Typhoon of the East

By: Bubbajack

Beta/Co-author: Icysnowsage

Disclaimer: We don't own the Worm Web Serial obviously. No seriously we don't Wildbow doesn't get paid enough for us to even try to steal credit from them.

Ch.1.1: Squall.

A figure clad all in black raced through the underbrush on a black steel horse. Pulling back on the reins as he crested a hill, he beheld a city of towering glass and steel, the scent of the sea on the breeze. "There it is, Kage. Brockton Bay, our destination."

The steel horse blew a plume of smoke and flame out of its nose, trotting back and forth as if eager to be off. Snapping the reins, the armored Tinker Horse leaped into a gallop, its chest of a V8 engine revving to life and mixing with its excited neighing as its piston-like limbs galloped towards its master's new location.


The pair reached the outer limits of the city within the hour. Once they drew close, his rider spoke, "Kage, engage cloaking."

In response, a thin membrane covered the horse and moments later looked as if he were riding a black stallion as he continued on his way. He ignored the odd looks he was receiving from passersby as he made his way down the street. Stopping at the first store he found, he tied Kage's reins to a bike rack and headed inside. The store owner, an older man, portly and pale gave him an odd look as he entered and looked around before coming up to the counter.

"I don't want no trouble from the ABB now, you hear?" stated the store owner with his arms up in surrender.

"ABB?" the figure asked.

The store owner looked his latest customer over. He was Asian, that much was sure. A bit on the tall side at about 5'7, straight black hair tied in a bun behind his head, and he was wearing all black. What got his attention though, were the big butter knives on his waist. One japanese sword, a katana he thought they were called, not that he'd ever seen one before now, and a small look alike dagger nestled to it on his waist. Upon hearing his question though, he blinked owlishly, "You mean you ain't ABB?"

The man, his eyes as black as his hair, shook his head, "I don't know what that is sir… actually, I was hoping to purchase a map. Do you sell those here?"

Placing his hands on the counter, the man sighed before letting out a relieved laugh, "Yeah, yeah son. I got maps… before I answer you though… Is that a real horse outside my window there?"

"Yes," The man replied easily.

The man just shook his head. "Never thought I'd see the day someone would ride into town on a horse. Seen a lot of things in my time here… Lotta gangs… but a man on a horse instead of a car? That's new, even for me. Ernest. Ernest P. Whorell," He said, offering his hand.

"Jin Sakai," He said, giving a formal bow. "As for the horse, Kage is safer, and quieter than a car and can more easily go offroad if need be."

"Makes sense… need anything other than a map?" Ernest asked.

Jin looked around, seeing a jumbo sized bag of trail mix, Jin threw it onto the table "This as well please, also do you have any tea?"

"Sweet or unsweet?" the store clerk asked.

"Unsweet please," his customer replied, producing a thermos from somewhere on his person.

Taking the hint, along with the thermos, the man chortled, "Coming right up, kawasabi."

Ernest returned shortly, handing the thermos back, now warm to the touch. "My thanks," Jin said, "How much do I owe you?"

"Ten bucks even'll about do it," Ernest replied, "Two for the map, five for the tea, and three for the mix."

Jin pulled out his bag of coins and paid the man a fifty. "I also require information."

"Hell, I'da given you that fer free friend, but business ain't exactly booming, so I'll take all I can get," Ernest said as he scooped up the coins, "I do hope you understand?"

To which Jin nodded, "Of course, I've heard this place is a H.O.S.A.V. Zone?"

Ernest nodded emphatically, "You're damn right, it's a Hive of Scum and Villainy. Hell, that's putting it mildly at this point."

Pulling out the map Jin had paid for and getting several different colored markers, the elderly man proceeded to color code everything for him. "Down near the Docks, you got the Merchants," They were colored blue. The downtown area was painted red. "Downtown area is controlled by the white supremicist Nazi Empire Eighty-Eight or just E88." Another section, he colored in green marker, "This area here is controlled by the ABB, the Azn Bad Boyz, an all asian gang. I mistook you for one of 'em at first. My apologies," He then painted an area called the Boardwalk gray, "This section here, is controlled by the last gang though they don't like to be called that, the East-Northeast section of the PRT."

"You don't like the PRT… unusual," Jin noted, he pointed towards a section of the Docks he didn't color in, "What about this area here?"

"That group of fella's ain't exactly a gang, but they are the Dock Workers Union. They don't take shit from no one. If yer lookin for work, I'd start there, friend. Ask fer Danny Hebert, an' you tell 'em Ernest sent ya."

"My thanks," Jin said, bowing one more time before he left the store.


Once out in the fresh air, Jin noticed some kids taking pictures around Kage. "Step away from my horse please," He said, his hand casually drifting towards his katana as he approached.

The teens, who were wearing all red and green, took a step back holding up their hands. "Easy man, easy. We're all ABB here," the oldest of the bunch said. "Your whip is… vintage."

"The old ways are the best of ways…" Jin replied, pausing before mounting his horse to say, "I'm not a part of the Azn Bad Boys."

"Never a better time like the present," The leader of the group offered. "The Dragon of Kyushu would be intrigued to meet you at the very least, I'm sure."

"No, thank you. I just arrived in town and have no desire to choose sides so quickly. I would much rather get my bearings first," spoke Jin wisely while observing children, to him at least.

The leader of the group smiled, but it was hardly kind, "Brother, you will find few outside the ABB will be kind to you. Go, see for yourself, but you'll come crawling back to us."

"I am Jin Sakai and I do not crawl to anyone," He replied, snapping Kage's reins sending the horse off at a brisk trot.


He ignored the people pointing and taking pictures as he sat on Kage at a traffic light. The window of the car next to him rolled down and the man inside asked, "Is that a stallion?"

"Yes… Mister?" Jin asked.

"Max Anders… " the blonde man replied, "I've seen a lot of weird things in Brockton Bay, but this is the first time I've seen a horse in traffic."

"There is a first time for everything, Mr. Anders. Though it is said 'There is nothing new under the sun, that does not mean every man has experienced everything,'" were the wise words spoken by Jin.

"True enough," was Max's only reply.

Seeing the light turn green, Jin nodded. "Have a good day, Max Anders," Jin said as he trotted off.

"You too…" pulling his head back in the car, he said to Jessica Bierman and her sister Nessa. "He was polite, for a subhuman asian."

To which Jessica replied, "I think that's the first time I've seen a real horse."

"It was so majestic," Nessa said.

"Nessa's an animal lover," Jess said, giggling a little.

'I was talking about the man on the horse, but the horse was nice too,' she thought silently to herself as she imagined herself riding a horse into battle with that mighty rider.


In the bowls of the E-NE PRT building, the Tinker who often thought of himself as a glorified janitor, Armsmaster, received a sudden beeping from his helmet, signifying he had a call. "This is a go for Armsmaster."

"Um, sir, this is Triumph and… well I don't quite know how to say this…" the leader of the Wards began.

"Is something wrong, are you hurt? You were out with Vista on patrol, weren't you? Are you both alright?" He asked worriedly. He knew the girl had a rough homelife, so he had a bit of a soft spot for her… not that he'd ever admit it of course.

"Oh we're fine, it's just… well here, I'll send you a picture sir," was Triumph's only reply

It took a couple of seconds to upload but when it did, the Tinker found himself blinking. "Is that a man on a horse, Triumph?"

"Yes sir," was the crisp reply.

"And is Vista petting said horse?" asked Armsmaster.

"It's just as you see in the picture, sir," Triumph confirmed.

Rubbing his chin that had more stubble on it than he recalled. 'How long has it been since I last shaved?' Armsmaster wondered. Before he said, "What do we know about the person on the horse?"

"Other than the fact that his name is Jin Sakai, nothing. He just got into town today and is looking for work with the DWU, sir," spoke Triumph.

"So, no affiliation with the ABB?" questioned Armsmaster.

"None that we can tell sir, should I remove Vista sir?" spoke Triumph nervously.

"No, that won't be necessary Triumph… I can't recall the last time I've seen her smile like that," He said under his breath.

"What was that sir?" Triumph asked.

"Nothing, just leave Vista be. Since he just got into town, I doubt that Jin Sakai has joined the ABB already. Don't harass him and let him get on his way," ordered Armsmaster not wanting to add another cape to their enemies.

"Yes sir," was the clipped response from Triumph.


Jin was happy to let the girl who couldn't have been any older than ten to pet Kage's snout. Even though her face was currently covered by a visor, she was still grinning from ear to ear as she stroked his synthetic hide.

"You like horses do you?" Jin asked, amused.

"I… yeah, I do," She replied, trying and failing to put up a tough front.

Patting his flank Jin said, "Kage is a good horse," reaching into his saddle bags, he pulled out an apple saying, "Feed him this for me, will you? In truth, it's past lunchtime for the both of us,"

Giggling at how Kage tracked the apple with his eyes, his ears flicking forwards as he craned his neck to take bites out of its flesh, Vista in awe of such a magnificent creature said, "There's this great Chinese place just down that street." Upon noticing his weapons, she asked, "Do you have a permit for those?"

"Do I need a permit for them?" Jin asked in reply, sounding as confused as she did.

"I… don't know?" was Missy's stumped reply.

Triumph walked up saying, "I don't think we have a ban on swords in this state Vista… Ironic considering the ABB, but yeah," He held out a hand to the man, "I'm Triumph of the Brockton Bay Wards, I see you've already met Vista."

Said girl stuck her tongue out. "He has a horse. A horse, Triumph. Why don't we have horses?"

"Vista, you can shorten the distance between two points, you don't need a horse," Triumph reminded her.

"But it's a horse. Horses are cool," Vista complained, acting her age for once much to Triumph's silent joy.

"Name one cool book that has horses," Triumph replied.

"Easy, Lord of the Rings," Vista retorted, smirking.

Scoffing Triumph said, "Besides that."

"Percy Jackson, MLP, Eragon. Need I go on?" Vista asked as she ticked names off on her fingers.

"Firstly, in Percy Jackson they have Centaurs and Pegasi. Secondly… you watch My Little Pony?"

"I like Applejack and Pinkie Pie," Vista defended. "Don't judge me."

"Huh… you learn something new everyday, I guess. Lastly, Eragon is about the main character riding dragons not horses," stated Triumph, happy this is the most open he has gotten Vista to be around him.

"He rides horses, one of them is even a magical elf horse," Vista vividly recalled.

"This is a fascinating discussion, but I really must be going," Jin said with a chuckle in his tone. Reaching down, he patted Vista's helmet. "It was nice meeting you, young Vista. I do hope we can meet again sometime. I'll bring more apples for you to feed Kage."

"Yeah," Vista. said happily, "I'd like that," She patted Kage's snout one last time, as good as a goodbye as the horse licked her hand in affection. "See you around, Mr Sakai," was Vista's cheerful reply as she skated off down the street.

Now left alone with him, Triumph said quickly. "I just want to thank you. I've never seen her that happy and all the time I've been with her. Thank you so much for letting her act her age,"

"You're most welcome," Jin said humbly, "But I did nothing. It was all Kage, not me."

Right, Triumph said with a chuckle, as he patted the horse on the head. "Thanks, Kage," Turning back to his rider, he said, " Well, I better get going, Mr Sakai, and it was nice meeting you."

"You as well Triumph, be careful out there," Jin recalled something and before he turned around to leave, asked, "By chance, am I headed the right way towards the DWU?"

"Yeah, just keep going straight, then take the last left and it'll take you right to it, but be on the lookout for the Merchants," The Ward cautioned.

"I will thank you," Jean replied as he gently snapped the reins, forcing Kage into a trot.


The closer he got towards the docks, the more drug paraphernalia he found on the ground. He started to lead the horse by the reins so as to guide Kage around all the debris and keep up the illusion he was just a horse. He didn't want him to step on any sharp debris and get it stuck in his hoof as it would take a pair of pliers to get them out at least. 'How disgraceful,' Jin thought. 'That people would not only do drugs, but then leave their leftovers on the ground for others to step on. Disgusting. Truly the scum and rot of this city epitomized.'

At long last, he found himself in front of a guard station with a man slowly snoozing away at his post. Tapping on the glass, he said, " I'm here to see one Daniel Hebert?"

Upon hearing the noise, the guard awoke with a jolt, falling backwards out of his chair. "What? Why? Where? Who are you?" The man asked, pulling himself up, using his desk as leverage.

"My name is Jin Sakai, as I already stated, I have come to see Daniel Hebert under the recommendation of Ernest P Worrell."

"Worrell sent you?" The bleary eyed Man said, blinking a bit as he stared at him. "Then you must not be ABB."

"I am not," Jin confirmed. "I just got into town today and am looking for work."

The man nodded slowly, picked up a CB radio and said, "I need someone to send a cart out here. We got a prospect out of the gate here to see Danny."

"Roger that. Be there in five," The voice replied on the other end of the line.

A few minutes later, a small golf cart pulled up, and one of two men stepped off of it. Walking over to the security guard, the bigger of the two asked, "He the prospect?"

"Yeah, that's him. Says his name is Jin Sakai," The security guard replied.

"That a damn horse?" The other man on the golf cart asked.

To which Jin nodded, saying, "His name is Kage,"

The bigger of the two, who looked to be built like a brick house and had his head shaved. Nodded politely, "My name is Brick. That's Mordecai. We kind of run security around here. If you follow us, we'll take you to see the boss."

Mordecai, who was reed thin and never got out of the cart, waved politely. "Yeah. You just follow us and try not to trip over anything, alright? We're busy taking apart an old freighter right now, so we could definitely use all the help we could get."

Following the two on Kage as they leisurely made their way to the back offices, Jin looked around at the operation. Men used blow torches to cut chunks of metal out of old boats, while others hauled it off into scrap piles to be broken down, melted, and reforged into something new.

They approached the back offices where a ramshackle building stood on cement bricks, the wooden stairs leading up to the front door looked about ready to give in at any moment. Brick thumbed his way towards the building. "The boss is inside, he's expecting you. Good luck, Slab."

"Slab?" Jin asked as he got off his horse.

"Let's just say we've had plenty of accidents where huge chunks of metal fall on people," Mordecai replied.

"I see. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Brick," Jin said as he started up the steps that felt like they would give way at any moment.

"Anytime Slab," Brick replied jovially.

Knocking on the door, Jin called "Jin Sakai, you were expecting me?"

"Oh yes, please come in," A semi distracted voice replied.

Opening the door. He found a balding, slightly out of shape looking man wearing glasses sitting behind a desk piled with papers. Getting out of a squeaky desk chair, he held out a hand, saying, "Daniel Hebert. Nice to meet you. I heard you're looking for work?"

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance as well, Hebert-san," Jin said with a polite bow.

"A traditionalist eh? We don't get many of those around here. Mostly it's just the 'You give us your money or we kill you' types."

To which Jin informed his hopefully future employer, "Yes, well, you'll soon find out I'm a different breed entirely, Hebert-san."

"What kind of qualifications do you have, Mr Sakai?" Danny asked, sitting back down at his desk.

"I believe it would be the best use of my time and yours to put me in security detail, Mr Hebert, I am very good at… Protection. I am the type of person who hunts down problems and makes sure they are no longer problems anymore. If you catch my drift," Jin stated, hoping he made his point.

"I believe I do, yes," Danny replied. "If you have the type of repertoire, I believe you have. I'm surprised you weren't looking to join the ABB."

"I have no desire any longer to be associated with the criminal element. If I must fight, I will fight, but I wish to do so for a righteous cause."

Danny nodded. He'd heard similar stories before, everyone down at the docks had a story, and it wasn't his job to pry. So he gave Jin Sakai the same spiel he gave everyone else who came here looking for a job, "As long as you keep your nose clean and don't get anyone else here killed, you'll have a job here."

"Thank you, Mr Hebert," Jin said bowing. "I will not let you down,"

Dannny had heard that a lot, too, and more often than not he had been let down. Not all the time though. He was willing to give this guy a chance, though. "I'll hold you to it, Jin. Now, where are you staying?"

"I haven't figured that out yet. Hebert-san, can you recommend a hotel or motel?" The wanderer asked.

Danny sucked in through his teeth, making a hissing noise. 'All the hotels are in the E88's territory. If they find out Jin is in one of them, they will kill him… Well, there is one thing I could do… But I don't think Taylor will like it.' Danny rubbed the bald spot on the back of his head. 'Really, what choice do I have? If I send it to a hotel, he's as good as dead. I have to do this for the sake of my conscience, if nothing else.' He decided. "There isn't a hotel you can go to. It's not safe for you, but you can stay at my house."

"I cannot accept that generous offer from Hebert-san," Jin said with a bow. "It is too much for someone you just met."

"Not really. If I send you to where the hotels actually are. The Empire 88 is likely to kill you. They run things downtown you see. Also since you're not affiliated with the ABB, they're likely to kill you. So the only safe place you can stay at the moment is at my house."

Jin pondered his options for a moment before he nodded, "You make sense Hebert-san, but are you sure I won't be intruding?"

Daniel just laughed, "If anything, seeing the look on my daughter's face when I bring you home with you is worth a chuckle or two. She's around your age, I think."

"Trying to play matchmaker Hebert-san? Is that not usually the wife's job?" Jin asked bemusedly.

"It is," Danny replied, nodding fondly. "But my wife died over a year and a half ago, so I find myself picking up a lot of the slack."

Gin bowed solemnly. "I am sorry for my impertinence and your loss,"

The head of the DWU, just waved him off, "You didn't know. So no harm, no foul." He looked over at the small clock he kept hanging above the door. It was a gift from Annette, at their last Christmas together. "It's just about time to stop for the day, so you can start tomorrow."

"Very well," Jin replied, "Since you are allowing me to stay with you, I must insist on buying dinner. I've been told there is a very nice Chinese place near the boardwalk."

"Trying to get on my and Taylor's good side already?" Danny joked, as he took his coat off the back of his chair.

"Perhaps," Jin joked back, smiling slightly, "But it is more my honor demanding I compensate you in some way, for your kindness," Jin said, as he opened the door for his new boss.

Danny blinked as he saw something he'd never seen in his dockyard before. "Is that a horse?"

"That is Kage, yes," Jin replied, mounting his trusty steed.

Shaking his head now thinking he'd seen it all, Danny replied. "Well, Yippie kay yay. Let's ride off into the sunset, partner."

"Let me guess. You're into American westerns?" Jin asked.

"Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do," Danny replied with a smirk on his face.

Jin nodded knowingly, "John Wayne,"

"Yep, now let's ride," Danny said as he revved the engine of his old beat up jalopy of a pickup truck.


The Hebert house was located at the dead end of a street. Some shingles were missing off the roof. The trim in the siding looked like it could use a fresh coat of paint, and the grass looked a bit too long. Jin didn't comment on any of this, it wasn't his place however, as he was just a guest. Instead, he tied up Kage to a nearby fence post and waited for his host to unlock the front door.

"Is your horse going to be okay left out in the front yard like this?" Danny asked.

"Kage will be fine. He has survived worse," Jin assured his new boss, as he waited for him to unlock the front door.

"If you're sure," Danny said, using his keys to undo the bolts on the front door. "Taylor!" He called into the house. "I'm home,I brought dinner, and a guest."

Jin walked into the house, yet it didn't feel like a home. It felt more like a lifeless was a sense of foreboding to this place. A gloominess lingered around it. A heaviness was in the air that seemed to try to suck the strength out of you the moment you walked through the door. A sort of solemnness was here. Everything felt gray and drab. Even the pictures on the walls that showed a smiling family of three felt colorless and devoid of emotion or life.

Hearing a noise off to his left, he looked over just in time to see a young girl, probably no older than fourteen or fifteen, wiry, thin, with a mane of black hair and glasses framing her eyes come down the stairs. She was clad in nothing but jeans and a T-shirt. She had a wide expressive mouth, and dark green eyes that seemed to glimmer behind her glasses. "Dad," She said, looking at Danny before seeing him and asking in surprise, "Who's this?"

"Taylor, this is my new employee, Jin. Jin, this is my daughter Taylor," Danny said, making with the introductions.

Jin bowed at the waist to the girl. "It is an honor to meet you, Taylor, your father speaks very highly of you."

"I-" Taylor hastily bowed as well. Her raven black hair framing her face. "Nice to meet you too," she said swiftly, stuttering a bit in embarrassment.

"Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm bringing an employee home with me, Taylor?" questioned Danny.

"It… it did cross my mind," The girl admitted shyly, straightening up as she took the food from her father and set it on the table.

"Well, he just got into town and was looking for work, and he also has no place to stay and no intention of joining any of the gangs. Also if he rented a hotel room downtown …" Danny trailed off.

"He'd probably get targeted by the Empire 88 for being Asian. They control everything downtown," Taylor said, nodding along, before she went into the kitchen to collect plates and silverware for them to eat with.

She came back shortly and started setting the table for three. "S-So does that mean he's going to be staying here?" she asked nervously, giving him a sideways glance, noticing his nice stubble.

"I don't have to if it will make you uncomfortable," Jin assured her.

"No, no, it's not that at all. It's just… This is going to take some getting used to," She told him quietly. 'Having a cute boy my age in the house is definitely going to take some getting used to,' She thought. Her nerves were even more frazzled than usual at this new development.

"Understandable," Jin replied easily. "Transitions are often difficult, even painful yet the only thing that stays the same is that everything changes."

"Indeed, pass the crab rangoon," Danny asked as he served himself some fried chicken and rice.

"Dad, can we afford all this?" Taylor asked worriedly. She knew money was tight and so they rarely, if ever ate out.

"No, we can't. But then again, I didn't pay for it, Jin did," her father replied with a nod of thanks in the man's direction.

"Oh, thanks Jin," She said, giving him her best smile.

The man in question just smiled contentedly as he tried the beef lo mein. "It was my honor. Tell me a little about yourself Taylor, if you would be so kind."

"Oh me?" She asked as she looked like a deer in headlights. "Umm, there's not much to say really. I'm just a n-normal highschool student. Nothing special about me at all."

"Hmm," Jin said, as he continued to eat his food. 'She stutters and is nervous, especially when she mentions her school. Is she perhaps being bullied and not telling her father? Also when I asked her about herself the tonal pitch of the cicadas outside got noticeably louder for just a second… coincidence or…' He said nothing but kept his suspicions in the back of his mind for now. "I see. Well if you need help with your homework later feel free to ask me."

"Okay, thanks," She said, smiling at him warmly yet there was a resigned sadness that lingered in her eyes. He didn't like seeing it there. It reminded him of the sadness his father had when thinking of his mother. He decided he would get to the bottom of its cause. 'It can wait however, as there is something that must be addressed first,' thought Jin as then cleared his throat, andspoke, "There is something I must admit Hebert-san. I wasn't entirely honest during our interview earlier."

"Oh, what about?" Danny asked. He wasn't accusatory, but he was on guard if only just.

"I am a cape," Jin admitted.

That got the attention of both Heberts. "What kind of cape? Like what can you do? What specialization?" Taylor asked excitedly. She did like capes just like any other kid her age, even if she hated the class on it because of her teacher.

In response, Jin reached under the table and revealed his sword. The sheath was advanced looking like a cross between a rifle barrel with a rifle clip and a trigger built into it along with a beautiful sea wave engraving work, flicking the safety, Jin unsheathed his sword, revealing it was some sort of pattern welded blade. "I like to think I am a little of a Tinker. My specialty is primarily in metallurgy."

"An alloy making tinker… interesting," Danny muttered to himself as he stroked his chin. "That could be useful on the Docks."

Jin nodded, "We shall see, while I am primarily a Tinke,r I have supplementary abilities to help with it," He demonstrated by levitating a stainless steel fork in the air.

"Grabbag cape," Taylor said under her breath. "With a primary skill in metallurgy," Speaking up she said, "Your power is so cool, Jin."

He nodded in acknowledgement, "Thank you."


After the trio finished eating, Taylor said, "If you're serious about helping me with my homework, I could use some help with math."

"Certainly," Jin replied, "Just let me get my things off Kage and I'll be glad to assist you."

She watched him walk outside and was surprised to see a horse just standing out there. She saw him pull things out of the saddlebags, which included a bow and quiver full of arrows, as well as a duffle bag. Coming back inside he joked, "It'll be hard for you to get your homework from upstairs if you're staring at me all night."

"R-Right, be right back," Taylor said before she scrambled up the stairs.

Chuckling from his seat in the living room, Danny said, "You're gonna make her have a heart attack if you keep that up."

"What do you mean?" questioned Jin.

"I don't know if my Taylor's poor maiden heart can handle all that teasing," Danny replied, as he turned the page in the paper.

"Ah… well you know what they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Jin replied as he cleared the table for the two of them.

Lowering his paper Danny said, "True just don't tease her too much, otherwise you might have to resuscitate her, I don't think she'd want her first kiss to go like that."

"I will certainly do my best not to make her faint… Though I must say Hebert-san, you seem perfectly fine with the idea of me dating your daughter. You seem to be encouraging it even. Why is that?" asked Jin who was confused by Danny's behavior.

"I love my daughter Jin, I do, but I am also fully aware that working at the Dock Workers Union takes up a majority of my time, but it's also the only thing keeping this roof over our heads at the moment. When you walked into my office, you were covered in dust and mud, tired from the road, and looking for honest if hard work instead of the quick easy buck you could be making by falling in with the ABB. Do you know what that says to me about you?" When the tinker said nothing he continued, "That you're a good honest man who would sooner break his back in a dockyard than give up his pride selling drugs or forcing girls into the slave trade. That alone makes you better than a good ninety percent of the Asians in this town, sad to say."

"One's honor, or as you would call it, pride, cannot be taken from anyone, it can only be given up by the actions of the individual," Jin said solemnly. "These Azn Bad Boys have given up their honor for the sake of money and power. As for the Dragon of Kyushu… he is just a wyrm, a salamander crawling on his belly in the grass."

"Sounds like you have history with him," Danny mused.

"My brother more than I, but one must defend one's honor and one's family, yes?" Jin inquired.

Danny nodded. "It isn't a fight many would go looking for, myself included, but like I said earlier, sometimes a man's gotta do, what a man's gotta do."

"Indeed," agreed Jin.

Taylor came back down the stairs just then carrying some papers and a math book. "So umm, how good are you at algebra?"

"Good enough to teach, which means not very," answered Jinn.

That got a laugh out of the girl. "Those who cannot do, teach?" she questioned.

"Quite now let us face this foe known as homework together," Jin said, rallying the troops or in this case, a lone soldier, to his cause.

'Annette, I think you would've approved of Jin,' Danny thought as he watched the two interact from over the rim of his paper.


The sound of a hawk's cry awoke Jin from his sleep on the Hebert's couch. Throwing the blanket off himself, he crept silent as the grave to the sliding door that led to the backyard and let himself outside tinkering with a small metal ball he began working with before he went to bed as he stepped outside.

The night was cool with a light breeze and lit by both stars and a sickle moon. Releasing a shrill whistle, five humanoid shapes pulled themselves out of the darkness before kneeling before him, their figures obscured in the dark.

"We are here, master. We apologize for our tardiness," The one in the center spoke.

Jin merely waved his subordinate off, "It's no trouble. I took the liberty of doing some recon and getting the lay of the land before you all arrived. This task will not be as easy as the other and will require all of us working on multiple fronts to pull off successfully. Starting from the left he began to give orders. "Fuji, you shall ingratiate yourself with the Empire Eighty-Eight. Taiyi, you shall join the PRT, become a Hero, become beloved by the public. Katou, I want you to join the ABB, get me all the information you can on Lung and his capes. And you, Raijinko, will join these Merchants.

"And me?" The last one asked.

"Kashu, I have a special assignment for you… the girl in this house, I want her watched. You are not to engage, no matter what happens. Merely watch her tomorrow and report back to me," Jin said as he finished his project. "You will have backup on this assignment however. Now, does everyone understand their assignments?"

"YES!" The five said at once.

"Are there any questions?" commanded Jin.

When they all remained silent, Jin said after a moment, "Then you may go."

With that, the group dispersed, and Jin headed back inside, closing and locking the door behind him. Tapping the sphere, the small machine came to life. Its head was a singular eye, its body consisting of multiple barrels that were loaded and prepared to each fire a single .22 caliber round. "If anything happens, activate the beacon and then fire a warning shot. If that doesn't work, lay down suppressing fire until I arrive. Do you understand your orders, Kyokai?"

"Boop Boop," The machine said solemnly.

"Good, in you go then," He said, placing the small machine in Taylor's backpack before going back to sleep.


Word count: 6,053 Number of Pages: 14 Date Completed: 5/28/2022


AN: Greetings people of the interwebs and welcome to my and Snowy's Worm fic. I realized I had a cool idea for a character and decided to roll with it. Is he a Self-Insert? No he's a certain character from a video game I've adapted to fit the world of Worm. I'd say who but that would spoil the surprise. Though I'm sure some of you can figure it out… Anyway, here's Snowy with a few kind words.

Hey everyone, Happy to talk to yall again. Here is a new story with a mysterious stranger riding into town on a horse but he isn't alone who knows what allies and adversaries he will bring. All we can do is pray. Pray and hope nothing escalates!

Pray indeed. "Prey"… indeed. Anyway, till next time everyone this has been a Bubbajack and Icysnowsage production, Peace.