The room was quiet save for the sound of the ticking clock and the scratching of pen on paper. Takemi and I were once again in her examination room, but it was nearing closing time. I had recovered from the drug she gave me around lunchtime, my boner finally dying and my filter coming back. Strangely, I didn't regret what had happened. Hell, I saw it as a great thing. I managed to open a door and had a good excuse for my actions. It was definitely risky, and in my right mind, I wouldn't have taken that risk. But it turned out well.
I think it did at least. Things have been kind of awkward since then. After I came back down I tried talking to her about it, but she just shut me down with a terse "later" and since then we've barely exchanged two sentences that weren't about work.
Now the two of us were sitting in the examination room. Takemi was working on some sort of paperwork and I was just sitting there, feet propped up in another chair and browsing PHO on my phone. The atmosphere was heavy with unspoken awkwardness, and I was worried that if I let it sit longer than this, things would take a turn for the worse. At this rate, things will get too awkward and it'll only block off the chance of it happening again
"So, we gonna talk about this morning?" I asked bluntly. "Because I wanna talk about it and it feels like we need to talk about it."
"No, we don't need to," Takemi denied. "I won't be testing that medicine on you again, at least not until I'm sure that the side effects are dealt with."
"How are you going to do that?" I countered. "Also, I seem to remember you saying that you wanted my help with further testing of it, and a possible rebranding."
I could see her blush. "That was just me getting caught up in things. I have no plans to branch out into that field of pharmaceuticals."
"If you got caught up in it, doesn't that mean you enjoyed it?" I pointed out. "I know I certainly did, but that's probably not a surprise."
"Of course you did, it was a scenario straight from every teenage boy's masturbatory fantasies," she said dryly. "But more than that, it was inappropriate."
That was what I was afraid of. My mid-session hypnosis on her was enough to get her over those kinds of hangups at the moment but given time to think about it afterward and the guilt crept in. I'd have to try to put an end to that.
"I don't think it was," I reply. "I'm 17, almost an adult, and mentally and emotionally I'm definitely mature for my age," I said. "Legally there are some issues I guess, but legality and morality aren't really the same thing though, are they?"
"That sounds like the argument of a pedophile," she replied, finally spinning her chair to turn and look at me. Her expression was very schooled, very blank. She was definitely holding back any signs of what she's feeling.
"Well, okay sure, but there's a world of difference between talking about me, someone less than a year away from what is legally defined as adulthood, and a 14-year-old," I counter. "The point is, the law disagrees, but I think both you and I know that I'm mature enough to make those sorts of decisions for myself."
"But you didn't," she replied, her mask slipping a little. "What happened this morning was little more than taking advantage of a drunk person or someone on drugs. Your state of mind was altered."
"Not like that though," I reply. "All it did was make me horny and remove my filters. If I didn't want what happened to happen, I would have said as much, and certainly wouldn't have asked you for it." She looked away, so I continued. "Look, I don't regret it, I enjoyed it, you enjoyed it, no one was hurt, our relationship is still intact. We can continue on like it never happened if you want. But that's not what I want."
She looked back at me. "What do you mean?"
"Even if it was the drug that initiated it, I don't see any reason why we can't have drug-free repeats," I said. Her eyes widened in surprise, but I kept talking. "You admitted yourself to being pent-up, and you enjoyed it. You may feel guilty now, but you did. And I think that's okay, I enjoyed it too, and I'd like to pursue it more."
"Are- are you saying you want to be in a romantic relationship with me?" she asked, caught off guard.
"If you'd like," I replied casually. "I'd settle for a friends with benefits relationship too. I like you a lot Tae, you're smart, funny, and just incredibly sexy. And I don't see a reason why we can't make each other happier."
She was blushing now, though whether it's because of what I said, the fact that I used her first name for the first time, or both, I'm not sure. Still, I think it had the desired effect. Her mask had completely disappeared, and her emotions were clear to read from her expressions. My words had gotten through to her, and she was tempted, but still not sure.
She spun her chair around so I couldn't see her face. "I'll….think about it," she said after a moment.
That was good enough for me. The hypnotic commands I've already given her should be enough to wear her down now that she's gotten over the guilt and has been tempted like this. "That's fair, I can wait for you to decide," I replied.
"Good," she said firmly. "Now, don't you have a class at the gym to get to?"
I looked at the clock. It was still a little early for me to head to the gym, but I could recognize her trying to get some time alone to think. "Yeah, I should start getting ready," I said. "I'll see you at dinner, Tae."
She didn't say anything as I left the room and headed upstairs. I wasn't sure how long it would take her to come around, but I was confident she would, sooner or later. And I'm patient enough to wait.
I watched the pink-haired figure of Kazuho carefully, my fists raised. A few heartbeats passed without either of us moving before Kazuho's fist suddenly lashed out at me. I grabbed her arm, turned my body around, got into a specific stance, and then pulled on her arm as I pushed upwards with my hips, just as I had been taught.
The action pulled her over my shoulder where she slammed into the padded ground, face-up, with a heavy thump. She flinched and laid there for a moment before rolling over and getting to her feet. "I still can't get used to being thrown around like that," she grumbled. "Hitting the mat is one thing, but flipping around is disorienting."
"Hopefully it won't be happening much to you," I replied. "The point is to learn how to do it. Though learning to get used to it is important too. That way you don't get disoriented in an actual fight."
She sighed. "Yeah, I know." She settled into a ready stance. "Come on, it's your turn to get thrown."
I raised my fists and waited for her to nod before throwing a telegraphed punch. She grabbed on and soon I was the one flipping over her and hitting the ground with my back. Thankfully for the much smaller girl, hip throws depended more on leverage than muscle mass or size, meaning she could still throw me despite the size and weight difference between us.
Kazuho, secretly also known as the rogue cape Pop Step, and I had taken several self-defense classes together at this point. And since we were the two newest members, we often paired up when we practiced throws and moves. I was grateful that was the case, as it meant I could spend a large part of each class getting closer to her. The physical closeness was nice as well, though there wasn't much eroticism to be found in flipping each other.
I rolled to my feet immediately after hitting the ground, which caused Kazuho to grumble. "How come you have no problem being flipped?"
"Just used to it I guess," I said with a shrug. The truth was that using [Blink] was far more disorienting than being flipped, and I'd gotten pretty used to that. At least with the throws I actually travel through all the points in points in space between me and the ground. With [Blink] I was at one point and then I was at a different point without touching any of the points in between.
She just shook her head and grumbled something about it not being fair before we went back to flipping each other. We alternated, repeating the same throw again and again as we got used to it, ingraining the technique into our muscle memory. However, after a dozen or so throws, Kazuho made a mistake.
I could tell mid-throw that something was wrong. She pulled on my arm too hard, and too much of my weight was on her back. I was already in motion though, so it was too late to abort, and I could only brace myself for a messy fall.
My fall wasn't as bad as I expected though, and I hit the ground a little rough but otherwise normal. I quickly rolled to my feet and turned to Kazuho to give her feedback before freezing with my mouth hanging open.
Kazuho and I dressed pretty similarly for the gym; basketball shorts and a loose plain t-shirt. It was simple, easy to wash, and cheap to replace. It was a common combination here at the gym, and probably at any gym. And since this was a self-defense class and not a martial arts class, we just wore our gym clothes when learning.
The downside to loose t-shirts though, is that they tended to ride up a bit when moving or getting into a position that didn't have your torso straight up. This had happened a couple times actually. A few machines or self-defense exercises had caused her shirt to bunch up and reveal a bit of her midriff. Neither of us thought much of that though. Kazuho would fix it and that would be it.
But this time, it wasn't just her midriff showing. Due to her improper throw, I must have caught on her shirt somehow, because her entire torso was on display. My eyes instantly latched onto her small chest, no bra in sight, her nipples standing atop modest mounds.
She moved, and I tore my eyes upwards. Her arms were raised upwards, where her shirt was inside out and half taken off, covering her head. I wanted to keep looking, but I knew that's the wrong play here, a short-term reward that sacrificed long-term progress. Instead, I quickly got to my feet and helped her pull her shirt down, something she was struggling with due to panic.
Her expression that is revealed as her shirt falls back into its proper position is best described as the point where panic meets mortification. "Did...did you see?" she asked as if she was afraid to hear the answer.
"I did," I confirm. There was no way I couldn't have, and claiming so wouldn't have helped.
Her face turned scarlet and she turned away from me as she crouched down and covered her face with her hands. "Nooooooooo," she groaned.
I awkwardly patted her on the back, not sure how to react to this situation. "Hey, don't worry about it," I told her. I quickly looked around and discovered that, to my surprise, no one was watching us. "I don't think anyone else noticed. These kinds of things happen with this sort of physical activity. And you don't have anything to be ashamed of." Something she should know, considering how little she wore as Pop Step.
"That is so not the point," she quipped from behind her hands. Which was fair. She stood back up and turned around, uncovering her face. "Just, forget you saw anything!" she insisted, half angry, half embarrassed.
"I'll try, but no promises," I replied with a grin. She glowered at me but didn't push it further than that.
Though, as we went back to practicing our throws, I was pretty sure she was throwing me harder than she was before.
Joker ducked low, his footsteps silent as he crossed the dark street. His team followed behind him, nearly as quiet. Stealth was an old friend of all of them, they didn't call themselves the Phantom Thieves for nothing.
"I'm not seeing anyone on the nearby cameras, Joker," he heard from his earpiece. "There aren't many of them though. There are plenty of places I can't see, so stay cautious."
"Understood, Oracle," Joker replied back with a whisper. He knew the mic would pick it up. He came to a stop near the door, and the rest of his team took their positions. Their movements were smooth and coordinated. "Do your thing, Queen," he said.
Queen nodded, her metal visor obscuring her face while drawing attention to her red eyes. It was a strange effect, how he barely took note of her eyes when she wasn't in costume, but in costume it was her most prominent feature. The human mind was a mysterious thing, tricked and controlled by even the simplest of lines, shapes, and mix of colors.
Queen stepped up to the door, pressing herself against it while focusing. Joker touched her on the shoulder to copy her power and did the same thing. His awareness expanded out from himself like a bubble of space, and he was acutely aware of everything inside of that bubble. Every speck of dirt, every heartbeat, every movement; he sensed it all.
The bubble didn't extend far, only about thirty feet, but that was enough to make sure that there wasn't anyone on the other side of the door. Oracle had already let him know that the inside of the warehouse they were trying to enter didn't have any cameras, but he checked for those as well, just to be safe.
He opened his eyes to see Queen doing the same. She looked at him and they nodded, both confirming that they believed the coast to be clear. Queen stepped aside as he knelt in front of the door to inspect the lock. He grinned when he found a simple combination padlock. It was a popular model that he had come across a handful of times, and it was literally child's play to bypass.
He reached into the inner breast pocket of his coat and pulled out a small piece of metal. It was fairly inconspicuous, nothing but aluminum from a soda can folded into a T-shape with a slightly rounded bottom point and was bent in the middle. Those who knew even the basics of bypassing locks and security would recognize it immediately as a homemade padlock shim.
Joker slipped the shim around the shackle of the combination lock, pressing the point down to where the locking mechanism latched onto the shackle. He felt a bit of resistance and pushed, causing the lock to spring open. His smile widened as he removed the lock from the latch and silently opened the door.
The inside of the warehouse was dark. Joker considered that a good sign, it meant that there weren't any people inside. They had already confirmed that the warehouse was a single room without any windows when they scoped it out and did research on it, so Joker was confident that the warehouse was empty.
"Queen, get the lights," he ordered, knowing she could use her power to find them in the dark. They were close to the entrance anyway, and shortly after they closed the door behind them the fluorescent lights above them clicked on, flooding the room with light and revealing dozens of rows of tall shelves filled with different items and containers.
"Spread out, grab anything of value we can fit in the van, leave everything else," Joker ordered. "We have ten minutes before we light the place up."
"Hell yeah!" Skull responded. Skull was the least suited of them for stealth and was usually the first to take the chance to be loud. He had learned to only do it when he could afford to though. The others responded with a bit less enthusiasm but headed off in different directions. Fox pulled out a marker and started drawing small humanoid figures on the wall with it. Those drawings then peeled themselves off of the wall and started searching the warehouse as well.
"Try searching on the top of that big shelf in the back," Oracle recommended. "The Empire's records aren't exactly the best, but from what I was able to see, that's our best bet."
Joker nodded, knowing she would be able to see the movement through the camera in his mask, and headed in the direction. He felt a tingle under his skin as he channeled Skull's power, and used the lightning-imbued strength to quickly climb up the side of the shelf.
Once there, he started going through the containers there. After a few minutes he came across a wooden crate, and Oracle spoke up in his ear again. "Ooh, that one isn't listed in any of the records. There might be something really nice in there. Or junk not worth writing down. Fingers crossed!"
Joker rolled his eyes at her antics but he popped open the crate with a smile. Inside was a lot of styrofoam packing peanuts and another box. It was shaped like a box at least. It wasn't very large, maybe the size of a child's shoebox. It was also made of lacquered wood and had designs and geometric shapes carved into it. But there wasn't a clear hinge or lip where it would open at.
He turned it over in his hands, feeling how the weight shifted. There was definitely something inside of it. He examined the patterns on the outside of the box before something clicked in his mind. He grabbed a certain part and twisted it into another position, one that lined up with the pattern. He did this a few more times before the box clicked up, revealing its prize.
"A puzzle box!" Oracle commented. "Good job on figuring that out, Joker. And it looks like it has what I hoped it would."
She was right. Inside were two trinkets made of bone and iron crafted together in a star-like shape and with strange markings carved into them. "So when are you going to tell me why you want these things?" Joker asked as he pocketed the two of them. "They're neat, but if we're not selling them, I don't see the point in going out of the way for them."
"I'll tell you later," Oracle replied. "But there are people interested in them. I'm still waiting for the best chance to use them though."
Joker nodded, accepting that. Managing that kind of thing was her job, and he didn't mind going a little out of his way for a future payoff. It wouldn't be the first time Oracle had set up something like that.
Joker went back to searching for valuables alongside the others. He didn't find much, but the looting was a secondary goal here today and they expected a poor haul.
"Alright everyone, that's 10 minutes," Oracle's voice came in over everyone's headsets.
"Meet back at the entrance," Joker ordered through the radio. In seconds, he and the rest of the Phantom Thieves abandoned whatever they were searching for and were standing around the entrance.
"Panther and Fox, do your thing," Joker ordered. Panther grinned before turning into a humanoid figure made out of fire, and she skipped along the aisles, letting out bursts of flame onto the shelves, catching their contents alight.
Fox, on the other hand, grimaced and took out two more markers, one red and one orange. He drew the same small humanoid figures as before, but in red with orange flames above them. As they peeled themselves off of the walls, the drawn fire became very real. The figures then ran around the warehouse, throwing themselves at various flammable materials, where they would disappear, usually catching the surface they threw themselves at on fire.
"I do not like seeing my art used as suicide bombers like this," Fox said as he watched them.
"Think of them as paint, and that the true artwork is the fire you're creating," Joker suggested.
"I see, they are not being killed, but instead are being spread over the canvas," Fox mused. "Fire can be quite captivating and beautiful after all, especially when it is destroying Evil." Fox nodded in satisfaction. "Once again you have opened my eyes, Joker."
"Always happy to help," he replied as he put a hand on Fox's shoulder. Panther arrived back and turned back into her costumed self. "Now come on, let's get out-"
He was cut off by the sound of screeching metal as the door to the warehouse exploded, the force of it sending them all to the ground. Joker forced himself to his feet, head ringing, and looked up at the door.
Standing there was a beast made of shifting metal. It was vaguely lupine in nature, though it stood on two legs and looked more like a werewolf. It was composed of sharp metal blades, each one shrinking and growing to allow the beast to move like they were muscles or pistons rather than deadly weapons.
Joker recognized the figure as Hookwolf, one of the most dangerous, and by far the most bloodthirsty, members of the Empire 88. And if he was here, then it meant they were in trouble.
Static burst in his ear, the sounds of Oracle trying to talk to him cutting in just enough for him to recognize her voice, but not make out what she was saying. The blast must have damaged the earpiece. He certainly felt like he had taken a blow to the head.
"Finally!" Hookwolf said as he and the others got to their feet. His voice was a little tinny, echoing around his metal mouth, but it was still clear and easy to understand. "After weeks of you brats making a mockery of the Empire, we finally have you!"
Joker looked around for alternate exits, but he knew there weren't any. They had determined that before coming inside. Behind them a fire quickly grew, and in front of them was an angry and murderous villain. They were definitely in trouble.
"You keep saying we, but it seems like you're all by yourself," Skull called out, confident. "Yeah, you got us. But that just means we get to kick your ass, and it's six versus one."
Unfortunately for them, Hookwolf just laughed. "I'd call it an even fight then, but I'm not here to have a good time. Your count is a little off."
Two figures stepped through the door behind Hookwolf, as if they were waiting for a signal. One was a man dressed in armor and carrying a tall spear. The other was wearing more mundane clothes, but his skin, hair, and eyes were all perfectly white with no blemishes. Joker recognized them as Crusader and Alabaster, respectively.
Joker's gut twisted as his instincts screamed at him that they were in danger, and his mind raced, trying to find a solution. Crusader could create dozens of ghostly replicas of himself, ones that could fly and pass through walls but still hurt people without issue. He was a one-man army, and even just his presence was enough to flip any numbers advantage they had. He likely already had some deployed, ready to ambush them.
Alabaster was different. His power was simple. He didn't go down, not for long. Every few seconds his body would reset itself back to being in prime health, even from death. The man was an unstoppable tank, one that could take more than they could dish out and keep going.
Their game plan was easy to see, but it was strong in its simplicity. Alabaster to absorb their attacks, Crusader to hem them in, and Hookwolf himself to grind them up. And that was assuming they didn't have unpowered gang members waiting nearby, something Joker wasn't going to count on.
In short, this wasn't a fight they could win. Their only hope was to break through and escape. That would be difficult as well, but doable. His earpiece still crackled in his ear, more static than words. Oracle was going to be pissed, but he'd deal with that when he got back.
"Now now gentlemen," Joker said out loud. "No need to get ugly, I'm sure we can talk this out." He wasn't, but he was doing his best to come off as calm and confident, even arrogant. The mask he wore, the kayfabe he delivered of a gentleman thief was just as important to keep up the morale of his team as it was their reputation.
He could see them shift slightly out of the corners of his eyes. Part of that was him, he knew. Him not sounding scared reassured them, even when faced with odds like this. But the other part was the secret message in his words. 'Ugly' was a code word they all knew well, and it meant that they were going to try to escape and to wait for the chance to do so.
As codewords and plans went, it was fairly basic, but Joker prized flexibility, and not all of his teammates would be able to remember dozens of code words for different plans. But a handful of them? Combined with the skills and experience and their ability to work as a team? That was far more actionable.
"I'm sure you'd love that, but no," Hookwolf said. "You'd think we take this sort of thing laying down? Some snot-nosed brats making a mockery of the Empire?" Hookwolf actually growled, causing them all to tense. "No, words won't solve this. This ends in blood." He turned to his teammates. "Kill the boys, but capture the girls if you can. It's been a while since my men have had toys to play with."
Hookwolf and Crusader wore masks that covered their faces, but he didn't like how Hookwolf said that, nor the cruel smile that appeared on Alabaster's face. Joker felt his anger flare at the implication of what they planned on doing to his family, and at Hookwolf's clear disregard for the normal non-lethal levels of combat. He mentally prepared himself to do whatever it took to get out of there and opened his mouth to give orders.
Before he could though, he saw a flicker of movement and threw himself to the side before he even processed what he saw. The space he was in was filled with the thrusts of several ghostly spears, and his ears heard the sound of his teammates crying out in pain.
His gaze quickly swept over everyone as ghostly figures emerged from the floor. Crusader's ghosts had been below ground, ready to strike. Joker realized that was probably why Hookwolf bothered taking the time to talk- to allow Crusader to get his projections into place.
Most of his teammates hadn't been as fast or as lucky as Joker had been. Most of them only had surface wounds, the spears having been aimed to incapacitate or cut, not skewer. Joker noted darkly that this was especially true for the girls. Skull had gotten off light because he had dodged as well, avoiding the worst of the damage. But Joker's blood ran cold when he saw Fox with a ghostly spear through his stomach.
"Fox!" Panther cried out, rushing over to him. Her body shifted into her breaker state once more. She raised her hand and a gout of flame shot out at the projection behind Yusuke. Joker was relieved to see the ghostly figure dissipate; he wasn't sure if fire would have any effect on the projections.
Another flicker of motion caught his eye, and Joker saw Hookwolf and Alabaster spring into action. His mind whirred into action and he quickly barked out orders. "Queen! Noir! Help Fox! Panther, keep Crusader off of us! Skull, get Alabaster!"
Joker rushed towards Hookwolf, a giant hammer made of a shimmering and translucent purple energy appearing in his hands. He swung it, the large weapon weightless in his hands, and it crashed into Hookwolf, sending the metal man backward.
Noir's power was one he preferred to use when he had the power copying ability. It was versatile, useful, and it hit hard. The weapons she projected were weightless to her, but to others, they hit just as hard as if they had all of their mass. Noir usually preferred using a large and menacing looking battleax against any brutes they had to face.
The only downside to her power is that she could only project one weapon or shield at a time, and she was restricted to purely melee weapons. No ranged weapons of any kind, not even a bow, and no armor. But it did come with an instinctual knowledge of how to use those weapons.
Joker was worried about Fox, and he knew that he had to get him to help immediately, but all he could do was trust his team to follow their orders. With Skull keeping Alabaster occupied, using his superior strength to tie him up, and with Panther keeping Crusader's ghosts at bay, Queen and Noir were free to get Fox and get him out of here. So long as he also did his own part and kept Hookwolf occupied.
Hookwolf recovered from Joker's blow quickly and launched himself back at him. Joker raised the hammer as if to repeat his last blow, but he knew Hookwolf wouldn't get hit in the same way twice. Sure enough, he saw Hookwolf start to twist as he moved to dodge the blow.
But Joker was moving already, his wind up a feint. He twisted as well, allowing Hookwolf to pass through the area he had just been standing in and brought down the hammer on Hookwolf's exposed back as he passed by, slamming him heavily into the ground.
Joker didn't know the details of how Hookwolf's shapeshifting worked, but he didn't think it did much damage. It did buy him more time though, which was what he was more concerned about. As Hookwolf started to stand again Joker lifted up and slammed the hammer back down, sending him back into the ground.
As he tried to do it a third time, Hookwolf shifted, the metal making up his body rippling for a moment before suddenly Hookwolf wasn't face down on the ground, but face up. His hands caught the handle of the descending hammer and pulled.
Joker let go of the weapon easily, and it disappeared as he leaped back. The projected weapons could only exist while he was holding them, which meant they couldn't be stolen. Or thrown, unfortunately. That didn't mean he couldn't have the reach advantage though. He replaced the hammer with a long halberd, holding it steadily aimed at Hookwolf.
Joker glanced around the room, quickly taking stock of the situation as Hookwolf finished standing up. The fire they had started was starting to fill the room with heat and smoke, casting a foreboding light on everything. Queen was supporting Fox while Noir was hacking away at a wall, opening a path out. Crusader's actual body was near the door. His body language was tense, and his ghosts were focusing on the Queen and Noir, but Panther was keeping them at bay.
Skull crackled with electricity as he grappled with Alabaster. The marbled-skinned villain lacked any sort of super strength or other ability besides his immortality, meaning Skull's enhanced strength ensured that the two of them were tied up. There was a knife on the floor a few feet from them; presumably, Skull had disarmed Alabaster.
Joker slowly circled around Hookwolf while keeping his weapon pointed at the shapeshifter. He could see the shape of the fight and in what direction things were headed, and he knew what position he needed to be in when the path out was opened.
Hookwolf launched himself at Joker once again, claws raised. Joker rolled backward, dodging the swipe, and cut upwards with the halberd. There was a satisfying screech of metal as the weapon tore open a gash in Hookwolf's chest, though the satisfaction was short-lived as the gash was fixed immediately.
Joker dodged another swipe from Hookwolf, dancing to the side. This time he swung the halberd downwards and caught the shapeshifter's extended limb, chopping it off near his elbow. He knew Hookwolf would immediately fix that as well, so he pushed forward to take advantage of the split second it would take for him to do that.
But as his weapon swung, it disappeared. Joker found the tables turned on him as Hookwolf used the opportunity to attack. Joker tried to twist his body out of the way at the last second, but it wasn't enough to dodge the attack entirely. Sharpened metal claws tore through his side.
Joker hissed as he danced backward. His side was on fire, pain already coming off of the wound in waves. He could copy powers, but he could only use them for a short time before they ran out. Joker cursed his luck at the bad timing, and also cursed himself for not keeping better track of how long it had left.
He still had other options though, so he wasn't completely defenseless. He pulled on Panther's power, and his body turned into incorporeal flames. Before Hookwolf could approach, he raised his hands and shot out a large spray of fire.
Hookwolf leaped back and to the side, the metal making up his form starting to glow from the heat. Fortunately for Joker, Hookwolf's new position put him with his back to the growing flames of the warehouse.
Just then there was a crashing noise, and Joker risked turning around. In this form he couldn't be hurt by Hookwolf's attacks, making it safe to briefly turn his back. Noir had finished opening a hole in the wall.
"Go!" Joker called out, his voice slightly distorted by his fiery form. "Get Fox to help! I'll keep them busy and catch up!"
"But-" Queen started, but he cut her off as Hookwolf's attack cut through his body to no effect.
"No time! Go!" he insisted. They looked hesitant, but as another wave of Crusader's ghosts came at them, Noir, Queen, and Panther nodded and started retreating, carrying Fox.
"Don't let them get away!" Hookwolf barked. Crusader nodded and headed after them. Joker tensed, but he knew he couldn't go after them, and his supply of Panther's power was going to run out before long.
Seeing that he couldn't attack Joker, Hookwolf suddenly flung himself at Skull and Alabaster. Skull had Alabaster in a hold he had learned from the gym, tying the both of them up. Hookwolf's form turned into a whirling storm of blades as he approached the two of them.
Joker cursed and raised his hands to throw more fire at Hookwolf, but hesitated. Hookwolf had positioned himself perfectly so that Skull would get caught in the blast if Joker attacked. Instead, he lowered his hands and dropped the breaker form, calling out to Skull. "Skull, get out of there!"
"Huh?" Skull said, looking up. He cursed and started letting go of Alabaster, but Alabaster grabbed back onto him with a victorious grin.
Hookwolf reached them, and Joker's heart dropped as he heard Skull scream in agony as the two of them disappeared beneath the storm of blades. He was helpless, unable to stop Hookwolf as blended Skull and Alabaster. None of his powers could help him here, not without making the situation worse for Skull.
Finally, after just a few heartbeats that felt like hours, Skull's screaming cut off, and Hookwolf's form stilled, coalescing back into a humanoid figure. The metal shapeshifter stood up, scarlet liquid dripping from him, revealing the others, and Joker despaired at the sight. Two bodies riddled with bloody gashes, barely recognizable as the people he knew them to be.
There was a flicker of motion, and one of the bodies was suddenly whole and healthy. Alabaster, his wounds healing as his form reset. Joker's mind was blank, filled only with static as he stared at the corpse of his friend, his family member.
"Now we just have to finish off this one," Alabaster said as he stood up. "And he looks broken already."
"Go after the others," Hookwolf ordered. "He's copying powers today, and I don't want him getting yours. It would ruin the fun." Joker started, Hookwolf's words reminding him of his wound, the one he had ignored while in his breaker form. It was still there, and Alabaster's power would be the perfect thing to counter it.
"Sure thing boss," Alabaster said easily. "I wanted first dibs on the one in the catsuit anyway. You know how I love blondes."
The static filling his mind stilled at those words and instantly shifted into pure rage. Skull, Ryuuji, was dead. He had failed him. But he wouldn't let the others fall to that same fate.
His body shifted into fire once more as he let the anger wash over him. "I won't let you touch them!" he screamed, voice filled with emotion. Twin gouts of flame erupted from his hands, each focused on one of the Empire capes. Alabaster caught fire and was shoved back from the force, while Hookwolf's body started glowing from the heat.
Hookwolf dodged out of the way, forcing Joker to chase him with the fire, and he saw the metal on his body moving, shifting unheated metal to the forefront and the heated pieces away, some of it dropping off of him. Joker roared, a wordless scream of rage and grief, and the intensity of his flames increased.
And then they suddenly cut out as Joker turned once more into flesh and blood, the power he got from Panther fading away. Once again, Alabaster's corpse flickered back to life, and Hookwolf's metal body slowly cooled.
"A few more seconds of that and I might have actually been in danger," Hookwolf laughed. "Too bad. Alabaster, go. I'll clean up here."
Alabaster didn't waste time talking this time, he just nodded and ran off. Joker wanted to chase him, but Hookwolf stepped between the two of them, the message clear. If Joker wanted to leave this warehouse, he'd need to take care of Hookwolf first.
Joker's shoulders slumped and he panted, tired. The wound in his side pulsated, sending out regular waves of pain. The only power he had left to him was Queen's, and it wouldn't last long. But if he could delay Hookwolf for just another minute, that would be enough.
Joker reached beneath his coat and pulled out his knife, a thick blade six inches long, and got into a fighting stance once more.
Hookwolf laughed. "A fighter until the end, huh? I can respect that."
Joker took the initiative, rushing Hookwolf, and he was met with a feral grin and a swipe of a claw as the two of them began their final fight.
I was in my room, practicing picking open a lock at my desk when I heard the banging and muffled yelling. "Doctor! Please, open up! It's an emergency!"
I heard Tae's door open and her hurried footsteps pass by. I quickly got up and followed her, my mind whirring as I was trying to figure out what was going on. Someone was hurt, obviously. Tae didn't do emergency calls though. A local, or a friend then?
We reached the bottom of the stairs and headed to the back door, which was locked. The person was still pounding at the door, and I was just starting to think that their voice was familiar when Tae opened it, revealing Futaba standing there.
"Oh thank god!" Futaba said in relief. "You gotta help doc! The others- they're hurt! Inari is in a really bad place and they're on their way with him and I still don't know what happened to Akira and Ryuuji they're not answering their comms because I think they got busted and-" Her eyes met mine and she froze.
"Futaba?" Tae asked, confused. "What do you mean? What happened!"
I can see a moment of indecision in her eyes before she violently shakes her head and looks back at Tae. "They went out on a raid against the Empire but they got caught and I don't know what happened after that but Inari is hurt really bad and they need help and you're the only person who can help!"
"Okay okay, I got it," Tae reassured her. "Tell them to come here, I'll get ready. How are they hurt?"
"Cuts mostly, but Inari...he got impaled," Futaba reported. I saw Tae tense slightly, but she didn't let it show. I tensed up as well. Inari is Futaba's nickname for Yusuke, the artist of the Phantom Thieves. And I don't need to be a doctor to know how bad being impaled is. We can patch him up, but any internal damage is going to be a lot harder to deal with.
"Okay," Tae said slowly as she gathered her thoughts. There was the sound of an approaching engine, and headlights lit up the back of the clinic. "Okay. Cain, go prep the examination room. Bandages, antiseptic, bandages, and the metal case I keep in the top right drawer of my desk," she said to me.
I nodded and rushed to do as she said. I found the materials easily since I'd inventoried and organized them a few times. I also grabbed a few more things I thought might be useful and placed them nearby. Finally, I grabbed the metal case she described. I hadn't ever seen it before, but when I opened it up, I wasn't surprised. Scalpels, needles, and other medical equipment that looked like they belonged on a surgery table.
I heard a commotion in the hallway; the sound of multiple people talking all at once and heavy footsteps coming this way. I stepped out of the way as a crowd entered the small room. I recognized them- how could I not? They were the Phantom Thieves in their iconic outfits, matching what they were in the game I remembered playing. Not all of them were present though. Morgana, Akira, and Ryuuji were nowhere to be seen.
I didn't have much time to ponder on that though, as Yusuke's injury demanded my attention. His shirt and pants were soaked and heavy with blood, and there was a mangled mess of flesh in his gut. Tae and Makoto lowered him onto the bed, and Tae started cutting open his costume.
I glanced over at the others. None of them were paying any attention to me, even though they were unmasked but in their costumes. I suppose Yusuke's fate was more important to them than that though. They all had injuries of their own as well, except for Futaba. Numerous bleeding gashes and I recalled that Haru had been limping, and they all looked gaunt and pale, but it didn't seem like their lives were in danger.
"Is- is he going to be okay?" Ann asked nervously.
"I don't know," Tae replied. "He's lost a lot of blood, and the damage is bad. I'll do my best but…" she trailed off.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Makoto asked hopefully.
But Tae shook her head. "No. In fact, I'd prefer it if you guys waited outside. I need this room to be as sterile as possible. Cain, grab some stuff and clean and bandage their wounds please."
"Got it," I replied, turning back to the cabinet where she kept her supplies and grabbing more of them. I turned to the others and found them standing still, hesitating. "Come on guys, trust in Tae. We should get out of her way."
At that, Makoto slowly nodded, and the others followed her example in shuffling out the door. I gave Tae one more look, but she was already laser-focused on Yusuke. I left the room last, closing the door behind me.
The waiting room wasn't much bigger than the examination room, truth be told, but there was less stuff in it, and most of that stuff was chairs that people could sit on. I glanced at the front door to make sure it was locked and the windows blocked before I glanced at the listless Phantom Thieves.
"Who's injured the worst?" I asked. "I'll patch you up." Tae had taught me the basics of treating wounds like this during some of the downtime during business hours. Enough that I could clean and bandage wounds. Tae could take a closer look at them later.
"She is," Makoto said, pointing at Haru. "Give me some of the bandages, I know first aid as well."
I nod and hand her some of my supplies before turning to Haru. "Can you sit down for me?" I ask, doing my best impression of Tae dealing with a patient. Truth be told, I didn't know how to handle this sort of situation and felt a little out of my depth. So far I was just going with the flow and not thinking about the implications of what was happening.
Haru nodded and sat down in a chair. "Where are you hurt the most?" I asked her.
"My leg," she said. I noted that her voice was still high-pitched and sweet, despite her fatigue and pain. I knelt in front of her. Her pants were soaked with blood around her calf, but they were too tight for me to roll up.
"I'm going to have to cut your pants," I say. She nodded, giving me permission, and I grabbed a pair of scissors. With just a few seconds of work, I had cut a slit up her pants and exposed her calf. I grimaced, feeling a little squeamish as I saw the injury, all blood, and torn flesh. But I pushed past it and started treating it.
I could feel Futaba watching from behind me. She was nervously pacing, and I could hear her tapping away at her phone. I ignored her though, focusing on treating Haru.
"Are you Doctor Takemi's assistant?" Haru asked me.
"Something like that," I replied. "She lets me stay here, and in exchange, I help out around the place."
"I've seen you at Clear Bell Gym," Ann commented.
I pointedly don't look at her. "Have you? You do realize you're in costumes but without your masks on, right?" I ask. "I'm not a doctor, but I'm Tae's assistant, and I'm okay with pretending I have no idea who any of you are."
"Oh," she replied as if she just realized. "Uhh. Right, yeah, that's probably for the best. Though if Takemi trusts you, then I trust you too!"
"Maybe we should wait for Joker to decide?" Haru asked. Then she flinched, her expression becoming crestfallen. I recalled Futaba mentioning not knowing where he was or what happened to him. There's a moment of awkward silence where no one speaks.
"Has he contacted you yet, Futaba?" Makoto asked eventually, breaking the silence.
"No," she growled tersely. "His comm got damaged early in the fight, and so did his phone. I can't pull the GPS for him or R-Skull." She cut herself off from saying Ryuuji's name, calling him by his cape name.
"We need to go back," Haru said. "They might need our help."
"Not with these injuries," I chime in. "Whatever went down, it did some work on you guys."
"Crusader," Makoto growled. "We were trying to escape and he kept hounding us. His ghosts would pop out from the walls and stab us before we could react."
Crusader? Ah, right, the Empire cape. I didn't remember him showing up much in canon, just once or twice. He would definitely be an annoying pursuer, especially without a Mover rating and in the city.
"We managed to lose him, but...it took a long time. Too long," Ann commented. "And injured or not, we need to go back. The others might be in danger. Or-" she cut herself, but the unsaid words hung heavy in the air.
"If you go back, you'll just be putting yourselves in danger," I said. "It sounds like you barely escaped, but you want to go back? You'll just make things worse."
"He's right," Makoto said. "I don't like it, but he's right. We can't go back."
Haru and Ann grimaced, but they remained silent, accepting Makoto's words.
"We can't, but he can," I heard from behind me. I paused, tensing slightly.
"Futaba?" Makoto asked, confusion clear in her voice. I turned my head, looking over my shoulder to see Futaba staring at me.
"You can, can't you?" she asked. "You can get there quickly and find out what happened."
"I don't know what you mean," I replied coolly, but my mind was racing. Did she know?
"I think you do, Raven," Futaba said. I kept my body still, not allowing my body language to give away my reaction. She did know.
I turn my gaze away and concentrate on bandaging Haru. "It would be dangerous for me to go. I don't even know where to go."
I felt her step closer to me. "Please," she pleaded. "I- I can't lose them. I have some of those charm things! I'll give them to you!" I can't hide the way I stiffen from that. She knows about that too? How?
The answer clicked into place suddenly. My phone. I stood up and turned to face her. "Those security apps...those were yours, weren't they?" I asked.
She flinched slightly, pulling back. It didn't help that my standing up put me very close to her, and I was a full foot taller than her. "I-" she started, looking away. "Yes."
I sighed, and I pinched the bridge of my nose. I should have known. Melissa had recommended the apps to me, so I assumed they were Toybox. But now that I thought about it, none of the members that she had told me about had any sort of software specialty, or anything broad enough to include it.
That being said, it being Futaba that hacked my phone...well, it could have been worse. And better that I know now, rather than later. Though did that mean she knew about Rune? That might be a problem, but I'd worry about that later.
I sighed. "Fine," I replied. "Makoto, I'll leave the rest of Haru's injuries to you." I lifted my hand to my face, and my mask appeared in my grasp as it did so. I heard the others gasp softly in surprise as I put it on.
"Where are they?" I asked, my voice changed slightly by the mask. I pulled my coat out of my [Pocket] as well and started to put it on.
"Here, put this in your ear, I'll guide you," Futaba said, offering me an earbud.
I nodded and quickly put it in my ear. "If Tae asks where I went, tell her the truth, she knows," I said. "And Futaba? We're gonna have to have a talk later." I wasn't happy about her outing me like this. In fact, I was pissed off, even if I understood why. But time was in short supply right now, and I needed to get there fast. It might've been too late already, but if it wasn't, the slower I was the less likely it was that I'd get there in time.
Futaba grimaced, but she nodded, looking resigned to her fate. I quickly looked around, making sure no one in the nearby buildings was looking in this direction before I teleported to the roof.
"Travel south-south-west for now," Futaba's voice said in my ear. "They were pretty deep in Empire territory. You'll have to be careful."
"Understood," I replied before using [Blink] to teleport in that direction. With my lack of cooldown and my increased range, I covered ground quickly, slowed only by my quick scanning for Empire gang members and capes. With further guidance from Futaba, it only took me a couple minutes to get close. And to see the massive pillar of smoke.
"I'm guessing the large fire is where they were at?" I asked out loud.
"Yeah," Futaba confirmed. "Emergency services are being prevented from approaching the area by Empire gang members, but the PRT hasn't been mobilized yet. No one knows what's going on." There was frustration clear in her voice.
"I'll figure it out," I replied before heading closer to the source of the fire.
I had to slow down as I approached and I spotted what were obviously gang members down on the street. They were wearing E88 colors and blocking the roads, preventing any traffic in or out. At this time of night and in this area there wasn't much of that, but I did spot a few cars being searched.
Ann had said it had taken them a while to escape Crusader, but apparently, it was still fast enough to evade this attempt at preventing them from escaping. It likely felt longer to her than it actually was. Having a teammate bleed out as you run away would instill a pretty strong feeling of urgency after all.
I continue past that line and head deeper in. "You're almost there," Futaba says in my ear. "They were in that warehouse two blocks ahead."
"I'd guessed as much," I responded dryly. I could see it, or rather, I could see the pillar of smoke it had become. The walls of it weren't burning, it was made of metal, but smoke poured out of it like sand out of an overturned bucket.
I also saw the yellow outlines of a few figures and a glow that I recognized as a charm very close by. Unfortunately, none of the figures looked like Akira or Ryuuji. I cautiously approached them, activating [Hide] as I crept into a position on a nearby rooftop where I could see.
I took one look at the scene and grimaced, before ducking back down. "You've stopped. Have you found them?" Futaba asked in my ear.
"I'm gonna have to call you back," I whispered. I heard her protest as I took it off, but I just stored the earbud in my pocket space.
My mask allowed me to see people through walls. But that only applies to living people. Akira and Ryuuji were down there but...they definitely weren't alive. I could barely recognize them, I had to just assume based on their clothes. Both were bloody and covered in innumerable gashes. And in front of them was the only person who would do something like that. Hookwolf.
I didn't know how to explain to Futaba over the phone that I found their corpses. Perhaps that was mean of me. They were already aware that it was a possibility, and here I am, dragging out their hope. But I felt like I needed to assess the situation more first. And honestly, I just didn't want to deliver the news.
With the earbud out, I try to listen to what's going on below while watching them through the wall. The distant sound of sirens and the crackling of fire makes it a little difficult, but after focusing I could hear the sound of a man speaking. I guessed it was Hookwolf, the man closest to the bodies and the one that had a phone up against his ear.
"-got away, but I got their leader and Skull. And Crusader is pretty sure he got Fox good enough that he'll bleed out before they can get him to a doctor. Yeah. No, they're still searching. I know, but it's too soon to give up. Plus, it's punishment for letting them get away. Nah, I got some of my boys with me. No, not really, it was mostly junk I think. Crusader took a look at the inventory before we set the trap, nothing we wouldn't have tossed anyway. Yeah, we'll be back soon. What should I do with the bodies?" There was a pause, and then he laughed. "Oh, I like the sound of that. Yeah, that'll show them. And it's gonna piss off a lot of people too. Looking forward to that. I'll get that started. Yeah. I'll report back to you when it's done."
I wasn't sure who he was talking to, but my guess was Kaiser, the leader of the Empire 88. Hookwolf basically only reported to him. More important was the mention of this being a trap for the Phantom Thieves, and that he was going to do something with the bodies that was going to piss people off.
The only thing that came to mind would be something gruesome and public, like stringing them up as a warning. Or maybe unmasking them? No, their faces are unrecognizable thanks to Hookwolf's actions.
Hookwolf barked some orders to his men, and most of them scattered, heading off in different directions in groups of two or three. A few remained in the area though, so I stayed where I was and I took a moment to think. So far I'd just been caught up in the flow of things, but what did I want to do?
I wasn't sure. In the grand scheme of things, my plan was still to take down Scion and prevent the end of the world, because I live here now. In the shorter term, I need to get stronger so I can do that. With that in mind, what was the best course of action for me here?
Well, the charm I spotted earlier was in Akira's pocket. I want that, but that meant approaching Hookwolf, who was still right there. [Hide] wasn't good enough that I could sneak down there, and a rapid teleport would be seen. So, was a charm worth fighting Hookwolf? No, not really.
What about the charms that Futaba was offering? If I just snapped a picture of their corpses and called that a job done, would she still hand them over? Maybe. I could probably take them pretty easily, but I didn't want to do that. Largely because making an enemy of someone who had control over your phone with some very sensitive information was a bad idea. If she knew I was a cape, then she almost definitely knew about what I've been doing with Rune. I didn't know why she didn't act on that, but I didn't want that to change.
But there was another part of me that just didn't want to be mean to her. It was a part I felt I could ignore, especially if it meant killing Scion. But I wanted to be on good terms with the Phantom Thieves. I liked them. Sure, that came from my enjoyment of the game they were featured in. But that didn't change my feelings.
Was that enough to fight Hookwolf over? Again, not really. But fighting him wasn't my only option, was it? [Blink] offered me a ridiculous amount of maneuverability, but I couldn't grab both corpses and run. I could grab just Joker's, but I'd rather bring back both to the Phantom Thieves and prevent whatever the Empire wanted to do.
I couldn't store them in my [Pocket] either. They were too big. I had room in my inventory to maybe store one of them, but they were larger than the maximum size of an object I could store. Unless...Joker did have a charm in his pocket. I could use that to upgrade the skill. Being able to store a corpse-sized object was useful, and I didn't mind dropping a charm or two into [Pocket], especially since Futaba had promised me more for this. It would be a net gain.
That would take time though, time I couldn't afford with Hookwolf and several of his men keeping an eye out for trouble. So I'd either need to take them out or lure them away. Or both.
A plan came to me in a flash as I remembered something I had in my inventory. I pulled it out and looked at it as I worked out the details. It was a plastic mask, kind of cheap, but it looked almost exactly like the one that Oni Lee wore.
Melissa had commented that my teleportation left behind a small effect that reminded her of Oni Lee's clones bursting into ash. That comment stuck in my brain, and I realized I could potentially use that to my advantage, so I bought a mask and a simple costume that would make me look like him too.
One of the reasons I was hesitant to take action here was because of how much it would piss off the Empire. Hookwolf was one of their scariest capes. His power was strong, and his personality...well, tonight was a pretty good example of just how brutal he was. If I interfered here, the Empire would go after me pretty hard. They already didn't like me, or so I assumed. Cricket and Stormtiger had found me in their safe house. But they had no way of knowing what I was there for, so their dislike was probably mild at best.
But if it was Oni Lee who took action here, attacking them before retreating...Well, that's just business as normal, isn't it? Or even better. If Oni Lee were to assassinate Hookwolf, war would break out between the two of them, and the Empire wouldn't have the attention to spare for the rest of the Phantom Thieves or myself.
I paused. Assassination was an easy word to say, but it was a very different thing to actually do. Could I do it? My mind raced through the scenarios, and the answer I came up with was 'maybe'. Hookwolf wasn't transformed right now. When he was, his fleshy body was restricted to some sort of 'core', one protected by his metal blades and nearly impossible to pin down. If he transformed, I had no shot.
But as a man? I could teleport down there and kill him before he even had time to react. So long as I delivered a killing blow before he could start using his power, I'd win.
But that wasn't the only thing I needed to worry about. It was possible, yes, but could I do it? Could I kill a person?
I'd gotten in some fights up until this point, and I'd bashed some heads in. I've probably caused long-term injuries. And I was okay with that. They were gang members or capes, and they were assholes. Granted, most heroes were assholes too. Getting powers does that to you.
But could I take that further? Deliberately take a life? I pulled a knife from my pocket space, one of several I had stolen from gang members over the past weeks. I felt its weight in my hand and visualized stabbing Hookwolf with it.
...yeah. I think I could. And that realization brought a sense of relief with it. If I couldn't kill someone like Hookwolf, I didn't stand a chance against Scion. I'd have to do worse to take him down.
I took a deep breath and thought over my plan again. Change into Oni Lee clothes, assassinate Hookwolf, lead his men away from here, and then sneak back to get the bodies. It would lead to fighting between the E88 and the ABB. Fighting that would take the attention off of the Phantom Thieves and fighting I could potentially exploit. I'd gain the support and friendship of the Phantom Thieves, and there'd be one less very dangerous cape around.
I nodded, and quickly, but quietly, started getting changed. It was worth it. Worst case scenario, I could escape easily. Even if Cricket shows up, I know better than to stick around and push through it. I don't know why I did last time, something about the frequency she was emitting messed with my head and made it hard to think. But I knew better now, and I knew her range was smaller than the range of my own teleports.
The Oni Lee costume was simple. A black bodysuit with a bandolier, one that was unfortunately empty, and the mask. It wouldn't pass a close inspection, but in the dead of night and during the panic of seeing their leader assassinated? I was sure that the gang members would be utterly convinced.
I stored my normal costume back in my [Pocket], already missing the abilities of my mask. The costume was ill-fitting and it felt strange. But I ignored that and carefully peeked over the lip of the roof. Hookwolf was still down there, and so were a handful of his men. But none of them were looking in this direction.
I stood up fully and raised my knife. Hookwolf was a veteran cape, one that lived a violent life before and after his trigger. I couldn't take him on in a fight. But that was fine, my skills were better suited for stealth and assassination anyway, and I embraced that.
Still, I had to be careful. Hookwolf's costume was...well not much. It was just a ratty pair of jeans and a metal mask. No shirt or shoes. The mask was an issue though. If I wanted a quick and clean kill, I needed a blow to the brain. If I got his heart, it would take too long, and he'd still be able to use his power. Same with the spine, not that I was confident in cutting through that.
My knife was short enough that I wasn't confident I could go up from the chin either. It might not reach his brain. My only option was to put it through his eye, which meant going through the eyehole on his mask. It was big enough to fit my knife, but it was a small target. On the bright side though, it wasn't much smaller than his actual eye, so my job was only slightly harder than if he wasn't wearing it.
I wouldn't have time to line it up either. He was experienced, and he'd react quickly. I raised my knife and gave it a few practice swings. My only option was to [Blink] mid-swing and appear in front of him before he could react. No small feat.
I stopped my practice swings and started targeting [Blink]. I was as prepared and as confident as I could be. I wasn't confident at all, not really. My heart pounded, but I kept my hand steady and let the nervousness wash past me without letting it affect me.
Either I'd succeed, or I'd fail, and I'd deal with the consequences.
I inhaled, taking in a deep breath and holding it. I'm still for a moment, doing one last check to make sure everything was lined up correctly, and then I sprung into action.
My knife thrust forward as the world blinked around me and I was suddenly in front of Hookwolf. But my aim was true, and my knife scraped against the lip of the eyehole in his mask as I thrust it through the gap, into his eye, and into the meaty flesh of his brain.
The sound and the feeling that was sent through the knife and into my hand was nauseating, a squelch and crumpling of flesh and fluid. Blood and other fluid burst from his eye around my knife, some of it splattering back on me. But I didn't, couldn't, hold back, and didn't stop pushing until it wouldn't go any deeper.
I succeeded. Hookwolf's body fell backward like a puppet that had its strings cut. I was fast enough that he didn't react, didn't call out or flinch. He just...died.
I let go of the knife as he fell back, not willing to go through the effort of trying to keep it, and I looked up at the other gang members. They had only just now started turning around, none of them having witnessed the kill. But that was changing as the first of them spotted Hookwolf on the ground, the hilt of a knife sticking out of his eye, and me standing above him.
I wanted to do nothing more than [Blink] away, but I suppressed the urge. I was pretending to be Oni Lee, which meant I had to follow the rules of his powers. Which unfortunately meant I had to pretend to be the ash clone left behind by his teleport. His clones only disappeared after ten seconds, or after they're 'killed'. Which meant I needed to stick around for nine more seconds to sell the illusion.
Unfortunately, a few of them did something I wasn't prepared for, and by the time three seconds had passed, several of them were pulling guns out. I cursed under my breath and reached behind my back, my hand out of sight of all of them, and pulled a gun of my own out of my pocket space.
A clone wouldn't have any sense of self-preservation. I had to go on the offensive. I lunged forward at them, advancing to hide the fact that I was dodging the shots that were sent my way, and I raised the gun and squeezed the trigger.
I'm not much of a gun person. I've played shooters and the pistol didn't feel entirely unfamiliar in my hand. Presumably, I used a gun before in my previous life, not that I could remember it. But I was by no means good with guns. I'm just glad I managed to get it to fire at all.
So I wasn't surprised when none of my shots hit, and neither was I disappointed. I didn't care if I hit them, because it had the desired effect either way. They all flinched and scrambled for cover instead of trying to shoot me. It wouldn't last, but by this point, seven seconds had passed.
I picked one mook, the closest one, and continued to rush him, putting more shots in the air over his head. A few of the braver E88 members fired a few more shots at me, but thankfully none of them connected. I leaped over the trashcan the gang member was hiding behind and pointed my gun at him.
And then I teleported away without firing.
I rapidly teleported away, getting some distance and finding a tall building I could take a breather on. With that show, I felt confident the gang members would fully believe that Oni Lee showed up, assassinated Hookwolf, left, and his left behind clone almost got them. Hell, they might play up the story to make themselves look better. Either way, I wouldn't be suspected, and the ABB would.
I took a moment to sit down, my back to an air conditioning unit, and took off my mask. It had been maybe 30 seconds since I stabbed Hookwolf, but I felt like I had just run a marathon. My heart was beating harder and faster than I'd ever felt it before, and I couldn't stop my hands from shaking.
But I wasn't disgusted or angry. I wasn't even excited. Adrenaline ran through me, but my only emotion was a strong feeling of satisfaction. Satisfaction at a job well done and a mission accomplished.
I turned the mask over in my hands, staring at the face of it. A streak of blood was splattered across it, giving it a menacing look. I [Pocket] it and take another deep breath, my heart rate slowly going down.
I needed to get back soon. They'd scatter and look for Oni Lee, but they'd also call for reinforcements. I needed to slip in during that small window and grab the bodies. I quickly changed back to my normal costume, but I paused before I set off, and then sighed.
I pulled the earbud out of my pocket space as well and stuck it back in my ear. "Futaba, you still there?" I said. "I...I have some bad news."
She must have been able to figure it out because the sound of sobbing was her only reply.
A few hours later I sat down on the couch in Tae's living room. Tae sat down next to me, slumping tiredly back. Neither of us said anything, too physically and emotionally drained, we just sat there for a few minutes, getting our thoughts into order.
"Fuck," Tae uttered, fatigue clear in her voice.
"Yeah," I agreed. That summed up tonight pretty well.
"I- I tried," she said, her voice breaking. "But...it was too late."
I grimaced. Yusuke hadn't made it either, just like Crusader thought. I wasn't surprised. It was a miracle he was still breathing, or trying to at least, when they brought him here. She had told the others during the time I had my earbud in my pocket space, so I hadn't heard the news until I was on my way back.
I had actually needed two upgrades to [Pocket] to carry a body, one in the size of the objects I could store, and one in the total amount of stuff I could carry. Thankfully Akira had two charms in his pocket, which I hadn't been able to tell until I was closer because they were right next to each other.
I had been reluctant to take them out when I got back though. But the others wanted to see them, needed that closure, so they insisted, despite my warnings. I don't know if it was worth it. Their grief only got worse when they saw the gory mess Hookwolf reduced them to. But Tae seemed to think it was better, in the long run, to eliminate that doubt from their minds, and I trusted her judgment.
We offered our beds to them, not willing to send them home tonight, not in the state they were in. They were all alternating between shock, sobbing, and anger. Makoto and Ann were in Tae's bed, and Haru and Futaba were sleeping in mine. And three corpses were sitting in my pocket space, where time wasn't passing for them. It was the best we could do for tonight.
"You did your best," I said softly. "You couldn't have done more than that."
She sighed. "I know that, intellectually at least." She snorted. "It's a lot harder to convince yourself of that. Most days I'm glad to not be a parahuman, no offense. But today? I wish I could do what Panacea does. It would have made a difference."
I hesitated, a question coming to my lips but I wasn't sure I wanted to ask. Or rather, I wasn't sure how she would react. But I was too curious not to. "Is...is there a reason you didn't call her? You two are friends, right?"
"We are," Tae said with a sigh. "But...it's not that simple. I can't just call her for healing like that, even in an emergency situation. Though I might have anyway. I...it sounds harsh, but Yusuke's life was worth more than the downsides of asking her to come out here."
I heard her shake her head, the movement shaking the couch almost imperceptibly. "But it wouldn't have mattered, and I realized that. Yusuke was at death's door when he arrived. In the time it took to contact Amy and convince her to come over, he could have slipped away. I had to focus on preventing that. Even if you had called her and convinced her to come, the only way to get her here fast enough would be to have her sister fly her over."
"Glory girl," I said, and Tae nodded.
"Even then, it's doubtful she would have made it in time," Tae said. "And if she had? They're good kids, but they're still treated as villains. Panacea would stay quiet about it, but I don't know if her sister could look the other way for a villainous group."
I grimaced. Yeah, Victoria had a pretty black-and-white view on morality. Canon Amy wasn't much better at first, but I know Tae had influenced her to a degree in this world and put her in a better mind space. "I see," is all I say.
There's another moment of silence between us before Tae speaks up again. "Did...did you really kill him?"
"I did," I confirmed. "He was a mad dog, someone should have done it ages ago."
Takemi took in another deep breath, letting it out slowly. "And...how did it feel?" she asked. She sounded nervous, as if she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.
I considered lying and giving her the answer she wanted. But I wasn't sure what that was, and honestly, I was too tired to care much. "Satisfying," I said. "Like I had done a good deed."
She doesn't respond immediately, doesn't react at all to my words. I glanced over at her to see her eyes closed as she processed something. But eventually, she nodded. "As a doctor, and as someone who has been sort of taking care of you, I probably shouldn't say this. But I'm glad. I'm glad the bastard is dead, and that you did it. And I don't know how I feel about you killing someone and only feeling 'satisfied' by it. But...I'm glad you're okay. Physically and mentally."
I let out a breath of air, the beginning of a laugh that I'm too tired to follow up on. "Me too," I replied. "And I'm glad you understand." I told them about my disguise as well, which I suspected they were less approving of, because a war between the E88 and ABB was gonna catch some civilians in the crossfire, but no one had seemed willing to call me out on it yet.
After a few more moments of silence, moments where I nearly fall asleep, I force myself to stand up. "I'll sleep on the floor then, you can have the couch."
"You know...if we squeeze in tight...we can both fit on this couch," Tae said hesitantly. I looked back at her, and she was looking away, a slight blush on her face. But it was clear that she remembered our talk this morning, and this was her reaching out.
"Sure, that sounds a lot better," I said. We took a moment to grab a pillow and a blanket and positioned ourselves. There wasn't much room at all in truth. I had my back against the back of the couch, and I was spooning Tae, who was only a few inches away from hanging off the front edge. But we did fit.
It was nice, having her pressed up against me, and my arm casually wrapped around her stomach. I was too tired for it to be erotic though, even if her ass was pressed against my crotch. But before I could do more than mumble a good night, I fell asleep with the scent of her filling my nose.
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AN: This chapter would have been out sooner, but then work kicked me in the teeth(metaphorically) for a week straight and left me too tired to focus on anything. And this chapter was a crucial one, one I had to handle carefully and I couldn't afford to half-ass.
This isn't an apology, you guys are great and I get very very few people asking about updates, and I appreciate that a lot. But it puts me more at ease to tell you things like this, to keep you in the loop. Work might not improve much anytime soon. It varies, week to week, and we're hella understaffed. It does mean I've pretty much given up on breaking my record for NaNoWriMo though. Oh well.
Anyways, the chapter. It's the end of the first arc and the end of Cain's tutorial phase. I have 8 total arcs planned. Not sure they'll all be this length, could be shorter or longer. I have them roughly planned out, but there are gaps and plenty of room to change things. As I do, very often. If that number remains 8 arcs by the time I finish this fic, I'll be surprised.
Cain and Tae finally had that talk, and him switching to using her first name was very much an intentional move on his part. That part was interesting to write. I had to carefully pore over my notes about what mental tweaks have been made to her and the scene from the last chapter. The last chapter was definitely her getting caught up in the moment, so some feelings needed to be sorted out. I considered adding more hypnosis here, to reinforce it, but I ultimately decided that Cain would believe, rightly so, that what he had already done was enough, and some plain old non-supernatural talking/convincing/manipulating would do the trick.
Not much to mention about the scene with Kazuho, or Pop Step. Other than that it's legitimately difficult for me to remember her name and not just constantly call her Pop Step. The scene was there mostly to have something more relaxed to help balance out the rest of the chapter, as well as set up some future stuff.
But for the rest. Well, this is something I've planned since the introduction of the Phantom Thieves. I can see some people getting angry, and that's understandable. I like the PT's too, and doing them dirty like this isn't fun. But it's the story I want to write, and it's why I picked Worm. Bad things happen in Worm, and that will shape things going forward.
...yes, I also did kill off all the dudes but leave the girls. Call that one a freebie for Cain, from me. For all the darker and edgier tone, this is still a smut fic. Somewhat. Not to the level of Gamer of the Void, and harem collecting is a secondary priority to Cain, but it's still gonna be pretty smutty. So hentai logic has a bit of power, and that means that just the men are 'coincidentally' killed off. I also didn't want to cuck Joker. Some other characters maybe, but not Joker. But letting those girls go wasn't an option either. The truth is, the game was rigged from the start, and Joker never had a chance. Blame Worm for sucking.
Still, this marks a big change in the dynamic of things. The first arc was one of Cain establishing the foundation of his power base, getting to the minimum level he needed in terms of powers and upgrades to be a player in Brockton Bay. But it was also about establishing contact with certain key players and forming relationships with them, both positive and negative. The next arc is where he'll start building on that foundation and on those relationships. Runes and charms will also become more background. They'll still be a priority for him, but I'll only show off him finding ones if they're tied into something else as well.
Also, yes, I skipped over Cain arriving back at the clinic and instead summarized that. Honestly, I had to. I'm not here to talk about my own issues, but certain kinds of emotional conflict get a little too real for me, and I don't think I could have written that scene. What I wrote already skims along the border of what I'm comfortable with doing. Sorry if you wanted to see it. I included a nice Tae moment in repayment.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed this first arc. I look forward to writing more.