... I dont wish to be rude, but could you not post this on every single one of your fics? Most of which are long dead? All it does it just clutter up the main page for a few hours and spam your followers feeds with a dozen plus notifications.
Hey everyone. SkyRig...or rather T.J. Howard here, as you'll soon find out. This is...holy freaking shit, this is amazing.
So, as some of you may know, I went totally radio-silent except to give you updates, like announcing a fanfic was going on hiatus or was being removed or it was still in the works, but I also reminded you guys that I was also writing my very own book.
Well, I am proud to say that, yes, I am now a legit author.
"Chase Ryder and the City of Lost Memories - Part 1: War" is my first entry in the Chase Ryder book series, and my very first book. I am currently self-published on Amazon, which I found to be the easiest way to go (and also the most stressful. Formatting cover art on that place is a goddamn nightmare and I was having so many troubles...just, for the love of god). While I cannot say the book will be to everyone's taste as it is entirely original content, I am hoping I at least score a hundred readers and buyers. Currently, only the kindle version of the book is available (it is currently up for pre-order and will be released on May 20), but a paperback and hardcover versions are also available. When those versions will be released, I do not know. The kindle version is up for pre-order and costs 8.99. The paperback and hardcover versions will rock you 12.99 and 26.99 respectively. In regards to the ridiculous hardcover price...yeeeaaah, minimum was apparently 26.08, when I wanted to go for a more feasible but still slightly expensive 15.99.
Amazon, you suck.
I'd be happy if you bought the hardcover version, but if you feel the price is too much, please stick to paperback. Or hell, just buy the kindle version.
I realize this sounds like shameless advertisement, but I want to make something clear here. I'm not looking to make this into a best-seller or anything. Or hell, anything that would warrant it getting into, say, the New York Times. All I want is to make books and provide a steady source of income for myself and my family, and this, I feel, is the best way for me to do so. Especially since our financial situation as of recently is looking heavily uncertain for reasons I will not disclose. Private matters, you understand.
That's it for now. To assauge some fears some of you might have, no, just because I'm a legit author does not mean I will be abandoning writing fanfiction. I will still do my best to get content out to you guys, maybe post a new story when I've made decent progress and finished a story or two, but I will likely still devote my time to writing other books. I'm already working on Part 2 of Chase Ryder, as well as a trilogy series that, in my opinion, you guys may enjoy more.
Who doesn't love medieval fantasy?
Before I cap this off, I want to give two huge, massive thank yous and shout-outs to TheStrangerThatCameFromNowhere, who commissioned DeviantArtist Alex-kellar to create the cover art illustration you'll see soon enough, and to Alex-kellar himself who created the wonderful piece you'll all will be seeing eventually enough. Speaking of, Alex, if you see this and the cover art, I apologize in advance. I wanted to use the other version of the cover art you sent me, but Amazon kept fucking it up so I had to stick with the version you made for kindle. Which sucks because I really liked the one you came up with.
Of course, the ones who deserve the biggest thanks is YOU GUYS. Yes, you, the guy or girl sitting behind your computer screen or phone who gave me support and feedback and continued to give me the push I needed to pursue this career. For someone like me, who started off writing stories based off manga, anime, TV shows, and video games, people like you guys are the ones who made this possible for me.
As someone who worked in book-printing for a while, I totally know how much :Effort: it is to get that first book up and ready to go! Mind you, the joy of Creating something is absolutely worth it!
If you had a lot of trouble with KDP, maybe take a good look at IngramSpark? On the one hand, there's a larger up-front cost, but they've got substantially better support and variability in format. Plus, y'know' they're tied into Ingram's distribution network, which is a Big Deal.
Glad you knew better than to use an "all-in-one assisted self-publishing" service, mind. Scams, the lot of them.
Purity, or who I assumed was Purity, had yet to respond to my message by the time school was over. I debated whether to head over to the Gate of Hell and use the statue to polish up on my skills, especially in regards to what happened with Strix, but I thought against it. I knew I would have to get stronger if I met that masked freak again, but right now, all I wanted to do was spend some time with my family.
Dad was home early this evening, though the sour look on his face told me everything I needed to know. "Did another worker quit?"
"Higher-ups told me to let Kurt go," he said bitterly. I remembered Kurt vividly compared to some of the other faces in the Dockworkers, even considering him to be an honorary uncle with how often he babysat me when Mom or Dad wasn't there to take care of me. "I tried to argue with the manager, told him nobody worked as hard as he did, but the stubborn son of a bitch wouldn't listen. It doesn't help that we're going through a restructuring right now, too!"
It was hard to remember that, as passionate and dedicated Dad was to the Dockworkers Union, he was not in charge of the organization. He was merely one of the better parts of the machine, in charge of looking after the workers and making sure they were given all due payments. If he found someone in desperate need of the job and they met the criteria, they were hired. But that was far as his power went. If the higher-ups wanted someone gone or implemented changes that would affect the people in the company, it was Dad's job to break the news.
He never liked giving people the one piece of news they didn't want to hear. They were doing their damndest to work and provide for their families, after all. No different from him. It would have been better if he were in charge, but it didn't matter how much power Dad had in the Union or how loyal the workers were to him. Not in a city like Brockton Bay.
The problem, of course, could all be traced back to that fucking tanker sitting in the ocean.
I always wondered why no one thought to get rid of the damn thing. Imports by sea were slow and barely a trickle, which played a part in why the economy in the city was in the gutters. You would think the ABB or the Empire would do something about it, if only so they could take advantage of possible renewed sea trade. It would be easy for them to do, especially Kaiser since manipulating metal was his specialty. And yet none of them, even the Merchants, did anything about it, as if they were content with how they raked in the money as it was.
I thought about doing away with the tanker myself. I could do to it what I did to Winslow, cut it into neat little pieces. Just a few slices and bam! Renewed trade through the Bay! …only, after thinking about it more deeply, I realized there would still be some problems to consider. The remains of the tanker, for starters, and what to do with the rest of the Boat Graveyard. The tanker was not the only problem; it was the biggest one, there was no doubt about that, but there were other factors to consider as well. Dozens of ships, all stuck to the bottom of the ocean floor and the shallows of the city's edge. At the end of the day, such a large scope operation wasn't just a one-man operation, you needed a full crew and an actual plan besides brute force.
When the realization dawned on me, I felt pretty disappointed. Even though I was a cape now, there was still so little I could actually do beyond beating up bad guys and killing monsters. It made me feel frustrated. Weak.
I hate being weak.
"You okay, Taylor?"
I blinked, returning to reality and finding Dad looking at me with concern. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"You had this angry look on your face. Did something happen at school?"
Angry? Why would I be angry? Okay, granted, I suppose I was a little frustrated with this Strix and Fallen business, but other than that…
"Everything's fine, I promise. No one's started bullying me like back in Winslow." At the thought of my old school, I couldn't help but think back to Emma. An uneasy pit formed in my stomach. "Um, has Uncle Alan…said anything about how Emma's been doing lately?"
Dad seemed surprised by the change in topic, eyes swimming in emotions too quick for me to catch, before he sighed. "He hasn't said much other than she's been going to therapy sessions. I think what happened at Winslow was the straw that broke the camel's back between him and Zoe."
"Are they…?"
"There's been talk of a divorce, yeah."
I winced. Zoe was almost like a second mother to me, even though I hadn't seen her since Emma and I drifted apart and the former started acting like a bitch. She was so nice. I remembered how, during one of my sleepovers at Emma's place, she helped braid my hair when I got it long enough. It was for a Halloween party back in Elementary School. I could barely remember that party or anything after it. I couldn't even remember what Emma and I did during the party.
A bitter reminder of what happened between us.
I wasn't sure what to say about the news. I never realized how badly what happened to Emma affected them. It was better late than never that Emma was finally getting help, so why was she looking for a divorce?
Dad must have read my thoughts or something because he answered my unspoken question. "From the sounds of it, their marriage hasn't been good for a while now. I think what they wanted to do with Emma was just the powder keg finally going off." He sighed tiredly, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I can't even imagine what Anne's going through right now."
Anne… I didn't even think about her.
Annelise, or simply just "Anne", was Emma's older sister, either in her second or third year of college by now. I couldn't begin to imagine what must be going through her head or Emma's with the divorce happening and all.
…I shouldn't care about Emma anymore. She made her choice a long time ago. Even if she had a bad experience and coped with it in her own way, it didn't excuse the hell she put me through. It didn't excuse her from ruining Mom's flute.
So, why…?
Why can't I get her out of my head?
The thought continued to haunt me, all the way until I laid down and went to sleep. Sadly, my slumber did not last very long. With enhanced senses came the unfortunate tendency to wake up at the slightest thing, be it danger or something as meager and mundane as your cell phone going off. I glanced at my clock and groaned. It was barely past midnight for fuck's sake.
Mumbling thoughts of murder under my breath, I grabbed my phone and flipped it open, not bothering to look at the caller ID. "Talk or die."
"Hey, now. Don't get all uppity with me because I'm ruining your beauty sleep." Every hair on my body went ramrod straight, along with the rest of me as I sat up. "Toss on your gear and get your tight ass over here. New job just came in."
"R-right! On my way!"
So much for sleep…
May 6, 2011
Dealing with demons in the middle of the night was nothing new. Usually I was already late at night anyway with nothing better to do, but this was the first time I was woken up to deal with them. Someone wanted a batch of Scarecrows dealt with, and wouldn't you know it, they were hanging out by the docks.
I was already irritated enough by the fact that I got woken up in the middle of the night. Hearing that they were right next door to the Union only made me want to carve them up all the more.
I reached the docks in record time, in no small part to my haste. It must have taken me less than ten minutes. Seriously, I knew I could hustle if I put my mind to it, but damn.
In any case, I leaped down from the rooftop and made my way over to the warehouse, unsheathing Orthrus. I stepped inside, finding the place empty and covered in shadows and moonlight. I slid the gate shut behind me, advancing further in. I heard only my footsteps echoing across the empty warehouse.
"What is it with demons and warehouses?" I muttered under my breath. "Why couldn't they just, I don't know, squat in a roach motel or an abandoned school?" Who was I even talking to anyway? My point still stands either way. This was just so cliché!
"Kehehehehehe!" Aaand there they are.
The Scarecrows stumbled out of the shadows, all patchwork and giggling and stumbling. They were more or less the same ones I dealt with before…only they had a new friend. It was another Scarecrow, only twice as big and made of leather rather than rough patchwork. It had wickedly-sharp scythes for arms and long blades for feet, along with another blade attached to its back. Black ooze dribbled from the holes on its body, splattering to the floor and quickly climbing back into the puppet-like body.
"Okay, that's now…" I assumed a stance, conjuring four Summoned Swords and positioning them around me. I made the first move, swinging Orthrus upwards and sending a trail of ice their way.
The rushing glacial spikes managed to impale a few of the Scarecrows. The rest managed to avoid them by getting out of the way, though the ones that were impaled didn't die. The power behind the attack was too weak. As for the big guy…
Wait, where did he—the back of my head throbbed, danger quickly approaching. Killing intent bore down from above. I looked up and swore a curse, diving to the side and avoiding the falling Giant Scarecrow as it came barreling down to earth, spinning and flying off like a wheel. It rode around the warehouse, cutting up the ground and making a bee-line straight for me. I flipped Orthrus around, coating the blade in intense heat, and went to slash at the Giant Scarecrow in the hopes of pushing it back.
To my surprise, however, the bastard was pushing me back. I grounded my feet into the concrete, trying to halt my retreat. Sparks flew everywhere, all across my face. Were it not for my visor, I would have been blinded. I put more strength into my swing, knocking the demon off course and barely avoiding it. One if its blades nearly nicked me across the cheek as it soared above me, hitting the ground and finally rolling to a stop.
Three Scarecrows came at me in a pincer, one jumping into the other and swinging their bladed leg and the other going for a stab with their arm. I deflected the one in the air and ordered my Summoned Swords to block the one behind me, locking the blade in place. Orthrus' gout of flame knocked the airborne demon away and roared as I spun, swinging it behind me. A trail of red flame followed as I sliced off the demon's sole weapon, then grabbing it and throwing it at the big guy behind me.
The Giant Scarecrow callously knocked its fellow demon aside, its sharp claws easily tearing through its patchwork body and sending black ooze splattering everywhere. Ooze that was quickly flooding into the leather-clad demon. I used the distraction to send a few Summoned Swords its way, hoping to deal some damage. To my dismay, the blades bounced off. The Giant Scarecrow gave a low, mocking laugh.
Shit, it's skin's too tough! I swung Orthrus and threw an arc of flame its way. The Giant Scarecrow bounced off the ground and latched onto the ceiling like a spider, then pounced on top of me. I rolled out of the way, getting behind it and about to counterattack with another wave of hellfire when three Scarecrows with bladed arms suddenly jumped over their larger sibling, taking my by surprise and clashing with me.
Something's not right here. When I fought these things before, they were just mindlessly stumbling and could barely put up a fight. I killed them easily before, but now… They're still easy to shrug off, but they're more coordinated. More cohesive, almost as if… As if…
…As if they're being commanded. I parried and countered, skewering them with my Summoned Swords and slicing open their patchwork bodies with a single slash of my Devil's Arm. Orthrus' flames incinerated the ooze in seconds, burning away whatever was left. I glared at the Giant Scarecrow, which was now turning to face me, its smaller bretheren taking up position around it.
I understood it, then. The smaller demons were weak and mindless on their own, relying on numbers to make up the difference. The bigger one was intelligent, stronger and capable of rallying them, giving orders. I wasn't just facing a stronger variant, I was fighting an enemy commander.
My blood started to sing. A toothy grin made its way up to my face. Was I getting excited by the prospect of fighting something challenging? It didn't feel like a pushover, but it was definitely nowhere near as strong as that Fury bastard back in February.
I gripped Orthrus in both hands, a fleet of Summoned Swords hovering around me and ready to engage. Right as I was about to get back into the thick of it—
The ceiling came crashing down. The ground shuddered when something came down. Smoke flooded my vision, barely hiding the group of demons, but enough to make it hard to see. I saw a thrashing thing in the smoke, carrying what looked like a pair of sharp, chipped scissors, before a loud crunch sound reverberated through the air.
"Fucking finally…" a filtered, female voice muttered irritably. The smoke cleared, revealing the culprit.
It was a cape, and a tinker by the look of it. They were wearing armor, albeit rough and unpolished by the look of it. I saw some exposed wiring under the metal plating, but otherwise, the design painted a stereotypical heroic figure. They looked like a female version of Gallant, albeit sporting a more feminine look and dark-blue colored armor with long black hair spilling out from underneath the helm. A four-pointed shield with light-blue lights was fixed to their forearm while some kind of mounted weapon was attached to their other arm.
For a moment, I briefly saw black whisps of something floating around her before they dissipated. The unknown cape looked up, staring at the amassed group of demons. Then she turned to me. I could swear we looked each other in the eye underneath our respective masks.
The unknown cape spoke first. "Crap."
The Scarecrows charged. The sound of battle filled the warehouse once again.
Damn it's good to be back. So happy to finally get back to this, and also exploring a subject that I've been avoiding up until now because I wasn't sure how to tackle it. Namely… Emma. Oh, dear, sweet Emma. Unlike with Sophia, who I had a general idea of how to deal with once we got our things in order, my co-writer and second brain couldn't quite agree whether to cut out the Emma stuff until Mission 2 or just leave the matter to lie and be forgotten…until I remember how important Emma is to Taylor's character, even if Tay herself would want nothing to do with her.
We've also got some plans for Anne too, mainly because she doesn't get a whole lot of focus compared to Emma. It's understandable, I know, Anne is in college, but you would at least figure she would have some significance to Taylor since she's Emma's big sis and all.
We're also introducing a new cape to the mix, who is also joining Taylor's soon-to-be team. Before you ask, no, this is not an OC. She is, in fact, a canon character. Have fun guessing who it is! And before you ask, no, it is not Madison.
Taylor's struggle against the Scarecrows was done on behest of my co-writer, who felt that Taylor might have dealt with the demons a tad too easily. Even if they were bottom-feeders. Hence why she's dealing with their slightly better, more pissed off older sibling the Mega Scarecrow.
Anyways, next chapter is already in the works as we speak. I did consider publishing all chapters at once when they were finished, but I decided to be a cruel bastard and write them as they're finished.
I'd like to take a moment and shamelessly self-advertise my first-ever book, "Chase Ryder and the City of Lost Memories", which is available for pre-order for kindle and is available for purchase for hardback and paperback. Kindle version costs 8.99, hardback is 26.99 and paperback is 12.99. If you're curious, please consider giving my book a purchase and help support me. Any and all financial help in any form is appreciated! You can find the link to the book in my signature. For guests who do not have access to the signature, the link to my book can be found here.
I long thought it would never make an update for a long time but this is a surprise. However, I had to reread all the chapters since I forgot how the story was progressing.
In the immortal words of Akihiko Sanada:
I've been waiting for this!
So happy to see this again. It's been too damn long. And I see Taylor's starting to let her inner devil have some fun, if the tail end of the chapter was any indication. It's a wonder how it didn't show up during that whole Bloody Cape affair.
Also happy to hear that we're finally going to see the Emma plot visited, which I'm sure is going to be quite interesting to see unfold, given how Taylor's in a better headspace and Emma has maaaaaaaaaybe gotten the help she needs.
Been awhile, going to have to reread this one. Not a bad thing to be sure, just need to get the story back in my head properly, got caught too many times on the new chapter trying to keep a bit straight.
Still fun to see this one back, semi rare to see proper crossovers with worm as opposed to just alt powers, so always interesting to read.
It always bothered me how the Dockworkers Union/Association are depicted in Worm and many of the fanfictions. It's a Union they don't pay or fire members. Union members don't work for the Union.
Mumbling thoughts of murder under my breath, I grabbed my phone and flipped it open, not bothering to look at the caller ID. "Talk or die."
"Hey, now. Don't get all uppity with me because I'm ruining your beauty sleep." Every hair on my body went ramrod straight, along with the rest of me as I sat up. "Toss on your gear and get your tight ass over here. New job just came in."
Then Taylor squeaks, either due to how (un)intentionally lewd Bayonetta is, or Bayonetta does something somewhat pervy to Taylor. Actually, those go hand in hand, don't they?
I love this fic, so, how is it that you did a triple update last month, AND I MISSED IT!?! Still, excelent job on thouse and this update. And I am SO looking forward to so more.
Can't be Sophia. Yes it's power armor, but the fit and finish is...lacking. Taylor could see exposed wiring and the metal plates lacked polish. There's no way Armsmaster would sign off on the first and PR wouldn't sign off on the second.
Hoooold up...Sophia still has a few family members, an older brother and a younger sister. Unless this is seriously AU or involved time travel, it cant be the latter.
So, what do we know. Long black hair, probably a girl and giving out whisps of darkness that suggest connections to either Grue or Shadow Stalker. Also is a canon character. It...could be Charlotte, she has dark hair and would...potentially be close to SS to ping off her in a Trigger event, depending on when it happened. Could potentually have included some Wards as well.
Unless...unless shes not a WORM canon character. I dont really see how it could happen and I cant think of any way it could work, but she could potentially be from Dante's world, or potentially Bayonetta's.
Aaaaand now I'm picturing Loki being reborn into Earth Bet. That has the potential to be fun...
Hoooold up...Sophia still has a few family members, an older brother and a younger sister. Unless this is seriously AU or involved time travel, it cant be the latter.
So, what do we know. Long black hair, probably a girl and giving out whisps of darkness that suggest connections to either Grue or Shadow Stalker. Also is a canon character. It...could be Charlotte, she has dark hair and would...potentially be close to SS to ping off her in a Trigger event, depending on when it happened. Could potentually have included some Wards as well.
Unless...unless shes not a WORM canon character. I dont really see how it could happen and I cant think of any way it could work, but she could potentially be from Dante's world, or potentially Bayonetta's.
Aaaaand now I'm picturing Loki being reborn into Earth Bet. That has the potential to be fun...
No, it is a Worm character. The only characters from Bayonetta that are showing up are Rodin, and at some point, Bayo herself. On that note, regarding the whole darkness bits, I suggest you re-read her intro scene a few times as her power has nothing to do with darkness or shadows in any capacity or form.
The thrashing thing plus the large chipped scissors and the fading wisps of darkness makes me think unknown tinker girl slammed a Sin Scissors through the ceiling and finished it off after landing.
Not ten seconds after she said that did the demons charge.
I zipped past her, swinging Orthrus in tandem with my Summoned Swords, blocking attacks from all sides. I tried the same with the Giant Scarecrow, but found myself being overpowered once again. Its blades pressed down, attempting to bring me to my knees. I felt the other Scarecrows going to attack me from behind. Summoned Swords blocked their paths, some impaled and killed with a lucky hit or two, but some weren't deterred and powered through. As confident as I was in my regenerative ability, I still didn't like the idea of getting hurt or worse. Not after that whole ordeal with Strix.
That was when the unknown cape suddenly reminded me of her existence, barreling in and grabbing one of the Scarecrows by the leg and throwing it against its allies. The shield lit up like a Christmas tree, suddenly rotating and moving at the speed of a buzzaw before she THREW IT?!
"Holy sh—!" I quickly disengaged, planting my feet on the Giant Scarecrow and got out of the way. The spinning shield smacked dead-on into the big guy's abdomen. The force wasn't enough to cut into the leather or force it back, but it clearly left it disoriented enough for me to get some distance and kill the Scarecrow coming up behind me, cutting off its arm and jamming its own blade into its skull. The flood of demonic beetles spilled out and quickly scuttled away, slithering into the larger one.
"Okay, that's disgusting," the cape groaned. Her shield returned and latched back onto her arm, right as two Scarecrows jumped on top of her. "H-hey! Get!" She grabbed one by the head and threw it on the ground. "Off!" She then grabbed the second Scarecrow and cut open its chest with the spinning shield before throwing it aside. The Scarecrow on the ground recovered right as she tried to stomp its head on, stumbling and bouncing away from her. "What the hell are these things?! Some bio-tinker circus troup?!"
"I wish," I grimaced, eyeing the Giant Scarecrow. The way it angled its mask, I felt as though it were leering mockingly at me.
I changed Orthrus' element, changing sides and taking a quick headcount of how many Scarecrows were left. I counted at least seven left. It didn't escape my notice how the ooze of bugs from the last Scarecrow the cape killed piled into the bigger one, as if joining the horde within the body. Either they were seeking refuge before they could be killed, or they were adding their power to the big guy. If it was the latter, then we would have to kill this thing quickly. First things first, I needed to figure out how to cut through that leather body. I needed to get in close with Orthrus, maybe strike with some heat.
The demons did not wait for us to make the first move. Three charged at once, shortly followed by the Giant Scarecrow becoming a spinning ball of death. I sent the weaker ones flying with a simple slash through the air and a blast of cold air, but I had no illusions of trying to block and repel the Giant Scarecrow through brute force alone. I jumped to the side and avoided it and went for another tactic, gathering my Summoned Swords around Orthrus.
Each Devil Arm had unique properties, inherited or derived from their base. The Devil's Arm Ifrit, for example, was forged from the molten corpse of a fire elemental demon and could generate scorching levels of heat. In some cases, that power could influence the wielder's own abilities. Admittedly, I learned this well after my fight with the Bloody Cape, but I experimented with Orthrus' effects on my Summoned Swords.
I was more than happy with the results. The orange-red blades changed ever so slightly, some beginning to be encroached in frost while others began to crack, their tips burning crimson and steaming.
With a flick, the elemental-infused conjured blades were sent flying and went straight for the Giant Scarecrow. It rolled up the wall and continued to speed forward, evading the swords completely before bouncing off like a cannonball and making a bee-line straight for the cape. "Watch out!" I shouted in warning.
The armored girl quickly kicked the Scarecrow she was fighting off her and pulled away, just barely escaping fate and becoming sliced-and-diced roadkill. The Giant Scarecrow changed course and went for round two. Scarecrows attempted to pin her in place or keep her distracted. I moved to intervene, bisecting one and separating it from its torso. Orthrus' chilling breath froze the bugs before they could vacate their now destroyed puppet. The cape, rather than take my newly-made escape route, punched the Scarecrow in front of her in the mask.
That was when I realized what the mounted weapon on her wrist actually was as she pulled her fist back, and with it, a steel wire. With a surprising show of strength, whether her own or her armor's, she threw the Scarecrow attached to the other end of the wire directly into the path of its larger sibling, slamming it right into its side with enough force that it had no choice but to change direction. It went past the cape by a wide margin and had to force itself to a stop, digging its blades into the ground.
I stared in awe and appreciation at her skill before getting back into it and deflecting a blade coming for my neck. I changed elements again and slashed the Scarecrow across the chest, lighting the patchwork body ablaze before sending Summoned Swords into its body and making it a pincushion, then kicking it into the Scarecrow charging at me. It callously used its dying brother as a springboard, hopping into the air and swinging its bladed leg down on me.
I side-stepped and countered, swinging Orthrus and slicing off its weaponized limb like a hot knife through butter. The Scarecrow flopped to the ground and died the moment I stabbed it in the head, setting it and its bugs ablaze.
"GET FUCKED!"
I looked back at the unknown cape, just in time to see her surrounded by three Scarecrows that had her dead to rights, only to have their bellies sliced open and their bugs to spill out in disgusting, oozing black floods. She pivoted on her heel, bringing the spinning shield around with her and slicing off their heads for good measure. The Scarecrows haplessly fell and dissipated into nothing while their puppetmasters fled to the Giant Scarecrow, which was now standing on its legs and laughing.
"Kekekekekekekekekekeke."
I swear, this bastard is laughing at us.
"So, do you have any ideas?" the cape asked me, not taking her eyes off the Giant Scarecrow. "Aside from trying to cut it open, I mean."
"Can you keep it still for a few seconds?"
"I can try."
A plan formed in my head. I had no idea if it would work, but it wasn't as if I had any other choice in the matter. The Giant Scarecrow let out a warbled cackle as it lunged, bringing its claws down. The cape got out of the way in time and just…stopped? What was she doing? As I pondered what was going through her head, her body started to shimmer and glow. It did not appear to be produced by her armor, so it was something else. The Giant Scarecrow swiped at her, aiming to slice her to pieces.
Two shields blocked its advance. I saw double. Next to the cape was essentially her twin, only with reversed colors. The white parts of the armor were jet black, her black hair dyed white, and the blue highlights on her shield colored dark red. The position of her shield and mounted wrist-wire were reversed as well.
I was stunned, left gaping for a short while and trying to figure out what just happened before shaking my head. I quickly joined the fray, sending Summoned Swords flying at its backside. A wicked smile formed over my face when I saw the flame-infused swords pierce into its leathery body. It did not catch fire as I hoped it would, but it made the bastard yell in pain. The distraction proved useful; the cape and her doppelganger knocked the Giant Scarecrow off balance, then proceeded to lunge forward and ram their fists into its shoulders, where its body and the blades met. The wrist-wires dug in deep and the twins were off, pulling as hard as they could on the wires and dragging it right up against a steel beam. The giant blade on its back prevented it from fully being trapped, but just as I hoped, they kept it in place long enough for me to get some momentum going.
I flipped Orthrus tight, flipping into a reverse-hand grip, my free hand firmly on the pommel. I sped up, pouring every bit of strength I had into my arms and legs, crossing the distance in seconds. I thrust Orthrus as deep into the Giant Scarecrow as I can, then let it loose.
First came the ice. Thick sheets of frozen water encroached its body, pouring out from the wound and devouring it from the inside. The Giant Scarecrow thrashed and writhed, attempting to pull itself away. It was succeeding, the twins struggling to keep it pinned against the steel beam. I felt Orthrus' chilling fangs growing deeper. My smile turned vicious as I twisted the blade and dug even further. Sparks flew across what little of the Devil Arm's edge I could see.
"Pop goes the weasel."
Hellfire roared and expanded. The ice broke apart and evaporated. The Giant Scarecrow suddenly expanded, growing like a balloon. The chittering and ungodly squealing of the Trypoxylus beetles grew louder before the body could not take it any longer.
Pop.
The cape screamed and backed away, avoiding the sudden intense burst of heat that erupted in front of her. There was nothing left; no scorch marks, no disgusting piles of black ooze made up of demonic bugs, not even a scrap of leather. I waited a moment, straining my senses and waiting to hear or sense something. Maybe some kind of last surprise meant to catch us off guard.
There was nothing.
I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding, the tension slowly bleeding away. I sheathed Orthrus and turned my attention to the cape, now alone. Her doppelganger was nowhere to be found. I finally take a moment to look at her more closely. Despite the amateurish design of her armor, it had seen its fair share of battle. It had no shortage of dents or cuts, some of which looked too old to come from the fight just now. The way she moved suggested she had some prior combat experience as well. It was strange, though. Granted, I don't follow PHO as much as I should when it comes to cape news and debuts unless I see a news article, but I would have thought someone like this would have been mentioned.
"So, uh…" The cape fidgeted, shifting back and forth on the balls of her feet. "I take it you work for Rodin, too?"
I stared. "…huh?"
"So, looks like you two finally ran into each other."
I should have expected this, to be honest. Boss mentioned I was hardly the only Devil Hunter out there in the world. I was just someone with more unique circumstances. It was still amazing to run into someone more experienced than me, though, if only by a few months.
After some rather explaining, I found myself joining her back in the Gates of Hell, where Boss was fixing up a cocktail for her. Meanwhile, I drank from a freshly-opened can of orange soda.
"I didn't know the talk of the town was a Devil Hunter too," the cape said beamingly. "I have to admit, I'm a little jealous you got a Devil's Arm before me, though. I've been trying to convince Rodin here to give me one for ages."
"Like I told you," Boss huffed. "You bag your first big baddie, I'll make you one. 'sides, even if I did have some to sell, I wouldn't go giving you it for free. I've heard what tinkers get up to when they get into it. Last thing we need is you blowing up the neighborhood trying to pick it apart."
"Give me a break…"
"So, what's your name?" I asked curiously. "Do you not have one?"
The cape shook her head. "Nope. I'm kind of like an indie hero, sort of. I haven't really made a big debut, and I mostly focus on hunting demons. Don't get me wrong, I also deal with the occasional scumbag or two every now and then, but I make most of my buck here. Speaking of demons, there's been a lot of them crawling out of the woodwork recently."
"Tell me about it." Part of me had an idea why that was, too.
Boss finished mixing the drink, setting it down in front of the cape. "Ever since the Fallen came to town. Considering they got somebody like that Strix punk, I'd bet you anything they're following him."
"Has there been any word on the missing persons?"
The cape answered with a sigh. "I've been looking into that myself since the Fallen showed up. Hunting down their members, trying to pry info out of them, but I can never get anything. Not for a lack of trying, mind you. Trying the whole "I'll kill you if you don't tell me everything" bluff doesn't work, either. They're more terrified of Strix than they are of the heroes and villains."
I don't blame them. Just thinking about that bastard made my skin crawl. My side still burned from the memory of his flames.
At this point, I had a pretty good idea why the Fallen were kidnapping people. Like Boss said, demons from the Underworld crawled out of their holes one of two ways. Either they managed to slip through the cracks, squeezing their way in, or they were lured out by the tantalizing smell of blood. It was impossible to know how many of the missing persons in Brockton Bay could be attributed to just gang violence or people getting fed up with this shithole of a city, but if even half of those were the Fallen's doing…
We were running out of time. How much time was left, I had no idea. It was equal parts aggravating and terrifying, knowing that there were god knows how many people in desperate need of saving, hoping a hero would find and save them. If I couldn't find them and we failed…
NO.
Something steely forms in my head. A burning fire was lit in my breast.
I wouldn't fail. I refuse to fail. I will not fail.
"Head on home, kid," Boss told me. "I'll call you in case something turns up."
I nodded and stood up, downing the dregs of my soda before tossing the can into the garbage bin halfway across the room. "Take care! And good luck!" the cape shouted at me. I waved back, giving her a thumbs up.
By the time I returned home, sleep was the furthest thing from my mind. It took two hours before I finally allowed myself to fall unconscious.
I called in sick to school in the morning. I told Dad I wasn't feeling well, that I must have ate something foul and faked puking in the bathroom. I didn't like having to lie to him, but I had no choice.
When I woke up, the first thing I did was log onto PHO to see if there was any new updates. I had a message in my PM.
Purity wanted to meet.
I'd like to take a moment and shamelessly self-advertise my first-ever book, "Chase Ryder and the City of Lost Memories", which is available for pre-order for kindle and is available for purchase for hardback and paperback. Kindle version costs 8.99, hardback is 26.99 and paperback is 12.99. If you're curious, please consider giving my book a purchase and help support me. Any and all financial help in any form is appreciated! You can find the link to the book in my signature. For guests who do not have access to the signature, the link to my book can be found here.
Okay, it's official. This arc is gonna be the longest as of right now, since it will be going past ten chapters. On a side note, it shouldn't last much longer as we're steadily getting closer to the end goal, and you'll find out why this arc was named "Muscle".
In regards to our currently unnamed cape (working name atm is Shielder, since Eric goes by Barricade in this continuity), she is a Tinker/Master. Her tinker specialty is under wraps for now, but her Master Power falls under the "Projection" category in that she can create a mirror image of herself that can aid her in battle. The copy has a degree of independence and free-thought, but for the most part, it acts in conjunction with what Shielder orders.
Thoughts on the fight? It's definitely not my finest work by a long shot, but I am at least satisfied with how it came out. Somewhat. Like I said, not my finest work.
Currently 1:17 A.M. where I am. I should be asleep by now, as should most people.
Perfect time for an update!
On a side note, in light of me discontinuing Adapt (and potentially rebooting it), I now have a free slot open. As such, you can expect a new story in the coming days. Sadly, it will NOT be another Worm crossover. As much as I like having fallen down the rabbit hole that is wildbow's grimdark world of superheroes, there are other fandoms I'd like to pursue, thank you very much.
