《Atomic Abyss》


 Prologue: Last Resort

    The scent of death hung ominously in the air.


    Corpses who a few minutes prior were living and animated, now brutalised and strewn across the barren landscape.


    From the debris of a shattered and crumbled building a young man rose, he dusted off his golden suit and coughed loudly.


    "Hmph, Monarch, you really shouldn''t throw buildings at people, you''re gonna hurt somebody!"


    Another man, tall and imposing, dark eyes devoid of life, glared down at the one who stood against him.


    "Regent, so you still refuse to perish?"


    "Heh, you''ll have to do better than throwing a building at me Monarch, how pathetic, you end the world but you can''t even end my bloodline." Regent taunted, his golden hair blew in the wind.


    "That''s enough Regent, you''ve lost all of your allies, everyone you ever cared about is dead, I''ve brought the world to it''s knees, now all that I need to do is dispose of you!"


    Regent smiled. "Heh, it''s entirely because you killed my comrades, my family, that I continue to fight, so that their deaths aren''t in vain. Right Monarch, let''s get this over with, this fight will either make history or end it."


    "You''re a confident one Regent, be careful, overconfidence can kill."


    Regent grinned confidently. "I appreciate the concern Monarch, but I''m the strongest there is, I''ve not lost to anyone else and I''m not gonna lose to you!"


    "Enough of this, time to end your foolish resistance."


    The Monarch clicked his fingers and the ground beneath Regent began to shake and crumble.


    Regent jumped backwards and landed on a small ledge. "Nice try Monarch, you''re getting predictable."


    Regent raised his right hand and extended it towards The Monarch.


    "Heavenly Rain, come forth!"


    A bright streak of light pierced the dim and gloomy clouds, they parted and illuminated Regent and The Monarch.


    A bright blinding light shone down, daggers of light pierced the sky and shot towards The Monarch.


    As the daggers rocketed through the sky, The Monarch chuckled and waved his hand, the daggers landed all around him and exploded on impact. "You''ll have to do better than that Regent!"


    "Oh don''t worry, I plan to." Regent smirked.


    He slowly levitated into the air beams of light bent and swirled around him, The Monarch followed, he began to levitate at equal measure.


    Regent held his hands out and the swirls of light began to converge into a ball of light.


    The Monarch clicked his fingers and an explosion hit Regent. He fell to the ground with a crash. The Monarch chuckled and lowered himself to the ground. "Your species truly is pathetic, you''re only delaying the inevitable."


    The Monarch extended his hand and Regent began to float towards him, The Monarch grabbed Regent by his shirt collar.


    Regent spat at the Monarch. "Why don''t you use that second power of yours? Holding back isn''t very fun now is it Monarch?" He taunted.


    The Monarch shook his head. "You underestimate me Regent, very well, I''ll use my Abyssal Dominion."


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    The Monarch raised his free hand and it began to pulse with a deep black glow, the darkness trailed up his arm, he wound his arm back and threw a punch at Regent.


    Regent flew backwards after the impact, he crashed into a dilapidated building, the building creaked and shook.


    Regent''s body wobbled as he stood up shakily. He looked down at his shaking hand, pitch black streaks covered it as it was slowly engulfed, moving along his arm and beyond.


    He coughed "Heh, so this is the Abyssal Dominion? What did you do to me Monarch?"


    The Monarch laughed "Your power allows you to control light, what happens when I take that light away? All beings have a degree of light and darkness in their hearts, if I strip away that light then you''ll lose what''s left of your humanity." The Monarch glared at Regent.


    Regent steadied himself and glared at The Monarch. "Looks like I''ll actually have to try after all."


    Regent extended his hand, a series of light beams darted into his palm, each moved faster than the last.


    "By the Heavenly Blessing of the protector, I, the last descendant of the Regent Family, call upon your aid! Caliburn!! Blessed Sword of the Protector!!"


    A swirl of light engulfed Regent''s hand as the light transformed into a golden sword, the blade pulsed with white light as it warded away the darkness which covered Regent.


    The Monarch observed the blade and chuckled. "So, this is the Regent family''s Protector Artifact, interesting."


    Regent pointed the blade towards The Monarch decisively. "This is where things end, the Regent family''s Artifact shall turn you to dust."


    The Monarch laughed. "You''re a fool, the combined efforts of several of humanity''s strongest couldn''t stop me, your sword won''t either."


    Regent swung the blade forwards, the ground crackled and shook as an arc of light shot towards The Monarch.


    The Monarch waved his hand and the arc veered off beside him, it crashed into a wall and dissipated, by the time The Monarch had looked back at Regent, he was already charging towards him, sword extended outward.


    "Pathetic Regent, your existence ends here!" The Monarch grabbed the sword by it''s blade, the light seeped from the blade and it became brittle, it shattered like glass in Regent''s hand.


    Regent chuckled. Suddenly The Monarch felt a searing pain on his back. Regent had fired a dagger of light into The Monarch''s back.


    "That''s what you get for focusing only on my sword, you focused only what you saw in front of you, you neglected to believe any other possibility, you underestimated me Monarch, I have the upper hand here now!"


    "Enough of this! Things end properly now! The conclusion of your species is at hand!"


    The Monarch''s once empty eyes began to glow, radiating malice as he began to float into the air.


    Regent noticed and immediately moved to intercept. "Heavenly Fissure, rise from the ground and banish evil!"


    The ground split open, divine light shot from it like a bullet, it pierced The Monarch through the shoulder, causing it to burn, The Monarch fell to the ground.


    "Regent! This isn''t over! You won''t win!"


    The Monarch began to mutter a phrase quietly, a phrase that shook Regent''s very soul.


    "I need to stop him before he activates that, or else everyone''s sacrifice will be for nothing! I promised I''d never use this, I''m sorry everyone, I''m going to have to break that promise."


    Regent uttered a phrase, one that sent a chill down the Monarch''s spine, he froze in place as Regent began to levitate, a feint golden glow rose from within him, gradually it got brighter and brighter. A bright light engulfed both of them, The Monarch burned up, his skin peeled away into dust, he slowly faded to ashes in the wind.


    "Regent! This isn''t over! No matter how long it takes, I WILL RETURN!"


    "When you do there''ll be somebody waiting to destroy you, just as I did today, another hero will rise to defend humanity!"


    The glow subsided and Regent fell to the ground, his breathing was laboured and he coughed up blood. He sat down against a rock.


    "To my allies who fought bravely to get me this far, to those who lost their lives, to my closest friends, we managed to protect what remained of humanity, a new dawn is coming, rest now my friends, your families are safe."


    He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. "I''m sorry my friends, I broke our promise, I used my last resort and now I shall suffer the consequences."


    "Humanity is at last safe, however this comes at a terrible cost, a price that I must pay for using this ability, I am the last alive who knows of such a power lying dormant within the depths of the soul, this terrible secret which shall never be passed on, none shall suffer as I will."


    "I know a future of struggling against the monsters and remnants of the abyss will be awaiting humanity, I firmly believe in the next generation of heroes, I know they will rise to the challenge."


    Regent coughed and with a shaky hand he pulled a communication device from his pocket, he put it to his mouth and pressed the button down with a click.


    "This is the Golden Regent... Mission complete... Monarch of the Abyss neutralised... five squadrons deployed... no survivors..."


    "Regent Squadron disbanded... three members... two deceased... all fought bravely to the end... both should be memorialized... if I manage to make it to the city I shall report to the new Hero Organisation... The Monarch damaged me badly... Golden Regent signing off..." Regent clicked the button on his communication device and his arm dropped down beside him.


    "I shall rest now, the world stands a fighting chance, my friends, your deaths were not in vain."

 Chapter 1: Beginnings

    A vast green field stretched out over the horizon in all directions, vibrant and colourful flowers bloomed all around, forming a sheet of petals across the landscape, it was tranquil, like a dream.


    Atop a hill sat a small, white, round table with two chairs around it. On one of the chairs, a masked woman wearing a grey robe with a hood sat.


    "Please, come to me..." she beckoned softly.


    "Sit at the table..."


    "Good, do you remember who you are? Please look at the table for me..."


    She ran her index finger around the rim of the table carefully and then tapped it in the centre, the table surface rippled and reflected like a mirror.


    In the reflection was a young man, his short black hair messy and ragged, his irises dark yet expressive.


    He sat across from the young woman, confusion in his eyes.


    "What is this place? where am I?"


    The woman waved a finger at him "All in good time, for now, it seems you''ve lost your memories, while I don''t know how or if you can get them back, I can tell you one thing..."


    "Your name, while I can''t discern most things, your name has been clearly shown to me in my dreams, you''re Claude, and you''re the one who will either save this world or end it..."


    She glanced around at the scenery "Where we are right now, this is a dream world, a world inside your head... this location must be significant to you, due to it''s appearance here..."


    Claude looked around, he took in the scenery of the peaceful environment around him, it felt too real to be a dream.


    "I don''t recognise this place, it feels entirely unfamiliar to me."


    "Yet it appeared here all the same Claude... this place is important... it may even hold the key to your lost memories..."


    "So, if I find this place in the real world then I will recover my memories?"


    "That should be the case Claude, however don''t rush into this... You have plenty of time to come to know yourself..."


    She looked around frantically. "Somebody''s coming, we shall speak again when the time is right, awaken now Claude, this is goodbye."


    The woman slowly faded and vanished, the environment darkened and disappeared, leaving behind a black void, several seconds later Claude suddenly jolted awake.


    He awoke to find himself lay down on a grassy forest floor, gigantic trees towering all around him.


    Claude rose to his feet and looked around at the landscape.


    A monumental steel wall stood imposingly a few meters in front of him, atop the wall, a silhouette stood proudly against the sunlight, looking back at him.


    "What''s that?"


    The silhouette leapt from the wall, landing with a small thud a few meters away.


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    The figure stood up, becoming much clearer in view.


    He wore a bright red suit with gold accents and a helmet that covered his entire face, it had a black visor in the middle, He had a strange metal armband on his upper right arm which reflected the bright sunlight, it had an unfamiliar silver shield insignia on it. He spoke like a superhero from a kids TV show.


    "Good morning, what are you doing here? this isn''t the kind of place for a civilian, fear not, I shall rescue you, like a true ranger should!" He posed dramatically.


    "My name is Ranger Ranger, I''m one of the heroes from this city, please come with me, I''ll take you to safety" Ranger Ranger extended a hand towards Claude.


    "Safety? What''s going on?" Claude looked at Ranger Ranger with a concerned expression.


    Ranger Ranger looked taken aback "You didn''t know? There are monsters outside the city, it''s certainly no place for a civilian, please come with me."


    Without waiting for a reply Ranger Ranger quickly grabbed Claude''s arm, crouched down and jumped into the air.


    He landed on the colossal wall with practised precision, as if he''d done it a thousand times before, once safely landed he assisted Claude in getting his footing.


    Claude looked out at the view beyond the wall, a series of towering skyscrapers, busy vehicles, dancing lights and the bustling sight of people going about their lives in this noisy city. Large blaring screens and surveillance cameras also clearly in view perched innocuously on buildings and towers.


    Ranger Ranger released Claude''s arm and turned to speak "This is Arhke, the final bastion of humanity, protected and watched over by trusted authorities and heroes. The people can go about their lives freely and peacefully because of the work of me and my colleagues."


    "The city is home to just over five million people, all that remains of humanity, fortunately thanks to the Hero Organisation, peace and justice are upheld!"


    Ranger Ranger paused, he walked along the wall and turned around, he tapped the right side of his helmet, he spoke as though he was on a phone call.


    "This is Ranger Ranger... Yes I just found a civilian outside... You want me to what?..." Ranger Ranger paused and sighed "Yes of course... I understand... goodbye" He tapped the right side of his helmet twice and turned to Claude.


    "May I see your Arhke citizen identification card?"


    Claude looked at Ranger Ranger, he was confused. "Citizen identification card? What''s that?"


    Ranger Ranger sighed "So HQ was right... you''re unauthorised... for your own safety as well as that of Arhke''s people, I am afraid I shall have to apprehend you and take you into Arhke custody, I apologise for any inconvenience, I''m just doing my job, like a true ranger should!"


    "Please understand, this is standard procedure for all unregistered people, you''re not in the database, you''ll most likely just get questioned and then given a citizen identification card. I am sorry."


    Ranger Ranger bowed to Claude and escorted him into Arhke proper.


    Ranger Ranger and Claude walked through the busy street, crowds of people gathered around, all shouting and cheering at Ranger Ranger.


    The crowd surrounded him and he posed heroically. Children rushed up to Ranger Ranger, "Ranger Ranger, thank you for keeping us safe!" The children were wearing Ranger Ranger themed shirts and holding Ranger Ranger action figures.


    "I''m just doing my duty, like a true ranger should!" He crouched down to the children''s eye level and nodded to them "Keep being good kids and you too will someday grow up to be heroes too, I''ll be watching over you, like a true ranger should!" The children laughed and saluted Ranger Ranger.


    "Now, I must be on my way, I have more justice to enforce, remember everybody trust in the shield to keep you safe" Ranger Ranger pointed to the silver shield insignia on his shoulder.


    The crowd dispersed, speaking amongst themselves. Claude stood beside Ranger Ranger "Somebody''s popular."


    "Yes, this is how the heroes, especially those of higher ranks, are treated in Arhke, we''re major public figures as well as protectors."


    "What about the whole shield thing you were talking about back there?" Claude looked at the insignia on Ranger Ranger''s shoulder.


    "The Arhke Shield, it''s a symbol of hope, the general public look to it and know they are safe, it comes in four colours, police officers wear blue shield insignias and heroes wear bronze, silver or gold depending on their rank."


    Claude nodded in understanding and Ranger Ranger continued to escort him through Arhke.


    They reached a police checkpoint, the officers wore dark blue uniforms which had a blue shield on the shoulder, "Arhke Police" was plastered on their backs, they saluted to Ranger Ranger as he approached.


    Ranger Ranger explained the situation and Claude was cuffed and placed in the back of a police transport, Ranger Ranger joined him, his morals not allowing him to leave Claude alone in unfamiliar surroundings.

 Chapter 2: An Explosive Encounter

    Claude and Ranger Ranger sat in the back of a cold and dark police transport, Claude''s hands were bound in cold metal cuffs, Ranger Ranger sat opposite him.


    "I would like once again to apologise for this, please understand, I am simply doing what I''ve been instructed, the safety of the people comes first, always. You won''t be contained long, just until you are deemed safe and made a citizen."


    "By the way, I don''t believe I got your name earlier."


    Claude glanced at Ranger Ranger "Claude, my name''s Claude."


    Ranger Ranger nodded "Understood, Claude, a human found outside Arhke is highly unusual, might I ask what you were doing out there"


    Claude shook his head "I don''t know, I woke up there and have no memory of how I got there."


    Ranger Ranger looked puzzled "You don''t know? This is highly unusual Claude!"


    Claude rolled his eyes "You don''t say."


    Suddenly the vehicle ground to a halt, the screeching of tyres echoed through the vehicle as it suddenly jolted beneath them.


    Ranger Ranger knocked on the driver''s window. "Driver, what''s the situation?"


    The driver, a man in an Arhke Police uniform turned to Ranger Ranger. "Adrien Miller is back, Pyrebomb, the pyromaniac who got out of prison and then fell off the radar entirely."


    "Thank you driver, I shall handle this situation, like a true ranger should!" Ranger Ranger saluted the driver.


    "Claude, I shall be leaving the vehicle for a moment, for your own safety, please don''t make any attempts to follow me."


    Ranger Ranger pushed the handle down with a click, the door creaked open, rays of light seeped into the darkened vehicle.


    Ranger Ranger stepped out of the vehicle and disappeared into the light. The sound of shouting followed by loud explosions as the vehicle shook from side to side.


    Meanwhile, outside the transport, in a street block surrounded by tall buildings, Ranger Ranger confronted a man dressed in a leather coat which was heavily charred and torn, his black trousers were slightly too short for him and he wore black trainers. He wore a modified gas mask over his face which hid his features and he had burn marks all over his body.


    He spoke in a coughed, almost damaged voice. "Ranger Ranger, it''s been a while, three years since YOU HUMILIATED ME!!!" He glanced at Ranger Ranger''s insignia "Hm, seems you''ve been promoted since we last fought."


    Ranger Ranger stood proud and strong "Adrien Miller, it''s been ten months since you were released. I''d thought you''d given up this life for good. Don''t you have a family now?"


    He glared at Ranger Ranger "Adrien Miller is who I was before, on the job I''m Pyrebomb, you know that Ranger Ranger. You''re correct that I now have a family, that''s exactly why I''m doing this final job, once this is done I''ll never come back, get out of my way!"


    Ranger Ranger stood in place "You know I won''t do that Adrien, you''re endangering innocent lives and defying the law of this city. I shall defeat you and bring you to justice, like a true ranger should!"


    Pyrebomb scoffed "Still with that outdated catchphrase of yours, you may be stronger now but I am too, don''t underestimate me!"


    Ranger Ranger walked towards Pyrebomb, slowly at first and then he sped up a little.


    Pyrebomb flicked his wrist in Ranger Ranger''s direction, a hissing noise echoed through the street, Ranger Ranger swiftly dropped to his knees and rolled to his side, a car right next to where he was standing exploded moments later, the smell of smoke and burnt fuel permeated the air.


    Ranger Ranger swiftly jumped to his feet and ran at Pyrebomb. "No more games Adrien, I''ll subdue you right here"


    Pyrebomb laughed "I''ve been perfecting my power, being behind bars gave me a lot of time to think, what makes Ranger Ranger so special? What''s his weakness? Well, I figured it out, I hope you''re ready, I''m not going down so easily!"


    Pyrebomb flicked his wrist once again and a large explosion engulfed Ranger Ranger. Smoke filled the area which lowered visibility, the road was razed to dust and nearby buildings creaked from their foundations being shook.


    Pyrebomb laughed "Nobody could survive that, foolish Ranger, it was a good run, but this is where your career ends, even if you did miraculously survive, you''ll be so crippled that you''ll never be able to be a hero again!"


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    Suddenly, a bright red fist cut through the smoke and curved upwards, it hit Pyrebomb in the jaw, which sent him into the air before he crashed to the ground with a loud thud.


    The smoke cleared and revealed Ranger Ranger, he stood proudly in front of Pyrebomb. "You''re a lot stronger now Adrien, had I not been paying attention you''d surely have injured me, and just so no further misunderstandings are made, it''s Ranger Ranger, not Ranger!"


    Pyrebomb clutched at his jaw, blood seeping from beneath his mask. Ranger Ranger slowly walked towards him. "You''ve exhausted yourself, You''ve gravely underestimated the strength of Arhke''s defenders. I''ll take you into custody now, like a true ranger should!"


    Pyrebomb coughed and shouted "NO, THIS ISN''T OVER YET RANGER RANGER!!!" He flicked his wrist, a missile suddenly flew towards Ranger Ranger.


    Ranger Ranger sidestepped the missile effortlessly, he grabbed Pyrebomb and lifted him off the ground. "You''re done Adrien."


    Pyrebomb laughed "Not yet Ranger Ranger, I wasn''t aiming for you." He pointed to the police transport, the missile impacted and exploded, it tore a hole through the front of the transport.


    Ranger Ranger dropped Pyrebomb and rushed to the transport.


    Pyrebomb called out "That''s your weakness Ranger Ranger! You care about everyone you meet, you make it your responsibility to protect them all, but you know as well as I do that''s impossible, You can''t save everyone!"


    Ranger Ranger searched the wreckage, he pulled the driver out first, he was burnt and bloody beyond recognition. Ranger Ranger checked his vital signs. "Dead... you''ll pay for this Adrien!"


    A cough could be heard as Claude crawled from the wreckage, his face scratched and bloody, dust all over him, his cuffs had been broken and he could freely move his hands.


    Ranger Ranger rushed up to him and extended a hand, helping him to his feet and steadying him. "Claude, you''re alive! Good, that''s one thing less to worry about, your wounds seem minimal."


    "Stay here Claude, I shall subdue this criminal!" Ranger Ranger clenched his fists tightly and ran towards Pyrebomb.


    "I was willing to let you off with a minor cut to the chin, but you''ve killed somebody, an innocent bystander, a police officer no less, I''m no longer going easy on you!"


    Pyrebomb sighed "Ranger Ranger, you know that the more a person understands their power the stronger that power becomes, I''ve come to a full understanding of my power, I can feel it like it''s a part of me, that''s why you''ll never defeat me! Let''s begin the real fight!"


    Pyrebomb opened his hand, on his palm was a small, round object, it had a black casing and a red light flashed repeatedly. "This is a little creation of mine, I spent the last few years perfecting it, let''s see how you handle this Ranger Ranger!"


    He wound his hand back and threw the device towards Ranger Ranger like a shotput, it beeped as it flew through the air.


    Ranger Ranger caught it in his hand, he squeezed it tightly, which caused it to explode, the shockwave shattered nearby building windows and burned his glove up, his hand was covered in burns from the impact.


    Pyrebomb recoiled in surprise "What? Why aren''t you a pile of ashes? I was sure that bomb had a shockwave that would well and truly destroy you."


    Ranger Ranger chuckled "You''ll never understand my power, that''s why you''re losing, it''s true that understanding your own power makes you stronger, however you must also understand your foe''s power to truly have the upper hand."


    Ranger Ranger wound back his arm and then pushed it forwards, towards Pyrebomb. He jumped backwards and flicked his wrist, threw several landmines around Ranger Ranger''s feet and stopped him in his tracks.


    "You should''ve retired ages ago Ranger Ranger, Why are you so god damn durable? This shall be your end once and for all!"


    "I call this one Rain of a Hundred Missiles!" One hundred missiles launched into the air, cutting through it with precision and speed, they changed trajectory, flying towards Ranger Ranger.


    As the missiles whistled through the air towards him, Ranger Ranger extended his arms in front of him, making a cross shape with his arms as he braced for impact.


    Suddenly, half of the missiles changed course. "Nice defence Ranger Ranger, but you''re not my only target."


    The missiles hurtled towards Claude, on impact the street was engulfed in flames and the smell of gunpowder hung heavy in the air.


    Ranger Ranger''s defence held strong, he swung his arm and the smoke dissipated around him, His suit was burned up and torn, up to his upper arms, his skin was bloody, burned and charred.


    He crouched down, jumped over the landmines and rushed to the impact site.


    "CLAUDE!!"


    Suddenly a gust of air whipped through the smoke, it hit Pyrebomb and sliced his left hand clean off. Blood spurted from the torn, fleshy stump, staining his arm crimson red. "What? How?" Pyrebomb cried out, his breathing uneven and heavy with pain.


    "NO! I will NOT die here!" Pyrebomb gritted his teeth and with his right hand he created a flame. He put the flame to his bleeding left arm stump and screamed out as he burned the blood, sealing the wound shut.


    He breathed heavily and looked back at the clearing smoke.


    Claude was stood there, a crater around the concrete platform he was now standing on, his eyes were clenched shut and his body trembled, his arm was outstretched, as though trying to protect himself.


    Pyrebomb looked over to Claude with intrigue "So, that''s what that power feels like, the power of the "Savior", the power I was ordered to awaken... My job is done, there''s no use dying here, I''m still not strong enough, there''s a lot more I need to learn about myself... farewell Ranger Ranger..." Pyrebomb took off running and disappeared into a dark alley, he clutched his left arm as he went.


    Claude collapsed, his breathing was heavy and laboured. He coughed up blood. Ranger Ranger rushed up to him. "Claude, stay still, you''ve had an Awakening... I''ve never seen a rebound this big before though."


    Claude spoke breathlessly "Shouldn''t you go after Pyrebomb?"


    Ranger Ranger shook his head. "No Claude, your safety is more important right now, I shall put out a commission to the Hero Organisation about him, he''ll be apprehended soon enough."


    He stood up and tapped the right side of his helmet, as though he was taking a phone call. "Hello, this is Ranger Ranger, the civilian I apprehended has had an Awakening... his rebound was too much for him, he won''t make it without proper treatment... Yes, I understand... I shall await your arrival. I would also like to request a clean-up crew, this street is unsafe for civilians in this state... understood... I shall remain here."


    Ranger Ranger crouched down to Claude''s eye level. "Claude, stay with me, help is on it''s way."


    Claude''s consciousness grew hazy, lights flashing in and out of his blurred vision, the black void of unconsciousness claimed him.

 Chapter 3: Awakening

    Suddenly Claude awoke in that all too familiar flower field.


    He sat up and looked around at the environment once again, the scenery was unchanged from his last visit, the only difference was the table on the hill, it was nowhere to be found.


    The mysterious woman that Claude spoke to last time stood a few meters away, she faced away from him yet somehow knew he was there.


    "Welcome back... Your Awakening was bigger than we thought... you''ve been sleeping for nearly a month..."


    Claude stood up and walked towards the mysterious woman.


    "Who are you? Why do you keep bringing me to this... dream world was it?"


    "Claude... I told you last time... everything will be revealed soon okay?... trust me..."


    Claude sighed. "Fine, so why am I here again this time?"


    "Oh... I wanted to make sure you were okay..."


    "You wanted to make sure I''m okay? That''s it?"


    She shrugged and turned around to face him, her brown eyes were visible through the mask she was wearing.


    "Your Awakening... it nearly killed you... it was hard to save you..."


    "As a result of your power Awakening... your body formed some kind of invisible barrier around it... it stung anyone who touched it... that disappeared a few days ago..."


    "It''s about time you wake up now Claude... I''ll be waiting for you in the real world..."


    She turned around and began walking into the distance.


    Claude chased after her, the scenery distorted around him as he got closer to her, everything faded and went dark, the dream dissipated into a void.


    Claude suddenly awoke, he was in a white hospital room, a bright light shone down on him as he lay in a bed.


    Machines beeped and hummed periodically, the room was isolated. Claude felt a warm sensation on his right arm, he looked over to see what it was.


    A young woman was hunched over on the bed, sleeping, she had her hand on his arm.


    Gently she stirred from her slumber, she looked up at him and spoke in a soft and groggy voice "Oh... Hi Claude...


    She had dark brown hair which was tied in a small ponytail, her light brown eyes looked up at Claude, she was half-asleep.


    She wore a dark blue uniform, similar to that of the police, except it was more baggy and loose fitting, designed for comfort over anything else.


    "Uh, hi I guess, who are you?" Claude shook his arm lightly.


    "Me?... I''m your dream guardian..." she smiled to herself.


    "Sorry for the close contact... my power only works if I touch you..."


    She released his arm and backed away from the bed to give him space.


    "My name is Mei... I can control dreams..."


    Claude nodded. "I see, Mei, Where am I right now?"


    Mei yawned "This is Hero HQ... we saved you..."


    She walked seemingly aimlessly around the room for several seconds before stopping and crouching down at a cabinet.


    Claude watched as the cabinet creaked open and the sound of rustling could be heard as Mei began to rummage around inside it.


    She abruptly broke the silence after a minute "You made me sleepy Claude... I spoke more in the dream world than I usually do..."


    Mei absently continued her search of the cabinet.


    "Mei, it''s obvious you want something from me, what is it?"


    Mei shrugged her shoulders, not stopping what she was doing.


    She pulled a Hero Organisation uniform from the cabinet, it''s dark blue colour contrasting with the lighter hospital bed. "Here... Wear this... I''ll be outside..." Mei quietly walked out of the room, the door clicked shut behind her.


    A few minutes later the door clicked open, Claude stepped out dressed in the Hero Organisation uniform.


    Mei was a few steps away, she was with Ranger Ranger, his suit had been repaired from the Pyrebomb incident. She tugged gently on his sleeve. "Hey... can you show Claude around?... I''m not good at this stuff..."


    Ranger Ranger sighed "Well Mei, this is your chance to improve your skills, you should try and show Claude around."


    Mei shook her head "I have something important to do... Ranger Ranger... please?"


    Ranger Ranger shook his head "All you''re going to do is wander off somewhere to sleep."


    Mei shook her head faster and pouted "Please Ranger Ranger..."


    Ranger Ranger reluctantly nodded "Fine, but next time you should try and step out of your comfort zone to help better yourself, okay?"


    Mei nodded and turned around, she walked down the corridor and turned the corner, disappearing from view.


    Ranger Ranger turned around and saw Claude, he approached him and nodded.


    "Good morning Claude, I''m thankful to see you recovered, how do you feel?"


    Claude looked at Ranger Ranger. "A little lightheaded but otherwise I''m okay."


    "I see, that''s likely just a side effect of being bedbound for as long as you have, I''m sure it''ll pass."


    "You''ve met Mei, she''s a bit of a mystery, sometimes she''s completely transparent and blunt, other times she''s extremely vague, it''s difficult to understand what she''s thinking. She''s not a bad person though, she''s reliable when it counts."


    "She''s been with us for just over a year, she''s the newest member of the Organisation."


    Claude nodded "Yeah, she seems... a little out of it, I guess."


    "That''s likely a side effect of her power, it affects her in many more ways than we know."


    "Oh and I should warn you, despite her outward appearance, she''s scarily smart, I''d advise you not to underestimate her."


    Ranger Ranger turned around, walking into the corridor. "Let''s be off Claude, I''m to give you the tour of this place."


    Claude and Ranger Ranger walked down the corridor, various doors on both sides. "You know, that uniform suits you Claude, have you considered becoming a hero?"


    Claude shook his head. "I''m not really interested in becoming a hero, I''m just trying to get my lost memories back."


    Ranger Ranger sighed. "I understand, still, I do think it''s a waste, your Awakening was huge, your power will be too in turn, you''d be an asset to the Hero Organisation."


    Claude sighed "I have no experience, I don''t even know what my power is, It just happened out of nowhere when I was trying to defend myself."


    "That''s no problem Claude, we have the facilities to train you, to help you learn about your power and how to use it for good. You may even learn more about yourself."


    "I''m looking for a specific location, a vast field covered in flowers, it seems like such a peaceful place."


    Ranger Ranger shook his head. "No such place exists within Arhke... You''d have to look outside these walls, however there are monsters outside, so joining the Hero Organisation would make your search a lot easier."


    Ranger Ranger and Claude continued walking, they came to a stop near the exit of the building.


    "The Hero Organisation is split into three buildings, the leftmost building is the one we are currently in, this is where the infirmary, kitchen area, cleaning room and living quarters are located, It''s encouraged and incentivised for heroes to live on site so that we always have heroes on hand should they be needed. Benefits include rent-free accommodation and other such things, heroes are also exempt from taxation."


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Ranger Ranger pushed the double door open, outside was a path that lead to a large golden monument, from the monument sprung three paths, each leading to a building, the leftmost one they were in now, a central one, and one on the right.


    Ranger Ranger walked up to the monument in the centre, it depicted three people, three heroes, in the middle stood a tall and proud man, to his left stood a shorter and more reserved woman, and to the right confidently stood a second young man.


    Ranger Ranger looked at the monument of these three figures immortalised in gold.


    Claude looked upon the figures and a strange feeling washed over him, he''d never seen these people before, yet they seemed strangely familiar.


    Ranger Ranger pointed to the figure in the middle. "That''s the Golden Regent, the strongest hero of the modern era, continued serving Arhke long after the Monarch fell, he retired from active duty ten years ago and has since disappeared entirely."


    Ranger Ranger''s finger moved to the figure on the right.


    "That man who is stood next to Regent, that is Daniel Draven, his power allowed him to manipulate the shadows of objects and people, bending them to his will and using their properties and powers."


    "He used his powers to fight off the monsters and guide what remained of humanity to Arhke, were it not for him, we''d all be dead. Unfortunately he died when a powerful monster got the better of him after he''d exhausted his power."


    "His son, Damian Draven, is the current highest ranked hero in the Organisation, he inherited his father''s shadow power, yet he''s rarely been seen using it. As the highest ranked hero he has a spot on Arhke''s Council, he''s one of five councillors who meet to make up Arhke''s Government. It''s tradition for the highest ranked hero to have a spot among them."


    Ranger Ranger pointed at the figure to the left.


    "That young woman is Hua Liang, she had a regeneration power, it''s said that it could even repair lost limbs, she kept the Golden Regent alive throughout their ordeal."


    "Unfortunately she died after a long battle with The Monarch, despite her best efforts, her power wasn''t a combat one, so she was slain by a barrage of attacks that she couldn''t regenerate from fast enough, or so the archives say."


    "Oddly enough, after she died, her body regenerated, it''s perfectly preserved, the Golden Regent brought it back to Arhke where it was handed to the Human Enhancement Institute to study."


    "She had a complicated family history... She''s also Mei''s aunt."


    Ranger Ranger turned to Claude and then pointed at the other buildings.


    "Now, onto the main buildings, the central one is for missions, the archive is located there along with the reception, meeting rooms, offices and administrative rooms."


    "Lastly is the building to the right, it''s where the armoury and training ground are located, we have an indoor and outdoor training area for all heroes to use freely."


    Ranger Ranger began walking towards the central building, the smallest of the three, atop it the Arhke Shield sat proudly, a beacon of hope.


    "Come Claude, let''s get you registered as a citizen."


    Ranger Ranger took Claude to the reception inside the central building, he pushed open the large door.


    A receptionist who was wearing the Hero Organisation''s uniform greeted Ranger Ranger with a salute.


    He approached the desk. "Greetings, can you assist me with something?"


    The receptionist gave Ranger Ranger a nod "Of course, how can I help you?"


    Ranger Ranger nudged Claude forwards a little. "This is Claude, I''d like you to get him a citizen card."


    "Understood, leave that with me Ranger Ranger." The receptionist saluted him again.


    Ranger Ranger walked down the hallway with Claude.


    Claude stopped at a bulletin board. "Ranger Ranger, what''s this?"


    Ranger Ranger turned and approached the board, on it were several wanted posters, the newest one featured Pyrebomb.


    "It''s a board of commissions for the heroes, it allows us to know which criminals need apprehending."


    The poster at the top of the board was dusty and worn, it had a portrait of teenage girl on it, she looked cheerful and friendly, not at all like anybody who could do any harm.


    The name beneath the portrait read "Violet Arhke".


    Claude brushed some of the dust away. "Who''s that?"


    Ranger Ranger put his hands together in a solemn prayer "Violet Arhke, the daughter of Chairman Arhke, the leader of the Arhke Council and founder of Arhke."


    "Four years ago, Violet Arhke was responsible for the biggest tragedy Arhke has ever faced. The Arhke Academy bombing, Arhke Academy was where we trained heroes, she attended in hopes of becoming a hero, yet she had no powers, it must''ve been hard on her, we failed that day, failed to notice something was wrong until it was too late."


    "She''s public enemy number one, the only incident that Arhke couldn''t cover up, trust in the Hero Organisation took years to rebuild. Her whereabouts are currently unknown, she disappeared after the bombing, she''s presumed dead but due to the lack of a body being found the chairman demands we keep the poster up. It''s a constant, painful reminder of our failure."


    "As far as the general public are concerned she''s dead, the official line is that we apprehended her and she killed herself in prison, the truth though is that she simply vanished, it''s believed that she had somebody in the academy help her, we ran out of leads incredibly quickly though."


    Ranger Ranger sighed and stepped back "Claude, becoming a hero means you''d face all manner of hardship and difficult choices, however I believe it to be the most direct route to recovering your memories."


    "Fine, I''ll give it a try, this isn''t a definite yes but I''m willing to at least hear them out."


    "Understood, on that note Claude, there is somebody you should meet"


    Claude looked at Ranger Ranger "Oh, who might that be?"


    "We call her Ghost, she''s our navigator, archivist and... I''ll let her introduce herself properly."


    "She''ll initiate first contact via a small static sound you will hear in your mind, tap your earlobe once with a finger to initiate contact properly."


    Claude nodded and a static sound began to faintly ring through his head, he tapped his earlobe with his index finger. An energetic and cheerful voice suddenly echoed through his mind.


    "Heya, I''m the Hero Organisation''s very own navigator, mission coordinator, hacker, archivist and local telepath, folks call me Ghost because I''m here without being here. My power is called Spectral Echo, it allows me to speak inside your mind using my mind, and in turn you can speak to me the same way, pretty fun right?"


    "Anyhow, down to business, Claude, from what I''m hearing your Awakening was pretty intense, you''ve got an incredible power no doubt. I heard from Ranger Ranger that you''re willing to join our little Organisation, that''s great! I know exactly where you can start looking for your missing memories too."


    Claude raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "You know how to get my memories back?"


    Ghost chuckled "Yep, there''s a lot I know about you Claude, as I do everyone in Arhke. One thing at a time though, I need you to follow my instructions."


    "What exactly do you want me to do Ghost?"


    "Oh that''s easy, I want you to make your way to the meeting room at the back of this building, I''ve made arrangements for you to join one of our squadrons, it''ll benefit you a lot to learn from other active heroes, it''ll also help you find your memories faster, because that''ll be incredibly difficult to do alone."


    "I see, how do I get to this meeting room?"


    "Oh right, my bad, you don''t know your way around yet, don''t worry, Ranger Ranger will guide you, I''ve already told him what he needs to do."


    Claude nodded and Ranger Ranger guided him down the corridor, they came to a door on the right at the end of the corridor.


    "This is where I leave you Claude, Ghost will provide introductions and assist you further."


    Ranger Ranger walked away and disappeared down the corridor.


    Ghost''s voice echoed through Claude''s mind once again. "Claude, the squadron I''m having you join is Regent Squadron, Ranger Ranger was a member but he''s been given clearance to form his own squadron now. Each squadron is named after it''s respective captain, I''ll get introductions done for everyone once you''re in there. Go on Claude."


    Claude opened the door with a click and stepped inside.


    The room was well lit with modern lighting and furnishings. A large table sat in the middle of the room, several office chairs around each side of it.


    Around the table sat three people, one familiar face stood out, Mei was sat at the back of the room, sleeping on a chair.


    The other two people were both dressed in modified hero uniforms, the one closest to the front was an older man with light grey hair and a short beard, his hero uniform was modified to look like a formal suit.


    The person in the middle was a young woman with long light brown hair that flowed down her back, her uniform was modified to have a sewn in bandana which covered her lower face and neck.


    She turned to Claude, her green eyes looking at him as though she was analysing him.


    Ghost spoke up again. "This is Regent Squadron, I''ve been given permission to explain things, I''ll start with the person you''ve already met."


    "At the back there is Mei Liang, she''s new to the squadron, having only been with us for just over a year. Her power is called Waking Dream, it not only allows her to control and enter dreams, it also allows her to control somebody''s state of consciousness as she sees fit."


    "The Liang family are a criminal syndicate originating from what was once China before the world fell, they came to Arhke undercover and quickly rooted themselves within the city, now however there aren''t many of them left. Mei here came to us with a recommendation letter from the Golden Regent himself, we know better than to question his judgement."


    "Next is the man at the front, he''s under the employment of the Regent household, his name is Michael Falkirk, his power is largely unknown to us, we know bits of what it does but we don''t have a name for it or fully grasp how it works. He''s been with us for several years, he joined shortly after the squadron captain."


    "Lastly is the woman in the middle, her name is Claire Regent, she''s the adoptive daughter of the Golden Regent and captain of this squadron, I''ll let her reveal her power in due time, it''s not a power ever recorder in a human throughout all of history. As for why her face is covered like that, well it''s linked to her past, a terrible incident, it left her unable to speak and she has a nasty scar, however she can still communicate through my power because it''s a mental link."


    "Well Claude, I''ve talked for long enough, I''ll be leaving you now, tap your earlobe twice in quick succession to end the link, ''kay bye!"


    Ghost stopped speaking and her voice faded away, leaving a static sound behind in it''s place, Claude tapped his earlobe twice and the sound abruptly stopped.


    Claire gently tapped Mei''s shoulder. Mei opened her eyes a little, she looked around the room before her gaze landed on Claude, she stretched and yawned. "Oh... Claude... you''re here..."


    "Welcome to Regent Squadron... I guess I''m your teammate now..."


    Claude looked at Mei and nodded "I guess so, well it''s nice to meet you all." He looked around at the group. "As you know, I''m Claude, I''m not entirely sure what my power is but I''ll try and learn from you all."


    Claire nodded to Claude and extended a hand for him to shake, Claude shook her hand firmly.


    Michael stood up and looked at Claire "Miss Regent, it would be a good idea to begin preparation for our mission." Claire nodded and stood up, she left the room with Michael.


    Mei stood up dizzily and approached Claude. "We''re going on that mission too... but first... I want to speak with you... somewhere they won''t hear us..." Mei nods towards a security camera "Ghost is always listening..."


    Mei signalled to a chair with her hand, prompting Claude to sit down.


    Claude took a seat and Mei placed a hand on his shoulder, she yawned "Goodnight...". Claude began to feel sleepy and lost consciousness.


    He awoke suddenly in the same room he was just in, only without the security camera. Mei was set on a chair next to him. "We''re in the dream world... I can form it from anywhere you''ve seen... any memory you have..."


    Mei sat up straight and a serious expression crossed her face.


    "Claude... I have a proposition for you... Arhke is lying to everyone... that much is clear already... I know how and where you can get your memories back... I want to know the truth about Arhke... I don''t believe for even a minute that the Golden Regent beat the Monarch as quickly or easily as the archives say for example... help me and I''ll help you.."


    "So, you''re using me to get information?"


    Mei nodded "Let''s use each other... you''ll help me get into the archive... and I''ll help you with your memories..."


    "Fine, but if this is a trick then I''m reporting you to Ghost."


    Mei nodded "That''s fair..."


    "Let''s go Claude... we have a mission briefing to go to..."

 Chapter 4: The Heist

    "Claude... it''s time to wake up now..."


    Mei shook Claude''s shoulder gently as he slowly regained consciousness. He sat up from the table, Mei was sat beside him.


    "Claude... We should go to the armoury... I don''t want Michael shouting at me for distracting you..."


    Mei stood up and quietly walked towards the door, Claude followed her.


    The two walked down the corridor and out of the building through the main reception.


    They walked down the path and towards the armoury, Mei remained silent as she walked next to Claude for the whole journey. They arrived at a large metal door.


    Claude pushed the door gently and it slid open with a screech. Inside was a large room with metal walls and hooks that held all manner of equipment. Boxes lined the floors in the room''s corners, each filled with armbands similar to the one Ranger Ranger wore.


    Claire and Michael were already inside the room, Mei guided Claude towards the back of the room where they were all gathered, Michael looked towards them both.


    "This mission is time sensitive, we didn''t have time for a proper briefing, Ghost shall explain the details as we prepare and set off. Here, take this, it''ll help keep your powers in check." He tossed one of the arm bands to Claude.


    "We call them Limiters, every hero is required to wear one when on mission. They don''t just serve as beacons of hope to civilians but also serve a practical purpose as well. It''s a fact that the human body cannot handle superpowers, it''s why our Awakenings cause so much strain, the Limiter allows us to use our powers to their fullest safely, I don''t know the exact science behind it however the Human Enhancement Institute developed them to allow us full use of our powers as normal without any strain on our bodies as a result."


    Mei handed Claude a bronze shield insignia. "Put this on your Limiter... it''ll let everyone know what rank you are... it should just slot into place in the middle..."


    Mei demonstrated by slotting a bronze shield of her own into her own Limiter. Claude copied her and slotted the insignia into the middle of his Limiter and put it on.


    Mei walked towards a counter with a cage around it at one edge of the room, she took a card from her pocket and placed it onto a scanner in the corner.


    The cage rattled and a pistol slid out of a gap in the cage and onto the counter, Mei picked it up and put her card away.


    "What''s that for Mei?" Claude looked at her. "Oh this... it''s to keep me safe... my power isn''t very good in direct combat... just in case things go wrong... I have this to defend myself with..." Mei yawned.


    At the end of the room Michael and Claire had put on their own Limiters, both had silver insignias placed into theirs.


    A feint static noise echoed through Claude''s head. he tapped his earlobe, as did everyone else in the room, a familiar voice echoed through his mind.


    "Heya, it''s time for your mission briefing, so Regent Squadron, you gotta go investigate a reported break in at the Arhke City Bank, the suspects are likely still there, all are reported to be armed, this was an anonymous commission, I''ll set up a voice link now, hang on... okie dokes we''re done. For Claude''s sake I''ll explain what I just did, basically I linked communication between the four of you, you should now be able to speak to one another via the link, since it uses your mind to speak, Captain Regent should be able to speak with you now too, good luck Regent Squadron, Ghost out!"


    A familiar sleepy voice echoed at the back of Claude''s mind. "Feels weird doesn''t it... you''ll get used to it soon... it was strange for all of us too the first time..." Mei looked at Claude.


    Another voice came through "We should begin moving, we don''t have a lot of time on this mission, we can discuss how things work further once we return." Michael began walking with Claire a short distance behind him. Mei walked ahead and waved to Claude to follow her.


    Once outside the Hero Organisation HQ, Regent Squadron moved towards the street of their destination.


    As they got close the streets grew crowded, civilians began to gather and watch the group.


    The voices and cheers of civilians rung out through the street. "It''s Regent, if she''s been called out then we''ll all be safe!"


    Claire ignored them and kept walking towards her destination.


    Mei looked at Claude. "The public get really excited by heroes... only higher ranked ones though... heroes like us don''t make a name for ourselves until we get a higher rank... Claire is treated like some kind of saviour... because she has the name Regent... it''s a lot of pressure..."


    They reached a large, cube shaped building, it looked more like a fortress than a bank. The words "Arhke City Bank" were plastered on the front in large letters.


    Ghost contacted the group once again. "It''s Ghost, As most of you know, Arhke City Bank isn''t your traditional bank like the ones you''d see in the old world, since Arhke uses cryptocurrency we have no need for banks, this is a huge database, a data-bank if you will, it houses citizen records and other sensitive information, I''m the only one in the city with unrestricted access, I was going to disable the security system for you but it seems to already be down, be careful Regent Squadron."


    "The bank belongs to the Mirage Corporation, the huge electronics company responsible for all of Arhke''s power, electronic devices, internet access, broadcasting, news and entertainment... I''m sensing hostiles inside the building, all armed with automatic weapons, they''re all wearing some kind of emblem, a white bird of some sort? See what you can find out, I''ll do a check on my end too."


    As they entered the bank, the security guards were strangely absent, there were loud noises everywhere as the metal walls were shook and wires were strewn across the floor, inside the main room was a series of servers lining the walls along with electronic terminals connecting to each, twelve men dressed in black with white raven emblems on their backs walked around the place, they pulled out servers and broke things.


    An unfamiliar voice spoke up in Claude''s mind, it carried a certain authority, a commanding and calm voice.


    "Regent Squadron, use formation B, Claude, avoid using your power, we don''t know what it is but given the magnitude of your Awakening, I don''t want you to accidentally kill anybody, that''s an order."


    Mei and Michael nodded "Yes Claire..." Mei walked away quietly and disappeared behind a pillar, she looked like she wasn''t paying attention or taking things seriously. "Yes Miss Regent." Michael nodded and stood beside Claire, he got into a fighting stance.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Claire waved her hand in a circle and a strong and intense gust of wind blocked the exits to the bank. The men noticed and pointed their guns towards Claire and Michael. Claire lifted her hand in the air sharply and quickly, a segment of the floor rose up in a pillar of stone which trapped two of the men and blocked the others'' firing lines.


    She then drew her hand back and pushed it forwards in a wave motion, this caused a torrent of water to knock the men over, disarming them. Claire nodded to Michael who took off running towards the men.


    He knocked out those who were down using his fists, he took them down with a round kick. "Michael, you clean up here, Claude come with me, we''ll search the area."


    Michael nodded and dragged the men together for Arhke Police to deal with when they arrived. Claire and Claude searched the terminals and the rest of the room for information.


    "Regent Squadron, It''s Ghost, I looked into the emblem these men are wearing, it belongs to an old street gang called Pale Raven, we apprehended their leader a few years back, the gang disappeared pretty much over night after that, it seems that they''ve installed a new leader, after monitoring mobile phone communications, it looks to be one Elijah Reid, he''s got an extensive criminal history and is considered heavily dangerous, if you encounter him make sure he doesn''t escape."


    Michael''s voice abruptly echoed through the voice link "Sorry to interrupt you Ghost. Miss Regent, you need to come and see this, we have a problem."


    Claire nodded "Understood, we''re heading to your location now."


    As they reached Michael''s location, a man wearing a tailcoat with the Pale Raven emblem on the back was stood several feet away from Michael, he had a hostage, a young girl with long black hair and bright red eyes.


    "Good afternoon heroes, name''s Reid, I''m the leader of this little crew here. This girl is insurance, to make sure you don''t try anything stupid that could prove unhealthy for her. You''ll let me and my men leave I trust? Unless you want to see my power demonstrated on this bystander."


    Claude spoke up "Your gang has been gone for several years, why are you back now?"


    "That''s a good question, I''ll answer it with this, the gang has hit some good fortune recently, as such I decided it was time for us to return to centre stage." he placed a hand on the girl''s neck. "If I touch another object with my other hand, it''ll swap the materials in my two hands, replacing her neck with the wall or whatever, which will surely kill her, as long as I''m conscious that power will take effect, the three of you had best stay where you are."


    He turned to leave and suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder, a whisper in his ear "Goodnight..." He passed out and fell unconscious, Mei was stood behind him, she yawned.


    "Target neutralised..."


    Mei took the girl''s hand and took her to the group. "Claude... you watch her... we''ll handle the next part..." Claude nodded and began calming down the shaken girl.


    Claire approached the unconscious Reid, she slowly balled her hand into a fist, as if crushing air, ice formed around his arms and legs, immobilising him.


    "Mei, if you would." Claire looked at Mei. Mei nodded and tapped Reid on his shoulder "Good morning..." His eyes snapped open and he struggled against the ice.


    "So, this is how you plan to get me huh? well played heroes, I suppose I shouldn''t have taken you lightly."


    Michael approached him and lifted him up by his shirt collar. "Talk Reid." Reid chuckled. "As if I''d tell you anything, the Hero Organisation doesn''t kill, worst case scenario you''ll break a few of my bones or something." Michael let go of him and pointed at Claire. "Do you know who that is? That''s Captain Regent, somebody of her station would get away with murder, now talk!"


    Reid smiled at them. "The famous Claire Regent, I see, well I know better than to throw my life away pointlessly, and I''m not too attached to my benefactor so I suppose I''ll talk."


    The group gathered around Reid.


    "Here''s what I know, my crew were contacted recently by an unknown group, how they found us is a mystery to me, they promised us a resurgence of Pale Raven, in return we were to run a little errand for them, they offered us a lot of money to steal sensitive information from this place, the names of government officials, heroes, and information about the city, stuff like that, in return they offered us what they called "A place on the board". It seemed incredibly suspicious at first, they told us they''d be in touch at a later date, that was about a week ago."


    "A few days ago I was contacted by somebody listed as "Bishop of Control", their words weren''t trustworthy at all, yet true to their word, it happened all the same. They said that when we arrived at this bank the guards and security system would already have been dealt with, they were right, they even said they''d prepare a hostage, and that girl was hidden behind one of the servers. Their group seems to be themed around a chessboard, they all seemed to answer to one they called "Queen of Freedom" I don''t know any of their identities or motives, just that they kept addressing me as a "Pawn" and said if I get promoted I''ll have a place in the "new world". They also instructed me that their "Saviour" has been corrupted by the Hero Organisation, and that I am to bring them their saviour, they said it''s somebody on your little squadron."


    Michael spoke up "We''ll take you into custody where we''ll see whether you''re telling us the truth, we''ll also check your mobile device for these contacts."


    Reid smiled. "I don''t think that''s going to happen, you see, they aren''t quite done with me just yet, it was nice meeting you Regent Squadron, shame I couldn''t be a better host."


    Suddenly the ceiling tiles began to fall, a series of creaks rung out, dozens of mannequin-like dolls began to drop from the ceiling and landed with a crash, they shakily rose to their stubbed feet, they wobbled and jolted to the side as their wooden joints pushed them forwards.


    "Ghost, what are these things?" Claude stood in the corner to protect the girl by keeping her behind him.


    Ghost''s voice came through very panicked "I... I don''t know, I can''t get a proper read on them, they''re neither human nor monster, they don''t have souls but I''m reading some kind of power from them. Don''t hesitate to destroy them, they aren''t alive, good luck Regent Squadron."


    The creatures wobbled towards the group, Claire clicked her fingers and a bolt of lightning struck the closest one, with a loud crack it fell apart and crashed to the ground. "They go down easily enough." Michael rushed at them, he knocked five of them over.


    Several of the mysterious mannequins were dressed in security guard uniforms, their fragile bodies struggled to maintain balance as they wobbled around on shaky wooden legs.


    More kept coming, the group was quickly overwhelmed and separated.


    Claire and Michael fought through them, more and more fell to the ground, the more battered ones started to leak a dark crimson from their bodies, they bled human blood.


    "Ghost, what is this? They''re bleeding."


    Ghost took several seconds to respond. "Huh! Oh sorry, they''re bleeding?... hmmm... I''ve noticed a large spike in power in the area, it started around the time these things, let''s call them dolls, first became active, heroes usually give off a small amount of energy due to their powers, the Limiters prevent the energy from becoming too strong, Another power was used, not any of yours or Reid''s, a different one, used just before the dolls dropped down from the ceiling, it''s still active even now, the source has left the building and is getting further awa- wait... what!?" Ghost suddenly cut off.


    "Ghost? What''s the status Ghost?"


    In the confusion a single gunshot was heard, after a minute or so the dolls all stopped moving and fell to the ground, they reverted to simple lifeless dolls. Mei was sat against a pillar, her gun in hand as of the dolls fell to the ground, blood seeped from a bullet hole in it''s faceless head.


    Mei was panting and sighed, "It''s... over...?" she scrambled to her feet and rushed to Claire and Michael. "When the dolls came... I hid... Ghost cut off... then they found my hiding place... but now they''re suddenly lifeless... they bleed real blood... but my powers don''t work on them... they aren''t alive or sentient..."


    Claire nodded and placed her hands on Mei''s shoulders to steady her.


    Michael looked around. "Where''s Claude?"


    A crackle rung out and Ghost''s voice was heard once again "Sorry about that, I had to check something, I can''t connect two mental feeds at once so it cancelled this one, Claude randomly cut off a little while ago, I tried to contact him but there was no response, I''ve accessed building security, Elijah Reid is gone too, taken away by those dolls, Claude and the girl were taken during the confusion as well... Listen, I know this isn''t ideal but please come back to HQ, we''ll decide what to do from there... I''ll see you all soon, I''ll leave this mental link open for a little while."


    Claire nodded "Understood, Regent Squadron, withdraw back to HQ... We''ll figure things out once we return."


    Michael nodded but Mei shook her head and frantically started looking around.


    "No... there has to be a clue somewhere here... we need Claude... he''s important... You know that too Claire... we have to find him right now!..."


    Claire grabbed Mei''s arm to stop her.


    "Mei, Claude is gone, the enemy likely has more traps awaiting us, if we charge after him recklessly we''ll put ourselves in danger, the safest option is to withdraw, we knew it was possible this happened, most heroes don''t survive their first mission, the odds are below thirty percent, I promise that I''ll help you when we get back."


    Mei''s resistance dropped and she nodded slowly "Okay... I understand... let''s go back... sorry..."

 Chapter 5: Test Subject

    In a dark and dim corridor, Elijah Reid walked towards an elevator, the dusty corridor echoed with every step he took.


    Pyrebomb sat on a chair beside the elevator, his lower left arm was covered in bandages, he stood up as Reid approached.


    "Evening Reid, considering you''ve ended up here, I''m gonna assume your mission ended up as badly as mine did, you know you''re trapped in this now, just like I am, they won''t let you out anymore."


    Reid nodded, "Miller wasn''t it? They called you in too?" Pyrebomb nodded, "That''s right, I tried to escape but the Bishops caught me, and here I am, I guess we''re both screwed now."


    The corridor echoed as a man dressed in all black approached the two, his voice was synthetic.


    "Elijah Reid, Adrien Miller, The Bishops of Control wish to speak with you."


    The masked man handed them a mobile phone, it was on speaker mode, two almost identical sounding voices rung through the phone, they were slightly synthesised to disguise their identity, they spoke the same words at the same time.


    "Two Pawns failed their missions, for the first Pawn''s mistake, we lost our "Saviour". For the second Pawn''s mistake, we had to intervene... Your fates will be decided by our Queen... in person... pray that she''s in a good mood."


    The call abruptly cut off and the elevator doors ominously slid open.


    "Guess this is it, was nice knowing you Reid." Pyrebomb looked at Reid.


    Reid nodded and they both stepped into the elevator, the door creaked shut and it began it''s descent into the abyss below.


    After five minutes in complete silence, the elevator ground to an abrupt halt, the door slowly slid open into a dark room, as the two stepped out the door slid shut, the room was shrouded in complete darkness.


    Suddenly, a light came on in front of them, the outline of a crown glowed a deep purple, followed shortly afterwards by the outline of two wings, both outlined with the same deep purple LEDs, one wing on each side of what looked to be the outline of a throne, faintly in view from the dim lights of the wings.


    The outline of a young woman sat atop the throne, just barely visible due to the dim lights, however any distinguishing features were obscured by the darkness.


    She crossed one leg over the other, she spoke with a voice that was a cold and angry tone, her speech patterns were extremely crude.


    "Two Pawns ''ve come to visit, Adrien Miller ''n'' Elijah Reid. Both failed their missions." She shook her head.


    Pyrebomb stepped forward "Well, you see, Ranger Ranger was there and-"


    "I didn''t ask for excuses Adrien." Queen snapped back.


    "Adrien, your job was easy, Awaken ''n'' retrieve the Saviour... you managed the first part by accident, you let him get away though." She shook her head again.


    "Miss Queen, Ranger Ranger was there so I couldn''t-"


    "ENOUGH, no more excuses Adrien, you''re annoyin'' me, Lemme rephrase. Fuck up again and my guys''ll pay that wife of yours a visit, I know where she is Adrien."


    Pyrebomb stepped back. "You dare hurt her, I swear I''ll kill you, this isn''t a game Queen-" Queen laughed "You want her alive when you get home, all you gotta do is succeed next time, it ain''t hard, you just gotta be better, we don''t want liabilities in our operation here."


    Queen nodded in satisfaction and turned to face Reid.


    "Elijah, you had to pick up where Adrien left off, get the Saviour back from the Hero Organisation, since they''ve been corruptin'' him with their lies ''n'' shit, you also had to get some information for us from the data bank, which you failed to do, in the end, we had to waste resources, savin'' you, our other operative, and retrievin'' the Saviour ourselves. Thanks to your incompetence the heroes now know about us... don''t think I don''t know about your treachery, I don''t like traitors Elijah, understand?"


    Reid stepped forward "Well Queen, you didn''t exactly tell me which Hero Squadron I''d have to deal with, nor what their powers would be, so I had very little information to work with, and-"


    "Shut up, I can''t stand people who talk back, We didn''t tell you which Squadron you''d be fightin'' because we knew you''d bail if we did, considerin'' you gave away info about us to the heroes, I''d say it was the right call since you turn traitor so easily."


    She pointed at Reid, "Elijah, same deal as with Adrien, Your people are in Arhke Prison, I have men on the inside, I give the word ''n'' they''re all dead, last chance Elijah."


    Reid nodded, "Yes Queen, I won''t fail you again."


    "Good, now for the other business."


    She shifted in her throne and faced Pyrebomb.


    "Adrien, you''ve got an extremely strong power, you can create explosives out of thin air, anywhere you can see, it''s too bad you act like a cartoon supervillain when you''re confronted, otherwise maybe somebody might actually respect you for once."


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    She turned to face Reid.


    "Elijah, your power is strong and versatile, you could be great if only failure wasn''t holdin'' you down, least you didn''t kill the hostage, that was somethin'' you weren''t allowed to do, no matter what, won''t tell you why though, either way, if you don''t wanna see your power "set free" then you''d best use it for somethin'' productive, somethin'' that won''t end in failure."


    A spotlight flickered on in front of her, it illuminated a chess board, on the board were several unusual pieces, the white side was designed to represent the Hero Organisation, except their king piece was tossed to the side of the board and painted gold.


    The black side represented this mystery group, the queen piece was painted purple and surrounded by the other pieces, the king piece stood behind the queen, on a slightly raised platform.


    Queen reached out and flicked two of the pawn pieces over.


    "You''re both on incredibly thin ice, get out before I change my mind about your second chance, you''ve pissed off the King so now I gotta make a report to him, it''s a pain, I''ll be in contact when your next job comes in."


    The lights flick off and the room darkened once again, the elevator door slid open and the two of them stepped back into the elevator.


    "Claude, hey Claude, wake up."


    Claude abruptly awoke in a darkened room which had metal walls and a single large doorway with a figure standing in it. Claude was tied to a chair, his Limiter was missing.


    The figure approached him, a woman with blonde hair who wore a white lab coat and a black bodysuit with mechanical parts all over it, She also wore a strange respiratory mask which had a strange greenish liquid inside it, she wore black gloves and on her right hand she had a mechanical claw which had syringes cover each of her fingers.


    "Hello there Claude, pardon the rude awakening but testing must begin, I''m glad we could retrieve you from the Hero Organisation, their lies can''t corrupt you anymore."


    Claude looked up at her "Who are you? Where am I?"


    She chuckled, "Who am I? You can call me Viper, because of my venomous "fangs", oh but don''t worry, I won''t hurt you... unless you refuse to cooperate."


    She looked down at the claw on her hand and smiled.


    "As for where you are, that doesn''t matter, what matters is that you''re here, the perfect specimen with the power to shape the world." she nodded.


    "What do you mean by that? Do you know my power?"


    "Indeed I do Claude, it''s a wonderful power, one strong enough to hold the fate of the world in the palm of your hand, if you learn how to master it anyway."


    She chuckled "Let''s begin the experiment."


    Viper approached Claude and cut the ropes that bound him using her claw, she then helped him to stand.


    "Play along with my little experiment and I''ll give you a hint about your identity, as well as one of your memories, sound like a fair trade?"


    Claude shrugged "I guess I can, within reason, what would you have me do?"


    She looked at him directly and nodded "All you need to do is cooperate with me, I''m going to show you the potential of your power when truly unbound, unfortunately, I can''t tell you right away who you used to be, my boss won''t let me, because it''d overwhelm you so we''ll take our time, we have more than enough time after all."


    "Come Claude, we have much to do."


    Viper guided Claude out of the room and down a dark metal corridor, the feint hum and buzz of machinery echoed around the facility.


    They reached a metal bulkhead door which slid open with a loud hiss, inside was a gigantic open room, three levels all connected via metal staircases, cells with white padded interiors and clear see-through windows lined on the walls on all levels of the room, however all the cells were dimmed with some kind of mist that made it impossible to see what was inside.


    "Welcome Claude, to the testing grounds, this special facility will help you realise the true extent of your power, using my creations, unfortunately they''re all flawed, but you, you''re so close to being perfect, with my help you can be."


    "Perfect? what do you mean perfect?"


    "The perfect being, one who''s soul is strong enough to bring forth the true extent of their power, with a body strong enough to house that soul, true perfection, the pinnacle of human evolution, not bound by any handicaps such as Limiters."


    She turned and faced Claude, her expression was a mix of excitement and disapproval.


    "As you are now, you''re imperfect, a mess, no good, as for my other imperfect experiments, well I''m gonna let you play with them for a bit, my boss asked me to give you a little nudge, you need to learn to use your power properly, that''s all, let the tests begin!"


    She clapped her hands together and several of the cells opened, burned and deformed humans of all ages stumbled out, they all had three digit numbers branded into their upper right arms.


    Several had chunks of ice or rocks merged with their bodies, others had limbs or chunks of their bodies missing. They shakily moved towards Claude.


    "Go ahead Claude, extend your arm out and focus, destroy them where they stand!... oh don''t worry, they lost what remained of their sentience a long time ago if that makes you feel better."


    Claude shook his head "That''s not the issue here, you want me to kill another human?".


    Viper shook her head frantically. "Human, oh no no no Claude, they''re not human, not anymore, they''re imperfections, stains, failed experiments, think of them as broken toys, they need to be disposed of, you''re my little lab cleaner."


    "Viper, I''m not killing anybody, that''s non-negotiable." Claude stepped back.


    "Awww, you''re no fun Claude, the old you was a much better and more interesting person, he''d have indulged my little game... oh, nevermind that."


    She laughed and then shrugged.


    "Ah well, nothing for it, I''ll just have to force it myself!"


    She rushed up to Claude and plunged her claw into his back, the syringes began to inject their contents into his body.


    Claude struggled as he fell to the ground. "What the hell did you inject into me!?"


    Viper spoke calmly. "Oh, nothing too major, just a little "Motivation" to get your power to work, since you refuse to demonstrate it yourself."


    Claude''s body shook and he started to sweat "What is this!?"


    "I just boosted your power output, just a tiny bit."


    Claude''s hand shook as it began to point at the approaching test subjects, Claude struggled to control it. "No... No!... you can''t make me do this, stop!".


    Viper chuckled "Sorry Claude, you''re doing as I command, now kill!" she waved her hand and suddenly a loud bang sound rung out through the room, suddenly all of the test subjects stood before Claude all burst open, their bodies popped like balloons, fountains of blood spilled everywhere, the room was painted crimson.


    Viper chuckled "There it is! The power to shape the world, I never thought I''d ever get to see it first-hand like this, it''s beautiful!"


    She looked at him with a determined gaze.


    "The old Claude truly was an amazing man, so close to perfection. Now, one final test awaits you, you must fight two of my more perfected creations, good luck Claude."


    A door opened and Viper left the room, she arrived a short while later at an observation area above the room, two larger cells opened, a young woman with stitches along her cheeks leading to her mouth on both sides wobbled and snarled at him, she licked her lips with a black tendril that protruded from her mouth where her tongue would''ve been, the other was a man covered in stitches and scars, his body moved almost like an animal as he approached Claude. "So, you''re the one that the doctor mentioned" The woman hissed like a snake, and the man clenched his fist in preparation for battle.

 Chapter 6: The Plan

    The two test subjects prepared for battle, Claude glanced around the room to get a feel for his surroundings.


    Viper''s voice echoed through a speaker as she stood in the observation room above, she held a clipboard to write notes.


    "These are some of my finest creations, the guy there is Subject 043, an incredible creature, the closest to perfection we have ever achieved, we managed to merge two separate powers into his vessel, he''s constantly tearing himself apart due to that, however he regenerates himself faster, good luck killing that one."


    She gestured to the woman next.


    "This one is Subject 051, a body that had a custom designed lifeform that we created inserted into her, it hollowed out her body and now uses the corpse as it''s vessel keeping it fresh using a special liquid it secretes, think of it as a parasite wearing human skin."


    Viper chuckled.


    Subject 051 started to cough, she choked and writhed as she suddenly jolted forwards, the stitches on her jawline flew off, her jaw widened.


    Suddenly she coughed up a tendril which dislocated her jaw with a cracking sound, it caused blood to splatter everywhere.


    The tendril shot straight from her throat and directly at Claude, it fired through his shoulder like a bullet.


    Claude winced in pain as blood seeped from the wound.


    Claude pointed his other hand at her and concentrated, Subject 051 retracted her tendril and prepared to fire again.


    Suddenly Claude fired a gust from his hand and fired straight at 051, Subject 043 slid in the way, the gust impacted him and his body was torn to pieces.


    Claude looked down at his hand and breathed heavily. "What was that?"


    A bright red string flew out from Subject 043''s torn up body, a few more strings joined soon after, they pulled his body back together, it stitched him up and he stood up shortly after.


    "You''re really something, I didn''t think you''d have that power. Do me a favour, Kill me. I think your power may be able to do it."


    Claude looked at him confused. "Kill you? Why would I do that, and how do you know what my power is?"


    Subject 043 nodded.


    "I see, so you don''t know? I guess that makes sense, the more a person understands their power the stronger it becomes, yours is naturally incredibly powerful, so I don''t doubt that a lot of parties want to keep you in the dark."


    He nodded towards Viper''s observation deck.


    "We need to conclude this battle, I''ll tell you everything then, Viper should be satisfied if we rough each other up a bit, no need to hold back against me, I''ll regenerate no matter what you throw at me, but please be careful with Subject 051, she''s only as durable as a regular human, please don''t kill her, she may not be human anymore but she is still sentient. Let''s get this battle underway."


    Subject 043 charged at Claude.


    Claude focused and another gust fired from his hand, which was aimed at Subject 043''s arm.


    His arm stopped moving and fell to the ground, sliced cleanly through, he bled out as he avoided Claude''s attack.


    A red wire extended from his shoulder, it pulled his arm up from the ground and wound it back into place, it stitched itself back together.


    "You''ll need to try harder than that, focus and attack me properly."


    Claude closed his eyes and pointed his hand at Subject 043''s chest.


    Suddenly a loud crackle filled the air and Subject 051 was stood on shaky legs, she held the tendril that extended from her mouth like a whip, she hit Claude''s arm, which knocked it off balance.


    Claude winced in pain and recoiled, the attack flew off course, it impacted Subject 051''s arm, it tore clean off, she let out a gargled scream and held her bleeding arm.


    "DIE!!" she hissed as she charged at Claude.


    Subject 043 stepped in between the two.


    "That''s enough 051, we achieve nothing by killing him or risking your own life, we need him, we just need Viper to get bored of watching us, if he doesn''t deliver the desired results, she''ll send the three of us to confinement, that''s our chance."


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    Subject 043 looked up at Viper and shouted.


    "None of us will fight anymore Viper, your little project here failed to kill me or 051, he won''t use his real power unless he knows what he''s working with, your test is over!"


    Viper chuckled.


    "I see, so you refuse to fight? That''s fine, you''ll change your mind later, after I''ve punished you, for now, get to confinement, you know where it is, fail to be there and you know the consequences!"


    Viper walked away, further into the facility.


    "Let''s go Claude, she''s serious about her threat, she''ll send Subject 007 after us, he''s... not the kind of guy you want to get on the bad side of, he''s incredibly powerful and loyal to Viper and her boss. He was the first test subject who survived and is used as an enforcer, to keep the others in line. While he can''t necessarily kill me, he can cause me a lot of suffering."


    Subject 043 lead Claude out of the room and down the corridor, Subject 051 followed behind, she carried her severed arm with her while holding the blood back from the wound with her other hand, she stumbled as she walked.


    A while later they pushed open a large heavy door, the door slid open with a screech as it lead into a darkened room the three of them stepped inside and Subject 043 closed the door with a thud.


    Subject 043 sat down on the floor, 051 moved next to him, he pulled a red wire from his finger and began stitching 051''s arm back together.


    He spoke to Claude while he was working.


    "We''re all constantly suffering, barely anyone is left, and those who are have been reduced to Viper''s little toys, constantly being broken, I repair who I can with my wires, but not everyone is so lucky, even those who remain fine physically, they often succumb mentally and break down."


    He sighed.


    "Viper''s experiments are nothing compared to her boss though, the doctor is truly deranged, he''s the one who placed a second soul into me, some old hero or something, had a very strong regeneration power, powers manifest differently for everyone, I got this wire because of it, and my wounds cauterise themselves after a few minutes. However due to my initial power, which should''ve killed me instantly, the power to separate my body into as many segments as I like,  it will kill me if I split any vital organs and I''m not immune to bleeding out, this regeneration solves that problem, however I''m in constant pain, it''s not so bad now though, I''m used to it at this point."


    Claude looked down at 043 and took a seat on the cold floor beside him.


    "So, that''s why you asked me to kill you?"


    043 nodded.


    "That''s right, I got a taste of your power and I thought you might be able to do it, given the nature of your ability."


    "043, what is my power?"


    Subject 043 finished stitching Subject 051''s arm back on, he cut the wire from his finger and looked at Claude.


    "Are you sure you want to know that? The man who held your power before you was a wildly different man than you are, you may regret it if you look into this."


    Subject 043 took Subject 051 by the chin, he snapped her jaw back into place, causing her to cry out in pain, then he drew another wire from his finger and began stitching her widened jaw back together.


    Claude nodded.


    "I want to know who I was, I don''t care about the consequences of that knowledge."


    Subject 043 looked at him. "Very well... when your attack hit me the first time, I felt it tear me apart from within, as if I was being torn apart on an atomic level, I thought you could finally kill me, but it seems you''re not strong enough yet, or maybe I just regenerate too fast. I know there was another man who had the power to manipulate atoms in the past, I heard Viper and the doctor discuss it together, however I don''t know who the man was, just that he seemed quite significant, and not for a good reason since Viper was excited about him."


    Claude looked down at his hand.


    "Atom manipulation, that''s my power? To what extent does it work?"


    Subject 043 finished stitching up Subject 051 and looked at Claude.


    "I don''t know what the extent of your power is, you''d have to figure that out yourself, to that end, I have a favour to ask, I don''t care what happens to me, but 051 here, I care about her, I know the parasite inside her has made her a husk, but I see flickers of life in her sometimes, a person can be killed but the soul isn''t necessarily destroyed, I think she''s still in there, somewhere. I want her to get out of here, to live a better life than just this. Will you help me? With your power I think it''s doable."


    Claude nodded firmly.


    "I''ll help, but I''m going to need some more information."


    "I understand, I''ll give you some information about this place and then we can begin planning." "


    "Viper and the doctor take people, orphans, people who are down on their luck, people who, if they disappeared, nobody would notice, they''re experimented on, in some sick experiment to create the "Perfect Human" as they call it, most subjects don''t survive, and the ones that do become twisted creatures, like me and 051."


    "The first to ever survive such experiments is 007, he was given a name and made the enforcer, to keep their other test subjects in line, though he never really had to do anything, since nobody had ever tried to make an escape... up until twelve years ago, Subject 022, a young girl back then, a prodigy at the age of ten, the power she was given, an experiment to fuse the powers of monsters into a human, one evening however, she breached containment, 022 managed to escape, though there were many casualties in her wake she made it out."


    "Naturally 007 was dispatched to deal with her, she was reported eliminated, but many of us had our doubts, since they never retrieved her corpse, they''d have wanted her soul so they could use the power again. If we make our escape, we will no doubt alert Viper to our presence, she''d send 007 after us, I believe we can make it with your power."


    Claude nodded.


    "I see, I''m not confident in my ability to use my power yet, but I''ll help if I can, I need to get out of here too after all."


    Subject 043 nodded and stood up, he helped Subject 051 to stand and extended a hand to Claude.


    Claude took his hand and stood up.


    Subject 043 nodded.


    "We''ll begin when Viper returns, from there we''ll attack her and make our escape, as far as I''m aware, Viper doesn''t have a power, I heard the doctor and Viper talking, the doctor mentioned that he was searching for a power worthy of her, that he wanted to make even her "Perfect", and she agreed with him. She probably wants your power, with it she''d be unstoppable. Anyway, now all we can do is wait, I hope we don''t run into 007, however if we do, I''ll handle him, just get 051 and get out of here, 007 can''t kill me so I can hold him back for a while. do whatever it takes."

 Chapter 7: Escape Attempt

    The large heavy door screeched open and light poured into the room, Viper was stood outside gazing down at Claude and the test subjects.


    "So, you want to escape do you? You''re such bad test subjects" she chuckled "I knew about your little plan pretty much immediately, do you really think I wouldn''t have a system that monitors every room in the facility? I could hear everything you said. Naughty test subjects get punished!"


    She waved her hand to signal somebody. A large man with a metal lower and upper jaw walked up beside her, he wore a torn up black coat and torn black trousers with heavy dark boots.


    His hair was messy and unkempt. He smiled, his teeth, sharp steel spikes, peeked out from his cold metal jawline.


    He traced his tongue along his teeth, it bled as he moved it along.


    He spoke in a voice that sounded mechanical and synthetic.


    "Viper, do you wish me to discipline these imperfections?"


    His eyes glowed bright orange as he stared down at Claude and the test subjects.


    Subject 043 turned to Claude "That''s Subject 007, his name is Spike Blackthorn, we don''t have any more time to plan, it''s now or never!"


    Viper stepped forward "Let''s play a game shall we? How about hide and seek, I''ll give you ten seconds, go hide little subjects, Blackthorn will come and hunt you down!" She chuckled.


    Viper waved her hand. "Have your fun Blackthorn, don''t worry about who survives, if you kill Claude make certain his corpse remains intact, that way we can extract his soul."


    Viper stepped back to allow the test subjects to leave. "Ten seconds, good luck!"


    She chuckled and used her mechanical claw to inject Blackthorn with an orange liquid. "There, pain nullified for three hours, I don''t expect you to take that long, just consider it a contingency."


    Subject 043 nodded to Claude.


    "Go, take 051 with you, I''ll be right behind you, that way if Blackthorn catches up, I can keep him occupied, since I''ll just regenerate."


    Claude nodded and grabbed 051''s arm, they rushed out of the room and down the darkened corridor.


    Subject 043 stood in front of Blackthorn to block the path that Claude ran down.


    Claude rushed past several sealed doors and unknown machinery dotted around the corridor.


    051 sprinted at one of the doors and repeatedly hit it, she growled and scratched at it.


    Claude stopped and looked at her. "What''s behind there? Claude walked over to the door and tried to help get it open.


    After a lot of effort and the combined strength of Claude and 051, the door fell, it landed with a loud crash as it revealed a large open room, machinery beeped from within and the room was shrouded in darkness.


    051 pointed her arm into the room as if trying to point. "Exit..." she mumbled as she pointed across the room.


    All of a sudden, an alarm blared loudly and a speaker started up with a static noise, Viper''s voice echoed out of the speaker.


    "You thought you could hide? This facility is my domain, everything here is under my control, Blackthorn, they''re in room B-5, Go get them!!" Viper chuckled and cut off the speaker.


    The feint echo of metal clanking against the ground grew louder and louder, a metallic voice called out. "You have no chance of escape, none have managed it in years, and we''ve increased security since last time."


    He appeared in the doorway not long after. The room appeared empty as Blackthorn walked inside.


    "Where are you hiding? You won''t evade me for long." He clenched his hand into a fist, a drill rose from his knuckles and started to spin violently.


    He started to walk around the room, he dragged the drill over the metal wall to make a loud hissing and screeching sound.


    Suddenly he struck a table in the middle of the room, the table was torn into wood chips that flew around the room.


    Blackthorn smirked and walked around the room. From the darkness a black tendril shot at his arm, it wrapped around it to hold the drill in place.


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    051 stepped out of the darkness, the tendril extending from her throat firmly grasped Blackthorn''s arm.


    Blackthorn chuckled "Nice try, it''s a real shame you chose to disobey."


    Blackthorn''s arm cut open and a sawblade rose from within, it cut through the tendril, causing it to bleed out and 051 retracted back, she let out a screech and hissed at him.


    "It''s unfortunate that you came out of hiding, perhaps you simply wanted to get your death over with."


    Blackthorn turned to her and the drill on his hand retracted, in it''s place rose a long metal spike.


    He began to approach 051. A small red wire was attached to Blackthorn''s shoe, it suddenly started to shake and stretch, then from the darkness 043 flew at Blackthorn along the string.


    He landed a punch in Blackthorn''s face, just above his metal jaw.


    Blackthorn recoiled backwards and reshaped the spike where his hand was, it became a blade, he slashed at 043''s neck, decapitating him.


    "You''re an irritating one, don''t you know when to quit? I must say though, I''m impressed, after how many pieces I tore you into, I didn''t expect you''d regenerate so quickly, nor that you''d attach one of your wires to me."


    A red wire shot from 043''s head and pulled it back onto his body, stitching itself together quickly.


    "Blackthorn, we won''t let you destroy us, this ends here!" Suddenly an explosion occurred and Blackthorn''s blade shattered.


    Claude stepped out from the shadows. "Subjects, work with me, together we''ll take him down!" Both subjects nodded firmly and surrounded Blackthorn.


    "So, one against three huh? This might end up being fun after all." Blackthorn laughed and both his arms turned into sawblades.


    Subject 051 held her tendril like a whip and swung it around to gain momentum, meanwhile Subject 043 threw his arm forward, it detached and the wire started to circle around Blackthorn.


    As Blackthorn was occupied with the wire, 051 was able to find an opening.


    She shot her tendril like a whip at Blackthorn''s body. Blackthorn caught the tendril in his mouth, he began to crush it with his metal spiked teeth.


    051 screeched and tried to pull back, but Blackthorn had her stuck in place, his sawblades cut 043''s wire which caused it to retract.


    "I''ve defeated opponents far stronger than both of you, I''m used to being outnumbered." He bit down on 051''s tendril, which caused it to bleed out and 051 to fall to the ground.


    Suddenly he felt an explosion on his back, it caused him to drop the tendril from his mouth, he growled and turned around.


    Claude was stood with his hand extended on the far side of the room. "Seems you forgot about me." Claude glared at Blackthorn.


    Blackthorn looked annoyed. "I see, so you''ve learned at least one of your abilities, you stand to be a real thorn in my side, I''ll need to deal with you quickly, but first, I should deal with the others, don''t want our fun to be interrupted too early."


    Blackthorn''s hand extended into a drill once again, he approached 043, 043 used his wires to try and confuse Blackthorn, but Blackthorn drilled through his defences, he plunged the drill straight through his heart, he then snapped it off and left it running on him.


    "That''ll keep you occupied for a while." 043 repeatedly regenerated only to be continuously torn apart in a swirl of blood and body parts.


    "Next comes the other subject." Blackthorn chuckled and picked up the tendril of the now fallen 051. "Say goodbye, you''re defenceless."


    He pulled the tendril to drag her towards him. He turned his hand into a blade and plunged it through her back. "Stay there, or I''ll finish you off!"


    Blackthorn turned to Claude and growled. "Now, down to business."


    Claude extended his hand again and closed his eyes, he concentrated and Blackthorn felt the air in the room start to change. "Not this time Claude!" Blackthorn charged at Claude.


    "I really must thank you Blackthorn, I figured out the basics of my power thanks to you. Watch this!" Claude clicked his fingers and pointed at Blackthorn.


    Blackthorn''s blade and saw shattered like glass, which caused him to stop in his tracks. "I see, so that''s how it is, alright then, I''m not holding back anymore Claude!"


    Blackthorn''s metal jaw started to widen, it made a screeching noise as it did, the metal teeth in his mouth all pointed outwards, towards Claude, he extended a sharp steel horn from his forehead and multiple spikes protruded from his arms, running all down his forearms. He charged at Claude, this time even faster than before.


    Claude chuckled. "Wow, battle is exhilarating, I didn''t realise things would be this intense!" As he charged, Blackthorn thought to himself. "Claude wasn''t this confident in the video feed from earlier, just what on earth did Viper inject into him?"


    Blackthorn reached Claude and just as he was about to make contact, Claude extended his hand and suddenly the smell of smoke filled the air and Blackthorn was launched backwards into a wall.


    Claude smirked. "Is that all you have Blackthorn? I can''t even understand my power properly and yet you''d really lose to me this easily?"


    Meanwhile Viper watched from the video feed, she nodded excitedly "Yes, there''s the Claude that I''d heard so much about, this experiment is going wonderfully!" She laughed cheerfully.


    Back in the room where Claude was, Blackthorn stood up and shook himself off, he glared at Claude. "As if I''d lose to you, don''t get cocky, you''re just experiencing true power for the first time, you''ve let it go to your head."


    "This ends now, too bad you''ll never be able to learn the full extent of your powers!" Blackthorn used the wall as a platform and launched himself from it, directly at Claude.


    Claude started to falter, his breathing became laboured and his arm wobbled as he pointed it forward. "No, not now!" Blackthorn laughed "Looks like your body has hit it''s limit Claude, it was fun toy with you for this long, but this is where things end."


    Blackthorn crashed towards Claude, he impacted him and his horn pierced into Claude''s leg, which caused Claude to crash to the ground. "It''s over, say goodbye Claude!"


    Blackthorn extended another spike from one of his arms and plunged it towards Claude''s chest. Claude closed his eyes tightly.


    When he opened his eyes he saw 043''s arm pierced through and blocking the spike.


    His body was being mangled by the drill yet his arm managed to regenerate outside of the drill''s range.


    Blackthorn growled and pulled the spike out, he pushed the arm away and turned to attack Claude again.


    At that moment Claude closed his eyes and focused, an explosion engulfed the room. The building began to creak and shudder, the ceiling came crashing down and everything went dark.

 Chapter 8: Like a True Ranger Should!

    Ranger Ranger walked down a damp and dingy alley, the scent of mould filled the air.


    Ghost''s voice chimed through Ranger Ranger''s mind.


    "Heya Ranger Ranger, thanks for taking this mission, I know it''s your day off but we''re kinda short staffed at the moment, Regent Squadron is busy with the search for Claude, apparently he''s more important than we expected, Mr Draven himself said we should prioritise finding him, but we can''t just let these villains get away either."


    Ghost sighed "We just don''t have enough heroes anymore."


    Ranger Ranger nodded "Don''t worry Ghost, a hero''s duty is to the people, I''d never neglect people''s safety for a day off, I''ll stop these villains, like a true ranger should!"


    Ghost chuckled. "Thanks Ranger Ranger, if only some of the other heroes had your mentality... anyway, mission briefing, okay so, after the bank heist last week, several prominent members of Pale Raven, the gang who orchestrated the attack, have been seen in the area, you gotta intercept their meeting at the end of this alley and gather whatever info you can, then comes the usual drill, apprehend the suspects once you have sufficient information, good luck Ranger Ranger, ''kay bye!" Ghost''s voice faded and disappeared.


    Ranger Ranger heard voices on the other side of the alley, he moved quietly and hid in a small alcove that sat close to the exit of the alley.


    He overheard three men speaking beyond the alley''s exit.


    Ranger Ranger eavesdropped quietly to gather information.


    Two of the men were holding automatic weapons.


    One of the men had finished answering a phone call, he spoke to the other two men near him casually.


    "Right lads, boss says he''s gonna lay low for a while, we gotta step in while he''s occupied. Orders are to continue our benefactor''s request, continue our prep for the agreed upon day, I don''t know the details, but we gotta prep to make good on our side of the deal before the end of the year."


    The other two men nodded and the three opened a car door and dragged a large box out into the open, they opened the latches on the box with a loud click which echoed through the alley.


    The box opened and the men gasped, the man spoke again.


    "These are experimental prototypes, we got enough firepower here to destroy a city block, our benefactor promised to restore Pale Raven to it''s former glory, all we gotta do is make good on our end, this is only a small amount of our benefactor''s power. Let''s get to work!"


    He snapped the box shut and turned towards the alley with the other men.


    Ranger Ranger prepared to step out and intercept them.


    Suddenly an arrow whizzed through the air and landed itself firmly in one of the men''s arms, he immediately turned around and grabbed the arrow, trying to pull it out, just then an electrical shock burst from the arrow, it shocked him and he fell to the ground unresponsive, dropping his weapon in the process.


    Another arrow whizzed by and the second guy met the same fate.


    "What the hell is this? Dammit, we''ve been compromised!"


    The final man took off running down the alley, he bumped into Ranger Ranger with a thud, the man looked at Ranger Ranger and slowly backed away.


    "Oh shit, Ranger Ranger! You''ll never know anything, even if you arrest me, I won''t talk!"


    Ranger Ranger grabbed the man''s arm and looked at him, his red and gold helmet shone a little as the dim light filtered into the alley.


    "Loyalty, a noble and admirable trait, its unfortunate that you chose this path, in the name of Arhke''s Hero Organisation and in accordance with the Arhke Council''s laws for this city, I, Ranger Ranger, am arresting you, if you resist I shall have no choice but to use force. I do not wish to harm you, so come quietly."


    As Ranger Ranger was about to escort the man, another arrow darted through the air, it landed in the man''s back, shocking him and making him fall to the ground.


    Ranger Ranger sighed and reached down to check the man''s pulse.


    "He''s just unconscious, good... whoever did this is skilled, I need to investigate."


    Ranger Ranger walked to where the other men were lying on the ground, he checked both of their pulses to confirm they were all still alive.


    Ranger Ranger plucked one of the arrows and raised it to inspect it, he traced a gloved finger over the tip of the arrow.


    "Nothing indicates a shock device of any kind, no way to generate electricity, this is strange."


    Suddenly Ranger Ranger jolted his head upwards towards the rooftop.


    "I know somebody''s there, come down and tell me why you''re here."


    A figure dressed in a dark cloak and holding a bow with an arrow quiver on their back jumped down from the rooftop and landed in front of him.


    They nodded and faced him, they wore a hood and a mask which covered their face.


    "Hello Ranger Ranger, I apologise for overstepping, I didn''t realise this was your mission."


    Ranger Ranger looked at them. "You''re skilled, who are you?"


    They bowed towards Ranger Ranger "Midnight Sniper, Independent Hero."


    Ranger Ranger nodded. "You''re a vigilante, you do know they''re illegal yes?"


    Midnight Sniper sighed, "Look, I want to help people, but I don''t have a power, just leave me be Ranger Ranger, the Organisation won''t let me in, I''ve tried before."


    Ranger Ranger nodded. "A hero isn''t defined by their power, it''s what''s in your heart that matters, your dedication is admirable, and you don''t kill your foes, you''d make an excellent hero."


    Ranger Ranger paused and looked at the bow that Midnight Sniper was holding. It was dark green and metallic, with a blueish hue running through it, almost pulsing.


    Midnight Sniper looked at Ranger Ranger.


    "I had a feeling you''d know about something like this, you''ve done your research, not a lot of heroes these days can identify one of the Protector''s Artifacts. This one channels lightning and stores it away within the bow, one spark is all it takes, the arrows I use are conductive, they shock whoever they''re fired at, but it''s not enough to kill, just enough to immobilise or knock unconscious."


    Ranger Ranger looked at the bow. "How did it end up in your possession? The protector family it belonged to was wiped out a century ago."


    Midnight Sniper shrugged "Would you believe me if I said I found it in my grandfather''s shed?"


    Ranger Ranger shook his head. "Just who is your grandfather? This Protector Artifact was lost after the family it belonged to fell, none knew where it went, what''s more, only a person chosen by the artifact itself can use it''s power, for you to be able to wield that power, you must be the artifact''s chosen wielder. If you have one of the artifacts and are able to use it''s power, this is no longer a matter of legality, you need to join the Hero Organisation, it''s vital that you lend us your power. Please consider it."


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Ranger Ranger extended a hand. "join me, I''ll convince the Organisation to make you an official hero."


    Midnight Sniper sighed and shook Ranger Ranger''s hand. "Very well, I''ve wanted this opportunity for a long time, I won''t let it go to waste."


    Ranger Ranger nodded. "Okay, now I have some important questions to ask you, please answer honestly. The first one is, who are you?"


    Midnight Sniper nodded. "I suppose there''s no point in hiding my identity from you if we''re going to be colleagues"


    Midnight Sniper removed the mask, and pulled the hood down, a young woman with short brown hair shook her head around. "Whew, that mask was a pain, my name is Amelia Clark, pleasure to properly meet you Ranger Ranger, you probably don''t remember me but we''ve met before... you saved me during the Arhke Academy Tragedy, I was a student there, so I''ve wanted to thank you properly for a while now."


    Ranger Ranger shook his head "You don''t need to thank me, that day was tragic for us all, I did all I could, as a true ranger should!"


    Amelia nodded, "Thank you all the same, you saved me, and now I want to help you and the Organisation, so, you said you had multiple questions for me?"


    Ranger Ranger nodded "Yes, this is the last question, please answer honestly, it''s important... what''s your favourite colour?"


    Amelia looked at Ranger Ranger with a confused expression on her face. "Uhm... green I guess, Why?"


    Fifteen minutes later Ranger Ranger walked out of the alley, behind him was Amelia, dressed in a similar outfit to Ranger Ranger, except it was green and silver in colour instead. "That outfit suits you, you look like a true ranger now!"


    Amelia chuckled awkwardly "Why do you have different ranger uniforms in various colours with you?"


    Ranger Ranger nodded. "I was given authorisation to form my own squadron, so I prepared in advance, like a true ranger should!"


    Amelia sighed. "Alright then, I guess I''m a ranger now, this is certainly not how I expected a hero career to begin."


    Ranger Ranger pointed to the street corner. "We should begin moving, I''ll take you to HQ, let''s go Ranged Ranger!"


    Amelia looked at Ranger Ranger. "Ranged Ranger? What do you mean?" Ranger Ranger nodded "It''s your ranger name, because you''re an archer, so Ranged Ranger."


    Ranger Ranger started walking. "Let''s go, we must get to HQ so you can be properly registered as a hero."


    Ranger Ranger tapped the side of his helmet quickly "Ghost, three targets are unconscious, two were armed, they have some heavy weapons in a box, also on site."


    Ghost spoke up "Understood, notifying the police now, you can have the rest of the day off, thanks for that, Ghost out!"


    As the two walked, they turned a corner and a few meters away a young woman with short dark purple hair was spray painting a wall, she created a large mural which had a picture of a purple crown, below the crown were the words "Liberation is coming!" She saw Ranger Ranger and dropped her spray can, she took off running.


    Ranger Ranger saw her and called out "Stop there citizen, you''re defacing public property!" The woman turned the corner and disappeared into a crowd.


    Suddenly, a huge rumble shook the ground, a loud bang echoed through the city.


    Ghost''s voice suddenly chimed in. "Sorry to bother you again, but we have a situation, Regent Squadron has already been dispatched, but backup would be appreciated, can you make your way over to the industrial district?"


    Ranger Ranger nodded. "What''s the situation Ghost?"


    Ghost sighed "I''m... not entirely sure, a large crater seems to have appeared and the ground sunk in all of a sudden, luckily the site was an abandoned warehouse, so nobody was hurt, Arhke Police are on the scene, it''s been cordoned off, Regent Squadron need help investigating the area."


    Amelia spoke up "Ranger Ranger? Who are you talking to?"


    Ghost chimed in. "Who''s that Ranger Ranger?"


    Ranger Ranger sighed "Ghost, that''s Ranged Ranger, my new teammate, and Ranged Ranger, that''s Ghost, who you can''t hear, she''s the navigator."


    Ghost connected to Amelia, a small static sound played in her mind.


    Ranger Ranger nodded "Tap your earlobe with your finger, it''ll connect you to Ghost."


    Amelia took off her helmet and tapped her earlobe with her index finger, Ghost''s voice echoed in her mind.


    "Heya, I''m Ghost, mission commander, navigator, hacker, archivist and much more, I''m with the Hero Organisation... sorry about Ranger Ranger, he''s got a habit of jumping the gun a lot, for now just go with Ranger Ranger, he means well, though I suppose he kinda roped you into this. We''ll get everything sorted out with you later."


    Amelia nodded. "Thanks Ghost, I appreciate your acceptance of me being a hero."


    Ghost chuckled "Ranger Ranger may be hasty in decisions sometimes, but he''s got good instincts, if he trusts you then I have no reason to doubt it... okay you two, get going, we''ll talk properly once the mission is complete, alright, Ghost out!" Ghost''s voice faded into a whisper and disappeared.


    Ranger Ranger and Amelia arrived on scene a short while later, Arhke Police had the area cordoned off, the officer in charge saluted and stepped aside as Ranger Ranger approached the scene.


    The area was surrounded by debris and rubble, a large crater sat in the middle, Claire and Michael were looking around the perimeter as Ranger Ranger arrived.


    Michael approached Ranger Ranger and Amelia.


    "Good day Ranger Ranger, I take it you''re our support? We were in the vicinity searching for Claude, when this warehouse fell into the ground, Ghost told us to secure the area, the police arrived a short while later, now we''re searching for clues as to what caused this mess. Feel free to look around, and perhaps enter the crater, I must assist Miss Regent with her incident report."


    Michael bowed and walked away. Ranger Ranger and Amelia continued towards the crater, not far away Mei was crouched next to a pile of rubble, absently poking it with a stick she was holding.


    She turned to look at Ranger Ranger as he approached, she nodded lazily. "What are you up to Mei?" Ranger Ranger approached her. "Working..." Mei yawned. "Working? Really? Are you sure Mei?" Ranger Ranger looked at her. Mei nodded sleepily, she then glanced at Amelia. "Who''s that?..." Mei pointed lazily at Amelia.


    Ranger Ranger looked at Amelia. "This is Ranged Ranger, my new teammate. Ranged Ranger, this is Mei, she''s one of my colleagues, and yours now too." Amelia nodded towards Mei.


    Mei turned to face her. "Ranger Ranger has a new friend?... That''s good..." Mei yawned and went back to prodding the pile of rubble with a stick.


    Ranger Ranger approached the edge of the crater. "There''s something down there."


    He pointed to what looked like a series of metal corridors, now blasted wide open, sunlight leaking into the shadowy halls.


    Beside them was a deeper hole, the depths impossible to make out, the pitch black air shrouded what lay beneath.


    Amelia spoke up. "Seems like there''s two routes, I''ll take the metal corridors, you go further down, don''t worry about me, I can handle myself, and if I wanna be a hero, I need to prove that."


    Ranger Ranger nodded. "Understood, good luck."


    Ranger Ranger and Amelia leapt into the crater. Amelia landed and rolled into the metal corridor, she stood up and walked into the darkness.


    Ranger Ranger jumped into the hole that lead even deeper.


    At the bottom of the hole was a small body of water, which Ranger Ranger landed in with a splash.


    He swam to a small shoreline, he shook the water off himself and began walking, the echo of loose stones and debris moving underfoot.


    He reached a smaller room, the dim light of a fiery torch sat in the centre of the room, it flickered gently against the darkness.


    The walls were a soft beige colour, the walls were smooth and free of imperfections, aside from a few small indents.


    An altar sat at the back of the room, a strange figure of sorts adorned it, it looked like a clay figure which vaguely resembled a human head, except all noticeable features were smoothed away.


    Ranger Ranger approached the strange figure, as he did, with a crack it detached from the altar, sliding off and onto the floor.


    The strange figure tilted and spun for a second, before it faced upwards towards Ranger Ranger. "What are you? I''ve never seen anything like this before?" Ranger Ranger tried to pick it up, yet his hands simply slid right off it, the figure was entirely smooth, impossible to touch by any normal means, yet it seemed to be observing Ranger Ranger, almost as if it was conscious.


    Ranger Ranger tapped the side of his helmet "Ghost, I''ve discovered some manner of strange creature here, can you identify it?"


    Ghost responded "Sure, just gimme a sec, I gotta patch into your visor so I can see... okie dokes, all done..."


    Ghost let out a surprised sigh. "It''s... it''s a living creature by all accounts, it has a soul, yet it''s neither human nor monster, I can''t identify it, but it doesn''t seem hostile at least, you should be able to just ignore it, I doubt it''s going anywhere since it can''t jump like you can to get out of this pit."


    Ranger Ranger nodded. "Understood, I shall continue to look around." Ranger Ranger turned and faced the walls.


    Along the walls were a series of very feint symbols, they looked as though they had been forcibly scrubbed smooth.


    Ghost chimed in. "Wait a sec Ranger Ranger, lemme see that part of the wall again."


    Ranger Ranger moved closer to the wall, allowing Ghost a better view. "Okie dokes, one sec... and... screenshotted, I can make out one of the runes, I''ll need time to decipher the others. The one I can make out is the Regent family crest... these ruins look ancient though, nobody has been here in centuries at least... that''s odd... I''m gonna look into this, your friend has already contacted me on her end too, you can return to the surface, she found nothing of note, though it looked like a lab that had been very quickly abandoned along with the removal of all the equipment... alright, Ghost out!"


    Ranger Ranger returned to the surface of the crater, as he was walking, he felt a small tug on his sleeve.


    He looked down to see Mei. "Ranger Ranger... I need your help..." Mei walked over to the now significantly smaller pile of rubble she was messing with before.


    She crouched down and traced the ground near a large piece of debris with her finger. "Here... I saw a red wire... so I followed it... under here..." Mei looked at Ranger Ranger expectantly.


    Ranger Ranger nodded "Stand back Mei, I''ll lift this out of the way for you."


    Ranger Ranger lifted the piece of debris and placed it down a few meters away.


    Mei began to dig through smaller pieces of debris beneath it. She found a small red wire, Mei tugged on the wire gently, she followed it deeper into the debris.


    Ranger Ranger assisted her in digging.


    Eventually something came into view, a human figure. "Claude!..." Mei extended a hand to try and check his vitals, she felt a small static shock and withdrew her hand quickly. "I can''t reach him... he was like this before too..." Mei sat down on the ground next to Claude.


    Ranger Ranger tapped the side of his helmet. "Ghost, we''ve located Claude. He''s unconscious and his condition is unknown, we can''t touch him."


    Ghost responded almost immediately "Understood, I''m sending paramedics your way, I''ve also notified the other members of Regent Squadron, we''ll take Claude back with us, somehow."

 Chapter 9: Break Time

    Claude awoke in a familiar flower field, the wind blew softly along the hill as he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind.


    Claude looked behind him and saw Mei, she looked at Claude and waved her hand sleepily.


    "Hi Claude... you were unconscious for a while again... your dreamscape was unstable... I fixed it..."


    Mei yawned. "You''re mostly okay... you weren''t too badly hurt when we found you..." Mei shrugged and yawned again. "What happened... when you were taken?..." Claude tried to recall what happened.


    "I think, there was this strange scientist who called herself Viper"


    Claude sighed. "She had all these vile experiments, people who she''d twisted into monsters. A few of them helped me to escape, Viper injected me with something, I don''t know what it was, my memory is a little hazy but I believe I fought one of them... I don''t remember much after that." Claude shook his head.


    "I overheard them mention that I have a power called Atom Manipulation, it seems like it belonged to somebody important in the past, do you know anything about it Mei?"


    Mei looked at him with a blank expression. "Atom Manipulation..." She shook her head. "I don''t..."


    Mei abruptly changed the topic. "We should go now Claude... it''s time to wake up..." Mei gently grabbed Claude''s forearm, she nodded and the dreamscape went dark.


    Claude awoke suddenly in an unfamiliar room, he was sat on a neatly kept bed, Mei was sat on a chair beside the bed, she was sleeping and was holding Claude''s forearm.


    Mei''s eyes flicked open and she sat up gently, she released Claude''s arm, stretched and yawned. "Good morning..."


    Claude sat up and looked around the room. It was simply furnished and clean, the room was well lit with good ventilation and split into smaller sections, it had a main lounge area, a bedroom where Claude now was, and a bathroom, as well as a small kitchen area.


    "Where are we?"


    Mei looked around and nodded. "A spare room... Ghost said you can use it..."


    Mei reached into her pocket and pulled a card out, she handed it to Claude and nodded. "The key..." Mei yawned. "You''re my neighbour now..."


    Claude nodded and stood up off the bed, he wobbled a little before regaining his balance.


    Mei put her hand on his shoulder. "Take your time Claude... you need to regain your strength..."


    Claude nodded. "I know, but I need to recover quickly so I can get back to finding out who I am, it''s more important than ever now."


    Mei looked at him, she then turned and looked at the door thoughtfully. "It''s my day off... Let''s go somewhere nice..."


    Mei stood up and walked towards the door, she looked back to make sure Claude was following her. The two of them walked together out of Hero HQ.


    Both arrived on an open street, they wore their Limiters. "We have to wear these whenever we''re outside in uniform... no exceptions..."


    Mei sighed "They''re heavy and uncomfortable... Ghost insists we keep them on..."


    Mei yawned and lead Claude down a nearby street, several citizens saw the pair and began to whisper amongst themselves, the crowd parted to keep out of their way after seeing their Limiters, adorned with bronze shield insignias.


    Mei ignored the crowd and continues down the street, she sighed "Being a hero... makes it hard for me to sleep all the time..." Mei shook her head and kept walking.


    She stopped outside a large shop, the sign, which hung above the large doorway, illuminated the area, the sign had the words "Mirage Electronics" engraved into it. Mei turned to Claude.


    "I need to use the restroom... wait here..."


    Mei turned and disappeared into the building without giving Claude time to respond.


    A few minutes later she returned from within the building. "Sorry for making you wait..." She yawned. "I lied about why I was going into the shop... I bought something for you..."


    Mei handed Claude a smartphone which said "Mirage" on the back of the case.


    "This is for you..." Claude observed the smartphone. "Mei, are you sure? Isn''t this expensive?" Mei shook her head. "I have some spare money... being a hero pays off..."


    Mei walked towards Claude and switched on his smartphone. She guided him through to an app titled "Inter-Arhke Network". Mei nodded. "You''re already registered... Ghost has set everything up..."


    "This is the Arhke network... we can communicate with people on here..." Mei reached into her pocket and pulled out a smartphone of her own, hers had a small dreamcatcher keychain attached to it. Mei looked down at the screen and a few minutes later Claude received a notification on his phone.


    "SuperSleepyhead has sent you a friend request." Mei nodded to him. "That''s me... Claire picked the name when we were children..."


    Claude nodded. "It suits you, alright, accepted." Suddenly Claude received another notification.


    "System Admin, ArhkesBestNavigator, has invited you to Regent Squadron Group."


    Mei nodded. "That''s Ghost... she''s invited you to a group for our squadron... The others are busy at the moment... they''ll respond later..."


    Claude explored the site''s features, he stumbled upon a thread of spam posts by "RangerRangersNumberOneSuperfan". They showed various criminals defeated and in custody, as well as the frequent Ranger Ranger fan post, A name is tagged in all of the posts, "JusticeDoesntHaveAName" Claude flipped through the posts. "Mei, who''s this?"


    Mei approached and looked at Claude''s phone screen, she sighed. "The sender is a vigilante... her name is Technya... she''s a big Ranger Ranger fan... the person she''s tagged is Ranger Ranger..."


    Mei scrolled down to a different post, one from a different person, an ethereal looking lady with light green hair, the name on it was "Melody Mirage". Mei looked at Claude. "That''s Melody Mirage... Arhke''s most popular singer... also the propaganda machine..."


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    Mei sighed. "Let''s go to where I want to take you..." Mei lead Claude into a back alley, there was a flickering sign above a small metal door, the sign said "Protector''s Rest Bar."


    Mei approached the door. She plucked the shield insignia from her Limiter and placed it into a gap under the doorway. The door suddenly creaked open and the insignia was slid back out from the doorway where Mei retrieved it.


    "This is a Heroes only bar... I spend a lot of time here... it''s quiet..."


    Mei walked inside, Claude followed her.


    The bar''s interior was retro and calming, it had a large wooden counter, a large TV on the wall and various drinks and containers behind the counter.


    A large older man covered in scars, with a trimmed beard and brown eyes, looked over at the doorway, his voice was deep and rough. "Mei, didn''t expect you here so early."


    He looked behind Mei at Claude. "Who''s the other guy? He a friend of yours?" Mei nodded sleepily. "This is Claude... he''s a new member of Regent Squadron..."


    The man nodded in acknowledgement. "I see, welcome then Claude, if Mei trusts you I got no reason to doubt you, I''m Albert Moore, Ex-hero and owner of this place, come take a seat." He gestured to the bar stools lined up along the bar counter.


    Mei sat down at the edge of the counter, Claude sat next to her.


    Moore turned towards them. "Mei, the usual?" Mei nodded. "And what can I get for you Claude?" Claude looked around. "I''ll just have whatever Mei is having, I''m not familiar with this place."


    Moore chuckled. "Don''t worry about it, you''ll get used to the place, so Claude, what''s your story?"


    Claude shrugged. "Honestly, I don''t know, I''ve got no memories of my past or purpose. All I know is that I have the power of Atom Manipulation."


    Moore looked at Claude, his expression shifted to one of curiosity and amusement.


    "I see, so that''s why you looked familiar, you''re-"


    Mei waved Moore over to her. "What is it Mei?" he leaned over the counter, Mei leaned in and whispered something in his ear.


    He nodded. "Right, I understand." Mei sat back down and Moore turned to Claude. "I apologise, I mistook you for somebody else."


    He turned around and shouted into a doorway behind the counter. "Charlotte! Get out here, bring out the tea, the kind that Mei likes!"


    A few seconds later a young woman with a peculiar appearance rushed out, she wore a dark brown uniform and a green apron, she had bright blue hair and orange eyes, two bright orange horns protruded from her forehead. Her forearms had small crimson spikes running down them.


    She carried a tray of tea into the room, placing it on the counter. "Yes Mr Moore, here''s the tea." She looked at Mei and nodded. "Welcome back Mei."


    She saw Claude and gasped, her expression changed to one of fear. "Y-you''re... Why are you here?" Moore nodded to her. "Claude here is our guest Charlotte, He''s not who we think he is, he''s got amnesia."


    Charlotte sighed and nodded nervously. "I see, sorry Claude. I''ll serve you both now." She bowed and poured tea for Claude and Mei.


    Moore laughed and turned to Claude. "Charlotte here is a Demon, the strongest known form of monster, she''s very jumpy because a lot of people despise her."


    "Ranger Ranger brought her to me one day, asked me to look after her, He doesn''t discriminate, he''ll save anyone who needs saving, human and monster alike."


    The TV in the bar started playing an annoyingly catchy theme song, the narrator spoke in an old-school TV presenter voice. "This week on Justice Keeper! Justice Prevails, Ranger Ranger vs The Demonic Deadly Destruction Duo of Death!" Mei turned to watch the show while she drank her tea, Claude did the same.


    Moore laughed. "Ranger Ranger is doing well for himself, this show inspires a lot of people." The TV blared upbeat music and flashy visuals as Ranger Ranger approached the villains of the episode. The two villains monologued, One wore a series of bullet belts while the other had hands made of guns. "I''m ammunition man, when I was younger, I never had enough ammo, WELL NOW I AM THE AMMO!!" The other spoke up. "And I''m Gun Man, When I was younger, I never had enough guns, WELL NOW I AM THE GUN!"


    Ranger Ranger walked towards them and said his piece. "You disturb the peace and hurt people, I''ll bring you to justice, like a true ranger should!" Ranger Ranger rushed towards them, he balled his hands into fists.


    Gun Man pulled some ammo off Ammo Man''s belt, they hurriedly loaded the guns. Ranger Ranger approached and they fired.


    Ranger Ranger sidestepped their first bullet and caught the second one between his middle and index fingers. "I will bring you to justice!" Ranger Ranger rushed towards them.


    He punched Ammo Man''s stomach, causing him to fall to the ground, Gun Man panicked and began firing more bullets.


    Ranger Ranger ducked and rolled around all of them, he punched Gun Man in the face and then both villains fell to the ground.


    He tied them both up and the scene ended with the Arhke Police arriving, the camera placing emphasis on their blue shield insignias.


    Ranger Ranger closed with a speech. "Remember everyone, Justice always prevails!"


    As the credits rolled Mei spoke up.


    "I don''t really like this type of show... it glorifies being a hero... reality is harsh..."


    Moore chuckled. "Heroes don''t have happy endings, we sacrifice our own happiness so that innocent people can be happy."


    Mei yawned and faced the counter, she started to fall asleep. "I''m tired... I did too much talking today..."


    Moore reached beneath the counter and pulled a pillow out, he slid it along the counter, it reached Mei as her head landed on the pillow. She was asleep instantly.


    Moore chuckled. "Mei''s a good person, shame her power makes her so tired all the time. She''s come a long way from when I first met her."


    Claude looked at Moore. "How do you know Mei exactly?"


    Moore collected the tea cups and started cleaning them. "I met the Golden Regent thirty years ago, he was hiring new heroes to help him form a second Regent Squadron after his first died fighting The Monarch, I was young and stupid so I signed up.


    Our squadron consisted of, The Golden Regent, me, and my other colleague, his name was Shima. He''s long dead though."


    "My power allows me to channel electricity in whatever voltage I want, through whatever surface I want."


    "Naturally I used that power to assist the Golden Regent, we became close friends, around that same time I became acquainted with Mei''s family, by that of course I mean they were one of the criminal groups we had to apprehend. I was a hot-headed kid, I went overboard and somebody died... Arhke covered it up but I never got over it."


    "I retired from being a hero about ten years ago, around the time the Regent stopped making public appearances, I became acquainted with Ranger Ranger around the same time, he was a new hero, I made sure he wouldn''t make the mistakes I did."


    "I met Mei around a decade ago, after the Regent stopped being a hero, he still remained in contact with me for several years, Mei would''ve been eight or nine at the time, the Golden Regent had just taken her in, her family underwent a tragedy, but that''s not my story to tell."


    "Mei was a good kid, and she grew up into a good hero too, she''s kind-hearted and she''s got a good moral compass. I was sorta a father figure to her, because the Golden Regent wasn''t really father material, he''s more of a mentor. Mei had a rough life, being from a criminal family, a lot of people hated her for it, it''s wrong to judge a child for the sins of their parents."


    Moore stopped cleaning and put the cups away. "Claude, Mei clearly sees something in you, Mei isn''t one to trust people quickly, she''s very emotionally reserved, don''t take that for granted, Mei is loyal to those she trusts, don''t make her regret that."


    Claude nodded. "Why did you tell me all of this?"


    Moore sighed and looked Claude in the eyes. "When you find out who you are, you may not be happy with the answer, consider this advice from an old man who''s made amends in his own way, whoever you were in the past, that doesn''t define you, if you find your past is too much to bear, you can always start anew."


    Claude nodded. "Thank you, I will take your advice to heart."


    Suddenly, Ghost''s static sound rung through Claude''s mind, he tapped his earlobe. "Ghost, what''s the problem?"


    "Oh, Claude responded first for once, hehe, that''s new. Anyway, I''m just here to tell you that you and Mei have a mission tomorrow, it''s not an easy one unfortunately, it''s harder than any you''ve been on before, Regent Squadron was called out to help two of our gold ranked heroes to establish a base outside of Arhke, they''ve also found some kind of strange ruin they need help with, you were called out to help due to your power, but Captain Regent insisted that if you go then so does everyone, looks like she doesn''t want you out there alone. Good luck Claude. Report in tomorrow, Ghost out!"


    Moore faced Claude. "Ah, Ghost, wish we had her when I was a hero, so what''d she say?"


    Claude shrugged. "Apparently she wants me and Mei to leave Arhke for a bit, to help set up a base outside the city."


    Moore nodded. "I see, then I leave Mei''s safety to you, don''t let anything happen to her Claude. Good luck."

 Chapter 10: When the Earth Shook, Part 1

    The four members of Regent Squadron stood in front of a gigantic steel gate.


    "Heya everyone, Ghost here. Your mission this time is more difficult than anything you''ve faced before, supplies have been provided by the Organisation, they are to be kept safe by all of you, don''t lose them. Two gold ranked heroes will be present for this mission, they represent Arhke''s best, they will be here shortly. Good luck Regent Squadron. Ghost out!"


    From behind a wall, two men appeared, one was dressed in a white, hooded cloak with a gold outline, blonde hair sat beneath his hood. His Limiter was white with a gold outline and insignia. He looked to be in his early twenties.


    The other man wore a dark grey and silver cowboy outfit. His hair was black and he wore a cloth blindfold over his eyes. On his waist sat two gun holsters, each housing a strangely shaped revolver, his Limiter had a black bullet painted onto it, below where his gold insignia sat. He looked to be in his late thirties.


    The two men nodded towards Regent Squadron as they approached. The man with the blindfold turned to face them and spoke first. "Morning, you''re the backup I take it? Name''s Blaze, Blaze Hunter, always a pleasure to work with a Regent." He extended a hand to Claire.


    Claire shook his hand and nodded. The other man approached the group, he glared at them and chuckled. "So, Regent Squadron comes along, I specifically requested just Claude, the rest of you aren''t required..."


    Michael stepped forward. "Miss Regent decided Claude would remain with us, we all join or none of us do."


    The man glared at Michael and sighed. "Fine, but don''t hold me back, there''s no second chances outside the city. I suppose I should introduce myself, My name is Julius Silver, however you are to refer to me as my hero name, Ivory Mirage, or simply Mirage will do... let us be off, Regent Squadron, you carry the supplies." He walked towards the gate.


    "Not so fast, you''re forgetting someone." Albert Moore, the bar keeper, stepped out from a nearby alley. "I was instructed by Ghost to bring one more for this mission."


    Moore waved his hand and Charlotte awkwardly stepped out from the shadows, she wore a dark blue Hero Organisation uniform. She didn''t have a Limiter. "Y-yes Mr Moore!" Moore chuckled. "Okay Charlotte, I''ll see you back at the bar once your mission is complete, good luck." Moore took her hand and placed a small black vial into it. "Use this only as a last resort." Charlotte nodded and placed it in her pocket. Moore walked away and disappeared into the alley.


    Charlotte stood to the side, Mirage glared at her. "So, they''re recruiting monsters now, the Organisation has fallen far."


    Suddenly, Ghost chimed in. "Good, all seven of you are here, I''ll open the gate now, once you''re outside, you''ll need to reclaim an old fortress a few miles out from Arhke, in the past it was used to protect Arhke while it was under construction, once the Monarch appeared many fled behind the walls, however it eventually fell to the Abyssal Forces. Good luck everyone, stay safe."


    The gate creaked and slid open, the sunlight seeped into the lower city. Mirage walked forwards into the light, Blaze waved the others over, he lead them out into the light.


    The group walked through a large forest, the trees stood tall, obscuring the sunlight, they casted long shadows over the forest floor. Mirage lead the group, Blaze followed behind, Claire, Claude and Michael close behind. Mei and Charlotte trailed at the back of the group.


    As they walked Ghost activated the mental link between the group, Claude spoke to Blaze. "Blaze Hunter, that''s an interesting name, if you don''t mind, why is it you wear that blindfold?"


    Blaze turned his head towards Claude. "Suppose there''s no harm in explaining, I lost my sight some years ago, Abyssal Corruption is no joke, my power allows me to sort of detect the outline of souls, which is how I''m able to see you in a way, that and my senses have sharpened a lot since losing my sight."


    Suddenly Mirage stopped. "Blaze, several Hive Class monsters spotted, twenty meters north." Blaze nodded. "Understood, let''s take these things out."


    Blaze and Mirage rushed towards the creatures, they were enormous mutated insects, they had strange pincers and mutated scorpion tails protruding from their backs.


    They crawled towards the heroes. Mirage crossed his arms. "Mirror Shards!" Several reflective shards began to float around him. He positioned them in carefully calculated places in the air around him.


    Blaze pulled his revolvers from their holsters, they had strange patterns on them. He tossed several bullets into the air and opened the barrels, he caught the falling bullets in the revolver barrels, closed them and spun them around. "Alright, my turn."


    He pointed the revolvers at the shards in the air. "Spirit Shells, slice through your foe''s souls!" Blaze pulled the triggers back with a click and the bullets flew from the revolvers, they hit the shards and bounced around them, they sped up as they bounced from shard to shard, gaining momentum.


    Light shone down on the shards, illuminating them a bright white colour. Both Mirage and Blaze shouted out. "Spirit Mirror!" The shards tilted, launching the bullets directly at the enemies, the white shards reflected light into a central point, the light concentrated and launched in a radiant white beam, the bullets circled around it as both impacted their foes, decimating the nearby land and all the monsters, leaving charred husks of insect exoskeletons. The shards fell to the ground and shattered as Mirage released the beam.


    "Our job here is done, let us keep moving."


    Mirage turned around. "Claude, with me." Mirage signalled to Claude and began walking next to him.


    The two walked ahead, out of earshot of the others, Mirage glanced at Claude. "You have all the others fooled, you don''t fool me Claude... I don''t for even a second believe that you''ve lost your memories. The man who forgot his past... I don''t buy it, people like you don''t forget."


    Claude shook his head. "I don''t know what you''re talking about, I know nothing about myself, do you?"


    Mirage chuckled. "Naturally, though I don''t feel like telling you, you''ll have to gain my trust first." He walked away faster, leaving Claude with the rest of the group.


    Ghost spoke up. "Heya everyone, things are looking okay, you should be able to make the rest of the journey with minimal problems, for the sake of those who haven''t explored outside before, we classify monsters into different classes based on their physiology and levels of sentience, the Hive Class monsters which were fought earlier are all a hivemind and look like mutated bugs, the strongest class we know of are Demon Class, or just Demons, like our very own Charlotte, unlike other monster classes, Demons possess levels of sentience equal to humans, however their bodies are stronger, able to endure the strain of the full power of a soul, as demons also gain superpowers just like humans do. That''s all, I''ll contact you again if I have more info for you all, Ghost out!"


    The group arrived at the fortress, it was overgrown with branches and flowers everywhere, the group reached the main rooms of the worn down fortress, the crumbling walls were stained red with dried blood, the floor covered in human bones strewn everywhere.


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    "This place is very run down, it''ll take a while to clean this place up." Blaze signalled to Regent Squadron to place the supplies on the floor, the group split up and began searching the fortress.


    Claude searched a smaller room to the back of the fortress, it was covered in vines and roots.


    Suddenly, one of the roots lifted up, it grabbed Claude and wrapped around him, trapping him in place and lifting him into the air. A large flower the size of a small car rose up from the ground, it turned to face Claude.


    The flower''s petals were as sharp as blades, it thrashed around and shook the building. Claude tried to use his atomic power but it wouldn''t work, he couldn''t move. The flower pulled Claude towards it, it opened the central part of itself, it had spikes lining the middle. "Dammit, why isn''t my power working now of all times?"


    Suddenly a bullet shattered the plant''s vine, freeing Claude.


    Blaze was standing at the end of the room with his gun drawn. "You okay Claude? Looks like I arrived just in time." Claude nodded. "What is that thing?"


    Blaze turned to Claude. "It''s a Nature Class monster, they''re a pain. I''ll let you do the honours, your power didn''t work because you lost focus, concentrate Claude."


    Claude raised his hand and concentrated, the flower twisted and popped, it''s leaves withered as it fell and died. "So that''s what your power looks like, I''ve never seen a surge that powerful from a soul before. Anyway, let''s return to the main room, we have some cleaning to do."


    As they returned to the main room, they could hear Mirage and Claire arguing through the mental link.


    Claire glared at him. "What gives you the right to think you can tell Claude what to do? You''re just using him, I''m his captain, Regent Squadron is under my command, not yours."


    Mirage chuckled "Regent, you''ll never surpass me, you don''t have the right to bear that name. You will never make gold rank, give up or die. I don''t care which. I''ll be commanding whoever I wish, as your superior it''s only fair." He smirked.


    Michael walked up to him. "Don''t you dare insult Miss Regent, it''s you whose not worthy of being a hero, your attitude will be the death of you." Michael balled his hand into a fist.


    Mirage looked at him. "Oh, Regent''s useless butler, rush back to your master, be the good little lapdog that you are, unless you think you can beat me in combat? I might just take back what I said if you do." He chuckled.


    Michael swung his arm back. Suddenly he felt it stop as he moved it forward. Mei was holding onto his arm, she shook her head. "Don''t fight... that''s what he wants..." Michael nodded and lowered his hand.


    Mirage looked at Mei. "So, you''re the criminal''s daughter huh? What makes you think you deserve to stand here, in the same room as me. Your power is useless in a real fight and you don''t take things seriously... At the rate you''re going, your pathetic power will be your death... dreams? heh, I''m so scared... You belong behind bars, along with the rest of that scum of a family." Mei looked down at the floor, her expression blank.


    Blaze walked into the room with Claude. "That''s enough Julius, we need to focus on making this place liveable before sunset. Let''s get to work." Mirage shrugged "Sure, whatever, let''s just get this done quickly."


    After several hours they managed to finish cleaning as best as they could, the place was at least partially liveable. The group had unpacked the supplies they had brought, making a small camp within the fortress, they pitched tents and built a small campfire, the group was all sat around it.


    Mirage stood up. "If we''re going to be camping, I want rid of the monster." He pointed at Charlotte. "That Demon was responsible for countless human deaths many years ago, isn''t that right, you''re a spy for the Monarch."


    Charlotte looked a little startled at the sudden accusation and shook her head. "T-that was a long time ago... I didn''t have a choice in the matter... please just let me be, I won''t hurt anyone... never again..."


    Mirage spat at Charlotte. "You don''t deserve to breathe the same air as humans, you shouldn''t even be allowed the rights you have."


    Blaze stood up. "Julius! She''s not a threat, that''s enough, leave her alone."


    Mirage glared at Blaze. "Fine, this is the end of that for now, but if that Demon tries anything, I''ll kill her myself."


    The group went into their respective tents, except Claude and Claire. Claire spoke to him through the mental link. "Sorry about earlier Claude, I''ve known Julius for a long time, he attended the Arhke Academy at the same time as I did. He has this strange obsession with being better than me, being better than a Regent."


    "He''s also the son of the CEO and owner of the Mirage Corporation, he thinks he''s above everyone else."


    Claude nodded.


    "I understand, thanks for the information Claire."


    The two went into their respective tents for the night.


    As the sun peeked over the horizon everyone awoke one by one. Mei was the last to awaken, she left her tent with a yawn.


    The ground shook with tremors.


    "What''s that? The ground keeps shaking." Claude looked around


    Mirage issued commands to everybody. "These tremors can only mean one thing... We''re splitting into teams to find the source of the tremors, Claude you''re with me." Claire shook her head. "I won''t leave Claude with you, I''m coming too." Michael stepped forwards. "I go where Miss Regent goes, I shall be there as well." Mirage shrugged and sighed. "Fine, that''s my team then, we''ll meet back here tonight. Good luck Blaze." Mirage nodded to Blaze as his team departed.


    Blaze looked at Mei and Charlotte. "Guess you two are with me, let''s get moving, sooner we find the source and deal with it out there the better." He departed with his team.


    Mei and Charlotte stood next to Blaze as the group walked. "Is Blaze your real name?..." Blaze looked down at Mei. "Strange isn''t it, yeah it''s my real name, since we''re doing introductions, who are you little lady?" Mei yawned. "Mei... my name is Mei..." Blaze looked at her. "Oh, you''re the one with the dream power, you know, the non-sentient monsters won''t be affected by it, so focus on staying safe out here." Mei nodded and kept walking in silence.


    Blaze turned to Charlotte. "You, other little lady, don''t let Julius get to you, he''s had a rough history with Demons, as I''m sure everyone has, I believe in second chances so whatever you did under the Monarch''s command isn''t my business."


    Charlotte shook her head. "I... I didn''t have a choice, The Monarch was somehow able to control Demons simply using his own will... I didn''t want to do what I did... I''m sorry..." Charlotte looked down quietly.


    Blaze looked at her. "Do you remember anything about The Monarch? Anything that can help us when he comes back?"


    Charlotte shook her head. "It was forty years ago... That''s a while back to remember, even though Demons live a long time, I''ve served The Monarch for two hundred years, yet all I remember of him was his dark and dead eyes, staring straight into my soul... as he demanded atrocities of me... my body moving before my mind could process the order." Charlotte fell silent.


    Blaze placed a hand on Charlotte''s shoulder. "Don''t worry about it, you don''t need to remember if you don''t want to, what matters is you''re trying to atone for your past now. We''re all victims of The Monarch, you are too."


    Charlotte nodded "I''m... a victim too?"


    Blaze, Mei and Charlotte walked through a field, eventually they came to a large crater, the three of them began looking around, Charlotte felt a sudden drip on her shoulder, she placed her finger on it and brought it to her eyes to examine. "Rain?... why is it red?... no... this is... Blood... it''s... It''s raining Blood!!" Suddenly a torrential rainstorm began, the rain crimson red and thick.


    Blaze looked around. "Shit, we''re in an Abyssal Corruption Zone, we need to find the exit quickly, Abyssal Corruption has some gruesome results if you''re exposed to it for too long, best case scenario it kills you."


    The ground shook, causing the three to lose balance. Suddenly from the ground rose a gigantic worm, it''s mouth lined with sharp spikes, it''s body spewing some manner of spore and it was constantly mutating as it absorbed Abyssal Energy.


    Blaze drew his guns and began to shoot at the worm, Mei ran to hide, the worm grew a long sharp tail from it''s side, it swung it around.


    The bullets from Blaze''s gun further agitated it, the gigantic tail swung around, it broke rocks into rubble and whipped it''s tail at Mei, it hit her and she flew into a pile of rocks. She tried to get up but the worm turned to face her. Blaze fired several bullets directly at the worm. "Over here big boy, focus on me."


    The worm turned to Blaze. He drew it''s attention as it kept mutating, growing tendrils and spikes all along it''s body. It screeched at Blaze, causing him to fall to the ground. "Shit, this thing is strong, the more Abyssal Energy it absorbs, the less of a chance we have of beating it."


    Charlotte froze in place, she trembled as she looked at the creature. "I-I can''t do this... sorry..."


    The worm screeched and grabbed Blaze and Charlotte with it''s tendrils, it threw them against a rock and a pile of debris fell onto them.


    The worm picked up Blaze with a tendril, it lifted him towards it''s mouth, it''s teeth rotated around it''s throat in circles like a drill, rows and rows of teeth lined it''s throat, Blaze dropped his revolvers. "Shit, this thing is strong, run, take Mei and go, hurry up!"


    Charlotte looked at the creature looming over her with Blaze in it''s grasp, she couldn''t move, she stood frozen in place as the creature drew Blaze closer to it''s mouth.


    The sky went dark and the tremors intensified.

 Chapter 11: When the Earth Shook, Part 2

    The sky darkened as clouds turned a deep red, a torrent of blood poured from the sky, the giant worm monster screeched and writhed as it held Blaze above it''s enormous mouth.


    Charlotte watched, her body frozen in fear. "I-I can''t do this... it''s just too strong... I promised never to use my powers again, I don''t want to return to being who I was!"


    "B-but, Mr Blaze was so kind to me... I can''t let him down, not when he believed in me... I''ll fight... even if I lose who I am, for those who believe in me, who were kind to me, I''ll fight!"


    Charlotte steadied herself and looked up at the monster. "I-I won''t lose or be pushed around anymore, let Mr Blaze go!"


    Charlotte rolled up her sleeves and put her forearm up to her mouth, she bit down hard on her arm, her teeth sharpened into spikes and she tore off the flesh of her arm.


    She winced in pain and blood poured from the large bite wound.


    The blood froze in place as it pooled on the ground, she calmed her breathing and glared at the monster with her fiery orange eyes.


    "This is where you die, you''ve lived for too long!"


    Suddenly the blood shot into the air like a bullet, a scarlet stream pierced the monster''s tendril, it shrieked and dropped Blaze to the ground.


    Blaze landed into a roll and stood up and dusted himself off, he placed a hand on Charlotte''s shoulder.


    "You did good, I trust you to finish things, I''ve gotta see if Mei is alright."


    Charlotte nodded firmly and Blaze ran over to the rock Mei had been thrown at, he dusted away the rubble and other debris.


    Meanwhile Charlotte turned back towards the monster, it screeched and writhed, tendrils shot towards her, spiked grew from each as the Abyssal Energy grew more intense.


    More blood dripped from her arm, it formed the shape of a spike with various barbs protruding from it, it solidified and she snapped it off her arm and pointed it at the monster.


    "This is one of my three powers! I can solidify blood and change it''s shape on command, however in this weakened state it''s only blood that''s outside my body."


    Charlotte sliced clean through the oncoming tendrils with practised precision.


    More blood seeped down her arm, it dripped and formed a puddle beneath her on the rocky ground.


    She grabbed a lighter from her pocket and flipped the lid up, a small flame burned dimly.


    "Another of my powers, I am able to set blood on fire!"


    The blood formed a javelin shape, Charlotte sparked it with the lighter. The blood immediately combusted, huge flames engulfed the puddle around Charlotte and the blood javelin.


    She stood in the flames, glaring at the monster, somehow the fire didn''t burn her, she threw the fiery blood javelin directly at the monster, the impact caused it to screech loudly and writhe around, black liquid spurted from it''s charred body.


    Behind Charlotte, Blaze checked on Mei.


    He helped her to stand, she wobbled a little. "I''m okay... just hurts a little..."


    Blaze nodded. "Just take it easy Mei, you''re lucky you weren''t injured too badly."


    Blaze turned to Charlotte. "I''m taking Mei back to the fortress, she needs to rest, I''ll return as soon as I can, hold off until then."


    Charlotte nodded. "Good luck Mr Blaze, I''ll see you soon."


    Blaze held Mei to keep her steady as the two walked away.


    The monster screeched and grew a scorpion stinger from one of it''s tendrils, another gained pincers and spikes.


    It thrashed it''s tendrils around, Charlotte jumped and ducked to avoid them, her movements were fluid and swift.


    She jumped around the monster, cutting off it''s tendrils as she went, it kept growing more, absorbing more and more Abyssal Energy, it grew stronger still.


    Charlotte doused the creature in her blood as she moved around, each leap and sprint around the creature spaattered more and more blood over it, once fully covered she stopped and turned to face the creature.


    "It''s over for you now, please don''t suffer too much."


    She sparked the blood and the creature was immediately engulfed in flames, it thrashed about and screeched.


    The monster shot tendril after tendril at Charlotte.


    She began to slow down. "Dammit, why now? I''m getting fatigued from blood loss." She solidified the blood seeping from her arm.


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    The monster swung it''s pointed scorpion tendril at Charlotte, it hit her directly and she flew backwards into a rock.


    As she impacted the rock, she landed in a sitting position, a small crack formed in the back of the rock.


    She choked up blood and tried to sit up. "This isn''t good, I wasted all of my energy too early..."


    The monster shook the flames away, it turned to her.


    The monster towered over Charlotte, it''s enormous mouth moved to meet her.


    "I fought as best as I could... I guess this is punishment for my past... Mr Blaze and Mei managed to get away... everything is okay..."


    Charlotte looked at the monster''s gaping mouth.


    She laughed breathlessly. "To think, one of The Monarch''s Lieutenants will meet her end from a Hive Class monster..."


    The monster impaled Charlotte''s left arm and both legs with tendrils, she cried out. "I''m sorry Mr Moore... I promised I''d come back alive... I thought I was stronger..."


    Charlotte felt an object in her pocket, she pulled it out with a shaky hand, it was the vial of a strange black liquid that Moore had given her, she looked at it and shook it a little, she held it to her heart and sighed.


    "I can''t use this... I promised I''d never return to that life... But.... I-I''m scared... I don''t want to die..." A tear rolled down her cheek.


    She popped the lid off the vial and held it up to her lips. "I''m sorry... I can''t die here... goodbye everyone... thank you for being kind to me..."


    She tilted her head back and swallowed the dark liquid.


    As soon as the liquid entered her system she passed out, her body went limp and the monster shot a tendril directly into her heart.


    Suddenly her eyes flicked open, they glowed a deep fiery orange, her two horns which protruded from her forehead grew in length and set on fire, they shone brightly.


    Blood shot from the pierce wounds on her body, firing the tendrils out of her, it immediately ignited, burning the monster and causing a loud screech.


    Charlotte''s body started to shake and writhe, long claws sprung from her fingers and her wounds closed as her blood solidified, she sprung to her feet, she giggled and looked at the monster.


    "Oh, it''s you, silly wormie, it''s been how long? Forty years? Wow, That''s a long time, well, you attacked me, so I guess you need to be taught a lesson."


    She tilted her head to the side. "Time to die!" She laughed.


    She extended a hand into the air, her palm open, she sliced open her arm again using her claws, the blood swirled upwards, into her extended palm, it formed a large ball in her hand.


    "My third power, this place used to be a battlefield forty years ago, souls of the dead, both abyssal and heroes, come to my aid!"


    The ground shook and various beams, both a radiant light and consuming darkness, streamed towards her, flickering gently.


    They all concentrated around the bloody orb.


    "Armies of the dead, aid me!"


    The orb burst, blood spattered in all directions, a feint glow emanating from each puddle as they pooled on the ground, they rose into humanoid shapes and solidified, their joints dripping as they moved towards Charlotte.


    "Gather around me." The bloody figures gathered in a circle around Charlotte, they all linked hands and she set one on fire, the fire leaped from one to another, before long she had an army of flaming undead warriors.


    "My warriors, kill the monster before you, it has chosen to betray an Abyssal Lieutenant!"


    The warriors began to move, encircling the giant worm, every time it took a strike at them with a tendril they turned into liquid blood, only to reshape and solidify again afterwards.


    Charlotte turned both hands upwards, the blood rain suddenly froze, it sparked and set on fire, the monster wailed in pain as flaming rain fell down from the sky.


    Charlotte giggled. "This is fun, I''ve missed this so much!"


    Blood flowed over her body from the neck down, it solidified and she set it on fire, a shell of fire coated her, almost like flaming armour.


    The moon turned bright blood red and eclipsed, etching the darkened sky with a deep red hue.


    "Hecate, named after the ancient Greek goddess, that is who I really am, the chosen strongest warrior from my Demon clan, one of the Monarch''s Lieutenants."


    She ran up to the worm, leaping over the monster and landing atop it, she began to punch and claw at the creature, tearing and burning it''s flesh.


    She laughed as she tore chunks off it, black blood spurted everywhere and the creature screeched, she bit down on the wound, sucking the black blood from the wound.


    She sprung off it and her fiery army knocked the creature over, tearing chunks off it, it shook and writhed while thrashing around.


    She charged at the monster, her burning horns pierced it''s skin, burning it''s insides and setting it''s blood on fire. She jumped back and nodded with a smirk.


    "You''re so strong, that makes things all the more fun, I get to torture you for longer!"


    The worm monster screeched and shot a large tendril at her, she smiled and jumped backwards, as the tendril lodged itself in the rocks she sprinted up it like a tightrope, she leaped backwards into a bacflip and landed in the monster''s gaping mouth, the creature glowed a faint orange from within, it shook around and suddenly exploded from within, dark liquid scattered everywhere, being absorbed by Charlotte who was standing in the middle of the burnt corpse.


    "Mmm, pure Abyssal Energy, I''ve missed it after so long, running on low power really drained me!"


    She sighed and looked around. "Seems The Monarch lost forty years ago, ah well, I''ll just have to revive him, now where''d he put that crown of his?"


    She began walking away, the fiery rain continued uninterrupted and the eclipse casted a huge shadow over the landscape.


    Her fiery army followed behind her in a straight line, marching to wherever she lead.


    Monsters burned and writhed all around her, the eclipse grew darker.


    Meanwhile elsewhere outside, Claude and Mirage were walking through the forest, the tremors still occurring, rumbling the land.


    Claire and Michael followed behind fighting off any monsters they came across.


    The group encountered a large, winged reptile, it hissed at the group.


    Mirage stepped forward and looked at Claude. "This is your time to shine, if you really are as strong as everyone suggests, then prove it, kill the thing before us, it''s a Hybrid Class, a fusion between a Reptilian Class and an Avian Class, end it Claude!"


    Claude nodded and extended his hand, he twisted and balled his hand into a fist, the monster''s neck exploded and Abyssal Energy spattered everywhere.


    Mirage nodded. "So you are as capable as they say, don''t get cocky, your power isn''t special, you just happen to be given a stronger power than most, don''t let it go to your head."


    Suddenly Ghost spoke up. "Heya everyone, listen, Blaze called in, he said Mei has been injured, he''s back at the fortress at the moment."


    The sky went dark and the moon eclipsed, a red hue covered the land and it began to rain fire.


    Mirage immediately created a gigantic mirror fragment above the group''s heads to shield them from the fire. "What is this?"


    Ghost continued. "It seems Charlotte went rogue somehow, we don''t know the exact details but she''s searching for something, she must be stopped, her Abyssal Energy suddenly spiked and now she''s unresponsive, return to the Fortress for a briefing, Ghost out!"


    Mirage sighed. "Damn Demon, I knew she''d betray us, should''ve killed her while we had the chance."


    He began walking back towards the fortress, the rest of the group followed close behind.

 Chapter 12: Hecate The Witch

    Inside a large stone room, the walls dark and damp, devoid of light aside from strange, almost living, looking lights on the walls, The Monarch of the Abyss sat atop a dark and twisted throne made from charred bones held together by Abyssal Energy.


    His dark brown hair crawled down his back, atop his head he wore a black crown, the frame looked almost like a birdcage, thorns adorned the black metal frame, the inside of the cage-like frame pulsed a sinister black colour.


    He wore a black cloak lined with bones underneath for defence.


    A strange red crystal sat in the middle of the cloak, within the crystal a strange shape, almost like an eye, glared outwards from the outfit.


    His dark soulless eyes gazed down at Hecate, who was kneeled before him.


    "The conquest is going as planned. The Abyssal Architect successfully constructed the Gates, the other five Lieutenants are out in the field destroying the last of my foes. Only you remain unoccupied Hecate, that is about to change, I have another order for you."


    Hecate shook nervously as she remained facing downwards towards the stone floor. Her bright blue hair hid her face.


    She wore armour made of solidified blood. "P-please Monarch, haven''t we done enough? Humanity isn''t coming back from this... why must we crush them entirely?"


    The Monarch smirked. "So, we have mopey Hecate with us do we? Shame, you''ve got potential, that insufferable personality. Empathy doesn''t suit you, my Lieutenants are my weapons, and a weapon doesn''t second guess itself or question authority!"


    "I named you after an ancient god so start acting the part!"


    The Monarch extended his hand, Hecate felt herself being dragged towards him by some unseen force, before she knew it she was in front of him, his hand clutched firmly on her neck.


    "If you won''t cooperate, I''ll have to make you do so!" The Monarch forced Hecate''s mouth open, she squirmed and cried out.


    Suddenly Abyssal Energy spilled from his palm directly into Hecate''s mouth, she choked and gagged.


    "Swallow" The Monarch forced her head back.


    Hecate swallowed the strange energy.


    "Good girl, that wasn''t difficult, and three, two, one." Hecate''s body went limp in The Monarch''s grip.


    The Monarch clicked his fingers. Hecate''s eyes flicked open and she gazed up at him, her eyes grew more fiery, her horns grew longer and claws extended from her hands.


    She smiled at The Monarch. "Hey, as much as I love being held by you like this Monarch, can you let go please? I kinda like being able to breathe."


    She wriggled free of The Monarch''s grip and leapt backwards, kneeling excitedly before The Monarch.


    "How can I be of service today Monarch? What sort of mission do we have?"


    The Monarch chuckled "Not we Hecate, just you this time, you''re needed for the final battle. The Golden Regent and his group are making their way here as we speak, to my citadel, I''ll meet Regent atop World''s End Summit as planned. I require you to cut off Regent''s allies at the root. Daniel Draven is currently escorting what remains of humanity to that little stronghold city of theirs, let them go, you needn''t bother with them, let them live in fear for a while, Draven is your goal, slay him and prevent him meeting with Regent!"


    The Monarch rose from his throne, his form towered over Hecate.


    "The Abyssal Oracle has informed me that I have a fifty percent chance of winning against Regent, one of us will die on that summit, in the event that it should be me I require a contingency plan, I won''t take my crown with me to the summit, you''ll know where to find it in the event of my demise, should I lose wait for humanity to become complacent then retrieve the crown and resurrect me."


    Hecate nodded firmly. "Yes Monarch, I doubt you''ll lose though. You were strong enough to unite the six Demon Clans, something nobody has achieved since the Demon King centuries ago. You even took a champion from each clan to be your Lieutenants."


    The Monarch chuckled. "You place too much faith in me, while I am incredibly powerful, so too is Regent, he''s unnaturally strong for a human, he''ll prove a challenging opponent. If the worst does come to pass, I''ll simply use my last resort, though it would surely tear this world apart it''d allow me to gain the upper hand against Regent. He''s humanity''s last line of defence, without him they''d soon perish!"


    Hecate nodded. "That makes sense, as always Monarch, I''m yours to command."


    The Monarch smiled. "Good girl, you''re as loyal as ever, just as I expect from my chosen Lieutenants."


    The Monarch waved his hand and a small worm-like creature appeared in it. "Here, this is the spawn of the King of the Abyssal Hives. Infuse it with some of your own Abyssal Energy and it''ll grow exponentially, a steady flow will allow you to keep it under your command."


    The Monarch placed the creature into Hecate''s hand.


    The blood armour on her hand liquefied and melted away, her palm exposed to the air so she could feel the worm. "Use it well, once it''s unleashed it can''t be contained again."


    The worm''s mouth was lined with long, sharp teeth, it bit down on Hecate''s hand, blood seeped into the worm''s maw.


    Hecate giggled. "Silly wormie, it seems a little hungry!"


    The Monarch walked towards a large slitted window, he gazed down at the world below.


    The flames of war danced from building to building, a city of flames, skyscrapers crashed to the earth, cars exploded and people fell in the hundreds. Abyssal monsters prowled the decimated land, the last of humanity''s army was shattered, heroes who stood against the abyss, decimated.


    The Monarch chuckled. "Kings, gods, rulers of all kinds, it matters not who they thought they were, there''s only one Monarch."


    The Monarch turned to face Hecate. "You''ve got your mission, you may begin from now."


    "Yes Monarch, I won''t fail you."


    "I know you won''t, you''re my Witch after all. Of all the Demons, the title of The Witch is yours alone, don''t disappoint me."


    Hecate nodded and rose to her feet, she turned and walked out of the room.


    Once outside, Hecate moved towards the main battlefield.


    Rain poured down on the damp and muddy ground, thirty humans all armed with guns stood behind barriers, shooting the Abyssal Monsters that poured towards them.


    In front of them stood several heroes, one of whom was Daniel Draven, survivors were hidden behind the defensive barriers.


    Hecate strode towards Daniel and smiled as he came into view.


    Daniel''s red eyes squinted as he recognised her. His short black hair soaked in the rain.


    Daniel saw her approach and waved to his men. "Take the civilians into the forest, they''ll reach Arhke soon enough, Hecate The Witch is here, I''ll deal with her!"


    Hecate''s hand dripped blood which formed into a sword, it solidified and the blade set ablaze.


    "Draven, I''ve heard so much about you, your power is really interesting to me, shall we fight?" She giggled and glared at him.


    Daniel stood his ground and the other heroes stood beside him. "Hecate, you''ve been more of a problem than most other Lieutenants, not only do you fry people alive, but you also force their souls to fight for you, they don''t get respite even in death, you truly are a monster!"


    Hecate nodded cheerfully. "Yep, that''s me, Hecate The Witch, certified monster! That''s why The Monarch chose me, because out of everyone from my clan I was the most perfect for his plans, which right now involve removing you from this world!"


    Her eyes grew fiery as she beckoned him closer.


    Daniel nodded. "I don''t believe we have much more to discuss, let''s end this, one of us dies here!"


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    Hecate smiled and charged at Daniel, her flaming sword crackled through the air, the blade impacted Daniel.


    He dissolved into a dark shadow which dispersed and reappeared next to her.


    "I hate it when you do that! Just stay still dammit!" Hecate swung her sword around frantically.


    Daniel raised several shadow silhouettes all around him, they attacked Hecate.


    She swung her sword to disperse them, only for them to reappear again shortly after.


    They charged at Hecate, overwhelming her and pinning her down. Her sword flew from her hand, landing and splashing into a puddle of blood.


    She struggled and writhed. "Dammit, fight me properly Draven, you coward!"


    Daniel nodded. "It''s over for you Hecate, this has to be a record by now, beating you this quickly."


    Hecate giggled. "Oh? Did you think I was done?" Blood gushed out of Hecate''s armour, the arm pieces dissolved away as more poured out, it shot up in a torrent, piercing the shadows and causing them to reappear a short distance away.


    Hecate stood up and looked at her now exposed arms. "Oops, guess I went a bit overboard, now my arms are unprotected."


    She shrugged. "Ah well, I''ll be fine anyway, after all, if you injure me that just gives me more blood to work with!"


    Daniel shook his head. "You''ve not been trying up to now, you''re trying to conserve your blood aren''t you?"


    Hecate smiled. "You saw through my bluff, guess you''re smarter than you look, I see why Regent chose you, that makes things interesting, I''ll give you a battle worthy of Regent Squadron then!"


    Her horns set ablaze and she smiled devilishly.


    Hecate''s blood trailed down her arm and pooled in her hand, she shook her head.


    "The Monarch always chooses the difficult jobs for me, you''re nothing I can''t handle though. Oh, by the way, The Monarch sends his regards, he''s passing through right now, on his way to pay Regent a visit... You won''t be by Regent''s side during the final battle!"


    Daniel signalled to the other heroes by his side. "Go, find Regent and warn him before things are too late!"


    The heroes nodded and rushed away to Regent''s aid.


    Hecate giggled. "Oh no you don''t!"


    She splattered blood through the air, it landed in a circle around the heroes, dousing some of them in blood, the ring then ignited, surrounding them with a ring of fire. "I''ll deal with you later... and don''t try to escape, the fire will burn away everyone''s bodies if even one of you tries to leave!"


    Daniel sighed and looked at Hecate. "That was a dirty trick, even for you."


    Hecate pointed at him. "Says the guy who just pinned me down and tried to kill me the coward''s way. Fight me properly, one on one. I promise to go all out, so you do the same, no holding back!"


    Daniel nodded. "Very well, this will certainly be a difficult fight. Humanity is stronger than you think Hecate, I won''t lose, but even if I do, I promise you one of my subordinates will bring your wretched life to and end! Regent is too strong for you and your Monarch, he holds the collective hopes and dreams of all humanity on his shoulders, he''ll win, for everyone who''s left, and for everyone we lost!"


    Hecate yawned. "Oh sorry, your monologue got a little long, you done agonising over humanity? Great, let''s start!"


    Daniel created shadows which stretched all around Hecate, she ignored them and faced him, her blood turned to embers as it dripped from her hand.


    She formed a whip with her blood and set it on fire. The whip crackled as she twirled around, swinging the whip with her, she impacted all the shadows, causing them to dissolve and reappear elsewhere.


    "Time to die Draven!" She flicked her wrist and the whip whistled towards Daniel.


    He dissolved into shadow, appearing off to the side.


    Suddenly the whip stopped in it''s tracks, it flicked to the right and flew at Daniel at full speed.


    "Nice try Draven, that trick only works once!"


    The whip impacted him, his arms shielded the brunt of the blow, burning his sleeves and charring his arms. He winced in pain and jumped backwards.


    He channelled darkness into his hand, he crushed his hand into a fist, the darkness spewed out in all directions, shrouding the area pitch black.


    "Now you can''t see my shadows, they are all still there however."


    Hecate''s giggles rung through the black void, suddenly from above a red streak of light pierced the darkness, the moon had risen, bright blood red and shining intensely and causing the darkness to dissipate.


    Hecate smiled. "Nice try Mr shadow man, your power is cool and all but I''m just better, time to meet my pet I think!"


    Hecate traced her inner wrist with her claws, causing blood to seep out, from the cut a small worm-like creature wriggled to the surface.


    Hecate threw it to the ground, she concentrated and placed a hand over the creature.


    The worm began to grow, slowly at first and then faster and faster, the worm grew to the size of a large house.


    Hecate smiled. "Wow, wormie''s all grown up, go get him wormie!" The worm screeched and writhed, it slid towards Daniel, he dissipated again and appeared behind the worm.


    The worm crashed into a rock with a loud thud, it recovered quickly and shot towards him.


    A bolt of pure darkness shot towards the worm, it pierced it''s slimy skin and caused it to bleed black blood.


    The worm suddenly sprouted hundreds of legs like a centipede, it scuttled along the ground and jumped into the air.


    As it landed it broke the ground beneath it, causing the land to shake and crumble.


    Daniel struck the creature with another blast, shadows surrounded it and it screeched, it thrashed around as it bled out, it hit Daniel, which sent him flying backwards, he landed on the ground and stood up.


    The worm burrowed underground, the land shook around it as it screeched and disappeared into the earth.


    Hecate sighed. "Well, that didn''t work, ah well, it''s more fun to fight for myself anyway!"


    Daniel shook his head and looked down. "I never thought I''d ever use this, you asked me to go all out, so that''s what I shall do... Draven Family Protector''s Artifact, Deathless Scythe!"


    He formed a shadow in front of him, it formed into a scythe with a pitch black blade and a handle which radiated a sinister aura.


    "This is the artifact of the Draven Family, this Scythe destroys the soul of a target it kills, denying them even an afterlife, I swore I''d never use it, but you''ve denied so many people proper deaths, proper honour. You don''t deserve an afterlife!"


    His grip on the handle tightened as he spun the scythe around in a large vertical circular motion in his right hand.


    Hecate looked at him and nodded. "A Protector''s Artifact? I''ve never seen one before, you brought that fancy weapon out just for me? Oh wow, I''m honoured!"


    The blood from Hecate''s arm solidified into a scythe shape. "I''ll use one too! That way it''s fair."


    Hecate swung the blood scythe over her head, she held it like a sword. "How does this thing work? I''ve never used one before."


    Hecate fumbled with the blood scythe.


    Daniel took the opportunity and dissipated, he appeared behind her, Hecate turned around quickly and with a large swing he shattered her abdominal armour and lodged the Deathless Scythe straight into her navel.


    Hecate spat out blood, her eyes widened in shock. "Y-you managed to hit me!? Owww, that thing is sharp, why''d you hit me there?"


    Blood seeped from the gash in her abdomen, the scythe blade lodged firmly inside.


    Hecate''s momentary shock faded and she giggled manically. "You know, it''s really funny... just how foolish you are... You know about my three powers, but I''m sure you also know that Demons have an additional ability, our Abyssal Curse!"


    Daniel nodded. "I know about Abyssal Curses, they''re seals that are placed on you at birth, they grant you a useful ability but there''s always a draw back, what''s yours Hecate?"


    Hecate smiled. "Glad you asked, I was gonna tell you anyway but it''s nice that you care! My curse makes my heart set on fire, my skin entirely fireproof, no matter how much anybody tries, I''m impossible to burn! The drawback is that once I run out of Abyssal Energy I''ll revert to some mopey girl who doesn''t share my memories. I''ll have you dead before that happens though!."


    Hecate''s blood doused her entire body, she set herself on fire, laughing manically, the Deathless Scythe began to heat up, the blade dislodged and Hecate immediately rushed around in a circle, she leapt over Daniel several times, blood poured from her fiery body.


    Daniel''s shadows swiftly moved to intercept Hecate, her flaming body stopped a few meters away, she held her hand in the air, blood and light gathered into a ball, she threw the ball onto the ground, it formed several humanoid forms made of blood, which she set on fire.


    The flaming soldiers moved to attack the shadows, both destroying each other and reshaping again.


    Hecate shouted from within the flames. "Thanks for this fight, you''re the first person to actually hurt me in a long time, this is fun! It''s a shame I have to end it now, goodbye Draven!" Hecate charged at him.


    Daniel, now covered in Hecate''s blood, created a net made from shadows, he threw it around Hecate, she stopped in her tracks.


    Her flames suddenly extinguished, the blood solidified into armour again, except it was weaker this time. "What did you do?!"


    Daniel chuckled. "I neutralised your fire, my darkness consumes the air around it, and without air, fire can''t persist."


    Daniel grabbed the Deathless Scythe, he held the blade to Hecate''s neck.


    He whispered in her ear. "You''re not getting an afterlife, not after what you''ve done! The Monarch will lose, and so will you, it''s time for you to perish!"


    Suddenly, Daniel''s body went up in a blaze, fire burned at his skin, peeling it off, he writhed and struggled as the inferno raged on, He screamed loudly as the flames engulfed him.


    Hecate began to laugh, her laughter grew louder along with Daniel''s screams.


    "You''re such a fool, you didn''t notice I was dousing you with my blood the entire time? I expected you''d do something like this! Perish in flames!" She laughed as he burned up.


    Without warning a black bolt shot from the inferno, it pierced Hecate''s navel again, her armour crumbled, revealing sliced up skin all over her body, as she clutched onto her abdomen, she glared at him. "You can still fight? Even while suffering immense pain? Just what on earth are you?!"


    Hecate coughed up blood. "Shit, this isn''t good, I''m losing way too much blood, I can''t solidify my injuries at this point, it''s a struggle just to maintain my armour."


    The flames eventually faded away, Hecate clutched her abdomen tightly as she wobbled towards the charred and burnt corpse of Daniel Draven. She traced a finger along the dry and leathery skin of his jaw.


    "I won, as I said I would... out of respect for your skills in maiming me... I won''t enslave your soul... your power can live on in another someday... goodbye Draven..."


    Hecate pried his mouth open, she wriggled her fingers into his mouth and began to pull, she tore his skull from his jaw with a loud crack.


    She threw his head to the ground.


    She turned to the other heroes as the ring of fire faded away. Her head tilted to the side and she licked her lips.


    "You want some flames too?"


    She ignited the other heroes who were still doused in her blood on fire. She chuckled softly as she wobbled from side to side.


    "I''m done... Monarch... I completed my mission... hehe" Hecate wobbled and fell into a small crater which was created during the fight. Her eyes began to close and she fell unconscious.


    Hecate woke up a short while later, she was sat in a pool of her own blood, the pool sat just below her bare shoulders.


    "W-what happened? Where am I?" She looked around nervously and then winced in pain.


    "Ah, my abdomen hurts... what did other Hecate do while she was in control?" She looked around and saw the masses of charred corpses, and Daniel''s head on the ground.


    She began to panic. "I-I did this?... And based on the pain I''m feeling... somebody managed to hurt me..."


    She heard a loud bang and a radiant flash of light from atop the mountain of World''s End Summit.


    Suddenly she felt lighter, more free.


    Hecate immediately knew what that meant. "T-The Monarch!! H-he''s dead... he lost to Regent..."


    She solidified the blood around her onto her body as armour and stood up. "I need to go... I can finally escape The Monarch... I need to be quick, the other Lieutenants will be looking for me..."

 Chapter 13: A Quest for a Crown

    The group arrived back at the fortress. Mei was sleeping on a makeshift bed made of boxes and discarded camp supplies.


    A sheet was draped over her body, keeping her warm. Blaze was stood beside her bed, he adjusted his cloth blindfold and turned to face the group as they arrived.


    "Welcome back, Mei will be out of action for a while, luckily her injuries are only surface level, she''ll recover soon enough."


    He nodded towards Mirage. "What did your group learn out there?"


    Mirage opened his mouth to speak when suddenly Ghost interrupted. "Heya, glad everyone is back together, listen, as I said before, Charlotte went rogue, something big attacked her and then her Abyssal Energy levels suddenly spiked to critical levels." Ghost sighed. "She''s an Abyssal Lieutenant... The Witch... somehow I didn''t notice earlier, do whatever you must. I''ll leave this mental connection up. Ghost out!"


    Mirage chuckled. "That Demon was The Witch all along? Interesting. I''m going to kill her, you''re free to join if you desire, it makes little difference to me. I''m taking Claude though, that''s non-negotiable."


    Claude looked at Mirage. "Don''t I get a say in this?"


    Mirage shook his head. "No. You don''t."


    Claire nodded and walked to where Mei was sleeping.


    Her voice echoed through Ghost''s mental link. "I''ll stay with Mei. This is my fault as her captain, she''s injured because I didn''t keep her in our group when needed. It''s unfair of me to expect Mister Hunter to protect her at all times."


    Michael nodded. "I''ll stay too Miss Regent."


    Claire shook her head. "No Michael, I need you with the main group, to make sure Claude is okay, he''s a member of my squadron and my subordinate, so I require you to keep him safe."


    Michael sighed. "Understood, I''ll make sure nobody is hurt, keep Mei safe Miss Regent."


    Michael bowed and then stood up properly and turned to Mirage.


    Blaze approached the group. "If all is in order here then I''ll join you out there too. You''re gonna need all the manpower you can get. Demons are no joke, especially Demons that The Monarch chose to be his Lieutenants."


    Mirage nodded. "I was wondering when a Lieutenant would show up, all six survived forty years ago, though Arhke''s public statement says otherwise. I didn''t expect this to be their first appearance, after forty years."


    The group walked out of the stone fortress. The fiery rain continued to pour uninterrupted.


    The dim crimson light from the eclipsed, blood red moon, cut through the clouds and shone down dimly onto the ground below.


    The four of them walked beneath a large mirror shard created by Mirage to shield them from the flaming downpour.


    "This is irritating, I can''t save my powers for combat because I have to maintain this barrier."


    Blaze nodded. "You focus on defence, between us four we can beat whatever comes our way. Try and rely on the rest of us for a while."


    Mirage sighed. "My talents are wasted like this."


    A long, thin stream of blood crept slowly along the ground, a small flame flickered from drop to drop.


    Claude looked at the flame cautiously.


    "It looks like it''s trying to guide us."


    Michael turned to Claude and shook his head. "It''s likely a trap. The Witch is luring us to her."


    Mirage chuckled and waved his hand. "She''s taunting us. I''m following the flame, there''s nothing she can throw at us that I can''t handle!"


    Blaze placed a hand on Mirage''s shoulder. "Julius, you need to be careful. I know that we''re here to hunt Hecate, but the reason she''s lasted this long is because she''s always a step ahead, her methods are cruel and unpredictable, we have no idea what''s waiting for us wherever she''s leading us."


    Mirage shook his head and brushed Blaze''s hand off his shoulder. "I''m going to follow the trail, you can come with me or you can burn to death without my mirror to shield you from the rain."


    Mirage began to follow the trail, the others followed closely behind him.


    The flame danced along the line of blood, it sped up and zipped across the red tinted landscape. The group followed swiftly behind.


    The flame slid under a rock which was covered in blood and then faded. The group approached the rock.


    Mirage nodded to Blaze. "Blaze, if you would."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Blaze nodded and fired his bullets at the rock, they bounced off it and suddenly turned to fly back at it.


    They lodged themselves in it and energy exploded from them. The rocks shattered to gravel around the area.


    Suddenly without warning the gravel rose up and formed a huge humanoid golem, the golem towered above them, around the size of a small house, the blood between the shards set alight and the golem stumbled towards the group.


    Mirage smiled. "I''ll keep the shield up, you know what to do Blaze!"


    Blaze nodded and called out to Claude and Michael. "You two, stand beside me, we need one unified attack to take this thing down quickly! On my mark."


    Blaze loaded his revolvers with bullets and opened fire at the golem. The bullets hit the stones on it''s body, causing flaming blood to spatter from it.


    "That''s the signal! Attack!!" Claude nodded and pointed his hand at the golem.


    Michael kept it focused on him as he ran around it''s body.


    Claude focused and the golem exploded, causing Claude''s hand to be pushed back by the recoil.


    Mirage nodded. "Let''s go, it''ll reconstruct itself and that gives us a chance to escape."


    The group ran past the destroyed golem and further along the blood trail.


    The crimson tinted air thickened into a deep fog and the fiery rain subsided.


    Mirage lowered the mirror shard. "Looks like I can fight again. Good."


    The fog thickened to the point that all visibility was lost.


    Blaze called out through the shroud. "Careful guys, we don''t know what Hecate is planning, she could be hiding in this fog."


    The group stumbled around through the fog, the ground began to crumble as they tried to find their footing.


    Mirage noticed what was happening and shone one of his mirror shards through the fog. "Follow my beacon."


    The ground collapsed behind them as they stumbled through the fog.


    The group left the fog safely, Michael, Mirage and Blaze stepped through the mist. Claude was nowhere to be seen.


    Blaze looked around. "Where''s Claude?"


    Michael sighed. "Not again."


    Mirage looked at Michael. "Again?"


    Michael nodded. "Claude disappeared a little while ago, when we were in Arhke, we didn''t manage to locate him for a while."


    Mirage nodded. "I see... anyway, let''s move on, we''ve got a Demon to catch up with."


    Blaze stood in front of Mirage before he could walk away. "Julius, we need to rescue Claude."


    Mirage sighed. "Do we? He''s likely dead already. People go missing out here all the time. It happens."


    Michael walked up to Mirage. "I know that the Demon must die, but Claude comes first, we need to find him, that''s non-negotiable!"


    Mirage chuckled. "What, are you his lapdog now too? Regent not enough for you?"


    Michael glared at him, his hands balled into fists. "Don''t you dare speak ill of anybody from the Regent Household. I am not their lapdog, I simply owe Regent a debt I can never repay. Not that you''d ever understand, you''ve always had an easy life Mirage. I''m keeping Claude safe because he''s a member of my squadron. Oh but of course the likes of you would know nothing of loyalty!"


    A voice rung through the area, Hecate''s voice. "Hey fellas! You want your friend back right? Right? I know you do. You should come see me, I''m in a special location to the north of your position, that''d be... that way!"


    A spurt of blood fired from the ground and landed pointing in a straight line.


    "Your friend is with me. Don''t worry, I''m a gracious host, I''m not gonna hurt him just yet, you guys should come see me... oh but time is ticking, if you don''t come pick him up by the time the eclipse ends, I''ll have no choice but to get rid of him... sorry, I don''t make the rules... oh wait, yes I do... and I wanna kill somebody, so come on already!"


    Mirage sighed. "She''s taunting us, let''s go. She wants a confrontation and that''s precisely what we''ll give her. Show her what happens when she underestimates humanity."


    The group began walking north.


    Meanwhile inside an enormous black hive, the size of a large warehouse. Dead Abyssal Hive monsters lay everywhere, doused in flaming blood.


    Hecate walked through the hive, her solidified blood boots clicked against the solid ground.


    Her finger traced a black marble wall, it glowed a strange dark hue. "Oh! An Abyssal Wall!" Hecate turned towards it.


    A voice echoed from it. "Hecate, it''s been a long while. The Empress is displeased with you, as are we. You fled when The Monarch fell, traitorously cowered as that pathetic girl." The wall boomed at her.


    Hecate shook her head. "The Empress? So that''s what Astie calls herself now huh?"


    The voice took on an angry tone. "Use her proper name, we don''t have time for nicknames Hecate!"


    Hecate sighed. "Fine, fine, How is Astarte doing? She''s The Empress now? I thought she was The Princess."


    The voice calmed down. "She was The Princess, however after The Monarch perished, she took over his empire, becoming The Empress, our new leader."


    Hecate shook her head. "Why do you serve her Al? You''ve always been prideful as The Apothecary."


    The voice responded. "Use my full name Hecate, it''s Alaunus, you know this by now, and as for my pride, since we lost contact with the Abyssal Wardens, we''ve lost The Oracle''s prophecies, so I have to improvise, which isn''t effective, as such, The Empress has appointed me her new and slightly worse oracle."


    Hecate nodded. "I see, sorry though, I only answer to The Monarch, and I''m gonna bring him back, the Abyssal Crown should be around here somewhere... I hear it calling out to me. Also, I''m gonna kill my other self, just give me some time. I''ll get rid of her properly very soon."


    "You said we lost contact with The Wardens? What happened?"


    The voice spoke up again. "After The Monarch perished, The Wardens decided to return to The Abyss, awaiting the arrival of The Monarch all over again."


    Hecate nodded. "I see, well'' I''m gonna do my thing, thanks for checking in on little old me."


    An audible sigh came from beyond the wall. "Fine Hecate, last chance. You''re lucky you got me talking to you, the others may not be so understanding."


    The wall darkened and the voice faded away.


    Hecate filled the room with blood and walked through it, lost in thought.


    "I gotta find this crown. As it stands now I can''t return to the Lieutenants like this. Come back to me Monarch, I need to be careful about this. I can''t afford to mess up. The Monarch''s resurrection is at hand, I need to find him and deliver the crown safely to him. This is something he tasked me with before he died, only I can do this!"


    "Monarch... I miss you so much... please come back and make everything alright again, I want to serve you again... you made my life so easy... just told me who to kill and where... and I''d do it... and you''d be proud of me... I''m gonna bring you back. I promise!"


    Hecate stopped in her tracks as she heard the sound of sloshing footsteps in the blood.


    Mirage, Michael and Blaze entered the main chamber.


    Mirage looked around. "An Abyssal Hive? Interesting choice for a base."


    Hecate tilted her head to look at them. "Oh, guests! Yay, you made it to my little party! Thanks for coming!"


    "Where''s Claude!?" Michael glared at Hecate.


    Hecate giggled. "Oh, your friend? I don''t know where he is. I lied to you to get you here. Isn''t that just hilarious!!?"


    Blood rose from the floor and solidified at the entrance of the chamber, sealing it off. "Let''s fight!" Hecate''s eyes glowed bright orange with exhilaration.

 Chapter 14: Blood Red Eclipse

The room was flooded with crimson blood, the main chamber around it a deep dark grey colour.


    Hecate faced the group as they approached. "Welcome everyone! Let''s get straight to the reason why you''re here."

 Chapter 15: Battle in the Abyssal Hive

    Claude wandered through the barren and gloomy landscape, a chilled wind blew behind him. The red eclipse began to wane, Hecate''s fun was almost at an end.


    As he walked, Claude became lost in his own head, trying to probe further into the fleeting memory he''d recovered prior. His thoughts drifted to Hecate, just what was she?


    Despite having never met her, his mind painted a vivid picture of Hecate, her creepy giggle, her fiery horns that flared up whenever she lost her temper, and her guiltless eyes, not a shred of remorse or guilt for those she''d burned alive.


    The land around him gradually gave way to the ruined Abyssal Hive that Hecate was waiting inside. Claude looked up at the looming structure and sighed. "This is it, time to meet Hecate, I hope she''s willing to talk, if I know who she is, she must also know who I was"


    Claude stepped into the hive, blood pooled around his ankles as he did, he knew Hecate was nearby, he could sense her presence somehow, almost as if he was attuned with her very soul.


    Hecate was stood upon one of the three solid blood pillars she''d created a while earlier. She tilted her head to the side and gasped when she saw Claude.


    "You''re here! You must be Claude, you''re exactly as I envisioned you, come, let''s play!"


    Hecate jumped backwards into a backflip and landed in the blood below with a small splash.


    She twirled around and faced Claude. "You haven''t changed at all, well maybe a little, but that''s besides the point."


    Hecate extended a hand to him. "Welcome back, I don''t know if you remember me or not, but we''re gonna have so much fun! You know, the entire time I knew you, I had no idea your name is Claude, that''s kinda strange."


    Hecate shrugged and nodded to Claude. "Anyway, I''m sure you''re looking for your friends right?"


    Hecate pointed around the room, to the three pillars. "They''re in there, I''m slowly filling the room with Abyssal Energy, if you can beat me, I''ll let them go, but time''s ticking, if you take too long then they''ll die!" Hecate giggled.


    Claude shook his head. "Must we solve everything with a fight? You''re defending an empty throne Hecate, your Monarch isn''t here, you serve a dead master. I don''t want to kill you, so give up and release my allies!"


    Hecate''s expression turned to anger. "An empty throne? How dare you! The Monarch WILL come back to me! He''s just waiting to be revived. Don''t make me angry Claude! You won''t like angry Hecate!"


    Claude smiled. "Your Monarch lost, give up Hecate, you''re serving a failure, a man who lost to a mere human."


    Hecate''s horns grew larger and ignited on fire, she glared at Claude. "That''s it, I thought you of all people would understand, now I see how wrong I was, you''re beyond my help, it''s time for you and your worthless friends to die!"


    She threw a disk of blood at Claude, it cut his arm and caused blood to seep from it. She smiled. "You''ve taken a lethal dose of Abyssal Energy! That''ll kill you without the need for me to waste my energy!"


    Claude held his arm tightly. He turned his head to face Hecate, a smirk on his face. "Nice try, looks like you failed." He clicked his fingers and Hecate flew backwards, landing with a splash.


    She swiftly jumped to her feet and faced Claude. "You''ve got crazy resistance to Abyssal Energy! You''re just like him... I understand now. This''ll be fun after all!"


    Claude glared at Hecate, his dull eyes burned with an almost electrical intensity, he chuckled.


    "I couldn''t possibly think of who you''re referring to, I''m simply Claude, the one who''ll be your end. You like fighting, don''t you Hecate? Fight me, I''ll put you out of your misery."


    Hecate smiled excitedly. "I take back what I said about you earlier, you''re perfect! Yes let''s fight, I wanna feel that power of yours again! It''d be an honour to be killed by somebody like you!"


    She cut her arms, blood flooded out of them like a waterfall, it changed direction and wrapped around her arms, solidifying into gauntlets, she ignited the gauntlets on fire. She put her arms up towards Claude. "Let''s fight!"


    Hecate charged at Claude, her flaming gauntlets drawn back in preparation for a punch. He chuckled and clicked his fingers.


    Her gauntlets suddenly shattered like glass as she pushed them forwards at him, they fell from her arms and splashed into the blood pool below.


    "What? Why? How? I... I see, you''re truly something special Claude. I can see why those guys wanted you around."


    She created a series of smaller blood spikes which ran up her arms. "Claude, I don''t know how or why you know how to use that power, but clearly I misjudged you initially, even with your strength, you''re stronger than I could''ve imagined, I''m gonna have a lot of fun here!"Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Claude nodded and smiled. "You won''t be having any more fun Hecate, today is the day you''ll see what true strength looks like!"


    Hecate giggled at him. "As if I''d go down that easily, I''ve seen what you can do now, it''s time for me to strike back!"


    She rushed at Claude. He clicked his fingers and Hecate suddenly jolted to the side. "Heh, I can see what you''re doing, that isn''t gonna work a second time!"


    She jumped into the air and crashed down onto Claude, the spikes dug into his body.


    "You dodged my atomic powers? How?" Claude glared at Hecate.


    "Well, I guess I just sorta knew what you were gonna do, it''s hard to explain, it''s as if our souls are linked." Hecate''s blood spikes melted away into the bloody floor.


    Hecate jumped backwards and landed a few meters away. "You''ve got ten minutes left Claude, the Abyssal Energy will reach fatal levels and all your friends will die!" She giggled.


    Fires began to spark up, the pillars ignited and then the blood in the room followed shortly after.


    Flames raged towards Claude. He tried to run but the fire cornered him against a wall. Hecate giggled and walked to him, through the flames.


    Claude''s head tilted towards Hecate, his face contorted into laughter.


    "Nice try Hecate, Just now I figured I''d try something new, and you''ve set me the perfect stage to do so."


    He extended a hand and the flames were extinguished. Hecate began clutching at her neck, coughing and sputtering.


    The flames on Hecate''s horns suddenly faded into a low glow.


    Claude looked at her with a deadpan expression. "I''m not strong enough to manipulate solids or liquids yet with my powers, however I''m more than capable of manipulating gasses, so I pulled all the oxygen in the room towards myself, blood and fire are useless without it."


    Hecate dropped to her knees, still clutching at her throat, she sputtered and choked as she tried to speak, a look of fear on her face.


    The blood pillars around her began to melt away, freeing Claude''s allies who were now unconscious.


    Claude chuckled. "Had enough yet? You really are weak Hecate!"


    Hecate tried to glare at Claude as her vision blurred.


    He pulled her towards his hand using his power, hr gripped her neck tightly as she tried meekly to scratch at his hands, she tried to create a sword using blood, but it immediately melted away.


    Her body went limp and Claude released her from his grasp. "Breathe Hecate, you''re not dead already are you?"


    Claude waved his hand and Hecate suddenly gasped, she began coughing and breathing heavily.


    With a struggle she sat up, her hand on her throat gently. "You''re... so strong... you beat me somehow..."


    She stood up and her legs trembled. "Heh... I''ve not felt fear in a long time..."


    "Claude... Demon customs dictate the strong dominate the weak, honouring my traditions I will listen to you... Your authority is overwhelming... just like his was forty years ago... You''ve earned the right to give me commands, just as The Monarch did decades ago."


    Claude chuckled. "Get down on your knees Hecate, you''ve got a lot to atone for!"


    Hecate fell to her knees and bowed her head. "Yes Claude, I''ll do whatever you command of me. You''re just like him... I miss him..."


    Claude placed a hand on her abdomen. Hecate looked up at him. "Claude? What are you doing?"


    Suddenly Hecate flew against the wall, blood poured from her old wound from forty years ago, she clutched at her abdomen with a hand, trying to contain the blood.


    "Gah... h-how did you know that was my weak point?"


    Hecate''s eyes closed and she coughed up her blood. "The bleeding won''t stop... This was your plan all along huh? You wanted her back... not me..."


    Claude approached Hecate and grabbed a handful of her hair, he yanked her head back.


    "Two rules you''re never allowed to break, the first is you cannot intentionally harm any of my allies, if you do, I''ll finish you off, and second, bring Charlotte back, she''ll be allowed to freely switch with you on command, fail to comply with these rules and I''ll kill you, do we have an understanding?"


    Hecate opened her eyes and glanced at him. "I said I''d do as you told me... if you want her back... I''ll let her come back... but she''ll be in the state I''m currently in..."


    Her head fell back and she fell unconscious.


    Claude''s allies awoke slowly, they looked around and saw Claude looming over an unconscious and bloody Hecate. Michael stood up and walked towards Claude.


    "You beat Hecate, I suppose I underestimated you, Regent Squadron is proud to have you Claude. Now, let''s finish her off before she wakes."


    Claude shook his head. "No, I won''t do that. Hecate is a true villain, but Charlotte isn''t, and she needs our help, I''ve managed to get Hecate to bend to my will, she won''t cause any more trouble, not while I''m around."


    Mirage stepped forward. "As if anyone would fall for such lies, I expected better of you Claude. Hecate is a Demon, Demons don''t make compromises or do as they''re told. It''s a fact."


    He readied his mirror shards.


    Claude turned to Mirage and Michael, his eyes shone with a strange authority. "I said stop!"


    Mirage and Michael were pushed backwards a little. Both looked at each other and then back at Claude, who was now facing Hecate again.


    Charlotte stirred awake, she glanced up at Claude and then gasped. "W-what happened? Where am I? C-Claude... did... did Hecate hurt you?"


    She winced in pain and held a hand to her abdomen. "I feel really weak... wait... d-did you... beat Hecate?"


    Claude nodded. "Hecate has been brought under my control, I beat her in combat and she''s obeying me now."


    Charlotte nodded to herself. "I see... I suppose I also serve you now... C-Claude... I''ll... I''ll do what you ask of me..."


    Charlotte saw the authority glowing in Claude''s eyes. She spoke up.


    "C-Claude... y-you have the Abyssal Authority... I-It''s a rare curse that humans are sometimes born with... it makes you immune to Abyssal Energy... but also alters your temperament sometimes... It makes it easier to control Demons... C-Claude... let me absorb some of your Abyssal Energy... I''ll be able to patch up my wound with that... and you''ll be able to return to normal before the effects are irreversible..."


    Charlotte extended a hand to Claude. He nodded and let her grab his arm.


    Claude began to calm down, the shine in his eyes faded back into his usual dark dull colour.


    Charlotte solidified the blood on her wound and stood up slowly. "T-there we go... everything should be back to normal now..."


    Charlotte bowed to Claude and turned to face his allies. "I''m really glad you''re all okay... I was worried I''d hurt you...."


    Claude turned to Charlotte. "Do you know what Hecate was here looking for? She said it was related to resurrecting The Monarch."


    Charlotte nodded. "I think so... it''s the Abyssal Crown... I can sense it somewhere around here... follow me..."

 Chapter 16: The Crown of the Saviour

    The blood red eclipse faded from the sky, leaving a vibrant and deep night sky in it''s place.


    Charlotte lead the group through a dark tunnel beneath the Abyssal Hive, she set her horns on fire to provide a light source for the group.


    The flames flickered dimly as she walked on ahead beside Claude.


    She slowed her pace and kept her head down. "I can''t hear them anymore... T-the voices of the other Lieutenants... Demon horns work like antennas... N-Normally I can hear what they''re saying... Hecate thought it was through the walls... b-but that''s silly... Abyssal Walls don''t exist... The other five Lieutenants have already disowned me from the group... I''m not one of them anymore..."


    "I''s just a little further... I can feel it calling to me..."


    Charlotte suddenly fell to her knees and scratched at her head. She made pained sounds.


    Her head throbbed with pain as she neared the chamber. Five voices echoed through her mind. The voices jeered and chanted. "Traitor!" "Traitor!" "Traitor!" Over and over.


    She shook her head frantically and groaned.


    "Charlotte, are you alright?" Claude quickly kneeled beside her, meeting her eye level with his own.


    Charlotte glanced up at him weakly. "S-sorry... It''s The Monarch''s influence, he''s... he was my master for centuries, I-I witnessed three reincarnations of The Monarch, each more terrible than the last... His influence still lingers a little, I''ll be okay... I-I''ll happily suffer forever, if it means I''m no longer under The Monarch''s control... It''s what I deserve... for what I... What Hecate and I did..."


    Claude shook his head and gently placed his hand on Charlotte''s shoulder to comfort her. "Hecate''s actions aren''t your own, yes you share a body, but your minds are separate, you''re not Hecate, and Hecate isn''t you."


    Charlotte stood up slowly. "Y-you''re right of course... I''m not Hecate... but, I still have to live with the consequences of what she does while she''s in control..."


    Charlotte sighed. "You''re kinder to me than any previous one... Maybe this time will be different..."


    Claude looked at her, a confused expression painted his face. "Different to the previous one? Well of course I''m different. I couldn''t be more different to The Monarch of The Abyss, right?"


    Charlotte nodded hesitantly. "I-I didn''t mean... never mind, don''t worry about it... what matters is you''re giving me orders now... let''s keep moving..."


    Charlotte turned to Claude suddenly and smiled softly at him. "You''ve got an overwhelming authority... similar to The Monarch... b-but there''s one big difference... I don''t feel scared of you, I was terrified of The Monarch."


    "I feel... I feel like a new era is finally dawning... Maybe I can say goodbye to The Monarch forever... I-Is it really okay for me to forsake him... I want to live in Arhke¡­ with everyone else... I want to be safe..."


    Claude nodded. "I won''t force you to continue this fight, but with your strength humanity stands a fighting chance. This isn''t an order, it''s a request. Will you fight for our side now Charlotte?"


    She glanced down at the floor. Lost in thought for a minute. Her head snapped up to face Claude, she gave a firm nod. "I will... I''ll fight for humanity!"


    She looked down at her right hand, a small flame formed in it. "These flames... they protect humanity now... no more humans will be burned by me... I promise... I want to atone for my past, even if this won''t make things right."


    Claude smiled. "You may end up fighting your fellow Lieutenants, are you certain you can do that?"


    Charlotte nodded. "I''m not close to any of the Lieutenants... even Hecate was a bit of a loner, We''re only connected through The Monarch, we''re just associates... They''ve sinned too, I want to atone by wiping The Monarch''s influence away forever!"


    Charlotte spun around and continued down the dark tunnel. "It''s just ahead... the Abyssal Crown..."


    The tunnel gave way to a large circular chamber. The group entered the chamber and looked around.


    The walls were adorned with strange markings and symbols, almost alien in nature. Charlotte approached the wall and traced a finger along one of the written passages. "The Crown of the Saviour, sealed below this chamber. Only to be retrieved by the chosen one."


    Charlotte nodded to herself. "It''s a passage written by the Abyssal Architect after this place was constructed. The Crown lies beneath us."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    She turned to Claude. "M-may I borrow some of your blood for a moment... it''s important to open the passage... it requires the blood of the chosen one... t-the one who has Abyssal Authority..."


    Claude extended his right hand, palm facing upwards towards Charlotte. "Do what you need to Charlotte. We need to get that crown before any of the other Lieutenants can take it."


    She created a small blade in her hand using blood. She lightly cut Claude''s hand, blood seeped from the small cut, she scraped some of it into her other hand and turned to walk towards a small raised platform at the back of the chamber.


    Charlotte poured Claude''s blood out of her hand onto the altar. It trickled along the floor and seeped into the tiles.


    The ground shook and a small podium rose from the ground. The middle opened to reveal a sinister black crown, a black birdcage-like frame sat atop the base of the crown, the inside of the cage-like frame pulsed a sinister black colour several thorny dark vines snaked around the bars. Inside the cage suddenly formed a small translucent, purple smoky eye, it immediately glared at Charlotte. Piercing her soul, Charlotte felt her throat tighten, as if a vice was gripping her.


    She coughed and began to shake. "T-there it is... the crown..." The flames on Charlotte''s horns suddenly extinguished. "It''s power is still overwhelming... e-even after forty years without a master..."


    As she drew closer her head throbbed. Her headache grew more intense as she advanced. She fell to her knees and trembled, tears streaked down her face as she fought the pain, crawling along the floor towards the crown.


    Claude and the group attempted to approach but something seemed to repel them entirely.


    Voices screamed at Charlotte. The voices of everyone she and Hecate killed. Charlotte covered her ears but the voices didn''t stop. She curled up and cried out.


    Claude shouted to her, his voice pierced her mind, louder than all the others screaming in her head. "Charlotte, The Crown has no control over you anymore. I am your master, not The Monarch. Stand up Charlotte!" The voices began to die down.


    She nodded and stood up shakily. The grip she felt on her throat faded. Claude''s authority had overwritten the crown.


    Charlotte quickly scrambled to touch the crown. As her hand landed on it, six thorns jolted upwards. Each bearing a ring at the base, six colours. Orange, Red, Blue, Brown, Green and Pink.


    Charlotte attempted to lift the crown, She struggled but the crown wouldn''t budge.


    Claude walked up and attempted to lift it, it felt like a feather as he picked it up and examined it. "Why did it look so heavy for you yet I can pick it up so easily?"


    Charlotte looked at him. "The Monarch once told me that The Abyssal Crown is linked to one''s sins... T-that''s all he told me... I don''t know how it counts sins or what the criteria is... but I''ve sinned a lot... so maybe that''s why I couldn''t lift it..."


    She shrugged. "Oh wait... the orange ring... that represents my clan. " She pointed to her orange horns. "L-let me see that for a second."


    She approached the crown and ignited a fire in her palm. She placed her hand beneath the crown and the orange ring burned away.


    The thorn attached to it withered and died. "These are a failsafe... each Lieutenant can destroy the ring corresponding to their clan... T-these prevent The Crown using it''s full power."


    Claude stepped back with the crown. He tapped his earlobe and contacted Ghost. "Hey Ghost. I found the Abyssal Crown, small problem is that I need all the Lieutenants in order for it to be useful. Beyond that I do have a question for you. I''d like to know more about the Abyssal Authority if possible."


    Ghost''s voice echoed through his mind. "Oh, heya Claude. I''m glad you got back into contact with me, it''s clear we have a lot to talk about. The crown can be brought back to HQ, I''ll get it cleared with Mr Draven. As for the Abyssal Authority. All I know about it is that it''s an incredibly rare ability, more akin to a curse. It gives the individual abilities that match the Demons. They become more powerful with Abyssal Energy, but... it alters them. Sometimes irreversibly. The Monarch used to have it. He somehow created a form of it that was even more advanced, allowing him to bend The Abyss itself to his command, I believe he called it Abyssal Dominion."


    Ghost went silent for a minute before her voice rose again. "I''ve gotten you cleared to come back to Arhke. Bring Charlotte back, Mirage told me what happened, don''t worry about a proper explanation until you''re back. Captain Regent and Mei are already back in Arhke. You and the rest of your group please bring the crown back so that I can write a report for Mr Draven. Okay, see ya back at HQ soon!"


    Meanwhile in an undisclosed location at Arhke. Five men sat in a dark room.


    Four around a table and one at a desk in the front, their faces obscured by an eerie veil that darkened the room despite the lights being on, they were nearing the end of a meeting.


    The man at the desk spoke first, his voice carried a sense of authority and command. "Gentlemen, This concludes our meeting for today. To end off I would like to ask Mr Draven. How is Project Arbiter coming along?"


    A man sat in the corner rose from his seat, he was shrouded in shadow, only his bright red eyes visible. "I am ready to initiate the next phase. The one we require is exactly where I need him. He''s performing well as a hero. I require your permission to keep the Abyssal Crown contained in the Hero Organisation. I believe this to be essential to the next phase of the plan. Beyond that I shall continue monitoring the subject."


    The man at the desk nodded. "I grant you permission to keep the crown at the Hero HQ, I trust you to do what is needed to achieve the results we require. Humanity''s future is at stake, do whatever it takes to make Project Arbiter a success."


    Draven responded through the darkness. "I will be working in collaboration with Doctor Wright to examine The Arbiter as he returns from a mission, I have Ghost writing a full mission report. The Arbiter is growing faster than anticipated. Expect a further report in due time. Thank you Chairman Arhke. I do however have one final report."


    Draven sighed. "A strange shadowy organisation has arisen in Arhke, they have proven to be enemies of the state and wish to put an end to Project Arbiter. They wish to steal our Arbiter for themselves. I have placed them on a priority list and shall report any further activity when I learn about it. That shall be all from me."


    Draven bowed and sat down.


    Chairman Arhke nodded. "Excellent, After The Golden Regent quit, I was concerned Project Arbiter wouldn''t be able to go ahead. However it''s clear I picked the right man for the job. The Golden Regent called my plan dangerous, a detriment to humanity. Yet without innovation we have no hope of survival. Meeting adjourned!" The room fell silent as the five men departed. Draven faded into the shadows while the four other men exited the building.

 Chapter 17: Return to Arhke

    Arhke''s enormous main gate slid open. A large group of police officers stood on the inside of the city. In a large semicircle around the gate. Claude and Charlotte walked ahead into Arhke. Followed behind by Mirage, Michael and Blaze.


    Charlotte glanced around nervously at the police officers, she lowered her head and walked close to Claude who was carrying the Abyssal Crown in his hands.


    As the group walked by, the enormous gate slammed shut behind them. One of the police officers stepped forward and spoke into a radio. "All heroes accounted for, plus the Demon who went on a rampage. Mission complete."


    The officer stepped forward. "I''ve been ordered to take the Demon with me for questioning. I respect that you''re a hero however I need to do my job. Please hand her to me."


    Charlotte looked up at the police officer hesitantly.


    She moved behind Claude. Mirage sneered. "Just go Demon. You''re only going to kill more people if you''re not locked up."


    She shook her head nervously. "C-Claude... what do you want me to do? I''ll follow your orders." Claude nodded.


    He opened his mouth to speak when suddenly Ranger Ranger and Ranged Ranger appeared from behind the police officers.


    "Welcome back to Arhke. Ghost sent me to get the Abyssal Crown, I''ll see it safely stored away at HQ, like a true ranger should!" He struck a pose.


    Ranger Ranger gestured to Ranged Ranger who stepped forward and took the crown carefully off Claude. "Huh, this is lighter than I''d expected it''d be. Are you sure this is the real crown?"


    She examined it cautiously. "Hmmmm, it certainly looks evil enough. Guess it fits the bill just fine." She stepped back beside Ranger Ranger.


    Ranger Ranger nodded towards the group. "You four should head to the Human Enhancement Institute. They want to perform check-ups to make sure you''re not carrying any lingering Abyssal Energy." Ranger Ranger gestured to Mirage to lead the way. He turned to face the police officers. "I''ll be taking Charlotte. Orders from HQ."


    The officer stepped  forward. "Sorry, I have my orders. The Demon comes with me."


    Ranger Ranger shook his head. "My own orders are to secure the Demon, as your superior I believe it''s best you allow me to handle this. I''ve already cleared it with your boss." The officer stepped back and grumbled.


    He turned to Claude. "I''ll make sure she gets home safely. Don''t worry, I won''t let the police interrogate her." Claude nodded. "Thanks Ranger Ranger."


    He turned and followed Mirage along with the rest of the group. Charlotte left with Ranger Squadron.


    The group followed Mirage through the busy streets. Crowds of civilians who''d come to celebrate their return, parted to let them pass, cheering them on as they went.


    Mirage chuckled. "Sheep. They don''t think for themselves, they just blindly celebrate. For all they know we could''ve returned emptyhanded. Yet they cheer regardless, because that''s what they were told to do." Michael shook his head and sighed. The group passed through the crowd.


    Mirage lead the group towards a large circular building. The structure loomed over the cityscape. It''s perimeter surrounded by security systems and defences. A large wall stood in the way of the group, a shaky gate attached nearby.


    Mirage approached the gate. He pulled a card from his pocket with his left hand and then flicked it into his right. He placed it on a scanner and the gate rattled and slid open with a screech and a beep from the monitor.


    The group stepped through the gate. The building was now more visible, with a large entryway and a sign above the entrance which read. "H.E.I". Blaze stepped forward and spoke up.


    "For Claude''s sake I''ll explain what this place is. This is the Human Enhancement Institute. They''re dedicated to researching and studying powers, to help heroes perform better and understand their powers. They also invented the Limiters and give us high quality healthcare as needed. The man who runs this institute is Doctor Wright. One of the Arhke Council members and a highly respected doctor."


    The group entered the building and were greeted by a young woman with blonde hair and a lab coat. She spoke in a professional and light tone. "Good afternoon Heroes. My name is Evelyn Park and I''ll be your doctor today. Please come in one at a time. I''ll check you over and make sure you''re fit to return to your work as quickly as possible. Okay, you first." She gestured towards Mirage, then looked down at an electronic tablet she was holding.


    "Let''s see here. Julius Silver. Hero Rank Gold. Okay, let''s begin. Come with me please sir." She lead Mirage down a white and well polished corridor, into a room with a light blue door.


    Blaze turned to face Claude while they were waiting. "Claude. I have a favour to ask you. I''d like if you''d consider asking Charlotte if she''d like some more hero work. I''m putting a team together, it''s just me and Julius for now, but I feel Charlotte''s power would be useful to us. She''d be assisting us on expeditions outside Arhke. Just as you did today. I feel having her on board would significantly increase our chances of survival."This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Claude nodded. "I see, so you want me to tell Charlotte to listen to you for a while?" Blaze nodded. "If you wouldn''t mind, it''d help me out a lot. And don''t worry about what Julius says. He may be a Gold Rank but I''m still his senior. I''ll keep him in line. No harm will come to Charlotte. I give you my word on that."


    Claude thought for a moment. "Okay Blaze. I''ll allow it. However, you can only have Charlotte under the condition that she agrees to join you willingly. I won''t have anyone forcing her to join."


    Blaze shook his head. "Of course Claude. I''d never force her to join up. Your permission to ask is all I needed. I''ll go and pay her a visit tomorrow. She''ll need today to recover from her sudden change in situation after all."


    Mirage reappeared from the corridor and walked back towards the group. "Blaze. You''re up. I''m going home, goodbye." Mirage nodded to Claude and kept his back turned to Michael as he left the building.


    Blaze walked down the corridor and disappeared into the same door Mirage went through.


    Michael gestured to Claude. "Come sit down Claude. I''ve got some things to discuss with you." Claude moved and sat down in a chair beside Michael. "What did you want to discuss?"


    Michael nodded. "It would seem I misjudged you, you''ve exceeded the expectations set by both myself and Miss Regent. I acknowledge you as one of our own. However excuse me for saying I still cannot fully trust you. I''m sorry. Your power needs re-evaluating. Me and Miss Regent must come to an informed decision on what role you''d be best placed in for the squadron. When you are done here I''ll inform Miss Regent and she''ll make a decision. Take a few days off, you''ll be informed on our verdict once it''s been decided."


    Claude looked down at his knees as he listened to Michael. "Why can''t you trust me? I don''t know what it is I could''ve done."


    Michael sighed. "Given your past, or lack thereof. I simply cannot fully trust you yet. A man shows up, without a memory to his name, bearing a power to rival even the strongest of enemies. It doesn''t line up. Where had you been all these years when humanity needed a saviour?"


    Michael shook his head. "That being said. I do acknowledge your success in the recent mission. Were it not for you The Witch would''ve killed us all. Somehow you managed to bring her under control. Well done on that Claude." Michael forced a smile and looked at Claude.


    Blaze returned to the group from the corridor. "Claude, you''re up." Blaze nodded to him and Claude stood up. He walked down the sterile corridor towards the light blue door. He gently pushed the door open with a squeak.


    Inside various machines hummed and Evelyn was sat at a desk. She smiled and gestured to Claude. "Come in Claude. This''ll only be a quick check to make sure you''re not suffering from any Abyssal Corruption. It''s quite routine." Her voice was professional and reassuring.


    Claude sat down in a nearby chair. Evelyn stood up and approached his Limiter first. "Oh, this is odd. You''ve damaged your Limiter... It''s been inactive for quite some time now. What did you do out there?" She examined the Limiter carefully. "It takes a lot to break a Limiter. They''re designed to withstand whatever strain any power we know of might cause. This doesn''t make sense."


    She turned and looked at a large box shaped machine in the corner of the room. "This machine will reveal the extent of the damage your powers have done. Please step inside the box and we can begin."


    She smiled and ushered Claude into the box, closing it behind him. Inside were several special cameras, designed for analysis, and various other pieces of equipment. Including a screen in front of Claude.


    Evelyn picked up a camera outside and began a feed directly to the screen inside the box so Claude could see her.


    "Okay, I''m turning the machine on now. Let''s see here... Oh... You''ve got small amounts of damage to your body, nothing major, it seems to have been caused by whatever broke your Limiter."


    She glanced at her electronic tablet. "Your battle report has come in, based on what the others reported to have seen while they were stuck. It looks like your Limiter broke when you blasted Hecate away. That''s the catalyst. That little atomic pulse you''re able to do. It destroyed your Limiter. I suggest limiting your use of that move. I''d say more than twice and you''ll face major injuries. Your power is a strong one Claude. Look after yourself and don''t overdo it... Wait... The Abyssal Energy in your system seems to have softened the blow... interesting, you''ve got a natural affinity for Abyssal Energy."


    She tapped her finger on the table. "Okay, you can come out of the machine now. I''ve got all the information I need."


    She extended her hand and helped Claude out of the machine. He sat down on a chair and she delivered her verdict. "I''d suggest using these next few days to recover from your minor injuries. Learn to restrain your power if you can. You''re too strong, using that pulse attack too often will result in your death. I''ll get a new Limiter made for you and it''ll be sent over soon. Okay, that''s all Claude. Take care."


    She waved him off and called Michael into the room.


    As Claude walked down the hallway Blaze approached him. "I''ll take you back to HQ. You live there yeah? Let''s go."


    The two of them returned to HQ. Blaze left Claude at the statue of The Golden Regent. "I need to file a full mission report... and do Julius'' too, because he''s gone home. So I''ll see you sometime soon Claude. Goodbye." He nodded and disappeared into the main building.


    Claude heard a familiar echo in his mind. He tapped his earlobe. Ghost''s voice clearly spoke back to him.


    "Heya Claude. Welcome back and good job on your mission. Miss Regent told me to tell you that you''re gonna be taking a support role for a bit. Her reasoning was that if you''re not careful your power will accidentally kill somebody. So you should work on learning how to use the power for support. That''s all Claude, I''ll call you again in a few days. Ghost out!"


    Claude sat down on a bench in front of the statue. "Great, I''ve gotta figure out all of this alone. Where do I even start?"


    Suddenly he felt a light tug at his sleeve. He looked down beside him and Mei was on the bench next to him. "Hi Claude... Good job out there..."


    Claude nodded. "Thanks Mei, are you doing okay after your injury?"


    Mei yawned and shrugged. "It hurts a little but I''m okay..."


    She looked at Claude with a blank expression. "If you want to learn about your power... let''s go to the Archive... I need your help to get some information of my own... in return I''ll help you too..."


    She stood up slowly and began walking. Claude followed her towards the Archive.

 Chapter 18: Answers

    "Mei, do you trust me?" Claude asked as he stood beside Mei in front of a large, black door, a small sign on the wall beside it was engraved with the word "Archive" neatly signed onto it.


    Mei glanced at Claude. Her sleepy expression remained neutral. "Did Michael tell you he doesn''t trust you?... He''s protective of me and Claire... He trusts me because I lived with the Regents for a while... In time he''ll come to trust you too... given your history I don''t blame him for being cautious..."


    She glanced at a card scanner attached to the door, she reached into her right pocket for a few seconds before she pulled out a small, black card.


    Claude looked at Mei and sighed. He raised his voice a little. "You dodged the question. Don''t do that. What did you say about my history? What do you know about me Mei? Answer me! Do you trust me or not?!"


    Claude straightened his back and stood in front of her, he glared at her, the same piercing glare he used to bend Hecate to his will. His Abyssal Authority.


    Mei yawned and shrugged. "Don''t raise your voice at me Claude... I don''t know anything... I just assumed I guess..." She faced down towards the floor but her eyes were fixed on Claude, glaring at him in equal measure. "Your Abyssal Authority only works on Demons by the way..." She sleepily nodded at him.


    Claude''s shoulders sagged and he took a deep breath. "I''m sorry, I kinda did that by accident. I didn''t realise what I was doing."


    Mei shrugged nonchalantly. "If you want people to trust you... don''t try to use your authority to influence them..." She grabbed Claude''s arm and he suddenly blacked out.


    He woke up on the ground several minutes later. Mei was standing over him sleepily. She turned back to face the door in complete silence. A subtle warning of what she was capable of.


    Claude slowly stood up beside her.


    Mei used her card she pulled from her pocket on the card scanner.


    A small beep and a pop-up on a screen above it appeared. It displayed "Administrative Access Granted." The door slid open with a click and Mei quietly walked inside with Claude following behind her.


    The archive room was filled with servers all along the walls and various terminals connecting to each. All labelled from A to Z.


    In the back there were old boxes stacked full of dusty files and binders. A security camera sat high up on the wall and various cables and wires snaked along the floor in neat tubes. The room was dimly lit with various flat circular lights on the ceiling.


    Claude turned to Mei. "What did it mean Administrative access? What''s that card for?" Mei yawned. "It''s an admin card... I borrowed it..." She walked over to one of the terminals and tapped the touchscreen.


    "I''m looking for something specific... if you want to find things about your power check the "Powers" section of the archive... and if you want to know about the Abyssal Authority... don''t check "Curses"... it''s not a curse..." She shrugged. "Check "Authorities"... you''ll find it there..."


    She turned to the terminal she was stood at and began scrolling across the touchscreen.


    Claude followed the signs on the servers along to the letter "P", he touched the terminal and various digital files popped up.


    "Powers, this must be the one. Let''s see."


    He scrolled through the files. Each one a case study documenting a specific power. Some he was familiar with, such as Mei''s dream power, and some he wasn''t, such as one titled "Protector''s Vow".


    Claude turned around. "Hey Mei, who''s power is this?" He pointed to the terminal. Mei sleepily wandered to Claude. She reached the terminal and silently read the file on display.


    There''s no name... usually there''s a name for the person who holds the power..."


    She swiped her index finger on the screen, the file moved up, revealing lines of black bars covering all the text. "It''s all been censored... This power is forbidden... I''ve heard of these before... It''s somebody we''re not supposed to know about..."


    Mei yawned and nodded. "You look through the file on your own power..." She slid her finger across the touchscreen, opening the file on Atom Manipulation. "I''ll learn more about the Protector''s Vow..." She wandered to the other end of the room, looking down at a monitor there, her eyes laser focused intently on the screen.


    Claude scrolled through the file, it explained how to use his power beyond just for combat.


    It explained how to manipulate states of matter and what level of concentration was required to achieve that. As well as other applications for the power in manipulating combat to the user''s advantage. Claude read along until it reached a part detailing previous vessels of the power. All information from there was classified and redacted.


    Claude turned to Mei. "Hey Mei, it''s mostly redacted. What am I supposed to do?"


    Mei tilted her head towards him and shrugged. "That makes sense... I doubt anyone really knows the truth... a lot of the files are censored..." She yawned. "Oh... by the way... I''ve got some information on the Protector''s Vow." Mei turned and faced Claude.


    "It belonged to an ancient hero... he lived centuries ago... but there are also reports as late as forty years ago... just before The Monarch reappeared..." Mei yawned. "He trained The Golden Regent... there''s no name on the file but his power was never inherited by anyone else... which means he''s not dead... he''s probably somewhere in Arhke right now..."Stolen story; please report.


    Mei approached another terminal and swiped the screen a few times and then waved Claude over and stepped back as he approached. "I found the Authorities files..."


    Claude swiped the screen and several files drifted by. "Authority over Heroes." "Authority over Darkness." "Authority over Thoughts".


    Several files with interesting titles, but one stood out to Claude more than the rest. "Authority over Memories."


    He turned to Mei. "What''s this one? What even is an Authority?"


    Mei shrugged. "I don''t know much about it... I think it''s sort of like... a special force... different to superpowers and demon curses... They allow people to control different aspects of the world... to bend them to their will..."


    Claude nodded. "I see, so could whoever has the Authority over Memories help  me to get my memories back?"


    Mei looked at him and shrugged.


    She walked forward and tapped a file. A small beep echoed through the room.


    "The files are all locked... I''ll get the code for the Abyssal Authority for you now... I don''t have the codes for the others unfortunately... sorry..."


    Claude nodded. "Mei. How did you get the code? And how do you know all of this?"


    Mei tilted her head and shrugged. "It doesn''t matter..." She glanced at the camera. "Ghost won''t bother us either... she''s distracted at the moment... so we can take as long as we need..."


    She smiled a little and calmly sat down on the metal floor nearby. "The files weren''t all censored at first... I think Ghost classified a bunch of them when she realised I could get in here...she doesn''t know I have a code for confidential files though..."


    Mei rummaged around in her pocket and pulled out a small wad of paper. She unfurled it and passed it up to Claude.


    The code was written in neat but slightly lazy handwriting.


    Claude carefully typed the code into the terminal. A file titled. "Authority over The Abyss" suddenly opened.


    Inside was a large study done by various important people in Arhke which outlined the past uses of the Authority over The Abyss and why Abyssal creatures obeyed The Monarch.


    Claude read through the document carefully, taking in as much information as he could.


    It explained how all Abyssal monsters have a certain level of Authority. The Monarch''s was overwhelming which allowed him to control all other monsters below him.


    Near the bottom of the document was a quote from Doctor Wright, the famous researcher and leader of the Human Enhancement Institute.


    "The Authority over The Abyss seems to overwrite the cognitive functions of Abyssal creatures, giving them the overwhelming urge to serve the one who''s Authority is higher than their own and feeling a sense of satisfaction from carrying out their orders. Minor Authorities are present in all beings, Abyssal monsters are no exception. They all have some degree of Authority. Since the dawn of time kings, political figures, leaders, all of these people had higher Authorities than those beneath them, creating a desire to serve, albeit small."


    "Minor Authorities are subjective however, for example a parent has authority over their children, an employer has authority over his employees. Sometimes a lack of respect or other similar circumstances have come into play, which can erode Minor Authorities, preventing them from working on everyone."


    "Major Authorities, like the Authority over The Abyss, are far more objective. There have however been rare cases where even Major Authorities have been ignored by certain individuals. This topic requires more research. I wonder, if one with more Authority were to clash with The Monarch, may that weaken his grip on The Abyss as a whole? Though The Monarch has since perished and at the time of this study nobody else has appeared with the Authority over The Abyss it''d be wise to study this further should The Monarch ever return. That way we are adequately equipped to deal with him. -Doctor Wright."


    Claude turned to Mei, who was still sat down on the cold metal floor.


    She yawned and glanced up at him. "Did you find your answer...?" Claude shook his head. "Not really. I discovered that The Authority over The Abyss is a Major Authority. Which means it holds more weight than say the Authority of Claire. She''s our captain and we follow her authority because she''s proven to be a capable leader with our best interests at heart.


    My Authority is different though. It''s more objective. I can overwrite the cognition of Abyssal creatures, changing the way they think, making them more subservient whether they like it or not."


    Mei nodded gently. "Your Authority... which you tried to use on me..."


    Claude sighed. "I''ve already apologised for that, I didn''t know I was doing it."


    Mei shrugged, her expression neutral. "It doesn''t matter... what matters is that we now understand how Authorities work a little better now..." Mei stood up quietly and walked towards the door, her back turned to Claude the entire time.


    "Let''s go Claude... Ghost will notice the files have been accessed... we shouldn''t be here when she finds out..." She walked out of the archive and into the corridor.


    Claude followed her and the two walked together in complete silence.


    The pair turned the corner and reached the main reception. Mei glanced at the commission board and sighed. "There are a lot of villains now... growing up Arhke was so safe... now there''s a new villain every month..."


    Mei yawned and turned to Claude. She approached him and leaned in close to his ear, she spoke in a quieter voice, nodding towards the camera in the corner of the room.


    "I''m going to look into the ancient hero we learned about... I''ll let you know if I find anything..."


    She stepped back, turned around and waved to Claude. "Come on... let''s go to the living area..."


    She began walking again, Claude not far behind her. By now the sun had set and the sky was dark.


    Claude and Mei arrived in the living area of Hero HQ. They reached a series of doors, all the same but with different nameplates on each.


    They approached a door which said "Claude." on the nameplate. Mei stepped in front of it. "Claude... do you still have the key card I gave you?"


    Claude nodded. "I think so, that''s if I didn''t lose it while outside Arhke. I''ll check now." Claude reached both hands into his pockets and rummaged around. After a few seconds he pulled out a card from his pocket. "Here it is. I knew I had it somewhere."


    Mei stepped aside quietly to allow Claude to open the door. He placed the card against the receiver next to the door.


    The machine beeped and the door opened slowly. Mei nodded and the pair walked inside.


    Inside was a familiar room. The room Claude had woken up in after the incident with Viper. It had various segments within it, all of which were well furnished and provided all he could need. Mei walked over to a chair in the corner of the room. A small seating area with a TV and a small table. Mei yawned and stretched her arms. Claude sat down on a chair beside her.


    She turned to him. "Claude... things will get harder for you now..."


    Claude looked at Mei, a confused expression on his face. "What do you mean?"


    Mei shrugged. "You''re a popular discussion at the moment... Arhke is dying... humanity never stood a chance against The Abyss.... and then suddenly out of nowhere you show up... somebody who''s able to turn an Abyssal Lieutenant to his side... a mysterious beacon of hope with an unknown past... Your life is going to get harder... everyone wants to see you succeed... don''t lose your way Claude..." Mei suddenly stood up.


    "I''ve talked too much today... I''m tired..." She turned to face the door. "Night Claude..."


    Before Claude could respond she was gone.


    Claude stood up and walked over to the bedroom segment of the room. He flopped onto the bed and sighed. "I didn''t realise how tired I am. I''ve done so much these past few days. I guess I should sleep." Claude''s consciousness slowly faded as sleep claimed him.

 Chapter 19: Training

    The sound of his phone buzzing woke Claude up.


    He rubbed his eyes with his hands and sat up slowly. His phone had been in his pocket the entire time, he pulled it out and checked it over to make sure it wasn''t damaged.


    As his finger brushed over the screen it lit up, displaying several messages from Mei. The messages were short and blunt. "Outside." "9 o-clock." "Training."


    Claude looked up at the clock on his wall. "8:30". He stood up and glanced around the room. "I suppose I have a little while before I''m supposed to meet her, guess I''ll check what''s on TV."


    Claude found the remote on a small table, he picked it up and pressed the power button.


    The TV screen flashed to life, it displayed a large room with a circular couch, a round table in the middle and a huge screen at the back, cameras sat in a ring around the room, filming in a semicircle.


    On the couch sat a young woman, her long light green hair sparkled in the overhead lights, she wore a flowing white dress with green trims and dark green heels. She looked almost ethereal in appearance.


    She smiled and introduced herself, facing the camera. "To those who are just tuning in, welcome back! This is Melody Mirage, on this segment of the Arhke News Network I''ll be interviewing one of our very own Gold Ranked Heroes! Please welcome a very special guest Blaze Hunter!"


    She waved her hand toward the edge of the camera''s view.


    Blaze walked onto the set and sat down across from Melody.


    "Thank you for having me on the show today Melody."


    Melody nodded. "So Blaze, let''s talk about your latest venture outside Arhke. Is it true that you''ve made progress toward undoing the damage done four decades ago?"


    Blaze''s demeanour remained professional. "I''m not at liberty to say too much, though I suppose it wouldn''t hurt to say we''ve made significant progress. The Monarch''s forces are now weaker than ever before."


    Melody nodded. "I understand, thank you for answering in the capacity that you can. Looks like humanity has a solid hope for the future. We can win against the Abyss!" She giggled.


    "Okay, next question. I''m sure you''ve heard the rumour that''s going around Arhke lately, people are talking about it both in person and online."


    Melody''s smile faltered. "Apparently a Demon has been sighted inside Arhke''s walls. It''s worrying a lot of people. Furthermore according to the history books, this Demon looks like Hecate The Witch. Has Arhke been compromised?"


    Blaze shook his head. "I can assure you and everyone at home that Arhke hasn''t been compromised. No Demon has gotten inside Arhke, especially not The Witch. What they saw was likely the Hero Organisation''s new experimental technology. It replicates past threats as sort of simulated holograms, allowing us to strategize on how best to defeat the foe. That''s all it was."


    Melody sighed. "I see, thank you for reassuring everyone Blaze."


    Blaze nodded. "Arhke is a safe place. About the safest on earth at the moment. The Hero Organisation will continue to protect everyone, just as we''ve always done."


    Melody nodded, her smile returned.


    She looked up toward the screen behind her. It displayed the current time. "8:55".


    "Oh, time flew by fast, looks like that''s all the time we have today."


    She turned to face the camera. "Thank you Blaze for coming in for this little interview, and thank you everyone in Arhke for tuning in this morning. I''m Melody Mirage and this was the Arhke News Network, the only news source that''s proven to be truthful one hundred percent of the time!"


    Despite Melody''s obvious lie, her voice sounded convincing, almost hypnotic, it was hard not to believe her.


    The TV screen darkened for a few seconds then advertisements began playing. Claude turned the TV off.


    "Blaze lies so naturally, I guess that comes with the experience." Claude thought to himself.


    He sighed. "And Melody Mirage, I wonder if she''s related to the Mirage I know. She seems far nicer than he is in any case."


    Claude glanced at the clock on his wall. "I guess I should get going. Don''t wanna leave Mei waiting, we''re already on bad terms after yesterday... at least I think we are. She''s so hard to read."


    He turned and left the room. In the corridor he could hear Mei''s voice just down the hall, she sounded like she was arguing with somebody.


    As Claude walked toward the sound he saw the door to a nearby room slightly open, from within he overheard Mei arguing with Michael, her voice was unusually assertive.


    Claude peered into the room while remaining hidden behind the door.


    "It''s wrong... I don''t want to be part of Project Arbiter anymore."


    Michael shook his head. "Mei, you''re integral for the success of Project Arbiter. The role you play is one only you are capable of. I''m sorry. I cannot let you quit."


    Mei shook her head, her shoulders sagged. "I don''t like this... it''s unethical... and The Arbiter is dangerous... too dangerous to keep in the dark... if this backfi-"


    Michael cut her off. "This won''t backfire. It''s the job of our squadron to make certain this doesn''t fail."


    Mei scowled at him. "Don''t interrupt me when I''m talking!..." She sighed and shrugged, her expression sank back into it''s neutral state. "You''re right... I can''t back out now... if you and Claire need me to keep using my abilities... I''ll do it... Don''t expect me to approve or to do anything more than I already am though..."


    Michael nodded. "All I require of you is to keep doing what you''re already doing. I''ll admit I was sceptical of Project Arbiter at first too. The results speak for themselves though, we''re making real progress Mei. We don''t really have a choice in the matter regardless. If we fail humanity stands no chance."This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Mei shrugged. "I need to go now... Claude will be waiting for me..."


    Michael nodded. "I understand. I shall see you later then Mei."


    Mei yawned and turned to leave the room. Claude moved with the door as it opened, hiding behind it as Mei walked out into the corridor.


    She disappeared around a corner and Claude stepped out and followed behind her.


    Outside he spotted Mei sat on a bench near the Golden Regent statue.


    She spotted Claude and yawned as she waited for him to approach.


    Claude walked up and sat on the bench beside her.


    "You''re late..." Mei sleepily turned to face him.


    Claude sighed. "No, I''m not. You just got here. Mei, what''s Project Arbiter?"


    Mei shrugged. "Project Arbiter?... I don''t know what that is..."


    Claude shook his head. "I think you do. I overheard your argument with Michael."


    Mei yawned. "It''s rude to eavesdrop... Project Arbiter doesn''t concern you... I''m not supposed to talk about it... ask Michael if you want to know..."


    "Mei, How can you be certain Michael will tell me anything at all?"


    She shrugged.


    "Claude... the reason I brought you here is to help you practice with your power... Claire and Michael will be here soon... we''re going to be doing a training battle... I want to help you learn how your power works so you can help us..."


    Claude stood up and turned to Mei. "Why do you want to help me? I thought you didn''t trust me."


    "I never said I didn''t trust you..."


    "Well then. Do you trust me?"


    Mei stood up and walked towards a small rock. She waved Claude over without saying a word.


    Claude sighed. "Of course. Dodge the question like always." He approached Mei. "What is it you wanted me here for?"


    Mei gestured to the rock next to her. "You need to learn to manipulate solid objects... try to move this..."


    "You want me to move this? I''m not sure I understand but okay, I''ll give it a try."


    Claude moved and extended his hand toward the rock. He took a deep breath and focused.


    The rock shook a little and then shattered into hundreds of small stones.


    Claude shook his head. "That failed. Guess I focused too hard."


    As Claude approached the pile of stones Claire and Michael arrived outside.


    Mei walked toward them. Claude followed behind.


    Michael turned to Mei and Claude. "We''re going to participate in a training exercise which has been set up to test our squadron''s ability to cooperate with one another in a combat situation."


    The two of them nodded. "So, who''s our opponent?"


    Claire gestured to the doorway. Ranger Ranger walked out and nodded to the group.


    "Greetings Regent Squadron. I shall be your opponent for this training session. There''s no need to hold back against me. Show me everything you have."


    Ranger Ranger escorted the group to a secluded area for their battle. He stood on one side of the makeshift battlefield while Regent Squadron stood together on the other.


    Ranger Ranger struck a pose and spoke up loudly. "Ghost is unavailable as she''s running a different mission at the moment. As such Captain Regent won''t be able to communicate for this battle. To that end I have imposed a handicap on myself. I will not bring Ranged Ranger to this battle. It''s a four vs one. Good luck Regent Squadron. You can beat me if you all work together!"


    Claire waved her hand, Michael and Mei moved into positions beside her with practiced precision.


    Claude watched as Claire made various hand signals. Michael and Mei seemed to understand exactly what she wanted them to do using the signals.


    Ranger Ranger stood in place. He made no moves to attack, observing the movements of Regent Squadron carefully.


    Claire put her hands together in a butterfly shape, a ball of fire flew from her palms directly at Ranger Ranger. He quickly raised his arms and placed them together in an X shape as the fireball hurtled toward him. Michael seized the opportunity to charge at Ranger Ranger.


    Michael leapt into the air as the fireball impacted Ranger Ranger, as the smoke cleared Ranger Ranger stood on the other side, unscathed.


    As Michael landed he wound his fist back and threw a punch at Ranger Ranger who swiftly weaved around the punch. He returned Michael''s punch with one of his own, which impacted Michael''s chest, sending him flying backwards.


    As Michael flew through the air Claude rushed to Claire''s side. "I want to try something that may allow us to turn this around. May I?" Claire looked at him and firmly nodded.


    Claude extended a hand toward the ground. He closed his eyes and focused. The ground vibrated and rumbled a little.


    Suddenly a chunk of earth shot into the sky, Michael managed to land on it to regain his bearings, he leapt from the chunk of earth as it fell back to the ground with an audible splat.


    Michael landed in front of Claire. He turned to Claude, who had now opened his eyes, and nodded, then he immediately turned and gave Claire a report.


    "He doesn''t attack. He''s just standing there waiting for us to strike. As if he''s holding back."


    Michael clutched his chest. "What is in those gloves of his. That punch was like being hit by a car."


    Mei stepped forward suddenly. "There''s something I''d like to try... Claire, Michael... you both attack Ranger Ranger... Keep him distracted... I''m going to try something..."


    Claire nodded and turned her attention to Ranger Ranger.


    She curled her hand into a fist and ice formed around Ranger Ranger''s legs.


    Michael took the opportunity to get in close. He weaved under Ranger Ranger''s punch this time, he threw one of his own, which Ranger Ranger blocked with his arm. The two were locked in fierce combat, a battle of attrition.


    Mei yawned and stretched her arms a little. "Claude... you can move objects now... I watched you do it... throw me at Ranger Ranger..."


    Claude shook his head. "I can''t do that Mei. That was a fluke when that bit of dirt lifted into the air. I''d only end up hurting you, or worse."


    Mei shook her head. "You want to win don''t you?... then trust me..."


    Claude sighed. "No. That''s final Mei. You saw what happened to that rock during my practice earlier. What if I disintegrate you?"


    Mei yawned. "if you concentrate... I''ll be fine..."


    "Mei, this is a low stakes battle. Even if we lose here there''s no repercussions. Why do you want to beat Ranger Ranger this badly?" Claude looked her in the eyes.


    A small smile appeared on Mei''s face. "It doesn''t matter... I just need to beat him this time..."


    "This time? Mei what do you mean?"


    "I''ve fought him before... When I was living with the Golden Regent... Me and Claire fought him in a friendly battle... We lost pretty badly... All he did was chuckle... he made me and Claire promise we''d surpass him some day..."


    "I see. So this is a matter of honouring that promise. Okay fine, I''ll help you."


    Mei nodded. "Something like that... thanks Claude..."


    Claude smiled as Mei walked to stand in front of him. "Just lift me up with your power... or however it works... then make sure to fire me directly at Ranger Ranger..."


    Claude focused and extended his hand.


    Mei began to lightly hover just above the ground. She remained quiet and focused. Ranger Ranger and Michael were still fighting one another. Claire launched various elemental attacks from a distance to slow Ranger Ranger down.


    Claude lifted Mei a few feet into the air then flicked his hand forward. Mei went flying toward Ranger Ranger, she extended her own hand, touching his shoulder.


    She whispered "Goodnight..." as she crashed into him. Ranger Ranger collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.


    Mei stood up and dusted herself off. She yawned and everyone else gathered around her. Michael spoke up. "Mei, that was reckless! Don''t act like that without briefing anyone about what it is you''re trying to do first."


    Mei shook her head. "Claire gave me permission... and it worked because we defeated Ranger Ranger..."


    Mei tapped the unconscious Ranger Ranger on the shoulder. "Good morning..."


    Ranger Ranger woke up and rose to his feet. He nodded and struck a pose. "Well done Regent Squadron. You managed to defeat me, just as I knew you would someday." He turned to Mei and Claire. "You both kept your promise to me. Utilising Mr Falkirk''s power to keep me busy was a good move. I admit I''ve never seen Claude''s power used in that way before. That was a spectacle to see. I thank you for this battle. I''ll see myself out Regent Squadron. I have a mission to attend to in a moment."


    The group left the makeshift battlefield and filed back inside the building.


    Mei was in a good mood when the group got inside. "Claude... let''s go somewhere special to celebrate..."


    Claude looked at her sceptically. "You''re not usually one to celebrate, I''ve always known you to shrug things off."


    Mei smiled.  "This is different... c''mon... let''s go..."

 Chapter 20: The Deal

    "Meeting. 6 o-clock. Back alley on 8th district. We''re willing to cooperate. Meet the go-between."


    Elijah Reid looked down at his burner phone as the notification popped up. The message had no sender, just instructions.


    Reid and three of his subordinates entered the dark and dingy alley, the sound of dripping water and echo of their footsteps the only sounds in the area.


    In the darkness a young woman came into view, she wore a black hoodie that had two plastic angel wings attached to the back and her hood up.


    Her dark purple hair was visible under her hood and she held a cigarette in hand. She had a large duffle bag slung over her left shoulder. Behind her sat a series of large black cases.


    She tilted her head toward Reid as he approached from the darkness.


    "Hey, you Elijah Reid?" She dropped her cigarette and crushed it with her shoe.


    Reid nodded and stepped forward. "Yes, that''s me. You must be the go-between."


    "Prove it''s you, show me ya card." She waved the back of her hand at him.


    Reid handed her his citizen card.


    "The fake one, idiot. I don''t care about ya real ID. I wanna see if you''re with my group or not."


    She flicked the card from her hand, it landed on the concrete ground with a light crack sound.


    Reid nodded awkwardly and picked up the card from the floor. He extended his other card to her. She snatched it from his hand and checked it over.


    "Elijah Reid. Pale Raven. Pawn. Got it, you''re the guy I''m s''posed to meet."


    She threw Reid''s card at him and he scrambled to catch it.


    She flicked her own card between her fingers and pointed it at Reid. "Here ya go."


    Reid took the card from her hand and looked at it.


    "Angel of Chaos? That''s your name?"


    "That''s what I call myself. You don''t gotta know anythin'' more than that."


    "There''s no photo and your rank says Pawn."


    "That a problem?"


    "Not particularly, I just expected you''d be one of the important pieces."


    "I''m just the go-between, suits me better that way, I don''t hafta do anythin'' too difficult."


    Reid nodded. "I suppose that makes sense. Anyway, let''s get straight to business. Did you bring the goods?"


    Angel smiled. "Yep, right behind me, they''re in those cases back there." She dropped the duffle bag from her shoulder, it landed with a dull, echoed thud on the alley''s concrete floor.


    She crouched down and began opening the cases one by one.


    "Stock check. 200 Assault Rifles, 100 Grenades, 80 Rocket Launchers and 20 Machine Guns. I''m just not gonna ask what ya need all this shit for."


    She stood up and turned to face Reid.


    "I gotta get a verbal agreement from ya, otherwise Queen won''t be happy" She pulled her phone from her pocket and hit the record button. "if I give ya these you''ll help us out on the chosen day. The day where King and Queen''s plans will take off?"


    Reid nodded. "Once Pale Raven secure power we''ll be there to assist in your organisation''s endeavours. You have my word on that."


    She nodded and hit the button to end the recording. She slid her phone back into her pocket and switched it off.


    "Great, then let''s complete this deal so I can go home."


    Reid''s subordinates approached the cases behind Angel. She stepped aside to allow them to inspect the weapons.


    "Everythin''s accounted for, you''re free to count again if ya don''t trust me."


    The duffle bag that she had dropped began to shake and rustle against the ground.


    Reid glanced over to it.


    "What''s in there?"


    "That''s my insurance, after all I gotta make sure ya don''t betray me."


    She stepped toward the duffle bag and began unzipping it.


    Inside was a small, completely smooth object, almost like a human head, except without any facial features. "I call him Casper. I dunno exactly what he is but he looks out for me. Found him in the crater that appeared recently."


    She reached into the bag and Casper suddenly began changing shape, he changed into the shape of a baseball bat, she picked him up by the handle. "He can turn into all kinda stuff. I mainly have him as a weapon to protect me."


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "What even is that thing? It looks like it''s made of human skin."


    "I think he is. I dunno the specifics but it feels kinda real, and super smooth too, most things just slide off him."


    Reid''s subordinates returned to his side, they confirmed everything was accounted for.


    Angel nodded. "Told ya, I''m not tryin'' to mess ya around. There''s a truck at the end of this alley, send your subordinates to load everything onto it. We''ll take the other exit, avoids suspicion if we travel separately from your crew."


    Angel gestured to Reid to follow her as Reid''s subordinates began loading the cargo onto the truck. The pair exited the alley on the opposite side.


    Rain poured down from the sky as they reached the exit. Angel transformed Casper into an umbrella and held onto him above her head.


    As Casper transformed a loud bang sound rang out through the empty street. A large bullet rolled off Casper and landed in her hand. She examined it for a second. "Sniper bullet... Shit, they followed me."


    "Who''s they?"


    "Arhke Police, I dunno how they''re here. C''mon follow me." She took off running, Reid close behind.


    "Streets are empty, They''ve been plannin'' this for a while!"


    She turned in to a small building on the side of the road, kicked down the door and jumped down a staircase. Reid followed behind, significantly less recklessly.


    "Down here. There''s an underground car park. We''re gonna escape down this way. C''mon."


    The pair rushed through the dimly lit corridor, as they reached the deserted car park Reid stopped her.


    "The police spotted you and their first instinct was shoot to kill. Who are you really?"


    "Wouldn''t ya like to know. It doesn''t matter, just keep runnin'', there''s a car further back, we can use it to escape."


    Deeper into the cold, dim car park they rushed. A run down car with a retractable roof came into view. "That''s our escape! Can you drive Elijah?"


    Reid nodded. "I can, though I''m not some getaway driver. I want answers."


    "I''ll explain everythin'' you gotta know when we get away. Hurry, they''re gonna catch up if we don''t get movin''."


    Reid yanked open the car door and slid into the driver''s side.


    Angel jumped into the passenger seat, sitting Casper on her lap. "Get going. We gotta move before the police arrive!" Reid shifted the car into gear and it began to roll forward.


    The car moved onto the road, a police blockade not far away. Reid slammed the pedal and the vehicle sped up.


    Angel leaned against the seat, the roof rolled down and she faced out the back of the car, using the seat as a barrier.


    A series of police cars appeared from around the corner. Angel turned Casper into a rocket launcher. "They''re here. I''ll try''n stop them. You focus on drivin''."


    Meanwhile, at a corner down the street, Ranger Ranger was waiting, leaning on his futuristic bike. He tapped the side of his helmet and Ghost''s voice echoed in his mind.


    "Heya Ranger Ranger. The plan was for you to stop an arms deal but it seems Arhke Police acted too early. They''re getting away. I need you to apprehend them. Good luck Ranger Ranger!"


    Almost conveniently, as the streaking, speeding car swerved around the corner where he was situated, he immediately leapt onto the motorcycle and set off after.


    Ranger Ranger nodded and turned to a modern looking motorcycle at the street corner.


    He sat atop the motorcycle and set off immediately.


    Angel launched a rocket from Casper, it swirled around in a spiral in the air and impacted one of the police cars, overturning and setting it ablaze.


    From the smoke cloud Ranger Ranger rode toward them.


    "Shit! It''s Ranger Ranger! This wasn''t s''posed to happen! Go faster Elijah!"


    Reid sped up, the car barrelled towards the end of the street as Angel aimed her rocket launcher and pointed it at Ranger Ranger.


    Meanwhile, outside of Angel''s field of vision, a police car sped into Reid''s car at full speed. It rammed the car and sent Reid and Angel spinning into a building.


    Angel jumped out of the vehicle, Reid not far behind her. She pointed her rocket launcher at the police car and fired. The vehicle erupted into flames and smoke.


    Ranger Ranger''s motorcycle skidded to a halt nearby. He stepped off it. Angel waved Reid over and the pair ran down a back alley.


    Ranger Ranger gave chase.


    Reid and Angel soon found themselves cornered in an open area surrounded by the walls of various buildings, a sewer grate sat on the concrete ground and several alleys exited behind Ranger Ranger.


    He struck a pose and pointed at the two of them. "Dealing in illegal weapons outside of government jurisdiction. I shall bring the pair of you to justice, like a true ranger should!"


    Angel shook her head. "There''s no weapons here Ranger Ranger. If we''ve been dealin'' weapons, then where are they?" She shrugged.


    Ranger Ranger shook his head. "Did you not think it strange that 8th district is deserted today? You''ve been on our radar for a while. Elijah Reid and... who might you be? I''ve not seen anybody fitting your description in Arhke before."


    Angel shrugged. "Call me the Angel of Chaos. I don''t gotta answer to you Ranger Ranger."


    He observed her more closely. "Hang on a second. I''ve seen that face before. Your appearance, mannerisms, even your voice has changed. You''ve changed so much I almost didn''t recognise you Violet Arhke!"


    She chuckled. "Been a while Ranger Ranger. Four years. How''s your joke of an organisation holdin'' up? I changed my hair colour, eye colour, speech patterns, everythin''. All to make sure ya couldn''t find me before I was ready... guess I underestimated ya."


    Ranger Ranger sighed. "Violet. I''m sorry we failed you. I understand you''re frustrated at Arhke. There are ways to express your concerns, ways to vent your frustration without harming innocent people. I cannot stand by and watch you destroy this city or it''s people!"


    Violet shook her head. "You never could understand. Even back then, before I destroyed the Arhke Academy. You never understood. What I went through was far worse than you can ever comprehend! This world punishes good people, breaking them, they''re blamed for retaliatin'', for fightin'' back!"


    Ranger Ranger stepped forward. "Violet. It''s not too late. Turn yourself in, come with me. I''ll make sure you''re treated fairly under the law."


    "Come with you? And get thrown in the deepest part of Arhke Prison. Stop treatin'' me like a child! I refuse to back down. I won''t falter to your na?ve sense of justice, nor am I gonna back down now. Liberation will come. It''ll come soon. Ranger Ranger, you know as well as I do. Arhke is a gilded cage. We''re not free, we''re not safe, I''d rather die than go back to who I used to be!"


    Reid chuckled and stepped forward. "Violet Arhke. That certainly explains why your details were mostly obscured. This is certainly unexpected."


    Violet glanced at Reid. "Elijah. Ready for the closin'' act? Do as I say and we''ll both get outta this."


    Violet pointed her rocket launcher at Ranger Ranger. "I know this won''t be enough to kill ya, I can''t let ya catch me just yet. Not when I''m this close to achievin'' what I''ve been waitin'' four years for. Goodbye Ranger Ranger. We''ll meet again."


    She pulled the trigger and a rocket hurtled toward Ranger Ranger. He caught it in his hand and crushed it.


    The rocket exploded, leaving a cloud of smoke around the area. As it dissipated Ranger Ranger looked around, Violet and Reid were gone.


    He contacted Ghost. "Ghost, tell Arhke Police to search the alleys and send in a team to investigate the sewers. I encountered Violet Arhke. She''s changed her appearance, we''ll need to update her wanted posted in HQ."


    Ghost sighed. "I was worried she''s show up again. Okay good work Ranger Ranger. We couldn''t find the weapons shipment on our end... this is gonna be a lot of paperwork... Okay head on back and I''ll let you know the results of the searches as soon as I have them. Ghost out!"

 Chapter 21: New Priorities

    "Oh, all of you are here today. What''s the occasion Regent Squadron?"


    Albert Moore stood at the counter in the Protector''s Rest bar. He was cleaning the counter with a cloth.


    Regent Squadron were gathered around the counter, each sat on a barstool. Mei and Claire in the middle, Claude and Michael on either side.


    Mei yawned and nodded at Moore. "We beat Ranger Ranger..." She looked down at the counter, a small smile on her face.


    He stopped cleaning, a surprised expression crossed his face. "You finally did it? That''s good news, means you managed to keep the promise you told me about after all." He chuckled. "Well then, since you four managed to beat a guy like Ranger Ranger not only is a congratulations in order, drinks are also on the house this time. Just the first round though. I gotta make money somehow. Plus Charlotte isn''t here at the moment so I''m short staffed."


    He turned to Claude. "Charlotte told me what you did for her. Thanks for freeing her from The Monarch''s control."


    Claude nodded. "I didn''t think I''d be able to do it to be honest. She''s really strong."


    The door to the bar suddenly creaked open, cutting off the conversation. Ranger Ranger walked into the room with Ranged Ranger following just behind him.


    "I apologise for my interruption. I bring urgent news."


    Moore nodded at Ranger Ranger from behind the counter. "Ranger Ranger, it''s been a long time, too long."


    "Indeed it has old friend, unfortunately I''m unable to catch up right now. Though someday soon I''ll make sure to stop by again, when the situation isn''t quite so dire."


    Moore stopped cleaning and focused on the group.


    "I know the drill. I''ll head out back for a bit. Knock on the door when you''re done discussing your hero business. As a retired hero it''s not my place to get involved anymore."


    Ranger Ranger watched Moore walk into the back, closing the door behind him. He waved Regent Squadron over and they all stood in a semicircle around him.


    "Ghost is going to explain alongside me, please allow her access as usual."


    Everyone nodded in unison and tapped their earlobes lightly. Ghost''s voice rang through their minds. "Heya heroes. Me and Ranger Ranger are gonna explain this one together. It''s a big one... ''kay so... there''s no easy way to say this but things have taken a drastic turn."


    Ranger Ranger nodded. "Violet Arhke is back! She''s changed her appearance, speech patters, everything. As such we''ll be updating her wanted poster at HQ. I have already notified Mr Draven, who confirmed Violet is still the priority target."


    Michael spoke up. "Violet Arhke is back? Why now after four years?"


    Ghost chimed in. "We discovered she was back a few weeks ago. Arhke police with my intel set up an ambush. The plan was to eliminate her during a meeting she was set to have earlier today, which I learned about through monitoring phone calls. Unfortunately the mission failed... Ranger Ranger was the backup plan. Which also failed..."uld that happen best case scenario is we''d have a lot of battles and arrests on our hands, worst case scenario innocent people die and the public begins to lose faith in the Hero Organisation."


    Ranger Ranger shook his head. "I''m not entirely sure how she got away. I had her cornered. It''s as if she simply disappeared."


    Claude turned to Ranger Ranger. "Is it possible she deliberately revealed herself? After all, she''s remained hidden for four years, but for some reason you were able to trace a call relating to her now of all times? That seems suspicious to me."


    Ghost sighed. "I think you''re right Claude... Dammit we got played!... The setup of the deal felt off, she had a getaway vehicle conveniently in place after the police''s snipers failed to kill her. She was expecting somebody to be watching, she split up from Pale Raven, who she was doing the deal with, as a distraction, so they could get away. Still, to be able to hide from me for four years she''d have had to modify her citizen card too, since I can see every single time a card is used in Arhke and where. She has some powerful allies."


    "I don''t know what she''s planning but based on who she was with when Ranger Ranger found her, that being Elijah Reid, leader of the Pale Raven gang. She dealt what seemed to be enough weapons for a small army, we knew about the arms deal but unfortunately we couldn''t find the shipment. Which means they''re in Pale Raven''s hands... Violet has a habit of creating disasters that we can''t cover up."


    Mei yawned. "Gang war... that''s what you''re thinking isn''t it?..."


    Stolen story; please report.


    "That''s right. I believe Violet is trying to start a gang war. I found leaked documents detailing a potential deal between this shadowy organisation Violet belongs to, and the Liang Syndicate... it seems they declined an offer to assist this shadowy organisation. The Liang Syndicate are virtually untouchable. As most of you well know, Arhke Council won''t let us go after them, they''re dangerous. They''ve killed heroes in the past to get what they want, however they''re generally not a major threat as long as we don''t directly target them. The syndicate''s four leaders are elusive and cover their tracks well, it''s impossible to nail them for any crimes, they always manage to wriggle out of the net. If Pale Raven is aiming for their territories or supply lines then we''ve got a gang war on our hands... We won''t be able to cover up something of that scale using the media... Which is exactly what Violet wants. We''re playing right into her hands!" Ghost audibly whined.


    Ranger Ranger nodded. "Elijah Reid has been elevated to a priority target. We need to find and subdue him before this gang war can begin. Otherwise it''ll be chaos in the streets. Should that happen best case scenario is we''d have a lot of battles and arrests on our hands, worst case scenario innocent people die and the public begins to lose faith in the Hero Organisation."


    Claire spoke up through the mental link. "We must make certain to take caution. Violet Arhke may not have any powers of her own, but she''s capable of horrific things on her own, if she''s allied herself with an organisation then she''ll have the means and resources to commit even worse atrocities."


    Ranger Ranger shook his head. "She seemed surprised to see me. While she definitely revealed herself on purpose I don''t think she expected we''d be on her trail this quickly. As it stands she underestimates us because we failed to prevent the Arhke Academy Incident. We can use that to our advantage, we must remain a step ahead of her at all times. If we fall behind she''ll be able to cause unmitigated pain and suffering."


    Mei stretched and spoke up. "The Liang Syndicate... the four leaders are my cousins... They are criminals but they follow a code... they won''t hurt innocent people unless provoked... they don''t hurt heroes unprovoked either... There''s a lot I don''t know... family secrets kept from me... but I do know that they can be reasoned with... if we can open negotiations, I know they''d listen..."


    Ghost gave a final briefing. "I just received orders from Mr Draven. Subdue Elijah Reid. We need him alive for questioning, taking him off the streets will prevent the gang war. Pale Raven is in a fragile state, without it''s leader it''ll crumble. Never forget that Violet is still our number one priority, if she''s found capture her and bring her in for questioning. However if capture isn''t possible then kill her, don''t let her escape again... I know murder isn''t part of our usual MO, but we can''t let Violet do whatever she wants for any longer... This order comes from Chairman Arhke himself, we have no authority to refuse. Another thing is under no circumstances is anyone besides the Hero Organisation allowed to know that Violet is still alive. There''d be mass panic if the general public found out."


    Ranger Ranger nodded. "I must be off now, It''s important that we stop this gang war before it begins. Remain on standby Regent Squadron. You may be needed soon."


    He walked out of the building. Ranged Ranger nodded at the group and followed behind him.


    Mei turned and moved towards the door behind the counter. With a soft knock from her the door opened, Albert Moore entered the room.


    "You''ve finished your business with Ranger Ranger. I certainly hope nothing too awful is happening. Last thing Arhke needs is another disaster."


    Mei yawned and nodded. "Everything will be fine... Arhke is protected by heroes..."


    Moore chuckled. "You know that line doesn''t fool me Mei. A line like that only works on the general populace. Though you''re right, Regent Squadron, Ranger Squadron, even the independent Gold ranks. You''ll be able to take care of whatever it is."


    Michael suddenly interrupted. "Pardon my abrupt interruption. Mr Moore, we must be heading out. I appreciate your hospitality but we shall be on our way. We have orders we must act upon."


    Moore turned to face Michael from behind the counter. "No problem, you four go and do what you need to."


    He gestured to Claude. "Hey Claude, hang back a second."


    Claude stopped and turned to Moore. "What is it Mr Moore?"


    "Charlotte has something she wants to say to you, she won''t tell me what it is though. When you''re done and get some free time come back and see me, Charlotte should be back by then. Thanks Claude."


    Claude nodded firmly. "No problem. I''ll be back soon." He headed out with Regent Squadron.


    In a dark corner street later that evening a man with black hair with streaks of silver and while in it dressed in a suit with a blue Arhke shield tucked into his pocket and a scar over his left eye stood against a wall. He felt a static sound ring through his mind and tapped his earlobe.


    "It''s been a while. What do you need from me this time?"


    "Heya Phantom, I got a mission for you if you''re interested."


    "Phantom huh? Using our professional names are we? Guess I''d best call you Ghost then. As for the mission, depends what it entails."


    "I''m gonna be honest with you, it''s a confidential one. I know I shouldn''t ask you this, and I wouldn''t unless it was super important, which it is. So please consider it for me?"


    "You''ve yet to tell me what it is I''ll be doing Ghost."


    "Here''s the thing Phantom. There''s a secret shadowy organisation making a move on Arhke. My hands are already tied as is, so I need you to infiltrate them for me. I need you specifically because of your... unique skillset... you''re perfect for the job."


    "You need my skills? I suppose this is a covert mission then. Alright. My prices are steep as you know."


    "I know, but c''mon, I need this. If you don''t help me then innocent people will suffer."


    "That''s what sets you and me apart, dear sister. I''m not doing this for heroics or any kind of gratification. I couldn''t care less what happens to civilians. I don''t even officially exist as you well know."


    "I can''t pay you. I don''t know what the police are paying you to run errands for them but I''m not able to match it, but I can promise this mission will be fun for you... Listen, it involves Violet Arhke."


    "Violet Arhke. Interesting. Alright fine. I''ll look into it, send me all the information you have about the job."


    "Got it, thanks Phantom. I''ll send you data on everyone involved in the group as well as any intel I can scrape from phones and security cameras."


    "After this no more freebies, no matter how interesting the mission is, even if we are siblings."


    Phantom''s phone pinged. He checked it, nodded firmly, and headed out towards the main city, disappearing into a crowd around a corner.

 Chapter 22: Threat Letter

    "Hello, is this Ghost?"


    "Heya sir, Ghost speaking. It''s rare that somebody like you calls me directly, what do you need?"


    "Excellent, in that case I''d like for you to notify Julius about a rather sensitive issue that has arisen."


    "Mr Silver, with all due respect, what kind of issue do you have that the Mirage Corporation can''t handle on their own? We''re really short staffed at the moment so the Hero Organisation can''t spare many heroes for other things. We haven''t had a lot of heroes as reinforcements since we lost the Arhke Academy."


    "I understand your difficulty however this isn''t an issue that can be resolved by the Mirage Corporation. It''s a family matter, I need Julius made aware of it."


    "Alright, I understand, what''s the problem Mr Silver?"


    "My family has received a threat letter, there''s no sender, the only legible signature simply says "Knight". Mr Draven and the Chairman told me I should notify you about it. Do you know anything?"


    "Knight... hmmm, yeah I think I do. Leave this with me, I''ll notify Julius about the situation. Bye Mr Silver. Ghost out!"


    Before Silver could answer Ghost abruptly cut off the mental link.


    Outside Arhke, Mirage felt a familiar static in his mind and tapped his earlobe in response.


    "Ghost, if you want a mission report things are going smoothly, painfully so. No Demons or any higher level Abyssal Creatures, just the weaklings, it''s incredibly dull."


    "Heya Mirage, listen, this isn''t about your mission. Your father, Mr Silver, he contacted me directly. He wanted me to relay to you that a threat has been made against your family. Being the only hero in your household I believe you should return to Arhke. Don''t worry about the mission, Blaze and Charlotte can finish it just fine."


    Mirage chuckled. "Somebody made a threat? My father is simply overreacting. He''s grown paranoid lately due to lack of suitable heirs, since of my family members only my sister and I inherited powers, and even then, hers isn''t suited for combat. This threat is likely nothing, though I''ll go and alleviate my father''s worry."


    He returned to Arhke and strode into his family''s manor.


    Inside the enormous, opulent hallway various house staff members bustled about urgently. One approached Mirage and bowed to him politely. "Young Master Silver. Several members of your family are gathered in the main lounge, please go and see them."


    Mirage nodded firmly. "Understood, I shall head there now."


    As he walked down the corridor a large polished wooden door came into view, standing imposingly over the rest of the corridor. The door creaked as Mirage pushed it open.


    Beyond the door was a luxurious and well furnished lounge. Three people sat in a circle on chairs, an older man and woman, and a younger man who looked a few years older than Julius.


    The older man and the younger man both wore smart suits. The older man had faded golden blonde hair while the younger man had much more vibrant golden blonde hair, much like Julius.


    The older woman wore a gilded dress, it sparkled and shone in the light from the window.


    Mirage greeted them all with a nod.


    The younger man spoke first. "Juli, welcome home. I''ve not seen you in quite a while."


    Mirage shook his head begrudgingly. "I told you not to call me that Alphonse."


    Alphonse chuckled. "You''ve not changed. As your older brother I think I reserve the right to use a nickname when referring to you." He lightly punched Mirage''s shoulder in goodwill.


    The older man shook his head. "This isn''t the time for idle banter. Julius, Alphonse. I summoned you both here to make sure everyone is protected. Julius is the only one with a power we can rely on, if it comes to it, destroy any foe who''d dare try to harm a member of the Silver family!"


    Mirage sighed. "I don''t really know why you need me for this. We''ve got a security team. I''m a Gold Rank Hero. I have more to deal with than a petty threat, even if it is against my own family."


    Alphonse stepped between the two. "More importantly. Where''s Ruby?"


    Mr Silver nodded, a look of contemplation painted his face. "She''s at a party. I called her about an hour before the two of you got here, she should be returning about now."


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Out of nowhere the TV in the room flickered on. A hooded figure with a silver skull mask covering his face appeared on the screen. His voice was heavily synthesised to sound incredibly deep. "Silver Family. Hello, you don''t know me but I know all about you. Call me Reaper, Knight of Ruin. I''ll cut to the chase, make this nice and easy for you. You have something I want, and I have something dear to you." He held a silver pendant up to the screen so they could all see it.


    The older woman gasped. "That''s Ruby''s Pendant. She''d never part with it willingly. What have you done with my daughter!"


    Reaper laughed. "Relax, she''s just fine, and will continue to be as long as you cooperate."


    Mr Silver glared at the screen. "We''ll never give the likes of you anything!"


    Reaper nodded. "Shame. I don''t wanna hurt the girl but since the situation calls for it I guess I gotta get my hands dirty after all."


    Alphonse shook his head. "Hang on, what is it you want from us exactly?"


    "Ah, the eldest son speaks up when his stubborn father won''t budge. You must really care about your sister. That''s sweet. I don''t wanna ruin such a lovely family by killing the girl so I''ll get straight to it. Where is the Silver Family''s Protector''s Artifact?"


    Mirage shook his head. "That''s not information we are willing to reveal. No matter the cost, If you think holding my sister hostage will get you what you want then you''ve made a very fatal mistake. I will not allow you to find the Artifact."


    Reaper chuckled. "The younger brother rejects the offer. I see." His head tilted to the side, as if looking at something just out of view of the screen. "Three days. I''ll give you three days to decide, the life of Miss Silver here or your Protector''s Artifact. If the Artifact isn''t willingly surrendered to the organisation I work for within those three days then you''ll never see the girl again. I''ll leave you to decide."


    The TV flickered and the screen went dark. Leaving the four in shock and worry.


    An hour earlier, outside a fancy club stood a young lady with bright blue eyes and golden blonde hair tied in an updo, her heels clacked against the concrete pavement as her bright red dress shone in the moonlight. Her silver pendant hung proudly around her neck.


    A black limousine pulled onto the pavement in front of her. She opened the elongated door and stepped inside, sitting down on the soft cushioned seat. "Driver, let us be off, my father won''t tolerate any further delays."


    The driver nodded. "Of course Miss Silver." The limousine pulled away from the pavement and onto the road.


    The limousine trundled down the illuminated street. Ruby looked out of the dimmed window, watching the lights go by, creating mesmerising patterns on the otherwise dull city landscape.


    After driving for fifteen minutes the limousine screeched to a halt. Ruby looked towards the front of the vehicle. "Driver, is there a problem?"


    The driver turned and nodded. "There are three people in the road. I can''t quite make them out."


    A few meters in front of the limousine stood three figures, one taller one in the middle surrounded by two shorter figures, all three wore black hoods to obscure their appearances.


    The middle one wore a silver skull mask. He was holding a scythe with a pitch black blade.


    The other two were identical in stature and movements, both raised their right hands into the air at exactly the same time, the visible skin on their hands was pale white, like snow.


    Suddenly a loud pop and a creak rung out through the limousine, Ruby looked at the driver and fell backwards in shock.


    The man who was once the driver was now a faceless wooden puppet wearing human clothes, he didn''t move or make any sound.


    The man in the middle of the three slowly walked towards the limousine, he kicked the door off and reached inside.


    Ruby kicked him with her heels as he tried to grab her. "Who are you? Get off me!"


    She felt a cold pressure against her neck suddenly and stopped moving, it slid around to her throat and she saw the pitch black blade of a scythe pressed against it, her eyes widened in fear and she didn''t dare make a sound.


    "Good evening. I''m looking for one Miss Silver, might you be able to help me. My name is Reaper by the way, my Queen demands something off the Silver family." He chuckled and kept the blade firmly pressed against her throat.


    Ruby''s hands shook in fear as she tried to formulate a sentence from her dry and shaky lips. "I-I''m Rubina Silver, what do you want from me?"


    Reaper shook his head. "It''s not what I want from you, it''s what I want from your family, and you''re going to help me get it Miss Silver. But first..." He pointed at the scythe blade, pitch black and sinister. "Do you know what this is?"


    She nodded almost imperceptibly. "I-It''s the Draven Family Protector''s Relic... Deathless Scythe. Why do you have it?"


    "Why indeed, it''s pretty clear I''m not a Draven. I suppose I''m just compatible, it happens sometimes you know."


    He reached over towards Ruby''s trembling body and grabbed her hair, tearing her updo down and pulling her out of the vehicle. Ruby screamed as he pulled her along by the hair. "Stop! Please stop it!" She cried out.


    He let go of her hair as she left the vehicle, sending her tumbling onto the concrete pavement. She made no attempts to stand from there.


    "Who are those two?" She pointed with a disoriented, shaky finger towards the two other figures.


    Reaper glanced at them. "They''re the Bishops of Control. They were chosen to assist me on this mission, if you don''t cooperate you''ll end up like your poor driver!"


    He grabbed her pendant and yanked it off her neck. Ruby yelped as the pendant''s chain cut against her neck. "W-what do you want?"


    Reaper chuckled. "I want the Silver Family''s Protector''s Artifact. My Queen commanded I fetch it for her, she can be quite demanding at times." He sighed.


    "I''m not gonna take no for an answer, now. Talk!"


    Ruby nodded frantically, tears streamed down her face. "Okay okay, just don''t kill me, please!"


    Reaped laughed. "I''m not gonna kill you, provided you cooperate with me."


    Ruby looked up at him, pure fear in her eyes. "It''s always on the house head... my father has it with him, my brothers will be with my father by now, you won''t be able to get it off him easily."


    Reaped nodded. "I see, that''s interesting. Alright then. We''re relocating, I have a TV appearance to make. Let''s go."


    Reaper grabbed Ruby by the shoulders and walked her away from the street, the Bishops followed behind, the puppet driver left behind as the only evidence they were ever there.