Chapter Sixteen

 

Author’s Note: Here’s a list of characters so far--not including the dead ones, because they don’t matter now. Refer to this should you be lost on who’s who (specifically this chapter). I’m aware there are a ton of characters. It be like that.

 

Amaia Luther - The main character and narrator. Black ice powers. Clapping heroes left and right. Doing this for her brother or something. 

Atsumi Asai - HBIC of the Alpha Corps. She commands the Nobles that keep coming for Amaia. Her whereabouts are now unknown. 

Carlie Cobbs - Asai’s assistant. Wears 50’s private investigator getup. Constantly tapping away at a tablet. 

Dr. Daichi - I lied about there not being dead characters on this list. He is--was very important though as he is the one that made the first serum.

Major Maniac - Okay, so I lied times 2. He made the less popular second serum. 

Fiberglass - The only hero to succeed in their duty of capturing Amaia so far. Even the Archs have struggled against containing her. Practically invulnerable and super strong.

Ardentia - One of the seven original Archs. She is physically the strongest of them. And came close to wiping out Amaia’s entire team solo had it not been for the powered up Ache. 

Ash - Another one of the seven original Archs. Though he killed The Advocate, he was stopped by Amaia and the rest of her team. 

Price - He got his ass kicked last time we saw him. Prolly still regenerating from whatever messed up thing Ache did to him to power up. Captain of the Alpha Corps guard. Failed at it.

Ache - Crazy mf. Was last scene scrapping with Ardentia. And losing. Inflicting pain on others boosts every fiber of his being, making him fast, strong, and incredibly durable. There is no limit to this ability.

Aura Ray - Able to read the true intentions of someone by reading the aura around their body. Unconscious after severe injury but healed by Erza. However, she was left unconscious due to Erza wanting a contract with Amaia.

Vice - Defeated the Archs at the same time once before. However, they weren’t trying to kill him when he was trying to kill them, so he [kinda] had an advantage. Ardentia, now with the intent to kill, soloed him and left him unconscious, but like Aura Ray, he was healed, but left unconscious until Amaia fulfills her contract. “Hindsight” power that allows him to see a few seconds into a possible future where he’s in danger, allowing him to predict moves of opponents. He also has wraps that he uses to grab opponents and metal bones from his elbows to fingertips and knees to toe…tips. 

Vulcon - Supposedly smashed Erza while Amaia was fighting three Nobles. Cracked gray skin that shows his insides are all lava. Don’t ask me how the serum was capable of doing this to a human. I couldn’t tell you. Even though I created the guy.

Lynx - R.I.P. :( (x3)

Rose - The most beautiful person anyone in this story has seen. She is an ex-soldier turned Haven Goddess of Illusions, Love, Lust and Fervor. 

Erza Bathory - Owner of the bar “The Bloodbath”. Haven Goddess of Desires. Makes contracts with people that normally puts them in her debt. She also has a wealth of knowledge about anything that goes on in Haven City. 

Adriel - Fractional Angel which is just a fancy term for anything that’s half angel. He doesn’t know what his other side is (because I, as the author, don’t know either). His lightning powers and regeneration are his best qualities and he is a known monster hunter and slayer of gods across this universe. But he spends most of his time chatting it up in the Bloodbath with Erza, Rose, and *sniff* Lynx. 

Arid - Leader of an anti-hero team. Badass. You’ll learn more about him in this chapter. Last time we saw him, he was going to turn Amaia in, but she froze him in place and she ran. 

Krow - Sniper of Arid’s anti-hero team. Also badass. He was also frozen. But now he…isn’t. 

 

“Like fuck they’re gonna help me!” I shouted at Erza. “They almost ratted me out!”

“She’s not wrong,” Arid said, getting up from the booth. “I still would too, but Erza’s cashing in her contract.”

I darted my eyes at Erza. “Why are they here now? You seemed content with giving me information before without them being here.”

“They were the reason I didn’t tell you the information right away,” she explained. 

“We weren’t back from recovering from being frozen,” Arid said with disdain in his voice. How could I tell there was disdain? His yellow mask was also frowning. Krow got up from the booth and stood next to his leader. His mask didn’t allow him to show his facial expressions, making it harder to read him. 

“Water under the bridge,” Erza said for both of us. “Now for the mission details. As I’ve said before, your target is Shackle of the Ninja Mercenaries--”

“Stupid name,” Arid interrupted.

“Arid, your group name is called ‘The Resistance’. I don’t think you’re one to judge, sweetie,” Erza said. Though the statement was harsh, her tone remained calm and consistent. “Here’s a photo of the target.”

She handed us a photo of Shackle meeting with some shady characters. A few of them were on his side.

“Is he the one with the red hair?” Vulcon asked.

“Good guess, dear. Yes,” she said. The red hair was his most prominent feature, but almost every article of clothing he was clad in was either black, white, or a mix of both. There was also something off with his eyes. 

“His Yin-Yang eyes allow him to see through illusions, so Rose will not be of much help on this trip,” Erza told us. “She’s also staying for more…personal reasons. Shackle wears fingerless gloves as well. We’re not sure how they operate this way, but one is capable of shooting an indeterminate amount of kunai knives out of a hole on the top part of it, while the other does the same but it’s a single kunai knife connected to a chain. He also wields a large sword that can split into two slimmer swords.”

“I’m guessing there’s a black and white theme with the swords, too?” I asked. “Do they do anything special when separate? Or together, for that matter?”

“Not that we’re aware of,” Erza answered. 

“You keep saying ‘we’. Do you mind telling me who this ‘we’ is?” I questioned. She smiled and gestured to the female patrons and employees of the bar.

“I have eyes everywhere in Haven. I have to,” she said. Though she didn’t explain why she needed to. “Now, back to business. What’s actually important in the picture isn’t Shackle himself, but who he’s dealing with here. See the three facing him?”

I did. One in the middle with brown hair. Obviously the leader. A large African American man to his right in a sleeveless hoodie. And a smaller Caucasian woman in a red crop-top to his left. The whites of her eyes were black, matching Erza’s when she made a deal with someone. 

“The one in the middle is known as ‘Ignitro’. He is the current leader of the crime organization known as ‘The Durante Family’,” Erza continued. “He is the key to finding Shackle as they are normally dealing arms.”

“Great,” Arid said. “Where do we find him?”

“Their base of operations is the Haven City Grocer. Though, we haven’t found where exactly within the building they’re located,” Erza informed. 

“We’ll find it,” Arid said, looking in Krow’s direction and flicking his head towards the front door.

“I’m bringing Vulcon,” I told Erza, following the two out. Vulcon looked between me and Erza before reluctantly following me outside to their van. We climbed in the back as the driver upfront introduced himself.

“Hello. I’m Dex, tech guy for The Resistance--”

“We’re changin’ the name, Dex,” Arid said, folding his arms.

“Oh? To what?”

“I don’t fuckin--” He sighed. “I don’t know yet. Apparently some people don’t think it’s a good name.”

“It isn’t,” Krow said. Or should I say the mechanical crow that was resting on his shoulders said.

“What in the fuck?” I responded. “When did you get that? Why did you get that?”

“His throat was slit,” Arid says. “He needed some way to communicate. Now he has Coal.”

“Where’re we headed?” Dex called back.

“Haven City Grocer, bud. Got some surveillance to do,” Arid said. With Arid’s instructions, the van pulled off. We sat in silence for a bit, Vulcon and I staring at the two across from us. It was evident we were trying to figure each other out, but I’m not sure it was working for either side. Luckily I had Vulcon to open up, otherwise I never would’ve cracked.

“So, ‘The Resistance’, huh?” he asked.

“Shut up, dude,” Arid said. 

“And how many of you are there?”

“Well, let’s see. Including us three, six, but if you wanna count intermittent members with Blackwolf, Rose, and Lynx, then nine,” Arid answered. “Uh…eight.”

“Now it’s your turn to answer a question,” Krow--Coal said. Fuck it. From now on, whenever Coal talks, I’m going to say Krow said it, since it’s Krow’s “voice”. “How many Nobles have you killed? I want the confirmed number.”

“That’s kind of a personal question, man,” Vulcon butted in. “We’re just together to do this mission, remember?”

“I spilled the beans on how many members our team had. Why shouldn't she tell us how many heroes she’s erased?” Arid said. 

“You could be lying,” Vulcon continued to defend.

“And her answer could be a lie as well,” Arid said. “Like you, I just wanna know a number.”

“Six,” I answered. “Six Nobles.”

Arid leaned back against the wall of the van. “I’m guessing your kill count total is much higher.”

I said nothing in response to that. Instead I asked my next question. Questions. “How did your group come about? And what do you all stand for?”

“Well, those are some loaded questions,” Arid said. “Do you honestly give a shit?”

I squinted at him. He exhaled.

“Look, I'll tell you if we successfully beat this mission and get my contract deal finished with Erza. Consider it a reward should we do this properly.”

I nodded.

A few more minutes went by until the van slowed to a stop. Arid walked up to the driver’s seat.

“Where exactly near the store are we, Dex?” he asked, looking out the windows at the front.

“Back end of the parking lot,” the tech guy answered. “Close enough to be within range to hack their cameras. Far enough to not be spotted in person immediately.”

“Okay. Lemme know when that’s up and run--”

“Done.”

“The fuck?”

“Here,” Dex said, pushing his laptop towards us. Krow, Vulcon, and I got up to get a closer look. He was pressing the arrow keys to cycle through the store cameras. In the bottom right-hand corner, there was a small panel of the next four cameras always playing live like the one that was taking up most of the screen. 

“Alright. Everyone sit tight,” Arid commanded. “This next part might take a while.”

Two hours dragged by until we got a glimpse of a shady-looking character that entered the store and walked straight down an aisle into the back. 

“Do we know what room that is in the store?” Arid asked Dex.

“The freezer,” Dex answered. “Let me see if I can switch to the freezer’s cam--ah, here we go.”

“The freezer’s camera’s are linked up on a different server?” I asked.

“I would guess to hide what really goes on,” Vulcon said. Dex switched to a camera that was located in the corner of what I presumed was Ignitro’s office. The boss held his palm up to the ceiling and a small flame emitted from it.

“Guess that’s why he’s called ‘Ignitro’,” Arid said.

“Is there sound?” I asked. Dex pressed a button and what was being said in the office was transmitted through his laptop’s speakers.

“You’re late, McLeod,” Ignitro said. “Again. This was supposed to be your second chance, but I’m gonna use my better judgment here. You don’t plan on getting that money to me, do you?”

“Mr. Durante, please. I swear--”

“Mr. Durante was my father. Please call me…” Before McLeod could hear the rest of Ignitro’s sentence, Ignitro spread the flames from his palm to consume McLeod’s flesh. The screams should have been heard throughout the grocery store, but I guessed it was soundproofed. With good reason. “Your executioner.”

“God, that was cheesy,” Arid said. 

“Now, to figure out where and when he’s meeting with Shackle, there’s a few ways to approach this,” Krow began.

“You said get his guards and use their lives against him to get him to spill his guts?” Arid said.

“I didn’t.”

“I like that plan,” I agreed.

“Well, let’s take advantage of this,” Dex announced to us. He pointed at the girl with the black sclera from the photo on his screen. She glared at the camera, then whispered something to Ignitro. 

“Search the store,” he commanded the woman and the hooded guy. Then he pointed at his guards and the charred body. “Get this filth outta here.”

“Instead of confronting them and revealing who we are, I could leave Coal on the roof of the building, perhaps near a vent to listen in on the conversation Ignitro has with his subordinates.

“What is this? A video game? Do you think there’s gonna conveniently be a vent nearby that connects directly to his office. It looks like it’s in the fuckin’ freezer of the store, Krow,” Arid said. 

“It was an idea.”

“My bad. You’re right, man, but I think confronting them would be best. They likely don’t know who any of us are, with maybe the exception of Vulcon, the bank robber, here,” Arid said. 

“They’re coming outside,” Dex informed us.

“Let’s go,” Arid commanded. Dex stayed as the three of us followed Arid outside and stormed towards the woman and hooded guy. As soon as the hooded guy caught wind of us, he attempted to retreat into the store, but Vulcon reacted quick enough, spraying a line of lava behind him, close enough for him to feel the heat, but not catch fire. He was forced to turn around and face us with the woman in the red crop-top who wasn’t backing down. Arid and Krow walked right past her and raised their guns to the hooded guy. He raised his hands in surrender as the woman stepped up directly to me.

“You’re the one that’s been hunting heroes,” she said. 

“So much for not knowing who we are,” Vulcon said to me.

“You plan to hurt Lux at some point, don’t you? He on your list?” she questioned. 

“As strong as he’s rumored to be, not where I am currently,” I answered truthfully. I hadn’t decided whether or not I would kill her yet. I didn’t mind telling the truth as I decided. But, the more I told the truth, the more I leaned towards killing. 

“I can’t trust a single word you’re saying,” she said, gritting her teeth. Not only were her sclera black, but her irises were two different colors. One orange, one blue. “I’ll just have to make sure you are incapable of doing anything.”

She took a step back and an ember appeared over her palm like Ignitro. I noticed it was on the same side as the iris that was orange. With her other hand, she conjured a splash of water. This was on the side of her blue iris.

“Let me show you why I’m called ‘Ele-Mental’!”

I groaned aloud. “...You can’t be fucking serious.”

“I can help,” Vulcon offered.

“Only if I call for it.”

She began with the water and did a whiplash attack with it. I reacted in time and--with one touch--was able to freeze the water all the way back to her hand. She let go of the water on her end before the black ice could reach her. 

Next she tried her fire. I decided to test the heat by raising an ice wall between us. I heard the flames crackling on the other side of the wall, but the wall didn’t decrease in size from melting. I decided to kill her for wasting our time. I lowered the ice wall and went fling several icicles in her direction, but she was no longer directly in front of me. I looked up in the air to see her floating with a mini-tornado around her torso. Since my senses were enhanced from the serums, I could see from a distance that both of her irises were now white. 

“Hm. So I wonder,” I said, creating a bunch of ice shards and flinging them over her head so they would fall back on top of her. One of her irises changed to green and she manipulated the earth she was floating over to create an umbrella. When her eye changed, the tornado around her waist lowered by half the height she had created it at. I had figured her out. She could control the elements with each side determined by the color of her iris. When irises were the same color, the element she was using could double in power. Such a needlessly complicated power for a dead woman.

I froze the earth umbrella she created and slightly expanded it to form a makeshift ceiling and shot an ice pillar up from below her. She tried to melt the ice with her fire, but I kept raising it and caught her between the pillar and ceiling. 

“Shit!” she yelled. I was slowly crushing her frail body before--

“STOP!”

The shout came from the front of the store. Out walked Ignitro, fists balled up in frustration, but he wasn’t here to fight. He surveyed the parking lot, seeing the hooded guy taken out of the fight by Arid and Krow, then averting his attention to Ele-Mental. 

“Who the fuck are you and what in the fuck do you want?” Ignitro questioned.

“She’s the Noble killer, Ignitro! She’s--AGH!” The more Ele-Mental spoke, the closer I came to crushing her. 

“We’re looking for Shackle. We know you deal with him. We need information on where and when your next deal takes place,” I demanded. 

“Answer the first question I asked,” he demanded. I cocked my head to the side.

“You’re not in a position to be making demands,” I said. “Just how arrogant are you?”

He exhaled and looked up at the sky. “I could have had the advantage here. If I would have swallowed my pride and called Lux, you all would already be dead.”

“It’s not too late--FUCK!” I broke a few of Ele-Mental’s ribs with that squeeze. 

“If I tell you, I need you to stick with taking out the Nobles. I admire what you’re doing. Makes it easier to do what I do,” Ignitro said. I nodded. “Tomorrow at midnight. The docks.”

“Could you get any more cliché?” Arid asked.

“It’s so obvious, the cops and Nobles don’t check for it,” Ignitro said. “Hiding in plain sight.”

“We’ll be there,” I said. “If we sense anything is off, we won’t just be killing Shackle.”

“Whoa. You’re gonna kill the guy?” Ignitro asked. I didn’t answer as I let the pillar drop to the ground, leaving Ele-Mental to violently cough out chunks of blood. Arid and Krow made their way back to the van, but not without a stare-down with the hooded guy. 

Once we were all in, Dex peeled off.

“So, now that we’ve got time to kill, what are you gonna do now?” Arid asked. I didn’t answer his question as my phone buzzed. It was the hero app. I opened it to see a notification that made me want to punch a hole in the side of the van. 

“NOBLES ARE ORDERED TO AT LEAST PAIR UP IN CASE THEY COME INTO CONTACT WITH PUBLIC ENEMY #1, AMAIA LUTHER.”