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The Guild of Gamers: The Game Master by The Dark Wolf Shiro
Game X-overs & Worm Xover Rated: M, English, Fantasy & Supernatural, Words: 71k+, Favs: 3k+, Follows: 3k+, Published: Sep 11, 2023 Updated: Jun 25
1,030Chapter 6: Final Round, Fight!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by Malcolm Tent, Priapus, Old man of the mountain, Marethyu, Mike God of Lore, Beans
The Guild of Gamers: The Game Master
Chapter 06: Final Round, Fight!
– Rebecca Costa-Brown (Alexandria) –
As Fleur and Uber waited for the fight to begin, she watched them both carefully. This would be the first time they'd be seeing Azuth's boons in action.
Uber already had a slight golden glow from casting 'Bless', and the moment the fight began, Fleur faded from view just as Uber closed the distance with Misty Step. In truth, it was fairly obvious who would win this fight from the start.
Uber was a good fighter, and being able to teleport was a useful trick, but Fleur was far more experienced and powerful. She was sneaking around, planting her 'flowers', turning the battlefield into a truly hazardous place for Uber. Uber was trying to do what Fleur herself did against Sister Calypso, tracking her by her footsteps and the displaced ground, but Uber simply lacked Fleur's experience and wasn't doing it nearly as well.
A blast of colourful lights struck Uber directly, seemingly from nowhere, temporarily blinding her. Immediately, Fleur reappeared and simply pushed Uber, now disorientated, making her stumble back.
Uber had obviously swapped what skill she had into something that would let her recover from the fall, but unfortunately for her, Fleur had pushed her directly onto one of the planted flowers. The flower exploded, sending Uber flying as Fleur simply tossed another flower petal to where Uber was going to land, practically juggling the minor villain as she showed off the skills that let her survive as an independent hero in Brockton Bay for over a decade.
She wasn't particularly fond of New Wave, but she could respect the fact that they'd managed to last this long, with public identities no less. She could think of dozens of groups, often with stronger powers, that had fallen apart far faster.
Uber recovered, teleporting away before she landed on another flower, but this fight was very clearly in Fleur's favour. Uber herself was grinning despite the beating she was taking, seemingly enjoying the fight.
Several orbs of light circled above the arena, telekinetically controlled by Fleur, before they all changed directions and started to chase Uber down. She managed to teleport away, but the orbs simply changed directions and shot after her.
The teleportation had a short cooldown, and Uber simply wasn't fast enough to avoid the very accurate orbs as they struck her, sending her flying with a flash of multicoloured light. She rolled across the arena floor, luckily avoiding the rest of the planted flowers but unable to avoid the other orbs that simply pelted her, taking her out of the match.
As Azuth declared Fleur the winner, Uber was healed and gave Fleur a flamboyant bow, a grin on her face despite her loss. She could hear Glory Girl cheering for her teammate, and Brandish looked mildly pleased. Both girls had been scowling since Fenja had won her match.
– Jessica Campbell (Fleur) –
Returning to Azuth's box, she gave the wizard a smile. Invisibility was a very useful trick, especially since, unlike Calypso, she didn't need to move to fight. Hiding in a corner and just directing her orbs to attack people was a nice trick.
"Congratulations on your victory, Fleur. We have our first finalist, though whether you are facing a frozen Valkyrie or a cheesy knight is yet to be seen," Azuth said, making her smile even as she mentally frowned at the idea of Fenja getting another boon.
"Thanks; you said the prizes for this round were better, right?" Fleur asked, making him nod.
"I have a great many options, so tell me what you desire, and I shall find a boon worthy of your victory," Azuth said, making her pause.
"Can you give me a way to heal? I know we have Panacea, but Amy can't heal herself," Fleur asked, making Azuth pause. She could see him mentally going through the options.
"As you wish, so it shall be," Azuth said, touching her shoulder as she felt something change. "I have granted you the power of healing touch. Skin contact will cause a slow but constant healing effect on those you desire to heal. It is no Panacea, but with enough time, it can restore lost limbs and cure the most malignant of diseases."
That… was a hell of a lot more than she expected. If this was what he was giving out for the semi-finals, what was the grand prize?
"Thank you, that's a lot better than I expected," Fleur admitted, getting a smile from the teen.
"You are most welcome, but it is now time for the next round. Good luck in the finals," Azuth said as she was teleported back to New Wave's box, seeing Mouse Protector and Fenja teleported down into the arena.
"Come on, Mousey," Vicky muttered, giving her a smile before they turned their attention to the fight.
She really didn't want the Empire getting another boon, definitely not one as good as the one she'd just got. Their hopes were all placed upon the shoulders of the cheesy knight, who was sitting on the back of her giant, monstrous rat.
Blinking, she watched as the rat grew giant majestic white wings, taking flight as Fenja grew. God, today was weird.
– Solomon White (Azuth) –
Ah, she worked it out.
Her Find Greater Steed summons a celestial being in the form of a Dire Rat. Realistically, it has the same stat block as a Dire Wolf, but nothing is stopping it from borrowing traits from a Pegasus or Griffon instead, along with plenty of other powerful beasts.
I have to admit, I'm surprised she worked it out so quickly.
– Melissa (Mouse Protector) –
Well, this was quite the situation she'd gotten herself into, looking at the thirty-foot tall neo-nazi she was faced with.
Biggest Cheese flew with a grace no one would expect from a giant rat, dodging under Fenja's attempt to hit them with a giant sword, but she had to admit this was problematic.
The arena was very cold, and her one attempt to strike the giant had resulted in her getting a faceful of ice, having to teleport back to Biggie before Fenja could swat her like a particularly cheesy fly.
Hmm, that armour was rather annoying; she really wasn't sure how to hurt the giant. Was this what her enemies felt when she just kept teleporting around them? She hoped so.
As Fenja opened her mouth, she fired her slingshot into the air, teleporting herself and Biggie away as Fenja unleashed her frost breath and coated the arena in ice. Something told her she wouldn't have been able to keep fighting if she got hit with that, but Fenja couldn't spam it.
Fenja certainly wasn't holding back, and Mouse nodded to herself as she drew her sword. So, she wouldn't either. It wouldn't do for some naughty white supremacists to get a super-boon from the wonderful wizard of Brockton Bay.
She mentally apologised to Fenja because even a neo-nazi didn't deserve what she was about to do.
– Jessica Biermann (Fenja) –
Her new armour was amazing, but goddamn, was this mouse a pain to hit.
Mouse Protector had been at this for a long time, and it showed how hard it was to actually hit the slippery little bitch. The only damage she'd managed to do was when Mouse Protector tried to stab her and got a frosty rebuttal from her armour.
The giant rat flew around her, dodging with unnatural grace as she tried to hit it with her shield. This was getting annoying, but Mouse Protector couldn't really hurt her, so this could only end one way. Then she just needed to beat Fleur and put New Wave in their place, and the Empire would come out on top of this little tournament.
Her opponents teleported again, but as she swung her sword, she mentally paused as she noticed that Mouse Protector wasn't on the back of her mount. Some movement got her attention as she saw Mouse Protector on the ground, firing another pebble at her face.
Was that supposed to do something?
Just before the pebble bounced off her face ineffectively, Mouse Protector teleported to it and, with an unnaturally serious expression, went flying forward.
Jessica realised her goal a moment too late as Mouse Protector's sword pierced her eye, a scream of pain leaving her as the very sharp sword was plunged into her eyeball right to the hilt, flailing even as her armour unleashed a blast of ice to punish her attacker.
Mouse was gone before it could hit her, and through the pain, Fenja couldn't react fast enough for the usually laid-back joke of a cape to do the same a second time, blinding her entirely as Fenja screamed. Falling to the ground, the entire arena shook as she clutched her ruined eyes, shocked and horrified at Mouse Protector's sudden brutality.
– Melissa (Mouse Protector) –
Staring down at the fallen cape, she listened as Azuth called the fight in her favour, Fenja having passed out from the pain and shock. Nobody had expected her to be willing to play so dirty, but as she suspected (and hoped), Fenja was quickly healed and woke up, gasping in shock and horror as she pawed at her face, blinking rapidly.
Before Fenja could attack again, she was sent to her Empire friends and oh boy, did they not look happy with her. They were probably going to try to murder her, as Fenja's sister rushed to her side, and Iron Rain glared. She was pretty sure she'd just taken the position of the Empire's most hated enemy, and she was even white!
Ah, well, people were always trying to stab her.
"A hard-won victory, and what do you desire for your reward?" Azuth asked, not judging her for the sudden brutality.
"Hmm~ I don't know," Melissa shrugged, almost hearing Alexandria facepalm from here. "Ooh, can you give the girl with the cute puppies the ability to talk to her adorable pets?"
"You'd give up a greater boon to let Bitch speak to her hounds?" Azuth asked, making her shrug.
"I kinda ruined her chance, and she's such a cutie," Melissa said, making him pause before he chuckled, and Bitch was suddenly next to her.
"Wha- why would you do that?" Bitch asked, giving her a suspicious look.
"Because I feel like it?" Melissa added helpfully, making Bitch go to retort before she went quiet. She was clearly not a trusting girl, but she also really wanted that power.
"So be it. Bitch, by the grace of the cheesy knight, I grant you the power of Beast Speech," Azuth said, touching Bitch's shoulder, which made her gasp before she looked between them.
"Thanks?" Bitch said, looking very confused and conflicted.
"You are most welcome, now go say hi to those adorable puppers for me," Mousey said, giving her a thumbs up as Bitch was sent away. "Huh, why am I still here?"
"Because I decided to give Bitch her new power as a freebie," Azuth said, making her blink. "And you still require a greater boon."
"Oh, why?" Melissa asked, making him smile.
"Because I felt like it, and because you amuse me. Humour is in such short supply in this world," Azuth said simply, making her pause before she shrugged. As good a reason as any. "So, what do you desire for your boon?"
"Meh, you pick again," Mouse said. It worked last time; she loved Biggie already, so why not let the wizard pick again?
"As you wish. As to continue with your theme, I shall grant you the power of the Rodent King. You will be able to command all rodents within a large radius, sharing their senses. Unleash the rodent horde upon your foes," Azuth said, her eyes widening. She hadn't missed that neither hers nor Fleur's new power would help them that much in the next round, but if he was right, then her crime-fighting capabilities had just taken a big increase.
Even now, she could sense Biggie and see through his eyes, but in a place like a city where rats were oh-so-common? Ufufufu.
– Solomon White (Azuth) –
To be honest, that power is worth quite a bit more than Healing Touch. It is a weaker Rodent-themed Queen Administrator, but I want Mouse Protector to survive, and it should help her avoid the Nine in the future. Of course, she'll probably need to use it to avoid the Empire's wrath first.
Plus, I'm allowed to be biased, and thanks to my recklessness, I have points to spare.
"Ufufufufufu~ Mwahahahaha~ Kukukuku~"
…is she laughing or just saying the words?
Ah well, onto the finals, and both of our finalists are on the side of the angels. I imagine the PRT is seething that two independent heroes are the finalists while they got knocked out immediately, but that's not my problem.
– Rebecca Costa-Brown (Alexandria) –
Azuth was giving out some major power-ups, which made Shadow Stalker's colossal fuck up all the more painful as the final round started. Honestly, she didn't care who won this one.
Both were heroes, and she was fairly sure she could get either to work with the PRT to ensure Azuth's boons had no major side effects. Mouse was a former Ward, and New Wave worked with the PRT in Brockton often.
She had to wonder what the grand prize would look like, given the sheer power Azuth was giving out like candy. She could hear Shadow Stalker getting lectured by Armsmaster, Miss Militia and Solarflare, all while Eidolon just stared at the very subdued Ward, unblinking.
Fleur and Mouse Protector started their fight, a battle of two very experienced independent capes, both showing off the boons they had been granted. Azuth was essentially using them as advertising, showing off what his boons could do; she wondered whether he was recording these fights to further prove he could do exactly what he claimed.
God, that would be humiliating to show how quickly the PRT got eliminated.
Still, Azuth proving he was as good as his word meant he would be in extremely high demand; she was already making plans to ward off the Yangban and other foreign entities that would want to grab Azuth; she could not allow him to fall into the hands of the gangs either.
Mouse Protector landed a hit on Fleur, having found her somehow and struck her with her slingshot… ah, she'd used her mount's sense of smell. Fleur was invisible but not hidden from all senses. Smart.
Not that Fleur wasn't putting up a fight, hitting the mount with several of her flowers, but Fleur lacked the sheer combat experience of Mouse Protector. Fleur wasn't used to one-on-one fights, clearly more used to fighting with a team, while Mouse had survived as a solo act for years.
People often forgot how talented Mouse was, seeing her as just a joke cape. Mouse was a joke cape, entirely by her own choice. That didn't mean she couldn't hold her own, nor that she wouldn't be brutal when needed, as Fenja had learned. Still, this round was far more friendly as the two heroes fought it out.
– Jessica Campbell (Fleur) –
Her perfume.
That was why she was losing, a fact which made her want to facepalm as she watched the giant rat's nose twitch again before it locked onto her, despite her invisibility.
Almost immediately, she'd had to defend herself from Mouse's assault, her wounds healing slowly as Mouse lay the beatdown upon her. It was nice to know that her power worked on herself. Still, it wasn't enough as Mouse simply teleported away when she tried to fight back, suddenly behind her.
Sweeping her legs, Mouse sent her tumbling to the floor and, with a thrust, stabbed her blade into the ground next to Fleur's head, a clear warning that she'd be dead if this was a true death battle.
The jokey cape gave her a smile, and Fleur sighed. Raising her hands in surrender, she gave off a laugh. Joke cape her ass; Mousey was a nightmare to fight against when she was serious. Suddenly she understood why villains hated Mousey so much.
"Ufufufufu, a victory for all rodent-kind!" Mousey said, helping her to her feet as Fleur chuckled. She'd lost to a hero; that was the important part. She just didn't want a villain, especially the Empire, getting Azuth's boons. "Well fought, but victory belongs to the mice today."
Biggest Cheese let out a victorious squeak, his long tail swishing behind him as Fleur smiled.
"Nice fight, Mouse; I guess you get the cheese today," Fleur said, no hard feelings as she shook hands with Mouse before they were both teleported. She'd learnt a valuable lesson, as Vicky reassured her that she'd been badass.
Get a scentless soap and don't wear flowery perfume when she was going to be turning invisible because she quickly realised that quite a few capes had enhanced senses.
…fucking perfume, of all the things to make her lose.
– Melissa (Mouse Protector) –
As Azuth declared her the champion of the first tournament, she preened proudly. Take that, villains; today, your dreams have been crushed by the might of the mice!
"I don't suppose you actually have an idea for what you want for the grand boon?" Azuth asked, making her grin.
"Nope," Mouse replied, popping the P as Azuth chuckled.
"Of course not," Azuth replied, sighing. "That would make my job entirely too easy."
"And we wouldn't want that, would we? You'd get bored," Mouse helpfully agreed.
"That I would. So be it, let us see what we are working with here," Azuth said, placing a hand on her as she felt something inside her take notice. "Your power is a Grab-Bag type, teleportation mixed with a handful of minor boosts. Let us see how I can improve it."
Ooh, that sounded fun. It was a little late to worry about letting the wizard play with her powers, so she just stood still and let him have his way with her (powers), the defenceless knight helpless to stop the wizard from molesting her (powers).
"First, let's give those minor boosts an increase. Yes, that will be a nice start," Azuth said, as she felt all tingly from him altering her power, feeling her senses increase. "A boost to your senses, an increase to strength, speed and reflexes, yes, that will work. Now, for the true reward… yes, I have an idea. I shall grant you a powerful combat precognition. To know your opponent's moves before they have made them, to dodge attacks before they've happened, such a power will serve you well. Finally, I shall simply alter Find Greater Steed to allow you to share your powers with the Biggest Cheese."
Whew… the wizard didn't fuck around.
"That will suffice, I believe," Azuth said with a nod. "However, there is one last prize for our first champion. This is a Golden Ticket," Azuth explained, handing her a small golden pass. "For now, it does nothing. However, the holder of a Golden Ticket gets access to the more exclusive games I will be holding in the future. Other tickets will be available through a variety of means, but this is the first."
Ahh… didn't that mean people would be trying to rob her? Oh dear.
– Rebecca Costa-Brown (Alexandria) –
She wanted that ticket.
And she knew she was far from the only one, seeing the various villains all staring at Mouse Protector with avarice, making the cape laugh awkwardly.
"And with that, the first tournament has come to an end. Thank you all for attending, and fear not for those who did not get a chance to compete; this is only the first of many," Azuth declared. "But for now, I must leave you. Or, to be more precise, you must leave me."
With his final word, most of the attendees vanished, being banished from his world but she paused as she realised that she and Weld had both remained in place.
"Come forth, Library of Alexandria and Weld. I would have words with you," Azuth said, the location changing as they moved from the arena to a forest clearing. Nobody had called her that in years, not even herself. He was obviously fairly young, but he'd clearly done his research.
"I know why you are here, Weld, you wish to see if I can repair the mutated form your power has inflicted upon you," Azuth said, his attention on the silver teen who nodded hesitantly.
"You mentioned that you thought you could on PHO, and nobody has been able to do anything for us," Weld agreed, hesitating as she glanced at Alexandria.
"I do believe I can, and as you have likely guessed I have kept you behind for that purpose. Allow me to be blunt, I do not know what the changes will cost me, I know I can do it, what I don't know is how hard it will be. I haven't had a chance to examine a Case 53 yet, so if you are amicable to the idea I wish to use you to get an idea of how difficult altering Case 53s will be," Azuth said, turning to her. "That is why you brought her, is it not? Does the PRT agree to these tests upon a Ward? I cannot guarantee that there will be no harm done, though I find it highly unlikely."
She glanced at Weld, seeing the hope in the teen's eyes. In truth she'd had to bring Weld, the Case 53 community would riot if she didn't seem to be doing something. Plus, she wanted to know what Azuth could do with one of Cauldron's creations.
"We do, Rebecca Costa-Brown has agreed to us asking you to attempt to cure Weld. Many capes have believed they could cure the Case 53s, all were wrong so far," Alexandria said, making him nod.
"As this will provide me with useful information, I will skip the games this once. That said, I cannot use my power indefinitely, every boon I grant takes from an internal energy pool and I regain that energy slowly at the moment," Azuth warned, making her nod.
They'd figured out that there was a cost to Azuth's power, but it was good to have a little more information. There was more to these games than Azuth simply picking people to grant power to.
"Please, if you can do anything. I'm one of the luckiest Case 53s, and I can't feel anything; I have no sense of smell or taste, and even brushing against metal is likely to get me stuck to it," Weld pleaded, watching as Azuth placed a hand upon her shoulder and closed his eyes.
"I see two choices before me, both doable, though one is cheaper than the other," Azuth said, opening his eyes. "Your power is faulty, broken. Fixing and altering it would grant you far more control, allowing you to live a proper life without the disadvantages your power inflicts upon you. Alternatively, I can simply strip away your power and restore you to a new body entirely. This is the cheaper of the two options; creating a blank body is surprisingly simple. The choice is yours."
Weld paused, indecision and hope clear on her face as she thought her choices through.
"I- I like being a hero, so I'd like to keep my power," Weld finally said, her voice quiet and optimistic as she stared up at Azuth, who nodded kindly.
"Of course, as you wish," Azuth replied, focusing as she watched Weld carefully. There didn't seem to be any noticeable changes, but Weld clearly disagreed as she gasped in shock, breathing in deeply. "For now, I have returned your senses to you and granted you the power to decide what you absorb. I'm afraid my energy supplies are starting to run low, and the ability to shift to a more human form would be more costly than I can afford at the moment."
"This is more than anyone has been able to do," Weld said, her voice tinged with awe as she stared at Azuth. She glanced at where his hand was on her shoulder, the tank top she wore leaving the silver metal on display as she reached up to touch his hand in awe, rubbing her fingers along it for a moment before she caught herself and pulled back. "Thank you, truly. This means everything, not just to me but to all Case 53s."
"Just remember, I cannot do this freely. I truly wish I could, but we don't get to choose how our powers work. Well, I don't get to choose how my power works," Azuth said, smiling slightly as Weld nodded.
"But even knowing there is a chance of being helped, that there is someone who can help, will bring hope to so many," Weld replied, making Azuth nod.
"I am happy for you and your kind. Should my plans come to fruition, I will have far more energy to work with, so we can only hope," Azuth agreed. "But I do believe our silent observer wishes to speak with me, so I must send you on your way."
Glancing at her, Weld nodded.
"Again, thank you. You have no idea what this means to me," Weld said, making Azuth chuckle.
"I think I have some idea, but you are welcome all the same," Azuth replied, clapping his hands together as Weld vanished. "And then there were two."
"You've caused a lot of chaos today, and this will only be the start of it," Alexandria said, not condemning his actions but clearly fishing for his reasons as he nodded.
"I did, and I will not apologise for it. It is a necessary evil to prevent what is to come," Azuth agreed, making her eyes narrow.
"You've hinted at a coming catastrophe; what do you know?" Alexandria asked, making him chuckle.
"Far too much for my own good, Rebecca," Azuth said, almost mournfully, as her eyes widened in shock before they narrowed. "Ignorance is bliss, and my power enjoys depriving me of that bliss. I know that this world is currently living on borrowed time, that something far worse than Endbringers is waiting in the near future, and that you and several others are fighting to stop him."
"Scion. That's what all this is about," Alexandria said, reaching up and pulling off her helmet. It was a pointless gesture, given what he already knew, but one that she hoped would lead to him trusting her more. "How do you know all this?"
"Indeed," Azuth agreed. "I have access to future knowledge from a source that Scion cannot block out. I know of events that will happen and a timeline that is no longer intact. My mere presence, along with other changes, has derailed it and made a lot of my future knowledge patchy."
"Did Scion die?" Alexandria asked, making him nod.
"He did, at great cost. As did you," Azuth said, but she didn't even blink.
"I always expected the final battle would be my-"
"You died to a teenage girl, pushed into villainy. You misread her, misjudged her capabilities, and made her think you'd killed one of her friends, so she killed you," Azuth cut off, making her blink. "You'll be happy to know that Shadow Stalker was responsible for her trigger event, though it hasn't happened yet."
"Of course she did; I swear I'll toss that girl into Juvie myself," Alexandria sighed. "How did Scion die?"
"Through a convoluted series of events, one that cannot be relied upon in this timeline. I cannot tell you the details, not yet. What I can tell you is of two upcoming events," Azuth offered, making her pause before she nodded. "The Birdcage will burst open sometime in the next three months, and a new Endbringer will appear in the next attack. I lack any further details, but these two things will happen."
"The Endbringer isn't that surprising, even if it is troubling, but the Birdcage? There's no way out of there," Alexandria said, making him nod.
"And yet, every inmate will escape and be let loose into the world, making the chaos of today seem trivial," Azuth agreed. "But it gets worse, I'm afraid. The Endbringers were being directed by a certain someone; this is no longer the case. Freed from his direction, they will continue to attack, but with each attack, they will hold back less, escalating the danger even further."
"Who?" Alexandria demanded, making him pause.
"This information will bring you no joy; he knew not what he did," Azuth warned, but she just stared. "Very well. Eidolon needed worthy opponents to prove himself, and his Shard called the Endbringers to challenge him. A threat he could truly go all out against, a doomsday called forth by one man's insecurities."
Staring at Azuth, she prayed he was wrong, but despite it all, she believed him.
"They were Eden's weapons; Eidolon simply had the controls, which you pried from her body. He never knew it was him. In fact, in the battle against Scion, Scion merely told him what he had done, and Eidolon simply gave up and allowed himself to be slain. Eidolon is no longer in control, though I am unsure how he lost control of them; telling him will do nothing but break him."
She listened, cursing herself for not seeing it, cursing David for his insecurities and the millions of deaths it had caused.
"You know about Cauldron," Alexandria said; it wasn't a question.
"I do, and you should know that in the future, I saw you were exposed. A truly cursed cape known as Echidna cloned him, and the clone hated everything the original stood for. It exposed you all, which dealt a fatal blow to the Protectorate itself as a result after it had slain Myrddin," Azuth warned. "I do not judge you for the actions you have taken to defeat Scion; I know what the cost of failure will be."
"So what are you planning?" Alexandria asked, making him smile. "Why the games?"
"Do you understand how powerful I am? I can create powers that would make the Triumvirate obsolete; I can summon creatures that could kill the Endbringers and Scion with contemptuous ease. I can rewrite history itself purely on my whims," Azuth said, but she knew he wasn't bragging. His power weighed heavily upon him. "But all of these require the energy I spoke of before, in great amounts. I gain this energy by having an effect on things. Every time one of the people I have granted a boon to fights, I will gain more energy. Every time one of my summons saves a life, I gain energy. Imagine, Rebecca, what would be different if I went back and rewrote that September 10th so that Hero survived his brutal defeat. So that you whisked him away to Cauldron's base, where he survived and recovered. Imagine what he could have done with ten years of tinkering in secret."
"But that would cost a lot," Rebecca continued. His words made her mind wander; Hero had such big hopes and plans… all cut down by the Siberian.
"The bigger the change, the more costly it is," Azuth agreed.
"So, you're turning people into your own personal energy farms. The upcoming grudge match between the Empire and Mouse Protector will help you. Every fight Fleur gets into will further your goals," Rebecca said, giving him a searching look.
"And this is only the beginning. I can beat Scion; I have so many options to do so, but first, I need energy in great amounts," Azuth agreed. "We have the same goal, Rebecca, and I will see this world saved. I would rather hope that we can achieve this together instead of me having to go through you."
"You're rather confident," Rebecca said, making him smile ruefully.
"I know how a sixteen-year-old girl who had less than five months of experience as a cape killed you; I'm sorry to say that you would find me an unpleasant opponent," Azuth pointed out, making her mentally wince.
"Fair enough, I can't deny that we could do far more together," Rebecca agreed, wondering who the hell Shadow Stalker would have triggered and making a mental note to toss Shadow Stalker into space when she got out of here. "But we can't do that if you hand out Blank; you know about our boogeyman, I take it?"
"Ah, did the idea of me handing out Blank make Fortuna panic?" Azuth asked, making her sigh. "A fair point, Contessa will have to deal with me being a blind spot, especially with the Simurgh still posing a threat, but I do believe I can place a back door into any Blanks that I hand out to allow the Path to Victory to work on them," Azuth offered, making her nod gratefully. "I will not work for Cauldron, but I will work with you for our mutual survival."
Offering his hand, she took it and nodded.
"That will do, but you know I'm going to want more of that information you are hoarding in time," Rebecca said, oddly happy with how this had gone. It was almost nice to have everything out in the open.
Could Azuth be the silver bullet they had been waiting for? She genuinely didn't know.
"In time, the knowledge I have could end the world far faster than Scion, so I must be very cautious with it. But as it happens, I do have two more pieces of information for you. To commemorate our new alliance," Azuth said, getting her attention. "Jack Slash was the trigger for Scion's rampage, and he is a Master who prevents any cape from fighting him effectively. Should he die, we should have our deadline extended by potentially decades."
Well, Jack Slash had just lost his existence privileges. She could work around whatever this Master ability was.
"And secondly, you have the key to killing the Endbringers already. They each have a core, a weak point deep within them, though each one is different. Behemoth's core is buried deep at the base of his throat, Leviathan's core in the central part of his chest, and the Simurgh's core is probably in one of the joints of her largest wing, though I believe they can move it. You have a Ward called Flechette; her power can pierce directly through the Endbringer's flesh and pierce their core. I do hope to study her power and copy it, combining it with several others to create the ultimate Endbringer-killing hero in time, but again, it will not be cheap. Keep her safe."
"It all comes back to that energy," Rebecca noted, making him nod. This had been a very good day, if Azuth's knowledge could be proven right. The Birdcage was supposed to be inescapable; if an attempt happened to bust everyone out in the next three months, then it would at least prove that he was telling the truth about that. Same with a new Endbringer appearing.
"I know, which is why gathering it is my primary focus. This has been a good start, but just a start it remains. The street-level fights will simply not be enough to get what we need, but I have plans to further my growth," Azuth agreed.
"If you need help with them, let me know," Rebecca offered, making him smile. She wasn't sure he could do everything he believed he could do, but strengthening him could only help, if even half of what he thought was going to happen came true.
"I will, but I think that will be all for today," Azuth said, and she reluctantly decided not to push it as she put her helmet back on. "This has been a genuinely pleasant conversation, Alexandria. I look forward to more of them in the future."
"Agreed, Azuth," Rebecca said, watching him click his fingers and send her out of the portal.
It took her a moment to realise, but nobody even noticed that she'd been gone longer, as Weld gave her a confused look. Azuth had sent them all back at the same time, giving the gangs no warning that he'd had a long private discussion with the PRT.
She understood why he didn't want to join; he needed to empower both sides of the law to gain the most energy from every engagement; he understood what needed to be done and knew he couldn't do it as a Ward.
There was a stand-off between heroes and villains, but the presence of her and Eidolon cut down on any violence and after a moment she simply told the villains to leave, claiming that a fight would risk them getting blacklisted from future games.
Fenja was now a source of energy for Azuth, not that they'd ever know what they were giving Azuth in return for his blessings.
As the various groups left (not without her getting both Fleur and Mouse Protector to agree to come in later), she turned to Shadow Stalker with entirely unamused eyes as the Ward squeaked, eyes flickering in every direction but even she wasn't stupid enough to try and run when Eidolon was standing right next to her, glaring daggers in her direction.
"Now, I do believe you have some explaining to do. I would love to know your reasoning for joining this tournament when you were specifically told to stay away, helping the Empire grow stronger thanks to your sheer stupidity," Alexandria said, glaring at the girl who would have gotten her indirectly killed.
"If I'd won-" Shadow Stalker started, trailing off as the entire group stared at her.
Oh, Stalker's ass was hers.
– Solomon White –
Collapsing onto my bed, I sigh to myself at how tiring that was. God I miss when the only games I held were on the tabletop because this was far more intense.
"Solomon, do you have a moment?" Angela asks, making me sit up and nod.
"What's wrong?" I ask, making her hesitate.
"I have been following your deeds, watching the videos you posted of the tournament and the boons you granted… and I cannot help but notice that you did not have the points for this when we last spoke of your plans," Angela asks, making me wince. "May I ask where you got them?"
"My system allows me to take drawbacks for points, I simply took enough to get what I needed to get the ball rolling," I say, not quite hiding the guilt in my voice. "It is fine, I can undo the damage later."
"Sol, what did you do? What drawbacks did you take?" Angela asks, giving me a concerned look but somehow I know it's not concern about me but for me.
"...I accidentally caused a new Endbringer to appear, then made them more dangerous, and am single-handedly responsible for an upcoming breakout of the Birdcage if my warning to Alexandria doesn't pay off. Oh and there's a serial killer in Brockton Bay thanks to me," I say, laughing at her shocked expression. "Basically, with a single decision I have probably killed more than half the Birdcage put together, I know. Believe me, I know I fucked up, and all I have going for me is that if I win, if I beat Scion, I can undo it all."
"Sol… what was the point in summoning me to act as your guardian if you don't talk to me about these things?" Angela asks, sitting next to me as I sigh. "I know you are doing your best, but you do not need to carry all this weight on your own shoulders."
"I can't afford to not take risks. Hopefully, some of them I've taken today will pay off and buy me a lot more time, but do you realise what happens if I fail? Trillions will die, enough deaths to make the Omnic Crisis look like a peaceful disagreement," I say, making her nod.
– Angela Ziegler (Mercy) –
She blamed herself for this, she'd not paid enough attention to Solomon despite knowing the sheer weight of the duty he was tasked with. He was a teenage boy responsible for the fate of trillions, even her time with Overwatch paled in comparison.
"Oh, I need you to pull me out of school. I can get more points if I use that time to play hero instead. Just tell them I'm being home-schooled, I'll summon a 'teacher' if necessary," Sol said, and she immediately shook her head.
"No, Sol. You cannot focus your entire life on your goal, this is unhealthy," Angela said, happy that Sol was not such a control freak that she couldn't disagree.
"No? I already graduated high school in my past life, and what am I supposed to do? Play student and pretend I have not put them all in danger on the hopes, the slim chance, that it will let me save everyone?" Sol asked, and she cursed herself for not being better with psychology, spotting the signs of a mental breakdown. He was hiding it well, but he was cracking under the pressure. "Marquis is bound to come home, and his homecoming is bound to be bloody. Their families, hell my classmates themselves could die because of a choice I made. I'm not going to waste time playing student when I could be preparing to try and minimise the damage. Fuck, there is a serial killer out there right now, who knows how many they've already killed, I might have already killed some of my classmate's families."
"So fix it, you are the Game Master, are you not?" Angela asked, switching tracks. "You don't know how to find a serial killer, but you have so many options for people who could. Summon someone to hunt them for you, and fix the smallest of the threats. Do you have a plan for the Birdcage?"
"I told Alexandria, and I'm going to make my own prison along with a bounty hunter team. That's one of the plans, anyway. If they escape, I'll have every one of them hunted down," Sol explained, calming slightly. "I'm also going to offer bounties as Azuth, to encourage both heroes and villains to hunt down the escapees."
"See? You have a plan; you just need to act on it. Find someone who could hunt down this serial killer; it will grant you more points, but you need to spend time on anything but your duty. Doctor's orders," Angela teased. "Make some friends, get a hobby; you will have a far easier time fulfilling your duty if you aren't burning out. Or do you think you can find a serial killer better than any of your potential summons?"
"I… you have a point; I don't know the first thing about detective work," Sol sighed, making her smile and place her hand on his leg soothingly. "But the points-"
"Anyone you summon to find this killer would be useful against the escapees; it will pay for itself," Angela reasoned, making him sigh and smile at her. "See? I am useful for more than just my looks," she teased again, making him flush at the reminder that he'd picked her almost entirely for her body. "It is no shame to admit you can't do everything alone; your power has given you an expert for every situation, you merely need to rely on us."
"I think I know someone who could help, and I do have the points left over even after the tournament," Sol admitted, making her smile proudly. "As it happens, you know them as well."
"Who- ah, of course," Angela laughed, realising who he meant immediately.
"I get a small discount as I start to build 'sets'. I already have one member of Overwatch, so buying a second will be cheaper, and a third will be cheaper still," Sol explained, making her smile. "And the world could always use more heroes."
"I ain't a hero, kid," a gruff voice said, making her jump and sigh at the sight of Jack staring them down. "I'm just a soldier."
God, he'd gotten edgy in his old age, giving her old commander a fond smile as he leaned against the wall, pulse rifle by his side.
— Bonus Scene — Eleanor Anders (Iron Rain) –
Jessica had been very apologetic over losing to Mouse Protector, but she didn't blame her. Nobody had expected such a joke of a cape to resort to such brutal tactics, and even still, they'd come out better than most.
The video of Fenja swatting Shadow Stalker like a fly was already going viral, making the PRT look like a joke, and the armour that Azuth had granted Fenja was a powerful boon. More importantly, Azuth had proven that he was capable of exactly what he claimed.
This would change everything, and he'd already proven that he would not turn away villains for his boons. Now, they simply needed to learn what made the newest star of the cape scene tick. Jessica claimed that he'd looked at the cleavage on display and didn't seem unreceptive to her flirtations, so he was a mortal man with mortal needs and desires.
Azuth was the biggest pie in the cape world, and she intended to make sure that the Empire got plenty of slices.
Of course, she also needed to teach a certain rat that she was very unwelcome in Brockton Bay and claim that golden ticket from her.
Smiling to herself, she looked at the picture of Azuth loaded on her computer with a growing grin, tinged with her mania.
Author's Note: Alexandria main girl? Who knows.
I am entirely motivated by praise and interaction, so leave a review, and I'll probably write faster.
I have a Discord server with a bunch of other authors and a load of porn. So much porn.
Here's the link for that: discord .gg/wd3tUYWVCd
If it says it's expired, it is probably your account being unable to join NSFW servers, and you'll need to fix that. If you fix that and it still says it's expired, add me (ThePumpkinKing), and I'll invite you myself.
I've finally put my Pat reon to use after months of procrastinating. My Pat reons now have the ability to vote for which fics they'd like to see updated more during the next chapter cycle. The winner of the normal tier poll gets one extra chapter per cycle, the second tier poll gets two extra chapters, and the highest tier pat reons can pick a fic that will get three extra chapters per cycle. The winning fics this cycle were Tamer (three extra chapters), Tinker (two extra chapters) and Supervillain (one extra chapter). I'm currently in the process of making the advanced chapters for Pat reon, which will slow down updates somewhat as I make the five advanced chapters.
Pat reon Exclusives
Plat: High Roller Ch03, Gambler Ch10
Gold: Guide to Necromancy Ch07, Blank
Basic: Blank
Link: Pat reon TheDarkWolfShiro
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