Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.
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As we made our way to the Boat Graveyard, we passed works steadily repairing the damage Hydra had inflicted on the city. Restoring everything will take quite some time.
The Empire and ABB are gone, and Coil is the only one left in Brockton Bay.
We just have to make sure that he doesn't get the chance to cause much havoc when we go after him.
"So, this is Brockton Bay," Mash whispered, looking out the window.
"Yep. There isn't much to see around here anyway. Unless you count the overflowing trash cans and graffiti on the buildings," I said offhandedly. "Sorry that this is the first thing you came across here."
Mash shakes her head, "No. Now that Chaldea is here, I'm sure that Brockton Bay will be once more the lovely city that it once was."
Mash is the only one who can say that and mean it.
"Man, that's got to be the first time I ever heard anyone call Brockton Bay a lovely city," Sherrel said with a small laugh. "I sure as hell never thought of this place like that. Especially after I got here months ago."
"What happened?" Mash asked.
"I arrived in Brockton Bay about seven months ago, give or take. Less than an hour later, a massive clash erupted between Lung and Hookwolf. They tore through two city blocks, damaged numerous buildings, and left countless people injured or dead. It was terrifying," Sherrel said, shuddering.
"You saw that and still decided to stay?" Nobunaga raises an eyebrow.
"I used all my money to get to Brockton. So, you know, not much of a choice there," Sherrel shrugs.
"Why did you come here in the first place?" I asked.
"Well, since there were so many parahumans in the city. I thought of using that to stay under the radar. And it worked...for a while," Sherrel said with a frown. "But, hey, it all worked out in the end, and things are going to get better around here. Right?"
"That's the idea, but don't think it'll be all smooth sailing, there'll be plenty of bumps ahead," I said.
"From who? The PRT/Protectorate?" Sherrel asked.
"They are just one of the many who will eventually try to bring us down," Nobunaga said, crossing her arms with a frown. "Some won't want us to become a future threat, some will believe our power is better utilized under their control, some won't want the status quo disturbed, and others will challenge us simply because of our reputation."
"That's a lot of people," Sherrel swallows lightly. "Wait, what was the last one?"
"The last group is just a bunch of glory hounds. All they care about is the bragging rights of defeating Chaldea, nothing else," Mash said, her tone edged with dissatisfaction.
A strong reputation is a double-edged sword. While it can keep many at bay, there are always those who see it as a gauntlet to be faced.
"Don't stress over it. For now, we still have time to get ready for the future," I said.
"If you say so, boss-man," Sherrel said.
"Right, I forgot to ask before. What's your cape name?" I asked.
Nobunaga and Mash glance at Sherrel with curiosity.
"I'm going with: Heavy Gear," Sherrel said proudly. "It got a nice ring, doesn't it?"
Her specialization makes the name especially fitting. And it also goes well with her costume. The jumpsuit, welding mask, and tools do give her a professional vibe.
"Hm, not bad. That's a fitting name for the person who will build my Great Tenka Jet-Tank!" Nobunaga exclaimed with a far too big a grin. "Soon, the world shall know the name of the one who helped crush my enemies!"
"Nobu," I said seriously.
"Yes?" Nobunaga asked equally seriously.
"Do I get to drive it?" I asked with a wide smile.
Nobunaga grins back at me before erupting in laughter.
"Senpai," Mash groaned.
"It's a futuristic tank, Mash. I ain't passing the chance to take it for a spin," I shrug.
Sherrel chuckles, "Wait for my next project with Da Vinci. She said you guys are really going to like it."
Oh?
"What is it?" I asked.
"It's to build the new Storm Border!" Sherrel said excitedly.
My eyes widen in surprise.
"You're going to rebuild it?" Mash whispered with wide eyes.
"Well, Da Vinci said that there's still a lot that we're missing, and some other servants are needed for the project. So, it's not going to be any time soon," Sherrel falters for a moment before regaining her excitement. "That ship is a work of art. It even brought a tear to my eyes! Just from the schematics, I almost went into a fugue."
"A what?" Nobunaga asked.
"It's a mental state that a Tinker can enter when they are working on their creations," I explained.
Nobunaga hums in interest.
"Heavy Gear, if you don't mind me asking, what's that like?" Mash asked curiously.
"Ah, that's hard to explain. The best I can say is that it's like one of those lucid dreams in a way. I know what is happening, but my body moves on its own. And it only stops when I'm done with the project," Sherrel said, trying to explain what the Tinker fugue feels like.
"When you leave this fugue state, do you ever feel discombobulated?" I asked.
"Not really. Once it's over, I just feel tired and hungry. I know I probably should worry more about losing control over my body, but I don't," Sherrel shrugs.
That isn't a normal reaction to losing control over your body.
Or maybe she's just used to it.
I will talk with Da Vinci later.
"What would happen if someone tried to stop you or interfere when you are in a fugue?" Nobunaga asked.
"I don't know. That never happened before," Sherrel said.
"There are reports of Tinker becoming hostile when that happens," I said.
"Oh. Then I would most likely knock someone's teeth out with a wrench. Or something like that," Sherrel said.
"Nice," Nobunaga said with a smirk.
Mash leans on my shoulder.
"Should we be worried about this fugue state, Senpai?" Mash whispered.
"I don't think so. Sherrel doesn't seem to be. Let's just keep an eye on that. We don't need her going into one and attempting to dismantle the Shadow Border when Da Vinci shows it to her," I whispered back.
Mash nods in agreement.
"We're here," Sherrel said suddenly.
Oh, that was fast.
Sherrel drives up to the front gate and rolls down the window.
A man approaches her.
"Hey there," Sherrel said.
"Hey," The man looked at the truck with weary eyes.
"So, huh, where's the administration building?" Sherrel asked.
"Go forward and take the first left. It's a two-floor building, hard to miss," The man explained.
He waves to somebody, and the front gate opens up.
Sherrel drives for a minute, and we get to our destination.
Mash, Nobunaga, and I get out of Scraphound.
"Hydra hit this place hard," Nobunaga commented as she looked around.
"Nothing important seems to have been damaged," Mash noted.
Certain warehouses and sections of the pavement sustained significant damage. Several machines exhibit scratches, though these appear to be cosmetic in nature.
I turn my focus on the reason why we're here.
There they are.
A row of rusted ships that have been abandoned for years.
They are such an eyesore.
"There's Sigurd," Mash said, pointing to Sigurd speaking with a man. "I don't see Kagetora anywhere."
"Up there," Nobunaga crosses her arms as she looks in Kagetora's direction.
She's atop of a container, drinking beer to her heart's content.
Where did she get so much beer?
"Should I call her?" Mash asked.
"Nah. Let her be," I shake my head.
It's still going to take some time before Sherrel begins dismantling the ships.
"Let's go to Sigurd," I said.
"You guys go ahead. I'm going to get things ready," Sherrel said before driving closer to the ships.
Nobunaga, Mash, and I approach Sigurd.
"Hello, Master, Shielder, Nobunaga," Sigurd greeted us. "This's Kurt. He was telling more about what kind of ships are docked here," he explains.
"Hi there," I said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Mash said with a smile.
"Hey," Nobunaga said.
Kurt raises an eyebrow, "So you're the boss of the guy who turned our workplace into a battleground."
"Sorry about that. Avicebron needed material, and these ships are abandoned. So, you know," I rub my neck.
Kurt snorts with amusement, "No need to get worked up about it, kid. You guys took down the Empire and ABB, in my book, that makes you alright. Hell, come with me and the boys to a bar sometime, and I'll buy you all a drink," he said cheerfully.
"Ah! That isn't necessary!" Mash said hurriedly. "We're the reason why the Docks received so much damage."
"Don't worry about it. This isn't the first time that this place was thrashed because of a cape fight," Kurt waves off Mash's worries. "We will do as we always do. Fix the place in a jiff and move on," he said confidently.
That's a good mentality to have.
Especially in a city like Brockton Bay, where collateral damage from cape fights was extraordinarily high.
Who knows how many times store owners have had to rebuild their businesses?
"You know, it's not every day that we're visited by such celebrities," Kurt said.
"We're celebrities?" Mash tilts her head.
"Famous would be more accurate. Celebrities are a little much," I rub my neck.
"Some would say famous, others would say celebrities. It depends on who you ask," Kurt shrugs.
Kurt glances at Sherrel working on Scraphound.
"Never thought I would see this day coming," Kurt admits. "It's been so many years that no one ever thought that anyone would ever get rid of those ships. Or live to see it happen."
"It's still going to take some time before the port is back to being fully functional," I said.
"We waited years for this moment. We can wait a little longer," Kurt shrugs. "So, how's this going to work?"
"It's actually a straightforward plan," I explained. "The dockworks will gradually dismantle the ships and hand parts over to Heavy-Gear for processing into raw matérias. Sigurd and Kagetora are here to help out for today."
"Wouldn't it be faster for them to just cut the ships into pieces all at once?" Kurt asked.
I mean, that would be the fastest way to do this.
Sigurd alone can destroy all of the ships in less than a minute.
But that would defeat the whole purpose of doing it this way.
The idea is to start putting money into the city to slowly bring it back to life, and, as a bonus, pick up a few extra brownie points along the way.
"While it's true that doing it like that would be faster, it would also raise the issue of where to store the pieces. And I doubt you have enough space for all the material," Sigurd cast a glance at the rusting warehouses.
Kurt grimaces before scratching his head in annoyance, "We definitely don't have that much space. A lot of the warehouses still have old merchandise from when we still had maritime trading."
"Anything that could be useful?" Nobunaga asked.
"Nah. By this point, it's all useless junk. If that wasn't the possibility that someone could have come to claim something, we would have had to throw all of it away a long time ago," Kurt said.
"This is a perfect opportunity to get rid of this old merchandise and free some space in the warehouses," Mash points out.
"That's a good point," Kurt rubs his chin thoughtfully. "It's been a long time since any of the warehouses have been renovated," he said offhandedly.
That reminds me.
We need to find a better way to hide the warehouse that has the ruby inside. From now on, there's going to be more movement in the port.
"I will bring this up with Danny later. It's going to get busy around here," Kurt said with a content smile.
Kurt notices one of the workers waving at him.
"Hm? Oh, looks like I need to go elsewhere. If you need more information or have any more questions, just call me," Kurt said before leaving.
Mash, Sigurd, Nobunaga, and I watched him leave for a moment.
"I'm going to see if that battle maniac will share some of her beer," Nobunaga goes towards Kagetora.
"I will wait for the professor to come out," Sirgurd approaches the administration's building.
Mash and I glance at each other.
"Want to take a look around?" I asked.
Mash nods with a smile.
I said to look around, but there isn't much to see besides the ships and warehouses covered in rust.
So we took a closer look at the ships.
"The water is all cloudy," Mash said quietly, frowning at the ocean.
"Years of rust must have compromised the hull and, in turn, leaked all kinds of chemicals onto the water," I rub my neck.
Cu Chulainn complained the other day that he can't do any fishing around here.
Another thing to fix later.
"So, how does it feel to be a cape?" I asked as we continued to walk around.
"It doesn't feel different from normal. Well, I guess the only thing I still need to get used to is wearing a mask every time we're working," Mash touches her mask lightly.
She's wearing a lavender domino mask.
Surprisingly, it goes really well with her paladin attire.
"Is it really necessary for me to be wearing one?" Mash asked.
"You don't have to. It's just easier to get around the city if nobody knows who you are," I shrug.
The PRT/Protectorate is watching our every move now.
Moriarty mentioned the disguised PRT troopers who were scouting around the Dock the other day.
No doubt, they were gathering information about us.
"Just look at New Wave. Their superhero lives and personal lives aren't separated at all. Panacea gets requests for healing constantly, and I'm sure the other members also deal with people interrupting their free time. There's also something else about Panacea," I leaned closer to Mash. "Hassan told me the other day that she snuck out of her house in the middle of the night to go to the hospital," I whispered.
"How many times has she done that?" Mash whispered back.
"Four times so far," I whispered. "Something in her home life is weighing heavily on her. Hassan hasn't told me what it is yet; she's still gathering information."
"That's certainly not a good sign...we'll have to intervene, won't we?" Mash whispered, her brows knitting in worry.
"Everything points to that, but we have to be smart about it. We don't want to make things worse by just charging headfirst," I whispered.
God, I know how messy these kinds of situations can be. The first time Mordred and Artoria met in Chaldea, they immediately tried to kill each other. It took some time for them to more or less bury the hatchet.
Hopefully, whatever is going on with Panacea won't be that bad.
...I just jinxed myself, didn't I?
"So, you know, it's good to keep your cape life and personal life separated," I sigh tiredly.
"Yes, that's a good point," Mash places her finger on her chin. "There's also the fact that senpai can't openly interact with everyone else."
And isn't that annoying?
Thankfully, the stalker trio isn't here yet.
It would be difficult to explain on my civilian identity why Raikou pressed my head into her chest, why Kiyohime keeps calling me Anchin, or why Serenity refuses to leave my side.
Problems for later.
"Ah, that's right! When do I get enrolled in high school?" Mash's eyes lit up with excitement.
I smile softly at her excitement.
This is her opportunity to experience everything she missed out on growing up at the Chaldea Antarctic base.
To live a normal-ish life.
I'm going to make sure that happens, no matter what.
"Senpai?" Mash tilts her head.
"Hm? Oh, sorry. Just lost in thought," I said with an embarrassed smile.
Mash giggles in response.
"What's the school that you want to go to?" I already know the answer.
"Of course, the same one as senpai!" Mash said with a bright smile.
Thought so.
Alright, I will need to speak with Moriarty later. He can easily forge the necessary paperwork to make Mash a citizen of this world so that she can go to Claredon.
It would also be a good idea to do the same for Sion, Kadoc, and Goredolf.
CRASH!
My head snapped to the left.
Someone seems to have stumbled into some barrels and fallen on the ground.
Mash and I quickly approached them.
"Hey, you okay?" Mash asked, offering a hand to get up.
"Yeah. I wasn't looking where I was going," A female voice said.
A young woman with long, curly black hair was on the ground, wearing a hood that seemed slightly too large for her. Her jeans were worn, her sneakers scuffed and battered. She scratched her head, then her eyes widened in sudden alarm.
"My glasses," She looks around.
Mash picks it up and hands the glasses to her.
"Here," Mash said.
She slipped on the glasses. "Than-" her words caught as she froze, eyes locking on Mash and me.
"What's the matter?" Mash tilts her head.
"Yo-you are a cape," She said with wide eyes.
Mash blinks rapidly before nodding.
"Yes, I am," Mash said simply.
"And you're Magus," She whispered in awe.
"Do you...need help to get up?" I rub my neck.
A warm blush spread across her cheeks as she hurried to her feet.
She turned her gaze aside, her hand fidgeting nervously against her arm.
An awkward silence fell on us.
"Wanna pretend that this didn't happen and try again?" I asked.
"Yes, please," She said shyly.
I choughed, "Hi, I'm Magus and this is Shielder-"
Mash flashes a kind smile and gives the young woman a quick wave.
"-and you are?" I asked.
"I'm Taylor," she said.
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Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.
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Hey look, it's Taylor!
Honestly, I was waiting for someone that comment on the fact that Winslow was destroyed and how Taylor was going to trigger.
I'm still deciding what to do with her.
Now if you excuse me, I'm going to work on Records of Worm.
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If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.
Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader.