Throne of Bet

[regulareader]

Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.

/////////////////////////////////////

The news of the end of the gang war spread like a wildfire, and within an hour, the entire city was aware of it.

But still took about three days for things to return to normal or at least as normal as it can get in a city like Brockton Bay.

And in those three days, we were very busy.

Medea and Morgan already finished reforming the hotel and are now setting up all kinds of defensive wards and boundfields to protect the place.

One of the first things I did was to summon more servants.

I summoned Moriarty, Paracelsus, Asclepius, Tesla, Edison, Ushiwakamaru, Frankenstein, Thrúd, Hildr and Ortlinde.

Paracelsus and Asclepius went to the hotel to set up their workshops and give a hand in setting up boundfields. Ushiwakamaru went with them to see the hotel and chose her room.

Edison and Tesla went to help Da Vinci in analyzing the tinker tech rifles.

Thrúd, Hildr, and Ortlind immediately headed to Empire territory to hunt down the reaming capes. It was easy to understand why they were so enraged with the Empire. With Fenja and Menja dressed as valkyries, Rune and Othala being used as names, and the original leader dared to call himself the Allfather.

Thrúd, Hilder, and Ortlind want them dead for disrespecting their culture.

I quickly put Moriarty in charge of planning in how to take over the ABB territory. And I made it very clear to him to keep the body count to a minimum.

The rest of the ABB won't let us take over without putting a fight first.

Moriarty also told me that he already has a plan to amass wealth and win the goodwill of the city and the PRT.

Man, he doesn't waste time.

Moriarty was quick to get in contact with a law firm to hire their services to buy the hotel. In particular, he hired Carol Dallon to be our attorney.

She spoke with the mayor, and he agreed to sell the hotel.

Which is a relief as I wasn't sure the city would sell it to us.

Right now, I was with Moriarty and Fran at a restaurant on the Boardwalk, waiting for Carol.

"He-here is your order, sir," The waitress said nevoursly.

"Thanks," I said.

The waitress placed our orders on the table and quickly walked away.

Turns out that a cup of hot chocolate isn't thirty dollars.

"Unbelievable, twenty dollars for a cup of hot chocolate," I complained.

"I agree. This is an outrageous price for this brand of tea," Moriarty took a sip of his tea.

I pointed at the piece of cake that Fran was eating.

"I can go to any bakery and buy the same piece of cake for seven dollars. They're charging fifteen here," I said.

Fran looked at me then back at her cake and offered me a piece, "Hmm?"

"No thanks," I said.

Fran shrugged and returned to eat the cake with gusto.

"On the way here, I saw a place that sells a cappuccino for twenty-three dollars," Moriarty said.

"Twenty-three dollars for a cappuccino? You gotta be kidding me," I said.

"I'm afraid not," Moriarty said.

"Good god, this really is the cheapest restaurant in Boardwalk," I shake my head in disbelief.

"If you think this is expensive, you should check out the clothes they sell around here. Most of them are knock-offs, but they're still going for thousands of dollars," Moriarty said.

"I can't believe people pay these prices," I said.

"These kind of places are known as 'tourist traps' for a reason," Moriarty said.

"Maybe we should open a bakery or a restaurant," I said jokingly.

"Already working on that," Moriarty said.

I blinked in surprise, "Seriously?"

"Of course, it's a simple way to start making money and we possess many talented chefs," Moriarty said.

"You still haven't told me how we're going to make money," I said.

"We're going to sell healing potion to the Protectorate/PRT and any independent heroes out there," Moriarty said.

"So that's why you asked for Paracelsus and Asclepius," I took a sip of the hot chocolate.

"Indeed. And with Medea's assistance, they can easily develop a system to produce basic healing potions in large quantities, Moriarty said.

"What about NEPEA-5?" I asked.

I don't like that bill.

It not only made it almost impossible for rogues to make money legitimately, but it also helped in creating one of the largest parahuman criminal organizations in America.

The Elite.

I'm still deciding if we should do something about them but one thing I know is that Bastard Son has to go. His cell is just as bad as Slaughterhouse Nine.

"We don't have to worry about NEPEA-5 since the public that we will be aiming for are exclusive parahumans," Moriarty said.

I see where this is going.

"So, we will be the equivalent of 'Toybox', but our focus will be on the heroes," I said.

"Precisely," Moriarty takes a sip of his tea.

"What about hospitals?" those potions could help a lot of people.

"I've already planned to sell it to hospitals, but first, we need to present the healing potion to the PRT. That way, they can't later claim that we sold untested tinker tech," Moriarty said.

"What if they notice that it isn't tinker tech?" that's a can of worms that I never want to open.

"Don't worry about that, master. In today's world, everyone will just assume that the healing potions are tinker tech. After all, it's the creation of a parahuman," Moriarty said with a smirk.

That's a good point.

"I take that the healing potions aren't the only thing you want to sell?" I took a sip of hot chocolate.

"Of course not. I already talked with Edison about the production of body armor," Moriarty said.

"You want to sell weapons?" I asked surprised.

"Armor, not weapons. I expect the PRT will purchase it just to study it, but the main target is the independent heroes," Moriarty said.

"Is that really necessary?" I asked.

"Absolutely. This is to safeguard us. By now, the PRT will be monitoring Chaldea closely. I don't want them to get any ideas once they see the number of servants we have. I plan to expand Chaldea's influence in the parahuman world so that the PRT won't be able to interfere without risking their own destruction," Moriarty said.

"How likely is that to happen?" I frowned.

"Very high once they realize how strong is Chaldea. Remember this master, those in power despise anyone that they can't control," Moriarty said.

I pinched my nose in frustration.

"No offensive mystic codes," I said.

Moriarty smiled in response.

"Hmm?" Fran asked.

"It's nothing," I notice that she finished the cake. "Do you want another?"

Fran nodded in response.

Before I could call for a waitress, Carol arrived at the table.

"I apologize for arriving late. The traffic at this hour can be very annoying," Carol said.

She's late?

I checked the time to see that she was indeed five minutes late. I didn't even notice it.

"Don't worry about it, my dear. Would you like something to eat or drink?" Moriarty asked.

"Black coffee, please," Carol said.

I called over a waitress.

"Another piece of strawberry pie and black coffee please," I said.

The waitress nodded and left to get our order.

"I hope that you didn't have too much trouble at city hall," Moriarty said.

"Not at all. It was easier than I was expecting," Carol smiled politely.

"That's good," Moriarty nodded. "Where're my manners? You already know me but let me present you, Magus and Berserker."

"It's a pleasure to meet you two," Carol said politely.

I smiled in response and Fran looked at Carol boredly.

Carol glanced at Fran with a raised brow.

"I thought Berserker was a different woman," Carol commented.

Well, this was bound to come up at some point.

"Here's the deal: each servant goes by a title, such as Berserker, to keep their true name concealed," I explained.

Carol stared at me for a few moments, her face completely expressionless.

"...I see," Carol said.

I will say this: she knows how to be professional.

I was expecting her to ask all kinds of questions.

I wonder how confusing my power must look to everyone else.

The waitress arrived with our order.

Moriarty coughed, "Let's focus on business. On the phone, you said that some paper needs to be signed."

Carol opens her briefcase and grabs the contract.

"All that's left is your signature. And tomorrow I can give you the deed of the hotel," Carol said.

"Do you mind if I check the contract?" Moriarty asked.

"By all means," Carol gave the contract to Moriarty.

"I'm going to be honest. I wasn't sure that the city would be willing to sell the hotel to us," I said.

"And they weren't expecting you to want to buy it," Carol took a sip of her coffee.

"I take that never happens," I said.

"Capes usually just take over a spot in the city, whether it's a building or a warehouse, and make it their secret Lair. It's pretty rare for a cape to buy property. In fact, I think the last one to do that was Faultline," Carol said with a frown.

Faultline's Crew.

A mercenary group that resides in Brockton Bay.

They're a target of interest since two of their members are Case 53. But how the hell am I supposed to convince Faultline to let us analyze their anatomy?

I also don't want to give them false hope as I don't know if we are going to be able to help them.

"How come the PRT never made a move against Faultline?" I asked curiously.

Moriarty spoke before Carol could.

"With the threat of the Empire and ABB, the PRT couldn't afford to make more enemies when there was no point. Faultline may be a villain but she only operates outside the city. And, most importantly, they're a formidable mercenary group that could push the Protectorate back," Moriarty said without looking away from the contract. "But, of course, that's just a theory of mine."

"You're indeed correct in the reason," Carol said, lightly surprised.

I hide my smile by taking another sip of the hot chocolate.

Yeah, Moriarty's deduction has that effect on people.

"Everything checks out," Moriarty nodded and handed me the contract.

I signed the papers and gave them to Carol.

"Mr Archer, you mentioned over the phone that there's another matter you'd like to discuss," Carol takes a sip of her coffee.

"None of this mister thing. I'm still in the prime of my youth!" Moriarty said.

"Hmm?" Fran tilted her head.

Moriarty gasped in an over-exaggerated way and looked at Fran.

"How could you say that? Of course I-hugh!" Moriarty froze. "My back," Moriarty groaned, his voice strained with pain.

Fran jumped a little in surprise and started to check Moriarty.

Carol let out a giggle at the scene.

Oh, he's good.

"We can talk another time if you want?" Carol offered.

Moriarty waved off the offer, "There's no need for that. Now, what I want to talk about is a product that we wish to sell to the PRT."

"Don't you want to go to somewhere more private?" Carol glanced at the people around us.

Moriarty smirked, "There's no need."

That's my cue.

I created a bound field that covered our table.

"What's this?" Carol asked tensely as she looked at the bound field.

"Something that will give us some privacy," I said.

Moriarty took a bottle from his jacket and set it on the table.

"What's that?" Carol looked intently at the bottle.

"A healing potion," Moriarty said.

Carol looked at Moriarty with a raised eyebrow.

"How potent is it?" Carol asked.

"It can easily heal: broken bones, first and second-degree burns, concussion, bruising, bullet wounds, internal bleeding, and a few more things," Moriarty scratched his chin. "I should have made a list to show you."

And that is a basic healing potion.

Medea can create one that can grant limited immortality.

"Have you tested it?" Carol asked seriously.

Moriarty nodded, "Extensively."

That is not even a lie. Healing potions were one of the most used items during our adventures.

"I'm aware that the PRT will want to conduct their tests first before deciding if they wish to buy it. So, I need you to reach out to them," Moriarty said.

Carol hummed thoughtfully.

"If this potion does what you're claiming then the PRT will be interested in buying it," Carol said.

"The PRT is just the beginning. I want to make it available to every hero out there. Just imagine how many lives this potion could save," Moriarty said.

Carol looked very interested in the idea.

"And if I have the permission, I'd also like to sell healing potions to the hospitals," Moriarty said.

"For this idea to work, you would have to be able to mass produce these healing potions," Carol said.

"We can do that easily," I said.

"What you are claiming is something that no one was able to do before. Even Dragon isn't capable of mass-producing tinker tech," Carol said seriously.

Oh yeah, this's going to be a big deal.

"We have a way that I can't disclose," I said.

"Then please be careful. Chaldea will gain even more attention, both good and bad," Carol warned us.

"Thank you for the warning. I assure you that we will be very careful," Moriarty said.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Carol asked.

Moriarty hummed, "Let's first see what's going to be the PRT's opinion about the healing potions. Oh, and before you leave please take the potion with you."

"I couldn't-" Moriarty interrupted Carol.

"I insist," Moriarty said firmly. "As I mentioned earlier, I want all the heroes to have a potion, and that includes you. If you have any concerns, you can have Panacea test it. I guarantee she will confirm that it's safe."

Having Panacea seal of approval will expedite the whole process.

Carol looked at the potion for a few seconds and put it inside her briefcase.

I dispelled the bound field.

"It was a pleasure to meet all of you. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to city hall," Carol walked away from the table.

"Was Panacea the reason you hired her?" I asked.

"One of the main reasons. The fact that she is also a good attorney is a nice bonus," Moriarty said.

"What're the others?" I asked curiously.

"Honestly, this whole endeavor is just a performance for the PRT. When they learn that we purchased the hotel, they will focus on how we adhered to the law and are collaborating with a respected hero," Moriarty smirked.

The PRT will perceive us as a responsible and law-abiding group, leading them to believe that they don't need to keep a close eye on us.

"What happens if they realize that we manipulated them?" I asked.

"It will matter very little. By the time they realize anything, Chaldea will be one of the most powerful organizations in the world," Moriarty said.

Go big or go home.

"All right, we're done here. I'm going to pay the bill, I meet you guys outside," I got up from the table.

Fran nodded and got up but Moriarty didn't move.

"I'm going to need a minute," Moriarty said.

Why would he-oh, don't tell me.

"You really hurt your back, didn't you?" I asked.

"...yes," Moriarty said.

I let out a sigh as Fran and I help Moriarty to move.

////////////////

We are back at the hotel.

"All I'm saying is that if I'm going to pay for overpriced food then I better get my money's worth," I said.

"I know what you mean. I never liked dining in such restaurants, I only did that to give an image of how powerful I was," Moriarty said.

"What about you Fran?" I asked.

Fran places her finger on her chin and tilts her head.

"Hmm," Fran points at me.

"See. Even Fran agrees," I said.

"I assure you, master, that if we do open a restaurant, it will not be anything like that," Moriarty said.

I know that, otherwise, I would have every version of Artoria demanding an explanation.

I started to chuckle when I thought of her in one of those restaurants.

Moriarty and Fran looked at me curious.

"What's so funny?" Moriarty asked.

"Can you imagine Artoria in one of those places? She would threaten the chef for serving so little food," I chuckled.

Fran giggled at the mental image.

"Hm, I can only see her alter variants do that. But she would still have a few things to say to the chef," Moriarty said with an amused smile.

"That reminds me. We need to quickly set up the Artoria budget," I said.

We had to create an entire budget solely dedicated to feeding all the different versions of Artoria.

I started to hear a lot of grumbling coming from behind.

I turned to see Ortlinde, Hildr, Thrúd walking inside the room.

And they have a bit of blood on their clothes.

"They have been busy," Moriarty raised an eyebrow.

Oh boy.

"I'm going to deal with that," I let out a sigh.

"Good luck. Come along Fran, let's find a spot to plant some flowers," Moriarty said.

Fran's eyes lit up, and she nodded enthusiastically.

"I take that you girls had a successful hunt," I said.

"We couldn't find them," Hildr pouted.

I blinked in surprise, "So whose blood is that?"

"From some grunts that we intimidated," Ortlinde said.

"Are any of them dead?" I asked.

"No. Although, some of them are going to be eating through a straw," Thrúd said.

That's more than fine.

"They are all cowards! Running away from their deserved punishment!" Hildr said.

"You can't kill them," I said.

"Why can't we do that again? The Empire is despised by everyone," Thrúd said.

"Two reasons. First, I'm not entirely certain, but I believe that the PRT is worried about a slippery slope scenario. If we kill the Empire, what is preventing us from doing the same to every other criminal in the city, even minor ones like a purse snatcher?" I said.

"The second is the Endbringer fights. The PRT needs as many people as possible to fight those monsters," I said grimly.

There's a list of every cape that lost their lives fighting the Endbringers.

It's a very long list.

Thrúd hummed thoughtfully.

"Can we still maim them?" Ortlind asked.

I shrugged, "As long as you don't kill them, do whatever the hell you want."

Ortlind, Hildr, and Thrúd shared a grin.

It's so weird to see them being so bloodthirsty.

"Excuse us, master. We're going to take a break before our next patrol tonight," Thrúd said.

"Don't forget to clean the blood from your clothes," I said as they left the room.

Suddenly a tiny furball landed on my shoulder.

"Fou!" Fou rubbed his head against my cheek.

"Hey buddy," I scratched Fou's chin.

It was a surprise when Fou appeared with everyone else.

"What do you think of this place?" I asked.

"Fou," Fou tilted his head.

"Yeah, I know. I still miss the original Chaldea base and the Wandering Sea but soon enough this hotel will feel like home," I said.

"Fou," Fou said.

I let out a chuckle.

My cell phone started to ring.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey Magus," Dauntless said.

"Oh, hey man. What's up?" I asked.

"I'm calling to see if you want to do a joint patrol?" Dauntless asked.

Huh, Piggot approved Barghest's idea. I'm kind of surprised by that.

"I'm ok with that. What day?" I asked.

"How about tomorrow?" Dauntless asked.

Tomorrow is Saturday, so it's perfect.

"Sure. What time?" I asked.

"How about the evening? I'm going to bring two wards with me and the plan is to patrol the Boardwalk," Dauntless said.

Right, the wards mainly patrol the safer areas of the city.

"Sounds good," I scratched Fou's chin.

"One more thing. I got a report of three unknown capes flying over Empire territory. Are they with guys?" Dauntless asked.

"Yeah, they're with us," I said.

Dauntless sighed in relief, "All right then, I will see you tomorrow."

I ended the call.

Tomorrow is going to be my first official patrol as a hero.

God, this's still so weird.

"Fou?" Fou put his paw on my cheek.

"It's nothing. Hey, let's go find my room," I said.

"Fou!" Fou said.

Fou and I started to look for my room.

//////////////////////

Thrúd POV:

It was night time and we still couldn't find any trace of the remaining capes of the Empire.

So, we decided to patrol another part of the city.

"Where could they be hiding?" Hildr growled.

"Probably in their civilian identities," Ortlinde said.

How infuriating.

"Be patient, Hildr. Once Chaldea takes control of the ABB territory, master turns his focus on the Empire," I said.

And then, they shall face the consequences for dishonoring the Allfather's name.

Ortlind and Hildr nodded.

"Where're we?" Hildr asked, glancing around.

"Above the Trainsyard," I said.

"Look!" Ortlinde exclaimed, pointing towards the street.

Hildr and I turned to where Ortlind was pointing.

A woman was running from a group of men.

We swiftly positioned ourselves between the woman and the group of men.

I easily dealt with them before they had a chance to react.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

The woman was breathing heavily and holding her side.

"I, oh my god, just need to catch my breath," The woman said.

The woman took a few deep breaths before calming down.

"You girls just saved my ass," The woman said, wiping sweat from her head.

"It's nothing. Are you sure you're fine? You're sweating quite a lot," Ortlinde said.

"I'm sure. It has just been a while since my last jog," The woman said.

"When was the last time?" I asked.

"Let me see. Today is friday...about fifteen years, give or take," The woman said.

Ortlinde, Hildr, and I looked at the woman with raised eyebrows.

"What can I say? I don't like to exercise," The woman shrugged. "But that's going to have to change. By the way, I'm Sherrel."

"Lancer," Ortlinde, Hildr, and I said at the same time.

"Doesn't that get confusing?" Sherrel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No," Hildr said.

"All right then. You girl are with the new guy, right? What was his name again?" Sherrel rubs her head in thought.

"Magus," I said.

"That's him," Sherrel nodded.

"Since you're fine, we will be heading out," I said.

"Hold on a minute please," Sherrel said.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Okay, here is the thing. I'm in a bit of a predicament, and I could really use some help," Sherrel said, nervously rubbing her neck.

"What kind of predicament?" I asked with narrowed eyes.

Did she steal from these men?

"Well...you see I'm a-"

Sherrel was interrupted by the arrival of four cars.

A group of men got out of the vehicles, with one of them dressed in a costume.

Is he a cape?

"Get the fuck away from my tinker you bitches!" A masked man shouted.

By the Allfather, he smells worse than a rotting corpse.

"Fuck you, Skidmark! I'm not your anything!" Sherrel flipped him off.

"We will see about that!" Skidmark said laughing. "What the fuck are you idiots waiting for! Kill those whores!"

What a foul mouth.

We positioned ourselves in front of Sherrel and raised our shields as the men began firing at us.

Our shields are absorbing most of the bullets; although a few have hit us, they haven't caused any harm.

"Shit, are you girls okay?" Sherrel asked worried.

"Their weapons can't hurt us," Ortlinde said.

"You fuckers are useless!" Skidmark screamed.

Skidmark waved his hand and created a field that appeared in front of his men.

My eyes widen at the sight of the strange field, and I quickly move to scoop Sherrel up into a bridal carry.

With her safely in my arms, Ortlinde, Hildr, and I shoot up into the sky, dodging a barrage of bullets.

"The field made the bullets faster," Hildr noted.

"Up there, you assholes!" Skidmark pointed at us.

Ortlinde charged forward and positioned herself behind the field. She landed on the ground and struck Skidmark's face with her shield. His head jerked sideways, and several of his teeth flew out. He was hurled against a wall and didn't get up.

She continues her attack by swinging her lance in a wide arc, taking out all the other men in one swift move.

The fight was over in a few seconds.

"Damm," Sherrel said in awe.

"Don't be so surprised. Something like this is easy for her," I said, smiling proudly at Ortlinde.

Suddenly, a massive figure composed of thrash emerged and began attacking Ortlinde.

"Is that a golem made of thrash?!" Hildr exclaimed in surprise.

"That's Mush," Sherrel said.

"What do you know of his powers?" I asked.

Hildr joined Ortlinde in attacking the trash golem.

"He can gather trash or junk and surround himself in it," Sherrel said.

"...are you saying that he is in the center of that thing?" I shuddered in disgust.

"Yes," Sherrel said with a disgusted face.

"There is a person in the center!" I shouted.

Ortlinde and Hildr relentlessly attack Mush, their every strike causing more of his body to crumble with each swing of their lances.

They continued their assault until Mush's real body was revealed. Hildr seized him and tore him out. causing the rest of the garbage body to collapse.

I looked with wide eyes, not believing what I was seeing.

"Why are you naked?!" Hildr exclaimed.

Mush isn't wearing any clothes.

"Oh, that's just wrong," Sherrel whispered in horror.

Ortlinde and I shared Sherrel's sentiment.

I landed and put Sherrel down.

"I need a shower," Hildr complained.

"I could use one too," Ortlinde said.

"Man, you girls can kick some ass," Sherrel said.

"Yes, but that isn't important right now. You're a tinker," I said.

Da Vinci would be interested in meeting her.

"Yep," Sherrel shrugged.

"What did you want to say before?" I asked.

"Look, I'm going to be honest. I'm not really into this fighting stuff. All I want to do is build some kickass cars. If I join the Protectorate, I will end up doing patrol and attending PR stuff. It's just not what I'm interested in," Sherrel said, shaking her head.

So, her specialization has something do to with vehicles.

"And what does this have to do with us?" Ortlinde asked.

"Do you need a tinker?" Sherrel asked, nervously scratching her cheek.

This is perfect.

"Are you certain of that?" just to make sure.

"Well, yeah. You guys are kicking asses and taking names!" Sherrel said.

"Okay," I said.

"...just like that?" Sherrel asked surprised. "Even with what I said?"

"Do you have anything against tinkering with others?" I asked.

"Huh...no?" Sherrel said.

"Then it dosen't matter that you do not wish to fight. The life of a warrior isn't for everyone," I said.

"Cool," Sherrel said.

I pointed at Skidmark and Mush.

"Take them to the PRT. I will take Sherrel to the hotel," I said to Ortlinde and Hildr.

Ortlinde and Hildr nodded.

"You guys have a hotel?" Sherrel asked.

"We bought it today," I said.

I took Sherrel into my arms and flew to the hotel.

////////////////

Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.

//////////////////////////

If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.

 

[regulareader]

Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.

I'm sorry it took this long for a new chapter.

I went on a trip this month and didn't get much writing done.

/////////////////////////////////////

"Penny for you thought?" Nora asked.

"Huh?" I looked at Mom confused.

"You have been staring into space for the last few minutes. Are you okay?" Nora asked concerned.

"Yeah I'm just thinking about school and how weird it is going to be," I said, rubbing my neck.

Next Monday I go back to school and I'm not looking forward to it.

Could I convince my parents to get a GED?

We're outside an ice cream parlor waiting for Daisy and Dad to return.

We're on our way to the Weymouth Shopping Center.

"I'm sure it's going to be fine. You did finish the homework, didn't you?" Nora asked.

"Yes. I finished all of it. They could have not sent so much of it," I complained.

At least it wasn't too difficult. The only tricky part was the history questions, where I had to be more careful with my answers.

I can't just write that Jean D'arc has a dolphin familiar or that Leonardo Da Vinci is obsessed with coffee.

"I tried to get the school to lower the amount of homework but they wouldn't budge," Nora frowned. "But no harm done since you finished all of it."

Daisy and Dad exited the ice cream parlor and walked to us. Daisy is eating a chocolate ice cream.

"Didn't feel like getting an ice cream, Dad?" I asked.

"I'm still full from lunch," Isaac patted his stomach.

"Hey look!" Daisy pointed up.

Mom, Dad, and I looked up in time to see Thrúd, Ortlinde, and Hildr fly by.

"Cool," Daisy said.

"Did something happen?" Isaac frowned.

"I think they're doing a patrol," I shrugged.

And looking for Empire capes. But there's still no luck on that front.

We resumed our walk toward the shopping, giving me a moment to slip back into my thoughts before Mom interrupted.

We gotta a tinker now.

Da Vinci informed me this morning and I still can't believe our luck.

Tinkers are among the most highly sought-after parahumans because they act as powerful force multipliers.

Even if Sherrel chooses not to engage in combat, her invention can still be utilized. Her specialization offers a wide range of possibilities.

I know that Da Vinci, Tesla, and Edison will be very interested in seeing what kind of things Sherrel will make.

And most importantly, we can finally start to look into how parahumans powers work.

Nearing the Weymouth Shopping Center I could see some PRT cars in front of the place.

However, no one seemed to be worried and there were a lot of people going inside the shopping.

"What's going on?" I raised an eyebrow.

Nora shrugged, "Let's get inside."

It took a few minutes to get inside, the place was full of people, and it easily became clear why.

A meet and greet event is currently taking place, it features members of both the Protectorate and the Wards.

Miss Militia, Velocity, Assault, Battery, Vista, Aegis, Triumph, and Clockblocker are present.

"They're giving autographs!" Daisy said excitedly.

So it seems.

Man, that's a long line for an autograph.

"Finish your ice cream first," Nora said.

Daisy began eating her ice cream quickly, but that was a mistake since she ended up with a headache.

"I can take her," I offered.

"Thank you, Henry," Nora said with a grateful smile.

I glanced at the Protectorate and Wards, wondering what my parents might think of them.

"What's your opinion on the Protectorate and Wards?" I asked curious.

I'm still on the fence about telling them.

On the one hand, I don't want to worry my family. On the other hand, this is a very dangerous job and I don't know what the future holds. There're too many unknown variables and I'm not foolish to believe that nothing in Earth Bet can hurt us.

And it would be nice to not need to keep sneaking out anymore.

That's way more annoying than I originally thought.

"I'm grateful for all the work the Protectorate does but the Wards are children. They shouldn't be exposed to dangerous situations," Nora said.

In a perfect world that would be true but we live in a chaotic mess of a world that doesn't give a crap about what we want.

There's even a saying for that.

Man plans, and God laughs.

"I agree with the first part but the Wards are necessary. Children shouldn't be exposed to danger, but the world doesn't care about what we want. They have powers, and that demands a unique approach. The Wards are the best options we have," Isaac says, crossing his arms with a frown.

"Like a necessary evil kinda of thing?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing like that. Powers are inherently volatile and when you add children to the equation...." Isaac trailed off.

It's a recipe for disaster, and there're numerous examples to back that up.

"I can't even begin to imagine what their parents must feel every time they watch their children put their lives on the line," Nora said.

I twitched at that.

"You would be worried all the time?" I asked.

Why am I even asking this?

I already know the answer.

"Of course, I would. Any good parent worries for their children," Nora said, and Isaac nodded in agreement.

I hold back a groan.

Why is nothing ever easy with me?

"Done!" Daisy finished her ice cream.

"I will meet with you two later," I said.

Daisy and I walked to the end of the line. There's a sign next to it that says the waiting time is thirty minutes.

Oh, you got-what's he doing?

A PRT trooper approached the sign and changed the time to forty-five minutes!

"Son of a bitch," I said.

"Excuse me," the mother in front of me said, shooting a glare while shielding her child's ears.

"Sorry," I scratched my cheek in embarrassment.

Daisy giggled at me.

"Master, are you busy?" Tesla asked.

"I'm in a line with my sister to get her autograph," I said.

"Is that a yes?" Tesla asked.

"For the love of god, talk to me. I need a distraction," I said.

"You're going in a patrol today, right?" Tesla asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"I would like to accompany you," Tesla said.

That's a surprise.

"Really? I thought you would be more interested in analyzing the tinker tech rifles or working together with Sherrel," I said.

Tesla laughed, "Oh, I'm still working on those rifles and Da Vinci is the one currently working with Sherrel."

Da Vinci wouldn't lose the chance to see how a Tinker works.

"How is the analysis going?" I asked.

"Still in progress. I must say that after our adventures, I thought that there was nothing else that could surprise me," Tesla said.

"What is so surprising?" I asked.

"Well, while we were analyzing the rifles we concluded that the world doesn't possess the tools or materials necessary to make those rifles. It should have been impossible to make them," Tesla said.

"Then how the hell were they made?" I asked.

"That is the question. Hopefully, with Sherrel we will be able to solve this puzzle," Tesla said.

I resist the urge to pinch my nose in frustration.

"So you got nothing?" I asked.

"On the contrary, we gained valuable insights from the rifles and even attempted to replicate them using magecraft," Tesla said.

"Each of you made a rifle?" I asked.

"It was just me and Edison, and mine is far superior to his! That morinic lion and his nonsense about direct current! Everyone knows that alternating current is the better choice!" Tesla said.

Tesla started to rant about how better alternating current is.

Oh god, why didn't I summon Helena to keep Tesla and Edison in line?

Oh yeah, the ruby is out of juice.

"Let's stay focused, please," I said.

Tesla stopped his rant and coughed.

"Yes, let's," Tesla said.

"How did the magecraft rifles compare to the tinker tech ones?" I asked.

"It was no surprise that the magecraft and tinker tech rifles performed almost identically. What we need is tinker tech with more exotic functions, like that pocket dimension machine Da Vinci has been eyeing," Tesla said.

A thought just crossed my mind.

"If we gave the magecraft rifle to a tinker, do you think they can enhance it?" I asked.

Tesla hummed thoughtfully, "I've been curious about that myself. I'm eager to see what Sherrel does with the magecraft rifle, but given her specialization, I think the most she will be able to do is integrate them into her vehicles."

Shame.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"Well, we came up with a hypothesis for what tinker tech could be," Tesla said.

"And?" I asked.

"Keep in mind, this's only a preliminary analysis, and further testing is needed. However, so far, it suggests that tinker tech could indeed just be highly advanced technology," Tesla said.

"Da Vinci and Edison agree with that?" I asked.

"Da Vinci is the one that came up with the hypothesis," Tesla said.

Holy crap.

"How advanced are we talking?" I asked.

"Hmm, given the state of Earth Bet, I'd say about seven hundred years," Tesla said.

How is that possible?

"What in the world are parahumans powers?" I asked.

"I don't know but we will find out," Tesla said determined.

I know we will.

"You seem to have your hands full. Why do you want to come to the patrol?" I asked.

"I'm curious about these heroes from the Protectorate and I want to take a closer look at their powers," Tesla said.

"I don't think anything is going to happen, we're going to patrol the Boardwalk," I said.

"I still would like to come," Tesla said.

"Okay then," I have nothing against Tesla coming. I was planning to only take Ushiwakamaru.

Before I could say more I realized that Daisy and I reached the front of the line.

"I have to go. I will be at the hotel later," I finished the conversation.

"Hey there," Assault said with a friendly smile.

"Hi," I said.

"And who is this?" Assault knelt to meet Daisy's eyes.

Daisy is shyly hiding behind me.

I placed my hand on her head, "This's my sister, Daisy, and she's a huge fan of you guys."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Daisy," Assault said with a big smile.

"Hi," Daisy mumbled.

Assault and I chuckled in good nature at her shyness.

"So, what can I do for you, Daisy?" Assault asked already knowing the answer.

"I would like an autograph!" Daisy blurted out, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Assault chuckled in good nature and grabbed a piece of paper.

"Here you go," Assault handed the autograph. "Do you want to take a picture together?"

Daisy's eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Give me a moment," I grabbed my cellphone. "Say cheese."

"Cheese!" Daisy and Assault exclaimed at the same time, grinning widely.

I took the picture.

"Let me see!" Daisy reached for my cell phone.

I handed it to her with a laugh.

I turned to Assault and offered him a handshake, "Thank you for this."

"It's no big deal. It always makes my day to know I have such a positive impact on people," Assault shook my hand.

I'm really liking this guy.

"Hey, let's get everyone else autographs," I said to Daisy.

Daisy nodded rapidly.

We spent the next few minutes grabbing the rest of the Protectorate and Ward's autographs.

Huh, it's just me or does Vista seem a little tense around Daisy?

I mentally shrugged.

Must be nothing.

After getting all the autographs, Daisy and I moved away from the heroes.

Daisy couldn't stop smiling in happiness.

I notice a reporter and a cameraman heading toward the heroes, and none of them seem surprised by their presence.

Oho, looks like the PRT wants to win some brownie points.

"Excuse me, Miss Militia. May I have a moment of your time?" The reporter asked.

"Of course," Miss Militia said.

The reporter turned to the cameraman.

"Good day Brockton Bay, this is Tracy. I'm here today in the Weymouth Shopping Center, where there's currently happening a greet and meet with the heroes of the Protectorate and Wards," Tracy said.

She's from Brockton News if I'm not mistaken.

Whatever, this has nothing to do with me.

"Miss Militia, what's the Protectorate stance when it comes to the new hero group, Chaldea?" Tracy asked.

And now I'm very interested in this.

"It's a great relief that there're new heroes in Brockton Bay, and their timing couldn't have been better as with their help we were finally able to put an end to the gang war," Miss Militia said.

I raised an eyebrow at how she said that.

Really? We helped you?

"We hope to cooperate more with Chaldea and to help them navigate the cape scene of Brockton Bay," Miss Militia said.

Wow, that is such a clinical answer. I don't if is the way that Miss Militia said it or whoever wrote that but where's the charisma?

Also, this whole thing about us being 'new' got old very fast.

"What about the fact that Magus is a 'Master'? Many are concerned given how sentient his servants seem to be," Tracy said.

Yeah, even if I was able to reassure the PRT/Protectorate that I'm not that kind of 'Master', that doesn't mean that everyone else shares the same feeling.

There's a good reason why people are terrified of 'Masters'.

"I can answer that one," Assault walked to Tracy.

Miss Militia glanced at Assault and stepped back.

"So first of all: just because Magus is a 'Master', that doesn't automatically make him evil. We don't choose our powers. If we could, then I believe that everyone would choose the same powerset of the triumvirate," Assault finished with a chuckle.

Some folks around me couldn't help but chuckle as well.

"Second: I can confirm that all of his servants are, in fact, projections that he created," Assault said.

"Even with how sentient they seem to be?" Tracy raised an eyebrow.

"There's a first time for everything. I mean, even after all this time, there's still much that's unknown about how parahumans' powers work," Assault shrugged. "I met Magus and his servants the other day, and they seemed like nice people who just want to help Brockton Bay. I got a feeling that Chaldea is going to do some amazing things in the future."

You don't know half of it.

Assault answers seem to satisfy Tracy.

"Will the Protectorate establish a stronger presence in the Empire territory now that they have lost many of their capes?" Tracy asked.

Miss Militia stepped forward to answer but I stopped paying attention to it.

I want to spend more time with my family before I need to meet Dauntless.

I looked around and quickly found my parents.

Daisy and I walked to them.

"Did you get the autographs?" Nora asked.

Daisy nodded happily and showed all of them to Mom.

"Is that Tracy from Brockton News?" Isaac raised an eyebrow.

Looks like I was right.

"Yep. She arrived a little after Daisy and I left the line," I said.

Isaac nodded.

"So, what now?" I asked.

"How about a movie?" Nora asked.

"What are our options?" Isaac asked.

"Is there anything with action or comedy?" I asked.

"I want to see the new Lego movie!" Daisy said.

"Is it even out yet?" Nora asked.

"Let's see if it is," Isaac said.

We walked to the second floor, where the movie theater is located.

///////////////////////

After watching the movie, I stayed with my family until it was time to meet up with Ushiwakamaru and Tesla.

I told my parents that I would walk around the Boardwalk for a while. They told me to be careful and to not arrive back home late.

I found the first empty alley and asked Hassan to take me to the hotel.

"You guys ready?" I adjusted my uniform.

"Yes," Ushiwakamaru.

"Here you go," Tesla gave me a mask.

It looked exactly like the one I was wearing.

"Why're you giving me this?" I ask, looking at the mask.

"Da Vinci asked Morgan and Medea to make a new mystic code for you. It's an upgrade of the mask you currently have," Tesla said.

Oh, that's a good idea. The one I have right now is only a normal mask.

"What can it do?" I switched masks.

"It has night vision, heat vision, you can zoom in, protective wards to guard your identity, and it can't just be taken off your face without your permission," Tesla explained.

Nice.

"Speaking of upgrades. Hassan, take my revolver to Edison and ask him to enchant it," I handed my revolver to Hassan.

Hassan nodded and walked away.

Tesla huffed, "Master, I can do a better job than that moronic lion."

I sighed tiredly, "You know why I sent it to Edison."

Edison's concept improvement skill allows him to upgrade my revolver, elevating its power to rival that of a low-grade noble phantasm.

That may sound amazing but it's not that useful when you're constantly going against foes that have divinity, access to a divine construct, powerful magecraft, or have obscene amount of magical energy.

But it's another story in Earth Bet.

Hmm, now I want to see how far Edison can enhance tinker tech.

"Where in the Boardwalk should we meet up with Dauntless?" Ushiwakamaru asked.

"He didn't set up a place. We just have to walk around, it's going to be hard to miss the only guy wearing Greek armor," I shrugged.

We made our way there via rooftops, which took us a few minutes.

Our arrival certainly wasn't missed as everyone around us took a step back and some of them grabbed their phones to record us.

"Let's go find Dauntless," I said.

Ushiwakamaru, Tesla, and I started to walk around.

I let out a grunt as more people turned their attention to us.

Don't they know that is very rude to point at people?

"So, what're we going to do again?" Tesla asked.

"Walk around, talk to people, and give autographs. You know, pr stuff" I've seen enough of these patrols on TV.

"Dauntless chose a good place to do that," Ushiwakamaru said, looking at all the people on the Boardwalk.

"He chose here because of the Wards," I said.

"Would you have preferred another place?" Tesla asked.

"It's not the place that's the problem. There's something about this that I'm finding so weird, and we've done patrols before," I said.

"All of our previous patrols were done in enemy territory and had high chances of a fight happening. This one, on the other hand, is to increase the morale of Brockton Bay. Something like this is crucial after times of great distress," Ushiwakamaru said.

I hummed in thought.

"Excuse me," A voice said to my left.

I turned to see a trio of teenagers.

"Yes?" I said.

"Can we take a picture?" One of them asked.

I glanced at Ushiwakamaru and Tesla, and both of them shrugged.

"Sure," I said.

That opened the floodgates as more people approached us to get pictures or autographs.

I don't know how many pictures have been taken or how many autographs I signed but I was relieved when Dauntless showed up.

"Need some help?" Dauntless said amused.

"Yes," I said.

Unsurprisingly, many of the people around us went over to Dauntless and the two Wards for autographs and pictures.

I took this chance to see who he brought.

One was wearing red and gold armor with a red visor and was standing atop a hoverboard.

The other one was clad in futuristic armor that reminded me of knights of old.

So, he brought Kid Win and Gallant.

It took about a half hour for the group to disperse. We walked to a more secluded area to talk.

"Is it always like this?" I asked.

"Normally no but sometimes people get excited. So, what did you think about it?" Dauntless asked.

"I will admit, it was nice. But I don't think I could do as often as you do," I said.

"It takes some time to get used to it," Dauntless nodded.

Dauntless looked at Ushiwakamaru and Tesla.

"Who might they be?" Dauntless asked.

"This's Rider," I said.

"Greetings," Ushiwakamaru said.

"And that's Archer," I said.

Tesla was inspecting Gallant armor very closely.

"Archer, give him some space," I said.

Tesla blinked, "Oh, I do apologize. That's an interesting armor you have there, young man."

"Thank you," Gallant said.

"Judging by your suit, I'd say your specialization is power armor-or perhaps body armor," Tesla guessed.

"Something like that," Gallant said.

Now that I think about it, I couldn't find Gallant specialization on the internet.

"Kid Win helped me make this suit but it's not really that amazing. I mean, I lack the mobility that he has," Gallant referred to the hoverboard.

"He's deflecting the question," Ushiwakamaru said.

"Yep," I said.

Gallant must want to keep his specialization a secret.

Tesla also noticed that but he's more interested in the hoverboard.

I spoke before Tesla could start to ask all kinds of questions.

"Let's first end the patrol, then you can ask as many questions as you want," I turned to Kid Win."If that's okay with you."

Kid Win glanced at Dauntless, who shrugged in response.

"I'm okay with that," Kid Win said.

"Okay, good," I turned to Dauntless. "You got anything planned or should we just continue as before?"

"Continue as before. This's just routine patrol," Dauntless said.

"So, there isn't going to be any surprises, like a reporter showing up?" I said with a smirk.

"Yeah, the PRT does that from time to time but not this time," Dauntless said.

This time, huh.

"Well, it's a simple tactic to gain good pr. And I must say that, in particular, Miss Militia's interview was very interesting," I said.

I'm not surprised they did that.

I can't imagine how embarrassing it must be for the PRT/Protectorate to have a 'rookie' hero achieve more in a few weeks than they have in years.

Dauntless let out a sigh, "I'm sorry about that. The PRT provides our responses, and while it's not required to use them, it's highly recommended."

Tesla raised an eyebrow, Ushiwakamaru tilted her head and I blinked at that.

This isn't what I was expecting.

"I don't agree with how it was worded. Chaldea has done a lot of good for Brockton Bay and the PRT shouldn't have downgraded your part in the gang war. I hope that this doesn't stop us from cooperating more in the future," Dauntless said.

I rubbed my neck, "It was just an observation. I'm not really mad about that."

I'm a little annoyed but not that much.

"I still prefer to clear the air between us," Dauntless said.

"I appreciate that," I said. "All right then, I think we spent enough time here. So let's go back to the patrol."

Kid Win and Gallant certainly are happy get away from this awkard situation.

We all returned to the main street and continued the patrol.

It was fun at first, talking to people and taking pictures with them but by the second hour, I was bored out of my mind and wishing that something would happen.

I have to say, this's surprisingly more tiring than I thought.

"How much longer must we do this?" Ushiwakamaru asked.

"God, I hope not much longer," Tesla said.

Good to know that I'm not the only one done with this whole thing.

"Hey there!" A blonde teenager said.

I notice that her right forearm is in a cast.

"Hey," I said with a tired smile.

She raised an eyebrow amused, "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, just a little tired," I said. "So, autograph or picture?"

"I would like an autograph from the three of you," She handed me a piece of paper.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Lisa," Lisa said.

I wrote the autograph and then gave it to Ushiwakamaru and Tesla to also sign it.

"What's written here?" Lisa pointed atライダー.

"That's kanji for Rider," Ushiwakamaru said.

"The calligraphy is perfect," Lisa noted.

I notice Lisa scratching her cast.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, it gets itch sometimes. I got this stupid thing from a work accident," Lisa complained.

I wonder what her job is.

"Do you mind if I ask a question about them?" Lisa asked.

I turned to Ushiwakamaru and Tesla, and they both shrugged.

"Go ahead," I said.

"I don't get their names. I mean, a Rider without a mount or an Archer without a bow, it's kinda weird," Lisa said.

I can see her point.

Ushiwakamaru only calls for Tayuuguro for me to use him as she's faster without him. And Tesla uses lighting to fight.

"Do you guys feel like doing a demonstration?" I asked.

"Sure," Ushiwakamaru said.

"I'm fine with that," Tesla said.

"Hey, Dauntless!" I said.

"Yeah?" Dauntless tuned to me, pausing the autograph he was signing.

"How about we give them a little show?" I asked with a smile.

"What do you gotta in mind?" Dauntless asked curious.

"I'm going to ask for everyone to take a step back please," I said to the people around us.

A wide circle was formed around me, Uwhiwakamaru, Tesla, Dauntless, Gallant, and Kid Win.

Ushiwakamaru whistles loudly and a white horse, Tayuuguro, appears next to her.

I turned to Lisa, "To answer your first question: this's Rider's mount."

People started to take pictures of Ushiwakamaru petting Tayuuguro.

"Does he have a name?" someone in the crowd asked.

"His name's Tayuuguro and he's my trusted steed," Ushiwakamaru said.

I raised an eyebrow at Ushiwakamaru revealing her horse name but it's her choice.

"May I?" Gallant asked.

Ushiwakamaru nodded and Gallant started to pet Tayuuguro.

The crowd loved that as they started to take so many pictures.

"He's beautiful. Although, you might have a hard time navigating the traffic of Brockton Bay," Dauntless commented.

"Oh, I rarely use him nowadays. I mostly summon him for master to use him," Ushiwakamaru said.

"She's faster without him," I said.

"What?" Gallant and Kid Win asked.

"In a moment. As for your second question Lisa: you're right, Archer doesn't use a bow," I said.

Tesla let out a hearty laugh, raising his hands, sending a burst of lightning into the sky, erupting like fireworks. But he wasn't finished. With a flick of his wrist, he began shaping the lightning into intricate form, mesmerizing the crowd, who cheered with every dazzling display.

"This's safe right?" Dauntless whispered to me.

"Yes, he has complete control over his lightning," I whispered back.

This continued for a few more minutes, and then I stepped forward and clapped my hands to grab the attention of everyone.

"Let's give Rider some room to stretch her legs," I said.

Tesla created a straight runway, about a hundred meters in length, above all of us with his lightning.

Ushiwakamaru de summoned Tayuuguro and jumped on the runway.

"How long do you think it will take Rider to run to the other side and back?" I asked the crowd.

Everyone started to give out guesses.

I let out a laugh at their guesses, "You hear that Rider! They think it will take a few minutes!?"

Ushiwakamaru smirked in response.

They're in for a surprise.

"Ready!" I said.

Ushiwakamaru tensed her legs.

"Go!" I shouted.

Ushiwakamaru vanished from view, leaving behind a powerful gust of wind that washed over everyone. Showing how fast she's going.

In the blink of an eye, she appeared on the other side of the runway, turned around, and disappeared once more.

Ushiwakamaru appeared once again before everyone's eyes.

All of this only lasted a few seconds.

The crowd was staring at Ushiwakamaru with wide eyes before they erupted in cheers.

Tesla dispelled the runway as Ushiwakamaru walked back to my side.

I gave her a thumbs up and Ushiwakamaru smiled in response.

"Did that answer your questions?" I asked Lisa with a big smile.

"Yes, it did. Man, they're amazing!" Lisa said with a forced laugh.

I tilted my head at her laugh. She sounds...nervous.

I couldn't put any more thought into that as the rest of the crowd approached me, Ushiwakamru, and Tesla for autographs or to ask more questions.

Here we go again.

Dauntless stepped in front of us and raised his voice.

"People! Let's give them some space! I'm sure after this demonstration they're tired and need to take a break!" Dauntless shouted.

I let out a sigh of relief when the crowd listened to Dauntless.

"Let's grab something to eat. I will show you the bakery I told you the other day," Dauntless said.

"You forgot to give the address," I said.

Dauntless chuckled, "Sorry."

We all followed Dauntless to the bakery.

////////////

"You're right. This is a really good chocolate cake," I took a bite of the cake.

"I told you," Dauntless took a sip from his coffee.

Ushiwakamaru was eating a brownie.

We're at the top of a building, overlooking the Boardwalk.

Dauntless, Ushiwakamaru, and I are on one side while Tesla, Kid Win, and Gallant are on the other.

Tesla and Kid Win are discussing what each has invented and exchanging ideas about future projects. Gallant stays on the side and only speaks when spoken to.

Is he feeling uncomfortable or something?

"Now that we have some time, there's something that I want to talk with you. Well, two things actually," Dauntless said.

Ushiwakamaru and I turn to him.

"What?" I took a bite of the cake.

"We busted one of Coil's safe houses. The bastard was using a pet shop as a safehouse" Dauntless said.

"I didn't hear about that in the news," I said.

The PRT loves to announce their victories on the news.

"Given what we found, Director Piggot decided to keep on the down-low but I'm not sure how long that's going to last," Dauntless said.

"What did you find?" I asked.

"Documents that had information on the Empire and ABB. Their patrols, safehouses, where they scout new members," Dauntless said.

"He got people on the inside," I said.

"Yeah. Thankfully we don't have to worry about the ABB anymore," Dauntless said.

That might be true but now I'm wondering if Coil got people inside the PRT. That might explain why they're incapable of keeping their prisoners.

"Did any of his men talk?" I asked.

"No, they didn't even ask for a lawyer and aren't interested in any deal we offer them," Dauntless shrugged. "All we can do now is prepare them to be transported to prison."

Shame.

"He's changing the location of all his safehouses," Dauntless said.

Hassan informed me about that.

"What tipped you off about Coil?" Dauntless asked suddenly.

I blinked at the question.

"The director wanted me to ask you about that," Dauntless explained.

I have a great deal of experience when it comes to this kinda of thing but I can't say that without a lot of questions.

"It was a gut feeling," I said.

Dauntless stared at me for a few seconds.

"Right. Anyway, the other thing is that the Empire is calling for reinforcements," Dauntless said.

Ushiwakamaru frowned and I tensed at the news.

"How many? When? Who're they? How strong are they? How much time do we have to prepare?" Ushiwakamaru asked quickly.

Dauntless leaned back in surprise, not expecting so many questions at the same time.

"Huh, I don't know how many or who they're. We know is that they're going to be members of Gesellschaft and they will most likely appear around the time we will transport the Empire capes to prison," Dauntless said.

Gesellschaft, a neo-nazi organization from Europe.

There are all kinds of nasty rumors about them on the internet.

I already marked them to be destroyed and this could be a good excuse to send some servants to deal with them.

"Why them?" there're easier options than contacting an organization from Europe.

"Krieg has connections with them," Dauntless said.

Of course, he does.

"I fucking hate the Empire," I said.

"Who doesn't," Dauntless snorted.

I checked the time.

Better get home before my parents start to worry.

"I gotta go," I finished the cake.

"All right. I will see you next time," Dauntless said.

"Thanks for the warning. And I'm up for patroling together again but next time let's do a normal one please," I said.

Dauntless chuckled.

"Archer! We're going," I called Tesla.

"Think of my offer, young man," Tesla said to Kid Win.

Offer?

"Bye," I said to Galland and Kid Win.

"Bye," Gallant said and Kid Win gave me a nod.

Ushiwakamaru, Tesla accompanied me to my home and then left for the hotel.

/////////////////

I forgot to say this before.

Ushiwakamaru, Moriarty, Frankenstein, Hassan of the Hundred Faces, Medea, and Edison are in their second ascension forms.

Originally I thought about describing their clothes but without the wiki helping I can't do it. And sometimes the wiki is useless.

Ushiwakamaru's appearance section is literally: a young girl clad in samurai armor.

That's not helpful!!!!

If I don't say anything then assume that all servants are in their first ascension.

///////////

Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.

//////////////////////////

If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.

 

[regulareader]

Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.

/////////////////////////////////////

Sunday was another slow day, so I stayed home and rested.

I asked Tesla what was his offer to Kid Win and he said that he proposed to Kid Win a collaboration between them.

I joked that he was trying to poach Kid Win and Tesla said that if it's possible he will do it.

Well, I hope that the PRT/Protectorate won't get too mad if we end up poaching some of their capes.

Moriarty informed me that Carol reached out to the PRT regarding the healing potions and they requested a meeting with us as soon as possible.

I told him to schedule the meeting for Monday night.

I asked Moriarty for an update on the ABB situation and he said that with Hassan's help, he's quickly gathering all the valuable individuals who know how Lung ran his territory and want the ABB gone.

They all hated Lung as he didn't tolerate anyone talking back to him and made gruesome examples of those who did.

He also captured Oni Lee.

It wasn't difficult, Hassan found him bedridden and disoriented from the morphine that was used to help him deal with the pain. From what she could see, Oni Lee wasn't going to survive his injuries.

When Morgan learned of that, she proposed to use this as an opportunity to learn more about the biology of parahumans.

Medea and Asclepius supported the idea.

I instructed them not to leave any traceable evidence and to avoid dissecting Oni Lee.

Moriarty also asked me to pass by the hotel before going to the meeting with the PRT as he found out more information on what emboldened Lung to attack the Empire so soon.

I went to school, Clarendon, when Monday arrived and I can say that it was discombobulating, to say the least. Which is strange because nothing out of the ordinary happened.

It was all just so...I don't even know what word I'm looking for.

Anyway, Chaldea was the hot topic in school.

Everyone was talking about us.

There were all kinds of discussions, like how many servants I have, what powers each might have, how my power works, and what might be our next move.

There are even threads on PHO.

I gotta check that out later.

One conversation that stood out to me mentioned how nothing will change because the villains always escape PRT custody, and Chaldea won't last once they come seeking revenge against us.

That's a sobering reminder of how bleak things have been on Brockton Bay all these years.

Barely anyone believes that the PRT/Protectorate can keep the villains behind bars.

It's strange because when I checked other cities with the PRT/Protectorate, like Chicago, they don't seem to have the same issues we do. Sure, some villains manage to escape from prison, but it's nowhere near the scale of what happens here. Everywhere else, the PRT/Protectorate is competent.

Why is it so different on Brockton Bay?

After school, I asked Hassan to take me to the hotel.

I have some time before I have to go home.

Let's see what Moriarty found.

////////////

Arriving at the hotel, I found Moriarty at the cafeteria drinking tea.

"Hey Moriarty," I said, sitting at his table.

"Good afternoon Henry. Would you like something to eat?" Moriarty asked.

"I'm good. Who's working in the kitchen?" I asked.

"Barghest has been cooking the meals in her free time," Moriarty said, taking a sip of tea. "I must say, she knows how to make a delicious cup of tea."

Yeah, she's an excellent cook.

"What did you find?" I asked.

Moriarty handed me a cell phone.

"That's Lung's personal phone. Look at the time of the last call," Moriarty said.

That last call was from an unknown number at 1:47 in the morning.

"Okay, what am I looking at?" I asked.

"That's five minutes after you defeated Hookwolf," Moriarty said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Let me guess: burner phone," I said.

"Precisely but I already know who made that call," Moriarty took a sip of his tea.

After a brief moment of silence, it dawned on me what Moriarty was doing.

"Can you not do these dramatic pauses and just tell me," Holmes always does this and it's so annoying.

Why are geniuses like this?

Moriarty coughed, "There's nothing wrong with a little showmanship. Anyway, it was Coil that called Lung."

I hummed in thought.

Coil has moles in the gangs, and Cricket was the only one that escaped that night.

"Is Cricket the mole?" I asked.

"No, she isn't. According to Hassan, Cricket came across a group of Empire grunts who took her to an apartment. She spent the rest of the day there, tending her wounds," Moriarty said.

"It could have been someone in that group or Coil was keeping tabs on Hookwolf," I rubbed my chin.

"Both answers are equally possible," Moriarty nods.

"Coil didn't waste a chance to weaken both the Empire and ABB," I commented.

"It was more than that. It was also a trap for you," Moriarty said.

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow.

"With Hookwolf out of the picture, Coil saw an opportunity to expedite Lung's attack. He knew that you would rush to stop the fight and he must have thought that you were tired from fighting Hookwolf and Cricket," Moriarty said.

He wanted me to fight both gangs while I was 'exhausted'.

"He was hoping that I would die," I said.

"Or that you would lose some of your servants," Moriarty said.

I let out a chuckle.

"I will give it to him, it was not a bad plan," I crack my knuckles. "I'm going to pay his territory a visit today and pay him back tenfold."

"Could you put a pin on that plan?" Moriarty asked.

"Why?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Hassan is still exploring his territory, and I discovered some information that you're going to want to know," Moriarty said.

"What?" I asked.

"I found out Kaiser's identity," Moriarty said.

Well, it was only a matter of time before Moriarty figured that out.

"Who's it?" I asked.

"Max Anders," Moriarty takes a sip of tea.

I blinked rapidly at that.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I asked thought gritted teeth.

"Afraid not," Moriarty said.

I took a deep breath to calm down.

"That son of a bitch makes monthly donations to help the victims of the Empire. And even does charity events to help Brockton Bay," I rub my temple.

"All to create the illusion of a kind man," Moriarty said.

"For fuck's sake. Medhall is the largest employer in Brockton Bay," I pause for a moment. "He uses it for laundering money, doesn't he?"

"Yes but it's also a legitimate business," Moriarty said.

I glanced around the room to see if we were alone.

"Did you tell the Valkyries?" I whispered.

"Definitely not. They'd storm Medhall right away and kill him, sparking all kinds of troubles," Moriarty whispered in return.

"Good. Keep a lid on that for now," I nodded.

"There's more. Kaiser's ex-wife is Purity and she did leave the Empire," Moriarty said.

"So the rumors are true," I rubbed my chin.

About a year ago, Purity claimed to have left the Empire but nobody believed her since she only attacked the ABB.

"Yes, one of the most feared capes of the city is now a single mother of two-"

"Moriarty," I warned him.

Moriarty shook his head, "That's not what I'm getting at. Kaiser is trying to pull Purity back by threatening that if she doesn't return, she will lose custody of her daughter."

Ah, that's not good.

"What about the other one?" I asked.

"The other isn't her child, he's from Kaiser's first marriage. Although, he does appear to spend an awful lot of time with Purity," Moriarty said.

"All right, what's the plan?" I asked.

"We need to strip Kaiser of his power. Put more pressure on the Empire, and eventually, Kaiser will be forced to show himself. I will look into acquiring Medhall for ourselves. That company would be better in our hands," Moriarty said with a smirk.

"Good. Take everything from that bastard," I said.

Now that we're talking about identities.

"Who else did you figure it out?" I asked.

"All the members of the Empire, and some of the heroes," Moriarty said.

Nobody can know about this.

The PRT/Protectorate would attack us immediately.

"What about Coil?" I asked.

"I'm still working on that," Moriarty said.

"Oh right. Dauntless warned me that the Empire is getting reinforcements-"

"From Gesellschaft, yes. Ushiwakamaru told me, which is why it's a good idea to further weaken the Empire before they arrive," Moriarty said.

"Anyone we should be wary of?" I asked.

Moriarty hums thoughtfully.

"There's one that I'm certain that they are going to send. He goes by Hydra, and he can duplicate himself or others that he comes in contact with," Moriarty said.

Oh, I see the theme.

Cut one down and others take its place.

Like the Hydra from Greek Mythology.

"How many clones can he make?" I asked.

"It's unknown what his limit is but he can easily create an army of clones that he uses to overwhelm his enemies. The downside, thankfully, is that the more clones he makes the weaker they are. That goes double for the clones of parahumans," Moriarty said.

"How strong would the parahuman clones be?" I asked.

"Unfortunately information about his power is scarce, no doubt the work of Gesellschaft, but from the footage that I have seen, the clones have a tenth of the original strength," Moriarty said.

Small mercies, I will take what I can get.

"Why do villains always have the best powers?" I pinch my nose in frustration.

"To make the hero's journeys more engaging," Moriarty said unblinkingly.

I sent a glare to Moriarty but he ignored it.

"By the way, the hotel's being watched," Moriarty said casually.

I hummed, "How many?"

That was bound to happen.

"Two teams from the PRT, some members of the Empire, and some of Coil mercenaries. It's better from now on you don't come here in your civilian clothes," Moriarty said.

This was supposed to be a quick stop, so I didn't bother changing clothes and just put on my mask.

"Gotcha. Kee-"

Suddenly the cafeteria shook for a few seconds.

Moriarty and I stood up in alarm.

Are we under attack!?

"Da Vinci gather everyone!" I said.

Moriarty and I dashed out of the cafeteria, heading towards the front entrance.

"Why?" Da Vinci asked.

"We're under attack!" I said,

"What're yo-Oh! You're in the hotel! Don't worry that was us," Da Vinci said.

I stopped abruptly in the middle of the corridor. Moriarty stopped a few meters in front of me.

"What!" I said.

"We're working on Sherrel's next project and things got a little out of hand," Da Vinci explained.

A little!?

"Sorry, gotta go!" Da Vinci cut off the mental link.

"Da Vinci!" I said but didn't receive any answer.

I let out a groan.

I turned to Moriarty, who was watching me with a tense expression.

"Da Vinci," I said deadpanned.

Moriarty's shoulders sag with relief and he pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Garage," Moriarty said as he walked back to the cafeteria.

I said this once and I will say it again: geniuses are exhausting.

I barged into the garage and found all of them screaming at each other.

"You idiotic lion! I told you that was too much garbage!" Tesla screamed.

"And I told you that we need a substantial amount to see if the conversion rates are what we expect!"Edison screamed back.

"Da Vinci, stop messing with my wiring!" Sherrel said with a glare.

"I'm fixing it! They are all over the place, you dumbass!" Da Vinci glared back.

"I was going to do that later, you cunt!" Sherrel snapped back.

Swear to god, they are all children.

"HEY!" I shouted.

Everyone turned to me.

"The fuck is going on!?" I shouted.

"Hello, master. When did you arrive?" Edison asked.

"Don't ignore my question!" I said.

"Henry, I told you not to worry," Da Vinci said, placing her hands on her hips.

"You made the hotel shake! Of course, I'm going to worry!" I said.

"Sorry about that boss-man. We gotta a little too excited," Sherrel said, rubbing her head in embarrassment.

These idiots are going to give me a heart attack.

I took this chance to look around the place.

Sherrel clearly turned the place into her workshop.

Her tools are scattered all over the place.

In a corner there's a car that has signs of being worked on recently, her first project most likely.

On the opposite side, there's a garbage truck they are all working on.

They must have got that from the junkyard, it's still covered in rust.

They are doing something with the container part of the truck.

"Please, someone explain what happened?" I asked tiredly.

I'm going to take a nap before tonight's meeting.

"Like I said, we're working on Sherrel's new project-" Da Vinci is interrupted by Sherrel.

"Before that, boss-man check it out," Sherrel said.

Sherrel walked to the car.

I walked to take a closer look.

I shrugged, "That's a nice car," I peered closer. "Is that a sedan?"

Sherrel huffed, "It's not just nice- it's amazing! And yes, it's a sedan."

I kept looking at it, trying to discern what made this car tinker tech.

I gave up after a moment.

"You're going to have to show me," I said.

Sherrel eagerly gets into the car.

My eyes widen when the car disappears.

I cautiously reached forward and made contact with it.

I laughed, "Camaflouge."

The car appears again when Sherrel exits it.

"And that's not all. It can go from zero to six hundred km/h in seconds, reinforced to the point that you can safely drive through a building and-" Sherrel pressed a button on the inside and two laser weapons extended from the front fenders.

"They showed you the rifles," I inspected the weapons.

"Oh yeah, I got some ideas now," Sherrel rubs her hands in excitement.

"And what's that?" I pointed to the garbage truck.

"This is something that is going to be very useful. This is a recycler," Edison said.

I blinked in surprise and turned to Sherrel.

"I get that vehicles is a broad term but I can't believe you can build this," I said.

Sherrel shrugged, "As long you can drive, it's fair game."

That's....wow.

"What went wrong?" I asked.

"As I said before, this moronic li-" I sent a warning glare to Tesla. "-Edison had put too much trash in the recycler and it couldn't handle the amount," Tesla explained.

"It also didn't help that the power source was cranked up to the maximum," Da Vinci commented.

"With all of that combined, you get this," Edison walked to the back of the truck.

I walked next to Edison to see what is it.

There's a hole, about two meters deep, behind the garbage truck.

Looking down, I see a pile of molten slag that's still cooling off.

"Oh boy," I said.

"Yeah, this bad boy got some serious power," Sherrel said cheerfully, petting the side of the truck.

I can feel a headache coming.

Da Vinci claps her hands, "Let's take a break. I could go for some coffee."

Edison rubs his chin, "That's not a bad idea. I believe that Saber has left some food inside the fridge."

"Nice! Her food is so good," Sherrel wipes her drool. "You're coming Da Vinci?"

"I will go later," Da Vinci said.

Sherrel, Tesla, and Edison head to the cafeteria.

Once alone I turned to Da Vinci.

"I want a raise," I said.

"You don't have a salary," Da Vinci said immediately.

"I demand a salary rather than a raise," I said.

Da Vinci shrugged, "I will see what I can do."

"Good, no-wait a second, you told her your name," I just realized that.

"So did Tesla and Edison," Da Vinci said.

"And?" I asked.

"She didn't know who we were," Da Vinci crossed her arm with a huff.

"Seriously?" I raised an eyebrow.

"History is not her forte. She also knows your name," Da Vinci said.

Well, she's part of Chaldea and it would be weird if no one told their name to her.

"How did it go?" Da Vinci asked.

"What?" I asked confused.

"School, you returned today," Da Vinci places her hands on her hips. "You did return, right?"

I rolled my eyes, "I did go to school and it was....fine."

"What happened?" Da Vinci said.

"Nothing," I said.

"Try again mister," Da Vinci pressed for an answer.

"I'm serious! Nothing happened! It was all just so..." I trailed off.

What's the word I'm looking for?

Da Vinci tilts her head, initially confused, but then her eyes widen as she grasps what I'm saying.

"Mundane? Is that what you want to say?" Da Vinci asked, her voice tinged with worry.

"Yes! That's it! The entire thing was completely mundane," I nodded satisfied.

I notice Da Vinci looking at me worriedly.

What's wi-

Oh.

"I don't know what's normal anymore, do I?" I asked.

"...our normal is different," Da Vinci said awkwardly.

I covered my face with my hands and let out a groan.

Of course, my sense of normality is all screwed up.

Da Vinci patted my back, trying to comfort me.

"I'm fucking mess," I said.

"You're not a mess. You have been through a lot," Da Vinci reassured me.

We all have.

"It's not that bad, right? I mean, no one notices anything different about me," I said, trying to alleviate the situation.

Wait, should I be happy about that?

"What about your parents?" Da Vinci

I recalled my conversation with Dad while I was at the warehouse the other day.

"They might have realized something but....fuck I don't know," I said nervously.

Da Vinci rubs her chin in thought.

"Do you plan to tell them?" Da Vinci asked.

"I'm still debating that. I want them to be part of Chaldea, you guys are also my family," Da Vinci smiled at my words. "But I don't think they can handle it."

We're going to hunt down the monster of this world.

That isn't for everyone.

"Tell them," Da Vinci said suddenly.

Da Vinci didn't give me a chance to talk.

"We're going to save the world, Henry. That's a monumental task that will consume all of your free time down the line. If you don't do anything you will never be able to truly reconnect with your family," Da Vinci said bluntly.

"I-I'm spending time with them," I said weakly.

"But it's not the same as before right?" Da Vinci asked.

I opened my mouth but no words came out.

"Don't let this chance slip through your fingers," Da Vinci said gently.

She's right.

"You should also keep going to school. It's good for you to have some normalite in your life. Even if it's just for a few hours, you can be a normal teenager," Da Vinci said.

A normal teenager.

I haven't been that for a long time now.

"When should I tell them?" that's going to be one hell of a conversation.

"All soon as possible, and don't try to wait for the 'perfect opportunity' or you will be waiting forever," Da Vinci said.

I groaned, "That's going to be awful."

"Oh yeah, expect a lot of screaming, tears, and accusations. The whole shebang," Da Vinci said.

"You're not helping," I said annoyed.

"I beg to differ," Da Vinci huffed.

We exchanged a look and chuckled.

"Seriously, don't hesitate to call me or anyone else," Da Vinci said.

"Thanks. I'm going home and rest a little," I said.

I stopped at the door of the garage and turned to Da Vinci.

"Please don't blow up the hotel," I said.

"Oh come on, that was under control," Da Vinci waved off my concerns.

Great, now I'm afraid of leaving these four unsupervised.

////////////////////

I was able to get some sleep but not much.

I honestly don't know how to explain Chaldea to them.

I can't just go to them and say:

Hey Mom and Dad, I have powers but I'm not a parahuman.

How do I have powers if I'm not a parahuman?

Oh, that's simple.

A magician from another dimension summoned me to save his world.

There I was able to summon legendary figures from history and with their help, I was able to save the world before coming back.

They're going to send me to a psych ward.

Fuck you, Zelretch.

I was so lost in my thoughts that if Hassan hadn't warned me, I wouldn't have gone to the meeting.

The PRT is using the Brockton General Hospital as the meeting place.

Panacea makes regular rounds there.

Arriving at the hospital I quickly spotted Paracelsus and Asclepius.

There's also a homunculus behind them, carrying a large wooden box.

People nearby are casting strange glances at the homunculus, which isn't surprising considering his humanoid shape, grey skin, and three red eyes.

"Hey," I greeted both of them.

"Hi," Asclepius said.

"Greetings master," Paracelsus said.

I glanced at the homunculus.

"If anyone asks..."

"He's my summon," Paracelsus smiled.

We're going to paint them as being the same as the dragon tooth warriors.

I don't want anyone making comparisons between Paracelsus and Nilbog.

"How long will this take?" Asclepius asked.

I shrugged, "An hour, maybe two."

Asclepius grunted and walked inside the hospital.

Oh yeah, he can't wait to study Oni Lee.

I made my way to the reception, where four nurses were stationed.

"Hi. I got a meeting with the PRT," I said.

"Ah, yes, we have been expecting you. Just a moment, please," the nurse said as she picked up the phone to make a call.

The other nurse glanced at us for a few seconds and then returned to work.

It didn't take long for Armsmaster to come pick us up.

"Magus," Armsmaster greeted me. "Who would you two be? And what's that?" he looked at the homunculus.

"I'm Asclepius," Asclepius said.

"I'm Paracelsus and this is my summon," Paracelsus said.

Okay, they are just going to say their names like that.

I glanced at Armsmaster to gauge his reaction.

Armsmaster grunted, "Follow me."

Yep, that's about right.

I actually thought that he would freak out for a moment.

We walked to the ICU section of the hospital, on the third floor. There we entered the second door to our right.

Glancing around, I noticed two empty beds. One of them was surrounded by various tinker tech scanners. Armsmaster headed straight to that bed and began organizing the scanners.

Oh hey, look.

Shielder and Laserdream are also here.

"Hey there," I approached them.

"Huh? Oh hey man, how's it going?" Shielder said with a smile.

"Could be better," I shrugged. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Laserdream."

Laserdream giggled, "Don't need to be so formal. You can call me Crystal if you want."

I rubbed my neck, "Oh, huh, okay then. I thought that you would prefer your cape name since we're working right now."

"Honestly, I don't really care. I mean, I don't even know why I bother with cape name since the entire city already knows my name," Laserdream leaned closer. "Just don't let Auntie Carol know about this. She always goes about how we represent New Wave, that we have to always be on our best behavior, and all that," Laserdream rubs her temples.

Shielder nodded wearily in agreement.

I raised an eyebrow.

"I swear it's like she thinks that I fly around naked or something," Laserdream complained.

"What about that party," Shielder asked.

Laserdream rolled her eyes, "Everyone was drinking."

"Sure, but it wasn't everyone that decided that it was a good idea to use powers to cut a watermelon," Shielder said with a shit-eating grin.

Laserdream narrowed her eyes, "You little shit."

I couldn't help but laugh at their antics.

They both returned their attention to me, unbothered that I saw this exchange.

"So yeah, I don't care what name you use," Laserdream said nonchalantly.

"Same for me," Shielder shrugged.

"I'm going to stick to your cape's name," I said.

Both shrugged in response.

"I wasn't expecting you two to be here," I said.

"Normally it's Vicky that stays with Ames in these kinds of things but she's grounded," Laserdream explained.

"Where's Panacea?" I asked.

"She went to the bathroom. It shouldn't take long for-" Shielder is interrupted by two people entering the room.

One is a doctor in his early to mid-sixties, with both his hair and beard fully white.

The other is a brunette wearing a scarf and a robe that covers her entire body.

So that's Panacea.

Huh, she looks tired.

"Ah, Magus! A pleasure to meet you. I'm Adrian Abraham, the medical director," Adrian said, shaking my hand with enthusiasm.

"Hi," I said.

"So you're the one that made that potion," Panacea raised an eyebrow.

"It was actually them," I pointed at Asclepius and Paracelsus.

Panacea immediately turned her attention to them.

"What the hell is that thing?" Panacea said, looking at the homunculus

"He's my summon. I'm Paracelsus, it's a pleasure to meet you," Paracelsus smiled.

"Asclepius," Asclepius said.

Adrian shakes both Asclepius's and Paracelsus's hands.

"Pleasure. I must say, those're some interesting names," Adrian commented.

Asclepius leans in, his gaze fixed intently on Panacea's face, studying her closely.

"What ar-" Asclepius interrupts Panacea.

"You're exhausted," Asclepius said simply.

"What?" Panacea asked.

"How long has she been working?" Asclepius asked Adrian.

"That's none of-"

"She's been working nonstop since she arrived from school," Adrian said.

Panacea stared at Adrian, her expression filled with shock.

Asclepius clicks his tongue, "Oi master. Aren't there laws that prohibit this kind of thing?"

"What I do with my time is none of your business!" Panacea snapped at Asclepius.

"If you're going to help with these tests then your health is my business now. I don't want to look after another idiot who doesn't know when to take a break, " Asclepius points at me. "One is already enough."

"Oi! I'm not that bad!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, you're," Asclepius and Paracelsus said at the same time.

Screw you two!

"Yo-you!" Panacea fumed.

"How about a compromise? Amy helps with the testing then she goes home," Adrian proposed.

"Wha-I can still work!" Panacea protest.

"And I'm grateful for your work but you also need to take care of yourself," Adrian said.

"You can keep whatever is left of the potions," I doubt that we're going to use everything.

Adrian sent me a grateful nod.

"We got it covered Amy. Besides you gotta leave us some work. I may be old but I still got it," Adrian said humorously.

Panacea shot a venomous glare at Asclepius, who merely raised a disinterested eyebrow in return.

Well, at least she isn't glaring at me.

Oh wait, I spoke to soon.

Now she's glaring at me.

One of the best healers in the world is mad at us.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

"We're ready to begin," Armsmaster said.

Did he ignore everything that just happened?

Panacea walked to the bed, muttering angrily to herself.

Asclepius and Paracelsus also walked to the bed.

The homunculus placed the wooden box next to the bed and opened it.

"You can start bringing in the patients," Armsmaster said, uncaring to the fact that Panacea was still glaring at Asclepius and me.

Read the room man!

Adrian coughed, "Yes, let's begin." He walked out of the room.

"How's this going to work?" I asked.

"The hospital has gathered several volunteers. We will start with simpler cases then gradually move to more serious ones," Armsmaster explained.

Adrian came back with a couple of PRT troopers who were assisting some patients with their relocation.

The first patient is placed on the bed.

"Dislocated shoulder," Asclepius diagnosed effortlessly with a quick glance.

"You're correct," Adrian said, surprised by the quick diagnostic.

"Here you go," Paracelsus handed a healing potion to the patient.

The patient quickly drinks the health potion, and the effect appears immediately as he moves his arm without a problem.

"How's he?" Armsmaster asked, checking the data from his scans.

"His arm is back to normal," Panacea grunted, she's holding the patient hand.

Armsmaster nods.

"Could I ask a question?" Paracelsus asked.

"What?" Panacea said annoyed.

"You're able to manipulate anyone's biology with a touch, right?" Panacea nodded. "Can you only restore the body to its normal state, or can you make further modifications?"

Panacea leaned back in surprise, Amrsmaster and Adrian turned to Paracelsus.

"I can only heal," Panacea said quickly.

Paracelsus blinked at the quick arnswer.

"Why do you want to know that?" Armsmaster asked, looking intensively at Paracelsus.

"I'm curious about different methods of healing and wanted to possibly exchange ideas with her," Paracelsus said.

Armsmaster kept looking at Paracelsus for a few more seconds before he relaxed.

"Both of you are healers," Armsmaster stated.

Paracelsus nodded and Asclepiues shrugged in response.

"What brought this question?" Adrian asked.

"One of the first lessons I learned about healing is the fragility of the human body. While there are treatments that can strengthen it, there comes a point where pushing too far can harm rather than help," Paracelsus explained.

Unless you're okay with radical changes to your biology.

Countless magus have modified their bodies in all kinds of crazy ways.

"Indeed, the human body is a complex but fragile machine," Adrian rubs his chin thoughtfully.

"I was wondering just how far Panacea's powers allow her to manipulate the biology of those she touches," Paracelsus said.

Panacea stared at Paracelsus, her expression one of shock as if she couldn't believe the question he had just asked.

"I can only heal," Panacea insisted.

Paracelsus and Asclepius exchanged a brief look.

"I see. I apologize if my question has made you feel uncomfortable. That was not my intention," Paracelsus said sincerely.

"It's fine," Panacea mumbled.

"Let's continue," Armsmaster said.

Adrian nods and brings the next patient to be placed on the bed.

Laserdream pokes me in the shoulder.

"I'm sorry about that. Normally Amy isn't so snappy," Laserdream whispered to me.

"What was that?" I whispered.

"She just hates when someone disrupts her time at the hospital," Shielder whispered.

"At least we won't have a hard time taking Amy home this time," Laserdream whispered, feeling relieved.

"I don't know how Vicky has an easier time convincing Amy," Shielder whispered.

Laserdream shrugged.

"She refuses to leave the hospital?" I whispered.

Laserdream and Shielder glanced at each other.

"Amy...she just wants to help as many people as possible," Shielder whispered after a moment of hesitation.

Help as many people as possible.

I looked blankly at Panacea.

I'm going to keep an eye on her.

I know what that mindset does to a person.

The testing continued for another two hours and so far the only patients that the potions couldn't fully heal are those that have lost a limb.

In those cases, Asclepius, Paracelsus, or Panacea would heal them to full health.

Armsmaster mentioned that he collected sufficient data and that the PRT will reach out to us later to discuss the purchase of healing potions.

Adrian gave me his personal phone and said that the hospital was also interested in purchasing healing potions.

I'm going to talk with Moriarty and ask him to lower the prices for the hospital.

He can charge as much as he wants from the PRT.

Panacea glanced at Paracelsus before departing with Laserdream and Shielder.

The first part of my night is over.

Now let's go bully the Empire.

//////////

Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.

//////////////////////////

If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.

Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader.

 

[regulareader]

Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.

/////////////////////////////////////

After everything was over, Asclepius and Paracelsus returned to the hotel. I told Moriarty how the tests went and that the PRT would enter into contact soon.

Outside the hospital, I meet with Ushiwakamraru, Barghest, Morgan, and Cú Chulainn.

Cú Chulainn returned my revolver to me. He said that Edison had finished working on it but forgot to hand it back, so he passed it to Cú Chulainn to deliver it to me.

Nice to have it back.

I'm going to make the Empire bleed tonight.

The obvious choice would be to target more safehouses, but I want to do something that would tarnish Kaiser's image. Something he couldn't afford to overlook.

Ushiwakamaru came up with the answer.

////////////////

"Good evening ma'am!" I said jovially.

The woman stared at me with wide eyes and quickly walked away.

I let out a chuckle at her reaction.

And it's not just her avoiding us, everyone around us is also keeping their distance.

"You're in a good mood," Cú Chulainn said with a grin.

"Why wouldn't I be? It's such a beautiful night to go for a stroll," I said cheerfully.

Yep, we're taking a stroll.

Right in the center of Empire territory.

Ushiwakamaru idea is quite simple.

What better way to insult your enemy than to casually stroll through their territory, acting as if you own the place.

This is the kind of disrespect that Kaiser can't ignore if he doesn't want to lose his standing with his subordinates.

An important part of Ushiwakamaru's plan is that we don't attack anyone.

We're just here for a pleasant stroll and couldn't care less that this's Empire territory.

Honestly, this's all just a giant middle finger to Kaiser.

"I hate to admit but Kaiser knows how to keep his territory orderly," Ushiwakamaru said, looking around the street.

I also hate to admit that.

The streets are clean, buildings are in pristine condition, and all around doesn't seem a bad place to live.

Except for the fact that nazis control this place.

Well, it doesn't matter.

It's only a matter of time before we take over.

"From my understanding, Kaiser rules over his territory like a king. It would make sense that he'd want his territory to thrive," Barghest said.

Cú Chulainn snorts, "Are you serious?"

"You should see the image he tries to project in PHO. He makes himself out to be some kind of protector of the people and all that," I said.

"Please tell me that nobody buys that crap," Cú Chulainn said.

"I wish I could no," I said.

Cú Chulainn shakes his head in dissapointement.

"Humanity's foolishness never ceases to amaze me," Morgan said.

Yeah, people can be really stupid sometimes.

I put my hand on my stomach when it growled.

I could go for a burger right now.

"There's a pizza place two blocks from here," Cú Chulainn said, pointing at the place.

Pizza also works.

"You guys okay with that?" I turned to Morgan, Barghest, and Ushiwakamaru.

"I will pass," Morgan said.

"I'm okay with that," Ushiwakamaru said.

Barghest shrugged in response.

It took a few minutes to get there and when we entered the place, everyone stopped talking.

They were all looking at us with surprise looks, some even grabbed their phones and started to record us.

Oh, this's perfect.

I approached the register, where a blonde-haired man in his early thirties stood. His back is turned to me and he's talking with someone on the phone.

"Hey there," I said.

"I will be with you in a minute," The man said.

"Take your time," I'm not in a hurry.

"All right, that's three chicken pizzas and two sodas. It will take forty-five minutes. Yes, we are also open on Sundays. Okay, have a good night," The man ends the call.

"Busy night?" I asked.

"Not really. We have been getting more orders to go. I had to hire another deliverer man," The man said.

"Oh? Is there something going on around here?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Haven't you been watching the news? With all that happened in the last few days, everyone is on edge," The man said.

I hummed thoughtfully.

We've completely shifted the balance of power in Brockton Bay. And it's clear to everyone that we're far from finished.

Now they are all waiting for the fight that is going to engulf the entire city.

"I see," I said.

"Give a few more days and things are going to go back to normal. You know, like it always does," The man said.

You mean go back to the status quo.

Yeah, that isn't going to happen.

Things are going to change in Brockton.

One way or another.

"So what ca-" The man stopped talking when he saw us.

"Hi," I said with a friendly smile.

He's looking at me with wide eyes, not believing that I was in front of him.

"What do you guys want?" I asked.

"I'm fine with whatever you choose," Barghest said.

"I would like some anchovy," Ushiwakamaru said.

"They got any booze?" Cú Chulainn asked.

"You guys sell beer, right?" I asked.

The man nodded dumbly.

"Okay, so I want a large pizza, half pepperoni, half anchovy, four beers, and a bottle of water please," I said.

The man kept looking at us for a few more seconds before he swallowed heavily.

"Co-coming right up," The man said.

"Thank you," I said.

I turned my attention to the rest of the customers.

There's only a handful left of people.

I waved at them with a smile.

"Did I give you permission to record me?" Morgan asked coldly, flaring a little of her power.

They all flinched at Morgan's power and quickly put away their phones.

Oh, they got lucky.

Morgan usually isn't so forgiving at anything that annoys her, especially if involves humans.

"Ex-excuse me sir," A woman said, raising her hand nervously.

I raised an eyebrow, "You don't have to call me 'sir' or raise your hand. You can just ask the question."

"What're you doing here?" the woman asked after a moment of hesitation.

"I was hungry and felt like eating some pizza," I shrugged.

"But why here? Here's...you know," the woman said.

Oh, I do know.

"I was curious about this part of the town as I never have been here before," I said.

The woman glanced around the place anxiously, fearing that a fight might erupt at any moment.

Great, now I feel like a dick.

"Don't worry, everything is going to be just fine," I said, trying to reassure her.

She didn't listen to me and left the place.

Everyone else followed suit.

I don't blame them.

Kaiser might hesitate to launch an attack here because it's within his own territory. However, if it were located elsewhere, he wouldn't hesitate to wipe out the place.

It took another ten minutes before our order was ready.

"I'm sorry about your customers," I said, handing him the money.

The man let out a grunt.

We exited the pizza place and headed to the rooftop of a nearby building.

"You sure you don't want a piece?" I asked, looking at Morgan.

"I'm sure," Morgan said.

Maybe there's a place around here that sells tea.

"This is not a bad pizza," Barghest said, taking a bite.

"It's a shame that they didn't have anything stronger," Cú Chulainn said, taking a sip of his beer.

"Why don't you use reinforcement?" I asked taking a bit of the pizza.

Interesting fact: reinforcement can also be used on booze to make it stronger.

Cú Chulainn froze for a second before he reinforced the beer.

We kept eating in silence for the next few minutes, enjoying a moment of peace before the Empire showed up.

"Who do you guys think is coming?" I asked.

Since Kaiser is the leader, he must make an appearance and pass judgment on us for our 'transgressions', or he risks a significant blow to his reputation.

He also knows that he can't intimidate us, and a fight is inevitable.

"Crusader will handle the heavy lifting with his ghosts, while Kaiser, Rune, and Victor will support with long-range attacks. Fenja and Cricket will likely stay hidden, only reveal themselves if they need to retreat or if a chance arises to take one of us out," Ushiwakamaru explained.

Brute force isn't going to work against us, so Crusaders' ghosts are their best bet in hurting us.

"The problem is going to be if Purity, Night, and Fog makes an appearance," Ushiwakamaru said.

Night and Fog left around the same time Purity did. Nobody knows where they are or why they left in the first place.

"You think they are still in town?" I asked.

"I don't know but if Kaiser is trying to bring back Purity then he would also try to do the same with them," Ushiwakamaru frowns.

They could be a problem.

"There's also Gesellschaft. What's the plan regarding them?" Morgan asked.

"I'm thinking of sending a team of servants to Europe to deal with them. Now that we have more servants, we can finally start to look into dealing with the S-Class threats," I said.

"Who would be first?" Barghest asked, taking a bit of the pizza.

"Slaughterhouse Nine is our first target. With what we have planned, it's only a matter of time before they come for us," I said immediately.

They always go after anyone who might make the world a better place, and we fit that bill perfectly.

"Who're you going to send?" Cú Chulainn asked.

"For the Nine, I was thinking of Saber(Siegfried), Assassin(Hassan of Serenity), Lancer(Melusine), Berserker(Herakles), and Archer(Emiya)," I said.

Barghest frowns, "I can do a better job than Lancer(Melusine)."

I hold back a sigh.

Barghest has a rivalry with Melusine and takes any chance to prove that she's stronger.

"If you want to be part of the group, that's fine. This is-" I was interrupted by Cú Chulainn.

"We got company," Cú Chulainn said, looking at the streets.

About time.

I looked at the streets to see who was coming.

Kaiser is calmly walking down the street with his hands behind his back. He's coming in our direction.

Fenja is the only one that he brought along.

I looked at them with narrowed eyes.

Something is not right.

"It's a trap," Ushiwakamaru said what we're all thinking.

Yes, it is.

"Well, let's not keep them waiting," I said.

We got down to the street to meet them.

"Ah, Magus. I wasn't expecting to see you tonight," Kaiser said.

"I decided to go for a stroll," I said.

Kaiser nods, "You couldn't have chosen a better place for a stroll. Unlike the rest of the city, people can walk around without fear. Of course, we have to keep the-"

"What do you want Kaiser?" I said.

"You tell me, Magus. You clearly want my attention since you entered my territory without permission," Kaiser shakes his head. "Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

"My parents taught me to stand up to people like you. My father, in particular, always said to aim where it hurts," I replied with a toothy grin.

"How uncivilized, this's why the youth of today doesn't show their better respect anymore," Kaiser said.

I laughed, "You? My better? You're more delusional than I thought."

Kaiser extends his arm in front of Fenja, stopping her from taking a step forward.

"Are you done with your childish insults?" Kaiser asked.

"What? I thought we were having a good time. You know, like before when we were kicking your asses," I said.

"Yes, good times," Kaiser said dryly. "Anyway, I didn't come here looking for a fight but to make a proposal."

"What?" I asked.

"We both wish to better Brockton Bay and-"

"Shut the hell up!" I snarled. "Don't you dare group us! What we want is completely different!"

"Is it? You want to make Brockton Bay a better place but from what I hear you have your hands occupied with the ABB territory. Or should I say your territory," Kaiser said.

I narrowed my eyes, "Don't you d-"

"Please no petty threats. I'm just trying to have a civilized conversation. You're capable of those, aren't you?" Kaiser asked in a mocking tone.

I flipped him off in response.

"As I was saying, you're already dealing with a lot right now and don't need any more distractions. So, I suggested we call a temporary truce," Kaiser said.

I can't believe that he just said that.

I have only one answer to that.

"Go to hell," I said.

"I advise you to think this through," Kaiser said.

"What's there to think? We're winning, you lost half of your capes. You're just trying to buy time," I said.

"You have indeed caught us off guard, a mistake that won't happen again, but we have something that you're dearly missing," Kaiser said.

What's he talking about?

"And that would be?" I asked.

"Connections. Strength isn't just about physical might; we have many allies we can reach out to for support," Kaiser said.

"Like Gesellschaft," I said.

Kaiser nods, "Exactly. They're just one of the many we can call on for support. But that's not all, I have eyes and ears all over the city, and I've come across some interesting information regarding a product that you wish to sell to the PRT. And if I'm not mistaken, the PRT conducted a test earlier this evening."

God, this guy likes to brag.

"Let me guess: you're going to interfere in the distribution of the healing potions if we don't back off," I said in a bored tone.

What he said is an issue, but I've faced much worse.

"It would be such a shame if something were to happen to those potions. Think how many li-"

"My answer is still no," I said.

Kaiser paused for a few seconds.

"May I know why?" Kaiser asked.

"Agreeing to your demands is a return to the status quo. And that is never going to happen," I said determined.

"What's that you want? You want Brockton Bay?" Kaiser asked curiously.

"I don't want the city," I said with a frown.

"But you want something and you're willing to go hell and back for it," Kaiser commented.

"It's none of your business," I said.

"Oh well," Kaiser shrugged.

He's way too rela-

Cú Chulainn yanks me to the side tightly.

I was confused for a second until I saw the ghostly spear that would have pierced my heart.

Crusader is around here.

Ushiwakamaru lunged toward Kaiser, her blade slicing through the air, aimed at his stomach. But the moment her weapon made contact, Kaiser burst like a balloon, vanishing in an instant!

What!

Ushiwakamaru quickly turned her focus to Fenja as she began to grow. With a swift motion, Ushiwakamaru sliced through Fenja's neck but she also burst like a balloon.

Ushiwakamaru quickly returned to our side, gripping tightly her sword and looking around the street.

We didn't have the time to reflect on that, as we had to leap away- more Crusader ghosts were emerging from the ground.

In a few seconds, there's an army of Crusader's ghosts in front of us.

What's going on?

I don't think he was capable of creating this many.

Morgan swiftly creates a large, glowing magical circle above the ghost, covering them all. The circle begins to radiate light, and the ghosts flicker before vanishing one by one. In just a few moments, they were all gone.

That will buy us some time.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

I glanced behind to see what the noise was and blinked in surprise at what I was seeing.

Fenja is coming toward us, and there are ten of her.

"Are they an illusion?" I asked.

"No, they're all real but their life force is too weak," Morgan frowned.

I recall my talk with Moriarty and my eyes widen.

"They're clones," I said.

Gesellschaft is here.

Barghest ignites her sword, unleashing a wave of fire above us, engulfing a dozen Cricket's that were plummeting towards us.

"They're weak," Barghest said.

Cú Chulainn hurls Gae Bolg at the approaching Fenja's, striking down seven of them. However, this has little effect as even more begin to emerge.

"That may be true but there's a lot of them," Cú Chulainn said, recalling Gae Bolg.

I turn to Morgan.

"Can you find-"

Morgan quickly raised a barrier around us, just in time to block a red beam that was headed straight for me.

The beam made the barrier tremble fiercely, resulting in small cracks forming all over its surface.

What was that!?

Morgan glances at the cracks, her face showing clear annoyance. She repairs the barrier and pours more magical energy, strengthening it.

A second red beam strikes the barrier, but this time it holds strong.

That certainly wasn't Purity. Her beams are white.

It gotta be Victor and he's using tinker tech.

"You got eyes on him?" I asked.

I reinforced my eyes and look the direction the beam had come from, but I couldn't find him.

Morgan fires a beam of light towards a distant building, striking one of the upper floors. Upon impact, an explosion erupted, destroying the entire floor.

I'm not exactly relieved, since I still don't know if that was the original or a clone.

Another red beam hits the barrier and it comes from a different direction.

That answers my question.

I survey my surroundings to assess the situation.

We're surrounded by an army of clones, and I highly doubt that the originals are going to be anywhere near us.

The only threats to us are Crusader ghosts and possibly the tinker tech that Victor is using.

And without knowing where Hydra is, there isn't much point in staying here and fight.

"Henry, why's there an army of Empire capes attacking the hotel?" Da Vinci asked.

"Gesellschaft is in town," I said.

"Ah, I see," Da Vinci said calmly.

"You need help?" I asked.

"Nah, we got it under control. Medea summoned dragon tooth warriors to deal with them. Tesla takes care of anyone who passes the Dragon Tooth warriors. And there's also the protective wards to protect us," Da Vinci said.

That's good.

"Does the ruby have enough magical energy for a summon?"I asked.

I'm going to summon Avicebron.

"Give me a moment," Da Vinci said.

"Who the hell is that?" Cú Chulainn asked.

I raised an eyebrow seeing the countless World War Two soldiers coming our direction.

Is that what Hydra looks like?

"Yeah, you're good to go," Da Vinci said.

"Thanks," I said.

Morgan conjures spikes that erupt from the ground, eliminating a significant number of Hydra's clones. However, they show no sign of stopping and continue to advance towards us.

Okay, this's getting stupid.

"We're retreating," I said with a frown.

Ushiwakamaru, Cú Chulainn and Barghest step back inside the barrier. The surroundings distort as Morgan teleports us away from the battle.

I pinch my nose in frustration.

My luck really sucks sometimes.

"We have a problem," Moriarty said.

"There's an army of Empire capes attacking you, isn't there?" I asked.

"Yes, but I've it under control. The issue is that the PRT is under attack," Moriarty said.

They are trying to break out the others.

"You three, go to the PRT!" I said.

Cú Chulainn, Ushiwakamaru and Barghest ran to the PRT.

"What about the rest of the city?" I asked.

"Smaller groups of clones are causing trouble throughout the city, but New Wave is handling it for now. However that will change once we repel their attack on the PRT," Moriarty said grimly.

They are going to cause trouble until we're all exhausted.

Well, the PRT heroes are going to be.

We don't have to worry about that.

"Alright, once things calm down go back to the hotel," I said.

"Be careful, we don't know if Hydra is the only cape Gesellschaft has sent," Moriarty said.

Yeah, they wouldn't have only sent one cape.

"Hassan, focus on finding Hydra," I said.

"Understood," Hassan said.

I turned to Morgan.

"Let's go to the warehouse," I said.

Morgan nods and we rush to the warehouse.

/////////

I barged inside the place and went straight to the ruby.

I briefly noticed that Da Vinci had finished building the scanners around the ruby.

A screen came to life, revealing Goredolf's image.

"Oh, Henry. How's it-"

"I need Avicebron!" I said hurriedly.

Goredolf blinked in surprise and swiftly looked to the side.

"Get Avicebron ready for summoning!"Goredolf ordered. "What's going on?"

"Gesellschaft is in Brockton Bay and they got a cape that can create an army of clones," I explained.

"What's the situation with the hotel and the area Moriarty is taking over? I assume they will target both to keep you occupied," Goredolf said.

"Both are under attack but Da Vinci and Moriarty got it under control. So far everything is under control but it won't be long before the entire city becomes a battlefield," I said.

Goredolf grimaced at what I said.

"Isn't it better to summon more servants?" Goredolf asked.

"Not yet, I don't know if Hydra is the only cape that was sent. So I'm going to wait and see who else is here," I said.

The ruby glows and after a moment Avicebron is standing in front of me.

"Hello master," Avicebron greeted me.

"I need you to make an army of golems as quickly as possible. There are abandoned ships nearby the warehouse, use as much as you need," I quickly ordered. "And hello to you too."

Avicebron nods and leaves the warehouse.

BOMM.BOOM

I start to hear an explosion in the distance.

Things are getting heated.

"I got to go, bye!" I said.

"Be careful!" Goredolf said before I left the warehouse with Morgan.

It took a few minutes to reach the PRT. Unsurprisingly, we found an army of clones launching an attack, along with a massive humanoid figure made of metal wreaking havoc at the location.

Now I know that Hydra isn't the only one.

The giant stands around nine meters tall, built like a tank. His movements are slow and heavy, likely burdened by his overwhelming weight.

Glancing around, I notice the PRT has established a perimeter in front of the building. Armsmaster, Dauntless, Assault, and Battery are working together to take down as many clones as they can, while the troopers back them up by shooting any that manage to slip past them.

Ushiwakamaru darts across the battlefield, swiftly cutting down every clone she encounters.

Barghest is unleashing wave after wave of fire at the clones, and cutting down any that get close to her.

At the rate they are going, it won't be long before all the clones are gone.

Miss Militia is using an anti-material rifle, shooting continuously the giant, trying to hold him back from the PRT building. However, her efforts seem futile as the giant ignores the damage inflicted by the rifle and steadily advances toward the building.

Velocity tosses a handful of foam grenades at the giant's feet. They explode, briefly halting his advance before he resumes marching forward.

Cú Chulainn hurls Gae Bolg at the giant, effortlessly piercing through him and creating a gaping human-size hole in his stomach.

The giant strikes a building to his left, and the hole in his stomach starts to close.

He's absorbing the building.

Cú Chulainn interrupts the giant's actions by severing the arm that was inside the building. He continues his assault with a barrage of attacks at the giant, who attempts to crush Cú Chulainn in response, but fails, as Cú Chulainn is too swift for him.

"They are real," Morgan said, looking at the giant.

"Is someone controlling it, or is there someone inside?" I asked.

"There's someone inside the giant, their life force is spread all over it," Morgan said.

They are fused with the giant.

"Cú Chulainn, get away from them," I said.

Cú Chulainn immediately jumps away from the giant.

"Force them out," I said.

Morgan traps the giant within a shimmering barrier and summons a glowing magical circle beneath it. Just as the giant raises its fist to strike, an intense fire erupts, engulfing them. The flames are so blindingly bright that I have to avert my gaze.

This lasted for a few seconds before Morgan dispelled the barrier.

The giant was reduced to a pile of molten slag.

Suddenly a man comes out of the slag, screaming in pain. Looking closer I could see why.

His body is severely burned, with second and third-degree burns covering much of his skin, and parts of his costume have melted and fused into his flesh.

I'm shocked that he survived that.

Cú Chulainn grabs the man and takes him to Miss Militia.

Now all that is left are the clones.

"Hey," Cú Chulainn said, landing next to me.

"How is it?" I asked.

"If we didn't show up they would have lost by now," Cú Chulainn said.

"Without the giant, this battle just became much easier," I asked.

"He goes by Atlas, by the way," Cú Chulainn said.

"We need to find how ma-hold on, what did you just say?" I asked.

"Miss Militia told me that our giant friend calls himself 'Atlas'," Cú Chulainn said.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that.

"Let's end this," I said.

Morgan, Cú Chulainn, and I joined the fight.

It took thirty minutes to deal with the remaining clones.

The PRT headquarters remains intact, but the area surrounding it has suffered some heavy damage.

I pity whoever has to clean this mess.

Assault, Battery, and Dauntless are catching their breaths.

Armsmaster enters the PRT headquarters.

"Get him to the infirmary and make sure he stays sedated," Miss Militia said.

The troopers nodded and took Atlas away.

Velocity accompanies the troopers.

"Miss Militia," I said, approaching her.

"Magus, it's good to see you," Miss Militia wipers sweat from her forehead.

She's drenched in sweat, struggling to steady her breathing.

"Is anyone dead?" I asked.

Miss Militia shakes her head, "Thankfully no. Some of the troopers are injured but nothing life-threatening."

"Besides Hydra and Atlas, who else is here?" I asked.

"I have no idea. We didn't even know they were already in Brockton," Miss Militia.

Before I could ask another question, Miss Militia raised her hand.

"Hold on," Miss Militia uses her earpiece. "Can you repeat that?"

Miss Militia grimaces and turns to me.

"There are attacks happening all over the city," I said, taking a guess.

The sounds of explosions in the distance are all the confirmation that I need.

This is going to be a long night.

//////////

Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.

//////////////////////////

If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.

Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader

 

[regulareader]

Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.

/////////////////////////////////////

Well, it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

I mean, it was still a shit show in the beginning.

They were causing as much destruction as possible to keep us occupied.

We had no trouble keeping up with the attacks, but the PRT and New Wave nearly ran themselves ragged trying to keep the city from going up in flames.

No doubt that was what the Empire wanted.

We're going to have to pick up the slack.

The situation changed in our favor once Avicebron's golems appeared all over Brockton.

They are leagues above Hydra's clones.

Hassan also assisted the golems in handling the clones. Some of her personas briefly revealed themselves to protect people throughout the city.

It won't take long before everyone realizes that Hassan is connected to Chaldea.

At first, everyone, especially the PRT, was uneasy about the fact that we could summon an army of golems at any moment.

I wonder how long it's going to take before someone wonders if Medea can't do the same with the dragon tooth warriors.

They relaxed once they saw that the golems were handling Hydra's clone, allowing them to finally take a break.

I was planning to go home, to get some sleep but the PRT called an emergency meeting and invited everyone.

//////////

Looking around the conference room I could see that everyone was here.

Even the Wards are here.

Morgan and Medea are the only ones with me right now.

I sent Barghest, Cú Chulainn, and Ushiwakamaru to help Moriarty.

I also asked Paracelsus and Asclepius to land a hand at the hospital

Now I'm just waiting for Piggot and Renick to arrive.

Where the hell are they?

"Here you go," Medea said, giving me a potion.

"Thanks," I said.

I swiftly drink the entire potion and exhale in relief.

"The director of the PRT better have a good reason to keep us waiting," Morgan said with a frown.

"She must be requesting backup or something like that," I said.

For her sake, I hope that she does have a good reason.

Morgan is not in a good mood.

"What you got there?" Shielder asked tiredly, walking to us.

"Something to keep me awake for a little longer," I said.

Shielder hummed, "Can I have one?"

"Sure," Medea shrugged, giving a potion.

Shielder drinks the potion in one big gulp, and I can already see his posture shift, becoming more attentive.

"Whoa. This works fast," Shielder said in amazement.

"Oh yeah. The stamina potion will erase your tiredness-guaranteed, or you can have your money back," I said with a small grin.

Shielder chuckled a little.

"How are you holding it up?" I asked.

"I'm going to sleep the rest of the week. What about you guys?" Shielder asked.

"I'm so damn hungry right now, after I get some sleep I'm going to stuff my face," I said.

"After all of this is over I'm going to ask Saber(Barghest) to make a banquet," Morgan said.

That sounds amazing.

"It would be nice if Archer(Emiya) was here. His food is delicious," Medea said.

I need to stop thinking about food.

I'm getting even more hungry.

I notice that everyone else is now looking at us.

Medea rolled her eyes and put enough potions for everyone on the table.

In a few seconds, they were all gone.

"You're a lifesaver," Assault said.

"I take that this is a stamina potion?" Lady Photon asked.

"You're correct," Medea said.

"How long does the effects last?" Armsmaster asked.

"You got about four to five hours before you feel tired again," I said.

Armsmaster hums thoughtfully, gazing at the empty potion bottle in his hand.

"If you guys also sold this potion, it would be a big success, right alongside the healing potion," Velocity remarked.

"That isn't a good idea," I said.

"Why is that?" Manpower asked.

"This potion will restore your stamina for a few hours, but the drawback is that it forces your body to work past its limits," Medea explained.

"What if someone were to drink the potion for a long period?" Brandish asked.

"You wouldn't need to sleep," Medea said.

"And what happens if you stop drinking it?" Battery asked.

"Your body crashes down hard," Medea said.

"It would be like coming down from the worst sugar rush of your life," Laserdream said.

"That's not a bad comparison," I said amused.

"What if you don't need to sleep?" Miss Militia asked.

Don't need to sleep?

Oh right, Miss Militia is a noctis cape.

Medea raised an eyebrow, "In that case, the drawbacks wouldn't be so severe but I still don't recommend consuming the potion for long periods."

Miss Militia hums, "Could I place an order for the stamina potions?"

"I will think about it," Medea said.

I didn't even think of selling the stamina potion.

There shouldn't be any problems if we sell small quantities and be very clear about the drawbacks of the stamina potion.

And if you still abuse the stamina potions, that's on you.

"Thank you Cas-"

"My name is Medea. This way it's easier for us to talk," Medea said.

"I see. Thank you, Medea," Miss Militia said.

"You sure about this?" I asked.

"It's fine. Even if they do recognize my name, no one's going to think I'm the 'Medea'," Medea said.

Yeah, that's true.

Hiding their names was a must in our adventures but is there really any point doing that here?

Some of the servants are going to be hesitant to reveal their names, as the legends surrounding them often hint at their weakness. But only a handful of them have to worry about that.

In the end, it's up to the servants if they want to reveal their names or not.

"Besides, when everyone else shows up, the heroes will have to call some of us things like 'the blonde-haired Saber' or 'the dark-haired Lancer' to tell us apart. I don't want to be part of that," Medea said.

Oh, I can see that, and I already hate it.

I glanced at Morgan but she made no move to reveal her name.

Piggot and Renick enter the room.

"I'm sorry for being late. I had a meeting with the Chief Director," Piggot said, taking a seat at the head of the table.

Renick takes a sit to her right.

The Chief Director?

"As you all know Gesellschaft is in Brockton Bay and causing all kinds of havoc. This is unacceptable and Chief Director Costa-Brown thinks the same," Piggot said.

Everyone glanced at each other.

"What does that mean, director?" Velocity asked.

"For helping a foreign criminal organization invade American soil, the Empire is now considered a terrorist group and must be dealt with immediately. Lethal force is authorized," Piggot said.

That caught everyone by surprise.

It makes sense when you think about it.

The PRT needs to make an example of the Empire; otherwise, they risk appearing dangerously incompetent, which could lead to a significant loss of public confidence.

Sure, they were never able to deal with the Empire before but they were a local problem.

Now that Gesellschaft is here, this is an entirely different picture.

This will also serve as a warning to deter other foreigners power from doing the same that Gesellschaft is doing.

"Oh? So the kid's gloves are coming off. Interesting," Medea said.

Morgan scoffs, "They let this problem fester for years, and now they finally decide to deal with it. Their incompetence is unbelievable."

The PRT certainly didn't appreciate Morgan's comment.

"You seem to have forgotten that all of this is your fault. I told you to lay low and let us handle the Empire, but you didn't listen, and look where we're now," Armsmaster said.

"Let you handle them? If we did do that, you would have failed as you always do," Morgan said.

Armsmaster grits his teeth in anger.

"And we're already doing a better job than you. I mean, it didn't even take a month for us to deal with the ABB. Now, it's only a matter of time before their territory is ours," Medea said with a smirk.

Wow, I can see Armsmaster's blood pressure rising.

"That doesn't change the fact that your recklessness led to thousands being injured, or worse, and it will cost millions to the city to fix all the damaged infrastructure!" Armsmaster said with a growl.

"Okay. Let's all take a step back and breathe," Assault said, trying to mediate the situation. "We're all tired and stressed. I know things loo-"

"He's right," I said.

The PRT and New Wave looked at me in surprise.

Armsmaster nods pleased, "Good, you understand your mistake."

"Our attacks against the Empire weren't a mistake. I said that you're right about this entire situation being my mess. And I'm going to clean it," I said determined.

I turned to Piggot.

"Can we also use lethal force?" I asked.

"Until the Empire and Gesellschaft are dealt with, Chaldea is also permitted to use lethal force," Piggot said with a frown.

That just made things a lot easier.

Now we don't have to worry about the PRT annoying us.

"Director, I'm against giving Chaldea such permission," Armsmaster said.

"Your complaint is noted but my decision is final," Piggot said.

Armsmaster frowns heavily but doesn't say anything else.

"Does anyone else have any questions?" Piggot asked.

"Are we going to get backup?" Dauntless asked.

"Yes, we are. Myrddin, Chevalier, and Rime are confirmed to be coming here. Dragon will also be sending some of her suits to help," Piggot said.

Some big names are coming.

"When are they arriving?" Battery asked.

"Strider's been hired to transport them. They will be here within the hour," Piggot said.

"When are you planning to attack?" Medea asked.

"It depends on how many of Hydra's clones are still out there," Piggot turns to me. "Those things-"

"Golems," I said.

"....those golems, how many do you have?" Piggot asked.

"As many as I need," I said.

Piggot looks at me with an unreadable expression for a few seconds.

Oh yeah, she didn't like what I said.

Renick coughs, "I take that the one that is controlling the golems isn't here."

"You would be correct, he is somewhere else. If you want we can talk to him right now," I said.

"That would be a good idea," Renick said.

"Medea, if you would," I said.

Medea snaps her finger and a magical circle appears on the middle of the table. Avicebron images appeared after a second.

"Yes?" Avicebron asked.

"How is it looking?" I asked.

"I dealt with the clones that were causing havoc throughout the city. Now they are all contained in the Empire territory," Avicebron said.

"How much of the city was damaged?" Piggot asked.

"While much of the city suffered damage, none of the critical infrastructure was affected," Avicebron said.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Avicebron spoke first.

"I'm already working on cleaning the streets of debris and repairing the damaged buildings," Avicebron said, anticipating my thoughts.

I gave him a thumbs up.

"What about the hospital?" Glory Girl asked, with a worried face.

Many in the room tensed at Glory Girl's question, turning their attention to Avicebron.

"They attempted an attack, but Paracelsus and Asclepius took care of them. I also placed a few of my golems there for added protection," Avicebron said.

Glory Girl lets out a sigh of relief, and leans head on Gallant shoulder.

"Did any more of Gesellschaft capes appear?" I asked.

"Yes, three more capes have appeared. Let me show you," Avicebron said.

The image switches to the street where a fight is currently happening.

A man is fighting the golems singlehanded, and destroying a few of the golems.

He's dressed like a Greek soldier, and his upper body muscles are grotesquely huge.

It's as if someone inflated only half his body.

And yet, he moves with a grace that should be impossible for such a disproportionate body.

There are clones helping him in stopping the golems from advancing but it will be only a matter of time before he's overwhelmed.

Another image appears.

A group of golems relentlessly strike against an energy shield conjured by a young woman clad in full-body armor. Besides her, another woman is locked in combat with the golems, battling fiercely to keep them at bay.

Unlike her partner, she's in a grey sleeveless combat suit, and brown boots, draped with a dark cloak, and wears a mask obscuring the lower part of her face. She is wielding a sword that is slicing through the golems effortlessly as if they're made of paper.

The golems are unable to harm her; whenever they come near, her body contorts itself, almost as if it were made of water, allowing her to evade their attacks before striking back.

"Who're they?" Miss Militia asked.

"The man is known as 'Spartan', a Brute capable of enhancing his physical strength," Armsmaster said while reviewing the PRT database. "...but I can't find any information on the other two," he added with a frown.

"They're giving any trouble?" I asked Avicebron.

"Besides being annoyances, they're only a temporary setback," Avicebron said.

Avicebron looks to his side and shakes his head.

"What?" I asked.

"It's just another wave of clones that are trying to attack me," Avicebron said casually.

I let out a hum, "Is that so."

"With the numbers of clones they have, it can't be helped that some of them slip past my golems," Avicebron shrugs.

There doesn't seem to be a limit to how many clones Hydra can create.

Well, sooner or later he has to go to sleep.

I can feel everyone's eyes on me, filled with disbelief.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"Aren't you two acting a little too calm!?" Clockblocker and Vista exclaimed at the same time.

Am I?

I mean, if there was any problem Avicebron would have said something.

"Tell us where you are, so we can send backup!" Brandish said.

"There's n-" Avicebron is interrupted by Kid Win.

"He's the boat graveyard," Kid Win said, looking at his phone.

"Oh? Someone already posted on PHO, huh," Medea commented.

"Facebook, actually," Kid Win said.

Ah, good old social media.

"Anyways, we got it under control. So you don't have to worry about anything," I said.

But no one seemed to have heard me, too caught up in deciding who would go to the boat graveyard to help Avicebron secure the area.

"New Wave can get there quicker and secure the area," Battery said.

"We're running on fumes. I don't know how much of a help we would be," Lady Photon frowned.

"Hey," I said louder.

"Can we send any of the troopers with New Wave?" Miss Militia asked.

"All of the troopers are occupied," Piggot said.

I let out a tired sigh.

"Morgan," I said.

Morgan gently taps her demonic spear on the ground, and instantly, silence falls over the room. Every sound vanishes, leaving everyone startled. They glance around, wide-eyed, trying to understand what just happened.

Their attention shifts to us as I let out a chuckle.

"While I do appreciate the help all of you are offering it isn't necessary," I said.

Oh, I didn't realize that this room had some echo.

Assault waves to grab my attention and point at his mouth.

Morgan taps her demonic spear on the ground once again, and the room is filled with sound once more.

"What was that?" Assault asked.

The magecraft equivalent of the 'mute button'.

"Something to grab everyone's attention," I said.

"Don't do that again," Piggot said with a glare.

I'm never going to be on her good side, am I?

"Are you certain that he doesn't need help?" Manpower asked, glancing at Avicebron.

"I don't need help. The clones aren't getting anywhere close to me. They might have more numbers but they're all weak," Avicebron said.

"There you have it," I said.

They still didn't seem convinced, but they didn't say anything more about it.

"So, about the time of the attack?" Medea asked.

"We still need to plan our attack, but considering how tired everyone is, it will likely take place later this evening. We will reach out to everyone later with more details. In the meantime, I strongly recommend that you all get as much rest as possible," Piggot said.

Murmurs of relief spread across the room.

Piggot turns to me.

"Can I assume that Chaldea will wait until tonight and join us in our attack against the Empire and Gesellschaft?" Piggot asked.

"Huh, well, I was thinking-" Morgan interrupts me.

"Your terms are acceptable. We will meet with you tonight," Morgan said.

Hold on, what?

"I know that look, master and it can wait until tonight. Right now, you're going to get some sleep," Medea said.

Medea puts her hands on my shoulders and starts to push me to the door.

As I was being pushed, something caught my attention in the corner of my eyes, prompting me to turn and see what it was.

"Is that the sun?" I asked with wide eyes.

"It appears so," Morgan said, looking at the sun that is emerging on the horizon.

Oh fuck.

//////////////////////

I enter my room through the window.

"They better cancel school today," I muttered.

I let out a tired sigh and took off my mask.

Suddenly the lights in my room turned on and someone gasped behind me.

I quickly turned around and came to face my parents looking at me with wide eyes.

We stared at each other in silence for a few moments.

"I can explain," I said, breaking the silence.

///////////

Short chapter this time.

I have been wanting to start another story but I'm still working on it.

So next update will either be the next chapter of Throne of Bet or a new story.

//////////

Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.

//////////////////////////

If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.

Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader

 

[regulareader]

Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.

I tried to finish this before Christmas but it is what it is.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone!

I will see you all back in January.

/////////////////////////////////////

Well, I was going to have this talk sooner or later.

I wish that it wasn't when I was exhausted.

I can't catch a break, can I?

"Henry, what is that?" Nora asked, looking at the mystic code that I was wearing.

How do I explain this?

"It's my cape costume," I said.

Let's start small.

Mom blinks rapidly at my answer.

"Where did-no, that isn't important right now. How long?" Isaac asked.

"How long I have been a cape or have powers?" I asked.

The second one is harder to explain.

Mom and Dad glanced at each other confused.

"Isn't that the same thing?" Isaac asked.

"Not in my case," I said, rubbing my neck.

"Wha-what does that even mean?" Nora asked, slightly agitated.

"It's hard to explain," I said.

"Then start from the beginning," Isaac said.

That doesn't help.

"Okay, so the whole cape thing started the day that I came out of the coma. I waited first for everyone to fall asleep before I sneaked out. Then I looked for a quiet place so I could summon a friend. And, well, you know about the fight I had with the Empire," I said, explaining my first night as a cape.

"You shouldn't have fought them. That was incredibly irresponsible," Isaac said with a frown.

"I had to do something, the fight was only going to get worse and Morgan was more than enough to deal with the Empire capes," I argued back.

"Morgan?" Isaac asked.

Crap.

"You mean that woman with white hair?" Nora asked.

"Isn't she a projection?" Isaac asked.

"Yes and no," I said.

"What does that mean?" Nora asked.

"Wait a second. What do you mean: you had to summon her?" Isaac asked.

Oh boy.

"Here the thing about my 'power', I can summon legendary heroes to help me in battle," I said.

Oversimplified, but it's enough for now.

"When you say 'summon', is that just something you say to add a bit of flair to your power, or do you actually mean it? Because if it's the latter, then they must be coming from somewhere," Isaac said with a grim frown.

I pressed my lips in a thin line.

Mom let out a gasp at my silence.

"Henry....did you kidnap them?" Nora asked hesitantly.

"No!" I nearly shouted, making my parents lean back in surprise. "That isn't even close to what's happening. Yes, they are coming from somewhere but there is no kidnapping or mastering involved in this whatsoever."

My parents seemed relieved at that.

"What even made you ask that question?" I asked.

Isaac shrugs, "I keep hearing how sentient your projections are, now you say she has a name and this whole summoning thing. I couldn't help but think that it's like those stories of a mage summoning heroes from distant lands," Isaac said.

Holy crap Dad, you have no idea how right you are.

"You know, like those cheese novels that your mom likes to read," Isaac said.

"And what's wrong with them?" Nora asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Honey, those novels are so packed with cliches that I could hardly bring myself to finish one of them," Isaac said drily.

Damn.

Mom lightly slaps Dad's shoulder with a huff.

I let out a small laugh at this.

"Young man, you aren't off the hook yet," Nora said sternly. "So, where're they coming from?" she crossed her arms.

"....from another world," I said rubbing my neck.

"Explain," Isaac raised an eyebrow.

I let out a sigh, "They come from a Chaldea that exists in another world. And we're in the process of transferring the entire organization to here."

"Why would they do that? They would be abandoning their homes," Nora said.

No, they wouldn't since their home is Chaldea.

"Okay, I'm going to need-" I'm interrupted by Daisy walking into the room

"What's going on?" Daisy asked, sleepily rubbing her eyes.

She suddenly stops when she sees me, her eyes going wide in surprise.

"YOU AR-" I quickly got close to her and covered her mouth.

"For the love of god don't scream that," I said, creating a bound field that covers my room.

I should have done that earlier.

I remove my hand from Daisy's mouth.

"You're Magus," Daisy said with an excited grin.

"Yes I'm," I said with a tired smile.

"Awesome," Daisy whispered.

A thought crosses my mind.

"Hey, give me a hand here, and later I can introduce you to everyone at Chaldea," I whispered to Daisy.

Her eyes light up and nods her head quickly.

"We can hear you," Isaac deadpanned.

Oh well.

I shrug my shoulders in response and Daisy laughs nervously.

I frowned as Daisy tensed at the distant sound of explosions.

I gently place a hand on her head, guiding her gaze to mine. "Everything is going to be okay," I said softly, offering her reassurance.

Daisy grabs my hand firmly and nods.

I glance at my parents and see that they are also tense.

That is it, we aren't staying here.

"We're going to the hotel," I said.

"Hotel?" Nora asked.

"We needed space since Chaldea has a lot of members," I explained.

"Where did you get the money?" Isaac asked.

"We robbed the gangs," I said with a shrug.

Dad raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything.

More explosions echoed in the distance.

"We can finish this talk when we're there. Now go change clothes," I said.

Isaac frowns, "We can't just-"

"This isn't up for discussion, the hotel is the safest place in the city and we're going there," I said with a tone of finality.

Mom and Dad and Daisy exchange glances.

"What are you guys waiting for? Go change," I said, pushing them out of my room.

God, what a headache.

"Da Vinci, I'm bringing my family to the hotel. My parents found out," I said.

"Oh boy. How did that happen?" Da Vinci asked.

"They walked on me a little after I entered my room," I said. "I think they were waiting for me," I rubbed my chin in thought.

The timing was too perfect.

"I'm not surprised. With all the commotion happening, they must have gone to check on you and your sister-"

"And they didn't find me," I said, pinching my nose in frustration.

Yeah, they were waiting for me.

"So, how did the talk go?" Da Vinci asked.

"Still going. I only told them a little about what I had been doing as a cape but Daisy interrupted me when I was going to talk about my 'power'. I'm going to need help to explain that," I said.

"I'm at your disposal," Da Vinci said immediately.

"Thanks," I said with a smile. "Seriously, how the hell do I explain everything to them?"

"I have an idea," Da Vinci said.

"What's it?" I asked.

"We show them your memories," Da Vinci said.

I froze at her suggestion.

My....memories?

"I can't," I whispered.

"Henry," Da Vinci said.

"They will see everything that I have done. I killed so many," I said.

They will think I'm a monster.

They will be scared of me.

I can't go through that.

"HENRY!" Da Vinci exclaimed.

I let out a gasp and shook my head to clear my mind.

Remember Xuanzang's meditation lessons.

"Clear your mind and focus only on your breathing. Breath in....breath out," Xuanzang lesson echoed in my mind.

Breathe in.....breath out.

Breathe in.....breath out.

Taking one more deep breath I was finally able to calm down.

Opening my eyes, I notice Hassan beside me, her hand gently resting on my back. Trying to help me calm down.

"Thanks," I said tired smile.

Hassan nods, she doesn't move from my side.

"You okay?" Da Vinci asked concerned.

"Not really," I said.

".....we don't have to do this, you know. I know that you don't want to hear but we could make them for- "

"No. That is never going to be an option with my family," I said firmly. "Besides, if I start now when would the lies end? They will just keep piling up until whatever chance I had to reconnect is completely gone."

I clench my fist in determination.

"We're doing this," I said.

"Okay. Whatever happens, we're with you. I'm going to get things ready for your arrival," Da Vinci said.

I have a weary sigh, running my hand through my hair in frustration.

"Another long day of work," I comment.

"Indeed. Would you like to eat or drink something?" Hassan asked.

"Got no appetite right now," I said, shaking my head.

We still have to exterminate the Empire later.

Man, I'm not going to get much sleep today.

"Oh yeah, do you got eyes on the Empire capes?" I asked.

"Yes. They have retreated to Medhall to catch their breath. Kaiser is arguing with Victor on what do to about Avicebron's golems. They are scared," Hassan said.

Well, they won't be scared for long.

"What about Hydra?" I asked.

"He's also at Medhall creating more clones. He's an odd one," Hassan said.

I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I've been watching him for the past two hours. Other than creating clones, all he does is stare into space," Hassan said.

That is odd.

"Is there anything else worth noticing?" I asked.

Hassan nods, "There's a tunnel that leads to outside of the city."

An escape route?

We can't have that.

"Cape made?" I asked.

"Yes. The walls have no sign of being made using machines or tools. There are also two unknown capes waiting at the end of the tunnel," Hassan said.

One of them must have created the tunnel.

"Take Ushiwakamaru and Cú Chulainn to deal with them and anyone that comes out of it. No prisoners," I said seriously.

My parents and Daisy step inside my room, only to freeze in shock at Hassan standing next to me.

"It's okay, she's with me," I reassured them.

Looks like they are ready.

"Master, the hotel is still being watched," Hassan reminded me.

Oh right.

"We need to cover your faces before we leave," I said.

"I'm sorry, who's watching the hotel?" Nora asked concerned.

"People that want me under their thumbs," I said casually.

Maybe I could use the masks from Daisy's old Halloween costume, I think she might have kept a few of them.

"Master," Hassan said, holding three spares of her mask.

Oh, that's much better.

////////////////////

The trip to the hotel was made in silence, my family is still coming in terms of me being a cape.

Daisy informed me that I was already considered the most powerful cape in the city.

Not much of an achievement when the bar is low around here. At least in Brockton Bay, the S-call threats and Endbringers are another story.

Upon entering the hotel, we found Da Vinci already waiting for us in the lobby.

"Hey," Da Vinci said with a tired smile.

"Hey. Is everything ready?" I asked.

"Not yet. Morgan and Medea need a few more minutes to finish the spell," Da Vinci said.

"Spell?" Daisy asked, taking off her mask.

I let out a sigh, "It will all be explained. Just be patient for now."

"So this is your family. Hey there, I'm Da Vinci," Da Vinci introduces herself to my family.

"You're so young," Isaac said with a frown.

Da Vinci shakes her head, "I only look young. Trust me, I'm actually older than you," she said with a wink.

Dad glances at me confused and I shrug in response.

"Da Vinci? Isn't that the same name from that movie from 2006?" Daisy asked, scratching her head.

Da Vinci's smile turned stiff, and I quickly covered my mouth to stifle a laugh.

Oh god, this is amazing.

She is one of the greatest minds in history and Daisy remembers her from a movie about some over complicated conspiracy about the holy grail or something like that.

"Anyway, let's go to the meeting room. I'm sure you all have many questions," Da Vinci said.

I walk next to her, my family quickly following us.

"You had anything to eat yet?" Da Vinci asked.

"Nope. And don't bother asking Barghest to make something, I got no appetite right now," I said.

Da Vinci glances at me with a concerned frown.

"Don't give me that look. Besides, it's not like this is the first that I'm working nonstop," I said.

"After this is over you're going to eat something and sleep for eight hours," Da Vinci said, leaving no room for argument.

"All right," I said.

"....you know, I was hoping things were going to be different here," Da Vinci let out a sigh.

Yeah, different world, same problems.

Well, on a smaller scale this time.

"We just have to deal with the S-class threats and the Endbringers. After that the heroes can handle the rest," I said.

"Already planning your retirement?" Da Vinci asked amused.

"Oh yeah. I'm thinking about traveling around the world," I said.

"Hm, that does sound good," Da Vinci said.

We reached our destination and entered the meeting room.

It's a simple room featuring a rectangular table surrounded by chairs.

I sit at the table with Da Vinci on one side, while my family sits opposite us.

"Get comfortable, we got some time before the preparations are ready," I said, leaning back on my chair.

"What're we waiting for?" Nora asked.

"And what was that about a 'spell'?" Daisy asked.

Oh, fuck it.

"We're waiting for a spell that is going to show my memories to all of you," I said.

One, two, three...

"What're you talking about?" Mom, Dad, and Daisy said at the same time.

"I know that sounds weird but Henry is speaking the truth. Just wait a few minutes," Da Vinci said.

"You mean, wait for this so-called 'spell'," Isaac said annoyed.

"Honey," Nora said with a frown.

"No. We aren't going along with whatever is happening. Henry, what the hell is going on!?" Isaac said impatiently.

"It's complicated," I said.

"So simplify," Isaac demanded.

"I can't do that," I said with slightly gritted teeth.

"Why not?" Isaac pressed.

"Because you will never believe me!" I exclaimed in anger, slamming my hands on the table.

Dad blinks in surprise at my outburst.

Mom and Daisy look at me with concern.

"The truth is far too ridiculous for any of you to believe without proof. Hell, there are still parts of it I can't believe myself that it happened, and I was there!" I said.

The Clock Tower didn't believe us when we told them about the singularities. They thought that such things were too fantastic to be true.

Too fantastic.

A freaking secret society of mages didn't believe us.

"Let's all calm down first. The last few hours have been stressful for everyone," Da Vinci said, mediating the situation.

Mom sends a grateful nod to Da Vinci and turns her attention to me. Her expression was a mix of confusion and concern.

"We want to understand but you aren't making any sense. I mean, what memories do you even want to show us?" Nora asked.

"I'm going to need all of you to keep an open mind. And I do mean open," I said, staring intensely at my family.

Mom, Dad, and Daisy nod their heads after a moment of hesitation.

"I'm going to show memories of how I became the last master of humanity and everything I did to restore proper human history," I said seriously.

My family stays silent for a minute.

"I'm calling the PRT," Dad breaks the silence and grabs his phone.

I let out a groan.

"Please don't. That isn't going to help," I said, pinching my nose.

"Mr. Karn, I understand your skepticism but I assure you that Henry is speaking the truth," Da Vinci said, trying to help me.

"I can't get a signal," Isaac said, ignoring Da Vinci.

"Dad, please put the phone away. The PRT isn't going to help, all they are going to do is put a leash on me," I said.

"Why would they do that?" Nora asked.

"To control Chaldea. By now they must have realized that they can't defeat us, so their only choice would be to control Henry," Da Vinci explained.

"You guys are that strong?" Daisy asked curiously.

"Yes," Da Vinci said.

Dad kept messing with his phone.

"Dad put the phone away!" I said angrily.

"No!" Isaac exclaimed just as angrily.

We stared each other down until Mom rested her hand on Dad's shoulder. She turned to me and, after a brief pause, began to speak.

"Sweetie, something isn't right with you," Nora said.

I lean back in surprise.

"At first I thought it was because you're a cape but now....I don't even know what to say," Nora shakes her head.

It's going to be worse after they see my memories.

"Maybe it's his powers," Daisy said.

She began fidgeting nervously as all eyes shifted towards her.

"What do you mean?" Da Vinci raised an eyebrow.

"I read how some powers affect the parahuman's minds. Making them act different from how they were before," Daisy said uncomfortably.

Damn it Daisy. I know that you're trying to help but you're making it worse!

"Ah, that," Da Vinci said with a grimace. "It's more common with 'Thinkers' as their powers are related to their minds, so it's expected for them to see the world in a different light. But that has nothing to do with this conversation."

Da Vinci fixes an intense gaze on my Dad, silencing him before he can launch another rant.

Da Vinci sighed, "I didn't want to resort to this."

I don't like the sound of that.

Da Vinci looks me in the eyes and then at my chest.

It takes a second before I understand what she wants.

Yep, I was right.

I take off my shirt and my family gasped at the state of my body.

The contrast between how I looked before and after the coma is undeniable. I certainly didn't have such well-defined muscles and, most strikingly, wasn't covered in scars before.

Old scars.

Most of them are faded by now, thanks to Nightingale, but you can easily that I didn't get any of them recently.

My family kept looking at me in horror, too stunned to say anything.

I need a drink.

The door swings open as Medea and Morgan step into the room. They halt abruptly, their eyes scanning the space, instantly aware of the palpated tension gripping everyone present.

"Should we come back later?" Medea raised an eyebrow.

"Won't make a difference," I put back my shirt. "Let's get this over with."

Medea and Morgan quickly move to my side. Morgan places her hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me.

I took her hand and offered a grateful smile.

A magical circle appears under me.

"Before we go through with this, I need to warm all of you," I said, locking eyes with my family. "This is going to be awful. At first, it isn't so bad but later it is when things get, honestly, downright cruel."

They exchanged a glance, their eyes reflecting a mix of fear and uncertainty. After a brief pause, they nodded to each other and then turned toward me.

"We want to know," Isaac said determined.

Mom and Daisy also nod in determination.

"Begin," I said.

Medea and Morgan start the spell.

Down the memory lane, we go.

//////////

Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.

//////////////////////////

If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.

Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader

 

[regulareader]

Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.

///////////

"Where are we?" Isaac asked, looking around the place.

"Are we inside my head?" I asked curiously.

Mom glances around nervously, while Daisy's eyes wander, her face glowing with curiosity.

Morgan shakes her head, "It's a temporary 'room' we have created to better show your memories."

It looks like a movie theater.

"Time moves faster inside this 'room' than the outside. So we can take our time and answer all the questions that you all are going to have," Morgan said.

"Cool, is that your power....what was your name again?" Daisy asked embarrassed.

Oh right, I didn't introduce them before.

"I'm Morgan Le Fay's child and no, this isn't my 'power'. This is just a simple spell, there isn't any reason to be impressed about it," Morgan said.

"Yeah, I'm not satisfied either with how it turned out," Medea said, looking around the place with a displeased face. "Oh, by the way, I'm Medea. It's a pleasure to meet you all," she said with a beautiful smile.

Well, they are both geniuses when it comes to magecraft, so it's easy to see why they think that. However, I'm sure others would disagree with their opinion on the matter.

"How long is this going to take?" Nora asked.

I hum thoughtfully, "I'd say about a day and a half, give or take. Right?" I look at Medea for confirmation.

Medea nods, "Oh yeah, this is going to easily take that long to show everything."

"Day and a half?! We can't stay that long here!" Isaac exclaimed.

"It's fine. Only a few minutes will have passed when this is over. And before you ask, no we won't get hungry or need to sleep in here," Medea waves of Isaac's concerns.

Dad glances at me, silently asking me if Medea is telling the truth.

"She knows what she is talking about," I said.

Dad turns to Mom, who simply shrugs in response.

Da Vinci clapes her hands, "Ok. Let's all sit down so we can get this started."

We all sit down and face the screen. My family is seated to my right, while Da Vinci, Medea, and Morgan are seated to my left.

The first thing that my family sees is me meeting Mash.

"Who is th-"

"Shhhh!" I silenced my family. "Watch first, questions later."

My family returned their attention to the screen.

"God, it feels like it was a lifetime ago that I walked those halls," I said, looking sadly at my second home.

"It really does, doesn't it," Da Vinci said with a touch of melancholy.

A majority of the place was destroyed in our last fight against the Alien God. That bastard was throwing attacks left and right without a care in the world.

I'm pretty sure that was a last 'fuck you' from that son of a bitch.

"Did you rebuild it?" I asked.

"Not everything, since we were short on materials thanks to the Mage Association," Da Vinci said, her tone sharp with frustration. "But we don't have to worry about that anymore. All we need to do now is fix the place enough for Goredolf to come and go as he pleases."

The last bastion of humanity and we aren't even allowed to rebuild it because of some stuck-up nobles.

"I hate the Mage Association," I said bitterly.

"....me too," Da Vinci said.

"So that is Romani Archaman," Morgan commented.

I blink rapidly and return my attention to the screen.

"Yeah," I said softly.

"You two always spoke highly of him. I'm curious though, what is he doing in your room?"Morgan asked.

"Usually he didn't have much work since the medical procedures were done by machines, so he would go to my room to relax," I said.

"He used to go to my workshop, we would spend the afternoon chatting about anything that came to our minds," Da Vinci said with a small smile. "He changed to your room when Olga caught him there and scolded him."

"Do you remember Magi Mari?" I asked.

"Yes! I was so confused about how that was possible. I mean, the world was gone but somehow this 'idol' was still able to stream!" Da Vinci said with a huff.

"He asked me to make models of her," Medea said amused.

"I watched with him once. It was surprisingly very good," I said.

"Who was this idol? To be able to protect herself from Goetia's machinations, she must have been a powerful sorceress," Morgan remarks, tilting her head in curiosity.

"It was Merlin," of all the explanations I never expected that one.

"...I see," Morgan said with a small frown, dropping the matter.

Yeah, Merlin will do what he does best, and for your peace of mind, it's best not to question it.

"You two hold Romani in high regard," Morgan said.

"He was a pessimist most of the time, making so many of his decisions based on the 'advice' from Magi Mari, he would run away or not do anything if ever caught in a dilemma," Da Vinci said, listing many of Romani's flaws. "But at the same time he was someone that you could rely on," she finishes with a beautiful smile.

Yes, you could.

I would spend hours talking with him about the singularities, the pressure, the fear. Whenever I needed to talk about those things, he was always there for me.

"What about Olga? You never talked much about her," Morgan said.

Right, Morgan met 'her' when she was already the vessel of the Alien God.

I hum softly as the screen replays the moment Olga explained to me what it means to be a magus and the fundamentals of magecraft.

"Well, I tried to evade thinking about her as much as possible since the first thing that would pop into my head would be....her death," I said, my grip on the armrest tightening. "I had nightmares about that for quite a while."

Morgan grabs my hand and squeezes trying to comfort me.

"You never told me that," Da Vinci said with a worried frown.

"I told Romani and asked him to keep it a secret. Back then I wasn't comfortable talking about this kind of stuff with you and I didn't think you would want to given how busy you were," I said apologetically.

Da Vinci sighs, "That's fair."

"Anyway, during the brief time I worked under her, I can say that Olga was a stern yet fair director. Even though she was appalled by my complete lack of skills as a master and magus, she still took the time to explain everything to me," I said.

"That girl carried too much weight on her shoulders," Da Vinci said sadly. "She constantly doubted her ability to lead Chaldea but pushed forward anyway because it was her responsibility as the Animusphere heir. It certainly didn't help that the only person she completely trusted was Lev."

"The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies; it comes from those you trust the most," Medea said with a faraway gaze.

"....she was afraid of Mash, you know," Da Vinci said suddenly. "She was convinced that Mash would seek revenge against her and nothing would convince her otherwise. And trust me, Romani and I tried. That was the most tragic aspect of Olga, she was the heir of a prestigious family and a talented magus but didn't have the mentality of one."

"The world of mystics is a merciless one. Even the most hardened of mages can fall into despair. I take her life was full of hardships?" Morgan asked.

"Yep. We found her diary and it painted a rather ugly picture of what she was going through as she tried to command Chaldea," Da Vinci said grimly.

Well, this conversation took a depressing turn.

Huh, we're already at the end of my memory of Fuyuki.

Wait, what in the world?

"You change my memories," I raised an eyebrow.

Olga died when she was absorbed by CHALDEAS; however, my memory shows Lev snapping his fingers, causing Olga to be engulfed by a bright light, seemingly killing her instantly.

"I asked them to do that. Just because we're going to show your memories doesn't mean we also need to traumatize your family, especially your little sister," Da Vinci explained.

Oh god, I didn't even think what this would do to Daisy.

"What exactly did you do?" I asked.

"We placed a filter on your memories to tone down the gruesome deaths. We're seeing the same thing your parents are, your little sister on the other hand is seeing a more edited version," Morgan said.

Good, this could have been very bad.

"The memory ended," Medea said suddenly.

Time to face the music.

My family are all looking at me with wide eyes.

"So....questions?" I asked with a smile. "And one at a time please!" I quickly added before they had the chance to even speak a word.

"When did this happen!?" Issac asked.

"Are you okay!?" Nora asked.

"Can I also do magic!?" Daisy asked.

Everyone turns their attention to Daisy.

"What?" Daisy tilts her head innocently.

"I'm going to start with Daisy's question: if you have magical circuits then yeah, you can learn magecraft. We would just need to find you a teacher," I said.

Medea would be a good choice.

"I'm better now, but during my adventures, there were times I got seriously hurt. You all saw my scars," I said.

Mom and Dad grimaced at the reminder.

"And from your perspective, all of this took place while I was in a coma. But don't be mistaken, I was gone for years," I said gravely.

"But....you were only in a coma for two months," Isaac said stunned.

"Time moves differently between worlds. What was two months for you were years for us," Da Vinci said.

My family is stunned into silence.

I clap my hands, bringing their attention back.

"None of that! You wanted to know and here we are! Ask all the questions you want!" I said.

"Uhm, okay. How did you end up there?" Isaac asked.

"The wizard marshall Kirschur Zelretch Schweinorg summoned me to save his world. He took my soul and placed it in another body. That's how I ended up in a coma and why the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me," I said.

"....what?" Isaac blinks rapidly.

"Told you wouldn't believe me," I said.

"Why it had to be you?" Nora asked.

"I have no idea. I only found out from Morgan after I summoned her," I said.

"Zelretch didn't provide many details about the spell he used to summon you to us either. He just mentioned that it would find the right person for the job," Da Vinci said with a shrug.

Isaac narrowed his eyes, "Wait a second, did he just dump all of this on your shoulders without even explaining?"

"....yes," I said.

Dad opens his mouth to curse but Mom shoots him a glare, stopping him.

Dad takes a deep breath to calm down.

"Where is he?" Isaac asks angrily.

"Somewhere that you are never going to reach. Trust me, that is a good thing," Da Vinci said.

Dad falters for a moment.

"Don't worry, I'm going to punch that son of a bitch when I see him," I said, giving a thumbs up.

Isaac nods, "Break his teeth."

Oh, I'm going to try.

"What else do you want to know?" Da Vinci asked.

"The memory showed you as an adult. Why are you a little girl?" Nora asked.

"That will be explained later," Da Vinci said with a strained smile.

"I still don't get what a servant is," Daisy said.

"Servants, also called Heroic Spirits, are familiars of the highest rank. They are individuals who have left a mark in history one way or another. Normally, you could only summon a servant to participate in a Holy Grail War but we were able to create a new system that would allow us to summon them whenever we wanted. We call it the Fate System and it was crucial to our endeavors in saving the world," Da Vinci said in a lecturing tone.

"Holy grail war?" Isaac, Nora, and Daisy asked at the same time.

"A Holy Grail War is a battle royale among seven masters, each summoning a servant to fight on their behalf. And the winner will have their wish granted by the Holy Grail," Morgan said.

"And to make something clear, the Holy Grail that we're talking about isn't the Cup of Christ. They are essentially giant mana batteries that are used to create and maintain singularities. There aren't many of them since they demand an obscene amount of magical energy to create one," Da Vinci said.

She says that and yet we came to possess an absurd number of Holy Grails.

"Who is behind this incineration thing?" Isaac asked.

"At first we thought it was Solomon but then we found out that it wasn't him but something connected to him," Da Vinci said.

"What does that mean? And who's Solomon?" Nora asked.

"Solomon was the third king of Israel, he was also considered the king of magecraft for his mastery over it. He was a crucial figure in the world of mystics and his death caused the decline in mysteries to accelerate," Da Vinci said, giving a brief summary. "As for the second part, it's better for you to see it."

Dad raises an eyebrow at Da Vinci's answer.

"How many servants are there?" Nora asked.

"Almost four hundred," Da Vinci said casually.

My family's eyes widen in surprise.

"That many!" Nora exclaimed in surprise.

"Are all of them coming here?" Daisy asks excitedly.

"That is the idea," I said.

The PRT/Protectorate will have a heart attack when everyone is here.

"Why is Chaldea moving to Brockton Bay?" Isaac asks before his eyes widen in panic. "Is that also going to happen to us!?"

Mom and Daisy tense in fear.

"No! That isn't what is happening!" I said quickly."You have nothing to worry about...I mean, besides the normal stuff like villains or endbringers."

Mom, Dad, and Daisy give stare at me deadpan.

"As for the reason why we're moving to Brockton is quite simple. Our job is done and we want to be together with master," Medea explained.

"But you are abandoning your home," Nora said with a frown.

Medea giggled, "No I'm not, since Chaldea is my home now. That is a sentiment that many servants share as well. Besides, there is nothing for me to return to anyway."

"It's also could be considered a second chance for us. The Mage Association would never leave us alone, they would try their very best to destroy us," Morgan said.

"Why would they do that? You guys saved the world!" Daisy said in disbelief.

Oh Daisy, you sweet innocent child.

"Because the majority of magus aren't good people, monstrous is even a good description to many of them. Magus are the kind of people who can look at a burning home and will only lift a hand to help if there is some kind of reward for them. All they care about is how they are going to further their goals," Medea said.

Morgan hums, "The lords of the Mage Association are also notoriously paranoid and don't accept anything that can be a threat to their power. Which in their eyes was what Chaldea represented."

There is also the whole sealing designation they would place on me.

"Anything else or we can continue?" I asked.

"Isn't King Arthur supposed to be a man?" Daisy asked.

I was wondering when they would ask about that.

"Artoria was forced to hide her gender otherwise she wouldn't have been able to rule over Camelot. By the way, there are a lot of servants that history got their genders wrong or they were summoned as women for one reason or another," I said.

"And that is normal?" Daisy raises an eyebrow.

"There was a point that I just stopped questioning about that and just accepted as a fact," I shrug.

Artoria is one thing, but how the hell do you mess up with Nero!?

How do you look at her and go: Yeah, that is definitely a man.

What the hell were the guys that were making her statues drinking?

"Anything else?" I asked.

My family shakes their heads, satisfied for now.

The screen lights up, showing my next memories.

We spend the next few hours seeing the singularities of Orlean, Septem, and Okeanos.

My family had a few questions, mostly just explanations about some minor things but most of the time they were quietly watching. I could see by their faces that they were enthralled by my adventures.

It was in the London singularity that they saw for the first time Goetia.

"Dear lord, there are so many of them," Isaac whispered stunned.

The screen just showed our fight against 'Solomon' and his Demon God Pillars, and how we barely survived the fight against him.

Dad, Mom, and Daisy are looking at the screen with expressions of fear.

"That is the perpetrator behind the Human Order Incineration Incident. The Grand Caster and King of Mages 'Solomon'," I said grimly.

"Why is he doing this?" Daisy asked.

"He wants to create a world where the concept of death doesn't exist. In his eyes, the incineration was the only way to 'save' humanity and secure a better future for them," Da Vinci said sadly.

Isaac rubs his temples, struggling to understand what Da Vinci just said.

"Hold on, what're you-" I interrupt Dad.

"Be patient and you will see what we're talking about," I said tiredly.

That was one of the hardest moments in our adventures.

Realizing that your enemy deems you so insignificant that they don't even find it worth the effort to eliminate you can be utterly demoralizing.

"How about we see something more lighthearted?" Medea offers.

Lighthearted?

"Oh, you mean the 'events'," I said.

I could use a laugh right now.

"What is that?" Nora raised an eyebrow.

"Every Summer, Valentine's Days, Halloween, and Christmas, a temporary singularity would emerge. These events were the perfect opportunities to gather and, most importantly, to unwind," Da Vinci explained.

"Well, there were also some irregular singularities. Histories from other worlds that manifested in our timeline and we need to take care of them otherwise it would spiral out of control," I said, rubbing my neck. "Than there's GUDAGUDA."

I swear, that only got more unhinged with time.

"GUDA-what now?" Daisy asked.

I rub my chin in thought, "It's unique... every time it was....hold on, give me-"

"It's an insult to common sense," Morgan said frustrated, explaining to my family. "With every instance being more bizarre than the last. That event does as it pleases. To this day I'm shocked that Nobunaga's existence never has become a threat to the Human Order."

Morgan once tried to understand the insanity of GUDAGUDA.

That didn't end well.

"Okay, now I'm curious. Ridiculous like what?" Isaac asked.

Medea hums, "There was one time that Nobunaga literally lost her head, somehow she didn't die from that, and it was used as one of the components to power an artificial god."

"I'm sorry?" Nora asked dumbfounded.

"Or that time we had to go back to Yamatai-koku to stop the ancestral beast from destroying the world with curses. To have a chance to defeat him we had to use tea to weaken him first. Lots of tea," I said.

I don't know what I said with a straight face.

Dad is staring at us as if we've completely lost it.

Daisy, on the other hand, has stars in her eyes.

"There is also the Saber Wars. I always found them to be very entertaining," Medea said amused.

"It's basically Star Wars, just with servants instead of Jedi and Siths," I explained to my family.

"That sounds fun," Daisy said, vibrating with excitement.

Da Vinci nods, "Indeed, Chaldea was always more lively whenever the 'events' happened. Let's watch a few of them before returning to the singularities."

Everyone nods and the screen lights up.

We spent the next five hours laughing at how silly each event was.

It was a good way to distract my family since they were going to see the worst singularities next.

Camelot was bad enough but Babylonia was a bloodbath. And Tiamat.....I'm not looking forward.

"Just to be clear, these events happen every holiday, yes?" Isaac asked.

"That is correct," Da Vinci nods.

"And they all needed a Holy Grail?" Isaac asked.

"They may be temporary but they are still singularities. They need massive amounts of magical energy to manifest, which is where the Holy Grail comes into the picture," Da Vinci said, curious to see where Isaac is going with these questions.

"This is a plot from that Solomon guy to distract Chaldea, isn't it?" Isaac asked.

"What?" Da Vinci, Morgan, Medea and I said at the same time.

"You said before that there weren't many Holy Grails but now there's all these extra ones that you get at these events. I get it that you primarily use these events to gather resources but this whole thing feels too convenient," Isaac shrugs.

Mom nods in agreement.

"It's so suspicious!" Daisy exclaims.

"Okay, yeah, I can see why you all think that but there's a glaring flaw in your logic. Go-Solomon didn't see Chaldea as a threat. To him, all of our efforts were pointless and we were just delaying the inevitable conclusion. In his eyes, we weren't worth the effort. It was only after we solved the Babylonia singularity that he started to pay attention to Chaldea," Da Vinci said with a frown.

As infuriating as that was, it was the only thing stopping Goetia from just wiping out Chaldea whenever he felt like it.

"I see," Isaac said quietly.

"We-Well, those were very entertaining to see!" Nora quickly said, hoping to keep the conversation going.

"When Christmas comes around, which Santa should I ask for presents?" Daisy tilts her head in thought.

"Huh, I will tell you later," I said.

Oh boy, there's going to be a fight on who gets to be Santa in Brockton Bay this year.

Daisy raises her hand, "About the GUDAGUDA-"

"It's best for your and everyone's sanity if you don't ask any questions about that. That's a rabbit hole that you don't want to see how far it goes," Morgan said.

Medea, Da Vinci and I nod in agreement.

"....Okay," Daisy said uncertainly.

"This was a good break. It's about time we end the singularities since there's still a lot to go over," Da Vinci said.

"How much more is there?" Isaac raised an eyebrow.

"This is just the first part," I said simply. "There's two more parts."

"What!" Isaac said.

"Oh my god, how many singularities are there?" Nora asked shocked.

"The singularities are only in the first part. What comes next is completely different," Da Vinci said.

"I'm going to give you guys a little spoiler: the first part was the easiest one," I said seriously.

My family glanced at each other, shocked by this piece of information.

The screen starts to play the remaining of the singularities.

E Pluribus Unum wasn't a bad one.

Besides Medb summoning twenty-eight Demon God Pillars, my focus there was to stop Nightingale from amputating one of my limbs.

She eased on that. Now she just uses enough bandages that I always end up looking like a mummy.

When Edison first appeared, my family was skeptical about his identity. And who can blame them?

He looks like the mix between a bodybuilder and a lion.

What can I say?

The Throne of Heroes is weird sometimes.

Look at Babbage. He is a steam-powered robot.

Was it ever explained why he was summoned like that?

I grimaced at seeing Mash collapse in my arms.

"What happened to her?" Nora asked concerned.

My memories didn't show anything about the Demi-Servant experiments that Mash went through. They think that she made a contract with a servant and used her body as a vessel.

"Unfortunately, Mash's servant's abilities would push her body beyond its limits. To put it simply: her body was slowly falling apart," Da Vinci said grimly.

Mom and Daisy let out a gasp while Dad tensed.

"She is fine now, we were able to stabilize her body. She can now safely use the full potential of her servant's abilities," Da Vinci said.

"How did you do that?" Daisy asked curious.

Fou had to give up his position as one of the Evil of Humanity to bring Mash back to life and give her a normal life span.

To this day I still can't believe that Fou was a Beast.

"Sorry but that is a secret," Da Vinci said with a wink.

Daisy pouts in response.

Camelot came next and that one was a nasty surprise.

The Knights of the Round Table were all formidable opponents but they didn't come close to their leader.

The Lion King.

Rhongomyniad turned Artoria's existence closer to a Divine Spirit. She was already powerful as a 'normal' servant, which made her unstoppable.

"What kind of plan is that?" Isaac said, not believing the Lion King's plan.

"She is dooming so many to death," Nora said.

"Couldn't she help you guys in beating Solomon? She's so strong!" Daisy said.

"You're misunderstanding something critical. The Lion King's thought process is of a Divine Spirit. There is no point in trying to understand her plan using the morality of a human," Morgan said.

"In her eyes, this is the best way to 'save' humanity," I said.

It doesn't take long before our final fight against the Lion King and Bedivere's sacrifice.

"I don't get it. Why does he have Excalibur?" Daisy asked.

"Bedivere was supposed to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He spent the next five hundred years looking for Artoria to fix that mistake and return Excalibur to its rightful owner," Da Vinci explained.

It's also what helped us win the fight.

Now the seventh singularity.

Babylonia.

"She doesn't get paid enough to deal with that golden bastard," Medea said.

"It's not that bad. Siduri was one of the few people that Gilgamesh would listen to," I said.

Gilgamesh is also a lot more tolerable when he isn't in his adult archer variant.

My family let out a gasp at our fight against Quetzalcoatl.

My parents turned to me with wide eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"What the hell was that!?" Isaac exclaims in disbelief.

"You freefall into a literal goddess that could kill you with a finger! What were you thinking!?" Nora exclaims in a mix of worry and anger.

"Okay, I admit that it was more of a spur-of-the-moment plan," I rub my neck.

"Why!?" Isaac and Nora demanded.

"....it made sense at the time," I said weakly

My father pinchs his nose and Mom keeps looking at me in disbelief.

Yeah, looking back I have no idea where that idea came from.

The memory continues with us rescuing Gilgamesh from the underworld and recruiting Ereshkigal.

Gorgon's defeat is where things went to hell.

Tiamat unleashed her authority, the chaos tides, and the destruction of Uruk by the Lahmu.

The beautiful land of Mesopotamia quickly became a hellscape.

Even after all this time, seeing the true form of Tiamat emerging from the ocean still sends a shiver down my spine. And by the looks of it, my family feels the same way.

"You fought that?" Isaac said in disbelief.

"Yes," I said.

"This is just a memory and yet there's this voice in my head that is saying that I need to run away," Nora said, her voice tinged with fear but still looking at the memory.

That is the appropriate reaction when facing a Beast.

"Tiamat is the first Beast that we fought," I said.

Isaac swallows heavily, "There are others?"

"Yes," I said grimly.

Mom and Dad stay quiet at my answer.

"She is like an Endbringer," Daisy whispered.

You're wrong Daisy.

Tiamat is so much worse. Unlike the Endbringers, she would have destroyed the world a long time ago.

I don't know why is taking the Endbringers so long to do that.

The battles reached their peak when we were able to throw Tiamat into the underworld and King Hassan joined the fight.

"Look! It's that skull guy from Camelot!" Daisy said.

....skull guy.

Only you Daisy.

Even in the underworld, the only place that could weaken her authority, it was a gruesome battle that we won by the skin of our teeth.

Finally, we reach the final battle to reclaim humanity's future.

The Temple of Time.

"How can such a place exist?" Nora asked.

My family is looking at the temple with wide eyes, shocked at the image in front of them.

"The second noble phantasm of Solomon, Ars Paulina. It's a reality marble that exists outside of the universe and outside of time, located in the space of imaginary numbers," Da Vinci explains.

Here comes Flauros to mock us.

Asshole.

"Didn't he die?" Isaac raised an eyebrow.

"He did, and Solomon summoned him back. That isn't the worst part, he and the other Demon God Pillars are immortals as long as they are inside the temple," I said.

"That's cheating!" Daisy exclaims.

Yes, it is.

In the beginning, it was a hopeless fight since no matter how many Demon God Pillars Mash and I defeated, they would quickly return.

Everything changed when every servant that I came across, both enemies and friends, in the singularities summoned themselves to help us.

It was a sight to behold as they arrived like shooting stars, lighting up the sky.

Daisy certainly enjoyed that as she was cheering loudly.

The servants opened a path for Mash and me to go to the throne room and confront Solomon. That is when he revealed who he really was.

Beast I - Goetia.

I grip my armchair tightly at seeing once again Mash sacrificing herself to block Ars Almadel Salomonis.

"She survived," I said suddenly. "We can't reveal how but she is fine," I stressed the last part.

I'm not sure if I said that before my family could say anything or if I needed to reassure myself.

Romani appears shortly, reveals himself to be the real Solomon, and uses his noble phantasm, Ars Nova, to give us a chance to defeat Goetia.

Fucking hell, I hate this part.

Even weakened it was still a harsh fight against Goetia, eventually, we did come on top. That bastard decided to be a sore loser and tried to stop me from leaving the Temple of Time.

I do regret not punching him harder before he disintegrated.

The memory comes to an end when Mash and I leave Chaldea to see the sky.

The screen turns off and the room stays silent for a few seconds.

"That was awesome!" Daisy cheers, breaking the silence.

"I still can't believe what I just watched," Isaac said shaking his head.

"I can't believe that was just the first part," Nora said.

I glance at Da Vinci and notice her gaze remains fixed on the screen, her expression tinged with melancholy.

"You okay?" I asked softly.

"Yeah, I just need a moment," Da Vinci said with a sad smile.

I think we could use a short break.

"Okay! We are going to have a short break before we see the 'Epic of Remnant', then we are going to see the second part," I said.

"What is that?" Nora asked.

"Some of the Demon God Pillars managed to escape the Temple of Time. They created singularities to lure master so that they could get their revenge," Medea said.

Isaac chuckles, "They kept saying how superior they were compared to humanity and now they are acting so petty."

Nora nodded, "Yes, these Demon God Pillars should have just accepted their defeat. Instead they decided to humiliate themselves. How shameful," she said with a vicious smile.

I raise an eyebrow at what my parents said.

"Okay, let's begin," I said.

The screen lights up.

///////////////////////////////////

Sorry it took so long to post this.

For some reason this chapter was kicking my ass, what the hell.

I thought that I could tell the story of FGO in one chapter but I was very wrong.

Next chapter I'm going to speed up things so that we may move to the end of the Empire.

Here is a little spoiler about Henry family.

His family will appear more in the story but the focus will be on Daisy as she does have magical circuits.

//////////

Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.

//////////////////////////

If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.

Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader.

 

[regulareader]

Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.

///////////

It didn't take long to watch all of the 'Epic of Remnant'.

It took Daisy a few minutes to stop laughing at seeing me in a dress.

My family didn't have many questions about the Remnants.

Unfortunately, we finally reached the part that I was dreading the most.

The Lostbelts.

"How about another break?" Da Vinci is looking at me with a worried face.

"There's no point in delaying this. Let's just get this over with this," I said tiredly.

"Henry, what's wrong?" Nora asked concerned.

"What you're about to see is going to be awful," I said bluntly.

My family blinks in surprise.

"What does that mean?" Isaac asked, dreading the answer.

"You're going to see," Da Vinci said sadly.

The screen lights up.

After the world was restored, the Mage Association came demanding answers and then called us liars when we told them what had happened.

Assholes.

Chaldea had to be shut down so the Mage Association could investigate us.

Thankfully Goredolf bought Chaldea before they could do that. We really got lucky with Goredolf becoming the new director.

Doesn't take long for everything to go to hell as Anastasia begins her attack on Chaldea.

We were able to run away but not without losing Chaldea and Da Vinci had to sacrifice her old self to stop Rasputin from killing us.

Kirschtaria's declaration of war against Proper Human History was the last thing we heard before zero sailing into the Imaginary Number Space.

"What just happened?" Isaac asked in disbelief.

"That was the Alien God making her move," I said.

"Alien God?" Nora asked with wide eyes.

Da Vinci nods, "Cosmos in the Lostbelts is what we call the invasion of the Alien God and the bleaching of the world."

"Hold on, bleaching the world? What does that mean?" Isaac asked.

"The world was wiped clean. Everything we fought so hard to protect was gone in an instant," Da Vinci said tiredly.

My family is stunned into silence.

What can you even say to that?

The screen lights up and the memory continues.

We exit the zero sail in the first lostbelt located in Russia.

It was a harsh world that only the strong could survive.

Our meeting with Patxi was a crucial point in our time there.

The more we learned about the land we found ourselves in, the more clear it became that the entire situation was something that we had never come across.

And it only became worse as time went on.

Learning what Yaga are and how they ended that way.

Joining forces with the rebellion.

Learning the truth about what was a lostbelt and what we needed to do to restore Proper Human History.

We went from saving the world to destroying other worlds.

Our battle against Ivan the Terrible was a difficult one but it was his question that took the fight out of me.

"Are you truly going to order these Yaga to die!?" Ivan demanded.

I couldn't bring myself to.

I just...couldn't do it.

If it wasn't for Patxi, I wouldn't have had the resolve to go through all the lostbelts.

I just wish he didn't have to lose his life for it.

We cutted down the Tree of Emptiness and sealed the fate of the Russian lostbelt.

The memory came to an end with the visage of a bleached world greeting us when we left Russia.

I glance at my family and they are still looking at the screen stunned at what they have seen.

"It's all gone," Isaac whispered.

"Oh my god," Nora covers her mouth in horror.

Daisy just keeps looking at the screen with wide eyes.

About what I was expecting.

"Told you it was going to be awful," I said.

"Why did Team A betray humanity?" Isaac asked.

"They were gravely injured in the explosion that Lev caused. Even putting all of them in cryogenic sleep made no difference. It was just delaying the inevitable," I said.

"The Alien God made a deal with Team A. They would heal their wounds if every member of Team A rebelled against Proper Human History," Da Vinci said.

"I can't believe that these people were once in charge of saving humanity," Nora shakes her head.

Well, Daybit and Kirschtaria had other plans that went against the Alien God.

"This is going to appear later but I'm already going to say this. Kadoc does join our side later," I said.

"Why?" Nora asked incredulously.

"A lot of things happened. I know it doesn't look like it but Kadoc isn't a bad person," I said.

Nora frowns, "I will trust your judgment."

Speaking of Kadoc.

"How is he by the way?" I asked.

"Still healing from his injuries, besides that, he's doing fine," Da Vinci said. "Kadoc's laying low for now. The Mage Association believes that he's dead."

"Is he going to come to Brockton Bay?" I asked.

"Most definitely. He wants to be as far away as possible from the Mage Association. And what better place than another dimension," Da Vinci said.

"Nice. What do you think is going to be the PRT reaction to Chaldea having two 'Masters'?" I asked amused.

"That will confuse them even more. I'm sure they are already having a hard time trying to understand you," Da Vinci said, equally amused.

There's another person that I still haven't asked about.

"What about Sion?" I asked.

"Oh, she went back to Atlas to talk with her father," Da Vinci said.

That can't be good.

"Is she in trouble?" I asked immediately.

"Nope. She went back to report to her father about everything that had happened. And before you ask, yes Sion will also come to Brockton. She is officially transferring to Chaldea but before she can leave she has something to finish in Atlas," Da Vinci said.

"Her father is okay with that?" I asked.

I don't know how the politics of Atlas work but I do doubt they would be happy to lose someone like Sion.

"I guess he is. Sion didn't mention him when she told me about her transfer," Da Vinci shrugs.

Good enough, I guess.

I turn to my family.

"Any more questions?" I asked.

"Who is Sion?" Nora asked.

"You will see shortly," I said.

"Are all of these losbelts like the Russian one?" Isaac asked.

"If you mean that they are worlds that meet a dead end, then the answer is yes," Da Vinci said.

"My god, I can't believe that there are seven worlds like that," Isaac rubs his temples.

I let out a snort, "It isn't just seven Dad. There are countless potential worlds that all were also pruned."

"....what?" Isaac asked.

"The pruning phenomenon words like this. In theory, the universe allows the birth of infinite possibilities, but it lacks the energy to sustain them. So to not waste energy, the world culls the timelines where the prime species aren't making any advancement," Da Vinci explained.

"I'm sorry, prime specie?" Nora asked confused.

"Prime species are the dominant species of the planet. And as you saw in Russia, that doesn't mean it will always be humanity. If another species suddenly appeared and they showed more potential, then they would become the new prime species of the planet," Da Vinci said.

Isaac rubs his chin, "I see. Like the dinosaurs could have been considered the prime species before they went instinct."

Da Vinci and I glance at each other.

"What?" Isaac asked.

I rub my neck while letting out a nervous laugh, "Well, the thing-"

"One of the lostbelts is a world dominated by dinosaurs, isn't it?" Isaac asked deadpan.

Da Vinci and I nod.

Dad lets out a groan as he pinches his nose.

It's also where ORT is but I'm not going to say that.

"Sweet, what's wrong?" Nora asked.

Daisy is looking at her lap with a frown.

"It's nothing," Daisy mumbled.

I think I know what she is thinking about.

"You can ask it," I said softly.

Daisy's slight flinch.

"I get it that it was a difficult decision that all of you had to make but....was there really no way of saving them?" Daisy asked.

Mom and Dad glanced at each other briefly.

Nora hugged Daisy, "Sweet, not everyone can get a happy ending," she said gently.

"Sometimes in life, you only have awful choices," Isaac places his hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. "And in the end, all you can do is choose the least awful of all of them."

My parents understand why we had to destroy the lostbelts.

Daisy, on the other hand, is still a child. She still believes that heroes can save everyone.

If only the world worked like that.

I got up, walked to Daisy, and kneeled in front of her.

"There was nothing that we could have done that would have changed their fate. If there was, we would have done our best to save them," I said.

The lostbelst weren't even about good or evil.

It was about survival.

"We can be the good guys, or we can be the guys that save the world. We can't be both," I said softly.

Something that I learned the hard way.

Daisy suddenly throws her arm around my neck and hugs me tightly.

"It's not fair," Daisy said.

I hug her back, "I know. Those Yagas didn't do anything wrong."

Daisy shakes her head, "That's not it. It's not fair that you were the one that was forced to make that decision."

I froze at what she said.

Daisy....

Daisy and I are enveloped by two sets of arms.

My parents joined the hug, holding us tightly.

I let out a shaky breath, close my eyes, and enjoy this moment.

My family isn't rejecting me.

We stayed like that for a few minutes. No one said a word, it wasn't necessary.

My parents let go of me and Daisy.

"It's okay," Nora said, wiping some of my tears.

"It's still going to take some time to get accustomed to this whole thing. And, well, I don't think you're going to need much of our help," Isaac said, trying to lift the mood.

"You don't have to do anything special. Just being present is more than enough," I said.

We all return to our seats.

"You look better," Da Vinci said with a soft smile.

"I feel lighter," I said with a small smile.

Morgan and Medea smile at my answer.

"Are we going to move to the hotel?" Daisy asked.

"There's more than enough space for all of you," Da Vinci said.

"They don't have to. We could fortify their house with a few wards," Medea shrugs.

"Is it that easy?" Nora asked.

"To me it's," Medea said with a smirk.

Mom lets out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you but I think we should stay at our apartment," Nora said.

Daisy pouts at what Mom said.

"Yeah, we don't want to cause any trouble for you guys. Besides, we don't want to draw any unnecessary attention," Isaac said.

"Dad, the hotel is under surveillance. It's too late for that," I said. "Didn't I tell you before coming here?" I rub my neck.

I'm pretty sure that I did.

"...fuck, that's right," Isaac pinch his nose. "How worried should I be?"

Da Vinci shrugs, "I wouldn't worry too much. We have measures to protect your identity. One more thing, once we're finished here, I'd like to discuss with you which servants are going to protect you."

"You don't have to go so far," Nora said.

"Yes, we do. We have plans that will attract all kinds of attention. When that time comes, people will do anything to figure out Henry's identity and how to control him," Da Vinci said grimly.

My family glances nervously at each other.

"Don't worry, they will have to go through Chaldea first," I said. "No one is going to hurt any of you."

I'm going to kill anyone who tries to hurt my family.

"Okay! So, let's continue," Da Vinci said.

The screen lights up.

In the next few hours, we saw our arrival at the Wandering Sea and our meeting with Sion, the lostbelts of Gotterdammerung, SIN, and Yugakshetra.

Atlantis and Olympus shocked my family. The Greek Gods reveal that they are actually spaceships and the utopia they have created. And, let's not forget, the summoning of U-Olga Marie, who we thought was the Alien God but she was in reality another apostle.

Heian-Kyo was Limbo's attempt at becoming a Beast and it failed big time since he didn't understand the requisites in becoming one. I may also have enjoyed killing him a little too much.

Avalon Le Fae was a mistake, there is no other way that I could explain that place. It was a land literally made of the bodies of its inhabitants who had died, and the fairy-twisted nature only made it worse.

The heinous treatment that Castoria received there makes my blood boil to this day.

Morgan was the only reason this accursed place lasted for so long. And she was betrayed and killed in a gruesome way.

Fucking fairies.

That is the only lostbelt that I can say that it needed to be destroyed.

Nahui Mictlan was another nightmare to deal with it.

Not because of the Deinos, who welcomed us with open arms, or Camazotz, or Tezcatlipoca and Tenochtitlan, or the Ocelomeh, or any of the dangerous animals that existed there.

It was because of that thing that came from outer space.

The Ultimate One from the Oort Cloud.

ORT.

I have fought all kinds of beings from across all mythologies and that thing was a genuine monster.

Even through a memory, you can still sense the oppressive aura that ORT radiates.

Something that is making my family very unsettled.

"That thing isn't here, right?" Isaac asked, terrified of ORT.

Mom and Daisy turn to us, their faces filled with fear.

"Of course not. This was one of the first things we checked," I said, trying to calm down my family.

"Did you check South America?" I asked.

"It slipped my mind," Da Vinci admitted with a grimace. "I will do it once we're done here."

I hold back a frown since my family is finally calming down.

Eventually, we managed to win against ORT and bring an end to Mictlan.

After we continued with our adventures to restore Proper Human History.

The memory kept playing until it showed our fight against the Alien God.

It comes to an end when it shows me waking up in the hospital.

A bright light engulfs all of us.

/////////////

We're back at the hotel.

I let out a groan as my body

My family quickly moves to my side.

"What's wrong with him?" Nora asked concerned.

"He's exhausted and hasn't eaten anything yet," Da Vinci.

Oh yeah.

I forgot about that.

"He also hasn't stopped working since his fight against the Empire," Medea said.

"Which is why he will go to bed right now," Morgan said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Well, I-" Da Vinci interrupts me.

"You're going to bed," Da Vinci said flatly, crossing her arms.

"I agree with her," Nora said, also crossing her arms.

I glance at my father and he shrugs in response.

"Okay, okay! I'm going," I raise my hands in surrender.

Suddenly Fou lands on my shoulder.

"Fou!" Fou said, placing his paw on my cheek.

"Oh, hey Fou," I scratch his chin.

I notice that Daisy is looking at Fou.

"You want to pet him?" I asked.

Daisy nods rapidly.

Fou turned his attention to Daisy and suddenly leaped onto her shoulder. He sniffed Daisy for a moment, then licked her cheek, which made her giggle.

I smile at the scene.

Okay, time to go to bed.

///////////

It's been a while since I had such a good sleep.

I was woken about an hour before the meeting with the PRT.

We also had a banquet that Barghest made.

It was delicious.

Da Vinci also asked for some reinforcement.

Leonidas, Bazett, Joan (Jeanne Alter), Arash and Sasaki.

Daisy is sleeping and my parents are awake.

They were told about what was going to happen to the Empire.

They had mixed feelings about my participating. In the end, they hugged me and told me to be careful.

I left the hotel with Morgan, Barghest, Leonidas, Thrud, Ortilinde, Hildr, Bazett, Joan, Arash, and Sasaki.

Ushiwakamaru and Cú Chulainn left the city, making their way to the end of the escape tunnel that the Empire has. And to deal with the two unknown capes that are there.

////////

We enter the PRT building.

"Well, this is certainly new," A voice said.

Huh?

Leonidas, Bazett and Barghest get in front of me.

There's a man wainting for us on the lobby.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Hold on, isn't he.....

"Now, now, we're all friends here," The man chuckled.

"He's a mage," Bazett said.

My eyes widen at the information.

"Where are my manners. Let me introduce myself: I'm Myrddin," Myrddin said, locking eyes with me.

///////////////////////////////////

This last two chapter two longer that I wanted.

Swear to god, it felt like they were fighting me to not get written.

Now that is done, next chapter is the end of the Empire and, most importantly, some world building.

Now if you excuse me, I'm going to work on Records of Worm.

I have been itching to get back to that history.

//////////

Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.

//////////////////////////

If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.

Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader.