2.4
Oh fuck me, this is bad. I can already feel it, down to the very core of what makes me exist. Every twist of the blade as it enters and exits my heart. I can feel it, the same thing as the sun, magnified exponentially. The inevitable nature of my mortality, as it should be. Not even a vampire is immortal... right, just like he said. My life, it's over. I'm not strong enough, there is not enough of the thing which makes up 'me' to survive this.
I see the scraps of blood I have taken from the thug and Cricket. More than that, I stole some of their essence. The thug's confidence, his bravery. Cricket I took even more from. Her tactical sense, her weapon handling skills, her practised movements of parkour and her preference for close and personal combat. Snippets of memory too.
It bolsters me, makes me more than I was, but still not enough. I see. This is why Alucard told me to kill and drain people. Death is harsh and cannot be denied entirely. It wants a sacrifice. If I hadn't lived in the sun and slept in a coffin I wouldn't even recognize that fact. I would have been devoured entirely in moments.
I try to gather up all I have, emotion, will, determination, fear, love... not enough. There has to be more. More of everything. Was I always so tiny?
No. Fuck you, death.
I reached down and grabbed the sword blade. Looking over my shoulder I saw a horned mask, red and stern. Oni Lee. I'll eat you too, you son of a bitch!
I was fading fast. Moments left at most.
"FREEZE." I ordered.
Sophia recoiled at the words and their power. They were so weak I was actually surprised they would have any effect, least of all on the hardened killer behind me. Because he had certainly stopped, dead still.
Pushing forward I removed myself from the blade, even if the damage was already done I could move. I was dying, blood gushing unhindered from my most vital point. I turned, solitary eye burning with power. No hope. No future beyond the next few seconds.
I turned my wrath on my second killer. A man who could be in many places at once and move almost anywhere in a moment as he stood incapable of movement and solitary. Become part of me, Oni Lee!
My mouth grew and opened wider than I thought possible. Jagged, irregular fangs finding purchase in my jaw as I clamped down on his throat. The rush was absurd. The memories, the skills, the parts of a person that made them real were intense. I witnessed the fall of Kyushu. I saw the slaughter perpetrated by Leviathan. The life before that. The life after that.
I became Oni Lee.
I took the very essence of Oni Lee. Of the humble man, whose will was broken by the destruction until he became an emotionless killer. But even more than that: following the chain I took the power that had been forced on him by malicious forces. The shard squirmed and tried to flee, but it was connected to Oni Lee and I was Oni Lee. I greedily suckled at a singular fragment of the power of a false god and claimed it as my own to be devoured utterly. It had an essence, a soul and it was so very weak in comparison to the awesome might it physically possessed.
Power flooded me. I had gained something. Oni Lee's aptitude. His potential for vampiric powers. I released the corpse and turned to Sophia. My wounds healed. My clothes healed too. Funny, it takes my death to actually attune them to me. Stuck with these ugly clothes forever... I really don't mind that. A second skin. Nocturne is a part of me from now until I die.
"Shit..." Sophia staggered back a step at a hop.
"Lung sent Lee to keep an eye on you in case you got in over your head. Well, I think this qualifies." I joked. Lee agreed.
Internally I could hear laughter, Alucard sounded ecstatic. I picked up the sword at my feet, the Kanze Masamune*... a sword long thought lost to the waves. Admiring the subtle pattern of the sharpened blade I quietly retrieved the sheath and straps, putting it on over my shoulder. It was too good to use on the likes of Sophia. It will have a place of honour at home, it was not originally a tool of murder. Rest and soothe your fury. Then picked up my own knife, discarded in my haste.
When I turned around Sophia was half way down the street hobbling for her life. Pathetic.
I turned into a swarm of bugs which collapsed, reforming ahead of her. Oni Lee's power had become mine. A form of teleportation, modified by the new owner. My clothes and equipment came too, I was worried about the sword.
Sophia stopped dead in her tracks, turned pale and moved to flee again back the way she came. "Get away from me!" She screamed, firing her gun wildly at me. Phased or not, bullets didn't scare me at all now.
Oh, Lung is here now, I can hear him running. He must have heard us. He hides the fact but he does like to eavesdrop on his new employees to show a form of arrogance and preparedness if they turn traitor. Oni Lee knows everything about him, from his powers to his personality and operations.
I sheathed the knife and waited. I could hear the whistling of air as he fell from a tremendous leap. He was slow to become truly unstoppable. A quick stab to the spine at the base of his skull in the next two minutes would still paralyse. After then his scales and bones were too tough to pierce with standard weaponry, although my knife combined with my strength would probably still work for another minute.
When he landed he was very angry. He knew about Oni Lee's death. Possibly by watching from a distant vantage point. The benefit of a flying predator's eyesight, he had exceptional vision. Still merely fighting him would be crude and have no real effect. His power was beyond technique's ability to defeat.
I waited for his attention, before carefully bowing. I kept my eyes on his every movement even as I did, because only an amateur takes an opponent lightly. He seemed amused, his curiosity peaked by this.
"Manners from a gaijin? How rare." He spoke imperiously, arms folded.
"Greetings, Kenta-san. I do not wish to challenge the Dragon of Kyushu, your power is beyond mine to directly oppose. So I will offer a trade of sorts. I have all of your secrets, as you have all of mine. I will not act on my knowledge of where you hide your money and family, you in turn will reciprocate. The shadow girl has lead you into a fatal dead end. Short term, because of personal vengeance she has squandered the opportunity you offered her and placed your power base in peril. Long term she has damaged your ability to push back the Nazi scum and possibly even you will be forced to leave or die." I explained. "You are the strongest of all in this city, but against the combined forces of the Nazi you are lacking in flexibility. So my offer is this: in return for two favours I will never turn my wrath on you and your men for as long as we are at peace."
"Some of this is true." Lung nodded. "My position is precarious. Even a great boulder pushed with enough leverage can be removed."
"So when you heard my secret, you did not hear the main point." I replied.
"What would that be jiangshi (vampire)?" He asked, intrigued.
"That what I am requires blood to pass as human. That what I am requires it daily and my honour demands it to be from those I deem to be reprehensible. So my offer is simple and solves your problem. I will hunt Nazis for my meals." I smiled coldly as his eyes widened. "I will be a distraction for you to use to consolidate and reassert yourself. I do this because your knowledge of who my father is makes this my only goal. I cannot betray you without consequence. Besides, it would not be the first time: I am the one who crushed Cricket."
"What are your terms?" He asked, looking at me with a piercing glare.
"Stop the forced sex trade, move on to a less distasteful business. I don't care about prostitution as long as it is consensual. Hurting innocent people for money is where I draw my line." I shrugged. "I feel sorry for them and know this is the best way to end it. By asking you."
"This is a heavy thing to ask. It will harm my plans." Lung said carefully.
"It is a terrible thing and weakens your hold over the city. You fight Nazis. People who kill and hate others over skin colour and race. You are not like this, you have no need to stoop to their level. Placing yourself as a more attractive option would redeem you in the eyes of many. You need to change your methods slightly and cease the most unsavoury businesses, but imagine the resources and options available if you stop limiting yourself. You have already made the first step, taking that wretch Shadow Stalker. Pulling out the roots of the Nazi regime is a powerful rallying cry." I explained.
"Go on." Lung seemed interested.
"If you base your claim to the city on driving out the Nazi then you have access to all their enemies, of every race and sexual orientation. That is no small number. As it is, your gang is too small. Too focused on race. But just like you opened your arms to Shadow Stalker you can open your arms to other races. How many are there, really? You do not even need to fully adopt them into your organization, simply add them as a loose confederation of neutrals and potential allies in any conflict. The Nazis are holding a race war; turn that fact on your enemy." I smiled widely and gestured expansively. "Make it a war of Us versus the Nazis. Not merely Asians versus the Nazis. You will find a virtual flood of aid as that fact becomes public knowledge." I smirked. "Because no one rational wants to be on their side. You have to become the reasonable choice. Pragmatism is a powerful force if used properly."
"You have not named your other term yet." Lung pointed out.
"I would ask for Sophia's head on a pike but that would make your situation hopeless and my demands untenable. So a compromise. She remains yours, under a short leash. I did not come here to harm you or yours, but was forced to do so. Keep the fool. She is wilful and cruel and will test you when she can see a weakness. A coward through and through. As long as she has no further contact with my father I have no reason to rip out her spine and make a cup from her skull." I looked at Sophia as she trembled behind Lung. "And yes, I mean every word Sophia."
Lung chuckled softly. "That is acceptable. To lose both would be too much. Can you work alongside us if we do face the Nazi? I promise you the blood you need and appropriate reward in repayment for the deed."
"Oh, I will join you on any major push or offer distraction if you desire. Reward while appreciated would not be necessary. No, I like the simple joys of hearing the cracking of bone and the spray of blood. That they are Nazis just makes it more fun." I replied. "Sophia has my father's phone. Return it with the appropriate numbers installed and take my own from it. It was a pleasure meeting you Kenta-san. You not so much, Sophia. Pray we do not meet as enemies ever again."
I swarm-ported to a high point some two miles away and then focused back the way I came. A little more to the South and I'll have the angle right. Swarm-porting to a smaller building with a better angle I could at last see my new target, a small abandoned home with a small number of ABB guards.
*****
"Why didn't you kill her?!" Sophia screeched. Her new start was already a dead end. She was stunned as Lung struck her across the face hard enough to tear up the inside of her cheek.
"Because unlike the disappointment you are, she is a fearsome one. She did not directly say so, but if I had forced her to fight she could have disabled me temporarily and then damaged my operations, perhaps irrevocably. She did not merely kill Oni Lee, she took his memories as she did. Much of this referenced past discussions and debates we have shared on the subject of this city. With that movement ability, we could not strike her down." Lung glared at Sophia. "And you provoked her into all of this. You forget the most important thing, that my face and reputation is worth more than yours. She gave me face and offered hints for a valuable opportunity. For this I will kill you myself if you provoke her further."
"But when you have the city, she'll turn on you!" Sophia argued, rubbing her sore face.
"That is true, but that is in the far future. For now she is precious as a tool." Lung replied. "Patience is a virtue you lack it seems. All things change. But an enemy who is trapped in a mutual destruction pact with you can be very useful while we both keep our word. She would be a fool not to watch for any changes I make to hide our vulnerabilities. So when the time comes it must be when we are fully prepared to deal with her for good."
*****
Appearing inside the building was child's play, as I had a nice view of the rear kitchen window. Dad was still here. I winced at his bruised face and torn ear. Tied by rope to the chair he seemed to have been stabbed in the right hand several times. Psycho bitch. Still just like the scorpion she will make a mistake because it is her nature. That is when I'll be there, to take everything she has left away.
He groans as I untie him, he remains silent but recognizes me. I lend him a shoulder and simply walk out the front door. The guards are immediately alerted and raise guns. Two words stop them from shooting.
"Call Lung." I told them.
They did so. At least his reputation is rock solid, no one steps on his toes and lives through it. Until tonight at least. I was sweating bullets for a bit there and all but babbling, trying to talk him into a path that was not direct annihilation for us both. Because I was certain I wouldn't be the victor in any confrontation there. I wouldn't die but I wouldn't be able to live either. Not with everything he knows. Being outed as a vampire was infinitely worse than being outed as a cape. Slaughterhouse Nine worse. Because that would be who I would be compared to. Or worse. They actually hear about it and try to recruit me.
That was a scary thought. Even just them visiting Brockton Bay was trouble. Even if they are only eight right now. Crawler and the Siberian are out of my league. For now.
The call is short and they look at me with some fear. Yes, I know. Jiangshi. Spread it around more, why don't you. No wonder they call him Lung, he cannot stop talking about everything to everyone. Deep ethical questions are good for the wise ruler shtick you have going, how does that work when you order pizza? Sounding like a fortune cookie had a child with 'The Art of War' does not help people take you seriously. Or at least those of us not seven foot tall and covered in muscles and tattoos.
As the ABB members look to be leaving I stop them.
"Give us a ride back to where you took him. His keys and wallet too. Lung told you to do as I asked, didn't he. Take us back and you can go. Or not and be on his bad side. I can assure you he is not in a pleasant mood right now." I added. With the loss of Oni Lee he would be livid. He wouldn't mind the fact I killed his long term companion so much as a valuable, known quantity. Lee could hold back the majority of the E88 for hours at a time.
The ABB thugs hesitated to argue or even grumble, once their leader's orders had been invoked. The trip was short and I helped Dad back into the house, even cleaned up the floor and dressed his wounds. Looking like a boxer after a rough fight his face was swollen and lips split. It must be too painful to talk. I got some Tylenol and an ice pack to help the swelling.
Then as he sat there silently, I explained how things were and how they had to be for us to remain safe. He looked equal parts angry and sick as I told him about Lee and the bargain with Lung. About my time with New Wave and then I told him about how I died in the alley. He never said a word, but at the end he just hugged me. I could feel how weak he was, smell he had opened the wound on his hand. And for the first time since my death I cried.
*****
The being that was once called Oni Lee rose in the early dawn. It shuffled away in search of food.
Armsmaster's Master/Stranger Protocol Log part 3
Present: Armsmaster (suspected), Clockblocker, Dragon (via video chat).
Observing: Director Piggot, Battery.
Armsmaster: Is this torture session over yet? I have screws to sort, apparently.
Clockblocker: Actually my prank wasn't the main point. Let me ask you, did you notice?
Armsmaster: (Uncertainly) No. I didn't. That's not like me.
Clockblocker: I expected you to explode in a matter of minutes after finding out, but instead... nothing. Nada. Zilch. That's when I got scared. An Armsmaster who doesn't fly off the handle at trivial stuff like that isn't the Armsmaster I know. So I checked in with Dragon, since you're so lovey dovey together.
Dragon: (Sounding happy) Which is when I investigated a little and was quite disturbed by your reactions. You were busy building, so busy you barely even spoke to me. That is unusual, even for you. What were you building?
Armsmaster: I was building a new version of my suit and fixing up one of my old halberd designs.
Clockblocker: I got a glance at it, but had to leave since I was worried your stasis lock would time out. It isn't like your usual designs at all. Which is another reason I was concerned you were a fake, Armsie.
Armsmaster: Different? How different? It was just a suit, upgraded in a couple of areas. The aesthetics shouldn't have changed that mu...
Clockblocker: It was fifteen feet tall.
Armsmaster: I'm sorry, what? I must have misheard.
Dragon: You were building in a macro scale instead of your usual practice of microscopic components. Tracing the parts you ordered three days ago it is roughly two tons of composite materials and circuitry, the battery pack alone makes up a full third of the weight. Unless you are building a suit to punch Behemoth in the face, it is too excessive. Current predictions on power supply alone suggest it will only be active a total of an hour before it melts down and becomes unusable. It uses more energy in a second than most of your suits use in their lifetime of service.
Armsmaster: Thats... absurd.
Dragon: My current hypothesis is that not only did the master power of Subject B effect you mentally it also inverted your powers and prevented you from noticing. So instead of efficient and small, you are building briefly active but powerful devices that burn through energy like mad.
Clockblocker: Trump bullshit! Wait... if he got me too... would I create people who move at the speed of light forever? Or instantly age to death at a touch?
Dragon: Considering it seems malicious but limited, the latter I would assume.
Clockblocker: Cool! I can finally use corny lines like 'The bell tolls for thee' or 'The time of your death has come'. So many clock and death related puns!
Armsmaster: Can you let me see the armour? I'm curious what it looks like.
Clockblocker: Like Squealer built it with good materials. It is a different colour too. Bright red.
Armsmaster: Red? Why red? My colour is blue.
Clockblocker: Because red goes faster!
Footnote:
( * This Katana actually exists in a museum in Tokyo, a gift from Masamune the famous swordsmith to a Noh theatre troop and is regarded as a national treasure. )
