Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by Priapus, Marethyu, Beans
The Guild of Gamers: The Occult
Chapter 11: Consequences
— Hana (Miss Militia) –
As the stand-off continued, she saw the moment when any chance of this ending peacefully was lost.
Ebon was beginning to relax, and she was hoping, praying, that it meant that he was going to surrender peacefully so this could all be sorted out. He seemed genuinely baffled by the accusations, and he was either an amazing actor or truly didn't understand what was going on. Either way, it could all be cleared up without a fight as he seemed ready to surrender himself into their custody.
And then Colin smirked. Seeing the same thing, Armsmaster gained a triumphant, superior look for just a moment, and Ebon, who they already knew was a textbook narcissist, snapped. His posture went from defensive to outright aggressive, his confusion fading to a look of disdain and rage contorting his handsome features.
"Surrender, Ebonstar. I won't ask again," Armsmaster said, his own posture growing more defensive as he realised the same thing.
"You shouldn't have asked once," Ebon responded with a vicious sneer, his tone dripping with disdain.
Then, he moved.
For all her experience, she had trouble even tracking Ebon when he was moving at his full speed, almost appearing to teleport as he closed the distance between himself and Armsmaster, striking at Colin's armoured chest with a punch that sent the hero flying back. Armsmaster, as much as he had fucked this up, recovered quickly as he adjusted himself so he could roll and lessen the damage, before using the momentum and his halberd to get back on his feet.
She didn't want to, but as Ebon lunged again, she opened fire at him. As wrong as this had gone, and as much as she was sure Armsmaster had made a mistake, she wouldn't stand by and let a fellow protectorate hero be attacked. Her shots were aimed between Armsmaster and Ebon, forcing Ebon to stop his rush or risk being hit. She couldn't hit him when he was moving at full speed but she knew where he was trying to go.
Alarms blared, the sound of PRT troopers heading their way and the in-built defences coming online, spraying containment foam at Ebon. It was far too slow, never coming close to him as he dashed and dodged, but it kept him moving as he couldn't risk staying still.
"Ebon, please, we can still settle this peacefully-" she tried, knowing it was for nothing.
"Peacefully? I came here to give the PRT a chance, only for you to try to chain me down with false accusations. There will be no peace. I'm leaving here, even if I have to go through each and every one of you," Ebon sneered, his fangs on full display as he looked around. A dozen PRT troopers entered the area, clearly having been waiting for something to go wrong, armed with guns and containment foam sprayers, but Ebon just smirked.
"Don't be so sure, Ebonstar," Armsmaster said confidently, even with a clear mark on the front of his armour where Ebon had hit him, before he pressed something on his halberd and light shone from it.
Ebon paused, looking at it in confusion before he began to laugh.
"Is that an attempt at sunlight? Did you think my powers would leave me, that my skin would burn and turn to ash?" Ebon mocked, making Armsmaster grip his halberd tighter, clear embarrassment on his face.
"This light is identical to-"
"Fool," Ebon cut in, gesturing as inky black tentacles began to rise from the shadows, the same inky black substance enshrouding him as a living armour. "Your false light is as worthless as the rest of you. Know that you caused this, tin man."
And the conversation was over as Ebon moved again, blurring from the sheer speed. The troops began to fire, no doubt having orders from either Armsmaster or Director Piggot, but Ebon just laughed before he changed directions and rushed them.
He hit hard and Miss Militia watched as the first man he hit was sent flying, crashing into another trooper with enough force to send them both rolling away. And that was that, there would be no chance at a peaceful resolution as Ebon slashed his long, claw-like fingers at another, causing a spurt of blood as he carved through armour like it was wet tissue paper and left bloody gouges in the troops chest.
"Flee, pathetic worms," Ebon demanded, his voice echoing through the base and through her mind as she stumbled, gripping her head. Her vision blurred, and she gasped as she saw a sight she never wanted to see again, even if her memory refused to let her forget it.
Her village, burning, as armed men yelled at her in Turkish, demanding she walk into the minefield to clear the way for her. She watched as Kurdish children misstepped, blown to pieces by the explosive devices- shaking her head, she forced herself to focus as the effect faded, blinking rapidly as she returned to the testing room to see pandemonium.
Colin had recovered from the hallucinations, but the troops? It was chaos. Some fled, screaming in terror, others were curled up in the fetal position and some? She acted quickly, changing her weapon for something non-lethal and firing at one trooper who was holding his pistol to his head.
The trooper would wake up in a lot of pain, but as a gunshot sounded out, she knew she was right to do so as she watched a second trooper take his own life while Ebon stood there, a sneer on his lips.
The PRT troopers were well-trained, disciplined, and taught to deal with all manner of capes. Ebon broke them with three words, and even now she felt a… primal fear in her chest, refusing to leave her. It felt similar to Glory Girl's fear aura, in truth, but on a much stronger scale. Still, she was not so easily terrified and with several of their troopers dead, she would do what needed to be done as the alarms continued to blare.
The others would be on their way back at such a high level alert-
Her eyes met Ebon's blazing red glare, her entire body freezing up as she saw Armsmaster trying to close the distance only to be struck by the tentacles and sent flying back again. Her body disobeyed her as he prowled toward her, slowly, confidently. Her weapon remained in her hand, but her finger refused to pull the trigger as he reached her, snatched away her flag-bandana without a care, before he used his finger to raise her chin and moved in, biting down on her neck.
She expected pain, but the ensuing feeling was decidedly not painful as she failed to muffle her moan, his fangs piercing her neck and drinking her life essence. Time seemed to stop, even as she heard Armsmaster trying to rush toward them, her arms falling passively by her side.
"Good girl," Ebon purred, stroking her chin as she stared back in a trancelike state, unable to remember why she had been fighting him in the first place.
Then, Armsmaster struck.
It wasn't the blow itself that made her snap out of it, watching Armsmaster's halberd stab into Ebon's chest, but the way he did it. One moment, he'd been at the other side of the testing chamber fighting the tentacles, then he was behind Ebon and the realisation made her snap awake as her eyes flew to the entrance where a small, blonde figure in green armour was standing.
As Ebon let out a roar of rage, swiping at Armsmaster who dodged back and covered far more ground than expected, she felt her blood run cold at the idea of a Ward, the youngest Ward at that, being here… but Vista was a frequent visitor to the Rig to use its facilities and more importantly, to avoid going home to her parents. Hana hadn't realised that Missy was here tonight, but of course, someone like Vista would react to the alarms, so determined to be more than a mascot.
She dove back herself, shaking off the trance as she redoubled her efforts. Ebon had a hole in his chest, his expensive shirt ruined, but it was closing slowly and Ebon didn't seem hurt, only enraged. He let out a hiss and seemingly willed the wound to close, greatly increasing the speed it was healing at, his eyes searching the chamber before they landed on Vista.
He dashed, but while Vista was young, she wasn't weak, and he found the space between him and her far larger than expected, making no distance at all as Vista warped the space around him, trapping him within it.
Armsmaster looked grimly satisfied as Ebon tried multiple directions with no success, the vampire cape locked in a cage of warped space.
"Give up," Armsmaster demanded, Ebon's head snapping toward him with a furious glare before it faded and was replaced by a vicious smirk as he turned back to Vista. "Vista, close your eyes and try to prevent sound from leaving the cage! He has some form of master effect."
Vista's expression changed to shock before she did exactly that, Ebon's smirk fading to an angry sneer as he tried to speak, and nothing came out. Vista's power truly was underutilised. She was going to be a true top-tier hero when she graduated from the Wards.
Then, Ebon turned back to her and gestured with an almost lazy wave, and all she knew was pain. The very blood in her veins felt like it was boiling, and it was all she could do to cling to consciousness as she heard both Colin and Missy shout in surprise. Despite her pain tolerance, she fell to her knees before collapsing, convulsing on the ground as Ebon weaponised the blood in her veins against her.
Armsmaster rushed to her, confident that Ebon was trapped, scanning her with a severe frown, but that was when she saw it. The triumphant smirk on Ebon's lips as darkness flooded the warped space and then he was just… gone.
Only, he wasn't as she watched him rise out of Vista's shadow, unable to even warn them as Ebon grabbed the Ward from behind to her surprised shout, and bit down on her neck. Vista's power dropped instantly, the cloud of darkness bursting forth and flooding the entire room, cutting off her sight as the pain stopped and she struggled to her feet.
She aimed her weapon in the direction he'd been, but with Vista as a hostage, she couldn't shoot even if she had a clear line of sight, and in this darkness? She could see and hear nothing. Similar to how his fear felt like Glory Girl, she didn't miss that this felt so much like Grue's darkness.
Struggling to move through the darkness, which felt more like she was wading through treacle than fog, she tried to make her way to Vista, literally bumping into Armsmaster in the process. She hadn't realised he was there until they walked into each other, almost shooting him in the process.
Even so close, they were reduced to holding hands to stop themselves from losing each other as they tried to make their way to where they had last seen Vista. Her worry only increased as minutes passed with no sign of either of them in the darkness, Vista missing and in Ebon's clutches.
She didn't know if he was guilty of what Armsmaster claimed, but she knew she couldn't leave Missy in the hands of an enraged Ebon.
Then, as fast as it had started, the darkness just… vanished, and it took her a moment to realise why as she scanned the area for Vista or Ebon, finding Vista unconscious and Ebon… smashed against a wall with enough force to leave a dent.
Hovering over Vista, Alexandria stared at Ebon with her arms crossed. Hana had no idea how or why she was here, but she didn't care either as she let out a sigh of relief at the sight of a member of the Triumvirate.
"Surrender, Ebonstar. It's over," Alexandria demanded, looking as imposing and untouchable as ever.
Ebon rose up, rolling his shoulders as he glared right back. Surely he wasn't arrogant enough to think he could beat Alexandria herself?
And yet- he dashed forward as Alexandria did the same, the two powerhouses clashing as Alexandria easily sent him flying back again, unmoved by his blows. Before he could recover this time, she flew forward and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him into the air with a cold stare.
"You can't-"
Her words were cut off as Ebon's form just… shifted, from solid to gas as he turned into a fine white mist that flew at Alexandria. So close, she couldn't move back in time as he entered her open mouth and nostrils, and for the first time Hana could remember, Alexandria looked afraid.
She let out a shout, falling from the air before she stabilised and turned to them. Hana almost let out a sigh of relief before Alexandria flew forward like a bullet, smashing into Armsmaster with her incredible strength, folding Armsmaster in two as her fists collided with his stomach.
Before he could recover, she gripped his helmet and just ripped it apart like it was made of tinfoil, his halberd crushed like an empty beercan. She could only watch in horror as Alexandria ripped his armour to pieces, gripping him by the neck and lifting him into the air with an all too familiar sneer.
"You caused this, worm," Alex said, in Alexandria's voice, Colin struggling to breathe as his eyes bulged. Then, Alexandria let go of his neck, only to grab his arms and, without hesitation, snap them as Colin screamed.
Tossing him higher into the air, she grabbed his legs and spun him in a circle before letting go and sending the crippled Colin flying into the wall with a devastating crash. The sound of others arriving would have made her hope soar in any other situation, but as the rest of the Protectorate arrived, they could only stare in shock at the sight of Alexandria hovering in front of them with a menacing sneer.
"Wait… Alex?" Starlight asked, sounding shocked as she looked around the testing room.
"Guess we won't be having that date after all, Annie," Alex responded, looking at them all challengingly. "I didn't want this, but he forced my hand."
"Alex- you have to let her go, please," Annie replied, taking off her mask as they all shared looks before they decided to let Annie handle this. Alex was, at the very least, speaking again. Even Queen Maeve was looking nervous at the idea of fighting Ebon while he was mastering Alexandria. "Nobody will stop you from leaving, you have my word."
Alexandria paused, looking around challengingly. Nobody disagreed, but then if the alternative was Alexandria going through them, why would they?
Slowly, a mist left Alexandria, who just… collapsed like a puppet with her strings cut, and Ebon was before them once again.
"Out of my way," Ebon growled, fangs on full display. Annie went to speak, before she stepped aside and slowly, the rest did the same. In a blur, he was gone and they were left with no idea what to do.
– Rebecca Costa-Brown (Alexandria) –
"My orders came from the Chief Director-" Armsmaster tried to say, but she cut in with a voice as cold as ice.
"No. They did not," Alexandria responded instantly. "As you would have known if you had followed protocol and double-checked, or just used your brain."
Her voice was venomous, making the crippled tinker flinch back violently.
"You are not the head of this branch, Queen Maeve is. Any orders would have gone to her or Director Piggot. Not you," Alexandria continued. "Our Thinkers believe that your information came from Coil, who wanted to prevent Ebon from joining the Protectorate. He knew that your ego and known dislike for Trumps would prevent you from double-checking the information. Or, in simpler terms, this was entirely avoidable if you had merely done your job properly, you vain gloryhound."
Armsmaster went silent, flinching at her words.
"Miss Militia. Do you believe that Ebon was cooperating before this?" Alexandria asked, making Miss Militia jump at being addressed.
"I- yes, I do. He's a narcissist with a superiority complex but he was cooperating. He almost surrendered, but-" Miss Milita trailed off.
"But?" Alexandria demanded.
"Armsmaster smirked. When Ebon was standing down, Armsmaster gave him a… smug look, and it clearly triggered his superiority complex. The fact that he was being looked down on caused him to go on the attack," Miss Militia admitted quietly.
"His superiority complex is believed to be power-induced. Another thing that is currently on his record, and could have been avoided with more tact," Alexandria lied. It wasn't, Alex was just a narcissistic sociopath with a need for the spotlight. "Tonight has been a disaster, in more ways than one. You lost track of Panacea?"
Her question was directed at Maeve and Starlight.
"She went down into the sewers, but beyond that? All traces of her disappeared. With so much… biomass to work with, continuing to chase her through the sewer system was deemed to be too dangerous," Maeve admitted.
"It was the correct call, but still an unpleasant one. Panacea has been massively underselling her power, and the loss of her will be devastating to the PRT," Alexandria admitted. Armsmaster briefly looked at his crippled arms, despair crossing his face. When he'd come to, he'd expected Panacea to fix him in a matter of hours, now he was stuck with the knowledge that there wasn't going to be an easy cure. "And Coil achieved exactly what he wanted. Ebonstar has been firmly turned against the PRT, as his paranoia over becoming another Ghoul means he fears we planned to Birdcage him or practically enslave him on trumped-up charges."
"He- he did lie. He never mentioned having Master powers during his testing-" Armsmaster tried.
"Because he feared the Birdcage, something he made clear long before the Power Testing. Of course, he wouldn't show that he had Master powers this early. He came here as an olive branch, testing the waters," Alexandria continued, cutting off his excuses. "He would hardly be the first to hide parts of his power, and now we have a Master powerful enough to control me out there with a grudge against the PRT."
Her own pride stung at that, but she took solace in one thing. That was a lie.
'Throw the fight against Ebon. If you beat him, he'll become obsessed with killing you and the rest of the Triumvirate to soothe his ego.'
Ebon had too much potential use for her to put him down, but if she beat him he would stop at nothing to avenge his defeat. Now, he left with the belief that he'd just beaten Alexandria and that would work in their favour, oddly enough. He was convinced he was already more powerful than them, so he had no reason to attack them to prove it.
She could feel what he was trying to make her do, and he was too arrogant to notice the momentary delay between his attempt and her following his command.
Her original plan had him 'keeping' her body for far longer. Annie being able to talk him down came as a genuine surprise, but she knew it was less out of kindness and more that he was already convinced he was better than them. He let her go because he was convinced he could beat her again whenever he needed to. Considering his psych profile suggested that he would take out his anger on her if he'd left with her, she was grateful that Starlight had been able to talk him down. Especially after he realised he couldn't break her skin with his teeth.
"What happens now?" Assault asked in a rare showing of seriousness, a frown on his face.
"The Chief Director is going to make a public statement about Armsmaster's actions. Someone, almost certainly Coil, has leaked edited videos of the fight. This branch is clearly highly compromised, and a full audit will be conducted. For now, the public will learn that Armsmaster was fooled by a villain and tried to arrest Ebonstar on false information," Alexandira said simply. "It's better than letting the current public opinion that we tried to arrest a popular indie hero on false charges remain. WEDGDG will assist with the search for Panacea. Brandish and Flashbang will be placed in Master/Stranger Containment until it can be worked out what Panacea did to them."
Armsmaster said nothing, knowing his career was practically over. She could already tell he was considering trying to leave the Protectorate to join the Guild but she wasn't going to allow that. Armsmaster was the face of Ebon's hatred for them, the punching bag. The worse his life went, the easier it would be to get Ebon working with them.
For now, the entire world knew that he'd fought Alexandria and won. She'd made sure that no evidence of his master powers would leak, and it would stay that way. Instead, the world knew that after Armsmaster had foolishly caused an incident, she'd come to assist and had been left beaten, only spared because Ebon just wanted to leave. Ebon would leave this smelling like roses as Contessa made sure of it, because that was the best way to salvage this mess.
"He killed two PRT troopers," Piggot finally said, her entire posture showing anger.
"In self-defence. One took their own life after being subjected to his fear shaker effect, and the other bled out because Armsmaster prioritised attacking Ebon over applying life-saving foam to the wound," Alexandria responded simply. "The deaths fall on Armsmaster for putting them in a position where they had to fight a cape whose ratings put him far above allowing troopers to engage, on bad information. Again, his… personality is power-induced. Armsmaster might have well insulted Damsel of Distress and then acted surprised that it started a fight. There are protocols for handling capes like her and Ebon that were firmly ignored tonight. If they had been followed, we'd be welcoming the next Triumvirate-tier Trump into the Protectorate soon. Instead, we'll be lucky if he doesn't join one of the gangs."
With Contessa not being able to properly path him, she wasn't kidding. Number Man gave it a decent chance that Ebon joined the Empire out of spite. Of course, Kaiser and Ebon's personalities would clash and cause that to self-destruct almost immediately, but it was still an issue. He also pointed out that the Nine would want to recruit Ebon after this.
They needed the public to love him, because if they didn't, Ebon would snap entirely. At best, they'd end up with another Heartbreaker or Pastor, because with his powers, Ebon could force the world to love him.
– Alexander Shaw (Ebonstar) –
Arriving at my home, I take several deep breaths to get my rage under control. How dare that smug tin soldier look down on me?! He should be worshipping the ground I walk on to thank me for merely shattering his arms, rather than gutting him and hanging him from the Rig by his intestines.
Killing him would have put me firmly on the villain path in the eyes of the public. I'm sure some of the troopers died, but the advantage to the troopers is that they're all faceless. In the eyes of the public, they're practically robots thanks to their training and uniforms. Killing a hero, with merch and fans, is a different matter entirely. I can- I can still recover from this.
I won't let them take the adoration that I deserve. I wanted to break them all, to crush them beneath my feet, but- it works better if I do it this way. From their point of view, I backed down out of affection for Annie, out of guilt, out of a genuine desire to just leave rather than continue fighting. It looks better, [Aura Perception] showed me that. The important thing is that I look like the victim here, only fighting to escape a Canary treatment.
"Hey, boss," Alec greets as I enter the room.
"Alec, why are you a girl?" I ask with a tired sigh, my anger faded to confusion as I look at him… her as she lounges on my couch, her hair far longer and a pair of large breasts on her formerly flat chest.
"I told him if he kept talking about my tits, I'd give him a pair of his own to ogle," Amy, Panacea herself, says as she gives me a challenging look.
"It's kinda cool, to be honest," Alec admits with a lazy shrug as Amy lets out an annoyed sigh. "She couldn't give me cancer because, you know, dead. Her power is pretty neat. So, uhh, how badly did I fuck up? I know you said not to get involved-"
"It's fine, Alec," I say with a chuckle. "Hello, Panacea."
"I'm not Panacea anymore. Or Amy Dallon," she replies instantly. "Amelia. My name is Amelia."
"Amelia, then. I see you've met my reckless childe, Alec," I say. "I am Ebonstar, or Alexander as Alec has decided to bring you home like a lost puppy he found in a cardboard box."
"Sorry~"
"No, you're not. I can feel your emotions, idiot," I say with a fond sigh. He really is like me. "But that does leave us with a question. What exactly are you doing here, Amelia?"
– Amelia –
Sitting in front of the admittedly intimidating Alex, she couldn't help but be awed by what she'd learnt today. As much as Alec was annoying, his body was fascinating and this was the source. Ebon could turn people into these… perfect predators.
There was something both alluring and intimidating about Alexander, as she slowly explained the situation she'd ended up in. He listened, and much like Alec, he didn't judge her for what she'd done. His own admittance that he'd just crippled Armsmaster and beaten Alexandria after they'd tried to arrest him on trumped-up charges made her realise just why he wasn't afraid of her.
"I see," Alexander finally said, stroking his chin. "I can't say I'm surprised."
"That I went mad, raped my adopted parents and am probably on the most wanted list as a Biotinker?" Amelia asked darkly, but he just snorted.
"Power demands to be used, Amelia, and yours was not. It was only a matter of time," Alexander said simply. "But no, that's not what I meant. Your power is amazing, Amelia, and your 'parents' forced you to use it for such… mundane things. I assume it was Brandish who demanded you play the healer? Her reputation is well-earned."
"I- yes. Yes, it was," Amelia said, head held high. "I had to heal, to spend hours upon hours in the hospital curing the stupidest things. Wasting my time on shit that could have been avoided if the patient had used their brain. Carol insisted I do it. That I never take time for myself. Because it's the 'heroic' thing to do."
Years of anger spilt out of her, and Alexander just nodded.
"It's a simple truth, Amelia. The weak fear the strong. Brandish's power is unimpressive, yours is world-changing. The common people, even other capes, fear and hate those who are superior to them. They try to drag us down to their level," Alexander explained with a sneer. "They tried to make you a slave, nothing more than their pet healer, demanding that you never ask for anything in return. They didn't want you getting 'ideas' that you were entitled to anything but, at most, a few words of gratitude. It is the same tactic that the PRT tried with me, hoping to use their exaggerated charges to chain me up for their use. You, for your healing, and me for my ability to share power. I had hoped that they would be… better, but tonight has proven that the PRT is as corrupt as any government organisation, fearing my growth and wanting me in chains."
"...so, what now? I don't regret it, not at all, but-" Amelia started, trailing off.
"They're already throwing around words like 'Birdcage' but we both know they'd never deprive themselves of your services. If they capture you, they'll almost certainly keep you as their pet healer, under a level of constant watch that makes Brandish seem blind," Alexander pointed out. "Which would have likely already happened, had Alec not decided to adopt you."
"Meh. I was in the area," Alec shrugged. "So, can we keep her? She's house-trained and everything."
Amelia gave Alec an annoyed look, which he returned with a lazy smirk.
"Is that what you want, Amelia?" Alexander asked simply. She went quiet, because truly? She didn't have a fucking clue what she wanted anymore. Vicky would despise her; her adopted parents were brainfucked into loving her. Oh, and she'd turned her dad into a clone of Vicky, but with a massive cock. Yeah, she was kinda flying blind here.
She didn't care that the public would see her as a monster. It was that simple truth that Vicky was going to hate her that made her heart ache. She wasn't going to let the world judge her, wasn't going to let the PRT lock her away and throw away the key.
Vicky. She wanted Vicky. And at this point, she wasn't convinced that she cared if Vicky was willing or not. After everything she'd done, the hundreds of thousands of lives she'd saved, she deserved to get what she wanted for a change. Weren't Carol and Mark happier with her? Carol finally stopped being a bitch, Mark wasn't lost in his depression. Vicky was in a cycle of break-ups with a rich asshole, but Amy could make her happy forever.
"Freedom. I want freedom," Amelia finally answered. "And if I go alone, they'll get me and I'll never be free again. It'd be death or enslavement."
"As it would be for me. Oh, I'm sure they'll go into damage control now that I've proven I can beat their best, but only until they get another shot at binding me and dragging me down to their pathetic level," Alexander agreed. "Welcome to the family, Amelia."
"Does this mean you're going to turn me?" Amelia asked.
"Perhaps, if that is your desire, but honesty compels me to admit that I have complete control over my childer. I could grant you the power to fight off the PRT, to claim your desires for yourself, but you would be putting yourself under me," Alexander warned.
Amelia went to speak before she paused and glanced at the lazing Alec, who wasn't paying attention to the conversation, preferring to play with his new tits. Alexander had told Alec not to get involved when she'd started that mess, and Alec had wandered into it anyway. So, he wasn't exactly a thrall, was he? He had enough autonomy to get into this mess.
"How much control?" Amelia asked.
"My childer cannot disobey my orders, and I have the ability to see through their senses and speak into their minds. If I desire, I can take control entirely. But, as you have realised, I mostly permit my childer to live their own lives. Make no mistake, this would make you mine, Amelia. My power flowing through your veins, my blood in your body. Think on this decision, do not rush into it," Alexander warned. "It cannot be undone. You are welcome here, to rest and decide what you wish to do next. I would not suggest leaving, but this is a large estate with plenty of room."
"He's forgetting to mention that he doesn't want to change you now because you still smell like raw sewage and we have really good senses," Alec pointed out with a snort. Despite the mess she was in, that actually made her flush in embarrassment.
"Admittedly true. Biting down on skin that was recently submerged in sewage is not entirely appealing to me. But as I said, take your time and decide if you wish for this change. It comes with great power, but more than a few downsides," Alexander finished, rising from his seat. "Alec, you brought her home so you're in charge of looking after her. Have one of your ghouls buy her some clothes and help her pick out a bedroom."
"But Daaaaaaad~"
"Speaking of which, we're doing it soon," Alexander said, making Alec's playful tone vanish instantly. "Ah, right. Amelia, Alec is a runaway child of the villain known as Heartbreaker. We intend to kill him for his crimes against one of our own. Perhaps you should join us. That power of yours is begging to be used, isn't it?"
"It is," Amelia admitted, and as she thought about it… Could she think of a villain that deserved to be ruined more than Heartbreaker? "I'll think about it."
Giving her a nod and Alec a scolding look, Alexander prowled away. Even the way he moved showed that he was an apex predator, just radiating danger.
"So, can I have my dick back? But you can leave the tits, for now," Alec finally said. "Remember, it was at least twelve inches long."
"You'll be lucky if you get two inches," Amelia replied bluntly.
"That's what he said," Alec replied instantly. Despite her best efforts, she let out a quiet snort. "But seriously, I know my dick really well, and it was definitely like thirteen inches long. A good fourteen incher."
"...how do you get hard when your blood isn't even pumping?" Amelia finally asked, watching as Alec went to speak before he trailed off.
"Vampire magic," Alec decided. "If you give it back to me, I'd be happy to demonstrate that I can totally get all fifteen inches nice and hard."
"You get seven, take it or leave it," Amelia finally said.
"Seven? What am I going to do with only eight inches? It's just cruel to take away my masterpeen and replace it with a mere nine inches," Alec said mournfully. "So, wanna meet my harem of ghouls? There are some blondes, since that's clearly your type."
"The fuck is a ghoul?" Amelia asked, her power egging her on to find out. This place was weird, but… she kinda liked it.
She liked it a lot better than where she'd be if Alec, prick that he was, hadn't grabbed her before the heroes could, at any rate.
"They're like minions, I guess. We give them vamp blood, and it makes them stronger and gives them some minor powers and shit, and in exchange they serve us," Alec explained with a shrug. "It's like a pyramid scheme. Big Daddy Ebon makes vamps, we vamps make ghouls. They're useful since we can't go outside in daylight. Plus, I don't have to clean my room and can dress them in slutty maid outfits. You'd look good in a maid outfit."
"You lose another inch every time you make comments like that," Amelia replied bluntly, getting a snort from him before he froze.
"Wait, dick or height? I've got inches to spare downstairs, but I don't wanna be a manlet… or is it womanlet now? Vamplet," Alec decided.
"Both."
"Man, you're kinda a bitch, huh?" Alec asked, giving her a nod and raising his fist. "Respect."
Rolling her eyes, she bumped her fist against his, giving him his cock back in the process.
What a bunch of freaks she'd joined, but she guessed she fitted right in.
Because even as they walked, and Alec yapped endlessly, she couldn't help but plot how she'd use vampiric powers to get her sister back, exactly where Amelia wanted her.
– Alexander Shaw (Ebonstar) –
Amelia is already a broken little doll, given the way I warped her morality, but as much as I told Alec not to get involved, he has brought me something very special indeed. I was half-tempted to attack and drain her to the last drop, disposing of her body, but instead I think she will be a wonderful fit for our warped little family.
Today was not a total loss. I was tempted to drain each and every hero, using their power to establish myself as something beyond a mere cape, but my growth is inevitable. As long as I keep hunting and drinking, my power will grow, and so too will the power of my childer.
I was surprised to get Potence, the Discipline of Strength, from Miss Militia. Admittedly, I did not know what her power would relate to, but she is not a brute and yet…
[Potence, Discipline of Strength: Novice]
[Lethal Body]
Your strength has increased substantially, enabling you to cause serious physical damage to a mortal, capable of tearing skin and breaking bones with ease.
I could already do so by combining my increased strength with my incredible speed, but adding the actual strength discipline on top will make me able to break almost anything that isn't a high-level brute with my bare hands.
[Soaring Leap]
Your legs are incredibly powerful, able to easily leap over buildings or incredible distances.
Not the most interesting but certainly useful, in certain situations.
But it was Vista who truly shocked me. I didn't know how her spatial manipulation would translate, but…
[Dementation, Discipline of Madness: Expert]
[Childmind]
Allows you to give someone a "psychic lobotomy", reducing their mental state to that of a child.
[Shattered Mirror]
Allows you to twist a victim's personality into a copy of your own, gaining your personality traits, flaws and quirks.
Speaking of which… they really shouldn't have left me with their precious Ward for so long.
Young minds are so very… malleable.
But before I deal with anything else, one thing is undeniable. Coil has to die.
I am no fool. Lisa warned me that he would strike at me, and strike he did, using the tin soldier as his tool.
For that, he will die screaming.
Heading into her room, where the gremlin is hunched over a laptop.
"Told you so, boss," Lisa replies instantly.
"Coil's location, now."