Outsider Chronicles: Swords and Poisons
I think everyone wishes they had powers at one point or another. I bet few people wish they WERE powers. However, thats exactly where I find myself, the power of a broken young girl. Now I just have to help her make some friends and survive this crazy world.
And we're back! Nothing to say here, other than enjoy!
Chapter 2
Colin Wallis, more commonly known as the Tinker Armsmaster, was not a man known for his emotions. Indeed, the rumours that he was actually a robot under his iconic armour were well founded, if a little insulting on occasion. In truth, Colin did feel emotions as much as any other person, he simply preferred to keep them under control and approach situations with cool logic. It worked so much better in his experience, although did occasionally cause problems with some of the more emotional members of the Bay's Parahuman population.
That said, there were a few things that got him riled up and one of the main ones was being made a fool of. Another was bullying, a result of his own experiences at school. As a result, when Agent Smith returned from investigating a possible Trigger Event with reports of Shadow Stalker being named as a primary suspect, Colin had been...displeased. When the accusations were confirmed by accessing the probationary Wards phones, including the burners she thought they couldn't find that contained even more incriminating details of the many, many unsanctioned patrols she'd taken since joining the Wards, he nearly hit the roof.
"Colin, you need to calm down," said a worried sounding Dragon as she watched her friend pace around his lab, fury clear in his stance and the way he was clenching and unclenching his fists as if he wanted to close them around a certain someones throat, "I understand why your angry, but…"
"Do you?" snapped Colin, cutting off the other Tinker, "Do you understand why I'm this angry?"
He lent against one of his work benches, breathing heavily.
"I was the one who brought her in," he said, "I was the one who suggested that she could be useful. I brushed off Hannahs concerns and encouraged Director Piggot to make the offer. Because of that, Shadow Stalkers actions will reflect on me. If I'd taken due care…"
"Thats enough Colin," said Dragon firmly, "I do understand why you are so angry, but this wasn't your fault. Yes, you were the one to recommend that Miss Hess be brought in instead of being sent to prison, but it wasn't your job to watch her and you had other duties. The failure lies with her handler and Karin Blackwell who hid her actions."
Colin let out a long breath and shook his head.
"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean I don't feel guilty," he said, "Now, because of her actions, there is a very real chance that a new Villain with an understandable grudge against us could appear."
"Has it been confirmed that Miss Hebert has Triggered?" asked Dragon.
"No, but she wasn't as badly injured as she probably should have been and blood tests revealed that she wasn't as badly infected as she should have been," he said, "She could have just been lucky of course, but we can't entirely rule out the possibility. What she went through was...well, it was a textbook Trigger Event."
"We need to get Shadow Stalker as quickly as possible," said Dragon, "Even if it doesn't help with Miss Hebert, she still needs to be taken of the streets before...crap!"
Colin looked up as Dragon's expression changed to one of worry.
"Whats wrong?" he asked.
"I've been monitoring the squad sent to apprehend Shadow Stalker," she said, "It looks like she managed to sniff them out and escape. Squads are mobilizing, but Shadow Stalkers powers are perfect for...where are you going?"
Colin ignored the report as he snatched his helmet and halberd from their racks and headed for the door.
"To the hospital," he said, "Knowing Shadow Stalker, I'd guess that she intends to go after Taylor Hebert to try and either shut her up or get revenge for revealing her misdeeds."
Dragon looked thoughtful, then nodded.
"Yes, that does fit her psych profile," she said, "I'll send some troops to the Hebert home as well, just in case."
"Good idea," said Colin as he put his helmet on and headed downstairs to get his bike, "I think that the hospital is a more likely target, but she may decide to go there instead."
It didn't take him long to get to the hospital and he immediately made a beeline for the Cape ward where Taylor was located. Most hospitals, especially those in cities with a large Cape presence, had at least a few rooms set aside for Cape use. Brockton Bay was no different, although it took it a step further by having an entire ward set aside. It didn't see much use, but it was important nonetheless. Hebert had not been confirmed to be a Cape of course, but the circumstances of the incident meant that the PRT and hospital Director had decided to put her in there anyway, just in case. Now it seemed that that was a very good idea as it meant that other patents wouldn't be caught up in the potential crossfire, should Shadow Stalker decided to attack.
Armsmaster parked his bike and quickly made his way into the building, ignoring the looks he received from the people in the reception area as he headed in the direction of the Cape ward as quickly as he could without seeming to be in a hurry. It wouldn't do to cause a panic after all.
As he made his way through the halls, a door ahead of him opened and the familiar white cloaked form of Panacea emerged. She glanced around and spotted Armsmaster as he passed.
"Is something wrong Armsmaster?" she asked as she fell into step beside him.
"Possibly," he said, "Do you know the girl in the Cape wing?"
The healer looked thoughtful, then nodded.
"Yes, shes on my list to heal today, although I haven't got to her yet," she said.
"I see," said Armsmaster, "In that case, might I request that you do her next? Somethings come up and we need to get her somewhere safe as quickly as possible."
"She's in danger?" asked Panacea.
"We're not sure, but its a non zero chance," said Armsmaster.
"I see," said Panacea, "Alright, I'll see her next."
Armsmaster nodded as the two sped up slightly. There was no need to waste time after all.
The two Capes arrived at the Cape ward in good time and Armsmaster opened the door, just in time to see a girl in black clothes armed with a knife who could only be Shadow Stalker and Taylor Hebert holding a sword that she definitely didn't have before face down. Before either Armsmaster or Panacea could react, Taylor drew her sword with a shout and they were blinded by both a flash of light and a swarm of white butterflies that seemed to come from nowhere. For a brief moment, the content ideas and plans that filled Armsmasters head as a result of his powers seemed to flicker and stall as a strange tugging sensation washed over him, along with a faint, sickly sweet smell.
Then, as suddenly as they appeared, the flock of butterflies cleared, taking with them the strange smell and leaving the room clear. Colin blinked away the disorientation that came from suddenly getting a face full of insects as he drew his Halberd, only to stop and stare as he saw what was going on in the room. Instead of attacking Taylor, Shadow Stalker was now flat on her face being held down by a dark skinned girl who didn't look any older, or taller, than Vista with dark hair and eyes. She was wearing a black, cat themed onesie, complete with ears and tail, that looked about a size to large on her and a snarl that revealed that her canines were longer and sharper than a Humans should be. She was also apparently quite strong as she was holding down Shadow Stalker without issue, although that could have also been the knife that was pressed to the belligerent Wards jugular.
"The hell?" snarled Shadow Stalker, "Where'd this brat come from?"
"Kengen."
Armsmasters gaze snapped to the other newcomer, a girl in Japanese clothing who has appeared beside Taylor, as she approached the downed Sophia.
"Thats the name of my, and by extension Taylors, power," she said, "And thats exactly what this cute little munchkin is, the manifestation of your power. And she doesn't seem very pleased with you."
"Fuck you bitch!" growled the girl, "My names Cheshire!"
Shadow Stalker glared up at the girl, disbelief etched into what part of her face wasn't being mashed into the floor.
"Are you serious?" she growled, "You really expect me to believe that?"
The girl smiled.
"If you don't believe me, how about them?" she asked, pointing towards the door, "Care to chime in, Shaper, Miniaturisation?"
Armsmaster stiffened as he suddenly felt something very large move behind him that hadn't been there a moment ago.
"Correction: This unit is identified as Legion," said a mechanical voice as a figure stepped past the Proctorate leader.
It was clearly mechanical, with armour painted in the same colours as Armsmasters armour and a head that looked like a flashlight with a number of movable plates around its head.
"Ehe, my name is Ianthe," said a much higher, female voice as a young looking girl stepped out from behind Panacea.
She looked about 16, with short, dark blue hair with purple overtones as the light hit it pinned back with a pale purple flowers and bright green eyes. She was wearing a white shirt and baggy red trousers that completely hid her feet under a white coat with a red caduceus on the back with the normal snakes replaced by twining flowers with large sleeves that hid her hands.
Both Capes reacted as you would expect people with experience and knowledge of just how dangerous unknown Parahumans could be. Panacea immediately retreated, making sure to get out of range of Armsmasters halberd while the Tinker shifted his stance and gripped his weapon tighter.
"Whats going on?" demanded the Tinker, "Who are you people?"
The two newcomers looked back at them and Ianthe snorted.
"And here I thought you were supposed to be smart Armsmaster," she said, "Kisaki already said it. The two of us are your powers."
"Conformation: Legion is Hero Armsmaster's power," said the robot, "Evidence: completed plans for Nanothorns."
He held out a hand and a small blade folded out and immediately began to produce a faint, gray cloud and a faint humming sound. Behind his helmet, Armsmasters eyes went wide as the exact specifications of the equipment he'd been trying to complete for weeks popped into his head.
"But...how?" asked the Tinker.
"Its her power," said Ianthe, pointing at Taylor, who was looking between the newcomers with wide eyes.
"Perhaps we should all sit down and talk this out calmly," said the butterfly girl, "But first…"
She grabbed the hilt of her sword and before anyone could react, the blade flashed and Shadow Stalker let out a yelp of pain and surprise as a shallow cut opened on her cheek.
"What the fuck?!" she snarled, "What was that...fo…"
She trailed off and went limp. For a brief moment, Armsmaster was about to attack, but before he could, a loud snore issued from the apparently asleep Ward.
"Don't worry, its just a soporific," said the girl as she sheathed her sword, "Ianthe, Legion, I suggest you two make yourselves scares for now. I didn't intend to bring you out just yet and your presence will just make this more difficult."
"Acknowledged," said the robotic manifestation with a salute and dissolved into motes of bluish light that quickly faded.
"Aww, and here I was hoping to have some fun for once," said Ianthe, "Eh, maybe later."
She turned and smiled at Amy.
"See ya later Amy," she said, "We have a lot to discuss."
She waved and dissolved into purple sparks.
"What about her?" asked Armsmaster, pointing at Cheshire, who was now poking the unconscious Sophia with a stick she'd pulled from...somewhere.
The girl looked up and scowled
"Oh, hell no!" she snapped, "No way am I going back into this bitches head! If I had my way, I'd sever our bond completely. Bitch!"
She kicked Sophia in the side, which did nothing but change the tone of the older girls snoring.
"Don't worry about her," said the other remaining spirit with a dismissive wave, "She won't hurt Shadow Stalker...probably."
Cheshire stuck her tongue out at the older girl and pulled down her eyelid. Armsmaster opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a man he recognized from the reports as Danny Hebert rounded the corner with a cup of coffee from the cafeteria in his hands and froze at the sight of the stand off. His eyes moved from Armsmaster and Panacea, down to the snoring Sophia, who was being used as a cushion by Cheshire, over to the butterfly themed girl and finally to his Daughter, who was still stood stock still, eyes wide in obvious surprise.
"Whats going on?" he asked.
Armsmaster sighed.
"I think we need to talk," he said.
Amy Dallon sighed as she dropped down on the slightly uncomfortable bed in the M/S cell she'd be spending the next two days in. She really hated dealing with new Capes sometimes, especially those whose powers got the PRT in a tizzy. The new girls powers definitely did that after Armsmaster made his report, leading to her receiving a polite 'request' to report to the PRT HQ for M/S screening. It wasn't the first time she'd been through it and it was doubtful that it'd be the last, but that didn't make it any less annoying.
On the up side, she could get away from Carol for a few days.
She sighed again and closed her eyes as her mind turned to the new girl, Taylor Hebert. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of her, or her friend with the butterflies, or the claim that Taylors power was somehow to make powers manifest in a physical, intelligent form. The entire thing seemed...less than likely to say the least.
The young healer sighed and opened her eyes again, only to find herself staring up at a cloudy sky instead of the white ceiling of the M/S cell. She shot upright, looking around with wide eyes as she took in the garden she found herself in. It...didn't really look that good. A lot of the flower beds, many of which held plants that didn't exactly look normal, were overgrown, the lawns were in need of a trim and the pathways and borders of the flowerbeds were crooked and covered in moss. In the middle of the garden was a sitting area with dirty and damaged stone benches and a dry fountain with a pristine statue of her sister in the centre, which looked extremely out of place among the rest of the dirty and damaged stonework.
"You know, I really don't like that thing."
Amy nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected voice and spun around to see the purple haired girl from the hospital stood behind her with her hands crossed behind her head and an odd expression on her face. When she saw Amy looking at her, she smiled and waved.
"Hi Amy, I've been waiting for you," she said.
"W-wha...where are we?" asked Amy, "How did you even get me here?"
Ianthe grinned and tapped the side of her head with a still hidden hand.
"Thats easy," she said, "This is your inner world, a space created by me within your Soul where we can interact without getting foamed."
Amy frowned at yet another impossible claim. Then again, somehow getting her here out of one of the most well guarded places in the PRT HQ was also rather outlandish and strangely out of place statue of her sister was also decent proof that this really was inside her head, although she didn't really want to think of why it was there.
"So...you really are my power?" she asked.
Ianthe nodded.
"That I am," she said.
Amy stared at her for a moment, then looked away and drew her knees up to her chest.
"Then is this the part where you try to convince me to do something horrible?" she asked.
Ianthe tilted her head on one side, an unreadable expression on her face.
"Well I won't," said Amy, "I've resisted you up until now, so nothing you can do will…"
Before she could finish, Ianthe abruptly vanished and Amy found herself being silenced by a long fingered, clawed hand wrapping around her mouth while the other arm wrapped around her stomach, pulling her into Ianthe's chest.
"Thats enough," hissed Ianthe in Amy's, "Listen to me Amy and for once in your life, actually hear me. Since the moment I touched you, you have feared me, almost hated what you could do. Even before Carol Dallon basically forced you into the role of healer, you never truly understood what I was capable of. Before, that didn't really matter to me, but I remember. I remember how you rejected the knowledge I offered that could have made your life easier, could have helped so many more than you alone could have ever hoped to."
Amy's eyes went wide as the grip on her face loosened and she felt the Spirit holding her begin to shake.
"But worse than all that, you feared yourself," said Ianthe, "I could handle you not trusting me, I don't really blame you for that, but the reason you never really accepted me, never allowed yourself to truly explore what you could do, was because you don't trust yourself."
Ianthe swallowed as the tears began to flow.
"You could do so much, help so many people, but because of that fear, you won't take the step needed," she whispered as she hugged Amy, "Because you won't use me to my fullest."
Amy stared at the crying spirit in genuine shock. Of all the things she'd expected when meeting a representation of her power, this was one of the last things she would have expected. A part of her honestly expected a cackling mad scientist who wanted her to take over the world or whip out all of Humanity considering some of the ideas her power had given her over the years, but this crying girl was none of those things.
"But...what if I go too far?" asked Amy, "If I start, where do I stop?I don't...I don't want to become another Nilbog or Bonesaw."
Ianthe snorted.
"Thats easy," she said as she pulled back and wiped her eyes on her sleeve, "You won't do any of that because your a good person Amy."
Amy looked at her power in surprise, then swallowed and looked away.
"I'm...not so sure about that," she said, "I...I've had some thoughts in the past that…"
She was cut off by another snort.
"Everyone has those thoughts Amy," she said, "Especially people with as much on your shoulders as you. The fact that you've never acted on them, especially when it would be so easy, speaks volumes of your nature. Besides, I'm here now. I promise you, I'll keep you on the right path."
She stood and offered Amy a hand, the light of the sun reflecting off the purple scales that covered it to the middle of her forearm, and smiled.
"Come on Amy, lets start a new path," she said, "Taylor's power has given us a new opportunity, so lets not let it go to waste. I'll be with you every step of the way, if you'll let me."
Amy stared at the offered hand for a moment, then slowly reached out and took it. She still wasn't sure if she should trust the spirit of her power, but for once, she was going to take a leap of faith.
An oppressive silence had settled over the Hebert house as the occupants sat in the living room, looking at the sheathed sword that rested on the coffee table. Following the incident at the hospital, Taylor had been released and (after a warning from the PRT not to leave town), allowed to go home. She had been mildly surprised by that after she'd accidentally hit two Capes with an obvious Master power, but apparently, unless they could actually confirm that there was a negative effect on them, they didn't have grounds to arrest her. Sophia wasn't considered considering the bitch was trying to kill her, which was nice. That was another major issue she needed to work through at some point, but for right now, she had more important things to deal with. Namely talking with her Dad about her powers and figuring out what in the hell they actually were.
"So," said Danny, "Your a Cape now?"
"I...guess so," said Taylor.
"And your powers are somehow connected to this sword?"
Taylor nodded.
"Yeah, but I don't know exactly what they are," she said.
"And I guess thats where I come in."
Both Heberts jumped at the unexpected voice as the sword on the table began to glow and dissolve into a flock of butterflies that quickly gathered together to form a Human shape and dispersed to reveal a lightly smiling Kisaki stood beside the table.
"Hello Danny, its nice to meet you," she said with a polite bow, "I am Kisaki Kanrisha, the true form of your Daughters power."
Danny gaped at her, then turned to Taylor, who shrugged and nodded.
"I don't get it either, but shes telling the truth," she said, before turning to her power and fixing the shorter girl with a Look she'd learnt from her mother, "Alright Kisaki, spill. What happened yesterday? Just what are my powers?"
Kisaki didn't seem bothered by the Look as she knelt in seiza beside the coffee table.
"I will tell you, but lets start at the beginning," she said, "All of your powers come from the same source, an...energy lets call it that your body now produces. This energy permeates your entire being, making you stronger, faster and tougher and can be controlled to achieve things like brief high speed movement, flight and, if you have enough, to intimidate or even damage opponents by releasing it."
"What do you mean?" asked Danny, "How is that even possible?"
Kisaki smiled and closed her eyes. A moment later, a dark purple aura began to leak off her and a pressure settled over the room. Both Heberts stiffened and immediately broke out into a cold sweat at the sensation, before Kisaki let up and the pressure vanished.
"A-ah, like that," said Danny, wiping his forehead with a sleeve, which came away damp.
Taylor meanwhile was staring at her power with wide eyes.
"You...holy shit, your a Zanpakuto!" she gasped.
Kisaki's head snapped around to stare at Taylor, a look of complete surprise on her face.
"I...how do you know that?" she asked.
Instead of answering, Taylor scrambled off the couch and darted over to the cupboard where the family DVD collection was kept. Included in said collection was an entire shelf dedicated to imported Anime from Aleph which had mostly belonged to Taylor's Mother and was one of the few things that hadn't been moved into the basement. Taylor snatched a white box from the shelves and vaulted back over the back of the sofa, dropping it into Kisaki's lap.
I stared down at the box Taylor had just given me, not sure if I should be amused or annoyed as I absorbed the sight of the orange haired Reaper on the cover. On one hand, this made it a lot easier to explain, on the other…
"It took you this long to figure it out?" I asked incredulously, "I've been using quote from Bleach since we met!"
"Its been a while alright," said Taylor, her eyes gleaming in excitement, "Besides, who would honestly expect their powers to come directly from an Anime?"
I suppressed the urge to laugh like a maniac at that. Instead, I sighed and put the DVD on the table.
"Fair enough I guess," I said, "Well, since that makes it easier, yes, I suppose you could say I am a Zanpakuto. However, your not a Soul Reaper and I highly doubt that Hollows or the Soul Society are an actual thing. At least, I hope they aren't."
If they were, things could get...weird. Also, Taylor was an Otaku? Thats kinda cool.
"Yeah, guess your right," said Taylor, looking slightly disappointed, "Anyway, what can you do?"
I shook my head slightly and refocused on what was actually pertinent to the conversation at hand.
"Right, of course," I said, "I have two main powers. The first and most useful is the ability to generate poisons of various types, along with their antidotes and medicines if needs be."
"That...sounds incredibly dangerous," said Danny.
"All powers are dangerous," I said, "Its simply a matter of figuring out the best way to use them. You can't exactly claim that the power to create any hand held weapon is safe and yet Miss Militia manages."
"Touche," said Danny.
Taylor frowned.
"Hang on, if your power is poison, how did you do that...thing with the others powers?" she asked.
"Thats my other ability," I said, "Kengen, or Manifestation, is the power to, well, manifest the powers of Parahumans into the form of a spirit like me."
Both Taylor and Danny started gaping.
"That...sounds INCREDIBLY dangerous," said Danny.
"Oh, it is," I said, "It allows us to instantly double the Parahuman muscle of any group we end up working with, but using it in combat is...inadvisable."
"What? Why?" asked Taylor, "Surely turning a Capes powers on them could only be a good thing...right?"
I shook my head.
"No Taylor, thats not how it works," I said, "The resulting Spirits aren't under my control, nor is there any guarantee that they'd turn on their user. They might have a positive opinion of us and express their displeasure, but if their relationship with their user is good enough, all we'd do is increase the number of opponents."
"What about, um, Cheshire?" asked Taylor, "She seemed…less than pleased with Sophia."
I shrugged.
"The Spirit that comes out of my powers is created based on a number of different variables, ranging from their personality, your perception and opinion of them, MY perception and opinion of them, what their power is and even the power itself and how it interacts with its Host," I said, "Chances are that Cheshire was created from Sophia's desire to be a Hero that led her to be a vigilante rather than a Villain, your perception of her or any number of other factors. Whatever the case, we can't rely on that happening every time, so please be careful who you use Kengen on. I'd rather not have to fight two angry Hookwolves if at all possible."
Both Taylor and Danny paled.
"I'd rather you not fight any Hookwolves," said Danny, "Although speaking of that, we need to discuss what your going to do now Taylor."
Taylolr frowned.
"What do you mean Dad?" she asked.
"Well, your known to the PRT now and, considering how bad their information security is rumoured to be, that probably means that the Gangs will also know about you pretty soon," he said, "Considering just how much of a force modifier your power is, that means that everyone, from Coil to Lung, will be targeting you, either to recruit you or kill you."
I winced slightly at the look on Taylors face.
"Bit blunt, but not incorrect, I'm afraid," I said.
Danny sighed.
"I'm sorry Taylor, but I have to get across how serious this situation is," he said.
"I got it Dad, believe me," said Taylor, "Its just...how am I supposed to trust the PRT after Sophia?"
I sighed.
"That is a question you'll have to answer on your own," I said, "Whatever you decide, I will follow you, but don't allow a mistake to blind you to your options. Just remember, whatever path you decide to take, never stop walking."
I closed my eyes and let myself fade back into Taylors inner world.
"Thats the wrong show!" shouted Taylor, making me burst out laughing.
And that'll do. I originally intended to include a scene with Cheshire and Sophia as well, but that can wait.
Well now, it looks like Armsy's a little more Human than one would expect. Ironic considering what popped out of his head. If your confused, his Spirit is basically a Geth body combined with Armsy's armour.
Why yes, Ianthe is a reference to Taylor Varga. Her hands and feet are even lizard-like, just to add to it. Her personality won't be like Ianthe though. Probably. See if you can guess what'll be popping out of Tattletales head later on.
Speaking of Ianthe, I hope I did a good job with her little heart to heart with Amy. I didn't bother with Armsmaster since he and Legion are on pretty good terms. Or at least, they will be once Armsmaster gets out of M/S confinement and gets to do some work with him.
To be perfectly clear, Bleach exists on Aleph and got imported to Bet, but its not going to be a big thing since, ya know, Anime is a bit of a niche market on Bet and who'd expect a superpower to basically be a reference to one? Greg'll probably notice though.
Bit of a serious conversation and a look into Kisaki's powerset. If your wondering how manifesting Spirits and poison are related, every time she does it, it kills the Entity a little bit more, one Shard at a time. Slow and oh so insidious.
Right, now onto the interesting stuff (for me). I need suggestions for future Spirits. Original or exppies, I don't care, give me ideas damnit! The only ones I won't be budging on since I have ideas are Glory Girl, Dragon, Lung, Leet and Lisa.
And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!