ã€ŠBrockton Bays Marvelous Mageã€‹


 Chapter One

    I shifted around on my seat, making sure most of my body was hidden by the bus stop''s protective wall. I knew the bus didn''t come by here for at least another fifteen minutes, and by then, I would hopefully be long gone. Or I would be, as long as the young girl I was keeping an eye on left her house when she usually did.

    I paused, letting my previous thoughts run through my head, rolling my eyes when I realized how strange it sounded. It was thoughts like that, as well as a few other equally surreal moments, that made me stop and question my sanity. It had been nearly a week since I found myself here, in a world that, on the surface, seemed so familiar but, on closer inspection, was so radically different. I was currently sitting on a street that looked no different from any suburban street from my world. And yet, this morning, I saw a teenage girl flying through the air, dressed in a tiara and a golden outfit.

    Hello, my name is William Kalus. I''m 28 years old, technically currently homeless, and stranded on a version of Earth that makes my Earth''s 2020 look like a paradise of calm, certainty, and bountiful prosperity.

    Oh, and I''m a mage. In a world where there was no magic.

    That was a relatively recent development, actually. In fact, it was one of the several things about this new¡­ life was the right word, I supposed, that made me question if I had lost my marbles.

    You see, I died. I kicked the bucket, bought the farm, bit the dust, gave up the ghost, and cashed in my chips.

    I died surrounded by people looking down at me, their phones out, recording as I gurgled and gagged on my own blood and shards of my ribcage. A car, some dinged-up old shitbox, had slammed into me going way too fast for the road they were on, flung me across the street, where I skidded to a stop along the sidewalk.

    I remember my thoughts being remarkably clear at that moment. I knew instantly I was dying. No amount of doctors or medicine would be able to separate the shredded remains of my internals from what was supposed to be my skeleton. I could feel myself dying, slowly losing strength, my heart slowly stopping. Then, as the light faded, I slipped away. The last thing I managed to do in my old world was to lose control over what little of my bowels were still intact.

    "Is everything alright?" A familiar voice whispered into my ear, coming from just over my shoulder, despite the fact that I knew no one was there.

    "I''m fine, just thinking," I answered quietly, taking solace in the familiar presence that surrounded me.

    I felt a comforting, slightly worried sensation wrap around me before it reluctantly pulled away. After a moment alone, my thoughts sunk back into my first steps into my current situation, this time slightly buoyed.

    I had died, and a second later, I woke up, standing in some sort of ethereal dimension. It was beautiful, but it made me feel incredibly small, standing amid planets and galaxies like someone had taken all the best images of space and photoshopped them together.

    Then, the entities came. There weren''t any faces or anything I could even identify as a body, but I could still feel their presence, like a weight on my soul. I was told in no uncertain terms that I had been chosen, that I was being taken and sent somewhere to participate in a forced after-death adventure. I was then informed that there were no alternatives and that I had no choice in the matter.

    I had the oddest sensation that someone had pissed them off.

    Thankfully, they did give me two separate boons, a sort of reluctant apology since they weren''t even pretending to care about what I wanted. The first was called Blank Spot, with a pinch of Someone Else''s Problem added in, to keep me from being attacked immediately for not belonging or standing out. At the time, having no idea where I was going, I had only been mildly thankful. Being a Blank Spot would undoubtedly come in handy, after all, but most settings didn''t really require that level of protection, right?

    Turns out that was a stupid assumption. There was a lot I didn''t know about this world, but even some short time at the Brockton Bay Public Library told me that any protection against what this world called Thinkers was a massive advantage. There were people in this world who could see the future, and the past, and could divine all sorts of information from seemingly nowhere. It was like Marvel and DC decided to have a kid, and it was born fully formed with a grudge against its own well-being and sanity. I didn''t recognize it in the slightest, and that was perhaps the scariest thing of all.

    Well, it would have been until I read about the Endbringers.

    I suppressed a shiver, though my frown shifted to a smile as a warm breeze blew over me, washing away the encroaching panic.

    "Thank you," I muttered, feeling the wind russle my hair slightly.

    After spending a minute or so just sitting at the bus stop, stewing in my bad luck, I shook it off. I knew, eventually, I would most likely be able to handle the Endbringers, whatever the fuck they actually were, but reading about what they were capable of was still harrowing. It made me want to run away and hide myself in the middle of nowhere, where they would never go. It made me want to invest all my next recharge into something that would let me leave this world and escape to one not currently circling the drain.

    But no, I couldn''t do that. As horrifying as the realization had been, I now knew I was too good of a person to run from something like this. As much as I hated the entities for snagging me away from whatever afterlife I was heading towards, they had given me power and a mission to help this world survive its encroaching apocalypse.

    Thank god I got something powerful enough to make that possible.

    It was interesting because I recognized my power. Or, rather, I recognized what it was based on. Inspired Inventor, the ability to spend an allowance of recharging points to purchase knowledge of topics. I knew a few different versions existed, all from fanfiction, but I wasn''t sure of its exact origins. Depending on just what version you were talking about, the user was restricted by how many points they received, as well as how expensive buying each stacking level was.

    My version was different at its very foundation. Rather than tech or scientific knowledge, my version was focused on magic. I got six charges every two weeks to spend on the knowledge of spells, rituals, potions, and everything in between, with each level of knowledge costing its number in charges. So my two charges in healing spells cast three points, as did my two in lightning spells. My two in geomancy were free, but I''ll get back to that.

    I also got the opportunity to earn a few more charges in the form of quests. I wasn''t exactly sure what activated the quests, I just knew that I would occasionally get new ones. My first and current quest was to prevent a young girl from triggering. Since the quest activated, we had been keeping a close eye on her, which was why I was creepily waiting outside their home at a nearby bus station.

    "She is on the move," The whispering voice said into my ear. "Coming out of the front entrance, just like usual."

    I nodded and focused on the moment. According to my task, sometime between two days ago and tomorrow, a young girl would live through something so terrible that she would undergo a trigger event, the process that was this world''s power genesis.

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    According to what I read online, it was considered the person''s worst day ever, something so terrible and horrifying that it would forever mark them psychologically, while also giving them superpowers. Interestingly enough, the theory seemed to be generally discounted and hardly talked about, despite my power clearly believing it was correct. It also seemed to think this particular young girl''s life would be much better off without one.

    Another breeze, this one a bit rougher, pushed at my back, and I stood up, accepting the nudge for what it was, a reminder to move. Just down the street, I could see the young girl step out onto her front porch, waiting impatiently for someone else. A woman, not old enough to be her mom, stepped out soon after.

    Immediately, the young girl started to walk down the front steps, forcing the woman to hurry and catch up. When they got to the edge of the front walk, the younger girl clearly wanted to go left, while the older woman wanted to go right. For a moment, they debated before the woman sagged, and the young girl cheered, leading the way in the direction she had wanted.

    Despite the woman losing whatever debate they were having, both of them were smiling and chatting as they walked, making their way down their street and towards the city. I was pretty sure they were on their way to visit one of the young girl''s parents at work, but I wasn''t sure.

    I didn''t want to invade their privacy too much, just enough to stop whatever catastrophe was supposed to happen from happening.

    I followed after them from a distance, relying on the breezes and nudges to keep me on track whenever I lost sight of them. I didn''t know when it would happen, I just knew that it would happen eventually. The pair continued to walk toward the city, the buildings getting more and more dense as they went. They were cutting through an area that didn''t have a very good reputation, which was probably what the debate had been about.

    I watched as, further down the street, the pair turned around the corner, disappearing from view. Suddenly, gunshots echoed through the streets. They were depressingly common in this city, but these came from the street my current target had just headed down, and I couldn''t help but curse. Defying all personal expectations, I rushed forward, crossing the street and stepping around the corner.

    There, only a dozen or so feet past where I had lost sight of them was the woman and the girl. The girl was partially cowering beside the woman, who was now lying on the ground, clutching her stomach. Beyond them was some sort of ongoing gang activity, the Azn Bad Boys, or ABB, if I remember their colors correctly.

    Even as more bullets flew, shattering a nearby car window, I pushed and ran around the corner, ducking low. I approached the pair, finally in range to hear what they were saying.

    "Dinah, go hide behind a car, it''s okay, I''ll be okay," She said, sounding weak already, even as Dinah was trying to drag her into cover with her. "Just go, sweetie, it''s okay-"

    "I got her girl, just go," I said, reaching down to grab the woman''s arms and pulling her behind a car.

    I wasn''t sure, but I might have seen a few bullets slap and skip off the asphalt just about where the woman had been lying. Once we were behind cover, I started examining the woman''s wounds. If the growing blood stains in her clothes were any indication, she had been shot three or four times.

    "Is she going to be alright?" The girl, Dinah asked, ducking down as another bullet whizzed over us. "This is all my fault, I should have known the area-"

    Before I could do anything, the woman passed out, her face pale from blood loss. Dinah screamed, reaching out for her in panic.

    "It''s okay girl, she is just unconscious," I explained, but I knew that it was a bad sign.

    She was losing too much blood way too quickly. If I didn''t do something now, she would be long dead before help got here.

    "Alya, is anyone looking?" I asked, not looking away from the woman, waiting a few seconds for a warm, encouraging breeze to flutter around me.

    "Alright then, leap of faith," I muttered, before reaching deep and pulling on my mana, guiding it into my hands as I placed them over the woman''s stomach. ¡°Sagitta de mea carne ventilabis.¡±

    My hands glowed for a moment, two small circles appearing around my hands. The circles glowed gold, as four arcane symbols appeared inside each one. The sigils pulsed, and my magic released into the woman, reaching inside her and pulling out four bullets. The small but lethal chunks of metal slid out through the holes in the woman''s clothes, rolling off to the ground. Dinah gasped, her eyes wide as she watched me perform my magic.

    "Reficere carnem, musculus et os," I intoned next, my magic flaring again in the same gold color. ¡°Altiorem intensionem salutis! Imple corpus sanguine eget!¡±

    This time, a pair of gold bands, made from my mana, expanded from my hands, wrapping around the woman''s torso. More arcane symbols traced around the band, spinning around it as I added an extra boost with the additive second spell. I was using a good chunk of my mana to make sure this woman would be completely healed.

    With a final pulse, the energy of the magic poured into the woman, heading right for her wounds. The blood and holes remained in her clothes, but I could feel the magic working, repairing almost all of the damage the bullets had done. When the glow subsided, the woman was looking significantly less pale, and her breathing had returned to normal. The young girl, Dinah, looked like she was struggling to figure out who she should stare at, me or the newly healed woman.

    "You saved her!" She said excitedly. "Are you a cape? You can heal people!"

    "Yeah, I did, but¡­ Dinah, listen, I need you to keep this a secret for me," I asked, trying to impress just how serious the situation was to the young girl.

    "The gangers are running, and the police are on the way," Alya whispered in my ear. "I''m keeping your conversation quiet, but you don''t have long.

    Trusting Alya to have my back, I focused on Dinah, who was looking at me while desperately clinging to the woman''s hand.

    "I''m not ready to debut yet, and I don''t have my mask¡­" I pointed out.

    Technically, that wasn''t a hundred percent true, I just didn''t have it with me. I had made one as a precaution, only to realize there was no way I would be able to follow after the two of them with a mask on. Of course, if I tried to put it on before coming to help, chances are I would show up too late.

    "Oh my gosh¡­" The young girl said, "You''re right! I won''t tell anyone! I''ll take your secret to my grave!"

    "You don''t have to go that far," I assured her. "Just tell anyone who asks you aren''t sure what happened."

    "Oh! I''ll tell everyone I fainted after pulling Aunt Claire out of the street," She said, surprising me with the decent idea. "Does that work?"

    "I think that works perfectly. Thank you."

    "No, thank you!" She said, leaning over her aunt to give me a hug, surprising me yet again. "Thank you so much!"

    "It''s time to go," Alya whispered before I could say anything else, and I slowly pulled away from Dinah.

    "You''re welcome. I''m just glad I could help," I said with a smile as I stood, looking around and seeing that no one was really looking our way.

    "Good luck!" Dinah called after me as I stepped away and jogged around the corner, out of sight.

    Slipping away was easy to do with all the chaos, even as the police started to arrive on the scene. Alya guided me along through alleys and across parking lots until I finally recognized where we were and could make the rest of the way from memory.

    After about fifteen minutes of walking, I reached the abandoned shop where I had been living. Its windows were all solidly boarded up, and its interior was pretty wrecked and covered in graffiti, but after some time spent cleaning it up, it was passable. Most importantly, it was dry. It was raining when I first arrived, and while it was surprisingly warm for December, the rain would have absolutely killed me if I had tried to sleep in it.

    I pull off a loose plywood board from one of the back windows, jiggling it free of the board holding it in place. I then carefully crawled inside, disappearing into the abandoned shop''s interior. Once inside, I reached out and lifted the board, sliding it back into place and hiding the entrance completely.

 Chapter Two

    With the window now sealed, my eyes quickly adjusted to the dark interior. It wasn''t completely dark, as there were too many gaps in the boards for that. I had also bought a battery pack that was currently running some lights, just enough to make the place livable. I charged them with a rather handy lightning spell.

    I looked around, making sure that I was alone. Call me paranoid, but with thousands of parahumans, or capes as they were frequently called by the public, I was a bit slow to trust my surroundings.

    The front of the shop had been a mess of broken shelving, cabinets, and other junk, which I had thankfully been able to sort through and break down. There was still a pile of trash tucked into one of the closets, but with the place at least partially cleaned up, I could almost pretend I wasn''t squatting.

    As I looked around the area, a breeze blew in, picking up as it passed me. Dust started to swirl a bit as, before my eyes, Alya took her physical form in front of me. Her hair, which was cobalt blue around her head, fading into white and dark gray at the ends, flowed over her shoulder, never quite going completely still. She could almost pass for a pale, rather tall human woman if not for her long ears, angular features, and swirling blue eyes. Also, her body had a tendency to flicker and fade, only to reform seconds later. I knew she could stop that if she focused, but why would she when we were alone?

    "Well done, William," She said with a warm smile. "You did a fantastic job helping that woman and the poor girl."

    "Yeah¡­ Mission accomplished," I said, returning her smile. "Got a single point for it, just waiting to be spent."

    "We both know that was just a bonus," She responded with a knowing grin. "You would have happily helped for absolutely nothing."

    Rather than answering her directly, I shrugged, stepping by her to sit down at the old, ratty, but relatively clean couch I had grabbed from off the street one night. I could feel her clearly when she was this close, the connection between our souls making talking technically unnecessary.

    Alya was my familiar of sorts, a soul-bound Air and Wind elemental, and my second boon for being stranded here in this world without my consent. She was carrying a small sliver of my soul, which bound her to me at a level that was far beyond anything I was capable of. I was unlikely to reach the level of magic to understand it for a very long time.

    As an air elemental, she was capable of becoming invisible as she blended with her element, spreading her senses and consciousness around a vast area. She could whisper into my ear from long distances, muffle sounds around herself and move around incredibly fast. The downside to that was her durability or lack thereof. Anything more than ten or fifteen pounds of weight or force caused her physical form to almost pop, reducing her to rapidly dispersing clouds. Still, she had been an incredible asset and part of the reason I was still sane, keeping me grounded as I came to terms with my new situation.

    Hell, she was the only reason I had money to eat and buy the few things I could, having spent quite a few nights spread out around the city, finding lost and abandoned things worth selling and even a few forgotten caches of cash, probably dead drops for the gangs. We stopped once we realized that showing up at the pawn shops with new stuff to sell every day was going to draw more attention than it was worth. Still, we had a couple thousand dollars tucked into the ceiling tiles above the back room.

    "Have you decided what you will do with your reward?" She asked, floating down beside me on the couch.

    I frowned and chewed the inside of my lip, shaking my head.

    "It''s a toss-up between saving it and what we discussed before," I responded, leaning back on the couch.

    I closed my eyes and dove back into my mind, viewing the purely mental layout of my powers. It wasn''t anything cut and dry, like a menu or a readout, but I could still sense it like I had somehow gained an extrasensory ability.

    At first, my ability might seem complicated, but thankful the entities that stranded me here included a pretty comprehensive understanding alongside the power itself. I got six charges every other week, and at the very moment, Sunday night became Monday morning. I could spend that charge on any subject of magic that I could think of. If the subject was broad, the charge was more spread out, and while I was getting more knowledge, the potency was lower.

    For example, if I spent a charge on healing magic, I would receive a spread of all healing magic, from enchantments and potions to rituals and spells. However, all of this knowledge would be incredibly low potency, with most of it being useless. On the other hand, when I spent a charge in healing spells, the information I gained was restricted to actively cast healing spells, but the potency of those spells was high enough to actually be useful. Even better, when I invested two more points to raise the topic to its second level, my repertoire and understanding expanded even more. As far as I could tell, I was the equivalent of a competent first-year college student, focusing on healing spells for his education.

    I even got a decent download of basic first aid since several healing spells required some action before they were cast, like setting a bone before casting a bone healing spell.

    On top of my purchases, I also had two extra additions. The first was a seemingly random gift that I had no control over. Shortly after arriving, but after Alya had found the shop, I randomly gained two levels of a topic called "Geomancy." It was honestly perfect and exactly what I needed, which made me think that whatever the source was, they were on our side.

    Geomancy was a ritual adjacent form of magic that used something called a geomantic partional, basically, a unique ritual circle carved into stone, or in my case concrete, that allowed a mage to transfer certain properties of stone and metal to their own bodies. With two charges, I was capable of taking eight pounds of steel and transferring a significant portion of strength and durability to myself.

    As a squishy, vulnerable standard human, it was extremely comforting and useful.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    With my current setup and materials, it was far from perfect, but I still rarely left the shop without absorbing something, even if it was usually the subpar steel scrap from all of the shop''s shelving.

    Eventually, I would switch to something like tungsten or titanium, but that was once I had more money to burn and wasn''t worried about attracting attention.

    For a while, I briefly considered putting three of my future points in geomancy but ultimately dismissed the idea. While it would be interesting to see what a level three topic would look like, and I was sure there would be plenty of useful knowledge to gain, I was happy with the level I had now. Yes, geomancy very neatly filled a void in my magic, namely my strength and defenses, but I was satisfied with its capabilities for now.

    I was also curious if its purchase had just been random and if I would get another random topic, which was actually kind of exciting. Honestly, I wouldn''t be too upset if I got another level of geomancy, but the thought of another random magical topic at the same level of geomancy? That was exciting. Who knows what I would get, and who knows what sort of synergies I would be able to get out of whatever I got?

    So that was my power. So far, I had two levels in geomancy, two levels in healing spells, and two levels in lightning spells. Alya and I had discussed my offensive options for a while, eventually settling on elemental spells, specifically lightning. We had chosen that because not only was it flexible for power output, in case I needed to take down a brute or unpowered civilian, but it also worked well with Alya.

    Alya and my connection was soul-deep, as her consciousness was literally made around a tiny sliver of my soul and my magic. This meant that she was always going to grow with me, rising in power as I did. She couldn''t perform magic per se, but since I now had some decent skill with lightning spells, she had gained a small sliver of storm aspect. It wasn''t much, and using it really tired her out, but if I continued to grow in power, learning more and more lighting spells and further attuning myself to that element, so would her capabilities.

    Besides, in a world where a bit of static shock could ruin a computer worth thousands of dollars, being able to generate something akin to a very low-level stun baton for a few seconds was more than enough to be useful.

    "I think testing the waters is a good idea, but having a charge on hand for emergencies is more important," Alya said, repeating her earlier opinion. "Getting a preview of what you might need might be more efficient, but keeping it in reserve is safer."

    "I know, you''re right," I said, nodding in agreement as I opened my eyes. "Alright, I''ll keep it for now. Can always just spend it later if I change my mind."

    "Of course," Alya said, rolling her eyes at me. "I''m going to continue searching, William."

    I nodded, giving her a wave before she disappeared, her physical form swirling away into the air. I could feel her close by, but diffusing herself like that meant the connection was a bit less direct. She was around, not standing next to me. That feeling shifted as she moved away, her invisible, intangible form no doubt floating above and through the building. Currently, she was looking for a large amount of slate, so I could remake my geomantic partional, the ritual circle I used for geomancy. My current one was currently carved into the concrete floor of the shop, which I had exposed by prying up the linoleum tiles.

    Concrete, though, was heavily influenced by its man-made nature, meaning that it made filtering out unwanted aspects of the metal I was using extremely difficult. Even now, I could feel the extra thirty pounds weighing down on me. My enhanced strength stopped it from being detrimental to my movement, but I could feel it in my own momentum. I could also feel a slight decrease in flexibility.

    I would be able to get rid of those unwanted aspects, as well as prolong the duration and increase the potency with a better setup, but that required materials. Most of them I could buy easily, but the slate wasn''t exactly something I could buy cheap at CVS.

    Alya was searching through abandoned buildings for slate countertops or slate tiling. It was unlikely we would find anything, but she disliked sitting still, and I wasn''t about to stop her from helping out. She had made it perfectly clear that she was not human, so things like overworking her or me basically having complete control over her was not an issue. It still felt weird, but apparently, she was more than happy about the situation.

    According to her, natural, unbound elementals were thoughtless aspects of nature that had no intelligence or emotions. They just simply existed, like a naturally occurring computer, in worlds and realities where magic steeped more deeply into the fabric of the material plane. Binding an elemental to yourself was incredibly potent magic, but in the process, she gained active thought, a sense of will and desire, and emotions. She insisted it was a more than fair deal, and she was happy to work for me until the day that I died, which she fully expected to be a very, very long time.

    For obvious reasons, I was very interested in learning the magic required to replicate the binding process since she insisted it was beneficial to both parties, but she assured me it was likely to take several levels to fully understand the process, which I just couldn''t spare at the moment. Even worse, I wouldn''t be able to bond with another elemental until my soul had a chance to heal fully, or I risk damaging it.

    Not exactly something I liked the sound of, so I reluctantly put the plans of an elementary strike force to the back of my mind.

    Not long after Alya left, I started cleaning out the geomantic partional. The unique ritual consisted of seven circles that surrounded and connected to a larger central circle. Dozens of arcane symbols and lines were carved around each of these circles. At the moment, each of those symbols was caked in soot, but while performing the absorption they would contain my blood. It wasn''t much, just a drop per symbol, but the whole thing was still a grisly process, only made palatable by a numbing and cutting spell from the healing spells topic.

    I was really looking forward to when I didn''t do that anymore, but at least there were only three or four dozen symbols. Generally speaking, the more symbols, the more complicated the spell or action you were attempting to perform with magic. That''s what separated rituals from spells. Even the most skilled archmage could only control his mana through a dozen, maybe two dozen free-floating symbols. But rituals could contain hundreds, even thousands of those symbols, the mana guided through them through the caster''s blood or other medium.

    I was just finishing up the final circle of symbols when I felt Alya''s familiar presence return.

    "Welcome back," I said, sitting back and wiping my brow. "Find anything?"

    "I have searched all surrounding abandoned buildings in this part of town and beyond," She responded, her form swirling into shape as she talked. "I''m afraid I have yet to find any slate."

    "Yeah¡­ I can''t say I''m very surprised," I responded with a frown. "It''s fine, I''ll just have to buy some."

    "A task for tomorrow," She said, not so subtly pointing out it was time for some rest.

    "I doubt anything is open now anyway," I responded with a chuckle. "But it is time for some sleep."

    I quickly washed my hands and cleaned up my work, before setting up my bed, which was just the couch with the back cushions removed to give myself a little room. I said goodnight to Alya, who responded in kind before she vanished. I could still feel her, but now she was all around the shop, keeping watch while I slept.

 Chapter Three

    The process of getting ready for the day without running water was a bit of a pain. I had to get up, walk to the nearby gas station, buy my breakfast from inside, and then fill up a large water container from a spigot at the back. I would then walk home, strip down in the shop''s carefully cleaned bathroom, and wash with the water. It took some getting used to, but it was better than not getting clean at all.

    "You know, you wouldn''t have to do this if you joined the Protectorate," Alya pointed out as I walked out of the bathroom, drying my hair. "They would surely provide you with a home."

    "Alya, we''ve been through this. It wouldn''t take them very long to figure out my powers are weird, even with me being a Blind Spot," I responded, shaking my head. "And I have no idea how they would react to that. They are all terminally terrified of Masters, which I can''t really blame them for, but how would they react to knowing that at any time, I could dump a couple of charges into a Master topic? I''m not saying no. I''m just saying not right now."

    In all honesty, I was tempted to join up, as the benefits would be nice. But something about the weird, PR-heavy focus turned me off. I understood that maintaining a good reputation was important, but their stance just seemed over the top. That, combined with my own issues being a one-of-a-kind anomaly in this world, made me very wary.

    I was also nervous about superhero shenanigans. The one universal constant to all superhero realities was that people with powers, or engaging with people with superpowers, always ended up in weird scenarios and happenstances. I''m sure that I would stumble into my own weird stuff sooner or later, but staying out of everyone else''s, for now, could only be a good thing.

    With my morning ablutions complete, including stripping back down to apply a geomantic absorption, I headed out into the city. I had already found the address of a place where I could buy slate tile, so all that was left was to walk there.

    As I walked, Alya followed along, invisible to everyone, including myself, keeping an eye out for threats or avoidable issues. So far, since I arrived here, she had helped me avoid eight pickpocket attempts and three muggings. She was also a godsend for directions.

    As I walked, I considered how the previous day had gone. While I was glad everything had worked out in the end, I was worried about having to reveal myself to Dinah. If I had been following her more closely, I could have stopped her aunt from ever being hurt in the first place. The problem was that I had been following them around for three days at that point, so maintaining a healthy distance was essential to keep from being caught.

    I''m pretty sure stopping her from triggering would have been nearly impossible from the back of a police cruiser.

    At the end of the day, all I could really do was hope the young girl would keep her promise to keep my secret. She looked to be old enough to understand the concept, and she seemed eager to do so. That said, I only needed her to keep my face from being spread around. Everything else was just a luxury.

    When I arrived at the tile store, buying the tiles was pretty easy. People didn''t ask a lot of questions when you pretended to be confident, and while I got a strange look when I threw two packages of slate tile over my shoulder and walked out, I assured them my ride was parked nearby. In truth, with the steel I absorbed that morning, I could have carried a lot more without breaking a sweat.

    Of course, I got plenty of looks lugging the large boxes through the streets, but there wasn''t much I could do about that. The weight wasn''t nearly enough to get me labeled as a Brute or anything. After all, the guy at the store had carried them just fine.

    When we finally got back to our temporary home, I was eager to get to work. The first step was clearing out more of the linoleum since I wanted to keep the older partional for now. Once the space was clear, I laid down a seven-foot square of the slate. The lip of the linoleum was just enough of an edge to keep it all in place, and once the tile was down, I got to work.

    "Fuse simul lapis," I muttered, directing a band of mana between my pointer and middle finger, an arcane symbol appearing at each one''s knuckle.

    I ran my fingers along the seam between the tiles, and for a moment, the edges on either side glowed before they fused together, becoming one continuous piece of stone. This was one of several very low-level earth and metal spells I had learned from my levels in geomancy, focused on preparing materials and creating and repairing partionals.

    Once the seven-foot square of slate was all fused together, I started sketching out the design. My first partional had been a seven-circled diagram, a specific version used to help stabilize poor ingredients and materials. Now that I was making a properly planned and drawn diagram, I was switching to a nine-circled version. It used slightly more absorption material and required much more precision in carving, but it would greatly extend the absorption''s duration and potency.

    It took me an hour to mark out all nine circles, the central sitting space, as well as all the arcane symbols, then another two to slowly carve them with Scalprum lapis, another minor earth spell. There were nearly double the symbols in a nine-circled versus a seven, which made me very happy that I was switching from using just my blood to using a mixture of my blood and beeswax melded together with a specific preparation spell. Not only was it more stable, but it also wouldn''t burn away with every use, as long as I gave it time to cool after every absorption.

    When I was finally finished, I was more than happy with the results. The inlaid arcane symbols, and the precisely carved lines were all nearly perfect. This was just about the pinnacle of what I could achieve with my current level of geomancy. Any absorption complete with this partional would last at least eight hours, nearly double the old limit.

    Not only would it drastically increase the amount of time between rituals, but I could also perform an absorption before bed, and I would be protected most of, if not the entire night.

    I spent a few minutes admiring my work, during which Alya stopped in with her physical form to congratulate me.

    "It all seems quite well made, William," She said, walking around the slate square. "Perhaps we should invest in some better metal?"

    "I do want some tungsten, now that I have a partional that can handle filtering out its weight," I admitted. "But if I start walking around, trying to buy tungsten and titanium, It''s gonna get some attention... not to mention I don''t actually know where I would go to buy those metals. Can''t exactly check Amazon."

    We talked for a bit long, mostly about what she had seen around the few blocks she was watching over before she vanished again to resume her patrol and observations.

    When she was gone, I made my way to the couch, sitting down and closing my eyes.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    When I first arrived here, I was given a small introduction to magic and how it worked. It wasn''t much, since the entities clearly expected me to use my charges to gain any real information. Still, just because it was basic didn''t mean it was useless.

    The first thing I learned was that mana was the fuel, or at least the catalyst for almost all magic, and was generated by any creature with a soul. Essentially, a soul would give off mana as a natural part of its existence. This process did not drain the soul or anything like that. I was not at risk for using up all of my mana, save for some minor discomfort.

    Generally speaking, the more complicated a soul was, the more mana it generated. For example, a wolf would have much more mana than a dog, while a whole pack of wolves combined would have nothing on even the lowest forms of draconic lizards. It wasn''t just based on intelligence, but it was generally considered to be a good first sign. Age also affects the complexity of a soul through experiences and maturing. That''s why magic users grew more powerful with age.

    You could also improve how much mana you could bring to bear with practice, either repeatedly casting spells and using your mana, draining your reserves over and over again, or by meditating and circling your mana through your body. Meditation also improved your body''s condition, as your mana basically purifies your body. I wasn''t going to turn into Steve Rogers, but I had already noticed a slight shift in my natural flexibility.

    As I sat down on the couch and slowly began to circulate my mana, weaving out along my limbs, dancing it across my body, through my skin, and all around me, I let my mind wander. As of this night, I had exactly seven days left before I regained all of my Marvelous Mage charges. Combined with the singular point I had gained from my quest, I would have seven.

    Plus, I had prevented little Dinah from triggering, saving her aunt in the process and keeping her from a life of¡­ well I didn''t quite know what her life would have been like, but Marvelous Mage was giving me the sense that she wouldn''t have been having fun.

    Hard not to be proud of that.

    Alya and I had discussed a lot about what I would focus on for my next round of points. Eventually, we settled on an idea, or at least a general concept, one I would need to refine before using.

    A common thread through a whole lot of magic-centric stories from my old world was the idea of the wizard''s home. Whether it was a massive magical tower, a floating city in the sky or, a pocket dimension sealed away from danger and influence, or even just a small house with magic built into every board, they were a mainstay of the genre.

    And I wanted one.

    Not just because it would be cool as hell, because it would be, but because I needed a place where I was safe, protected, and secure. A place where I could work on my magic in peace, and start to really make a difference. There were a lot of aspects of my powers that would attract a whole lot of attention, and I needed to be sure that I had a place I could go to be safe from the worst of it.

    Even more important, though, was the fact that I needed secure and permanent workplaces for my magic. Spells might go with me, but as in the case of geomancy and so many other types of magic, I needed a secure place to install cauldrons, carve in ritual circles, and purify workshops. While making the geomantic partional had taken a few hours and only cost me three or four hundred dollars in materials, geomancy was widely considered to be a very basic field of magic. What I knew was pretty close to its top level, and while I''m sure there was more to learn, its ritual-esque partional reflected its relatively simple scale.

    Beeswax and blood were one thing, but there was no way I would make a gold inlaid healing ritual circle in some random abandoned shop, not until I could confirm it was safe.

    That''s why I was considering spending all six of my incoming charges on three levels of wizard homemaking, or something of that nature. Judging by what I got from two levels, having three would mean some serious information about making my own little slice of magic paradise.

    Of course, it would also mean that I didn''t gain anything else new, and while I was satisfied with my lighting spells, the durability and strength I gained from geomantic absorptions, as well as my healing, dedicating all of my points for a two week period to a single topic was a rather significant commitment.

    The best case scenario, in my mind, was that after buying the first and second level of whatever the wizard home crafting topic settled on, I would be able to tell if I needed to invest in a third level immediately or if I could wait. The worst case scenario would be me spending any of my points, only to realize I had barely uncovered anything and that I had basically wasted the points. The chances of that happening were not zero, which was way too high for me to be happy with.

    Overall, it was hard to plan what I wanted to do, at least beyond the basics, since there was no real way to know what I would get for each stacking level. I did know that if I ended up having points left over, I was absolutely spending it on something I could use to generate minions. I didn''t really know what it would be, exactly, since I already knew elemental binding would be a high-potency topic that would require a whole lot of points before it was useful, but I definitely wanted more minions.

    I continued to meditate until I felt my steel absorption run its course. Eager to test my new partional, I quickly distributed a few piles of steel rebar that had been scavenged from an abandoned construction site. Once I was done, I stripped down and sat in the center circle, letting out a deep breath.

    I put my hands down in front of me, my fingertips just touching the inner circle. I pushed and guided my mana out of my hands and into the carved slate, letting it spread around until the whole partional was filled. It took significantly more mana than the seven-circle partional, but as the ritual was completed and I stood, I could feel the difference immediately. I was less stiff, and I could feel my steps were lighter as well.

    I flexed and stretched for a few minutes, getting used to the slightly increased enhancement through jumping jacks and push-ups. When I was done, I was just about to sit back on the couch when I could feel Alya return. Before I could greet her, she whispered urgently into my ear.

    "How much longer does your steel absorption last?" She asked.

    "I just reapplied it half an hour ago," I said, now on full alert. "Why, what''s happening?"

    "There is a man, just a few blocks away. He is severely injured¡­ his breathing is very shallow."

    I cursed, hesitating for a moment. I could feel Alya holding back, waiting for me to make my decision. For a moment I almost asked her why she would tell me that, before realizing that that was unfair, considering I would be upset if she hadn''t as well.

    "Alright. I''ll grab my mask."

 Chapter Four

    I was out of the shop and walking quickly down the sidewalk less than a minute after Alya reached out to me. I was hardly even paying attention to where I was going, letting my soul-bonded friend guide with the blowing wind.

    As I did, I made sure to duck into an alley or two, sliding on the black overcoat I picked up at a second-hand store. I had already pulled on my white shirt before I left, leaving me in a costume that vaguely paid homage to DC''s Constantine. Love him or hate him, the newer versions of him rocked the punk, devil-may-care outfit. My get-up was a bit darker, lacked the red tie, and I covered my hair with a black beanie, but I had to stand out somehow.

    The last bit of my costume was my mask.

    I knew I would need one eventually, so I made it one night while I was bored, using a sheet of metal I bought for my geomancy. Normally, I wasn''t the biggest fan of the idea of a secret identity, but having found myself in a reality with superheroes, I wasn''t about to give up the advantage. I''m sure eventually I would fuck up, and my idnenty would leak, but until then, I would try my best to keep the mask on.

    The mask itself was copper, made by pressing the sheet of metal against my face after a steel absorption, using my enhanced strength and resiliency to mold it to my features. The result, after a few minutes of work, was a pretty decent, vaguely human mask. A quick metal-cutting spell later, and it was trimmed to cover my features completely. It curled up and around my jawline, primarily to hide my beard, but with enough room for me to open my mouth and talk.

    I cut the two eye holes last, before using my thumb to smooth over the edges, literally grinding down what would have usually been a dangerously sharp edge. It was attached to my head with straps from a hockey mask, comfortably and securely holding the metallic mask in place.

    Having examined myself in the cracked but mostly intact mirror of the shop bathroom, I knew it was intimidating but not creepy, at least in my opinion. It showed just enough human features to identify with but not enough to look overly detailed. It was also obviously a rough design, one I would probably ditch as soon as I could.

    With the helmet seated, I picked up the pace, my heavy footfalls echoing down several alleys as I jogged to where Alya was leading me. Sure enough, as I turned the final corner to see Alya appear over a collapsed figure, sprawled on the ground. I cursed and ran the final distance, kneeling beside the man.

    "Sir? Are you conscious?" I asked before looking up at Alya.

    "He is still breathing, but barely," She said, answering my unspoken question.

    "Well he is unresponsive¡­ Fuck it," I said, rolling the man over, only to curse at what I saw.

    The man''s shirt, a decent-looking outfit as far as I could tell, was littered with stab wounds, blood leaking out of them at an alarming rate. There were way too many to even think of just stabilizing him, and he didn''t have the time for that. This man needed healing now, or it would be too late. I quickly put my hands on his stomach, where most but not all of the damage was done.

    "Ad sananda vulnera quae hoc corpus penetrant." I muttered, using a particularly powerful healing spell specifically designed for stabbing wounds.

    Both of my hands glowed, and several lines of energy extended outward from each of them, connecting to each of the man''s wounds. When all of them were connected, disks of golden energy formed over each of them before sinking down into his skin. As the energy disappeared, five arcane symbols spun around each of my hands. After another long moment, I pushed the spell forward, activating the healing magic. This spell would continue to heal as long as I held it, so I closed my eyes and concentrated on the spell, maintaining the connection until I could feel each healing line pull away, their jobs done.

    "Imple corpus sanguine eget," I muttered, using a blood regeneration spell since a significant portion of his was on the ground or in his shirt. The healing spell I had used to fix the stab wounds had been very specific, so it didn''t help that much with replacing what was lost.

    When my final spell had run its course, I leaned back. The man''s breathing slowly returned to normal, and, after a moment, his eyes fluttered open. I idly noted that Alya immediately swirled and vanished when the man''s eyes began to open. For a moment, he looked around wildly, his eyes darting back and forth, before eventually locking on to me.

    "Jesus Christ!" He shouted, trying to crawl back away from me, his eyes wide with shock and fear.

    "Hey, relax, it''s okay!" I said, holding up my gloved hands, trying to show I wasn''t going to hurt him. ''"I''m not going to hurt you!"

    After a few seconds the man stopped, his eyes still wide as he looked at me, trying to decide if I was about to kill him or not. Eventually after a moment, he calmed down slightly, letting out a long breath.

    "Well¡­ you don''t look like any E88 shit I heard of," He said. "Who are you?"

    "Don''t really have a name yet, to be honest," I said. "Call me Mage for now."

    "Well¡­ Mage¡­ What happened?" He asked, looking around at the alley.

    "You tell me, I just found you here while¡­ on patrol," I explained, the man looking back up at me. "I got here just in time to keep you from passing on."

    That seemed to spark some sort of memory, because his eyes went wide again, and he hurriedly checked his body, hand sliding under his shirt, desperately checking where his wounds had been, only to find a bloody and shredded shirt covering an unmarked stomach.

    "I¡­ Those fuckers jumped me!" He said, followed by a long string of curses as he struggled to stand. "Those fucking Nazi fucks!"

    "Woah, woah, hold on there buddy, I get the anger, but you just recovered from losing a lot of blood, give-"

    The man managed to stand, only to immediately start to stumble backward. I rushed forward and managed to snag him before I was forced to heal him again, this time of head trauma. Thankfully my enhanced strength made it easy. I carefully helped him to the side of the alley, letting him sit on some sort of crate.

    "There you go, take it easy, don''t worry, that will fade, your body is still catching up to your blood loss," I explained, the man nodding in understanding, though I think it was mostly just reflex.

    "Thank you, goddammit¡­ that should have killed me... But you healed me, didn''t you?" He said, looking up at me as his brain caught up with what was happening. "How? Sorry, wait, dumb question, you''re a cape. You like Panacea or something? How come I ain''t ever heard of you?"

    "I''m pretty new to the scene, pretty much the first night I''ve been out in this," I explained, tapping my mask "And yes, I''m a healer like Panacea, though from what I''ve read our powers are pretty different."

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "Huh¡­ first night, you say?" He asked, shaking his head. "Damn, ain''t that just the devil''s luck! Jumped in an alley and cut up like a sirloin, only for the newbie to stumble by and fix me up!"

    He laughed for a long minute, and for a moment, I was worried he might turn manic and begin to freak out. I spoke up, trying to keep him from spiraling.

    "Listen, do you have a phone to call the cops or¡­?" I asked, looking down the alley nervously.

    "What? Oh, there''s¡­ not much point in that, kid," He explained, shaking his head. "To many E88 sympathizers on the force, things tend to get lost when you call them out. And somehow, they always know."

    That was disturbing news. If there was that level of corruption in the police force, and by a cape-back group of Neo-Nazis? That was all sorts of fucked, and made me very wary of dealing with them in the future.

    "That''s¡­ disturbing to hear¡­" I responded, the man snorting at my understatement. "Though I gotta ask, you don''t seem like their usual target demographic."

    The man, who appeared to be maybe ten or fifteen years older than me, so probably around forty, chuckled darkly and shook his head. His skin was certainly white, and I was pretty sure he had blue eyes, though it was a bit dark to tell.

    "I run a soup kitchen and homeless shelter on the outskirts of South Docks," He explained. "It used to be no man''s land, but the E88 started to push into it during the fall. Now, they are trying to push the kitchens and shelters in the area to only cater to white folk. Worse, some of them started agreeing. It''s all a load of bullshit."

    "Shocking," I said in a flat voice, getting another snort from the man. "Well if you don''t want to get the cops involved¡­"

    Before I could even start to leave, the man held out his hand, his eyes looking hopeful.

    "Wait! Listen, thank you for healing my dumb ass¡­ I can''t believe how damn lucky I am¡­" He said, his voice trailing off before he shook his head and focused back on me. "I hate to ask more of you but¡­ I gotta know¡­ Could you heal more people?"

    I looked at him and frowned before realizing he couldn''t see my frown, so I responded.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean, could you fix up more people?" He asked. "We get a lot of sick people at the shelter and kitchen, and we end up turning a lot of them away ''cause if we don''t, whatever they got will only spread. Lots of injured people too, too hurt to work, people who can''t afford insurance¡­''

    As he trailed off I nodded in understanding. In all honesty, I had considered a similar idea already. I knew Panacea healed at Brockton Bay Central Hospital, and not long after I arrived, I considered going down there to see if I could help. A mix of fear and uncertainty concerning the repercussions had kept me from going through with it. Now, hearing that people who couldn''t afford to go to the hospital, people who would never see Panacea, needed help? It was a good motivator, even though I thought his suggestion could use some work.

    "You realize me showing up at your shelter would mean a hell of a lot of attention," I pointed out. "Lots of gang attention. Lots of Cape gang attention."

    "That''s¡­ a good point," He said with a frown. "I don''t even know how I''m going to handle this."

    He admitted, pulling at his shirt, which was torn, cut up, and blood-soaked.

    "Maybe hire some security?" I suggested. "I bet you there are some homeless people out there willing to play bouncer for a reservation and food."

    "... That''s actually a pretty good idea," He admitted, rubbing his chin, clearly unaware he was spreading blood along his face. "I know a few boys who would jump at that¡­especially if I included a couple bucks under the table¡­"

    For a moment, the man was silent, considering his new idea. I was just about to start retreating again when a thought occurred to me.

    "What if I went out to them?" I asked. "I''m sure people group up, form communities? I could go out and meet them, heal whoever needs it, before moving on."

    "That¡­ would work, though it wouldn''t get everyone¡­"

    "Once I get some reputation, I can come by and visit the shelters. By then, it will be clear I''m just helping the less fortunate, not just visiting your place specifically," I assured the man. "It would be safer for everyone involved if I just showed up randomly."

    "What would you need from me?" He asked, looking at me seriously. "These folks need all the help they can get, so what can I do to help?"

    For a moment, I considered saying nothing, but I realized I would have to cross a significant trust barrier, before people started to let me help them, especially with an unknown power. I knew my healing had no side effects and no drawbacks, but it would take a while for people to just trust me outright.

    "Would you be able to connect me to people?" I asked. "People those communities trust? A good word in the right ear will make this a lot easier."

    "Yeah¡­ yeah, kid, I can do that," He said with a nod, his smile returning. "I know just who to start with. You give me a day or so to find some people, knock on some doors¡­ I can do that for you."

    "Good, that''s great. That would help immensely," I said. "I have a feeling those communities won''t be quick to trust, but starting with a foot in the door would help me a lot."

    "You don''t know the half of it kid," He said, his energy growing again. "Maybe even get a couple guys to go with you, just in case. Nothing too obvious, but-"

    "Actually, I would prefer you didn''t," I said with a wince. "I can handle myself, and I''d rather run than try and fight anyone. Besides, a big group of people showing up will only make it harder to gain their trust."

    "Well, now hold on, I''m not sure I feel comfortable leaving you alone with a crowd like that," He said with a frown. "Most of the homeless in this city are decent people, but there''s always the assholes."

    I chuckled, before jabbing my finger out, a bolt of electricity jumping from my digit and slamming into a nearby trash barrel, melting a thumb-sized hole in the side. I chuckled when I looked back at the man, his eyes wide and jaw hanging down.

    "I''m a bit of a grab bag," I explained. "I can take care of myself."

    "I¡­ guess so," He admitted, looking back at me. "Well, Mage, I look forward to working together."

    "Same here, Mr¡­."

    "Shit, my mom would slap me stupid," He said, shaking his head, sticking out his hand for me to take and shake. "Names Tony, Tony Capalli."

    I chuckled and shook his hand, the man clearly excited about the good fortune he had somehow stumbled on. He quickly passed me a card, which had the address and name of his shelter and soup kitchen, Hope''s Kitchen. I slid the card into my inner pocket, before promising to call him in a day or so. After that, we shook hands again and the man left, intent on heading home.

    I had Alya follow him back, just to make sure he made it there in one piece.

 Chapter Five

    It took me a few hours to fall asleep when I got back to the shop, mostly because I was wired from what I had just agreed to. I knew deep down that I was going to get involved with this world''s cape scene. I had already mentally committed to helping this world, even committed to someday fighting the Endbringers when I was powerful enough. But all of that had been future concepts, not real hard steps. The power I would need to fight the Endbringers was astronomical, so far from what I was now that it hardly felt real.

    This, though? It was a much more real step forward. A step out of my comfortable anonymity.

    Okay, yes, showing up and healing Dinah''s Aunt was my real first step, but that had felt different. I was just following the task my powers gave me.

    I couldn''t even consider going back on my word. Between Tony''s contagious excitement and my own guilt and stubbornness, there was no way I would let myself step out on my word. I maintained that I wasn''t a self-sacrificing hero, but I was hoping to at least be the kind of person who helps in general.

    When I did finally fall asleep, it was the fitful, tossing and turning kind, where I spent most of the night barely dozing, rather than fully sleeping. I woke up just as tired, if not more tired, than I had been when I fell asleep. There was only one cure for a night like that, greasy food and a double shot of expresso.

    I left the shop after cleaning up a bit, heading to a nearby breakfast cafe. Once I had my breakfast, I headed down to the boardwalk to enjoy my food by the ocean. It wasn''t nearly as pleasant a view as you might expect, with the beaches covered in trash and stained with oil, and the view of the ocean itself was marred by the Boat Graveyard. I could see it clearly from where I was, though it would have been better if I couldn''t. The whole thing basically looked like several mountains of rusted metal, half submerged in the ocean. There were at least two massive cargo ships partially sunk, with who knew what else shoved together and falling apart.

    It was like staring at the physical embodiment of economic collapse.

    A cold breeze blew at me, and for a moment, I panicked, looking around for trouble. Alya frequently used cold winds to warn me I had turned in the wrong direction or something was coming, so feeling one suddenly immediately put me on alert. I only stopped looking around furtively when a warm breeze blew over.

    "Sorry, that one gust slipped by," Alya admitted, talking softly into my ear. "I was watching a pair of Enforcers."

    "Anything wrong?" I asked as I lifted my egg sandwich to my mouth.

    "They were just watching you, but they moved on," She assured me. "Don''t worry, I''m keeping an eye on them too."

    I nodded and continued to eat, drinking my coffee and enjoying the morning. Eventually, when I was done, I leaned back on the bench.

    "You''re worried," Alya said, not as a question but as a statement.

    "Can you really blame me?" I asked, taking a sip of my coffee. "Once we start doing this, a lot of people are going to take a pretty big interest in me. I knew it would happen, but I was hoping to have some more to work with before I did."

    "I''ll be watching over you, as always," She pointed out, the crashing waves losing a lot of their volume as she muffled our conversation. "And I don''t think you would be happy with yourself if you declined."

    "Yeah¡­ you''re not wrong," I admitted, letting out a long breath.

    I could feel her presence pushing by me, ruffling my hair before dispersing around me once more, watching over a significant portion of the area at once. It was impressive how much ground she could cover, but I knew from experience that while she could feel such a large space, she couldn''t watch everything at once. Instead, her focus drifted, while anything aggressive, violent, or noteworthy would tug at her awareness, prompting her to look closer. She was not omnipresent, and if someone was subtle enough, they could get pretty close before she noticed.

    Eventually, I stood from the bench and stretched, my back loosening after a moment. With one more look out over the ocean, I started making my way back through the city. I wanted to grab some steel scrap, so I had some stocked up. That would only take a few hours, but I would likely take my time exploring the city and looking for a place to eventually make my permanent home. I ended up spending most of the day doing that, returning to the shop as the sun started to set.

    The next day, I realized I was lacking a critical piece of infrastructure, so I grabbed a bit of cash from the ceiling tile stash and headed Downtown. It didn''t take me long to find a shop selling prepaid cell phones, and while one of the clerks tried to upsell me, I insisted it was only for temporary use, so I didn''t need anything fancy. In all honesty, the phones in this world were kind of crap, both because it was fourteen years earlier than I was used to and because the world''s tech industry kind of screeched to a halt when the Endbringers started crushing cities.

    Even if I spent thousands of dollars on the best phone they had, it would still be pretty basic when compared to what I was used to.

    I walked down the road, letting Alya guide me as I focused on booting up the phone and getting it started. When it was all set up, I punched in the number on the card Tony had given me. The phone rang twice before a familiar voice came through the phone''s speaker. Even before I could say anything, I could feel Alya muffling our conversation.

    "Hello? Who is this?" He asked.

    "Tony, hello. It''s Mage," I said simply. "You told me to call you?"

    "Mage! Yes! I''m glad to hear from you!" He said excitedly. "Listen, I managed to get a hold of a few people, and one of them is interested in meeting you tonight. Could you do that?"

    "Uh.. yeah, I can do that," I responded, scratching my cheek. "Where exactly would we meet?"

    "There''s a small park not far from where the kitchen is, we are going to meet there. It''s a bit of a walk to his community, but he didn''t want to bring you too close without meeting you first."

    "That''s fair. Alright, Tony, I''ll be there."

    The older man gave me some brief directions, directing me to an area a half dozen blocks away from the address on the card he had given me. After a few more words, I hung up and started heading back to the shop to reapply my steel absorption. I could feel I still had plenty of time on my existing charge, but I wasn''t about to risk running out when I was out and about all masked up.

    Why was I getting masked up when the meeting with Tony wouldn''t be happening for five or six hours? Because, while I was determined to help, I fully realized there was a lot about this situation that I didn''t know about. So, rather than flounder about and possibly mess things up, I wanted to talk to someone else who could heal like me.

    I was going to seek out Panacea and ask for advice.

    I left the shop after packing my costume into a small leather messenger bag, since there was no way I was going to walk across the entire city in my costume. Not only would I feel like an idiot, but the chances I would attract the wrong kind of attention skyrocketed the further I went.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    I took my time walking across the city, making my way deeper Downtown, trying to find my way to the hospital. Luckily for me, there were clear and obvious signs that directed me to the Brockton Bay Central Hospital.

    Eventually, as I got closer, Alya found a spot for me to change. I quickly pulled out my costume, taking off my shirt to reveal the same white shirt I had worn before. I threw on my mask, then my beanie, before finally pulling on my black overcoat. Finally, I folded up my shirt and slid it back into my bag, letting Alya partially manifest and carry it to the roof of the building I was hiding behind for safekeeping.

    Once I was dressed, I admit it took a few minutes for me to leave the alley I had changed in. The night I rushed out the door to save Tony, I hadn''t been thinking much about what I looked like. Even better, I had somehow managed to completely avoid any onlookers.

    Now, I was about to step out into a heavily populated area, dressed up in what would have constituted a bad Halloween costume back home.

    I didn''t consider myself to be easily frightened or scared, but I had always had a weakness for public speaking, and being at the center of a large group. It wasn''t quite social anxiety, at least as far as I knew, but whatever it was, it was certainly kicking in now.

    "Could I make a recommendation?" Alya asked, picking up on what I was feeling through our connection. "Right now, with that mask on, you''re not just William Kalus anymore. Your William Kalus, Mage of Brockton Bay. Healer and Master of Lightning. Step into that role and let it protect you."

    I let out a long breath, letting her words roll over me, nodding along with her suggestion.

    "You know, for being new to this whole consciousness thing, you are pretty wise," I pointed out, purposely standing up straight.

    "The wisdom of youth, I''m sure," She responded with a giggle. "I don''t see the world as complicated as you do, it makes seeing the truth easier."

    "Must be nice."

    I paused for another moment before finally stepping out of the alley before I could get inside my own head again. The effect was instant, with the people around me going silent and immediately focusing on me. I forced myself forward, though, ignoring them as best I could.

    As I continued to walk, the stares turned to whispers, and soon those changed to people pulling out their phones, snapping pictures, and taking videos of me.

    "Should I short out their phones?" Alya asked, and I had to bite back an instinctual urge to say yes.

    "No, it would only cause problems," I said with a frown, though it was hidden behind my mask. "Best to save that ability for later."

    After making my way across the last street, I was finally standing in front of the hospital. It was well maintained, with clean white walls and a bright, well-maintained sign. Even the street in front of it was newly paved. I nodded to myself before slowly making my way to the front door, opening it, and stepping inside.

    Immediately, I could tell it was unnaturally quiet. The large open area was almost entirely devoid of movement, with nearly everyone focused on me. I resisted the urge to cringe away from the attention, and instead pushed forward, following the gentle, encouraging breeze. As I approached the front desk, the five people sitting behind it remained frozen, until finally, one of the older ones stepped forward. She reached out and pulled the two younger-looking women back, stepping forward to greet me. She even managed to smile.

    "Hello, Welcome to Brockton Bay Central Hospital," She said calmly, standing directly in front of her coworkers. "Is there something I could help you with?"

    "Yes, actually. I''m new to Brockton Bay, and I wanted to meet Panacea," I explained, smiling beneath my mask when the older woman frowned. "No, I''m not some groupie or looking for free healing. I wanted to shake hands with the fellow healer and discuss how it works here, mostly to avoid stepping on any toes or making a scene."

    That surprised the older receptionist into silence again, though she broke through much quicker this time.

    "You''re a healer?" She asked, her eyes wide. "That''s incredible, I-"

    "Hey! What''s going on here?"

    A loud, brash shout came from down the hall, and suddenly, a costumed girl came flying down the hall, stopping just a few feet in front of me, her arms crossed. She was wearing a golden tiara on her head and a predominantly white costume lined with gold highlights. Even her boots were marked with gold. Despite the situation, the first thought through my head was that she must fly everywhere when wearing her costume, as her shoes were way too white to actually be used.

    "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" She said, her face colored with just the slightest hint of a sneer. It wasn''t quite disgust, more along the lines of suspicion and distrust.

    For a long moment, I was frozen, a creeping nervousness rising up through my head. Like I was an ant and a very annoyed giant was about to step on me. Before I could do anything, Alya was there whispering into my ear.

    "She is influencing your mind," She explained. "I can feel it through your bond, it doesn''t reach your soul but it reverberates through your feelings."

    As if all I needed was permission to ignore it, knowing it wasn''t real was enough for me to push through. I still felt like a small kid on the bad end of a big bully, but now I could fight it.

    "I''m new to this, but for now, I am going by Mage. I assume you are Glory Girl?" I asked, recognizing the young woman from the many, many, many photos online. "Whatever you are doing with your powers, I recommend you stop. This is a hospital. It''s no place for posturing."

    For a moment, I thought she was going to push, in fact, I could feel her emotional manipulating power start to tick up, only for someone to reach around her and grab her arm.

    "Vicky, calm down," the person said, tugging the teenager''s arm. "They aren''t doing anything wrong."

    "They were asking about you," She responded, partially turning to reveal Panacea standing behind her, dressed in a white and red cloak.

    "And? Everyone is asking after me here, it''s the hospital," She responded, rolling her eyes before focusing on me. "Though it''s more than a bit aggressive to roll in unannounced."

    "I wasn''t aware you made appointments," I responded, feeling the mental pressure pull back slightly.

    "What are you looking for?" She asked, adjusting her cloak around herself, looking at me with eyes that... Well, they seemed a lot more jaded than I would have expected from her age.

    They also looked incredibly tired.

    "I don''t do requests, and I don''t do on-the-spot healing unless it is an emergency. If you are from out of town, you''ll have to wait in line," the young heroine continued, gesturing behind me. I turned to look and found dozens of people sitting in the lobby, all watching us with wide eyes.

    "Uh, no, I do not require healing," I assured her. "Rather, I came to talk to a fellow healer."

    The robe-wearing Parahuman''s posture changed immediately, and her barely restrained indifference disappeared, replaced by sudden interest, her eyes locked on me.

    "What did you say?"

 Chapter Six

    The young woman''s sudden shift at my words was startling, but since healing was such a rare power to have, I could understand some strange reactions.

    "I was hoping to get some advice from the city''s best healer," I repeated. "Like I said, I would have-"

    "You can heal?" Panacea asked, releasing her sister and taking several excited steps forward as she cut me off. "How does it work? What method? What¡­."

    I withstood a barrage of questions, eyes wide and answering none of them. The young woman continued getting closer, eventually looking up at me. Despite me being several inches taller, I still took a small step back, overwhelmed by her rush. It took her nearly a dozen questions for her to finally realize I was still not responding.

    "Perhaps we could talk a bit more in private?" I suggested before she could continue her tidal wave of curiosity.

    "Uh¡­ I''m not sure¡­"

    "Glory Girl is welcome to come," I quickly added, suddenly aware it sounded like I wanted to be alone with her. "As well as any doctor or nurse you think might be a good addition. We can trade answers and discuss how this whole thing works."

    As I talked, I could see that, at first, she was going to refuse my offer. That was fair, considering how it sounded. When I corrected myself to include her sister, as well as a doctor or nurse, she seemed a bit more okay with the idea, finally nodding in agreement.

    "I suppose I could take an early break. Unless there are any time-sensitive cases?" Panacea said, looking over her shoulder to a doctor standing a few feet away.

    "There''s nothing that needs your attention immediately," He responded, looking down at the chart on his clipboard before looking at his watch. "I believe conference room four should be open at the moment, as long as one of the residents isn''t using it to sneak a nap."

    "Okay, let''s go then," she said, heading back down the hall she and her sister had arrived from.

    Panacea clearly knew her way around the hospital because she navigated it like she was born there. We went down a hall, weaving between nurses and doctors, before stepping into an elevator, which closed with a ding and started ascending. We stood in silence, with Panacea looking excited and eager, while Glory Girl was still watching me closely.

    The doctor looked calm, as if this was just another Tuesday. After a few seconds, I reached out my hand to him, which he took and shook after looking at it curiously.

    "Sorry about that, I was a bit overly focused, Dr¡­?"

    "Dr. Pilota," He answered, returning my firm shake. "And I understand. Thank you for being polite."

    "Of course, I came to you guys, after all."

    Not long after that, the elevator door opened, and Panacea once again led the way, making a beeline for a door at the end of the hall. Once we were all inside, I sat down on one of the chairs, trying to set the tone as casual and, more importantly, calm. This prompted everyone else to do the same. For a moment, the room was quiet until Panacea cleared her throat and started talking.

    "So¡­ what were you hoping to learn?" She asked. "I''m happy to help another healer¡­but I''m not sure what you need."

    "Well, first, I wanted to know if there were laws or rules regarding parahuman healing," I responded. "I tried looking online, but I couldn''t find anything precise."

    "Well, that''s kind of a complicated subject," The healer responded with a wince. "Technically, all you really need to use a beneficial power on someone is their permission. But the PRT prefers you to go through their power testing first, so your abilities can get tested for any unfortunate side effects, or¡­ well, they basically want to stop a repeat Teacher."

    "Who?" I asked before I could stop myself, internally wincing for showing ignorance about this world.

    "Teacher? You know, hands out low-level thinker and tinker abilities, but he Mastered anyone he gave them to?" Glory Girl responded with a frown. "He''s in the Birdcage now, but he was pretty scary for a while. The PRT still stumbles on some of his minions occasionally."

    "That''s¡­ horrifying," I freely admit. "How common are Master powers?"

    "Human Masters are on the rare side," Glory Girl said reassuringly. "But the label of Masters also includes people who control other things. Like plants or projections. Crusader, from the Empire? His projections make him a Master."

    "Could we stay on topic for now?" Panacea asked with a frown, giving her sister a look. "While technically all you need is their permission, the PRT will push for power testing. If you refuse, there is a nonzero chance they might find a way to strong-arm you."

    "How?" I asked, furrowing my brow. "Are we talking about using the wordings of rules to trip me up or just straight up bending them to fit?"

    "If you ask my mom, it''s the latter or worse," Glory Girl responded with a frown. "But Gallant says he''s only ever heard of the first one happening, and only when someone needs to be investigated."

    While I wasn''t usually one to harp over government conspiracies or assume they are always out to get us, trusting a government agency to only bend the rules when they really need to set off so many alarm bells. Still, I would reserve my own judgment for when I could back it up with my own experiences, not just secondhand gossip from a Ward''s girlfriend.

    "I''ll keep that in mind."

    "Okay, now it''s my turn," Panacea said, leaning forward eagerly. "How exactly does your healing work? What sort of limitations do you have?"

    Now, there was the big question. Since Alya and I first arrived here and realized that powers all seemed to come from the same place, even if no one was sure where that place actually was, we knew I would have to come up with some sort of explanation for my own powers. In a Marvel or DC, I could have just said magic, and people would have shrugged and moved on. Here, though, people considered powers to be science they didn''t quite yet understand, which meant everyone who claimed magic was looked at like they were slightly off their rocker.

    Even a respected member of the Protectorate was seen as a little crazy just because he pretended to use magic.

    Not only that, but the fact that I was gaining magic over time and would be able to guide myself to grow in new, powerful ways made me a Trump with hilariously potent potential. That was too much to reveal before I could defend myself.

    Thankfully, Alya and I had plenty of time to come up with a reasonable excuse, one that would work to explain what I could do. Or at least it would hopefully work until I was powerful enough that it didn''t really matter anymore.

    "I''m a grab bag, kinda," I explained with a vague gesture. "I have an energy source inside me, and I can do a whole bunch of stuff with it. It all drains from the same source within me, so I''m not sure if it counts as many smaller powers. I can use it to heal, make myself tougher, or¡­"

    I raise my hand and cast a low-level shocking spell, basically just making an arc of electricity jump between my fingers. It was simple, meaning I could control it easily without words or the glow of mana. All three of them jumped at the sound, but I only kept it going for a second, so none of them did anything more before I stopped.

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    "It''s nothing crazy, and I can run out of power, but I like to think what it lacks in strength it makes up for in versatility. Also¡­" I trailed off, biting my lip and looking away, doing my best to look embarrassed. "It requires a lot of concentration, so I''ve found that rhythmic speaking helps me concentrate. Combined with some of the light shows that using the source makes¡­ there''s a reason my real name is probably going to have to do with magic."

    "...But you don''t actually think it''s magic, right?" Panacea asked, obviously worried that the new healer was a nutjob.

    "No, no, of course not," I lied, shaking my head. "But I have a theme, so I might as well stick with it, right?"

    "Oh, thank god," She said, letting out an audible sigh of relief. "That''s good to hear. You have no idea how crazy some of the ''powers are magic!'' people are. Almost as bad as the ones that think they''ve been blessed by god. I''ve healed a few of them at Endbringer battles, and they¡­ they can be a lot."

    The young girl suddenly stopped, cutting off whatever she had been about to say. It seemed that she was more than a bit off-kilter, probably due to myself.

    "Anyway, as much as it might suck to kowtow to them, just going through their power testing is probably your best bet," She continued. "The hospitals around the city require it, and the Protectorate won''t be nearly as on your case as they would be otherwise."

    "That''s unfortunate," I admitted with a frown. "But I shouldn''t be surprised that the government would insist on oversight. In all honesty, I will most likely be focusing away from the hospital since-"

    "Wait, what? You''re not going to be helping here?" Amy asked, suddenly a lot less calm. "Why not? Please, healing abilities are very rare. Please don''t think you need to run off and fight to be a hero-"

    "I never said that I wouldn''t help out, especially in emergencies or critical cases like children, but I plan on focusing my abilities on the less fortunate population of the city, traveling between some of their camps and such to offer my healing," I explained. "I want to help, but I have my own things I need to do as well. I won''t be able to dedicate all my time to the hospital."

    While I thought I was being reasonable, but from the look I was getting from the young healer, it was clear she didn''t agree.

    "I assumed you were trying to be a hero, but I guess we shouldn''t have." She said, her entire demeanor starting to change.

    Her tone was cold and judgmental, such a drastic shift that I physically leaned back.

    "I do intend to be a hero," I responded, more confused than angry at her tone. "But I''m not willing to spend my entire life here at the hospital. There are doctors and nurses here who I''m sure are perfectly capable of handling most cases. As I said, I will be going to some of the city''s homeless camps, and eventually soup kitchens and the like to-"

    "If you have a healing ability, then you''re best off working here at the hospital, not off getting yourself killed fighting on the streets," Panacea fired back, cutting me off. "Going out to help the homeless is fine, but you have a responsibility to use your ability it as best you can."

    The room was silent for a moment as all of us took in what the young woman was saying. Both Glory Girl and Dr. Pilota seemed shocked, though the former seemed more confused about the vehemence and tone, rather than what she was actually saying.

    While I could feel my blood pressure rise from the young woman''s tone and aggressive, holier-than-thou assertions, I quickly reined them in. This was essentially a child, a high schooler who was probably just repeating the opinions of people around her. More than anything, this behavior made me worried that someone was feeding her some very unhealthy opinions.

    "I choose to help where I can, not because it''s my responsibility, but because it''s what I want," I said, frowning under my mask. "I owe nothing to anyone, and while my power is a part of me, it does not define me."

    "What kind of hero would put themselves before the people that need help?" She responded, shaking her head. "You can''t really consider yourself a hero if you are going to be so selfish."

    Seeing the annoyance, almost disgust still on her face, I decided that enough was rough.

    "I can see that, somehow, this conversation is no longer amicable," I said, standing from my seat. "I think it''s best if I go for now, before anything worse is said. Thank you for your time, Panacea. Glory Girl. Dr. Pilota."

    I left the conference room behind, letting the door shut as I walked away. I let Alya guide me out of the building, easily ignoring the stares and phones now that I had¡­ whatever the hell that had been on my mind. Before I knew it, I was making my way through the alleyways again, looking for a place to change.

    "What the hell was that?" I asked, feeling Alya''s presence pull in tightly around me. "It was like a full personality reversal!"

    "It appears she has formed some¡­ unhealthy opinions," Alya said, floating across the alleyway in a half-formed, wispy state. "It was concerning to listen to."

    "And the way her sister first intercepted me?" I pointed out. "It was like she was a few seconds from attacking me."

    "You did read that she had a bit of an anger issue," my partner pointed out. "They are teenagers with superpowers. Not very hard to see how that might create some issues."

    "Yeah¡­ still kind of worried about what Panacea said," I admitted, finally stopping in the abandoned spot where I stored my back. "That¡­ that didn''t seem healthy."

    "I agree," Alya responded before swirling away and returning with my messenger bag. "I may not have much experience with teenagers-"

    "So about the same as me." I pointed out before gesturing for her to continue.

    "But is it not normal for teenagers to struggle with questions of self-worth and responsibility?"

    "I mean, yeah, along with a whole list of other problems..." I confirmed with a frown. "But that sounded like more than just a phase¡­ Do you think I should tell someone? Maybe try to contact her parents?"

    "I think that you are very early in your time here," she responded simply.

    "Yeah¡­ Well, I''m sure I will be rubbing elbows with her, despite her clear distaste for me," I guessed with a frown. "I''ll give it some time. Maybe try to ask around?"

    We talked a bit more while I finished changing out of my costume. When I was done, I made my way away from the alleyways and towards somewhere I could have lunch. After a few slices of pizza and a beer, I headed back to the shop. I still had a few hours before I was supposed to meet up with Tony and whoever he managed to get in contact with, and considering it was likely to be a late night, I decided a quick nap was in order.

    I reorganized the couch into my bed and set an alarm on my phone before laying down and closing my eyes. Despite the rough afternoon, I still managed to fall asleep quickly, soothed by Alya''s constant refreshing breeze.

 Chapter Seven

    I woke up a whole ten minutes before my alarm was set to go off, and I spent that time reabsorbing another batch of steel. I was already loving my nine-circle partional. Not having to clean the runes and reapply my blood every time I wanted to use it was amazing in and of itself, but the added time and lessening of unwanted aspects was a huge bonus.

    I spent a few minutes cleaning myself up before heading out into the city. It was considerably darker by then, the afternoon having turned into the early night as I napped. Finding a spot to change was easy as we made our way to the pre-agreed meeting spot, as the city slowed down and the streets emptied out. The city of Brockton Bay was in rough shape, and while that didn''t mean the sidewalks were empty, even at night, it was clear to see that people knew better than to walk around as darkness settled over the city.

    As we walked, now dressed in my uniform, I quietly talked to Alya. Originally, I had intended to ask Panacea if any name requirements or guidelines weren''t advertised to the general public. I was now fully aware that she was just a teenager, one clearly struggling with some less-than-healthy opinions. I would find no help from her, so I was back to square one.

    I knew from reading PHO, an online cape forum, that some name conventions, like copying the names of gods and goddesses, were taboo. They also claimed that picking the name of a deceased cape was okay as long as it had been a few years. Thankfully, a few searches through the cape wiki attached to PHO showed that no one had the name I had been thinking of.

    After a long walk, I finally stepped into the small park that Tony had directed me to. It took me a second to spot a car parked nearby, with Tony standing next to it. Next to him was an older man, at least fifty years old. He was smoking a cigarette while talking to Tony, both of them standing under the light of a nearby streetlamp. Tony seemed pretty nonchalant about what was going on, either because he was confident in something or because he was naive. The second man, on the other hand, was almost constantly looking around, much more suspicious about his surroundings and clearly waiting for something to happen.

    Considering the differences in alertness levels, it was no surprise that the stranger spotted me first, saying something to Tony as I approached, nodding in my direction. Tony turned to see me, waving as I got closer.

    "Mage, good to see you," He said, reaching out to shake my hand as I got closer. "This is John. He''s gonna take us to one of the nearby encampments."

    "John, nice to meet you," I said, reaching out to shake his hand. "And I actually settled on a name. Call me Arcanum."

    "Well, ''Arcanum,'' Tony is a good guy, but he is about as gullible as a puppy, so I''m going to need to see your healing with my own eyes," John said with a voice like gargled granite, taking one last pull from his cigarette, before dropping it to the ground and stomping on it.

    "Understandable, I don''t blame you for wanting to see my abilities firsthand," I assure him. "Do you have an injury, or....?"

    Rather than answering, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a shockingly large knife, passing it to Tony, who winced and accepted the weapon. He looked at it for a second, looking up at John, before looking back down. He was about to cut his palm when I spoke up.

    "Hold on, just wait a second," I said, holding up my hand, Tony stopping immediately. "Two things. One, if you''re determined to make Tony cut himself, at least let me numb his hand first. Second, there is an alternative. Just let me heal your lungs."

    Tony visibly sagged in relief, pulling the blade away from his hand. He mouthed a thank you to me while John looked at me confused.

    "My lungs?" John asked, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "What about them?"

    "Well, you''re a smoker, right?" I asked, gesturing to the crushed but on the asphalt. "I should be able to clean out the tar and smoke residue, plus heal some of the damage. Some of it might be too old for me to fix, but they will be better than they are now."

    For a moment, he watched me, looking at me with discerning, suspicious eyes. After a few seconds, he reached out his hand to Tony, who eagerly gave him his knife back. When the weapon was once again hidden, sheathed in something behind his back, he focused back on me.

    "Well, what do I have to do?" He asked.

    "Nothing, just give me your permission to heal you," I said with a smile.

    "Is it gonna hurt?"

    "There''s gonna be some golden light and a few strange-looking symbols. The energy I make is going to go into your body, but there won''t be any pain."

    "...I give you permission," He said, almost seeming to chew on the words. "But you should know, people know where I am and what''s going on."

    "Well then, we best not keep them waiting," I said, before stepping closer and raising my hands. "Ad tollendum venenum ex pulmone!"

    A pair of golden vertical ovals appear around my hands, four arcane symbols surrounding each. Normally, that would be way too much for me to use at once at my current skill level. Thankfully, these were the same four symbols, just repeated, which made it significantly easier to handle. Once the symbols lined up with the ovals, they shifted forward, sinking into the man''s body. This spell was specifically made for cleaning contaminants that were breathed in, something especially useful for alchemists and smokers.

    "Ad tollendum venenum ex pulmone!" I cast again, waiting for the golden glow to fade again. "Sana damnum ad pulmones! Sana damnum ad pulmones"

    I cast the cleansing spell again, just to make sure I got everything, before following it up with a healing spell focused on the lungs. It was very specific, which should increase the depth of what it could repair. It started as a relatively normal-looking spell before it dissolved into a mist that flew into John''s mouth. It was all symbolic, as the energy could have just as easily gone through his chest instead.

    The first spell caught him off guard, but since I warned him about the lights and weirdness, he managed to control himself. However, the golden mist going into his mouth and down into his lungs was too much. He stumbled backward, looking angry and reaching back toward his weapon.

    "What the fuck was that?!" He asked, cursing at me as he recovered. "What the fuck are you trying to do to me? I ain''t-"

    He stopped mid-sentence, his brain finally catching up with his body, realizing that his last breath had been remarkably easy. He took another breath, his eyes slowly widening as he just kept breathing in, his lung capacity suddenly much closer to what it should have been at his age. I could see him wince, no doubt anticipating a hacking cough brought on by the deep breathing, only for nothing to happen.

    "I¡­ god damn, I knew it was bad, but¡­ I had no idea I lost that much," He admitted, a smile growing on his grizzled face. "Alright, your mojo works, even if it''s freaky as hell."

    "Yeah, I know. It''s why I went with a magic-themed name," I admitted with a shrug. "Technically, the chanting isn''t necessary. It just makes it easier."

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    "Huh¡­ well, it''s weird, but I won''t argue with the results," He said. "Okay, let''s go."

    Without much more to say, John turned around and walked away, heading across a nearby street and waving for us to follow. Tony was the first to move, clearly trusting his friend, and I was right behind him. I couldn''t help but smirk as John chucked his cigarettes into a dumpster as we walked.

    On the way, I answered questions about the uses and limitations of my "power." I explained that I could heal current wounds with no issues, clean infections out, and beat back most diseases. I also explained that the older the injury, the less I could do about it, and I could only ease the symptoms of genetic issues. Cancer was straight out of my wheelhouse. That was a limitation on my topic choice, as healing spells, as far as I could tell, were more about returning a body to its natural state. As genetic issues were part of a person''s natural body, healing spells didn''t do much for them. Cancer was more or less in the same boat since it was the person''s own cells going out of control. It would be like trying to heal away a finger.

    I wasn''t a hundred percent sure, as my knowledge didn''t extend that far, but I heavily suspected that this was an intrinsic issue tied to healing spells. As far as I could tell, a healing ritual or some other healing process would stand a much better chance of fixing those issues.

    John seemed to get the distinction and assured me he would call me to the people I could help and warn the people I couldn''t.

    It took us ten minutes to finally arrive at the camp, which came out of nowhere. One minute, we were walking behind an old, abandoned car dealership when suddenly we were stepping into a shantytown. The camp had been completely hidden by a line of trees and a garage that ran at the back of the car lot, which I imagine was probably the only reason it existed. I had no doubt that people, including the police, knew it was there, but it was better somewhere hidden and out of the way, which people didn''t complain about, than somewhere that detracted from the city''s natural "charm."

    It only took a few seconds for people to realize we were there, first spotting John, then Tony and me. I had a feeling Tony had been here before, but I was obviously a bit of a spectacle. People started stepping out of tents, opening doors to ramshackle structures built from pallets and scrap wood. As we walked deeper, I got John''s attention.

    "Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I got the feeling that Brockton Bay has a lot of abandoned homes. Why not try living in those?" I asked, thinking of my own temporary home inside the abandoned shop.

    "Because if you start breaking and entering, the cops have to do something," He said with a frown. "It''s a lot easier to ignore if we squat in somewhere nobody cares about."

    "Plus, we need to stick together," Another voice said, startling me enough that I whirled around, hand raised, ready to cast. "If the groups are too small, we get picked off by Merchants."

    It was a woman, somewhere around my age, with a shaved head and scars that ran along the left side of her face. The eye on that side was cloudy, and what little I could see of her left side, even her arm, was covered in wraps and cloth. When she stepped out from between two tents, John stopped as well.

    "Picked off?" I asked, meeting her eyes. "How so?"

    "Merchants are small time wastes of space," John responded, prompting me to turn and look at him. "Nobody joins them by choice. You get hooked, and then you join. Sometimes people get hooked cause they abuse, sometimes the merchants hook them on purpose."

    "That¡­ how often does that happen?" I asked.

    "Not very," The scarred woman responded. "But enough to be a worry."

    "E88 is worse," John said, practically spitting out the gang''s name. "They take anyone not white for initiations."

    I feel a rising anger in my chest at the horrifying conditions these people are living in. The homelessness is bad enough, but the constant threat from Fucking Nazis.

    "Fuck. I¡­"

    "Don''t worry about it, we get it, hero man," The woman said. "No need to worry about us, the dregs and forgotten."

    "Can''t exactly stop that now," I said, shaking my head. "I can''t do anything now, but I will help soon. The E88 is a fucking stain. The fact that they exist is an affront to just about everyone. I will do something about them when I can."

    John didn''t seem convinced, and neither did the mystery woman. Even Tony winced at my statement. I couldn''t blame them, of course, not really. The Empire had a ridiculous amount of capes and resources. They also had a reputation for smacking down capes that stood up to them hard.

    "For now, though, I can help by making sure everyone here is as healthy as I can make them."

    "John mentioned Tony found someone willing to heal people," She said, looking past me to John. "The fact that he brought you here must mean you''re not full of shit."

    "He fixed my breathing," John explained. "I can breathe like I''m thirty again."

    "Is that right?" She said, studying me for a moment. "I guess you aren''t completely useless. Good luck then."

    She gave me a sarcastic solute with her unwrapped hand, before walking back through the gap in the tents she had emerged from, disappearing from view. I frowned, opening my mouth to call her back and offer to help her when John grabbed my shoulder.

    "Don''t. She''d just say no," He said, shaking his head as I turned away. "She doesn''t like people mentioning her marks."

    "Who was that?" I asked with a frown. "I could have helped her."

    "Goes by Mary, not her real name," John responded. "Showed up one day, asking for help. Pulls her weight, but she is¡­ flighty."

    He struggles for a moment to find the word, but when he does, he continues with a frown.

    "She won''t let you help, not the kind to want her marks gone."

    I chewed my lip at his statement, wondering how he could possibly know that. Unfortunately, it was too late, and she was long gone, so there was no point in arguing about it. I turned back and gestured for John to lead on, the older man guiding us through the tents and lean-tos. Our first stop was one of the newest-looking tents. John leaned in the open flap, and after a few minutes, a younger man stepped out. He winced as he did, limping and immediately sitting near the entrance.

    John introduced us to the young man, who was apparently the victim of a mugging, resulting in some cracked ribs and a slice across his thigh from a knife. He was clearly nervous, but John assured him I was the real deal.

    After confirming I had his permission, I cast a few spells on him, cleaning out a minor infection and healing the cut on his thigh, before finishing off with his ribs. All in all, it took about two minutes to do, and while my magic had been reduced by a significant amount, it was almost full again by the time the young man finished thanking me.

    "Right¡­ Well, who''s next?" I asked John with a smile

 Chapter Eight

    After turning to John and asking who was next, several people around the camp started shouting, asking to be next. For a moment, I was worried the whole camp would rush us, and I would need to demonstrate my other magic, but John was on top of it. He quickly stood on a small stack of pallets and shouted for everyone to be quiet, and surprisingly, they listened.

    "Hey! Everyone calm down!" He said, lit up by the various fires and lights that illuminated the otherwise dark camp. "I know everyone is anxious, but we need to do this one by one. Arcanum has already agreed to help everyone, so take it easy, and we will get to you, even if it takes all night."

    People seemed to settle at his words, and he climbed down off his stage, nodding for Tony and I to follow. He led us through the crowd to a much older tent, one layered with ratty, hole-filled tarps. He climbed inside and, a minute or so later, came back out helping an older woman. She was struggling to stand up straight, and as John helped her sit back in a weathered old rocking chair, I could see the joints of her fingers swollen with arthritis. I wince when she whimpered in the process of shifting in her seat.

    John gave us a brief introduction, and I quickly got to work. A half a dozen bone and general healing spells latter, she was doing much better. Usually, I wouldn''t use such general healing spells, as they tended to decrease the effectiveness of other healing while also doing a poor job of actually fixing significant problems. However, in this case, I was using it to ease the signs of old age, which they did rather well. I was not de-aging her, simply healing a lot of the issues that crop up as people get older. Since it was so widespread, general healing spells were quite effective in soothing them.

    When I was done, the older woman stood up straight, tears pouring down her face. She thanked me profusely, switching between praying for me and asking if there was anything she could do. I told her to live well and that I was happy to help. As John guided me to the next person, Tony stayed behind to talk to her, apparently familiar with the older woman.

    For the next few hours, we traveled around the camp, taking care of dozens of different injuries, ranging from a simple case of the flu all the way to a serious issue with an older man''s leg, which was infected from a dog bite. Of course, there were some things I couldn''t fix, but even the genetic issues I found could be mitigated with some healing to wash away the symptoms. They would return, but some of them would take years. Several people tried to pay me, trying to hand me meager amounts of savings, but I, of course, refused, assuring them that I was happy to help.

    I was about halfway through this when Alya whispered to me.

    "The woman from earlier, Mary, is watching from the roof," she said softly, directing me to look up and back with a gust of wind.

    Sure enough, Mary was looking over the camp from the roof of the abandoned car dealership. She was sitting with her legs hanging over the side of the roof, watching us as we worked. She clearly spotted me looking at her, but I simply waved before returning to healing. I had had time to think about what John had said, and I realized that he had mostly been right. Had she wanted my help, she would have stuck around, and I wasn''t about to try and force healing on anyone.

    When I finally finished healing everyone from the camp, I happily shook hands with John before saying goodbye to the few people who had been following me around, watching my work. I also passed John my cell phone number so he could call me if there was an emergency. After that, I picked up Tony, who had hung back to talk to a few of the people I had healed, before leaving the encampment behind. Quite a few people wished us both well as we left, stepping out of tents to shake our hands or simply say goodbye. As we left, both of us were quiet until we reached his car.

    "You did amazing work today," He said with a smile. "The people you helped didn''t have many options, and many of them would have been dead in the next few weeks, or been forced to do some unkind things to get the help they needed."

    "Just happy to help, Tony," I said with a smile. "Any news on where I can go next?"

    "The other people I knew were hesitant to agree to a meet-up," He admitted with a frown. "The only reason John did was because he recognized that a few of the people at his camp were really starting to struggle. I''m hoping that will change once the word of what you did today gets around. Give it a few days, and I''ll know more."

    "Sounds good. Thanks for setting this up."

    "I was happy to Ma- Arcanum," He said, correcting himself and pointing at me with a cheeky grin. "I''ll be in touch in a few days."

    I watched him climb into his car and pull away, waving as he did. Once he was around the corner, I looked around to make sure no one was listening in.

    "That went pretty well," I said, feeling the weight of Alya''s presence as she pulled in close to focus on me. "Any thoughts? Notice anything weird?"

    "Nothing worth noting," She responded, the wind tugging at my arm, pulling me towards home. "I did not notice anyone around the camp who didn''t belong."

    "That''s good," I responded as I crossed the street.

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    I made my way through the city, stopping where I had changed the first time to stuff my costume back into my bag. When I finally arrived back at my temporary home, I climbed in through the usual window, sealing it back up after I did. By that time, I was starting to really feel the late hour despite having taken a nap earlier. It was almost two AM, and when I finished putting my bed together, I was out like a light.

    The next morning, I woke up late, my mind foggy from the lack of sleep. I used a general healing spell, which washed away some of the fatigue and fog, but it wasn''t a complete fix. I found myself finishing my morning routine slowly before making my way to buy some breakfast.

    "I need better magic to mitigate sleep," I mumbled to myself, taking a long sip of a large coffee. "I have to imagine it''s possible to do it with magic, and being able to cut down on sleep would give me a lot of free time."

    A cold wind whipped around my legs, and I rolled my eyes, feeling pretty clearly that Alya was telling me to stop complaining.

    With breakfast in hand, I made my way to the city library, which was my primary source of information for the last week. I quickly sat down at one of the computers in the corner, tucked away from prying eyes. I was pretty sure I would get yelled at for having a drink near the computer, but I would be careful.

    It took me a few minutes to log in, but soon, I was scrolling through PHO. It took some time to scroll through the unfamiliar message board, but eventually, I did find the Brockton Bay string, immediately finding what I was looking for.

    "Didn''t take them very long," I mumbled, clicking through the post labeled "New cape sighting at BBCH."

    I read through the thread, chuckling to myself at just how similar it was to some of the boards at home despite the crude structuring. I was half expecting a "and my ax!" joke to pop up at any second.

    Details were, unsurprisingly, scarce about who I was, but people did notice that when I was leaving, I was moving quite a bit faster, almost stalking out of the building. The general consensus was that I was there to get healing from Panacea, and either she couldn''t help because she couldn''t do brains, or she refused to help, potentially because she was known to refuse people who made demands or ambushed her.

    A few people commented that they were surprised that Glory Girl herself hadn''t responded to the thread, as she had been tagged, and she apparently liked to pop in when she was, even just to confirm that she couldn''t talk about anything.

    I stopped after about ten minutes of reading, making sure that no wild theories had developed. I half expected to open it up and find the website filled with insane ideas, but everything seemed to be tame, at least for now. None of it was close to the truth, mind you, but I wasn''t worried about that. I quickly shut down the computer, but stayed sitting for a moment, staring at the screen.

    "What''s wrong?" Ayla whispered into my ear.

    "Kinda felt like snooping on Facebook, wondering if anyone was talking about me," I responded, grabbing my coffee and standing from the seat. "It''s not a nice feeling, and it reminded me of why I deleted social media back home."

    I tried to pull on the connection we shared, more closely showing her the emotional bundle that the whole FOMO, missing out, gossip rag bundle of issues that social media caused. It was a very particular combination of emotions, and I could feel her reaction as she studied the glimpse I was giving her.

    "I can understand why you don''t engage," She responded once I had pulled the familiar feeling back, letting it fade. "Will you not use PHO officially, then?"

    "Needs must when the devil drives, unfortunately," I mumbled back as I left the library. "Apparently, a lot of cape business is done there. I''ll probably have to set one up eventually."

    Shaking off the funk, I focused on what I would be doing for the rest of the day. I could go out and find some more high-quality steel. I had enough for now, but since I was using between 16 and twenty pounds of it a day. It didn''t sound like much, but considering I was basically stealing it in rebar form from abandoned construction sites and lugging it around the city, it was a pain and tended to go down quickly.

    "Do you think it might be time to make a statement?" Alya asked, voicing a thought spinning in the back of my mind. "You have a few days before Tony gets back to you. Why not patrol the city?"

    "... It''s not a bad idea," I admitted, though I said it with a frown. "But I''m not prepared to start pushing back the gangs, not yet. I could take down some thugs, sure, but I''m not hedging bets on the capes. Also¡­ The whole patrol thing feels so useless. What are the chances of actually stumbling into a crime happening while walking around the city?"

    "Considering I would be guiding you?" She asked, holding back a chuckle. "Very high."

    I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, her words surprising me.

    "Dammit," I said, shaking my head as I started walking again. "I can''t believe I didn''t think of that. Alya, please poke me when you think I''m forgetting about stuff you can do."

    "I already do, when I notice things, at least," She assured me. "However, the gift of free thought I gained from binding to you does mean that I am just as capable of missing things as you are."

    I nodded in understanding before heading down a street that would eventually lead us back to the shop. I had left my costume at home, so I would need to retrieve it before we could go out on patrol. The more I walked, though, the more I realized I had a problem.

    "I''m too slow," I said, finally climbing through the window of the shop, sealing it back up with a practiced hand. "You might be able to find people who need help, but past a short distance, I won''t be able to get there in time to actually help. "

    "And there''s nothing you could do to increase your speed?" Alya asked, reforming into her solid shape, following me as I walked further into the temporary home.

    "Hypothetically, I could run until I was exhausted and then heal away some of the fatigue, but that only works so much, and it''s still just running speed," I added. "Not fast enough. Technically, if I got my hands on some mercury, I could use that to increase my speed and buff my stamina, but it would only be double at max."

    "Forty miles per hour is not bad in a city," Alya pointed out.

    "Forty? You think I can run twenty miles an hour?" I asked with a snort. "Yeah, mercury would get me to twenty, maybe twenty-two, tops. No, I need something else. Besides, where the hell would I get that much mercury?"

    "What else could you do?"

    "Well¡­ long term, we could start selling stuff again until we have enough for a ride," I suggested. "A motorcycle could work since a car would just get stuck in traffic. But even that would take a while and¡­ I think I have a better idea anyway."

    "The spare charge?"

    "Yeah. It''s only one, so I would have to be extremely specific and pick something relatively low-end in terms of power and complexity," I said, now standing and pacing around the room. "Maybe if I focus on a singular spell?"

    "Do you know a spell you could focus on?" Alya asked.

    "...no, at least not specifically enough to count," I admitted.

    We spent a few minutes brainstorming ideas before eventually settling on some things to try. First, I tried to think of a lighting-themed teleportation spell, something that would ping off my two levels of lighting spells. Unfortunately, Marvelous Mage considered that to be too similar to the existing topic, so it wouldn''t work.

    Next, rather than trying a pure teleport spell like blink, which we assumed would be too powerful and complicated, we settled on trying to increase my speed and stamina. While I doubt it would get very far with one charge, being able to run a bit faster without stopping would drastically increase my range.

    With the decision made, I dove back and reached for the charge. I pushed towards the concept, focusing as much as possible on physical movement enhancement spells, hoping to keep the category separate from any teleportation concepts.

    The charge took to the concept easily, forming into a chunk of knowledge that flowed into my mind. Once it settled into among my other charges, I smiled and looked at Alya.

    "I take it that it worked?" She asked.

    "Yeah, and pretty well, to¡­.come on, let''s go out and I''ll show you."

 Chapter Nine

    Once we were far enough away from the shop that I didn''t feel worried about leading people to the area, I quickly donned my uniform. As I did, Alya and I discussed what my singular charge had unlocked.

    "Almost all of it is low-level, very short buffs," I explained, securing my mask tightly. "Most of them are¡­ well, they are kind of useless. A few of them might end up coming in handy eventually, but the time to cast is too long for them to be useful in a fight."

    With my mask on, I pulled out my overcoat, pulling it on and tugging it straight. I then sat down on a crate to pull off my shoes and pull on my combat boots.

    "There is a jump spell that increases my jump height and a spell to slow my descent from tall places, but they take a good six or eight seconds to cast," I explained, tying my boots before standing. "Handy if I see the issue coming and have time to pause, but like I said, I probably won''t be using them in a fight."

    "I thought you said you got what you wanted?"

    "Oh, I did," I assured her. "It''s a bit on the low end, but we expected that, having only used one charge. It''s like a double buff, increasing my speed and burning mana to wash away the stamina drain."

    "That seems... more advanced than I would have assumed a level one purchase would surrender."

    "Well, it''s a low-level buff, tied directly to how much mana I''m burning," I explained. "Higher levels might offer more efficient ratios, but I won''t know for sure until I buy it. Plus, I have to hold the spell while I use it."

    So far, almost all of my spells were functionally one-and-done. I would focus and chant the words, and the spell would form, and then it would cast. There were a few spells in the healing spells topic that I could cast and hold, the most useful of which would pump a trickle of healing energy into a person to just barely stabilize them, keeping them alive while using the barest amount of mana. There were also a couple of lightning spells, but those were even less like the new spell.

    Basically, I would cast the spell and hold it, letting my mana trickle in to keep it active. While I was holding it, I would be unable to cast any other magic without first dropping the old spell. This didn''t come without a benefit, though, as I could adjust how much mana the spell was burning to give myself a quick burst of speed, or to lower the buff down to the point that my mana regeneration would mean I could hold it forever.

    "Okay, Alya," I said, settling into my uniform. "Go ahead and start-"

    "There''s a mugging going one block to the east," Alya immediately responded, not even waiting for me to finish. "Three men attacking a pair of women."

    "Dammit," I cursed, already running out of the alley. "Lead me there!"

    I ran out into the street, scaring the crap out of a few pedestrians before running along the sidewalk. As I did, I focused on the spell, casting it on myself as I ran.

    "Marathona potestas cursus!" I called out as I focused my mana around my hands.

    Several pale blue bands formed around my wrist, sliding down over my body, linking around each of my limbs and torso. Immediately, what little stamina I had used returned, and my speed increased. I adjusted the spell as I ran, quickly toning it down until I could hold it for a long while without running out of mana. I was still significantly faster than I was before, my boots pounding on the ground as I moved. If I had to guess, my speed was just around half again what I was usually capable of, so most likely twelve or thirteen miles per hour.

    I wasn''t exactly breaking any records, but the fact that I could essentially do it forever meant I could still get around the city pretty well, especially with Alya guiding me along the most direct route.

    "Next alleyway," Alya whispered into my ear as I wove between people, skidding to a stop at the entrance of the alley.

    Sure enough, fifteen or twenty feet into the trash strews gap between buildings was a small group of people. Three men stood leaning over a pair of women, all three of the men wearing ski masks. As I watched, one of the men was going through a purse, one already lying half torn on the ground. Both of the other muggers were armed with knives, and I could see a pistol tucked into the waistband of the one going through the purse.

    "Hey!" I called out, somehow managing to keep the stutter out of my voice. "Put down the purse and put your hands on your head."

    "Wh- CAPE!" One of the knife-wielding criminals said, pointing me out to his friends.

    Funnily enough, the gun-toting guy did drop the purse, but instead of putting his hands on his head, he immediately reached for his gun. I jabbed out with two fingers, sending a small bolt of electricity out to slam into his arm, burning him and rocking him back. With his attempt to shoot me sufficiently delayed, I held out my palms.

    "Attonitus imbre fulgur!" I shouted, three arcane symbols appearing around my hands before popping, lighting firing out, and washing over the three muggers.

    The electricity made them jump and convulse, falling over and collapsing to the ground. As they were still recovering, I quickly walked over them, pausing over each man.

    "Somnum scintilla," I said, mana dancing between my pinky and thumb, drawing out three sparking arcane symbols, which flared, pulled together and dropped from my hand.

    The sparking charge dropped down and landed on the first man''s chest, instantly sinking into his body. He clenched and arched his back as the spell overwhelmed his nervous system and knocked him unconscious. He would wake up four or five hours from now with a headache, feeling like he had been tased.

    I quickly cast the same spell over each of the other muggers before finally standing up and turning to the two victims. They were both standing half a dozen feet away, one of them in front of the other, as if to protect her slightly younger friend. The one in the back was quickly developing a black eye, while the one in front had a busted lip.

    "It''s okay, you''re safe now," I said, trying to sound confident. "They won''t wake up for a few hours. Are both of you okay? Any serious injuries?"

    It took a moment for them to respond, the one with the busted lip speaking first.

    "N-no, I think we are okay¡­" She said, looking back at her friend to confirm, getting a small nod in confirmation. "I¡­ Thank you."

    "It''s not a problem, Ma''am. I was on patrol and spotted these chumps," I said, shoving the closest man with the tip of my boot. "Giving you a hard time. Why don''t we get you guys out of this alley and call the police?"

    They both nodded, the protective woman leading the other out. I pointedly ignored the fact that the older one chose to step on the criminals in her path, rather than over. As I followed after them, I quickly rolled all three of the muggers into the recovery position before exiting the alleyway.

    Both of the women had sat down on the curb. It didn''t take long for the shock and adrenaline to fade, as within seconds of sitting down, the younger woman burst into tears. I gave them space, standing nearby as I called the police. They promised to send a squad car down after confirming that the victims were healthy and the aggressors were incapacitated.

    "Arcanum, huh?" The older woman asked, having overheard me talking to the police. "I don''t recognize you, so you must be new."

    "Very, still trying to figure all of this out," I admitted, rubbing the back of my head. "Doing okay so far, I think."

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    "Yeah, I would say so, too," She said, giving me a weak smile. "I¡­ I don''t think that would have ended well."

    "Yeah¡­ Oh! Would you like me to fix that?" I asked, tapping my lip to point out her injury.

    "...Fix it?" She asked, gently touching the cut along her lip, wincing as she did.

    "Yeah, I can heal people," I explained.

    "I¡­think I''m okay," She said with a frown. "No offense, but¡­ You just admitted you''re new¡­"

    "No problem, I completely understand," I said, holding up my hands in acceptance. "I would be a little iffy about it as well, in your shoes."

    We waited for a few more minutes in general silence, broken up by the occasional sniffle from the younger victim. There were quite a few people hanging around, watching and even recording, but I ignored them. I knew this was coming, and I just needed to push through it.

    Eventually, a police cruiser pulled up and parked beside the sidewalk. Two cops, one older, slightly graying woman and a younger man, stepped out of the cruiser, both of them approaching slowly. The older woman said something to the man I couldn''t quite hear before stepping closer to me. Her partner turned and focused on the victims, talking in soft, hushed tones.

    "Arcanum, I assume?" She asked, giving me a look that told me she had seen it all and wasn''t impressed.

    "Yes, Ma''am," I said with a nod. "I was patrolling the neighborhood when I spotted those men making themselves a nuisance."

    I nodded back down the alleyway to where the three muggers still were, lying on the ground in the mud, grime, and trash. Unsurprisingly, they hadn''t moved, still lying in the positions I had put them in.

    "They dead?" She asked, suddenly a lot more tense, her hand sliding down her side.

    "No, Ma''am, just unconscious," I explained. "I have the ability to knock people out for a few hours."

    "Your power is to knock people unconscious?" She asked with a snort, giving me another look. "I guess that makes me a cape as well."

    "That''s just one of them," I explained with a chuckle. "They will wake up in a while with a headache and some muscle aches like they were tased."

    "Huh¡­ well, let me take your statement, and then you can be on your way," She said, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen.

    I spent a few minutes describing what I had seen, and what happened afterward. When I was done, I helped them load the three unconscious men into the back of their cruiser, their arms locked up in handcuffs. The older cop expressed her thanks for the help before climbing back into the cruiser and pulling away. By that point, both of the women were long gone, having called for a cab.

    "Alright, Alya, I guess you can start looking for another one," I said quietly, giving some of the pedestrians around me a wave and a nod.

    With the police and victims gone, the crowds'' pressing curiosity quickly got the better of them, and they began getting closer, many of them still holding up phones. Rather than have to deal with anything, I gave one final salute before running off, picking a direction and reapplying the running buff as I went.

    I move through the city, ignoring pedestrians as I did, stopping a few times to get my bearings and adjust my course. For about an hour, nothing new happened, and I basically just crisscrossed the city a few times. I was tempted to push further into rougher neighborhoods, but a healthy dose of caution held me back. I was looking to help and start building a reputation for myself, but I wasn''t confident enough in my powers to fight other capes.

    Of course, I was running through what was normally considered Empire territory, but¡­ well, I might have been deluding myself a bit about how risky what I was doing was.

    After just about an hour went by, Alya once again whispered into my ear, warning me that there was a car accident just a few blocks down the street I was about to pass. I immediately cut and ran towards the accident, Alya once again proving how invaluable she was by guiding me there.

    I arrived at what seemed like a pretty rough accident, with a crossover and a normal car both looking pretty mangled. Both cars were in the center of a four-way intersection, and at a glance, it appeared someone hadn''t spotted what color the lights were. As my marathon spell faded, I jogged into the street, looking into the broken window of the nearest vehicle, the car.

    Sitting there, partially hidden by the airbag, was a woman, probably around my age. She was dazed and had cuts along her face and burns along her arms. Her left wrist also seemed a bit rough, maybe broken from the airbag, which was probably where the burns were from as well.

    "Ma''am, can you hear me?" I asked, looking past her to make sure there weren''t any other passengers. "Ma''am?"

    "I¡­. yes¡­ Head¡­"

    "Ma''am, you were in a car accident," I asked, reaching in and tearing the airbag cloth free from the deployment device. "I need you to focus on me. I am a parahuman, and I can assist you. Would you like me to help?"

    She seemed to focus on me long enough to realize I was wearing a mask, and after a moment, she nodded. Not wanting to waste any time, I double-checked that the crumpled door was stuck shut before getting to work.

    "Scalpere metallum," I intoned, focusing my mana on my hand.

    My energy spun up and around my pointer and middle fingers, spiraling around it until it reached their tip. An arcane symbol flashed, and the small, glowing, three-inch white blade extended from my finger. It was just about the most basic metal-cutting spell out there, but it came free with Geomancy as a way to prepare metal for the partional, so I wasn''t about to complain.

    I quickly cut along the door lock and hinge before pulling the door away from its frame and tossing it to the side. The woman was starting to wake up fully, the daze passing. When I stepped back to her side in the frame of the door, I gave her a once-over to make sure she wasn''t impaled or bleeding anywhere.

    "Ma''am, I want to help you out of the vehicle, but I''m worried about your neck and head trauma," I explained, the woman wincing as she shifted in her seat. "The good news is, I am a healer. If you allow me to treat you, we can avoid all the worry."

    "Healer?" She asked, focusing on me, her eyes locking on mine. "Are you¡­ are there any side effects?"

    "You might notice some fading in older scars, as well as any old injuries, but that''s it."

    She chewed her lip for a moment before eventually nodding, wincing a bit as she did. I reached in and quickly cast four different healing spells, fixing her wrist, which was definitely broken, her concussion, and the burns along her arm. She watched me with wide eyes the whole time, but when I was done, she smiled.

    "T-Thank you," She said, starting to get out of her seat. I helped her out until she was standing steadily.

    "No problem, Ma''am," I said with a smile. "Now sit tight. I need to go take a look at the people in the other car."

    She nodded, pulling out her cell phone, while I turned to head to the crossover. In the distance, I heard approaching sirens, so I put a little pep in my step. I respected the hell out of any emergency service workers who kept up in a city like Brockton Bay, but I also knew this would be easier to do without them getting involved.

    I hurried to the next vehicle and got to work.

    Charges So Far -

    Geomancy: [x][x]

    Healing Spells: [x][x]

    Lightning Spells: [x][x]

    Physical Movement Enhancement Spells: [x]

 Chapter Ten

    The next vehicle was in slightly better shape than the first, probably due to its larger size. All three of its occupants were thankfully better off as well. Two children were sitting in the back, with an older man in the driver''s seat. Other than a little whiplash, bruises, and some minor burns from the airbags, all of them seemed to be in good shape. The children were terrified, but the father was actively helping calm them down.

    I helped the dad get out first since there was no immediate danger, and he could help corral the scared kids. As I did so, I explained my ability to heal. The father considered my offer, eventually accepting the healing for himself first, then letting me heal his children when that went well.

    Unfortunately, with everyone recovered, the father soon became distracted, spotting the woman from the other car. He immediately stormed off, his face set in an angry scowl.

    "Where did you earn your license!?" He screamed, approaching the woman. "The light was clearly red!"

    "I-I didn''t see you!" She tried to explain, still clearly shaken. "I was pulling right, and I-"

    "Then you should have opened your fucking eyes!" He shouted, arms up as he gestured, making the woman flinch. "I bet you were on your cell phone, not even paying attention! My kids-"

    He took another aggressive step forward, looking like he was seriously going to lose it. While I understood the anger, he had just been in a car accident with his children in the car, and it certainly looked like the woman was in the wrong. I needed to stop this before it got out of control.

    "Woah woah woah," I said, stepping in between the two, confident I could take anything the man had easily. "I know emotions are running high right now, but this is not the time or place for that."

    "But she could have killed-"

    "I know, sir, but screaming in the street while your children watch is not the best way to handle this," I pointed out, putting my hands on his shoulders and forcing him to step back. "I''m sure whatever happened here will come out in time, potentially with the aid of lawyers. But for now, why don''t you go comfort your children. They just had a rather traumatic experience."

    At first, I thought he was going to shout in my face, but mentioning what his children had just been through seemed to knock something loose in his head. He turned back to see his young children standing listless, looking lost and shocked. He nodded weakly before moving quickly back to them, wrapping them both in a tight hug.

    When I was sure he was done yelling, I turned back to the woman.

    "Are you okay?" I asked, getting a nod back. "Good, why don''t-"

    Before I could finish, an ambulance pulled up at the scene, as did a fire truck and a pair of police cars. The latter seemed to be a bit overkill, but considering all four of the police officers who climbed out of the cruisers made a beeline for me, they must have been specifically sent to handle me.

    The following conversation was a bit tense, but overall, it went better than I had hoped, especially considering how poorly Tony had talked about the BBPD previously. They were mostly concerned that I had injured people trying to help, but when the EMT''s couldn''t find anything wrong with any of them, and all of them confirmed my healing, they backed off a little. During that time, Alya warned me that we had a pair of capes approaching, though they didn''t appear to be hostile. I wanted to ask her for more info, but I couldn''t exactly whisper a question when I was so close to other people.

    "Listen, I get it, but spinal issues weren''t anything I needed to worry about," I assured the officer, focusing on him for a moment. "Unless they were missing an entire limb, I could have fixed any injury they had. I was mostly concerned with them getting out of their cars."

    The police officer seemed to at least let it go, though they didn''t seem happy about it. I got the feeling that the BBPD wasn''t exactly the biggest fan of the many capes that populated the city, a sentiment I could honestly understand. Hard to be happy about something when a good chunk of them were villains.

    One of the officers took my statement and, begrudgingly, thanked me for my help. I shook his hand and wished them good luck before turning around¡­

    And almost walking headfirst into one of the costumed heroes that Alya mentioned.

    He was a taller man, dressed in a primarily red, lightly armored costume, with plates along his chest and arms. The top half of his face was covered in a red visor, which I had to assume was only opaque in one direction. As I turned, he took a step back while raising his hands. I recognized him from a few pictures I had seen online as the Protectorate hero, Assault.

    "Woah, sorry, their buddy, didn''t mean to sneak up on you," He said with a smile. "I''m Assault, and this here is Battery."

    He gestured to the woman behind him, who I had completely overlooked as my attention was focused on Assault. The female hero was dressed in a dark gray, almost deep blue suit, skin-tight, of course, decorated with light blue, almost teal lines that mimicked internal circuitry. Her helmet covered most of her head, save the bottom third of her face. She simply nodded, leaving the talking to her partner.

    "It''s alright, no harm, no foul," I said, slowly extending my hand, making sure not to spook either of them with sudden movement. "Names Arcanum. It''s nice to meet two of the Protectorates finest."

    "Here, that Battery? We are the Protectorates finest!" Assault said, shaking my hand and shaking it, his smile somehow seeming even more friendly. "It''s nice to meet you as well, Arcanum."

    "So, what can I do for you two?" I asked, slowly walking around them and off the street. "I haven''t done anything wrong as far as I know."

    "No, nothing like that," He assured me. "The PRT gets contacted for anything cape-related that goes through the BBPD, so we decided to come out and say hello. We missed you at your first call, the mugging you stopped."

    I nodded in understanding. By some unspoken agreement, we began to walk and talk, making our way down the sidewalk. People stepped out of our way, and Assault would wave and smile at people as we walked past.

    "I see. I can imagine it''s difficult to get a hold of us sometimes," I said, the older hero nodding.

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    "It can be, and it can be important since lone heroes¡­ well, there''s a reason there aren''t many of them," He admitted with an unhappy frown.

    "Other cities seem to have more," I pointed out. "They seem to struggle here. Unsurprising considering just who they are up against."

    We stopped at a corner, where Assault and Battery both signed a few autographs. Despite no one knowing who I was, I was asked to sign a few as well. We all brushed off any questions, which I was happy to do. I was still thrown off by the autographs.

    "You''re not wrong. There is a lot to be wary of, especially for a new guy just starting out," He warned. "But enough about that, why don''t you tell me a little about what you can do."

    "Be careful," Alya whispered into my ear. "He has an earpiece in, and someone is pushing him to find out more."

    I frowned behind my mask but realized that I shouldn''t really be surprised. Of course, professional heroes would have people backing them up, and of course, they would be rather interested in what I could do.

    "Well, I''m a bit of a grab bag," I admitted. "But not technically."

    I gave them a general explanation of my powers, in that I fed them the same half-lie, half-underselling explanation I gave Panacea and Glory Girl. As I got to the end, I noted that Assault was being very quiet. When I finally finished, it took him a minute to respond.

    "Jeez, when you said you were a grab bag, you weren''t kidding!" Assault said, shaking his head. "Healing, lightning, and physical enhancement? A pretty impressive combination."

    "Yeah, well¡­ Just good luck, guess," I said, rubbing the back of my head. "I-"

    "It might not be as good luck as you imagine," Battery said, speaking up for the first time since we started talking. "Having that many abilities puts a serious target on your back."

    "Yeah¡­ but they aren''t that potent," I said. "It''s not like I can heal like Panacea, right?"

    And that was true, no underselling required. While my healing spells were very impressive, they were only two levels strong. Serious injuries required multiple casts of each spell, which reduced the potency of each repeat cast on a single person. Even then, I really couldn''t bring people back from the brink of death. Dinah''s aunt, which felt like weeks ago, not just a few days, had been on the far end of my ability and had required some of my most potent spells. Even then, I hadn''t healed her completely. Yes, she wouldn''t die, but her muscles would need a lot of time to heal back to full.

    "My friend, comparing yourself to Panacea when it comes to healing is like comparing yourself to Hero if you''re a tinker or Legend if you''re a blaster," Assault said, shaking his head. "Just what you did today for the accidents was impressive, especially since there were no side effects or a ridiculous process. Well, other than speaking in a dead language."

    "You''re at risk for being forced into a gang," Battery said, folding her arms and earning a look from Assault. "You would be much safer working with the Protectorate, where you can get proper support on protection."

    "I¡­ understand the sentiment, but I am confident I can handle the danger," I assured them both. "It''s not that I have anything against the Protectorate. I just think I can do more good on my own."

    "How? If you work with us, we can help keep you safe, and you can use your powers in a way that benefits the most people," She said, directly challenging my statement.

    For a long moment, I was silent, giving Assault a look, only to find he was equally surprised by Battery''s aggressiveness. While I didn''t doubt that both of these individuals had more experience than I did, her "we know better" tone grated heavily on my nerves. Still, making a good impression trumped any temporary need to fire back.

    "Be that as it may, I want to work alone for now," I repeated, being a bit more blunt the second time. "Though, Panacea did mention that you guys can verify my healing as safe?"

    "That''s right, we can," Assault said, recovering from his partner''s rather rough sell. "We can-"

    He paused just long enough for me to notice, before continuing right where he left off.

    "We can do that as part of our power testing."

    "Power testing?"

    "Yeah, we have facilities set up to test a variety of powers, from strength and durability to the potency and danger of blaster powers, even your electricity," He explained with a smile, though it seemed... less open than before. "Come in, let us do our magic, and we can make sure your healing is safe and symptom-free. Even if it''s not, we might be able to come up with ways to mitigate any side effects."

    The pause he made was highly suspicious, and I could see it in his posture that he knew I noticed it. Still, being a PRT, or Protectorate verified healer would mean that I could help more people, which was worth a little paperwork and a couple hours of showing off my magic. I would be more concerned about showing off what I could do, if that wouldn''t change radically over the next week.

    "Alright, I can agree to that," I said with a smile. "Should I set up an appointment or¡­?"

    "That would be best. Our secretaries tend to get a bit jumpy when unknown parahumans show up out of the blue," He said with a smirk, prompting me to rub my face, only to feel the warm metal of my mask.

    "Yeah, in hindsight, not my best plan to show up to the hospital like that," I admitted, shaking my head. "But in my defense, Panacea doesn''t have a way to set up appointments."

    "Pretty sure that''s on purpose," He explained, before adding. "But you could have contacted New Wave through their website and set up a meeting with them."

    I was quiet for a long, drawn-out silence before letting out a long sigh and shaking my head.

    "Right, of course I could. Well, at the risk of tempting Murphy, I''m going to go. I will set up an appointment as soon as I can."

    "Sounds like a plan, Arcanum," Assault said with a smile, reaching out and offering me his hand. I shook it confidently before turning and walking away.

    Eventually, I cut into an alleyway, putting on speed while using the marathon spell to cut away my need to stop running through the city. At this point, it was starting to get later in the afternoon, so Alya subtly guided me back to where I had left my civilian clothes.

    "You noticed that too, right?" I asked, finally stopping in the secluded spot not too far from the shop. "The pause Assault made?"

    "I did. I couldn''t quite make out what the person on the other side of their radio was saying, as the sound was pretty muted, but I could tell that they got louder just before he stumbled."

    "Something to do with the power testing," I said with a frown, shaking my head. "I''ll have to keep my eye open."

    "You intend to go through with it?" She asked, slightly surprised. "I would have thought the pause would be enough to dissuade you."

    "Normally, it would have, but I really want that PRT approval for healing," I said with a frown. "Maybe I won''t have to spend so much time convincing people to let me help them if I was properly accredited. Let''s just hope Battery isn''t part of the process."

    "She was certainly rude," Alya agreed. "I can''t imagine her method of recruitment works very well."

    "Which makes you wonder why they sent her," I wondered out loud. "Maybe a good cop bad cop routine? Trying to enamor me with Assault so I''m more casual around him in the future?"

    I considered the idea for a moment, as I folded up my overcoat and slid it back into my messenger bag. After mulling it around in my mind for a minute, I shook my head.

    "I can''t just assume they were trying such an underhanded tactic on someone they were hoping to recruit," I guessed. "I mean, they should no better than to piss off random parahumans, right?"

    "Perhaps you shouldn''t assume competence?" Alya suggested, getting a snort out of me.

    "Maybe, but assuming incompetence is way worse, right?" I responded before putting my messenger bag strap around my shoulder.

    "I''m a little worried about how they reacted to me being a grab bag," I said with a frown. "They seemed shocked."

    I did some research on grab bags before claiming to be one, but it''s possible I misunderstood their level of potency. This meant I had been casually admitting to and showing off that I had multiple powerful abilities, attracting a lot of attention to myself because I assumed I was coming off as a mid-tier power at best. I had been naive despite trying not to be. Worse, this was going to get more difficult as I developed more and more magic.

    I let out a long sigh, trying to shake off the admittedly disappointing attempt at subterfuge. I needed to focus on the fact that I was doing good, that I had helped plenty of people at the camp, and that I would continue doing that as long as Tony could find more groups for me to help. I may be bumbling through this a bit, but I was still doing good.

    "Alright, I need to get something to eat, and then we can head home," I finally said out loud. "Mind finding me a pizza place, Alya?"

    Rather than answer, a warm breeze blew past me, and I followed it out of the alleyway.

 Chapter Eleven

    When I finally got back to the shop, stomach full and feeling a bit calmer about everything, I pulled out my burner phone and called the Protectorate hotline. I inquired about power testing, specifically for my healing ability. They seemed to have been waiting for my call because I was immediately transferred up the chain.

    After discussing it with a few people, it was decided that I would make my way to the PRT headquarters at around noon, where I would spend the afternoon measuring and testing my powers. The more I talked about it, the less I liked the idea, but I was still hoping that having the PRT healing approval would be worth it. The idea of a group having accurate measurements of all my abilities sounded absolutely terrible, and the only reason I was considering it was that they had no way of knowing if I was telling the truth, meaning I could hold back. Even if I didn''t, it was only a matter of time, literally, before I would be adding more powers and abilities to my repertoire.

    With my appointment set up, I sat down on the couch, closing my eyes and leaning back with a groan.

    "...Do you think it''s worth it?" I asked Alya as she formed into her solid shape, sitting beside me on the couch. "Revealing some of my abilities for them to certify my healing?"

    "For you, yes," She said confidently. "I could feel your disquiet at being unable to heal those two young women we saved from being mugged. If you had certification from the PRT, they might have accepted."

    "... I''m sensing a pretty big ''but'' there," I said, opening my eyes to look at my bound partner. "What is it?"

    "Nothing, just wondering how much of a risk it is," She admitted. "Imagine if your powers didn''t grow. How risky would this be then?"

    "It would be a hell of a leap of faith," I said with a frown. "A leap of faith in a government-run program on a superhero world. You think these guys are more like SHIELD or CADMUS?"

    "You mean dangerous by accident or dangerous on purpose?" She asked

    "Yeah."

    "...I couldn''t really say, not without directly infiltrating the building," She responded. "But if people went in and never came out, people would know. There would be rumors about it, at least. People would shy away from Protectorate capes, not run up for autographs."

    "Rumors¡­ Dammit, I''m being stupid," I said, shaking my head. "I already have someone who would know this."

    I quickly selected Tony''s number on my phone and dialed, waiting patiently for him to pick up.

    "Arcanum! Good to hear from you!" Tony''s familiar voice nearly shouted. "Is everything alright?"

    "Yeah, everything is fine, Tony," I said. "You got a minute to talk?"

    "Yeah, I''m just at the kitchen, doing some paperwork," He explained. "What''s up?"

    "So, I was invited to the PRT headquarters to go through power testing so that they could verify my healing," I explained. "The problem is, I don''t know much about the PRT. I wasn''t a cape nerd before this, and I''m not from around here."

    "Huh... Can I ask what the point is?" He asked. "Seems like a waste of time. As long as you ask permission first, you''re covered, right?"

    "Well, if the PRT signs off on my healing, people will feel better about letting me heal them," I explained, scratching my cheek. "I''ve already had a couple of people refuse, and¡­ well, they were just a bit roughed up, but I want to keep that from happening somewhere serious."

    "Huh¡­ that''s fair enough, I suppose," He admits. "Well¡­ The PRT and Protectorate have a reputation for being¡­ kinda useless around here."

    "Why?"

    "Well¡­ They don''t do much these days," Tony explained, his frown audible. "Now, to be fair, the situation really isn''t in their favor. The E88 is packed to the gills with capes, and the ABB is run by a fucker who went toe-to-toe with Leviathan."

    "Wait¡­ Lung fought with Leviathan?"

    "For a bit, when it sunk Kyushu," He explained. "I''ve seen some of that footage and¡­ well, I can''t say I blame them for not wanting to fight that."

    "What about rumors about people who do power testing or about stuff like that?" I asked. "Stories of capes getting taken advantage of or anything."

    "Well¡­ I gotta be honest, Arcanum. Before you came around, I didn''t do much thinking about capes either, beyond how to avoid them," He admitted. "That said¡­ no, I haven''t heard anything. I can ask around if you want?"

    "Nah, no point. I got an appointment tomorrow afternoon," I explained. "I just wanted to know before I accidentally walked into something stupid."

    "I''ll send out a search party if you get lost," He joked, and I chuckled along. "Oh, and I''m hoping one of my contacts in the homeless groups around the city is going to respond soon. Tomorrow at the earliest, so we should get news about if they accept sooner rather than later."

    "That''s good. I''m looking forward to helping again," I said with a smile before idly checking the time. "Alright, well, thank you for the information, Tony. I appreciate having a second opinion."

    "No problem, happy to help," He responded. "I''ll talk to you soon, hopefully."

    "Alright, until then."

    I could hear the phone disconnect as I pulled it away from my ear, closing the call from my end a moment later.

    "Well¡­ that''s about as good as I''m gonna get," I said. "Tony seems like the kind of guy who would hear about that, even if he wasn''t big into capes."

    Alya nodded in agreement, and after a bit more discussion, I prepared myself for sleep, eventually turning in for the night.

    The next morning, after my normal morning stuff, including breakfast and getting clean, I went about the usual process of leaving the shop and hunting for a spot to change. This time, rather than heading to the line between Downtown and the Commercial District like I normally did, I made my way deeper into Downtown, heading off to the PRT headquarters.

    As I walked through the streets in my costume, studiously ignoring the attention save the occasional wave to some younger children, I made a note of just how better the conditions were Downtown. The PRT and Protectorate had a pretty firm grip on this area, which was unsurprising considering it was where PRT headquarters was, and it showed.

    When I finally arrived at the headquarters, I stopped to look up at the building. It was mostly concrete, coming off as one of those cheap, simple public works that popped up in cities that desperately needed facilities but couldn''t afford to do anything fancy. The windows were all barred, and the glint on the glass showed it was deceptively thick, probably bulletproof. The PRT symbol, a shield with the logo on it, was displayed above the front entrance. If I had to guess, the simple nature of the structure was a purposeful misdirection to hide the fact that it was actually pretty well reinforced.

    Or maybe I was just being optimistic.

    After letting out a long breath, I walked through the front door, looking around to take the interior in. It seemed surprisingly modern and obviously fastidiously cleaned. Along one wall was a small waiting area with a space clearly marked for a guided tour. On the opposite side was a gift shop filled with Protectorate memorabilia and souvenirs.

    Directly in front of me was the front desk, with four people working behind it. On either side of that was the entrance into the rest of the building, guarded by four large PRT agents, each armed with assault rifles and armored in full SWAT gear. They stood in front of three metal detectors on one side and what looked like a simple security station on the other, which I assumed was the exit, with the detectors at the entrance.

    A soft breeze broke me from my examination of the front entrance, pushing me to the desk. I let out a breath and moved, ignoring the people sitting at the guided tour waiting space as they snapped pictures.

    "Hello, my name is Arcanum. I set up an appointment?" I said to one of the receptionists.

    "Of course, Assault is already on his way to act as your chaperone," She said with a smile.

    "Here is your guest badge."

    She reached into a yellow envelope and handed me a tag with an image of me on the front. Judging from the angle of the photo, I could only imagine they grabbed it from a social media post or maybe some body cam footage. I was clipping the tag to my jacket when Alya whispered into my ear.

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    "Assault just stepped out of a side entrance," She said softly into my ear. "He is coming this way."

    "Arcanum! Glad you could make it," Assault said from behind me, prompting me to turn and face him. "Good, you already got your tag. Let''s go this way."

    He nodded towards a door along the wall, one clearly marked as off-limits to civilians.

    "Assault, good to see you," I said, reaching out to shake his hand before following behind him.

    "I was happy to hear you set up an appointment," He said as we stepped through the side door. "Especially ''cause I get some overtime to guide you around."

    "Happy to help," I said with a chuckle. "So what''s up first?"

    "Well, I''ll be honest, the folks who run the testing facility are very interested to see what you''re capable of," He admitted. "The description you gave me really perked their interest."

    I nodded as he talked, following along silently as he took me deeper into the building. Eventually, we stopped outside a pair of double doors, the government hero pushing them open. Inside was a relatively large room filled with more than a dozen different machines. They all looked like strange, white-gray medical contraptions with nobs, joystick-like handholds, platforms, and scanners. It wasn''t quite mad scientist levels of crazy tech, more like if a mad scientist sold out and someone refined and mass-produced their equipment.

    "Right, this is testing lab one," Assault explained, staying near the door but gesturing to the entire room. "This is where a lot of blasters and more esoteric energy¡­ stuff is tested, like Vista''s spacial mumbo jumbo, or in this case, your lightning."

    I quietly listened and nodded along, asking polite questions until a pair of technicians joined us. They guided me to a specific machine, one designed to measure electricity. Or, rather, it would be after they attached a few pieces to it, meaning it was some sort of multipurpose device that could be shifted to multiple uses with the addition of certain pieces.

    While that was being set up, one of the people running the tests asked me a series of questions about my powers, specifically my electrokinesis. I insisted it was not electrokinesis, but they assured me it was at least a form or offshoot. Considering I had already planned to obfuscate my abilities at least partially, I just went with it. If that''s what they wanted to call it, even if it was inaccurate, I wasn''t going to argue.

    After the machine was set up, now sporting an exposed copper rod, while the rest of the machine was covered in rubber, the technicians disappeared. A quick look around showed they had retreated behind an enclosed observation bunker along one side of the large room. The man asking me questions quickly finished up after that, joining the others with a bit of a bounce in his step.

    The observation room was raised up off the ground by a couple of feet, meaning it could look out over the entire room. It was clearly built to withstand a variety of attacks, keeping its inhabitants safe even if the people in testing lost control.

    Assault gave me an excited wave from inside, following it up with a thumbs up.

    "Okay, whenever you''re ready, why don''t you start off with what you could consider a low-level attack." One of the men in lab coats suggested, his voice coming out from a speaker.

    I gave them a thumbs up before simply stabbing out with my finger, launching a single spark of electricity. It slammed into the copper pole, which I assumed they thought would attract the spell, even if that wasn''t how it worked. The targeting for most of my launched spells was all mental, which meant my electricity could completely ignore how normal electricity was supposed to work.

    Over the next forty-five minutes, I cast a few dozen spells, a few silently, but most of them chanting like normal. They would frequently ask me to cast a spell multiple times, repeating spells they thought were interesting and asking questions when something "strange" happened. Eventually, when they were satisfied, they spoke through the loudspeaker again.

    "Alright, now we want to see how powerful you can go," They explained. "For this next one, give it everything you got."

    For a moment, I considered the request before nodding in confirmation. I did have something that I would consider my most powerful lightning spell, which I had no issues showing off. In terms of pure power, it was the highest one I had, but it had almost no flexibility or anything else going for it. It was just pure power. It also took way too long to cast for most circumstances.

    After a moment, I raised my hands to just above my head, laying the index middle and pointer finger over the others so they formed a triangle with my thumbs touching.

    "Evocabo fulgura ad percutiendum et dispergendum inimicum meum!"

    Calling out the spell took about three seconds, a lifetime for open combat. As I chanted, I brought my hands down in a half circle on each side, rotating them until they were down at chest level, palms pushing forward. As I moved my hands, arcane sigils appeared in the air, connected by a constant line of my mana. Before the first sigil could fade, I pushed out with my hands, a final line of mana connecting them together. Suddenly, the spell snapped, and a bolt of lightning arced from my hands and slapped out against the copper rod, discharging an immense amount of power. Thankfully, the spell dampened my vision for a split second as the bolt flew out, or it would have at least partially blinded me.

    I let out a deep breath, my mana almost four-fifths drained. My body felt wired and jittery from accessing so much mana at once. The feeling faded as my mana reserves slowly equalized.

    "Not bad!" Assault''s voice called out from the safety of the observation room. "I gotta say, I can see why you went with Arcanum!"

    I chuckled and nodded, studying the machine I had attacked. It was obviously hot, since I could see heat waves emanating from the exposed copper. But other than that, it seemed intact. I had some visions of destroying their machine, but I suppose I just wasn''t that powerful.

    Yet.

    At the lab workers'' request, I repeated the attack a few times before a few technicians came out to disassemble the machine, and one of the lab workers came out to ask me some more questions face-to-face. When they were done, I asked a question of my own.

    "So, how exactly do you guys test healing?" I asked, watching one of the techs testing the equipment. "It''s honestly what I''m most interested in. I really want official approval from the PRT that my healing is safe."

    "Oh, well, there really isn''t a standardized test for that since it''s such a rare ability," He admitted.

    "As for official approval, I think that involves healing some volunteers, who would then be put under observation for some time. I don''t really know for sure, though. It''s not really part of what power testing."

    "So you''re saying that I didn''t have to go through power testing in order to get official approval?" I asked, looking over the lab worker''s shoulder to see Assault, who was now visibly wincing.

    "Uh¡­ no, not really¡­" The man said, now a bit confused. "Did someone tell you it was?"

    "Yes, that''s exactly what I was told," I responded with a frown, locking eyes with Assault. "If you''ll excuse me for a moment."

    I walked around the man, leaving him confused as I walked straight up to the Protectorate hero. For a moment, he tensed as if he anticipated me attacking him. When I stopped, he seemed to take that as a good sign.

    "Take it easy, Arcanum. I can explain," He insisted, raising his hand up to ward off any aggression.

    "You lied about the process so I would go through full power testing," I said, not willing to tiptoe around anything at this point. "Why?"

    "...Orders." He said simply, not sounding particularly happy about it.

    For a long moment, we were silent while I tried to figure out what to do. The temptation to leave was high, but I wanted what I came for, dammit!

    "Set up the healing test so I can get approval," I finally said. "Then I am leaving."

    "... Yeah, that''s fair," The red-clad hero agreed with a nod. "Would you like to wait here or...?"

    I looked around for a moment before plopping down on the corner of some random device. After a moment, he nodded before turning and whispering in harsh tones, presumably through his radio.

 Chapter Twelve

    Assault whisper yelled into his radio for a good few minutes before eventually guiding me through the PRT to a small waiting room, really more of a cutout corner along a long, mostly empty hallway. As we walked, Assault kept looking over his shoulder at me. When he gestured to one of the seats, he talked for the first time since we left the testing room.

    "Alright, Arcanum, if you wouldn''t mind waiting here for a bit, we just need to get the volunteers ready," He assured me. "I also¡­ I want to apologize for lying to you. I was ordered to, but honestly, I should have said no. You''ve done nothing to deserve that kind of treatment."

    His admission catches me off guard, and for a moment, I look up at him with a frown.

    "Then why do it?" I asked, continuing when he opened his mouth. "I know you were ordered to, but why were you ordered to?"

    "Because¡­ well¡­ honestly, the PRT director is paranoid, and your powers are a bit confusing," He explained, looking back and forth down the hallway. "She assumed you were lying, so she wanted to get a look at your powers on her own."

    "I was being purposely vague," I responded, shocking the man for a moment. "Because I had no interest in displaying my powers for everyone to see, my only concern was being accredited for healing."

    "Huh¡­ well, I can''t blame you for that," He responded, scratching his chin. "Certainly not now."

    "You''re going to get in trouble for this, aren''t you?"

    "Oh yeah, I''m surprised they haven''t already- Oh wait, here we go."

    I was confused for a moment before I followed where Assault was looking. At that moment, another hero came around the corner, one I recognized as Miss Militia. She was dressed in a prop, stylized and lightly padded version of military fatigues, with a sash around her hips and a bandana obscuring the bottom half of her face, both of them stylized US flags. She had a holster on her hip, with an ethereal green revolver, the manifestation of her powers, holstered inside.

    "Assault, Director Piggot wants to see you immediately," She said, her face obscured by her bandana.

    "Yeah, yeah, I''m going," He said with a smile and a sarcastic salute. "Sorry about all this, Arcanum."

    "Yeah¡­ Thanks for being honest," I said as I watched him leave before focusing back on Miss Militia. "I don''t suppose you''re gonna apologize too?"

    When she refused to say anything, I couldn''t help but frown. According to the online reports, after Assault, Miss Militia was the most personable and approachable member of the Brockton Bay Protectorate. And yet, somehow, I ended up sitting in front of her as she watched me closely, her glowing green sidearm shifting several times.

    "You know, I was at least looking forward to meeting fellow heroes, even if I didn''t want to give away all my secrets," I pointed out, meeting the woman''s eyes. "This isn''t exactly a great introduction. Then again, at this point, I shouldn''t be surprised. Introductions haven''t exactly been going well so far. First Panacea, then Battery, now this¡­ I''d say more, but I''m worried I might actually summon Murphy himself here to make it worse."

    Despite the fact that most of her face was covered, I could see her expression soften. It was at least nice to know she wasn''t wholly remorseless or emotionless.

    I waited patiently in the hallway for around twenty minutes, with Alya occasionally whispering secrets into my ear. She was mainly concerned about them ambushing me somehow, though I didn''t think that was likely. Even if I admitted that I was playing fast and loose with what I was actually capable of, I hadn''t actually done anything wrong, not that I knew about, at least. The entire PRT and Protectorate would have to be ridiculously broken or corrupt for them to actually make a move on me at this point.

    After about twenty minutes, when the urge to just leave was starting to get really hard to ignore, Miss Militia reached up and touched her ear. She nodded once before focusing on me.

    "They are ready for you now," She said simply before leading me down the hall, eventually stopping outside what looked like a miniature hospital.

    Over the next two hours, I healed a dozen PRT volunteers, working on injuries ranging from a twisted ankle all the way up to a broken arm and a gunshot wound. All of them were recent, which made sense, considering they must have a quick in with Panacea. The process was relatively painless, even with a pair of doctors looking over my shoulder the entire time. I could practically feel their eye rolls and scoffs when I started chanting and moving my hands around, even with the various arcane sigils floating in the air.

    When I finished healing all of the volunteers, I discussed some of the limitations of my healing, as well as how some of it worked. This, I was completely honest about, giving them as much detail as I could provide, which was a lot considering just how much information I got for each level of investment.

    When the doctors were satisfied, meaning they were finally done trying to trip me up and make me look silly for chanting, Miss Militia returned to walk me out of the building. Either she was given permission to talk to me, or she was taking a page out of Assault''s book, because she spoke up as we walked.

    "I would like to give you the Protectorate''s official apology for the confusion around power testing and verifying your healing ability," She said as she walked, her glowing green weapon set on a switchblade. "It was unprofessional and underhanded."

    "It really was," I agreed with a nod. "But I got what I came for, and I was never going to join anyway, even without an egg on your face."

    "...Are you sure?" She asked, turning to look at me, somehow radiating genuine concern. "I know Battery was¡­ a bit aggressive in her explanation of why it''s important, but none of what she said wasn''t true. You are in significantly more danger on your own."

    "I know, but I don''t need people on my back, forcing me to do stuff I don''t want to," I explained with a shrug. "Like lying to a new hero because my boss wants a better understanding of his powers."

    That got a wince out of her, and for the rest of the walk, she remained quiet. Eventually, we reached the same door I had entered with Assault. We stopped, and Miss Militia held something out for me, a pair of cards.

    "One of these is for the people you can talk to about your verification should something go wrong," She explained. "The other is for Assault''s hero line. He wanted you to have it. Keep in mind, this is not a publically available number."

    I paused for a moment before reaching out and taking them both, sliding them into one of my many pockets.

    "Thank you, Miss Militia," I said, shaking her hand, careful not to crush it with my enhanced strength. "It''s unfortunate how this day went, but I''m sure in the future we will joke about this. Or at least Assault will."

    That got a smile out of her, the exposed parts of her face shifting enough for me to tell what she was doing. With one final goodbye, I stepped out of the door into the front lobby. I took a quick look around before turning to the exit and walking out and into the street.

    With a sudden abundance of time, I was tempted to try my hand at some shopping, but instead, I decided I would be better off going on patrol. I had about six hours before my absorption ran out, and since I was already in my uniform, I could get right to it.

    "Alright, Alya, why don''t you spread out," I mumbled to myself. "Start looking for anything interesting."

    I could feel her agreement as she pulled away, spreading herself over a massive area around me. In all likelihood, she wouldn''t find anything, especially so close to the nearby PRT headquarters. I would likely have to cover a bunch of distance before I was in a rough enough neighborhood.

    I quickly cast the marathon spell, letting the stamina enhancement rush over me as I began to jog, heading north toward the Docks. My last patrol had been in the "bad" areas of Downtown, towards the west, where E88 held territory. Today, I would be working my way along the north side close to the South Docks. It took me about twenty minutes to get to the right area, and I could really start the patrol.

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    I ended up walking all around the area, spending hours jogging and walking. The entire time, even with Alya''s help, I saw next to nothing. Once, I scared off some guys looking into a car, which definitely wasn''t theirs. I would have been happier if I hadn''t been sure that the second I left the area, they would be smashing the windows to grab whatever was valuable inside.

    I also helped a pair of lost kids, who had assured their parents they would stay nearby and had instead rushed off and gotten lost. Their parents were very glad when I led them back with Alya''s help. I was happy as well since I couldn''t imagine that situation going well, especially as it was getting darker at this point. There were still a few hours before sunset, but it was still too close for comfort.

    I was finally making my way back home, or more specifically, making my way back to where I left my civilian clothes to change when I heard someone from above me.

    "Mage! Hold up."

    frowned and turned, looking up to see Glory Girl floating down from the sky. As she approached, I could see a conflicted look on her face. She glanced at the people stopping to look at the both of us.

    "It''s Arcanum, actually," I said before following her look around. "What can I do for you?"

    "Nothing, I just spotted you when I was flying over," She explained. "But¡­ maybe we could talk, somewhere private?"

    I looked around at everyone watching, frowning at the complete lack of privacy. I was about to ask where she would like to go when Alya whispered in my ear.

    "The rooftop, it''s clear," she said, tugging on me with the wind and pointing me to a nearby building. When I spotted what my partner was pointing out, I nodded toward it.

    "I''ll meet you up there," I said before walking into an alleyway.

    As I moved, I cast a relatively quick spell, twin blue bands slinking down my arm, similar to how the marathon spell worked, only with fewer bands that all went down to my legs.

    "Ver me altius" I chanted, before jumping up, my spell boosting my jump considerably, way more than I thought. "Woah!

    I passed over my target, a lower offshoot of the larger building I had directed Glory Girl to. I ended up tumbling and rolling as I overshot, having assumed I would have to lift myself up, not clear the lower floor entirely.

    "What the fuck?" I said quietly, standing up and dusting myself off. "What the hell was that?"

    "Your strength is enhanced," Alya pointed out. "You could already jump much higher than normal."

    "And the spell only increased that," I muttered with a nod. "Okay, let''s try that again."

    I quickly cast the spell again, running along the lower section of the roof before jumping, pushing myself hard. Between my enhanced strength and the buff in my legs, I easily cleared the edge, landing on the flat roof. This time, however, I was ready and landed smoothly on the roof, a smirk on my lips. I really needed to revisit my running. If there was a way to leverage my enhanced strength as I ran¡­

    "Everything alright?"

    I turned to see Glory Girl floating a dozen or so feet away, touching down on the roof easily, patting her skirt flat as she looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

    "Yeah, still getting used to the powers, you know?" I explained, and she nodded understandingly.

    "Oh, tell me about it. The amount of phones I went through when I first got mine," She responded, shaking her head. "Hard to control yourself sometimes, you know?"

    "I know the feeling," I said, chuckling softly. "So¡­ what did you want to talk about?"

    "I¡­ well, I wanted to apologize," She said, rubbing her arm, the spitting image of an embarrassed teen, mostly because that''s what she was. "I kinda messed up our first interaction, and then¡­ well, Amy had a meltdown¡­"

    "Meltdown?" I asked, making sure my concern was audible since she couldn''t see my face. "Is she okay?"

    "She¡­ well, she is pretending to be," She admitted with a frown. "She''s not your biggest fan at the moment, though. I think something about you really, really got under her skin. Which is totally not your fault! I just¡­She¡­ "

    I looked around the roof, spotting an air conditioning unit not too far away. I made my way to it and sat, gesturing for her to continue.

    "Tell me what happened. I might not be able to help, but I can at least listen."

    Apparently, I had been standing on the low end of a failing dam, because all Glory Girl needed was my permission before opening the floodgates full send. The young woman started talking and didn''t stop for several minutes. I can only imagine she didn''t intend to be as open as she was but got caught in the moment, because eventually, she stopped to take a breath and froze. She was explaining how Amy had been sneaking out at night to go to the hospital again, when she appeared to realize just how much she was revealing.

    "Relax," I said, holding up my hands. "I''m not going to say anything to anyone. Who would believe me anyway?"

    She laughed nervously, before shaking her head.

    "I just don''t know what to say," She admitted. "She insists that nothing is different, which means that I''ve been a horrible sister and didn''t realize she was working herself to exhaustion because she thought it was all she was good for."

    "What about your parents?" I asked. "Have you pointed it out to them?"

    "Well, Dad¡­ has some issues," She said, chewing her lip. "And I think Mom might be part of the problem?"

    "What do you mean?" I asked, sitting up straight.

    "Mom¡­ is really intense," She admitted. "And she pushed Amy to volunteer at the hospital in the first place. I''m worried she might have the wrong idea because of that."

    I took in what she said, rolling it around in my head for a long moment. Eventually, I nodded.

    "Do you want my advice?"

    "...It couldn''t hurt?"

    "Well¡­ I can''t say I know enough to offer a simple solution, but I will say¡­" I said, trailing off to restructure my thoughts before eventually continuing. "Sometimes, the best response is to lay it all out on the table. It sounds like your sister needs help, and you might be one of the few people who''s noticed. So help other people notice it. Just like you, they can''t help if they don''t know. You''d be surprised just what a little communication can do."

    The young woman, dressed in a white and gold super suit and gold tiara, floating several inches off the ground, chewed her lip as she nodded.

    "I guess? I''m just worried¡­ I''m worried it won''t be enough," She revealed. "That I''ll tell my parents, and they won''t do anything."

    I leaned back, my eyes wide at that statement. On one hand, it could be nothing more than an anxious teenager, worried that people don''t care enough about her to listen. On the other, it could be an admission of something much worse.

    "Well¡­ if that''s the case, then go up the chain."

    She looked at me now, confused at what I said. I raise my hand to hold off the inevitable question.

    "When you tell your teacher there''s a problem, and they do nothing, you go to a different teacher. When they do nothing, you go to the principal," I explained. "When they do nothing, you go to the superintendent. If they do nothing, and the problem is bad enough, you call the police. If you tell somebody something, something that is their responsibility to take care of, and they ignore it¡­"

    "I go up the chain," She repeated with a frown. "Aunt Sarah, maybe?"

    "I don''t know, Glory Girl, there is a lot about this situation I don''t know," I admitted. "You''re going to have to use your own judgment."

    "I¡­ yeah, okay," She said with a nod, seeming to gain confidence as a plan formed in her head. "I¡­ Thank you for listening. I just wanted to apologize, but¡­"

    "Hey, I''m glad I could help," I said with a smile, though I idly noted she couldn''t see it. "I hope everything works out."

    "I do, too," She said with a solemn nod before pulling out her phone. "I need to go. It''s getting a bit late. Thank you again."

    She waved before taking off into the air, rising above the buildings before blasting away at a pretty impressive speed, leaving me on the building, watching her go. I couldn''t help but shake my head as I watched her fly away.

 Chapter Thirteen

    As I stood there in silence, my mind stuck like a jammed clutch of gears, grinding and twisting against each other. Eventually, Alya blew a cold breeze over my face, breaking me out of my stupor.

    "That¡­ was interesting," I said as the distant young hero finally disappeared, dipping below the tops of a faraway building. "Not to mention just about the last thing I expected to happen today..."

    "I did not know humans could talk that long without breathing," Alya said, whispering into my ear as usual.

    "Be nice. She is obviously dealing with some really serious stuff," I gently reprimanded with a frown. "I would have offered my number, but I wasn''t sure how she would take that. I''m more than ten years older than her."

    "I''m sure you''ll hear about it eventually," She commented. "The drawbacks of living in the open. They are celebrities."

    "Yeah¡­ I''m starting to reconsider my cavalier attitude to my identity," I said, shaking my head after a moment. "Alright. Let''s go get my civies, then go home before anything else weird happens."

    It took twenty-five minutes to walk back to my clothes and another fifteen to change and make it back to the shop. Despite me tempting Murphy, I made it all the way back without anything strange happening. However, when I was literally fifteen feet away from my secret entrance, my phone rang. I quickly picked it up and answered, looking around to see if anyone had heard the ringtone.

    "Hello?"

    "Arcanum! It''s Tony," A familiar voice said on the other side. "How''s life treating you? You reach out to the PRT?"

    "Life''s going, Tony, not much more it can do but that," I responded, chewing on my lip as I tried to open the entrance to my temporary home with one hand and failed. "Give me a second."

    I placed the phone along the window sill before finagling the plywood barrier open. I slid into the shop with a practiced ease, grabbing my phone and re-inserting the barrier once I was inside. While I was doing this, I was contemplating how much I should tell Tony about what had happened in the PRT, or how much I should tell anyone. They had clearly lied and tried to take advantage of the situation, and the only reason I found out was the ever-present weakness of bureaucracy, specifically the lack of communication. If I was so inclined, I had every right to plaster it on the front page.

    But I really couldn''t afford to make enemies, especially not government-backed ones. It also wasn''t a big enough story to serve as blackmail, not that I would seriously consider doing that anyway.

    "Hey Tony, I''m back. Sorry about that," I responded after putting the phone back to my ear. "I did make it to the PRT for the whole dog and pony show. With any luck, I should be accredited soon."

    "Well, that''s good, I supposed," He responded, not trying to hide the fact that he clearly didn''t understand why I cared so much. "Anyway, I got word back from one of my pals. He said he would act as our in to a large group in the Docks. I know this group. I''ve dropped off blankets there one bad winter. It''s nearly double the size of John''s place, set up in a couple old warehouses just on the edge of the area."

    "When can we expect?"

    "Lots of rough guys on the bad end of their luck," Tony explained. "It''s a rougher place to live, especially homeless, so it doesn''t have the variety that John''s place had. Lots of homeless dock workers, old guys, grizzled and broken. Plenty of veterans, too."

    "Alright, that''s fine. You know I can handle myself for normal people," I responded. "What about gangs? Are we gonna be stepping on anyone''s toes?"

    "Kind of, but not really," Tony said, quickly continuing. "Technically, ABB owns that area, but they don''t really defend it because it''s trash. You''re more likely to run into Merchants, though they hardly count as a real gang."

    "Alright, as long as we don''t step on anyone''s toes and cause trouble for the people we are trying to help, I''m happy to go," I agreed. "When is the meeting?"

    "Tomorrow, ten in the morning," He responded, cutting me off before I could ask my question. "I know it''s weird, but my pal said it will make keeping an eye on you easier. Plus, they don''t have any real reason to hide. Nobody wants the building they are squatting in."

    "Alright. Just give me an address and some basic directions, and I will see you tomorrow."

    Tony fed me a few general landmarks to help me navigate, as well as the address, just in case. After a few minutes of casual chatting about how the soup kitchen was going, we hung up, and I crashed back on the couch, having spent the last few minutes pacing.

    "Well, I guess we know what we are doing tomorrow,''" I said, watching Alya form up beside me on the couch. "What do you think?"

    "I think that helping people makes you happy, and healing people makes them happy, so it is a win-win," She responded with a smile.

    "I was referring to the location," I said with a frown. "So far, we have avoided cape conflict by sticking in generally safe places. The Docks are not what anyone would call safe."

    "I will be keeping watch over you," She responded. "You cannot let fear hold you back."

    "It''s a very reasonable fear to be scared of someone with superpowers, Alya," I said, shaking my head. "But I get your point."

    I settled in for the night, setting up my bed and crashing early. Ten in the morning wasn''t nearly early enough in the morning to be worried, but if I went to bed late¡­ Well, I was a bit paranoid, and I wanted to bring my A-game.

    The next morning, it took me an hour to walk across the city, find a place to get changed, and finally arrive at the meeting spot. As I was walking through the Docks, it was hard not to let the state of the area get to me. Almost every building was run down, covered in graffiti, and surrounded by trash. Some of the active businesses made an attempt to clean up¡­ but the grime, trash, and desperation was just too deep.

    Eventually, I found myself in a pothole-filled parking lot. Along the far side was not one, not two, but three burnt-out cars, abandoned and rusted. I spent about a minute standing around, sitting on the hood of the closest car, when Tony''s car pulled in, going slow to keep from blowing a tire or throwing a shock. Rather than parking, however, Tony stepped out of the passenger side door, waved to someone inside before heading to me, the car turning around and leaving. As if sensing my question, he chuckled.

    "Cars end up on cinder blocks here quicker than you can turn around," he explained with a morose chuckle. "Better to get dropped off and picked up."

    "Fair enough," I responded with a shrug. "Listen, Tony. I know you want to come with me, but I''m fine with you just making the introduction and leaving. I don''t-"

    "Let me stop you right there," Tony said, shaking his head and cutting me off. "My father might have been a bastard, but he did teach me a few things before my mother kicked his ass out on the curb. One of those things was that you never send someone to do something you aren''t willing to do yourself. I know you can handle yourself, but I''m not sending you out here alone, not when I can help keep things calm. I know a lot of these people, and a lot of them know me."

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    I let out a sighing groan before chewing the edge of my lip. I was silent for a moment before finally making up my mind.

    "Tony, I''m going to tell you something, and I don''t want you to ask any questions," I said, giving him what I was hoping was a severe look. "If shit starts to go down, and you hear a very close woman''s voice telling you where to go or what to do, do your best to listen to her."

    He opened his mouth, obviously wanting to ask what I was talking about. Thankfully, he seemed to catch my nonverbal hint before he could say anything. He let out a sigh and nodded.

    "Alright, Arcanum, I''ve been in enough trouble to know the "you better off not knowing" voice," He said, nodding in understanding. "I''ll do as you said, as long as I can."

    We waited in the parking lot for another ten minutes before, finally, a man stepped out from between two nearby buildings. He was old, maybe late seventies, with a wicked scar along his jaw, with quite a bit of it missing. It was clearly a very old wound, something that could potentially be mitigated by intense plastic surgery.

    Or magic.

    "Tony," The man said simply, a gruff voice altered by the damage to his mouth. "This them?"

    "Yeah, Gregory, this this them," He said. "How you holding up."

    "Depends," he said, eying me up and down. "On if he is full of shit."

    "I could demonstrate?" I suggested, the man''s stare intensifying at the offer.

    "Will it hurt?"

    "No, but you may feel strange phantom sensations, depending on what I''m healing," I explained.

    "Fuck¡­ Do it."

    I nodded to the man, stepping closer and holding my hands out. First, I cast a diagnostic spell because while I could see his face, there was nothing else I could see. When the scan was done, I had to stifle a gasp.

    The man was falling apart.

    Their joints were failing, their bones weakening, muscles deteriorating from poor nutrition, along with some pretty serious damage to his liver. He alone blew half of the cases I treated at John''s group out of the water.

    "This may take a few minutes," I explained, pausing for a moment. "And there will be some of those phantom sensations."

    I keep the spells going for nearly fifteen minutes, slowly easing most of his long-term injuries, fixing a lot of damage due to malnutrition and drinking. None of it was gone completely, however. It was way too old to wipe away, especially his facial damage. That said, I did manage to ease his suffering quite a bit, fixing a good amount of internal and external damage. I managed to fix a good portion of his jaw, regrowing and healing some of his teeth, before encouraging some of the skin around the injury to soften and grow. His jaw would likely never look the same, and it was impossible to miss that, at some point, this man had been hurt pretty badly. Now, however, the scaring was much lighter, and the hole in his jaw was gone. It honestly looked like he underwent extensive corrective surgery when it was finally done.

    When I was done, the man spent a few minutes getting reacquainted with his body.

    "Damn good work," He said before promptly turning around and walking away.

    As he left, I turned to Tony with a confused expression.

    "He is a man of few words," he explained with a shrug. "Pretty sure we are supposed to follow him."

    Looking back, Gregory was already across a street, so we had to rush to catch up, finding the now much more spry man before he could turn a corner and disappear. We followed him for a few more minutes before he finally led us to a pair of warehouses tucked behind a few other buildings. Quite a few people were walking around, sitting on crates and boxes, talking and working. It was like it a miniature community, with people cleaning, tending to the buildings, and more.

    We quickly drew a crowd as people spotted Gregory first, spotting that he was healed before looking back at Tony and me. Of course, the old man ignored everyone, leading us inside the smaller of the two warehouses.

    The interior of the warehouse was surprisingly orderly, with tents and tarps being used to divide up individual spaces for people to live in. Looking around more, I spotted strings of lights hanging from the ceiling, strung across polls and walkways, lighting up the interior. It was honestly an impressive setup, especially considering the condition of the area outside.

    Rather than lead us around to people who were injured as John had done, Gregory seemed eager to foist us on to someone else, apparently finding a younger man, probably just about my age, to pass us off to. The young man was a few inches taller than me, with short brown hair and dark brown eyes, a five o''clock shadow on his face. Gregory quickly said a few quiet words to the new man, before patting his shoulder. Then he left, turning away and leaving without warning. Before we could even thank him, he had slipped back into the crowd, disappearing in seconds. We watched him go for a moment before the new man chuckled, shaking his head.

    "Sorry, Gregory can be¡­ a bit intense when he is anxious," The man said, reaching out to shake my hand. "Names Charles."

    I returned his handshake, careful not to break anything, before looking around at the gathering crowd. After giving Tony a glance, I looked back at Charles.

    "We were under the impression that Gregory would help us help the people around the camp," I said, the man nodding in understanding.

    "I know, don''t worry," The man said with a small smile. "He was testing you, apparently. That was him telling me you passed. Congrats."

    "Should have known," Tony muttered quietly to himself behind me.

    "He looked good," Charles said, pushing past Tony''s commentary and giving me a hard look. "You can fix stuff like his face?"

    I spent a few minutes giving him the lowdown on just what I could heal, what I could help, and what I could do nothing about. He listened closely, taking in everything I said, before nodding at the end.

    "Alright, if what you''re saying is true, there are quite a few people here you could help," he said. "Are you willing to travel to people''s spaces, or do you need us to bring them to you?"

    "Bring me to the people who are struggling or immobile," I said simply. "When we are done with them, we can set up a line for those of able body."

    "Sounds like a plan. Lars!"

    The shout caught me off guard, but if Charles noticed, he didn''t mention it. A guy, probably a few years younger than me, who had been standing off to the side, quickly stood and rushed over.

    "I need you to handle this," Charles explained. "I''ll be walking around with Arcanum, taking him to people who need help."

    "Sure thing, Boss," Lars replied with a serious nod.

    Charles nodded and handed the man a clipboard of all things before turning to me and gesturing back the way we came.

    "Let''s get you started then."

 Chapter Fourteen

    Charles led us back down to the tents and lean-tos, people actually stepping out of our way as we moved. He didn''t have to lead us far, as we very shortly stopped at one of the many nearby tents. Charles reached out and knocked on a nearby support beam. After a few seconds, a raspy voice came from inside.

    "''Come in¡­" The voice said, followed by a cough.

    I gave Charles a look before gesturing to my mask and general get-up. It took him a moment to realize that, yes, a random masked man stepping into your tent would be shocking as hell and probably not the greatest start to process. Rather than scare the living crap out of whoever was inside, Charles stepped in first, and I joined him a minute later. The person inside was struggling to breathe, having caught some sort of upper respiratory infection that was filling his lungs with liquid. They had the common sense to lean him upright so he could breathe a bit easier, but that was all they could really do for him.

    Thankfully, I could fix that.

    A quick series of spells later, a man who was certain he would die on the streets when he woke up was praising me, god, and various other deities for a new lease on life. I assured him it was just a simple parahuman ability, and eventually, he calmed down. When we left his tent, his words of excitement and relief had attracted a large group, all of which were staring at me with wide eyes. Seeing that we were at the precipice of what could possibly turn into a clamor, I stepped forward to cut it off.

    "I will not leave this camp until I have had a chance to examine anyone who is ill or injured," I assured the crowd. "We are starting with some of the worst cases first, but after that, I will see to everyone. Just please, have patience."

    After a moment, people nodded, several of them dispersing back into the indoor shantytown. Others hung around to watch, probably to keep an eye on me in case I tried to break my promise. Once it was clear that we weren''t about to be swamped by people looking to get healed first, I turned back to Charles.

    "Who''s next?"

    Charles led me around the first warehouse and then through the second, guiding me to some of the unhealthiest and most at-risk people the community had. As before with John''s group, there were a few things I couldn''t cure. Thankfully, all of those cases had ways that I could treat some of their symptoms and ease their suffering.

    After about an hour of walking around, Charles was sure we had gotten the worst of people, so we set up shop outside in the relatively fresh air. He sat me down in a folding chair, and a line of people looking for healing quickly formed around me.

    It was nearly three hours before I was done, which I knew was way too long for just this community. Someone must have gone off to gather nearby people as well, pulling for the homeless who preferred to live on their own. Charles nearly called people out on it, stopping some he recognized as not living in the community, but I stopped him.

    "I''m glad they are going around getting people," I said with a shrug. "The point here is to help people who can''t just go get help from doctors or even Panacea. I''m happy to spend all day here."

    He looked a little shocked to hear that but, after a moment, nodded in understanding.

    Eventually, after healing everything from broken bones to stomach ulcers, the line ran out. I stood and stretched, looking around to make sure no one else was coming.

    "Well, that looks like everyone," I said with a smile. "Bit of a workout, but I''m glad I could help."

    "You really are, aren''t you?" He asked, looking at me with a frown. "I think I need to apologize. When you first arrived, I was sure you were just looking for a PR boost. I kept expecting news crews to show up or something. But you really stuck around and healed every one. Even that guy with a hangnail."

    "Can you really blame him?" I asked with a chuckle. "If I knew someone was healing people and I had one, I would go get it fixed, too! He even had the decency to wait until the end!"

    The man chuckled and shook his head, eventually nodding in agreement.

    "Either way, thank you. It''s nice to know not all of you are obsessed with fighting and looking good for pictures."

    "I imagine I''m going to have to fight people eventually," I admitted after a long breath. "I wish I didn''t have to, but¡­ I don''t really have an option. But I would like to do nothing but this, helping people around the city."

    We stood there for a long moment, before eventually I remembered something.

    "Listen, do you guys have any cellphones?" I asked.

    "Yeah, we keep a couple of prepaid for emergencies," he said. "Why?"

    "I want you guys to have my number. Call me immediately if it''s an emergency. Otherwise, you can call me when normal injuries stack up," I explained. "I wish I could come out for every pulled muscle and bruise, but I have a feeling life is only going to get more busy for me."

    He quickly took down my number before I went off to find Tony, who was having a very animated conversation about some sort of sports team with a few of the community members. I eventually pried him away, leaving the community behind. Several people tried to offer me gifts as I left, but I politely refused. I knew some people had issues receiving something for nothing, but I refused to set a precedent for healing the less fortunate for gifts or cash. I had no issues charging insurance companies or hospitals for my abilities, but random people off of the street? Absolutely not.

    We had been walking for fifteen minutes when Alya whispered something into my ear.

    "You''re being followed," She whispered, causing me to freeze up and almost stumble. "Looks like they were waiting for you to leave the community. I¡­ think they are called the Undersiders."

    As I recovered from almost tripping, I cursed under my breath and looked around. Unsurprisingly, all I could see were the walls of the alleyway. I tried my best to remember who exactly the Undersiders were, trying to recall the research I did. They had some sort of smoke conjurer, a dog master, and¡­ two more that I couldn''t remember.

    "What is it?" Tony asked, picking up on my anxious looks. "Something wrong?"

    "I think we are being followed," I commented, quickly putting some pep in my step, practically pulling Tony with me even as I whispered to Alya. "Did they see Tony?"

    "I¡­ don''t think so," She responded. "The dogs are following your scent. They never really saw you."

    "Where did they get my scent?"

    "I don''t know."

    "It doesn''t matter, anyways," I said, shaking my head. "Guide Tony away, towards Downtown."

    "Arcanum, what is-" Tony began to ask, only to freeze as I assumed Alya started talking to him. He looked at me with wide eyes before nodding. "I''ll call you later."

    "Good, now go."

    He nodded and left, jogging down the alleyways, turning a corner, and disappearing. Meanwhile, I turned around and walked back, stopping at a four-way intersection of alleyways, a space that slightly opened up. I spotted a junked and dumped washing machine, which I kicked over flat on its side, making it the perfect height to sit on. I quickly sat down, taking in a long breath and holding it for a few seconds before letting it all out.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    The Undersiders were known as low-level villains, doing small jobs and occasionally raiding ABB assets. They were annoying, probably underselling their abilities, and usually chose to run rather than fight. I don''t know why they were following me, but my best bet was to come off as confident as possible while preparing myself to run if need be.

    I chewed the inside of my lip, feeling very alone with Alya focused on guiding Tony away, but I did my best to calmly wait for her to return. The temptation to head down a different alley was pretty strong, but if they were tracking my scent, then I didn''t want to lead them anywhere close to where I lived.

    A minute passed, then another. Finally, halfway through the third, Alya returned.

    "They''ve stopped," She said softly. "They were arguing about approaching you now that they lost the surprise advantage."

    "How do they know that?" I asked, confused, only to curse a moment later as I remembered. "Fuck, thats right, one of them is a thinker, aren''t they? Dammit, I need to do more research."

    "They are coming again, walking slowly."

    "Okay¡­ should I run?" I asked, my eyes locked down the alley they would be coming from. "I could probably outrun them. There''s not really a point of hanging around."

    "True, there really isn''t," Alya agreed. "And yet¡­ you''re not going anywhere."

    "...I don''t like being followed," I said after a moment, a scowl working into my features behind my mask. "I want to know what the hell they are up to. Especially since it puts Tony at risk."

    "What about their thinker?"

    "I have a plan for that."

    "Do you think you can beat them all?" She asked calmly.

    "Unless their fourth has those monster dogs out already?" I asked, feeling a sense of negativity come from our connection. "In that case, I think I can hold them off long enough to run. Plus, you could always help even the playing field.

    I could feel a sense of approval from Alya as the team of villains, all of them basically teenagers, came around the corner. There were four of them, all dressed in costumes. The first, the leader, was Grue, whose name I only remembered because of the reference. He was wearing a leather jacket, pants and gloves, with a modified bike helmet depicting something vaguely resembling what a grue looked like.

    Behind him was a young woman, the thinker, dressed in a purple and black skin-tight suit. She was wearing a domino mask and a cocky smirk that got right under my skin immediately. Next was another young woman whose costume hardly counted as one, just a bomber jacket, t-shirt, and jeans. Her face was obscured by a simple party store wolf mask, and she was trailed by three dogs.

    The last member, slinking around in the back, was a thin young man with a smiling theater drama mask on. His outfit was simple as well, a pair of slacks with a frilly collar jabot around his neck. He was also the only one carrying anything, a scepter of some kind in his left hand.

    They approached slowly, stopping just before entering the small open area at the four-way intersection.

    "Hello," Grue said after a moment. "I-"

    "Stop," I said simply. "I''m not saying a word more until your thinker leaves. At least a hundred yards."

    The leader, Grue, froze at that statement, and the Thinker herself recoiled. I don''t know if it was kid naivety or just a lack of planning, but they clearly hadn''t considered that option. According to reports, Tattletale, the name just coming to me as I stared the group down, could pull information out of thin air. She claimed to be psychic, but most refuted that as a possibility. I''m sure if she was as good as what the online information seemed to indicate she was, she would still be able to figure some stuff out, but depriving her of access to me should help. The way they reacted to my request indicated I was right.

    "I don''t-"

    I stood up from my spot and started to walk away, making it within a few steps of another alley before Grue spoke up.

    "Tattletale, retreat," He said simply, and I stopped, turning around.

    The girl whirled to look at her leader, staring daggers at him, before turning to look at me as well. She must have seen something because she flinched, turned around, and left, walking back the way they came. Grue opened his mouth to talk, but I held up my hand and waited. After a tense thirty seconds, Alya whispered that she was out of earshot.

    "Good. Now, why were you following me?" I asked, not letting him get a word in.

    "You were in our territory," He explained, his voice muffled by his helmet. I had the feeling he had to talk a bit louder than normal to be heard. "We needed to know what you were doing."

    "I was healing the sick and injured at the homeless camp," I responded. "Weren''t you watching me?"

    "We were, we want to know why."

    "Because I can heal people, and they had people that needed healing," I explained with a shrug. "Nothing more than that."

    There was a silence after that, as if the group expected someone else to speak up. When no one did, I couldn''t help but chuckle.

    "Let me guess, that''s when Tattletale would usually speak up and confirm if someone was telling the truth?" I asked, shaking my head when they didn''t respond. "Someone''s a bit spoiled."

    "Fine, you were healing them from the goodness of your heart," He said, trying to regain his footing in the conversation. "How does your healing work?"

    "Thoughts, prayers, and positive vibes," I responded, wiggling my fingers, Jazz Hands style. "Why would I tell you guys?"

    "We are interested in hiring you, maybe even putting you on a retainer, in case one of us gets injured," He said. "We would be willing to pay a good chunk of money for your services."

    I stared at them for a long moment before letting out a long breath and shaking my head.

    "Look, I''m sure that whatever reason you guys are villains is complicated. Shit like this is rarely simple," I admitted with a shrug. "If I saw you dying on the street, yes, I would likely heal you. But I''m not going to sign some sort of contract to make house calls to people robbing stores and stirring up trouble. Just like I won''t heal other villains or gang members."

    "We understand," Grue said, giving me a nod. "Since we approached under a truce, I assume we can leave like that?"

    "Sure," I responded with a shrug. "I''m not going to be hunting people down, not unless I''m forced to."

    He nodded, and together, the group slowly retreated, keeping a close eye on me as they did. Eventually, as the last of them disappeared around the corner, I finally released a long, slow breath.

    "Kinda fucked that the best first impression I''ve had with parahumans has been with a bunch of kids playing at being villains," I said with a frown.

 Chapter Fifteen

    After spending a minute waiting for Alya to confirm that my uninvited stalkers were entirely gone, her presence pulled back to me.

    "They are leaving," She confirmed, her voice even quieter than usual. "Are you satisfied with their reasoning for following you?"

    "Vaguely?" I said, not sounding entirely sure. "Reaching out to the new healer on the block, offering cash for his power¡­ it makes sense, especially to a group who wouldn''t have access to Panacea or Othala."

    "But not completely?"

    "I mean, from what PHO says, you should never assume certainty when a thinker is involved," I responded with a frown. "I just hope she didn''t get to pull too much information from me before she left."

    "She was cursing and muttering as she made her ''retreat,''" The air elemental offered. "Her frustration seems to point towards no."

    "Huh¡­well, I''ll take it as a good sign," I responded. "But I also need to keep it in mind in case she did."

    With my visit to the second homeless camp complete, I still had quite a few more hours in the day. Having left my number with Charles, I regretted not doing the same with John. So I spent the rest of the day in a vague patrol, slowly making my way towards the smaller community. I ended up stopping a mugging on the way, zapping a ski mask-wearing idiot who was threatening an older man with a knife.

    When the police arrived, I gave my statement before continuing on, eventually stepping into the moderately hidden community. The place looked different during the day, even if at this point the sun was starting to get lower. The warm light of the fire had given it a campy, homey feel, which was gone in the light of day. This was a place where people with nothing went, where every day was a question.

    I handed John my number, as the man also had an emergency prepaid line, just in case. While I was there, I healed a younger man who popped out his shoulder while doing manual labor. It had already popped back in, but a quick spell reduced the swelling and healed the joint completely.

    I spent a few minutes talking to everyone and even helped put up a new tent by driving several pipes into the ground by hand. Once I was done at the camp, I repeated my earlier meandering patrol, this time focused on getting home. My only stop was in a seemingly random alley, where I had stashed my civilian clothes. I was just pulling on my sneakers when Tony called.

    "Arcanum! Is everything okay?" He asked in a rush. "Your friend explained what was happening, but I didn''t want to call back too quickly, just in case you were... busy."

    "Yeah, Tony, everything is fine," I assured him. "It was the Undersiders, sniffing around, trying to size me up. They wanted to know if I would put a price on my healing, sign a sort of contract to heal them."

    "Oh, hell. How did that go?"

    "As well as it could have," I admitted. "They approached me civilly, so I let them leave the same. Not happy to have to deal with a thinker, but it is what it is."

    "So, they just¡­ popped in to chat and left?" He asked, disbelief clear even through the phone. "Why?"

    "From what I''ve read, the Undersiders usually don''t engage in combat. Their MO is blitz and run," I explained. "I told their thinker to fuck off and acted confident. That either threw them off or they are even less aggressive than PHO thinks. Either way, it''s done, not much we can do about it now."

    "Yeah¡­ I''m glad it turned out alright," He said. "What would you have done if¡­?"

    "I would have smacked them hard and ran while they recovered," I explained with a shrug. "The only one of them who could keep up with me is Hellhound, but only if she had transformed her dogs and rode on their back. The space we were in was too tight for that, so I was pretty safe."

    Tony and I chatted for a bit longer, mostly talking about our next healing trip. I brought up my trip to the smaller community before he promised to start looking for more contacts in some of the other communities around the town. After that, we finally said goodbye and hung up. I was glad he was doing well, even if Alya had already confirmed he had escaped unharmed. I was also glad that the Undersisders weren''t the kind of villain group to find out who I was traveling with. If they even knew I was.

    I finished changing into civilian clothes as the sun dipped behind distant buildings. With nothing else to do in the day, Alya was guiding me to a sandwich shop a few blocks over for dinner. I got back to the shop about thirty minutes later with a meatball sub and a bag of fries. I sat down on the couch and ate, surprised by the quality of the food.

    "Okay, so, we made contact with another community, healed a lot of people, chatted with some teenage villains, who were actually more polite than most of the heroes we met," I listed out. "Got my number to the smaller community, stopped a mugging, and found a nice sub shop that''s pretty good. Not bad for one day."

    "You listed the sub shop with everything else?"

    "Good morale is important," I said with a grin, leaning back on the couch. "Don''t underestimate the impact of a good meal."

    The rest of the night went by pretty quickly, with Alya and I discussing some plans for the following day. I decided that the first thing I was going to do was finally spend some time working out how my geomantic absorptions played with my newest additions, the physical movement spells. I had almost tumbled off the roof when I tried the jump aid spell, and now I wanted to know if there was some way I could leverage my increased strength with my running.

    I knew from experience that my enhanced strength did help with general movement and the like. Moving around was understandably easier when I could bench press half a ton or more. That said, I didn''t quite notice that enhanced strength directly translated into better running speed. Was it because magic differentiated speed and strength so differently? Buffing my speed with geomancy required mercury, so was the steel absorption restricted from giving me speed?

    I discussed it with Alya as I prepared for the day, eventually making it out of the shop and into the early morning streets of Brockton Bay. We concluded that, as far as we could tell, this was not some sort of gamified, balanced magic system that I was tapping into. Limitations existed, but they weren''t arbitrarily created to balance out mechanics. If a spell, ritual, or anything else caused tangential benefits, I would be able to count on those, not have them repressed in the name of fair gameplay.

    So, if the magic wasn''t the source of the issue, that meant that I was most likely the source instead. Which was a good thing, because that meant I could change or adapt in a way to fix it.

    Alya looked around us as I walked, eventually settling on a stretch of mostly empty alleyways. They were all connected together in a long line, an adequate place to test my speed issues. I had to make one pass-through to clear the alley out, pushing a dumpster to the side and cleaning up a few bags of trash. Once I did that, however, I had a straight shot to practice my running. Even better, it was slightly out of the way, which hopefully would keep people away.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    "Okay¡­ So let''s start by doing this normally," I mumbled, mostly to myself as Alya was dispersed, keeping an eye on the area around me.

    I jogged down the alley, then sprinted, trying to get a sense of how I was moving and pushing off the ground. While moving was still a drain on my stamina, I could feel that my muscles were not actually struggling with the weight. The cardio is draining, but not the aspect of carrying myself. I could only imagine that the sensation had hidden behind the normal stamina drain of running around, but now that I had identified it, it was much harder to ignore.

    I slowly made my way back along the alley, wanting to have as much space as possible to run. When I was there, I quickly cast the marathon spell.

    "Marathona potestas cursus!" I intoned, the blue energy bands encircling my hands as I started to move at a jog.

    I spent twenty minutes running back and forth, getting to know the marathon spell just a bit better. While I did know plenty about it already from the initial information download, it was still only one charge, meaning there were a lot of gaps and missing information.

    When I was confident I had a good feel for the spell and what it did, which was different from understanding the magic itself, I started trying to figure out how to apply my increased strength to my speed. I started by simply trying to push myself to go faster. That did garner some results, but it threw off the equilibrium of the marathon spell. Basically, I could hit around twenty-five miles an hour, but it was very tiring, especially because it drained my mana in only a few seconds. It was interesting and potentially very useful should I need a burst of speed at the end of a run. Unfortunately, it required me to drain my mana quickly to keep up. I couldn''t even make it all the way across the impromptu alleyway track.

    I messed around for a little while longer, switching between running with and without the marathon spell and also trying various different gaits and runs. Eventually, I settled on sort of a vaulting, loping run, pushing off extra hard with each foot. After a bit of experimenting, I managed to get it to where it was just enough of a run to count for the marathon spell. It also looked a lot better than else I had tried, especially the Gallup. Thank god Alya could confirm I wasn''t being watched, because I made a real idiot of myself galloping and skipping around.

    When I settled on a proper form, I ran up and down the alleyway, marathon spell engaged, letting Alya count out the seconds. When I was done, I repeated the process, but this time while doing my new vaulting "run." The result was a significant time reduction, which meant I was absolutely going faster with the vault.

    "Well¡­ I''m kind of spitballing it, but I figure that was about twenty, maybe twenty-five percent faster," I said, sitting down on a barrel at the end of the alleyway. "If I want better numbers, I''d have to do this at a track with a stopwatch, but until then, I think I was hitting a solid twenty miles per hour. Makes me want to shake hands with Usain Bolt. The fact that he could beat me in a race even with my magic is crazy."

    I spent a few minutes sipping from a water bottle, recovering from my experiments, before finally deciding it was time to go out on patrol. I still felt a bit silly just running around the city, looking for crime, but it was a part of being a hero. The more I got out there, the more people would trust me, which, in turn, would make it easier to help people.

    So, at about eleven thirty in the morning, I stepped out of the alley and onto the populated street. As always, I got plenty of stares, pointing, and camera flashes as I started to run, vaulting through between the sidewalk and the road.

    I did immediately learn, through a series of stumbles that I thankfully recovered from before falling on my face, that vault running was not quite so easy when not in a straight line. When running, turning is just a series of small adjustments, at least as long as you''re doing it right. With vault running, the points of contact with the ground, which was where you made your adjustments, were few and far between. That meant, if you weren''t paying attention, it was very possible for you to be in the middle of a vault, need to turn, and be absolutely incapable of doing so.

    Really, the only solution to this was to pay attention, meaning that as long as I wanted to go full tilt, I couldn''t just casually run through the streets. I would need to keep my eyes peeled and my head in the game. Luckily, I did not learn this by crashing into anyone, though there was a street lamp with a series of suspiciously finger-like imprints, where I was forced to reach out and yank myself to a stop before I collided with someone.

    That wouldn''t have looked good.

    While on patrol, I vaguely and slowly make my way across the city, heading towards a tech store I knew of, the one I bought the lights and battery bank I used for the shop. I was fully aware of the scene I was making just walking inside while still wearing my full costume, but I wasn''t about to try and buy a police scanner in my civilian identity. If the PRT had any intelligence at all, that would activate all sorts of alarm bells.

    It took me a few minutes to get in and out of the store, mostly because a couple of kids, who had been playing a demo stand for some video game console, spotted me before I could sneak out. When I finally left, just a little bit poorer, Alya found me a space I could be alone in, an empty roof not too far away. Once there, I spent about fifteen minutes reading the scanner''s manual so that I knew how to use my new toy.\

    After a bit of troubleshooting and a pair of AA batteries, I was the proud owner of a scanner capable of listening to police and fire broadcasts, meaning I could now show up at larger emergencies like fires.

    With that set, I went back to my regular patrol, now with a police scanner tucked into one of my jacket pockets. It was hooked up to a pair of earphones, only one of which was tucked into my ear. The scanner was turned down pretty low as well, low enough that I could ignore it easily but loud enough that if the people talking on it started getting excited, I would be able to tell.

    I vaulted through the streets, making my way through the city. I made sure to mostly stick to the streets, keeping off the sidewalks and away from squishy people.

 Chapter Sixteen

    With my testing done and a new increase in my response time and overall travel speed, it was time to move on to my second objective for the day. Getting my phone number into the hands of whoever was in charge at the local hospitals.

    Despite my rather unfortunate experience with Panacea and whatever drama had resulted from that, including what Glory Girl was dealing with, I had been telling the truth when I met them. I absolutely wanted to help the hospitals during emergencies and with cases that Panacea couldn''t handle. According to what I could learn online, Panacea couldn''t heal anything to do with the brain. That was a rather large hole in her abilities, one that confused me greatly. It was an odd place for a healing power to suddenly stop, but from what else I had learned, having weird limitations on some of the more powerful abilities wasn''t uncommon.

    Still weird, in my humble opinion, but definitely not uncommon. There was a name for it, apparently, but I couldn''t remember what it was.

    I ran across the city, heading towards my target, focused on getting another item off my list. I made good time, only stopping once to scare off a bunch of kids with spray cans from putting graffiti on the back of a laundry mat. When I got close to the Brockton Bay Central Hospital, I sat down at a nearby bench and pulled out my phone.

    It took a few minutes to negotiate, but eventually, I got an appointment of sorts. A doctor had agreed to meet me and allow me to prove who I was. If that went well, they would introduce me to one of the Medical Directors. I was honestly surprised it was that easy, but apparently, I had underestimated the waves I was making. News of my trip to the PRT had spread, as had my help among the homeless. Also, Dr. Pilota, the doctor whom I had met with alongside Panacea and Glory Girl, spoke well of my politeness, even in the face of what they were kindly calling a stressful day for the wonder healer.

    Once everything was set, I made my way to the hospital itself, this time making use of a secondary entrance usually reserved for staff. A doctor let me in before taking me to an office nearby and shutting the door. We talked for a while, and I demonstrated that I was, in fact, a parahuman, though I explained that my healing ability would only work on an injury. He also confirmed, through the number I was given by Miss Militia, that the people I had healed as part of the accreditation process were still undergoing observation, but no abnormalities had occurred as of yet.

    I was then passed off to a Medical Director, an older man with gray hair, a full mustache, and thick glasses. His office was considerably nicer than the previous doctor''s, a perk of success, I assumed.

    "Arcanum? It''s good to meet you," He said, holding out his hand, which I shook before taking a seat in front of his desk. "I wanted to thank you for coming in despite the¡­ Issues with your last visit."

    "I''m not concerned about it, Sir," I explained with a shrug. "Whatever the situation is, I want to help where I can."

    "And we appreciate that," He said with a nod, focusing on me for a long moment. "What exactly are you looking to accomplish?"

    "Well, I understand that Panacea cannot repair brains?" I asked, the man nodding slowly in response. "That isn''t a limitation for me. So, in cases where she cannot help, I''m more than happy to come in when necessary. Especially for life-threatening issues. I''m also available for large emergencies."

    I spent about ten minutes describing exactly what I am capable of fixing and how some of my healing spells work. The Director seemed surprised by some of the details I was able to give. He even ended up taking a few notes on my limitations and abilities. He also called the PRT number. He had a much more in-depth discussion with the head of their medical department. I assumed they knew each other because he called him by his first name. Eventually, we started discussing exactly what I wanted to be called in for and what I wanted in return.

    "I am not dedicating a hundred percent of my time to the hospital," I emphasized, the older man nodding in understanding. "I am more than willing to stop by every other day or so to spend an hour or two healing all brain injuries, and I am happy to be called for specific cases that require immediate attention. I will heal anyone eighteen or under for free, as well as any life-threatening emergencies. For everyone else, if the person has insurance that covers it, I expect the usual parahuman rate. I will be making the exceptions to that rule personally.

    "The usual rate?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow.

    "Please," I said with a scoff. "If you''re trying to tell me that the American healthcare system hasn''t completely internalized, categorized, and created a full paperwork trail for parahuman aid in a hospital setting, then I would like to meet the real Director, please. Besides, you have Panacea here. You must know how to pay her."

    The man chuckled and nodded, leaning forward to put his elbows on his desk with a nod.

    "It''s a bit complicated, but the hospital can put you on staff as a specialized consultant. We would pay into an account held by the hospital that you could withdraw cash from or attach a card to," He explained. "Though I would point out that Panacea refuses all payment, as is her right."

    "Seriously? Why? What do her parents say about that?" I said with a frown, which turned into a scowl when the man wince. "Wait, are you saying that her parents refuse payment for her?"

    "I¡­ believe that is all I will say on that subject," he responded, now looking upset at himself for having to stay quiet.

    The room was silent for a moment before I shook my head. It wouldn''t be fair to blame whatever cluster fuck was swirling around Panacea on him, especially when he likely had no control over the situation. Well, unless he had direct proof of abuse. As a medical professional, he was a designated reporter, meaning it was his responsibility to report it.

    Either way, I was now fully invested in the situation. Between what Glory Girl had said and what I was now learning, I was beginning to suspect the source of Amy''s issues was a lot closer to her home than I first thought. Where I was once satisfied with Glory Girl knowing something was up, and her agreement to do something, it was now time to follow my own advice. I would check in with Glory Girl sometime within the next few days. If nothing had happened, I would be kicking the problem up the chain.

    I did not know who exactly was higher up the chain, but I would figure it out.

    "Right. Well, the consulting account system would be fine for me, assuming it all works," I confirmed with a nod, breaking the silence. "I would offer to heal people now, but I assume you can''t allow that until my verification goes through."

    "You are, unfortunately, correct," he responded, looking out of the windows that lined his office, his face pulled down in a frown. "I wish..."

    The man trailed off, and I could feel there was something he wanted to say, so I stayed silent as he worked through whatever it was he was struggling with. Eventually, he turned back to his desk, opened a drawer, and started to search through it.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Do you smoke, Arcanum?" He asked, pulling out a very old, crumpled pack of cigarettes.

    "Do I¡­ no, I don''t," I said with a frown. "My uncle passed away from lung cancer when I was two. I always hated them."

    "Well¡­ I would consider it a personal favor if you could take these and smoke them," he said, reaching across the desk to hold them out to me. "There is space for smoke breaks in the back of the hospital, outside by the employee parking lot, where you entered."

    I frowned, sitting still and looking at him for a long moment before my brain finally connected the dots. I nodded and reached out, the older man pushing the pack into my hands. I took them and stuck them in a side pocket.

    "Thanks, I''ve been looking to form a habit," I said. "I''ll probably be out there for a good thirty minutes, making sure it really sticks."

    "You''re welcome," He said, sounding very much like he was the one saying thank you. "If that''s all, I will call you when your accreditation goes through, and we can talk in more detail."

    "Sure, that works," I responded, standing and reaching out to shake his hand.

    "I look forward to working with you," He said with a nod, before guiding me out the door, a bit of energy in him that was absent before. "Enjoy your smoke break."

    I nodded and made my way down and out of the building, letting Alya guide me to my destination. I stepped out into a small cordoned-off area, empty save for a couple of chairs, a picnic-style table, and one of the tall cigarette bins. I picked a chair and sat down in it, pulling the partially crumpled carton out. I pulled one of the death sticks out and used a crackle of sparks between my thumb and pointer finger to light it.

    "Keep this lit for me, please," I asked Alya softly, a breeze blowing across me.

    My soul-bound familiar did more than just keep it going. She pulled air through the cigarette, somehow gathering the smoke up and making it look like I was breathing it out again. All this was in spite of the fact that my mask did not have a hole to breathe through. After a minute, she spoke up, whispering into my ear.

    "What are we waiting for?" She asked, curious. "Why are we here if you hate smoking?"

    "Because he was trying to tell us something without actually saying it," I explained quietly. "You have to read between the lines."

    "I see¡­" She said, clearly not understanding fully. As advanced and understanding as she was, the signs that she wasn''t really human still peeked through occasionally.

    We sat I''m silence for another ten minutes, pushing my first cigarette into the ashtray and starting another. I had just barely made it halfway through that one when a woman came bursting through the door. She was older than me, maybe by eight or nine, and had the weathered look of a woman under an incredible amount of stress and suffering. Her hair was unkempt, her clothes stained, and she looked like she hadn''t seen the sun in days. Wrapped up in her arms was the child, a girl maybe three years old, dressed in a hospital gown, unconscious and covered with bandages.

    The woman looked around rapidly before spotting me, her eyes wild.

    "You! Are you Arcanum?" She demanded, crossing the distance between us.

    "Yes, is everything alright?" I asked, standing from my seat and jamming the cigarette into the trash.

    "No! My baby, she has ¡­ We were in an accident, and she hit her head," She explained, tears pouring from her eyes. "Please, Panacea can''t do anything, and they said she was inoperable."

    "It''s okay, Ma''am, I''ll take a look at her," I told her confidently, guiding her to the table. "Lay her down here."

    The mother nodded and quickly laid her on the table. By now, a pair of nurses had come out, and while one looked around nervously, the other simply watched.

    "Do I have your permission to heal your daughter?" I asked, looking into the woman''s eyes.

    "Yes! Please! They said she might never wake up!"

    For a moment, the woman looked as if she was about to collapse, but the nurse who was calmly watching came forward to help her sit in one of the chairs. With her permission, I turned to the child, quickly doing a scan and frowning. The poor kid was in a heck of a state. I could tell that at one point, she had a cracked skull and a damaged spine, along with a crack along her femur. Now, though, all she was suffering from was a brain bleed and some rather acute malnutrition issues.

    "Cerebrum sedes est animi, sana hanc mentem, et eius potentialem restitue!" I shouted, pouring my magic around the young girl.

    As I chanted, my magic wove itself into a complicated web around the child''s head, forming into a many-sided polyhedron. Arcane symbols lit up in seven different panels of the polyhedron. After the smallest lull, the spell flared, pulling on my mana as it poured healing energy into the child. I could feel the tendrils of magic as they reached into the girl''s head, healed the internal damage, cleaned up the blood, and wiped away almost any trace of the injury.

    As the spell finished its task, it shimmered away in a sparkle of light, fading away into nothing. The second that spell faded, I began chanting again, immediately moving on to the nxt injury, and then the next. Finally, when I was done I stepped back.

    "Did¡­ did it work?" The mother asked. "Is she going to be okay?"

    "Yes, it worked," I explained with a smile. "Your daughter is completely healthy."

    The woman almost shoved me to the side to reach her daughter, but I could only smile as she hugged her closely. The daughter, confused and probably a little cold, quickly woke up in her mother''s arms. I stepped back to give them their privacy.

    "Should I start another?" I asked the calm nurse quietly, already reaching for the nearly empty pack of cigarettes.

    "No, there''s no one else as urgent as her," They responded, watching the touching scene. "We are already risking jobs here. No reason to do that for some concussions and a tumor you can''t fix."

    "Alright, in that case, I''m off," I said, giving the nurse a nod. "If you need me, your boss has my number."

    She nodded as I turned around and walked away, my hands in my pockets as I crossed the parking lot. The happy sobs of the woman and the confused questions of the young daughter followed me until I rounded a corner of the hospital.

    "Congratulations," Alya said, warm wind rushing through my hair. "That was well done."

    "Yeah, thanks," I responded with a shrug. "Just glad I could help"

    "You saved that young girl''s life. You did more than help," She pointed out. "I also now understand what you meant by reading between the lines."

    I snorted and shook my head, crossing a street and making my way down the main road.

    "I''m glad I could help you understand," I responded. "Now, what''s next?"

 Chapter Seventeen

    While what happened at the hospital was mentally draining, it was too early to head back to the shop for the night. So, instead, I decided to walk around the city for another patrol. It was just around three PM by the time I left the hospital, so I had a good chunk of time to kill. Technically, Downtown was Empire territory, so my first goal was to angle myself away from the center and towards the border between it and Docks South.

    I hated the idea of being forced to leave an area because of Nazi''s, but I knew I had very little chance of coming out on top if I picked a fight with them. They had a disgusting amount of capes supporting them, especially considering the movement they represented. Even if a terrifying amount of them weren''t capable of soloing me into the ground, they would still be able to overwhelm me with numbers alone.

    I was counting down the minutes until I was powerful enough to stand up to them. For now, I needed to bide my time. Staying off the Empire''s radar was an unfortunate necessity for the moment.

    Or, that was the plan, at least. Unfortunately, that plan went out the window as, about ten minutes later, Alya directed me to an alleyway just off the route I was running. As I turned down into the path, I spotted a trio of big, heavily tattooed white guys looming over a single black man who had clearly been knocked to the ground. He was bleeding from a busted lip and trying to crawl backward away from the marked Nazis.

    "Fuck¡­ god dammit," I cursed, before entering the alley and raising my voice. "Hey! What''s going on here?"

    I called out, all of the people turning towards the sound of my voice. The man on the ground spotted me first, his eyes opening wide as they locked on to me. His expression shifted from fear and anger to one of hesitant hopefulness. The three Nazis all turned to face me as well, all of them looking shocked at my interference.

    "Fuck, it''s a cape," one of them cursed, one of the others slapping him in his stomach to shut him up.

    "What the fuck do you want?" The largest and most heavily tattooed of them all aggressively asked. "This ain''t any of your business. Just keep on walking."

    "Three dumbasses standing menacingly over someone who is bleeding?" I rhetorically asked. "Something tells me that is absolutely my business."

    The same member who had told me to take a hike took a step toward me, doing his best to seem intimidating and unconcerned.

    "Look, chump, I''m sure you''re a big bad hero, but this is Empire territory," He explained as if I was a particularly slow child. "Just go on and get the fuck-"

    I cut off whatever dumb shit he was about to say by launching a quick spark of electricity. The zap made the man jump and yowl like a stuck cat, slapping at the hole I had burned through his jeans. When he tried to recover, he quickly learned that the leg that the spark had struck was useless. He nearly collapsed backward, one of his buddies having to catch him before he could.

    "I''m gonna cut you off right there. I don''t care whose territory we are in," I responded, walking forward, my hands crackling threateningly. "I''m not gonna let someone get the shit kicked out of them because a couple of overcompensating punks decide they hate black people."

    For a long moment, I felt like they were about to charge me, but eventually, they pulled back. As all three of the empire goons slinked away, keeping an eye on me as they escaped. I considered trying to stop them, but I had a feeling that even if I apprehended them, they wouldn''t spend much time in jail. Besides, my priority was the injured man, who was starting to breathe funny. As they disappeared down the far end of the alleyway, I waited for a breath or two to make sure they weren''t coming back before I approached the still-struggling man.

    "Hey, take it easy. The bastards are gone," I explained. "You alright? Anything broken or¡­"

    "My hand and my chest, they stomped on me pretty hard," He said, hissing in pain and revealing a mangled, purple hand and several dirty boot marks on his torso. "Pretty... sure they broke something..."

    Looking at his hand, specifically two of his fingers that were definitely bending in directions they weren''t supposed to, I couldn''t help but flinch. That must have been one hell of a stomp.

    "Yeah, you''ve definitely got some damage here. Would you like me to fix it?" I asked, reaching out and holding his hand up by his wrist. "I''ve got a healing power that should let me fix this right up."

    "Healing? Like Panacea?"

    "No, my power works completely differently," I explained. "But the end results are basically the same. You not being hurt."

    He debated internally for nearly a full minute before finally agreeing to let me help. Compared to some of the stuff I had been fixing over the last week or so, this was relatively simple, as was fixing the other bumps, bruises, and scrapes the three Nazis had given him. Once he was back on his feet, I asked if he wanted to call the cops. He laughed and shook his head.

    "What for? So they can arrest me for disturbing peace or something?" He asked, shaking his head. "Nah, I just need to get the fuck out of here. Much less likely for them to plant some coke on me so they can apprehend me after I ''Resist Arrest.''"

    I nodded, not particularly surprised by his statement. I had heard a lot of bad news about the police here in Brockton, especially those that hung around Downtown specifically.

    I watched the man leave with a worried, anxious speed to his walk, his head on a swivel as he went. I couldn''t help but curse and shake my head as I watched him step onto the sidewalk and turn out of sight.

    Why did it seem like everywhere I looked, all I could see were more signs that this city was hanging on the precipice of full-tilt chaos and anarchy.

    "This place is broken," I said, feeling Alya coiling around me, still invisible. "Like a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode into unrecognizable chaos. The worst part is¡­ I''m not sure if it would be better off or not. At least the board would be wiped clean in the process."

    "That sounds like a great many people would be hurt," Alya pointed out.

    "... Yeah, I know," I responded, rubbing my neck. "I wasn''t actually suggesting that.

    Confronted with just how screwed up this city was, I found myself unwilling to continue my patrol. It felt futile, more so than usual. It was painfully clear that I would never be able to make a real difference until I could directly face the kind of threats the city held. I needed a power-up desperately, but I wasn''t sure if I was going to get one.

    The time for my second group of charges was fast approaching, and while I could dump the points into something new and flash, I also knew I needed a home. There was a lot of magic I could access in the future that required a place to work, and I wasn''t about to spend days, and who knows how much money setting those up somewhere I would have to abandon the second someone found it.

    I needed a permanent residence, someplace I could protect and hide with magic. A place I could retreat to, if necessary, that I knew wouldn''t just fall over like a stack of cards the second any cape with a brute rating knocked on my door.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    The issue was that every point I ended up spending to unlock the ability to build a place like that was also points I wouldn''t be able to spend on making myself more powerful. My only real option, assuming I continued with my plan to invest points in some sort of mage home branch, was to invest slowly and hope I got lucky enough that one or two levels of knowledge was enough. I highly doubted it would be since it was such a broad concept, but I could still hope.

    There was also a chance I would get a new quest. I wasn''t a hundred percent sure what the criteria were for getting one, but I had a feeling it had to do with the points recharge cycle. The most likely scenario I could think of was that I was going to get one quest per cycle, but I wouldn''t be able to confirm that until I had more experience.

    That night, I barely slept, the towering, daunting reality of just what kind of uphill battle I had gotten myself into weighing on me heavily. Alya did her best to soothe me with a cool breeze, but I still tossed and turned for most of the night. `

    When morning finally came around, my first stop of the day was a nearby coffee shop. The heavenly bean juice just managed to wake me up enough that I could be considered a functional human being. When I was done kick-starting my brain with caffeine and confectionaries, I headed back out into the shop to get ready for the day. The process was a bit drawn out because I had to refill my water containers, which included a trip to the nearby gas station.

    I had to admit, the idea of finally having a place with running water, working lights, and other usual amenities was also a big part of why I was still determined to stick with my plan of building a stronghold of some kind. I might be determined to do as much good as I could in this world, but that didn''t mean walking to a gas station every morning for shower water wasn''t grating. It was the very definition of first-world problems, but I couldn''t exactly help it.

    When I was finally ready for the day, I headed out into the city, donning my costume and going back on patrol. At this point, I was just killing time, both until my charges were refilled later tonight and for Tony to get back to me about the next outreach stop.

    According to him, there was only one more large homeless community left. It was somewhere between John''s and Charles'' place in terms of size, and Tony was certain he would find an in soon. Once we had helped that community, I was hoping to discuss the idea of them spreading the word whenever I was about to stop by. Charles'' place had already done that to an extent, but I wanted them to understand I was happy to heal anyone who would come by and needed the help.

    I was happy with the progress I had made in healing people so far, but I knew there were a lot of people I was missing.

    As I contemplated the future and the next steps I was going to take, I continued my patrol. About half an hour in, as I was walking around the blurry line between the Docks South and Downtown, Alya got my attention.

    "There''s¡­ a pile of trash robbing a corner store two blocks to the east," She said, blowing against me in the right direction. "Some sort of golem."

    "Golem? I¡­ don''t recognize that description," I frowned, quickly altering my course and starting to vault toward what Alya had spotted. "Anything I should know?"

    "Whatever it is, it already knocked out the store owner," she responded. "He is behind the counter."

    I cursed and pushed myself to move faster, my mana draining as a result. I skidded to a stop just a few buildings away, only to watch a wave of trash pour out of a corner store. The windows of the building were smashed, and quite a bit of food, magazines, and other loose stuff from inside the store was being pulled outside by the wave. Once it was outside, the wave formed into a shabby, half-formed humanoid, maybe about eight feet tall. It turned to face me, freezing for a second.

    "What do you want!? I''m not going back!" a voice said from inside the golem-like amalgamation of trash and food, somehow still quite loud. "I just need the food! I can''t eat any more rotten trash!"

    I stopped about two dozen feet away from the shaggy trash golem, partially because I really didn''t want to get closer to the stench. I put both of my hands up, trying to calm the parahuman down.

    "It''s okay big guy, I''m not gonna fight you," I said. "It sounds like you''re struggling, I know how that feels."

    He stopped, the golem rocking back slightly as if confused. It took him a minute to constitute a response, and even then, it lacked most of the vitriol his first shout had.

    "I''m just so hungry," He admitted. "I ain''t got nothing¡­ Nobody waited for me¡­"

    "It''s okay. You got a name?" I asked, taking a few steps closer. "Something I can call you?"

    "I¡­ I was thinking about Heap," He admitted.

    "Alright, Heap. My name is Arcanum," I responded. "By the sounds of it, you must be pretty hungry. Why don''t you let some of that trash go, and I''ll buy you lunch. As much as you can eat."

    "I don''t need your pity," He responded, the scowl in his voice clear as day. "I can do this just fine on my own! I just need a bit of food, then I can start."

    "Start what?"

    "I don''t know! Getting back on the straight and narrow, stop stealing! I¡­ just need a bit now¡­"

    Something about the way he was talking told me this man was struggling to keep it together. Part of me wondered if he was a Case 53, a living pile of trash, but I wasn''t sure if asking that was a good idea.

    "That''s good, but starting that out by stealing isn''t a great look," I pointed out. "Especially after assaulting the clerk."

    "He had it coming!" The trash golem shouted, its limbs sagging for a moment before pulling back together. "I have nothing! He-"

    "William, there''s something on the roof above you, some sort of mist!" Alya said into my ear, trying to make herself heard over the loud shouts of Heap. "It''s-"

    Whatever she was about to say was cut off as a black crossbow bolt suddenly appeared in Heap''s chest with a dull thud. Both of us looked down, me and the golem, to where a bolt had stuck into some metal panel from some sort of appliance, as well as a whole rotisserie chicken wrapped in plastic. The bolt itself was clearly special, with a vial of some kind running through the shaft.

    For a long moment, we were silent until, finally, the large trash and food golem snapped free of our collective shock.

    "You were just setting me up!" He screamed. "You son of a bitch!"

    The golem turned, trash gathering up in his arm as he charged at me, the wave of trashing drawing in against him as if he was pulling for more density. Before I could even react, he swung his arm out, extending it outwards and side-swiping me with a surprising amount of force. It lifted me off my feet and slammed me into the side of a van. The trash overwhelmed me, and for a moment, it blocked out the sun, the world going black.

    <hr>

    Charges so far:

    <ul>

    <li>Geomancy: [x][x]</li>

    <li>Healing Spells: [x][x]</li>

    <li>Lightning Spells: [x][x]</li>

    <li>Physical Movement Enhancement Spells: [x]</li>

    </ul>

 Chapter Eighteen

    It took me a moment to gather my senses, as the stench of the garbage and the rattling of the impact completely threw me for a loop. Underneath all that, I was undamaged, the impact unable to overwhelm my steel absorption. I was still pinned, though, as after the initial impact, the blow turned into a crushing grinding force, as if he was attempting to squash a particular resilient insect.

    Rather than try and fight against his superior mass, when I finally collected my thoughts, I reached out with my arm and grabbed the first edge I could get my fingers around. I then pulled, first with one hand, then with two, before finally managing to pull myself free in a spray of trash. I stumbled away from the car, paper and cans falling away from me as I held up my hands.

    "Heap! Wait, I don''t know-" I started to say, only to have to dive to the side, skidding to my feet as I dodged another wide, heavy blow. "You don''t need to do this. We can still talk."

    "You talk, I''ll just crush you!" He shouted back, raising a large trash limb up into the air, looking to slam it down against me.

    "Fulgur parvum fragmentum!" I shouted, even as I jumped to the side, dodging the falling blow.

    Using the fully worded and symboled version of my simple jabbing lightning spell amped up its power considerably, a disk of blue energy formed around the tip of my finger. Three arcane symbols spun around it for a moment before a thick blast of electricity lanced out, jumping from my finger to the Heap''s large limb. The electricity impacted the trash and was absorbed, the energy dispersing his control over the loose material. The limb lost cohesion past the impact point, slamming into the ground in a much less solid and dense form.

    Unfortunately, the trash almost immediately started pulling back into the trash pile, feeding Heaps size, the large limb already reforming.

    "Fuck," I said, watching the arm grow back in seconds, Heap laughing.

    "That''s right! Can''t keep Heap down!" He shouted, his laughter carrying a manic undertone to it. "Gonna fucking crush you!"

    I was about to try and talk to him again, only for another bolt to sink into his trash body, this time into his head. He shouted again, advancing on me with a fist raised. With a curse, I realized that this situation was no longer salvageable. It was time to put him down before he hurt someone.

    Like me, for example.

    I dove and rolled to the side, casting lighting spells as I did, electricity lancing out as I ran around Heap. He was clearly tough, as golems tended to be, but he was also slow. I just needed to use his slow speed to my advantage.

    I pestered him with lighting, switching between full-powered and nonverbal jabs, all while outrunning his attacks, which only got more and more aggressive and wild as he got angrier and angrier. Eventually, I had enough time to cast a spell that took a bit longer to use.

    "Magna pila suspendisse scintillae!" I shouted after blasting both of his arms off, his attacks pausing as he regenerated his limbs.

    Magic flared around my hands as I held them together like I was about to catch something. I guided that magic into a swirling pattern between my hands. Six arcane sigils flared to life in a triangle around each hand, a sparking ball of electrical energy forming between them, the size of a softball. I dumped a decent amount of energy into the spell before lobbing it underhanded at the parahuman golem.

    The crackling ball of energy soared right to the base of the golem''s feet, where the heap of trash seemed to pull into the main body. It detonated on impact, a large ball of electricity exploding outward from where it landed. The explosion knocked the golem to pieces, and for the first time, I saw the man inside of it.

    He was¡­ well, as unfortunate as it was, he was pretty ugly. He had a rather pronounced pot belly, only made more obvious by his lanky, thin limbs. Luckily, he was wearing a crude mask, literally just a piece of cardboard with holes cut into it and attached with rope.

    Despite the power of the spell, Heap immediately began to recover, trash flowing back to him, a lot of it starting to smolder. Thankfully, I didn''t need to wait as I clearly had an opening. I rushed forward, plowing through the trash and tackling the man out of the reforming golem. I could feel something snap, as if I had pulled a sagging elastic band until it gave way. Heap let out a scream of pain, scrabbling against me, trying to escape my grasp as I pulled him completely free of the trash pile.

    Despite his shouting and screaming, I wasted no time in putting him down on the ground and quickly intoning Somnum scintilla as I cast the lightning stun spell, the little ball of energy falling down and knocking him out. I double-checked his pulse, which was high but steady, unsurprising since we had just been fighting. I was pulling out my phone to call in the attack, when Alya whispered into my ear.

    "Whoever was shooting bolts just turned back into smoke," She warned. "They are coming down¡­ they reformed on the sidewalk. They have their crossbow pointed at your back."

    I looked over my shoulder, confirming my suspicion that the one firing crossbow bolts was Shadow Stalker, a Ward. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I knew for a fact her crossbow was very much not a threat, so I focused on confirming that Heap was okay.

    "What are you doing?" She asked, her footsteps getting closer.

    "I''m confirming he is okay," I answered simply.

    "Why were you talking to him?" She asked, her voice filled with accusation. "He your buddy or something?"

    "I was attempting to talk him down from attacking me," I explained. "What are you doing alone? I was under the impression that it is against Ward rules to patrol alone."

    "Oh gee, would you look at that," She said in a blank, uncaring tone. "We must have gotten separated."

    I rolled my eyes at her tone before carefully lifting Heap onto my shoulder, carrying him closer to the store.

    "Where are you going?" She asked, following after me. "Put him down and get on your knees!"

    I kept walking, though I did shift Heap so nothing vital was behind me, in case Shadow Stalker had the bright idea to shoot me.

    "Shadow Stalker, I am moving Heap closer to the crime scene," I explained. "He mentioned there being a store clerk inside."

    Something about me dismissing her so casually must have really set her off, because I had only made it a single step further before a crossbow bolt slapped into my shoulder. It punched through my clothes but broke when it hit my skin.

    "Are you out of your FUCKING MIND!" I shouted, whirling around on the teenager. "Did you really just shoot me? I already told you what I was doing!"

    "I don''t care about some clerk!" She shouted back, already loading her crossbow. "You will-"

    I rolled Heap off of my shoulder, the parahuman landing in a pile of trash, confident he was fully out. Even as he was falling, I leaped forward. Shadow Stalker reacted with surprisingly good reflexes, turning to smoke and backing off, but not before I could tear her crossbow from her hands. I snapped the string with a single tug before dropping it back to the ground. I then turned and walked back to Heap, picking him up again. By now, the crowd that had formed around us was in the hundreds, with dozens of people holding out their phones as they recorded the interaction, though that had been going on since the start. I carefully put the unconscious parahuman down at the front of the store, sitting him up along the wall.

    "She isn''t gone," Alya warned me quietly. "She is getting closer, in her smoking form. Will, watch out!"

    A searing burning pain flared along my back, just below my left shoulder. I cursed and spun around, lashing out with a burst of near-instinctual electricity. Shadow Stalker had somehow bypassed my durability and stabbed me in the shoulder with one of her bolts. Even before I was turning, she was once again a cloud of smoke, pulling back to dodge what she must have thought was a backhand slap.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Instead, electricity spiked through her as she shifted back into her smoke form. While the burst would normally not be enough to seriously hurt anyone, it forced her to drop her smoke form, where she collapsed to the ground, screaming and twitching.

    "Fucking hell, what the fuck was that?" I shouted, quickly standing and taking a single step forward, only to feel a wave of exhaustion wash over me.

    "It''s a tranq bolt!" Alya almost shouted into my ear. "You need to do something!"

    "Tranq¡­ Oh!" I managed to connect the dots in my quickly swirling and slowing mind, barely managing to remember the proper spell. "Purgare sanguis meus quid me effectus"

    The usual golden glow of healing magic formed around my hand, even as my vision started to waver. Arcane symbols and a swirl of magic appeared over my heart, cleaning all the blood that flowed through it. Almost immediately, the overwhelming exhaustion abated, and I could stand up straight.

    Once I was sure I wouldn''t keel over, I walked over to the still groaning form of Shadow Stalker, quickly rifling through her utility belt. She feebly swatted at me, but I ignored her. Instead, I grabbed a zip tie, dragged her three feet to the sidewalk, and wrapped her arms around a streetlamp before zip-tying her wrists together. I repeated the process with her legs, before finally stepping back.

    I nodded, satisfied with my work, before casting the blood-purifying spell again. The exhaustion had started to creep up on me again, but I could feel its effects fading completely. I let out a long breath, before making my way inside the shop. Unsurprisingly, the place was a disaster area, but my only concern was the clerk.

    "Hello?" I called out. "This is Arcanum! Is anyone here injured?"

    I heard a groan behind the counter, so I quickly rushed around to check. Just as Alya had warned me, a man was laying on the floor, stirring but unable to sit up. His face was cut up and bloody, and he had the signs of a serious knock to the head.

    "Alya," I whispered. "Check the rest of the store for victims, then go outside and keep watch. I can''t imagine we are going to be alone here for long."

    With a few small splashes of water on his lips, and through his hair, I managed to get the clerk aware enough to agree to healing. He had a pretty serious concussion and deep cuts along his cheek and scalp, but I fixed those up pretty well. When he was awake and fully healed, I slowly helped him to his feet.

    "Miss Militia and two other Wards are here, Vista and Aegis," Alya whispered. "They are freeing Shadow Stalker, but she is still out of it."

    I let out a long sigh before continuing to help the man outside. By the time we stepped out into the sun, he was more or less moving under his own power.

    "Arcanum, freeze!" Miss Militia shouted, an orange-stocked shotgun already readied on her shoulder. "You are under arrest for assaulting a Ward!"

    I held my hands out slowly, making no sudden movement. I was pretty sure she was currently using non lethal rounds, since that was what the bright orange stock usually represented. That said, I really didn''t want this to spiral any further than it already had.

    "Miss Militia, I will go quietly and without struggle," I assured her. "If you have one of the Wards watch one of the recordings made by these lovely bystanders. Please."

    For a long moment, I thought she was going to deny my request, as unusual as it was. Thankfully, cooler head prevailed, and she gestured to Aegis, who flew forward and landed by a group of people. Several bystanders attempted to shove phones at him, and he simply accepted the closest.

    After over a minute of watching, Aegis winced and looked up at his superior.

    "Miss Militia¡­ you might want to come see this," He said. "It''s¡­ It doesn''t look good."

    The Protectorate heroine looked over at the Ward, before fixing me with a glare.

    "I promise I won''t do anything. In fact¡­"

    I looked over my shoulder, confirming my position, before carefully sitting down on the side of the curb, my hands still spread. I looked back at the female hero before shrugging. After a moment, her weapon swirled back into green energy, shifting to a pistol, which she holstered on her hip. After that, she made her way to Aegis''s side, watching whatever video he had. Even though I could only see her eyes, it was impossible not to see her expression shift from annoyed to confused, then finally settling on angry.

    When she was finally done watching the first recording, she shifted along the crowd to find another person with a different angle. After watching that, she began speaking into her radio, holding her hand to her ear. As she did, PRT troops arrived, making quick work of the crowd, pushing them back and cordoning off the area. A trio of guards gathered up Heap, quickly transferring him to a van and driving away.

    As this happened, Miss Militia continued to talk in hushed, rapid words, standing far enough away that I couldn''t hear her. Thankfully, Alya had no real issue.

    "She is just explaining the situation, talking directly to Director Piggot," Alya informed me. "I can''t hear what the Director is saying."

    After a few minutes, during which Shadow Stalker is released from her constraints and taken away in another PRT van, Miss Militia approached me again.

    "It seems I owe you an apology¡­ Again," She said, holding out her hand.

    "Yeah¡­ maybe try and keep that from being a habit," I responded, taking her hand so she could help me to my feet, standing from the curb. "Look, I didn''t want to hurt her. She''s just a kid, but¡­"

    "You were attempting to de-escalate the situation," She finished for me. "Even after she shot at you once. You should¡­ Arcanum, do you need medical attention?"

    She paused and shifted halfway through her sentence as if suddenly realizing that, yes, I had, in fact, been stabbed.

    "Actually, I could use your help," I admitted, turning around. "I can''t reach it... could you yank it out? I can heal it myself after it''s gone."

    She seemed frozen at the request but eventually nodded. She reached into her utility belt and pulled out a pair of nitrile gloves, as well as a whole bunch of gauze or something along the same lines. I turned around to give her access to the bolt.

    "Okay, just let me-"

    Blinding pain fired in every direction as the Protectorate heroine yanked the arrow from my back. I could vaguely feel her applying pressure to keep me from bleeding too heavily.

    "-numb myself," I managed to finish through clenched teeth. "Never mind."

    "... I''m sorry, I didn''t know you could do that," Miss Militia admitted, sounding genuinely horrified at what she had done, watching as I quickly healed myself. "I thought you were going to say clench, which would have only made it worse, so-"

    "It''s fine, honestly. The pain is already gone," I assured her, letting out a ragged breath. "See, good as new."

    "I¡­ see," She said, seeming to seriously be off step. Eventually, after a few moments, she seemed to visibly restart herself and finally continue. "Arcanum, Director Piggot would consider it a personal favor if you would come in to discuss what has happened here."

    "... Do I have a choice?" I asked. "And would I be home before dinner?"

    "Yes," Miss Militia said with certainty. "To both questions."

    I looked at the patriotic hero, trying to determine what my best option was. My first instinct was to tell her to fuck off, but even if I wasn''t their biggest fan, I wasn''t looking to piss off the PRT or Protectorate any more than necessary. On top of that, I had no doubt this was a complicated situation, and a large part of me wanted to know more. Deciding that the risk was worth getting some background information on what had just happened, I nodded in agreement.

    "In that case... lead the way."

 Chapter Nineteen

    After confirming that I was willing to meet with the director, I had to give my statement to a PRT officer. After that, we waited for the PRT troops to finish securing the location. As we did, I chatted with Miss Militia and Aegis for a while, the latter seeming nervous at first but quickly calming down after a minute or so. I also got a few answers for what exactly had happened.

    "Shadow Stalker was with us on patrol when we first got word of the robbery," The young hero explained. "The first call didn''t make it clear it was a parahuman, so we broke off our route intercept. Then we got confirmation that it was a new cape that nobody recognized. Wards aren''t cleared to engage unknown Capes, so we had to retreat. When we were told to pull back, Miss Militia was called to take over the response. Shadow Stalker claimed radio troubles and continued to move."

    "That a common problem?" I asked curiously. "Shadow Stalker ignoring orders?"

    Aegis opened his mouth to respond, but he finally seemed to notice that Miss Militia was giving him a pretty hard look. He quickly shut up, his eyes wide as if he had just realized what he was saying. I couldn''t help but chuckle at his slip-up. It wasn''t exactly a state secret, but he clearly had revealed more than he was supposed to. Poor kid would probably end up getting a talking-to about operational security or something. Unsurprisingly, he refused to talk to me after that.

    During all of this time, Vista had been engaging with the crowd, talking and signing autographs. It was smart, drawing the public eye, but I felt like it was wasted in this specific scenario. Still, it kept them from trying to push the boundary that the PRT troops set up.

    When the scene was finally under control, the PRT officers started to gather the trash that Heap had used as his golem. When I asked Miss Militia why they were shoving the pounds of waste into bags and boxes, she explained that it was just standard procedure. They needed to contain it until they were certain Heap''s powers didn''t contaminate, spread, or otherwise alter the material it used.

    "Imagine if he retained a connection to the trash he bonded to," She said. "He could use it to hurt people, even while sitting in a cell."

    Luckily, we didn''t need to help with the cleanup, because the only reason I wasn''t gagging from the smell was because Alya was maintaining a gentle breeze away from me and my escorts.

    When it was time to go, Miss Militia guided me to the back of a PRT van, empty save for the driver. Normally, I would be nervous about just climbing into the vehicle and submitting to the whims of the driver, but it was very clearly not a prison vehicle. There was no barrier between the driver and myself, the seats were normal with no restraints, the door had a handle on the inside, and as far as I could tell, any armor the vehicle had was designed to protect the people inside, not keep them from escaping.

    Hell, I even shook the driver''s hand as a test, the nameless agent accepting the shake with an air of confused acceptance.

    When we pulled away, I could hear Miss Militia''s motorcycle revving up beside us, traveling alongside the van. Unsurprisingly, the PRT agent wasn''t that interested in conversation, so the ride was silent. Thankfully, it was also short, only three minutes passing before I climbed out of the van. Gone was the open street, replaced by fluorescent lights, concrete, and asphalt. We had parked in the PRT motor pool compound, which turned out to be under the main building itself. A quick elevator ride later, and we were inside the main building, Miss Militia guiding me to my final destination. I was basically fast passed through the building, right into Director Piggots office.

    "Anything I should know?" I asked quietly as we approached.

    "...She doesn''t appreciate humor," She said after a pause. "Just be straight with her."

    I nodded in understanding as the Protectorate heroine knocked on the wooden door, opening it when a voice called from inside to enter.

    Inside the simple, unadorned office was a single wooden desk overloaded with stuff. It wasn''t messy by any stretch, it was just neatly organized without a hint of being dirty. In fact, the whole room was meticulously clean. Despite that, the desk still looked cluttered because of the sheer amount of stuff on it. There was a desktop computer, a laptop, and several stacks of paper, two of which were more than an inch thick. One of them, the one the director was reading, was stored inside the classic manilla folder.

    "Hello, Arcanum," Director Piggot said, putting the folder she was reading from down. "Have a seat."

    I nodded and sat down at one of two chairs, Miss Militia taking the second one. As I sat, I got the opportunity to study the woman herself. Emily Piggot was a large woman, her fat, unhealthy form at odds with her clean, crisply pressed clothes and tightly braided hair. She came across as a no-nonsense military woman, but someone had messed with her weight slider during character design.

    After a moment of silence, during which she didn''t so much as twitch her eyes away from me, she finally spoke.

    "Do you understand why there was an attempt to trick you during power testing?" She asked, seemingly completely unashamed by her actions.

    "...I assume you saw the opportunity to learn more about an unknown parahuman in your city and took it," I guessed after taking a second to recover from the sudden topic shift. "You probably would have gotten away with it, too, if you had briefed your testing people."

    "That has been discussed," She admitted, now with a frown. "That is not the reaction I anticipated."

    "What am I supposed to do? Throw a tantrum? Toss around threats?" I asked. "That wouldn''t get anything done. Don''t get me wrong, you lost even the slightest chance of me ever joining up, but I''m not going to cry and scream that it''s unfair."

    The look she gave me said that a tantrum was exactly what she had expected from me, but after a moment, she continued.

    "I appreciate the candor," She said, actually sounding appreciative and shocked by it. "Most Parahumans would not be so forgiving."

    "No, not forgiving," I refuted, shaking my head and leaning back in my chair. "Not throwing a tantrum is very different from letting bygones be bygones. You and your organization burned any bridge between us before either of us could attempt to cross it. We can work together out there, but I do not trust you, not by a long shot."

    That seemed to flip a switch in Director Piggot''s mind, as if the world suddenly made sense again. She nodded in seeming understanding before continuing.

    "And what of your healing?" She asked. "I was told you are already in talks with Brockton Central."

    "I am. They are just waiting on PRT approval," I explained, pointing out that the ball was in her court.

    "Only a full day left before we can declare the volunteers you treated successfully healed with no side effects," she explained. "When we issue you your verification, would you be willing to heal PRT agents and Protectorate heroes?"

    "Of course, with the same stipulations as the hospital," I nodded. "Under eighteen for free, adults have to pay unless it is a life-threatening injury. Emergencies happen as they come, but I always reserve the right to say no."

    "How much is the fee?"

    "How much is the standard fee?"

    "It depends on the injury¡­"

    "Then it sounds like you have your answer," I responded with a shrug. "I suspect you''re not dumb enough to underpay me, either. Honestly, I expect you will primarily be calling me in for head injuries since Panacea doesn''t seem to charge, and you guys are okay with screwing her over."

    "Her mother refuses to accept payment on her daughter''s behalf," She responded with a frown. "There was nothing we could do."

    "There is always something you can do, Director Piggot," I corrected. "But that''s not what you called me here for. Unless I''m once again the victim of a misdirect?"

    "No, no misdirect this time. I simply wanted to get that discussion out of the way," Piggot responded, leaning forward and bridging her fingers together. "I wanted to discuss the recent... incident. While the footage captured of Shadow Stalker''s actions paints a clear picture, I would like to ask you a few questions about the incident."

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    "I''ll do what I can," I responded, gesturing for her to continue.

    "What exactly were you discussing before Shadow Stalker fired her weapon?" She asked, glancing to the side at her computer.

    "I was attempting to calm Heap down," I explained easily. "He was clearly agitated, but he also seemed confused. I was hoping to calm him down enough to get him to surrender."

    "And then what?" She asked. "What would you have done if you succeeded?"

    "That would depend on what was going on," I explained. "I was under the impression that there is a certain amount of leeway for recent triggers?"

    "Depending on the situation," the large woman admitted. "But that''s not for you to decide."

    "I never claimed it was, Director," I assured her. "I was simply trying to de-escalate the situation before more people got hurt."

    "Admirable," She said, though her tone portrayed a different opinion, mainly that she considered it foolish or pointless. "What was it that Shadow Stalker said?"

    "She questioned my connection to Heap and accused me of being his ally," I said with a shrug. "I ignored her because it was untrue, and I was concerned about the store clerk."

    "And when you disarmed her?"

    "I was concerned she would hit Heap, who was already neutralized, or worse, a civilian," I explained. "I didn''t did not want to hurt her, so I took away her weapon. At the time, I assumed I would be fine. I did not know she could phase objects into people in her smoke form."

    "And what did she say?"

    "She shouted that she didn''t care about the store clerk," I responded with a shrug. "I was placing Heap down when she attacked me."

    "Yes, the footage corroborates that," She admitted.

    "Could I ask you a question?" I said, catching her off guard, stopping whatever she was about to ask next. When she gestured to me, I continued. "Where exactly did that come from? Shadow Stalker''s attack, I mean. I did some research on capes and people before I put on the mask, and I did know that she was a vigilante before joining the Wards."

    "Shadow Stalker¡­ has some issues when it comes to appropriate levels of force and violence," Piggot admitted. "She was a probationary Ward, meaning that we were attempting to rehabilitate her. We were told she was making progress, but for obvious reasons, those statements are now being investigated."

    "But she is clearly just a kid. How does that sort of thing slip under the radar?" I asked, not entirely satisfied by her response.

    "To be frank, I don''t entirely know," She admitted, leaning back, her own frustration evident. "But when I find out, heads will roll."

    "Why are you telling me all of this?" I asked, curious as to why she was being so open.

    "Because I am hoping to convince you to let the PRT handle the press about this unfortunate event," she admitted without shame. "Footage of the entire situation is already all over the internet, but our people are already working on the best way to spin this into something that isn''t a complete disaster."

    "And what exactly is the¡­ ''Situation,''" I said, emphasizing the last word to get my meaning across.

    "That the PRT and Protectorate value our children, even those who are lost and struggle with the law. Shadow Stalker was nearly arrested and sent to Juvie when we caught her being too violent during her vigilante days, but we offered her one last chance to clean up her act," Director Piggot explained. "Publicly attacking a hero, a PRT certified healer who was clearly only trying to help, especially when their back is turned, is not the kind of behavior that the Wards stand for. She has failed her last chance and thus must now face the consequences."

    "How silent do you want me to be about this, exactly?" I asked, ignoring the clear attempt to butter me up with the declaration of my PRT certification.

    "Standard boilerplate answers," She responded. "''I regret what happened, but since I do not know the whole story so, I cannot comment on the details.''"

    "Are you going to ask me to sign anything?"

    "Would you?"

    "Absolutely not," I responded, staring back at the director.

    "Then there''s no point in asking, is there?" She responded.

    "I suppose not," I said. "Why should I let you dictate what I say?"

    I made sure to keep my tone calm rather than aggressive. I wanted to know her reasoning first so I could make an informed decision.

    "Because we are struggling to maintain positive PR on a normal day, with disasters like this," She explained. "If people can''t trust us to protect them, this city is going to fall apart. A lot of people are going to get hurt when they turn to less-than-legal places for protection."

    I was tempted to tell her no, but I couldn''t deny that she wasn''t entirely wrong. As much as I thought the Protectorate as a whole went overboard with the PR, the local branch was on shaky ground as it was. Some of that was deserved, at least according to Tony, but losing more trust would not be a good thing. I wasn''t sure just how badly this event would be received, but it would certainly not be good.

    I didn''t like it, but I saw her point.

    "I will keep the information about Shadow Stalker to a minimum for now," I finally responded. "I would be more upset about it, but since I don''t know the details of the situation, I would only be telling the truth anyway."

    Director Piggot let out a long sigh, sitting back in her chair, though I could see a slight wince as she shifted her body. Once it passed and she was comfortable again, she shook her head.

    "Arcanum, I will be the first to admit that your introduction to the PRT and Protectorate was a wash," She said, sounding very much like she hated admitting it. "That said, it was nothing personal. While I understand your faith in the system was shaken, not everything is as simple as it may seem. We are fighting an uphill battle in this city. We are outnumbered and often outgunned. We have to grasp whatever advantages we have, and taking a chance to gather intel is something we can''t pass by."

    "Director Piggot, I know I am new to this, but I would like to think I am pretty perceptive. I know what kind of workload you and your people must be under. This city is disturbingly few steps away from being run by Neo-Nazis, after all. That alone says just how dire it is." I pointed out. "I''m not naive enough to assume that you have the luxury of playing by the book in all circumstances. Eggs, omelet, all that jazz. But if I could offer some advice? Save the back alley strong-arming and cigar room dealing for people you don''t mind pissing off. It''s not worth losing potentially valuable allies, especially when you fuck it up."

    Piggot leaned back about halfway through my response, and I could feel Miss Militia staring at me as well. Once I was done, I stood up from my chair and stuck out my hand, taking a step closer to the director.

    "It''s been nice meeting you, Director Piggot, but I believe it''s time for me to head home."

    For a moment, I wasn''t sure if she would take my hand, but eventually, she did, reaching out to give me a single, quick shake. She then gave Miss Militia a look and a nod. As the Protectorate member stood, Piggot directed her attention back to me.

    "I appreciate your agreement and your cooperation," She said. "I understand that coming back probably wasn''t something you were looking forward to."

    "It was good to see where we are both at," I explained. "And to make sure I could get my opinion on the matter heard."

    Piggot nodded before Miss Militia led us back down to the motor pool. As I was about to climb into the van, I turned to the gun-toting hero.

    "Any idea about what''s going to happen to Heap?"

    "You weren''t wrong about exceptions being made for trigger events, and this is his first crime," She admitted. "In all likelihood, we will be transferring him out of state and giving him a chance to prove he can change. Assuming he agrees and can control himself."

    I nodded and sat down in the back of the van, closing the door behind me. After a quick ride in the PRT van, I was back in the same neighborhood as before. Completely drained from the whole ordeal, I quickly changed into my civilian clothes and headed back to the shop.

    Tonight was the night my charges were refilled, and I could feel my anxiety rising as each minute went by.

 Chapter Twenty

    The trip back to the shop was thankfully uneventful. Alya kept an eye open for any crimes or accidents as I made my way to the random alley that I used to swap clothes, but once I changed, I was "off the clock." Honestly, it made little difference to me, as I spent most of the time in increasingly deep thought. By the time I was climbing through the shop window, finally back at my temporary home, I was more or less just working through the motions. Thank God for Alya, who had to blow me back on course a handful of times, having to resort to harsher and harsher gusts of wind to get my attention.

    My mind was working overtime, just a complete cyclical mess of anxiety about my incoming charges.

    "Alya, I need to make a decision," I said, immediately starting to pace around the shop interior after sealing up the window. "I need to make up my mind about what I''m going to use my charges for."

    "Why don''t you talk it out?" She said, reforming into her physical form before sitting down softly on the couch. "What are your options?"

    "Right, yeah¡­ Good idea," I agreed, nodding as I paced. "Well¡­ I''m going to have six points to spend. The plan was to spend a chunk of them on some sort of base-building topic. Magical strongholds or maybe wizard towers¡­ Something like that."

    It showed how frazzled I was by my incoming choices that my brain immediately started chasing after the proper name to call what I had planned on unlocking. I wanted something that would provide options for both protection and comfort. Obviously, protection was more important, but I still wanted a nice place to live, with running water and lights, and preferably a real bed. I had been slumming it for so long, and call me selfish but-

    "William? I can feel you starting to spiral," Alya said, standing up and taking my hand, gently pulling me to the couch. "Take a deep breath and relax. Even if you can''t figure out exactly what to spend your charges on now, they will keep until you can."

    I took a deep breath and released it, nodding along with her words. She was right, of course. The worst thing I could do was panic and assign my charges while I was freaking out because I felt like I had to. I took a few more deep, slow breaths before I could finally feel myself calm down.

    "Right. You''re right," I agreed. "I need to relax."

    "Good. Now, you have a plan, so why are you second-guessing yourself?" Alya asked, her cobalt blue hair flowing back as she looked at me.

    "Well, I''ve been holding back from fighting capes because I''m worried I don''t have enough power," I explained. "The Empire could easily overwhelm me, and I couldn''t go toe to toe with Lung. Pretty sure he can melt real steel, never mind the resilience I get from geomancy."

    "What sort of magic would you get in order to make yourself stronger?" Alya asked.

    "Well¡­ My first instinct is to double down on lightning," I responded, chewing my lip. "I have a feeling that the spells will start to get more flexible and more interesting at the third level."

    "What about geomancy or healing?"

    "I''m happy with where Geomancy is right now," I explained. "I''m never going to be a brute force, slug it out kind of fighter. Being able to make myself more durable is great, but I''m not spending three more points to unlock more of that. As for healing¡­ I will probably end up getting more healing spells eventually. But what I have has served me well so far."

    "So lightning spells do seem like a solid option," Alya agreed. "So why not put three points into whatever base-building subject you decide on? Then, you can hold on to the three remaining points while you work on your new home. Then, if the first two levels of base building prove to not be enough, you can consider your options, but if it is, then you can put them into lightning spells."

    "I¡­ yeah, okay, that''s a solid plan¡­"

    "But?" Alya asked, picking up on my indecision.

    "But¡­ I''m still worried about investing points into base-building," I admitted, standing up from the couch. I was no longer panicking like I was earlier, but I still liked to pace when I was thinking. "It seems frivolous to spend points on something I might only use a few times, especially when I''m so concerned about fighting the gang capes."

    "Think of it this way. Having a safe home will make it easier for you to survive, meaning that you can help more people," The air elemental pointed out, floating up from the couch to stand beside me. "If you get killed in your sleep because someone ambushes you at night, you can''t help anyone."

    "I thought I had you to keep that from happening?"

    "I do, but if today has proven anything," She said, pausing to reach out and touching my back, right where Shadow Stalker had managed to stab me. "It''s that we can''t trust Parahuman''s powers to behave like we assume. Someone might be able to get by me."

    I let out a long breath. In all honesty, Shadow Stalker making it through my absorbed resilience was freaking me out more than I was letting on. It was at least partially responsible for my previous rising panic. I knew very well that I was not invincible, especially not from some of the heavy hitters hanging around Brockton Bay. Still, being bullet and stab proof, as well as super strong, had given me some confidence to take on challenges I would have been nervous to approach before. Now, that confidence had been shattered by some stupid kid who could turn into smoke and was weak to electricity.

    "Yeah¡­ Having a safe place will make me feel¡­ well, a lot safer," I admitted. "I''m just worried that I''m investing too many points into it and that I won''t get enough in return. Three points is not a small investment at this stage, not to mention if I have to spend all six because the first three aren''t enough."

    "Well¡­ perhaps you are approaching the problem from the wrong angle?" She suggested, not entirely confident in it. "We know being specific about what you want can help make things cheaper. Is there a way you can do that?"

    I opened my mouth, for what I don''t know, as I immediately realized she was right. Being specific and cutting down a concept to something specific had been the key to getting my lightning and healing spells powerful enough to be useful with only two levels. I had thought that restricting it to the subject of base building would be enough, but with Alya''s suggestion, I realized I had more options than that.

    "Rituals," I said, looking at Alya with wide-eyed excitement. "I need to learn rituals!"

    Technically, I already knew a branch of ritual magic pretty well in the form of geomancy. But the concept of rituals as a whole was massive, beyond anything I had unlocked by a ludicrous degree. Buying rituals as a subject to get access to advanced magic, would be like trying to learn advanced lightning spells by buying repeat charges of the "spells" subject.

    That said, it was still exactly what I needed. Rituals were, by definition, complicated and time-consuming, but they were capable of incredibly powerful and detailed results. Where a spell might have one or two actions, a ritual could do dozens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of tiny little things, all working together to make massive, potent changes. They could do anything from instilling magic into an object to changing the weather.

    But again, it was a massive subject. Buying the ritual subject in its entirety would be like trying to fill a five-gallon bucket with a teaspoon.

    But I had an idea.

    "If I invest points into something like magical strongholds, I''m going to get a whole lot of information about how to make magic buildings, right?" I asked, once again pacing. "But it''s going to be from all sorts of different subjects. I might get an alchemical process to transform granite into a nearly indestructible magic rock or an enchantment that tells me who is at the door no matter where I am in the building. But I don''t need all of that."

    "You need rituals?" She asked, still not understanding what I meant.

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    "Exactly! But rituals are a massive subject, too big to try and level up in mass," I explained. "So I''m going to cut out a massive portion of the subject, and then invest all six points into it."

    "Wait, what happened to lightning spells?" She asked, now thoroughly confused.

    "I was holding back those three points because I need to be stronger, but rituals can absolutely do that for me, as long as I can get deep enough into the knowledge," I explained. "The key is cutting out everything that I don''t need. When I bought lightning spells, I got a good chunk of knowledge, but it was very lopsided. I have no idea how those spells work other than an understanding of what they do. I couldn''t tell you one arcane symbol from another. But what if I flipped it around? Instead of buying a whole list of rituals and only scratching the surface, I invest points into ritual design and crafting?"

    "You¡­ you would get all of the building blocks of rituals¡­" Alya said, her eyes widening as she realized what I was saying. "But because you''re not actually getting any of the specific rituals, each point of investment would go much further."

    "Exactly! With three levels invested in ritual crafting and design, I should get the knowledge of how to make ritual several degrees more complicated and powerful than I would have if I bought the ritual subject wholesale."

    "But, you would have to design everything yourself," She pointed out.

    "Maybe, but with the way Marvelous Mage works, that should be much more simple than if I was a mage learning new things," I pointed out, my anxious pacing now turning into excited pacing. "Rather than having a list of symbols that I would have to work out to define, I should just get a download of the information about each aspect, with all the blanks filled. I mean, I don''t think I''m going to unlock the entire subject with three charges, but I think I will make enough progress to be useful. And best of all, it''s going to be useful in everything, not just for base building. We already know what they are capable of from geomancy, but who knows what else I''ll be able to design?"

    "If that is what you think is the best path, then very well," Alya said with a smile. "I agree, having the ability to design your own rituals does sound like an incredible boon. Should you consider doing the same for spells?"

    "It''s certainly an option," I admitted, nodding in agreement. "But I''m wary of having two subjects that require work and training. I guess we will see how this works first."

    She nodded, and we continued to discuss the idea, making some tentative plans about what sort of rituals I would be able to design. Despite my excitement, though, there wasn''t much we could do until I unlocked the points.

    With a new plan set, one I was actually confident in, I started setting up the bed and pulling out the cushions on the sofa. I had six hours before my charges returned, and I wanted to get as much sleep as possible before then since there was absolutely zero chance I would go back to sleep after. Somehow, by some miracle, I managed to fall asleep pretty quickly once I laid down.

    When I woke up, I could feel the charges starting to build in my mind. Rather than jump up and panic, I simply rolled over onto my back, letting the slow, trickling energy fill up, slowly counting upward. One, two, three, four, five, and finally, six mental little pips of energy, representing the potential increase of my powers. I could feel that they wanted to be used, wanted me to pick what they would unlock. Rather than give in to the temptation, I ignored them, pushing them down and waiting semi-patiently.

    It took a few minutes, just long enough for me to start worrying that it wasn''t coming, but the extra subject finally arrived. It started with the same feeling of the points recharging, but rather than the points feeling like potential, they felt like they had already been focused. Once the first charge settled, a deluge of information flooded my mind, all about the lower levels of¡­ Druidcraft?

    I barely had enough time to be confused by the name before the second level started to fill, eventually releasing the knowledge when it was complete. The sensation of trickling power faded, leaving me with six unused charges and two new levels.

    Slowly, I sifted through the levels of druidcraft, expecting to find information on summoning animals, shapeshifting, or even communicating with nature. Instead, I got magic pertaining to the care and growing of plant life, from daisies and roses to mighty sequoias and just about everything in between. At the lowest level, this magic was used to affect and heal plants, encourage growth, and increase seeding, all on a small scale. Mid-range had more large-scale magic of the same variety, including spells and rituals that would let a whole field grow with minimum water or in weather it normally never could. At the highest level, that I had access to, at least, I could grow and direct the growth of plants and trees on a large scale.

    The strangest thing about it was how it was presented. From the name, I expected a touchy, feely, earthy-crunchy type of magic, but instead, it came across as more¡­ industrial. This was magic meant to be applied to harvests and gardens, things meant to produce food for large amounts of people and manipulate tree and plant life in ways that were useful for people, not exactly conducive to mother nature. Some of the spells, if pushed too far, would absolutely kill the plants in exchange for one more bountiful harvest. It was as if someone had taken the name druidcraft and slapped it onto a farmer''s grimoire.

    After a few minutes of "exploring" my new knowledge, I stumbled on something that I couldn''t help but laugh at.

    "Well¡­ I guess I know what kind of wizard home I''m going to build." I said after calming down a bit.

    "How so?" Alya asked.

    "My bonus levels are all about something called druidcraft," I explained. "Basically, a bunch of magic that would make any farmer jealous. But at the very high end, I can do some pretty interesting stuff with trees, like controlling their growth and shaping them into just about anything I want.

    "And that means¡­?"

    "It means that we are going to build a treehouse," I explained with another chuckle. "I''m going to make the coolest fucking treehouse anyone has ever seen."

    "I... That certainly sounds like an interesting home," She admitted with a smile. "Have you invested your other points yet?"

    "No, I wanted to see what the bonus subject was," I explained. "I still don''t know how it works."

    I closed my eyes and focused on my idea. Rituals, one of several basic forms of magic, was truly a massive subject, one that held untold potential. But I didn''t want rituals themselves. I just wanted to know how to make them.

    As I focused, I slowly introduced the first charge into the idea. Immediately, it latched on, almost eagerly accepting the concept. The knowledge arrived, like it did every time, in a flood, filling my mind before slowly pulling back to a more stable presence. As I explored my purchase, I couldn''t help but laugh again, nearly jumping out of bed to celebrate.

    The knowledge I had gained wasn''t flashy, that was, until I focused on an idea for a ritual. But, when I imagined the need for a healing ritual, my mind was suddenly filled with options. It was not a wholesale ritual waiting to be copied down on the floor, but instead, everything I needed to know to design a ritual of my own. Several of them, in fact.

    I would need to do some work, but I had, at my fingertips, all the parts and knowledge that I needed to get it done. Even more impressive was how the options shifted when I wondered how to make one that was even more powerful. There was a surprising amount of depth to my knowledge, especially considering there was only one charge in it.

    It had worked.

    All that was left was to invest more charges and see what I got.

 Chapter Twenty One

    I took my time investing my points, each added level resulting in a rush of new knowledge washing over me. It was an incredible sensation, to feel my skill advancing, to suddenly have access to so many more tools and concepts. The magic behind rituals was fascinating, and I was chomping at the bit to test it out.

    Not long after dropping my last three charges into the third level of ritual, I left the shop at a quick walk. It wasn''t even one AM, but this Earth had its own version of chain, one-stop-shop stores like CVS and Walgreens. With any luck, they would have what I needed. Rituals were a magic of materials and design, which meant I couldn''t just jump in. I needed to buy a few things first, then spend some time preparing.

    As I walked with purpose, my brain was still alight, examining all of the knowledge I had gained.

    The first thing I realized was that I hadn''t been entirely correct in thinking that rituals could be used to create complicated things. The process of designing and creating a ritual was complicated, though I had a significant leg up with all of the knowledge that had just been downloaded into my brain. Despite their complicated nature, they were almost always dedicated to creating singular effects or phenomena. I could create a ritual to enhance a shield''s ability to withstand attacks, but it would be nearly impossible to create one to allow that same shield to react to different types of attacks in different ways. That was the work of enchantment.

    That isn''t to say that it was impossible, just that it was very difficult and would likely result in a hilariously expensive and complicated ritual circle, to the point of being completely unfeasible.

    There was a lot of overlap between rituals and enchantment, at least in physical objects, with each side having things it could and couldn''t do, as well as pros and cons and strong and weak points.

    That said, the width and breadth of what rituals were capable of was staggering. With every idea that popped into my head, I could see some way to achieve the concept. Some of the results wouldn''t even be close to feasible since creating boots that would blast me in one singular direction with enough force to fling me through the air was not actually flying, but still.

    The second thing I realized is that despite having a clearly wide spread of knowledge, I did not gain everything connected to rituals. There were several spots I could "see" that were clearly missing continuations, almost as if the subject stopped dead in its tracts. I would have assumed this was knowledge I just didn''t have access to for this level, except that geomancy fit rather neatly at a space quite similar to suddenly cut subjects.

    It took me a minute to realize that these spots were sections of ritual magic that were either so specific or had shifted and evolved so much that they weren''t considered to fall under the broad title of rituals. Like geomancy, these would likely be ritual adjacent but still clearly be their own things. I had some loose sense of what some of them could do, like Chimerization, which was basically like geomancy but with animal parts.

    Yeah, I was glad I got geomancy.

    When I finally arrived at the store, I made my way back to the office and school supplies section. I filled a shopping basket with graph paper notebooks, a calculator, pencils, a whiteboard, dry-erase markers, highlighters, a protractor, a compass, and several boxes of simple white chalk. I grabbed some breakfast as well, but it wasn''t anything exciting. When I paid for everything, I immediately headed back to the shop, relying on Alya to get me back safely.

    When I finally arrived back at my temporary home, I immediately got to work. There were so many things that I wanted to make, but I decided my first creation would be a bit of a test. The urge to start big was strong, especially since my understanding of ritual crafting meant I could have puzzled out some incredibly impressive rituals in essentially the same time it took to design something on the simpler side.

    Designing a ritual was an interesting process. There was a disturbing amount of math involved, though the subject wasn''t nearly as scary as it used to be. I was pretty sure I now had what was a college level of mathematics in my head, though it obviously didn''t really apply to any equivalent fields. Building the ritual itself was like a combination of solving a complicated equation, balancing a geometric proof, and discerning a difficult logic puzzle, all of which were interconnected and, therefore, had a tendency to shift and move as you tried to solve different aspects. Altering one angle would change the value of a separate variable, requiring a new solution to a later logic loop, which in turn affected the original required angle.

    There were also rules that affected the ritual''s effectiveness. For one, sacrificing materials was a core part of ritual magic. I could do a frankly ridiculous amount of things with nothing but some treated chalk and a flat surface, but most of that would be low-level, and frequently it wouldn''t be permanent, either.

    Not only that, but as a general rule, the more simple a ritual was, the less powerful, potent, or specific it was. With several lines, some circles, and less than two dozen arcane symbols, I could create a bowl that would heat its contents. It would work, but it would only have one setting, and would require me to constantly feed it energy, which it would burn through ridiculously fast. With a hundred symbols, fifteen layers of circles, and hundreds of lines, I could create a bowl that would heat its contents, use ambient magic, the bowl itself wouldn''t heat up, and it could just kind of tell how hot its contents needed to be.

    The first ritual I would need to complete was actually one of a handful of complete rituals I had gained from the three levels of ritual design and crafting. The purified, treated chalk that was required for a significant portion of rituals was apparently considered part of the ritual crafting portion, meaning I got its creation ritual circle in full.

    I took some of the spare slate from the tiles I had bought for the upgraded geomancy partional and laid it out on one of the still-standing shop counters. I then used a rather gnarly spell to cut a slit into my pointer finger and create a sort of magical, glowing fountain pen, formed around the newly cut hole. I spent about an hour setting up the small, basic ritual, finishing the process by carefully laying a dozen sticks of chalk into the center focus circle. There were several different chalk creation rituals bouncing around in my head, all of them with various levels of complexity and intent, but this was the most basic.

    "Alright¡­ You watching Alya?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the small, blood-red ritual circle.

    "I am," She responded, sounding confused. "Why are you so excited? Your geomancy rituals are much more complicated than this."

    "Yeah, but this is step one," I explained. "When it''s done, I''ll be able to do all sorts of rituals."

    "After you design them."

    "Really?" I asked, standing up straight and looking around. "This is groundbreaking stuff, Alya. Magic of a new type, something fundamental. Don''t harsh the vibe, dude."

    I could actually feel her internal eye roll through our connection, and I couldn''t help but snicker to myself as I turned back to focus on the ritual. I gave it one last check before reaching out with a singular finger, touching a specifically designed line of blood. I pushed my magic out of my finger and into the line, the ritual eagerly drinking my magic. After a moment of feeding the spell, it flashed, a dull red glow flaring up from the arcane symbols. The blood I used to write out the ritual burned away in a blink, leaving behind black soot that I would have to wipe away.

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    In the center of the ritual, sitting in the focus circle, were twelve purified sticks of chalk. I knew that several aspects of their makeup had changed, but the only visual cue that something had happened was that they were all now a pastel red rather than pure white. I clapped and pumped my fist, celebrating the successful ritual. I took the chalk, slid it back into the box I had taken it from, and took out the next twelve, repeating the ritual after wiping the slate down. Now, I had a full box of twenty-four purified chalk pieces.

    With the most basic ritual ingredients complete, I grabbed the bag of stuff I bought from the store and sat down on the couch. Now that I had chalk, it was time to start designing my first ritual.

    Again, I could have gone big and made my first custom ritual something crazy, but I thought it would be best to start small, something basic and easy to recover from if something went wrong. That said, I still wanted my first creation to be something useful, so I set out to find a middle ground and make something appropriate.

    A wizard''s staff.

    It was more than a bit cliche, but then again, everyone clearly thought I was already leaning into the "my powers are magic" shtick anyway, so what was a bit more lean?

    The first part of the project would be the main staff, which I would ritualize to infuse with lightning elementalism. Depending on how complex and potent I was willing to push the ritual, it could have a pretty solid increase to my casting power. Not all spells would work with it, but those that did would be much more potent. The second part would be a crystal of some sort, one that I would ritualize to contain a single spell, which I would have to charge it with. Depending on what I stored inside the crystal, it could really up my on-demand power.

    I would probably end up shoving the most powerful lightning spell I had inside it, since it took too long to use in most combat scenarios.

    The staff part was easy, as I could grow it from just about any tree, though I hoped to use a spell from my druidcraft to locate a particularly old or magical tree if such a thing existed in this world. The crystal didn''t necessarily need to be anything specific, but it needed to be the size of my fist at least, so I thought my best bet would be to call around places selling interior decor. All I needed was a big chunk of quartz or something, the most important part being that it contained a crystalline structure of some sort.

    Hell, with a little research, I could probably set up a ritual to make a giant salt crystal. A natural source would be better, but beggars can''t be choosers.

    I spent the rest of the night and the first handful of hours of the morning working on the two separate rituals, managing to finish them both by nine o''clock. After that, I did my normal morning routine, including a steel absorption. All the while, ideas for my eventual new home danced around in my head. Of course, a project like a wizard stronghold was likely to be a work in progress for many years.

    When I was ready for the day, I headed off for the nearest forested area. Brockton Bay was a decent-sized city, smaller than Boston, but only by about twenty percent. What it did have going for it, beyond its expanding harvest of parahumans, was a surprisingly large forested area around its outskirts. It was some sort of government-backed preservation or conservation area, a remarkably large swath of land without anything but a few hiking trails running through it. This area continued right up to and around the mountains responsible for the Bay''s abnormally temperate winters, at least for its location.

    It took me half an hour to walk to the outer limits of the city, which was where I quickly changed into my costume. While I didn''t like the idea of showing off my interest in the area at all, I would be using magic in the open, so I needed to wear the costume, just in case.

    Once I was changed, I walked into the forest, ignoring the trails completely. Alya could guide me back if I got really lost, and there was very little chance I would be able to find what I was looking for along one of the many trails.

    Once I was a good way into the trees, I cast my first spell from the druidcraft subject. It was designed to locate powerful trees and plants, most likely for harvest if the theme of the subject held true. It was a simple spell, not surprising considering it had no control scheme, no discrepancy adjustment, and no way to control its selection. You just cast it, and it points you to magical plants.

    Considering my assumption that magic didn''t exist in this world save for me, I was suitably surprised when the spell latched on to something immediately. I quickly oriented myself before taking off at a run, the spell guiding me deeper and deeper into the forest.

    After a good twenty-minute run, using the marathon spell to keep me going, I arrived at a small clearing, at the center of which was a truly massive yew tree. With how large it was, it had to be ancient, and considering yew trees could live up to three thousand years, that was saying something. I also realized that I had gotten a bit more than just magic from my levels in druidcraft.

    I approached the tree slowly, running my hand over its flakey, peeling bark. It was far from what I would call a beautiful tree, with moss growing on its branches and trunk showing its age. Still, you could practically feel its age as you stood next to it.

    Rather than force it to grow a whole new branch, putting a lot of strain on the tree in the process, I used my enhanced strength to climb up the trunk. When I reached the first branch of appropriate length, I put my hand at the base, my fingers splayed wide.

    "Parere voluntatem meam, et incrementum ac figuram huius plantae mutare," I intoned, magic flowing through me.

    Between each of my fingers, arcane symbols appeared, flaring with green energy. A second set of symbols appeared ahead of them before both sets sank into the tree, disappearing into the living wood. The tree seemed to shudder as I could suddenly feel my will cut into the wood. After a moment, I let out a breath, my eyes closed, forming what I wanted on feel alone. When I opened my eyes, I was holding a smooth, almost polished staff, two meters long. I had smoothed the branch out everywhere but its grip, growing a gnarled cup where I could place the gem. Until I was ready, I would need to keep the branch alive with magic so I could seal the crystal cage shut when I was done.

    With a final mental command, I cut the branch from the trunk of the tree before I quickly jumped down. There, I spent another minute examining the fruits of my labor.

    "What do you think?" I say, asking Alya. "Not bad, right?"

    "It is more than adequate," She commented. "Congratulations."

    "Thanks..." I said, looking around now that my forest task was complete. "Let''s head back, I still need to find a crystal."

 Chapter Twenty Two

    I was just about to step out of the woods and back onto the trails when I realized I now had a problem. While I knew the area around the trail center was empty, thanks to Alya, I was now carrying a just under six-foot-long wooden staff. It was incredibly eye-catching, meaning that people would be able to identify it almost immediately on sight, which made walking around with it in my civilian identity impossible. Not only that, but it would lead people directly back to my temporary home if that was where I carried it, too.

    Thankfully, the stick was still only twenty minutes old, and I already had plans to keep it alive as long as I could. With a whispered spell, I slowly curled the staff up and around itself like a snail shell, compacting a six-foot staff into a foot-and-a-half wide disk with a bulge at the end for the crystal. It just barely fit into the side satchel I used to carry my costume and civilian clothes.

    "Well¡­ keeping the staff alive just became even more important," I commented, pulling off my black overcoat next.

    "How long can you do that for?"

    "Uh¡­twenty, maybe thirty years?" I said, filing through my druidcraft knowledge. "There''s a ritual to preserve splicing branches that I could probably modify, and with a couple of the fertilizing and maintenance spells¡­ I''ll have to keep one end in a bucket so it can get some water¡­."

    "And the ritual to enhance its connection to electricity won''t be affected?"

    "That''s the good thing about rituals. Their effects are anchored to an object, not to magic symbols or jewels," I explained. "As long as the staff is whole, the ritual will stay intact. It''s almost like a conceptual thing. Even carving off pieces wouldn''t do it. The ritual effect won''t stop until it was truly, at its base essence, broken."

    Once I was back in civilian clothes, I headed back into the city, making a beeline for the library. I had a whole list of things I needed to buy, which meant I needed to do some research. Until I had my own internet hook-up, the library would have to do.

    After an hour or so of searching the internet, I found a few locations around the city that I wanted to check out. It was mainly stores that sold knick-knacks, home decoration places, and a few other stores I was hoping would carry crystals and other things I needed. I remember one of my aunts having two amethyst chunks as bookends when I was younger, but I had no idea how common that kind of thing was. I was sort of hoping that the city would have some sort of wiccan or witch store, but there was nothing that I could find with the research I had done.

    It seemed that with capes and Endbringers running around, Wicca and other things like it never really gained an avid following. Or maybe I was just looking in the wrong places. I was far from an expert.

    Still, this was a city, and despite its harsh conditions, people were still living their lives, trying to make the best of it. Not to mention that the city did have a portion that was more well-off, which meant stores to cater to them.

    It took two stores before I finally found a place that had a chunk of rose quartz big enough for my staff. Once I got that, I brought it directly back to the shop since it was a bit big to be lugging around. Once that was set and I had a quick snack break, I immediately headed out again.

    When it came to ritual material sacrifices, the level of specificity varied depending on the ritual''s design. I was confident I could get my hands on a few specific things, so I designed my rituals around them being definitely included, while leaving more vague slots open for ideas and concepts rather than specific objects.

    For example, I needed a vessel of some kind, preferably one made from something natural. While that requirement could very easily be filled by a carved wooden bowl, a chiseled stone bowl would work just as well. In a similar vein, I needed something that was considered empty or unfilled, but was still a solid object and didn''t actually have room inside it to store anything. A drained battery would work, as would an empty hard drive, though both of those would throw off the ritual a lot because of how complicated and artificial they were. I planned on getting an empty book of some kind to fill that particle need.

    . By the time I finished shopping, I was really starting to feel it in my wallet. Alya had done such an amazing job finding things to sell and just randomly "Lost" money that cash really hadn''t been a problem yet. Now, however, after spending so much money, I was really looking forward to starting to heal at the hospitals.

    Thankfully, I had enough to buy what I needed, so I quickly headed back to the shop, eager to get started.

    The first thing I did was tear up more of the linoleum tiles off of the floor. While the chalk ritual had been small enough to fit on a single foot-wide tile, rituals ranged from that size all the way to a dozen meters and beyond. Very few people would actually try and do a ritual that large as it would be ludicrously complicated and very likely to fail, but it was still technically possible.

    Once I had a nice big patch cleared, I used another spell from the ritual crafting part of my most recent purchases to smooth and level the surface. It was already pretty much level, but the concrete was rough enough that I spent an hour sanding it down to a much smoother space. Once that was done, I got to work copying the first ritual from my notes. After I was finally finished, using up a full stick of purified chalk in the process, only two more steps remained. The first was laying out the sacrificial materials in their appropriate locations, and the last was to activate the ritual.

    There were four sacrificial circles in the staff ritual, as well as the focusing circle. I uncurled the unfinished staff and carefully laid it in the focusing circle, which was the center of the ritual. After that, I placed a bundle of coiled copper wire, a natural chunk of hematite, a stack of batteries, and a small electric motor into the four sacrifice circles. Technically, modern, factory-made things weren''t the best to use in rituals, especially when mixing with something organic like the Yew staff. That said, electricity is hard to attune anything for, especially on a budget, so I needed to accept a few cut corners.

    Besides, I had seen this coming when I designed the ritual, so I had done everything I could to at least partially compensate for the modern things.

    Once everything was set, I knelt beside the ritual, putting both my hands inside separate energy gatherers. After taking a deep breath, I finally began.

    I slowly poured magic into the ritual, the chalk lines gradually beginning to glow a pale blue. That was the influence of the lightning or electric element I was attempting to fuse to the staff, as a neutral ritual would just glow white. Unlike the ritual to create the refined chalk or the process of geomancy, this ritual was going to take some time. Altering materials like wood required a gentle hand. Otherwise, you risked damaging the focus or a lesser result.

    So, I knelt there, slowly but surely feeding magic to the ritual, keeping it under control. The ritual circle I had designed did have some basic buffers to absorb spikes in energy, but nothing that could handle a complete wash. Thankfully, I had Alya to talk to, or I would have had a lot harder time controlling my patience.

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    After about an hour of constantly feeding the ritual magic, each of the sacrificial circles pulsed brightly. I watched as the object inside started to disintegrate, glowing cracks beginning to form as each of the material''s essences were fed to the ritual. The process took another five minutes before the ritual was finally concluded. I cut the flow of magic, and the glowing chalk lines faded, revealing that chalk itself had long since burned away, the lines of magic self-sustaining as long as I fed them.

    I stood up slowly, using a bit of healing magic to fix my bruised knees, before picking up the staff and turning it over in my hands. I traced my fingers along the smooth wood, following shiny copper veins that were now visible, gleaming under the shop lights. It looked almost natural, like the copper had grown with the tree. The handle was now black and shiny like the polished hematite. Thankfully, it still felt like rough wood, making it easier to grip than the rest of the staff.

    Even with the inorganic elements that showed through the ritualized wood, it still registered as a fully alive plant, responding to my magic as I curled it up and straightened it back out. I tested this a dozen times before I was satisfied that the ritual hadn''t screwed anything up. Once I had confirmed that, it was time to check if the ritual had actually worked. I held up the staff, aiming it across the room.

    "Fulgur parvum fragmentum," I said, casting one of my most basic lightning spells, focusing it through my staff.

    Rather than a disk of energy forming around my fingers as I jabbed out with it, it instead formed around the tip of the staff. Three arcane symbols spun around it, before a single blast of electricity slapped out against the far wall. It slammed into a metal panel, noticeably denting it and leaving a fist-sized spot of glowing red, near molten metal.

    "Holy fuck¡­" I said, my eyes wide.

    Right off the bat, I could feel that it hadn''t been a gigantic power boost. But, then again, I hadn''t expected it to be. It was, however, much more of a boost than I had anticipated. The verbalized version of that spell was potent before, enough to knock off Heap''s trash limbs when I was fighting him, but it was still around the edge of nonlethal. Unless, of course, I fired it directly into someone''s heart. With my staff, though? That had absolutely just been lethal.

    I fired off the spell a few more times, this time not doing the chant or even summoning the sigils, wordlessly casting the basic spell. Usually, this was enough to blast the paint off of a surface or incapacitate for a few seconds, depending on where I hit them. With the staff, it was leaving little cherry red spots in the metal plating every time I cast it.

    "Well¡­ There''s my boost in combat magic," I said, lowering the staff, the butt hitting the concrete floor. "Damn, that was more than I was expecting¡­ Maybe the Yew really was magically charged¡­"

    "Your target is still smoking," Alya warned.

    I looked up at the target, and sure enough, smoke was beginning to pour from behind it. I quickly ran over, snagging my water container as I did. Luckily, it was still only smoldering, meaning once I pulled the panel away and splashed some water on it, the smoke died down.

    "Yeah¡­ note to self, no more lightning inside¡­" I said, a hot, humid breeze rolling over my shoulders as Alya made her displeasure known. "Alright, alright, sorry. I''ll be more careful."

    "Good," She said, the warm breeze dying out. "Now, are you prepared to finish your creation?"

    After giving one last check to make sure we weren''t about to burn the shop down, I started copying down the next ritual. This one was slightly more complicated than the last, primarily because of how many more sacrificial circles I had included, though there were more arcane symbols and lines in it as well.

    In the end, the quartz crystal sat in the focusing circle, while an empty hand-crafted wooden box, a dried, empty gourd, an empty leather-bound book, several small uncracked geodes and a large bowl carved from a burl were oriented around it in their sacrificial circles. It had been a pain in the ass to get all of these things back to the shop, but with Alya''s help I had just barely managed.

    When the ritual was finally set up, drawn out, and filled with the appropriate materials, I knelt back down beside it. This ritual did not have the same need to go slow as the staff ritual did, but I still couldn''t go full blast without risking the materials. That mean that it was done in just under a fourth of the time, saving my knees some suffering as I poured my magic into the appropriate spots.

    Around fifteen minutes later, the ritual was complete. All of the sacrificial materials cracked and turned to dust, which faded away into nothingness as the ritual infused the crystal with what I wanted. When the dust settled and the glowing stopped, I stepped into the faded and used-up ritual circle, picking up what had once been a hunk of rose quartz. The chunk of crystal had lost its pinkness, replaced by a blue core with light blue crystals. The actual shape was the same.

    As I was studying the crystal chunk, Alya picked up my staff and carried it to me, passing the ritualized branch of Yew. Carefully, I slid the blue quartz into the staff bulb before using druidcraft to seal the crystal inside. I played around with it for a few minutes, trying to get it to both look good and be stable enough to fight with. Eventually, I settled on a grasping vine look that gripped around the base tightly, stopping about halfway up the crystal and leaving the rest of it fully exposed.

    Once it was set and secure, I quickly tested the crystal out, infusing a healing spell into it. It was an interesting sensation, to feel a spell click as it completed, only for it to immediately vanish, but I couldn''t argue with the results. With a quick jab of the staff and a shout of "Cast!" the healing spell inside the crystal would fly back out. I tried it with a few more spells, including another lighting spell, and found that the spell release happened with pretty consistent accuracy. Of course, this was useless for any spell that had to be cast at a touch, unless I was going to start poking people to heal them.

    But it was perfect for a high-end, powerful lighting spell, one typically too long to cast in combat. Even better, I could cast it through the staff and then into the crystal, meaning not only was it powerful on demand, but it was supercharged.

    I offered it to Alya with a proud smile.

    "Well? What do you think?" I asked. "My first real ritual creation, and not too shabby either!"

    "It is well done, William. Congratulations," She said, taking the staff from me in her corporeal form so she could inspect it. "What are you going to do now?"

    "Now, I''m going to do a bit more shopping," I confessed, getting a raised eyebrow from my elemental partner. "I know, but this won''t be more than twenty or thirty bucks. Then we will go visit some of our less fortunate friends. I want to try out more druidcraft."

 Chapter Twenty Three

    Having spent the morning and early afternoon running around working on rituals, I was looking forward to doing something different. Don''t get me wrong, I was incredibly eager to get started on several projects, not the least of which was my new home. However, I needed to make sure I didn''t forget what was important: helping the people of Brockton Bay and my own mental health. Staying sequestered away in the safety of my temporary home would only turn me into a wizard recluse.

    Besides, I was quickly approaching brokenness and needed to spend some time not spending large amounts of money on ritual materials. With any luck, my healing would pay enough to keep me afloat. I just needed to wait out the PRT''s test.

    I left my temporary home, dressed as a civilian, just around four PM. Alya quickly helped me find a place to change and stash my clothes before I headed out into the city. My staff clunked on the concrete sidewalk as I walked, and while I was doing pretty well ignoring the attention, it was hard not to feel the new stares attracted by the new implement.

    I was halfway to my destination when I passed by a small corner hardware store. An idea flashed through my mind, and I smiled. I whispered for Alya to keep her eyes open before I went inside, waving casually to the cashier as I entered. After perusing the aisles for a few minutes, I finally found what I was looking for, a leather tool belt loop. It was a simple leather strap with a snap button on one side, made for latching miscellaneous tools to your belt. I handed some cash over to a stunned clerk, informing her to keep the change when she didn''t respond, before working the belt attachment into my costume. I then used the plant spell to coil my staff up tight, hooking it onto the tool strap securely.

    It was a bit bulky, but the majority of my staff was now hidden by my overcoat, restoring my casual, Constantine-inspired look. I would probably end up changing my costume once I had more time to dedicate to improving my equipment, but for now, I was happy.

    With my staff secured to my hip, I cast the marathon spell and ran to my destination, a corner store that I knew had a decent produce selection. Once again, I stepped inside with a casual wave to the clerk before I grabbed a bag and filled it with a few oranges, apples, avocados, peaches, and pears. I paid for them in cash, and this time, the clerk was able to recover enough to ring me up and hand me my change. I tossed the coins into a donation box of some kind before heading back into the street.

    After a quick check with Alya, I headed back off, making my way to the first homeless camp I was introduced to. I slid in behind the old abandoned car dealership undetected, Alya guiding me in without drawing attention to it. Once I was close, it wasn''t difficult to get someone to direct me to John, the unofficial leader of the group.

    "Arcanum, good to see you," He said, shaking my hand as I got close. "How are you feeling?"

    "I feel fine?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion.

    "After Shadow Stalker attacked you, we were worried the PRT might do something stupid," He said, shaking his head and looking frustrated. "News traveled pretty fast about it. She''s not popular around here, likes to assume all homeless are Merchants or criminals."

    "Yeah¡­ That doesn''t surprise me, though I don''t think you''ll have to worry about that for long," I admitted, shaking my head. "Still, she was a kid. I hope they can help her with whatever turned her into¡­ that."

    "Better man than me," John said with a snort. "So, what are you doing here? Happy for a visit, but there''s not many who need healing, and nobody who needs it urgent¡­"

    "I''m not here for healing, though I will help anyone who needs it," I assured him. "I''m here for something else."

    I reached into my bag and grabbed an apple, tossing it to the older man. Ha caught it easily and looked at it before looking back up at me.

    "A bag of fruit?" He asked, sounding confused. "Not to be ungrateful, ''cause it''s a nice thought, but I don''t know if one bag is gonna be enough."

    "Oh, I know. These ones aren''t for eating anyway," I explained with a cheeky grin below my mask. "How about I patch up anyone who needs it, then I can show you what I mean?"

    The grizzled old man didn''t seem too happy about being kept waiting, but he couldn''t deny "His" people healing, so he nodded and led me further into the camp. There wasn''t anything too major, a couple of deep cuts and a pretty bad pulled mulled muscle, but I was happy to help either way. When I was done, I had him lead me to the edge of the community. There, along the outskirts, was a large patch of decent-quality dirt. I handed him the bag of fruit and knelt down on the ground, quickly digging a hole with my hands.

    "Toss me an apple," I said, the man passing me one silently.

    I quickly buried the apple under about two inches of solid, placing my hands on either side of the now-filled hole.

    "Hanc plantam fortiter crescunt, radices deponunt," I intoned, pressing my hand firmly against the dirt.

    My magic pushed into my hands, a green circle appearing around each of them. A single line extended from each circle, forming another circle around the hole I had just refilled, six arcane symbols spinning around it. For a moment, my energy sank into the ground before I could finally feel a slight rumble as the seed began to germinate at an extremely accelerated rate. A small sprout appears from the ground, growing and aging fast. After nearly thirty seconds, it was a small sapling, just under a foot tall, with leaf-covered branches.

    I knew from my downloaded knowledge that it would have a considerable root system as well.

    Over the next twenty minutes, I cast nearly a dozen different spells, some repeatedly, lacing my magic not only through the ground and the soil but the plant and sapling as well. Luckily, this process was almost standard, according to my knowledge, so I was confident in the results. Soon, the tree towered over us, a full-grown apple tree with green leaves hanging from the branches.

    I smirked as I stood, turning back to look at John, only to find a good chunk of the community had come by to watch. I couldn''t help but rub my neck and gesture back to the tree, turning away from the crowd as John stepped closer.

    "So, this guy is gonna grow a lot of fruit pretty quickly. Probably ten or fifteen apples a day once it gets going," I explained. "You don''t have to worry about much, I''ll have to come visit once every three or four days to tend to it, but between it and the rest of the trees I''m about to grow, you should have a pretty serious supply of fruit."

    John seemed to struggle to speak for a long moment, almost thirty seconds. He alternated between looking at me and looking at the slowly growing apple buds along the branches.

    "...Arcanum¡­ that was¡­ what the hell was that?" He finally asked, giving me a strange look.

    "My power is¡­ weird," I answered with a shrug. "I have a source of energy inside me, and I can use it to do a lot."

    "Right¡­ well, thank you," he said. "...How many of these can you grow?"

    "Let''s find out, shall we?"

    We spent the next two hours planting, nurturing, and growing massive fruit trees, all along the side of the community, enough to significantly help keep everyone fed. The magic itself was multi-layered, specifically designed to help the trees grow large amounts of fruit. It was horrifically detrimental to the lifespan of the tree, reducing their life span from about a hundred years to maybe five or six. On top of that, if I didn''t stop by to regularly support them by refreshing and recasting the spells, the trees would wither and die in only a few days.

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    There were rituals to fix that, just at the higher levels of my knowledge, but I wasn''t about to introduce my rituals to the public, especially with how they reacted to me making the trees in the first place. No, the spells would do for now until I could unlock more levels of druidcraft or come up with some way to introduce my rituals without people clutching their pearls and whispering about Satanism.

    Unfortunately, by the time I was done setting up the plants at John''s community, it was getting pretty late. The sun had set, and the streets were getting dark, so I decided to go home and get some rest. That meant going back to find my stashed civilian clothes, changing, and then heading back to my temporary home.

    The next morning, I woke up early, and I headed out to the second community, the one run by Charles. He greeted me just as friendly as John did, though his smile told me he knew something was going on.

    "I admit, news might have reached our ears," He explained after I called him out. "I had to calm down a few people who thought you were skipping us over since you didn''t show up yesterday."

    "It was getting late, and I didn''t know what kind of lighting you guys would have," I explained with a shrug.

    "And that''s what I told them," He responded, patting my shoulder.

    I spent a few minutes healing anyone who needed it before repeating what I had done for the other community, this time on a slightly grander scale. The Docks community was more extensive than John''s, so I made them more trees to better keep up with the demand.

    When I was finally done, I dusted off my pants and hands, stretching my back and making my way to Charles. Like before, I had garnered a sizable audience during my work. I waved to some people before pulling Charles aside.

    "These will produce a good amount of food," I explained. "It''s for everyone to enjoy. I plan on stopping by tomorrow to check on them, but in all likelihood, you''ll get some fruit before I stop by."

    "And is this all safe?" He asked, looking up at the orange tree I planted. "I mean¡­ Arcanum, you realized you just grew a bunch of trees from basically nothing, right?"

    "I mean, I grew them from seeds," I pointed out. "Perfectly normal seeds I bought from a store yesterday."

    "Honestly, I would be more worried if I hadn''t seen you grow them¡­But I still gotta ask," He pointed out. "Are they all safe?"

    "Yes, all of the fruit grown this way is safe," I assured him. "If you would like, I can go through and taste test them all before you start eating them?"

    "I mean¡­ It might make everyone feel better about it," he admitted. "Personally, I think I can trust you though."

    "Alright, save some for me, and I''ll eat them when I come by to check on everything," I said with a shrug. "If it makes people feel better, that''s fine."

    "You got a lot of trust from coming by to heal us and not making a scene," Charles admitted. "Most aren''t gonna wait, but a few are slower to trust than others."

    "I understand. Can''t exactly blame them either, not with all the crazies out there," I responded, shaking my head. "Well¡­ I''m gonna move on. Gonna go see if I can go find some trouble on patrol."

    "Alright, Arcanum. Thank you for all your help."

    I shook Charles'' hand before leaving the community behind, heading out on the same path I had taken the last time I had visited. I was walking for about five minutes before Alya whispered into my ear.

    "Someone is heading your way," She said. "Don''t worry, it''s not the Undersiders. It''s Mary, the woman from John''s community."

    It took me a second to remember the scarred and bandaged woman, recalling how distrustful she had been. I assumed there was some sort of trauma involved, considering her injuries, so I didn''t exactly blame her.

    "Is she sneaking around or looking to catch up?"

    "Seems like she is trying to catch up," Alya responded. "Not being very quiet. She is trying to intercept you from the side, cutting a few corners."

    I nodded and purposely slowed down, letting her easily intercept me as I walked along an empty, mostly abandoned street.

    "Healer, zapper, and now a farmer, huh?" She asked as I passed by an alley, the bandaged woman leaning against the wall, waiting for me. "Interesting combination."

    "What can I say? I''m multi-talented," I responded. "What can I do for you, Mary?"

    "No, no, Mary was last week," She explained, shaking her head. "I''m Sarah now."

    "Right. Well, what can I do for you, Sarah?"

    She stepped out of the alleyway, approaching me silently before walking around me as she got closer. She was definitely looking me up and down, as if trying to puzzle out just who I was.

    "Why would you make the food for everyone?" She asked, stopping once she had walked all the way around me. "You know the PRT are going to be looking at you now?"

    I gave her a strange look, confused at her question. Not because of what she was saying, as I was fully aware that this would definitely get the PRT''s attention. Rather, it was how she asked. Out of everything she could have asked, that was not the angle I had predicted her going to. It seemed... well informed.

    "They are already focusing on me," I explained. "As for why I did it, I wanted to help. Free food to supplement what they can already gather will help make things easier for them."

    "Assuming it''s not gonna poison them or something," She added. "Or worse."

    "It''s a hundred percent safe," I explained, resisting the urge to make a joke. "I''m coming by tomorrow to do a check-up, and I''ll be eating some of the fruits. You''re welcome to come by and watch."

    I started to walk again, passing the bandaged young woman. I didn''t have a problem chatting with her, but I also wasn''t gonna stand around doing nothing while she mistrusted me for a while.

    "Sounds like fun," She said sarcastically, her footsteps following after me. "Sooo¡­ what else can you do?"

    "What do you mean?" I asked, following a breeze from Alya towards the center of the city.

    "Well, you can heal, throw around lightning, and make yourself faster with that running thing you do. You''re tougher, and now you can do that plant voodoo," She responded. "Soooo, what else can you do?"

    "I make a mean Chicken Parm," I said, shaking my head. "The key is to season the chicken, the dredge, and the breadcrumbs for maximum flavor."

    "Of course, the world''s first Super Chef," She said. "Think that would qualify you as a Tinker?"

    "Probably not," I said, unable to stop a smile from ticking up the corners of my mouth.

    She chuckled, and for a moment, I thought she was going to ask another question, but Alya whispered into my ear.

    "She turned down an alleyway," She responded. "Pretty quietly, too, like she wanted to keep you thinking she was following you more."

    "She¡­ She tried to Batman me?" I asked incredulously, turning around to see that she was, in fact, long gone. "Dammit... Should have spun around quicker... Maybe I should run and catch up..."

    After a few seconds spent contemplating my options, I shook my head and turned back around, letting Alya guide me away from the community and back to the more populated parts of the city.

 Chapter Twenty Four

    I was about five minutes away from the general transition from the Docks to Downtown when my cape phone rang. Alya whispered that she would keep an eye out and muffle my words while I pulled out the cheap, prepaid flip phone.

    "Hello, this is Arcanum," I stated once the call was connected. "Who is this?"

    "Arcanum, this is Assault," The familiar voice said through the phone. "How''s it going?"

    "Just about as well as I could hope," I responded honestly. "I''m surprised to hear from you, didn''t think they would let you off the hook that quickly."

    "I was let off for good behavior," He responded, his smile audible through the phone. "They also tasked me with being your main point of contact. Thought my act of honesty would help you trust me."

    I paused for a moment to consider his words. I did trust him marginally more than the rest of the PRT and Protectorate, but only by a slight degree. They had seriously fucked up my first encounter with them, and just because Assualt grew half a brain and a conscience didn''t mean it was all sunshine and rainbows between us. Especially after the Shadow Stalker incident.

    "Anyway, what are you up to?" The older hero asked.

    "I just finished visiting one of the homeless communities around the city," I responded politely. "There something you need?"

    "Well, as of ten minutes ago, your healing ability was officially sanctioned by the PRT as safe," He explained. "It will take a bit to get out to everyone, including the hospital, but in the meantime, would you mind coming in? We have two agents with concussions, one of them pretty serious."

    "Yes, absolutely. Could you send a pickup to save time?"

    "That was my next question," he admitted.

    I gave him my location, which was actually where I was going to be once I crossed into Downtown. We hung up, and I quickly jogged into position, an unmarked PRT van pulling up alongside me after a few minutes. We exchanged confirmation codes before I climbed into the empty back seat. About five minutes later, we pulled into the familiar space of the underground PRT motor pool. Assault was waiting for me as I climbed out, while his partner in crime Battery was nowhere to be found.

    "We appreciate you coming in," he said, extending his hand to shake, which I took. "I can''t imagine this is your favorite place right now."

    "I can handle it," I assured him. "I might not trust you guys, but I don''t think you''re stupid enough to do anything else."

    "Yeah, that''s fair," Assault agreed with a wince, nodding in understanding. After a moment of silence, walking through the building. He continued.

    "Listen, there isn''t a lot I can say without getting into serious trouble, but I think you should know that¡­ a lot of questions are being asked about what happened with the whole power testing thing," he explained, chewing his cheek as he tugged at one of the red plates of armor on his chest. "Director Piggot was asking the questions, and I was cleared of wrongdoing."

    I frowned at his words, trying to connect the dots at what he was alluding to. If Piggot didn''t know what was going on and Assault was just following orders, someone below Piggot must have given those orders. And if they were asking questions, then that calls into focus if they should have given the orders. I could feel Alya''s confusion as well, and after a moment, I shook my head. It sounded like something was going on behind the scenes, and they weren''t sure what it was. The implication, however, was that the orders weren''t legal or official. It raised a lot of questions and was a lot less reassuring than I think Assualt intended it to be. And that was assuming, of course, that Assault was telling the truth at all.

    We were quiet until we reached the PRT in-house hospital, where one of the nurses guided me to my patients. The first was conscious, though clearly not having fun. Apparently, he was hit in the head a bit harder than necessary during a training exercise, and I had him cleared up in just a few minutes. The second man was a bit worse off, having been clocked in the head with a bat. His helmet had almost certainly saved his life, but the trauma was still major.

    In the end, after scanning him to make sure there wasn''t anything else going on, I ended up having to use my most powerful brain-healing spell, the same one I used to heal that poor child at the hospital. When I was done, I stepped back and let the Doctor begin his own examination, carting the now-sleeping man away.

    "Nicely done, thanks for your help," Assault said with a smile. "Battery is on her way with your payment."

    It only took a few seconds for the female hero to arrive, who handed me a rather over-filled money envelope. I accepted it and took a peek inside.

    "Ten thousand dollars in mixed bills," Battery said, answering my question before I asked. "Unmarked and clean for you to spend in costume or in your civilian ID."

    "Thank you very much," I said, managing to drag my eyes away from the cash and look back at the two heroes. "This will help immensely."

    After that, there wasn''t much small talk to make. I did ask Assault if the PRT van could drop me off at Brockton Bay Hospital, as I was sure they would like to know I was finally verified as safe. He called in the request, and fifteen minutes later, I was stepping out of the unmarked van in front of the hospital. Luckily, I had remembered to call ahead, so my visit didn''t catch anyone off guard. In fact, the same medical director I had talked to before was waiting for me at the main entrance, standing by the medical secretary''s desk.

    "Director Clarus, good to see you," I said, shaking his hand. "Did you get an opportunity to call the PRT?"

    "I did, and everything seems to be in order," He confirmed with a smile, reaching up to adjust his glasses. "I will be escorting you around today, until we can designate someone to be your handler of sorts."

    "Makes sense. Any idea how many people I''ll be looking at?"

    "Twenty-three," He explained, catching me by surprise. "I may or may not have been notified in advance by the PRT in-house doctor, which meant I could call in a few people who you might be able to help. There are also four long-term patients for whom we are hoping you can help."

    "So this is a lot?" I asked, looking around as the man led me to a nearby elevator.

    "For head injuries, yes," He confirmed. "We don''t keep nonconcerning minor concussions on site, though we can offer them your help if you''re so inclined."

    "Sure, sounds like a plan," I agreed, continuing to follow the older man as he stepped out of the elevator and into a much busier ward.

    For the next five hours, I was guided from room to room, healing as many of the patients as I could. Unfortunately, two of the long-term stay patients were beyond help, as the damage to their brains was way too advanced and old for me to do much about it. There was only so much brain damage I could fix before it started to not work. I could probably restore the brain matter itself, but my know-how was telling me that that was more or less pointless.

    The remaining twenty-two people were fully healed, many of them shaking my hand or even giving me a tearful hug once I was finished. One man, in particular, was ecstatic to finally be free of the Damocles sword of a brain aneurysm. He had been living in fear for quite a few years that it would eventually rupture and kill him. Now, he could finally be free from that fear.

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    When I was done, the director happily handed me a large envelope containing the information and details for the special account the hospital had set up for me. It even included a debit card for me to use, already activated and ready for me to use.

    "I appreciate going the extra mile, Sir," I said as the old director led me out of the building, this time out the back, through the same smoking exit I had left through before.

    "Nonsense, you''re more than welcome. The fact that you refuse payment for children, emergencies, and people without coverage more than makes up for any inconvenience," He said, patting my back. "Any ideas when you will be back?"

    "I think that''s more up to you," I explained. "I''ll come in for emergencies, but grouping people together would be appreciated."

    "Reasonable, and appreciated," Director Clarus responded, nodding in understanding. "We will do our best to organize what we can. Do I have permission to pass your number to your handler?"

    "Yes, but please try and vet them first," I added, holding up my hands when he gave me a look. "I''m sure all your employees are trustworthy, but handing out that number is a big deal."

    "...Fair enough. I will ensure that they take the responsibility seriously," He confirmed.

    Once more, we shook hands before I left through the back entrance, heading away from the hospital. My first goal was to find an ATM and use it to check the balance of my new hospital-funded account. In total, I had treated eleven people who met my requirements for needing to pay, and their insurance was doling out my paycheck. Now, according to what Director Clarus had said, the account contained a flat five grand as a sign of good faith, but that number would go up once I treated patients to that value. He also warned me that it would likely take a day or two for that money to make its way to the account. Considering I was getting paid for eleven people, I was expecting that number to jump prodigiously.

    With my numbers checked, my business was finished for the day, which meant it was time to return to the shop. I had six or seven hours before I needed to go to bed, and I wanted to spend that time working on my next project. I had proven that my ritual design and crafting subject was sufficient to do all sorts of fun stuff, but now it was time to tackle the whole reason I selected that subject in the first place.

    The sooner I had a safe, stable home, the sooner I could start making some bigger moves.

    Admittedly, what exactly counted as "bigger moves" eluded me, but I could tackle that issue once I had a real bed to sleep in.

    For the remainder of the night and the first few hours of the next morning, I did nothing but plan, design rituals, and discuss my options with Alya. I was really flexing all three levels in ritual design, pushing what I could do to the limits, both in potency and breadth. This was the foundation of my home base, after all. I needed it to be as good as I could manage. Not only that, but it would function as the foundation for any further upgrades and additions, prompting me to really think outside the box.

    At around noon on the third day of the latest charge cycle, I left the shop and visited both of the homeless communities. I didn''t stay long, as I was just checking up on the trees and sampling the fruit of each. All of them were good enough, perfectly edible and enjoyable, just nothing to write home about. That was another symptom of the forced growth and accelerated production. I made sure to make a spectacle of eating the fruit, making sure that everyone knew that they were safe to eat.

    When I was done putting on a show to reassure any hesitant people, I did snag something from the woods around the dealership community. The building blocks that would eventually make up my new home, a handful of perfectly normal acorns, located through one of my druidcraft spells.

    After saying goodbye, I made my way back to the shop, stopping to grab a chunk of granite from an abandoned building on the way. The granite, plus a few pounds of steel from a construction site and a brick from a random building, all sat perfectly in the sacrificial circles of a new ritual, feeding into the pile of acorns in the focusing circle. The ritual was finished in a few minutes, producing acorns with metal, granite, and brick veins running through them. I tried to stomp on one to break it and only succeeded in firing the acorn across the room as it popped out from under my heel.

    The goal was to significantly enhance the strength of the trees grown from those acorns. Technically, these new oaks could reproduce, but one of the more basic spells in druidcraft was a plant sterilization spell, which would remove a plant''s ability to produce viable seeds, pollen, or anything else capable of spreading its offspring. I knew what I was doing would not make the PRT happy, but as long as nothing I made could reproduce, I wasn''t breaking any laws.

    I made sure that every tree I had grown for the homeless communities had that spell cast on them multiple times. I could argue that it was less bio-tinkering and instead a simple striker ability, but I wasn''t sure they would see it that way.

    With my new building materials complete, I gathered up my stuff and headed out of the city. The most obvious place to build my home was in the forest, where any trees I grew would be camouflaged from above.

    Once I had found a nice spot, a small clearing I could fill in with a bunch of massive trees, I quickly planted one acorn.

    Druidcraft, at the high end of what I had available, was frequently used to build things like bridges, dams, fences, and other stuff. It was also used to build homes and even fortresses.

    However, I wasn''t ready to start building my home just yet. Before I could do that, I needed to perform several obfuscation-focused rituals to discourage and redirect people away from my home. Not only would getting them up now make hiding the construction much easier, but it would give me time to find more resources for some of the more potent rituals I wanted to perform later.

    I muttered my spells and sank my magic into the ground, manipulating the modified acorn into growing and putting down roots. The strengthened seed drank in my magic greedily before following my direction and growing upwards. It was an unnatural shape, but the tree was completely under my command. It grew and grew, creating a flat wooden surface under my feet, extending three or four meters in all directions. The wood was smooth and cool to the touch, with a surface like stone but with the rigidity of steel.

    When it was done, I pulled away from the spell, standing up to admire my work. It was plenty large enough for what I needed and almost perfectly flat, making it the perfect place to perform rituals.

    "Well... That''s step one," I commented. "Only several dozen left to go.

 Chapter Twenty Five

    Once my new ritual platform was complete, I took about three hours to rapid-fire a handful of rituals. Things to redirect attention elsewhere, to subtly dissuade people from getting closer, and to confuse people who somehow pushed past that. Each one was designed to be challenging to detect and definitely on the weaker side, but I was hoping that they would weave together to create a much more potent effect.

    They also lacked any sacrificial materials, meaning they would all fade in a day or so. That was fine, however, since it would give me a chance to gather and secure everything I needed to make some more enhanced protections. Setting up the permanent equivalent would likely take a few shopping trips and a few more days of work.

    Once the temporary rituals were in place, I headed back into town to do my first round of shopping, then headed back to my temporary home. I had finished designing most of the rituals the day before, but I spent the rest of the night coming up with my final, most important ritual. I was hoping to basically cap all of the protection rituals I was doing with something special, something that would enhance their effectiveness.

    The next morning, I packed a large bag, courtesy of my shopping trip, with everything I had purchased so far before making my way back out into the forest. I spent most of the morning and a few hours of the afternoon completing some of the larger, more complicated rituals. I only got through two, since drawing each of them out took two hours separately, and I had to clean up the ritual space after each one. By the time I headed back into the city, the clearing I had claimed as my own would be more and more off-putting the closer any uninvited guests got to it.

    It was a more powerful effect than the temporary one I had first put down, designed to convince people that this was an unfriendly part of the forest, maybe even a bit spooky. Each effect I was weaving was a balancing act between powerful enough to work and subtle enough not to draw more attention through its existence.

    Honestly, the hardest part of the rituals I had created so far was keeping the effects from doing anything strange to a person''s mind. Most of the methods my knowledge came up with when I designed the various Notice-me-not-esque rituals, wanted to help the experience smooth out in a person''s mind. Unfortunately, while that would have significantly helped keep the spell subtle and undiscovered, I knew that any sort of mind fuckery that happened outside of the affected area would get a whole lot more negative attention. Setting up a series of perception filters and dissuasion areas was one thing, but making someone forget they ever encountered the location, or reinforcing that they should never come back was not going to go over well.

    Basically, I was hoping to give the area a Stranger effect but avoid a Master rating in the process.

    I finally finished the perception and dissuasion filters on the fifth day of the new charge cycle. It had been a few days of running back and forth between the forest and the city, shopping for sacrificial ingredients, and creating complicated rituals. By the time I was done, people wandering the woods would simply be redirected without any issues, and people specifically looking for me or my home would be turned around enough that they would never actually succeed. My weakest point was if someone capable of flying decided to investigate but did so from incredibly high up. I could only push the ritual effects so high, after all. St

    Still, I was confident that I wouldn''t have to worry about people finding me, barring some sort of unfortunate power interaction. Besides, these were just some basic, low-level protections. I was hoping to apply more to my actual home. Speaking of which, now that I was finished preparing the area, it was finally time to start actually building.

    Originally, I had envisioned a grand wizard''s tower built from a great tree towering over the forest. I had even considered going off to find redwood saplings to start off with. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that massive, fuck off towering trees and hidden secrets bases were very much mutually exclusive. Eventually I would feel confident enough in my magic and what I could to build such an obvious target. For now, however, I was much more confident in my ability to stay hidden than I was to withstand whatever this world could throw at me.

    That meant that, rather than a tower, I was going to go with a sort of compound, with several tree buildings spread out through clearing. Each building would serve a different purpose and, once the clearing was filled, would hopefully look relatively normal from up high despite the trees in it being incredibly squat and wide. I was also planning to sink most of the actual functional spaces down three or four feet into the ground, basically living in a stretched and manipulated stump. Not only was that the densest part of the tree, but it would also make it easier to get more bang for my buck, at least space-wise.

    I wouldn''t need much space, nor would I need very many buildings at first. The platform was all I needed for most rituals, and other than a bedroom to sleep in and somewhere to perform geomancy, that was all I really needed so far. More buildings would undoubtedly come over time, but for now, the list was short.

    At the very least, this would serve as a temporary place for me to live while I built up the confidence and powers to build and hold a proper wizard''s tower. Basically, this was step one of many.

    Going from ideas and concepts that I had gotten from druidcraft, I started my first building. Rather than start with something crucial, like my bedroom, I instead started with a storage tree, a place to keep ritual materials, or whatever else I had lying around. This was practice and confirmation of the methods and ideas I saw in druidcraft. Also, since it was probably going to be full of ritual stuff, I grew it right next to the ritual platform.

    Just like the fruit trees I had grown for the homeless communities, I used a variety of spells to encourage the modified oak to grow, stopping several dozen times to adjust its shape. As the tree got bigger and bigger, I specifically grew it around the side of the ritual platform. Its roots tangled and merged with the roots of the ritual platform, forming a corner wall on one side, which I modified with organically grown shelves. An actual door formed, which I would have to cut free in order to use, that led into an enclosed section for more sensitive storage.

    Seeing an opportunity, I used another acorn on the opposite side of the platform, growing it in much the same way, before connecting the branches of the two towering trees, creating a natural canopy. It wasn''t a hundred percent watertight yet, but that would come later. For now, though, I had a partially enclosed ritual platform with storage on opposite sides.

    "Well¡­ what do you think?" I asked, watching as Alya took her physical form to inspect the finished structure.

    "It is beautiful," She said, running her hand over the smooth, sturdy shelves. "Will the other structures follow this pattern?"

    "More or less," I said, vaguely responding with a shrug. "It really depends on what it is. My bedroom is going to have to be sealed, for example, unless I want to be damp twenty-four seven."

    "I''m sure you could design a ritual to solve that."

    "Of course I could, but that doesn''t mean I should," I explained. "Nothing wrong with solving things the old-fashioned way. Either way¡­ I have an idea to help with that anyway. A final ritual when I''m done with the first run of buildings."

    Rather than try and push my luck and attempt to build a bedroom tree, and most likely end up messing it up as I build in the dark, I decided to head back home. Handily enough, I could now leave behind most of my equipment, which, so far, I had been hauling back and forth. My chalk went into the closed-off interior storage while everything else, including some spare sacrificial material, went into the shelves.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    The return trip home started off quiet, the city slowly winding down as the sun got lower and lower over the horizon. As I made my way home, the scanner radio I had bought sparked to life. This was nothing new, as I had been studiously ignoring it report things I couldn''t help with, either because it was too far away, or because the police had a handle on it already.

    This time was different. I stopped to listen, reaching into my coat to turn up the volume. Multiple instances of gang activity started to pour in, with riots trashing multiple storefronts downtown. I opened my mouth to tell Alya to start scanning around for any trouble when my phone rang. With a sinking feeling in my chest, I pulled it out and put it to my ear.

    "Hel-"

    "Arcanum!" John''s familiar voice shouted through my phone. "Listen, the Empire is here, looking for you!"

    I froze, my body going cold like someone had dunked me into the bay. This was it, the other shoe dropping.

    "Who? How many? As many details as you can!"

    "It''s three of them, and goons, we-"

    The sound of a heavy impact, sounding suspiciously like a fist hitting someone, silenced John. I clenched my fist as I listened to someone grappling with the phone. Eventually, it went quiet before I heard a new voice.

    "Arcanum, is it good to finally get a hold of you," The voice said. "Now, as you can imagine, we would prefer to meet you face to face. I suggest you make your way over here, or perhaps I will start making examples of the disgusting vermin-hiding cesspit."

    Before I could say anything, the phone cut out, and I cursed. For a moment, I was tempted to hurl my phone into a nearby wall, but I managed to hold back.

    "Alya, lead me to the dealership community," I said, already preparing to run. "The Empire is making a move to try to recruit me or take me off the other board."

    "Turn around and start running," She said, her voice tinged in concern. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Attacking the alone?"

    "Alone? Fuck that. I know what''s going on here," I explained with a snort, already running back the way we came, following Alya''s subtle instruction and turning on my next right. "They are going to try and take me by holding the other group hostage. If they are going to play dirty, so am I."

    As I ran, I quickly called Assault, who immediately revealed there was more than just a few riots going on.

    "Empire went crazy about five minutes ago, started throwing Molotov cocktails and flipping cars," He explained, sounding like he was also running. "Fenja and Menja are running around downtown too, with Hookwolf and Cricket fucking up some stores not too far away. We had no idea what the riot was about, though now¡­"

    "They are distracting you," I said. "Fuck!"

    "Arcanum¡­ we can''t come to help you," He said. "Not until things have calmed down or we get reinforcements in from the people who are off shift, but that takes time."

    "I know¡­"

    "Give us six or seven minutes, and we can get you some support," He said, continuing when I stayed silent. "Arcanum, you can''t-"

    I hung up before he could try and convince me not to go, mostly because I was worried he would succeed. This was insane, stupid, and so fucking reckless, but I didn''t have a choice. John and his people didn''t have five minutes. The E88 would know their timeline, and there was no way they would wait around for someone to get ready.

    If I waited for reinforcements, the community would be slaughtered. The E88 were bloodthirsty enough to go through with their threats, and considering that the homeless in Brockton Bay were dime a dozen, their image wouldn''t even take a scratch. The community was in danger because of their association with me, and there was no I would let that slide.

    Still, while I continued to run, I had time to plan. Trying to bargain was out because I couldn''t submit myself to the E88, and that''s all they wanted. I refused to help them, but I also knew I wasn''t strong enough to resist if they started getting bloody. Sure, given a week and a few days, I could dump six charges into a teleport spell and just leave, but who knew what they would do to me in the meantime. The E88 had connections to the Gesellschaft, and they were known for some pretty fucked up methods of breaking and mind control.

    Nine days was plenty of time to be broken.

    If using myself as a bargaining chip was out, and appealing to their better nature was a lost cause, then talking at all was pointless, which meant striking before they could react was my best bet. No giving myself away in the name of a fair fight, no conversation to try and talk them down, just immediate assault.

    I couldn''t afford to hold back, not with innocent people being held against me like that.

    "Alya, as soon as I attack, I want you to start zapping any E88 phones or radios," I said, darting into an alleyway. "Then focus on being the eyes on the back of my head."

    "Very well."

    A minute later, we were approaching the community, so I pulled out my staff and extended it. My most powerful lightning spell was already inside the crystal, but I was saving that for something special. I let the marathon spell drop, quickly charging a jump spell to leap up onto the roof of the dealership, still running full tilt. I then leaped across the gap to the garage. There, I could finally see the community.

    The E88 had corralled the homeless along the fruit trees I had planted only a few days ago. Most of the tents and shelters were now destroyed, with one even on fire, billowing up black smoke. There were around ten goons armed with weapons that varied from baseball bats and knives to pistols and rifles. Around them stood three capes. Luckily, the E88 enjoyed showing off their capes, which I could identify pretty easily from my research.

    The most obvious was Rune, as she was hovering in place on a manhole cover. She was decked out in a black and red robe, a witch or magic user''s costume that actually sent a ping of annoyance through my brain. She was kneeling on her floating ride, looking down at the people below. Just under her and further away was Alabaster, dressed in combat boots, a tan shirt with red lines running up along the slides, and black pants. His skin was white, like paint white, and since his appearance made having a civilian identity impossible, he didn''t even wear a mask.

    The last, standing tall with his arms behind his back like a general observing his troops, was Krieg. He was dressed in a literal Nazi uniform, with a heavy, older-style gas mask covering his face.

    I skidded to a stop at the far end of the garage. Already, I could see some of the Empire goons turning to look at me. Without hesitation, I jabbed my staff forward, clenching my eyes shut while covering my face with my free arm. I shouted as loud as I could, pouring my magic into the spell.

    "Excaecati et attonitus!"

    Even with my eyes shut tightly and my arm over them, I could still feel the spell being fired off. It was a simple spell to stun and daze, meant to be cast nonverbally. Now, however, I cast at its absolute most powerful and focused it through my new staff. While I couldn''t see it, I knew it was flying forward across the camp. When it detonated, the light was still bright despite my eyes being covered and closed.

    The explosion of concussive force slapped across me, the world suddenly silent as my hearing was ruined like a snapping cord. If I didn''t have healing, I had probably just ruined my hearing significantly, if it recovered at all. Thankfully, I was already casting a spell to fix it as I opened my eyes and leaped off the building, face at a snarl as I prepared to fight.

 Chapter Twenty Six

    By the time my feet slammed into the ground, I could hear the impact, as my ears were fully healed. Around me, I could see and hear people screaming, holding their eyes or their ears, quite a few of the E88 bleeding from the latter. I could see Rune lying on the ground, her manhole mount not far away. She had been flying when the stun bomb spell had gone off, taking the brunt of the explosion straight to the face. Not only was her leg twisted in a way that was not normal, but her ride had also slammed into one of the gang members, his shoulder a disfigured mess.

    He was lucky it wasn''t his head.

    I advanced towards the group, jabbing out with my fingers to launch sparks of lightning, which arced across the clearing into the crowd of E88, driving a few of the screaming men to the ground.

    I ran closer, swinging my staff and clocking another stunned gang member, shattering their arm with the blow. I then slammed my staff on the ground, sticking it up straight in the dirt. "Magna pila suspendisse scintillae" I intoned, casting one of the few spells that wasn''t compatible with my staff because it was two-handed.

    I tossed the coconut-sized ball of lightning magic that formed in my hands, the spell landing on the ground by a large clump of still reeling neo-nazi bastards. It exploded, a blast of blue lighting energy that knocked the Empire thugs down and tossed the closest into the air.

    As I yanked my staff free of the ground, I took a small moment to look over where the victims of this bullshit were. Most of them were already fleeing, stumbling away and running into each other. Thankfully, the stunning blast spell came with the ability to marginally direct the effects of the blast, so I managed to avoid hitting them directly. Usually, the less potent side was pointed back at the caster to avoid deafening and blinding yourself, but I was happier with the alternative.

    I cursed as I realized quite a few of the people were still injured, and others were being dragged away, bullet wounds bleeding large red stains in their clothes. Some of the empire goons must have fired instinctively from the blast of stunning magic, the sound of the shots covered by the damage to my ears.

    Before I could move to help, a massive blow struck me from behind, slamming directly into my skull. The impact almost drove me to my knees, even with my steel absorption. I cursed and swung an arm out, casting the same wordless blast of electricity that I had used to counter Shadow Stalker''s attack a few days ago. As I spun, I could see Alabaster stumbling backward, armed with a baseball bat, his body still twitching from my counter.

    It looked like my five seconds were up.

    "Fucker, you know I can''t feel that, right?" He shouted, already raising his bat again. "You can''t stop me!"

    He swung the bat back at me, but I managed to raise my forearm to block it. The bat cracked, half snapping from the impact. Rather than mourn the loss of his weapon, the pale white mutated cape pulled out a pistol that had been holstered at his hip, firing as he raised it upward. Bullets slammed into my leg, stomach, and chest, hitting harder than anything I had been hit by before. They didn''t penetrate my skin, but each impact was like a deep physical blow, like a hard punch from a professional boxer.

    I slammed my staff down at his hand, which broke with an audible crunch, his pistol falling to the floor. This didn''t slow him down, though, as his other hand was already bringing up his other pistol. Rather than try and disarm him again, I brought my staff back up to his chest.

    "Fulgur parvum fragmentum!" I shouted rapidly, almost stumbling over the incantation but managing to plow through.

    The full-worded, staff-enhanced spell slammed into his chest, blowing a chunk of his shirt and skin off, revealing his sternum to the open air. He fell backward from the blow, the lightning slamming him down into the ground. I cast the spell twice more, one on his chest again and then again on his pistol, causing the bullets to cook off and explode in his hand.

    Mentally counting down, I whirled around, casting magic as quick as I could, taking down the E88 foot soldiers one after the other, keeping them from reorganizing and getting back to their feet. The already scattered gang members futilely tried to escape my range.

    My final target was Krieg, who was starting to recover from the initial stun, already standing to his feet. I knew he was a brute, so I quickly full cast my spark of lighting, the spell sparking out and slamming into his arm. He screamed again, clutching his arm as he collapsed back to the ground. I felt a wave of confusion, but I didn''t have the time to consider it as something slammed into my side. A blade slid off my skin, unable to penetrate, slicing into my clothes instead,

    "I told you, you fucking kike prick! You can''t take me down!"

    "And you-"

    My rebuttal was cut off as the villain''s reclaimed pistol being fired along my back, six shots that I''m pretty sure cracked at least two ribs. Thankfully, they missed my spine, or I would not have been able to power through and turn to face him.

    I spun around and once again slapped the gun from his hand, but not before he fired twice more, hitting me in the stomach. The impacts drove the air from my lungs, making it impossible to curse nearly as loudly as I wanted to. This man was nothing but a fucking nuisance, and if he kept distracting me, Krieg, who I was pretty sure could actually hurt me, was going to pick me off at his leisure.

    Frustration getting the better of me, and knowing that he would regenerate from it anyway, I slammed my staff under his chin, even as his broken hand flipped and returned to its unbroken state.

    "Cast!"

    My vision dimmed as a bolt of lightning the width of a basketball exploded out of my staff. It arced upwards into the sky at a low angle, completely atomizing Alabaster''s head in the process. It seared his flesh, cauterizing his neck, and then continued upwards into the night sky, eventually dissipating a few hundred meters upwards. Alabaster''s body slumped to the ground, headless and motionless.

    Knowing I was once again on a five-second timer, I spun around, turning to find that¡­ Krieg was already running, carrying the still unconscious Rune on his shoulder, one arm hanging useless by his side. Several other gangers, basically everyone who could stand, were running with him.

    I spun back around and rushed to the nearest homeless community member who had failed to escape, clutching their leg as they tried to stop their wound from bleeding. They were pale from blood loss, shivering in the cold as their body struggled to keep functioning. I quickly started to heal them, using every second I had. When I finished with them, I moved on to the next, always keeping one eye on Alabaster.

    With every second that passed, I expected him to stand back up. That was his power, after all, always recovering from no matter what damage he took. Only this time... he didn''t. He stayed exactly where he was, blood oozing slowly from the partially cauterized wound.

    I was on my third patient when the Protectorate finally arrived in the form of Dauntless, one of their more easily recognizable members. He was dressed as a stylized Roman soldier, complete with a golden helmet, chest armor, and a leather strip skirt. His shield, spear, and boots all sparked with white electric energy, spitting and crackling audibly, even from this distance.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The hero landed among the still-unconscious members of the E88, scanning the area with his weapon ready. Once he spotted Alabaster, he tensed, raising his shield and clearly preparing for him to get back up. I turned back to what I was doing, focusing on the people who were injured. By now, some of the community members who had managed to run were returning, allowing me to fix their ears and damaged vision. I had just finished telling all of them to go find other people who were affected so I could fix them, too, when Dauntless finally spoke up.

    "Arcanum, what happened?" He asked, the crackling of his armor and weapons getting closer.

    I stood and turned, happy to see that he was at least approaching me calmly, his weapon not pointed at me. Behind him, I could see Alabaster, still headless, now had handcuffs on.

    "I''ve been helping this community with healing and a few other things," I explained. "It must have gotten back to the E88, and they tried to use it against me."

    I walked past him, giving him a wide berth as I walked to some of the unconscious or struggling Empire members, of which there were four.

    "I understand, but- wait, what are you doing?" He asked, sounding concerned as I kneeled beside a broken gang member.

    "Rendering aid," I explained.

    I scanned the gang member and healed them exactly enough that they wouldn''t die, but left everything else, including the mangled arm from the nearby manhole cover, alone.

    "Wait, why¡­ did you stop?"

    "I stopped the internal bleeding in his shoulder and fixed the cracked skull and brain bleed," I explained with a shrug. "The rest is up to him."

    I finished stabilizing the other two gang members before standing up and wiping my hands off on my jacket.

    "Now, what were you asking?" I asked, walking back around him to help more of the returning community members.

    "What happened with Alabaster?"

    I finished healing someone''s ears, pausing both to answer and to let my mana refill. In the distance, I could hear the sirens getting closer and closer.

    "I¡­ I don''t know," I admitted, shaking my head. "I was under the impression he would¡­ revert any damage to himself. That''s what his power is, right?"

    "Yes, I''ve experienced it dozens of times before," He agreed. "He is¡­ annoying to fight. What did you do?"

    "I fired a massive fuck off lighting bolt through his head," I explained, starting to heal people again. "Ask Assault. He saw it during the whole power testing debacle."

    "You¡­ okay. I don''t understand why his powers aren''t kicking in, but considering he isn''t reverting¡­"

    Dauntless stopped talking and began to sub-vocalize, clearly talking to someone through a radio or other device. As he spoke quietly, I suddenly remembered that Alya had been very quiet throughout the whole fight. Now that I was paying attention, I could still feel her through our connection, but she felt incredibly weak, too weak to even talk. It would be at least a couple hours before she would be strong enough to communicate. I shook my head and returned to healing the victims.

    It didn''t take long for the PRT and police to show up after that, as well as a single ambulance. Considering there were supposedly spots of E88 activity all over the city, the fact that even one showed up was surprising.

    Not long after that, Assault and Battery also showed up, entering the clearing at a jog.

    "Arcanum, it''s good to see you in one piece," Assault said, heading directly to me. "Do you feel up for going over what happened?"

    I nodded and began to retell the last¡­ well, it was technically under ten minutes, even if it felt like hours. As I did, I could only watch as the PRT and Police started covering some of the bodies around the clearing with white blankets. Up until this point, I had been pointedly avoiding looking at them, but now I couldn''t look away.

    "I¡­ I don''t know why my lightning killed him," I said, shaking my head as I answered Assault''s question. "I was under the impression he had been hurt a lot worse than this over his career here at the Bay."

    "He has been. I''ve seen him reduced by everything below chest by friendly fire from Purity." Assault agreed, shaking his head. "It''s not even the first time he has been hit by electricity. A few months ago, Glory Girl dropped him onto a live power cable. He walked that off fine. Do your powers have some sort of trump effect? Like their damage is always true, or it beats regeneration?"

    "No, absolutely not. I''ll admit, my attacks don''t always behave like normal electricity, but there''s nothing in them that would counter someone''s power, whether it''s regeneration or¡­ whatever he could do," I said, gesturing to the Alabaster''s corpse. "Are we sure he is dead? Is there any variation of his revamp?"

    "No, it''s always 4.3 seconds," Assault responded. "Okay, listen. This is obviously some sort of power interaction or an unknown problem with his powers. Considering he was absolutely engaging you with lethal intent-"

    I scoffed and grabbed the bottom of my shirt, pulling it up to reveal what I knew was some severe bruising. Sure enough, looking down, I could see some horrendous levels of purple and black forming where each of the pistol rounds that Alabaster was firing at me impacted. As if to hammer home the point, a few of the flattened bullets fell out of my clothes as I freed them.

    Just acknowledging the bruises and most likely cracked ribs was enough to remind me I was really pretty beat up, the pain seeming to flare at the attention.

    "Damn, yeah, okay," Assault nodded, wincing as he saw the injury. "Listen, I''m going to make a judgment call and say you''re free to go, but please, don''t move too far outside the city. This is pretty clear cut, especially if all these people collaborate on your story, but well¡­ I will definitely lose my job if you run."

    "I''m not going anywhere," I explained. "Especially not when the other community I just helped is at risk as well."

    "Right, okay, good," He said, reaching up and running his fingers through his hair, shaking his head. "There''s gonna be a lot of waves from this, Arcanum. A lot of waves."

    "I know. But doing nothing wasn''t an option," I responded, nodding in agreement. "They threatened innocent people to get to me, and I slapped them down for it."

    "Yeah, I don''t blame you," He replied. "But the E88 doesn''t respond well to power games. They will push back, especially with a member dead."

    "I know," I said, turning to look around.

    I suddenly felt very exposed, standing there in the clearing behind the dealership. Alya was still recovering, and I had no way of knowing what was going on in our surroundings. As my heart rate began to increase, I had to physically resist the urge to pull my winter cap off to reveal the restriction I was feeling.

    Not too far away, I spotted John, who I had healed earlier, standing by and talking to some of the people from the community in hushed tones. I turned back to Assault.

    "Keep me in the loop if you can."

    The man nodded, and I gave him a half-hearted salute before turning back and making my way to the group John was talking to.

    It was time to see what I could salvage from this.

 Chapter Twenty Seven

    I approached the group slowly, not wanting to startle or catch anyone off guard. Part of me half expected John and the others to tell me to fuck off the second they spotted me. I had been the reason they were targeted, after all, and they were well within their rights to want nothing to do with me. So imagine my surprise when John reached out and patted my shoulder when I was finally standing next to him.

    "Looks like we are in it now, huh?" He said, shaking his head. "You realize those Empire bastards are going to claim they did nothing wrong and that we attacked them, right?"

    "I... I wouldn''t be surprised," I responded, caught off guard by the camaraderie and inclusiveness.

    "We need to move the community," He said, chewing his cheek. "But even if we do, I''m worried about future reprisals from the Empire."

    "''We?''" I asked, my brain not quite keeping up. "I-"

    "Yeah, ''we.''" He responded, looking at me like I was slow. "You healed us, fed us, and when we were threatened, you defended us. You''re one of us now, Arcanum."

    "But, it''s my-"

    "No, you get that thought out of your fucking head," He said, slapping my shoulder. "You think this is the first time the Empire gave us trouble? Stopped by to send a message? Son, you ran into a three-on-one fight like a goddamn guardian angel. Nobody has ever run to help us like that or put themselves in harm''s way to protect us like that. Nobody blames you for this. You didn''t force the Empire to do this."

    I looked at the older man for a moment, before scanning the crowd of homeless and less fortunate. They looked back, some with tears in their eyes, others with hard looks that spoke of John''s allusions to this not being the first time. Despite the array of emotions being displayed, none of them looked at me accusingly.

    "... Okay¡­ I¡­ Thank you," I said, my eyes getting a bit watery behind my mask. "What can I do to help?"

    "We need a new place to live," John said with a frown, looking back at the wrecked space behind them. "Now that the police are here in force, and it''s a crime scene, they can''t just turn a blind eye. They aren''t gonna let us stay."

    "Dammit... Okay, do we have any options?" I asked. "I can re-grow the trees somewhere else. We just need to find someplace with some halfway decent soil."

    "I... not off the top of my head," John admitted. "I''ve been focused on keeping this place stable."

    Before I could respond, one of the nearby members stepped forward, wringing his hands. I recognized him as someone I healed during my first visit.

    "I hate to suggest it," He said, looking like he was worried what people would think. "But we could all just split up and spread out. It-"

    "We can''t do that."

    Both John and I turned to find Mary¡­ Sarah, just standing there. She had definitely not been there a second ago, and I cursed Alya''s temporary absence. The fact that she had snuck up on all of us was a bit worrying.

    "If we split up, we''ll just get picked off one by one," She explained. "Sticking together is what kept the Merchants and ABB from snatching us up and the E88 from picking off the usual minorities."

    "Being a group attracts too much attention," The man pointed out. "Arcanum can''t always be around to protect us."

    "Tasha''s group split up a few days ago," Sarah revealed, a gasp echoing through the group. "Apparently, they couldn''t stand up to the Empire''s pressure, and rather than throwing their black people to the dogs, the community is split¡­ Tasha is already dead."

    That got another gasp, and I couldn''t help but curse. Tony had been trying to find a way to get in touch with that community, but hadn''t been having much luck. They must have already split or been too suspicious to respond.

    And now it was too late.

    "What about the other community I helped? The ones further into the Docks?" I asked. "They have shelter and numbers. What if we combined you guys together? It will make it easier for me to help and keep the Empire off you."

    "Charles'' place?" John asked. "They are a bit close to ABB territory¡­But I know a few people there¡­ they would help if they can."

    "If the two groups merge, I can¡­ I can come up with some way to make you guys safe," I assured them. "I can''t talk about it now, but I can figure something out."

    That got me a few odd looks, especially from John and Sarah. Out of everyone, they seemed to pick up on the fact that I did not just mean my own strength or defending them from attacks myself. While I didn''t have something specific in mind, I knew I could come up with something. I had ideas, so many ideas, but I had no idea how many of them were bullshit and how many of them would work. I would need some time to come up with something.

    I needed to get back to my temporary home, grab my stuff, and head back into the forest. I would put making a home in the forest on hold for now so that I could focus on making sure these people were safe. I''m sure Charles wouldn''t mind if I crashed at their place in the meantime. I was nervous to leave them alone anywhere.

    Sarah/Mary, John, and I talked and planned for a few more minutes before I pulled out my phone and called Charles. He picked up immediately.

    "Arcanum, what can I do for you?"

    "We have a problem."

    I spent a few minutes describing what had happened, explaining the damage I did, and how Alabaster was dead. While they had heard the news of the attacks and riots going on, they hadn''t realized we had been targeted directly. That got the usually calm man to curse up a storm.

    "That''s bad, but John has the right idea," He assured me. "You are one of us now, as useless as that may seem to be considered part of a group of homeless people."

    "It''s not useless, I''m honored," I assure him, nodding to John as he listened.

    "If you say so," He responded, though I could hear his smile through the phone. "To answer your earlier question, yes, we can squeeze them in. There is some room in the warehouse, and we have another building we have been clearing out in case we need more room."

    "Thank you, Charles," I said, feeling a bit of tension uncoil from my spine. "We will be heading to you soon, and I''ll be staying for the rest of the night to watch over you. After that¡­ I''m gonna see about coming up with a way to keep you guys safe while I''m gone."

    "Alright. I can''t promise it''s going to be comfortable living for now, but we will do our best."

    We discussed the merge for a few more minutes before I passed the phone to John so he could hash out the details. I then headed back to the nearest police officer I could find, who happily pointed me in the direction of the man in charge.

    "How long until they will be able to grab their things?" I asked after introducing myself and shaking the lieutenant''s hand.

    "Their stuff? This whole place is illegal on so many levels! They are lucky I''m not shipping them all to jail," He said with a frown. "All this stuff is getting chucked. Most of it''s stolen anyway, and what''s not is all trash and junk."

    "What?" I asked, genuinely shocked at his response. "Officer, I understand this isn''t exactly optimal, but this is all they have. They need a chance to-"

    "They should have thought of that before throwing together this trash heap somewhere they didn''t belong," He growled out. "Now I want you and your friends out of here within the next ten minutes, or I will start calling in vans to haul you out."

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    Resisting the urge to raise my voice and start a scene, I simply gave him a hard star while clenching my fist. Rather than ruin my relationship with the police, I simply turned around and made my way back to Assault. Dauntless had already left, leaving the red-themed hero and his partner, Battery.

    "Hey, Assault," I called out as we approached. "When the police are finished taking statements, I''m going to be leading the group to another homeless community. They think they can help them get back on their feet. The thing is, this place has all their stuff, and now it''s a crime scene. Plus, the lieutenant in charge of the scene is being a problem."

    "Damn. The statements could take another hour or so... Alright, let me talk to him."

    I watched Assault have a quick, low conversation with the officer in question, the man clearly not enjoying the process. It made me wonder what Assault was saying to him. After a few minutes, the officer seemed to calm down, and Assault patted him on the shoulder before making his way back to us. Meanwhile, Battery and I simply stood there in awkward silence.

    "He apologizes for the confusion," The red-covered hero assured me, though he clearly didn''t believe him any more than I did. "Once the scene is properly recorded, any lost civilian materials will remain on site for several hours before a clean-up team will be coming through."

    "Thank you, Assault," I said, genuinely appreciative of the Protectorate hero. "I don''t know why he was being so difficult."

    "No Problem, just glad they listened to me," He responded with a smile. "Good luck getting these poor folk somewhere safe, and call me if you need anything."

    I shook hands with him and his partner again before finally heading back to the others. After that, it was just a matter of waiting for the police to be done interviewing everyone before we could leave. Mary/Sarah agreed to stay behind to watch and make sure the officers didn''t get any bright ideas about tossing their stuff. John was the one who explained why they were being so difficult.

    "Empire sympathizers," He explained with a scowl. "They are everywhere. Sometimes, they are subtle, and sometimes they don''t have to be. Someone clearly doesn''t like that you toasted three of their capes."

    I couldn''t help but grind my teeth at the explanation, cursing whatever fucked up geis or curse that had settled over this city that protected Nazis from getting curb stomped.

    The trip to the docks community was nerve-racking and stressful, the large group moving relatively quietly through the city. I noticed more than a few people peeling off, leaving the group. I couldn''t help but wonder how many of them would be back. I was sure that, despite John''s kind words, some people were no longer comfortable living somewhere that I was connected to, and I couldn''t blame them.

    When we finally reached the warehouses that made up Charles'' community, it was slowly approaching midnight. The dark was encroaching closer and closer, and we were traveling by moonlight and street lamps, at least when they weren''t shot out or busted. Charles and quite a few others met us at the doors and let us into either the warehouse or a nearby building, the one he had mentioned over the phone. The oldest among the group got the spare blankets and cushions to sleep on, while the rest of us did the best we could. Everyone was eager to get whatever sleep they could.

    Once everyone was settled in, I made my way to one of the roofs, sitting up there and keeping watch. I could use healing magic to reduce some of the effects of sleep deprivation, so I planned to stay up for most of the night. I would probably crash hard at some point, but honestly, I didn''t feel like sleeping much anyway.

    Things were just starting to get quiet when suddenly, I could feel the connection between me and Alya begin to swell. It was slow at first, but over the span of ten or fifteen minutes, it finally solidified into what I had come to expect from our connection.

    "Alya, are you alright?" I asked softly, worry creeping into my voice.

    "I am fine, William," She assured me after a long moment, her voice whispering into my ear as always. "I apologize. I was so focused on taking out the gangsters'' communication equipment that I used too much energy. I slipped into a resting stasis before I could warn you."

    "Dammit¡­ That was¡­ That can''t happen again, Alya," I said, struggling to put my thoughts into words. "I know I gave you a task, but you should have been keeping an eye on your energy reserves."

    It was unrealistic for me to expect neither of us to make mistakes, especially since all of this was still so new. But her ability to watch an entire area at once and keep trouble from sneaking up on me was a big part of my advantage. Without it, overwhelming me became disturbingly easy.

    "I know, I am sorry," She apologized. "It was a mistake born of nervousness and worry. It will not happen again."

    "I believe you. And honestly, I''m just glad you are okay," I admitted. "I''m terrified that we will have another power interaction moment like what we had with Shadow Stalker, and somehow, a cape will manage to really hurt you."

    "While I suppose it is technically possible, I do not think that is very likely. From what we have managed to see, there is no sign that anyone has the level of magic, particularly soul magic, necessary to injure me permanently," She explained, repeating earlier assurances. "We will simply have to remain vigilant for strange powers."

    I nodded in agreement, crossing my arms behind my head and laying back down on the roof. Now that Alya was back, I felt infinitely better about the prospect of sleeping. I hadn''t realized how nervous and exposed I felt until she was back.

    "How do you feel?" she asked. "While the night could have gone much worse¡­ It did not go well."

    "I¡­ I don''t know," I responded honestly. "I¡­ don''t feel guilty for attacking the Empire head-on or using what tricks I did. They were innocent people in danger, and I put a stop to that. I don''t feel guilty¡­ but I do regret killing Alabaster, but only because it was an accident."

    "What do you mean?''

    "If I came to the conclusion that Alabaster needed to be dead, whether it was for something he did, a plan he had, or whatever reason I thought he deserved a death sentence, I would kill him. Or any of the villains in this city, for that matter," I admitted, frowning as I looked up at the dark night sky. "Half of them are murdering psychopathic Nazis, and the others have a reputation for kidnapping people for horrific reasons. But the fact that it was a misunderstood accident or a fluke? I wasn''t in control of that moment, and I didn''t intend to kill him. I would have if necessary, but I hadn''t made that choice. I regret it, even if I don''t feel guilty for it."

    "While I understand your sentiment, William, you were forced to engage the enemy on their terms. You were flying by the seat of your pants. It only makes sense that mistakes are made," My familiar and partner said. "The only ones responsible for what happened tonight were the empire and their subordinates."

    I nodded, the coil of nasty feelings and corded emotions eased slightly at Alya''s words as I laid there and looked up at the mostly empty sky. Occasionally a plane would fly by, but with Alya back to watch the night, I quickly fell asleep.

 Chapter Twenty Eight

    I woke up the following day to the sound of Alya warning me I was about to have company. Sure enough, by the time that I managed to wipe the sleep from my eyes and sit up, I could hear someone climbing up a nearby ladder to the roof. Alya whispered that it was Sarah, so as she got to the top, I spoke up, still facing the opposite direction.

    "How did keeping an eye on the police go?" I asked, the woman stopping mid-stride. "They didn''t do anything stupid, did they?"

    "No, they did not," She responded after a moment, making her way over to me and sitting on the nearby lip of the roof, her legs hanging over the edge. "They finished their jobs and cleared out. John and a few others went back to grab anything worth saving. Now they are setting it all up."

    I stood up and stretched, wincing at how obvious it was to me that my steel absorption had run out. I was just a basic squishy human. As I stood, I could peek down over the edge of the roof to see people moving back and forth between buildings with a purpose. Some people were even harvesting food from the rapid-production trees I had grown.

    "I''m gonna have to go to the store and get more fruit so I can grow more trees," I said, pulling my arm around and cracking my back. "These won''t be enough to support everyone."

    "It''s much better than nothing," She pointed out. "Why not just take the fruit from the trees?"

    "All of them are sterile," I explained with a shrug. "The seeds wouldn''t grow anything special even if they weren''t, at least without me helping them along, but the PRT likes to flip out over anything that a cape touches that can reproduce."

    "Huh¡­ well, you give me some cash, I can go do that for you?" She offered. "Just tell me what you need."

    I turned to look at the woman, trying to read her. She looked back without flinching, simply raising an eyebrow at the prolonged attention. So far, the scarred woman had been critical of my desire to help and doubtful of my ability to do the same. But she had never done anything to hinder me, and she had been friendly in her own sarcastic way. Seeing no reason not to trust her, I nodded.

    "That would actually be incredibly helpful," I said, reaching into my pocket to pull out a clip of money. "Make sure it''s just stuff that grows on trees. They are the most robust and can handle the stress of what I''m doing to them. Feel free to spend the change."

    I said, holding out a hundred-dollar bill for her to take. For a long moment, she stared at it before letting out a huff.

    "Damn, Arc, didn''t realize you were a big spender," She commented, just a hint of distaste in her hand as she reached out and took the bill with her unbandaged hand.

    "The PRT and Central Hospital are paying me to heal head trauma, stuff that Panacea can''t do," I explained. "I need a chunk of it for my own projects, but I''m hoping to talk to Tony and start feeding money into his soup kitchen or any of the other ones around town."

    For a moment, she looked at me, her working eye widening a bit, before shaking her head.

    "Should have figured," She muttered to herself. "Alright, boy scout, I''ll do your shopping. You gonna be busy?"

    "Yeah, I need to head back to where I''m staying, move some stuff around, and try to figure out how I''m gonna keep all you guys safe when I''m not around," I explained. "Part of me doesn''t want to leave, but I don''t think the E88 will strike back that fast."

    "Just talk to John and Charles before you go," She said before making her way back to the ladder along the side of the building. "Good luck."

    The spirited woman left quickly, and I listened to her descend the metal ladder, letting out a long breath when she was gone. That was one thing off my plate, meaning I could focus on making this place safe.

    "Alya¡­ do you think I should abandon my forest home idea?" I asked, looking down over everyone. "Staying here would make protecting people much easier."

    "It would also complicate nearly everything that you do with magic," She pointed out. "You are already pushing the limits of your fake power excuses. What are they going to say when you start doing rituals in front of everyone? Is there anything you can do with your rituals that will let you move around the city faster?"

    "Probably, I just need to sit down and do some thinking," I explained. "Alright, let''s fill in John, and then I''ll head back to the shop."

    I quickly climbed down from the roof, thankfully remembering that I wasn''t nearly tough enough at the moment to be leaping from the roof unaided. I found John and explained what I was going to be doing, before doing the same with Charles. They both agreed that it was unlikely that the E88 would attack so soon, as they would need time to get all the facts and rally the troops.

    I left at a run, making a beeline for my civilian clothes, changing into them quickly, and heading back to my shop. I climbed through the window and looked around, taking note of everything that I wanted to take with me. It was time for me to move out of here and start moving into my forest home. Yes, it wasn''t quite done, and no, I wouldn''t be growing a home tree until I was sure the Docks community was safe, but the basic rituals I had completed were more than enough for me to feel safe keeping my stuff there.

    My first round of moving included all of the clothes, money, and other easily transportable stuff I had accumulated so far. All of that fit easily into a few bags I had purchased, which I stored by the window to take with me when I left. Everything else, including the generator and lights I bought, as well as several other things, were stacked on the couch. I could grab those at night under the cover of darkness.

    Eventually, I also wanted to cut the partional apart so that it was easier to transport and then reassemble it at the forest compound. For now, however, it would stay where it was since it was too hard to move, and I didn''t have that kind of time. Besides, having a partional I could use in the city would be handy, so I might just end up leaving it as it was and building a second at the forest compound. It wasn''t like I was running low on the cash necessary for the ingredients anymore.

    I grabbed my bags and left the shop behind, making my way out of the city. I did my best to act like a guy just going for a hike, carrying his camping gear. When I finally arrived at the compound, I stored everything inside the storage trees, with plans to move most of it once I had grown a place to sleep and live. When I was done with that, I sat down along one of the storage trees and looked down at the large ritual pad. I had a pencil in one hand and my notebook in another.

    "I need two things right now," I said, Alya taking her semi-physical form to help me bounce around ideas. "A way to protect the Docks community, and a way to travel around quickly."

    "So your enhanced running isn''t working?" Alya asked, floating around a bit, her legs fading and flickering as she did. "You are moving fairly quickly now."

    "For patrolling and general movement, it''s alright," I said with a shrug. "But if I''m living out here, it''s not nearly good enough. It''s gonna take me ten, maybe fifteen minutes to run from here all the way to the Docks community, and that doesn''t include changing or anything else. That''s not nearly fast enough, especially because the next time the Empire comes knocking, they probably won''t be waiting for me."

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    "Well, since you already have a partial solution for moving around quickly, you should probably focus on protecting the community," the elemental pointed out. "Any ideas for that?"

    "I''ve got dozens of them!" I said, shaking my head. "But half of them are going too far, the other half is going to get even more unwanted attention. I know it''s too late to try and blend in and hide, but I would rather not send up additional signal flares just yet."

    "Okay, well, what do you have so far?" Alya asked, brushing a cool, calming breeze over me.

    I started listing out ideas, going over some that I thought were crazy and others that I didn''t think would actually work. Most of these centered around rituals since, at the moment, it was my most flexible and potent ability. After about thirty minutes of spitballing, I boiled it down to a list of ideas, with pros and cons listed out in my notebook.

    "Okay. So I could create a handful of D&D style wands," I said, reading off from my list. "Basically one spell per wand, with a limited amount of casts per day or recharge."

    "To keep them from being too powerful," Alya guessed, and I nodded in agreement.

    "Exactly. On the plus side, it''s not much different from making tinker tech. Sure, they will look like wands, but tinkers are bullshit, so I don''t think anyone will question it," I pointed out, chewing my lip. "The PRT is probably not gonna like me just handing out tinker tech, but if I keep them nonlethal, it should be fine. That said, I could also just buy them a bucket of Tasers, so what''s the point?"

    I tapped my pencil on my lips, nodding as I thought it out.

    "On the other hand, I think I can make a bunch of stun wands with the leftovers from my staff¡­" I said, scratching my chin. "Maybe I should make some of the wands regardless?"

    I sat in the chair, trying to imagine the ritual required to make a low-level stun wand. Before I could get too deep, Alya spoke up.

    "What else do you have?" She asked, pushing me through my momentary distraction. "That''s a good start, but they need more."

    "Right, well, I''m pretty sure I can¡­ set up some sort of short absorption with a ritual," I said with a frown. "It''s going to have to be something edible. Otherwise it shouldn''t be too difficult with my levels in geomancy and ritual design."

    "But¡­?"

    "But being able to empower other people is a massive red flag," I said. "Everyone automatically thinks of Teacher, a Trump/Master that could give people minor powers but was also mind-controlling people. They Birdcaged him."

    "Anything that connects you to a villain that bad is something we should avoid for now."

    "Of course, though I probably won''t be able to avoid that for long," I pointed out. "Either way, enhancing people will put another massive target on my back, just as big, if not bigger, than being a healer. A healer is enough to get people to pay attention, but the ability to empower other people? I''m going to have the CUI on my ass."

    "What are the other options?"

    "I thought about offering them items that enhance them, going the same tinkering route that I would for the stun wands," I explained. "But then I risk those getting stolen. Plus, making an object that enhances someone isn''t much better than me directly enhancing someone. People aren''t going to look at it any differently than me handing actual out brute ratings. Though the items would possibly help me avoid the suspicion of being a Teacher clone, so it''s a bit better, I guess."

    We continued to go down the list, discarding and discussing our options, before we finally landed on one that had stood out the most to me as we were making the list. Sparked by a bit of inspiration from Heap, the idea of creating a golem was pretty enticing.

    "It can fit in the same tinker adjacent creation that the other things did," I pointed out, standing up to pace. "They are flexible, and I know they are possible since I can already see some of the more basic ritual parts needed¡­ They do give a glimpse into what I am capable of, as making minions usually gets some attention, but it''s nowhere near anything some of these other options would. I honestly think golems might be our best bet. Not to mention the poetic justice."

    "Poetic Justice?" Alya asked curiously.

    "As far as I know, the idea of a golem, at least from my world, originates from Jewish folklore. It''s said that a Rabbi created a golem from clay to defend his people from violent persecution. The story takes place a long time before Nazis, but it is still poetic."

    "Well... what were the remaining options?"

    "After golems, I could buy a dog or other animal, then empower them with rituals," I explained. "Which might be cool, but I''m pretty sure it leads into one of the branches of the ritual creation subject that are cut off, like chimerization."

    "Anything else?"

    "Just a few variations on empowering people or objects," I answered, shaking my head. "Honestly, I get the feeling that golems are a big part of rituals. Designing them should be relatively easy, and they should be pretty potent."

    With at least a vague idea selected, carving it down into something more workable was relatively easy, especially with Marvelous Mage seemingly eager to feed me information about golems. The first design practically wrote itself. I ended up writing a multi-stage ritual, one of the best ways rituals had to create more complicated creations. It was nothing on the near programming-like fidelity that enchanting had, but it could still do interesting things.

    Essentially, to form a golem, you needed a core. This core stored the mana reaction used to power the golem. Depending on the material used in the core and as the foundation for the golem, the core could fuel a golem for years and years before it needed to be recharged, which would require another ritual. The core itself started as a sphere of stone and was then added to with gems and other bits to upgrade certain aspects. Each piece would need a separate ritual, meaning that just making a single, relatively utilitarian golem could still take three or four of them. Since I was looking to make an advanced combat model, I would need over a dozen of them.

    Luckily, so far, these separate rituals turned out to be relatively simple.

    Once a core was finished, a material for the golem needed to be selected and then charged with magic, using, you guessed it, another ritual. The interesting part was that what material you used had a profound effect on the golem itself, beyond how durable it was. Stone was slow but tough, more so than you would assume. Metal was tough as well, but had more flexibility and speed. Wood was average, but any noncatastrophic damage would heal over time. With the proper preparation, it was even possible to make things like lava or ice golems, though they seemed like more trouble than they were worth.

    While I would probably dabble in a few materials, the easiest choice for me seemed to be wood, since druidcraft gave me plenty of ways to manipulate it.

    Once I was done designing everything, I quickly put my notebook away, but not before tearing off a shopping list. I had a lot to buy and not so much time to do it in. The quicker I got a couple of golems built, the better.

 Chapter Twenty Nine

    A common misconception is that precious stones, things like rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, were all super expensive gemstones, and that finding a pile of them in nature would somehow make you extremely rich. The truth was that the vast majority of precious stones that are found aren''t actually gem quality. Most are cloudy, poorly shaped, filled with cracks, riddled with other flaws, or otherwise just poor quality.

    These stones would never be professionally cut into actual gemstones, as they were hardly ever worth the time it took to do. Some of them were used as practice stones for trainees, but that was only a tiny portion. These lesser stones were cheap, especially compared to their rarer and better quality siblings, and jewelry stores tended to carry them to sell in bulk.

    Which was good because I was going to need a lot of them. Thankfully, the "lesser" quality stones worked just fine for rituals, as what made these stones critical to rituals was less the fact that they were expensive and more of their internal structure and their inherited properties, at least in terms of how magic affected them. Sure, the ones with huge cracks or fault lines were useless to me as well, but in the grand scheme of things, the rest were perfectly fine.

    Which was why I made my way to one of Brockton Bay''s few remaining jewelry stores. I had already bought several double fist-sized spheres of granite. They were common enough decorations, both indoors and out, that I only needed to visit two different stores to find exactly what I was looking for. Now, I just hoped that Bayside Brilliance, the largest jewelry store in the Bay, sold loose gems like I was looking for.

    I walked into the store, passing three very large and very armed security guards as I did, stepping into the well-lit space beyond. It didn''t take very long for one of the staff to find me as I looked around, asking with a salesman''s smile if I needed any help. The process was pretty simple, and since I was paying in cash, they didn''t even need to see an ID. Instead, they checked to make sure my money was real, handed me several bags of low-quality gems, and I walked out with a smile on my face.

    A large part of me had been almost sure that one of the Bay''s many villains would choose that exact moment to attempt to rob the jewelry store. Luckily, I kept my cool while I was inside, unmasked and unable to run off or really defend myself. Even still, my vaguely nonsensical anxiety didn''t truly pass until I was a fair distance away from the shop.

    I arrived back at the forest not too long after my shopping was complete. I followed along the hiking trail for a few minutes before sneaking off and heading directly for my base. By now, I was starting to get a good solid feel for the forest I was claiming as my home, so I started gently casting spells on various bushes, clumps of grass, and small trees as I walked, lightly encouraging them to grow. I wanted the area around me to be as dense and cluttered as possible, both to block off any noise or light I might make once I had settled in properly and to deter people even more from just stumbling on my home.

    The moment I got back, I set right to work. I was on a deadline, after all, with the Docks community left defenseless while I worked. I quickly set up what I had just bought, all neatly and easily grabbable since I would be using a lot of them. When that was set, I gathered my chalk, notebook, and various measurement tools in preparation. I then knelt down in the center of the large ritual platform and got to work, starting with the center focus circle and working my way out.

    The order of operations for the golem core was first ritualizing the primary heart, one of the granite spheres. This was by far the most complicated ritual in the entire process. When that was done, it was time to complete the dozen or so smaller rituals for the various gemstones that would be fused to the primary heart. When all of the individual parts were complete, it was time for the final fusing process, also known as the second most complex ritual.

    At this point, the golem core was complete, and all that was left to do was complete the smallest ritual of the process to prepare the golem frame. This was more or less just a magical shock to the golem materials, infusing it with energy to better allow the magic of the golem core to spread once implanted.

    Ordinarily, the process of getting the materials and inserting the golem core was one of the more challenging aspects. This was because the materials needed to be pre-formed into the golem''s shape, and an opening must be made to insert the core. Not only did this mean that you had to pre-carve a golem out of stone or clay or build one from metal, but it also meant there was almost always a weak point where you inserted the core.

    Thankfully, with druidcraft letting me freely manipulate trees on a large scale, I could easily bypass that issue and grow the golem into shape, open up a hole for the core, and close it back up perfectly, leaving no gap in the defenses. I wasn''t sure how the golems would react to a parahuman with the ability to manipulate plant life, so I made a mental note to admit that to Charles and John when I dropped the golems off.

    I started the first core at around noon, and by seven PM, I had four complete bipedal golems, each casting long shadows from the lights I set up. The golems were just under seven feet tall, made up of thick corded wood and smooth, almost metallic bark. Rather than worry about things like the uncanny valley, they had no heads at all, making them seem more than a bit hunched over. Their cores were deep in their chest, encircled with heavy, dense wood, coiled up with springy growth to cushion serious blows.

    Even better, all four golems were grown from a single enhanced acorn, making their wood particularly dense and tough. Each one of them was significantly stronger than me with a steel absorption, and while being made of wood made them considerably slower than I had made them of a more speed-related material, they were still fast for their size, just above my normal moving speed.

    Even just standing, unnervingly still, they looked impressive and definitely intimidating. Watching them run around as I ordered them back and forth through the forest was even worse. They moved shockingly well, with no signs of the clumsy, over-the-top movements you might expect from them. Watching them spin and jump made me glad I had splurged on good materials, while watching them punch chunks out of normal trees made me glad I had made sure they wouldn''t be too rough with ordinary people.

    With the four golems done, I had one more thing to build, though I did intend to make more of them later. On my hunt to find the granite spheres to serve as the heart of the golem core, I eventually made my way into a garden store. Not only did it contain precisely what I was looking for, it also gave me an idea. As I was patiently waiting in line at the cashiers, I happened to spot an image advertising a hedge trimmer, where a man looked proudly over a series of artistically carved hedges, all of them cut into various shapes and animals.

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    It took a few seconds for the clerk to get my attention, my mind going wild as I mentally began designing the ritual required to bring my idea into reality. It was hard to keep my excitement down to a smile as I went on to finish my shopping at the jewelry store before calmly rushing back to the forest to work. While I was excited by the ideas flashing through my head, I knew I needed to get the golems done first. Then, I can go about modifying the original design for something more robust.

    Thankfully, most of what I wanted to do could use the framework I had already designed for the normal golems. With some tweaks and additions, I completed a series of extra rituals on a dozen more gems, before finishing with an even more complicated combining ritual. The final step was to grow and charge a significantly larger golem frame.

    The final result, after four more hours of additional designing and rituals, was a large, four-legged golem horse. The top of its head was easily seven, maybe eight feet off the ground, its body made from coils and plates of enhanced wood, meaning it was at least as tough as the combat golems, who I suspected were at the very least bulletproof to pistol calibers. Its eyes were a pair of blue sapphires, while its hooves were bent cuts of steel rebar, ritualized to give the large golem the grip it needed to run at full tilt no matter what it was running on. A pair of thick vine reins grew out of its face, completed with a thick green mane made from flexible green vines and leaves.

    When I finally pushed the golem core into its chest, curling inches of enhanced wood around it to protect it, the large wooden animal raised its hoof and scraped along the platform before looking around, shaking its head as if agitated. I had pulled heavily from one of the branches of ritual magic I was missing, pushing what I did have as far as it could go, basically touching into the very concept of equine to imbue the golem with a higher level of lifelike behavior. It wasn''t really alive, but if I kept feeding magic, the golem core should continue to evolve and shift until it was kind of sort of alive, or at least indistinguishable from an actual horse.

    What I had done was on the very edge of my knowledge, even pushing off into a subject I didn''t know anything about. It was encouraging since it meant I could still make progress in my subjects without spending points. I just needed to know enough about them to do my own work.

    "Aren''t you a monster of a mount?" I said, patting the golem''s back. "You are going to scare the absolute shit out of people. What should I call you? I was thinking of Bolt, but I''m not sure that fits¡­ Any ideas, Alya?"

    "Gust?" She suggested, standing behind me in her solid form. "Perhaps Northern Winds?"

    "I don''t know... maybe that last one..."

    I walked around and examined my new mount, using my druidcraft to shift and shape it, covering any gaps and rounding out any imperfections. I also grabbed a chunk of moss, laid it out on its back, and used druidcraft to grow it into a saddle. I then grew hundreds of thin root-like vines over it to keep it from falling apart as I sat on it.

    By the time I was truly done with my mount, it was pushing midnight. Part of me wanted to just wait until the following day to deliver the four golems, but I knew I would never sleep knowing the community was undefended. I quickly changed into my costume before jumping up and mounting my wooden steed.

    "Okay, buddy, it''s time to go. Nice and slow until we get to the forest edge," I said, unable to stop smiling as I rubbed the side of his face.

    At nothing more than a slow walk, the yet-to-be-named horse crossed the ritual platform, stepping down off of it without hesitating, making his way through the brush and undergrowth of the forest. As we moved through the yet-to-filled clearing, I whistled to the motionless golems, who immediately started to follow, quickly setting into a single file line. We looked more than a bit strange, weaving through the trees and fallen logs, four wooden golems following after me silently, like a creepy bipedal line of ducklings.

    Once we were free of the forest clutter, following along the hiking trail, I nudged my mount with my heels, the golem picking up speed until it was moving at a nice trot. The golem stallion was plenty smart enough to follow the trail on his own if I left him to it, so I focused on enjoying the view and keeping an eye on the combat golem. As we went, Alya and I discussed name ideas, but nothing we could come up with really felt like it fit.

    It was about fifteen minutes of casual riding before we made it to the city proper, past some of the less densely populated spaces that surrounded it. Once we were close, I guided my questionable parade through the streets, moving with a particular target in mind. A nice long street that ran a good way down from the western side of the city, across and into the Docks. It was far from the most optimal route, but it did make the perfect place to test my mount''s top speed.

    When I arrived, I instructed the bipedal golems to walk down to the other end of the long street, which was thankfully lined with mostly businesses and offices. Once they started to move on their own, walking down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, I guided my golem mount to the center of the street. At this point, it was nearing one in the morning, and with the city''s reputation, the street was clear until the end.

    "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Alya asked.

    "What are they going to do, pull me over for speeding? Besides, I do actually need to know how fast he can go,"" I said with a smirk, reaching down to pat his neck. "You ready, big guy? C''mon, let''s see just how fast you are."

    I finally leaned down a bit, holding onto one of the many partially hidden handholds built into my mount''s wooden body.

    "Ya!"

    My mount took off in a split second, its lack of actual muscles showing as its acceleration was almost instant. The buildings and lamps along the street were a blur as the echoing sound of clopping hooves filled the street. I could feel myself bouncing on the saddle, with only my handholds, meager horse-riding skills, and enhanced strength keeping me from being thrown off. The wind whipped by my head, tugging and pulling at my mask and hat.

    "Faster!" I called out, starting to pour magic into the golem through the handholds.

    With a wild neigh, the artificial construct sped up again, sparks flying off from each impact of his metal horseshoe on the asphalt. I could see that its blue eyes were glowing, and I could feel a crackling energy trail behind us. The world was a blur as we went faster and faster. Finally, I could see the end of the road in the distance, so I pulled back on one of the handholds. The golem immediately started to slow down, and its galloping decreased until we were slow enough to stop.

    With a pull in the reins, I turned back to spot the still walking golems in the distance. I couldn''t help but laugh at just how far we had come in only a few seconds of running.

    "Damn¡­ Wonder if they would let me compete in the Kentucky Derby¡­"

 Chapter Thirty

    While the bipedal golems slowly strolled down the long, empty sidewalk, I rode my steed up and down the street, getting a solid feel for how it moved and responded to my directions. I did have some experience in horseback riding, though that only helped me stay on its back. Unaided, my mount was going probably around sixty miles per hour, though I honestly had no way of knowing for sure without a speed gun of some sort. All I could tell was that I could make it from one end of the long street all the way to the other in just under thirty seconds. My best guess was that the street was just under a half mile long, which was how I calculated my speed.

    When I pushed my magic into the quadruped golem, that speed increased dramatically. It was even harder to tell at that speed just how long it took, but I was pretty sure it was around twenty-three seconds.

    Of course, speed wasn''t the only important point, as the mount''s maneuverability was just as, if not more important. The golem was small enough that I could weave in between traffic, but I didn''t quite trust it to run. However, I could use my druidcraft control to tighten up all the gaps and empty space inside the equine construct. It reduced its top speed by a noticeable amount, maybe to around fifty miles per hour with my magic, but it made a visually notable difference in its size as well, meaning I had much more faith that it could easily fit through traffic.

    He could also easily clear cars with a jump, which I tested by having the bipedal golems stand in the road. I might have clipped them a couple times as I was getting used to everything, but soon, we were easily jumping them. The controls for the steed were tuned pretty well, using a combination of movements, sound, and the reins. The golem interpreted my commands and movements precisely, and I knew as I got better, so would the stallion.

    To say I was absolutely ecstatic with my creation was an understatement, especially considering that this was just the beginning. The best part about golems was that they were massively customizable. Not only could I remove the golem core and upgrade it any time that I wanted, but I could also affix various magical items to the golem as well, letting them do basically anything I could think of. I was still limited to ritualized items at this point, but that was hardly a shallow limit. I already had plans to add stun wands to their arms when I got around to making those.

    On top of all that, I could also physically modify the golem as well. Typically, that would involve removing the golem core and physically modifying or repairing the golem frame, but I had my druidcraft, so shifting the shape of my living golems was easy. I already added a vine and bark side holster for my staff alongside my steed, the chunk of blue crystal poking out the top.

    While I was testing my top speed, it didn''t take long for me to lose track of time, galloping up and down the road, laughing and cackling at my successful creation. Unfortunately, while the street was mostly shops, businesses, and office space, there must have been someone around to report me.

    About an hour into my totally necessary and definitely not just for fun experiment, I could hear the sounds of a distant motor. It got louder as it got closer until it came around the corner to reveal a motorcycle. It was the standard cop cycle design, with emergency lights along its front and back, cargo on the back half, and a chunky front end. It was painted mostly black, with gray highlights and the PRT logo along both sides. Riding it was Miss Militia, who parked the vehicle and climbed off, stopping as I approached her, still on my mount

    "Arcanum¡­wanna explain what''s going on here?" She asked as I approached. "We got a complaint of some sort of horse riding cape running up and down the street. You''re lucky they got a good enough look at your face to describe your mask; otherwise, I would have shown up with the cavalry."

    "Sorry about that, Miss Militia," I said, chuckling at her joke as I dropped down off of my golem, patting his side as I got closer. "I didn''t think anyone lived on this road, guess I was wrong. I''m just doing some testing of my new ride."

    "About that¡­ what exactly is... it?" She asked, gesturing to my golem.

    "First off, let me just say that it''s not actually alive," I explained, holding up my hands. "Well¡­ technically, it''s a tree, so it kind of is, but it''s not like a new life form or anything."

    The female hero gave me a very not-impressed look, and I couldn''t help but chuckle and nod.

    "Yeah, okay, fair enough. So I''ve mentioned that internal power source I have? It lets me do everything I can, and I recently discovered it has some plant manipulation abilities. Like a plant control Striker ability, to put it into PRT terms."

    "... the rapid production trees at the old camp," She said, her eyes going wide. "Those were you! We thought you had inspired another cape to try and give back!"

    "Yeah, that was me, but to be clear, I am not a bio-tinker," I explained, wincing at the visible flinch that Miss Militia had at the mention of "bio-tinker." "I''m not creating new life, just enhancing and manipulating what already exists. Striker, not bio-tinker."

    She nodded before suddenly tensing up. Her hand went to her hip, where her power was already shifting into a standard-issue police pistol. As she drew her weapon, she stepped closer, but also around me, keeping her weapon aimed downward as she put her hand on my shoulder, trying to push me to the side. I turned to see the four bipedal golems had finally caught up, stepping through the light of a lamp a bit further down the road.

    "Oh, I made those too," I explained, whistling for the golems to stop. "Same concept, different shape. They are defensive¡­ well I''ve been calling them golems cause it fits. Think of them like tinker constructs."

    She stared at the constructs, then back at me. Slowly, she holstered her weapon, which, rather than simply sitting in her holster, flickered into a switchblade, then back into a Colt revolver. It made me wonder if she was doing it on purpose or if flipping its shape around was more like a nervous tik.

    "What are they for?" She asked, watching as the hunched-over constructs of wood, bark, and vine settled to the ground on my order.

    "To protect the homeless community that hangs out not far from here," I said vaguely, trying to give the woman deniable plausibility when it came to their location. "They should heavily discourage any further bullshit from the E88."

    "So¡­ you''re not going out hunting for them?" She asked, sounding surprised.

    "What? No!" I responded with wide eyes. "Not yet, anyway, I don''t have the kind of experience I want, nor do I have a proper grip on my power. Eventually, I plan on¡­ well doing something about them, but that''s in the future. Right now, just making sure that the community is left alone is my priority. If they attack me there... well, there''s not much I can do about that."

    "That''s good to hear," She said, seeming genuinely glad. "Rogue or vigilant capes rarely survive long on their own, especially when they push back against established gangs. Your powers may be extensive, but that can only get you so far."

    "I''m aware," I said with a smile, though she couldn''t see it through my mask.

    For a long moment, she was silent, and while I assumed someone was talking in her ear, we were too close for Alya to whisper to me. After a few seconds of silence on her part, she nodded.

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    "Arcanum, influencing living material like this, even if it''s only a striker ability, it sets off a lot of red flags," She explained. "We already have samples of the fruit and trees-"

    "The trees should be dead by¡­ well, honestly, you should have already started to see some minor signs of degradation," I pointed out. "Unless you already cut and burned them down?"

    "We monitored the area, but since they didn''t seem to be putting out any pollen or other contaminants, there was no need to cut them down," She explained. "Are you telling me they die on their own?"

    "When I have them producing so much food, yeah," I responded with a nod. "And they weren''t making pollen because they were sterilized, as were all the fruits. Nothing will grow from them. They won''t even accept grafts, and if you tried to take one, it would wither in just under an hour. Even if you managed to connect a graft to a new tree in a few minutes, it would kill the tree by the end of the day. Producing that much fruit that fast is hell on the tree."

    "So they have no way to reproduce, and they would die quickly without consistent attention," She confirmed, to which I nodded. "That is good. Those sorts of limitations make people feel much better. And their fruit is safe?"

    "Yeah, of course, I wouldn''t have bothered if it wasn''t. I''ve eaten some myself," I explained with a shrug. "It''s just normal fruit stuff, just grown really fast. I have no intention of selling any of the produce. Hell, it''s not even that high quality."

    "What do you mean?"

    "I could make a tree produce the best apple you have ever tasted," I explained. "But it would take time. Not as much as a normal tree, mind you, but still a few weeks, at least. But the goal wasn''t to taste amazing, it was to feed as many people as possible. All the fruit that the accelerated trees grow tastes vaguely off-season. Not bad, not great, just a solid meh."

    Miss Militia, trying as she might to keep up, seemed a bit stunned by the deluge of information I was giving her. Honestly, I didn''t mind explaining what my druidcraft was capable of because, at this point, it had very little bearing in combat. If it ever went up in level, that might change, but for now, it was a helpful tool that took time and effort to use and was, therefore, primarily useless in the heat of battle. Not only that but if it did level up, then plenty of what I was telling her would change, meaning any info I was feeding them would no longer be accurate.

    "And what about these?" She finally asked, gesturing to my horse and the frozen-in-place golems, as well as my horse. "How exactly do these work?"

    "Oh, they are something different," I said simply. "Like I said, think of them like tinker tech. They don''t reproduce, so no worries there."

    There was a pause as she waited for me to elaborate, a few seconds passing before she finally realized that I had no intention to.

    "Very well, I suppose we should be glad that you didn''t try and do this during the day," She admitted, giving me a harsh look. "Still, you''re making a lot of noise¡­"

    "Really? I didn''t know they sent heroes out to investigate noise complaints," I fired back, chuckling at the idea. "Speaking of which, did they wake you up for this? Cause I feel bad enough now that I know I''ve been keeping people up around here."

    "No, I take the night shift since I don''t sleep," she explained, continuing when I tilted my head in the universal for confusion. "I''m a Noctis Cape, I don''t sleep. I haven''t since I got my powers."

    "I¡­ didn''t know that was a thing," I admitted, though I regretted it the moment I did, as she looked at me strangely.

    Now it was her turn to tilt her head in confusion, not understanding how I didn''t know something that was apparently common knowledge. At least it was here. Mentally, I cursed my lack of knowledge. I did all sorts of research when I first arrived here, doing my best to catch up, but it still occasionally slipped my mind that I needed to be careful. I did my best to stay calm, though, using the same excuse I usually did for not knowing cape stuff.

    "But that''s what I get for not paying attention to the cape scene when I was younger and in school," I continued with a shrug. "They told me it was important, but¡­ it never seemed like it to me, but now look at me, scrambling to do my research and still missing some stuff."

    That seemed to satisfy her, and she nodded understandingly. After a moment, she broached a new topic.

    "Arcanum, how against joining the Protectorate are you?" She asked, holding up her hand to hold off my immediate response. "I know you don''t exactly trust this branch after what happened, but what about a different branch? You could do a lot of good in another city, but with the support system to keep you alive. Friends, allies, people to fight with you and keep you from being overwhelmed."

    For a long moment, I stared at the patriotic heroine, shocked by her words. For all intents and purposes, running off to another branch didn''t benefit this one at all. She wanted me to run to another city purely because she wanted me to have proper protection and support.

    "I... honestly, if you had asked me that a few weeks ago, I might have actually taken you up on that offer," I admitted with a shake of my head. But now I have responsibilities here, people who are depending on me. I can''t just abandon them now."

    She nodded in understanding, as if expecting that response. She held out her hand, and we shook silently. She quickly climbed back onto her motorcycle before finally looking back at me.

    "Well, Arcanum, I''m glad you''re not running off to do anything stupid. Don''t be afraid to call us if you need help." She said with a nod, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "And try to keep it down. People are trying to sleep."

    "What? Not gonna say you have a perfect horse speed measuring device, we just need to go get some power testing done?" I asked, the military-inspired cape snorting as she hopped onto her motorcycle.

    "I don''t think we have a treadmill quite that big," She admitted, her eyes crinkling slightly in a way that showed she was smiling. "Have a good night, Arcanum."

    "You too Miss Militia."

    She started her cycle back up, and I easily remounted my four-legged golem. I watched as she drove away, turning onto one of the many intersecting roads and disappearing out of sight. I gave a soft whistle to the golems, all four of which left the sidewalk to follow behind me. We trotted away, eventually leaving the long road behind, making my way through back alleys and abandoned roads and entering the Docks proper.

    From there, it was a short ride to eventually arrive at the outskirts of the Docks community. Rather than disturb anyone, I picked a random alleyway and got the golems to all fold themselves up and huddle into a corner beside a dumpster, which I then covered with a tarp. I then had my new steed lay down on the ground before curling up against him and using him as rest.

    Between the magic inherent to a golem and the magic I was pouring into him as we ran up and down the long street, the stallion golem was noticeably warm. Between that and pulling off my overcoat to use as a blanket, I slept pretty well. I was sure I would have plenty to explain the following morning, but with me there, hopefully no-one would panic.

 Chapter Thirty One

    I woke up suddenly the next morning, the realization that I was not alone yanking me from any sort of natural, gentle waking process. I had managed to sleep the whole night through, kept warm by my golem horse, only to wake up to find a handful of people, all members of the Docks community, standing at the entrance to the alleyway, watching me sleep.

    "What, never seen a life-sized wooden horse before?" I asked, startling the audience.

    A few of the people left as I slowly stood up and stretched. As I did, my previous words rolled around in my head a bit, and I couldn''t help but shake my head.

    "Your name is Troy," I said, patting my now-named steed. "I can''t believe I didn''t think of that before."

    I put my hand on the golem to inspect it with a spell, smiling as I helped it stand up completely. The golem core was keeping the living tree alive, exactly as it was intended to. I spent a minute inspecting it, making sure everything was in top shape.

    "I would call you Trojan, but that''s already taken," I said with a chuckle, patting Troy''s back again before turning to one of the three remaining community members. "Go get Charles and John, would you? Tell them I have something to protect for the community."

    The person I was talking to''s eyes went wide, and they nodded, rushing back towards the warehouse. The other people, one of whom was getting pretty close to the tarp-covered golems, took a step back as I approached. With a yank, I pulled off the tarp, exposing golems to the air and sunlight. I whistled to them, and they slowly stood, turning to orient themselves to me. As I waited for Charles and John, I went over each golem, making sure everything was in order and that the trees that made up each golem were as healthy as I could manage.

    "Arcanum, good to... what the hell is that!? What is going on here?"

    I turned to see John and Sarah/Mary standing there, with Charles jogging to keep up. I idly noticed that Sarah, who was also carrying a bag of groceries, looked completely calm and collected, while John had clearly run all the way here to see me.

    "I would like to introduce you to your first batch of defenders," I said, gesturing to the four bipedal trees. "Four living wood golems. They are much stronger than me, a bit faster, and just about as tough. They should be more than enough to defend against low-end attacks, and when I finish with the next batch, you''ll be even safer."

    For a long moment, the others were silent, staring back at me while Troy pretended to eat a small tuft of grass peeking up from the concrete under our feet. It was stiff and not overly convincing, but given time, they would get more and more life-like. They might even gain a certain level of intelligence.

    "You made golems¡­ to defend against Nazis?" John asked, his eyes still wide, before he started to chuckle, shaking his head. "You really don''t know how to be boring or simple, do you, Arcanum?"

    "What''s the point of that?" I asked. "Much more fun being unpredictable. Besides, these guys are just what we needed, something to protect the community without putting anyone in danger."

    "I¡­ do they follow commands, or¡­?" Charles asked, being the first to step forward.

    He slowly walked around the closest hunchback tree to see it from every angle. Once he stopped, he slowly reached out, stopping before his hand made contact to ask me permission, with nothing other than a raised eyebrow.

    "Go ahead. I figured I could tune them to you, John, and Sarah. That way, there will always be someone around to tell them what to do," I explained. "Other than that, they will function predominantly on their own. They will scan the area for incoming threats and adjust accordingly. Now, mind you, they aren''t geniuses, more brawlers than anything, but they will get the job done, especially when we start arming them and increasing their numbers."

    "How many do you intend to make?" Jonh asked, still hanging back as he watched Charles inspect the nearest golem.

    "Maybe another five or six," I explained with a vague hand gesture. "It kind of depends on what I can come up with. I probably won''t make any more tree golems, even if I can whip them up the easiest. There needs to be some variety."

    All three of them, even Sarah, seemed more than a bit lost about how exactly they should react to everything. Rather than let them flounder about, I started showing them exactly how they could boss the golems around, moving an old abandoned car from the parking lot next to the warehouse. A pair of golems lifted the majority of the vehicle up, carrying it away and tossing it far into a different spot so that they no longer had to worry about it.

    "They aren''t smart, so don''t expect them to follow complicated instructions, but they should fight pretty well," I explained. "Chances are four of them could handle one or two capes, but past that, you''re gonna want to sacrifice them to let everyone else run.

    "They aren''t¡­ alive, are they? Like treants?" Charles asked, watching one of them carry a laundry basket of fruit away from the orchard.

    "No, these are no more alive than any tree," I assured him. "Each one only cost me¡­. Like five hundred bucks to make, which is nothing with what I''m making from healing."

    "Well¡­ you convinced me," John admitted. "You said you could link them to us?" How would you do that?"

    "First¡­ I want you three to really, truly understand what''s going on here. These are dangerous tools. Loaded weapons that I am trusting you with," I explained, looking at each of them with hard eyes. "My gut tells me I can trust you three. But if you betray that trust, I will be coming for more than a pound of flesh. These guys respond to me first, so don''t think you can spin them around on me. I''m not saying you would¡­"

    I raise my hand in defense as Charles gives me an indignant look, opening his mouth to refute the idea that he would spit on my goodwill.

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    "Like I said, my gut says I can trust you, but this needs to be said. I would be saying the same thing, even if I was handing these over to Miss Militia," I explained, which seemed to mollify Charles. "If I catch you throwing them around to enforce your orders, or they start roughing innocent people up, I will track you down, and you won''t enjoy the results."

    Once again, I looked at each of them, meeting their eyes and really staring into their souls. I trusted them to use the golems properly, but even so, I would keep an eye on them anyway. Each of the golems had a small record of what it had been ordered to do, which meant I could check up on what they were up to. It wasn''t more than a few hours, but it was enough to catch any of them abusing their power on a random inspection.

    As I looked into their eyes, Charles and John looked back with determination and eagerness. After all, I was about to hand them something they could use to finally truly protect their people. Of course they were ready and eager. Sarah, however¡­ she looked conflicted, even a little guilty. Before I could say anything, she spoke up.

    "I¡­ Think we should talk before you link me to anything," She admitted, seeming hesitant and unsure for the first time since I met her. "I would never use these poorly, but¡­ you should know some things first."

    I nodded, confused but focused on getting John and Charles set up first. Charles and John were not surprised by Sarah''s admission of having secrets, but then again, she was a woman who frequently changed her name, snuck around and had the tendency to show up at just the right moments.

    "Okay, that''s fine," I said with a nod. "Let''s start with John and Charles first, then we can talk."

    She nodded and hung back as Charles and John stepped forward.

    "Right! Well, first, I''m going to need to cut your thumbs a bit, and then I''ll have you bleed a bit on each golem-"

    "What?"

    "Seriously?"

    "...kinda glad I didn''t agree fully yet¡­"

    "Guys, listen. My powers... they are strange and weird, and they clearly have a theme," I explained, trying to calm them down. "But I promise you, this is nothing nefarious. Giving them a sample of your blood links them to you. Think of it as a strange security measure from some unusual tinker tech."

    Both of the older men thought about it for a moment before John let out a long, begrudging sigh, stepping closer to me. He pulled out a knife, but I shook my head.

    "I got something for that."

    I cast a quick spell to numb his thumb before casting another bleeding that came with the ritual crafting subject. Blood was a powerful ingredient in both ritual crafting and as a sacrificial ingredient. After I cast the spell, his finger bled a lot, enough to link him to all four golems. I had him smear a "J" onto each golem''s chest, the blood getting absorbed in seconds, leaving the golem clean. Once he was done, I healed him and repeated the process with Charles.

    "Alright guys¡­ Could you¡­?"

    Both of them nodded and left the alleyway, John patting Sarah''s shoulder as he walked away. Once Sarah/Mary, and I were alone, she let out a long breath. She looked nervous but determined.

    "So¡­ I thought you deserved to know before you¡­ well, before you hand me all that power. I''m a parahuman."

    For a moment, I stared at her, doing my best not to react poorly. After all, she had no obligation to tell me, and we didn''t even know each other that well outside of me helping the camp. In fact, that she is telling me at all should mean a lot. It still unsettled me, though, knowing someone around me had powers, and I had no idea.

    "Anyone I would know?"

    "No! Definitely not¡­ I keep to myself on purpose," She explained, looking around for a moment before stepping closer to the alley wall.

    As she stepped closer to the shadow, it got harder for me to focus on her, like my eye kept forgetting where she was supposed to be. As she got to the darker parts, she disappeared from my sight completely. After a few seconds, I watched the same effect but in reverse.

    "I can blend really well with shadows. The darker, the better," She explained. "My night vision is perfect too and¡­ I''m better when I''m in the dark."

    "Better at what?"

    "Everything. It''s not a massive change, but I''m faster, stronger, smarter¡­ I heal quicker, and my stamina is better. I even learn better, at least from what I can tell."

    "That''s impressive," I said appreciatively. "With a stealthy ability like that, I''m not surprised no one has noticed you yet."

    "I try to stay out of sight, keep anyone from noticing me," She assured me. "The worst thing I''ve done is borrow some cash from the Merchants. I usually spend it on food for the community."

    "That¡­ is not what I would call staying out of sight, but I understand," I pointed out, putting my hand gently on her shoulder. "Why now, though? I can''t imagine it was just about the golems."

    "No¡­. I watched you help everyone when the Empire came knocking," she admitted, sounding ashamed and guilty. "I stood in the shadows and did nothing¡­ with how dark it was, I might have actually been able to help, but instead I just watched¡­ like a coward."

    "No, Sarah. You watched like a normal human being, probably frozen in fear and conflicted emotions," I corrected, locking eyes with her as she looked at me confused. "Can you say I''m wrong?"

    "I... No, I was terrified... But still should have helped!" She said with a deep frown. "I stood there and did nothing while you took on three Nazi capes by yourself."

    "Sarah, do you know what kind of person jumps off of a building, throwing around lightning and fighting Nazis?" I asked, looking at her thoughtfully. "Crazy people, Sarah. Crazy people do that. Your reaction is the normal reaction. You''ve got nothing to be ashamed of."

    Despite still being upset, she let out a slightly wet chuckle, shaking her head a bit and wiping at her eyes.

    "What if¡­ What if I want to be a crazy person, though? What if I want to help, jumping off roofs and fight?" she asked, frowning as if she still wasn''t certain herself. "Watching you face down those Empire fucks¡­ I should be doing more."

    "Honestly, Sarah, just knowing you are around the community, even if you''re just sneaking around, keeping an eye on people would be a big help. In fact, I could probably offer a few things to help out with that," I pointed out, waving away her confused look. "On the other hand, I won''t say no to help. The Empire is going to come for me sooner or later. I wish I could just go around my own business, helping people, but they aren''t going to let what I did to Alabaster go."

    She looked at me for a long moment, the scarring on her face pulling and twisting as she tried her best to read me. After a while, she nodded.

    "At the very least, I will continue to watch over everyone, and¡­ I''ll be more proactive in helping in the future," She assured me, though it sounded like she was assuring herself just as much as she was me. "And¡­ maybe I''ll be able to help soon."

    "That''s more than enough, Sarah, I-"

    "Olivia," She said, cutting me off. "My real name is Olivia."

    "Oh, well... It''s nice to meet you, Olivia."

    I reached up to my mask, and after looking around, I could feel Alya pull close and blow a cool, encouraging breeze over my shoulders. With a smile, I pulled off my mask.

    "My name''s William, but you can call me Will," I said, unable to keep from chuckling when she gaped at me before I slid my mask back on. "What? You told me your name and your power. It''s only fair."

    "You''re an idiot," She responded, ultimately failing to hide her smile. "C''mon, cut me up already so you can get to making more of those fast-producing trees. I had to keep your fruit on me all day and night to keep people from eating it."

    I smirked but nodded, helping her cut her thumb so I could link her to the golems. She then passed me the bag of fruit before purposely phasing into a shadow and vanishing. I couldn''t help but chuckle as she disappeared.

    "I''ll talk to you later," I said as she faded away.

    After a few seconds, I left the alley behind, the golems following behind me.

 Chapter Thirty Two

    Despite the somewhat surprising news of Olivia''s powers, I had stuff to get done, so I was forced to file it away and move on with my day. I''m sure we would have more time to discuss it eventually, and it wasn''t like I could drag her out of the shadows and force her to talk about it. Even if I could, I obviously wouldn''t.

    Once Olivia was gone, I led the golems out of the alleyway and into the open space where the community spent most of its time. I ended up giving a separate seminar on how they worked and what they were for, this time for the general group. No one else got linked up to them, but I demonstrated how handy they were and that Charles and John had control over them. Between their reputations and my own, people seemed to accept them pretty quickly, especially when they started helping out with the heavy lifting.

    For a homeless community, there was a surprising amount of organized work going on.

    After I was done introducing the golems to the community at large, I spent a few more hours planting trees and growing them up, enhancing them the same way I had the others. I don''t know where Olivia went to get these fruits, but they now had a few fig and cherry trees. It was getting to the point that the community had a pretty seriously sized orchard going on, especially when the golems tore up some of the already crumbling parking lot to expose more dirt to plant in.

    Part of me was worried that the police or PRT would show up when we started tearing up the asphalt, but Charles just snorted and shook his head.

    "We are in the Docks, Arcanum. Nobody owns them, nobody wants them, nobody cares about them," He explained, shaking his head. "The only people who might be interested in them is the city, but they are too broke even to consider reinstating the police patrol out here. Never mind inspecting what we do. Trust me, unless we start burning shit down, no one cares."

    When I was finally done working around the community, and I left to make a run to the hospital, Charles was already putting groups together to make runs out to singular homeless people, a few smaller camps. People were grabbing bags of fruit to bring out and distribute to people who needed them.

    Meanwhile, I was starting to consider the idea of starting to help the homeless shelters and soup kitchens around town. Providing them with fresh fruits could drastically cut their spending on food, and handing out bags of produce was a great way to help people who were struggling but weren''t homeless.

    I just needed a way to get around this world''s ridiculous laws about capes selling things. I didn''t plan on making a dime off this, but if I started providing even the tiniest, itsy-bitsiest fraction of this city''s paying population with food for free, I knew for a fact I would be swept away in a legal battle, probably funded by the PRT.

    When it was time to go, I hopped up onto Troy and guided him through the alleys to a populated road. This was the first time I was attempting to ride him through such a setting, and I wanted to take it slow at first. I pulled him out onto the street, speeding him up to keep up with traffic, basically riding him like I would drive a car, stopping and starting at stop lights and the whole nine years.

    The temptation to peel off and push Troy hard, to weave between traffic and really get going, was massive, and it only got harder to ignore when Alya confirmed my own growing suspicion. We weren''t actually traveling that much faster than I would be if I were running. So, I made the decision to travel as if I was on a bike rather than a car. I shrunk Troy down as much as I could before letting Alya guide me off the street and through another alley. Rather than following the strict road rules like a car, we were pushing the limits quite a bit more. We took shortcuts, jumped over fences, occasionally weaved through cars, and cut out intersections and lights when we could. I would have never been able to do it on my own, not without a substantial bit of magic, which would have probably required several levels of a whole new subject, but with Alya''s help, it was easy.

    With this new method, I was making considerably better time than I would have by running through the sidewalks or streets. Even better, I knew that in the case of an emergency, I could really start to ignore traffic laws and push Troy to his absolute limit to cut down on that time even more.

    The first stop for the last few hours of the morning was the Central Hospital, where I spent a few hours cleaning up concussions, fixing a brain bleed, and treating a half dozen other problems. A not insignificant portion of the people who I treated with issues like unexploded aneurysms and minor brain damage were people from out of town, visiting specifically to meet me.

    At the end of my "shift," I had treated twenty-five people in total, eight of whom fell into the paying category. My finances were already looking way better than they ever had back home, even if I planned on donating a chunk of it to shelters and soup kitchens.

    When I was done at the hospital, I walked out to the parking lot, where Troy was "parked." Quite a few people had stopped to take photos of the wooden golem, who was lying down in one of the nearby parking spots, pretending to be a real horse. As I approached, I whistled out to him, and the golem slowly started standing up at my command.

    After signing a few autographs and even letting a young girl sit on Troy for a few minutes, I was off. My geomancy absorption needed a refresh, and I wanted to do some work on making more golems. In order to do that, I needed to move my partional from my temporary home out to the forest, and I needed to do it while not seeming suspicious or drawing attention. Normally, I would just change into my civilian clothes and pretend to go on a hike, but Troy stood out like a sore thumb on fire.

    I ended up riding Troy back to the Docks community. I left him in the capable hands of John and Charles, warning them that I would be back later that night with more golems. They assured me they would be waiting, and I left to get changed back into civilian wear, heading directly to my old temporary home. I quickly cut the partional up using the stone cutting spells I got from the geomancy subject, making sure to cut them in a way that I could easily put them together again. I put them carefully into a large bag before carrying them out of the city as casually as I could. It was just a few hours after noon when I finally arrived at the forest compound.

    After spending an hour growing out a new platform along the ritual space, I then put the partional back together, fusing it with a stone fusing spell, and quickly the testing partional out by absorbing another pile of steel. I then realized that I had been an idiot and that the geomancy subject had already given me the perfect tools to construct stone golem frames. It had been so long since I had built anything related to geomancy that I had entirely forgotten the stone-working spells that came with it.

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    I ended up spending the rest of the day making three more golems, this time constructing them out of stone. I started by creating the three cores before gathering some rocks using my enhanced strength. Luckily, there were plenty of them scattered around the clearing and the forest. I would carry them back to the ritual platform, then, using a frame made from growing branches out of the platform, I stacked the rocks up, carving and fusing them together until I had the same general hunched-over shape that the living wood golems had. Then, it was simple to prepare the golem frame, cut a place for the golem core, and seal it back up when I was done.

    Even better, when the first golem was done, getting the materials for the second and third was considerably easier since I could just order the first golem to go out and find me more stone.

    The three stone golems were a bit slower than me, about the speed of an average person, but they were incredibly resilient and strong, much more so than the living wood golems. They would offer an excellent variety to the Docks community defenses, especially since when I was done working on the golems, I had just enough time to make four of the stunning wands that I had designed previously. They were simple little ritual wands, and while they would be useless against any brutes, once I worked them into the living wood of the older golems, they would let them take down normal thugs easily.

    Once I was done, I finally headed back to the community under the cover of darkness. It was slow going since the stone golems had to move at a snail''s pace in order to stay quiet, and even then, they weren''t what I would call stealthy. As I walked through the city, I looked up to the sky, noticing that the moon was just a sliver of glowing white. Mentally, looking back, I was pretty sure that it had been a bit more full the previous nights, which meant that it would be a new moon soon.

    That sent all sorts of ideas scattering through my mind, as full and new moon phases were both potent additions to quite a few ritual types if you were willing to work the proper part into the design. While there were dozens, maybe even hundreds, of ways it could play into a ritual, a new moon was particularly good for rituals involving hiding things and darkness, both of which I now had use for

    "Alya¡­ I want to run a bunch of rituals under the new moon," I said quietly as we crossed a street, the three stone golems following behind us, plodding along slowly. "I have some ideas for a gift for Olivia, and it''s about time I finish making my house and layering over the hiding enchantments. If I tie them all together under the new moon, with a nice big ritual, and then cap that off with what I designed already, I think the whole compound is going to be pretty much unfindable.

    "So then another day of shopping?" She guessed. "Will you be inviting Olivia to the compound?"

    "No, I don''t want to pull her into this any faster than she wants to," I explained. "Admitting what my powers really are is not something I plan on sharing with people until it''s more than completely obvious I am not a parahuman."

    "But you plan on giving her a ritualized gift to make her more powerful?" She asked. "How is that not pulling her in deeper?"

    "I¡­ see your point," I said with a wince. "Okay, I''ll ask her first. Hopefully, she will be at the camp when we get back."

    By the time we arrived at the community camp, it was starting to get really late, but John was still waiting for us in the central area between the two buildings the community had taken over as their own. The rest of the space was silent, with the four living wood golems standing along the wall.

    "Well... those look a lot more like what you would expect from being called a golem," he admitted when he first saw the large stone constructs. "You sure they aren''t gonna¡­ fall over and break?"

    "The stone ones are way more durable than I am, and I''m bulletproof to pistol calibers. At least for the most part," I explained. Technically, I hadn''t been a hundred percent sure of that before Alabaster shot me, but he was packing some rather large pistols, so I was confident in my durability. "And they aren''t like cartoon golems. These are some serious brutes. Trust me, if people start some trouble, these guys will end it."

    We talked for a few minutes, during which John brought up that they planned to keep the stone golems, or more specifically, whatever I had shown up with for the second batch since they didn''t know what they would be beforehand, a secret. They were worried that if they presented too strong of a front, the Empire would simply show up in full force and crush them flat. I pointed out that if that happened, they were supposed to sacrifice the golems and run, and he assured me that they understood that part.

    "I think you''re underestimating just how quickly Purity could flatten this whole area if she wanted to," John said, shaking his head.

    "I got a little something for that as well," I responded, reaching into my jacket and pulling out the wands.

    I only had four in total, one for each of the living wood golems, but each one of them could shoot a few dozen blasts of knock-out electricity, similar to the spell I used to keep people unconscious after I beat them. Thankfully, this one had a bit more range, which should let the golems shoot down any fliers that decided to target the community.

    Even better, the golems'' natural magical generation would allow them to recharge the wands, taking their daily limit from a few dozen to probably just over a hundred.

    I spent an hour or so fusing the wands into the living wood of the golems, putting them into their arms so that the blasts of electricity would fire out of their palms. The range was something like thirty feet or so, which made the wooden golems'' fifteen-foot vertical jump height all the more critical.

    When I was done, I linked the golems to John before he offered me a spare bed to stay in for the night. Considering that I had been planning on going back to my temporary home to sleep on the couch, I accepted his offer. Unfortunately, it wasn''t meant to be, as I was just about to step into the warehouse when my phone rang. Recognizing the number as being from Brockton Bay Central, I quickly answered.

    "Hello, Arcanum here,"

    "Arcanum, I''m glad you picked up," The familiar voice of my personal liaison came through. "Listen, we need you to come in¡­ Amy Dallon just showed up with a broken arm and some serious head trauma."

    "Details, now," I said, already turning away from the warehouse. Before he could say anything, I whistled, and from somewhere around the warehouse, I could hear Troy galloping towards me.

    "We don''t know much. It''s a bit of a madhouse here with the PRT and Protectorate showing up and New Wave¡­" My handler, Dr. Palrisa, explained. "Nobody seems to be talking about what actually happened, but there is a lot of tension and¡­"

    "The patient, Dr Palrisa, details on the patient," I said, stamping down my exasperation.

    "Her vitals are what we would expect. We suspect there is some pressure building up in her skull, but it''s at manageable levels as long as you arrive quickly," He explained. "She has a decent fracture in her skull and her arm¡­ it''s a significant break but not life-threatening or likely to cause permanent damage."

    "I''m on my way. I should arrive soon," I responded, nudging Troy into a gallop, the golem mount charging through a nearby alley. "Please pass on that I''m incoming to everyone who should know, including the PRT and New Wave. I want you at the entrance ready to guide me to her."

    The doctor gave a final word of confirmation before I hung up, leaning down to grip Troy tightly, pouring my magic into the golem. Sparks flew from his metal hooves as we flew down the streets, a sinking feeling already settling in my stomach.

 Chapter Thirty Three - PRT interlude

    According to standard operating procedure, the Parahuman Response Team kept a standing, twenty-four-hour workforce. This was intended to be done in shifts, with specific irreplaceable staff members, such as the director or deputy director, letting their positions be filled with on-staff division heads, such as the Chief Medical Officer, or the Commander of the Response Teams. In the case of a B-class threat or higher, the director would be notified and brought back to base with all due speed.

    Reality, unsurprisingly, doesn''t always work out that way, especially for a branch that is as underfunded and understaffed as the PRT ENE. More often than not, Director Piggot and many other members of this branch stay far longer at their stations than is recommended. The city of Brockton Bay and its surroundings were just too busy. Half the villain capes in the city were classified as B-class threats on their own, with several groups and individuals being A-class or higher. Piggot herself was sure that the only reason she managed to get any sleep at all was because the Parahuman gang members themselves liked to enjoy a full night''s sleep.

    The fact that Director Piggot and a significant portion of her understaffed and underfunded subordinates so often burned the midnight oil made late-night meetings common. They ranged from simple, if not frustrating, conversations about budget concerns to much larger briefings between the Protectorate and the PRT. These briefings were often the longest, as the sheer amount that needed to be discussed would usually drag the meeting even later.

    It did not help that Armsmaster used every single one as an opportunity to ask for a larger tinkering budget or some other tinkering toy or concession.

    "Once again, Armsmaster, I am denying your request to expand your lab into the room next door," Director Piggot said, the rigid, power armor clad hero having finished his request. "Not only is the adjacent room being used, but your lab has already subsumed the office on the other side. Space on the Rig is finite, and you already have plenty of room."

    It was difficult to gauge Armsmaster''s reaction to the denial since not only was he normally inexpressive, but his face was mostly covered by his armor. Only his mouth and chin were exposed, and the majority of that was covered by his beard.

    "Very well." He responded simply, the hundreds of micro servos in his armor whispering out the faintest sounds as he shifted back in his chair.

    He shuffled his papers, clearly not intending to say anything else. Miss Militia, studiously taking notes sitting next to her Protectorate leader, wrote down something on her pad. Beside her, Assault leaned back in his chair, looking at the ceiling. Everyone present was studiously ignoring the fact that he was definitely asleep, as no one wanted to deal with his shenanigans during an already very late meeting. He wouldn''t be there at all if he hadn''t been assigned as a liaison to one of the Bay''s newest capes.

    If he started to snore, Director Piggot might order Miss Militia to shoot him.

    With Armsmaster seemingly satisfied with her response, Director Piggot closed and pushed a file, the disturbingly thick proposal that Armsmaster had submitted, to the side before opening another. She then looked up to one of the other people at the meeting, a man in a lab coat with a thick mustache and perfectly trimmed goatee.

    "Dr Allens, if you could?"

    "Ah, yes. Well, as requested, we rushed the analysis of the samples from Arcanum''s trees. There were quite a few due to the variety of trees planted, but we completed the process earlier this afternoon," He explained. "As procedure dictates, I immediately contacted you, Director, to confirm there were no dangers detected in our analysis."

    The large, stern woman nodded, turning the page of the report before looking back to the scientist. Those who knew her, and cared enough to pay attention, could see that while she remained outwardly calm, there was an underlying tension that seemed to twist and turn inside her. It was as if she had a white-knuckle grip on her internal monologue and emotions and was only barely winning.

    "If you could give us a brief overview of your findings¡­"

    "Of course. We analyzed samples of bark, root, leaf, wood, and fruit from each of the trees grown alongside the homeless community, as well as several air samples," He explained. "This was difficult, as these samples withered away within an hour of being taken. None of the samples showed any signs of anomalous activity. The fruits were thoroughly sterile as well. As far as we could tell, none of the trees we found could reproduce, nor could they be grafted."

    "What about the fruits themselves?" Piggot asked pointedly. "Any effects from consumption?"

    "None that we could discern," he explained. "Beyond being thoroughly sterile, they act and decompose in a way identical to a normal fruit of the same kind."

    "That matches with what he said to me," Miss Militia added, looking up from her notes. "That he has a striker ability to manipulate and control plants, not¡­ not a biotinker ability to directly change them."

    The tension inside Director Piggot seemed to uncoil a single notch, the woman still wrestling with herself, her paranoia.

    "For what it matters, his report of the tree''s withering and dying without him certainly seems true as well," Miss Militia continued. "The two squads enforcing the quarantine reported that every tree is completely dead."

    "If that is the case, then he won''t care if we cut them down," Armsmaster pointed out. "If nothing else than to eliminate the need to designate two squads to the site."

    "... I''ll have a clean-up team sent out tomorrow afternoon," Piggot said, giving Armsmaster a nod.

    "What about the second orchard?" Armsmaster asked.

    For a long moment, Director Piggot was silent. She weighed the options, keeping her thoughts as straight and controlled as she could. It was difficult, as her first instinct was to order Arcanum to be brought in and studied to absolutely confirm she didn''t have a plant-based Nilbong on her hands. But she couldn''t do that without proof that something was wrong, and according to Dr Allen, there wasn''t. She was already on thin ice for

    "Considering what tests Dr. Allens'' team has done, and their results¡­ We will hold off from intervening," Director Piggot responded. "We are unlikely to ever recruit Arcanum after our original actions, but alienating him further is unwise."

    "Ma''am, with all due respect, are you sure that is the correct position to take?" Armsmaster asks, a hint of incredulousness leaking into his usual dull, monotone voice. "His engagement with the homeless community is a textbook example of gathering a power base."

    "It''s also a textbook example of someone wanting to help," Assault said, catching everyone but Director Piggot off guard. "Arcanum has shown every sign of being a reasonable, genuinely heroic Cape."

    "He killed Alabaster-"

    "That was bad luck," Assault said, shaking his head. "And a clear sign of him coming to the defense of others."

    That particular investigation had revealed some interesting information. Apparently, there had been several instances similar to this, where a parahumans ability is hampered or damaged by destroying the Corona Pollentia. This is difficult to observe in anyone other than regenerators, as any damage to the Corona Pollentia would also significantly damage the brain enough to kill a normal person, even a normal cape.

    As far as PRT records showed, this phenomenon had only happened a few times. Once, when a civilian killed a cape defending their family, and the rest by various accident.

    "The Empire members we found on the scene said he gave no warning, no chance for them to surrender," Armsmaster pointed out with a frown. "And as Panacea still refuses to heal Empire members, they remain almost completely deaf and partially blind."

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    "While I agree the willingness to default to violence is worrying, given the circumstances, it is¡­ understandable," Director Piggot said before diverting the conversation. "I am mostly worried about the plant constructs he has created."`

    "He said that we should consider them tinker constructs," Miss Militia pointed out. "I didn''t say anything at the time, but if they are tinker constructs that he is allowing civilians to interact with and control¡­"

    "Then they must undergo a full review by the PRT," Director Piggot finished with a nod. "Good. Assault, I want you to reach out and talk to him about the process. Warn him that this is already an allowance. By all means, we should have confiscated all of them the second we learned about them."

    Assault nodded, though he didn''t exactly look thrilled about the whole idea. Not only did he not want to be the bearer of bad news, but he knew from his time with Armsmaster and Kid Win, as well as a few other tinkers, that they frequently did not like having their toys taken away.

    "That said¡­" Director Piggot continued. "I am sticking by my statement that the second orchard will stand. That, as well as my previous instructions for handling Arcanum. The second orchard will be left alone, and Arcanum is to be treated positively, as a hero."

    Armmaster seemed unhappy with her statement, but it soon disappeared under his usual dour look. Assault, however, leaned forward, a frown on his face.

    "Now that we''ve finally reached the good part of this meeting, has there been any news?"

    Piggot scowled and closed the file on Dr. Allens'' tests and procedures, pushing it to the side. This time, however, she did not reach for a new file. For weeks now, the PRT had been investigating the origin of the fake orders that Assault received from the Console during his first meeting with Arcanum. They had been given to the Console operator in the form of written instructions, signed and stamped with Director Piggots signature.

    Unknown to the Assault and Console operator at the time, the orders were a forgery, and that Director Piggot wasn''t even aware the conversation was happening, as she was undergoing her daily dialysis treatment.

    Of course, the problem was discovered almost immediately after it happened. Director Piggot, while ordering a full investigation, had also decided to take advantage of the situation to find out more about Arcanum, and to try and discover where and why the fake orders were given.

    Neither of which had gone very well.

    "The investigation has run into a dead end," she admitted. "Agent Sannis, who delivered the orders, is still missing. We are investigating them but have so far found nothing. Until we do find something, we have nothing else to go on. I am downsizing the investigation, though it will remain active for now."

    Assault cursed under his breath, and Director Piggot found herself wishing she could curse as well. The idea that someone, most likely one of the gangs in the Bay, had infiltrated them enough to pass off fake orders was as infuriating as it was worrying. Several changes had already been made to the security. If there was a silver lining to this whole debacle, it was that eleven gang plants had already been found and removed.

    "I still think we should admit that something happened," Assault said, leaning back in his chair, tipping it back on two legs. "I think it would go a long way to getting him to trust us. He reacted well to me opening up about what was going on."

    "Procedure is to keep things internal until the investigation is complete, and it is that way for a reason," Director Piggot reminded him, giving him a harsh look that he handily ignored. "The only reason you weren''t in more trouble for ''opening up'' is because you had the common sense to keep the actual investigation out."

    Assault very specifically did not mention his second conversation with Arcanum, the one that would likely get him in a lot of trouble. He had mentioned that something was going on behind the scenes, which was enough for someone smart to figure out that maybe something was going on that was out of the PRT''s control. The fact that he even hinted at an ongoing internal investigation would likely get him into more trouble than he had ever been since he joined the Protectorate.

    "While we are on the topic of Arcanum, given what we have learned, it''s time to revisit his power rating," Piggot said, opening up her notebook and tapping it with a pen. "I believe it is time to officially label him a Trump as he continues to discover new uses for the power source he has described. We can revisit this status later, either by removing or lowering the number, should he stop discovering new methods. I suggest a Trump rating of four."

    "I agree," Armsmaster said with a nod. "I suggest we add Tinker for his plant construct creations, but before testing their capabilities, assigning a number is impossible."

    "The bipedal constructs followed his orders, that means a Master rating," Miss Militia pointed out. "As did the horse construct."

    "Considering some of the footage we are seeing online of him running, both on foot and on his horse, he definitely deserves a Mover rating of three at least," Assault pointed out.

    "Mover three, Trump four, while Tinker and Master levels will be determined later," Piggot said, marking down something on her own notepad. "His healing ability is hard to number since healing abilities don''t quite fall on the scale, but the plant ability would rate a two according to witness reports."

    "I believe we should increase his Brute rating," Armsmaster said stoically. "Not only have we confirmed that he is bulletproof, but we failed to take into account his ability to heal. I believe Brute four is more appropriate."

    "And his blaster rating should be bumped up, too," Assault added begrudgingly. "During the testing, it took multiple seconds of chanting for him to use his largest lighting attack. According to the police response, he did not need to chant to use the same attack that killed Alabaster, which by all rights was more powerful."

    "Blaster five." Director Piggot said, writing it down with a frown. "That means Arcanum is a Blaster five, Trump four, Mover three, Striker two, with a yet-to-be-rated Master/Tinker combo."

    "Jeeze¡­. Talk about jack of all trades," Assault said. "I''m glad he is a hero, he would be a pain to fight, no way to predict what he might throw at you."

    "There should be a note of that in his file," Miss Militia pointed out. "Having a Trump level warns about it a little, but-"

    Before she could finish, the door to the meeting room burst open, and an agent stepped in. He quickly stood at attention, snapping off a salute.

    "What is it?" Piggot barked. "This is supposed to be a secure meeting!"

    "I know, ma''am, but this is an emergency," The agent explained with a wince. "According to incoming reports from Brockton Bay Central Hospital¡­ Panacea has been injured. She is currently in the hospital for treatment. According to what we know, she arrived with a broken arm and a cracked skull. "

    For a moment, the room was quiet from the shock of the sudden bad news.

    "Fuck, alright. Assault, Miss Militia, I want you on the scene ASAP. Your primary mission is to keep everything from spiraling out of control," Director Piggot ordered. "Armsmaster, I want you on patrol, making noise. Make sure people know that we are around."

    "Should I call-" Assault started, only for Piggot to cut him off.

    "No, not yet. Let the family know you have his number and offer to call for them," She responded. "This is already going to be a clusterfuck. We don''t need to make it any worse by inviting extra people."

    "He works with the hospital," Assault pointed out. "He''s probably gonna show up anyway."

    "Then it''s out of our hands," She responded. "and more importantly, into someone else''s. Now, let''s move people!"

 Chapter Thirty Four - Dallon Family Interlude

    Victoria Dallon tried her best to be a good person. She was young, filled with teenage dreams, drama, and hormones, but she still tried to do what was right. Up until recently, she had seen the world as pretty clear-cut. Good versus evil, villains versus heroes, order versus chaos. Her mother taught her from a very early age that there was no gray area, that there was no middle ground.

    At the time, she had thought that drawing such a firm line in the sand was heroic and courageous. To her even younger mind, her mother was refusing to back down from her beliefs, standing firm against the world''s slowly weakening moral compass. Her mother taught her a lot of what she thought being a hero was about. About how clear-cut the world was.

    But now? Now she knew there was no such thing as simple.

    Before, she never understood how people would act surprised or shocked when their actions, or even their loved ones'' actions, caught up to them. It was simple cause and effect. How could you not see it coming? How could you pretend everything was okay? These people were bad, they were criminals, so why were they shocked when someone stopped them?

    But now, she saw the same thing happening while she was looking inward. Now, she was watching her family do just that. And she could feel it herself. Could feel the urge to sit down and be quiet. To put it off, to simply nod and believe that it wasn''t a problem, that everything was fine. That this was normal.

    Carol Dallon was an unmovable object, a force of will that never deviated from its path, because she knew she was right, and everyone else was wrong. But now Victoria could see it. Every time her mother said, "My daughter and Amy." The cold look Amy got when she did anything Carol could consider wrong. Carol didn''t do that to her. Her mother would chastise, roll her eyes, or even punish her when she messed up. But never the cold stare.

    And it only got worse. On an average day, Carol Dallon would make around seven physical gestures of affection to her daughter. Victoria knew that because she had been keeping track for a few days. Hugs, shoulder squeezes, face touching, even an encouraging nudge out of the house when she was procrastinating heading to school. Carol was never an overly affectionate person, but she tried for her daughter.

    Victoria had been counting for four days, and she had yet to see Carol even pat Amy''s shoulder. In fact, she hadn''t even heard any words of affection or support. No advice, no commiseration, no offers for anything. They hardly talked at all.

    Unless Amy did something wrong. In that case, Carol paid her plenty of attention. When Amy did something that Carol didn''t like, she would have no issue explaining how annoyed, disappointed, or angry she was. She would spend hours putting her sister in her place, hammering the already stressed girl with angry words and disappointed looks.

    She had tried, more than once, to convince her mom there was something wrong, to convince Amy she wasn''t okay. To get her dad to pay attention long enough to realize that something was wrong. But nobody took her seriously, believed her, or could care long enough to hear her out. She tried again and again, to the point that she had given up. Amy was angry at her for trying to suggest she couldn''t handle it, Carol was annoyed that Vicky would even suggest maybe finding someone they could talk to, and they were both angry with her for suggesting and trying to keep Amy from working in the hospital.

    They weren''t listening. No one was listening, and the worst part was that she knew what she needed to do about it. Arcanum''s words played over in her head now, damn near constantly. Kick it up the chain. Someone needed to do something, and since her family wasn''t, maybe her Aunt Sarah would.

    But it wasn''t that easy.

    She had gotten close what felt like a dozen times already. Between pulling her aside at team meetings or trying to talk to her out on patrol. She had floated in the sky above her aunt''s house and above her work for hours. She just couldn''t do it. She was terrified of what would happen, about what might happen. What if she was just being dramatic? What if she was wrong? Would Amy hate her for not leaving well enough alone? Would her mother resent her for spreading lies?

    Her constant worry and fear were wearing down on her. Dean had noticed immediately since he could see her worry and incessant anxiety, but she had brushed him off. Now, other people were starting to notice. They asked if she had been sleeping okay, if she was feeling okay, and if everything was alright. She just brushed them all off. Who cared if she could barely eat and hadn''t slept well since talking to Arcanum? How could she care about herself when she couldn''t get herself to help her sister?

    Amy was suffering, and she was doing nothing.

    And then it got worse.

    News began to spread that Arcanum''s healing had finally been approved by the PRT. Apparently, he was healing people at the hospital on the very same day. Immediately, Amy''s mood plummeted. She went from grumpy and sarcastic to aggressive and mean, pushing everyone away from her. What little friends Amy had, soon began to ignore her, which suited the healer just fine, as she was no longer even considering socializing. It had taken a week for Vicky to learn just why Amy was so upset. Apparently, Arcanum could fix the one thing Amy was incapable of fixing, brain injuries.

    Within a single day of working for the hospital, Arcanum had healed everyone Amy could not help, all while making a good amount of money. While she never said anything outright, it was clear that Amy had no tolerance for her fellow healer.

    While Amy managed to keep her opinions to herself, Carol did not. She called an emergency team meeting. When everyone had congregated in the planning room built into the Dallon basement late one night, she revealed that they needed to come up with a strategy to handle the incoming danger.

    "Danger? What danger?" Aunt Sarha had asked, looking confused.

    "Arcanum!" Carol said, leaning on the table as she stood at the front end. "He murdered Alabaster, and is working on setting up a gang from Brockton Bays homeless!"

    "...Alabaster''s death was ruled an accident from poor power interactions, and was the result of self-defense," Uncle Neil said after sharing a look with his wife. "The PRT didn''t even bring Arcanum in for questioning."

    "They are trying to play nice with him since he can do what Panacea can''t," Carol explained, patronizingly waving away Uncle Neil''s concerns. "He is a murderer and the leader of a growing gang!"

    Victoria looked around, gauging everyone''s faces. Her father, Mark, looked tired and bored, his depression in full force. Everyone else, even Amy, looked at Carol in confusion. While Amy might not be Arcanum''s biggest fan, she didn''t deny he was trying to be a hero.

    "Mom¡­ I don''t think Arcanum is a villain," Victoria said, chewing her lip. "I mean, we have all done some pretty brutal stuff to Alabaster to try and keep him down and out of the way, but he always pops back. How was any of us supposed to predict that there was an exception, if that''s even what caused it?"

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    "It doesn''t matter. The man is a murderer. He needs to be brought to justice before he tries to solidify his control of the Docks," She explained. "If he does that, he will clash directly with Lung and the ABB, and Brockton Bay will suffer for it."

    That brought everyone up short. Not because they agreed Arcanum was trying to solidify a gang, but because if he continued to work around the Docks, it was very possible that he would end up getting on Lung''s bad side, a dangerous place to be, for Arcanum and for the people he supported.

    "Carol, there is no evidence he is doing anything but helping people," Sarah said, frowning at her sister''s insistence. "But he may need to be warned about what happens to people who push into Lungs territory."

    "Are none of you listening? He is already starting a gang!" Carol said, her volume rising as her sister''s point was steadily ignored. "He has already killed to protect his territory! We need to come up with a plan to take him down before he-"

    "Carol, I understand that you are worried about the Bay''s stability, but we cannot ''take down'' Arcanum, not without proper evidence," Aunt Sarah said, matching her sister''s tone and volume. "The PRT''s official stand is that he is a hero, so even if we did take him down, what would we do with him, stash him here in the basement? The PRT would just let him go, and probably demand we come in for questioning since we would have attacked a known healer and hero!"

    For a long moment, the siblings stared each other down. Eventually, after looking around for any sort of support, Carol finally backed down. She sat down in her chair with a huff, defeated for now.

    Since she had been the one to call the meeting, the session quickly came to a close after that. Carol pulled Aunt Sarah aside to have a loud, obvious, easily overheard conversation, while the rest of the two families went upstairs. As they usually did after team meetings, takeout had been ordered, this time Chinese, which arrived shortly after the meeting ended. While the food was being spread out on the table, Aunt Sarah and Carol returned. The latter completely ignored everyone and making her way upstairs, her face pulled into a thunderous expression that spoke volumes about how the private conversation had gone.

    The after-meeting meal was tense and awkward, the absence of Carol weighing heavily on them. This wasn''t the first time Victoria''s mother had tried to push for drastic action, but it was the most out-there and confusing in recent memory. Victoria couldn''t help but wonder what was going through her mother''s head. Why was she so determined to vilify the hero? Was she being paranoid? Did she actually have a point? Why did she have such a large issue with Arcanum?

    Victoria had a much easier time understanding Amy''s problem with the hero. Frustration about a potent healer not sharing her beliefs, jealousy at his freedom and confidence, and envy of his ability to heal brains.

    Once the meal was over, the two families split, saying their goodbyes. Sarah pulled Mark aside for their own private conversation, this one much more reasonable and quiet, while Eric and Neil headed out to the car. As Victoria gave her cousin Crystal a hug, waving as her older cousin walked out, she saw Amy make her way upstairs. Her sister was probably going to work on homework since she had only just returned home from the hospital when the meeting started. More importantly, though, she would be out of earshot.

    Not long after that, Sarah finished her conversation with Mark, who immediately sat down in the living room in his usual spot, the TV already on. Aunt Sarah gave Victoria a quick hug before making her way to the door. Vicky gave a look over her shoulder to her dad, already dead to the world, as he watched whatever stupid reality television was on. Amy was upstairs, as was Carol.

    This was her chance.

    "Aunt Sarah, wait," Victoria said, floating after her aunt, following her out the door to the front porch. "Can I talk to you for a moment? It''s kind of important."

    Aunt Sarah stopped and turned, looking at Victoria for a moment, studying her face. She must have spotted something worrying because she immediately looked serious.

    "Is everything okay, hun?" She asked, stepping closer and rubbing her shoulder. "You look like you''ve seen a ghost."

    "I¡­ no¡­ Well¡­The thing is¡­ I¡­Well-"

    The young hero stumbled and tripped over her words, her mind beginning to fill with anxiety. She continued to talk, but it was a jumbled rush of words and mumbles. She did manage to get out that she was worried about her sister.

    "Vicky, hey, it''s okay, just take deep breaths," Her Aunt said, now looking properly worried. "What was that about worried about Amy?"

    Victoria took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She felt wobbly and unstable, like she was about to make a massive mistake but at the same time reveal a great dangerous secret. She could hear her heartbeat and her pulse race, nervous energy flowing through her that made her want to sit down or run away. She was sure that if anyone had been around that wasn''t immune to her Aura, they would be freaking out.

    "I''m worried, worried that-"

    From further into the house, Victoria could hear an insistent knocking. She didn''t even have to think to recognize it as her mother''s. The fact that she could hear it from where she was meant it was probably closer to a pounding than a knock, but she didn''t have long to think about that. The knocking stopped but was soon replaced by loud talking, then shouting.

    When it became screaming, shouting loud enough that even with the front door shut, both Victoria and Aunt Sarah would have heard it. She could tell it was terrible because Amy never really shouted like that. She would stop before that, roll her eyes, and ignore Carol, taking whatever punishment her mother doled out, barely even shrugging her shoulders. But now she was meeting Carol''s aggression, matching her shout for shout.

    Both Vicky and Aunt Sarah rushed back inside, making their way to the staircase. Before they could reach it, the loud shouting began to move as the two people screaming at each other stormed down the second-floor hall. Carol shouted for Amy, demanding that she stop and not walk away from her, for her to come back that instant. After a moment, the sound of a slap resonated through the house, followed by Amy demanding she be released.

    Both Aunt Sarah and Victoria arrived just in time to watch Amy tumble down the stairs. The sound of meaty impacts and snapping bones cut through everything. Amy came to a stop at the turn into the stairs, cracking a pair of balusters as she slammed to a halt. At the top of the stairs was Carol, her eyes wide as she looked down at the unmoving healer.

 Chapter Thirty Five

    I galloped through the streets of Brockton Bay faster than I had ever pushed my golem mount before. Between my legs, I could feel the heat radiating off the golem core, the bright blue glow almost blinding as I dumped all the mana I could into it. Despite being well built and capable of absorbing a lot of my mana to burn as extra energy, the golem core still had limits. If I pushed too much energy into it for too long, I would burn out the ritual effects on it, reducing it to a fancy-looking but ultimately useless paperweight.

    As Troy turned down an alleyway, leaping over a dumpster, I could feel I was getting pretty close to that point. At this point, the only reason I cared was that I would be stranded out in the middle of the city if I accidentally wrecked Troy''s core. Troy was well-made, but he was still basically an inanimate object. Eventually, he could develop into more, but that was a one-in-a-million chance, and it wouldn''t happen any time soon. For now, I would happily throw his core into the ocean if it meant saving a single life.

    Especially as important as Panacea.

    I mentally cursed myself, unable to throw the feeling that this was somehow my fault. I had put off looking into her and Glory Girls'' situation for too long despite my gut telling me that something was wrong. Glory Girl''s reaction to our conversation, plus what I had learned later from the medical director, had been more than damning enough for me to act or at least ask more questions, and I had put it off until later.

    When I finally arrived at the hospital, I ignored every bit of signage and parking instructions, instead cutting through the front lawn, leaping over a hedge, and jumping off of Troy, barely pausing to grab my staff from its "saddle holster." As I pushed through the front door, I used a quick spell to coil it back up and hook it onto my hip. I could hear people gasping and pointing at Troy, but I knew he would be fine, and it was not like anyone could tell him what to do.

    As I stepped inside the building, I immediately spotted Dr. Palrisa and Assault waiting for me. Without a word, Dr. Palrisa turned and headed down the hall, and both Assault and I followed after him.

    "Arcanum, listen¡­" Assault said, easily keeping stride with us as we climbed into an elevator. "There''s a lot of tension going on right now, and¡­ Look, Brandish didn''t react very well when she heard you were coming. There is a chance she won''t let you heal Panacea."

    I turned and looked at him, reeling back in shock.

    "Excuse me?" I asked. "Brandish, as in Carol Dallon, Amy''s mother? She won''t let me heal her?"

    "She didn''t say it exactly, but it was close," He corrected. "The whole family barely managed to convince her to put off surgery for now."

    I gritted my teeth and flexed, cracking my back as I once again cursed my inaction. I understood that some people were skeptical of parahuman healing, but the mother of the greatest parahuman healer ever refusing parahuman treatment¡­

    When the elevator door finally opened, Dr. Parisa led me out and down the hall. We passed a nurse''s station and turned a corner to find most of the New Wave sitting or standing in the hall. I recognized them from pictures, though identifying them without their costumes was a bit more difficult. On top of that, Miss Militia was also there, standing beside Glory Girl, rubbing her back.

    The masked woman stood out among the plainclothes heroes, all blonde and looking worried, though even with her mask, I could tell she was just as worried as the rest. I stepped past my handler, only to stop and catch Glory Girl as she flew to me the second she spotted me. Her eyes were red and puffy, and as she wrapped me in a hug, her grip was bruising even through my steel absorption.

    "Arcanum! I messed up, I should have said something! This is all my fault. Please help her, please, please!"

    She begged, holding onto me tightly. I looked down at her in shock, before looking up at everyone else. They all looked equally surprised at Glory Girl''s, or Victoria''s in this instance, immediate attention.

    "I''ll do my best, I promise," I said, patting her back a bit awkwardly, looking around, focusing on her mother, who was standing nearby, her arms crossed. "What happened?"

    "She fell down the stairs," The older woman responded. "We were having an argument and¡­ I unfortunately distracted her at the wrong moment. I was following after her and¡­ She was focused back on me when she missed the first step."

    I couldn''t help but frown at her open hostility. Even if Assault hadn''t warned me, it would have been impossible for me not to know that she didn''t want me here. After a moment, I looked at the man standing next to her. Flashbang, or Mark Dallon, has his arm on her shoulder, supporting his wife. Beside him were Sarah and Neil Pelham. While Mark didn''t react at all to his wife''s explanation, the reaction Sarah and Neil had made me very concerned. It wasn''t flat out that they thought she was lying. Instead, it felt more like they were worried they had missed something, that they couldn''t deny or confirm her statement.

    "Right, well, why don''t I heal her up," I said, patting Victoria again before gently encouraging her to step back. "It sounded like time was of the essence. I-"

    "And what makes you think we want you to heal her?" Carol demanded, pushing off of the wall and stepping closer, rolling her shoulder to dislodge her husband''s hand. "Nobody asks you to come, we-"

    "I did," Victoria said, cutting her mom off. "I told the doctors to call him."

    Carol turned to her uninjured daughter and frowned. She opened her mouth to say something, but at this point, I was done beating around the bush. Amy Dallon was severely hurt, and she deserved treatment. It was the least I could do considering her selflessness, even if it was unhealthy and misdirected.

    "Ma''am, are you saying that you do not want your daughter, Panacea, to undergo parahuman healing?" I asked. "Even though my healing abilities have been tested and verified by the PRT as safe and without drawbacks?"

    Unsurprisingly, she immediately picked up the subtext I was dropping, no doubt her experience as a lawyer coming in handy. The idea that she would deny Panacea parahuman healing would send ripples outward that she would have no way of controlling. Panacea was the world''s greatest parahuman healer. But if her own mother didn''t trust a verified cape healer, what did that say about what her daughter could do?

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    It wasn''t quite a threat, but the way she looked at me, I may as well have been holding her at gunpoint. She opened her mouth, her face pulling into a scowl when her husband spoke up first.

    "You have my permission," he said, pointedly ignoring Carol as she whirled around to face him. "That''s all you need, right? One parent''s consent?"

    "That is, in fact, all I need. Let''s go get your daughter all fixed up," I said with a smile, stepping past the hero mother to pat her husband on his shoulder.

    Dr. Palrisa led us into Amy''s room, standing aside so that we could all enter. I made a beeline for the bed, stopping by the young woman''s side. She was looking rough, with a temporary cast on her left arm and a bandage around her head. There was no blood or anything, but I could see bruises covering her body.

    "I''m going to begin now. Don''t be startled by the lights or chanting, it helps me focus my ability," I explained before putting a hand gently on Amy''s forehead and stomach.

    To start off the healing, and to know just how bad she was injured, I started with an in-depth scan. When it was complete, I almost cursed out loud at the list of issues she was experiencing. The first and most prevalent issue was the skull fracture and brain swelling. She was pretty stable, considering her injuries, but the sooner I treated that, the better.

    Next, she had several minor hairline fractures around her ribs, arm, and leg, as well as the more obviously broken arm. The break was not compound, and the muscle tearing was minimal, but the fracture was messy enough that she would have likely spent a long time in a cast.

    After that was the bruising, which was expected and lined up with a serious fall. I would be able to get rid of those with a general healing spell once all of the other major issues were taken care of. There was a bruise on her right arm that looked a little too much like she had been grabbed roughly, which was worrying enough on its own. After her bruises were the background issues.

    She was showing the beginning signs of hypertension due to stress, a mind-boggling concept for someone her age. While her body was physically slightly larger than was "optimal," she showed signs of malnutrition, with my scan concluding her diet was exceedingly poor for a long time. Her lungs were filled with enough tar that she had to have been smoking regularly for at least a year, or less regularly for more.

    Her body was a mess, and it read as someone significantly older than she should be, like she had been through the wringer and was being overworked to the point of being unacceptable. The only positive thing I could say was that, beyond her current injuries and other issues, I could see no sign of systemic physical abuse.

    I immediately healed the primary concerns, namely her head, brain, several minor fractures, and her arm, before pulling back. Dozens of people could verify that her skull had been fractured and that her arm had been broken. For everything else, it would be my word against the families. I didn''t even heal the bruising, which left a pit in my stomach. I mentally promised that I would finish healing her the second I could.

    When I was done healing the important bits, I stepped back, making more room for her family to step closer.

    "I fixed her skull and the brain swelling, as well as her arm. She had a bunch of minor fractures as well, which I also fixed," I explained. "Right now, she is pretty heavily asleep and probably will be for a while."

    Victoria gave me a smile before floating around and down beside her sister while her father stood on the other side. Carol stood beside him, his arm crossed as she looked down at her sleeping daughter. After a moment of observing them, I turned to leave. Dr. Palrisa started to follow me out, and I turned to him and gave him a harsh look.

    "Stay here," I ordered softly. "Do not leave Amy alone with anyone."

    He looked confused for a second before something must have clicked in his head, and his eyes went wide, looking between me and the family gathered around the still-unconscious hero. For a moment, I thought he would say something, but after a moment, he nodded. I left the room in a rush, and the aunt and uncle immediately stepped forward as I did.

    "I healed her head and arm, she is just sleeping," I explained. "If you''ll excuse me."

    If they noticed my brusqueness, they didn''t mention it, immediately stepping inside. As soon as the door was shut, I turned and quickly walked back down the hall, making a turn and stopping at the nurse''s station. As I did, I whispered to Alya.

    "Go back to the room and watch over Amy. Do not leave until I call for you."

    I could feel her agreement as I walked, arriving at the nurse''s station just after she pulled away. At this point, it was getting pretty late. Visiting hours must have been up, so I could only assume they were turning a blind eye for the sake of Panacea. That said, despite it being late, a nurse immediately spotted me. As chance would have it, I recognized her as the calm nurse who had watched me heal the poor young girl on my "smoke break."

    "Arcanum, you finished helping Panacea already?" She asked, looking surprised. "We-"

    "I need you to get the highest-up doctor in the hospital here, now," I said, cutting her off, the Nurse''s eyes going wide. "Someone who knows how everything works, who can make decisions, takes their job seriously, and would hear how I''m talking to you and would respond by telling me to get the hell out of the hospital without blinking an eye. Do you understand what I need?"

    It took a second for her to recover, but she seemed to get the gist of it as she immediately picked up the phone. As she talked in hushed tones through the phone, I realized that I wasn''t exactly alone.

    "Arcanum, what''s going on?" Assault asked from behind me. "What''s wrong?"

    "Nothing I can tell you," I explained, which really got Assault''s attention. "Go wait outside Amy''s room."

    The Protectorate hero clearly understood that something was wrong, and from his complete shift in demeanor, he clearly knew it was serious. Instead of asking again, he nodded, immediately turning around and heading back to the room.

    It took several minutes for whichever doctor the nurse called to arrive, approaching me the second he saw me. He was a middle-aged man, maybe late thirties, with a clean-shaven face and a pair of reading glasses hanging around his neck. He approached with a frown on his face, which told me he was expecting to have to put someone in their place for being rude to his staff.

    "Arcanum, what exactly is going on?" He asked, giving the nurse at the station a look. "I understand Panacea is important, but you cannot go around bossing my staff around just because-"

    "Sir, with all due respect, that is not what is going on here," I said, gesturing for him to follow me a few feet away from the nurse''s station.

    "Then what is?" He asked, his tone wordlessly conveying that I needed to get to the point as quickly as possible.

    "You need to start whatever process this hospital has for abused or neglected children," I informed him, his eyes widening as I spoke. "I have no way of knowing if her mother''s story is true, but I can say without a doubt that Amy Dallon is being neglected by her parents. Her body is falling apart from stress, and her brain is an absolute mess from lack of sleep. She is suffering from low levels of malnutrition for half a dozen vitamins and has been smoking for at least a year, potentially longer. Now, I can wash all of those issues away, but her parents let them happen in the first place, and that is unacceptable."

    By the time I was done, the man''s jaw was hanging open. He was speechless, staring at me as if I had just declared myself the king of the moon.

    "Doctor?"

    "I- Yes, but, they are¡­"

    "I don''t care if they are the goddamn Beatles!" I said, poking the man in the shoulder, hard enough to knock him back a step. "Amy Dallon is being criminally neglected by her parents, and it is your job to start whatever process that entails. So start them!"

 Chapter Thirty Six

    The Doctor, who I later learned was Dr. Gomez, quickly left after I laid out what was going on and what my scans had picked up. I could tell that he was unnerved and unhappy with what I was accusing, but he was too much of a professional not to do his due diligence. According to him, the first step of the process was reaching out to the Department of Children and Families and making a report. From there, several nurses were in and out of Amy''s room, taking various blood samples and the like.

    I hung around for a while, using the excuse that I was healing people, picking up Panacea''s slack while she was injured. Considering we were waking people up to heal them, I wasn''t sure who actually believed that excuse. Still, it kept me close enough that Alya could keep an eye on everything while I kept out of view of the family, my partner giving me steady reports on what was going on with Amy and around the hospital.

    Now, like most people, I was relatively ignorant of the DCF or CPS process, past understanding that people like Doctors were mandated reporters and what I had seen on TV. Once I passed it off to the doctors, I was cut out of the problem. My services were no longer required. I stuck around, though, because I still had an uneasy feeling about the situation. Despite my ignorance of the system, I was pretty sure that the family of the potential victim was not supposed to learn about the accusation so quickly, if at all.

    That made Alya''s warning that Carol Dallon was hunting me down through the hospital, followed closely by her sister and daughter, all the more concerning.

    Rather than run and hide, I finished healing my current patient, a poor old woman with pretty severe arthritis and some lower back issues that I did my best to ease, I made my way to the nearest empty room I could find. The Doctor guiding me around looked at me funny as I walked into the empty room, but when Carol came storming down the hall, demanding where I was, he directed her inside before running away.

    Smart man.

    "Alya, blow the door shut when they come in," I whispered just as the older woman spotted me through the doorway, charging directly in with a thunderous expression, her daughter following her in.

    "You fucking bastard! How dare you accuse me of abusing Amy!" She shouted, the door thankfully already shut behind Sarah Pelham. "What right do you have-"

    "Right? What right? It has nothing to do with rights." I fired back, cutting her off. "I have a responsibility as an adult to report any potential child abuse or neglect I see."

    "I didn''t push her down the stairs, she fell!" She responded, her fists clenched. "When she wakes up, she will collaborate that, and I will fucking bury you."

    "I don''t appreciate threats, ma''am," I responded. "Besides, I didn''t report you for the injuries. I reported you for everything else."

    "What else? I have never laid a hand on her!"

    "I performed an in-depth scan of her before I healed her to make sure there wasn''t something the doctors missed. It''s something I do for all people I heal, at least when I have the time. Usually, it reveals some older injuries or some small thing like a stubbed toe or a pulled muscle," I explained, unable to keep the scowl off my face. "Amy''s revealed she is a smoker, malnutritioned, and severely overworked. In total, she hasn''t gotten more than twelve hours of sleep over the last four days, and I can see the effects of chronic sleep deprivation riddled through her brain. She has more stress in her body than any of the people I have scanned since I got my powers and way more than is even remotely close to what a girl her age should ever have to deal with."

    The silence in the room was heavy, and I could see the tears starting to well up and fall from Victoria''s eyes. Her mother and Aunt just stood there, dumbfounded.

    "I also know that she spends almost every free waking moment at the hospital, enough time that I''m pretty sure the hospital is violating child labor laws," I explained. "I also know that she considers her only self-worth to be her ability to heal."

    "I¡­ That¡­"

    "Knowing all of this, Ma''am, how could I do anything else but report it? Your daughter is suffering, and I will not let that slide."

    "You¡­ You''re making this up!" Carol said, pointing an accusing finger at me, her shock morphing into rage. "I knew you were a villain. I knew it! Now you''re trying to weaken New Wave, so we can''t stop you! Well, we-"

    "MOM! He isn''t lying!" Victoria shouted.

    A wave of admiration and awe flowed over me, and for a long, floating moment, all I could focus on was Victoria. Thankfully, before I could even start to think too deeply, Alya gave me a bit of a mental yank. It was enough for me to push down the emotions she was forcing on me, giving me a bit more self-control. Victoria was floating a foot or so off the ground, staring at her mom angrily. Behind her, her aunt was looking at her niece with the same awe I''m sure I had, but Carol was looking at her with wide, terrified eyes. Then, as quickly as it had arrived, it vanished, the emotional weight cutting off. All three of us took a moment to recover, but it seemed like Carol''s anger let her push through first.

    "Victoria Dallon, you did not just use your Aura on me! I-"

    "Just shut up!" the teenager shouted. "I''m sick of you ignoring me! I''ve tried to get you to see, I''ve tried to get Amy to see, but nobody will listen, and now, because I''m a coward and couldn''t speak up sooner, Amy got hurt! Aunt Sarah!"

    Victoria whirled around to look at her aunt, with tears still dripping down her face.

    "Mom¡­ Mom treats Amy badly. It''s never violent, but she¡­ She never shows her affection, never hugs her, never reassures her. She calls me her daughter but never refers to Amy like that. It''s constant, and I can''t believe I never noticed! She yells at her more, chastises her more, punishes her more! Amy can never do anything right, and anything she does well is ignored. Amy thinks¡­ she thinks that the only thing that matters about her is that she can heal people. She puts it above everything, even her own health! And Mom encourages it!"

    The weighty silence was back as Mrs. Pelham stared at Victoria, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging open. Eventually, it seemed that she had managed to process everything that Victoria had said, because her gaze turned to her sister, locking on to her with a hard stare.

    "Is that true?" She asked, her willpower tested. When her sister failed to respond, she asked again, her hands starting to glow. "Carol Dallon, so help me god, is that true?!"

    "Of course it''s not true! I fed her, clothed her, put a roof over her head!" She shouted back, her ire redirected at her family. "I might not have loved her like my daughter, but I still took care of her!"

    "So you did the absolute bare minimum?" Mrs Pelham asked, her voice filled with disgust. "Goddammit, Carol, she is a child, and you raised her like that? How¡­ how could you do that to her? How did I not see it?!"

    "You pushed her on me! I said no, and you insisted! And it''s more than she deserves!" She shouted back, her face turning red. "It''s only a matter of time before she turns into a monster like her father!"

    The ranting woman stopped suddenly, having realized what she said, and immediately started to backtrack.

    "No, wait, I didn''t mean that," She said, shaking her head. "I''m just angry, she- I-"

    I lunged forward, intercepting Victoria before the monstrous haymaker punch she was throwing could land. I barely made it, just able to snag the crook of my elbow along hers. I could feel my bones and muscles scream as her super strength completely out-scaled my own. Still, I was able to pull her back, mostly because I wasn''t her target, and she didn''t really want to hurt me.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "How could you say that! She has dedicated her life to helping people, and you call her a monster?" The teenager shouted as I pulled her back a few more feet, only managing to because she had stopped fighting me. "She¡­ she isn''t perfect, but she is not a monster, you are!"

    "I''m¡­ I''m sorry, Victoria¡­ I-" She started to say, her voice much quieter.

    "Sorry? SORRY?! I don''t want an apology! You haven''t been emotionally abusing and neglecting me!" She shouted back, her voice breaking as she sobbed. "No, instead, I''m an accomplice. I lived happily, smiling and feeling loved while my sister suffered. I don''t want your apology¡­ Carol. I don''t want anything to do with you."

    By the end of her rant, Victoria was no longer shouting. Her words were quiet, and her tone was cold. Carol visibly flinched when she called her by her name. When she was done, the teen hero pushed off my hands and gave me what looked like an attempt at an appreciative look before she walked out of the room.

    The door slammed behind her, and I looked back to Carol, who looked lost and empty, while Mrs. Pelham looked tired, disgusted, and angry. She stared at her sister for a full minute before finally speaking.

    "You will not interfere or interact with DCF or CPS except to answer their questions honestly," she finally said, staring down her sister, who barely reacted to her words. "Amy is going to move in with us, if they don''t take her away completely. You will never be alone with her again, and if you attempt to push or pry at this, I will publicly kick you from New Wave and start the process of getting an official restraining order. At this point, I still might."

    When Mrs. Pelham was done laying down the law, she turned to leave, gesturing for me to go with her. I nodded and followed the woman out, leaving her still shell-shocked sister alone. When I exited, Mrs. Pelham shut the door behind me. When the door latched shut, for a moment, she nearly collapsed, leaning hard against the door. I reached out to catch her, but the slightly older woman waved me away. She took a moment to collect herself before finally standing up straight.

    "Arcanum, I¡­"

    She trailed off, looking at me, clearly trying to figure out what she was supposed to say but unable to really figure out how to say it all. I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder.

    "It''s okay, I can''t imagine how insane this is to you," I said. "I would say that you shouldn''t blame yourself. We are often blind to the things closest to us, and that isn''t more true than it is with family. Just promise me you''ll get Amy real, professional help."

    "We will, there¡­ I already made a mistake convincing Carol to take her in the first place. I won''t fail Amy again," She assured me before starting to walk down the hall, away from her sister. "A lot of things are going to change for us. I just hope our family survives this."

    "Will Vicky be okay? Living with her?" I asked. "I know it''s invasive, but¡­"

    "No, after what you just witnessed, you have every right to question it," She admitted, shaking her head. "I will talk to her. Mark¡­ Mark struggles with depression, I don''t know¡­God, I don''t know if he can take care of her¡­ But she is seventeen."

    "How long has he been dealing with that?" I asked before wincing and holding up a hand. "Sorry, that was too much. I''ve gotten used to asking more questions when people tell me about injuries and maladies."

    "It''s fine, Amy is the same way," She admitted, though she didn''t turn around. "And to answer your question, we aren''t sure, but he has been treated on and off for several years. He played football when he was younger, it''s how he got his scholarship."

    I chewed my lip, my mask hiding my expression as I weighed the options for what I was considering.

    "Listen, I only healed Amy''s most pressing injuries, but I would like to finish the process now that¡­ you know what''s going on," I explained. "There is also a chance if it was caused by repetitive impacts, that I may be able to fix Mark''s depression as well."

    That got her attention, whirling around and focusing on me entirely.

    "How?"

    "I can''t fix the natural state of the body, so old age and genetic disorders are out of my reach. But I can fix the symptoms, and I can fix damage. If he has a natural imbalance, then there isn''t much I can do for him. But if it was caused by playing football, constantly getting tiny repetitive trauma¡­ I might be able to fix it. Old injuries are harder to work with, so¡­ It''s a toss-up. I apologize, I know this isn''t the best time, but¡­"

    "No, if you can help Mark, then now is as good a time as any," She said, shaking her head. "It is a lot, but I know you have good intentions."

    I nodded, and we quickly headed back to Amy''s room. Miss Militia and Assault were both still there, now sitting down across from the door. Mrs. Pelham stopped to talk to both of them while I stepped into the room. Victoria was sitting by Amy''s bed, her head lying on the rail of the gurney. On the other side was Mark, sitting stoically by her bed. They both immediately looked in my direction, both looking at me with different levels of confusion. I wondered if Victoria had explained what was happening to her dad, but judging by his expression, he had no idea.

    I quickly explained that I needed to finish healing Amy, and Mark simply shrugged, sliding his chair back to give me room. I quickly cast a half dozen spells, cleaning up her lungs, healing the damage, and wiping away some of the worst symptoms from her stress, poor diet, and chronic sleep deprivation. When I was done, Amy Dallon was the healthiest she had been in an unfortunately long time.

    When I was done, I turned to Mark Dallon.

    "Sir, I''ve been told that you struggle with depression and that you used to play football in college?" I asked. "Do you mind if I scan you like I did with Amy? There is a chance I might be able to help."

    "You can cure depression?" He asked, looking skeptical.

    "I can cure some of the brain damage that is often associated with depression," I corrected. "If you don''t have that type of damage, I''m afraid there is very little I can do."

    "I¡­ wouldn''t mind being scanned."

    I nodded and reached out, placing my hand on his shoulder and quickly casting the scanning spell. He was, frankly, in near-perfect condition. His body was perfect, with zero health issues anywhere outside of his brain box. Inside that, however, was precisely the kind of damage I was worried about.

    "Well, Mr. Dallon, you do, in fact, have some traces of brain damage consistent with repetitive trauma," I confirmed. "Would you like me to try and fix it?"

    "I¡­ what sort of effect would it have on me?" He asked, sounding thoughtful.

    "Unfortunately, I have no way of predicting that," I admitted. "It''s a very old injury. I might not be able to repair it fully."

    For a long minute, he chewed his lip before eventually shaking his head with a frown.

    "I need to talk about it with Carol first," he explained. "I''m already going to be in trouble for giving you permission so quickly."

    "I understand," giving Victoria a look before she spoke up. "The doctors have my number, as does the PRT if you change your mind."

    He nodded before silently retaking his position beside his now much healthier daughter. I gave Victoria a nod before quickly making my way outside the room. All three of the heroes were still there, now joined by Mr Pelham. All four of them turned to look at me as I shut the door behind me. Letting out a long breath I stepped closer, Assault stepping back slightly to let me into their little circle.

 Chapter Thirty Seven

    As I stood with the other heroes, Sarah Pelham paused whatever she was saying for a moment to nod and greet me.

    "Hello, Arcanum, are you finished?" She asked, seemingly fighting the urge to check on Amy herself. "Is Amy okay?"

    "Yes, Ma''am, Amy is in near-perfect health. She is lucky that her smoking didn''t cause more damage," I admitted with a frown, unhappy with how close it had been. "I was able to heal and clean them up pretty well. I also made my other offer, but¡­"

    "I already told them everything," Sarah assured me. "Or I plan to, at least."

    "Ah, I see. Well, I scanned Mark and concluded his previous head trauma is affecting his current state of mind," I explained, now going into detail. "I offered to try and heal it, but Victoria hadn''t explained what had happened yet, so he defaulted to waiting for his wife to discuss the possibility."

    "Dammit¡­ okay, I''ll talk to him," She said, pausing for a moment before looking at her own husband. "Actually, Neil, it might be better for you to do that."

    "Yeah¡­ you''re right. I''m on it," The older man said with a grim nod, leaving the group to head inside the room.

    A few seconds later he returned, his brother-in-law following him out and down the hall towards the nurses station. When they were out of sight, Mrs. Pelham let out a long sigh.

    "I really hope you can help him," She admitted. "But he is going to wake up to a whole lot of problems."

    "Sarah, if you could¡­?" Miss Militia said, prompting Mrs Pelham to nod

    "Right. As I said, once Amy is given a clean bill of health by the hospital, she will be taking a prolonged break from healing," She explained. "She needs time for herself, both to figure out what is going on and to come to peace with it."

    "Sarah, while I understand that she needs time¡­" Miss Militia said, wincing as she spoke and sounding unhappy with what she was saying. "And I truly wish this wasn''t the case because she is a kid, and she deserves to have time to recover and heal¡­ but the PRT depends on her to an unfortunate degree. Without her here to help keep us going after we are injured¡­ we won''t be able to keep up."

    For a moment, I frowned, opening my mouth to respond, only to realise she wasn''t entirely incorrect. A quick bit of mental math showed that the Empire alone dwarfed them in size, and they even had access to a healer. Without Panacea helping to keep the Protectorate up and pushing back... Miss Militia was correct.

    "I wish she wasn''t right," Assault added, shaking his head. "We should have seen this coming and prevented it, but we depend on her powers."

    I could see that Sarah Pelham wanted to be angry with what she was hearing, but in the end, she could only mutter out a curse. Before she could say anything, I spoke up.

    "I''ll fill in for her," I volunteered, the group turned to focus on me. "At the PRT and here at the hospital. With some triage measures in place here, we could cut the amount of healing down to a level I am comfortable with."

    "I''m not sure we can afford your rates," Miss Militia admitted. "At least not for consistent injuries."

    "Then we can negotiate a temporary alternative price. I refuse to work for free, but while I''m covering for Amy, I can afford to take a hit."

    Miss Militia gave Assault a look, and the red-themed hero nodded, stepping away from the conversation and putting his hand to his ear. Meanwhile, Sarah Pelham reached out to my shoulder and pulled me into a hug. It caught me off guard, but I managed to not make an idiot of myself.

    "Thank you," She said, pulling back with a small smile and watery eyes. "Thank you for everything you''ve done for Amy and our family. This is¡­ all of this¡­ Thank you."

    "Of course," I responded simply, giving her a nod as she pulled away completely.

    It took a few minutes for Assault to finish his conversation, during which Mr. Pelham and Mr. Dallon returned. The depressed father gave me permission to heal his brain injury, and after I warned him it would likely be a slow, gradual transition, I fixed him up. It took a bit of juice and one of my more powerful spells, but the results were positive, and I was hopeful that he would be able to finally shake off his issues.

    For now, though, it was still affecting him, and after a shallow thank you, he returned to Amy''s room to sit beside her bed.

    "You should keep an eye on him as well," I pointed out once the door was closed. "He is going to be looking at a lot of his past through a different lens now. Chances are he isn''t going to like what he sees."

    "Do you think he is¡­" Sarah asked, trailing off before actually asking if he was a danger to himself.

    "I would love to say no, but he¡­ well, he basically watched his daughter get neglected. Kind of neglected her himself¡­"

    Mr. Pelham let out a curse under his breath, sitting down heavily in one of the nearby chairs. His wife looked about, ready to join him.

    "Just keep an eye on him. If he seems to be spiraling, then you can react from there," I explained, Sarah Pelham giving a firm nod in understanding. "He should steadily improve over the next few days, but if he doesn''t, call me."

    Assault came back not much later, and after getting my permission, he gave Director Piggot my phone number. The woman in charge immediately used to call me. After some discussion, we agreed that for emergencies, I would come to the PRT, and for non-emergencies, they would quietly bring their people to the hospital. That way, I could get all my healing done at once, in one place.

    Not long after that, I had a similar conversation with one of the medical directors of the hospital. Until Panacea and I could share the load of healing, they would create a list of people who needed my help. No illnesses that could heal on their own, no bone breaks that weren''t dangerous, anything that wasn''t life-threatening or life-altering would be treated by normal doctors. If they had insurance, I would get paid, and if they didn''t, I would do it for free. Of course, as usual, my guidelines were a bit more flexible for children, but they were mostly the same.

    With the stopgap in place, I finally left the hospital. It was way too early to still be up, and I had a long day ahead of me. I had quite a few rituals to prepare for if I wanted to take full advantage of the new moon. I made sure that Mark, Sarah, and Victoria all had my number, with permission to distribute it among the rest of their family, before setting back out to the Docks community. I needed to sleep, and not only was there a bed for me there, but since I also needed to talk to Olivia, it was convenient.

    I was thankful that Troy could basically guide himself, especially to locations he had been to before, because I fell asleep twice on his back, trotting down the empty streets of the Docks. When I finally arrived, I made my way quietly into the same sleeping space that I had before, happy to find it unoccupied. I crawled onto the foam padding and was out before I could even put the covers up.

    The next morning, I woke up tired but managed to wash away some of the fatigue with a general healing spell. With any luck, a cup of coffee or two would solve the rest.

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    I left the sleeping area and made my way into the open space around the community. While enjoying an apple and an avocado for breakfast, I made my way around the community, asking about Olivia. I made sure to use one of her fake names, handing out healing as needed. After about ten minutes of getting no answers, the woman herself showed up.

    "Heard you were looking for me," She said in a severe tone, pausing for a moment before smiling. "What''s up?"

    "I wanted to ask you something. Would you mind¡­?" I asked, gesturing to an alleyway that led away from the general community area.

    "Ooo, ominous," She said before giving me a shrug. "Alright, fine, lead the way."

    We left the community behind, Troy following after us as we looked for a private spot. Alya confirmed we were alone before we both sat down on an old, crumbling set of concrete steps.

    "So, I wanted to make you something," I explained, getting right to the point. "Something to work with your powers. I wanted to know if you were interested since it could¡­. Well, it could lead to more eventually, and I wanted to know if you''d prefer just to stay out of it completely."

    "What do you want to make me?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "And what''s the catch?"

    "I haven''t decided yet, to be honest," I said with a shrug. "But it would synergize with your powers, at least thematically, if not actually helping you with them. As for the catch, there is no catch, I''m just hoping you''ll help defend the community or even work with me, but it''s not a requirement."

    She looked at me for a moment before snorting and shaking her head with a chuckle.

    "Your such a fucking boy scout," She said, considering my offer for a long moment before nodding. "Alright, yeah. I can''t promise how much of a help I''ll actually be, but yes, you can make something for me, even if it draws me into this whole cape thing."

    "Cool. Then I need to go find some containers," I said, standing up and dusting myself off. "When I do, I''m going to need a big vial of blood from you. That acceptable?"

    "Really not inspiring confidence by asking for my blood," She pointed out, shaking her head. "But yes, it''s fine."

    "Good. Stick around for a bit," I instructed. "I need to go shopping, but it shouldn''t be too long."

    I quickly changed out of my uniform, pulling a set of civilian clothes out of Troy by using my plant manipulation spell to open a partial cavity in his chest. When I was done changing, pointedly ignoring Olivia''s wolf whistles, I stuffed my costume back into the same cavity.

    After a quick goodbye, I left the alley at a jog, leaving Olivia with Troy while I made my way to the more populated streets of Brockton Bay, eventually hailing a cab. I stopped by several stores, stuffing a duffel bag full of everything that I wanted or would need and running up a significant cab fare before having the driver drop me off nearby where I had left Troy. He was still there, waiting for me, and as I approached, Olivia appeared out of a shadow, fading in from the relative darkness.

    "''Shouldn''t be too long,'' huh? You were gone for almost two hours!" She complained. "You''re lucky I happen to be a fan of lazy mornings."

    "I miss lazy mornings," I said with a chuckle, carefully putting down the duffel bag full of supplies I had bought. "Come here and sit down."

    She nodded, once again sitting down on the worn concrete steps. Using a bloodletting spell for ritual crafting, I filled up a twenty-milliliter glass vial with her blood, stopping it with a natural cork. I now had hundreds of the same vail, thanks to a relatively well-stocked arts and crafts shop. A quick healing spell later and her finger was all healed up. I was very careful to direct the magic to her finger and keep it away from her scars. When the wound disappeared, she looked at her finger for a long moment.

    "You could fix me, couldn''t you?" She asked, looking up from her finger, her mismatched eyes locked on to me. "My scars, I mean."

    "I could," I confirmed with a nod. "I was advised not to bring it up when I first saw you, though."

    "...and my eye?"

    "Yes."

    For a long moment, she looked at me, studying my face. Eventually, she slowly reached out and took my hand, pulling it to her face until my palm was over her eye.

    "Please. Just fix the eye," She said, sounding guilty of all things.

    "Of course. Hold still, I might have to cast it multiple times to deal with the set scarring."

    When she nodded, I focused my magic and chanted softly so I didn''t startle her.

    "Oculum laesum sana, visum ei restitue."

    A triplet of arcane symbols glowed around the back of my hand, gathering healing magic before it pushed through me and into Olivia''s eye. I repeated that spell three more times before finally pulling my hand away.

    Olivia''s eyes fluttered open, revealing a pair of bright green eyes, both of them completely clear of any scarring. I healed just enough of her eyelid that she could comfortably blink and look around, her eyes latching on to mine.

    "Not bad, huh?" I asked. "Thank you for trusting me to help."

    "It wasn''t really about trust, but thank you," She said, standing up and looking up at the sky, then back down to me. "I think I need to go, but I''ll see you again soon, yeah?"

    "Gotta give you your gift eventually, don''t I?" I responded with a small smile. "I''ll be around, and you have a habit of finding me pretty easily."

    "Hard to miss you," She shot back, turning to fade into a nearby shadow. "See you around, William."

    "See you around, Olivia."

    She vanished, leaving me ''alone'' next to Troy. I quickly put my costume back on, storing my civilian clothes before climbing up onto Troy''s back. I could feel the weight of the blood vial in my coat pocket, as well as the more physical weight of the duffle bag full of materials on my back.

    By this point, it was only about noon, but already, I needed to get back to my forest compound. There was a lot I wanted to get done today, or more specifically, tonight, which meant I had a whole lot of work to do in the meantime.

    The sooner I got to work on what needed to be done, the sooner I could start to prepare for the new moon and the several rituals I wanted to perform in order to finalize my compound.

    I quickly rode through the city, making my way out past the outskirts and eventually heading into the forest. I made a decision that I would come and go from the forest as Arcanum, and then once in the city, I would take my costume off if I needed to attend something as a civilian. At this point, the only thing I really did as a civilian guise was shopping, mostly because I didn''t want people to associate Arcanum with buying a two-hundred pack of glass vials with a natural cork seal or a second package of slightly larger vails.

    When I finally got back, I let Troy wander around a bit as I offloaded everything that I had bought into the storage tree trunks. When I was done, I grabbed one of my enhanced metallic acorns, eager to get to work on my bedroom tree.

 Chapter Thirty Eight

    I spent about an hour growing my new living space, starting from a single ritualized acorn and ending up with a massive towering oak with a thick, overgrown base. I considered trying to camouflage the base a bit better, but it was a lost cause. Between the ritual platform, which was only a dozen or so feet away, and the plans to grow more buildings later, there was really no disguising the compound from the ground. I would just have to rely on my redirecting magic for people coming from the ground and the dense canopy to hide us from the sky.

    The final result of my efforts was a pleasant, if a bit small, living space, complete with a wooden bedframe, furniture, some shelves, and other storage. It felt a bit basement-like, with no windows and only one short stairway leading up and out, but I was fine with that. The room was really only to sleep in, as the general design of the compound was outdoor-focused, and only when I wasn''t sleeping in the community. I realized, rather embarrassingly, that I had no reason to pick a location and declare it my only sleeping spot. I could choose to sleep wherever was more convenient, bouncing between here and the Docks as necessary.

    Along the outside of the living space, I grew what would eventually become a private outdoor shower. I was pretty sure I could ritualize a wooden vessel to pull in moisture from the air to fill it up, as well as keep the water clean and warm. Unfortunately, while I wanted to do that now, I didn''t have the time. Time was running out to take advantage of the new moon, and I wasn''t about to let an opportunity like that pass by.

    In rituals, material sacrifices ranged from everyday objects to rare, priceless ingredients. Basically, rituals create an effect, either connected to a location, person, or item, and a material sacrifice stabilizes it, making it permanent or sometimes strengthening the effect. You could also tie a location or events going on around it to a ritual as another stabilizer. Material stabilizers came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and sometimes, you wanted a stabilizer that couldn''t normally be gathered or contained by mundane means.

    I knew this for a fact because my knowledge of druidcraft, which contained a dozen or so rituals to enhance plants and harvests, had a ritual that required "the first sunlight of spring," as a sacrifice material. As far as an abstract, unobtainable concept, sunlight that shone on a specific day was pretty high up there. Contemplating the material showed me that the ritual could be done on the first day of spring, just as the sun was rising, or I could use a small glass vessel that contained a slight glow inside, with a single drop of dew hanging from the stopper.

    So I knew gathering stuff like that was possible. On top of that, because of a connection through that knowledge to the ritual design and crafting subject, I could even sense quite a bit of information about how a material stored like that could be useful.

    The problem was that as useful as such a storage method could be, I had no idea how to make them. The vial, which my knowledge insisted was responsible for the state of the esoteric ingredient, was a complete mystery to me.

    The fact that it wasn''t etched with symbols meant it was unlikely to be enchanted, and while its ability to trap otherwise ethereal ingredients could be due to what it was made of, I had to hope and pray it came down to a ritual. The fact that such a crucial material-gathering item wasn''t covered by the "crafting " portion of my ritual knowledge meant that it could just be more advanced than I had easy access to.

    I grabbed one of the vials from storage and sat down by the ritual platform, flipping through my notebook before eventually starting the design process. I had a feeling that the process would end up being a complicated ritual, since holding onto something that was inherently ethereal or conceptual couldn''t be a simple task.

    I spent an hour and some change working on the design, brainstorming ideas and potential solutions, before taking a short break to eat some lunch and drink some coffee. Before I started the design process again, I spent some time building a boardwalk-like platform around the living space tree, eventually connecting it to the ritual platform. When I was done with that, I worked on a golem core, dumping a significant portion of my supplies into it before I got back to work, finally finishing the ritual two hours later.

    The process of making the containment vials was as complicated as I had feared, but with my knowledge of ritual design, I managed to predict what kind of material sacrifices would work with them, meaning I already had everything I needed to make them. It wasn''t perfect, not by a long shot, but it would certainly do for now. Even better, I could perform the ritual in bulk, so I would only need to do the ritual once to get everything I needed.

    I carefully traced out the ritual, which took up a significant portion of the platform. It took twelve material sacrifices, half of which were a bit of a stretch, each of them fitting in a small circle around the large ritual. When I was finally done, I carefully placed a hundred and fifty glass vials in the center circle, before feeding the ritual my magic.

    Once it was complete, I tested one of the vials by quickly leaving the forest and holding it up to the sky, the sun shining down on me. Following my mental influence, the bottle gathered the essence of sunshine. When I felt that the bottle was full, I corked it, the small containment vial holding what looked like a tiny ray of sunlight inside, shifting and changing as I turned it in my hands. I could, just by holding it, see and feel that the vial contained sunlight with no extra concepts or additives.

    I rushed back to the compound and threw together a simple ritual to test the containment vial''s effectiveness as a ritual component. I quickly drew the ritual out before placing the vial in the center circle, with a singular candle as a material sacrifice. The result was a sealed glass vessel, similar to the original containment vail, with a flame inside. It put out a good amount of light but was only slightly warm to the touch.

    "Well, looks like it works," I said with a smile, tossing the glowing light to Alya, who was just corporeal enough to catch it. "And I solved our lighting problem. With enough of those, I won''t have to use the generator to charge a battery bank to plug in the string lights."

    "Well done, William," She commented with a smile, turning the sealed vial over in her hands. "The original vial was stable?"

    "As stable as I could get. They might break down after a few years, but I''m pretty sure I''ll be able to transfer them over if I manage to grab anything interesting," I assured her. "They work with a lot of intent, so I''m pretty sure just holding them against each other, their mouths pressed together, would be enough to transfer them. If not, I''ll think of something else."

    She nodded and, after a moment, floated over to one of the storage cabinets, returning with a length of twine. She floated upwards, tying the bottle to one of the branches and letting it hang down by the string. It wasn''t much light, but a dozen of them would keep the ritual platform lit pretty well all night.

    "Good call," I said with a smile. "Once I''m done with today and tonight, I will make a few dozen of those and hang them around the compound."

    After a short break to let my brain recover, I knuckled down and started designing the process for making Olivia''s gift. I already had the designs for the final rituals for securing the compound, including the massive one, so they were all set for later. The gift, however, was turning out to be a rather large and complicated creation. I had several materials I wanted to work into the creation process, and that alone was going to make for a complicated ritual. For each extra material sacrifice, I needed to enhance and concentrate on the aspects I wanted while pushing back and filtering out everything I didn''t.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    By the time I finished the design process, I had been forced to turn on the generator so I could see what I was doing. The sun was setting, and the forest was quickly getting darker and darker. Still, it wasn''t quite time to start yet, so I drew out the first ritual before stopping to eat a quick dinner. When I was done, I could feel that it was finally time. The sun had set completely, and the forest around me was completely dark. I flicked off the generator, looking up to the sky to see it filled with stars and nothing else, the moon dark.

    My first task was to finish the basic rituals for hiding and protecting the compound, emphasizing and doubling down on the avoidance, discomfort, and forgetfulness aspects of it. In total, I did four more rituals, the magic seeping into the land around me, filling the clearing with a low glow before fading away. For each ritual, I could feel the new moon feeding into it, tying the effects to the concept of darkness and the unknown. Finally, when the last protective ritual was complete, it was time to tie it all together.

    "Are you sure about this?" Alya asked. "I know I don''t have to tell you that this is a big deal, but are you sure you want to go through it? We could find other options."

    "I know, but none as good as this. I''m serious about making this place a safe place. Not to mention all of the other benefits," I pointed out as I continued to draw out the ritual lines. "Right now, it''s just a simple living space and this platform, but eventually, I want to make this place a fortress. I plan on having allies like Olivia, a team, and I might even bring people here to protect them¡­ Hell, I might even make this into a whole village for the Dock community. I want this place to be safe and well taken care of. The perfect place to practice and study magic. And in order to do that, someone needs to be in charge."

    She let out a sigh and nodded. I could feel that she agreed with my decision but still wanted to make sure I understood the risk of what I was doing.

    Once the lines and arcane symbols were finished, I laid out the sacrificial materials. Carefully, I placed down a wolf skull and a small ivory broach carved with a mother''s name. A hand-made replica of the mother idol figure made from terracotta clay. A completed golem core, as powerful and complex as I could make it. A pile of dirt from the center of the clearing, a singular enhanced acorn, and finally, an ancient arrowhead knapped from volcanic stone.

    When all of the materials were laid out, I did one final check of the ritual. I only had one shot at this, and while I was certain the ritual would function, it needed to be perfect. I checked every little detail, making sure that all of the arcane symbols were pulling from the right aspects of the items and suppressing everything else.

    The last thing I checked before continuing to the next stage was that the ritual was pulling the concepts of new beginnings, new cycles, and fresh starts from the new moon. When I was certain the ritual was as perfect as I could make it, I made my way to the center, where a crude stone bowl, carved by my own hands, was waiting. I squatted down, careful not to disturb the ritual lines, before using the blood-letting spell.

    For nearly two minutes I held the spell, filling the bowl completely, a carefully measured three hundred milliliters, around five percent of my blood, or just enough to fill a good-sized ceramic coffee mug. It wasn''t enough to hurt me. In fact, it wasn''t enough for me to even feel, but it was still a lot.

    Especially when you considered that I would never be getting this blood back.

    Using blood in rituals was a rather common thing. Blood was powerful, especially the blood of a mage, and functioned well in several roles. However, this was different. Here, I was not using it as a reagent or a magical conductor. I was sacrificing my blood, five percent of it, to this ritual. I would always have five percent less of my blood from now until the day that I died. It wouldn''t affect me physically, a man of my size could lose that much blood with no noticeable effects. However, it did put me in danger of bleeding out faster since any wound would have a three-hundred-milliliter head start.

    It was a sacrifice, but one that I needed to make. This was a significant step, something that would start to build now and would only become more and more powerful over time.

    When I was done bleeding into the stone bowl, I wrapped my finger in a bandage. I couldn''t risk any healing magic getting through and trying to restore my lost blood. Later, no amount of healing magic would bring the blood back, but for now, restoring my lost blood would remove my connection to what I had just given up.

    I carefully exited the ritual circle before kneeling down beside it. After a long moment of staring, I took a long, deep breath. After slowly letting it out, I began to feed the ritual my magic.

    Immediately, I could feel the arcane symbols and lines greedily drinking my mana. This was a deep, powerful ritual, so getting it started would take a lot more mana than I could give at once. So rather than try to blast through it after the initial contact, I slowed down, slowly feeding my magic into it. It took nearly an hour for the ritual to fill, the night getting darker and deeper until, finally, the lines and arcane symbols pulsed with my magic. The sacrificial materials began to dissolve, feeding themselves to my blood and the stone vessel, which itself began to glow a dark purple-blue.

    Finally, when all the materials were gone, the blood-filled vessel seemed to collapse into itself, folding and cracking as if being sucked into a black hole. My blood was consumed by the magic, and suddenly, with a final snap, the vessel disappeared, a wave of magical energy rushing outwards, passing through me, flowing through the rest of the compound.

    For a moment, everything was quiet. Then, suddenly, a massive wave of pressure rolled over both Alya and myself. I collapsed to my hands and knees, my fingers smudging the burned-out and completed ritual, even as Alya was forced to disperse, retreating inside my soul as she was banished in a split second. For a long moment, I struggled not to collapse further, as I felt something study me, taking a measure of who I was and what I wanted. Finally, after what felt like hours, the pressure passed, and I could feel a gentle hand caress my cheek, tilting my head upwards and helping me back to my knees.

    For just a second, standing in the center of the now inert ritual, was the barest hints of a person. A humanoid form, female, almost entirely transparent, but still colored like a black and purple sky. She reached out, waving her hands, grabbing onto something, and pulling it into herself. As she did, I could feel all of the protective rituals I had performed pull tight, merge, and strengthen.

    Then it was gone, the figure vanishing. For a moment, something touched my back, rubbing it soothingly before retreating completely. A comforting feeling spread through the compound, sinking into every stone, tree, and blade of grass.

    And just like that, a Genius Loci was born.

 Chapter Thirty Nine

    For a moment, I knelt there in the dark, my heart rate slowly lowering as I looked around the compound and the clearing. All around me, I could see and feel the weight of heavy, potent magic. As I watched, it slowly dispersed into the rocks, trees, and dirt. It felt like watching water get greedily sucked up and absorbed after being poured on parched, dry dirt or sand.

    I let out a long, steady breath, satisfied that the magic had settled. As the moment passed, I delved into myself to check on Alya. I was once again reminded that while my companion was extremely useful, she was also highly specialized, meaning she was physically weak. The pressure wave of magic alone had been enough to knock her for a loop and force her back into my soul, just like when she had passed out after using too much energy. She would be back eventually, probably by the time I woke up in the morning.

    Still shaking off the jitters of the rather extreme experience, I quickly stood up from the ritual platform and sat along one of the roots of the storage trees. I looked around carefully for a moment before speaking out loud.

    "I know it''s rather quick, but do you think you could clean the ritual platform for me?" I asked out loud. "It''s okay if you''re tired or low on energy, just ignore-"

    Before I could finish my statement, a roil of magic, dark blue and purple, waved over the platform, washing away the soot left behind from the previous ritual. In fact, the platform was the cleanest it had been since I had made it.

    "Thank you, I appreciate the help," I said with a smile. "I know physically manifesting is going to be difficult, but do you have a name? If not, you''re welcome to pick one, or I can pick one for you. It''s up to you."

    I could feel a warm feeling on my chest, right above my heart, like someone was pressing their hand against me. Then, a soft touch on my lips, accompanied by a general happiness. The connection was nothing like what I shared with Alya, as the emotion was¡­ much more simple and straightforward. Alya and I could talk entirely without words, using complicated emotions, general tugs, and mental gestures to communicate complex ideas and concepts.

    What the Genius Loci was doing was a lot more simple, like painting a picture with only primary colors, whereas Alya got a much more generous color palette. Still, they managed to get the point across, the warm touches and emotions telling me that she would be happy with any name I gave her as long as it came from my heart.

    "How about Kali?" I asked, "It''s a Hindu Goddess, which I admit isn''t my strong suit, but she was supposed to be a divine mother, and her name is connected to the Hindu word for black. Considering how you were born..."

    A faint, loose hug tightened around me for a moment before it faded, leaving me with a smile. She was happy with the name, even if she was too tired to tell me herself. After the hug, I could feel her disappear, feeling the connection spread to the entire clearing. It wasn''t too dissimilar from how Alya would disperse into the air, but where I could feel Alya directly all around me, I could only feel Kali in her metaphysical weight.

    As she faded into a sort of dormancy, I looked down at the now clean ritual space. This was exactly why I wanted a Genius Loci around my home. Once she was properly awake, filled with mana, and had a little experience under her belt, she would be able to help me in a hundred little ways, making every task I did at the compound just a bit easier and cleaner.

    Eventually, she would be a god in her domain, able to wave her hand and create or do whatever she wanted, shifting the world to her whims. A Genius Loci was fundamentally tied to their location. They were the land they inhabited, and so it followed their wants and desires.

    Of course that was hundreds, if not thousands of years from now. Kali would need a lot of time, experience, and effort to reach that level of power. Until then, she would help where she could, maintaining the forest, the compound, and the people in it. A guardian angel for my new home, lending a helping hand or a gentle nudge whenever I needed it, all the while absorbing the residual or dispersed mana coming off from my rituals and other magic I performed in the forest.

    I smiled and stood up, dusting myself off and turning the lights back on around the ritual platform. With Kali summoned and tied to her new domain, it was time to work on Olivia''s gift.

    I quickly copied the complicated ritual from my notebook and onto the ritual platform. This particular ritual was all about imbuing an aspect into a specific item, namely a long black cloak that I had bought used from a second-hand store. It was a bit worn but still in good shape, which was good because objects with history tended to work better for a lot of magic, even if it could make them a bit less predictable.

    It also had a little tag worked into it. While the cloak would be Olivia''s, it was still made from my magic. I made sure to strengthen that bond quite a bit, so that if I wanted to, say, give it a mental yank while she was close by, and turn it into so much fluff and torn cloth, I could. I got a good feeling from Olivia, and I felt like I could trust her to help me keep an eye on the Docks community, but I wasn''t crazy enough to leave her completely unchecked with enhancements I made. And since it was something I had to consciously do, rather than some sort of hidden mechanism or triggerable consequence that might pop up if she wasn''t careful, I felt comfortable not telling her about it.

    When I was done, I carefully laid the cloak down in the center circle of the ritual before then placing out all of the material sacrifices. First was the vial of Olivia''s blood, which would hopefully give Olivia a sort of claim over the cloak. It wasn''t enough to keep other people from using it entirely, but it would undoubtedly give Olivia an advantage, while giving everyone else a disadvantage.

    After her blood was in place, next came a vial of my shadow, taken with as much light contrasting it as I could, so that the shadow was the darkest and most well-defined. While the containment vial was filling up, I focused on the idea of general human shadow, rather than mine specifically, something the ritual symbols doubled down on.

    Looking back, I could have also used a sample of Olivia''s shadow, maybe to run counter to the "general" sample. If I wanted to upgrade this cloak or make her a new one, that was something I could consider, but for now, I would rely on the blood sample to connect the cloak to my friend.

    Next was a sample of dark, moonless light, which looked beautiful inside the containment vial. It was a swirling black liquid dotted with stars that twinkled as the liquid moved. I made sure to grab a dozen samples of that, just in case I wanted some for later.

    The rest of the samples were more mundane. A trio of onyx gemstones, several raven feathers, a jar of black ink for fountain pens, and finally, a container of deep black paint. If I had been making this for myself or anyone else, I would have most likely included something like coal, dark smoke from a fire, or even ground-up charcoal, but judging from the burns on her body, I knew Olivia had a bad history with fire. I wasn''t about to traumatise her by making the cloak smell like ash or billow like smoke.

    Once everything was in place, I quickly shut down the generator, and the clearing almost went completely dark. With a frown, I looked up at the hanging, newly made glowing light that Alya had hung from the protective canopy above the platform.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    "Damnit¡­"

    I cursed, looking around for a way to get the light down without damaging the ritual. I was about to get up and start manipulating the tree with magic to pull down the branch when suddenly I could feel Kali again. It was subtle, her energy barely rising from dormancy to tap the small glass vessel. The light inside dimmed for a moment before going out completely, leaving the entire area nearly pitch black.

    "Oh¡­ Thanks, Kali," I said with a smile, settling back next to the ritual.

    Unlike the previous ritual, which had created an entire sentient entity, this ritual was much lower on the power scale. That meant that once I started pushing my energy into the lines and arcane symbols, I only had to keep pushing my mana for ten minutes before everything flared up and activated. I watched as, one by one, the material sacrifices fed into the cloak, fading into nothing as the ritual progressed. I could feel the excess energy being pulled back into the space around me, as opposed to floating free and fading into nothing. I could also feel Kali, still quiet and mostly dormant, reaching out and prodding the ritual, using her influence to enhance and reinforce the result.

    Once everything was done, I quickly turned the lights back on, rushing to the center of the now burned-out ritual to pick up the cloak and inspect it.

    Any sign of wear that the original piece of clothing bore was gone, completely healed by the ritualization process. It was also a much darker black, going from your average black cloth to a much deeper, almost illusory black, a color that wasn''t natural.

    I resisted the urge to try it on, wanting Olivia to be the first to wear it. I was honestly not entirely sure what it would do, but it was so steeped in the concept of shadow and darkness that I knew it would interact with her powers.

    Once I was done examining it, I carefully folded it up and put it inside a paper bag before finally storing that inside Troy''s chest. I had one last task for the night, something simple that I would need when I woke up. I quickly copied down an old ritual, one that took heavy inspiration from a ritual designed to make planter boxes self-watering from the druidcraft subject. When it was done, I put it onto the large water storage bucket I had grown with the creation of my private outdoor shower.

    I could once again feel Kali poke and prod the ritual as it was underway. This time, as I wasn''t so laser-focused on the ritual, I could really watch and feel what she was doing. Kali''s understanding of magic was instinctual, as she was born from it. She was magic, and as such, she could feel it as easily as I would feel my breathing. She could also feel what I wanted, and as the spirit of the land, of my home, she could nudge the ritual as she pleased. I had hoped she would be capable of helping with my magic, but to watch her do it so easily, so quickly after she was given form was astonishing. It completely validated my decision to make her in the first place, as well as the price I had paid to do so.

    With the water-gathering bucket finished, I pushed it into place above the shower, growing a tangle of branches and vines to hold it in place. Already, the interior of the vessel was looking moist, as if dew was collecting on the interior, dripping down the side, and pooling together.

    When I was finally done getting my morning shower started, I made my way around the living space tree, heading down inside before shutting the simple door behind me. The interior was still pretty threadbare, as the bedframe was still just a frame, but that wasn''t something I couldn''t solve. It took me a good thirty minutes to get it right, but eventually, I managed to grow an interwoven lattice of tree branches to create a spring-esque mattress. I covered it with my overcoat for just a bit more of a cushion.

    It wasn''t optimal by any means, but I could remove the lattice work easily with another spell later. Besides, all things considered, it was actually pretty comfortable. Or maybe it was just that I was so incredibly exhausted from doing ritual work for literally eight hours straight. Either way, after rolling up some bags to use as a pillow and lying down, I fell asleep almost instantly.

    The next morning, I woke up to the smell of coffee and toast. I nearly jumped out of my bed, my brain confused with what was going on. When I finally gathered my wits, I stopped and tilted my head. There, sitting on the small table next to the wicker, woven chair, was a steaming hot mug of coffee, two pieces of toast with peanut butter on them, and a perfectly sliced apple. All things I had brought with me from my temporary shop home, but obviously in different states.

    "It was Kali," Alya explained, sitting on the edge of my bed in a semi-corporeal state. "It was here when I regained consciousness, and it''s all stayed at basically the same temperature."

    "Jesus, really proving me right here. Thank you, Kali. How are you feeling?" I asked as I gently sat down at the table. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

    A gentle hand rested on my shoulder, and I could feel a happy smile radiating from the Genius Loci. After a moment, though, it shifted to a slight hunger, a question of how she would grow.

    "Well, any ritual or magic I create here should help you grow," I pointed out. "I''m sure you could feel the rituals I did after I woke you up. Plus, all the trees and rituals for protection."

    While the hand pulled away from my shoulder, I could still feel her confirmation that she was pulling the excess mana from what I had created. It was hesitant, though, as if she was worried about the amount.

    "Well¡­ I could also feed you magic directly?" I suggested, getting her attention. "Maybe a necklace that absorbs and pushes out my excess mana constantly. In fact¡­ I bet that would help me increase my mana reserves, as if I was constantly using it¡­"

    I considered the idea of a few seconds. The ritual of creating such a thing would be remarkably easy. I could easily create a simple temporary version with no material sacrifices just to test if it works.

    "That''s what I''ll do, and I''ll wear it around here so that you can absorb all my extra mana," I confirmed, getting a happy, eager feeling from my latest friend. "Also, I plan on making you a few golems. They should put off some extra magic, and you can influence them directly to do your bidding. That way, you don''t have to do everything to manifest your higher powers. I''m sure this took a good chunk out of your energy reserves, didn''t it?"

    I guessed, gesturing to the food, only to chuckle at her response. It felt like every stereotypical mom or grandmother waving away compliments for her food or hard work.

    "I appreciate it, Kali," I repeated with a smile. "I''ll need to go shopping a bit to make more golems. I used the last of my gemstone resources to make the one I used to call you forth. I can do it between going to visit the Docks and the hospital.

    I chatted with Alya and Kali for a few minutes, finishing my breakfast. When I was done, I grabbed my clothes and carried them outside with me to my shower. I nearly cried when I realized that Kali had heated the water for a ridiculously luxurious hot shower, with no need to go out and fill buckets or anything. Even with it being a bit short, it was well worth the work I put into making it.

    When I was all clean and ready for the day, I dressed in my costume and quickly applied a steel absorption. When that was done, I whistled to summon Troy, climbing onto his back and riding him out of the forest, heading for Downtown.

 Chapter Forty

    My first stop of the day was to check in with the hospital. A day had passed since I had been there to heal Amy, so there were plenty of people waiting for me to help. I ended up healing nearly thirty people over the span of two hours, with injuries and illnesses ranging from a child with severely broken bones to a single case of HIV. When I claimed I was done, one of the doctors tried to guilt trip me into also healing people who settled firmly into the "not urgent or necessary" list. He insisted that Panacea wouldn''t have left anyone injured or in pain, even if their problems weren''t life-threatening.

    I managed to resist the urge to put him on that list myself.

    I did, however, end up sending a message to Sarah Pelham explaining that Amy absolutely had a legal case against the hospital if that was something they were interested in. They had very much taken advantage of Amy in ways that were more than a little dubious, even though they knew she was a minor. Just the amount of stress they must have put her under was criminal, but worse, is that they should have known better. She thanked me briefly but said nothing else after that. I didn''t blame her for that, however, as they already had a lot going on.

    Once I was done healing everyone who needed it, making a cool chunk of cash in the process, I quickly found somewhere to change into civilian clothes. While shopping in costume would have made my life much easier, it would have raised a lot of questions that I wasn''t ready to answer quite yet.

    The first stop on my shopping journey was another jewelry store, a different location from the first one I had gone to. I spent a good chunk of cash refilling my precious stone supplies, nearly buying them out of their stock of lesser-quality stones. At this point, I was worried I might be showing up on some people''s radar as a tinker. This would be my second large purchase of stones, though they had been in different stores.

    Until I could figure out some more long-distance travel solutions, I would need to hold back from doing this again. I had already investigated teleportation circles with my ritual creation, but it was either beyond what I had access to, used something else entirely, or was so specialized and different that it was considered another subject entirely. Either way, I couldn''t make one.

    Yet.

    When I was done with my shopping, which included buying the rest of the supplies needed for golems, I once again got changed before heading out to the Docks community. The communal space was bustling, with people cleaning, working, and all sorts of business. A small group of people had set down blankets and were hocking wares, selling everything from food to second-hand clothes. Looking around, the community had definitely grown, and as I walked through the crowds, guiding Troy through rather than riding him, I got quite a few appreciative waves and handshakes. Eventually, I found one of the people I was looking for.

    "John¡­ what''s going on?" I asked the older man, finding him standing under some shade, talking to what looked like a dock worker. "There''s a lot more people here than last time."

    "They heard this place was protected," he explained, nodding his head to one of the golems as it carried a box around. "And that there was food. Some of them are people who would have lived alone, a few from Tasha''s old crowd. That''s the people selling stuff."

    I looked over at the people sitting on blankets, trading and selling their goods. Before I could comment, John waved me off.

    "Before you ask, none of it is stolen from anyone who''s gonna come after us, and they sell it cheap, especially since they are eating for free here," he explained. "Tasha had a whole system set up, and I''ve been shifting it to fit with us. So far, it''s been working."

    "Who is it stolen from?" I asked with a frown.

    John winced, but now it was my turn to wave off his concerns.

    "I''m not gonna shame anyone for doing what they need to do to survive, John," I assured him. "I know you can''t wear "law-abiding" as a coat when it snows. But I would like to know where or how this stuff gets here."

    "...Most of what''s stolen is from quick grabs, snagging things off chairs and benches at the mall and around the city," He explained. "The food is from several businesses around town, getting rid of stuff that is about to or has already hit its expiration date. Most businesses have rules against that, and it''s illegal to knowingly sell ''expired'' food, so it''s all under the table. Some stuff is snagged from abandoned homes, picked from trash, and repaired."

    I frowned and nodded in understanding.

    "Listen, if possible, encourage people to focus on scavenging and repair," I said, leaning in closely. "I will personally supply the cash needed for sewing and repair kits, patch material, and things like that so people make more from less."

    "That¡­ would help a lot," He admitted, nodding his head with a considering look. "I know we sometimes get halfway decent clothes from second-hand stores throwing out worn-down stock¡­"

    "Good, here," I said, pulling out a stack of bills and handing it to John, whose eyes went wide as he quickly pushed the stack into his jacket. "Use this to buy what they need or whatever the community needs. Talk with Charles about it."

    "Dammit, kid, you can''t be flashing around that kinda money," He warned, shaking his head, looking around to make sure no one had seen us. "Living like us, it can change some people. Getting this much cash rubbed in their faces, they can''t help themselves. I''ve seen sweet old grandma''s pull knives on friends for half this many bills."

    "Right¡­ sorry," I said with a wince, rubbing the back of my head. "This is¡­ all pretty new to me."

    "I know, but you''re only trying to help. And so far, you''re doing a damn good job," He admitted, patting my shoulder. "Just be careful. I''ll get a few guys together to go shopping, grab some essentials, and talk to Tasha''s people. I''m sure with the right incentives, we can get everyone on the right page."

    "Great, fantastic," I said with a nod. "You seen Sarah/Mary around today?"

    "She was here earlier," he said with a frown, looking around for a moment before shaking his head. "I swear that girl is flightier than a rabbit."

    "Can only imagine she has a reason," I pointed out, the man wincing and nodding.

    "Fair point," He admitted.

    We chatted a bit more before I spent about an hour healing some of the community. Thankfully, there weren''t any significant injuries, but in conditions like these, even the smallest scratch could spiral out of control if it wasn''t watched or fixed. When I was done, I made my way back through the large open space in the center of the community, Troy following after me. I had been around long enough to assume by that point that if Olivia was somewhere hiding, she would have seen me. I just needed to get somewhere more private.

    "I see her," Alya said as I made my way down and away from the group. "She was hiding along some of the rafters in the warehouse. There''s a sort of walking maintenance area she has claimed for herself."

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    "Thanks," I said, sitting down on the same broken and cracked stairs the two of us had met on before. "Wait, how are you seeing her in the darkness?"

    "...That is strange. I can sense her physical shape but not see it," The awakened elemental explained with surprise. "It appears that my awareness trumps her stealth."

    "Well that''s good, means I can find her if she ever gets injured in a shadow she is blended into," I pointed out.

    We waited patiently, sitting on the old cracked stairs. Eventually, Olivia turned the corner, rolling her eyes as she spotted me.

    "You know, coming by asking about me is very suspicious," She pointed out, throwing an peach at me, which I caught after bobbling it a few times.

    "I only asked John, he knows you''re around and keeping an eye on things," I explained with a shrug. "You must have been watching when I asked, after all."

    She didn''t respond, instead stepping into a shadow and jumping up to the top of the stairs. The jump was a bit too fluid, a bit too extreme to be a normal jump, though not by much. When she was sitting, she nudged me.

    "So what''s going on?"

    "I told you I was going to make something for you, remember?" I said, standing from my spot to walk alongside Troy, using magic to open up his side and pull out the paper bag. "I finished it last night."

    "You finished it?" she asked, her eyes wide. "That was just the other day! I didn''t think tinkering worked like that¡­"

    "I don''t know, honestly," I said with a shrug, passing her the bag. "I''m not a normal tinker."

    "You''re not a normal anything," She responded, accepting the bag carefully. As flippant and sassy as she liked to be, she wasn''t mean or stupid enough to manhandle a gift, especially a "tinker tech" one.

    I watched with a smirk as she opened the bag and pulled out the cloak, turning it over in her hand. The super, unnaturally dark look shimmered slightly as she moved it to study it from all sides.

    "A cloak? Like as part of a costume?" She asked. "It''s nice, a lot darker than¡­ well, anything I''ve seen¡­ "

    "Put it on."

    She gave me a look, before pulling it around herself, wrapping the cloak around her shoulders. Just as she managed to get the thick, dark cloth over her body, she let out a gasp.

    The cloak suddenly surrounded her, pulling closed and settling on her body as if put on perfectly. All evidence of who she was disappeared in an instant, the hood fluttering up over her head, the interior vanishing into a pitch-black pit. As the cloak sealed and hid her identity, it also lost all sense of cloth or clothing, forming instead a cover of wispy shadows and darkness. Dozens of hanging strands of shadow seemed to waft and float around her, suspended in the air. The deep black material reached down to her feet, coalescing into a sort of formless base of shadowy tendrils and whisps. She looked like death, floating straight from nightmares to reap souls.

    "Holy fuck," I said, taking an involuntary step back before I regained control of myself.

    "I-Wait, what is it?" She asked, stepping forward. "What''s wrong?"

    "No, nothing is wrong, you just look intimidating as fuck," I explained, shaking off the unnerved feeling, focusing on her voice. "Way more than I anticipated. Why did you gasp?"

    "I feel really good," She explained. "It''s¡­ like being in the darkest darkness I could find¡­ and then finding a shadow to hide in. All my enhancements have been pushed to eleven and... And I feel free, like¡­ it''s soothing a craving for something."

    "...Do you think your power might have been pushing you to find dark areas?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "From what I understand, getting powers can do stuff like that sometimes."

    "I¡­ Maybe? I would have called you crazy a minute ago but¡­ I can feel some sort of difference," She admitted. "I feel the calmest I''ve- Holy shit!"

    As she was talking, she looked down at herself, finally noting what she looked like. She shook her hands, like she was trying to flick the strands of shadow off of them.

    "What the fuck, Arc? What did you do to me?" She asked, a lilt of panic in her voice.

    "Relax, it''s okay," I said, stepping forward and reaching out, my hand passing through the shadow to find hers, holding it tightly. "This should be pretty responsive to you, try thinking about what you would like it to look like."

    She nodded, her head tilting down as I assumed she closed her eyes to concentrate. After a minute, she let out a long breath, and the cloak started to change. The coils of shadow and black wisps didn''t disappear, but the majority of the material did shift to a dark cloth. Still intimidating, still scary, but it didn''t feel like I was holding hands with the Grim Reaper anymore.

    "Not bad, see?" I said, stepping back to take a quick picture with my phone so she could see for herself.

    "Damn¡­ I still kinda look like a villain, though¡­"

    "You''re not wrong," I admitted with a wince. "Okay, try this. Instead of focusing on pure darkness, focus on the dark night sky, filled with stars."

    She nodded, and after a moment, her look shifted again. The cloth effect faded quickly, but rather than the sinister strands of wispy shadow, it was speckled with thousands of twinkling stars. The floating strands still existed, but they were thicker and less intimidating. It was surreal and nonsensical but ultimately beautiful.

    "Woah," Was all I could manage to say as Olivia looked down at herself, also struck speechless. "I¡­ I think that''s the look to go for, unless you''re really trying to scare someone."

    "Yeah¡­" She said softly, still watching the cloak swirl and shift around her body. "This¡­ how did you make this? It''s¡­ Arc, this is incredible! I feel bad accepting it now!"

    "Don''t, it''s yours," I assured her. "It will never work for anyone as well as it works for you. It would be pretty pointless to take it back."

    "Well, in that case... Thank you, I¡­ How do I take it off?" She asked, her still obscured face turning to look at me.

    "Just focus on it going away," I explained. "It should-"

    I couldn''t even finish before the whole cloak began to pull away, thick strands of star-scattered darkness sliding off her. I expected the cloak to return to normal and for her to take it off manually. Instead, it just continued pulling off of her, revealing her completely as the strands and coils of darkness were dragged over her shoulders, down her back, and into her shadow, vanishing from sight. After a moment, it reappeared, going through the whole process in reverse as the darkness coiled and grew around her, the cloak escaping her shadow and once again covering her completely.

    "Arc, don''t take this the wrong way," Olivia said, looking down at her hands as the process repeated for a third time, the cloak vanishing into her shadow, this time staying there. "I love this thing... but it is spooky as hell."

    "How do you think I feel?" I asked, getting a raised eyebrow from her. "I had no idea it could do that!"

 Chapter Forty One

    Olivia wasn''t exactly happy to learn that I didn''t know the precise capabilities of her cloak, but eventually, she accepted that I wasn''t just openly experimenting on her. My current "tinkering" process was just not very specific and left a lot to be explored.

    We continued to play around with her cloak for a while, before she finally found what she was sure was the cloak''s last ability. Apparently, she could sort of "feel" it before she fully realized what it was, and she couldn''t feel anything else.

    "It''s like¡­ a tension, nestled in a notch inside the cloak," She explained, the cloak still around her body. "Not literally, but¡­ It''s hard to explain, like trying to describe my seventh sense to someone who only has five."

    As she talked, she stretched and flexed, getting a feel for her range of motion, which, as far as we could tell, was essentially perfect. By now, she had settled on a mix of the starry night sky and the cloth-looking cloak for her general look. It was an intimidating, but not quite terrifying, look and was probably the best she was going to be able to do in that department.

    "Well, focus on it, maybe give it a tug or something?" I suggested while taking a step back. When she gave me a look, I shrugged. "I''m pretty sure the cloak won''t hurt you, I have no such conclusions about it hurting me, which means taking a step back."

    She shook her head before lowering it in what I now knew was in concentration. After a long silence, she raised her hand and sort of flexed her arm, and a black streak whipped through the air and slammed into that brick wall behind me. I cursed and ducked, though she really hadn''t even gotten close.

    "What the hell was that?" We both asked at the same time, both of us stepping closer to examine the projectile.

    "Is that... A¡­feather?" She asked.

    Sure enough, it was a pitch-black raven feather, more shadow than physical, solid black with wisps of shadow trailing off of it. I tried to reach out and pull it out of the wall, but it didn''t even budge. Then, after about half a minute, maybe more, the feather vanished in a puff of fluttering darkness. A quick examination of the impact site showed no damage to the bricks despite having clearly had a feather in it just a few seconds ago.

    It took us twenty minutes to figure out that the feathers interacted with shadows, namely, nailing them in place and immobilizing whatever was casting it. She first did it to me by accident, locking me in place until the feather vanished and I was free. We tried it with Troy and succeeded, then random objects, giving her a good feel for what she could do. The lock only lasted for thirty-four seconds, and it could be disabled by blasting a bright light, which would disrupt the shadow and release whatever was locked up. Destroying the object released whatever was left, and she could also pull the feather manually, but only with her own hands. She could only throw out six feathers at a time, which to her was just an arbitrary number, but I knew that I had only included six raven feathers in the ritual.

    Perhaps our most interesting discovery was that the shadow must be touching the object that is casting it. We tried to suspend an object by dropping a brick and nailing the shadow as it fell, but there was no effect.

    Even with all those limitations, though, it was still an incredible ability. It added a ranged option to her repertoire, something that she sorely needed, even if it didn''t do any damage. Olivia''s powers made her a natural at stealth and infiltration, and now she had a way to escape if she somehow got spotted.

    After she got a firm handle on the raven feathers, she added a few to her shoulders as decoration, like a feather pauldron. Once she was done, she thanked me again, this time giving me a hug, before leaving. She had her own things to do, but she assured me that she would keep an eye on the community as best she could. She was done hiding, and with the cloak wrapped around her, she felt much better about fighting to protect the community.

    She waved as she walked away, her new cloak sliding back into her shadow as she left the alley, making her way back to her home. Once she was out of earshot for a few moments, I nearly collapsed back onto the stairs.

    "What the fuck?" I asked the ether, shaking my head and resisting the urge to pull off my hat so I could run my hand through my hair. "That was¡­So much more than I was expecting."

    Alya sat down beside me, mostly corporeal, as she patted my shoulder.

    "It appears your rituals are even more potent than you thought," She said. "Do you think it was Kali''s aid that increased its strength?"

    "Maybe? Probably not¡­ She might be why the feather ability is so concise and clear-cut," I admitted with a frown as I mentally walked through the ritual. "But that much power and flexibility? I think I really just underestimated how powerful I could make something¡­ I really need to make some of my own gear."

    I sat there for a few minutes, considering just what I wanted to make for myself when Alya finally got my attention.

    "Perhaps a trip to the second-hand store will show you your options?" Alya suggested. "Then a few places around to look for good materials."

    "That''s¡­ not a bad idea," I agreed, standing from the stairs and stretching a bit. "Gathering materials sounds like a plan. Maybe I''ll get some inspiration."

    I made my way to Tory, patting his back before starting to change out of my uniform, pulling my civilian clothes out of his back, and pushing my costume back in. When I was fully changed, I gave him a gentle shove and told him to head back to the community. He could stick around the outskirts, which would hopefully keep him out of trouble.

    I spent the next four hours wandering around the various shops of Brockton Bay, buying interesting and useful things, anything that might be useful, with a specific hope of creating equipment for myself through my rituals. Seeing what Olivia''s cloak could do had really thrown me for a loop. I knew that rituals were powerful. I had used one to call forth what was essentially a god of her domain, after all. But watching the level of utility the ritualized cloak had managed had been shocking. Who knew if I would be able to replicate that level of potency, but I certainly needed to try.

    I essentially spent the rest of the morning and into the afternoon walking around, buying trinkets, clothes, and other stuff, spending a good chunk of what I had earned that day on materials. Some of what I bought was chosen for a reason, with a particular idea in mind. Other stuff was purchased because it was interesting and could come in handy one day. I made a mental note that taking a shopping trip to Boston might be a good idea at some point.

    While the neighboring city was not what I would call safer, it had its own gangs and problems after all, it was much more economically stable. I was hoping that it would have more esoteric and interesting shops tucked away in the much older city streets. I would also do incredibly embarrassing things for a wiccan or witchy shop. I was making do with what I could find around town, but I desperately needed a good source of esoteric, out-there items.

    And that isn''t to say that Wiccan or other magic stuff was or wasn''t real. A month or so ago, I would have laughed at the idea, but considering I unironically bought a chunk of clear crystal quartz for use in a purifying ritual so I could make a source of pure drinking water... I couldn''t exactly throw stones in my glass house.

    When I was done shopping, as decided by my duffel bag and backpack being completely full, I made my way back to Troy. I quickly changed into my costume and fed Troy my bags, making him significantly bigger in the process, before heading back home to the forest.

    The first thing I did when I arrived back at the compound was make a huge batch of candle vials. This time, rather than just sticking with sunlight and a candle, I added a tiny little strip of magnesium in each mass ritual. Just an inch of the strip I bought from a metal shop was enough massively crank up the light in each candle vial, meaning that in two batches I had more than enough to light up the ritual platforms, the storage trees, the boardwalk path, the shower and the living space.

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    Even better, a quick test with Kali showed she could easily turn them on and off again, which meant I could officially retire the generator and the string of lights I was using to see at night. I happily grew them a spot in the storage tree, sliding them away and growing around them to keep them protected from the elements.

    I also added a foam layer to my woven branch bed, creating a layered mattress that, once I covered it with a layer of canvas, followed by a sheet, was resilient and comfortable. I used the leftover foam and canvas to make a cushion for the chair as well. I then sat there in my comfortable new chair, looking down at my notebook, with a pile of clothes, simple jewelry, and other items on my bed for inspiration.

    "So clearly, protection is something I desperately need," I pointed out, tapping my notebook with my pen. "I haven''t felt nearly as safe with my steel absorption up ever since Shadow Stalker punched through it like wet tissue paper."

    "The obvious place for such a ritual is on your overcoat," Ayla pointed out. "It is even something designed for protection."

    "That''s what I was thinking as well. I could also¡­ I''m also considering trying to make the absorption process permanent," I explained. "That way, I can splurge on some really good materials and get the most out of every piece. I bet I could trade some free healing with the PRT for some titanium, mercury, tungsten, and a few others."

    "I thought you were concerned about affecting yourself with permanent absorption?" Alya asked, sitting on the edge of my bed. "And now you want to go above and beyond what you normally do?"

    "With Kali helping out with my rituals, I''m a lot less worried about accidentally missing something," I explained with a shrug. "She will help prevent anything extra from affecting me. Right, Kali?"

    A reassuring pat on my shoulder was the answer, as well as an impression of happiness that told me she was eager to help. With at least a primary plan in place, I began designing the ritual for my overcoat. I had a few things I could sacrifice to enhance the ritual, not the least of which was my blood, but I had been shopping with the protection concept in mind, which meant I was pretty sure I had enough.

    About halfway through the design process, I took a break to make the golems I promised to Kali. These were the least complex golems I had made so far, primarily because they didn''t need much intelligence, as Kali would be in control of them nearly the entire time.

    First, I used some iron oak acorns to build six wooden wolves, turning them into golem frames. In the process of doing that, I also added a containment vial of my shadow, one from the full moon, two from the forest in general, and another that was filled with Kali''s essence, voluntarily given, of course.

    When the frames were done, they looked genuinely alive, their wood vibrant and healthy, their eyes glowing black with swirling stars, and their shadows flickering with power. Once the frames were ready, I whipped up some basic golem cores, only three rituals deep and significantly easier than golems that were protecting the community.

    When everything was done, I fused each wolf with a golem core, the frames glowing for a moment before sitting back and sniffing the air. It was shocking, watching them go from mostly inert frames to the most alive, realistic golems I had made so far, despite barely spending any time on the cores. They acted like real wolves, and when the sound of a faint whistle echoed through the forest, they took off as one, fading into the shadows of the forest.

    "How do you like them, Kali?" I asked, still kneeling on the ritual platform, having watched my latest creations vanish into the shadows. "I''ll make you a few humanoid ones for more utility later. How does that sound?"

    She immediately pulled me up to my feet with a tight hug, ruffling my hair a bit, her extreme happiness was hard to ignore. I also caught flashes of running through the forest at incredible speeds, feeling the thrill of life coursing through her. It was gone in a flash, but I couldn''t help but chuckle. I was surprised she could do that already, considering how "young" she was.

    "Those aren''t going to be normal golems for long, are they?" I asked, getting an innocent whistle in return, and I couldn''t help but shake my head and laugh. "Just don''t scare anyone with them, okay?"

    I went back to working on the overcoat ritual, finishing it at about five o''clock. The ritual was sound, but as I started to double-check it, Alya spoke up again.

    "The wolves are returning," She warned, while Kali seemed excited, tugging at my hand.

    "Feels like Kali has something to show us," I said, standing up and heading back outside. I was just in time to see the newly formed pack return.

    They already looked different. Instead of just being bare wood, they were now covered in grass "fur" growing from their bodies like a real wolf would have. It made them look less sleek, but it also somehow made them feel more alive, as the grass would move and shake as they did, giving them a lot more personality.

    "Kali¡­ it''s been like an hour¡­ how did you do that?"

    I caught an image of running through a field of grass, seeds getting pulled into their bodies. I had to assume she had somehow woven them into the existing growth spell that fed the rest of the wolves'' bodies. I could have done that, but with no way for me to understand what she wanted, I would have likely not gotten it nearly this good.

    "Damn¡­ it looks good, Kali, I like it. Was that-"

    Before I could finish my sentence, one of the wolves stepped forward, dropping something by my feet. It was pretty large, and after bending down to pick it up, I realized it was a turtle shell, its owner long dead. I was pretty sure it was a snapping turtle of some kind, nearly a foot wide and a foot and a half long. It would have been a big bastard while he was alive.

    It was also the perfect ingredient for my overcoat ritual.

    "Kali, thank you. This is exactly what I was missing," I admitted, turning the large shell over in my hand, looking at the interior bones, and nodding. "I''m going to have to redesign a bit of the ritual, but it will definitely be worth it."

    I could feel her happiness and pride. The wolves pawed the ground for a moment before returning to the woods, one after the other, disappearing into the shadow. Meanwhile, I headed back into the living area to finish my ritual design, completing the adjustment and the final edit in only forty minutes.

    After spending a half hour copying the ritual down on the ritual platform, I finally started setting up the materials. My overcoat went to the center, while a vial of my blood went to the first material sacrifice circle. After that was a cleaned and dried coconut, the turtle shell, and a crab shell that I bought from a grocery store and cleaned out myself.

    Opposite of those was a branch of iron oak for strength and a willow branch for resilience, the latter gathered by Kali and her wolves. I also had Kali use her inherent, instinctual connection to magic to conjure a simple, weak barrier. It was not something she could do easily, as she was notably tired when I was done, but I needed something to steer the ritual in the right direction. I stored the almost proto spell in a containment vial so I could use it in the ritual.

    Generally speaking, using spells as ritual ingredients was a double-edged sword. It was often a great way to steer a ritual in a proper direction, but spells were inherently temporary, meaning using one in a ritual could weaken the overall effect. Still, I felt it was necessary to tie the concepts of protection to a magic shielding effect.

    The last material sacrifice was a large ostrich egg. It was empty, obviously, and painted as a centerpiece of some kind, but it would work all the same as an ingredient.

    I quickly got everything into place before making sure that all the lines and arcane symbols were set. When I was confident everything was perfect, I knelt down and put my hands on the outer lines of the ritual.

    "Alright. Let''s give this a shot."

 Chapter Forty Two

    After double-checking to make sure my hands were in the proper position, I slowly fed my magic into the ritual. I could feel the mana being drained away, feeding into the red chalk lines, the ritual slowly taking shape. In total, it took about fifteen minutes to fill up completely, the lines pulsing as the ritual activated. As it spun up, the now aligned magic beginning to move, I leaned back, watching it swirl and pull at each individual piece of sacrificial material. As all of this was happening, I could also feel Kali poke and prod at the process, her presence heavy on the platform.

    One by one, the materials disintegrated, particles fading and feeding into the overcoat, until the last one, the turtle shell, finally vanished completely. As the magic faded, I felt a touch from Kali. There was a question from her presence, and as I stood, I nodded.

    "If you don''t mind..."

    I could feel a short, happy feeling before a wave of her magic washed away the burnt-out ritual circle, cleaning the platform thoroughly.

    I quickly stepped closer and grabbed my coat, holding it up and turning it over in my hand, looking over it for any changes. The most obvious change was the color, the standard black replaced by a dark brown, almost auburn. The material also felt more sturdy, almost like a natural cloth leather. The back of the coat was a bit thicker, with turtle-like panels that ran down my spine. They were still made from the same leather-like cloth but somehow felt sturdier, despite not losing their flexibility. Not seeing anything else worth noting, I quickly pulled the coat over me.

    I could feel it the second the coat folded over my body. It was the perfect fit. It felt like someone had tailor-made it to fit me, like it had been specifically designed down to the last stitch to match my body completely and fit comfortably. I moved and shifted, trying to find the spots I knew would bunch up or a position where it was tight or loose, only to realize they didn''t exist anymore.

    "Well¡­ if all else fails, I can do this to the rest of my clothes to make them perfectly comfortable," I said, looking at Alya as she walked around me. "How do I look?"

    "The color suits you," She responded. "It matches your mask better. Does¡­ it do anything?"

    "I''m pretty sure, yeah?" I responded. "Give me a second..."

    I closed my eyes and focused, trying to find the sort of mental hitch that Olivia had described feeling from her cloak. It didn''t take me long to find one¡­ only to find a second immediately after. The first was more of a mental image, an understanding of a layer covering my body. I knew it was there, fully intact and charged, even if I couldn''t see it.

    "Okay, I can feel something¡­ it''s definitely like a barrier around me¡­" I said, frowning as I tried to figure out exactly what I had given the overcoat. "Hey, do me a favor? Grab a small rock or something and drop it on my arm from up high?"

    Alya snagged something from the ground and floated upwards, her bottom half flickering and fading as she went partially incorporeal. Once she was high enough, she dropped the rock, which smacked into my outstretched arm, hitting me just below the elbow. For a moment, a green barrier, the same color as the painted egg, sprung up around my arm, absorbing the impact of the stone, which fell off and hit the ritual platform below. The impact was completely negated, and I hadn''t felt anything.

    I could, however, feel the impact site in the mental map I had of the barrier. I could instinctively feel that the shield was slightly damaged on my arm. When, after a few seconds, the damage didn''t fade, I frowned.

    "Okay¡­ well I can feel it, the barrier protected me," I explained. "It absorbed the full impact. But now it''s damaged, and it''s not regenerating. Maybe the other hitch does that?"

    I mentally reached for the second hitch, but it resisted my attempts to activate it, almost like it was a heavier, more intensive process. Finally, I gave it a hard mental yank.

    A massive dome of a shield, a huge translucent turtle shell the same green color as the barrier, appeared around me, growing outward from me. It was easily ten feet tall and fifteen feet wide, with the edges forming over and around the roots of the storage trees around me. I stepped forward, and the shield remained stationary, not moving even as I reached out and touched it, my fingers passing through without effort. Once I was outside it, however, I could not get back in, the shield resisting several punches and lightning spells.

    We spent an hour testing both the turtle shield and the barrier, letting Alya, and later Kali through her wolves, try several different methods to damage or get through them. We quickly discovered that the barrier protection was ablative, meaning that the barrier took damage as it protected me, eventually cracking and failing completely. Once that happened, rather than the whole protective barrier failing, only that specific spot was now vulnerable.

    On the other hand, the turtle shield seemed to be all or nothing, a barrier that took damage anywhere, eventually snapping and disappearing when it was too much. As it took damage, it slowly started to crack, eventually shattering when the cracks reached the center of the dome roof. Despite being ominous, the cracks did not make certain areas of the shield any less durable. It also disappeared after a minute and could be dispelled with the coat, as long as I was still inside. Rather disappointingly, I could not cast magic from the inside out, as the shield seemed to absorb it.

    We also learned that both of the abilities recharged, they just took a while. The ablative barrier took a full minute start to refill, with it taking another full minute to fully recharge. If the barrier was damaged again during that time it would start over again. That meant, in all likelihood, I would only get one full effect per fight. Still, the fact that the wolves chewing on my arm as hard as they could only slowly grounding away at the barrier was a good sign. On the other hand, I could only cast the turtle dome once every five minutes.

    I wasn''t about to run through a gun range without my absorption, but the barrier meant that if I got caught out after it faded, I wasn''t as helpless as a baby. When we were finally done experimenting, I let out a long breath, shaking myself off a bit, feeling the barrier healing itself slowly, the cracks and chips we had made in it slowly filling in.

    "This went well, but I don''t have time to do another today," I said, Kali feeling disappointed as I pulled off my newly ritualized coat and folded it over my arm. "I''m gonna have some dinner, then start designing the modifications for the permanent absorption."

    I made my way to the living space and hung up my coat, changing out of my uniform and into something more comfortable. When I was done, I plopped down into my chair and had "dinner," which consisted of a few granola bars and some apples. I needed to design some sort of ice box. I didn''t mind living off takeout, not when I didn''t have rent to pay or other bills, but I would still like to have some sort of place to keep some food fresh.

    I managed to make a fair bit of progress on the modification to the absorption partional, which was at its base just a complicated and extremely specific ritual. I''m pretty sure that I could use the current partional that I had, set up on the ritual platform as the ritual heart, then draw another ritual outside that to reinforce the absorption and make it permanent. I would need five pounds of each metal I wanted to use, which so far was tungsten, copper, titanium, mercury, and nickel. There were some other metals that had interesting effects, but for now, I wanted to stick with the basics.

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    When I was done for the night, I asked Kali to dim the candle vial lights before crawling into bed and falling asleep.

    The following morning, I was up early, quickly getting ready for the day before heading into town. The first stop, as it was the day before and would probably be for the next few weeks, was the hospital. Despite complaints and a few attempts to convince me otherwise, the parameters I had set out were being followed, which meant that I was only there for two hours and when I left, everyone who needed to be healed was as healthy as I could make them.

    I was just about to start making my way to the Docks community when something clicked in my head. I almost fell off Troy at the sensation, shaking my head to clear it and focus.

    I had gotten a new quest.

    I frowned, letting Troy guide us through the streets as I focused on what was happening. Just as the previous quest did, I got a sense of what I needed to do and why I needed to do it, though it didn''t go very deep. Across town, somewhere near Winslow High School, a female student would be chased by a group of boys with who knows what kind of intentions. The young woman was being badly bullied, and she needed help.

    Unlike my previous quest, which was more open, with fewer specifics about time and place, I had a pretty good idea about when this was going on.

    Namely, sometime today.

    I cursed and leaned down over Troy, urging him to speed up, and guiding him into the bike lane. Soon, we were galloping down the road, Troy''s eyes glowing as I fed him low amounts of mana. At that level, Troy could hold together for a while, so there was no reason to stop, my mana regenerating as fast as I could feed it to him.

    I wasn''t exactly sure how much time I had before the young girl was going to be chased, but I was absolutely not going to allow it to happen. When we started entering less populated areas, I urged Troy to go faster, pushing him to his limit. We thundered down abandoned roads and alleyways, jumping over quite a few fences and barriers, cutting through to the Docks South. That was where Winslow High School was located, which was as good as any place to start looking.

    Eventually, after a while of galloping and feeding my mount mana, I finally felt that we were at least in the right general area. I knew from my research of local maps that Winslow was only about two blocks away. In fact, I could see it as I started patrolling the streets, back and forth, making sure to keep an eye on everything, even as Ayla watched a huge portion of the area in her non-corporeal form.

    "What do we know about the mission?" She asked, her voice just barely reaching me with how stretched out she was. "Any clues?"

    "The inclusion that she is a student makes me think she is running from the school," I guessed, frowning under my mask. "But there is no guarantee."

    "That''s very different from the information you got for the first one," She pointed out, and I couldn''t help but wince.

    "I''m aware, but the quest concept has always been the¡­ least concrete out of all of this," I responded, gesturing to myself. "I''m pretty sure now that we get one per cycle, but beyond that¡­ I don''t know the rules."

    We continued to patrol as best we could, staying close to the school while basically making a large circle around it. From what I understood of this area, it was deep in ABB territory, which made me very nervous. Still, I had a mission to complete, so I kept wandering around the area, relying on Alya to keep me out of trouble and watch over the school.

    It wasn''t until a few minutes past three that Alya finally spotted something.

    "I believe school is finally out," she said. "Quite a few people have left on foot."

    "Just watch out for a girl and a group of guys," I reminded, getting a confirmatory pulse through our connection.

    I started to make my way back around the school, following the same general pattern as before, when after a few minutes, Alya finally spoke up again.

    "There is a young woman currently being followed by several young men," She explained. "She hasn''t seen them- Wait, no, she is running¡­and they are chasing after her."

    "Guide me to them," I responded before kicking my heels against Troy and taking off, feeding him as much mana as he could take.

    We thundered down a long road, skidding into a turn and heading down another. It didn''t take long for me to catch up, cutting through an alley to come out in front of the young woman. She skidded to a stop barely a few feet away, but I spun on Troy''s back and leaped off, landing on the other side of her, hand out and sparking. The five large teenage guys chasing her skidded to a stop, two of them falling on their asses in the process. They were looking at me with wide eyes, flicking between my mask and the sparking electricity in my hand.

    "I think you boys should go ahead and sit down," I said, standing up straight, gesturing to the curb with my non-sparking hand. "I don''t know about you, but five guys chasing after a single girl is not a good look."

    For a moment, it looked like the furthest two were going to run, and I could tell that if they started, the rest would follow. I flicked my finger out and slammed a quick cast bolt of electricity into a nearby sign, leaving a thumb-sized dent in it.

    "I said, sit. Down."

    One by one, the high school boys all slowly sat on the curb, quite a few of them looking pale. When the last one was finally sitting, I pulled out my prepaid phone and took a quick series of pictures before finally turning to the young woman.

    "Hello, my name is Arcanum. What''s yours??" I asked, trying to be gentle with the clearly shocked young woman. When she didn''t respond at first, I tried again. "Are you injured? I can provide healing if you need it."

    "I-my name is Taylor... I''m fine, I think..."

    "Well, Taylor, do you mind if I check?" I asked. "My healing abilities were declared officially safe by the PRT, and I frequently heal at Brockton Bay Hospital."

    For a moment, I thought she would decline, but she nodded slowly, so I reached out and placed my hand on her shoulder. She pulled away slightly at first, but stopped after she appeared to realize what she was doing.

    "Just a fair warning, my healing is a bit glowy, and I will chant a few words," I explained. "That''s normal, and the chanting helps me focus."

    She nodded, seeming to steel herself for a moment before I quickly scanned her.

    The first thing I noticed was that she had been healed relatively recently by Panacea, or perhaps some other parahuman power that was similar. There was a layer of unnatural perfection that Panacea left behind in her healing, which I had picked up on after healing several people that Panacea already had, specifically her father, as well as a few other patients who had brain injuries on top of other issues. She had fixed the other issues, but I had been called to heal their brains.

    I also noticed that she had a few bruises on her shoulder and legs. The legs could have been from a recent fall, but the shoulder was almost certainly some sort of punch. Between being chased, the bruises, and what my quest was telling me, it was clear that someone had it in for Taylor. Considering that Panacea would only have been involved if she had been sent to the hospital, this was potentially not the first time they had gotten violent.

    "Taylor, why don''t you sit down?" I asked, guiding her up onto the sidewalk to a set of stairs. "I''m going to call the police, but you just relax and recover."

    She seemed uncomfortable, but after a moment, she sat down and nodded. I nodded back before pulling out my phone again, quickly dialing for nine one one, waiting for the call to connect.

 Chapter Forty Three

    It didn''t take long for the police to confirm my call, and only five minutes longer for them to arrive. A single police vehicle, one of their big SUVs, rolled up, stopping along the curb on the opposite side of me as the young men who had chased Taylor. Two officers stepped out, approaching slowly but confidently. I met them halfway, reaching out and shaking their hands as I did.

    "Officers, thank you for coming," I said, greeting them with a polite nod. "I was patrolling the neighborhood when I spotted these fellows chasing this young woman."

    I gestured to the five high school boys, still sitting where I had told them. They had progressed from being nervous to nearly full-on panic.

    "Is that right? You saw them chasing her?" The older-looking officer asked, looking over the boys and shaking his head in disappointment.

    "I did."

    "I''ll get them bundled up, sir," the younger-looking officer volunteered, stepping forward and pulling out a pair of zip-tie restraints. "You can take their statements."

    "Gonna need a Maria too," The older officer commented. "I''ll call it in. Watch out they don''t stick you with anything. If they go to Winslow, they are probably armed."

    The older officer pulled out his radio and quickly spoke into it, talking to dispatch and requesting a transport van. When he was done, we both approached Taylor again, who was watching everything with wide eyes. Now that I wasn''t worried about the boys making a run for it, or the police arriving, or someone else walking by the abandoned road and making an issue, I could get a good look at her.

    Taylor was rather thin and tall, with long curly hair that she let run free, though it was obviously well maintained. Her face was not what most would call classically beautiful, but she wasn''t unattractive. With large eyes and a wide, thin mouth, it seemed more like she hadn''t finished growing into her features. She was also clearly tired, with circles under her eyes and a slight gauntness to her face that spoke of sleepless nights and lots of stress.

    "Hello, Miss Hebert, my name is Sergeant Reynolds," The older officer said, stopping a few feet from the young woman, giving her plenty of space. "Are you alright?"

    "I¡­ They never caught up to me¡­" She admitted, looking down at her feet. "They can''t get in trouble for that."

    "Actually, just chasing someone enough for them to flee in fear is enough to get charged with assault," Sergeant Reynolds explained. "Did you get hurt as you ran?"

    "I¡­ I slipped and fell a few times," She responded. "Why?"

    "Because now it''s assault and battery," The policeman explained, looking at me. "Did you heal her? That''s something you do, right?"

    "I scanned her to confirm she was okay and wasn''t in shock or adrenaline washing away something serious," I explained. "I left her bruises alone when I confirmed she was fine."

    "Good, those will be key evidence," He responded, turning to watch his co-worker zip-tie another young man. "Miss, I''m going to need your statement, is that alright?"

    "Y-yes?" Taylor responded, a current of confusion running under her words.

    Sergeant Reynolds nodded and pulled out a pad of paper and a tape recorder, hitting start on the small device before beginning to ask questions. Taylor answered everyone as clearly as she could, her confidence rising a bit as she calmed down. It wasn''t until the officer asked if she had any idea why they were chasing her that she went silent, looking back down at her feet.

    "I don''t know," She said, her voice barely even audible.

    Sergeant Reynolds and I shared a look, the older man nodding when I gestured to myself. I gave him a thumbs up before stepping forward, sitting on the steps on the opposite corner of the young woman. She tensed when I did but relaxed after glancing at me.

    "Taylor¡­ when I scanned you, I could tell you have been recently healed by Panacea," I said softly. This caused her to tense up again, looking at me with shocked eyes. "I could also see you''ve been physically assaulted within the last few days."

    For a long moment, she was silent, staring at me, her eyes wide as she studied me. Before she could say anything, I continued.

    "I know something is going on, and I plan on helping because it seems like it''s something bad," I explained. "You telling us what is going on would help a lot."

    I felt like I was under the lens of a microscope, the user flicking from one intensity to the next. The young woman''s stare turned cold, her expression surprisingly blank, enough so that I was worried she had slipped into shock.

    "....It doesn''t matter," She finally said, finally looking away from me. "Nothing will happen to them anyway."

    I shared a look with Sergeant Relado, who frowned before slapping his forehead and shaking his head.

    "Dammit, I should have recognized your name," He admitted. "You''re that poor girl who¡­"

    "Yeah, I''m locker girl," She responded with a shrug. "Nearly died, and the BBPD just dropped my case."

    "No, we didn''t," he responded almost instantly, shaking his head. "We were forced to hand it over to the PRT under suspicion of parahuman involvement. Detective Sheryl nearly quit on the spot when the Captain ordered her to drop it. They were supposed to reach out to you to conduct a follow-up interview. Are you telling me they didn''t?"

    "We never heard from them."

    I heard a crunching sound from behind me, so I turned around to look, finding the sergeant had accidentally crushed his notebook and broken his pen.

    "Young lady, could you give us a moment?" Reynolds asked. "And could I have permission to tell Arcanum your story?"

    She nodded wordlessly, looking down at the ground where a trail of ants was shredding a leaf rather aggressively. I followed the Sergeant away, keeping one eye on her and the other on the clearly pissed-off policeman. We stopped by his patrol car, where the man had to visibly restrain himself from slamming his hand against the door.

    "I''ll keep it short. That young lady was shoved into a lock filled with¡­ rotting, used feminine hygiene products. She was left there for hours, and when she was finally released, not a single person knew what happened," He explained, taking a deep breath before he could continue. "The whole school somehow saw nothing, despite the poor girl having shredded her vocal cords screaming for help. Now, we had hardly even started wading into the investigation when the PRT stepped in and took over. Detective Sheryl was ordered to drop it and move on."

    That... was horrific. For a long while, I stared at the police officer at an utter loss of words. It was... almost too horrific to imagine. I could feel Alya pull in close around me for a moment, comforting me as best she could. It took a minute for me to calm down and think logically again.

    "Sergeant¡­ what is the likelihood that this is just an innocent mistake? Someone put the wrong file in the wrong pile, and somehow it all got missed?" I asked, quickly holding up my hand to stop him from shouting his response. "I need to know before I start smashing down doors and demanding explanations."

    "Oh¡­ well, it''s not very likely," he responded, pulling back his first reaction, nodding in understanding. "Unless someone was completely incompetent, there should have been things in place to prevent someone from being overlooked. At the very least the case should have been released back to us if no parahuman involvement was uncovered."

    I nodded in understanding, turning to look around, watching as the other police officer helped the first of the high schoolers into the back of the police van. It must have arrived while we were talking to Taylor, because I completely missed it. The situation had also spiraled way past that by this point. I could feel the quest pushing me on, not that I needed the incentive. Whatever the fuck was going on, something was rotten, and I wasn''t about to drop it at this young woman''s feet.

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    "Okay. First off, I need to get in contact with Taylor''s parents," I said, giving him a look. "Is that something that can happen?"

    "You think we would just let her walk away without contacting them?" he asked, shaking his head. "That''s the next step, after I finish getting her statement. If you happen to stick around long enough for that to happen¡­"

    He finished his sentence with a shrug, and I nodded. We went back to Taylor, and Sargeant Reynolds finished getting her statement. This time, she opened up a bit more, revealing the names of the people she assumed had instigated this."

    "Usually, I would say Sophia Hess. She is the one to get physical," She explained. "But she hasn''t been in school lately. I thought that might mean I could get some peace, but¡­ Emma is just doubling down to fill the void."

    "Emma¡­?"

    "...Emma Barnes."

    That statement seemed to have some sort of weight to it, like admitting it had taken a toll on the young woman. She shook her head, her long black curly hair hiding her face, though I could still see the tears falling to the ground.

    "It doesn''t matter though. Nothing will change. Sophia will come back, those guys will come back, and¡­" She wiped her face, pushing her hair back out of her eyes to look up at me. "Then they''ll make me regret trying to get them in trouble."

    I could feel a rage bubbling in my chest, one that I quickly had to stamp out. I needed to keep my head calm if I wanted to do this right.

    "Taylor. I don''t know everything that is happening here," I admitted, the girl looking at me with large eyes and dirt smudged on her face. "I can''t promise you that everything is suddenly going to go your way. Sometimes, the world is unfair, and sometimes, it just doesn''t work out like it should. But I can promise you I will get to the bottom of this. I will not stop until I know exactly what is going on."

    For a long moment, she looked up at me silently, her expression shifting to the same calculating look that it had been before, her emotions blanking out completely. Eventually, she nodded.

    "Okay. But I won''t hold my breath."

    I nodded in return before stepping back, letting Sergeant Reynolds finally finish the statement, capping it off by taking pictures of her legs, both the torn pants and the bruises underneath. He also helped her get in contact with her father, something easier said than done, as neither of them had a cell phone. The sergeant ended up getting in contact with him through the station, dispatch calling a number Taylor provided, which was then routed through the phone in his vehicle. Both Taylor and Sargeant Reynolds talked to him, explaining the situation. I stepped back for a moment so I could talk to Alya without them hearing her, but I could still make out a few frantic words from the man.

    Fortunately, Alya had very little to say, reporting what the boys had talked about while we were waiting for the police to first arrive. It wasn''t anything he could use since no one knew Alya existed yet, but it did confirm Taylor''s assumption that Emma and Sophia were responsible. Apparently, the plan had been Sophia''s, but with her absence, Emma had been the one to convince the boys to chase her down and rough her up. They had all been eager to do it for some cash and a few vague, sultry promises.

    By the time Taylor''s father arrived, the van was long gone, and Sergeant Reynolds had sent his junior officer back with them. The rushing man pulled up, going a bit faster than he probably should have, his beat-up old truck jumping the curb with one wheel before coming to a stop. He nearly jumped out of his truck, rushing around to sweep Taylor up in a deep hug. I couldn''t hear what he was saying, but I could see Taylor''s expression shift to one of¡­ not quite disgust, but unhappiness.

    After a minute or so, Danny stood, stepping closer to us, giving me a good look at him. He was a lanky man with thinning dark hair and glasses that made already large eyes stand out even more. I could feel the calluses on his hand as he shook mine right after shaking Sergeant Reynolds''.

    "I can''t believe¡­ Thank you for stopping them," He said, a rising anger coloring his face. "Those bastards insisted that they would keep an eye on her-"

    He took a deep breath, glancing over at Taylor with a frown.

    "Then again, I was also under the impression they were," He admitted, shaking his head and looking at the both of us. "Sergeant, you mention something wrong with the police investigation?"

    Sergeant Reynolds explained what he knew about the process, as well as what should have happened. Danny Hebert confirmed that no one from the PRT had ever contacted him, which to the Sergeant all but confirmed that something was going on.

    "What possible reason could the PRT have for burying something like this?" Danny asked, now pacing back and forth on the broken, abandoned sidewalk.

    "There doesn''t have to be some grand conspiracy, Sir," I pointed out. "It might be as simple as passing a bribe or owing someone a favor."

    He stopped, leaning back against the stair railing, nodding ruefully. After a moment of collecting himself.

    "What should we do?" He asked, looking from Taylor to Sergeant Reynolds and then to me. "We¡­ I signed a deal with the school to stay quiet in exchange for them covering the medical expenses."

    "Sir, I''ll admit it''s not my expertise, but if I''m reading what your daughter has been hinting at correctly, anything you signed is worth about as much as the ink you used to sign it," I pointed out. "Your daughter appears to be the victim of some sort of situation involving the PRT and the school itself. Now, she hasn''t said exactly what has been going on, but I get the feeling this is not something you can sign away the right to talk about."

    "You said you didn''t think it was a conspiracy, but now you think they are working together?"

    "I didn''t want you to latch on to the idea that Armsmaster and Miss Militia are cackling in a dark room somewhere, pulling strings to make your daughter''s life hell," I explained, putting my hand on his shoulder. "But it could very well be a PRT agent working with someone at the school for some sort of racket. What type? I have no idea. But it''s possible."

    He let out a long breath, eventually nodding.

    "Alright. But that doesn''t answer my question."

    "I know. But before we can do that, I want to hear everything," I said, looking at Taylor, who winced and looked away, unable to meet my eyes. "Once I know the whole story, then I can set up a meeting."

    "With who?" Danny asked, glancing at Sergeant Reynolds in confusion.

    "Someone who will listen to us and will take us seriously," I responded confidently. "I may not be a member, but I have enough pull to make that happen, at least. Even if I didn''t, I have enough of a reputation that if I claim to know something corrupt or broken inside of their system, they will at least pay attention."

    "You¡­ You''re really going to make something happen?" Taylor asked, looking up at me with wide eyes.

    "Of course I am," I said with a nod. "I already promised I would, remember?"

 Chapter Forty Four

    In the end, we decided that just sitting out by the sidewalk was not the best place for Taylor to tell her whole story. She was obviously struggling enough as it was, so going somewhere that she felt less exposed would make it a lot easier for her. Unfortunately, I couldn''t exactly just show up at their house. Thankfully, rather than attract more attention to the situation, Reynolds suggested the police station. We could take separate routes to avoid further attention, and it would give Taylor a chance to get her thoughts in order.

    By the time we reconvened at the police station, it was late afternoon. Taylor and her father had returned to their home so the young woman could change and have something to eat. I had sent Troy back to the Docks community and rode shotgun with Sargeant Reynolds to the station. It didn''t take long for Sergeant Reynolds to find us a conference room to borrow, though, in the end, he didn''t join us. Instead, Detective Sheryl, the woman who had been originally assigned to Taylor''s case, took his place.

    The detective was an older woman with grey and brown hair and a weathered, stern face. When Taylor arrived, her father was in tow. Sheryl sat her down at the head of the conference table with a cup of tea and recorder, ready to copy Taylor''s story. The young woman still seemed confused, like she couldn''t comprehend what was happening or was surprised that it still was.

    It was a slow start, with the young woman stumbling and halting at the beginning of her story, which started a shockingly long time ago. I wasn''t surprised to see her struggle, considering how closely she had kept all of this to her chest. Talking about it was the exact opposite of what she had been doing for two years, meaning she was struggling against her own instincts. Thankfully, once she got going, it became easier and easier until it was nearly a non-stop story deluge, the young woman seemingly unable to stop.

    The young woman told a tale of suffering, bullying, and damn near torture. It was hellish, a near-perfect storm of betrayal, isolation, parental failure, and system corruption. It was almost like someone had fine-tuned her life to create the poor girl''s perfect hell. Just about as disgusting as the bullying itself was the complete and utter failure on the part of the teachers and principal to do anything about it. It was obvious they had to know something, as the hell that Taylor was describing was too overt, too chronic for someone not to notice. This was a full-blown cover-up. It was just a matter of finding out how deep it went and why it existed in the first place.

    I could see Taylor''s father struggling to comprehend what his daughter had experienced, going through guilt, shame, anger, disgust, and quite a few combinations of each over and over again, each one painted clearly on his face.

    Of course, while the what and how might have been disturbing and horrifying, the truly sad part was just how solvable all of it was, how... small it seemed to myself and, no doubt, Detective Sheryl. Taylor was a teenager, and as it was for many of them, their lives started and ended with the world they saw on a daily basis. To Taylor, it seemed like the entire world was against her because, as far as she could see, it was.

    Never mind that a five-minute talk with any police officer in the city, any person above Principal Blackwell in Brockton Bay''s school system, a lawyer, a reporter, hell, just about anyone with basic human decency and an internet connection, would have seen this whole situation blown open, just like what was happening now.

    Instead, to her, it seemed like she was lost in a sheer-walled pit, surrounded by monsters and demons who, at best, ignored her suffering and, at worst, reveled in it.

    Thankfully, that sense of complete isolation and walled-off nihilism was fixable. In fact, I could see it happening in her eyes, every time she said something new. She would look at us, waiting for us to accuse her and say that we didn''t believe her, or to brush it off and insist it was her imagination, or that she was merely seeking attention. She had been trained to assume all authority figures or adults existed to keep her in her pit, and when we didn''t, a little bit of life returned to her eyes.

    The life in her eyes grew and grew, lighting up her features. A fire was smoldering inside of her, and as she desperately told her story, it burned brighter and brighter. Even as she was reduced to tears of relief, it shone through.

    It was hope. Hope that this was finally it. That we would finally do something. That someone had seen her pit and was determined to get her out. As she held on to her father, both of them crying, both of them apologizing to each other, Detective Sheryl and I stepped out of the conference room to give them some time.

    "So. Who do you think should I call?" I asked as the detective used an absolutely archaic coffee machine to make herself a drink. I desperately wanted one as well, but I couldn''t drink with my mask on.

    "Who could you call?"

    "I could call Assault or Miss Militia directly, or I could ask one of them for a number for a more specific person¡­ Or I could just call Director Piggot."

    "Why do you have the Directors number?" The older woman started, only to shake her head and wave the question away. "Doesn''t matter. Call Director Piggot."

    "You want to go straight to the top?" I asked.

    "This would all get to her hand eventually. It''s too big of a deal not to." She explained. "At a minimum, this is someone using PRT resources to cover up a crime. Trust me, I''ve met her too. She would just resent the wasted effort."

    "Fine, I''ll contact the Director. What happens after that? We go into the PRT?" I asked. "Should I be there? Or should I-"

    "You should absolutely be there," The woman said, spinning around to focus on me with a glare. "You ain''t looking to pass that poor girl along, are you?"

    I met her gaze rather easily, staring straight back at her.

    "I''m going to let that accusation slide because, after everything that''s happened, you have the right to be paranoid, Detective Sheryl," I said, shaking my head, my mask hiding my scowl. "But please refrain from assuming the worst of me, especially when I haven''t done anything to deserve it."

    She let out a long breath, running her hand through her white hair, but eventually nodding in understanding.

    "I was asking if I should come because I wanted to make sure I didn''t make the situation harder than it needed to be," I explained.

    "Fine, fair," She said, taking a big sip of her coffee. "You should come with us because it gives us legitimacy. If it''s just us¡­ I''m worried they might brush it under the rug."

    I frowned, chewing the inside of my cheek as I considered her words. My first few interactions with the PRT and the Protectorate had been¡­ less than optimal. While things had settled down a bit, I couldn''t deny that an attempt to sweep everything away before it could do any damage to their rep didn''t feel very far-fetched. I didn''t think they would do anything too crazy, but then again, anything but the truth was unacceptable.

    "Then I''ll be there," I said with a nod.

    We waited another fifteen minutes before Danny eventually stepped out of the room, motioning for us to come back in. Once we were settled, I floated the idea of going directly to Director Piggot.

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    "I''ve met her before," I assured them. "She¡­ isn''t the easiest person to get along with, but she takes her job seriously. If someone is messing around with PRT resources she will be on them like white on rice in a snowstorm."

    We discussed our options for a bit before I finally pulled out my cell phone and dialed the number that Director Piggot had used to contact me to negotiate healing while Panacea was taking her break. It rang once before a voice I didn''t recognize answered.

    "Hello, Office of PRT Director Piggot, how may I help you?"

    "Hello, my name is Arcanum, and I''m trying to reach Director Piggot," I explained, the voice giving a slight start. "I talked to her previously at this number."

    "Of course, Arcanum. One moment while I contact the Director."

    Before I could say anything, hold music started to play, and I couldn''t help but groan. We waited patiently for five minutes before the phone clicked over again, this time to the no-nonsense voice of Director Piggot.

    "Arcanum, it is good to hear from you," She said. "My secretary said you wished to speak to me?"

    "Yeah, I did. I think I might have uncovered something nefarious going on in the PRT," I said, the line going silent for a good thirty seconds. "Hello?"

    "I''m finding myself less glad to hear from you, Arcanum," She responded. "But yes, I am here, Arcanum, waiting for you to elaborate."

    I quickly gave the stern woman the rundown of the situation, giving her the names Taylor had told us, the circumstances, and other details we thought might be important. The entire time, Director Piggot was silent. When I was done, it took a full thirty seconds for her to finally respond.

    "Arcanum, thank you for bringing this to my attention," she said, her voice tight, like she was barely holding her anger and frustration at bay. "You mentioned that Danny Hebert is with you. Could you hand him your phone?"

    "Sure thing, here he is."

    I said, pulling my phone away from my ear and holding it out to Taylor''s father. For a moment, he looked at it, making no move to take it. Then, he seemed to settle up, reaching out and grabbing it.

    We watched the one-sided conversation, which eventually ended with Danny passing me back my phone. The Director thanked me again before asking me to come in the following day so I could sit in with Danny and Taylor in some sort of meeting. I agreed but stopped her before she could end the conversation.

    "Director Piggot, I don''t want to end with anything as crude as a threat or ultimatum," I admitted, letting out a long breath. "But you need to understand that I will not be letting this go until Taylor and her Father are satisfied with the information and recompense. Please don''t make me prove how far I am willing to go."

    "We will see, Arcanum," She responded calmly. "I will see you tomorrow."

    I folded my phone closed as the call end beep sounded, sliding it back into my pocket and leaning back in my chair.

    "What did she say?" Detective Sheryl asked, leaning on the conference room table.

    "She wanted time to investigate what we told her," Danny responded. "She seemed genuinely angry at the possibility and¡­ I also got the feeling that she knew something. Like after a point, she wasn''t surprised. She agreed to a meeting tomorrow afternoon, at four PM."

    "She wanted me there as well," I added.

    "...Did I do the right thing?" Danny asked after a long moment, looking at his daughter, who at this point looked tired and drained but¡­ still somehow better than when I first met her. "My gut was telling me she was telling the truth, that they did just want to investigate, but what if they just wanted time to wipe everything clean?"

    "Then they are going to have a bad time when I go to the press, explaining what I heard and what she said to me," I explained with a shrug. "Maybe the next Director will have some basic human decency. But I don''t think that will be a problem. Director Piggot may be¡­ shrewd, but she didn''t come off as purposely corrupt or negligent."

    "And I''m sure if she does try something, a mysterious copy of my report and investigation could show up on someone''s doorstep, someone who could use it to show at the PRT did, in fact, take over the investigation," Detective Sheryl. "There are options."

    "For now, I think it''s time for you guys to get home. I think some quiet time and a nice meal will do both of you some good," I said with a smile, reaching out to pat Danny''s shoulder. "I''ll be waiting for you outside the PRT."

    Danny nodded, looking down at his daughter, who also nodded in agreement. Detective Sheryl escorted the two of them from the building while I snuck out the back, making my way to the Docks community to pick up Troy. While I was there, I spent some time checking in on everyone, helping out around the place, and making sure the orchard was stable and charged.

    I was making my way across the city, doing a half-assed patrol on my way to the forest and home, when Alya pulled in close.

    "I was thinking about something," She said, her tone hesitant, as if she wasn''t sure she should be telling me something.

    "At least one of us was," I commented, shaking my head a moment later. "Sorry, I''m still in a funk from listening to Taylor. What is it?"

    "It''s about her, or, at least, something she said," She admitted, pausing for a second before continuing. "She explained that her more physical tormentor has been absent from school for some time now. Danny also commented that Director Piggot wasn''t surprised by some of what she was hearing. Like she had expected more bad news."

    "I don''t think he worded it that way, but sure."

    "William, what happened a few weeks ago?" She asked. "Having to do with an overly physically aggressive minor and the PRT?"

    "Overly aggressive¡­ Wait, Shadow Stalker?" I asked, my mind reeling a bit from the connection. "That''s a hell of a stretch¡­"

    I considered the idea, turning it over in my head a bit. There was no doubt that what little facts we had did fit, but only because we had so few. After all, the fewer points plotted, the easier it was to place them on a common plane. The chances of those particular coincidences lining up were beyond small¡­ but damn if they didn''t fit.

    "I can see why you drew that conclusion, but I doubt it''s actually true," I pointed out. "And even if it is, we can''t do anything about it. There are some pretty serious restrictions and laws about Wards, specifically about their identities. Either way, we can''t use it to our advantage."

    "Maybe, but it doesn''t answer a few questions," she pointed out.

    "Yeah, and raise a dozen more," I added with a snort, guiding Troy through a shortcut through an alleyway. "Like I don''t have enough already."

    Despite having saved Taylor from being chased and having spent so much time with her afterward, my reward for the quest had not come through. Instead, it just hung there, open, like it was waiting for me to complete every aspect of it before deciding what it was worth.

    I could only hope I would gain some understanding of how it worked when it finally made up its mind.

 Chapter Forty Five

    I spent the rest of the day at the forest compound, finishing the alterations and additions to the absorption ritual necessary to make it permanent. I still needed the materials, five pounds of mercury, titanium, tungsten, copper, and nickel, but once I had them, I was ready. In all honesty, I could have finished the design much quicker, but I wanted there to be a level of customizability in the ritual. There was a good chance that I would, at some point, offer this ritual to other people, and there was an equally good chance I would want to give them a version that was slightly below my own. It might have cost me a few hours now, but having an advanced version that I could easily slot in and pull out metals as I needed would come in handy.

    The following morning, I went about my usual routine, starting with a quick, simple meal made by Kali. When I was clean and fed, I made my way out of the forest and to the hospital. At this point, the hospital workers knew the deal and had finally stopped pressing me to heal more than I agreed to. I didn''t necessarily think that they were mean-spirited or purposely being cruel or trying to maliciously take advantage of me. Instead, I was pretty sure they just saw how easy it was for me to help people, so they immediately assumed there was no reason for me not to spend more time healing. I wanted to help, after all, didn''t I?

    If it hadn''t been for Alya keeping my head on straight, I could absolutely see myself giving into peer pressure, which I could only imagine must have been much worse for Amy. She was already struggling with questions of self-worth thanks to the bitch who raised her, having people constantly push those particular buttons must have been horrible. Again, I didn''t think anyone in the hospital was being intentionally malicious or aggressive, but they clearly saw her as an asset to be used first, and a person second.

    While I was at the hospital, I paid extra close attention to who was healing from the PRT. They weren''t hiding them per se, but I had a sneaking suspicion they were purposely not advertising them either. It wasn''t until I healed a kid with a torn rotator cuff that I realized that they were probably worried about the identities of their agents and heroes. They needed their people healed as quick as possible, but it wasn''t hard to connect the person who broke their arm to the hero who just had their arm broken.

    I made a mental note to talk to Director Piggot when we were meeting later. I had assumed she understood I was happy to make acceptions for heroes, but there was a chance she misunderstood.

    Once I was done with my rounds, I made my way to the Docks Community. At this point, the excitement and novelty of combining two communities, as well as mixed parts from a third, had seemed to wear off for their members. People had rebuilt their own little chunks of space, ranging from single-tarp homes that barely counted as such, to much more complicated structures, usually built from customized tents and tarps.

    I walked around for a little while, healing and chatting with people, before ending up in an empty corner with Olivia, John, and Charles. It was under the guise of lunch, but really, I wanted more information about something I heard during my rounds.

    "So I heard you got some people poking their noses in?" I asked, repeated. "Everything alright?"

    "Yeah, it was the ABB, trying to sniff out any competition and stamp them out," Charles said, shaking his head. "It''s nothing, really. Just the small-time guy in charge of our neighborhood. He likes to stop by every once in a while, rattle us up, show that he is in control."

    "Is he?" I asked. "Did he do anything different this time?"

    "He was wary of the golems, which we kept to the side and out of his way," Charles explained. "Other than that, nothing new. As for control¡­ he is in charge of the neighborhood under the ABB, but it''s not like this neighborhood is important to them. We are the biggest group here, and we don''t exactly have the free cash to buy drugs. Though there are a few here who wish they did."

    "So he is a vassal who got handed the crap chunk of land," I equated, John nodding in agreement. "Well, as long as he isn''t going to stir up trouble. Let me know if stuff starts to change. I have¡­ an alternative if something goes wrong."

    "What, gonna make the whole place disappear?" Olivia asked with a teasing smile.

    "I could probably do something like that," I admitted, getting a surprised look from my friends. "I could also set something up elsewhere, someplace out of the way. It wouldn''t be any less illegal, but it would be safer."

    "Where?" Charles asked. "I know you disappear into the woods most nights. At least that''s what everyone says online¡­"

    "More or less," I confirmed with a shrug. "I might have the starting of a base of operations out there. Part of me wanted to keep where I live and where you guys live separate, so you guys aren''t caught in the crossfire if someone tries to run me down, but¡­"

    "I think¡­ for now, we are good where we are," John said, with Charles nodding in agreement.

    "You''ll get accused of being a master if a good chunk of the homeless population just walks into the woods," Olivia pointed out rather bluntly, though not incorrectly. "Better keep things how they are for now."

    "Great. Okay, that sounds good," I said with a nod. "And you guys don''t think the ABB is a threat?"

    "Of course they are a threat," Charles said, shaking his head. "But they aren''t going to start trouble, not for no reason."

    "Not even over me?"

    "Believe it or not, you haven''t come up," Charles responded with a shrug. "He didn''t mention you or your trees, just kept a close eye on the golems and walked around, trying to sound big."

    "His boss is probably hoping you take out more of the Empire," John pointed out, Charles reluctantly agreeing with a gesture. "You already killed one of them, even if he was more of a nuisance than anything. It''s in his best interest to let you guys fight it out."

    "And he will just let that happen? In his front lawn?"

    "Lung tends to rule from the back," Olivia explained with a shrug. "He doesn''t step out until something needs to be stepped on. Oni Lee might get sent out to send a message occasionally, but that''s only if you go against them. You don''t plan on hitting ABB assets or getting involved with their work anytime soon, right?"

    I frowned and shook my head. The truth was, at some point, I did plan on hitting ABB assets, but not until I could stamp out the after effects, and guarantee the people I was responsible for would be okay. That meant I couldn''t do anything without gaining more power or allies, preferably both. Knowing Olivia was around to help defend the community was a massive weight off my shoulders, and with a few more people to work with, I was pretty sure I could finally start taking down some of the gangs.

    We talked a bit more about how everything was going before I left to head to the PRT headquarters. I was a bit early, but I figured doing a few loops of a patrol would burn plenty of time.

    Two hours, a mugging and a purse snatching later, I arrived at the PRT office. At the direction of a waiting Agent, I rode Troy down into the parking area, where Assault was waiting. I jumped off Troy, who sat down in a parking spot, before making my way to the hero.

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    "Good to see you, Arcanum. I-," He greeted me, reaching out to shake my hand, suddenly freezing when he did. It took a moment for him to shake his head and release my hand.

    "Huh¡­ well, you certainly earn that Trump rating, I suppose," He said, looking at his hand and then back at me. "I didn''t get anything from that."

    "What do you mean?" I asked, the Protectorate member turning to lead me to the elevator upwards.

    "My powers are all about manipulating kinetic energy, at least when it''s applied to me," He explained. "I can feel it on me constantly, every little touch is kinda like an access point. I don''t think I can affect you at all, though. Like something is blocking me¡­"

    "Ah well¡­ I did warn you guys I am a tinker of sorts," I pointed out. "Though I didn''t mean to counter your powers specifically. If you''re up for it, when this is all done, we could do some testing."

    "Wait, really?" He asked, sounding surprised, his eyes wide.

    "Yeah, I would rather know how it interacts with your ability now than when we are working together in the field," I pointed. "Plus, I get to try out something new. Not gonna show off everything, but yeah, I''ll probably have an hour or two."

    He nodded enthusiastically, agreeing happily to the idea. Apparently, he had no idea what I was actually here for but had volunteered to come down and guide me before going out on patrol. He admitted he would have to run it by a few people first, but he was confident they would agree.

    We shook hands again outside a conference room before he jogged off to find his partner for the day. After saying goodbye, I stepped inside to see the Heberts already there, sitting inside on one side of a conference table. Both of them looked tired and drained, and yet they also looked... healthier and happier.

    "Hello," I said, sitting down along the edge of the table opposite the father and daughter pair. "Have you been waiting long?"

    "No, we arrived a few minutes ago," Daniel responded. "Listen, Arcanum. Before things get started, I wanted to thank you again for¡­ everything you''ve been doing. Not just stopping those kids from chasing Taylor, but making sure that this meeting happened."

    "I was happy to help," I assured him. "While a lot of heroes seem to think that getting powers seem to mean they should challenge the world to a fistfight, I''ve found that helping on a smaller scale can be just as important, if not more so. As pretentious as that might sound."

    "I wouldn''t say so. I asked some of my friends, and it seems like you have been doing a lot of good around this city," Danny said with a smile. "I know a few people living with Charles'' group. He seemed to think you''ve earned the right to give that advice."

    "I''m flattered," I said with a smile before looking at Taylor. "How are you feeling?"

    "I''m¡­ okay." She said, looking up from her hands. "I got to skip school for today¡­ Sharing everything has made it seem lighter. I got a full night''s sleep for the first time in a while."

    "I''m glad to hear that," I said. "I hope-"

    Before I could continue, the door opened, and Director Piggot immediately stepped inside, quickly followed by Miss Militia. I nodded to both of them, standing politely before sitting down with them. Unsurprisingly, Director Piggot took the head chair, with Miss Militia sitting to her right. The director, simply put, did not look happy.

    "First, Arcanum, I want to thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. I have no doubt it would have gotten out anyway, as once you informed the police that the investigation had halted without any investigation or conclusion reached, it was inevitable. However, by bringing it directly to me, I can do this."

    She passed a stack of papers to Miss Militia, who leaned over to hand them to Danny. She then slid an identical stack to me.

    "This is an NDA. This does not concern the entirety of why you are here," she explained as Danny and I read through the pretty straightforward legal document. "This covers a very specific piece of information that will make explaining this situation significantly easier. If you do not sign this, then this meeting is over. I will remind you that NDAs cannot enforce silence on acts that are illegal."

    "Jesus Christ," I said, shaking my head. "I can''t believe-"

    "I will also ask you to keep certain thoughts about what you may or may not think this NDA is designed to cover to yourself until all of us can legally discuss it," the large woman added, giving me a harsh look. "Please, sign the papers if you are willing."

    I snapped my mouth shut, nodding and looking back down at the papers. It didn''t take long for me to read and sign them, and Danny quickly followed me. Once Director Piggot double-checked each of them, she slid them into her folder.

    "Good. Now that you are all signed, Arcanum, I assume you figured it out?"

    "I think so. The fact that there''s an NDA involved sealed it for me," I explained. "Sophia Hess is Shadow Stalker, isn''t she?"

    "Sophia Hess was Shadow Stalker," She corrected quickly. "Officially, she retired after your incident to focus on herself and her issues. Unofficially, Shadow Stalker is a burned Ward, and Sophia Hess is now prisoner number 7628-P-568. Before this incident came to light, she was likely to get out in several years, where she would get the opportunity to join the Protectorate. With what is likely going to be at least an attempted murder charge, she will be getting considerably more jail time."

    "Sophia is a Ward?"

    The cold, empty tone that Taylor spoke in sent shivers down my spine, and everyone snapped to look at her. Her face was blank, utterly devoid of any emotion, and I had to fight the urge to lean back. Everyone, including her father, was shocked by her new tone.

    "... She was Ms Hebert," Piggot explained. "And now, she is in juvenile detention."

    Danny reached out and put his hand on Taylor''s shoulder, giving his daughter a reassuring squeeze. She remained rock solid and cold, but Danny wasn''t looking at her.

    "How could this happen?" He asked, focused on the Director. "How could she be a Ward while she was putting my daughter through hell?"

    "The blame for that catastrophe falls at the feet of Sophia Hess''s handler and Principle Blackwell," She responded, pulling open another file before elaborating. "When a Ward goes to a public school, that school is given a rather large grant of money every year. This is supposed to be used to increase security, hire more personnel, and generally help with the difficulties and issues that stem from covering for the identity of a Ward."

    As she spoke, it was easy to see the frustration she felt. Taylor, in particular, seemed to appreciate it, though her cold demeanor only defrosted the slightest amount.

    "Both Principal Blackwell and Sophia Hess''s handler were skimming a significant portion of that grant for their own use," Director Piggot continued, locking eyes with Taylor. "As long as Sophia Hess continued to go to Winslow High, they would both get a significant cut of that money. As such, they both covered for her. Her handler was responsible for getting the PRT to claim jurisdiction on the investigation and subsequently burying that investigation, while Principal Blackwell buried your complaints and kept outside sources from investigating your assault."

 Chapter Forty Six

    It took a full minute for Taylor to internalize what Director Piggot had said, her mind clearly struggling to come to terms with it. After the long moment passed, she finally spoke up.

    "She is in prison?" She asked. "No trail or¡­"

    "For her previous crimes? She was already found guilty of those, so when she broke her probation, the charges were already waiting for her," Piggot explained as gently as she could manage. "What happens to her next depends on what kind of evidence we can bring against her for what she did to you."

    "We?" Both Danny and Taylor reacted to that comment.

    "Yes. This is the kind of Parahuman crime that the PRT was designed to stop. Just because the criminal involved is a little closer to home does not mean we hang up our hats and leave. However, there is a catch," Piggot admitted, Miss Militia wincing slightly beside her. "Sophia issues need to be kept out of the public eye. She has already hurt our reputation enough, any more and we will see serious backlash from the public, backlash we cannot afford."

    "What about her handler? And principal Blackwell?" Taylor asked, leaning forward. "And Emma and Madison, and Julia and-"

    "The agent in charge of Sophia Hess has already been arrested, this morning, in fact, when she came in for work," Miss Militia responded. "We found plenty of evidence to put her away for a long time, even beyond her work covering up Sophia''s crimes against you. She is going to see significant time in prison for all of her crimes, that I can assure you."

    "As for Blackwell¡­ Well, we passed on the information we have on her to the FBI and IRS. They will most likely pick her up in the next few days or so. They certainly have enough evidence to convict her of a few federal crimes," Director Piggot added. "As for your peers, the case will be returned to BBPD in the next day or so, but we may have gotten them on the right track already. Expect updates from a¡­ Detective Sheryl, in the next day or so."

    Piggot glanced down at her papers for the name, which we all already knew. Meanwhile, Taylor seemed to have returned to us, her emotions running through her body as she leaned back against her chair, looking stunned, absolutely shocked at how this was going.

    "I¡­ I never expected¡­ I never expected anything to ever work," She admitted. "I thought the best I would ever get was to wait it out, to be the bigger person and just endure it¡­"

    "I am glad we can finally bring your long-deserved justice, Ms. Hebert," Director Piggot admitted, Miss Militia nodding her head in agreement. "But we still have to discuss you and your father''s silence."

    "We already signed an NDA," Danny said.

    "That was simply concerning the connection between Sophia Hess and Shadow Stalker," She explained. "What we want is your verbal agreement that you will keep the rest of the connection silent as well. Technically, we cannot force you to sign an NDA involving the handler or the Ward grant, since it is possible to explain that connection without immediately exposing an Ex-Wards identity."

    "Why is it so important to protect her identity now?" I asked. "You said yourself that she isn''t going to be coming back."

    "Because the safety and security of the Wards and their secret identities must remain bulletproof," Director Piggot explained clearly and concisely, meeting my eyes and staring back. "It has to be one of our highest priorities. They put their trust in us, after all, it''s only right that we do our best to protect them. Even if they don''t deserve it anymore."

    I could see that while she didn''t like it, Taylor could at least understand the sentiment, which was ultimately where I was as well. Danny just squinted at the director.

    "What''s the catch?" He asked. "You''re asking us to verbally agree, and that''s it?"

    "No. We have a sizable settlement ready as well," She assured him. "All we ask is that you leave the PRT assets to us. We will assist your case against the others as best we can. Hell, we can even sign off on using one of our lawyers, pro bono. Just as long as you leave Sophia and her handler to us. We will keep their arrest and case internal."

    "What about assurances that this will never happen again?" I asked, Director Piggot looking over at me. "What''s to keep this from happening to someone else?"

    "Oh, trust me, this has already sparked changes," Director Piggot assured me. "The amount of dust Sophia kicked up by first attacking you, to only turn up again? With the amount I was able to put together for your settlement, other departments are already scrambling to check their Wards and other departments for similar issues. As for preventing this from happening in the future, the idea of a report line for Ward or Protectorate corruption has been floated around, as has the idea of assigning someone as an internal watcher of sorts. I can''t guarantee these ideas are going to be instituted quickly or at all, but I can guarantee something will be put in place here and that it is likely many other Protectorate and PRT locations will as well."

    Danny and Taylor continued to ask questions, wanting to know what else was being done, what they were expected to not say, and several other minor questions. About an hour later, when the conversation was over, they shook hands with the director, and she handed them a check. It was none of my business how much was on it, so I didn''t ask, but judging by how Danny had almost tripped and dropped it when he read it, it was probably a lot.

    The father and daughter pair said their goodbyes, Danny once again shaking my hand while Taylor actually gave me a hug. Judging from her father''s reaction, this was a rare event, which didn''t surprise me with how much trauma she had withstood. I patted the tall girls back before they both left, escorted out by Miss Militia.

    "Arcanum, thank you for agreeing to come in today," Director Piggot said as she packed away her papers. "While it only minorly concerned you, you helped keep Taylor and Danny calm, which was exactly why I asked you to come in."

    "I''m just glad this all¡­ came to a relatively tightly wrapped ending," I admitted. "This¡­ fucking hell, it''s a cluster fuck, I don''t envy you."

    She snorted, closing her last folder and stacking them together before leaning back in her seat.

    "Was there something you needed?" She asked, picking up on my intent.

    "A few things, yes. Our healing agreement. I wanted to amend it slightly," I admitted, holding up my hand to keep her from assuming the worst. "I was being unreasonable before in demanding you move your people to a public hospital when you have to deal with things like secret identities and security issues. As long as you have everyone ready in the morning for me to stop by and heal, I will agree to come here and heal them."

    "I see. I appreciate the courtesy, it will make keeping my people safe much easier," She admitted, leaning forward and steepling her hands. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

    "Now that the hospital has everything streamlined, and they stopped trying to bully me into healing more than I agreed to, it only takes about an hour every morning," I explained. "And I realized you are dealing with Wards and Protectorate members, meaning secret identities are involved. It''s just easier for everyone involved if we do it here."

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    "And are you looking for anything in return for this convenience?"

    "No, not really," I responded with a shrug. "Although, if possible, I would like payment for the next few people I heal to come in materials. Or at least access to somewhere I can buy materials."

    "... What kind of materials?"

    "I need five pounds of tungsten, titanium, nickel, copper, and mercury," I explained, chuckling when she gave me a look. "What? I told you guys I am a tinker."

    "Those should be easy to source¡­ Could I ask what you''re using them for?"

    "Part of what makes me tougher can be changed and mixed up by using other materials. I want to add a bit of variety."

    She seemed a bit surprised at my easy admission, before breaking down the sentence in her head and realizing that while I had technically answered her question, it didn''t exactly give her much to go on.

    "Very well¡­ two days of healing for free should cover that?" She suggested, and I nodded. With the reduced cost they were paying me, that wouldn''t be too much. "Good. I could have them ready for you after your testing with Assault."

    I nodded before standing from my seat and holding out my hand. Piggot stood as well, shaking my hand before sitting back down. Knowing a dismissal when I saw one, I left the room only to be waved down by an agent. He guided me down through the building, with the obvious destination being wherever Assault was. We had barely made it down a floor before I could feel the Marvelous Mage system finally stirring. It seemed like it was finally satisfied with the status of the quest to assign me my reward.

    I politely asked the guard to lead me to a bathroom, before locking myself inside a thankfully clean stall, closing my eyes to wait. It didn''t take long for the charges to reveal themselves. The first filled easily, and I got the feeling that I had earned that by simply stopping the chase from happening. The second charge filled slower, and I could feel that I had earned this one by cutting through bureaucracy and making sure that Taylor got her chance at justice.

    The third and final charge was even slower to fill, giving the sensation that I almost had not earned it, but by participating in the meeting and helping to keep¡­ something from happening, I had technically earned it. Judging by the fact that I had no idea what I had prevented, which meant it was avoided through pure chance, I couldn''t exactly argue with that feeling.

    My mind was racing, all three of the charges sitting in my mind, ready to be used. As much as I wanted to rush and invest them, I knew that would be stupid, especially considering where I was. I needed to get out, to get some time to think. I quickly left the bathroom, washed my hands, and let the guard complete his task, leading me to a large padded gymnasium-like room, with a raised platform in the middle. There, Assault and Miss Militia were waiting.

    "Hello again," I greeted, waving to the two heroes. "Long time no see."

    "You joke, but some patrols feel like a lot longer than they actually are," Assault pointed out, shaking my hand. "How was your meeting?"

    "It went about as well as one might hope," I said vaguely, the hero pouting. "Sorry, it''s not my story to tell. Plus, your boss probably wouldn''t like me spreading it around."

    "Fine, fine, keep your secrets. So, what''s up with your new digs?" The hero asked, gesturing to my jacket. "It''s the only part of your costume that''s changed, so I gotta assume it is the source of whatever is new."

    "Alright, Sherlock, well done. It adds a bit of ablative shielding around my body that slowly recharges," I explained, patting my chest. "Which apparently messes with your powers. Considering we are on the same side, I don''t want it messing with us in the field."

    Beyond experimenting with Assualt''s powers, I was also happy to run more tests on the shield itself. I had already done some minor experimenting when I first made the jacket, but I really had no idea of its true limits. This was an excellent opportunity to really put it through its paces, even if it meant revealing some of its quirks.

    "Well, let''s start out with the basics," Assault suggested before tapping his chest and spreading his arms open. "Go ahead and hit me. Somewhere in the realm of a normal person''s strength, please, just in case my power doesn''t activate again."

    I looked at him with a raised eyebrow before giving Miss Militia a look. When she confirmed his words, I shrugged and fired a simple, low-energy punch to his chest. The kinetic energy manipulator took it simply, not moving an inch.

    "Interesting, that felt like a pretty standard attack," he admitted. "Got the usual feedback from it and everything. Well, let''s try¡­"

    For the next hour or so, Assault and I messed around in the gym, throwing each other around and testing out my ablative shield''s ability to block his kinetic manipulation. We figured out very quickly that if he was hitting me, his power struggled to connect. When I attacked him, however, his power clicked on easily, without issues. I had to assume it had something to do with how the shield interpreted damage or impacts. When something hit me, it hit the shield first, whereas when I hit something else, the shield let me hit him directly.

    We also tested things like catching me from a fall, which worked fine, or me trying to push him out of the way, which didn''t work in the slightest. Her could let himself be pushed, of course, but my armor didn''t override his instinctual absorption of impacts to let me shove him around. It was all interesting, and I''m glad that we got the chance to experiment a bit, but we didn''t discover anything groundbreaking.

    When we were done, however, I convinced Miss Militia to shoot me with a couple non-lethal options, like tasers, beanbag rounds, and rubber bullets, all of which she could create with her glowing green, transforming weapon. After pointing out that I was bulletproof underneath the already impressive ablative armor, she agreed.

    That experiment had some interesting results as well, as the taser round was stopped by my shield, preventing the little nubs from shocking me at all. On top of that, as far as we could tell, my shield could stop all of the non lethal rounds she knew about, including some rather large rubber bullets. The shielding would drop a lot when it absorbed the impacts, but I never even felt them.

    I unfortunately could not convince her to actually shoot me, the experienced heroine drawing a hard, and not entirely unexpected line at "real" bullets. I couldn''t exactly blame her, so I dropped the idea pretty quickly. She did point out that there was testing equipment that could safely measure the strength of my shield in the power testing facilities, but I denied the suggestion. The ablative shield was a backup against powers that functioned weirdly, like Shadow Stalkers. The fact that it reacted to Assaults was proof of the pudding, that it added a layer to my protection that was not just pure durability.

    When we were finished, Assault led me down to the parking lot, where my materials were already waiting, a pair of agents standing there, several packages. I carefully fed each chunk of metal into Troy before putting the two separate glass containers of mercury into my pockets. I made a final farewell to the government hero before finally leaving the PRT at a trot.

 Chapter Forty Seven

    I made it exactly ten feet down the road, the PRT motor pool entrance behind me, before I heard Assault calling out for me. I tapped Troy on the side to get him to stop, turning to look back as Assault closed the distance. He approached sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

    "So listen, I forgot to mention, my boss is pretty worried about the golem things you made," He explained, gesturing to Troy. "Especially since you handed a bunch out to civilians."

    I sat up a little straighter on Troy''s back, concerned he was about to ask me to hand over the golems at the Docks community, thereby leaving it undefended.

    "She would appreciate receiving a copy so our tinkers could evaluate it."

    I tilted my head to the side with a frown. That wouldn''t necessarily be a problem since I could whip up a simple, dumb golem in an hour, after all.

    "And who is going to pay for the materials?" I asked. "And what style would she want?"

    "Style?" Assault asked, confusion coloring his voice.

    "Living tree, stone, metal, clay," I listed off. "Hell, if you give me some time, I could probably make an ice one, though I don''t know how long it would last. Winter in Brockton Bay is weirdly warm."

    "We were not aware there were different types," Assualt admitted. "Okay, I need to talk to the Director about this. I will get back to you about the specifics."

    "Yeah, you do that."

    Assault nodded and retreated, a bit of frustration leaking out of his mannerisms as he walked back to the motor pool entrance. I watched him disappear, shaking my head before tapping Troy to continue.

    Putting the new PRT request from my mind, I focused on the obvious elephant in the room, one I had ignored since I was busy inside the PRT and couldn''t exactly drop everything to pace back and forth. The quest had awarded me three points, a shocking amount compared to the single point I received for helping Dinah and her aunt. I could feel pretty easily why I had earned the first two, one for completing the word of the quest and the second for making sure that Taylor got the justice she deserved.

    I just couldn''t figure out what the third point was for. I spent a few minutes explaining to Ayla what had happened, and she immediately understood what I had prevented.

    "Taylor Hebert is a Cape," She explained. "You prevented her from having an utter meltdown and probably from attacking the PRT with her powers."

    "W-What?" I asked, pulling myself back in surprise. "How did you figure that out?"

    "I''m sure you notice her bouts of coldness?"

    "Yeah¡­ it was like she was replaced by a machine or something," I responded, unable to fight a shiver that ran up my spine. "She did it a few times that I can remember."

    "Well, as I was observing the area, I began to notice that the bugs were acting strangely within a certain area, just inside my maximum capacity."

    "How exactly were they acting strange?" I whispered as we trotted along the bike lane.

    "For one, they were far too orderly," she explained. "It took a moment for me to pick up on it at first, but it was pretty obvious once I did. All around us, almost past my range, the bugs were all acting too orderly, too in sync. There was no way it was natural. It had to have been a parahuman."

    "But that could have been one of the boys," I pointed out. "Hell, it could have been one of the police officers or just someone watching."

    "Maybe, but there''s also that cold, blank face. Every time she did that, it got worse," She explained. "Massive swarms of distant bugs would become agitated, buzzing and flying around aggressively. Then, when we were in the PRT, and Director Piggot revealed that Sophia was Shadow Stalker? The insects began to fight, tearing each other to pieces by the thousands. It was horrific, and if it had been anything other than insects¡­"

    "So she is a master, specifically for bugs?" I asked, scratching my cheek. "That is... Well, it''s not a pretty power, is it?"

    "I suppose she could be more than that," Alya admitted. "But that was all I observed."

    "And that coldness¡­ was she using her powers to work out her emotions?"

    "Or offloading them completely," Alya added. "That is what it looked like to me. Like she was switching off her emotions by loading them into the swarms around her."

    I nodded, agreeing with her theory. Masters were a messy subject at the best of times, and controlling bugs was about as dirty as you could get without controlling people. On top of that, we had no idea what her limitations were, if she was stuck to bugs, or if she could control other stuff as well. Maybe bugs were just the easiest to control?

    "How many bugs was she controlling at once?" I asked. "You were watching a considerable area at once, so how far and how many?"

    "Countless," She responded, sounding unsure. "As insane as it sounds, I think she might have been controlling all of the bugs inside her range, which was just within mine. That would very easily be billions of bugs under her control."

    "Fucking hell¡­ Okay, I need to make some master protection gear," I said, shaking my head. "I''ve been putting that off for long enough, and it should be more than possible with rituals. Then- Wait¡­"

    "What is it?" Alya asked after I stopped for a moment before slapping my face and rubbing my eyes.

    "She went super cold inside the PRT," I reminded her. "So she must have been offloading her emotions during the meeting. Inside a building that probably has more internal security than any other building in the city."

    "Oh¡­ so they definitely know she is a cape, then."

    "Assuming competence, nearly a hundred percent," I responded. "Assuming mediocrity, they probably know that either Danny or Taylor is a cape. Assuming incompetence¡­ well, they probably wonder when I learned to control bugs. The worst is that I''m kind of hoping they are incompetent. If they assume it''s me, then they won''t start pestering her."

    I could feel her approval of that comment, though she wasn''t exactly happy with my casual self-sacrifice.

    "Okay, well¡­ there isn''t much we can do about it now," I said, shaking my head. "Let''s keep an eye out for a bug-controlling master or something similar. Both her and her father have my number, which means they can call me if they need help or advice. She looked like a good kid, so maybe we can shake hands with a new hero sometime soon."

    "She certainly isn''t likely to join the Wards, not after all she went through," Alya pointed out, and I nodded with a sigh.

    By the time we were finished talking about Taylor and what we could or couldn''t do about her being a parahuman, we were already pushing through the center of town. I found a secluded alleyway with Alya''s help, climbed off his back, and quickly changed into civilian clothes. Once I was changed and armed with my backpack and duffel bag combo, I set Troy home, carrying my costume and gear. I would play the overnight hiker again to make my way back into the forest once I was done shopping.

    At this point, my main goal was an anti-master item, something I could use to keep from being mind-controlled. I didn''t think I had anything to worry about from Taylor specifically, though mostly only because all signs pointed to her powers being about controlling bugs. Teenagers were hard to predict at the best of times, and while Taylor seemed like a good kid with frankly excellent self-control if she had powers and hadn''t used them to permanently fix her tormentors, having powers made that already present unpredictability even worse.

    I spent a few hours shopping, visiting random shops and stores, and buying anything that I found interesting. At this point, I started to realize that the concepts I was reinforcing with rituals could be extremely flexible, and while it would absolutely affect the resulting look and feel of the creation, it would still do what I designed the ritual to do. Though, leaving things more open, like I had for Olivia''s cloak, did lead to some exciting results.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    As I shopped, I spent some time considering the three points I had sitting in my head. The temptation to slap them into something was strong, but I managed to hold back. With my new cycle so close, it made way more sense to wait to spend them. If I did, I would start off the new cycle with nine points, plus whatever random branch of knowledge that my power decided to give me. Plus, it also gave me some time to consider what I really needed.

    I returned home two and a half hours after sending Troy on his way. As I entered the compound, I spotted him immediately, sitting in the sun by one of the clearing''s larger boulders. I could also feel Kali as I approached, the powerful spirit greeting me with a comfortable sensation of being welcomed back into my home.

    "Okay, so first, I plan on performing the permanent geomancy ritual," I said, explaining my thoughts to Alya and Kali as I put most of what I had purchased away into my storage. "Then I''ll spend the rest of the night trying to puzzle through some anti-mind control gear. Worse comes to worse, I''ll design it tonight and perform the ritual first thing in the morning."

    It didn''t take me very long to set up the ritual for permanent absorption since I had already finished the design, and a good chunk of it was already done with slate carved partional. I quickly set the slate partional in the middle of the ritual platform, sinking it down into the wood with a spell. I then drew the rest of the ritual out of chalk before finally placing all of the new metals out in their specific spots. The only material that needed any special attention was mercury, since it was a room-temperature liquid. To keep it from pouring out into the ritual, I used druidcraft to grow a small bowl out of the platform, just big enough to contain all five pounds of liquid metal.

    The rest of the ritual was simple, just making my way into the center and feeding it magic. It took a lot longer than most absorptions, but that was good because it gave Kali more time to fiddle and play with the magic as it grew, streamlining and making the whole thing more potent.

    When the ritual finished, about twenty minutes after the start, I slowly made my way off of the ritual platform, careful not to use too much force or move too fast. When I was far enough away from anything fragile, I slowly started to experiment, stretching and jumping around, lifting up rocks and smashing them with my bare hands. I ran around the compound several times, marveling at my new increased speed. It was hard to tell exactly how much faster I was, but I was pretty sure I was now running as fast as I did when I used the vaulting run. I could feel my reflexes were faster as well, as I ran around with Kali''s wolves, playing tag through the forest.

    I was also considerably tougher and stronger, both the titanium and tungsten making it easy for me to hurl rocks as big as my torso halfway across the clearing. I could also crack them in half with my bare hands. On top of that, not only was the copper making me much more flexible, but I was now at least partially immune to electricity. It would enter my body and pass through me with little resistance and little damage. Of course, dumping enough through me would override that, but after casting a few spells on myself to confirm, I was confident that I was safe from any of my basic-level lightning spells.

    The nickel was also doing its job, giving me a solid amount of heat resistance. It wasn''t enough to call it an immunity, but judging how I could pick up red-hot coal from a fire and crush it in my hands without feeling anything but a little burn, it was a good solid start.

    "All these improvements, and I don''t even need to replenish them every eight or nine hours," I said, finally sitting down along the storage trees, looking out over the ritual platform. "And just in time for me to run out of steel and iron."

    "It is well done," Alya said encouragingly. "I am glad to see your survivability so well increased."

    As I sat down to take a break, I could feel Kali brushing over me. She had been watching as I was experimenting, like a mother watching her kids at a playground. Now that I was done, she got closer, her presence reaching out to tap me high on my sternum, through my clothes. For a long moment, I was confused at what she wanted, opening my mouth to ask when she expressed the same hunger and concern as she had not long ago.

    "Oh! Yeah, okay. You want me to make that necklace thing to help you grow?" I asked, feeling her happiness confirm my question. "Sure, that should be easy. Then I can start the anti-mind control stuff."

    I pulled out my notebook and spent half an hour designing the ritual. It was a straightforward ritual that I stabilized with a few drops of my blood, some of Kali''s essence, a vail of contained sunlight, and an empty containment vial, specifically without a cap. The necklace, which gave off a light glow, would constantly drain my magic, dispersing it to the surrounding area. Normally, without Kali, this would be incredibly stupid, as dispersing that much mana into the air for such a long period of time could have massive unintended consequences, not the least of which was rogue magical reactions. But with the Genius Loci around, she could control and absorb the magic faster than I could release it, keeping the area clean and safe.

    When it was finished, I put the simple, lightly glowing necklace around my neck, tucking it under my shirt. I could immediately feel it, the sensation of my mana just being slightly drained tugging at the corner of my mind. I kept expecting it to start refilling, but it never did. It wasn''t anything majorly debilitating, but more like a vague soreness that got worse the more I focused on it. I was used to it enough to ignore it within an hour of sitting down in my living space, my notebook out, as I worked on designing a ritual to protect me from mind control.

    It took an hour of me smacking my head up against the stubborn problem before I finally came to the conclusion that there was no real answer. There were many, many ways to control someone''s mind. Illusions, pheromones, memory alteration, ambient consciousness manipulation, nervous system overrides, and who knows how many more.

    Hell, even outside magic, my research into parahumans had led to several dozen ways that masters worked, with more than half of those labeled as "people just do what they said, with no discernible physical reason why."

    When it came down to it, the issue was that with so many ways to control someone''s mind, there had to be just as many ways to protect someone''s mind from being manipulated. Preventing my memories from being altered was something I could probably do, but it would be useless if someone with the power to control my nervous system popped up.

    After a few hours of attacking the problem from different angles while trying to figure out the best combination or solution, I realized that my best bet was ritualizing an object to make my brain tougher and more resistant to manipulation. There were a lot of holes in that sort of protection, but it was the best option I had.

    I designed it all up in another two hours, but by then, it was getting late. I had been pushing myself over the last few days, staying up way too late and running all over the place, so with some encouragement from Alya and Kali, I headed to bed relatively early, with plans to perform the ritual the following morning.

 Chapter Forty Eight

    After a simple breakfast of fruit and hot coffee, I buckled down and put together the ritual for my mind protection circlet. In the end, it was not nearly the grand, perfect anti-mind control creation that I was envisioning, but until I found something that worked, it would have to do.

    Part of me considered, really considered, dumping my three points into some sort of anti-mind control magic subject, but I honestly didn''t think the answer would change. Not even locking my brain in some kind of protective stasis would prevent things like puppeteering my body or in-depth illusions. In order to protect myself from all forms of mind control, at least without covering myself with a few dozen ritualized creations, I would need to invoke the concept of mind protection or something in that vein.

    The problem was, from what I could gather and from what I knew, something like that was incredibly powerful magic. Invoking direct concepts or even close to that was only a step or three below directly affecting the soul, which was so far above what I could do that it would likely take dozens of levels into a very limited and specific knowledge tree in order to do it.

    Even then, I might not have the actual power to do so anyway.

    When I finished the ritual, the result was a simple circlet, just a band of silver that fit perfectly and comfortably on my head, unsurprising since I had used my blood as an ingredient. Most of it was hidden under my hair, but it was visible around my forehead. As much as I was worried it would make me look too much like someone cosplaying an elf, it actually didn''t look half bad. Okay, it looked pretentious as all hell, but that doesn''t mean it looked bad.

    Besides, it''s not like I had much of a choice. Unless I wanted to start wearing a crown around, there weren''t many more pieces of jewelry you wore around your head, which really helped in its effectiveness.

    Thankfully, for my current costume, I could pull my hat down over it to hide it, but even if I couldn''t, I would still wear it. I could feel it weaving a bit of protection over my mind, giving me subtle resistance that I was hoping would be enough to break myself free of any mental manipulation. I idly made a note to see if it helped me break out of Glory Girl''s influence without Alya''s help.

    When I was done getting ready for the morning and with my ritual, I finally left the compound behind, making my way through the forest and back to Brockton Bay. Kali escorted me to the forest''s edge with her wolves, her actual presence being kept back as her influence had not spread that far.

    My first stop was, of course, the hospital, followed by PRT headquarters. I healed just over two dozen people between both stops. Before I could make it out of the PRT headquarters, however, Assault managed to catch up to me. He dismissed the agent escorting me and took the job himself, guiding me to a side entrance. In the process, he explained that the Director wanted a sample of my standard golems so that they could examine it.

    "Standard does not clear up what kind she wants," I explained with a frown. "But at this point, I can guess that she wants a living wood golem. It''s not what I would call standard, but I find them easier to work with since I can already manipulate wood."

    "Yeah¡­ fair, that''s right."

    "I can make something small and easy tonight," I explained. "I can drop it off in the morning. To be clear. It is going to be very simple, with no frills or extras. It will follow orders simply, and it''s not going to be much stronger than a person. That said¡­ I''m open to doing business if the PRT would like to purchase more advanced versions."

    "You would sell them? What about maintenance?" He asked, tilting his head. "You seemed too protective of your secrets to just sell them to people."

    "I would require some¡­ assurances, as I would with anything I make," I explained, keeping just what kind of assurances I would need to myself. "But the golems could heal themselves, and most of my stuff doesn''t require maintenance very often."

    "I mean¡­ could you make armor for us like you overcoat?" He asked, suddenly sounding very interested.

    "Well¡­ Kinda? To really get the most out of what I make¡­ I require blood samples from the people they are intended for," I explained, waving off his words before he could say them. "Yes, I realize how insane and suspicious that is, which is why I don''t go around offering people custom creations to everyone. I could make lesser items that work for everyone, but to really get the most out of them¡­"

    "... Your power is a weird one, man," Assault said, shaking his head. "Like Dauntless and Edilon had a strange child."

    "You''re not the first person to tell me that," I responded with a shrug. "Not much I can do about it. If my power wants to pretend it''s magic, all I can do is roll with the punches."

    Assault guided me out of the building and waved goodbye as I jumped up onto Troy with ease. I made my way further into town, doing a lazy, concentric patrol, mostly thinking about what I was going to do next. My overall, short-term goal was to invest my points into something that could tip the scale of power in my favor, allowing me to really start shaking things up in this city. Considering just how many points I would have access to at the start of this cycle, that goal was not nearly as far-fetched as it might have been not too long ago.

    Honestly, the options were a bit overwhelming. I could bring three subjects up to the same level as ritual crafting. Alternatively, I could bring up a new subject to that same level while bringing one subject up as well. I could even get started on three new subjects, getting each of them to level two. They wouldn''t be massively powerful, but as long as I was careful like I was with lighting and healing spells, I would likely get quite a bit of flexibility out of it.

    Of course, I could always dump everything into ritual crafting, bringing it up to level five. Considering what sort of information and power I got from levels one through three, adding four and five could potentially be incredibly potent.

    Unfortunately, I wasn''t sure if it would be that simple. Assuming that ritual creation went up to level five in the first place, the fundamental weaknesses of ritual crafting, that being time, ease of application, and accuracy of creation, would still be present, reducing the usefulness in actual combat. If I were still home, if there wasn''t the constant threat of endbringers in the distance, if the world I found myself in wasn''t one where direct combat was the norm, then rituals would no doubt be incredibly potent on a grand scale. But here, I needed to be able to fight. I needed to be able to take down people who were actively harming others.

    I let out a long breath, letting the building anxiety drift away as I put my mind to other things. I had time to work out what I wanted, and even if that wasn''t true, with no idea what sort of extra little bit I would be getting, there was no reason to set up concrete plans.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    By the time I had pulled myself out of my impromptu planning session, I was working my way down the general line between Downtown and the Docks. Things were relatively quiet, but that didn''t mean much in Brockton Bay.

    Sure enough, about fifteen minutes later, as I made my final cross of the city, I heard the distant sound of sirens, enough of them that there must have been something going on.

    "Alya¡­?" I asked, looking around.

    "Smoke to the north," She said, prompting me to turn.

    Sure enough, to the south was a rising pillar of smoke. Judging by how dark it was, it was most likely a building. For a moment, a sliver of fear raced through me, and I wondered if the Empire had finally retaliated for the death of Alabaster.

    "It''s not the community. That''s a bit more west," Alya said, relief flooding me before I cursed under my breath. "I''ll guide you there."

    I nodded and leaned down over Troy, pushing my magic into his body, feeling it begin to glow as we took off down the street. My golem steeds horseshoes sparked and clanged against the ground as my partner kept me on the right track, crossing the city in record time.

    As we came around the corner, I could see the fire, which was now tearing through the first and second stories of a multi-story building. The first floor was a convenience store of some sort, though you could hardly tell through the flames. The rest of the building appeared to be an apartment complex, if the people leaning out of the windows were any indication.

    I cursed again, louder this time, kicking Troy to go faster, jumping off of him as we got to the street in front of the building. There, firefighters were wrestling with a hose, spraying into the fire on the first floor. I made a beeline for the one controlling the flow from the firetruck.

    "What''s the situation?" I asked, the man whirling around to face me. "I''m here to help. What can I do?"

    "Oni Lee firebombed the first floor," He explained, turning back to the side of the fire truck, tapping a gauge. "The fire spread too quickly, and the building doesn''t have an external fire escape. We need the ladder truck, but it''s at least another two minutes out, getting held up by who knows what! By the time it gets here, we are going to start losing people!"

    I turned back to the fire, then to the road and sidewalk in front of it. Reaching inside my pocket, I pulled out a single acorn.

    "If I can build you a ladder now, could you start evacuating?" I asked, the firefighter looking at me oddly. "Well?"

    "Yeah, as long as it''s safe!"

    I nodded and walked closer to the fire, just alongside the three-man crew working the fire hose. I kneeled down and, with all my strength, punched downward into the asphalt. My fist punched a good way through the relatively soft material, and two more punches drove my fist completely through. A fourth and final punch let me place the acorn into the gravely dirt below, promptly buried by the collapsing hole. I quickly chanted out the spell for rapid growth, and in a moment, a tree pushed out of the ground, growing faster than any other tree I had grown, yet since I didn''t care in the slightest if it survived, as long as it stayed in place.

    The asphalt bulged and cracked as it grew, roots expanding and digging into the ground to stabilize the still-growing tree. I didn''t bother growing leaves since they wouldn''t serve a purpose and would only get in the way. Instead, I dumped every erg of mana I had into the tree, watching it grow up and up until it reached the third floor, the first without fire. Even as it grew taller, I shifted the branches and growths to form a ladder downward and away from the building. I turned to look at the nearby firefighter team, still controlling the hose, though they were looking at the massive altered tree growing up alongside the building.

    "Hey!" I shouted, catching their attention. "Spray the tree to keep it from burning!"

    It took a moment for them to nod and follow my suggestion, but by then, I was already vaulting upwards, throwing myself up the rungs of the thick, sturdy tree ladder. I was inside the smoke-filled building seconds later, Alya working hard to keep me surrounded by cleaner, breathable air. I had entered, luckily, into a hallway with doors along either side.

    "Everyone! Come to the sound of my voice!" I called out loudly, even as people were already opening their doors. Plenty of people had seen me grow the ladder tree and were now rushing to use it. "Hey! Don''t rush! Take it slow and steady, and we can all get out of here alive!"

    That got through to most people, even with the thick billowing smoke starting to fill the hallway. One older man ignored my words and tried to shove past a woman crouching low with her daughter. I slammed my hand out across the hall right in front of him, putting a fist-sized hole in the drywall. He let out a yelp as I stared him down.

    "Slow. And. Steady," I repeated, the man nodding his head rapidly, continuing on at a much slower, more respectful pace.

    I watched and helped people climb out of the building, Alya warning me as the temperature began to rise. People were climbing down on both sides of the tree ladder, both from the floor I was in and the floor above.

    Even as the smoke became thicker and thicker, I stayed behind, relying on my partner to keep fresh air coming from outside, as well as keeping an eye on the rest of the building. I ended up walking further into the building, slowly leading an older lady to the window. As a firefighter climbed up to help her down, Alya shouted at me.

    "Oni Lee! He is across the street!" She shouted in my ear, causing me to look up. Sure enough, there he was.

    Dressed in an all-black ninja costume, he was adorned with two bandoleers filled with grenades. At his hips were multiple knives strapped tightly to his body. His face was covered by a Japanese-style mask, red with horns and a demon''s grin on its mouth. After a moment of watching him, his body fluttered away into ash. I almost let out a breath of relief when Alya shouted again.

    "Behind you!" she shouted as the old woman and firefighter descended the tree ladder.

    I whirled around, turning to find that Oni Lee had teleported inside the building, only a few feet behind me. I barely had time to react before he dropped a grenade at my feet. Even as his body ruined to dust, the grenade detonated, blowing me backward through the window. I fell past the tree all the way to the asphalt below, slamming into it hard enough to leave a small but noticeable dent where my head smacked off of it.

    Luckily, I was only a little rattled. My ablative armor was gone but had absorbed a good bit of the explosion before it did, with my own increased durability absorbing the remaining damage. Before I could even start to stand, the ABB demon appeared again, this time standing above me, one hand holding a rather dangerous-looking tanto, the other reaching for a grenade on his belt.

 Chapter Forty Nine

    "Woah, woah, woah!" I shouted, still on my back, now holding up my hands. "What are you doing? Lung doesn''t attack capes unless they get in his way!"

    The demon paused, his fingers just touching the clip of a grenade. As I lay there, I could hear the cops trying to move people back, the crowd only sluggishly responding, rubbernecking the whole time.

    "What Lung-sama does is no business of yours," The teleporting demon said, his voice low and drawn, like tearing cloth, a crisp Japanese accent coloring his words.

    "Sure, alright, I assume that''s the nature of people with that much power," I agreed, flicking to the side to see a pair of firefighters peeking out from behind the pump truck. "But that doesn''t change his usual MO. Why target me?"

    "You interfered," He stated simply, gesturing back to the flaming building.

    "Only to save civilians!" I pointed out. "I have no interest in fighting you or Lung, especially not with all these people-"

    Before I could finish, he grabbed a grenade and yanked it off his vest, flicking the pin away with a practiced hand. The spoon flicked away from us as he dropped the explosive device before exploding into a cloud of white ash. With a shout, half exclamation of fear, half cursing at the villain. I managed to reach up and catch the grenade, my increased reflexes and speed working hard as I moved in a blur.

    With the lethal explosive in my hand, I quickly gripped it tightly, holding the base in one hand and gripping the top with the other. With a grunt of exertion, I tore the top from the bottom, the treated steel brittle enough that I could wrench my fingers through it. I hurled the top end into the air before rolling over and laying on top of the other. Seconds passed, one, two, three... until a popping sound echoed from above me, the sound of the grenade''s blasting cap going off, far away from the actual explosives in the heart of the grenade. I rolled over and looked down, brushing off the grenade''s explosive dust from my chest.

    "Thank you, Mythbusters," I muttered before jumping up to my feet and looking around. People were still dangerously close by, though the few police officers present had managed to get them back a dozen feet or so.

    "Alya? Where is he?" I asked, looking around frantically.

    "He-"

    Before she could respond, something slammed into my back, hard enough to force me to take a step forward. I whirled around, my hand out, managing to slap a clone across the head hard enough to turn him to dust, the broken remains of a tanto falling to the ground. Before I could even finish spinning, Alya shouted again, barely getting a sound out before a katana slammed over my shoulder, snapping over my tungsten-reinforced skin.

    This time, I didn''t spin, I just lashed out with my elbow, a cloud of white ash flowing over me as he disintegrated.

    "Gren-"

    A pair of metal bombs slapped into my chest, and for the first time, I could see Oni Lee standing on the sidewalk, his back to the fire before he disintegrated away. I barely managed to catch the grenades as they flew at me before quickly throwing both of them into the third story of the apartment, the grenades exploding just as they smashed through a window. The concrete and brickwork of the building stopped any shrapnel from coming down at civilians, but a few nearby windows still broke.

    Suddenly, I could feel something pull at me from behind, and I whirled around, jabbing my finger out to fire off a spark of magic. The minor bolt of electricity slammed into Oni Lee as he was standing on an ambulance roof just as he was about to toss another grenade. For a moment, I thought I had caught the real one, but as he dropped the grenade at his feet, my attack burning through his outfit and damaging his arm, he exploded into dust.

    Then the grenade went off.

    The roof of the ambulance was torn to pieces by the explosion, but it thankfully blocked a good amount of the shrapnel in the process. However, it was clearly not all of it, as plenty more tore into the crowd. Even with the dozen or so feet the cops had managed to push back the crowd, the shrapnel still managed to hit them, people screaming as shards of metal tore into their skin.

    All at once, people seemed to realize that, yes, this was a very dangerous place to be. People started running, a few people getting trampled as they tripped or caught shrapnel.

    I barely had time to curse, feeling Alya pull my attention again. I whirled around, letting her guide me, launching another quick spark, this time catching the ABB demon before he could pull off another grenade.

    Three more times this happened, and each time I was getting closer and closer to the point where he would be landing when he first arrived at his new location. On his fourth attempt, I spun to find him landing on a police car, turning to look at one of the nearby buildings when my spark slammed into his shoulder blade.

    He stumbled, nearly falling off the car, shouting and cursing in Japanese as his shoulder was burned by my lightning. I jabbed again, this time chanting the full spell, the power-boosted spark slamming into his stomach. A second later, he exploded into dust.

    Seconds passed, and I waited for Alya to pull me again. Instead, I heard her voice again.

    "He is running," She said, excitement in her voice. "You got him, the real him! His shoulder is burned badly enough to spook him. He is going north, towards ABB territory."

    I chewed my lip for a moment, considering the idea of chasing him down, before I looked around at the area. I could hear people, several voices calling out for help, including a few that sounded young. The building was still burning, and people needed help.

    "I need to stay," I explained, shaking my head. "But keep an eye out for him coming back."

    I quickly rushed to the nearest injured person, who was bleeding profusely from their leg and had quite a few cuts and bruises from the running crowd. With their permission, I healed them up before moving on to the next person and then the one after that. In total, fifteen civilians had been injured bad enough to need my help, and by the time I was done, the firefighters were once again working to put out the fire. By now, the building was at a complete loss, and their main concern was keeping the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.

    As I healed, I could see more and more cops showing up to handle the scenario, and I knew the Protectorate and PRT weren''t far behind.

    "Okay, Alya, I''m getting out of here," I explained, watching the last healed person get carried off by an EMT. "I don''t want to wait to get dragged into a PRT debriefing right now, we have bigger problems. Guide me out and get Troy to follow behind until we are clear."

    "Of course."

    I quickly charged a spell and leaped up to a lower building, my strength and spell enough to clear two floors. From there, I jumped from rooftop to rooftop, only sometimes enhancing my jump to clear streets or jump up higher onto taller buildings. Eventually, I spotted a clearing far enough away from the fire. I quickly jumped down and waited for Troy. After a long few seconds of silence, Alya spoke.

    "What''s the plan?" She asked softly.

    "We need to get back to the community," I explained, chewing my lip as I impatiently waited for Troy. "There''s a pretty big chance we just put them in the crosshairs of the ABB too."

    "What about after that?"

    "My first priority is the community. If they get targeted, it''s my fault. Beyond that, I''m going to try and get stronger, probably through rituals and ritualized items," I explained, closing my eyes, feeling the adrenaline from my fight slowly fade away. "After that? Try to figure out what I''m going to invest my next cycle of points into. First things first, though. I need to get to the community and warn them about what''s happened."

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    I could feel a sense of understanding coming from my bounded partner. Finally, I spotted my golem mount coming into the clearing from a nearby alley. I whistled for him to come closer before hopping on him when he did. After settling in on his back, I urged him forward, the large golem taking off through the streets.

    Despite having built him for speed, at this point, I was actually probably faster than him. He would likely beat me in a flat-out straight line, but between my mercury speed enhancement and the spell to boost my speed and stamina and my own inherent agility, I would likely beat him through the complicated streets of the city.

    That said, I had no plans to stop using him. Not only did he cut an impressive and intimidating visage, one that had gotten a few lesser criminals to surrender just by showing up, but he had been indispensable in carrying things for me. Just the ability to shove my civilian clothes into his torso was extremely useful, but that was just the lowest level.

    At the moment, rituals were my most powerful branch of knowledge, and I had had some serious success creating ritualized objects of power. Between Olivia''s cloak and my overcoat, it was clear that ritualized objects stood a good chance of greatly increasing my abilities, even if I never increased it past three. However, there were only so many things I could hold at once. I had a few ideas for what to do with my boots and my mask, as well as one other piece of equipment, but everything else would probably be layered with more passive effects so that I wouldn''t be overwhelmed by choice.

    However, while my everyday carry might be basically set, assuming my rituals go as planned, that didn''t mean I couldn''t create a whole lot of other things, just in case, and store the inside or as part of Troy. He could be my walking arsenal, filled with whatever I might need. It was a long-term project for sure since each item I needed to make would take time to design, plan, and ritualize, but it was definitely something to consider.

    Despite going a bit slower than I could on foot, we quickly made our way to the Docks community, ordering Troy to sit down in a corner off to the side. It didn''t take me long to find John and Charles, and I quickly pulled them aside to explain what had happened.

    "Dammit," John said, shaking his head, leaning back in his chair. "I understand why you did it, Arc, but goddammit."

    "Yeah, I know," I responded. "I can''t say I would do anything differently, those people needed help. But I''m not happy about stepping on ABB''s toes."

    "What can we do?" Charles asked. "Actively, what can we do to stop this from blowing up here?"

    "I don''t know," I responded, shaking my head. "There¡­ are a few things I could do here, but¡­ in the long run, I think they would just make things worse."

    The idea of setting down some rituals to create the same protections that the compound had did cross my mind, but laying down the effects in the middle of the city was a recipe for issues. Even if I did manage to set up enough to keep the ABB or Empire away, the side effects of cutting off a sizable chunk of the docks and making them inaccessible to anyone but the people I allowed¡­ That wasn''t going to go over well with anyone.

    "I think, for now, our best bet is to let everyone know what happened," John suggested. "They are going to find out sooner rather than later. Being prepared is just about all we can do. Arc, just how effective would your golems be against Lung?"

    "I¡­ don''t know. They are strong, stronger than a normal person by a considerable amount, but I''ve never seen Lung fight," I pointed out. "My suggestion is to send the stone golems at him first, then have the wood golems pepper him with their knockout wands. All of that together will¡­ well, should at least slow him down."

    "If you''re so confident, then," John said, shaking his head at my vague and unhelpful answer. "Any way you could make a few dozen more?"

    "I could make a few more, but not a dozen," I responded, partially agreeing to his request. " They will be equipped with knockout wands too. I can make them tomorrow when I head back home. For tonight, I''m going to stick around and keep my eyes open for anything. If Lung wanted to get back at me, he would likely do it as soon as he could rather than put it off."

    They both agreed that staying over for at least the night was a solid plan, so I made my way up to the same rooftop I had stayed on before. It gave me a good view over most of the community area, and with my enhancements, I could easily jump down and quickly make my way to any of the entrances. Even as I walked across the community space, John and Charles started to explain what had happened. I could feel the tension beginning to rise, with people whispering and muttering to each other.

    Quite a few people sent me looks, even as I climbed up to the roof. None of them looked angry or accusatory, but I couldn''t help but wonder if they were feeling that anyway. I didn''t regret what I did, those people needed help, but I did feel like crap for dragging the community into more parahuman danger. The Empire was bad enough, now they had to worry about the ABB.

    I was up on the roof for about half an hour, sitting on the edge with my feet dangling over, the sun slowly setting when Olivia faded out of a shadow. She was wearing a basic form of her cloak, which immediately flowed back into her shadow as she approached. Her cloak really had turned out well, if a bit less predictable than I had hoped. But that was the consequence of making such a powerful ritualized object, you can''t control the results nearly as well as you''d hoped.

    "Heard you had a bit of a scuffle with the demon," She said, making her way over and sitting beside me. "You''re looking pretty good for going toe to toe with Oni Lee."

    "I wasn''t really in danger, to be honest," I admitted. "I mean, getting blown out of a building by a hand grenade wasn''t exactly fun, but I''m tougher than I look. I was more worried about the civilians getting caught in the blast."

    In all honesty, I wasn''t entirely sure if the grenades would have been an issue for me or not. My ablative shield took some of the first blast, but at this point, I was pretty tough, so it might have been entirely unnecessary. Or the second grenade that went off near me would result in serious and potentially life-threatening injuries because I thought I could take the hit. It really wasn''t worth the gamble, which was why I was so eager to throw them away or disable them.

    "You tend to do that," she said, tossing me an apple before taking a bite of her own. "Put other people before yourself. Don''t get me wrong, it''s noble and everything, but haven''t you heard of helping yourself before you help others? You know, like strapping on your own oxygen supply before making sure everyone else is alright as well?"

    "Yeah, I know. If I was smart, I would be hanging out in the woods, making stuff, and getting stronger," I admitted with a frown. "But people needed help, and I could help them. I couldn''t exactly stay back and do nothing."

    "Nobody is saying you should, Will," She responded, patting my shoulder. "You wouldn''t be you if you could just ignore the people you could help."

 Chapter Fifty

    We sat there for a while, mostly in silence, as I looked over the community. There was a lot of activity going on, and I could see that John had brought out the golems, keeping them around in more accessible places, though the stone ones were still hidden. I was still sitting on the edge of the roof while Olivia was sitting a bit further back, leaning against an old air conditioner unit.

    "So, how was it, really?" She asked. "Fighting Oni Lee."

    "... I''ll be honest, it was over so fast that I hardly had time to register it as a fight," I answered with a frown. "At first, I was struggling to keep up with him since each time I spotted the bastard and attacked, he was moving again, and his clone would just explode into dust. But after a bit of focusing, I managed to find a rhythm and start catching up. I get the feeling Blasters with quick reflexes are generally his weakness. After I caught him once, he left immediately, not surprising considering he hadn''t left a scratch on me so far."

    "Can you really tank a grenade?" She asked, a bit confused. "Didn''t Alabaster mess you up with his pistols?

    "First, he was shooting some big pistols," I pointed out. "But comparing a grenade to a gun is like comparing apples to oranges. They just work differently. That isn''t to say I could survive a grenade. I should be able to shrug off a big pistol pretty easily at this point, though. I''ve gotten tougher."

    "Fair¡­ not exactly my strong suit," She admitted. "Damn¡­ Can''t imagine brushing off an encounter with the ABB demon ninja."

    "Like I said, I was more concerned about the civilians," I explained. "Once he was gone, I focused on healing everyone that the fucker caught in that grenade blast. Then, I left before the PRT could pin me down. I needed to get here, just in case."

    "Not worried about your relationship with them?"

    "If they can''t figure out where I am after getting stuck fighting Oni Lee, there''s no reason for us to have a relationship," I pointed out. "Plus, they have my number. If they really need me, they can call."

    She scoffed and chuckled, nodding in agreement. With nothing else to say, I looked back out over the community. By now, quite a few people were packing up and leaving, not willing to risk the wrath of Lung. I shook my head, wondering if I had just destroyed the community with my actions. Before I could spiral too much, Olivia stood and peered over the edge, spotting what I was looking so intently at, namely a pair of people quickly leaving with worn and weathered backpacks on their shoulders.

    "They''ll be back," She assured me. "If there is something to come back to, they will at least. The first instinct for a lot of us, when things get hot, is to run until the heat dies down. It happened before, and it will happen again."

    "Why didn''t it happen with the Empire?" I asked with a frown.

    "Who said it didn''t? It just got washed a bit ''cause we moved and joined up here," She explained, gesturing to the buildings around us. "A few people came back over the last week or so. Some will stay away until the Empire draws its revenge or maybe, or at least another month or so."

    I nodded in understanding, feeling a bit better as I watched another person quietly make their way from the community. We sat there for a few more minutes before the boredom started to settle in and, with it, frustration.

    Here I was, sitting here, waiting for Lung to decide whether he wanted to attack us or not. I needed to stay here because Lung might decide the best way to hurt me was to attack the community I had been working to help. But staying here also put them at risk because if Lung goes looking for me, he would have to come here, and the ABB Dragon isn''t exactly known for his self-control and low casualty count. But if I left, I would have no way of helping them if Lung decided to send Oni Lee to blow them all up as punishment.

    I couldn''t win. Staying put the community in danger, and leaving put them in danger, too. Staying was marginally the better option since I would at least be here to defend them, even if I was the reason they showed up and attacked in the first place.

    "Goddamit," I cursed, rubbing my face. "This is bullshit. Just waiting here to see¡­"

    I cut myself off, squinting slightly as an idea came to me. I rolled the idea around in my head, trying to formulate it into something more concrete, when Olivia spoke up.

    "I know that silence. That''s the silence of a bad idea," She said, throwing a pebble at my back. "What dumb idea did you just come up with?"

    "... what if I did the same to him?" I asked, chewing on my lip. "I don''t want him to show up here because the collateral damage would be terrible, and I don''t want him targeting everyone to get back at me¡­ but what if I went somewhere he wasn''t willing to destroy? Somewhere, he wasn''t willing to turn into an ash pile."

    "And do what exactly?" She asked. "Ambush him? I''m pretty sure if Lung had to choose between his life or freedom and whatever property you''re hoping to hold hostage, he would always choose to stay out of jail."

    "No, I''m not confident enough that I could defeat him at the moment to try," I admitted. "Slow him down enough to let people escape, maybe. But I hold no such illusions of doing that myself."

    "So then, what the hell do you plan on doing?" She asked, sounding confused. "Besides getting yourself killed?"

    "Negotiating," I said with a smirk, quickly standing up from my spot. "I''m going to negotiate."

    "What? Are you insane?" She asked, standing up with me, following after me as I started making my way to the ladder, grabbing my arm as I did. "You''re going to get yourself killed."

    "Maybe, but at least that means they won''t take it out on anyone here," I pointed out, stopping as she held me back. "Olivia, I don''t have a choice. Even if he never comes here, I can''t afford to be fighting the Empire and the ABB at the same time. If I can get the Lung off my back, I can focus on taking down the Empire."

    "And if they don''t agree?" She asked. "If they attack you after meeting you? You''d be handing yourself up like a silver platter! You just said that you can''t take down Lung by yourself, how would you take down both and Oni Lee?"

    "I know it''s a risk, but it''s also the best chance I have to get ABB from coming here and harassing you guys," I explained, looking back at her hand on my arm, then up at her. "I need to take responsibility for this. I refuse to sit back and let Lung decide my fate, not when I can choose to take a step forward and make my own choices."

    Olivia stared into my eyes for a long moment before groaning and shaking her head.

    "You fucking bastard¡­. Fine! But I''m coming with you," She said.

    "Absolutely not!" I countered, shaking my head vehemently. "I need you here to watch over everyone, to make sure Lung doesn''t try something crafty."

    "That''s what the golems are for," She responded, waving me off. When she saw me trying to figure out another reason, she laughed and poked my chest. "Yeah, that''s what I thought! So quick to put yourself at risk, but it starts looking a lot worse when someone else sticks their hand in the hive, too!"

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    "I just don''t want to put anyone else at risk," I responded with a frown.

    "And what about you? Do you think we want you to get yourself killed? To sacrifice yourself?" She asked, poking me in the chest again. "Do you think any of us want that on our heads?"

    "I... It''s better than facing off against Lung."

    "You''d be surprised," Olivia responded. "You''d be surprised how heavily something like that sits on you."

    She looked at me, her eyes hard and determined. Something in them spoke of older, harder pain, something she endured and was maybe still enduring. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter but no less insistent.

    "What if Lung doesn''t even show up?" She pointed out. "I mean, you killed Alabaster, and the Empire hasn''t done anything."

    "Yet," I added with emphasis. "The E88 hasn''t done anything yet. I fully expect them to be a problem at any moment."

    "But you don''t plan on walking into one of the stupid mead halls to negotiate with them!"

    "Because it wouldn''t work since I''ve already killed one of them. Lung is much more direct with his problem-solving," I explained. "No plans, no grand strategies or campaigns. I kicked his shit, so now he is going to come to kick mine in twice as hard."

    "But you don''t know for certain when, or how, or anything like that."

    "....No, of course I don''t," I admitted, letting out a long breath and pulling off my hat so I could run my fingers through my hair. "...Olivia, I can''t just do nothing."

    "But you could also not throw your life away," She pointed out. "Stay here, where I am, where your golems are. You stand a much better chance of fighting Lung and Oni Lee here than anywhere else."

    "And what about everyone else?"

    "Everyone else understands how this works, Will," She responded, stepping closer to say my name softer, her hand on my shoulder. "You think you''re the first hero to step on someone''s toes? You''ve stuck by us, helped us, and saved us. We know what all of this means, and those who want to leave are already on their way out. Everyone else knows the risks."

    For a long moment, I looked into her eyes, green emeralds that were locked onto mine. I let out a long breath, sagging slightly.

    "Fine, alright, no walking into the dragon''s lair," I agreed, Olivia letting out an aggrieved "thank you!" before slapping my shoulder. "But if I can''t go there¡­ I need you to help me get ready."

    "Of course. What do you need?"

    "First, I need you to go on a shopping trip," I explained. "It''s going to be a big one, so you might want to take some people you can trust."

    "Seriously? A shopping trip?" She asked, rolling her eyes. "What do you need?"

    I quickly pulled out a small notebook from my coat and wrote down around two dozen ingredients. When I handed her the list, she gave me a look before shaking her head.

    "Yeah, I''ll find someone to help," She agreed. "Give me an hour or so, and I''ll be back. I assume you have cash?"

    I handed her a stack of cash, and she quickly climbed down from the roof. I watched her rush to talk to John, who looked up at me. I gave him a thumbs up and a nod, the latter of which he returned. A few minutes later, I watched Olivia and a few guys leave, walking fast and looking like they were on a mission.

    After they left, I quickly opened my notebook and got to work.

    My first project was actually just me re-creating the ritual to make the stun wands. I did most of it from memory since I couldn''t exactly leave and grab my stuff. In all honesty, I should have immediately gone back to the compound and grabbed some materials before setting up shop at the community. Unfortunately, I did not anticipate I would be doing rituals anywhere but secluded, safe areas.

    Once I was done re-creating the wand ritual, I got to work on my second project. I wasn''t exactly happy about working rituals in public, but I figured if I was gonna break my rules, I might as well go big.

    It was an hour and forty-five minutes later when Olivia returned. Her and the two guys helping her quickly climbed up the ladder to the thankfully flat, smooth roof of the building I had been keeping watch from. The guys dropped off their stuff, I tipped them as a thank you, and they left. Before they were gone completely, I asked them to tell John and Charles to find at max twenty people who wouldn''t freak out in a fight that they could trust.

    "Sooo¡­. Does that mean I get to watch you make stuff?" Olivia asked, now sitting on top of the air conditioning unit. "''Cause I''ve heard tinkers use weird stuff to make their gear, but that list was a little insane."

    Pff, tinkers wish they were me," I said with a smirk.

    I rifled through the bags, finally finding and grabbing the chalk before getting to work. Step one was making a proper purifying chalk ritual, then I could start making actual useful stuff.

    Olivia watched silently as I quickly drew out the chalk ritual in my blood, placing the sticks of chalk in the center and feeding it my magic. When it was complete, I grabbed one of the chalk sticks and immediately got to work writing out the wand-making ritual, kneeling down on my hands and knees to draw.

    "Wait, wait, wait¡­ what the hell did I just watch?" Olivia asked. "What sort of satanic bullshit did you just do to make some pink chalk?"

    "It''s not pink," I said, consulting my notebook as I continued to work.

    "That''s the wrong thing you should have commented on!"

    I pushed myself up straight on my knees and looked at Olivia, who was looking at me waving a purified piece of chalk, gesturing to it with concern.

    "Look, I''ve told you before that my powers are weird," I pointed out, Olivia giving me a "you think?" look as I did. "But now is not the time or place to be asking about its theming choices, alright?"

    "...right, okay," She admitted. "Not like I can judge. Anything I can do to help?"

    "Get me the ruler you bought," I asked, nodding back to the bags before once again returning my focus to the ritual.

    It took me forty minutes to finish putting together the ritual, with Olivia helping where she could. When it was done, I quickly rifled through the bags again, finding a bunch of thick, sturdy branches cut from an oak tree. They were all straight, relatively clean of branches, and all just over a foot long. When I had them all together, I loaded them up with branches at the center and several sacrificial ingredients along the outside. A quick channeling of magic later, and the wands were done, with twenty-three in total. I gathered them up and placed them by the bags before nodding.

    "Right, step one complete, now we have weapons," I said, nodding as I looked at Olivia, who was a bit stunned by my second display of ritualistic magic. "You ready for round two?"

    "Uh¡­ yeah?"

    "Good. Because we only have about five hours to sundown, and I have a feeling that''s when Lung is going to strike," I explained, Olivia tensing up considerably. "We don''t have much time, and I want to make use of every second we have."

 Chapter Fifty One

    Olivia and I worked in a mad dash to get everything on my list done before darkness settled over the city of Brockton Bay. After a few minutes of being confused about what I was saying, Olivia seemed to make a choice, deciding to just go with it. She covered herself in a muted version of her cloak, no doubt to buff her intelligence and learning ability, and went about helping as best as she could. She quickly proved she hadn''t been joking about her power buffing her learning speed, as while she started out only really helping by grabbing me stuff when I needed it, by the time we were done, she had drawn at least a few circles and lines at my direction.

    The arcane symbols seemed beyond her, potentially because she had no connection to the magic itself, but even so, she was a great help. She even spotted an error or two before I did.

    When we were finally done, Olivia sent her cloak to her shadow, and we both climbed down off the roof. John and Charles were waiting nearby, as were just under two dozen men and women. While they were of varying shapes, ethnicities, and sizes, they all had that bearing you associated with people who knew what they were doing, with soldiers who knew what they were capable of and were confident in their abilities. As we approached, we carefully placed our bags down.

    "Alright, assume these guys are them?" I asked the two unofficial leaders as I gestured to the group, both of the leaders nodding. "Great."

    I turned to the group, which almost instantly quieted down. Most of them had seen Olivia and me coming, and it didn''t take long for the rest of them to quiet the ones who hadn''t.

    "Okay, so as you probably know, there is a pretty good chance that Lung, or at least the ABB is gonna show up here, trying to teach me a lesson," I explained, watching the small crowd nod in understanding. "While I would save those people from that fire every time, I regret getting this community involved. That''s why I''m breaking some of my rules and handing out toys."

    I reached into the first bag, pulling out a worn jacket, one of many in the bag, bought from a second-hand store.

    "This jacket, as well as the rest of them in the bag, are extra protective. It will stop a knife or other stabbing weapon, cushion something like a bat, and stop small pistol-caliber bullets," I explained, throwing it to the nearest person before gesturing for everyone else to come to the bag to grab one. "I want to emphasize that the jacket is what is protecting you. You can still get hurt in other places that it doesn''t cover. I know it''s not much, but we are short on time. Unfortunately, we didn''t exactly have time to take everyone''s sizes, so please trade around with people to get the best fit."

    As the people gathered and started to pass around the jackets, I went to another bag and pulled out a pair of pants.

    "These pants protect against heat. They do NOT make you fireproof," I emphasized, making sure that everyone heard me. "Unlike the jacket, these make your entire body harder to burn. Their effects are noticeable, but constantly standing in fire, getting fire thrown at you, or being held by someone who is on fire is going to override that very quickly. These are to give you a few extra seconds to roll, run, jump into cover, or whatever you need, not to let you stand toe to toe with Lung."

    The group quickly started to pull on jackets and pants, trading and helping where they could. At least a few people needed to have their pants and jackets taped up with duct tape since Olivia and her help had purposely leaned towards larger sizes when buying everything.

    "Just a warning. Both the jacket and the pants will stop working sometime tomorrow evening. Most of them will unravel and fall apart, but even the ones that don''t will still lose their effect," I said seriously, looking around at everyone. "So unless you want to put on a show, I suggest you change out of them before then."

    My flat joke got a few chuckles, but most people were focused on getting dressed. While they did, I pulled out the final bit of kit, the stun wands.

    "The last little toy is a stun stick," I explained, picking one of them up and pointing to a nearby dumpster. "Now they look a bit fantastical, but all you do is point them at your target and¡­"

    I focused for a moment before a blast of smarks fired from the wand. Some of the sparkes reached the dumpster, impacting it with a thump. It wasn''t nearly as energetic as my simple, wordless spark, but it was still a magical projectile. I slid the wand into my pocket before turning to everyone else.

    "Had that been a person, they would be unconscious for the next six hours," I explained, making sure to look into as many of their eyes as possible. "These are nonlethal and have twenty-five shots each. If you shoot twenty-six, the last one will pull from your stamina, as will every shot after that. For anyone assuming they can handle it, one or two shots will probably going to be fine, but any more than that, you risk making yourself too tired to keep up. Any more than five, and you will likely pass it. Keep track."

    "Why not just use guns?" One of the older men asked with a frown. "Why stick with this nonlethal crap."

    "Because if Lung attacks, and we all use nonlethal stuff to take out the entourage he will no doubt show up with, then when all this is over, you can all disappear into the crowd. You help, you stop them from rampaging through the camp while I deal with Lung, and then your job is over. We start picking up guns and killing people, or baseball bats, or knives, or anything else you might be able to get your hands on? Then shit starts to get complicated. Investigations need to start, questions need to be answered, and suddenly all of you are accomplices, not random brave people willing to protect innocent victims. Your potential new gang members or overzealous maniacs who need to be stopped before they overreact again."

    That got a reaction from a few people, who clearly didn''t like me implying that defending the camp with that level of violence would be an overreaction. I held out my hand to hold them back while I explained.

    "I wouldn''t agree with them, but leaving ourselves open for people to take advantage of is something we should avoid if we can," I explained. "Hence, nonlethal weapons. Trust me, anyone you hit with this is not getting up for several hours. These aren''t tasers that someone can walk off with enough drugs and anger."

    That seemed to mollify them slightly, and each of them picked one of the wands up, holding it in their hands. A few of them shot theirs off once, just to get a feel for them, before passing on their experience to the others, helping them prepare. Both John, Charles, and Olivia got one wand as well, the former two also getting jackets and pants.

    Once everyone was armed and armored, I returned to my lookout, though really it wasn''t needed. Alya had long since spread herself out around the community, reaching several blocks around it with ease. She was keeping track of more or less every person who got close to the community all by herself and would warn me should anything change. While I was "keeping watch," Olivia returned to her little nest in one of the warehouses the community claimed. She didn''t flat-out say it, but her power did seem to have an effect on her, making her feel uncomfortable with being out in the open. Her cloak did seem to help with that, but only when it was activated.

    Time passed, and as the night progressed, the tension seemed to ratchet up higher and higher. Quite a few people had left the camp, either convinced to because they were old or young or because they were scared of what might happen. I honestly wished more people would leave, but part of me understood why they didn''t. This was their home, and as little as it was, abandoning it was out of the question for a good chunk of people.

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    I could only hope that they would run if I failed.

    Time passed, and night settled heavily over the community. It was almost three AM when Alya''s presence pulled back around me. I immediately felt something was wrong.

    "They are coming," She warned. "A fleet of five cars coming from deeper in ABB territory."

    "Fuck. Okay," I nodded, sitting up from my spot on the roof. "Keep watch, let me know what''s happening."

    I could feel her agreement, and I pulled out my cell phone. I quickly called the PRT number I was given for emergencies. A woman answered the phone, giving a boilerplate message about it being a PRT line.

    "Hello. This is Arcanum," I stated simply. "Lung and the ABB are about to attack the Docks homeless community."

    "A-Arcanum, it is recommended that you retreat. Lung is a dangerous threat when he ramps up," The woman warned me, stumbling over her words.

    "I can''t, not when he will take it out on the people that live here," I explained. "Send help if you can."

    I hung up the phone, taking a deep breath before stepping forward off of the roof and landing in the clearing below. People keeping watch noticed my activity, and when I waved them down, they started waking people up, rushing through the camps and buildings. Within a few minutes, Charles, John, and the others had rushed out into the opening square at the center of the community, taking cover behind concrete barriers, dumpsters, and corners. They cast eerie shadows as they moved, the various burning barrels providing just enough light to see by.

    Olivia was nowhere to be seen.

    Within another minute or so, the fleet arrived, pulling to a stop along the edge of the forward parking lot. Dozens of gangers poured out of the vans armed with swords, bats, knives, and guns. I even saw a few with hatchets.

    The last door to open was the back of a car, both sides opening at once. From one side came Oni Lee, dressed in a new costume, showing no visual signs of being injured, but considering they had no way to heal him, it must have been an act. He locked eyes with me the moment he stepped out, not looking away for a second. In truth, I barely paid any attention to him once Lung stepped out the other side of the car.

    Lung was tall, muscular, and covered in tattoos that depicted various easter iconography. His face was covered by a steel dragon mask, with sharp teeth and antler-like horns protruding from the top. He was shirtless and dressed in simple pants. Considering how often he burned through them, I couldn''t blame him for going with the simple-style costume.

    He walked forward confidently, Oni Lee walking around the car to stand to his right, just behind him. Both of them stopped fifteen, maybe twenty feet away from me. Behind them, his men stood confidently, holding their weapons and watching me, glancing at the others around me.

    "Arcanum. You interfered," The ABB leader said, his voice gravelly and low as he talked in a Japanese accent similar to Oni Lee''s. "We left you alone, so that you may work your charity, and yet you spit on our generosity. Why?"

    "Because there were civilians inside that building," I responded. "Whatever business you had, I assume with the store owner, I needed to save the innocent people inside the building."

    He looked at me for a moment, before shaking his head.

    "The message was that no one is safe, and you interfered with that," He stated.

    "They were innocent, they had done nothing wrong," I repeated. "How could I do nothing?"

    Tension rose, and the air around us suddenly felt like it was taught with energy, like a drum drawn too tight, ready to snap.

    "Listen, I get that you can''t let me get away with driving off Oni Lee, especially since I injured him," I said. "But how about a trade. I heal Oni Lee from all the damage I caused. You get to tell everyone that I basically surrendered because I didn''t want to fight you, and you also get your second in command back without a lengthy healing process. In exchange, you leave this community and its members out of this, and we move on."

    "No. There will be no middle ground today," he responded, shaking his head. "When you interfered, you gave them hope. As pitiful as it might be, it is also dangerous. Soon, people will refuse to pay their dues, and some may even fight back. A lesson must be taught about what happens when people interfere."

    "Lung, we don''t have to do this," I said, trying one final time. "These people have done nothing but try and survive."

    "But you have given them hope," he said. "They now rely on you, which means they must be punished as you are. I will burn this community to the ground and kill all who remain before driving any other groups from my territory. And it will be on your head, Arcanum."

    As he talked, I could see him beginning to change. His skin cracked and split, slowly revealing a glowing from underneath. He grew taller and slightly more hunched as his arms slowly elongated, his legs doing the same. By the time he was done talking, I could see a slight heat haze coming off his body.

    "Over my dead, probably charred body, you fucker," I responded, grabbing my staff from my hip and uncoiling it before slamming it down on the asphalt.

    As I spoke, all of the in-cover community members shifted slightly, and a barrage of stun blasts flung themselves across the gaps. Several ABB dropped where they stood, and before they could do anything, that number doubled as they scrambled to react. A few bullets sparked off the ground, but it seemed like the community members had the smarts to target those with guns first.

    With a roar, Lung charged at me, his men not far behind. Oni Lee disappeared into a puff of white ash from behind him, vanishing to who knows where. I cast blast after blast of lighting at Lung, but they barely slowed him down, even the stun spell barely making him pause as he continued to grow in size. By the time he was close enough to swing at me, he was a full head taller than when he started, his body a crisscross of cracked, glowing skin.

    I ducked under his punch, slamming my fist into his stomach hard enough to crack his ribs before I jumped back out of his range. When I landed, I watched him straighten out, having slouched from the sudden impact and pain from his ribs breaking.

    "You are stronger than you look," He said, the gravel in his voice only getting stronger, almost overriding his accent. "But it isn''t enough. I''ve fought stronger, it only takes time."

    I could hear his ribs cracking back into place as he talked. He took a step forward, and I moved to dodge, looking to run circles around him, using my speed to my advantage. As I went to move, Oni Lee appeared in front of me, slamming my side with a metal bat before disappearing into a puff of ash. He didn''t hurt me, he barely even moved me, but he did delay me.

    Suddenly, Lung was in my face, lashing out with a kick that sent me tumbling backward, head over heels. I was fine, but his strength was clearly already rising, and as I quickly climbed to my feet, I could see heat waves roiling out of his mouth.

    I tried to move again, only for Oni Lee to appear once more, ready to swing his bat at my head this time. I raised my arm to block it, only to see the demon ninja frozen in place, the bat raised. Before I could even think, a crowbar smashed into his mask as Olivia stepped out of a nearby shadow swinging. The blow cracked the villain''s mask severely before the clone burst into ash and faded.

    "I got you back," Olivia said, standing beside me for a moment before fading away into a shadow. "Call me Crow for now."

    I couldn''t help but smile, even as Lung continued to grow, now growling angrily. He was at least seven and a half feet tall, and every second, he looked less human, liquid fire dripping from his mask, his hands turning into clawed weapons.

    "Alright Crow. Cover me as best you can." I said before raising my staff. "This is going to be rough."

 Chapter Fifty Two

    Time hung in the air for a moment before Olivia, Crow, exploded into action, shooting a pair of feathers at Lung, her cloak flicking out as she moved her arm. Her ritualized outfit was currently in the feathered, simplified form, looking like a particularly deep black cloak with a mantle of feathers around her neck. Most of her face was hidden in the darkness of her hood, with only the barest outline of her chin and nose visible.

    The first feather she flung hit Lung''s leg and fell to the ground uselessly. The second, however, passed between his legs as he stepped forward, punching into the ground and pinning his shadow to it. Lung lurched as he was suddenly unable to move, Crow''s cloak locking him in place.

    Even as the feathers flew at their target, the both of us split up, running in a circle around Lung, looking to stay out of his melee range. At the moment, he didn''t appear strong enough to hurt me, but I had no idea how long that would last. It was better to stay out of his hands completely.

    With Lung stuck in his position, I jabbed my staff forward as I moved, shouting out the arcane words.

    "Somnum scintilla!" I called out, passing just close enough to the villain to slap the knockout spell directly into the back of his head from the end of my staff.

    The sparking ball of electricity, designed to overload a nervous system and send a person deeply unconscious, was immediately absorbed, sparking down his spine and skull. Still locked in place by Crow, Lung twitched and clenched. Suddenly, he was free, stumbling forward, just managing to catch himself before he hit the ground.

    Three blasts of stun spell, a lesser version of the knockout spell I used, slapped into him from the side as Crow ran around him as well, holding the wand I had given her. Lung sagged even more, and for a moment, I thought we might have him. I skidded to a stop, my staff out and ready to cast the knockout spell again, only for Lung to let out a roar, stomping a foot forward hard enough to crack the asphalt. Crow and I watched in horror as he grew another entire foot in height, metallic armored scales starting to push through his skin, which flaked off and burned away before it could hit the ground.

    "So he reacts badly to attempts to put him to sleep," Crow said with forced, false casualness. "Good to know."

    Oni Lee suddenly appeared between us, his hands already reaching for his grenades. I immediately saw the original appear next to his leader, leaving the clone behind to drop whatever explosives he could. Thankfully, I wasn''t the only one with enhanced reflexes, as Crow nailed the clone''s shadow to the asphalt, preventing him from pulling any grenades, before slamming her crowbar into his face, the clone exploding into ash.

    "Nail them down as much as you can," I said, Crow nodding and already moving. "I''m going to see about doing some damage."

    Lung, shaking off the last remnants of our attempts to put him to sleep, whirled around. His body was beginning to elongate, his neck inhumanly stretched, revealing glowing blood and scales under his skin as it pulled apart.

    Once again, we split up, with both of us firing at the pair of ABB capes as we ran. My spark spell, fully charged and launched from my staff, slammed into Oni Lee, who immediately disintegrated into ash. I followed up by firing it again and again at Lung. Before he could move or respond, I could see a trio of feathers appearing on the ground in his shadow, Crow locking him down once again, leaving him an open target.

    "Verberare fulgura verius e manibus accensa meis!" I shouted, casting a longer spell through my staff, taking advantage of Lung''s inability to move.

    A spinning pyramid of blue arcane symbols appeared around the top of my staff, spinning slowly but picking up speed. A bolt of lighting not much more powerful than my standard blast, launched from the spinning pyramid at the end of my staff and slammed into Lung''s locked-down form. The pyramid kept spinning, launching one bolt after another, both the blasts of electricity and spinning getting faster and faster. At some point, I had to stop running to better hold my staff, as the firing became unstable due to the power it was accessing. I cut the spell off after eight or so seconds, my mana almost drained.

    Nearly thirty sparks of electric power had slammed into Lung, blowing off chunks of flesh and armored scales alike. But it was already healing. Even worse, I could see him yank himself free from Crow''s feather, the conjured feather bursting into a cloud of darkness rather than fading like it usually did. It had only been fifteen seconds, half the time they usually lasted, but he was already free.

    Lung shook himself off, splatters of blood sizzling as they hit the ground, the massive, slowly changing villain laughing a deep, foreboding laugh.

    "It''s not enough," He said, his accent almost swallowed by his transformation, sounding like a handful of wet rocks grinding against each other. "Not enough power. You can''t win."

    "Nonsense¡­ just need another card from my sleeves," I said, my mana slowly refilling. "Last chance to leave before this gets worse."

    "Bravado. Pointless."

    "I''m a wizard asshole. Bravado is half the game." I said with a smirk before standing up straight and shouting. "GOLEMS! ATTACK!"

    From one of the nearby buildings, one not taken over by the community, seven large golems burst through doors and windows, sending wooden boards and broken glass bouncing along the ground.

    "Stone, attack Lung! Wood, take down Oni Lee!" I called out, the golems immediately following my orders.

    The three stone golems made a beeline for Lung, the changer gang leader managing to raise his hand strong arm stop the first one, only for his impressive display to fail as the second came up along his side and slammed its stone fist into his ribs. The third golem soon joined them, grappling Lung''s arm and hammering its fist into his stomach.

    Lung roared again, struggling with the large rock golems, trying to pull himself free. I could see more scale starting to push through his skin, his body quickly becoming less and less human. As he did, I could see the stone golems starting to heat up, waves of heat reaching all the way to where I was. Luckily, with the golem''s core as deep in their chests as it was, it would be safe for a while.

    As the dragon struggled, I watched as Crow worked with living wood golems to harass and corral Oni Lee. He had already damaged one golem with a grenade, but now they were using their ranged wands, firing blast after blast of stunning magic. With an attachment to their cores, they could fire a lot more of the blasts than the unconnected wands, so the injured demon was having a much harder time doing anything but dodging.

    I focused back on Lung, who was still struggling against the three stone golems, who were now all glowing a dull red. All of them had cracks and fissures opening up because of the heat, but that didn''t matter. Changing states or shapes meant nothing to a golem core. Only removing the material completely from its connection and smashing it to pieces could really damage it.

    Lung did his best to tear and break the constructs, growing larger with each passing second. Eventually, he was able to pull off one of the golem''s arms, smashing the arm into pebbles by slamming it into another golem. Still, they fought, punching and hammering their large stone fists into his glowing, scaly body.

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    "Stone golems, hold him down!" I shouted, firing bolts of electricity at the large gang leader, blowing off scale and skin alike.

    The golems, hearing my command, stopped attacking and started fully grappling, grabbing and wrapping their arms around Lung, pulling him down. Lung struggled, still growing, fire beginning to spew from his mouth, his mask glowing red on his face. His whole body was on fire, and I could see him slowly starting to overpower the golems.

    "Crow! Lock him down!" I called out, desperately hoping that she could hear me.

    I ran toward the burning changer, who spewed fire in my direction, words impossible to understand as his mask melted off, revealing a monstrous, inhuman face, his eyes glowing red and yellow. I leaped up and over him, landing behind him and slamming my staff into his back. Even as the staff caught fire, the crystal pressed against the scales along his spine, I shouted.

    "CAST!"

    My most powerful spell, the same spell that vaporized Alabaster''s head, slammed into Lung''s back, sparking and splattering his metal scales and flesh. It gouged into his body, deeper and deeper, before punching through his chest. I could see his bones, glowing yellow, already shifted and changed into some sort of organic metal. Lung sagged for a moment, weakened by the damage, before the pain seemed to stimulate his power even more, the man turned monster growing at a visible rate. For a moment, I thought he would tear free of the golems and attack me, until a trio of feathers slammed into his shadow, nailing him to the ground. His muscles, despite the damage I had done to him, bulged as he fought both my constructs and Crow''s feathers.

    I prepared to cast another spell, feeling the heat starting to break through my protections, feeling my skin start to tighten. I grabbed my staff, only for it to crumble, the stone cracked and broken from the heat and its final casting. Cursing, I stepped closer, needing to get closer to Lung''s back, the heat starting to wear through my resistances, my eyes watering as I chanted, raising my hands in the air.

    "Evocabo fulgura ad percutiendum et dispergendum inimicum meum!" I shouted, bringing my hands down and casting the spell.

    Rather than firing it off as a massive bolt of lightning, at the last second, I jammed my hands forward, punching through Lung''s slowly healing back. He roared and flailed, throwing chunks of molten hot golem around us as I gripped his spine. My hands were burning, sizzling as I fired off my most powerful spell, his spine drinking in the massive electric shot like a gruesome lightning rod, the constant orange-yellow glow emanating from his body tinted blue for just a split second.

    The massive dose of electricity followed up his spine, up his neck, and through the top of his skull, electricity sparking and jumping across his shoulder and limbs as his metallic bones conducted the spell, which sparked and zapped like a biological stun gun. He jerked and spasmed, his muscles fried but the jumping, rampaging plasma.

    When the sparking, arcing electricity finally went out, Lung was still for a moment. Then, all at once, he stopped, his body collapsing forward to the ground. The golems, sensing that something had changed, pulled back, their red-hot bodies sagging and moving slowly, the asphalt below us molten from all the heat Lung was throwing off. A lot of my clothes were burned, and my boots were melting as I stood there. My overcoat was intact, but my shirt underneath it was barely holding together.

    Lung slowly began to shrink, even as his body began to heal. I got closer and grabbed his arm, carefully dragging him away from the half-molten asphalt. When we were clear, I laid him down on the ground. I wasn''t exactly sure how his power worked, but I didn''t want him going back to normal and immediately waking up as the smoking hot ground burned him alive.

    As I laid him on the ground, a pair of golems threw Oni Lee next to him, the unconscious teleporter sprawling out unceremoniously. His left leg was bent at an odd angle, and he was bound up in duct tape, with a generous amount stuck directly to his face, covering his eye liberally.

    I looked up to find Crow standing behind the golems, a bloody crowbar in one hand. As far as I could tell, she was uninjured. After a moment, she realized I was looking at her, and she gave me a thumbs up.

    For the first time since I started fighting Lung, I looked around the larger battlefield, scanning the clearing that was usually filled with the Docks community. Dozens of ABB gangers were sprawled out, unconscious from repeated blasts of my stun wands. I could see a few people running, the red and green of the ABB disappearing into the night. Their leader had fallen, so they scattered like cowards rather than face the consequences.

    While there were plenty of ABB on the ground, there were also quite a few members of the community laid out. I quickly spotted someone clutching their arm, a through-and-through bullet wound coloring their clothes red.

    "Anyone who isn''t injured, gather up the knocked-out ABB," I called out, jogging to the wounded man. "Gather up the wounded, call out if they can''t be moved! Everyone else, make sure there aren''t any fires spreading. Crow, call the PRT and tell them to get someone down here as soon as possible. Lung won''t stay down forever."

    People moved around me as I focused on the wounded man in front of me, quickly healing him up. Once I was done with him, I healed the six other community members who were injured, including one man with one of Oni Lee''s katana sticking through his stomach. Charles helped me by slowly pulling the sword free while I replenished his blood and kept him from going into shock.

    While I worked, Crow called the PRT, having some aggressive words with whoever she connected to. Once she learned that heroes were already on their way, she hung up without another word. I didn''t hear exactly what she said, but considering how useless they had been, I didn''t exactly feel bad.

    I was just finishing up with the last injured person when Miss Militia, Assault, Battery, and Dauntless all showed up, entering the clearing from a side alley, with the latter male hero flying above the buildings. I stood there, not far from Lung and Oni Lee.

    "Fucking took you long enough," Crow said, loud enough that they clearly heard her.

    "Crow, now is not the time, even if I might agree" I said, her responding eye roll practically audible. "Before we talk, please tell me you have a way of restraining Lung. I don''t know how much longer he is going to be out."

    Miss Militia spoke into her radio, and after a few seconds, a group of Protectorate officers rushed in, carrying some rather large restraints. They quickly slapped them on his neck, arms, hands and legs. When they were secure, one of the officers stepped closer, wielding something that looked like a flamethrower. They quickly hosed him down in containment foam, the liquid expanding around the gang leader in seconds, sealing him inside. Once he and Oni Lee both disappeared under the foam, I finally let out a long breath of relief.

    The fight was over, and by some miracle, we had come out on top. Crow stepped up beside me and slapped my shoulder. I could just see the traces of her smile through the darkness of her hood.

 Chapter Fifty Three

    Once everyone had calmed down and Lung and Oni Lee were secured under a whole lot of containment foam, the Protectorate members that had come as reinforcements visibly relaxed. They clearly didn''t like the idea of facing off with Lung, not that I could blame them. Assault couldn''t help but slap my shoulder, a smile on his face.

    "Congratulations, buddy, you managed to take down one of the most dangerous capes in Brockton Bay, if not the East Coast," Assault said. "Please, for the love of god, don''t try and complete the collection."

    "The only reason I fought Lung was because he attacked us," I explained. "By some miracle, I managed to beat him, but I would have preferred not to fight."

    "Be that as it may, you did well," Dauntless stated, looking over at the PRT officers who were working to put Lung inside one of their large vans. "Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished."

    I looked at him with a raised eyebrow before turning to Miss Militia, whose frown I could see even with her mouth covered.

    "While it will be good to have Lung and Lee off the streets, it''s going to lead to a lot of chaos. The E88 will try and push into his territory, and the ABB remnants will push back. It going to be an open gang war, and while the ABB is armed, they relied heavily on the threat of Lung and Oni Lee to back up their strength. It''s going to be a slaughter, with the civilians suffering just as much."

    "Then we will just have to keep that from happening," Crow said, stepping closer. "We can up the patrols in this area, maybe keep the violence in check. We beat the big bad ABB powerhouses, that should have earned us enough credit to keep violence from breaking out."

    "Not to mention that you guys can start patrolling the area as well," I pointed out. "It might not be safe enough for the Wards, but without the threat of Lung coming to pick a fight, it''s safe enough for you guys."

    "It will still lead to conflict with the Empire, but¡­ We might be able to contain the worst of the open gang violence," Miss Militia agreed tentatively. "I will bring up the change in patrol suggestion to Armsmaster and Director Piggot when we return. Before that, however, I don''t believe we''ve met."

    The soldier-themed cape focused on Crow, who stepped forward and put her hand on my shoulder.

    "I''m still workshopping my name, but you can call me Crow for now," She explained. "I''m part of Arcanum''s team. And no, I don''t want to join the Protectorate or come in for power testing."

    "Protectorate protocol is to not attempt team member poaching from friendly groups," Miss Militia assured us before focusing on me. "A team?"

    "It''s a work in progress," I assured her. "Just the two of us for now, but I''m hoping to make that number grow."

    "That''s good. Survival statistics rise consistently for every member of a team," She admitted. "While we would prefer people join us, having friendly hero teams is a solid second-best option."

    I nodded, my mask hiding my surprise. The statement was a lot less PR, "join us or die alone" focused than I expected from the Protectorate or PRT. I opened my mouth to ask about that when I realized they were finally lifting the foam-covered Lung into a large transport vehicle. I quickly changed tracks to something more important.

    "What''s going to happen to them?" I asked, watching as the PRT officers worked.

    "Both Oni Lee and Lung have Birdcage orders on them already," Miss Militia explained. "Both of them will be transported there by Dragon, since Lung has a high-priority status attached to his sentence."

    "When?"

    "I can''t tell you that," Miss Militia said, shaking her head. "One, because I don''t know yet, and two, because doing so is a major security breach. We may trust you to an extent, Arcanum, but that''s a line we can''t cross."

    I chewed my lip, trying to think of a way I could help keep the two parahuman criminals from being busted out. The ABB might not have any capes left, but underestimating the tenacity of a normal person was beyond stupid.

    "Could I at least make a suggestion?" I asked, continuing when Miss Militia nodded. "Tell Dragon not to tell you when she is coming."

    "What?" Miss Militia asked in confusion. "Why?"

    "There are a lot of accusations that the ENE PRT is a bit of a revolving door when it comes to parahuman villains," I answered. "You obviously have some security holes. And while Dragon''s arrival is likely ASAP, staging a rescue mission will get a lot harder to time if you don''t even know when she is showing up."

    For a moment, Miss Militia mentally chewed on my suggestion, and I could see that both Assault and Dauntless were also considering it. Battery was more focused on keeping her eyes on the surroundings. She seemed to get over her initial distaste for me but clearly had no desire to interact with me any more than necessary.

    "We will take that idea under advisement," She said eventually, nodding once to confirm. "Thank you for the suggestion."

    We continued to discuss the transfer for a few more minutes before the Protectorate slowly pulled out to escort the prisoners back to their facilities. Proper processing of both of the parahuman menaces was their top priority, leaving the BBPD to sort through the gang members that had been knocked out. Crow and I watched as the large vehicle with Lung inside pulled away, with Assault bounding next to it and Dauntless flying above.

    "What are the chances they actually go to that prison?" Oliva asked, still standing beside me.

    "Have they ever been captured together?" I asked, looking over at her. "Or has it always been one or the other?"

    "As far as I know, Lung''s never been captured before," She responded with a shrug.

    "Then I think there''s a good chance this will stick, especially if the PRT takes it as seriously as I hope they are," I said with a frown. "With no parahuman members left, that means it''s up to the rank and file, which would struggle to make it very far into the PRT headquarters, especially with capes around to stop them."

    "What happens if they get out?" She asked with a frown. "I don''t like the idea of going against them again."

    "If they get out¡­ I''ll probably stop messing around," I answered with a shrug, turning to look at her as the last PRT vehicle drove out of sight. "I would kill both of them. No warning, no fair fight."

    "Seriously?" She asked with surprise in her voice, along with hints of approval. "Why do that now? Why not before?"

    "Because before¡­ I couldn''t justify it the same way," I responded with a shrug. "Now I''ve been involved with the whole ordeal, from start to finish. I know they were here to kill civilians, I know they tried to kill multiple people. It''s¡­ it''s not exactly intuitive, or the cleanest justification, but I can''t just go around murdering all the bad guys, or who people think are bad, or that the justice system thinks are bad, or the government thinks are bad. I need to be involved before I''m prepared to kill someone. I need to at least try to put them away when I can. If the system keeps failing or can''t handle them, then it''s time to consider something more permanent."

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I looked up at the sky, the few stars visible at night shining around a sliver of moon.

    "I''m not crazy enough to think no one deserves it, I''m not some Batman wannabe. Sometimes, criminals, especially criminals with superpowers, need to be put down permanently. But I can''t just arbitrarily decide that, and I definitely can''t let someone else decide it for me," I explained. "There are exceptions, obviously. I''m not gonna argue that somehow Jack Slash might be misunderstood or anything crazy like that."

    "I get it. And, if anything else, it will probably keep the public off our back a bit more," She pointed out. "People will see it as a lot more reasonable if we don''t just default to killing dangerous villains."

    "We, huh?" I asked, looking at her. "You really serious about the whole team thing?"

    "Absolutely," She said, responding immediately. "For the first time in a long time, I feel like I''ve done something actually useful! I mean, I took down Oni Lee! And you took down fucking Lung! Hard to argue with results like that."

    "I suppose so," I said. "Well, I''m glad to have you. Now we just need a few more people."

    The police slowly took the ABB gangers away, stuffing them into a few separate prisoner vans. They took statements from Crow and myself, as well as a few of the guys who had fought with us, before eventually leaving the community space behind. I was concerned that they would insist that the community would need to move, but none of them seemed interested in stepping on any toes. It seemed like beating Lung had some benefits.

    Let''s hope the E88 were as hesitant to cross me as the police now were.

    By the time they left, people were already starting to trickle back in, mostly the people who had put some distance between them and the camp when the ABB had actually shown up. By then, though, I was too tired to care. The last day had quickly caught up with me, and I barely made it to my space before I passed out on my foam mattress.

    The next morning, I woke up to quite a few more people moving in. There was an excitement in the air, and even though people were obviously trying to be quiet around my space, it was had to miss the murmur of people talking. When I pushed through the sheets used to cordon off my space, people immediately went silent. It took a moment for someone, an older woman missing a significant portion of her left arm, to step forward to shake my hand. The dam broke after that, with everyone wanting to congratulate me for fighting and taking down Lung.

    When I eventually made it out of the building and into the open area, it didn''t take long for John to notice me being mobbed. He quickly made his way to me, hollering that everyone had more important things to do than pester me, and I definitely had more important things to do than deal with them. People spread out after that, leaving me in peace. Though they did watch me as I walked around.

    "Thanks," I said, John patting my shoulder. "Should have seen that coming."

    "Probably. People love their capes," He said with a shrug. "What are you doing today?"

    "I need to head home. I have some things to work on," I explained. "After that, I need to get to work on patrols. Might reach out to New Wave and see if they want to join in, though I''m not holding my breath there."

    "Right," He responded before starting again after looking over his shoulder. "Listen, that Crow woman, she-"

    "Is an ally I met sometime in the last few weeks," I said, giving him a stern look. He hesitated for a moment before nodding and swallowing his question.

    "Right, sure. Guess there''s no reason to look deeper then," the older man said with a knowing look. "Well, good luck with your projects. Actually, speaking of which, what do you want us to do with the wands?"

    "Gather them up and hold onto them," I said. "If you can''t get them all, tell me, I can unravel the process and make them inert."

    "Sure, can do."

    The two of us chatted for a few minutes, talking about the fight and about people returning to the community. John explained that he and Charles both expected a population increase after I proved that the town was defended by people who could take down Lung. That kind of reputation would go pretty far in making people feel safe. Eventually, I said goodbye before heading over to where we had left the golems the previous night.

    One of the four living wood golems had been destroyed by one of Oni Lee''s grenades, blown into chunks and burned. The remaining three were primarily intact, with only some minor fire damage scaring two of them. A quick druidcraft spell for each was enough to fix them up and get them into tip-top shape. While the living wood golems, the ones that survived at least, were basically back to the perfect condition they were in when I made them, the three stone golems were a different story.

    All three of them had spent a lot of time under some considerably potent heat, and all of them showed signs of being at least partially molten at one point. Rough-edged were smoothed over, with their frames sagging slightly. Still, they were functioning perfectly fine, even if they were a lot more squat than before. Oh, and one of them was missing an arm, which did limit them but didn''t exactly make them useless.

    Making a note to make even more golems for the community, I made a short stop at the orchard to refresh the trees before finally making my way to Troy. There, waiting for me, was Olivia, sitting on a crate by my golem mount.

    "So, what''s the plan?" She asked, standing up from her seat. "Just going home?"

    "Eventually. Need to stop by the hospital and PRT, then do some more shopping," I explained. "After that, I need to head home. I''ve got some projects to work on."

    "Gonna rebuild your staff?"

    "Not yet, I want to design something better first," I explained with a frown. "That was one of the first things I made, so it was pretty simple as far as what I can actually make. I need to see what kind of improvements I can make to it first."

    "Okay, well, I''ll hang around here, keep an eye on things," She volunteered. "Let me know when you plan on going patrol, you really shouldn''t do it alone anymore."

    "I will, but it won''t be today," I let her know. "The Empire will need to confirm the news on their own first before they start pushing. We have some time."

    "Right. Well, keep in touch," She said as she walked past me, vanishing into a shadow. "You know how to reach me."

    I shook my head, a smile on my face as I whistled for Troy to stand, quickly jumping onto his back and riding out of the community area through an alleyway. My day was just starting, but I had some things to do before I could really get to work.

 Chapter Fifty Four

    Visiting the PRT, the Hospital, and doing a bit of shopping only took four hours out of my morning. By the time I had returned to my forest home, it was just about noon. The visit to the PRT took a bit longer than normal since I spent some time discussing the potential for them to pay me with materials rather than money, offering a premium since it was a much safer way for me to get my hands on some of what I needed from them, rather than going shopping.

    The problem, it seemed, was that this particular branch of the PRT was struggling financially. They had one of the highest casualty ratings in the country, three tinkers to fund, and two extensive facilities to maintain. If I hadn''t offered to decrease my cost to ease Panacea''s workload while she was recovering, there was a significant chance that Director Piggot would have restricted the healing to heroes only, as they wouldn''t have been able to afford anything else.

    When I pointed out how suspicious that was, that one of the most villain-active cities in the country kept on getting its funding cut, Piggot had snorted, said "no shit." and ended the meeting in short order. It seemed like the PRT had more than just a corrupt Ward handler to worry about.

    When I arrived back at the forest, Kali greeted me with a warm hug, even if I still couldn''t see her, as well as an escort home by the green, grass-covered wolves I had made for her.

    On the way through the forest, I apologized to Alya.

    "I''m sorry I spent so long not talking to you," I said, guiding Troy through the forest, the wolves walking on either side of us. "Would it make it better if I revealed your existence so you could talk to other people?"

    "No, there is no reason for that," She assured me. "I''m not human, William, and while I have the spark of sentience granted to me by bonding with you, I''m still an elemental. Time means¡­ well, it''s not nothing anymore, but it means a lot less to me than it does to you. We could go weeks without talking, and I would likely not notice unless you mentioned it. We just don''t think the same way or experience time the same way."

    "I just feel bad," I admitted with a frown. "I feel like I only ever talk to you when I need something. You''re not a tool. You''re part of the team."

    "I appreciate your concern, William, I really do," She responded, appearing in a partially physical form and floating alongside me. "But I knew what I was signing up for. You have been much kinder than you had any reason to be, and even if you did only treat me as a utility, I would simply be waiting for you to pass on. Elementals are fundamentally immortal. Even if you live for thousands of years, it is still just a blink to me. A fun, interesting, and kind blink, but still just a blink."

    I let out a sigh, my lips pursed. Her words did help me feel a bit better, but a small part of me still felt terrible for not talking to her at all since before Lung attacked.

    "Would you like a way to interact more with the world?" I asked. "Something more physical? I know I could affect you with a ritual, so...."

    "If you could find a way to let me engage with the physical world more and overcome my inherent air elemental weakness, then that would be amenable," She said, a feeling of interest coming through our connection. "But if you are talking about creating some sort of body construct and locking me inside, then no. That is actually one of the very few ways you could cause me actual suffering."

    "Ah, okay, I''ll keep that in mind," I said with wince.

    Not long after our conversation, we finally arrived back at the compound. I hopped off Troy, grabbing some things from inside him before letting the golem walk away to sit or wander. While he did, I carried my stuff to the ritual circle, unpacking all of the stuff that I bought. Once again, I splurged, purchasing anything I found interesting and useful. My goal was to create a good backlog of useful things so that I could if needed, finagle my way through a decent, powerful ritual without having to go shopping. I would have to extend my storage trees soon since I was slowly filling them up.

    "Okay, first things first, I want to work on my boots," I said, pulling out a notebook and starting a list. "Then I want to work on my mask. After that, I want to see about adding some passive buffs to some of my other clothes. I''m already close to hitting an overchoice problem with the gear I have. If I give every bit of clothing an ability, I''m not going to be able to keep track of them all."

    As I talked, I pulled my magical release necklace over my head, Kali sending a happy feeling as my magic started to leak into the space around me. I could feel the genius loci pulling it away and into herself with a soundless sigh of contentness.

    I settled down with my notebook and tools and got to work designing two rituals, one for my boots and one for my mask. While I was more or less letting the magic work, it''s, well, magic on my boots, I needed a lot more control in order to get exactly what I was looking for on my mask. This would probably mean a much more subdued secondary ability, but that was the cost of trying to control a ritual to the degree that I was looking for.

    The process didn''t take long, an hour or so for each ritual, as my skill in pulling my knowledge together into coherent rituals got easier the more I used it. Before I got to work on my gear, it was time to upgrade my tools. While my red refined chalk had served me well, I wanted something better than that, especially since I wanted to make something really special when it came time to make my next staff. The original had served me well, so I knew precisely how potent they could be.

    I quickly did a refining ritual on another whole box of chalk before using my other chalk supply to copy down another ritual from memory. Just like the refining ritual was included in the topic of ritual design and crafting, the process of upgrading that chalk even further using silver and gold was there, too. It was more complicated than the base refining process, but it was still easily done with what I had and my growing skills.

    I quickly drew out the secondary ritual, put a single one-ounce bar of gold and silver on either side of the circle, and then put twenty-four chalk pieces in the center. When the ritual was done, I carefully put the chalk, which was now a swirl of silver and gold, away into its box before carefully storing that in a sealed box in one of the storage trees. The gold for that ritual had been costly, so I didn''t want it to get ruined or broken.

    With a single piece of my new chalk, I started drawing out the ritual for my boots, pausing after a minute to admire the almost pearlescent look of the new chalk lines. With this ritual, I was specifically looking for something to keep my stride stable and steady while also enhancing my maneuverability. Because I was hoping for something powerful, I only kept minimal control over the ritual, with minimal restriction beyond the basic guidance and ensuring the boots would remain functional.

    Once all the sacrificial ingredients were laid out and I had double-checked everything, I quickly completed the ritual and pulled on my boots. As with all clothing that I used my blood for as a sacrificial ingredient, they fit perfectly and were just about the most comfortable shoes I had ever worn. When I put them on, I immediately picked up on a sort of mental counter, similar in nature to the feeling I got from my jacket. After a bit of experimenting, I jumped in the air, jumping higher and higher on a floating platform that formed under my feet, each of them lasting for a few seconds.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    I could now double, triple, and quadruple jump, with access to three platforms in total before they needed to recharge. It didn''t take long, but my feet did need to hit a normal solid surface before the recharge began. When I did, my boots discharged some sort of backlash, a magical charge that pumped into the ground, clearing the boots for more use.

    After some more practice, I found I could also use the platforms as a place to redirect myself, doing a flip, conjuring a platform, and using it to jump downwards. It was an interesting method, and I could definitely see using it to increase my fighting maneuverability once I got more used to it.

    The boots also gave me an unparalleled level of traction and surefootedness, stopping me from slipping off even the most unstable challenges I could throw at them around the compound. They had so much grip they even gave me an advantage when climbing up a steep boulder not far from the compound clearing. They also seemed to unconsciously prevent me from tripping on obstacles, even when I challenged Kali and Alya to trip me up while I was running around the compound. I could feel my feet reacting to vines, sticks, and roots that seemed to swell up or blow in from nowhere, all without me even knowing they were there.

    While it might only seem like a small thing, anything that gave me a near guarantee that I wouldn''t slip or stumble in a fight was worth its weight in gold.

    With my boots complete, and after spending some time getting used to them, as well as experimenting with my double jump ability, I got to work on my mask. The ritual I had designed for it was a lot more restrictive since I had a very specific task I needed it to complete. I was a little worried about what that would do to the rest of the ritual, so I simply directed it to try and protect my eyes, nose, and mouth as best as the ritual could and left it at that.

    This ritual had quite a few more sacrificial materials, but unfortunately, a lot of them were more modern items, like make-up and clay. This forced me to compensate, making the ritual exceedingly complex and power-hungry. When I eventually started the ritual, it took nearly thirty minutes to completely fill with my magic before the ritual engaged and completed.

    When it was complete, I sat back for a minute to recover and let my knees stretch, as sitting and leaning over the ritual did a number on them. Then I retrieved the mask, turning it over in my hand and examining how it looked. It was mostly the same, though most of the less-than-perfect mistakes had been smoothed out, leaving the mask with clear human features that deviated enough from my own that it would never lead to me. The copper looked freshly polished, and the edges of the mask, which had been a simple folded edge to keep sharp edges from sticking into my face, had been smoothed and cut clean, looking much more professional than my original amateur job.

    I carefully put the mask on, strapping it around my head. It sat comfortably on my face, with no rough pressure points or loose spots. It was such a good fit that I was willing to bet it would stay reasonably secure even if I cut the straps.

    A moment after I put the mask on, what little peripheral vision I lost from the tight cover returned as the mask faded from view. I was now wearing an invisible mask.

    Now, that alone would make protecting my identity impossible, so a significant portion of the ritual had been about working in a strong perception filter into the copper. While I was wearing my mask, people would not be able to freely connect the identity of William Kalus and Arcanum. It didn''t matter that we were identical or that we sounded the same, people would be unable to connect us together.

    It wasn''t wholly overpowered, meaning if I took it the mask off in front of someone, directly explained who I was, or if they witnessed me putting the mask on, the effect would break, but only on them. Also, if I walked into a room with only one door, changed outfits, and then left, if someone was watching the door, they would likely be able to work their brain through the confusion.

    The only reason this was possible in the first place was because I didn''t have a whole life here. In terms of this world''s essence, I was only a few months old. If I had more history, i.e., if I had been born on this Earth, there was no way I would have been able to achieve such a powerful effect with such a simple ritual. Thankfully, it was possible, and I could now finally look people in the eye and properly communicate without losing access to the freedom my "civilian" identity gave me.

    Eventually, the story of Arcanum would likely be too powerful for the ritual effects to bear, and the creation would unravel. However, with any luck, I would be powerful enough by then that it wouldn''t matter.

    The secondary effect of the mask was something I could feel, and that would undoubtedly be useful, but it wasn''t an active effect. The mask would protect my eyes, nose, mouth, and ears from any harmful irritants or mind-altering drugs. No more relying on Alya to keep my air fresh in a fire, now my mask would filter everything out. I tested this by pouring out a pile of cayenne pepper into my hand and throwing it at my face with the mask on. The cloud of red powder hung around my head long enough for me to take several long breaths, my eyes were open the entire time, and I didn''t feel a thing. Of course, after that was done, I realized I now had a fine coating of red powder over my whole body.

    Thankfully, Kali was nice enough to wave it all away, removing the need for me to shower with my uniform on to wash it all off.

    When I was done testing out the mask, I finished my day of rituals by making my pants, shirt, underwear, and socks significantly tougher. They weren''t what I would call bulletproof, but they were undoubtedly stabproof, which was more of a precaution with my permanent geomancy enhancement and ablative shield coming from my overcoat. The real reason I ritualized them was because, with my blood as a sacrificial ingredient, they instantly became the most comfortable clothes I had ever owned. It was like they were all perfectly tailored to my body, with the most comfortable material I could imagine.

    I literally spent a whole fifteen minutes just sitting in my living space on my chair, just enjoying the feeling of my super comfortable clothes.

    "I could probably offer this as a service when people know me a bit better," I said to Alya and Kali, the former who was floating above my bed. "A vial of blood, your wardrobe, and a hundred thousand dollars and you''ll never be uncomfortable in your clothes again."

    Alya snorted, and Kali seemed amused, but I filed it away for future reference. No doubt there was some rich person out there who would love to spend a good chunk of money on something like that.

    For a moment, I sat there, letting the last few days of insanity wash away, enjoying my comfortable chair, my comfortable clothes, and the comfortable silence that surrounded my compound.

 Chapter Fifty Five

    After I finished lounging around, enjoying the side benefits of my labor, I decided that I needed to burn off some stress. Between the most recent fight and the encroaching potential issues with the E88, I could feel the anxiety clawing at my spine and brain. So, I spent the rest of the day working out some of my stress by building up my compound. It was therapeutic to build something that had no focus on violence or my work as a hero, and turning my little corner of the forest into something impressive was fun. It also took my mind off the fight I had just survived and the oncoming storm of potential issues.

    First, I used the same ritual as before to create another pile of metal-reinforced acorns, the strengthened seeds accepting the ritual perfectly. In fact, they turned out even better than the first batch because Kali was watching over the ritual, poking and prodding at it. These little acorns had come in handy a lot, so not only did I store a few in my jacket, but I also let Troy absorb a few, holding them around his core. When I was done with that, I got to work.

    The first thing I did was grow a handful of living spaces, four in total. I grew them even further into the ground than mine, letting me expand them slightly. Each had two bunk beds, leaving very little room for anything else but having space for four people in each one. It was tight, but I didn''t intend for them to be places where people gathered. Instead, I grew a gathering place outside, creating a platform with two trees on either side, forming chairs and tables, and finishing it up by weaving a canopy over them.

    Next, I grew a set of showers and a bathroom mimicking my own, including the ritualized parts. While I was still on the fence about bringing people to the compound, it was a clear and obvious choice to relocate a group if something went wrong. Sixteen beds were not nearly enough to house the homeless community, but it was a start.

    My final project of the day, and kind of my pi¨¨ce de r¨¦sistance, was a large hot tub. It had temperature controls and even circulating, bubbling water, though I struggled and ultimately failed to integrate water jets. Still, it was relaxing as all hell, and since the water was self-filling, self-cleaning, and self-heating, I didn''t have to worry about it, even on those bitter winter days, which, so far, Brockton Bay seemed to completely lack.

    I finished the night with a long soak in my new hot tub, the area lit up by my little glass bottle lights, before sleeping soundly in my bed.

    The next morning, I woke up and quickly got dressed, heading into town. I had spent enough time relaxing and unwinding from my fight, now it was time to deal with the consequences. As I got to the more populated areas of town, people stared and pointed, clearly shocked to see me with what they thought was no mask. I couldn''t help but smirk and wave.

    My first task was visiting the hospital and the PRT. While I was at the latter, I asked for a conversation with someone from the Protectorate. I needed to know if they had discussed changing patrols now that Lung was in custody. Of course, people were staring and surprised to see my actual face there as well, but nobody commented on it, though there were plenty of whispers.

    As I waited, I could see that the PRT was a hive of activity. There were at least double the amount of officers hanging around, all of them armed and on edge. It wasn''t exactly difficult to connect the dots between the raised alert level and the fact that Lung and Oni Lee were somewhere in the building.

    Eventually, Miss Militia stopped by, guiding me into a conference room near the entrance. She was carrying a messenger tube, and she stopped when she saw me without a mask.

    "Arcanum¡­ no mask?" She asked, sounding worried. "That¡­ I hope you really thought that through, assuming you came here like that. Your family-"

    "It''s okay, I''m still wearing my mask," I assured her, tapping my face, my fingers rapping on the invisible copper. "See? You might be able to see my face, but as long as I''m still wearing the mask, my identity is safe. Some more tinker tech."

    "I¡­ Are you certain it works?" She asks. "How does it work?"

    "It separates my Arcanum persona from my real civilian identity," I explained. "And before you ask, it is non-invasive. I know how understandably serious you guys take mind-altering stuff. Just add a minor stranger power to the bag."

    For a moment, Miss Militia looked like she was going to continue asking questions. Then she seemed to remember this meeting had a point and that she was still holding a messenger tube. She shook her head a bit before nodding.

    "Alright, if you''re are certain. Now, Director Piggot has agreed that, with Lung and Lee gone, pushing patrols deeper into ABB territory is a good idea," she explained before pulling out a map of Brockton from her messenger tube and laying it out on the table. "Unfortunately, we don''t have the resources to patrol the entire space."

    "Understandable. Any help will make the job easier for Crow and myself, as well as anyone we can bring in on the job," I explained. "How much are you guys good for?"

    Pulling out a marker from her pocket, Miss Militia drew out a quick outline of the territories that the PRT general patrolled, also marking out Empire territory and what was still technically ABB territory. She also marked the trainyard area out and marked it with an M.

    "What''s that?" I asked with a frown. "I thought that the ABB owned the trainyards."

    "That''s Merchant territory," She explained. "Have you not heard of them?"

    "I''ve heard about them, I just didn''t realize they held territory," I responded with a frown. "Are they likely to push for more?"

    "They only claimed the trainyards because no one else wanted them," The Protectorate hero explained. "Last we heard, they only have two capes, but their leader, Skidmark, he is ambitious. He might be a problem, especially since the second cape is a Tinker."

    "Fantastic. Well, I''ll keep my eye out for them."

    Miss Militia gave me an understanding pat on my shoulder before finally drawing out what area the Protectorate would be expanding into. It was a chunk of space, mostly residentials, directly connected to the space that they already heavily patrolled. While it wasn''t as much space as I had hoped, it was more than I had feared. In total, it was a little under half of ABB''s territory, probably around two-fifths.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    "I''m sorry it''s not more space, but the Protectorate has a lot of responsibilities, and stretching ourselves too thin would make us incredibly vulnerable. We can''t afford to be in that position."

    "Well¡­ it''s much better than nothing," I responded with a shrug. "We will just have to make it work. I just hope that New Wave is willing to chip in. Have you had any communications with them since¡­ everything?"

    "No, and it''s starting to worry the Director," She admitted, capping her pen and rolling up the map. "They have been less active as a whole since Fleur was killed, but they have been instrumental in keeping the E88 in check. If the New Wave falls apart¡­"

    "It won''t be pretty," I said with a frown. "Dammit, setting up this meeting is gonna be more important than I thought. Alright. If everything goes well, I''ll recommend that they get in touch with you to talk about what''s going on. Assuming they want to meet at all."

    "That would be much appreciated."

    She finished rolling up the map before sliding it and a pair of markers into the messenger tube. She then handed that to me, which I happily accepted.

    "Director Piggot wanted to make sure you had a good idea of what we were doing, so keep this to keep track," She explained, gesturing to the tube. "Keep us updated, and good luck."

    "I will, and thank you."

    I left not long after that, though I didn''t go far. I stopped by a bench at the front entrance, quickly sitting down and pulling out my prepaid cell phone. A quick search through my contacts, and I found who I was looking for.

    "Arcanum? Is that you?" Olivia asked through the cheap phone. "What''s up?"

    "Are you alone?" I asked. "Somewhere you can talk about private things?"

    "Yeah, I''m good," She confirmed casually. "Everything okay?"

    "About as good as I could hope for," I responded. "The Protectorate has agreed to extend their patrols into ABB territory. A good two-fifths of it."

    "That just leaves three-fifths for us to cover," She responded, her tone sounding contemplative. "That''s too much for us alone, I assume?"

    "Very much so," I confirmed. "I can patrol a lot of space at once because of my abilities, but we need more people. I''m going to call New Wave and try to set up a meeting. Is that something you are interested in attending?"

    "No, definitely not," She responded emphatically. "That sounds like something that requires a delicate touch, and you know I won''t be able to stop myself from being sarcastic and scathing."

    "It''s part of your charm," I assured her with a smirk, though she couldn''t see it. "I''ll call you later to tell you how it went. Let me know if anything pops up while I''m gone."

    "Will do, Arc."

    We said our goodbyes, and I hung up, immediately dialing Sarah Pelham''s number. She answered almost immediately.

    "Arcanum, this is Sarah Pelham. What can I do for you?" The older woman asked, her tone polite. I could also hear the surprise in her voice, though she was working hard to keep it to a minimum.

    "Hello, Mrs Pelham. I hope everything is going well." I greeted before diving into what I wanted. "I''m calling because I want to set up a meeting with New Wave. There are some things I would like to discuss with your team. Is there any way that could happen?"

    "Of course, Arcanum. After what you did for us, a meeting with the team is the least we could do," She said with an eager energy, though I could hear interest as well.

    I winced at her mention of a debt. While I would really rather not drag them to the table, or even worse, into agreeing to help because they thought they owed me, this was too important not to accept the advantage.

    "Is there anywhere you would prefer to meet?" I asked.

    "...We have a team meeting room at the Dallon''s house," She admitted. "Would you be comfortable going there?"

    "I¡­ not to ask about anything private, but what about Carol?" I asked. "I don''t think she would appreciate me in her home."

    "Don''t worry, she won''t be an issue," The hero mother vaguely assured me. "How urgently are you looking to meet?"

    "Today, if possible," I responded with a wince. "I know it''s sudden, but I wouldn''t ask If it wasn''t important."

    "We can make it work," She said confidently. "Five o''clock?"

    "That works for me, I''ll be there."

    She agreed, texting me the address after we hung up. Seeing that it still wasn''t even noon, it was time to go on patrol. While it was unlikely that the E88 would start pushing today since they would still need more time to confirm and plan, I still needed to be ready just in case. I sent a message to Olivia that I was going on patrol, and she messaged back asking where she should meet her. Just an hour later, she was sitting side saddle on Troy as I walked beside him. I greeted people as we walked by, smiling and waving, raising the flag as much as I could. I wanted people to know that we were in the area. It was clear that the news that Lung was in prison hadn''t spread very far, as we got a lot of worried looks.

    Olivia had reacted similarly to Miss Militia when she first saw me walking around with no mask, but while the Protectorate heroine took a bit of convincing and still didn''t quite believe me. Olivia took my word for it immediately. After all, she was wearing proof of just how powerful and weird my rituals could get.

    As we walked around ABB territory, we both spotted more than a few people watching us closer than the rest. Neither of us were positive, but Olivia felt pretty confident that they were ABB scouts keeping an eye on us. The gang might have lost their heavy-hitting capes, but the members were still there, and they seemed to be determined to hang on, though we didn''t see much trouble. It was possible that the gang was laying low, or they didn''t want to mess with the guy who took down their boss. Either way, save for a small-scale mugging and one dealer who didn''t seem to have gotten the memo, everything was pretty calm.

    After patrolling for a while, flying the flag, and making our way through a good chunk of "our" part of ABB territory, Olivia and I went our separate ways, and I started making my way toward the Dallons address.

    I arrived at the home just before five, leaving Troy in the driveway and walking up to the front door. I was about to knock, desperately praying that Mrs Pelham had been serious when she said Carol wouldn''t be a problem, when the door opened up, revealing Victoria on the other side.

    "Come- wait! You''re not wearing a mask!" She said, the smile on her face transformed into wide eyes and a hanging jaw. "Did you go public?"

    "Uh, no. I was sick and tired of not being able to connect to people properly because they couldn''t see my expressions, so I tinkered up some stranger powers," I explained with a shrug. "Basically, as long as I''m wearing my mask, people can''t connect my civilian identity and this one."

    I emphasize my point by reaching out and tapping my mask, the same way I had with Miss Militia. Before the teenage hero could launch into another question, another voice called from inside.

    "Vicky, let him inside!"

    A slightly older woman, a younger version of Mrs Pelham, came floating up from further in the house. I recognized her as Crystal, otherwise known as Laserdream.

    "Right, sorry! C''mon in," Victoria said, floating to the side and gesturing for me to come inside. "Sorry, your mask caught me off guard."

    "Not the first time it''s happened today," I said with a smile. "And I imagine I''m about to go through it again shortly."

    "So¡­ you just tinkered up a stranger''s power?" the younger Pelham woman said. "Just like that?"

    "Well, not literally," I assured them. "But¡­ kinda? Is that weird for tinkers?"

    "Kind of? Most tinkers follow a theme or power type," Victoria stated. "Armsmater is miniaturization. Kid Win doesn''t know what his is yet."

    "Oh¡­ well, just another reason to call my powers weird," I said, trying to brush it off with a shrug. "Where is everyone?"

    "Already down in the meeting room," Crystal explained. "It''s just down this hall."

    I nodded and followed after the two family members. Eventually, they opened a door into the basement, and Victoria gestured for me to follow behind. When I reached the top of the stairs, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, before stepping down the stairs.

 Chapter Fifty Six

    As I followed after Victoria, I stepped down into a large refurbished basement. I paused there for a moment, scanning the room and its occupants. The walls were covered with framed pictures, some of the family, some of what appeared to be publicity shots, and a few framed newspapers. In the center of the room was a large, rectangular table, big enough for two families to fit around. Victoria flew over and sat next to her sister, Amy, while Crystal flew and sat beside her father. The only person I didn''t recognize was a younger guy with blue hair, but a simple process of elimination meant he was likely Eric Pelham. The only member of New Wave I didn''t see around the table was Carol.

    As I looked around, I could see that save one person, everyone had an interested and curious expression on their face. Amy Dallon, the only one who didn''t, had a more complex expression on her face, which I purposely ignored. I could talk to her more privately if she had something to say, but for now, I needed to focus on getting New Wave on board.

    Once everyone had settled into the table, I approached, doing my best to come off as confident and professional.

    "Hello, everyone," I said, nodding and smiling. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me like this on such short notice. I really appreciate it."

    "We''ve pulled pretty close over the last week, getting everyone one together was pretty easy," Sarah explained, with Mark nodding in agreement. "It sounded urgent and, well, we clearly owe you."

    "I appreciate that," I said, biting back a wince. "Before I start, I''m sure you''re wondering about this?"

    I gestured to my face, reaching up and once again tapping on my mask. Just as everyone else had been, they seemed surprised to hear the sound of my mask rather than my face.

    "The short answer to what I''m sure you''re wondering is no, I''m not an open cape, at least not yet. At some point, I probably will be, but for now, I have what is basically a stranger effect on my mask," I explained. "It makes it impossible for people to connect my civilian persona with Arcanum. That way, I have the benefits of maskless interactions without losing the ability to go shopping without being mobbed."

    "That¡­ is impressive," Sarah said, the rest of the group digesting that I suddenly just added a new ability to my repertoire. "We understand the desire to stay anonymous, even if we believe in transparency.

    I nodded at her diplomatic compliment before leaning forward slightly and putting my hands on the edge of the large table everyone was sitting at. There was a chair in front of me, which I''m sure I would take eventually, but for now, I wanted to stay standing for added dramatic effect.

    "I don''t know how far the news has gotten, but two days ago, Oni Lee and I got in a fight while I was trying to save civilians from an apartment he firebombed," I started, watching as people nodded. "My brute rating and other abilities allowed me to fight him off and eventually injure him, at which point he retreated. That night, in retaliation, Lung and Oni Lee both attacked the docks community, the one I have been working with and helping out."

    The news was met with various gasps and worried looks. I tried my best to wave away concerns, but Victoria steamrolled through.

    "Why didn''t you call us?" Victoria asked. "We would have come to help!"

    While they didn''t openly agree, the other adults clearly thought similar thoughts and looked to me for my reasoning.

    "Honestly? I was worried about turning the community into an even bigger warzone," I explained with a frown. "The PRT had already tried to overwhelm him with numbers, and all that did was make him get bigger, faster. Not to mention burning out several blocks. I was desperate to keep that from happening and."

    I had also been overwhelmed and not thinking very straight, leading me to just not think of them until it was far too late to get them involved. Unfortunately, I couldn''t openly admit that to them, not without looking like an idiot. That said, the fight had been a close thing, and while I had simply not thought of them, not getting them involved might have actually been what made our victory possible. Past conflicts with the raging dragon had shown that the greater the threat, the quicker he would grow. There was a very real chance that being underestimated was what kept me alive.

    "Either way, with the help of another friendly cape, who focused on taking down Lee, I was able to fight Lung, pin him down, and do enough damage to his nervous system and brain that his body gave out, and he collapsed. The PRT currently has him and Lee in custody right now.

    The room hung on the moment, as they clearly expected me to explain that I had barely survived and the community was no more. When they finally realized what I had said and what it meant, several questions were flung at me at once, too many for me to keep up with. After a moment, I held up my hands in defeat.

    "Woah, please, one at a time!" I asked.

    "Why hasn''t this been announced yet?" Sarah asked, cutting off several other questions with a look. "The PRT usually makes official announcements, and the local news picks them up pretty quickly."

    "I don''t really know," I admitted with a shrug. "Though it might have something to do with avoiding repercussions for as long as possible. Which is actually why I''m here."

    I took the messenger tube off from around my shoulder and opened it up, spreading the map out on the table. Mark and Eric quickly placed some small weights on the map corners so it would stay open without me holding it.

    "With Lung and Oni Lee both captured, assuming they stay that way," I added, knocking on the wooden table as I did. "The ABB is going to struggle. Not only were their two capes the only thing keeping the E88 from pushing on their territory, but they were also the only thing holding the gang together. With them gone, I expect a lot of in-fighting and a lot of the E88 pushing in to try and claim their territory."

    "You want us to help you patrol the area, crack down on the fighting, and keep the E88 from pushing into the new territory," Mark guessed as everyone looked down at the map.

    "Exactly. The Protectorate is going to be expanding the patrols into this area," I explained, gesturing to part of the map that Miss Militia marked. "It''s about two-fifths of ABB''s territory. Now, I can patrol a good chunk of space, but I do have other responsibilities, and I need time to work on my projects. This¡­"

    I gestured to the large chunk of the city that the Protectorate could not patrol, tracing it out on the map.

    "My partner and I would have to dedicate every waking moment to patrolling to even come close to locking down an area of this size," I explained, shaking my head. "Not only would that still not be enough, we wouldn''t be able to keep it up for very long, especially not against the full force of the E88. Not to mention that, according to Miss Militia, the Merchant leader is ambitious, meaning he and the Merchant tinker might pop up and start causing trouble as well."

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    "Do you have some sort of plan?" Neil asked. "A patrol rotation or any sort of specific goal?"

    "The general goal is to keep the E88 out while also slowly sweeping up the worst aspects of the ABB as they expose themselves through infighting and normal activities," I explained. "This will, almost inevitably, bring us into direct conflict with the Empire."

    "Like that''s any different," Victoria said with a scoff. "The Nazis get into conflict with everyone who doesn''t toe their line."

    "And that isn''t likely to stop until the E88 is either gone or we teach them a lesson severe enough, like capturing enough of their capes, that they pull back on their territory grab," I pointed out. "While I hope the latter happens, I think it''s much more likely that the former is what it actually takes. But, honestly, for now? That''s too far in the future to be concerned about. The most important objective is to keep the ABB territory from becoming a warzone. And I need your help to do it."

    The room was quiet for a long moment before Sarah finally spoke up, leaning forward in her seat.

    "I think that for something like this, even if technically, I am the leader, we should vote as a family," She suggested. "This will clearly not be random, casual patrols. We will need to set up schedules, cut back work hours, and volunteer our free time. It''s quite a different step than what we have been doing for the last few years."

    "My vote is to help," Victoria volunteered easily. "Even if you guys don''t, I''ll help out when I''m not at school and on the weekends."

    "I appreciate the sentiment, Victoria," I said, giving her a smile before turning to her father. "But you need permission from your father. I can''t have a minor working with us when their parents don''t want them involved."

    "Parent," Victoria said, an edge in her voice. "It''s parent."

    I looked around with wide eyes, trying to figure out how to respond to her statement. Eventually, I simply nodded, as no words came to my head. After a few seconds of awkward silence, and quite a few winces from the family members around the table, I spoke up again.

    "While I appreciate Victoria''s enthusiasm, I''m happy to step out and let you guys vote," I explained. "And you should be aware that even if you decide not to join in, my healing is not on the table as a bargaining chip. I''ll still help you guys regardless of your choice."

    "I don''t think that''s necessary," Sarah said, looking around and checking that the rest of her team agreed. "Personally, I think that it is high time that New Wave started patrolling more regularly. This is the perfect opportunity to do some good."

    Everyone, to varying degrees of exuberance, agreed with their leader. Crystal was the most reluctant, not because she didn''t want to help but because her college classes had just started up again and had her swamped. She did agree to patrol when she could, most likely during the weekends. Her younger brother, Eric, was perhaps the most excited, clearly happy that he would be able to be a hero again. When the official vote was done, Sarah spoke up with a nod.

    "Well, seems like it is unanimous," She concluded after sharing a look with her husband. "New Wave will help patrol ABB territory. We just need to figure out scheduling."

    The conversation quickly devolved into a much more confusing, near-constant debate of who should patrol when. For a moment, I was pulled back to my old home, to family discussions of future plans. People talking about this day or that day, this time or that, all in a chaotic jumble that barely anyone could follow. I say barely, since Sarah seemed to be on top of it all, writing down things down, before frequently erasing them as they slowly puzzled together when each person would be patrolling.

    After nearly twenty minutes of planning, we managed to work out a schedule that worked for everyone. Of course, we were all basically on call, especially the rapid flyers, but that was more about reacting to fights than anything. Sarah even discussed reaching out to a few independents in the area to strengthen our patrols. On the note of strengthening, I pulled attention back to myself.

    "I also would like to help each of you by crafting a custom bit of gear," I volunteered. "Something to take your powers to the next level."

    "Like your mask?" Mark asked.

    "Or my boots or cloak," I added, pulling at my coat.

    "While that certainly sounds interesting, will you need to maintain them?" Sarah asked. "What sort of effects could you create?"

    "My creations don''t need to be maintained," I responded with a frown. "Is that something that other tinkers have to deal with?"

    "Yes. Most tinker creations need regular intense maintenance from their creator, or occasionally another tinker with a similar specialty," Sarah explained. "But if that''s not a problem for you, then that''s great."

    "There is something you should know, however," I said, wincing slightly. "If you want something truly special, I''ll need a little vial of your blood. It''s how part of my power works, and it will take whatever I end up making for you to the next level. Plus, it will make it more difficult for other people to use should someone take it from you. So it''s a boost plus a deterrent."

    "A vial of blood?"

    "Yes. I know it''s a bit strange and not exactly comforting," I admitted with a frown. "But my powers insist on being as¡­Mystical as they can. I''ve clearly leaned into it, but sometimes it feels like it''s doubled down and called my bluff."

    That got a round of polite chuckles, but I waved away the attempts to make things less awkward.

    "I know it''s a weird request, and it makes most people''s minds go to some pretty upsetting places, so if you don''t feel comfortable, that''s fine," I assured them. "I can still make something for each of you. It just won''t be as powerful as it would be without it."

    "I¡­ think that at this point, we can trust you," Sarah admitted after giving her husband a long, serious look. "How would you take our blood? How much do you need?"

    "Just a small vial, less than a vacuum sample tube at the doctors. And I have some vials outside with Troy," I explained, continuing when I got a few blank looks in return. "Troy is the golem horse I ride around on."

    After a few more words, I quickly walked up the stairs and out the front door, making my way to Troy. I used my druidcraft spell to open his chest. First, I pulled out a handful of normal, untreated vials, which were for everyone''s blood. I then pulled out a much larger box of containment vials, the ones I ritualized to hold and store things that usually couldn''t be stored. With those, I was hoping to get some more exotic samples, both for New Wave''s future creations and for my own projects. As I was using a spell to close Troy''s chest back up, I could feel Alya teasing my neck with a breeze, prompting me to turn around quickly. Amy Dallon was climbing down the front steps, looking a little lost and nervous but still determined.

    "Hey¡­" She said, stopping while she was still on their front walk. "Could¡­ we talk for a minute?"

 Chapter Fifty Seven

    For a moment, I froze like a deer in headlights, not entirely sure how to react. I wasn''t exactly equipped to handle an emotionally unstable abuse victim, especially one who already seemed to dislike me. Unfortunately, I couldn''t exactly tell her no. Not only because it would be an incredibly insensitive thing to do, but also because, as cold and calculating as it might sound, I needed her family''s help. I forced myself to move, though she definitely caught my momentary panic.

    I guess there was a downside to people being able to see my face.

    "Yeah, sure, okay," I agreed before gesturing to the chairs on the front porch. "Why don''t we sit down first?"

    She nodded, and together, we climbed back up the stairs, sitting down in an old but functional set of wicker furniture. For a long moment, she was silent, chewing her lip and looking down at her hands as she fidgeted nervously. I considered speaking up and asking what she wanted to talk about, but before I could weigh the merits, she spoke up.

    "So¡­ I guess I should start by apologizing," She said, still looking down at her hands. "And also, I should thank you. I was¡­ still am, kind of a mess. I¡­ My therapist tells me I shouldn''t feel guilty for my issues, especially since¡­ the source was out of my control, but-"

    She stopped, taking a long breath, calming herself for a moment before continuing. It had seemed, for just a moment, that she had been on the precipice of spiraling, but she caught herself. It took a few seconds for her to speak again, but when she did, she was slower and more deliberate with her words.

    "I''m sorry for exploding like I did when you first came to see me," She said, finally looking up at me. "And thank you for healing me."

    "I was happy to help," I said honestly. "And I accept your apology, even though I don''t blame you. You are forgiven."

    "Also, thank you for taking over my schedule," She said. "I know it''s a lot, and you didn''t want to be stuck in the hospital like I was, and I can''t blame you-"

    "Amy, I spend an hour a day in the hospital, that''s it," I said, biting back a wince since it was clear she thought I was spending a lot more. "And I get paid for a good portion of it, too."

    "What?" She asked, her body tensing up. "How? Why? But you-"

    "By doing what, in my personal opinion, you should have been doing all along," I said with a frown, trying to be gentle. "I always heal children, but adults only get attention if they have life-threatening conditions or conditions that would result in long-term issues, like bad bone breaks or arthritis. Everyone else is treated by normal doctors. No sniffles, no hangovers, and absolutely no dumbasses who hurt themselves being stupid."

    "But¡­ that''s still so few¡­"

    "And yet, the mortality rate at the hospital is more or less the same as it was with you," I said with a shrug. "I''m even seeing people from out of town, just like you were. The list is shorter since I refuse to treat people who don''t need it, but the people who need it are being healed. I mean, some might argue that my method is ethically correct because it means my time is more accessible for people who actually need my help, rather than bogged down with stubbed toes and black eyes."

    The young woman seemed a bit lost listening to what I was saying. I had more, of course, the frustration of my own minor experience with the hospitals, along with seeing what they had done to her starting to come out. Thankfully, Alya blew a stiff breeze over me, catching my attention. I let out a long breath, letting the frustration go before I continued.

    "What they had you doing was criminal, Amy," I said. "They should never have been working you that hard."

    For a moment, she looked like she was about to argue before she stopped herself. She closed her eyes and seemed to be repeating something under her breath for a moment before sighing heavily.

    "I''m not sure I agree, but I also know that¡­ I might not have the best mindset for that right now," She acknowledged. "But thank you for helping either way."

    "Of course, I''m happy to help," I assured her. "How have you been? Are you doing alright?"

    "Yeah, you fixed me up, good as new. Better even," She admitted. "I''m... Well, I''m seeing a therapist that specializes in parahumans. I''ve been¡­ I''m doing well, trying to find a hobby. It''s been¡­ chaotic around here, but we are doing okay. I was going to move in with Aunt Sarah, but¡­ Well, you probably noticed that Carol wasn''t around?"

    "I did, yeah."

    "Well, Dad kicked her out," She said with a small smile, a viscous and deserved look of satisfaction crossing her expression for a moment. "He is doing better, which reminds me, thank you so much for helping him."

    "I''m just glad I could," I said honestly. "I want to scan him again before I leave today."

    "He is good," She assured me. "No signs of backsliding. I can''t heal brains, but I can see them."

    "Right, okay. I still want to," I repeated. "Our powers work differently, so they might pick up something different."

    "Sure, whatever," she said with a shrug. "Anyway, Dad realized Carol had been screening my calls, controlling who could contact me. We can''t be sure, but it seems like she was doing it for a while, even when I was younger. That was the last straw for him, so he kicked her out. I¡­ I don''t know what''s going to happen next, but¡­ Thank you for helping make this happen."

    "You needed help," I said with a shrug. "I wasn''t about to let go."

    She finally looked directly at me, and after a moment, she smiled before nodding and standing up. She then looked out over the driveway, focusing on Troy.

    "Okay, enough of this weepy stuff," she said, sniffing once and wiping her eye, carefully not looking at me as she did. "Can I pet your horse?"

    "Uh¡­ yeah, of course," I said, standing as well, a bit confused about her rapid shift in demeanor. "Though, he isn''t really alive."

    "Looks pretty alive to me," She said, brushing past me to walk down from the porch. "His mane is still green."

    "Well, yeah, I mean, the tree is alive, but he isn''t sentient," I explained. "His movement is just a bit of trickery to keep it from standing completely still. Trust me, that ends up looking even worse."

    She nodded and reached her hand out as she approached the golem, going slowly as if she was worried she would spook it. As she slowly approached, she turned her head for a moment, looking back at me. Still, being skeptical and cautious at moments like these was not a bad thing.

    "How does he work?" She asked before focusing back on my mount.

    "Well¡­ there is a central core in his chest," I explained, wondering just how detailed I should get. "The tree itself I call living wood, which is basically just some enhanced oak."

    "Enhanced?"

    "Nothing major," I said, waving her off. "Just a bit stronger, tough, more resilient to harsh conditions. The wood is kept alive by¡­ how much do you know about my powers?"

    "Just what everyone does," She responded, looking back at me again. "That you''re a grab bag and-"

    Finally, after slowly approaching the wooden construct, she put her hand on the golem''s back. The second she made contact with the wood, she went silent, her eyes going wide as she turned back to look at Troy. She stared blankly at where her hand met the wood for a good minute, long enough to make me nervous, before finally speaking up.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "I can feel the plant drawing resources from the core," She explained after a long moment. "Like its roots were set into it, and it''s the most perfect source of everything it needs to thrive, and then some, but... I can''t see where it''s getting what it needs. Like it''s perfectly hydrated, but where is the water coming from?"

    After a minute or so of her mumbling to herself, her hand on Troy''s back, she finally pulled back, shaking her head.

    "I didn''t expect to get much from it, but I thought I would get more than that," She admitted, biting her lip. "Your power makes even less sense than most. I''ve met Chlorokinetics before, and they¡­ well, it usually makes more sense than that."

    She gestured back at Troy, who was pretending to eat the Dallon''s grass. This close, we could see that he wasn''t actually tearing any up with his mouth, resulting in it looking much less natural.

    "Sorry, but you''re not the first person to tell me my power is weird, and you are almost certainly not going to be the last," I responded with a smirk before nodding back to the stairs. "I think it might be time to get back inside. I would like to get back on patrol for the night before the E88 gets any smart ideas."

    "Pretty sure that''s an oxymoron," She responded with a snort, before leaving the driveway and walking past me to the porch.

    When she pulled the front door open, Victoria slid out, her head having been pressed against the door. Amy just let out a sigh as she looked down at her sister.

    "Ummm¡­ they sent me up to make sure everything was okay?" Victoria offered, Amy rolling her eyes in response.

    "Sure, whatever, C''mon," Amy said, walking past her sister to return to the New Wave meeting room.

    Once again, I followed Victoria back downstairs into the basement, this time carrying my vials. I put the box of vials on the table and explained the blood-letting process. I assured them they would be fine and I would heal the tiny injury when we were done. I could tell they were a bit unhappy with the low-tech methods, but Sarah agreed to go first to show everyone how it worked.

    I quickly cast a numbing spell on her finger, followed by a blood-letting spell, and finally, a tiny quick-cast healing spell once the vial was filled about halfway. I quickly wrote her initials on the bottle before placing it on the table. After Amy confirmed she was perfectly fine, I repeated the process for the rest of the team. Once I was done drawing blood, I lifted up the boxed brick of containment vials.

    "Alright, so I would also like to see if I could get some samples of your powers," I explained. "These vials are designed to¡­ pull in and contain things that you normally wouldn''t be able to, like sunlight or moonlight. I''m hoping I will be able to take samples of your powers to help the creation process and maybe even for some future projects of my own. It is obviously completely voluntary."

    "How much will these ''samples'' help?" Mark asked, beating Sarah to the punch by a split second.

    "Well¡­ honestly, that depends on what you want me to make," I admitted. "If you''re looking to add a wildcard new ability to your repertoire¡­ then any samples won''t make much of a difference. However, if you''re looking to maximize a strength or mitigate a weakness, then they could help quite a bit."

    I spotted Eric''s eyes lighting up when I mentioned mitigating a weakness, but he was the only one interested in that idea. If I remember correctly, Sarah, Crystal, and Eric all had the same powers, meaning they could conjure shields, cast blasts of light, and fly. Crystal could blast things harder and fly faster, but her shields were weak, while Eric''s shields were much more formidable. However, his blasts and flight speed were significantly lower. Considering his age, it wasn''t surprising that having weaker energy blasts and being slow would really get on his nerves.

    The rest of the group was just very into the idea of suddenly having a new power or two. Thankfully, they were all open to donating samples, which ended in a small field trip outside, where the family could more easily show off their powers. I ended up taking samples of all of the shield barriers from the Pelhams, as well as their blaster abilities. On top of that, I also got a sample of Victoria''s full body shield and a few very potent samples of Neils''s electromagnetic field.

    Unfortunately, there was no essence of flight among any of them, as none of them used any sort of thrust to fly. Their powers just seemed to move them as they wished. As far as I could tell, there was no sign of any force or field that allowed them to fly.

    This would make granting Eric''s request for faster flight a bit more complicated, but I was still confident. On the plus side, I was now very eager to add a second ritual layer to my overcoat and remake my staff.

    Unfortunately, that was now on a long list of things to do, as I now had six more rituals to create and perform, which would probably take a few days. I was thinking of making my staff a high priority since I was really missing it already, and I would need as much power as I could scrounge together if I was going to be fending off or taking down the Empire.

    When I was done getting samples from everyone, I did a quick health check on Mark. Mark''s brain was doing much better, and his hormones were much more balanced and healthy. I cast another full body heal on him, just to fix a few minor things, which he thanked me for with a smile and handshake. He was still a quiet, understated man, but I got the feeling that was just his personality, not symptom.

    I also checked up on Amy as well. She was doing much better as well, clearly getting much more sleep, though her body was still showing some signs of stress. The only sign of her previous poor health was the slight damage to her lungs, done from smoking. I had managed to heal most of it, but some scarring and staining remained.

    I would have to work on that in the future, maybe see if I couldn''t find some way to fix that.

    With two new clean bills of health for the two people Panacea couldn''t heal on her own, I finally left the Dallon house behind. The first New Wave patrol would be tomorrow, which just left tonight on my shoulders.

    "Not like I was gonna get much sleep tonight with the new cycle kicking in," I said, Alya pulling in close around me as I talked. "How are you doing? Anything you noticed while I was busy?"

    "Nothing really of note," She responded. "Streets around the house were quiet. This neighborhood is significantly cleaner than most parts of the city."

    "That''s how it usually works," I said with a frown. "Money gets more attention. Can''t blame people like the Pelham''s, though. They actually try to help, and you can''t hate them for wanting to live in a peaceful neighborhood."

    She seemed to understand, and after a few moments she spread herself back out around me, watching over a much larger area. I guided Troy through the streets, picking up a bit of speed as I headed for ABB territory. I would patrol until the sun went down and for a while after before retreating back to the compound.

    I wanted to be home and safe while I tried to figure out what I was going to invest my points

 Chapter Fifty Eight

    I could feel the tension in the streets as I patrolled ABB territory. A quick check of my phone showed that the PRT still hadn''t announced that they had Lung and Oni-lee in their custody, but it was clear that news was spreading anyway. They would probably need to announce it soon, or there wouldn''t be any point.

    I couldn''t tell if the growing tension was because the peace was only temporary, as people knew what it meant for the area to be undefended by Lung, or if it was just people''s dislike or disapproval of my presence. Either way, I could feel that it was only a matter of time before things started to buckle and fall apart.

    A while after the sun had set and the streets had all but emptied out, I made my way back to the forest compound. I could feel my own encroaching tension as my next power-up slowly got closer and closer. I was excited, anxious, and eager, but I managed to keep myself from spiraling or panicking nearly as much as I had the last time.

    I stopped by a shop to grab some food, and after showering and changing into some clean clothes, I started a small fire in the outdoor gathering area I had just made, specifically in the pre-designed fire pit. I then started roasting the hotdogs I had purchased over the fire, heating up the rolls on the rocks that made up the fire pit.

    After enjoying the first bite of the first completed hotdog, I leaned back in my chair, letting out a long breath of satisfaction. There was something nice about cooking your own food, even if it was as crude as a sharpened stick and an open fire.

    "Have you come to a conclusion on how you will spend your points?" Alya asked after I finished my second bite. "You do not have much longer until the cycle resets."

    "I know, trust me. I can feel it," I assured her, shaking my head. "And not having ideas isn''t the problem. I have plenty of ideas. Way too many ideas, many in fact. The problem is I don''t know which ones I should go with. Especially because I have no idea what my freebie will be like at this time. If I knew, I could structure my ideas around it, but¡­"

    "What are some of your ideas?"

    "Well¡­ honesty, it''s easier to go over what I plan on not doing, since my options are more or less infinite," I pointed out. "I don''t plan on putting any more points into healing. What I have is more than enough. It has its limits, sure, but I can''t go around wasting charges like that. The only other thing I really want in the healing topic would be a resurrection spell, but there is no way I would get access to that at level three. Hell, it might not be in the "healing spell" category at all."

    "That does seem like a stretch," Alya agreed. "But what about mass healing or issues that you can''t heal at the moment?"

    "I¡­ I think the healing spells topic is good for now," I said, hesitating for a moment before repeating myself with confidence. I could feel Kali rubbing my back reassuringly for just a moment before her presence pulled back.

    "Very well," Alya said. "What else are you not going to do?"

    "I¡­ I''m pretty sure I will not be upgrading ritual design and crafting, either," I responded, this time wincing at my choice. "Part of me wants to, and there''s a large chance I will at some point, but for now, I am getting what I want from my rituals."

    "Shouldn''t that mean increasing the level would get you even more of what you want, but even more powerful?"

    "Probably yeah, which is why I said I will most likely upgrade it eventually," I pointed out. " But for now, I need to spread myself out, pull up more things and expand my repertoire. Rituals are incredibly flexible and can be pretty potent, but only if they are given time to be developed and used. More ways to fight and more ways to be flexible are what I really need right now."

    For a long moment, we were quiet, while I continued to eat and spent some time considering my next move and my next cycle of points.

    "I think, if I have three points left over, rather than dumping them away into lightning spells or even picking a second spell type to use, I will try and find a way to quickly cast my spells," I said with a frown. "It''s been a consistent weakness of mine, and if I can come up with a way to cast higher powered spells, like I can quickly cast my spark spell, then the level of power I can bring to bear would increase massively."

    "What would the topic be?"

    "I''ll try something like quick casting first. Maybe there is a way to force a spell to function like that that I am missing," I explained with a shrug. "If that doesn''t work, maybe I''ll see if there is something like instant cast wands or gems or something. I could see myself with a bandoleer of wands that I could pull from if I needed to lay the hurt on someone badly. Though I would prefer not to rely on something like that."

    "I think you should focus on what your primary concerns are," Alya suggested after a minute of silence, during which I put another hotdog on to cook.

    We debated back and forth for a while longer, Alya switching between acting as devil''s advocate and as a general sounding board for my ideas and thoughts. Eventually, I gave up debating, since I was basically just walking in circles, and decided to spend the last few hours working on the ritual for my new staff. I decided to do a double-layered ritual on the staff itself, then see if I couldn''t find a way to store multiple spells at once in the crystal top.

    I was just about finished with the first layer of rituals when my phone alarm went off, alerting me that it was almost midnight. I carefully put my notebook down on the table, leaning back in my chair as I waited for my charges to refill and for my freebie to trigger. In front of me, the crackling of the fire continued, its warmth keeping me calm. I could feel both Kali and Alya drawing close, supporting and waiting with me.

    Finally, after what seemed like forever, I could feel the charges slowly flow into me, each one lighting up alongside the three already existing ones. When I had nine in total, the process finished, and I waited for whatever freebie I was going to get, assuming that I did.

    Just as before with druidcraft, the first level began to fill after a sizable pause, but it wasn''t until the first level was completely filled that I got a look at what it was.

    Wands, staffs, crystal balls, gold embossed symbols and hunks of precious stones, a vial of powerful blood, or a shard of bone from a magical animal. As the knowledge poured into me, I could feel what the topic was.

    The creation of arcane focuses.

    I couldn''t help but laugh as the second level filled as well, my mind awash with an even greater understanding of how to find, craft, refine, enchant, and ritualize arcane focuses. I knew how to make a wand that could reduce my mana cost or a crystal ball that would purify my mana for more effective healing. I saw dozens of different types of arcane focuses, all of them useful, all of them significantly better than the staff design I had just been working on.

    "What is it?" Alya asked as I shook my head, reaching for my notebook.

    "I just got arcane focus creation," I responded, chuckling as I tore out my staff ritual draft, crumpling it up and throwing it into the fire. "Blows what I had designed out of the water. It has also confirmed something I was curious about. I should be working with a spellbook."

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "You haven''t needed one so far," Alya pointed out, a bit confused. "And why does a topic called arcane focus creation make you think that you need one?"

    "Because I just had the designs for one downloaded into my head," I explained. "An arcane focus built into a spellbook, the ultimate in convenience or spare focus. It definitely implies that most wizards or mages would have one already."

    "Okay, but why haven''t you needed one so far?" Alya asked.

    "Because all the spells I have been casting have been directly downloaded into my head," I explained, leaning back in my chair. "I don''t think I could forget the chants for any of my lightning or healing spells, even if I tried."

    "Then what''s the problem?" Alya asked.

    "There''s no problem, it just means I''m going to need to make myself a spellbook," I explained with a shrug. "Especially since I''m pretty sure I''m going with my first plan."

    While debating and discussing potential ideas, I realized what I really needed was the ability to really go deeper into magic. So far, despite having unlocked six, now seven different topics, I was still barely even scratching the surface. Every subject I had access to had one thing in common, and that was that it pointed to their being so much more beyond what I had selected.

    My purchase of ritual crafting and design had opened my eyes to just what sort of things magic could do. Now, I wanted to dive into a new section, spell crafting. With the ability to design and write my own spells, I could finally start to explore magic more freely. While I might not be able to intuitively cast the spells I made like I could the spells I unlocked via Marvelous Mage, they would still give me a level of flexibility and an ability to explore the limits that I desperately needed.

    For all the power that I had, I had no way to put out a fire, lift an object with magic, to cool or to heat, to do anything but heal or spark lightning. I had made due and even risen above, but now it was time to dive deeper into magic. Even if I had to rely on a spellbook for the majority of the spells I designed.

    Carefully, slowly, I pushed one charge of my power into spell crafting, feeling the connection latch on easily, the link growing as the charge was used to unlock knowledge. Just as it had for ritual design and crafting, the knowledge went further because I was learning the parts and methods rather than complete spells themselves.

    When the first charge was set and spell crafting unlocked to a single level, I spent a few minutes going over what I now had access to. Crafting spells was a balance between several layers. The first was arcane symbols, which I already knew pretty well, thanks to my ritual crafting knowledge. The second was chanting, which was used to invoke the symbols through intent and latent magical concepts.

    The chanting was done in the arcane language, which was an old, modified version of Latin that was somehow tied to magic. That language, or rather the words being chanted, had to be balanced with elemental energies and symbolic weight in order to properly invoke the correct arcane symbols. The words mattered, and they needed to fit together like a puzzle while still carrying the intent of the spell.

    That balancing was achieved between the fourth and fifth layers. The fifth layer was the starting point, the intent of the spell, and what the caster wanted to happen. Choosing what words belonged in the chant required an expansive amount of calculations and arcane formulas, as well as a long-running list of strange numbers and conceptual interactions. For example, most arcane words for "death" could not be in the same sentence as the arcane words for "life."

    In some cases, you could use spell solutions you already knew to inform how you designed new spells, which is why people often had specialties. After all, why branch into four elements when you could get so much further just by focusing on one? There were also things like two-handed spells, spells that require certain hand movements, and several other similar concepts.

    Basically, you first figure out what you want your spell to do. Then, you use whatever resources you might have to guess or at least generalize just what words would work in your chant. You then do an incredible amount of complicated magical math to prove or disprove what words worked in your chant until it all balanced out and the spell was complete.

    Of course, because my knowledge came from the Marvelous Mage, I had a major advantage. While a normal wizard might struggle to gain an understanding of new words, I had a large chunk of the language just downloaded into my head, and that chunk only got bigger as I bumped the level all the way to three.

    I sat there in my chair, slowly absorbing and acclimatizing to the knowledge I had unlocked. Somehow, I managed to resist the urge to grab my notebook and get to work designing something. I still had three charges to spend, after all.

    I took a breath and pushed aside my excitement and eagerness, instead focusing on finishing my task. Carefully, I pushed a single charge into quick casting, partially convinced that the investment wouldn''t go through and I would have to pick something else.

    To my surprise, the subject greedily accepted the charge. Suddenly, there was an explosion of knowledge as my new quick casting topic reached out like a spider web, connecting to dozens of spells from my healing and lighting subjects.

    Before, all I could manage to quick cast was a few minor lightning spells and the weakest levels of general healing, barely more than a pat on the shoulder and wishful thought. Now, I could feel dozens of my spells, ready and waiting for me to cast in seconds. Some of them required a word or two, while others required none at all. I quickly invested my remaining two charges, feeling the spider web extend even further.

    Slowly, I stood, looking up at the night sky through the gaps in the trees.

    "Fulgura meum!"

    I shouted, and a torrent of electrical energy poured from my hands. The same spell I had used to take down Lung fired up through the trees and into the darkness above. A spell that took nearly ten seconds and several chanted words now took two words and under two seconds.

    Even better, I see the topic linking to spell crafting, ready to guide me in doing similar things with spells I designed, even if it''s at a lower level since I won''t have an internal download of the spell on hand constantly.

    I cast a few more spells, switching between casting them wordlessly and with shortened chants. Finally, when I was satisfied that I had fully explored my last purchase, I finally picked up my notepad and began designing a new spell, my first new spell.

    It took me nearly fifteen minutes to put together an incredibly simple spell, working out the chant and the elements. Eventually, when I was satisfied it would work, I stood from my chair and held out my hand.

    "Candens palma," I intoned, and immediately my palm began to glow.

    A single arcane symbol appeared on the back of my hand, and a beam of light akin to a high-quality flashlight shone out of my palm, lighting up the trees as I swung the beam of light back and forth. After a few more seconds, I cut the spell, letting the light fade

 Chapter Fifty Nine

    I spent the rest of the night designing and practicing some lower-level spells, measuring my success, and gauging how well the process worked. As I did, I solidified several theories that I had formed while perusing the information I gained, as well as when I made the flashlight spell. Perhaps the most interesting, if not the most important, was how the investment into quick casting affected the spells that I was making.

    Once I designed and cast a functioning spell, the subject would activate. It was subtle at first, but the more I used the spell, the more I could feel how to cast the spell with just a thought and a push of energy. I practiced with the flashlight spell for maybe ten minutes before it all clicked, and the chant felt unnecessary. The light created by the spell was slightly less intense, but I could simply push more mana into the spell to increase the lumens.

    That was all on top of the instant help I was getting from the quick cast subject. It instantly affected how my ingrained, purchased spells worked. A huge swath of my lighting spell subject didn''t require any action to cast save a vague gesture and a bit of concentration.

    However, while the quick cast subject had very quickly changed how I used my magic, it was also clear that it wouldn''t help with everything. There was only so much of a spell I could rush, and while investing more points into the subject would probably extend that, I could feel it had an inherent limit. My most potent lightning spell, which was now shortened to Fulgura meum, would likely never get shorter than two words. The more complicated the magic, the less I could force it to be more simple or faster.

    Which was where a spellbook was going to come in handy.

    Most wizards and mages would be next to useless without a spellbook. Take away their notes and chanting guides, and they would lose access to everything but lowest-level spells that they either memorized or were ingrained enough to cast without the chant.

    With the Marvelous Mage system, however, I could survive pretty well without a spellbook since the spells that I purchased, like lightning and healing spells, were forever downloaded into my head. Unfortunately, now that I would be pushing into spells I made myself, I would definitely need a place to have them written down. Spellbooks were not just fancy-looking notebooks, after all. They were specifically created to be used to hold the owner''s spells and could be enchanted to react to the owner''s thoughts, reinforced to withstand the elements, sealed so only the owner could access them, and even more.

    A few days ago, I didn''t even know spellbooks existed past seeing them in media, like in D&D or TV shows. Thankfully, crafting one from the ground up was included in the arcane focus creation subject since turning one into an arcane focus required a few extra steps in the crafting phase.

    The fact that I got access to that, just after losing my staff and just before I would start desperately needing a spellbook¡­ Well, if I needed proof that whoever had dropped me here was still watching and affecting what I got from the cycle''s "random" subject, this was it.

    I worked through the night, slowly working out a handful of spells, stopping after each one to practice and memorize it. None of them were particularly overpowering, but being able to use magic beyond lightning and healing spells was exhilarating. I stood on the outskirts of the clearing, firing out pressurized jets of water, bursts of air, and balls of fire. By the time the sun started to rise, I had around a dozen new lower-level spells, the last of which I made when I realized I was going to be exhausted for the next day.

    "Renovare vim, lassitudinem repellere," I chanted, holding my hand above my head, my palm facing upwards.

    A band of silvery glowing mana expanded from my palm, with three symbols floating around it. It continued to grow, only stopping when it was large enough to fit around me. When it was, a few seconds later, it slowly sank to the ground, passing around me easily. I had to fight a shiver as it did, my body feeling refreshed and energized. When the spell faded completely, I shook myself a bit, letting out a long breath.

    "Well¡­ I guess I don''t have to sleep anymore¡­" I said, not exactly happy about it.

    "You should sleep regardless," Alya advised me, concern in her voice.

    Kali also expressed her concern, a slight weight on my shoulder, and a feeling of worry coming through our connection.

    "I will, I can''t imagine it would be mentally healthy, even if physically I could," I assured them. "Just not happy knowing that, with my work drive, I will be skipping more than I probably would like to."

    Despite how early it was, I quickly got ready for the day. I had an early morning patrol, followed by my normal daily visits to the PRT and the hospital. After that¡­ I had so much work to do. I had seven rituals to design and perform, a spellbook to make, an arcane focus to make, as well as spells to design. I had a whole list of spells I wanted and needed to develop in my notebook, and it was only getting longer.

    I shook my head at my growing list of things to do before hopping up on Troy''s back and riding him out of the forest. The early morning chill hit me harder than I expected once I left Kali''s area of influence, but I pushed on, totting down the trail to the city. By the time I reached the previously agreed upon spot, Olivia was already waiting for me, sitting in an alley on a couple of milk crates, her costume already on. She was leaning back against the brickwork behind her, and as I got closer, she jerked forward suddenly, looking over at me.

    "Sleeping on the job?" I asked with a smirk, sliding off of Troy''s back.

    "I should be sleeping now regardless!" She said, shaking her head. "If I had- Uh¡­ Arcanum¡­ where is your mask?"

    I chuckled and took a few minutes to explain what I had done to my mask. She accepted it pretty easily, as long as I didn''t make her wear something similar. After my explanation, she shrugged and yawned, her back cracking several times as she stretched.

    "You want me to help with that?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "I''d prefer you alert and ready if you''re watching my back."

    "What, you got an energy drink or a coffee somewhere in that coat?"

    "Nope. Just stand still," I told her, stepping closer and raising my hand over my head before chanting. "Renovare vim, lassitudinem repellere."

    The same silver circle appeared over my head, but I continued to feed it my mana, growing the circle bigger and bigger until it could handle both of us. The spell was localized to the caster, which made the chant and symbols easier, but that also meant I had to participate every time I wanted to cast it. As the silverish glowing band sank to the ground around us, Olivia shivered before letting out a groan of appreciation.

    "That was fucking fantastic," She said, shaking herself a bit like I had removed a physical weight from her. "It''s like I got a full night''s sleep¡­for three days in a row. You bastard, why haven''t you shared that before?"

    "It''s a new one," I admitted vaguely. "Are you ready to go? You wanna ride on Troy again?"

    She nodded and jumped up on Troy''s back, sitting side saddle again. We left the alley behind, making our way deeper into ABB territory. After walking for about ten minutes, Crow spoke up.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    "So, how did your meeting with New Wave go?" She asked, looking over her shoulder at me. "Are we screwed or...?"

    "They agreed to help," I said, reaching into my jacket and handing her a piece of paper, on which I had copied down the team''s patrol schedule. "They were all on board, so that''s the patrols they will be doing. I basically need to fill in the gaps, and you can join me when you can."

    "I can make most of these," She said after spending a few minutes reading the schedule. "Will your instant coffee light show replace sleep completely? ''Cause a few of these run pretty late."

    "It can completely replace the physical need to sleep," I explained. "Which is as much of a curse as it is a blessing. I kind of regret creating it in the first place. But now we can both use it to skip sleep when necessary."

    Crow''s mocking laugh cut off suddenly when I pointed out she would likely be using it frequently as well. I had to step to the side to keep her from kicking me as we walked. For a moment, we patrolled quietly before Crow eventually brought us back to the original topic.

    "What are you going to do if I can''t join you on a patrol?"

    "I''m already thinking about adding a few golems to our group," I explained. "Might even offer a few to New Wave. In fact¡­"

    I pulled out my notebook, reaching into Troy to do so. I flipped to my spell list and added a "manipulate metal" spell to it. If I could go to a junkyard and form up some metal golems, they would most likely be able to keep up with us much better than stone, maybe even living wood., After thinking about it for a second, I also added a metal-affecting spell to my list of minor spells to make, since it would probably be useful against tinkers, Kaiser, and Hookwolf.

    As the sun slowly rose higher into the sky, Crow and I were eventually relieved of duty by Crystal and Sarah, or more specifically, Laserdream and Lady Photon. After a short conversation and another cast of my wake-up spell for the mother and daughter, Crow headed back to the docks community, and I made my way first to the hospitals and then to the PRT. My day healing routine went by pretty quickly, and when I was done, I went shopping, this time for some very specific ingredients.

    As I arrived back at the Forest compound, I decided that I would make an executive decision and make my spellbook first, then spend the rest of the night and into the morning designing spells. Then, after taking care of my morning duties and patrolling with Olivia, I would start working on the ritualized equipment for New Wave. When that was all done, I would finally get around to making myself a new staff. Assuming nothing happened to upend my plans, at least.

    Once I had hopped off Troy and unloaded everything I had bought, I got to work with the preparations. I had purchased a dense leather book from an antique store, and that would be the heart of my spellbook. It was bound loosely, with a leather strap keeping it closed and an embossed tree decorating the front. From here, progress was simple since I was basically just following the directions in my head.

    It started with a strengthening ritual, one to reinforce the book''s pages, bindings, and overall resiliency. Once the ritual was complete, the future spellbook felt significantly more durable in my hands. Even the pages were now considerably resistant to tearing. When I was done examining it, I quickly laid out a secondary ritual, this one including a handful of gems and a chunk of silver to increase the magical capacity of the book.

    After the rituals, it was time to start laying enchantments into the book. Now, I knew very little about enchanting. Technically, my druidcraft contained a few enchantments designed to aid in plant growth, but I never looked into them because I never needed them.

    Thankfully, the directions I got were pretty simple. Unfortunately, since it was so simple, I really didn''t get a good feel for what was going on. I was just blindly following directions, spending an hour and a half using a simple spell to "carve" glowing, intangible runes on the leather of the book, then somehow sealing it by using another spell to burn a chunk of silver, which turned into a gas and flowed into runes one by one before it all flashed and sunk into the leather.

    A quick test showed that, yes, the pages of the book now followed my mental commands. I could open the spellbook and shuffle through its blank pages, stopping suddenly or flicking it open to any specific page.

    For five more hours and nearly four thousand dollars worth of silver later, I now had a leather-bound book that followed my mental commands, would return to me if I willed it to, and would let me add new, blank pages by feeding it clean paper, but wouldn''t get physically thicker no matter how many pages it had. After checking to make sure everything worked properly, I carefully put it into a book holster that was strapped to my left hip.

    For a moment, I stood still before holding my hand out and giving the spellbook a mental yank. The buttons of the book holster popped free, and my spellbook shot up into my hand. With another mental command, it flew open, its pages fluttering back and forth.

    "Well done," Alya said. "Is it complete?"

    "No, I still need to turn it into a focus," I responded, shaking my head and closing my book. "One of the biggest draws of a proper focus is being able to forgo most hand movements. If I have the book in my hand, I''ll need a focus to cast two-handed spells with one hand. Or with no hands at all."

    Turning the book into a focus was relatively simple, since most of what needed to be done had already been done during the creation process. The second ritual, with the gems and the silver, had prepared the book for this next step.

    The spell book focus was primarily designed to be a backup, so the design was pretty basic. It started with a flat piece of wood, in this case, yew, which I sanded down with a crafting spell I got from the arcane focus creation subject. I then ritualized the wood with gold and my blood before setting a decent-sized chunk of garnet into it. I then fused that with the spine of the book, first cutting open the leather, pushing the wood inside, and then using a minor repair spell, again given to me by the focus creation subject, to seal the leather back up around the wood. Finally, I cut a circle in the leather to reveal the garnet beneath.

    When it was finally complete, I made my way to the edge of the compound, looking out into the forest. With a practiced hand, I cast my zapping spell, channeling it through the focus. Rather than firing from the spine, the spell manifested above the open book, half a foot from the pages, before firing out and hitting a nearby large rock.

    I repeated the test a few dozen times with a handful of spells before I was eventually satisfied with my latest creation. I carefully slid the book into my hip holster before making my way to a chair and dropping down into it. I had more than earned a break.

    When I was done with a simple dinner of fruit and an avocado, I sat down with my notebook. With my spellbook complete, I had a place to copy down my completed spells, which meant it was finally time to start pushing what my spell creation subject could really do. I was done developing minor spells for now. It was time to go big.

    I had all night and into the morning to work, after all, and I intended to get the absolute most out of every minute.

 Chapter Sixty

    As much as I hated giving up my sleep, I couldn''t deny that eight hours of extra time a night was going to be incredibly useful. Honestly, it was more than eight hours since I was also cutting out a bunch of prep, wind down, and in-between time as well. It sucked, but there was no doubt in my mind now that my wake-up spell was worth the time it took to develop.

    By the time I finally called it quits, putting my notebooks, calculator, and spell book aside, it was approaching nine AM, and I had been working on magic for around thirteen hours. I took a handful of breaks to keep from going crazy, but the pull of creating great works of magic kept pulling me back. I was having fun with my work, and what I had been able to achieve was enough to keep me excited for every step.

    When I finished showering and having some breakfast, I made my way back to my living space, grabbing my uniform to put on when I noticed something. In hindsight, it was something I probably should have noticed a lot sooner.

    "Kali, I know you''ve been cleaning my clothes, but did you¡­ did you repair everything as well?" I asked, suddenly having flashbacks to my fight with Lung. "Have you been fixing my stuff since Lung?"

    I felt a wave of confirmation come through our connection, but also the sense that it had been happening before that. Before I could respond, I felt the incorporeal genus loci wrap me in a hug and pat on my head. I couldn''t help but smile at her affection.

    "Kali, thank you. I''m sorry I didn''t realize it sooner," I apologized. "That means you''re doing pretty well, doesn''t it? Mixing and heating up some food is one thing, but fixing ritualized clothing? That''s impressive."

    I could feel her being a bit bashful but, at the same time, enjoying the compliments. I chuckled and smiled at her attitude before an idea popped into my head that I quickly voiced.

    "I don''t know if you''re interested, but while I''m gone, consider if there is anything you want," I suggest. "A more advanced golem, maybe a specific building. Hell, maybe even some books for you to read. You deserve a reward for your work. And honestly, Alya, you do as well. If there is anything either of you want, let me know."

    "I will¡­ consider it, William," Alya responded, at the same time that Kali seemed to send a wave of excited agreement.

    "Good. Now¡­ it''s time to head into town," I said, unable to stop an even bigger grin from growing on my face. "You ready, Alya?"

    "I am, but are you sure?" She asked. "Should you not test it somehow?"

    "I''m confident the three levels in spell crafting would have picked up on any errors," I assured her. "I also double-checked my math manually. This is safe, I am certain."

    I whistled to Troy, who made his way from his area, following me as I made my way to the middle of the ritual platform. It was a nice, flat, open space for me to work with. It wasn''t strictly necessary, but it was nice to start with something easy. As Troy climbed onto the platform, I put my hand on his back, gripping one of his handles tightly, waiting for Alya to pull me close around me. When everyone, including myself, was ready, I summoned my spellbook to my hand, the book whipping out of my holster and to my hand, a mental command opening to the spot I wanted.

    The page the book opened to contained everything someone could need to know about this particular spell. Obviously, it had the proper chanting incantation and some notes about casting it, like how mana-intensive it was, the effects on the environment, and how many arcane symbols it used. It also contained some shorthand notes on the math involved, mostly as a reference if I wanted to modify or use it to make something else later.

    It was probably overkill, but I had the space, so I wanted to fill it. I decided that it was better to give each spell its own page so they would be easier to find quickly. Plus, it would help if my notebooks ever got destroyed or lost or if I just didn''t have access to them.

    Once I confirmed I had the right page open, I slowly read through the chant again. This was my first complicated custom spell cast, and I wanted to make every effort I could to make sure it was successful. Finally, I took a deep breath, holding my spell book with two hands and concentrating my magic through it.

    Then I begin to chant.

    "Aperi memoriam meam in locum fui, in locum quem novi. Coniunge locum hunc locum per virtutem meam et magicam, obstruendo positionem meam et locum a memoria mea. Aufer me hinc ad destinatum meum, portans me per inane secure et sana. Loca disiunge, ne peregrinationem meam ad rem impediant. Ite nunc, ut propositum consequar!"

    As I began to chant, getting through the first sentence, a pale white circle appeared around me, big enough to fit Troy as well. By the time I finished the second sentence, a second and third circle appeared, both of them slowly spinning along the inside of the larger circle on opposite sides. All around the inside of the smaller circles were nearly a dozen arcane symbols, repeated and arranged geometrically inside. Finally, as I reached the last sentence, a simple line appeared in the void of the larger circle, slowly growing in length until it connected with both of the smaller circles.

    A flash of light pulsed, no more than a basic camera flash, followed by the sound of something heavy being dropped into and through a thick, viscous liquid. For a moment, I was awash with an intense cold before suddenly I could feel the sun on my face again. I opened my eyes to find I was standing on the small lawn area just outside the front entrance of the Brockton Bay Hospital.

    The teleportation spell had worked.

    I let out the breath I had instinctively held as the spell had completed, looking around at the area. A few people had noticed my arrival, probably hearing the final shlorping sound of Troy and me sending the concept of space to the corner to cry itself out. I waved and smiled at those who were watching before sending Troy to the parking lot to wait for me.

    The healing at the hospital went well, especially after I cleared up with security that, yes, I did teleport. There was no real danger on this side of the landing, since it was less of an explosive arrival and more of a gloopy drooping drop. At worst, someone might get shoved to the side, but I could fix them up pretty quickly.

    Still, considering the reaction I got from the hospital, once I was done healing everyone who needed it, I decided to teleport to the general area of the PRT and walk the remaining distance, rather than dropping on their front porch.

    Another cast of Teleportation, this time with an audience in the parking lot, and I was standing in a small, tucked away space not far from the PRT. I had changed a few times here before, and since the Teleportation spell functioned on memory, it was better to use something you were familiar with.

    After a quick ride on Troy, I arrived at my final destination, stepping inside the secret building to find Miss Militia standing there instead of my usual PRT officer escort.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "Miss Militia, good to see you," I said, shaking her hand. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

    "Director Piggot wanted to confirm some news we heard," She asked, gesturing for us to walk and talk, her face turning up to a smile behind her bandana.

    "I could only imagine it was about my new method of travel?"

    "That''s right. She was hoping to get some details on the ability," she asked, raising a hand to hold off any complaint. "We know you are currently living in the woods, but depending on the limitations of the ability, it could be extremely useful. Potentially something we or other branches of the PRT would pay for."

    "Oh. Well, I can''t take more than six or seven people at once, and I can only go places I have been to before," I explained.

    Of course, what I wasn''t mentioning was that I had yet to try if my memories of places from before I was sent here still worked. I wasn''t a major traveler, but I had been to a handful of places around the country, as well as London, Ireland, and Hawaii.

    "And distance?"

    "Global."

    She stopped, turning back at me and staring for a moment before turning to continue walking.

    "That is extremely useful, Arcanum," she said, her tone once again serious. "You need to be careful. You have far passed the point where you are worth a lot more than the trouble it would take to capture you."

    "Yeah, I know, I''ll be careful."

    We chatted a bit more, talking about New Wave agreeing to help with patrols, as well as the news breaking that Lung and Oni Lee were in custody. Apparently, they released the news yesterday, including mentioning that it was Olivia and me who had taken him down.

    "Hopefully, that will make people think twice about taking me on," I said, walking out of a hospital room, having just healed a nasty arm break.

    "Potentially," Miss Militia said with a shrug. "It also means that people will take you seriously, so when they do go after you, they won''t be underestimating you. Also, now that it''s been confirmed, it''s very likely our ABB patrols are going to get a lot less boring."

    "Dammit," I said with a sigh, shaking my head. "Well... at least it''s not going to blindside me."

    Not long after that, Miss Militia left to get back to her duties, and I finished my healing before being escorted out of the facility when I was done. By that time, I needed to get ready for my patrol. Luckily, I already knew exactly where Olivia would be waiting for me, so I could teleport right to her. Once I was out of the facility, in the motor pool area with Troy, I cast teleport again.

    "Jesus Christ on a fucking cracker, that the fuck?" Olivia shouted, having fallen off her milk crate chair. "Wh- Goddamit, Arc, what the hell was that?"

    "Teleportation," I explained with a smirk. "No more running through the city, trying to get to everywhere on time," I explained with a flourish of my coat. "Now I can get anywhere I''ve been before in just a few seconds."

    "Just about the freakiest thing I have ever seen," She said, shaking her head. "Like you were dripping out of a mirror, except it wasn''t a reflection, just more stuff."

    "Well¡­ Either way, if you need anything, just call me because I can be there in seconds."

    "That... okay,l that might be worth the creepy drooping reality thing."

    We started our patrol, both of us riding Troy, his back elongated slightly, and Crow sitting behind me, once again side-saddled since her cloak got a bit in the way. I noticed for the first time that she had her crowbar strapped to her back, seemingly being carried and partially hidden by her cloak.

    "Do you want an actual scythe?" I asked with a smirk, looking over my shoulder at her. "I could probably make you one that isn''t horrifically lethal."

    "No, I kinda like the crowbar," She admitted with a shrug. "Plus, it kinda works. Crow, crowbar."

    I snorted but dropped it, if she didn''t want something new, then that was her choice. I also had to admit that the crowbar did look intimidating as all hell when she used it.

    We patrolled through ABB territory for four hours, from about eleven AM until three PM. During that time, it was easy to see the effects the PRT''s news about Lung had on his gang. They were more aggressive, flying colors more openly and watching Crow and me from the benches and chairs set up along the streets. They were bold and ready to fight, a powder keg ready to explode.

    Just as bad were the people who thought the ABB territory was open for easy pickings. We stopped three robberies and a mugging, and for each of them, I could feel the ABB gangers watching us, just waiting for an excuse.

    "We are going to have to start working them down soon," Crow said quietly as we watched a police car very quickly pull away from the curb, carrying a pair of dumbass muggers. "The ABB is just as much of a stain as the Empire, I don''t like just walking by them."

    "I don''t either, but they aren''t doing anything," I responded. "If we find any threads, we can start pulling on them a bit, seeing where they lead. Until then¡­ we need to keep the peace."

    "What if we did some late-night investigations?" She asked, even quieter now. "I could ask around the docks, see if anyone has spotted anything worth turning over. Then we head in and investigate."

    I chewed on her idea for a long minute, frowning as Troy guided us down a long street, eventually turning deeper into ABB territory.

    "I''m worried that if we do anything, we will set off the powder keg, with no chance of catching up with the fire it starts," I admitted. "That said¡­ I don''t like it either, I want to start working them down as well. Let me talk to New Wave about it and see what they think. They have been doing this for a lot longer than both of us, so it would be stupid not to at least ask their opinions. But go ahead and ask around anyway. If you find something interesting, it might be what convinces them."

    She nodded in agreement, thankfully, and we continued on our patrol. Eventually, we pulled back along the docks, and I dropped her off at the community. I checked up on the orchard trees and caught up with John and Charles before healing anyone who needed it. I was glad I stopped by when I did, as the snapping cold from the day before had brought with it a few cases of the flu, which I could thankfully stop before it became a problem.

    Once everyone was healed up, I left a few hundred bucks with Charles and John for emergencies before heading out into an alleyway and teleporting back home. I landed right where I left, on the ritual platform. I patted Troy on the back, the mindless golem slowly walking away to sit down by his rock. As I watched him slowly walk away, I let out a long breath.

    "Right. Time to work on New Waves equipment," I said, chewing my lip for a moment before smirking. "After a soak in the hot tub."

 Chapter Sixty One

    I ended up taking a short nap after soaking in the hot tub, Kali waking me up after an hour or so of rest. I was going to be spending the whole night working on New Waves gear, after all, I was due an hour to turn my brain off at least. The ability to cast a spell that washed away all the residual tiredness when I was done made the nap a viable alternative to a natural night''s sleep, at least in terms of my mental health.

    Once I woke up, had some dinner, and settled down, I once again started a small campfire to brush away the chill that settled in after dark. Brockton Bay may have startlingly mild winters, but that didn''t mean the nights didn''t get cold. Plus, there was something nice about the vibe of a fire pit. I would have preferred the wondrous wizard''s workshop vibe, but I hadn''t gotten the chance to work on that quite yet.

    After a quick debate and sometimes bouncing ideas off of Alya, I decided to work on Eric Pelham''s item first. I remember what it was like to be his age, and while I lacked the hero''s perspective of that time in my life, I remember how fragile my self-esteem was. I could only imagine what it was like for the whole city to know what you sucked at.

    Plus, what he wanted was cut and dry, a boost to his flight speed and his blaster effect. Shooting his energy blast harder was simple since I had samples of his mother and sister''s blaster ability, which meant I had plenty of flexibility to improve his power.

    The problem was that he wanted a boost to his flight speed first and foremost, which was something I didn''t have an easy sample connection for. Thankfully, he could already fly, which meant I just needed to worry about buffing his speed, not giving him flight from the ground up. If a ritualized object for flight was something I could just sit down and create, I would have already made one for myself, after all.

    A bit of mental experimenting and troubleshooting later, and I was pretty sure I had a solution, and from a classic course as well. I was considering different ways to fly and gain thrust when the image of Iron Man flying around popped into my head, using his hands as stabilizers, his repulsors functioning as thrusters and weapons.

    I got to work on the ritual, settling on a pair of sturdy leather gloves as the object, which I bought secondhand from a used clothing store. Kali repaired a few hidden faults in the gloves while I started designing the ritual, spending about three hours on it. I wanted to keep it as open as possible so that the power of the ritual could come through as much as possible, but as I warned Eric, it was probably going to take a minor hit to power since I was keeping a relatively tight grip on the ritual effects.

    When I completed the design, I immediately started laying out the ritual on the ritual platform, using my new, improved silver and gold ritual chalk. Once it was done, I put the gloves in the center before putting a sample of his energy blasts and his blood in a close ring of arcane symbols. In a second ring further out, I put a sample of his sister and mother''s energy blasts on one side before putting a containment vial filled with a powerful airburst I conjured with one of my new instant cast spells, as well as several hawk feathers.

    The final product was a pair of leather gloves that looked startlingly close to what Shielder already wore, save a feather wing motif stamped into the back of his hand. Now, unfortunately, because this piece of equipment relied so heavily on his pre-existing powers, I wasn''t going to be able to test the gloves at all before handing them to him. Still, I was happy with how they had come out, and Kali seemed confident they would work how I intended.

    I spent the rest of the night and into the next morning designing and ritualizing five more items. It was a bit rough of a task, but since these items were a lot less directed, they were considerably easier to design and implement. I sent a message to the Patrol text thread that the Pelhams had put together to keep track of any changes that needed attention or substitutions. I immediately got several excited responses despite it being relatively early.

    "Okay, looks like I am seeing the group right after my patrol with Crow," I explained to Alya, sliding my phone back into my coat pocket. "I can show off what I did before passing off the patrol buck."

    I cast a quick wake-up spell on myself, letting out a sigh as the fatigue and tiredness melted away. I got ready rather quickly as well before teleporting to Crow and our usual meeting spot. Troy already had the Pelham''s equipment stored away in his torso. Crow, who was expecting me this time, barely even started when I arrived.

    "That really is bizarre," She said, having once again watched and heard my arrival. "I always thought teleportation was supposed to be this loud, explosive thing as you punched through reality or whatever."

    "I worked hard to keep it from doing just that," I explained. "It''s unnerving, maybe, but better than an explosive surprise every time I want to go somewhere."

    She begrudgingly agreed, and we left our meeting spot, heading off to ABB territory. We were only patrolling for a few minutes before Crow brought up her own side investigation.

    "So I asked around a bit," She revealed as we both sat on Troy''s back.

    "Already?" I asked, looking back at her. "I was honestly expecting that to take a little longer."

    "I was too, but apparently, they aren''t hiding much. Lots of information is going around because a lot of low-level people are leaving," she responded with a shrug.

    "Fair, hard to keep everything a secret when everyone is looking for a place to jump off," I agreed. "So what did you hear?"

    "Well, for the most part, our prediction of infighting was right," She revealed. "Factions are forming around the major sources of income since they were already divided and self pretty heavily and already mostly self-sufficient."

    "Any idea of the major divisions?"

    "As far as I heard, there are three. Drugs and smuggling, racket and robbery, and¡­ The prostitution and sex trafficking."

    "Fuck. That needs to be obliterated. We somehow managed to beat Lung, which was the only reason I hadn''t already started hunting it down, so now that needs to be stopped."

    "Glad you agree. Problem is, that group is used to being hunted," She explained. "There are a few whore houses around the city and plenty of corners that mysteriously become popular when the sun goes down. But the Farms¡­ nobody knows where they are. Worse, it''s not the kind of secret you can pick up by asking some homeless people. We were lucky to get this much."

    "Jesus¡­" I said with a frown, shaking my head. "I''ll come up with something. If there is anything we should actively do, it''s taking down these Farms. It''s horrific, and rescuing everyone trapped inside before burning it down to the ground is the least we could do. It''s like¡­ An affront to humanity. I feel sick knowing it exists in the same city as me."

    "How do you plan on finding them?"

    "I recently just got access to a whole new level of flexibility to my powers," I explained. "It''s why I can suddenly teleport."

    She nodded in understanding, more or less just accepting my powers were just weird at this point. In this specific instance, however, blaming a shift in my powers was a lie. Alya was all I needed to find this, or possibly these "Farms," especially as she had already been looking for any massive concentrations of ABB gang members as we went on patrol. There had been a few times when she had pointed out a drug house or a gathering in a building we passed, but so far, I hadn''t been sharing her information.

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    At some point, hopefully soon, when we were ready to start pushing the ABB out as an organization, we could use the air elementals information to wipe out any large gatherings. For now, we just noted what we passed by. So far, nothing we passed was even related to the Farm or even anything close to it.

    Still, I wasn''t exactly happy that I had been putting it off this long, especially since I was pretty sure I could get New Wave to help shut anything related to the Farm down.

    We needed to dedicate more time to exploring the city, especially ABB territory. There were several chunks that Alya hadn''t gotten a look at, and the Farm could be in any of them. And that was only if it was within city limits or ABB territory.

    Crow and I continued our patrol, keeping our eyes open and ears to the ground, both of us on edge from our conversation. There were about forty-five minutes left in our patrol time when we stumbled on a small crowd grouped up around a seemingly random building on the edge of ABB territory. They were congregating and staring at a brick wall that ran along the back side of a gas station, which was covered entirely in graffiti.

    As we approached, the crowd disappeared without a word, revealing a large purple M painted over a good chunk of the older graffiti. The M had two horizontal lines through it, which, if I had to guess, represented the bridges in Archer Bridge Merchants. The tag was painted hastily, with poor lines and a lot of dripping, but the point was clear and clearly out of the bag. The Merchants were encroaching on the ABB territory.

    "Fuck." Crow said as I slid off Troy''s back. "This is the last fucking thing we need."

    "Just about," I agreed with a frown. "This is not good news."

    After a few more seconds of examining the tag, I reached out to confirm it was still a bit wet. My fingertips stuck to the paint, and some of the purple residue came off on them as well.

    "It''s still tacky, which means it must have happened at least within the day or so¡­"

    "Does it matter?"

    "If it''s the first step of escalating conflict?" I asked, looking back at her. "It could mean we still have some time before things get hot."

    "How likely do you think that is?"

    "Considering Merchants are known for being unhinged, and their leader is only worse?" I hypothetically asked. "I have no idea. I''ll bring it up with New Wave, see what they think."

    We finished our patrol, stopping a few more petty crimes but mostly just weathering the stares and sneers of totally innocent people, many of whom just happened to be wearing the same three matching colors. Rather than seeing Crow off, we teleported to the Docks community, both to check in and because it was where New Wave was going to meet me. I had just enough time to say goodbye to Crow, hello to Charles and John, and heal a few things before the family, including Panacea, landed on the same nearby rooftop I frequented.

    "Hello, everyone," I said after jumping up to the roof, skipping the ladder. "Thanks for meeting me here, I wanted you guys to be familiar with the location just in case."

    "We understand," Lady Photon said with a smile. "It''s the least we could do, especially with you making our custom gear."

    I could definitely see that the adults of the group were tempering their expectations on what exactly I had made for them. People knew I made golems, but there weren''t a lot of examples of my ritualized creations floating around.

    "I''m happy to help make the heroes of the city more powerful," I assured her with a smile. "But I''m guessing you guys are pretty eager to see what I''ve made, so let''s get started. First, let''s start with Shielder."

    I dug through my duffel bag, handing the gloves to the teenage superhero. He eagerly accepted them, pulling his old gloves off and pulling the new ones on. He started for a moment as if surprised by something, but I raised a hand to stop him from doing anything.

    "Alright, so my goal here was to make something that could interact with your powers, specifically your hard light blasts. You should have a mental gauge in your head. Do you feel it?" I asked, smiling when he nodded. "Good. Now, I want you to turn it all the way to one side. You should get a sense of expansion or maybe something like turning down the concentration."

    "I¡­ I think I got it," He said after a moment of concentration. "What now?"

    "Now I want you to point your hands down, palms out, with your elbows locked. Then, when you''re ready, fly upwards as fast as you can. After a few seconds, fire off your energy blasts," I explained. "Start off with a low blast and slowly increase it once you get a handle on the speed. And keep in mind, your natural flight is your steering until you get your mind around how it all works."

    He looked confused for a moment before concentrating and following my directions. He took off into the air before firing his blasts. Instead of the blasts of blue energy that usually came from his hands, the energy was more diffused but still definitely pushing in one direction. He hesitated for a moment before pouring on the power a bit more, and suddenly, he was streaking up into the sky. For a moment, I thought he was just going to continue going up, but then he started to turn, making a huge loop before buzzing the building with a loud whooping sound.

    "That¡­ that is significantly faster than I have ever seen him move," Manpower said, using one of his large hands to block the sun from his eyes. "I-"

    Suddenly, the teenager''s hands glowed even brighter as he pushed his blasts as hard as he could. Instantly, his speed increased again, firing the young teen across the town like a multistage rocket. He flew around a considerable portion of downtown in only a few seconds, leaving his family speechless. His new boost didn''t last very long, however, as he made his way back to the rooftop.

    When he finally landed, his legs wobbled for a moment, and he sat down very quickly. He was also flip-flopping between laughing and breathing heavily.

    "That was amazing!" He shouted, his words broken up with deep breaths. "So fast! I got tired really quickly at the end, though."

    "You were definitely going faster than I can go," Lady Photon confidently revealed while Panacea approached and laid her hand on his forehead.

    "He is just tired," The young healer confirmed. "Relax for a few minutes and drink some water."

    For a moment, we quietly let Shielder recover, his sister passing him a water bottle from a pack she was wearing. As he recovered, I continued to explain his gloves.

    "Well, in case you''re wondering, Shielder, the opposite side of your gauge should return your energy blasts to normal and then some," I revealed. "You''ll have to fiddle around to figure out what setting on the gauge is appropriate force, but it should become second nature the more you use it. Just take it slow-"

    A powerful blue energy fired out into the air, cutting my words off. I turned to see Shielder, still sitting there, with his hand raised up into the air with a smirk on his face. Unfortunately, now he looked even more exhausted, and Panacea let out an exasperated groan.

    "Seriously? What did I just say?" She asked, flicking the young man''s forehead. "Do I need to put you to sleep?"

    "No, I just had to try it out!" He said, just managing to not make it sound whiny. "I''m satisfied, Arcanum gets my vote."

    I could hear a few of his family chuckling at the young teen''s excitement while I just shook my head and reached into my bag.

    "So¡­ who is next?"

 Chapter Sixty Two

    While Shielder relaxed and recuperated, I first helped Lady Photon, Glory Girl, and Laserdream with their gear, since they were up next to go on patrol. It took me a while to realize that it must be the weekend, a concerning thought since I had no idea. I made a note to put a calendar in the compound and start marking the days, if for no other reason than to keep track of holidays and the like.

    First up, now that her son was satisfied and declared safe, was Lady Photon, who happily accepted a bracelet, a simple band of low alloy gold, that was easily hidden under her costume. Before she put it on, I stopped her so I could explain my general methodology.

    "So, my goal with each of your pieces of gear was to give you a rating in a new category," I explained. "Since you, Lady Photon, are already a blaster and a mover-"

    "And a shaker for my shields," She added.

    "Right, well, you said you were interested in anything that would let you lead better, so I decided the best way to help with that was to give you a thinker rating," I responded, getting a surprised look from most of the group. "Your bracelet should give you an understanding of someone''s condition and current drive or primary emotion. Its range is about fifty meters, but for people you care about and consider important, that should be a bit further. It works on allies and enemies, so with a quick thought, you should be able to tell how badly someone is injured, or whether someone is leading you into an ambush."

    She seemed shocked by my description and, after a moment of looking down at the bracelet, quickly pulled it onto her wrist. She then looked around at her family, smiling as she saw each of them was okay. She was silent for a while as she absorbed the new source of sensory input, so I continued to speak.

    "It shouldn''t be anything too invasive, unless they are having some really intense thoughts," I explained before anyone could complain. "It''s not mind reading or anything that precise, though she will likely be able to push deeper the better she gets with the ability."

    "It''s true. I can feel that everyone is in good condition, though a bit nervous and excited, though Shielder''s is still exhausted," the superhero mom agreed, giving her son an unhappy look before continuing. "Nothing invasive unless it''s life or death, I promise."

    That seemed to mollify everyone, and Glory Girl quickly stepped up to the proverbial plate. She also received a new piece of jewelry, a palm or hand cuff, which was a piece of jewelry that wrapped around your hand to accent your fingers or palm. It was very extra, especially the gold one I got for Victoria, but having a second option for something on your hand other than gloves was valuable enough to me that I bought a few of them from the market stall at the Lord Street Market.

    The palm cuff allowed Victoria to fire energy blasts similar to Lady Photons. It also gave her her aunt''s protection against flashing bright lights. The cuff was actually a double-stacked ritual, as I first reinforced the hell out of it so it would survive being in Glory Girl''s fist as she used her super strength, something she greatly appreciated.

    Last from the first group was Laserdream, who received a necklace that gave her shields the ability to blend in like a chameleon, giving her a stranger rating. It was not invisibility, but she could make it pretty hard to see her up against a wall or up in the sky. I assured her that as she got better at visualizing the color shifting, the quality would get better as well. She smirked and said that maybe she could finally get some alone time at the library without people pestering her for autographs.

    Before the three women left to go on patrol, I brought up some of the stuff Crow and I had discussed during our own patrol.

    "First off, watch out for Merchant tags," I asked. "We spotted one along the line of the ABB and Merchant territories."

    "They really plan on pushing in?" Lady Photon asked, frowning and shaking her head. "That''s bad news, Merchants are hard to predict at the best of times, but with a situation like this¡­"

    "We definitely need to keep an eye out for more," Manpower agreed. "Depending on where they are, it might even indicate where they plan on pushing in. They aren''t exactly the brightest bulbs, even without the drugs."

    "Not that we should underestimate them," Lady Photon added, giving the other adult a tired look. "Especially their cape leader, Skidmark. All reports show him being a pain to deal with."

    "Great, then we can keep track of that and look out for issues," I agreed. "Crow and I also discussed what is happening to the ABB."

    I spent a few minutes passing on what Crow discovered before finally bringing up the issue of the Farms.

    "I''m pretty sure I can figure out where they are," I assured them. "But we need to work together to take them down, as there is no way they are undefended. They may not have parahumans, but that doesn''t mean we can just start phoning it in because we assume we can handle them."

    "If you can locate it, we will absolutely help," Lady Photon said with no hesitation. "Even if Lung was still around, we would have helped shut them down."

    Most of New Wave had faces of disgust or frustration on their faces, most likely because the Farm''s location was something that had stumped them and the PRT for a long time.

    Once I promised to keep them in a loop, the women left for their patrol and I focused on Manpower, Flashbang, and Panacea. Manpower received a pair of boots very similar to mine, allowing him to jump multiple times in the air. With his super strength, this gave him some incredible air time and a relatively high mover rating. Rather than giving him steady feet, his boots gave him a subtle slow fall effect he could engage so he could have more control over his descents.

    Flashbang''s gear had been a bit more difficult, because I honestly wanted to give him multiple things. His blaster power was pretty powerful, but unlike everyone else on the combat team, he lacked a mover rating and a way to protect himself from injury. I could have attempted to give him both, but that would just make two weak improvements rather than two strong ones.

    In the end, I went simple but effective, giving him an ablative shield like I had on my cloak, attached to a reinforced under-armor shirt. His was actually probably stronger than mine since it was reinforced by samples of the shield of New Wave. It also lacked the turtle shell ability mine had, but it did seem to recharge a heck of a lot faster.

    The final creation was for Panacea. Part of me wanted to make her something like what I made for her adoptive father, but another part of me wanted to make her a mover since she was not really supposed to be in combat. A way to retreat sounded better than a way to fight.

    Then I realized there was nothing stopping me from doing both for her, as I didn''t think anyone would complain about me making sure the team healer was taken care of. So I gave her a nearly identical copy of her father''s protection, tied to a necklace rather than a shirt, as well a pair of bracelets that improved her stamina, flexibility, and just generally agility and dexterity. A handy ritual I would have absolutely used for myself if my permanent geomantic absorption didn''t already give that to me and more. I warned her that she would need to learn how to do the actual things, but she was basically now the most talented athlete on the planet. I then proved it to her by teaching her to do a forward handspring in a few minutes.

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    "Your shield should keep you safe from most things, including messing up if you''re running around, learning, and practicing," I explained. "Feel free to call me otherwise. With my new Teleport, I can be anywhere I''ve been before in just a few seconds, a minute or two at most. That goes for patrols as well. I''m almost always going to be ready to back up a group if they run into trouble."

    With their gear distributed, everyone expressed their thanks before eventually heading off. Shielder was the one giving everyone a lift, with Panacea, Manpower, and Flashbang all riding on one of his shields as he flew away. They were, apparently, heading off to do some training so they could get used to the new abilities I had given them. I was pleased to hear that they were taking it seriously, and I was happy to see they enjoyed my gear. With them armed and prepared, I felt considerably better about dragging the Parahuman family into this potentially large-scale conflict.

    When they were gone, I let out a long breath before heading off to the hospital and the PRT to do my daily healing. I was also happy to see that the PRT had come through for me on an earlier request to pay in materials. When I was done with my healing, I walked out of the government building with a few bags of gemstones, enough for me to make the golem they wanted to run tests on and at least four or five more, considering just how simple I planned on making the PRTs version.

    Rather than teleporting back to the compound, I rode Troy through the city, heading for one of the few scrap yards. After a long conversation with the manager and a wad of cash, I was left alone in one of the larger open areas, surrounded by scrap and trash. Ignoring the cloying, metallic, slightly chemically smell that permeated the area, I pulled out my spellbook. I flipped open my spell book, and after a moment of re-reading the spell, I began to chant.

    "Metallum, sanguis terrae, fundamentum humanitatis, vocationem magicae meae sentio. Te voco, quod moderni mirum est, ut sequaris mandata mea. Egredere, metallo, et finge te in figuram quam cupio."

    The piles around me shook and shifted slightly, rattling as seven circles appeared ahead of me, all connected by a circle. Each circle had two arcane symbols, and as I chanted, they began to spin. Tendrils of magic erupted from the spell, spreading through the piles around me, making various objects throughout them glow. After a few seconds, I could feel the link to the metal, and with a pull, they began to liquefy, pulling through trash and plastic until I had a huge pool of iron, copper, and aluminum in front of me. I had been focusing on a vague ratio of aluminum brass, heavy on iron, for flexibility, toughness, and speed.

    Before I could start to shape the metal, the magic of the spell faded, leaving a massive chunk of golden brass in front of me. I had definitely underpaid for how much copper I was using, but considering there was no way the owner would have been able to pull the copper out of the electronics and piping as efficiently as I did, I considered it a fair trade.

    Quickly, before the owner could come back and start to question how much money I had given him, I cast the spell again. As the glowing circles appeared again, this time, all of the magic poured into the substantial solid chunk of metal in front of me. It quickly became amorphous again as I forced it to grow into four different frames. Each of them followed my standard golem shape, a humanoid frame with a hunched, headless upper torso. Then, as the magic began to fade, I let the interior harden and focused on adding some basic designs on the surface, deciding that since these golems would be traveling with me a lot, they should look good as well.

    By the time the magic finally slipped away, the golems looked like they were armor-plated, with "seams" along their thick, shiny plates. They were a good five or six inches taller than me, with thick limbs and a sturdy chest, meaning that they looked ready to take on whatever you could throw at them. Of course, at this point, they were basically just metal statues, I needed to get home and make them into golems.

    Luckily, I knew that going in, so all of the statues were close by, meaning I could get Troy, use a quick plant manipulation spell to uncurl some of his body to tightly grip onto the statues, and then I could tightly hold on to him as I teleported us home. Between Troy and the statues, I was really pushing the Teleportation spell limits, but I managed to cast it just fine, even if it drained me almost completely.

    Once we were back at the compound, I immediately got to work, moving the statues around by hand before turning each of them into high-functioning golems.

    By this point, I was a practiced golem maker. Even better, with the frames already built and ready for charging, it only really took about an hour and a half per golem and another forty-five minutes for the simple super living wood golem, which I promptly delivered to the PRT. They were a little unsure of what to do until Assault finally showed up and took custody of it, letting me leave without the security officers complaining.

    When I returned home, I got to work getting used to my golems, ordering them around the compound, having them push over things and lift up boulders, and doing my best to get a sense of just how fast and strong they were. The short answer was "very," with the longer answer being that they were better than any of the other golems in every way due to their superior material. The only issue they had was that they could not regenerate on their own, and they were on the heavy side. They contained a lot of aluminum, which helped keep their weight down, but each one still weighed considerably more than me. "Walking lightly" Was not one of their various selling points.

    These golems were explicitly designed to accompany Crow and me on our patrols. They were more than capable of handling even the most heavily armed thugs, and with a command word could raise their strength to levels that would let them go toe-to-toe with a decently powerful brute. They were by far the most advanced golems I had made so far, and with plenty of time to modify them in the future, they would likely get better over time.

    After a round of sparring with them, the metal golems putting my own buffs to the test, I finally settled down by the fire again. Not to design a spell or to design a ritual. It was finally time for me to make my primary spell focus, a staff that would blow my previous one out of the water. I was excited to get started, so I quickly ate a simple meal, before diving into my notes and starting to plan.

 Chapter Sixty Three

    Despite the fact that I was tempted to, I did not skip sleep again that night. As excited as I was to finally get to work on a proper arcane focus, something beyond just a basic staff or book with the bare essentials, I did not want to push my limits too far. So far I hadn''t seen any real effects from relying on my wake-up spell, but I also wasn''t willing to put that to the test with the current situation. I had plenty of time to test its potency and long-term side effects when the Docks weren''t about to explode.

    I spent the rest of the night working on my design, planning out exactly what I wanted from my staff. By and large, staff and staves were the primary weapons of the warrior mage. They added power, strength, and resiliency to spells, while also leaving plenty of room for whatever little enchantments you could want. There were other options, of course, things like wands, crystal spheres, gloves, and plenty in between.

    Different arcane focuses had different draws and uses, with some, like wands, built for detail and finesse over power and brute force. I might still make a wand for myself at some point, since it went well with healing, but for now, I couldn''t deny that a staff worked better for my current needs. Not to mention that many of the negative aspects of each arcane focus could also be mitigated if you were willing to spend an extra bit of money and go through some hard work.

    By around eleven PM, I was done with the design, and I decided to call it a night. I tore out a shopping list from my notebook and stored it in my coat pocket before heading to my living area and crawling into bed. Sleep came easily, and I woke up the following morning feeling rested. I was tempted to wash the remaining normal morning fatigue away with a wake-up spell, but ultimately settled for a steaming cup of mocha coffee, prepared by a joint effort of Kali and Alya.

    "Okay, today''s overall goal is to start and hopefully finish my staff," I said, drying my hair from my shower. "I have to go heal in a few hours, but I''m not needed for patrols today since it''s Sunday, and they offered to cover the full day and into the night. I want to spend the next few hours looking for the wood for my staff, then I can go heal."

    "Is yew not an appropriate wood?" Alya asked. "The tree in which you made your first staff and your spell book has plenty more branches."

    "I have a spell now that should locate wood that is more suitable for me, so I''m going to give that a shot," I responded, shrugging after a moment. "But who knows, we may end up back there. The druidcraft spell did latch on to it pretty hard as being the most powerful tree in the forest."

    Once I was ready, I teleported deep into the woods, appearing at the furthest point I had been so far. I quickly cast the locate spell, this one specifically from my arcane focus creation subject rather than the druidcraft spell I had used to find the yew tree for my first staff.

    The spell was long enough that even with a quick cast, I still had to chant three words before three repeating arcane symbols began to circle by my feet, before small paths of light began to stretch from the circle, reaching out into the forest around me. Most of them were weak and faded, but one of them stood out, clearly visible even in the early morning sun.

    "Looks like we found a hit," I said with a smile, healing off to follow the lightly glowing trail through the undergrowth.

    "Is there no way to tell the distance?" Alya asked, floating through the forest alongside me in her partially corporeal form.

    "Nope, save that it''s inside the maximum radius of the spell, which is five miles," I admitted woefully. "If we don''t reach it by the time we need to go heal, I can just teleport back later."

    My walk soon turned into a jog as I made my way quickly through the woods, jumping over fallen trees and through thorn bushes as if they weren''t even there. Between my protective cloak and my own hardiness, I probably could have walked through the fallen trees as well, but it was easier just to jump over them.

    After about forty-five minutes of jogging, I arrived at my destination. At first, I thought the spell was pointing to a large group of oaks that had taken over a decent chunk of the forest. They were old and gnarled, each at least a hundred and fifty years old, judging by the width of their bases. As I got closer, I realized my spell was pointing further into the large cluster. I followed it between the large trees, and after a few rows of oaks, I finally spotted it. A single towering mahogany tree growing straight and tall despite its difficult placement. Its canopy was well above the oaks, meaning the tree was thriving, and judging from its width, it was a good fifty years younger than them, too.

    I silently approached the tree, pressing my hand against its side and checking its health. When I was sure it would survive losing one of its larger branches, I cast a few spells to support it, helping it set down thick roots and basically just giving it an all-around health boost. If this tree was so compatible with me, I wanted it to be around for as long as possible.

    When I was done giving it a check and general boost, I carefully separated a large branch from the tree, catching it easily and sealing the damaged connection. When I was sure the tree was fine, I inspected the branch. It was almost two meters long, as thick as my arm along the base, and had plenty of wood for a staff, plus plenty extra, which I would no doubt out to use, as a wood that was in tune with your magic was always a valuable thing to have.

    After taking a good look around, I teleported back home from the mahogany tree. I carried my branch to the ritual platform, where I carefully cut the branch down to two meters long, storing the extras away. I then stabilized the branch with various druidcraft spells, compressing it down as much as possible and shaping it into a coil, just as I had my first one. Thankfully, living wood staffs were not uncommon, especially those who specialized in nature magic. I didn''t, my druidcraft was all I had so far, but I couldn''t deny that having a staff I could control the shape of was extremely practical and well worth the extra maintenance required to keep it alive.

    When I was done messing around with it, I hooked the coiled length of wood back to the same hook I had kept my previous staff on. With the compression and the coil, it was hardly visible under my cloak, which was just a bonus since I was more concerned about the convenience than hiding it.

    With everything set, I teleported to the hospital, leaving Troy home but taking one of my brass golems with me. I wanted to get people used to seeing them around me, and taking one of them as a "bodyguard" while I was walking around the hospital was as good a place as any to start.

    It didn''t take long for me to finish healing at the hospital, and while the PRT wasn''t ecstatic about my metal golem following me around, they didn''t complain. When I was done, I left to go on a quick shopping trip, spending a massive amount of money before finally teleporting back home. I had a long day ahead of me, and I couldn''t wait to get started.

    The process for making a real arcane focus, not the fill-in, basic, standard kind I had made my spellbook into, was by and large up to the person making it. I now knew quite a few specialized enchants, rituals, crafting techniques, and potions, all of which had to do with various different types and styles of arcane focus.

    For example, if I was some style of fire mage, the first thing I would do to a wooden focus was to make it fireproof. I could soak it in a specialized potion, which would bind to the wood, strengthening and sealing it from fire. Or I could ritualize it to be impervious to fire. Or I could cap the end with some sort of heat-dispersing metal, perhaps copper. All of these options were possible and viable, but somewhere better than others, depending on the circumstance. If I already had a bunch of rituals planned for the staff, it might be better to get the fire resistance from somewhere else, as each subsequent ritual would get more and more complicated.

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    Unfortunately, because of my knowledge, skill, and pre-existing setup, I knew I would be leaning on rituals a bit before using enchantments to finalize the staff''s more specific functions.

    There was also the matter of cost. Arcane materials weren''t cheap, usually, so I needed money and or resources to get my hands on what I needed. Thankfully, I was already starting to accumulate a good chunk of money through my healing, despite a serious pay cut while I was covering for Panacea.

    Step one of making my arcane focus was to ritualize the crap out of the ingredients for the staff. I wanted everything to be as magically in tune and tough as possible before we even started adding functions and affinities. In total, there were around eight items that needed to be reinforced and ritualized, working my blood, gold, silver, several precious stones, and several other ingredients into each. I was burning money with each step, but the further I went, the happier I was to throw more into the blaze, as I had already blown completely past my original staff and was now working at a whole new level of power.

    When the process was done, I began weaving enchantments into the staff. The process was the same as I had used on my spellbook, weaving floating runes around the staff, before sealing them in place by "burning" a chunk of silver. Each enchantment took up a chunk of the staff''s space, slowly filling in the large wooden weapon.

    The last process was a final sealing ritual, which protected the previous rituals and enchantments from my own magic, solidifying and sealing them in place. An iron cap was the keystone of the sealing ritual, and should I want to work on the staff again, removing the cap would allow me to. When the sealing ritual finally burned out, I walked to the center of the ritual platform, looking down at my finished product.

    It was a seven-foot-tall staff of mahogany with an amethyst crystal cluster at the end. The mahogany was polished to a shine, with a dual spiraling inset of copper that started at the iron cap and continued to the grip, turned solid with knurled lines before returning to the spiral, all the way to the amethyst. Just above the grip, the staff bent out slightly, continuing on before correcting and pulling back in, ending straight at the end. Along the bend were six half-quarter size loops, a two-inch strap of leather tied to each. At the end of each strap were three pieces of fulgurite and three polished pieces of clear quartz. Each one of the stones could contain a single spell for on-the-spot use, with the fulgurite specifically designed to hold lighting spells.

    The final part was the Amethyst tip, which sat in the crook of two branches of mahogany, one reaching higher than the other, both of them almost cupping the large gem without touching it. The amethyst itself was set into the staff with a base of gold, which continued up into the gem to create lines and inclusions of the expensive metal.

    Of course, there was more to the staff than just what you could see. Both the amethyst and the mahogany were treated to cast lightning and healing spells as easily as breathing. Fulgurite and several other materials went into making my basic to intermediate lightning spells cost next to nothing, while my healing magic was buffed in effectiveness by the gold and amethyst. Perhaps the most impressive part was the core of woven gold and silver, ritualized to respond to my mana and my will, that lay buried in the wooden shaft. This would allow a measure of finesse from a usually over-powering focus.

    Of course, there were also enchantments running around every inch of the wood as well. Like my book, I could pull the staff to myself. If I pulled hard enough, it would drain my mana to teleport to my side. Beyond that, I crammed every quality of life and ease of use enchantment I could find. It was self-cleaning and self-repairing to a degree, could float in place, and could respond to simple commands. I could cast a simple persistent spell through it and leave it floating in place, using mana stored in the amethyst to maintain the spell for me.

    It was a behemoth of a staff and, so far, was probably my greatest creation yet. Really, in all honesty, it had turned out significantly better than I could have ever predicted. Kali had been a massive help, poking and prodding each enchantment and ritual I did, the effects stacking as I layered each one on top of the other.

    After a moment, I reach out with my mind, feeling my mana curl and coil inside me before giving the staff a mental pull. A purple spark of lightning arced across the staff, snapping and hissing before the entire seven-foot construct swirled and popped, appearing beside me with a crack of thunder, the same purple spark heralding its appearance. I reached out and grabbed it, a rush of energy flowing into me, whooshing through like I was standing at ground zero of a winter microburst. My hair ruffled as my magic thrummed, settling just under my skin like a partially concealed but still very much live wire.

    "Holy shit!" I nearly shouted, taking a physical step back, reeling from the contact.

    With a giddy grin, I spun, swiping the staff, instantly casting an ice spell of my own design. A ray of frost flew from the end of my staff, slamming into a nearby stone. Normally, with my own hands or with my spellbook, the blast of icy magic would have been just enough to freeze a couple cups of water. Now, with my staff, I could only watch as the entire stone was covered in crystalized frost, the rock creaking under the sudden shift in temperature.

    I couldn''t help but laugh before turning around and jabbing the staff forward, this time a blast of focused water launching across the compound. It barely arced until it eventually slammed into the dirt, digging a furrow into it. I spun again, this time calling forth fire, a sphere of bright, dancing flames launching out and exploding against a distant tree. I spun the staff around over my head, bringing it down and blasting the tree with water to douse the crackling flames.

    Finally, I turned again, aiming at a distant stone. I jabbed the staff forward and cast my wordless spark of electricity. This time, however, rather than just letting the mana flow through normal, I pushed, feeding the almost instinctual spell to its max, the staff holding it all together. A column of electrical energy lanced out from the staff and slammed into a boulder, cracking a huge chunk of it away and sending shards of stone careening into the woods, cutting through leaves and branches. I could see the stone was cherry red at the sight of impact, slowly cooling down as I watched.

    In one last test, despite not having a specific target, I raised the staff and brought it down, the iron cap slamming into the dirt. The staff glowed gold as I cast a simple healing spell at a level of potency I had never achieved before. The whole clearing glowed gold, almost blinding me, until the spell faded and bright golden light faded to nothing.

    The compound was uncomfortably dark for a moment after the light faded before I could feel Kali flick on the glowing light vials, and everything was bright again.

 Chapter Sixty Four

    As the compound lit up around me, my vials of light providing a warm, constant glow, I stood there silently. After a moment, I released a long breath, feeling the magic around me hum energy. I could feel my power, feel my mana at my call. It was as if I had stepped up and advanced to a higher level of magic, if not in understanding, then at least in sensitivity or power. After a moment, I released the staff, the amethyst humming slightly as it stayed perfectly upright despite me taking a step back.

    With the staff no longer in my hands, the intensity of the feeling slowly faded until it was barely noticeable. I could still feel it, feel the power that always resided in me flowing, but it was no longer snapping and writhing just under the surface.

    "Any idea what that was?" I asked, feeling Kali watching closely and Alya floating at the edge of the ritual platform.

    "... It reminded me of when an elemental finds a home that is filled with and aligned their element," She admitted. "They end up in a loop refinement. It feels dramatic at first, but it usually equalizes over time."

    "And you think that''s what is happening here?"

    "No, not exactly," She admitted hesitantly. "You made something that resonates well with you, and it''s drawing out your mana, like the mana circulation meditations you used to do before you outgrew them."

    I frowned, running through a few diagnostic spells on myself. Most of what I knew about healing spells were about physical injuries, but I did know some that were about checking in on a wizard''s mana and a few other more esoteric things. Concrete diagnoses with a simple spell were beyond me, but I could definitely get a sense of my non-physical well-being.

    When everything turned up green, I reached out again and took my staff. I could feel my power swelling up, and sure enough, there was a certain amount of mana circulation going around. It felt as if I had been pushing and pulling water that resisted my efforts, but now the staff was causing it to flow more freely, my mana ready to jump to my commands.

    After a few more minutes of experimenting, namely by grabbing the staff and letting it go over and over, I decided to not complain too much about making something so powerful that touching it seemed to make me more powerful. After all, neither Kali nor Alya were worried about it, and Kali''s understanding of magic was instinctual to a level I couldn''t really comprehend. If it was hurting me somehow, she would be able to feel it.

    By the time I was satisfied that my new creation wasn''t actually hurting me, it was getting pretty late. Unfortunately, I felt absolutely wired, which meant sleeping, at least at the moment, was off the table. However, despite a general lack of tiredness, I was feeling a bit drawn out. I had been working nonstop on my staff for nearly twelve hours, and while the process and results had both been thrilling and exciting, I was now firmly done with work in any form.

    "I¡­ feel like going for a walk," I said, holding out my hand and summoning my staff to me, ignoring the now familiar and somehow more manageable sensation. "Anything you want, Kali? I still owe you something for all your hard work."

    A feeling of indecisiveness settled over me, and I nodded in understanding, reaching out and patting one of the golem wolves I had made for her. I found that she tended to keep at least one of them at the compound at all times while sending the others running around and exploring.

    "It''s fine, you just keep thinking about it. Just let me know if you think of anything," I said with a smile. "This isn''t a transaction, I want you and Alya to be happy. With all the help you guys give me, it''s only fair that I dedicate some time to doing stuff you guys want."

    Both of my partners seemed happy with my statement, and after talking about the sort of things I could do for them, I teleported away from the compound, landing on a small part of the Brockton Bay beach. The tide was out at the moment, and with how dark it was, how cold the water was, and how poorly the beaches were maintained at the best of times, it was completely empty. On my left, I could see the Boardwalk in the distance, and on my right, even further than the Boardwalk, I could see one of the city''s ferry landing docks.

    The most prominent landmark, by far, was the massive oil rig sitting in the farther reaches of the bay. The shield surrounding it glowed slightly, and through it, I could see the rather impressive-looking Protectorate ENE Headquarters. The colors were off due to the glowing shield, but I could see the buildings behind it, as well as the spotlights lighting it all up. I looked out at it for a long while before shaking my head. It was an impressive base, and as much as looking out at it made me want to one-up them, now wasn''t the time.

    "Alright, I''ve been wanting to try this since I first went to that scrap yard," I explained to Alya, who I could feel keeping watch, but mostly watching me.

    I pulled my spell book from my hip book holster, mentally controlling its pages until I was on the metal control spell. I read it once more before beginning to chant.

    "Metallum, sanguis terrae, fundamentum humanitatis, vocationem magicae meae sentio. Te voco, quod moderni mirum est, ut sequaris mandata mea. Egredere, metallo, et finge te in figuram quam cupio."

    Just as before, seven connected circles appeared around me, slowly spinning as tendrils began to reach out. However, this time, instead of there only being a few tendrils reaching out to large chunks of metal, several dozens of them reached out across the beach, pushing into the sand. Rather than reducing the metal to a liquid, I simply gave it all a mental pull, the strands slowly pulling out several dozen rings, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces, all of them containing enough gold to register to the spell. I couldn''t help but chuckle as it all piled on the floor by my feet. I repeated the process, this time looking for silver, the pile growing to nearly double the size.

    "Well damn¡­ that''s my gold and silver set for a while," I said to Ayla, who was floating even closer now, having watched my magic. "Even better¡­ I can do this at a few other beaches if I wanted to¡­Or I could find a sunken treasure ship, assuming I don''t go near Leviathan¡­"

    For a moment, I let the ideas spiral into my mind before shaking them away for later. If I ever needed hundreds of pounds of gold, which was absolutely a possibility with how magic worked, I would consider raising a few sunken treasures. Otherwise, beach combing and junkyard visits would have to do for now.

    I took a walk along the beach, heading in the direction of the Boardwalk, intent on stepping back up to the usual road when I got closer. I ended up casting the spell a few more times, filling a backpack full of dirty gold and silver jewelry, a good amount of it being unsalvageable in terms of ever being jewelry again. I walked the streets, the few people who were still around giving me looks, though they quickly seemed to recognize me. Despite the time, I was asked for several photos and autographs, which I took with a smile. I knew that, to a picture, my mask would appear to be a simple copper mask, so the pictures weren''t a problem.

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    Eventually, after a short impromptu patrol, I teleported away from the city and back to the compound. I dropped my bag at the edge of one of the storage trees and had a quick conversation with Alya about tomorrow''s plans, before heading off to bed. Between the walk, the talking to random people, and the magical beach combing, the wired and energy-filled feeling had long since passed.

    The next morning, I woke up early, rolling out of bed and rushing through my morning routine. Crow and I were on patrol for most of the morning, at least until I had to leave to work at the hospital. Once I was ready, I teleported to our meeting place to find Olivia seemingly fast asleep on her usual chair of milk crates.

    "Good morning, Crow," I said, standing back a bit in case she woke up with a start.

    "Who says?" She asked, barely sifting, turning her head slightly to look at me. "Morning. Mind hitting me with that expresso shot thing you do?"

    "Yeah, sure, but I hope you''re also getting actual sleep as well. I haven''t tested the long-term effects of replacing sleep with magic rejuvenation," I pointed out before quickly waking her up entirely with the flashy spell, feeling the effects roll over me as well. "How is that, better?"

    "Yeah, thanks," She said, standing slowly, her cloak shifting into a billowy, star-studded look with black feathers along her shoulders. "So, got some new stuff I see?"

    "Yeah, been working up to some new gear," I said with a smirk, tapping my staff once on the ground. "What do you think?"

    Not only had I brought my new staff with me, but my four golems had also come along. Troy had stayed behind so I could free up another slot for teleportations since all together with Olivia, the golems, and myself, we were up to six, which was just along the edge of my teleportation abilities.

    Crow walked around the golems, leaning forward to inspect them as if she had any knowledge about golem creation. She even gave them a little nudge to test their balance, but the golems weren''t affected. When she was satisfied, she nodded as if she had found what she was looking for, before turning back to me and immediately examining my staff.

    "It all looks pretty cool, and considering the kind of things you make, I''m sure it''s impressive," she said, wincing slightly as she continued. "But¡­ you really need to pick what kind of wizard mage look you''re going for."

    "What do you mean?" I asked with confusion, looking down at my outfit. "I thought it all looked cool."

    "Individually, sure it does, but the staff screams high fantasy wizard," She explains. "The rest of your look is¡­ well, it''s kinda like a tired beat cop meets underpaid detective, with a hint mage. I mean, you''re wearing a beanie and a circlet, Arc. Kind of sending mixed messages."

    I frowned and nodded, unable to really deny her statement. It was unfortunate but honestly unsurprising, considering I had just been throwing stuff together for a while. I wasn''t about to take off my costume and drop my staff just cause it didn''t all match a theme, but it was good to know. Going forward, I could try and tighten up the theme as best I could, though I would almost always choose function over form.

    I did take my beanie off, though, stuffing it into my pocket. It only had a basic protection ritual on it, which was utterly redundant with how many types of protection I had already. Without the beanie, to the outside observer, the only thing on my head was my circlet. That was my mind resiliency and strength circlet, an attempt to make me resistant to mind control, so there was no way that was coming off.

    "Better," She said, nodding her head. "Still a bit confused, but at least now you don''t look like you''re also late for your job unloading cargo at the docks."

    I snorted at her sass before checking if she was ready to begin our patrol or if she wanted to spend more time critiquing my outfit. She pretended to debate the question, so I just rolled my eyes and started the teleport spell. It was long enough that if she actually needed some time, she would have plenty of it to stop me.

    My partner on patrol said nothing, however, so the spell went through, sending us deep into ABB territory. We appeared, with the usual strange noises, on top of a boarded-up and empty gas station. Once we were confident we were clear, we jumped down to the thankfully empty street. It was still very early, so the usual hustle was completely absent. We walked the area for about an hour, the city slowly waking up as we did. Eventually, I got a message from Lady Photon, causing me to curse under my breath.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "Lady Photon just confirmed they found multiple Merchant tags during their patrol," I said, showing her an image on my phone. "The Merchants are definitely pushing the envelope here¡­ something must be really stirring them up."

    "I''ve been hearing things too," Crow admitted. "The Merchants didn''t really qualify as a gang before, more like¡­ a vague grouping of drug distribution lines. Not even the good stuff either, the crap only the desperate would buy. That started to change recently, though, even before we took down Lung and Lee. Skidmark is working to wrangle them together into a gang, holding rallies and block parties, giving out drugs to people who join up."

    "How long has this been going on?"

    "From what I''ve heard, a few weeks, not much more than that," She responded, shaking her head. "And what''s worse, what better way to stir up a crowd of high, demented drug dealers than by pointing out the nice, shiny territory next door that is mostly defenseless."

    "That''s what I''m worried about," I agreed, chewing the inside of my lip. "Alright, let''s cut down this next road and head to that line between the two territories. With any luck, if something happens, we can stop it before it spirals out of control. I can always teleport us out if something else comes up."

    Crow agreed, and together with our cadre of shiny new metal golems, we made our way through ABB territory. Once we arrived, we began our new patrol, walking along the divide between Merchant and ABB. The streets were tense, but there were quite a bit fewer people than what we were used to, enough for it to be noticeable.

    "What are the chances it''s like this because everyone decided to just take Monday off?" I asked, frowning as we passed another area that would have normally held at least a few people.

    "Lower than you want," Crow responded, sounding just as tense as me. "Not to sound cliche, it feels like the calm before the storm. Like everyone knows something that we don''t."

    "If anyone knows what the gangs are feeling, it''s the people who live here," I pointed out. "I''m¡­ I''m going to make a call, tell New Wave to be on standby whenever possible."

    "What about when you leave for healing?"

    "Well... I''m just a teleport away. How do you feel about finding a shadow somewhere and keeping watch?" I suggested. "I''ll pick you up some lunch when I''m done healing and I''ll buy dinner if we end up hanging around that late."

    "Deal," She said. "For now, let''s keep up with the patrol. Maybe we will discourage anyone from doing anything stupid just by hanging around."

    "Do you really think that?" I asked with a disbelieving raised eyebrow.

    "Fuck no, but I can dream."

 Chapter Sixty Five

    Crow and I continued our patrol for another two hours before I finally had to go fulfill my other duties. We passed the patrol baton on to Manpower and Laserdream while Crow found a nice tall building from which to keep watch. From there, she could see and hear a lot of what was happening in the area, including keeping an eye on our teammates. Both Manpower and Laserdream were warned that we felt something was happening, most likely soon, and they both agreed to signal for help from Crow if they needed it.

    I teleported to the hospital, where I was greeted by a relatively busy day, only made more busy when a car accident brought several people in need of emergency healing. Thankfully, no one was killed, but there was a young boy who got awfully close to changing that. The Doctors did a wonderful job stabilizing him until I could get to him, and I put him back together again. I pointed out that, in the future, that was exactly the kind of emergency they should call me in on, especially now that I was only a single teleport away.

    When I finished with the hospital, I teleported to the PRT. As usual, I was promptly escorted to the small hospital inside the building, where I was met with the usual group of PRT agents as well as Kid Win, who was in costume. The young tinker perked up a bit as I walked in, but any attention I got was quickly swept to my golems as they followed in behind me.

    "Are those your golems?" He asked as I approached his bed, focusing on the injured kid first. He winced after he realized what he just asked, mumbling self-deprecatingly until I cut in.

    "They are my golems, my newest version in fact," I answered with a smile. "What do you think?"

    "I think they confuse me and Armsmaster," He admitted, watching as one of them stepped to the side to let a nurse through. "We couldn''t make heads or tales of the one you gave to us."

    "Yeah, unfortunately, I don''t think our styles of tinkering line up very well," I responded with a smile. "I bet I have all sorts of people scratching their heads."

    "Uh... no comment?"

    "Good answer," I said with a chuckle before looking the Ward over. "Alright, so what''s got you here instead of school?"

    Kid Win winced and rubbed the back of his head before pulling his other hand out from under the blanket, revealing a pretty significant amount of bandaging on it. I could see a minor amount of swelling and some redness peeking out from around the bandages.

    "Well¡­ I went into a tinker fugue last night working on a new power source for my- well, for some of my gear," he explained. "An alarm went off for a security check and startled me out of it when I was heating something up. I ended up splashing some of it onto my hand."

    "Hmm, okay, shouldn''t be an issue, as long as the material wasn''t anything exotic?" I asked, smiling when he shook his head. "Great. I''m gonna start by numbing your hand, then we can remove your bandages, then I''ll do a scan. Once that''s done, I can most likely heal you up. If not, I can at least keep you numb so you aren''t in any pain, much better than popping pills, and I can be a lot more specific about what is being numbed."

    After he nodded in confirmation, I got to work, following the exact outline I had just given the kid, starting numbing his hand and taking off the bandages. One of the nurses stopped by to help me with that, which helped speed things up. His hand looked more than a little rough, with some significant damage done to his palm and fingers. Without Panacea or me getting involved, he was looking at at least a three-week recovery time, with some not-so-fun physical therapy to keep the scar tissue pliable. Thankfully, I was able to heal the kid completely, casting a couple of spells to wipe the damage away like it never existed. I finished off with a general healing spell to make sure everything was cleared up before nodding.

    "Alright, you are fully healed," I said with a smile and a nod. "Just let me remove the numbing effect. It would have faded on its own in about an hour, but there''s no reason to make you wait...

    I snapped my fingers, mostly for dramatic effect, and the numbing spell fell away a golden sparkle. Noticing the sparkle, Kid Win looked down at his hand, the feeling slowly returning to it, now with absolutely no pain.

    "Thank you, Arcanum... that was interesting to watch. Your powers really picked a theme, didn''t they?" He pointed out, squeezing and making a fist with his hands, testing his newly healed limbs.

    "They very much did, but I''m having fun with them, so I can hardly complain," I admitted with a smirk. "It was good to meet you, Kid Win. Stay safe, and maybe consider some safety procedures that will prevent this from happening next time."

    He snorted and nodded, still experimenting with his hand, before I continued on, moving to my next patient, a trooper with a concussion from a training exercise. It was a pretty mild concussion, my scan barely picking up on anything. Still, concussions were no joke, and repeat concussions, even minor ones, were dangerous.

    I was just finishing up my scanning spell when my cell rang, and my stomach dropped out just a bit. Very few people had my number, and I had just left one of them by herself to keep an eye on a potentially violent situation. I cursed and picked up the phone, Crow''s anxious voice instantly coming through.

    "Arc, it''s happening," She shouted, catching the attention of a few nurses. Manpower and Laserdream just found a good-sized group of Merchant thugs, but I''m seeing a couple of groups in total. There''s a whole moving through the streets."

    "Sit tight. I''m coming to you," I responded, wordlessly casting a general healing spell that should be more than enough to fix the PRT agent''s minor concussion.

    "Take it easy for a few days. You should be fine," I warned the agent before pulling my coiled staff out from under my overcoat. "I''ll be back to finish healing eventually. Looks like Merchants are making their move on ABB territory."

    I stepped away from the PRT agent''s bed, mentally pulling my spellbook from my hip and unwrapping my coiled staff to its fully extended form. I took a deep breath and began chanting, knowing fully well this was the closest look the PRT had gotten to my high-level magic. In a flash, I was once again standing on the building I had left Crow on, the cloaked cape peering over the edge of the roof to watch.

    "Okay, so Laserdream and Manpower are still working on their group still, but they seem to have that handled. "But there is a group to the north that is significantly bigger. I say we focus there and clean up later."

    "Done and done. PRT should know what''s going on soon anyway," I added. "We might get an assist from them¡­ but don''t hold your breath."

    As we talked, Crow pointed out the large group she was talking about. It took me a moment to spot them, but sure enough, as they crossed an intersection, I caught a flash of several large vehicles and a flash of yellow.

    The constant horn honking and gunfire was also a dead giveaway.

    "Okay, take my hand, I''ll get us close."

    She nodded, stood, and grabbed my hand while my golems reached out and gripped my shoulders and forearms. Again I teleported, this time ahead of the caravan of vehicles that I had spotted and Crow had been tracking. Looking down from the building I had landed us on, I could see the vehicles clearly now, heading directly towards us.

    Four armored trucks drove in formation with what could only be called the school bus from hell. Half of the trucks were armed with machine guns and plated with scrap, but the bus was something special. Its wheels were replaced with tank treads, with rusty metal spikes running along the sides. I could see two turrets on it, as well as plenty of slots to shoot out from in the armor. Its paint job was crude, and it somehow managed to look ramshackle and sturdy at the same time.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Alpha, Beta, go stop the forward trucks, Gamma, Delta, disable the bus," I ordered, and all four of my golems moved, vaulting off of the building and running forward.

    "I''ll head down to pick off any runners and keep them contained," Crow said, pulling out a crowbar and following after the golems, though she dropped into the alleyway and out of sight, probably looking for shadows to blend into.

    "I''ll give you some cover," I called out after her, the pages of my spellbook flipping over, quickly settling on a spell.

    "Fumus et umbra caelum colligant, colligant et praebeant operculum, terram a luce tueantur, terram tenebrarum inferna contegant. Tenebras, umbram tene, donec te ab hoc loco depellam."

    As I chanted, I raised my staff, slowly swirling it in the air in a circular motion. After a few rounds, a glowing black circle appeared, following the line I drew, before four arcane sigils appeared inside. As I finished the last words, I thrust the staff through the circle, and like a punctured balloon, thick, black smoke poured through the hole. It shot up into the air and quickly formed a swirling and billowing barrier between the sun''s light and the ground, almost drinking it in and spreading heavy shadows along the ground. I could hear Crow''s laughter as she faded away, disappearing into the ample cover.

    Meanwhile, as I cast my spell, I watched as my golems intercepted the vehicles, following my orders. Alpha and Beta ran straight towards their targets, bullets pinging off their metal bodies, barely leaving scratches as the Merchants tried to take them down, right up until the shiny golems slammed into the front end of the trucks. They were thrown back, of course, but not before absolutely decimating the vehicles. When they landed from the collision, Alpha and Beta just stood up and dusted themselves off. The trucks, however, looked like they had slammed into telephone poles.

    Perhaps it was my difference in wording, but Gamma and Delta took a very different approach, instead running down along the sidewalks, passing by Alpha and Beta. They then cut in after the trucks before undercutting the bus, systematically tearing the treads off completely. It skidded and sparked to a stop, just pushing one of the totaled trucks to the side as it did.

    I clipped my staff along the ground, quick cast a spell, and brought the gold-imbued amethyst crystal of my staff to my mouth, a pale yellow circle growing just above the pointed tip. As I spoke, a wavelength bounced up and down inside the circle as a pair of arcane symbols slowly spun around it.

    "Merchants! Surrender now before we are forced to pacify you forcefully," I ordered, my voice amplified to reverberate over the street. "If you surrender, you will not be harmed. Again, this-"

    Before I could repeat myself, I spotted movement on the top of the bus. The emergency escape hatch opened, and rather than a person, a large object was pushed out and locked forward. My brain barely recognized it as vaguely cannon-shaped when Alya shouted in my ear.

    "GET DOWN"

    I flung myself forward, off of the roof, just in time for a spherical object, a fucking bowling ball, to whistle through the air just where I had just been standing. It continued on to slam into the building behind me, punching through at least the first layer of brickwork before I was too far down to see it anymore.

    I continued to fall before managing to get my feet under me and conjure a platform using my boots, burning off my momentum and leaping forward, away from the building. I conjured a second and third, jumping forward with each one until I was only about twenty or thirty feet from trashed trucks.

    "Golems, disable weapons on the trucks and focus on apprehending any Merchants who fight back!" I called out, and all four of the golems were moving immediately. "Leave the capes to me!"

    The golems ignored the few Merchants climbing out of the ruined trucks, as they were stumbling and clearly not in the fight. Instead, they began smashing and tearing at the truck, disabling the weapons before running back to the other trucks, which had stopped behind the bus as the caravan came to an abrupt stop.

    As they were disabling the truck weapons and Merchants, more of the gangsters poured out of the bus, armed with pistols, cheap hunting rifles, and shotguns. I saw two military-esque rifles, and neither of them looked to be in good condition. Half of the gangers seemed to have the shakes, and two of them were facing the wrong direction.

    Finally, someone else came out of the bus, shoving and pushing to get in front of the crowd, knocking a few people over in the process. A cape, presumedly Skidmark, with a blue mask covering the top half of his head and a blue shirt and black jeans, all of it covered in stains and tears, started immediately cursing at me.

    "Who the fuck are you, shit licker!? You mother fucker, shouting at us an-"

    He didn''t get to finish, as while he wanted to run his mouth, my golems had no such desire. Screams and gunshots echoed from behind him as the goons in the trucks tried and failed to fight my support off. Hearing his men getting pummeled while he was trying to monologue did not sit well with the drug-addled cape, his face going dark.

    "You fucking jizz sucking shit pusher!" He shouted. "Squealer! Paste this piece of shit!"

    I could hear the internals of the bus shifting and clunking before the bowling ball cannon raised up slightly and aimed down at me. Not willing to wait and see if I could dodge the next shot now that I was closer. I aimed my staff at the turret and quickly chanted.

    "Fulgura meum!"

    The powerful blast of electricity, at one point my most powerful lightning spell, now ridiculously easier to cast with two levels in quick cast, fired off from my staff. The beam was even more powerful than usual, focused and fired from a proper arcane focus. The sparking bolt of electricity slammed into the turret with enough force to wrench it off target. The energy sparked and cracked between the weapon and the rest of the vehicle, sending out showers of pyrotechnics as the electricity did its damage.

    Then the cannon exploded upward, its ammo or charge cooking off and rending a considerable portion of the weapon off and tossing it to the sidewalk. When the final piece of the cannon scattered across the ground, I lowered my staff, aiming it directly at the large crowd that had pulled in around Skidmark.

    The two facing the wrong direction had even managed to get spun around and were now facing the right direction, though neither of them were focused on me.

    "Right. Anyone willing to surrender now?" I asked my staff, who was at the ready, watching the stunned Merchants closely.

    "No, you shit stain! Ain''t no one surrendering to you, sissy ass mother-"

    I jab my staff out, a spark of electricity zapping out from the tip of my staff and lancing out across the distance, slapping into Skidmark''s shoulder. He was flung back against his gangster subordinates, barreling over a few before slumping to the ground, smoke rising from where I hit him. I slowly stood up straight, the iron cap at the bottom of my staff clicking on the asphalt as I pulled my staff back, staring down the rest of the crowd.

    "How about now?"

 Chapter Sixty Six

    <div>

    The gangers that didn''t run or surrender immediately focused their ire on me, firing whatever guns they had. It was only after I stood there, bullets slapping against my overcoat''s armor and deforming, before falling to the ground uselessly, that even they surrendered.

    Weapons were gathered, and the police were called, as were the PRT, since we had both capes and regular civilians on our hands. I stabilized Skidmark, just making sure he wasn''t dead or my electric attack didn''t upset his heart, before sinking a knockout spark into his chest to confirm he would be out for several more hours.

    Once we had everyone on their knees, with the golems and Crow watching over them, I went inside the bus to make sure it was clear. I half expected Squealer to be waiting inside, setting up some sort of tinker ambush or last-ditch escape attempt. Instead, I found her with a shard of shrapnel in her stomach and a cut along her head from when I zapped the bowling ball cannon. In all likelihood, she also had deeper trauma as well, so I quickly patched her up enough to be safe to move. When my scan came back at an acceptable level, I dragged her outside and laid her next to Skidmark before slapping her with a knockout zap as well.

    It wasn''t long after that that the Protectorate showed up. Assault and Battery arrived first on foot, using their powers to quickly traverse the city. Not long after they showed up, Armsmaster arrived on his overly loud Motorcycle.

    I hadn''t had the pleasure of meeting the highly regarded tinker yet, but I had done enough research to recognize him on sight. While Assault and Battery focused on first scanning and clearing the perimeter, the blue-armored hero immediately made his way to me. I was standing beside the two unconscious Merchant capes, keeping an eye on them in case they needed another knockout dose. I was pretty sure neither of them had a regeneration or brute rating, so it was doubtful they would wake up early. Still, better safe than sorry.

    "Arcanum, Crow," The bearded cape greeted confidently, nodding to each of us with his halberd affixed to his back. "Are the suspects stabilized?"

    "Yes, they are safe to be moved," I assured him. "Skidmark has some exterior bruises and a few hairline fractures on his left arm, and Squealer has some internal bruising and at least a few fractured bones in her hands."

    As far as I could tell, Squealer had been manning the bowling ball turret when I energetically disabled it, putting her in the blast zone for when its charge cooked off. The kickback did the damage to her hands and threw her across the interior of the modified bus.

    "Very well."

    I looked at Crow when he said nothing beyond that, simply bending over to run a scanner over the capes before nodding and turning to the bus. Immediately, he began to examine and scan it, carefully cracking open a hatch I hadn''t even noticed to look inside. I cocked my head to the side and opened my mouth, only for Assault to pat my shoulder.

    "Don''t mind him, he has a bit of a one-track mind when it comes to¡­ well, everything," He explained with a wince. "The standard procedure for any Protectorate tinker is, after the criminals are reasonably secure, to confirm that no tinker tech is unstable or potentially threatening."

    "Gotcha. Well, As far as we know, it''s just Squealer and Skidmark for capes," I said with a frown. "Unless you know of anyone joining up with them?"

    "Nope, no news there," He confirmed. "Our wagon will be here shortly, and the BBPD shouldn''t be far behind."

    "Good. We should do this fast. I don''t know how long the ABB is gonna stay quiet with all of us grouped up like this," I pointed out, getting a sympathetic wince from the red-themed cape. "We also saw at least one other group of Merchants beyond the one Manpower and Laserdream were dealing with."

    "Yeah¡­Okay, good point¡­ I''m gonna go see if I can''t get Halbeard to speed things up."

    Assault walked away, waving to his partner Battery as she kept an eye on the perimeter. I made my way to Crow, who was still keeping an eye on everyone we had captured.

    "Crow, do me a favor and go up somewhere and keep an eye on the area," I requested. "And get in contact with Manpower and Laserdream, see how they are doing."

    "That third group I saw could be anywhere by now, Arc," She pointed out.

    "I know, and I''m worried what sort of shit they are going to start," I said with a frown. "If Laserdream is free, ask her to fly straight up and see if she can spot any issues."

    Crow nodded and faded into a nearby shadow, heading towards a fire escape not too far away. Barely a second passed before Assault and Armsmaster returned, the blue and red armor clashing quite a bit as they approached.

    "Arcanum, are you aware of the intent behind this attack?" Armsmaster asked, standing rigidly beside his compatriot.

    "Beyond pushing into new, more profitable territory?" I suggested. "No, I don''t. Why?"

    "Simply attempting to establish motive and investigate the scene," Armsmaster responded.

    "Oh, that''s easy," I responded, looking around the crowd and picking out one of the gangers who still looked very confused. "Let''s just ask."

    I waded through the gangers, who had been behaving so far, all of them warily watching the golems who stood around them. I grabbed one of the clearly high Merchants, trying my best to ignore the smell, guiding him around the other side of the school bus.

    "Arcanum, what are you doing?" Armsmaster asked. "We cannot interrogate before we read them their rights, and we cannot-"

    "The PRT or Protectorate can''t," I pointed out in response before shaking my head. "Besides, I''m just asking some questions."

    I got the guy to sit on some of the ruined track systems attached to the bus before flashing the man with my palm light, casting it wordlessly and flickering it on and off quickly. It took a second, but the man came around enough to focus on me, his yellow, bloodshot eyes heavily dilated.

    "What do you want?" he asked, his body jittering as he looked at the two heroes behind me. "I''m not talking."

    "Of course you aren''t," I agreed easily, nodding along as I reached forward to brush off the dust and dirt off his shoulder. "That would make sense. Both of your gang''s capes are lying in a puddle of drool, cuffed and blindfolded. No one is coming to break you out, and you don''t strike me as someone who can afford bail. Face it, buddy, your team lost, and now you are screwed. However¡­ If you tell me what is going on, I can put in a good word for you."

    "You¡­ really?" he asked, his addled mind latching on to even the hint of coming out of this unscathed.

    "Of course! That''s how it works, right? Criminal helps the good guys catch a bigger criminal, everything works out," I assured him. "Haven''t you ever seen a movie?"

    "I¡­ I don''t know¡­"

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon."Look, if you can''t help me, that''s okay," I said, patting his shoulder. "I''ll just bring you back and grab the next guy. I''m sure someone is willing to speak up and take what I''m offering. I mean, everyone else will be screwed, but that guy will be fine."

    "Well¡­No, I want it, I''ll tell you," he said, looking over his shoulder at the rest of his gang. "See, Skidmark said it would be easy. The ABB doesn''t have anyone to protect them, so they are easy pickings."

    "That''s¡­ an opinion," I stated, shaking my head. "So this whole caravan was on its way to rob an ABB drughouse?"

    "And to hurt em before they can fight back!" The man declared a bit more fire in his voice. "They always look down on us, everyone does, so we were gonna show them they aren''t no better than us without their big bad dragon fucker."

    "Well, congrats, you proved nothing, and now you''re going to jail," I said, shaking my head before turning to Assault and Armsmaster. "See, now we know what''s going on."

    "And potentially damaged the case that the police will bring against him," Armsmaster pointed out with a frown.

    "The worst they could do is throw out the info we just learned since it was under questionable circumstances," I pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "He is already at the scene of a crime, is clearly high, was armed with a gun which I''m sure isn''t registered to him, and whatever else the cops can get on him."

    "You don''t plan on putting in a good word for him?" Assault asked, a frown forming. "That''s not good for your reputation."

    "No, I''ll let the BBPD know," I assured him. "Not eager to make myself out to be a liar, not over this."

    In truth, how much my "word" would do was questionable at best. I wasn''t planning on saying anything beyond telling them he had been helpful in figuring out what was going on before passing on what he had told me.

    It took another eight minutes for the PRT and Police wagons to show up and start loading people up. First was Skidmark and Squealer, both of them blessedly still unconscious as they were loaded up and driven away. After that, the police started loading up unpowered gang members, throwing them in the back of police cars and driving away. It took about forty minutes in total for everyone to be cleared off the scene, during which Crow and I both gave our statements.

    By the time we finally left to meet up with Manpower and Laserdream, the PRT was beginning to load up and tow away Squealer''s bus and the four armored trucks. Armsmaster was on the scene the whole time, shaking his head and watching the process. The man was incredibly stoic. The only emotion I had seen clearly on the exposed parts of his face was annoyance as he examined the scrap vehicles Squealer had made.

    As we met up with our New Wave allies, I quickly made sure to give them a quick check-up, healing bruises, scrapes, and one minor laceration. Once they were healed, we had an impromptu meeting on a rooftop near where they had intercepted their group of Merchants.

    "I''m glad we managed to take down two groups, as well as the Merchant capes¡­ But I''m concerned about what happened to the third," I admitted, shaking my head. "They just up and vanished."

    "They must have been spooked when you ransacked the main group," Laserdream suggested. "Sounds like you handled them pretty well. You started after us and finished before us."

    "To be fair, having four bulletproof brutes on hand to coordinate with gave us a pretty big advantage," I pointed out. "Plus, with Crow stopping anyone looking to cut their losses and run for it¡­ I mean, how much time did you guys spend running down people?"

    "Not as much as you think, but we appreciate the kind words," Manpower responded with a smile. "But I agree with Laserdream. It''s likely they folded and retreated when they realized their leader was down. Unorganized gangs like the Merchants don''t last very long when their primary leaders are torn out."

    "Okay, so hope for the best, but plan as if the other merchants aren''t giving up," Crow said, getting a nod from the older hero. "Sounds like a plan."

    We continued on patrol for another two hours before Manpower and Laserdream switched off with Glory Girl, Shielder, and Lady Photon. After sitting down and giving them the short version of our intercepted attack, Crow and I left the rest to the Manpower and Laserdream. We had been patrolling for several hours by that point, and we were both ready for a break. After a quick jump to the PRT to finish healing, I took Olivia out for the promised lunch, though it was actually getting a bit late for it.

    Once we were both out of costume, we walked around the city for a bit before ending up at a pizza place that she was familiar with. We ended up getting a pizza to go and taking it to a nearby park to eat.

    "So¡­ you and your guys did well today," Olivia said vaguely. "I was just kind of sitting and waiting on the sidelines."

    "Maybe, but today was pretty straightforward. Who knows what might happen next time. I mean, think of it this way. We would have been useless if we were trying to keep a low profile," I pointed out. "Different strengths and weaknesses. Besides, just because you got less done doesn''t mean what you got done wasn''t important. You stopped the¡­ stragglers, I couldn''t have done that without you."

    "Sure, sure, alright," She responded, taking a big bite of her pizza and chewing it for a moment in silence before talking out the side of her mouth. "So what''s next?''

    "I''m going home, getting Troy, and then going back to ABB territory," I explained quietly. "I''m going to ride back and forth and scour every inch of their territory for the Farm. This fight taught me I''ve been underestimating my tools and my allies. We are capable of doing this, and I want the Farm gone. I don''t care if I have to spend the rest of the week awake looking for it."

    "Okay¡­ I''ll ask around, see if I can''t narrow down your search area," She offered. "But you better not be planning on attacking it yourself. I know it''s horrific, but even with your golems and your powers, you can be overwhelmed with just numbers if they are insistent enough. Not to mention the fact that even if they can''t hurt you, they may start taking hostages instead. Find them, then bring me and New Wave in. We can take them down quickly before they have a chance to start getting stupid.

    "Yeah, yeah, alright. I''ll find it, and we can make a plan together," I agreed, nodding my head.

    "Promise me," She said, looking at me sternly. "Not ''cause I think you''re stupid, but because I think your noble ass is going to push you to go in immediately, and you''ll end up hating yourself for rushing in and not waiting for backup."

    "That¡­ Yeah, okay, fine, I promise," I agreed, leaning back on the bench. "Pretty sure I''m going to hate it either way, but yes, I promise to leave it until I have adequate backup and a plan."

    "Good. Now eat before it gets cold," She finished, both of us going silent for a while before she finally spoke up again.

    "I''m with you on this one, Will. The Farm is an abomination, and if you can find it, we can shut it down."

 Chapter Sixty Seven

    It didn''t take long for us to finish our meal since we were both hungry from a day of hard work and patrolling. Once we finished, I brought Crow back to the community so she could start doing her own investigations before finally teleporting back home. It wasn''t absolutely necessary, but I wanted to let Kali know what was going on and grab Troy.

    I was prepared to spend all night patrolling the city, letting Alya peek and search every nook and hidey-hole she could find in order to locate the Farm. That didn''t mean I wanted to spend the whole time walking around aimlessly, twiddling my thumbs as Alya did her work. I would if it came down to that, obviously, but luckily, that wasn''t necessary. Troy was more or less capable of following simple pathing instructions, which meant I could ride him without paying attention. This meant that I could just ride on Troy''s back, letting Alya scan around while I worked on new spells or rituals. Most likely spells for now since I was finally feeling pretty secure in my current gear.

    Once I was ready, I spent ten minutes looking at the map that Miss Militia had given me of Brockton Bay, trying to figure out where I had left to scan. Alya had already scanned a significant portion of ABB territory while Crow and I were on patrol, but there were still some sections we needed to go over. After a few minutes of planning, I had a loose path I had planned on taking, a looping circle around the territory I hadn''t been quite yet.

    After saying goodbye to Kali, I teleported Troy, my golems, and myself to a familiar spot in AB territory, immediately hopping on Troy''s back. I easily used a spell to turn his back into a flat table for my notebook before giving him a mental command to walk forward. As we moved, I could feel Alya pull back, diffusing herself over an entire area, poking and prodding to try and find the abominable gang spot. As we began to move, my golems walked around me, their heads turning and scanning for any threats. With Alya and the golems keeping an eye out for anything strange, I felt pretty safe focusing primarily on my own work.

    We patrolled for a while, circling along and passing by a few questionable areas, but Alya found nothing related to the Farm. I had gotten about halfway through creating a long-range healing spell, which I was hoping to get down to a three or four-word spell eventually, when Alya pulled in around me again, tugging at me to my right.

    "There is a mugging on a street down and to the right," She explained. "Three in ABB colors and two civilians. The ABB are armed."

    "Alright, let''s go," I said, casting a quick cast spell to have Troy absorb all my papers, calculators, and pencils before mentally urging the golem to pick.

    Following Alya''s tugging directions, I arrived at a long alley about ten seconds later, just in time to watch some poor man''s head meet the stock end of a shotgun. He dropped to the ground like his strings were cut, leaving the three ABB with a single woman who was screaming and sobbing. With a whistle, I sent out three of my brass golems, all of them moving in an incredible burst of speed. They leaped across the ground, one of them vaulting over a series of trash cans like a trained Olympic athlete.

    The first one to arrive slammed into the woman a bit roughly, pulling her out of the ganger''s line of fire and covering her with his thick metal body. The second and third golems plowed into the gangers, knocking them over like a pair of bowling balls getting a strike. They quickly disarmed and had the ABB ganger pinned to the ground, hands on their shoulders.

    The woman was panicking, managing to pull herself free of the golem, mostly cause it wasn''t trying to hold her. She fell back onto her backside before scrambling away from me and my golems. Thankfully, once I healed and woke up her partner, she calmed down significantly, wrapping the man in a tight hug. Once they recovered enough, they both apologized and thanked me, sticking around just long enough to give their statement to the police before hurrying off.

    Before long, I was back on the path, Alya once again scanning the area as I worked on my magic. I managed to complete my healing ray, which wasn''t exactly the most potent healing spell in my repertoire, but even just being able to barely stabilize someone from across the room, maybe even further, was still well worth it.

    By then, though, the sun was starting to set, and I could feel the air growing colder. Alya and I had scanned a good chunk of the area that was designated ABB territory, and now we were starting to push further and further away from the city center.

    Slowly but surely, the warehouses and large buildings were replaced, generally speaking, by smaller homes and the occasional apartment building. The further we pushed out, the less and less likely it became that we would find the Farm in the direction we were going since not only were there fewer buildings capable of holding a lot of people but there was too much room for people to notice. It was a lot harder to hide a large-scale operation in a small town or the suburbs of a city, if for no other reason than the people living in those areas tended to be a bit nosier.

    I pushed as far into the suburbs of Brockton Bay as I felt I could before turning around and making my way back, stopping before I entered what was considered ABB turf. I found a place in an alley for Alya to pull back close to me so I could bounce ideas off of her.

    "The likelihood that the farm is in E88 or Protectorate territory is pretty damn small," I said, shaking my head. "I just can''t imagine they wouldn''t stumble on it eventually. They keep a close watch over that area, there is no way they wouldn''t notice."

    "I agree, and we''ve already patrolled a good chunk of that space, and I never saw anything," Alya pointed out, solidifying my statement. "Which leaves Undersiders territory and Merchant territory."

    "I''ve learned a bit about the Undersiders since we first met them," I said with a frown. "Supposedly, their thinker is pretty flexible¡­ And it feels unlikely they would let that slide if they knew about it¡­ if for no other reason than they seemed determined to stay small time."

    "So that leaves merchant territory."

    "Yeah¡­ and it does make a certain amount of sense, if you think about it. What better way to keep attention off of something than by putting it in someone else''s territory?" I pointed out with a frown. "Not only that but according to what we heard from Lady Photon, the Merchants only hold that territory because Lung never bothered to push them back any further. What if that was on purpose, to keep the heat off of the Farm?"Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    "Maybe?" Alya responded, sounding unsure. "It''s a bit loose."

    "I know. It''s not much to go on, but it''s more likely than it being somewhere in Empire territory," I pointed out, a feeling of begrudging agreement coming through our connection. "Plus, we can work through it in a night, cross it off, and start working on new theories."

    We discussed a path to follow before I climbed back on top of Troy, setting him to walk along the border of ABB and Merchant territory. We had patrolled a portion of this strip before, but we had been more focused on the ABB territory, so we stopped when the lines diverged. This time, we followed the outskirts of Merchant territory as it ran along the Undersiders. When we didn''t find anything, we continued to push into Merchant territory, which was primarily the trainyard and parts of the Docks that the ABB didn''t have an interest in.

    The area was mostly abandoned, save for the homeless who couldn''t find more hospitable places to stay. They huddled by barrel fires, burning tires and trash for warmth, fighting each other to get closer. I had to break up more than one fight over drugs, booze, or food as Alya and I made our way along our pre-planned route. I couldn''t help but wonder if there was a way I could help these people, but Alya helped keep me focused.

    "These aren''t the same kind of people as you help at the docks, Will," She whispered into my ear. "I''m not saying they don''t deserve or need help, but you can''t just start planting trees and handing out healing and expect it to all workout. There''s nobody in charge, and there''s no hierarchy or common decency. You saw them fighting over barrels and food. They would be lording over the trees by the end of the first day, selling or trading the fruit. One thing at a time, okay?"

    "I just wish I knew they were here like this," I said with a frown. "The community never mentioned them, it always seemed like it was just Merchants up here."

    "I think to them, these guys are Merchants," Alya explained. "Drugs run free here, and judging by the looks we are getting, not many of them would say no to the chance of earning a few hits by running with a gang.

    I frowned, letting out a long breath. I would try, at some point, to find a way to help these people, but for now, I was hunting down something even darker. I needed to focus. After a moment to gather my thoughts, I continued my patrol across the territory until, finally, Alya told me to stop and head into an alleyway.

    "I think¡­ I found something worrying, like a group of people keeping watch," She explained. "It''s just on the outskirts of where I can reach. Can you get closer, but while hiding away?"

    "Yeah, just let me hide stash Troy first."

    I guided the living wood golem further back into the alleyway, encouraging him to lie down behind a dumpster. I covered him in a ratty tarp before stepping back and confirming no one could see him from the street. When I was sure he was hidden, I had Alya guide me in the direction she wanted to see in, all while carefully staying out of sight, creeping through alleys, and hiding in the dark shadows.

    First, she confirmed an unmarked group that was absolutely keeping watch, hiding in an abandoned building. All of them were at least some shade of Asian, which was unfortunately telling in this scenario. With Alya''s help, I managed to make it past the lookout, discovering a second lookout base in the process but still managing to get further into Merchant territory. Then, after another ten minutes of sneaking around. Alya told me to stop.

    "I found it," She said simply, a hollowness in her voice that immediately caught my attention. "There is a warehouse that is run by what looks like a legitimate business, but under it is some sort of large-scale facility, completely sealed off from the surface."

    "Could I see it from the roof?" I asked, looking up, already looking for handholds.

    "Just barely, it''s two roads away, but it''s not worth it," She responded. "You¡­ you''re going to do something about this soon, right?"

    For a moment, Alya sounded more human than she ever had, her voice filled with disgust and horror that made me clench my fists. I could only imagine how bad it must be if it was making her sound like this.

    "Yes. As soon as I can convince the others to join us," I said.

    "Good. And Olivia was right. Attacking this place alone would have been a mistake," She admitted, pulling in tight around me. "We should go before someone spots us or Troy. Surprise is going to be a big deal clearing this place out with victims getting hurt."

    It took a moment and a gentle pull from Alya for me to nod and walk away, heading back the way I had come. Part of me was glad I hadn''t climbed up on the roof or that I couldn''t get closer. I was pretty sure that if I had, I wouldn''t have left, no matter what Alya could say or what I promised Olivia.

    I managed to get back to Troy without issue, quickly teleporting home directly from where he had been hidden away. The second I was home, I contacted Olivia and New Wave, explaining that I had found the Farm and that we needed to set up a meeting as soon as possible. Thankfully Sarah Pelham agreed that speed was of the essence, so she agreed to call an emergency meeting, superseded school, work, and all other responsibilities. I also agreed to bring Olivia to the meeting, after getting permission from her, of course. We would be meeting early the next morning, with plans to hopefully bust the Farm before the day was done.

    When we were done organizing the meeting, I was about ready to head in for the night. I wanted to try and get as much natural rest as possible, but Alya caught my attention before I could actually lay down.

    "William¡­ Perhaps tomorrow we should reveal my existence to New Wave and Crow," She suggested.

    "What? Why?" I asked before quickly continuing. "I mean, I don''t have a problem if that''s what you want. I told you before that I don''t want to force you to do anything."

    "Will, relax, it''s nothing like that," She responded reassuringly. "I feel no difference between only talking to you, talking to no one, or talking to many people at once. I may hold a sliver of your soul, but I am not human. Elementals are not social creatures. But, while I remain bound to you, my task is to help you to the best of my ability."

    "Right, which is why I thought you were staying as a trump card."

    "I very well could. However, I also think this assault on the Farm has a much greater chance of going well if I am able to assist directly," She explained. "And I know how devastated you would be if it went wrong."

    "I¡­ Okay, yeah, I can definitely see how having you guide everyone through would be a lot of help," I admitted, nodding along. "Can you handle that without collapsing like you did with the Nazis?"

    "As long as I stay away from using electricity, yes," She responded confidently. "Whispering words into people''s ears is simple, and if that''s too hard, I can just blow cold or warm breezes around to direct them."

    "Right¡­ then yes, if it is okay with you, we should," I said with a nod. "How should we introduce you?"

    "As a case fifty-three," She responded simply. "I am a nebulous air creature with a slight changer form and a strong thinker field that allows me to keep track of a large space around me. I''ve been helping you secretly, mostly because my nature means I would prefer people not to know about me."

    "And why is that changing now?"

    "Because the Farm is too much for me to ignore," She responded. "And if getting the victims out safely means more people need to know that I exist, then so be it."

    "And why we can''t separate?" I asked, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

    "I¡­ I need a focus point to keep my mind clear, and you are my focus point," She explained. "Maybe even imply a linking process, or that your power is allowing me to think and speak in a more human frame of mind. It''s true, after all."

    "...Alright, fine. That should work, but we can go over it tomorrow morning to make sure we didn''t miss anything," I said, shaking my head before running my hand through my hair. "In the meantime, I need some sleep. I''ll see you in the morning."

    I could feel her agreement, the bound elemental pulling away to keep watch over the compound. I let out a long sigh before finally laying back on my head, putting my head down on my pillow, and closing my eyes.

 Chapter Sixty Eight

    I don''t know why I expected to be able to sleep well, not with what I now knew and had walked away from. Every time I closed my eyes, my mind couldn''t help but flick over to a litany of imagined horrors and suffering. As a result, I spent the night tossing and turning, eventually giving up and spending the rest of the night working on magic.

    It was at least something that could distract my mind and keep me from just staring at the ceiling, questioning myself over and over.

    Now that I was working with a team, coming up with ways to make them more effective was something I was consistently considering. The shadow cloud spell that I created was designed explicitly with Crow in mind, specifically to give her the advantage she had at night but during the day.

    But why not go deeper than that? My physical movement enhancement spells clearly showed buffing someone with magic was possible, so why create a more advanced version, something I could distribute to everyone?

    I ended up spending the night designing two spells, the first of which was a body buff that enhanced the target''s reflexes and speed. It was nowhere near the level of enhancement I enjoyed, but it was a good handful of percentage points, which was definitely noticeable. The second one enhanced the target''s durability. Where I was okay with multitasking the first spell, since I needed the speed and reflexes together to keep them balanced, I focused entirely on durability for the second one. It wasn''t quite at bulletproof levels, but it was definitely stabproof. With any luck, it would mitigate any severe damage should anyone get particularly unlucky.

    Both of these spells could be focused on multiple people and were as tight chant-wise as I could make them. Unfortunately, they were complicated bits of magic, so quick casting was unfortunately ineffective.

    Once the sun had risen and my phone''s alarm went off, it was time to start getting ready. I quickly perked myself up a bit with magic, took a nice long hot shower, and got dressed. After having a quick breakfast, as much as I could stomach, I whistled my golems over, standing on my ritual platform.

    "You ready for your first appearance, Alya?" I asked as my golems gathered around me, grabbing shoulders and biceps.

    "I am, but I would prefer to appear once inside," She said. "I would like to remain an unknown for as long as possible."

    "Not exactly polite, but given the circumstances, I think they would understand," I agreed. "Alright, stay nebulous until I introduce you then."

    I could feel her acceptance as I started to chant the teleportation spell, closing my eyes as we vanished from the compound and reappeared at the usual meeting spot. Crow was waiting for us, standing with her arms crossed.

    "Hey, you ready?" I asked. "Need some help waking up? I know I couldn''t sleep."

    "Yeah, that would help."

    I nodded and quickly cast the spell, the silver magic playing over both of us before it faded. After that, she took my hand, and I teleported us to the Dallon front lawn. It was still relatively early, but Lady Photon was waiting for us on the front porch. Her usual friendliness was hard drawn against a spark of determination.

    "Arcanum, Crow, welcome. Please, come in," She said, gesturing for us to follow her as she entered the home. "The others are waiting downstairs."

    I nodded and ordered my golems to stand on the porch before following after her. The slightly older hero guided us down to the familiar, to me at least, set of stairs to the basement. Crow silently followed behind me, taking in the home and then the basement meeting room. Once we had gathered around the table, I spoke up.

    "Thank you, everyone, for coming together on such short notice. First off, yes, I found the location of the Farm," I explained, confirming what I had told them already. "It''s in Merchant territory, not too far from the line between them and the ABB."

    "Are you sure it is the Farm, then?" Flashbang asked. "not something, Merchant?"

    "The members were all Asian, and internally, they were wearing ABB colors," I confirmed. "But, honestly, I didn''t see that first hand. Before I started work officially as a hero, I happened to meet Case Fifty Three. Her name is Alya, and she¡­ well, she exists usually as a nebulous, invisible form. Alya? If you could?"

    With a flourishing breeze, Alya took her solid form. I had long since grown used to her almost elven features and her long cobalt and white hair, but her suddenly coalescing into existence among people, for the first time ever, brought home her more alien appearance.

    "Greetings, as Arcanum said, I am Alya."

    I could see everyone, including Crow, tense up as a sudden new person appeared among us. Before anyone could freak out, Alya spoke up again.

    "I apologize for hiding from you, and I apologize for suddenly appearing rudely in your home, but my nature makes me¡­ very vulnerable," She explained. "I am very weak, unable to lift or move anything beyond around ten pounds, and could be forced to disincorporated with a single weak blow. My weakness and nature¡­I was happy with no one knowing I existed save Arcanum."

    Manpower seemed to be the first to recover, unclenching slowly as the surprise and shock slowly dissipated.

    "Then why reveal yourself now?" He asked with a frown. "If you would have preferred to stay hidden?"

    "My power, when I spread out, lets me search a large area," She explained. "Usually, I just keep Arcanum from being ambushed, but we worked together to find the Farm. If there is anything worth putting myself in danger, it is shutting down that horrible place."

    It took a moment for everyone to gather their thoughts before Lady Photon eventually cleared her throat and nodded.

    "While I would have preferred a different method of introduction, I do understand options were limited," She said with a nod. "If Arcanum trusts you, I believe we can give you the benefit of the doubt."

    "I appreciate that," She said, giving the woman a small bow.

    "Wait¡­ has she always been with you?" Crow asked, sounding a bit concerned. "Just floating around and spying on us?"

    "Yes," I answered simply. "I know that it''s a breach of privacy, but¡­ Her condition changed how she exists. She needs an anchor of sorts, someone to focus on, or she will just drift around almost mindlessly. She literally cannot disconnect from me without losing her humanity. I know it''s not fair to you, Crow, but I trust her with my life, and we really didn''t have any other options."

    Crow seemed to chew on my response, even with her face and body covered, I could see she was upset. I had a feeling that in any other circumstance, she would have been long gone, but the fact we were targeting the Farm was keeping her here.

    "Wait, she is connected to you?" Panacea asked from her spot beside her father. "How so?"

    "We aren''t sure how it works," I admitted, mostly truthfully since I had no idea how the soul magic required actually worked. "It''s a symbiotic relationship. She gets most of her humanity back, and I get someone watching over me to keep me from being ambushed."

    "Most of her humanity?"

    "I still struggle with my sense of time," Alya explained. "To me, there is very little difference in the feeling between a minute, an hour, or even a day. I am happy to float around and watch for hours without talking or becoming corporeal. I actually prefer my more natural state, I wouldn''t be able to do this at all without Arcanum."

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    As Alya explained, I looked over at Crow, who was still standing stiff, like she wanted to bolt but was forcing herself not to. After Alya was done, I looked back at the group.

    "Alya, could you maybe describe what you can do while I have a word with Crow?"

    "Of course," She said. "Well, my most important ability we already mentioned when¡­"

    As Alya started to talk, Crow nearly dragged me up the stairs. I stopped to close the door behind us, only to turn into Crow''s fist as she punched me in the jaw. Despite her enhanced strength and durability, my overcoat''s barrier absorbed the blow, and I heard a worrying cracking sound come from her knuckles.

    "God dammit, mother fucker!" She hissed out, clutching her hand. "You fucking asshole, you broke my hand."

    Ignoring the backward logic she was using, I reached out and gently took her injured hand. I healed out quickly, focusing intently on fixing only the cracked knuckle and busted skin. She had refused to let me heal her scars before, except for her eye, and I was not about to find out if she had changed her mind. As healing magic glowed around our hands, I looked up at her.

    "Crow, I apologize for not telling you about Alya," I said, trying to sound as genuine as I could. "When I first started, I was a lot weaker than I am now. During that time, she was essentially my trump card. She could keep me safe and warn me when something dangerous was coming my way. I swear, in the early days, she was the only reason I managed to get any sleep. She was the only reason I felt safe doing all the work I''ve done, and that includes meeting you. I should have told you eventually, maybe around the time you showed me you were a cape, but¡­ it''s hard to let go of an advantage like that, even with someone you trust."

    My spell cut out, but I didn''t release her hand, in no small part because I was worried she would take another swing if I did. After a moment, her stress and frustration seemed to sag a bit.

    "I¡­ I can understand not wanting to let go of an advantage like that," She admitted. "I¡­ I can understand. Just¡­ she knows who I am."

    For a moment, I considered pointing out that she had revealed her powers without warning. If she had warned me, I would have done something to at least mitigate the whole issue. Then I realized I would likely have to heal her hand again if I did, so instead, I just nodded.

    "She does," I confirmed. "And I am sorry that happened. But I swear she will never tell anyone."

    "I''ll hold you to that Arcanum," She said, pulling her hand away and stepping back towards the stairs.

    I watched her walk away, unable to hide my unhappy frown. I had a gut feeling that things wouldn''t end well, and it turned out I was right. The tone of her voice, the way she left... I could practically sense her disdain for the situation. I realized I had just damaged our friendship, and I had no idea how to fix it.

    I cursed under my breath and shook my head. I had much more important things to worry about at the moment. I could focus on repairing the damage with Crow when we had taken down the Farm.

    I quickly made my way down the stairs, where it seemed as though Alya was giving another short explanation for some of her powers. I waited for her to finish her brief overview before rejoining the table.

    "As you can imagine, having someone with such a power would really help make our way through the compound," I pointed out. "She will be key to coordinating between everyone and avoiding hostages being taken by warning us before things become an issue."

    "I also know what the compound looks like and how it is divided," She explained. "I will be your map, making sure we clear the entire building efficiently and quickly."

    "Perhaps, before we begin talking about plans, you describe the building itself," Lady Photon suggested. "Then we can discuss what our plan of attack is."

    With a marker and a whiteboard, Alya gave us a rough idea of how the place was set up. There were three floors to the facility below the warehouse. The first floor was one part office, one part delivery area. A tunnel led down from ground level into a large drop-off point, where vans and other vehicles could drive down, take care of their horrific business, and leave.

    The second floor was, unfortunately, called the training and recording area. It was just as horrific as the image you might imagine such a room might entail for the unwilling participants and occupants. The third and final floor was the living space. According to Alya, there were around forty women stuffed into enough living space for around twenty. These "quarters" were divided into two spaces, with a "Staff" living area in between.

    By the time Alya was done describing the horrific facility, I could see the frustration and anger, as well as nausea, welling up through many of my new allies'' faces. Alya also seemed to be struggling not just with what she had seen but also being the focus of everyone''s attention. Once we had drawn up a basic outline of what she had described, and New Wave had a chance to ask her questions, she looked at me beseechingly, a rising uncomfortable feeling coming through our connection. Seeing her struggle, I quickly nodded, and she vanished in a swirl of cloudy air before even that vanished. I could feel her stretch out around the home, engulfing much of the neighborhood.

    "Is she okay?" Laserdream asked. "She seemed more than just upset about what she was describing."

    "I think she underestimated how difficult being in front of everyone would be," I said, putting together what I was feeling from our connection. "She is watching the whole neighborhood now, keeping an eye open for trouble."

    "Oh¡­ that''s a bit invasive¡­"

    "It is, but she doesn''t actually see everything," I explained. "From what she described, it''s like watching a whole crowd of people at once. She can technically "see" everything, but that doesn''t mean she is taking everything in. It''s kinda like how you aren''t invading the privacy of the people sitting next to you in a restaurant, even if, technically, you can hear everything they say. She isn''t consciously observing someone until they catch her attention by doing something that would bring them to focus. Plus, she doesn''t share things that aren''t relevant."

    "Well, that explains how you always led us to nearby crimes," Crow said, shaking her head. "Should have put that together better."

    "I''m sure the PRT has noticed and has given me some sort of thinker rating for it," I said with a smirk, though the expression quickly fell from my face. "Should we focus on the task ahead? I know this is a lot, but..."

    "Yes. We need to come up with a plan, something we can execute quickly and precisely," Manpower said, shaking his head as he looked down at our maps. "You are right, by the way. The most dangerous thing that could happen here, outside some crazier possibilities, is that they decide to take hostages. We need to prevent that at all costs."

    We all nodded in agreement, and together, we began assembling a plan. We went step by step, slowly putting together something that, we hoped, would lead to the best results. In the end, we were done at just around lunchtime, and while none of us had any real appetites, we broke to eat.

 Chapter Sixty Nine

    After a quiet and rather somber lunch, in which most of us just nibbled on something light to keep us going and not much more, we returned to the basement. We were finished planning as much as we could with what information Alya had provided. After concluding that we couldn''t trust the sieve that was PRT security to keep this a secret, the only remaining decision to make was when we would engage in our raid.

    "I can''t vote for anything beyond as soon as possible," I admitted with a deep frown, almost a scowl. "We''ve already left the victims in that hell overnight. We need to act now, no more waiting. We can handle any extra difficulties that might arise from not being patient and waiting for the opportune moment."

    "I agree," Manpower said with a nod. "Not only do we owe it to those who are trapped there, but operations like this often run on inverted schedules anyway, to avoid business happening in the light of day. Now may be the better time to attack, even if we didn''t have victims suffering."

    That made a lot of sense, and the rest of New Wave clearly agreed with him. None of us wanted to stretch this out any longer than we needed to, and we were all prepared to do what was necessary to help the poor people trapped inside the facility.

    With everyone on the same page, it was finally time to get the ball rolling. We quickly moved from the basement to the front lawn, where Crow, Lady Photon, Laserdream, Glory Girl, and one of my golems gathered around me. I pulled my staff off of my hip, morphed it out straight from its coiled form, and pulled out my spellbook.

    "Is everyone ready?" I asked, waiting for everyone to nod. "Once we teleport in, the chances of getting discovered start to rise quickly. So we need to move fast. Everyone who is coming on the second trip, get ready to grab on when I return."

    Another round of confirmations later, and I began chanting, the teleportation chant flowing easily with how often I use it, the spell book keeping me from messing anything up, since I could read along with the incantation. When the spell was complete, we vanished from the Dallon front lawn, reappearing in the same alley Alya had stopped me in the night before, when she had positively confirmed the location of the Farm. We were now only a few streets, less than a hundred meters, from our target and well within their monitoring circle.

    "I can see it again, Alya whispered, making the others jump a bit as she talked to them too. "It does seem to be slower, I believe Manpower was correct. There are fewer non-victims."

    "Good, then this is our perfect chance," I said, before nodding to the group I had just teleported in with. "I''ll be back, just hang tight."

    I began to chant again, once again teleporting to the Dallon''s house. As soon as I arrived, my remaining golems latched on, followed by Shielder, Flashbang, and Manpower. Panacea remained behind, sitting on the porch with her arms crossed, as we flashed away from the home, back to the alleyway, where everyone else was waiting. The fact that I could and could defend myself better made bringing her into the situation pointless.

    We had considered bringing her in closer in case something happened to me, but ultimately decided that if we ran into something heavy enough to hurt me, be it a cape or a weapon, we didn''t want the squishy healer close enough to get hurt. Panacea did not exactly agree with that conclusion, but ultimately promised to stay behind.

    "Right, next up is buffs," I said, my spell book flicking through its pages as everyone gathered around. "Stay close, it should only take a few seconds."

    "Hi sunt socii mei, qui pugnant extra me. Per meam voluntatem et magicam velociter se moveant, clara intentione congruunt. Motus eorum velociores motus eorumque velociores."

    As I chanted, flickers of blue energy sparked out from my staff, searching out each member of New Wave and Crow. Once a flicker found someone, it would spin around them, weaving a complicated pattern that soon solidified into a line of mana. Arcane symbols followed the original spark. The energy sank into each of them when I was done.

    "Just one more," I assured them, now slowly sliding my staff back and forth in front of me, starting to chant the second my spellbook flicked to the right page. "Circumstant me amici, fortitudinem petunt. Magia mea super eos abluat, corpora sua confirmet ad resistendum aliis nocumentum inferre."

    This time, the spell was a deep orange that flared out from my staff in a wave that washed over New Wave and Crow. Three arcane symbols spun around my staff rapidly, as several more waves of magic flowed out over everyone, sinking into them until their bodies pulsed once, the magic settling into them.

    "Right, That''s it," I said, nodding to Lady Photon. "Ready when you are."

    Lady Photon nodded and deftly took control of the situation, giving orders with clean, practiced precision. Thankfully, we didn''t have to talk much since we all already knew the plan. Glory Girl grabbed Manpower and Flashbang''s hands while my golems and I climbed onto hovering shields created by Lady Photon and Shielder. The two stronger shield-generating heroes could handle our weight, while Crow climbed onto Laserdream alone. Slowly, we then rose up into the air, with Glory Girl carrying the men and the shields carrying everyone else. My golems and I took a knee for stability as we sped out of the alleyway, all of the fliers moving as fast as they could, directly down the road. Soon, the warehouse was in sight, and we all made a beeline for it.

    In a tight formation, we smashed through the various windows of the warehouse. Immediately, ignoring everyone around us, my golems, and the adults from New Wave all made a beeline to the two stairways that lead downward into the facility. Behind us, as we moved, Glory Girl, Laserdream, and Shielder started rounding up the people "working" in the warehouse, guiding them to a side room and keeping watch.

    Their jobs were simple: intercept any reinforcements and keep anyone from escaping. None of the parents wanted their kids exposed to the absolute horrors that were being committed on the lower floors, so the kids would stay on top. None of them were very happy about that, but we were able to convince them of the importance of keeping watch and holding off reinforcements.

    Honestly, Glory Girl was the only one who needed real convincing. I got the sense that Laserdream and Shielder were secretly happy to stay up top and not venture into the facility. Either way, we managed to convince all of them to keep out of the lower levels, leaving it to us.

    While the younger members got to work, my golems and I rushed to the closest door, two of them working together to rush and bodily slam through the heavy, probably reinforced metal barrier. Just before they made contact, I raised my staff.

    "Frigus trabem virtutis!" I shouted, two symbols spinning around and lining up to the end of my staff, a dual triangle of bright blue spinning as a beam of frozen energy fired out and slammed into the door.

    Between firing it from my staff and using the full incantation, the lower-end ice spell was maximized, flash-freezing the door enough that the thick glass that was built into the top left corner cracked. Then my golems slammed into it, and the whole door crumpled and shattered, flying from the door frame, slamming into the opposite wall, all the way across the stairwell.

    Time was of the essence, so I didn''t slow, following two of my golems as they jumped over the railing, falling down into the gap at the center of the stairwell. I reached out for the railing as well, jumping up and over, grabbing the rail to direct myself down, following all the way to the bottom floor with enough force to crack the concrete, which was already damaged from my first golems.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    My remaining two golems stayed behind, now under Alya''s direction, and began making their way to the first hidden floor. According to Alya, the first floor was a sort of office space and did not contain any victims, only ABB members. With our primary goal to protect the victims and the younger members of New Wave keeping anyone from escaping, we were happy to send in the golems to take down or flush out ABB gang members on the second floor since we didn''t need to worry about any of them taking hostages.

    As I recovered from the three-story fall onto concrete, I looked up and barked out orders to the golems who had landed before me.

    "Open it!" I commanded needlessly, since the first two golems were already slamming their fists into the door, prying it open slowly. "Move!"

    My second order overrode my first, both golems pulling away as I once again thrust my staff at the door, this time focusing the tip on the already damaged lock.

    "Momentum vis exploding!" I shouted, a single flicker of arcane symbols appearing, almost invisible, as the air itself seemed to ripple and explode forward.

    The door bent around the lock, slamming open, pulling partially from the frame. The explosion of pure force cracked the door frame by the lock, freeing the door to slam open.

    "Three directly to your left, two to your right in a separate room, five straight ahead in the central guard area," Alya said in my ear, even as I rushed forward through the now open door.

    Sure enough, I stepped into a hallway running on either side of me, with an open doorway into a room ahead of me. There were several doors along the wall on each side of me, and to my left, three ABB gangers stood, their eyes wide.

    "Alya, guide golems, prioritize the victims," I shouted, rushing forward, swinging my staff up, the gem pulsing as I quick cast a blast of air, which caught the closest ABB ganger in the chest, launching him up and back hard enough that he tumbled backward against the ceiling.

    The gangers, broken free from their surprise, both pulled out guns, one a simple pistol, the other a MAC-10. The ganger with the submachine gun pulled his finger back and held it, dumping his entire magazine down the hall. With no idea what was going on behind me, I swiped my staff down, creating a green barrier. Several bullets still hit me, my ablative shield taking the damage and cracking before the green barrier appeared and absorbed the rest, the useless bullets flattening against it and falling to the ground, their energy spent. By the end of the barrage, the green, conjured shield was cracked and struggling to hold its form.

    With a shout of force, I jabbed my staff through the shield, which collapsed once I did before I cast a barrage of low-energy sparks. The skittering lances of electricity zapped and shocked both of the gangers, the closer one with the submachine gun getting a face-full of sparks before seizing up and dropping to the ground.

    The third ganger cursed and turned to run, only for me to zap his leg and then slam a knockout spell into his back as I ran forward. I literally kicked a healing spell into him, then into his two buddies, before knocking them out with my lightning spell as well.

    I turned, just in time to watch my two golems, directed by Alya, drag the pair of gangers who had been in the side room. Behind them, I could see a dark, sparse room, with a bed frame in one corner, the other hidden by darkness.

    "The five in the middle are splitting up," Alya shouted, prompting me to rush forward. "Three coming this way."

    "Take the golems around!" I ordered, watching as the golems immediately shifted and ran, disappearing down another hallway.

    I sprinted forward, arriving at the entrance to the center space just as the three ABB members walked out. Two of them had shotguns shouldered and ready, while the third had what looked like a flavor of Russian assault rifle. I moved quick, reaching them as they turned to fire at me, my staff slamming into one of the shotgun-wielding goons'' stomach, lifting him off his feet. I quick cast a knockout ball into him before he hit the ground, before spinning around to slap the rifle from the other ganger''s hand, bending the barrel and breaking his hands in the process. The third and final gang member managed to actually pull the trigger of his weapon, a barrage of buckshot making my ablative barrier glow before most of it failed. Any pellet with any kinetic energy left bounced off of me, their energy too drained to even penetrate my enhanced clothes.

    The ABB member didn''t get a chance to fire again as I clocked him in the chin with my fist, which I followed up with a knockout spell before he hit the ground.

    "I''ve gotten the other two. The golems are dragging them back," Alya said quietly as I double-checked that all of the bastards were out cold. "The other teams are almost done, we- Arc, turn around."

    I followed her voice as it moved, turning quickly, ready for a fight, only to find a battered-looking woman, bruised and with a cracked lip, limping out of the room Alya had dragged two ABB members out of. She looked around, shaking like a rabbit. What little clothes she had on were torn and bloody.

    "Ma''am, everything is alright," I assured her, talking softly as I curled up my staff and clipped it to my belt, holding my hands out, palms out to show I was unarmed. "My name is Arcanum, I''m a hero, we are here to get you all out."

    She backed up as I stepped forward, so I stopped, not wanting to traumatize her any more than she already was. As I watched, she scrambled back into her room, hiding back in the corner of the bed, eyes locked on me, gripping her bedframe with white knuckles.

    "Alya, drag all of the ABB to the center room and watch over them with the golems," I said, my voice cold as I took a slow step back. "Then tell the others that I cleared out my floor and that we need the police here as fast as possible."

    I could feel her pull away for a moment, passing on my words and whispering orders to the golems, who returned a moment later, carrying gangers. I added my own knockout spells to each of them, assuring that they would be out for several hours. It might make things a bit more difficult for the police, but I wasn''t taking any chances.

    As I felt Alya pull back in, I asked about the victims.

    "Are there any who look particularly hurt?" I asked. "Anyone being actively in danger or in exorbitant amounts of pain?"

    "No, most of them seem to be sleeping," she responded. "Or at least pretending to be. There are bruises and cuts all around, but¡­ nothing life-threatening. Are you going to release them?"

    "Are there still forty of them?"

    "Twenty-seven down here," She responded softly. "The rest are upstairs."

    "Then no, we can''t," I said, shaking my head. "We can''t handle forty traumatized, panicking people at once. The cops will have the personnel and training to handle this. We just need to keep them safe until they can. How are the women upstairs?"

    "Scared, but Lady Photon is keeping them calm enough."

    I nodded before settling in to wait for the police to arrive. I might not be able to truly help these poor victims, but I could at least stand watch for them.

    Soon, they would be free.

 Chapter Seventy

    The police took a good ten minutes to finally arrive, during which we managed to get all of the ABB members up to the top, all but throwing them out of the warehouse. It was hard not to get a little rough with them. They deserved it, after all, for just being involved with this monstrous undertaking. I ended up leaving most of the work to my golems as I quickly found myself too tempted to enact my own justice.

    When the police arrived, most of the team returned to the surface to watch for ABB reinforcements. I was pretty sure they weren''t going to, as the only reason the Farm was useful to the ABB was because it was hidden, and from what Alya could see, there was no cash or resources stored at the site. There might be some interesting information on the computers, but if there was, they didn''t care enough to try and take it back. There was no reason for the ABB to come try and take the facility back when we had already found it.

    While the rest of the team kept watch, I remained inside the building, as I was asked several times to heal some of the more worrying wounds, treating the scared women gently as I washed away things that were likely to or were already infected, as well as a few broken and fracture bones that Alya couldn''t have detected when I asked her to check on the victims.

    As I stayed behind, I was treated to a horror show. Victim after victim was gently coaxed from their cells, revealing horrific living conditions. Even worse was the condition of the victims, with severe bruising being the absolute minimum injury. One woman in particular bore a split lip that reached her gums, while almost all others had tears and sores along their ankles and wrists, severe bruising, and quite a few stress fractures along their bodies.

    I wasn''t ashamed to admit I lost my last meal after running a scan on a particular unconscious woman. She had refused to calm down, traumatized past the point of sense, so the paramedics had been forced to sedate them. Her injuries were plentiful, but it was the trauma below the belt that undid my self-control.

    Despite our involvement, the PRT did not show up during this entire process. Whether out of respect for the scenario or fear of the message of only showing up after everything was over, they never showed their face. At that point, I had more or less accepted their uselessness. If we wanted to help this city, we would have to do it ourselves.

    Eventually, after almost two hours, the last woman was brought away, and it was time for us to leave. I had certain duties that I had ignored for the sake of taking down the Farm, but now that that was over, I needed to get them done. New Wave agreed to stay on watch for a little while long, and when I offered to bring Crow home, she said she would walk, fading into a shadow and disappearing.

    I watched after her for a moment before cursing under my breath and teleporting away. When I arrived back home, I immediately stripped and climbed into the shower. I felt dirty and sick after what I had witnessed, and a scalding hot shower only just barely helped. When I felt marginally cleaner, I teleported off to the hospital.

    I should have seen it coming, but when I arrived, they were already busy, as they had taken in all of the injured women from our bust. Kicking myself that I hadn''t realized that sooner, I immediately volunteered to heal them.

    One by one, each woman was treated delicately, and after their wounds and damages were documented, I healed them completely, doing everything I could to wipe away any reminder of their experience. Most of them were too traumatized to do anything but watch me nervously as I approached and carefully healed them. Only the woman who I saw, who had stepped out of her prison cell only to cower back inside, was cognizant enough to whisper a broken and tear-filled thank you when I was done.

    After the women were healed, I completed my normal healing rounds more or less on autopilot. When I was done, I teleported to my usual spot near the PRT Headquarters so I could complete my duties there. Thankfully, there were only a few people who needed healing, and when I was done, the PRT officer escorting me through the building began to escort me back to the public areas. Despite the fact that I was at least still partially on autopilot, I did notice when my escort took a turn that I knew I did not lead to the exit. I stopped with a frown, my golems stopping with me. The guide made it a few steps before he noticed, stopping in the hall and looking back at me.

    "Is there something wrong?" He asked.

    "Why are we not heading back to the front door?" I asked with raised eyebrows.

    "Director Piggot wishes to speak with you," He responded. "She wishes to discuss your recent success locating and clearing the Farm."

    I looked at him for a moment, wondering what his superior could be thinking, before giving up and shaking my head. Resisting the urge to immediately assume the worst and snap, I let out a long breath.

    "Did Director Piggot perhaps mention asking me if I was free?" I asked, looking at the fully uniformed agent. "I don''t report to her, and my schedule doesn''t revolve around her. She certainly doesn''t get to drag me into a meeting without asking first. "

    "I¡­ " He started to respond, trailing off when the agent realized he didn''t really have a way to respond without pissing me off more.

    "Right. Well, tell Director Piggot that if she would like to make an appointment, she has access to my phone number. She can call me," I responded, before turning back and walking down the hall I knew led out.

    "Hold on a minute, you are not allowed through restricted sections of the building without an escort," He responded, making no move to follow me, the tension in the room just slightly clicking upward. "If you would just meet with Director P-"

    "Are you saying I''m not allowed unescorted¡­ and then refusing to escort me?" I asked, turning back to look at the agent. "Are you fucking seri- You know what? Am I being detained?"

    "No, you are not being detained," He responded. "The Director just wants a-"

    "Good, then I''ll be going."

    I pulled out my staff, the curled wood straightening with a silent quick cast spell. The tension in the room suddenly spiked, and my guide pulled his pistol, though he kept it aimed at the ground. I could also hear the sound of several other weapons being pulled from behind me, but I ignored them. I whistled, and my golems moved in, gripping onto my arms.

    "Tell Piggot not to bother calling me any time today," I said, before rapping my staff down on the floor, the iron cap thunking on the linoleum tiles. "Probably tomorrow either. Goodbye!"

    One of the crystals on my staff, attached to a wooden loop by a strip of leather, glowed for a moment as I spoke the activation word for the spell trapped inside. The teleport spell activated in seconds, dragging me and my golems away instantly, landing on the ritual platform at the compound.

    The golems immediately backed away, releasing my arms as they looked for threats. Meanwhile, I stood there, my eyes closed as I tried to contain my rising temper. After a long moment, Alya spoke up.

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    "Was that smart?" Alya asked.

    "No, it probably wasn''t," I admitted easily, shaking my head. "But I find myself not really caring. She isn''t my boss. She has no right to order me around or just expect me to follow her demands."

    As I responded, I pulled off my coat, hanging it in a branch, perhaps a bit rougher than necessary.

    "Well¡­ I thought you wanted to remain on good terms with the PRT?" She asked, shifting into her corporeal form and floating down, following me as I practically stormed to the fire pit area, dropping down roughly into one of the seats.

    "I know, I know," I said, rubbing my eyes as I leaned forward, sitting on the edge of the seat. "But I just waded through the closest thing to hell that I have ever seen, and their response is to try and strong-arm me into a meeting, all after I just finished healing their people!"

    Somewhere along my response, I had stood back up, beginning to pace around the compound, walking back and forth on the grown wooden boards that made up most of the latest additions.

    "The Farm has been here for years, and they did nothing about it! I mean, we didn''t even do anything special! You found it, but I''m sure there are plenty of thinkers who could have done the same. I might be a potent jack of all trades, but what we did wasn''t all that impressive, we just beat up a couple armed gangers!"

    "What about Lung?" Alya pointed out. "Not to play devil''s advocate, but he was a rather large threat, even to a large, powerful group. You said it yourself. The most likely reason you managed to beat him was that you didn''t come off as a threat but were able to deal with his low-level ramping stages."

    I stopped pacing, letting out a long, almost ragged breath. I reached my hand up to run it through my hair, only to find my mask was still on. I took it off and tossed it onto one of the nearby seats, missing it completely.

    I took another deep breath and, begrudgingly, accepted that she had a point. The local Protectorate didn''t really have one silver bullet that could take down Lung by themselves. Dauntless was close, but even he wasn''t nearly as tough as I was. Still, that did not absolve them from their sins.

    "If the local ENE PRT couldn''t take care of him, then the PRT as a whole should have," I eventually responded, my point remaining strong despite the fire leaving me. "None of this ''Gotham belongs to Batman, Metropolis to Superman bullshit.'' For fucks sake, there was a sex slave ring operating in the city! And people knew it existed! The only way the ABB could have been more obvious about it is if they took out an ad in the paper to talk about it! The PRT may not have known where it was, but they knew it was here somewhere. The fact that Lung wasn''t crushed by someone who countered him inherently, or squashed flat under the Triumvirate boot is¡­ Fuck, it''s really unacceptable."

    "I¡­ cannot argue with that," She admitted. "It is as if this town had been abandoned, but nobody warned the civilians to evacuate. The local Protectorate is in a holding pattern while the gangs slowly progress, barely restrained."

    I stood there, in the relatively warm space around my compound, looking out into the forest. I could feel Kali, just under the surface, doing her best to support me as I worked through the frustration and anger that ran under my skin.

    "I''m¡­ I won''t be like them," I finally said, shaking my head. "Is it their fault they are stuck like this? I don''t know. But I refuse to stop or slow down. Tomorrow, I''m going to talk to Crow, if she will even talk to me, about pushing this further. I am sick of ignoring the ABB and E88 and just letting them hang by the side, just because they are keeping quiet now. We will start with drugs, work our way down to guns, then crack down on their money."

    "Obliterating the ABB is going to cause even more of a power vacuum," she pointed out. "The Empire won''t stay away. Even gangs from outside the city will be tempted.''

    "There won''t be a power vacuum because I''m going to fill it," I explained, standing up straight. "For now, New Wave and I can fill in and keep the E88 out when they try to expand. But in the next charge cycle, I will figure out something specific to invest every point I can. Something that will let me create help at a level that can work on its own. Maybe it''s just pure golem creation or something else entirely. I''m not sure what it is yet, but whatever I settle on, I will use it to make a whole group of people watch over the territory.

    "Something sentient?" Alya asked. "That''s not usually simple."

    "Maybe. It''s not a requirement, but it would likely solve the problem," I answered, shaking my head. "I''ll have to explore the limits of my golem-making with my normal ritual crafting, see if there is any way to make it work."

    Sentience was a complicated subject when it came to magic, as it was heavily tied into soul magic, which was far from something I could tap into. The entity that put me on this Earth had made it very clear, as did what Alya knew about it, that I would have to invest dozens of points into soul magic to even scratch the surface, and those were points I still couldn''t spare. My golems lacked any sentience, and I was pretty sure my rituals couldn''t create it without a significant sacrifice, either by me or someone else. It wasn''t something I could do willy-nilly, especially since I had already created Kali.

    "I have a feeling my golem work isn''t going to cut it, and my ritual skill will probably lead me toward a darker angle than I would feel comfortable with," I said after a long moment of thinking. "That said, there is definitely a solution out there. I just need to find it. Once I do, I can make an army of ''capes'' loyal to me and to making this shithole of a city safe.

    "That is going to scare the hell out of a lot of people," Alya pointed out. "Not just the PRT."

    "If they didn''t want to force someone to solve their problems, they should have fixed them first!" I fired back, before taking another long breath, once again pushing my fingers through my hair, before shaking my head and letting out a long sigh. "Sorry, I''m just¡­ I''m not in a good head space right now. Not after what I saw. Whatever I need to do to make it work, whether it''s to make them seem like real people or pass them off as projections, I will make it happen. If the PRT isn''t going to save this city, I will."

    Alya floated just a few feet away, slowly flowing cooling air over me, a gentle breeze that was refreshing, even as it made me shiver. I could feel Kali too, pushing from her space inside the land around us. She actually appeared, no more than a shimmering flutter of air, colored by spinning and dancing leaves. Still, it was impressive, a mark of her progress and growth as a Genus Loci. She didn''t say anything, only stepped forward and wrapped me in a hug, rubbing the back of my head. From beside me, one of her living wood wolves pressed against my leg.

    Silently, I leaned on her for support, an anchor through the horrific scenes I had witnessed throughout the day.

 Chapter Seventy One

    It took some time for me to calm down, a mixture of frustration and disgust giving me a sort of nervous, manic energy that seemed to rattle around in my bones, fighting to explode out of me. I cried, I cursed, I shouted at the trees and to the sky, but both Kali and Alya stayed close, keeping me from doing anything stupid until I finally worked through it. I ended up making my way to my room, barely taking the time to finish getting out of my costume before collapsing into my bed.

    I woke up about five hours later to my phone ringing. When I picked it up, I could see I had already missed three calls from an unknown number, but that it was Lady Photon who was currently calling me. I took a moment to shake off my sleep before tapping the call button.

    "Hello, this is Arcanum."

    "Arcanum, hello, it''s Lady Photon," the familiar voice confirmed. "I just wanted to check in on you and make sure everything was alright."

    "Yeah, I''m¡­ I''m okay, recovering at home," I assured her.

    "That''s good. That was a lot to take in, even for us," She admitted. "We have a lot more experience handling this sort of situation, or at least similar situations... It''s not easy."

    "Yeah, it was.... worse than I could imagine."

    There was a solemn, dark silence over the phone before Lady Photon cleared her voice, pulling us back to the conversation.

    "So, sometime after the scene was cleared, the PRT called in New Wave for information when you refused to meet with the Director," She added, and I winced. "We want you to know that we one hundred percent support your refusal. We''ve been dealing with PRT and Protectorate crap long enough to read between the lines of what they were saying to hear what they were actually doing. While I would recommend trying not to be so¡­ bombastic about it, next time, you don''t have to worry about getting in trouble."

    "How did you manage that?"

    "Director Piggot is a rigid military woman, and she doesn''t trust capes. She assumes the worst, and when she tries to wrangle a situation, she assumes her assets will function like military-trained assets would," She explained, sounding exasperated with what seemed like an ongoing issue. "She needs reminding that we are not military assets, that we aren''t even her assets to begin with. She doesn''t like hearing that, of course, but at least she doesn''t pretend it''s not true."

    "Jesus, what a clusterfuck," I said, leaning on my elbow and running my hand thrush my hair. "How is this going to affect me covering for Amy?"

    "We thought of that. With her psychologist''s agreement, Amy will be healing at the PRT for now," She explained, continuing before I could open my mouth. "Don''t worry. She will be following your parameters rather than following her old scheduling habits. It also plays into her therapy in other ways, but she hasn''t discussed that with me, which is fine. She seemed genuinely happy about the setup when we discussed it, but we will be keeping track and checking in consistently. Further, she will never be healing without a member of New Wave with her."

    "Good, that sounds good," I said with a nod. "In all honesty, it''s probably better to put some space between the PRT and me for a while. Not their biggest fan at the moment."

    "I don''t blame you," the mother superhero admitted. "Well, I just wanted to let you know we managed to smooth things over a bit, and make sure you are okay."

    "Thank you, Lady Photon, I appreciate the phone call," I said honestly.

    A few more pleasantries were exchanged before we hung up, leaving me alone in my room until Alya reformed, sitting on the edge of the bed beside me.

    "That sounded good."

    "Well, I''m not wanted, and it doesn''t sound like I''m too far up Director Piggot''s shit list," I responded with a shrug. "Both of those are good."

    I leaned back on my hands for a moment, before letting out a long sigh.

    "Why does it feel like everyone in the government here is holding the idiot ball and can''t let it go?" I asked the universe rhetorically. "I really hope it''s not contagious."

    I sat for a while longer before eventually getting up and stretching. There was no way I was leaving the compound again for the rest of the day, barring an emergency. Instead, I had a late lunch or early dinner before finally getting to work on something I had promised to make Kali a while ago. She had seemed to like the idea of a golem she could boss around here to help with work. Unfortunately, for the longest time, I had been too busy to work on anything that wasn''t necessary. Thankfully, I now had some free time.

    It was simple really, just about the easiest golem I had ever created, with living wood as a base and only a handful of ritualized gemstones on a stone core. It could follow commands, sure, but struggled to comprehend complex instructions. I had intended to make it much more complicated, but Kali intervened and explained, through some complicated imagery and feelings, that that was all she needed. When it was done, she seemed happy, but within an hour, the golem had disappeared. Kali seemed smug when I asked about her, teasingly implying that I should be patient.

    The following day, I quickly completed my rounds at the hospital before leaving to check on the docks community. I spent some time repairing the damaged golems, which I had left alone for way too long. I also promised to bring a pair of metal golems soon, to really solidify the place''s defenses. The four metal golems that followed me around had proven to be extremely competent and durable, so building a few specifically for defending the community would help considerably.

    I had Ayla keep her eyes peeled for Olivia, but she was nowhere to be found. She was either avoiding me or avoiding the community altogether. I left her a message through George that I was looking for her, but I didn''t have high hopes.

    I went on patrol alone after that, making a push to no longer ignore the gathering of ABB forces we stumbled on. It slowed down the patrol considerably, but we busted a small drug house and a few small groups of goons at separate places. It was well worth the extra time, especially because some of them seemed shocked that I had picked them up. Guess they thought I was playing softball to keep from stirring any trouble up, but the time for that had long passed.

    When I traded off patrols with New Wave, I immediately teleported just outside the junkyard I had used to make my golems. Another chunk of cash and a few spells later, and I left with enough metal for several more golems, though this time I didn''t form the metal into anything yet, instead leaving it in large metal chunks. Having some metal lying around the compound might come in handy at some point, and I could quickly form them as needed rather than beforehand.

    Once I finished and delivered the metal golems to the community, I spent the next few days working on the compound. I still performed my daily tasks, but most of my time was spent out of the city. The patrols were much more intense than before, sure, but in most ways, I was taking it easy, recovering from the Farm raid. I also made sure to check up on the victims in the hospital, even as most of them were discharged to return to their lives. The ones who remained were still struggling mentally, and would soon most likely be relegated to mental health institutions, where they would hopefully recover.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    For one, long night, I considered trying to create a mental healing spell. My knowledge automatically fed me a bare framework, even just from thinking about it, but I hesitated to keep going. Messing with people''s minds, even in a good way, was something I wasn''t sure about. Magical healing was incredible, yes, but it wasn''t perfect. The nature of the healing itself brushed most of its shortcomings to the side, but that wouldn''t be the case with mind healing.

    The brain was too complicated to just memory wipe the trauma away, as PTSD and other mental trauma symptoms can exist without memory of the actual event. Healing mental trauma would equate to a full mind massage, tweaking, poking, and prodding the brain back into shape. It was absolutely mind control, and there was absolutely no way I would ever be able to convince people it was all I could do, as that''s just now how powers seemed to work here.

    At some point, when the cat was out of the bag, and I had people who believed me that I was using magic, I might offer that sort of spell to people. For now, however, having a spell like that would most likely get me locked up, along with anyone I used it for potential master effects.

    On the seventh night of my current charge cycle, I got a rather shocking scare. I was sitting by the fire, brainstorming some ideas for what I would spend my next charges on, when a large, almost skeletal form began to pull itself from the dirt a dozen or so feet past the edge of the compound lights. The movement caught my eye immediately, but I still froze as the dark form seemed to yank itself free of the ground, crawling from the earth, clumps of clay and mud falling from its frame.

    Finally, I recovered enough to react. I held out my hand and gave my staff, which was leaning against the wall not far from me, a mental yank. It slapped into my hand, and with a flourish, I aimed the business end at the shadow. I was just about to turn said shadow into a very bright fire, when Kali sent a wave of calm through the compound. I slowly lowered my staff, and the shadow walked closer, slowly stepping into the fire pit area.

    It was her golem, the one I had made her a few days ago, though it hardly resembled what I had first created. What had been a simple, headless humanoid frame was now refined and remolded to match human proportions. It had a head, arms, legs, and a torso, all proportional to its height and size. As I watched, short green leaves began to grow from its scalp, creating what was almost like a pixie cut, finished with a large single rose growing just above the temple.

    As its "hair" grew, the golem''s face shifted and moved, smiling happily at me as the clearly feminine golem stepped closer. Its whole body was clearly sculpted after a woman''s, with coils and branches of my enhanced wood forming strong limbs. Unlike the normal golems, this one sported rather tight and refined definition, rather than stocky, brutish trunks.

    Covering a large portion of the golem''s body was a dress of leaves and flowers, which pulled tight around it, almost like a layered kimono nightgown. Overall, the very feminine golem had very sharp, almost wolfish features, with large, brilliant green eyes. It was like looking at a wooden anime character. The features were alien enough, however, that it skipped over the uncanny valley, settling into a space that was sharp, but expressive, while very much not being human.

    As the golem got closer, it smiled, and trees around us shuddered and swayed.

    "...Kali? Is that you?" I asked, my own eyes wide as I stood up slowly, leaning my staff against the chair.

    I stepped closer, and the golem made a "so-so" gesture with their hand. Between our connection and her hand motions, I got the gist of the situation. She was inhabiting the body, which she had spent several days working on underground, but it wasn''t actually her body or anything, just a vessel she could use. Better than ordering around some golems by far, even if she had drained some of her stored energy to get it done.

    It was incredible, an artistic creation beyond anything I was capable of, with a detailed, layered magic that I didn''t even know where to start interpreting. She seemed to love it, happily stoking the fire, walking around the compound, tending some of the flowers and berry bushes that had started to grow around the edges, and even bringing me a cup of hot chocolate as it started to get late. It felt like I had gained a magical dryad caretaker, who seemed to love every minute of finally being able to interact fully with the real world.

    Thankfully, she seemed to switch seamlessly between inhabiting the golem frame and letting it form into the side of a tree not far from the edge of the compound. I could actually feel the difference when she did that, her being going from a quiet, subtle blanket to a heavy, colorful point, walking around the compound itself.

    Kali was growing at a steady rate, as the magic nature of the compound itself encouraged her growth. I could already tell that her domain was pushing further into the forest around us. Towards the city, it felt like a dozen feet or so had slowly fallen under her influence. On the other side, however, almost three times that had been claimed. She was growing more powerful as well, and her influence on reality in her domain was beginning to show.

    It was exciting to see her growth, and I could tell she was happy with her progress as well. With a temporary body set up, I was excited to finally be able to talk normally to her, which she seemed to think wasn''t too far away.

    The day after Kali''s golem form rose from the mud, I finally heard from Olivia. I woke up to a message on my phone from her, telling me to pick her up for patrol like normal. So far, up until that point, I had been covering our patrols alone, which was honestly fine since I had the support of my golems. Four powerful metal golems and a rapidly learning mage were more than enough to handle a small army of ABB goons. Either way, I wasn''t about to force anyone to work with me as a hero. I didn''t want anyone beside me that didn''t want to be there.

    Technically, I could have found her whenever I wanted, using my connection to the magic in her cloak. However, I had already breached her trust once, so stalking her with the equipment I gave her seemed like a universally bad choice. Unless she was in danger or had crossed a very hard line, I had decided to leave her alone. She did deserve her privacy, after all. Thankfully, she reached out to me, saving me the issue of worrying about it at all.

    That morning, I did my regular morning business before saying goodbye to Kali and teleporting away to the city. Rather than heading directly to the pickup spot, I grabbed a couple of coffees and a pair of breakfast burritos. Forgiveness was always easier with a full stomach, after all.

    I teleported to the alleyway to find her sitting in her usual spot, leaning back against the wall of the alley. She spotted me immediately and leaned forward, but before she could say anything, I put the burrito and coffee into her hands. I could practically feel her eyes rolling when she shook her head and opened the paper bag to see what I had gotten her.

    I didn''t hear a single complaint while she ate it, though. When we were both done, I sat on a crate on the opposite side of the alleyway. After a moment, we both spoke up at the same time.

    "We need to talk."

    "We need to talk."

 Chapter Seventy Two

    We sat there for a second or five, basking in the awkwardness of having talked over each other like that. Then I snorted, and Olivia threw the crumpled wrapper of her burrito at me, though it went wide when the wind caught it. Rather than compete for whoever was going to go first, I gestured for her to talk. For a few seconds, I thought she might have missed it. Finally, she leaned forward and uncrossed her arms, seeming ready to talk.

    "I''m still not happy about the whole secret watcher thing," She explained. "But¡­ I''m also not¡­ I''m not up my own ass enough to think that my feelings matter more than you getting an extra edge on being a hero. It''s dangerous, and you were on your own when you were just starting out. Keeping some secrets is expected, but¡­ Well, I''m sure you''ve noticed by now, but I''m a private person. I don''t like sharing about myself, and¡­ you''re the first person I have ever told about my powers. Finding out that your friend was also around got to me and¡­ Well, I just wish you had trusted me."

    "If I had known you were about to unmask yourself, I would have told you. Or at least warned you," I assured her. "I''m sorry it happened like that, and I''m sorry you found out the way you did. I would have liked to have eased you into it in a more personal setting¡­ But I wasn''t willing to delay the Farm raid for that. I can''t apologize for that, it couldn''t wait."

    "I wouldn''t expect you to. You made the right choice," She said, pulling down her hood so I could see her face. "That was beyond us, beyond personal feelings."

    "So¡­ you still want to work with me?" I asked, looking at her. The question made her roll her eyes.

    "Yes, I still want to work with you," She confirmed. "I told you I get it. I''m not happy about it, but I''ll get over it. You didn''t do anything that bad."

    "That''s great. I missed your company the last few times I patrolled," I admitted with a smirk. "The golems aren''t really that talkative, and Alya is usually busy keeping an eye on the area."

    "I''m glad I could help keep you from getting bored," she joked before looking around. "I assume Alya is here? Could we talk before we start?"

    "Alya?" I asked, looking upward. "Could you pull yourself together for a moment?"

    I watch as the elemental coalesced into her corporeal form, sensing a sort of reluctance. Between working with New Wave now, I was getting the picture that she wasn''t enjoying the attention very much, something that surprised her. It wasn''t quite social anxiety, feeling more like wariness of being seen at all.

    "Greeting, Crow," Alya said, giving her a slight bow as she floated slightly above us.

    "Hello," Olivia responded, sounding a bit awkward. "I''m not usually someone to do this, but Will trusts you, so I¡­ I''m going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Please don''t prove my paranoia right."

    "I will do my best to uphold your trust," Alya responded, nodding her head. "I¡­ would like to apologize. I would not take my actions back, as I was working to keep William safe, but I did not wish to upset you."

    "Apology accepted," Olivia responded, reaching out her hand toward Alya.

    After a long moment, Alya reached out as well, and they shook hands. After a moment, Alya looked back at me with a silent question. When I nodded in agreement, she poofed into a cool breeze and dispersed around us.

    "So¡­ where are we patrolling today?" Olivia asked, pulling her hood over her head, her cloak morphing slightly into a feathered, galaxy-decorated covering layer.

    "Well¡­ before I heard from you, I was going to do some short patrols before jumping to a specific target," I admitted. "Alya spotted what she thinks is a depot of some kind. Some drugs and some guns, but nothing too massive. Sounds like it''s just a minor storage or distribution center. Maybe ten or fifteen goons."

    "Finally going directly after the gang, huh?" She asked, sounding interested.

    "Yeah¡­ The Farm really pushed me over the edge," I admitted,m shaking my head. "I''m strong enough to take on just about any number of non-cap members at this point, so it''s time to start breaking the ABB down."

    "Hey, you don''t need to convince me," She assured me, punching me in the shoulder. "So, patrol first, then the direct hit. I''m ready when you are."

    I whistled for my golems to get close, and Crow stepped closer as well since they knew the drill. As they all hung off of me, I began to chant, finishing the teleportation spell after a few seconds, all of us reappearing deep in ABB territory.

    Which would hopefully not be theirs for long.

    Once everyone was in place, we started to walk the streets, making a show of our presence as we patrolled. I had very specifically chosen this route as it was very far from our future target, meaning when we teleported close by, it would come from nowhere, hopefully catching the ABB inside off guard.

    "So are we just putting on a show until it''s go time, or are we keeping an eye out for anything while we wait?" Crow asked as we walked together, flanked by all four of my golems.

    "No, we can take care of anything Alya spots," I responded. "No reason not to, especially if she spots something bigger to stomp on. Well, if it''s too big, I might hold off so we can include New Wave."

    We continue to walk around the area, eventually stopping a mugging. After that, we walked along the line between ABB and Empire territory. It was here that tension was the highest I had felt in a long time, and for obvious reasons. The ABB was, to many in the area, a shield against the Empire, and now that shield was slowly collapsing. People moved around as if they expected the Empire to rush in at any moment, and to be fair, they were not entirely wrong.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    I was pretty sure that the only reason the Empire hadn''t pushed forward was because they couldn''t get a firm grip on what I had to bring to the table. At first, they probably assumed I was some lowly new cape trying to make a difference. Then I killed Alabaster and took down Rune and Kreig all by myself. Since then, I''ve been mixing it up nearly constantly, always upping or shifting what I was capable of. Making Troy and other golems, finding Crow as an ally, defeating Lung and Oni-Lee, making metal golems, working with New Wave, giving them their new gear, and then finally showing off that I could teleport anywhere in the city in just a few seconds?

    I wouldn''t be surprised that my capture or elimination hadn''t been on the Empire docket a few times already, only for a new development or ability to put the task back into the planning phase. I could only hope that would hold out until I got another cycle of charges and I could start making allies to protect freed parts of the city.

    After the police drove away with the mugger and I healed the victim, We continued to patrol for another thirty minutes. Eventually, I decided enough was enough, and it was time to go after something a bit meatier than muggers and lone drug dealers. We retreated to the alleyway, my golems, and Crow gathering around me as I pulled out my staff and straightened it.

    "Okay, so according to Alya, the depot is in an abandoned gas station. We''ve actually passed by it a couple times during our random patrols. The front is all boarded up, but the back entrance is open, which is how they get in and out," I explained. "Crow, I want you to stealth around back to keep anyone from running while I send the golems in through the front door, boards and all."

    "Hard and heavy, nice," Crow agreed. "Will we even need to do anything?"

    "Not if we are lucky," I responded with a smirk. "I''ll follow in after them to clean up, just in case, but if we are lucky, we won''t have to do anything but pick up a little slack if it comes up. We are going to pop up in an alley across the street from it, but hold back for just a second. I''m going to cast that shadow spell for you, and then it''s on.

    "Fine by me," She said with a nod, reaching out to grab my arm, my golems already holding on.

    With my staff out in one hand and my spellbook in the other, I cast the teleportation spell, and moments later, we were in a new, totally unspecial alleyway. As my golems and Crow stepped away. I turned to face the direction of the gas station.

    "Not a lot of civilians around," Alya whispered into my ear. "Thirteen armed ABB inside. Most of the drugs are in an old large freezer unit in the back, but the guns are in the basement. They¡­ aren''t on alert, but they aren''t sleeping either."

    "Stop whispering, Alya," I said. "Crow needs to know that too."

    "Apologies," Alya responded, now loud enough for everyone to hear, before continuing to repeat what she told me.

    Once she was done giving her report, I mentally flicked through the pages of my spellbook, selecting the shadow spell. Before I started to cast, I looked over at Crow.

    "The second you can, you should fade out and head around the back," I instructed. "The golems won''t be far behind."

    She nodded before I started chanting out the spell. Soon, the same billowing stream of shadow and smoke filled the sky, absorbing the sunlight and blanketing the area with shadows. Not long after that, Crow started running towards the street, before vanishing into the darkness just before making it out of the alleyway. I counted to fifteen before ordering the golems out after her.

    "Smash through the boarded windows, apprehending anyone who attacks you," I ordered. "Try and keep stray gunfire to a minimum."

    All four golems took off at a run, and I followed after them at a jog, stepping out into the street and watching them run under the hood of the gas station. By the time I was crossing the street, all four had slammed through the boarded-up windows to gain access to the interior.

    "Alya, go in with them, keep watch, and keep Crow and me in the loop."

    I got closer, my staff clunking against the ground as I walked. With a wave and a quick casted blast of kinetic energy, I punched the remaining boards from one of the golem''s breach points, letting me step calmly into the building. The lights were on, surprisingly, meaning I could easily see the pair of gangers that lay unconscious nearby, two shotguns neatly bent in half. I slapped them with a knockout and a general stabilizing heal to keep any freak injuries that might have happened through their ass beating.

    After dealing with the unconscious gangers, I stepped around the shelves that had blocked my view. It was just in time to see one of my golems throw an old advertisement sign across the open interior, knocking down a handful of gangers. The element of surprise quickly fell apart, and the remaining standing gangers opened fire, bullets pinging off the golems even as I shot blasts of freezing energy across the way, causing guns to seize up, their internals frozen in place.

    "Two running towards the back already warned Crow," Alya said in my ear as I fought, letting my coat absorb the damage as I focused on the offensive.

    We pushed deeper into the gas station, with three golems going down into the basement to secure the weapons and other equipment that were stored there. Meanwhile, I was with the remaining golem as we made our way to the back of a small food prep area, where a large walk-in fridge would have normally kept the crappy gas station food on sale. We had to take down three more goons before I had the golem tear the door from its hinges since I didn''t feel like messing with the several locks that had been bolted on.

    Sitting inside the ten or twelve-foot-wide sealed room were four tables. Two of them had a single chair each, with some tools set in front of it, including a scale, a knife, scoops, and baggies. An open brick of cocaine was sitting on one table, with another open brick on the other. I wasn''t exactly well versed in drugs, so I could only guess that the other drug was heroin, cut open and ready to be cut into several dozen bags. Each table was carefully set up to dole out and weigh into smaller baggies for distribution.

    The other two tables were just as orderly but not nearly as empty.

    "Alya¡­" I said, feeling my elemental partner''s focus shifting to me as I said her name. "Just to be clear. This is not a small amount of drugs. This is a fucking shit ton of drugs."

    Each of the other two tables were laden with blocks, smaller bags, and several different storage methods. There were at least ten blocks of what looked like cocaine, tightly wrapped and stacked along the back, while the other table had more of what I was pretty sure was heroin. Together, assuming the large blocks were kilos, nearly twenty kilos of cocaine and heroin stacked in front of me.

    "This¡­ when all the gangers are down, tell Crow to get in here¡­ She needs to see this¡­ I''ll call the cops."

    I shook my head as I walked away from the defunct freezer, instructing the golem to stand guard. I needed to check the basement, knock everyone out, and then call the cops.

    I quickly dialed Nine-one-one, walking towards the stairs. I couldn''t help but laugh when I heard Crow making her way inside, cursing and shouting loudly when she spotted just how much drugs we had found. I knew how she felt. Even with my middling knowledge, I knew that was a lot.

    The conversation with the police didn''t take long, even though I needed to stay on the line. Once I explained the situation and gave them the address, I got to work, making sure everyone was stunned and asleep. Once I was sure the gangers weren''t a threat, I inspected the guns, finding several rifles, a few shotguns, and at least a dozen pistols, all stacked on shelves.

    I sent the golems up to the first floor, telling them to keep watch before having Alya spread herself wide over the whole area. This was a significant payload, and if there was any large gang presence nearby, I would not be surprised if they got sent over to try and recover what they could.

    I quickly made my way back upstairs, where Crow was already watching through the gaps in the boards, looking for threats and waiting for the police.

 Chapter Seventy Three

    Thankfully, it didn''t take long for the police to arrive at the rundown gas station. When they did, they quickly set up a perimeter before taking the criminals away. According to the officer who seemed to be assigned to us, due to the amount of drugs on location, they had every intention of sticking around and investigating the area. They quickly set up shop and began going over the gas station with a fine toothcomb, apparently looking for any link to other locations they could find.

    The liaison also explained that the ABB had more or less been off-limits to them since Lung and Oni Lee had been protecting them and because it meant they were technically out of their jurisdiction. Now, however, it was clear they had no cape support, which meant they could start really pushing in on them without running afoul of capes or the PRT.

    I barely managed to keep my mouth shut about how utterly ridiculous that was. I didn''t blame them for not wanting to get involved with capes, but not investigating them at all?

    They also congratulated Crow and me on a fantastic bust, naming some mind-boggling numbers when describing how much the drugs were worth and how much we had just cost the ABB. It was a staggering number, but both Crow and I could feel it was just the beginning.

    We left about thirty minutes after the police showed up at the scene, after giving our statements and doing a broad perimeter sweep around the gas station to make sure they didn''t have any surprises waiting for them after we were gone. Once we were done with them, we made our way to the trade-off point, where we would meet with our patrol replacements.

    Today, it was Laserdream and Manpower, the latter of which arrived floating on one of Laserdream''s shields. After our initial greetings, we went over our latest raid, which surprised both of the New Wave members.

    "You''re pushing them hard, huh?" Laserdream asked, playing with a strand of her hair. "I suppose it''s good news the police are finally picking up the ball... but that''s gonna rile them up pretty badly ¡­"

    "You need to warn us next time," Manpower pointed out with a frown. "If they are riled up and spoiling for some revenge, we should have come prepared with a large group."

    I considered his words and quickly realized he was right. The ABB would be extra agitated, and there was a good chance they might try and take it out on one of the patrolling teams. Thankfully, the solution was rather obvious.

    "I''ll lend you a pair of golems," I said, gesturing to my four nonliving warriors. "They should more than make up for the extra agitation."

    "You''d just lend them to us?" Laserdream asked, sounding surprised.

    "With some ground rules in place, yes," I agreed with a nod. "They should be able to keep a decent pace, and you can use them as heavies, moving shields, anything you need. In all honesty, I should have been letting you guys use them the whole time, I feel silly for not doing this before."

    I spent about twenty minutes giving Laserdream and Manpower the rundown on how to use the Golems. I added them to the user list with a drop of blood from each, but I also added the command that only I could authorize certain levels of violence. Basically, they wouldn''t be able to go all out on normal humans. Once I layered a few more cautionary orders, they left to head out on their patrol, leaving Crow, myself, and my two golems alone in the alleyway.

    "So what do I have to do to get me a golem bodyguard?" Crow asked as I prepared to teleport us away.

    "Do you really want one?" I asked, lowering my spellbook to look at her, eyebrow raised. "They would clash big time with your whole stealth schtick. I can do a lot, but a stealthy golem... that might be beyond me at the moment.

    "No, I know, they would slow me down," She admitted, shaking her head. "Could you do anything to my crowbar?"

    She reached behind her back to pull out the crowbar, which I had honestly forgotten she carried. I frowned and considered it for a moment, shrugging half-heartedly.

    "Probably? But it wouldn''t be anything special, it''s too artificial, my m-mojo doesn''t work well like that."

    Crow leaned forward in a way that told me she was looking at me intently. Her crude, odd choice of weapons remained in her hand as she looked at me.

    "You were gonna say magic, weren''t you?"

    "What? No, of course not. I''m not one of those delusional-" I started, only to stop when Crow poked me with her weapon. "Really?"

    "Don''t lie, I can tell," she said, shaking her head. "You were gonna say magic. Besides, you''ve already messed up before, calling your stuff ''casting'' and ''spells.''"

    "... Fine, yes, I call it magic," I relented, rolling my eyes. "Can you blame me with how it all works? My chanting and rituals?"

    "...no, not really," she admitted with a shrug. "It''s still funny, though. Gonna trade notes with Myrddin? Maybe run off with that villain group? I bet they would love to meet you."

    "The Adepts? Yeah, really not up for joking about that," I said, shaking my head. "Them showing up to sniff around eventually is not too far-fetched. If I had known about them earlier, and doing so wouldn''t horribly handicap me, I would have worked a lot harder to pretend to have normal, not weird trump powers."

    "You think they would come here?" She asked, pulling back, now sounding serious. "Just to see you?"

    "It''s a possibility," I admitted with a frown. "They like to investigate powers that are weird or seem even vaguely magical. In the grand scheme of things, there are worse villain groups, but I still wouldn''t want them here."

    "Damn¡­ that''s all Brockton Bay needs, another group of villains."

    "What do you think is going to happen now that the ABB ain''t a factor?" I pointed out. "Or when we start taking down the Empire? The safer we make the city, the more likely people start coming here to expand or make a name for themselves."

    "So we signed up for an uphill battle, huh?" she said with a frown, sitting on a turned-over trash bin, looking a bit strange in her full cloak. "That''s bullshit."

    "Well¡­ I''m hoping to have a solution," I admitted, Crow''s hood turning to look at me. "I''m not really sure what it''s going to end up looking like, but I''m working on it."

    "Why not just make more golems?" she asked, confusion in her voice. "I think they might actually be more effective than me."

    "Well¡­ think of a golem as a forklift or some other piece of heavy equipment," I said with a frown. "They make life much easier for the people who know how to use them. But for everyone else, they just aren''t ready for it, and they will probably end up doing more harm than good. The golems have safety features, but they aren''t foolproof. There is only so much crap I can stuff into their cores before they start losing the first stuff I put in. In the end, just like heavy equipment, the level of safety depends really on the user, and while I trust Manpower not to accidentally order one to crush a car with people still in it, I can''t say the same if I make thirty of them and distribute them around the city, you know? I''m still working on a solution, but I will get there eventually."

    We talked a bit more about my golems, about how I made them, and some of their limitations before we finally realized we were just sitting in an alleyway, fully dressed up, shooting the shit. After that, I teleported us much closer to the Docks Community so Olivia could head home. After saying goodbye, I finally teleported back home to the forest.

    When I arrived, Kali was using her golem to garden among the food trees. As I greeted her, I realized that not only was she adding cute stone pathways, flowers, and other nice additions to the small orchard I used for a good amount of my food, but she was also maintaining the spells I used to make them produce more food. I was surprised how easily she had managed to do that, as those were sensitive spells that would kill the plant in hours if not properly maintained.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    "Wow, Kalil, thank you for taking care of that," I said with a smile. "One less thing for me to worry about. Are you sure you''re saving enough energy, though?"

    She stood and dusted off her knees, the wooden, almost dryad-like golem stretching as if she was flesh and blood. She then took my hand and placed it against the bark of the closest tree. It took a minute for her to explain with images and feelings, but she "showed" me how the magic I had pumped into the plants was slowly spreading and leaking, a natural process.

    It was clear that, even with her working to maintain the orchard, she was more than making up for the absorbed mana. She then showed that every tree building I made did the same, each tree like its own little mini mana spreading generator. Alone, they weren''t much, but as the compound grew, so did the amount of energy she gained. It wasn''t groundbreaking, as I was feeding her much more by wearing my mana-leaking necklace when I was at the compound, but every bit helped.

    Plus, it made me feel better about spending my downtime working and adding to the compound.

    After Kali was done giving me a tour of the orchard area, which was now more of an orchard garden than anything, I sat down in the common area, starting a fire to keep warm. The day had been around average, but now in the forest, with the sun getting lower, I could feel it getting a bit colder, even though it was still late afternoon.

    I was just settling in with my notebook, ready for some more brainstorming, when a familiar feeling came over me.

    I was getting my quest.

    Like my previous quest, it snapped into place suddenly, leaving me feeling off-center for a moment. Thankfully, it passed quickly.

    "Oh fuck!" I shouted, jumping out of my seat and running through the compound. "Son of a bitch!"

    "What is it?" Alya asked, pulling in around

    "My quest kicked in!" I shouted, despite really not needing to. "Miss Militia is getting ambushed by fucking Hookwolf and Cricket. Considering my quest is keeping her alive, I would say they are our for blood."

    "What? How did that happen?" She asked, sounding confused

    "I don''t know!" I responded before grabbing my mask and pulling it over my face, quickly pulling on my overcoat before I mentally yanked on my staff.

    I was standing by the ritual platform, stuffing my feet into my boots, when my staff appeared beside me just in time for me to snag it. My spell book, which had been lying in my holster on the ground, snapped free and slapped into my hand. With my costume now hastily on, I ran towards Troy and jumped on his back. I waited only a split second for my two golems to grab onto Troy before I immediately shouted the activation phrase.

    "Goodbye!"

    Troy and I vanished from the compound, the instant teleportation carrying us to ABB territory. Unfortunately, I wasn''t familiar with the specific spot that my quest was leading me to, but I got close.

    "Let''s go, Troy!"

    I shouted, leaning forward and slamming my magic into him, his body glowing and his hooves sparking as he dove forward, racing down the street, bounding between cars. Behind us, my golems followed, barely able to keep up with my reckless, enhanced speed. Now was not the time to be concerned about traffic, and we left more than a few scratches behind as we ran.

    I gripped on tightly to the handholds built into Troy''s side, his living wooden body growing around my staff to keep it from being torn free of my grip as we moved, running full tilt down one street, then a second, before finally seeing the first signs of the fight.

    First was a smoking wreck of a motorcycle, which I vaguely recognized from our late-night meeting. I passed by damaged cars, torn-up asphalt, and people running and screaming as I kept pushing Troy. Finally, we swung around the last corner, charging into a back lot parking area, which was blocked around all four sides, save the entrance. There, I could see a handful of Empire goons, led by a rough-looking man and a scarred woman. Past them, I could see Miss Militia standing behind a broken and rusted car.

    Without slowing down, I aimed Troy at the rough-looking man, letting him go full tilt. We barely made it inside the lot before people spotted us, turning and shouting as we barrelled through the group. E88 goons jumped out of the way, only for Hookwolf to turn and take Troy to the face, just as I jumped off his back. I used the ability of my boots to conjure a platform, letting me jump twice over the remaining goons, before landing smoothly next to Miss Militia.

    The Protectorate heroine was holding her summoned weapon, a large trench shotgun that flickered and smoked slightly. Her uniform was scuffed and cut up, and I could see some blood welling through her clothes and her arm. I immediately quick cast some general healing into the heroine. I also got to see why she wasn''t trying to run. A black man, face bloodied and cut, was sitting with his back against the rusted-out car. He was in rough shape, so I immediately cast some healing spells at him as well.

    "Miss Militia, you alright?" I asked, standing up from the man, watching as my golems came tearing around the corner, stopping when I whistled for them to hold off

    "I''ve been better." She admitted, as we both watched Hookwolf take chunks out of Troy, even as the construct ran away. "Good to see you."

    "Same. Any reason we should hang around?" I asked, whistling for my golems to engage. They quickly attacked, shoving and punching goons that tried to stop Troy from escaping. The construct was down a leg and a chunk of his neck, but with his core intact, he would be fine.

    "Assuming you mean teleporting to safety?" She asked, racking a shell as one of the closest goons stepped forward. "Please, by all means."

    "Fantastic, hold on tight."

    I grabbed the still-injured and unconscious man''s hand before Miss Militia grabbed my shoulder. I whistled loudly, knowing the golems and Troy would be able to outrun anyone here, before tapping my staff on the ground again and shouting

    "Goodbye!"

    Once again, in just a flash, we vanished and reappeared just in front of the PRT headquarters, namely the bench by the front entrance. Immediately, Miss Militia pulled her radio from her hip and started talking into it. She quickly informed whoever was listening she had been safely extracted and that the rescue team was free to engage or return to base. She then collapsed backward onto the bench, her conjured weapon flitting to a pistol, slipping into her hip holster.

    While she was doing this, I knelt beside the unconscious man, scanning and making sure he was okay. I chanted a few short healing spells better tuned to his injuries, making sure he was fully healthy before taking a seat beside Miss Militia. She was still listening to her radio, though not saying much as others took over the situation.

    "So... how far away were reinforcements?"

    "Way too far," She admitted, looking over at me. "Thanks for the save."

    "Happy to help."

    Even as we talked, PRT agents poured from the headquarters front entrance. They rather uselessly secured the area before starting to ask their questions. I sighed and leaned back on the bench, realizing that, unless I wanted to pull a repeat of the last time I was here, this was probably going to take a while.

 Chapter Seventy Four

    It certainly seemed like some of what Sarah Pelham had said to Director Piggot had gotten through to the retired soldier, because while the PRT agents asked way too many questions, they were surprisingly happy to accept non-answers. They asked things like how I knew Miss Militia was in danger and seemed to accept, or at least tolerate, my response of "I dunno, I just felt it."

    Before starting anything, they moved me to a conference room for my statement, or maybe it was a debriefing. Either way, I reluctantly agreed to go inside the headquarters despite my easy teleport charges having already been spent. The only reason I agreed was because they had no way of knowing that.

    I wasn''t sure that letting them think that I had some sort of powerful precog ability was the best idea, but it wasn''t like I could hide it. I had teleported in from nowhere, ridden Troy full tilt through the city, and arrived just in time to save Miss Militia. I could lie and say someone told me, but that was flimsy at best. At least this way, they were partially prepared for me to just know I was needed somewhere.

    Besides, after how I "stumbled" on Taylor Hebert needing help, there was a chance they already had me labeled as a potential Thinker anyway.

    Miss Militia stuck with me during the debriefing process, which might have also been the reason the PRT agents were a bit more polite to me. She also kept me in the loop about how the team that was initially sent to rescue her had switched to engage the E88 directly, forcing the Hookwolf and the others to retreat back to their territory, something I was very grateful for. I would not have put it past a monster like Hookwolf to take out his frustrations on the civilians around him, or at least any he could catch at least. Eventually, once the PRT had run out of questions, I got a chance to ask my own.

    "So, what the hell happened?" I asked, settling into the office chair and sipping a cup of coffee they graciously provided.

    "I was returning from a patrol when I spotted a few Empire goons pushing into the edge of ABB territory," She explained, leaning forward slightly to rub her brow. "So I pulled over to investigate, maybe scare them off. I realized they were beating up the man you healed earlier, so I pressed more. Turns out Hookwolf and Cricket were in the area, so I attempted to clear out with the victim. You saw how well that turned out."

    "Just glad I got there in time," I said, shaking my head. "The fact they pushed that far into ABB territory is a bad sign. I think our grace period might be running out."

    "I think you might be right," She agreed, the frown evident in her voice. "We are going to have to discuss this internally, but if we reach out, will you answer to discuss potentially working together? Your ability to teleport is clearly game-changing and could make a serious difference."

    "Yes, I will answer," I assured her. "I''m not about to leave someone to suffer just because of your boss¡­ No, sorry, it''s better if we just drop it. I''m happy to help with rapid deployment, we just need to keep our own patrols as well."

    "We appreciate the help, Arcanum," She said. "You are free to leave whenever you would like, though we ask that you use the front door."

    "I think I could manage that," I said, unable to keep from smirking as I stood, reaching out to shake the heroine''s hand.

    An agent escorted me out to the public area, and from there I left the building, teleporting to the docks community only a minute later. I needed to pick up my golems, and they were "programmed" to make their way there since it was the closest location designated a home. I could have sent them off all the way back to the forest, but if I was in the city and needed them, having to go back to the compound to get them would be counterproductive. Sure enough, after jumping down from the rooftop I frequently sat on, I found the golems, along with Troy, tucked up in a small alley, with Charles keeping the more curious members of the community away from them.

    "Arc! Good to see you," He said, sharing a handshake. "These guys just showed up a bit ago, no idea why. Everything alright?"

    "Everything is fine, we just got separated when I needed to teleport some people out of a fight," I explained loosely. "I sent them here so I could pick them up. How are the other two metal ones I left here working out?"

    "We keep them in storage with the stone golems," he responded. "No reason to broadcast where they are, keeps people guessing."

    I nodded in understanding, stepping closer to Troy so I could examine him. He was missing a good fifteen percent of his body mass, at least, with massive slashing marks and bullet holes. I quickly fixed him up using druidcraft, regrowing his leg and body. When I was done, I went about checking up on the community, fixing their orchard up, and healing anyone who needed it. When that was done, the sun had started to set, so I finally teleported home.

    The first thing I did when I arrived was refill the teleport spells in my staff''s storage crystals. When I was done with that, Alya finally pulled in around me, becoming solid as I once again took off my costume.

    "So, did you finish the quest?" She asked, sounding curious.

    "Yeah, I could feel the extra pip fill up when I was finished healing the injured man, after teleporting us out of danger," I explained, recalling the sensation of the quest completing and getting my extra charge. "Just the single charge, too."

    "Only one?" She asked, her confusion evident. "That is... surprising."

    "Yeah¡­ I can only imagine the quest that wanted me to stay behind and fight?" I guessed with a frown, hanging up my coat. "Or maybe there was more behind the guy getting beat up? It doesn''t really matter, I wasn''t about to risk the victim''s life so I could earn an extra charge or two. I showed up and saved Miss Militia and an innocent person. Not much else I could have done. It''s possible that I only had the chance to earn one or two charges this time, but either way, it doesn''t matter."

    I could feel the charge sitting in my mind, ready to use. Even if it wasn''t much, I was still happy to have it, as it represented a chance to mess up in my next cycle. I was still trying to figure out the best way to invest my next six charges, still trying to think of a subject that would let me create more autonomous help. Now, with this extra point, I could invest in a subject and then explore the first level to see if it was what I needed. If it was, I could then invest five more points to bring it up to level three, or I could try another subject, praying that the second was what I needed.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    There was always a chance that the second choice wasn''t what I wanted as well, but honestly, I wasn''t too worried about that. So far, the subject purchasing had been pretty intuitive, and the Marvelous Mage system had informed me clearly when what I was thinking of really wasn''t something it could provide. Between that and the extra chance, I was happy with my odds.

    With night quickly settled, I spent some time working on my magic. I was still filling out my basic utility list of spells, spells ranging from short to long that performed specific functions that I thought might be useful. I tried to write ideas down when I could, but I was also hesitant to overfill my spell book. I knew eventually, I would probably have to reorganize the book, even with my ability to mentally turn its pages to whatever I needed with my mind. It didn''t matter how easily I could turn the pages to what I needed if there were still six hundred pages between those spells.

    Eventually, I decided to head to bed early. I had the following day off, but I already knew what I was going to be spending most of the day doing. Once I developed my teleportation spell, I wanted to take some time to explore some of the surrounding towns, maybe even making my way all the way to Boston. This would not only spread out my range, but it would give me access to more resources, and make some of my more strange purchases hard to pick up. Not only that, but I needed more things for my rituals.

    In truth, I had taken a break from rituals primarily so that I could focus on filling my spellbook. However, I was also beginning to run low on some of the more unique supplies I needed. Don''t get me wrong, there were still shops I could scour through around here, small pawn shops and the like that still had the sort of things that would make key foundations for powerful ritualized objects. But I still had yet to find the perfect shop. I could picture it in my head, having visited places like it in my previous life. Shops filled with old, eclectic collections, a mix between antique and curios shops, with a dash of witchy flare. I was already holding off on making a door opener until I could find a barrel of old, lost keys, the classic weird shop selling point.

    I woke up the next morning and quickly got ready for the day before visiting the hospital. I cleared my patient list in record time before teleporting back to the compound, putting on my civilian clothes, and teleporting to an abandoned alleyway near a bus stop that led out of the city. I tucked my spellbook into the bottom of my large backpack, which also contained my lunch and a single duffel bag. I was tempted to take more, but this was an exploratory journey, there would be plenty of time to buy stuff later.

    I hopped the first bus of many, settling in for a long day of traveling. In total, I stopped at six towns, snapping some pictures with my phone of locations that might come in handy as teleport spots. I visited several shops, finding a few close to what I was looking for. Eventually, as the sun started to set, I finally arrived in Boston. There, I got in a taxi that took me to several more shops, racking up a pretty large bill that I could thankfully pay for in cash. I filled my backpack, and half filled my duffel bag with random trinkets, items, and materials.

    After completing a circuit of Boston and finding several spots suitable to use as teleport locations, I grabbed some dinner near the ocean, stopping by a seafood place for a pair of lobster rolls. They were absurdly expensive but worth every dollar. My family in my old world had a tradition surrounding lobster rolls, and having one here, alone, had been a bittersweet moment.

    With my mission complete, I found myself a nice little hidden spot, pulled out my spellbook, and teleported home, appearing on my ritual platform in a flash. As far as I could tell, there was no discernible difference between teleporting from the Bay and from Boston, which coincided with what I understood about the spell I designed.

    I spent a few minutes putting away everything I had bought, tucking them into the storage trees that framed the ritual platform. I slid my spellbook back into its holster before grabbing one of the few books I bought during my trip. In an attempt to better jog my imagination and hopefully come up with the perfect subject to invest in, I bought several books on occultism and magic. They weren''t anything special, just a few relatively modern books on magic and supernatural beliefs from several cultures. Technically, had no idea how closely what the Marvelous Mage system had access to would line up with this world''s magical beliefs. After all, druidcraft had been a rather weird subject, considering its name. Still, I was hoping having an outside source of ideas would give me something to work with.

    I sat down by the fire pit, the lights around the compound turning on, compensating for the rapidly dwindling sunlight. As I read, I felt Kali and Alya swirl around me, partially reading over my shoulder, but mostly just pulling in close around my presence. We mainly talked about the subjects from the first book, which was ultimately a bust. There were a few concepts that kind of touched on what I needed, but in the end, there was nothing that filled the role like I wanted.

    As it got later, and I was beginning to consider heading to bed, Kali suddenly stirred. In a moment, her soft, kind demeanor shifted to one of protectiveness and violence, ready to attack whatever she had sensed. It was like feeling a wolf step in front of its cubs, preparing to defend them with their life

    "What is it," I asked, instinctually looking around. "Alya, you got anything?"

    "Whatever it is, it''s out of my range," The elemental admitted, her presence spreading out rapidly. "I don''t see or hear anything."

    Suddenly, Kali reached out and metaphorically took my hand. In a wave of colors, she dragged my mind alongside her senses, pulling us along the many magical protections I had placed over our chunk of the forest. We were far past her area of influence, along the edges of what she could still feel and see through the rituals. Once we "arrived," she guided my vision again, showing what she had spotted.

    There, creeping around in the dark, were nearly two dozen people, all of them dressed up in E88 attire. They slowly walked through the woods, sweeping their flashlights across the trees, clearly looking for someone, most likely me.

    In a rush of colors, I was suddenly back in my body, rocking back slightly in my seat as if Kali had thrown me back into my body. I immediately stood, turning to face the dark woods surrounding the compound.

    "What is it?" Alya asked, still spread out but unable to see the incoming gang member.

    "She showed me some E88 gangers, just on the outside of the protective bubble around us," I explained. "They are armed, searching the forest with flashlights. I can only imagine they are looking for us."

    I could feel Alya''s alarm ratchet up slightly. I whistled softly, all four of my golems slowly making their way to me from their waiting spot by the ritual platform.

    "Should I head out and take care of them?" I asked with a frown, unsure of my choices. "They are all armed, but¡­ between the golems and myself... they don''t stand a chance. On the other hand, it''s not like that can get to me¡­"

    "Are they headed in this direction?"

    I frowned and turned around twice in place, trying to orient myself in the right direction. Thankfully, Kali chimed in with a quick series of images that showed that if they spread out, they would enter the protected area soon. Thankfully, they appeared to all be base humans, which meant none of them came even close to being powerful enough to break through my rituals.

    "Vaguely, but they won''t get through," I assured her. "If we turn off the lights, there is no way they could even know we are here. Hell, even with the lights on, their chances are pretty low."

    "You don''t want to take them down?" Alya asked, Kali''s curiosity poking up behind her.

    "I do, but that would all but confirm that I live in the forest," I pointed out.

    "You haven''t been trying to hide that," Alya pointed out. "You''ve flat-out mentioned it a few times now."

    "That''s true..." I admitted. "Plus... the forest is the best place to fight the E88, isn''t it? No civilians and plenty of opportunities for traps... It''s gonna suck having to constantly deal with them wandering around, but unless one of them is a super genius, capable of mental partitioning and several other techniques, they aren''t getting through my deterrents."

    "So you''re going after them?" She asked. "Trick them into sending their fights directly to you?"

    After a few seconds more consideration, I nodded, making my way to where my costume was hanging. I quickly put it on before whistling for my golems to follow me into the forest, ready to steamroll some E88 goons.

 Chapter Seventy Five

    The fight was over before it even started. Between my own enhancements, my golems, and Alya watching out for any surprises, the E88 dumbasses stood about the same chance as a snowball in hell. The only weapons they had were pistols and crappy melee weapons like pipes and bats, which were completely ineffective against any of us. All that meant that I had them cleaned up and tied up in just about five minutes. Once I did, I led them to the edge of the woods and called the cops.

    Now, I was under no illusion that they would actually get in any trouble. Some of them probably had warrants, and the ones with guns could maybe be charged with illegal possession of a firearm, but other than that, two AM strolls through the woods were not really against the law. They were undoubtedly E88 gang members, as shown by the colors they were wearing and the tattoos that they were covered in. They were also clearly there to cause trouble, armed and ready to fight, so I was in the clear liability-wise, but in all likelihood, more than half of them would likely be out by the time the sun rose.

    Which was precisely what I wanted.

    Between my rituals and the fact that Kali was in control of them, I had complete faith in the protections surrounding my actual home. The E88 did not have anyone I was worried could break through the protection. Even Purity, with her powerful blaster ability, would be mitigated since Kali could adjust the range of the rituals on the fly, meaning she could reach up pretty high and make Purity want to be anywhere but where she was. Not to mention that, according to Kali, the canopy was actually pretty well disguised at this point. From the air, the compound looked like a couple of especially wide canopies growing together.

    All that meant was that I had a safe spot in the forest to ambush anyone who came looking for me. It was a great place to pick people off, slowly whittling down a numerically superior force at my own pace. Unless Kaiser sent his entire team at me at once, which I was almost certain he wouldn''t, I was pretty sure I could handle whatever he would throw at me. Even better, if, for some reason, he did send all of the Empire''s capes after me at once, I could just teleport away. No doubt they would try to catch me off guard to keep me from doing so, but since I was perfectly safe in the compound, I had nothing to worry about.

    If they wanted to try and break the unwritten rules and attack me at my home, I would welcome the chance to take them down in a terrain I knew I could use to my advantage, and that was far away from civilians.

    It was basically a win-win scenario for me, which was why I was happy that the gangers they sent to find me were likely to get away with it. They would return to Kaiser, as he most likely planned, and explain that yes, I attacked them as they got deep into the forest and that I definitely muttered a few times for them to stay away from my home.

    With the potential threat of Empire invasion, Even though I trusted my in-place protections, I decided that it was better to be safe than sorry. It was far past time to add a few more protective rituals to the list, starting with a very specific one. I had considerably more resources now, as well as experience utilizing my knowledge, which meant I was confident I could finally design something that I had wanted to add for a long time.

    Once the police had picked up the gangers, I teleported home and quickly snagged my notebook. I was a fair hand at designing rituals by now, but this one was going to be a doozy, more complicated and physical than any of the general protection ones I had used so far.

    I consigned myself to a sleepless night and spent about three hours designing a two-stage enchantment. The first stage was all about mana generation, a complicated concept that was only just barely inside the knowledge that I had about rituals. The only reason I was sure I could manage it at all was the comparatively low level I was looking for. I knew things like mana wells were possible, massive mana generators that could fuel great works of near-impossible magic for near infinity. Comparing that to what I was looking to build was like comparing a few solar panels to a nuclear generator.

    The first step to making the ritual was finding an anchor, which in this case was a boulder we found near the compound, which I had the golems dig up. It was about half my weight, and when I finished cleaning it, I had the golems place it in the center of the ritual platform. I then meticulously drew out the ritual and placed the dozen planned anchors around it, including several bottled energies, like a spark of electricity, a natural flame, bright sunshine, blasts from the Pelham family, and more. The ritual took these and flipped them, making it so that the stone could absorb all sorts of energy, converting it to magical energy.

    When it was complete, I could feel Kali happily absorbing mana off it as it off-gassed it into the environment.

    I could make multiples of the stone, all just to feed Kali, but stacking more than one close together would drastically reduce their effectiveness. Considering the draining range of the stone was larger than Kali''s domain, it would be a while before I could make one and place it in her domain without affecting the original.

    But that was fine, since when the protections weren''t in use, she could absorb the excess mana anyway.

    Once the first layer was done, I got to work on the second. Once again, the stone was the center, but this time, I was putting the gathered mana to use. I used the Pelham''s shields, as well as Glory Girls, another turtle shell, leather from an armadillo, and a thick clam shell. The shell didn''t seem like much, but it was thick, strong, and its entire purpose for existing was to protect what was inside it.

    The second ritual was even more complicated than the first, and copying it down to the platform took two whole sticks of high-end chalk. It also took considerably longer to charge, almost fifteen minutes of me pushing my magic into the outermost layer, feeding the ritual continuously until finally it snapped into place. I watched and felt it as the ritual wove itself around the existing magic that was embedded in the rock. Ideally, I would have preferred to let the ritual exist around the area itself rather than tie it to a particular object, but since it ended up being a two-stage ritual, tying it to something was necessary.

    The final step was to have a pair of golems lift the stone while the other two quickly dug out a hole at the center of the clearing, the heart of Kali''s domain. When the hole was done, we lowered the ritualized boulder inside and buried it. Immediately, I felt Kali reaching out for the complicated, ritualized stone. She pulled and tugged at it and the magic woven around it, stretching and weaving it into her domain as well. Using the stone as an anchor, she cast the magic all around herself, infusing it into the existing rituals and settling it into her essence. When she was done, she created a small floating barrier, pale blue with shimmering flat facets that slowly spun in place.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    "Well done," I said with a smile, feeling Kali''s excitement. "now show me how far you can push it."

    Suddenly, dozens of small barriers appeared, floating around in independent patterns. They danced and moved before finally pulling in around me, the Genus Loci carefully shaping the barriers so they protected me perfectly. Then, as a final show of power, she encapsulated the entire clearing in a dome of shimmering protection. I had to step off the ritual platform to really see it, but it was an impressive sight.

    "Well done, Kali, you can put it away. Wouldn''t want anyone to see it," I said, chuckling as I could feel her pout before the sparkling, almost crystalline shield disappeared. "We can test for power later, but I''m pretty sure you''ll have plenty to spare. Feel free to absorb the extra mana coming off the stone when you are not using it."

    She flashed me with a wave of happiness that reminded me of an eager pet, the image emphasized by how she seemed to curl up around the anchor stone like a dog near a heat source. It was honestly kind of cute, and a large part of me wished I could join her, even though it was way too late for me to go to sleep. Instead, I simply washed my fatigue away with a spell. It was very early in the morning, but I figured I could make something out of it, so I got washed up and dressed before teleporting into town in my civilian clothes. I did have my mask on, though, just in case the alley I was teleporting to just happened to have anyone in it.

    I tucked my spellbook into my messenger bag and made my way to a cafe I knew was open that early. When I arrived, I ordered a bit too much food and a large coffee. When my order was ready, I picked a private spot in the corner, sitting down to enjoy just a bit of free time. I had been constantly on the move lately, so just relaxing and enjoying a full, hot meal was nice. I made a mental note to myself to find some music to listen to, as well as a book to read. Somehow, I had managed to not go crazy from overstress and overworking, probably because I genuinely enjoyed working on my magic stuff, so designing rituals and making spells was enough of a break to recover, but that wouldn''t last forever. I needed a hobby, even if it was as simple as an occasional early morning where I could listen to music and read a book.

    Preferably something science fiction, without any magic in it. The one I had with me was another of the occultism/magic books I had found during my shopping trip the previous day, and while it was interesting, it was still basically required reading for my job.

    When I eventually finished my breakfast around eight AM, I headed back to the compound, changed into my costume, and teleported outside the hospital, quickly stepping inside. My golems followed me inside, and I got to work. By now, all of the women who had been victims of the Farm had been either discharged or sent to more permanent residences, meaning the hospital was considerably more calm than it had been. I quickly checked with those in charge before I did my healing. When all that was done I headed out into the city, teleporting straight to ABB territory.

    I wasn''t technically up for patrol for another few hours, but that was fine, as I wasn''t there to bust heads. For now, I simply wanted to gather information. By riding around on Troy, while Alya spread herself out, I planned on marking out places of significance for the ABB. With any luck, we would be able to find a few more large gatherings and storehouses. There were only so many setbacks the gang could take before it began to unwind and scatter, and I was hoping to pull those setbacks as close as I could.

    I "solo" patrolled for two hours, wandering through ABB territory, surreptitiously marking down anything I thought would hurt the ABB if it was taken or destroyed. By the end, I had two solid targets and several smaller ones. I planned to hand one of the targets to New Wave, who seemed to be as interested in ending the ABB as I was at this point. I planned on taking down the other location with Crow, assuming she approved of my plan.

    When it was time to start our patrol, I picked up Crow as usual and then left to meet up with New Wave. I handed over the address and general description that Alya gave me about the building, which the ABB used as a storehouse for weapons and ammo. As long as they were smart and let their shields guide them in, they would be fine. And if they got hurt, they had me on speed dial. Since I knew the location, I could be on the scene in seconds to heal them up again.

    New Wave agreed they could hit the weapons depot later in the day, tomorrow morning at the latest. Meanwhile, I showed Crow our potential target, a receiving point and storehouse for the ABB''s drug trade. According to Alya, it held fewer drugs than the gas station distribution center, but from what she was describing, it would still be a solid hit. According to the air elemental, the goods were stored, once again, in the building''s freezer. Seemed like a common theme for the group, which was good, as it made my job easier.

    After explaining the plan to Crow, we made our way to the target, both of us quickly settling in at different spots to watch for any runners. When we were both in position, just as I had before, I sent the golems in.

    As they did at the gas station, the golems tore through the normal gang members like tissue paper. Bullets did next to nothing, even the higher caliber ones simply bouncing off of them, leaving behind minor damage. It wasn''t until one of the gang members had the genius idea to use some sort of explosive device that they managed to do any real damage, blowing one of the golem''s arms off.

    Of course, he nearly killed himself and two other gangs in the process, and the golem was only down a single limb and still generally functional, so the whole victory was moot anyway.

    When the explosion went off, I cursed and rushed inside. It wasn''t hard to find the partially destroyed room in which the explosive had gone off. I did have to dig through the partially collapsed roof to uncover the three idiots who had been way too close to whatever type of bomb they had used for their own health.

    I quickly stabilized and healed them, going the extra mile and fully healing their injuries. While my usual operating procedure was to leave the gang members to their injuries unless they were fatal, these injuries were partly, minorly, the fault of my golems, so I made an exception.

    When the dust had settled, and the cops had been called, Crow and I sat down to wait.

    "So... What''s next on your list of targets?" Crow asked.

    "You want to keep going?" I asked, looking over at the cloak-covered hero.

    "Well, my schedule just so happens to be free..."

    I gave her a look and chuckled, pulling out the notebook I had been using to copy down Alya''s intelligence information. I scanned through them before spotting a good one.

    "There''s a gathering spot not far from here," I said. "Alya thinks there might be a lot of useful information there..."

    "Sounds perfect," She said with a smirk. "Time to get to work."

 Chapter Seventy Six

    The next few days were a wild, busy time. With the cracks in the ABB finally starting to break through, we were determined to finally put the nails in its coffin. New Wave was eager, almost desperate to help as if I had handed them a way to return to their glory. I assumed that they had rediscovered their passion. Glory Girl explained that, while that was a part of it, they were also just thankful for a second chance. Hero work brought them together as a family, and after Carol had nearly torn them apart, they were glad to still have a way to work together so closely.

    Sarah also revealed that their donation page was so successful after being visually patrolling and taking down the farm that the adults planned on cutting their regular work hours significantly to focus on hero work.

    Either way, together, we dedicated significant chunks of our time to finally drive the ABB to collapse. We chased down at least a dozen more depots, both for equipment and drugs, as well as protection racket and several other ABB businesses. Every day, we set out to claim at least two ABB sites, often more, as Alya uncovered groups hiding away, trying to weather the storm.

    By the end of the week, both the police and the rumors that Olivia was picking up said that while small groups, no bigger than a dozen people, had banded together for protection and camaraderie, by the end of my charge cycle, most of the lieutenants had grabbed what money and resources they could and split. We even managed to catch one of them in the act, as well as his closer subordinates.

    The ABB was finally falling apart, dissolving under our continual pressure and uncanny ability to find their safe houses, depots, and drugs. All of us were singing Alya''s praises by the end of the week, the elemental accepting the privacy with an undercurrent of shyness that I could clearly feel.

    Unfortunately, while we were making so much progress cleaning up the docks and making them a truly safer place to live, it wasn''t all good news. The E88 was growing bolder, pushing and teasing the borders of what was once ABB territory, looking for ground they could take and add to their own. So far, no capes had been included in those tentative border crossings, so only about two dozen gang members had been shipped off with the police. The fact that I saw the same gang member three times showed how well that was working.

    Still, we had made good progress cleaning up the area, and I knew that people living in ABB territory were feeling a bit less threatened now that those who had once been part of the gang had been sufficiently cowed. You could absolutely feel the difference while walking down the streets, as the air itself felt a little lighter. People seemed a bit more willing to leave their homes and walk the streets. There was still plenty of tension, unfortunately, as the threat of the E88 still loomed over people, but it was undoubtedly a step in the right direction.

    This achievement was something that New Wave believed was worth celebrating, so they invited Crow and me to a meal in costume, a novel experience I wouldn''t soon forget. It was sort of like eating in a high school cafeteria again, except everyone was actually looking at you. Still, it was fun, and it wasn''t every day you got to share some drinks with superheroes, even as a superhero.

    While most of my time during the day was spent patrolling and tearing through ABB assets, I did manage to spend time working on my magic. During the nights, and occasionally through them, I worked my talents, doing my best to push myself further. I crafted a dozen or so spells, storing them safely in my spellbook. I also made a spare spellbook, basically just recreating the original, though I traded a few quality-of-life enchantments to take the recall enchantment to the same level that my staff had. Basically, if my primary spellbook was taken or somehow got destroyed, not a simple task by any means, I could call my spare to me by giving it a good mental yank. It would then appear in my hands as long as I was somewhere within several dozen miles of it.

    Now, I just needed to remember to keep it updated, or it would be useless when I summoned it.

    I also worked to make four more metal golems for New Wave, two for each family and house. I trusted the hero family well enough by this point, and I had already been loaning them some golems for a few days anyway. Plus, as with all my ritualized objects, the fact that they contained my magic meant I could unravel with a particularly hard mental yank. Not only did it mean they now had a pair of decent scale brutes fighting by their side, but they also now had two sleepless guards at their homes, something that they thanked me profusely for. We all knew, now that we had taken down the ABB, that the Empire was going to be our new primary threat, which brought back some unhappy and frankly scary memories for the maskless capes.

    Fleur''s murder at the hands of an E88 goon had been a tragedy, and it clearly still affected the families.

    When I wasn''t making new things, I was stocking old things, specifically starting the task of turning Troy into a mobile warehouse of materials. I ritualized a few hundred iron acorns, two more boxes of chalk, materials for some basic rituals that might come in handy, as well as some other small creations I had been working on. It was still in the beginning stages, but as a proof of concept, it was more than adequate. I was excited to start making some more powerful objects, but that could wait until I had a handle on whatever I spent my refilled charges.

    On the last day of my current charge cycle, I also decided to let Olivia visit my compound. I first warned Kali that I would most likely be coming home with a guest and that she was allowed to be at the compound as long as I teleported her in and out. We arrived late in the afternoon after having our early celebration dinner with New Wave, landing on the ritual platform.

    "Welcome to the compound," I said, gesturing around us as my golems stepped off the platform. "Take a look around, just don''t go too far, or the protective rituals might kick in."

    "The compound, really? That''s kind of¡­ a sketchy¡­ name..." She said, slowly down and trailing off as she looked around, eyes going wide. "Woah¡­ Will, this is¡­"

    She walked across the platform to run her hands along the storage trees, feeling living bark under her fingers. She looked up at the thick green canopy above her, only for the hanging lights to flicker on, one after another. It would have been impressive timing if I couldn''t feel Kali flicking them on with a metaphorical grin.

    When she was done looking at the storage trees, and giving me an odd look after peeking inside one of them, I gave her a tour of the whole compound. She wasn''t super impressed by my sleeping space until I explained it wasn''t where I spent most of my time, showing her the living area next, as well as the bunkrooms.

    "Expecting guests?" She asked after stepping inside and testing one of the beds. "You got room for what, ten people?"

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    "Sixteen, but it was more of an experiment than anything," I explained, looking around the cramped but serviceable sleeping space. "To see how many people I could fit if I had to. Mostly if something happened to the docks community before it was properly protected. I''ll probably cover these into single rooms eventually."

    "And what did you learn?" She asked curiously, stepping further into the bunkroom.

    "That if I had to house that many people, I wouldn''t do it like this," I answered with a chuckle, gesturing to the cramped bunk beds. "Four people in a room is fine for an emergency, but long term? It would be insufferable. If I had to house a lot of people, I would give up on the half-buried design and do something above ground."

    I had designs in mind already, of course, because my mind refused to stop most of the time. Rather than using one tree to grow a single room, I would use multiple trees in a circle, growing up into one large support tree, and then creating a large circular room around it. Then, I would divide up the "large" room into smaller bedrooms, giving each their own door around the exterior. It would be a bit on the complicated side, but with a bit of practice, I was confident I could make a circle tree home that fit five or six people.

    She nodded absently, looking around the room before stepping out to continue the tour. We eventually made our way to the fire pit, where I spent most of my time. We both sat down there, and I got the fire started with a little flame spell.

    "This is impressive. I honestly didn''t expect anything like this, though I suppose I should have," She admitted, still looking around. "It''s like something you see in movies. Maybe with some elves walking around, all at one with nature and that jazz."

    "What, did you think I would be huddled up in a tent? When I can manipulate trees so well?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "Even before I was living here, I was squatting in an abandoned shop."

    "Yeah, well, not all of us can grow nice places to live with an acorn and some chanting," She shot back, slapping my shoulder.

    "Right, sorry," I said with a wince. "I would have been growing homes for people in the community, but the PRT would never let me get away with random tree growths all over the city. They barely let the orchards pass, and that''s only cause they die hard without me."

    "These trees won''t?" She asked, reaching out to rub the smooth bark that made up the armrest of her chair.

    "They would die without someone to recharge some of the spellwork I put into them," I explained, neatly avoiding mentioning that Kali was more than capable of doing that herself, and she would exist in this world as long as even the idea of this forest was alive. "But they are resilient enough that if they did die, the wood would stand true for a long time. The beds and more delicate stuff would dry and break pretty quickly, but the framework would remain."

    "Huh... yeah, I don''t imagine the PRT wouldn''t like that."

    "Not to mention that, unless you can find some cleared ground, the trees are rough on city infrastructure," I pointed out. "Their roots need to be pretty widespread, which can be rough on plumbing, pavement, and just about everything in between.

    "Unfortunate, though also not surprising," she said, shaking her head. "You''re the reason a lot of people are healthy and happy, Will. Don''t get dragged down by not being able to help more."

    I nodded, leaning back in my seat, and for a while, the two of us just chatted, talking about the progress we had made, what the city was like before I arrived, and even less important topics. It was nice just to talk with Olivia and not have it be about hero work or something related to it. Eventually, when it was starting to get a little late, Olivia confirmed it was probably time for her to get back to the community. Before I could teleport her home, she stopped me, and both of us stood on the ritual platform again.

    "Listen¡­ I wanted to thank you... and apologize again," She said, reaching out and putting her hand on my arm. "When I found out about Alya¡­ it really freaked me out, but I shouldn''t have taken it out in you."

    "I appreciate that," I said with a nod. "I don''t blame you for reacting like that if I''m honest, it was a shock and not exactly fair."

    "That excuse might be valid for my immediate response, but I should have gotten over it quicker," She responded, shaking her head. "You were just trying to stay safe, and when it came down to it, you happily sacrificed one of your advantages to help people."

    "It wasn''t just me. Alya volunteered as well," I pointed out, not completely untrue considering she was the one who came up with the idea.

    "Maybe, but it sounds like that, for the most part, you were the one at risk," she pointed out, letting out a long breath, still sounding disappointed in herself. "You''ve been nothing but good to me and the community, and you helped me step out of the shadows and actually help people. I should have given you the benefit of the doubt, but instead, I let my own paranoia convince me you were trying to keep secrets from me because¡­ well, to use against me, I guess. So... Sorry, I guess."

    "I''m just glad you came around, Liv, patrolling without you was awfully boring," I said with a chuckle, laughing when she slapped my shoulder.

    "Alright, magic man, take me home," She said, though I could see a small smile on her lips. "I need some sleep, and I''m not letting you magic my tiredness away."

    "Right, okay. Actually¡­ You could stay in one of the bunks if you want," I pointed out, chewing the inside of my cheek. "I''m likely going to be up all night working, but it''s a roof and comfortable bed. I''ve never seen you set up at the community, but¡­"

    "You don''t need to worry about me. I have my own space," she explained. "And I would end up killing you if you kept me up. No, better that I head home."

    I nodded and began chanting, the both of us vanishing to an alley near the community. Her costume slid up to cover her body, leaving her nothing but a shadow. She wished me a good night, gave me a hug, and faded away into the darkness. I waited a few minutes to make sure she was gone before starting to chant again, returning to the compound.

    "Right, time for the final countdown," I said, rubbing my hands together as Alya reformed beside me, floating along as I walked to the fire pit, stoking it gently.

    When I was done poking my source of heat, I sat down and pulled out my notebook. At this point, it was just a habit since I had read through my list enough to repeat it verbatim. Still, I opened it up, closing my eyes and doing my best to visualize exactly what I was looking for.

    "Have you worked out your options?" Alya asked, floating around but staying incorporeal.

    "I''ve got it narrowed down as best I can," I said. "It''s up to the Marvelous Mage system to determine if it''s going to give me what I actually want. Let''s hope it''s feeling friendly."

 Chapter Seventy seven

    I wish I could say I waited through the next few hours with a reasonable level of relaxation and calm. Unfortunately, like usual, I could feel the rising anxiety concerning how I would spend my charges, and what my freebie would be this cycle. I wasn''t quite as neurotic and panicky as I was for the first, and honestly, the second time. I was thankfully a little more used to the stress, at least enough that I wasn''t thoroughly embarrassing myself. Still, I sure as hell wasn''t about to sit still and wait, so I eventually got up and started working on the compound, trying to keep myself busy.

    I spent some time refining the wooden paths around the compound, as well as some of my detailed work in the bunkhouses, before settling down in the common area. There, while enjoying a large mug of coffee, I used wood shaping and some of the crafting spells I got from arcane focus creation to carve out a chessboard. I then had the golem gather up a bunch of rocks, which I carefully carved into the chess pieces. I also made checker pieces, since I already had the board and they were easy to make. The process was actually kind of fun, no doubt in part because I could skip the difficult and tedious parts of woodworking with my magic. I made a note to try my hand at magical woodwork in the future when I had some free time. I had been looking for a hobby beyond casual reading, and it looked like I might have found one.

    As I was putting away the chess board and its pieces, tucking them into a custom-grown cubby along the common area, I could feel the approaching end of the current cycle. Once I was done cleaning up, I made my way to the fire pit, warning Alya and Kali that the renewed cycle was approaching. Once the fire was sufficiently fed, I sat down and closed my eyes, waiting silently for the last few minutes to pass, the warm crackle keeping me calm.

    Finally, midnight hit, and the usual sensation passed over me, my charges slowly refilling. When it was done, I could feel seven filled charges in total, just waiting to be spent. As always, however, I continued to sit as patiently as possible with my eyes closed, waiting for my free subject. As it approached, I could instantly tell that something was different. I was used to the charges being more loose, ready to purchase two separate levels of a single subject. This time, however, I could feel it was all one conglomerate.

    It felt more like¡­ three charges linked together for one purchase...

    Suddenly, I could feel the charges latching onto druidcraft, and my knowledge expanded. My confusion at the freebie being spent on a pre-existing subject was scattered immediately as dozens and dozens of spells, rituals, and even some real enchantments settled into my mind.

    As the download settled into my brain, I dove into the new knowledge, eager to see what it contained. Immediately, I could tell that a good chunk of the knowledge was about better control, more complicated creation abilities, and spread manipulations. I could now maintain a large, heavily enhanced orchard at once rather than maintaining the trees individually. Potentially even more useful, I now had spells that created basic plant life, trees, vines, and mosses without any seeds or starter material.

    And then there was what I could do with seeds.

    Combining, mixing, and matching, I could make a redwood tree that grew as fast as bamboo, or make a bed of grass filled with the thorns of the acacia tree, dripping with poison ivy oil. I could even take natural mutations and push them further, cultivating tomatoes the size of my head in a few rapid harvests, rather than decades of work.

    Pushing past what was natural, I realized my abilities allowed even further enhancements to some fruit-growing trees. I could now make several different kinds of magically steeped trees, each growing their fruits with noticeable and permanent effects on those who ate them. I wasn''t quite capable of making a peach of immortality, or one of Idunn''s apples, but a pear that refined and reinforced someone''s muscles, pushing them a few steps closer to their peak¡­ Damn, if that wasn''t exciting.

    Of course, being capable of this took me from the edge of what could be considered being a Biotinker and punted me all the way to the deep, dark pit itself.

    I eagerly shared what I could now do with Alya and Kali, who were both very excited. Alya was excited to hear my power had grown once again, while Kali was fascinated by the idea of my enhanced trees. I was already making plans to plant my magical fruit orchard at the compound so Kali could watch over it, and the Genus Loci was extremely excited about the idea. Something about her Loci being the location of an enchanted orchard made her very eager.

    Once the excitement for the new level of druidcraft had passed, I settled in for what was really causing my previous nervousness. I fed the fire, warming me up slightly as I sat down and pulled out my notebook. Over the last few days, I eventually managed to narrow my investment idea to two concepts, one of which I was eager to try.

    My safe option was to simply invest in golem-making, which would no doubt branch off of ritual crafting. I was pretty sure that, at some point, an investment into golem-making would become advanced enough that it would rise above the knowledge I already had from my previous spending. With any luck, just three levels would be enough to do it, hopefully pushing my knowledge far enough to develop golems that could think and reason independently.

    Unfortunately, there was a rather glaring problem. If making golems that were "alive" was possible, then it was not going to be something I found on the first and second levels. That meant I would have to invest multiple levels just to test the hypothesis. That was a huge potential waste, and I couldn''t just throw charges at it and move on, especially with how low-yield this cycle''s quest had been. I had one charge to "spare," which wasn''t enough. Thankfully, golem-crafting was just my backup option.

    My primary idea, something that I learned about from the many books I had bought, stemmed from a concept called animism.

    Animism was a vague word that described the concept of spirits and essences that are tied to objects, locations, beings, and more. Some cultures, like many Native American tribes, believed that almost everything had a spirit and that by appeasing that spirit, you would have a better connection with that idea, object, or living creature. This type of animism was not what I was interested in.

    The aspect I was interested in was a more modern idea that items could be imbued with spirits and energy, simply by being used. It had ties to a lot of different cultures, with ideas ranging from weapons coming to life once they had killed enough people, to treasured objects taking on emotions from the people who held the object dearly. I was hoping that I could find magic that would let me find, strengthen, and give life to these spirits, somehow empowering them to protect and act as heroes.

    It was vague, varied, and unspecific, but I was hoping that by focusing on the concept and modifying it to what I really wanted, Marvelous Mage would do the rest and find me something close to what I was looking for.

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    It was a risk, a real gamble, but I had one "free" shot to test it, so I was willing to try.

    I closed my eyes and focused on my envisioned version of animism. I didn''t name it outright, as while my idea of animism might be my inspiration, if druidcraft had taught me anything, it was that wherever I was getting this magical knowledge from, their naming conventions did not match mine.

    As I fed the idea, layering it with what I was looking for, trying to focus as much as possible, I slowly fed it a single charge. The idea latched on and sucked it in, a good sign as far as I was concerned. As I purchased the new subject, knowledge flooded my mind, securing itself to me.

    Spiritual totem magic. It was, as far as I could tell, exactly what I was looking for.

    According to what my new subject was telling me, spirits are naturally occurring entities that arise connected to objects, places, plants, and even animals that exist for enough time or have enough emotional energy put into them. In some ways, the most potent and powerful of spirits were the first step to creating natural Genus Loci. Thankfully, here, in a world where magic was so sparse, almost naturally non-existent, spirits could never really get to that point. Instead, powerful places might gain a slight mind of their own, acting in extremely small, subtle ways, barely affecting the physical world.

    And that was only the most extreme cases.

    With only one level unlocked, most of what I could do was use magic to scan for and get a feel for spirits tied to various objects, locations, plants, and more. I could also feed them magic in order to help them interact with the real world to an extent. I could also do the opposite, draining a spirit of its power to quell it, even severe it if I could muster up enough power. It was that manipulation of the spirits that embodied the totem parts, at least at this low level.

    I would take it to the grave, but I now had a weapon that could, technically, maybe hurt Kali.

    I looked around the camp before turning to focus on the trees around us. I stood and slowly made my way to the outskirts of the clearing, the edge of the compound space. I let out a long breath before raiding my hand.

    "Ostendite mihi spiritus qui sunt coram me," I chanted, gray lines of magic appearing around my arm and spinning down past my hand, forming into a circle before flashing once with two arcane symbols appearing for just a moment.

    I blinked away what I thought were spots from having looked at a relatively bright flash in a mostly dark part of the compound. For a moment, I was worried I had actually damaged my eyes before I realized that the spell had worked, and I was looking at spirits.

    Slight, wavering bits of energy dotted the forest around us, each one centered in a large tree. Each of them varied in shade, but they were all flickering black and white, like a color-shifted flame. They ranged in size, with the smallest no bigger than the flame you find at the end of a match, while the largest was no bigger than half a playing card. I only saw one spirit that large, growing inside the oldest, mightiest oak I could find around the compound.

    When I first stumbled on that mighty oak, I reached out and ran my hand along its bark. A quick druidcraft spell told me this tree was ancient, already starting to succumb to its age. And yet, in a world like this one where magic was so sparse, what should have been a great guardian spirit of the forest, one of many, barely had a flicker of any consciousness at all, no more aware than an ant.

    I used my druidcraft to heal the tree, doing my best to add a few hundred years to its life. I was tempted to feed it some mana to try and wake it up more, but I held back. This was not a power I should engage with, at least not without thinking about it first.

    I made my way back to the compound, scanning the iron-oak trees I had grown myself, happy to see that they contained no spirit inside them. Even with only one purchase, I was already seeing some connections between druidcraft and spiritual totem magic, and what I could see told me that what I had done to the trees to grow the compound would have been very much not fun for a spirit. I found myself very happy I had settled in the clearing and not hunted down an ancient tree to serve as my home.

    "Well¡­ The good news is I think I''ve found what I needed," I said, plopping down by the fire. "With only one charge, there is only so much to go on, so I might be wrong, but I feel good about it."

    "Are you able to create sentient spirits?" Alya asked.

    "I could. Feeding energy directly into a spirit is crude, but it works," I responded. "The problem is that spirits are by nature not human. Their minds are alien, and waking up, say, a tree spirit might make the forest hostile to humans. There is no way to know."

    "Then¡­ that doesn''t sound like it works," Alya pointed out, her voice filled with confusion. "You can''t work with something if you''re worried about fae-style miscommunications."

    "Well, first, it wouldn''t be that bad," I assured her. "They aren''t going to try and steal my name or trick me out of my firstborn. They just won''t be easy for me to understand, like how a night owl doesn''t understand an early bird, but a few times worse. But that doesn''t really matter, because the spells I know now are clearly precursors to more precise and human-friendly methods later. It''s pinging off of rituals pretty hard, as well as druidcraft, and I''m getting the idea that in the next few levels, the totem concept really flourishes."

    "Why does the ability to put energy into spirits exist at the level at all?" Alya asked, sounding genuinely curious. "If it is such a bad idea, should it not be higher up the learning curve?"

    "Well, for one, I don''t think that''s how this works. The Marvelous Mage system isn''t censoring me until I''m ready for certain dangerous knowledge... at least as far as I know," I pointed out, scratching my cheek. "And two, investing energy into a spirit can give whatever its inside special effects. A sword with a powerful spirit cuts better and swings faster, while a castle with a healthy, kind spirit will feel happier and its occupants healthier. You can even curse people with it by finding something with a negative spirit and charging it up before dumping it in their home or their village. You can imagine how bad dropping a spirit that hates humans into a well or leaving it in a hospital would be."

    "How potent would these spirits be?"

    "It can vary depending on their strength, both in how much you feed them and their own inherent strength," I responded, leaning back and closing my eyes. "Now, hold on, I want to spend my points."

    With only a spare thought or two, quickly reviewing what I had learned with one investment, I promptly fed two more charges into spiritual totem magic, quickly followed by another three. I let out a long breath as the river of knowledge poured into my skull, connecting and bridging between my other topics. When it was finally done, I couldn''t help but quickly stand and clap my hands in excitement.

    "Good news, we fucking nailed it," I said with wide smile. "Time to show it off."

 Chapter Sevety Eight

    After my rather dramatic statement, I rushed to the ritual platform, immediately diving into the first storage tree. I cast the spell that let me see spirits as I went through everything I had purchased, including some of the things I had specifically bought for this moment. Animism had been floating around in my head for around a week, so I had more than enough time to snag a couple of things while I was shopping. Most of them were useless, simple guesses I made at what might carry the kind of spirit I was looking for that I could now see did not. Two of them, however, had exactly what I needed.

    The first was a military service medal, a Purple Heart. I had been pretty shocked to find it in a pawnshop during one of my random stops on my way to Boston, but I immediately bought it. The man behind the counter claimed someone had sold it looking for a quick buck, but that it was genuine and had been given to a soldier that was now dead.

    In all honesty, I had expected it to be fake but had bought it anyway just to be safe. I could now see that it was very much genuine. The spirit inside the medal was powerful by this world''s standards, and the medal had clearly been well loved and honored before being sold, as the spirit was well defined, not the hazy wisps that made up the trees around us. I held the medal in my hand, resting it in my palm as I held my other hand above it, palm down.

    "Ostende mihi altitudinem huius spiritus," I chanted, a small gray circle of three arcane symbols appearing under my empty hand, shining down on the medal.

    I held the spell for a full minute before the spirit inside reacted, swelling slightly as it absorbed my mana. As it did, my mind was filled with feelings and images, flashes of thought that were too simple to include words. Without my experience dealing with Kali, I would have been quickly overwhelmed. In fact, I still might have been if she hadn''t slid into my spell, acting as a clean and much more controlled buffer between us. I let out a sigh of relief when she did.

    "Thanks, Kali," I said, shaking my head a bit. "That was a lot more intense than I expected¡­ maybe I should have started with something smaller..."

    She sent me a chastizing metaphorical look before working with me to explore just what this spirit felt like.

    I immediately noticed the¡­ echo of the man who the medal had been given to. I could even glimpse parts of his life. He was the oldest of four, with a younger brother and an even younger set of twin sisters. He played football as the running back, and when his brother declared he was joining the service to fight Nazis, he had joined as well to keep an eye on him. By some miracle, he managed to do so for a good chunk of the war, all the way until his brother was injured and sent home. He fought like hell even after that, eventually earning the medal by saving his squad by drawing fire from an MG32 that had been positioned on a hill.

    He wore the medal with pride and eventually passed it to his son, who showed it to his family with pride and told stories of his father.

    Beyond that echo, I could feel honor steeped into the metal, the desire to fight for what was right and to put your fellows before yourself. The drive to sacrifice in the face of impossible odds. There were some more bloodthirsty thoughts in there, especially towards Germans and Nazis, but I could curb those down to reasonable levels. I might hate Nazis as much as the next guy, but as a hero and as a construct, I needed my creations to adhere to an even stricter set of rules than I did.

    And wholesale killing of an entire gang was definitely not within that set of rules.

    The next item was a Brockton Bay Police Department badge, one older than I was by a good few decades. It was dented, worn, and had a small crack along one corner, which I fixed with a quick, small-scale metal manipulation spell.

    This time, as I cast the spell to get a feel for the spirit, Kali was ready, helping from the get-go. As I cast, the flashes came slower, steadier, at a pace that I could actually follow. I could see the badge actually had two owners, the first of which was a cop. He served well, working to protect the city for almost his entire life. He was a bit of a hard ass, and the spirit would have reflected that further, if not for its second owner, a young kid who had somehow found the discarded badge. He wore it as part of his imaginary games, playing both a police officer and a western sheriff, running around his home catching imaginary bad guys. It gave the spirit an underlying youthfulness and optimism I couldn''t help but want to strengthen.

    "I think for the first one, I''m going to use the police badge," I said, carefully putting away the purple heart, treating it better now that I knew it was real. "I think the combination of the police officer with the kid will actually balance out, plus it''s tied to the actual city, something the Purple Heart doesn''t have."

    "Are you sure you can handle the child-like aspects?" Alya asked, watching as I started grabbing materials from the storage tree and laying them along one of the counter surfaces I had grown along the platform.

    "I''m pretty confident," I responded with a nod, pulling out a stick of electrum chalk. "It''s all standard stuff for this sort of magic."

    Working with spirits was only half of the subject I had chosen, the process of turning them into totems of protection, or offense for that matter, was the other half. It leaned heavily into rituals but deviated enough from the standard sort that I had very little knowledge of it before. Now that I had unlocked the subject, the two were heavily connected, branching together significantly. The fact that I had both gave me a level of flexibility in my totem crafting options that someone who focused only on spirit totem magic alone could only dream of.

    The first step was to awakening a totem was making sure the spirit wasn''t going to go rogue the moment you did so. This was a cleansing ritual of sorts, though there wasn''t anything holy or healing about it, just using a ritual to curb any negative attributes. I focused mostly on the child-like echoes that the badge had gained while the young boy owned it. To be clear, it wasn''t like I was chaining up parts of a living creature or carving things out of sentient mind. At this stage, the spirit was just echoes and unconnected emotions, with no thoughts or real feelings.

    If it had developed any further, then what I was doing would absolutely raise several moral questions, but as it was, it was like training an ant to not bite, if such a thing were possible.

    When I was done, seven small rituals later, the spirit inside of the badge was a bit more solid and a lot less fragmented. I had worked the lines and echoes together, preparing the spirit for its final awakening by stabilizing it significantly. The next step was to provide it with a vessel to inhabit. For now, the spirit was contained inside its home artifact, the policeman''s badge, but once I awakened, I could merge the artifact with a totem of some kind.

    As one might imagine, totems could vary greatly. They could be a stationary totem, like a large rock or even a wooden pillar, like many imagine when you use the word "totem." You could fuse it with a piece of armor, or a shield, letting the spirit lend you physical strength, resilience, or whatever else it could provide. I was already planning on how to weave some lesser spirits into my getup to increase their resilience, strength, and other abilities. You could even fuse the artifact with something more mobile, like a boat, cart, or even a car. Normally, working with a car would be difficult because of the technology, but because spirits could inhabit just about anything, finding a car spirit and binding it to another car would work just as well as anything else.

    You could also bind them to a golem, custom-made to allow the spirit to manipulate and control it. With a sufficiently powerful golem core and a properly awoken spirit, I could create a fully sentient being of strength and will, determined to fight alongside me and other heroes to protect the innocent and put a stop to the villains.

    Rather than moving on to awakening the spirit immediately, I wanted to have a body ready for it to inhabit so that it didn''t have to suffer from not having control of itself. Thankfully, I still had enough metal left over from a previous visit to the junkyard to make a large golem, including, for the first time, an actual head since I wanted them to be able to speak.

    Once I was sure I had the materials, I got to work on the golem core, which took until very early the following morning. The result was not my usual "follow commands and don''t kill anyone" golem. This was a work of art, pushing my golem-making knowledge to its limits and incorporating everything I had learned about totem crafting from my newest subject acquisition. Not only did it have control over the four cardinal limbs, but it also had extensive control over the head, which would allow the golem to emote as it got more and more used to its vessel.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Once the core was done, I got to work on the frame. Rather than making it look like plated metal, I worked hard to form the appearance of muscles and normal human limbs. It took a lot of work, at least a dozen attempts, but I finally got it right. The end result was a six-foot-tall frame with a stable, muscular body that looked natural and not overly sculpted.

    When I was done with the body, I tackled the head, which easily took just as long. I formed the face based on the original cop, mixed with some of the features I had seen on the young kid. I specifically wanted him to look about my age, with a clean, shiny face and a strong chin. The result was a pretty decent-looking face with recognizable, maybe even well-formed features.

    After I finished the frame, I performed the preparation ritual before I had my headless, normal golems move it to the corner of the platform. With the golem materials finished, it was finally time to awaken the spirit inside the badge completely.

    I placed the badge at the center of the platform and got to work, drawing another relatively simple ritual, which I knew by heart because of spiritual totem magic. The ritual had four spots for materials, one of which I put a few drops of my own blood into. This was to ensure loyalty, but not anything more than that. I could have added to the ritual to make the bindings harsher, locking them to my every word, but that wasn''t what I wanted. I knew I needed to have some influence over them, but I wasn''t nearly prepared to lock them into complete and utter servitude. They would listen to what I said and follow my orders, but if I told them to start punching babies and drop-kicking the elderly, they would tell me to get lost.

    Of course, as with everything I made, since their magic was my magic, I could un-make their golem form with a mental yank, but the awakened spirit wouldn''t be tied to me like that. Any magic I fed them would be converted into their own essence, removing it from my control.

    Other than the blood, I also needed bone ashes, which I made from deer bones I found about a ten-minute walk from the compound. It also required a single diamond and a cup of some sort of drink, in this case, a cup of apple cider, which Kali actually made from the apples I grew from the orchard.

    The ritual was a slow one, specifically designed to trickle my mana into the spirit to keep it from being overwhelmed by the energy. A spirit of this size could only convert a certain amount of mana at a time, and overwhelming it would affect its awakening negatively. So I knelt there for two hours, the sun slowly appearing on the horizon as I did. Finally, the ritual clicked over, and the final part started, the materials disintegrating and feeding into the old police officer''s badge. For a long moment, the only sound was the steady breeze Kali used to wash away the ash marks left behind by the ritual.

    I slowly stood up, wincing and casting a quick healing spell to fix the deep ache in my back and knees, before walking forward and carefully picking up the badge. Even without casting the spell, I could feel the difference. Before, it was just a thing, but now my mind seemed to instinctively know that I was holding something important, something more than just an old hunk of worn metal. I quickly cast the spirit vision spell, revealing the final nature of the spirit inside the badge.

    What was once a flickering gray and black flame the size of my thumb now engulfed my whole hand, growing past the confines of the badge itself. The flickering was now stable, less a candle in a windstorm and more of a carefully maintained pilot light. Even the colors were less washed out, with the black and grey colors more defined and consistent.

    "Did it work?" Alya asked. "I cannot see what your spell allows you to."

    "It did. It''s dormant at the moment, but the spirit is awakened," I confirmed, whistling to my mindless golems. "The last step is to fuse them all together."

    The golems carried the frame to the center of the platform, and I carefully inserted the golem core in a prepared hole an inch or so below the construct''s sternum. I then carefully sealed it shut with my metal control spell before putting the badge in a similar hole, this one right where their heart would be. Ordinarily, the symbolism probably wouldn''t matter too much for a golem, but adding spirits into the mix and the line started to get a bit more blurry.

    "Alright, get ready, everyone. I''m gonna wake them up," I said, looking around to find Alya in her physical form and Kali inhabiting her own golem construct. "There''s a chance this is a little disorienting for them, so¡­ get ready."

    I waited for them both to nod before turning back, raising my hand and holding my palm out to the waiting golem.

    "Exsurge, spiritus!"

    The simple spell sent out a single pulse of mana focused through an arcane symbol that flickered on the back of my hand. It expanded to a wave, passing through the construct before quickly fading. For a moment, nothing happened, silence reigning over the compound as I lowered my hand.

    Finally, after what felt like a good thirty seconds, the construct suddenly moved, tensing and shifting as if it were a normal human being shocked by a large surge of electricity. After a second or two, it finally sagged, staggering a step forward, nearly falling over. I stepped forward as well, prepared to catch them, but they managed to catch themselves. The spirit construct suddenly looked up, locking eyes with me.

    "Hhhhhhyyyyyyyaaaaaaaalllllloooooooouuuuuu¡­.hhhhhheeeeEEEElllllllooooooooooOOOOOOo. HheeeeelllllLLLLooooo¡­ HeelllllOOO¡­Heeelllloooo¡­ Hello!" It shouted and screeched, its first attempts at a greeting barely recognizable before it finally managed to control itself.

    Watching the metal in its face shift and move as it tried the first few times made my skin crawl, but as it got better, the movements normalized, becoming more natural-looking.

    "Hello, I am¡­ I don''t know what my name is¡­ I don''t think I ever needed one!" They admitted, their brow furrowing as they scratched their chin. "Do I have a name? I remember¡­ Peter¡­ But I also remember Christopher¡­ Could those be my names?"

    It was hard not to notice the spirits... looseness as it talked, tilting its head back and forth as it spoke, asking questions and sounding excited.

    "I don''t think it would be wise to use those names," I advised, stepping forward again, trying to appear non-threatening. "They belonged to other people, people who helped form you. But now that you are here, and you deserve a name for yourself."

    "I think¡­ I think you''re right," The spirit nodded, considering my words and seeing the logic. "I am something new, so I need a new name! I¡­ do not know what other names I could have."

    "We can help with that," I assured him, stepping forward with my hand out. "My name is William Kalus."

    "Hello William Kalus, you are the source of my¡­ thoughts¡­ my thinking¡­ my consciousness!" He said, ignoring my hand. "Why have you given me thoughts? They seem¡­ solid, yet lacking."

    "That''s because I built them solid, but you''re still new," I explained gently. "Slowly, your sentience will develop, and the empty parts will fill in with your personality. As for why¡­ I need help. Your spirit was full of desire to help those who couldn''t help themselves, to protect the innocent. I need desires like that. Brockton Bay is struggling, and I can''t help her without more people standing by my side."

    The spirit stood, silently processing my statement. It looked around for a moment, before locking eyes with me again.

    "What gives you the authority to¡­ fight for justice?" the still-nameless spirit asked. "Are you part of the police? Vigilantism is a problem all its own."

    "No, but that is not as big of a problem as you might think," I explained. "I promise, I am not some rogue mage, spurning a perfectly good establishment to seek my own justice. If I could be working with the authorities, I would be. I could explain it to you, if you let me."

    "Yes¡­ please, that would be helpful," They said, before finally reaching out to shake my hand. "If it is as you have said, I will help you fight for justice."

    I could feel the great strength of the golem frame as he shook my hand, even through my geomantic enhancements. I nodded, a smile on my face at his response.

    "Come, then, let''s talk about the situation that Brockton Bay and even the world has found itself in."

 Chapter Seventy Nine

    The guardian spirit and I sat down in the common area of the compound, the area lit up by hanging little bottles of light. Once we had settled down, I began to explain just why I had awakened him, and what had happened to the world since he had last gotten any glimpses. As an object to be worn, it would lay dormant between owners, meaning that for the last thirty or forty years, it had simply been asleep. Unsurprisingly, given the people he was pulling from, he was disturbed and angered by the news, especially when I explained just how far the local police force had fallen.

    "There were always bad eggs. That''s a given," He admitted with a frown. "You give enough people power, and some of them can''t handle it. But to hear that it''s just expected¡­ that''s horrible! I can''t believe everyone would sink so low! It''s so frustrating... gosh darn it!"

    He stood and began pacing, the sound of his footsteps barely muffled by the wooden floorboards.

    "It is unfortunate, but there isn''t much we can do at the moment," I said with a frown. "Hopefully, by cleaning up the gangs a bit more, we can give the good ones a chance to clean up their mess."

    The large metal construct continued to pace as if trying to burn off extra energy. Eventually, he did sit back down, the chair creaking as it was quite a bit more aggressive than necessary.

    "Is there really no one we could tell? The state should know that this city is such a mess!" He said, frustration clear in his voice. "The governor could declare a state of emergency and bring in the National Guard!"

    "Honestly, they probably already know what''s going on," I admitted with a frown. "This city is oddly isolated from the rest of the state, even the country. So many of the problems here would be solved with outside help, but¡­ no one seems interested. I mean, we had an openly known sex slavery ring set up in the docks south. I may have discovered its location, but to just let it go, no matter who was guarding it..."

    The large metal-bound spirit was silent for a while, considering my words. I could see their face shift as they went through several strong emotions before leaning back heavily in their chair.

    "Peter must be rolling over in his grave," The spirit said. "And Christopher would have been heartbroken."

    "Then help me do something about it," I said, leaning forward. "For them and for yourself."

    The spirit was silent for a moment, eventually looking up at the slightly swaying lights.

    "The echo of Peter still dislikes the idea of vigilantism, but¡­ I can see the reason why it''s necessary," they admitted. "I am not the police, and I never was. If the system is broken¡­ then working outside the system is necessary."

    "So you will help me?"

    "If the state of the city is as dire as you claim?" He admitted, crossing his arms, looking through the trees to see slowly brightening daylight. "Then, as long as you remain on the side of justice, I will join you."

    "I''m glad to hear it," I said with a smile. "You should start thinking of a name, it''s part of being a realized, thinking entity, even if spirits never naturally get them. Beyond that, we should get you some clothes, a uniform of sorts will help you interact with the public more easily. It doesn''t need to be a costume, but something to set you apart would probably work better."

    He nodded, seeming to take my suggestions in stride. As we talked about his options, I could tell that the spirit was settling down. The wild, almost alienness his words and questions had held calming down. He was still relying heavily on the people he was echoing, almost visibly switching between them, but that, too, was already fading.

    We continued to talk about being a hero, the city, and the rest of the world. Eventually, we drifted to the Endbringers, a rather depressing topic, one that seemed to shake him up quite a bit, not that I could blame him in the slightest. I nearly vomited the first time I saw some of the secret, non-government-approved footage of Leviathan tearing heroes apart as it smashed through Kyushu.

    "It seems¡­ pointless to fight something so strong," my new ally said, watching a short clip of Leviathan knocking down a building by smashing it with his tail on my phone. "What could we do against something like that?"

    "Right now? Not a whole lot," I admitted. "For the moment, Endbringers are all about whittling them down, fighting them until they finally retreat. Occasionally one of the Triumvirate will manage to drive them off early, all at once¡­ But beyond that, we just have to work them down."

    "What do you mean by ''for the moment''?"

    "Not to sell myself as the main character, but I am a powerful mage already, only two months into my career," I pointed out, running my hand through my hair. "My knowledge is growing steadily, and my power will follow along behind it. Eventually, I am hoping to increase my spell or ritual crafting skills until I can create something that will eliminate or capture one of them. Unfortunately, we need to be prepared before we can do that. Things will likely accelerate after that, as the Endbringer Truce is, in quite a few ways, is a major support of the face of civility and blind eyes we have for major criminals. If we start killing Endbringers, the Truce might unravel, and a lot of things will start to come undone."

    "The fact that the PRT engages in this¡­ game with the villains of this world is disturbing," the spirit said, shaking its head. "By what you describe, I understand that it''s necessary¡­"

    "I know, I dislike it as well," I agree. "But we need to work within it for now. Besides, what else could we do, murder our way through the E88? I may dislike the status quo, but going that far is not something I am willing to do either."

    "No, I suppose not. It is just... frustrating," they admitted with a frown. "I am beginning to understand why you have awoken me and intend to wake others. Without the power to hold your own, to defend what you oversee¡­ It is truly like the wild west, where might makes right."

    "Yes, and I hate it. But for now, we need to use it. As long as we have might, then we can be the ones to set things right."

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    He nodded, before switching topics to some of the features of the Bay, including my allies. The number had grown considerably over the last month and would only go up now that I could make them on my own.

    Eventually, the subject of allies turned to their powers, which led to discussing his abilities. Due to his golem frame and the amount of extra magic I put on it, he was noticeably stronger than the other golem. He could eat steel, brass, iron, and copper to heal damage, recover lost mass, and even gain it if necessary. His core was under four or five inches of metal, while his "heart", the worn metal badge, was just about the same.

    Basically, as long as he didn''t get shot by something much bigger than a fifty cal in either place, I could just use magic to put him back together again. Destroying the core would freeze him until I could make another, but there was only so much damage the badge, his heart, could take before his spirit would just disperse. That was his one actual weak spot.

    On top of all that, he also had a rather interesting ability. When I was shifting and strengthening certain strands and echoes, I noticed that both of the echoes the spirit pulled from were dog lovers. Seeing a common thread to work with, I tied them together and solidified it, harmonizing the two echoes. The result of that, however, was that with a gesture, the spirit could summon a pair of ethereal canines, a doberman pinscher or a golden retriever. The doberman pinscher was faster, stronger, and tougher than a flesh and blood dog had any right to be, and was colored black and white like it had been greyscaled. The golden retriever, on the other hand, was just as lovable and goofy as the actual breed was but glowed with an internal golden light, which we confirmed was low-level healing magic. It wouldn''t bring people back from the brink, but it would definitely stabilize serious injuries, until more capable people could arrive.

    "That is an interesting combination," I admitted, watching the golden retriever walk around the compound, sniffing and nose into things, while the doberman stood almost at attention, awaiting orders. "How¡­ permanent are they?"

    "I think I can keep them up, but I can recall them just as easily," the spirit said, rubbing his shiny fingers over the Doberman''s head. "I think they can be forcefully dispersed as well, and that would¡­ probably be rough for me. But it wouldn''t be permanent."

    "That''s good. Their vulnerability to permanent death would be a big weakness you would have to look out for," I said, the guardian totem spirit nodding in agreement. "How bad is ''rough?''"

    "I could work through one, but I would need a minute if they both got knocked out at once," he explained with a wince. "Probably more than a minute, if I was honest."

    "In that case¡­ bringing them both out at once might be asking for trouble," I suggested. "Plus, it''s never a bad idea to hide some abilities for emergencies later."

    The golden retriever made his way to me, putting his head in my lap, his glow increasing for a moment as if he were checking on my health. I scratched his head, feeling the fur between my fingers.

    "How much of this are you controlling?" I asked, the semi-transparent canine huffing as his tongue hung out of his mouth. "They are pretty life-like."

    "I can exert full control, but when I don''t have the sort of do their own thing¡­" He explained with a shrug. "They aren''t alive in any sense of the word, as far as I can feel."

    We continued to talk about his powers and my magic as I started getting ready for the day, first showering before putting on my costume. When I was done, we made our way to the ritual platform.

    "Alright. So here is the deal. Eventually, I will cut you and whatever other spirits I awaken loose to cover whatever territory needs patrolling," I explained, letting my jacket settle on my shoulders, feeling Kali adjust the collar for me. "This is just the introduction phase. If you want to talk, you can talk, but we are basically just showing you off and letting people get used to you. Plus, I want to introduce you to Crow and whoever is patrolling for New Wave today."

    "You mentioned clothes?" the spirit guardian asked.

    "That is our first stop. There is a second-hand shop that should have everything you need," I explained. "It might get a little weird going there in costume, but since you stand out no matter where you go¡­"

    "About that¡­ is there any way you could turn down the shine?" He asked, looking down at his hands. "I feel like a Christmas tree ornament."

    I frowned as I considered the question before making my way over to one of the tree storage units. I started to dig through my metal samples, looking for the one I had the most of.

    "Well¡­I could definitely kill the shine, give you a matte finish," I assured him, before pulling out a half dozen rods of rebar, from when my geomancy enhancements weren''t permanent. "How about a darker iron finish instead?"

    "Some shading would be nice?"

    I snorted and gestured for him to get closer, letting him take a knee in front of me. I then used some of my metal manipulation spells to work in the iron like clay, mixing it into his face and body. He went from looking like polished gold to burnished bronze, with darker spots for highlights. Despite not having much experience, the process went well, though I was still considering finding a way for someone with more sculpting experience to help.

    When I was finished, I whistled for the golems, sending one of them back so there were three, plus the spirit and myself. They then held on to my arms as I chanted the teleportation spell, all of us appearing just inside the entrance of an alley, right across the street from a second-hand shop. The golems remained outside while we entered, the spirit walking through the clothes aisles, while I talked to the person behind the counter as well as the manager.

    The guardian spirit was oddly decisive with his clothes. He grabbed a pair of navy blue dress pants, a light blue dress shirt, and a simple, cut-back black peacoat, one without the massive collar. The final touch was a newsboy cap, which he found at the bottom of a whole pile of used hats. With a belt, some boots, and some black leather gloves, the look was finished. I quickly paid for the clothes and we left, were a crowd already starting to form around the outside of the shop, people daring each other to get closer to the golems. I whistled, and people backed away as the golems stood up[ straight and followed behind us into the alleyway.

    A few seconds later, we arrived at the usual meeting point, the golems falling in line as we approached Crow, sitting in her usual spot. Immediately, she noticed something was off, standing up and leaning forward to look up at the recently awakened spirit''s face.

    "Well¡­ that''s an interesting look," She said, walking around the golem. "I like the clothes, and the head looks good, but why the change? I thought you did the whole ''golems aren''t people, they don''t even have heads'' thing on purpose?"

    "I do, but this isn''t a golem," I explained with a smirk.

    "Hello Crow, I-"

    Before he could finish talking, Crow shouted and leaped backward, throwing out a barrage of feathers, several of them catching his shadow on the wall of the alley. This locked the guardian spirit up completely, freezing him as he reached out with his hand for a handshake.

    "Not bad, you''re getting quick at that," I complimented, nodding in appreciation.

    "Thanks," She responded smoothly, slowly standing up before gesturing with her crowbar. "You uh... wanna explain what the hell this is?"

    "This is what I was talking about," I explained with a smirk. "The answer to needing more allies to hold back not just the E88, but also protect the city from gangs and villains coming in trying to fill the vacuum."

    "You... you made a sentient golem?" She asked, her eyes going wide. "I... that''s big, Arc..."

    "Uhhh, kinda? It''s hard to explain, but..." I started, pausing as the guardian spirit finally broke free from her feather. "He is a golem, but... well, just treat him like he is alive ''cause he kind of is."

    "Apologies for startling you, Ma''am," the awakened spirit said, still holding out his hand. "I look forward to working with you."

    "Yeah... same here," She said, reaching out to shake his hand, shooting daggers with her eyes at me. "Welcome aboard, I suppose."

 Chapter Eighty

    With the ABB almost completely collapsed, it was decided that, for now, our patrols should focus on the area where the now "cleared" area joined up to E88 territory. It was rather obvious that the Empire was keen to start expanding into the new area and that we were the only thing keeping them out. I could feel Alya expanding around me, happy to be spread out after spending so much time compressed as I worked on my totem magic.

    "I still cannot believe that Nazis openly exist in the city," the still-nameless guardian spirit said, shaking his head. "The occasional Klan member stirring up trouble, sure, but Nazi''s? The country loved to hate them! Kids used to play ''hunt the¡­German,'' during the war, for God''s sake."

    Crow turned to look at the metallic awakened spirit before looking back at me. I simply shrugged, before turning to answer his question. It was clear that spirit was implying a less-than-kind word had been used instead, and Crow had obviously picked up on him talking about history as if he had experienced it.

    An increasingly large part of myself was beginning to think it was time to let Crow in on my big secret, as it was getting hard to explain what was going on. At least people like New Wave weren''t privy to how a lot of my rituals worked, but Crow had witnessed them herself just before the battle with Lung. I wouldn''t be surprised if she had her own suspicions already and just considered them too crazy to voice.

    "They exist for the same reason they existed in Germany," I explained, bringing myself back to the conversation with a sad frown. "When things start to fall apart, a lot of people find it easier to blame a group of people than admit it''s their own fault, or even that it''s no one''s fault but random chance. It only gets worse when someone notices and uses that to gather power for themselves. I''m not making excuses for them, I don''t care how bad it is, it''s no excuse for what they do. Worse is that it poisons them and the people around them, changing the way they think until all they can do is hate. And lying to yourself like that is addictive, almost impossible to let go of."

    That seemed to answer the awakened spirit''s question, but it did nothing to settle him. For a while, we walked silently down the street, occasionally shaking hands and getting photographs taken. It was pretty startling how normal that had gotten, the attention seemingly like just part of the job. Equally surprising was just how much the area we were patrolling had changed with news of the ABB''s almost complete collapse. The streets were more active, with people walking down the sidewalks and cafes and restaurants opening up seats outside. It was like a storm had passed, and people were coming out to see the damage and escape their cramped homes.

    Eventually, I brought up that the spirit was still looking for a name, and once Crow had gotten past her confusion, we started coming up with suggestions. Some of them were a bit capey, while others were just normal names. Eventually, the spirit cut me off after I suggested Jackson.

    "Smokey," He said with a confident nod. "You can call me Smokey."

    Both Crow and I shared a look, and I very carefully kept my face clear of any judgment.

    "Are you sure?" I asked carefully. "Once people start calling you that, it''s going to be hard to change it. Plus, people might connect it to Smokey the Bear."

    "That''s fine, Christopher always liked him," He said with a distant smile. "Plus, it''s a nickname for state troopers, and I like that. Peter was a trooper before he retired."

    "I¡­ didn''t know that," I admitted, nodding after a moment of silence. "Alright, Smokey, it is."

    Now Crow looked really confused, giving me an intense look even though I couldn''t see her face. I could almost feel her trying to ignore her trust issues, which is what finally convinced me.

    "Later, Crow. Stick around when I go healing, and we can go back to the forest," I assured her, patting her shoulder. I promise to explain everything there."

    "...I''m gonna hold you to that," She explained after a long pause before turning back to focus on the sidewalk.

    Our patrol continued for another few hours, with Smokey, Crow, and I walking alongside each other and the golems walking behind us, waiting to follow my command. Eventually, we met up with Manpower and Laserdream, who were surprised by Smokey''s presence but quickly recovered enough to shake his hand and welcome him to the vague team-up we had going. They clearly had questions, but since they didn''t ask them, I felt no need to volunteer the information.

    After leaving the two superheroes, as well as their own golems, to take over the patrol, I teleported my group to the hospital. Rather than teleport onto the front lawn like I usually did, this time, I appeared in a room on the second floor, one cleared of anything and marked liberally with caution tape and obvious warning signs. I told them my landing spots were adjustable, and I could just as easily land on the roof, but they explained that the emergency helipad took up most of the walkable space, so they understandably didn''t take to that idea.

    After a brief conversation with the on-duty medical director, I went about my rounds, healing nearly two dozen people. Smokey got a few odd looks, but nobody commented, not even those he talked to.

    When I was done with my rounds, I bribed Crow with lunch to let me push my explanation off a bit longer. I wanted to stop by a few plant nurseries before we headed home, as well as a grocery store. What she did not expect was for me to bounce around to three different towns, stopping off at local plant nurseries. Not every shop had fruit tree seeds, which was why it took so long to find pear, apricots, and plums. I couldn''t find a few of the seeds I needed since they normally couldn''t be grown in the New England region, so I had to order them special. They would be ready to pick up in a few days.

    Once we were done, I teleported us back to the compound, stopping by the hospital to grab Smokey, who had been waiting in the newly made landing room, as well as a pair of pizzas for lunch and a final stop at a grocery store, for a large chunk of beef.

    Thankfully, Crow had the same preference as me when it came to eating, namely that we didn''t talk about anything stressful. Instead, we chatted about the compound and about what I could do to help the docks community. When we were done, we made our way to the ritual platform, and I started going through my storage while Crow, still in her costume, sat down nearby.

    "So, you said you would explain some things," She asked, nodding to Alya as she coalesced nearby. "You gonna make good on that or?"

    "First¡­ you need to promise to keep this to yourself," I said, talking to her as I started pulling things out of storage and placing them on the table to be used. "Kinda pointless, I know, I either trust you or not, the words don''t mean much. But this is a big deal. I would like to hear you say it, at least."

    "I¡­ Yeah, I promise," she said, stopping herself from immediately confirming. "I trust you, and I want you to trust me."

    "I do trust you," I confirmed before snagging a piece of electrum chalk and making my way to the platform, getting down on all fours and slowly getting started.

    The ritual I had in mind was locked in my head from the latest upgrade to druidcraft, so I could easily copy it down while still paying attention to my conversation.

    "...so, what did you want to explain?" She asked, watching me work.

    "I''m not a parahuman," I responded simply, pushing myself to my knees and meeting her eyes. "I don''t have those brain growths, and I never triggered. What I do is magic."

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    She stared at me, my words seeming to have no effect on her. I couldn''t see her face since she was still wearing her cloak, but that was fine. As I waited, I focused back on the ritual, slowly drawing it out, symbol by symbol, line by line. It was about five minutes before she finally spoke up.

    "You really believe that?" she asked.

    "I know it''s true," I responded, still working. "Just like you know that I''m not crazy."

    "How could I possibly know that?" she asked, her voice cutting with a chipped edge, prompting me to look up at her.

    "Crow. You''ve seen more of what I can do than anyone," I pointed out. "From the first time you saw me fight, all the way until earlier today when you learned I could make sentient guardians with their own abilities. At any point during any of that, have you seen my work and thought. ''Oh, yeah, that''s definitely a parahuman ability?''"

    She leaned back in her chair, my words seeming to force her down as if speaking the truth had made the situation more real.

    "When you first put on that cloak, did it feel like tinker tech?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or did it feel like magic?"

    When she again didn''t respond, I got back to work. I managed another two minutes before she spoke up again.

    "Alright. So you''re magic. Why haven''t we seen any other magic around?" She asked, and when I sat up to look at her, her hood was down, revealing her beautiful scarred face. "Where aren''t there any unicorns and dragons?"

    "There is so little magic in this world that the amount of magical phenomena is near zero," I explained with a frown. "My guess is that there is magical stuff happening, it''s all just so minor and subtle that you can barely register it. No idea why it''s like that, but magic does exist, just in tiny amounts. Certainly not enough to make anyone else like me."

    "If it''s impossible, how are you magic then?"

    "That''s¡­ a difficult question to answer," I admitted, letting out a breath and frowning. "I''m not sure you want the answer."

    "I-"

    "I know you want the answer. And if you ask, I will tell you," I responded before she could say anything else. "But it''s a lot, not something everyone can take learning. I''m not saying this because I''m lying or because I don''t want you to know. I''m saying this because I don''t think you''ll enjoy knowing the truth."

    "You''re assuming I would even believe you."

    "You do believe me. That''s why it''s so hard to wrap your mind around," I pointed out, leaning back down to continue drawing on the platform. "If you thought I was crazy or playing a role, you would just wave it off, have a laugh at my expense, and move on. This is so serious because you know I''m not lying, crazy, playing a role, or anything like that."

    Again silence returned. I was thankful that both Alya and Smokey had, at some point, realized that this was a bit of a private conversation, and had left, as much as Alya could leave me. Even Kali, who was aware of everything that happened in her domain, was "focusing" elsewhere, creating the illusion of privacy.

    "Why are you telling me this?" Olivia finally asked. "If you''re telling the truth¡­ why tell me?"

    "Because I trust you. Because you''re working closer to me than anyone and I can tell you were starting to catch on," I explained. "Because I saw how much me hiding Alya from you hurt you, and I didn''t want to do it again. Because you were already noticing that Smokey was not just some sentient golem AI. Because you''re my friend, and you deserve to know."

    That seemed to catch her off guard, and while silence did return, it was not nearly as heavy. I continued to draw and outline the ritual, getting most of the way through before she spoke up.

    "So, these rituals¡­ they are real, actual magic?" She asked, standing from her spot to walk around.

    "That''s right. I have to fuel them with my mana, plus anchor the item with material sacrifices," I explained, putting the finishing touches on the ritual. "Pass me all the stuff I have lined up over there. This is a complicated one."

    She nodded and passed me each ingredient for the ritual, starting with a quarter cut of the beef I just bought, a ruby, a little fragment of hematite, a small ingot of gold, and several other ingredients, before handing me the focus, a single pear seed. I carefully placed each one in the correct spot before making my way out of the ritual and kneeling down beside it.

    "This one''s gonna take a bit to get going, so feel free to find where Alya and Smokey went," I suggested. "Don''t go too far from the compound, though, or the protections will kick in, and you won''t be able to get back."

    She nodded, and I turned my focus to the ritual, slowly focusing on charging it up. This particular ritual was a slow start, meaning I had to delicately infuse my magic into the whole ritual before it could all start at once. Then I needed to maintain that output for another twenty minutes. A difficult task, but considering I had done longer rituals already, so I wasn''t exactly new to it.

    By the time I was done, Smokey and Alya had returned, the former talking quietly with Olivia while the latter simply floated and watched. I could feel Kali swell up and influence the end of the ritual, stepping in to refine and bind the seed to herself on a minor level. A flash of images and feelings told me it was so it would respond better to her care and that it wouldn''t affect the fruit.

    I barely had time to inspect the seed before Kali pulled herself into her dryad golem, happily taking the seed from me and rushing to the orchard. I quickly followed after her, only to find that she had already cleared and cordoned off an area for the magical enhancement plants. Flat stones lead off the wooden walkway, curling around into several large circles, all connected together in a tree-esque manner, each circle wide enough for a few fruit trees. I would have to cut down some trees and expand the clearing if we wanted to expand the number of circles, but for now, it was more than adequate.

    "It looks good, Kali. Feel free to plant the seed wherever you want," I said with a smile, watching as she almost skipped down the stone path, stepping into one of the circles and gently planting the seed.

    I could feel her working her magic on the whole circle, but I still needed to step in and cast some spells on the seed itself. Nothing major, just a minor increase in growth. I couldn''t do anything close to what I did with the food orchards, as the effects would ruin the end result.

    I had a feeling that Kali was gonna find a way to speed it up anyway, but I wasn''t going to complain.

    "So¡­what did I just watch you make?" Olivia asked, her eyes watching Kali, who was excitedly watching me push my magic into the soil, drawing up nutrients and freshening up the soil. "And who is this?"

    "That was something called a divine fruit tree. And no, there is nothing divine about it. It''s just a name," I assured her. "A divine fruit tree creates fruit that enhances people permanently. This is going to be a pear tree. It should bear fruit that tunes muscles and unlocks a person''s full strength."

    I couldn''t help but chuckle at Olivia''s wide-eyed look, stopping when Kali poked me and gestured to be introduced.

    "Oh, and this is Kali. She is... well, honestly, what she is is a bit complicated," I admitted, scratching my head. "How about we sit down and start from the beginning? There''s a lot to go over, and I''m sure you''ll have questions."

    After a long moment, Olivia let out a long breath and nodded in agreement, so I smiled and led her back into the main compound, away from the orchard, my three other companions following after us.

 Chapter Eighty One

    Rather than just sitting and talking around the fire, or in the common area, we returned to the ritual platform. I wanted to make at least three more pears of strength for Kali to maintain, and I had already proven I could multitask through the process. So we talked, all of us, explaining some of the aspects of my magic and what I had managed to do with it. I revealed that I seemed to be linked to some sort of well of knowledge and that I was occasionally blessed with new knowledge, but I ultimately left the details of the Marvelous Mage system out. I didn''t want to overwhelm her, and learning that someone had set up an entire system, with points and quests and even a random drawing that might not be so random, was a bit much.

    I did explain that Alya was an elemental and that Kali was a Genius Loci, though I intimated that I had summoned Alya in a one-time ritual and that Kali''s growth rate wouldn''t just continue. Again, I wanted to keep from overwhelming her, and learning that I had essentially created a localized goddess was leaning pretty heavily into the overwhelming knowledge category. On the plus side, I could finally explain how Alya''s bond truly functioned, including how I was the source of her humanity. It went a good way towards helping her understand how not talking to the elemental for a while wasn''t exactly rude, and that she felt time differently and would probably not even notice.

    I kept my origin from another world, the fact that I died to get here, and the existence of the entities to myself. I wasn''t exactly happy to keep some of that from her, but most of it was for her own good. Not only was the information overwhelming, I couldn''t imagine it was healthy to have your worldview blown open like that. It was certainly something I didn''t like to think about.

    Besides, no one but me needed to know that I had died, nor how it happened.

    By the time I was done talking and answering her questions, I was putting the final touches on the last ritual, finishing it, and passing the seed to Kali. She nearly skipped away, clearly eager to get started. Not long after she disappeared to her orchard, Olivia and I took a break for an early dinner since I had plans that involved being busy for the rest of the night, and I wanted to get some actual sleep.

    "So¡­ Do you know Dumbledore or¡­?" She finally asked, a reheated slice of pizza in her hands. "Could you get Harry Potter''s signature for me?"

    "That''s racist," I said, playing along. "Assuming all wizards know each other? Get with the times, Olivia¡­ The best I could do is Ron."

    That got a laugh out of her, and I managed to keep a straight face. We continued to eat, finishing the leftover pizza and some fruit from my regular enchanted orchard. When we were done, I stood, ready to offer her a teleport back to the city, when she stopped me, grabbing my hand and pulling me back to my seat.

    "I¡­ I want to return the favor," she said, looking off into the darkness that was slowly deepening around the compound. "You shared so much and¡­ You deserve to know the truth."

    "The truth about what?" I asked, cocking my head slightly in confusion.

    "These," She said simply, gesturing at the scars that covered her body.

    That caught me off guard. While they were impossible not to notice, they had long since lost their impact on me when I saw her. The scars were just a part of her, and while I was curious about what had happened¡­

    "Olivia, you don''t need to do that¡­ I didn''t explain that to you because I wanted to trade," I explained, giving her hand a squeeze. "You are more than welcome to your secrets, especially ones concerning¡­ Well, I assumed that''s when..."

    "My trigger event?" She confirmed, turning back to look me in the eye. "It''s fine, and¡­ I want you to know. It defined me for so long, I want you to know."

    "I¡­ alright, I will listen," I said, folding to her wishes. "But don''t feel like you need to push yourself. Talking about your trauma¡­ it can help, but it can also be similarly traumatizing."

    She nodded, pulling her legs up so her heels were against the chair, her knees against her chest. She wrapped her arm around her knees and leaned her head against them, her other hand still holding mine. A black cloak, an expression of my gift to her, emerged from her shoulders and covered her, seemingly to keep her warm.

    "My father¡­ he was a member of the E88, back in the ''good old days,''" she revealed, her voice sounding disgusted. "He was... the classic stereotype, really. Covered in tattoos, wore a white undershirt most of the time, used to slap Mom and me around a little when he was drunk. He was a true believer, passed down by his parents... but Mom¡­ she was a casual. She didn''t like all the violence of the Empire, but only because she didn''t like how it turned good white boys into violent men."

    I listened carefully, watching as she revealed her history. The fact that her parents were part of the largest gang in the city was unexpected, but not surprising. I could only imagine it was a common thread for a lot of people our age.

    "One day, Dad went out with the boys. They used to go to the bar, have some drinks, beat up some minorities, and come home," She explained. "Except Dad goes a bit overboard with his drinking and ends up going a bit further than usual. He stumbled home, covered in blood. Mom made a scene, and he slapped her away before going to clean himself up. A few hours later, a few men smashed into our home looking for him."

    She sniffed, rubbing her eyes for a moment, shaking her head as if to dislodge her grief. She had yet to release my hand, though I wasn''t sure she even realized it anymore. I was a little glad for my own enhancement with how hard she was squeezing.

    Apparently, his distaste for minorities wasn''t deep enough for him to keep his hands off their female victims," she continued, the disgust thick in her voice. "He punished some Jewish man for existing, then¡­ then he raped his wife. The woman''s family took exception to that and came to find him."

    Unable to watch her like this anymore without properly comforting her, I put my free hand on the living wood of the furniture and, with a wordless spell, took control of it. I gently shifted her seat and mine, merging them together so I could pull her into a hug. She accepted the hug after recovering from the surprise, taking a moment before finally continuing.

    "They tied us up after beating my dad for a while," she explained. "Then they left. My mom was sobbing, trying to wake my dad up¡­ when I managed to wiggle free. Instead of helping, I ran to my room and locked myself in the closet. My mom was screaming for me to help¡­ but I didn''t. I couldn''t. I was too scared to move from the closet. Not even when I started to smell smoke or when she started screaming about the fire burning."

    She took a shaky breath, and I pulled her closer, her tears falling into my shoulder.

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    "At some point, I must have triggered and passed out because I opened my eyes, and suddenly, the house was a lot more on fire than before. I instinctively phased into the shadows, using them as cover to escape the fire, but there was a flare-up, and it knocked me out of the darkness," she explained. "Without it to shield me from the fire... that''s how my scars happened. I tried to run and failed. I would have burned with the rest of my family if a passing cape hadn''t pulled me from the fire. I woke up in the hospital, staying just long enough to get bandaged up before running. I knew what I was, and I knew the Empire would soon hear about me triggering. They have ears everywhere, including the hospitals. I spent the next seven or eight months in the shadows, only ever coming out to steal food."

    For a long moment, I was stunned into silence. My mind raced, trying to think of something to say that could actually help, but I ultimately came up short.

    "Olivia, I am¡­ I''m sorry you had to go through that," I said, wincing at just how empty it sounded. "I''m so sorry."

    "Yeah¡­ I know they were bad people. I know my dad got what was coming to him, but¡­ they were still my family. And I left them to die, hiding in my closet in the dark," She repeated. "They were terrible people¡­ but how could I just let them die? They were my parents!"

    I could hear her coming undone, the grip on herself slipping. I could only hold her tighter, doing my best to provide what little support I could. Eventually, after close to ten minutes of sitting there, I could feel her slowly lose the tension in her body as she drifted to sleep, her emotional story no doubt leaving her drained. When I was sure she had fully drifted away, I slowly stood, easily carrying her in my arms. I carefully carried her to my room, laying her in my bed, as it was the only one with blankets and a proper mattress.

    "Keep an eye on her," I whispered to Kali, before quietly leaving.

    Once I was outside, I took a long minute to collect myself. I already wished I could have said and done more, but dealing with trauma like this was far outside of my talents. I could feel a comforting touch on my shoulder, an empathetic feeling coming from Kali, even if I could feel her focus on the enchanted orchard and on Olivia, all at once.

    I made my way back to the ritual platform, whistling quietly for the golems. I could feel Alya as well, pulling in from a large space around me, settling into her corporeal form as the golems lined up along the edge of the platform. Smokey showed up as well, sitting on one of the root chairs grown from the storage trees.

    "Do you plan on awakening another spirit?" Alya asked as I started to make my way to one of the storage trees, pulling out supplies.

    "Yeah, there''s no reason to hold back, and the quicker I make a dozen or so of them, the quicker the PRT and other people can get comfortable with the idea," I explained. "I''m going to try and make one a day for the next few days, at least. I''m going to go shopping through some more pawn shops, looking for powerful."

    "That seems a bit backward," Smokey pointed out. "Wouldn''t taking it slow be better?"

    I frowned, turning to look back at him, noting that Alya was floating beside him, looking like she agreed.

    "I absolutely refuse to run my plans by the whims of the PRT," I explained with a scowl. "If I waited for them to be comfortable, I would be waiting for a month."

    "I''m not saying you should go that far," Smokey responded, holding up his hands in defense. "But a little patience never hurt anyone. Maybe just make one tonight and hold off?"

    "Two guardians is not enough. I want you guys to take over the patrols in the old ABB territory so that Crow and I can start pushing out the Empire¡­" I said, trailing off as a thought came to me, before sagging a bit as the idea exploded in my mind. "Unless I reinforce the two of you with a group of golems like Crow and I are."

    "See, you solved your own problem," Smokey said with a smile. "We can give the PRT and everyone else time to adjust, without compromising the plan."

    "I suppose. Though I''m not holding off forever," I added, turning back to the storage tree. "We need more sentient capes to fight against the Empire in earnest, not to mention to fend off whoever comes to fill in the void. We need more than golems to fight the Teeth."

    "Then you can make more in a week or so," Smokey said with a shrug. "A team of four golems can more than fill the gap for now."

    I frowned and eventually nodded, going through the cabinets until I found everything that I needed. The golems had been extremely potent so far, taking down goons and capes alike. I had no doubt that they would hit a wall and not be able to compete with some capes, like Fenja and Menja, but until then, they would remain useful.

    Then again, I wasn''t exactly sure how I would deal with the two size-changing brutes.

    "You seem awfully eager to keep from pissing off the PRT," I pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "Why is that?"

    "It''s not because I don''t agree with you, because I do. The PRT seems to be incompetent, leaving the city to slowly choke to death," he replied with thinly veiled disgust. "I just know how organizations like that can work. Or at least¡­I knew.."

    He scratched his metal head, trying to work through the confusion of not actually being his echoes, but still having vague memories of them. My knowledge knew that this would settle as he got older, as the echo memories mellowed out into his own memories.

    "It doesn''t matter," he said, shaking his head. "Once they label you as a problem, a lot of things are going to become a lot more difficult. On top of that, getting out of their bad books is not gonna be easy."

    I frowned, not liking that I was once again seeing the effects of the PRT being a nuisance. Still, I had created sentient help for a reason, and what he was saying was not wrong.

    "Fine. I will awaken one more spirit and then wait some time before making more," I confirmed, getting a nod from both Alya and Smokey. "I''ll have to make more golems, though, since I do not have enough. I''ll be taking apart one of them for materials, which means I will only have two ready to go."

    With the matter settled, I slowly got to work preparing to awaken the spirit. I needed to scrap one of the golems, though the core would be intact, so it wouldn''t be down for long. Then, I needed to actually start the stabilizing process, working with the spirit held inside the Purple Heart medal to prepare it for awakening.

    As I carefully pulled the medal out of its box, I made my way to a seat by the platform, poking Kali for help working with the spirit. When she was ready, I cast the scanning spell, checking the spirit one last time before starting the awakening and totem guardian crafting process.

 Chapter Eighty Two

    With Kali''s help, I was able to scan the spirit easily. I could also feel myself getting more used to the process, which made me hopeful that I would be able to do it on my own soon, as long as I kept using the spell. The process was disorienting but manageable, which was an encouraging change.

    I had already scanned this spirit before, back when I was choosing who to awaken first, so nothing of what I saw caught me off guard, but I needed to refresh my memory to plan out a proper plan of awakening. The spirit was already leaning towards heroics due to the original owner''s tendency to put others before themself, but I could feel some substantial aspects getting in the way. While I had no problem cutting down the need to kill those who threatened him and his, I felt less good about manipulating concepts of family. This was a spirit that had absorbed a particularly powerful desire to fight and sacrifice for family, and I wasn''t keen on suppressing or even removing something like that.

    Not only was it a bit heavy-handed and potentially unethical, but it was also a waste. The spirit in the medal would make the perfect guardian for a specific family, or a family home. I could tie the concepts of the family to a specific bloodline, and the spirit would get a significant increase in power when defending them. It would be a complete waste to just squash that concept when I could raise it up and create a significantly more powerful awakened spirit.

    "I¡­ Don''t think I can use this one, guys," I admitted with a frown. "I mean I could, but I think it might be better suited for other things."

    I explained the issue I had run into and explained why having a guardian for a bloodline would come in handy to Alya, who didn''t have quite a complete understanding of familial bonds. Eventually, after a little discussion, I decided to put the Purple Heart back into storage, saving it for later use.

    Hell, maybe one day I would tie it to my own bloodline and have it as a family bodyguard if I ever had kids or something.

    Thankfully, this didn''t set me back nearly as far as I was worried it would. Alya pointed out that there must be hundreds of things with spirits attached to them across the city, surely one of them would be abandoned. At first, I thought it was a bit of a stretch, but after teleporting into the city and casting the spirit-sight spell, the world lit up like a field of stars. Thousands of tiny little spirits filled the buildings, with dozens of more prominent spirits sitting among them like planets. The vast majority of both types were inside homes and apartment buildings, but as Alya, a golem, and I bounced around the city by teleport, we found several forgotten spirits. A half-rotted book left under a park bench, a pocket knife buried in sand, a bent flute rescued from a dumpster and an old beat-up flask lodged under a rock. I was a bit nervous about what kind of echoes the flask might hold, but nonetheless, I took them all back to the compound, cleaning them off with a quick spell.

    "Well, Alya, I stand corrected," I said, laying out our finds on the table near the ritual platform. "I''m not sure what these will contain, but you were right about finding spirits lying around."

    "What if none of them have what you''re looking for?" She asked, watching over my shoulder.

    "Well, I guess I''ll store them away in case they might be useful later, and we can go looking again," I responded with a shrug. "If none of that batch is useful, we can call it night, and tomorrow, we can stop at the shops we spotted that had a bunch. I think antique stores and pawnshops are going to be our friends when looking for spirits."

    I spent a few minutes cleaning and repairing the objects as best I could. The book was re-bound using my skills gained from arcane focus crafting, while I used metal control to very carefully bend the flute back into shape. I cleaned and washed out the flask, smoothing the surface with the same metal control spell. The pocket knife was actually in the best condition out of all of them, only requiring a bit of magic to deep clean and a bit of elbow grease to sharpen.

    Once I was sure none of them would fall apart during the awakening process, I started over again, scanning each of the objects, one after the other.

    The flask ended up being exactly what I expected, the property of a struggling alcoholic who eventually succumbed to the disease. Even worse, it was also carried by the owner''s son for a while, adding a layer of bitterness and sadness to it. The pocket knife turned out to be an everyday carry of a dockworker, who died a while before the bay was being strangled by the shipwrecks. Despite being in good condition, it was the oldest spirit I found.

    The book was a library book, filled with hundreds of flash impressions from the people who read it. That would have been less than useless, probably not even a strong enough spirit, except a homeless girl took it out and never returned it, keeping it with her and reading it dozens of times. It had been an item of safety for her, something that comforted her even when she was hungry or cold. I didn''t get a name, and I probably wouldn''t without awakening the spirit, but I hoped she was doing okay.

    I considered turning the book into the girl''s own guardian before letting it loose to find her, but unfortunately, I couldn''t just send out a random totem guardian, especially since I had no idea of the girl''s fate. If she was already dead, creating a totem guardian to protect her was tantamount to creating a vengeful spirit totem, who would most likely go insane and attack whoever it perceived as the girl''s killer.

    Out of the first three items I scanned, all three of them weren''t what I was looking for. The flask would have been a disaster, and the book would have probably been an equal problem, just in a totally different direction. The pocket knife would have probably worked if I treated it right, but that''s not what I was looking for. I wanted spirits that would fit into the role willingly and easily, not be hammered into place. I would keep it as a last resort, but I would likely never use it.

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    Surprisingly, the flute was a considerably better fit. It belonged to a woman, a college professor, who worked hard to help her students succeed and become more. I could feel the love she felt for the instrument, and for music, despite that not being what she taught. I also realized that the flute itself was not a simple, run-of-the-mill instrument but an expensive, handmade model, made with silver. The spirit within had a touch of sadness, imbued into it by the family of the professor, but I didn''t get anything personal from them. Instead, the flute was more focused on how its owner was lost and couldn''t play it anymore.

    The spirit flowed through the desire to help and raise up, to aid those around them, especially through teaching, and music. They stood up for what was right and weren''t afraid to step on their toes to have their voice heard. It wasn''t perfect, but it would serve as an excellent foundation for a heroic guardian spirit. I just had to do a good job setting its aspects into a proper and aligned will.

    Once I settled on using the nascent spirit inside the flute, I spent a bit figuring out the best way to solidify its foundation before I eventually awakened it. The echo within the spirit was not a fan of violence, preferring to use words and negotiations. While that was an admirable stance, I needed the spirit to be ready to throw down when necessary. I also tamped down the desire to teach, emphasizing the desire to help and protect those who couldn''t defend themselves.

    After several rituals to refine and solidify the spirit, I put them aside to work on the frame and golem core. For the frame, I used the metal from one of the golems, though I had to make the core from scratch, which took a couple of hours to complete. When the core was done, I shaped the golem frame into a much more human shape, though I didn''t carve any features into it, leaving it like a mannequin. I then installed the core, awoke the spirit, and put them both inside the frame. Once everything was sealed up, I stepped back and activated the awakened spirit.

    Unlike Smokey, who had struggled for nearly a minute to speak correctly, this spirits first words were crystal clear.

    "Good evening, why have you awoken me?" They asked, their voice deep and feminine, but with a slight vibration to it that almost sounded metallic.

    "Hello, my name is William Kalus," I explained, stepping closer. "I have awoken you because Brockton Bay is struggling. It is infected with gangs and in danger of collapsing, and I need help if I''m going to help and protect the innocent people living here."

    "I am to fight?" the spirit asked, looking past me to Smokey and Alya. "Like a cape?"

    "That''s right. It''s not ideal, but our options are limited," I explained with a frown. "I wish we could peacefully negotiate, but the scum running around won''t back down because we ask nicely."

    "I know, my owner was disheartened by the gangs," they responded. "They wished they could help, and did their best to keep her students from falling in with them."

    "With your help, we can stabilize the city and take down the worst of the gangs," I explained. "We have already taken down the ABB. Now we just need to keep other gangs from expanding into the cleared space."

    "Very well," the newly awoken spirit confirmed with a nod. "I will fight with you against these gangs."

    "That''s great," I said, reaching out to shake their hand, the golem frame reaching out to take it. "Welcome to the team. How about we start by working on your frame to get it looking how you want it. While we do that, let''s talk about what''s been going on, and how you feel in your new totem body."

    "Very well¡­ Do you have any clothes?" they- she asked, the vague, undetailed totem guardian shifting as she looked down at their body, moving as if to cover themselves before stopping. "I find myself leaning towards a female form, and I find the lack¡­ disconcerting."

    "Oh crap, sorry. Yes, let me-" I started to say, only to feel a tap on my shoulder. "Huh?"

    I turned to find Kali standing behind me, inhabiting her golem form, holding out a stack of clothes. I took them from her, recognizing them as my own.

    "Oh! Looks like Kali is ahead of me," I said, holding out for the newly awakened spirit. "These will have to do for now. We can go into town in the morning, and you can pick out something for yourself."

    "Thank you."

    I turned to give her some privacy, and she quickly put on the clothes, before following me to the common area, Smokey and Alya trailing behind. I introduced both of them, and Alya immediately disincorporated after she greeted the newcomer to the group. After that, I began to fill in the spirit on what had changed in Brockton Bay, as well as what we had achieved. Some of the information she knew from the echoes and memories she contained, but a lot of the details were new information. While we were doing that, I worked on turning the sort of vague human, almost mannequin-like frame into something the spirit actually liked.

    The process took some time, starting with her coloration. Where Smokey had chosen a black iron and burnished brass, the newly awoken female spirit had asked for me to use copper to give her a warm, dark orange-brown coloration, highlighted with the same burnished brass. I did my best on her looks, giving her sharp features and long, almost elvish ears. Her jaw was strong, and she ended up being tall and thin. I carved her hair short, since I couldn''t attach the hair to her shoulders without restricting her movement. She wasn''t super happy about that, but she still seemed to like the pixie cut I gave her.

    The finished look was pretty good, though I was glad I had a chance to work on Smokey first, as I had learned a lot working on his frame. I was tempted to spend my last, floating point on something like arcane sculpture or something like that, but I held myself back.

    As we talked and sculpted her body, she demonstrated her ability. She could summon an ethereal flute to her hands, which glimmered silver despite being partially translucent. When she played it she could buff those around her in a variety of ways. The power of those buffs depended on how much power she fed into it, and while she was a powerful spirit now, her pool wasn''t endless. Still, she could easily buff all of us with a variety of effects, including a mild healing. It was a potent ability, one that could absolutely change the tide of battle.

    The PRT was going to hate that I could just whip up capes like her.

    Our final conversation before I had Kali gently wake up Olivia was about the newly awakened spirits'' name. We tossed around a few ideas, this time careful not to suggest anything strange lest she picked something like Smokey.

    After a few minutes of brainstorming, her face cleared, and she smiled as if finding a moment of enlightenment.

    "You can call me Piper."

    I nodded in appreciation, reaching out to shake her hand with a smile. I could see Smokey nodding as well, Kali and Alya''s approval coming in waves through our connections.

    "It''s a bit on the nose, but there''s nothing wrong with that," I said with a smile as she shook my hand again. "Welcome to the team, Piper."

 Chapter Eight Three

    I ended up staying awake all night, talking with everyone. At first, we were simply continuing the process of filling Piper in on current events and the state of the world. Eventually, however, the conversation shifted to our current situation, as well as what my plans were for the future. It was gratifying to see my determination to find sentient help pay off, as both of my newest creations happily poked and prodded at the general framework I had created so far.

    Honestly, it was exactly what I hoped for. Active minds working to solve problems rather than mindless automatons just following my orders, even when they didn''t apply. My confidence in my plan rose, knowing that I could trust them to apply their judgment when patrolling alone, rather than just coldly following the letter of the law. Even just having someone voice their opinions was invaluable, as Alya, who was more than willing to voice concern when my safety was at stake, usually remained passive for most decisions. Smokey had already actively challenged my thoughts on how many spirits I should awaken.

    While I had never really doubted my point investment gamble, it was good to see it working out. In a world that had shown over and over again that, at any moment, it could spiral out of control into chaos, knowing that the people around me were capable of functioning without micromanagement was invaluable. I''m sure I would disagree with some of their actions, but considering I had such an in-depth look at the core of their being, I trusted the spirits to at least be good and kind.

    It didn''t hurt that they both agreed with my choice to create them.

    "I can see why you needed guardian spirits like us," Piper said, glancing over at Smokey. "Being able to simply conjure mid-tier brutes with mid to high-tier powers certainly makes you a powerhouse able to protect a whole city."

    "It also makes him a target," Smokey pointed out. "It was probably unavoidable, but we need to keep that in mind."

    "Which is why I wanted to push for more of you as soon as possible," I pointed out, gesturing at both of them. "Having a dozen brutes or more, all with their own powers, ready to fight and defend the city, defend me, would put a lot of threats off the idea of coming here at all."

    "I''m not sure. I think you''re stuck thinking like a normal person," Smokey responded, shaking his head. "Happens all the time to rookies. They have the mindset of reasonable people, but criminals aren''t reasonable people. You can''t expect someone who has killed two dozen innocent civilians to surrender just because you outnumber them. They won''t stay away just because we outnumber them."

    I chewed on his words for a moment, accepting that they did make a certain amount of sense. I hadn''t even considered that they would somehow function off a different mindset.

    "Some of the small-time villains might be dissuaded, but what about groups like the Teeth and the Slaughterhouse 9?" Smokey continued, making me wince. "They will see it as a challenge or just assume that we can''t possibly defeat them because they are just that good. You could make a hundred of us, and they would still think they are too much hot shit to get beaten by a couple of talking statues and a nerd who shouts out his attacks in Latin."

    I couldn''t help but snort at his description of us, mostly because that is exactly what a meathead criminal with delusions of grandeur would say. Even with that, I couldn''t help but feel a heavy weight settling into my stomach. Everything he had said was true, after all.

    "It would be even worse for parahumans," I admitted, nodding to Smokey in acceptance. "They have long been observed to have a need, or at least a drawing to fighting and general conflict."

    "So we cannot rely on scaring them off at all," Piper said with a frown. "Even the ones who are hopelessly outclassed might still attack, even if we outnumber them a hundred to one."

    "Especially not without forcing the PRT to try and take you down," Smokey added. "I''m not saying you should hold off forever, Arcanum. I''m just saying you should give them a chance to adjust, maybe a few weeks or a month, just to be sure."

    "I know, I know. I already agreed you were right," I said, not happy about it but at least accepting. "It''s just¡­ I feel like I am wasting time. Pulling back to keep the PRT from freaking out feels like I am submitting to bureaucracy while people suffer."

    "Perhaps¡­ There is a way to help them adjust more smoothly and decisively," Piper said, grabbing our attention. "What if I submitted to an interview and power testing?"

    I frowned, disliking the idea off the bat, but holding back to hear what she was suggesting.

    "I know you have a poor history with it, but if our goal is to keep them from panic, letting them get to know me and my powers would be a quick way to do so," She explained, continuing her suggestion. "Satisfy their curiosity so that they no longer fear the worst."

    "Not a bad idea, but if anything, I should go," Smokey said with a frown. "It''s unlikely, but if they ever did anything stupid, my power is much less potent than yours, so losing it won''t be much of a setback."

    "Woah, hold up. You guys are awakened sentient beings now. You are more than just your useful powers," I said, making sure I was clear and my voice was steady. "I know I woke you with a specific intent, but you are not and will never be pawns to trade, understand?"

    Both of them looked at me, surprised by clear-cut words. After a moment, they shared a look before focusing back on me and nodding.

    "Good. Piper¡­ while I wish it didn''t, your idea has merit," I reluctantly admitted. "I would say that Smokey is a better option for his tangential familiarity with interrogation and interviews, as well as the fact that his power is considerably more simple, which will make power testing a lot less complicated. Not because he is somehow more disposable."

    They both nodded, and for a long moment, we were silent. I could feel Alya floating around in the background, keeping watch and silently supporting me. Kali was still tending her new trees, poking and prodding the seeds magically while also keeping an eye on Olivia for me. Eventually, we continued talking, continuing even as the sun began to rise. Having missed any opportunity to sleep, I cast the anti-sleep spell on myself, feeling my fatigue fade away to nothing.

    "I''m gonna make a visit to the junkyard really quick for some more metal, then-"

    "Why not use the Boat Graveyard?" Piper asked. "I was under the impression tinkers, or any cape that needs resources would try there first."

    "... I could for some of the general metals, I suppose," I admitted, scratching my chin. "But I make the golems from a mix of more than a half dozen metals in order to get the best results. I could make an all-iron golem or something, but it would be slower than the others¡­ well, and you guys, too. If I ever needed a bunch of them, though, it''s a good idea."

    Pipe nodded and accepted the reasoning while I put on my costume. I was about to leave on my own when Smokey grabbed my shoulder, not to stop me, but to accompany me.

    "You really shouldn''t be going anywhere on your own," He pointed out. "I know you can handle yourself pretty well, but having someone accompanying you will just make you safer."

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    "Fine, alright," I agreed. "I mean, I always have Alya with me, keeping an eye on me. And I usually have my golems with me¡­"

    As a response, he simply raised his eyebrow, and I snorted, opening my spellbook and casting the teleport spell rather than responding to him when I knew he was right. Of course, it was smarter to have someone come with me, that was obvious. Didn''t mean I liked having a babysitter follow me around.

    Visiting the junkyard did not take long. I paid the manager a large stack of bills and ended up making two trips of golem metal mix, bringing back eight frozen metal statues, all of them headless. I quickly prepared a single frame, inserting the extra golem core, before settling in to make more. I continued to work on them until Olivia woke up, ending up with eight golems in total. I felt a slight warning from both Kali and Alya that Olivia was awake and was doing fine. I had been afraid she would panic, but she thankfully recognized my room pretty quickly. Eventually, she came outside, finding me putting the finishing touches on my last golem.

    "Woah¡­ you got a bit of work done," She commented, before looking over and spotting Piper, her eyes widening a bit before looking back at me. "You made another one?"

    "Yeah, her name is Piper," I said, waving her off when she opened her mouth, clearly about to let loose. "Before you say anything, Smokey convinced me that making any more right now would be a bad idea. Smokey and I plan on visiting the PRT to let him do some power testing and answer some questions. We hope that convinces them that they aren''t dangerous so that I can awaken a few more."

    For a moment, she was a bit overwhelmed before she shook her head clear and nodded.

    "Right, well¡­ Nice to meet you, Piper. Will you be joining us on patrol?" Olvia asked, glancing at me as she did.

    "I will, at least until people are used to Smokey and myself," she explained. "After that, I believe the plan is to patrol separately, with golems as support."

    "Right, yeah, Arc mentioned that before."

    "The sooner we are ready to fight the Empire, the better," I said with a frown. "And having the former ABB territory taken care of without our involvement is the first step of that."

    "Well¡­ I''m glad you''ve got a plan," the shadow-themed cape said. "And you know I''m up for taking down the Empire. Beyond that... What''s up for today?"

    "I need to take Piper to a shop to get her some clothes," I responded, the copper-bronze spirit guardian nodding at my words. "After that, we have a patrol. Then I have healing at the hospital. Once that is done, I''m going to reach out to the PRT. The quicker we deal with them, the faster I can get back to work. But, before we do any of that¡­ We need to have some breakfast."

    Olivia rolled her eyes, nodding anyway as I put together a very simple meal of fruit, toast, and eggs. When we were done eating, all of us teleported to the same used clothes store as before. This time, Smokey and Crow stayed outside with the two golems while Piper and I went in.

    Piper took a bit longer to shop for an outfit, though through no fault of her own. The options for cool clothes for men were a lot more plentiful, while most of the women''s clothes felt¡­ unsubstantial.

    Eventually, after about twenty minutes, she settled on a pair of black pants, a simple red shirt with some sort of band Logo I didn''t recognize, and a short-cut leather jacket that she left open. It was significantly more punk than I thought an English professor would rock, but it matched her pixie cut and looked pretty good.

    When she was done, I paid for her clothes, and we left, only to find Smokey shaking hands and taking pictures with a small group of people, with Crow nowhere to be seen. As we approached, Smokey apologized to the crowd and shooed them away, the group clearing out before Crow appeared from an alleyway.

    "What was that?" I asked teasingly, raising an eye at Crow. "You leave Smokey to talk to the public alone?"

    "It''s better this way, trust me," She assured me. "I haven''t had my coffee yet. I''m not prepared to be polite."

    I rolled my eyes and cast the anti-sleep spell, wiping away any of her lingering fatigue or tiredness. She perked up considerably, giving me a thankful nod.

    With Piper''s new outfit and uniform purchased, it was time to go on patrol. At this point, we were a known quantity in what was once ABB territory, so even though we now had two strange people walking with us, talking and greeting people, nobody was freaking out. We walked around in the deeper parts of the area before staying along the line between territories.

    Thanks to Alya''s hard work, we managed to stop a few muggings and one break-in. It was far from a busy morning, but that didn''t mean it was boring. Instead, the tension was as ever-present, weighing down on all of us, with Empire goons watching us from just on the other side of their line.

    They clearly thought they were safe, and I was desperately awaiting the next few days when we got to prove that they weren''t. Just a few more days of letting the civilians get used to Smokey and Piper, until we could let them take over the ABB patrol. Then, finally, we could start pushing into Empire territory.

    When Manpower and Lady Photon finally took over the patrol, their own Golems following them silently, I teleported Crow home and the rest of us to the hospital. Both Piper and Smokey asked if they could heal people, but I suggested they hold off for now. I wanted both of their healing abilities to be vetted by the PRT before they started helping people.

    While I knew that the PRT wasn''t the complete caricature of ineptitude and uselessness that I accused it of being, I also knew they weren''t afraid to play dirty. I did not want some paper pusher to have the brilliant idea of using Piper and Smokey healing before they were vetted to try and force concessions from me. I might have been able to convince the hospital it was fine with my reputation being what it was, but it wasn''t worth the risk, not when I was handling the current load.

    When I was done with my healing, I dropped Piper and the golems off at the compound before teleporting to a park bench not too far from PRT headquarters. There, we sat down, and I gave them a call. The conversation with the first person on the phone was brief before I was handed off to Miss Militia.

    "Arcanum, it''s good to hear from you," She said, her smile audible. "What can I do for you?"

    "Well, as I''m sure you''ve heard, I''ve been walking around with some newcomers," I answered. "I''m sure you and your boss have a lot of questions."

    "...It may have come up before, yes," she admitted.

    "I''ll bet. Well, it''s your lucky day," I responded, smirking to myself. "In order to head off any assumptions or misconceptions, we wanted to come in, talk, and even get my friend Smokey some power testing."

    "...Power testing?" She asked, sounding like she wasn''t sure what to say or think about the idea. "I¡­ well, I''m sure Director Piggott would appreciate the chance to ask some questions."

    "I bet she would. Any idea when we could make this happen?"

    "Give me a few minutes to make some calls, Arcanum," she responded. "I''ll see if we can set something up quickly."

    "Sounds like a plan."

 Chapter Eighty Four

    Smokey and I settled in to wait for the PRT''s response, only to immediately realize we had made a mistake. It was early afternoon, and the streets were populated by people walking around, heading to lunch, or just going about their day, and it didn''t take long for them to notice us. Almost immediately after settling up the call, people began to approach us, and soon, a large crowd had formed, with people asking for photographs and signatures. It appeared that, to the public at least, that a patrolling cape meant that they were working, but a stationary one suggested they were just waiting for you to come by and say hello.

    To be fair, it wasn''t actually that bad. There were a few people who asked awkward questions or tried to get a bit¡­ closer than I preferred, but for every one of them, there were twenty people just happy to meet someone that they admired. Apparently, I was more popular than I thought, as quite a few people insisted I was their favorite hero in the Bay, a concept I found surprising.

    People were also interested in Smokey, quickly realizing he was not just another one of my golems. It appeared that the news of his and Piper''s existence was still spreading among the civilians. Despite him being new, people quickly warmed up to him when he summoned his golden retriever, the lovable dog quickly becoming the focus of the gathering. He did a few tricks, including rolling over and playing dead, and was just generally adorable.

    Eventually, I started to get worried that when Miss Militia finally called back, I wouldn''t be in a good position to answer. So, rather than asking people to leave, we began to move, essentially pretending to go on patrol to escape the crowd. It was a good thing we did, too, because shortly after we made it past the second block, my phone rang. The conversation was brief, with the military-themed cape explaining that Director Piggot had cleared her schedule for a conversation and that the hero herself was waiting for me by the front entrance of PRT headquarters to make sure there was no confusion.

    I resisted the urge to correct her and point out that it was overzealous agents, not confusion, that I was worried about.

    A quick detour down an alley, then a single teleport later, Smokey and I were stepping into the PRT headquarters, Miss Militia quickly making her way forward, holding her hand out as she approached.

    "Thank you for volunteering to come in, Arcanum," she said as I accepted her handshake. "I know we''ve had a few moments, but I''m hoping we can use this as an opportunity to move past them."

    "I would like that as well," I said, shaking her hand firmly, before gesturing to my companion. "This is Smokey. Smokey, this is Miss Militia."

    "It''s good to meet you, Miss Militia," he said with a smile, stepping forward and extending his hand. "I''m looking forward to working with you."

    Whether it was his appearance, his speech, or perhaps the smoothness and livelyness of his movements, Miss Militia was shocked by Smokey''s introduction. It took her a full ten seconds, during which Smokey stood there, with his hand out, patiently waiting for her to recover and take his hand, shaking it wordlessly. When she finally did, she reached forward to take his hand, shaking it once slowly.

    "Right¡­ umm¡­ well, follow me," She said after another few seconds, almost visibly pushing Smokey into the "above my paygrade" category. "We wanted to start off with the meeting, so Director Piggot is waiting."

    "Lead the way."

    We were quickly guided through the halls of the PRT, the journey only taking a few seconds before we were let into a conference room. On one end was Director Piggot, with Armsmaster standing to their left. As we entered the room and took seats across from them, Miss Militia joined them on Director Piggot''s right. Once we were all settled, the director leaned forward.

    "Arcanum, thank you for coming in," She said, shifting the top paper of a stack that stood in front of her. "I understand you wanted this meeting specifically to discuss the¡­ golem beside you?"

    "Well, yes. I''m aware that I probably seem to be pulling a lot of strange things out of nowhere, and while I am happy to retain my mystery in most instances, I do also understand leaving the PRT in the dark can be a mistake in some instances. Especially when something might be particularly¡­ worrying if misinterpreted."

    "I see¡­" She said, trailing off, moving her eyes off of me to focus on Smokey. She studied him for a moment before looking at me once more. "I suppose you have the floor then, Arcanum."

    "Thank you, Director," I said with a nod before gesturing to my companion. "This is Smokey, he is a sentient being I created to assist in protecting the city."

    "Hello, Director Piggot," Smokey said, nodding to the large woman. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us."

    The room was quiet for a moment, both the director and Armsmaster staring at us. Director Piggot somehow managed to keep her face and body clear of nearly any reaction while Armsmaster tensed considerably.

    "You created an AI? What safety precautions have you taken? What restrictions are on it?" Armsmaster asked, his voice demanding and urgent. "Have-"

    "Woah, no, he is not a computer AI," I assured him. "I did not program him, he does not contain computer parts, and he cannot interface with technology. Further, he is locked to this frame, and cannot drift into another form like a programmed AI could."

    That seemed to throw the armored tinker for a loop, his brain unable to process the idea of an artificial lifeform that wasn''t AI. He frowned, clearly trying to decide if he should push for details or let me continue. While he was struggling, Smokey made the choice for him.

    "I understand your concern, but I am not an AI," Smokey repeated. "At least not by the current definition. If you would like, I would allow you to scan me so that you can confirm I lack any computer parts."

    Armsmaster moved as if to step forward, before remembering where he was. He looked back at Director Piggot, who was focused on Smokey.

    "We can handle scans once we finish our conversation here," she said smoothly, the blue-armored tinker moving back without another word. "For now, we will take your word. My question is...why?"

    "As I''m sure you''re aware, taking down the ABB has left a power vacuum," I explained, Piggot and Miss Militia nodding. "So far, we have kept the Empire from moving in, but they aren''t the only ones we need to worry about, especially as Crow, New Wave, and myself start to work on taking them down."

    "You''re worried about out-of-town gangs?" Director Piggot asked, sounding surprised by my forethought.

    "That''s right. Smokey here is the first step to protecting and keeping out incoming gangs," I explained. "He may be artificial, but he is also sentient, meaning he is perfectly capable of patrolling and reacting to situations intelligently, not just following a set of potentially dangerous commands."

    "A lofty goal, but at least you understand that clearing out gangs just invites more to come to fill the void," Armsmaster responded. "You believe these constructs can hold off the likes of the Teeth or the Elite?"

    Miss Militia looked to us, clearly wondering the same thing, but Director Piggot remained unmoved, waiting for our response.

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    "Well¡­. That depends on how many I make," I responded, pausing as Director Piggot suddenly became very interested. "Smokey and Piper, my second awoken creation, should be able to patrol the newly open territory with the help of my usual golem. I envision them being able to keep it clear and fight off two or three Empire capes at once, assuming they don''t pull out a power interaction that trumps them. And no, I don''t believe Kaiser''s power will work on them. However, I would like to create more of them, both to help us with the Empire and to work on driving out incoming, opportunistic villains."

    "That''s why you''re really here," Director Piggot said, shifting as she realized our intent. "You want us to scan and poke and prod your¡­ creation so that we can give you permission to make more."

    "Permission? Not quite," I said with a frown, leaning forward. "I don''t report to you, Director Piggot. I don''t need your permission. We are here because I''m hoping that sating your curiosity will keep you from freaking out and making some sort of knee-jerk decision or action. We-"

    Smokey reached up and put his hand on my shoulder, bringing me up short and stopping me mid-sentence. I had begun to build up some steam, aggravated by the implication that I would need her permission to help the people of this city out from under the thumb of the gangs and capes that plagued them. I let out a long breath, looking back at Director Piggot.

    "Apologies. As I was saying, we are hoping that allowing you to familiarize yourself with Smokey and what he can do will prevent you from reacting poorly," I explained, this time making sure to stay calm, already regretting my outburst. "I am trying my best to keep on the PRT''s good side while also continuing to push the gangs out of the city."

    Piggot''s eyes narrowed slightly, no doubt picking up on the implication that they were what was keeping me from cleaning up the trash, that they weren''t helping but actually making it worse. Perhaps not the best time to be making such implications, but I could only hold back so much.

    "I see. Well, I must admit, Arcanum, you have posed us with an¡­ complicated issue. We do have a protocol for determining the level of sentience in tinker products, and we can certainly run¡­ Smokey through power testing," She admitted. "Does he have any abilities beyond those of your¡­ golems?"

    "I do," the spirit guardian answered for himself. "I have the ability to summon a pair of canines, a Golden Retriever and a Doberman Pinscher. The Golden emits a healing field that can stabilize or slowly heal non-lethal injuries, while the Doberman is basically a dog brute."

    "That is an¡­ interesting combination," Piggot responded, writing something down in her notes. "You realize that, even if you aren''t looking for ''permission,'' this is not going to be a normal power testing. This is¡­ I''m going to have to reach out to some people. I can''t make a decision about this without input from my superiors. You are talking about the ability to simply make reportedly high-power capes. I would have already put you in a cell if it involved other people, but since they are creations, you are skipping over a dangerous issue, though you are far from in the clear."

    "What issue?" I asked, suddenly itching to reach down to my staff after her admission of throwing me in a cell.

    "The ability to make capes or hand out powers is, as far as we are aware, always accompanied by some sort of master effect, addiction, horrific side effect, or some other issue," She explained, a stern frown on her face. "They are never simple. Now tinkers can create equipment that can do power-like things, but you are far from what I would consider a normal tinker, correct?"

    "You could say that."

    "... Vagueness aside, between the equipment you provided New Wave, and now this? You are walking a very fine line between things that we usually respond to with the Triumvirate on standby," Director Piggot explained. "The ability to pump out man-made capes? This is¡­"

    She sighed and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms, and once again, I was struggling to not grab my staff. I had a slow, creeping suspicion that, in an attempt to do the right thing, I had actually screwed myself over. I might have been being paranoid, but I could tell the director was struggling not to sound threatening, trying to not escalate the situation, despite clearly wanting nothing more than to lock me up and control every aspect of what I was doing. This was spiraling out of control, and only the fact that I could teleport out of there with a single word kept me from panicking completely.

    For a long moment, Director Piggot stared at me, and I fought to remain calm. Finally, after nearly a full minute, she spoke, looking at the capes on either side of her.

    "Armsmaster, Miss Militia, please accompany Arcanum and Smokey down to the primary power testing lab," Piggot finally said. "You have about thirty minutes before the testing team arrives, so I want you to do every test you can think of on our new friend. The more thorough you can make your report, the better I can assure my peers and leader that Brockton Bay isn''t going to explode into a mass of metal, sentient villains."

    My escorts nodded, with Miss Militia standing from her chair before both of them heading towards the door. I was about to stand and join them when Piggot spoke again.

    "Arcanum, I do want to make something clear. While we might have very different opinions of the many abilities you seem to pull out of your ass, I do not dislike you," She admitted, her words clashing heavily with her frown. "Not only have I found you to be very level-headed, despite a few unfortunate instances, but you have made incredible progress clearing this city of its gang issue, somehow managing to avoid a massive gang war in the process. You should be commended for that, and if you hadn''t just admitted being able to make cape equivalents, I would be shaking your hand, maybe even thanking you."

    "Sounds like both of us are cursed to deal with groups that keep making things complicated," I said after a moment, raising an eyebrow pointedly.

    Rather than a frown, scowl, or even look angry at my comment, Director Piggot, a woman who looked like she had forgotten what fun was, snorted and laughed, shaking her head as she shooed me off.

    More than a little stunned, I turned and headed to the door, both of my escorts frozen in place. They were clearly even more shocked than I was at the director''s reaction. I cleared my throat as Smokey and I stepped into the hall, both of them coming to their senses and following after. Armsmaster quickly pushed ahead once he had recovered while Miss Militia stayed by my side. After a moment, she spoke up, a rather pleading tone in her voice.

    "Please never tell Assault you managed to make her laugh," Miss Militia asked, almost begged as we walked further into the headquarters. "He already tries too hard to get her to, but he will get even worse if he learns it''s possible."

    I couldn''t help but chuckle at her tone of absolute dread, which only got funnier when she gave me a rather unhappy look.

    "I''ll try my best," I assured her, though it was clear my words didn''t fill her with confidence.

 Chapter Eighty Five

    Armsmaster and Miss Militia guided Smokey and me to the power testing area, the same one that I had used briefly the first time I had been to the PRT. Armsmaster immediately headed to a cart, laden with obvious tinker tech, most of which appeared to be in his style. It was all small, refined, and, funnily enough, painted blue. After a few minutes of us watching him prepare his equipment, he turned back to us.

    "I am ready to run my scans," he explained, gesturing to a heavy-duty look chair next to his cart. "Smokey, if you would sit down here?"

    Smokey looked at me, and I gestured that it was up to him. I refused to order him to do any of this, only accept that he volunteered. I would take control of our fights, and they both clearly considered me to be their leader, but I would not force them to do anything.

    Unless one of them went off the deep end. Unsurprisingly, that would change a few things.

    Smokey sat down in the seat, the overbuilt chair holding his weight easily as Armsmaster brought out a handheld scanner, the first of many. Smokey and the armored hero talked quietly to each other while Armsmaster scanned along his arm. I had no idea what they were talking about or what he was scanning for, but after a few minutes, they stopped talking and he switched devices, continuing for about forty minutes. Armsmaster steadily made it through every device, working at a quick, efficient pace. During the last fifteen or twenty minutes, the power testing people arrived and began setting up for their testing while the hero continued to work.

    While we were waiting, I chatted with Miss Militia about how things were going and how she was recovering from her run-in with Hookwolf.

    "It''s never fun to get confronted with your mortality like that," Miss Militia admitted, getting a lot deeper than I had expected when I asked the question. "I was already contemplating how long I could keep from dying to give my team as much time as possible to save the civilian¡­"

    "Jesus¡­ Are you, like... talking to someone about this?" I asked, not wanting to get too invasive but concerned for her anyway.

    "The PRT does not have psychologists on staff," Miss Militia said with a frown. "We''ve been trying to get the funding, primarily for the Wards, but with no success."

    "...So?" I asked, looking confused and getting an equally confused look back in return. "So what if the PRT doesn''t have the funding? I assume you have health care, right? Then go out and find your own. Tell them you had a run-in with Hookwolf and that it''s affecting you. Hell, you can even explain away your powers by saying you never leave the house without your pistol or something."

    Miss Militia looked at me for a long moment, seeming to blue screen as I appeared to rather handily solve her issue. Not yet satisfied, I continued while rubbing my face with frustration.

    "I also assume the Wards have parents who also have health insurance? They should seek out their own psychologists as well," I suggested, leaning back in the chair, my arms crossed. "I would assume that Vista or Clockblocker would have a harder time hiding their powers, but with an NDA or two, I''m sure that could be mitigated."

    "I¡­ I hate how easy that sounds," Miss MIlitia admitted, frustration in her voice. "How could none of us think of that?"

    "Common sense has a way of stalling out sometimes," I admitted with a shrug. It happened a couple times to me since I got my powers. "Just gotta remember to occasionally remind yourself to think outside the box you locked yourself in."

    "I suppose I would have to," She said, shaking her head. "I will bring this up with Director Piggot, but I agree a message to the Wards parents might be in order. We supply them with supplemental health care, so I believe we could use that to coordinate hiring enough help. Thank you, Arcanum."

    "Happy I could help."

    We sat silently for a while longer, Miss Militia most likely contemplating the points I made, and hopefully considering what else she had missed. I, on the other hand, was once again wondering why I was bothering to keep the PRT happy. Not only did they struggle with common sense, they couldn''t even spare the funding to keep their members and Wards mentally healthy.

    Eventually, once Armsmaster completed his scans, finishing off by taking a small metal sample off of Smokey''s back. He failed to do that twice, each time getting a larger and more powerful cutting implement, until he was forced to use a tinker tech cutting device. I couldn''t help but smirk at the resilience of the golem frame I had made for Smokey. When he was done taking the sample, they both made their way back to us, the PRT tinker hero looking slightly frustrated.

    "Smokey does not emit any harmful radiation or energy levels," Armsmaster explained. "He contains no internal circuitry, nor does he seem to be receiving input from another location. Save for several small cavities around his chest, he appears to be solid metal."

    I resisted the urge to frown, realizing the cavities were most likely formed when sealing the golem core and the police badge into Smokey''s frame. There must have been gaps where I didn''t push metal in well enough, forming noticeable pockets. Knowing our luck, the PRT would make a note of that, probably as a potential weak spot. I would need to come up with some way to protect his golem core and badge, even more than a few inches of metal.

    "Thank you for confirming that," I said with a nod. "Does that mean it''s time for the power testing?"

    "It does," Armsmaster agreed with a nod. "I need to leave, to put my findings in a report to attach to his file."

    He turned and immediately walked away, walking past his cart of stuff. As he passed it, he pressed some sort of control unit on his belt, and the cart started to move, following after the hero, matching his pace exactly. All three of us watched him leave, Miss Militia shaking her head slightly.

    "I''m sorry about that," She said, frowning and turning to face us. "He means well and is dedicated to being a hero, but he lacks social skills, or at least the desire to use them. Follow me, and I''ll introduce you to the testing team."

    Miss Militia led us to the patiently waiting group of PRT scientists. They seemed more than a bit curious about Smokey''s origin, but did not seem surprised when I refused to reveal how I had made him. They also took my word that he was fully sentient, treating him as a person as they asked him questions about his body, his powers, and what he was curious about learning through the testing process.

    Once again, Miss Militia and I sat back as Smokey was put through his paces. The first step was to ascertain his brute rating since that was easily tested and quantified. They started by having him lift a series of increasingly heavy weights, several of which were made from materials other than metal. According to Miss Militia, that was to confirm his strength wasn''t attached to a specific material.

    They also had him perform several feats of strength, like breaking or bending something, smashing through walls, or lifting actual heavy objects, rather than gym out equipment. They even proposed several scenarios, put an object underneath the things he was lifting, and promised rewards for certain tasks.

    It was all rather thorough, if a bit strange.

    "There are several capes out there with brute ratings that only correspond to certain materials or certain actions." Miss Militia helpfully explained. "Manpower, for example, is a brute, but his "explosive strength" is above his normal strength levels. A load he would struggle to lift a few inches off the ground, he could most likely punch up into the air."

    "I could have told them he doesn''t have that ability," I pointed out. "His frame is an artificial construct. I may not know the specific numbers, but I know how it works."

    I said confidently, only to be proven wrong several minutes later when the scientists finally delivered their report about his brute rating.

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    "His normal baseline is around seven tons of straight lifting power, evenly dispersed throughout his body. The lack of actual muscles means he essentially has unlimited stamina, and does not suffer from weak spots due to muscle placement," one of the scientists explained, looking down at a clipboard and adjusting his glasses before turning the page. "He is also much tougher than his base materials by about twenty to thirty percent. We also noticed an interesting phenomenon during the state of mind testing."

    The scientist looked over at one of her compatriots, who stepped forward with a nod. He flipped through his own notes before starting to speak.

    "As you might have seen, we pushed Mr. Smokey to lift several objects during several scenarios," He explained, tapping his papers. "We consistently saw a slight increase in strength when he was defending or protecting something. It was minor, barely detectable by our machines, but that is to be expected due to the nature of these tests. Still, it was consistent enough to say I am confident Mr. Smokey is likely stronger when is defending or saving something he is invested in."

    My jaw dropped slightly, and I couldn''t help but look confused. Smokey hadn''t mentioned anything like that before, and I certainly hadn''t put something like that into the golem. I don''t even think I could do something like that...

    "Now, for a human, this sort of thing wouldn''t be entirely unexpected," The scientist continued. "Our willpower can increase our strength, working through damage we are doing to ourselves in order to achieve something we desire, like protecting something. But Mr. Smokey is not human. His body does not respond to willpower. When we were testing his strength, he had a flat maximum that he could not push past, no matter how hard he tried. Until we began the state of mind testing at least."

    "I¡­ huh," I couldn''t help but frown as I looked over at Smokey. "That''s¡­ interesting."

    "Sorry, Arc, I don''t know what to tell you," Smokey responded with a shrug. "I hadn''t noticed anything either."

    "Well, we haven''t really gotten in a fight yet. It''s not too surprising we missed something," I pointed out, scratching my chin. "Then again, considering your original start¡­ it''s not actually all that surprising."

    Smokey''s spirit foundation was made from two echoes, a seasoned Brockton Bay cop and a young kid with dreams of becoming the same, or at least something similar. The fact that those mentalities made him stronger when he was defending or protecting something fit pretty well. The more I thought about it, the less I was surprised about the fact. Instead, I was more surprised that we hadn''t realized before, rather than not believing it to be true.

    "Either way, it''s interesting. How dramatic do you think the effect could get?" I asked, directing my question to the scientist who had explained it.

    "There is no way to really tell in a lab setting, but seeing as simply adjusting how you thought about the scenario had an effect, I would say it has the potential to be significant," He said, addressing both of us as he responded. "I would make a habit of looking at fights and conflict in ways that best activate this. You''re not just punching the bad guy, you''re protecting the people he might hurt, that sort of thing."

    "Thanks for the advice," Smokey said with an honest smile. "I will keep that in mind."

    The scientists continued to discuss his overall brute rating, mostly just talking to themselves and occasionally answering questions. Eventually, after factoring in everything they learned, they settled with the rating of brute seven. I thought that was a bit high, but they explained that the rating system was more of a threat assessment than an assessment of power. The combination of resilience, speed, strength, lack of fatigue, the way injuries don''t decrease his strength, his ability to apply his strength in ways humans couldn''t, and the potential to grow in strength should he be in the correct mindset, meant that labeling him anything under a seven wouldn''t be accurate.

    Once they explained his brute rating and assessment, they moved on to his "actual" power, the summoning of his dogs.

    They started with the Doberman. They ran it through a series of tests, finally concluding that it was just about twice as strong, fast, and tough as a normal dog, putting it at a brute rate of around three or four. We also confirmed that losing his summon could stun him for a moment, though I was pretty sure he was hamming it up a bit. We also stuck to the white lie that not only was he stuck summoning one of the canines at a time, but he was also restricted to giving them verbal orders rather than taking direct control. They still followed his orders precisely, but with their "canine" personalities, which made them less efficient.

    The experiment with the Golden Retriever was a bit more complicated. I confirmed he was using the same basic type of healing energies as me, which they accepted as an expert confirming its safety enough to let them test it on minor injuries. It could heal simple scrapes and cuts quickly, but it was difficult to test what Smokey and I were pretty sure was its actual point, stabilizing people until people could come and administer proper first aid or healing. This was further confirmed when we realized that the Golden could locate nearby significantly injured people, sniffing out the volunteer with the most significant injury, a trooper with a fractured radius in his arm.

    The Golden couldn''t fix it, but he could soothe the pain and slowly heal the bruising that accompanied the injury. I fixed it before they left, once they were done testing the Golden''s ability. The final verdict for the Golden was a striker, shaker, and thinker rating of one.

    As for Smokey, on top of his brute seven, he also got Master 3, with a sub rating that matched his summons. I had a feeling they would be adjusting that number after Smokey had some time to use them in combat and show off what he was capable of, but for now, we simply accepted their conclusions with an appropriate level of interest and understanding. This was for their benefit, after all, it was in our interest to keep them feeling smart and useful.

    And to be fair, we did actually learn some things. Between the Golden Retrievers'' ability to locate severe injuries and Smokey''s increased strength, I was willing to take back my earlier dismissal of the process. Not to mention, having some actual numbers attached to the vague knowledge that my golems and the spirit guardians were strong, tough, and fast was nice.

    Once everything was done with the testing, it was time for the PRT to "establish" that Smokey was fully sentient. I already knew he was, but they had their own methods and definitions of the word, so they wanted to do it their way. Miss Militia led us out of the testing labs and onto the new location. The interview was simple, done in an interrogation room vaguely disguised as a lounge, with a couch and an extra chair. It was done by a PRT worker I didn''t recognize, dressed in business casual.

    They asked questions, poked and prodded his responses, asked more questions, and things made to confuse and force someone to think illogically. They proposed false equivalencies, asked him to work out logical fallacies, and asked complicated questions about how certain things made him feel, which I assumed was to measure emotional intelligence. By the end, I was beginning to wonder if I would pass the test.

    When they eventually finished, they packed up their notes, sealed it shut with a bit of red tape, and then handed the whole file to Miss Militia. With a nod, she accepted the folder before guiding us back through the PRT interior. We entered into the same conference room as before, where Director Piggot was still sitting.

    "Welcome back," She said, flipping through another file before looking up. "It''s time to finish that conversation."