"Hello, is this the Daily Theremin? Believe you called me earlier" Corinne spoke as she phoned them up.
"Oh yeah, we did that special on you. Hey look, it's already aired, we can't change anything about it-" the receptionist on the other end began.
"No, that's not why I'm calling right now" Corinne laughed as she corrected.
"Wait, it's not? Oh thank Christ!" the receptionist sighed with relief "I swear, every other frickin' day we get some bigshot or other complaining we didn't portray them just right- Ah, er, you were sayin'?"
"Yes, I believe I've got evidence for a drug scandal on me that might interest you," Corinne said, posting several pictures of the 4X-addled cop, the shipping manifest, and the warehouse they kept everything in.
"...Jesus Christ, you weren't kidding lady!" the receptionist burst out, scrambling to add "This'll make headlines for weeks! Or, well, the next couple days anyway. But hey, good on you for doing something about them Hepcats, bunch o' other heroes are too distracted by monster invasions or whatever.
Ah yeah, 'spose you probably wanna be paid the big bucks in exchange for this info?"
[ ] "Well, now that you mention it..."
[ ] "Guess I could use a little cash to help me get by"
[ ] "No, I'm a Hero after all, a good deed's its own reward"
[ ] Write-in
That taken care of, Corinne wanted to congratulate herself but couldn't, knowing there was too much else left unsolved. Paracelsus Pharmaceuticals moved their main office to Switzerland, but the 4X is likely being made in their branch in Alexandria, being closer to that scarab's habitat. From what I've heard, Switzerland's home to some of the most powerful supers on Earth, so I don't know why they haven't taken Paracelsus down yet, maybe their PR's just that good?
Oh yeah, and top of that there's still the mystery of who could pull off stealing that mirror from the Foundationals, or what villain group Totenblut and Rouge are working for, or that super serial killer running around, Corinne could've collapsed from the weight of all those thoughts.
She did eventually decide she could concentrate for now on what she felt she could get finished the quickest, confronting the Hepcat Boss, Hippodrome, at the Hot Tin Roof, to make the message clear that he was finished for good. In preparation, she then tried to contact Fugue, and while she didn't get a chance to talk right now, Corinne did leave the message:
- Meet me at the Hot Tin Roof tonight, the Hepcats will be done for. -
* * *
Corinne wiled her time away until dusk fell, and the Hot Tin Roof Club, which she'd tried looking into before but found too much of it locked up then, opened its doors and turned on the lights.
There was already quite the queue in front the club's doors, so either the place had some prestige despite its rough looks, or this 'Fancy Rat' cabaret girl was that big a draw.
She'd prepared for this night by trying to dress at least respectably, in:
[ ] Something elegant.
[ ] Something sharp.
[ ] Something sensual.
[ ] Her Libraria costume. She'd thought showing up here would hurt her reputation, but it actually might improve it as a crime-buster.
[ ] Write-in.
Fugue too had shown up, having gotten surprisingly dressed up for the occasion. Wearing a shimmering purple gown and bothering to style and wash her orange hair, if not for the muscular definition on her arms you'd hardly guess it was her.
Of course, there was still that bouncer to get past, him glaring down at Corinne and muttering roughly "Yo, from ya looks, you ain't on the list".
Corinne struggled to think what to say, by now really regretting she hadn't just tried to sneak through the back. Fortunately she had Fugue with her, whose response to being blocked by this bouncer was swiftly kick him the gut, followed by grabbing him around his waist and hurling him over into the nearest dumpster.
"Next time, check it twice" Fugue snarled down at him.
While Fugue stood back to bask in the applause of the gathered queue, Corinne took this moment to slip into the club while she could. The place was carpeted yellow-and-black, decorated by statues of black cats, hippos and other Nile animals, with a great red curtain at the far end from where Corinne guessed Fancy Rat would perform. It was already quite crowded inside, with most of its tables already taken by people already deep into conversation, most of the arguing, with each other. One of those people just stood at the bar ordering round after round, and from the hefty, hippo-like armour this guy was wearing, Corinne could instantly tell who it was.
"Hey yo, Hippo baby," said a girl sitting on a stool next to the Hepcats' Boss, her having a curly light-brown bob cut wearing a cloche and blouse both striped black and whitish-gold. "Be careful, won'tcha? I know it's been tough times all at once on us, with some Library Girl or whoever trying ta shut us down, but hey, it'll be okay" she kept on drawling, Corinne now guessing she was Hippodrome's moll or trophy girl.
Hmm, I'm not gonna get close enough to confront Hippodrome with this crowd still around him, Corinne thought, her eyes drafting over to a side-door that, the smell of the kitchen coming from the other end, she deduced led further into the gang's hideout. Of course, Hippodrome might've posted guards throughout there, so she tried thinking of a third door, before remembering the performance stage at the other end of the hall.
"Yeah, well," Hippodrome mumbled, before getting up and saying "Sheesh, oughta check on a few things back at my 'office'. Hey, just tell that Fancy Rat not to start anything without me, ya hear? Still, thanks for the kind words, doll-face, means a lot to me". He then began again to walk away from the bar, the heavy armour he wore making great stomping noises all the way.
While the stomping sounds briefly got all the other customers' attentions, Corinne took this chance to hop on stage and slip through the thick red curtains. Fugue came in soon after and tried following her, only for her to be spotted by a pack of gangsters.
"Er, hey! I'm here 'cause Miss Fancy Rat called for bodyguard" Fugue quickly bluffed.
These gangsters looked at her and then each other, before one of them said "Wait, don't remember Fancy calling for any bodyguard. Still, gotta admit, when ya flex your arms you sure look the part".
"Yeah, go right on through, I already got the shit kicked outta me earlier today and some nights before, I don't need to get my ass best again" another said, backing away.
That little ordeal over with, both Corinne and Fugue were through and into the corridors within the Club, concealed from ordinary folks. However, it wasn't long before they ran into something else.
"Why hello there," came the silky-smooth voice of a woman with short yet wavy silver hair, dressed outrageously in a feather boa, long white boots and gloves and a light blue leotard. "Adoring fans I take it, hmm? Can't wait until I'm on the stage to see me?" her voice, while still feathery soft, had taken on a snide tone.
"Ah, well, er- Yeah, they hired me to be your bodyguard, Miss" Fugue came up with, continuing the façade from last time.
Fancy Rat just giggled "That's awfully... sweet of them, but I assure you, I practically am my own bodyguard". She grinned before holding up her hand "Since you've come back there to see me, perhaps you two'd like a little demonstration?".
Fancy Rat then touched a nearby wall, which in an instant made a large circle appear in it, before she hopped through and closed it up with another touch. Before long she'd somehow gotten up into the ceiling, from which she'd dropped down through another hole she made. For her last trick, she'd touched her stomach, revealing for a second the organs within before she sealed it back up.
"Might leave that last one out of the act, don't want to put anyone from their dinner" she smiled.
Fugue politely clapped, as her face though still had to flinch a little at what she'd just seen. "So uh, yeah, they're paying you well for this gig I take it, Miss?" she asked.
Fancy Rat had to smirk at that "Hmm well, better than most other venues in town would. Also please, call me Ingrid".
Corinne however had taken this opportunity to slip further along the corridor, though she had to admit the power to create holes in structures sure could have its uses. I may need to keep this Fancy Rat in mind, she thought.
Hippodrome's office didn't take long to find, it being quite clearly marked by its door painted red, as opposed to the brown of all the other doors. Corinne slid her way in, only to find his office was pitch black, save for a strand of moonlight creeping its way in. Well, maybe this darkness can work to my advantage, Corinne thought, feeling her way around what felt like a hat stand before crouching down behind it, waiting to spy on Hippodrome.
Just in time too, for already she could hear the stomping sounds of Boss Hippodrome getting closer. With a creak, he opened his door and reached for the light, when...
Boom!
The lone window shattered from the bullet. With a massive crash, Hippodrome fell onto the floor, where he lay motionless.
Someone shot him, but from where?! Corinne jumped back, her breath getting heavier, That gunshot came from outside, but there was barely any room to see in?
As if to answer her questions, a figure then swooped in via the broken window. It was still dark enough that Corinne could hardly make him out, save for his sharp, pearly smile and his eyes, glowing with not the same tinge of 4X takers, but some other power entirely.
"You can come out from your little hiding place, my dear," this gunman said, able to look straight at Corinne despite the darkness "After all, none can escape my eyes. Oh not to worry, I have no intent to harm you, not now anyway. For you see..." he chuckled to himself "Your power, I'm afraid, is rather nonexistent, as it were, your Aura next to nothing. And tell me, what achievement is there in hunting a target so weak? I have a reputation to uphold, you know".
Corinne seethed at the thought of being called weak, even if she had to acknowledged that said lack of power was what paradoxically was keeping her alive right now.
Now our Hippodrome, however," he bent down to the gang boss's corpse, before he pulled out a cleaver's knife in order to hack the boss's head off "There's a catch! His aura was quite strong, though admittedly a step down from our dear Bruiser".
"As in 'Bruiser Buck'?" Corinne gasped, her limbs stiffening "Y-you're that serial killer".
"Oh dearie me, 'serial killer'," this man wretched "-is such an ugly little phrase. I'd much rather 'Great Hunter' if you don't mind. Ah, but how short-sighted of me, I've yet to introduce myself!" he flashed a sharp grin "You may address me as Lord Peregrine Caddick, though perhaps you might know me by another name... The Horned Huntsman!". As if on cue, he produced a stylus and placed it in the blood from Hippodrome's head, and drew two antlers with it, finishing the picture by placing down a card listing Hippodrome 'Stats', mostly in Strength and Stamina.
"And now I must be off," Lord Caddick, standing up to leap out the window, Hippodrome's head tucked into a satchel of his "But our paths may cross again. For tonight, is the beginning of something special, as the lads and I in the Order of Saint Hubert's have come to Skyline Moderne to declare the start of Open Season! Full points to anyone who can snag the head of a Founder!".
The killer then vanished, but before Corinne could move the lights came out, as a crowd of people came running up to Hippodrome's office.
"Y-you!" Hippodrome's moll shouted out, seeing Corinne right by the boss's headless corpse "Stay right where you are! Don't dare you move!".
[ ] "Look I couldn't have killed him, I don't have a gun on me!"
[ ] "This is the work of some 'Horned Huntsman'. Look him up, it's exactly his work!"
[ ] "You honestly think something like me would've been able to kill Hippodrome?"
[ ] Don't bother trying to explain yourself, just throw a chalk bomb and flee.
[ ] Write-in.
[X] "Guess I could use a little cash to help me get by"
[X] Something sharp.
[X] "This is the work of some 'Horned Huntsman'. Look him up, it's exactly his work!"
[x] "Guess I could use a little cash to help me get by"
[x] Something elegant.
[x] "This is the work of some 'Horned Huntsman'. Look him up, it's exactly his work!"
Fancy Rat was actually inspired by, all of characters, Miss Kitty Mouse from Basil the Great Mouse Detective, specifically some human fanart I found of her.
I also have some concerns about whether or not this Quest may be heading more into Mature territory, what with its discussion about sex workers, serial killers drawing in blood, decapitation and headhunting, and so on. Don't know if people are cool with that, since I never intended for this to be that Mature a Quest, or if it's putting potential readers off.
[X] "No, I'm a Hero after all, a good deed's its own reward"
[X] Something sharp.
[X] "This is the work of some 'Horned Huntsman'. Look him up, it's exactly his work!"
(QM's Note: Ended up posting the tally before nonrev voted, as I didn't think at the time there'd be any more votes coming in, sorry. Still, only thing that changed was 'sharp' and 'elegant' got tied, but that was hardly a major vote, and you can e both sharp and elegant.)
Adhoc vote count started by Lapin Lune on Sep 18, 2020 at 7:23 PM, finished with 5 posts and 4 votes.
[X] "This is the work of some 'Horned Huntsman'. Look him up, it's exactly his work!"
"'Horned Huntsman'? The hell are ya talkin' bout-?" The gangster girl spat out. However, as one of her mobsters came up to her and presented some files, she stopped herself to perform some quick online research. "Ooh, yeah, I can see what you mean there. Some rich English dweeb treatin' life and death like a game, and used ta be a cop too".
"Huh, what do you mean by 'used to be a cop"?" Corinne asked, finger on her lip, slowly standing back up.
"Well, not 'cop' exactly. Says here this 'Lord Peregrine' big-shot used ta be employed by the British government to 'hunt down rogue supers'. Guess they booted his ass the more he treated starting treatin' his job like sport," the gangster girl went on "Hey, all this means ya may not've done our Boss in, but ya still ain't no innocent. How do we know you're not some accomplice?" Hippodrome's former moll lashed out at Corinne.
Strange you didn't bother mentioning Bruiser Buck's death, that should've been apparent already, Corinne quickly thought, before she said "How would've I have been able to do against Hippodrome? I'm non-powered. Oh, and from the information you have on what this Peregrine's capable of, why would he even need an accomplice here?".
The moll just groaned "Alright, so, other than ya suddenly showing up in the Boss's office without any reason, we technically can't find proof you did anything against Hippodrome. Still, you're on thin ice, ya hear girlie?". She then slumped down in a vacant chair as her fuming subsided, and muttered to herself "Ah, what am I saying? Kathryn dahl, you ain't got no idea if us Hepcats are even gonna be around much longer, now all our operations've gone kaput".
"Kathryn?" Corinne asked "I take it that's your name?".
"Yeah, Kathryn Garrick, don't wear it out," she said, before sighing "Normally I wouldn't just reveal a load like that to ya, but with the Hepcats goin' down, our money and drug stash found and the Boss murdered, I figure there's no more harm in lettin' ya know".
"Ah hah, yes, right" Corinne mumbled, good thing I didn't get dressed up as Libraria for this.
"Plus, I wouldn't have figured ya'd get dressed up that purty if you were going out to kill a guy and get blood all over you," Kathryn chuckled as she observed "I mean, that Peregrine guy did, but he's like some aristocrat or whatever, so course he'd do something like that".
"That Peregrine made it clear he would've tried to kill me too, but since I don't have powers, he couldn't see any 'achievement' in doing so" Corinne reflected, sighing.
"Ooh, if you're insecure about not having powers, 4X can help there," Kathryn was quick to advertise "Well it would've anyway, if we weren't down to our last scraps of it.
Ugh, I'm gettin' sidetracked here. Point is, I want that Huntsman freakin' dead... only problem is I ain't got a clue what we could muster up that could take him on, guy used to patrol a whole nation after all. Hey, if you're innocent and all, then ya wouldn't mind suggesting some help for us, wouldn't ya?" her eyes probed Corinne's.
(You can vote for multiple options here, however the more groups you have, the harder it'll be to co-ordinate them.)
[ ] "I do have something of a connection to a Founder, La Grande Fantasme as a matter of fact. Still won't be easy I think for me to contact them, but they'd definitely be interested, since Peregrine said he and his club were after the Founders."
[ ] "There's another gang who might be willing to have you join. I don't know their name, but I do know two of their members, who yeah... have gone against the Hepcats before, but not for any personal reasons."
[ ] "Fancy Rat's power is something, beyond a mere cabaret girl. She seems to be getting along with Fugue, a 'friend' of mine."
[ ] "I have ties to Arachne Computers, they certainly have the firepower and intelligence to deal with this guy."
[ ] Definitely risking giving myself away here "Heard through the... newspaper that the Hepcats have ties with a group called Paracelsus Pharmaceuticals, would they be still willing to help out?"
[ ] "Er, there's this app that lets you talk to your alternate universe selves, they usually have some... interesting info".
[ ] Write-in.
"Huh, I'll have to think about that," Kathryn murmured, pen to her mouth "Well doll, think you should get going now, I'll have to be getting to some, ahem, 'private affairs', and bet you'll be needing your beauty sleep, won'tcha?".
Corinne had to laugh "Oh, I'm no stranger to late nights. But um, yeah, I get your point".
Making her leave of the Hot Tin Roof, Corinne ran into both Fugue and Fancy Rat by the verandah outside.
"Yo, Corey," Fugue called to her "Heard it got real nasty in there, like people tell me that Hippodrome got flat-up iced".
"Yeah, same way Bruiser Buck did," Corinne said "By Peregrine 'Horned Huntsman' Caddick, a guy who's treating this city like his own private shooting range. Oh, and he told me himself that he's bringing his own little boys' club, the 'Order of St. Hubert's', along to start some hunting festival here, meaning we'll have multiple killers going around.
They take pride in slaying the strongest, so... I'm worried they'll try coming after you, Fugue" she finished, gulping.
Hearing those words, Fugue just hissed and clenched her fists together "Like to see them try".
Fancy Rat at first just seemed to amused by all this, her gloved hand to her mouth, but she then said "This all sounds... thrilling, in a way. Well, maybe I'm simply glib about this, due to most of the action in this city happening around me rather than at me. Still, it's not like I haven't been a few scrapes before, considering some of the rougher places I've performed at".
"Actually Fugue," Corinne turned and looked up to her "I was, er, actually gonna ask about your workout routine. I figure if I'm gonna keep leaping into danger, I'm at least gonna need some training, as I can't exactly rely on beginner's luck anymore".
Fugue had to laugh at that "You sure? I assume you know by now that I'm pretty intense, and your body ain't gonna improve overnight. But yeah, I can make time, if you insist" she said.
"Anyway, the night's no longer young. I trust we can all make it home safely?" Fancy Rat asked.
"I live pretty close by, I'll be fine" Corinne said.
"Ugh, I've got some dump in Malicetown to get back to," Fugue grumbled.
"I see. Well it was certainly an interesting experience meeting you, but we'd best be off" Fancy Rat concluded.
* * *
Corinne was somewhat pleased to see shed woken up reasonably early this morning. This was especially relieving for her, as along with having to be back at Arachne today, she also had somewhere she was planning to get to before work in the time she had.
Her basic preparations later, Corinne walked out and down the street to the nearest teleport station, already getting another ad with the warping time. "Super-Spotlight-Special! She may be the single fastest speedster in all of Sciencity! Hailing from Japan, she is the queen of the track Driftessa, or 'Dorifutohime' in her homeland," The ad showed a girl with black hair in a ponytail, wearing a black-and-white leotard, gloves and boots above a sleeveless stocking-suit, speeding so fast around a corner she left a trail of fire in her wake "As you can see, her super-speed may only kick in while turning, yet none can keep up to her while doing so. She claims her speed comes from hard work, having to run up and down the mountain roads when she worked as a delivery girl. This has been another Super-Spotlight-Special!"
Corinne just gritted her teeth, since advertising the strengths of supers seemed utterly reckless now what with a pack of 'hunters' on the loose. Then again, it could've been recorded in advance.
It was none other than L'Essayage that she'd decided to pop into before work, despite her introduction to Beautique Belle last time having hardly been a highlight of her day. There was slightly more of a crowd than last time, with Beautique in particular being occupied by some customers in front of a costume by itself in a glass case.
"I'm askin', how much for it?!" that customer spoke up.
Beautique was straining to keep her composure "I believe I've made it clear, a costume like Femme Noire's is not for sale. It'll take more than money to pass down something of this status" she stated.
The customer began to seethe "Hey lady, thought you were runnin' a clothes shop here, not a museum?" he snapped.
"My store, my rules" was all Beautique had to say in return.
That customer simply stormed up, which was for the best lest a fight broke out. Corinne tried to remember what she knew about the name 'Femme Noire' from History. She was an early hero on the border of the powerless days of the 'pulps' and the beginning of the supermen, apparently a gadgeteer and quite the femme fatale as her name would imply. A legacy hero herself, others had taken up the Femme Noire role, with the more noted ones being in the 60s, 80s and the 00s. No wonder Beautique's so protective of her costume, she thought.
"Er, hello there, Miss Belle" Corinne meekly waved, now that the fashionista was free.
"Hmm, you're one of Melissa's friends, right? You're back here quite soon" Beautique commented on.
"Hey, I could use your help," Corinne started with, though didn't see Beautique's mood lighten "I've been making do with a basic handmade costume so far, but since I just got some money in, I feel I need to step it, things getting more dangerous in this city right now".
"I can certainly help with that," Beautique said, not simply brushing her off as Corinne'd feared "From what Melissa told me, you're an academia-themed hero, correct? I'm not much in the habit of stocking school uniforms, but I have a few items that could at a stretch fit your theme. What did you have in mind?".
(Select up to 3)
[ ] Spandex tights for improved acrobatics.
[ ] Latex for electricity conduction.
[ ] Longcoat for obscuring your exact frame.
[ ] Armour plates, for defence at the cost of movement.
[ ] Utility belt for storage.
[ ] Spikes for added brawl damage.
[ ] Visor for scanning and detection.
[ ] Write-in.
[x] "There's another gang who might be willing to have you join. I don't know their name, but I do know two of their members, who yeah... have gone against the Hepcats before, but not for any personal reasons."
[x] Utility belt for storage.
[x] Visor for scanning and detection.
[X] "I have ties to Arachne Computers, they certainly have the firepower and intelligence to deal with this guy."
[X] Utility belt for storage.
[X] Spikes for added brawl damage.
[X] Visor for scanning and detection.
As a normal Right Place and Right Time is the trickiest bit. But definitely takedowns, normals tend to lack stopping power without going lethal.
[X] "There's another gang who might be willing to have you join. I don't know their name, but I do know two of their members, who yeah... have gone against the Hepcats before, but not for any personal reasons."
[X] Utility belt for storage.
[X] Longcoat for obscuring your exact frame.
[X] Visor for scanning and detection.
[X] "There's another gang who might be willing to have you join. I don't know their name, but I do know two of their members, who yeah... have gone against the Hepcats before, but not for any personal reasons."
[X] Utility belt for storage.
[X] Longcoat for obscuring your exact frame.
[X] Visor for scanning and detection.
[X] "There's another gang who might be willing to have you join. I don't know their name, but I do know two of their members, who yeah... have gone against the Hepcats before, but not for any personal reasons."
[X] Utility belt for storage.
[X] Longcoat for obscuring your exact frame.
[X] Visor for scanning and detection.
[x] "There's another gang who might be willing to have you join. I don't know their name, but I do know two of their members, who yeah... have gone against the Hepcats before, but not for any personal reasons."
I should note I'm considering two ideas for unrelated Quests, either a Kamen Rider Ghost Quest or a Madoka/Worm crossover. I'm a bit more excited for the first one (good timing with Halloween coming up too), though the second one would likely attract more readers. Anyway, it's possible they could delay this Quest, so just a heads up, especially since I'd like to start one of them while I'm still on break from College.
Having purchased the upgrades to her outfit, Corinne tried to tell Beautique "Hey thanks. I've been worried 'bout keeping up with things lately, so these could really help".
There was a slight silence as Beautique just looked at her, but she then said "Still nervous though, aren't you? I suppose that's sensical, given tensions in this city lately".
'Tensions'? Yeah, that's putting it mildly, Corinne thought. "Well, er, got work to be getting to. Hope things are working out well with you and Melissa. Okay, bye!".
"Huh, anytime" Beautique muttered drolly in return.
Quickly rushing over to Arachne Computers, the besuited Corinne was almost instantly greeted by Melissa, with her co-workers Ross and Cristobal right behind her.
"Corinne! Great to have you back, boy you really deserved that day off," Melissa smiled at her, only for said smile to turn upside-down "Not like me, Millennium said she still needed my help around the office".
"My my, taking down a supervillain trio? Very impressive," Cristobal gave a more modest chuckle and a few claps "reminds me I should probably be doing more with the time I have myself".
"Sheesh, I just came here to make programs and stuff, ya know?" Ross shrugged at Cristobal, but turned to Corinne and said "Great to see you're back in one piece though, man it must've been nasty going up against those three, from what I heard of 'em".
"Ooh yes," Melissa winced "My airship nearly got torched in the process. But how about you, Corey?".
[ ] "You're underseeing them really, the Big Top Trio were monstrously tough!"
[ ] "That's about right, they gave us some trouble."
[ ] "Eh, not really, they were hardly as tough as they made themselves out to be."
[ ] Write-in.
"Huh, what is this crowd about?" came a scratchy, vibrating voice from the other end of the room, belonging to no less than a... green-and-pink bug woman, with a second set of arms and compound eyes.
"Oh right, I forgot" Melissa winced, before taking Corinne by her shoulder to introduce her "Corey, this here's Hypa'Sha, one of our Venusian employees. Well, she mostly works for Great Galaxy Observatory, but she often acts as one of our consultants on alien programming here".
Corinne took in Hypa'Sha's alienness, gulped and "Er, hi there, I mean Aom'Ssa, I'm Corinne Cohn" she greeted, swiftly remembering a common Venusian greeting. Her instinct was to extend her hand, but she restrained herself, knowing that holding out an empty hand was a bad luck curse among certain Venusian peoples.
That was, until Hypa'Sha extended one of her own hands anyway, Corinne then reaching out to shake it. "Corinne? Hmm, you seem alright, I've certainly met others in this city more loudmouthed. Kae'Lum, my blessings to you" Hypa'Sha spoke, giving Corinnne the Venusian version of a smile.
The group soon after dispersed to their various work stations, as time was a-wasting. Arachne Computers couldn't help but feel much quieter than it had before for Corinne, and after a couple of hours at her computer she was soon reminded why.
"Ach -bzzt- *crackle* Corey! Er, hi there," came Josephine's voice from out of Corinne's computer, with her struggling for a second to maintain her holographic form "Feelin' a bit off personally, I think when searching for their money trail the other day, them Hepcats tried ta hit me with some virus".
Corinne almost jolted back at that information "I'm- I'm sorry, Josephine, I didn't know, I should've thought-" she gasped, and I'm definitely having more than word about this with Kathryn the next time we meet.
"Nah, you're alright. It was nasty at first, but hardly anythin' that could bring me down!" Josephine just smiled, "And hey, we finished off them Hepcats, so we sure got somethin' in return. Well, then the news had to say that this killer came and out took their Boss for us" her eyes wandered.
"Yeah, and now he and his 'chums' are on the loose over town," Corinne muttered, though thought to ask "By the way, I haven't Millennium around yet, is she doing well?".
"Not to worry, she's doing fine!" Josephine beamed, "That Musclemoiselle, er guess it's Fugue now, anyway, she barely put a dent in her. Bet Mill's just in a meeting now or the like".
"Well I was for a while, but a good enough guess," came a metallic voice behind the two, as Millennium strode her way up. "My my, Corinne, not one but two villain groups. Then again, you yourself did tell me you were an over-achiever in your school days".
"Oh, er, you already knew about me and the Hepcat Gang?" Corinne bit her lip, moving back in her chair.
"Calm yourself, I assure you I wasn't eavesdropping or anything," Millennium cocked her head, but then said "maybe a little towards the end, but no need to fret, I had already calculated that you were responsible for their takedowns once the news reached me."
"Actually, Boss," Corinne then said, breathing in before saying "About data on people, there was someone I wondering if you could help me out with. I was after information on two, well, 'fairy-tale girls' you could call them, Totenblut and Rouge Garou, and some gang they've been hired by".
"I may have come across those names before," Millennium murmured, her eyes flickering for a second, Corinne assuming she was accessing her databank, before she said "Apparently there's photo footage of two girls bearing your description assorting with a pack of youths who call themselves 'The Allhallows'". She only had to look at Corinne's computer for it to display said image of this gang.
"They- they look so young," Corinne whispered, the picture showing, other than Rouge and Totenblut, a blue girl with spiky blue hair with a white streak, someone in a trench coat and gasmask, a cowboy type with their neckerchief pulled all the way up, a girl dressed as a black cat with ladder marks and silver cracks on her costume, and standing above them all a brown-haired young man with golden wings attached to his back, forehead and feet. "If they're not vampires like Totenblut anyway. Late teens at most".
"Yet already insisting they're villains," Millennium sighed, before saying "Although, our city does run several reform programs, perhaps you could help educate them?".
"Maybe, right now I know only the minimum about them," Corinne said "I was just curious about getting more support against- against this killer, since his whole modus operandi is targeting powerful supers. I admit, that may not include me, but it's hard to just leave him to go around killing".
"Really? Hmm, I feel the Allhallows then might not be such a good choice for that," Millennium cautioned her, laying her silvery hand down on Corinne's shoulder "From the reports I could find online about them, their basic motivation is their hatred of 'heroes', to the point where they openly call themselves villains. They could likely be cheering this killer on".
"Yeah, these sorts honestly sound like more trouble than they're worth," Josephine spoke up "And the Boss is strong and smart enough to take on any pack of killers anyway, right?".
Millennium had to laugh "I appreciate the compliment, Josephine, but Corinne has a point, it pays to have a back-up plan". Her tone however then dropped as she gazed away for a second, before she said "Either way, Corinne, you have my word that no murderer is going to set foot within Arachne".
Sure hope so, Corinne kept that as a thought.
* * *
After work, Corinne spent a good amount of time working out in the Gym adjacent to where the Everguards performed. The music was quite pounding, but it at least seemed to melt away as she got to work pumping irons. Leaving some time after having wiped away all her sweat, and also checking a mirror only to notice her musculature had only slightly gone up, she started walking back home when, as she was headed down a street, she got caught completely off-guard.
From out of nowhere, that concealed cowboy suddenly appeared right in front of her, their glowing eyes staring her right in the face. Corinne stumbled, only to turn around and be met with that cat-suited girl, which she could now see had red and green-dyed hair, who giggled at her and said "So sorry, is my friend bothering you?".
Corinne turned in other direction, only to find that girl in that exact same direction, as happened another time when she again looked to the side. "What the- what do you people want?".
"Aw, do you have to be mean like that?" this girl asked, pawing at her face, as she then said "We don't want to harm you, well, not if we all play nicely anyway. Hmm, perhaps we ought to introduce ourselves? Very well, this is my dear friend Isola, and me, I'm Triskaideka" she said, bringing the clones of hers Corinne had run into back together into herself.
Sheesh, did this 'Triskaideka' get her attitude from Totenblut? Corinne thought, No, Totenblut can at least act like an adult.
"Pleasure's all mine, Ma'am" was all the gruff Isola said for now.
"To put it simply, we represent the Allhallows. Now, our friend has told us quite a lot about you, and what you've been up to lately," Triskaideka's voice lowered "So we thought we'd send a message, you stay out of our business, we stay out of yours, capiche?".
Corinne was taken aback "Oh, it's just, I actually thought you could help me out. See there's this guy going around killing heroes- Oh wait, you hate heroes, don't you?" her voice slowed to a halt.
"Why, presumptive much, or where did you find out that info? I mean, you're not wrong, we hate heroes," Triskaideka went on, saying "But we're no fans of this Horned Huntsman, even if his interests and ours overlap. Our leader is very firm on villainy needing a vision, and 'I kill stuff for fun' is a woefully lacking vision.
I must confess, Libraria, in our merry gang's ideal world, people like you wouldn't exist. But, much as we don't like to admit it, we're in no position to be bringing about any 'ideal' world, so we need to pick our priorities" she sighed, but then smiled "Just hope you can keep up the lucky streak not to become one of those 'priorities'".
"Best be on your guard" said a hushed Isola.
These two villains left as soon as they'd arrived, leaving Corinne to think:
[ ] The Allhallows so far are rubbing me the wrong way. It might be worth spying on them, find out anything more I can.
- [ ] I'll spy on them alone.
- [ ] I'll try to get someone to come with me (Write-in)
[ ] I ought to keep an eye out for these Allhallows when I can, but otherwise continue about my own business.
[ ] These Allhallows aren't worth it, especially with that Huntsman afoot, I should keep away. Just... what to tell Kathryn?
[ ] Write-in.
[X] "That's about right, they gave us some trouble."
[X] (Write-in) If the Horned Huntsman is giving a bad name to other villains, or at least the Allhallows' ideal of a Villain... Our interests would align in this case. Maybe we could cooperate to stop that madman?
