Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the Grammar and using Word to write it.
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"On what charges?" Mia asked immediately.
"Property destruction, reckless endangerment of civilian lives, and vigilantism," Armsmaster said, listening to the charges.
"Wait a second! We were fighting Purity, Oni Lee, and Lung. You can't blame all this damage on just us!" I said angrily. "And what do you mean by 'reckless endangerment of civilian lives'? There's no civilian in sight."
"I'm quite aware of Purity, Oni Lee, and Lung's involvement in this fight, but you can't deny that you two had a part in this," Armsmaster said.
I twitched at that.
He isn't wrong, but...
"And can you say with certainty that there aren't any civilians living in the buildings around us?" Armsmaster pressed.
No, I can not.
That didn't even cross my mind.
"While it's true that we didn't check for civilians in the area, there wasn't time to do so given how quickly the fight escalated. And considering how dangerous those three are, we couldn't afford to divide our attention," Mia said firmly.
Armsmaster hums with a frown.
"Perhaps. But you two are still coming with me to be questioned," Armsmaster said.
What a troublesome situation.
I could get us out of here instantly, but doing so would put us on bad terms with the Protectorate/PRT.
On the other hand, there is no way that we are going with him for questioning.
What to do?
...hold on, I have an idea.
"Call New Wave, they know who we are," I said.
Armsmaster focused his attention on me, "What's your relationship with New Wave?"
"We took down Skidmark and Squealer the other day. New Wave came to check on what was going on, and we explained the situation to them," I explained. "I'm Red, and she's Blue. Go ahead, ask them."
"Lady Photon informed me about the two of you. From what she told me, you didn't have costumes yet," Armsmaster said, studying our costumes.
"Well, it was about time for us to get proper costumes," I shrugged.
Armsmaster stays silent for a few seconds.
"What was Lady Photon watching that night?" Armsmaster asked.
I raised an eyebrow, "Hum...she said that she was watching the latest episode of Secretos del Pasado before Brandish called her."
"Yes, both Brandish and Lady Photon seem fond of that show," Armsmaster commented.
"Brandish doesn't like the show. She thinks the plot is too nonsensical," Mia said, easily catching on to what Armsmaster was doing.
Armsmaster nods, "That matches what I was told."
"They told you that part?" I asked, confused.
"When you're reporting on unknown parahumans, it's important to include everything that happened during the interaction. Even details that seem trivial at the time can become important later," Armsmaster explained.
"So, we good now?" I asked.
"Even with this new information, I still need you two to come with me," Armsmaster said, uncompromising.
Oh, come on!
A tense silence fell on the area.
"I propose a compromise," Mia said suddenly.
"What kind of compromise?" Armsmaster asked cautiously.
"We aren't going with you to an interrogation room, but we are willing to discuss with you and answer some of your questions," Mia said.
Armsmaster frowns heavily.
"I strongly recommend you both come with me to the PRT. The Empire is watching you, and the ABB will be looking for revenge. You won't survive long with both gangs after you," Armsmaster said gravely.
"Respectfully, we decline the invitation," I said.
Armsmaster lingered in silence, staring at us for several seconds before he began to mutter something under his breath.
I narrowed my eyes at that and reinforced my ears.
"-declined coming wi-" Armsmaster muttered to someone.
Damn it, I can barely hear him.
"He's talking with someone. I can't hear the conversation," I whispered.
"Don't bother. He's too far away," Mia whispered. "What is your take on this?"
"I get the feeling that he doesn't like us," I whispered drily.
"Well, to be fair, from his perspective, we're just two newbies who think they can take on the gangs without help. How many times must he have seen capes make that claim, only to die in the end?" Mia whispered.
Huh.
"Anyway, be ready to get us out of here at any moment. He could be ordered to bring us by force," Mia whispered.
Armsmaster stops muttering.
"Would you two like to go to another place to have this talk?" Armsmaster asked.
"Here's good enough," Mia said.
She places her sword in its sheath.
I recall the magical balls, and Armsmaster lowers his halberd.
"Before we start, does either of you need medical attention?" Armsmaster asked.
"That isn't necessary. We are unharmed," Mia shakes her head.
"And what about them?" Armsmaster asked, looking at the unconscious ABB grunts.
"Yeah, they are going to have to go to the hospital," I said.
"What kind of injuries should the EMT look for?" Armsmaster asked.
"Electrical Burns. I used lightning to deal with them," I said.
"How precise is your control?" Armsmaster asked immediately.
I raised an eyebrow, "I'd say very good."
"Are you certain?" Armsmaster asked. "Using lightning against a person can cause nerve damage, cardiac arrest, and other serious complications."
"I'm certain that I didn't use more than the necessary," I said, annoyed. "They were going to shoot us, you know."
"That isn't an excuse for you to use excessive force," Armsmaster pressed back.
"That wasn't excessive force," I hissed.
"I beg to differ," Armsmaster doesn't back down.
Before I could reply, Mia lifted her hand, cutting off both Armsmaster and me.
"This bickering isn't going anywhere. I'm going to check the ABB grunts so you can inform the EMT," Mia said.
She steps away to check on the grunts and returns a few minutes later.
"None of them is dead. Some suffered first-to second-degree burns, along with bruises, and possible broken bones," Mia said, describing what she saw.
Armsmaster nods, presses a button on his helmet, and starts speaking.
"The hell is his problem?" I whispered, annoyed.
"He's trying to gain the upper hand," Mia whispered. "If any of the grunts were seriously injured or dead, he could accuse you and demand that we go with him if we don't want to become enemies with the Protectorate."
"Ah. Yeah, that wouldn't be good," I whispered, my brows knitting together.
Armsmaster stops talking and turns to us.
"Can we start?" Armsmaster asked.
Mia and I nodded.
"How did this fight begin?" Armsmaster asked.
"We were scouting a place where the Empire's unpowered members gather, hoping to run into someone important in the gang and make them talk," I said.
"Did you get anything?" Armsmaster asked.
"No, it was a bust," I shook my head.
"Before we could go to another location, I noticed Purity flying in the distance. We couldn't let her run wild, so we decided to confront her. It didn't take long for Oni Lee to join the fight, and then Lung. And you can clearly see how that turned out," Mia said, referring to our surroundings.
Armsmaster hums thoughtfully.
"Do you have any plans to continue attacking the Empire and ABB?" Armsmaster asked.
"The idea was to focus on the Empire, but now the ABB is included in that," I said.
"I'd recommend lying low for a bit," Armsmaster said. "The gangs will be busy with each other, and that should buy you some breathing room."
"We will take your advice into consideration," Mia said.
"What does the Protectorate/PRT know about the gang's movements? Are they just going to defend their territory, or are things going to get ugly?" I asked.
Not every gang war was the same.
Some were much more bloody than others.
"At this stage, the details are still being assessed," Armsmaster said stoically.
Translation: they don't know either.
"Knowing our luck, things are going to get worse," Mia says with a dry chuckle.
"Yep," I said drily.
"If you two are determined to fight the gangs, how about joining the Protectorate? You wouldn't have to fight the gangs alone and enjoy the perks that come with," Armsmaster said, trying to convince us.
"Thank you for the offer, but we will have to decline it," Mia said.
A warm sensation spreads throughout my body, and nothing happens.
Armsmater hums with a small frown, "I see."
"Is Coil going to make a move in this gang war?" I asked curiously.
Coil is an odd one.
Mia and I looked him up online, and he doesn't seem to do much besides protecting his territory, and he also seems to only participate in the gang wars if the other two attack him first.
Hopefully, he will stay out of this one, too.
"No. He will only protect his territory. Coil doesn't have the manpower necessary to go directly against the Empire and ABB," Armsmaster said.
"Would he try to make a move on us during the gang war?" I asked, crossing my arms.
Armsmaster hums thoughtfully.
"There's a non-zero chance that he could try something. I can't say if Coil will wait for the gang war to end first or if he will look for an opportunity to do something. Both of you should stay away from his territory," Armsmaster said.
Great, another thing to worry about.
We already have enough on my plate.
"Those costumes, where did you get them?" Armsmaster asked.
"Hm? Oh, I made them," I said casually.
"You're a Tinker," Armsmaster said, paying more attention to the costumes.
"Yep," I said.
Mia glanced my way briefly, then looked back to Armsmaster.
"Then those metallic balls that you use are tinker tech as well," Armsmaster said, rubbing his chin. "What are they?"
"Ah, now that would be telling. Can't go around revealing my secrets. If I did that, the villains might find a way to counter my inventions. You get that, don't you?" I asked.
"Indeed," Armsmastet said with a small nod.
The sounds of sirens are rapidly approaching us.
"I think this is a good point to stop, yes?" Mia asked.
Armsmaster nods reluctantly and grabs a card.
"Call me if you change your minds," Armsmaster said, handing the card to me.
Mia and I nod and head home.
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Last night was certainly something.
We went out to gather information and ended up becoming enemies with the ABB.
My luck sucks.
Well, that was going to happen sooner or later.
Not much point in complaining now.
There's something else that requires my attention.
After getting some sleep, I immediately started working on getting SAO up and running.
I went out with Mia to buy the components that were necessary to build a computer.
We bought a fair amount before I decided to go home and begin building it.
Mia is still out buying more parts.
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"I'm back, Ben," Mia said, carrying her suitcase as she entered the workshop.
"Hey," I don't look away from the screen and continue to type.
Mia places the briefcase on a table and opens it.
"One of the stores didn't have the graphics card that you wanted, so I bought another one that they swore was just as good, though I have no idea if that is true," Mia takes out the parts and arranges them in order.
"It's fine. We don't have many options, so we have to work with what we can," I briefly glance at the pile. "Hm, you manage to get a lot."
"Well, it was a tough bargain, but the clerks couldn't resist my charms," Mia said, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
"So you used hypnosis. Yep, that makes perfect sense," I said drily, nodding to myself like this was a totally reasonable turn of events.
Mia raised an eyebrow and planted her hands on her hips.
If I don't look at her, I can't see that glare.
A few seconds pass in total silence.
...Yeah, this isn't working.
"You're the most beautiful woman in the city, and people should worship the ground you walk on," I said, raising my hands in surrender.
"And don't you forget it," Mia huffed, tossing her hair back.
I rolled my eyes.
"I saw that," Mia said.
I freeze for a moment before returning to work.
Mia giggles at my reaction.
"Anyway, did you make sure no one noticed you?" I asked seriously.
"I know how to cover my tracks," Mia said, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not implying anything, I'm just saying that buying a lot of electronics can attract attention," I said.
"Trust me. No one is going to think I'm a Tinker or something like that. I made sure of that," Mia hums. "By the way, was it a good idea to make Armsmaster believe that you are a Tinker?"
"Good? Not really, but it does buy me more time before everyone realizes that I'm a Trump," I said, continuing to code.
She glances over my shoulder to see what I'm working on.
"Gonna be honest, I still can't believe what you told me about this Sword Art Online. This is world-changing technology, and it's being used on a video game," Mia rubs her temples.
"We don't know anything about the world 'Coding Master' came from. They must have created this virtual reality technology for other uses before integrating it into vídeo games. Come on, who would invent something like this just to use on video games? That's ridiculous," I said, not looking away from the screen.
Mia hums thoughtfully.
"How long is going to take to make SAO?" Mia asked.
"Far too long if I do this by myself. That's why I'm creating some help," I said, continuing to code.
Mia blinks in surprise, "Wait, what are you doing then?"
"I'm creating an AI that will help me create SAO. She will also do other things, but that is for later," I said.
"She?" Mia asked.
"Yep, meet our soon-to-be resident AI, Ingrid," I said with a soft smile.
"That's a nice name," Mia said with a smile. "So, what does it mean?"
"What?" I asked.
"You had this face like you were remembering something. Does it mean anything special, Ben?" Mia asked, curious.
I stay silent for a few seconds.
"Don't laugh, okay," I said.
"I make no promises," Mia said with a smirk.
Hugh, this woman.
"It's from a TV show that I used to watch when I was little. It was one of those educational cartoons called 'Learning with Ingrid'. I used to watch with my mom every Sunday. I really liked that show," I said with a far-off look.
"Aww, that's sweet," Mia said.
I coughed awkwardly, my cheeks burning as I tried to hide my blush.
"And now you're blushing. Ben, you are adorable," Mia said with a teasing smile as she poked my cheeks.
"Knock it off," I slap her hand away.
"Alright, alright," Mia said with a giggle. "How long is going to take to make Ingrid?"
"A lot less than SAO, that's for sure," I said with a frown.
Looks like I'm not going to get much sleep in the next few-
A warm sensation spreads throughout my body. 'Generating Terminals' allows me to create terminals of myself. Avatars that have all my perks and, depending on how much magical energy I use, can be as strong as me. I can also transfer my soul to them if I'm ever in danger of dying.
-Never mind.
"The timing of the grimoire is certainly something else," I said, shaking my head in disbelief.
"What did you get?" Mia asked.
"I can create terminals of myself. Basically, they are clones that have all my perks," I said.
"Wha-you can clone yourself!?" Mia said, shocked.
"Come on, I will show you," I said, rapidly leaving the workshop.
"Where are we going?" Mia asked, catching up to me.
"To the leyline. I got a workforce to create," I said with a smirk.
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We enter the warehouse, and I head straight to the center of it.
There's a magical circle that Mia used to claim the ley line.
I knelt in the center of the circle, placed my hand on it, and started to draw magical energy.
After absorbing enough, I hold up my other hand.
The air ripples, trembling as light collapses inward, shaping itself into a body identical to mine, sustained by raw magical energy.
Within a few seconds, the process is over, and the terminal opens its eyes.
He gives himself a quick once-over before looking at his surroundings.
I get up, and he turns his attention to me.
"This place stinks," He said drily.
I look at him without blinking.
"Really? That is the first thing you say," I said incredulously.
The terminal raises an eyebrow, "Would you prefer if I quoted Shakespeare?"
"Do you even know Shakespeare?" Mia asked.
"Nope," The terminal said flatly.
"Let's focus on the important," I said.
"How does this work?" Mia asked as she looked at the terminal.
"I'm an unpaid worker stuck doing everything he can't be bothered to do," The terminal huffed.
Mia glanced at me.
I shrug, "He isn't wrong, but there's no need for the attitude."
The terminal snorts.
"Moving on. You have all of Ben's perks, yes?" Mia asked.
"Except for the magical balls. I can't feel them," The terminal said.
"That makes sense, they are bound to Ben's soul. And any future perk that works like this will be the same," Mia turns to me.
"Yeah, all of this sounds interesting, all that, but there's still one thing missing," The terminal said.
"What?" I asked.
"What are you going to call me?" The terminal said.
Oh.
"Any preference?" I asked.
"Does it matter? My existence is temporary," The terminal shrugs.
Okay, let's not go for anything complicated.
Who knows how many are going to be created?
...I got it.
"You're the first terminal, so how about T1?" I asked.
"Unimaginative, but it works," T1 said. "Alright, no point in delaying this. Open the workshop."
I walk up to a door, open the workshop, and T1 walks inside.
I walk back to Mia.
A warm sensation spreads throughout my body, and nothing happens.
"I'm going to create a few more terminals to help T1 before he starts complaining about doing everything alone. After that, we're going to visit Faultline," I said.
"I agree. We need too many things to keep going for scraps," Mia said.
The Number Man can get the material that we need.
"Oh, I forgot to say this before. We are out of funds," Mia said.
"...new plan: I create more terminals, we hit a few Merchants' safehouses, then we go to Faultline," I said.
Mia gives me a thumbs up.
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Tried to finish to post in christimas but didn't work.
A late Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year everyone!
See you all next year!
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Please leave a review. It helps me to stay motivated.
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If you like my stories and wish to support me, you can find me over at pa-tre-on (slash) Regulareader.
Or at Ko-fi.com/regulareader
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CP points: 400.
Generating Terminals (Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos In The Lostbelt) 200:
One of the inconvenient aspects of being massive and immensely powerful is that interacting with those smaller and weaker than you can be very difficult. Thankfully, you know a process that can solve this issue, for the most part. In other words, you know how to make Terminals of yourself, weaker avatars that can communicate with your lessers in a more convenient manner. The power of these Terminals will be determined by how much energy you invest during their creation. If you have access to a source of magical energy far greater than yourself, you might be able to have a few dozen Terminals all as powerful as you are running around. And lastly, you have two options during the process of creating a Terminal. One, you may leave your main body and transfer your soul into your Terminal, which can be useful if you've been greatly wounded and need to rest to heal but still need to fight, and can also serve as a way to avoid death if your true body is killed.
Two, you can give your Terminal a copy of your mind and self. It is worth noting that with the latter option, there's the possibility of them diverging from what you are like if their experiences are too different from your own. Someone has been defeated due to their enemies recruiting their Terminals at least once, after all. That said, it can be useful if you need an extra pair of hands to help you, but don't trust anyone other than yourself. And depending on how powerful you are you'll be able to monitor and control your various Terminals to some extent. As a side note, you'll be able to keep track of your Terminal as long as you are in the same dimension.