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A Mage's Guide to the Multiverse (Celestial Grimoire SI, Worm Start) by Throwaway1971

Books » Private Rated: M, English, Romance, Words: 202k+, Favs: 160, Follows: 196, Published: Jan 17, 2024 Updated: Mar 20, 2024

25Chapter 14 - A Date at the Mall

Next Evening…

I had been anticipating it, but receiving Parian's follow-up text saying that she completed the costume was still unexpected. She was a cape with the unique power of controlling the very same materials that she used to design outfits with. Was it any wonder that she didn't need as much time as a human fashion designer to work on her projects? Then again, judging off of what she texted me, the whole process had probably been a bit of a hyperfixation for her all night…

(4:15 PM) Parian: Sorry for not replying yesterday! I ended up getting a burst of inspiration during class and left early to get started since I had a lot of the supplies already. After our talk about videogames I decided to do more research into fantasy tropes and wizard characters and they actually have such an interesting aesthetic. I couldn't find anything on 'Gortash', but the description you gave me was more than detailed enough for me to make a miniature model to go off of. I added in a few things that I feel would add to the style and flair, and will hopefu

Parian is typing…

(4:18 PM) Parian: TMI, sorry. Basically I'm done with the costume, it was eye-opening and a joy to work on, and we can discuss the commission price when you come to pick it up. Say…6:30 at the Hillside Mall? I can send you the location.

(4:19 PM) Avalon: Lol sounds good. The whole 'design obsession' thing is cute btw. Passion is hot.

Parian is typing…

Parian is-

And that was all she wrote. Thankfully I was already planning to go out during the day and grab some things for the Sanctum, so meeting Parian downtown was more convenient than going out of my way to meet her on the Boardwalk instead. I'd thought about forcing Cassie out of bed in order for her to get some sunlight - spending a week in an underground bunker couldn't be good for your health - but she was exhausted from training practically the entire night and I didn't have the heart to rouse her from her drooling unconsciousness. Weapon Magic wasn't as simple for her to pick up as I'd hoped it would be, and it turns out that teaching about 'souls' and 'determination' wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.

We had time to work on it, though, and Rome wasn't built in a day.

I easily ignored the stares that me in my makeshift vigilante costume was gaining as I headed towards the Hillside Mall's food court. It was pushing 6:34 and Parian had sent me her location via text an odd fifteen or so minutes ago, so I was only slightly late - fashionably, if anything. It wasn't even my fault, either - I had to spend a couple minutes comforting some teenager who almost got stabbed by a homeless mugger, and that delayed my badass 6:30 arrival time by four whole minutes.

I ended up saving someone some trauma and stab wounds, though, so it was worth it. Hopefully the cops managed to grab the mugger before the mana spear skewering his body to the wall ran out of juice.

It didn't take me much wandering to find the food court. The Hillside Mall was a fairly large and wealthy shopping center, and there was a board with a color-coded map of the building placed at the front entrance. A brief glance forever burned the layout of the mall directly into my brain. I doubted that I was the only cape with perfect photographic memory, but I knew that if being a mage with infinite potential didn't work out I'd make a killing as a tour guide.

"Avalon!" A familiarly creepy, frock-wearing woman called out to me from a neat little table in front of 'Moriarty's Parfaits'. Like before, Parian seemed completely and utterly at ease in the face of stares and whispers from the Brockton Bay peanut gallery. This time it was a bit more overt, however, considering the six foot tall, patchwork teddy bear standing silently over her shoulder.

It would've made for an intimidating sight if Parian herself wasn't five foot nothing and wearing a wig straight from Goldilocks. Instead, it appeared more…whimsical. There were people subtly taking pictures and pointing as they ate their expensive mall food, but it wasn't out of fear or horror. Parian was probably more of a novelty to them, fairytale-esque and harmless.

Pulling myself out of the insightful thoughts, I squared my shoulders and made my way over to Parian's table. The bear moved as I approached, going around to the only other chair and pulling it out for me. My lips twitched as I slouched back in the politely-offered seat, tossing my ankle over my knee.

"Neat trick," I smirked, watching as the bear moved back around to take up his bodyguarding position behind Parian's chair.

Her mask lifted off of her face almost imperceptibly, Parian inclined her head and placed her strawberry cream parfait down on the table. There was a touch of embarrassed pride in her voice when she responded. "Thank you. I like to bring my creations with me when I'm out in public like this…helps endear me to the locals."

"And ol' Tibbers back there can probably break a nazi vertebrae or two if they get a little pushy, right?" I kept my voice low and conversational - we were in the Empire's territory as far as I was aware, and while I was unafraid of ruffling their feathers I didn't want Parian's name to get pulled into my bullshit as well.

Parian was quiet for a heartbeat, her doe-like eyes staring into mine, before she acquiesced with a sigh. "If need be," she allowed, a small smile playing at her lips beneath her mask. I couldn't see it, but I knew it regardless - it was all in the eyes. "But I'm sure you didn't come all the way here to compliment Teddy's strength."

I easily caught the note of excitement in her otherwise composed voice. She really wanted to show me the costume.

"I guess I didn't." I chuckled, leaning forward and placing my elbows on the table. The impact lightly shook her parfait, which was already sagging from humidity and lack of attention, but Parian didn't seem bothered. I tilted my head, eyes scanning the very empty floor beneath her feet and the lack of garment bags on the table. "So where's the goods?"

As soon as I asked and thought the question, my heart skipped a beat. It wasn't completely correct to say that time slowed down, but it would be incorrect to say that it didn't, as well. My gaze dropped back down to the floor, up to her empty hands that were currently in the process of taking another scoop out of her sugary treat, and then it lingered on 'Teddy', her big and rotund stuffed guardian. Before my very eyes, its large, 'stuffed' belly glowed a mystifying blue - or, rather, something inside of it glowed blue. And, in a blurred rush of conclusive thoughts, the realization hit me.

Where else would be the safest place to keep a potentially expensive, freshly sown costume, other than the hollow insides of a supernaturally tough stuffed animal?

Another heartbeat later, and my perception of time continued as normal. I was put off from the sudden and disconcerting moment, but I tried to not let it show on my face as I waited for Parian to savor the taste of sweet cream. It was obvious that she was planning to milk my 'confusion' for a couple seconds longer, and I didn't have it in me to ruin her fun when she'd been nothing but cordial and kind to me. Not everyone had unfair Thinker powers, after all.

"Mmm," she demurred, placing her plastic spoon back on its napkin and momentarily ignoring my inquiry, "A tasty treat, indeed."

A snort ripped out of my chest before I could stop it. "You gonna keep playing up the 'mysterious benefactor' act or are you gonna show me what you worked super hard on all night?"

The illusion of graceful coolness broke immediately, and her voice raised slightly with barely restrained excitement. "Alright, spoil-sport. " The smile was obvious in her voice as she made a 'come hither' gesture over her shoulder with one hand and looked back at the huge teddy bear. The light pink fuzz on his stomach, a completely different color from the rest of its patchwork body, suddenly flayed open in an impressive display of control and power.

A needle danced in the air as nigh invisible threads and strings unraveled from each other and revealed an empty, cavernous hole in the bear's stomach.

Gingerly placed inside, in a black garment bag, was my order. I couldn't exactly see the details with it covered as it was, but I had full confidence in Parian's work. Perhaps a bit unfounded, considering she hadn't actually run a costume business in canon, but her skill made sense. She was practically made for shit like this.

The teddy bear reached inside of its own stomach and gently placed the garment bag on the table, before digging a bit deeper inside and grabbing what my eyes immediately clocked as a gilded, cool-looking opera mask - a bit different than what I was working with now, but infinitely more professional and striking. I rather liked it.

I leaned back and kept my hands on my lap, noting the slight nervousness that suddenly appeared in Parian's tense shoulders. Food court-goers were paying more attention now, but I figured that's what she had been hoping for - to create a bit of buzz online, maybe get her name as a competent and skilled Rogue out on the streets in order to receive more commissions.

The thought was a bit naive, though - despite what her costume made her appear as, she was Middle-Eastern, and she operated out of nazi territory. Or Coil's - I got their little territory feud mixed up more often than not. Regardless, without a team backing her, it was only a matter of time before someone took interest in her abilities and forced her to make a decision she didn't want to make. And we both knew that the Empire wouldn't like what they saw beneath the mask when it was eventually discovered.

Regardless, it wasn't any of my business. I had enough on my plate as is, and it wasn't even a guaranteed outcome - I was probably just being a bit of a pessimistic pete.

"The mask," Parian spoke up, taking my silent stare as an invitation to continue the reveal, "Was one of the additions I mentioned through text. I normally stick to light fibers like silk or polyester, but I wanted to go a bit out of my comfort zone with my first cape order." Her voice rose a bit higher as her passion for the project began to slip through her feigned professionalism. "It's made of a polycarbonate alloy that should be able to withstand a decent amount of physical damage. Heat-resistant and flame-retardant, too…just don't trust it against, er - sustained fire."

I tilted my head, bemused, as I ran my finger over the ornate-looking mask. It was cool to the touch, and slight pressure from my fingertips garnered no reaction. "You're saying if I try to headbut a bullet, I'd be the one losing?"

Parian shook her head rapidly. "No, it's thick enough to block lower caliber rounds. Just don't rely too heavily on it in a gunfight. The mask only covers about forty percent of your face anyway, Avalon." Dry concern dripped into her tone, taking any heat out of her next words. "I hope you don't plan on 'headbutting bullets'. My first customer dying in such a stupid way would be bad for future business."

That got a light chuckle out of me. "Fine, I'm not really the tanking type anyway. I'll have you know that I haven't been shot once since the last time we spoke face to face."

Her voice, if possible, became even drier. "We met literally yesterday. It's been less than 48 hours."

"Exactly." I grinned roguishly, leaning forward again. "That amount of restraint is like a new high score for me. Trouble just seems to follow me wherever I go."

It was her turn to giggle now, and I noticed that the tense nervousness that had been building within the petite woman was starting to dwindle and abate with every second. Calming her down hadn't exactly been my main prerogative, but I wasn't one to be upset at making a nice girl laugh.

"Somehow I can do nothing but believe you." Parian replied lightly, her mask's frowning lips covered politely by her gloved hand. She watched me with conflicting curiosity, as one would a particularly interesting predator that they were fairly certain was harmless. "...Avalon, before we continue, could I ask you a question? If it isn't too forward of me."

That piqued my attention. I paused, studying her masked face for a moment, but there wasn't much that I could gather based purely off of her body language. She was still cautious and primly sat, but that hadn't exactly changed since I arrived at the table. The curiosity in her eyes was enough to go off of, but I didn't dig too deeply with Hidden Intuition just yet. I doubted Parian meant any harm.

"I would say 'you already asked one', but I feel like you're gonna hit me with something deep…so go for it." I sat my new mask down on the table and steepled my fingers together, resting my chin on them.

Parian smiled. "Thank you. Feel free to not answer, but I just wanted to know; …What, exactly, drives you to be an independent hero?" Her parfait had been abandoned minutes ago, but - perhaps for comfort - the rogue began stirring its melted remains with her plastic spoon as she watched me. "I know it has to be scary, running towards danger alone and risking your life to fight against crime. I-It's scary to just think about…"

I let out a low breath - more of a grunted 'oof' - as I absorbed her quiet inquiry. The answer came to me instinctively as I mulled it over, and although I wasn't sure if it was the one she wanted, I had no interest in lying about my beliefs. "Damn, Parian - from fashion designer to philosopher. You're a modern-day renaissance woman."

Her wide, searching gaze didn't leave mine. "I enjoy a little introspection occasionally," she replied quietly, a hesitant smile in her voice, "It helps with keeping the mind and heart light and focused. Small victories that you can win in your own head."

I smiled, but it was a slight one. "Great, then you already have an idea of what drives me."

Parian frowned. "I…don't understand."

"Victory. Winning."

"I know what victory is, Avalon," Parian shifted in her chair, the only outward hint that she was getting frustrated. "But that word alone does not explain anything."

My right hand came down to the cold surface of the table. The slow, rhythmic 'tap' of my index finger against hard plastic filled the air around us. "I don't like losing," I began, moving my gaze up to meet hers, "And that's something I've discovered about myself ever since I was a bratty lil' kid. Losing in sports or video games made me vengeful, and I could carry a grudge for miles." A bit of self-degradation tinted my words, but it was light.

Parian slowly nodded, her spine ramrod straight as she paid full attention to me and my words.

"But I've matured since then, and sports ain't really my thing anymore - survival is. If you decide to stand up and fight, there's a chance you can lose. No one is infallible. The thing is, though…if you choose to be weak and don't fight at all, you've already lost - and there's no getting back up and trying again. I choose to do what I do because I'm a sore fucking loser, and fighting back is the only option for a guy like me. Sure, saving lives and being a hero feels nice on the backswing, but ultimately I just wanna keep me and my loved ones safe…and it just so happens that criminals and villains are the only ones challenging that right now."

My finger stopped tapping.

I leaned back and inhaled, refilling my lungs after the avalanche of words that got expelled from my mouth. It felt…nice, to speak a bit passionately for a minute. A lot of my emotions were often fairly dulled compared to most neurotypical people. Excitement and passion, along with anger and love, were the ones I tended to feel the most, so things tended to get a bit explosive when one of 'em were stimulated enough to warrant something like a full fucking speech.

Parian watched me in silence. Her hands were, once again, placed primly on her lap, and her head was still tilted a bit as she stared. Her eyes, normally so expressive and clear, were like two dark, mysterious black pools. 'Heh, I guess she does have a poker face.'

I let the silence linger on. It was only after a full sixty seconds did she sigh, lean forward, and push the garment bag towards me. It almost fell fully into my lap, and I lurched forward to catch it before it could.

"The hell-"

"There's a bathroom over there," Parian interrupted me, nodding her head towards a nearby pair of doors stenciled with blue and pink gender signs. "I didn't have your exact measurements, so I just want to make sure everything fits properly." Her voice was noticeably more warm than it was before.

I arched an eyebrow, but didn't take my hands off of the black bundle. "...Yeah, I can do that, but you sure you want me to wear it before we talk prices?"

She blinked, as if the very important topic had completely left mind. "Oh, right! Um, how does 1000, even, sound to you?"

It was my turn to blink waspishly. "I offered you two grand yesterday."

"You did…but that was before." Parian shrugged.

"Wha- Before what?"

"That's personal," she simpered, picking up her plastic parfait cup and standing. "I'll text you my PayLink later. As long as you agree to stick by your word and continue 'fighting', I don't mind lowering the price. Does that sound agreeable?"

I opened and closed my mouth, hesitating in the face of her sudden generosity. It was obvious, even without my Thinker abilities, that my words touched the woman's heart in some way, but it wasn't like I was hurting for money and I doubted that Parian was flush with cash considering the fact that she was both in college and jumping between jobs. Still, I had a feeling that pushing the issue would only serve to offend or incense whatever was bubbling in her spirit, so I opted to simply bite my tongue and stand as well.

"Fine," I smirked, tossing the garment bag over my left shoulder and gripping my new mask firmly with my right hand. "I try not to say no to pretty ladies."

"W-what?" Parian flinched, startled by the compliment. She quickly reached up to check for the state of her mask, and let out a very audible sigh of relief when her gloved hands met porcelain. The glare she threw at me was flat, and her voice finally hinted at some form of childish petulance. "You don't even know if I'm pretty!"

"Trust me, I have good instincts." I turned and began making my way towards the bathroom, a light feeling coursing through my heart.

I heard her murmur something about 'cocky pretty boys' beneath her breath as I walked away, and that made me snort in amusement. Usually by this point it was child's play for me to notice if a chick found me attractive or not, and while Parian found me attractive, I knew that she didn't find me attractive. Basically, I was 100% certain that she was some flavor of lesbian, and the only reason I kept up the casual flirting was because I knew she appreciated it for the innocent compliments that it was.

She was a bit stuck-up and cautious, but I had to admit…I liked Parian quite a lot. She was cool.

It was with these happy thoughts that I prodded the male's bathroom door open with my foot and swept inside.

A Few Minutes Later…

Sabah Fadel - or, rather, Parian whilst in costume, picked idly at her brand new strawberry cream parfait while looking through her design sketchbook. The treat was pretty cheap despite their quality, and the old woman at the Moriarty Sweets' kiosk was nice enough to add an entire strawberry to the top of the whip cream this time.

Honestly, things couldn't have been any better at the moment.

Sure, the reality of life was that she was still knee-deep in student loan debt racking up to numbers that she genuinely did not want to think about. The debt was even worse, considering she had to apply for completely different courses in order to stay on track with her new Fashion Design major. Add in depression, a lack of general direction and motivation, and the fact that she was veritably alone with no real friends except a messy female dorm-mate that believed in weekly showers, and it was no wonder that the one highlight of her month so far was meeting and actually creating something beautiful for a new cape.

It wasn't just any new cape, either. Avalon was…different, this Parian knew. She was also hoping he was different, but she didn't feel embarrassed about that hope when the boy - no, the young man himself just seemed so…larger than life. Handsome and statuesque, dominant and commanding without coming off as corny or tryhard, and remarkably easy to talk to.

Even more important than all of that, however, was his drive. His reason for being a hero. She considered herself someone fairly good at judging character, and not once did he hesitate, stutter, or even blink while describing his desire to survive and win in spite of all odds. Maybe a bit selfish of a guiding force, but it was all in the name of protecting himself and his precious people…so how could she judge that negatively? Truthfully, she couldn't, and neither did she want to.

Parian wasn't one to fangirl over male heroes, but maaaybe she could for this one. Just a little. Professionally, of course, as his costume designer. Who was more justified for supporting and only slightly fangirling than the one who designed and created his entire image? No one, that's who, and she'd turn her nose up at anyone who said differently! Avalon had introduced so many interesting and inspirational ideas that she'd never thought to look into before, and creating his 'Cloth of Authority' had been but one idea that resulted from their in-depth dialogue about RPGs.

She could practically feel her powers buzzing across skin, yearning to take control of needles and thread, leather and bone. That was something their discussion had inspired in her as well - leatherworking. She'd never really bothered with the hardy material before, but it had worked out especially well with forming Avalon's boots. What if, during her next project, she tried to use more animal byproducts as materials, like-

SCREEEECH!

The sound of a metal chair being dragged slowly, and roughly, across the floor abruptly pulled Parian out of her thoughts. Her heart leaped in her chest at the loud noise, and she whipped her head up so fast that something in her neck pulled taut in protest.

A metal wolf mask, one that she absently recognized as shoddily and unprofessionally forged, was the first thing she saw. Greasy blonde hair spilling over broad, hairy shoulders was the next thing her eyes took in, and it was only the very real and mind-numbing fear that kept her from continuing her gaze downwards and taking in the rest of the man's appearance.

Parian froze, body straight and head fixed forward, as Hookwolf sat down in the seat Avalon had previously been occupying. Her heart was racing a mile a minute, and she felt for the telekinetic hold that was keeping Teddy standing upright behind her. If she could just get it between her and-

"Stop that." Hookwolf's voice was like gravel crushing each other into dust, and Parian was angry at herself for instinctively, fearfully, following his order. A grin in his voice, the blonde man leaned forward and rested his muscular and hairy arms on the wooden table.

It groaned in protest.

"We've been hopin' to talk to you again, Parian," he began slowly, as if he was choosing his words with care. She knew that it was all for show - just how it was the last time. "You've sat on the fence about joining our cause, laying low and staying small-time. Boss man is getting impatient, though…you work in our territory, you either pay your due with cash or service."

Fear forced back the retort she wanted to lay into him with. She wanted to say a lot of things, but he had her dead to rights. In her peripheral vision, she could see the other tables nearby being sat in by other white goons - a show of force, and an intimidation tactic. There had to be at least four other men, leering fearlessly at her. She could see no other civilians around. More important, however, was the fact that Avalon still hadn't come back yet.

She wasn't even sure if she wanted him to.

Hookwolf was not your run of the mill criminal lackey, and it was honestly her fault for even making a public appearance outside of the protected territory of the Boardwalk. She had just been so happy and excited about what she'd created, and optimism had convinced her to give it a try in the hopes that her appearance at the mall would bring in more customers and attention online. It wasn't as if the Empire snapped at her heels every time she made an appearance Downtown. The last time was a month ago after one of her commissioned fashion shows, and she had even managed to hold Victor off until the Protectorate came to take over.

What were the odds of them doing it again on this day of all days? Apparently high.

"I don't make nearly enough money to pay the Empire every month." Parian bit out quietly through gritted teeth. They didn't even want her money anyway - not really. Five thousand a month for 'permission' to be a rogue Downtown was complete and utter bullshit, and they all knew it. "And I…I d-don't want to work with you. Any of you."

"Ah," Hookwolf grunted, leaning back and folding his hands over his hairy abs. "That's too bad, Parian…'Cause rumor has it you've been brushing shoulders with a really unsavory sort. A fucking nigger. How are you gonna work with that and not us?"

And there was that word. Parian flinched as if struck, her large, dark eyes narrowing in hatred and disgust. What would he do, she wondered, if he knew that he was talking to a Middle-Eastern woman who'd only learned how to speak English a scant few years ago? Absolutely nothing good, and that was one of many different reasons why she'd always refuse to do anything for them. The Empire was filled with nothing but scum, through and through.

"Avalon is more human and man than you could ever be…" Parian whispered. She could see the goons around their table bristle at her words, muttering, but Hookwolf raised a hand and they immediately quietened.

Laughter was audible in his voice as he let the veneer of civility finally fade. "Avalon, huh? The spook's not worthy of that name, and I'll prove why. Maybe seeing some dirt blood spilled at your feet'll make you wise up!" Abruptly, he slammed his fist on the table, breaking it into two with a spray of broken wooden shards and splinters. Both her notebook and parfait, barely eaten, went flying through the air.

Not even a second later, Hookwolf's guttural voice ripped through the air. "Cricket, bring the mutt out! Don't have too much fun without me!" He was a charismatic speaker, despite his unsavory appearance, and his words seemed to echo grandly through the empty food court.

Parian's hopes, already miraculously low, sank even further at the mention of Cricket. She looked back, hoping to use Hookwolf's roar as a distraction to do something, anything, but the sound of a gun being racked put that thought to bed immediately. She froze, biting her lip and hating herself for being a coward. For not fighting.

Moments passed in silence, and Parian blinked, confused. She looked up at Hookwolf, who had jumped to his feet in the middle of his announcement. The large nazi seemed wary, glowering at the distant bathroom doors. Vaguely, if she strained her ears, Parian could hear what sounded like fighting happening from within.

"David!" Hookwolf suddenly snapped, turning to one of the thugs. The man, broadly-built and wearing a black and red bandana, snapped to rigid attention.

"Yes sir!"

"Take the others and go check on Cricket. Make it fast."

Parian watched as all four Empire Eighty-Eight goons stood from their tables, grabbing at pistols and knives, before jogging towards that foreboding bathroom door. Before she could even think of taking advantage of her newfound freedom, Hookwolf turned around and glowered at her. His left hand pointed directly at Teddy, and she could see the tips of his fingers begin to unravel, skin pulling away and revealing layers of thin, razor-sharp rings of steel.

"I guess I'm gonna have to take your toys away for you to behave-"

vrrrr…BOOM!

It happened in an instant.

The unnatural hum of some sort of alien monster or machine reverberated through the food court, muffled yet loud, right before a massive explosion rocked what felt like the very foundation of the mall. Napkin dispensers fell to the ground, goosebumps covered Parian's arms, and both the bathroom door and the wall surrounding it was suddenly blasted open by a bright yellow beam of energy that was as wide as it was tall. A lithe, smoking body ragdolled through the air, bodily launched by the sudden laser beam that faded almost as fast as it appeared.

Cricket skidded across the ground like a skipping stone, coming to a sliding halt right in front of Hookwolf.

Parian dove for cover behind Teddy, instincts battling with fear and winning handedly.

"What the fuck?!" Hookwolf growled, carefully stepping over Cricket's smoldering and unconscious body and clenching his fists. Metal whirred beneath his skin, breaking through flesh and sparking against one another in a hissing cacophony of hooks and blades. He wasn't fully transforming just yet, but his arms were starting to look like wickedly dangerous blenders. When he spoke again, his voice was even more harsh than before. "Show yourself, coward!"

The goons hesitated, halfway across the food court. The two with firearms got cover behind a booth, and the ones with knives slowly advanced.

Dust, thick and cloying, covered the wrecked bathroom from view. As the seconds passed, a tall shape slowly became visible in the mess, casually walking forward - and pistol shots barked out loudly as the thugs lit the figure up.

Parian blanched. She recognized the silhouette, and though she hadn't expected such a destructive attack from Avalon, she was too scared to do anything. She knew she was no match for Hookwolf, but neither did she want to just sit back or run away while her client and friend was attacked. Fearful, yet girding said fear with dog headed stubbornness, the seamstress began modifying her Teddy as quietly as possible.

"Bringing guns to a cape fight isn't very 'honorable', Hookwolf…" A deep, rich voice drifted from the dust cloud.

Two long golden spears, luminescent and fast, shot from the dust like bullets. The goons holding pistols had no time to even think to dodge. One second they were aiming down sights after firing a hail of lead, and the next they were lying flat on their backs, the spears embedded shaft-deep into their skulls. Whether or not they were still alive was anyone's guess.

The abruptness of the attack made the other two goons freeze, and a fraction of a second later they were treated to the exact same thing - except, this time, the spears were aimed at their chest.

Hookwolf, in his defense, didn't even flinch at the almost systematic dismantling of his unpowered goons. His pale blue eyes were almost lethal in their intensity as he took another step forward.

"You speak of honor, but hide behind lasers and energy blasts like every other cowardly blaster. If you want an 'honorable fight', mutt, then fucking bring it to me!"

As if scared away by the nazi's roar, the remnants of dust and smoke faded away, revealing the resplendent and otherworldly appearance of Avalon. The young man stood calmly, a ten foot long and ornery spear held comfortably and casually over his right shoulder, while what appeared to be a large, grinning goat skull with glowing golden eyes floated at his left. His new costume seemed to shine with radiant light, as if the sun itself fashioned him a cloak from its rays.

Bullets floated gently along the cloak's shimmering lapels.

Before their very eyes, the bright, glimmering cloak faded away into nothingness, causing the bullets to clatter to the debris-strewn floor.

"Parian, are you safe?" Avalon suddenly spoke, his smooth voice filling the air in a way that Hookwolf could never even hope to match.

She swallowed thickly, sweating as she looped another coarse thread through her creation's bulky arms. Teddy was now a taller, more brawlic patchwork gorilla, made to restrain, grapple, and clobber more so than to defend and carry supplies.

"I-I'm alright!" Parian called out, flinching when Hookwolf turned to glare at her. She didn't cower, though, and that was what made all the difference in her heart. She slowly backed away, letting her power flood through her newest creation and be the bulwark between her and the dangerous, murderous nazi. The gorilla silently beat its chest, huffing without lungs and pacing the small distance between her and Hookwolf.

Avalon smiled. It wasn't a kind one. "Good, stay back. I'd hate to taint my first cape battle by slaughtering a bunch of punk nazi trash." His nose wrinkled in disgust, and he spat to the side.

Hookwolf snarled.

The sound of metal grinding against metal grated loudly as the nazi sprinted forward, shiny steel jutting from his skin and pushing his human flesh deep within. The transformation only took a couple seconds, and in that brief time he had already cleared half the distance between him and Avalon. The rest of the distance was eaten almost instantly when his wolf-like body, now on all fours and dwarfing even the kiosks in the food court, lunged directly at Avalon's squishy body with all of the strength and lethality of a 15 foot tall, metal-coated wolf.

He slammed into the ground with force, tearing deep grooves through the reinforced concrete floor. His steel jaws snapped forward to bite through flesh and bone, to rend and tear…

But Avalon was no longer there. Music began playing, seemingly from out of thin air.

Hookwolf growled as he turned around, beady blue eyes scouring for its prey, only to throw his entire body to the side as a golden spear - nearly as long as he was tall - almost skewered him straight through the 'temple'.

Avalon was standing in the middle of the food court between him and Parian, his eyes glaring and cold as he stared. His lips were moving, but Hookwolf couldn't hear a word with the music growing louder and more frantic as the seconds ticked by. All he could do was attack, and attack he did - his mouth opened wide, showcasing constantly extending and twisting blades and spires of metal as he flung himself towards the young hero.

Avalon's mouth stopped moving, his free left hand pointed directly at him, and suddenly Hookwolf staggered midstep, because something felt wrong.

His body felt wrong.

And as he lashed out with his claw, extending the metal by a full three feet in order to catch the hero off guard and cut him in twain, Hookwolf realized what that wrong feeling was. His metal - it was becoming brittle and weak. Sickly. Avalon pirouetted backwards like some sort of dancer, swinging his beautiful spear in a whirlwind slash that looked like it belonged in a damned textbook, and Hookwolf watched as the browning steel of his claws was broken in half by the massive weapon.

Not cut or cleaved, but broken, like a rusted piece of scrap.

"What did you do?!" Hookwolf roared, powering through the loss and forcing more metal out of his core. He directed it through his 'neck' this time, swinging his head like a scythe as the sharp metal moved to decapitate the agile Avalon, but the hero blocked it with the shaft of his spear and punched through the steel hook.

It broke off and fell to the ground, brittle and flaky. Avalon rolled backwards to dodge the next lashing of metal, bouncing back up and then just appearing ten feet away from his previous position. Teleportation.

"...Viagra can help with performance issues, y'know."

The silently grinning goat skull hovering at Avalon's side opened its mouth wide and flew up into the air, twirling around Hookwolf's massive head like a particularly annoying gnat.

Hookwolf only had a split moment to decide between facing the skull that showed Blaster abilities and keeping his attention on Avalon, who seemed to have a power that was eroding and countering his own metal. One second was all it took for him to make an executive decision. He swung back around, redoubling his efforts to slaughter the frustrating and mysterious new hero.

As if laughing at him, a familiar and unwelcoming sound screamed from behind, in the direction he'd last seen the skull fly.

Pounds upon pounds of weakened metal burned and broke beneath blinding golden light, and Hookwolf howled his frustrations, a shrill noise that sounded like daggers scraping through bone.

All the while, Avalon danced backwards, always just out of reach with his nimble footwork and teleporting powers.

The music in the background made the humiliating battle even more infuriating. Hookwolf had to admit to himself, as he began to tire out from constantly recycling his metal...

'This fight just isn't fucking worth it.'

But then his gaze fell on Parian and her gorilla, both of whom had been watching from the sidelines in awe, and a rough plan began forming in his head.

Perks Received

Roll One (Declined)

Dream Stone (Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch - 300 CP): An orange, oddly shaped, glass-like crystal. Whenever you sleep with the stone next to your pillow, the crystal enchants your dreams with premonitions. The dreams can range from direct visions of looming events to very vague and strange sequences; for instance, if you dreamt that a friend of yours appeared as the "lady of the lake" and gave you an autographed pair of sneakers, said friend the next day will turn up and give you that very thing. Other times, you might see exactly what is going to happen soon. The stone does not so much make the dreams come true, but rather foretells things destined to occur. However, the dreams can be difficult to predict, and in context may not be what you expected.

Roll Two

Gaster Blaster (Undertale - 400 CP): This device, run on the user's own magical power, is a semi-autonomous magical weapon. Resembling a floating goat's skull with glowing eyes, the Gaster Blaster is an extremely powerful magic device capable of shooting very powerful magical lasers of variable width. While it's very draining to use and are only effective at close range, being unable to operate beyond 10 meters of the user, the versatility and maneuverability of this weapon is unmatched in the Underground.

Roll Three (Not Enough CP)

Monster Chef (Undertale - 400 CP): Monster food isn't the same thing as Human food. In fact, most monsters have never even tasted human food- And that's because Monster food is so much more efficient! Being made of magic, Monster food digests instantly to energize the consumer, never spoils, and creates no waste (As a result, most monsters don't even know what a bathroom is). Monster food can also be created with just about anything edible, though the better it tastes, the more energy it gives to the consumer. Creating it takes a bit more energy, but it's definitely worth the work!

250 CP Remaining.

A/N

A lot happens in this chapter - be sure to absorb it all and give me your thoughts! For those wondering about the spell he used on Hookwolf, it was Plague of Rust. He used Shimmering Cloak earlier to shield himself from bullets. I'll probably flashback to his little Cricket fight in the next chapter. Spoiler alert - he could not hang with her in such closer quarters at all, and the Gaster Blaster really saved his ass. You can't dodge a laser beam as big as the room you're dodging in.