli-chan @Bloody_Pure_Idol
Heeeeey everyone~! Just announcing I'll be performing at the Lord's Market, BB on the 14th, 7pm sharp! Let's have a great time, okay~?
BlackKnightLady @shadowstalkerofficial
Wow, talk about tone deaf.
Specific Plot Provider @Specific_Protagonist_Writes
I am torn between hoping for some more parahuman excitement to fuel creative juices and hoping there won't be a bad surprise this time.
PaleChampion @goodoldfashionedvalues
Hate to agree with either SS or the porn addict but yes.
Nr1ClockFan @memetosisofficial
#Only_in_Brockton_Bay we can go from worrying about Nazi on government violence to history of black vigilante to aforementioned black vigilante and a skinhead agreeing on anything in the span of a conversation.
Nr1ClockFan @memetosisofficial
plz, change BB
Beloved_Lambda @leviathanwatchernr1
Ah, I knew there was a reason I hated this city on sight.
Trainwreck didn't even really notice when Bathory guided him inside the castle. Well, he did, all those white haired, pretty maids were hard to miss. Even if they were actual maid dresses, not the fetish wear Kanabo's old boss over at Boardwalk somehow talked the girl into wearing as a uniform. Still, they came into the infirmary where a sternfaced woman who looked like she might be related to half the maids in the castle was filling some paperwork. Only reason he didn't mistake her for one was her red uniform and much shorter skirt.
"Hey, Nightingale~. Brought a potential employee for Darling to interview." His guide thrilled, waving at the woman.
"Understood. She is resting." Nightingale, apparently, answered, pointing at the corner of the room. Her eyes focused on Trainwreck, scanning his form before she pursed her lips into a thin line. "The distribution doesn't quite look like prosthetics. I'd worry about the lack of hygiene exacerbating your health issues." Trainwreck almost wilted under that gaze and even so, he did feel his face heat up. The only thing stopping him from doing something stupid was how… concerned Nightingale sounded. Clinical and calm, yes, but there was concern there, he was sure.
He shrugged as he soldiered on with an explanation. "It's easier that way, nurse. Whatever caused me to get my powers left me without limbs. Did give me a way to move, barely, but…"
"I'll discuss workarounds if you get hired." She promised him succinctly. He blinked and allowed himself to be led over to where Epopeia was resting. That was a weird reaction. Why did Nightingale care about Trainwreck's state so much?
Epopeia was sitting on the bed in the corner, stripped from waist up, with only bandages wrapped over her arms and torso preserving her modesty. And even then, Trainwreck could still make out the outline of her very nice, big bust. He mentally patted himself on the back for keeping his goggles on. It kinda balanced out with the face. Epopeia, or at least her Red form (her power was colour coded Changer, if he remembered right), had a wild look to her, kinda like someone tried to shove a dog's features onto a human face. Her red hair was cut short if uneven.
He paused midstep as he noted a real deal fur cloak hanging off her shoulders with a fucking taxidermied wolf's head pasted on the left side, acting like the world's strangest pauldron. Black streaked with red like it was still bleeding.
He shook his head, the only external reaction he allowed himself. Epopeia's power was fucking weird and he was a nugget with half-anthrophied tendrils for limbs. At least he guessed his power wanted him to focus on relying on his tech.
"Y'know, I was initially going to set up shop in the Trainyard, been wondering how to square things out with you. Then Liz popped up and well." The Changer chuckled, waving her hand at the castle around them. Her fingers were tipped in claws, Trainwreck noted. "Trust that girl to upend plans in the best possible way."
Trainwreck grunted and scratched his chin at the reveal. "Wouldn't be the first. Would have hashed something out, worst came to be, we'd just duke it out to establish pecking order." Not many newbies did that, mostly 'cause Trainyard was behind the Docks so they didn't want to cross ABB turf or joined them automatically. Few that did didn't want to take orders from Wreck. "Would've probably freaked out once you started fucking around with Empire." He admitted with a tilt of his head.
"Hah! Fair nuff, on all counts." Epopeia barked, the sound more doglike than it had any right to. But, well. He couldn't exactly throw stones here. "Honestly, if I wasn't building something here, I'd have skipped town after the first rumble in the jungle with Hook."
"Tell me somethin' new." Wreck shrugged with a rueful grin. By the time he realised the Empire was 'round, he was already comfortable with his slice of the city. "Already told your sweetheart on the way here, but I'm a Tinker. Make stuff. No limits I found, save my powers wants it to have rustic charm to everything I make." He added, tapping his armour. "Dunno if it needs garbage materials to work, but it works like top of the shelf stuff anyway. Good, 'cause the power fucked my body over so my stuff doubles and triples as housing and actual limbs." He admitted. Better she knew what she was signing up for.
"Oho, I have a couple projects you could definitely help on. For materials, I can pull out about all the steel, copper and glass you could ever want from Violet Caster's floppy hat. Some throughput limits, but hey." The redhead chuckled, rolling her shoulders in a very distracting way, "As for your body? I'll get the crew on it. Even if you don't sign up long term, it's going to mean my immediate neighbour will be batting for me when it counts."
Even if he didn't… "Pwahahaha! Good one, Epo!" He chortled, a little bit of spit wetting the inside of his mask while a slap to his side emitting a loud gong-like sound. Shaking his head, Trainwreck drew a few short breaths to calm down. "What kind of ungrateful, pithy little cunt would I've to be to ditch the crew that fixed me? Even if your folks don't manage, that kind of guarantee is worth its weight, eh?"
"I take it as confirmation of employment?" Trainwreck jerked at Nightingale's voice close from behind him as the woman put her hand on his armoured arm. "Physical check-up is mandatory." He could see Bathory shoot him an apologetic look as she ran out on him and Epo, leaving them with doc who was staring way too intently at his armour.
Oh.
*ding dong*
Theo startled at the sound of the doorbell ringing, shooting Kayden a quick look. The woman didn't appear to pay attention to him, focused on her reflection in the mirror. She didn't give the notion she heard the bell either. It rang again, and she stayed in her place, expression unreadable to Theo. He wondered if he should've said something. The bell rang a third time. Just as Theo was standing up and opening his mouth, Kayden turned on her heel and marched towards the door, opening it.
"Kayden, good to see you." Theo's father stood patiently in the doorway, a warm, thin smile on his face as he looked down at Kayden. His hand fell from the breast pocket of his immaculate black suit where he pocketed his glasses. The man raised his gaze to look inside the house. Blue eyes steeled momentarily as he nodded. "Theo."
He felt himself shrink away from that piercing, analytical gaze and dropped his head as he mumbled his greetings.
"Max." Kayden huffed the man's name, almost like an insult. His father either didn't notice or didn't seem to mind if the huff of amusement was any indication. "Surprised you didn't bring Nessa with you."
Theo ducked back to Aster's room as he heard Kayden move from the door to allow his father entrance. Still, he lingered close enough to listen.
"She is grieving, Kayden." Theo's father chided her softly. "Allowing her time away from the team to process her loss was the least I could do for her."
"And whose fault is that?" Kayden hissed as the two moved past Aster's room and into the kitchen. Theo looked back at the sleeping form of his sister, then at the hallway. Throat dry and heart pounding, he slid closer to the hallway.
"...The PRT has been playing softball for years, after all." Because they were outnumbered, Theo thought to himself bitterly. Even if the Empire had to go out and match ABB cape for cape, they would still have enough to fend off Protectorate, after all. He refocused just in time to hear his father scoff. "Why she aimed for Jessica, I don't know. Honestly, if she reacted rationally and went for Hookwolf, she'd have done us a favour."
"Having second thoughts about your pet killer, Max?" Kayden bit venomously, "And it only took your niece dying."
"I know, Kayden." Theo shied away from the raw emotion in his father's voice. "Do you think I don't lambast myself? That I can't imagine Heith's judgement?" Theo wondered, sometimes, what kind of relationship Kayden had with both of his parents that his mother's name acted as a peacemaker of sorts. "But what is done cannot be undone, much as I'd hope otherwise. Haah, I need you, Kayden."
"You agreed to stay away. You promised." She hissed.
"And if it was just about me or the Empire, I'd respect your wishes." Theo's father deflected. Theo could practically see the apologetic incline of the man's head. "But I worry about Aster."
"The hell do you mean? She is not connected to the Empire."
"For now. I need to warn you, Kay, before it's too late."
They lowered their voices and Theo even heard the kitchen door creak close. Swallowing, he shut his eyes. This was… he should just turn around and focus on Aster. Live in blissful ignorance and leave his father to whatever web he was spinning for Kayden. She would see through his bullshit. She has already done it once. She would be fine.
He worried about Aster. About father using truth to get his hooks back in. What was that that would make the PRT realise the connection? Force them into action?
Shooting his sister a glance, he crept out of the room and towards the kitchen.
"...they are sure. Piggot is doing a sweep right now, but they still risked their allegiances being known."
"Could be a false flag…."
"...all accurate. One to one exactly, everything matching. You, me, Justin, everyone. Just sitting in a folder, waiting to be used. And now that PRT tasted blood? Who's to say they won't use it?"
"...they know I am on the outs. They won't dare."
"Won't they? It's a bad time to be independent. Parian and Kanabo opted to get in cahoots with other groups than risk PRT…"
Heart pounding, Theo crept back to Aster's room. Once there, he slid against the wall next to her crib and groaned into his hands. He didn't hear everything, but given the death of Velocity… and Jessica's, the buzz in the city and on the internet. He could guess.
He could very well guess what PRT had that terrified his father. Because Theo was sure the man, at the very least, had enough decency not to pretend Aster was in danger to get what he wanted. Hiding face in his hands, he groaned as he thought. Really, he should've stayed in the room and not snoop. Ignorance would be bliss. He wouldn't know, he wouldn't need to worry.
He wouldn't need to stress over his own powerlessness in this situation.
"Theo." He jerked his head up, looking wide eyed at his father. The man's face was impassive as he stared, before his gaze drifted to the side, face softening as he looked at Aster. Then, he looked back at Theo and the cold CEO was back in place. "A word, if you will?"
He turned around without waiting for an answer. Theo knew better than to make the man repeat himself so he scrambled to his feet and followed to the door. At the very least his father wasn't going to actually drag him back home. Max Anders was a man of his word and as long as Theo was spending time with Aster and Kayden…
"Concern for your sister is admirable, but take heed. Carelessness could hurt you, and through that, her." He stated, opening the door. Theo felt his mouth dry, words stuck in his throat.
"I…"
"I will not force you, I've already stated that." His father shook his head as he turned around to look Theo in the eyes. "But you should think, and step, carefully in the future. Without power you and Aster will be easy targets." He looked over Theo's shoulder. "I can only give you twenty four hours, Kayden. I need to be sure before I proceed."
With that, he left, Justin giving Theo a long, pointed look before giving him (most likely Kayden) a respectful nod before following Theo's father back to the car.
Unlike many other coffee shops on the Boardwalk, Hell's Brew opened only in the afternoon and for a few hours regardless. It had a dedicated clientele willing to pay the prices of the expensive brews the shop prided itself on, or who enjoyed the ambience and the decor enough to suffer. The two men who ran the business didn't mind people ducking in just to soak in the quiet, as long as they weren't disruptive, unless there was need for space for the paying customers. Business was business after all. The tranquillity was enforced by the larger of the two men, a tall, muscular guy with a rough, rumbling voice but relaxed demeanour willing to crack an inappropriate joke or pose for a photo. More sociable than his fellow manning the counter and doing all the brewing, that's for sure.
Then, at eight in the evening the shop closed the doors and even as they cleaned and completed inventory, Lóng and Oni Lee tended to discuss the day's happenings or make plans for the operations of their actual business.
"Kaiser will try to reel Purity back in." Kenta rumbled absentmindedly as he bent over the table with a rag in hand. He liked cleaning. Simple, honest motions set his mind at ease.
"He was bound to try anyway. I am just surprised he was willing to wait two years." Lee replied languidly as he went through the careful, practised motions of dismantling and cleaning his precious coffee makers. Kenta always found it hilarious the man just tackled an 'oni' in front of his name and decided that would be his 'secret' identity. Somehow, it worked.
"Didn't need her terribly and it gave him good PR. Now, Hookwolf's repeated fuckups and Militia killing his eye candy forces him to shore up." Kenta opined mildly. The reason was, ultimately, unimportant, only that it happened.
"He can't afford to officially take over the city. Think he will scare PRT for a little and then go after us?" His lieutenant asked without once breaking his focus. Lee was like that. Utterly dedicated but with good attention to detail and the ability to multitask. The question was more for the sake of filling the silence. Lee was smarter than Kenta, too.
"If he wanted us gone at the height of his power, he would just tell his skill thief to take care of me." Kenta shrugged. He knew his power's weaknesses. How ironic that the member of the Empire most dangerous to him was the one people forgot about most often. Said something about how cape culture developed, even with Miss Militia around to try and remind people that guns were still guns and not everyone was bulletproof. Even as a giant. "'sides, we were not the ones who humiliated the Empire. He will go looking for the newbie."
"He will have an unpleasant surprise." Lee declared smugly as he nodded in satisfaction upon inspection of the part in his hand.
"Your girl got you something?" Kenta picked up the offered thread idly as he put away the cleaning supplies and indulged in his vice and sank into his favourite chair with a sigh. He funded this one specifically, even if during opening hours it was used by customers. Still brought him satisfaction when the customers complemented how good it felt. No one could accuse him of being just a big brute.
"Trainwreck decided it's a bit too tense to remain independent and signed up with Epopeia as well." Ah. Well, that was a shame, Kenta was looking for a Tinker for quite some time now. As useful as they were rare. He had hoped Terracotta would have substituted well enough with his power but then the boy died while Firefly kept on living. Now he will have to invest heavier in the girl and actually hand her official responsibility. He will have to look over their Korean affiliates' businesses before presenting the girl her fief.
"Think Big Brother will inform us?" He asked instead. While they didn't quite know everything, they still knew more than their self proclaimed intelligence specialist thought they did. But she was useful and she saw it as a point of pride to keep ABB successful and profitable, so Kenta let her spin her webs.
"She has been shaken the last few days, before Hookwolf's break out, even. She is playing a dangerous game." Lee replied.
"So she knows something important but thinks she can use it for personal advantage." Kenta sighed, massaging his temples. Fucking Yakuza, thinking they were better and smarter than other criminals just because they had some calcified fucking rules. "'s why I hate these new Yaks."
He grinned at the pointed look Lee gave him. "Oh knock it off, you know I'm right. The respectable types stayed behind in Japan, like Daisaku-san."
"I am sure father would be thrilled to know your opinion of him has improved so greatly." Lee deadpanned.
"Has he actually learned who I was?" Kenta snorted. Back in Tokyo, he was no one. Half-breeds like him had no hope for advancement in the ranks, forever doomed to be grunts, good only for their muscle. Lee shrugged, so Kenta decided to continue. "Still, circling back to the main topic. Shame 'bout Trainwreck. Gah! We need a Tinker." He grunted.
"I am trying, but there's no one really available yet on the map." Lee sighed. Kenta nodded in acceptance. Fucking Tinkers got snagged as soon as they popped up. Was one of the reasons he was thinking of offering Trainwreck a spot. The other being the guy's specialty. A 'cheap' Tinker would have been great for keeping the acquisition on the downlow. "Unless you are willing to knock on Leet or Squealer's door."
"I am not that desperate as to think about hiring that inevitable obituary." Kenta snorted. Really, what kind of moron would look at Leet's record and decide 'yes, this is the man I want making stuff for my organisation'? Sighing, he scratched his chin. "...Squealer is kinda taken by Skidmark and her specialty is notable."
"Maybe if you give her 'good' drugs she will be able to design something that isn't Compensator 9000?" Lee suggested jokingly and getting rewarded with Kenta's guffaw. Loud and big sure described Squealer's tech to a T.
"Skidmark might be a decent investment too. Man's a veteran and that's worth something." Kenta hummed, rotating the idea in his head. "Both would obviously need rebranding."
"The biggest problem would be selling it to the rest of the gang, Kenta. Asian only, remember?" Lee chided him, reminding him of what he used to unite the disparate little groups which now formed ABB.
He grinned as he looked Lee straight in the eyes. "Oh, but Lee, haven't you heard kids these days?" His friend closed his eyes and grabbed a cup of coffee steaming to the side as if to steel himself for what Kenta was about to say. Bah, no appreciation for the humour! "I'm a dragon. If I decide they are Asian, they are."
"That's not how it goes."
"Awww, you do listen to the jokes kids make!" Kenta chortled, slapping his thigh before raising up and rolling his shoulders. "I've decided. Tonight, we will begin planning Squealer's recruitment."
After all, the Empire would be distracted with both the PRT and Hookwolf's grudge match with Epopeia. No better time to make risky moves like that.
As always, big thanks to Xanah, Unknown B, Penguino, JoJoDio, Shirou0Emiya, Bowchikabowow. MetaWorld42, nununu, Just Some Guy With A Mustage, Ermast, Helios, Joshua Littlesun, [TEE],PlatiNom, Jose Matos, Soulsmsher, Altaibaatar, Ian DeHart, Brigand, Starfall 20 and ลิงติดเกม จากป่าดิบชื้นแถบอเมริกาใต้, saganatsu, Gabriel, Devan Duncan, Dodge the Lava, Aravir, Alys, Romain BETTINELLI, Phantsai, Austin, That_One_Guy, Francisco Garaycoa, Matthew Johnson, Mohamed Aljahmi, DalmascanSunset, Caleb_Denin, QAI521 and Dreamy_Crow, who decided my writing is actually worth paying for.
Last edited:
verycoolname
Not actually cool
I like this version of Lung and Oni Lee. They are fun to read.
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
As always, what's the point of writing a villain if you aren't having fun with it?
Mizu
Software Developer
- Location
- Victoria, Australia
*Blinks*
Yeah, I think ambush by a firearms user would be effective vs Lung - and most Parahumans. Unless he meant Victor could beat him even in dragon mode? Not sure how admittedly beyond a rocket launcher.
I remember the Worm fandom had a recurring feature of Lung in a Lazyboy chair years back, not that I ever understood why it became popular. Was this a reference? Admittedly you don't name the chair.
Huh, wasn't expecting ABB to be wanting a tinker recrui- oh, Bakuda. Good thing she hasn't shown up yet? I also never really see Trainwreck recruitment by the heroes much in fanfic, so that's unexpected.
Or, uh, see him much period. Honestly dunno what his powerset is beyond trash power armour.
- Location
- London
Yeah, Lung pretty much acknowledges here that his power's biggest weakness is being sniped unaware out of combat - until danger starts, his toughness and regen aren't that much to write home about
No idea where it came from either but it was always just a funny tidbit so Lung gets to have a weakness to indulging in the comfy furniture of choice here, as a treat.
Yeah, Bakuda hasn't even triggered yet, from my knowledge, so she is not exactly on the Tinker market
If you can trust wiki, Trainwreck's specialty is as is mentioned in the chapter - using trash, spit and duct tape to get results as good as Armsmaster could in a dedicated workshop and only looking rough, with no limits on what kind of gear he can make otherwise mentioned (probably because he otherwise fell out of the dstory before that could be brought up). It is funny how the guy is just left alone to his own devices even by PRT thought.
I guess Piggot just really didn't want to deal with Armsmaster's salt when this ork mekboy inevitably kept up with him for fraction of the effort or resources
dont you still have to shoot out his corona with that one shot? so either use an explosive round or have decent luck, still I think the biggest reason why the empire hasn't done that already is "what if it misses/what if he survives" cuz lung with a decent plan could actually just stomp them.Yeah, Lung pretty much acknowledges here that his power's biggest weakness is being sniped unaware out of combat - until danger starts, his toughness and regen aren't that much to write home aboutnot that it's a common IC knowledge but he suspects his actually smart enemies may have noticed how his power operates.
No idea where it came from either but it was always just a funny tidbit so Lung gets to have a weakness to indulging in the comfy furniture of choice here, as a treat.
Yeah, Bakuda hasn't even triggered yet, from my knowledge, so she is not exactly on the Tinker market
If you can trust wiki, Trainwreck's specialty is as is mentioned in the chapter - using trash, spit and duct tape to get results as good as Armsmaster could in a dedicated workshop and only looking rough, with no limits on what kind of gear he can make otherwise mentioned (probably because he otherwise fell out of the dstory before that could be brought up). It is funny how the guy is just left alone to his own devices even by PRT thought.
I guess Piggot just really didn't want to deal with Armsmaster's salt when this ork mekboy inevitably kept up with him for fraction of the effort or resources
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
That's what anti-tank rounds are for, m'boy. We pack something with enough kick to just atomize the whole of the head and a good chunk of the upper torso.
- Location
- Probably at sea
I'm fairly sure Lung's Lay-Z-Boy was first introduced in notes' Cenotaph, and then became a fandom meme. If there's an older fic that features one, I haven't read it - and I'm also fairly sure it's not a canon original.
With access to both Tinkertech and magecraft artifacts made with Item Construction (when Epopeia summons one of the properly broken Casters), the team is going to get extremely bonkers extremely quickly, especially since they can summon reagents out of thin air by grinding loot.
Nihilo
Authorial parasite
- Location
- Catalonia
We don't have any of the traditional OP Casters like Medea or Hohenheim yet, but Semiramis and a few others can definitely put in the work.