I woke up, and the pain hit me pretty hard.
I don't know what was worse, the physical pain, the metaphysical pain, or the headache once my mind caught back up and I realized how fucked I was.
But why was my face covered by something squishy?
"Master, you are awake."
I tilted my head up to see that I both had my head pressed firmly against Lancer's chest and was currently squeezing them.
My hands didn't catch up with my brain because I squeezed them a few more times before I fully understood what was happening.
"Lancer." I felt my voice was a bit hoarse, maybe from how much I threw up after what happened. "...Why…?"
Admittedly, it wasn't the first time we 'slept together'; she was very adamant about protecting me even during the night. But that basically equated to us being on opposite ends of the bed.
This was definitely a first.
"Despite being a Servant, I am still a Divine Spirit, Master. My core is that of a holy entity; thus, close proximity does provide a modicum of revitalization. I apologize, were you uncomfortable? You appeared to be at ease in your unconscious state once I nestled your head between my bosom."
Her expression remained almost entirely blank.
"...thank you, Artoria."
"It is my duty, Master." Though a small hint of a smile shone through as she said that.
I was still getting used to saying her actual name; I think that made her happy.
Part of me wanted to push my head back between her generous bosom and go back to sleep. And I don't think it was entirely the part of me that was dreading what I had to deal with after I got up.
If she were actually naked, I think I wouldn't have been able to pull myself away.
She released me as I rolled to the side and groaned as I pushed myself up out of bed.
I was wrapped in bandages, only in my boxers. I looked at the nightstand, and there was a bottle of pain pills sitting there. The good kind, the kind that needs a prescription and a serious affliction to be prescribed.
It seems Lancer was smart enough to find the medicine cabinet.
Getting hold of regular drugs was rather easy, all things considered. My family had their own stash at various places in the house for an emergency.
She probably didn't know where to find the magical healing stuff.
Though, it's honestly hard to beat regular mundane pain pills when it comes to alleviating pain. Most Magi themselves had their own supplies with how effective they usually were.
I let out a long sigh mixed with a groan. "Everything hurts."
"Pain is acknowledgement of victory, Master."
"I don't feel like I won." I said dryly. "And you're the one who killed him."
"You are barely of age, never having fought an enemy to the death before. Yet, despite being outclassed in both strength and speed and lacking preparation, you held your own and nearly defeated your foe." She said quite pointedly, like she was chiding me.
I rubbed my temples as I really recalled everything that happened. "The Dead Apostle wasn't a Magus; he knew absolutely nothing about Magecraft or anything like that. He called me a wizard." I let out a breath. "And he was a Parahuman, something I didn't think was possible and something I've never heard about until now."
"I saw the events from your perspective through the Dream Cycle." She informed me.
"Ah."
That.
I've only had one dream like that so far with her, and it was something mundane.
Despite what I thought, the Dream Cycle isn't something that pops up every night for a master and servant.
I had a distinct feeling that she may have engineered things so she could see what happened through the Dream Cycle on her end.
I wouldn't put it past something she was capable of, being a Divine Spirit in a Servant Container.
"I'm right fucked, aren't I?" I didn't usually use this kind of crass language in front of her.
"It is a precarious situation." She nodded. "However, most important, you are alive."
Yeah.
Alive.
Yay...
"How long was I out?" I asked.
"A day and a half." She informed me. "I would not suggest turning on your Magic Circuits for a period to recover."
Yeah, my circuits worked overtime there.
I need to get better about my mana usage in combat; I can look back and see several places where I cast a spell and wasted too much.
Put that on the list of other things I need to train.
I reached for the bottle of pain pills and quickly downed a few again.
My head was killing me, as were the other parts of my body too numerous to count. Specifically though, my use of Time Alter did some damage in my head, I think. I have some stuff in the library that should help, but there was a constant sharp pain in my head that wouldn't go away.
I wasn't worried about scars, despite the layers of bandages covering my body; just the same, my family had stuff to help with that.
"Thank you for taking care of me too." I rubbed my bandages. "I'm sure it wasn't easy."
"I am skilled at applying bandages to wounds, Master." She said politely. "I have done so many times in life to myself and others."
Right, wars.
I dropped my head into my hands between my legs.
"You are still unwell. Perhaps more sleep?"
I waved it off. "Can you tell me about what happened before I summoned you?"
"Very well." She accepted my stubbornness here. "I arrived at the location that the attack was taking place. There were many people running away when I arrived, and more who also were using their modern weapons to fight back. I engaged the creatures immediately and dealt with them as quickly as I could. I was also hailed by those 'superheroes' present, but I prioritized the mission after a brief word of peace on my part. It was not until some minutes later that I encountered the people of the church."
"They were helping with the Ghouls."
"Correct." She nodded. "They appeared to have contained a significant portion of it from spilling outwards onto the populace.
"Small mercies then." At least they were doing their job, even if it was at my expense. "The 'Heroes,' they assisted too." She made a brief mention of that.
"Yes, I noted their powers. The ones that appeared also participated in the defense. The one with the ability to run quickly had made significant efforts to remove civilians from harm's way as best as he could."
"That would be Velocity." I explained. "And Armsmaster. The one with the armor and the halberd?"
"I did not recognize him, Master."
"So he wasn't at the Ghoul attack. Presumably, he must have been redirected towards the school almost immediately, and Velocity caught up after." I made a few guesses.
Mentally calculating the distance in my head from the school to the oil rig in the harbor that Armsmaster has his workshop on, it about lines up.
"Considering the Church interfered with the Ghouls as well, it can probably be safe to say that the PRT didn't get any 'samples.'" I mused. "If they did, then I can almost definitely blame the Church as well."
"I did my best to remove any stains they left behind as well."
I nodded. "Letting a bunch of idiots with power get ahold of vampiric blood is just asking for trouble." I stood up again, letting out another groan. "I didn't handle myself well when I was confronting them. There's going to be a follow-up; I should expect the Church to reach out in the next few days if they haven't already."
I blame it on my state of mind at the time. I was uncharacteristically aggressive and angry. Understandably angry, I would like to argue in my defense, but I am blinded a bit by my anger nonetheless.
There were a hundred better ways to deal with it.
The fact that I was barely holding myself up at that point also didn't help.
"Has anyone come to poke around?"
"There are a large number of humans outside your home with their recording devices."
The News.
I had reporters camped outside on my lawn.
"You left them alone?"
"As they were normal humans and did not attempt to intrude further, I did not believe it appropriate to reveal myself." She stated.
"Good. That was the right choice." I let out a thankful sigh of relief.
"Also." She spoke up again. "There is someone here that has been waiting for you. They arrived earlier today, and they were able to walk through your house's bounded fields; thus, I did not treat them like an enemy."
Who?
"Where are they?"
"I believe they are in the kitchen, Master."
I immediately went towards the door despite the quick movements making my body scream out a bit in pain, and I walked out.
The kitchen was a few moments away, turning the corner of the hallway.
I relaxed once I saw who it was.
He noticed me too.
"Uncle." I greeted.
"Frederick." He raised a cup of tea. "You didn't tell me you had a fiancée."
I looked at him, then at the expressionlessness of Artoria next to me.
I never told her not to tell that to people after last time.
Fuck my life.
[Line Break]
The fact that she seemed unconcerned about the guest should have tipped me off. Artoria was critical enough to believe we should sleep in the same bed for her purposes of 'defending me.'
She wouldn't have let a stranger into the house.
Therefore, it wasn't a stranger.
She listened while I talked to him on the phone and presumably recognized his voice or identity if he introduced himself. And considering they very briefly conversed over the phone before, well, it's very easy to guess from there.
Uncle Richard was a gentleman.
In the more traditional sense.
His attitude, his attire, his mannerisms.
Uncle Richard was the type of person who would politely serve you your last meal with expensive wine before pulling the trigger to end it.
He was a strange man, in all honesty.
His duality, that is.
His hands were filthy with all that he gets up to. He genuinely tries to stay out of doing any dirty work, but sometimes it just happens. But also, he's a well-known philanthropist. He donates to charities, he volunteers at soup kitchens, and he even does pro bono work for good causes.
In his own words, you can't become one of the most reputable law firms in the country unless you have blood on your hands.
He and Dad were good friends.
Dad said that he would have made a good Magus.
He was teasing me about the whole fiancée thing; he most certainly knew that it wasn't the whole 'truth.'
If I had a fiancé, it wasn't something I would have hidden from him. My dad always told me that I could trust him, and my dad was a good judge of character.
That, and Dad said that Uncle Richard would rather cut his own hand off rather than reach it into Magus's business. Like trying to steal my legacy or other such nonsense.
In Dad's words, Uncle Richard liked being a big fish in a small pond.
"You've had quite the week." Uncle Richard broke the silence, sipping his tea.
I sat down across the table. "How fucked am I?"
"Language." He chided. "But it's appropriate, I suppose. The answer would be yes."
I let out a long groan. "Lancer said that the News was camped outside."
He glanced at her, then nodded. "She is correct. I had to come in through the back so I wouldn't be noticed. Though, you'll be happy to know that I turned the sprinklers on a few hours ago and made their evening rather unfortunate."
I let out a snort. "When did you come in?"
"Not long ago. I hadn't had time to sleep yet; this is my fourth cup of tea. As soon as I heard about what happened and that I couldn't reach you, I came as soon as I could."
I dropped my head into my hands. "Before you tell me all the ways I'm screwed, do you have any good news for me?"
"Good news?" He hummed. "I suppose I have some good news. I have managed to push back the PRT from knocking your door down. Whether that's hyperbole or not, you won't have to find out. I used the law firm I keep in this city to act as my go-between. Unfortunately, they have very firmly requested that you come down to the PRT Headquarters and give a formal statement."
"How did you get them to back off?"
"I cited your injuries."
"Wouldn't that prompt them to have me sent to the hospital?" I asked.
"It's convenient that your long-standing religious beliefs disapprove of modern medicine." He said dryly. "And considering you are legally entitled to certain rights as an emancipated individual, there was not much they could say about that."
Ah.
At the very least, it seems that I'm not being blamed, so that helps.
"I assume that's not something you can make go away?"
"Unfortunately, my magic wand is limited in this case." He shook his head. "However, as I said, I used my local law firm; my name has not officially been linked to anything thus far; therefore, they will not be expecting my presence when I accompany you."
"They probably think they can run roughshod over me, huh?" I grunted.
"Oh, most certainly. I've dealt with the PRT before; I know how they do things. They will attack you with anything and everything to make you capitulate. Vague threats of lawbreaking followed by vague threats of imprisonment. But, they would just so happen to disappear if you cooperated. Especially with a young man your age, they will assume you are very ignorant about these sorts of matters."
"Wouldn't they be careful considering I presumably had a law firm act on my behalf?"
"They specialize in divorce law." My uncle stated. "The lawyers at the Protectorate are probably salivating over the idea of running circles around some ignorant divorce attorney barely out of law school." My uncle chuckled.
Well, that is some good news.
It makes me feel slightly better.
"Alright, hit me with the bad news." I mentally prepared myself.
My uncle, rather than speak, got up and walked towards the living room; the connected opening let me see everything as he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.
"...as we got final word. The total death toll has amounted to 243, with another 64 injured. It's being called the worst Biotinker attack since Elisburg. Experts say, "
He changed the channel.
"...Witnesses call it a brutal and traumatizing attack. Five children dead, another 14 injured in the attack on Winslow High School. The PRT has given a statement condemning the one responsible and praising the now unmasked Ward, Shadowstalker, for her involvement in protecting her fellow classmates—
He changed the channel again.
"... The arrival of Legend to Brockton Bay brought a much-needed reprieve from tension. Now, we go to our reporter in the field, Mary."
"Thank you, Denise." The reporter replied as the scene on the TV changed. I recognized it because it was out in front of my house. "I'm standing out in front of the house of Frederick Verde. A name that not many knew before the attack on Winslow, but one that won't soon be forgotten. Many people are now asking the question, "Has a wizard been living among us this entire time?"
He turned the TV off.
He then took out his phone, tapping it a few times before he set it down in front of me. It showed the most trending videos right now, and my face was plastered right at the top.
It was a recording of the fight between myself and the Dead Apostle.
This single video has over 64 million views already.
"Frederick, you're viral."
[Line Break]
A/N
Just the start of things.
Next is an interlude with a PRT debrief and a PHO section.
If you want to read 1 chapter ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
I also have a boosty if you can't use the above under the same name.
A/N
Small warning, I included some blunt exposition for those unfamiliar with Worm since I've had a lot of people tell me they know nothing about Worm. Basically, it's introducing all the Capes/PRT. You can easily skip over it if you don't' need it.
@***@
Emily Piggot walked into the conference room.
The Director of the PRT ENE—Parahuman Response Team, East North East.
Or in simple terms, the Director of the PRT out of Brockton Bay.
The laws had been set years ago when they folded all the government institutions together to formalize government-sponsored superheroes. They oversaw both the Protectorate and the Wards together.
The Protectorate was the Organization of Superheroes. Parahumans who were hired as an additional type of police force that specialized and focused on crimes committed by Parahumans or Parahuman-related powers.
The Wards being the underage hero group. Usually, they're taught how to navigate the government institution and practice alongside their Protectorate superiors in anticipation of joining the Protectorate when they become of age.
Long ago, the laws were written that both the Protectorate and Wards had to be overseen by a non-parahuman authority. That's where the PRT came into play, supervising the Parahumans and providing oversight.
Ironically, Director Piggot had a particular dislike of Parahumans.
She had a heavy gait and a stiff walk due to her being overweight. A side effect of her getting hurt in the line of duty during her fieldwork as a previous PRT agent.
The PRT weren't just government officials; they had their own 'police force' to handle Parahumans. Agents that were deployed along with their Cape allies to contain and arrest villainous Capes.
Years ago, there was the worst Biotinker attack in history.
The Town of Ellisburg was besieged by a Biotinker—a Cape with the power to manipulate flesh and create monsters—to turn the residents of the town into his own monster minions, turning the town into a sort of personal kingdom.
Piggot was one of the agents dispatched to try and contain the damage, but with her fellow agents, she was abandoned by all the capes that had gone there with her.
Only she and one other agent survived, and she didn't survive without her own wounds.
Constant dialysis was just one of her reminders of what happened.
Ever since, she has had a not-so-subtle hate for parahumans in general.
She took her seat with a small sigh. "Alright, everyone, let's get started. The Wards are here to join in on the debrief so everyone can be on the same page."
Joining her was the normal group.
From the Protectorate, there was assault and battery.
They were a husband and wife duo who had been part of the Protectorate for several years at that point.
Battery, a woman named Jamie, had the ability to charge up her 'power' and release it to give herself a boost in speed and strength and some minor electromagnetic powers. With each second she 'charges up,' she can then use the increased power for several seconds afterwards.
Her husband, a man named Ethan who went by the cape name Assault, had powers related to kinetic energy manipulation. By controlling the energies of movement, acceleration, and motion, but only on himself. He was able to move at high speeds with bursts of speed and jumping.
Next was Dauntless, also known as Shawn when not under a mask. Dauntless had the ability to empower items by infusing them with a little bit of his power each day, permanently enhancing them. He was known for his spear, shield, and boots, all of which were enhanced to a supernatural degree. Though, his 'items' couldn't be used by someone else with their enhancements. He was acknowledged as someone who would become 'Triumvirate' tier in the future if his powers didn't hit some kind of ceiling.
Following Dauntless was Miss Militia, also known as Hannah outside of the job. Miss Militia had the power to create a sort of green and black energy that could then be morphed into mundane weapons. Primarily, projectile weapons such as guns, but she could also make melee weapons. She was unable to make anything too large, like a tank, but she could more or less make anything handheld if it were a weapon. However, all her creations were basically generic in existence.
The most recent addition to the Protectorate, Triumph, also known as Rory Christner. He had just come of age and moved up from the Wards to the Protector within the last year. His main power is sound manipulation; he can control its force, area of effect, and unleash it in bursts. He also possessed a mild healing factor that was enough to prevent most scarring. His sound blasts were strong enough to punch through concrete.
Next was Velocity, also known as Robin Swoyer. Contrary to what most people thought, Velocity wasn't a traditional speedster. His ability was to enter a 'Breaker' state that enables him to alter the way time and physics work in relation to himself, speeding him up at the cost of reduced ability to affect the world. He becomes fast enough to run on water and outrun vehicles, but in return, while in this state, his full-force punch is weaker than an eight-year-old's.
Lastly, and certainly not least, was Armsmaster, also known as Colin Wallis. The leader of the Brockton Bay Protectorate Team. Armsmaster is a Tinker, a Cape that specializes in creating items rather than having outward expressions of powers. He specializes in miniaturization and efficiency and hybrid technology. He uses his power to create extremely efficient technology that he fits into his power armor and halberd that he is famous for.
Along with the Protectorate members, the Wards sat on the opposite side of the conference table.
First was Clockblocker, also known as Dennis. He had the ability to freeze objects in time, making them 'inviolable' to the point where it would be easier to fold the universe in half rather than break something he 'froze.'
Next was Kid Win, also known as Chris. Also a Tinker like Armsmaster and able to create things beyond the current level of technology like the older hero, his actual specialization was still unknown.
Following him, there was Shadowstalker, also known as Sophia Hess. She has the ability to shift into a shadow state, which allows her to pass through walls and makes her lightweight. She also had the ability to pass these attributes onto her equipment, including shots fired from the crossbow she carries.
After her, it was Gallant, also known as Dean Stansfield. He was an Empath, having the ability to generate concussive blasts of energy that could alter the emotions of those it hit, in addition to being strong enough to cause harm. He was able to use his powers to lob cannonball-sized orbs or shoot tight beams from his fingertips and everything in between. As an empath, he was able to sense the emotions of those around him.
Next to him was Vista, also known as Missy Biron. The youngest member of the Wards, yet the one with the strongest powers. Her powers allowed her to distort non-living material by stretching, compressing, or bending it. Her powers involve warping spacetime rather than matter itself.
Lastly, there was Aegis, the leader of the Brockton Bay Wards. Also known as Carlos, his powers gave him the ability of flight and an augmented physiology that operates at peak capacity as long as he is still living. His entire biology is filled with so many redundancies and reinforcements that it makes it very difficult to put him down. If he is blinded, he will be able to see by sensing light through his skin. Cutting his throat bleeds no more than cutting the back of his hand. Cutting an arm off only requires it to get reattached without any negative side effects.
The large group were all assembled into the room to talk about what had happened recently with both the city attack and the attack on Winslow.
"Shadowstalker." Emily Piggot spoke up. "I just received some word from above. It's highly likely that you'll be moved to a new city with a new Cape identity soon. In the meantime, you're still benched even if Panacea healed you up."
Shadowstalker just grunted, expecting it.
She already knew how things went. When a ward got hurt, even if they had the best healer in the world bring them back to full health, they were benched for weeks, maybe even months, as the Youth Guard did their 'investigation.'
"What about my family?" She asked.
"Protective custody for now, until we decide what city you'll be moving to." She responded bluntly.
"Director." Aegis raised his hand. He was a Ward that always tried to look mature around his fellow capes.
"What, Aegis?"
"Is that standard procedure? When a Cape gets outed, just ship them off to a new city with a new name and identity?"
Piggot frowned and let out a grumble, not at him, just merely at the situation. "Normally, the family in question would have the option to veto that kind of decision. However, it is very unwise to keep them in a city with Nazis running around."
She didn't feel the need to explicitly state that a Black girl outed as an 'enemy cape' was in a very bad situation to have when Nazis were in the city and showed that they're willing to murder families in their homes.
"But that's irrelevant for now; there will be a proper memo passed down later. Let's get back on track; we'll start with what happened in the city." Piggot gestured to Armsmaster, who stood up to the projector in the front of the room.
It was a mess in and of itself, one of the few rare times in recent years that a Ward was outed, but it was surprisingly not at the top of the list of gigantic cluster fucks she was dealing with.
Normally, an outed Ward had Legend flying down from New York to express to the ones responsible how disappointed he was in their behavior.
It was a reason that most villains on the East Coast abided strictly by treating Wards with the kids' gloves.
No one wanted Legend to fly down and show them why he's one of the strongest capes in the city and has enough goodwill with almost everyone to the point where he could get away with a few accidental misuses of force on his record.
"Shall I begin, Director?" "Armsmaster?" he asked in his usual monotone.
"Let's get this over with; I still have a dozen meetings this afternoon." She grunted.
The screen changed; everyone knew that it was some tiny piece of tech that Armsmaster probably made to save time from manually clicking on a button to change slides.
"At 11:08 AM Friday morning, we received the first report of a 'zombie outbreak' downtown." He clicked, and it showed slides of some of the pictures. "The call was originally confusing, and the phrasing meant we wasted nearly five minutes on discussions before we mobilized."
"Jump to the important bits, Armsmaster." Piggot told him. She didn't want to hear him rant about misuse of time and how to optimally handle such calls in the future.
He just nodded curtly. "These are some of the many pictures we've managed to secure. With many more already floating online."
They were rather graphic, more than what you would normally find online. They confiscated what they could, but when hundreds of people had phones and witnessed what was going on, getting everything was difficult.
It showed creatures that wouldn't look out of place in a zombie movie as they swarmed out of random buildings, attacking anything and everything in sight.
"Jesus Christ." Clockblocker whispered, turning away at once from the screen where it bit into the arm of a person it tackled.
"Eww." Vista cringed, also looking away.
The other Wards didn't fare much better, but they did their best to look professional.
For that matter, the Protectorate Capes weren't numb to it either; however, most of them had been deployed to deal with the issue firsthand, so they were used to it.
"Did they actually act like 'zombies'?" Aegis asked. "Is that what we're calling them?"
"For now, that seems to be what we're calling them shorthand in-house." Piggot just shrugged. If the shoe fit in her eyes, she didn't give a crap about names. "Miss Militia, your thoughts? You were the first to arrive on the scene."
Miss Militia had a frown on her face as her eyes stared at the screen before she blinked and focused back on everyone else. "I tried to use a Taser, rubber bullets, and pepper spray bullets, but none of those were able to keep them down. I even had to use a baton to break the jaw of one, and it still barely even slowed it down."
"I arrived not long after." Velocity spoke up. "I spent most of my time getting civilians out of the war, but these things were relentless. I saw one get run over by a car, then get right back up and try to claw at the window."
"Say the best part." Assault snorted.
Battery smacked him. "Don't joke; a lot of people died."
Piggot held up a hand. "Armsmaster, go ahead."
He cleared his throat and went to the next slide. It showed someone who had been bitten and clawed to death slowly getting back up. Every indication showed that they should be dead, but they got up and started attacking people as well.
"They could apparently make more of themselves." Piggot stated. "If it hadn't been contained, it would have been designated an S-Class level threat, and the Triumvirate would have been called in."
"Holy shit." Kid Win whispered. "How close were we to having the city condemned?"
"Fortunately, the Director acted quickly." Armsmaster answered. "Her quick authorization of lethal force is what allowed us to keep this Biotinker terrorism contained before it could enter dangerous levels."
He wasn't simply praising her for the sake of it.
The director recognized the situation immediately and ordered lethal force in record time. It was one of the major reasons that the spread of the 'zombies' was contained at manageable levels.
"And what were the other reasons?" Gallant asked. They humored the questions, mostly because this was for the benefit of the wards; the Protectorate heroes had already been somewhat briefed.
"It took place in Empire territory." Armsmaster said bluntly. "There were enough gang members present and…responding that they were able to hold off a portion of the Biotinker creations until assistance arrived."
He changed the screen and shifted through several images that showed a lot of skinheads with various tattoos or gang colors holding a wide array of guns as they shot at the monsters.
Assault let out a whistle. "That's a lot of firepower. I'm pretty sure they're breaking some kind of laws with all those."
"We're not going after them." Piggot said bluntly. "We're treating it like an S-Class threat and a retroactive truce."
No one could really argue against it.
"So guns were effective?" Kid Win asked.
"Ironically, shooting them in the head was one of the best ways to put them down." She snorted. "But it seems that given enough damage, they would eventually stop moving."
"Was there really no way to save those people?" Gallant asked. "Maybe Panacea could have removed whatever it was that was making them go crazy?"
Piggot didn't want to call him an idiot, but she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "There was no opportunity to 'arrest' them. And after analysis indicated that they were already dead."
Gallant just hesitantly nodded but frowned behind his mask.
"Armsmaster, keep going."
As ordered, Armsmaster moved on to the next subject. A woman appeared on the screen, with blonde hair and green eyes, wearing armor like an old knight. And she had a bright, glowing glance.
There were various pictures of her moving very quickly and killing a great many of the 'zombies.'
"Code Name: Radiant Knight." Armsmaster introduced her.
"After the fact, The Think Tanks credits her with being the third containing factor that led to the situation being resolved without becoming a second Elisburg." Piggot said bluntly.
They could all practically hear the venom in her tone as she said that.
"Isn't she the same—" Assault was about to say something, but Piggot cut him off.
"We'll get to that part." She grunted. "One thing at a time."
Though, at this point, everyone had been online and recognized her face.
"Are we calling her 'Radiant Knight' or the name that she goes by now?" Aegis asked.
"Call her Lancer since that seems to be what she responds to." Piggot stated. "Radiant Knight, however, was the designation given beforehand just to avoid confusion."
They all nodded.
"Should I give the field report judgement, Director?" Arsmamster asked.
"Go ahead, but it's likely to change in the future." Piggot waved her hand flippantly.
Field judgments on new capes were notoriously inaccurate. However, they were meant to initiate first contact with new Capes, either on friendly terms or potentially hostile ones.
Knowing that a Cape appeared to be a 'Brute' or not meant a lot if you're going in blind.
Power Classifications were originally used in-house for shorthand threat identifiers in the field, but they quickly took on a life of their own over the years.
Moreover, An ability that grants a cape enhanced speed or mobility.
Shaker, an ability with an area of effect.
Brute, An ability that grants a cape enhanced strength or durability.
Breaker, an ability that allows a cape to shift into another state.
Master, An ability that allows a cape to control others or create minions.
Tinker, An ability that allows a cape to create or alter devices with futuristic technology.
Blaster, A long-ranged offensive ability.
Thinker, An ability that focuses on information gathering.
Striker, a melee or touch-based ability.
Changer, An ability that allows a cape to alter their form or appearance.
Trump: An ability that allows a cape to manipulate powers in some capacity.
Stranger, An ability that focuses on stealth or infiltration.
And then there were ratings for each classification, starting from one.
"Very well. The first thing to do on the scene, as is protocol for meeting a new cape and witnessing their powers, is to submit an immediate threat report. Brute Rating: 5, Blaster 4, Mover 6."
"Those are pretty good ratings and classifications." Assault noted. "That's, like, perfect hero-work-kind-of powers right there. And she definitely nails the looks; that can't be amateur costume design."
"Is the Mover Rating a side effect of her Brute Rating or another part of her power?" Dauntless asked.
"Unknown for now." Piggot said plainly. "The Think Tank is still trying to…process her. But they're having difficulties."
For some reason, to everyone else, the tone sounded a bit ominous.
She didn't feel the need to reiterate that those designations were still pending and most likely wrong. "She's strong, she's fast, and that 'spear' of hers seems to be able to release blasts of energy on demand."
They all pretty much nodded along.
There wasn't much else they could say about her.
"Uh, Director." Clockblocker raised his hand. "I think I've met her before…."
She snapped her head towards him. "When?"
"During the thing at the mall earlier this week? It's hard to…miss her." He said awkwardly.
Piggot snorted at that, wanting to roll her eyes at horny teenagers. She knew what he meant; she didn't swing for that team, but even she could acknowledge that this 'Lancer' was extraordinarily beautiful.
"Make a report if there isn't anything immediately to add. Try to estimate the time; we'll see if we can pull videos from the mall." She told him.
"Yes, Director."
"What should we do if we see her on patrol?" Vista asked.
"The current order is to not approach unless absolutely necessary. Let the Protectorate handle her if it comes to it." She stated.
She didn't need the Youth Guard coming down on her ass because she gave the Wards permission to touch that hot potato.
Despite the calm tone she was talking with, Piggot was still stressed beyond belief. She didn't really press on the younger Capes how close they were to having to call in the military.
And oddly, there wasn't much to go over regarding the near zombie apocalypse that happened further downtown.
At least, not much the Wards needed to know. It was mostly logistical things and handling the aftermath, not something some kids playing superhero needed to bother with.
They were all more than aware of how devastating the attack was; she didn't need to cram the death toll down their throats either.
"There was also a fourth party that helped contain the attack." The director's voice dripped with very easily identifiable disdain and barely hidden anger. "But we'll get to them in a moment."
Armsmaster too had his lips thin, as he knew exactly who she was talking about. "I will move on to the attack at Winslow High School."
The images on the projector changed.
It showed the aftermath of the damage, parts of the building destroyed, blood stains, and a few covered dead bodies.
"Simultaneous to the attack in the city, there was an attack on Winslow High School." Armsmaster began to narrate. "We theorize that the city attack was meant as a diversion."
"Wait, you're saying that the zombie apocalypse was a diversion?!" Clockblack blurted out.
Many shared the same sentiment.
"After going over various footage we obtained from the presumed perpetrator, that is our current working theory." He nodded. "Sophia, would you please give your rendition of events from your perspective?"
Shadowstalker scowled; it was hard to say for what reason. She pursed her lips for a moment before opening her mouth. "I was in the middle of class when shit hit the fan. Everyone started talking about what was happening in the city. Then the principal went on the intercom and told everyone to gather in the cafeteria."
"You didn't go." Miss Militia pointed out.
"Shit was weird, so I thought something might happen. I stayed back and found my gear just in case." She lied through her teeth. "You know, if they were locking down the school, it'd be better for me to get on the roof or something with my gear if shit went bad."
Truthfully, Piggot didn't buy it for a second. She fully believed that Shadowstalker was probably doing something that would have gotten her in trouble. But based on how things turned out, she wasn't going to dig it up.
"And what happened after?" The director asked, though already knowing the answer, as the Wards looked to her for information.
"I had a friend inside who texted me that a villain was inside and mastered the teachers, and he even killed the principal. So I did what I was supposed to and suited up and tried to stop him." She grumbled.
"Why didn't you call for help?" Vista asked, eyes slightly narrowed.
Shadowstalker scowled deeper. "My fucking phone wasn't working, brat."
"Hess, keep your temper in check." Piggot warned the girl. "It turns out that the principal had an illegal signal blocker that she used at her discretion."
While it wasn't technically illegal to own one, it was illegal for someone to use one in public at, like, a school without authorization. There were authorized signal blockers at Arcadia, for instance, because they worked with the authorities to allow special phones for the wards to work through it.
In this case, her actions directly helped the one who invaded the school.
"I'm guessing there are some lawsuits coming at the school district soon." Assault clicked his tongue.
"If the principal were still alive, she would have been arrested." Piggot said simply, letting them fill in the blanks.
Suffice to say, the school district was going to be up shit creek without a paddle.
It also didn't help that the majority of the school's cameras were broken, and it wasn't because of the attack. There are a lot of people wondering where all the school funding went when some of it was explicitly meant for upgrading the school's security.
"Continue, Sophia."
Sophia grumbled. "I phased through the wall up near the ceiling to get a jump on him. I saw he had already killed someone, so I tried to take him out as fast as I could."
"You mean you tried to kill him." Gallant interjected.
"You got a fucking problem with that? He stuck his hand through my stomach!" Sophia slammed the table.
"Stop." Piggot hissed. "Dean, she made the right choice. He was in a building full of kids, and he already showed the willingness to murder without regard. He would have received a kill order after his stunt anyways."
Most of the Wards didn't have an input, but there was very clear uncomfortableness written across their faces.
The constant hounding of 'nonlethal force' into all aspects of their training meant that it was hard to digest how easily it switched to kill on sight.
In this case, Piggot fully supported Shadowstalker's jump to lethal force.
She was certainly aware that Shadowstalker didn't have the kind of rational thought process she was spouting, but she didn't care in this one case.
Sophia scoffed as Dean went silent. "He shrugged off my crossbow bolts like they did nothing, and he healed any damage I did."
"Thank you, Sophia." Director Piggot said evenly. "Colin, continue."
"Here are the initial pictures we were able to obtain." Armsmaster stated.
They showed the cafeteria on lockdown, the teachers and staff blocking the doors, and the person responsible standing on the stage.
Piggot was oddly happy that since it was a school, every kid had a phone out and was probably recording within seconds.
It was the only silver lining she could find in this, making it so they had proof to corroborate eyewitness testimony.
"After Shadowstalker was…disabled." He stated hesitantly. He wasn't good with delicate wording. Sophia scoffed but didn't interrupt. "It was then stated that some people began to hear a student…chanting."
There was a beat of silence because everyone knew what was coming. The questions they all had were the questions that millions of people had been asking.
Armsmaster changed the screen. "Frederick Allard Verde."
"...Is it okay to just unmask him like this? I mean… I know his face is everywhere…." Aegis asked skeptically.
"The normal rules don't apply." The director said pointedly.
Aegis gulped a little and shut his mouth.
"According to the reports, he seemed to quote a biblical verse." Armsmaster stated. "Then he activated a power that seemed to burn the villain inside the building, only stopping when he jumped out the window."
A video then appeared on the screen; some of it was caught, some of it wasn't. It was awkward at best, but it was the best they could find.
"Kid took a nasty hit to the leg and barely winced." "Assault," muttered.
Everyone saw him get stabbed in the leg, yet he still fought off the villain, even doing what he did to expel him from the building.
"Sophia goes to the school; he should know him, right?" Kid Win looked at her.
Sophia crossed her arms; her nostrils flared. "He's just a random nerd. He hangs out with the other nerds; I didn't even remember his name before. He didn't have any friends and was always alone."
The truth was, she was still having trouble believing that a kid she pushed around when she was bored was…capable of that.
That he was a predator.
Sophia had watched the videos dozens of times, and she still found it unbelievable. It was like she was looking at two completely different people.
"Are we going to talk about the big magic elephant in the room?" Clockblocker cut right through all the pretense.
Director Piggot resisted the urge to sigh. "Fine, you want a definitive answer?"
Everyone seemed to lean in as she said that.
"From the deputy director, as of today, we estimate that we now have the first case of an outed wizard since the revelation that magic was real." She spat out without any pretense.
The room went silent.
"Director." Dauntless spoke up. "Are we seriously acknowledging 'magic' as an answer?"
It looked like Armsmaster wanted to ask something similar, but Dauntless beat him to the punch.
"Do you think I'd be standing here and happily acknowledging something asinine as 'magic' if I didn't have to?" She glared at him before taking a deep breath. "Before a golden flying man appeared, we didn't believe in superpowers either." She added. "I'm not privy to the details of what happened years ago, but the deputy director was adamant that it is real. So take it as you will."
The thing is, it was mostly treated as a joke.
Despite it being 'recognized' by the government, they've never seen or interacted with it before. It was something you said online; instead of something being 'aliens,' it was 'wizards' when explaining the unexplainable.
"...and what exactly happens now?" Aegis asked. "This is a first, right? What are we supposed to do?"
Piggot's lips thinned. "No idea. Everyone's arguing about how to handle this, so we don't have marching orders as of yet. Make no mistake, we've entered uncharted waters with a storm brewing, and it's centered right on top of the Bay."
She snapped her fingers towards Armsmaster, and he continued.
"Here are a few more images of the initial confrontation."
A few of them winced again.
"Did he just stab his hand?" Dauntless asked.
"Eww." Vista winced. "That's a lot of blood. Does he need blood? Is that how magic works?"
They saw him stab his hand and then slap it against the table before 'chanting.'
Then a shaky video popped up, clearly hidden behind several students.
Frederick, in the video, told someone to stay inside and that it should be safe inside for a bit before grabbing the kid's belt and tightening it around his bleeding thigh.
"...that was smart; it would stymie the bleeding." Miss Militia whispered. "But that's not something I would expect a child his age to do without so much as blinking."
Several of them also had the same thought; it was a bit uncanny how he pushed down the clear flush of pain.
Sophia perked up, though, because the real fight was about to start. She only managed to watch broken videos up to this point, so she was intent on seeing it all properly displayed.
Without hesitation, as soon as the villain opened his mouth, Frederick launched at him at speeds that would make many of the superpowered individuals in the room jealous and kneed him in the face before utilizing a practiced technique to throw him into a wall, shattering it.
The video paused. "As you can see, the…subject showed a high Brute rating."
"That's at least as fast as I am when I'm charged up." Battery stated. "And he went right for the guy's face. That would be strong enough to shatter someone's skull; he was going for the kill immediately."
"He put on gloves and shoes. Are those important? Like, magical items?" Clockblocker asked. "Plus 1 to kicking teeth in?"
Truthfully, no one really had an answer.
The hints were obvious that the items were indeed not normal, but for the actual explanations, they had nothing.
The video continued, and the next part was just as…aggressive.
The villain charged at him, and he just barely moved his head out of the way before saying something; his glove glowed, and then he punched him in the jaw, shattering it.
It literally caused nearby windows to shatter from the force.
The villain's neck seemed to twist, and he went flying into a bunch of structures before coming to a stop.
"...a punch wizard then?" Clockblocker joked, though his tone didn't carry with it the same humor as usual.
"See, that bastard has some stupid healing!" Sophia pointed out, ignoring her fellow Ward.
He stood back up on the screen, all the damage correcting itself like it never happened.
Armsmaster turned up the sound. "The sound was better quality; please pay attention."
"Load." There was a little bit of static, or maybe wind, making it hard to hear. "Trajectory set—Compress, Sun, Release."
It was the first real 'magic' kind of reveal. Chanting Bible quotes or punching real hard were completely different things to those inexperienced than having spell circles appear and shoot energy blasts.
They were strong enough to tear right through the villain's chest and carried on through the nearby walls until they weren't seen anymore.
It was the first 'spell-like' reveal that lent some credence to the whole 'magic' thing for them.
And then, they hear the villain confirm it, calling him a 'wizard.'
But what was also surprising was that the kid got annoyed at being called a wizard; likewise, there was confusion at being called that.
In the back and forth, the audio wasn't great, but with some technology, they were able to pull some of the words, if barely.
Frederick, in turn, revealed the 'name' of the villain, or rather, a title? They didn't know what it meant, a 'Dead Apostle.'
But in doing so, Frederick also basically confirmed it himself, indicating that he knew how to cast spells.
The fight carried on.
Despite it being gruesome and bloody, it was hard to look away.
The Wards liked to pride themselves on their power and status. For kids their age, it was a normal thing when you're hailed as heroes.
But more than a few of them had strange thoughts as they saw a kid their age show that kind of skill in addition to power.
He was, for the most part, systematically taking down the villain with a display of skill that none of them could confidently say they could come close to.
Their 'training' and their 'lessons'—they didn't tend to take them overly seriously.
For someone who can shoot blasts of emotion from their hands, what was the point of learning to fight barehanded?
It was the general train of thought.
Most Capes didn't train themselves.
"Time Alter—Double Accel."
That was heard much more clearly, probably because he was pushed up against the cafeteria when he said it.
He then moved far faster than he had before, unnaturally so. It was leaving afterimages in his wake, like he wasn't moving at the same 'speed' as everyone else.
He then took out some strange-looking swords and stabbed the villain through the head, through the neck and into the spine, and then through the heart.
None of the Wards could say they would have been able to do the same. They saw how strong the villain was and how easily Shadowstalker got taken out. And how the villain just kept healing after everything.
Yet, even to this point, a kid—a presumed 'wizard'—their age had beaten him.
"...what are those lines shining on him?" Kid Win asked.
"There's steam coming off." Gallant pointed out. "That can't be good, can it?"
At this point, he was beaten, bloodied, and had cuts and stabs all over him.
But, even after all of that, the villain got up again, discarding a brain, a heart, and a spine to pull itself free.
It then smacked Frederick with enough force to send him into a wall.
That was when he pulled off his glove, and a red tattoo on the back of his hand glowed bright.
"By the power of this command spell, overturn time and space and appear by my side, Lancer."
They all recognized the face of the knight from but a few minutes ago.
Some manner of teleportation had her appear by him. And they could blatantly hear the 'spell' he had cast, or whatever it is he was doing.
With ease, she obliterated what remained of the villain.
Seeing how easily he was regenerating before, it made them realize that maybe she hadn't shown her full power yet. That, or he was on his last legs and just finished him off.
Either way, they saw how she was concerned for Frederick's well-being.
"Does it look like he hurt himself when he did whatever it is he did? Time whatever?" Clockblocker asked.
It passed that moment a bit, but they were all still taking a bit to digest what they were watching.
"Like, his eyes started bleeding…" He added,
That wasn't missed by them; just no one had called it out yet.
"Powers aren't supposed to hurt the user, right?" Aegis asked.
"Yeah." Assault nodded slowly. "Generally, powers don't hurt the person using them."
Of course, if you were Miss Militia and created a gun and shot yourself, that was a whole different matter. But, say, turning yourself into fire didn't mean you burned yourself. Or creating sonic blasts didn't rupture your own eardrums. Or turning into shadow didn't cause you to die because your organs disappeared.
"He's hurt bad; does he have some kind of healing ability? That's like…Panacea-bad level of injuries." Kid Win muttered.
The video kept playing until more lines appeared across his chest and his body as he chanted something again.
Then, he started to use his own blood to draw something on the ground and chanted something new. Several moments of words that left his mouth that meant nothing to the ones hearing them.
Then they saw a barrier spring to life around them and the villain's corpse.
Likewise, he told the newly named Lancer to destroy the evidence.
"He ordered her to destroy the evidence?" Gallant asked. "Isn't that a crime?"
Armsmaster's lips thinned further into a frown. "It is an illegal action, yes."
There were another few moments, and everyone stilled as they vaguely heard the words spoken by Lancer as this particular frame was zoomed in and it had quieted down from the earlier fight.
She called him 'Master.'
"Uh, are we going to ignore that?" Vista spoke up. "She literally called him 'master'; that's a big red flag if I've ever seen one."
"Has anyone checked up on her?" Battery asked. "The last thing we need is another Heartbreaker situation."
"Her expressions look muted as well." Miss Militia added.
Overall, it painted a very bleak picture.
"Unfortunately, we're unable to get ahold of the woman 'Lancer.'" Director Piggot stated. "We're working on it."
"Why haven't we brought the kid in for questioning then?" Dauntless asked. "We have more than enough, right?"
"The situation is delicate." Piggot grumbled. "He will be coming in for questioning. His 'lawyer' has responded on his behalf that he will be arriving within a few days but is delayed due to his injuries."
"Wait, is he not at the hospital!?" Vista blurted out.
They glanced at her but had similar thoughts.
"No." Piggot said bluntly. "According to his lawyer, his religious beliefs reject modern medicine." Her disdain wasn't hidden from them.
Assault snorted. "Yeah, okay."
They all knew it was a bullshit excuse.
Hell, it wasn't the first time they've heard it. They've had villains in the past say some of the same bullshit to reject healing from Panacea or the hospital just so they would delay being taken to the Bird Cage of prison to stall for time for a rescue.
"How old is he? Can't we press his parents for being neglectful?" Miss Militia asked.
"Frederick Verde, parents deceased, status: legal emancipation." Armsmaster stated. "Legally, we have no right to override his desire to forgo modern medical healing unless he is unable to decide for himself."
"Yeah… I think I remember hearing that too." Sophia huffed. "I think he got beat up last year because some kids wanted to use his house for a party since he didn't have any parents, and he didn't agree."
"Goddamn, he has some saint-level restraint if he just let them beat him up when he could do something like that." Velocity commented. "Is his emancipation on the up and up? Maybe we could find something there?"
"Funny you mention that. There are some discrepancies with regard to his emancipation because it started when he was fifteen years old, which is very rare. Legal is currently going over it with a fine-toothed comb." Piggot informed them.
Suffice to say, his whole life was being dug into by the world.
"Honestly, it looks like he's been intentionally hiding this whole time with everything put together like this…." Kid Win said quietly.
"That's the picture it paints, doesn't it?" Piggot crossed her arms.
"...his clothes." Sophia frowned.
"Do you have something to add, Hess?" Piggot looked at her.
"His clothes are way too baggy. Look at his body; someone doesn't have muscles like that and keep them hidden in baggy clothes without a reason."
What she didn't add was that she always thought he was dressed shitty because of his slightly too big clothes. It wasn't something she particularly noticed on a normal day; it just added to the whole 'nerd' persona she already attributed to him.
A nerd who couldn't dress well—it wasn't strange.
Only in hindsight did things start to sort of make sense.
It showed a person who didn't want attention on themselves.
Someone who was more than happy to fade to the background and be forgotten by everyone around him.
"We're not done; keep going, Armsmaster. This is where it gets worse." Piggot stated.
They watched Armsmaster arrive on the scene. It was hard for her to hear what he said because the kids around on the one recording started cheering.
It was hard to be annoyed because they probably genuinely felt like they might die only a few minutes earlier.
"As you can see, I was unable to penetrate the barrier that his powers created." Armsmaster's tone quite explicitly expressed an annoyance that no one felt the need to comment on.
It didn't take long for the paramedics and agents to start flowing in to handle the situation.
The recording shifted, presumably because the previous one had stopped or they were being pulled out of the cafeteria by the authorities.
"Ah, that's when I arrived." Velocity spoke up. "It's too loud, but I basically asked Armsmaster what the situation was, and then I recognized Lancer from earlier. I tried to ease the tension because she showed heroic tendencies, and just from the first look, I could tell that the kid had fought whoever that guy was."
"Your judgment wasn't wrong, Velocity." Piggot told him. In any other situation, she would have praised him for his correct judgment; this was just a very unordinary situation. "Armsmaster, however, we'll be having words with you about how you handled it. Even if their face is revealed in front of the whole damn school, what went through your mind to rattle off his information like that!?"
Armsmaster's lips twitched. "I apologize, Director. I merely was identifying him in response to the situation."
Piggot let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Velocity, the sound is a bit difficult to parse here; recount it from your perspective along with the video."
"Yes, Director. So, I was trying to calm everyone down, get him to lower his 'barrier,' and all that, you know. Good cop, bad cop off Armsmaster's usual stoicness."
Armsmaster grunted, but he didn't deny it.
He would happily agree that his persona adhered to a strict 'stoicness' while working.
"...and that's when apparently a bunch of Haven Capes showed up?" Velocity said in confusion. "I wasn't entirely sure. But a bunch of people dressed up as priests came strolling in like they owned the place and…somehow pulled rank and forced us back?"
The video continued to play, and they could see exactly what he was talking about.
"Switch to your point of view, Armsmaster." Piggot told him.
The camera shifted, and now it was being recorded from his helmet.
It had nearly perfect sound and video attached.
"The field of vision is more narrow, but we have perfect audio here." Piggot stated. "Unfortunately, the audio is not connected to his inbuilt radio, so we can't hear from that end. Armsmaster, if you would please explain what happened."
"I was ordered to stand down and retreat. The console had commanded me with the proper codes that come from a position above the director." Armsmaster was revealed.
"Codes, we have codes?" Aegis asked, surprised.
"It's not something you learn as a Ward." Triumph, the newest Protectorate member who had just moved up from a Ward not long ago, spoke up. "It's part of the things you learn when you move up. There are certain codes that correlate to certain positions of authority. We're supposed to memorize them, and they sometimes change."
Piggot nodded. "It's not a secret, nor is it something absolute either. But they're important for fieldwork to know who's commanding the situation in a hectic situation. And it's to understand who you're supposed to listen to when things are chaotic. If the chain of command gets disrupted and it needs to be reestablished, or if an order needs to be immediately given without time to pass it downwards, those sorts of things. Misuse of the codes is grounds for arrest if certain criteria are met."
"Who ordered it then?" Vista asked.
"It was ordered from the office of the deputy director." Armsmaster revealed.
"...From the Deputy Director?" Aegis asked. "She—"
"Let me cut you off there, because I know what you're going to ask. The deputy director did not give the order. The one responsible was one of her trusted aides, and he's currently in PRT custody pending a proper investigation." Piggot told them.
"Who exactly are they?" Vista asked.
Piggot let out a long sigh. "From what information we've obtained, they appear to be from the Catholic Church."
"...what?" Clockblocker blinked. "Like, with the Pope."
"Yes, Dennis, that Catholic Church."
Piggot had her own annoyed expression on her face, and they could all hear it in her voice, so their questions were put on hold. She waved at Armsmaster to continue the video.
That utterly confused them.
"Director, why did the Church send some priests to a Cape crime?" Vista asked.
The video changed, and it showed a younger-looking lady jump off the top of the roof without so much as a wince or needing to break her fall.
"Holy shit, the Church has their own Capes?" Kid Win blurted out. "Since when?"
"...What the hell is even going on?" Assault frowned. "If they really are from the Church, how were they able to come in and strong-arm us into giving up jurisdiction?"
"I followed Armsmaster's lead, but I was wondering the same thing." Velocity nodded. "I get that someone high up ordered it, or someone illegal did it, but…."
"Are…we being spied on by the Catholic Church?" Clockblocker asked. "If so, I think I'm going to need to rethink going to church every year on Christmas."
"Currently, any attempts to ask for an explanation from the Church have been stonewalled." Director Piggot said pointedly again. "But that's out of my hands, so don't expect me to have an answer there."
It irked her just as it did everyone else, especially since she was also being kept in the dark by even the higher-ups of the PRT.
The only thing that alleviated the annoyance was that she knew that everyone else was also completely confused and scrambling around for answers just as she was.
The video switched over to a wide view, indicating that it wasn't Armsmaster's helmet anymore.
It provided a better angle to see what was happening, and it was seamless and decent quality, showing how much effort Armsmaster went through to splice the videos for the meeting.
It showed him trying to stab at the barrier, getting angry that he couldn't get through.
"Sir, how come your halberd wasn't able to get through the barrier? You said your Nanothorn wasn't complete yet, but even in its current state, you've been able to cut through all materials for testing." Kid Win asked.
"I am still collecting data." Armsmaster responded, but there was a hint of annoyance in his tone still.
Those familiar with him could tell that he took it personally.
Then they saw the Church arrive from the wide view. The sound was slightly off, but it was easy to guess that the sound from Armsmaster's helmet was filling in the gap.
"Kid is pissed to see the Church lady." Assault muttered. "They know each other?"
"Really pissed." Gallant noted.
While his Empath powers didn't work through the video, he's studied facial expressions and emotions to better understand his own powers. He could see the anger was very real and genuine.
Likewise, everyone ignored Armsmaster's commands.
Which only further angered the usually stoic man in the video.
Still bleeding, looking like an absolute mess, they saw the kid stomp up to the girl and get right in her face with basically a snarl.
'You were hunting a Dead Apostle in MY city, and you didn't even let me know!?'
That particular sentence seemed to quiet the room.
They noted the name 'Dead Apostle,' but it meant as much as anything else.
But what caused them uncomfortableness more so was something else.
"...did he just claim the city as 'his'?" Miss Militia asked. "That's a very…bold thing to say."
The video continued until he ordered Lancer to kill them if they moved.
"Woah!" Vista shouted.
"I agree, Director. Why isn't he in custody?" Aegis asked. "Even ignoring the implications of his…control over Lancer there, he just ordered her to kill them."
"That's messed up." Clockblocker nodded. "A murdering psychopath is one thing, but that's way over the line."
"That's something I'd expect to hear from one of the villains in the city." Triumph agreed with the wards. "Maybe it could be treated as a slip in the heat of the moment…but I'm not feeling really good about this."
Director Piggot held up her hand. "Keep going, Armsmaster."
Velocity spoke up about it thankfully, but he seemed to be completely ignored as well.
He even shut up the gentle-looking priest.
And again, he claimed ownership of the city.
It wasn't merely 'my city' in the context that he lived here and these people were presumably outsiders.
But it was a direct, intentional term used.
'Second Owner.'
While the specifics weren't known to them present, combined with the context up until now, it was very easy to guess that this seventeen-year-old kid seemed to be under the belief that the city actually belonged to him.
"Do we have a psych profile on him?" Dauntless asked.
"It's being created somewhere else; we'll get it once it's completed." Piggot responded.
"So are we just supposed to ignore that he actually thinks the city belongs to him?" Clockblocker asked. "I mean, we've seen Lung, Kaiser, and even Skidmark jump around saying that the city belongs to them, but that's more like…I don't know, hyperbole? Seeing someone my age actually look like he believed it and say it confidently feels kind of fucked up."
"Language." Piggot chided him, though her words weren't very stern. She just didn't want the Wards cursing on record; otherwise, she didn't care. "Make no mistake, any of you. I am far from happy hearing some brat think he owns the city."
In fact, the thought made her more angry than she let on.
The idea that some snot-nosed brat randomly pops up and thinks the whole city belongs to him? Just for that alone, she wanted to force him under PRT control out of spite.
The arguing between the two people didn't really mean much. If anything, it felt more…familiar, two different organizations seemingly arguing about jurisdiction and procedure.
That was until Frederick claimed to have a cardinal on speed dial. Whether that was exaggeration or not, it was added to the growing file of the boy.
"Armsmaster, pause." Piggot commanded as he paused the video, and she pointed at the screen. "Dean, your family brushes elbows with all the big-name families in the city. He emphasized his family name. Do you recognize it, this 'Verde' family?"
Dean looked thoughtful. "I can ask my dad, but I don't recognize them, Director."
Dean came from a wealthy background; his father was a predominant business owner in the city. He ran in the same circles as the mayor and wealthy families in the city, where everyone knew each other.
Piggot just grunted.
She wasn't hoping for much, but it would be stupid not to check.
Regardless, they were running through his entire life. His background, his family history, his finances, everything.
The ending was…anticlimactic.
There were plenty of new terms for them to go over, but otherwise, it was about the same as most people knew online at this point.
Even the 'secret' recordings straight from Armsmaster's helmet camera didn't give much else.
The kids were evacuated, and then the church forced everyone else out of the area.
"When we checked back inside after they left, all the evidence had been destroyed and cleaned. There wasn't so much as a drop of blood we could find." Velocity spoke up.
"Which means they're thorough, implying they have experience and have done this before." Piggot added.
To many of them, that sounded more terrifying than it should have.
It implied that the Church apparently had a secret organization that went around doing things under everyone's noses.
The proof was right there.
Beyond that though, they all knew that there were people in the city operating in secret, hiding away.
Magic?
Were they supposed to believe that?
It was a hard pill to swallow, but some things pointed towards that direction.
"We're entering new territory." Director Piggot spoke up. "There are going to be a lot of eyes on the city now."
"Um, Director." Clockblocker raised his hand.
"What, Clock?"
"Is this even our… I mean, we deal with Cape stuff…does this count?" Calling it 'magic' seemed…weird. If he were being honest, he didn't really believe it so far.
It was just difficult to accept.
"That's the question, isn't it?" Piggot snorted. "We have no protocols for the situation, so here are your marching orders. We keep the city safe, Clock. The PRT and Protectorate were established to protect people from the misuse of powers. We will continue to do that to the best of our ability."
"If we run into him, should we try the normal pitch?" Gallant asked. "See if he wants to join the Wards?"
"You're not to seek him out." Piggot said sternly. "However, if the situation allows for it, and you find yourself in front of him and he proves…passive, you may try."
What Piggot didn't tell them was that she did receive orders to try and get him to join with the Wards or Protectorate by any means necessary.
There were more than a few voices who believed that 'Wizards' belonged under the purview of the PRT just as Capes did.
And if they did manage to get their hands on one, well, then the rest would presumably fall over like dominos.
Unfortunately for Piggot, in her mind, the 'first outed wizard' just happened to appear in the Bay.
She knew also that it wasn't only the PRT that would want to get their hands on the only publicly recognized 'Wizard' in the world.
@***@