I had four weeks to meet up with one of my fellow escaped siblings or Dad would find me. It didn't say so explicitly, but I couldn't think of any other reason for his reputation to change. Gamer's Mind suggested it would protect me from his bullshit, but Dad hadn't been able to affect any of us as much after we… well, become what we were. What was more important was whether Gamer's Mind protected me from the rest of my lovely family.
They weren't looking for me, were they? It's been years. Surely they'd given up…?
No, getting sidetracked. Priority numero uno was finding one of my other escaped siblings. I only knew one for sure - Jean-Paul, the first to escape, whose footsteps I ironically followed in (ironic because I was older by a few years). His power was stronger than mine, better. He could control people directly. Controlled me once. Awful. Dad rode him hard though, because he was important. Me? I was defeated by ear plugs. I could brainwash someone by recording my voice on a tape and playing it to them long enough, sure, but that was kind of niche compared to my siblings who could just control you more concretely and easily.
I had no fucking idea where Jean-Paul was though. We were all searching for him for months after he escaped but we never really found a trace. Some of us thought he found a backer or someone who was shielding him. Or maybe he was just that good at hiding. I did the same. The backer thing, that is.
It was an opportunistic thing - pretend I was looking for Hijack, secretly pay a Thinker a few hundred thousand to help me run away. I could maybe pay that same Thinker for help again… but I didn't have a few hundred thousand on me or whatever it was he would want.
But my Quest did imply others had escaped. It said 'one of the Heartbroken'. So if I found someone else, it would be enough.
Why was finding someone else enough? Did we need to combine our powers to frighten away whoever was hunting us on Dad's orders? No, don't think about that, think about finding them. Who else could have escaped… I had no fucking idea but I knew who might. Parahumans Online.
Let's see… who was active amongst my dearest family and who had stopped being visible…
Okay, so there was like four of us, tops. Maybe. Jean-Paul, me, Cherie, Rosaire.
Cherie… Cherie was a few years older than me, and we had similar powers. Probably because we were actually fully brother and sister? I don't know. We did also Trigger pretty close to each other. Her power was more versatile than mine, but mine had longer lasting effects, not to mention I could transmit it through electronics and recordings. Her range for detection was way beyond mine though. Finding her could be difficult. She'd sense me coming from miles away.
Rosaire was different and also I doubted he had actually gotten away. He had a sympathetic-empathy sort of thing going on. It was kind of hard to describe but he was like a megaphone for emotions. If he was sad, everyone else was sadforhim. If he was happy, everyone else was happyforhim. Dad used him to control large crowds a few times because it was like being hit by his power twice. Really doubt Dad would let him so much as out of his sight, he was way too valuable. Pity. I liked him. He was nice... ish.
That left Jean-Paul. The ghost. No trace of him whatsoever and I was pretty sure if he saw me he'd probably make me turn around and walk right the other way because that is exactly what I would do if I was him.
Man, not for the first time I wish we weren't all so fucked up.
Alright, so I just needed to track down one of three possible people, one of which may not be in reach, another who can see me coming and probably doesn't want to see me, and the last who is just… who just might as well not exist as far as I knew. I feel like if I pulled this off, I deserved more XP.
Right, if I was Jean-Paul or Cherie how would I hide? Well. I did hide. As Lullaby. Using my power but in a limited fashion to help distance it from myself and why wouldn't they do the same? I only ever made people fall asleep as Lullaby. Cherie could do something similar if she just stuck to a single emotion (maybe even sleepiness like I did). Jean-Paul though, Hijack… it started with like, muscle spasms and twitches because he said he had to 'learn' how your nervous system worked. So somebody who did that. And Rosaire… well, I guess general empaths?
There were a few possible Masters across the States. But how far would they have possibly run? Could Jean-Paul run away to Europe or Mexico or…? No. I doubted it. Four weeks… I had four weeks. It had to be doable. I had to be able to find them. It wouldn't give me a Quest I couldn't finish… would it?
Needed to stop thinking about that. I needed to get searching. First stop… Denver, Colorado. A Master there named 'Twitch' could cause, well, twitching and spasms.
Well, that was a bust.
'Twitch' had been the rightish height, rightish hair, even rightish build. Just… completely wrong gender. How had PHO missed that? It was obvious! I didn't even have to use Observe to make sure!
At least I'd stopped by a great taco joint, so maybe it wasn't entirely a bust. Now that I was back in my motel room, I could take a moment and assess where to go next. There was a girl in Texas who put people to sleep but she went by the name 'Naptime' and… I couldn't see Cherie doing that? Also she was kind of chubby. Nothing wrong with that, but I didn't see Cherie doing that either but hey, it was one way to avoid being recognised.
… Did Jean-Paul gain weight? I can't see him doing that either.
A series of sharp knocks at my door broke me out of my imaginings of a rotund version of my younger brother. Visitors…? Not for me. Was it the motel staff? Or had my father's claws found me already?
I flicked through my mental menus, going for the 'Inventory'. Possibly the most useful part of my power - the ability to transport and hold a bulk of stuff without having to physically do it. Not that I had a lot of stuff. Mostly just clothes, really, and the handful of cash I called my own. But I did have a few useful things.
A Glock 17 I'd bought when I'd just arrived in Seattle. For self defense purposes, of course, in case my brothers and sisters ever wanted to try and drag me back to Dad. And also, just in case anyone else tried anything. You could never be too careful.
"It's not locked," I called cheerfully, racking the slide and readying myself. Really hope it wasn't just a maid or something.
It wasn't. I recognised their faces before I could even see the text boxes floating above their heads.
Villain
Lv 23 Nicolas Vasil (Scarecrow)
Daddy's Little Soldier
HP: 358/358 MP: 193/193
Villain
Lv 22 Guillaume Vasil (Eyespy)
Daddy's Little Soldier
HP: 281/281 MP: 194/194
… Great. They both had a solid four-five levels on me. And a good chunk on my HP. Still I had more MP… what did that say about me I wonder?
I could hear their oddly muted symphonies, smug and arrogant… until I pointed the pistol at them. Then there was the taut strings of surprise and and the percussive shock, like cymbals banged together. Disbelief creeped in on oboes, of all things… maybe that's why they sounded like oboes? Because I couldn't believe oboes would be used?
"Bonjour, Nicolas, Guillaume. Ca va?" I said with more cheerfulness than I was feeling.
"Ca va bien," Guillaume said slowly, eyeing the pistol. The disbelief strengthened and arrogance returned on trumpets. Asshole thought I wouldn't do it. Well, I wouldn't kill him. He was still my brother after all. But he had broken my Gameboy and laughed in my face when I was eight, so kneecapping him wasn't out of the question.
"Dad's been looking everywhere for you, Bastien," Nicolas said, nowhere near as nervous as Guillaume had been. Of course he didn't. His power was the reason he was out here looking for runaways and strays. He kept us in line and was rewarded for it. Dad's Enforcer. "He'll be really happy to see you again."
Yeah I'm sure. "I'll send a postcard," I retorted, "You guys still at that manor? I think I remember the address."
"Put the gun down, Bastien. You won't shoot us." Guillaume's voice was full of smug certainty, and honestly, that just made me want to shoot him more.
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because you're smarter than that. You pull that trigger, the police will be here and you'll have to run and then there'll be a manhunt once they figure out who you are. You actually hit one of us? And Dad won't play games."
… That was a good point. I mean, I could still kill them and then run from the police, but then I'd be the subject of a murder investigation. Well, maybe I could plead self defense. These were two Villains after all, known for kidnapping and taking people to Heartbreaker. Spin it into a plea deal, maybe reform and join the Protectorate… Wait. I was seventeen. I'd probably have to join the Wards for a year.
Yeah, nah, all of that was awful.
"... You got me, Gill. I won't shoot you." I lowered the pistol a few inches, and mentally checked my menus. "I'll beat you instead." With a faint sparkling, the Glock 17 became a steel baton in one hand, and a can of mace in the other.
Condition: Hyper Fear Aura gained!
Nice try, Nicolas. He wasn't expecting me to keep moving without so much as a flinch clearly, and I took the opportunity to fill Guillaume's eyes with capsaicin. You know, I had to wonder why more parahumans didn't use mace in fights - so many capes so little eye protection.
Guillaume screamed in pain, and Nicolas realised his power wasn't having an effect so he tried to charge me. I rewarded him with some spray and dodged out of the way. See? Super effective. Well. Not entirely fair - Tweedledum and Tweedledee weren't great fighters. Nicolas relied on his power and Guillaume relied on Nicolas.
I swung the baton at Nicolas' knee with a somewhat satisfying crunching noise. He screamed out in pain, but I was too busy checking out the new notifications.
Critical Hit!
Through your actions, you have created a new ability!
'Power Strike (Active)'
'Hit him where it hurts, they said. When you hit hard enough, everywhere hurts.'
Huh. What did that do?
Power Strike (Active) LV 1: 1%
Strikes the target with strong force.
15% Increased Critical rate
50% Increased Damage
Who knew wanton brutality had a purpose? I was just trying to delay him, force him to seek treatment and limp everywhere. Still, I'll take it. But seeing as Nicolas was still flailing about…
"Power Strike. Power Strike. Power Strike." He was mostly down now.
Through your actions, you have created a new ability!
'Blunt Weapon Mastery (Passive)'
'Give him the boot, medium style.'
A new ability! What a wonderful day.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH! DAD IS GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU, MOTHER-"
"Wow, rude," I muttered, slipping around behind Guillaume. "We're all sons of bitches, Gill. You, me, Nicolas, the whole Vasil bunch." I looped the baton around his neck and pulled, pressing it against his windpipe as he started to struggle against me. We were about the same height, thankfully, which made it easier to hold the position. And whisper tauntingly in his ear. "I always did hate your guts, Gill. I had a shiny Eevee you know."
Did he even remember that? Probably not. Did I care? Not a bit. I kept it up, waiting until he passed out… and then I held it for a few more seconds before releasing him. I didn't want to kill him, or cause brain damage. Well… maybe a little brain damage. He deserved it.
Through your actions, you have created a new ability!
'Grappling Mastery (Passive)'
'Remember when everyone told you 'Don't try this trick at home'? Don't listen to them.'
4500XP
$1249.93
[Photo of Cherie Vasil]
Oh neat. Forty five hundred XP, just for choking out one of my brothers?Anda new abilityplusa fat stack of bills? Was it Christmas? The photo was more concerning for other reasons but I could worry about that after I made sure Nicolas wasn't getting back up.
Nicolas was still groaning on the floor - Observe helpfully informed me that I had fractured his knee, dislocated his jaw and inflicted the Stunned condition. I stepped on his throat, pressing down until he joined dear Guillaume in the blissful world of the unconscious. And then I hit his knee again, just for good measure. Broken, now.
4600XP
$1328.51
I stuck my head out the door, glanced around… nobody was coming running. Was I being observed? Probably not. Excellent.
Time to play with my dear older brothers…
Through your actions, you have created a new ability!
'Interrogation (Passive)'
'We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.'
Through your actions, you have created a new ability!
'Rope Use (Passive)'
'It's not just for the bedroom anymore.'
I let Guillaume lull back down quietly, humming a gentle, soothing lullaby in his ear as I tightened his bonds (made from bed sheets). The fun part about my power was I could extract the truth from people like a well trained interrogator just by talking to them. Well. Singing. A few minutes was all I needed to get people to really talk. Given an hour alone with them, I could probably reenact that 'Liar Liar' film and compel them to tell the truth for a day. Maybe forever.
The abilities I'd learned were pretty neat in their own way. I knew I could create them by doing things, I just never really did much outside of generic chores and factory work. I was a level twenty three Dishwasher though, and a level fourteen Machinist. Which was, you know, useful, I guess. I wasn't sure what kind of bonuses they'd give but I could check them out later.
Guillaume had told me a lot. Nicolas had told me little. He was in too much pain, so I just kept him gagged.
They were in Denver looking for our dear sister, Cherie - hence the photo. She hadn't gained weight, but she had dyed her hair. Well part of it. Red was a good look, would she be offended if I borrowed it?
But she was here in Denver. I could finish that quest here and now. Guillaume even had a rough location for me. If he wasn't my brother (and also a huge asshole), I would kiss him. Instead I just left his kneecaps unshattered. Close enough.
Once he and Nicolas were both lulled to sleep, and I'd rifled through their pockets for everything of use (gum, fake ID's I couldn't use, some receipts, but hey a mobile phone with a prepaid sim) I left them tied to chairs and left.
Well, not without calling the PRT Hotline. Would they escape? Maybe. Did I care? Not a bit.
Cherie looked much like I remembered her, just a bit older, and with slightly different hair. Same fashion sense, same tendency to have a few guys hanging around her to do her bidding. They seemed… meatier than her usual picks. Was she aware of Guillaume and Nicolas, trying to prevent them from following her? Food for thought.
If I could see her, she could almost definitely sense me. I wasn't sure what my emotions sounded like and if she'd even recognise them as mine. I was… probably suspicious regardless though. The streets were pretty quiet around here, and there wasn't a lot of people around.
I let my gaze linger on her, before whispering "Observe."
Villain
Lv 20 Cherie Vasil (Cherish)
Heartbroken
HP: 240/240 MP: 290/290
Your dearest, darling sister and actually kind of a colossal bitch sometimes. She's runaway from home, seeking freedom and excitement but is hounded by your brothers.
Status: Healthy, Wary
Click to shrink...
Alright. Happy face on. "Bonjour Cherie!"
She seemed startled to see me. Hm. Was my emotional signature that different? "... Sebastien?" She wasn't relaxing by any means but I suppose that was fair. I wouldn't relax if I came out of nowhere either.
"I like what you've done with your hair. It's very… you." That almost sounded like an insult.
She glances around, probably looking for Nicolas and Guillaume. If I could sneak up on her…
Condition Gained: Adoration Aura
Trying to manipulate me? Well, I'd let it slide. She was trying to protect herself after all - I would've done the same thing in her shoes. "What do youwant, little brother?" From her expression, she's probably debating whether or not to have her trio of quarterbacks pull me limb from limb. I don't blame her still.
I smiled a little wider. "What, I'm not allowed to catch up with my estranged sister?"
Now she was really suspicious. "Since when has that been a priority?"
"Honestly? Since like a week ago." Honesty was the best policy when someone can literally hear your lies. "I was actually looking to see if I could find Jean-Paul - didn't realise you had also escaped." … Wait. Actually. Why isn't the Quest completed? I'd reunited hadn't I? Unless Cherie didn't count? Or this didn't count as reuniting? Maybe we had to have a heart-to-heart? "Look. I just want to talk right now."
She frowned at me. "... You're actually sincere about that." The genuine confusion in her emotions almost hurts. She seems to mull it over for a few moments. "Fine. Follow."
Right. Still used to giving orders. Man, why did I… right, quest, that's why I was here talking to her.
I followed her and the Meat Heads to a… skate park? Well, that works I guess. We were standing in a graffiti-laden halfpipe when she finally turned around to address me.
"We can talk here," She muttered, straightening out her emotional symphony. "Sebastien. How did you find me?" Curiousity, suspicion… it was almost a beautiful piece of music, if muted.
I shrugged dismissively. "Funny story actually. I came here looking for Jean-Paul - you know that Villain here, Twitch? Thought it might have been him. Well, it wasn't. But you'll never guess who I ran into! Guillaume and Nicolas, and Gill told me where to find you and-"
Condition lost: Adoration Aura
Condition gained: Hyper Despair Aura
Pounding drums blaring trumpets sing the song of war all of it blaring in my ears
But I am calm. I react.
Through your quick reactions, you have created a new ability!
'Quickdraw (Passive) LV 1 (3%)'
'It's high noon somewhere in the world…'
Gunplay (Pistols) has gained a level!
300XP
$28.51
300XP
$32.14
300XP
$23.77
Three shots rang out. Three thumps followed it. Guess all that drilling on the firing range was good for something after all - center mass on each of them. "Cherie," I said calmly, pointing the still smoking gun at her as the blood from her meat heads begins to pool about her feet, "I want you to understand something. The only reason you haven't joined your little boytoys on the ground is because you're my sister. Nicolas tried to use his power on me, and I broke his kneecap. Don't make me shoot yours."
Condition lost: Hyper Despair Aura
I lowered the pistol, but didn't stash it away. "That's better."
She wasn't… well wasn't afraid anymore. Curious, vaguely impressed. Not at all torn up about the loss of her boytoys and that was just her. Guess I couldn't talk. I wasn't torn up by killing them. "... You broke Nicolas's kneecap?" Is that what she was going to focus on? Really?
"I had a baton," was what came out of my mouth in lieu of an actual explanation. "Look, can we have an actual conversation?"
Cherie nudged one of the bodies instead of answering me, as if to test they were actually dead. Uh, yeah, Cherie, they were. No emotional song, remember? "I don't know what you're thinking, Bastien, but stop thinking it at me." Right. She could tell I was making fun of her in my head. Why did I think talking to family was a good idea again? She rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine, we can talk. What did you even want to talk about that was so fucking important anyway?"
"... would you believe I didn't think that far ahead?" I honestly hadn't. I thought the Quest would be done by now and then I'd go from there.
She gave me a long hard look that was a mix of disbelief and disappointment. "If I couldn't hear the fact that you genuinely mean that, little brother, I wouldn't.Seriously?"
"Look, I don't know!" I threw my hands in the air. "It seemed like a good idea at the time!"
Pure exasperation is a little funny. Saxophones, if you could imagine. "That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard! What the fuck would we even talk about, Sebastien? What did you think we would do, sit down and share family memories?"
"... Maybe?" I didn't know what was worse; the idea of sharing family memories or the idea that I wasactuallykind of tempted to do it. "I don't have anyone I can talk to. Not properly." … was that I wanted? Was that what the Quest-Thing was trying to get me to do? "Cherie, am I… different?"
More confusion and disbelief. "... Bastien, I have no idea what you're actually asking me there. We are different. We're Vasils. Parahumans. We're special."
What? "No, that's not what I meant. I meant like… am I different to how I was before? Have I changed?" Changed since I… got the secondary powers. "You are pretty much the only person who can answer this question properly. You knew me from… before. And you can literally sense my emotions."
She pursed her lips. "... You are," She admitted after a few moments, "Your emotions sound… different. I didn't recognise you coming up earlier. I hit you with enough despair to make you die on the spot. And you didn't so much as twitch. You didn't feel a tiny bit of despair, just annoyance." She narrowed her gaze, giving me a calculating look. "... You're immune, aren't you?"
I guess it wasn't much of a secret. "I guess?" I said, half-heartedly, "Like I said, Nicolas tried the same thing and I broke his knee for it." I sighed, letting the gun drop to one side. "This isn't what I actually expected, if I'm honest." Also this damn Quest still isn't completing. What the hell did I have to do? Tell her about the power?
… Wait. No. No seriously it better not-
"THIS IS THE POLICE! HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!"
-and oh look, a distraction.
New Quest!
Wanted!
CHEESE IT, IT'S THE FUZZ!
Details: Don't get arrested.
Time Limit: 24 Hours
Success: 2500XP, Increased Reputation with Cherie Vasil, Decreased Reputation with Law Enforcement
Failure: Arrested, Criminal Record, Decreased Reputation with Cherie Vasil, Increased Reputation with Law Enforcement
Click to shrink...
I sighed. "Cherie? Could you uh," I waved my free hand dismissively in the direction of the police officer.
Why did she look so terrified? She didn't sound terrified. "Oh thank you officer!" Wait what?
Oh. Youcolossalbitch.