[A/N]: I forgor to add this in after Lucian leveled up last chapter, so here it is:
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
Host: Lucian Albrecht
Titles: Vengeful Guardian
Matrix: Quirk User: One for All
Level: 20
Classes [Brawler - Level 5] ; [Acrobat - Level 5] ; [Criminal - Level 5] ; [Monk - Level 1] ; [Magician - Level 1] ; [Unassigned - 3]
-[Attributes]-
Power: 53 ››› 55 [139]
Vitality: 53 ››› 55 [139]
Agility: 53 ››› 55 [139]
Intellect: 31 ››› 33
Mentality: 32 ››› 33
Spirit: 32 ››› 34
Luck: 1
Free Attribute Points: 0
New Non-Class Abilities!
• Loadouts II
Loadout slots increased to 3.
• Weapon/Tool Slot II
Weapon/tool slots increased to 2.
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
...
That morning, Lucian received another text message. He peered into his phone's screen, the only light in the dim apartment. Maxie looked with him, clinging to his side in the cold. The timetable for his meetup with Killer Moth had been moved up—and the villain was bolder about it, too.
"Change of plans, Phantom. Today, sunset. Same place I told you. If you don't want anyone getting hurt, come alone, and come unarmed."
"He's getting desperate," Maxie observed. There was a dour look on her face, as if she wanted to gut Killer Moth herself.
Lucian only breathed deeply. "I'll deal with him. Even as the Phantom, he's no real threat to me. Only thing I'm worried about is him bringing backup..."
"They'll have your back though, right?" she asked. "The bats? I mean, if they're putting you up to this, they should."
He closed his messaging app and pocketed his phone. "If there's any vigilante group that I'll trust to have my back, it's them. Even if they didn't, I still have options—"
Maxie's phone rang. It was a video call. "It's Tammy," she said, then hit accept.
"Max! Oh, thank God! You're still okay!"
The sudden exclamation startled her. "Tammy... what's wrong?"
"Those cartel guys that your boyfriend's involved with? They've got these supervillains on their side, and they wanna kill him for some reason! Please, please, please, listen to me... You have to leave him!"
Maxie gritted her teeth before loosening her jaw enough to speak. "I already told you, Tammy. That cartel stuff is bullshit."
"No, it is not!" Tammy yelled. "I should know! Aleck already had the police look into it! Even a bunch of private investigators say it's real!"
"She's too far gone," Maxie mumbled. Her lips barely moved, and her microphone had no chance of picking it up. "I don't trust it," she said out loud. "I'm sorry."
A single tear rolled down Tammy's face. "... I'm sorry I let him get to you," she said, choking up, before leaving the frame.
Maxie was about to hang up the video call, but the worst face to see in that moment replaced her best friend. "Must you make her cry so much? I honestly don't know what she still sees in you."
"Go shit yourself and die, Donovan," she said.
"Now... let's not be crass..." His smile was as smug as ever, but even through the barrier of a screen, the tension was evident in his eyes. "Let's have a... discussion, shall we?"
Lucian's phone buzzed. He turned it for Maxie to see, but kept it out of her phone's view. "Oracle here," said a string of green text on his screen. "Let him talk. I'll guide you."
"Fine," Maxie eventually replied, fixing a sharp side-eye glare at her phone's camera.
Aleck's face brightened. "Good, good. I've an offer for you. Both you, and Mr. Albrecht. I know he's there." He emphasized his point by looking in the 'same' direction that Maxie did.
"Just get to the point," she spat, and Aleck made a show of shrugging helplessly.
He adjusted his shirt's collar before continuing, though it was already perfectly made. "Here is my proposition..."
He insisted to them that the cartel threat was real, that the investigations ran deep, and then offered to help Lucian with his 'problem.' Then, in the meantime, he also recommended that Maxie stay with Tammy so he could 'protect them both.'
It was a carefully crafted scheme to get both of them where he wanted, but the ploy was easy to see through—at least, for someone with an enhanced mind, and another who had known him for years.
"And that is my proposition. I can have some people accompany you, Mr. Albrecht, and split up towards the end to set themselves up around your meeting spot undetected. They'll help you beat the cartel's enforcers, and you can be rid of those criminals for good. In the meantime, to stay safe, Miss Steele can stay with Miss Watson with a security detail. What do you think?"
Maxie looked 'at' Lucian. After looking away, she shook her head. "Alright. Fine. I'll be at Tammy's by sunset."
"Most wise." Aleck nodded once, slowly, wearing the most pleasant smile he could put on. "And you, Mr. Albrecht?"
"You are distressingly pretentious," Lucian stated. "But yeah. Fine. Whatever. Let's see if your guys are worth shit."
...
The call cut. Oracle connected through Lucian's phone, speaking out loud now.
"Good job, you two. We wanted to do this sooner, but now we have the perfect opportunity."
She relayed a counterplan:
While Maxie was stuck with the Watsons, Red Hood would have a contingent from his gang invade them and neutralize their jailors. Lucian, meanwhile, will have full support from Red Hood himself. In essence, they'd pretend to be falling into Aleck's schemes while springing their own traps.
"Just Red Hood?" Maxie questioned.
Oracle's avatar—a face formed only from green lines and black polygons—nodded on Lucian's screen. "He's more than enough for this job. Besides, the rest will have other things to do in the meantime."
Everything clicked together in Maxie's head, finally. "I... I get it. So, that's that?"
Again, Oracle's avatar nodded. "Just be careful, okay? Lead your friend and her dad into the basement at my signal, and the firefight will start. Then, I'll say when it's safe to come out, and you can go with Red Hood's men."
Lucian contacted Iñigo next, after Oracle disconnected.
"Lucy-boy!" The pleasant cue-ball greeted. "What's up, 'mano? It's still early. Don't tell me you're fiending for more overwork?"
"Hey, boss. Just callin' 'cause we got a bit of an emergency. Trouble comin' for me and Max."
The temperature must have dropped at the restaurant, because Lucian felt it through his phone. "What's going on, boy? Do you need help?"
"No, no," Lucian replied, trying to placate through tone alone. "We got it handled. Coast should be clear by tomorrow, if not tonight. Just need to shake some people off and teach the rest of them a lesson."
A deep breath could be heard out the other end—and was that a growl? Regardless, Iñigo spoke again. "Well, alright. If you ever need help though, you can always call. Should always call. Got that, boy?"
Lucian nodded despite himself. "I copy. Also, tell Jodes I'm busy, alright? Once this all blows over, I'll need to talk to her."
"Alright. I got you. And tell your little lady what I said, too. Now, be careful out there. Good hunting."
...
"We're clear for the day," Lucian said to Maxie. "Before we go... put on your suit. I'll lend you a bit of my power."
Though she didn't quite understand what he meant, let alone imagine how he would do it, she complied. She soon stood there in their apartment as the Wraith, and he, the Manticore.
"Close your eyes, please," he said. "The process is, uh... kind of a secret."
She smiled—a small one—behind her mask and did as she was told.
The felt her mask tingle first, and then it felt... different. Like two layers of reality went into a liquid state, merged into each other, and formed an alloy of something indescribable. The same happened with her jacket, as well as her gloves and boots.
"What was all that?" she asked.
He gave her a really quick explanation for each. 'Focusing' on her mask would let her intimidate people. Doing the same, but with her jacket, would shift her image around like she were glitching in and out of reality. Lastly, her gloves and boots would help her stick to and traverse walls and ceilings, if she was strong enough to do it.
"That's... crazy," she said.
Lucian backed up. "There's more."
From his belt, he pulled out what looked like a metal wand, wrapped in leather, and something that looked like a cape.
"I planned to keep the cloak to myself, but you'll need it just in case."
He wrapped and clipped it around her shoulder, and it fit snugly. It then conformed to her jacket, forming patterns that shimmered almost like glittery bug wings.
"This is kinda pretty," she remarked.
Besides the practical benefits, Lucian was glad that she liked how it looked. "That thing I just gave you—if you focus on it while running, it'll help you speed up. And this..." He lifted up the wand-looking item. "Is imbued with a little bit of my power to displace objects. It can only shrink in on itself, but it's perfect for concealed carry."
He quickly briefed her on its functions as well. Focusing on the intent of 'growing' would make the longsword extend to its full size, while focusing on 'shrinking' would minimize it into just a handle.
"I'm not even gonna question it," said Maxie, nearly laughing in disbelief. "Thank you," she said with finality.
Lucian cupped her shin, as she'd pulled her mask to the side while testing the sword. "Anything to help you stay safe."
As he'd pulled back his cowl and wore his jaw brace around his neck, Maxie was free to pull his face down for a kiss.
"Put the fear of God in them for me," she demanded right after.
...
Shifting into his Phantom loadout and keeping his mask in his jacket, Lucian walked Maxie all the way to the Watsons' household. They did have all day, after all, and they weren't about to waste time on pointless last-minute rush training or anything similar. All they really wanted to do at that point, purely in reaction to their situation, was maximize the amount of time they could spend together.
Along the way, they stopped by a photo booth. Having the same idea, they went in and printed out their pictures together. Instead of just two, though, they got three copies. Though two were regular and went into their wallets, one was extra small.
They then went to a crafts corner store to cut out the third photo—just their faces. It was small enough to be a snug fit for Maxie's locket.
"It's perfect," she said, clutching the tiny thing in her hands. "If... if this all ends well," she continued, "Is it alright if I put Tammy on the other side...?"
"It's your locket," said Lucian. He kissed her temple with his arm wrapped around her shoulder. "We'll make it happen."
...
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
[[ New Quest: It's a Trap! ]]
Description: You've been invited to an obvious trap. Descend into its clutches and dismantle the ploy from within.
Time Limit: 1 hour.
Objectives:
[1] Defeat Killer Moth.
[2] Leave the ambush site in ideal condition.
[Optional 1] Take the life of Killer Moth.
Penalties:
• Objective [1] failed: rewards for this objective will not be received, and you will take a hit to your reputation.
• Objective [2] failed: rewards for this objective will not be received, and you will take a hit to your reputation.
Rewards:
[1] 1,000 EXP; one D-grade item or one Basic non-class ability of your choosing.
[2] 1,000 EXP; one D-grade item or one Basic non-class ability of your choosing.
[Optional 1] 2,000 EXP.
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
...
Maxie was left at the sidewalk directly in front of the Watson household. Seeing as Tammy had an intensely negative opinion of Lucian, which might have extended to her father, this was the best thing to do.
She walked that familiar path to the front door. Instead of her second home though... it felt like she was walking into a cage.
Their house faced east, which meant that they had perfect sunrises in the living room. It also meant that, at dusk, their house would be lit up from behind by the setting sun. The red sky stretched far into the horizon, and the smog clouds directly above were painted blue and grey, and lined with rippling hellfire.
The house's silhouette was a monolithic shadow against the hot backdrop. Its darkness spread forward and swallowed Maxie whole. Men wearing black suits sat around and walked along the front yard, their sunglasses glinting in the fading light. Though they never faced her directly, she could sense their gazes on her.
'What a fucking shitshow,' she thought.
Her hand tightened around the handle in her pocket. The temptation to just extend that sword while pressing the hilt up to one of their necks—it made her dizzy.
She arrived at the front door. Her hand reached for the steel handle and turned it. The cold air from outside was pushed away by heavy, sticky warmth, and the moment she closed the door behind her, she was glomped something light and fluffy.
"Oh, honey!" Tammy exclaimed, squeezing her. She smelled like strawberries, shampoo, and something sour like faint sweat. "I missed you so much! Oh, I was so worried!"
Maxie was fussed over like a kid coming home to her family after a long trip. "Hey, Tammy..." She did her best to placate her friend. After all, broken as her mind was at the moment, she was still the same person. She still mattered to her.
Eventually, she got Tammy to pipe down and back off. Joseph welcomed her, then went to fix her dinner as soon as his daughter went back upstairs to call her boyfriend that everything was in order. The air in the dining room was stuffy with the heat of freshly-cooked food, and the savory aromas stuck to Maxie's throat.
"Aleck told me what's been happening," Joseph said, sitting his heavy frame down at the dinner table with her. "I'm sorry to hear what you have to go through."
Maxie sighed, putting her forkful of pulled pork back onto the plate. "You don't honestly believe Donovan's words, do you, Joe?"
He grimaced and looked away. "He's a stand-up guy..."
She gulped, then bit into the food. It was cooked perfectly... but the taste and texture were off as she manipulated the meat fibers with her tongue. "He's really not," she grumbled.
In her pocket, her phone vibrated. She peeked at it under the table.
Oracle: "Red Hood's guys are in position. Don't worry. We're just waiting for the Phantom to start on his end. This'll all be over soon."
...
Lucian was met by a group of suited men once he was several houses away from the Watsons. They stood there, perfectly stock still. Two of them had what looked like metal braces around their necks, barely visible past their collars.
"Lucian Albrecht?" one of them asked.
He gave them all a dismissive once-over. "Donovan's mutts. Cute. What, he gives you doggy treats for being good boys?"
They ignored his remark and started walking, leading him to a convoy of motorcycles. "We're here to help you with your cartel issues," said the same man who spoke earlier. "You're riding with me. We'll all split off from you on-site and reconverge around the enemies. More of us are already en-route from different sites."
"Sure," Lucian drawled. While he did get on the bike, he kept his hands to himself. Tiger Climbing Gear kept him anchored to the vehicle, and staying upright was no issue.
The ride to the meet-up point was tense. He could see it in the body language of those around him, and feel it through [Danger Sense]. Luckily, the threat was mild for the most part. Aleck's men were all strong by human standards, but only two posed a real threat. Their auras carried flecks of green and blue.
'That's new,' Lucian observed. 'Must've been that blue Venom they had at the factory. Finally perfected the recipe, huh?'
The city grew more deserted as they neared the meetup point. It wasn't quite abandoned like his own territory, if he could be so bold as to call it that. It was more like the residents left in a hurry.
When there were no more people around, Lucian was effectively kicked off the bike and Aleck's men peeled off.
"So much for putting on an act around me," he grumbled.
From under his jacket, he took out his mask. He put it back on his face where it belonged and proceeded forward. [Danger Sense] flared all over as he walked. Hostile stares. Leveled firearms. Each and every one was like a harsh poke, alerting him to where exactly the threat came from.
There, in the middle of a dusty courtyard, was Killer Moth. He'd had an upgrade since Lucian first met him.
The helmet was new—it was much more moth-like now, with huge black lenses that concealed an array of cameras behind them. The two active ones glowed red, giving off the illusion of wide, staring eyes. Between them also were two little antennae that probably served as signal amplifiers for long-distance communication.
As for his bodysuit, it was now more than just reinforced spandex. Proper armor spread over his body, layered over with insulating material. It was glossy on the undersides, and textured everywhere else. From his belt hung various tools and weapons, and as a cherry-on-top sort of fashion statement, he wore a cropped jacket with a thick-furred collar.
"So you're the Phantom Brawler," he opened, voice distorted into a hissing sort of warble. He leveled a cocoon gun at Lucian and made his demands. "Lose the mask and empty your pockets. I wanna see what I'm working with."
Luce complied. He lifted his mask up just enough to show his whole face. Then, he turned out each and every pocket he had—all empty.
Killer Moth laughed, like a schoolyard bully watching some kid embarrass himself to avoid getting beaten. "Holy shit! I didn't think you'd actually come unarmed!" He laughed some more, nearly howling. "Oh my god, you're stupid...!"
Lucian shut all of his pockets back up and pulled his mask over his face.
"I'm in position," said Red Hood.
Luce fought to stop the grin forming behind his mask.
"Got my rifle leveled at the bug. When I shoot, you do your sword thing and take out as many hostiles as you can until I get there."
Finally, Killer Moth calmed down. He re-aimed with his cocoon gun to say one last thing before ending their encounter. "Alright. Here's the deal, kid. I'm gonna catch you, then my boss is gonna do whatever he wants with you after. Just don't resist, you understand? That'll make things easier."
Then, from a distance, a bang. A subsonic shock round caught Killer Moth in his side, electrocuting his whole body. Lucian summoned Stinger into his hands, already sparking in its kriegsmesser form.
When Moth was shot, his hand tightened alongside his whole body, firing a cocoon round from his gun. Lucian took advantage of that. He jabbed Stinger's blade tip into the projectile and made it explode prematurely. The gooey substance expanded, and he spun around to guide it into shape. The stuff hardened into a hollow rounded structure with him at the center.
By the time Killer Moth hit the ground spasming, the gunfire started. They all embedded into the protective cocoon, and Lucian made a mad dash for the nearest building with hostiles in it. As soon as he was inside, he used Stinger to cleave the shell in half. He discarded the thinner side and held onto the thicker one, reinforcing its backside with layers upon layers of Blackwhip.
'Spider-Moth shield!'
The first enemy he encountered was in for a world of pain. With 2% of One for All coursing through his body alongside subtle ki channeling, Lucian slammed into him shield-first. He was effectively flattened to the floor by the impact.
Lucian stole the enemy's rifle and stuck it to his own body using Blackwhip, then proceeded to stab the guy's shoulders with Stinger turned off. "Well, you're out of the fight now..."
The rest went down similarly. Lucian cleared two buildings' worth of grunts all on his own, and by the end of it, his cocoon shield was in pieces from the countless bullets that sank into it. With only Blackwhip holding it together, it crumbled the moment the tendrils withdrew.
When he left his second building, the sun had fully set. Night was in full swing, and he felt empowered by the atmosphere. The darkness of the perpetually-overcast sky put him at ease, and the ruins around him brought up memories of dueling Yosef every day.
'Hmm... I wonder how the Headmaster's other kids are doing? Man, I miss their youngest. I should collect some souvenirs so I can take 'em with me when I die again.'
There was gunfire in another building while Lucian fought in his own. Soon after he exited, those noises came to a stop and Red Hood stepped out, reloading. "Good work," he said, making his way over.
"How many'd you take out?" Lucian asked.
"Twenty-one. Why? How many did you get?"
Luce hissed. "Damn it... eighteen."
Red Hood chuckled at him. "Sucks to be you. But hey, it's not all bad. Look over there."
Back in the center of the courtyard, Killer Moth was getting back up, having been resuscitated by two men using some scientific doohickey.
"I'd give those three to you so we can be even," Red Hood continued.
"Hold those meatheads off for me," said Lucian, watching their auras flare up in brilliant, green-speckled blue. "I'mma put boots to bug ass first."
[ 18 heavily-armed hostiles neutralized. ]
[ EXP total: 1,440. ]
[ Your level has risen from 20 to 21. ]
[ EXP to next level: 4,775. ]
Lucian quickly assigned his free attribute points and ignored the level assignment prompt. As per Penny's advice, he planned to dump five entire levels into the Changeling class all at once when he reached level 22.
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
Host: Lucian Albrecht
Titles: Vengeful Guardian
Matrix: Quirk User: One for All
Level: 21
Classes [Brawler - Level 5] ; [Acrobat - Level 5] ; [Criminal - Level 5] ; [Monk - Level 1] ; [Magician - Level 1] ; [Unassigned - 4]
-[Attributes]-
Power: 55 ››› 57 [144]
Vitality: 55 ››› 57 [144]
Agility: 55 ››› 57 [144]
Intellect: 33 ››› 35
Mentality: 33 ››› 35
Spirit: 34 ››› 35
Luck: 1
Free Attribute Points: 0
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
Killer Moth stood up, panting, while Red Hood started shooting at the Venom soldiers to distract them. "This is your plan? Your ego's gonna be the death of you, kid!"
"You ain't foolin' nobody, dustbug. Your voice is shaking." He brandished two of the automatic rifles that he stole, pointing them both at the enemy. "Quick question: your armor bullet proof, or is it all style?"
"Why don't you come over here and find out?!" Instead of drawing his own weapons, Killer Moth grabbed of all his firearms and tossed them to the ground in a fit of rage. He then proceeded to enter a fighting stance, just wordlessly daring Lucian to take him on.
"It'd be so easy to just Indiana Jones you right now..." Luce gently laid his weapons down by his feet. "But punching your face in would feel so much better."
—=—=—=—=—=—=—=—
[A/N]: What's this?! Another double chapter drop?!
Yeah, it turns out, these fights really do get long... so I'll have to move the beatdown of Killer Moth and everything else that follows to the next chapter. Good thing I set my closing timetable to chapter 50—at least then, I'll be absolutely sure that I've covered everything. It'd also be a really nice and rounded number to end things off at, so eh, all's well that ends well.
Thanks to everyone who stuck around for this long. I'll do everything in my power to make sure that the next volume will be much better than this one.