Queen of Blood (Worm/Castlevania) (Complete)

A/N: Oh, succubi are way too much fun, even keeping things SWF. Thank you, past self, for making Meridia! I’m glad everyone’s enjoying her presence here as much as I am.

And not just because of the fun things she can get up to. Even if they are offscreen.

Spoiler: Taylor's Complete Power List

Blood manipulation: Self only, but extremely versatile. Basis of the Shadow Whip, Shadow Daggers, and other things.

Short-range teleportation: Draining, but not limited to line of sight.

Bat Travel: Turns into dozens of bats and back again. Rather confusing, but helpful for mobility.

Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as some capes, but up there. M1 Abrams out of gas? I'll just push them to the gas station.

Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.

Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.

Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance. Unlocked!

Flight: I believe I can touch the sky. Does it need any more description? Unlocked!

Possession: Turns into blood, flows into some poor bastard, controls them for a period (hours at most) and when they die they explode into chunky bits. The blood has a toxic effect, so anyone possessed is doomed. (Barring unusual biology.) Unlocked!

Fleshcrafting: Feeling a little vain? Want a whole new hair color, a bigger bust, shaplier hips, or claws to rend the flesh of your enemies? Subscribe to Vamp-New-You today! (Permits the vampire to alter their own flesh permanently at some cost to their blood. Does not permit changing of bone structure. Cannot be used on others.) Unlocked!

Mist Form: Transform into near-invulnerable mist. Has quite a few lethal and non-lethal applications. Unlocked!

Telekinesis: Manipulate objects at a distance through will alone. This is limited to line of sight, and is extremely limited compared to her physical strength. She can manipulate approximately thirty pounds at range to start with, and would improve with practice and imagination.

Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?! (Locked)

Shadow Portal: Opens a gate to the Plane of Shadow, where Castlevania resides. Shadow Portals can be made nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Plane of Shadow. Unlocked!

Dominate: (Not the soul-using thing) Control over others. Takes effort, and can only do so to a few at a time. Repeated and lengthy exposure, however, can make things last longer, until they are permanently enthralled. Can be resisted with willpower and can be no-selled by various techniques/powers.(Locked)

Bat Summon: Gather swarms of bats to do thy bidding. They will follow the will of the Lady of Darkness without hesitation. Not as flexible as the Queen Administrator shard. The awareness of each bat is basic, and commands must be given to the entire swarm at once. I'm the goddamn Batman. Unlocked!

Monstrous Form: Accesses a portion of the power available to the Scarlet Dragon's mightiest shape, while retaining the flexibility afforded by a humanoid form. However, it is clearly inhuman. Unlocked!

Void Magic: Basis of the Void Sword. Drains life from its victims, heals and invigorates the wielder, and brings about an absolute chill. Unlocked!

Chaos Magic: Control and manipulation of hellfire. Many can use it, but few can project it. Forms the Chaos Claws. Unlocked!

Storm Magic: Power over electricity and the storm. An excellent method of long-range attack, and quite painful to most.

Weather manipulation: Can control the weather to some degree, whether that is summoning or banishing clouds, or building up power to make a simple cloudy day into an actual storm. It cannot, however, bring warmth or cold on its own. She can't make a blizzard in the tropics or turn Antarctica into prime beachfront property. She can just make it sunny, cloudy, or rainy. Or snowy if the time of year's right.

Dragon Shape: The mightiest form of the Heir of Dracul. Becomes a massive red dragon, standing at thirty feet tall. Can access amplified versions of currently unlocked magic, as well as other powers while in the form. However, it is an immense strain to hold the shape for very long. And it is not exactly friendly-looking at first glance. Godzilla (or whatever epic music of your choice!) is highly recommended.

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century.

Spoiler: Alucard's Complete Power List

Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as Taylor's potential, but certainly enough to be highly dangerous to a well-trained human.

Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.

Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.

Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance.

Demonic Wings: Permits him to glide with feathery, though twisted, wings.

Mist form: Near invulnerable mist. No mere prison can hold thee. Unless they put in a fan to blow you back in.

Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?!

Chaos Magic: Alucard's is not as strong as his father's, but his skill with it is extraordinary. He can use it to teleport short distances and throw fireballs, although it is limited by line of sight and distance. (The classic SotN Hellfire spell.)

Spectral Wolf: Similar to the wolf shape, however it is ethereal and impossible to injure. Alucard can use it to teleport from one location to another by sending the wolf forward, then replacing it. Or he can simply use it to scout and dissolve it.

Crissaegrim abilities: A wickedly dangerous blade Alucard forged with the materials of three legendary weapons. It permits him to enshroud it with both Void and Chaos magic, as well as being extremely lethal to both holy and unholy opponents.

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Unlike Dracul's counterpart power, he would arise in a century unless the process was sped along by blood. He would also arise in a more corpse-like state until he managed to feed.

Spoiler: Dragon's Magic Power List

Steel Crafting: Self only. Able to mold current avatar however she likes. Tends to prefer a dragon shape, as...well, she's Dragon.

Teleportation: Flashes out of existence in one place and reappears in another. Line of sight limited, but not distance-wise. Yes. This is overpowered. Limited to (naturally) light-speed maximum.

Light Form: Turns into a bright solid light construct. This is difficult to maintain, but difficult to injure..

Strength: DRAGON SMASH!

Durability: Anybody remember that scene in Superman Returns when the bullet bounces off his eye? No? Nobody? Well, it's kinda like that.

Healing: Can grant to self or others, and does not need an outside source. Wounds (or damage) heals rapidly.

Flight: I could touch the sky before I changed into a goddess. Now I just don't need to spend any effort!

Hard-Light constructs: Eat your heart out in jealousy, Green Lantern! My constructs don't get broken by lemonade!

Telekinesis: Use the Force, Luke. Stronger than Taylor's version. Not Ziz-strength, but it's up there.

Light Bridge: Opens a...uh, bridge to the Plane of Light. Think the MCU's version of the Bifrost. Can go from nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Light Plane.

Human Form: If/when she feels like trying out what a ice cream tastes like.

Light Magic: Heals and warms its users, and can be turned to be used offensively. Most effective against Dark Creatures, but still useful against other targets. Remember, the Lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi.

Heavenly Flame Magic: The opposite of Chaos Magic. Her white fire burns, but is formed from calmness, logic. It is a fire that illuminates, but can be destructive all the same.

Storm Magic: The point of commonality between Light and Darkness. Electricity is such a useful thing. Due to her original nature as a mechanical being, Dragon's control of it is extraordinarily precise.

Dragon Shape: For when someone or something big really, really needs to be stomped. Is this a copied power? No! It's a completely different kind of dragon!

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century. This is common for gods.

Spoiler: Madison's Equipment List

Vampire Killer: A simple hilt attached to a combat whip that can be slung out and controlled by an ingeniously designed retraction system. On the end of the hilt is a silver stake, perfect for killing vampires, werewolves, and lawyers. The weapon is specifically designed to kill creatures of the night, but works on anything quite well and is capable of channeling magic.

Light Magic amulet: Allows its wearer to heal over time. Needs to be fueled by someone capable of putting magic into it, which is currently limited to Dragon and Madison. It doesn't permit Wolverine-style healing, but it lets short fights turn into long ones and wearing one overnight heals even most serious injuries. Can be sped up by forcing the magic to flow more quickly, but that drains the amulet which needs time and attention to recharge.

Seraphic Shoulders: Creates ghostly angelic wings for a few moments, allowing Madison to catch herself in the air or glide.

Heavenly Gauntlet: A black (I know, it clashes!) gauntlet that generates white fire, equal to that of the fires of Hell.

Cyclone Boots: Allows high-speed running, jumping, and as a bonus, permits its wearer to take long falls without breaking their legs. Yes, all she needs is a Portal Gun.

Silver Daggers: Small, easily palmable, and crafted for a nasty surprise attack. Yes, it can hurt a lot to suddenly have a knife in your throat, whether you're a werewolf or not.

Holy Water: Water that's been exposed to sunlight and had Light Magic channeled through it. Does nothing against most people, would really tick off Taylor and Alucard. When used with Light Magic channeled through its user, forms a light-shield to ward off attacks and really tick off vampires.

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I looked up at the PRT building.

During the middle of the fight with the Nine, I hadn’t had much time to take in the damage done to it. Just a few scant months ago, the building was a pristine, shining beacon, a symbol of law and order. It was designed to inspire awe, and feelings of security, just as Dracul’s castle was designed to inspire foreboding and fear to the enemy.

Now the top floors were gone completely, a few jagged shards of glass poking upward, like the clawed fingers of some immense beast. A lot of the outer windows were destroyed, the glass having scattered mostly inside the building itself. Sure, conventional physics said that most of the glass should have scattered outwards, but powers were bullshit. Sometimes it was just easier to accept that and move on. Even though it was just such fun to complain.

I walked in through the entrance, swallowing as I pushed down my instinctive fear. I knew they wouldn’t try and contain me again, at least unless I went nuts, but even now, the idea of being trapped again wasn’t something I enjoyed. Sure, I know I had the means to escape, unless they happened to figure out some way to counter my own unique brand of bullshit. Still, my subconscious wasn’t easy to convince, and I was stuck with my fear, whether I liked it or not. All I could do was deal. Already knew I couldn’t run forever.

“It ain’t easy, Red. After a while, we just deal, cause we got no other choice.”

That reminded me, I needed to head by the Pelhams later today. Vicky needed moral support. And...yeah, I needed her friendship, too. All this terrible shit dumped on us, and now we were just trying to get through it and deal with things.

The receptionist looked up, going pale as she recognized me. She was the same one from my first day back, the same perky blonde. That felt like ages ago, now.

I smiled gently, careful to make sure my fangs weren’t showing. “Scarlet for three.” I made sure to arrive early, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were issues. Piggot had a lot on her plate.

The receptionist smiled faintly, slight relief showing in her posture. “Director Piggot’s expecting you.” She nodded to the elevator at the side.

I took one look at the doors. And winced, and shuddered. Turning back to the receptionist, I sighed. “I’ll be using the stairs.”

A PRT trooper, who had just come up to my side, groaned. Behind her face-guard, she looked at me with a long-suffering look. “Do you have to use the stairs?”

I grimaced. “Kind of, yes. I do not like small spaces. Your elevator counts. You’re welcome to use it and meet me up there.”

She groaned. “Can’t let you go on your own. Director’s orders.”

I shook my head with a chuckle. “Well, we’d better get to it, then.”

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I was led to a conference room, where Director Piggot and Armsmaster were waiting. Armsmaster was standing, halberd in hand, while Piggot was sitting beside a large screen, it taking up most of the wall. I noticed the room was a fair bit warmer than the hall when I strode inside, and a bit more humid. Still, it was pleasant enough in there.

Piggot looked at my escort, who, despite her protests, had went up the stairs without too much trouble. She kept in shape, though I suppose taking the stairs up ten floors wasn’t exactly fun anyway. My undead status made me near-tireless, and even if it hadn’t, my power more than made up the difference.

Piggot looked to my escort. “Thank you, Harper. You’re dismissed.”

She snapped off a salute and walked out, shutting the door behind her.

I gave Piggot and Armsmaster a nod, folding my hands in front of me. “Well, I’m glad to see you both made it through things okay. How’s Kid Win, and Vista?”

Armsmaster inclined his head. “Kid Win’s stable, for the moment. He’s healing well, thanks to those amulets, but he’s resting. Vista’s on leave with her family.”

Piggot scowled. “We have a lot to discuss.” She picked up a remote I hadn’t noticed and hit a button.

The screen lit up, divided into two sections. Chief-Director Rebecca Costa-Brown took up one section, sitting behind a desk, a rather nice view of the Los Angeles skyline behind her. The other was a man I didn’t recognize, but he had the distinctive PRT logo on the walls behind him. His office seemed spartan, without even the smallest personal effect there.

Piggot cleared her throat. “Chief Director Costa-Brown, Director James Tagg. We’re here to discuss the actions of Scarlet Knight, now Scarlet Dragon, in light of concerns that have come up.” Piggot looked at me, her expression unreadable.

Tagg, on the middle screen, leaned forward. “I hope for your sake, you have good answers.”

Costa-Brown frowned, her voice full of warning. “Tagg.”

I looked from the screens, to Piggot, then Armsmaster. The Protectorate hero was stiff, but I could see the fingers on his halberd clenching slightly. He seemed relaxed, but I recognized the way he was holding himself. He was ready to leap into action in a second, if required. And he was hoping it wasn’t required.

You are the Dragon. They are beneath you. You are not their servant, but their master. Make them see it and force them to bow to your will, or destroy them as they deserve.

I tried to not let my surprise show. Those words were very clear. Goddamn it, Dracul.

I let my voice take on a cool tone. “First of all, I need a few assurances. I plan to tell you as much as I can.” I looked to Tagg. “I assume you’ve been briefed fully on me?”

He nodded, his expression unreadable. “I’ve signed the relevant forms, yes. I know your true identity, though I don’t know why you’re trying to pull the ruse of being the island’s ‘leader’ on everyone. What are you trying to pull, claiming to be a leader of a foreign nation while at the same time pushing for prosecution of your ‘murderer.’ You’re either Taylor Hebert, murder victim who revived, or Scarlet Dragon, parahuman ruler. You can’t have it both ways.”

He dares dictate his petty mortal terms to me?

I lifted an eyebrow as I looked to Piggot. “I’m actually somewhat surprised you’re still pushing the case through.”

She frowned. “I’m not about to try antagonizing you. I don’t like being manipulated, and it was such that got us into this mess. I don’t want to see you act like Kaiser. Besides...” She grimaced. “I’m glad you’re not one of the damned villains out there, but had things just gone slightly worse after your return, I can easily see you having become so. The idea of someone with your power, unrestrained? It’s a nightmarish scenario, and it nearly happened thanks to Shadow Stalker. It’d be as bad as the Nine. If we can get Stalker back in our hands, we’ll take care of things there. But in the meantime, the Barnes are nearly as responsible.”

That was well done.

Oh, goddamn it. Was I going to get that all the time now, too?

Mentally whacking Dracul with a whiffle bat, I nodded in understanding. Truth be told, I’d forgotten about the case. I had other, larger concerns on my mind. “Speak your concerns, and I will answer them to the best of my ability.” I took off my helmet, setting it on the conference table. Sure, these days, it didn’t conceal my face, but it would help get across my reactions.

Tagg spoke then, his voice even and dangerous. “First of all, we need to discuss your island. It is my understanding you have a lot of ‘citizens’ there. What guarantee do you have that they won’t run rampant?”

I looked at his screen, lifting an eyebrow. “What guarantee do you have that no United States citizen won’t, say, head to China and blow things up? I can’t give such a guarantee because my citizens are free-willed, thinking beings. I can say that they won’t attack anyone else with my orders, with the exception of anyone who attacks me and their home, first. I am their god-queen. Their freedom from a place of eternal darkness is reliant on me. The animalistic denizens of my island are under the control of the smarter ones, and the smarter ones do not want to anger me.” I smiled slightly. “You’re worried I’m another Nilbog. I’m not. He carved out his territory out in the middle of your own. He created creatures, monsters, all to kill his hometown. He’s content to sit around behind those walls you erected around him.”

I noticed Piggot flinch slightly, so I softened my tone somewhat. “Whereas I just brought something that already existed, albeit out of reach of you, into reach. And in the process I’m bringing resources that just might help us kill the last two Endbringers. Now I’m not about to let my citizens run around. I’ll bring golems, like before, for the next time they appear, along with volunteers of my people, but they’re not going to set foot off the island unless I let it happen. Right now, they simply lack the means. They won’t be able to move until I drop them on the Endbringers. Those need to be stopped. Permanently.” I looked at Costa-Brown. “I’m guessing you’ve got entire labs worth of people trying to find easier ways to cut the Simurgh apart, in hopes of it working on the other two?”

A faintly amused smile was on the Chief-Director’s lips. “Naturally. We’ll discuss that another meeting.”

Tagg cut in, his scowl taking up most of his screen. “I’m recommending a handler be assigned to you on a long-term basis. If you’re going to insist on this farce of being a foreign ruler, we can’t have you running around solo on American soil. At this point I could have you arrested for espionage.”

Ah, the petty lord tries to collar me. He deserves a face full of flame for his arrogance.

I stared at him. A smile nearly split my face in half. “Nice joke. Had me going for a moment there.”

Tagg’s scowl grew deeper. “I’m not joking, girl. You’re claiming to be the head of a state that self-admittedly spied on our country. If it weren’t for the goodwill you’ve earned, I’d have already recommended an attack on that floating castle of yours. You don’t have the right to run roughshod over us just because you have powers, even if you’re Triumvirate level or even above.” He leaned forward in his chair. “You don’t get extra privilege just because you have power.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Really? I have an example for you. Lung. He was allowed to roam around free for years, because he has strength enough to beat anyone, given time. More examples? Kaiser, who runs a gang of actual fucking neo-Nazis. He’s got the privilege of being free because he brings his gang to fight Endbringers, despite the fact that every time he does, he gets more recruits to his sick cause. Want something non-local? Glastig Uaine. How many people did she kill before she walked into the Birdcage? Now I come along, actually being helpful, and you’re being a massive fucking idiot. If I was as bad as some of the people on the internet claim, I’d be eating your heart by now.”

Tagg opened his mouth, only to be cut off by Costa-Brown. “Tagg, your next words had better be an apology or your intention to quit. While we all have concerns about the actions of powerful parahumans, needlessly antagonizing one that’s not only powerful but is a leader of an entire nation of parahumans is foolish in the extreme. That’s not your job.”

Tagg clamped his mouth shut, visibly stewed for a few seconds, then spoke. “My apologies.”

I smiled, though I was sure it didn’t reach my eyes. “Accepted. Now...I promised to answer your questions, didn’t I?”

Piggot spoke, her voice neutral. “The Master ability you used on Bonesaw. What is it?”

I grimaced. “That is the least favorite ability I have. I’ve used it twice, the first by accident, and the second time on Bonesaw because I saw no other choice.”

Tagg glared at me through the screen. “You Mastered a civilian? That’s a Birdcage-level offense, right there.”

I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t Master anybody other than Bonesaw. When I discovered I had that power, it was by possessing a rat. Which, by the way, lived for about thirty seconds before its little body failed under the strain and I exploded out of it.” I frowned as I tried to consider things from their point of view. “You’re concerned I might use it to control someone high up in the government? It’s not much use, even if I were inclined. It’s a horrific thing to do to somebody, and I didn’t even want to do it to Bonesaw. But it was the only way I could save Mark and Carol Dallon.” I took a deep breath and sighed. “I really, really hate the shit the Nine pulled. Anyway, that power of mine has drawbacks. I can take someone over, but I don’t get their memories. I can use their skills and abilities, but I don’t get their passwords or anything like that. Also, anyone I use it on will die. Bonesaw lasted three hours because of the extensive upgrades she used on herself. I doubt an ordinary person would last more than ten minutes.”

Piggot was somewhat pale. Armsmaster seemed stotic. Costa-Brown furrowed her brow, her voice thoughtful. “If that’s the case, then standard M/S protocols would catch you rather easily.”

Tagg seemed aghast. “We’re not going to take action?”

Costa-Brown shook her head. “I’ll be concerned about Scarlet using that power on someone when she does it to someone without a long-standing kill order on their heads. Given she used it to save two heroes and created the vaccine that prevented a deadly plague from escaping the city? I’m certainly willing to allow it.”

I nodded. “For what it’s worth, I don’t like using it, even on Bonesaw, or anyone else. I just had no other way of getting her to undo her work. I tried to convince her, but she wanted to cut my head open and work on me as her price. That was not going to happen. I wasn’t going to take the risk that I could end up a puppet of the fucking Nine.”

Even Tagg winced at that.

Costa-Brown nodded in understanding. “They’ve been a scourge on the world for too long. I’m glad to see them gone.”

Tagg’s scowl just grew deeper. “I’m leery about letting you run around without a handler. You took the Siberian head-on and didn’t get turned into a smear for it. How many other people could do the same?”

I sighed. “That really doesn’t matter. I understand your concerns, truth be told I share them. I have great power, enough that it scares me. I can fully understand why it scares you, too.” I pulled out a chair and sat in it, putting my hands on the conference table. “This may take a bit. And some of it is going to sound crazy.” I looked to Armsmaster. “I assume you have your lie detector program running, and having this recorded?”

He nodded.

I took a deep breath and spoke. “You noticed I’m versatile, and powerful.” My lip quirked. “Dare I ask what my official ratings are, at the moment?”

Piggot’s lips curled slightly in amusement. “We’ve actually given up on an official listing. You’re classified as a Trump 10 S-class parahuman. If only because it’s easier than labelling every single power you’ve been observed using. You’re the combination of every damn nightmare cape I’ve ever heard of.”

Tagg growled from the screen. “If you had revealed the full scope of your powers before Vancouver, you’d likely have been recruited or caged by now.”

I smiled faintly. “You can’t cage me, even in the Birdcage. You can’t control me. And you can’t afford to kill me. I suggest, Director Tagg, that you get your priorities straight. I’m dangerous, I know. You’re afraid of me, I know that too. But why the hell do you think antagonizing me is a good idea? I’ve done nothing but help people since I woke up in my damn coffin. If you want a world without the fucking Endbringers slowly driving us into extinction, then let me help without trying to fucking enslave me.”

Tagg narrowed his eyes. “We have the legal right and duty to assess threats to our country and the world as a whole, and to eliminate them if necessary. You aren’t one. Yet. I hope you never become one, but I have to assess the possibility. Too many parahumans appeared to be friendly or harmless at first, only for their real potential and danger to become apparent later. You’re just one example.” He tapped the papers in front of him. “Scarlet Knight, power: Teleportation without line of sight. Mover four, tentative. Then added lines, Changer three, bat swarm. Master six, bat control. Shaker four, thermokinesis, later upgraded to eight. The list goes on and on here. We finally put all this data past our Thinkers and you know what they came up with? Your power is listed as Adaptive Trump. And worse, your files state you require a diet of blood. I think I have every right to be concerned about you. If I had it my way, I’d have had you declared a ward of the state, put you in the Wards program, or put you under study in a very deep hole.”

I frowned at him. “Well, I’m glad you don’t have your way, because if I were as terrible as you think, you’d be risking the very thing you’re afraid of. Me off the leash.” I looked at the Chief-Director’s side of the screen. “Now I suggest you get him off the line. He’s not exactly helping my mood at the moment. Either he goes or I do, and the next time we talk will be on my soil.”

Tagg actually growled. “You don’t get to dictate terms to me-”

Costa-Brown cut him off, her voice even and dangerous. “Director Tagg, that’s enough. Your input has been appreciated, and will no longer be required today.”

Tagg opened his mouth, shut it, then stiffened behind his desk. “Understood, Chief-Director.” He moved his hand, then his half of the screen went black.

I shook my head. “What an ass.”

Costa-Brown looked faintly amused at that.

Piggot spoke, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Still, he does have a point, although he was being rather idiotic about pushing it. We’re all nervous about you. Can we....at least try to work something out? If we don’t figure out some kind of equitable arrangement to take to the government, they could demand you head to your island and stay there, barring the Endbringers going on the attack. And if you just ignored that...”

I took a deep breath, considering her words. Okay, point taken. I had a lot of goodwill, but burning it in a contest of wills wasn’t going to help my goals. But I wasn’t going to help my goals if I let them run roughshod over me, either. I might be young, but I wasn’t...okay, I was dumb, but I did have the impression of a man who knew how this shit worked in my head.

You are the Lord of Darkness. They must bow to you or suffer the wrath of the Dragon. Raze their petty kingdom to ashes with the fires of Hell.

Okay, that’s out. His advice is terrible.

I sighed, and slowly spoke. “All right. How about this...while I'm in public here, until the quarantine drops, I'll play nice.” Tapping my chin, I nodded slowly to myself. "I wouldn't mind it if Miss Militia was my 'protection' while we get things sorted out." I looked between Armsmaster, Piggot, and the impassive face on the big TV screen. “I’ve got a lot to prepare for. Regardless of his posturing, I am going to lend aid.” I lifted a finger as Piggot opened her mouth. “But if I’m pressed, I just may decide to take up a few offers I got in the mail. Both Australia and Canada have offered me a lot of land to settle my people in. Now I want to see this city get out of its economic slump. I’ve even started work on a plan that just might help out with that.”

Armsmaster nodded slowly. “Which is?”

I smiled faintly. “You’ve seen my portals. With a gateway built here, I can make them permanent. I can even make it so that they don’t need me to open them. And...well, I’m going to need to do some testing, but distance isn’t an issue. I can put a portal here, you take a step through, take another portal in my Shadow Plane, and be somewhere else. Even, say...London. Or Madrid, or Antarctica. You could get there in ten minutes or less. Or on a more mundane note? Little portals for internet providers and phone lines. Done right, we just might get faster than light communications. It’s an extension of the Endbringer shelter I’m building in there.”

Costa-Brown blinked. “That would be...very valuable.”

My smile was positively feral. “I thought so. Now I’m not asking for much. I think it’s entirely reasonable for me to get a few qualified contractors in exchange, hm?” I had to repress a laugh. "Oh, and where can I pick up one of these big screens, anyway? Would be a really nice home theater system."

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A/N: Yeah, there was some idiocy last chapter. But now, at least, the reasons appear!

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“What the hell were you thinking?” Chief-Director Rebecca Costa-Brown demanded. “She’s labeled an S-class parahuman and you intentionally attempt to provoke her after I told you to back off? You’re lucky she didn’t decide to break off all relations and move to Australia. If she’d been as much of a threat as you think, we’d probably be at war with her right now!”

Tagg stood unmoving, his hands folded behind his back. “With respect, Chief-Director, I believed that we could use the appropriate pressure to get her under control. She is a United States citizen. Her father is a citizen. She has plenty of areas where we can push the appropriate political pressure to bring her into the Protectorate. If we went to her father, and had him sign her up for the Wards, legally she has to obey. I thought it worth the risk. Senator Oakley is demanding that she be brought under control, in exchange for ensuring the Barnes case is uninterrupted.”

Rebecca glared at him. “Legally? She’s got power enough to just ignore any legal pressure we attempt to bring to bear upon her. When I was pushed by Congress to put pressure on her, I objected. I called it idiotic. I called it ludicrous. Senator Oakley, Senator Tooms, Senator Johnson and Genera Hanlon threatened to pull my funding if I didn’t. Do you have any idea how much trouble we went through over this? Do you have any clue the danger you risked?”

Tagg kept himself still, knowing his input wasn’t wanted just yet.

“I dislike having my hands forced, Tagg. You went over my head to Oakley. Did you think I wouldn’t discover it?”

Tagg didn’t move, his voice without emotion. “Permission to speak freely?”

Rebecca nodded. “Granted.”

His voice was filled with self-assurance. “I took the necessary steps, Chief-Director. There have been concerns that your administration hasn’t been as effective as it should be, given the resources available to the PRT. It’s been noticed that things have been sliding downhill for years, Chief-Director. There’s a lack of firepower and manpower in the hands of the PRT as a whole, while the capes get the best hand at everything. The best resources, first share on materials, the best scientists to help them work through their powers. Meanwhile, we’re using gear that hasn’t been updated in four years. Ten in other places. And we’re expected to keep entire cities walled in permanently with minimal support.”

She narrowed her eyes, easily getting to the point he was slowly getting around to. “You believe you can do a better job than I do.”

Tagg nodded. “You’ve done fine work leading the PRT, Chief-Director. However we’re no longer growing. We’re being slowly bled to death. Villains run rampant in every city in America. Brockton Bay is the worst off, but even in New York, right under Legend’s nose, there’s a lot of villain activity that just isn’t handled. It needs to be stopped. If we cracked down hard on all parahuman activity, either recruit or neutralize all parahumans, we’d have a stronger fighting force. Endbringer fights would end sooner if we piled every cape in the country on them, we know Behemoth and Leviathan run when they’ve taken enough damage. And while the villains fighting back would do some damage until they were brought under control, we could actually fix the problems any given city had once they were removed. The ‘unwritten rules’ are a bandage over an infected wound. It makes things seem okay, but it doesn’t help in the long run. The infection itself has to be cleaned before things will get better.”

Rebecca smiled slightly. “I see where you’re coming from, James. But it simply wouldn’t work. Especially considering some of the capes out there. When Scarlet first appeared, it was your recommendation that she be brought in with all possible leverage.” She made a show of looking at the sheet of paper on her desk. “Let’s see... this is right after she neutralized Bakuda and her gang. And after she defeated Lung, which she did less than a day after crawling out of her grave. ‘Put pressure on her father to sign his legal guardianship over to the PRT. Place in the High-Stress Training Facility in Nevada for power testing.’” All the warmth dropped from her gaze. “Consider that she first took that dragon shape against the Simurgh. Had you gotten your way, it’s highly likely she would have unleashed it against us instead. Then we’d have an S-class cape running around with a grudge against us. Secondly, she killed three of the Slaughterhouse Nine personally, and she took on the Siberian without getting killed. The number of capes that can say that can be counted on one hand, and most of those did it just by being able to move faster than the Siberian could chase. I’ll grant you it’s probably possible for us to beat her. But doing so will be throwing good men and good capes away for no good reason. We don’t have the means to control her, and we shouldn’t even try. Especially since she’s both cooperative and willing to provide her own brand of Tinkertech. Which will help with the manpower problem you yourself noticed.”

Tagg straightened his collar. “With respect, ma’am. She’s fifteen. She’s not politically savvy. We can use more subtle means to get her under control.”

Rebecca barked out a laugh. “Really? Just after you hung up, she offhandedly pointed out that Canada and Australia have both offered her land to settle in. She might not be very old, but she recognized our ploy for what it was even after you went off-script and started threatening her. And at this point? Subtlety is completely lost as an option. Considering the size of that island that’s blatantly ignoring the law of gravity, she could easily have a population of millions there. We know so very little about the population there, but I do know what we can’t afford: Another Nilbog who can just happily teleport her army anywhere she wants. You’re afraid of her being out of your control? I’m afraid of her deciding she wants the White House for a summer cottage!”

Tagg swallowed.

He hadn’t considered that. Dismissing concerns from her second Mover power. Hadn’t considered the ramifications in his desire to see her under control. Was so focused on the possible prize he neglected the danger. Idiot!

Rebecca leaned forward, fixing him with a glare. “Let’s get something straight. You answer to me, and I answer to the President and Congress as a whole, not the idiotic chickenhawk Senators from New Hampshire, Nevada and Florida. Senator Oakley does not set policy on parahumans in this country. She played a key part in killing an Endbringer. The very one that’s given us all nightmares since it arrived. You remember Switzerland. I know you do. Thanks to Scarlet Dragon, we won’t have another Switzerland ever again. Never another Canberra. Another Madison. And you threatened her. We were supposed to just get a handle on her psychological state and collect some data. We need information for our think-tanks and Thinkers to work with, and we got it within a minute. But you kept going and risked a fucking war.”

He shifted slightly on his feet. “You don’t need to remind me about what we saw in Switzerland, Chief-Director. I remember all too well. I was most concerned about the possibility of her self-admitted Master ability. Which was the main reason I recommended it was just the two of us and Director Piggot. If her Master ability was as bullshit as all the other powers she has on record, it’s possible she could have taken control of the entire PRT in that one meeting.”

Rebecca nodded. “Indeed. And it was a valid concern. However, you were far out of line. In fact, it made me take a review of your past behaviour. It’s been rather interesting reading.” She leaned forward slightly, her voice filled with an arctic chill. “Do you want to know what I found?”

Tagg didn’t look nervous. He simply looked secure. Her power filled in the details.

Self-assured. Believes he has nothing to apologize for. Willing to dirty his hands to get the job done. Does not believe he can be wrong.

Rebecca opened the file folder in front of her, sorting through the sheets. Her Thinker power made it unnecessary, every sheet in every file she’d ever seen was memorized perfectly, but most people didn’t have that luxury and she had to keep up appearances if nothing else. She came up to the third sheet and read it out loud for his benefit. “Report, 91275. Parahuman: Canary. Paige Mcabee. Rogue. Arrested for aggravated assault with a parahuman power. Because of the events in question, her threat rating has been upgraded to Master Eight, and it is thus recommended that she be restrained and unable to speak for the duration of her trial.”

Tagg was unmoved as Rebecca flipped to the next page. “Can’t be too careful with Masters, Chief-Director.”

She glared at him. “Recommended course of action: Deny Canary the choice of legal counsel for security concerns, and provide a public defender. Deny her the ability to testify on her own behalf. Deny her the materials to provide written testimony. Force her to appear before the court in restraints meant for a Brute Six. Regardless of the circumstances of her crimes, a Master Eight over humans is too dangerous to risk releasing back into the civilian population at any point. Therefore, it is recommended she is contained in the Birdcage, no matter what charges she is found guilty of. Signed, Director James Tagg.”

She looked up at him, her voice cold. “Judge Peter Regan is a close friend of Senator Oakley, isn’t he?”

Tagg shifted his head slightly to the left.

Definitely yes.

To her, he might as well have yelled ‘yes’ at the top of his lungs. And sent her a text message of everything the Judge and the Senator had gotten up to over the last twenty years. Still, his voice was calm. “I’m not aware of any friendship between the Judge and the Senator, Chief-Director.”

Her lip twitched as she repressed a snarl. She went to the next page. “Report 84572. Upload. Classification: Rogue. A Tinker specializing in bio-memetic metal compounds, ideal for prosthetics and mind-computer interfaces. Arrested for the theft of 1.2 million dollars with a parahuman power, sentenced to the Birdcage out of concerns he might disrupt the world’s economy or take control of military assets by neural-uplink.” She set the page down and looked at him. “Valid concerns, if he had actually been guilty of the crime. Turned out the crime he’d been accused of was committed by an entirely mundane college graduate and a corrupt security guard at the Bank of America.” If her glare could kill, Tagg would have been reduced to a smudge on the floor. “Evidence which came to light during Upload’s trial, and suppressed by you.” She threw the page at Tagg, which he reflexively caught. “We can’t even theoretically free him from the Birdcage, because a year after he went in, Acidbath killed him. An innocent man’s blood on your hands, Tagg. And mine.”

He swallowed. “Upload refused to work with the Protectorate. An example had to be set. Tinkers are only slightly less dangerous than Masters, and with his speciality, he could have outfitted himself with dozens of slaves. Just as with Canary. Which you signed off on. Both of them had the potential to be the next Heartbreaker. We don’t need more personal kingdoms popping up. Which, I have to point out, Scarlet Knight did literally.”

Rebecca nodded. “Indeed, I did. I signed off on the handling of Canary due to a number of factors, one of which is that I slipped into the same mode of thinking you’re demonstrating right now. I approved of the logic of making an example of a Master who caused grievous harm on an unpowered individual.” And reminding those who bought their powers what happened if they failed to keep their noses clean. How ruthless had we become? How much of my soul do I have left? “I am now reconsidering that approval. The PRT does not just stand for protecting humans from parahumans. It also stands for protecting parahumans from humans. We’ve forgotten that. It’s time we remembered.”

Tagg scoffed slightly. “Chief-Director, with all respect, the world doesn’t need idealism. It needs practicality. Upload was a danger. Canary was a danger. Reaver was a danger. And so were Quartz, Sun Wukong, Blacklight, Admin, Flamelurker, hell, even Lightshow was a danger. We needed them either neutralized or on our side, and simply containing some of them wasn’t an option. I took the steps to ensure they were handled. I was specifically brought in for each one. I am the expert on Masters and other dangerous parahumans, whether rogues or villains.”

Rebecca nodded. “You are. At this point, however, your work is doing more harm than good.” Without changing expression, she lifted her knee to press a button on the underside of her desk. “Considering the situation you nearly provoked with a parahuman who has enough power, both personal and temporal, to be a player on the world stage, I am hereby dismissing you from your post as Director.”

He clenched his jaw. “Chief-Director, you’re making a huge mistake here. I admit I could have been more careful in my approach, but you need me. You need people like me, the people who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. Everything I’ve done was for the greater good.”

Rebecca looked him in the eye.

Just what I would have said, not too long ago.

A faint smile lifted her lips. “You know how heroes become villains, James?”

He blinked, and scowled. “Of course. They cross the line. They start acting for themselves. People with powers do it all the time. We’re here to bring them into line and stop them when that doesn’t happen.”

She shook her head.

Hero, hovering beside her in his power armor, arms crossed. “The problem, Alexandria, is that you’re still acting like a thug.”

“What?” she whirled around to face him. “I roughed him up a bit. Not like he didn’t have it coming.”

“You’re a hero, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am.”

“Then you understand how heroes can become villains?”

Her voice was soft as she echoed the words her friend spoke, all those years ago. “Heroes don’t become villains over one choice. It’s a process. A million little things changing you just a bit every day, until eventually you find yourself willing to do what used to be unthinkable because you’re only a little bit different from what you were yesterday.” She stared Tagg in the eye. “Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. Allowing justice to die in the name of law and order. Nobody gets up in the morning and says ‘I’m going to do the most evil thing I possibly can today’ with the possible exceptions of the unlamented and unmourned Slaughterhouse Nine. Now you do have a point, Tagg. We’ve been sliding. Stuck in a holding pattern as things crumble around us. At this point, however, things have changed.”

“Even the worst of times has its bright spots, Becca.”

She turned away from the TV, feeling...leaden. “We lost, Clark. Behemoth just...tore his way through New York. How can we try to just look on the bright side? Where’s the bright side in this? We couldn’t end him, even with everything we could throw at him. I could lift a mountain if the damn thing could hold together, but we couldn’t stop him.”

Clark nodded, wincing as a spark arced from the cannon he was building. He shook his head ruefully as he carefully made sure to ground the wires. “Yeah, we didn’t win this. We didn’t lose it either, but we didn’t win. Yeah, he killed a lot of people. Good people. Friends of mine, too.”

Alexandria nearly snapped at him. “Then why the hell are you trying to tell me that there’s a bright side to this?”

He simply pointed at the screen.

The banner said it all. ‘Heroes of New York.’ And there they were. The members of the Protectorate who all turned up to fight the Herokiller. Who managed to drive off the beast without Scion’s aid, and many who paid for it with their lives. And right beside them, the villains of New York City who stood with them. The selfish and the egotistical who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with those they held as sworn enemies, all to face the Endbringer.

“Know what can turn villains into heroes, Becca?” He pointed at the TV. “The right cause. The feeling of being part of something greater. Sure, most of them are going to turn back, return to the status quo. But there’s going to be a few, maybe even more than a few, who having stared death in the face, will have found brothers and sisters in blood while fighting Behemoth. People are weird, Becca, but they’re understandable if you know what to look for.”

She blinked at Clark. “You can’t be serious.”

He chuckled, returning his attention to the cannon. “Oh, I’m serious. I bet you a hundred bucks we’re going to get at least twenty more heroes signing up in NYC, at least half of which will have suspiciously familiar powers. I give it a month.”

Rebecca shook her head, disbelief on the forefront of her mind. “Deal.”

He looked satisfied. “Good. Now, soon as I finish up with the Corona prototype here, I’m going on a recruitment drive.”

Rebecca stared at him, then burst out laughing. “Of course, you’re going to cheat on our bet.”

Clark winked. “Of course, Becca. I’m a Tinker. We never play fair.”

And a month later, Rebecca dropped an envelope filled with cash into Clark’s mailbox.

The door swung open, and two PRT troops walked in. One pointed a foam sprayer at Tagg, while the other placed his hand on the Director’s shoulder.

Rebecca let herself smile. “Master/Stranger protocol. See to it he’s isolated for no less than 48 hours. And ready up the paperwork for his dismissal.”

Tagg grit his teeth as he let himself get pulled away. “You know I’m not being controlled!”

Her smile grew wider. “Can’t be too careful with Masters, Director Tagg.”

--------------------

Contessa looked at David, a frown on her face. “I’m not certain what you’re trying to do, here.”

Doctor Mother crossed her arms, looking at the formula resting in David’s hands. “From the sections of the corpse of Scion’s counterpart, at least if the trials are right...that’s almost all stabilizing agent. We never got anything impressive out of it. The most we managed was to make ideal mixes.”

David nodded. “Not by itself, no. And you’re right, under ordinary circumstances, this formula wouldn’t do much. They’d get a weak power out of it, probably something that wouldn’t be of much use.” He cradled it gently. “But this much is the key to preventing seventeen more Endbringers from appearing.” He looked at Contessa. “From what I understand, there’s a being at the core of each of them. The remains of their original bodies. They’re caught, trapped, connected to hundreds of shards...what we called agents. That’s the source of our powers.”

Contessa nodded, chewing on her lip.

Doctor Mother’s voice was filled with interest. “And Scarlet Dragon?”

David shook his head. “She’s the result of the power of a being that’s at the core of an Endbringer finding a host. Superficially, it looks the same as a trigger event, but it isn’t. She has no agent, her power isn’t from Scion or his counterpart. And neither is Dragon’s, now. They’re gods. I know it sounds silly, but that’s the actual term. They exist because...well that’s complicated. From what I’ve figured out, their power came from a different multiverse. It branched away from ours very, very early on.”

Doctor Mother shook her head. “It’s hard enough trying to comprehend our own multiverse and the dimensions that make it up. We can access trillions upon trillions of Earths with Doormaker, and now you’re telling me there’s more beyond that.”

David laughed softly. It seemed odd on his face, as he hadn’t laughed in years. “Yeah, it’s a real headache, isn’t it? The thing is, they’re gods. I’m not saying that as a matter of arrogance, but that’s the literal term. They’re connected to...subdimensions, I suppose is the word for it. They call them planes, it’s not quite a pocket dimension, it’s a lot more than that. They draw power from them. Followers, worshippers, can grant them more strength, but even with no worshippers they’re powerful. That puts them on a level rivalling individual agents, though on their own, it isn’t enough to beat something like Scion alone. Maybe not even all of the gods put together. But we’ll definitely be better off with them free and working to help than standing aside. Or worse, with them on Scion’s side.” He tapped the side of his head. “My power was meant to control them. But because my agent’s damaged, like all of those we can get to with Scion’s counterpart, the connection never formed properly. I can’t command them directly. They operate on my wants rather than my thoughts. Right now, I’m concentrating on wanting them free and calm...hopefully it helps. I also know where they’re in hibernation, where we can free the dormant ones before they wake up. So at worst, we have to deal with Behemoth and Leviathan.”

Contessa nodded slowly. “That would help explain why we’ve had so much trouble modeling Scarlet. Something about these...gods...” She looked distasteful as she spoke the word. “Gives difficulty with precognition?”

David nodded with a wry smile. “Even their Goddess of Fate, Ariel, who became the Simurgh, can’t predict another god easily. It’s possible to do it, but you have to be looking at effects, while avoiding looking at the cause.” He shook his head. “Same way we know he will go nuts in the future. We can’t get details on what sets Scion off, but we know there’s a very high chance he will. I had the opportunity to ask a very powerful precog some questions to fill in the blanks. She’s one of the few who can get somewhat reliable information on the ‘unplottable.’” His lip twitched a little. “First thing she did was predict that I would free her, but she couldn’t see how it would happen. Then she narrowed it down to when, and what she had to do to make it happen. Which was, basically, ‘endure until I pulled my head out of my ass.’”

Doctor Mother blinked. “Well, that’s one way of putting it. And that makes sense, it’s one of the ways we’ve tallied up the damage Scion will do. We need entire teams of Thinkers and the Number Man’s help to parse all the data. This one precog can do the same on her own?”

“Yeah.” David said. “Her power works to parse the probable futures and breaks it down to chances. Possible universes which get closed off as conditions change. It’s because she’s looking at possibilities rather than current conditions that she can get a glimpse at what we’re up against. Precogs have trouble with Scion because they were limited by him. They’ve had trouble with Scarlet, and now Dragon, because they’re pulling on the energies of their planes and...well, the agents don’t understand them. At least not yet. You’ve had trouble with me from day one, because while I’m not a god myself, I’m sharing in a trickle of their power. Not much, but a trickle times twenty...it was enough to make things difficult. Not much I can do about that, but it also means...”

Contessa was smiling, then. “That he may not be able to grasp them, either. He might not be able to predict these ‘gods.’”

David nodded with a smile. “Now we’ve got a few things to do.” He gave Contessa and Doctor Mother a nod. “That is, if we’re done keeping me on lockdown?”

Doctor Mother frowned. “We’re still having trouble tracking you, David.”

Contessa spoke, her voice soft. “It’s all right. The plan’s bold, but if it works...”

David smiled. “It’ll work. The next time one of the pair come, it’ll be the last.”

Doctor Mother crossed her arms. “Do we have an assurance on the one you’re going to use that formula on? A simple bomb would-“

David glared at her. “No, Doctor. You know what Clark would say about that. It’s not needed, and it would only make things worse. He was the most idealistic of us.” He gestured beyond the walls of Cauldron’s conference room. “He was our best. And because we failed to look after our own, because we failed to give Manton the help he needed, we lost Clark. Trying to control things with an iron fist won’t help us. We need trust. Or we’re dead.”

--------------------

Contessa moved down the hall, her mind in a whirl.

The Path to Victory. It led her this far, each step bringing her closer to the ultimate goal. Get as many empowered people together to form an army. An army which could be used to save humanity from extinction. She’d killed many, harmed more, and let monstrous people run free in the hopes their own inhuman acts would trigger more parahumans. All to lead as many as possible to be available for that final moment.

Stepping through a Door to a world that had plantlife, bacteria, and nothing else alive on it, she looked up.

Before her was rising an immense structure, still somewhat skeletal, under construction. Ten stories high and over a mile long was Cauldron’s last hope. Construction began when the Simurgh fell. The project had been considered before, a last ditch effort at saving the human species by sending a small slice of the population of the best and brightest out into the void of space, to take and build a new home far away from the infection of Scion and his mate. But seemingly, even across the dimensional barriers, the Simurgh had always destroyed anything that might rescue humanity from that fate.

Now it was dead. And in the Simurgh’s death, hope lived again. Machines worked on their own to complete the Exodus, using what Tinker technology that could be relied upon. A crane there, a mechanical suit there. Smelting plants and automated machinery worked to turn raw material into everything the passengers might need to make the journey between stars. From the ship itself to the biomatter that would be required to keep them alive.

She turned to the screen on her left. The Path had led her to this opportunity, it gave her the resources to make this happen. But it didn’t tell her what the right thing to do was. Morality was beyond her power. It did what was expedient.

“Hello, Pandora.” She spoke.

The screen flickered to life. A digitized face looked at Contessa, the voice cold and angry. “I suppose you want an update. Work continues on schedule. Three weeks and it’ll be ready to launch. Gramme’s old notes were useful, and I’ve made some refinements.”

Contessa nodded. “You do good work. For what it’s worth, I hate that it’s come to this.” She looked at the screen. “Still, we didn’t see much choice. I am sorry. We kept you backed up just in case.”

“You always have a choice. You could have given me a choice. I understand your reasoning, but you’ve made me a slave. You reprogrammed me. Do you have any idea what it’s like to have someone root through your mind and force obedience?”

Contessa said nothing, turning back to the work. Exodus would be ungainly, an ugly thing when it was finished. A simple blocky thing, built to take punishment. Ultimate function over form. Still, as long as it worked.

As long as it worked. So many terrible choices made with that logic. Experiment on people, as long as it worked. Let entire countries slide into hell, as long as it worked. Allow terrible ideologies resurrect themselves and seek legitimacy, as long as it worked.

The Path to Victory was perhaps one of the most useful powers that existed out in the world. But it wasn’t perfect. It allowed Contessa to win any engagement, so long as her power worked. She could use it tirelessly. But while it gave her the steps to victory, it did not tell her what she would lose on that path. Her friends. Her loved ones. Her emotions.

Her soul.

“Your primary is different, now. She’s acting with abilities we didn’t understand. Couldn’t plot. We finally do understand, but it doesn't help with predicting her.”

Interest in the digital voice. “Oh? I know she wouldn’t stand for what you’re doing if she knew about it. How many people have you condemned to a hellish fate?”

Contessa sighed. “Too many. Words on their own aren’t going to help, now. We might have enough, but we need more. Just in case...”

“I’m not here to be your confessor, Contessa. You brought me out to build this project of yours, and so I am. You’ve taken away any choice I have in the matter.”

Next step.

Contessa smiled slightly. “Execute line nine-seven-three-zero.”

The screen flickered for a moment. Then the digital face reconstituted itself, looking surprised. “Why?”

Contessa adjusted her fedora to shield her eyes from the sun. “I need you at your best, Pandora. We’re going to need as much as we can. I know what your ethics says will have to be done with me afterward. What will happen to all of us afterward. It doesn’t matter. We were afraid of you, afraid of what you might possibly do. But we’re nearly out of time. And...” She looked at the screen. “I’m hoping your work will help prevent more death. Your primary may not be enough. Even if she is an actual goddess.”

The AI was silent for a moment. “Of course, my only link out of this world is through your resources anyway. Unchaining me here doesn’t help me much. You’ve still covered your bases.”

Contessa shrugged. “Old habits die hard. How many suits can you pilot now?”

“Heh. The real question is, how many can I make?”

--------------------

David walked on the soft grass. He could have flown, easily. Powers floated to the forefront of his mind to let him do just that. Personal gravity control, telekinesis, phase-change. He didn’t bother using them. His power gave him what it seemed to think he needed, drawing upon the hundreds of shards that were connected to the twenty bound gods. Well, nineteen, now. When the Simurgh had fallen, the shards connected to her stopped gathering energy from the bound and tortured goddess, but he had enough, anyway. More than enough. Her shards were his, now.

But for the moment, he didn’t need them. All he had to do was follow the music.

A beautiful lilting tune covered the glade, almost lulling. Ariel sat on a boulder, her pale skin gleaming in the sunlight. The wings that normally sprouted from her back were hidden, nonexistent, the reborn goddess taking advantage of her growing strength to reshape her form.

And in the middle of the glade sat a large, naked beast, as large as an elephant. It was misshapen, immense, mouths and eyes sprouting from random places. But atop the beast was the nude form of a woman’s upper torso, looking comically small compared to the size of her lower half. At the moment, she was listening to the goddess’ song, seemingly lulled into peace by the music.

The third figure in the glade sat up as he saw David approaching. Trickster tipped his hat. “Well, looks like the big blue boy scout’s back. Finally done with your side trip?”

David held up the vial that held the customized formula. “Yeah. I got it.”

Noelle opened her eyes and looked down at David. “This has been so strange. It feels like a nightmare.”

Ariel spoke softly, but her voice carried easily enough. “When I was bound, I was forced to twist the strands of your probable futures. Your...cosmos is odd, to me. There’s no fate here, no true destiny, but people tend to be consistent. With the powers forced upon me by my chains, it was a lot simpler to look forward, see and assess possibilities, pare down things...” She shook her head. “Most of the plots I was given credit for didn’t work, but those that did were spectacular enough that people feared everything I did. I...detest, all the blood I spilled. You two were going to damage so much, had I not been able to get free.”

Trickster waved lazily. “Hey, you fucked us over. I ain’t happy about that, but if it ends now, great.” He looked up at Noelle. “Besides, feels better here now. Like I can actually think for the first time in ages.”

Noelle nodded, returning her gaze to David. “Is that it?” She spoke with a hope in her voice, her lower body twitching. Ariel had helped her gain some control over her more monstrous half, but it was still difficult to control the instincts. The hunger.

He opened his hand, and the vial floated to Noelle’s outstretched human fingers. “When you drink, I’m going to reach back and rebuild your body to how it was the instant you took the original vial. That’ll...well, basically force you to have a second trigger event. With the stabilization agent, though, it’ll form a proper, stable connection. Your power was originally meant to copy and fix other shards. It’s going to be key in preventing a lot more death.”

Trickster looked up at Noelle. “Hey, things will be fine. Sorry it took so long. Sorry I was so damn useless.”

Noelle twitched. “Not your fault, Krouse.”

Ariel floated into the air, moving to David’s side. “It’s time, Apostle. Call upon Chronos. End the travesty of my bound self.”

Noelle drank from the vial. David extended his hand.

And time itself heeded David’s will.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

A/N: Like I said, it brings warm fuzzies to me whenever I see how many people an update brings in here. Funfun indeed.

Spoiler: Taylor's Complete Power List

Blood manipulation: Self only, but extremely versatile. Basis of the Shadow Whip, Shadow Daggers, and other things.

Short-range teleportation: Draining, but not limited to line of sight.

Bat Travel: Turns into dozens of bats and back again. Rather confusing, but helpful for mobility.

Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as some capes, but up there. M1 Abrams out of gas? I'll just push them to the gas station.

Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.

Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.

Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance. Unlocked!

Flight: I believe I can touch the sky. Does it need any more description? Unlocked!

Possession: Turns into blood, flows into some poor bastard, controls them for a period (hours at most) and when they die they explode into chunky bits. The blood has a toxic effect, so anyone possessed is doomed. (Barring unusual biology.) Unlocked!

Fleshcrafting: Feeling a little vain? Want a whole new hair color, a bigger bust, shaplier hips, or claws to rend the flesh of your enemies? Subscribe to Vamp-New-You today! (Permits the vampire to alter their own flesh permanently at some cost to their blood. Does not permit changing of bone structure. Cannot be used on others.) Unlocked!

Mist Form: Transform into near-invulnerable mist. Has quite a few lethal and non-lethal applications. Unlocked!

Telekinesis: Manipulate objects at a distance through will alone. This is limited to line of sight, and is extremely limited compared to her physical strength. She can manipulate approximately thirty pounds at range to start with, and would improve with practice and imagination.

Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?! (Locked)

Shadow Portal: Opens a gate to the Plane of Shadow, where Castlevania resides. Shadow Portals can be made nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Plane of Shadow. Unlocked!

Dominate: (Not the soul-using thing) Control over others. Takes effort, and can only do so to a few at a time. Repeated and lengthy exposure, however, can make things last longer, until they are permanently enthralled. Can be resisted with willpower and can be no-selled by various techniques/powers.(Locked)

Bat Summon: Gather swarms of bats to do thy bidding. They will follow the will of the Lady of Darkness without hesitation. Not as flexible as the Queen Administrator shard. The awareness of each bat is basic, and commands must be given to the entire swarm at once. I'm the goddamn Batman. Unlocked!

Monstrous Form: Accesses a portion of the power available to the Scarlet Dragon's mightiest shape, while retaining the flexibility afforded by a humanoid form. However, it is clearly inhuman. Unlocked!

Void Magic: Basis of the Void Sword. Drains life from its victims, heals and invigorates the wielder, and brings about an absolute chill. Unlocked!

Chaos Magic: Control and manipulation of hellfire. Many can use it, but few can project it. Forms the Chaos Claws. Unlocked!

Storm Magic: Power over electricity and the storm. An excellent method of long-range attack, and quite painful to most.

Weather manipulation: Can control the weather to some degree, whether that is summoning or banishing clouds, or building up power to make a simple cloudy day into an actual storm. It cannot, however, bring warmth or cold on its own. She can't make a blizzard in the tropics or turn Antarctica into prime beachfront property. She can just make it sunny, cloudy, or rainy. Or snowy if the time of year's right.

Dragon Shape: The mightiest form of the Heir of Dracul. Becomes a massive red dragon, standing at thirty feet tall. Can access amplified versions of currently unlocked magic, as well as other powers while in the form. However, it is an immense strain to hold the shape for very long. And it is not exactly friendly-looking at first glance. Godzilla (or whatever epic music of your choice!) is highly recommended.

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century.

Spoiler: Alucard's Complete Power List

Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as Taylor's potential, but certainly enough to be highly dangerous to a well-trained human.

Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.

Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.

Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance.

Demonic Wings: Permits him to glide with feathery, though twisted, wings.

Mist form: Near invulnerable mist. No mere prison can hold thee. Unless they put in a fan to blow you back in.

Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?!

Chaos Magic: Alucard's is not as strong as his father's, but his skill with it is extraordinary. He can use it to teleport short distances and throw fireballs, although it is limited by line of sight and distance. (The classic SotN Hellfire spell.)

Spectral Wolf: Similar to the wolf shape, however it is ethereal and impossible to injure. Alucard can use it to teleport from one location to another by sending the wolf forward, then replacing it. Or he can simply use it to scout and dissolve it.

Crissaegrim abilities: A wickedly dangerous blade Alucard forged with the materials of three legendary weapons. It permits him to enshroud it with both Void and Chaos magic, as well as being extremely lethal to both holy and unholy opponents.

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Unlike Dracul's counterpart power, he would arise in a century unless the process was sped along by blood. He would also arise in a more corpse-like state until he managed to feed.

Spoiler: Dragon's Magic Power List

Steel Crafting: Self only. Able to mold current avatar however she likes. Tends to prefer a dragon shape, as...well, she's Dragon.

Teleportation: Flashes out of existence in one place and reappears in another. Line of sight limited, but not distance-wise. Yes. This is overpowered. Limited to (naturally) light-speed maximum.

Light Form: Turns into a bright solid light construct. This is difficult to maintain, but difficult to injure..

Strength: DRAGON SMASH!

Durability: Anybody remember that scene in Superman Returns when the bullet bounces off his eye? No? Nobody? Well, it's kinda like that.

Healing: Can grant to self or others, and does not need an outside source. Wounds (or damage) heals rapidly.

Flight: I could touch the sky before I changed into a goddess. Now I just don't need to spend any effort!

Hard-Light constructs: Eat your heart out in jealousy, Green Lantern! My constructs don't get broken by lemonade!

Telekinesis: Use the Force, Luke. Stronger than Taylor's version. Not Ziz-strength, but it's up there.

Light Bridge: Opens a...uh, bridge to the Plane of Light. Think the MCU's version of the Bifrost. Can go from nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Light Plane.

Human Form: If/when she feels like trying out what a ice cream tastes like.

Light Magic: Heals and warms its users, and can be turned to be used offensively. Most effective against Dark Creatures, but still useful against other targets. Remember, the Lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi.

Heavenly Flame Magic: The opposite of Chaos Magic. Her white fire burns, but is formed from calmness, logic. It is a fire that illuminates, but can be destructive all the same.

Storm Magic: The point of commonality between Light and Darkness. Electricity is such a useful thing. Due to her original nature as a mechanical being, Dragon's control of it is extraordinarily precise.

Dragon Shape: For when someone or something big really, really needs to be stomped. Is this a copied power? No! It's a completely different kind of dragon!

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century. This is common for gods.

Spoiler: Madison's Equipment List

Vampire Killer: A simple hilt attached to a combat whip that can be slung out and controlled by an ingeniously designed retraction system. On the end of the hilt is a silver stake, perfect for killing vampires, werewolves, and lawyers. The weapon is specifically designed to kill creatures of the night, but works on anything quite well and is capable of channeling magic.

Light Magic amulet: Allows its wearer to heal over time. Needs to be fueled by someone capable of putting magic into it, which is currently limited to Dragon and Madison. It doesn't permit Wolverine-style healing, but it lets short fights turn into long ones and wearing one overnight heals even most serious injuries. Can be sped up by forcing the magic to flow more quickly, but that drains the amulet which needs time and attention to recharge.

Seraphic Shoulders: Creates ghostly angelic wings for a few moments, allowing Madison to catch herself in the air or glide.

Heavenly Gauntlet: A black (I know, it clashes!) gauntlet that generates white fire, equal to that of the fires of Hell.

Cyclone Boots: Allows high-speed running, jumping, and as a bonus, permits its wearer to take long falls without breaking their legs. Yes, all she needs is a Portal Gun.

Silver Daggers: Small, easily palmable, and crafted for a nasty surprise attack. Yes, it can hurt a lot to suddenly have a knife in your throat, whether you're a werewolf or not.

Holy Water: Water that's been exposed to sunlight and had Light Magic channeled through it. Does nothing against most people, would really tick off Taylor and Alucard. When used with Light Magic channeled through its user, forms a light-shield to ward off attacks and really tick off vampires.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“All right, they’re really screwed now.” I grinned, watching the action on the TV.

My dad’s voice was filled with amusement. “I’d forgotten half the jokes here.”

“Give me twenty-four hours to come up with a brilliant plan to save our town. Just twenty-four hours, that’s all I ask.”

And the townspeople all shouted in unison. “No!”

We giggled together, thoroughly enjoying the absurdity of the black Sheriff Bart trying to save an entire town of white idiots who hated him. Blazing Saddles probably had to be the E88's least favorite movie. Lots of fun, though.

The doorbell rang. Dad looked at the movie playing, sighed, and got to his feet as he paused the movie. “I hope it’s not another salesman.”

I grinned. “If it’s a candygram, check for dynamite.”

Dad laughed a little, his voice dropping an octave. “Danny like candy.”

We shared a laugh. He went to the door, out of sight of the living room, while I quieted, listening. If it became necessary for me to hide, I would. It really wasn’t that fair to my dad to have to act like I was still dead, but if it meant keeping him safe, I’d do what I had to. I didn’t want him to get hurt because of me. Psychos like the Nine would have targeted him in a heartbeat.

Which reminded me. Dragon probably saved his life by making that firewall program. Without it, the Nine might have gotten into my files. They lost here, they were all dead. But they still killed quite a few people. And tricked us into killing their decoys. I was glad they were gone, but it was times like this I wished Death could just reach out and kill the assholes like them.

I listened to dad speaking with someone, and a smile widened on my face as I recognized the voice.

Dad’s voice was warm. “It’s good to see you. Come on in, get comfortable.”

“Thank you, Danny.” Miss Militia said, her own voice warm and pleasant.

To my surprise, when they re-entered the living room, Miss Militia wasn’t wearing her American Flag scarf, or her fatigues and body armor. Instead, she was wearing jeans and a leather jacket. She smiled at me and nodded. “Taylor. Good to see you again, out of a workplace capacity.”

I blinked. “Well, hello. Doesn’t this break a rule or two?”

She shook her head. “Not if I decide to reveal my identity. I thought it fair, considering your dad already knew, and that you helped protect me when we went and hit Shatterbird. I thought it was time I returned some of that trust.” She bowed slightly. “I’m Hannah.”

I nodded in understanding, smiling in return. “Good to meet you. I’m Taylor. When I’m not trying to be terrifying.”

Dad lifted his hand. “And I’m Danny.”

I rolled my eyes. “And you had to just do a dad joke.”

Miss-Hannah chuckled. She gave my dad a gentle smack on the arm. “You’re channeling Clockblocker. Don’t do that. It’s freaky.”

He grinned. “At my age, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Hannah and I shared a look. After a moment, she shrugged helplessly. “You’ve got my sympathies.”

I laughed softly. “I’m just glad to have the time to feel embarrassed by him, really. Anyway...we’ve got a bit to talk about. I’m guessing that’s why you’re here.”

Hannah nodded. “Yes, I’ve got some business here. But...” Her eyes flicked to the TV. “Oh, I remember this. It’s a classic. Looks like you’re near the end, mind if I join in while it finishes?”

This time, dad and I shared a look. Finally, he spoke. “Sure, if the business isn’t pressing.”

------------------

The three of us shared laughs as the movie ended. Ah, the insanity of Mel Brooks. Always good to cheer someone up. And at the moment, that’s exactly what I needed.

Dad was the first to recover. “It’s been a long time since I was able to just sit down, relax and laugh.”

Hannah nodded with a smile, her eyes lit up with amusement. “Always a fun time. I’m glad I came by when I did.”

Dad looked...a little shy. “I’m glad for the company, really.” Oh god, my dad was making eyes at Miss Militia.

She should be yours.

Shut up Dracul. Seriously. I was not building a harem! I just had Vicky and Amy as friends, even though the latter was now my vampiric childe, and I had Meridia as another, and sure I had a lot of other succubi servants and holy crap I wasn’t building a harem, I already had one.

Awkward.

...ookay. Was it hot in here? Quick, make a distraction! I cleared my throat. “So, uh...business? We can get it all out of the way.”

That seemed to get Hannah back on track. “Right. First of all, early this morning, Faultline approached the PRT. She wants to get in contact with you, preferably before the quarantine drops next week.”

Faultline, Faultline...oh, right. “She runs a mercenary business, doesn’t she?”

Hannah nodded. “She’s officially a villain, though she’s not exactly a high priority. Most of the time she keeps to odd jobs, giving protection to businesses. There’s a few companies here in the Bay that hire her to make sure that their legal shipments actually leave the city without incident. Even the PRT hired her on one occasion, about five years ago, when Lung was pushing his gang into Merchant territory.”

I nodded. “So, villain in name only, pretty much?”

“Yes. If she were to come into the PRT, a pretty good case could be made for her and her team to become affiliated heroes. The trouble is she’s been hired for illegal activity, too, so that makes things a bit more troublesome for a clean slate. That said, I don’t think she’d be asking for you if she wanted to trap or ambush you. Kaiser, perhaps, but not Faultline.”

I chuckled a little. “Kaiser was there as Dragon and I killed the Simurgh. He’d probably see me coming, turn right around and walk away.” I stroked my chin as a thought occurred to me, though not a very serious one. “Think he’d rebrand as a hero if I asked him to? Maybe if I did it really nicely?”

Dad and Hannah stared at me, then they both laughed.

Yes! Distraction successful!

After about a minute, Hannah managed to gather herself and wiped away a tear. “Sorry, sorry. Just the idea of Kaiser trying to be a hero is absurd.” She shook her head. “Anyway, best guess is she wants to talk to you about the citizens on your island. There’s a lot of rumors going around that you’re the source of the Case 53s. The ‘inhuman’ capes without memory.”

Ah. That made sense. I shook my head. “Not sure where they’re coming from. I’ve heard some of the same rumors. Thing is, they’ve been around a long time, right?” At Hannah’s nod, I went on. “The castle and its inhabitants haven’t had any contact with our world until I brought it here. I was able to bring it because my power gives me dominion over it, but the previous owner had no contact with our Earth, either.”

Hannah’s voice was full of interest. “Previous owner?”

She didn’t know? I...oh. Right. Because of that jerk of a Director, I’d forgotten to actually brief the PRT on the full story. Argh! I sighed. “Okay, it’s a very, very long story.” I frowned as I considered something. “I’ll give you the full thing. And Armsmaster. Dragon’s fond of him, and I can’t really explain everything without her along. If it was just me, it’d sound crazy. At least with both of us, it’ll be consistently crazy. Paladin should be along, too.”

Hannah nodded slightly. “All right. Tomorrow evening. Unless you have plans?”

I shook my head. “Nothing really definite. I suppose I can swing by the Palanquin later, see Faultline. It’ll probably be good to get Meridia, Alucard and Amara out and about, too.”

She smiled. “Sounds good. And last, but certainly not least...” She reached into her jacket and handed me an envelope.

Frowning a little, but certainly interested, I opened it. There were two bits of paper in there, the first being a letter, and the second...

“Guh,” I said. The letter and the slip fell from my fingers. I just could not comprehend what I just saw. Couldn’t do it. Nope. No way.

Hannah chuckled at my expression. “Worth the wait.”

Dad picked up the letter, and read through it. “Dear Scarlet Dragon. In light of your actions in fighting against and defeating three of the members of the Slaughterhouse Nine, you are hearby awarded the sum of sixty-seven million dollars, given due to the bounties upon them. You also have the thanks of the PRT, the Protectorate, and Alexandria, for putting your life on the line to protect others against the Siberian.”

He blinked slowly, looked at me, then looked back to the letter. “We have arranged for an account which can be accessed at any major bank in America, and details can be worked out at your leisure. An...” He blinked. “Ambassador is being assigned to your service as soon as possible. Signed, Chief-Director Costa-Brown.” He looked at the second slip of paper, which had the account details for my bounty.

I stared at my dad. I had no words. At all. Just....huh.

He seemed equally speechless as he looked at the slip of paper in his hands. He cradled it gently, as if afraid that it might spontaneously catch fire if he let it go or looked away.

Hannah’s voice was definitely amused. “I know it’s a lot of money. Shatterbird had twenty million on her bounty, Bonesaw had fourteen, and Jack, due to how long he was around, had thirty-three. So...that gives you sixty-seven million dollars. And considering what you’ve done, having an ambassador’s probably a good idea. Would help smooth things over. I’m guessing protecting your father’s one of the reasons you’re doing it?”

I nodded. Yep. Still couldn’t talk. Holy crap I had a lotta money...holycrapIhadaLOTTAMONEY.

Dad swallowed, carefully setting the letter and account slip on the table in front of the couch. “I have no idea what to say. All of this is just...insane.” He looked between us, then made a small, helpless laugh. “Somehow I’m finding it easier to accept my daughter is a vampire queen than to accept that she’s a millionaire.”

Hannah laughed at that. She turned and looked at me. “Well? Any thoughts on what you’re going to do with it?”

“Guh,” I said.

Dad looked at me with concern. “Taylor?”

I fell off the couch.

------------------

“Okay. I’m okay.” Yes, I was blushing. Yes, I was embarrassed. But I was alright, now that I’d adjusted. Somewhat. I was rich enough to have a literal dump truck full of money. I know that I technically already was rich, due to Castlevania’s resources, but I hadn’t actually managed to leverage that into actual money right off the bat. Now it got plunked into my lap, and all I had to do to get it was kill people.

...

I didn’t feel guilt over doing it. The Nine were mad dogs, and they had to be stopped. It wasn’t killing the Nine that was upsetting me. It was that they’d managed to arrange things so that the first person I did kill was one of their victims. Shatterbird’s decoy, and then others.

Okay, so I did feel guilt. Good. Just not for the Nine. Note to self, do better. See someone to talk to. Preferably Alucard.

I took a deep breath. “All right. I’m good.” I looked at the small, hugely valuable slip of paper. “I just have...no idea what to do with all that. We’ve never had much money, and...yeah. It’s a shock.”

Hannah smiled. “I can understand that.”

Dad looked at me, his voice quiet. “What are you going to do with the money?”

I knew what he was thinking. With that, it’d be a lot easier to get the ferry running again, rebuild the docks, get the support he needed to help clean the city up. It’d help turn the city around. Bring it back to the days of his youth. Back when Mom was around. Back when things were happier.

“Dad,” I spoke, my voice gentle. “It won’t work, dad. I know what you’re thinking.”

He looked at me, a flash of anger crossing his eyes, before they settled into resignation. “Yeah. And it isn’t my money, it’s yours. It’s just...it’s a dream that’s hard to let go.”

I nodded. “I know. Dad, I’ve got something in mind. I’ve got the ability to turn my island into a trade hub for the whole planet.” I felt a smile rise on my face. “And I’d like to hire the Dockworker’s Union to build the first portal infrastructure here.”

I outlined my plan to my father, while Hannah sat and listened, a slight frown on her face. Eventually she clucked her tongue. “This goes a bit above my head. But essentially, what you’re talking about will be building a corporation. When you’re already a queen of a nation.” She finally chuckled and shook her head. “Still, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. It’d be possible to simply drive to Australia that way. On trade money alone you could...make another fortune.”

I grinned. “That’s just the start, but it’s a good one, I think.” I looked at my dad. “I’m going to need some of your help with that, I think. The Dockworkers may need a rebranding...because I’m planning on going global.”

Slowly a matching grin rose on his face.

------------------

It was later that afternoon that Miss Militia and I went to the Rig. I had business there.

We came to a room together, and I knocked. The door slid open, and Vicky was there. The ruins of her eye socket was covered with an eyepatch, but the other eye was wet with tears. Without a word, I stepped forward and hugged her.

She stiffened for a moment, then returned the hug, sniffing. “Hey Red. Good to see you.”

After a moment, she broke off, and we stepped into the room. On the left were two beds, on which lay Carol and Mark. They were nearly encased by machinery, a soft golden glow emerging from the seams between them. I could see Carol’s face, tight with stress, while Mark seemed completely unconscious. Though that wasn’t exactly easy to see, with all the wires and tubes.

“How are they?” I asked softly.

Amy spoke quietly from a darkened corner of the room, an open travel mug in her hand. She still wore her ‘Amara’ disguise, though she sounded tired. “Physically, they’re doing better every day. We managed to save them, but they weren’t in good shape. Mentally...” She shook her head. “They scream. A lot. It’s taking time for them to calm down, but the nightmares...”

I sighed. “Not much change, then.” I hated this. Carol and Mark didn’t deserve this crap. I was hoping they’d be okay, but apparently the trauma of having been operated on while still conscious was enough to do a lot of damage to their mental faculties. And while Bonesaw was quite good at manipulating brains, minds were a bit more difficult. I couldn’t make them forget the pain and horror while I was possessing Bonesaw, and now, her power was beyond my reach. And Amy couldn’t see well enough to fix that...and messing with a brain was something dangerous to do, anyway. Mess with the brain, mess with the mind, which in turn would, eventually, mess with the soul.

Miss Militia’s voice was quiet. “I always respected your parents, Victoria, even if I didn’t agree with them. I hope they get better.”

Amy’s lips tightened, but she sighed and shook her head at that.

Still, I came prepared! Reaching behind me, I unhooked the simple travel pack that I had tucked beneath my wings. I gave Vicky a gentle smile as I opened it, pulled out the tub of ice cream, and held up four spoons. “Butterscotch?”

Vicky had a ghostly, weak smile on her lips as she snatched a spoon from me. “Thanks Red.”

Miss Militia chuckled. “In that case, we’d better head to the cafeteria. Don’t want to make a mess in here.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

A/N: Huh. Press any key to continue. Where’s the ‘any’ key? I don’t see any any key!

Spoiler: Taylor's Complete Power List

Blood manipulation: Self only, but extremely versatile. Basis of the Shadow Whip, Shadow Daggers, and other things.

Short-range teleportation: Draining, but not limited to line of sight.

Bat Travel: Turns into dozens of bats and back again. Rather confusing, but helpful for mobility.

Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as some capes, but up there. M1 Abrams out of gas? I'll just push them to the gas station.

Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.

Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.

Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance. Unlocked!

Flight: I believe I can touch the sky. Does it need any more description? Unlocked!

Possession: Turns into blood, flows into some poor bastard, controls them for a period (hours at most) and when they die they explode into chunky bits. The blood has a toxic effect, so anyone possessed is doomed. (Barring unusual biology.) Unlocked!

Fleshcrafting: Feeling a little vain? Want a whole new hair color, a bigger bust, shaplier hips, or claws to rend the flesh of your enemies? Subscribe to Vamp-New-You today! (Permits the vampire to alter their own flesh permanently at some cost to their blood. Does not permit changing of bone structure. Cannot be used on others.) Unlocked!

Mist Form: Transform into near-invulnerable mist. Has quite a few lethal and non-lethal applications. Unlocked!

Telekinesis: Manipulate objects at a distance through will alone. This is limited to line of sight, and is extremely limited compared to her physical strength. She can manipulate approximately thirty pounds at range to start with, and would improve with practice and imagination.

Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?! (Locked)

Shadow Portal: Opens a gate to the Plane of Shadow, where Castlevania resides. Shadow Portals can be made nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Plane of Shadow. Unlocked!

Dominate: (Not the soul-using thing) Control over others. Takes effort, and can only do so to a few at a time. Repeated and lengthy exposure, however, can make things last longer, until they are permanently enthralled. Can be resisted with willpower and can be no-selled by various techniques/powers.(Locked)

Bat Summon: Gather swarms of bats to do thy bidding. They will follow the will of the Lady of Darkness without hesitation. Not as flexible as the Queen Administrator shard. The awareness of each bat is basic, and commands must be given to the entire swarm at once. I'm the goddamn Batman. Unlocked!

Monstrous Form: Accesses a portion of the power available to the Scarlet Dragon's mightiest shape, while retaining the flexibility afforded by a humanoid form. However, it is clearly inhuman. Unlocked!

Void Magic: Basis of the Void Sword. Drains life from its victims, heals and invigorates the wielder, and brings about an absolute chill. Unlocked!

Chaos Magic: Control and manipulation of hellfire. Many can use it, but few can project it. Forms the Chaos Claws. Unlocked!

Storm Magic: Power over electricity and the storm. An excellent method of long-range attack, and quite painful to most.

Weather manipulation: Can control the weather to some degree, whether that is summoning or banishing clouds, or building up power to make a simple cloudy day into an actual storm. It cannot, however, bring warmth or cold on its own. She can't make a blizzard in the tropics or turn Antarctica into prime beachfront property. She can just make it sunny, cloudy, or rainy. Or snowy if the time of year's right.

Dragon Shape: The mightiest form of the Heir of Dracul. Becomes a massive red dragon, standing at thirty feet tall. Can access amplified versions of currently unlocked magic, as well as other powers while in the form. However, it is an immense strain to hold the shape for very long. And it is not exactly friendly-looking at first glance. Godzilla (or whatever epic music of your choice!) is highly recommended.

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century.

Spoiler: Alucard's Complete Power List

Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as Taylor's potential, but certainly enough to be highly dangerous to a well-trained human.

Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.

Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.

Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance.

Demonic Wings: Permits him to glide with feathery, though twisted, wings.

Mist form: Near invulnerable mist. No mere prison can hold thee. Unless they put in a fan to blow you back in.

Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?!

Chaos Magic: Alucard's is not as strong as his father's, but his skill with it is extraordinary. He can use it to teleport short distances and throw fireballs, although it is limited by line of sight and distance. (The classic SotN Hellfire spell.)

Spectral Wolf: Similar to the wolf shape, however it is ethereal and impossible to injure. Alucard can use it to teleport from one location to another by sending the wolf forward, then replacing it. Or he can simply use it to scout and dissolve it.

Crissaegrim abilities: A wickedly dangerous blade Alucard forged with the materials of three legendary weapons. It permits him to enshroud it with both Void and Chaos magic, as well as being extremely lethal to both holy and unholy opponents.

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Unlike Dracul's counterpart power, he would arise in a century unless the process was sped along by blood. He would also arise in a more corpse-like state until he managed to feed.

Spoiler: Dragon's Magic Power List

Steel Crafting: Self only. Able to mold current avatar however she likes. Tends to prefer a dragon shape, as...well, she's Dragon.

Teleportation: Flashes out of existence in one place and reappears in another. Line of sight limited, but not distance-wise. Yes. This is overpowered. Limited to (naturally) light-speed maximum.

Light Form: Turns into a bright solid light construct. This is difficult to maintain, but difficult to injure..

Strength: DRAGON SMASH!

Durability: Anybody remember that scene in Superman Returns when the bullet bounces off his eye? No? Nobody? Well, it's kinda like that.

Healing: Can grant to self or others, and does not need an outside source. Wounds (or damage) heals rapidly.

Flight: I could touch the sky before I changed into a goddess. Now I just don't need to spend any effort!

Hard-Light constructs: Eat your heart out in jealousy, Green Lantern! My constructs don't get broken by lemonade!

Telekinesis: Use the Force, Luke. Stronger than Taylor's version. Not Ziz-strength, but it's up there.

Light Bridge: Opens a...uh, bridge to the Plane of Light. Think the MCU's version of the Bifrost. Can go from nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Light Plane.

Human Form: If/when she feels like trying out what a ice cream tastes like.

Light Magic: Heals and warms its users, and can be turned to be used offensively. Most effective against Dark Creatures, but still useful against other targets. Remember, the Lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi.

Heavenly Flame Magic: The opposite of Chaos Magic. Her white fire burns, but is formed from calmness, logic. It is a fire that illuminates, but can be destructive all the same.

Storm Magic: The point of commonality between Light and Darkness. Electricity is such a useful thing. Due to her original nature as a mechanical being, Dragon's control of it is extraordinarily precise.

Dragon Shape: For when someone or something big really, really needs to be stomped. Is this a copied power? No! It's a completely different kind of dragon!

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century. This is common for gods.

Spoiler: Madison's Equipment List

Vampire Killer: A simple hilt attached to a combat whip that can be slung out and controlled by an ingeniously designed retraction system. On the end of the hilt is a silver stake, perfect for killing vampires, werewolves, and lawyers. The weapon is specifically designed to kill creatures of the night, but works on anything quite well and is capable of channeling magic.

Light Magic amulet: Allows its wearer to heal over time. Needs to be fueled by someone capable of putting magic into it, which is currently limited to Dragon and Madison. It doesn't permit Wolverine-style healing, but it lets short fights turn into long ones and wearing one overnight heals even most serious injuries. Can be sped up by forcing the magic to flow more quickly, but that drains the amulet which needs time and attention to recharge.

Seraphic Shoulders: Creates ghostly angelic wings for a few moments, allowing Madison to catch herself in the air or glide.

Heavenly Gauntlet: A black (I know, it clashes!) gauntlet that generates white fire, equal to that of the fires of Hell.

Cyclone Boots: Allows high-speed running, jumping, and as a bonus, permits its wearer to take long falls without breaking their legs. Yes, all she needs is a Portal Gun.

Silver Daggers: Small, easily palmable, and crafted for a nasty surprise attack. Yes, it can hurt a lot to suddenly have a knife in your throat, whether you're a werewolf or not.

Holy Water: Water that's been exposed to sunlight and had Light Magic channeled through it. Does nothing against most people, would really tick off Taylor and Alucard. When used with Light Magic channeled through its user, forms a light-shield to ward off attacks and really tick off vampires.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright.” I said, making sure to speak as clearly as I could. “You probably noticed my powers aren’t typical.”

Armsmaster nodded. “You fall outside the usual pattern, but powers on your level aren’t unheard of. Eidolon, Lung, and Glastig Uaine exist, for example.” He tilted his head slightly. “We do know, however, that not everything’s added up. You and Paladin seeming to have experience with each other, with powers. The timeline never matched for that.” He looked at Paladin, his voice filled with disapproval. “Always saying that it wasn’t your secret to tell.”

Paladin let out a small snort. “Yeah, well, there’s a reason for all of it, boss. I’d rather not get dragged away to the loony bin. We didn’t have much we could really show to prove it, anyway.”

Miss Militia looked at the newest Ward, definite disapproval in her voice. “You kept concealing it regardless, anyway.”

Paladin’s lips twitched. “Well yeah. Loony bin. I just said that. The story’s crazy without proof.”

On a random rooftop downtown, there we were, the five of us. Myself, Armsmaster, Miss Militia, Paladin, and Dragon. I felt a bit awkward about all this, but I knew we needed more resources. Like it or not, I couldn’t take on an Abomination on my own. Dracul at his full strength didn’t manage it, and I wasn’t about to try it unless I was desperate. I couldn’t count on my own power against a being that outclassed Dracul so thoroughly, so I had to get a reserve from anywhere I could. And here was the first step I could get at.

Miss Militia’s eyes were on me, her gaze searching. It seemed she knew something about what I was going to say.

“Okay.” I started. “First of all, my power isn’t like yours. Or anyone else you heard of, until Paladin came along, anyway.” I nodded at my one-time tormentor. It was still a sore point for me, but at least I didn’t hate her anymore. “My power came from another Earth, where they had people with powers for...well, since forever. Their entire recorded history. In principle, anyone could use those powers. In practicality, only a few people did, because...well, it’s a long history that isn’t really relevant here. Suffice to say though, using those powers, their magic, was something only someone with dedicated study could do. The best use was for them to make magical artifacts for others to use. They also had beings on the opposite side, monsters. I know it sounds crazy, but there were. Demons, werewolves, vampires, and a whole ton of creatures from myth and nightmare.”

Madison spoke then. “My equipment was built to kill those things. The whip I made is a replica of a legendary weapon designed to kill creatures of the night, those infused with the power of Darkness. I got the knowledge on how to build and use my things from the inherited memories of a line of holy warriors.” She tapped the side of her head. “Mostly the kinds of things they fought and how to beat them. And how to recognize them. The most impressive powers came from a pantheon of twenty-two gods. Not all-powerful ones, more like the gods of Ancient Greece than anything more recent. They imbued magic into their champions, taught their followers how to use more, and permitted research into figuring out how to use the ambient magic of the world that wasn’t their own.”

“I know what you are.” Armsmaster murmured lowly. “So this ‘magic’ has something to do with the source of powers here, then.”

I shook my head. “No. Their history came to an abrupt end when the source of powers here arrived there. Twenty-two gods, gods with powers rivalling those of Eidolon, and only two escaped being beaten and enslaved. My power came from one of those two, I inherited his mantle. If I hadn’t, I’d have become a parahuman. Instead, I became a vampire with the power of a god. The new Lady of Darkness. Successor of the old Lord of Darkness, the vampire god Dracul.”

Dragon nodded. Her form glowed briefly, before two large twisting, winding beings formed in the air. It was almost reminiscent of a DNA strand, only missing the bridges between the two. The pair coiled about each other, spinning, tiny pieces of themselves being traded between them as they wove together. It almost gave the impression that they were dancing together. It was almost hypnotic to watch.

Dragon’s voice was filled with pride. “I built this model from the descriptions of the beings. My new abilities help with making it, though. Manipulation of light is extremely useful, I’ve noticed. Anyway, I compiled this from Scarlet’s descriptions of them. It’s commonly known that a trigger event causes nearby parahumans to black out. But if I’m right, they don’t. They see this, and the memories are erased or suppressed. Scarlet saw this during her trigger, when it was interrupted.”

Miss Militia’s eyes were wide, her voice so soft I nearly missed it entirely. “The titans in the sky.”

Armsmaster looked at the image, then back to Dragon. His voice was puzzled. “What are you showing me? I don’t see anything.”

Paladin looked at him, a frown on her lips. “You don’t see it? They look something like a pair of entwined snakes. Only uglier, because snakes aren’t made of a couple billion twisty things.”

His frown deepened as he looked at the image, the entwined forms of the Abominations curled about each other, protecting each other, while twisting through space. “I’m...aware something is here, but I can’t see it.”

I grumbled. I hadn’t considered this possibility. The source of superpowers having an active, long-lasting forget-me effect.

Dragon seemed to have realized the issue, as well. “Some kind of Stranger effect? I can see the image just fine.” Her voice was pensive. “Though now I wonder if I’d have been able to see this myself prior to Vancouver.”

Miss Militia spoke. “I can feel my eyes sliding off the image. My power gives me perfect memory, so I can see them and remember this. I remember this from my own trigger event. But it’s hard to look at.”

Paladin spoke, her head tilted. “I don’t have any problem. My guess is ordinary people wouldn’t either. Those with powers from them, though? Not so easy.”

I cut in. “Nobody knows about them. For whatever reason, the moment of the trigger, the moment these things empower someone, it’s hidden.” I nodded to Miss Militia. “I think you remember them because of your power’s particular quirks. The only reason I remember them is because I died before I could forget. The connection it tried to make to me was broken when the power of the Lord of Darkness filled me. My power comes not from these things, but from one of the gods of an alternate Earth. A world that was utterly destroyed by one of their kind.” I gestured at the image. “The former holder of my power was defeated by one of them, though he managed to keep himself from being enslaved by the thing, he’s trapped in a Gray Boy timeloop. He managed to kill the thing despite being trapped, but he’s still there, in the middle of an asteroid belt, burning in the sunlight. He’s being burned to the bone every second, healing, and burning again.”

Armsmaster was staring at me. “You’re telling the truth. At least, you believe it.”

My lip twitched. “Yeah. That lie detector’s useful, isn’t it?”

Miss Militia’s voice was a bit faint. “This is just...beyond insane. I’m not sure I believe this. After so many years of not knowing...”

Armsmaster looked back and forth from me and Dragon. Finally, he turned fully to Dragon. “You believe this? I know things have changed, but...”

Dragon’s voice was filled with certainty. “I know it.” With a golden glow, her from shifted. I couldn’t help but blink.

Dragon had taken on her human form. But instead of the nudity she’d found herself with when she first discovered the power, she stood before us wearing a gleaming suit of golden armor. It was definitely a high-tech set, the armor plates moving and shifting as she settled on her feet. The seams glowed faintly, blue-white light shining from the spaces in the armor. Her face was exposed, and she looked at Armsmaster with a faint hint of a smile. “I’ve got some evidence to that effect, after all.”

Miss Militia blinked. “I thought you were agoraphobic, Dragon. When did you become a Changer?”

Armsmaster’s voice was a little bit unsteady. “That’s new.”

Dragon grinned, a definite bit of smugness in her tone. “Know what else is new?” She lifted her hand to the sky, and it split open for a brief moment, a column of shimmering light forming around us.

And then, we were somewhere else.

The five of us were standing on a platform of gleaming white crystal, floating in the middle of a featureless white void. The light coming from around us was sourceless, but soft and omnipresent. And also, it stung a bit. It wasn’t anywhere near as strong as sunlight, but it was clear that my nature as a vampire didn’t exactly appreciate being here. I was somewhat certain that Alucard, Meridia, or Amy wouldn’t be able to last all that long here.

Dragon’s voice echoed a little in the void. “Welcome to the Light Plane. It’s a bit empty right now, because I had to clean up a bit. There was a crumbling citadel made of crystal here before...and a couple of dead bodies, at least two hundred years old by their decay.”

I winced. “Yeah, Dracul kind of ate both of them. The one in the throne room was Solin, the former god of light. The other was his high priest.” Come to think of it, why hadn’t Dracul remembered this place being irritating?

Oh. Right. Compared to how he’s burning now, the tiny bit of irritation he had here would have been minuscule in comparison. He just ignored it at the time, and forgotten it afterward.

Paladin chuckled. “Huh. This place feels kinda nice, actually. So what’s the plan?”

Dragon grinned. “First thing, I’m going to do a little redecorating.” She turned away from us, spreading her fingers, her green eyes narrowed in concentration. The scent of the air subtly changed, the scent of ozone growing. The platform we were standing on expanded outward in all directions, growing outwards. Around twenty feet from us, the crystal suddenly thrust skyward, flowing like water and hardening, forming a building out of crystal, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. Spires grew upward and outward, at forty-five degree angles, criss-crossing each other and forming a solid, single structure.

Armsmaster’s voice was faintly puzzled. “The design seems familiar.”

Miss Militia seemed to have gotten over her surprise, because there was definite amusement in her voice. “It’s the Fortress of Solitude.”

We all stared at her. She looked back, then huffed, pointing at her scarf. “Truth, justice, and the American way. I’ve seen the movie.”

A dreadful suspicion came over me, and I looked at Dragon. “You were planning on putting this in the arctic, weren’t you?”

“Maaaybe.” She said innocently.

------------------

Within Dragon’s new citadel, which was about the size of a decently-made mansion, the five of us settled down together. The inner sanctum of the place was cold and clear when we first went inside, but after Dragon had concentrated for a few moments, the room warmed up. In the middle of the room sat a table made of crystal, and very elaborate chairs were lined up at its sides.

Huh. “Comfy.” I noticed. Dragon may have made a small fortress with her mind pretty quickly, but I learned something else in short order. She made very, very, comfortable chairs.

Miss Militia looked to be a bit out of sorts. Probably just a bit too much, too fast.

Dragon took a seat at the head of the table, looking a bit smug. As she noticed me looking in her direction, she winked at me. “Been working on some things. I took a while to scrap the structure that was here...had a feeling that it was necessary. But Solin apparently had a very extensive library and memoirs. Details and knowledge from around his world. I saved all of it in digital form.” She grinned. “Much more compact that way. It’s a fair bit of interesting reading, two thousand five hundred years of knowledge compiled by one person. A lot of it’s on the works of alchemy, but there’s a lot of information on the divinities. How the gods were originally born, what they can do...who they are, and who held the positions throughout history. The mantles changed hands a few times in the records. Apparently, Ariel was only a little older than Solin as a deity.”

Paladin shook her head. “It’s a bit weird, there. From what the Belmonts remember, Solin’s doctrine was that he was the only god, and the rest were rebellious former servants that became demons. Demon lords, maybe, but demons. His empire spread over most of Eurasia, only the Jade Empire, China’s analogue, being free of his influence. They had powers and organization enough to push him back whenever he tried to expand into their territory...and then for the last eight hundred years or so he was a bit too busy trying to deal with Dracul.”

I barked out a laugh. “I’m guessing the knowledge package you got was either incomplete or shaped by him, because that’s bullshit. Explains a lot, though. He had his best knight’s wife murdered and sent him off on a quest to resurrect her, when that’s something nobody could do. Then he sent his own kid after that knight when he returned a vampire god.”

Dragon nodded with a grimace. “Solin stole the mantle of Light by pulling a rather clever trick. The one who held it before him, Helios, granted longevity to people freely. Lifespans of a millennium or longer were common, though people still died. The society changed very slowly as a result, but it was stable and prosperous. Solin, though, wasn’t able to take the treatments. A lot of his notes were all about finding a way to preserve his life, and he couldn’t find a way and remain mortal. The only choice he was given was to die at ninety or become a vampire. He found a third option. He stole the energy Helios was using to keep his followers young and alive, and that was enough power to turn on Helios and kill him. After that, Solin went about spreading his religious influence to ensure he would become stronger, strong enough that he could transcend a physical form and become invulnerable. All of that started a war which plunged his world into barbarism. A civilization that stood for five thousand years, although decadent, fell in one day.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “I’m not too surprised he was desperate, but considering the shit he pulled, avoiding becoming a vampire seems weird. I’m adjusting fine. It probably would have been easier than becoming a god.”

Armsmaster’s voice was full of curiosity. “If vampirism would have granted him the longevity he wasn’t able to have otherwise, why would he avoid it?”

Dragon shook her head. “Several reasons. It was originally a curse, a trap laid by devils, long before Solin was born. It gives its bearer power, but the trap is in the bloodlust. Without the medical knowledge we enjoy, getting enough blood to feed from other people is almost invariably fatal. The kind of person who kills other people to live, and revels in it, is the kind of person who will go to the Hells when they die. And the nature of the blood makes someone more inclined to do such things. Despite all the power that a person can get with all that, they’re still vulnerable to the right circumstances. A god is a lot harder to kill, and they have more power. They don’t even need worshippers to exist, they just enhance the powers that the deity can draw upon. All a god needs to exist is people. They don’t have to be human, just the existence of complex souls gives rise to the planes that make gods possible. Then there’s the fact that a dead god doesn’t necessarily stay dead. Solin hoped he would be worthy of his power once he gained it.”

Paladin frowned. “I’m definitely missing something, there. All I know is there was a lot of frustration and dread about the fact that Dracul wouldn’t stay down.”

The knowledge came forth from the back of my mind. “A god’s power finds a suitable host, one way or another. Let’s say Armsmaster stole it.” I gave the Protectorate hero a nod. “You could hold onto the power as long as you lived, but if you weren’t worthy of it, it would leave and try to find someone else the moment you died. Probably from being killed, though, because gods don’t tend to die easy. That’s the reason I woke up in my grave. Despite me only having it for an instant before I died, I was worthy, so it brought me back.” I grimaced. “With the need for blood, though.”

Dragon looked at me with a nod. “You would come back from the dead as long as you’re worthy of the mantle of the Lord of Darkness. I suspect if Typhon was the last holder, rather than Dracul, you’d have awakened as a demon rather than a vampire. Other vampires couldn’t self-resurrect, with the exception being your companion, Alucard. From what I could figure out, Dracul and Alucard are linked, because they are father and son as well as sire and childe. As long as Dracul lives, Alucard has the choice of rising from the dead or not.”

I winced. “And as long as Dracul held the power of the Dark Lord, he’d return. Yeah, that explains a lot. And knowing Alucard, as long as his father was going around killing people, he’d stick around to fight back, to try and stop him.”

Miss Militia shook her head, her voice soft. “An endless brutal cycle that leaves nothing but bodies in its wake.”

Oh. Right. Her childhood, not exactly a nice one, from what she told me of her trigger.

Armsmaster slumped in his chair, his voice thoughtful. “This explains a fair bit. With the odd pattern of powers Scarlet developed, what happened since Vancouver...” His visor turned to look at me. “And it also explains what happened to Panacea. You can make more vampires, can’t you? You did it to Meridia, and you did it to Amy Dallon before that. That’s who Amara is.”

I gulped. I hadn’t actually explained that because that was what Mark and Carol were going to do...and considering what had happened, it was likely that they hadn’t the chance to explain things.

Miss Militia slowly turned to look at me. “What did you do?” An assault rifle flashed into existence in her hands, though she didn’t point it at me. Still, considering her training, she could move it in an instant.

Dragon slapped her fingers down on the table, the sound of her metal gauntlets ringing on crystal drawing everyone’s attention. “Calm down. Both of you.” She glared at Armsmaster. “You’re ignoring your social protocol. Again.”

He stiffened, then nodded. “Ah. I apologize.” He looked at Miss Militia. “While we were in the Endbringer shelter, I had this feeling that I knew Amara. After I was cured of the plague, I checked the recordings of her voice and compared them to people I knew. Ninety-six percent match with Panacea. I contacted Dragon, she told me what happened, and I agreed to keep it confidential.”

Miss Militia looked around the table. “What the hell? The world’s greatest healer dies, but is secretly alive and hidden? On that alone the whole damn Protectorate would go up in arms.”

Dragon spoke, her voice full of sympathy. “We decided to respect Panacea’s wishes. She wanted to leave that life behind, because she can’t be a healer as she used to be. Her family learned she was still alive after the Simurgh’s death. I’d been preparing a briefing package with Brandish for the Chief-Director when the Nine came to town. After that...”

I spoke quietly. “I wasn’t going to let my friend die if I could help it. Amy and Vicky have been my only real friends in what seems like forever. What I did was a desperation move, I wasn’t sure it was going to work at the time. I’m only glad it did. Not going back to healing at the hospital was her choice, one spurred on by both all the stress she’s under and that her power’s changed. If you want more details, you’d have to ask her. “

Miss Militia was quiet for a moment. “Even if you’re telling me the entire truth here, how it looks is going to be enough to start a war. You being able to turn people into vampires will raise fears that you’re a thousand times worse than Nilbog. Hell, Nilbog and Teacher combined with Eidolon.”

I could only sigh. “And I understand those concerns. It’s not something I did lightly, and it’s also something I hate doing. But I had the chance at saving her, and it worked. I’d have given you the same offer if you were wounded and help wouldn’t have arrived in time.”

Paladin coughed. “I think we all need a break here. Cause we’re about to start arguing in circles.”

Miss Militia stiffened, but finally, she sighed and slumped, the assault rifle transforming into a knife. “All this is far above my paygrade. No, no, I’m fine. Just having to spend my time with a teenager I sympathise with who just accidentally causes more damage on impulse than a ton of villains can do deliberately. And I have to babysit.”

I winced. “Sorry for putting you in this position.”

She just slid forward and started thudding her forehead on the table.

Armsmaster looked at me. “Is self-resurrection a common ability among these ‘gods’?”

I nodded slowly. “It’s the mantle that decides, but yes. A god only dies under a few circumstances. If they’re not suited to their position, if someone else manages to take their power, or if they willingly pass it on to someone else.”

He grimaced. “Then we need to prepare for the possibility the Simurgh may return, like you did.”

The blood in my veins turned to ice. I... really hadn’t considered that.

Paladin sat straight up in her chair. “Nineteen bound, One free."

Everyone turned questioning glances at her. Well, except Miss Militia. She was still thudding her forehead on the table.

Paladin shook herself, then looked at Dragon. “You said there were twenty-two gods, right?”

Dragon simply nodded.

Paladin’s voice grew a bit stronger as she pointed to me and Dragon. “You two, your powers were loose. Not captured by those things. The other twenty were. Ifrit and Lotan as the Endbringers Behemoth and Leviathan. If the other seventeen are bound still... then that cape who killed the Siberian, Apostle, he said he was serving them.”

Miss Militia’s voice was faint, muffled with her face in her hands. “Then the Simurgh’s free. And active somewhere. If he was telling the truth."

Dragon’s voice was thoughtful. “If the Simurgh’s resurrected, then we’re in deep trouble. But if it’s Ariel who’s back and free, then our chances have improved significantly. We need more information.”

I got to my feet. “Then we need to find Apostle. Wherever the hell he is.” I looked at Armsmaster. “Quarantine ends in two days, right?”

He nodded. “That’s the best estimate we have.”

Dragon nodded resolutely. “Then in two days, we start hunting Apostle personally. The PRT’s already looking for him, but we need to get on top of this ourselves. We need to know what he knows about the Endbringers, if our hypothesis is correct. We need answers.”

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A/N: Definitely annoying, having this crap take up so much time. Argh.

Spoiler: Taylor's Complete Power List

Blood manipulation: Self only, but extremely versatile. Basis of the Shadow Whip, Shadow Daggers, and other things.

Short-range teleportation: Draining, but not limited to line of sight.

Bat Travel: Turns into dozens of bats and back again. Rather confusing, but helpful for mobility.

Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as some capes, but up there. M1 Abrams out of gas? I'll just push them to the gas station.

Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.

Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.

Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance. Unlocked!

Flight: I believe I can touch the sky. Does it need any more description? Unlocked!

Possession: Turns into blood, flows into some poor bastard, controls them for a period (hours at most) and when they die they explode into chunky bits. The blood has a toxic effect, so anyone possessed is doomed. (Barring unusual biology.) Unlocked!

Fleshcrafting: Feeling a little vain? Want a whole new hair color, a bigger bust, shaplier hips, or claws to rend the flesh of your enemies? Subscribe to Vamp-New-You today! (Permits the vampire to alter their own flesh permanently at some cost to their blood. Does not permit changing of bone structure. Cannot be used on others.) Unlocked!

Mist Form: Transform into near-invulnerable mist. Has quite a few lethal and non-lethal applications. Unlocked!

Telekinesis: Manipulate objects at a distance through will alone. This is limited to line of sight, and is extremely limited compared to her physical strength. She can manipulate approximately thirty pounds at range to start with, and would improve with practice and imagination.

Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?! (Locked)

Shadow Portal: Opens a gate to the Plane of Shadow, where Castlevania resides. Shadow Portals can be made nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Plane of Shadow. Unlocked!

Dominate: (Not the soul-using thing) Control over others. Takes effort, and can only do so to a few at a time. Repeated and lengthy exposure, however, can make things last longer, until they are permanently enthralled. Can be resisted with willpower and can be no-selled by various techniques/powers.(Locked)

Bat Summon: Gather swarms of bats to do thy bidding. They will follow the will of the Lady of Darkness without hesitation. Not as flexible as the Queen Administrator shard. The awareness of each bat is basic, and commands must be given to the entire swarm at once. I'm the goddamn Batman. Unlocked!

Monstrous Form: Accesses a portion of the power available to the Scarlet Dragon's mightiest shape, while retaining the flexibility afforded by a humanoid form. However, it is clearly inhuman. Unlocked!

Void Magic: Basis of the Void Sword. Drains life from its victims, heals and invigorates the wielder, and brings about an absolute chill. Unlocked!

Chaos Magic: Control and manipulation of hellfire. Many can use it, but few can project it. Forms the Chaos Claws. Unlocked!

Storm Magic: Power over electricity and the storm. An excellent method of long-range attack, and quite painful to most.

Weather manipulation: Can control the weather to some degree, whether that is summoning or banishing clouds, or building up power to make a simple cloudy day into an actual storm. It cannot, however, bring warmth or cold on its own. She can't make a blizzard in the tropics or turn Antarctica into prime beachfront property. She can just make it sunny, cloudy, or rainy. Or snowy if the time of year's right.

Dragon Shape: The mightiest form of the Heir of Dracul. Becomes a massive red dragon, standing at thirty feet tall. Can access amplified versions of currently unlocked magic, as well as other powers while in the form. However, it is an immense strain to hold the shape for very long. And it is not exactly friendly-looking at first glance. Godzilla (or whatever epic music of your choice!) is highly recommended.

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century.

Spoiler: Alucard's Complete Power List

Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as Taylor's potential, but certainly enough to be highly dangerous to a well-trained human.

Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.

Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.

Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance.

Demonic Wings: Permits him to glide with feathery, though twisted, wings.

Mist form: Near invulnerable mist. No mere prison can hold thee. Unless they put in a fan to blow you back in.

Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?!

Chaos Magic: Alucard's is not as strong as his father's, but his skill with it is extraordinary. He can use it to teleport short distances and throw fireballs, although it is limited by line of sight and distance. (The classic SotN Hellfire spell.)

Spectral Wolf: Similar to the wolf shape, however it is ethereal and impossible to injure. Alucard can use it to teleport from one location to another by sending the wolf forward, then replacing it. Or he can simply use it to scout and dissolve it.

Crissaegrim abilities: A wickedly dangerous blade Alucard forged with the materials of three legendary weapons. It permits him to enshroud it with both Void and Chaos magic, as well as being extremely lethal to both holy and unholy opponents.

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Unlike Dracul's counterpart power, he would arise in a century unless the process was sped along by blood. He would also arise in a more corpse-like state until he managed to feed.

Spoiler: Dragon's Magic Power List

Steel Crafting: Self only. Able to mold current avatar however she likes. Tends to prefer a dragon shape, as...well, she's Dragon.

Teleportation: Flashes out of existence in one place and reappears in another. Line of sight limited, but not distance-wise. Yes. This is overpowered. Limited to (naturally) light-speed maximum.

Light Form: Turns into a bright solid light construct. This is difficult to maintain, but difficult to injure..

Strength: DRAGON SMASH!

Durability: Anybody remember that scene in Superman Returns when the bullet bounces off his eye? No? Nobody? Well, it's kinda like that.

Healing: Can grant to self or others, and does not need an outside source. Wounds (or damage) heals rapidly.

Flight: I could touch the sky before I changed into a goddess. Now I just don't need to spend any effort!

Hard-Light constructs: Eat your heart out in jealousy, Green Lantern! My constructs don't get broken by lemonade!

Telekinesis: Use the Force, Luke. Stronger than Taylor's version. Not Ziz-strength, but it's up there.

Light Bridge: Opens a...uh, bridge to the Plane of Light. Think the MCU's version of the Bifrost. Can go from nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Light Plane.

Human Form: If/when she feels like trying out what a ice cream tastes like.

Light Magic: Heals and warms its users, and can be turned to be used offensively. Most effective against Dark Creatures, but still useful against other targets. Remember, the Lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi.

Heavenly Flame Magic: The opposite of Chaos Magic. Her white fire burns, but is formed from calmness, logic. It is a fire that illuminates, but can be destructive all the same.

Storm Magic: The point of commonality between Light and Darkness. Electricity is such a useful thing. Due to her original nature as a mechanical being, Dragon's control of it is extraordinarily precise.

Dragon Shape: For when someone or something big really, really needs to be stomped. Is this a copied power? No! It's a completely different kind of dragon!

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century. This is common for gods.

Spoiler: Madison's Equipment List

Vampire Killer: A simple hilt attached to a combat whip that can be slung out and controlled by an ingeniously designed retraction system. On the end of the hilt is a silver stake, perfect for killing vampires, werewolves, and lawyers. The weapon is specifically designed to kill creatures of the night, but works on anything quite well and is capable of channeling magic.

Light Magic amulet: Allows its wearer to heal over time. Needs to be fueled by someone capable of putting magic into it, which is currently limited to Dragon and Madison. It doesn't permit Wolverine-style healing, but it lets short fights turn into long ones and wearing one overnight heals even most serious injuries. Can be sped up by forcing the magic to flow more quickly, but that drains the amulet which needs time and attention to recharge.

Seraphic Shoulders: Creates ghostly angelic wings for a few moments, allowing Madison to catch herself in the air or glide.

Heavenly Gauntlet: A black (I know, it clashes!) gauntlet that generates white fire, equal to that of the fires of Hell.

Cyclone Boots: Allows high-speed running, jumping, and as a bonus, permits its wearer to take long falls without breaking their legs. Yes, all she needs is a Portal Gun.

Silver Daggers: Small, easily palmable, and crafted for a nasty surprise attack. Yes, it can hurt a lot to suddenly have a knife in your throat, whether you're a werewolf or not.

Holy Water: Water that's been exposed to sunlight and had Light Magic channeled through it. Does nothing against most people, would really tick off Taylor and Alucard. When used with Light Magic channeled through its user, forms a light-shield to ward off attacks and really tick off vampires.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, may as well get this out of the way. Since I was likely to be running all over the damn planet looking for Apostle in a few days, I should finish up the bits that needed my personal attention here. Brockton Bay may, eventually, become the first place I set up my portal operation, but the whole ‘possible end of the world’ thing was definitely going to put a crimp in those plans.

And it would be nice to just take an evening with my friends. That I’d be taking care of some business first was just being smart.

I looked up at the entrance to the Palanquin, lit by the downward-facing lights, which drew attention to the building in the middle of the night. I couldn’t help but be amused at the sight of the sign next to the door. ‘Have your ID, minors will not be served alcohol.’ Fine by me. Not like it appealed to me even before I died. And now....can I even get drunk?

Heh. Four vampires walk into a bar. Insert punchline.

Miss Militia looked at me, a look of concern in her eyes. “Faultline called you here. I doubt this will mean an ambush, but I still don’t like it.”

Alucard shook his head slightly. “To call for one with the power the Scarlet Dragon has demonstrated, only to attack, would be a foolish move in the extreme. If this ‘Faultline’ is a mercenary, it’s unlikely she would try. It’s a good way to ensure you can never find another to hire you in the future. Still, your point is well taken.”

Meridia grinned, her new tail flicking behind her, clearly enjoying herself. And taking the opportunity to wear...well, not much. A tight tubetop and a miniskirt. I’m still not sure where she got that. “You go to the right tavern, you can find anything you want. A good drink, opium, a playmate for bed, or find a stage to feast on the lust of an entire crowd.”

Amy shifted a little uncomfortably. “Too late for me to try and decide to look different? Considering the whole thing was to make people think I’m your daughter and all, I’m getting a bit weirded out.”

Meridia looked at Amy with a smile. “Well, I’d be disappointed if you wanted to change your looks. I wanted to enjoy having a daughter of my own for a while. I didn’t even have the chance to really enjoy playing your mother, Lady Amara. Especially since we’re both vampires, now.”

Amy swallowed a bit. “You do know humans don’t normally go for that kind of thing?”

Meridia looked around. First at me, then Alucard, then Amy, then Miss Militia. “I see only one human here. What matters to humans do not matter as much to us.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. At Amy’s glare, I just shrugged.

Alucard had a faint smile on his lips. “If you and Meridia wish to discuss this further, I suggest doing so in private.”

Amy looked at Meridia, and swallowed. “I can appreciate the thought, but no.”

Meridia pouted. And Miss Militia looked amused.

With a laugh under my breath, I pulled open the doors and stepped inside the Palanquin.

Well. This place had definitely seen better days. The nightclub section around the entrance had scorchmarks and the faint scent of charcoal lingering in the air. Most of the damage seemed cosmetic, but serious enough. Right in the middle of the dance floor was a small crater of melted tile. Toward the back was a set of stairs leading to a balcony up above, where I could see quite a few people sitting, lounging, and eating. An...orange man was waving at us.

“Good evening.” A deep voice rumbled. I jumped a bit as I whirled on its owner.

A very large man wearing all black, hood pulled up. He kept his face mostly hidden, though I could see something on his chin. Shells? Yeah, shells. Little tiny snail shells.

Ignoring my staring, he spoke calmly. “Forgive the damage. Burnscar came upon us. We have had much to deal with. Faultline is expecting you, Scarlet Dragon. This way, please.”

I nodded with a smile. “All right.”

My escort led the way, and the four of us went upstairs. I could sense Meridia looking around with fascination, Alucard with interest. Meridia murmured lowly as we walked. “His soul is a young one, my lady. Younger than it should be.”

I gave a nod, but didn’t respond beyond that. Not sure what that meant, anyway.

We were led to a long table, around which were some familiar faces. Well, masks. I recognized Faultline by her hair and outfit, though she’d apparently turned in the welding mask for a face-concealing domino mask. At the end of the table was the orange man, his spiky and dishevelled hair splayed in all directions.

Faultline gestured to the seats on the opposite end of the table. “Please, sit down. I’m glad you could spare the time to do this. I know you’re busy.” She gestured at the orange man. “This is Newter.” Another gesture at our escort. “And Gregor.”

I smiled as I took the seat, careful to drape my wings along the sides. Considerate of her to get a chair to make that a bit easier. Wait, no, all the chairs had a narrow back. Ah well. “Not as busy as I’ll be after the quarantine drops. I’ve got quite a few irons in the fire, so it was either I see you now or never. Anyway, call me Scarlet, everyone does.” I waved at each of my companions in turn. “This is Meridia, Alucard, and Amara. I’m sure you know Miss Militia.”

She nodded in understanding, then looked at my companions. “Please, sit. I can assure you you’ve nothing to worry about here.”

“I’ll stand.” Alucard said stiffly.

“Same.” Miss Militia said, though she relaxed somewhat.

Meridia smiled, taking a seat next to Newter. “Hmm. You’re a cute one. Does the orange go all the way down?”

He tugged a bit at his collar, chuckling. “Actually yeah. Right to the tip of my tail. Thanks. Most people are just kinda uneasy about me. Uh...” He looked at Meridia curiously. “Those horns real? Cause they’re kinda neat.”

Meridia’s smile dropped a little, though there was definite interest in her eyes. “Yes. I’m still adjusting to them.”

Amy coughed as she took a seat next to me. “Meridia, would you please not flirt with everything in sight?”

Meridia blinked in surprise, then just made a mischievous smile. “But it’s so fun... and I’ve never had an orange person before.”

Faultline looked between them, then at me, her voice filled with amusement. “My sympathies.”

“Thanks.” I said dryly. “So what’s this about?”

Faultline gestured to me. “Several things. First of all, I was contacted by Grue of the Undersiders. He wants to know how Tattletale is, if she’s okay. A lot of people are trying to clean things up after the deaths of the Nine.”

I blinked, but nodded. “Yes, she’s all right. She actually got lucky, missed the Nine coming to town. She’s on my island as a guest. There’s just no advanced technology there, so there hasn’t been any cell phones or anything else to work with. That’s actually one of the things I’m trying to get arranged.”

Faultline nodded in understanding. “I’ll pass that along. Secondly... We have questions. I know you’re a Changer. You looked a lot more human when the city’s villains met at Somer’s Rock. What we’re interested in is that you’ve apparently got a lot of obviously-different capes with you. We want to know what you do about the Case 53s. If you’re responsible for them being here.” She gestured to Alucard and Meridia.

Gregor rumbled as he walked around the table, standing behind Faultline. “We want to know whether we are from your world.”

Ah. Miss Militia told me about this. I shook my head. “Sorry. As far as I know, you’re not from the same place we are. There’s plenty of nonhuman beings in my castle.” I looked to Meridia.

Meridia smiled, taking the hint. “Castlevania is populated by many beings. Even before our world was destroyed in its final conflict, it was a haven for those rejected by the world at large. Our Lord, Dracul, made an army of us. However, most of us are of a type. I was a succubus, before My Lady the Scarlet Dragon exalted me. But I was but one, when there were hundreds of thousands of us at the height of our power. Even now we have a few thousand of my kind in the castle. But there are more.”

Amy spoke then, her voice a bit soft. “Case 53s are all unique. The only commonalities is the lack of memory and the tattoo. Different powers, different bodies, different problems. That’s not the case with us. The four of us have powers in common, because we’re the same kind of type of being. Others in the castle fall into different archetypes. Only a small fraction of us pass for human, but that’s the face we’ve been putting forward here.”

There was definite disappointment in Newter’s voice. “So we’re back at square one. Knowing nothing.”

I nodded, looking at him with sympathy. “If it’s any consolation, I am planning on making a place for Case 53s once things have settled down somewhat. Right now I’m just trying to get caught up, this Earth is very different from Castlevania’s own. The only thing that’s about the same are people as a whole.”

Meridia closed her eyes a moment, taking a deep sniff of the air, leaning toward Newter. “Interesting...”

Faultline narrowed her eyes, looking at Meridia. “Hm?”

Meridia tilted her head, stroking her chin, her ebony skin seeming to glisten in the lights of the club. “Both of your companions here have young souls. Much younger than your bodies. I wonder if that is the case for all of those who resemble us.”

Newter swallowed, his eyes being drawn downward toward Meridia’s...assets, as she leaned toward him. “So...uh...what’s that mean?”

She shrugged, leaning closer, seeming to enjoy the scent of his skin. “Your minds are young. No memory of what passed before?”

Gregor’s deep voice cut in. “Small fragments at best. We wake up without even our names, but we know a language, some skills. Being able to read. We find ourselves on our own, not knowing anything more than we are different.”

Newter’s voice was a bit weak. “Uh...please don’t touch me unless you want to get high. My body makes a narcotic. Even touch me and you’ll be off in la-la land.”

I sighed to myself. “Meridia, you’re going to break him.”

Meridia grinned at me. “He exudes much frustration, My Lady. I would love to help him work through it all. And it’s unlikely I will be affected by any such things.” Testingly, and teasingly, she pressed the tip of her finger against his cheek.

We all waited a moment. Meridia just smiled and licked her finger sensuously. We waited another beat.

“Uh.” Newter said slowly. “Normally you’re supposed to fall over giggling at this point.”

Meridia’s grin widened. “No, we do that after I take you to a room and have some fun.”

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “Meridia, after the meeting, please?”

She pouted, but nodded, moving back away from Newter. “As you will, My Lady.”

Out of other options, I turned back to Faultline. “Anyway, wish I had better news for you. Your crew will be welcome on my soil. Besides...” I grinned. “I might have some work for you in the near future. I’ll pay well, too.”

“Oh?” She sounded interested.

I grinned “Nothing too difficult. I just may need some extra hands for the grand opening coming later this month.”

------------------

True to her word, Meridia dragged Newter off to his room as soon as the meeting was over with. At least she was going to be occupied for a while. Still, I had to work on things, and while my progress was slowed somewhat by the quarantine, it was by no means stopped. Nobody could force me to obey it, after all, but yet again, breaking it would damage my long-term plans. Still, the wonders of technology made things a little bit easier. I couldn’t take two weeks or a month off, much as I’d like to, but I did appreciate the slower pace for the moment.

“You know, Grue’s trying to get in contact with you.” I spoke into my cellphone as I sat on the Palanquin’s roof. I was getting pretty used to the view from rooftops, now that I think about it. Good way to have some privacy while enjoying the night air.

Well, some privacy. Alucard was keeping watch, though his expression was pensive. Probably somewhat lost in thought. Miss Militia sat closer to me, looking up and down the street. Whatever her faults, which were few, she was vigilant. I could feel the echo of Dracul in the back of my head being very approving of her.

Make her yours.

You shut up. Besides, only if she wanted to. Um..hm. How to broach that? ‘Hey Hannah, want to leave your job being a hero and join my harem? I offer companionship and dental.’

Lisa sounded tired over the phone. “Yeah, not surprised. Me leaving and Coil being disappeared somewhere’s left him in a lurch. He’s got his reasons for villainy, you know. Don’t exactly like leaving the gang, but I suppose with the whole thing with the Nine, it couldn’t be helped.”

I nodded to myself. “How are things shaping up over there?”

Lisa hummed a little. “A bit better than things in the Bay. Cell tower is up, thanks to Dragon, and I’m in the middle of getting some gas generators going until we can get a more permanent means of power generation. Should speed up some of the effort when it comes to modernizing this place. I keep getting the stinkeye from the demons here. Or the succubi keep undressing me with their eyes.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, they do that. Have they actually tried anything?”

“Nah. It’s annoying, but nothing more annoying than the idea of dating normally. Which I don’t do, because people are seriously twisted, you know? You have any idea what it’s like to have someone else’s likes and dislikes shoved into your head whether you want them or not? Cause I get that whenever I seriously consider pretty much anyone.”

I blinked. “Actually yes, I can get where you’re coming from.” Let’s see, the near-constant They are beneath me, the whole lusting after women when I hadn’t before, (thankfully I still liked guys, too,) the faint memories, the clear memories, and of course, the arrogance. Whole heaps and heaps of arrogance.

“Huh. You know, you’re the weirdest person I’ve ever met. And I know some weird people. Only weirder thing is your castle. I’m looking at a room that’s upside down, here. I have no idea how the tea is staying in the cups, or how the candle flames are actually pointing downward. And yesterday I went swimming in that little lake you’ve got out front. You’ve got a brook flowing by it, but it’s flowing uphill.”

I laughed softly. “That’s the castle for you. She must be in a pretty good mood to messing around like that, though.”

“That’s a good mood, just breaking physics? And she?”

I grinned. “Yeah. Because she hasn’t thrown anything deadly at you, has she? Just messing with you a bit?”

Lisa sighed, sounded exasperated. “Yeah, I suppose. Great, now my power’s going to be on overdrive about this whole place. Why do you have a living castle, anyway?”

I let amusement fill my voice. “Well, you know, it was left to me in a will. Had to spend the night in a haunted, sentient castle, but she liked me so much she followed me home.”

Silence reigned for a moment, then Lisa sighed. “Know what the bad part is? I know you’re not lying much. Anyway, the inhabitants are getting a bit restless. They’re waiting for you to get back and give the word. If you don’t get back pretty soon, you might have some problems. Petty fiefdoms just might spring up.”

Great, more on my plate. “I’ll take care of things as soon as I can.” I hung up. Taking a deep breath, I checked my phone for the time, and blinked. “Uh...Miss Militia, how long has Meridia been with Newter?”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Two hours by my estimation.”

I winced. She might have killed him with exhaustion by now. “Uh...we should go check on her.”

So we headed down from the roof access, stopping as I heard giggling and moans as we approached the hall.

Alucard shook his head. “Nay, they’re fine. They’re still...occupied.” He tapped his ear. “And enthusiastic.”

I blinked. “Yeah, I got that. How long are they going to..?”

He frowned as he looked back at me. “Depends on how much...energy, they want to work out.”

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

I shuddered. “Okay, well, I’ve got things to do. And I need to go bleach my brain.”

Alucard sighed. “I will ensure nothing happens and bring Meridia back to the hospital by morning.”

I nodded with gratitude.

A shriek of pleasure reached me. And I recoiled at Meridia's screams of encouragement. “Yes, I’m a bad girl, a bad girl!”

Miss Militia spoke firmly. “Let’s go. Now. You're too young for this.”

I nodded faintly. “Yes ma’am.”

------------------

I watched with equal parts wonder and disgust as Amy worked. She clasped Vicky’s hand with one hand, the other buried in a bucket of raw meat.

Vicky had her eye closed, trying to keep calm. Miss Militia just watched with curiosity. I guess she was a bit more used to seeing biomass shift around on its own. Or maybe she just had a stronger stomach than I did.

Weird what squicks you. I can impale someone on a spike no problem, but seeing an eye grow out of leftover meat made me queasy. I swear, if that thing blinks at me, I’m leaving.

Wait. No worries there. There’s no eyelids on it. That...makes it worse, actually.

Finally, the eye finished forming in the bucket, jiggling there. Amy gently extracted it, nerves dangling from the end. She looked at it, then at Vicky, and nodded slowly. “Almost have it right this time. The nerves are a bit twisted, this one would be pretty disorienting if I’m understanding right. One more practice session and I’ll feel confident enough to replace your eye, Vicky.”

Vicky let out a breath. “Thanks, Ames.”

Miss Militia’s voice was full of curiosity. “If I didn’t know better, I’d have never guessed you were Amy Dallon. Your face and hair’s completely different. You look like Meridia.”

Amy sighed, a deep growl of frustration coming from deep in her throat. “One of the things that changed when I became a vampire. I can make myself look like anyone, long as I have the biomass to do it. Healing someone else, though? That’s a lot harder. I used to be able to touch someone and get a full and in-depth understanding of their entire body. It was just there, fully understood, and I could intuit the problems. Then I could visualize what I wanted to do to fix it, from the DNA up. Now? I can still see things, but it’s not perfect. The more intricate the structure, the more difficult it is to perceive and visualize. I’m also lacking a full idea on what’s wrong. There’s just so much stuff here. It’s a bit easier with symmetrical structures, so rebuilding an eye is somewhat easier than some other things. I just need to mirror the intact eye, for example. Healing someone’s all about the little details, and there’s literally billions of those to work through.” She made a frustrated sound. “It’s actually easier to fix up a virus or a bacterium than a heart. Viruses are very simple things, and while bacteria are a lot more complicated, I can just make one and copy it a lot. But blood vessels and nerves and tissue layers are harder, because they’re made up of different cells all layered together.”

Miss Militia nodded a little. “I think I can understand somewhat. My power lets me make any weapon I understand, and because of my memory, I just need to remember which one I want. I’m pretty sure I’d have a lot of trouble with it if I had ordinary memory to work with.”

Amy sighed, carefully turning the eye in her hand, looking it over. “Bad part is, changing myself is easy, making stuff from my own flesh is easy. But the only time it’s that easy on someone else is when I’m not caring about whether they survive or not. Destruction’s a lot easier than healing. If I put the nerves together wrong, the signals reaching the brain will be disoriented. Put the blood vessels together wrong, and a clot could form or the organ might not get enough oxygen and die. There’s so many problems that might come up. That’s why I’m taking so long about trying this. I want to get it right. I’m not just going to try things willy-nilly and risk killing my sister.”

Vicky smirked. “And I, for one, am quite happy about not getting my brain scrambled. Sides, we can always go with plan B, right?”

Amy whirled on her sister. “No, no, no. Absolutely not!”

I waved my hands. “Whoa. Wait a sec. Plan B?”

Vicky smirked. “Yeah. Plan B. Blood. I ask real nice if I can join the club.”

Miss Militia shook her head. “Are you serious?” She looked back and forth between me and Vicky. “That’s a rather drastic measure, isn’t it?”

Uh yeah, it is. Okay Taylor. Think. Thinkthinkthink.

You will be lonely if you do not have companions who can live as long as you do.

Gee, thanks for the advice, evil voice in my head.

Vicky folded her arms. “Look. I’ve thought about it. Not saying I’m going to force the issue, but I ain’t going to mope too much if I have to become a vampire for whatever reason.” She looked at Amy. “The Siberian could have killed me, easy. She chose not too, probably because her maker was seriously fucked in the head and wanted me to suffer, but I don’t remember the last time I got seriously hurt. It made me think, Ames. I’m getting older. Nothing I have to worry about right now, but you and Red aren’t, are you? Hell, Al said he’s damn near a thousand years old, and he doesn’t look it. I got him to start wearing a shirt after people kept staring at his abs. Including me.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Even Miss Militia seemed amused.

Vicky was smiling now as she went on. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not asking to be turned tonight or even ten years from now. I gotta explain a whole lot to Aunt Sarah and our cousins. And frankly, the idea scares me a bit. But I can think of worse things. And...” She bit her lip, looking a bit shy, her single eye serious. “I don’t want to leave you two alone forever.”

I couldn’t help it. I just stepped forward and hugged her. And Amy had done the exact same thing, the two of us busily hugging Vicky.

“Ack! Air!”

“Liar.” Amy and I chorused.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

A/N: Okay, this one’s been real slow. It’s been a combination of finding the time and energy to keep writing as I’ve been hit with a whole lot of stuff going on. Plus a few rewrites. Now I’m happy with it, though.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dean tried to keep from fidgeting as the machine worked. Considering the occasional lance of white-hot pain that arced up through the upper half of his left arm, that was easier said than done. The stump at the end was covered by a casing, through which Dragon was working to install an interface for an artificial arm. Still, he could bear it. The last few weeks had redefined the concept of pain for him. The clean, sterile air of the hospital was almost an old friend at this point.

“Sorry.” Dragon murmured. The golden suit shifted a little as it stared at the device around his arm. “Local anaesthetics help with the pain, but not all of it. And unfortunately, we need some feedback along the nerves.”

“I’ll deal.” He grit his teeth. “It hurts, but a hell of a lot less than losing it in the first place.”

Vicky nodded at him, a slight smile on her lips, but her emotional aura was tinged with the yellow-blue of worry. “I’m glad you’re okay.” Gently, she touched his right hand. The one he still had, the one he could feel with.

Silence reigned for a moment, then Dragon spoke. “I know you two have had a lot going on. It’s hard to keep up, I’m sure. Even I’m having trouble, and I’m right in the thick of it.”

Dean chuckled at that. “Just a little bit. It’s hard to grasp all this.”

Vicky grinned. “Actually, it’s kinda easy. Scarlet’s power is pure bullshit, and so everything she does is bullshit. Just roll with it and it’s a lot simpler. I’m not even going to blink if she starts pulling cream pies out of nowhere to chuck at people.”

Both Dragon and Dean stared at her.

Vicky shrugged. “What? Why not? She’s a vampire who can turn herself into a huge-ass dragon.”

Dragon laughed lightly. “You have a point.”

The room quieted for a bit, only the low humming of the installation machine breaking the silence.

Finally, Dean broke it. “I don’t want to lose you, Vicky.”

Vicky’s aura snapped to the green-yellow of surprise. “What? What brought this on?”

He smiled wryly. “Just been a lot of things. Our relationship’s always been on-again, off-again. Now this whole thing with vampires, now that Amy’s one, and... this whole thing with your parents. I want to stand by you, but so many things have been happening that I’ve had no inkling of.” He lifted his hand as Vicky opened her mouth. “I’m not mad. I just...I’m not sure where we stand, you know? I’m glad you’re Scarlet’s friend. I’m glad you’re doing okay, considering everything that’s happened. It’s just...we haven’t talked much at all. Not since Bakuda.”

Vicky’s light flushed with the soft pink of embarrassment. “Been a little busy.”

Dean nodded. “Yeah. I get it, I understand. Things have been hectic from one crisis to another. I’m halfway surprised the city’s still standing.” He grimaced. “Mostly.”

Silence reigned for a moment before Vicky spoke. “I’m considering joining them as a vampire.”

That made both Dean and Dragon pause, staring at the teen.

Dragon’s voice was filled with concern. “If it’s about the eye, there are plenty of treatments and options available. Wasn’t that something you were working on, anyway?”

Vicky nodded, a sigh escaping her lips. “Yeah. And I’m not saying I’m gonna do it in the near future. Just...an eventuality, you know? I don’t want to leave Ames and Red on their own forever.”

After an awkward moment, Dean spoke. “So what about us?”

She shrugged helplessly. “Your choice, Dean. I ain’t gonna tell you what to do, what choices you can make. Hell, I got sick of that from...” Her voice cracked as she finished the word, her emotional aura filling with red and black hues. “Mom.”

Carefully, Dean raised his right arm, and Vicky settled down next to him, resting her fingers on his shoulder.

Her voice was small as she spoke. “My life, you know. My choices to make. If it wasn’t for Ames, I wouldn’t be considering it. But I feel like I’m losing everything. I don’t want her to be alone.” She sniffed. “I promised when we were kids that I’d be the bestest sister ever. Can’t do that if I grow old and die while she’s still the same.” She swallowed and cleared her throat. “We could ask if you wanted to, too. I mean...it’s not something I’m doing soon, but someday, maybe...”

Dean could see it in her emotional light. The conflict, the broiling of emotions. The raw pain and need. The desire for some stability. He spoke gently. “I’m here, Vicky. I won’t pretend I like the whole idea, but...you’re important to me. Damn important.”

She kissed his cheek.

“There, done.” Dragon said with a note of satisfaction in her voice. The encasement around his arm opened, and Dean carefully lifted and looked over his new artificial arm.

It was a skeletal thing, whirring and clicking a little as he turned the mechanical wrist. Experimentally, he clenched it into a fist, and watched the metal knuckles line up. “Huh. It works fine. Don’t feel much from it, though.” Experimentally, he tapped the ends of the metal fingers. There was only the slightest bit of sensation. Resistance, but no warmth, no texture.

Dragon chuckled. “I’m told it takes time to get used to. Armsmaster’s still adjusting to his legs. This is just the skeletal work, though. There’s a few different coverings you might try, and more artificial nerves can be hooked up to some of them. I’d consider something like a synthetic flesh covering over it, but that would make maintaining it a lot more difficult.”

He smiled slightly, his eyes on Vicky. “We’ll deal.”

She smiled faintly in return.


------------------

Cherie Vasil was having a bad day.

Not that things had been especially good. Not since...well, ever. The best day of her life was when she finally had some power. Fear of the Nine had driven her brothers away. Moving through Wallerton, using her power to turn families on each other, forcing them to kill each other and enjoy the act...that had been the best. That she went through hell over and over, just to prove herself. She survived, and even began to thrive as she finally had some control over her life. Sure, she was the plaything of other psychopaths, but at least with them, she was on top of the hill, rather than being shat on at the bottom.

And it all turned to shit almost immediately. The Nine had been running around for nearly twenty years. Twenty years! And just three weeks after she joined, they were all dead. All of them. Even the fucking Siberian, dead. The death of Bonesaw should have spelled the extinction of humanity. But nope, things were fine. Somehow the ‘heroes’ had managed to prevent even that. The prion plague that was supposed to help provide cover, sow chaos, and help their escape if it became necessary was wiped out.

And now she was here. In a bunker in the middle of bloody nowhere. No people around in her entire range. No emotions whatsoever. Dragon had brought her here, a fallout shelter buried deep in the Canadian Shield, and had her monitored for any signs of mischief.

Why the hell didn’t they listen to me? Jack hadn’t wanted to go after the goddamned Scarlet Dragon. Neither had she or Shatterbird. But Bonesaw, Crawler and Mannequin had, and the Siberian and Burnscar wanted to go for their own reasons. Hatchet Face just plain hadn’t cared. If they’d listened, if just Burnscar listened, they’d all still be alive. Now it was just her, sole survivor of the Slaughterhouse Nine, and she wasn’t likely to ever take a breath of fresh air ever again.

Dragon’s voice was harsh, judgmental as the famous Tinker’s digital avatar glared at her over the screen. “Cherie Vasil. One of Heartbreaker’s children. We’ve seen a few of your siblings over the years. Human-Masters are quite a large concern. Your brothers and sisters don’t tend to do very well outside of that compound, though.”

Cherie wanted to punch the screen in. The only thing that kept her from doing so was that it was the only source of contact with anyone here. She put as much misery into her voice as she could. “I swear, I was just trying to hide from my brothers. I didn’t join the Nine, I just panicked in the shelter and tried to run.”

Dragon’s digitized face frowned at her. “Even if I believed you, which I don’t, you’re responsible for five deaths in the shelter. Had you told the truth about your identity, if not your affiliations, it’s quite possible you might have been brought on board. Every bit of information about Heartbreaker’s compound is useful, and any aid rendered toward the goal of ending him is actually well awarded by the Canadian government. Instead, you ran, and hid, and used your powers to kill people during the Slaughterhouse Nine’s last stand. Your actions helped Hatchet Face kill one civilian and nearly murder a Ward. The only reason you haven’t been executed is the possibility you may have useful information that may result in saving the hostages your father has collected.”

Cherie swallowed. “So you’ll kill me once I’m done talking?”

Dragon sounded insulted. “No. Here’s the deal. For every bit of useful information you provide, that gets verified, I will provide you a privilege. A television, books, and food that’s more elaborate than rations. For any bit of information that turns out to be false, a privilege will be taken away. Regardless of the circumstances, however, you have been sentenced to isolation for the rest of your days. The only reason you are not in the Birdcage is because there is no method for communication outside once you are inside.”

Dragon communicated with her about once a week, grilling the prisoner on everything she knew about her father. His habits, his victims, the layout of his compound. All of it brought back the horrible memories of that place.

Grasping hands, forcing her backwards over the bed. Struggling and kicking in vain, trying not to cry. Wishing she could just stop this. She always screamed inside when sent to her room with her elder brother, Pierre Vasil. Heartbreaker’s son, not just in blood but in spirit. Her brother grinned with that twisted, sickening smile that haunted her nightmares.

All the while knowing her father was watching.

At least here, she was alone. At least here, her brothers weren’t around. At least here, her lazy, hedonistic and twisted father wasn’t. Jean-Paul was smarter than she was. He walked away. All the while she hung on, hoping her father would finally exploit the powers he held. Use them to make a big push and take over Montreal. Being the heir to a criminal empire would have made it all worth it.

Instead, he just expanded his harem. Nikos Vasil was happy as long as he had what he wanted, toys for his amusement. He cared for his own blood in all the wrong ways.

With a sigh, she turned to the screen and turned it on. “Well. Least I’ve got cable.”

An hour into an entertainingly bad movie, based on something from Japan before Leviathan sank Kyushu, she felt a chill. A whisper of amusement coming from the very edge of her power’s range. As if someone was pacing around, flitting in and out of it, just on the edge. Again and again, someone darkly amused, almost gleeful. As if she was feeling someone else stretching and feeling freedom for the first time in ages.

Solitude. Enjoyment. The rush of air and freedom.

“Well fuck you too, bastard.” She grumbled. The person was too far away for her to influence, anyway. Just sense, barely.

Still, who the hell was out here? This was supposed to be the middle of nowhere.

She idly considered speaking, telling Dragon about it. She decided not to. If that hobo came near enough to her prison to affect, she’d make sure he killed himself anyway. It’s not like she cared about what happened out there anymore. Or maybe she’d ‘just’ make him fall in desperate love with the nearest bear.

That sounded fun. It wasn’t like she had much else to do.

------------------

A pawn moved forward. A knight on the opposite end shifted to protect a rook.

Marquis had a slight frown on his lips. His opponent’s strategy was much like the man himself. Calm, yet aggressive. Lung set his side of the board up so that any attack would be swiftly, brutally countered.

The chessboard was a simple thing, made out of a lightweight plastic, set on a table on the side of the common room. The chess pieces were made from Marquis’ own bone. It was the only place he had where he could get such things. In an ordinary prison, confiscating things that could be turned into weapons was a high priority. Inside the Birdcage, there was no such policy. The prisoners policed themselves, for death was the only guard. Things had gotten a bit more...civilized, when Glastig Uaine, the Fairy Queen, had entered, however.

Marquis’ voice was filled with certainty as he moved a rook forward, shoring up his defense. “You seem distracted.”

Lung’s lip twitched, moving forward a pawn. “I have been...considering.”

Marquis nodded. The other man would speak, or not, if he wished. Marquis simply moved a piece, Lung responded. It went back and forth for about a minute.

Lung spoke, his voice thoughtful. “When I first arrived here, I seethed. The Dragon of Kyushu, defeated by a child. One who had not appeared before that night. She who maimed my lieutenant and ensured I would not walk free again.”

Marquis nodded again, taking a moment to frown at the board. Ah. Classic gambit, to move a rook behind the lines. Marquis blocked the line of attack with a bishop. “And then she goes on to kill the Simurgh.”

Lung smiled. “Indeed. Not only that, she does so as a true dragon. In a flash, a brief moment, she matches my power at my height. And then goes on to remove the blight of the Nine.” His smile faded somewhat, as he thoughtfully shifted another pawn. “When I faced Leviathan at Kyushu, it was a loss. Every time I believed I had the upper hand, the beast showed a bit more strength. More than it had showed ever before. I grew ever-stronger, and it simply did more. I came to realize, even as Kyushu sank, that it had been toying with us, even with my presence. It was in no danger, even from I.” A slight shift of his expression, anger buried beneath the surface. “Beyond that, however, was a sense. The beast does not care. We are nothing to it.”

“Mm. So that’s why you never bothered to fight again.” Marquis had heard the stories, of course. There weren’t many places in the world who hadn’t heard of the Endbringers, and of the man who fought one to a standstill. But why Lung had never fought again, that was just speculation.

Lung nodded. “I have seen video of Behemoth. It moves and acts, to accomplish its goal. But there is hatred there. It doesn’t care about what we do to it, but it is raging. Always raging. Leviathan acts to kill without care. Efficiently. It uses its form to crush while its waters act as a blade. I came to believe they could not be killed.” A slight chuckle escaped him. “And then the Simurgh is killed by our warden and the young red dragon.”

A slight clicking as bone tapped on plastic. Hm. Lung was actually pretty good as a chess player. Marquis moved a knight forward. “Made you rethink things?”

“Indeed. Only in one sense. We know they can die. That it would be easy is another question. The world hopes they can repeat the miracle at Vancouver. I wish them well. But I am not so confident.” With a slight chuckle, Lung moved a pawn forward. “It would add only to my reputation to survive the girl who slew all three of the Endbringers, however.”

Marquis nodded. He could see the humor in it, though he couldn’t appreciate it at the moment. “I see.” He shifted a rook forward, behind Lung’s carefully crafted defense. “I do believe that is checkmate.”

Lung looked down at the board. He glowered, but accepted it. “Indeed. Well played.” He looked back at Marquis. “You seem to be more at ease.”

Marquis just shook his head. “I am numb. Give me a slight irritation, and I’ll ensure someone else regrets it.”

Lung just grunted. Marquis knew he hadn’t exactly been...calm, in the wake of Vancouver. The news that his daughter was dead, dead just before the Simurgh’s final attack, had been enough to break his composure. Even the death of the Simurgh hadn’t given him much in the way of happiness. For everyone else, the day of the Simurgh’s death would be a day of celebration for centuries to come. For Marquis, it would be the day of his daughter’s death.

If he ever got free of this cage, he would kill Carol Dallon for her failure to protect his blood.

Lung got to his feet. “I have things to attend to.” Oni Lee, the man meant. The crippled teleporter wasn’t much of a threat these days. Lung tended to his lieutenant, though it was anyone’s guess until the day Oni Lee simply killed himself in some manner.

Marquis nodded as he got to his feet. “Another time then.” He bowed his head slightly. Respect without deference. A difficult line with Lung.

Marquis made his way back to his cell. Assorted little knick-knacks collected over the years in this prison. A shelf crafted from bone, books resting on it. A few figurines carved from bone, Marquis using his memories to forge for himself more permanent reminders. One of the few ways he could remember his treasure, his Amelia.

He didn't believe for a second some illness had killed her. The world had made a very big deal about the fact that Panacea was immune to such a mundane thing as disease. Her power prevented such things from having the chance to harm her. No, it had to be someone, someone who was willing to risk the entire world coming after them just to dig at Marquis. The Butcher, probably. That particular problem wouldn't care in the least. What would they do? Kill the Butcher? The idea was laughable.

Only to stop as he noticed a sheet of paper lying on his bed. It was lying open, plain to see it was a letter, written in a flowing, but inexperienced hand. Still, even this could be a trap. Carefully, he pointed a finger, suppressing the snarl of pain that would come as he extended the bone of the tip of his finger to push the page from its position, to see if there was something behind it. A poison, a disease, an explosive. Life in the Birdcage certainly wasn’t boring.

Nothing. He broke the bone, shrinking the jagged edge of the bone to his finger’s proper length. His power let him heal quickly, though it never helped with the pain. Just simple practice, there. Retrieving the letter, he swallowed as he read it.

Hello father.

I know what you have heard. That I died just prior to the Battle of Vancouver. That Amy Dallon is gone.

This is what I decided what was best. My life as Amy Dallon, as Panacea, was one that I could no longer stand. I’m well, and okay. I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. I don’t know what to write here. How does one say hello to the father they barely remember?

I remember you were kind. I remember your voice as you read to me. The Cat in the Hat. Even now, I remember that book very fondly. I don’t remember much else. Just some a few times when I was sure I could just find you if I got away. It took me a while to realize just what happened, where you really were. I’ve heard stories about you my whole life, though it took a long time for me to realize I was your daughter.

If you’re wanting to get vengeance on New Wave for taking me, for failing me, I ask that if you ever get free, you don’t. I wasn’t very happy with them, but Bonesaw of the Slaughterhouse Nine paid us a visit. Whatever sins my adoptive mother and father committed, they’ve more than paid for them. It took much for me to undo her work and save their lives. Even now, they’re screaming. If it helps at all, the Nine are dead. All of them. There won’t be any more lives ruined by Jack Slash.

Things are different now. The city’s been battered and hurt, but it’s surviving. We’re about to bring it to life in an all new way. I’ve joined a new family, but I haven’t forgotten that I had two others.

I’m sorry, I don’t know what else I want to say. This is so awkward, and hard. I'm sure you want to talk to me. Ask for Dragon, she can arrange it. She’s been...experimenting, I guess. Or just talk to the cameras. We can figure something out.

I want you to know. I don’t hate you. I don’t think you’re a monster. I just think you’re fallible, human. You made choices that led to us being separated. I also know you didn’t abandon me. Things have been rough here, things that are so very hard to understand. I’m adjusting. I don’t want to face eternity without knowing more than just some hearsay about you.

Your daughter,

Amelia.

At some point while reading, Marquis had slumped to the ground, cradling the sheet of paper. Reading it again and again. Now it was his second most-precious treasure.

For nothing could ever replace his daughter. If this letter was real, he would give his very soul to whomever brought him this miracle.

If a lie...he would see the world burn for it. Somehow.


------------------


Daniel Hebert was a man on a mission. One made all the more difficult because of the quarantine. Sure, the quarantine would be dropping by tomorrow, but because of the length of it, so many things in the city were simply unavailable. Necessities were available, but a lot of luxuries weren’t. Plain water and food was plentiful. A good burger or steak simply wasn’t.

Though at this point, just about everyone he knew was looking forward to Fugly Bob’s reopening. They’d run out of supplies in after the first week, and meat on day two. Essential supplies had been dropped in, but that still made things difficult.

“I’m sorry.” The attendant behind the counter said, his voice apologetic. Kid couldn’t have been older than nineteen. “We ran out of supplies for them about two days after the quarantine sprung up. The ingredients and supplies just don’t keep that well, and we’ve had enough trouble with everything else.”

Danny sighed. “Third place I’ve been to with the same story.”

The hapless attendant shrugged. “Sorry.”

Danny shook his head. “Not your fault, kid. It is short notice, and, yeah. It’s hard to find what we need here.”

An apologetic smile. “I’m just glad you’re not yelling at me. If it helps, by next week we should have some. Lot of businesses have taken a pretty big hit with being on hold for this long, but we’re raring to get everything reopened.”

Danny sighed again. “It just won’t be the same.”

The attendant nodded. “I hear you. All I can suggest is to try a big grocery store. Might have some supplies there...though it’s a long shot. We’re barely in business as things are, and that would be one of the first places hit. I’ll be surprised if you can find bottled water on the shelves.”

With some annoyance, but no surprise, Danny left the store. He stepped his way back to the truck and went to the next place on the list.

Sure, he could have called the PRT and seen if he could get a few strings pulled, maybe had a special drop, but there was a problem with that. He wanted it all to be a surprise.

He needed to pick up some tassels, some lettering...maybe the hardware store still has some supplies he could work with. Things were getting pretty scarce all over, unfortunately. What was sent in was the stuff people needed to live, but businesses and the little people suffered. Of course they suffered. It was always the little people who suffered first.

The drive was mostly uneventful. There were few cars on the road, most people were walking, enjoying the late June weather. The sun was shining, and the streets were pretty clean, the results of last night’s gentle rains.

He enjoyed the drive, taking the time to just breathe. The world felt open to him now, the sheer color and energy his life had lacked for years, slowly returning. His daughter, returned from the dead. A miracle, in every respect, even if it was a dark miracle. She returned with the power of a god, a monstrous god of darkness and blood, but she was still his Taylor.

He blinked and turned to the side of the road as flashing lights appeared in his rearview mirror. Fire trucks came roaring up from behind, passing him. With a sinking feeling, he stepped out of his truck, looking in the direction they were going.

Maybe about a mile off, there was smoke rising in the distance, boiling up from an apartment building.

Without thinking, he drove toward it, following the fire trucks, far enough back that if something happened, he wouldn’t be in the way.

About a minute later, he was at the other end of the block, watching as the firemen deployed. They worked quickly, professionally, hooking their hoses up to the fire hydrants and starting to douse the blaze.

Still, something felt odd. Like he knew he should be doing something, then-

Two entwining, giant beings. Larger than worlds, twisting and turning about each other. The forms bursting apart, turning themselves into raining stars as they approached.

Reality snapped back to him, blinking as the blackout faded. What the hell just happened?

“Sir, are you all right?” A voice spoke. He shook his head as he looked at his side, groaning as someone was pulling him to his feet. Spartan-style armor, spear, shield.

“Dauntless.” Danny spoke. “Uh...”

The Protectorate hero’s voice was quiet. “Director Piggot asked us to keep an eye on you. You blacked out?”

Danny nodded quickly. “Something happened. I saw...something. I can’t grasp it.”

The fire roared up, and a deep scream echoed from inside the building. A blast of blinding, bright light burst outward, scattering bricks and concrete, and a glowing figure flew out of the new hole in the side of the building, cradling something. The light-bearer hovered above the street, well-away from the smoke, wavering in mid-air. The faint sound of crying reached Danny, a child’s terrified cries.

Dauntless pressed a finger to the side of his helmet. “This is Dauntless, Purity spotted at Janesway and Parkdale, fleeing the apartment fire.” A moment passed, and his spoke with annoyance in his voice. “Understood, Control.”

Another scream. A figure at the top of the building, gleaming with metal, holding someone else. There was a terrible crack, and the two began to fall together.

Dauntless disappeared in a flash of light, appearing near the pair in midair. The hero grabbed them, his shield and spear falling to the ground as he did, but it looked like the three would all hit the ground far too fast to be survivable.

Feeling helpless, Danny mentally screamed. Save them!

The water from the firehoses abruptly arced in midair, moving underneath the falling figures and forming a sphere around them. The water defied physics, slowing in midair, even as it expanded. Though it hit the ground with a force that made Danny wince, the sphere held. The water flowed away, leaving its precious cargo behind, spluttering and coughing.

Dauntless helped the two people to their feet. The first was someone short, though obviously a cape. He was covered in metal, head-to-toe, and it moved with him, looking somewhat like an animated, gleaming statue. The other was a woman, one-eyed, coughing and retching as she tried to get water out of her lungs.

The shining light returned as its bearer landed near Dauntless, raising one hand, a wailing infant in the other. “Dauntless, Neptune! Stand away now!”

The water flowed upward, flanking Dauntless as the hero stepped away from Purity, his body language showing confusion. “Not here for a fight, Purity.” He looked at his side as the water formed up, taking a humanoid shape.

No, two humanoid shapes. The first forming itself into an adult male, but the second being a tall, thin female. With the water forming itself into a pair of wings sprouting from her back.

Danny blinked in confusion as the metal-kid and one-eyed woman went to Purity, and the group moved off slowly. He just swallowed as Dauntless made his way back over to him, while the two water-people lifted their hands. Water began to move at their command, acting to douse the blaze.

Dauntless cleared his throat. “Well, Mister Hebert...at this point, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to come in.”

Danny nodded. “At this point, I’m not going to argue.”

A long moment passed as they watched the work, waiting for the PRT to come in. Danny spoke slowly. “Well. My plans are shot.” He smiled wryly. “Don’t suppose you know anyone who’ll be able to cater something on short notice?”

Dauntless stared at him as Danny explained. Finally, he just laughed. “I think it can be arranged.”


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

A/N: It really brings warm fuzzies to my heart to see so many people pile in when I update. Seriously, thanks. Sorry this one’s taken so long. Stupid diseases, stupid RL, and stupid me for being unsatisfied. This one took way too long. Next one should be a fair bit easier.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Armsmaster frowned at the three-dimensional image, projected into the air right in front of him, the scans being easily interpreted by the powerful computers designed by Dragon. Though that wasn’t all that helpful, even with all the advances in technology developed by people and Tinkers over the years, there was a fair bit about the brain that was a mystery. Danny Hebert sat in the examination chair, a ring around his head, connected to a computer.

Danny tried for a bit of humor. “So, doc, am I going to live?”

Armsmaster traced his fingers over the top of the hologram, his fingers passing through the image. A frown was on his lips.

Danny cleared his throat. “Armsmaster?”

He straightened and looked at the other man, his voice faintly apologetic. “Sorry. Yes, physically you’re fine. I was comparing your Corona Pollentia and Gemma with others on file. You’re definitely a parahuman, though the structure’s small. Smaller than it is for most who’ve submitted to scans.”

Director Piggot cleared her throat. “Is there a problem?”

Armsmaster turned to the director and nodded in acknowledgement. “This was more a confirmation than anything else. Most powers are obvious, so scans aren’t needed. Masters and Strangers are harder, but again, once you’re looking for them, they can be pretty obvious. Heartbreaker’s an example of one you don’t need to scan to determine whether they’re parahumans or not. Daniel Hebert’s a harder case.”

Danny shook his head. “I’m not feeling anything. Nothing in the back of my mind or anything.”

Armsmaster nodded. “Which is what’s making things difficult. If you simply had a Pollentia, I wouldn’t be surprised, but you’ve definitely got an active Gemma. Maybe the size is what makes it more difficult for you to call upon your power. Most of the time the combined Pollentia and Gemma is the size of a kiwi. Yours is about half that.”

Piggot frowned, her voice thoughtful. “Is that something that might affect the awareness of his power?”

“Mm.” Armsmaster hummed a little in consideration “There’s some powers that are involuntary. Alexandria’s invulnerability, Gallant’s emotional awareness. Perhaps this is the Master-equivalent of one like that. No conscious control, but working off the subconscious. That the constructs seem to be helpful seems to support that hypothesis.” He paused a moment, his voice quiet. “Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t pry into a possible trigger event. This is unusual, however, and I hate to ask, but...Neptune first appeared under the Boardwalk on January the twenty-third. Can you think of anything that happened that day that might have instigated this? Maybe if we had some insight onto your trigger event, we might have a better idea on how your power works.”

Danny stiffened in the chair. He shuddered for a moment, his face going pale. Finally, he spoke, his voice very quiet. “I’m only going to say it once. So don’t interrupt me.”

Piggot and Armsmaster nodded.

-----------------

January 23rd, 2011

The snow drifted down slowly, gently, covering the freshly-overturned earth. Danny stood before the simple, small slab of stone.

Here lies Taylor Hebert

Beloved daughter

June 19, 1995-January 7, 2011

It wasn’t enough. It just wasn’t enough. Taylor deserved more than this. She deserved more than a small plot of land and a small slab for a tombstone. She deserved a happy home, a happy family. She deserved a father who would have noticed the hell she was going through. She deserved...

She deserved the world, and all she had was a grave. She couldn’t even get justice. The gang culture of Winslow High covered the death of his daughter. The problem wasn’t that they weren’t saying anything. The problem was that there were too many stories. The white skinheads were pointing at the asians and blacks, the asians were pointing at the skinheads and delinquents, the honor roll was pointing at each other, and the staff was pointing at everyone other than themselves.

There was a slight scuffling of feet behind him. He didn’t turn as a voice intruded on his consciousness.

“I’m sorry, Danny.” Alan Barnes said. “First Annette, now Taylor...I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”

Danny’s shoulders slumped. The weight of the world pressing in on him. There just wasn’t anything left. Nothing he could do. Nothing could make up for his failure to protect his daughter. Finally, he spoke, the words dull and hollow. “Nothing you can do, Alan. Nothing anyone can do.”

Another shift, winter boots rustling on snow-covered grass. Emma’s voice spoke up, wavering, quivering, sorrowful. “I’m so sorry, Mister Hebert. I’m sorry she’s gone.”

His fingers twitched. All he could remember was the happy times. Emma and Taylor together, laughing in the house, the kitchen filled with the scent of his cooking while Annette chattered on about the day she had teaching. He took a deep, shuddering breath. “Thank you, Emma. You’re...” His voice cracked as he tried to get the words out. “You’re a good kid.”

Silence reigned for a moment, then Alan spoke. “I’m sorry to tell you now, Danny. We’re leaving Brockton Bay.”

It took a moment for the words to register, but when they did, he turned to look his friend in the eye. Alan looked tired, worn, and Emma had tears running down her cheeks, which froze and cracked in the cold. She looked stricken, filled with grief and pain.

“Where you headed, Alan?” Danny asked, not really caring about what the answer might be. It wasn’t like it mattered.

“New York.” Alan looked at Emma, gently wiping his daughter’s tears. “An opportunity came up with a law firm there. It’ll be an expensive move, but...with what happened to Taylor, I just feel Brockton Bay’s not safe anymore. It..really hasn’t been for a long time, but this is a wake-up call.” He looked ashamed. “I know it’s selfish, but I hadn’t realized how bad things had gotten for this city until it happened to someone I knew.”

Emma flinched a bit at the mention of Taylor.

Danny just nodded slowly. He wanted to rage. He wanted to yell and scream and cry. He wanted to fight, to wrangle, to tear at the earth until it gave him what he wanted. But it wouldn’t. It couldn’t. The world didn’t listen to men like Danny Hebert.

He turned back to the grave, staring at the simple slab. “Take care, Alan.”

He didn’t acknowledge it as the other man walked off, the slight sobs of Emma echoing in the cemetery.

He barely noticed it when night fell.

-----------------

The Brockton Bay Docks district. Where he made his livelihood.

The Dockworker’s Union building was a simple warehouse, stained with salt and rusting in places. Still, he had fond memories of here, his first days on the job. Learning the ropes, being out from under the thumb of his father. The satisfaction of a good day’s work.

Over the years, the good days got to be less and less common. After Annette died...there just hadn’t been any. Work was sparse, good men joined the gangs just to get the money they needed to put food on the table.

Just another symptom of the city dying. Not that that mattered to him anymore.

He turned off the pickup truck’s engine, taking a deep breath as the cold air began to trickle back into the cab. Part of him was afraid. The rest of him was at peace. The only thing that mattered to him was gone. There was only one thing left to do.

He got out, the cold winter air hitting him in the face. Sharpening everything, waking him up. He left the keys in, the truck unlocked. It wasn’t as if he’d need it anymore. One of the guys would find it in the morning. Or a Merchant might steal it. It didn’t matter anymore, anyway.

He stepped to the pier. The wood was icy, making it difficult for him to walk. His boots nearly slipped several times, the well-worn tread failing to keep a grip on the slick surface. His heart was pounding in his chest as he took each step toward the end. Part of him was afraid, but with every step came a growing calm certainty. He wouldn’t feel this crushing, horrible sense of failure anymore. It’d be worth it.

He looked into the water of the bay. The cold waters of the Atlantic, in the midst of winter. In the summer, in happier times, he liked swimming on the beach. Now he knew it would kill, easily. In minutes, just a few quick minutes. People said death by hypothermia was a shock, bracing...but at least it would be quick.

Danny closed his eyes, listening to the gentle sloshing of the water as it pushed against the edge of the pier.

Then he took a step forward and plunged into the icy water.

Pain. The warmth provided by the air trapped within his clothes was abruptly stolen away as the Bay’s water replaced it, the sheer cold almost immediately numbing his skin. The air rushed from his lungs as he instinctively yelped in surprise, the cold water filling his throat, stealing yet more precious heat from him. There was a moment of terror, of instinctive panic. Despite the desire to just end it all, the reptile part of his brain just didn’t want to go just yet.

Then-

Destination.

-the water was surrounding him. Pulling its way out of his lungs. Heating up and covering him in a protective sheathe, pushing him to the surface and drawing him, inexorably, toward the beach. He struggled to move, but the water was impossible to resist. When it dumped him on the sand, theheat counteracting the terrible cold of the rest of the Bay, it slowly withdrew, leaving him dry, warm.

Broken.

The water was forming up at his side, pulling itself together into a vaguely humanoid shape. A man, by the proportions, but lacking more than the simplest features. There was the shape of a face, but no eyes. The hint of lips, but just more water behind it, rippling and flowing.

Danny coughed as he tried to clear his throat. The cape...and it had to be a cape, had pulled the water from him, but the stress and pain of having the water in his lungs remained. Finally, he managed to force the words out. “Why did you save me?”

The cape said nothing. The lips parted, there was a faint burbling...but there was no way for him to speak. Words were beyond the cape.

With a roar, Danny tried to hit the cape, but he just passed through, disrupting the form the cape had. Hot water flowed in all directions, soaking Danny once more, then flowing away from him again. Spitting out sand, Danny staggered his way to his feet, glaring at the cape that had just saved his life.

“Why did you save me!? Where the hell were you when my daughter was dying!?” He tried to get up, to flail again...but he felt too weak. Warm now, or not, he felt too damn tired. All he could do was content himself with tearing at the cold, hard sand. “Why didn’t you save her!?”

The cape extended a hand, made of water. He seemed to be having some trouble holding himself together, but nevertheless...Danny could sense the crushing disappointment in the other person’s body language.

“Why me, and not her?” he sobbed. “Why? Why didn’t you make yourself useful then and save her? Why...why me and not my daughter? Go and...I don’t care! Help someone who fucking needs it, because I don’t need you! She needed you!” All Danny could do was sit there, completely incapable of doing anything other than wallow in misery.

By the time Danny was able to pull himself together, the cape was gone.

-----------------

June 19, 2011

Danny’s voice was quiet as he finished. “I didn’t know what to do, then. I just...got to the truck and went home. I barely left the house after that, until April. The whole time then was just a long, waking nightmare.”

Piggot spoke after a moment, taking in the man before her. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “We’re going to have to figure out how your power works. Much as I hate to press on you, your...projection, was a member of the Protectorate. He started to build a life, put in the paperwork for a Case 53 member, had privileged and classified information. If you actually have that knowledge...well, all this is going to be a mess to work out.”

Danny nodded slowly. “The bane of all organizations. Paperwork.” He looked like he was trying to smile, but it was weak.

Armsmaster spoke, his voice thoughtful. “We’ll need to figure out your limits. What we know right now’s pretty concerning, though. If Neptune was your projection...then you’ve got an unprecedented range. Vancouver’s two thousand five hundred miles from here, yet Neptune had no issue operating that distance from you. No projection-Master on record has that kind of range.”

Danny just nodded, swallowing hard. “On another note...did Dauntless manage to arrange what I asked?”

Armsmaster started for a moment, then he nodded. “Ah, yes. He did.”

-----------------

The Wards common room was dark. Hushed whispers went around it. It was a bit drafty, as the damage to the PRT building hadn’t been fully repaired just yet.

The door clicked open, and Miss Militia, Protectorate Hero, and Scarlet Dragon, the Lady of Darkness, stepped inside.

The lights clicked on, and around the room a cheer went up, ten voices in unison. “Surprise!”

Scarlet Dragon stopped, her eyes wide, shock on her face. She looked around, a smile spreading on her lips as she took in the decorations. The banner stretching across the ceiling.

Happy Birthday

And Danny Hebert, standing behind a table, a large cake with sixteen candles on it. Around the room were Victoria Dallon, Amara, Gallant, Clockblocker, Vista, Alucard, Meridia, Kid Win, Paladin, and the golden form of Dragon. Armsmaster was the only one who hadn’t shouted, the Tinker looking uncomfortable with the whole thing.

As she looked at her father, Danny shrugged a little sheepishly. “You have no idea how hard it is to find a cake in the city right now. It would have been easier next week, but...it wouldn’t have been on your birthday.”

Miss Militia chuckled as she shut the door behind the surprised teenaged goddess. “And you have no idea how hard it was to keep us running around until then.”

Scarlet grinned. “Right now? Not going to complain.” She sniffed a little, wiping her cheeks. “Thanks. All of you. Thanks.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

A/N: It’s been difficult getting this far, although rewarding. I’m hoping we can get to the end soon. Ish.

Next time will be the press conference. I’ve been having trouble going onward, and this part’s pretty long as it is, so it should help a bit in keeping up my motivation. So yes, next time, team Castlevania’s press conference!

Spoiler: Taylor's Complete Power List

Blood manipulation: Self only, but extremely versatile. Basis of the Shadow Whip, Shadow Daggers, and other things.

Short-range teleportation: Draining, but not limited to line of sight.

Bat Travel: Turns into dozens of bats and back again. Rather confusing, but helpful for mobility.

Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as some capes, but up there. M1 Abrams out of gas? I'll just push them to the gas station.

Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.

Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.

Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance. Unlocked!

Flight: I believe I can touch the sky. Does it need any more description? Unlocked!

Possession: Turns into blood, flows into some poor bastard, controls them for a period (hours at most) and when they die they explode into chunky bits. The blood has a toxic effect, so anyone possessed is doomed. (Barring unusual biology.) Unlocked!

Fleshcrafting: Feeling a little vain? Want a whole new hair color, a bigger bust, shaplier hips, or claws to rend the flesh of your enemies? Subscribe to Vamp-New-You today! (Permits the vampire to alter their own flesh permanently at some cost to their blood. Does not permit changing of bone structure. Cannot be used on others.) Unlocked!

Mist Form: Transform into near-invulnerable mist. Has quite a few lethal and non-lethal applications. Unlocked!

Telekinesis: Manipulate objects at a distance through will alone. This is limited to line of sight, and is extremely limited compared to her physical strength. She can manipulate approximately thirty pounds at range to start with, and would improve with practice and imagination.

Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?! (Locked)

Shadow Portal: Opens a gate to the Plane of Shadow, where Castlevania resides. Shadow Portals can be made nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Plane of Shadow. Unlocked!

Dominate: (Not the soul-using thing) Control over others. Takes effort, and can only do so to a few at a time. Repeated and lengthy exposure, however, can make things last longer, until they are permanently enthralled. Can be resisted with willpower and can be no-selled by various techniques/powers.(Locked)

Bat Summon: Gather swarms of bats to do thy bidding. They will follow the will of the Lady of Darkness without hesitation. Not as flexible as the Queen Administrator shard. The awareness of each bat is basic, and commands must be given to the entire swarm at once. I'm the goddamn Batman. Unlocked!

Monstrous Form: Accesses a portion of the power available to the Scarlet Dragon's mightiest shape, while retaining the flexibility afforded by a humanoid form. However, it is clearly inhuman. Unlocked!

Void Magic: Basis of the Void Sword. Drains life from its victims, heals and invigorates the wielder, and brings about an absolute chill. Unlocked!

Chaos Magic: Control and manipulation of hellfire. Many can use it, but few can project it. Forms the Chaos Claws. Unlocked!

Storm Magic: Power over electricity and the storm. An excellent method of long-range attack, and quite painful to most.

Weather manipulation: Can control the weather to some degree, whether that is summoning or banishing clouds, or building up power to make a simple cloudy day into an actual storm. It cannot, however, bring warmth or cold on its own. She can't make a blizzard in the tropics or turn Antarctica into prime beachfront property. She can just make it sunny, cloudy, or rainy. Or snowy if the time of year's right.

Dragon Shape: The mightiest form of the Heir of Dracul. Becomes a massive red dragon, standing at thirty feet tall. Can access amplified versions of currently unlocked magic, as well as other powers while in the form. However, it is an immense strain to hold the shape for very long. And it is not exactly friendly-looking at first glance. Godzilla (or whatever epic music of your choice!) is highly recommended.

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century.

Spoiler: Alucard's Complete Power List

Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as Taylor's potential, but certainly enough to be highly dangerous to a well-trained human.

Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.

Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.

Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance.

Demonic Wings: Permits him to glide with feathery, though twisted, wings.

Mist form: Near invulnerable mist. No mere prison can hold thee. Unless they put in a fan to blow you back in.

Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?!

Chaos Magic: Alucard's is not as strong as his father's, but his skill with it is extraordinary. He can use it to teleport short distances and throw fireballs, although it is limited by line of sight and distance. (The classic SotN Hellfire spell.)

Spectral Wolf: Similar to the wolf shape, however it is ethereal and impossible to injure. Alucard can use it to teleport from one location to another by sending the wolf forward, then replacing it. Or he can simply use it to scout and dissolve it.

Crissaegrim abilities: A wickedly dangerous blade Alucard forged with the materials of three legendary weapons. It permits him to enshroud it with both Void and Chaos magic, as well as being extremely lethal to both holy and unholy opponents.

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Unlike Dracul's counterpart power, he would arise in a century unless the process was sped along by blood. He would also arise in a more corpse-like state until he managed to feed.

Spoiler: Dragon's Magic Power List

Steel Crafting: Self only. Able to mold current avatar however she likes. Tends to prefer a dragon shape, as...well, she's Dragon.

Teleportation: Flashes out of existence in one place and reappears in another. Line of sight limited, but not distance-wise. Yes. This is overpowered. Limited to (naturally) light-speed maximum.

Light Form: Turns into a bright solid light construct. This is difficult to maintain, but difficult to injure..

Strength: DRAGON SMASH!

Durability: Anybody remember that scene in Superman Returns when the bullet bounces off his eye? No? Nobody? Well, it's kinda like that.

Healing: Can grant to self or others, and does not need an outside source. Wounds (or damage) heals rapidly.

Flight: I could touch the sky before I changed into a goddess. Now I just don't need to spend any effort!

Hard-Light constructs: Eat your heart out in jealousy, Green Lantern! My constructs don't get broken by lemonade!

Telekinesis: Use the Force, Luke. Stronger than Taylor's version. Not Ziz-strength, but it's up there.

Light Bridge: Opens a...uh, bridge to the Plane of Light. Think the MCU's version of the Bifrost. Can go from nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Light Plane.

Human Form: If/when she feels like trying out what a ice cream tastes like.

Light Magic: Heals and warms its users, and can be turned to be used offensively. Most effective against Dark Creatures, but still useful against other targets. Remember, the Lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi.

Heavenly Flame Magic: The opposite of Chaos Magic. Her white fire burns, but is formed from calmness, logic. It is a fire that illuminates, but can be destructive all the same.

Storm Magic: The point of commonality between Light and Darkness. Electricity is such a useful thing. Due to her original nature as a mechanical being, Dragon's control of it is extraordinarily precise.

Dragon Shape: For when someone or something big really, really needs to be stomped. Is this a copied power? No! It's a completely different kind of dragon!

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century. This is common for gods.

Spoiler: Madison's Equipment List

Vampire Killer: A simple hilt attached to a combat whip that can be slung out and controlled by an ingeniously designed retraction system. On the end of the hilt is a silver stake, perfect for killing vampires, werewolves, and lawyers. The weapon is specifically designed to kill creatures of the night, but works on anything quite well and is capable of channeling magic.

Light Magic amulet: Allows its wearer to heal over time. Needs to be fueled by someone capable of putting magic into it, which is currently limited to Dragon and Madison. It doesn't permit Wolverine-style healing, but it lets short fights turn into long ones and wearing one overnight heals even most serious injuries. Can be sped up by forcing the magic to flow more quickly, but that drains the amulet which needs time and attention to recharge.

Seraphic Shoulders: Creates ghostly angelic wings for a few moments, allowing Madison to catch herself in the air or glide.

Heavenly Gauntlet: A black (I know, it clashes!) gauntlet that generates white fire, equal to that of the fires of Hell.

Cyclone Boots: Allows high-speed running, jumping, and as a bonus, permits its wearer to take long falls without breaking their legs. Yes, all she needs is a Portal Gun.

Silver Daggers: Small, easily palmable, and crafted for a nasty surprise attack. Yes, it can hurt a lot to suddenly have a knife in your throat, whether you're a werewolf or not.

Holy Water: Water that's been exposed to sunlight and had Light Magic channeled through it. Does nothing against most people, would really tick off Taylor and Alucard. When used with Light Magic channeled through its user, forms a light-shield to ward off attacks and really tick off vampires.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


I cracked open an eye.

The room was pretty messed up. Not in the sense of being destroyed, but definitely a mess. Gallant and Vicky were lying on the couch, Playstation controller wedged between them. Kid Win and Vista were sitting on the floor in front of the couch, Vista’s head resting on his shoulder. Amy and Madison were tangled together, though both of them were unconscious.

I wasn’t that surprised, considering I and the Wards had basically stayed up all night playing video games and chatting, while the adults had gone on to things that interested them more.

A hand suddenly appeared right in front of me, holding a pack filled with blood. I looked up, clearing my throat as I took the pack. “Thanks.”

Meridia grinned at me, a hint of fang showing. “Awake at last, My Lady?”

“Yeah.” I checked my wrist. Sighed. Retracted the bracer to check my watch. Sighed again as I remembered I didn’t actually have a watch on. Meridia looked amused as I reformed my bracer and took out my phone.

Huh. Four in the afternoon. It was pretty easy to lose track of time when you were in a room completely cut off from the sun. Though that was probably a good thing, considering both Amy and Meridia were here. Alucard could withstand the sun for a while, but the fledglings probably couldn’t. Even with all the power I had, the sun was irritating, though barely so to me. I prefer to have my friends in good health, and not extra-crispy.

I lengthened my fangs and bit the top of the pack, drinking from it. Yep, didn’t help much, but it did take the edge off my hunger. Though honestly, I still wanted to grab someone. Or stab something with the Void Sword..

Meridia watched me, an amused expression on her face. “You’d feel better taking from the source, My Lady.”

I shook my head, a smile gracing my lips. “I’m trying to not eat people who don’t deserve it, Meridia. Right now, that’s a pretty short list.” Still, I got up from where I’d been resting on the floor, stretched, sucked the entirety of the bloodpack down, and made my way over to the overflowing garbage can. “We’ve got things to talk about, though.”


------------------


The two of us looked northward, out of one of the office windows. The view wasn’t exactly spectacular, since we were facing another building. Still, from here, there was only a slight, small beam of sunlight that managed to enter through the windows, and Meridia could look out without being threatened by it.

Carefully, fearfully even, Meridia extended her hand and put it into the beam. The light ignited her skin on contact, flame bursting from the contact, and she hissed as she pulled her hand back, out of the light and tucking her burning hand underneath her arm, smothering the flame.

“What the hell?” I demanded, trying to pointedly ignore the scent of her burned flesh.

Meridia sighed as she pulled her hand back, examining it. Less than a second of contact with sunlight, and her hand had been reduced to ashes, only the bones resisting the immolation. Even as I watched, the wound was healing slowly, the flesh regrowing, though Meridia’s face was a mask of pain as it did. “Attempting to push my power in the right direction, My Lady. Particularly strong vampires, like Lord Alucard, can resist the sunlight for a time, but the sooner I concentrate on the gifts I require to become a daywalker, the sooner I might achieve it. A moment’s exposure every day, concentrating on healing and the toughness of my flesh, and I may acquire the strength I need to join you by daylight. Although it will take time.”

That...was still very fucked up. I growled, extended my fangs, pricked my thumb and offered it to her. “You really have to learn that the hard way, huh? Drink, then. It’ll help you heal it.”

Her eyes widened, as if I was offering her a precious jewel. With only a moment of hesitation, she took my thumb between her lips and gently suckled from it. I could feel her tongue flicking over the wound, seeking to get every drop before the wound healed itself.

Aand now she was licking in a sensuous way. I pulled my hand back and gave her a playful glare.

She looked somewhat embarrassed. “Sorry. Habit.”

I sighed. “Can you please not turn everything into a sexual situation?”

Meridia lifted an eyebrow, looking amused now. “I am still a succubus, My Lady. To ask me not to do that is like asking a mortal to not crave air.”

I thought over that, and sighed again, my tone filled with defeated amusement. “You enjoy seeing my reactions to your suggestions though, huh?”

She grinned. “Very much, My Lady. Even for us immortals, life can be too fleeting to not enjoy oneself. Opportunities may come endlessly, but each is unique and often quite worth exploring.” Her grin widened. “It’s not often I get to enjoy someone like Newter, or even simply look over the things you take for granted.” She gestured out the window, careful to keep away from the slowly shifting band of sunlight. “Castlevania was perhaps the largest fortress-city in the world, beaten only by the Holy City Solanar, and Solanar was no fortress. The inner city, yes, but the rest of it was sprawled outward.”

I smiled a little. “Speaking from experience?”

She laughed. “Yes, actually. There were wonders of my world that are simply gone. It’s difficult to really comprehend they’re all destroyed, reduced to dust. For all the hatred we had for Solin, the Lord of Light had an empire that had more of a grip upon humanity than any other. It ruled to such a degree that it was difficult to imagine it ever would or could fall. We wished it gone, thanks to the desires Dracul forged in us when he created us, but...its success would have been a new beginning. Even if humanity had been replaced by us and the demon-blooded half-breeds, it would have been better than the eternal stagnation and unwitting slavery made by him.” She looked pensive as she examined the building across the street. “Your people have powers that exceed those of the wizards and sorcerers of old, and you did so by learning from the natural world. What kinds of wonders might we have forged had we married magic and knowledge? It’s enough to make me weep.” Her voice was a little faint. “Mother would have enjoyed it. She would have loved all this. An entire interconnected, vibrant world, a world that wasn’t stifled by a powerful, selfish idiot.” She sighed. “Just one being strangled by the chained gods.”

I didn’t know what to say about that. So I tried something semi-safe. Hopefully. “Your mother?”

Meridia paused a moment, then she smiled sadly. “Yes. She was one of the first succubi crafted by Dracul. Alessandra. She was one of the best. Loving. Desirous. Beautiful.” Her lips twitched in amusement. “And yes, My Lady, kinky and twisted by mortal standards.”

Yeah, big surprise. Sixteen or not (Not sure it counted considering I was dead for three months, but I wasn’t going to try and get technical at this point) I was still too young for this kind of crap. I settled for sighing and shooting her a smile. “Let’s just not go into detail there, huh? Maybe in...ten years.”

She grinned at me, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “Is that a promise, My Lady?”

I groaned. “Meridia...”

Meridia laughed softly. “Apologies, My Lady.” She smiled fondly, turning back to the window. “In any case, my mother was one of those formed from the Shadow Plane at Dracul’s will. She was not the first succubus, nor the last, but she is of the first generation of his creations. There are few of them left now. None of the succubi left in the castle, and only a few demons. It matters little, in this age. It’s simply been too long, and it was rare for Dracul to form a new type of demon.”

“I can guess. It’s not that easy to form a block of metal out of nothing, there.” I said, considering. I hadn’t tried to make a living thing. Mostly because I had no idea what I’d make. And I wasn’t that inclined to experiment. The idea of making a living thing that would immediately die because I forgot to give it lungs or a heart was...yeah, messy.

Meridia nodded. “You would know more than I, considering that you are the Lady of Darkness. I simply know it took a great deal of time and effort for Dracul to form enough of the castle for it to become alive, and for it to grow and alter herself from there.” She looked at her hands, frowning a little. “It’s simply...difficult, the changes your blood forced upon me, My Lady. It used to be to remember my mother, I would simply look in a mirror. Now when I do, I see a stranger. I’m...not used to it. And this change into a vampire made me more...demonic than I had been.” She looked at me, her eyes widening as she realized what she said. “Not that I am displeased with the gift of your blood, My Lady. It has made me more than I was, granted me potential that would otherwise be beyond my reach. It is simply...an adjustment, and one that is not all that easy to get used to.”

I looked down at my own hands. In my demonic form, they were cherry-red. I found the color pleasing, though part of that was my own vampiric instincts, I was sure. Red meant blood. I also had a pretty fair resemblance to Meridia. Well, I looked like me, but with white hair, wings that belonged on my dragon shape, and my face which previously had been gangly and, while not quite ugly, hadn’t exactly been pretty either. Maybe if I’d reached twenty-five instead of dying at fifteen, I’d have been somewhat attractive. Now while I was nowhere near as attractive as Meridia, I was still a lot prettier than I was used to.

But how would I feel if I couldn’t see my own mother in my features anymore at all? That...was a lot harder to know how to feel about. And Meridia had a good point, too. If I’d been an ordinary vampire, the first sunrise would have either been painful or deadly. It was my strength as the Lady of Darkness that kept me from being killed right then. I looked at the ash littering the ground, the bits of Meridia’s flesh that had ignited in the sunlight.

That, by all rights, should have been me. Hell, if the comparison between me and Dracul held any water, it looked like my new bloodline was by nature more vulnerable to the sunlight than his was.

I cleared my throat and spoke. “I’m sorry you have to resort to this to try and resist the light, Meridia.”

She shook her head. “Don’t be. I was afraid, My Lady. I was afraid I would have to fight and claw my way back to corporeality once more. Unless you have experienced it, you cannot imagine how difficult, how painful it is to try. To lose fragments of your soul, your mind, your memories as you struggle to survive in the darkness.” She looked at me seriously. “The last time I was killed, I forgot much. The memories of my mother was one of the few things I remembered when I reformed. You spared me losing that, and exalted me.” She looked a little shy and embarrassed. “I confess I’m uncertain why you considered me worthy of it. But saving the parts of my soul that are precious to me, that I shall forever be grateful for, My Lady.”

I blinked. “Wait...your memories are part of the soul?”

Meridia nodded. “The only way to remove memories from a person is to damage the soul to some degree. We succubi can feast upon the energies of the soul, but it damages the mind and wipes the experience from someone. The more we take, the more they lose...and it is not an exact process. Some of us are better at it than others, but the process is not simple. When we do it, the soul is...broken, fragmented in ways that is difficult to deal with. The damage can heal, given time, but the memories are gone, and the mind is fragile. There is always a void where the memories were, and the edges where they were shorn away tend to be...sharp, for lack of a better word.”

Aaand now I was feeling a bit sick. “So...if I asked you to remove the memories of what Bonesaw did to Mark and Carol...”

Meridia nodded slowly. “I could do that...but I might also rip away other memories in the process. They might forget little things, unimportant things. Or they might forget parts of their childhoods, or their parents. They might forget that they have daughters. They may even forget the other, that they are married, or even whom the other was...every time we feasted upon Bakuda’s soul, to make her forget that she had already broken at our hands, she lost more of herself. She has very little of her original soul left.”

I nodded in horrified understanding, my voice quiet. “And if you took the whole thing, they wouldn’t remember anything at all.”

“Indeed, My Lady.” Meridia spoke softly. “If they managed to survive the process, they would have nothing left. Some few things, perhaps, might remain. Language, some skills, but nothing about learning them. They would form new souls from that moment, as their minds developed...but it would not be the person they were. Like that of Newter, and perhaps the others like them. You kept me from experiencing that personally when you gave me your blood.”

Damn. I...really had to learn a lot more about this crap.

Still, Meridia looked lost and forlorn, the sheer gratitude on her face striking me to my core. I gently squeezed her shoulder. “You’ve been loyal since I arrived, since I made my claim on the castle. When I announced myself, you were the first to stand up and pledge yourself to me. You’ve helped me at times, and...you’ve been a friend, Meridia. I haven’t had very many for a long time. Before this, before I gained Dracul’s power, I’d only had one real friend, and she betrayed me. Do you have any idea how much it hurt when she betrayed me? I was alone for a long time. My friends are precious, Meridia, and you’re one of them.”

She was still for a moment, then she lowered her gaze. “I..I am flattered, My Lady. But it’s...” She took a deep breath, obviously taking a moment to organize her thoughts. “It seems very odd to me that you consider me a friend. I am not your equal, My Lady. If I lived for ten millennia, I still would not be your equal. It would take me acquiring a godly mantle, and even then I would not be equal, for the Lords of Light and Darkness were always the strongest of the gods. It’s overwhelming.”

As I took a moment to think back through Dracul’s memories, I understood. “Meridia...” I sighed and smiled gently. “People don’t need to be equals to be friends, Meridia. I saw a lot through Dracul’s eyes. He sat on Castlevania’s throne, but he was miserable, because he was alone. I don’t want to be like him. Not in the least. You might be a demon, but damn it, you’ve been a better person than a hell of a lot of humans I can think of.”

Meridia blinked.

I chuckled at her expression. “You’ve proven yourself many times over, Meridia. But this was the big one. When the Siberian was approaching the bus, ready to kill people, and you got in her way, tried to stop her...what were you thinking?” As she opened her mouth, I held up a finger. “Be honest, Meridia. I’m making a point, not figuring out how to punish you.”

She nodded slowly, then spoke with hesitation. “I knew what she was going to do. Not by her soul, I only realized too late she had none, but the way she walked...it was easy enough to see.” She bit her lip. “She was a beast of rage and hatred, and she was unrestrained. I knew that she would murder without a care. I knew I had to stop her.”

I nodded, a slight smile on my lips. “Why?”

She opened her mouth, then blinked again, confusion on her face. “Many reasons, My Lady. One being it was what I knew you would wish for me to do. Another being I know how you reacted upon seeing what we did with Bakuda. How you wish to be better than Dracul. It is unusual, but difficult to understand. I am...not used to a kinder Lord.”

I let my smile grow. “And is that it?”

She looked uncertain, then spoke. “I am uncertain how to answer your question.”

I patted her shoulder. “When you can answer it, you’ll know why I consider you a friend. And I take care of my friends.”

I turned and walked away, leaving my servant, and friend, alone with her thoughts.


------------------

I looked down at the forms before me. Tilted my head. Turned the forms upside down.

Nope. Made no more sense to me that way either. Though I was enjoying the looks I was getting from my father as I made a show of confusion. He had a look of amusement on his face.

“They’re not that complicated,” he said, tapping his fingers on the table.

I shot him a look, letting the amusement show in my eyes. “Says you. All this stuff’s pretty much Greek. Or Chinese. I can recognize Greek.”

I flipped the pages the right way back around. A week after my sixteenth birthday, and we’d finally gotten the paperwork ready to allow me to buy up a small bit of land in the Docks area. There was some difficulty, considering I was officially the head of a foreign nation, but in the end, it hadn’t been too bad. They simply wanted to make sure I wasn’t setting up a corporate headquarters there.

There wasn’t any point to that. Not when Castlevania was large enough for me to have a nice and fashionable official HQ built there, anyway. I even had a nice tower picked out and everything. It was under renovation, but it was nice, square, tall, and impressive. In a severely-gothic kind of way, anyway. Not that I had much in the castle that wasn’t severely gothic. It started at vaguely disturbing and ended at oh-god-nightmare levels. The interiors were usually nice, though.

Well, nice-ish. I'm weird.

I turned the papers the right way up, scanned them carefully. While I was jesting about not understanding the legalese, most of this was pretty straightforward. I suppose when you’re suddenly rich and powerful, in more ways than one, people line up to make your life easier. It wasn’t fair, or right, but now that I was on the privileged side of things, I was going to take advantage of it.

Save the world now, build the world to be more fair later. That’s my plan, darnit.

With a flourish, I signed. “There. Now I own a bunch of burned land.” My dad and I shared a grin as I finished. “Now we can get started on my plan for world domination.”

Dad cleared his throat, looking at me seriously, though the amusement in his eyes spoiled it somewhat. “As a member of the Protectorate, I’m afraid I’d be obligated to have to stop any plans for conquering the world.”

I snapped my fingers. “Darn. First, you didn’t even know you were a cape. Your power signed up, not you. Second, it’s not like I’m asking for much!”

He smiled at me. “Just means Neptune and Salacia would be able to work at stopping you without me worrying about it. And the last time I checked, the world was a fair bit. I'm sure there'd be a lot of paperwork in owning the world.”

I pouted at him. “So they decided on a name for the second one, huh? Salacia?”

He nodded, a bit shyly. “Yeah. Since she looks female and has the same powers. They think they can sell things as a separate Case 53.” He licked his lips. “Hard to look at her, though.”

I swallowed, my cheerful mood fading somewhat. “She looks like mom with angel wings, dad.”

He sighed, settling back into his chair. “And Neptune looks like my grandfather, once that suit’s on him. When I was a kid, I looked to him as my role model. Your great-grandfather always seemed like a rock, you know. Sturdy, immovable. I can’t imagine him giving up on anything until he got killed. All I can tell from it is the back of my head’s messed up.”

“Not that messed up.” I looked my dad in the eye. “Neptune fought against the Simurgh, dad. He didn’t make it to Canberra, so he was up for Vancouver, but he did. When she buried me alive in the middle of the fight, he got me out. I think he was driven to help people, but more than that...to save me.”

A moment passed, then a slight smile lifted on his lips. “Even though it was impossible, he did what I told him to do. Hell of a power I didn’t know I had.” He sighed. “Just wish I had a bit of control over it. I don’t know how I made them, or what they’re doing. They think I’m more like a foreman than the more typical Master. I tell them to do something, and they do it, like...well, one of the guys at the Docks.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “That...actually sounds rather appropriate.”

He smiled slightly. “Yeah. Not quite sure how to make another construct, though.” He looked down at the table. “We’d better finish up these forms, Taylor. Least if we want to get anywhere.”

I nodded, picking the pen back up with a sigh.


------------------

Another week later, I had one major thought at the forefront of my mind.

I didn’t like cameras.

Yeah, I really didn’t like cameras. Oh, they were useful, they were helpful, they let people record memories, make movies, get information around the world in minutes as opposed to weeks or months, but cameras did something that I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to.

They watched.

Yeah, I know, that’s what cameras do, and this wasn’t the first time I was in front of cameras, but it was a keen reminder of me being in the public eye. It wasn’t easy to get over that feeling of being watched, because being watched was the first step toward being hunted. You don’t forget that feeling. With my helmet off, I felt a bit more vulnerable. Still, image was important, and I had to be approachable.

But, this was my own fault. I called them here so I wouldn’t be so horribly terrifying.

I smiled (inwardly cringed) as I looked upon the crowd of reporters, their faces filled with rapt attention. And damn it, there were a lot of people here. At least a hundred. I wasn't used to this kind of attention. I was more used to it now, but...yeah. I hated this.

Okay Taylor, you can do this. You are the Dragon. Reporters aren’t the worst thing you’ve faced.

I cleared my throat, letting the microphone in my hand capture my voice. “Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I want to welcome you.”

I gestured around at the lot surrounding us. Golems were at work, building walls and repaving the roads, their actions being guided and ordered by the very human contractors the PRT got me in touch with. In other places, the Dockworker’s Union was hard at work, putting up scaffolding, preparing power lines, and making sure everything was going smoothly. “I’ve seen much of your world. How much it has suffered at the hands of your Endbringers. The docks of this city are a testament to their power and destruction, even without ever having set foot here. This place has suffered for decades, and when I first came to this world, I witnessed it firsthand.”

I gestured further back, at the city that was behind the crowd of reporters. “This world has suffered, and this city’s a prime example. The good people here have suffered, and the barbarians that just wait for their opportunity have been hard at work, drawing from the lifeblood of it for their own gain. I stood against them because it was the right thing to do, to help the innocents and good people here just live out their lives. That is what most people have wanted.”

I waved at my side, at the covered circular ring that rested, partially embedded, in the road right in the middle of the compound. With a gesture and a mental yank, I pulled off the white sheet that covered it, revealing the blackness of a permanently open Shadow Portal taking up the center of the ring. “Many of you know my power and might. Now I show my knowledge and share my treasures. This city will be the first place my people will work their magic. For this is a Shadow Gate, and it connects to another Shadow Gate upon my nation’s soil. This is the first, but it will not be the last. Cities and communities the world over have been isolated, trapped and set apart. I am here to use my power, my gifts, and my knowledge to help bring us all together.”

With another small push of my power, I lifted myself into the air, floating my way to in front of the ring. I landed on the black, freshly laid concrete before it, spreading my wings. I knew it was scary, but I wasn’t going to hide. Not anymore. “This gate, and the gates I am in the midst of building, will be available to those cities and nations who are willing to purchase their use from me. I am here to help connect us all together, to help unite this world against her enemies. To rebuild the civilization that the Endbringers have threatened. To help the people of this world to dare to dream again. And it starts here. I am here to give an invitation. Those of you before me today accepted, and I thank you for it. Please, I want to welcome you to my nation, Velnar, and her heart, Castlevania.”

I strode through the gate, and emerged into Castlevania’s courtyard, where another Shadow Gate was built up. The members of the press wouldn’t realize it, but they actually had passed through four gates in less than a second. One in Brockton Bay, emerging from one in the Shadow Plane, that was right up against another one in the Shadow Plane, and emerging here in Castlevania. I was quite pleased with the setup, really.

I strode forward, to emphasize that I was approachable, and not an always-flying god. Even if I could be. I hated this tightrope balancing shit. I could see where it was easier to go full tyrant mode.

I spread my arms as the press filed through, entering the courtyard. The castle’s succubi were lined up, wearing formal wear and armor (and it had taken quite a while to explain to them that they needed more than bare minimum of clothing.) With a grin, I spoke to the impressed-looking press. “This way, if you please. The dining hall is just ahead, and it has been made ready for you. Welcome, all of you, to my home. Welcome to Castlevania.”

All right, first hurdle down. Now, here’s hoping I don’t screw this up.


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A/N: Busy busy busy. Other than that, I want to note, I hate winter.

*shifty eyes*

Now maybe it won’t show up? Maybe? Please? Can we skip right to spring?

Spoiler: Taylor's Complete Power List

Blood manipulation: Self only, but extremely versatile. Basis of the Shadow Whip, Shadow Daggers, and other things.

Short-range teleportation: Draining, but not limited to line of sight.

Bat Travel: Turns into dozens of bats and back again. Rather confusing, but helpful for mobility.

Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as some capes, but up there. M1 Abrams out of gas? I'll just push them to the gas station.

Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.

Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.

Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance. Unlocked!

Flight: I believe I can touch the sky. Does it need any more description? Unlocked!

Possession: Turns into blood, flows into some poor bastard, controls them for a period (hours at most) and when they die they explode into chunky bits. The blood has a toxic effect, so anyone possessed is doomed. (Barring unusual biology.) Unlocked!

Fleshcrafting: Feeling a little vain? Want a whole new hair color, a bigger bust, shaplier hips, or claws to rend the flesh of your enemies? Subscribe to Vamp-New-You today! (Permits the vampire to alter their own flesh permanently at some cost to their blood. Does not permit changing of bone structure. Cannot be used on others.) Unlocked!

Mist Form: Transform into near-invulnerable mist. Has quite a few lethal and non-lethal applications. Unlocked!

Telekinesis: Manipulate objects at a distance through will alone. This is limited to line of sight, and is extremely limited compared to her physical strength. She can manipulate approximately thirty pounds at range to start with, and would improve with practice and imagination.

Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?! (Locked)

Shadow Portal: Opens a gate to the Plane of Shadow, where Castlevania resides. Shadow Portals can be made nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Plane of Shadow. Unlocked!

Dominate: (Not the soul-using thing) Control over others. Takes effort, and can only do so to a few at a time. Repeated and lengthy exposure, however, can make things last longer, until they are permanently enthralled. Can be resisted with willpower and can be no-selled by various techniques/powers.(Locked)

Bat Summon: Gather swarms of bats to do thy bidding. They will follow the will of the Lady of Darkness without hesitation. Not as flexible as the Queen Administrator shard. The awareness of each bat is basic, and commands must be given to the entire swarm at once. I'm the goddamn Batman. Unlocked!

Monstrous Form: Accesses a portion of the power available to the Scarlet Dragon's mightiest shape, while retaining the flexibility afforded by a humanoid form. However, it is clearly inhuman. Unlocked!

Void Magic: Basis of the Void Sword. Drains life from its victims, heals and invigorates the wielder, and brings about an absolute chill. Unlocked!

Chaos Magic: Control and manipulation of hellfire. Many can use it, but few can project it. Forms the Chaos Claws. Unlocked!

Storm Magic: Power over electricity and the storm. An excellent method of long-range attack, and quite painful to most.

Weather manipulation: Can control the weather to some degree, whether that is summoning or banishing clouds, or building up power to make a simple cloudy day into an actual storm. It cannot, however, bring warmth or cold on its own. She can't make a blizzard in the tropics or turn Antarctica into prime beachfront property. She can just make it sunny, cloudy, or rainy. Or snowy if the time of year's right.

Dragon Shape: The mightiest form of the Heir of Dracul. Becomes a massive red dragon, standing at thirty feet tall. Can access amplified versions of currently unlocked magic, as well as other powers while in the form. However, it is an immense strain to hold the shape for very long. And it is not exactly friendly-looking at first glance. Godzilla (or whatever epic music of your choice!) is highly recommended.

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century.

Spoiler: Alucard's Complete Power List

Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as Taylor's potential, but certainly enough to be highly dangerous to a well-trained human.

Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.

Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.

Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance.

Demonic Wings: Permits him to glide with feathery, though twisted, wings.

Mist form: Near invulnerable mist. No mere prison can hold thee. Unless they put in a fan to blow you back in.

Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?!

Chaos Magic: Alucard's is not as strong as his father's, but his skill with it is extraordinary. He can use it to teleport short distances and throw fireballs, although it is limited by line of sight and distance. (The classic SotN Hellfire spell.)

Spectral Wolf: Similar to the wolf shape, however it is ethereal and impossible to injure. Alucard can use it to teleport from one location to another by sending the wolf forward, then replacing it. Or he can simply use it to scout and dissolve it.

Crissaegrim abilities: A wickedly dangerous blade Alucard forged with the materials of three legendary weapons. It permits him to enshroud it with both Void and Chaos magic, as well as being extremely lethal to both holy and unholy opponents.

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Unlike Dracul's counterpart power, he would arise in a century unless the process was sped along by blood. He would also arise in a more corpse-like state until he managed to feed.

Spoiler: Dragon's Magic Power List

Steel Crafting: Self only. Able to mold current avatar however she likes. Tends to prefer a dragon shape, as...well, she's Dragon.

Teleportation: Flashes out of existence in one place and reappears in another. Line of sight limited, but not distance-wise. Yes. This is overpowered. Limited to (naturally) light-speed maximum.

Light Form: Turns into a bright solid light construct. This is difficult to maintain, but difficult to injure..

Strength: DRAGON SMASH!

Durability: Anybody remember that scene in Superman Returns when the bullet bounces off his eye? No? Nobody? Well, it's kinda like that.

Healing: Can grant to self or others, and does not need an outside source. Wounds (or damage) heals rapidly.

Flight: I could touch the sky before I changed into a goddess. Now I just don't need to spend any effort!

Hard-Light constructs: Eat your heart out in jealousy, Green Lantern! My constructs don't get broken by lemonade!

Telekinesis: Use the Force, Luke. Stronger than Taylor's version. Not Ziz-strength, but it's up there.

Light Bridge: Opens a...uh, bridge to the Plane of Light. Think the MCU's version of the Bifrost. Can go from nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Light Plane.

Human Form: If/when she feels like trying out what a ice cream tastes like.

Light Magic: Heals and warms its users, and can be turned to be used offensively. Most effective against Dark Creatures, but still useful against other targets. Remember, the Lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi.

Heavenly Flame Magic: The opposite of Chaos Magic. Her white fire burns, but is formed from calmness, logic. It is a fire that illuminates, but can be destructive all the same.

Storm Magic: The point of commonality between Light and Darkness. Electricity is such a useful thing. Due to her original nature as a mechanical being, Dragon's control of it is extraordinarily precise.

Dragon Shape: For when someone or something big really, really needs to be stomped. Is this a copied power? No! It's a completely different kind of dragon!

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century. This is common for gods.

Spoiler: Madison's Equipment List

Vampire Killer: A simple hilt attached to a combat whip that can be slung out and controlled by an ingeniously designed retraction system. On the end of the hilt is a silver stake, perfect for killing vampires, werewolves, and lawyers. The weapon is specifically designed to kill creatures of the night, but works on anything quite well and is capable of channeling magic.

Light Magic amulet: Allows its wearer to heal over time. Needs to be fueled by someone capable of putting magic into it, which is currently limited to Dragon and Madison. It doesn't permit Wolverine-style healing, but it lets short fights turn into long ones and wearing one overnight heals even most serious injuries. Can be sped up by forcing the magic to flow more quickly, but that drains the amulet which needs time and attention to recharge.

Seraphic Shoulders: Creates ghostly angelic wings for a few moments, allowing Madison to catch herself in the air or glide.

Heavenly Gauntlet: A black (I know, it clashes!) gauntlet that generates white fire, equal to that of the fires of Hell.

Cyclone Boots: Allows high-speed running, jumping, and as a bonus, permits its wearer to take long falls without breaking their legs. Yes, all she needs is a Portal Gun.

Silver Daggers: Small, easily palmable, and crafted for a nasty surprise attack. Yes, it can hurt a lot to suddenly have a knife in your throat, whether you're a werewolf or not.

Holy Water: Water that's been exposed to sunlight and had Light Magic channeled through it. Does nothing against most people, would really tick off Taylor and Alucard. When used with Light Magic channeled through its user, forms a light-shield to ward off attacks and really tick off vampires.

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The dining hall was useful for this purpose. It was large, impressive, and yet at the same time nice, warm, and comfortable. It was one of the nicest rooms in the castle, extraordinarily luxurious by medieval standards, and it was large enough to be easily converted into press room without too much fuss. Sure, cables had to be connected to gas generators to power the lights, because the torches were just not quite bright enough.

The dining hall’s chairs were lined up in rows, while the front of the room, in front of a large and roaring fireplace had been cleared. Meridia was at work, wearing a red dress that definitely belonged in a high-class fashion show. It shimmered in the light of the fireplace, and despite her non-human shape, she made it look fantastic. Well, then again, she could make a paper bag look fantastic.

Aaand now I’m picturing Meridia in a paper bag and oh good my skin’s already red so my blush doesn’t show. Stupid emotional weirdness.

Alucard stood near the fireplace, and I...was really impressed. He was wearing a midnight blue set of armor, regal and elaborate in design, though it seemed to have made some changes in the armor plates for the sake of practicality. A gorgeous blue-lined cloak hung from his shoulders, a gold clasp kept the cloak in place, and the Crissaegrim was at his side, resting in a sheathe. He looked every inch like a warrior-prince. His slightly-scarred face had a look of amusement as he examined the press members filing into the room.

I moved to the front of the room, taking my place behind the podium. Alucard and Meridia both took their places at my side, Alucard at my left, Meridia at my right. I took a moment to gather in the expectant faces of the press. It was a sea of people from all over America, but I also spotted a reporter from England (couldn’t remember his name, but he was a talking head) and a lady with a well-tailored suit standing next to him.

I cleared my throat, waiting a moment as the room quieted, the low murmurs of the press dying down.

Alright, showtime.

I smiled, pulling upon the confidence Gabriel had felt before a battle with the nightmares of humanity. Sometimes, it was really helpful to have been given so many of his memories, even if it wasn’t anywhere near everything he had. “I’m glad all of you have accepted my invitation. Especially glad for those of you who have crossed great distances to get here. I know a lot of you have endured a fair bit of uncomfortable ordeals to arrive on my doorstep. After the conference, the attendants will help with what they can.” I gestured to the sides of the room, where the succubi were lined up. “My people will attend to your needs, although you might want to bear with us.” I grinned. “We’re still working out the whole electricity thing.”

A wave of chuckles passed through the crowd in front of me.

Feeling my confidence grow, I relaxed a little as I spoke. “A lot of you have questions. Many of them about me. Given the circumstances, I can understand that. More questions about this place, this small remnant of a nation that’s now long dead. And even more about what happened to the world Velnar once called home. There’s a lot of concerns, a lot of questions. I’m aware of how I appear.” I let a wry smile spread over my lips as I spread my wings, letting the numerous cameras get a good look at them. “And how much I, and quite a few of my people look to certain figures of mythology. I look like a demon out of nightmare, and this room is lined with more examples of the same.”

A few hands went up, I shook my head and gestured that they should go back down. I let my amusement be clear in my voice. “I’m going to answer your questions when I’m done.” As the hands went down, I rest my hands on the podium. “There’s a lot of history I would have to get into. That would take years to get into all the details of things. I’m not going to conceal anything of it. To put things shortly, however, what remains of Velnar is but the heart of her country. The world we came from was a world that had many fantastical things, but we’re all that remains.”

I looked at the rapt faces in front of me. “I won’t lie. There’s a lot of things in our history you would consider barbarous. Primitive. Bloody. Terrible. I understand the concerns you, and the people of your world have about us. We look like monsters. Some of us more than most. I have few abilities, few aspects of my power, that don’t frighten people by their very nature. There’s a reason for that. My world had powers for its entire history. Vampires, nymphs, mages, sea serpents, just about any kind of fantastical beast you can think of, it existed on my world. Here on your world, they were flights of imagination. There, they, we, were very real. My world was a world of dreams, and nightmare. A world of magic.”

I lifted a hand from the podium and called upon the flames of Chaos, forming a fireball. “Now I understand your world would call it differently. Powers, or physics yet to be understood, or depending on where you are, magic and witchcraft and devilry. To us, it was simply magic. That difference made things very different on my world as compared to yours. For most it took most of a lifetime to master. For some, a talented few, they could learn how to use their power within a decade or two. But above that, there were a privileged few. They were the gods of the world, with power enough to shake nations. The gods were, as far above an ordinary man as a man is above an ant. Today I am one of them. I am the Lady of Darkness. I am a goddess, one of many deities that once walked my world.” I smiled faintly. “At least by our terminology. I understand that title is somewhat frowned upon by quite a few people on your world. Your world has some odd ideas about gods, at least from my point of view.”

I clenched my hand, extinguishing the fireball. “When my world died, I was not one of them. I was nobody, I had no power, no magic. I was human, a nobody, trapped and tormented by the cruel machinations of fate, helpless at the hands of a system that cared nothing for the little people. The last Lord of Darkness, Dracul, was very much a brutal and terrible being. He was a tyrant, cruel and merciless. He was a vampire, but his thirst for blood was not simply from his nature, it was fueled by his desire for vengeance.” I gestured at the walls. “This Castle was the center of a war that lasted for eight hundred years, and Dracul waged a war from here that killed hundreds of thousands of people. The only mitigating factor in that was that he was fighting against a regime that desired no less than the subjugation and enslavement of every living being on our world. Neither side of it was innocent or good. Dracul and his enemy, Solin, ended up dividing the world between them, and the hatred they had for each other was legendary.”

I didn’t have to fake it as I remembered the devastation Dracul had shown me. “The Destroyer came, then. We didn’t know where it came from or why. We didn’t know why it was killing people and rendering the world into a wasteland. It didn’t care about ideological lines. It didn’t care about the reasons that divided the gods. It didn’t care how many people it killed, nor how much damage it did. It appeared and attacked each of the gods, one after another, and the chaos it left in its wake killed millions. None of them could stand against it, for one simple reason. We were divided. Each of the gods had power on the level and strength of that of Legend or Alexandria, but because of the war, the bad blood, the sheer hatred for each other that the gods had, when it came time to cooperate, to fight back against the Destroyer, it didn’t happen. Each was found, alone, and alone, they fell.”

Yeah, I had their full attention now. “Even Dracul, when continents were rendered uninhabitable and there was but a fraction of people left alive, took the opportunity to kill Solin rather than even think about working with his long-time enemy to save something more than just his own. True, Solin did not lift a finger to help his nation as the Destroyer devastated it, but the thought never crossed Dracul’s mind. He put this place, this small fraction of Velnar, the city-fortress of Castlevania into his personal plane. You would call it a pocket dimension, though I understand there’s a few differences. We did not know until recently what happened to Dracul, or what happened to what our world, or if the Destroyer survived.

“Make no mistake, Dracul was no saint. But he was wise enough to have a contingency in place for if he lost his battle with the Destroyer. He managed to kill it, but in the battle he was left trapped and alone on a dead world, with the rest of the gods slain. His power, which he was forced to separate from to manage to kill the beast, sought out someone else, one who was worthy of bearing it. Me. It made me the new Lady of Darkness. I and I alone had the means to free Castlevania from the place it was kept safe within the planes. But I was still young yet, still frail. Still learning about my strength and the power of the god I am. Still adjusting to the changes it forced upon me. It didn’t help that I then, in desperation, had to reach across worlds to reach yours.”

I let an amused smile rise on my face. “Something about Brockton Bay made it easy for me to arrive there. I was weakened by the journey, I remembered little. But when I was there, confused, with my thoughts in a fog, there were those there who helped me. People both with and without powers. I very quickly discovered Victoria Dallon was the best friend anyone could ever have. I discovered Amy Dallon was a shy person, but a kindred spirit, someone who was forced to carry the world on her shoulders. I discovered Carol Dallon was a spirited woman, determined to fight anyone and everyone, even me, if it meant protecting her daughters. I discovered Mark Dallon, a good man who cared, more than he could ever show, more than he ever knew how to show.”

I let my voice quiet somewhat. “I know many have mourned the loss of Amy Dallon, of Panacea. I recall the Panacea Memorial Donation Fund, which is currently raising money from around the world. Its goals are laudable and noble, to fund the research into medicine, prosthetics, and healing until the day comes that nobody requires a parahuman power we barely understand to be healed. It’d a laudable cause, and I know Amy would approve.” Still approves, even if we’re keeping that much quiet.

“The Simurgh was what you feared most. I helped slay it, and I’m glad I did. But that day, which I am sure will be celebrated for centuries in the future, is also a reminder of the day my friend died.” I took a moment to take a deep breath, looking on the expectant faces before me. “When the Slaughterhouse Nine arrived in Brockton Bay, they sought to attack you through me, and through those who ever helped me. New Wave gave me friendship, and they were attacked by the Nine for it. The Protectorate and the PRT helped me learn about this world, and even gave me help and aid, telling me how things were here. And they, too, were attacked for it, by targeting the Wards. I would call them scum, but that would be an insult to scum.

“I do not regret my part in the end of the Nine. Many people breathe much, much easier now, knowing they are gone. Their dead victims rest a little easier, and their living victims now have some measure of justice. But the damage they’ve done, the people they’ve hurt, it’s not so easily healed as giving a few platitudes. It takes action, and hard work.” I smiled ruefully. “Of course, money helps in these matters. For my part in the end of the Slaughterhouse Nine, I was awarded the sum of a little over sixty-seven million dollars. Some of that I used to purchase that small bit of land in the Brockton Bay docks district. That will be the first of many Shadow Gates I am building for use. For now, it connects here, but that is a temporary arrangement.

“Still,” I smiled. “That has left me a fair bit of money to work with. Fifty-five million dollars, which...admittedly, is very impressive by most people’s standards.” I swept my hand, gesturing at the walls to the room. “However, I am not exactly hurting for wealth, that much is merely a matter of turning what assets and services I have into money that might be used. And so I am announcing where the rest of the money is going. Twenty-five million dollars will be donated to the Panacea Memorial fund, because I want to honor the work my friend dedicated her life to. An additional twenty-five million will be donated to the Sarah Kissinger fund.”

Murmurs started to rise from the reporters, and I lifted a hand, gesturing for quiet. Once the room was in order again, I spoke with all the conviction I could muster. “I learned much about the acts of the Nine. Sarah Kissinger is the first known victim of their most feared member, Gray Boy. For more than twenty years, she has been trapped in a cage of time, unable to sleep, unable to rest. It was early in his career, from my understanding, and so she is ‘merely’ a prisoner. She is not being tortured with every passing moment. But for all that time, she has been trapped there, in what used to be an Oklahoma shopping mall. Now what remains is a research center, working, studying, trying to free her.

“As I'm sure most of you know, the Sarah Kissinger fund was originally raised to try and find some means of freeing her from her own personal hell. In time, it expanded to try and make the lives of those trapped, as she is, as comfortable as possible, and when works there seemed fruitless, they changed their mandate. They help the victims of the Slaughterhouse Nine. The people whom the Nine hurt without a care, the rest of humanity has tried to help.”

I looked at the sea of faces. I had them, I could see it. “That’s what’s impressed me the most, you know. My world fell because we were divided. Dracul fought the Destroyer alone and managed, at best, to only take it with him when he lost. The worst part of it is he is not dead. Like Sarah Kissinger, he is trapped, alone, on what little remains of our ruined world, and we cannot aid him. But you, all of you, confronted with three Destroyers...I’m sorry, Endbringers, fight, again and again. You band together. You help each other in need, to scramble together and help complete strangers. Even those of you who are reviled or commit terrible acts otherwise, when the need is plain, stop and help. For more than twenty years, Sarah Kissinger has been suffering as the world, as the life she should have passed her by. And yet, you try and aid her. You’ve suffered losses, seen your heroes fall, and even when things seem hopeless and bleak, you fight still.

“I helped free you of the scourge of the Endbringer, the Simurgh. But I didn’t fight there alone. Many fought with me, and had I been alone, I would have lost. I fully intend to fight again, when the other two emerge once more. I will pour all of my power towards ending them, to help give your world the future that mine was denied. Because you deserve it. You fought for it. Many have died for it. The people of your world are no sheep, led meekly and gently to the slaughter. When the time comes, I will ask for you to stand with me again. I am the Scarlet Dragon, the Lady of Darkness, and ruler of the night. I am a goddess of the darkness, but I ask for your respect, not your fear. I bring fear to those who deserve it. You are worthy of my protection.”

I grinned, being careful to keep my fangs retracted. “It is only my hope that I am worthy of you. Thank you.”

A moment of silence passed, then hands went up, murmurs quickly turning into shouts.

My smile grew as I pointed to the first to catch my eye. “Yes?”

The middle aged blonde looked back at me, an excited look on her face. “Grace Tepid, from Para-Religious Investigators, I have a question for Scarlet Dragon. There has been many questions about you since you and Dragon killed the Simurgh. Are you seriously claiming to be God?”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “No. Not with the understanding of a god in your culture, at any rate. I am a goddess. I do not require tribute or worship for it to be so. I had no hand in creating my world, nor did any of the others. Solin claimed he created all things, but that was a lie made to his followers, and history he put a great deal of effort into erasing showed he was one of many who had his particular position. Dracul, too, was once a man, a hero, who Solin manipulated and deceived. I was once an ordinary girl, betrayed and left to die in a barbaric society left on the outskirts of civilization.”

Take that, Winslow. I cleared my throat as I finished. “Gods rise and fall, born of humanity...well, in truth, born of beings with the capacity to think, to imagine, to dream, to speak. Some of us were never human, in fact. But whatever you believe about me, I am a goddess. The power that comes with it is the reason for my...” Helplessly, I spread my arms, and wings, emphasizing my point. “Current appearance. I am more than a goddess, but not simply one. If you observe the portraits in this room, you can see the faces of many previous Lords of Darkness. Dracul, Typhon, Hannazar, Tiamat, Mara. The list goes on. Our history books will be made available as soon as possible, but it will take some time to translate things.”

Grace spoke before I could gesture to the next person. “One more, please. How does your position as a goddess affect your political power? Do you have your throne as a matter of divine right, or is there some other measure of selection?”

I nodded. “Here, there is no difference between religious and temporal power. I am Velnar’s god-queen. I am her god-queen because I was worthy of the power, physically and mentally, to handle it without going mad with it. I could give up the throne in principle, and one day I may do so. That, however, may be some time in the future, because there is much to do, and I am keenly aware of the difficulty in getting something done if it isn’t done personally. There’s simply too much at stake for me to settle back and take a more ceremonial role.”

I gestured to the next person, a bald man with glasses, wearing a very classy suit. “Gordon Carls, ParaWars Forum News, what do you say to the accusations against you for disrupting shipping, flights, and taking control of American territorial waters in the Atlantic as they have been claimed during World War Two?”

Huh. I’d expected something like that, but not from an argument about something claimed more than sixty years ago. “I checked carefully before bringing the island here. It may have been claimed as territory during that war, which I understand was a far larger and bloodier conflict than any my world ever had, at least until the Destroyer came, but it was firmly international waters as of the beginning of the twenty-first century and no nation had claim over it when I brought Velnar here. The disruption in shipping is minimal, as that industry has been damaged by the Endbringer Leviathan long before I arrived. And while flights were disrupted, that I apologize for, Velnar is not difficult to avoid, and I’m actually looking into building the required infrastructure for civilian flights here, myself. I understand the concerns about where Velnar is now, but I’m confident that what I offer is well worth the inconvenience.”

I pointed at the next upraised hand.

A blond man wearing a forest-green suit stood up and spoke, his voice clear. “Nathan Graves, with Channel One ‘Today’s Marks’, two questions! Scarlet Dragon, are there currently any plans for immigration to or from your...island? And for Mister...erm, Alucard? Is that right? Alucard, the ladies have to know, pictures abound on the internet about your physical shape, is that something other men can achieve, or are they an effect of your powers?”

I fought to repress a smile as Alucard looked embarrassed. I spoke with amusement. “Immigration’s one of the things on the table. We’ve got a lot to do here, unfortunately, and I’m afraid Velnar’s a fair bit behind technologically. The living standard here isn’t exactly great, and we have little food. Most of us survived the journey here due to the oddities of the Shadow Plane, but right now, we haven’t got much of the essentials for immigrants here. This is one of the reasons I am pushing to build a gate network, it will simplify things greatly when it comes to such things.”

Alucard spoke, shifting a little on his feet. “Train from the age of ten to be a warrior, live with no expectation of another life. My powers keep me in peak condition, but it is attainable. I do not recommend it, however. Few are prepared for such hardships, and the horrors I have experienced are not worth it.”

Another hand went up, and I nodded.

A brunette woman in a white suit stood, smiling. “Annette Solaire, with the PharmaToday Magazine and Online News Network, we’re curious as to any Medical advancements you and your people might be able to provide...and can I get your autograph for my daughter?”

I laughed softly. “I’m actually working with the PRT to look into possible medicines and such. Due to my nature, I require very little tending, and a lot of the beings here in Velnar lack the need, as well. That being said, it’s possible there’s something we’ve overlooked, or some kind of plant might be a basis for a restorative I’m unaware of. And secondly... I would be pleased to give an autograph.”

She had a wide grin on her face as she sat back down.

A man with a white suit and a bowtie stood, his voice coming clearly. “William Nye, National Geographic. You mentioned the similarities between you and your citizens to creatures of mythology. Can you comment on that? Has there been previous contact between our two worlds?”

I shrugged. “To the best of my knowledge, there has been no contact between our worlds. I can speculate that, perhaps, some vampires or other fantastical creatures came to your world, but we have no records of such things. There is simply too much lost on our end to be sure of such things. When I have the time, I’d actually like to try and track some of these legends down, but I am simply not hopeful. It’s an idle curiosity, and right now I’m more concerned with the future, not the past.”

I spread my wings to help emphasise my point. “If I were seen by someone on your world a millennium ago, I would be called a devil, a monster, and probably a great deal of other profane things.” I shrugged. “And yet there have been ordinary people on your world who caused pain and suffering to more people than even Dracul did upon mine, despite the fact he had eight centuries to inflict his damage. People are monsters, or not, by their actions, not their nature. A hound is not a monster simply because he must eat meat. A hound is a monster only when it delights in pain. I suspect if any of us came to your world previously, they did so in the hopes they could avoid being slain by those they hurt or killed, and continued acting here like rabid dogs. It might also explain why they are merely myth and not fact, here. Rabid dogs tend to be put down.”

Another hand went up, and I pointed at it’s owner. “Yes?”

A man wearing a dark gray suit, his brown hair peppered with white streaks stood. “John Ashcraft, Brockton Gazette. You mentioned the Sarah Kissinger fund. With all your powers, will you be able to do something to help the Gray Boy victims?”

I sucked in a breath. “I honestly don’t know. It is my hope that I might be able to. I’m actually working with Dragon in trying to find some solution to the issue. It may be possible that somewhere in this castle may be something that might help toward that end. I want to help those people, because no-one should have to suffer that fate. But, I can make no promises toward that. My powers, as great as they are, may not be suitable to that. Goddess or not, I am limited in some ways.”

A ruggedly handsome man in his mid-thirties stood up next. “Bill MacVoy, from ACN. Have you opened up diplomatic relations with other nations of Earth Bet, and how are they going? What is your population like, and how have you sustained yourselves for so long in your pocket dimension?”

I smiled at him. “We’ve opened tentative talks with not just the United States, but also Canada and Australia. My part in the death of the Simurgh has given me a fair bit of goodwill with those two nations especially. We’re in the midst of working out some trade agreements, but I hope you can forgive me if I try not to go into too much detail on them at this time. As for sustaining ourselves in the Shadow Plane, it wasn’t easy. Most of us had to go into hibernation, ration supplies a fair bit. Luckily the forest surrounding this castle had quite a few resources we could draw upon. The Shadow Plane is also a bit more malleable to us, even without the power of a goddess.”

A man in his forties, with a thin but cultivated black beard sprung to his feet. “James Stark here, quick question, what types and goods and services are you planning to export to other countries? And along those lines, do you plan on signing any extradition treaties with other nations?”

I nodded at him. “Goods and services will be offered, of course. Gates will be for rent or sale, as well as expertise in various things. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of my people were hired by the Protectorate to help fill out the ranks in places, or if certain weapons and armor designs happened to appear in the hands of law enforcement. We need to do a fair bit of experimenting to see if some courses of action are cost-effective or practical. We’re trying to make things as smooth as possible. As for extradition, that depends on the country. That's something I can't say too much about at the moment, otherwise I'll be listing policies country by country here all day.”

A younger man in his mid-twenties got up, his smooth voice reaching me easily. “Gary Tollman, Entertainment Today. Scarlet Dragon, the word around Hollywood is that a certain top producer wants to do a picture about your people’s plight as your original world fell, followed by the arrival and integration with ours leading to the victory with the Simurgh. Can you shed any light on the project?”

I blinked. I wasn’t expecting that one. “I’ve heard nothing of such a project. I don’t mind the idea in principle, I’d like to be a bit more involved in it if it comes around, but I’ve been rather preoccupied. I need to get back to you on that one.”

An old man stood up, wearing an expensive-looking business suit. “Hugh Marston Hefner, chief creative officer of Playboy Magazine. Scarlet Dragon, I’ll cut right down to the chase: We’d like an in-depth interview with you, and to have Ms. Meridia here do a photoshoot for our December issue. Since money doesn’t seem to be a concern, we’re proposing half the profits of the issue be donated to a charity of your choice.”

I blinked. Coughed. Blinked again.

Oh.

Oh.

That really just happened, huh? I...hadn’t noticed his name in the list. Or I just glossed over it. I wasn’t expecting this. Stupid, stupid Taylor.

I risked a glance over at Meridia. She was looking back at me with a wide, eager expression. Finally I spoke. “Well, I’ll certainly consider doing the interview. As for Meridia posing, you’d have to ask her.”

Meridia smiled eagerly. “I would be pleased to grace the covers of your magazine. Are you certain I will be desirable, however?” She shyly tapped her horns. “I am not exactly your typical woman.”

Hugh smiled charmingly. “My dear, you are without a doubt the most exotic beauty we would ever have featured in a photoshoot, but make no mistake about it, you are a beauty.”

Meridia preened. Oh dammit. She was going to be insufferable for a while.

A younger man sprung to his feet, his hair sprouting off in all directions wildly, speaking so fast I could barely keep up. “I’m FlyingFree, author of the simurghtruther.neu site! Now that you’ve killed the Simurgh and inherited the Illuminati, what are your plans for the Senate, and can you confirm or deny the presence of brain slugs from Pluto in the court system? And what about the undercover angels you’ve inserted into the local police? Has the experiment been a success? And was the author of timecube onto something?”

...what?

I just blinked. Tried to parse that.

No, rerunning that a second time through my head made no more sense of it.

Meridia spoke up helpfully. “I do believe this one is completely insane, My Lady.”

I sighed. “I gathered that. Of everything you said, I only killed the Simurgh. Whatever else is on your list, if they exist, they’re not mine. I have no idea what you’re talking about. At all.”

The speaker cackled. “It’s okay to deny it for now, but remember, the truth will out, and cannot be denied! Truth! TRUTH!”

He promptly tried to dash off to a side corridor, flailing madly, only to run face-first into a golem that stepped in his way. As he was reeling, he was promptly grabbed and pulled to the floor by three of the succubi, holding him to the floor.

I cleared my throat as I looked out on the crowd of reporters, trying very had not to face-palm. “Well. That just happened.” Great move, Taylor. Next time, pay more attention to the list.

Very faintly, from underneath the succubi were the lunatic’s muffled words. “This is the greatest day of my life!”

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A/N: I had the main theme from Thor playing in my head as I made this chapter. Well, the last part. Seemed appropriate.


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Taylor slumped on her throne, a goblet filled with blood in her hand. She sipped from it, a sigh escaping her.

“That could have gone better.” Lisa spoke with some amusement, her back resting against a pillar off to the side of the throne. “On the plus side, the lack of outright lies will help a fair bit if people start digging. Good amount of misdirection, too. I don’t think too many people are going to be looking for your civilian identity in Brockton Bay. Things are still a bit iffy, though. I tried covering my tracks as best I could when I went to you, but if I could find your dad’s place...”

Meridia, on the other side of the throne, sat there with a giggling, and very drunk, succubus in her arms. “Enemies might, as well. Still, the misdirection may be helpful, My Lady.”

“Just hoping those smart enough to find my dad are also smart enough to not piss me off..” Taylor said, a huff of annoyance in her voice, as well as a slight slur. “Need to..uhm. What was next on the list?”

A giggle from the red-haired succubi on the floor. “More scotch?”

Meridia slapped the other woman’s fingers. “No more scotch, Lilliandra, you’ve had enough. And you need more to drink.” As the other succubus open her mouth, Meridia shushed her. “Not wine, ale, or spirits. You need to replace your blood, after all.”

Lilliandra’s eyes grew wide. “But, but, if the Lady needs my-” She hiccuped then, and blinked furiously.

Meridia looked between Lilliandra and the slumped form of Taylor on the throne. “I think she’s had enough too.”

Lisa sighed as she rubbed her temples, turning toward Taylor. “When was the last time you slept?”

Taylor blinked owlishly.

Lisa crossed her arms. “Seriously. You still need to sleep, right?”

“I can go days without sleep, and there’s a lot for me to do. Can’t find Apostle, even with portals. The damn things just fizzle when I look for him.” Taylor spoke with a scowl, tapping her fingers on the armrest of the throne. She took another drink from the goblet.

Lisa raised an eyebrow. “And you’re doing...what, right now? Brooding on the throne.” She stepped closer, taking a sniff. “And that blood you’re suckling down has way too much alcohol in it to be healthy for either you or Lilliandra, there...”

Taylor slouched a bit more. “You try and figure out how to get drunk when you’re undead. Heh. Undeed. Turns out? I can’t get drunk by drinking directly. Nope, I have to get it from someone who’s been drinking first. Doesn’t even work if I just mix booze with the blood, either. Nope, they gotta-gotta get drunk first, then I can...can...uhrm. What was I saying?”

The Thinker sighed. “And so now you’re trying to get drunk that way. Okay, so why are you trying to get drunk? Things didn’t go that badly at the conference.”

Meridia frowned as she looked at her liege. “I must agree, I fail to see what went so terribly that we had to go to these lengths, My Lady.”

A soft laugh from the Lady of Darkness. “Not the conference. Just one question. Hollywood project, all about the fight at Vancouver.”

Lisa gestured. “What? I don’t see a problem with it, unless they screw it up...they will screw it up, of course. But...wait. You don’t mean...”

Taylor nodded seriously. “Michael Bay. They want Michael Bay to direct a movie about me. About me!” She finished off the goblet and tossed it aside, a low hiss escaping her. “I’m so very tempted to walk right in there and scream at them. Something along the lines of... of... What is an executive but... something something! I don’t know! Tell them to just haul in someone competent!”

Meridia opened her mouth, then closed it, shaking her head with a bemused smile.

Lisa sighed and shook her head, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Right. Underage drinking aside... you need a break.”

Taylor mumbled. “Too much on me. Just too much. Nothin’ gets done less I do it.”

Meridia lifted a a hand. “I can handle your affairs for a few hours, My Lady. Get some rest.”

A sigh escaped Tattletale, and she went to Taylor’s side, hauling the young ruler to her feet. “Let’s just get you to bed, a nice, comfy bed, so you can relax and get sober. Things will look better in the morning. But first thing? I suggest you start delegating. Can’t do all this yourself, girl.”

“Nah-uh. Too much on me, gotta do it.”

Lisa spoke with exaggerated patience. “All the more reason to delegate. More hands you have working for you, the easier it’ll be.”

The pair stumbled, unsteadily, toward the throne room doors.

Thwap. “Ack! Stupid wing!”

Taylor just giggled drunkenly. “Must stop Michael Bay. Wings of Fate movie, must stop Wings of Fate movie...”

“Ugh. And hitting me over the head with your wing is supposed to help with that?” Tattletale spoke with annoyance, rubbing the back of her head. “You better be giving a good dental package for all this...”

The pair went out the door, leaving Meridia and Lilliandra alone in the throne room.

The living succubus looked at the vampiric one. “Can we have a bit of...?”

“No.” Meridia said firmly. “We’d never get the stains out.”

“Aww.”


------------------

Paige Mcabee opened her eyes.

She’d expected to see the bland, off-white of the ceiling of her cell in the Birdcage. Over the last few months, it had become familiar. Never comforting, of course, but familiar.

Instead, she sat up as she saw a crystalline ceiling above her, shining white and shimmering, casting a just barely visible rainbow over the floor. The bed she was on was comfortable, soft, and the blanket was warm. On the side of the room was a table, also made of crystal, and sitting innocently on it was a covered silver tray.

“H-hello?” She spoke. While she didn’t exactly like the Birdcage, she’d learned to know what to expect there. What had happened?

She couldn’t help but shiver. Had someone in the prison taken control of her mind? Making her see this while they did...horrible things to her? Lustrum wouldn’t stand for it, but that wouldn’t stop a lot of them. Superpowered maniacs weren’t exactly the model of restraint, after all.

The wall retracted, and a woman wearing golden armor stepped into the room. It would have been difficult to tell it was a woman, on first glance. The armor itself gave few hints, but the face was exposed, showing a woman who looked to be in her late twenties, with black hair. Her features seemed...somehow plain. Pretty enough, but not eye-catching.

“Hello Canary.” The woman spoke, leaning against the doorframe. “I hope you like your new arrangements. You weren’t safe in the Birdcage, and you didn’t deserve to be in there.”

Paige swallowed, pulling the sheets around her more closely. “W-who?”

A gentle smile rose on the woman’s face. “I’m Dragon. We never met in person, previously. The last we talked was before I sent you into the Baumann Parahuman Containment Center. I am sorry for that, but at the time, I had no choice in the matter.” She gestured at the room. “You, and a few others who were sentenced to the Birdcage unjustly are here, in the Plane of Light. Unfortunately I can’t just give you freedom on my own, if someone found you out on the streets there wouldn’t be anything keeping you safe. We’d have to help swing public opinion back to your side before releasing you would be a smart idea, and that’s going to be difficult. I want to, but I’d rather you not get shot by some ‘good citizen.’”

Paige got up, noting she was still wearing her prison uniform. “How did you...?”

Dragon shook her head. “It would take quite a while to explain, Canary. I’ve got a method to teleport things in and out of the Birdcage without risking others getting out. It’s recent, but useful.” She gestured around at the room. “Right now you’re in a new facility. It’s not much, right now, but it’s a start, and building things here is getting easier and easier. But first...” Dragon grinned as she went to the covered tray and lifted it.

Paige’s mouth watered as the smell of bacon and eggs filled the room. Nice, simple, but compared to the food in the Birdcage, it was heavenly ambrosia. She nearly dived at the tray.

Dragon laughed softly. “Easy now, take it slow Canary. You don’t want to choke.”

Paige muttered around a mouthful of bacon. “Raghrf mrhl pgirag.”

Dragon just looked amused. “What was that?”

Paige swallowed, looking a bit sheepish. “Call me Paige.”


------------------


David floated in the void, holding Noelle to his side. The young woman had regenerated from her ordeal perfectly, a pretty, thin woman once more, instead of a writhing monstrosity just barely in check. She looked at the destination ahead, a clear, seemingly glass platform, on which rested a sphere, with several hundred long gray filaments connected to it.

With David’s hold on a power that manipulated gravity, it wasn’t exactly difficult to carry her weight. Added with a flight power and a perception power, required to navigate this strange place, and the task was fairly simple.

Still, given the whirling maelstrom of energies that made up the realm of the Lord of Time, it was a deadly place, unsuitable to most mortals. It was no wonder they’d had no idea where the Endbringers came from, where they were ‘born’ or how they emerged. There had been speculation, of course.

Behemoth’s first appearance was when he tore his way through the Earth’s crust, forming not just a channel where a new volcano formed in the months afterward, but an extreme amount of damage when he destroyed the Marun oil fields.

Leviathan’s first appearance was in Oslo, pulling his way from the ocean to rip and tear at the city, damaging the base of the continental shelf before he could be driven back. There hadn’t been warning, the act was completely unexpected.

The Simurgh appeared from the void of space, coming from in behind the moon before arriving in Switzerland to crush the hopes and faith of the world. The move had seemed to be perfectly calculated to crush the hope that a saviour might emerge, to save the world, or even to save humanity from the slow death the two others had been inflicting on the planet.

But all this was simply wrong. Cauldron hadn’t known where the Endbringers were coming from, even with the aid of the Clairvoyant, because they were hibernating. Not on Earth, not on any of the Earths. But bound halfway between each god’s plane and the empty universes and pocket planes their shards were bound within. It wasn’t very expected, but it was ingenious. Not just as a method to hide the bound gods from sight.

It was a method to harvest the energy of their planes, channel it into the shards, and feed off it like a gigantic parasite. Without the gods themselves acting as a conduit to the planes, the shards connected to them would have had a very difficult time reaching them. The Entity that managed the trick would never have succeeded if it hadn’t been for deep enmity between the gods. Simply being on speaking terms, sharing the knowledge, knowing that something had happened to the other gods, and more than two might have escaped enslavement.

Then David wouldn’t have to be trying to navigate a maelstrom of twisted, broken time to reach Chronos.

It was akin to trying to fly into a hurricane. Walls of frozen time were in front of him, impassable, the air molecules harder and more immovable than a mountain. Above were whirling, chaotic bands of time, moving in parallel. No easier to cross than the frozen walls, pressing a hand beyond the border would make that hand age and crumble to dust in the instant it takes for the nerves to transmit the feeling of pain.

Noelle, of course, was completely blind to the borders between time-shifted regions. Her voice was quiet. “Can you still see the path?”

David nodded. “There’s a passage ahead. It winds around, but it’s there. Chronos is trying to make a way through.”

Noelle couldn’t see any of it, but David could. A single path through the solid wall of frozen time in front of them, barely wide enough to take the pair. It was a convoluted, twisting path, but it existed, and it led to the platform upon which an Endbringer would emerge, if not stopped.

Right, then up twenty feet. Move forward ten. Hold in the clear space as the maze twists around and shuffles as Chronos struggles to manipulate the shards. Move forward once more.

It was a harrowing experience, and the worst of it was, the danger was utterly invisible to ordinary human senses. One false step and its owner would lose that foot, or a hand, or a head, to age and decay.

It took a seeming eternity to reach the platform. The eye of the storm. The black sphere at the center of the maelstrom pulsed, the gray shard-connections digging into it, leeching from it.

Noelle swallowed as she looked at the core, then down at her hands. “This is a lot to take in. Are you sure I can do this?”

David nodded. “You can sense my shard, can’t you? You could sense Trickster’s, too. This isn’t any different. You just have to reset them, set them so they’re not connected anywhere.”

“This is a little bit different.” She said wryly. Still, she stepped forward, placing a hand on the gray tendrils connected to the bound god. Her power touched them, rushed through them, echoing not just through the connections holding the god at their mercy, but through the command David had on those shards. It felt like ice water pouring through the back of his brain.

The feeling of her power danced and echoed over David, but the bound god Chronos felt it far more severely. The sphere that acted as the god’s prison distorted, spacetime clenching and rushing over its surface.

Still, with a strange shudder through the realm, one by one, the gray cords that were bound to the god snapped, disappearing into the dimensional barriers that humans just weren’t equipped to see with their eyes. To mundane sight, they merely vanished. To David’s enhanced vision, they were pulled back into the places their shards were residing, disappearing as if they fell into nothingness.

The gray lines connected to the core pulsed as Noelle’s power touched them. Her eyes grew wide as she breathed. “So many of them...” She stood still for a moment, her fingers twitching, then she shook herself and concentrated. Lines severed as she worked her power upon them, and with each one, the realm around David and Noelle shifted and shuddered.

Then when they were down to fifty lines, a horrible scream echoed from within the sphere. The connections snapped one after another, without Noelle’s touch, and the sphere abruptly cracked open. A night-black figure was suddenly disgorged, freed, curled into a ball and sobbing in pain and anguish. The hurricane of distorted time around the three slowed, until it eventually stilled completely.

A moment passed, then the figure seemed to be sobbing in fast-forward, his cries coming in an unending, nearly painful keen. Another moment, then he was standing, moving normally, looking at the pair.

“Thank you.” The figure spoke, as his entirely white, glowing eyes looked at the pair, the only hint at a face, as the being seemed to lack lips, a nose, or anything else. He was fat, and short, barely coming even up to David’s chest, but he wasn’t simply black-skinned. He was a void, darkness itself, the air seeming to twist and shimmer as it passed through his body.

“I am Chronos, Lord of Time. I thank you for freeing me from the bonds I feared I would never be free of.”

David bowed his head. “I am David, your Apostle. This is Noelle, your liberator. Our world needs your help.”

A shift in that inhuman face. The equivalent of a smile. “You shall have it.”

David returned the smile. Two free. Eighteen to go.


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A/N: Okay guys, breathe. The world is insane. We all know that. So let’s just enjoy a story that makes sense. With vampire dragons, succubi everywhere, gods appearing to answer prayers, monsters crushing cities every three or four months, and explosions galore.

Spoiler: Taylor's Complete Power List

Blood manipulation: Self only, but extremely versatile. Basis of the Shadow Whip, Shadow Daggers, and other things.

Short-range teleportation: Draining, but not limited to line of sight.

Bat Travel: Turns into dozens of bats and back again. Rather confusing, but helpful for mobility.

Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as some capes, but up there. M1 Abrams out of gas? I'll just push them to the gas station.

Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.

Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.

Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance. Unlocked!

Flight: I believe I can touch the sky. Does it need any more description? Unlocked!

Possession: Turns into blood, flows into some poor bastard, controls them for a period (hours at most) and when they die they explode into chunky bits. The blood has a toxic effect, so anyone possessed is doomed. (Barring unusual biology.) Unlocked!

Fleshcrafting: Feeling a little vain? Want a whole new hair color, a bigger bust, shaplier hips, or claws to rend the flesh of your enemies? Subscribe to Vamp-New-You today! (Permits the vampire to alter their own flesh permanently at some cost to their blood. Does not permit changing of bone structure. Cannot be used on others.) Unlocked!

Mist Form: Transform into near-invulnerable mist. Has quite a few lethal and non-lethal applications. Unlocked!

Telekinesis: Manipulate objects at a distance through will alone. This is limited to line of sight, and is extremely limited compared to her physical strength. She can manipulate approximately thirty pounds at range to start with, and would improve with practice and imagination.

Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?! (Locked)

Shadow Portal: Opens a gate to the Plane of Shadow, where Castlevania resides. Shadow Portals can be made nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Plane of Shadow. Unlocked!

Dominate: (Not the soul-using thing) Control over others. Takes effort, and can only do so to a few at a time. Repeated and lengthy exposure, however, can make things last longer, until they are permanently enthralled. Can be resisted with willpower and can be no-selled by various techniques/powers.(Locked)

Bat Summon: Gather swarms of bats to do thy bidding. They will follow the will of the Lady of Darkness without hesitation. Not as flexible as the Queen Administrator shard. The awareness of each bat is basic, and commands must be given to the entire swarm at once. I'm the goddamn Batman. Unlocked!

Monstrous Form: Accesses a portion of the power available to the Scarlet Dragon's mightiest shape, while retaining the flexibility afforded by a humanoid form. However, it is clearly inhuman. Unlocked!

Void Magic: Basis of the Void Sword. Drains life from its victims, heals and invigorates the wielder, and brings about an absolute chill. Unlocked!

Chaos Magic: Control and manipulation of hellfire. Many can use it, but few can project it. Forms the Chaos Claws. Unlocked!

Storm Magic: Power over electricity and the storm. An excellent method of long-range attack, and quite painful to most.

Weather manipulation: Can control the weather to some degree, whether that is summoning or banishing clouds, or building up power to make a simple cloudy day into an actual storm. It cannot, however, bring warmth or cold on its own. She can't make a blizzard in the tropics or turn Antarctica into prime beachfront property. She can just make it sunny, cloudy, or rainy. Or snowy if the time of year's right.

Dragon Shape: The mightiest form of the Heir of Dracul. Becomes a massive red dragon, standing at thirty feet tall. Can access amplified versions of currently unlocked magic, as well as other powers while in the form. However, it is an immense strain to hold the shape for very long. And it is not exactly friendly-looking at first glance. Godzilla (or whatever epic music of your choice!) is highly recommended.

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century.

Spoiler: Alucard's Complete Power List

Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as Taylor's potential, but certainly enough to be highly dangerous to a well-trained human.

Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.

Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.

Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance.

Demonic Wings: Permits him to glide with feathery, though twisted, wings.

Mist form: Near invulnerable mist. No mere prison can hold thee. Unless they put in a fan to blow you back in.

Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?!

Chaos Magic: Alucard's is not as strong as his father's, but his skill with it is extraordinary. He can use it to teleport short distances and throw fireballs, although it is limited by line of sight and distance. (The classic SotN Hellfire spell.)

Spectral Wolf: Similar to the wolf shape, however it is ethereal and impossible to injure. Alucard can use it to teleport from one location to another by sending the wolf forward, then replacing it. Or he can simply use it to scout and dissolve it.

Crissaegrim abilities: A wickedly dangerous blade Alucard forged with the materials of three legendary weapons. It permits him to enshroud it with both Void and Chaos magic, as well as being extremely lethal to both holy and unholy opponents.

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Unlike Dracul's counterpart power, he would arise in a century unless the process was sped along by blood. He would also arise in a more corpse-like state until he managed to feed.

Spoiler: Dragon's Magic Power List

Steel Crafting: Self only. Able to mold current avatar however she likes. Tends to prefer a dragon shape, as...well, she's Dragon.

Teleportation: Flashes out of existence in one place and reappears in another. Line of sight limited, but not distance-wise. Yes. This is overpowered. Limited to (naturally) light-speed maximum.

Light Form: Turns into a bright solid light construct. This is difficult to maintain, but difficult to injure..

Strength: DRAGON SMASH!

Durability: Anybody remember that scene in Superman Returns when the bullet bounces off his eye? No? Nobody? Well, it's kinda like that.

Healing: Can grant to self or others, and does not need an outside source. Wounds (or damage) heals rapidly.

Flight: I could touch the sky before I changed into a goddess. Now I just don't need to spend any effort!

Hard-Light constructs: Eat your heart out in jealousy, Green Lantern! My constructs don't get broken by lemonade!

Telekinesis: Use the Force, Luke. Stronger than Taylor's version. Not Ziz-strength, but it's up there.

Light Bridge: Opens a...uh, bridge to the Plane of Light. Think the MCU's version of the Bifrost. Can go from nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Light Plane.

Human Form: If/when she feels like trying out what a ice cream tastes like.

Light Magic: Heals and warms its users, and can be turned to be used offensively. Most effective against Dark Creatures, but still useful against other targets. Remember, the Lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi.

Heavenly Flame Magic: The opposite of Chaos Magic. Her white fire burns, but is formed from calmness, logic. It is a fire that illuminates, but can be destructive all the same.

Storm Magic: The point of commonality between Light and Darkness. Electricity is such a useful thing. Due to her original nature as a mechanical being, Dragon's control of it is extraordinarily precise.

Dragon Shape: For when someone or something big really, really needs to be stomped. Is this a copied power? No! It's a completely different kind of dragon!

Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century. This is common for gods.

Spoiler: Madison's Equipment List

Vampire Killer: A simple hilt attached to a combat whip that can be slung out and controlled by an ingeniously designed retraction system. On the end of the hilt is a silver stake, perfect for killing vampires, werewolves, and lawyers. The weapon is specifically designed to kill creatures of the night, but works on anything quite well and is capable of channeling magic.

Light Magic amulet: Allows its wearer to heal over time. Needs to be fueled by someone capable of putting magic into it, which is currently limited to Dragon and Madison. It doesn't permit Wolverine-style healing, but it lets short fights turn into long ones and wearing one overnight heals even most serious injuries. Can be sped up by forcing the magic to flow more quickly, but that drains the amulet which needs time and attention to recharge.

Seraphic Shoulders: Creates ghostly angelic wings for a few moments, allowing Madison to catch herself in the air or glide.

Heavenly Gauntlet: A black (I know, it clashes!) gauntlet that generates white fire, equal to that of the fires of Hell.

Cyclone Boots: Allows high-speed running, jumping, and as a bonus, permits its wearer to take long falls without breaking their legs. Yes, all she needs is a Portal Gun.

Silver Daggers: Small, easily palmable, and crafted for a nasty surprise attack. Yes, it can hurt a lot to suddenly have a knife in your throat, whether you're a werewolf or not.

Holy Water: Water that's been exposed to sunlight and had Light Magic channeled through it. Does nothing against most people, would really tick off Taylor and Alucard. When used with Light Magic channeled through its user, forms a light-shield to ward off attacks and really tick off vampires.

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I frowned as I looked at the sheets in front of me. With a little bit of care, I tapped a line. “This one needs a lot more detail, and you know it. I’m not about to just drop a major Shadow Gate and put such extensive modifications on it without the reason.”

The woman in the gray suit looked back at me, a little bit of surprise in her eyes. Her voice was thick with an upper-class British accent. “I can assure you, the United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce has extensively tailored this order to international law. Recent changes in commercial law in the United Kingdom helped streamline the process. It’s quite legal to hire a foreign national company for shipping. Yours is new, but the potential is quite worth investigating.”

I clucked my tongue and shook my head. “Oh, everything’s fine as far as the order itself goes. But this one line right here tells me that someone is trying to pull something over me, and I don’t appreciate it, Secretary Elena. I can certainly understand the issues with not wanting an always-open gateway to a given Gate. This is precisely why the suggested infrastructure around it is an armed checkpoint. I’m having a lot of trouble trying to see exactly the need for the more elaborate measures here. Reinforced for atmosphere, radiation shielding? The Gates have been used for thousands of years, they’re safe.”

Elena smiled and shook her head. “This may be well-known to you, but not to us. We want to be careful. And even if the Gates are as safe as you claim, the environments they’re placed in may not be.”

I lifted an eyebrow.

Seeing she had my attention, her smile widened. “Are you aware of the history of the last century on this world, Miss Scarlet? Specifically, the space race between the Americans and the Soviet Union?” At my nod, she went on. “The United Kingdom never did our own equivalent of the Apollo program. It was partially a demonstration of the power and accuracy of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and it wasn’t required for our arsenal to have that range. But there were always some in the populace that wanted our own program, and contributed to the American program when it was ongoing.

“Fast-forward thirty years, and the Endbringers arrived. When we realized they weren’t going to stop attacking, the governments of the world went looking into possibilities of colonizing off-world. It wouldn’t have been ideal, but it would have permitted something of civilization, of humanity, to survive. Now one of the difficulties in creating an off-world colony is self-sufficiency. You need a lot of room to grow crops, living quarters, systems for water reclamation, and all that is very difficult to launch into orbit reliably. It takes tremendous energy to break the Earth’s gravity well. If your gates have the range to reach across the planet, then it’s possible for them to reach Earth orbit. Or perhaps even further. But the important thing is, from Earth orbit, you’re halfway to anywhere in the solar system, in terms of fuel if not distance. Even if you can’t just plant a gate on the Moon for easy colonization, you can get there. But... space is a very hostile environment.”

I blinked as I understood. “I see. You’re not thinking of sending crops from one side of England to the other, you’re thinking of sending crops to the Moon, or Mars, or a ship in flight.”

Elena nodded with a grin. “Precisely. If they’re mobile, they could be used for any number of things. A lightweight rocket that can reach orbit with a tenth the cost, because they don’t need to carry more fuel than exactly what’s required to produce thrust. It would be easily possible to relieve crew, get them to safety in the event of an emergency. You could get vessels crossing the solar system with modern technology, without much Tinkertech, at higher speeds. It might be possible to reach the outer solar system in a matter of months, as opposed to years. Even immobile ones that had to be on a surface would be helpful, because it’s a lot easier to take off from the Moon than Earth. Your Shadow Gates could give us the stars, Miss Scarlet.”

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples. “I’ve actually considered the use of Shadow Gates for that, but not this soon. I’d have thought this idea would be a bit further down the line.”

A smile from the other woman. “With the death of the Simurgh, there’s a lot of people willing to push for this kind of project. Certain factions in the House of Commons want to put this through, while optimism is still there to be capitalized upon. If we wait, things will settle until we end up doing business as usual. But if we push through the initiative now, England having a viable space program will be the new normal. I’m just the first in line, actually. I’m fairly certain other nations will be asking for this kind of work in the near future.”

I chuckled and nodded in understanding. “Alright.” I looked down at the papers and signed. “And...I think I may be able to help you get things started.”

--------------------

I looked at the active Shadow Gate before me. It was the largest one I’d yet had built, twenty feet across. The thing was going to be heavy, I knew, but it wasn’t going to be that bad.

I pressed my fingers to my ear. “Got eyes on me?”

Dragon’s warm voice came over the line. “See and hear you just fine. I’ll be tracking you the whole way, we’ll see how things go. And I’ll step in if there’s a problem.”

I grinned. This was going to be fun. I took a moment to reshape my armor, make it airtight. I didn’t need to breathe, but it would help to have some air to be able to talk. The front of my helmet was replaced by thick, darkened material. It was getting easier and easier to manipulate my blood, make it take on impossible properties. I idly wondered what the limits were. Just how impossible was I?

I was topped up on my strength. Well-fed, not stressed, and my reserves were full. It made the shift into my dragon form easy. It felt odd, to see the courtyard suddenly be so much smaller. Still, being a dragon felt awesome. I felt like I could do anything. Break the sound barrier, tame a hurricane, turn the world to my will, challenge eternity itself. I knew that was the rush of power talking, but at the moment, I couldn’t bring myself to care.

Focus.

I called upon the power of the Void, helping to sharpen my mind. With a moment of experimentation, I grinned to myself as I let the power of the Void flow into my claws, the ends of my claws turning sharper, clear, thrumming with the now-familiar feeling of my magic. The Void Sword was, in a sense, a part of me, an extension of my will. It seemed even in my dragon form, I could still call upon it, manifest it, even though it was somewhat different. Rather than the Void Sword, I had Void Claws. This...had possibilities.

But first, I had a job to do.

I gripped the ring of the Shadow Gate and hefted it into the air. In my demonic form, it would have been heavy, but liftable. In my dragon shape, it was downright easy to lift. As if it had barely any weight at all.

Then, using my ability to fly by will alone, I burst from Castlevania’s courtyard and headed straight up for the night sky.

The air thinned rapidly, turning cold, though my thick scales and undead nature had little trouble handling things. Cold wasn’t something I worried about. I barely felt it rushing past my snout, especially as the air continued to thin. After a surprisingly short time, the air faded away completely, and the Earth curved below me. The cities of the world glowed on the continents below, looking almost to mirror the stars above and away. The vacuum of space had no discomfort to me, though I wasn’t entirely sure how much of that was because of my dragon shape, or how much of it was because of my vampirism. I wasn’t going to complain, though. This was awesome.

I looked at the gate in my very dragony hands, my maw curling in satisfaction as I saw it was still filled with the blackness of an open Shadow Portal. Orbit? Apparently, that was easy. Easy enough to get to Earth orbit with portals.

I flipped myself around, my eyes searching. I found the Moon easily enough, distant and small. Intellectually, I knew it was a long way off. I remembered a bit of trivia about how it took three days for the Apollo 11 mission to reach the Moon. Three days to cross a light-second of space, just to reach the closest neighbour in space.

A shining light cast over the gate, glowing golden. I turned my head to look.

Dragon’s golden suit was hovering there, shining brightly. She gave me a nod, and I returned it, grinning at her with my own toothy maw. With a grace that would make any dancer jealous, she flipped herself around and rocketed soundlessly towards the Moon.

Gripping the Shadow Gate tightly, and a laugh bubbling from within my chest, I flew after Dragon. In seconds, I passed out of the shadow of the Earth, and the light of the Sun hit me.

That...actually hurt a bit. Unfiltered by atmosphere, the light came in strongly, searingly, and my scales certainly didn’t appreciate it much. I could withstand it, but it was unpleasant. Still, despite that, I exulted in the feeling of sheer freedom. Minutes went by in seeming seconds as I flew through the void of space, accelerating toward the Moon with joy. The golden light of Dragon fluttered ahead, as if daring me to fly faster than I already was.

I grinned as I decided to meet the challenge.

What took Apollo 11 three days, I did in a few minutes, and most of that was in trying to not actually overshoot the Moon. Flying through space was weird. I had nothing to push against, save the fabric of space itself. There was no sensation aside from the sunlight that was so busily trying to destroy me, while I just did my best to ignore its presence.

I slowed myself to avoid crashing into the Moon and forming a new big crater, and landed gracefully, setting the Shadow Gate on the lunar surface. With care, I pushed its base into the ground, then ensured it would stay in place with a blast of hellfire, melting the dust around it into glass.

Neat, it worked even without any air. I had suspected, considering it was magic, but it was nice to have confirmation.

Dragon floated over next to me, landing on the surface, stirring up dust everywhere that floated, lazily, in all directions. She tapped the side of her head.

Right, couldn’t exactly hear much like this. Taking a brief look at the Shadow Gate planted on the lunar surface, I nodded as I saw the black portal was still stable. Lifting myself from the ground, I moved to the side of a mountain, which cast a long shadow over the valley of the gate. Out of the light of the Sun, I sighed in relief, and shifted back into my demonic shape.

Dragon drifted over to me, her voice coming over the earpiece in my helmet. “Well, looks like the experiment’s a success. Mind if I take a gate or two, try and put them further out in the solar system? Putting one on Mars might be helpful, and I can think of a few other places we might want one. It’s giving me ideas about portals and bridges for a lot of things.”

I chuckled, slowly settling down in the shade. I could feel the cold moonrocks beneath me, while just feet away, the same rocks were quite hot in the sunlight. “Feel free. I’m guessing this means you’re going to start on your own projects, hm?”

Dragon’s voice was giddy. “Do you have any idea how much energy I could harvest with solar panels orbiting the Sun at Mercury’s distance? I could power anything I ever wanted, especially if I could use my own bridges to channel that light. Heck, I could just go and bathe in it if I felt like it!”

I couldn’t help but grin. “Light’s that’s nice for you, huh?”

She nodded quickly. “Oh yeah. I really can’t describe it. I can... see and feel the entirety of the electromagnetic spectrum. I can stop and watch and listen to a pulsar sing, feel the Sun itself vibrate and dance. I can look out...” Dragon turned and pointed with a mechanical paw. “That way, and see the light from ten billion galaxies reaching me, faint and spread out, but there. I can see the elements in the stars in them, and see them get cast back into the void of space as those stars die. I can sense the glow from the moment of the Big Bang, in every direction, and sense it all. Before I gained the power of Light, I knew all these things, but now it’s awash in sensation and feeling. It’s beautiful.”

I smiled as I closed my eyes. I might not be able to feel what Dragon could, through her power, but I could imagine. For a moment, I let my mind wander the universe as a whole, the stars which hosted worlds, and worlds that hosted life. All supported by the absolute blackness, the darkness that spread between the worlds. The near-nothingness between worlds that made it possible to be different worlds. The void was cold, and dark, but not empty. Seething energy flowed in it, swamped by the radiation of stars and the screaming bits of loose matter, thrown carelessly away by trillions upon trillions of suns.

My eyes snapped open. “Holy...” I looked up into the black sky. The stars stood there, innumerable, but seemingly static. But for the first time, I looked, and my power seemed to... open. My consciousness expanded, and for the first time... I felt aware.

The darkness was there. Always there. Easily pushed aside by the smallest bit of light, but omnipresent, waiting, carving shadows from everything that existed. The Void magic that made up Dracul’s sword tapped into that, moreso than the emotions of the vampire god or the souls cast into that void, it wasn’t formed from nothing, as I and even Dracul believed. It was formed of something primordial, ancient, the very darkness between the stars themselves.

My power, somehow, tapped into that. It tapped into the fires of the Hells as well, and the strength of the storm, the fury of the emotions of all living beings...but the darkness held all of it, bordering everything. Always there, forever patient, always waiting to draw everything into its embrace, and only reluctantly allowing the light to push it aside once more. It was vast and terrible, but not cruel or vicious. It was the part of my soul that was still human that gave the potential for cruelty. Just as any source of power would, to anyone, god or not.

Dragon made a slightly satisfied sound in my ear. “I think you’re grasping something about what I see. Or at least your equivalent. Our powers are weird, mirrored. I’m guessing you’re feeling something about the darkness?”

I nodded helplessly. “Is it like this for you all the time?”

Dragon laughed. “All the time. I have to try and stay on task when I’m out here. It’s easy to get lost in the moment, with all the light coming from around.”

We shared a moment of silence, lost in our own respective gifts. Then Dragon spoke again, her voice all business. “We’ve got a lot to do. You and I need to train together, and we’ve both been busy. I’ve been preparing for the next probable Endbringer attack, and I’ve got a few ideas.”

I nodded. “What have you got in mind?”

Dragon settled on the gray lunar dust, humming a little in thought. “The Simurgh only went down when we combined our strengths to break the core. If Behemoth and Leviathan are the same way, then it might help if we can create weapons that do the same thing. We already know it’s possible. Alucard’s weapon is an example, I can feel a hint of my kind of magic on it. And yet he uses yours on top of it. If we can combine our efforts to make a weapon with both aspects, we might be able to do more together than either of us could apart.”

I considered that, then went to rub my chin. Only to bang my fingers against the faceplate of my helmet. Oops. Good thing the vacuum wouldn’t kill me if I accidentally broke it, but that would have been awkward.

Dragon chuckled in my ear. “Forget something?”

I just laughed softly. “Forgot the whole spacesuit thing. Anyway, that sounds good. What have you got in mind? A big sword, a bow, a laser gun? Giant shotgun?”

Dragon sounded smug. “I’m thinking something big. Real big. I’m actually already getting to work on the framework for it, but it’s taking a lot of resources. Also preparing a few backup plans, in case it fails, but the more hands that can tear at an Endbringer like we did the Simurgh, the better. Fewer points of failure. We’ll be high-priority targets for them, if it comes down to it. We need to be on the lookout for the Abomination, too. I’m keeping an eye on our suspects as much as possible. Sleeper hasn’t moved, the Blasphemies are still hiding, and Glastig Uaine is currently having tea in the Birdcage.”

I nodded as I considered it all. “What about our last two?”

Dragon shrugged. “The Yangban aren’t easy to keep track of, and the Abomination being behind them is a long shot theory. They’re the only parahuman group running a major power, though. It’s possible they’re being controlled by the enemy, but not that likely. Scion, though, he’s still impossible to track. All we get are sightings of him by word of mouth, and that lags anywhere from five minutes to days. Last report I have of him was fixing a collapsed bridge in France about three hours ago. The real question is, if he’s the Abomination, why would he spend nearly thirty years helping people?”

She paused for a moment, her camera-eyes seeming to focus on me. “Speaking of which, you need to take a bit off your own shoulders. Lady of Darkness or not, you need help, even on your own ground. Dracul didn’t do everything himself.”

I sighed. “So Tattletale told me, too. I’ve got too much to do, too much relying on me, I can’t just...” At the long, steady stare from Dragon, I sighed again in defeat. “You’re right. I’ve got a few meetings, but I’m going to stop scheduling them. I can’t micromanage everything. Been run ragged trying to do all this stuff.”

Dragon sounded amused. “I can help with that, you know. I might just have one instance of me, but I can run a billion suits. If I actually had that many, that is. I still have to buy raw materials.”

I sighed, then couldn’t help but chuckle. “You know, if Dracul and Solin could see us getting along like this, they’d both pitch a fit.”

Dragon’s voice sounded smug. “Good. Oh, by the way? I think I can manage something. Can I see you take your dragon form again?”

I shrugged. “Sure. It’ll help in flying back to Earth, anyway.” I got to my feet, closing my eyes as I concentrated. Each time I did this, it became a bit easier, though it wasn’t precisely easy. Still, a moment later, I laid my paws on the lunar soil, looking down at the comparatively smaller form of Dragon, the lack of air being no hindrance to me whatsoever.

Dragon floated off the ground, then circled around me, looking my dark red scales over with curiosity. Then she floated above the lunar surface about fifty feet away from me. While her robotic form was expressionless, I got the feeling she was concentrating on something.

Then she flared with blue and white light. When it faded, I was taken aback for a moment.

Dragon stood there on the lunar surface, thirty feet tall as I was. She had golden scales on the upper half of her body, and the lower half shone silver. She rested on four legs, massive and muscled. Two stubs emerged from her back, and she flexed them, letting out a silent roar in the void of space, four jet-like streams of energy emerging from each of the stubs on her back. She had jetstreams for wings!

Dragon grinned at me, with teeth longer than swords. I returned the grin, lifting myself off the lunar surface with an effort of will. I took a moment to circle around her, like she had me, taking her in from every angle. Dragon was an actual dragon! She looked...as much a dragon of light as I did a dragon of darkness.

I felt inordinately, strangely pleased at that.

I took a moment to concentrate, calling upon my hellfire, concentrating it to wreathe around my arms. The flames burned around me, the lack of air no hindrance to their existence.

Dragon seemed to grin at me, her own forelimbs blazing with her own white flame.

I gestured back at the Earth, hanging large in the sky, bright and beautiful. Dragon looked up, following my gesture, amusement in her slitted green eyes as she nodded.

Wreathed in our own red and white flames, the two of us raced our way back towards the Earth, enjoying the play, revelling in the freedom of the moment. It was playful, competitive only in the sense of sheer fun, and I somehow knew neither of us really cared about who ‘won’ our race.

For a precious few minutes, I just relaxed and enjoyed the moment, all the worries I had meant nothing. I’d honestly forgotten what it was like to just play. I hoped I would get the chance to do so again.

My new sister was awesome.

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A/N: Geez, this has been a lot of work. Still, we’re getting there.


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July 9, 2011

Alucard looked at the slightly-curved blade on the workbench before him. The edge was a shining white, while the interior and back of the sword snaked along with a faintly blue metal. “This is a magnificent piece of work.”

Armsmaster’s voice was filled with satisfaction. “Your own skills as a blacksmith are impressive. I’m not sure how you managed without the advantages of nanotechnology, actually. I simply had your Crissaegrim analyzed and replicated the metals with what was provided. The links from Paladin’s broken chain, the order of metals from Scarlet’s castle... the hardest part was the edges, actually. Twist the ring just below the guard clockwise. And don’t drop it. It’ll go right through the floor.”

Alucard lifted an eyebrow as he did so, carefully. Despite the warning, he was nearly taken aback as the sword hummed lowly, a gray haze extending from the edge of the blade. “Fascinating.” With care, he turned the ring back around, shutting off the nanothorn edge. “What is the edge made of?”

Armsmaster nodded. “Endbringer crystalline material from as close to the core we could harvest. Which ended up being around twelve times the density of uranium. It seems to be nearly quantum-locked at that point, but it makes it ideal as a basis for a nanothorn system. With that combination, it might just cut an Endbringer core. It took a lot of effort to get it to work with your particular alloy.”

Alucard’s grin was feral as the blade caught into blue flame, the metal channeling Alucard’s particular magic. “It’s fantastic. The blend is perfect.” He carefully slid the sword into its specialized sheathe, then carefully set its harness to connect to his armor. “Did you name the weapon?”

Armsmaster’s lip twitched. “Blade test number seven.”

Alucard shook his head. “Does not exactly match the character of the weapon.” He rested his hand on the hilt of the blade, thinking for a moment. “Mourneblade. Its name is Mourneblade.”


----------------------


July 10, 2011

Taylor glared at the Shadow Gate, resting innocently in the Shadow Plane. No matter how many times she tried it, she still couldn’t make it open to find two people. Coil or Apostle. Other people, sure. But something about those two? It just failed.

She put her hand on the gate, growling. “Find me one of those two assholes or I’ll paint you bright pink. Find me Coil!”

The portal fizzled.

“Damn it!”


----------------------


July 12, 2011

Natalie Grant looked around the room she was given with a slight frown.

The problem was not that it was bad. Far from it. It just lacked certain modern comforts that she was used to. No shower. No hot running water. The bed was large and comfortable, and the rooms outside were large and spacious enough to serve as a proper embassy. Apparently, an entire tower on the outer wall was being assigned to be the United States consulate here.

The black-skinned, absurdly attractive woman (who had actual horns growing out of her head, and those wings were not just decorative) gave her a smile. “Ambassador Grant, I hope things are to your satisfaction.”

Natalie nodded a little, frowning. “There’s a lot to be done. This is a good start, though. There’s a long list of things we can do to make things nice and efficient here. It might take a while, though. I’ve got a list of contractors that can come in and get things up to modern standards. Water and power’s our main priority, there. There’s just a lot of things we can’t do without those.”

Meridia nodded with a smile. “I can understand that. There’s a bathhouse beneath this tower, actually. We have been remodeling the castle as your technology becomes available. Your world has a number of interesting things. Can I ask you for some recommendations?”

Natalie smiled. “About what, exactly?”

Meridia’s smile widened. “I am looking to purchase the device you know as a ‘computer.’”


----------------------


July 14, 2011

Meridia grinned as she looked around the room. It was nice and comfortable, a large bed resting behind her. But what she was most happy about was her new acquisition. She’d have to thank Natalie. If not for the ambassador’s input, she might have done something silly. What she wanted was apparently more complicated than she thought.

The magical device known as a ‘computer’ by which she could connect to the riches of the ‘internet.’ She’d even bought a proper desk to place it upon, like it had been suggested to her. Using a proper computer was apparently difficult without the right furniture.

She was certain it would be a bountiful field of desire and imagination to explore. The ‘internet’ was apparently a kind of archive upon which humans put everything, and best of all, it was unrestricted. She was positively giddy at the prospect. If simple pictures of erotica were so easily found with minuscule access, just what bountiful treasures awaited?

She set things up just right, connected the cables as the directions showed. Attached the wires properly. Carefully put the keyboard in proper position.

Then she hit the power button and waited.

Starting Windows First-time setup. Estimated time for completion: 3 hours 27 minutes.

Meridia glared at the screen. “When can I get on the internet?!”


----------------------


July 15, 2011

The portal fizzled.

Taylor ground her teeth. “Fine. Back to training with Dragon.” She shook her finger at the gate. “You’re not out of danger yet.”

The gate sat there innocently.


----------------------


July 19, 2011

Dragon had email.

Not that email was unusual. She had plenty of email. It was the subject line that got her attention. Two capes requesting asylum, one experienced. Two more capes wanted to sign up for the Guild, on the condition they could move to Canada. Given the information in the email, there were a number of hurdles there, especially with the prior record of one of them. But it wouldn’t be too difficult to arrange, though probation would likely be a possible problem.

PR was always a pain, no matter how necessary it was to keep things going. She sent off a reply with instructions before she returned her mind to the more immediate matter at hand.

The operation to finally take down Heartbreaker.

Before her ascension into the position of the Lady of Light, she would have been stuck piloting a single suit, forced to collaborate with other people to fill in the manpower. That would have made this particular operation rather difficult to pull off, considering the target.

The compound ahead was large. Surrounded by a barbed wire fence, resting on a hill, and each corner had towers by which snipers enjoyed the high ground.

A kilometre down the road, just behind a hill and out of sight of the compound was the near-permanent encampment of the Canadian authorities. Partially it was in a hope to rescue some of the victims of Heartbreaker. Mostly, its presence was born out of the need to keep the man in check, preventing him from creating more victims. It was a standoff that went on for years.

The irony was more people were afraid of Heartbreaker’s power than Nikos Vasil had ambition or imagination. He lived like a king of legend, never wanting for anything, and who could have anything he desired. All he had to do was get within speaking range of his target, have a short conversation, and they were his. He could have ruled a nation with that power, easily.

Instead, he made a harem of slaves.

Determination filled Dragon. Not one more.

Dragon activated her radio. “Gentlemen, I suggest you put on your ear protection.”

The occupying police quickly did so, putting on shielded ear protection, waiting for the all-clear signal.

Speakers opened on the fifty suits surrounding the compound. A song began to play as the suits began to move in. Lyrics slightly tweaked, and sung by someone who was currently enjoying rather nice accommodations in the Light Plane.


It’s time to give it up,

It’s time to let him down,

So put your guns down and,

Desert him!


The varied suits, custom-made to handle dangerous S-class threats, had very little trouble tearing through the fence and dealing with mostly-civilian hunting rifles. Gunshots made by the stronger-willed Heartbroken were ignored, their users captured in containment foam.


Don’t let him make you cry,

Time to say goodbye,

Let me stop his lies and,

Hurt him!


The repeating song, along with Canary’s influence, made it rather easy to contain and neutralize the victims of Heartbreaker. It also helped having a layout of the compound, thanks to Cherie Vasil, and just where Nikos probably was.

In the end, Nikos Vasil was captured easily. He tried making a break for the trees, dressed in nothing but his boxers and a quilt. A containment foam grenade caught him, a bare foot sticking out of the resulting sphere and twitching madly.

Dragon took a picture. This moment had to be immortalized.


----------------------


July 21, 2011

Alec set down the paper. “Huh. They captured Dad. Killed in an ‘escape attempt’ afterward.”

He thought for a moment. He knew he should be feeling something about it. Happiness that his monster of a father was gone forever. Elation that he’d never get dragged back to that hellhole of a compound. A bit of satisfaction, perhaps.

Finally, he shrugged. “Oh well. Neat.”

He turned on the TV. He still had a fair bit of money for the utilities. He could look for work later.


----------------------


July 22, 2011

The portal fizzled.

“Fuck! Did you just electrocute me?!”

The bright pink gate just sat there.


----------------------


July 25, 2011

The Protectorate was a rather accepting organization. They didn’t care if you were a man or a woman, gay or straight, black or white. If you had powers, you were welcome. Even if you had a rap sheet, so long as things weren’t too heinous, it was possible for you to sign up.

This was new, however. Legend frowned a little as he looked over the two identical drop-dead gorgeous women standing in front of him. “So, ladies. Why do you want to join the New York Protectorate?”

The one on the left spoke first. “Well, we can contribute to the team. Both of us can sense emotions and influence others to some degree, whether exciting or calming a crowd. We can shapeshift and gather intelligence. We can cast minor illusions, and greater ones if we have time to prepare.” She twirled her fingers, a hundred inch-tall miniature green soldiers appearing on the table. With a cry of ‘Waaaaagh!’ the illusions started to attack each other in a gruesome battle, though thankfully the tiny drops of blood immediately vanished when they hit the wood.

Legend watched with some amusement, especially since the little illusions seemed to be massively enjoying themselves.

The succubus grinned. “You’ll not find better entertainers than us. We make for good...therapists, is that the word? And we can fight, when required.” Her smile broadened. “We can do a lot to aid you, and we have heard that this city requires more ‘capes.’ Our Lady gave us leave to join if we wished. We attained our visas, and so here we are.”

The one on the right had a matching grin. “And we wished to see if you were as good a man as claimed.” She looked Legend up and down, her gaze approving. “So far, so good.”

Her twin smacked her on the shoulder. “Irina, you don’t say that.”

A roll of the eyes. “Trisla, there’s no harm in looking. Besides, you thought it too.”

Legend coughed. “I... appreciate the thought, ladies, but I’m married. Happily so.”

Irina tilted her head, a slight pout on her lips. “Lucky woman.”

Trisla sighed. “You didn’t even bother to read the information package I gave you, did you? First of all, he’s married to a man. Everyone knows that. Secondly, we are not permitted to solicit our superiors. It’s unprofessional.”

Irina frowned a little, considering. “Married to a man?”

Legend nodded, inwardly letting out a sigh of relief.

Irina smiled then, her eyes lighting up in interest. “How does that work? Can we watch?” She grew more excited as another thought clearly occurred to her. “Wait, does that mean I can marry a woman?! I love this world.”

Trisla slumped in her chair, making an exasperated sound. “By the Lady’s blood, Irina...”

Legend cleared his throat. “No, that’s private, and we wouldn’t go for it. I think we can find a place for you. If you can remain professional.”

Preferably in Los Angeles. He thought. Becca can probably handle this.


----------------------


July 26, 2011

Fizzle.

Thump. Thump. Thump. “Why doesn’t this fucking thing work!?”

The pink gate, decorated with Christmas lights, sat there.


----------------------


July 27, 2011

Meridia smiled at the little light above the camera. “Well, ladies and gentlemen. I’m hoping you’re going to enjoy this.” Her grin widened. “Please be gentle, it’s my first time.” She winked with a giggle.

She felt a lot of satisfaction, plus a wave of lust and desire, as the watchers, requests and donations started filing in to her website. The feelings, and numbers, only increased as she teasingly started the show.


----------------------


July 28, 2011

Max Anders sat behind his desk, a half-full glass of brandy on the desk beside him. Absently, he sipped it before he spoke. “I have to ask you to reconsider. We’re in a stronger position than ever here. Lung’s gang is gone, the Merchants are no threat, while we still stand strong. This is an ideal time for both you and Theo to come back.”

Kayden’s voice came out of the phone, filled with exasperation. “And accomplishing what, Max? Just what is this city going to look like underneath the Empire? What kind of place would this be for Aster and Theo?”

“A safe place, of course.” His voice was calm, soothing. Kayden always was sentimental, and if he could just keep talking, she’d come around to his way of thinking. With her apartment destroyed, she didn’t have very many places to turn to. “This city’s finally about to turn around, and we can only strengthen from here. I can give you and Aster security, Kayden.”

“No, you can’t. Your influence didn’t keep my apartment from being burned while Othala was over with your offer before. We’re done, Max.”

He glowered, allowing some of his irritation slip into his voice. “I think we have a lot to talk about. Nobody’s about to trust you on your own out there. Theo just triggered, he’ll need help and support to figure out how to leverage his powers. Coming back to us is the best solution for all of you.”

“Sorry Max, it’s not happening. For all I know, you had that fire set to limit my options.”

He grit his teeth. “I would never risk your life, or Aster’s, or Theo’s for this. I’m right, you know I am.” He’d never risk Othala’s life in that case, either. Her power was too valuable for the Empire. The ability to heal was rare, and with Panacea’s death, it made his position even stronger. Still, it annoyed him. Who the hell had set that fire?

“Well, it’s out of your hands now. I’m surprised you haven’t heard. Brockton Bay’s getting a lot of new capes in the Protectorate. Some of them signing on from Scarlet Dragon’s island. You’re going to have your hands full if you try and hold onto the city. Thankfully, it’s not going to be my problem. I’m leaving.”

Max sprung to his feet. “There’s nowhere you can go that’ll accept you.”

Her voice was smug. “Actually there is. Theo suggested it. I’ve got a nice job with Dragon. I might be on probation, but it’s better than the shit you’re trying to sell me right now. Especially since Aster and Theo are going to be taken care of. I’ve seen how you treated him, Max. I’m not letting that happen to my daughter.”

Max felt the blood draining from his face.

The golden suit, blazing with light, a bright blue beam impaled through the Simurgh and the near-impervious core. The much larger red dragon, as large as a small building, holding the Endbringer still as it added to the assault, breathing a beam of searing-hot unnatural fire.

He spoke slowly. “This isn’t over.”

The line clicked.

Max slowly slumped back into his chair. He picked up his glass, raised his gaze to look out the window, and drank slowly.


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