Hey Ya'll! Welcome back to another installment of The Wizard of Brockton Bay. I hope ya'll enjoyed the last one and enjoy this one as well. It's going to be a shorter chapter this time around, but I hope that it's still a good one. I don' wanna hold ya'll up, so let's jump right in. Don't forget to check the bottom for a longer A/N. Let's Go!

BROCKTON BAY MASSACHUSETTES –

September 13th, 1998. 12:35 PM EST.

Allfather (Richard Anders) POV:

Richard Anders was not always the most patient of men, and as he found himself waiting for his two children to join him; that limited patience was being tested.

At fifty-two years of age, Richard stood at 5'11 and broad of shoulder, weighing in at 225 pounds with a relatively fit physique; one that was more sturdy or hardy than being cut and defined.

He stood with his back to the room at large, his slightly wrinkled and weathered visage turned towards the skyline of Brockton Bay as his deep blue eyes scanned over the cityscape from behind the view of his recently gifted penthouse suite; as he began to consider the recent happenings within the city at large.

Slowly but surely the E88 was pulling in new recruits, each day bringing in one or two new hopefuls that would join the fold in their quest for dominance and superiority over the dregs and unwashed filth of society.

Their rally's still had to be held mostly in secret, but as the months passed, more and more of them were being held; and already four had been held this month.

Unfortunately, the overall process was slow going…as the Empire was not the only organization to make it roots in the city of Brockton Bay.

The Archers Bridge Merchants was a small group comprised of only four 'Capes' that were trying to become big time drug dealers, and said 'Capes' made up not only the bulk of the groups force but also its force multiplying power. One could argue that they had numbers, but the truest fact to observe about the Merchants; was that they're unpowered members were all simple drug addicts.

And one can't count on a bunch of broken junkies to fight in a real battle.

'But even though the majority of them are filth, Aster, Harlequin, Chemist, and Poleaxe are all still 'Parahuman's'…even if they are mostly just a nuisance. One that I don't wish to deal with any longer. They are significantly slowing the Empire's ascension. Sooner or later, I'll need to commit a force to their eradication. The sooner the better.' Richard thought, before turning his thoughts towards the actual threats and roadblocks that his gang faced.

The Teeth, and of course Allfather's archrival…Marquis.

The Teeth were, in Richards eyes, only a step or two above the Merchants themselves in reality.

While the Merchants was more a small congregation of 'Capes' with the same aims in life than an actual organization, the Teeth actually had enough among their total numbers to count themselves as an actual Gang. A true rival for the territory of Brockton Bay.

They're 'Parahuman's' numbered in almost the double digits at a total of nine, outnumbering the Empires current active roster of five, and while the Teeth's ground forces weren't necessarily well trained or armed by any measure; they made up for their lack of coordination and decent weapons with the sheer force, vastly growing numbers, and the kind of brutal devastation they were known to wreak when they set out against their opposition.

'And of course, one must never forget their leader. The Butcher.' Allfather thought with a small spark of disdain, as he willed a two-handed Longseax into existence in front of himself to pluck from the air and hold as he considered the 'Cape' that he saw as the greatest danger to Brockton Bay and his own ambitions.

The story of the 'Butcher' had begun as nothing more than a bed time story. A whisper in the dark.

A story that was believed to have been manifested by an addled madman, who was later proved to have been only the second iteration of his wretched line, Butcher II.

The 'Cape' that had once been called Ravage had come off as completely unstable, often being seen out and about with his gang; to only at random points yell into the open air as if arguing with himself.

Richard had been just a bit younger then…more foolish and cocksure.

He could only look back on those times and find himself thankful that it had in fact been a Hero that had finally cut down Butcher II.

'Even if all that did was awaken everyone's worst nightmares by revealing the truth.' Allfather thought as he considered the consequences of what had happened.

'Resolute' had once been a young and ambitious Hero at one point, a beacon for the local Protectorate with a decent level of super strength topping out at somewhere around him being able to slightly lift a moderately sized sedan, meanwhile also seeming to have a kind of 'Danger Sense' on top of it which aided him in battle.

Resolute had been one of the premiere members of the local Protectorate branch during that time, had been a serious problem for his own organizations moves, and after a time the young hero had outright stated to the public that he was making it his sole mission to take down the Butcher and the Teeth…for good.

At that time…Butcher's condition had been nothing more than a rumor, something that the Teeth themselves were seemingly spouting to the public as a part of their fearmongering campaign that they were already quite famous for.

Resolute had kept his promise. He had set out to hunt down the famed villainous 'Parahuman' and had fought the man one on one.

Many even now argued that outright attempting to murder one another, or civilians was in bad form, even more so since the rumors began to spread of the so called 'Super Prison' that had been dubbed the 'Birdcage' when it supposedly came online in 96'. It having been designed to house even the strongest of 'Capes', many feared being added to its collection.

During that particular time however, the prison hadn't been up and running, and the local branch of the PRT didn't believe that they would be able to hold stronger super powered individuals for indefinite amounts of time.

It had been like the wild west out on the streets of Brockton for quite some time, just as much as it continued to be even now, often times the civilian death toll being noted as climbing into the low double digits between thirty and forty when the Teeth would set out on one of their bloody campaigns.

The Teeth's manic and destructive behavior was what had given spark to the overall change in tactics by the local Protectorate with giving the hero's carte blanche for a time, and it had changed the landscape of how things had worked.

When Resolute had taken the initiative and attacked the Butcher, no one outside of the merry band of psychopaths would have even bothered to consider that the rumors of Butcher being more than one individual possible; let alone true.

Resolute had snapped 'Butcher II's' neck like a small stack of dry kindling on a live television recording…

Within a week of the fight, it had been noticed that the man had quickly disappeared from the public eye, the local Protectorate claiming that the hero was on a 'Temporary Leave of Absence' as a reward for his victory over one of the scourges of Brockton Bay.

The Teeth had gone into hiding, seemingly broken and now leaderless.

Things had seemed to be at a turning point for Brockton Bay, and it would have been a welcome change for all involved as it seemed that Brockton's most violent gang was finished.

The local PRT office suffered a massive blow to their public relations department when Resolute was next seen again.

The man had utterly lost his mind.

Resolute was the walking talking proof that the previous Butcher's consciousness's were passing on.

Resolute had claimed that he was hearing their voices in his head, pushing him towards violent and depraved acts. The man hadn't been able to withstand the onslaught of the other two collective voices battering around in his mind.

Allfather had gotten front row seat to the changeover between the then Butcher III and the soon to be Butcher IV during a massive fight down on the boardwalk sometime after that, as a newly minted villain calling himself 'Red Death' had joined the Teeth's ranks; and in a show of pure insanity had tackled Resolute to the ground when the hero made a mad dash against the Teeth's assembled force when they came out of hiding to take over Brockton's boardwalk.

Red Death's 'Parahuman' ability seemed to be inflicting festering wounds that progressively became worse if he maintained prolonged physical contact with his enemy.

Resolute, Butcher III, had died with a wheezing gasp at the west entrance to Brockton Bays boardwalk.

Butcher IV had roared to the sky in victory over the former hero's corpse and had taken over the crazed gang of psychopaths; leading the mish mashed members of the Teeth against not only the Protectorate that day…but Allfathers own forces as well in a three-way battle that saw the Boardwalk being considered part of the Teeth's territory for a time.

All of that had taken place over the span of two weeks, and the cost had been high all around; but the victory that had been gained wound up being short lived for the newly crowned Butcher IV.

He had tipped the domino that would lead to his own destruction when he proved that the passing of the Butcher's abilities held, as he was attacked and challenged only six months after that to the now growing bastion of powers.

Butcher IV found himself set upon and defeated, and the title of Butcher was then passed on to and held by a man that had been previously calling himself 'Noxious'.

Noxious true to form, demonstrated having all of the other Butcher's previous abilities, along with his own which was a breath attack comprised of a yellowish cloud that would cause mild skin irritation with basic contact to the skin; that would later be revealed to eventually progress to one falling victim to said gases hidden poisonous nature.

Noxious had been an extremely new, and small time villain. He hadn't even had what could be considered a proper costume, with only a half mask and strange goggles covering the top half of his face but revealing his bright orange hair. He hadn't had a gang of his own, or anything of real value to bring to the table outside of his own ability.

But the ability had been backed up by a tenacious and bloodthirsty attitude. Just the kind of thing that the Teeth respected.

The rumor that circulated was that Noxious had challenged Butcher IV to a fight in one of the Teeth's common gladiatorial matches that the gang held for sport when they weren't making the locals downright miserable.

The longest that anyone had been exposed to the gas had been recorded at five minutes…

It had been one of Allfather's own gang's recruits that had fallen victim to the attack in the midst of a minor scuffle to drive the Teeth from the Boardwalk, and the man that had been exposed had spent twelve hours in intensive care before he died; all of his veins having been overly pronounced and inflated, his blood coming out tinged black as it poured from all of his orifices.

The Teeth had been active as a whole as of late, but it was clear that something had happened; as the Butcher hadn't been making any overt moves.

'Perhaps the torch has somehow been passed again.' Richard thought for a brief moment as he used his right thumb to check the edge of the Longseax he'd created, before turning his thoughts from Brockton's largest gang to the one that was considered the most effective.

'And to think…the 'Gang' is only comprised of a single man.'

Allfather's rival. Marquis.

Tall, thin, strong, and above all else deadly. The man was an absolute powerhouse, and Allfather hated him on principal. His fellow 'Capes' ability was Osteokinesis, and the man wielded his ability with a kind of expert precision that would leave most others green with envy.

The man did in fact oftentimes bring small groups of henchmen with him that would wield a variety of powerful guns, but Marquis had also demonstrated that he didn't need the help.

Already the famed super villain had taken on and beaten Brockton Bay's independent hero team, The Brockton Bay Brigade; and he had already done so on multiple occasions, driving the well-coordinated team off and showing that he was nigh untouchable.

Even when working in tandem with both his son and daughter, whose powers were scarily similar to his own, the three of them would find themselves on the defensive while facing the enigmatic crime lord on the field of battle.

Allfather hated the man for that. He hated him for the level of power and control he seemed to demonstrate, he hated him for the charisma that he seemed to wield, and most of all he hated that the man was a traitor to his own race as he seemingly had no problem with hiring the filth and lesser races to help him when needed.

'But I will say this much, I can't help but respect the bastard. Even if it's only a little.' Allfather thought, before shaking his head and turning to look at his children as he heard the large double oak doors of the suite open to admit them to the room proper.

As they entered and proceeded to sit down at the large mahogany dining table in-between them, Allfather took in the appearances of his children.

His twenty-one-year-old son Max, stood at just slightly taller than himself at six-foot even, his blonde hair pulled tightly back against his scalp in a slicked back fashion; his bright blue eyes locking with his own for a moment as he dawned a small smile while nodding at him. He was wearing a nice like grey pin stripped three-piece suit, with dark wingtips.

His twenty-two-year-old daughter Estrid, stood at five foot seven, her slight yet tone body more relaxed than she would normally appear; her blonde hair set in a large and voluminous tight French plait. Her own icy blue eyes were alight with curiosity for the meeting, and her own dark grey pants suit hugged her body tightly; her dark flats keeping her at her genuine height.

Richard chose to stay on his feet while planting the tip of his conjured sword lightly into the shag carpet on which he stood, his hands wrapped tightly around the pommel of the weapon as he took a moment to gather his thoughts of what he'd like to say before addressing his progenies.

"Things are going to heat up again soon. The Teeth have been quiet, too quiet for my liking. That roving band of unwashed psychopaths are far too unhinged to allow the city this long of a respite…we need to ensure that we are ready. When next they emerge we're going to do our very best to snuff them out once and for all. We'll capture the Butcher, and that will be that. The city will finally be ours for the taking, and even the Protectorate will be falling over themselves to applaud us for doing what even their best haven't been able to."

Richards words seemed to add fuel to the fire of his already excitable daughter, her face coming alive at the prospect of a battle with the other gang.

'And considering that the vast majority of their ranks is made up of the mongrel dogs, only adds to how joyful the prospect will be.'

Richard also took in the look on Max's face however…

It was on the complete opposite end of the spectrum of what he knew his own looked like, and considering his daughters face mirrored his own; the difference was clear as day.

Max's disposition had always been of a different sort than his sisters or even his own, and Richard wasn't afraid to admit that the difference often made him wonder if his son may in fact just be a sympathizer.

'We'll get to the root of that here and now.'

Wasting no time Allfather leveled the majority of his gaze upon his son and spoke directly to him.

"What is the matter with you, boy? You don't seem joyous at the prospect of us finally putting the dogs in their place in the dirt. Are you going soft on us? Have you lost sight of our vision for the future?" Richard asked as he locked gazes with his male heir.

To his credit, Max's visage didn't shift out of any kind of fear or doubt. His son maintained his measured look of consideration, even as he held Richards gaze.

His response came quickly and calmly, his gaze still firmly set while his tone remained steadfast.

"I still hold to the same hopes and vision as you Father. I simply think that we need to be careful as we forward with this future culling of the Teeth. While many amongst their ranks are indeed sympathizers, that doesn't necessarily mean that they can't be realigned to our way of thinking."

Richard began to take a moment to consider his son's measured response, and it did in fact have its own merit; but he was kept from making his own remarks about it as his spitfire of a daughter spoke out against her brother's opinion.

"Pfffft. The overall majority of that gang is nothing. Nothing but a pack of useless dregs and mongrels. They aren't worth our spit on the ground. You talk of bringing them into the fold, but the truth of it is that we don't need them. We should stick to our convictions. Slaughter them like the animals that they are to the very last of them. Mount their heads on pikes, make the example of them that we should. Once that's done, we can focus on making a move against Marquis. With the three of us together we'll take him down eventually. Each encounter has been a lesson, and sooner or later the man will slip up and our numbers will be his undoing too. Once that happens? The Bay will be ours! The Protectorate is nothing but a gaggle of ineffectual fools. This place needs a sturdier set of hands to guide it. Who better than the Empire?"

His daughters impassioned words stoked the fires in his heart to push forward with the operation as quickly as possible, and he was about to express such; but his son cut across them both.

"It wouldn't be a good idea right now. Heith only just recently gained her abilities. Any operation we go on will put her at risk. That and we've only just gained our two newest associates on top of that, and even with them the Teeth still have two more 'Parahumans' than we do. They're sheer numbers and brutal tactics, or should I say lack thereof, will make any possible skirmish we have with them a severe liability for us. That's going without taking into account the fact that the Protectorate will in fact get involved in a battle of that scale, and if any of the other factions make a move during that time? We need to think this through carefully. We should continue as we have thus far. I've made some excellent inroads in some legitimate business's, and if we play this right and use the gang for some subterfuge; we can come out the other end with a significant bit of capitol at our disposal. Then if you'd like we can hire some mercenaries, bolster our ranks, and finally rout those dogs from the city."

Richard found himself having to relax himself and take a moment to go back over his son's own impassioned rebuttal to what his sister had suggested, and when he did, he could find no fault in the boy's words.

Richard would be the first to say that sometimes his son's manner and way of doing things left him open to being looked at as a bit of a coward, a schemer. The boy didn't necessarily shy away from conflict, no far from it. But unlike himself or his sister the boy didn't seem to revel in it, didn't seem to enjoy taking the axe to the unworthy denizens of Brockton Bay.

'But even so the boy may be right. This may be a better way to handle this opportunity.' Richard thought for a moment, the process being pulled off course by his son having to reach into his pocket and pull out his personal cell phone.

With his thoughts thoroughly derailed at the small diversion, Richard began to scrutinize his son a bit as he stood from the table and turned his back to both himself and Estrid.

"This is Max."

…

"I see. And what do you think of him?"

…

"Really now? Affluent? Looking at him, if you had to guess, how well off would you say?"

…

"Mmhmm. Did he happen to say where he was from? The reason for the relocation?"

…

"Hmm. Well, that's fair enough. Extend an invitation to him. Politely. We don't wanna scare him off. Excellent work Gorm. After you've extended the invite call me back, I'd like to get the measure of the response he gives you."

…

"Excellent. We'll speak soon."

CLICK

After hanging up his son turned back around to face them, and quickly retook his seat at the table.

Estrid never being one with a great deal of patience, pressed her brother before he himself could.

"What was that all about?"

Richard watched as Max smirked a bit, before explaining the situation.

"I placed Gorm down at the Boardwalk at the local pawn shop there on the south side, Gideon's. The one run by the pudgy Italian type that was resistant to the protection plan? Well, it would seem that a patron just left. One that appeared to be somewhat affluent, if Gorm's description of his clothing was anything to go by. If there wasn't that bit to consider, there's also the fact that he seems to be trading in what appears to be raw gold Krugerrand's. Or at the very least something similar. Gorm also claims, that he appears to be someone that would fit right in amongst our ranks if you catch my meaning. He'll be back at the shop within the hour, as he must have done some poking around and came to find out about Gideon having a contact that can help engineer some new identity papers for himself; so our possible recruit will be back soon enough. I told Gorm to extend an invitation. If he accepts I can get the measure of him myself, if he doesn't it's no real loss, as we'll be pulling in a nice percentage from Gideon's for the sale for the connection. Either way it's a win."

Richard could only nod his head as he listened to his son outline how he knew the situation would go, knowing that if there was anything about his son's demeanor that he could count on, it was that he was tricky and was adept at using his head to get the very best results.

'The boy is ambitious and wants power. At the least anyone can respect that.' Richard thought as he directed a small smile at his son before speaking to both of his kids again.

"Max is in fact right. To try and take the Teeth on when they come crawling out of hiding has its risks all around…but your right as well Estrid. If we can dismantle them, do it properly, the Bay will be ours. We'll have a firm enough hold that we'll even be able to set the stage to take the Protectorate out of the equation. If we can get the better of them too? Fold the 'Capes' into our ranks? We'll be in a prime position to begin expanding then. Soon enough the Empire would be able to move onto bigger territories. Boston, perhaps?" Richard said as he moved and pulled out three glasses and a bottle of red wine from the nearby liquor cabinet.

After pouring enough into all three glasses, Richard walked one glass to each of his children on the one side of the table; before making his way back around and raising his own glass just slightly above his head.

"To the culling of the mongrels below us! To the Empire!"

A chorus of "To the Empire!", came from both of his children before the three of them indulged in the slightly sweet red.

Richard knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but he would hold to his conviction.

'The Empire will stand above all others. We'll take back the destiny that is rightfully ours, putting the other races under our yoke. Where they belong.'

Annnd FIN. That's it for this chapter ya'll! I hope that you all enjoyed it. A big thanks to everyone that has faved, and followed thus far. If it please you, go ahead and leave me a review, and if you think you know others that would enjoy the story; please do pass on the word about it. I'm going to be attempting to knock out chapter 24 for my largest fic on here Legends Are Made, so I don't know when I'll be updating this one again. The muse is running strong with it, so we will see what happens. My typical schedule usually makes it difficult to get a lot of writing done, but I must admit that the last three updates for This story came pretty close together. That being said I don't like to say I'm going to have an official update schedule so that no one winds up disappointed. If you get the chance, please check out my other works, and do let me know what you think. Until then, I hope that you all stay safe, happy, and healthy! I'll catch you next time folks. This is Sojiro, signing off. Laters Gators.