I focus, prana boosting my eyesight as I hone in on the violence about to happen. There's a confrontation about six blocks away, mostly just the ABB and Empire posturing, but it's been a quiet night otherwise. No capes are out tonight, none that I've seen anyway, and this is the only potential crime I've found on my patrol.
"Revere, get back to the patrol. If you see anything you can handle, take care of it. If you see any gangers in a big group or a cape fight going down, flash back to me. I'll handle this in the meantime." A confirming trill, and the pheonix takes off.
The gangbangers are pulling knives, a few slurs are being thrown if my amateur lip-reading is right, so I leap forward to get a better vantage point to snipe from.
Summoning up Loki, I give a sharp whistle to signal him to play recon so I can focus on aiming Venom properly. I unclip the compact form and activate its mechashift with a pulse of prana. Near silently, it extends to a full six feet and the tensioning system strings up the steel wire.
My gauntlets hum lightly as a hardlight arrow nocks itself, and I pull it back with my breath in sync. I flood the arrow with my holy aura, and boost it further with an imbuement of light magic. I loose the arrow.
BOOM!
The area trembles as the arrow seemingly teleports between the rival gangs and detonates with a wave of concussive force. The skinheads closest to the epicenter are sent ass over end, the Asians in green and red no better. All the heckling and slurs are gone, the sound of rubble falling deafening in the silence. I take this moment to get onto the building directly overlooking the chaos.
"Cape!"
"No shit, chink!"
"Enough." My lone word peirces the night. Both groups snap their heads up, looking to me in fear. One brave, read stupid, Nazi tries to aim a snubnose revolver at me but in the blink of an eye, another arrow shatters it and lodges beside him before he could pull the trigger. The smell of terror ratchets up several notches, my faunus senses drowning in it.
"Anyone else?" The closest gangers shake their heads rapidly while backing up. "Good. Don't bother running, you'll just be prolonging the inevitable. Surrender. Now."
Several consider it, before another soon-to-be example shouts out. "He's only one hero. We got the numbers here! Just kill him!" Resolve ripples through the crowd, and I can feel my grin behind my mask. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping it would end this way.
I move to leap off the roof, and my excitement echoes in the parking lot. "Let's dance, scumbags!" With a push against the edge, I rocket toward the one who spoke up first.
I land beside him, and lash out at his armpit with a vicious elbow, knocking him off his feet and snap a right hook at the guy to my left, a careful blow the kidneys dropping him instantly. The thug behind me barely has time to turn before a back kick to the chest slams him into a trashcan.
I catch a wild haymaker and pull him into an arm lock. Twisting to the side, I let my hostage take a jab to the face before throwing him into a cluster of ABB. I feel the Empire crone in my blindspot trying to stab me, and weave just in time to catch his forearm and swing him bodily through a pair of skinheads before knocking him out with a quick jab to the chin and toss him at a dumpster.
I summon Ariel at the far end of the alley with a whistle to order a Whirlpool on any runners to trap them. Turning to the right, I see the barrel of a glock and slap it down. With a bark, it fires, and I yank on the arm, pulling it out of its socket. As the man screams out and drops the pistol, I firmly crush its grip underfoot and snap kick the disabled guy to give myself room.
The sound of hundreds of gallons of water crushes any other noise in the struggle, and I leap a couple yards to flying kick a massive six foot eight Nazi into a brick wall. I grabbed a trash lid and discus it into a few ABB who were pulling guns, bowling them over. I rush towards them and again shatter the guns before stomping on each one's solar plexus. The loud discharge of a shotgun slams into the wall where I just was bare moments before I blitz through another three gangers in a flying tackle.
With a sharp twist and a powerful kick, I jump off the air to fly over the shotgun wielder and snap a clean backhand across his cheek, sending him spiraling. I feel the last two ABB turn to run out the other end of the alley, but two invisible strings trip them up before a trashcan is thrown into their backs. The sound of water dies down, and the alley is filled with groans.
I quickly use some Fibers to round everyone up and order Ariel to prepare another Whirlpool if any of them try to escape, earning a few pitiful whimpers. Whipping out a burner phone, I call the police.
"911, what's your emergency?" A tired sounding woman with a surprisingly southern twang answers.
"Heya, new hero on the block going by Noah here, I'm calling to let you know I've apprehended about two dozen gang members in the alleyway off of Oarling Street, multiple firearms were used and I destroyed most of them while leaving their identifiers intact. A few ambulance will be needed, as there were too many to be gentle with them. No cape criminals are present, and until that changes somewhere out in the city, I'm willing to wait for responders here. Did I miss anything?"
She was quiet for a while before finally speaking up. "Just a couple things, are you at all injured, or are there any casualties?"
I shook my head even though she couldn't see it. "Nope to both, only minorly debilitating injuries on them, though there might be a few bruised or broken bones, I'm not sure."
"Alright, are there any civilians that got caught up in this fight? Any collateral to important infrastructure that needs immediate attention?"
"No civies within a couple blocks. As for collateral, one guy let off a shotgun blast into a brick wall, I guess it might have been load-bearing or something, but otherwise nothing important, no." I scratch my head, hoping that is only being asked as protocol and not because it's common.
"Great, Noah, was it? Some officers had already been called to your location because of the gunshots, but they have just been updated on the situation and will be there shortly. The PRT has also been notified, and a member of the Protectorate is on their way now. You said you would wait for officers to arrive. Does that include the representatives of the Protectorate?"
As I start to answer, my soul is tugged inwards.
The loom spins. Thread that smoldered like burning coals layered itself in an intricate and deliberate manner. Silken webbing applied itself over and over, weaving together into an inferno. The scenery depicted on the tapestry was apocalyptic, a city bathed in hellfire and inky smog covered the skies. In the background, a massive volcano was erupting and launching hundreds of globules of molten death. In a scorching crater lies something horrifying. A massive, twenty meter tarantula was glowing with malice, lava dripping from burning fangs and fire blazing from blood red joints. It's a Lavalantula. The power of Know Location and Sustained Immortality are then flawlessly inserted into my soul.
Coming back to reality with a shudder, I chose to ignore the creature for a while. "That's correct, Noah. And I am perfectly fine meeting with the Protectorate tonight. Am I free to hang up now, or would you prefer me to be on the line until the officers arrive?"
"If you have nothing else to focus on, it would be preferable if you remain on the line. The cruisers should be any moment either way."
The red and blue lights were flashing around a corner, Loki high above tailing them. "I see them now, actually. I'll just hand off the bangers now."
"Of course, thank you for being so cooperative."
"No problem. I see no reason in aggravating the police of Brockton Bay. You all have enough to worry about around here, you'll have no issue from me." I assure her, honestly, who the Hell is going to say that the Brockton Bay police department isn't already struggling with over a dozen gangs in one god forsaken city.
After hanging up, the cop cars pull in with a couple tagalongs. The first was a shapely woman in a black bodysuit that was entirely decorated in light blue circuitry. Covering her eyes and hair was a similarly styled helmet with a fully opaque visor. She walked with discipline and structure that brought to mind military training. Beside her was a man in red body armor with a visor covering the upper half of his face. His windswept brown hair gave an air of mischief, which his confident and exaggerated stride only reinforced. He wielded a wide grin like a weapon, immediately putting to mind Thomas when he has a "fun idea" to enact. This was Protectorate ENE's kinetics duo: Battery and Assault.
"Hey there, kid. Damn, leave some mooks for the rest of us, yeah? How'd you manage this all on your lonesome?" Assault gave a familiar stretched smile as he joked, while Battery stiffened.
"What can I say? You snooze, you lose, Assault. Honestly, trying to keep up with us newer heroes can't be good for your frail bones. Why don't you just retire? I hear the Bahamas are doing better since Levi came to town a few years ago. You should go for a condo or something while you're still getting your pension." My answering smirk was particularly smug, punchable as Tom would say, and Assault gawps at me for a few seconds before a true smile graces him.
Battery relaxes and groans. "Not another one..."
"~Well, look who's quick with wit. Are you calling me old? I'll have you know I'm in the prime of my life!" Assault fires back.
It's too easy. "If so, that's pretty sad, actually. Prime of your life and yet still too slow to nab the bad guys. Bahamas looking better and better, huh?"
I see Battery smirk while Assault exaggeratedly squawks, but she hides it quickly behind her hand.
"Anyway, onto the important stuff: Hi! I'm Noah, the newest hero of Brockton Bay. Sup?"
Battery steps forward. "It's a pleasure to meet you, and I'm glad to hear it. The Bay could always use more heroes. As you no doubt know already, I'm Battery, and this joker is Assault. That's a very well made suit for a new hero, do you have a Tinker rating or teammate, or is it a rebranding?" That's fair, you really don't see indie heroes with great costumes unless they're a Tinker or have deeper connections. There are a few exceptions, but those are definitely not the norm.
"Nah, completely new to active capehood. This is just an application of my power. I'm a projection Master Trump." Battery pauses in confusion, while Assault picks up the slack.
"Projection Master Trump? How the Hell does that work?"
I shrug and give an abbreviated and somewhat incorrect answer. "I can project creatures that always obey me, but I get new creatures randomly. I also get a few somewhat related powers to go along with them."
"Huh. Care to introduce one?"
"Sure. Ariel!" I give a holler that the two parahumans in front of me flinched at.
Ariel closes distance in an instant, coiling around me in a fervent hug, crooning for attention. Battery's circuitry glows, and Assault's stance immediately shifts for combat. After a moment of me just pampering my beauty eel, they relax once more. As seems to be the norm with these two, Assault is the first to approach and probably break protocol. His steps were measured, and the noise drew my Milotic's attention for a moment. Giving him a once over, Ariel promptly ignores him for more pets.
"This is my main combat partner, Ariel. She's a creature called Milotic, and they are known mostly for their beauty, grace, and impressive firepower in battle. When trained by people, they become supremely attached to their person, as you can see." I stroke her smooth flank as I explain, placing most of my attention where it belongs.
"You say that like it's not just a projection?" Battery says skeptically.
"Well, I only originally called them projections because that's what everyone else will qualify them as. In reality, my summons are fully functioning sentient and sometimes sapient beings. They have biological functions, working brains, individual personalities, and can remember and grow between summonings. I treat them like living entities because in every measurable way, they are." Ariel tightens her hug, leaning and rubbing her head against me in happiness from my words.
"Huh. What level of intelligence are we talking about here?" Assault asks as he carefully pets Ariel.
"My smartest has the current intellect of a child, but he can grow to be even smarter than me, fully and truly sapient. His species are so long lived, however, that he'll not be a mature adult for centuries. Most of my partners have an above average intellect for their respective species anyway, but they all can understand my orders perfectly."
"Damn. Where does this beauty rank?" Assault's words cause my Milotic to preen.
I smile with pride. "Ariel here ranks pretty highly. She can fully understand all English, has a developed self-awareness, and has a mind for strategy. Only her differing mental structure really holds her back, and even then, I consider it more a new perspective than a true downgrade." Now Ariel is all but glowing, her hug so tight she might be using Wrap accidentally.
"You said that your summons can grow. Can they also reproduce?" Battery is still standing quite far away, whether in respect to standing orders or general unease I can't really tell.
"Nope, all sterile. Even further, nothing is left behind when they get unsummoned either, so no chance at cloning unless they have extensive time to crack their genomes." I reply. With the assurances that angelic/eldritch being gave before I arrived on Earth Bet, cloning is honestly the least of my worries. Mimicry is a possible issue, but even then, it won't hold a candle to the original without leveraging their genetics or power systems.
Assault gives a low whistle. "That's impressive. Most powers don't have this level of nuance. Are you sure you know all that for certain? If you came in for power testing, I'm sure in time we'll have this all figured out. With the eggheads all on deck, it should be easily doable. And on that note, if you ever consider joining the Wards, I'll be sure to put in a good word for ya." It took longer than I expected to get the Wards pitch, and it was surprisingly soft too. The transition was smooth, I'm not gonna lie. To be honest, I should go in for power testing soon anyway to certify my creatures' healing abilities.
"I'm down for some power testing, but I'll pass on the Wards. I've had my power for about five and a half weeks now, and I think I have a good grasp on how it works and how to train it; the red tape and hurdles of government supervision will severely hamper my growth from what I've seen." Honesty here doesn't hurt me at all, and it may lead to some better ties with other heroes down the road, so I might as well.
Battery frowns and opens her mouth to say something, but Assault cuts her off. "That's cool, that's cool. No problem, man, I just had to, legally, that is, put the idea out there. The offer is always on the table. In fact, let me give you some advice, since you have been very responsible with your power usage if I'm reading things right: The Protectorate and Wards program might not be for everyone, but they aren't nearly as restrictive as you might think. If you truly believe you have everything under control, good for you, but we'll always be right here if you need it." He looks around conspiratorially before leaning closer to very loudly whisper-speak. "If you have a good reputation before joining, you can get a bit of leverage on the contract for more flexibility in training and stuff, so keep that in mind if you do end up joining with reluctance. That red tape isn't nearly as bad if your competency shines through." He ends it with a thumbs up and a head bob that can only be to show a wink.
Battery sighs before placing her hand on the side of her helmet. After a moment, she winces but nods. "It's time to go, Assault. Director wants us in her office ASAP. She does not sound happy with you." I don't think that last part was supposed to be audible for me, but my faunus transformation has been up ever since I left the café, and her vindictive mutter wasn't quiet enough to sneak past.
It was barely noticeable, but a slight stiffening of posture and quick grimace told me Assault spoke too much just now. The way he just laughed it off shows it isn't the first time, and his next words show it won't be the last.
"Welp, I'm off to the gallows. It was great to meet you, Noah, and - Oh! I get it, Noah, like the whole Noah's Ark, two of every animal and all that, damn I just got that. Nice!" Battery facepalms while I let off an involuntary laugh. Something tells me Assault will be just fine.
Battery's curt handshake was quite dull in comparison, and she seemed a bit disappointed in my decision to stay independent. It's understandable, but also kinda rude.
I let them know to expect me to visit them on January sixteenth, just three days away, to do some power testing and request that Panacea be there as a medical supervisor. They agreed to the date but said that Amy might be busy, so that'll only be a maybe for now. I head off back to the café under an invisibility illusion and push the feeling of home into Revere's bond. All in all, I had a pretty successful first patrol, and I am hopefully optimistic about the future.
And there we have it, Noah's first patrol and real fight. As it is my first time writing a fight scene, I'd appreciate it if you left some opinions on how I did and how I could possibly improve. Beyond that, the Sustained Immortality power is a huge load off my shoulders, since I really have been enjoying writing Noah's character, and this means that with a permanent companion up Noah basically has an extra life at all times.
Did I do Assault and Battery justice here? I always saw them as the joker and straight lace pair, so I tried to lean into that. The info dump for them might be a bit obnoxious for the reader, but I wanted to quantify properly all the information Noah was perfectly willing to put out there.
The first actual date, too, mostly since I didn't want to commit to any one time frame. As of now, however, I am making Noah a hero after the Locker, but only barely. It'll be a bit of world building before Taylor would've had her canon debut patrol, so hopefully, you all don't mind the timeline as is.
Spoiler: Purity Redemption?For my story, I'm making the Purity situation into something I hope will work out properly. Although many might disagree with it, I'm going to try my best to at least make her a little bit more fleshed out. I feel the fact that Kayden didn't earn her redemption in canon shouldn't have a major role in whether this Kayden should get hers. Noah is going to try his best, but who knows how this all might turn out?
One, two. One, two. One, two.
It turns out that improving physique is a very difficult goal after a while. Doubly so for coordination and senses. However, with a bit of ingenuity and creativity, it can be a pretty fun thought experiment to come up with new ways to push your limits.
One, two. One, two. One, two.
For example, if you have extra senses that other people don't, how do you train them? With any of the five senses, there have been thousands of years for humanity to find what works and what doesn't, so finding ways to improve them is as simple as looking it up. So, how do I train my magic or heat perception?
One, two. One, two. One, two.
The way I came up with was to do known exercises with invisible Fibers. Making them only visible in infrared means my heat perception is able to feel them, full invisibility, and only my magic sense can feel them. Jump rope, in particular, is a favorite of mine since I can train multiple facets at once. But after a while, this wasn't demanding enough to grow.
One, two. One, two. One, two.
The next iteration I found was to weigh myself down with earth attuned magecraft. Then, I started using The Jump's spell structure to tax my multitasking. Next, I began using multiple Fibers at once. Finally, after I trained the Clow Card enough, I started doing the exercise a few meters in the air.
With a gasp of effort, I finish my last set. Dismissing my Fibers, I let out a breath and slow my descent with a couple of soft kicks. My muscles burn, my mind aches a bit, and my magic is strained just right. The garden is just as vibrant as ever, but the many piñata critters have learned to stay clear during our hectic morning training.
High above me, Caustic the Scaveran was putting Swablu through her paces. It came as a surprise when Swablu didn't want a name, but that was her decision to make. Maybe as an Altaria, her opinion will change, but for now, she seems content to be just Swablu. She also happens to be extremely motivated to train and do some heroing with everyone, and as such, has taken to sparring with relish.
The sounds of aerial combat were completely drowned out by the mud wrestling Triton and Ariel were doing. The lack of traction or solid ground meant that every part of their bodies were getting a workout, and since it was so thoroughly mixed with dirt it gave Ariel a lot of trouble to use her water manipulation on it. Eventually, Triton will actually start losing once Ariel gets better at it, but for now, he's taking full advantage of his size to dominate their spars.
The oblivious lug hasn't even noticed how his strength has caught the Milotic's attention, but I have. I've seen the way Ariel's eye glitters when I pair them up, and the preenings she's done near him have been especially frantic. It's honestly adorable, and a harmless crush won't stop her from giving it all she's got. In fact, Ariel has been trying harder than ever to get the Hullbreaker's attention in return.
Still panting and sweating like a pig, I start heading towards the portal when there's a crash ahead of me. Loki is lying dazed in a small pile of branches. High above the trees, Revere let's out a few cries of worry to his sparring partner. It looks like Loki is plateauing. That's quite disheartening, but he already blitzed past the average of his species, so his limit had to be hit eventually. I guess it's time to weigh down Revere for his mock fights, something that will definitely annoy Loki something fierce.
Line Break
Coming out of the shower, I hear Thomas muttering at the table with a laptop. Looking over his shoulder, I see it's loading a PHO thread about my debut. I chuckled when I saw his account name was Bean_Flicker, and I wondered how many people genuinely think he means coffee beans. Not many if I had to assume.
"Hmm? Oh, Arny, you finished your morning torture already?"
"It's called exercise. Maybe if you tried it, you wouldn't be winded getting into bed at night." My dry delivery was awarded a snort, signifying my victory of the morning bout.
"Also, I'm gonna need some raven or hawk harnesses and a few metal rods to up my summons' training." He raises an eyebrow, requesting an explanation. "Revere almost really hurt Loki today, so I need to weigh him down to compensate. Unfortunately, pheonix are known for their absurd physical strength, so I need to make the weights far heavier than normal to have any effect."
He grunts. "I'll ask the Dockworkers Union to see if any of them have a spare forge or know a guy that does leatherworking nearby. Those fuckers are nothing if not versatile. I'll be needing to talk with them anyway for those building supplies you were asking for, so I'll do that tomorrow. Today, we need to check up on your human students and look through their reports more carefully and such."
I nod. They didn't call us at all over the month. The weekly check-in Thomas did showed they took to working here like ducks to water. According to them, it was entirely because of the manual I left. It seems my Trainer power is effective through written mediums since neither of them had any experience with coffee making prior besides instant slop.
"I am curious about their progress, I have a reputation in this place that not many can match, so I hope I can teach to that high standard. Otherwise, I'll be working in the café twenty-four seven." Thomas smirks at my pout frown, finding plenty of amusement from my workaholic tendencies adding to his wallet, I'm sure.
Scraping together a hearty breakfast, I start eating while thinking once again on my patrol the night previous. There was no cape reprisal from my intervention last night, which leads me to believe this was truly just posturing between the uncovered members. No gang capes showed themselves at all last night, which was both good but disappointing. I feel bad thinking it, but I was a little excited to finally fight the good fight. That my first night out was primarily quiet felt almost karmic, like a slap on the wrist for being over eager.
Dispite the lack of immediate response, the gangs aren't going to let a dozen arrests go without at a minimum a show of force to save face. Pretty soon, there will be an increase in gang activity. Possibly even starting tonight, so I'm going to ask Revere to patrol at night while I train extra hard for my next fight. If Revere sees anything, he can flash to me and flash back in seconds, so I can more or less focus my personal time into getting stronger.
I haven't mastered my Semblance yet, and that is going to be my biggest focus for a while until something big changes or Revere finds some conflict to resolve. I also have an idea for a Mystic Code, but I'm going to need some serious improvements to be made to my Formalcraft and rituals. If I succeed, however, it will be a gaurenteed cornerstone of my career as a cape.
Wrapping up breakfast and getting the oven ready for baking, I start to hum a random tune.
Line Break
While waiting for Jorge and Kayden to come in for work, my soul gets a tug, and I delve within myself.
The loom spins. With string so white it glowed, a pack of threads seemed to maul the frame, aggression and hunger shredding at nothing until the tapestry was all that remained. It was a striking piece, a stone outcropping looking over a small valley. A field of blurry furs covered the rocky area. Standing proud upon the tallest boulder was a wolf of massive size, his coat primarily white with dark red accents on the inside of his legs. His sharp gaze penetrated the tapestry, staring with unyielding confidence at the horizon. This was Wolf, a heroic companion. Sliding in behind this was the power of Grant Movement.
The moment passed, and I was back to waiting. Not too long after, not even ten minutes according to the wall clock, Kayden arrived first with a pep she hadn't shown before we left for the cabin. Placing her purse on a table, she went to grab an apron and froze when she noticed me behind the counter. Her eyes lit up, a small smile grew, and she clapped her hands.
"Oh, Arnold! Welcome back. How was your vacation? I really need to thank you. That guidebook was a lifesaver more times than I could count. Who knew coffee was so complicated?" I smile, glad I could help and offer a nod to show it.
Coming down the stairs, Thomas has a complicated expression and pauses to greet Kayden.
"I got some bad news. Kayden, you know how Jorge quit five days ago?" I didn't know this. Why wasn't I told? Taking a glance at Kayden shows a sad look. it seems she was getting along quite well with Jorge. So, not the workplace itself being the issue.
Thomas sighs and rubs his eyes. "Apparently, he was getting death threats this whole month. Someone at the temp agency let slip he was getting steady work to the wrong ears, and he's been hounded ever since by Empire gangers and racist pricks." Fuck. Kayden looks distraught, tears forming in her eyes and hands covering her mouth. The shock and horror are far too real, so she didn't have anything to do with this directly, but what if this is to send a message? Thomas continues.
"The hospital just called since he left me as a point of contact. He was admitted two days ago and passed away this morning. They say they had contacted me when he got admitted but that's just a fucking lie. I asked what happened and they said he was run over by a truck." Thomas is shaking in anger, and I'm right there with him. Jorge was a good man, he didn't deserve this. Sure he was prickly, but this is Brockton Bay, everyone has a few bristles, it's how you survive around here.
Kayden is sobbing. I notice the exact moment she sees between the lines, indignant anger and horror peirce her sorrow, only to be followed up with guilt and a soul shattering air of defeat.
"Now the hospital is putting his bills on me, and I fucking swear the bastard on the other end sounded SMUG!! That fucking - he recommended a closed casket! I swear to all in heaven when I find out who that racist piece of burnt pond scum is I'm gonna wring his mother fucking neck!" Thomas starts ranting, and it doesn't look like it'll stop anytime soon. Even with my own anger boiling, I take a moment to focus on Kayden's reactions.
Her eyes are broken. Tears are falling, but no more sobs accompany them. She just stands there with a blank look of agony. Something is screaming at me to help, that if I don't, Kayden will never be the same. I see a fraction of emotion appear before danger pours from her in waves. I move.
"... Arnold?" Her soft voice comes hoarsely. Thomas halts his cursing to see me clasped onto Kayden with a firm hug. I wait a moment to sort my anger and hatred of the Empire behind a mental barrier, I'll feel that later, when someone's world isn't breaking. I tighten my hug, and say what I think she needs to hear.
"It's not your fault, Kayden." I say. Thomas is confused, but I have all of Kayden's focus now. With a subtlety I trained hard for, I set off a small bounded field to separate the rest of the world.
"I know." A small, confused whimper escapes her. "I know you're Purity. I have known since day one when you started glowing during your mini panic attack." Kayden is quiet for a moment before she starts shaking her head, a mumbled no, no, no dripping from her quivering lips.
"Kayden. Kayden, please, listen to me." I plead, and surprisingly she does. "It's not your fault. You hold no blame for what happened to Jorge." She pushes me away, a glow appearing as she hovers in the air.
"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?! IF I WASN'T WORKING HERE, HE WOULD'VE BEEN FINE!! MAX WOULDN'T HAVE CARED ABOUT SOME RANDOM SPIC WORKING IN A COFFEE SHOP! IT'S ONLY BECAUSE I'M HERE HE GOT TARGETED!! HE DIDN'T DESERVE THIS!! IT'S MY FAULT HE DIED!!!" She begins breaking down, light flooding the café.
"No! You didn't do this. Max did this. The Empire targeted Jorge, not you! Max had him attacked, not you! Kaiser got him killed, not you! You're right he didn't deserve this, but you had no influence on this tragedy. This is just another way for him to win!" The light intensifies, becoming blinding if not for my magecraft.
"What do you know?! How do you know all this?! How do you know who Max is, who Kaiser is?? Who are you??" She's red in the face by now, anger and confusion and guilt and sorrow and fear wracking her frame with shaking force.
"I'm a cape, just like you!" She freezes, completely in shock. "Only I'm trying to save this rotting city! This husk that is filled with cancerous ideals, violence, drugs, death, and poverty! I'm here to be a hero! And as a hero, I'm going to avenge every injustice I come across, so you can bet your ass I'm including Jorge! But that means I'm also including you. I can only guess at what happened, but I know what you're doing for your daughter. You're trying to get out, aren't you?" My long winded speech calms as I speak, toning down to almost a whisper by the end. Kayden's tears are visible once more as her light dies down.
"Yes. I'm trying so hard to get out of the Empire, but every time I make any progress with getting custody of Aster, something goes wrong, and the lawyers are saying they make some headway but they've said that for months now without anything to show for it and I just feel so stuck!" I walk forward to pull her into another hug, supporting her as she sobs once more.
"I'm sorry for what you've gone through. However, from now on, you don't have to do this alone. If you need any help, anything at all, I'll be here." I hold her as she cries. Eventually, she looks at me and asks me.
"Why?"
I give a gentle smile, and say with complete honesty. "Because that's the kind of hero I want to be."
Line Break
Soon, Kayden cries herself to sleep, after which I easily lift her exhausted form up to the couch in the apartment. Turning around I see Thomas with a small smile.
"I'm proud of you, Arny. I really am. And I know your parents, bless their souls, are far more proud than I'll ever be. You're a great kid Arnold. One of the best."
I grin while tears streak across my face. I glow in the praise for a while, basking in the feeling of doing the right thing.
Then Thomas' eyebrow twitches. "You could've told me I was hiring a cape at any point, y'know." Ah. I thought I was forgetting something.
Holy moly that got away from me. I had zero plans to kill off Jorge, he was originally a way to help Kayden, but this practically wrote itself and now I'm sad as shit! And it has really good character development too, so I can't just not use it! Fuck!
Anyways. I was going to make this about how he prepares for the coming conflict, but now I have a Purity shaped obstacle to tackle. How fun. At least Noah threw up those fields at the start, so combined with the psuedo/prototype/sort of notice-me-not he has on the café as a whole this event won't be public.
Also, as is what is now customary every five chapters, I'll be typing up an Informational with the next group of rolls.
To Black Basilisk, your omake is gonna be posted soon, within the next few days. It's a ton of fun to write so far!
Lastly, I'm not very familiar with forums, having only started using them to read Worm Fanfic, and pretty recently at that, so if someone could write a PHO interlude, I'll threadmark it and award 300 points to the bank for rolling. Leave your thoughts, and thanks for reading!
With Kayden asleep on the couch, I brainstorm silently. Kayden needs help, as does her daughter Aster. Max Anders is my opponent. Brockton Bay is our battlefield. It's time to draw up a war plan.
Looking at the objective, the future of Brockton Bay, I mentally tally the variables. Kaiser has enough money on his own to preserve the Empire if I target his unpowered gangsters, at least until he can safeguard his most potent assets. Attacking his safehouses would then be untenable, so the capes need to be targeted first.
If I do target his capes, he'll just turtle away in Medhall. I need to go for him directly, but without him coming in person, it will be a very public breach of the unwritten rules. Not to mention what Medhall going under will do to the city economically. Assassination is out for multiple reasons, mostly moral quandries, I'll admit. The man himself needs to be baited out of hiding, but how to do it.
Glancing at Kayden, I back up and look at the more immediate concern. Kayden and Aster are too exposed in the city, and going to any government agency that would've been able to help under different circumstances is fool hardy at best. Nobody in Brockton Bay's federal departments would be willing to help Purity, daughter, or no daughter. Knowing how often the gangs escape on their way to prison shows that the PRT is mole ridden at best and incompetent at worst. Any signs that Kayden is pleading to the heroes for help and Max bites down.
The only place I know is safe for anyone is the cabin. Even then, some Thinker support can pretty easily find out who to shake down to find her. I doubt she has many people she knows that isn't directly reporting to Max anyway, so the few that don't would be a piece of cake to find. In this case, saving them in the short term puts me and Thomas in immediate danger. I can handle myself, but Thomas can't, not against the likes of Hookwolf and his ilk.
We could wait him out. Huddle in the cabin behind the bounded fields and watch him search in vain. Although, that wouldn't be a permanent solution.
I could challenge Kaiser directly, but considering my current lack of reputation, that won't work either. Also, aggravating him while he holds the cards is a stupid plan.
I could hypnotize Max in his home. No, I'm not going to, but I could.
Illusions, that would need a lot more planning and observing Kayden's characteristics, which might take too long and give the game away that there is a plan.
Since we need to act fast to save Aster, Revere could be on loan to Kayden for a while until her affairs are in order and just flash her to the cabin directly. I like that plan the most, honestly. While she gets ready for exfiltration, I can massively rehash the security around the cabin. Pheonix flash means she can be gone before anyone can react, and she can bring along whatever she needs to as well. This will make Kaiser mad, but he won't be able to demand her return without letting it leak that Purity isn't around to deter Lung.
In the meantime, he'll need to project a facade of control, which means he will probably send his capes out more often. With the Empire more active, that means I'll be able to actually affect his hold on the bay, specifically by arresting his supporters until he needs to come in person to save face. The ABB might get uppity, same with the Merchants, but I can deal with that as it comes. Once the Empire crumbles, the slaving dragon will fall if I have any say in it.
Dealing with Lung should be pretty simple in comparison, honestly. Uprooting him will only lead to more gang warfare, which is something any hero can help with.
"Mmmmnn. Wuh?" I lock eyes with Kayden, a confidence built and plan ready.
"Hey, Kayden. Are you alright?" I ask, back straight, my notebook in hand, filled with ritual circles and finely sized words flooding the available page.
"Mm, m'fine." She looks better after her crash. A quick look at a clock shows she napped for about half an hour.
"Do you remember what we were talking about?" She pauses a languid stretch to nod.
"Yeah, you're a cape. You know who I am, and you somehow knew about Max. How did you know, anyway?"
I put my notes aside and gazed towards the Boat Graveyard. "It wasn't too hard to figure out once you started glowing. Knowing you're Purity was really the key to the kingdom in this case. Since you have such high power that you're arguably stronger than Kaiser, you needed to have closer ties to the cause than just ideals, so you were probably married to at least a gang member, so I looked up your husband. Finding Max, the head of Medhall, as your husband, was a big deal. It showed that the biggest employer in the city was under the control of the Empire. With how egotistical anyone that has led a gang in this city is, they would never leave such an economic asset or the loyalty of a top-tier cape in the hands of anyone but themselves. Hence, since the paradigm of the Empire hasn't changed since the time of Allfather, Kaiser was most likely Max Anders. Your emotional breakdown was just confirmation."
"So you're a Thinker, huh." I snort.
"Technically, but not in any way beyond spatial awareness and minor psychometry."
It got very quiet, so I looked over to see her looking at me like a violent animal. "What? What's that look for?"
"When did you figure out about Max again?"
I shrug. "Like, half an hour after your panic attack, why?"
The look has gotten worse. "You... are terrifying." Rude.
"I don't think anyone but a Thinker would come to that conclusion that quickly, Arnold. The fact you did anyway is scary." Well, points for honesty, I guess.
"I'm almost scared to know what you've been planning to do to keep your promise. You don't have, like, inception level, schemes within schemes in that notebook, do you?" I blink, considering. In a way, I do have schemes in schemes, but that's more of the objectives that my previous actions force into place.
"I don't think they're that deep, but they do have a few plans of attack, yes. The sticking point is getting you and Aster into a safe house out of the city via teleportation and hunting the Empire afterward. Is that 'inception level' to you?"
She sighs in relief. "No, that's quite plain, to be honest. But, uh, teleportation, is it, y'know, safe?" She seems to be nervous about it, but that's understandable. There's plenty of anecdotes about Tinkers and Shakers botching a teleport.
"Revere!" I call towards the closet, projecting a desire of dramatics into our bond. A blinding sunfire flare scatters into small tongues of yellow flames, revealing Revere in all his glory. An adorable eep sneaks out of Kaydens lips, and I have to bite my cheek to keep from laughing.
I hold out my arm for Revere to land on and introduce him. "This is Revere. He's a pheonix. They can flash anywhere in the world in an instant with their flame travel ability, and that extends to whoever or whatever they want to bring with them."
With an awed and soft whisper, she breathes. "He's gorgeous. Is it wetwork or projection?"
"Half and half, he's fully biologically alive, personality and all, but he was created directly from my power wholesale. No Tinkering involved." Ignoring that familiar ritual, but magic doesn't count.
"Huh. What is your power?"
I rub the back of my head. "It's a little complicated. In the shortest terms possible, I'm a minion based Master Trump. Periodically, I get random creatures, objects, powers, and meta-powers that hinge almost entirely on said creatures and objects."
She tilts her head, trying to wrap her head around it, and failing if her confused noises say anything. I wave her off.
"Don't bother trying to get it entirely. Just know I get new shit randomly."
She hums. "If you say so..."
Kayden clears her throat. "So, where is this safehouse, exactly? And how long do you think I'll need to hide?"
"It's actually Thomas' family home, a cabin half the state away that has a ton of land and a decently big lake not too far down the walking trails. It's where we went for the month. Only instead of a vacation, I was training myself into the ground to be an independent hero."
She smiles. "That sounds lovely. Is it really safe, though?"
I grin mysteriously. "No Thinker will be able to find it, and it's completely off the grid on paper while still fully kitted with modern amenities. Do not ask how. It would just make this chat become a few hour long lectures about very exotic physics."
She looked skeptical but seemingly chose to believe me.
"Now, it's almost lunch, and poor old Tom might bust a hip if I don't do all the hard work down there. If you need an emergency exit, just call out to Revere, and he'll flash you to the cabin, okay?" She nods.
I saunter to the apron on the hook and head downstairs to get busy.
Line Break
"- fee time, coffee time, coffee time! Hey, Kayden~, load me up with a- Arnold!?" Hello there, miss blonde missile, please back up a bit.
"Gosh, you were gone for so long! The vacation do you good? It's been pretty quiet here in the Bay, surprisingly. Although unpowered conflict between the gangs is on the rise, but that's fine, us heroes have everything completely under control. We even got a new face yesterday, too! The guy made his debut by taking down like fifty people or something. Gallant wasn't all too forth coming, but that's cool. He's part of the Protectorate, well, Wards, technically, but same thing really, anyways they -"
"Okay, okay, slow down, please. I can barely understand you right now. With how fast you're talking, maybe coffee is a bad idea." I mumble that last part because good lord, that was all in one breath. Glory Girl backs off with a sheepish look.
"Aura."
"Hm? Oh, shit, sorry! I got a bit excited!" Her sheepishness doubles in force, turning around to apologize to the many people fawning over her. If the excitement of a coffee shop's barrista returning from a small vacation is enough for your control to slip, that sounds like a problem you should be more concerned with. Just as I think that, my soul gets a pull, and I follow it.
The loom spins. There's a familiar tinge to the energy radiating from the red threads, the dominant and predatory feeling of the peak of a species hunting nearby. The crimson mist hovering over the frame is more primal than before. Older, stronger, more potent. Deeper. The bloody power lifts off the loom and cloaks an unexpected tapestry in aggressive essence. The Alpha variance clings to Loki's tapestry, a shroud that extends its tendrils to every hanging piece. The power of Accelerated Gains is flicked on.
I return to reality and put the thoughts of my newest acquisition on hold. Glory Girl turns back and gets a confident look as she orders. "Alright, Arnold. I was gonna get an americano, but with you at the wheel, I know exactly what to get. One Miner's Delight and whatever's fresh out the oven!" I chuckle and get everything ready.
"How's Amy doing, by the way? I haven't seen her since that first day. Did she like her care package?"
"Ugh, don't remind me of that, I was blamed for your loophole! She was like an angry dragon guarding her hoard with that stuff." It quickly devolved into small talk from there. Amy's fine. She's also a glutton for pastries but would always have a sour facade as she aggressively munched on her treats. School is the same as ever. Crime is up like she said, but the excited way she talked about it kinda rubbed me the wrong way, so I steered away from that. Nothing new happening in New Wave.
I wrapped up making her order and the usual care package for Panacea. With a happy wave and a zip of wind, the blonde menace was gone. Was she always this tiring to interact with, or did something else actually change while I was gone. I shook my head and got ready to make the next order, a newcomer next in line.
Line Break
Looking at my tense form in the mirror, I sigh as yet another night goes by without a cape fight. Although I was able to do some work with my Semblance, the night felt hollow as not even a single crime was found tonight. I'm fully aware that no news is good news, but the likelihood that I just missed the crime in progress is too great to ignore, especially in Brockton Bay. After doing my nightly rituals, both kinds, I hit the sack with a bitter taste of disappointment on my tongue. Tomorrow, I'll take the day to set up the cabin's protections, I'll be going all out with them. Lives are at stake here. No shortcuts or 'good enough's will cut it.
Hey everyone, I want to apologize for the impromptu hiatus. I got really, really sick for over a week. It was so bad that it all but neutered my creativity and motivation. I tried pushing through and writing anyway; awful idea. I felt like shit, I wrote like shit, and I couldn't think for shit. Absolutely terrible business.