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The Guild of Gamers: The Game Master by The Dark Wolf Shiro

Game X-overs & Worm Xover Rated: M, English, Fantasy & Supernatural, Words: 71k+, Favs: 3k+, Follows: 3k+, Published: Sep 11, 2023 Updated: Jun 25

1,030Chapter 7: The Game's Aftermath

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, Mike God of Lore, Beans, Marethyu, Priapus, Old man of the mountain

The Guild of Gamers: The Game Master

Chapter 07: The Game's Aftermath

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Topic: Azuth's Tournament

In: Boards ► Capes

Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Posted On Jan 7th 2011:

It's official. Azuth was telling the truth. For those who aren't following this development from Brockton Bay (because, of course), two days ago, a new cape called Azuth made some very bold claims about being able to grant powers, modify them and finally fix case 53s and invited everyone to take part in a tournament for his boons.

Unsurprisingly, the reaction was massive, and yesterday, the tournament took place with villains and heroes alike fighting for Azuth's blessing. He separated them into factions and randomly picked a single champion for each faction.

Azuth proved, several times, that he could do exactly what he claimed and much more. I'll give you the highlights here.

First Round: Sister Calypso (The Sons of Samedi) vs Fleur (New Wave). Fleur won, being granted the Shadow-Touched boon, which gives her the power to go invisible and the power to send forth a wave of flashing lights that temporarily blinds whoever is caught in it.

Second Round: Shadow Stalker (PRT) vs Fenja (Empire Eighty-Eight). Fenja won (easily, apparently) and was granted a set of enchanted armour that lets her unleash a frost breath and freeze anyone who hits her.

Third Round: Mad Moxxi (The Westside Rollerz) vs Uber (Independent Villains). Uber won and was given the Fey-Touched Boon, which allows her to teleport a short distance and 'bless' people, making them better at whatever they are doing.

Round Four: Mouse Protector (Independent Heroes) vs Bitch (Faultline's Crew). Mouse won, and made Azuth pick, which ended up with her being granted a new summon, a giant rat which can fly. She named it Biggest Cheese.

Semifinals, first round: Fleur vs Uber. Fleur won, being granted a healing touch which slowly heals anyone she is in contact with.

Semifinals, second round: Mouse Protector vs Fenja. Mouse Protector won (by stabbing Fenja in the eyes), and after whimsically deciding to give away her boon, Bitch was given the ability to speak to animals. Azuth decided that was a freebie, and Mouse Protector once again made Azuth pick, which got her the power of the Rodent King, which allows her to command any rodents near her and see through their eyes.

Final Round: Mouse Protector vs Fleur. MP won, showing how she managed to last as an independent for so long. Once more, she made Azuth pick her grand prize and was given a bunch of minor boosts to her grab-bag and a combat precog power. Finally, she was given a Golden Ticket which allows her access to an exclusive game in the future.

It goes without saying that this is absolutely massive. Mousey was already a fairly powerful and talented hero, but Azuth just super-boosted her. If a villain had won, we could be looking at a new A-class threat. We just don't know what his limits are, or his goals for that matter.

Finally, he decided he wasn't done turning the world upside down, and as a freebie, he granted Weld a free boon. This altered the Case 53's power and allowed her to regain her senses and gain better control over what she absorbs, both massive upgrades for the poster girl of Case 53s.

What we do know is that Azuth seemingly has some form of energy pool, and each boon he grants draws from it, refilling slowly. We can only assume all these games are part of how he regains his energy, but we just don't know for certain. Either way, we shouldn't expect more freebies.

I know the PRT is desperate to recruit Azuth into their ranks, and I suspect damn near every other group in existence won't be far behind. Heroes, rogues and villains alike.

I hope Azuth knows what he's doing. He's just painted the biggest target in the world on his back.

(Showing page 1 of 422)

►AzuthTheWise (Verified Cape) (Verified Wizard)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

I appreciate the concern, Bagrat, but I am set in my path. This is one Pandora's box that even I cannot close, nor do I wish to.

As he said, I cannot simply give out freebies. My resources are limited, and the means by which I regain them are slow. For those desperate for my boons, keep an eye out for future games and quests. I have grand plans going forward, and everyone will have a chance to earn my blessing.

For the entertainment of the eager denizens of PHO, here are the recordings of each round.

[AzuthsGrandTourney .zip]

►Laser Augment

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Why the fuck did they bring a pair of Wards? Okay, I understand Weld since she's the poster girl of Case 53s, but Shadow Stalker?

We could have super-boosted Alexandria, and instead, the PRT got knocked out in round one. God, Fenja didn't even try.

►Reave (Verified PRT Agent)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

That's easy, we didn't.

Shadow Stalker disobeyed her orders and snuck in, getting caught when Azuth separated everyone. She wasn't supposed to be there, and she cost the PRT their place. Needless to say, I wouldn't want to be her. I don't think Armsmaster and Eidolon have stopped ranting at her yet.

►Clockblocker (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Today I got to meet Alexandria and Eidolon, which was nice.

Less nice was the fact that they both looked like they wanted to punt Shadow Stalker into space. Sucks to be her. Also, Brockton Bay is gonna be on fire again, isn't it?

Hey, Azuth, can you make me a time wizard? I happen to love games...

►AzuthTheWise (Verified Cape) (Verified Wizard)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

All are welcome in my games, and I imagine I could do a great deal with your power.

►Pure88

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Fenja put that dumb slut in her place, but Mouse Protector better watch her back from now on. She'll pay for what she did to Fenja.

Moderator's Note: User was warned for this post

►Chilldrizzle

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

On the one hand, he is an Empire fanboy, but on the other, he's right about two things. Shadow Stalker gave a pathetic showing and MP better be careful. More than just the Empire is going to be hunting for her and, more importantly, the Golden Ticket she has.

►TheBigCheese (Verified Cape) (The Grand Champion)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Oho! Fear not; the Big Cheese is ready for whoever comes to claim her cheddary prize!

or I will be just as soon as I escape all these PRT tests lol

Guess they want to make sure Azzy isn't pulling a Teacher, but so far, it looks like the Wonderful Wizard of Brockton is a man of his word.

►WagTheDog

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

nice work, MP, you kicked the nazi's ass!

Thank god for that because the idea of the empire getting a super cape isn't a good thought.

►Divide

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Why the fuck would Azuth even allow villains in his games?! Fenja just fought the ABB, and her armour caused a fucking blizzard. The armour alone is a major power boost for her; imagine if she got all three prizes.

►Fenja (Verified Cape) (Empire Eighty-Eight)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Because Azuth has bigger concerns than the street level, heroes and villains nonsense. Anyone who pays attention to his messages and words can see that.

He doesn't let labels decided by corrupt governments decide who he is willing to work with. It is a courageous and wise mindset that many lack. The Empire intends to take part in as many of his games as we can and will put his boons to good use.

►Miss Mercury (Protectorate Employee)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

AzuthTheWise I understand that you're worried about the big picture, but empowering villains is never going to end well. I genuinely think you want to do good, but Fenja has already used your gift to cause serious damage. Several ABB members were found dead after the Empire pushed into their territory, frozen to death by her breath.

I'm not asking you to join the PRT, but if you truly want to help the world, there are better ways than this. Just work with us. You can stay independent while having protection from the countless villains who will target you for your powers.

►Pure88

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

And here comes the PRT, begging for scraps. Didn't your pet psycho ruin your chance?

►Glory Girl (Verified Cape) (New Wave)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Azuth, I know we didn't talk much, but I'm pretty sure you're genuinely a nice person. I don't know what you're trying to do, but this isn't the way. You've got so much potential; using it to make the villains stronger is wrong.

Just watching Fleur heal proves how important you are; if you could give that one power out to a dozen people, then every Endbringer attack would have a bunch of powerful healers ready to save lives. I get that you have some limitations, but there are ways to work around them without empowering the bad guys.

I've dm'd you my number; send me a message if you need help or even if you just want to talk.

►Weld (Verified Cape) (Wards: Boston)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

You're the first person in the world to manage to make any progress on the Case 53 problem, so the idea of you getting kidnapped and forced into villainy obviously isn't something I want to consider. Just take care of yourself, okay?

I've had dozens of other Case 53s message me about you, and I've told them that you can't fix everyone at once, but if you need help, bear in mind that you've got a lot of desperate people willing to support you.

►Iron Rain (Verified Cape) (Empire Eighty-Eight)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Whatever you require to grant your boons, the Empire can provide.

►Miss Mercury (Protectorate Employee)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

As can the PRT without the side effect of empowering a group of violent white supremacists.

►Agnes Court (The Elite) (Verified Cape)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Ha, as if the PRT could truly provide anything without months of red tape and restrictions.

If AzuthTheWise wishes to truly grow and spread his gifts, the Elite can provide him with whatever he requires and so much more. You'd be a very rich, powerful and well-treated man within our ranks, protected by one of the largest and strongest Cape organisations around. The Elite will be taking part in your games and quests, at the very least. When you are ready to truly thrive, you know where to find us.

►Citrine (Verified Cape)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Or perhaps he'd prefer to stay closer to his home. The Ambassadors would happily sponsor Azuth and we are only a city away. Our employer is very interested in Azuth's powers and would like to see just what he can do.

End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 420, 421, 422

(Showing page 2 of 422)

►Mr Sunshine (Verified Cape)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

The Elite should stay out of Brockton. The Sons of Samedi will not permit you to move into our city. Azuth would be wise to join with us, women, drugs and whatever else his heart desires could be his.

►Bastard Son (The Elite) (Verified Cape)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Like some drug smugglers, barely holding any ground in America can threaten us. Maybe I'll head to Brockton Bay myself just to show you how weak the Sons really are. The Elite can provide the same and of far higher quality, and so much more.

►Glory Girl (Verified Cape) (New Wave)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Please, Azuth can do far better than joining some creepy drug dealers.

►Overdrive (Verified Cape) (Westside Rollerz)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Plus, if he wants women, he can do better than the drugged-addled junkies the Sons have. I wouldn't mind taking the wizard for a ride; no boon required. I know Mox would be up for a joyride on his broomstick lol

Hey, Azuth, I sent you my number. If you get bored of all this serious shit, come party with the Rollerz. We have booze, fast cars and faster women, and unlike the rest, we just wanna have some fun.

XxVoid_CowboyxX

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Clearly, Azuth planned this to get a cape harem! Now, the hot villainesses will try and seduce him, and the heroines will have to do the same to stop the bad guys from winning!

►AzuthTheWise (Verified Cape) (Verified Wizard)

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

You are a strange child; my goals are far beyond simply getting laid.

►Specific Protagonist

Replied On Jan 7th 2011:

Too late, already started the fanfic of different hot female capes tempting the wizard for his boon

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4 ... 420, 421, 422

– Solomon White (Azuth) –

My DMs have been blowing up all day; it feels like damn near every group is trying to get me to join them. Overdrive, or Squealer as I'm sure she was in the original material, sent me nudes of her on a very modified racing bike and offered to let me take them both for a ride.

After summoning Soldier 76, or John Francis 'Jack' Morrison, I left him to catch up with Angela. From their point of view, it's been a long while since they last met. Jack was considered KIA after the attack on Overwatch, and Angela only had suspicions that he'd survived.

I didn't want to intrude on two old friends and teammates reuniting, and honestly, I was tired and wanted to turn in early. Yesterday was mentally exhausting, and it isn't going to get any better.

Of course, while I was sleeping away, my PHO account was exploding but that's a problem for later. My Omnitool VI has sorted all my messages into different folders like 'recruitment offers', 'fan-mail', 'threats' and 'nudes'.

Heading downstairs, I follow the smell of food to the kitchen, where Jack and Angela are.

"Did you sleep well, Sol?" Angela asks, giving Jack a dirty look for some reason.

"I did. I think I needed the lie-in, but I'm pretty sure I had an alarm set…" I say, making her smile.

"I called into school and told them you were sick and needed bed rest, doctor's orders," Angela jokes, making me smile. There's an advantage to having the top doctor in the country as my guardian. "You needed the rest, and things are chaotic enough that I thought you could use the extra time. You will be going back to school on Monday, though," she says sternly, making me nod in agreement.

"I will," I promise; a good night's sleep has helped me calm down, even if it doesn't stop the mess that's headed our way. I can only hope that Alexandria is preparing for the Birdcage breakout as we speak. "Mr Morrison, sorry we didn't get much time to speak last night. I had a long day."

"Call me Jack, kid. Mr Morrison was my father," Jack says, eating another sausage. That's a lot of meat on his plate. Is that a healthy breakfast? The looks Angela is giving his plate tells me that it is not. "Gotta say, this whole thing is weird. How the hell did you manage to bring me back with all my memories while keeping me young?"

I shrug, looking him over. I brought him back to his prime, pre-Petra Act, but I wanted the experience he had from his years as a vigilante. Unlike his older default skin, he looks a little older than forty with a strong build, blond hair and striking blue eyes.

"The look is just a cosmetic change; it was well within my powers," I say, making him snort. "You know why I summoned you, right?"

"I do. There's a killer loose in this hellhole of a city, and you want me to track them down. Don't worry, kid, I can handle this," Jack promises, snorting. "With no Talon to hunt down, I have nothing but time on my hands, and this world needs all the help it can get."

"You aren't wrong; this city alone has a dozen different gangs of super-powered villains," I admit, making him nod. "From shut-in hackers to neo-nazis."

"Nazis, in modern USA? What is the world coming to?" Jack scoffs, a frown on his face.

A thought crosses my mind, making me snort, which gets a look from him.

"Something funny, kid?" Jack asks.

"I just realised that we're the ideal recruits for the Empire. You're a super-soldier, Angela is a beautiful genius, and I'm a massively powerful cape, not to mentionwe all have blond hair and blue eyes," I say, making him chuckle.

"Well, I don't plan on joining some deluded supremacists. Their type died out in my world a long time ago, and this Empire should follow that example," Jack says. I'm not surprised the all-American soldier isn't fond of the Empire. "So, what's the plan, boss?"

"I was hoping you'd have a plan. I'm a teenager; you led Overwatch through the Omnic Crisis," I point out.

"And you know how that went, but you aren't wrong. This serial killer, finding them in this city, is going to be hard. Crime here puts our world to shame, and we were dealing with the aftermath of an apocalypse," Jack says, frowning. "I can start stalking the streets; finding crime to fight won't be difficult, but honestly, I wasn't the best choice for detective work. Ana or Vivian would have been better at putting the pieces together. I'll find them, but it's going to take time. What are the rules of engagement for the other gangs?"

"I chose you for a reason; you have experience dealing with gangs, even if the ones you dealt with didn't have supervillains. This city is a mess; I want to start cleaning it up, and you're the expert when it comes to that," I say, getting a small smile from the older man. "I'll leave the methods up to you."

"Then I have work to do; I live on this street, don't I?" Jack asks, frowning as he tries to go through the two separate lives worth of memories he has.

"You do," I agree, making him nod and rise. I made him ex-military, a well-decorated and respected soldier, who met Angela when she was travelling with Doctors without Borders.

"Thanks for the food, Angela, but I have work to do. Don't worry so much, Sol; if there's one thing I know, it's fighting crime," Jack says, patting me on the shoulder. "I'll find this killer and bring them to justice. One way or the other."

"Take care of yourself, Jack, and make sure you take your nutrients. Why am I not surprised your diet died the moment you were out of my reach?" Angela sighs, making Jack smirk.

Saying goodbye, I watch Jack leave with a small smile. Soldier 76 was one of my mains when I first played, and he's very skilled. He's a mix between Captain America and a Call of Duty main protagonist—a super soldier with incredible skill and some heavy tech. I've given him the power to summon and de-summon his weapons and gear so he doesn't have to walk down the street carrying his heavy pulse rifle.

"It is good to see Jack again, and you can leave things to him. He's too modest, but he never fails when he sets his mind to something," Angela says, proud of her former commander. "I almost pity the gangs, but something tells me he's going to put the effective immortality you grant us to the test. He was never the most cautious, and years of being a lone wolf certainly haven't helped."

She's not wrong. As long as I live, I can resummon him no matter what happens. Though it would lead to some awkward questions if anyone unmasks his corpse and then he shows up unharmed the next day.

"I'm just glad I've got a weapon against the gangs; they're all too entrenched for my plans. Soldier 76 being unleashed on them should shake things up a bit," I say, smiling as she places a far more healthy and balanced breakfast before me. "Thanks."

"Do you feel better knowing that you have someone working on fixing the serial killer issue?" Angela asks, taking a seat herself as I nod.

"I might summon Jack some help. This is a big city, and crime is entirely too rampant, but for now, it's a good start. Especially since if the Birdcage does bust open despite my warning, Soldier will be a good start to my bounty hunter squad to hunt down the escapees and recapture them".

"See? You are the Game Master; this is how your power is meant to be used. You need not stress yourself trying to do everything yourself," Angela says, making me nod in reluctant agreement. "Do you have plans for any more games?"

"Plenty, but none I intend to do immediately. It'll be better to let the word spread and see how things develop first. I also need more points because I want to keep my games to my pocket dimension, which makes them more expensive," I say, making her nod.

"But it keeps the chaos away from the civilians, a wise choice," Angela agrees. It is inevitable that my actions will lead to people getting hurt, but anything I can do to minimise the damage is worth the extra points. Especially since once I buy something, I have it forever and can reuse it as often as I need to.

Checking my phone, the message from Overdrive gives me an idea. Glory Girl mentioned how common crashes had become since the Rollerz started their races, but what if I could remove the danger?

If I get in contact with Mad Moxxi, I could arrange for them to race in my world with tracks that defy logic and physics. More than good enough for a bunch of adrenaline junkies while keeping them away from the civilians. If I work it right, I could even turn their racing into yet another source of points for me. There are also the rumours of Moxxi arranging Cape cage fights, something else I could take over.

"What are you planning for today?" Angela asks, making me smile as I close my phone.

"Monitor the reactions to yesterday, maybe do another patrol as Azuth, and then just relax for the night," I say, making her frown.

"Are you sure that is safe? Azuth is bound to get far too much attention," Angela says, seeing me smirk as I focus. Azuth appears in the corner of the room, out of sight of the windows, as her eyebrows rise. "I planned for that and have made a few purchases to handle things. I've basically drained my points, but I gained some useful tools in the process. I made an Azuth avatar, a summon without any powers or independent thoughts, and more importantly, I increased my summon range considerably. Finally, I bought the power to possess my summons. I can patrol as Azuth from the safety of my room," I explain, making her smile, relief clear.

[Character Possession]

You can take over any of your summons, gaining their powers and abilities.

"So even if anyone tries to capture Azuth, you can just unsummon him and seemingly teleport away," Angela realises, making me nod.

There's also another benefit to making Azuth a summon. I can grant powers to summons, but not to myself. By having Azuth as a separate entity, even just a mindless shell, I can potentially use him to give myself powers in the future.

"I imagine that my presence will cause some trouble, but I also have plans for that. The fact is, I need all the points I can get, and even if patrolling only gives me a few, it's worth it," I say, making her nod reluctantly.

"I have the day off today, so I will be around if anything happens," Angela says, stroking my hair. "Just promise me you will be careful."

"As careful as anyone living in Brockton Bay can be," I say, getting a laugh from her. The most careful thing you can do in Brockton Bay is leave.

"A fair point," Angela admits. "This city is more dangerous than some of the warzones I've been in, but hopefully, we can start to change that."

Smiling at her optimism, I let my mind wander to the state Brockton Bay is in. It's just one city in a world that's just as fucked, but that doesn't mean I can't fix things. There will always be gangs and villains, but in the future, they will be my gangs and villains.

Finishing breakfast, I thank her for the meal and head back to my room. Opening PHO on my computer, I go over the recent threads as I focus and use my power.

Summoning Carbuncle, she purrs and brushes against my leg before she moves into my lap. I can't summon my Chocobo here; she's a little too big, but with the curtains drawn, I can risk having Carbuncle out.

Focusing on another summon, I mentally project my mind towards Kate. My plant in the Wards has already proven a useful source of information, exposing the inner workings of the PRT to me.

The Wards have all been told to play nice with me, making it clear that recruiting me is a very high priority, or at the very least, getting me to come in for power testing. Rebecca knows how my power works, but she can't tell anyone about our more private conversation, so she has to act in character.

Sophia is on console duty indefinitely; she's even been given a tinkertech bracelet to prevent her from running because she's in deep shit. So is Armsmaster, for that matter. Sophia's disobedience has caused some of the shit being thrown at her to get him as collateral. Miss Militia has been put in charge of the Brockton Bay Wards now, and there are rumours of Armsmaster losing his position as the leader of the Brockton Bay Protectorate team as well. Eidolon is furious, and Alexandria isn't much better despite our conversation.

Kate doesn't know everything; she's just a Ward, after all, but she's still a reliable source of information on the inner workings of the PRT. The fact that she hasn't gotten caught as an infiltrator means I might be able to risk adding a hero to the Protectorate itself. Maybe New York to keep an eye on Flechette? Not yet; I need to make sure she doesn't trigger Master-Stranger protocols. I could theoretically undo things, but it would be expensive, and I want to avoid that.

Playing with Carbuncle, I smile slightly as I read through the threads. Mouse Protector is with the PRT; Fleur visited a hospital today to pull a Panacea; Fenja showed off her new powers to the other gangs, and Uber has been showing off on stream.

The fact that all the people who gained my blessing happened to be female has started a rumour that I trade powers for sexual favours, which is mildly annoying if also admittedly amusing. I didn't pick the champions, or the winners for that matter.

…it did lead to even more nudes being sent to me, both from female capes and also civilians who want to be capes. The wizard in me is annoyed at the implication that my powers would be given out for sexual favours; the teenager in me is enjoying my new spank bank.

Speaking of nudes, Emma Barnes sent me some which makes me think. Have I butterflied Taylor's trigger event away? Winslow starts on Monday, and it's Friday now. I don't plan to let the locker happen; Taylor doesn't deserve that, but have I already stopped it?

Sophia is stuck on base and doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Kate doesn't know if she'll be going back to Winslow on Monday, but even if she does, will she try the locker 'prank' with so many eyes watching her? She's on very thin ice, and surely she knows it.

Would Sophia be crazy enough to risk getting into even deeper shit just to bully Taylor? Quite possibly, she's in a terrible mood and has spent the last day getting into arguments with damn near every Ward. She's not taking her humiliation well.

On the other hand, I can use a summon to keep an eye on her, and if they try the locker prank, I could save Taylor as Azuth while Solomon is in class on the other side of the city. Another reason why having Azuth separate was worth the points, it's the perfect alibi. Focusing on two things at once is hard but doable, as long as I don't have to do anything too intensive as Sol while I'm piloting Azuth.

Nodding to myself, I unsummon Carbuncle and resummon Azuth. Time to get to work.

– Victoria Dallon (Glory Girl) –

Once Arcadia was finished, she immediately took off. Briefly stopping to change, she frowned to herself. There were reports of Azuth just casually patrolling like he didn't have a Behemoth-sized target on his back.

She wasn't sure what she was going to say to him, but the idea of just leaving him wandering around didn't sit right with her. She couldn't deny that the boon he'd given Aunt Jess was amazing, and having a way to heal Amy would be a lifesaver (maybe literally), but he empowered the fucking nazis.

The Empire had killed her father and Uncle Mike, even if they'd tried to claim the attack wasn't condoned by Iron Rain, and now Azuth had just made them stronger. He should have told the villains to fuck off and just had the tournament with the heroes if he absolutely needed to do that whole song and dance.

Checking PHO, a reliable source of info on where capes could be found thanks to the hard work of cape fanatics, she set off with a slight frown. She was genuinely convinced that Azuth was a good guy. He seemed like a nice, if nerdy, teenage boy. Whatever he was planning, she was pretty sure he was out of his depths.

Arriving at the last known location, she didn't have to search for long as she headed to the sounds of fighting.

Three Sons of Samedi thugs were firing at the Fire Elemental she'd seen before, the feminine figure uncaring of the bullets that were striking her. She wasn't alone; a living (thankfully small) tornado swept towards the three, pulling them into its cycle as it tossed them around, the fire elemental melting the guns that got tossed away from the very disoriented petty thugs.

Tossing all three of them at the wall, the elementals paused and looked up at her as she flew down. No sign of their summoner, but he couldn't be that far, right?

The thugs went to run, but they weren't going anywhere as both she and the air elemental rushed them. She grabbed hers by the top, the air elemental trapping the other two with walls of powerful winds. Azuth would be a decent cape with just these guys, forget the rest of the utter bullshit he could do.

She quickly zip-tied the thug's arms behind their backs—every hero should carry a set of zip ties. The wind wall parted to allow her to get to the two idiots who'd tried to fight her, one breaking their fist on her forcefield. Why did they think that would work?

Looking up, she watched as Azuth descended on the back of his Chocobo (if Leet's nerding out was correct), giving her a calm smile.

"We really need to stop meeting like this," Vicky joked, sending a message to the PRT line to have these guys picked up.

"For that, we'd have to switch careers," Azuth replied, opening his book as both his elementals flew back into the pages. "It's good to see you again, Glory Girl. Is Fleur enjoying her boons?"

"She is, but should you be out like this? You painted one hell of a target on your back," Vicky pointed out, making him smile calmly.

"Fear not, I am not unprepared for any would-be kidnappers. Should anyone try, they will fail and find themselves blacklisted from ever being given one of my boons," Azuth said confidently.

She wasn't so confident; she knew how invincible new capes could feel and how wrong they usually were.

"How about we stick together for today, then? I'm patrolling anyway," Vicky offered, watching his eyebrow raise slightly. "People should be less willing to cause some trouble with both of us together."

"A fair point," Azuth admitted, giving her a small smile. "My thanks for your concern, as unneeded as it may be. Very well, once these… gentlemen have been collected, we can patrol together."

Giving him a grin, she mentally patted herself on the back for not jumping down his throat. It was a step in the right direction, pulling Azuth just a little more to the side of the angels.

— Bonus Scene — Rebecca Costa-Brown (Alexandria)

Regardless of what she thought about Azuth and his claims, there was one she could act on immediately. Jack Slash was the trigger for Scion's rampage, a master that affected Capes.

It made a disturbing amount of sense; Jack Slash was known for his uncanny luck when it came to fights, seemingly escaping deadly situations unscathed despite his power being seemingly only the ability to cut things.

Did he master Contessa to prevent her from targeting him in her paths? That thought alone made her freeze and immediately sign Jack's death sentence. She couldn't risk it, and while the Nine had some useful abilities, Jack himself was fairly irrelevant.

Having Jack killed without any cape support would not be difficult, despite the serial killer's delusions of grandeur, and they'd have to take Bonesaw to prevent her from pulling any of her bullshit without Jack holding her leash. Could Azuth 'fix' Bonesaw? Her power had the potential to be extremely useful, after all.

The others, she'd leave be for now. They would self-destruct without Jack guiding them. Separate, they wouldn't be nearly as dangerous with the exception of the Crawler, and the rest could be Birdcaged-

Hm, unless Azuth was right. She'd had Dragon check and double-check, but there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary in the Birdcage. If a new Endbringer showed up in the attack that was due next month, she'd take it as proof that Azuth was right about the upcoming break-out.

The Birdcage was their holding cell, keeping dangerous capes around for the final battle, but if she had to choose between them being free or losing the possibility of using them, she'd purge the entire cage without an ounce of remorse.

Hmm, maybe a new prison could be made? Azuth made bold claims about his powers; could he make a new dimensional prison? If he could, it would require the energy he needed for everything.

It all came down to that energy. They needed Azuth to get as much as possible because his words about Hero still rang through her head. So many dead capes could be brought back, both lost friends and useful tools.

But first, a delusional serial killer had to die. They needed time, and Jack's death could just buy them just that.

Author's Note: A chapter is never late, nor is it early, it arrives precisely when the muse means for it to.

Mike God of Lore's note: In this case, his muse was QQ's Worm AI art thread.

I am entirely motivated by praise and interaction, so leave a review, and I'll probably write faster. I do read every review/comment, because it gives me the happy brain chemicals and motivates me to write more. My body is a machine that turns positive reviews into new chapters.

I have a patreo n, where my supporters can vote on which fics get bonus chapters each cycle and have access to advance chapters, up to ten chapters ahead of the public release. Feel free to check it out. I also set up a subscribesta r as well, more or less just as a backup/test to see which I prefer. The chapters are available on Discord if you're a patreo n and on the site directly on subscribesta r due to the different site rules, so if you don't use Discord, subscribesta r is the better choice.

The Advance Chapters

Basic Tier (Employee)

The Paladin (One-Off Snippet)

Gold Tier (Manager)

The Cursed, Ch03

The Nightmare, Ch11

Plat Tier (System)

The Dragon, Ch03

The Planeswalker, Ch08

New Game Plus, Ch07

Diamond Tier (Founder)

The Sorcerer's Legacy, Ch08

The Tamer, Ch12

A Sorcerer's Ambition, Ch25

The Nightmare, Ch12

The Quest

Celestial Roulette, Ch01-02

Links:

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Subscribesta r. com (slash) the-dark-wolf-shiro

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Chapter 764 - 7