1,422Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by Beans, Priapus, Marethyu, Mike God of Lore, Old man of the mountain
The Celestial Roulette
Chapter 18: Heartbroken
– Felix Dallon (Sugar Rush) –
100cp granted, 100cp total.
[Retreat] - 200cp, 100cp required
You have access to an idyllic property somewhere in the world, which follows you from world to world. There is a restorative hot spring, and it is always stocked with enough food and refreshments to sate even a demigod's thirst for relaxation. In addition to these creature comforts, it also can serve as a fortified bunker in the case of trouble.
Honestly, a divine hot spring sounds nice, all things considered.
Shaking my head, I stand up and focus for a moment as Triumph gives me a curious look.
I'm putting an end to the Undersiders right here and now. They're just a piece of Coil's legacy that is better off forgotten.
Zipping away, I rush through the city with a frown on my face. Circus is in her home, and Grue and Regent are both in the Undersider's hideout. Technically, the Unwritten Rules say you can't strike people at home, but these three broke the Endbringer truce to kidnap Dinah, so they lose that protection.
With my speed, they don't even get a chance to fight back as I grab them and zip away, finding themselves abducted from the other side of the city and bound in sticky toffee before they can even react.
Triumph gasps as there are suddenly three bound people in front of him, but I just give the trio a dark look as they gasp. None of them have their masks on, but I'm past caring.
"These three are Regent, Grue and Circus. They kidnapped Dinah during the Endbringer attack on Coil's orders," I say, making Grue gasp as he looks around, glaring.
"You can't-"
"You broke the Endbringer truce to kidnap a child and hand her over to a villain. Coil is dead; the Undersiders are over. I'm just tossing you to the PRT and washing my hands of you," I say, giving them each a look.
Circus looks around desperately before she looks towards me and flinches back. I can feel both the fear and awe in her; she won't try anything with an Endbringer slayer five feet away from her. I can feel Grue's rage and despair, but it's also tinged with guilt. Coil told him that this would be the last job before the Undersiders were disbanded.
All he had to do was grab Dinah, and then Coil would pay up and get him custody of Aisha. Coil had no plans to do so and planned to kidnap Aisha to keep Grue in line.
"Meh," Regent shrugs, making me blink. Despite being kidnapped from his home and unmasked, he's just mildly annoyed that he got interrupted from his games. Heartbreaker really did a number on him.
"Regent's always been a little broken; I can't say I'm surprised," Lisa says into my earpiece, a mixture of emotions in her tone. She knows she's at least partially responsible for Grue, and I can feel some pity in her tone. "And Grue never was as smart as he thought, guess my disappearance made him more desperate. Idiot, Coil never would have let him go. If you don't mind, I'm gonna send the PRT the details of their situations."
I don't verbally respond, but Lisa knows that's basically the same as me agreeing.
"How did you-" Triumph starts before his face hardens, glaring at the trio who kidnapped his cousin. "Thank you."
"It was my pleasure. The Undersiders might have been the textbook definition of a minor gang, but it is still one less group making a mess of our city," I say, giving him a smile, even as my mind reaches out to Regent's, searching his memories.
Feats Achieved: Capture Circus (100cp), Capture Grue (100cp), Capture Regent (100cp), End the Undersiders (100cp). 400cp granted. 100 used to unlock [Retreat]. 300cp remaining.
I feel more bad for Regent than I do for the other two. He really is a broken doll, but Moondragon can't fix him. Not at my level, anyway. His crimes are minor beyond Dinah; maybe the PRT can make him into a Ward, but I don't know.
Grue was an idiot to think that becoming a supervillain was the best way to help his sister, and Circus did it for the money. I care for their fates far less.
[Dwarven Centurion] - 100cp, 200cp remaining
One of the deadliest Dwemer Animunculi crafted, it is a brass behemoth that stands equal to giants, and is even more deadly. Its metallic hide repels most mundane weapons, its axe can cleave through steel easily, and when it has to, it can unleash a blast of boiling steam towards an opponent. You also get a rod, allowing you to control its actions directly as well as force it into standby mode.
My new Centurion joins my Carnifex in protecting my Heart-Shaped Herbs and Golden Apples for now, even as I start to plan something else. I do feel sorry for Regent; his childhood memories show just how he got the way he is, but I'm not going to save him from the consequences of his actions.
That said, his memories show me that I've been thinking far too small because Heartbreaker just rose to the top of my shitlist for the sheer fucked up shit I saw in Regent's mind.
"Sorry to cut this short, I'm needed elsewhere. I'll come in for a debrief later, but you've got things from here, right?" I say to Triumph, ruffling Dinah's hair as he gives me a curious look. "A hero's work is never done, right?"
"Ha, truer words have never been spoken. Armsmaster and Miss Militia are one minute out; if you could wait until they get here, we can take things from here," Triumph agrees, putting his mask back on. "Overwatch is in contact with us, and while I'm sure the brass have a thousand questions, that can wait for another day."
I dash away several times to stop various crimes, adding to the pile of captured idiots before Armsmaster and Miss Militia finally arrive.
Chatting with Triumph for a minute, I give Dinah a caramel muffin and a grin, watching two bikes approaching as I send a message to Alexandria. Having her private number is useful, and after a few messages, she gives me what I need.
"Sugar Rush, you've been busy tonight," Miss Militia says as her eyes crinkle, her lower face hidden but a smile clear on her face. "Overwatch has kept us informed. Don't worry, we'll take care of this lot."
"Appreciated, Miss Militia," I say, giving her a nod as Armsmaster immediately starts talking to Triumph, who reports on what I've told him. "I can dismiss the sticky toffee when you're ready to use containment foam on them."
I feel Grue's panic, but as he goes to use his power, I just turn and stare at him, making him sigh and slump forward allowing us to work on transferring the villains to the PRT's hands. I can feel Miss Militia's well-hidden awe at how many crimes I've stopped in a single night, but she is utterly professional as we chat for a moment.
As I already said to Triumph, I've agreed to come in tomorrow for a debrief, but with Lisa working with them, it's mostly going to be a formality. Lisa has given them the evidence Coil had on her former teammates, proving my claims of them breaking the Endbringer truce, and before long I'm off again.
This run is a bit longer, and I dash across the border as I make my way north, a frown on my face.
[Dragon Soul] - 600cp, 400cp needed.
Those with the Dragon Soul are able to gather vast amounts of mana to use for casting spells, as dragons are the origin of magic. As you progress in magic, so too shall you steadily attract more mana to yourself. People with dragon souls make powerful mages. However, the name Dragon Soul is not just for show. A special transformation can be triggered any time your life's in immediate danger, turning you into a powerful, regenerative dragon. But this is not entirely without drawbacks. There is a downside to having this power; if you ever take in more mana than your body can handle, you will turn into a wild dragon until the excess is burnt off. Luckily for you, unlike the norm you will retain enough of your sanity to avoid hurting those close to you when you transform in such situations, unless provoked.
Well, [Power Overwhelming] claimed I was a dragon, but now I get to truly become one. Don't mind if I do. I can just work off any excess mana in my pocket dimension.
Heartbreaker is one of the most infamous capes in the world. He's the textbook definition of why Masters are seen as a threat beyond the Simurgh herself. The only reason he doesn't have a Kill Order is because he has plants all over the place, and Thinkers believe that he's made them all into Deadman switches that will go off if he gets captured or dies. There's also the fact that nobody sane actually wants to go near one of the strongest Master capes in the world.
One of the strongest, but unfortunately for him, he has lost that title recently. I wish I could say it's difficult to take him down, but as I arrive at his mansion, I immediately lash out with Moondragon, and his mind is… so pathetic.
Moondragon is powerful, don't get me wrong, but Coil at least managed to rage against my controls, however inefficiently. Heartbreaker? One of the world's most infamous villains? Yeah, his pathetic excuse of a mind is crushed in less than a second. He's so used to everything going his way that it's almost like he's mentally incapable of putting up a fight when he encounters a challenge.
I delve into his mind, resisting the urge to crush it and watch his brain leak out of his nose, as I see the countless crimes. I knew he was bad from Regent's mind, but seeing the extent of his crimes in his own mind makes me tempted to kill him before I pause.
Payback is a bitch. Nikos has raped so many women and pimped out his own children, my mind touching against a seven-year-old Candy Vasil's as I see the memories of her being sold to much older men.
Stopping myself from vomiting, I take those memories and put them on loop as Nikos gets a taste of his own medicine. Then I repeat the process with every victim in his mansion, all their worst memories being forcibly played in Nikos' mind as he experiences their emotions, their sensations, rendering him catatonic as I forcibly take control of his body and mind, using his own memories to release his control on every single plant he had, leaving no stone unturned in his sick mind. I hate every second I spend in his mind, but it's worth it to ensure that he has no little tricks left.
I think the part that affects me the most is the fact that I could do the same damn thing. Moondragon makes his pathetic little power seem so weak. I could reach out and have every single person in Brockton Bay bent to my will, and I could do the same for America or even Earth Bet with enough training. Moondragon constantly wants to be used, and I've already slipped up a couple of times and gone too far; just look at Coil.
A brief burst of rage from me, and Coil blew his own brains out before I could stop myself. Nikos is what I could become if I slip up. I was so tempted during that family meeting. I could have just reached out and bent every single mind to my will, wiping their suspicions, but then where would I stop?
'No, you're a far better man than this worm, honey,' Bastet promises me, her voice purring into my ear. 'You have your family to keep you on the straight and narrow; just think about how many lives you've improved in a single night. You're a hero, Felix, a true champion of justice. Coil deserved his death, and Nikos deserves far worse than a little forced replay.'
I smile softly at Bastet's kind words, taking a deep breath as I get to work. The entire Vasil family drops like puppets with their strings slashed, falling into a deep sleep as the victims do the same. I get to work making sure that Heartbreaker's power is good and neutralised.
I could remove the memories of his victims since I can sense how broken a lot of them are, but again, I hold back.
Help is already on the way because there's another group in Canada who are eager to see this scum finished for good. Alexandria knows a lot of people, and she was easily able to put me in contact with Narwhal and Dragon.
It turns out that being an Endbringer slayer comes with a certain amount of gravitas, where you can say things like, 'I'm going to free all Heartbreaker's plants and capture him,' and people will just believe you.
Apparently, Dragon is one of the few who knows about my Master powers, which is interesting to note since it means she's very trusted by the PRT. I'm not surprised; she's Dragon, after all, the best Tinker in the world (except Hero, who is sadly gone).
Separating the victims from the Heartbreaker kids, I take a moment to forcibly wake Nikos up from his catatonic state and start the memories again; he doesn't get to just pass out. Out of pure spite, I plant the worst deep into his subconscious, ensuring it is all he will ever dream of.
The Dragon transport arrives quickly, with one of Dragon's suits and Narwhal stepping out, seeing me resting on a rock, surrounded by half-naked women and children. It's not the best first impression, but Narwhal is too professional to get distracted.
"Sugar Rush, right?" Narwhal asks, making me nod. The seven-foot-tall woman gives me an impressed look as she looks around the clearing, her curvy body only covered by her 'scales'. If she notices me admiring her nearly naked body, she doesn't say anything.
"Was it the chef hat that gave me away?" I ask with a light smile, shaking off the horrific memories as she snorts.
"Well, that and the few dozen unconscious bodies," Narwhal agrees, looking around. "You work damn fast."
"I've separated them all. That set is all Heartbreaker's kids; those are his victims. Here," I say, handing over a USB. I had time to kill. "I made a list of every single person Heartbreaker affected while I was waiting for you guys to show up. I made him release his control, but I don't know how it affected them."
"Fast might be an understatement. We took four minutes to get here," Dragon points out, making me chuckle.
"Let's just say the 'Rush' part of my name has become very literal. Four minutes was more than enough time for me to go home and grab my laptop and a USB," I say with a grin.
"What happened to Heartbreaker himself?" Narwhal asks, giving the sobbing man a dark look. I actually sense a moment of murderous bloodlust pass over her as she finally gets a look at Heartbreaker in person, but it fades quickly.
"Turnabout is fair play. He's currently experiencing all his victim's memories in perfect detail," I admit darkly, making her eyebrow raise. "I can end it when you're ready to take him; I just needed him distracted while I worked. The rest, I'm just keeping asleep; I don't know how his children will react to his power being lifted, and his victims are understandably traumatised."
"Leave it. It'll make taking him in easier; we can get him somewhere where he can't affect anyone before you undo it," Narwhal says mercilessly. "The Protectorate and the Guild will handle his kids, don't worry. It's going to be a mess, but one that's more than worth it to put an end to this bastard. Having him working in our backyard was a black mark on the Guild."
"I've also put what powers each child has, and better you than me," I admit, making her smile ever-so-briefly as the Protectorate agents start to arrive. They really aren't wasting time, and it is eye-opening to see just how big my reputation has grown after Behemoth.
In a different country, far from home, they are still in complete awe at the sight of me, but I suppose taking down Heartbreaker in a single night is also helping. I answer many questions, but I don't know if it's their orders or my reputation, but they don't bother asking me how I've done this.
It's eye-opening to see how far my star has soared, and it reminds me of what Eidolon told me. I'm the new him, and that will come with people wanting to challenge me. For now, I just enjoy ending the reign of the world's most infamous serial rapist.
Feats Achieved: Take down Heartbreaker (200cp), Capture Heartbreaker's Children (200cp), Free Heartbreaker's Victims (100cp), Impress Narwhal and the Guild (100cp). 600cp granted. 400cp was spent unlocking [Dragon Soul]. 200cp remaining.
The magic inside me rages, growing far stronger as [Power Overwhelming] and [Dragon Soul] synergise and grant me an insane amount of magic to work with. [Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex] helps keep the downside of [Dragon Soul] under control.
Watching the Guild finish moving all the victims and children into the vans, I smile to myself.
"You did a wonderful thing today, Sugar Rush," Dragon says softly as I sit on a rock. "Even if we just look at the girls you've rescued, without considering his children and future victims, you've saved several dozen women from a life of horror; you should be proud."
Dragon is a little unnerving for me because I can't sense her mind. I know she remote controls her suits, so I'm not surprised, but it is still a little unsettling and makes me realise how reliant I've grown on Moondragon.
"My Thinker power showed me just what made Regent so broken. I couldn't bring myself to leave Heartbreaker to his sick devices," I say, making her suit nod.
"I don't blame you. Believe me, the Guild has tried to find ways to take him down for years, but our Thinkers always said the same thing: taking him down would have massive consequences. It hurt to hear every time, having to tolerate this slime. The world is a little brighter because of what you have done tonight," Dragon explains, making me nod. "Of course, it's a lot brighter since you killed Behemoth, but every little bit helps."
"I just happened to get the power to deal with him and Behemoth," I say, smiling softly.
[Omnitool | Scanner] - 200cp
[Omnitool]
You get an Omnitool loaded up with programs and information that'd be best suited for unsupported colonisation in a new galaxy. Because the Andromeda Initiative knew that they'd be going with a finite supply of ammo, medi-gel and power cells, each omni-tool can recover and repurpose appropriate resources to serve appropriate functions. For example, liquid coolant allows weapon heatsinks to be reused, and organic compounds can be refined into medi-gel. They can also convert consumable items into immediately usable forms. Finally, they do everything else regular omni-tools can: Communication, manufacturing fabricator, sensor analysis, and computer mainframe.
[Scanner]
This Omnitool-mounted system is how the Andromeda Initiative plans to rapidly survey planets. This system is a fast and accurate sampling system that is formally known as Panoptes. When linked to an AI, it can produce multiple analyses and predictive models in seconds, turning what would be the surveying work of weeks into mere moments. For most purposes, it uses a transmitted accelerator mass spectrometer to create a snapshot of an object's components, atomic weight, and radioactivity, allowing for in-depth analysis. For biological materials, the system switches to an electrospray ionisation system so that plants or animals can be scanned without causing radiation damage. For a Jumper, you no longer need to have an AI linked to the system for it to work, though that would help. You can also take DNA scans of organisms for further study and scan devices to help you figure out what they do and maybe later reproduce them. Lastly, if you have a longer ranged sensor system, you could link the Scanner to that to scan further away, even if being in the Scanner's original range would get you clearer results.
The extremely high-tech Omnitool appears on my hand, making Dragon freeze for a moment before she relaxes.
"Sorry, new tech. My power does what it wants," I say with a fond shrug. I'll work it into my costume later; it definitely stands out as it is, the glowing orange Omnitool covering my lower arm. It automatically connects to my [Data Khala], allowing me to send any scans directly back to Lisa.
"Your power is certainly an impressive one. I'd say that's Tinkertech, but you clearly didn't make it," Dragon says, looking at my Omnitool curiously.
"My power really does do what it wants. Sometimes I get new powers, new summons or new items like this Omnitool," I admit, making her hum as I activate the tool and demonstrate it.
It does occur to me that the [Data Khala] would be very powerful for Dragon if she is controlling suits from her home, and she is known as the reverse engineer Tinker. Could she reverse-engineer my stuff? I honestly don't know, but her interest is clear.
She doesn't bring it up though, and our conversation remains fairly light as we watch Heartbreaker get dragged away.
– Emily Piggot –
The shitshow that had been dropped in her lap meant that everyone at the ENE branch was pulling overtime, but that was just business as usual.
Calvert.
She smiled grimly, even as she went over all the countless ways the bastard had infiltrated and compromised her branch. He'd always been a fucking coward at heart, so the fact that the traitorous piece of shit had eaten a bullet rather than face the consequences of his actions didn't surprise her as much as it probably should.
Overwatch was annoyingly useful for dealing with the mess Coil had dropped them in, which meant the PRT owed Sugar Rush and Candyland for this, and she hated owing Independent Capes. It was bad enough that Panacea was singlehandedly holding the city together, but now Brockton Bay happened to be the home of the strongest cape in the world after fucking Scion himself. Maybe it was an exaggeration, but that was what people were saying about him.
In a single night, Sugar Rush had ended Coil's operation, captured the Undersiders in seconds, and then he was up north taking down Heartbreaker within a matter of minutes after leaving the scene.
The man would stop a rape at one end of the city, and by the time Overwatch had finished reporting it and giving them the location, he was on the other side of the city, stopping some skinheads from breaking into a black man's house.
Sugar Rush made Velocity seem slow and clearly had a powerful Thinker power that was telling him where he was needed, with Triumph mentioning that Sugar Rush would blur for a moment and reappear with another criminal mid-conversation.
New Wave was moving as well, inspired by Sugar Rush as they took the fight to the Merchants, working alongside Hellhound and Overwatch as they demolished what remained of the gang. The cape formerly known as Squealer was spilling all the information they needed to end the Archer's Bridge Merchants for good; Mush had been taken down by Flashbang and Brandish, leaving them without any capes.
The PRT would work with New Wave and Candyland to secure the territory, but it would take a special kind of crazy to try and move into Sugar Rush's city after what he'd shown tonight. Despite her frown at the idea of a Triumvirate-tier independent in her city, she smiled grimly.
One night, and two gangs were wiped out. Coil's mercs and the Merchants were finished; now there were just two more. Of course, she fully expected to find out that some particularly mad bastards were headed their way because nothing ever went well for long.
— Quest Section — VOTING CONCLUDED
Should Felix let Dragon examine his tech?
Yes, the Omnitool
Yes, the Data Khala
Yes, both
No
Who is headed towards Brockton Bay?
The Slaughterhouse Nine
The Fallen
The Teeth
?
Author's Note: I know letting Regent go technically won, but I decided that it didn't really make sense for Felix. I combined the winning vote with telling the PRT to make things make more sense.
Beans Note: The old "author vote counts as infinite votes" move, you love to see it.
Written: 27/07/2024
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The Advance Chapters
Diamond: The Planeswalker Ch09, The Nightmare Ch14, The Celestial Professor Ch03, The Game Master Ch08
Plat: Celestial Remnant Ch08, Celestial Professor Ch02, The Blessed Ch07
Gold: The Warlord Ch14, The Nightmare Ch13
Basic: The Supervillain Ch27
Quest: The Celestial Roulette Ch19-23
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