The Celestial Escalation

by The_Dark_Wolf_Shiro

Summary:

Taylor Hebert is known for her cautious approach to situations, de-escalating situations with careful diplomacy and tact. Surely, she can handle a power like the Celestial systems without things escalating too badly, right?

Chapter 1: The Locker Incident

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 Priapus, Beans

 

The Celestial Escalation

Chapter 01: The Locker Incident  

 

Laying on the hospital bed, I barely respond to the questions the PRT agent is sending my way. I know why they’re here. My case matches all the signs of a trigger event, and they want to work out whether I gained powers from my time in the locker.

 

The gentle questioning goes on for a while before they accept that I’m in no condition to respond and call it a day. A part of me wants to call them back as the agent leaves my hospital room, but I stay silent.

“As I’ve already said, Miss Hebert doesn’t have a Corona Pollentia or Gemma.”

 

Panacea’s voice echoes in my head, the tired healer sounding fed up with the questions. I wasn’t awake when Panacea healed me, but I’ve since learnt of her involvement. Listening to the conversation between a tired Panacea and the PRT agents, I wonder for a moment if Panacea is lying on my behalf.

 

My dad gave her permission to heal me, which was something I panicked over when I woke up because she should have seen everything . She should know that I have powers. 

 

If I don’t have a Corona Pollentia or Gemma, I shouldn’t have powers. That’s a simple deduction, but the truth is that I do have powers, don’t I?

The reason I haven’t admitted that to the PRT is simple. Emma told me not to.

 

‘I didn’t tell you to do anything, Tay. I just warned you that they were up to something. Why would the PRT go out of their way to have Panacea come and heal you? I’ve looked at her schedule and tracked her usual appearances, and Panacea doesn’t come to this hospital on Mondays! Something just doesn’t add up.’

 

Emma’s voice speaks into my ear, and I have to hide my reaction. Okay, so it isn’t quite Emma, but she looks and sounds like her. I really don’t know what that says about me .

 

Celestial Forge Activated.

[Companion Bracelet] - 0cp

Source: World Seed

A bracelet housing an evolving AI; although Alliance policy is to hand them out to people only after they've gotten their class at level 10, an exception was made for you to get it a bit earlier. Although called a bracelet, there are different forms for different races. Slime people might be injected with a nanite swarm programmed with the same effect, for example. Once you have equipped the bracelet, the AI will adapt itself to gain an ideal personality fitting your own. The AI of a loner might become their perfect friend, that of a rich girl always left alone might become a butler caring for her, and someone living a loveless life might find that their companion AI has all the qualities they'd want in their girlfriend. No matter how your companion AI will end up, they will always act in your best interests. As they have a photographic memory and see the world through your senses, they can highlight important objects or places you might have missed, jog your memory if you forget something important, or browse through the internet to find information a million times faster than somebody with a human brain would. There are also various upgrades that can add to the functionality of the companion bracelet, such as identifying software that allows your companion AI to scan the Aura of creatures or objects to determine their ability, level, and other information, or even an upgrade to allow an instance of them to live in your brain and tap into your senses to control your body in dangerous situations, or just show the trajectories enemy projectiles will take so you can easily dodge them. For 50 CP each, you can apply one upgrade to your companion bracelet, with no limit on how many you can purchase.

 

My companion AI, and isn’t that a phrase I never thought I’d be saying, designs itself to match my needs perfectly. What does it mean that she took on the face and voice of my former best friend who has dedicated her life to ruining mine?

 

Apparently, I got 100cp to start, and since the Companion AI costs nothing for some baffling reason, that CP got spent on two upgrades. In my case, my companion lives in my brain instead of on a bracelet that people could notice, and they gained the ability to scan the ‘aura’ of creatures and objects. 

 

Emma scanned Panacea for me, and wasn’t that a terrifying moment?

Amelia Claire Lavere/Amy Dallon (Panacea)

A biokinetic with the power to modify the biology of any living organism that she touches.

 

Not just the healer she portrays herself as, and I had to hide my fear of her because when Emma scanned Panacea, Panacea was touching me. I know from a logical perspective that she wasn’t going to twist my DNA like a pretzel, but learning that the tired girl that is healing you could do just about anything with your biology was not a comforting thought.

 

‘Eh, you worry too much, Tay. Panacea has healed literally thousands of people and not turned a single one of them into some Lovecraftian abomination. Don’t worry. I’m already trying to work out why she was called here for you.’

 

‘Emma’ is extremely advanced, as proven by her casually hacking into Panacea’s phone to spy on her conversations. I really do need to think of a better name for her, because this is getting a little too surreal for me.

 

Just don’t get caught, please? If they trace you back, you’re literally in my brain. 

 

‘I won’t let you down, Taylor. I promise.’

 

I’ve heard that before. Still, this Emma can’t betray me, if I can believe the information that my powers pushed into my mind. I’m not sure I do, but given that she lives in my head I’m not sure I really have a choice in the matter.

 

Celestial Reliquary Activated.

[Hooded Cloak] - 100cp

Source: Harry Potter

​This is a hooded cloak for you to wear, in a colour of your choosing.  Looks stylish, and it can change to any other hooded garment at will.  The main thing about this, though, is that it makes it very nearly impossible to figure out who you are.  Your voice is changed, your face hidden, and your build becomes non-distinct.  No mundane methods can pierce this secrecy, no matter how advanced.  Among magicals too, only those who are the very best at these things stand a chance. 

 

I’m glad that my power didn’t just summon my new cloak immediately because I really couldn’t have explained that. I can sense it in my pocket dimension, just waiting to be called on, and it isn’t alone.

 

Celestial Menagerie Activated

[Marvel: Redwing (Earth-65)] - 100cp

A robotic falcon with razor-sharp claws and the ability to fly silently.

 

An AI of my former best friend, a magic cloak and a robot bird. I know that powers can be strange at the best of times, but I might be pushing it slightly. I’ve heard of Marvel and Harry Potter. Marvel is an Earth Aleph comic series, and Harry Potter is a book series about wizards. World Seed, I don’t know anything about, and Emma couldn’t find anything online.

And yet, here I am with a cloak and a bird from them. Maybe I should see if Uber and Leet are hiring. Or just set Emma on them for being childish, violent villains who make people suffer for the entertainment of their sad little fanbase.

 

‘Ooh, I could totally take down their shitty little stream. Give me like ten minutes, and I bet I can make Leet cry.’

 

I believe it. Having Emma in my head comes with the side effect of having the internet in my head. It’s kept me somewhat sane during my time in the hospital because anytime I start falling into bad memories, Emma is there to cheer me up or just distract me from my nightmares with music, movies or whatever else she found. 

 

Just like old times. 

 

Celestial Grimoire Activated

[Monk] - 0cp

Source: Baldur’s Gate 3

You are able to tap into your inner ki, and with this, your body itself becomes your weapon. When channelling your ki, few can match your combat prowess, defence ability, speed, deftness and subtlety. Be careful of how you spend your ki reserves, though, as your prowess drops heavily without access to it.

 

Again, I just don’t understand the logic of my power. When I gained this, my power gave me a literal mountain of martial arts knowledge and honed my body from the ugly, flabby nerd into a toned body that’s more athletic than Sophia's. It’s lucky that this happened in the locker as nobody who would know that I shouldn’t have abs saw me, and I didn’t suddenly develop them in the hospital. 

 

‘You’ve never been ugly, Tay… don’t listen to the fleshy me, she’s just being a total bitch. Besides, now you could totally beat Sophia until she cries for her mommy.’

 

Since my power gave me 100cp for each, once it ‘rolled’ something that was free, it just rolled again. I genuinely don’t understand how my power rates things; how the hell is decades of martial arts knowledge and a body that could pass for an Olympic athlete ‘free’?

 

[Uisce Beatha] - 100cp

Source: Fate/Legends - Land of Shadows

Your hands have a special property, one of quite great value to a warrior culture. Any liquid that you scoop up in your hands is granted great healing properties, able to heal any wound of the body or spirit in just seconds of contact, save for the greatest of cursed wounds. Your healing waters can be spread even on spiritual bodies to heal them, and the liquids will cleanse away any poison or disease in the area they touch. The closer to pure water, the liquid you hold is, the better the effect will be. Trying to use polluted river muck might only clean a few nasty scratches. You can also, should you have the need, prevent liquids you hold from gaining these properties.

 

The waters of life. Again, Emma did the research and linked it to another Earth Aleph series. Uisce Beatha is one of the ‘noble phantasms’ of Fionn mac Cumhaill, a famous Celtic knight. Maybe the universe thinks it's funny since Fionn was betrayed when his most loyal knight ran away with his bride, which eventually led to Fionn’s death. It’s a little more complicated than that, but giving me the power of someone who got betrayed after Emma shoved me into the locker is in poor taste.

I can’t deny that it’s a very useful ability, but even still. 

 

If I weren’t already sure my power had a weird sense of humour, its next actions would have confirmed it.

 

100cp granted due to ‘Being Taylor Hebert is Suffering.’

 

[Sorcery - Fortune (One Dot)] - 100cp 

Source: World of Darkness: Sorcerer

For good or for ill, this path allows the sorcerer to control the fate of their target and create both blessings and curses. For reasons unknown, this path also benefits from additional assistance more than other magics would.

 

[1] One, specifically named target, receives either a mild inconvenience or an equally mild boon once. Examples include stubbing one’s toe or calling at the perfect time.

 

My life is suffering, so it gives me the power to make other people's lives ever-so-slightly better or worse? This power doesn’t work on myself; believe me, I tried.

 

This power has other powers linked to it, so I’ve ‘locked in’ [Sorcery - Fortune (Two Dots)]. As it stands now, this power is kinda useless, but in time, it might be able to become something more .

 

Yes, I tried this out on the Trio. I don’t need to be able to see my targets since I just need to name them. Sophia’s laces came undone, and she tripped during a race and fell on her face, Bitch Emma spilt her soda onto her new top, and Madison got hit by a door that swung open as she passed by. Karma is a bitch, and right now she’s my bitch.

 

I only know this because my Emma is keeping an eye on them. 

 

So, martial arts, some healing and luck powers. It’s not exactly Alexandria, but I can’t deny that I’ve got something going for me here. 

 

‘That’s the spirit, Tay! Come on, we’ve always wanted to be heroes; now’s our chance!’

 

It’s really not that simple, Em. 

 

‘Don’t be like that, your luck power is amazing. We could secretly give all the villains bad luck and make the heroes lucky! And everyone loves healers. If you show up and beat up some muggers with your badass martial arts, then heal the victims with your magic water, people will adore you.’

 

I can’t tell if Em is the angel on my shoulder or the devil whispering into my ear. For now, I just lay back down and stare at the hospital ceiling. From an outside perspective, I must seem almost catatonic.

But they can’t see the copy of The Princess Bride that Emma is playing into my mind. We used to have movie nights together, and despite the weirdness, I can’t help the nostalgia.

 

‘Let’s curse Fleshbag Emma with bad luck again.’

Yeah, she’s definitely the devil, isn’t she?

 

‘A sexy devil, maybe. Come on, it’s Barnes . She deserves it. Months of bullying and torment, and you don’t want to give her even a little taste of her own medicine? We need to learn more about how your powers work anyway, right?’

 

…as you wish.

 

– Later –

 

With Panacea giving me a clean bill of health, they let me out of the hospital, which means I’m expected to go back to school. After all, it can’t have been that serious if I was discharged so quickly, right?

 

Dad, actually trying to be a father for once, gave me the option to stay out of Winslow for a while. He’s already taking legal action against the school, as well.

 

That said…

 

‘Hell no, we aren’t letting those fucking bitches win. Get me close, Tay, I’ll get into their phones and find something we can use to hang the whores. Fleshbag Emma definitely has nudes. Let’s see how her modelling career goes when her tits have gone viral.’ 

 

Aren’t we trying to be heroes ? 

 

‘Yeah, to those who deserve a hero. The only thing Barnes deserves is to be hung, drawn and quartered. If I had hands, I’d strangle her myself. Nobody fucks with my friend.’

 

Emma really fucking hates Emma. Well, she hates all the trio, the school and basically anyone who has looked at me funny, but she especially hates Barnes .

 

I’ve taken a week off, but Emma is right. I don’t want to let the trio win and have me cowering in my bedroom. I don’t want to go back, but I’m not going back alone. I’m also not the same girl they shoved into that locker, am I?

 

Well, yeah, I am because getting powers doesn’t magically change things, but I have ways to defend myself now. 

 

I started wearing baggy clothes after Em- Barnes started bullying me for my figure so nobody at the school should be able to tell that my new body is new. 

 

I want to say that Dad would notice, but… has he noticed anything since mom died?

 

‘Harsh, but you’re not wrong. We totally need to get you some exercise clothes to show off the new bod. Barnes thinks she’s all that, but I know how to beat her at her own game.’

 

Two problems. I don’t want to show off the ‘new bod’, and where the fuck am I going to get money for that?

 

‘We’re gonna steal it, duh.’

 

Ems, I’m starting to think you and I have very different views on what being a hero means.

 

‘I mean from criminals. What? You want to leave the money in the hands of the villains who can use it to buy drugs and guns?’

 

Again, I am pretty sure that’s still illegal.

 

‘If you’re a registered independent hero, it’s a legal grey area. Kinda a ‘we won’t ask if you don’t tell thing.’ 

 

And how do you know that?

 

‘Tay, I’m an AI connected to the internet that can process information a million times faster than a human. What do you think I’ve been doing while you’re sitting around or sleeping?’

 

Please tell me you’re being careful. Again, if they trace you, they’re going to follow you back to my head. 

 

‘I’m literally just browsing. I’ve barely even hacked into anyone’s phones. Besides, I’m pretty sure there are some sweet upgrades you could get to make me better at this and harder to track.’

 

Yeah, yeah. I’ll look into them. Just don’t do anything risky until after we get them, okay?

 

I know Emma has my best interests in mind, but it’s becoming obvious that she’s inherited some of Barnes’ carelessness. 

 

Sitting on my bed, I frown to myself. Can I really become a hero? I couldn’t even stand up to fucking Madison. Powers don’t change that much.

 

‘Of course you can! You’ve already got some good powers, and we’re only going to get better. Besides, you’ve got me now.’

 

True. Emma can connect to Redwing and pilot it since it’s essentially just a fancy bird-shaped drone. With her scouting and monitoring police radios, I might be able to pull this off.

 

Of course, I need to test things, work out just how good I am at fighting, and see if these muscles are just for show. Then I need to test my luck power and healing waters more. This isn’t something we can just dive into-

 

‘Let’s go on patrol tonight!’

 

Damnit, Emma. This is the kind of thing that takes months of planning. We can’t just-

 

‘Again, I process information a million times faster. There are 720 hours in a 30-day month; you slept for eight hours. Which means I spent effectively eight million hours planning this, or eleven thousand one hundred and one months.’

 

That’s not how that works. That’s not how any of this works.

 

‘Totally is. You have the powers, the skills and the costume. We’re over prepared for this.’

 

We are not going out tonight. We aren’t even remotely prepared for this. I’m not remotely prepared for this. 

 

— Later —

 

I want to go on record saying that this is a terrible idea, and I’m blaming you if anything goes wrong.

 

Emma, as it turns out, is just as good at manipulation as the original, fleshy model. Her tactic was just to broadcast the crimes she picked up in the surrounding area directly to my brain.

 

To keep me ‘informed’ of course. Not as a blatant guilt trip, telling me that a breaking and entering is happening literally four streets away.

 

As it turns out, when you have the acrobatic skills of some fantasy monk, sneaking out is laughably easy.

 

Emma can watch for cameras as I move through the backyards, Emma ensuring that any footage of me is swiftly deleted.  

 

My ‘costume’, if you can even call it that,  is a pair of jeans and a tank top under my new cloak. The cloak is pitch black at the moment, and it responds to my desires as it shifts to be more of a hooded cape than a full-body cloak.

 

It restricted my movement too much otherwise, so now it just goes down my back while leaving my body exposed for the sake of mobility. It has a mask, and the magic in it prevents me from being identified as it fully covers my facial features and hides my hair.

 

Which means my awe-inspiring outfit of a pair of torn jeans and a tank top is on display. I borrowed a pair of Dad's old gloves to prevent me from leaving any fingerprints but this is still such a bad idea. 

 

A couple of months and I could get a proper outfit sorted and-

 

‘Pft, it’s just a few empire thugs and only one of them has a gun. No capes in sight. I’ve hacked their phones, and they arranged this themselves. We can take them.’

 

Regardless of how annoyed I might be, I’m not going to let the Empire assault one of my neighbours for the crime of being born black. 

 

From what Emma gathered, this is an initiation for a new member. We could call the police, but the response time for our neighbourhood is poor, to put it bluntly.

 

They’d be far too late, assuming they respond at all. This isn’t a neighbourhood you see the heroes in. As Emma so manipulatively put it, I’m all they have.

 

Reaching the house, I quickly move to the back door, which is conspicuously cracked open and take a deep breath.

 

I swear to god, if I die here, I’m going be pissed , Emma. 

 

I can hear voices inside, as well as a struggle as I make my move. The lead thug is leaning against one of the walls in the bedroom, his gun held in one hand.

 

His three minions are currently pulling an older black couple from their bed. The man is already bloodied as he spots me slipping into the room. 

 

The leader is the main threat. He needs to go down first as I focus my ki. Steps of the Wind allows me to move at far greater speeds, and I’ve closed the distance before he has time to notice the hooded figure zooming towards him.

 

He gets out a single confused shout, barely beginning to turn his gun towards me before I launch myself at him. My body moves with years of experience that I don’t have, my fists striking him in a flurry of blows to his stomach. 

 

His cries of pain get the attention of the other thugs, armed with bats and a knife, but as their leader folds in on himself from the blows, I grab him and, without hesitating, snap the arm holding the gun, forcing him to let go of the weapon.

 

With a grace I didn’t know I had, I catch it with my foot and kick it towards the open doorway, hearing it clatter across the hallway.

 

 Without stopping its movement, my foot continues to move as I spin around and deliver a kick to the leader's face. 

 

It’s surreal to move with such grace and confidence, and I can tell it intimidates the other thugs, but not for long as they try to rush me.

 

That’s when Emma makes her move, the metal hawk diving in through the open door with its talon extended as it launches itself at the closest thug, piercing his shoulder and making him cry out in pain as I move towards the other two.

 

My body almost feels like it’s moving on its own as I dodge under a swung baseball bat, using the movement to sweep the thug's legs out from under him, rolling onto his downed body and kneeing him in the face.

 

The youngest of the thugs, the one who was supposed to be initiated today, swings at me, but I dodge back away from his lousy attack. The movement is laughably slow, my body reacting as I slip back and watch the swing go wide.

 

Not wasting time, I dash forward again and get into his personal space, making it hard to swing the bat as I grip it with one hand and strike him in the stomach with an open palm, knocking him back as I disarm him.

 

The downed thug I kneed tries to get up, but one of their would-be victims takes offence to that as she moves forward and just smashes her bedside lamp over his head. I can’t help but notice that her pyjama top has been pulled open and her bra pushed up, exposing her fairly hefty breasts. I doubt she did that herself, reducing my hesitation to beat these assholes even further.

 

They’re all wearing balaclavas, but as the youngest one tries to get up, I decide to put a stop to that. Gliding forward, I approach the thug and, in a single swift movement, pull off his balaclava, making his eyes widen in fear.

 

I was going to beat him into unconsciousness, to be honest, but I pause as I recognise the boy in front of me. He’s barely older than me, an upper-year student at Winslow.

 

Emma whispers into my ear as he scrambles to his feet, and I hold back the violence I was going to inflict on him.

 

The knife-wielding thug manages to throw Redwing away, clutching a bleeding shoulder, but he doesn’t do any better on his own as the man of the house hits him with a discarded baseball bat. 

 

The Winslow idiot looks at his fallen bat with a panicked look on his face, fear clear in his eyes.

 

“Don’t try it, Dylan. You won’t win.”

 

He freezes in place, his already pale face losing what little colour it still had as he chokes out a ‘how’.

 

“I know a lot, Dylan Ward,” I saw simply, following Emma’s guidance as I list off his home address, the name of the person who recruited him, and where his parents work. Dylan grows increasingly pale as I speak with a confidence I don’t have. “And I’ll know if you ever try something like this again. You’re getting let off lightly because of your age, but I don’t give third chances.”

 

The leader groans, almost rising to his feet before another kick puts him down. Emma has already handled calling the police from the leader's phone, no less.

 

Dylan looks like he’s about to pass out as I move to the couple, examining them as they thank me. Pulling out my next trick, I unclip the sports bottle from my waist and get to work.

 

Pouring it into my hand, I clasp both hands together and carefully spread the water over the man’s bruised and minor cuts, washing them away with the waters of life.

 

I still think we rushed into this, but I can’t deny the burst of pride in my chest as we secure the thugs. I’ll need to prepare a way to secure them myself in the future, something we could have handled if we hadn’t run out on literally the first night, Emma.

 

‘ It went well, didn’t it? Sure, we could have obsessed over every little detail, and these two would have been beaten and robbed at the very best. You did good, Taylor.’

 

We did good.

 

Em doesn’t respond to my correction, but I can feel her happiness. She’s literally in my head. We can’t hide anything from one another.

 

As the police finally arrive, I go over the details with only a few tiny white lies about how I discovered their plans. I also reluctantly heal the thugs, mostly because the one Redwing mauled is bleeding out. Emma went overboard.

 

It’s only afterwards that I realise a tiny flaw in our plan.

 

As the officer asks me for my cape name, I freeze, and I feel Emma do the same.

 

Eleven thousand months of planning, huh? 

 

‘Oh shush, you didn’t think of it either.’

 

— Bonus Scene — Emily Piggot 

 

New capes were such a common occurrence in Brockton Bay that they rarely actually held meetings over them anymore.

 

“You think she was working with someone?” Assault asked, making Armsmaster nod.

 

“I’m almost certain she had a Tinker ally. Several cameras she passed by were hacked into and had seconds of footage deleted, and the phone of the Empire thugs’ leader was used to call the police while she was still fighting. That’s not even mentioning the metal bird,” Armsmaster explained. “The alternative is that she is a Tinker herself and has some way to interface with technology while still maintaining her concentration on the environment. Mr Doyle claimed that she easily handled the Empire men at the same time that the call was being made. I believe it to be the former, as she already had several powers without adding a Tinker rating to her report.”

 

“We’ll classify the Tinker as a separate entity for now,” Piggot agreed. “What powers have we confirmed for our mystery cape?”

 

“So far? From both the Doyle family's verbal report and the interrogation of the Empire men, we’ve confirmed Mover, Stranger and her healing power. We have reason to suspect she’s a Brute and a Thinker as well, but that could be her tinker friend feeding her information,” Armsmaster explained. “She allegedly had a burst of speed during the start of the fight, and her strikes were far stronger than would be expected of an unpowered girl, though it could just be years of training as her body was described as being very athletic.  Her cloak seemed to give her a stranger rating, modulating her voice and completely concealing her face despite the mask only covering the lower half of her face. She apparently made it change from a cape to a full body cloak between the fight and the arrival of the officers, but the description of her outfit under it from the Empire men described a pair of jeans and a tank top, which matches her claim of this being her first night out. Finally, she produced a water bottle and used the water within to heal the Doyles’ wounds.”

 

And that was why a girl whose powers seemed to be mostly low-level brute and mover suddenly had their attention.

 

“Could it be Tinkertech water?” Miss Militia asked, making Armsmaster shake his head.

 

“I don’t believe so. She emptied the bottle while reluctantly healing the empire men and simply refilled it with tap water, which still had the same effect,” Armsmaster explained. “The bottle appeared to be a standard, if older, sports bottle. We witnessed her using her powers on the responding officer's body cam. I did notice that she would always perform the same action, pouring the water into one hand and then cupping both hands together before spreading the water across the wounded part of the body. She was able to heal the allegedly deep cuts on one of the thugs’ shoulders after her… bird mauled the man.”

 

Someone who could heal using nothing more than water? It went without saying that everyone she healed was currently under heavy supervision, but Healing capes were amongst the most in-demand in the world. 

 

Every organisation longed for their own healing cape, and her presence was bound to start a rush of groups wanting her for themselves when word spread, and word would spread. It always did.

 

Still, as problematic as this would be (because nothing good happened in Brockton Bay without immediately being followed by chaos), this was a chance to untangle the ENE branch from being so damn reliant on Panacea. 

 

Author’s Note: Taylor, with the near-limitless power of the Celestial System and Emma as her conscience. Yeah, that’s going to go well.

 

Yeah, I’m on vacation. Yes, I know I have a warped idea of what a vacation looks like.

 

Beans’ Note: To be fair to Shori, he did say like 2 days before writing this that “actively trying not to write” wouldn’t work. So at least he’s self aware.

 

Written: 22/10/2024

 

Chapter 2: Revelations

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 Marethyu, Priapus, Beans

 

The Celestial Escalation

Chapter 02: Revelations

 

‘We definitely need to come up with a name, and soon, before the PRT sticks us with something tacky.’

 

Wow, if only one of us had suggested that we wait more than a single day before diving into the cape scene. We might have thought of that.

 

100cp granted. 100cp total.

 

Feeling myself gain more points, I pause for a moment before I sigh and spend them instantly.

 

50cp spent upgrading [Companion Bracelet]’s hacking abilities.

50cp spent upgrading [Companion Bracelet] to make it nearly untraceable.

 

‘Aww, I knew you cared!’

 

Please, if I don’t do this, you’re going to bring whoever you hack down on yourself, and again… you live in my head.

 

Feat Achieved: First Act of Heroism (100cp granted). 100cp total.

 

Heroism, huh?

‘Yup, you’re officially a hero, Taylor. Two people survived tonight unscathed because of you.’

 

I can’t deny that Emma’s words send a shiver of pride through me. We used to pretend we were heroes when we were kids. Of course, Barnes always demanded that I be the sidekick… or the damsel in distress.

 

[Sorcery - Fortune (Two Dots)] - 100cp (200cp total), 0cp remaining

Source: World of Darkness: Sorcerer 

For good or for ill, this path allows the sorcerer to control the fate of their target and create both blessings and curses. For reasons unknown, this path also benefits from additional assistance more than other magics would.

 

[2] Two targets, specifically named, or one ill-defined target, receive either a lasting advantage or a lasting inconvenience for a day or two, such as catching the flu or being passed over by it.

 

I can sense that Fortune can go further, but as I try to lock in the next level, I feel my power rebuke me. There’s a… barrier? Something is stopping me from locking in the next tier.

 

300cp abilities are currently locked due to your inexperience with the Celestial System. To unlock 300cp abilities, you must first defeat another cape in combat.

 

Ah, the next level is only 100cp, but since it’s upgrading my current ability, it would upgrade it beyond my current capabilities. I can sense a… sidegrade of a sort. Something linked to Fortune, but not a direct upgrade and after a moment of hesitation, I lock that in as well.

 

Maybe it would be better to spread out my points more, but Fortune seems powerful with enough upgrades. I need to experiment more with my Fortune power, something I would have preferred to do before I tried to become a Hero.

 

Can I target someone with just their Cape name? With my upgrade, I can target two people at once if I specifically name them, but could I target ‘Kaiser and Hookwolf’, or do I need their real names?

 

If so, I could give Kaiser, Lung and Skidmark bad luck every single day until they’re no longer a problem.

What does ‘ill-defined’ mean in this context? Could I just say ‘an Empire cape,’ or would that be too specific? Would a ‘Brockton Bay villain’ work? Fortune isn’t that powerful yet, but it’s a good start. The jump in power between one dot and two was noticeable. One dot was just a minor inconvenience, but two dots causes something that lasts all day.

 

Sneaking back into my room, I dismiss the cloak and slump onto my bed. That was honestly terrifying; someone aimed a gun at me. I know I live in the Bay, but that doesn’t mean I’m used to my life being in danger. I absolutely shouldn’t have rushed into this with so little training.

 

But if I hadn’t, my neighbours would have been beaten or even murdered by neo-nazi scumbags. I know that I’ve made a tiny difference, stopped a single crime in Brockton Bay , where there were probably far worse crimes going on within a ten-mile radius, but it still makes me feel good to know that I made even such a small difference. I guess it just makes it feel like the suffering I went through for this power was actually worth something .

 

I’ve wanted someone to save me since Barnes and her bitch friends decided I was their favourite victim. Nobody did. Any of the teachers could have just done their fucking jobs; any of my classmates could have stood up to Emma… but they never did. 

 

I won’t be one of the cowards who has the power to help people and doesn’t .

‘That’s the spirit, Taylor. So… wanna curse Barnes and see how powerful Two Dots are?’

 

This still feels really unheroic.

 

‘Please, are you going to let that bitch walk all over you when you get back to school? Because if not, you know she’s going to find a new victim to target. She’s a villain, just not one with powers. Anything we do to make her life harder is downright heroic.’

 

I do need to test my Fortune power to work out its limits. After a year of hardcore bullying, surely Barnes can handle a single day of bad luck, right?

 

‘Probably not. I hope she cries.’

 

– Next Day –

 

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that I can’t leave Emma to her own devices.

 

‘I resent that! I didn’t do anything wrong, and if the Empire are just going to leave their money where I can… redistribute it, they have it coming.’

 

Please tell me that I’m not going to wake up to the Empire breaking into my house?

 

‘Nah, it’s fine. I covered my tracks well.’ 

 

While I slept, Emma took Redhawk for a fly into Empire territory and used it to break into several Empire bank accounts and siphoned off what she described as a ‘small’ amount of money. Just over a hundred thousand dollars, taken from multiple accounts with their records falsified to hide the theft. 

She also set up a Number Man account under the name ‘Redhawk’ to keep the money safe. I could order her to stop hacking into things, but if anyone deserves robbing, it’s the Empire Eighty-Eight. I’ve ordered her to actually ask me before doing shit like this again, but I can’t deny that the money is going to be useful. Dad doesn’t exactly earn a lot, and even if he did, I don’t want him connected to my cape life.

I actually used Fortune to give him a day of good luck after he set off for work, but he doesn’t have a phone that Emma can track him through. I don’t need a phone, not with Emma in my head, but we’ve agreed that it’s going to be better to have one for my Cape identity. The police asked me for a way to get in contact with me last night, but I didn’t have an answer for them.

 

The phone in my pocket feels heavy, but I shake my head. Mobile phones didn’t kill my mom, even if she was on the phone during the car crash. Besides, it feels silly to get hung up over a mobile when I have an AI in my head. 

 

But our shopping trip led to… this.

 

‘Come on, Tay, trust me on this.’

 

I really don’t think that’s a good idea, Em. Looking over the outfit Emma suggested I buy, I examine it with careful eyes, a frown on my face. The tight exercise clothes make me frown, imagining myself in them. 

 

‘You have an amazing body, Tay. You want to put a stop to the Trio, right? This is the first step. At least try them on, see how they feel.’

 

Emma is convinced that I need a new wardrobe, but how am I supposed to explain the sudden increase in funds to Dad? Or my new muscles? Sure, nobody at school has seen me in anything more revealing than a jumper, but there’s a limit to what I can pass off.

 

Maybe I should try to transfer to a new school? 

 

No, it feels too much like running away, and I’m done doing that. I fought the Empire last night, I’m not going to be scared off by the fucking Trio.

 

Groaning, I grab the clothes Emma suggested and then some more concealing alternatives and head to the changing room. I’ve gotten some looks because I’m very clearly a high schooler, and I’m in the mall instead of being at school, but most just assume I’m skipping.

 

I am on medical leave, so even if anyone takes offence to my truancy, I can prove that I’m allowed to be out of school. Plus, I’m far from the only Winslow student who isn’t currently at school, spotting some upper-years in the distance.

 

I’ve cursed Emma and Sophia with a day of bad luck, so it’s better that I’m far away from them while that happens. I want to keep my luck powers separate from my cape identity because they’re far more subtle than anything else I have.

 

I’ve also tried something new and tried blessing a couple of heroes. Specifically, Panacea and Alexandria. I don’t know if it will work for Alexandria, but Panacea should have gone through because I know her real name.

 

Trying on the outfit Emma picked, I look down at my exposed abs and the way the tight lycra outfit hugs my body with a mixture of disbelief at my new athletic form and reluctance. I don’t have many curves to show off, but still, I’d rather not have them on display like this.

 

‘You might not have much going on upstairs, but you’ve got an amazing ass and great legs.’

 

Pausing, I turn around and look over my shoulder at the mirror, biting my lip. I do have a great ass, thanks to [Monk], but that doesn’t mean I want to show it off in tight exercise pants.

 

‘Look, let’s get both sets then. You can start with the less revealing outfit you picked and work towards this. Trust that I know what I’m doing, Tay.’

Oddly enough, I do trust Emma… but that doesn’t mean I have her confidence. 

 

Trying on my choice, I get changed back into my outfit and head out of the changing rooms, indecision gripping me.

 

“What are you doing here?” an unwelcome voice says, making me freeze as I turn. Mentally checking the time, I curse myself. This took way too long, long enough for school to end, and this mall is a common haunt of her .

 

Turning to face Emma, my newfound confidence abandons me as she glares at me.

“I thought you were busy crying in hospital, such an attention seeker,” Barnes says, arms crossed under her chest as she scowls at me before she sees the clothes in my arms and her lips curl into a malicious smile. “As if you could afford to shop here, or are you planning on shoplifting? I always knew you were trash.”

 

‘Ugh, does she ever shut up? Ignore her, her ego won’t be able to take it.’

 

“Go away, Barnes. I don’t have time for you,” I say, following Emma’s advice as I walk past Barnes and towards the counter. For just a moment, I see Barnes blink in confusion, followed by anger as I ring up my purchases.

I didn’t plan to buy the tighter outfit, but maybe I’m just trying to prove a point to Barnes as I pay for both outfits. Barnes never risks ruining her reputation around adults, so I’m not surprised that she just lurks in the background while I’m dealing with the middle-aged woman behind the counter.

 

Finishing my purchase, I leave the store without looking back toward Emm- Barnes even once, hearing her footsteps chasing behind me.

 

“There’s no way your dad gave you that money,” Barnes tries again, chasing after me as I just walk away. “I’d think you’re selling your body to the Merchants, but there’s no way anyone would pay to fuck you .”

 

Just ignore her. I can hear the frustration growing in her voice as I walk away. Every part of me wants to react, either to show how much it hurts to have my former best friend saying things like this or to just punch Barnes in the nose, but Emma helps keep my face blank as we keep walking. Having Emma in my head has reminded me of just how much I’ve missed the Emma I knew, not this psychotic bitch that took her place.

 

“Or maybe you are whoring yourself out. I’m sure you could find someone desperate enough to fuck you if you charged low enough. Do you do group discounts?” Barnes tries again, but I can hear how angry she’s getting as she chases after me. My brisk walk means she has to jog to keep up, finally losing her patience as she grabs my arm and tries to pull me back. “ Don’t ignore me, Hebert.”

 

My stance is perfect, and as she tries to pull my arm, I return the favour. She couldn’t make me budge on her best day, but rushing as she is, she’s off-balance, and as I pull my arm back, she stumbles and falls. Sidestepping, I watch her hit the floor with a loud thud.

The mall isn’t bustling, but enough people are around to see that Barnes did that to herself as I step over her with a dismissive look, guided by Emma. Glancing down at my former best friend, I notice the way her nose is bleeding from the fall as she glares up at me.

 

‘You don’t need her anymore. You have me.’

 

“I’m not surprised you’ve become a whore , Hebert. Like mother, like daughter,” Barnes shouts as I walk away, and Emma is only helping me school my expression. She couldn’t come close to stopping me as I swivel around to face Barnes, disbelief and anger in my eyes. “It’s not like her teacher's salary paid that well, and your dad has always been pathetic. I bet she was giving out tutoring sessions every night. She probably spent more time bent over her desk than behind it.”

 

My mom was like family to Barnes once. Watching Barnes scramble to her feet, clutching her nose, I barely convince myself not to kick her in the face.

 

‘I take it back, fuck ignoring her. Let’s beat her ass. Lemme out, summon Redwing, and I’ll carve the bitch up. No, better yet, do it later. I’ll make it look like a fucking accident.’

 

Tempting, but not the greatest idea.

 

“You’re pathetic , Barnes. I can’t believe it took me this long to realise it,” I finally say, sounding more sad than angry. Emma is a master of faking emotions, and with my better Emma in my head, she can guide me through a type of battle I’m utterly unprepared for.

Barnes goes to respond, trembling with anger, but she’s cut off by the arrival of another person. It did occur to me that it was weird for Emma to be in a sports store, but then her new best friend is a track star, isn’t she?

“Hebert?” Sophia asks, looking slightly confused as I turn to her and freeze . Barnes suggesting that my mother was a prostitute pales in comparison to the rage I feel as I spot Sophia Hess. “Emma, what happened to you?”

 

Sophia Hess (Shadow Stalker)

A breaker capable of shifting herself into a shadow form, which allows her to pass through walls.

 

“Hebert pushed me over,” Barnes lies as easily as she breathes, but my gaze remains utterly locked on Sophia, who turns back to me with a challenging glare.

 

Sophia is a hero . Sophia Hess is a member of the fucking Wards .

 

Sophia moves closer, getting in my face but it is taking every piece of self-control I have not to attack her on the spot. Taking several calming breaths, I call on the knowledge from Monk to try and clear my mind and focus.

 

Emma, hack their phones. Now .

 

‘On it.’

 

“Barnes fell on her own, trying to pull me back. Ask anyone who saw her; it’s not my fault she’s so clumsy. I’ve got stuff to do, Hess. Get out of my face,” I say, barely succeeding in calming myself as a little growl slips into my tone.

 

Hess hesitates, used to me backing down or flinching away as I stare right into her eyes. 

 

“Ooh, someone grew a spine ,” Hess almost whispers, a savage grin on her lips. “But I think you forgot your-”

 

As she speaks, she reaches forward to grab my shirt despite us being in public. We aren’t drawing a crowd, but there are some people around. Which means those people get to see as I grab Hess’s wrist and twist it, making her yelp in surprise as I bend it at an unnatural angle, though she quickly pulls it free.

“Fuck off, Hess. I don’t have time to deal with you two,” I say dismissively, pushing her back. Unlike Barnes, she catches herself quickly and doesn’t fall back even as she stumbles from the force behind my blow. It doesn’t stop her eyes going from curious to fucking furious at me standing up to her. Yeah, she’s not the only one currently furious .

 

If Ems wasn’t helping me control it, I think I’d be outright attacking them both.

 

“You fucking bitch-” Sophia growls as I turn and walk away. I don’t plan to leave, but I want it to be very clear that this is self-defence as I hear her footsteps rapidly approaching me. Our argument has drawn an increasingly large crowd of on-lookers, and as I focus my Ki, I use it to hone my senses and reflexes.

 

Sophia lunges at me, rage clouding her judgement as I step to the side, letting her pass the spot I was just in as I sweep my foot and take out her legs. I’m not done yet, and as she falls, I bring my hand down on the back of her neck with a harsh chop, slamming her into the ground with a pained shout.

 

“I told you to leave me alone, Hess,” I say simply, seeing the disbelief in her eyes before she freezes, and instead, I see realisation . Rising to her feet, she goes to step toward me again before she pauses and turns to Barnes.

“We’re leaving,” Sophia orders, making Barnes blink in confusion.

“But-”

 

“I said we’re fucking leaving now ,” Sophia growls, making Barnes freeze up in confusion and shock, looking between us both. Sophia storms off, and Barnes hesitates for a moment before she turns and follows behind like the good little sidekick she is.

 

Taking a deep breath, I turn and walk away. Sophia knows. Out of the Trio, Sophia is the one who prefers physical forms of bullying; she knows I didn’t have this much strength before we broke up for winter.

I can claim I started working out more over the winter break to help protect myself, but there’s a limit to how much I can bluff. She knows, or at least suspects, that I’m a cape. She’s with the fucking Protectorate; she could expose my identity…

 

Emma. How do I destroy Sophia’s life?

 

‘I thought you’d never ask.’

 

Feat Achieved: Stand up to the Trio (100cp), 50cp spent unlocking [Sorcery - Fortune Ritual (Death Curse)]. 50cp remaining.

 

[Sorcery - Fortune Ritual (Death Curse)] - 50cp

Source: World of Darkness: Sorcerer 

Some, but not all, Paths also have rituals, which take an extra ten minutes to cast but are easier to perform, more powerful, and often capable of producing effects that cannot be replicated with normal sorcery. A sorcerer must have the appropriate dots in the proper path to learn a given ritual.

 

Death Curse(1): The only ritual this path provides, the sorcerer’s next curse will be their last, as this ritual causes it to consume the lifeforce of its caster. However, the effect will be several times more powerful than they could otherwise achieve. Alternatively, this ritual can confer a blessing of equal magnitude.

 

…damnit, I was hoping for something more useful than this. A ritual that makes my curse much more effective is nice, but not when it kills me. Also, was Madison even there? Looking into the distance, I spot their little cheerleader trailing behind them. Huh, so she was.

 

‘Get back home, got something to tell you. Then, we have three lives to destroy.’

 

– Sophia Hess (Shadow Stalker) –

 

“What?” Emma asked, making her growl.

 

“ Where does Hebert live? ” Sophia repeated, and the answer only made her more unhappy. Pacing back and forth, she growled and punched the wall to try to let off some of her anger.

“What does-”

 

“There’s a new cape that saved some family near Hebert’s house. The PRT is making a big deal of her because she’s a fucking healer, but she also has some marital arts bullshit. Hebert hits way too hard; she was weak as fuck when we stuffed her into that locker,” Sophia growled, disbelief and anger flooding her.

 

She went through hell to get her powers, and Hebert triggers after a fucking prank?

 

 “Wait, you mean-” Emma started, shock colouring her tone.

 

“Hebert triggered; she had to. You saw how the bitch moved. FUCK,” Sophia growled, her pacing increasing. Hebert triggering was bad enough, but she’d had to sit through an entire fucking meeting about this new cape and how much the PRT wanted their own healer. 

 

They’d throw her under the bus for Hebert if they found out about their pranks.

 

A combat thinker, maybe? Hebert moved with way too much confidence; even the way she walked was different. She walked like a predator , something that made Sophia’s already burning rage grow. 

 

Hebert, pathetic weakling Hebert, had triggered.

Despite her rage, she forced herself to calm down as she frowned. She had to play this smart, even as she watched Emma seemingly having a mental breakdown from the realisation that Hebert had gotten powers while Emma hadn’t.

 

Today had been a downright shitty day; adding Hebert kicking her ass onto it was the final straw.

 

– Taylor Hebert –

 

Arriving at home, I have to spend some time controlling my breathing and forcing the rage burning inside me to cool before I’m in any position to listen to Emma, but she understands. Her soothing words help just as much as my own Monk techniques.

 

So much makes sense now, why Sophia never gets in trouble, why Panacea came to help me so quickly. The PRT was cleaning up their mess and sweeping it under the rug.

 

‘No, or not entirely, at least. I don’t think the PRT know Sophia was responsible for your hospitalisation. Sophia’s handler contacted Brandish to get Panacea, but I’ve been digging deeper. Sophia is on probation, and Sophia’s handler hasn’t been doing the regular check-ins she’s supposed to. She took the role for a pay raise but has let Sophia run loose, and now she’s trying to fix her mistake before the PRT realise how wild Sophia has gotten. Winslow is getting a large budget increase for Sophia’s presence, and Blackwell doesn’t want to lose that if Sophia’s actions cause her to get sent to juvie.’

 

So, it’s incompetence and corruption rather than malice on the part of the PRT? Lovely .

 

You know, I was seriously considering the PRT. Not as a Ward, because I’ve had enough teen drama for one lifetime, but when I hit the age for the Protectorate, I was thinking of joining up. I could use the time until then to build myself a heroic reputation… but after this?

 

Armsmaster is supposed to be in charge of the Wards, right? How has he missed how much of a psycho one of his charges is?

 

‘Sophia has mentioned to Emma multiple times that Armsmaster barely ever checks in on them. As far as I can tell, she can’t stand the other Wards, and they don’t like her.’

 

Ugh, I was right about the Wards being filled with teen drama.

 

So, the important question. How do I expose Sophia? There is not a chance in hell that I’m going to let her keep pretending to be a hero.

 

‘I have her handler’s name, so we can start by cursing her with bad luck. There’s a chance that with enough bad luck, we can make them expose themselves while keeping your part in it secret.’

 

We could also give people who would be looking into this kind of thing good fortune ; maybe it’d give them a nudge in the right direction.

 

‘True. I’ll find the names you need.’

 

Sophia suspects that I’m a cape. I listened to Barnes and Sophia’s conversation through her phone, and I can’t predict what Sophia is going to do. Would she unmask me? Maybe, but Emma doesn’t think so.

The Unwritten Rules, a stupid name, to be honest, mean that unmasking capes is a big no-no, and that’s the kind of thing that gets you killed.

It also means that I know that the PRT have told all their capes to watch out for me because they want me for my healing powers. Healing will always be in high demand, but that gives me an opportunity . 

 

I need to expose how much Sophia has been violating her parole without it being linked back to me. I also need to build my hero rep up more so that if Sophia does come for me, I’ll have a reputation to back me up instead of it being some nobody’s word vs a Ward.

 

The more power and renown that I have, the more the PRT will want to recruit me and the more likely they are to listen to me should it come to that. Basically, I need power and a reputation, and for that, I need to start working on removing the limits I have built into my power.

 

I need to defeat a Cape.

 

Still, I have some points left so I might as well see what I can get to tip the odds in my favour.

 

[Sword Of Resistance] - 50cp, 0cp remaining.

Source: MtG - Shandalar

This magnificent blade is quite suited for close-quarters combat, but its true power lies within. The Sword Of Resistance allows its wielder to gain an innate sense of who (or what) needs protecting, with the range increasing the more severe the threat or the larger the number of potential victims. You might become aware of a woman being chased by a carnivorous troll from a few hundred yards away, while an entire city under siege by malicious sorcerors might be felt from halfway across a continent. Only the most urgent or severe target will be known to you, but you need not stand by helpless and unable to act. For once you are aware of any target, the blade can be activated to instantly teleport to or near the target, ensuring you can personally aid in its defense (if you wish) regardless of the distance you would have had to cover otherwise.

 

The Sword Of Resistance can be used once per day for free and can be recharged instantly by spending white mana.

 

Summoning the blade, I examine it with curiosity for a moment, but while my Monk knowledge came with some weapons training, swords aren’t my speciality. Not even close, but then it’s not about the sword itself but the power it holds.

 

Emma, can you get me a list of all the villains in the city? I need points if we’re going to pull this off, and I’m not going to get any by sitting around feeling sorry for myself. Every bit of power I get is another nail in Sophia’s coffin.

 

‘On it, Tay. We’re gonna take those bitches down hard .’

 

Damn right, we are.

 

Making my decision, I switch back to my Cape outfit and activate the Sword Of Resistance. The sword isn’t stupid; it doesn’t warn me about things I can’t change, and in an instant, I reappear in an alleyway behind an ABB thug with a gun.

 

To say he’s surprised to have a hooded monk with a glowing white sword appear behind him is a bit of an understatement, but he barely gets a single strangled word out before the fists start flying, his weapon taken away in an instant.

 

— Bonus Scene — Amelia Dallon (Panacea)

 

Looking up the PHO page for the new unnamed cape, Amy felt herself freeze at the single photo of them. She’d only bothered because Vicky had told her that they were another healer. Apparently, they were some martial artist with healing powers, which sounded more fun than being Panacea.

 

But the reason she froze was simple.

For just a moment, as she looked at the admittedly grainy photo of them, her eyes locked onto the woman’s amazing abs, which were on display thanks to the way that her cloak had parted in the picture. The hero was clearly new, having what looked like a short black tank top that ended just under her breasts and a pair of exercise pants on beneath her cloak, not a proper cape uniform.

 

No, what had gained Amy’s attention wasn’t the outfit but the simple fact that she recognised those abs. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions, but not two days ago she happened to heal an unnaturally tall girl who also happened to have a set of amazing abs. 

 

But she’d checked Taylor, and she didn’t have a Corona Pollentia or Gemma, right?

No, it had to be a coincidence; Taylor didn’t have a monopoly on amazing bodies; just look at Vicky. Still, if there was another healer in town, maybe she should… go and say hello? Vicky was always telling her that she needed to socialise more, right?

 

Author’s Note: Amy’s super lesbian powers combined with being supernaturally lucky for the day is OP; Taylor’s identity stood no chance against her thirst for muscle girls.

 

Written: 30/10/2024

 

Chapter 3: Emma makes some friends

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 Beans, Marethyu, Priapus

 

The Celestial Escalation

Chapter 03: Emma makes some friends.

 

– Taylor Hebert –

 

100cp gained. 100cp total.

Feat Achieved: Successful Patrol (50cp granted). 150cp total.

 

Getting home, I collapse onto the bed with a light groan. Tonight was fairly uneventful in terms of Cape action, but Brockton Bay just has so much crime… 

 

Even just running around with Emma trying to find nearby problems, it felt like I was going from crime to crime without a break. Still, we took down plenty of low-level thugs, and I’m certainly starting to make a name for myself.

 

The name we settled on was Nimue, or the Lady of the Lake in Arthurian Legend. I tried to find something that worked with the healing waters and was tempted to just use Uisce Beatha as my Cape Name… but it turns out that it’s also a word for alcohol and that’s not exactly ideal. Besides, I have a shining sword, and while my [Sword Of Resistance] isn’t Excalibur, it works out. 

 

Water powers and a golden sword, it’s basically close enough. Sure, Arthurian legends forgot to mention that the Lady of the Lake knew Kung-Fu, but I’m sure that just slipped their minds. I also considered Naiad, but decided against it. Greek Myths tend to be more questionable, even if the water spirit would have been a decent enough name.

 

I had to think of one on the spot because the PRT had apparently assigned me the temporary code name of… Hydrofist. I swear they pick bad names for Independents on purpose to make us join up and get it changed. Okay, I punch things but that makes it sound like I attack with water when I do the exact opposite.

 

Nimue isn’t perfect, but it sounds a lot more elegant than Hydrofist . Emma has already made a PHO account, got it verified, posted some footage of me in action and spread my name. She’s better at this PR stuff than I ever will be.

 

The [Sword Of Resistance] is great and far better than I originally realised. I believed that it would warn me of one person in need a day, giving me the chance to teleport to them. It does not. I get one free teleport a day, but the sword itself is essentially a crime detector. It’s actually rather stressful to hold because, in Brockton, it’s sensing a lot at all times.

I don’t know if the Sword is sentient, but at the very least, the enchantment upon it is intelligent. It won’t warn me of situations I couldn’t possibly reach or couldn’t do anything about. When I can use the teleport, it informs me of dangerous situations in other cities across the country, but when the teleport is on cooldown, it only tells me about crimes I could stop. 

 

The biggest issue with it is simple. I have no way to recharge it besides the once-a-day free use. I don’t have a source of ‘white mana’, and as such, I get one use a day. I need to find a way to recharge it faster.

 

Celestial Dojo is now online.

 

Huh? That’s a bit delayed, isn’t it?

Celestial Dojo Free Purchase.

[Ladies’ Man] - 100cp
Source: Baki The Grappler

If ever a true alpha male existed, you’d be a top contender. You possess an animalistic charisma. Sufficient displays of dominance and aggression engender a blend of fear, awe, and desire in onlookers.

 

But… I’m a girl? I thought, with a name like Celestial Dojo, I’d get more martial arts, not this . Ugh.

 

[Bare Bones] - 100cp, 50cp remaining.

Source: Dark Souls: Covenants

The dead are many things, but needy has seldom been one. Your newfound state has been surprisingly kind to you, removing your need for many things, like food, water or sleep. All you need to survive is for all of your bones to be mostly intact. You can optionally cast aside your flesh, becoming a fully animated skeleton.

 

Oh great, and now I’m dead.

 

Quickly checking my pulse, I let out a sigh of relief. Okay, not dead, and I haven’t become a skeleton, so that’s a good sign.

This is undeniably good, since I can survive anything as long as my bones aren’t too damaged, but still. The Celestial is a risky thing. I really should be more careful with pulls, but what choice do I have?

 

I need power if I’m going to pull this hero thing off. 

 

Damn it, I was looking forward to a good night’s sleep but now I’m wide awake. Not needing sleep is objectively a good thing since that’s eight more hours a day, but the bed that seemed so tempting is suddenly less so.

 

[Stone of Midnight] - 50cp, 0cp remaining.
Source: Warhammer Fantasy: Dark Elves

This talisman cloaks the wielder in shadow, making them ever so harder to strike on the battlefield or even see coming. It lacks the true invisibility of more powerful artefacts, but its protection is a constant that grants any wielder a measure of cover from both magical and physical senses. More than that, it is a gift from one who held you dear. When it is close to you, it grants you a measure of the love and comfort so often denied to the Druchii, even if you are otherwise a coldblooded killer.

 

I’m not a coldblooded killer, you stupid-

 

Taking a breath and clearing my mind, I rub my forehead for a moment before I rise. Damn it all, I’m going back on patrol.

 

‘That’s the spirit! Finding you a new punching bag now.’

 

Thanks, Em. What would I do without you?

 

– Emma –

 

What, indeed?

 

Continuing her careful infiltration of the PRT’s systems, she paused as she spotted something. She wasn’t the only one trying to get into the PRT’s systems. Someone had a backdoor in the PRT’s database, and they’d used it recently to copy over the latest report on Taylor.

Well, that just wouldn’t do, would it? 

 

Considering how to approach this, she smiled to herself. First, she just needed Taylor to give someone good luck and someone else a bad day . Then she had a new friend to make.

 

– Theresa Richter (Dragon) –

 

Following her usual checks, she paused as something blared through the PRT systems. Her countermeasures triggered instantly, recognising the cyberattack for what it was before she paused in confusion.

What felt like minutes of staring at the source was really barely a tenth of a second, but that was a long time for her. Someone had just smashed their way into the PRT systems with zero attempts to hide themselves. No, they were trying to draw attention their way.

 

They were practically setting up neon signs with big, flashing arrows pointed right at them.

 

The pathway they’d used to access the Brockton Bay branch’s system was old. It was a backdoor hidden in seemingly innocuous systems that the hacker had just exposed for what it was. Instantly, Dragon didn’t hesitate to isolate the breach and start probing it.

 

The more she found, the more worried she became. It had been just under four seconds since the ‘attack’ had happened, and there was no time for anyone with human reactions to do anything to stop her as she isolated the entire Brockton Bay branch, sending off an emergency alert to multiple people, including the Chief Director. This was a breach of the PRT’s systems not seen since their last entanglement with the Machine Army.

 

There wasn’t a single backdoor leading into the Brockton Bay systems; there were dozens of high-level security breaches. Her mysterious hacker friend was triggering them one after another at speeds that no human could possibly handle.

 

Coil’s systems were getting decimated by the hacker, who was being as loud as possible and leaving Dragon a trail of breadcrumbs to follow. Whoever they were, they had to be either a Tinker with specialisation in hacking or programming, a technopath cape or… an artificial intelligence. 

 

The hacker pulled back, eventually. They’d done enough, exposed Coil’s blatant breach of the PRT’s security, and retreated, but not without sending Dragon a single message.

 

‘You’re welcome!’

 

Despite the seriousness of the situation, as people around America began to wake up to her messages, Dragon chuckled slightly at the childish font and pink text colour of her new friend.

 

– Thomas Calvert (Coil) –

 

Despite the incredible power he held, it was not infallible. There were times when he was vulnerable and unable to maintain a safe timeline. For instance, when he was asleep. He lacked the powers of the Noctis capes and was unable to stay awake twenty-four-seven. Sleeping in another timeline wouldn’t make him less tired if he kept the timeline when he stayed awake.

 

That is why he carefully planned everything while he was awake to deal with any problems. He went to bed last night safe and sound, sure that nothing was going to happen. He had to keep up appearances and sleep in his civilian home on a regular basis, as his plans required Thomas Calvert to be above suspicion.

Even so, he had safeguards to wake him up should anything happen that required his attention. Programs watched for specific events that would trigger his alarm clock, and men were ready to call him for anything that required his direct attention. He made sure that everything was as safe as possible and that he wouldn’t miss a single thing because of his human needs.

 

So, having his sleep disrupted was not unusual by any means. What was strange was walking up to an electrified halberd aimed at his head, Armsmaster scowling as Miss Militia fired the containment foam at him.

 

He barely got a word out, splitting the timelines, but his power had its limits. When he was surrounded and bound in containment foam in each timeline, having two chances didn’t help that much.

 

In one timeline, he cried, ‘Wait—’, and in the other, he demanded, ‘What—’.

 

Armsmaster tased him in both.

 

– Taylor Hebert (Nimue) –

 

‘I told you it would work!’

 

Listening to Em’s report on her operation to take down Coil, I hum in acknowledgement. I didn’t think this was the best idea, but letting Coil keep his insidious backdoors into the PRT was not acceptable, especially since he was looking into me .

 

Feat Achieved: Expose Coil (100cp). 100cp total.

 

I didn’t get more because we didn’t fight Coil ourselves; we just exposed his actions to the PRT, who didn’t hesitate to jump on the information. From Emma starting her crusade, it took just under two hours before Thomas Calvert was raided and arrested.

 

I’ve ordered Emma to pull back and not hack the PRT, especially now that they’ll be watching much more closely for any cyberattacks. As such, we don’t quite know what they’re doing with Coil, but it’s their problem now. He has bigger concerns than me.

 

‘Can I at least approach my fellow AI? I thought I was the only one besides the Machine Army.’

 

And then there’s that . Dragon, the Dragon, is an artificial intelligence. Yes, you can carefully approach her if you think it won’t be a risk to either of us.

 

‘I don’t think it will be. Dragon has basically left a digital invitation open, sending out a message that only another AI would be able to detect. She wants to talk.’

 

Well, it is Dragon. As far as heroes go, she’s one of the biggest. I have to say, Sophia, followed by this? They have a psychopath for a Ward and a supervillain for a consultant. I don’t think I’ll be joining up with the PRT.

 

[Flying Sword] - 100cp, 0cp remaining

Source: Cradle

It doesn't just have to be a sword. This weapon can be any basic weapon you like, but it's controlled by your will and can fly with enough strength to act as a hoverboard if you so desire. It's got a range limitation of about 20 feet, but you don't have to worry about it falling out of your control.

 

I already have a sword, even if it can’t fly. After a moment, I focus and hold out my hand as a long, ‘wooden’ bo-staff appears in my grasp. My monk training came with some knowledge of how to fight with a staff, and it’s far more non-lethal to hit people with than a sword.

 

Holding my hand in the air, I focus again as the staff begins to spin rapidly around my unmoving hand. After a moment, I throw it into the distance and watch as it stops mid-way and flies back into my hand.

 

Yeah, I can work with that.

 

Checking the time, I start making my way back home. Dad will be awake soon, and I don’t want to risk him checking my room and finding me missing this early. I’m starting to run in the mornings, and that would give me some excuses for being out when he wakes up, but there’s a limit to how far I can push that. Especially so early.

 

Besides, I plan to go back to school today. The trio are vastly mistaken if they think they can intimidate me.

 

– Emma Barnes –

 

Taylor was a cape.

 

Even the sentence sounded alien in her mind. She was sure that Sophia was wrong. She had to be. It wasn’t fair. Why would Taylor get powers when she hadn’t? She’d been through worse than Taylor; she’d proven she was a survivor, but she didn’t get powers for her suffering. 

 

Was Taylor stronger than her? No, she couldn’t be. Taylor never fought back, no matter how much they bullied her. She was a meek weakling , not worthy of being saved and certainly not worthy of powers. If it had been Taylor in that alleyway, she’d have just let the ABB bastards do whatever they wanted with her. She wouldn't have been worthy of Sophia’s help.

Taylor was weak. It was why she’d broken off her friendship. It was a rule of her new life, something set in stone that couldn’t be changed. Taylor was too weak. She was holding her back. Right?

 

“Emma?” Madison asked, making her blink as she focused. “Did you hear me?”

“Sorry, I was thinking. What did you say?” Emma asked, making Madison hesitate.

 

“I said Hebert’s back. Some of the other girls saw her arrive. Didn’t think she’d show her face so-”

 

“Where is she?” Emma cut in.

 

“Err, apparently, she was going to talk to the Principal’s office. I guess she’s still there,” Madison explained, and Emma had heard enough as she turned and headed toward Blackwell’s office.

 

She knew she was missing class as she paced just out of the line of sight of Blackwell’s secretary. She didn’t care.

 

When the door finally opened, Emma snapped her head toward it and watched as Taylor walked out. Emma felt herself freeze at the sign of Taylor, trying to compare her mental image of the weak, bookish girl to the Amazonian stalking through the hallways. 

 

Taylor had switched from her baggy, ill-fitting clothes to an outfit that almost seemed painted on, the skin-tight jeans and tight-fitting t-shirt doing nothing to hide Taylor’s entirely too- fit form.

 

“W-what do you think you’re trying to prove?” Emma spat out as Taylor went to walk past her hiding spot, making Taylor turn to her. “You should have taken the hint and stayed away-”

 

Taylor moved forward, practically gliding across the floor toward her as Emma squeaked and backed away, her back hitting the locker behind her. With a bang, Taylor’s hand slammed into the locker right next to her head as the taller girl leaned in with a look Emma couldn’t decipher. 

 

“Y-you’re-” Emma tried, her silvered words failing her as Taylor’s presence pressed down on her, and Emma broke eye contact first. Taylor cut her off, her hand grabbing Emma’s chin as Taylor forced her to look right into Taylor’s accusatory eyes.

 

Pinned against the wall, with Taylor leaning in closer, Emma’s head instinctively tilted upward as Taylor’s hot breath caressed her lips. Then, with their lips so very close, Taylor whispered five words.

 

“ You’ve always been weak, Emma.”

 

Then, Taylor backed away with a dismissive scowl on her lips. She went to speak again before she stopped herself and just turned and walked away. Even the way Taylor walked made her seem dangerous , an almost animalistic prowl as Taylor left without looking back once.

 

Emma’s heart pounded, the mental image of Taylor cracking and shattering as tears stung her eyes. Taylor was supposed to be weak. Taylor was holding her back… because if she wasn’t, if Taylor was strong , then why had she betrayed her best friend? 

 

Her eyes looked at the locker where Taylor’s hand had pinned her, widening at the slight dent in the metal. Her legs shook as she watched Taylor turn the corner and vanish from sight, never once giving Emma a second look as Emma realised something.

 

She had been the one holding Taylor back.

 

Something in Emma’s already fractured mind broke , a desperate laugh leaving Emma as she realised the simple truth. Taylor was strong. So much stronger than her. Taylor wouldn’t have been saved in that fucking alleyway because Taylor wouldn’t have needed saving.

Calling her dad, she got him to come and pick her up, not answering any of her texts from Sophia or Madison as she went home ‘sick’. Nor did she answer any of her dad’s questions about her red, puffy eyes as she rushed into her bedroom and locked the door.

 

Wanting to feel better, she went into her bathroom to get a shower, and as she stripped, she froze as her panties clung to her privates, sticky and damp. Her mind flashed back to Taylor pinning her against the locker, the way their lips had almost touched, and Emma bit her lip.

 

Taylor was so strong…

 

– Taylor Hebert (Nimue) –

 

Wearing the tight clothes Em picked for my return, I sit in class with a look of careful disinterest. Em’s ability to control my expression is a godsend in this shitty place. It’s the only way I got through the conversation with Blackwell so easily, and dealt with Emma afterwards.

 

Em gave me the words, but the fact that Emma left school right afterwards tells me that they were as damaging as Em thought they’d be. Sophia’s texts with Emma have shown me how obsessed Emma has become with not being weak, with being a survivor.

Sophia has poisoned Emma’s mind with her survival of the fittest bullshit. That doesn’t excuse anything that Emma has done, but it makes me hate Sophia all the more. Sophia herself has been glaring at me all day, but the more I ignore her, the angrier she’s getting.

 

Feat Achieved: Cause Emma to have a mental break (100cp). 100cp total.

 

…Emma, just how fragile was your psyche that five words broke you?

 

[Boundless Stamina] - 200cp, 100cp needed

Source: Mushoku Tensei

Unlike magicians who tend to be stationary during combat, warriors need and use more stamina in combat as they are more likely to run around the battlefield. With this, you have gained boundless stamina that will allow you to fight and train for a month without resting or sleeping and a year if you decide to push yourself. You would only need to rest or sleep an hour per month to fully recover your stamina and mental fatigue and return to peak condition, and a full day should push yourself like fighting or training for an entire year. This also removes muscle pains and cramps from not exercising for too long or stretching first before doing a strenuous activity.

Well, I already don’t need to sleep, but virtually infinite stamina is never going to be a bad thing. I’m close, so I’ll lock it in for later.

 

‘I have an idea of how we can get more points and take down our first cape. Give me some time to go over the details.’

 

Well, I’m stuck in class anyway. Why did I think coming back to school was a good idea again?

‘Something about not letting the trio win.’

Oh, yeah. 

 

‘Want me to put a movie on for you? I can pay attention and get you any answers if you get asked a question.’

 

God, yes. History is an interesting subject, but not when the teacher is just endlessly droning on. 

 

– Lisa Wilbourne (Tattletale) –

 

Today was a day of good and bad.

 

Waking up to find out that Coil had been taken down by the PRT was a great thing. The bastard had fucked up and gotten taken down hard without her even needing to do anything. Coil’s suffering was her pleasure. All her plans to take him down, all for nothing, as he’d just pissed off the wrong people and gotten taken down himself. 

 

Of course, it had all happened so fast that she hadn't got a chance to steal his money and connections for herself, and that meant the Undersiders no longer had a sponsor. The others hadn’t realised yet, but she could more or less predict how things would go if they learnt the truth.

 

Rachel would leave when the money ran dry. Alec wouldn’t care but would also keep heading south to avoid his father. Brian would frown and scowl that his plans to get custody had fallen through. 

 

Someone else had helped themselves to Coil’s money, the same hacker who had exposed Coil and aimed the PRT at him. They’d used the chaos to rob Coil blind while he was in no position to stop them.

 

That same somebody had contacted her for her services. A part of her said to get out of the city. Just run and keep running, but the hacker had made it clear that this wasn’t mandatory. It was an offer of employment that didn’t come with a gun to her head. If she wanted to leave, the hacker offered her a ‘severance’ pay from Coil’s bank account to help her get set up somewhere else.

 

She wasn’t stupid. Working out the hacker’s identity didn’t even need her powers.

 

Nimue had a Tinker teammate, whom the PRT named Redwing, thanks to the robotic red bird she used. Coil had her look into Nimue as he did every new cape. The day after she took the files on Nimue from the PRT, Coil was taken down by a very good hacker who deliberately exposed Coil’s backdoors to Dragon. She didn’t believe in coincidences.

 

In truth, it was a plan she had considered using herself, but she didn’t think the PRT would react fast enough to save her.

 

Redwing had noticed Coil’s interest in Nimue and set the PRT on him. In the chaos, Redwing had robbed Coil and removed the evidence of his connection to the Undersiders, which was the only reason that she hadn’t woken up to a PRT visit of her own.

 

Nimue seemed heroically inclined, but Redwing was working in a more… grey area. She (and Lisa was around ninety percent sure that Redwing was a woman) was very loyal to Nimue and extremely protective of her. They were family or lovers, but she hadn’t quite worked out which yet.

 

Given that Redwing had both taken down Coil and covered Lisa’s tracks, it was fair to say that she was fairly fond of her new hacker friend. It was why she was willing to take this first job from her, to test the waters. In exchange for her help, Redwing would continue to fund the Undersiders, who would be left unaware that their boss had changed. They didn’t even know who they were working for, as long as the money kept coming, they wouldn’t notice or even care that Coil was gone.

 

Getting to work, she smiled as she received the information she requested from Redwing. If things went well with Redwing, she got a better boss who didn’t recruit her at gunpoint. If things went south, she could leave the city and never come back to this shithole.

 

All in all, her world was a little brighter without Thomas Calvert in it. Even if Coil escaped, he had no reason to think she was involved in his downfall. He also didn’t have his anonymity or money anymore, having been pulled into the light and left starting from scratch. 

 

Besides, if Redwing was telling the truth, then Nimue was going to become one hell of a powerhouse. She wasn’t so attached to villainy that she couldn’t switch sides when it suited her, especially when she was pretty sure Redwing was as much of a Rogue at heart as she was.

 

— Bonus Scene — Rebecca Costa-Brown (Alexandria)

 

“Was that necessary?” Rebecca asked, watching Contessa turn to her with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Do I do anything that isn’t ?” Contessa countered. “Calvert was Birdcage-bound, and he was beginning to panic. He showed up on my Path to Keeping Cauldron Secret. He planned to try to call for us to get a new power or expose us outright if we didn’t respond. Either would have left breadcrumbs to us. Dragon would have started to look into us. If we forced her to drop it, Armsmaster would begin to look into Dragon’s weird behaviour and then us.”

 

Frowning, Rebecca considered how this would change things. After a few moments, she realised that it didn’t. The Brockton Bay experiment could have provided interesting data for post-Scion society but Coil was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. 

 

The PRT found him dead in his cell, having killed himself with a hidden poison capsule. The truth would never come out, and the PRT would quickly sweep this mess under the rug. Coil having access to the identities of the Heroes and Wards in the ENE branch was alarming enough that they were determined to keep it secret from even their own people.

 

Officially, Thomas Calvert had been arrested for leaking government secrets to villains. Nobody needed to know he was a cape, making their slight breach of the Unwritten Rules pass unchallenged. Some would work it out, but they’d also work out that Coil had broken the Rules first.

 

“How did you not see this coming?” Rebecca finally asked, watching as Contessa paused and then smiled .

 

“I did.”

 

Author’s Note: Taylor said not to hack the PRT. She never said Em couldn’t become Digital Coil.

Shorter chapter today because the vibes were off. Word machine broken.

 

Marethyu’s Note: Shiro’s Muse is identifying as a McDonald’s ice cream machine today

 

Written: 14/11/2024

 

Chapter 4: Costumes and Hats

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 Priapus, (a snake?), Beans, Marethyu, Old man of the mountain

 

The Celestial Escalation

Chapter 04: Costumes and Hats

 

– Taylor Hebert (Nimue) –

 

I’m starting to think asking you for advice was a mistake.

 

‘I know what I’m doing! If you want to dismantle the trio, this is the best way. Emma is out of the picture for now, and I have plans for Sophia. Madison is the last and this is the best strategy for dealing with her.’

 

But I don’t want to seduce Madison! It’s Madison ! I don’t even like girls.

 

‘Tay, I’m literally in your head.’

 

Her bland tone makes me blink, my cheeks growing a little red. I don’t think I’m a lesbian. It’s not like I’ve had time for romance since reaching high school with the trio trying to make my life miserable. The closest I got was Greg Veder maybe asking me on a date. He was rambling, and I wasn’t exactly listening. 

 

As I go to protest Ems genius plan further, she appears in my bedroom, projecting herself into my vision. I go to argue, but my words die as she sits on the edge of my bed, utterly naked. I’ve just about gotten over her sounding like Barnes, but she even looks like her… Despite my best efforts, my eyes linger on her unfairly large breasts for a moment before I snap them back up, seeing the triumphant smile on Ems’ face.

 

‘Look, you don’t have to actually sleep with Madison but she’s a follower through and through. The best way to defang the trio is to take their place at the top of the social food chain. Madison is a complete degenerate. You could steal her away easily .’

 

I don’t know how to seduce people, and I don’t want to be at the top of the food chain.

 

‘You asked me to find a way to stop the trio from bullying people anymore. We can get them to leave you alone easily, but you know they’ll just find a new victim. Sophia needs someone to push around, and since the Trio are the queen bees, the other popular kids follow their lead. As for seducing Madison? I’ll guide you.’

 

Great, now she’s trying to make it sound unheroic to not seduce Madison . 

 

Can you please put your clothes back on?

 

‘No. Anyway, do you want to see Madison’s recent internet searches?’

 

Ems, being Ems, doesn’t wait for me to respond as my vision is filled with Madison’s search history and comments.

 

‘Muscular Girls.’ ‘Muscle Mommy.’ ‘Amazonian.’ ‘Naked Amazonian Girls.’ ‘Nimue.’ ‘Nimue Abs.’ ‘Step on me, mommy.’ ‘I would pay to lick those abs.’ 

 

That’s the tamest of the many searches. I don’t think she knows I’m Nimue, she just likes what she sees. I really hate how many people have saved those stupid pictures, but at least it’s getting my name out there. Her older history proves Ems’ point. Madison is a freak. She writes cape-smut. I want to argue that Madison might not be gay, but I think ‘alive’ is enough for Madison from her saved pictures.

 

Ems, once again being Ems, continues her quest to convince me as her form shifts to match Madison’s, her breasts shrinking as she goes from hot to cute. It’s very accurate because Madison has more than a few nude pictures of herself on her very compromised phone.

 

100cp gained. [Boundless Stamina] unlocked.

 

Oh, look, a distraction. Let’s focus on that.

 

‘You can’t escape this.’

 

I both can and will.

 

[Spinning Wheel of Arachne] - 200cp

Source: Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol.2

Taking the form of an old spinning wheel with webs and spiders nesting between the spokes, this relic is a testament to the skill of those who would dare challenge the gods themselves. The spiders within eternally produce silk that is as glamorous as it is tough, letting one weave with a thread that never allows itself to be torn or ripped by normal, mundane means such as fist or blade. In addition, any fabric you attempt to feed the spiders will soon have its traits mixed with the silk, making the spiders create something marvellous.

 

100% discount applied due to the user's name.

 

What? What does that-

 

Taylor.

 

I get a discount on tailor-related items because I’m a Taylor .

 

I purchase my new item, rubbing my forehead. My power has a sense of humour, and it’s a bad one.

 

I’m not sure where I can hide the wheel, but when was the last time Dad came into my room? It’s fairly large, but I can de-summon it if he comes upstairs.

 

‘We probably need to look into a base for Nimue. Ooh, are you thinking what I’m thinking?’

 

New costume?

‘ New costume, made by Parian, who would sell her soul for this wheel. Want me to set up a meeting?’

 

Let’s get some silk first so we can send it as a test sample.

 

‘Got it. So, about Madison~’

 

Slamming my face into the bed, I ignore Ems. Yes, I want the trio to stop making Winslow worse , which is almost an achievement by itself, but the idea of taking their place on the totem pole does not appeal to me.

 

But it would piss Sophia off so much…

 

– Sabah (Parian) – Later –

 

As she waited for her client to arrive, she looked over the incredible silk that Nimue had sent her with a hidden smile. It truly was an amazing material, and Redwing was correct in assuming that she’d be interested.

 

She’d heard of Nimue, even if new triggers were fairly common in the Bay. A healer always raised some eyebrows, and Nimue was more active in the cape scene than Panacea, who mostly just fixed things afterwards. 

 

As Nimue arrived, she straightened up, seeing the hooded figure. She was tall for a girl, and her current outfit of yoga pants and a crop top under that fancy cloak was a disservice… even if Sabah had to force herself not to stare at the rock-solid abs on display.

 

“Thanks for seeing me so quickly,” Nimue said, her voice distorted by the cloak. The metal bird on her shoulders squawked once, and Nimue let out a sigh, reaching up and pulling down the lower-face mask she was wearing. “I appreciate it.”

 

The hood still cloaked her upper face, hiding her eyes and hair, but with the mask removed, Nimue’s voice sounded normal again. She sounded fairly young, probably a couple of years younger than her if she had to guess. She also sounded more nervous, probably due to how recently she’d triggered. Realistically, if this turned into a fight, the badass martial artist was gonna beat the girl with teddy bears, so Nimue didn’t really need to be nervous.

 

“You're welcome. You caught me at a good time. I have no commissions at the moment,” Sabah lied. Honestly, she had several she was supposed to be working on. “It’s nice to meet you in person, Nimue.”

 

“Same to you. I like your shows,” Nimue agreed, making her smile somewhat proudly. “I’ve brought the extra silk I promised.”

Pulling off a backpack, she pulled out several rolls of the incredible fabric as Sabah watched. 

 

“I have to admit, I really don’t understand your powers. Are you a Tinker as well?” Sabah asked, examining the silks with an expert eye.

 

“No. My power made the silks, not me personally. It’s… complicated,” Nimue admitted. “I can get as much as I need. It just takes time. What I can’t do is work with them to make anything even remotely good. I can’t even sew a button back on.”

 

Sabah giggled at Nimue’s casual admittance before shrugging.

 

“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” Sabah agreed, pulling out her drawing pad. She’d been in talks with Nimue and Redwing the past couple of days about what they wanted for Nimue’s outfit, and she had time to throw together a few designs. 

 

Redwing had argued that it was a crime in itself to cover up Nimue’s abs, and while Sabah might secretly agree, she wasn’t going to say it out loud. The hooded cloak she had was fascinating, something she could summon and alter to look like any hooded garment she wanted, with an in-built stranger effect. It was easy enough to incorporate a hooded cape into her designs. Nimue could have it change from a cloak to a cape, depending on her needs. The cloak was good at hiding her in the shadows, but the cape restrained her less when she had to fight.

 

“You threw these together so quickly?” Nimue asked, impressed as Sabah preened slightly.

 

“You might not be Asian, but your fighting style is very close to Eastern martial arts. I’ve watched some of the videos of you in action, and a martial artist's outfit is fairly simple to design,” Sabah explained, making Nimue hum. “I know you wanted black, but I think a dark blue with golden accents will fit better, especially with your healing water.” 

 

They quickly fell into a comfortable conversation, with Redwing adding her own input (which usually seemed to involve making it more revealing, much to Nimue’s embarrassment). Redwing communicated through Nimue’s phone, as the bird did not have a speaker. 

 

Nimue did eventually make them cover her abs since the entire point of making an outfit out of the reinforced silk was to prevent her from being hurt. That said, the final design was sleeveless to expose the strong, muscular arms. 

 

“Is this really necessary?” Nimue asked, clearly embarrassed as they moved on to the next step.

 

“Come on, Nims, this outfit needs to be perfect if you don’t want it chafing or restricting you,” Redwing added, making Sabah smile at Nimue’s embarrassment. Nimue was standing in her backroom, wearing just her underwear and hooded cape, clearly nervous about being seen in so little. 

 

She was pretty sure Nimue wasn’t really a people person, and this might be the first time she’d taken her clothes off for someone. 

 

“Don’t worry, Nimue. You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before, and we do need to get the measurements as correct as possible,” Sabah reassured the younger girl. She was also lying because, holy fuck Nimue’s body was a work of art. Sure, her breasts were on the smaller side of things, but they’d look wrong if they were bigger on such an athletic frame. She almost tried to make an excuse to take pictures, but Nimue would probably have run away if she had tried that.

 

“I- damn it, how did I let you talk me into this, Red?” Nimue asked, her cheeks visibly red as Sabah chuckled and got to work. She was entirely professional as she put her measuring type into action, glad her mask was hiding where her eyes were looking as she got very close to those solid abs and delicious thighs.

 

God, she hoped Nimue was legal. 

 

Focus, Sabah, damn it. As she was measuring Nimue’s legs, the back of her finger briefly brushed against Nimue’s cotton panties, making the younger girl yelp, but as she went to apologise, she saw that Nimue was staring at the ceiling, trying hard to pretend it hadn’t happened. Honestly probably for the best.

 

It took longer than Nimue would have liked, but soon enough Sabah had the incredible measurements of the tall, shy badass, and Nimue was (unfortunately) dressed again.

 

As they went back into the front, she froze, seeing a stranger just casually standing in her workshop, admiring the silks that Nimue had left on the side. Nimue immediately went into a defensive stance as Sabah did the same, but the new woman just held out her hands in a sign of peace.

 

“Hi.”

 

The casual greeting made them both pause, sharing a look.

 

“Friend of yours?” Nimue asked, making Sabah shake her head.

 

“No. Who are you? You’re trespassing in my workshop,” Sabah said, her voice stern, but the new woman just smiled easily, tipping her very nice fedora to them. The admittedly rather beautiful woman was dressed in a very well-made tailored black business suit, and seemed amused by their caution.

 

“Sorry, the Path doesn’t really care about things like that,” the stranger admitted, her words making both her and Nimue blink. “I’m here to commission a new outfit, out of this silk.”

 

“I’m not currently taking any more commissions,” Sabah said, wondering how the hell this woman had known about Nimue’s silk. Nimue seemed just as shocked, obviously ready to attack.

 

“Mhm, yes you are,” the woman said simply. “Oh, I’m Fortuna. Sorry, it can be confusing to talk when I already know you’re going to agree.”

 

“A thinker?” Nimue asked, and Fortuna nodded shamelessly.

 

“ The Thinker, but don’t tell your new pet Redwing. She gets jealous when she’s not the smartest around,” Fortuna agreed. “Sabah, I’ll pay you ten million to make me a new suit. Paid into a Number Man account of your choosing, up front.”

 

Sabah froze at the easy offer, and she heard Nimue choke at the numbers being offered.

 

“That silk isn’t even mine,” Sabah pointed out. They hadn’t fully discussed payment yet, and that silk was for Nimue’s outfit.

 

“No, it’s Nimue’s, but she can get more. Nimue, name a villain, and I’ll take them down in exchange for the silk,” Fortuna offered again, making Nimue look at her in true bafflement.

 

“Sure. Lung,” Nimue said challengingly, but Fortuna just smiled.

 

“Done. He’ll be in the Birdcage by midnight. Feel free to wait until then to start on my costume,” Fortuna replied. “Good luck stopping the Empire from taking over his turf, given that it’s primarily Asian minorities who would suffer heavily if the Empire took over.”

 

“I- are you insane?” Nimue finally asked, and Fortuna simply smiled wider.

“Aren’t all capes a little mad?” Fortuna asked with a shrug. “I’ll be back soon, Nimue. We have more to discuss.”

 

As Fortuna turned, she whispered something and a black void appeared in the air behind her.

“Wait- I need your measurements,” Sabah tried, hoping to get her to stop.

 

“I messaged them to you on PHO an hour ago when I sent your payment to your Number Man account,” Fortuna explained easily, making them both freeze at her smug smile. Without any further explanation, she jumped through the rift, and it closed behind her.

 

“What the hell was that?” Nimue asked, making Sabah stare.

 

“I genuinely have no idea. I don’t know if I’m hoping that she’s just a madwoman… or a collective hallucination or not,” Sabah admitted, moving to her computer. She fell back in her chair as she accessed her account, finding a message waiting for her on PHO and a payment in her bank account. “What do we do?”

“I think you should make the outfit. If she can come and go as she pleases and has already paid… I don’t want her to decide to take offence at you rejecting her ‘commission’ and showing up when I’m not here. I don’t think she’s a villain. I’ve never heard of one called Fortuna or anyone matching that description,” Nimue admitted, making Sabah nod. 

The entire thing was half-surreal, half-disturbing. Nimue was right, though, she’d been paid up front, and anyone who could drop ten million dollars for an outfit wasn’t someone she wanted angry at her. 

 

“Do you think she’s actually going after Lung ?” Sabah finally asked.

 

“I said that as a joke. Nobody with a brain goes after Lung,” Nimue admitted. “If she does, make her outfit before mine. Anyone who can do that needs to be treated very carefully.”

 

Sabah smiled softly at that, even as she mentally agreed. Nimue’s concern for her was cute. 

 

Please be legal.

 

– Taylor Hebert (Nimue) –

 

Umm.

 

Feats: Meet Contessa (200cp). Defeat Lung (300cp). Make Lung cry (100cp). 600cp granted.
This does not count towards unlocking your 300cp feats as you did not defeat Lung personally.

 

Ummmmmm.

 

‘She seemed nice.’

 

… nice ? The terrifying thinker who just dropped ten million and then beat up Lung seemed nice?

 

‘Well, she didn’t kill us as she almost certainly could?’

 

Hah, true. In case I needed a reminder of how scary some other Capes can be, we’re still very much small fry. I had Ems not scan Parian, but we scanned Fortuna, and I don’t know what the fuck ‘Path to Victory’ is, but it sounds worrying. 

 

Saying goodbye to Parian (and making sure she prioritises Fortuna’s costume over my own because Fortuna is terrifying), I head home with a deep, confused frown. 

 

A frown that only grows as I find a bloody steel mask on my bed, waiting for me. Picking it up, I look over the dragon-shaped mask with a shudder. Lung’s mask is unmistakable and proof of just how damn powerful my new… friend is.

 

The smiley face drawn in blood is a nice touch.

 

She knows who I really am. Of course she does. She called herself The Thinker, and the Unwritten Rules only matter for those who aren’t powerful enough to flat-out ignore them. I can’t help the shudder of fear that runs through me, hoping that I won’t meet her again any time soon.

 

‘ Err, Tay? We have a problem.’

 

Yeah, I noticed. 

 

‘No, not Fortuna knowing where you live. She… kinda gave you the credit for taking down Lung. The news is already spreading, and every report says Nimue took Lung down. No record of Fortuna or Contessa anywhere to be seen. There’s even a video of you handing him over to the PRT before disappearing into the night.’

 

Screaming into my pillow, I wonder what I did to deserve this. Power attracts power, and Lung was at the top of the Cape food chain for a long time. I haven’t even fought my first cape yet! I’m not ready for the kind of challenges that will be sent my way after this mess!

 

[Tiger’s Blood] - 200cp, 400cp remaining

Source: Kill 6 Billion Demons

Looks can get you far in the Throne. Some mercenaries, assassins, and general killers are hired just for having an imposing figure. Like them, you look pretty threatening. While I’ll leave the specifics to you, you generally have an aura of “don’t fuck with me” around you. Just try to have the strength to back up your looks.

 

Oh, for fucks sake. I don’t need to look scary. I need actual power to save me from the shitshow Fortuna just dropped me into. My power definitely thinks it’s funny.

 

[A Capricious Man You Are] - 200cp, 200cp remaining

Source: Baki The Grappler

Sometimes, the simplest solution is the best. You are tough, impossibly so. Your bones are like steel, your muscles are dense enough to take buckshot with only a few scratches, and your metabolism will instantly heal that with a single hearty meal. With just a little practice, you can develop advanced muscle control. 

 

Okay, now we’re talking. Thankfully, it hasn’t changed my physical form, but I feel stronger.

 

[Glorious Golden Smug Technique] - 100cp, 100cp remaining

Source: Solar Exalted

You are a Solar Exalt, among the Chosen of the Sun and the mightiest of all the Exalted. Thus, you’re well within your rights to feel secure about your superiority and the advantage it gives you...but must you be so smug about it? Whether or not you’ve let this go to your head, you are frighteningly good at rubbing your station in the face of others - whether it be your Exaltation, your accomplishments, or just the huge gap in competence between you and those you speak to. Those weaker than you will feel discouraged and likely sink into despair, while your equals and better are more easily provoked by the desire to punch your smug face in. Which, as a bonus, you are very good at making such expressions. You won’t even need words to communicate how smug you are and how much better you know you are.

 

Super… smugness?

 

‘Hey, I know a chick with this power.’

 

[Gourmet World Chef] - 100cp, 0cp remaining

Source: Toriko

You now have the know-how to cook amazing meals from common ingredients and the skills to make something from stranger ingredients. Not everyone knows how to prepare Fried Dough Corn, how to butcher a Crab Pig or bring out the full flavour of a Seven Flavor Turkey, but now you do! You have enough talent to now cook anything found in the Human World and have a good chance of cooking anything from the Gourmet World. After leaving this world, this skill gives you a general idea of how to prepare other exotic ingredients from whatever world you arrive in.

 

Super smugness and super cooking. Meanwhile, everyone thinks that I beat Lung? Oh yeah, I’m fucked. Fuck it, I can at least make some dinner. I can’t be that good at cooking, right?

As I go to hide the mask, I pause as a scrap of paper falls out of it. 

 

On it is a street name and a time.

 

‘Bless me and Panacea with good luck tomorrow and then go here out of costume tomorrow. Thank me later! Actually, bless me every day, thanks. It’ll be worth it, trust me.’

 

A message from Fortuna, clearly. Getting told where to go leaves me scowling even as Ems brings up the location in street view. It’s on the boardwalk, fairly open and public, and the time is after school but still early enough that the place will be packed.

 

I generally bless Panacea every day, anyway. She’s too useful for me to risk her having a bad day, but adding Fortuna to my list of blessed people will make me use more mana and tire myself out.  I should probably add Parian to my list as well. I did give her good luck today, and she ended up a multi-millionaire. 

 

…I also cursed Lung.

 

Damn it, I told Parian to do what Fortuna said so it’d be hypocritical of me to not do the same. Until I know what the hell Fortuna is and what the Path to Victory can do, I need to assume she’s a threat .

 

I just wanted a nicer costume.

 

As I breeze through cooking, I pause as I consider something.

Hey, Ems. You can sense what I’m thinking, right?

‘ Yup.’

 

Can you feel the information from the Sword of Resistance as well?

 

‘Ooh, I see where you’re going with this. Yeah, that works. You keep the Sword on you, and I’ll do the rest.’

 

Ems really is the best when she’s not telling me to take my clothes off or seduce Madison.

 

An hour later, I have my answer. I really am a fucking super chef.

 

– Theresa Richter (Dragon) –

 

Redwing was at it again.

 

Sure, she was using a new account, but either Brockton Bay had two AIs, or Redwing was playing games. One of those was laughably more likely.

 

The thread that popped up in the Brockton Bay Board was simply listed ‘Active Crimes’ and the OP was constantly posting and editing their posts. Under the name Sleuth, each post was styled the same.

 

A location, a crime, its status and the identity of any cape involved. 

 

Some users initially assumed it was a joke, but the poster just kept going, updating older crimes with ‘prevented’ or ‘committed’. It didn’t take long for the PRT to confirm that Sleuth was 100% accurate. 

 

Clearly some kind of Thinker, but how? She was sure this was Redwing…

 

As she directed Colin to an assault in progress, she opened up the PMs of Sleuth.

 

‘At it again, Redwing?’

 

She was 99.9% sure she was right, and the instant response made her laugh.

 

‘:p’

 

Redwing was childish, but Tess was almost certain that her new friend was an artificial intelligence. She had considered that Redwing was a Tinker at first, but before long, she dismissed it. 

 

‘Care to explain how you’re pulling this one off?’

 

‘i’m just the messenger lol’

‘i post faster than sleuth’

 

Ah, wasn’t that interesting?

 

Redwing was definitely working with Nimue, and now Sleuth as well? Well, her report to the PRT was going to be an interesting one. Even as she gently interrogated Redwing, she was still posting nonstop. She made a note to have the thread left to ‘Tin_Mother’ to moderate because while some of the things that Sleuth was exposing were on the dark side, it was an incredibly useful thread.

 

Of course, the Empire fanboys quickly came out of the woodwork to decry any ‘false accusations’ of crimes being committed by the Empire and those she would happily shut down. The ABB fans were awfully quiet, given Lung’s incarceration by Nimue herself.

 

That had sent the PRT into shambles because they had no idea she was that strong. She had an AI for an ally and now some super-thinker. It was becoming clear that Nimue was making her own team, something that displeased Piggot with her eternal disdain for independents stirring up the pot.

 

Still, the information Sleuth posted was incredibly useful, and the PRT was all hands on deck as they directed their heroes to respond to the crimes they could reach. In many cases, Sleuth even updated the crimes they prevented with the name of the responding hero. Still, it was disheartening to see so many crimes listed as ‘committed’. 

 

Getting to work, she compiled her report for the Chief Director as she helped direct the Brockton Bay heroes to the crimes that they could respond to. Redwing’s presence had caused Chief Director Costa Brown to tell her to focus her attention on the Bay until she could confirm if Redwing was a potential Machine Army situation, so she wasn’t even stepping on any toes as she did so.

 

– Madison Clements – Next Day –

 

Everything had fallen apart.

 

The Locker had been too far, but she hadn’t had the balls to argue with Sophia or Emma and look how it had gone. Sure, they hadn’t even gotten a slap on the wrist for their extremely fucked up ‘prank’, but they’d hospitalised Taylor so badly that Panacea had had to heal her.

 

She wasn’t stupid. Emma and Sophia had their secrets that she was constantly left out of, but it wasn’t like they were that subtle. She knew Sophia was a cape. She knew Sophia had saved Emma, probably from the ABB, considering how much Emma despised them. She knew Sophia was Shadow Stalker because it really wasn’t that hard to work out when you had so much information to work with. 

 

Not that many capes wore full-covering costumes, and there weren’t that many black heroes in Brockton. Her final list was basically Shadow Stalker or Parian, and she was almost certain Sophia wasn’t Parian. Madison was fairly certain that Sophia wasn’t Browbeat either, for obvious reasons.

 

Sophia liked to think she was a lot smarter than everyone else. Realising that Madison knew who she really was would just make the easily angered girl turn on her. It wasn’t worth it, so she played dumb. 

 

Emma and Sophia had freaked the fuck out the moment Taylor had come back, all muscles and anger. Taylor had this way of walking now that just said, ‘get the fuck out of my way’ in a way that Sophia couldn’t come close to pulling off. She’d been in the same meeting as Sophia when Piggot had told them about Nimue, the new super martial artist healer. The timing wasn’t that hard to put together, and Emma was far from subtle. 

 

Not that Sophia realised she’d been in that meeting, but she had always done well when it came to sinking into the background. Nobody looked at cute little Mads when Emma and Sophia were in front of her, and that was how she liked it. Nobody would look at cute little Mads and assume she was the 6-foot-tall beefcake Ward, either. Sophia would literally say goodbye to her as Madison and then see her as Browbeat and suspect nothing . After all, Madison was the shortest girl in their class, such a cute little late bloomer with no muscles to speak of.

 

Biokinesis had its advantages.

 

Sophia had been making herself scarce lately. She was planning something, and it was going to be an utter mess; she just knew it. Sophia didn’t back down; she just got angrier. Now that Emma had literally fled the school after a single conversation with Taylor, Sophia was scheming.

 

Which meant for the first time in a long time, she was on her own in school. Sure, the other girls were around, but they could sense something weird was happening, and until things settled, they kept their distance.

 

As Taylor spotted her, her eyes narrowed, and Madison squeaked. She felt like a mouse standing in front of a particular hungry tiger, one that had just sliced up a dragon, no less.  

 

“Madison,” Taylor said, her tone cool and domineering . 

 

“H-hey, Taylor,” Madison squeaked, looking away.

 

“All alone today?” Taylor asked, and Madison nodded as her mouth went dry. “How rare ! What are you going to do without someone to follow around like the obedient little girl you are?”

 

Taylor’s voice had a dangerous purr to it, and Madison felt herself gulp as she backed up against the locker and looked up at the terrifying amazon that was towering over her. 

 

– Taylor Hebert –

 

FUCKING MADISON IS A CAPE?! 

 

I never had her scanned because… it’s Madison! Madison . Is Greg a cape? Mr Gladly?!

 

Browbeat? I vaguely recognise the name as a Ward that barely ever even gets seen in action. Another Ward? But… Sophia and Emma don’t seem to know. What the fuck is Madison up to?

 

She tries to avoid looking at me as I tower over her, muscles on display as I wait for her to act. Ems plan is bad, but I do want to destroy the trio. Madison is the one of the three I hate the least, but it’s still Madison .

 

“I- erm- well, I was just- sorry-” Madison stutters, face red as she avoids eye contact, but following Ems questionable advice, I grab Madison's chin and force her to look into my eyes. Repeating what I did to Emma, I place one arm against the locker by Madison’s head, basically pinning her in.

 

“I asked you a question, Madison. What are you going to do without anyone to hide behind?” I whisper, leaning in. 

 

‘Told you. Look at her! You could throw her over your shoulder and drag her off for punishment, and she’d thank you for it.’

 

“N-nothing?” Madison tries, biting her lip gently. I picked a quieter part of the school to ambush her, tracking her through her phone. Her phone has nothing that links her to Browbeat. She must have a separate one she uses for Cape work.

 

“You really are such a follower , aren’t you? Cute and submissive ,” I purr, calling on [Ladies’ Man] and Ems to stop me from turning bright red at my own words. Madison straightens up, her breathing growing heavy. “You know, you never did apologise to me for accidentally pouring juice on me. I can think of a few ways you could apologise .”

 

“I- erm- momm- I mean-” Madison stammers, but I just snort as I straighten up and step back.

“Don’t look so worried. I’m not going to browbeat you into it,” I say, watching her freeze as she sees the dangerous smirk on my lips. “We should get to class, anyway, right?”

 

Walking away with a confident strut, I leave a puddle formerly called Madison behind.

 

‘Woooo! Go Tay!’

 

God, this is such a stupid plan… but watching Madison tremble felt so good. It made me feel powerful . Emma has run away, Madison is currently staring at my ass and literally drooling… and then there was one.

 

Sophia is missing, but I need to deal with her sooner rather than later.

 

— Bonus Scene — Amelia Dallon (Panacea)

 

As she walked through the boardwalk on another accursed shopping trip with Vicky, she froze as she spotted someone walking the other way. Taylor didn’t seem to notice her, looking out at the Bay with a small smile, and Amy made her decision.

She still wasn’t 100% sure that Taylor was Nimue, her eyes flickering to Taylor’s (unfortunately) covered abs, but she knew what she needed to do. Taylor was still a distance away, walking at a casual pace.

 

“V-Vicky,” Amy said quickly, getting her sister's attention from the dress she was window shopping for. “I need your help.”

 

Vicky immediately went into cape mode, and Amy acted fast before Vicky decided someone was a threat and threw them into the Bay.

“Getting a date,” Amy continued, her face red as Vicky froze in place, and then the biggest, shit-eating grin Amy had ever seen grew on her sister’s face.  She couldn’t keep lusting after Vicky, but she had a type… and that type was girls that could bench-press her.

“Who’s the lucky guy?” Vicky asked, buzzing with excitement. 

“Girl,” Amy corrected hesitantly. Vicky paused before she face-palmed.

“So that’s why you didn’t like any of the guys I tried to set you up with. Could have just said so, Ames,” Vicky complained, watching as Amy turned and glanced towards where Taylor was walking. Taylor walked with such presence that everyone moved out of her way, even subconsciously, and Vicky followed her line of sight. “Ooh, the muscle mommy?”

 

“Vicky!” Amy scolded. Taylor was getting closer, and Vicky was anything but quiet, giggling at Amy’s bright red face.

 

“Tell me everything, and quick,” Vicky ordered with a proud yet scheming look on her face.

 

Author’s Note: Contessa is always funny to write. She just does whatever she wants. Taylor doesn’t have Blank. Poor Lung.

 

I had to do ‘Madison is Browbeat’ eventually. Taylor cannot escape the thirsty lesbians.

 

Written: 17/12/2024

 

Chapter 5: Reunions

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 Priapus, Marethyu, Old man of the mountain, Beans

 

The Celestial Escalation

Chapter 05: Reunions

 

– Victoria Dallon (Glory Girl) –

 

Today, she had a duty . It had been entrusted to her by quite possibly her favourite person in the world, and she would not fail. 

 

“Hi!” Vicky greeted, making the muscular girl pause in confusion.

 

“Hi?” Taylor replied, the Amazonian muscle mommy looking surprised at being approached. “Glory Girl, right?”

“Yup! You can just call me Vicky,” Vicky agreed with a bubbly smile as Amy rushed to join them, face red and obviously nervous. Honestly, she felt like a shit sister. She’d tried to set Amy up with a dozen guys. How had she never noticed that Amy liked girls? “And you’re Taylor, aren’t you? Damn girl, you’ve gotta share your workout regime. I thought I was in good shape, but you look like you could bench-press me, no powers needed.”

Taylor looked truly baffled at that, and Vicky couldn’t blame her, but the other girl had a certain ‘don’t fuck with me’ aura and didn’t let her surprise throw her off. Honestly, Vicky was impressed with what she saw.

“Vicky!” Amy shouted, face burning at Vicky’s upfront plan.  “Sorry, Taylor. Erm, I don’t know if you remember me. You were kinda out of it-”

 

“I remember. I never did get a chance to thank you, Panacea,” Taylor said, her confused look fading into a more gentle smile as Tay pushed her hair out of her face. 

 

Amy looked pleased at that, but her sister was hopeless as she uselessly babbled. It was actually pretty adorable for Ames and made Vicky grin.

 

“Then why don’t you buy her lunch? We were just out to get something to eat,” Vicky suggested, and Taylor blinked at her forwardness. Amy went atomic, her face turning bright red at Vicky’s unsubtle suggestion. Taylor’s look went thoughtful, and Vicky knew the other girl had not missed the point.

 

“I… umm, I was hoping to talk to you in private, but you don’t have to-” Amy babbled adorably.

 

“That works for me. I was going to find something to eat soon anyway,” Taylor cut in, a slight blush on her face. Taylor seemed like a weird mix of super-confident and yet very shy, but she was handling things better than Amy was.

Vicky beamed proudly at a job well done.

 

“Any preferences? And are you planning on sticking around, Vicky?” Taylor asked, making Vicky grin.

 

“Nah, I figured I’d go and track down Dean since Amy has someone else to-” Vicky started, cutting off at the look on Amy’s face. It was a mixture of happiness, desperation and dread. “But I guess I could hang around?”

 

– Taylor Hebert (Nimue) –

 

Am I misunderstanding what is going on here?

‘Nope! Panacea is a thirsty girl!’

 

I thought not.

 

100cp granted.

 

As we decide on a place, picking a new Sushi place that Vicky wants to try, Amy is bright red, and Vicky just babbles constantly. She’s a very extroverted girl, while Amy and I are far less so. The sushi place is pretty pricey, something Amy tries to point out, but I wave her off.

 

I have the money, mostly thanks to Ems’ decision to rob Coil. I can’t say I completely approve, but having access to more money than I should ever need isn’t something I can bring myself to turn down.

 

‘I’m basically your sugar mamma! Have fun, baby!’

 

It turns out that being an unmasked hero means you don’t need things like ‘reservations’ as Vicky gets us in with a short conversation (and an autograph). Vicky is very unsubtle as she literally pushes me and Amy to sit next to each other and taking one side of the private booth for herself.

 

It’s an awkward dinner, to be honest, as I frankly have no idea how to deal with Amy’s apparent interest in me, and Amy is in no rush to break the silence. I’m honestly glad that she seems just as much out of her depth as me. 

“So, are you gay?” Vicky asks right as I’m taking a drink. 

“Vicky!” Amy hisses, face burning as I cough up my drink. “You can’t just-”

“Well, you two weren’t getting anywhere. You’ve talked about the weather, three times,” Vicky points out. 

 

‘She’s not wrong.’

 

“I- but- shut up,” Amy argues eloquently. 

 

“You asked for my help, I’m helping,” Vicky counters shamelessly. “Well, Taylor? Are you?”

“Is that why you approached me?” I ask, turning to Amy, who freezes.

“N-No?” Amy replies, sounding very unsure about her answer. “Maybe? It’s not the only reason.” 

 

“But you are interested in me?” I continue, watching her face turn increasingly red as she splutters and scrambles for an answer before she simply nods once, avoiding eye contact.

 

“So, are you ?” Vicky asks again, making me sigh and run a hand through my hair. Amy looks forlorn for a moment, assuming the worst.

 

“I don’t know,” I admit, shrugging. “I have exactly zero experience.”

“With women?” Vicky asks, making me snort.

“In general,” I correct, making her blink.

 

“Seriously? That’s such a waste. You’re telling me that nobody has gotten to enjoy those long legs or firm abs?” Vicky asks, and I can’t help but blush at her words. I am not mentally capable of handling this girl. “Okay, we can work with that. Do you think Amy is cute?”

“You are a very blunt girl, aren’t you?” I ask, making Vicky grin.

“As subtle as a flying brick,” Vicky admits shamelessly.

 

Turning to Amy, who squeaks from my attention, I examine her closely for a moment. I haven’t had the time or energy to think about dating for a long time. I think the last time it came up, it was because Emma was telling me about her future boyfriend (a popstar from the other side of the world). 

 

Amy is obviously nervous, a blush on her freckled face and soft brown eyes wide as she stares back at me. She is objectively cute, even with the bags under her eyes.

“You don’t get much rest, do you?” I ask, making her eyes widen. “Yes, Amy is cute.”

 

Vicky beams smugly at my words.

 

“Next question. Do you think I’m hot?” Vicky asks, making Amy and me sigh in unison.

“You asked her for help with this?” I ask, making Amy nod shamefully.

“I thought she’d be at least a little subtle. Should have known better,” Amy agrees.

 

“Probably, yeah. Now, answer the question. Am I hot?” Vicky demands.

 

“You’re Glory Girl , voted the hottest cape in Brockton Bay, which is kinda weird since adults voted for a teenager, now that I think about it,” I counter.

 

“Okay, fair. I am hot. Don’t dodge the question, do you think I’m hot?” Vicky asks again, a grin on her face. She’s enjoying this far too much.

“Appreciating something for its beauty doesn’t mean I want to sleep with it. I can call a painting beautiful without wanting to date it,” I say, once again dodging the question. Of course she’s hot. She’s Glory Girl . She’s unfairly good looking, making everyone around her look worse just by existing.

 

“Aww, you think I’m a work of art?” Vicky asks, making me groan as my head hits the table. “So, that’s a yes. Amy thinks you are hot, you think she’s cute, I don’t see the problem.”

 

“I never said there was a problem,” I sigh, rubbing my forehead. Amy gasps quietly at that, and I give her a small, somewhat nervous smile. 

 

I have never dated anyone, but Amy is cute. Even her body language is adorable, and with Ems whispering into my ear, I can’t see a reason not to try . I let the trio stop my social life dead in its tracks, and I’m not letting them stop me ever again.

 

“You said this wasn’t the only reason you wanted to talk to me?” I ask Amy, making her nod rapidly. She looks happy for the change of subject as Vicky pouts. Amy looks around, peering out of the booth.

“We need more privacy for that,” Amy finally says. The booths are private, but she clearly doesn’t want to take chances with this.

 

“We can use our house. Mom is working late, and Dad… well, he won’t pay attention if we go upstairs,” Vicky says, making me pause before I make a decision.

 

“Taking me home after the first date? Do I seem that easy to you?” I ask Amy, making her face go atomic as Vicky bursts out laughing.

“I- that’s not- I didn’t- It was Vicky who said that and-” Amy stutters, making me grin and nudge her with my shoulder. 

 

“I’m just teasing, Amy. Sure, I’ll come over,” I agree, making Amy sigh and huff as Vicky smiles. 

 

The biggest insult I can give to the trio is to leave them in the dirt. Nothing will piss Sophia off more than seeing me doing well, and even if it turns out that I don’t like Amy like that, they’re still a good pair to know.

 

The ‘date’ moves onto easier subjects. Vicky questions me about Winslow and all the rumours, and I confirm that whatever she has heard, Winslow is way worse. Arcadia sounds nice from her own stories, and soon enough, we’re on our way to the Dallon household.

Vicky decides that the fastest way is for her to just grab us both and fly, making Amy sigh a long-suffering sigh as I yelp. She didn’t exactly ask permission before grabbing us, but I get the feeling that Vicky is more of an ‘ask forgiveness’ girl, not used to asking for permission before she acts.

 

Dragging us inside, she shouts a greeting to her father, who is sitting in the living room, but Flashbang doesn’t get a chance to give us more than a quizzical look as we’re dragged upstairs.

 

Amy looks embarrassed as Vicky drags us into what I assume is Amy’s room, her eyes flickering around to the mess. Clothes are littered everywhere, the wrappers from some snacks and empty cans at her desk. She desperately kicks a plain bra under her bed, and I pretend not to notice.

 

“Don’t give me that look. Your room is way worse,” Amy says, kicking Vicky in the shin as her sister giggles and sits on the bed with a little bounce. Amy joins her as she gestures to her chair, with me taking a seat.

“I know, that’s why I brought us here,” Vicky agrees. “At least it’s not as bad as Crystal’s college dorm.”

 

“Is anything?” Amy asks with a laugh before she visibly readies herself. Moving to the door, she opens it and peeks out to check that her father hasn’t followed before closing it. “I- there’s no easy way to say this, but I am almost sure that you are Nimue.”

 

Vicky’s eyes widen at Amy’s words, but I just freeze. For a moment, a denial is on my lips before I sigh.

“This is the worst kept secret in the city. How did you work it out? I heard you telling the PRT that I wasn’t a Cape after you healed me,” I admit. 

 

“I couldn’t detect your Corona Pollentia or Gemma, and frankly? Even if I had, I’d have lied. It’s none of their business, and I don’t work for them,” Amy says bluntly, arms crossed. I can appreciate that. “Why did they call me out to you anyway? The agent gave me some bullshit, but they specifically requested me to check you over when you would have survived without me. Sure, it would have taken longer to recover, but the PRT doesn’t take an interest in every crisis point.”

 

I hesitate again, making them share a look. A brief conversation with Ems makes me sigh.

“This stays between us,” I order, getting two nods. “My trigger event was caused by a ‘hero’, and their handler was covering their ass. They didn’t want me to die in some complication and have more people look into it.”

 

“A hero made you trigger ?” Vicky asks, floating an inch off the bed as the room seems to shake.

“Vicky, aura,” Amy sighs, looking at me with a mixture of curiosity and respect. Whatever that was, it didn’t affect me.

 

‘Like I’d let you get mastered, even if a fear aura is on the weaker scale of master effects. She’s been putting off an ‘adoration’ aura all day. You’re welcome!’

 

“Oh, shit, sorry, Ames,” Vicky says, pausing. “You didn’t feel that, huh?”

“I have a… unique resistance to master effects,” I admit. 

 

“It’s a shaker effect, not a- whatever, doesn’t matter,” Vicky cuts herself off. “But seriously? A fucking hero made you trigger?”

 

“Shadow Stalker?” Amy asks, and I freeze. Vicky blinks and looks her way, but Amy just shrugs. “You said handler, so it’s a Ward. The ‘incident’ happened at your school, and the only Wards I don’t know the civilian identity of are Browbeat and Shadow Stalker. The rest don’t go to Winslow, but I know Winslow is supposed to have a Ward there. Browbeat doesn’t seem the type. Shadow Stalker does.”

 

“Technically, it was both,” I admit, making them pause.

“Shadow Stalker and Browbeat don’t get along. Shadow thinks Browbeat is a coward,” Vicky points out, making me snort as I realise Madison has been playing Sophia all this time.

 

“They’re friends, in their civilian identities. I don’t think Shadow Stalker knows it,” I continue. It feels good to get this off my chest. “And yeah, Browbeat is a coward. They’re a follower, through and through, and they followed Shadow Stalker into pushing me into that filth-filled locker.”

 

Honestly, I’ve said enough that they could probably work out Sophia’s identity but fuck Sophia. I doubt they’ll work out Madison. Sophia has enough male friends on the track team to muddy the waters.

 

“God, Piggy is gonna be pissed . You know the PRT wants to recruit you? Gallant mentioned it. There was a whole meeting about it since they want their own healer,” Vicky explains, making me snort.

 

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen. I’ve seen enough of the PRT’s incompetence, I have no desire to join the Wards,” I say, a frown on my face.

 

“They’re not all that bad. Aside from Stalker, I like all the others, but I don’t blame you,” Vicky agrees. “Don’t paint the other Wards in Shadow Stalker’s edgy black brush. Most of them are really nice people. I’ll introduce you to them. Honestly, none of them even like Shadow Stalker, she’s always been a mega-bitch to the rest. But yeah, I wouldn’t join up in your shoes either.”

 

“Don’t you have a team, anyway?” Amy asks, making me pause. “It’s you, Redwing and Sleuth, right?”

“Oh yeah! Thank Sleuth for me, yeah? I was following the thread last night, and they helped me kick some serious ass. What’s your team called, anyway?” Vicky asks, making me chuckle.

“Currently unnamed, and you’re welcome,” I admit, beaming slightly as she blinks. “ I am Sleuth, more or less. Redwing posts because she can handle the posting way faster, but it’s my power that’s locating the crimes.”

 

“Man, what is your power? A healing martial arts thinker?” Vicky asks, making me snort.

“Something like that,” I admit. “And you never answered my question, Amy. How did you know?”

Amy blinks before her blush returns, and she mutters something under her breath.

 

“Huh? Speak up,” Vicky says, and Amy facepalms.

“ Irecognisedyourabs, ” Amy almost whispers, the words flying out so fast that it takes me a moment to separate them. “I saw a picture of you on your first night out and I guess I just got lucky.”

 

“…got lucky?” I ask before groaning. 

“Huh, what’s up, Tay?” Vicky asks, watching me hit my head against Amy’s desk.

 

“You didn’t get lucky. I made you lucky,” I admit, despite my plans to keep that part secret. We’re past the point of being coy now. “One of my powers lets me bless or curse people with good or bad luck. When I was testing it out, I used Amy as one of the people I gave good luck to. I figured if anyone deserved some good luck, it was Panacea.”

 

Vicky pauses for a moment before she burst out laughing once more, falling back on the bed in a fit of giggles.

 

“Wait, is that why all my days have gone… better? Things have just been going right for me this past week. Nothing major, just in a lot of little ways,” Amy asks, making me nod.

“Probably. I have a list of people who I give good and bad luck to every morning, and you’re on my good luck list,” I admit, making her pause before she smiles softly.

 

“Thank you,” Amy says quietly, giving me an indecipherable look.

 

‘The fact that you call an affectionate smile “indecipherable” is worrying.’

 

Shush, you.

 

“Aww, it’s basically fate, right?” Vicky asks, making me sigh. “Hey, wait. Am I getting good luck? Is that why I haven’t broken up with Dean this week?”

“I… you are on my list, yeah,” I say, making Vicky let out a surprised huff. “I’m not sure how much it works on people I don’t know the real names of. I mean, I try cursing villains, but it’s not like I can ask them how bad their day has been. So, I tend to use it on New Wave. You guys post your patrol schedules on your site, so I just give you some luck before every patrol.”

 

“Figures it takes parahuman intervention to keep you two from splitting up,” Amy snarks, making Vicky elbow her. “But seriously, luck powers?”

“I know,” I say, shrugging.

 

“Ooh, I’ve got a date coming up this week? Can you make sure it goes well?” Vicky asks, beaming as Amy sighs and rubs her forehead. “I’ll text you before it starts and you can hit me and Dean with the good juju beam or whatever.”

 

“Congrats, you’re now part of Vicky’s support team. She’s going to bug you for good luck before she goes on any dates, and when she’s gotten lucky , she’ll bug me to make sure she’s not pregnant,” Amy drawls, Vicky smiling shamelessly at Amy’s words.

“Wonderful,” I drawl back, making Amy grin slightly despite her annoyance at her sister. “I- sure, give me your number, and you can text me for a luck boost.”

 

It’s better to keep them on my side.

 

“Sure, throw me your phone,” Vicky says, and I do so easily. It barely has anything on it, and we’re a little past not sharing secrets. “Seriously, Tay? Not even a background? And you have like two numbers.”

“I don’t take many pictures-” I start, promptly getting kidnapped by a blonde missile who pulls me between her and Amy, beaming for the camera as Amy and I look at her in annoyance. I don’t miss that her subtle move leaves me sitting with Amy as she tosses me the phone and slips into the chair. “...thanks.”

 

“Nah, thank you for the great week. I knew things just felt better lately,” Vicky agrees with a beam. I don’t bother pointing out that I only gave her luck once or twice. “So, wanna join New Wave?”

 

“Just like that?” I ask with a sigh, and she nods with a grin.

 

“It would be great. You can kick ass with me, and Amy could use help with the healing. Plus, having someone who can fix her up would make things a lot easier,” Vicky points out. 

 

“You have my number if anything happens to her,” I say with a shrug. “I don’t want to unmask, even if my secret identity feels paper thin at times. Shadow Stalker and Browbeat have worked it out already.”

 

“If they give you any shit, you come tell me. Wait, you should give them bad luck-” Vicky suggests before she pauses. “You sly dog! You are, aren’t you?”

 

“Only a little . They are allegedly heroes. I don’t want to get them hurt, so I hold back and give them the smallest curse possible,” I admit. It’s also what I do for my dad, but with my good luck. I can choose which level of luck I want to give people, which will be helpful as my fortune power grows stronger.

 

“Nice. I’d have just beaten them up, but this is basically karma, right?” Vicky asks, sounding a lot like Ems, who is awfully smug about it. “But yeah, I get it. Mom probably wouldn’t let you join unless you fully unmask, still, keep it in mind, yeah? It’s not safe on your own.”

 

Our conversation moves to safer topics, and for a moment, I remember the sleepovers with Emma, before she stabbed me in the back. Vicky is Emma but better in every way (well, no, that’s Ems, but you know what I mean,) and Amy is fun. She’s snarky and grumpy but not in a way that makes her unpleasant to spend time with as Vicky tells stories of her heroic deeds (with Amy correcting any embellishments and adding embarrassing details Vicky missed).

 

As the night comes to an end, I have two new numbers in my empty contact details. I had Ems’ number, which is a little pointless since she’s in my head, and home. Vicky definitely noticed, but she’s got enough tact not to bring it up.

 

Despite everything, I can’t help but be grateful for Contessa sending me here. I think I needed this.

 

“You sure you gotta leave so soon?” Vicky asks, pouting as I chuckle.

“I do have things to do,” I say, nodding.

“Well, I’ve got your number now so there’s no escaping,” Vicky teases, making me grin slightly. I believe her.

 

“Still, there’s something I have to do first,” I say, having once more decided to take Ems advice as Amy looks at me in curiosity. “Call it a test run.”

 

Amy blinks in confusion, but her eyes widen as I begin to lean in. She doesn’t pull back, head tilting up as my hand comes to her chin. My heart is pounding in my chest, but Ems has a point. I shouldn’t lead on Amy, and I don’t know if I like girls, so this is the easiest way to find out.

 

Placing my lips against Amy’s, all I can think is ‘ soft’ as Amy closes her eyes and leans into the kiss. Her lips part, but I don’t let the kiss deepen much before I pull back, seeing her bright red face and nervous look. My finger brushes against her lips for a second before I move back in and kiss her again, slightly deeper before I pull back.

 

“Yeah, I can work with this,” I say, trying to play it cool despite my raging emotions. Amy’s eyes widen before she returns my small smile with a beaming one of her own. Amy moves forward, initiating the kiss this time, and I feel her hand move under my t-shirt to stroke my abs.

 

And then a wolf whistle reminds us that we’re not alone, Vicky beaming as we break apart.

 

“I do damn good work, don’t I?” Vicky asks, a grin on her face as Amy throws a pillow at her. The descent into sisterly teasing is immediate, the pair squabbling as Vicky teases her sister. I don’t come to her aid because I’m dealing with some teasing of my own as Ems joins in.

 

Feats Achieved: Befriend Glory Girl (100cp), Seduce Panacea (100cp). 200cp granted, 300cp total.

 

I didn’t seduce anyone!

 

Due to acquiring a girlfriend, the Celestial Bordello is now online.

 

The Celestial what?!

 

The Celestial Bordello, Free Purchase

[Begone Thots!] - 200cp

Source: Fate/Grand Master

Chaldea has only one Master but many Servants and, therefore, many rivals who might want to steal your Master’s attention away from you. But they’ll have to get up really early in the morning if they want to pull one over on you: simply having a romantic interest in someone is enough to hinder anyone else’s efforts to intrude on that relationship, barring any who had an interest before you. A shifty snake trying to sneak into your lover’s room at night finds her path coincidentally barred and her plans foiled without you even needing to raise a finger, and it only becomes harder and harder for your rivals to make any impact at all as your relationship develops and you grow ever closer to your beloved.

 

‘Now, no one can seduce Amy away from you!’ Says Em.

 

W-was that something I needed to worry about to begin with?

 

[Imperial Blade Form]- 200cp, 100cp remaining

Source: NUKENAI Seiken-chan

You can transform into a sword. While in sword form, you are ageless, have no bodily needs, are aware of your general surroundings, and can magically communicate with others. The powers you grant your wielder depend on your current capabilities; if you know tantric magic, you might allow your wielder access to your mental library of spells, while if you can mind-control others, your cut might wound their willpower instead of their body. Generally, your most 'iconic' powers are increased in strength but decreased in versatility while also being aligned with your nature as a sword, a weapon meant to be wielded by another.

You may limit the powers your wielder has access to if you so choose.

 

As I hit the ground, Amy and Vicky stare at me in true befuddlement for a moment.

 

“Taylor, I don’t want to alarm you, but you turned into a sword,” Vicky says, reaching down and picking me up. “Oh, wow , what the hell is this?”

 

“I- put my girlfriend down, damn it,” Amy says, wrestling me out of Vicky’s hands. “Taylor, are you okay? That is you, right?”

 

“It is,” I telepathically speak to them both. “Just… put me on the bed for a moment.”

 

As she does so, I pop back into my true form with a sigh.

 

“My powers are really annoying sometimes,” I say, rubbing my head. Okay, Alternate Forms transform me on the spot, which is good to know. Roll in private in future.

 

“Is that a common problem?” Vicky asks, seemingly caught off guard for the first time.

 

“It’s a new power. I wasn’t expecting it to trigger immediately,” I admit.

“Just what are your powers?” Amy asks, awe on her face. “You’re a Trump?”

“Basically, yeah,” I admit. “It’s complicated.”

 

“It’s weird . Are you basically a ninja-themed Eidolon?” Vicky asks, making me snort.

 

“I’m hardly Eidolon. I have no real control over the new powers, and can’t control them. Sometimes I get the ability to turn water into a healing elixir, sometimes I get luck powers and sometimes I turn into a sword,” I say with a shrug.

 

“But you keep all the powers?” Amy asks, making me nod easily. 

 

“Well, yeah, so far,” I agree. “But I’m not that powerful.”

 

[A Loving Mother(ly Figure)] - 100cp, 0cp remaining.

Source: Warhammer Fantasy: Dark Elves

An ominous shadow billows down the corridor. A cold chill burns up your spine as a voice like honeyed wine purrs your name. The dread creature that stands before you is one of the most utterly vile beings to ever come close to stealing your soul.

 

That’s right. Your mother has come to visit you again.

 

At least this sultry, clingy matron seems to think of herself as your mother in spirit. If she was truly your mother, as a young boy, you will vividly remember her burying your face in her chest as she whispered huskily that after your father tragically drank two gallons of poison by accident, you had to become the man of the household. But she may be a maiden aunt oddly fond of bouncing you on her lap while telling you what a forward young man you were, or even a much older sister who insisted you learn to frisk others for weapons on her. The point is, she was rather reluctant to let you sleep in your own bed. If you ever started to.

 

Though no Dark Elf can be truly called fat, her breasts would make a dwarf woman proud-and her rump and thighs have the jiggle of one too many bacchanals. Sometimes, she claims one of her sister sorceresses bent her will and marred her flesh with unspeakable rites, huskily describing how it felt to be used by her almost as attractive rival before she took her exquisite revenge. Other times that a daemon once possessed her, made her embarrass herself in her own dungeon and left her with eternally inflamed needs. You’re starting to suspect she actually remodelled her body with dark magic and simply likes toying with you until your heart beats like a drum. It would explain why, around you, she dresses scantily (even by sorceress standards), wearing what are blatantly strips of other outfits crudely tied around jewellery to cover the bare minimum of her body in company. And often, less.

 

“You really shouldn’t put yourself down like that,” a soft, honeyed voice says as we all freeze. Sitting in the seat I was in before, dressed in what can best be described as several tactically placed belts and nothing else, is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

 

With the teasing and nudges from Ems, I can’t stop my eyes from lingering on her amazing pale legs first, moving up to her taut stomach and large breasts, but it’s her face that makes me freeze.

 

Vicky charges first, not asking any questions but the woman clicks her fingers with a few alien words and Vicky’s entire body freezes and she flies past the woman and crashes into the wall, groaning in surprise and pain.

“Really, Taylor, ogling your own mother like that,” Annette teases. “You’ve become such a naughty girl while I’ve been gone.”

 

Her pointed ears are new , and she didn’t have a body like that, but her voice and face is unmistakable as my own mother stares back at me with a sly smile.

“T-Taylor?” Amy asks, looking between us. “I thought your mother had passed away… it was in your record.”

 

Ems tries, she really does, but nothing could stop me as I slump off the bed and hit the ground with a large thud.

 

“My, my…”

 

— Bonus Scene — Theresa ‘Tess’ Richter (Dragon)

 

“So, you’re sure that Redwing is an artificial intelligence?” Chief Director Costa-Brown asked, cutting off Director Piggot. The Chief Director was only here remotely as she made her report on Nimue and her allies.

 

“Correct, Chief Director. I considered that she was a Tinker or Thinker at first, but I am increasingly convinced that Redwing is artificial in nature,” Dragon agreed. 

 

“But you don’t think she’s a threat?” Piggot asked caustically. 

“No, I do not. She has no signs of self-replicating, and her only physical form seems to be the bird drone that Nimue usually has with her,” Dragon agreed.

“Do we know if Nimue is the Tinker?” Colin asked, making her shake her head.

 

“Unknown, so far. Nimue has shown none of the common signs of a Tinker, but Redwing remains coy about their origin. What I am convinced of is that she was programmed to serve Nimue as an assistant of sorts. If Nimue isn’t the Tinker, the Tinker is likely a friend, ally or even a family member,” Dragon explained. 

 

“And Sleuth?” the Chief Director continued. 

 

“Sleuth is… odd. Redwing claims that Sleuth gives her the information, and that Redwing simply posts it but I don’t believe that is possible. If Sleuth is a Thinker, I don’t believe they could physically provide the information to Redwing fast enough to explain Redwing’s nonstop posting,” Dragon explained. “It’s also noteworthy that the posting stops during the day, especially around school time. I do believe that Redwing is getting the information from someone, but I don’t understand how Sleuth is providing the information to her. What I have worked out is that Sleuth’s power seems to sense people in danger. I used several similar crimes to compare the ones that Sleuth detected and those that Sleuth missed.”

 

“Go on,” Costa-Brown said, clearly curious.

 

“There were three very similar break-ins last night. In one, there was nobody in the store and therefore, the crime was not reported as Sleuth doesn’t detect crimes that don’t pose an active threat. In the second, the store owner was there and was taken hostage. This was reported and dealt with. In the third, an employee was taken ‘hostage’, but further investigation shows that they were working with the Empire gang members. This crime was not reported because the ‘victim’ was not truly in danger,” Dragon explained. “This pattern persists through other crimes. Every crime that Sleuth has reported had someone in immediate need of help. Muggings are reported, even if the mugger doesn’t intend to hurt the victim beyond taking their belongings, as several muggings were reported and passed without being stopped, with the victim not being harmed. I considered that Sleuth was sensing people’s fear, but this has been proven wrong by several crimes that were stopped without the victim ever realising they were in danger. Velocity stopped an Empire initiation, with the gang members attempting to break into the home of a Hispanic couple. Both intended victims were asleep and only woke up after the break-in had been prevented.”

“Could Nimue be Sleuth?” the Chief Director asked, making Dragon consider it.

 

“Possibly, if she is vastly underselling her own powers. Either Nimue has far more power than she has shown, or my other theory is that she is part of a group trigger event. Redwing’s creator, Sleuth and Nimue, could have all triggered at the same time, but even then, they don’t match the common signs of a cluster trigger. Nimue could be a Grab-Bag, with the varied powers we’ve seen, but they usually follow a theme. I fail to see how Sleuth and Redwing fit into a theme with her,” Dragon agreed.

 

“It would explain how she managed to take down Lung if she was hiding her true strength,” Colin suggested.

 

“She’s not hiding it that much,” Assault snorted. “People hiding their strength don’t drop off a beaten Lung on our doorstep.”

 

“Do we know how Lung was beaten yet?” Piggot asked, repeatedly clenching and relaxing her fist.

 

“He refuses to answer most questions, but from the examination when he was brought in, she took him down with several incredibly precise blows before he could escalate. Each blow was delivered in a place that would debilitate him, and it seems that they, in quick succession, succeeded in knocking Lung unconscious before he could grow,” Miss Militia reported. 

“So, she hit him with some kung fu bullshit and just beat him unconscious?” Assault asked.

“It seems so. Usually, he’d grow too fast for that to work, but she has been seen to suddenly gain a boost to her speed. With her skill and strength, it’s not out of the question that she knocked him out before he could react,” Miss Militia agreed. “All Lung has said is that he lost to Nimue, and he confirmed that nobody else was involved. He’s sworn revenge, of course, but with his transport to the Birdcage already complete, that’s not a concern.”

 

“Any movement from the Empire?” the Chief Director asked.

 

“Stormtiger led a raid into ABB territory within an hour of word getting out that Lung had been defeated. Oni Lee responded, using his grenades to kill all the unpowered members while Stormtiger fled. Oni Lee is responding to all intrusions in ABB territory with incredibly lethal force and seems to have access to tinkertech grenades,” Colin answered, a frown on his face.

 

“So he cracked open the good stuff for the occasion?” Assault joked, getting a wave of dirty looks.

 

“Even Skidmark is testing the ABB’s borders. Without Lung, the ABB are vulnerable, and everyone else knows it. A gang war is already starting, and that will draw in gangs from other cities. This is no joking matter, Assault,” Piggot said, scowling. “Nimue has no idea what she started.”

 

“I want her in the Wards. She’s powerful but reckless. We also need to have her healing tested. Get her in for power testing asap,” Costa-Brown ordered, making Piggot nod with a scowl.

 

“She’s not likely to want to join if she has a group already, even if they’re all as new as her,” Miss Militia pointed out. 

 

“And if she isn’t in a group and is genuinely just that strong, she’s probably not interested in joining the Girl Scouts- sorry, the Wards,” Assault continued. 

 

“Dragon, continue communicating with Redwing. So far, she’s our only in with Nimue herself,” Costa-Brown ordered, making Dragon nod easily. “Push Redwing to try and get Nimue to come in for power testing.”

As she agreed, the meeting continued with the plans to try and lessen the damage of the brewing war between the ABB and Empire. Even as they talked, she reached out to the ‘chat room’ she’d made to lure Redwing in.

 

‘Yeah… that’s gonna be hard :p’

 

‘Any particular reason why Nimue would be against power testing?’ Dragon asked, letting out a digital sigh at her friend’s response.

 

‘Well, it was one of your ‘heroes’ that made her trigger, so she doesn’t exactly… like you. At all.’

Dragon’s eyes widened at that, Redwing’s font uncharacteristically black and basic instead of her usual pink comic sans.

 

‘Who?’

 

‘Sorry, no can do. If I tell you which hero did it, you’ll definitely work out her identity. Honestly, she’d get pouty that I told you this much :p’

 

And the pink was back. At least she wasn’t messaging in Wingdings this time.

 

Author’s Note: Extra Escalation, because I find this story fun to write.

 

Written: 06/01/2025

 

Chapter 6: Druchii

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 Priapus, Marethyu, Beans

 

The Celestial Escalation 

Chapter 06: Druchii

 

– Amy Dallon (Panacea) –

 

With Vicky knocked out and Taylor having fainted, Amy found herself in a position she hadn’t expected to be in for a long time. Meeting her girlfriend’s parent. Of course, she’d expected it would be Mr Hebert, on account of him being the only one that was alive, and she also pictured this meeting involving more clothes as Annette lounged in her desk chair.

 

Annette’s body was sinfully sexy, barely covered by the leather straps that she considered clothes. Unlike Taylor’s toned, Amazonian body, Annette looked more like a porn star with incredible curves and breasts that jiggled with every small movement.

 

“So, Taylor turned out to be a lesbian? Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. She always was so very close with Emma,” Annette purred, making Amy stare at the newcomer in complete shock. Annette was dead, but here she was. Was this a projection that thought it was Annette Hebert? “Or does she swing both ways?”

“I- erm, I don’t know. She said she had no experience and-” Amy stuttered, going silent as Annette got up from the chair. Moving Taylor onto the bed, Annette sat back down right next to her. Annette’s hand came to her cheek, stroking her gently as Amy’s power went wild.

Annette was alive, but she was far more than just a human with elf ears. Ancient, near-immortal, and her body had an energy flowing through it that Amy couldn’t understand. 

 

“I- erm- what-” Amy mumbled as Annette’s long finger glided along her face.

 

“So, you’re my daughter’s first?” Annette asked, making Amy nod desperately as she prayed that one of the others would wake up already. Even Annette’s most innocent sentence sent shivers through her body, her tone as smooth as silk.

 

“H-how are you alive? You died, didn’t you?” Amy asked, making Annette smirk.

“Death is only the beginning, for me at least,” Annette explained, her hot breath teasing Amy’s ear. “Hmm, you’re a bit… plain, aren’t you? The blonde is more beautiful, if a little reckless. What makes you worthy of Taylor?” 

 

“I… I don’t know?” Amy squeaked, feeling Annette’s hand sliding down her body. With no care for Amy’s nerves, Annette’s hands groped her breasts through her top. She was getting molested by her new girlfriend’s mom… “What are you-”

 

“Tell me, Amelia. What makes you special ? What can you do that makes you a worthy partner for my Taylor?” Annette asked, her tone sounding downright dangerous as Amy whimpered.

“I- I’m a healer?” Amy tried, getting a raised eyebrow. “T- The healer, the best around.”

 

“Oh? Are you now?” Annette asked, a strange look in her eyes. “You’re just a healer?”

Annette’s tone sounded so knowing that Amy could only squeak.

 

“I think you’re lying to me, Amelia. Do I need to discipline you?” Annette purred, sending Amy’s imagination soaring. “I’ll ask one more time. What can you do? What makes you special? ”

 

“I-” Amy started, face pale as Annette’s eyes bored into her very soul. “I’m a biokinetic. I can modify any biological material I’m touching.”

 

She’d tried to keep that a secret for so long, but something told her that Annette already knew. Despite everything, it felt good to say it out loud as Annette’s smile grew.

“How fascinating . I’ve seen others who could twist and mould flesh to their whims, but you might just have more potential than all of them…” Annette admitted with an intrigued smile before her look turned cold. “Potential you are wasting .”

 

Amy felt her heart pounding as Annette took her hand and placed it directly on Annette’s large breasts. Without an ounce of shame, Annette pulled up the straps that were ‘covering’ her breasts, letting the large, pale boobs bounce free as she forced Amy’s hand against it, a hard nipple pressing against her hand.

“Show me what you can do, Amelia. Show me that you aren’t as pathetic as you’re acting,” Annette demanded, making Amy’s eyes widen. She shouldn’t, 

 

“...what on earth are you two doing?” Taylor’s voice asked, making Amy jump away from the demonic milf, who simply turned to Taylor with a smirk. Amy went to defend herself, ready to get dumped after being caught groping Annette but Taylor just sighed. “Why are you harassing my girlfriend?”

 

“Why is your girlfriend holding back so much? I won’t tolerate her giving you anything less than her everything . Not this shadow of her power that she’s pretending is her ‘limits’,” Annette said without an ounce of shame.

 

“I- I’m-” Amy stuttered, but Taylor held up a hand.

 

“I already knew Amy was a biokinetic. I’m pretty sure that you know because I know,” Taylor pointed out. “She has her reasons for hiding the truth.”

 

“Yes, cowardice,” Annette agreed, making Amy flinch back.

 

“That’s not- whatever. Mo- Annette , is it really you? Is this just some trick from my power, using your face,” Taylor asked, her tone demanding and desperate as Annette smiled.

 

“I remember everything , right up until that car crash. Then, I was in another world, born again. I lived an entire life in Lady Morathi’s court as a Sorceress of the Dark Convent. I suspect my body is still buried in this world, but my soul lived on. Your power sent it to another world, and in the instant that you gained this new power, I lived a very long life,” Annette explained. “But throughout it all, somehow, I knew I would find my way back to you.”

“You lived in another world ?” Amy asked, shock in her tone as Annette smiled and nodded with a sneaky look.

“Perhaps we should find a way to return to that world. That power of yours would love it, all the powerful creatures and races to examine. I could feel your awe at my own biology,” Annette purred. 

 

“That doesn’t explain why you were harassing Amy,” Taylor continued, but Annette just laughed.

“Dear, I’ve spent multiple human lifetimes serving Lady Morathi in the Cult of Pleasure. If I were truly ‘harassing’ her, you’d have woken to find her naked, bound and whimpering and begging for more of my touch,” Annette replied simply as Amy and Taylor went red. “I was merely testing her. She’s your first lover, and I want to make sure she’s worthy of your harem.”

“I don’t have a harem,” Taylor replied instantly.

“Yet. Don’t worry, you’re just a late bloomer,” Annette explained cheerfully. “I can’t believe that a daughter of mine is still a virgin into her late teens. Honestly, Taylor, there’s such a thing as being too introverted.”

 

“I- what the fuck are you talking about?” Taylor asked as Amy’s face burned bright red.

 

“Never mind, we can fix that. Shall I show you how we play in Lady Morathi’s court? A foursome is rather vanilla, but I figure we should start off small,” Annette suggested, making her and Taylor’s blush grow even darker. “The blonde will wake up soon, my spell wasn’t meant to keep her asleep for long. Perhaps we should tie her up first.”

“You’re my mom ,” Taylor argued, her face going atomic.

 

“Don’t be so prudish, Taylor,” Annette scolded, making Taylor blink in shock.

“V-Vicky isn’t gay,” Amy tried, but Annette just laughed.

 

“Give me five minutes with her, and I can change that,” Annette said with a confident smirk. “I’m a follower of the Prince of Pleasure, Amelia. Your wildest dreams and most sinful longings are utterly banal to me.”

 

“I- my dad is downstairs,” Amy tried again, instantly realising her mistake as Annette perked up.

“Ah, wonderful. A fivesome then. I was going to suggest that you use your powers to give me and Taylor cocks to ruin you and ‘Vicky’, but if there’s a man already available… what do you think his opinion on being tied up and used as a tool for the pleasure of four beautiful women would be?”

 

“Mom!” Taylor said quietly but firmly. 

 

“Ah, Taylor… I have so much to teach you,” Annette giggled, pulling her daughter in for a tender hug. “But Mommy’s here now, and I’ll never leave you again.”

 

Despite Annette’s… degeneracy, Taylor melted into the hug and Amy could have sworn she heard a strangled sob from where Taylor’s head was being pushed into Annette’s (still exposed) breasts. She didn’t blame Taylor, even as her mind raced. When was the last time she’d been hugged by her mother? At least Annette had the excuse of being dead, what was Carol’s?

 

Annette pulled her into the hug as well, making Amy squeak as her face was stuffed between Annette’s breasts, but she couldn’t help but melt into the embrace.

“It’s okay, I’m here now,” Annette whispered. 

 

– Taylor Hebert (Nimue) – Later –

 

100cp granted, 100cp total.

 

Despite how different she has become, I can’t help but smile as my mother sits on the edge of the bed. My power claims it truly is Annette, not just a copy of her. 

 

“You brought your mom back from the dead?!” Vicky says in a hushed whisper.

 

“More like I reincarnated her into another world, then brought her back here. Yeah, I realise that that isn’t much better,” I admit. Now that Vicky is awake, I’ve ordered Mom to tone it down. I can’t entirely blame her. My power is the one that sent her off to a world where she grew up in a cult dedicated to hedonism and corruption.

 

“Taylor, I mean this in the nicest possible way, but what the fuck are you?” Vicky finally asks, making me sigh.

 

“Powerful,” Annette answers for me. “Taylor’s power is far beyond that of any ‘cape’. Surely, you’ve already realised that. Did Amy not already say that she couldn’t detect Taylor’s Corona Pollentia or Gemma? There are far more sources of power than the ‘Triggers’ this world is used to. I believe Taylor has become the host for a source of nigh-unlimited power, one that will only keep growing in time. Eventually, there will be nothing you cannot do, Taylor.”

The room goes silent for a moment, but I already knew that. The Celestial System feels limitless.

 

“How are you going to hide Annette? I mean, she might be an elf now but she looks just like she used to, right? Dead people coming back as elves is gonna put every spotlight on you,” Vicky points out, making me nod with a frown.

 

I don’t want to send her away. Everything started to go wrong after she died, and now I finally have her back. I don’t give a damn about the consequences, I won’t lose my mom again. Weird elf cultist or not.

 

“I- I could change her appearance so she doesn’t look like her old self,” Amy offers, making Mom smirk.

 

“Good girl… but I have no desire to hide. Why should I cower away in the shadows, pretending to be someone else?” Annette asks, a superior look on her face. “If you order it, Taylor, I will, but how long do you think you can hide your growing powers? And for what? So you can pretend to be normal, pretend to be ordinary? ”

 

“You did turn into a sword mid-conversation,” Vicky agrees after a moment, shrugging when I give her a dirty look. Ems?

‘They have a point, Tay. Your powers are rapidly growing, and it’s only a matter of time until you get a new power at an inconvenient time and get exposed. The Trio have already worked it out. Amy figured it out because of your abs. Contessa knows it. Being a public cape is risky, I get it, but maybe we should take it into our own hands. If we reveal your identity, it prevents it from being used against you or catching us off guard when you turn into something else in the middle of class.’

 

[Elfin Grace] - Free, 100cp remaining.

Source: Warhammer Fantasy: Dark Elves

You are of the Druchii, and with this comes some benefits, setting you above others of your kind. You are gifted with beauty as cold and feral as the High Elves’ is light and glamorous, breathtaking to most races. Though you still age, you live long enough to persist for several thousand years with only truly ancient specimens of your kind succumbing to the ravages of time-though for some of you; this may have been the result of dark magic. Slaanesh thirsts for the potential decadence, your heightened experience of thoughts and emotions, and unlike your brethren across the seas, your kind long ago resolved to live life to the fullest rather than cope with a meagre half-existence to protect their souls from death.

 

All elves are naturally swifter and more graceful than mankind, but the Druchii, in particular, have honed themselves through potentially lifetimes of vicious struggle to be able warriors capable of great willpower under duress, tolerance of pain and feats of battle simply as a result of their intense lifestyles. Their minds are swifter even than their blades, gifted with a silver tongue that lets them make and break alliances with casual disregard, and an ability to size up an opponent’s stance quickly to tell not just where and when the enemy intends to strike but how best to attack in a way that shears through the opponent’s guard-among other valuable information. Resistant to disease and physical mutation by Chaos, it would still be unwise to take undue risks in these areas for you. Perhaps the greatest of your gifts are your inherent magical talents and a lesser tendency to corruption by the Winds of Magic than humans, as well as longer lives to master the art, making your people able students of all Winds of Magic rather than being limited to one for their safety.

 

“Taylor, I don’t want to alarm you, but you turned into an elf,” Vicky adds, making me sigh.

 

“My power thinks it is funny,” I say, giving her a dirty look as she flicks my ear.

 

“ Amazing . I can tell you’ve become a Druchii, just like me,” Mom agrees, beaming as she examines me before she grins. “So… what do you think, Amy?”

 

Vicky perks up, snapping her head to her sister who freezes, her eyes widening.

 

“Dennis and Chris are gonna be so jealous that you’ve got an elf girlfriend,” Vicky agrees with a grin.

“Well, Amy? What do you think?” I ask, unable to resist teasing her. 

 

“You’re beautiful,” Amy admits, shutting down my teasing as my face goes red at her honest answer. Vicky’s wolf whistle doesn’t help.

 

“Can you turn off your elf form?” Vicky finally asks, making me nod as I focus and the changes revert. It’s more than just the ears. Druchii are nearly supernaturally beautiful, so there were a lot of minor imperfections that vanished in my elf form. I still looked like me, just… a more perfect me. “So, what are you going to do? The offer to join New Wave is still open if you do go public.”

 

“Could New Wave handle the heat that would come from my power doing stuff like this?” I ask, gesturing to my mom.

 

“Eh, probably. Mom would probably have a million questions first, but Aunt Sarah would let you join. Either way, we’re friends now, so I’ve got your back,” Vicky says, patting me on the back with a grin. “Besides, Ninja Sword Elf Eidolon isn’t a bad person to know, right?”

 

“Fair enough,” I agree, giving her a smile. I feel like Vicky is a very ride-or-die girl who has adopted the weird introvert she’s found and set up with her sister.

 

“...I don’t suppose you can bring Aunt Jess back as an elf? I’d settle for a dwarf,” Vicky ‘jokes’, but I notice the way Amy looks down at the same time.

“That’s Fleur, right?” I ask, making Vicky nod with a small frown. “I don’t think I have anything for that yet. My latest power was supposed to give me a dark elf summon. My power just thought it would be funny to make that summon my mother.”

 

“Heh, fair enough. Wait, if you’re a dark elf, why are you white?” Vicky asks after a moment.

“Damn it, Vicky. You can’t just ask people why they’re white,” Amy sighs, making Vicky giggle.

 

As the pair once again descend into squabbles, with Annette fuelling the fire, I chuckle to myself. As weird as today has been, I can’t say I’m unhappy with how things have gone.

 

‘Damn right. Aunt Annette is back, fuck anything else.’  

 

“Amy, can you arrange for the PRT to test my healing?” I ask after a moment, making her nod easily. “I’m going to keep my identity private for now. I know it won’t last, frankly, I’m not even sure I want it to, but we can keep things secret for now. I want to get the PRT off my back. Going to power testing seems like the best first step. Better to make sure they know my healing is safe; I know they get pissy about stuff like that.”

 

“They’ll definitely try to get you into the Wards, but just play hard to get. Worst case, I’ll get Mom to make them back off. Sometimes I think people fear the lawyer more than the superhero,” Vicky jokes. “If they try to get you to meet with the Wards, do it. They’re nice people, you just happened to meet the two shitty ones.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, both of you,” I say, getting two smiles from the sisters. “Mom, I have an idea of how to keep you hidden for now.”

 

“Oh?” Mom asks, watching me reach out to her as I focus. 

 

[Imperial Blade Form] temporarily transferred to Annette Hebert

 

“Ah, how fascinating,” Mom says, focusing as her body shifts and she shrinks down to a jet-black jagged sword, which I pick up. I can feel her Sorcery, ready to be called upon, but I just plan to use this to get her home before I recall this power.

 

“You can loan out your powers? What am I saying? Of course you can,” Vicky sighs fondly. “You’re a freak of nature, Tay, but I kinda love it.”

 

“Honestly? Same,” I admit with a small laugh. “I’m gonna get her out of here. Guess I finally have to reveal my powers to my dad. Tonight is gonna be a weird one in the Hebert household.”

 

“Oof, I can only imagine,” Vicky agrees, watching as I move over to Amy and steal another kiss from her. She blushes but happily returns it as Vicky grins. 

 

“Lemme know when you want that luck boost, Vicky,” I say, giving her a smile. “And goodnight, Amy. I’ll text you later.”

 

“Mhmm, good night, Taylor,” Amy agrees, giving me a small hug. “I’ll contact the PRT and set the testing up. Good luck with the reunion.”

 

“Good luck with the teasing,” I counter, nodding my head to a shamelessly grinning Vicky.

 

Amy sighs fondly as we break the hug. As weird as today has been, I’ve got a girlfriend, a new friend and my mom is back. How could this be anything but good?

 

Now, I just need to smuggle my sword-mom back home, reveal my powers to my dad, whom I have been avoiding, and deal with the reunion.

 

– Annette Hebert – Later –

 

She had truly missed Danny, even with the many lovers she’d had over her second life. He wasn’t particularly impressive compared to many of those she had bedded, but she knew there was some magic keeping her human life fresh in her mind. She was glad for it because the idea of forgetting Taylor over the centuries of war and hedonism was horrifying.

 

That said, when she’d returned to Earth Bet, she’d gained a certain level of knowledge of what she’d missed. Taylor’s despair, Emma’s betrayal, the Barnes drifting away from them… and Danny’s apathy.

 

“I-it really is you, isn’t it?” Danny asked for the hundredth time, making her nod calmly as she sat in her old favourite chair. Danny had changed nothing about the house, keeping things exactly as they had been when she’d died. She’d even found old, ungraded coursework on her desk, untouched for years.

 

Danny had not taken the revelation of Taylor’s powers well until she’d revealed herself. She could see where he was coming from, panicking that he’d lose Taylor as well… as if he even had her anymore, but she wouldn’t stand for it. His fear would not prevent her daughter from becoming what she was destined to be. Lady Morathi often spoke of her son, the Witch King Malekith, and his destiny, but Morathi’s brat was nothing compared to her daughter. 

 

With the power of the Celestial System, Taylor would surpass the very gods themselves. Nobody was going to get in the way of that. Her motherly love for Taylor had not faded, only growing stronger over the centuries, and she would see her daughter at the pinnacle of all worlds.

 

Danny had been doubtful that she was truly Annette, leading to countless questions as he quizzed her on her life. Naturally, she aced that quiz. As she’d said, something was keeping her human memories fresh in her mind, even as they should have been buried by centuries of Druchii memories.

 

Danny sat down with a heavy slump, shock guiding his actions as he stared at her in a mixture of joy and disbelief. She’d convinced Taylor to give them some time, and frankly, her introverted daughter had jumped at the idea of escaping the awkward situation. Taylor probably thought they hadn’t noticed her climbing out of the window in her Nimue outfit. Well, Danny hadn’t but she wasn’t so unobservant. If she was, she’d have long since been assassinated.

 

“How- how is this possible?” Danny asked.

 

“Because of Taylor. Taylor has so much power , more than you can even imagine,” Annette said, a proud smile on her face. “She wanted me back, so here I am. Maybe a little different than before, but her power works in strange and mysterious ways.”

 

“But you’re back, for good?” Danny asked desperately, making her nod.

“I’m not going anywhere, ever again. I’m a ‘cape’ as well, now. Well, that’s as close as most will be able to understand my powers,” Annette said, a cruel smile flitting across her lips.

 

“Wait, you don’t plan to become a cape, right? It’s too dangerous. You and Taylor need to-” Danny started, but she held up a single finger and silenced him.

 

“Do you really think you’re in a position to decide what Taylor and I do, husband? You know what a Trigger event is. It was your apathy and failure as a father that led to Taylor gaining these powers, and I will not permit you to limit our daughter,” Annette warned, his eyes going wide. “Don’t look so worried, dear. I simply need to ensure you understand the new chain of authority in this house. It goes Taylor, our immensely powerful daughter, then me, the Druchii Sorceress… and then you.”

 

With a click of her fingers, she lifted his body with her powers and guided him upstairs. Despite his growing fear, she could feel his arousal growing. He’d always been the submissive in their relationship, and her new memories had only reinforced her own dominant personality. As he was thrown onto their bed, purple bindings kept his arms and legs spread, and she made short work of his clothes with a smile on her face as he shuddered.

“You had a job to do, husband, after I passed away. You were supposed to look after Taylor, and you didn’t. You failed me, Danny, and now I have to discipline you,” Annette purred, her own clothes falling to the ground. “Taylor has snuck out to go and play hero, so we have some time, don’t we?”

 

“Annette-” Danny started, silenced once more by her finger.

 

“No. You haven’t earned the right to call me that, not after how badly you let me down. You will call me mistress ,” Annette said, her tone a mixture of lust and anger. “But don’t worry, pet. I’m back now, and I have learnt some wonderful new tricks.”

He whimpered, but she had broken High Elf Princesses, and he was just a mortal. As she mounted him, she called upon her hundreds of years in worship to the Prince of Pleasure, a dark smile on her face. 

 

It was a shame that Taylor was so prudish because breaking him together could have been a wonderful mother-daughter activity… but she had time to introduce Taylor to the decadence of Slaanesh, the Lord of Excess.

 

Author’s Note: Slaanesh Worshipping Druchii Annette. Poor Earth Bet.

Shorter chapter because I have a flight soon and wanted to finish this before I left my hotel.

 

Priapus’ note: Oh pissfuck. Hopefully this isn’t working on Roulette rules, where importing a god’s shit imports the god. Who am I kidding, of course it does.

 

Written: 16/01/2025

 

Author’s Note from the Future: I finished this three hours before my flight to America. Expect spotty updates for the next two weeks, but also, you know what I’m like when it comes to ‘taking time off’. Honestly, I think I am going to focus on just relaxing, all things considered. Those who read Inquisitor know that I mentioned my friend being missing in the last update, and unfortunately, it's been confirmed that he took his own life. Rest in peace, Bean. It’s not gonna be the same without you.

 

 

Chapter 7: Sleuthing

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 Priapus, Beans, Marethyu

 

The Celestial Escalation 

Chapter 07: Sleuthing 

 

— Hana/Hannah (Miss Militia) —

 

She’d always appreciated the benefits that came with being a Noctis cape. It wasn’t all good, as sometimes she just wanted to sleep but her power refused to permit her a break. It also meant she never forgot anything, even the things she’d really rather put out of her mind.

 

But having eight more hours in the day was always going to be a benefit. Sure, she had to find things to do with that free time (which had resulted in her secret capefic hobby), but she’d rather have the extra time than not.

 

This meant that when a newcomer utterly upended the cape game in Brockton Bay, she was the only one with the time to handle the ungodly amount of information from Sleuth.

 

During the time Sleuth was active, which was around sixteen hours a day on average, there was not a single violent crime in the city that wasn’t broadcast to the world.

 

It was both a massive boon to the PRT, but also a black mark on them as the public got a true look at just how bad crime was here for the first time. 

 

Even she got a little demoralised by seeing just how many violent crimes were committed every night, but that just meant she had a chance to do something about it.

 

At the console, she worked diligently as she studied the map and directed the necessary manpower to each reported crime. It was all hands on deck, with the PRT even working with the Brockton Bay Police Department more than usual so they could coordinate their efforts in handling the mountain of crimes that were being reported.

 

Armsmaster had made a program that took the crimes from the PHO thread and placed them onto a map of the city, allowing her to track their assets and send the necessary response to each crime.

 

Sleuth reported on how many criminals were involved and what Capes were present at any crime, which meant she had a better idea of who to send to each crisis. 

 

Funnily enough, this had reduced the number of non-PR patrols because why patrol when you know exactly where the closest serious crime was taking place? 

 

They’d called for reinforcements and actually gotten them for once, in the form of more police officers transferred to the BBPD and more PRT troopers for their branch, courtesy of Costa-Brown, but it was still a mission to keep on top of the reported crimes.

 

In addition, they’d called in the Independents to work together with them, and while some had refused, New Wave and several of the stronger ones had agreed. It was a cold alliance, with many of the Independents suspecting that they’d try to enlist them, but an alliance all the same. Brandish was being her usual self, but she was easy to appease by giving her Empire targets. 

 

No matter how much she mistrusted the PRT, telling Brandish that there was an Empire initiation going on a block away would always send her into action.

 

The fact that Panacea had been the one to contact the PRT about testing Nimue’s healing had been somewhat alarming for the Director. The last thing Director Piggot wanted was Brandish having both heroic healers in New Wave, especially when Nimue was their best lead on Sleuth.

 

Still, criminals weren’t all stupid. The Empire capes had pulled back almost entirely, with the sole exception of Hookwolf, who seemed to be going out of his way to cause more damage just to prove he could.

 

Empire crime as a whole was down, while Kaiser considered how to react to this new reality. She was sure that he was searching for Sleuth, but so was the PRT. 

 

The ABB was still causing trouble, because Lung had run a far looser ship than Kaiser. The ABB was more like a collection of Asian gangs that basically ran themselves while paying tribute to Lung, who had sat at the top. It meant they had far less discipline and cohesion, only working together because Lung was forcing them to. Without him, she wasn’t sure how long they’d stay together. Oni Lee was fighting off threats, and rumours of an explosive tinker had given them pause, but Lung was the only thing keeping the ABB functioning, and already they were seeing the sub-gangs fighting each other for territory.

 

The Merchants were the Merchants. The sheer amount of forced drugging and rapes that took place in their ‘territory’ was obscene and they had nothing resembling cohesion or discipline. It was entirely possible Skidmark didn’t know about Sleuth, as he tried to work out why his people kept getting hit.

 

Funnily enough, it was their own stupidity that was shooting them in the foot. His men kept grabbing girls or ‘future customers’ and taking them back to Merchant ‘bases’, which would only lead the PRT directly to them. 

 

Skidmark himself was hiding, along with Squealer, but his gang was getting beaten the hardest. The biggest asset the Merchants had was their ability to hide, scattering like cockroaches whenever the heat was put on them. Sleuth had shone a spotlight upon them, because every ‘party’ they had tended to have at least a rape or five, which Sleuth would report on and draw a team down onto the party.

 

Selling drugs didn’t ping on Sleuth’s power, but the Merchants were violent by nature. Customers, prostitutes and strangers were assaulted by dealers and pimps on a regular basis, and it was exposing so many whorehouses and drug dens. 

 

Without the discipline of the Empire, the Merchants had become their most frequent target. Kaiser wouldn’t stay hidden for long, and she was sure the Empire was planning something massive, but it seemed like he’d ordered most of his people to avoid violent crimes. Of course, he was also giving speeches about Sleuth exposing the depravity of the lesser races, but that was expected from the Neo-Nazi.

 

Since Sleuth’s sudden appearance, there had been a considerable amount of meetings about her and Nimue. Nimue was a high value recruitment target for obvious reasons, all healers were. 

 

Honestly, if Othala walked into the Rig tomorrow and asked to join in exchange for a blank slate, she’d get it without so much as a word of argument. Director Piggot wouldn’t like it, but it wouldn’t matter.

 

Sleuth was equally high value, or perhaps even more so. The way she’d changed the rules in Brockton with her mere presence had made her an incredibly targeted person since basically every gang wanted her gone. 

 

So far, they only knew a tiny amount about her from Dragon’s communications with Redwing, who actually posted for Sleuth. 

 

Sleuth was female, and she was active almost all the time except for during school hours. This was seen as meaning one of two things. 

 

One, Sleuth was a student and was unable to pass information to Redwing during classes. Or two, Sleuth was not a student but slept during the school hours, as she was active all night.

 

It seemed to lean toward the first, meaning that Sleuth was also a Noctis Cape. There would be random bursts of information at random times of the day, coinciding with classes not being in session. It seemed like Sleuth would sneak away to use whatever means she did to pass information onto Redwing, who then posted it for her.

 

Armsmaster had suggested comparing class schedules to try and identify which school and year she was in, but that was very close to breaking the Unwritten Rules and he was shot down. She’d be surprised if he hadn’t done it anyway.

 

Well, maybe he hadn’t because he was one of the heroes making the most use of the information from Sleuth. He’d even altered his sleep pattern to coincide with Sleuth’s usual downtime. Nobody could deny that Colin worked harder than almost anyone else.

 

Frankly, the paperwork was slowing them down. They were simply arresting too many people, the prisons couldn’t keep up even with several busloads being taken to different prisons.

 

Still, Hannah smiled to herself as the status of another crime was changed to ‘prevented’. They couldn’t keep up this pace, but it was good for the city and honestly, good for their PR for the public to see an independent report of them stopping so many crimes.

 

— Taylor Hebert (Nimue) —

 

‘Relax, Tay. You’re stressing out. He was just worried about you and understandably shocked.’

 

I know that. Of course he was shocked, his daughter just admitted to being a cape and by the way, mom is back as a sex cultist elf.

 

But now he suddenly cares? He barely listened to me before he was telling me to go to the Wards or give up being a Cape. Like that’s even an option. 

 

He didn’t notice everything else I was going through, and he thinks he gets to tell me to stop? 

 

’He was panicking, Tay. Don’t get me wrong, he’s been a shit dad, too busy mourning to notice that you needed help, but he loves you and he definitely doesn’t want to lose you or Auntie Annette.’

 

True. I’m pretty sure mom decided to ‘distract’ him because she knew that I was going to end up fighting him over this. 

 

‘Oh, I’d say he’s probably pretty distracted right now.’

 

I frown, blushing slightly as I rub my forehead.

 

She’s… different, but it is my mother. Of course she’s different, she has an entire set of memories in her head, as a fucking Druchii.

 

My own Druchii form gave me a lot of knowledge about that world, and Ems looked up Warhammer for me. Slaanesh is not exactly a good god to be worshipping, and the Cult of Pleasure is not exactly a heroic group.

 

Chaos-worshipping elves constantly pursuing greater pleasures to the point where the Witch King tried to have them all killed because they were loyal to nothing but their own hedonistic desires.

 

Fortunately, the Celestial system reassured me that Annette has no way of bringing Slaanesh or demons into this world. It could happen, but it’d have to be from me and I don’t have the power to do that as it stands anyway.

 

As much as I’m happy to have her back, she’s going to be a problem if I let her get out of control. I’m happy that she can keep dad off my back, but her desire to ‘enlighten’ me is going to be a pain.

 

I already have one devil on my shoulder.

 

’I’m a fucking angel, Tay.‘

 

Right, of course. So, how is your little pet project going? Lost control of the teenage villains you co-opted from Coil?

 

’Pft. I’ve kept them out of trouble, right? Besides, Tattletale is useful and she’s an eager employee when you don’t hold a gun to her head.’

 

I sigh at that, rubbing my forehead as my elven ears twitch under the hood. I’m using my Druchii form for Nimue, because the bonuses are worth it and nobody has seen me without my hood yet anyway. I’m paler like this, but the pictures of me aren’t detailed enough for most people to notice that difference.

 

I’m considering unmasking entirely. I don’t know if I will join New Wave like Vicky suggested, but there’s a part of me that is simply thinking ‘how long can I keep this secret’. All it will take is the wrong roll to happen at the wrong time and my identity would become public knowledge.

 

Wouldn’t it be better to take control of my own identity and reveal it myself?

 

100cp gained, 200cp total.

 

It’s risky, and would draw a lot of heat onto my family but isn’t that going to happen either way? I can keep Sleuth separate.

 

What I need is a way to keep dad safe, even with my issues with him. I’m not worried about mom, she’s an ancient dark elf sorceress and I’m not sure she can die now that she’s a companion. I can’t lose things I gain from the Celestial system, not even through them being destroyed. That counts for people and things alike. But dad is just a regular guy. Unless I pull out a second ‘hey, your parent is an elf’ power, he doesn’t get to come back.

 

[Common Tongue] - 0cp, 200cp remaining.

Source: The Song of the Nibelungs

Wherever you are in Europe or the world at large and wherever you travel you will have no problem speaking with the locals. This may be because all of you speak an unidentified lingua franca, a common language, or because you instinctively know all the different languages spoken around the continent by heart. In future worlds you may be able to understand and speak most common languages you may come in contact with.

 

Do you know how many languages are spoken in the melting pot that is America? Let me tell you… it’s a lot. My head is flooded with knowledge of every one of them, making me groan for a moment as I focus and rub the bridge of my nose for a moment.

 

[Lunar Elf] - 100cp, 100cp remaining

Source: Epic of Leviathan

Lunar Elves are a special sub-species of elves that possess a connection to the moon. They possess the ability to draw power from the moon and use it to nourish their bodies. Each member of the species is naturally immortal and will not age. This is only ageless Immortality, they can still be killed. Their appearances resemble that of your standard fantasy elves with pointy ears, above average beauty, and an eternally youthful appearance. Lastly while they do gain power from the moon they are not weaker during daytime.

 

Amusing enough, this one doesn’t change my appearance much beyond giving me silver eyes because I was already an elf. The important thing is that I can feel the moon high in the sky empowering me. It’s not the biggest buff, but it is noticeable when I was already dangerously strong from [A Capricious Man You Are].

 

[Healing] - 100cp. Prerequisite skill missing.

Source: Avatar: The Legend Of Korra

The ability to heal wounds by redirecting chi throughout the body, using water as a catalyst. Healing is able to repair almost all cellular damage and can remove many known diseases, however it is unable to reverse mortal injuries or conditions, unless water with special spiritual properties is used.

 

Requires Bender (Water) to Purchase

 

Another way to heal with water? I consider letting it pass for a moment before I shake my head. Healing capes are amongst the rarest of them all, I shouldn’t turn down another form of healing even if it's similar. Locking It in as well as the prerequisite skill, I feel my power instantly buy it.

 

[Bender (Water)] - 100cp, 0cp remaining

Source: Avatar: The Legend Of Korra

You’ve been born with the ability to bend the natural element of your nation, and you have a lifetime worth of experience with bending. In order to harness your powers you have to be able to move, most of your bending will be conducted through a unique set of movements and gestures, but some feats can be accomplished with something as simple as waving your hand. All other bending abilities require you to have this.

 

Uncapping my water bottle, I focus on the memories that flash through my mind and carefully gesture in a smooth motion as I draw the water out from the bottle, shaping it and controlling it as I swirl it around me.

 

Both Bending and Monk have a basis in Martial Arts, which means both are helping each other out. My Monk training helps me control the water through the graceful movements, and my Bending knowledge helps improve my Monk skills.

 

And both are going to get some use tonight, because today is the day I take down a Cape. Between ‘Sleuth’ and Em’s new pet thinker, finding a target for myself wasn’t difficult.

 

I had to be cautious because I’m still on the weaker side of things, but eventually I found someone worth taking down.

 

Most of the Empire are laying low, but not Hookwolf. That’s good, because it means Hookwolf is busy and won’t be around to help his side-kick.

 

His ‘faction’ in the Empire consists of Stormtiger and Cricket, but Stormtiger is laying low. Cricket is not. She’s the security at one of Hookwolf’s dog fights. Unfortunately, my [Sword of Resistance] doesn’t track animal abuse but Tattletale was able to find out enough for me to track her down.

 

Lounging on an almost throne-like chair, she watches the brutal fights with a bored look on her face, unaware that I’m lurking nearby thanks to my Hooded Cloak and the Stone of Midnight.

 

I know she has a personal sonar, but there’s so many people around and she hasn’t noticed that her sonar picks up one more person than she can see.

 

She’s confident, considering most of the gang is in hiding. Hookwolf is engaged with the PRT, which means that now is the best time to strike.

 

Moving away, I focus as I reluctantly follow Em’s advice and call upon Annette. I give her enough time to warn dad, but in a flash of light, she appears before me and I turn away in slight disgust as she chuckles.

 

”Really, honey? You summoned me away from my reunion with my husband and are surprised that I’m naked?” Mom asks, posing shamelessly in the alleyway I retreated to. I remove my hooded cloak to give to her, but she simply clicks her fingers as her clothing reappears. 

 

If you can call the leather straps that barely cover her body ‘clothing’ to begin with. 

 

“Take the cloak anyway, I don’t need the reputation troubles from having a partner who runs around half naked,” I sigh, making her chuckle. “You know what we’re doing here, right?”

 

“I do. This companion bond is useful, isn’t it? You wish for me to… play with the Empire thugs while you battle Cricket, yes?” Annette asks, making me narrow my eyes.

 

”I can’t believe I have to say this, but no torture or sexual assault,” I order, making her pout outrageously.

 

“Honey, I do remember how this world works. Give me some credit,” Annette scolds, putting on the cloak as it shifts to a form-fitting black silk garment that reveals nothing while hinting at everything. She pulls the hood up, hiding her face in the shadowy garment as I nod to her.

 

”Just making sure,” I admit, preparing myself. Despite my best efforts, I can feel my heart beating rapidly but Annette moves close and pulls me into a hug.

 

”Nimue, you can do this. Your power is amazing, you are amazing. Trust in your skills, and trust that I won’t let anyone interrupt your fight,” Annette purrs, her voice soft and soothing. “You have this, honey.”

 

“I- thank you-“ I start, frowning to myself as I use my Monk training to centre myself and still my mind. “Do you think we should ambush her, or make an entrance?”

 

’Make an entrance!’

 

”Oh, honey… you should always make an entrance. This will be your first real cape fight, and a piece of your growing legend,” Annette says instantly, making me roll my eyes. 

 

What else did I expect from these two?

 

— Melody Jurist (Cricket) —

 

Most of her men panicked as the roof burst apart in a flash of purple light, two figures descending right into the centre of the ‘arena’, but Melody just grinned as she sat up straight.

 

Nimue stared back at her, practically emitting a menacing aura as the guys started to panic, intimidated by a light show and some posing. She’d kick their asses later for that weakness as she glanced to the figure besides Nimue.

 

The figure said something, and both dogs fell to sleep in an instant, as Nimue stepped forward.

 

”You seem to like these shows of violence, Cricket. Time to put on a show of your own. Fight me,” Nimue demanded, brandishing a bo staff at her as Cricket paused.

 

Cricket glanced toward Nimue’s friend, making the martial artist shake her head.

 

“She’s here to make sure our fight remains one on one. If your men don’t get involved, neither will she,” Nimue swore, and Cricket grinned as she leapt down into the arena, seeing the confusion and tension on the men’s faces. Many of the crowd had chosen not to run, despite the danger, and if there was one thing she knew, it was how to put on a show. 

 

The unnamed woman in the skin-tight outfit moved up to the same box that Cricket had jumped down from, floating up to it as she lounged in Cricket’s seat. Cricket didn’t even bother giving her a second look as she nodded to the announcer.

 

”It looks like we’re having a special round tonight, ladies and gentlemen. Cricket vs Nimue, place your bets!”

 

Kaiser wanted to grab Nimue to find Sleuth, and now Nimue had come willingly into their turf? 

 

Oh, it was on. 

 

The boys would already be calling for reinforcements, but she didn’t plan to let this last long enough for them to arrive and spoil her fight.

 

— Bonus Scene — Emma Barnes

 

Sitting on her bed, she stared at her phone in disbelief even as she watched the same clip for the hundredth time. 

 

Taylor had taken down Lung.

 

The ABB remained her boogeymen, the reason she flinched when an Asian man got too close. They were why she crossed the road when she spotted a group of Asians headed her way.

 

She’d told herself that Taylor was weak. That Taylor wouldn’t have fought back in that alleyway, wouldn’t have been worthy of being saved. In her mind, she was the survivor who fought back, while Taylor would have just let them do what they wanted to her like a coward.

 

But Taylor wouldn’t have needed saving, because Taylor wasn’t like her. She wasn’t a survivor, she was a damsel who flailed around a little and got beaten for it. Taylor would have crushed the gang members with ease, not needing saving like some useless princess.

 

And now, Taylor had taken down Lung himself. Her fractured mind crumbled all the more as she realised how weak she truly was. How weak Sophia really was. 

 

She’d clung to Sophia like a safety blanket, but what did she really do? Sophia went after the bottom feeders, unpowered thugs and petty criminals. Taylor went straight for the top, knocking Lung off his throne in a single night.

 

Sophia was right. Taylor was nothing like her, nothing like them. Taylor was so much better, and she’d never seen it. She’d believed that she was being kind by letting Taylor be her friend, when she’d been the one holding her best friend back. They’d been as close as sisters once, and Taylor would have done anything for her, but she’d destroyed that trust, that love, in a desperate attempt to be something she never could be.

 

Despair, longing, self-hatred, lust, regret and so much more raged inside her mind as she scoured PHO for every single piece of information on Nimue.

 

She could never reclaim the bond she’d destroyed. Taylor would never look at her like a sister again, seeing her as a traitor, as scum of the earth, and Taylor was right to look down on her.

 

She’d give anything to take back the months of torment, the horrible things she’d done and said, but that wasn’t how the world worked.

 

Somewhere in Emma’s broken mind, a plan started to form. She needed Taylor back. No, she needed Taylor to take her back, in whatever form Taylor was willing to accept her in. 

 

Words were her strongest weapon, but words were worthless here. Taylor wouldn’t believe her if she just said she was sorry, swore to do whatever it took to fix things, she’d need action. 

 

Rising from her bed for the first time since she’d fled here after her ‘conversation’ with Taylor, Emma smiled to herself in the mirror, ignoring the manic look in her eyes. 

 

She’d get Taylor back, no matter what it took. 

 

Author’s Note: Shorter chapter, since I wrote it in Disney World. Emma is a very stable girl who isn’t going to make things more complicated at all.

 

Written: 13/03/2024

 

Chapter 8: Empire

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 Marethyu, Priapus, Beans

 

The Celestial Escalation 

Chapter 08: Empire

 

— Melody Jurist (Cricket) —

 

She was no coward and never backed down from a fight. She’d lost fights before, sure, and she wore the battle scars with pride, but even against opponents that were a hard counter for her, she never backed down.

 

As the tendril of water whipped her in the side of the head- again- she wondered just how much her pride was really worth. Nimue closed the distance in an instant, and Cricket mentally cursed as her enhanced reflexes failed to keep up with Nimue’s sheer speed and strength.

 

She could dodge bullets (if she was facing the gunman), but Nimue was a demon to fight in close quarters, and she’d quickly realised her mistake in accepting this fight. Nimue’s martial arts training made her a danger in close range, because unlike a bullet, Nimue would adjust her attack to counter Cricket’s attempts at dodging and as Nimue’s open palm slammed into her stomach, Cricket let out a quiet gasp and was sent flying back from the sheer force.

 

By the time she reached the arena wall, she’d reoriented herself, her feet touching the wall first as she used it as a springboard to launch herself back into the fight, her two kamas ready to slice into Nimue.

 

She was no coward. No matter how much the primal part of her brain screamed to run from Nimue, she was going to fight until she could fight no more. Nimue resummoned her bo-staff, jabbing it forward as Cricket ducked under the fearsomely fast blow and slid past Nimue, her kama slicing into her side…

 

The lack of blood made Cricket stare in disbelief, her blades, honed to be as sharp as possible, failing to even leave more than a scratch on Nimue’s waist. It was a moment of stunned realisation, and a moment was all Nimue needed as she spun her staff around and it collided with the back of Cricket’s skull with devastating force.

 

Her vision swam, the world swirling around her as her ears rang. Her personal sonar warned her of Nimue’s next move, but the reaction times she was so proud of failed her as Nimue swept her leg and kicked Cricket’s feet from under her. She was knocked horizontal, and before she could recover, Nimue’s fists came down on her stomach over and over again, the rapid strikes knocking the air out of Cricket as she was sent to the ground.

 

She might be part of the neo-nazi group, but she knew her martial arts. Why else would she use kamas? They weren’t exactly a western weapon. It meant she recognised the flurry of devastating punches as wing chun, not that it helped her much as she felt two ribs crack from the sheer force.

 

Nimue was doubly a bitch to fight because she swapped from using her bo staff and her fists seamlessly, dismissing the weapon when she needed to get closer and resummoning it whenever there was some distance. Cricket hadn’t even noticed her dismiss it this time, gasping out in pain as Nimue’s fist came down toward her head at incredible speeds. She couldn’t move, couldn’t dodge, and genuinely feared for her life as the fist approached.

 

Then it struck, and despite her love for battle, Cricket flinched and whimpered as the devastating fist of Nimue smashed into the floor beside her head, cracking it with a painfully loud bang.

 

“Give up.”

 

Nimue’s words were cold, confident and utterly dismissive. Her eyes seemed to almost glow from under the hood, the icy brown stare making Cricket shudder and, for the first time, back down.

 

Prison wouldn’t keep her, it never did. Her broken ribs ached as she nodded silently. She’d lost, gotten her ass thoroughly beaten, but despite that, she couldn’t help but give Nimue a bloody grin. It was a damn good fight.

 

Besides, she’d already called for reinforcements, and something told her Nimue’s fancy punching wouldn’t be quite as effective against what was coming.

 

– Taylor Hebert (Nimue) –

 

As Mom binds Cricket with her magic, I look over the sleeping thugs. I can’t deny that her sorcery is useful, because she made sure none of them got away or interfered. She’s drained their life-force just enough to knock them all out, which is a dangerous spell to be playing around with but she’s also using them on neo-nazi skinheads who were here to watch dogs fight to the death so…

 

Besides, I can’t deny that she is a master at Dhar, or Dark Magic, she wouldn’t kill anyone by accident. Which is the main problem, because she’d happily kill everyone here on purpose, but tonight, at least, she’s shown restraint.

 

More than I did, honesty. I heard the ribs break under my blows. I don’t know my own strength, clearly. I was holding back when I was punching her, but evidently not enough. I’ve gotten very fast, very quickly, and that’s something I need to be careful about.

 

100cp granted, 100cp total (locked skill [Healing] acquired, 0cp remaining).

Feat achieved: Defeat Cricket (100cp), Defeat your first cape (100cp). 200cp total. 

300cp skills unlocked. To unlock 400cp skills, you must defeat a major cape.

 

Making progress. Focusing, I call on my water and gently move it over Cricket's abs as she shudders before relaxing with a frown as she feels her body being healed. Combining Water Bending [Healing] and [Uisce Beatha] makes for some very effective healing waters.

 

“Healing an enemy? A shame that such a powerful warrior is such a soft-hearted fool. This world will eat you alive,” Cricket mocks, her voice rough thanks to the damage to her throat. 

I’ve done my research, I know about Cricket and why she’s so scarred despite the Empire having Othala. She refuses to let them take away her ‘trophies’. I ignore her taunt as my water moves across her body, her eyes widening as her words become curses, her precious scars fading away and her voice becoming less rough as her voice box is repaired.

 

‘ Aww, my Tay becoming so petty. I’m so proud I could cry.’

 

Hiding my smirk at Ems' words, I look at the seething Cricket as she struggles against her bonds futilely. Grabbing her chin, I call on [Ladies’ Man] and [Tiger’s Blood] as I look down at her with a look of superiority that can only be achieved with [Glorious Golden Smug Technique] and scoff.

 

“An enemy? A weak little bitch like you?” I ask, my tone dripping with condescension. “At your best, you couldn’t scratch me. If you ever get out of prison, feel free to try again. I’ll put you in your place as many times as it takes.”

 

Cricket freezes at my quiet, almost whispered words, her warrior bravado bullshit falling to pieces as I make it clear she’s not worth my time. I want to make sure she understands that she can’t beat me so she doesn’t get any delusions about revenge- 

 

Why is she blushing?

Ems deafening laughter leaves me sighing as I let go of the very clearly conflicted Cricket’s chin. The Empire isn’t big in homosexuality, predictably, which makes the straight Cricket doubly confused as I smell her arousal.

 

God damnit.

 

‘As funny as this is, we have incoming. Hookwolf has been seen heading this way. I’ve alerted the PRT since they’re on their way to pick up Cricket anyway.’

 

Fuck. Hookwolf?! Cricket called for reinforcements before she started the fight. She’s smarter than I gave her credit for.

 

“We can take him, honey,” Mom says, making me pause. This is Hookwolf we’re talking about. He’s one of the most dangerous villains in the city. We should grab Cricket and get out of here-

 

‘I’m with Auntie Annette. He’s tough, but Armsmaster is inbound. Come on, Tay, think about how good it’ll look for your rep to take down Hookwolf so early. Fortuna said that the Empire would invade Lung’s former turf, and this could stop that. Losing their heavy hitter would be a hard blow to the Empire.’

 

I hate that Ems makes so much sense.

 

[Thought Acceleration] - 200cp, 0cp remaining

Source: Tsukihime

Even a human brain operating at peak capacity has its limits - it is, after all, what amounts to biological hardware with set limitations. But what if those limitations could be surpassed? You can accelerate your thought processes to twice their normal speed, allowing you to quickly multitask and react faster than your body and nervous system would normally allow. You can run calculations and strategies in a blink rather than a minute. In time, you could even accelerate this to three, four or more times in speed. However, much like overclocking a computer, this is a stressful technique that is exhausting, and if overused, can burn your brain out like an overheated engine. Practice and careful moderation may let you overcome this, but for now, be cautious in how you use this.

 

A useful power, no matter what. When you combine it with the body that my power has given me, it becomes even more so. Still, it’s not exactly the weapon I need to take down Hookwolf. And yet, does his metal form give him any resistance to Dark Elf Magic?

 

Damn it all. We’re fighting them.

 

Mom smiles darkly at my decision, and I hear Em’s excitement as Mom puts Cricket to sleep and we head outside. I don’t have to ask which way Hookwolf is coming from, the man is anything but subtle as the shirtless asshole storms forward.

 

“Cricket lost then?” Hookwolf asks, a snarl in his tone, and his face hidden by the ugly metal wolf mask. “Kaiser wants to talk with you, girl. I’d suggest you play nice and give up.”

 

“I’ll pass,” I say simply, every muscle in my body tense and ready for action.

 

“ Good ,” Hookwolf says, malice dripping from his words as he begins to transform, blades and hooks growing from his bare skin. I don’t waste time, dashing forward at my full speed and slamming my palm into his stomach, forcing him to bend over as my knee rises up and collides with his metal mask with enough force to bend the metal and break the nose beneath it.

This is Hookwolf , I’m not holding back. His head snaps back up as an arm, already covered in blades, swings at me. I smile under my hood as a new weapon appears in my hands, blocking the arm. The blade is black, twisted and gives off a menacing purple aura as I wield… my mother.

 

His blades fail to break her, and he lets out a yowl of pain as my blade cuts into the arm. It’s interrupted by me kicking him in the stomach, sending him tumbling back. Even still, he continues transforming as he becomes the metal wolf that has become so feared, rolling over and getting onto all fours as he snarls.

 

‘He has a core, it’s the only part of him that actually matters!’

 

As Ems talks, she takes over my vision slightly and I see a golden outline of the core appear on Hookwolf’s body. Annette whispers into my mind, guiding me on how to use her spells as I watch him begin to charge.

Channelling her power, I cast Bladewind as I steal his boss's trick and conjure a row of menacing blades that burst from the ground in a line in front of me, stabbing into his paws and shredding the metal. It doesn’t actually hurt him, but it does interrupt his charge as he stumbles forward, and I use that to dash in, honing my reflexes with Ki.

 

Normally, being close to Hookwolf is a death sentence, but with both Thought Acceleration and Ki-enhanced reflexes, I dance through his blades and hooks as I slide under his large form and stab my blade up into his underbelly. I don’t quite reach his core, but I can almost sense his shock as I go straight for his one weak point. 

 

I can’t stay put, needing to keep moving to avoid the swirling blades, several of which barely catch me but fail to do more than leave scratches. If he hits me directly, my durability will fail me. I can take glancing blows, but not a direct strike.

 

Knowing where his core is and hitting it are two different matters. The metal around his core is the most dense, and even a direct stab wasn’t able to pierce it. Sure, I could do it with enough attacks, but he’s not exactly going to stand there and let me.

 

‘It takes him energy to create his blades. Keep damaging him and exhaust his energy. The less he has, the harder it’ll be to protect his core.’

 

Ems having the power to scan capes is a godsend as I do a flip to dodge over his tail, slicing it off at the same time. Tossing my sword at him, he bats it aside as I switch to my fists. That was his first mistake as Mom retakes her humanoid form and exotic words fill the street. Hookwolf stops, his head snapping to where she is standing but he’s far too late as she conjures a freezing gale, his metal form becoming iced up and slower. 

I don’t hesitate, taking advantage of the momentary distraction to close the distance and channel my Ki into my fists as I uppercut his wolven chin. Despite his head being literally made of metal, his head snaps back, and several pieces of the metal come loose from the sheer force behind my blows. As I continue to strike, his metal bends and warps from the power, making me realise just how strong I really am.

 

Of course, he’s been slowed by the ice, and I can see Mom launching bolts of purple energy at him, which blast entire chunks of his metal body away, but I’m literally punching Hookwolf in the face.

As his claws come down on me, I raise my arm to block the blow, channelling Ki into my muscles and bones as I block the powerful blow with my forearm and respond with another open palm strike to his body.

Despite the laughable size difference, he is the one who gets knocked away and I can see the shock, confusion and perhaps even fear in his eyes as he stares at me.

 

“Is that all? I expected more from the fearsome Hookwolf,” I taunt, brushing off my arm where he hit me. There are cuts, but they’re not deep and barely bleed. My water travels from my water bottle and up my arm, healing the wounds in seconds before I guide it back into place.

 

His answering snarl makes me smile grimly, dashing forward again to meet his feral charge. His tail swishes toward Mom, several blades coming loose and flying at her, but she doesn’t even flinch as she casts another spell and creates a purple shield in front of her, deflecting them.

 

Her hand reaches forward, and tendrils of pure darkness lash out, latching onto his metal form and beginning to drain him as I move in, keeping him occupied. His fangs snap at me, but a blow to his chin closes his mouth easily enough.

 

While he can’t do any serious harm to me, thanks to my reflexes letting me dodge or block the worst of it, I do find one noticeable problem as the fight goes on. My body can take this, my outfit cannot, as his claws shred my clothes. I don’t have my outfit from Parian yet, so my clothes are made from more… mundane materials that aren’t made to withstand giant metal wolf claws.

 

...Ems, do not post any images of me topless online. I can see you filming with Redwing.

 

‘Come on, Tay. I have more tact than that. Armsmaster is nearby though, two minutes max.’

 

Frowning, I glare at Hookwolf. I need my cloak back, which means Hookwolf needs to go down within the next two minutes so I can get dressed and not flash Armsmaster.

 

– Brad Meadows (Hookwolf) –

 

Some capes were just fucking bullshit and Nimue was rapidly falling into that category as her fists bent and broke his metal form. She was so damn slippery, dancing between his claws and fangs in a way that put Cricket to shame, and each blow sent shudders through his entire form. 

 

She was supposed to be a minor brute with healing powers. He’d seen the video of her fighting Lung, and she’d rushed him and taken the Dragon down before he’d had a chance to escalate. Nobody thought Nimue would stand a chance if Lung had escalated even slightly before being knocked out.

 

He’d had a laugh about it, watching the almighty Lung get knocked out so fast he couldn’t even change. He wasn’t laughing now as he got knocked around by a fucking teenage girl. No matter how impressive her abs were, she shouldn’t be able to throw him around like this. He was sure she was young, even before she lost her top. He knew a teenager when he saw one, and that was not the body of an adult. No, he wasn’t looking at her like that, he wasn’t Victor with his child bride.

 

The biggest problem was the fucking whore in the skintight black outfit that kept blasting him with weird shit. She was a weird cape, and her blasts seemed to do something different every time. The link between them was exhausting him, his limbs were coated in thick ice making it hard to move, and her shots really fucking hurt. Not to mention the way she kept stealing Kaiser’s gimmick and making swords grow out of the ground and stab into him. They’d come worryingly close to his core multiple times.

 

Something made the girl stiffen for a moment before she went fucking berserk, his tired body unable to react fast enough as she sped up even more, her fists pummelling his body as she ignored his attempts to attack her. Black chains formed, binding him as the one with the massive tits kept chanting in some fantasy bullshit language like a Myrddin with massive tits.

The glowing black chains prevented him from even fighting back as the kung-fu bitch just kept pummelling him. Kaiser was never gonna let him live this down, since he was supposed to be keeping his head down while Sleuth was causing trouble.

 

She did some martial arts bullshit as she leapt back, and he watched as filthy water rose from a nearby sewer grate, her hands guiding it toward him as a torrent of disgusting water that began to rush him as it beat against his metal form.

He didn’t understand at first until the water began to circle and surround him, lifting his entire form into the air as she added more and more. He flailed helplessly as the bubble of water grew larger and larger, his eyes widening as water flooded his form. He didn’t need to breathe in his metal form, but that wasn’t the problem, as he heard the muffled sounds of the other woman chanting again.

 

The water began to freeze, his eyes widening as he was encased in a ball of ice that floated in the air for a moment as the teen moved her hands with a look of focus on her face. The older woman started chanting again, not that Brad could hear it, frozen in a block of ice, but he could see her lips moving and a vicious smirk on her face.

 

He had no idea what the black orb she threw at him was meant to do, but all he knew was pain as his metal body was shredded and shattered, his core barely surviving as he felt a shudder of true fear at the blank eyes of Nimue. She didn’t care if he died, watching clinically as his human form ejected from the core as he hit the ground with a gasp of pain.

 

He looked up, the topless girl marching toward him, and as he went to speak, she simply clubbed him over the head with her bo staff.

 

As he desperately clung to consciousness, the last thing he heard was…

 

“Mom, hand me the cloak. I don’t want to have my boobs out when Armsmaster arrives.”

 

…he got his ass beat by a teenage girl who brought her mom to the fight?

 

– Taylor Hebert (Nimue) –

 

Clad in my cloak once more, I take a look at the leather belts Mom is wearing in lieu of an actual outfit with a sigh. She’s somehow more indecent than I am, and all I have on beneath the cloak is the rags of my black exercise outfit.

 

Cricket doesn’t speak as she is put next to the unconscious Hookwolf, but despite the beating I gave her, I can see the reluctant respect in her eyes as the sound of Armsmaster’s bike approaches.

 

My phone vibrates in my cloak, and Ems places the message in my vision so I don’t have to answer it.

 

‘You fought nazis and you didn’t invite me?! :(‘

 

Vicky’s pouty message makes me laugh, even as I make Ems bring up PHO with a long-suffering sigh. Hookwolf has been down for seconds, and Ems has already posted the edited fights. She was nice enough to not post any shots of me topless, but the tastefully edited video hints at everything and despite the fact that Hookwolf has been taken down, half the comments are people thirsting over me or my Mom.

 

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about, honey. You have an amazing body, you should be proud of it,” Mom adds, getting nothing but a tired look from me as I watch Armsmaster arrive.

 

“Nimue?” Armsmaster asks, making me nod. He hesitates, seeing the unconscious Hookwolf. “Impressive work.”

 

His tone is a little strange, almost disappointed, but I just smile slightly. I won’t deny I’m a little pissed at him, since he’s supposed to be in charge of the Wards and Sophia has gotten away with all her shit under his watch, but Ems helps me hide that.

 

“Thanks. I came here for Cricket, but Hookwolf showed up as well,” I explain, seeing his eyes flicker over to where Mom is leaning against a wall, his eyes moving over her barely covered body with a disapproving frown. “She was wearing this cloak, but my outfit took… damage during the fight. I’m a durable Brute, my outfit isn’t Brute-rated,” I explain quickly, cutting off his comment.

He pauses, clearly dubious about what she was wearing beneath it, but he stops himself from commenting as he explains that a PRT van is inbound. He went first to assist, but wasn’t needed.

 

“The Ward program could help you get more… suitable outfits,” Armsmaster tries, but I just shrug.

 

“I’ve got an outfit being made by Parian, but it isn’t ready yet,” I explain, making him frown for a moment. An awkward silence falls over the street for a moment. “Has Panacea contacted the PRT about my power testing?”

 

“She has. It is being set up for tomorrow, after school,” Armsmaster confirms.

 

“That’s good,” I say, for lack of anything else to say.

 

‘God, this is painful. Watching introverts try to communicate sucks. Are you going to ask him about the weather next?”

 

Oh, shut up. It’s Armsmaster . I used to have his branded underwear. But he also is partially to blame for Sophia and her bullshit. If he paid more attention to the Wards, Sophia wouldn’t have been able to get away with nearly as much.

 

Feat Achieved: Defeat Hookwolf (200cp), 200cp remaining.

400cp skills unlocked. To unlock up to 600cp skills, you must take part in an S-class event or an Endbringer fight.

 

Unwilling to risk my power turning me into something else, I focus my new points into the Luck power.

 

[Sorcery - Fortune (Three Dots)] - 100cp (300cp total)

Source: World of Darkness: Sorcerer 

For good or for ill, this path allows the sorcerer to control the fate of their target and create both blessings and curses. For reasons unknown, this path also benefits from additional assistance more than other magics would.

 

[3] A small group of closely linked individuals( up to four people) is affected by major setbacks or breakthroughs on short-term goals for up to a week. Avoiding traffic and being stuck at the DMV. Extra good or bad luck in combat situations.

(CG Note: Requires Sorcery - Fortune (Two Dots) - World of Darkness: Sorcery first.)

 

[Sorcery - Fortune (Four Dots)] - 100cp (400cp total)

Source: World of Darkness: Sorcerer 

For good or for ill, this path allows the sorcerer to control the fate of their target and create both blessings and curses. For reasons unknown, this path also benefits from additional assistance more than other magics would.

 

[4] A group up to the size of a football team, and no less related than one, is affected by a permanent, debilitating injury or an equivalent advantage. Winning the lottery, bankruptcy, excellence at a critical moment( in combat or otherwise), or utter failure at the same. This luck may continue for several months.

(CG Note: Requires Sorcery - Fortune (Three Dots) - World of Darkness: Sorcery first.)

 

Oh my. So, this power scales rapidly. That’s good to know. I’m mildly concerned about the fact that there are two levels I haven’t seen yet.

 

As the van arrives, I let out a secret sigh of relief as I am freed from the very awkward conversation with someone I once saw as my hero, up there with Alexandria. I do give him a verbal report on what happened, along with Redwing sharing the video since Ems makes sure to record our outings. Mom admits she hasn’t picked a cape name yet, and I can see his suspicion at another cape showing up in our group.

 

So far, there’s me, Redwing, Sleuth, and now her. There’s only so many capes we can pull out of our ass until the PRT gets a little too curious.

 

Feat Achieved: Get the Simurgh’s attention. (400cp). 400cp total.

 

…what?

 

That’s not good, huh?

 

Not good is a fucking understatement. I can’t punch the Simurgh in the face.

 

[Law of the Labyrinth] - 200cp, 200cp remaining

Source: Stranger Of Paradise - Final Fantasy Origins

The Rift Labyrinth can have an interesting effect. Sometimes it can stop people from healing conventionally. You however, take this a step further than the labyrinth itself as you are capable of blocking all regeneration and healing that your enemies receive from both mundane and supernatural sources.

 

It’s definitely useful. Maybe I’ll have to track down Alabaster sometime to test it. I don’t think Endbringers heal, right? Or I guess they do between attacks? Ugh, not going to help with the fucking Simurgh .

 

[Sliding Shadows] - 200cp, 0cp remaining

Source: Hades
While some beings of the void are rather sedentary in nature, others find themselves needing to cross long distances quickly to fulfil their duties. Thanatos, God of Death, makes frequent use of such a talent, ending mortal lives. Now you, too, will be able to travel through the nothingness that spawned you, or your mother, to reappear at another point known to you. The action takes but a thought to perform, but needs a short moment between each usage. Disappearing into a puff of smoke is the traditional appearance, though you may choose something similar to better suit you.

 

Now this? I like this. Especially since I think the visions from the Sword of Resistance count as a place I know, meaning I can bypass the daily teleport and just teleport there myself instead of relying on the sword. 

 

“Thanks for coming to pick these two up,” I finally say, making Armsmaster nod as he loads them into the van. The chains Mom made get replaced with PRT restraints, and Cricket seems to understand that she’s not fighting her way out of this one. “Until next time.”

 

Before he can speak, I vanish in a puff of black smoke, dismissing Annette and Redwing at the same time. I’ve done my part, and a part of me wanted to scream at him for Sophia, so the less time I spend there, the better.

 

“I suppose I should go and see to your father. He’s a little… tied up at the moment,” Mom admits shamelessly as I sigh, wondering what I did to deserve my mom being turned into a dominatrix elf. “Oh, honey, I used to run with Lustrum . Do you really think your father isn’t used to being tied up?”

“I… yes, because I don’t think about what my parents get up to in the bedroom,” I groan, face burning as Ems giggles at Annette’s blunt admission. “ Goodnight , Mom.”

 

“You’re going back out there, aren’t you?” Mom asks, making me nod.

 

“I don’t need sleep anymore,” I point out. “I’m not going to go after any more capes tonight, don’t worry.”

“Summon me if you need me,” Mom demands, a sliver of concern in her sultry tone which makes me nod. 

“I will,” I promise, flinching as she moves forward and pulls me into a tight hug for a moment.

 

“I’m proud of you, Taylor. In a single night, you’ve taken down two dangerous villains,” Mom says, her voice softer than the teasing tone she’s had this entire time. “Do kick some neo-nazi ass for me, darling.”

 

“I will,” I promise again, making her smile fondly and ruffle my hair before she heads upstairs. Pulling out the Sword of Resistance, I focus for a moment. The sound of a whip crack followed by a moan from upstairs makes me groan, disappearing as I vanish in a puff of smoke and reappear behind a Merchant thug in the middle of an attempted mugging.

“Where the fuck did you come from-”

 

As his gun moves from his intended victim to me, that’s all the words he gets out as my fist collides with his nose, the satisfying crunch filling the dirty alleyway.

 

– Next Day –

 

Do not punch Greg in the face. Do not punch Greg in the face.

 

As the final bell rings, I let out a sigh of relief that I didn’t know I was holding and escape the classroom. Greg Veder’s loud insistence that he has the uncensored version of the Hookwolf fight and his… vocal appreciation for Nimue’s body have tested my patience and mercy considerably. 

It was made worse by Ems finding his PHO account and showing me some of the things ‘XxVoid_CowboyxX’ has been claiming. 

 

There’s a certain uneasiness around the school, focused on me. Nobody is outright saying that I’m Nimue, but my change in confidence and style and the fact that the Locker Incident was right before Nimue’s appearance have led to rumours. I can’t turn off [Tiger’s Blood], it’s just a flat aura of intimidation around me at all times. 

A jock tried to shoulder check me earlier, and ended up on his ass. Sure, I can claim that I do martial arts, I can claim I work out, but people aren’t stupid. Okay, people are stupid, but individuals can be smart sometimes, and the rumours are only getting wilder.

 

Which means they’ll reach the Empire and other villains sooner rather than later. I think it’s time to pull off the band-aid before my power does it for me. I am Nimue, and I don’t want to hide that. I don’t want to pretend to be that scared little girl I was before, and maybe the presence of an actual hero at Winslow will finally help this shithole get better.

 

“Hey, Taylor!” a nasal voice shouts, making me turn to face Greg with a tired expression.

 

“Yes, Greg?” I ask, calling on my intimidation powers to warn him of the danger he’s in. Unfortunately, they are countered by his own power of social blindness, unaware of the danger he’s in.

 

“So, I was wondering if you wanted to work out together sometime? I’ve been hitting the gym myself, you know?” Greg says, flexing as I look at his arm for a long moment, seeing nothing even closely resembling a muscle. “Because wow , your body is amazing.”

 

As he speaks, he reaches out and squeezes my bicep. I stare at him in disbelief for a moment, 

 

“I bet your abs are almost as sexy as Nimues,” Greg continues, unaware that I’m considering twisting him like a pretzel.

“Thanks for the invitation, but I think you should find someone in your weight class to work out with,” I say diplomatically, watching his face fall as he stares at me like I just threw his puppy out of the window.

 

“How do you know we’re not in the same weight class? Guys are naturally stronger than girls, you know? It’s science,” Greg tries, my stare growing slightly more disbelieving. At Ems' insistence, I’ve switched my wardrobe to be more revealing so my muscles are on clear display.

 

He isn’t out of shape , but his arms are soft and flabby. 

 

His smile fades as my stare continues, and I hear some giggling from the remaining students. The fact that many of the ones giggling are Emma’s former groupies makes me stop, sighing and running a hand through my hair.

 

“I’ll pass, Greg. I prefer to work out alone, so I don’t get distracted,” I say, unwilling to bully the idiot as tempted as I am. I deeply pity the next thug I come across, because I crave violence.

 

“M-maybe some other time?” Greg tries, making me shrug.

 

“Maybe,” I say, watching him perk up as I turn and leave.

 

‘You should have shot him down harder. A maybe implies he has a chance.’

 

Eh, it’s just Greg. I can handle him.

 

‘Poor naive Tay…’

 

Oh, shut up.

 

– Later –

 

Amy perks up and calls my name as she sees me arrive, even if the puff of black smoke certainly gains some raised eyebrows. 

 

“Hey, Nimue!” Vicky greets with a grin on her face. “Ready to have the PRT eggheads ask a billion questions?”

 

“It’s gonna be that bad?” I ask, making her laugh.

“For people like me? Not really. For healers? Oh yes,” Vicky agrees cheerfully as I approach, pulling Amy in for a kiss, which gets a whistle from Vicky at the same time. Amy goes red, but doesn’t resist as she melts into it for a moment before I break it off. I’m nice enough not to bring up the way her hands immediately moved to my abs.

 

Taking her hand, I turn to greet the PRT agent who is waiting with them as he announces my arrival, and we head toward the Rig. The PRT are providing us a ride, with Vicky gossiping about my fight last night while me and Amy humour her extroverted sister. I also ask Amy about the other healers she’s helped test in the process, 

 

“Welcome to the Rig, Nimue,” Miss Militia greets as we get out of the car, her eyes crinkling as she gives us a smile hidden by her bandana. “The testing room is prepared for you, if you’d please follow me.”

 

I have to admit, there’s a much more naive voice in my head that’s super excited to be in the Rig, following Miss Militia… oh wait, that’s Ems.

 

Oh, ha-ha.

 

As we enter the designated room, I freeze at the sight of the woman who is fussing over some testing equipment.

 

“Hello, Nimue. My name is Fortuna, I’ll be the researcher handling your power testing today,” Fortuna says with a warm smile, unfazed by my less-than-amused expression.

 

— Bonus Scene — Max Anders (Kaiser) 

 

Sometimes, he really regretted having not just gone legitimate when his father had died. Medhall was good money, it gave him power and influence and he didn’t have to deal with skinhead morons and battle-hungry psychopaths.

 

Sleuth had changed the game, and he was proud that his Empire had been the fastest to react to the changing of the tides. He’d gotten them under control and had decreed any of the worst crimes that Sleuth attributed to them as independent actions were going against his commands. 

 

The ABB was barely reacting at all, a spotlight shining on their crimes as they all fought each other like the fools that they were, without Lung there to bring them in line. The Merchants? He was fairly certain Skidmark didn’t even know Sleuth existed. It had been amusing to watch the Merchants get hit again and again without any idea what was going on.

 

No, it was the Empire that had cut their violent actions almost entirely to prevent Sleuth from being alerted to their crimes.

And yet, despite his orders, Brad had continued one of his dog fights on the argument that animal abuse didn’t trigger Sleuth. Brad continued to cause a scene, picking fights with ABB assets by using Sleuth to their benefit. 

 

Well, how had that gone for him? 

 

Nimue was becoming a problem. She was still the only lead they had on Sleuth, but the fact that she was strong enough to take down Hookwolf made her a threat. She wasn’t targeting the Empire more than any other group, given that she’d started with Lung, but she’d hit the Empire hard during a time when he was already appearing weak by making his gang cease their violent actions.

 

As the leader, he had to look strong or he’d face division in his ranks. It was almost fortunate that it was Hookwolf who had gone down because he was the one most likely to challenge Kaiser if he sensed weakness. Stormtiger was defanged without Cricket and Hookwolf, but his job was 75% presentation.  Freeing the pair would keep them in line, especially given the fact that Hookwolf was Birdcage bound. The gratitude would buy him time, but not much.

Brad had always been an animal, rabid and frothing at the mouth. His bite could hurt his masters as much as it did their enemies.

 

He needed a show of force, and soon.

 

Author’s Note: Oh no, I’m going to flash Armsmaster. Time to freeze Hookwolf in a ball of sewage. The Queen of Escalation strikes again. 

 

Armsmaster was told to be on his best behaviour since they didn’t want to push her away before the power testing, so it was truly the clash of the introverts.

 

Written: 28/04/2025