Welcome one, Welcome all! I'm going to preface this with a simple disclaimer saying this story will not be strictly My Hero Academia and Devil May Cry, it also contains people and themes from Control, Alen Wake, and Borderlands. My apologies if the decision turns you away, and I certainly won't blame you.
With that out of the way, let's get this started!Edit: So, did some reading on Control and made a tiny alteration to the script, Chapter 2 is still underway! Enjoy!!Chimera CH 1: Devilish Encounters
Momo was no stranger to odd things. A consequence of being friends with Ember for so long, she guessed. From the first night she met that scared four-year-old girl, to the day her friend group expanded slightly to include Ochaco and Gaige.
Even now as she sits in her friend's workshop as she flits about between projects, the large, dark brown, wolf-like ears on her head twitch at any sound that emanates from her workstations. To anyone that wasn't already used to being around her, this place would look like a junkyard mixed with a chemistry lab and a library.
On one side was a station consisting of a chemistry lab, notes in a language she didn't know, and whiteboards covered in mathematical equations that made her head spin just looking at them.
On the opposite end of the workspace, a mountain of blueprints and schematics littered a desk already cluttered with writing utensils. This station was the start of the hanging bookshelf that stretched across all the other workstations.
Leaning against this station was a large, executioner styled sword. The gold art deco design on the blackened blade led down to its stylized hilt consisting of a large metal eye at the center of the guard, the leather of the grip cris-crossed like the beams of a radio tower, and the pommel taking the shape of an old 1940 microphone.
She still has nightmares about that fight.
Mechanical parts were strewn about between the two middle stations, both of which were occupied by different projects; one being a pair of black handguns with gold trim that have been pulled apart and were awaiting new parts, the other was taken up by a rather large rifle.
She should have been more concerned about the fact that her closest friend had firearms out in the open at the age of fifteen but given who her primary caregiver was and her side job, it was almost natural. That and one of them was hers. They both had a license and the knowledge to be truly deadly with them.
Ember was currently digging through the pile of parts looking for the finishing pieces for both sets of firearms, her tail swishing back and forth as she searched, "I don't know how you find anything in here." Momo comments after five full minuets of watching her friend rummage through the parts. She fully stops and turns to face me, a light blush on her freckled, caramel-colored face. "You… may have point. I'll need to invest in some cabinets." She admitted, scratching the back of her head, "I'll have to order in the pieces I need after all." she added, sounding exasperated. She's been working on these for a few months now, first where the complaints that the guns she was using kept jamming, then the triggers would break from the strain she puts on them.
"Well, maybe if you didn't treat 50 caliber semi-automatics like their fully automatic, they'd last longer." Momo said as she closed the distance and placed the three parts she needed in her hand. She looked down at them and back up with an incredulous look in her dark, blood-red eyes.
"When did—?"
"I've been reading your blueprints; you can pay me back by inviting me over for dinner." Momo interrupted, taking joy that the closeness had caused the wolf-eared girls face to redden more. Her ears flatten against her head as she turns back to her work.
"What time is Kaina making dinner anyways?" she asked sitting back down in the roller chair she had parked in front of the writing station. Ember let out a harsh laugh as she reassembles the handguns with the new parts, "You know well enough that they are both banned from the kitchen. Plus, she's out of town."
True, she had been present for that one. Her guardians had attempted to bake something for Ember's birthday a few years ago and nearly burnt down the house. After getting chewed out by their kid they were banned from cooking anything in the kitchen without supervision. Not that she was going to complain, though, Ember was the better cook anyways, "So, if that's the case, what's for dinner?"
Ember finished up with the pistols and moved on to the rifle. "I was planning on Italian, Lasagna sound good?" The wolf-eared girl asked, peeking over her shoulder at Momo as she made a noise of agreement. The black-haired girl was leaned back in the office chair, her feet up on the desk still clad in her thick-heeled boots, black tights led up to a baggy hoody that matched Embers own, something she did to further tease the poor girl. Ember tucked a loose strand of her brown and dark pink hair back into the messy bun.
"So, when are you going to make time to study for the entrance exam." Momo adds from her reclined position, still watching her friend work away until she set the tools down and turns to give Momo her full attention, "I know where this is going. I've already had this conversation with dad, I'm not joining the hero course. I'm much better suited for the support studies. Plus, I'd make a terrible hero." She said the last part quietly as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. This had been an argument that's plagued Ember's house for the past few months, if not between her caregivers, then it's between Ember and herself.
"I'm just saying you should be studying before the tests Ember. I'm fine with you joining any of the courses, as long I get to see you for lunch at least." She corrected as she got up again and wrapped Ember in a hug before she could move away. The young engineer stiffened up at the sudden contact before melting into it and returning the hug, "Thanks Momo. I should probably go get washed up if I'm going to be making dinner." They broke apart and made their way up the stairs to the rest of the house. Halfway up, Ember's phone goes off, and going by the look on her face, it was nothing good. "Hey Emmy, glad I caught you! Got a priority request to investigate that old train yard on the edge of Musutafu. Apparently one of the locals is getting rather nervus about some lights and the sound of chanting coming from there late at night."
Ember pinched the bridge of her nose before responding, "Let me guess, Police found nothing? Listen Spider, normally I trust your judgement, but I'm not seeing how this case earned priority."
May 'Spider' Murphy was a contact she had acquired not long after she started hunting. Murphy had reached out about her friend going missing after a trip to Osaka. How she got Embers number or how she knew this was the kind of thing she did was beyond anyone's guess, and she certainly wasn't going to say any time soon.
"They're offering triple the normal rate." came the simple response, causing a smile to spread across her face, revealing several sets of sharp teeth. She turned to Momo with an apologetic grimace, to which the young heiress responded with a playful eyeroll, "I'll go get my rifle, but I get to pick the restaurant."
The old train yard was exactly that, an old, decrepit rail yard in a forgotten, rundown part of town. Night fell gently on Ember and Momo as they stood on an overpass overlooking the locomotive graveyard as they discussed the plan of attack, hoodies abandoned for more 'practical' gear.
Ember decked out in her ankle-length, black overcoat, long, red scarf, black leather vest and fitted black denim jeans. Strapped to her leg was a tawny leather carrying case holding a multitude of vials, and to her back was holstered the executioner's sword, Amadeus, and under her jacket were her two 50 cal. pistols. Momo was fitted with something much similar, her jacket being much shorter, ending at her mid-thigh and made of a mix of red and black material and fitted around the waist by a belt. At her side was a large black cello case, within which was the disassembled rifle Ember had made for her.
"Looks quiet for right now. I was thinking that old apartment building over there would make a good vantage point." Momo commented, pointing to the large, multistory building flanking the zone below them. She may not have been doing this as long as Ember, but she had been on enough to know she wasn't the best at close range. That and it was… unwise to be near Ember while she worked.
"Was just thinking the same thing, should have a good bit of height over the yard." Ember replied as she leaned over the railing. "Just wait for me to get into position please." Ember replied with a nod as she continued to look around.
She was beginning to think that it was a good idea to come out here right away. The air smelt of iron, which was reasonably expected considering the environment, but it also smelt faintly of sulfur. Maybe there were cultists, and maybe they did pull something through from the other side.
Only one way to find out.
Thirty or so minutes later she got the signal over her earpiece that Momo was in position, a smile spread across her face as she took a running leap over the guard rail and down fifty feet to the gravel.
Mission: Start!
The railyard was dark, the only light being provided by the half-lit moon. It was quiet, even for being this close to the city. The unease that would usually come from such silence was lost on the seasoned devil hunter, who was practically giddy. Something about the hunt always got her blood pumping, whether it was the hunt itself or the inevitable battle later, she didn't know. Her eyes scanned the rusting train cars eventually falling on a maintenance building sat next to a tunnel. "Well, if I was a cult, that would be prime real estate." She made her way across to said buildings, scanning her surroundings as she roamed. The smell of sulfur getting stronger as she approached, as well as the waves of demonic power. "Overwatch, I think I found the uglies nest, get ready for a show." She announced into her earpiece, reaching into her scarf. From it she pulled a metal half-mask that covered the lower part of her face; carved upon it was a large, sharp-toothed smile.
"Think the cultists actually summoned something, Huntress?"
"Oh, they did. I can feel it." Ember rolled her shoulders. As she approached the tunnel to find a way in Momo spoke up again, "Did Spider tell you why she picked us for this mission? I know we're good, but a job that pay's triple?"
All good questions, ones Ember had been asking on the way over. "I pay our itsy-bitsy little mystery well to keep our names at the top of that list here in Japan. That and our reputation speaks for itself; not only do we get our jobs done, but we also clean up the failed jobs of others." she said with a grunt as she tested the main tunnel doors. "It probably helps that she gets ten percent of the reward." The door to the maintenance shop was open, the scent of iron and sulfur wafting from within, the smell of wet iron and death.
"Found a posable entrance, communication might get a bit spotty when I hit the tunnel proper." She whispered, "Keep an eye out for anyone sneaking around."
"Oh, I see one alright. She's trying to break into a train tunnel."
Ember turned to the building they had looked at earlier and flipped it off before slipping into the building, "And she's rude."
Momo lay on the roof of the apartment building watching her lifelong friend disappear into a place she had just said contained demons like it was a normal Tuesday. Have they done this dozens of times before? Yes. Did it still worry her to no end? Absolutely.
She has seen what her friend can do, her skill is the reason she's still here today, but she couldn't help but get worried every mission.
The rifle rested on her shoulder as she scanned the rail yard with her binoculars when she got an odd feeling, like she was the one being watched. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up and spun around, dropping the binoculars she brought the rifle to bare. "I know you're there. Come out peacefully and you can keep your limbs." She said to the empty space behind her, and the thermal optic she had made for the gun wasn't showing anyone with an invisibility quirk.
"And here I thought I was being sneaky." Out from behind the roof access stepped a woman the heiress was all too familiar with. Kaina Tsutsumi, otherwise known as Lady Nagant. Her hero costume replaced with a padded, sleeveless suit, it's tie loosened and the top few buttons free. Her long, dual-toned hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, leaving her bangs free. "You've certainly gotten more observant, Momo, I'll have to step up my game around you two." The ex-pro said as she sauntered over. Momo lowered her own rifle with a look of confusion, "Ember said you were out of town." It wasn't too hard to believe the woman had omitted what 'out of town' illuded to, and given her jobs in the IFBC and Interpol, she probably couldn't.
Her face took on a slight look of shame before her 'mission mask' slipped back on, "She's a big girl, she knows not to take what I say at face value." A smirk spread across her face, "Besides, she's got you watching her back. She's more then fine."
The younger sniper sighs and nods, she knows Tsutsumi is doing her best with Ember given her occupation. She jerks her head back to the mat she was laying and moved to lay back down, retrieving her binoculars, "So what do they have you doing here? Or can you not talk about it." The ex-pro settled in next to her and activated her Quirk and peered through its scope, "So, are you dating my daughter yet?"
Momo felt her face heat up, "Don't… don't change the subject."
"Not specifics, just that I'm just here to observe."
Yaoyorozu shifted her head slightly to look at her before returning to her task, stuffing the feeling of unease that arose from those words.
Ember moved from the maintenance room to the tunnel without incident, only stopping to collect some loose papers. The tunnel itself was poorly lit, the only light coming from staggered clusters of candles, 'I wonder how long these things have been burning.'
As she made her way down the tracks, the candle clusters became more and more prevalent until they completely lined the track. It was also around this point that strange, archaic symbols started appearing on the curved tunnel walls. She recognized some of them, Voodoo, Norse, Celtic, even some Nokian. The rest though? She had no idea what they were.
She'd have to get the techies at IFBC J to look at this.
They love this kind of shit.
A few more feet in and her ears picked up on a noise.
Clack, click click Clack*
Ember stopped dead in her tracks, she could feel the air around her fill with static, the ringing of the typewriter almost deafening.
She knew what this was. She was standing on the precipice of a Threshold.
Click click Clack click*
She should leave. Demons and devils were more her speed, not this weird shit that the IFBC deals with. She should leave and call Higuchi Masato, tell him about this place and leave it to them. She should…
Clack Clack click*
Part of her was wanting to go forth, investigate the AWE and learn from it. She remembered some of the things that Dr. Casper had talked about when she was able to get him off topic. The veil between this world and the next are cracked and shifting, fracturing realities making the space shift and twist into something new.
click click click*
Then she caught it, the scent of a demon leading into the Threshold. A smile spread across her face, the answer to her plight being delivered to her.
She had a job to do.
A hunt to finish.
Clack Clack Ding!*
As Ember moved forward, she caught glimpses of past events. An abundance of men and women were gathered in purple and red robes, all chanting in a single direction. In the next second they were all dead, blood oozing from every facial orifice they had. Moments later they were back to standing, all the while their frames jittered and buzzed like some old video.
She pushed onwards, ignoring the call of self-preservation and the ever-growing feeling of static on her skin, eventually coming to a summoning circle painted in red paint on the floor of an intersection between two lines. At its center was an antique radio but jammed it the top of it was a strange shard of glass, purple-ish pink in color, sit seemed to glow with an ethereal inner light.
She could no longer sense the demon, or anything really. If she had to hazard a guess, she was possibly at the center of the AWE. Things have gone so far off base that if her feet weren't on the ground, she wouldn't be able to tell up from down.
As she gazed at the glowing glass embedded in the radio, she got the nagging feeling that she needed to touch it. She wouldn't, though, that would be a terrible idea. Even walking through the Altered World Event was a massive gamble, the walls or floor could—
Why was she reaching for the glass?
Before she could stop herself, her fingers touched the edge of the glass, and a cacophony of images and noise filled her head. It pounded at her brain and flooded her senses with static for what felt like an eternity, before she suddenly felt like she was underwater. She let her mind float, still reeling from the sensory overload. It was peaceful here, a massive, open, white space, the only other color being the large black slab of stone she stood on and the massive inverted black pyramid in the distance.
Welcome Hunter / Predator / Seeker, you have been Selected / Volunteered for Service
We offer Access to the Forge / Furnace / Kiln.
The sounds rattled through her bones and settled in her brain. She didn't know how, but she knew what the Pyramid was saying, despite it sounding like garbled nonsense.
A flaming red figure appeared before her, the glass shard in its grasp. It opened it's mouth and a stream of sound poured out:
Ć̵͚̭̖̭̽͊ṙ̸̠̬y̶͉͛͐s̷̝̮̤̬̚͘ẗ̷̙̳̮͎̓a̷̖̙̬͑̄l̴̥͎͔̎͜í̴̝̼̿̈́z̵̙͛̽͐̆ë̴̮̦́̐͜ ̴͉̗̲̲̅í̷̲̥̉̂̈n̴̫̈́̽̕̕ ̶̞̖̗͚̍̀o̵̤̩̹̾̃̐c̵̡̹̦͈̍͗̇ẽ̶͙͖̯ȧ̴̰̞̮̦͂̕ñ̸̳ͅ ̵͈̤͔̉͛̐f̷͓͈͌̊̂ǒ̵̺̠͜a̵̬̩͚͐̒m̸͇͎͇̖̓̀̀̂ ̶̝̝̼̺͋͌ő̸̲̳̣͖f̸͎̀ ̸̠͒̓s̸̙̳͑̔ͅh̷̪͘i̶̥͇͊̎͝f̵̬̰̑̓̚͝t̷̳̏̽i̵̡̠̝̮͛͋̔n̵͕̞͍̂͗ǵ̵͕͕͗͝,̷͈̟̰̤̿̊̈ ̶̛̘͖̪̟͂̋̕ï̶̥͎̬̓͜n̸̛͓̔̀f̴̗̼̖͋i̷͖̚n̷̨̻͉̗̍̍͛i̷̤͙͊ẗ̵̝̤̩̅͠ē̸̺̞̻̼̅ ̴͙̲̹̊ȇ̸̡̻̫̀̾̇y̵̞̘͘ę̵̪͈̀̎̉͛͜s̷̢͇̩̳͆̈́̋̚
̵̬̜̖͖́̾T̸̡͋͂̌̀ḣ̸̢̭̰̈́͆̿ë̵̪́̌͘ͅȉ̸͍̼̒̆̀r̷̯͓̥͕̄ ̸̢̣͔͕͊e̷͔͆̒̀b̸̳̝̋̌b̸͔̹͛̂s̵͎̳̍̽ͅ ̴̨͚̠͈̏̌͝a̷̜͔͉̤͊n̶̼̏d̸͇͙͍̎̽̂ ̶̣̳̗̩̎̉̚f̵̦̰͂͊͆͠ḷ̵̡̈ö̵͙́͗͝͠w̴̢͎͂ ̷̅͜͜͜o̶̻͇̍́̎b̵̧̟̟̿š̴̟̯ȋ̷̤̬̟͝d̷̨̠̥̯̐͌̕͝i̴̜̠͠a̵͉̔̈́͝n̶͚̮̐̃ ̶͚̖͇̦̅į̶͔̳͂͆͋̕n̸̺̲̼̭̍̈̒͠ ̵̛̝͎̬̩ṭ̸͓̈́͌h̸̛͕͚̫̐̋̆͜e̸̦͉̿̽͊͝ ̴̝̖̓̌͑ẗ̵̲́w̸͚̍̿ī̵̢̲̭̯ș̴̻̂̅t̷͍̜́e̶̪̙͋̽̓d̴̗̼͌̄͜ ̸̖̬̳͋͂p̷̡͉̱͊̈̅i̸͙̜̭͇̓͂͂̍t̸̤̦̋͛͠c̴̖͛h̵̨̠̦̗̾ ̵͓̇o̸̙̣͓̱͗̂͗̐f̶̯̝͔̣̀̔ ̵̘̆̀̍̑n̸̺̖͗́̈́i̶̲̱̰̎̉͘ǵ̶̼͎͒h̴͔̘͚̫͋̓̂͊ț̶̜̙̥́͆͝
̷̥͇̩̃̌͑̔
̷͓͑̍̐O̵̼̒̌͝r̶̢̧̓̅̈́ ̸̪͖͗â̷̦̈́r̷̓͑ͅe̷̚͜ ̷͚̈́̐̍̌t̷̯̪͈͕̎͘h̷͕̥͖͉͊̆̐e̶̼̻͕̐͊͜ ̵̧̨͇̭́̉d̴̩̂̓̑̾e̷̫̩̕p̸̬͙͍͈͑̐̈́͘t̶͔̭̓̂ȟ̴͍̓͛s̷̯̘̙͍͘͝͝ ̶̞̕̕b̸͇̟͐́e̴̻̪͛̄̒͝l̵͔̋͝ö̷̹̪̏ẁ̴͔́̿̄,̷͎̗̗̝́ ̸̡̲̜͗̆̽͝a̷͎͐́̋̀b̷̪̣̙̮̾̓̀̾ẏ̶̛̗̭̓͠s̸̥̠̤̣̅̽̓͛s̴͍͍̜̹̈́̿a̷͔̠̯̅́l̶̨͔̭̿ͅ,̴͔̬̲̓͌͊ͅ ̵̖͓̯̥̈̿́ṁ̵̯̂͋̚i̸̠̞͙̣̓͛̈́̂r̴͎̲͐͊r̷̹̜͙̍̀̚o̸̝̮̥̓̉r̶̺̹̩͒̓̚ę̷͉̤̮͒̀d̷̯̻́͊̓̍ ̷̢́́i̴̫͛̔͝n̷̪̊ ̵͈͙̫̀ţ̶͇̝́̇͠͝ͅh̴̛̞̦͕̄͑̽ȩ̵͓̟̈́͋̂ ̴̡̯̃̍s̶͇̈̊k̴̯͗̈́̆i̷̗̝͇̾̒͊e̴͕͒s̷̢͍̰̭̊̓
She could hardly make out the words being seared into her brain. The flame being crushed the shard in its hands and the resalting flash blinding her.
We offer you our Sight / Vision / Eyes.
Use it wisely.
"Wait, what is it I've been chosen to do?"
Create.
When the world came back to her, Ember found herself flat on her back, looking up at the rough ceiling of the train tunnel, the sound of Momo yelling into her earpiece. "Ember! Do. You. Copy!"
"Yeah, yeah, I copy Overwatch. Haven't found any demons yet, but the tunnel had a Threshold in it. Seems to be shut now, though."
"… We'll…We'll unpack that later. You've got incoming, single person who was sticking to the shadows."
"Was?"
"That was about five minuets ago, not sure how far in the tunnel you are but they're on their way."
The huntress winced and let out a sigh as she moved to sit up, she was definitely going hear about this later. That's when she felt a new weight around her neck. She reached down and pulled up a pair of red-lensed, black-framed glasses, the chain of which looped around her neck and dangling off the left arm, ending in an inverted black triangle charm. She tilted them in the candlelight and saw thin lines crossing across the circular glass. "We offer you our sight huh." She whispered to herself as she slid them on, thankfully fitting comfortably behind the mask.
Footsteps echoed down the passageway; the sound was slightly staggered, like they were attempting to sneak around, so probably not a cultist. Climbing up the ladder of a nearby train car as quietly as she could she hunkered down and waited for the intruder.
About a minute later, a figure past below her slowly, the mop of long, messy, curly green hair swaying back and forth as they looked about. She couldn't get a good look at their face but from body shape alone that said intruder was female. Ember waited until the 'stealthy' intruder was passed before sliding down, one of her guns aimed at the back of her head.
The sneaky girl stopped dead in her tracks as Embers boots thumped against the ground. "You're not nearly as sneaky as you think you are. Stand up and turn around slowly, no funny business." There was an oddly familiar, well feeling, about the girl in front of her. Once she turned around the lines on the glasses moved to frame the teens roundish, freckled face as information flooded her mind:
Izumi Midoriya
Age: 15
Quirk: Telekinetics
The info went on, height, weight, handedness, but none of that mattered to her at that point. She already knew the glasses were going to do some odd things, but this was something else. "So, what's a nice kid like you doing in a place like this?" Ember asked, slipping her free hand into her coat pocket, said hand closing around the lone vial within.
"Some friends from school dared me?" Came the response, almost sounding like a question. The answer didn't set right with her as she took in the massive scar that covered her neck, part of it reaching her cheek, then there was the fact that the dark slacks and dress shirt that didn't match any school uniform in the area. "Well, that didn't sound to convincing, want to try again?" Ember asked, her words earning a grimace from Izumi.
"Ok fine you got me, I'm homeless. I've been squatting in these tunnels for a while."
Another lie. The clothing was clean, and she smelt…
The smell of sulfur was stronger now, almost overwhelmingly so. Her ears flicked forward as she heard a chugging sound. "So technically you're—" Ember quickly removed her hand from her pocket, letting go of the vial, and shoved said hand over the greenettes mouth. The tunnel was slowly getting brighter, like the overhead lights where…
Why would the roof of a train tunnel be rough.
Ember looked up at the ceiling as hundreds of Pyro Bats slowly awakened, as the sound of a train got closer. She dropped her hand to grab the other girl around the waist and threw her over her shoulder, "Sorry, I'll explain later!" she yelled, any attempt to stay quiet completely abandoned as she took off sprinting down the railway.
As Ember ran, the Pyro Bats dropped off the ceiling and gave chaise, and soon the sound of flapping wings drowned out the sound of the train. From Izumi's point of view, however, she saw blue flames engulfed Embers legs as they moved faster and faster down the tunnel.
Momo sat impatiently at her spot on the roof. It wasn't like Ember to go radio silent like that for so long, even with the possible interference from the tunnel walls she would have got some kind of answer. And when she does call in, she sounds disoriented and was talking about Thresholds. Something she recalled Dr. Darling having talked about while he had them at the IFBC HQ doing test.
Lady Nagant, on the other hand, was as white as a sheet and seemed to be actively fighting the urge to rush in after hearing that news, and Yaoyorozu was having a hard time disagreeing with that notion. She wanted with every fiber of her being to rush down there and find her, but Ember was counting on her being the eyes in the back of her head.
They didn't have to wait long though, as the sealed tunnel gates flew open in a flash of blue flame as Ember busted through caring someone over their shoulder. They flew an additional fifty feet before landing and sliding to a stop as she removed the person from her shoulder, removing the other pistol from its holster and started unloading into the now uncovered tunnel.
Moments later she found out why as a horde of Pyro Bats poured out of the maw, spiraling off into the air and circling around the wolf-eared girl as the steady, continuous bangs from her fifties filled the quiet night air. 'We won't have a lot of time to get out of dodge before the local law enforcement shows up.' She thought to herself as her partner finished off the last of the bats.
She started to get up to pack away her things when a sudden feeling of dread washed over her. The last time she felt this was their fight with Amadeus. "See, told you she was as good as I said she—" Kaina stopped mid-sentence as she felt the same presence, "We have a Major inbound, moving in to—" she called into her own earpiece as she got up, only to stop as anger washed over her face, "What do you mean 'hang back'? There's a Major demon in the area!"
"She'll be fine."
Nagants head whipped around so fast Momo worried the woman had given herself whiplash, "This isn't the first one we've delt with, it won't be the last. She'll be fine," Momo pulled a ten-round clip of 50 BMG, the tips of which seemed to be filled with liquid, "because she has me watching her back." She slipped the mag in and slid the bolt home. "You said you were here to observe, so please sit back and observe." The ex-Pro staired at the teen in front of her for a moment before settling back in. "This is mama-bear, returning to observation." She announced into her coms.
'When did these kids get so mature?'
Ember stood among the disintegrating forms of the flying demons, the barrels of her guns glowing softly, steam coming off the hot metal. They didn't jam, which was a miracle in of itself, but she'll have to make the barrels out of a more heat-resistant metal.
A matter for later though, "Hey, you good?" she asked the other girl who was currently on the ground covering her ears. Poor civilian, not sure what she was doing here but this was going to be a bit much, even for her.
"Are we clear?" She asked as she got up and took in the rising ash, "And what were those flames on your legs, was that your quirk?"
Ember was a bit taken aback, this girl was just chased by a hoard of demons, was at the center of a vortex of flames, lead and death, and this was the first question she asks? "Y-yeah let's say it's my quirk, and no we are not clear." She replied as she tossed the pistols to the side, firing out of them any more might deform the barrels then she really would need to replace and re-zero them. "Alright Amadeus, looks like you get to handle the big guy."
"~Well, it's about time!~"
Izumi's eyes widened at the feminine, transatlantic accented voice drifted out of the blade, the eye in its guard came to life and shifted to look at the back of Embers head, "~I know you like your firearms sweety, but it wouldn't kill you to let a lady have some more fun every now and then.~"
She reached around and pulled the blade from her back, "First of all, you are certainly no lady." The sound of a train screaming down the tracks grew louder and louder as they bickered until something emerged from the tunnel. It looked like a train on the surface, but the maw of razor-sharp teeth in the face of the engine told a different story. "Secondly," Ember continued, dropping into a stance as blue fire coated her arms, legs and blade, "Bad bitches love canons!"
As the beast got closer, a distant boom could be heard and something slammed into the side of the engine wall, knocking it clear of course. Ember's footing shifted and she launched into the damaged wall of the engine with a burning thrust, the heavy impact fully knocking it over as it roared in pain, "I WILL DEVOUR YOU INSOLENT MORTALS!" The words filled the air as insect-like legs shot out of the bottom of the cars, correcting its fall and causing the demon hunter to bump away with another thump of pressure.
"The last demon to do so choked on these hips, so I'd love to see you try!" she said as she landed, slapping said hips. "~Why do you always have to be so crass?~"
"Cause it works." Came the simple reply as the train roared in anger and spun around and charged again, only for another shot to impact the same spot. It didn't knock it off track this time as Ember grabbed Izumi again and jumped straight up, tossing her unwitting passenger onto the nearest non-possessed train car roof. The greenettes frame lit up green as she caught herself and slowed her descent with her Quirk.
Ember, on the other hand, landed halfway down the creature's cars, slamming the sword into the softer roof metal so to not slide off. "I WILL DRINK YOUR BLOOD, INSECT!"
"Man, this guy's original." She quipped as the azure flames around her grew stronger. Another distant boom impacted the roof of the next car, leaving a large hole in the metal and the gooey red flesh underneath began to hiss and smoke. She smiled under her mask as she took off, running for the head of the train, slashing at the spots as they appeared lighting them of fire. Each strike generating more and more sparks along the length of the blade.
Five cars later she stood on top of the cab of the engine. The demon had been circling itself trying to get the young girl off its back and was now forcing itself straight upwards in a vain attempt to do the same. The fire burned brighter as Ember shifted all of it to her legs and jumped clear above the train monster and flipped so she was looking down at it, lighting running the length of the blade. "Hellfire," she yelled out as three more shots slammed into its belly and black blood leaked from its maw, ten shots total, time to wrap this up. She shifted all the flames to her right arm and the blade itself, "Comet!" Ember thrust the sword downward and shot like a lighting bolt straight into its jaws, the flesh around her burning and tearing as she was defended by the beasts pained roar.
Moments later she stood upon the tracks again amongst the smoldering wreckage of the lower cars, blade embedded in one of the railroad ties. "~Well that was highly undignified.~" Ember let out a sigh as she pulled the sword from its makeshift scabbard and stood, giving a thumbs up to the roof her friend was on. She looked around for the other girl but found nothing, must have scampered off.
The engine finally crashed into the ground a few feet from the young huntress, kicking up dust and ash from the gravel. "TO BE FELLED BY A MERE MORTAL! THE INDIGNITY!" Ember stepped around the slowly fading form of the demon, "You should double-check your sources bud." She said as she came face to maw with the beast, "Because there's nothing mere about this mortal." The maw frowned for a moment before twisting into a scowl, "WHAT SORT OF UNHOLY ACTS WERE COMMITTED TO CREATE SUCH A MUTT!" The scowl deepened, "AND FOR ME TO BE SLAYED BY SUCH A THING—"
"Must mean you're not as tough as you thought you were, huh? Well, it happens bud, now you can ether run on back to hell and tell them you got your ass kicked by a kid, or you can help me out. What's your choice?" The teen countered, crossing her arms under her chest. The demon let out a low growl before turning to ash, leaving behind a floating silver orb.
"Smart choice pal." The orb shifted and morphed under her touch and wrapped around her forearms, forming into a pair of gauntlets. Ember smiled as she through a few mock punches, steam billowed off the gauntlets with each punch. With a final thrust she was sent gliding across the gavel on clouds of steam and the faint sounds of locomotive ringing out into the night. "Yeah, I can work with this."
About that time a new scent was on the wind. The scent of cheap booze and even cheaper cigarettes. "Masato, I was just about to call you. You got some weird stuff in that tunnel over there."
Higuchi Masato was the Head of Operations for the IFBC here in Japan, who have been oddly understaffed the past couple years. Him actually being here in person was an odd occurrence in itself but going by the sounds of tires on gravel and roaring engines he's had a team on standby. "Ah, so you where the little old lady calling about the ruffians next door. Honestly thought it was a ploy by the cult to feed hunters to the demon."
"Good work as usual Ember, handled with minimal property damage this time too." he said, scratching at his ever-present five 'o clock shadow. Ember squinted at the man, he was more put together than usual, the tobacco-alcohol scent was less present, and his clothes were pressed and wrinkle-free. "Listen, we've always appreciated your help with these kinds of things, truly. But…"
"But you've reestablished contact with HQ. That's fair. You seem to have gotten the help you guys needed." Ember concluded, nodding as she reached up to undo the strap holding her mask in place.
"Listen, my boss wants to talk with you. I don't think it's anything serious though personally."
Director Trench was a man of few words from what I remember, and not all of them were nice. Don't get me wrong, man ran a tight ship, but was never one for pleasantries. "Trench wanting a chat and you say that's nothing serious. You must be deeper in the bottle than I thought."
Masato looked back as he walked in the direction of a bulky van that's pulled up in front of the tunnel, "I guess you wouldn't have heard; we have new director."
The simple sentence made the young huntress's blood run cold for the first time that night. She held out her hands and the two guns she had tossed aside earlier jumped to her hands with a green glow.
Ember flopped down on her bed after a long night. First the demon, which wasn't too bad. A major wasn't anything to sniff at, sure, but it was a walk in the park compared to what Director Faden had to say.
According to her, and the labor laws of minors in Japan, to continue working with IFBC I would need an Interpol license, and to get that I'll need a hero's license.
So, guess who's attending the hero course.
At least Momo and mom were happy about the news, mom had gushed over dinner about her time in UA's hero coarse, after apologizing for not assisting with the fight, of course.
That does remind me I need to hit up Gaige and get some more holy water bullets made, and some tungsten barrels for the pistols…
A thought occurred to the huntress, a wonderful thought that would make these coming years more bearable.
A way for her to get her both get what she wants and meet the expectations of the IFBC. She sprung from her bed with renewed vigor and rushed to her computer to do some research and maybe send off an email.