Got the Grimoire, Chapter 36

Chapter 36

We appeared in Taylor’s small backyard with barely a whisper of sound. Taylor was already dressed in her Arachne outfit. “How’s it goin?” I asked cheerfully. I glanced up and down her outfit. Looked like more work had been put into since our last team-up. “Your costume is coming together nicely.” She actually had proper lenses on her mask now, instead of just improvised glasses and the outer armor was looking more complete.

She gave me a small nod. “Thanks. Had some time after school.” She tilted her head in Firestorm’s direction. “Hi. I’m Arachne.”

“Sup. I’m Firestorm,” Mimi greeted her. “Pyrokinetic. Arachne… Spiders?”

“All insects,” Taylor corrected. “In a multi-block radius,” she said almost challengingly.

“Nice. Walking biblical plague,” Mimi said approvingly. “Can’t wait to see you in action.”

Taylor tilted her head, surprised at the affable response if I had to judge. She’d probably been expecting some kind of challenge, which went to show how much lingering damage Emma and Sophia had done. But Mimi wasn’t stupid and she knew a strong power when she heard about it. She’d save any judgement until after she’d actually seen Taylor in action.

“Alright, well with introductions out of the way…” I manifested Auriel’s Shield and held it out toward Taylor. “Here. You like to get up in there in the thick of things, even though you could literally just sit safely far far away from danger. Figured this might keep you alive.”

She blinked at the artifact forged by an elven god and slowly reached out to take it. “It’s pretty. Doesn’t really go with my costume though…” she muttered to herself. “But better mismatched than dead… What does it do?” She asked me.

“Well it’s probably unbreakable, though I can’t exactly test that, and it absorbs anything thrown it’s way into a kinetic charge that will send anyone around you flying,” I explained.

She moved it up and down, testing the weight. “It’s heavy, but not enough to slow me down too much… How’d you get this?”

I gave a shrug. “Power bullshit. I fully admit that I did not forge this, this was just one of my ‘charges’ that appeared. It came with a bow too, but neither of you two are archers, so I’m waiting until I find someone to hand that off to.” I was thinking Flechette, but I didn’t know if she could even use a regular bow either. Crossbows/ arbalests were way different from a traditional bow like Auriel’s. “If you don’t like it, I could also probably give it to Armsmaster. He couldn’t wield it with his halberd, but he could strap it to his chest or something…”

She pulled the shield close to her possessively. “No no, it’s great!”

I snickered and gave into the impulse to ruffle her hair, much to her annoyance. “Alright gals, huddle up and hold onto your lunch.”

I allowed the shadows to consume the three of us and deposit us onto the roof of one of the taller buildings in the Docks, a former warehouse that used to hold goods from around the world, now left to rot with the rest of the shipping industry thanks to Leviathan.

“Okay, here’s how things stand in the city.” I waved a hand and formed an illusion across the surface of the roof, the territories of the primary gangs plus the PRT lit up. “These zones represent Coil’s former territory. So far, neither the Empire or ABB have managed to snap it up yet, so these areas have become havens for independent dealers and the like who don’t want to pay homage to any one particular gang. PRT intelligence believes that we’ll either see the formation of another gang before long or one of the two remaining will muscle their way in, expanding their influence.” 

Another tick of a finger and the colors changed slightly, with arrows from outside city limits coming in. “Worst case scenario is that a gang from out of town decides to try and get a slice now that Coil is gone. The Elite have always wanted to try and make their way east, but have been kept out for the most part. The Teeth seem to be pretty content in Boston, but the Butcher is pretty whimsical and might decide to try to move back to their old hometown. The Fallen are a big unknown, but they’re always looking to expand as well, so we’re watching for them.”

“Where are you pulling all of this from?” Mimi asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Standard PRT briefings last week,” I explained. “I was under house arrest, but I was still required to attend these things remotely just in case. Plus it was less boring than trying to keep myself entertained. Made me feel at least a little useful.”

I waved a hand and the Empire’s red and black territory was especially highlighted, along with the ABB’s red and green. “The Empire and ABB remain the two largest gangs in the city, with independent heroes and villains falling through the cracks in areas and neighborhoods that aren’t as profitable to the gangs’ coffers.” I motioned toward the Empire’s territory. “The Empire took a big hit recently. They tried to murder me in my Magus identity, not to mention insinuating that they might know my civilian identity too. But with so many of their heavy hitters either down or imprisoned, they’ve withdrawn for the moment.” I smiled grimly. “PRT and Brockton PD coordinated a series of hard hitting raids against them for their bad behavior. They’re hemorrhaging money and unpowered members right now.”

I gestured toward the ABB territory. “So that leaves the ABB as our biggest threat for the moment. Lung cornered Arachne and I last week,” I explained to Firestorm. “He wants us to help him lure Purity into an ambush. He didn’t explicitly threaten us, only warning us that if we didn’t help, he’d go on some sort of rampage to get to her, potentially getting civilians caught in the crossfire.” I glanced at my teammates. “I have no love for Purity, especially after the rumors I’ve started hearing, but I’d rather not have civilians be hurt or killed.”

“We’re heroes,” Arachne said firmly. “We can’t let that happen.”

“I’d be a pretty shitty vigilante if I let a villain do something like that,” Firestorm agreed. “So Lung is our priority?” 

I nodded and held up the phone he’d given us. I’d checked it over for bugs of course and removed no less than four. I wasn’t that big of an idiot. “We can reach out to Lung with this. Knowing him, he’ll probably want to meet in person. That’s when we turn the tables on him and Oni Lee: Effectively decapitating the ABB. Without Lung to keep them in line, they’ll fracture along old allegiances again, separating from one extremely dangerous gang to half a dozen minor nuisances with no capes.”

“Won’t that just lead to the same problem as Coil’s territory?” Firestorm asked skeptically. “A power vacuum and all that?”

Arachne eyed the map, then glanced around at us. “Not if the gap is filled with someone else…”

I smiled approvingly while Firestorm gaped for a moment. “You want us to take over the Docks?”

“If it was known that three powerful independent capes had teamed up and taken down Lung and his lieutenant, it would keep others from trying to push their way into the Docks,” Arachne explained, piecing together my plan. “Plus like Mak- um, Kage, was saying, there are other independent heroes scattered through the city. I bet we could get them to help us keep the Docks safe too.”

“We also have a potential in with the Dockworkers Association to form a sort of neighborhood watch,” I added.

Arachne looked doubtful. “We’d practically be forming our own gang at that point…”

“Just an idea,” I reassured her. “But with the ABB gone, that might allow BBPD and the PRT to help more in the Docks. Then of course if a hero like, say, Magus, wanted to invest in the Docks to target the systemic issues that keep it in poverty…” I said leadingly. “I know that it’s something of a long term plan, but it’s a lot better than just letting Lung keep up his little reign of terror.” The highlighted the Empire’s territory. “Same theory and principles apply to the Empire’s territory as well, except rather than our little ragtag team, the PRT and Protectorate can step up, not to mention New Wave. Together they’ll outnumber and outgun any potential gangs that might try to make inroads. It’s not a perfect plan and I’m sure there will be villains that will slip through the cracks, but it’s a damn sight better than what we’ve got now, with the gangs almost openly ruling the streets.”

“I agree,” Arachne said. “So if this is a long term plan, let's get started now. What’s your plan for dealing with Lung?”

I took out my little surprise that I’d been concocting and held it up for my teammates to see. “Behold: Lung’s downfall.”

“... A doll?” Firestorm asked skeptically. “The fuck is a doll going to do against Lung?”

“Sorry Kage, but it does look kind of… silly. Is it a metaphor? Are you planning on recruiting Parian?” Arachne asked.

“Nah, let the lady run her shop in peace. This contains blood, taken from Lung on the night you two fought,” I nodded toward Arachne.

“Hold up,” Firestorm interrupted. “You’ve actually fought Lung?”

“It wasn’t much of a fight,” Arachne muttered. “I almost died.”

“You drove off all his cronies and did a number on the man himself, giving Armsmaster a chance to badly hurt him,” I countered. “You did amazingly well for your first night out and facing down a parahuman who once fought the entire Protectorate ENE.” Firestorm was looking at Arachne with newfound respect by that point, but I waggled the effigy to regain their attention. “Back to this: So my powers are weird. Certain aspects look like, well, magic. In this specific case, sympathetic magic. Because this doll looks like Lung and contains some of his blood, I can use it to cause very bad things to the man himself.”

“So… It’s a voodoo doll,” Arachne said.

“It’s not voodoo, voodoo is more of a belief system than an actual-”

“Voodoo doll,” Firestorm chimed in with a small nod.

I sighed. No respect for the higher mysteries. “If that’s what you want to think of it as, then sure, it’s like a voodoo doll. Anyway, we lure in Lung and Oni Lee, then bam, I whip this out and cripple Lung. We capture him and Lee and there you go, we’re one step closer to cleaning up our city.”

“How are you planning on dealing with Oni Lee?” Arachne asked.

“You and Firestorm of course. Your bugs can blind him, PRT intel suggests he still needs a line of sight to teleport. Firestorm is a strong enough pyrokinetic to keep him on his toes and also handle any mooks that get in the way,” I said. “Between both of you, it might actually be overkill. The minute Lung is down, I’ll use my illusions to mess with Lee too, assuming you haven’t already taken him down yourselves.”

Both girls considered it for a minute. Firestorm shrugged. “Yeah okay, sounds better than just going in guns blazing. Guessing that I’m going to be hiding in the background?”

“Yeah,” I confirmed. “Lung doesn’t know about you. We’re going to be keeping it that way until the last minute.”

“Sounds like we’re only delaying then. You going to make the call or what?” Arachne asked.

I eyed Lung’s burner and then called the only number programmed in. Two rings. “Hai?”

“This is Kage. Lung told me to call.”

“Stay on the line.”

There was a lot of shuffling, some muttered words in Japanese, then I heard Lung’s deeper voice. “I see you have come to your senses, boy.”

“I’d rather a neo-Nazi die than any innocents,” I said truthfully. “I have a plan of action, but-”

“We shall discuss this in person. Lee will text you the location. Be there in thirty minutes or else I shall assume you have reneged on your end,” Lung growled. “And if I see any police or heroes… You did not strike me as a fool, Kage. Do not prove me wrong.”

He hung up without another word. Calling me boy, cutting me off mid sentence, maintaining control of the conversation and even determining where we were to meet… Yeah, guy definitely had some control issues.

“Alright ladies.” I clapped my hands together. “Let’s do this.”
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Lung’s preferred location turned out to be the old trainyard, a bit north of the Docks. I wasn’t sure why, maybe he was actually living up to his word and chose a location where civilians wouldn’t be in the way. But it was also a maze of rusty metal and large containers, a place where it would be easy to get lost or hide, even from an aerial opponent. Probably a purposeful choice considering who they thought they’d be fighting.

Arachne and I waited patiently, with her sitting back against an old box container and me pacing just a bit right in front of her. Going into a fight was one thing. I’d been in enough now that when it happened, I just reacted the way that I’d been trained, but actively waiting when you knew a fight was coming… That was a special kind of torture. But I’d stacked the cards in my favor as much as I could… I could only hope now.

“Stand still,” Arachne finally said after a while, sticking a foot out to nudge my leg as I passed near her. “You’re starting to stress me out.”

I eyed her still posture, then tilted my head to the side and listened with magically enhanced ears. The faint buzzing of insects could be heard if I strained myself. “You’re already nervous,” I accused.

“Yeah and you aren’t helping any. We’ve got this. Even if it all goes to hell, just pull out all your powers. Lung can’t fight that.”

“Yeah and then we potentially level half the city,” I snapped. “Not to mention if it does get that bad I’d have to worry about you and Firestorm, then deal with the fallout of having my off the books actions be revealed. Piggot would flay me alive,” I groaned.

“She’s just a person… And aren’t you kind of a big deal these days?”

“She’s a force of nature! And I- Look, I can’t let myself keep flaunting authority. I’ll do it on the sly if I can get away with it and if it’s for a good enough reason, but openly defying an actual government official to her face? That’s just asking for trouble.”

“Why?” Arachne tilted her head in confusion, lensed eyes hidden from sight. “You’re one of the strongest parahumans on the planet after what happened in Canberra. Maybe the strongest.”

I made a wavy gesture with my hand. “Eh, fifty/fifty. Eidolon still has a lot of juice left in the tank,” especially after I’d helped him with his performance issues, “not to mention the Faerie Queen. And then there are… others,” I said vaguely, thinking of people like Contessa, but also the true unknowns, like Sleeper.

Arachne stayed silent as we continued to wait in the cold for Lung. After a while I created a zone of warmer air around us, which earned a nod of thanks.

Thirty minutes became forty… then fifty… finally after an hour I almost decided we should just leave, when a car pulled roughly into the circle of discarded trains. It was followed by three others, and men began to pile out, young men and old all in the colors of the ABB, all of them brandishing knives, pipes, chains, and guns. Lots of guns. I was suddenly really glad I’d given Arachne the shield and necklace.

Lung himself stepped out, his nicer attire traded in for sturdy looking jeans and boots, nothing on his torso except the tattoos he was famous for. The metal of his mask looked to be freshly polished, although several proud scars still marked it. 

He approached me confidently, stopping just short of arm’s reach. “Not even an attempt at a trap? I’m insulted.”

“What need do I have for a hidden trap, Lung?” I asked challengingly. “When you have already walked into mine so quickly and willingly?”

Lung laughed even as his men began fingering weapons and looking around. “You are brave, little shadow. Brave, but foolish. Did you warn Purity perhaps? Is she waiting nearby, ready to hit me with her full might before I can unleash my own?” His voice turned into a sneer. “Lee shall pluck her from the sky. I have men stationed around the trainyard with military grade rifles. Should Lee fail, then one of them shall take her down. You gain nothing by attempting to turn on me, only death.”

“I didn’t warn Purity,” I said evenly. “Mostly because there was nothing to warn her about. We worked together once. I don’t exactly like Nazis anymore than I like your kind either.”

His eyes flashed behind his mask. “Careful, boy,” he growled lowly. “I am not a man known for his patience.”

“No, just his cowardice,” I snapped, my temper fraying. “A man who could have made a difference, but instead chose to try and carve a slice of hedonism from the world as it died. I hope it was worth it. Because after tonight, all you’ll have is a cell.”

He snarled and flames lit up his arms. I swear he also grew an inch or two. “I am Lung, you insolent child. What hope do you have against me?”

I bared my teeth, then drew forth his effigy. “Funny. I was going to ask you the same thing.” I cast my curse and at the same time, dropped the doll to the ground and stomped on it. Hard.

The ground rumbled and shattered as Lung was driven deep into the ground by an invisible force. Mooks yelled and began to draw weapons, but insects came forth from every nook and cranny of the trainyard, a deluge of chitin and buzzing wings.

Flames exploded into existence, cutting off every entrance and exit to our little killzone, trapping Lung’s best soldiers with us. Gunfire rang out from above, but Arachne had Auriel’s shield up already, and I was already standing somewhere else as the projectiles tore through the air. 

I eyed the demon-masked ninja and glanced at Arachne. “You still sure about this?”

“Go. We’ve got this.” More insects swirled around her, making her silhouette indistinct, save for the glowing golden shield. “Kick his ass.”

“Oh you can count on it.” I gave her one last nod as the entire place descended into chaos.

I strode toward the crater I’d put Lung in, but stopped as a wave of heat hit me in the face. Fire exploded out and I negligently diverted the heat away from me and into the ground as Lung dragged himself out, many bones clearly twisted and shattered by my opening shot, but already healing and transforming. He was a good three or four inches taller than when we’d started and his eyes were practically an inferno behind his mask.

“I’m going to burn you alive,” he spat angrily at me. “And then your little friends too!”

“No, Lung,” I said calmly, emotions bubbling within me. I didn’t like people threatening my friends. “You’re going to try.”

He roared and charged, but he was far from the fastest opponent I’d ever fought. I sparred against the likes of Battery and Velocity on the regular these days. He wasn’t even in the same league as them. I side stepped and struck out once, my punch enhanced by mana and reinforcement magecraft, not even tapping into the Hero Punch ability that I’d been granted. The blow was still strong enough to shatter several ribs and send him hurling into the side of a train car, denting the metal sides with his impact. 

Some part of me felt… relief. I’d been hyping this fight up in my head so much and yet…

I’d fought an Endbringer and won. As dangerous as the cape before me was, not even he  was able to do that. And he’d never again pulled off anything even approaching that level. He was just… resting on his laurels.

And that pissed something inside of me off now that I was thinking about it. If he’d actually fought, applied his powers in a helpful way, he could have been a hero amongst heroes, a peer of the Triumvirate. Instead he was content with his little gang and his little ambitions.

I dropped into the shadows beneath my feet and let myself fall out above his head. Another punch struck him full force, driving him deeper into the ground with enough power to make the ground tremble again. He coughed wetly and I saw blood bubbling beneath his mask.

“Stay down,” I said, leaning in toward him. “This won’t end well for you.”

His pupils dilated with rage and then the air became nothing but flames, Lung’s entire body igniting into an inferno. Perhaps last week I’d have been burned just a little before I could summon up a spell to protect me. But the necklace I’d forged and the spells I’d layered across my costume were of a totally different calibre now. I wasn’t going to be caught off guard again.

I leapt backwards, because even if the flames didn’t hurt, they still hindered my vision, and regarded Lung as he dragged himself to his feet, bones audibly crunching and shifting beneath his skin and his healing factor tried to reverse the damage that I had dealt. Even as I was watching, he gained another half foot of height, the flames around him beginning to burn even hotter. He gathered them up into a lance of pure flame and sent it at me with another rage filled roar.

Ordinarily I’d summon up a runic shield to block that, but I was still trying to be at least somewhat careful of my identity… So instead I acted as Kage might, summoning up the shadows from all around us to swallow up the flames before they could even come close. An act of chaos magic, not my preferred type, but effective nonetheless.

Curious as to how my two teammates were doing, I glanced over just in time to see Arachne dash out from a cloud of bugs and slam Auriel’s shield into a gangbanger’s chest. There was a flash of golden light and then he was sent flying backward like a ragdoll.

I nodded approvingly and spotted a huddle of flames nearby, Firestorm laughing maniacally as she maintained a separate sphere of flames with one hand and a wall that cut off the various ABB gangers with the other. “Caught you, you tricky bastard!” I heard her shout at the orb of flame, a prison for Oni Lee, I realised. “Teleport out of that!”

I turned my eyes back to Lung just in time for him to crash into me at his top speed, driving me backwards and then through the wall of a train car. “AFTER I KILL YOU, NO ONE WILL EVER DARE CHALLENGE ME AGAIN!” He promised furiously. “YOU AND YOUR WHORES WILL BE MADE AN EXAMPLE!”

He swung a flaming claw, but I tilted my head to the side to avoid the blow, then turned myself into a living shadow to squirm out of his grip and reappear behind him. “That’s twice you’ve threatened my friends. I really don’t care for that.”

He spun and flung a handful of flames that were now burning hot enough to liquidize steel, but the shadows had fully become mine by that point. They drank in the light eagerly, the power only feeding the dark hunger that lurked just beneath the veneer of the normal world. 

I held up a hand and made a fist. Darkness manifested into tangible things and began to lash down Lung’s limbs, pinning him in place, then began to drag him down further still into the shadows.

Shadowjumper’s Trinket allowed me to access the Shadow magic that enabled my first and most convenient form of teleportation. But combine that with more magical power and theory bestowed by my Vestments and Clocktower education… And I could do all sorts of nasty things.

“Take it easy for a minute and just calm down. We’ll talk later,” I said conversationally, then allowed the darkness to finish dragging the Dragon of Kyushu down into their depths.

I climbed out of the hole in the box car and then let out a piercing whistle, enhanced by my control over sound waves. I made my voice as menacing as I knew how.

“ABB! Your leader is done for! Oni Lee is done for! Lay down your arms and- Oh.” My monologue faded as I noticed Arachne putting zip-ties on an ABB member. Several were lined up and down in a neat row, all of them looking rather docile.

One look at the deranged expression on Firestorm’s face and a few men with rather severe burns, made me understand why. Nothing fatal, but… yeah, rather painful.

“Well,” Arachne said as she stood up and dusted off her gloves. Auriel’s shield gleamed where it sat upon her arm, still untouched and perfect to behold. “I think that went rather well.”

I nodded in agreement. Guess it’s time to call in the cavalry…

I dialed a now familiar number.

“You have reached the Parahuman Response Team ENE, please state the nature of your emergency,” a professional voice answered.

I grinned and got ready to ruin some peoples night and make quite a few more.
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A/N: I was planning on the fight being a little closer, but ultimately just... couldn't justify it. Mak has just reached a point where his powers are beyond someone like Lung and he'd actually prepared magical protections ahead of time to even further his advantage. Hope I still kept it at least a little entertaining though.