Shiro's Sanctum

Disclaimer: 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, Malcolm Tent, Priapus, Old man of the mountain, Marethyu, Mike God of Lore

The Guild of Gamers: The High Roller

Chapter 02: Spymaster

Returning to my lair, I pat my lion as he licks his blood-soaked chops, stroking his mane. He came in just as useful as I expected, and he wandered off in short order to explore our home.

All in all, a productive day. I've given the stale underworld of Brockton Bay a nice little shake and dealt with a major adversary at the same time. 

Rolling. Results: One Common Power, One Uncommon Power, One Common Astral

Common Power

[Bullseye]

You have an intuitive understanding of angles and trajectories, granting you nearly perfect aim. You can line up your shots nearly instantly, even for complex trajectories where the projectile bounces. You are still capable of missing if your aim is thrown off.

Ah, I am not one for firearms myself. They're too loud for me, and I prefer my fighting to be up close. That said, perhaps my new best friend Skidmark would like for his gang to get another upgrade.

Skidmark is a useful tool because I do not believe he is competent enough to take over the city himself. The Merchants will almost certainly fall (if not for any other reason, then because I can remove my boons at any moment without warning). He is an agent of chaos who exists to cause mayhem and destabilise things.

Uncommon Power

[Tracker]

Provided you either know what something or someone looks like or can get an accurate description or name, you can immediately pinpoint where it is and can figure out the quickest and/or easiest way to get there.

But this I can use, yes indeed. In fact, I can already think of a certain someone I'd like to pay a visit to. 

Common Astral

[Terrain: Savannah] 

Finally, my mansion is no longer floating in an endless void but in the middle of a massive Savannah, and a single thought from me populates it with region-appropriate herbivores. I have no control over them, but herds of zebras, elephants, and other creatures will give my beloved pet something to do while I'm busy.

Opening the door, I watch him prowl out the door to explore his new domain. I've given him a weaker [Blank], [Conditioning] and [Free from Sustenance], and now also [Tracker], though I doubt he needs help hunting. He will become quite the monster in just a matter of time.

Humming to myself, I nod and head back out after a little internet sleuthing to find an image of my target. I do consider going and grabbing Panacea but decide against it, the time will come for me to visit our resident healer.

No, today I want something different entirely, and I'd rather grab her before she discovers my mischief.

– Lisa Wilbourne (Tattletale) –

The Merchants were going wild tonight, Squealer riding one of her abominations around town at high speeds, seemingly just for the fun of it. She half expected to get a message from Coil ordering her to get the Undersiders to run interference on something, but perhaps she was too used to blaming him for whatever went wrong in her life.

In her apartment, she took a sip of her coffee as she continued her research into the capes Coil wanted more information on, her head already throbbing in pain. She was glad she wasn't in the Undersiders' lair tonight; she couldn't deal with Regent right now.

Brian would keep Rachel in while the Merchants were causing chaos, and Regent wouldn't get off his couch unless he were getting paid for it. Typing away, she paused as a knock on her door made her reach for her gun.

She wasn't in the roughest part of town, but nobody in Brockton Bay would answer the door at two in the morning, let alone a teenage girl living alone. Technically, her apartment was in the Empire part of town; it was safe enough for her, given her white skin and blonde hair, but as she snuck up to the door, she peeked through the keyhole and blinked at the bizarre-looking man on the other side.

A tophat? Oh, he was definitely not all there upstairs, but she froze. Her power, overworked as it might be, told her nothing about the man patiently waiting for her to answer. Fuck, a cape?

"Miss Wilbourne, I know you're there. A sneaky snake of a mutual friend of ours gave me your location, and I'd rather not have anyone listen in on our conversation," the man said cheerfully, making her frown and grab her phone, angrily texting Coil.

'I hadn't expected him to head straight to your home, but he's a new cape in my employ. You will assist him with his business. It takes priority over all other jobs at the moment.'

Sighing, she marked this down as another middle finger from Coil, opening the door as the man beamed at her.

"Ah, wonderful," he said, offering his hand. "Sebastian Fairfax, it's truly a pleasure to meet you, Miss Wilbourne."

"This couldn't have waited until morning?" Lisa asked, walking into her apartment with a sigh. Fucking Coil, just casually unmasking her to a strange cape.

"Oh, it most certainly couldn't. It'll be too late by then," Sebastian replied, making her wonder if that was his real name. He wasn't wearing a mask, his admittedly somewhat handsome face on display.

"Fine, but I have a headache, so what do you want?" Lisa asked, making him smile as he closed the door and then locked it.

"Oh, I just want you to help me steal Coil's empire before the PRT realises he's very dead," Sebastian admitted with a happy smile, her eyes widening. "Oh, and to get myself a Thinker of my very own."

She dove for her gun, but aiming at him, she found herself incapable of pulling the trigger. Fuck, a Master.

"Coil… is dead?" Lisa asked, glaring at the strange man in her apartment. She probably didn't look too threatening in a tank top and some sweatpants, and he clearly understood that she couldn't attack him.

"Eaten alive, quite painfully," Sebastian agreed, pausing. "Ah, there's the smile you want to hide. Yes, Coil, or Thomas Calvert, PRT Consultant, is dead. He died confused and afraid, his precious power utterly useless and unable to save him."

"I might thank you if you hadn't tricked me into letting you into my house at two am and hadn't mastered me," Lisa deadpanned, still aiming the gun at him.

"Oh, don't be like that. You see, I know you have schemes to steal Coil's empire, and I'm just giving you a chance to put them to use. The PRT will discover the connection between their very dead consultant and Coil soon, and that window will close. The master effect is just… insurance; you don't do anything silly. If you attacked me, my honour would demand I return it tenfold upon you after all," Sebastian said cheerfully.

"And change one master for another?" Lisa scoffed.

"Yes, exactly. You see, Miss Livsey, there are two paths before you. You can join me and hold a place of power and influence in my coming empire, or you can resist and… well, you're coming with me either way. I'm afraid I don't have any fancy ways of truly mastering you and bending you to my will, so I'll have to settle for a copious amount of pain. It's distasteful, I know, but needs must after all." Sebastian said, seemingly genuinely regretful, but she could see it in his eyes. He'd do it, and his knowledge of her, combined with her inability to read him, made her shudder.

She really hated dealing with other Thinkers, glaring at him for bringing up a name she'd left behind. Sarah was dead, and that was how she wanted it to stay.

Reaching forward, he plucked the gun out of her hands as she found herself unable to try and fight him. 

"Now, Sarah, are you going to behave and make the logical choice?" Sebastian asked, making her glare at him before she sighed.

He was obviously planning on making his own gang, with her and possibly the other Undersiders as his first members, but if he had truly killed Coil, then he was a force to be reckoned with. He'd obviously compromised Coil's phone at the very least, and for some reason, she believed that he'd done exactly what he said he had.

"It's Tattletale or Lisa. Not Sarah," Lisa growled, making him smile. "And it's not like I have a choice. I don't deal well with pain."

"How wonderful; come along then, my dear. You won't regret this," Sebastian said, waving his hand as a door-shaped portal appeared in the middle of the room.

"I doubt that," Lisa sighed, well aware of the gun he was holding as she reluctantly moved to the portal.

– Three Hours Later –

Stealing Coil's empire was almost too easy with his phone on hand, already unlocked. Sebastian happily admitted that he was a Tinker as well, specialising in communications systems.

"It's done," Lisa said unhappily, having moved all Coil's funds to a new account made under Sebastian's name with Number Man. Property deeds had been transferred, and years of intel gathered by Coil had been collected before his main systems were thoroughly purged..

Coil never thought he could die or make a mistake like losing his phone; he was too complacent. Sebastian would benefit from it, a smile on the bearded man's face.

"Excellent work, Lisa. See, was that so hard? You'll make a fine spymaster," Sebastian said, making her blink. "That will be your role in my coming Empire, my eyes always watching from the shadows. It will suit you, and as I gain more powers, I will empower you to fulfil your role all the better."

"Wait, you're a Trump," Lisa realised, making him smile.

"Oh yes, I'd even go as far as to say that I'm the Trump. My powers have already grown noticeably in the short time I've had them and will continue to grow. I can grant copies of whatever powers I develop to other people. Why, I even tested it quite thoroughly with my new friends in the Merchants before I paid Coil a visit," Sebastian boasted, making her mind race.

A new Eidolon, who wasn't limited to three powers and could grant them to other people? If he was telling the truth, he was going to shoot to the top of the cape world. 

"Is that everything, or can I finally go to sleep?" Lisa asked, making him smile.

"Oh, of course. My apologies; allow me to show you to your room; you'll be staying here in my pocket dimension; of course, it's quite safe here, away from the dangers of the world. I wouldn't want anything to happen to my new spymaster after all," Sebastian said cheerfully, reminding her that she couldn't leave this place without his help. "But first, your reward."

Touching her, knowledge flooded her mind, and without thinking, she activated her new power, looking into her own blank eyes. Oh fuck, he was telling the truth. If he could do this freely, he'd turn any gang he made into an absolute powerhouse.

"Useful, is it not? Two heads are better than one and all that," Sebastian said. "Come along, my dear."

Walking away, he led her (and her clone) to a very nice bedroom with an ensuite and walk-in wardrobe before leaving her to her rest with one last praise for her hard work. She tried not to think about the fact that the wardrobe was full of all kinds of clothes exactly her size, right down to the underwear.

Sebastian was unhinged and reckless, but… his power was obscene. The PRT would give him literally anything for it: the power to mass-produce capes. She was sure it had a limit of some kind, but Sebastian seemed to think it didn't and oddly enough, she almost believed him. 

Moving to the computer in her room, she scoured PHO and stared in shock at the reports of what the Merchants had been up to. The entire gang seemed to have become athletes overnight; Skidmark was seen in two places at the same time; oh fuck, he was telling the truth.

She had two paths before her: find a way to run for her life before Sebastian plunged the entire city into chaos, or stick around as his Spymaster and reap the benefits as he grew in power. Going to bed, she felt her mind race as she left her clone to do some research, already finding her new power-up all too useful.

He was a madman, empowering the Merchants seemingly just as a test- no, to destabilise things in preparation for his own rise to power. That was why he'd empowered them, because the Merchants were predictable and frankly never going to be a true contender for control of the city even with empowerment.

He might actually know what he was doing, and she wasn't sure if that was good or bad for her.

– Emily Piggot –

"Does somebody want to explain to me what the fuck happened last night?" Emily asked, looking around the room. "The Merchants can suddenly clone themselves, and all look like models; Calvert gets murdered in his own home by a fucking lion, and this happens right after the entire city loses the ability to communicate? 

"I believe I can explain two of those at least, director," Dragon said, the screen lighting up with her Avatar. "I was already investigating the source of the Babel Event, name pending."

"Go on," Emily said, making Dragon smile slightly, though it was obviously strained.

"Meet Sebastian Fairfax, which he claims is his real name, though we've found no trace of anyone by that name anywhere on the planet," Dragon said; as the screen changed to show a bearded man with a fucking top hat on. "Yesterday night, he approached the Merchants at a party they were holding and introduced himself as a Trump capable of granting powers without side effects. He offered to empower the Merchants for free, and while Skidmark was hesitant, he apparently decided to accept the offer. Sebastian then empowers every Merchant there with a power he calls 'Conditioning', which keeps people in peak condition. We know this because some Merchants recorded the entire thing, even posting it. He also granted Skidmark, Squealer, Mush and other high-ranking non-cape members a power called Replication, which allows them to clone themselves and gain a subservient version of themselves that obeys any order the original gives it, though cannot think for itself."

Dragon played the video of Sebastian speaking with the Merchants, and she felt her heart start to race.

The audible whispers around the room were unsurprising; that kind of power was obscene and in the hands of someone who apparently had a grudge against the PRT. 

"Shortly afterwards, he left, and we know exactly where he went afterwards. He arrived outside the house of Thomas Calvert before he went through a portal and returned inside Calvert's living room. Reaching the bedroom, he summoned a lion with some unknown ability and ordered it to attack Calvert and his wife. Again, we have this on film due to Mr Calvert's substantial security system. I know none of you are squeamish, but you may wish to look away."

Playing the second file, she watched in mute horror as Calvert, asshole that he was, was torn apart by a large hungry lion while this Sebastian just watched with utter indifference. Even singing as he walked away, a part of her noting that he was a bafflingly good singer.

He sounded professional, which might help them find the lunatic.

"What are the chances that this Sebastian is also Babel?" Emily asked, making Dragon pause.

"It's not impossible, though it does have some worrying implications with the already-large variety of powers he's shown. Add on a city-wide shaker effect, and it doesn't paint an encouraging picture," Dragon said. "Though, Brockton Bay is also infamous for having a large amount of Triggers so it's also possible we're looking for two different capes."

Sebastian did seem to have a worrying amount of powers already, and they seemed too strong for a regular grab-bag cape. There had to be a catch with his power, but what that was, they didn't know.

"There's one more thing, though I think it would be best if we discussed it in private," Dragon continued, sharing a look with Armsmaster.

"Just spill it; everyone here knows the importance of secrecy," Emily said, uncharacteristically trusting of her other capes. With this madman around, even the most troublesome of her capes seemed reasonable.

"Very well. While digging through Calvert's security systems, we noticed a lot of tampering and following that led us to a rather shocking conclusion. There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just be blunt. It is almost guaranteed that Thomas Calvert was Coil, and someone also spent most of last night purging his systems and draining his many bank accounts. We also found a worrying amount of backdoors into the PRT itself, which Calvert would have had every opportunity to set up in his role as a consultant, some going back years," Dragon explained.

"This wasn't an attack on a PRT consultant; Sebastian was attacking another villain," Emily said, disbelief and hatred in her tone as she realised they were telling the truth. She should have shot that cowardly, slimy bastard after Ellisberg. Had he been a villain since then? "Wait, do you think Calver- Coil is why Sebastian hates the PRT?"

"It is possible, though we have no way to confirm it," Dragon agreed as Emily seethed. "Sebastian then once again left via a portal, and we aren't sure what he did afterwards. We can assume that he is responsible for the draining of Coil's accounts, and that brings me to another problem."

"Of course it does," Emily sighed. 

"Coil had backdoors into all the PRT systems, and a great deal of data was copied before the systems were trashed. It is possible that Sebastian is now sitting on a large amount of data on PRT Capes. We have to assume that goes up to and includes the identities of every hero and ward," Dragon said solemnly, making the room go dead silent.

"He's already shown a complete disregard for the Unwritten rules, attacking Coil in his home and civilian identity, killing him. If he has a grudge against us, we have to assume he'll strike again," Armsmaster said grimly. "I recommend we prioritise capturing Sebastian as soon as possible."

"Due to the size of the data breach, I was required to inform the Chief Director, and while she will be in touch later, she had made it clear that she wanted him taken in alive and as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Thinker support will be unavailable due to Sebastian having an apparent immunity to Thinker powers," Dragon explained, making Emily immediately freeze.

Oh, for fuck sake, Costa-Brown wanted to recruit the mad bastard.

She really hated her job.

– Sebastian Fairfax –

You know, Lisa is very good at her new job, but I'm not sure she's royal concubine material. She's beautiful, don't get me wrong, but she's not quite what I had in mind for my first concubine. 

Now, Glory Girl. She's concubine material, possibly the best in Brockton Bay, but she's also rather problematic to acquire.

As for why I need concubines, that's obvious. My empire will start here and rapidly spread across the globe, and then the multiverse. I cannot micromanage every single part of my grand empire so it's only natural then that I'd want my own blood to rule in my stead.

It's my duty to spread my bloodline, as it is a man's duty, and I intend to spread it far and put the likes of Ghenghis Khan to shame.

Naturally, I'll need the best partners to make sure my many children have the best bloodlines. That means powerful, intelligent and beautiful women. Any two would suffice; my blood will pick up the slack, but ideally, I want girls who have all three.

Lisa is beautiful and intelligent, though I'll have to see how she functions without her power handing her a cheat-sheet to confirm that second one. 

Should the worst happen to me, I want to make sure my lineage survives, and at the moment, I'm the last member of my family. If I spread my children out throughout the multiverse, it should greatly reduce the risk of my bloodline meeting an unfortunate end.

"Are you fucking insane?" Lisa asks, making me look from my musing and blink at her tone.

"What is worrying you, Lisa?" I ask, making her show me her phone, my face staring back at me.

"I know you killed Coil, but I thought you'd at least be smart enough to be subtle when blatantly breaking the Unwritten rules. You murdered a PRT consultant in his own home, and now the PRT is hunting you. The only reason we don't have every villain in town looking for you is because they don't want to admit Coil and Calvert are the same person since it'd look bad for them, but that won't last with how many moles they have," Lisa says, clearly panicked.

"Ah, I see. Of course they're hunting me. It's exciting, isn't it?" I ask, making her stare at me in utter disbelief.

"You don't get it. They found out that Coil knew their identities, and they're saying you stole PRT Cape identities from Calvert. They're going to want anyone who might have seen that information, including me, you lunatic," Lisa says shrilly. See, this is why I don't think she's quite the right material to bear my children. "It's only a matter of time before they find out that you've kidnapped me; that's attention I don't need."

Far too panicky over such a little thing.

"You're quite safe here, and they'll find me quite troublesome to capture," I promise reassuringly. "Everything is going to be just fine."

"You realise they won't let this go? Even if you manage to fight off the local heroes, they won't stop. Not now that you've shown off what you can do; they'll want to force you to join them to avoid the Birdcage," Lisa says, but I just smile.

"And they'll fail; the harder they try to stop me, the faster I'll gain new powers and leave them in my dust, where they belong," I scoff, a confident smile on my face. "I do not fear those overblown bureaucrats, nor should you. They're living in my world; the sooner they realise that, the better."

— Lisa Wilbourne (Tattletale) — 

She could see two potential outcomes of Sebastian's mad ambition. 

Either he had as much potential as he thought he did and took over the city. Or, more likely, he was vastly overestimating himself, and it would only be a matter of time until his disregard for the Unwritten rules saw him getting a kill order or Triumvirate response.

But she shook her head, and she calmed herself as the lunatic that had her imprisoned wandered off. His power was unbelievable, and the PRT would never kill him when they could use him to mass produce new capes and finally turn the tides in their favour. 

No, they'd want to take him alive and force him into their organisation to avoid being Birdcaged, which she suspected Sebastian wouldn't go for.

There was a genuine malice in his eyes when he talked about the PRT; whatever he was planning, he truly disliked them. It wasn't quite hatred, but it was close.

She gave it three days before people learnt of Coil's death and that Sebastian had blatantly pissed on the Unwritten rules to kill him. 

Every gang would want Sebastian; the Merchants were actually pushing the Empire back on one front, and this success would be quickly attributed to Sebastian, not Skidmark.

Which was exactly what Sebastian wanted, but for what? What did he get out of inviting all the attention upon himself?

He said it himself: he would get stronger faster the harder people tried to take him down. He knew how his power grew; he was inviting them to try so he could grow from the conflict.

A Trump version of Lung? Gaining permanent power-ups from the fighting? Maybe, but she just didn't know.

If that was the case, he might just pull this mad plan off. He'd keep growing stronger, gaining more powers, which he could then use to super-power his own gang and capes. He might actually know what he was doing, a method to the madness he was inflicting on Brockton Bay.

The fact was that the Unwritten Rules only applied to those who weren't strong enough to ignore them. Lung and Hookwolf had plenty of Cape kills, but Lung was too strong to challenge, and Hookwolf had the entire Empire Eighty-Eight backing him.

The question was, could Sebastian get to that level of power before the army he'd raised against himself could take him down?

If he could, he'd rise to the top of the cape world. If his power didn't have side effects, he'd be able to demand any price and have every gang and even the heroes themselves kissing his feet and fighting each other for his attention. 

And he'd drag her up to the top with him, his Spymaster, right by his side. 

But it worked both ways because if he failed, she'd get dragged down with him. It was a gamble, but she had explored this place, and something told her that heading out into the savannah outside wasn't a good escape plan.

They weren't in Africa, she was sure of that; Sebastian just had an entire African Savannah outside, populated with elephants, zebras and all other kinds of animals.

His power made no sense, but she needed to figure it out. It was driving her mad, but he might just be able to do what he planned.

And if so, she was looking at one hell of a promotion. Sebastian seemed honest in his offer to empower her, and while her recruitment wasn't ideal, this was one hell of an opportunity.

Worst case, she'd have to play the victim. Going from being enslaved by Coil to being kidnapped by Sebastian should make her look nice and sympathetic. 

Sebastian was serious in his decision to make her his spymaster; she'd been left with control over Coil's mercenaries and had access to the stolen funds and information. 

If she could prove herself useful, she could keep getting more powers while she waited to see if she needed an exit strategy or whether sticking with Sebastian was the right decision.

The first step in her plan was to make herself useful. She needed to make sure the people Coil had by the balls didn't get any funny ideas about being free when Coil's death became public knowledge. 

Then, she needed to get the Undersiders under control. It wouldn't be hard; Brian still needed help getting Aisha (which Coil had never planned to truly help him with), Rachel just needed money for her dogs, and Alec was Alec.

Handing Sebastian three new capes tied up with a nice neat bow would only help her get his trust, and it wasn't like it'd change things for the Undersiders that much.

Okay, fine. Maybe moving from a shadowy boss they didn't even know the name of to a madman who was rapidly rising on the local PRT's most-wanted list wasn't the best change, but… tough.

They'd turn on her if it benefited them; it was nothing personal.

…where had Sebastian gone, anyway?

— Max Anders — 

They'd lost to the Merchants.

Sitting in his office, he seethed at the black eye Skidmark and his band of junkies had just dealt the Empire.

They'd made a surprise attack to take down territory that bordered the Merchants' dump, and he hadn't thought much of it. 

Stormtiger and Rune seemed like overkill, at least with no Killdozer in sight. 

They'd lost badly, the usually drunk and disorderly thugs had suddenly developed muscles that would make Brad jealous, and every single one of them had supernatural accuracy.

Rune got shot in the leg by a trickshot, some nobody ricocheting a bullet off a lamppost to hit her when she was on her platform. 

That wasn't even mentioning their ability to suddenly clone their entire force, doubling their numbers and driving back the Empire. 

He knew how this had happened, of course. Nothing stayed secret in Brockton Bay. Not for long, anyway.

This Sebastian was the true source of the black eye he'd been dealt, presumably empowering the Merchants as some kind of test.

This alone would have been infuriating, but it was still an opportunity. They simply needed to grab this new cape and put his skills to use for the Empire, and they'd finally be able to push the other gangs and the PRT out of the city, but no.

The blows hadn't stopped coming.

Rune was badly hurt, so they'd called for Othala, and while she answered, she never arrived at the safe house they were keeping Rune in.

Someone had intercepted her, and it didn't take long to find out that the Merchants had been responsible.

Squealer hadn't been around for the attack because it was a diversion; someone had intercepted their messages and changed the destination to lead her into a trap.

There had been men with her, of course, but they'd been easily dealt with. 

This was no Skidmark; he lacked the brains for a plan like this. No, Sebastian was using the Merchants to wage a proxy war against him.

Without Othala, healing became problematic, as Panacea refused to heal villains- especially Empire capes- due to that incident with Fleur. 

They could try to force the matter, but targeting Panacea was something only a true madman would do. She had too much goodwill for that to end well. Healing capes were extremely rare, and he couldn't think of any others he could get access to that didn't come with unpleasant side effects.

It meant Rune was out of commission for months unless they got Othala back, and any future fights would become far more problematic. Winning fights didn't help them if it put their capes out of commission for weeks.

It'd be death by a thousand paper cuts, and Lung wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of any weakness they showed.

They needed Othala back as soon as possible, and they needed to teach the Merchants a lesson for this insult… which was unfortunately not as easy a prospect as it sounded. The Merchants survived by their cockroach-like nature. They didn't have any real high-value places they could hit, and even the drug labs and Squealer's garages tended to be easily replaced. The Merchants would go to ground, only to spring up again later.

They'd need to hit a cape to really hurt them, but that was easier said than done. Still, priority number one was to get Othala back; they could worry about hurting the Merchants and capturing the bastard who was pulling their strings later.

For now, he sent the order for Hookwolf to take some of their men and cause havoc on the Merchant's turf. 

– Sherrel Bailey (Squealer) –

"Excellent work, Squealer. The Merchants have more than kept their end of the bargain," Sebastian said, clapping his hands together happily as he looked at the bound and gagged Othala. She didn't look thrilled that Sherrel had stuck a (well-used) ball gag in her mouth.

"Considering how our boys fucked the Empire up with your magic touch, I'd say we got the better end of this bargain. The nazi fuckers are gonna come looking for their stuck-up cunt, you know?" Sherrel warned, making him nod happily.

"Oh, I'm counting on it," Sebastian said, giving her a dangerous look. She'd be lying if she said it didn't make her a little wet. There was some dark shit going on behind his smiling face. "Are you enjoying your own upgrades, my dear?"

"Are you kidding me? I feel fucking fantastic, and do you have any idea how much of a difference it makes to have another set of my hands around the workshop? It's a fucking godsend that any Tinker would suck your cock for even if it lasted just a day. Hell, pretty sure Prickmaster would let you take the stick out of his ass and replace it with your cock for a taste of this," Sherrel snorted.

"I'm sure, but he's not quite my type, even if he does have a rather nice beard," Sebastian nodded seriously. "I take it you're interested in more upgrades in the future then?"

"Damn right, I am," Sherrel agreed easily. She wondered if Skidmark even realised what Sebastian had done. He was the ultimate drug dealer, and he'd given them the first hit free. Now he had Skidmark and all of them hooked, desperate to keep the high he'd given them and get another hit.

Skidmark didn't even hesitate to agree to attack the Empire for the thirty hits of the Bullseye power-up, uncaring of the war it would start. Sebastian had them by the balls. He could slap Skidmark across the face, bend her over the hood of her car and fuck her ass, and they'd have to say, 'Thank you, Daddy, may I have another'

Not that she minded calling him daddy if he was into that because she could see where the tides were shifting, now that her new body was cleared of all that gunk Skiddy used to get her in the first place. 

Sebastian was the next big thing, and Skidmark was a tool he was using for free advertisement. 

"I'll keep you in mind as new options become available, my dear. I do think you have some wonderful potential," Sebastian said, giving her a smile. "I'm sure we can come to an agreement that leaves us both satisfied. But for now, I do believe I have a guest to take care of, and it'd be rude of me to ignore her."

"Heh, well, when you want to be satisfied, you know where I am," Sherrel flirted, patting him on the ass as she got into her van and started driving away, leaving Sebastian with his new pet nazi bitch. 

She needed to go to ground for a while anyway; the Empire was gonna be out in force tonight.

– Ophelia Herren (Othala) –

As she was carried through a fucking portal like a bag of potatoes under the bastard's arms, she wriggled around until he simply dropped her facefirst on the floor. Her heart sank as the portal closed, and he reached down, pulling the ball gag out and letting it hang around her neck.

"Kaiser is going to kill you for this, and that's if he can get you before my family does," Ophelia said with a certain confidence she didn't really feel as she glared up at the smiling face of her kidnapper.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll try. It might even be fun," Sebastian said; what kind of mad villain didn't cover his face and used his real name? If that was his real name. "But I couldn't have you healing up the Empire capes. I do so hate it when someone undoes my hard work, and a storm is coming for you, and your fellow neo-nazis."

"You're insane, and you're going to suffer for striking at the Empire. We protect our own," Ophelia threatened, but his smile didn't shift as he lifted her to her feet, her hands still duct-taped behind her back.

"Perhaps, but ask yourself this. If I'm insane, is provoking me smart? I've already demonstrated how little I fear your Empire, and a single bullet could remove the inconvenience that you pose just as easily as my little snatch and grab. I promise you, they'd never find the body," Sebastian said with an unnerving cheer. "If you're right, your fellows will come for you, and you'll be freed. If I'm right, they'll fail. Either way, I suggest you get comfortable in your new home because you won't be leaving here anytime soon. "

She froze, disbelieving that anyone would so casually break the Unwritten rules, but something about him just unnerved her. Freeing her hands, he still had that same joyful smile on his face as she immediately turned and made a run for the entryway she'd seen.

Pushing the door open, she froze midstep as a lion stared back at her, pausing its devouring of a zebra's corpse. She was in Africa?

"By all means, go free. Run to the hills, run for your life," Sebastian said as he followed behind her. "You won't get anywhere, of course, but it'll be fun to watch all the same. Or you could come with me, and I can show you where you'll be staying as long as you behave yourself."

Staring out across the seemingly endless savannah, she turned and followed him back inside. Kaiser would find her, somehow. They had Thinker support from their European allies; they'd find her.

Another blonde paused as they walked up the stairs, blinking in shock and recognition.

"Oh, Sebastian. You didn't? What am I saying? Of course, you did. Let me guess, did you also happen to leave Kaiser an autograph and make sure there is no doubt who exactly has stolen the Empire's healer?" the other girl said, sounding resigned and annoyed.

"I did not; perhaps that's something I'll have to look into next time," Sebastian said playfully, giving the girl a smile as he continued on his way, leading her to an admittedly very nice room. "Now, as long as you are a well-behaved house guest, you'll find your time here mostly painless. Should you try anything silly, I will be forced to start… disciplining you and removing the privileges. Just consider this an involuntary vacation, with only the occasional interrogation."

"I-interrogation?" Ophelia asked, making him nod.

"Oh, I'm sure you have all manner of Empire secrets rattling about in that head of yours. I just want to pry a few free, that's all," Sebastian said with an unnerving stare. "Don't worry, as long as you don't be too troublesome, your secrets will be the only thing you lose. Not your dignity, limbs, life, etcetera."

Shuddering, she backed away from him, hitting the edge of the bed as he simply stared at her. 

"Well, I'll leave you to get settled in. I'm sure you have a lot to think about," Sebastian said, clapping his hands together. "We'll have plenty of time to chat later."

Leaving her alone, she felt her heart pound in her chest. They'd find her; the Empire wouldn't leave her in the hands of this lunatic. She repeated it in her head, a mantra to try and calm herself down.

Maybe if she said it enough, she'd start to believe it.

– Sebastian Fairfax –

"So, war with the Empire first?" Lisa asked, making me smile. "I suppose stealing their healer is a good start, and Kaiser was going to come for you either way. It's not as bad as I first thought," Lisa sighs, making me chuckle. 

Feats Achieved: Declare War on the Empire Eighty-Eight. Defeat Othala. Rewards: Two Rolls.

"I assure you, this will be a good thing for us," I promise. "I want you to probe Othala for information, put that thinker power you're so proud of to use."

"Got it, boss," Lisa agrees, not quite hiding her annoyance.

Hm, two kidnapped blonde teenage girls in one day. I suppose I could go for three… no, let's not push it.

Rolling. Results: Rare Power, Legendary Artefact

Rare Power

[Kid Win: Tinker Speciality: Modularity]

You are a tinker that specialises in making modular tech.

Legendary Artefact

[Belt of Storm Giant Strength]

This belt grants the wearer the immense strength of a storm giant, able to perform deeds of immense strength.

Yes, this will work nicely. The Empire will be a lovely source of rolls, and I get to inconvenience some neo-nazi bastards. 

A true win-win.

— Bonus Scene — Francis Krouse (Trickster)

Coil was dead before they could even meet him. All that, for their current best chance at curing Noelle to be killed before they could even reach Brockton Bay. 

Still, this wasn't the end of the world, he thought as he looked at the PHO thread about this Sebastian. He didn't know if Mush was actually a Case-53, but Sebastian had turned him from an ugly abomination to a fairly attractive and less malformed man.

Plus, the bastard owed them for killing Coil. How Accord knew Sebastian was responsible, he didn't know, but wasn't stupid enough to ask. Sebastian had stolen Coil's resources, hopefully, that included whatever Coil had planned to help Noelle.

They just had to grab him and convince him to help them.