Anyway the killer huh? I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's Lonnie. He's trying to power his usual Anarky Shtick with magic here but still is doing his usual thing where his "Activism" has too much splash damage and he makes chill anarchists look bad.
Nope, not Lonnie. I feel like it's worrying that two separate people (you and someone on SB) have guessed him, lol.
Also don't worry, Lonnie's going to have more reasonable, non-strawman politics in this story. He also won't be using that extremely corny cape name, because c'mon.
Honestly thought Lonnie was a OC, since I'm not that familiar with DC beyond recollections of DC stuff I watched and read ages ago: and thus am not familiar with every character. Like I know all the big names and some of the small ones but not everything. I'm most familiar with the 2003 original teen titans, the Adam west Batman show (lol), and whatever show had batman comforting a young girl (Ace I think) on a swing as she died.
——
Looking at Lonnies wiki page, I can kinda see why I've never heard of him, beyond having the lame power of no powers at all: his whole shick is eh… IDK what to think.
Honestly thought Lonnie was a OC, since I'm not that familiar with DC beyond recollections of DC stuff I watched and read ages ago: and thus am not familiar with every character. Like I know all the big names and some of the small ones but not everything. I'm most familiar with the 2003 original teen titans, the Adam west Batman show (lol), and whatever show had batman comforting a young girl (Ace I think) on a swing as she died.
——
Looking at Lonnies wiki page, I can kinda see why I've never heard of him, beyond having the lame power of no powers at all: his whole shick is eh… IDK what to think.
Looking at Lonnies wiki page, I can kinda see why I've never heard of him, beyond having the lame power of no powers at all: his whole shick is eh… IDK what to think.
Hmm… succubus running free in Falcone territory, embarrassing Carmine? If only I had the number of someone with an inside scoop to the runnings of the Falcone family…
Smirking, I pull out my phone and call Sofia Falcone.
I knew being her tutor was going to eventually pay off!
After a few minutes, I the mafia heiress picks up.
"Argyra? What are you doing calling at eight at night?"
"Just bored" I say, "Artemis is busy, and everyone else is off doing shit, so I'm calling you."
"…You know what? Sure, whatever. What are you up to?"
"Not much, that's what being bored is. Basic English, c'mon. As you tutor, I feel it's my duty to-"
"You tutored me in American History, Argyra."
"I seem to remember you having a great deal of trouble with some of those names of battles in the Civil War. I have twenty bucks right here, and I will give it to you if you can spell 'Chustenahlah'."
Sofia chuckles, and we trail off into an amicable silence.
"So!" I say, jumping up from where I've sat down on the curb, "the reason I called. I'm staying in some old haunts this weekend, and I just heard about this 'Demon' serial killer dude. I wanted to know how worried I should be."
"Ah" she says, grimacing, "yeah, that freak. I'd come back next weekend, if you could. Daddy's practically spitting nails."
"Damn" I say, eyes roving the street, "this guy's actually managing to outplay your dad? That's fuckin' scary, man."
"Tell me about it" she says. "Also, 'he'? Who says this mysterious killer isn't a woman, huh? That's called misogyny."
I chuckle. "How fast should I get out? I'm right near Sal's Diner right now, and I'm not with anyone."
"Hmm" Sofia says, "I'd head out tonight, but it should be ok tomorrow, hopefully."
"Why?"
"Well," she says, almost absentmindedly, "Jinx thinks she figured out where he might be, so she and Tally Man are leading an ambush. Hopefully, they'll manage to get him by the end of the night."
Something about that name is sending up alarm bells in my head, but I can't quite figure out what. I mean, more than the normal amount of alarm bells for a sociopathic hit man.
That's not going to stop bothering me, I can just tell.
"Argyra?"
"Sorry, lost in thought. Shit, your dad bought a contract with Tally Man? He must really be pissed."
"Yeah" Sofia says, and I can only detect the note of genuine discomfort in her voice from knowing her for three years, "I have no idea how Daddy can let someone like him operate under his name. I swear, one time I actually saw him etching those marks into his gun, and naming off each kill… luckily, they're on the other side of the territory, so I don't have to interact with that nutcase."
He is nuts, but that isn't it…
"Really?" I say, eyebrows raising as I mentally rub my hands together. That means... "I guess it makes sense he'd be hiding out in the slums, but you'd think that'd be the first place they checked."
"I know, right!" the heiress says, "I told them he'd probably be hiding out in some abandoned warehouse or something, but did Daddy listen? No! He's spent all damn month combing the border! Jinx says she thinks the killer is a succubus or something, apparently super valuable on the magical black market. Daddy doesn't really care about that, though he just wants them gone."
Seriously, it's on the tip of my tongue. I know him from somewhere.
Also, apparently Jinx has never seen an actual concubus victim, good to know.
…
Damnit, I've got a strange feeling that something is seriously wrong here. And as a seer, I've learned to never ignore strange feelings.
You know what? Fuck it.
I give a forced chuckle. "I guess Carmine should listen to you more, then. Listen, Sofia, I just got a text from Lonnie and he needs some help with something, so I gotta go. See you later?"
"Wait, what? Argyra, what the hell are you-"
I flip my phone closed, hanging up.
…That'll probably come back to bite me in the ass later, won't it?
Whatever, future me's problem.
Now, Tally-Man. Why is that ringing so many bells in my head?
…
…
Suddenly, it hits me. Tally-Man is rumored to contract for the League of Shadows.
Fuck, Paula.
Artie's in danger.
She lives decently close to where Jinx and Tally-Man are going to be, I can't risk-
I turn to pull out my phone, but realize it's already in my hand, dialing.
"What's up Eri?"
"Artie, where are you?"
Artie's in danger.
"My mom's place, why?"
Paula won't listen to me if I'm not there in person, that's just the way she is. Also, if she's being… especially Paula, I might need to do something drastic, like sedate her. Shit, should I stop by my lab to pick up some tranquilizers? I knew I should have refilled my stock!
"Shit. Alright, I'll be over there. We need to talk, ASAP. I'll see you in a minute. I'm, uh… right near there."
Artie's in danger.
"Eri, what's wr-"
I hang up. Alright, just need to wait fifteen or so minutes before teleporting, so it feels reasonable that I could have walked there.
I'm especially proud of my teleportation spell, actually. I got it from a theory book I bought from a Yoruba Babaaláwo.
Artie's in danger.
Seriously, it's a crying shame that more Western wizards just stick to Hermetica and other Western theoretical systems, there's some fascinating stuff in the world if you know where to look for it.
I mean, it could be the formatting, in the case of Africa. The "book" I bought from him was less a book and more "memory crystal of oral instruction". Most Africans outside some of the major empires did a whole master-apprentice thing for teaching magic up until like the 1800s.
Artie's in danger.
Y'know, I'm pretty sure he actually charged me double because I'm a white English-speaker. On the one hand, I mean… fair? I'd probably be pissed too if my people had been Britain-ed for centuries. In living memory too, that dude had to be like 200.
Artie's in danger.
But on the other hand, my people have been Britain-ed! I'm Irish and Greek, neither of me likes the British! Artie's in danger. And yeah, I know, unequal patterns of development, neocolonialism, all that stuff Lonnie likes to rant about, but c'mon! I had to eat ramen for like a month!Artie's in danger. He could have at least reduced the cost for healing that cut on his great-grandson's head. Artie's in danger. Ok admittedly, the cut was from my bumping Artie's in danger into him because I wasn't paying att-
Ok you know what fuck this, I can't wait any longer. I'll just say I was a block over, or something. I release the teleportation spell, and feel myself fade into the local weave, stepping sideways through time to arrive at a place that, in some ways, I was standing at all along.
I run up the building's stairs, and knock on Paula's door.
The door swings open, and I let out a sigh of relief.
"Eri?"
"Thank the fucking Fates. I came as soon as I could, is Paula here?"
"…yes? Eri, what the hell is up with you?"
"Fuck, there's no time, I have to-"
"Eri, what is going on!"
I grab her shoulders, staring directly into her eyes. "Artie. Artemis. Don Carmine just called in Tally-Man to hunt down someone in this area."
She just looks confused.
"Tally-Man, the associate of the League of Shadows."
All at once, I can see the color drain from her face. "Fuck. Mom."
I grimace. "I know. We need to figure out if they knew each other, and if they did, what exactly-"
"Fuck, fuck, do you think he'll kill her?"
I grimace. "I don't know, but I think I have a place where you and Paula can hide if he comes for you. It should be-"
I'm interrupted by a polite cough. Artemis and I both jump, turning around to see Paula in the kitchen, looking at us with an inscrutable expression.
"If I did know something about that-"
She wheels herself forward.
"-I would have to say that Tally-Man and Tigress never knew one another. I doubt he even knew her name, before or after her retirement."
I feel a great whoosh of air leave me. Oh thank the Fates.
I lean on the doorway, feeling like I truly did run a mile to get here. "That's… that's good. Fuck. I was so worried…"
I turn to Artemis, only to realize that she's still rigid, hands digging gouges into her palms. Ah, shit. I should have expected this.
"Uh, hey, P- Ms. Nguyen? Do you mind if Arti- Artemis and I go to her room?"
She stares for a long second, and then nods, wheeling herself back into her bedroom.
I walk Artemis to her own room, wincing as she digs her fingernails into the meat of my hand.
When we close the door, she turns to me, and collapses in my arms.
"…Fuck, Eri."
I sigh.
"Why does it always come back? Why can I never escape this shit?"
I pull her into a hug, and she lets her head drop into the crook of my neck, burying her face in my collarbone.
I can feel the beginnings of wetness on my skin.
"Will I ever be able to get free of them, of their past? Or will they always be fucking hanging over my shoulders like… like some fucked-up angel and devil from a cartoon."
I give a wan smile. "More like devil and a slightly-less-shitty devil."
Her chuckle is wet. "Y-Yeah."
"I try… I try so hard, so fucking hard, to be different… but what if I'll always just be Tigress and Sportsmaster's daughter?"
I stroke her hair, murmuring soothing nothings into her ear as she lets her feelings out.
We stay like that for around fifteen minutes, just sitting there cuddled together as she clutches me.
Eventually, we end up positioned with my head lying in her lap, her fingers carding through the silver strands of my hair in soothing motions.
Eventually, Artemis sighs. "So… Carmine is really sending Tally-Man out looking for some sort of… blood wizard?"
"Blood mage, and yes. Apparently the guy's been killing people for the past month, but no one can actually figure out who he is."
She hums lazily. "How do you know it's a guy, then?"
I roll my eyes. "Please. A woman would be far too competent to leave the bodies lying around in back-allies."
She whacks me on the shoulder, trying to suppress a giggle. "People are dead, Eri!"
I smile. There we go.
We stay like that for a little while more, my head in her laps, her idly stroking my hair.
"So…" she eventually says, "why does Carmine think that the P- the Bertinellis are sending this guy?"
I frown, sitting up. Oh, right.
"The Pulentuni have been getting into some seriously messed-up magic recently."
I have to hold back a shiver at the memory of a fire-breathing cultist charging directly at me, claws raised. "Dark shit, seriously dark shit, the type of stuff that rots your soul from the inside."
My eyes flick to the side. "Or, uh… so says the word on the street. Apparently they have suldati that can punch through walls, stuff like that."
Artemis frowns, not seeming to catch my slip. "That doesn't answer my question. Is there any actual evidence the two are connected?"
I shrug. "I mean, how can they not be? They show up with evil blood magic, then some corpses start showing up, clearly killed by evil magic? I mean, there's only a few ways that you can suck the life force out of a corpse like that, and specific types of blood magic are the most common."
Artemis shoots me a strange look. "And how do you know that?"
Shit, apparently she did catch it. "I mean, word on the street is that's what Jinx told Carmine, apparently."
I'm such a fucking coward.
Eventually, she decides to let it go. "Mhm. Well, regardless, you shouldn't jump to assumptions like that when investigating. It's fully possible that these two groups have nothing to do with one another, or are receiving similar abilities from a single source."
"…Sorry, but I just can't see it. It doesn't make sense."
"Think about it, Eri. What would the Pul- the Bertinellis have to gain from leaving random shriveled corpses in back-alleys in Falcone territory?"
"…intimidation? To try to scare us, make Carmine blink."
She shoots me a mild glare at my partisan phrasing, but nods. "Maybe. But in that case, why try to hide the corpses? Why not string them up outside stash-houses, or something? If the magic they're using really is as… soul-rotting as you say, or whatever, I can't imagine they'd be averse to it for moral reasons."
That… that's a really good point.
My eyes widen. "Holy shit, Artie, you don't think-"
The smile the blonde gives me is practically radiating smugness. "That our wonderful, strong, intelligent Don Carmine is chasing down a false lead because his own arrogance has blinded him to the possibility that the entire world doesn't revolve around his petty gang feuds? Yes, yes I do."
I can't stop myself from giggling. "Oh Fates, he's going to be so pissed when he finds out."
I frown. "But wait, in that case, who the hell is killing these people, then?"
"Hm… Well, my first instinct is to say someone using the same sort of magic, but let's rule out the other options first. Do you think it could be some sort of magical creature, or something?"
"What do you mean?"
She gestures vaguely to the air. "I mean, you know, like a succubus or something. Aren't they supposed to drain men of their life force? That sounds a lot like what's going on here."
I shake my head. "No, it doesn't make sense. I mean first of all, concubi — that's the species name — can feed on anyone of any gender, and second of all, I took a little look at one of the corpses, and they don't look like concubi victims at all. It's clearly some sort of intentional magic."
Yeah, the aether patterns in the corpses are all wrong for some sort of inborn soul drain ability, whether from a non-human or a magical creature. It's a spell.
Artemis seems to be restraining a smirk. "You just 'took a little look'?"
I roll my eyes. "Ok fine, I may or may not have used a minor illusion to sneak into the coroner's office to look at the corpse. I was curious, sue me."
I pout. "It's not like I was hurting anyone…"
She lets out a laugh, loud and deep and rich and beautiful, fondness shining in her eyes. "Never change, Eri. Never change."
Shut up, I'm not blushing, you're blushing.
"A-anyways" I say, desperately trying to change the subject, "so it's definitely not a concubus."
"Is that seriously the gender-neutral version of 'succubus' and uh… what's the male one?"
"'Incubus', and yes."
Artemis nods, absorbed in thought. "Maybe a meta with some sort of absorption power?"
I frown. "Maybe? Is there anyone like that in Gotham?"
Artemis shakes her head. "No, but they could be new. If they-"
"No" she says, frowning, "then why would they try to keep things secret? Maybe they gain power from stealing life force, and are trying to be discreet?"
I hum. "It's a good thought, but there w- Jinx said there was magic on the corpses, according to a guy I know."
She shoots an annoyed look at my "admission" of gang contacts, but quickly goes back to staring at the middle distance.
After a minute, she pops up. "Right, I can't think of anything else, so that means it likely is someone using the same sort of magic, just independently. Where did you say Jinx and the Tally-Man are looking."
"Around here, near the border with Bertinelli territory. They're trying to find where the guy is operating from."
Artemis stands up, moving over to her closet. "Let me…"
She bends over, digging around for something in the back.
Don't look at her ass don't look at her ass don't look at
Thankfully, she stands up after only a few seconds, triumphantly holding up five tightly-folded sheets of paper. When she spreads one of them out on the floor next to the bed, I can see it's a map of the border neighborhoods of Falcone and Bertinelli territory. It has an absurd level of detail, with individual shops and alleys, with gang territory drawn in with marker.
I narrow my eyes. "…Artie?"
"Hm?"
"Why exactly do you have this?"
She blushes, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Uh… I have them for everywhere in the city?"
I raise an eyebrow.
She bites her lip, clearly struggling with something. "I… there's… there's actually something I've been meaning to talk with you about. It's related to the map. Are you free tomorrow, after… after all this is over?"
"For you? Always. If I'm not, I'll rearrange things, make room."
She shoots me a relieved smile. "Good… good. But uh, can we get back to this serial killer?"
I nod. Whatever this is, it's clearly making her uncomfortable. "Alright. So this is a map of where they'll be looking, right?"
"Right. But this" she switches the paper, spreading out the four other sheets on the ground, "this is where they're probably hiding. Because-"
I grin. "Because if I was a blood mage operating in the same territory as another group of blood mages, I'd want to be as far away from them as possible!"
"Exactly" she says. "So now, we just have to figure out where the hell he's actually operating from."
She stands up, moving to tape the maps to a cork-board. "Do you know where the previous bodies were found?"
I smirk. "Absolutely I do."
Over the next four minutes, after I give her the murder locations that I found earlier using divination, we stick one of those red-balled push-pins you see in detective shows into the sites of each previous murder.
"Alright" Artemis says, stepping back, "now, let's look at this, big picture. Forget the magic, pretend they're not a gang enforcer, or some sort of cape, just an average everyday serial killer."
It should say a lot about what type of city Gotham is that we have "average, everyday" serial killers.
She stares at the map intently, eyes darting back and forth over the pins, trying to discern a pattern. I'd help but honestly, I'm lost. I guess it kind of looks like a weird smiley face, if you squint.
Yeah, in retrospect, leaning so heavily on seership at the expense of my baseline investigative abilities is really coming to bite me in the ass about right now. But in my defense, Artie was always a fucking master at this sort of thing!
So I just sit back, and watch the master work.
Over the next twenty minutes, she slowly draws several increasingly-smaller circles on her map, occasionally getting up to consult with various books from her shelf.
"Alright" she eventually says, stepping back from the wall, "I've narrowed it down to this four-block radius. They should be based somewhere here, the killing patterns don't make sense otherwise."
"…"
"…"
"…Eri? What is it?"
I realize there's a giant, goofy smile on my face. "Sorry, sorry. I just love seeing you in your element. You'd make an amazing detective, you know."
She bites her lip, brushing her hair behind her ears as she tries to hide a smile. "You think so?"
I lay a hand on top of hers. "I know so. Seriously, you have an incredible mind."
After a minute of us just sitting there, staring at one another and growing slowly redder, Artemis eventually coughs.
"R-Right" I say, "Any ideas on how to narrow it down?"
Any levity leaves Artemis, as she growls, looking ready to punch the cork-board. "No, which is what's so fucking annoying! I'd have- someone would have to comb this entire neighborhood just to find this asshole, which would give them more than enough time to get away!"
I tilt my head. "…Wait. If he" — I shoot a teasing look at Artemis — "really is a mage, he'd need wards of some kind to keep him from being detected."
"So…" I walk up to the map and begin crossing off locations.
"He can't be based from anywhere with too many people, or somewhere with a lot of foot traffic, otherwise, someone would notice something's up. Jinx goes on patrols, and she'd be able to sense it."
Also I'd sure as shit have noticed if a new anti-precognitive ward went up somewhere I could see it.
By the time I'm done, I've ended up crossing off around 60% of the territory.
"And" I say, "if he's put up anti-divina- the type of wards you'd need to not be detected, the best place to do that would be near a body of still water."
"Why"
"Well, this guy can't be too talented, or else he'd have just vaporized the bodies, or something. He clearly doesn't want them to be found. And with a few exceptions I don't think apply here, the easiest way for someone like that to block scrying would be basing his wards on a large, still body of water. Still water's excellent for scrying, so if you invert the aetheric poles of the-"
I cut myself off before I go far into theoretical jargon. "The point is, I think he needs access to something like a pool to anchor the wards."
Artemis steps up, crossing off more locations. "Right, that narrows it down to… these four spots."
I frown. Four locations within a four-block radius, marked on a map made of four sheets of paper? Not a good sign…
Although, come to think of it, I suppose omens of death are what I should be expecting when dealing with a life-draining serial killer. And the fact that there are three omens suggests that rather than being an omen of the death of something itself, it's an omen of us overcoming it.
I mean, me overcoming it. Artie isn't… Although…
"So" I say, doing my best to not let my thoughts show, "how do we actually figure out where the hell he's going to be. Because some of these are close enough to the others…"
Artemis nods. "There's a chance he'll notice, and get spooked."
We both step back, looking at the map.
"Wait" Artemis says, pointing to two of the locations on the first map, on the top left. "Look at these two, they're all right next to at least one murder sites. If I were a serial killer-"
"Which" I say with a grin, "we technically have no way of knowing you're not. Ooh, maybe that's why you're so insistent the killer isn't male!"
She slaps me on the shoulder, grinning. "Shut up, idiot. If I were a serial killer, I don't think I'd kill someone right outside my own doorstep. Too much of a risk of an investigation turning something up."
My brows raise. "That makes sense. This guy clearly isn't stupid, or he would have been caught by now."
"And here!" she says, pointing to the site on the third map on the bottom left. "This one is a bit further away from the closest site, but it's connected to it by a blind alley!"
"I'm sorry, I don't follow. Why is that important?"
"Because, if he was operating from here, why not just take the body back with him to erase the evidence? It's not like anyone would have been able to see him, there are no windows facing the path he'd be taking. It's not like anyone would actually be out in the alleys at night."
I grin. "So that means…"
Artemis jabs a single push-pin right into the center of the map on the lower right, smile wide. "We got him."
"It fits perfectly" she says, "the area around it is almost suspiciously free of murder sites, and the only easy access is visible from at least two other buildings, even if they're out of the way."
I turn to face my best friend, watching her proudly beam at the corkboard, the late-afternoon sunlight turning her hair into a golden halo as it shines through it.
Fates, she's incredible.
…
…
Abruptly, I realize something, and groan. "Ah, fuck."
"What?"
"This means Sofia was right. I am never going to hear the end of this."
Artemis pauses mid-movement, pin in hand.
"…I'm sorry, what was that?"
"Um… I said that Sofia was right, and she's never going to let me hear the end of it?"
Artemis turns to me, a forced smile on her face. "You talked about this with Sofia Falcone before me?"
Oh shit.
"Look, Artie-"
She drops the smile, glaring. "Don't you 'Artie' me! Did you seriously call that- your little fuck-buddy before you called me about this? I thought you were so worried, rushing over here! You said you dropped everything to run over here, not… not strolled along, laughing about the serial killer with your little friend!"
I glare. "I did drop everything. You have no idea how worried I wa- No, you know what? First of all, she's my friend. Nothing. Else. I don't know how many times I have to tell you. Not that it would be your business if she was."
"Maybe it's because you've clearly been sleeping with somebody these past few months, and you don't want me to know about it!"
Shit. She's talking about Rose.
"Look" I say, "I don't know what you think-"
"There were panties in your fucking backpack, Eri!"
…
…I'm going to kill that fucking bitch the next time I see her.
I have to control a snarl. "Look, no matter what you may or may not think I've been doing with Sofia Falcone, the point is, I called her for information. How do you think I figured out Tally-Man was even here?"
She scoffs. "What, that's supposed to prove me wrong?"
She puts on an (admittedly eerily good) impression of my voice. "Noooo Artie, chill out, man! She's just a friend! My bro! My best tooootally platonic buddy, who is the fucking HEIRESS TO a MURDERER, who APPARENTLY trusts me enough to reveal CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION about the SERIAL KILLERS her dad hired!"
"Okay that… that…"
Huh. Come to think of it, why was Sofia so free with her information? She's normally more-
No brain, not the time.
"That's completely ridiculous. I wouldn't have fucking known about any of this if it wasn't for her."
"Oh, so what? Am I supposed to call her up and say thank you? 'Oh Little Miss Mobster, thank you so much for being such a trusting, loving soul towards Eri! I'm so happy that you two are close enough that she chooses to ignore all the horrible crimes you're complicit in. You're such a good influence."
I growl. "I am not having this discussion again. What is it with you and her, why do you hate her so much? She's not involved in that shit, I know you know-"
"Oh bullshit Eri" she says, practically spitting her words. "Bullshit. I know you're not smart enough to buy that. But apparently, you're so fucking hypnotized by that ass of hers that you can't help but defend her honor like a knight in shining armor."
"I'm not defending her! I'm saying you're being paranoid and ridiculous!"
She rolls her eyes. "Right, that's how it always is. Paranoid, crazy Artemis… up until Jenna Haines actually does start stalking you and try to light your dorm on fire. Then it's all 'oh you were right, Artie!' and 'I should have listened to you, Artie!'… Up until the next girl comes along."
"Don't you put words in my mouth, I would never call you crazy. And you hating Jenna wasn't about her being evil and crazy, you think everyone I hook up with is evil and crazy, because-"
She throws up her arms. "No, you know what? I thought we were actually- I can't do this. I can't have this argument, again. There's the fucking door, Eri, don't let it hit you on your way out."
I turn, growling. "Fine! If that's how it's going to be."
I storm out of the apartment, teeth grinding, ignoring the wetness in my eyes.
I pause on the doorstep.
I…
She…
Should I… A moment builds
No. This is fucking ridiculous. She'll come to her senses.
I walk out. And everything changes
I prepare a teleportation spell to go back to my Sanctum. Whelp, looks like this is going to be a long night alone. Carmine will eventually find this guy, so it's not even my problem.
I pause.
Although, in the time it will take, this guy will probably kill at least one more person…
…Gods damnit brain, you're gonna make me do this, aren't you.
You know what? Fine, fine! I may be a selfish bitch, but I'm not enough of one to just let some maniac kill an innocent civilian.
I roll my eyes, sighing. Well, let's at least hope that whoever this is has some interesting loot.
I purposefully ignore how much the voice of my conscience sounds like the girl I just left behind.
AN: Sorry for the long wait, I had a weird week. No one's figured out which of the named characters (not Lonnie) in the fic is the killer btw, he's a canonical DC villain. The title of the chapter refers to Emperor Anthemius's final loss in the Vandalic War, when the Vandal armies used flaming ships to burn a large potion of the Roman fleet in 468 CE. This lost Rome the province of Africa and its massive grain exports permanently, making the fall of the Western Roman empire inevitable.
Also, just saw that one of my all-time favorite YJ fics, "The Fate of All Fools" by the fantastic @Chairtastic is updating again. Everyone go check it out!
Yes, I'm aware that in YJ canon Paula's cape name was "Huntress", but since I'm considering putting actual Huntress in my fic, I'm changing it. It's not like Artemis is going to be using "Tigress" in this timeline.
As always, discussion keeps me motivated, so please let me know what you think. I also talk about story stuff and get writing feedback on my channel in the Gaylor Convention Center.
For example, I'm currently trying to figure out some good obscure Gotham heroes to include that would work in a world where Dick Grayson is still Robin.
And if you want a fun easter egg (and minor spoiler), look at the way the four map pieces are labeled, and which one they find the killer on.
I have no idea who the villain is, but I'm like 90% sure that Ari and Artemis will meet, Ari's mood will prevent her from recognizing Artemis, but Artemis won't be fooled by Ari's costume. They'll be snippy if not hostile to each other in costume, then Artemis will change her mind on that whole "coming clean" thing that she hinted at this chapter.
I have no idea who the villain is, but I'm like 90% sure that Ari and Artemis will meet, Ari's mood will prevent her from recognizing Artemis, but Artemis won't be fooled by Ari's costume. They'll be snippy if not hostile to each other in costume, then Artemis will change her mind on that whole "coming clean" thing that she hinted at this chapter.
With some incredibly graphic films in hand, she didn't bother going to Mr. Giuliani, or even Officer Hooker, the cop who'd been shuffled off to babysit us for a year because of one too many brutality complaints — ol' Willy was a real peach, let me tell you, he made life just lovely for the school's non-white students.
Honestly my one gripe about dc is how some characters have no superpowers despite putting on costumes that have a good chance to attract the attention of people with powers.
As always, discussion keeps me motivated, so please let me know what you think.
PoV: Artemis
I… That was…
That's the worst fight we've had in a while. In years.
I resist the urge to run out of the door to apologize.
No, no. She can't just…
Fuck, fuck, this is such bad timing, with the serial killer.
I rush to my closet, pulling out my costume.
As must as I want to sit on my bed and cry for a while, someone needs to stop this motherfucker before he hurts anyone else. He's been killing every few nights at this point, so if the pattern holds, there's every chance he'll go on to do something tomorrow if no one stops him.
I pull out my phone, pulling up the pants on my costume.
C'mon, pick up… I can't face this guy on my own, I need backup.
Fuck, voicemail.
Over the year and a half I've been working, I've collected the numbers of both Tomcat and Robin. I've teamed up with them a few times since then — once all three of us together, even! — and we've worked pretty well together. Tomcat's weirdly serious, Robin's a bit too jokey for my taste, but they're both good guys.
They're good people, and I get along fine with them, but right now I want to strangle them with my bare hands because why are neither of them picking up!
Fuck, that's right. Wildcat said he'd be out of the city for the next week, and Robin's phone broke the last time we teamed up, a few nights ago. He probably hasn't replaced it yet.
…Looks like it's just going to be me then. Against a magical serial killer than can suck the life out of people.
I let out a shaky breath. I really, really don't want to die with the last thing I ever said to Eri being an insult.
I grimace, taking in a deep breath, staggering how I let it out. Don't catastrophize, focus. I can deal with… all of that once I've caught this motherfucker.
I sneak out the back of my mom's apartment using the fire escape, and make my way down to the motorcycle I bought for a hundred bucks from a scrapyard.
Honestly, it probably wouldn't even make a difference even if I'd told Eri. She has those tricks she inherited from her dad, but honestly, those are barely anything. I don't think a ball of light is going to help me fight some dude sucking the life out of people to power a bunch of evil rituals.
Before I know it, I've arrived. I park my bike two blocks away behind a dumpster, and jump up to the rooftops.
Right, let's scope this place…
Out?
Standing a block away, tucked in a side alley, is a figure in a silver coat, with a purple… something under it. They have a silver hat on — one of those traditional witch's hats — with long hair of the same color flowing out underneath.
I perch on the fire escape above them, eyes intent.
They're kneeling on the ground, clutching something in their hands, faint purple wisps swirling around their fist.
With a flick of their wrists, they open their hand, letting strange-looking shells clatter to the ground. They spend a minute or so staring at them, their head tilted in a strangely-familiar manner.
Eventually, they seem to realize something, and wave a hand, floating the shells back into their cloak. "The sign of the unexpected guest…"
Wait.
It can't be.
That voice…
I stare closer, trying to peer into the shadows of their hood.
Are those purple-?
My jaw drops. I'd recognize those beautiful eyes anywhere, even through a mask.
"…Eri?"
"Actually, it's Silver Sorceress, but-"
The figure- Eri shoots up, whirling around. "Wait, Artemis?"
I leap off the fire escape, landing with a roll and popping up in front of her.
"I… what? Eri, what the hell's going on?"
I point. "What are you doing here, weird that outfit? And what's with the book, and those shells?"
She gestures at me, face bewildered. "I could ask the same thing! Artemis, what the hell are you doing here, wearing that… that Halloween costume!"
I scowl. It's not my fault that it's hard to make a superhero costume on a budget.
She takes off her mask, staring me in the eyes with a desperate look on her face. "You know what, doesn't matter. You need to leave, now. We were right, the killer is inside, and he's planning something big."
"That's why I'm here! Someone needs to take this guy down."
"This isn't the time for games, Artie!" she says, her voice rising an octave and taking on an air of hysteria, "this guy is seriously fucking bad! I've been casting divinations, and he is bad fucking news! He's planning something, I'm not sure what, but when he does it I won't be able to stop him!"
"Eri… what the fuck are you talking about? Stronger than who? And what do you mean 'divinations'?"
"I'm serious Artemis" she yells, voice desperate and hysterical, "I can't fucking protect you if he attacks after whatever it is, my shields won't be able to hold up, I've seen it! I don't know if Captain Atom or Wonder Woman could hold up, I don't know if Superman could hold up!"
I grab her by the shoulders, stopping her rant about the three most powerful heroes in the Justice League. "Eri! What the fuck do you mean, your shields? What are you talking about?"
She blanches, eyes going wide as the color drains from her face. "I… um…"
"Eri." I say, swallowing, a feeling of rising dread settling in my chest "…why do you think you'd be able to protect me against a magical threat? Why do you have that book, and that staff, and those robes? What do you mean 'anyone you've fought'?"
Her eyes are wide, staring in the middle distance.
Eventually, she croaks out an answer. "I… may have been…"
I gesture for her to continue.
Her face looks like ash. "…declining to mention some things. About myself."
I swallow, feeling the ground invert under my feet. I reach out, grasping for something.
She stares off into the distance, unable to even look me in the face. "You know how I learned those spells I taught you? And how I sometimes get, uh… hunches about the future?"
I nod.
"I… may have never stopped studying magic."
"How?! You told me you'd need… you'd need…"
She grimaces. "I mean, a lot of was just experimentation. But, for the rest… as it turns out, those hunches are in high demand in the magical economy?"
"T-The occult shop, Madame whatever-her-name-is, are you telling me that-"
She sighs, closing her eyes. "…She's a witch. I trade divination against her enemies for access to her alchemy trading contacts, and her keeping my, uh…"
Her eyes flick towards me. "…cover story."
She swallows. "And uh, in the interest of full disclosure, the things she deals with aren't strictly, um, well… legal.
"It's a funny story" she says, voice the least humorous I've ever heard it in my entire life, "that's actually how we met. We both tried to break into the same tomb in Prague. It was, uh…"
"…itwasfullofzombies."
I fall back against the nearby wall, eyes wide. "Are… Eri, are you fucking joking right now? Please tell me this is… this is some sick fucking prank. That Brianna is going to jump out and yell 'surprise!' or something."
She just stands there, refusing to look at me.
"You- I can't even- How could you lie to me about this! I don't even know where to start, the magic, the criminals, the fucking zombies?"
I stare at her. "I… why didn't you trust me?"
She turns to look at me. "Artie, it's not that, I… It's just…"
She freezes, staring at my costume.
"Gold."
I scowl. "What? Is that what you get paid in, or som-"
"You're an archer. Who wears gold."
This time, it's my turn to blanch.
"…You're Chryssa."
"Eri-"
"Is this what you said you wanted to talk about back at Paula's apartment?!"
"…Yes, yes it is."
I step forward to grip her shoulders, but she swats my hands off. "A-Are you serious? You sit there and fucking criticize me, while you've been hiding this?!"
I close my eyes. "Eri, I wanted to tell you. I did. And I'm sorry I hid this from you.
I lock my eyes with hers. "Please, you have to believe me, you have no idea how sorry I am. But-"
"But what!"
I throw my hands up. "But I knew you'd fucking freak out, just like you are now!"
"Oh?" she says, voice deceptively calm. "I'd… 'freak out'?"
"Why would I!" she says, putting on a patently fake smile. "Why would I have any cause to be worried? Just because you're throwing yourself off rooftops, running directly into gunfire, gallivanting off to fight metahuman serial killers like a fucking Batman cosplayer? Because you're facing down hordes of professional gunmen in a fucking jacket?"
She's yelling now, eyes furious. "Because you're going off to face against fucking Bane with only a bow and a knife!? Why possible fucking cause would I have to be worried about that!"
I growl. "Oh don't you fucking pull that shit on me, Eri.You're the one experimenting with who knows what, and pimping yourself out to magical fucking crack dealers for illegal books, and fighting fucking zombies in a tomb like Indiana fucking Jones!"
She scowls, eyes hard. "Yes, Artemis, it is different."
"Because I can do this" I have to hold back my scream as she shoots a fucking laser out of her hand at a nearby building, punching a dent into the concrete in front "and you having a fucking bow and arrow! You're-"
Before she can finish, we're cut off, a man's tortured scream sounding from inside the warehouse.
We freeze, tension still blazing in the air.
It takes every ounce of willpower in my body to force down the words I want to say, and growl out "We need to go. Now."
She nods stiffly. "My divinations show that entering through the top floor will be best. There's a railing we can climb down to survey the scene before we do anything.
She reaches out, and I flinch back.
I ignore the flash of hurt in her eyes.
"Stealth spells" she says, flatly. "And night vision. To help us with infiltration."
Oh that fucking-
She had those the entire time?! Does she even know how helpful those would be on… on literally any of my jobs.
I growl, nodding jerkily. "Fine."
A minute later, we're moving to enter the building. The location is a small warehouse, two stories tall, with catwalks surrounding a large open space in the middle. Sure enough, there's a pool out back, filled with unnaturally-still water, a single island floating in the center with a blood-red ritual circle inscribed into it.
As Eri and I slowly move in through one of the empty windowpanes, I take in the scene below.
The second "story" we're on is mostly just catwalks, surrounding a large open area in the center. A man in a full-body red outfit is standing there, a giant "E" on his chest, with the hood pulled off his head.
Is that… oh by the Fates. His outfit is made of human skin. Jesus fucking Christ.
He's standing in front of a red — looks like blood — circle with strange glyphs painted on it. There's a sobbing man tied up in the corner.
Eri raises her hand, a circle of magical glyphs shining around her outstretched fingers, and I abruptly feel the air around me go dead.
"Silencing barrier" she says. "It shouldn't last more than five minutes, but it gives us enough time to plan."
"Fuck!" she curses before I can say anything, "how does he even have a hostage? The whole reason we found this place is because it's too visible for him to have dragged people back to kill!"
I frown. "No, I can see it. If he was careful, he could have done it, once or twice. The reason I ruled it out was because it would take a miracle for it to happen two dozen times in a row without him getting caught, not because it's flat-out impossible."
"Well, fuck, that makes things… Oh no fucking way."
"What?"
"Look at his face. Doesn't that guy seem familiar to you?"
I peer closer.
"Holy shit, is that-"
Eri lets out an incredulous laugh. "Officer Willy fucking Hooker, our middle school's cop."
"The asshole who always liked to do 'random spot checks' of the girl's locker room? I thought he left the year we did, after he got in trouble for calling in a bomb threat when one of the Persian kids brought an alarm clock to school."
"He did. I just want to know what the hell happened to turn him into this."
"You know, I think- No." I shake my head. "We need to focus."
I point to the circle. "What are we looking at? Since you're the magic expert, apparently."
Eri visibly bites her tongue, taking in a deep breath, and releasing it out in steps.
"Those are Norse runes, with some Zinthosi mixed in. That's-"
She pauses. "I… You need to know. The Bertinellis, they've been dealing with the Skathites."
Seeing my bewildered look, she clarifies. "The Church of Blood? A group of nutcases worshiping an interdimensional demon god."
I grimace. The only thing I know about the "Church of Blood" is that it's an international cult led by some enigmatic hidden "Brother", and that Dad told me never to tangle with them if I could help it.
"It's fucked up magic," she continues, "the worst type of blood rituals, the ones that make you go nuts, if you aren't already. That's what those runes are. A bunch of their suldati have super strength, speed, the works."
She lets out a humorless chuckle. " Looks like you were right after all."
"What do you mean?"
"This guy's obviously cribbing some of their notes, without calling on their patron. I can see it in the rune circle, there's no element actually binding him to Tri- to the Skathites' master."
"Point is" she says, shaking her head, "he's mixing them, really inexpertly. Guy clearly isn't the shiniest trophy in the display case."
I can hear her muttering something about this being why you need to read theory, and I have to suppress the desire to smile. Even in the getup, with the magic, she really is the same old Eri.
Then I remember five minutes ago, and any amusement is wiped away by a tide of anger.
"What type of capabilities should we be looking at?" I say, voice tight and controlled.
Eri frowns. "Definitely physical enhancement, extreme physical enhancement, based on how powerful I can feel he is. I don't know beyond that. The Skathites have fire magic too, but he might not be able to use it without calling on their patron."
"Will he have the coordination to turn his strength into a range advantage? Or the durability to be more than a glass canon?"
Eri hums. "…Maybe not, actually. If he's really as much of a hack as his shoddy workmanship suggestions, he may have had to focus on one area over the others."
"How sure are you of all of this?"
She rolls her eyes. "Please. Who do you think you're talking to?"
"I don't know Eri, I thought I knew the answer to that question, but…"
Damnit, not the time.
"Oh you-"
She cuts herself off, taking in a deep breath. I twitch my lips in a silent apology, and she nods, accepting it.
"Besides my normal arrows, I have some home-made explosive and grappling arrows, but they're not the best. What about you, what am I working with? You mentioned a shield?"
She nods. "Yeah. I have a big one that isn't very mobile, and a small one that is. The small one can only take a few handgun shots before it gives out though. Those are my two best. Attack-wise, I have a lot of things."
I shake my head. "Anything you think you can cast quickly enough in a fight with someone with enhanced speed and reflexes."
She hums. "…In that case, probably those lasers you saw earlier, and blades that work best when I shoot them from my staff. Utility-wise, I can teleport around a battlefield, have battle precognition."
"Didn't I see you using telekinesis with those weird shells earlier?"
"Oh, right. Yeah, I have a telekinesis spell, but I can't lift more than a few hundred pounds at a time. I can't fling things with enough force to attack, either."
Hmm… What if…
"Do you think you could sabotage the ritual?"
"What?"
"If it's done so poorly, could you, I don't know, fuck with something, and have it blow up?"
She smiles. "Hmm… Yeah, I think I could. If I break the return energy matrix, it could cause a feedback loop…"
She trails off into mumbling.
Despite myself, I feel my lip twitch upwards. That is so her.
"Alright. In that case, first move, you use telekinesis to move something over near the front of the warehouse, distract him. Then, you teleport over to the opposite side of the warehouse while he isn't looking, and interrupt the ritual. Do something flashy but that won't get you hurt. If you can hurt him, that'd be ideal, especially if you can talk and piss him off. While you do that, I'll sneak down and untie the hostage, and get him out of here."
"That's…" she shoots me a strange look, "You really are brilliant, you know."
I have to resist the urge to blush like a- No! Angry!
"We meet back up on the catwalk, and use our range advantage of keep him pinned in the center."
Eri smiles. "Combined range fighting. Man, Miss Talon would be so smug if she ever heard about this."
I can't stop the smile from coming to my face. "Three, two, one…"
She holds a hand out, runes flashing between her fingers, and something clatters to our left.
Hooker grunts, looking up. The moment he's looked away from his circle, Eri smirks. Suddenly it looks like a tear has opened up in the fabric of the universe where Eri once stood, hatched in with glowing purple and silver threads. At the same moment, she appears over on the catwalk on the opposite side of the warehouse.
"Hey asshole!" she yells.
GODS FUCKING DAMNIT ERI YOU TALK AFTER YOU MESS UP THE RITUAL.
I grit my teeth, but shimmy my way down the ground floor. I am just going to have to be exceptionally clear with her in the future.
Hooker looks up at her. "What? Who the hell are y-"
Before he can respond, a bloody rag lying next to the circle moves onto the runes, wiping blood onto a specific set of runes on outer section.
The serial killer turns around, his eyes widening. "Oh f-"
The warehouse erupts with a shrieking sound, and a flash of red light, as the middle-aged man begins screaming.
I run over to the captive. "Sir, sir?"
He turns away from his kidnapper, who's currently shrieking, his outfit torn to rags, every vein in his body glowing bright red. "W-Who the fuck are you?"
"Sir, I need you to listen to me. My name is Chryssa, I'm a superhero."
And doesn't it always give me a thrill to say that?
"I'm going to pull out my knife to cut your ropes, alright? I need you to not freak out."
Yeah, I learned the hard way to always ask first. I had a bruise for a week after that old lady punched me, most humiliating injury of my life.
He nods, shakily. "O-Okay. But please… w-what the hell is going on? The last thing I remember was walking home from my little brother's basketball game, and this guy coming up and asking to buy some V. I told him I didn't have anything on me, and then… I w-woke up here."
I finish cutting through his bonds. "He's the Demon, that serial killer that's been targeting people here. You need to leave."
"H-Holy shit."
"Can you walk?"
He stands up, shakily. "I-I think so."
He sobs. "F-Fuck, if I get out of this, I'm gonna stop dealing. I should have listened to Arturo, man. 'Junio, you can pay for her medicine some other way! Don't fall in with that fucking cape sh-"
I growl. "Sir, you need to leave, now!"
She nods. "R-Right. Thanks, I… I won't forget this. Seriously, I'm gonna pay you back."
He runs out of the warehouse, and not a moment too soon, as the light from the ritual backlash finally seems to be fading.
Hooker is an awful sight. It seems like every vein in his body has tried to burrow his way out of his body, and his skin seems to have entirely been sloughed off, leaving red, weeping muscle behind.
Holy fuck, holy fuck. Is he dead? Please don't be dead…
His body starts to glow with a red light, his wounds slowly starting to heal up.
Eri teleports back next to me, raising a hand. "Good, at least he's sitting still. I've got a sh-"
I grab her arm. "Are you fucking crazy?"
She tries to shake off my grip. "Let go of me, what's wrong with you! He's vulnerable!"
"He's almost dead! If you hit him now, you'll fucking kill him!"
She whirls, pointing a hand towards the kneeling villain. "He's healing. If anything, I should be using more-"
Before she can finish, the man on the floor chuckles.
"That… that…" he chuckles. "You kids really don't know what you just did, did you?"
He hobbles to his feet, muscles mending faster and faster, glowing with an inner blood-red light. "It took me weeks of collecting to get enough life-blood."
"Well fuck" Eri curses under her breath, lowering her arm. "It's too late now, anyways."
His eyes go wide. "It was going to work, finally give me enough power to destroy the gangs for good. I could have fought anyone in this city, I could have fought anyone in this COUNTRY, I WAS GOING TO BE A FUCKING GOD!"
A moment later, his expression smooths back to something almost charming. "But I'm fine! You kids seem alright, so I'm not all that angry. "
He turns to me. "You must be Chryssa! The Golden Archer. I've seen what you've been doing kid, and I'm impressed! I actually thought about approaching you myself, before this little… misunderstanding."
He turns to Eri.
"And you, I don't know… huh?"
He tilts his head, listening to something only he can hear. "A demigod? They exist?!"
I freeze.
What.
Eri snarls, but turns to me. "Not the time, focus on the mission."
This… I…
Fine.
I let out a deep breath. "Fine, but you are going to explain later."
She just nods, face tight. "You already know most of it, anyways. He's still a deadbeat piece of shit with no power, just instead of a gutter mage he's a tiny god that never got worshiped outside a single city."
Huh, that's… not as bad as I thought, actually.
Whatever, not the time.
"So…" the man says, "what exactly are you two doing in my humble abode? Have you heard of my crusade? Especially after you so rudely-"
His face abruptly morphs into a hideous, rage-filled mask, as he slams a fist into the wall behind him. "-interrupted my fucking ritual!"
A moment later, he's back to perfect congeniality. I have to suppress a shiver.
"We're here to stop you." I say, channeling my best Superman impression. "Your reign of terror ends today, monster."
He chuckles. "Yeah, that's what the media's told you, isn't it. I'm some sort of criminal, just like a common thug on the street. Hurting innocent people."
Eri rolls her eyes. "I mean you have murdered several dozen people."
He growls, his eyes going hard. "Don't believe everything you read, girl. I'm the good guy, here, those were no innocent angels."
He points to the spot where his former hostage was. "That man you just so nobly freed? A drugged-up little thug. I caught him trying to push Venom onto me."
He glares. "Now, thanks to you, he's free to go back to peddling that disgusting stuff to children on the streets. He's going to ruin dozens of lives, all because you didn't fucking UNDERSTAND!"
"Shit," Eri whispers, "I knew I recognized that guy from somewhere."
I hold back a scream of frustration. Are you fucking serious, Eri?
She seems to sense my irritation, and rolls her eyes. "What? I'm studying it, not using it."
With an immense amount of willpower, I focus back on the serial killer in front of us, who's seemed to have gotten over his brief attack of rage.
"If he was a Venom dealer, then he deserves to rot in prison. But the law exists for a reason, the system exists for a reason. You can't just decide to play judge, jury, and executioner, all at once. And I don't care what he's dealt, no one deserves what you've been doing to all those people in this neighborhood."
He sneers. "Oh can it, girlie. That's the attitude that's ruined this world. Allowed evil to go unpunished, because of context and feelings."
He puts on a falsetto voice. "Oh, why don't we just give the monsters a lollypop and send them off to be rehabilitated! Don't you know the Joker had such a traumatic childhood?"
"On the force, stupid fucking bleeding-hearts just like you kept holding us back, stopping us from going in and doing what needed to be done. Whining about the rights and the feelings of the psychos we were trying to put behind bars."
"But I could deal with it" he says, "I dealt with it, and dealt with it, and dealt with it… up until the riots."
I frown. What-
Oh.
He means the protests against Mayor Dickerson and Police Commissioner Loeb. The ones that erupted after they got caught colluding with the warden of the state's largest private prison to double the number of prisoners being sent there in exchange for kickbacks. And also were making millions having a clique of the GCPD sell the drugs they confiscated from dealers, most of whom were sent to that very prison.
Last I heard, they'd found a thousand people in that prison who'd been charged with crimes they didn't commit, and two thousand more that had their sentences extended for double, or even triple what they should be.
I bet you can guess just what race most of them were, too. Or rather, which race most of them weren't.
Eri laughs, shaking her head. "Man, fuck this dude."
That's actually what made me decide to go out as Chryssa. Batman, Robin, and just about every other major vigilante operating refused Commissioner Loeb's call for "suppressing the insurrection", and after he and the mayor were both thrown out on their asses, Mayor Grange and Commissioner Gordon were installed on a reform agenda.
Call me naïve — gods know that asshole Lonnie does, constantly — but I finally felt that I had a GCPD I could trust, one that I felt would actually fight back against the gangs, instead of just being another gang. I saw that I could do good out there, actual good, and not just change which parasite was sucking the city dry.
And I know Batman feels the same way! He's been working closely with Commissioner Gordon, in a way he never did with Loeb.
I turn my attention back to Hooker, who hasn't stopped ranting.
"-and we knew this little punk was with Two-Face too! We all knew, we all could tell! But even though we had an eyewitness who could put him throwing that molotov, he got off a year later because of 'evidence mishandling'!"
"So" he says, "I looked through evidence lockup, and found some books, a way for me to fight back. A way to get me power. The type of power to do what needs to be done. Power to become the Executioner."
He smiles, looking at something in the middle distance. "Power… Pure, incredible power… the type of thing that I could only have dreamed of on the force."
Eri snorts. "That 'power' is rotting your soul from the inside out, you moron."
He turns to her, and she scoffs. Her voice is mocking, amused, and utterly devastating in the way I've only heard her pull off. The 'why are you even looking at me, you stupid little insect' voice I've heard her use on dozens of assholes at school.
"Have you been feeling headaches lately? Missing stretches of time? More irritable than usual, less in control of your emotions? Although, I have to say, that clearly wasn't a strong suit of yours even before all this."
He growls.
"I hate to break it to you, but it isn't those brain enhancing pills you bought from a guy at a Libertarian Convention, it's the fact that you're dealing with things you clearly aren't smart enough to understand."
"Who the fuck are you, anyways?" he says with a snarl.
"Silver Sorceress, someone not stupid enough to mix Norse and Zinthosi, of all languages. Seriously, you shouldn't be allowed anywhere near safety scissors, let alone magic."
She rolls her eyes. "You should be thanking us for interrupting that ritual of yours before you ended up accidentally summoning a demon when you tried to make a ritual to fix your erectile dysfunction so your wife will finally stop fucking the neighbor."
She shoots me a smirk, and I have to suppress a giggle. No! Gods fucking damnit Eri, I'm supposed to be mad at you!
He turns to me, voice half-crazed, eyes beginning to glow red. "Why can't you two understand why I'm doing this?! You're new, you can be like me, see the truth, fight back against the thugs and gangbangers without the chains of this broken system! Can't you see this is the only path, Michael! If we had this power, we never would have had to bury Cindy, never would have had to-"
I cut off the man, who's not even looking in my direction anymore. "Stop this. Whatever magic you're using is clearly not good for you, you need help. Surrender, and we can make sure you get it."
He sighs. "…I can't say I'm surprised. But don't worry girls, you'll learn, eventually."
His voice is hard. "You cannot compromise in the face of evil. You cannot back down, cannot surrender to the thugs. You have to do whatever it takes to fight them. Unlike yours, my methods are simple, pure. I'm the Executioner: I see evil-"
He slams a fist against the concrete next to him, crushing it to powder. "-and I execute it."
He turns his head up to look at us. "And if you're trying to stop me, in the name of coddling and babying the wicked…"
His smirk is manic, half-crazed. "Well, that sounds like evil to me." Crush those who stand against my righteous path.
He lets out a roar, grabbing one of the metal tables next to him and flinging it up at us. Eri sweeps her staff, slicing it in half.
I let off a series of arrows, trying to hobble his legs, but he swats them out of the air with supernatural grace.
"What was that about him being clumsy?"
Eri rolls her eyes. "I said it was a guess!"
I reach into my quiver, pulling out one of my home-made explosive arrows.
What? No daughter of Paula Nguyen doesn't know how to make home-made C4. The hardest part was designing the trigger, and I just got Eri to do it by pretending it was a problem on Brianna's engineering homework.
I love Eri, but man can she be dense sometimes.
Seeing the projectile fail, Executioner roars, hurling his body at us like a cannonball. He crashes through the catwalk, sending us diving to the sides. As he pulls himself out of the concrete wall, trying to get his bearings, I take the opportunity to sink two arrows directly into his Achilles tendons. From the other side, Eri lets off one of those silver lasers, sending him flying toward me. I have to swing from the catwalk to dodge.
"I'm right here, asshole!" I yell in a hybrid of Greek and Vietnamese.
What? There's an off-chance he speaks on of them, but there's maybe ten people in the city who actually speak both. We've done this for ages when we don't want to be overheard.
"Sorry!" she yells back in the same pidgin, teleporting over to stand next to me "what should we do?"
Executioner growls, wounds visibly healing, glowing with red light. "Speak English, you fuckers!"
I respond with a gesture that needs no translation.
A silver rune-circle forming around her outstretched fingers, Eri shoots one of those silver lasers directly at his chest. Executioner grunts, skidding several feet backwards. I can see through his burned-off shirt that his ribcage has been shattered, but the damage is already healing with a red glow. I launch an arrow at his eye, aiming for something more vulnerable, but he swats it away.
"You kids are real fucking annoying, you know that?"
Eri shoots one of those purple blades from her staff at him, and I follow it up with two arrows. The arrows take manage to slice through one of the tendons in his armpit, and the blade gouges a deep, bloody groove in his chest, which immediately begins knitting back together with an uncanny blood-red light.
He leaps forward, swinging a fist blazingly fast. Eri whirls in front of me, throwing up a silver shield which rings like a bell when Executioner slams against it.
"Come on, you little SHITS! Get out here and die!"
Eri grimaces as he hammers on it, sinking to one knee. "I can't hold this for much longer. Even without the ritual, he's too strong…"
My eyes dart around the room. There, above us!
"Hey!" I yell in our pidgin, "Get ready to teleport yourself across the room!"
I shoot an arrow at the steel cables holding the catwalk, severing them and sending the platform we're standing on crumbling down. Just in time too, as Eri's shield finally cracks with a final 'bong!'
Executioner tumbles backwards, losing his footing, but I've already leapt into the air, shooting my last home-made grappling arrow across the room. I use the momentum of the drop to swing to the other catwalk.
Shit, I'm not going to make-
I feel a sheet of metal slam into my back, the loose top of one of the crates pushing me the final few feet to the other catwalk.
"Sorry" Eri says sheepishly, "I couldn't think of any other way to do it."
Before I can respond, Executioner howls, ripping up a crate to send it hurling at us. Eri slices it in two with a purple blade, and I shoot through the separating halves to hit him right in the eye.
Eri raises a hand, concentrating, as Executioner bends over, bellowing in pain.
"I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU LITTLE THUGS! I'M GOING TO RIP OUT YOUR SPINES AND SHOVE THEM-"
After about five seconds, Eri slashes her hand down, and the pile of crates next to him collapses with a crash, pinning him under them before he can give us any of the gory details.
I turn to Eri, and she smirks, wiggling her fingers. "Telekinesis."
I laugh. Holy shit, we can actually do this.
I send a smirk at Eri, to find her mirroring my expression.
"You know…" I say, "we actually make a pretty good team."
She hums, smiling, turning to focus back on the fight.
Right, shit, the serial killer.
"Alright" I say in our pidgin, "we're not getting anywhere like this, he just keeps healing away whatever damage we throw at him. Do you know anything that could work."
Eri hums. "My Medusa's Lightning might. I don't entirely understand how the petrification works, but it's the same mechanism that the Gorgons used, and they could petrify demigods."
I raise an eyebrow. "You, admitting you don't understand something?" I say in English. "Also, are all your spells named so pretentiously?"
"Even perfection has its limits. And I think you mean cool-ly, thank you very much."
"I'm facing down an insane serial killer that stole magical knowledge from a bunch of demon cultists, and somehow, you being humble is still the most unbelievable part of my night."
She laughs.
"Alright," I say in our pidgin, "here's the plan. I have some explosive arrows, I think I can use them to pin him in, while that lightning of yours takes its time to activate. Can you use those lasers to distract him while I set things up?"
She nods. "I can. It should take about twenty seconds to petrify him totally."
I take out my last four explosive arrows, fiddling with the timers. Let's see, based off his healing rate, and the fact that he can still be disoriented by light and sound…
"Can you undo it later?"
"Of course, who do you think I am?"
"An arrogant asshole who thinks she's better than she actually is?"
"Hurtful."
I roll my eyes, lip twitching upwards. "Make sure to start with his legs to cripple his mobility."
"Got it. But I still want an apology for those devastating comments about-"
Before she can finish, a great bang sounds from the pile of metal crates, as Executioner finally manages to tear his way free.
His healing seems to be working overtime, his entire body glowing red as his legs straighten with a sickening crack. He stands up, ribcage un-denting, and cracks his knuckles.
"Oh, you're gonna regret that. You two whores are SO fucking dead."
Eri rolls her eyes. "You know, this is why you never start with the gruesome threats of torture. After that, there's not really anything you can escalate to."
He moves to jump, but she raises a hand, blasting a laser into him, nailing him into the concrete. "Now!"
While he's disoriented, she shoots off a purple blade to dig a deep gouge in his leg — ooh, good improvisation — while I shoot the four explosive arrows into a square around him.
"Lightning, now!" I yell.
She raises her staff, runes glowing around the tip, a strange humming, crackling sound emerging, like radio static distorted through a voice changer. A stream of lightning shoots from the tip, its color I can only describe as "the color of yellowish-green on an old staticky grayscale television."
The energy slams into Executioner's legs, and a stone-grey begins to creep out from the spot it lands. The killer moves to jump away, but that's when the first of my arrows goes off, blowing him back. Over the next ten seconds, each goes off in succession, dazing him and keeping him in range of Eri's lightning.
But that's just it: ten seconds.
I don't know if his healing factor is getting stronger, or he's just more inured to conventional rather than magical attacks, but he recovers from my arrows more quickly than I expected.
Desperately, I launch arrows at him, aiming for joints and tendons, but before they can hit, he bends his non-petrified leg, using it to send him careening to the side, behind one of the remaining crates.
"Fuck!" Eri yells, cutting off the lightning. "Fuck fuck fuck. What do we do?!"
"We've almost got him" I say. "We need to get down there and finish this."
Once we're both on the ground, we stalk over to the crate we last saw him behind. Eri holds up a hand, and about five seconds later, sends the crate sailing to the side with telekinesis.
…Nothing.
Where the fuck did he-
"Artemis!"
I turn at Eri's scream, seeing bright red fist a foot away from my head. I leap back, but I can already tell it's too- NO!
There's a blinding flash of silver, and Executioner slams into a wall, shattering his bones.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
My eyes are wide, and I'm breathing heavily.
I… I almost died.
With a flash of purple and silver, Eri teleports in front of me. "Holy fuck are you alright? He… He almost-"
I shake my head. "Not the time. Focus on the enemy."
She stares at me for a long second, but nods sharply, turning towards where Executioner was blasted to.
If my hands are shaking a bit, I tell myself it's just the adrenaline.
The serial killer is a sorry sight: his eyes are wild, mouth practically frothing, face twisted into an expression of pure hatred. His left leg, left arm, and a good chunk of his torso are all stone. What isn't stone is glowing red, his healing clearly trying and failing to push back the Curse of Medusa.
Oh gods, now she's got me going along with the silly names.
"Give up" Eri says, voice flat and entirely unlike the joking tone from a minute earlier, "this is your last chance. Don't make me do something I don't want to do."
If looks could kill, this fight would have been over a hundred times based on the glare Eri's sending him. I am your end, insect.
He spits. "Y-You, you LITTLE PIECES OF HUMAN FUCKING GARBAGE, I'M GOING TO EAT YOUR FUCKING BONES FOR DINNER!" I WILL NOT DIE
He tries to move, but can only pathetically wiggle in place.
I knock and draw a blunt arrow, aiming for his temple to knock him out, but before I can, Eri swings her staff. A purple blade shoots out directly at his head. Perish.
I…
The arrow falls from my hand, hitting the floor at the same time as Executioner's decapitated head, a thud echoing throughout the warehouse.
Then it's silent, the only sound the gentle pitter-patter of rain on the roof of the warehouse.
In a second that feels like a million years, I turn to look at my best friend.
"…You killed him."
She… she fucking shrugs. "I mean… yeah? That's how this whole-"
I grab that stupid fucking outfit of hers, slamming that lying, murderous bitch against a wall. "You fucking killed him?!"
"I… yes? Did you get hit with some memory spell, or something? Were you not there for that giant fight?"
I… is she surprised?! Does she genuinely understand what she did wrong?
Who the hell are you, Eri?
I slam my fist next to her head. "Don't fucking play that shit with me, Eri. He wasn't healing, he was defeated. You were the one that taught me the electric hand spell, I know you could have just as easily knocked him out to bring him to justice."
She stares at me incredulously, wrenching herself out of my grip. "He was a literal serial killer, he almost killed you! I don't need the fucking courts to figure out what to do with him!"
"That isn't- Yes, you do! There are laws for a reason, people can't just go off doing vigilante justice on the streets!"
She scoffs. "What, you think he deserves mercy? You heard him, the dude was a fascist nutcase that was literally eating people's souls!"
I growl. "It's not about him, or what he deserves! If he got the death penalty, I'd be the first to cheer as the fry the fucker!"
"But he needs to get that the right way. It's about giving his victims closure, letting them face him, see what he's done. Letting the police investigate to find out if there are any other victims. Not taking the law into your own hands, not killing whoever you want just because you feel like it, because you think they deserve it! Making sure justice is done properly, by a jury of his peers, not… not some magical bitch in a robe!"
I point to the corpse.
"That's the type of shit he did. Or did you not hear his fucking monologue?"
She scowls. "I can't believe- you know, for a smart person, you can be really fucking stupid sometimes. I am not the one that went around murdering minorities on the street like a fucking psycho! I am not the one doing evil fucking blood rituals! Hell, I don't even know how to do evil fucking blood rituals!"
I scoff. "Oh really? Because for all I know, you could be! Since you apparently have a fucking library of magic you've been hiding from me!"
"Oh there it is, there it is. I knew you hadn't let that go!"
I gape. "L-Let that go! Are you fucking serious! You've been hiding half your fucking life from me since we were children! Hiding that you're… that you're some sort of shady black-market wizard grave-robber! How am I supposed to just 'let that go'! You haven't even said 'sorry'!"
I point to her. "You can't even say it now, can you!"
She glares. "Oh don't you dare act all kind and generous and holier-than-thou, like you're some fucking saint just for saying a word."
"What, did you not think I'd want to know that the girl I fucking lo- am best friends with had spent the past year and a half throwing herself at guys who can punch through concrete with a bow and a fucking knife!"
She gestures at the corpse of the man she killed. "You almost died against this schmuck, what the fuck do you think is going to happen when your luck runs out and you face someone like fucking Bane?! Did you ever think that that was one of the reasons I was hiding things from you?"
I growl. "Oh you little- I can handle myself just, don't you worry. I wasn't the one who lost my fucking head in there, and stood up in front of Executioner shouting like a fucking idiot. I wasn't the one who was running around like a headless chicken the minute we got inside there, and needed me to tell her what to do. I've fought two of Bane's lieutenants at once, and guess what? I might just be 'ordinary' but I fucking won."
I ignore her shriek of "you what!"
"And speaking of Bane, at least I'm not buying fucking Venom from him! Don't think I forgot you turning magical tricks for books, or raiding zombie tombs! You don't think I'd be worried about that?"
"Don't be stupid, that is so not the same thing! I kept things from you for a good reason, you kept things from me because you were afraid I'd rightfully try to stop you from doing these… idiotic little stunts!"
I rear back. "Idiotic stunts?!"
She growls. "Yes! I hate to break it to you, because you're apparently fucking blind as well as being a liar, but you would have died tonight if I hadn't been here! You can't just go running off to deal with fucking blood magic like I can, because you do not have powers! You're normal, you're an ordinary fucking person, you're not like me! You can't-!"
She pauses. "Not like that- I mean, you know what I mean! You can't actually-"
I sneer. "Of course. And there it is. Brilliant, incredible Eri, always weighed down by dull, boring, ordinary Artemis."
"I'm so sorry your highness," I say, my voice gravely, "I'm just too average for you. I suppose I'll just go stay locked up in my room like a good little lamb? Play with my dollies while the real strong talented people do all the real work?"
My voice turns sickly sweet. "I guess not all of us are lucky enough to have daddy jizz some mediocre magic into me that lets us whore ourselves out to criminals just like our mothers."
I blanch. Ok no, that was too far. "Eri I'm-"
"Oh fuck you" she says, voice practically a snarl, "you self-righteous fucking cunt. You want to fucking talk about parents? Who's the one dressing up like Nathan fucking Lane and going to beat the shit out of people with sports equipment?"
She smirks, something dark and vicious. "I know you have daddy issues and anger issues, but this is a novel fucking way of-"
I slap her.
Eri just stands there, hand on her cheek, eyes wide. I have to suppress the dark, guilty thrill in my belly. "Don't you fucking dare" I say, eyes wild. "Don't you fucking dare go there, that's some horrible, evil shit to s-"
She gives a dark laugh. "And there it is! Evil, awful, twisted, tainted" — she practically hisses that last word — "Eri, living her debauched life of villainy!"
"You know what?" she says throwing her arms up, "sure! You know what, fuck it! Sure, I'm evil, I'm the fucking worst! I'm an evil, lying, scheming bitch, who only wants to hurt you, and loves killing people! I'm your Dad and Jade combined, you happy? Is that what you want to hear?"
I growl. "You conceited little bitch. You always do this, always act like I'm the psycho jealous one, like I'm some judgmental, hysterical, irrational monster."
"I hate to break it to you, Eri", I practically snarl her name, "But you're not some put-upon victim, and I'm not the evil ball-and-chain whose only goal in life is to make you miserable! Sometimes you just make stupid decisions, make yourself miserable, and then lash out like a toddler at anyone who tries to call you out on it and try to help you!"
"Miserable?" she says, "You're the thing that makes me fucking miserable, you hateful, judgemental, self-righteous-"
She cuts herself off with a snarl. "No, no. I'm done. You think I wanted to be here tonight? You think I wanted to run all over town like a moron chasing down some lunatic? No! I came here looking for a succubus corpse, and got dragged into this whole… chicanery because of you!"
Wait, but I thought she said earlier that she already knew it wasn't a succub-
She turns to the body of the man she killed. "I'll probably be able to get something for my research out of him, but no one's willing to buy 'crazy fucking nutcase' parts. You always do this, always make me bend myself to suit you and your-"
I feel my heart stop in my chest.
"YOU'RE GOING TO WHAT?!"
She pauses. "…Oh, so that's your line."
She kicks the body of the man she killed. "This motherfucker can kill dozens of people, and you call me a monster for not taking him out for a steak dinner and sucking his dick, but dissection, oh, that's a bridge too far! That's unforgivable! Evil fucking Eri is at is again!"
"Well, newsflash!" she says, letting out a manic laugh, "this will not be the first corpse I've taken apart!"
I…
I at least thought…
"…Is that really all this is to you?"
"Is what? I thought you were fucking stupid, not literally dumb, Chryssa."
She practically sneers my name. The one that I chose for her.
"I thought… Is the only reason you're here really because you wanted to get a fucking… a fucking body to experiment with?"
She hesitates, just for a second, but her eyes harden.
"You know what? Yes it is! How about that, huh? What are you going to do about it, cry to your new daddy? Tell Batman about the scary, evil mage that goes around killing people to dissect them? Or would you just lock me up in fucking Arkham yourself?"
My mind stutters. If Eri was…
"Y-Yes" I say, forcing the words out. "I-If you became a danger, a threat to the citizens of Gotham? I-I'd have to, I wouldn't hesitate. That's what a hero does."
I ignore just how much of a fucking lie that is
Something in her expression breaks, and her eyes go hard.
She ignored me. "…You really would, wouldn't you?"
"Eri please! Please tell me you haven't been killing people for… for experiments!"
She points to my costume. "You care more about… about that than you do about me. About anything else. You thought that I'm evil, and untrustworthy, so if I knew, I'd just taint it for you. Get my stink all over it. Because you're a hero, and I'm a villain."
I stare at her, eyes desperate. I need to know this, need to know she isn't- "Eri! Shut the fuck up! Have. You. Done it!? Have you taken people and butchered them for parts?"
She grins at me.
"What, you want to know? Do you think every Sunday, I go out on a stroll around town lopping off the heads of random people to take back to my evil lair? Because that's what I fuck am, aren't I? Evil."
Her smile is vicious, manic, and more than a little terrifying. The smile of a woman on the edge of a total mental breakdown, barely hanging on to sanity, and who just wants to hurt as many people as possible on her way down.
"Don't you worry yourself, Chryssa, I'm not going around cutting up people for their organs."
Oh thank the go- thank God.
"I've only killed seven people in my entire life, after all, six outside of Gotham. That doesn't quite qualify me as a serial killer, I don't think."
I rear back, watching as she takes a perverse pleasure in my shock. "Oh, what, is that too many? I wouldn't know. Amongst us higher beings, mortal lives really aren't all that valuable."
"You were talking about what you heroes do, earlier. Well here's the truth you're going to hate me for telling you, just like you always hate me for telling you the truth, because you're an irrational, stupid mortal. You want to know what you, and Batman, and all your friends do? Absolutely fucking nothing."
"You catch some nutbag, brutalize some poor kid with a gun who got sucked into crime, and the next day there's another nutbag and another poor kid with a gun to replace them."
She smiles, dark, cruel, and anticipatory. It reminds me of Mister Toxic, when he realized one of the civilians he held hostage had an open wound that he could squeeze lemon juice into.
"It's an endless, pointless cycle, like an ant rolling a ball of shit up an anthill only to see it fall right back down. So, tragically mortal."
She scoffs, voice wavering. "I'm a mage and a demigod: my life expectancy is in the centuries, and that's before I figure out how to extend it. Compared to me, you're basically a mayfly. A stupid little child who doesn't know shit, and quite honestly, it's high time I left you in the dirt like the radiant being I am."
I…
She…
"This whole… situation is a good thing, actually, now that I think about it. You were right, after all, you are ordinary. The boring, bland little mortal holding me back, the only thing stopping me from achieving my true potential."
Her eyes are wild, tears running down her cheeks, her smile desperate and sharp like a rusty knife. "So go on, little ant. I cast you off. Tend to your anthill, keep your mortals in line, have your little hero fantasy. Just know that people like me?"
"We'll stomp on you and your little friends without blinking."
This…
Eri, who…
I take in a shuddering breath, my eyes wet. This… this isn't the girl who I grew up with. This isn't the girl who cried when I beat up Brent North, and tried to beat him up too so she could join me in detention. It isn't the girl who held me and stroked my hair when I cried after Jade left. It isn't the girl who smiles at me like I hung the moon and stars.
Apparently, that girl was never real. It was just a front, a disguise. For…
I look up. The figure across from me is covered in blood, smile cruel, now talking about how demons treat "mortals" like me as a delicacy, so I might as well hang up my bow.
…for Silver Sorceress.
My gaze hardens. "You're right. Apparently, I don't even know a single thing about the real you."
"You know" I say. "I always thought you could make more friends. You just never let anybody but me inside, to see the real you."
…for an enemy.
"Thank you for letting me finally realize that I'm not actually the exception."
I turn on a dime, moving to walk out the door. "Take the body, do what you want with it. And don't ever speak to me again, Silver Sorceress."
"Good, walk away! I never needed you! Go have fun with Batman!"
I tune out Er- her yelling as I walk out of Executioner's lair, my steps mechanical.
The rain begins to soak into my costume as I walk along the street. All of a sudden, my vision goes dark, the night-vision spell wearing off.
I feel the wetness on my face, and tell myself it must be rain.
Come to think of it, I was expecting Silver Sorceress to bring up, at least her name in costume isn't her actual civvie name nor the name of a goddess who might take offense at it.
Come to think of it, I was expecting Silver Sorceress to bring up, at least her name in costume isn't her actual civvie name nor the name of a goddess who might take offense at it.
I know it says 'friends-to-enemies-to-lovers' and this is to be expected, but reading this felt like I was back in 2009. messy teenage breakups, oh boy.
Always disliked the whole 'superhero without powers' thing, like I do like Batman but would it kill him to use magic or the green/yellow rings he was offered.
