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The Guild of Gamers: The Occultist by The Dark Wolf Shiro

Game X-overs & Worm Xover Rated: M, English, Supernatural & Fantasy, Words: 51k+, Favs: 2k+, Follows: 2k+, Published: Jun 30, 2023 Updated: Dec 8, 2024

536Chapter 4: Vengeance from Beyond the Grave

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.

Betad by morde24, Atrius, Hermes, Priapus, Marethyu, Old Man of the Mountain, TheDonFluffles, Malcolm Tent, Mike, God of Lore and Beans

The Guild of Gamers: The Occult

Chapter 04: Vengeance from Beyond the Grave

– Emma Barnes –

Modelling had a bad reputation in the media. There was always some sleezebag taking advantage of the models, links to organised crime, prostitution, that kind of thing. Rumours that the models had to put out were all too common, but honestly, in her experience, they were completely unfounded.

Her agent was a woman, and so was the head of the agency she worked with. Nobody had pressured her for sexual favours, and she'd seen not even a hint of them being linked to the Empire despite being in their territory (aside from probably paying them for 'protection', but that was what happened to every business in Brockton Bay).

Gripping the sheets, she moaned lewdly as the older man sheathed his large cock inside her formerly virgin cunt, whispering sweet nothings into her ear and kissing her next as she pushed her hips back to meet the manhood that had snatched away her virginity.

So, how had a day of modelling ended up with her in bed with a virtual stranger? Well, that was easy.

Alexander was another model, a new one who was a rapidly rising star. He just had this presence during shoots that made the camera adore him, and he clearly loved the spotlight. She was convinced he was a former super-model, but she couldn't prove it or find him online. She'd had the pleasure of watching him do a shoot, and he was magnificent. She thought she was good at her job, maybe even better than the twins that worked there, but he just lived for the camera.

They'd made eye contact while she'd been watching him pose, and he gave her this… look, a mixture of hungry and knowing, and she felt her panties get damp, and her mouth go dry.

They'd talked afterwards, his silky voice giving her advice for her own shoot, and when she went home that night, she'd dreamt of him.

In truth, she'd thrown herself into modelling lately to try and take her mind off… her. She hated Taylor for her weakness, but she'd been sure that Taylor wouldn't break under their torment, that Taylor would finally grow a backbone and stop being such a victim.

Instead, Taylor had disappeared. Nobody had seen her in weeks, and most people assumed she'd run away since the last sighting of her was her dad seeing her going to bed, or that she'd thrown herself into the Bay since, she apparently hadn't taken anything with her.

Something vaguely resembling guilt ate away at her, and she hated it. Taylor was the one so weak some pranks broke her completely. Taylor would have never survived against the ABB if she was the one in that damned alleyway. The weakling would have probably not even put up a fight; she wouldn't have been deserving of being saved like Emma was. She'd have just cowered and let those chinks do whatever they wanted with her.

If Taylor's disappearance was related to them- if- then it was a simple truth that Taylor was so weak that she couldn't be reforged, couldn't be made strong, and she didn't deserve pity. She should just be forgotten.

So when spending time with Alexander finally took her mind off Taylor and all her memories of her former best friend, both before the incident that made her choose to break away from Taylor and from her attempts to get Taylor to finally toughen up, she found herself constantly drawn back to him.

When she was with Alexander, it was like nothing else mattered, like life itself was shining a spotlight down on him and leaving the rest of the world in darkness. He was the centre of every conversation he was in, the star of that show called Life, and there was something dangerous about him.

It was the way he walked, prowled, like a predator stalking its next meal. She'd never admit it out loud, but Sophia tried the same thing, and it just didn't compare; even Sophia seemed like a housecat next to Alexander. He moved with such grace, such power, and she wanted to be like him.

One day, as they had been talking between shoots, his hand came to rest on her leg, barely covered by the skirt she was wearing for a photoshoot; she'd looked into his eyes and known he was testing her, seeing if she'd push him away. She didn't, couldn't, as he caressed her thigh, a slender finger rubbing circles into her inner thigh. He'd kissed her, and she'd just tilted her head and let him.

It was a miracle they didn't get caught, with her make-up needing fixing from his forceful, possessive kiss.

From there, her submission had made him bolder, and as days went by, he'd moved from innocent touches to outright molesting her as he pleased, and still she'd said nothing. He'd told her to send him pictures of herself, and she had, wearing less and less until she was exposing herself completely to the camera for Alexander's pleasure, a scandal that could ruin her modelling career, but still she couldn't bring herself to care.

Alexander called her beautiful, a work of art, and his sweetly-whispered words of approval made her hunger for more. She'd been complimented her entire life, but she knew she'd do anything to hear Alexander praise her more.

So when he had wanted her to make an excuse to visit him at his home, she'd agreed, even knowing exactly what he'd wanted from her. A driver from the agency had picked her up after she'd told her father she was spending the day with Madison, taking him to Alexander's mansion just outside of town. It was as extravagant as the man himself, and being led in, it didn't take long until she was giving him a… private modelling session.

One that had seen her removing more and more until she stood in front of him utterly nude, his intense gaze wandering her naked body, soon replaced by his hands.

Crying out in pleasure, she begged him for more as he took her from behind, her face pressed against the silky sheets of his bed, his hands on her hips as he claimed her in a way no one else ever had. He was amazing. He was everything.

He didn't pull out, but her mind was too enraptured in pleasure to care about the potential long-term consequences as she felt his seed flood her womb, Alexander filling her in a way that she didn't know she needed.

A sharp pain in her neck momentarily dragged her from her pleasure, but in the haze of euphoria, it quickly faded as she cried out in pleasure. As he pulled out of her creamed slit, she collapsed onto the bed, glistening with sweat, and rolled onto her back. Staring up at him, he almost seemed to glow as he stared down at her with a bloody smile, her blood coating his lips.

Cutting his wrist with an abnormally long fingernail, he demanded she drink from his own essence, and while something within her clouded mind screamed, she latched her lips onto his cut wrist with adoration, drinking deeply of his essence.

– Alexander –

I need the spotlight, perhaps even as much as I need blood itself. Brockton Bay has no real showbiz industry, but to my surprise, it is where one of the bigger modelling agencies is located.

It might not be movies, but the camera loves me all the same, so regaining some of my limelight as a model was easy enough… oh, and I turned the manager into a Ghoul.

[Create Ghoul]

By feeding a mortal your vampiric vitae, you can transform them into a Ghoul, a vampiric servant addicted to your blood. This halts their ageing and grants them a minor regeneration factor.

I needed them not to pay too much attention to my weird schedule, and having her at my complete command, thanks to the power I got from Taylor, was just convenient.

And then I met Emma, and something deep inside me demanded vengeance. I drained Taylor of her very soul, so it's only natural that part of her remained behind in my mind. It's something to keep in mind, but the memories of Emma's campaign of torment and humiliation against Taylor came to the forefront of my mind.

I've gotten slightly better at exploring the memories I steal when I fully drain someone, but I need to be more aware that draining someone entirely can cause them to… change me, if only in small ways.

I'm still me, but with Taylor's memories in my mind, I set upon gaining vengeance for a girl long dead, buried in my graveyard. I am not a violent man by nature, and I'm certainly not wasteful.

Emma has spent the last month helping me master Presence and Dominate, her mind now putty in my hands, though she was already a broken doll.

[Dominate, Discipline of Control: Apprentice]

[Conditioning]

This allows you to slowly condition someone and make them more obedient to you until they are a slave to your will. The stronger-willed the target, the longer this process takes.

[The Forgetful Mind]

This allows you to rewrite the memories of a target, slowly altering or wiping their past memories. The more impactful and older the memory, the longer this process takes.

[Presence, Discipline of Emotions: Apprentice]

[Dread Gaze]

This power allows you to inflict unbearable terror within your victims.

This isn't the first time I've fed on Emma, nor the first time I've taken her. She's been my practice dummy for memory alteration, gradually losing her free will as she becomes more and more obsessed with pleasing me.

See, I needed a… blood doll, an obedient source of blood I could rely on, and Ghoul blood is not a viable substance. A dark part of me has taken satisfaction over watching Emma slowly lose more and more of herself, replacing it with me.

But as I said, she was already broken. I know this for one simple reason… what I got from feeding on her.

[Dementation, Discipline of Madness: Novice]

[The Haunting]

This allows you to inflict maddening visions upon your victim.

[Veil of Madness]

Allows you to force a victim to become overwhelmed with a chosen emotion, becoming incapacitated with laughter or sobbing.

She isn't a cape, but her mind was already so shattered that she granted me a Discipline just from feeding on her enough. I might just be doing her a favour. With my ability to modify memories comes the ability to explore someone's memories, though it's a slow and draining process.

I know what broke little Emma and who put her back together in such a malformed state. I haven't forgotten about Sophia, nor their little lackey Madison.

As I turn Emma into a Ghoul, I smile to myself. She'll be a useful tool, and I can get other Blood Dolls. With this, her mind is mine to do with as I please. How fitting that it is Taylor's power that allows me to make Emma well and truly mine. Her thoughts, her senses, her body, they're all mine to use as I see fit.

I need to be careful not to trigger the famous M/S protocols, which is why I'm happy to have a relatively unimportant girl as my pet. The PRT have little reason to be looking at her, even with her friendship with Shadow Stalker.

"Who am I to you?" I ask, placing my finger under her chin and tilting her head up to meet my gaze.

"My master, my love, my everything," Emma responds, awe in her voice as I reshape her mind to make her truly mine.

"You cannot let people know that. If they find out, they'll separate us. They'll take you away, and you'll never see me again; you'll never feel my touch," I warn, watching her eyes widen in true horror. "You must keep our relationship a secret, my dear."

"I- I will, I promise," Emma promises submissively.

"I know you will, pet," I praise, seeing her beam.

Moving over to one of the chairs, I give her a commanding look.

"Come, worship me," I demand, seeing her quickly move over to me as she falls to her knees, her mind responding to my desires. For the first time since I arrived in this world, I feel like I'm at home as the barely legal redhead worships my cock, uncaring of her need to breathe as her desire to please me overpowers even her self-preservation.

I deserve adoring servants, and if I don't have my old fanbase, then I'll just make more. These powers suit me.

I should be adored, and Emma is a good first step in assuring I will never be without adoration.

– Later –

With Emma sent home by another of my conditioned servants, some errand boy for the agency who was particularly weak-willed, I head out myself.

I have not been idle this past month. In fact, I've been quite busy. If I want my plans to go ahead, I need to become a semi-successful hero, at the very least. As such, I've been quite the industrious little hero this past month while using the wonders of PHO to leak that my powers gave me a need to drink blood that I've had trouble controlling.

I drank from Rune and several other women around the Docks when I was starting out, after all.

I've avoided Cape fights, of course. The Empire has finally stopped actively searching for me, but they do tend to show up anywhere I spend too long. My senses have allowed me to avoid them for the most part, and I've stuck to the safer parts of the city for my forays into heroism.

In fact, I've avoided all capes for the past month. Keeping my hearing enhanced means I can hear them coming long before they arrive. There is only one Stranger in the city, and she hasn't been used against me, after all… I think? Hm.

I can hear the Armscycle coming from half the city away (an over-exaggeration but not by that much), and while the PRT does tend to show up wherever I am, they don't use the best way they have to actually catch up to me.

My 'patrols' happen past Vista's bedtime, after all. If they were willing to let Wards out past midnight, maybe they'd try and send their invisible girl after me, but Elasti-girl doesn't allow her daughter out that late and besides… I can still hear her just fine, and I do have Sense the Unseen, so I'd know if she was around.

As an added benefit, constant use of Auspex has improved my abilities with it considerably. It means I get thirsty faster, but Brockton Bay has plenty of criminals for me to feed on (even if it means inferior male blood; it's just not as sweet).

[Auspex, Discipline of Sensing: Apprentice]

[Aura Perception]

Allows you to perceive a person's aura, detecting various details about them through it, along with their current emotional state.

[Unerring Pursuit]

Allows you to create a supernatural bond between you and a target, allowing you to view your victim on any reflective surface.

And, of course, I've done a lot of running.

[Celerity, Discipline of Dexterity: Apprentice]

[Fleetness]

Your speed and dexterity are further increased, even beyond what most see as superhuman.

I can actually outrun Armsmaster's bike now, which really annoyed him the one time he tried to chase after me. I'm not quite faster than the eye can see, but my powers are growing steadily. That said, I feel like I've hit a wall at Apprentice, and I think I know why.

I need blood, the life essence of someone aligned with the Discipline. To get any faster, I need the blood of a speedster; to make my presence more potent, I need the blood of someone beloved by many. Cape blood is my best option, but that comes with its own risks.

Emma's blood was useful for Presence but not enough to help me break past this roadblock. She's adored, but only in a mortal way; she's just a popular schoolgirl and amateur model, after all.

The important thing is that I'm stronger now, and I've shown it to the heroes of this city. I make Velocity seem pathetic; I believe he's faster than me but can't interact with reality while he moves, while I very much can.

The PRT wants me, and even the Empire has changed from wanting to put me in my place for attacking Rune to wanting to forcibly recruit me, which I know from conversations they didn't realise I was listening to.

I went with Ebon for my cape name, and frankly, if it wasn't for the Unwritten Rules, I imagine they'd have shown up at my house already. I will not wear a full-face mask; it would be a sin to cover up and deprive the world of my good looks, and my domino mask is hardly an unbreakable disguise.

Between my piercing red eyes, long black hair and unnatural beauty, how could anyone ever mistake me for anything less than extraordinary?

The agency I work with even has two Empire capes working there as well, Jessica and Nessa Biermann, or Fenja and Menja. They don't know that I know who they are, but I know they know who I am.

I've listened to them speaking to Kaiser or Max, and it seems like the hunt for me has been mostly called off as long as I don't start going after Empire capes or operations. I wonder if they'd still be considering the soft sell if they realised I'd worked out the identities of… basically every Empire cape?

Between my ability to smell capes, my new Aura Perception, and the twins accidentally exposing Max Anders as Kaiser by vastly underestimating my hearing, the rest basically fell into place. It'll be useful information in the future.

I may be planning on letting the PRT recruit me, but that won't last forever, and one day, perhaps in the far future, I'm going to go my own way. I may just want to drain a dozen neo-nazis on my way out, something the PRT wouldn't permit me to do.

Hookwolf has killed dozens of capes, and so has Lung. The strong do not need to concern themselves with the so-called Unwritten Rules. That's why they're Unwritten, so they can be conveniently ignored when the need arises. I will grow in power, and if the PRT are smart, they'll bend over backwards to keep me for as long as possible as I surpass them, getting more powerful until even the Triumvirate pale in comparison to me.

Rules are for lesser men, and speaking of lesser men…

– Adam Mustain (Skidmark) –

Things had been going so fucking well; he'd had his turf, enough drugs to overdose the entire city, and plenty of holes for him to stick his dick in.

Then the fucking vampire showed up on his turf, and things immediately started going to shit. The fucking leech didn't even have the balls to attack them directly, just running away like a fucking pussy anytime the Merchant capes showed up to try and deal with the fucker, and he was just too damn fast.

His men were scared to go out at night in their own fucking backyards, but that just meant they needed to do their deals in broad daylight; it wasn't like anyone was going to stop them. The cocksucker didn't show up in daylight; after all, everyone knew vampires hated sunlight.

But now the shitstain had gone too fucking far, as they stood in front of one of their burning drug labs, rage flooding his veins at the sight of his money and drugs going up in smoke.

Squealer was by his side, looking nervous as she glanced around at the shadows as if she was expecting the fanged fuckface to jump out and attack them. He knew better, Ebon was a chickenshit coward who was too scared to fight them.

Mush had been sent to another drug lab, which was also burning down. They had almost a dozen scattered through their turf. Ebon had only hit two, and he'd told his boys to prepare in case the oversized mosquito dared show his face at the others. This wasn't a major setback, but he was getting fucking fed up with this bastard rampaging through his territory.

Who the fuck did he think he was? They were the Archer's Bridge Merchants, the biggest badasses and best businessmen in this shithole city, and this store-brand Dracula thought he could take them on?

"Skids," Squealer said, trying to get his attention.

Nah, this bitch was going to pay for this just as soon as they worked out how to find the cowardly bastard. If the fucker was able to actually fight, he wouldn't have run off so many times, but the coward even ran away from fucking Mush.

"Skidmark!" Squealer shouted, making him look over to her. Squealer just pointed down the street.

Standing there, without a single fuck given, was the cock-sucker himself, an arrogant smile on his face as he stared them down. His men paused, staring at him in shock and confusion.

"What are you fucks waiting for, a written invitation? Fucking shoot him," Skidmark shouted, pulling out his own pistol as he placed a field over the barrel to speed up whatever went through it, let's see the little bastard dodge-

Pain. His body ached as he slammed into a wall, Ebon standing where he was a moment prior, having closed the distance before Skidmark had even managed to draw his gun, staring down at him with disdain.

"I suggest you all leave; I might even be kind enough not to chase you," Ebon stated, looking at his shocked men. Squealer wasn't taking that shit as she aimed her own pistol and pulled the trigger, the bang making his men flinch.

Fucking useless junkies.

…why wasn't Ebon hurt?

His hand extended towards Squealer; he turned it over and opened his palm to reveal the bullet he was holding, his eyebrow raising in amusement as he gave Squealer a challenging look.

"I really wouldn't advise trying that again. I might feel the need to return your bullets to you, with enthusiasm." Ebon said simply, tossing the bullet into the air a couple of times before he caught it and threw it at the ground at Squealer's feet.

Hard, the ground cracking from the force.

His men broke, fleeing for the hills as they left him to his fate, even Squealer scrambling to get back into her ride, not hesitating to drive away and leave him in the dust, all while the smug cock-sucker stood there with an air of superiority as if he was so much better than them.

But while the prick was watching Squealer drive away, it had been all the distraction Skidmark needed to take aim, layering as many fields on his gun's barrel as he could. How dare this cumstain turn his back on him.

Pulling the trigger, he flinched back from the sheer noise the shot made as it was accelerated a dozen times over; even Cockula couldn't dodge it as it pierced the back of his skull and kept going right out the other side.

Skidmark grinned, rotten and yellowed teeth on display as he waited for the prick to fall, freezing as Ebon turned around, a brutal exit wound in the dead centre of his forehead.

Reaching up, Ebon touched the wound with idle fascination as it slowly started to close.

"Ah, Skidmark. I'm going to have to hurt you for that," Ebon said with a calm smile, and as he went to fire again, the pain overwhelmed him a second time. He didn't let it stop him, trying to pull the trigger once more.

Only, that was rather difficult considering where his trigger finger currently was, Ebon holding his torn-off arm with a confused look.

"Hm, I'll be honest, I didn't think you were so… fragile," Ebon said idly, tossing the severed limb away as Skidmark stared at where his arm once was, torn off below the elbow. "Oh well."

The drugs and shock delayed his reaction for a while before reality caught up with him, and the screaming started.

"Come along, Skidmark, let's go meet our local heroes," Ebon said cheerfully, approaching him with a smile. "This isn't quite the first impression I wanted, but I'm sure it'll work out just fine all the same."

— Bonus Scene — Sherrel Bailey (Squealer)

"What the fuck are we supposed to do?" Mush asked, looking panicked as they gathered in one of the Merchant's hideouts. This wasn't the first time that Skidmark had been arrested, but some had stuck around long enough to see Skidmark getting… disarmed. "We've gotta get Skidmark out of there; maybe we should grab that Panacea chick?

"Are you fucking stupid? You want the PRT to come down on us like the hammer of fucking God? Or New Wave to tear us a new asshole? Panacea is off-limits. Everyone knows that you retard," Sherrel said, facepalming. "Skids said I was in charge while he was gone, and we're gonna need to lay low for a while. Skiddy hasn't done enough to get Birdcaged so we can bust him out later when fucking Dracula isn't wandering our turf."

"But-"

"But fucking what, shitstain?" Sherrel said, stepping into Mush's space as he paused. "What part of I'm in charge was too hard for you to get into that empty skull of yours?"

"Why should we listen to-" one of the men said, cutting off as she swung her wrench at his head, the sound of bone cracking making the room go silent.

"Because my babies are the only reason we're even still around and because I'm the only one around here with a fucking brain. Mush, go check on our other drug labs and spread the word for the men to keep their heads down for a bit while I work out how we're getting Skiddy out," Sherrel ordered, making him blink. "Did I fucking stutter?"

Maybe it was that she was standing over the unmoving body of the last fucker who talked shit to her, but for once, the junkies actually listened to her as she stepped over the body and entered her garage.

Fucking morons.

Pausing, she looked around and made sure no one was watching as she locked the garage and went to her stash.

Pushing the cocaine and cash aside, she pulled out the small vial of a sticky red liquid, uncapping it as she downed the best drug in the fucking world, shuddering as she felt the power flood her veins.

Get Skiddy out? Yeah, she'd do that. Her new boss wanted to drain the worthless shit to the last drop after all, even if the idea of drinking any fluid from Skidmark disgusted him.

But for now, she had a job to do, and if she failed, she'd never get to taste the crimson ambrosia again…

Right after she flicked her bean, watching Ebon in action had gotten her so fucking wet.

Author's Note: Heartbreaker, move over. Actually, don't. Alexander could use a snack.

Fun fact, I finished the chapter on a coach to Scotland, where I'm spending a few days.

I am entirely motivated by praise and interaction, so leave a review, and I'll probably write faster.

I have a Discord server with a bunch of other authors and a load of porn. So much porn.

Here's the link for that: discord .gg/wd3tUYWVCd

If it says it's expired, it is probably your account being unable to join NSFW servers, and you'll need to fix that. If you fix that and it still says it's expired, add me (ThePumpkinKing), and I'll invite you myself.

I've finally started to use my Pat reon for something. I've added some discord integration so that my patrons can read early previews of chapters. This won't affect regular posting, but if you wanna read my works a day or two early, then consider checking it out.

Link: Pat reon TheDarkWolfShiro

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The Guild of Gamers: The Occultist by The Dark Wolf Shiro

Game X-overs & Worm Xover Rated: M, English, Supernatural & Fantasy, Words: 51k+, Favs: 2k+, Follows: 2k+, Published: Jun 30, 2023 Updated: Dec 8, 2024

536Chapter 5: Meet the Heroes

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.

Betad by morde24, Atrius, Hermes, Priapus, Marethyu, Old Man of the Mountain, TheDonFluffles, Malcolm Tent, Mike, God of Lore and Beans.

The Guild of Gamers: The Occult

Chapter 05: Meet the Heroes

– Hannah (Miss Militia) –

Getting reports of Ebon fighting the Merchants had come as a surprise; Brockton Bay's vampire cape was known for avoiding cape fights, and the man was almost as fast as Velocity; it would be a hard task for Skidmark to manage to pin him down.

She'd only seen a glimpse of him before, hearing that he was hunting Merchant thugs not far from her patrol, but her bike was insufficient to keep up with him, and Ebon simply fled up a building and out of sight.

They'd been trying to get in touch with him for a while since he started stalking and attacking civilian women to drink their blood, but Ebon was good at avoiding them, which was why she was so surprised to see him just idly standing there as she turned the corner.

Pulling up, she shared a look with Armsmaster, who stopped his Armscycle a short distance away from Ebon, wondering what had changed Ebon's approach to them. Normally, he'd be long gone before they could get this close.

Ebon himself was barely wearing a mask, a small domino mask covering his eyes but doing nothing to hide his striking features, long black hair going down to his shoulders, and red eyes that almost seemed to glow as they turned to her, giving her a once over.

Glancing down at Skidmark, her eyes widened at the sight of the ripped-off arm just casually on the floor next to the pale villain.

"You're Ebon, right?" Miss Militia started, making him smile at her, flashing her a fanged grin.

"I am, and you need no introduction, Miss Militia," Ebon agreed smoothly.

"This level of… brutality comes very close to breaking the Unwritten Rules," Armsmaster barked, making her wince at the very undiplomatic tone. "He requires immediate medical attention."

"If it's any consolation, I didn't actually mean to rip his arm off. He is just so… fragile," Ebon said with an utter lack of worry, kicking Skidmark in the side lightly. "Feel free to take him off my hands. Maybe this will serve as a better warning for him to stay in prison; you might even be able to hold him for more than a month this time."

Ebon's taunting tone made Armsmaster's eyes narrow, even as he applied some containment foam on the stump to stop the bleeding. Ebon wasn't wrong; Skidmark had been arrested three times before, and he never stayed in prison for long, but he also wasn't a serious enough villain to warrant the Birdcage. Panacea wouldn't heal a villain unless they were at risk of dying, so Skidmark was likely going to remain armless.

"Ebon, you're wanted for questioning over the assault of several women," Armsmaster said with his usual bluntness, Ebon simply raising an eyebrow in amusement, even as Armsmaster's stance changed subtly.

"A man has to eat. I'll admit I got a little out of control while I was learning about my new… diet, but they escaped with a little fear and some lightheadedness, no permanent harm done," Ebon said with a shrug, amusement clear in his tone.

"Diet, you need blood then?" Miss Militia asked, placing herself between the two as she gave Armsmaster a look. He was a brilliant fighter, but his social skills were notoriously bad.

"Regular food and drink has no effect on me anymore, only blood," Ebon admitted.

"You still assaulted almost a dozen women, feeding on them," Armsmaster retorted, making Ebon smile innocently. "You're coming with us."

"Hm, no, I don't think I am," Ebon said confidently, his own stance changing. "I don't plan to follow Ghoul's example."

"Ghoul?" Miss Militia asked, making him smile.

"A Case 37, that's a Parahuman who has dietary needs caused by their power. He needed human flesh, much like I need to have blood. He fed on corpses, didn't hurt anyone, and when he turned himself in to the PRT, you Birdcaged him. There was an entire legal act formed around it, though too late to help poor Ghoul," Ebon explained, making her blink as she tried to recall if she knew anything about that.

"...he's right; the laws were changed to give some leeway to capes who commit crimes to fuel an unorthodox diet," Armsmaster said, clearly looking it up on his helmet's computer.

"Ah, is that Dragon I hear whispering in your ear? Does she normally have to babysit you?" Ebon asked, head tilting as Armsmaster froze.

"If the laws were changed, you wouldn't meet Ghoul's fate. The PRT can help you-" Miss Militia started, pausing as he cut in.

"You'll forgive me if I don't trust that the PRT will play by its own rules," Ebon scoffed before smirking. "And I am entirely capable of helping myself; I have a new source of blood, a willing one when I'm not using the criminals of this city as blood bags. It's not like I'm going to run out of criminals anytime soon."

Ah, the mistrust so prevalent in independent heroes.

"I only waited so you could take this stain off my hands; I am done here," Ebon explained, taking a step back.

"You aren't going anywhere-" Armsmaster started, making her pause and wonder what the hell he was thinking.

"Is that a threat, tin man?" Ebon asked, his fangs bared as he stared at Armsmaster menacingly. "You won't like how that ends for you. As I've said, people can be so fragile, even when they clad themselves in scrap metal. Even your babysitter is telling you to play nice. I'd listen if I were you."

How good were his senses that he could hear Dragon on the comms? They were designed to be extremely hard to hear; his senses must be incredibly powerful.

"It isn't a threat; there's no reason for two heroes to fight," Miss Militia said, giving Armsmaster another look. "I don't suppose I could convince you to come in for power testing?"

"Had you arrived alone, I imagine you'd have been able to convince me quite easily, but I don't feel like going anywhere with that prat," Ebon scoffed, gesturing towards Armsmaster, who scowled but remained quiet. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Militia. Maybe muzzle that one if you're going to have him come along," Ebon mocked, giving them a slight bow.

Turning, he practically blurred as he sped away, too fast to track with her eyes.

"I don't suppose you want to tell me why you decided to antagonise an independent hero?" Miss Militia asked, turning to Armsmaster, who frowned.

"Ebon isn't registered as a hero, and he's attacked civilians," Armsmaster countered, making her roll her eyes as she called for a van to pick up the unconscious Skidmark.

"Registering with the PRT is highly recommended, but it isn't required. You know that," Miss Militia scolded, sighing internally. Armsmaster had not taken being replaced as the head of the Brockton Bay Protectorate well, even if Maeve was doing an undeniably good job.

Maybe he felt threatened by another cape who only seemed to be growing stronger; they hadn't missed the way Ebon's power seemed to be increasing, comparing footage and reports from his earliest appearances to how he was now.

Shaking her head, she watched the PRT van approaching and wondered what she was going to say later. She didn't really want to throw Armsmaster under the bus, but if Ebon was telling the truth, Armsmaster's personality had prevented Ebon from coming back with her.

Still, there was one thing she could say for certain. That was one stupidly attractive man. They didn't have any clear pictures of him yet, and grainy footage didn't do his beauty justice. Her hidden camera and Armsmasters helmet would have both captured him in high definition.

– Rebecca 'Annie' Anne January (Starlight) –

Looking at the picture of Ebon, she felt her heart start to pound at the sight of that oh-so-familiar face staring back at her, Alex giving the camera a mocking smile. His 'mask' wouldn't fool anyone who had actually met him; surely he knew that?!

…okay, her own identity was basically public knowledge, so that was a little hypocritical of her, but she knew what she was getting herself into; Alex had to be a new trigger.

"Something wrong, Rebecca?" Emily asked, seeing her freeze up as she decided how to respond.

The Unwritten Rules existed for a reason, but Emily had clearly already worked out that she knew something as the rest of the BB Protectorate capes stared at her, Jaime giving her a questioning look.

"I know who Ebon is under his mask. We only met once, but he's rather hard to forget," Annie admitted, not giving any names even as Emily stared at her expectantly before she frowned.

"Do you think he knows your identity?" Emily asked, making her pause before she shook her head.

"No, that was almost a month ago, and it was just a chance encounter. I didn't think anything of it at the time, and he didn't do anything to make me think he knows my identity," Annie answered. "He didn't seem to recognise me, and let's be honest, most cape fans have already worked out who I am."

"Do you think you could get him to join up?" Emily asked, making her pause. Everyone knew Emily hated independent heroes; she didn't trust any cape that wasn't directly under the PRT's command (and barely trusted those under it).

"I don't know. I have his number, but that was a month ago. He may have forgotten me entirely," Annie admitted, blushing slightly as Assault made a sound of recognition, immediately getting elbowed by Battery.

Dauntless paused before his eyes widened, coughing awkwardly and looking away. She'd briefly dated Shawn, but it hadn't worked out; at least he didn't seem upset about them breaking up. He'd definitely put two and two together, as they'd broken up just over a month ago. He didn't look thrilled, but she imagined that it came down to her dating him for two months without so much as a blowjob and then jumping into bed with a stranger right after they split up.

"I want you to try. Tell him you recognised him and are worried about his safety," Emily ordered, making her pause before she nodded. She honestly was, so it wasn't a lie. She wasn't worried that this would expose her identity; she didn't mind Alex knowing since she imagined most of the villains had already worked it out.

"...is it worth mentioning that he's a professional model? I looked him up after spotting a photo of him on the wall of my favourite clothing store," Annie admitted, making Emily face-palm.

"So he's both not even bothering to try and hide his face and a public figure? Wonderful," Emily sighed. "Are the Empire still hunting for him after his attack on Rune?"

"No, or at least they seem to have given up the hunt. They may have worked out his identity and are planning on using it to force him into the Empire, but at the very least, they've called off the search for him," Queen Maeve explained, an uncomfortable silence follows.

"And we are sure he is growing in power?" Emily asked, making Armsmaster look up.

"His speed and strength from the earliest sightings were far less than they are now. He was able to outrun my bike nearing its top speed, and the sheer strength he would need to rip Skidmark's arm off is far more than he's ever shown before," Armsmaster reported, frowning. "It's possible he was holding back before, but I doubt it. He clearly doesn't know his own strength, which would make sense if he's only getting stronger. Without a chance to put him through power testing, we don't have exact figures to work with, and that's without the suspicion he has some kind of Stranger power. Frankly, we don't know what he can do, only what he's shown."

As they moved on to the next topic, she considered how she was going to approach this. She definitely didn't want Alex getting dragged into the Empire, and she knew better than anyone that they did not forgive.

Would he remember a one-night stand? Would he be annoyed that she never called?

Her reason for not wanting a repeat was that it was dangerous to drag him into the Cape life, which seemed so funny now. If she'd called, they'd be friends with benefits at the very least, and she'd be in a better position to deal with this.

The meeting continued, but her mind was elsewhere; she had nothing to add anyway as they discussed the disappearance of some PRT consultant she had never met. She vaguely recognised the name and could put a face to it, but beyond spotting Calvert around, she'd never actually interacted with the somewhat creepy man.

As it ended, she wrote her message to Alex, deleting and restarting a couple of times.

Alex didn't reply, but she wasn't surprised. He was always active during the night; in fact, he'd never been seen during the day, which only added to his vampiric image. She didn't know if he was sensitive to sunlight, but she remembered him leaving her house before sunrise.

Going on patrol in the Merchant territory, she had to admit it was unnerving how quiet things seemed. Merchants were never quiet. Usually, they went wild when Skidmark or one of their capes was captured, but it seemed like they'd gone to ground hard.

Rooting out the merchants was nigh impossible because of how they functioned. The Empire and ABB had strongholds, hideouts, stashes, places that the PRT could target… but the Merchants? They just squatted in run-down buildings that they could abandon without a care.

Much of Brockton Bay was run down, and countless buildings and factories had been abandoned for years, which gave the Merchants hundreds of hiding places that they could use to stay below the radar. Plus, the Merchants didn't wear anything to identify them. The Empire and ABB thugs tended to be tattooed, but Merchants looked like typical bums.

They had drug labs and garages, but even they were low-quality and easily abandoned when the Merchants scattered like the cockroaches they were. It made actually looking for them much harder than any other gang; they could be literally anywhere.

Still, the level of quiet in the Merchant turf was… unnerving. Where was everyone? Sure, she could see the hookers, but even their pimps seemed to be missing in action at the moment. What the hell was going on?

As the night went on, things got even stranger. The Empire pushed into Merchant territory, as they always do when another gang suffers a setback, but nobody responded. She drove the skinhead thugs back herself, but this was incredibly wrong.

Squealer should have shown up. The Empire weren't exactly subtle about their approach, and she'd done the same before, using her creations to drive back the Empire and ABB alike. One time, she'd even driven one of her Killdozers into Lung, actually managing to hurt him.

And yet, no Mush, no Squealer, not even some drugged-up Merchants to come and try and drive the Empire off. They were up to something, and she didn't know what. That made her nervous. The Merchants were particularly unpredictable because how can you try and guess what a bunch of idiots who are probably on seventeen different types of drugs at any one time were going to do?

This was the same gang that one time tried to give drugs to a bunch of pre-schoolers because Skidmark had the genius idea that if he got them addicted young, he'd have customers for life. How he thought they'd pay was anyone's guess, and he was quickly driven off, but you couldn't predict what someone that dumb would do, and Squealer wasn't that much better.

As her phone vibrated, she paused and came to a stop, hesitating slightly as she pulled it out and saw Alexander's name on the caller ID.

"Hello?" Annie said, hesitant.

"I was wondering if I'd hear from you. Do you know how rare it is for me to give someone my number and for them not to call?" Alexander chuckled, and somehow, she knew he wasn't quite as casual about it as he sounded.

"Hey, Alex, sorry about that. I wasn't sure you'd remember me, to be honest," Annie admitted, hearing a laugh over the line.

"Exactly how many one-night stands do you think I have in a month?" Alex asked, making her blush at his blunt statement. "You aren't that forgettable, but I doubt you called to arrange a repeat performance. That said, it is a nice night. Are you hoping for a star-lit encore?"

She paused, sighing at his unsubtle hint that he knew her identity.

"You know," Annie stated simply.

"It wasn't exactly hard to work out; your mask barely covers any more than mine, and I never forget a face," Alex admitted, not even hiding that he was Ebon. He wasn't wrong; Her mask was just a simple white and gold domino mask, not unlike his black one, though not quite as thin. "So, I take it that it is Starlight, the PRT hero, calling, not Annie?"

"You aren't wrong. I recognised you during a briefing today; the others know that I know your identity, though I haven't told anyone your name," Annie promised.

"Considering how little effort I've put into protecting my identity, I'd be shocked if they don't work out my real name by the end of the week, but that's by design. I don't particularly like the concept of masks to begin with," Alex explained. "But I don't think we should have this conversation over the phone. Are you free for a face-to-face?"

"I'm on patrol now, keeping an eye on the Merchants after you took down Skidmark, but I can take a break," Annie agreed, as Alexander sent her a location not that far from her current location. He must have been doing the same thing himself.

Saying goodbye, she ended the call and set off towards the meetup, wondering what she was going to say when she met up with him.

The location he'd picked was near the Merchant territory, but not quite inside it, a secluded part of the Boat Graveyard where she could already see him looking out at the Bay itself. Knowing how good his hearing was, she knew he could hear her approaching even as he stood facing the water.

Landing nearby, he finally turned to look at her. Seeing him in person, she gave him an awkward wave as he smiled.

"A pleasure to see you again, Annie," Alexander said before pausing. "Don't worry, nobody is around. I'd be able to tell. I have very good senses, and the residents of this particular part of the city have a rather… noticeable smell."

The slight scowl on his face, his lips curling up in disgust (exposing his pearly white fangs), made her smile.

"Ah, the downsides of super-senses? I have a normal sense of smell, and even I don't like the lovely scents of this part of town," Annie said playfully, making him nod.

"True, but it has its benefits, too many for me to regret the downsides," Alexander agreed. "So, what can I do for the PRT today?"

"Let me be upfront. The director has asked me to try and recruit you into the PRT; she… isn't particularly fond of Independent Capes," Annie admitted, making him laugh.

"That would be the impressively corpulent Emily Piggot, yes? I'm not surprised; anyone that crippled in a city with Panacea has to have some severe issues," Alexander said with a smirk, making her nod ever so slightly.

Emily Piggot's injuries were well-known, and Panacea was often in the Rig several times a week, and yet Piggot still remained crippled. Panacea had fixed far worse in a matter of minutes, but Emily refused any parahuman healing. That didn't exactly look good for a woman put in charge of the PRT parahumans.

"As for recruiting me, again, I'm not particularly surprised. I had considered joining up myself, but I decided to go my own way for a while," Alexander explained.

"Being an independent in this city isn't exactly safe, especially one that has already picked a fight with the Empire," Annie warned, making him chuckle.

"Ah, my… slip up. I had just gained my powers recently and didn't understand my new hunger. I was very thirsty, and Rune was injured by the Merchants. Her blood drove me into a… feeding frenzy of sorts," Alexander admitted with a hint of shame on his face. "I was able to regain my senses before I drained her, but in truth, I was new to the city and didn't even know who the Empire were at the time."

"Accident or not, the Empire aren't the forgiving types," Annie said, making him smile.

"You'd be surprised. Kaiser has called his hunters off, both because of their lack of progress in tracking me down and because he realised that I'm growing stronger. I'm a handsome, white, powerful cape. That's practically his favourite thing in the world, only missing the word 'subservient'," Alexander scoffed. "He's going for the soft sell, not realising I heard him talking to Fenja and Menja, who have been put in charge of recruiting me."

Annie's eyes widened at Alexander's blunt words, making him grin.

"My hearing is very good, and I can enhance it further; it is hard to keep secrets around me," Alexander explained smugly. "Stop looking so worried. I have no interest in becoming a white supremacist; I'm just glad not to have to avoid Hookwolf anymore. He's far too slow to chase me down, all the Empire capes are, but he was certainly persistent."

"You realise they won't give up? The moment the soft sell fails, they'll go back to hunting you. If they can't get you to join them willingly, they'll try to use force. If that doesn't work, they will try and kill you, rules be damned," Annie said, well aware of the Empire's cruelty. "Kaiser only pretends to follow the Unwritten rules, and they won't hesitate to come for you in your civilian identity."

"They will certainly try," Alex agreed, utterly confident. It wasn't hard to see that Alexander was a little arrogant. Trying to convince him of the danger wasn't going to work. He was too prideful to admit he was in danger.

"I don't suppose you'll at least register as an Independent hero? It would save a lot of hassle and make working with the PRT a lot easier," Annie asked as Alex gave her a smile.

"I already planned to do so, but frankly, Armsmaster annoyed me, and I felt like being contrarian," Alexander admitted, making her chuckle.

"Yeah, sorry about him. He's a brilliant fighter, but his people skills aren't… great," Annie admitted, making Alex smile playfully.

"I could tell," Alex replied. "Shame they didn't send you. You're far more charming. You'd have easily smooth-talked me into the PRT."

"I think we both know you're the smooth-talking one here, given how our last encounter went," Annie teased, making him grin.

"Ah, but not smooth enough, apparently. It's been a long time since I've gotten ghosted," Alex pointed out, making her cheeks darken ever so slightly.

"It wasn't anything you did; I didn't want to risk putting you in danger. My identity is barely a secret, and I didn't want to pull you into the cape life; funny how that worked out," Annie said with a slight laugh. Of course, the guy she avoided for his own good turned out to be a cape as well.

"Oh, and now that I dove into that life entirely of my own accord?" Alex asked with a cocky smile, one finger running along her cheek before he forced her to look up into his deep ruby eyes.

"Dating is rarely a good idea for capes," Annie reasoned weakly, not doing anything to stop him as he came in for a kiss, his other hand running down her side as she pushed her body against his. Pulling back, he gave her a smug smile as she rolled her eyes slightly.

"Being a hero is rarely a good idea, given the sharp decline in life expectancy," Alex pointed out, making her laugh darkly. He very much wasn't wrong about that.

"I- I don't normally hook up with people like that. Casual flings aren't really for me," Annie countered, making his eyebrow raise.

"And if it isn't casual?" Alex asked, making her pause. "How about this: I'll join the PRT in exchange for a date," Alex offered, making her blink in shock before she snorted. She really couldn't predict what was going to come out of his mouth.

"Seriously?" Annie asked, making him nod.

"I considered trying to join New Wave, since my identity isn't going to stay secret anyway, but I don't know enough about them, and staying independent isn't the best idea, as you've pointed out. I can't guarantee I'll stay in the PRT. I have high standards, and to be perfectly honest, I don't play well with others, but I'm willing to give it a try."

Aunt Sarah would probably accept Alex into New Wave, but Carol… well, her other Aunt had issues, to say the least.

"In exchange for a date?" Annie asked, amused despite herself.

"As I said, I have high standards," Alex replied, giving her a slow once-over.

The logical part of her said that it was a bad idea to try another relationship or get in a relationship at all. The little voice in her head that sounded a lot like Crystal told her to stop being so serious and relax. The last time she listened to that voice, she ended up sleeping with a complete stranger, but she couldn't deny she'd enjoyed it.

"...what the hell. Fine, you have yourself a deal." Annie agreed, annoyed at how red her cheeks were getting at the look Alex was giving her.

Mission complete, right?

– Alexander –

Nothing gets public attention like a power couple (other than an affair, but that's a different story). Annie is beautiful, and Starlight is an incredibly popular cape. She polls as one of the most popular capes in Brockton Bay, just behind Glory Girl and Miss Militia. Female heroes always poll better, and if I want my own star to rise, a relationship with her will help speed things along.

If it goes well, we'll be a power couple. If it doesn't, then the drama can still be used to boost my popularity. There is no bad publicity and all that. That saying isn't entirely accurate, but it mostly works.

That isn't to say I'm not interested in Annie; I'm just a pragmatic guy. Why settle for just a happy relationship when I can have a happy relationship that also benefits me. Well, happy by a certain definition. I don't plan to give up my adorable pet Emma, or settle for just one lover.

I deserve the best, after all, and it would be cruel to let the other beautiful capes of the city lose out on a chance to be with me.

But I'm sure Annie will come around to my point of view, and so will everyone else.

— Bonus Scene — Sherrel Bailey (Squealer)

Watching the men fight, she sat on the throne she'd made of junked cars, smiling to herself at the brutal display. The Merchants were too weak for his plans, but she could make them better.

Inside the cage, several merchants already lay unconscious, possibly dead, but she didn't care. Those who came out of the cage victorious would be rewarded with their next hit, while the weak would be weeded out.

In the back of her mind, she could sense him. Watching through her eyes, his disgust at their weakness shamed her, making her swear to do better, in fear that he'd cut her off. Like a true junkie, she'd gone through her supply of that crimson nectar entirely too fast, his annoyance stabbing into her like a knife.

But she'd had her reasons; the blood cleared her mind like nothing else, and plans for bigger and better vehicles filled her mind, her hands moving on auto-pilot as she easily bypassed the roadblocks she'd run into under Skidmark's control. She was truly herself when she drank that red, sticky elixir, and she needed more.

Alexander listened to her inner thoughts, weighing her as she mentally pleaded her case, impassively judging her as she promised him whatever he desired, whether it be her creations, her body, or anything else. Whatever it took to get more of the only drug she cared about anymore.

Orders filled her head, and she had to stop herself from nodding fervently, not wanting to give away her secret master. His presence was within her mind and body, making a more intimate connection than she'd ever felt before. She knew he could take away her free will and puppet her body with a thought, but that only made her wetter. No secret could be kept from him, his mind delving through all her memories, the good and the bad, even her darkest moments dragged to the forefront of her mind for his perusal.

She knew he found her distasteful, wasted potential, beauty marred by years of bad choices, and it made her shudder. She'd fix it, his blood restored her beauty day by day, and she wouldn't ruin his property again. She'd be worthy of him, of his touch, his blood, his love.

Whatever it took.

Whispered words sang into her mind, the flash of a face, and she mentally nodded. She knew what she needed to do, how she would earn her next fix. Seeing her obedience, he retreated from the forefront of her mind, his presence still lingering as it had since he had first made her his.

Hard nipples sticking through her tank top and her thong soaked, she panted heavily as she watched two of her men violently beat each other, getting some strange looks, the fools unaware that it was him who elicited such feelings in her.

She knew what she had to do. Nothing else mattered.

Author's Note: Sherrel is a stable woman who can definitely be trusted to not escalate things. Alexander can definitely work with other people without his giant ego getting in the way. I promise.

I am entirely motivated by praise and interaction, so leave a review, and I'll probably write faster.

I have a Discord server with a bunch of other authors and a load of porn. So much porn.

Here's the link for that: discord .gg/wd3tUYWVCd

I've finally started to use my Pat reon for something. I've added some discord integration so that my patrons can read early previews of chapters. It won't affect regular posting, but if you want to read my works a day or two early, then consider checking it out.

Link: Pat reon TheDarkWolfShiro

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The Guild of Gamers: The Occultist by The Dark Wolf Shiro

Game X-overs & Worm Xover Rated: M, English, Supernatural & Fantasy, Words: 51k+, Favs: 2k+, Follows: 2k+, Published: Jun 30, 2023 Updated: Dec 8, 2024

536Chapter 6: Hunting

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.

Betad by Malcolm Tent, priapus, Mike God of Lore, Marethyu, Beans

The Guild of Gamers: The Occult

Chapter 06: Hunting

– Rebecca 'Annie' Anne January (Starlight) –

"Then we have a deal. I will come in and meet with the PRT. If they can meet my requirements I do believe we'll soon be co-workers," Alexander said, nose upturned. He was quite arrogant; that much was clear. "I suggest you tell the Director to keep Armsmaster on a short leash."

"I can't believe you're offering to join up for a date," Annie sighed, amused despite herself as he chuckled.

"I've done my research; as long as the PRT can meet my needs, then it is my best choice," Alexander explained with a smile. "I won't join blindly, but at the very least, I will come in for power testing and to meet with the Director," Alexander explained, making her nod. He seemed at first to act on a whim, but he was clearly thinking things through. "Though, not tonight, I think. Sunrise is approaching, and I have business to attend to."

"It's true, then. You can't go out in the sunlight? I thought that was just the PHO being convinced you were a real vampire," Annie asked, making him chuckle again.

"Unfortunately, it is very true. I both need blood to survive, and count the sun a deadly foe; being caught outside is downright fatal," Alexander admitted, a frown on his handsome face as he looked up at the sky. "I will be in touch, but I don't want to end up stuck in the Rig throughout the day. I'll come in just after sunset in a couple of days or so. I'll message you to give your bosses the heads up."

She couldn't imagine how inconvenient his powers were, but then, he seemed very strong, so his cloud had a silver lining.

"I'll let Director Piggot and Maeve know; they'll be happy to hear you're coming in," Annie said, making him nod easily. "There's been a considerable amount of panic over the idea of the Empire forcibly recruiting you."

"If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that it is very hard to forcibly make me do anything. I have issues with people telling me what to do," Alexander admitted with a smirk, flashing his pearly fangs.

"I'm sure the Director will love that," Annie joked, making him shrug.

"I'm a powerful cape who is only growing stronger with time. She can accept that I have a few quirks, or she can fuck off. The PRT is my first choice, but they're hardly my only choice. Frankly, you need me more than I need you," Alexander scoffed. Yup, she could already see this ending badly. "Not that I'm not enjoying your company, but time is running short for me. I have some business to take care of before the sun rises, and that deadline is fast approaching. I'll message you," Alexander said, grabbing her by the hips and pulling her in for one last kiss.

He was very forward, but they'd already slept together, and she couldn't say she didn't find him alluring, so she just went with it. Breaking the kiss, he grinned at her as he stepped away.

"I'll message you about our date later; I'm guessing you'll be asleep during the day?" Annie asked, making him smile.

"Often, yes, but I don't actually need sleep. I sleep to pass the time," Alexander explained. "There's only so many daytime TV shows I can watch until sleeping seems preferable."

Ah, she could understand that.

Giving her one last short kiss goodbye, he turned and ran. He was unbelievably fast, leaving her alone in an instant. He might be as fast as Velocity, though she wasn't sure. The fact that he could interact with people while moving made him a lot more dangerous than Velocity, at the very least.

Continuing her patrol of the uncharacteristically silent Merchant territory, she sent a message to console, informing them of her success.

– Sherrel Bailey (Squealer) –

With the only drug that mattered anymore being her crimson ambrosia, she found herself unwilling to spend time with the other merchants as they got high and drunk.

Some of the idiots hoped that she'd be an easy lay with Skidmark gone. They were out of luck because while she wasn't prudish in the slightest, she wouldn't damage his property by letting some junkie fuck her. She needed his approval, and he hated the Merchants for their filth.

She paused as she heard movement in the workshop behind her. Thinking one of the idiots decided not to take no for an answer, she grabbed her wrench and swung it hard.

The moment she turned, she froze as the amused red eyes stared into her soul. Ebon easily gripped her wrist, the wrench falling to the floor.

"S-sorry, I didn't know you were coming," Sherrel said submissively, head bowed.

Ebon let her wrist go, giving her an appraising once-over. She was glad she'd showered today, wanting to take better care of herself to get his approval. He hated ugly things; she could feel it through their bond.

"You're cleaning up nicely," Ebon praised, dragging a sharp fingernail across his wrist. "Kneel."

She didn't hesitate, dropping to her knees as he offered the slit wrist. Latching her mouth to it, she made sure not to waste a single drop of the blessing he was granting her.

Her mind cleared, ideas flashing through her head.

Far too soon, he pulled his arm back, and while the junkie in her wanted to grab it and drink more, she knew she couldn't risk irritating him like that.

"You have done well," Ebon praised, stroking her hair as she stared up at him. "I have your reward; I suggest you pace yourself more this time. My benevolence has its limits," he warned, placing a small bag down.

The crimson vials inside made her heart race and her mouth water.

"Thank you, sir," Sherrel said, her devotion clear.

"I have a task for you," Ebon said, making her nod quickly. Whatever he wanted. "I am thirsty; prove your devotion and bring me a sacrifice. Someone who won't be missed, preferably female and cleaner than the average Merchant."

"I'll see to it right away," Sherrel promised. She could have one of the prettier hookers brought, cleaned up first and given to Ebon. "Do you want to wait in my bedroom? It's cleaner than the rest of the hideout."

"Yes, that will do. Impress me, Sherrel, and there will be more rewards to come."

– Alexander Shaw –

Biting down on the neck of the woman, I admit that Sherrel works faster than I expected. It barely took her an hour to bring this blood bag to me. The Merchants are responsible for countless deaths; one more won't raise any attention as long as the body is properly dealt with.

Caught up in Mesmerise, the woman doesn't even put up a fight as I drain her. I want to empower myself further before I join the heroes, so I need to up my game.

Moving through the Merchant hideout was not difficult, not with my most recent upgrade.

[Obfuscate, Discipline of Concealment: Apprentice]

[Mortal Mask]

Allows you to hide the signs of your vampirism temporarily

[Unseen Presence]

Become invisible as long as you do not do anything to draw too much attention.

I've spent a lot of time skulking around, and it has paid off. Being able to move and maintain my invisibility is a powerful upgrade, even if I have to limit myself to mortal speeds and not interact with anyone to make it stick.

"I'll melt the body down. We have some acid for drug-making. Nobody will see the drained body," Sherrel promises, my dominated ghoul showing her utter subservience as I smile at her.

With my blood running through her veins, she looks noticeably better than when I first saw her. My blood has slowly cleared up years of drug use and bad habits, though she still looks rather trashy.

Tiny jean shorts and a white tank top that struggles to contain her breasts, she looks very much like trailer trash.

"I have another task for you; I need you to grab up a pair of people for me," I say, making her nod immediately. "Celia and Aisha Laborn, Celia is a junkie, likely one of your customers, and Aisha, her daughter. They are to be captured and kept somewhere safe, unharmed."

"Of course, I'll ask around. See who she buys from; I won't let you down," Sherrel swears, making me smile as I wipe the blood from my mouth.

I need more power, and the Undersiders are just a free buffet just waiting to be claimed. I know they have some shadowy boss, but I can't bring myself to care. I won't refuse a feast.

Finding out their identities was easy with my sense of smell, and I could kidnap Grue's family myself, but… I want to test the Merchants and see how useful they can be.

Grue, I hope, will empower my Obtenebration, and why risk fighting a Cape when I can use bait to deal with him? I considered attacking them at their hideout, but Bitch's dogs are annoying, and they can sense me, I swear it.

"Will that be everything, sir?" Sherrel asks, her lust clear as I push the body off the bed. Giving her a look, I make a decision.

Sitting at the edge of the bed, I crook a finger at her as she rushes forward.

"Kneel, show me your devotion," I command. I'm not going to fuck her; she wants it too much, and delaying it will just push her to work harder for my affection, but my time with Annie left me aroused.

Sherrel doesn't hesitate, and is on her knees between my legs in an instant. Undoing my trousers, she quickly extracts my shaft and pulls her tank top off, spitting down on her cleavage.

She knows her best asset, and before long, my cock is trapped between her pillowy breasts. She makes sure to kiss my cock when it barely pokes out of her cleavage.

She might be trailer trash, but I'm not that picky, and her breasts might just be the biggest I've ever seen. She knows how to use them as well, clearly experienced at spending time on her knees.

Moving back, she takes my shaft into her mouth with zeal, eager to please me. Having devoted followers again is a nice feeling; it just feels right to have someone so eager to please me at my beck and call.

Leaning back, I just enjoy the moment as she works to pleasure me, feeling her joy at being useful through our bond.

After this, I have more to do. I need my adoring fans, after all. Just Emma and Sherrel aren't enough.

– Zoe Barnes –

"Are you sure this is the place?" Zoe asked her daughter, making Emma roll her eyes as they walked through the gate of the very old-looking mansion grounds.

"Of course, I've been here before, but the company driver brought me," Emma sighed in that typical teenage fashion. "Come on, I don't want to be late."

"Why do I need to come this time?" Zoe asked, looking at her daughter in confusion. She didn't approve of her daughter getting involved in modelling in Brockton Bay, of all places, but Emma seemed to love it, and Alan didn't see any harm.

"You'll see," Emma said excitedly, heading up to the extremely expensive mansion, opening the door without knocking, and entering with a certain familiarity.

Following behind her daughter, she admired the incredibly opulent interior as she wondered why Emma had insisted that she come along to this modelling session. Apparently, they needed parental supervision for something, and Alan was busy at work.

Entering the living room, she paused as she saw an incredibly good-looking man sitting in a chair, a pair of striking red eyes staring right at her.

"I brought her, like you asked," Emma said demurely, her posture submissive as the man just stared.

"Good girl, Emma. Zoe, isn't it?" he asked, making her nod slowly. "Emma has told me much about you, I can see where she gets her looks from. Still, I think you're a little overdressed. Strip."

Something in her mind shouted at her to run, but her hands were already working on her shirt, unbuttoning it slowly. It fell to the floor as Emma preened, sitting on the arm of the chair and cuddling against the man.

Her bra hit the floor, and the rest of her clothes followed shortly.

"She won't be missed until tonight?" he asked, making Emma nod rapidly.

"That's right, Alan is working home late," Emma replied as the man rose. "She's all yours."

"I am Alexander, your new master," Alexander replied, one hand cupping one of her breasts as he smiled darkly, tilting her head up with a single finger under her chin. Biting down on her neck, she felt something inside her break as she came to her senses, slapping him away.

He didn't move, gripping her hand with a cruel smile.

"Wha- what are you?" Zoe asked, covering her breasts with her free hand.

"Emma, if Zoe continues to disobey, take that letter opener and slit your throat," Alexander said, her eyes widening as she watched Emma practically skip over to the small desk. "I am God, as far as you are concerned. Emma's God, and now yours. She'd kill for me, and whether her victim is you or herself makes little difference."

Emma tilted her head up, pressing the blade against her throat hard enough to cut the skin.

He gripped her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes again as she felt her mind fall into a stupor.

"And I have plans for you, pet," Alexander whispered, stroking her chin with a dark smile. "Let's begin."

– Alexander Shaw – Next Morning –

I've set up a meeting with the PRT on Monday evening, five days from now. I decided to keep them waiting, mostly to show that I can. That gives me five days to empower myself further.

Zoe wasn't a necessary part of my plans; she was simply a… comfort. I do not clean, so I needed a maid. I decided that I disliked Emma having anything but me to adore, so I got to work.

"Your tea, sir," Zoe says, placing my drink down. She got an expedited version of what I did to Emma, a full day of domination and memory alteration. She will serve as my live-in maid in the future.

Well, it makes sense; she needs the job, given her widowed status. Alan's life insurance will help, but she'll need a new source of income. As for Alan? He killed himself by running a red light after being late for work, right into an oncoming truck.

A foolish mistake that ended his life and the life of several others. He will be seen as a fool who died because he was impatient, not the mastered victim he actually was.

Emma's final show of loyalty to me was to sell her mother and be complicit in her father's death. The sacrifice of both parents to her new God, me. Her sister is going to college out of town, but she'll return and decide to stay with her family for support.

As for Zoe? She'll have a large payout thanks to Alan's pre-existing life insurance, but decide to find a job to keep herself busy and take her mind off the loss of her husband. Through a mutual acquaintance, she'll take a job as a maid for a reclusive model.

The timeline is a little out of order, but it should all add up. I know I'm playing with fire; the PRT has entire protocols for Masters, but I will not limit myself to satisfy their need for control.

It is also why I want to speed up my growth; I need to go to the PRT power testing with enough to utterly wow them and scare them. I want them petrified by the idea of me not being a part of their little organisation.

So, when my quirks become more apparent, I'll get more wiggle room. Plus, I need to be strong to make up for my sunlight weakness and my blood reliance.

So, with four teenage capes just hanging around, how could I resist having a snack?

– Brian Laborn (Grue) –

"Our boss had nothing to do with this?" Brian asked, arms crossed as he scowled deeply.

"No, this isn't him. He's not been doing anything; something has made him extremely paranoid lately," Lisa confirmed. "They're acting on Squealer's orders, but why they'd target your family, I don't know. I don't think they know you are Grue, but without seeing Squealer, I couldn't say more. Maybe Celia pissed off her dealers?"

Dammit, that sounded far too likely. He could let out a small sigh of relief that they didn't know his identity, but that still left his mother and teenage sister in the hands of the Merchants. If Celia had done something stupid like steal from her dealer… well, he needed to find Aisha, and fast.

She'd been grabbed while walking home from school. A van pulled up next to her, and some masked thugs jumped out and pulled her into it. He learnt later that other masked men had shown up at his mother's apartment and just dragged her out.

"Any ideas where they're being held?" Brian asked, making Lisa shake her head.

"Not at the moment; they've been acting weird since Skidmark was captured, and they're hard to predict at the best of times. The drugs make them hard to read because even I can't predict what someone tripping off their ass is going to do," Lisa admitted with a frown. "If you go as Grue, you're gonna blow your own cover."

"What the fuck am I supposed to do? My barely teenage sister is being held by the gang that's almost singlehandedly responsible for the ridiculous rape statistics in Brockton Bay," Brian growled, clenching his fists.

"We could hit their base as the Undersiders, make it out that we're hitting them for their money and accidentally free them, but even that's risky. I can find them, but like I said, Merchants are hard to predict. That's not even mentioning the way Squealer has vanished off the face of the earth. Nobody has seen her in public since Skidmark was taken down, and that's very out of character. She normally rampages when Skidmark gets arrested," Lisa sighed.

"You think she's making a new Killdozer?" Brian asked, making her shake her head.

"No, or if she is, it's not the main thing she's doing. The Merchants have all been acting weird. I've heard rumours of cage fights, kidnappings, and torture," Lisa said. "I think she's trying to make people trigger, but where the hell would someone like Squealer get that idea?"

It sounded like something the Teeth would do, not the fucking Merchants. They were supposed to be a joke, not a serious threat.

"Then I definitely need to get my family out of there as soon as possible," Brian said, making her nod.

"I'm working on it. The Merchants don't have any permanent hideouts like the Empire or ABB. They could be anywhere on their turf, so it might take me a little while," Lisa warned, watching him pace.

His phone vibrating distracted him, his eyes widening as he saw a text from Aisha.

'didn't find my phone. help!'

She'd shared her location, making him clench his phone tightly as he showed it to Lisa, who quickly looked up the location.

"It's an old motel, long abandoned because who the fuck would stay in Boat Graveyard? Looks like the Merchants are using it as a distribution centre," Lisa explained.

"I'm going; I don't care if it risks my identity," Brian said immediately, making her nod.

"I'll get the others, if they're using it as a staging point for their dealers, there should be a decent amount of hard cash we can grab. If we're lucky, the Merchants won't consider that we came for those two," Lisa agreed, knowing he wouldn't be stopped.

Grabbing his helmet, he glared at the location on the map. They better not have touched a hair on her head.

– Lisa Wilbourne (Tattletale) –

They needed to be fast; she didn't want to give Squealer time to show up with a fucking tank or risk getting bogged down in armed junkies.

She'd managed to get the layout of the motel, and while Brian hated waiting even a second, she'd managed to convince him to let her watch the place for a while to give them something to work with.

It was definitely a staging point; the drugs would be dropped off here, and the dealers would pick up their supplies and drop off the money. It was oddly well-organised for the Merchants, a worrying sign.

It wasn't a well-oiled machine, but it was certainly being run better than she'd come to expect from them. The entire building was expendable as well, and they could ditch this place and set up somewhere else the next day with little issues. This side of town had far too many run-down buildings for them to use.

Aisha had briefly been typing, given the icon that popped up while Brian was looking at the map, but then suddenly stopped, which didn't bode well for her. They'd almost certainly seen her on the phone.

"I think they'll be in the basement," Tattletale said, making Brian nod. She could have worked out more, given more time, but he wasn't going to wait much longer. "Bitch, you're our getaway. Go to that alleyway, they won't be able to see into it, and we can leave by that fire exit and get to you quickly. Be ready."

"Got it," Bitch agreed, heading off to take the long way to the back of the alleyway so no one would see her going into it. There were some Merchant thugs hanging around, but they weren't exactly attentive.

Something about this entire mess had her worried; it just felt off. When they did a job, it was usually planned out for weeks, with her knowing the exact guard patrols and the path they needed to take. It was why they were so good at escaping, but here, they only had some minor intel. They were basically going in blind.

"We're going in through the back; there's a single guard watching that entrance, but if we act fast, we can take him down without him alerting anyone. Grue, cover him in darkness to prevent him from calling for help; Regent, taze him," Lisa said, shaking off her concerns. This was just the Merchants; even under better leadership, they were still the least threatening of the gangs.

– Rachel Lindt (Bitch) –

Standing in the alleyway with her dogs, she made sure to keep them quiet. Although she was out of sight, they could still be heard. They all seemed on edge, but then everyone was at the moment.

A thought struck her, making her open her mouth and tell her dogs to stay as she went back the way she came. The alleyway had a turn, going around the corner out of sight from her pack.

As she did this, she froze. Why had she come back this way? She was supposed to be waiting for the others-

Before she could try and work out what was going wrong, something struck her with incredible force, sending her flying into the wall. Her mouth opened to shout for her dogs, but the feeling of a pair of sharp fangs sinking into her neck made her freeze and a sense of calm overcame her.

Sleep? Yeah, she needed to sleep.

– Alexander Shaw (Ebon) –

As Bitch falls into a slumber, I quickly grab her and climb the building with her and place her on the rooftop, safe for now.

Already, my plan has paid off greatly. She was a good find, and even without draining her completely, she was enough to both unlock a new Discipline and immediately reach Apprentice with it.

[Animalism, Discipline of Beasts: Apprentice]

[Feral Whispers]

Speak telepathically into the mind of an animal whose eyes you meet.

[Beckoning]

Call out to the wilds and summon all animals of a particular type to your location (such as canine, avian or insect).

[Song of Serenity]

Calm an animal, soothing its bestial rage and placing it into a trance-like state.

[Sense the Savage Way]

Project your mind to share the senses of any animal within your range.

[Summon the Flock]

Call upon a flock of ravens that will harass and attack your targets.

[Enduring Beasts]

Requires [Fortitude/Animalism - Novice]

You can extend your Fortitude powers to any animal under the effect of an Animalism power.

A hybrid power? How intriguing, but first… Hopping back down to where I attacked her, I see the dogs all turn to me. They smelt their master's blood, and I can feel their rage.

But unfortunately for them, their master just gave me the power to deal with them.

'Submit, and your master will live.'

Using Feral Whispers, Compel and Song of Serenity all at once, I enforce my will upon the three dogs who come to a stop. They see my fangs, the predatory gleam in my eyes, and know I'm not something they can beat.

'Remain here. Leave, and I will hunt you.'

They don't audibly respond, I can speak to them, but they can't speak to me. They don't need to; I can see that they understand the situation all too well.

One down, three to go.

– Brian Laborn (Grue) –

Something was off; he didn't need to be Tattletale to realise that.

This was an important hub for the Merchants, but they'd found it basically abandoned. Aside from the outside guards, the entire place was a ghost motel, and it had them all on edge.

But Tattletale noticed something: someone had dragged two people through the hallway fairly recently. Both were alive and the smaller one was putting up a fight.

Nothing could stop him from following the direction Tattletale claimed they'd been dragged, not that he could see anything unusual himself. He trusted her powers, and before long, they were in the basement of the empty building.

"They cleared out very recently. The vans we saw leaving were taking the money and product away," Tattletale said, frowning deeply.

"Ah shit, we aren't getting paid?" Regent whined, making them both give him a dirty look.

"They knew we were coming; the Merchants don't have a Thinker, right?" Grue asked, making Tattletale shake her head.

"I don't know; if they do, it would explain some things, but it'd have to be very recent. Maybe a trigger from their pit fights, I don't know," Tattletale admitted, frustration clear in her tone. "They were taken into that room. Footsteps go away from it, but if they were taken, they walked. None of the footprints are small enough to be Aisha's.

Not waiting, he charged forward and kicked the door open, looking around quickly before he stopped. Aisha was there, only dressed in her underwear, seemingly unconscious on the floor.

Rushing to her side, he examined her for any serious injuries (or signs of abuse), finding nothing notable as she lay there.

"She's been drugged, not sure what they used, but it has her out cold. She was fighting and punched one of the Merchants," Tattletale explained, making him let out a sigh of relief. The drugs were worrying, but they'd just drugged her unconscious because she wouldn't stop fighting. Sounded like her. "It's wearing off, whatever it was."

"I don't see any hot single milfs in the area," Regent said with a shrug, having checked the other rooms. His mother wasn't here; they'd taken her? But why leave Aisha? Something wasn't adding up. "Nice tits for a brat."

God, he could be an asshole sometimes.

"...Regent, why don't you keep watch outside," Tattletale sighed, making Regent shrug again as he walked out of the room and closed the door with a loud bang.

Aisha started to stir, drawing his attention even as he heard another bang from Regent.

"Wha-" Aisha groaned, her eyes widening as she pushed him away. He quickly pulled off his helmet; he'd deal with the mess of Aisha finding out about him being a Cape later. "Brian? How-"

"It's okay, you're okay. I got your message; you did good," Brian said soothingly, making her blink and rub her eyes. She was clearly disorientated, but as she replied, he froze.

"What message? They took my phone," Aisha replied, making his blood run cold as he shared a look with Tattletale.

"We're leaving now," Grue said, putting his helmet back on as she nodded. "Stay behind us. We need to get to Bitch, now."

Opening the door, he froze as he spotted Regent lying face down on the ground, realising now that he should have paid more attention to the sounds coming from outside.

"He's been bit," Tattletale said, making them both share a look. Ebon.

Why was the resident vampire hunting them?

"Ebon, we know it's you. I don't know why you've decided that this is a good idea, but you don't understand who you're-" Tattletale started before she cut off, gasping before she started laughing.

Gripping her hair, she started to laugh hysterically, falling to the floor as she visibly struggled to stop herself. He went to help her before a second sound distracted him.

Sobbing. Turning, he spotted Aisha cowering in the fetal position as she just sobbed and wailed, making him call on his shadows. He didn't know what Ebon was doing to them, but blocking his vision should at least help.

The feeling of something strong striking him in the chest made him groan in pain, flung back through the door into the room he'd found Aisha in. He was sure that he had broken some of his ribs, gasping in pain as he struggled to stand.

Ebon stalked towards him, now revealed as a fanged smile looked down at him.

"Why-" Grue started, wincing in pain as Ebon ripped his helmet off. The only answer he got was those fangs biting into his neck.

– Alexander Shaw –

The Renaissance fair escapee already helped me prove a hypothesis.

[Dominate, Discipline of Control: Adept]

[Possession]

Project your mind into the body of a mortal, allowing you total control of them if you can overpower their will.

[Autonomic Mastery]

Take control of a target's bodily functions, such as their breathing, senses or even specific organs, starting or stopping them.

I was at a roadblock for Dominate, unable to reach the Adept level. He is a Master, by drinking his blood, I believe that roadblock has simply become higher. I suspect that I need to feed on unique capes to continue pushing that limit, and simply keeping him around as a blood bag won't help.

But I intend to find out. If I can use him as my Dominate farm, I'll keep him alive. If not, we shall see.

As for dear Grue? He let me skip the Apprentice phase entirely, much like Bitch helped me avoid Novice for Animalism.

[Obtenebration, Discipline of Shadows: Adept]

[Arms of the Abyss]

Summon inky-black tentacles from nearby shadows to assist you in combat.

[Shroud of Night]

Call forth the darkness and blanket an area in a cloud of unnatural shadow that obscures light, sound, and heat.

[Eyes of the Night]

Allows you to see without light, even through supernatural darkness.

[Nightshades]

Allows you to create temporary objects made of pure shadow as long as you understand how they work.

What a feast I have been granted, worth any amount of risk in my eyes.

Grue fights, but to no avail, as his own blood provides me the answer to counter him. Before long, he joins his ally in the realm of Morpheus.

Tattletale glares at me angrily as I approach her, still cackling with hysterical laughter thanks to [Veil of Madness], but I simply smile at her. I don't bite down, not yet.

Knocking her out, I cancel the Veil on Aisha as well, who tries to run. She doesn't get far before she joins the others, and I start to move them into the van Sherrel has waiting for us. They're coming home with me because, of course, my gothic mansion has a dungeon.

I have experiments to do to work out what cape blood can truly do for me. These four have simply volunteered to be my obedient lab rats.

— Bonus Scene — Emily Piggot

Just what she needed: another cape with delusions of grandeur and problems with authority. She already didn't like Ebon, seeing him as an older, more powerful Shadow Stalker… but for all his arrogance, he knew that they were outnumbered and that they wanted him more than he wanted them.

Ebon setting up the meeting for almost a week later was mildly annoying, but at least Starlight had managed to get him to come in for power testing and to 'hear their sales pitch'.

She wanted to be dealing from a position of power, but Ebon's every move just screamed that he saw letting them have a chance to recruit him as some great favour he was granting them.

But Ebon himself claimed he was growing stronger, and self-Trump capes were rare and valuable. They had clear proof he was becoming stronger and stronger, and she didn't like the idea of an independent, bloodsucking Trump growing increasingly powerful even if he was nominally a hero.

She had doubts about how heroic he truly was, given that he'd ripped off Skidmark's arm. While he'd claimed it was an accident, he certainly didn't seem to regret it.

Of course, that led her to her other problem. What the hell was going on with the Merchants? They'd started to hear rumours of Squealer holding pit fights to decide who got their fix, making homeless junkies fight until one of them was unconscious or dead for their drugs. That wasn't even touching the darker rumours floating around over the kidnappings. It was something she'd expect from the Teeth, not the fucking Merchants.

Not to mention the fact that they were letting Skidmark rot; where was the invisible Killdozer rampaging through the city? Not that she was complaining about that, but Squealer not trying to save him was a complete change of routine for her.

Somehow, she was willing to blame Ebon for this as well. She wasn't looking forward to meeting him; a narcissistic pseudo-vampire with issues with authority sounded like something custom-designed to piss her off.

But depending on the results of his power testing, she might have to suck it up. When he'd first shown up, he'd been fast, but not enough to outrun Armmaster's bike; he'd been strong, but not enough to tear off a limb by accident.

That wasn't even getting into the potential of him also being a Stranger, along with whatever else he may be hiding. He was a high-value cape, and he knew it.

Author's Note: Alex is a delight to write because he's too arrogant to actually care about the consequences of his actions. He thinks he's above such things as 'punishments', so he takes risks other MCs wouldn't. He's kinda like a more sane but also more narcissistic Sebastian in that way.

Malcolm's note: New disciplines to play with, lots of fun to be had. Personally I can't wait for the date with Annie.

Priapus' note: I am reliably informed that she is likely to be hit by, struck by, a smooth criminal.

Beans' note: It's always amusing when Piggot decides it's got to be some powerful cape's fault for every single issue in her life. It's especially funny when she's right.

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Chapter 753 - 4-6