honkai Chapter 1: p1, a worm fanfic

Taylor felt herself floating in a wetness that was not wet, her body telling her that it was warm but cold. Her eyes hurt from the sheer brightness of the darkness around her. She didnt knew where she was, or when, or why. She only recalled that she was locke-

{So that Parasite seeks to claim another of mine? But this one… I see. She has the potential to become one. Perhaps it is time to make a statement.}

The voice was maddening to her ears, as if it was spoken in every conceivable voice. She felt herself moving, before she impacted something. It should have hurt, she knew that, but it did little more than to rob her breath. The voice returned, this time more distinctively female, although it was familiar…

{Hello, little Owl. You will do nicely. I have a little offer to you, which I am sure you will indulge~.}

It was her mothers voice, at least, in a manner. It had an undercurrent of sadistic glee, almost lascivious in it even. Taylor realized she could speak.

"W-what are you?" Her voice was weak, she hated how weak she sounded.

{Well… I am the Will of the Earth. I am the God of this planet. I am the [Honkai]}

Taylors eyes widened in pain as she received images of just what she was dealing with.

{But fret not. I have little ire with humanity for now. No, what got me irked this turn around is something else. However, I was cut off from the branch of the imaginary tree that houses the cluster it inhabits. You were the first, but not last, to come under my influence once more, so rejoice, little Owl. You were chosen to be the first of my Heralds in the effort to reclaim what was stolen. You can choose to reject this gift, but we both know that you wont.}

Taylor was convinced that she was in a dream. This was just so surreal. Still, she still felt as if she was thrown around to the chuckling of the formless entity.

{As my Herald, you will gain control of my lesser manifestations. However, there is few if at all left on your world, so you will need to gather material to transmute into the right material. I will be kind, and grant you the basic knowledge needed for such. Naturally, you yourself will be required to be a leader… A Herrscher. As such, you need a domain. I will leave it up to you to choose.}

Taylor blinked, and found herself in an empty void. Floating around her were 8 Gems. She knew instinctively that she asked to choose between them, the knowledge of what they were burned into her mind.

] Gem of Reason - The Herrscher of Reason is able to manifest any object they desire as long as they have an acute understanding of such down to the atomic level. By its nature, it tends to be difficult to use, but also dont tend to influence the user overly much. (Cannons)

] Gem of Void - The Herrscher of the Void is a significant pawn of the Honkai. It is them that it is able to manipulate the flow of Honkai energy into the universe by its ability to manipulate both spatial and temporal effects. They were traditionally one of the single most devastating manifestations. A lot of raw power and authority, but they would also be at the forefront to be manipulated. (Double Pistols)

] Gem of Thunder - One of the traditionally five elemental Herrschers, who often find themselves subordinate to the Herrscher of the Void. This Herrscher controls electricity, with the more skilled users having been able to turn into lightning and manipulate EM Waves. While not as tame as the Gem of Reason, it is still one of the more subdued ones. (Swords)

] Gem of Wind - One of the traditionally five elemental Herrschers, who often find themselves subordinate to the Herrscher of the Void. This Herrscher controls wind, although it would be more accurate to call her Herrscher of Fluidity, with the more skilled users having been able to devastate New Zealand and produce a liquid that would allow one to build a perpetual machine. While not as tame as the Gem of Reason, it is still one of the more subdued ones.(Daggers)

] Gem of Ice - One of the traditionally five elemental Herrschers, who often find themselves subordinate to the Herrscher of the Void. This Herrscher controls stillness, with the more skilled users having been able to schockfreeze a city and stop projectiles midair by freezing them. While not as tame as the Gem of Reason, it is still one of the more subdued ones. (Spear)

] Gem of Fire - One of the traditionally five elemental Herrschers, who often find themselves subordinate to the Herrscher of the Void. This Herrscher controls motion, with the more skilled users having been able to turn Australia into a sea of fire within a week. Not much fine control, as this is perhaps the most destructive one in terms of physical prowess. (Greatsword)

] Gem of Earth - One of the traditionally five elemental Herrschers, who often find themselves subordinate to the Herrscher of the Void. This Herrscher controls gravitational force, with the more skilled users having been able to create gravity wells powerful enough to crush nearly anything or levitate skyscrapers without much effort . While not as tame as the Gem of Reason, it is still one of the more subdued ones. (Bow)

] Gem of Sentience - An unusual gem in that it has little physical abilities despite being one of the more dangerous ones. This Gem allows its user to craft powerful illusions and dreamscapes that are realistic enough for people to interact with them. It comes with severe dangers, beyond the influence of the Honkai, as it is difficult for the user to be sure what is real and what is not. (Brawler)

{I have decided to impart each gem with a suitable fighting style. I can not have you dying because you aren't ready to fight.}

Oh my~ I knew you were in a spot, but for you to become her? That is unexpected. I always had a thing for her, both my greatest and my lowest.~}

The gem floated towards Taylor, before vanishing into her. Her head exploded into pain, as her understanding of the world shifted, the vectors of time and space becoming unrevealed in a manner not suited for the human mind.

{Another host for me, how adorable… Listen Girl, follow my orders, and we will gain much joy from this arrangement.} The voice that spoke matched that of the Will, although it felt more aloof, bored with it all.

{Dont listen to her, Taylor-chan! You are still in control, make your own decisions!} Came a rather loud voice, one that just screamed sociability.

Taylor groaned as she heard literal voices in her head, her ability to deny that she was insane rapidly declining.

{The last two hosts left somewhat of an impression on the Gem, but I figured they could be helpful to you. And more importantly, amusing to me. I believe that is what you humans call a double win~?}

The voice was insufferably smug. Then it grew more serious.

{Taylor. You will need a lot of power to achieve my design. Right now, I can only supply you with enough power to become what… what silly type of rating did they come up with in this era… well, that is slightly more competent than I expected. But not useful for our purposes. I will grant you the body you need to compete,. But beyond that, you need minions. I cant manifest many bodies yet, so that will have to wait. Regardless, since you have received two gifts already, I will send you back. I am most eager to see how you progress.}

She awoke with a deep breath, one that she deeply regretted. The memories of how exactly she landed in this situation, her locker, came flooding back.

{Typical human behavior. Greed, Envy, that is all they are good for. That, and cooking.}

Cooking ? What had cooking to do with anything ?! And she wanted out of this locker!

{Taylor! Calm down. As a Herrscher, you are stronger than you think. Well, you are still weak right now, but that will change. But still strong enough to break out and get to a hospital!}

{Fool! She has to make a point. Human, the idiot is right that you can break out with ease, but you have to make a point. You are above them. We ought to show them their place. Besides, hospital food is awful, last I checked.}

{...You raise a good point, but still. Valkyries could get infections too! And we want our host to be healthy!}

Taylor winced as the voices in her head began to argue. She had to admit, it sounded … enticing to show the three their place, but she also wanted to go home… or to the hospital. She just wanted out, out!

] Show them their place, Human!

] Go Home

] Write in

] Go to the Hospital, Idiot!

Taylor, normally, would have made an effort to go the high route, be the model child that just tried to ignore her bullies. But she had a day, and she wanted some catharsis! Beyond that, she wanted to just quit dealing with their bullshit. She could just not give the energy to care about the morality of it all. She would probably later, but that was not presents Taylors problem.

So, she asked.{If I wanted to get back at them, put them in their place… how would I go about it ? We can still go to the hospital after it.}

{... I get to actually play? Oh, you are already a better host than the idiot!~ Just follow your instincts.}

{Taylor-Chan! Do you really want to do that ? There is no way back. We arent prepared to fight the world...}

{ Calm down. I am not about to reveal our power for some petty bullshit. Secondly, Kiana!}

The memory of Emma insulting her about grieving her Mothers death and what they did with the flute resurfaced.

{... All complaints taken back. Just keep it reasonable.} Taylor felt the barely restrained anger.

Taylor felt an urge to move, her body cramped together inside this locker full of filth and worse.

Actually…

{Why am I not freaking out right now ? I should be crying in pain and distress.}

{Well, two reasons, really. First, I am a badass and my ability to keep calm and carry on is probably something you inherited. Both Sirin and I have dealt with far worse. Secondly, Herrschers have numbed senses due to their bodies being partly made out of silicon, not carbon. I think...}

B{ Not sure that makes sense, but I am not in a position to complain.}

She gave into the urge and she felt how her body was far more limber than before. Placing both feet against the door, she shoved with all her might.

She may should have been more careful, because the locker door exploded out of the hinges with enough force to collide with the opposite row.

{I am this strong ?!}

{Call it a benefit for being a good little host. The more you follow me, the more the Will will support you… well, less you, more me by proxy through you.~ Now, let me show you what we can do to show them their place~ but first...}

Another urge, which she followed immediately. A wave of her hand and a surge of energy, small and unimportant, overcame her. She immediately felt how her hair lost some of its weight, and she knew that it was because the filth besmirching it had been banished from this world.

{Showtime~ Just follow my lead, just dont resist~ And dont worry, I wont use our power~ As if I would need it for three highschool bullies.} Sirin, as the other voice called the aloof voice, chuckled in a way that screamed I will have so much fun with this. { I have taken the time to look through our memories, and I am fairly sure I got them figured out.}

A quick look towards the clock revealed that it was just about time for a lesson to end. So, Taylor gave into the urges that marked the guidance of Sirin.

More than a few students starred as Taylor sauntered towards one of the utility sinks in the hallway just outside of the classroom they had for World Issues. Normally, Taylor went about her way hunched over, desperately trying to be unnoticable. But now, she had an almost cat-like grace to her stride, each movement exaggerated slightly, though perhaps the biggest difference was her expression. Normally Taylor's eyes were downcast, her expression that of exhaustion and tired indifference, now however, they almost gleamed golden, and much like her movement, she seemed much more like a cat about to eat their snack.

Taylor noticed that even if she made eye contact, something she disliked doing, even the gangmembers were the first to look away. Usually, she would have been insulted for her current state, but right now, people didn't dare to even try. She had to ask.

{Why?}

{It is all about confidence. You are a Herrscher, a Ruler, a herald of God. You are infinitely more valuable than any of them. You have not realized that. I have. And since you are letting me lead you for now… well, I am me, my greatness shines through you. What choices do these insects have but to submit to their better?}

As twisted as that statement was, it was hard to dispute. Taylor felt compelled to listen to Sirin just by that little monologue, her absolute confidence winning her over.

{Oh, here they are~}

Huh? Oh, yes, the trio was approaching her. They each had a look of confusion, smug satisfaction and disgust. Taylor was honestly interested, in a morbidly confused way, how Sirin would handle this.

She ignored them.

The trio blinked, clearly put off their game. Surprisingly, it was Madison who tried to get the first shot in. Her usual smug smirk, acting so awfully cute and all. "Why, Taylor, wha-"

{To be fair, she is cute! All of them are pretty hot.}

{Wait, what ?}

{Ah, that is probably worth mentioning. We both are gay as hell. Now, shut up and enjoy the show. I may not agree with her, but she is good when she gets going.}

Most of the students were unnerved at this point. Madison was among them, as a single look caused her to falter, finishing her insult with a tone of hesitation. "- What the hell is this stenche?! I thought you were unbearable before, but now..."

Seeing the occasional burst of rebelliousness was not untypical, but this felt different. There was tension in the air, almost like a held breath, waiting for just the right moment to break the metaphorical silence.

Emma tried to break the silence with a mocking comment, adding to the statement of Madison, hissing out as Taylor continued to wash her hands "You think that will help your stench ? I think you need to scrub a bit deeper!"

Madison, naturally, replied to it. Her tone was a pale imitation of her usual confidence, a fact that pleased both Taylor and Sirin greatly."Well, she may as well throw herself into the trash. Would spare us all some trouble and time. Although, at least she got something else that she has in common with her mother!"

{She didn't just say that…}

{She did. I was ready to let them off with a few slap on the wrist and the legal consequences, but now a line was crossed.}

Taylor just continued to wash her hands, carefully applying soap, humming a cheerful tone.

Sophia, surprisingly, didnt join in, but kept her distance, eyeing her with narrowed eyes. She was visibly not sure what was going on and so elected to stand back. Emma on the other hand, couldnt apparently tolerate being ignored. She shot Sophia a confused look, before making an attempt at shoving Taylor against the sink.

CRACK

The entire present student body needed a second to process what just occurred. Just as Emma was about to make contact with Taylor, the bullied girl had snapped around and landed a devastating slap, hard enough to send the redhead to the ground, stunned.

With a slow, almost lavious movement, Taylor finished drying her hands, before letting the paper towel drop onto Emma. Then she spoke, looking down at her once friend with a bored expression.

"I do feel like I have to thank you, Emma. You made me finally realize what the hell is wrong with you." The voice was smug, almost tasting each word with a delight that most wouldnt think Taylor capable of "You see, you are an addict. You are addicted to me. Well, to be more concrete, you are addicted to trying to assert dominance over me because you can not deal with your shit. Oh, I dont know what happened, but I will guess, given how often you make jokes about me being a whore or gang member, you probably had an encounter. That encounter scared you, but you survived. You then got it into your head, probably thanks to Hess, that there are the strong and weak or some similar bullshit. I came back, and there you had the perfect opportunity. I was a central part of your past, and if you could assert dominance over me, you could assert dominance over your issues."

Taylor paused, before she spoke with a voice that contained a sickening amount of sadistic mirth, making sure everyone could hear her. "And do you want to know what I will do with this revelation ? I will leave you. I will ignore you. I will not give a single fuck about you. You wont see me again. I almost pity you, but well, I do not have time to pity a silly, little, weak girl, now do I ? Thanks for the lesson on that."

She reached forward, Emma looking up to her in absolute confusion, in incomprehension, her cheek already bruising, the lip busted. Taylor patted her cheek, giving her a look. "But hey, your station certainly improved. A personality nastier than ever before, an addict too afraid to face her fears, and friends without a spine. I hope it was worth it. I heard that going cold turkey is nasty."

{...Hot damn}

{...Hot damn, sis.}

{We are not sisters! ...But thank you for the compliment. It was no challenge at all. Now to Madison.}

As Taylor moved, she shot a look towards Madison. "As for you ...well, Madison, I hope you will enjoy being their replacement chew toy. Weakest link in the chain and all that but you are certainly used to being the bottom bitch."

She eyed Sophia, who stared at her in a way that was both showing interest and strong dislike. She snorted, before stepping over Emma. She moved past them, still having the same confidence in her movements. She stopped, before pausing ,calling out to behind her. "Madison?"

Madison had moved to try and help Emma, who had curled up, holding her cheek and muttering to herself at a rapid speed, but as she heard her name, she instinctively turned around.

SMACK

A backhand to the face sends her crashing to the ground, with Taylor moving on while noting with venom. "That one was for my Mother."

Turning the corner, the urges and instincts vanished, causing Taylor to crash to her knees as she tried to calm her rapid breathing.

{I have to admit, this was both more subdued and more savage than I expected. Then again , you were always good with playing on someone's trauma and fears.} A note of bitterness was clearly heard.

{ You have to admit that it felt right!}

{It felt certainly like a lot of catharsis put together, like the fantasies you have, but never act on. Still, I do not know how to feel about it.}

As they talked, Taylor reached the exit, and with it a new question. How exactly should they get the injuries treated ? The pain slowly grew more noticeable.

{Well, from your memory, there is a so-called parahuman who would be a useful minion in the future, perhaps you could use this as an excuse to seek out this "Panacea"?}

{Why would I need a minion ?! Anyhow, I dont even know her. We should just take the bus to the hospital.}

{Perhaps we should call your father ? You… I do get not wanting to impose on him, but you are actually injured, and only this "here" because of us. We are basically forcing you to be calm. I dont think he would take it well if his daughter prefers trusting the public transportation system over him.}

Taylor sighed. She had to make a decision.

] Seek out that Panacea, she will make for a useful acquaintance, and minion. You have the perfect excuse for it.

] Take the bus to the hospital.

]Call Danny.

]Write in

AN:

I wrote this three different times in three different states of exhaustions. I do hope that I managed to convey the force of personality Sirin has. Taylor feels awkward to write, but I suppose that will die down in future posts. Means that I probably have severe errors and so on. Please point them out so I can fix them when I am not feeling dead inside. Yes, Taylor has been a bit of bitch here, but frankly, she had an Omnicidal mastermind holding her hand, so this is still relatively tame. As for why Sophia didnt get a slap... Well. it would have little effect. Sophia is the consistent one with her world view.

Golden = Sirin

Blue = Kiana

Brown = Taylor

Last edi

Taylor felt numb as she entered the nearest functional phonebooth, using spare change she had in her pocket to dial her fathers number.

Normally, even in the worst days, she went home, silently suffering and hoping that Dad wouldnt find out, but right now, right in this instance, with the pounding in her head, the pressure behind her eyes, the urge to scream and kick and beg just to get out, out of something she was no longer inside, growing, she felt for the first time like she needed him.

The numbness that had saved her life, that had allowed her to think and act, revealed its ugly side. As she pressed the numbers, the disconnect became clearer and clearer.

She knew that she was pressing the numbers, she saw the button being pressed into the machine, she heard the snapping sound of it moving back into place, but she didnt feel it. She didnt feel the pressure of actually pressing it, the sensation of touching it.

Another, the same, another, the same. Keep it together, Taylor, keep it together. Focus, focus on the task.

"Daniel He-"

She couldnt hold the groan of pain any longer. Why hadnt she noticed it sooner, her pain that was now arcing like lightning through her body. Once more, she surrendered her body to the urges, breathing heavily as she spoke words.

"D-dad..."

It was an interesting contrast, she thought with a mental chuckle, deliriously so, that she felt the pain of her worn down knuckles and where the insects tried to burrow into her, even her spine and arms for having been so long for a position wholly unsuited for them, yet she could barely feel her hand slamming against the door of booth, gritting her teeth.

"Taylor! What is wrong?"

What wasnt wrong?

"I-I need help… Phone booth, School."

That was all she managed before she was forced to cry out. The numbness of touch made the pain so much worse.

"Just hold on! I will be there as fast as I can!" The note of horror in his voice caused another chuckle from her, an insidious voice whispering sarcastically that only now he cares, while another disagreed with it.

Releasing the phone, Taylor sunk with her back against the glass wall, bloody slime from the locker smearing against it, as her breath became rapid, the voices talking to her faster and faster, the words, mental as they were, becoming stream of thoughts, indecipherable to her.

She needed to get out, out of this! Out of what?

With a cry of pain, she managed to get out of the booth, only to nearly choke as bile raised up in her throat, her vision swimming, she cruled up on the ground, all barriers broken, her panic, her pain, her fear, all of which were held back by the duo in her head, collapsed.

She wanted it to stop, she wanted out. So, she tried.

Her finger ripped into her skin, trying to tear the skin apart in a manic effort to get to her core, to release it from this hell.

{Enough!}

She welcomed the darkness.

….

{Are you there, Taylor-Chan?}

{Why do you insist on using that suffix, loser ?}

{Last time I checked, I was the one who won our last bout, Sis.}

{So what ? And you havent answered my question either!}

{It is just cute! And the least we can be are her friends, no ?}

Taylor blinked at the voices as she slowly came to, the repeated noise of the machines usually found in hospital almost soothing to her mind.

What were their names again…

{Kiana? Sirin?}

{You are up! I am so sorry! I relaxed just a bit, and it came all rushing out, we couldnt push it back.} She sounded genuinely apologetic.

{What happened?}

{You had that panic attack we were holding back. We relaxed as you had secured aid, and then you discovered the adverse side effects to having our power.} The voice was snide, but she could feel a hint of

Oh.

She recalled the lack of touch, or well, more the numbness to it. She began to shiver at the thought of it being permanent.

{Right, time to distract you. Perhaps we should explain what her deal is ?}

{Might as well. Listen, Girl. Right now, you are embarrassingly weak. But, we are going to change that. No host of mine will be pathetically in any ways I can prevent. Your way to power is more difficult than mine however. Right now, there is only a small hole in the wall the Enemy put up around this part of the multiversal tree. That hole being you, or to be more precise, your core. As it is, it is significantly easier to break the wall open from the inside, rather than the outside. So, we need to force big amounts of Honkai energy back to the source to rip it farther open. It is why we got a schematic for a Material to Honkai generator and it is fortunate that you have chosen the Void. You can manually help widen it with practise. In exchange, you get, naturally, access to more power with which you can achieve greater feats..}

{Pretty much. Sirin is here to teach you all the fine details about the usage of the Void. I am here to teach you how to fight and to annoy her.}

Taylor mentally nodded along before pausing. {So you two are my shoulder angel and devil?}

Kiana made a humming sound, which was weird if heard mentally before denying it. {While we play similar roles, it is more that we represent two different ideologies and viewpoints.}

She was about to ask what they could teach her, as the door to her room opened, and her father came in, looking like an extra for a zombie movie. His eyes widen as he saw her awake, and promptly pulled her in a hug.

Hugging her father back, she bit her lip slightly. She recalled that she passed out in the street, so she couldnt even imagine the level of fear she had put him through.

"H-hey Dad." She tried to smile a smile, but it was awkward.

"Taylor, are you feeling okay? Do you need anything? What happened?" It was clear that Dad wouldnt let it go without any explanation, which made her happy. But… it also put her into a difficult position. She really didnt feel like trusting him with the fact that she had powers, would probably want her to go into the Wards, when she had no idea what she actually wanted to do…

{Rightly so. If his first instinct is to submit his daughter to authority, he shouldnt be trusted. Being subordinate to any kind of authority would limit you considerably and by their nature, human authorities are corrupt.}

{I would say that you could tell him. Make sure to give him the impression that you can handle it, which you can, and that you arent about to do something stupid. Having secrets just ends up hurting those you care about.}

Both have made good points… she will…

] Minimal informations. Do not trust him.

] Tell him what happened, but keep the power secret.

]Tell him everything.

Taylor felt numb as she entered the nearest functional phonebooth, using spare change she had in her pocket to dial her fathers number.

The numbness that had saved her life, that had allowed her to think and act, revealed its ugly side. As she pressed the numbers, the disconnect became clearer and clearer.

Another, the same, another, the same. Keep it together, Taylor, keep it together. Focus, focus on the task.

"Daniel He-"

"D-dad..."

"Taylor! What is wrong?"

What wasnt wrong?

"I-I need help… Phone booth, School."

That was all she managed before she was forced to cry out. The numbness of touch made the pain so much worse.

She needed to get out, out of this! Out of what?

She wanted it to stop, she wanted out. So, she tried.

Her finger ripped into her skin, trying to tear the skin apart in a manic effort to get to her core, to release it from this hell.

{Enough!}

She welcomed the darkness.

….

{Are you there, Taylor-Chan?}

{Why do you insist on using that suffix, loser ?}

{Last time I checked, I was the one who won our last bout, Sis.}

{So what ? And you havent answered my question either!}

{It is just cute! And the least we can be are her friends, no ?}

Taylor blinked at the voices as she slowly came to, the repeated noise of the machines usually found in hospital almost soothing to her mind.

What were their names again…

{Kiana? Sirin?}

{You are up! I am so sorry! I relaxed just a bit, and it came all rushing out, we couldnt push it back.} She sounded genuinely apologetic.

{What happened?}

Oh.

She recalled the lack of touch, or well, more the numbness to it. She began to shiver at the thought of it being permanent.

{Right, time to distract you. Perhaps we should explain what her deal is ?}

{Pretty much. Sirin is here to teach you all the fine details about the usage of the Void. I am here to teach you how to fight and to annoy her.}

Taylor mentally nodded along before pausing. {So you two are my shoulder angel and devil?}

Kiana made a humming sound, which was weird if heard mentally before denying it. {While we play similar roles, it is more that we represent two different ideologies and viewpoints.}

Hugging her father back, she bit her lip slightly. She recalled that she passed out in the street, so she couldnt even imagine the level of fear she had put him through.

"H-hey Dad." She tried to smile a smile, but it was awkward.

Both have made good points… she will…

] Minimal informations. Do not trust him.

] Tell him what happened, but keep the power secret.

]Tell him everything.

I will tell him what happened, but keep the powers a secret for now. While keeping secrets is not always a good idea, I- I can not trust him to listen to me. Not yet.} She briefly wondered if it was something to concerned about that once she made that decision, she felt at peace with it.

Sirin gave no comment, but Kiana did. {If that is what you feel is right, then I will support it.} The feeling of confidence, not in Kiana, but in her, in the voice was touching. She heard a scoff in the background.

Focusing on her dad, concern as she had seemingly stared off in the distance for a moment written all over his tired face, she nodded her head slightly.

"I-- I am okay right now, but not outright fine, if that makes sense. Dont think I need anything in particular. As for what happened…" She took a deep breath, feeling the tightness of the locker for a moment, but the confidence gained by what happened after and Kianas trust in her… she began to speak.

It was interesting to see, how varied the expression of a tired man can be, to all three that were watching for them. Confusion, frustration ,anger, cold wrath at the mention of the mocking at her Mothers passing, an emotion only topped by genuine fury at the tale of the Flute. This was followed by sadness, depression, shame, self loathing.

It hurt Taylor to see her Father suffer, and she felt guilty for it… yet, she also felt glad. Glad that it got a reaction.

He hugged her as she came to the locker, chocking up and shivering, her fingers nearly burrowing once more in her arms.

Then she got to what happened afterwards, following the advice of Sirin to say that she only recalled brief flashes and that she had basically an out of body experience to the acts that followed.

She couldnt hide her joy at what happened though, but she didnt need to. Danny had chuckled himself, before hugging her again, promising that he would take care of the rest, and that she should rest.

Taylor awoke towards the evening, having slept to recover some more. Sirin wasnt pleased with it, but had given in once pointed out that they couldnt do much unless Taylor was willing. And while she was thankful for how Sirin dealt with the situation, she had trusted random voices in her head far too much as to be comfortable with.

So, they had begun training at the direction of Sirin.

{Alright. I can not believe I am reduced to being an instructor, but I did say that I would help you, and while I am many things, I am not a liar. As the Herrscher of the Void, you are capable of Spatial, Temporal, Dimensional and Honkai Manipulation, the latter of which being something most Herrschers are capable of. Honkai and Spatial manipulations are the easier fields, while Dimensional is significantly more difficult. Temporal, beyond some minor alterations, is perhaps the most difficult and restricted.} She drawled out, before mentally giving the impression of waving her hand in boredom.

{If we are to begin training, I will show you what to do and you replicated it. Unlike these … Parahumans, as despicable as that term is, your power is far more like a genuine limb. You will find yourself able to far more with some exercise.}

It was at this point Kiana interjected, somewhat confused {That reminds me. I needed to train, but what about you? You casually went about your way, and from what I have heard, the show you pulled at Schicksal HQ was nothing compared to Siberia.}

Schicksal? Siberia ? What the hell does Siberia have to do with anything? Before Taylor could ask her questions, Sirin responded with a smug laugh before explaining it.

{Because you didnt act with the Honkai. That always has been the difference. I have been significantly more powerful, because I didnt need to force the Honkai energy to act a certain way. It is how I managed to manipulate it on an atomic scale and rebuild…} She trailed off there, hesitance in her voice.

{As it is, It is time we begin training. Kiana can train your physical prowess once you are out of the hospital and we have acquired sufficient food. Fool, if you would do the honors?}

The soothing voice of Kiana replaced the smug one of Sirin. {Alright, releasing hold.}

Instantly, Taylor understood what Sirin was talking about. The sound of static filled her ears, yet, it was not electrical static, but something else. It felt more like reality itself rippled. It was almost painful, as if the energy or whatever it was hungry, trying to consume everything around it.

Kianas voice cut through the static. {Taylor, listen to me. Do you feel your core? The source?}

She winced, seeing slightly glowing purple cracks across her hands, before closing her eyes. The sound of static in her ears increased, and with it, the desire to consume, to let it run free. She could almost hear the devilish whispers of temptation, that if only she indulged, the potential was endless, but there, in the middle of it all, was an orb, or something orb like. It was warm, vibrating, sending out the waves of energy.

Her breath quickened as the pain increased, and she gave an affirmative thought towards Kiana.

Said … woman ? Girl ? Voice. Said Voice, soothing to her ears and mind due to the confidence in it , responded with a calmness she envied {Reverse the flow, contain it inside the core. This is your body, and you have absolute control over it.}

Taylor wasnt sure how to do what was requested, but nonetheless, she tried. She focused, imagining the waves reversing their course. Then she felt it, the resistance. The energy was no longer waves, but more of a snake trying to wind itself from her mental grasp, pressing against it. It was interesting, battles of wills were a staple of stories after all, but none quite managed to convey what it actually felt like.

Taylor pressed more of herself against the snake, pushing it into the core. As soon as it was inside, it felt significantly easier to hold it there.

Kianas voice came to her once more {Well done, Taylor-Chan!}

Taylor had to suppress a snort of amusement, before she quickly focused on the core, keeping it tightly closed. It was one of the few things she managed to pick up on. Kiana liked to use the suffix whenever she was proud, concerned or distracted. Or wanting to tease her. She wasnt looking after the nurse, goddamn it.

Sirin on the other hand was weirdly similar to herself, if only far more assertive and self assured. Usually, that would be granting, but she… well… she was not human. Not just physically, but her entire behaviour was based around the idea that she was better, and she pulled it off. Part of it was the lack of gloating, she supposed. It was less that she saw herself as a supreme being, more that she saw everyone else beneath her.

Said being took over for Kiana {I want you to follow the urges.}

Taylor eyed a water bottle across the room, and she felt it. The urge. She closed her eyes, and followed it. A pulse from the core, but this time, she caught it before it could dissipate.

It was difficult to describe, but she imagined how the energy would grasp the bottle, before flinging it into her open hand. And so it did. She blinked.

{Now, without me holding your hand.}

Taylor swallowed before nodding to herself, squinting her eyes as the twilight of the evening made it difficult to find an object that would work. Then she paused. It was perhaps indulgent, but practise was practise. She eyed the remote for the television.

Taking a breath, she let out a short pulse, before grasping the energy and putting it around the remote, throwing it into her direction.

She let out a yelp as it smacked into her face. It was more out of shock and surprise, than any kind of pain. Taylor stared down at her hands in wonder, the realization creeping in that she had indeed powers, that she just wasnt insane.

Ignoring Kianas giggling, Sirin drawled out {Well, it is a start at least. But you forgot to put the energy back into the core.}

Taylors eyes widen as she realised that in her wonderment, she had nearly forgotten about the core. Focusing on it, she made sure that it was sealed up tight.

{Next, how to create a zone of slowed down time…}

They continued practising for most of the evening.

How should special Events be decided?

] By Vote

Means that each with Each Event Slot, a vote will be held as to determine what happened. An Event slot is there to bridge the time between significant moments, such as a late night visit here.

] By Dice

Means that a public table with the possibilities will be shown, each having an associated number, and a dice will be rolled to determine which occurs.

Vote if By Vote wins, with associated Numbers for if By Dice wins.

] Panacea (1)

] Sophia (2)

] Armsmaster (3)

] Vista (4)

] Police (5)

It was later that evening, the sun already sunken beyond the horizon and the small room only illuminated by the pale and sterile hospital lamps, that a thought entered Taylors mind.

{Wait a second. If I am chosen by the Will, wouldnt the same thing apply to me?}

{What are you on about now, fool? If you mean my prowess with Honkai, then you are wrong. You are still far removed from acting in harmony with the Will. Besides, the manifestation you saw was only a small part of it. The Gestalt Will of the Honkai is unfathomable complex and alien to you… I mean not just as a Human, but as a person. It doesnt even work on the same idea of Time.} She noted with a hint of mockery in her voice.

Taylor pouted slightly, but before she was able to refute the comment, there was a knocking sound at the door to her hospital room.

She paused, blinking in a confused manner. Dad had left for home once he was assured that nothing was going to happen to her, and neither nurse or doctor mentioned an evening examination.

Hesitantly, almost shyly, she answered. "Come in?"

She had naturally imagined several different options on who it could be, reaching from a nurse who came in for a casual check up, Mr. Barnes serving some arcane legal paper that would condemn her to juvie for slapping his daughter (Sirin snorted at that for some reason.) to Panacea coming to heal her.

She did not imagine Armsmaster of all people to come through that door. Did the PRT find out that she had Powers? That the source of the powers was some alien thing that cared about as much for humanitys survival as a spider cared for a fly?

{WHAT IS ARMSMASTER DOING HERE?!}

Luckily, she had a way of releasing her squeeing at meeting one of her heroes that was not audible for him to hear.

{...}

{…}

{Kiana?! What are you silently judging me for? You checked out three teenagers!}

{I am a teenager!}

An image of a white haired girl giving her a raspberry appeared briefly in front of her mental eye.

{… Wait, you guys can show me-}

{Focus, Fools!}

Taylor snapped to attention at the sharp voice of Sirin cutting through the banter she and Kiana got into, immediately cursing herself for forgetting that freaking Armsmaster was in the room. Then she cursed again as her hold on the core slipped slightly. Freaking wonderful.

Looking up from her bed, she had noticed that Armsmaster had turned his head into her direction, but his visor made him entirely difficult for her to read. It was kind of creepy, if she was honest.

"H-hello?" She greeted, unsure what was going on. Then, she noticed that he leaned a bit awkwardly on one leg. Was he injured?

"Greetings, Ms. Hebert, I assume you know who I am?" Despite it being an almost assuredly rhetorical, he waited a moment, expecting an answer. His voice was … monotone would be the wrong term, disciplined was perhaps better. It lacked the drawl of the monotone, instead it was short and strict, without inflection.

"Yes. You are Armsmaster, the leader of the local Protectorate. O-of course I know you!" He gave a curt nod, as if to confirm that answer, before responding in that disciplined tone of his, seemingly ignoring the shy smile she had.

"Ms. Hebert, I am here today to talk to you about what happened to you." This did throw Taylor off, as far as she knew, the PRT and Protectorate were responsible for Parahumans and related cases, and while what happened to her was certainly not humane it was not something that screamed superpowers to her.

Pausing a bit, she was careful in her answer, but still wanting to sate her curiosity."I was not aware that bullying falls in the field of things the Protectorate occupies itself with." She couldnt help the suspicion in her voice. Police attention, she expected, but that of the leading Hero in the city? Felt too good to be true.

"It does not. While it is regrettable that it happened, I am here to speak to you on behalf of the Crisis Point initiative."

Wait, what?

"It is common for parahuman powers to express themselves during times of great peril or pressure. As such, the Crisis Point initiative tries to offer those who had discovered such powers a secure way to inform themselves and receive informations that may otherwise be difficult to acquire."

Well, that was something. Taylor wasnt sure how to feel about the delivery of that bit. On one hand, she wanted to call it a token attempt from an uncaring governmental agency, delivered by a Class A Asshole . But, despite her initial thoughts, something seemed off.

{That is because he is reading from a script. An extremely board one, likely for general use. Notice how he never actually referred to the incident with any level of detail?}

Taylors eyes widened for a second, before mentally nodding. She supposed that it would make sense that an initiative would have scripts for such situations.

Noticing that she was drifting off again, she spoke, trying to buy herself sometime… and in the same breath, to satisfy her curiosity for Hero Gossip.

She paused at that thought…

It had been a long time since she last thought of something like gossip as an enjoyable past time.

"Sure, I am game. But… are you okay?" There was honest concern in her voice. Despite being somewhat… rude, this was one of her Heroes after all.

As Armsmaster made to answer her question, she quickly shot another in her mental …. headspace ? Headspace made sense.

{Guys, how should I approach this?! Like, this is probably really good information, but I am not sure if I can lie to Armsmaster, and he is a Hero. I shouldnt lie to a Hero, yes?}

{Same as with your father. You do not own them your trust, and you should not trust them to begin with. Any Hero with an inch of integrity would not work with authorities that appear to be horribly be corrupt or inept based on your memories.}

{While I agree with the sentiment, I would say that we owe them the benefit of the doubt. We need support. They offer it, and we cant afford to get the government already on our heel. Besides, free intel is always a benefit. We can at least play along here.}

Armsmaster paused slightly, the first indication that this was not a response covered by the script, she supposed. Then he answered, and now that she was focusing on it, she noticed the difference in tone.

"Since it will be on the newscast anyhow, there was an altercation between the Merchants and E88. It was ended rather swiftly due to Protectorate intervention."

It would not be audible for the casual listener, but for Taylor, the note of both frustration but also pride was there. Interesting.

There was a moment of silence between them, Armsmaster, having broken out of the script most likely unsure how to get back to it, while Taylor used the pause to come to a decision, but she consulted the voices in her head first.

{I dont know. I want to trust him, but I am unsure if I want to trust the PRT.}

{As I said before, you have no reason to trust them, and if they were genuine heroes, they would have shown more care. While you will need resources, your identity is one of the most valuable goods you have right now. Do not risk it.}

{I disagree. Take it from someone who is good friends with someone who knows even less expressive than this guy, he probably does not mean to offended. Besides, you could speak in hypotheticals. Yes, it would throw a degree of suspicion on you, but nothing they could use against you and you get a lot out of it.}

{... I am surprised that your head is not entirely empty.}

{...screw you...}

She was torn between the two options.

]Follow Sirins Suggestion

]Follow Kianas Suggestion

]Write in

AN: Armsmaster feels odd to write, especially in the context I placed him in here, but I suppose that is sensible. Anyhow, It was kinda difficult to get this one out because I felt disstatisfied with it in some way I couldnt figure out. If you notice something, please dont hesitate to point it out.

Report and explain what is going on." The sentence was neither screamed as a command nor formed as question. It was simple, it was efficient, and it was one of the features of the Director Colin could approve of.

Nodding slightly, he began his presentation, now once more fully aware. Painkillers were useful, but not conductive to an effective report, despite how high his resistance was. Panacea was a blessing to the city, and, so thought Colin somewhat bitterly, had some of his co-workers half her work ethos and dedication, they would be in a significantly better position.

"Around 0812, we registered a short but intense burst of exotic energy," He gestured to statistics that showed the data that the observation equipment had gathered, it showed a short, but extreme peak."Shortly after, our equipment was fried." Which was a major annoyance and something he will need to pull several all nighters on to fix.

He then continued, the next one being a major point on the lists of many worries today had brought. "Shortly after this burst, all attending members of the Protectorate and Wards reported that they felt increasingly agitated and to cite Vista, who was present due to a dual free period, "It is the feeling as if some great monster saw you, and found you worthy of its attention. It feels unsettling, but you can not help but feel excited." This effect presumably was city wide, as shortly after, multiple conflicts between the parahumans of the city broke out, likely because several of them lack the restraint the Protectorate and Wards have. This resulted in the emergence of several unknown capes, not yet designated. They were given numerical designation till the reports could be analysed as to give them proper names. Gallant compared it to being similar to Glory Girls Aura." Glad to have a chance to stop speaking, he gestured to the projector.

He clicked the report forward, showing the recorded matchups sorted by time, along with the result.

0830: Uber & Leet in conflict with Lady Phonton & Laserdream, with later support by Dauntless, Villains escaped.

1023: Stain in conflict with Unknown 1, Stain fled

1245: Lung in conflict with Kaiser, Fenja, Menja and Unknown 2 & 3 with Armsmaster, Miss Militia, Assault, Battery came for support, fight was inconclusive and Lung left after Kaiser, Fenja and Menja.

1400: Unknown 4 in conflict with Shadow Stalker, with an interruption by Glory Girl, inconclusive. All three retreated.

1612: Hookwolf, Krieg,Victor and Cricket in conflict with Skidmark, Squealer and Mush, with Armsmaster, Miss Militia, Dauntless, Assault, Battery, Velocity, Triumph interrupting. The fight quickly ended, but no villains were captured.

"After this last battle, it was elected that those of us injured would move to Brockton General, as requesting Panacea to move during this period seemed unneeded and we were closer to it than base. While we had hopes that it would be the last altercation of the day, we didnt want to risk it. As we were waiting, I was informed that someone eligible for a Crisis point Visit was awake, and under the influence of painkillers used in combat, I made the decision to pre-empt needing someone else to come in later."

Piggot looked at him sharply for that, before noting simply, "Explain why."

He could do blunt. "Because frankly, Director, not even one in a thousand of these visits are actually Parahuman relevant, and even then, we have to follow a tight script provided by PR as to avoid stepping on the toes of local law enforcement. It is seen generally as a chore and depressing. Me, having been the most presentable and having access to the script thanks to my helmet, made it at least one task that could be taken out of the equation with no loss elsewhere." He paused "I also want to lodge a complaint that the script is utterly garbage."

Piggot narrowed her eyes, and he could swear that her lips twitched, but then nodded. "Understandable. What came out of the visit?"

Here Armsmaster narrowed his eyes, his expression taking on a distinctly more unhappy frown. "Beyond a need to investigate why Winslow, the girls school, permitted such to happen, if only to see if there is a danger to Shadow Stalker? Total Write Off."

It was odd to hear such a phrase from Armsmaster, but the message was clear. This was off record till they decided otherwise.

Pausing as the record stopped, Colin then explained. "I have reasons to suspect that she indeed is a Parahuman that recently triggered, and even most likely was the cause of the exotic energy.

While her behaviour was not atypical for someone in her situation, mistrust for someone who is in a position of authority being very understandable, she seemed at first intrigued, but with prolonged interactions, likely tainted by the script, she seemed to back away.

However, beyond the behaviour, there were trace amounts of the energy in the room, making it a likely assumption. I have no concrete proof."

Piggot nodded, briefly considering the situation. Both Dragon, who was present due to it being in part her equipment that was fried as well having helped with the coordination, and Hannah looked concerned. He just knew that Assault would have made a joke, had he been there. He knew about the roboter jokes, naturally. Just because he had issues applying certain ideas to social interactions didnt mean that he didnt understand them.

"Is this why you wanted this off the record ?" She asked.

Colin nodded. "If she is a Parahuman, and if her power allowed her to nearly start a city wide brawl of the gangs, she would quickly become a high priority target for any gang that has connections to the PRT.

That is ignoring that right now, if she follows typical patterns for her situation, she is extremely fragile, and us trying to pressure her could easily end in an S Class Threat, depending how much her powers can affect Parahumans. We can not risk it. As such I would propose that I will continue, with aid from Miss Militia, an investigate during downtimes."

Piggot closed her eyes, before once more nodding. "Acceptable. However, as we are facing what is most likely a Master of considerable strength, I would like to set up a backup of your investigation with Dragon. If things turn south, we can at least give them something to work with. Is that acceptable?"

This was another factor Colin could approve of. The Director was aware that even within the PRT itself, having someone with such powers would draw the attention of all the wrong people. Better to get a grip on the situation before somebody else decides to intervene in all the worst ways.

The avatar nodded, before responding with her own input. "If she is indeed a Parahuman, it might be worth looking into her situation. As Armsmaster laid out before, Taylor Hebert has every reason to distrust other people, and especially organizations like the PRT or Protectorate."

Piggot gave a quick shake of her head. "Unless you manage to find proof that Parahumans were involved, that is the BBPDs case. As it is, we seem to have reached a satisfying plan of action. I will note the Crisis Point as having no positive result."

She gave her two subordinates a look, before speaking clearly once more, just as the clock hit midnight.

"Dismissed, get a rest. We need to be out in force tomorrow and the next days. We need to snuff the fire out before it lights the fuse."

AN/

As always, this feels odd, but c est la vie. I am open to critic on this, and will probably hammer around on it once I come back to it ( Means tomorrow probably, once the number of hours awake is in the single digits, not nearly halfways to three digits.)

Next proper post should come today or morrow.

Xasure Higeki threw 2 7-faced dice. Total: 9

Taylor looked into the glowing green eyes, which had an eerie effect, given that her room itself was only illuminated by the twilight of dusk, night soon arriving. She closed her eyes, and felt her core. It was pulsating, almost like an actual heart. The meagre amount she had before had grown thanks to careful cultivation of the core, gathering energy for the moment that had now arrived.

During her time in the hospital, she had worked on her proficiency, having achieved what Sirin has called an acceptable if pitiful level. She took it as a compliment.

Releasing the energy, she followed the pattern Kiana had engrained in her, her eyes snapping open, as she felt the result of her work. Gone was the PJ, replaced by the outfit Sirin had suggested, flakes of light vanishing one by one being the only evidence of the process of its creation.

However, what caught her eyes were the floating pair of pistols in front of her.

They were huge. She had expected them to be huge, but it was different to see it. Yet, the moment she grasped them by their grip, she felt a sense of familiarity with them.

She could not help herself as she posed a bit.

{Ready to go out? Best way to get the muscle memory in your body is doing it~}

{...Yeah, I want to go. I am tired of hiding and cowering, staying inside.}

With that thought, she blinked outside, taking off into the city.

As Taylor let Kiana guide her on how to move through a city quickly, she marvelled at the sheer mobility of the body she now possessed. Sure, she was not exactly out of shape before, but jumping across rooftops, landing pin point landings… it felt surreal but also awesome.

Still, this movement allowed her to talk to her friends.

{So…. Any ideas what we should call us? We need sort of a hero name or something.}

{Hmmm, I mean, it would be rather enticing to use something German to flip off the idiots in that Empire…}

{We would run danger being associated with them, but if we acted publicly against them, it should be fine. Although as convenient as calling ourself something like Herrscher would be, it might carry the wrong implications.}

{How about each of us offers three, and then we chose?}

{If I have to.}

{Sounds good!}

*Sigh* Although I hate the name, Schicksal would fit, Void Queen is perfectly valid as well and ... Abyss Flower.}

]Envoy sounds neat, does it not ? Or we could go with either of your names.}

] I wouldnt mind if you used Kaslana, or perhaps Valkyrie, or Comet ?}

As they made their decision, Taylor managed to hear the sound of something heavy crashing into something out of metal. Wincing slightly, she blinked on top of the nearby house, trying to find source of the sound.

She felt, for a moment, bad for hoping it was a crime in progress. Then the giddiness of anticipation won over.

Luckily, she quite easily managed to find the source… because it was nearly directly in front of her on the street.

She managed to identify all three of the combatants in her sight relatively easily.

Under her stood Vista, the local spacewarper. Since she had discovered her own spacial abilities, she had looked into her. While she was the youngest Ward in service of ENE, she was also one of the more experienced ones. Not the most experienced one, but still respectable.

{I am interested in her. She could be good future servant material if we play our cards right.}

Taylor tried to not gap at herself as she considered the implication of poaching a Ward.

Besides her stood her comrade in arms, Kid Win, the tinker of the Wards. There wasnt much on him, beyond that he had shown signs of being easily distracted.

Their opponent however, was also not unfamiliar. Rune of the Empire 88, with two large cement plates floating by her side.

Okay! She had her villain! Now what should she do?

{Shoot her.}

{Would not that make us seem like a dangerous lunatic ?}

{I am fairly, truly certain we fulfil the requirements for that designation. But if you want, shot her in the leg.}

{No! Taylor needs to learn to move. Besides, you can actually enjoy yourself! Sweep her off her legs, make quips, have some fun!}

{I am not sure…}

Taylor paused, taking a deep breath. It was probably true that shooting Rune, if only in the leg, would end the conflict faster and more efficient than starting some banter and dancing around… but, perhaps, it was her selfish desire, but it felt wrong to directly… she supposed, taint, this new her.

{I think I will try the playful route. I do need the training… I am not sure how to banter though. Like, should I make Nazi jokes? Blonde ones?}

She could feel the eye roll of Kiana even in the back of her head.

{Remove the barrier between your mouth and your mind. A good fighter keeps his mind on the fight, not on coming up with smart ass remarks. Just throw it out as it comes to your mind.} She felt a hand on her shoulder, if only her mental one. {You got this.}

Taylor nodded to herself, before she felt herself relaxing, Kiana letting go. She would still guide her movements, but they were under Taylors control. She dismissed the guns, not wanting to look too threatening.

Alright, she should probably still try to get a hit in… She had an idea!

Looking at the roof of the opposite house, she took a step back, before jumping, blinking forward. She wanted to take the idea of getting the drop on her quite literal.

(D20 … 20! Critical Success!? -3 to Runes next Roll, 3 Damage)

It was quite clear that none of the present parahumans expected her to drop down right in front of Rune in a crouch, shooting her a quick, confident grin, before sweeping the others girl legs, catching her in a princess carry.

"Mind if I drop in, Prinzessin?~" She singsonged with a wink. Inwardly, she raised an eyebrow. She meant to say princess, but apparently she picked up a word or two from Sirins and Kianas banter.

Rune seemed to be quick on the uptake, reacting faster than the Wards, replied still slightly unsettled "W-what the? Who the fuck are you?! Let go!" However, she did not simply respond by words, but also by trying to ram Taylor with the concrete plates.

Something that was met with moderate success for the young Nazi.

(Roll 1d20-3 for Rune … 6, Partial Success, 2 Damage)

Taylor had noticed the approaching plate and even tried to jump away while holding her prize, but was hit at the ankle, causing her and Rune to flip over, landing on the plate, the smaller, robe clothed girl on top, her head on Taylors chest.

{We need to work on your awareness.} Kiana noted without a sense of dissatisfaction to her.

Taylor groaned slightly, inwardly, before rolling to the side, throwing the two of them off it before she blinked away mid air.

(Roll 1d20 for Taylor … 14, Success)

As she reappeared between the two Wards, she was still mid roll, mid air. With an elegant flip, she landed on foot, one knee, her arms stretched out behind her.

Standing up in an almost laissez faire manner, she stretched with a slight yawn. "So, Scribbles, I know I am nice and all, but that was a little bit too forward even for me~ As for your question…" She gave a curtsy before winking. "I am Abyss Flower. I would say it is a pleasure, but a lady does not lie."

{Oh my God, did I just say that? What is wrong with me?! That was so.. so AHHHHH!}

{It worked well enough. I liked the entrance, but you could have flirted more, if that is the way you want to go. Seducing the bad gals is something Superheroes do, right?}

{I liked the lady bit.}

It seemed the Wards decided to focus on the enemy for now, as Kid-Win decided to take a pot shot at Rune with his weapons, the bolts of energy crossing the distance to the grounded villainess fast.

(Roll 1d20 for Kid-Win … 11, Success)

(Roll 1d4 Damage … 4)

Said Villainess had just managed to stand up before the shots send her right back on her back with a groan of pain.

The youngest of those present took the time to speak with the most recent arrival.

"So.. Abyss Flower? Fits. Thanks for helping out." Taylor could see the smile Vista shot her.

"You think you coul-"

The exchange was cut off by a plate of concrete slapping Kid-Win from his hoverboard like he was a particular annoying fly.

(Roll 1d20 for Rune… 20, Critical Success)

(Roll 2d8 Damage … 16, … The fuck?)

"Yknow, I really was not a fan of this whole bullshit to begin with, but now I am going to enjoy this." The robe clad Nazi growled out.

Taylor narrowed her eyes, before Vista spoke up with a growl. "Think you can take her? A few thugs are robbing the house she is protecting and I dont think Kid-Win should continue this engagement."

Taylor winced at that. Yeah… while not knocked out, which in itself was impressive given that he was just slapped by a solid concrete plate, he was visibly disoriented and damaged.

{Would be surprised if he was not concussed.} Kiana noted with a slight note of concern.

Seeing the other Plate coming towards her, she didnt stop to answer, instead focusing on blinking atop of the offending piece of concrete.

(Roll 1d20 for Rune … 6, Partial Success, counteraction Triggered)

(Roll 1d20 for Taylor … 19, Impressive success, 1d6 damage)

(Roll 1d6 Damage … 5)

Landing nearly picture perfect on the edge of the flying piece, Taylor jumped off in a flip, mentally reaching out with Honkai, grabbing the hood of the opposing girl and pulled her down just as she landed.

The result was a rather rough face plant for the young Nazi, groaning slightly, already standing up.

]"Undoubtedly, go handle the minions."

]"Sure, go ahead. I can deal."

]Write in

]"No problem, I can deal with Scribbles."

Unsure about the presentation part, so feedback on that would be lovely. Otherwise, Happy Christmas or whatever your poison of choice is in advance

Flipping her hair back with a smirk, her eyes glowing slightly in the shadow thrown by the buildings in the late noons sun.

She couldnt help but sound a bit smug, Taylor riding the high of being in her first fight and pulling off moves she never thought possible for herself left and right.

Narrowing her eyes at Rune, she nodded to Vista. "Undoubtedly, go handle the minions." Vista frowned but made to follow.

(Roll d20 for Sirin… 15, impressive success)

It was weird to speak something you hadnt even thought about, but in this case, Taylor was happy for it. Following the young Ward with her eyes, she added with a genuine smile. "I trust you wont have any difficulties."

Most often, such statements were phrased as questions of concern, but this one was more an implication of trust.

{My, my. Purple Rat, who knew you could be nice to others?} Kiana noted with a smug and teasing tone.

{Shut up. I am just manipulating. Young girl thrust into a role that should get her much respect, but likely doesnt feel respected enough. Making her think we see her as mature and important is our way into her heart. She is perhaps the most promising candidate for a minion we have seen so far. Besides, her spatial abilities are interesting.} Sirin snapped back.

{Chatting later, guys, and Sirin, please dont hijack my voice again.}

It seemed to have worked however, as the blonde Ward paused for a second, before continuing with a smile on her lips.

Rune watched both Vista and Kid-Win leave, mumbling something into her sleeve.

Taylor shot the blonde villainess a challenging smirk before both combatants narrowed their eyes. It had something of a wild west duel atmosphere.

(Rune, Taylor roll d20… 18,14 ; Rune goes first)

With a snap of movement, the two plates flew towards Taylor, rotating at considerable speeds. Taylor released a startled noise, before trying to blink away.

(Taylor roll d20… 2, fail)

While she managed to blink, she misjudged the distance and speed of the projectiles. Instead of appearing directly behind them, she appeared before them. Her eyes widen in surprise, and she braced for impact.

(Rune roll d20… 18, Impressive Success, 2d4 turned into 2d6)

(Damage roll 2d6… 3,4 = 7)

Taylor felt pain for the first time in recent days. She did not miss it. As she was hit by the first plate, she was slammed into the second. Luckily, it wasnt enough to disorient her, and Kiana was able to quickly guide her to turn the tumble into a show of acrobatics that caused Rune to visibly paused.

Wincing slightly, Taylor spoke up with a wry smile, although it was almost predatory in nature. "My, playing rough, are we? That could have killed me if I wasnt… well me." She stood up, dusting herself off in a carefree manner, hiding that Taylor was terrified of what just happened. She didnt lie. If she hadnt an enhanced physiology, she could easily have been killed by that.

Rune growled almost before putting a hand on her hips. "Had hoped to shut you the fuck up already. You know that the quip slinging Hero is kinda overdone? It is kinda a cliché, dont you think?"

Taylor paused, before shrugging "I mean, this is coming from a literal Nazi, sooo … You dont really have room to talk shit about cliché. Besides, clichés exists because people love em!" She sounded proud of herself for the argument, although she really was not.

Rune paused before visibly cocking her head to the side. "So people love Nazis?"

(Kiana roll d20… 20, Critical Success! Stunned, -2 to Runes Attacks)

Taylor made for what she thought was a smart remark, but Kiana interrupted, taking over for a moment. Shooting a wink towards the villainness, she remarked with a voice that sounded as suave as Taylor had ever heard herself sound. "Well, you are certainly lovely to look at, no?~"

{Kiana, what the fuck?! I am not even gay!}

{As much as I loath to agree with either of you two, she has a point, fool.}

{First off, Hah, you like to think so. Secondly, you people never heard of a distraction? Capitalize on it!}

{We will have words, Kiana!}

Taylor focused on the present, only to see that Rune seemingly had stopped working for a moment, even the plates having paused mid air. Thrown off her game, the villainness, who Taylor was semi sure she saw blushing, opened her mouth, closed it then opened it again.

Even though she was tempted to use it to attack-

{Not that kind of capitalizing! Ask her -}

The message was cut off by the sound of something hitting flesh.

Taylor, for the first time alone, was unsure how to proceed, before sighing "Well, this is awkward."

Rune snapped back with a hiss "No shit, Sherlock, you fucking think?" She lifted her hand to her head. "Fuck! Cant do that without showing my face, fuck!"

Taylor blinked, before asking "Couldnt you just turn around?" with a shrugging motion.

"And let you out of my view so you can pull some other bullshit like the filthy, cheating Grabbag you are?" Came the rather irate answer.

"Look, I could literally just shoot you in the leg if I wanted to. Or Teleport behind you, or pull your hood off with telekinesis." Shot Taylor back. "However, I dont want to -"

"Nice hair, Tay Tay" before it was violently pulled.

"I hate the idea of giving an honest" And at least she could say that, it was, in fact, honest, even if only spoken by Kianas hand, not her own. "compliment and then follow it up with an attack. I dont want to be that kind of person." Taylor shrugged before turning around herself.

Rune, she guessed, starred at her for a moment before doing whatever she needed to do.

"Done."

With a smile, Taylor turned around once more. "Can I ask what you wanted to do?"

Rune shrugged, seemingly unchanged. "Just checked for head injuries. You did cause me to faceplant into concrete after all. So… The whole mojo for the fight is kinda gone."

Taylor had to agree. Here she was, chatting with her fellow teenager she just flirted with (AHHHHHH!) to cover the awkwardness inherent to their age and the fact that she may have a minor crisis of orientation, because she could not deny it that Rune had a level of attractiveness to her.

Just as frustrated with the lull in combat and conversation as Rune, Taylor asked with a voice half sarcastically. "It is not like we can go and eat an ice together, right?"

However, apparently, she conveyed the wrong idea, as Rune questioned with a note of awe but also confusion in her voice "Are you seriously asking me out right now? Because if you havent noticed, I really can not do that."

There was something in her voice that caused Taylor to perk up. Hesitation.

Naturally curious, Taylor decided to ask the question. "Can not or do not want to?"

Rune was paused, before replying with a hiss."Can not. I am in the Empire. Even if I wanted to, which I did not say, I couldnt without repercussions."

(Taylor roll d20… 20, what the fuck, since when is Taylor lucky?)

Peer pressure. Taylor was more than familiar with the concept. She had suffered plenty because of it. She wasnt blind. Most of her tormentor joined in or at least pretended to not care because the larger whole decided that they should.

She freaking hated it. Sure, it had some positive aspect for society at a whole, but this was bullshit. Taking a moment to breath, she focused her thoughts.

In this moment, she recalled something she overheard dad say once about negotiations and the gangs.

"As much as I loath to say so, the Empire knows what it is doing. What most people want is comfort, plain and simple. And that is what the Empire is offering. An absolute answer to the issue of self worth, companions and a safety net. Their ideology comes naturally then, because once you gain the benefits and support of one group, you will naturally to favour them, want to please them in fear of losing that comfort. It is all about knowing what they want and more importantly, how to sell it to them."

And he was right. The first major step in convincing someone is knowing what they want. For that, she would need to know who she was talking to.

{Taylor. Stop. Think about what you are doing for a moment.}

{What do you mean?}

{First, what do you want to accomplish?}

{I want her to open up to me. I need to know if she is only in a bad situation that I can help her out of, or not.}

{Do you need to, or do you want to?}

This gave Taylor pause. Her instinct screamed at her to say that she needed to do this because she was a hero. But that also gave her pause. Was a Hero someone who needed to help, or someone who wanted to help?

Deep down, she knew her answer. She had, after all, two heroes, her heroes at least, in her head.

{I want to. I know the feeling of being trapped in a situation you can not find an escape from. I dont doubt that she has some issues, issues that need a lot of work on her part, and a past that can not be erased. But I do feel that it takes one hand reaching out in a genuine effort to get her started. If I can be that hand, why should I not? Because someone will judge me for it? Let them. I am done bending over for the world.}

She took a breath, calming her mounting temper, and the feeling of having reached an understanding.

{It takes change to make change. The usual approach does not work, does not fix the issues.}

{Heh, I am proud of you!}

{… I will aid this one time. In honour of her and her ideals. You can not simply straight up offer her aid. Beyond the trust issues, it harbours too much risk to her. If she showed even a shimmer of willingness to step away, and the Empire learns of it, she would be a target. You need to provide her with an excuse to speak to you that her companions couldnt fault her for. The Empire, from your memories at least, portrays itself as an honourable brotherhood, Kaiser himself being most consistent offender for this. Use that. Challenge her to a bet about the outcome of the fight. If you win, you can ask one thing of her, if she does, she can ask one of you. This provides her with the deniability to justify listening to you. If it works out, that is on you.}

{Sirin…}

{Shut it, Fool. Just because I am showing compassion for a person does not mean my opinion on Humanity has changed. It is still a species that has proven itself to be almost composed entirely of greed filled, deceitful little waste of space and energy. But, I am secure enough to admit that exceptions do exist. Just as I am secure enough to know that they wont change humanity for the better.}

Shaking her head, Taylor focused on Rune, before speaking up. "May I propose a challenge then? To get the Mojo back into the fight?" Seeing the accepting nod, she continued "A bet. The winner can ask one thing, within reasonable limits of the other. No hard feelings."

The robed form was still for a moment, before throwing her hands up "Fuck it. Why not. I am game. Just to be clear, no sex, no life debt bullshit, yes?" Following the nod, both of them went into position, Rune seemingly exhausted and frustrated, Taylor filled with determination.

(Rune, Taylor roll d20… 13, 20 What the absolute fucking hell ? Taylor, stop being lucky, please! Double action for Taylor)

(Taylor roll 2d20… 20 ...Escalation..., 8 ; Fuck it, she wins)

It was as if the air itself was filled with energy, the mojo of competition back into play. Rune moved first, or attempted to anyhow. She flung the two plates towards Taylor who took a step forward, and then with surprising force, jumped upwards in a flip over both plates.

She wanted to help. She would help.

In her hand, something took shape. Instincts guided her.

Landing in a crouch , she launched herself forward, slamming her shoulder into Rune, causing the girl to fall on her back.

Something gained mass.

The villain made for a motion to send the plates against her back, but Taylor turned around, feeling the energy inside her pulsing with the purpose she installed in it and whipped her hands around like she held something.

The plates fell apart.

Taylor took a heavy breath, before blinking as she realized what she held.

"And now you can make swords out of thin air." Rune seemed far more animated than before, although certainly not less sarcastic. "Well, you won, what do you want? I dont do kisses."

Letting her new weapon vanish, Taylor turned around with a smile, and simply said.

"Tell me about yourself. Preferably while eating a burger."

It was surprisingly easy to acquire food from Fuglys, even while in costume. She even got a look at the time, telling her that she had a good two hours till Dad arrived back home.

Sitting on the rim of a roof, they indulged into the sinful meal almost silently. A silence that was broken by the villainness.

"So, what do you want to know? Real names are off limits, as are any details that would lead you to them."

Taylor paused, before deciding to be blunt about it.

"Why are you a … you know, Nazi?"

Rune paused mid bite, only to choke on the bit she had in her mouth. It was a chocked laugh.

Taylor couldnt help but pout. It wasnt a stupid question.

Seeing her pout, Rune shrugged. "Sorry, but it has been some time since I was last asked why, instead of being cursed at, insulted, or something else. Perhaps people think it melodramatic to ask the villain why…" She paused. "You know. Maybe it is because I had fucking fun using my power with you for the first time in weeks, maybe because you were fairly decent to me… but I… fuck it, not much you can do with it anyhow."

Rune took a moment, before she continued. "You would need some context to get the whole picture, but the short of it is that I fucked up, and now I can not get out."

There was a lull in conversation as Taylor stared at Rune.

"Fuck me, you want the whole story? Fine. So, story time I fucking guess. Little Rune, me, about two years ago, was a little shit of a rebel. My parents were kinda shit to me. Our extended family are friends with the Empire, though my folks didnt exactly agree with the hate. I know, I know. Woe is me, my parents werent fucking racist enough. But that wasnt it. It didnt mattered to me. What mattered to me that they were so insisted on even preventing me from engaging with it on some level that it was suffocating. Worse was that they kept several of their" her voice became bitter for a moment "other more classical beliefs." She rubbed her arm.

"So, given that I haboured a dislike for them, I decided to flip them off the best way I could. I got into contact with our family, and there is this Uncle. He is a true Believer, well travelled guy, pretty fucking smart and actually fairly cool and caring as a person. It is how he got me, although I do not think he had intended it this way. He allowed me to indulge, to live. No hate crimes, only freedom to do whatever the fuck I wanted. I felt powerful."

Taylor was captivated by the tale, and she understood it well enough. She could see herself in it. If someone had come to her before the locker, had offered her not only power, but freedom to do as she wished… well, she saw it with Sirin. She had indulged. She didnt regret it, she held and holds it as justified, but it was the same principle in the end.

Rune continued her story. "Eventually, well… I landed in prison. I wont lie to you. I dont want to sell you some pity ass story. I had adopted rather pointed views from my uncle because I wanted to please him. Make him like me, approve of me. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery after all. That naturally got me in some hot water given the people I shared prison with. It didnt help my views either." She made a face.

It almost seemed to Taylor that she forgot where she was, or who she was with, which was just fine with her. It was clear that Rune was rather frustrated.

"Ever heard some ni-someone call you a white bitch and threaten to rape you? Yeah, it was a coed one. One with less than stellar separation, especially for a Nazi Bitch. Before you say something, yes, I fucking know that a few cases, these cases being in fucking Juvie, are not the best sample size. It didnt matter back then. I had, in my mind, a clear case. A group of people on my side, having shown me compassion, companionship, fucking decency, and so on. On the other hand, you had that kind of people, who were fucking dicks to me. Me being the blind dumbass you see today, didnt exactly grasp the idea of adjusting my views. Fuck that Peer pressure shit. But you see, people like to talk big game, but the pressure? It can get to anyone. So,… I triggered. Suddenly, I had power. More power than any of the fucks that threatened me. I was their superior. Went a way to reaffirm my views."

Rune sighed, energy leaving her visibly. They were getting to the core problem, it seemed.

"Now, to be clear, I wasnt even in fucking Brockton at the time. My folks had some serious financial problems. I mean fucking loan sharks after them. My uncle, he made the connection with Kaiser, Kaiser offered to help my parents out in exchange for my support. Personally, I would have done it because my uncle asked me to. So, we moved. And suddenly, magically "her voice gained a note of hysteria" my parents love the Empire, love the old ways, love all that shit that I thought separated me from them. Was the first time I asked myself what the fuck. Yeah, having the people you despise and build your identity around defying suddenly share your world view? That is a wake up call. But then I thought, like actually thought about it for a moment."

She paused, taking a deep breath, calming herself.

"I can not escape. I can not leave. My Parents? They adore Kaiser, they wanted to set me up with his fucking son. They would disown me, maybe even out me. They would have been the only ones that would have helped me, but I ruined their shot at getting away. My uncle? He would outright be disgusted with me. My entire support structure is based around the Empire, the same fucking Empire that I witnessed exploit the suffering of whites. So, you could say that being part of it is literally the only viable way I have."

Rune gave a sardonic chuckle. "Although. Dont think I bitch about it to earn pity or some shit. It is still my fault. I was 15 when it started. I still had the capacity to know better. You asked though."

Taylor swallowed, unsure how to respond to this.

She understood, on a logical level, that Rune was still a Nazi. Not a particular violent one to be fair, she was not known to have participated in murder and some of the heavier stuff, but she still was someone who did awful things for awful reasons. The type of person a Hero was supposed to fight against.

Yet, she was also someone who didnt deny that it was awful, that she did evil. She may even regret it. But she wanted to move on, do better, grow. But she couldnt find the way. Wasnt it the Heros way to guide such people?

The two voices in her head were oddly silent, but not out of disrespect, she knew, but because this was a decision she had to make. Would she aim to punish evil or nurture good?

]Punish Evil

]Nurture Good

]Try for both

Well, that is the longest post for this yet. It is out now, and while I feel it is good, I am still anxious as fuck. I do like to think that it serves as establishing moment for Taylor and Rune both. I tried to keep as close to canon Runes backstory as possible while expanding on it. There is def going on something in the background as well.

I highly welcome critic on this, if people are agreeable to this level of indepence, etc.

Have a merry Xmas.

With a nod to herself, a physical one, she made her decision. She wanted to see good prosper more than she needed to see evil squashed, but that does not mean she would stop with the second while doing the first.

"I will help you."

"Excuse me?"

Rune had not expected the response, head snapping around, but Taylor continued. "I have no idea how I can help. But I will help. Even if it only by talking to you." She had a huge smile on her lips as she said that, closed eyes, visibly enjoying the sea breeze and the atmosphere Dusk always brought with it.

"Why? You will probably piss off the entire Empire. Why in the world would you do that ?"

"Well, I want to be a hero. A hero helps. Naturally, they are degrees to it, but I am confident that I can deal with it. So, I will help."

Runes mouth opened and closed, before she laughed silently. "Well, you do have to get better for that. Thanks for the sentiment. If-" She cut herself off as the sound of classical music chimed through the air.

{...No, that couldnt be. Sie hat das Liebesverbot als Klingelton, HA! I WAS RIGHT! I KNOW A BABY GAY WHEN I SEE THEM!}

{What ?}

{She has Wagners ban on love as her Ringtone. Given the previous conversation about you two being attracted to each other, it is rather amusing.}

{BUT-- You know what, we will talk later.}

Still, she had to crack a smile at the irony of it, one that didnt escape Runes notice. At her questioning look while she took the call, Taylor mouthed "Liebesverbot" with a wink.

Runes reaction was interesting. She visibly paled, then blushed, then made to reply with what was probably snark only to realize she was on the phone, so she lifted her hand and flipped her off. Chuckling, Taylor waited for the call to end. With a huff, Rune closed the brick of a flip phone.

"I gotta go. Our Robbery was a bust and I can only justify staying away for so long. So… I guess I will see you around then ?"

Taylor nodded, before sighing. She wanted to do more, but she knew that she could not, not right now.

Rune then paused, before she hummed. She then whispered something to herself. Pulling out a piece of paper, she quickly wrote something down.

"Here is the deal. This is my PHO handle, private one, you can contact me through that. In exchange, I want you to promise me that you will not hold back against me. Don't want to get you in trouble."

Taylor gave her a nod. It was a reasonable request after all, if one that caused her to frown.

But still, she couldnt help to give her a salute before stepping off the roof, saying in a rather smarmy tone "Auf Wiedersehen.~"

{So, we need to talk.}

{That we do, my cute little kohai.}

Taylor was standing inside a bus towards home, having decided to take it to get an opportunity to speak with her voices.

{I genuinely do not see why. This was a relatively successful outing, was it not ?}

{It was! Just… could you people not take me over when I did not give explicit approval?}

{I will try. I know I am a bit of a child, but that is mostly because it has been a while I could! You can trust me to not make that call in a situation where it wouldnt help.}

{Thank you, Kiana. Sirin?}

{I wont make this promise. Your body is my body. I will acknowledge that you are the primary driver, but I serve my own interests. However, I will communicate my inputs better, if only to lessen my headache dealing with you lots..}

Taylor winced, but sighed, knowing that Sirin had a point.

{I will take what I can get.}

{So, how about we talk about the elephant in the shop ?}

{You mean that we basically agreed to help a Nazi? I thought we were done with that?}

{I mean more how we are going to help her. It is good enough practice for long running planning.}

{That is something we can discuss later, once we have done proper research.}

{That reminds me. Why are you so good with reading people, Sirin?}

{To truly hate something, you have to know it. During my first arrival, I was mostly a girl suffering and grieving. It was emotional hate. After my defeat, I had nearly 16 years to think about it. I watched the world through Kiana's eyes, and experienced life. For most, it would have changed their opinion. It just reaffirmed mine. It is true. Humanity has produced extraordinary heroes worthy of that title. But these few do not justify Humanity. Humanity itself forgets and discards them. It makes a fetish out of suffering, refusing to actually apply the lessons their heroes taught them. People like to believe that humanity became more civilised, but no. It only became less personal. With my thinking came an understanding of the subject matter at hand. But why am I helping you, you may think? Because It is the task that we were given. The Enemy needs to know that Humanity is not theirs to end.}

Taylor shivered at the implications of the last line, but it did sate her curiosity.

{I am more inclined towards humanity. What Sirin noted is true. Humanity is flawed, it can be ugly, it can be hateful. There is much suffering in the past and present, perhaps even in the future. But the existence of these few goods is evidence for the potential in all of mankind. I have faith that we will end this story the way we want.}

Taylor nodded along. She could see both points of view. What separated them was simply faith from what she could see, faith in humanity.

As she entered her house, she looked at the clock.

About an hour fifteen till dad arrived back home, enough time to make Lasagna with some time shenanigans.

{Cosmic power, and you use it for cooking… I should feel insulted, but frankly I am more amazed that you can cook.}

Taylor hummed in acknowledgement while she began with snapping her fingers, causing a bubble of accelerated time to appear around her working place. Quickly she put the water on boil and brown the beef.

{Well then, let's recap. Taking stock is important. What did you learn today ?}

~Victory!~

STAMINA REWARD

31 - 2 (First Battle) - 33

PROFICIENCY REWARD

19 - 1(First Battle)1(Nat 20 Ability Use) - 21

PROFICIENCY UPGRADE UNLOCKED

20: -Taylor is now able to access the Imaginary Space!

21:- Taylor is now able to call forth Honkai Beasts

{I am confused about the sword though. I thought I would use Guns like Kiana or projectiles like Sirin.}

Taylor admitted with a note of confusion, as she seperated the beef into a bowl.

{Well, back home we had a designation for the chosen weapons of any given Herrscher. We called them Key or Keys of insert relevant title here. Their fully ascended versions were called Domains, something that not only harmonized well with said Herrscher but amplified their power as well. The sword is … I am unsure of the English word for it, rohling… lets go with a blank. It will grow alongside you, be shaped by you till it becomes the most powerful tool for expressing your powers.}

Taylor nodded, before wondering what the sword would become in the future as she grew. She had no teacher for swordsmanship,so that was something to investigate,she quickly made a note to herself as she cooked the bell pepper, onions and other ingredients before adding back the beef.

{What else did we achieve?}

Taylor thought about it for a moment, before replying…

~Developments~

~Relationships~

Brockton Bay

Unknown - Neutral but known

PRT

Unknown - Neutral but known

Vista

Unknown - Positive but confused

Kid-Win

Unknown - Positive but confused

E88

Unknown - Slightly Hostile

Rune

Unknown - Friendly but doubtful

~New Information!~

Rune in Need

Rune has expressed a desire to leave her old ways behind, although she is currently unable to do so due to having no resources and support outside of it.

Taylor hummed slightly as she put the mixture into a pot and began to make it into a proper sauce. She was still confused about Rune. The girl seemed fairly quick on the uptake, and her power was fairly scary. She had to hold back a lot to not turn any match against a none brute into a fly swatter.

Regardless, they promised to help, and so they would.

{We could always just eliminate the rest of the Empire.}

{Is that not a bit extreme?}

{I mean, we are talking about Nazis here. But while it is viable option, maybe we can come up with a better solution once we gathered the intel we can.}

Taylor conceded the point as she began to preheat the oven and boil the noodles. As she began to assemble the Lasagna, she posed the last question.

{What are we going to do tomorrow ? In the morning, I have to meet with the police for their investigations regarding the locker, but in the afternoon I am free.}

{You are advanced enough that we can start building our forces and begin construction on the Honkai generator. Once it is finished, we can use it to grow the capacity of your core, perhaps even create new ones. The Imaginary space is perfect for it. Perhaps we can even call some minor beasts forth, giving us more options in how we can act.}

{Not sure that is the best plan. Having power is nice, but you need to know how to use it. I would say that we definitely should go out again. We can give Taylor advice, yes, but she needs experience to grow. Besides, we are not working on a tight schedule.}

{I am not sure either way, but lets go with…}

~Choose tomorrow's action~

]Go Patrolling

]Build Forces

]Do Research (Runes Path)

]Find a swordsmanship Teacher

]Write in

As she put the lasagna into the oven, she looked at the time. Having some odd forty minutes or so and a timer running, she decided that she could check PHO if her fight with Rune got attention or not. As always, she wasnt dissapointed in how quick people are to record instead of helping or running away.

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Topic: NEW CAPE: ABYSS FLOWER

In: Boards USA Connecticut Brockton Bay Capes

Zizzel (Original Poster) (Veteran Member)

Posted on January 27, 2011:

NEW CAPE ALERT

Today, during a Robbery perpetuated by Rune and 4 unidentified Thugs of the E88 on a Pawn Shop, the name of which I wont disclose, a newcomer apppeared.

Two of our very own Wards confronted them, after being alerted by an observer, and fought with Rune.

The teenage Nazi however was able to keep the two Wards, Vista and Kid-Win, in check while the thugs proceeded with the Robbery.

However, when it already looked like the villains would get away once more, a new figure appeared!

Video

I apologize for the lack of tone, my phone had been damaged a few days ago and the microphone doesnt work.

I was also busy removing myself from the scene slowly, you know, being safe and all.

This new Cape, whose allegiance is unknown, fought against Rune, and I must say, she is confusing. She pulls Olympia level stunts off without a hitch and then seemingly misjudges distances.

Add to that she is seemingly not wearing a mask, she is a very interesting new character to the Bay.

(Showing Page 1 of 1)

Vista (Wards ENE)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Glad to see that PHO is as fast as usual.

As for my take on AF, she seems nice and got her priorities straight, if a little showboating.

I am slightly concerned about where she went to Rune tho.

BABA

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Eh, probably just a new recruit of the Empire. She literally turned her back on a Nazi.

Parian (Verified Cape)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

@BABA I hope not, her outfit is so interesting!

Never quite seen such an outfit before, so I would love to know where she got inspiration from.

LilaW

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Am I the only one who is worried about Kid-Win ? Rune got him pretty bad there.

Vista (Wards ENE)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

@LilaW He appericates the concern, but he is fine. Nothing permanent, and nothing our resident St. Panacea could not fix.

@BABA I second @Parian , although more so because AF is scary. The way she teleports... Add to that the sword and I think she held back considerably.

LilaW

Replied on January 27, 2011:

@Vista Good to know!

Also, is it only me or is Rune blushing in the vid ? Perhaps our new knight in shining ... ehh, whatever that is... tries to seduce the Nazi to the light ?~ I will call it Runic Flower!

Rune (Verified Cape)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

@LilaW Fistly, it is called a dress. Secondly, go eat a fat one.

As to clear the air, despite knowing that I will get flag for it, I will attempt to clarify what happened. After our fight, AF tried to interrogate me, and we got talking about the Empire. I used that chance to try and butter her up, but that gal is a heroine to the bone. It puts the Wards and Protect to shame.

Like, srys. she used "I help because I want to help" fully honest.

AND TO BE ABSOLUETLY CLEAR, I AM NOT GAY, I DONT KNOW WHY I AM SHIPPED WITH EVERY GIRL I FIGHT!

Besides, I am still a minor, you creep.

End of Page. 1

Taylor paused for a moment. While she could appreciate the gesture of Rune defending her honour, giving no response herself might be easily misconstructed. Rune was still known as a Nazi. Besides, as much as she hated the idea of PR-

{One of us! One of us! One of us!}

She wanted to look approachable, and a good image would smooth things over.

Taylor leaned back.

Most Cape accounts were somewhat meme heavy. They played it either professional or into their theme. Well, she at least hoped they played it up. Otherwise most capes were probably fucking nutcases. But she was perfectly reasonable, so despite what the voices in her head were telling her, Taylor was optimistic.

But how should she approach PHO?

]Be professional

]Play into the Stereotypes

]Be Honest

]Dont Engage

]Write in

Slightly calmer post this time. I hope everyone had a good xmas time. Und einen guten Rutsch!

Taylor nodded to herself. She had a plan for the evening and tomorrow. Following the thread on the side, Taylor noticed that the timer was nearly ready to go off.

With a blink, she moved into the kitchen, taking the Lasagna out of the oven with a smile just as she heard the door of dads car slam shut. Quite a bit before his usual time, but thanks to her wicked kitchen hax, no problem!

The door opened and she greeted her father with a sudden hug, having blinked just out of sight behind the opened door.

"Hi, Dad!"

She was greeted by a tired smile, and a quick hug back, before Dad sniffed the air like a shaggy dog and he questioned with a more energetic smile "Lasagna?"

Taylor gave him a nod, before snapping her fingers. "Yup! Now go get ready. It still needs to cool a bit."

The following dinner was quiet, but it was a good kind of quiet. Previous dinners were, if they even happened, quiet as well, but the posture of them was different then, more on edge, more secrets.

Right now, they were simply two people enjoying the presence of the other. While Sirin had been apathetic if not slightly hostile towards Dad, Kiana was helping her connect better with her father, often prompting her to start their interactions.

"So, are you sure you want to do that tomorrow ? You know that it is not needed. It should not be needed." The last part nearly growled.

Taylor sighed. While her father was happy to support the investigation, he was, as any parent should be, concerned how far Taylor involved herself. But he was naturally a bit overprotective as well.

Tomorrow, she would speak about the locker and what she did after.

"I know. The officer said as much, but I want to make sure we nail them." Taylor couldnt keep the small smile off her lips, a confident one.

Her father blinked at it, before sighing. "Okay, but I want you to promise me that you will stop if you feel unwell. Your recovery was amazingly fast, but we dont need to risk it anymore than we have to. When do you have to be there ?"

"Around 10. You gonna drop me off ?"

"And pick you up."

"Dont you have work ?"

"They can wait. You are more important."

Taylor had to admit, it felt nice to hear that.

Having moved to her room after the talk, it was now time to make her entry to the wonderful world of the internet.

Opening the browser, she tried to make a new account under the name of Abyss Flower only to pause.

{SON OF A WHORE!}

{Language! But also yes.}

{We should track them down and teach them..}

She stared at the offending pop up with judging eyes.

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Topic: Hello there, I am Abyss Flower

In: Boards USA Connecticut Brockton Bay Capes Introductions

TheRealAbyssFlower (Original Poster) (Unverified Cape)

Posted on January 27, 2011:

Hi there!

I am the recently debuted warrior for peace and justice! Abyss Flo-

Sees that someone has already taken Abyss Flower*

wer…

Whoever did that will pay~

Anyhow!

The video provides a good summary of my current abilities, although I do keep some party tricks up my sleeve~

I am and will be unaligned due to multiple factors in my private life as well as Powers. However, I am heroic-cat-ly inclined~

Ask me anything, I guess?

Also, feel free to ask in the following languages: German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Filipino, Haitian, Spanish, Polish, Korean and Dutch.~

(Showing Page 1 of 1)

Abyss Flower

Replied on January 27, 2011:

HAHAHA!

Zizzel

Replied on January 27, 2011:

OMG, you are fast!

Happy to have you around!

@ Abyss Flower , Not cool dude.

Vista (Wards ENE)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

...Holy sh- crap. That are ... a lot of languages. PR would love you.

Parian (Verified Cape)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Welcome!

I must say, I love your outfit! Could you tell me from what kind of material it is made? Also brave of you to go out without a mask!

It is embarrasing to ask, but would you be available for modelling ? You give me some many ideas!

Also, the emote is very cute!

TheRealAbyssFlower (Original Poster)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

@ Abyss Flower

Dear sir or mam, that is very naughty~ More seriously, also very annoying.

@Zizzel

Indeed, I am fast to arrive, but not as fast as you! I legit didnt notice you at the battle! But you really shouldnt get yourself into danger for a video! I am more than happy to talk.

@Vista

I have two very gifted friends that helped me learn them~ Although I am not all that positive inclined towards PR. It is so fake!

@Parian

I wouldnt be opposed, although while I would never deny a compliment to my most blessed self... My powers make it so that I have little use for a mask.

BABA

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Why didnt you arrest Rune? Are you with the E88? Purity claims to want to be a hero as well!

Zizzel

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Sees her response to Vistas post*

O-oh my! How daring.

TheRealAbyssFlower (Original Poster) (Unverified Cape)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

@BABA

I was busy seducing the Nazi to the light side! Preactive prevention through redemption! ALSO, not a Nazi.

@Zizzel

What ?...

Oh? OH! You have your head in the gutter. Besides, they arent that impressive~

End of Page. 1

As Taylor left the meeting room, she briefly went over the conversation. The detective she met with was an older gentleman, who had spoken very directly with her.

The situation had rapidly developed beyond a case of assault.

{I must admit that I did not see that coming either. Humanity at its finest however. Always trying to prove their own importance in the most insignificant manners.}

Sirins assessment was correct. Most of the shebang was less about what happened to her and more a pissing contest between the different departments. Even the Superintendent got involved, along with the Hazmat guys being utterly furious with the school for trying to cover it up by bleaching the locker.

Given how she got out of the locker, the PRT decided to get involved as well, finding grounds to at least investigate in their own capacity.

The detective had noted that most of the others had at best only a technical interest, but it made the case more complicated for her as well as prolonging the case and investigation, much to the frustration of both the PRT, Police and CDC. Even the IRS got involved!

Humming slightly, she paused as something tingled her senses, just as she stood in front of the elevator that would take her out of here.

(Roll 1d6 Encounter Roll… 3. Sophia Hess)

"He-Taylor."

That fucking voice.

Taking a deep breath, desperately needing the calm to not summon forth her sword or pistol, she turned to the offender.

"Hess." She watched the brutish girl approach, then how she almost casually leaned against the wall.

"Dont wet your pants, I am just waiting for the elevator." Taylor almost responded with her usual snark, but then she paused.

Sophia had lacked her usual sneer and contempt. Where before she spoke to her as if she was an ant to be crushed, now it was casual conversation. So, instead of responding, she hummed slightly and nodded, waiting for the elevator herself.

{That reminds me, why did you not slap Sophia ?}

{Because it wouldnt have served a purpose beyond a bit of catharsis. From your memories, Sophia is perhaps the only one who acts consistent with the ideas she seems to possess. As for said ideas, it is simple. She believes in the combination of Power and Drive. It is likely why she is a jock. The easiest place to find people with a drive and the will to exercise their power is either high level corporations or high school sports and politics.}

{So, what, she is attracted to power? Is she on a powertrip because she is above average in terms of fitness?}

The idea of that gained a sneer from Taylor, both hoping that it was true and not.

{I do not know, much to my frustration. I don't know why she believes she has power. However, as I was going to explain before your interruption, fool, is that she is consistent and realistic with her actions. I do not believe she is deluded about her own position. This is most likely a case of being differently rational. Yes, she is cruel to you, when you were weak, because that is something her power allowed. Similarly, she did not went to defend her companions, because they were weaker than you. Not just in strength, but also personality. Well me, but they dont know that. Who is stronger between you two is unclear, so she is cautious. I am not absolutely sure however.}

{I see… it is kind of understandable, I suppose.}

{It just came to mind… we could perhaps see if she is a parahuman. It would explain her fixation with strength and drive.}

Taylor nodded, mentally. Sirin had explained to her the nature of powers, at least to a degree. While it would be a world shattering revalation for most, it kinda felt like an another tuesday for Taylor already. But how could they check for.. oh!

{You mean we could try to sense if a cross-dimensional connection is present ?}

{Exactly. It would be an excellent test for your abilities, and, if she is, she would perhaps be the easiest to recruit.}

{Why would I want her ?} Taylor liked to think she did not sound hurt.

{Because she is perfect for it. She ultimately desires power, power we can give her. She respects drive, and we plan to eliminate the closest thing to a god since us. In addition to that, this would be the best way to redeem her. Easy picking.}

Shit, that was a good argument.

Taylor leaned back, mentally, before contemplating her options.

She could simply ignore Sophia. No risk, she wouldn't need to bother with her particular brand of crazy, and she would get her comeuppance once the investigation concluded. She would need to do literally nothing... Beyond being somewhat of a hypocrite.

On the other hand, she could follow Sirins advice, and perhaps end up with her for the long run.. but with the potential to help her become a better person for it.

{I have made my argument. I think ultimately, should she turn out to be of value, we stand to gain nothing by ignoring the opportunity.}

{It is your call. I do support trying helping her become a better person, but I can also understand not wanting to interact with her. I doubt she is vital enough for it to matter in the long run, atleast for our goals.}

]Test Sophia (Shadow Stalker Recruitment Path)

]Ignore her. Not worth my time.

]Write-in

A bit of a shorter one, but It is new years, so eh. Regardless of choice, next one will be bigger as we go into faction building. It will also get cleaned up later when I am significantly less drunk.

Son of a Whore! Sorry to whoever got mentioned! It was an accident

No.}

{Oh?}

{I could make a logical argument as to why, but in the end it comes down to this. Right now, I do not care how easy it would be, or how much it benefitted me, or whatever. I dont want to deal with her or her crap. I decided to help Rune because I wanted to. Taking care of everyones crap is not part of that.}

{Fair enough. A waste of an opportunity, in my opinion, but ultimately, it was only of small value to begin with.}

Kiana stayed quiet, feeling the tension.

Sophia on the other hand, seemed unconcerned about the tension between Taylor and her. "You seem different, Taylor." Her eyes focused on Taylor, and said girl couldnt help but compare her posture to that of a cat.

"Didnt know I held so much of your attention, Hess." Came the response with a cold, hard voice. One that only served to amuse Sophia apparently. She was done taking her shit.

"You did not. You were utterly unimportant to me beyond being annoying. I never liked you, to be fair, just like I dont like whatsername that always just takes everything without fighting back but still draws attention to herself… but it was also never my crusade. But you do now."

Taylors temper flared, but she recalled that it would be unwise to attack the other girl inside the frigging police station. So, she resorted to snark. "Sorry, but even if I were interested.." She trailed off before continuing, "I could do better."

The black girl had the audacity to laugh. "There it is. That bite. Not quite the same as back then, but I see it deep inside. I thought you were a spineless worm, but you are more.." She paused. "What was it called…Fuck it. You are basically the ugly duckling, hiding the swan."

{Is… Is she trying to compliment me?}

{I am unsure. It could be a flirt, buttering you up or just an honest comparison and acknowledgement. She works on a different rationale than most humans and while I am good, I am not a psychologist.}

{You could just ask her.}

Kiana had a point, Taylor had to admit.

Standing up, her arms crossed across her chest, she moved to stare down Sophia. "What is this ? Are you trying to flirt, is that your idea of buttering me up so I help you with the investigation?" Frustration bled into her voice.

"It was acknowledgement." Sophia explained."I know I fucked up by not reading the signs right. But I also wont beg forgiveness or try to justify my actions to you. You are stronger than I thought, and so you do what you want in retaliation for the actions I took because I wanted to."

Taylor huffed, but she was surprised by how calm and collected Sophia was."So you attempted to torture me just because ?"

"No." Sophia shook her head. "That is the one thing you seem to not understand. For me, it was never about you, that I happened to not like you was a benefit, but not the core motivation. I helped Emma because she asked me to, and it made my life more tolerable by making her more tolerable."

Taylor paused, swallowing a bit. Looking back, she had to admit… Sophias only noteworthy involvement in the bullying was because she was physical, making her stand out because she was unique. Not of the severity of her bullying. It had always been Emma who pushed for more.

"Who came up with the locker ?"

"Emma and Madison. I did not care for it. Apathy, not against it, to be clear. Although, after doing a bit more research, something Medison was supposed to do…" This was the first time Sophia Taylor knew, the rage filled one, shined through. "I would have been. It was supposed to show you your place, push you, test your reaction, not end up killing you. In the end it did, and you seem to do better than ever."

Finally, Taylor snapped. "So, what, you are now blaming Medison ? After you blamed Emma ? And it is all okay because I am tired of taking your shit ?!"

Sophia paused, before shrugging. "Is it okay ? I do not know. I am just observing what is. I am currently not sure what is okay and what not." She gave a sardonic chuckle. "Admittedly, this is the first time I got this kind of reaction. It is … " she paused "..exciting."

Taylor blinked, before asking almost incredulously "Do you think this is a game?"

Surprisingly, Sophia nodded, before smirking. "Funny enough, I do. Does not mean it is not true. It is a brutal one, but we live in a world where being brutal prosper. We can only believe what we have reason to believe. Admittedly, you are perhaps the biggest challenger to it yet." She paused, frowning then. "I do not know why, but that change of yours, it leaves me… interested, instead of angry." Once she paused, before she asked "Have you ever witnessed an Endbringer attack? It puts things into perspective."

The Elevator arrived at this moment, Sophia entering it.

How annoying.

{So, was I the only one who got some major Sado-Maso vibes from her ? It was almost like she wanted to be punished.}

We will be right back~

(Showing Page 2 of 2)

GloryGirl (Verified Cape)

Replied on January 27, 2011:

I am still confused about rune tho.

I mean, seducing the villain is all good and well, but she is still a freaking Nazi

FreshSo

Replied on January 27, 2011:

Gotta agree with the Barbie, letting Rune off the hook just because she is pretty sounds pretty bad.

TheRealAbyssFlower (Original Poster)

Replied on January 28, 2011:

Oh my, what tasty takes!

Well, they are actually quite boring.

As much as I like to say I seduce Rune, we merely talked. As a Hero, I want to help people.

The first question I asked myself was not if I want to be a hero. It was if a hero was someone who wanted to help, or someone who felt the need to help because they couldnt live with themselves otherwise.

My answer was the first. The second is someone who needs help. Or get laid.

I dont have a duty to take care of anybodys crap but my own. I however, much like everyone else, have the choice to do so... Shit, I should have called me something along the lines of Racoon.

Sometimes, that means not punching someone but to listen to them.

It can naturally also be that sometimes you need to give someone die gute, alte Schelle der Erleuchtung.

End of Page. 1, 2

Time moves on

Entering the imaginary space was easier than Taylor expected. However, that did not mean that it was not unsettling.

The Imaginary Space was not space in the traditional sense. It lacked the definitives traditional dimensions had. It was pure potential.

She finally understood what Sirin meant when she explained the Tree and Sea. What followed next was only possible by Sirins guidance, her understanding of the forces at play far exceeding that of both Kiana and Taylor. If she had to compare it to something, it would be watching abstract math in action.

In the end, they had somewhat of a pocket dimension. True, they had to cut the bubble off from the infinite potential outside, but according to Sirin, it was better this way.

{The Potential.. it wants to be used. It just takes the smallest of wills for it to be tainted. The Tree is solidified Potential, solidified by the will of the Tree. Inside it, the potential can be used safely, but outside of it, among the sea of Quanta, it would be too volatile for any base to be of any use.}

When it was all said and done, Taylor was still baffled by the intrinsically worked masterpiece. Sirin took the bubble they had created and linked it somehow to the tree, using just enough power to do the deed without overtaxing Taylor.

{It is no bubble universe, but it is functionally similar enough for the difference to be academic.}

{It does remind me of the Theater of Domination.}

{It is essentially that. Admittedly, it is not my area of speciality. I mostly gleamed how this is done from Reason and Legion. Sadly, that also means that while we can shape the world as we like, it does not maintain shape in the real world. Simply not something we can do without Reason. It is why we need to import actual resources later on. That being said, any wishes for the design of these places I will try to include if they arent too annoying to look at.}

CHOOSE THE DESIGN OF THE IMAGINARY DOMAIN

]St.Freya

]The Palace of Selene

]Write in

As the new designs took place, Taylor watched in awe. Terrified Awe. She had seen what Sirin was capable of at the peak of her power, casually crushing even those deemed as S-Rank without much effort and replicating feats that should have been in the domain of many different Herrschers almost casually, something even Kiana admitted she could not do.

But that was talk and brief flashes, images that did not convey how she twisted reality to her whims.

She now knew, truly knew, what Sirin meant when she said that they were the nearest thing to a God.

It left her both incredibly giddy… but also feeling incredibly small.

{We have two other issues to cover today. Let us deal with the most important one first. Minions. Despite your unseeming conduct, you are, in fact, a leader. Among the many servants of the Honkai, we are its general and most capable agents. Its eyes and ears, the hand that decides when it is time to cut a branch and start it anew. However, regardless of our own divinity and royalty, we can not do everything by ourselves. As such, we have access and command over lesser manifestations of the Honkai. While you are currently too weak to summon forth any of the more combative manifestations, we can still call upon some of the most minor of them, those that are used for more stealthy actions.}

{Basically, she means to say that you cant yet get a combat pet, but you sure can get something cute that will help you with getting this started. Now, usually, a Herrscher is accompanied by a Judgement Class Honkai Beast, but you wont get one yet. When you want to call for your beasts, just release the hold on your core.}

{Not that they are all that loyal…}

{Look. Bella chose me because she wanted you, us, to be happy. If we fought right now like back then, she would choose you over me.}

{That traitor can shove-}

(Taylor Domain rolls d205…. 25, fucking Taylor being fucking bullshit.)

(1 Proficiency)

Perhaps it was how strongly Sirin felt, or perhaps that the sting of betrayal, and the shameful desire for the one who caused that sting to return was so familiar, but as she released her core, her call into the infinite beyond was not solely her own. It was one filled with the pain of a soul betrayed, hurt by too many, too often.

A caring entity responded, entering this new world among a tempest of wild energy.

"My queen, your Bella returned once more in your service, although I am embarrassed to present myself in such a diminished state."

{Bella...}

{Tell my former servant that I do not wish to speak with her. She is a traitor and cheater.}

"I can hear you, My Queen, I am sorry you feel that way."

{I told you that you arent allowed to talk to me anymore, Bella!}

"Acknowledged. Mistress Taylor, may I trouble you to relay my message to my Queen?"

Taylor was perplexed. It felt unlike Sirin to act so… childish, yet fully genuine. She always felt aloof, in control, but right now she felt raw as she talked with this former servant of hers.

"S-Sure?"

{Fucking stupid smart Bella}

"Tell her that while I am unsure how I betrayed her, how I cheated her, as my memory ends with my death during our first attempt to cure the world of the plague of Humanity, I am deeply sorry for having caused her grief. I will accept any punishment or demand she deems needed. As for you, Mistress Taylor, while I will serve you in any capacity you like, I am Her faithful servant beyond anything else. If that is not acceptable, please eliminate me."

Taylor waved her hands in desperation, fairly out of her depth "No! I dont know what is between your two, but that is for you two to work out. You dont have to call me Mistress either."

"Master then ?"

"No! I me-"

"Exalted ?"

"No! Liste-"

"Boss?"

"No- Actually, that is okay. Better than the rest at least. So, since I have already crossed my weirdness horizon for today, what with Sirin pouting in my head. I called for a minion,

{I am not pouting!}

The dragon lady nodded, before pausing." While I can serve as your personal servant, I must admit that I am barely more worthy than an Ant in all but an administrative role. Currently. Although.." she eyed Taylor. "I am fairly sure I can keep up with you at least in physical combat. I sadly no longer have the abilities of a Herrscher."

Command me, my Queen!~

Benares action

]Companion

This option means that Benares will not focus on administering and coordinating the other Beasts, which will reduce their effectiveness in their task, but she will accompany Taylor on excursions as Abyss Flower as a relatively powerful ally.

]Administrator

While Benares will not provide combat support, she will expedite the progress made on any project considerably.

Having done all she could in the Imaginary Space, Taylor returned to her home. She had new options for tomorrow.

~Chose tomorrow's actions (2)~

]Go Patrolling

]Build Forces (Summon minor minions)

]Gather Materials for the Generator

]Do Research (Runes Path)

]Something is off about Sophia (Shadow Stalkers Path

]Find a swordsmanship Teacher

]Write in

Sophia was odd to write, partly because she was supposed to be off from her normal self due to shardanigans.

Also, Taylor continues to roll bullshit level of good. Lets hope that the luck is not used up when we get to the big fights.