Evil Task Force of Doom

 There were some preparations I needed to make before meeting with the Biker. Specifically, I needed to have something constructed for me by an Oathbreaker. I'm certainly not proud about doing business with him, but there are plenty of necessary evils in this world. And if I wanted to get the biker on my side, this was one of them.

I was able to get in touch with the Biker and arrange a meeting with him. Justin and I arrived outside Ozzy's, where the meeting would take place, and waited. The item I had commissioned from that Oathbreaker was lain out on the ground, covered with a sheet.

"Is it weird that you've had that thing for 3 days, and I'm still creeped out by it?" Justin asked.

"I'd find it concerning if you weren't," I replied.

We waited in silence for about a quarter hour, before a solid steel bike pulled up before us. The Bloody Biker dismounted it and approached me.

"So, you wanted my help?" he asked.

"That's right," I said. "I'm building a team to do something about the forest."

"How much are you offering?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I can't offer you any money," I informed him.

"Then why the hell are you wasting my time?" he asked.

"I have something more valuable to offer you," I said, gesturing to the covered object next to me. The Biker raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" he asked, flicking out his tongue for a moment. "Let's see it then."

I nodded, and tore the sheet away, revealing the figure beneath it.

Before us lay the lifeless figure of a young girl, around 10 years old. She was dressed in a plain white gown, had eerily pale skin, and shoulder length white hair. Justin was visibly disturbed.

The Biker flicked his tongue out briefly, and took a moment to process what was before him. Slowly, a look of recognition crossed over his features.

"Sylvia?" he muttered to himself.

A second later, his blade was at my throat, and he snarled at me.

"What is this!?" he demanded.

"I commissioned it to look as similar to her as possible," I said.

"You think you can buy my loyalty with some cheap doll made in my sister's image!?" he snarled. I could feel his sword pressing closer against my skin.

"It's not a doll, and it sure as hell wasn't cheap," I informed him. "It's a homunculus."

I felt his rip on the sword loosen a bit, and he gave me a confused look.

"A homunculus?" he asked.

"An artificial body," I explained. "There's only one man in the world, Dr. Luigi Helthead, who has any skill in their construction. Partially mechanical, but mostly organic. It will age naturally once activated. Right now, all it's missing..."

I raised hand, as black mist began swirling around my fingers.

"Is a soul," I finished.

I teleported to the other side of him while he processed that, and knelt down over the homunculus, and hovered my hand over its face.

"It's time to wake up, Sylvia," I said, and the black mist flowed into the lifeless body. "It's time to meet your brother."

The homunculus shuddered suddenly, as its eyes snapped open. Color slowly came to its skin, and its white hair turned a a light brunette. its eyes, initially pale, shifted to a bright blue.

Sylvia Monroe blinks slowly a few times, adjusting to her new body. She sat up, and looked around a bit, before her eyes fell on the Biker.

"Damien?" she asked. "Is it really you?"

He hesitated for a while, before slowly removing his blindfold, getting a look at her with his real eyes.

"Syl...," he said, before his expression turned serious. "Favorite color?"

"Magenta," she replied.

"Favorite animal?"

"Turtles."

"Favorite food?"

"Waffles!" she replied ecstatically. "With extra syrup, and-"

"Strawberries," the Biker finished for her. "It really is you.."

He dropped to his knees, at a loss for words, it seemed. Sylvia stepped forward and ruffled his hair, smiling.

"You've changed a lot," she said. "I remember you being the little sibling."

He smiled a little, for just a second, before his expression turned dark.

"I'm not who I used to be," he said. "I'm not the little kid you used to know. Everything started changing after you died. I..."

He looked her in the eyes, looking serious. The pentagrams burned into his eyes glowed fiercely.

"I hurt people," he said. "I kill them. And I enjoy every moment of it."

"I know," she said.

He gazed back at her, confusion spreading over his face.

"You do?" he asked.

"Doctor Ferris told me everything," she said.

"Yeah, she's been living inside my head for a while," I said. "HELLFIRE's found it really awkward, seeing as he was partially responsible for her death."

"The Dying Man shard?" the Biker asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep," I said.

The Biker considered that for a moment.

"That explains a lot," he said. "I'll have to have words with Ben..."

Sylvia ruffled his hair again.

"You're still my baby brother," she told him. "But you need to stop hurting people."

"That's gonna be difficult," I said. "We've got a war on our hands. In war, people get hurt. People hurt each other. He's particularly good at that. Which is why I need his help."

The Biker straightened up.

"Right," he said. "That."

He thought for a minute, before turning to me.

"You've named your price," he said. "And quite frankly..."

He waved a hand dramatically.

"It beats out Kraken," he said. "Fuck those guys, the cheap bastards."

He offered me a hand.

"I want in," he said.

I shook his hand.

"Glad to have you on board," I replied.

"So," came another, familiar voice. The newcomer sounded a lot like Karl from Law of Talos, only older, and a bit more sinister, if you can imagine that.

A man was standing on the roof of Ozzy's shop, looking down at us. He was dressed in a heavy looking hooded longcoat, hood up and concealing his face. He was armed with a long glaive, and what appeared to be a steel pipe attached to a sword hilt sheathed at his side.

The Demi God hunter.

I'll be honest, I don't actually know this guy's name, so let's call him... Lance.

"I've got you selling an experimental virus to a known Oathbreaker in exchange for a custom made homunculus," Lance said. "Collaborating with a violent mercenary with an ever growing list of kills, and..."

He glanced at Sylvia.

"Literal necromancy," he finished. "You just keep giving me reasons to kill you."

Okay, I didn't want everyone there knowing what I had to give Helthead in exchange for the creepy little robot girl, but I guess it's out there now...

In my defense, I also gave a sample to the SMSC and Trias (got to see the moose again, that was fun) so a vaccine/cure should be out there before Helthead can actually do any harm with it.

Anyway, putting aside the aforementioned necessary evil, let's get back to the encounter...

Lance jumped down from the roof. He seemed to be wearing some kind of specially designed shoes, because not only did they absorb the impact of the fall, but they seemed to redistribute the energy from it, propelling him forwards. He attacked me with his glaive.

Now, I'm really not joking about him being a professional Demi God hunter. He goes up against super powered people regularly. And that takes a great deal of skill, equipment, and training. This guy's good.

The best I could do was evade his attacks, occasionally steeping into the God's Way to gain some distance. I tried throwing a fireball at him, only for it to glance uselessly off of his evidently fireproof coat. I tried to hit him with an ice attack, only for him to counter with a miniature wrist mounted flame thrower. Where did he even get one of those?

Then  he tossed a handful of what appeared to be marbles at me. A few of them missed me, but most of them hit my labcoat and clung to it. Then they all started flashing red and beeping loudly.

Sticky bombs.

Shit.

I could see him smirking beneath his hood as he muttered "Checkmate."

I sighed.

"And I really liked this labcoat..." I said.

And then I did something I rarely do. I stepped into the God's Way...

And left my labcoat behind...

You see, I don't have to bring my clothing with me when I teleport. I only bring what I want to bring. Usually bringing my clothes along is a subconscious effort. But I can still leave things behind if I want to.

I reappeared behind Lance as my coat fell to the ground. Several small explosions tore the thing to shreds. Such a sad sight...

I drew my brand new sword cane, made partially of Newborn steel, and held it up to Lance's neck.

"That was my favorite coat," I growled.

"It was mustard stained," Lance pointed out.

"It was ONE stain!" I said. "Why do people keep drawing attention to it?"

Lance lowered his glaive.

"Do you really want to stop the forest?"he asked me.

"Yes," I said.

He considered things for a minute before speaking again.

"Fine then," he said. "Temporary truce."

I lowered my blade, and returned it to it's cane-sheath. He turned to me.

"Until the forest is dealt with, you have my assistance," he said. "But not my allegiance."

"Fair enough," I said.

He then turned from me, closed the distance between himself and the Biker in a couple seconds, and cleaved through both of the Biker's legs with a single swing of his glaive, causing the Biker to fall to the ground, yelping in pain.

"As for you," Lance said. "You've had that coming since our last meeting, you cunt."

"Whoa!" Justin snapped, gesturing to Sylvia. "There's a fucking kid present! Watch your shitty mouth!"

Lance let out a grunt, and turned his back to us all. The Biker begrudgingly began reattaching his legs, because apparently that's a thing he can do.

"Geez," Justin said, approaching me. "What's his deal?"

"A Demi God killed his little brother," I aid. "Or so I've heard. He's had it out for us ever since."

"Damn...," Justin said.

So yeah. That's how that all played out. We've got some new, sort of allies. Time to regroup with the others, and get a good look at this Phantasm character.

Phantasm

 Kai decided to go through with the training. It hasn't been very long, but he's doing all right. We've been doing unarmed sparring daily, and he's shown noticeable improvement. I don't know how well he's gonna handle himself in a real fight, but I think he's getting there. Tony was there with us today, watching. We decided to take a break, and went over to talk to him.

"How's he looking?" I asked.

"His footwork could use some improvement," he noted. "You oughta teach him how to half-moon properly. He should also do more warm up exercises. Strengthen his rotator muscles. As for you, your unarmed fighting style relies a bit too heavily on elbow strikes and jamming tactics. You should incorporate more reach into it."

I rolled my eyes. Of course he's overly critical.

"You got any other advice for the kid?" I asked.

Tony raised three fingers, and addressed Kai directly.

"There's three things you should always do if you wanna stay alive," he said. "Think rationally. Speak softly. And most importantly..."

He tossed his bokken into Kais arms, surprising him.

"Carry a big stick," Tony finished.

"What about you?" I asked. "Don't you need a big stick too?"

"I got a better one," Tony replied.

He produced, from the table beside him, an actual set of sheathed kodachis. He held one of them up and drew it out a few inches, exposing its bright, silver blade.

"Wow," Kai muttered.

"A real sword, huh?" I asked. "I thought your whole schtick was sparing your opponents or something."

"I prefer non-lethal options, yes," he said. "Mostly legal, and easier for getting information afterwards. However, if war is on the horizon, it might pay to have a lethal option on hand. Besides..."

He returned the blade to its sheath, gripped the hilt with both hands, and demonstrated a proper kendo stance.

"I don't have to draw the blade out," he finished.

I was about to mention that he had a point, but something caught my attention before I could say anything. During my last phone call with Daniel, he said that I should try training my senses, so that I could notice Eldritch energy before getting slapped in the face with it. I've been practicing with Spider Wolfie, which is difficult, because her energy is pretty weak. I have been able to sense it, though, so I seem to have improved somewhat.

I turned my attention to the corner of the room, where I had sensed a presence appear suddenly. Abdalin was standing there, watching us.

Tony followed my gaze, and grabbed his other kodachi, preparing himself.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm here at my bosses request," Abdalin said. "He has elected to remain personally out of the coming conflict. However, he is allowing, and in some cases, encouraging, his Emissaries in this world to confront the forest as they see fit."

I felt another presence manifest besides Abdalin before it became visible. What I saw was a little weird to describe. It was a literal fucking ghost. He was about my size, dressed in long robes that became more transparent towards the ends, and he wore a mask, bearing an eye bound in chains, and the letter A. His hair was down to his waste, and completely lacked color. And I don't mean it was black, or white, or whatever you associate with lacking color. I mean the very concept of color ended where his hair began. It was really weird to look at.

"They're doing a bang up job of that, ain't they?" the ghost said to Abdalin. He sounded a lot like Daniel only less matter-of-fact and sciency and more... goofy and eccentric.

"Even in death, you remain irritating," Abdalin sighed.

"Oh please," the ghost said coyly. "We both know your boss would get lonely without me."

The ghost turned his attention to me.

"Hya, kiddo," he said. "Heard you broke my old sword."

It suddenly clicked with me who this guy was. If the Proto-Godslayer was his sword, then that would make him...

"You're-" I managed to get out, before Tony spoke up.

"Marshal Wayne Smith," Tony said. "Better known as the Ace of Chaos. Time traveler, discoverer of Chaos Mana, and the Game Master's arch-rival. The man who cheated death enough times to win the Goddess of Destiny's heart. Blew yourself up trying to kill a Dying Man shard. Silvermit survived that incident, by the way."

The ghost remained silent for a moment, before turning back to Abdalin and saying "I like this weirdo."

Holy shit, I was talking to the ghost of my ancestor.

"Um... wow," I muttered. "Hi. Um... sorry about... the sword..."

"S'all good," Marshall replied. "I have a better one somewhere. I just have know idea about its current location."

"Why are you two here?" Tony demanded.

"Oh, I like spying on people with my ghost powers," Marshall said. "'Specially my Descendants."

"Wait, so how long have you been watching me?" I asked.

"Long enough to know you've got chemistry with that cute Japanese girl you're always hanging out with," he said. "Fun fact; her dad was borderline immortal before he died."

"Um... okay...," I said, feeling somewhat violated.

"As for me," Abdalin said. "I've come to talk business. As I mentioned earlier, my boss is encouraging certain Emissaries to counteract the forest. He has also learned that your acquaintance, Dr. Ferris, is aspiring to build a small army of Demi-Gods to combat the forest directly."

Tony shot me a look that I think was some kind of warning, while Marshall cocked his head to the side.

"Yeah, he is," I said. "What about it?"

"My boss is offering the service of one Emissary in particular to contribute to your cause," Abdalin said.

"So you're offering our army an additional soldier?" I asked.

"Precisely," Abdalin said.

"Which one?" Marshall asked, sounding a lot less silly all of a sudden.

Abdalin remained slent for a few seconds, seemingly preparing himself for what was about to unfold. Then he spoke a single name.

"Phantasm."

Marshall immediately flipped from cooky magical goofball to absolutely terrifying. The lights flickered, and Kai took cover behind me as the ghost raised his now distorted-by-Eldritch-power voice.

"HELL NO!" he bellowed directly in Abdalin's face. "How much of my Descendant's blood is on that monster's hands!?"

Abdalin, remaining stone faced and calm, shot back "How much of our Emissaries' blood is on yours?"

"Not nearly enough," Marshall retorted, in a menacing hiss.

Abdalin scofffed.

"Like it or not, you don't get a say in the matter," he said. "You aren't even alive to stop any of this. Phantasm is already on his way."

With that, I noticed yet another source of power approaching us. I turned towards the door, and everybody followed my gaze. In walked a man clad in loose fitting black clothing, along with a hooded robe obscuring most of his features.

"You!" Marshall hissed angrily.

"Hello, Chaos," the cloaked man said. "How are the wife and kids?"

I couldn't see his face, but I could hear, and even feel the smirk in his voice.

Silverlight flaired from Marshall's body, as if his anger was physically flaring up.

"If I had a physical body-!" Marshal growled.

"I would strike it down," the cloaked man interrupted.

Marshall remained silent for a while, but everyone in the room could still feel the rage he was giving off. Then he relaxed his ghost body a bit, placed one arm behind his back, and raised the other hand to move his mask slightly, enough to expose one eye, which was glowing a bright, pinkish-purple.

"I've got my eye on you," he muttered, as his body slowly faded away. "You miserable cunt..."

Marshall vanished completely, but I could still feel his power, and even more, his wrath. He really hated this guy...

"Pleasant as always," the cloaked man said, approaching me. "David Kallaway. My name is Phantasm. I will be working together with you an the Doctor."

"Fine then," I replied. "But don't go trying anything funny."

"Very well," the man said, turning to Tony. "You there. Get me some whiskey. Something strong."

"You're not in charge-," Tony began to retort, but something shifted in the atmosphere of the room.

A shiver of fear ran down my spine, Kai fell to his knees, terrified, Tony almost fell over as well, and even Abdalin seemed to flinch a bit. Phantasm had done something, and I'm not sure what, but everyone there was suddenly shaking in fear.

"Now," Phantasm said.

The sense of fear lifted, and Tony hesitatingly left the room to fulfill this guys request.

"You are truly a sadist," Abdalin said.

"Naturally," Phantasm said, taking a seat.

"I'll leave you to it," Abdalin said, before vanishing.

So, Phantasm's with us now. I don't know quite what to make of this guy. What I do know, is that judging by Marshall's reaction to him, this man is responsible for the deaths of several Descendant's. Several of my family members.

Every instinct I have is telling me not to trust this guy. And, like Tony advised, I think I should follow those instincts.

The Florida Story

 The story I'm about to tell took place several year ago. My Extractor wasn't complete yet, I still had two functional legs, and Justin still had two functional arms. Tony was still getting his detective business off the ground, and making contacts in the Runner community who he could exchange information with, and help get the word out about his services.

He had picked up a rumor about an instance of the Manufactured Newborn in a small town in Florida. He asked me for a favor, in exchange for a Convocation feather he had manage to procure for me. So, I went to speak to the newly appointed Professor Malkator. I knew right off the bat that he was an oddball, and the staff pretty much just left him to his own devices. I didn't learn about him being the Descendant of a Goddess and a sorcerer until later.

But, I trusted the guy, so I asked him about methods of sealing a dangerous sample of Eldritch power. To my surprise, he knew I'd ask, and had one prepared. He handed me a mason jar engraved with a large number of symbols. He explained that the symbols drew in power from nearby Fears, and used that power to fuel their intended purpose. In this case, the symbols were meant to contain Eldritch forces.

He handed me the jar, along with a wakizashi. The weapon's sheath had been cut through at some point, and crudely gorilla glued back together. He told me its name was burner, it would listen to me if I commanded it to burn, and before handing it to me, he whispered to it to go along with me for now, and said he'd need it back when I was done.

He told me I would need them both.

As I couldn't teleport yet, Justin drove his bike up to the AMU, and we took a road trip to Florida from there. Took a hot minute, and my teachers weren't too happy about me taking time off from my classes without giving them an explanation, but I was doing pretty good in class, so they let it slide.

So, we got to the place we needed to be before the Newborn could grow too much. Unfortunately for us, we weren't the only ones after it. A group of sword wielding men, who I'm now realizing were probably Kraken, attacked us over it. A fight broke out.

Justin wielding an actual fucking scythe back then. And he was good with it. He used a reverse grip (for some reason) and train frequently with it, to the point he was referred to as the Reaper. I drew the wakizashi Malkator had giving me, and to my surprise, it really did burst into flames when I told it to burn.

This was before I got into the habit of describing all the details of the absurd fights I get into, so I'll give you all the cliff notes. We managed to drive/scare them off, but not before one of them sliced clean through Justin's forearm. We got him to the hospital, and he was taken care of. While he was recovering, I managed to track down the Newborn and contain it, before returning to visit him in the hospital.

He stayed silent for a few day, seemingly processing what had just happened, and how it would affect the rest of his life. I honestly felt really bad. I felt I was somewhat responsible for this. Eventually we actually spoke about it. He said he'd be fine. Eventually. He had spent a brief period of time with a death cult, who tried to teach him that his life belonged to their god, and that dying for it was the highest honor.

He obviously doesn't feel that way him self, but he's willing to make small sacrifices if it's for the people he cares about. He was sure he'd be able to get over his arm. In the end, we had succeeded, and secured the Newborn before it could become a problem.

But, as he told me, the biggest thing that was bugging him was that he wouldn't be able to use a scythe anymore, as it required both hands. Which caused me to remember that we had passed a local blacksmith/weapon maker. So, I paid him a visit, and requested a special commission.

A kusarigama is a Japanese weapon consisting of a Kama, a type of miniature scythe, attached to a chain with a weight on the other end. I asked the weapon maker if he could make something like that, but with some kind of clip in place of the weight.

He threw exactly that together in the space of five minutes using items he already had on hand. He gave me a discount, for giving him such a unique request, and told me to come see him again if I had any other ideas he could try out.

I brought the weapon to Justin once he was released, clipped one end of it to his pant's belt loop, and handed him the handle of the Kama. He was ecstatic to receive it, and immediately gave it a test throw at some nearby garbage.

Turns out, he had terrible aim. He missed completely and got the blade lodged in a tree trunk. But that didn't stop him. He had a cool new scythe he could use one handed, and he was determined to get good at using it. And, after a shit ton of practice, he's gotten pretty good and handling it at both melee and long-range. Still uses a reverse grip up close, though.

I told you this story for a few reasons. Explaining how I got the Baby, how Justin lost his arm and got his trademark weapon, and revealing how I became acquainted with Harry Osbourne. No, not that Harry Osbourne, though I do suspect his parent's were comic junkies. No, this Harry Osbourne, who I affectionately call Ozzy, is the weapon maker from this story.

I've done a lot of business with him over the years since, as has Solar Progeny. He made my old sword cane, he carved Tony's signature bokken from the sturdiest wood he could get his hands on, and, most recently, he made Justin's prosthetic scythe hand. The guy's a damn good smith, and loves making unique weapons, even giving me discounts when I come with him with interesting requests.

He also knows all about the Fears. Servant's and runners alike often come to him, asking for tools to hunt and/or defend themselves with. He doesn't pick sides in the struggle, but he does have a few favorite customers. And guess who that list includes.

Justin gave me some support as we walked into his shop, and he greeted us enthusiastically.

"Danny! Justin!" he said. "How you dude's doing?"

"Still missing a couple limbs between us," Just said, chuckling. "You?"

"Still got all mine," Ozzy replied. "What are you boys needing today?"

"A few things, actually," I said. "First off, I'm in need of a new cane."

"I'll hook you up," he said. "Any special requests?"

I produced the Baby from my coat and placed in on the counter between us. He raised an eyebrow.

"The Baby?" he asked. "You want me to work that into it?"

"If you can," I said.

"Don't you go underestimating me," he warned, examine the Baby up close. "Yeah, I should be able to do something with this. Just give me some time."

"There's another matter I need to discuss," I said. "Sera informed me that the situation regarding the forest is likely to escalate into all out war."

"I've heard," he replied.

"This forest is a serious threat," I said. "Not only that, but a supernatural threat. And there's no telling how many Fears are going to take part in the conflict."

"So how can I help?" he asked.

"A supernatural threat requires supernatural countermeasures," I said. "I need an army of Demi-Gods."

"Sorry," he replied. "I do business with literally two other Demi-God's, and I don't have their contact info."

"But you do do business with a Demi-God hunter," I reminded him.

He raised a brow.

"That guy?" he asked. "How many times has he tried you kill you?"

"Thrice," I said. "He gets closer every time, but I keep enough of my powers secret that I can catch him off guard in the end. I admire his skill. He's clever. researches all his targets and arms himself accordingly. Apparently the SMSC recruited him to bring HELLFIRE in. HELLFIRE says he wields a crazy fire proof spear. Sounds like something you would make."

"It's a glave composed of a heat resistant tungsten alloy," Ozzy growled in annoyance. IF there's one thing he can't stand, it's weapon illiteracy.

"If he respects me as well, he might be willing to hear me out," I said. "I've provided him plenty of challenges in the past."

"I'll send him a text, see if he'll be down to meet up," Ozzy said. "Anyone else in mind?"

"A mercenary," I said. "He's currently employed by Kraken, but I think I have a way of beating whatever price their paying him."

"You aren't seriously think of recruiting the Bloody fucking Biker, are you?" Justin asked. "After what happened with Kallaway, do you really think that's a good idea?"

"He considers Kallaway a rival now," I said. "If there's a chance for a potential rematch, he might be willing. We just need to work out payment. And for that, I need to meet with the Archangel. Know anyone who can help with that?"

Ozzy looked over my shoulder, as the doors behind me opened.

"You know that one phrase?" Ozzy asked. "Speak of the Devil..."

"And he shall appear," came Rillek's voice from behind me.

I turned, to see him there, carrying a damaged machete/ Justin tensed up at his presence.

"Justin," he said. "Daniel. I'm assuming I fit into the conversation you've been having somehow."

"Rillek," I said. "I didn't know you did business here."

"Machetes are a rather satisfying weapon," he said. "But they can only take so much."

"Because you always get the cheap shit," Ozzy said. "I could make you a much more durable one, you know."

"I'm on a budget, Osbourne," Rillek replied, going to browse some of the weapons Ozzy had on display. "So, why is my sudden presence so convenient?"

"I need to see you boss," I said. "The big man."

"Unlikely," Rillek said. "He won't come at might call. I've only ever met him a couple times."

He turned to face me.

"Why don't you kill me where I stand?" he asked. "That may draw his attention."

"Yeah, not doing that," I said. "You must know some way to set up a meeting."

"I'm afraid not," Rillek said. "I guess you could cross your fingers and hope he magically shows-"

"ENOUGH!"

The lights flickered, and black mist began curling over the floor. Ozzy let out a soft "Not again" and Rillek hurriedly picked a weapon and went to check out, realizing what was about to happen.

A second later, I was face to face with my Grandfather. Fucking Archangel, pulling that shit...

The Archangel is the afterlife. A walking version of it. He/it claims the souls of anyone who dies, and it's not pleasant. Additionally, it can take the form of anyone it's claimed. And it was choosing to face me in the form of my grandfather. Jackass.

"Archie," I said, shoving down all the emotions. IT was time to talk business.

"Doctor," the Angel replied. "You've attained my power, by tearing the clothes I gave to Malkator. Dick move on your part."

"Says the guy wearing my grandfather as a Halloween costume," I replied. "I need to asked something of you."

"Cutting to the chase?" it asked. "Good. I have little time to waste."

I gave them my demands.

"I see," it said. "And what do you offer in return?"

I raised a hand, and a sphere of black mist formed in my palm.

"I offer the soul of Dobroslav Abreu," I said.

The Angel cocked its head to the side.

"Oh?" I asked. "Didn't realize I was missing that one. Very well then. A soul for a soul."

He raised a hand, and dark mist gathered around it.

"So we have a deal?" it asked.

"As long as you're giving me the soul I asked for," I said.

It nodded, and we clasped out misty hands together, exchanging the souls we held.

Now, the power I gained from the Archangel allows me to absorb dead people's souls, much like the Archangel does. I had secretly picked up Abreu's soul when I arrived on the scene of the Tyler incident. Can explain my thought process. I just showed up, felt a soul that hadn't been claimed yet, and snatched it up, then turned my attention to the event unfolding. No one seemed to notice at the time, but I figured I could use his soul as a bargaining chip if I ever had to do business with the Archangel. In hindsight, it might have turned out better if I had given the situation my immediate attention...

Anyway, I completed my business with the Angel, who silently departed. Rillek left afterwards, mumbling about how overwhelming his bosses presence is. Justin came out of hiding behind a weapon rack, and Ozzy took a few seconds to relax himself.

"Hate when those thing's show up," he said. "Their just so... screwy and weirs and wrong."

"Yeah," Justin said. "You got that right."

"Sorry about that," I said. "I was hoping to arrange a meeting elsewhere. I wasn't expecting the Angel himself to just... show up, in the middle of your store."

"It's fine," Ozzy said, picking up the Baby. "You guys just mke yourselves at home for now. I've got work to do..."

"Sure thing," I said. "So, how much will-"

"Ah-ah-ah!" He snapped, wagging a finger at me. "None of that!"

He examined the Baby, with a look of excitement in his eyes.

"I have a chance to work with Newborn steel," he said. "That's payment enough!"

Okay, he gives discounts often, but free? I'll fucking take it.

So, we're working on getting a bunch of Demi-Gods and people who can hold their own against them. Hopefully, that'll be enough to deal with whatever's on the horizon.

Cliff

 Kallaway here.

So, a few days ago, Kai and I went with the rest of Solar Progeny and Seraph to see off Daniel and Justin, who were leaving on Justin's motorcycle. He has another prosthetic he exclusively uses to grip the handlebar. They were departing from a nearby parking garage, which was about a third or fourth of the way full of empty vehicles spaced out around the place. Ciel, for some unknown reason, had brought along what appeared to be a very large, covered portrait.

"What exactly is that?" I asked

"The Mona Lisa, Fuck off," She replied, leaning it against Tony's parked VW van.

"Yeah, I'll just pretend that's normal," Daniel said, stretching. He was dressed in a biker jacket to match Justin, which was a weird look to see him in, given his usual labcoat getup. He tossed his crutch over to me and slipped on a helmet.

"You gonna be okay without this?" I asked.

"I can still limp." he replied. "Besides, I got Justin with me for support."

"Daniel and I go way back," Justin said, resting his hand on the edge of his prosthetic. "He was there for me when I lost this. I won't let him down."

"Okay," I said. "If your sure."

"I am," he nodded.

Seraph let out a yawn and glanced at her watch.

"Oh, hey, I gotta bail for a minute," she said. "Tony?"

He handed Tony a small compact mirror, which he opened up and turned toward her. She touched the glass with one of her fingers, then turned to give us one last wink, mouthing good luck. Then the mirror started glowing and she was sucked into it like some kind of portal.

"What in the-" I started.

"Oh, she does that sometimes," Daniel said. "Not for long distance, though. Mama doesn't like her visiting for too long. Not on the best of terms right now..."

"You should probably be heading off now," Tony said, snapping the mirror closed. "Ozzy's expecting you."

"Right," Daniel said, taking his seat behind Justin. "I'll see you all later. Oh, and Kai?"

"Y-yes?" Kai asked.

Daniel hesitated for a bit, seeming to be unsure how to put whatever was on his mind into words, before saying "Actually, it can wait. See ya."

Justin revved up his bike, and they set off. Tony started muttering something I couldn't quite make out under his breath. Kai turned to me.

"Are we gonna be alright with them gone?" he asked.

"Of course!" I said. "You still got me, right?"

"Yeah," Ciel said, in what I'm assuming is own of her lower snark settings. "You only suffered two humiliating defeats since you two met."

"I'm gonna stop this bickering before it begins," Terrence said, putting a hand on my shoulder before I could retort (though, to be honest, I did have anything good ready). "We need to focus."

Focus? On what...

I turned to Tony, who was still muttering to himself. I tried listening in, and I realized he wasn't just muttering. He was counting.

Counting down.

"Four... three... two... one."

And... nothing happened. Tony seemed confused for a couple second, but then some guy with a golf club jumped out from behind a card, swinging it down at Tony's head. Tony just calmly raised his bokken, which I hadn't even noticed him holding, and blocked the attack.

"Oh, I was off a bit," he said with a smirk, producing a pistol in his free hand and shooting what seemed to be a tranquilizer dart into the guy's chest. The man collapsed, and then several more people, armed with various weapons, from knives to guns to tennis rackets. I think onw guy had a rolled up newspaper... for... some reason... They came through the main entrances, dropped down from the floor above us, or came out of hiding from behind the various cars. About thirty total. I think.

"You knew there would be an ambush!" I snapped, turning to Tony.

He kept his smirk up, rested his bokken on his shoulder, and fired his tranq pistol twice, bringing down a couple more of the men.

"I was counting on it," he confirmed, before getting serious and looking over his shoulder at the others. "You know your roles! Get to it!"

"Um, I don't know mine!" I pointed out. "You didn't run any of this by me!"

"Didn't need to," he replied. "You're instinctive. Wait for Sera, then act."

As if on cue, Seraph jumped out of a rearview mirror on one of the cars, surprising two of the men, who she quickly disarmed. She then darted around them, hitting some of their joints hard, before retreating into another rearview mirror.

Tony and I both rushed toward them, quickly knocking them out. I didn't bother drawing my sword. Being blindsided, disarmed, and disabled so suddenly, these guys weren't a threat. No need to break out the big guns.

As we did that, Terrence retreated a few feet with Kai, and snapped his fingers, somehow causing  ring of fire to pop up around the two of them, wide enough that the flames weren't a risk to them but would be for anyone trying to get close. I lost sight of Ciel, but she must have been doing something useful on the sidelines.

Tony had planned this. He knew we'd be ambushed once Daniel was out of the picture. And he had damn near pinpointed it to the exact second. He had picked this place and rigged it specifically to protect Kai and have plenty of mirrors for Seraph to teleport through. He knew the enemy well enough to stay two steps ahead of them and plan accordingly, to counter their ambush.

I realized something very important in that moment.

This man terrifies me.

The fight continued in the same way. Seraph jumped in and out of mirrors, disarming our opponent's, and hitting them fast and fluidly, crippling them enough for Tony and I to land the finishing blows. Her movements were swift, fluid, and precise. The closest this any of those guys came to landing a blow was a couple scrapes on her arms, and a single tear on her jeans, exposing a bit of skin that had a weird green glint to it. I'm pretty damn sure I witnessed her bite a guy at some point, leaving him nauseas. I have some many questions about this woman, but I can confirm that Daniel was speaking the truth.

She is unapologetically badass.

Terrence provided some cover during the fight, throwing smoke bombs and flash bangs to throw our opponent's off. Some of those assholes seemed to have some kind of illusion based abilities, as I my vision began blurring slightly, and I started seeing doubles of them. Tony didn't seem too effected by this. He knew the enemy, and he was observant. He could tell what was real. I, on the other hand, had to tap into my vision to see through the illusions.

It took a while, but we managed to KO all of those pricks. I relaxed a little, letting out a sigh.

"Is it over?" I asked.

"Don't count on it," Tony said, remaining tense.

I heard a sudden smashing sound, and turned to look at one of the nearby cars. I wasn't sure what had made the noise at first, but I heard it again a second later from another car, at which point I noticed a bunch of shattered glass on the floor below it. The sound popped up again and again, each time leaving more glass lying around.

Someone was somehow systematically destroying all of the mirrors on the cars. Limiting Seraph's ability to move around. After a great deal of mirror smashing later, I heard Kai cry out. We turned to the rind of fire, which was beginning to die down. Terrence was sprawled out on the ground, clutching his shoulder, and a large man was standing behind Kai, holding him in a hammerlock.

Tony quickly reloaded his tranq pistol, and took aim at the man's face. The man responded by lifting Kai up, as a human shield.

"Do you really think you can aim tha- AGH!"

He was cut off by a dart embedding itself directly into his exposed eye, and he stumbled back a bit, dropping Kai. Terrence scrambled back up, pulling Kai behind him and pulling out a switchblade in a reverse grip.

"Yes," Tony said calmly. "I do. Cliff, I presume?"

The man tugged the dart out, turned to Terrence, and said "I'll deal with you in a moment."

He then calmly stepped through the dying flames, standing a few feet from us.

"Correct," he said, drawing a club from his belt.

"Thought so," Tony mused. "I'm curious how you resisted my tranquilizer, but I have some other questions to ask first."

"It's possible, although difficult, to produce a vaccine for the tranquilizer you use the most," Cliff replied. "We were able to produce enough for myself. Also, from the information I've gathered, you tranquilizer weakens under heat. Firing it through a ring of fire was a bad idea."

"Well, I guess this is useless then," Tony aid, tossing his pistol aside.

But he didn't seem intimidated at all. He kept that air of smugness that I'm all too familiar with. Daniel has that same look on his face whenever he sees something as an actual challenge.

"I'm going to put this simply," Cliff said. "I'm taking the boy. Any of you who try to stop me will will die."

"You promise?" Tony asked.

"I guarantee," Cliff stated. "I've been playing this game a lot longer than you, kid."

"Maybe so," Tony said. "But I drew a better hand."

"Don't get cocky, brat!" Cliff hissed, glaring darkly at Tony.

Tony chuckled.

"Kallaway," Tony said, shooting me a glance.

"Yeah?" I replied, returning his look.

He took a battle stance, gripping his bokken with both hands.

"Act!" he commanded.

I drew my sword and we both charged.

"You've chosen death, then," Cliff growled, raising his club.

The fight began. With Cliff guy is big, strong, and has clearly had military training. He knows his shit when it comes to combat.

So do we. I don't know if Tony's had any real training, but he's smart enough to land his blows carefully, and avoid getting hit. And I've train in martial arts, have practiced swordplay quite a bit (Arigatou, Ren-sensei), and as Tony felt the need to point out, I'm instinctive. I adapt pretty quickly. Can't explain it, but it seems to help out sometimes.

So we fought. It wasn't easy, but we managed to wear him down a bit, and get between him and the now completely dead ring of fire. He wasn't down for the count yet, but he was hurt. Some cuts on his leg, bruises on own arm, which was sagging slightly, and his damaged eye was beginning to swell up.

He suddenly closed his eyes, and whispered something. Immediately afterwards, he collapsed, crying out in agony. I stpped back, alarmed, but Tony didn't react with shock, but rather concern.

"Oh dear," he muttered.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"You're not gonna like it," Tony said.

Cliff began transforming. It was... nightmarish. He was clearly in pain the whole time, as his bones, muscles and skin stretched and shifted. He grew to.. I wanna say ten feet tall? Around that size. Bones formed in his back and stretched out to form wings, and feathers and fur began sprouting from his flesh. His face stretched forward, into a canine jaw, as his teeth rearranged themselves, becoming more wolf-like. When his eyes finally opened, they looked... like a weird cross between canine and avian.

"Well, that's disturbing," Tony said, gazing upon the bird/wolf/man thing rising up before us.

"Were you planning for this too?" I asked.

"I wasn't hoping for it, but I did expect it," Tony said. "On guard."

The thing went straight for Tony, apparently acknowledging him as the bigger threat. I charged forward and swung my sword at it's throat, but it swiped at my first. My sword was knocked out of my hand, and, do to the damage it had suffered already, snapped in half, clattering to the floor.

My sword. My ancestor' sword... The Proto-Godslayer was not only damaged, but was now completely broken.

While that thought ran through my head, Tony produced another pistol from his coat, and fired three darts into the beast's chest. It took me a couple seconds to pull myself together enough to question him on that.

"He said he's vaccinated, didn't he?" I asked.

"This is a different batch," Tony replied. "Stronger."

Sure enough, the beast was backing up, seeming to be pretty dizzy from whatever Tony had just hit him with.

"Ciel, you're up," Tony said. "David, Terrence, drive him back."

Ciel suddenly dropped from the floor above, carrying the covered up portrait, taking care not to let it get damaged., while Terrence rushed forward, picking up the hilt end of my broken sword. Ciel swiftly ripped the cover off the portrait, and stood it upright, yelling "Let's do this, Sera!"

I then became aware that it wasn't a portrait at all, but rather a very large standing mirror. I was wrong before. Tony didn't think two steps ahead. It was at least a dozen.

Tony and Terrence charged forward, Tony with his bokken, and Terrence with my broken sword, and I took a second to bring out by wings and gauntlet before following suit. We all landed a couple blows, but the beast managed to force us all back a couple feet with a swipe of it's arm. It then inhaled deeply, and I suddenly felt something wrong building up in his throat. I've been around Eldritch power before, but I think this is the first time I've actually felt it.

I charged forward, putting myself between Tony, Terrence, and the beast. as it let out a howl charged with Eldritch power that would have likely knocked them off their feet. I braced myself, and lifted my gauntlet, catching all of that power and restraining it. As I did, Tony and Terrence both rushed forward, Tony hitting it in the temple, and Terrence slashing at one of its calves.

I concentrated hard, and sent all that power I was holding right back at it, sending it flying toward the mirror. As it did, Seraph emerged from the mirror, spreading her arms and opening her mouth wide. Her canines extended into fangs, and she caught the beast in a full-Nelson, sinking her fangs into its throat. The beast became even more daze, and she pulled it with her into the mirror. However, she only pulled it in halfway, so the beasts back, wings, and elbows were trap in whatever mirror realm she had been making use of.

Tony opened up the compact mirror from earlier, and Seraph emerged from it, panting. Slowly, and gruesomely, Cliff returned to normal, still partially trapped in the mirror.

"I'm afraid we're on the clock here," Tony spoke confidently "It' only a matter of time before Mama notices you're stepping on her garden.". 

Cliff blearily looked up at us.

"First question," Tony said. "Perhaps the most important. Where the fuck if Kareena."

Cliff let out a chuckle.

"You'll see her soon," he said. "If you keep involved in this conflict, your paths are bound to cross, should you both live long enough."

"About as helpful as I was expecting you to be in this state," Tony said. "Take a deep breathe, and confirm that see's okay."

Cliff took a deep breath, then said "She's growing stronger. Her strength hasn't killed her. Yet."

"I see," Tony said. "How can we reach her?"

"Fuck you," Cliff said, seeming to slump a bit.

"Damn," Tony said. "Tranqs might get you before Mama does."

Tony looked aside for a moment.

"He said if I get involved in the conflict, we'll find her. I'm already involved, so that's a guarantee. We'll find her, but it won't be pretty when we do. So, the best questions t ask before he completely passes out would be about his boss."

Tony turned back to Cliff and smacked him across his face.

"Focus!" Tony said. "Tell me about Valravn! What's her deal!? Why is she just now cropping up!? What's her plan!?"

Cliff, seeming to be a bit more awake after the slap, looked up at Tony and smirked.

"The Doctor thinks he's so fuckin' smart, huh?" He said. "He compares her power to the birds and the angel, but she's better than them both. All the good shit, none of the bad."

He broke out into a laughing fit, clearly messed up from whatever Tony and Seraph hit him with.

"Focus!" Tony demanded, slapping him again. "What is she planning, and where the hell is Kareena!?"

At this point, Cliff seemed to sober up. He looked Tony directly in the eye.

"Her plan is spontaneous," he said. "She makes decisions as she goes, and her loyalties shift as she wills. As for Kareena... She's been ordered to-"

Suddenly, a long, serpentine tail emerged from the mirror, entangling Cliff.

"What is this!?" Cliff demanded.

"Uh oh," Seraph said. "Mama's pissed..."

Cliff was suddenly dragged screaming into the mirror world.

"Is he...?" I started.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up," Tony replied. "We just confirmed that we don't know what side Valravn's on, and I've been unable to dig up data on what side Mama's on, so their's a chance she might end up sparing him."

"Seriously, who the fuck is Mama?" I asked.

"A total bitch you don't wanna get involved with," Seraph replied.

"More importantly, his allusions to an upcoming conflict enforce a suspicion that's been on my mind for a while now," Tony said. "I've been keeping up with several other blogs, and I think... or rather, I fear... there's a war on the horizon."

"Wha!?" I asked. "Are you for real?"

"Yeas," He replied. "Seraph, inform Daniel. Terrence, craft the worst shit you can think of. Holding back may not be a option. Ciel, concoct what evet you think might be useful. And you."

He turned his attention to Kai.

"You carry a dangerous item the enemies want," he said. "If you wanna say safe, you'll either need to continue to rely on others for defense, or learn to defend yourself. Which is why KAllaway here will gladly volunteer as your sensei."

"What, what?" I asked.

"Up to you kid," Tony said. "I have to go. I have a lot of research and plans to deal with."

So... um... yeah. That whole mes just happened.

I'm not ready to train someone right now, and I'm not sure if Kai is ready, or even wants to be trained for combat. Either way, I'm going to keep him safe.

Either way... we've got a potential war on our hands.

And I hope I'm ready for it...

Regrouping and Recovering

I'm doing better now. My wounds still hurt, but it's nothing I can't get back up from. I'm pretty upset about my hair though. My braid is uncomfortable short now. And I need a new cane. The crutch I have right now just isn't doing it for me.

But's that's all cosmetic stuff. Back there, when I lost it at Valravn, I must have scared the hell out of those kids. I haven't really been able to face them since.

When those tentacles come out... I'm not really myself. Or rather, I am myself, but only the worst parts.

I had a good chat with Kallaway earlier about all this.

"Well, here's what I think," Kallaway said after a minute of thinking to himself. "You messed up. You lost control, let those insults get to you, and lashed out, scaring everyone there. And now you feel bad about it."

"That just about sums it up," I said.

Kallaway smiled calmly and tilted his head.

"You're human," he said.

"I sure don't feel that way," I replied.

"You fucked up," he said. "You lost your cool, and now you feel bad about it. You're human. So, what are you gonna do about it?"

I looked down at the crutch laying across my lap and thought about that.

"I'm gonna get back up, and keep making progress," I said. "I'll need to improve this thing, though..."

"No," Kallaway said, seeming to tell where my thoughts were going. "You are not turning that think into a rifle."

I looked back at him spitefully.

"Try and fucking stop me," I said.

"Anyway, as for Kai, he's gonna been fine," he said. "He's been through a lot. Seeing your nightmare tentacles won't keep him down. Plus, when I said you scared everyone there, I meant it. You mopped the floor with two Fears, who both bailed with their tails between their legs. People are gonna have to think twice before trying anything with you again. Where else could they be safer?"

"Me and safety don't exactly play nicely together," I said, smirking. "I do have a dangerous reputation behind me."

"You can say that twice," came another voice, entering the room.

Tony walked into the room, a bokken resting on his shoulder. Kallaway, who still wasn't well acquainted with the detective yet, immediately drew his sword, prepared for a fight, but I motioned for him to calm down.

"Put that thing away," I warned him.  "Make a move on Tony, and you'll find yourself unconscious on the floor with 2 broken collar bones and filled with enough tranquilizer to down a cow."

"More like a raging bull," Tony corrected me. "You must be David Kallaway."

Kallaway lowered his sword, but didn't sheath it.

"Tony Helioson," Kallaway replied. "What brings you here?"

"Business," Tony said, producing a large manila folder from his coat. "I figured you'd like some of the data I've collected on Valravn and her forces."

"I thought you dropped Kai's case," Kallaway said.

Tony smirked coyly at him.

"Oh, is that what you think?" he said.

I couldn't hold back my laughter after hearing that.

"What?" Kallaway asked confused.

"Oh, you smug prick," I laughed. "Pulling this shit again, huh?"

"I'm confused," Kallaway said. "What's going on?"

"I didn't really drop the case," Tony explained. "I simply told Kai that I was, knowing that he would mention as much on his blog, convincing those reading it, Valravn's forces included, that I was no longer involved."

"In reality, he was just distancing himself from things in order to gain a strategic advantage," I added. "He's done this before."

Tony handed me his folder before producing another, flipping through the pages.

"I've been looking into both the forest and your intern on the side," he said. "I haven't been able to learn much, but I can confirm that Tyler and Dawson have been in contact."

"Damn it," I snarled. "I was worried about that."

"The Nightlander's seem to be acting against the spread of the forest," Tony said. "I think Dawson might be the one who got Tyler started on catching those seeds on their way down, to slow the spread and add to Tyler's power."

"But that still doesn't mean the Nightlander's or Dawson are on humanities side," I said. "I don't like any of this."

"As for the hypothesis you proposed in your previous post, I have to agree," he said. "Forging a weapon from whatever metal we can extract from the Baby is worth attempting. Which is why I'm really here."

"Oh?" I asked.

Tony stroked the back of his head for a moment.

"A certain somebody needed a ride," he said.

As soon as he said that, a woman strode in as if she owned the place walking up to us. She was tall, had an athletic physique, and was dress in a turtle-neck shirt with a leather jacket over it, along with a miniskirt and black stockings. She had long, jet-black hair tied into a ponytail.

"For the love of god, could you have taken any longer setting up my dramatic entrance?" she asked. "You just had to rambling on like a fucking nerd, huh?"

She walked up to Kallaway and jovially rapped him on the chest with her knuckles.

"You you must be the tough guy whose been looking after my idiot, huh?" she asked. "Nice to meet you! Cool scar. We'll have Ciel look at it."

She turned to me next.

"Everyone else is unloading Terrence car," she said. "We're gonna be crashing with you for a bit. Cool? Cool."

This everyone, is Sera Philips. Strong. Beautiful. Confident. Unapologetically badass (And that's coming from me).

God, I've missed her...

"You must be... Sera?" Kallaway asked.

"Please," she said. "Call me Seraph."

Justin walked in a moment later, and his eyes quickly fell on some unopened cans of beer I had lying on a table.

"Oh! Beer!" he exclaimed, before drawing his kusarigama, giving it a bit of a spin, and tossing it. It stabbed into one of the cans, causing it to spray beer everywhere. He then tugged the chain, pulling the can into his hand, and he lifted it above his head, allowing the beer leaking from the can to trickle down into his open mouth.

"Your aim's improving," I noted.

"Wish we could say the same for his table manners," Ciel said, as she strode in. 

She immediately marched up to Kallaway, grabbed him by the chin, and jabbed a syringe into his cheek, right below his scar.

"Ow!" Kallaway exclaimed. "What the hell was that?"

"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to," She replied, pushing the plunger down and examining the wound. "Daniel did a half-decent job with your stitched. It should heal up into a handsome looking battle scar. Don't get anything in the wound, and be careful what you wash your face with."

She came to me next, went behind me, and forced me to bend over, as she ripped my labcoat off.

"Your turn," she said.

"I'm fine!" I snapped.

"I'll be the judge of that," she said, examining my stitches. "Okay, who the fuck is responsible for this mess!?"

"Elie stitched me up in the back," I said.

"Well, he did a shit job of it!" she snapped, producing several jars of ointments and syringes full of liquids. She opened up one of the jars and rubbed something incredible cold onto the wound.

"What exactly is that?"  asked.

"Something that should help with the infection," she told me.

"Infection!?" I replied, shocked.

"Yes," she replied, jabbing a syringe into me. "Next time, have a professional stitch you up. Okay, now let's see that leg."

She tore the gauze away from my leg and examined the stitches there.

"Not as bad here," she noted. "I take it you did these ones yourself?"

"Once I was conscious, yes," I said.

She began treated that one with ointments as Terrence walked in with some suitcases.

"Where should I put these?" he asked.

"Who gives a shit?" Ciel replied, sticking a needling into my leg. "These should heal up okay, but the ones on your back are gonna leave some gross looking scars."

"Terrific," I said, turning my attention back to Sera. "I suppose we've got a lot to catch up on.

"That can wait 'til later," she said, producing a mason jar from her pocket. "You were needing this, right?"

She handed it over to me, and as she did, Ciel finished up, stretched a bit, and clapped Kallaway on the chest.

"I'm gonna steal your futon," she told him as she left the room.

"Why my futon?" Kallaway asked.

"Why not your futon?" She called back, snarkily.

"Your friends are intense," Kallaway told me. 

"Don't forget," I pointed out. "You're one of them now, too."

He smirked at that.

"So, that's it, huh?" he asked.

The Baby. A piece of the Newborn I had Extracted power from, contained inside a jar engraved with runes meant to contain its power... and keep other powers out. It used to be a USB card, but had assimilated several small gears, screws, and what seemed to be the carcass of some kind of rodent, that was not looking very good after all these years. I 'm that the runes could also seemingly contain the smell...

"There should be enough metal in here to make something out of," I said. "We'll need a professional, though. Hey Justin!"

"Yeah?" He asked, looking up from his second beer, which he had opened normally this time.

"You got your bike?" I asked.

"Naturally," he said.

"How do you feel about taking a field trip to visit Ozzy?" I asked.

"Sounds good," he said. "I take it this was his work?"

He turned to show off his right arm, which was now equipped with a prosthetic forearm tipped with a mantis-like scythe blade.

"Cost me a bit, but he was happy to take up the commission," I confirmed.

"Well, that works out perfectly," he said. "I'd like to thank the mad bastard in person. We set out tomorrow?"

"Sure thing," I said. "The rest of you can hold down the-"

"Yes, we can," Sera said. "we'll keep your kids safe, don't worry."

"Good to know," I said. "It's nice to have the gang together again."

So yeah. We've got some stuff to take care of. I'll keep you posted.

Tendrils

 This has already been talked about on Kai's blog, but I figure I might as well describe my side of things.

Oh, right, this is Kallaway by the way. Daniel's... recovering, at the moment...

I was accompanying Daniel as he looked over the symbols. Kai, Royce and Jane were in the other room.

"How close do you think you are from making any sense of these?" I asked.

"Oh, I've already figured some things out," he said.

"Oh?" I asked.

"I can't explain how all of this fits together exactly," he said. "But I know one thing for sure. The Newborn and the forest are adversaries. And these symbols are pointing to a possible solution."

"And what might that be?" I asked.

"It was a weapon made from the Bleeding Tree that got us into this mess," he said. "Maybe a weapon made from the Newborn can get us out."

"Yeah, bit of a problem there," I noted. "There's no Newborn left to work with. The tower itself is gone, and if Genome's blog is trustworthy, all the Towerborn are flesh and blood now."

He looked off to the side. His expression was both thoughtful and kind of sad.

"What if a part of the Newborn was kept in containment?" he asked. "Locked away in such a manner that it can't get out. And the forest's influence can't get in..."

It clicked pretty sharply.

"You have the Newborn's power!" I said. "Which means you must also have a sample! Where is it?"

I've seen Daniel's collection of samples. There's nothing among them that resembles anything that could be related to the Newborn.

"The Newborn is a being that tries to assimilate other items," he explained. "Even having it's power Extracted and kept in reinforced, enchanted containment, it's still too risky to keep it anywhere near my other samples. If it tried to absorb any of them, even in their weakened state, there's no telling how bad things could get."

"So you've been keeping it elsewhere?" I asked.

He hesitated for a bit before pulling out his phone and dialing a number. It rang a few times before someone answered.

"Hey, Sera," Daniel said. "Been a while. Yeah. Yeah, I'm doing fine. The kids are safe. Yeah. Listen, I have a favor I need to ask."

He exhaled deeply before continueing.

"I need the Baby," he said.

There was a moment of silence before I heard a muffled reply from her.

"Yeah," he said. "Got it. I'll text you the address. See you soon. I m-"

He hesitated for a second before letting out a sigh.

"You know...," he said.

He hung up and sat down, looking weaker than he had before.

He straightened up a minute later, laser focused on the door going into the other room, where everyone else was hanging out. I immediately realized he was sensing something, and I drew my sword, which was now flickering with blue light.

"A Fear," I said.

"Valravn," Daniel confirmed. "Go on ahead. I need to... psyche myself up. And maybe come up with something cool to say to her..."

I sheathed my sword and walked into the other room, and immediately, a bunch of corvids busted into the room and merged together into a scary, really tall bird woman. Daniel enter the room after she finished up her dramatic entry.

Valravn began addressing Kai, delivering a few taunts regarding Kareena. She then turned to me and Daniel, giving him a look that spelled out how little she thought of him. I drew my sword again, and immediately felt a rush of ir flow past me. I had know idea at the time what had caused it, but I immediately noticed that my sword wasn't glowing right. It was weakly flickering, and when I glanced down at it, I realized why. There were claw marks on the blade, damaging most of the runes giving the sword its power.

"What do you want, Valravn?" Daniel asked.

"Oh, nothing much, little leech," she replied. "Always sticking your nose into things you shouldn't, and suffer so much when you feel the consequences."

She locked eyes with him, smugly.

"Like what happened to Tyler, your leg, and many of your friends," She continued, drawing out a look of pure resentment on his face. "And if you keep making the Keeper draw down the secrets, you'll suffer much worse."

"I can't suffer any worse than this," Daniel said, tapping into the Intrusion's power and morphing his arm. "Maybe you should go back to your nest and clean the bird shit off."

Really? That's the best you could come up with.

A fight quickly broke out between them. I left Daniel to it and went to provide cover for the others. Valravn made an attempt to snatch the book from a nearby table, but it vanished and reappeared in Kai's hands. Valravn went to attack him, but I got in her way, and was promptly flung against a wall.

I didn't catch much of the fight after that, but when my senses cleared up from the shock, Daniel and Valravn were both standing across from each other. Daniel was standing confidently, leaning against his cane, while Valravn had an arm out and  wing outstretched. She then dropped her wing to reveal an emaciated creature with dark eyes and sharp claws extending from its hands.

"The Rake," Daniel muttered.

I can't sense energy the way he could, I immediately new that the creature before me was a Fear, and I suddenly realized where the claw marks on my sword had come from. And if it could move quick enough to do that then...

It rushed at Daniel in a blur of motion, and the next thing I knew, Daniel's sword-cane had been sliced cleanly in two. A look of panic crossed Daniel's face, as he stumbled slightly, and the Rake thing backed off to a safe distance.

Daniel's powerful. He knows it, too. He can carry himself pretty confidently. He stands tall and proud before anyone who challenges him. Take away his ability to stand, though...

The Rake rushed in again, slashing him across the back and slicing off most of his braid, before yet again retreating in the most mocking way it could. I realized what was happening. The Rake was the support party member here. It was smart enough to not get too close for too long, lest Daniel absorb its power, so it was rushing in just long enough to land a blow before backing off.

It ran in for one last attack, getting his bad leg. He fell over on his side, clearly in pain. Valravn began approaching him, and when she spoke, I could hear the suffering of countless voices. But when I focused enough, I could kind of make out what she was saying.

"As much power as you have in that body of yours, you body is still what it is. Human."

He tried to attack her with whatever powers he could, but he lacked his usual level of focus and creativity. He was just hurling elements out at her, but she simply avoided them like they were no threat.

"Weak. Pathetic. Broken."

At that point, she managed o deflect an ice attack that almost hit her, and it caught Royce in the forearm instead (don't worry, he's fine, no permanent damage).

She then started speaking without the weird "voices of the damned" effect. She kicked him a few times, while letting him know that no matter how powerful he got, it wouldn't fix everything he's lost. His leg. His love life. His grandfather. And the more power he gained, the more monsters like Tyler he'd create.

She then slammed his head onto the floor, knocking him out. She turned her attention to Kai, saying something to him about Daniel being a leech while summoning a sword.

As she did, what I can only describe as a nightmare began unfolding. Daniel's blood turned pitch black, and a number of black tentacles began extending from beneath his labcoat, and he began raising up like Dr. Octopus. His body was mostly limp, but as he raised his head slowly, I could see nothing but anger on his face, and his eyes were solid black, like his blood and tentacles.

Now, Daniel has mention before that I should hope I never have to witness the power he Extracted from the Azoth. Well, I was beginning to see why.

The tentacles lashed out, entangling both Valravn and the Rake, lifting them both into the air. He started smashing Valravn against anything he could, all while throwing her taunts right back at her.

"Who's weak now!" Who's pathetic now! Who's broken now!"

With that last one, he tightened his grip on both Valravn and the Rake crushing their... bones? Do Fear have bones? It sure sounded like it. He then turned his attention to the Rake, something sinister spreading across his face.

"I don't have this one yet," he snarled.

He wasn't himself any more. That power was getting to him, drawing out some of his darkest qualities, and making them worse. Including his lust for power.

At this point, Royce stepped forward, trying to talk Daniel down. Daniel just stared back quietly for a minute before a flash of yellow briefly came to the edges of his eyes. He slowly released his grip on the two Fears. The Rake bailed immediately, while Valravn said something cryptic about his greed before vanishing.

Daniel fell unconscious, but HELLFIRE took over, instructing us to go get Elie's medical kit. Elie dropped by not long after, and started tending to Daniel's wounds. Everyone's been pretty shaken up since all that. But Daniel...

I think it hit him the worse. He never wanted to have a reason to use that power. Now that we've all seen that part of him, he's been pretty quiet, and depressed. I don't know how to help him, but I can't stand seeing him like this.

I'll sign off now. I need some rest.

Wings and Symbols

Doctor speaking. Hello, everybody.

Kai and Royce are both doing fine. Can't say the same for Kareena. I've never heard of this Valravn thing before, but it's something I need to look into. I asked HELLFIRE about it. He told me he wasn't familiar with it, then accused me of being Fearist for assuming he knew all the other Fears just because he's a Fear. I can't tell if he's joking or not...

As for Kai's book, I've been studying it. It seems to trust me enough that it doesn't teleport back to Kai when I have it. I say "trust" because the odds of this thing being sentient in some way shape or form isn't off the table. What's more, Kai has noted it's started showing English writing recently, which implies it might be learning.

As for the teleporting, I'm still not sure how that works. I suspect the book may be able to access the God's Way somehow, but I currently have no way to properly test that theory.

It wouldn't show me anything at first, So I had Kai draw what it was showing him so I could study it myself. We were doing so last night. It was just me, Kai, and Kallaway at the time. Royce was off somewhere with Paris, doing something or other around the base.

Oh, yeah, Kallaway's holding up fine. He's still sore from his fight with the Biker, but he'll recover just fine. It'll take a while though. Descendant's heal at a pretty normal rate, unless they resort to literal cannibalism (don't ask). I've already removed the stitches on his face, and that wound is definitely gonna leave a scar. But it'll probably look pretty good on him.

Anyway, I was looking over the book, while Kai wrote some stuff down, when Elie entered the room.

"Hey guys," he said, holding up a case of beer. "I brought booze."

"My man!" I replied. "Hook me up."

He tossed me a beer, and offered one to Kallaway, who refused.

"Sorry," , Kallaway said. "Painkillers."

"Right," Elie said, cracking one open for himself and turning to Kai. "I'd offer you one, but you're like, twelve."

"No I'm not," Kai replied, a little annoyed.

"Still can't read the book?" Elie asked me.

"Not yet," I said. "Though, there is one party trick I haven't tried out yet..."

"Really?" Kai asked, curious.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. Kai gasped shortly after.

"Your hair!" he remarked.

"Oh," I said, opening one of my eyes. "That's not the only thing that's changed."

"Whoa," Kai said, taking in the sudden shift in my appearance.

Using the Black Dog's power, as with some of my other powers, results in some physical changes. In this case, my hair turns jet black and my irises turn red. I turned my attention back to the book.

"Ah!" I said. "It's working a little bit."

"You mean you can see what's in it?" Kai asked.

"Not all of it," I said. "It's still keeping some stuff hidden."

"How can you tell?" Kai inquired.

"The way this power works," I explained. "It's like an optical lie detector. I can see through lies and deceptions, pick up on secrets, and tell when somethings being hidden from me. And this book is definitely hiding more stuff from me."

"That's pretty useful," Kai said. "Why don't you just have that power active all the time?"

I gestured to my eyes and hair.

"Too noticeable," I pointed out.

"There's also the fact that he seems to only be able to keep one power active at a time," Kallaway added. "And he's in a near-constant state of using the Newborn's power."

I turned my attention away from the book to glare at him.

"How long have you known?" I asked.

"Ever since the incident with Tyler," He replied. "As you described it back then, using it grants you "enhanced understanding of both technology and anatomy'."

He then shot me a smirk, which seemed to agitate his facial wound, as he winced immediately after.

"'And a certain level of control over both'," He finished. "I saw some of that when we first met. When you were taking on all those Timberwolves, your fighting style focused of redirecting their attacks to hit each other."

I continued glaring at him.

"We also have some of your engineering feats," he said, gesturing to my Extractor. "I'm not trying to imply you aren't a genius. You absolutely are, or else you couldn't have constructed your old Extractor in the first place. But I think you've had a bit of help ever since gaining your first power."

"You are... annoyingly observant," I said.

"Well, whose fault is it that I have super-vision?" He asked, repeating his smirk/wince from earlier.

"Whatever," I said, sliding the book back to Kai. "I'm done with this for now. Elie, any updates on your end."

"I've been looking into this 'Valravn" character, but I haven't dug up much," Elie replied. "If we could interact with one of these followers of her, or at least get a sample to Extract from, me could make a lot more progress. But for now, I gotta apologize."

"Um..." Kai said.

"What's up?" I asked.

"A sample...," He muttered, rummaging in his bag for a moment. "...Too Extract from..."

That got my attention.

"You have something?" I asked.

He produced a single black feather.

"Would this work?" He asked, handing it to me.

I could definitely feel Eldritch energy coming from it. A new energy. One I didn't have yet. I felt a rush flow through me.

"It sure will," I said with a grin, as my hair and eyes returned to normal.

Kallaway leaned over to Elie and whispered, within earshot, "He totally just switched back to the Newborn power."

"Kallaway!" I snapped. "There is a sword concealed inside my cane, and we've just established that I can fuck with my opponent's movements! So would you kindly shut it!"

He gave me another smirk/wince and made a lip-zipping gesture.

I brought the feather over to my Extractor and placed it inside, went through the whole rigmarole of Extracting the energy, and raised charged Cell up to examine.

"Well, this is interesting," I said.

The energy within resembled a black, kind of foggy lightning, that seemed to be rotating in several directions in some kind of odd pattern I couldn't quite figure out at the time.

"I suspected that this Valravn might have a relation or connection to the Convocation, but the energy here has properties similar to the energy I've Extracted from both the Convocation and the Archangel," I explained. "But it also has its own unique factors to it that I'll need to examine further. I don't know what exactly Valravn is or where she came from, but I think it's safe say that she is her own Fear."

"So will studying it be able to help us save Kareena?" Kai asked.

"I can't say for certain," I replied. "Studying energy doesn't always turn up anything useful. Running tests on it might help a bit, but there's a bit more of a risk factor involved. I'll do what I can with what I've got, but you'll need to be patient and keep your expectations low."

"Okay...," kai replied, seeming a little dejected.

"In the meantime," I said, after giving them a few moments to themselves. "There is one thing I can definitively gain from this."

"What is it?" Kai inquired.

I retrieved my Vambrace and equipped it.

"A new power," I said, plugging in the Cell.

I turned it on, and felt the energy flow into my body.

"All right," I said. "One more to the collection. And still energy left over to study. Now, to see what this can do."

I gave the new power a try, and felt a great deal of power suddenly surging from my shoulder blades. I glanced over my shoulder to see a very large (I estimate about 7 feet long if fully extended, haven't actually measured) wing. It was pitch black, semi-translucent, and seemed to be composed of a shadowy mist, with a feathery texture to it. I checked my other side to confirm that there was a second wing there. I ran my hand along it, and my fingers were able to pass through it, with some resistance.

"Semi-corporeal," I noted. "Stand back."

Everyone retreated a bit, and I gave them both a good flap. A wave of black mist rushed out from the wings as I did, knocking everyone over and scattering some loose stuff I had lying around. Kallaway groaned in pain, and flipped me the bird as he pulled himself to his feet.

I stood in awe. These wings, despite not being fully tangible, had some serious flapping power behind them.

"I... I need to test something out real quick...," I said, letting my cane fall to the ground and teleporting outside.

I turned my gaze up to the sky. The sun had set. There was no traffic. No one out on the streets.

No one to see.

I tensed myself for a moment, before teleporting myself directly upwards, above the cloud-line.

I began to plummet downwards. As I did, I shifted my body so that I was facing the oncoming ground, and straightened myself to increase my downward acceleration. I could feel my momentum pick up as my body rapidly approached the Earth.

I then spread my wings and pulled my body upwards, shifting my direction. My momentum curved forward rather than straight down. I was soon flying in a straight line, rather than plummeting straight to the ground.

The adrenaline hit me like a fucking Nitrogen bomb.

There's no possible way I can put that feeling into words. For so long, I've required a cane to walk from place to place. Suddenly I was flying through the night sky. The most I got out of using the Intrusion's power to grow wings was a slight hover above a ground and a slightly lower decent. This was...

I've been around Eldritch bullshit for years, but this is the closest thing to magic I've ever experienced.

I must have spent at least an hour in the sky. Testing this out. Experimenting with different wing angles, trying out updrafts, how hard to flap my wings to get specific amounts of lift, when best to pull out of a dive, and all-in-all, just having the time of my fucking life.

Eventually, I returned to the base, where everyone was just standing outside, watching me have my fun while drinking. At that point, I had burned through my adrenaline, so I retrieved my cane, grabbed a few beers to go, wished them all goodnight, and headed to my room.

I fucking love these wings...