Worms, Rings and the Choice of Violence.
Disclaimer: I don't own Worm or Lord of the Rings..
Beta'd by the Inquisitorial Beta, Hipnyah and Podge
Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server: discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4
Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN
Pat reon Link: ww reon La_Pucelle_Altre
(Remove the spaces on the links and they should work)
Chapter 1: A taste of what's to come
Brockton bay is a place known for its failing economy, high rates of poverty and especially high amount of crime. And most of those lead back to singular issues. Drugs, extortion, blackmail and even peer pressure.
And it all leads back to the gangs. People talk about how removing them from the city would just allow a power vacuum for someone worse to take over. Others think that this is still no excuse to let them run rampant as a consequence.
Then there are the ones who think that after killing the first batch, one should never stop. But those tend to be far and few between.
And lastly, there are those who accept the existence of organised crime…and decide to take it over instead. Surely they will be better leaders and a benevolent influence of the city they live in….right?
Well, only time will tell.
For now, a person of such belief was currently sitting crouched upon the roof of a small warehouse late at night. Their eyes were glowing from beneath their hood as they saw every living being within the building below. Wraith vision was such a handy thing to use when scouting out locations.
It was filled with Merchants, one of the smallest gangs in the city, specialising in drugs almost exclusively. They should be easy targets for tonight.
The hooded figure moves towards the side and with great dexterity begins climbing down the structure before ending up in the alley below. A slight chill befell guards, a creeping fear inching its way in on them. They couldn't explain it, they couldn't even fully rationalise it. They all tried shunting it off as something natural, even if that small sensation in the back of their brains wouldn't let up.
Once on the ground, the hooded one moves closer to the entrance where a lone guard had decided to slack off on the job and light up a joint to take the edge off.
The figure considered for a brief moment on how to handle their approach before settling on the simplest one. They reveal an old Buck Knife from under their clothes. While still crouched along the wall, they quickly approach the gang member, making almost no sound in their approach.
Even so, the little light of the street revealed their black cloak to the guard. Before he could even react, the hooded one rushed forward and hooked their arm under his to quickly flip him onto the ground before brutally slamming the knife into their chest and ripping it through his throat.
He died almost instantly.
With that sorted, the figure drags the body deeper into the alley before dropping them behind a dumpster. They also take the opportunity to check his pockets to snag whatever money and weapons he was holding. The figure pulls a pistol from the goon's pants and inspects it for a moment before laying it back on the body. Not to sound arrogant, but they do think their own ranged weapons are a bit better.
As they walk back to the entrance, they notice the sizable blood trail left by the attempt of stealth. They realised that they definitely still needed some experience in the matter.
With that sorted out now, the figure makes their way into the building and uses their wraith vision once more to find the remaining 8 goons. After memorising their locations, they consider a plan of attack.
Stealth will be harder, especially as the lights are all on. Not to mention that all the goons were armed with guns. That doesn't mean that the intruder is out of options. Holding out their left hand, green light manifests from their hand before suddenly forming into a large ornate bow.
With the weapon prepared, they leave their crouched position and rush into the building. They crash into a small box sending pieces of metal scrap flying across the floor. The Gang members have but a moment to react as the hooded figure rushes in with their bow already drawn.
The warehouse held a few backs filled with rolled up bills of money while most of the space was full of engine parts and metal pieces scattered about. It was one of the few locations full of Squealer's tinker supplies around the city.
As the hooded one focused on the shot, it was as if time slowed for them. The bow was aimed towards the ceiling and the figure began shooting out all the lights in the building…all but one.
A lone goon was left standing in the light, and was unsure where the intruder was now. He didn't want to shoot his friends after all.
But he didn't get to make that mistake as the hooded figure suddenly rushed at him from behind, no longer with a bow but instead with their knife drawn once more. But this time, instead of going for a quick and silent kill, they chose to do something far more gruesome.
The hooded figure grabbed onto the Goon before violently slamming the knife into his chest and ripping it out once more, only to continue plunging the blade into his back and stomach. As he was ruthlessly brutalised, The other merchants could only stare in terror. Blood splashed all over the floor and the two minions. What blood that splashed onto the attacker seemed to be absorbed by the cloak, keeping its darkness unchanged. The attack was over in a moment, and none of them had the idea to shoot their assailant during the brutal assault.
That was the plan after all. When you can't even the numbers, make sure to strike fear into them instead. It's bound to improve your chances in a straight fight.
As the goon's looked at the scene with slack jawed expressions, the figure conjured an ethereal dagger in their hand before quickly throwing it upwards…straight into the last remaining light fixture of the warehouse.
They were now pitched in Darkness. Terror was replaced with panic. And panic resulted in bad decisions. The goons armed with automatic rifles opened fire into the darkness, uncaring of who they may hit as long as their target died.
To their miserably luck, the hooded figure hadn't wasted a single second to retreat back to the far wall of the warehouse in order to hide behind some metal parts. They didn't have the materials to make themselves a proper armour yet, So guns were still something to be avoided.
The goon's wild gunfire through the dark had already whittled their numbers down to 3 before they eventually stopped as one of them yelled at them to stop.
"Stop firing you stupid fucks, we can't see shit!" the voice yelled with a remnant of authority. Perhaps this one was worth keeping then?
"Fuck-Fuck-fuck! What are we supposed to do, you saw what that cape bastard did to mike! If we don-" his voice was suddenly cut off by a wet squelching sound. The man who yelled for them to be quiet couldn't help but collapse to the ground as he realised what the sound meant, especially after he heard it again from the other side of the room.
He was the last one left.
He dropped his gun to the ground and held his head between his hands as he desperately tried to keep himself from sobbing.
"I-I-I'll give you anything! J-Just p-p-please don't k-kill me!" He cried out into the darkness. His begging continued for a few more moments and his sobbing only intensified when he heard light footsteps inching closer and closer towards him.
Before long, a green flame manifested in the palm of a gloved hand and he saw the hooded figure leaning down towards him. Even with the light so close, the last Goon couldn't see beneath their hood. It was a void of pure darkness….A darkness that he could tell was his end.
Their free hand extended and with a jolt of movement gripped onto his face. "Why would I need you to give me anything when I can simply take it?" The voice of his attacker told him. It was a surprisingly young voice, and he couldn't even tell the sex of the person beneath that hood.
That was probably the last thought he had. Because right after that, a searing pain raced through his skull, numbing his entire body until…..Until it stopped.
"You are mine now" the figure commanded. And as a green light behind the goon's own eyes faded, he nodded in return.
8 days earlier
Winslow high
Henry Drew
Sleep was nice… I was one of those people who could fall asleep anywhere and anytime…which obviously led to issues here and there. One time I fell asleep on a train, ended up crossing the state line.
Another time, I fell asleep behind the bleachers during recess and took the chance to leave school grounds for the rest of the day. No one really cares at Winslow after all…as long as you aren't one of the targets for harassment.
Luckily, I don't fall into that group and I only have a little less than a year left until graduation. I can finally work full-time then.
But back to sleeping. Today, a Friday, in the last period, which was used for Parahuman studies, was the class I usually used to get some extra shut-eye. And then some dumbass had to poke me in the side.
Turning my head, I look over to my classmate Ben. Decent guy, and a pretty good friend here in school. I don't really hang out with him much outside of it though. I don't really hang out with a lot of people anyway.
"Dude, you aren't even trying to hide it this time! You just started snoring man" He whisper-yells at me.
In turn, I can't help but give a small smile in return, "Heh, you know how boring this class is" I quickly return to an upright position in my chair. "Besides, I aced the last exam anyway" I told him with confidence.
"As long as I don't get detention, I'm fine."
Ben gives an unsure nod before asking me, "I'm guessing you got a shift again today? Which one is this?"
"Just the waiter job. So I'll be home late."
"Eh, I'll probably still be up, so text me if you wanna do something then."
"..Sure, I guess."
Silence befell us as we half-focused on the class again. Thank god that the rest of it passed rather fast. As soon as the bell rang, I grabbed my bag and left the classroom before anyone else could.
Once in the school hallway, I headed towards my locker and promptly retrieved my uniform. As I opened up the metal contraption, I noticed that other girl across the room. Herbert or something, she got shoved into her locker with a bunch of other filthy shit in there.
I only heard of it in passing, but one could see the locker where it happened in school. The smell alone caused most people to avoid it back then. It's been a few weeks since then and it seemed that her bullies were up to their old antics.
Once I finished getting my things, I promptly closed the locker only to see a certain redhead standing next to me. She was twirling her hair with a smile, "Hey Henry, are you busy tonight?"
I didn't return the smile and simply stated, "Same as any other night Barnes, I also don't really have time to talk today."
The sneer that was hidden on the edges of her smile was something that didn't go unnoticed by me. She had been trying to invite me to various pseudo dates in the last week or so. I don't trust the whole situation…and while I do consider her an 8 in the looks department…there is a certain rule to girls like her.
Sticking your dick in crazy is something of a hidden temptation. But sticking your dick into a bitch will lead to nothing good. She's an underclassman, so I don't interact with her much, but I can tell what kind of person she is based on what one hears.
So no, I'm not interested in a relationship with her. She would be nice for some mindbreaking stuff with that body…but it's not like I can do that.
Surprisingly, I have a lot of girls pining for me from time to time. I was one of the few people who won the genetic lottery in the looks department. While I wasn't overly masculine, hell I was actually a bit skewed in the other direction, I was described as handsome…at least based on what I've overheard here and there.
I can at least say with confidence…that I can pull off a maid outfit quite well. Doesn't help that I keep my hair long.
What am I even getting at? It's not like I have a problem with it. I do enjoy flirting with girls here and there, but I never really go out with any of them…Not that I don't want to, if I'm being honest. Sometimes I can't think of anything else other than taking a girl home and motorboating her tits…
But we don't live in a world where it can be done like that. I'm an orphan, and an emancipated one at that. By choice, obviously, but it means I need to provide for myself. It's much better than the foster system, even if my apartment is an absolute piece of shit. And it's because of all this that I spend my afternoon and evenings working to pay the bills.
My schedule and life simply doesn't allow for a relationship at the moment. Besides, what girl could I invite back to my place? I can't take 'em to dinner or buy them something nice…And I think I could make do without all that, but that would require time and effort…which I can't give.
So, until my bachelor years can truly begin after school, I shall remain a handsome virgin.
The Barnes girl is clearly annoyed by my continued ignoring of her advances, but it's hardly a concern. I've endured my share of bullying attempts, and I'm perfectly willing to slice some tires as a first move if necessary.
As I make my way out of the school grounds, I begin my way through the city. A simple bicycle I fixed up a while back is my current means of transportation. It's a good means of exercise and It doesn't need fuel to run. Thank god for that, As the gas price would certainly not be in my price range. Even with the massive Oil reserves, the fact the international shipping of oil and whatnot got gutted with Leviathan, it means that the value of what we have is just so much higher.
Almost halfway along my trip downtown, I was alerted to the sudden ringing of my phone. I come to a stop at the curb and pull out the device and inspect the caller ID. After recognizing the number to be that of my coworker Mason, I answered the call.
"Mason, what's up?"
"Henry, you're on your way right?"
"Yeah? Something wrong?"
"The Shipment this morning missed a few things we're gonna need. Mind going to the store on 4th street real quick and getting the stuff?"
"Sure, I'll pick it up.""Thanks a million, I'm sending you the list"
I wait a few seconds for the message to load and quickly make sure I had enough cash to buy the items mentioned
"Got the list, i'll be at the bar in a few" I tell him before hanging up and putting my phone away. After getting back on my bike, I make a few turns and eventually find myself entering a small grocery store.
Personally, I never shop here on account of living about 40 minutes away, but it has happened that the bar needed some extra supplies on occasion. The two brothers Mason and James are usually busy with the books and the kitchen, while Lucy doesn't enjoy going out on her own that much.
Interaction with people when you are deaf is a massive challenge, after all, so I really do get it.
That leaves me to do the last minute grocery shopping, so I've grown somewhat familiar with the place. After taking a spare bag from my backpack, I begin gathering the items on the list and make my way to the front of the store. As I unpack my bag in front of the cashier, the door chime goes off and I only had a moment to react before a figure suddenly came barrelling towards us.
My eyes widen in panic as I see the rifle held in a shaky grip by the thin man who made his way into the store. It was one of those old hunting rifles for deer or something. Though it looked way too big in person…and much scarier in the hands of the man in front of me. He stares at me and the cashier with frantic eyes before aiming at the employee," I-I Want the money from the register…All of it"
I froze up when I saw the damn gun..and I wasn't paying attention to the counter. The cashier slowly began emptying the register with heavy breaths while I stood perfectly still. I was too focused on the jittering man in front of me. His eyes, dashing around, his red nose and yellowed teeth. This must have been an addict…or even Merchant then.
If only I had focused on something else instead.
My hand was still on my bag, and the movement from the cashier unbalanced it. It falls down, lightly yanking my arm before slipping loose. But it did as I feared.
The robber reacted violently to the sound of glass breaking and didn't even properly process it all as he pulled the trigger of his gun. One second, I was standing upright, practically pissing myself, and the next? Now I'm on the floor, pain shooting through my chest and a numb feeling in my legs. I can't breathe. It's like the air is stuck in my lungs, it hurts so fucking bad. I can barely move myself and when I try, pain shoots through the limb in question.
I can barely hear any more. The Gunshot must have deafened me or something…I think Someone is screaming in the background…Christ they are loud. Don't you know there's a psycho on the loose?
The moment passes and the pain starts to lessen, but the air in my lungs is still stuck. My vision is getting blurry for some reason too. I might not be getting enough air. I'm able to twitch my fingers and then my hand. I slowly lift it up to my chest to maybe try and slam down on it to remove whatever is blocking me from breathing.
But when I feel around the surface, the slick feeling of a liquid develops in my hand. I raise my head just a little and see the crimson shimmer on my palm. Blood. Loads of blood….my own at that.
Was i shot?...Is this….Am I….
Dying?
That Question hangs in my head for another moment..and as I think that my eyes are finally giving out as well, everything suddenly clears up. And I see something vast.
It was something inconceivably large, two giant…things, coiling around. And I could just tell that their scale was unimaginably big. Like a planet or even a sun. Was it a spaceship? A last fever dream before death? Or maybe it will reveal my life was just a simulation…
I do have to say though, it looked mesmerising. It was some Kaleidoscopic being, somehow extended over a large distance but also constricted in one place. And it moved, interchanged its parts. Not in a way I could even begin to understand. Pieces of it were breaking up, flaking apart and floating into the cosmos…or whatever this place was.
A few of these fragments seemed to grow in size, it wasn't just getting closer to me, but its shape was expanding and ever-changing. And just as abruptly as it started, it stopped. Strange sounds surrounded me, and it felt as if I could see them somehow.
Delayed
Unsuitable
Expiring
Depose
The giant shard suddenly crackles with electricity of some sort. I say that, because it had every bloody colour of the rainbow. Whatever was happening, I could tell it was bad. Lighting kept generating around the thing until…until I felt something else.
I mustered up the strength to turn my head and I saw something…smaller in scale, but no less grand.
It seemed to be a fire of sorts. Red and Blue flames constantly interchanging, In the shape of an oval with a silhouette in the middle blocking out light…or was that the source of the flames. I couldn't tell, but in a way, it reminded me of an eye.
Whatever it was, it seemed to be struggling to keep itself alight. It was "blinking" in and out of this place before….seemingly extinguishing into a tiny spark of red and blue. It didn't seem weak now, but rather…concentrated. That was the word, yeah….
The blue part shimmered and grew before racing off into the distance.
Only the red remained
And that concentrated spark of…whatever, shot out from the dark void it came from…and raced straight at me. I don't have the strength to move…or the will to do it either. Whatever happens now…happens.
The spark collides with my body, and my vision clears up instantly…
No…I'm somewhere else.
I immediately look around and find myself somehow back in my own bedroom. The one in my apartment…How did I end up back here?
The thought is interrupted by dripping noises. Looking down, I see red droplets colliding with the wooden floor of my bedroom…And obviously, I see the gaping wound on my chest as well.
Panic floods my being as the memory of what happened races right back into my mind. It's why I ignore the fact that I'm able to even move or breathe at all and instead race towards the bathroom. There, I turn on the lights and quickly stare at myself in the mirror. The bloodied Hoodie practically goes flying to the ground and the ugly chest wound is soon revealed to me. I quickly take a towel out from under my sink and pull out my first aid case as well. The first step was to disinfect the wound.
After wetting the towel and rubbing some disinfectant on my chest, I noticed something… Strange.
The Wound wasn't bleeding…. It didn't hurt…and it was just there. It didn't seem like a bullet was inside, but I needed to be sure. That would only lead to a myriad of problems. I slowly reach towards the wound and grow surprised that the surrounding flesh could sense the touch, but not the pain that should be present.
After tentatively feeling around the open gunshot wound, I eventually grow bolder and take a pair of medical tweezers and slowly, insert them into the wound. With just the mirror and light of the bathroom to help me navigate, I surprisingly am able to find the bullet. Gripping it with the too small tweezers became a bit difficult, but I eventually settled on essentially scooping out the metal bullet. Before long, I have the piece of metal in my hand before tossing it onto the sink and steadying myself on its sides…
Just…what the hell was all that. I… I'm not sure any more.
It feels like I've been sick with a fever, or half asleep and am desperately trying to remember my dream…it's only after looking in the mirror, that something forms in my mind.
To my great surprise, I noticed a change in my face. My eyes, to be precise.
Where they once had a light shading of green, I now had a tinge of red spreading out from the pupil. It wasn't noticeable unless you looked right at it. And for some reason, that impossible combination felt…familiar to me.
As I mentioned, it was like trying to remember a dream… and sometimes, one is lucky enough to at least recall a single thing. And in this case it truly was a thing.
A small circular object of extreme beauty. A thing of great significance….
A Ring.
Brockton General Hospital
1 hour later
Exiting one of the many patient rooms on the second floor, one could see what one would consider as a "mousy" girl with frizzy brown curly hair and freckles covering her face.
She is wearing a robe with a large hood and a scarf that covers the lower half of her face. The robe was alabaster white and had a medic's red cross on the chest and back. She was making her way to another room before being stopped by a nurse who had rushed towards her
"Amy, I know you've been working for a while now, but we have someone in critical condition. It's just…Could you maybe see if you can help?" The nurse was a bit reluctant to ask. The dark bags under Amelia's eyes were clear to see after all,
"Ah…sure. I'm happy to" Amy states in a neutral tone, betraying the fact that she is completely exhausted. But she isn't one to say no in cases like this. She's a hero after all. So she's supposed to dedicate her to this.
She lazily follows the nurse to an operating theatre in the ICU and is greeted by a surgeon who directs her to an unconscious patient, "Gunshot wound to the chest and shoulder. You'll be able to get better details, I'm sure." The doctor knew better than to give her any prognosis she could get within a second. She appreciates little things like that.
Amy touches the wounded man and activates her power. Minutes pass before the wounds begin to close up and the bullets gently fall off freshly grown skin. Once she's done, she goes to wipe her hands. She spots a nearby bundle of white cloth and moves over to it with exhaustion in every step.
It's probably because she was tired and not quite there any more, that she used the patient's discarded clothes on a nearby table rather than antiseptic fabrics. But… had she not done that, she wouldn't have learned what she did.
The shirt she touched was part of employee clothing from a grocery shop downtown and It was covered in blood. When her power interacted with the blood of the victim, she quickly realized her mistake and wanted to place it down once more. But when she wished to place the shirt back onto the table, her hand grazed a smaller bloodstain, one probably from a drop or something similar.
Her breath hitch in her mouth as her eyes widened with shock.
As Amy freezes on the spot, the surgeon slowly realizes something might be wrong and tries to ask her. Amy ignores the man to continue analysing the blood stain she found.
Sometimes she hated her ability to see that far into someone biology, to know with a glance that someone had recently had sex or that in 30 years they would die from pancreatic cancer, this was not one of those times.
She rubbed the blood between her fingers, gazing with wonder at what she had found.
The DNA in it was a match to her own, it was a match to her family, her brother,
'I have a brother now' She could barely believe it..
And she also realizes something terrible. The blood droplets belonging to her supposed brother were both rich and poor in oxygen…Meaning that both a vein and Artery was hit that were tightly together…and that…means nothing good
The nurse grabs hold of her shoulder to ask what was happening to her, but Amy quickly rips her head around to ask in a startled tone, "There…There's another victim right? Where is he?"
The nurse looks confused and slowly says, "There…there was no other victim."
"That's not possible, the blood drop isn't from that man" Amy points to the patient on the table.
"I.." The nurse stutters for a second before realisation hits her face, "The Ambulance crew is still there, they might be able to-" Panacea rushes past the nurse and out of the theatre. She practically sprints through the halls and rushes down the stairs to the ambulance bay. There she eventually finds the crew sparsely spread around.
"There was a Gunshot wound victim you guys brought in, Was there anyone else!" She yells out, startling the paramedics. One of them reacts quicker than the others and realises this might be something serious.
He steps forward and says," Something odd actually happened, Miss." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts," We were called in to help two victims of a robbery. We found the first victim, but no sign of the other. Some blood on the floor, and A torn bag."
Panacea considers the information for a moment, for asking, "and the perpetrator? Were they injured in any way?"
The paramedic moves back towards the ambulance and picks up a small clipboard. "The cops found him half a mile away downing two bottles of whiskey. Other than being drunk, the bastard was okay."
Panacea didn't know what to think. Bodies suddenly disappearing with little traces was always odd… These are usually things That don't concern or interest her. but now, things are different.
She can't just ignore this, especially if she just learned that she had a living relative.
She turns back to the paramedic and questions him, "Don't Those kinds of stores often have CCTV cameras or something? Is there any way I could see them to find the second victim?"
The paramedic stared with a bit of confusion. "I… I'm not really qualified or even allowed to view those, miss. I hope answer you will have two go through the proper authorities for this."
Clearly dejected, Amy gives the paramedic a small nod before turning away. She was unsure where to start, sure she had a reputation where a lot of people might be willing to help… But I would still ask questions. She never had to do something like this, tracking someone down….
So she would swallow what little pride she had in this matter and ask for help. She pulled her phone from coat and quickly dials a number. The phone rings before the sound of someone picking it up could be heard. Amy slowly whispers, "Vicky… I need… I need a favour…and you can't tell anyone."
Later that evening
The docks
Henry Drew Was not having a good time right now. He had been sitting on his bed for the last few hours, his head pounding with pain. As he clutched his skull, with beads of rolling down his torso, he couldn't help but gasp out in pain.
His mind was being flooded with….memories, instincts… Knowledge. Things he couldn't comprehend…at least not at first. Much of the things now injected into his mind couldn't be grasped…
But he managed to glean the basics. Something, no, someone had died. Their being was anchored to a ring of some sorts and it had been destroyed somehow. Their mind was essentially destroyed and their spirit was going to follow…Instead, it latched onto someone else. Some kind of… Antithesis to it. Where it was dark, this being was bright. And it survived the destruction of the ring, using the event to escape.
And the Dark one used it to try and survive…by latching onto Henry. That was the gist of things to his understanding. And while it would take him time to understand the issue, it was the first step on his path to become something greater.
Author's note: Slight AU of Worm. Tolkien made a different Universe called Marquis of Necklaces or something. Basically, I won't have anyone here say, "Wait, that's from the Lord of the Rings"
Other than that, I'm trying to stick to canon as much as possible. In terms of LOTR lore, I'm mainly using the Shadow of War/Mordor games and taking some liberty to how they ended. (especially as I planned on using a broken Celebrimbor after being sorta mind melded with Sauron for 50+ years…But then I learned of that little extra Ending of the Eldariel DLC…and I got angry…So that's why we're getting Fragments of Sauron instead!
Fuck you Brockton Bay. )
Fiction and Fuckups Discord Server: discord .gg/68gAdfsTE4
Personal Discord Server discord .gg/NQFwdWrbwN
Pat reon Link: ww reon La_Pucelle_Altre
(Remove the spaces on the links and they should work)