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Rating:
Mature
Archive Warning:
Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Fandoms:
Parahumans Series - WildbowFate/stay night & Related FandomsFate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (Anime 2014)
Characters:
Cú Chulainn | LancerTaylor Hebert | Skitter | Weaver
Additional Tags:
Self-InsertCYOA
Language:
English
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Published:2023-11-19Updated:2026-08-08Words:70,172Chapters:22/?Comments:390Kudos:1,408Bookmarks:566Hits:50,259
Hebert's Hound
TheCandyManCant
Chapter 18: 18
Chapter Text
I didn't have many occasions to wear normal clothes. Actually, strike that. I had no occasions that required me to wear normal clothes. All of my time was either spent training Taylor, following Taylor while she patrolled, or wandering around astralized. None of those required any apparel other than my armor. When I was astralized, I could walk around naked and no one would know. All this left me in a bit of a predicament.
I had no clothes for my date with Mouse Protector.
I could have hastily sewn something together like how I'd made Taylor's costume, but I was trying to blend in, not stand out. Anything I made would be noteworthy for one reason or another, so I decided against that option. Thus, I was left with no option but to do that which all noble heroes of the past must from time to time.
I waited until the touristy shops on the boardwalk closed and stole a shirt, a coat, some pants and a hat. Then I had to double back when I was half-way to Taylor's house because I realized I forgot to grab shoes and socks.
Now I know, heroes in this godforsaken universe aren't supposed to steal. Theft is bad. I'm supposed to stop the bad guys. How can I be a beacon of light if I consort with the temptations of villainy?
My counterpoint: I needed pants. I'd beat up a nazi or two later to make up for it.
Taylor didn't ask where my new ensemble came from. I wasn't sure if she was trying to be tactful about the obvious theft or if she was just too gobsmacked by the fact that I'd somehow landed a date to realize her servant had fallen to the side of evil. I'll be honest, I was pleasantly surprised too.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't think Mouse Protector was just playing around when we sparred, but I also didn't expect her to be so forward. I was expecting more of the touch-and-go kind of relationship that's so popularized in super hero settings. Two caped crusaders meeting at different points in time, trading barbs, never saying or doing too much. Then Mouse Protector went and knelt down on one knee like she was going to propose. I won't lie. I had a mini heart attack there. Had she asked for my hand in marriage, I probably would have bolted. I'm not ready for a serious commitment. My track record is crap in that regard. Besides, it's hard to look to the future when you're a literal dead man walking.
Still, that doesn't mean I can't have some fun.
I strolled down the streets of New York, hands resting easily in the pockets of the black jeans I wore. I had a green coat with ocean-inspired designs over a white shirt. Atop my head sat a ballcap with the head of a dachshund looking all serious and princely. One of the tourist shops I raided had memorabilia sporting different animals as well as symbols and banners from all around the world. I almost took their last Irish flag hat, but that seemed a little too on the nose, so I grabbed the dog hat instead. I'm nothing if not subtle.
One thing really stood out to me about New York in comparison to Brockton Bay, a comparison that shocked me – New York was cleaner. Now, before I died – the American me who read Worm as opposed to the Irish demigod me who fought EMIYA the faking faker – I went to New York once. It smelled. It was filthy. The people were rude. Maybe I went at a bad time, but I never had any interest in going back. Brockton Bay was an entirely separate level of filthy. That city was actively pulling apart at the seams and everyone just went along pretending everything was fine. Then again, it was the favored genesis point for the story and universe of ultimate suffering that was Worm, so maybe the impending doom was part of the city's charm.
Regardless, I actually found myself somewhat relaxing as I walked the streets. Instead of spilled bags of garbage littered across every block, there was only one every two or three blocks. There was still room for improvement, but we can't all be perfect.
I briefly wondered if there was a way I could convince Taylor to move out here instead of staying in Brockton Bay. I understood she wanted to clean up her hometown, but it was a complete crapshoot, barely worth salvaging. That wasn't even mentioning the strings Cauldron was pulling in the background to make sure it stayed miserable. I didn't want her living in that environment long-term, even if she was now capable of taking care of herself. Her mental health was in a really bad place when she summoned me. She was getting better, all the training and patrolling had given her something to look forward to and focus on, but a change of scenery might really help her see things in a new light.
Alas, her father would never leave, and she wouldn't leave him. He might choose to leave if Taylor told him about her costume-clad activities, but she was still firmly against that idea and I didn't really have a reason to go against her wishes there. Danny had barely been around in the time I'd been here. He'd paid bills, ate the occasional meal with Taylor, but most of his time was spent elsewhere. He didn't even seem to realize he had a kid anymore. By how he interacted with her, Taylor seemed more like a work acquaintance than his child. He certainly wasn't playing the role one would expect of a father. Not that I could judge him too harshly given my own track record in that regard. I really needed to get Taylor more friends. Hanging around no one but a dead demigod with a battle fetish couldn't be good for her social development. It probably contributed to her poor mental state too.
But that was tomorrow me's problem! I came here for a reason!
Rosco's NY Pizza and Calzone Corner was a meager establishment situated at the corner where two major roads met. There was a red awning over the windows stained with refuse that clearly hadn't been cleaned in years and a flashing 'Open' sign, though half the bulbs on the light didn't blink on. The 'p' was dark. Shoddy aesthetics aside, the aroma of melted cheese that grew stronger as I approached was heavenly. I pulled the glass door open and stepped inside, wiping whatever mystery sticky goober the door handle left on my hand on the leg of my pants.
It was early evening, but there were already several people seated in the restaurant with many more in line to order. I imagined in another hour or two this place would be packed. Definitely a tick in the restaurant's favor. It wouldn't have a loyal, ever-present clientele if it wasn't good.
As I scanned the restaurant's occupants, my eyes lingered on a small booth table in the back near a hallway leading off towards the restrooms. I nudged my way past the people waiting to order and slid into the booth.
"Excuse me?" I said.
A woman looked up as I spoke. She had bushy brown hair that seemed like it would resist any effort to comb it that fell down to her shoulders. She had dazzling brown eyes and a cute face. She smiled as I sat across from her.
"Can I help you?" she asked, a mischievous smile on her face.
"A friend told me this is a good place to get a bite to eat. Said the company isn't too bad either. I was wondering if you'd like to share a pizza? I'm buying."
The woman shook her head. "No can do, buddy. I already ordered. I was supposed to meet a friend here, but he was taking so long to show up that I just went ahead and ordered myself."
"In that case, why don't I keep you company until your friend gets here?" I nodded my head in a meager bow. "Cu, at your service."
She raised an eyebrow. "Cu? That's an interesting name. Can't say I've heard it before."
"I'll take that as a compliment. I always knew I was one of a kind. Though if Cu isn't to your liking, I've also been known to go by Setanta."
The corner of the woman's lip pulled up. "That's a fancy name. I like it. I think I'll stick with Cu though. It has more punch to it. We'll save Setanta for special occasions." She stuck a hand out. "I'm Karen. Good to meet you, Cu."
I gently took her hand, laying a kiss on her knuckles. "Likewise, Karen."
Karen raised an eyebrow as she took her hand back. "A little old-fashioned there, Cu."
"I wouldn't think thou would protest, milady."
"Just an observation."
Our conversation paused as a balding middle-aged man wearing a grease-stained white shirt and apron walked towards us. HIs gut was so big he had to squeeze between the tables. He dropped a pizza tray down on the table unceremoniously and left without a word.
"Five-star service," I commented, watching the man go.
Karen chuckled. "I don't come here for the service. I come for the food. Give it a shot. You won't be disappointed." She was already prying a pepperoni-laden slice free of the greater pie, folding it over on itself and taking a large bite.
I followed her example, giving the pizza a try.
I hadn't eaten much since Taylor summoned me. I was a Heroic Spirit, spirit being the operative word. I didn't need to eat, and the Hebert family's financial situation wasn't the greatest. I had no intention of being a burden on their resources. I'd only stolen the odd french fry from the Winslow lunch line or grabbed an apple here and there. As such, it was no exaggeration to say that this slice of pizza was the greatest thing I had eaten since entering this world. It was good. Salty. Cheesy. Plenty of pepperoni. And just the right amount of grease.
"Damn," I said.
"Right?" Karen said, a bright smile on her face. She took another bite. "So, Cu," she began hurriedly swallowing the bite she took, "What do you do for fun?"
"Good ice-breaker," I gave her a thumbs up. "I like going on walks and reading books when I'm relaxing. Occasionally I'll mess around on PHO, but my favorite pastime? I enjoy fighting."
"Fighting?" Karen said, leaning forward. "Are you a boxer?"
"I think it would be more accurate to say I'm a martial artist. I prefer fighting with weapons. Are you familiar with a bo staff?"
Karen smirked. "Big long stick you smack people over the head with?"
"Exactly! I'm fond of those, but my true love is the spear."
"You don't say." She looked terribly amused. "I'm something of a fighter myself. I prefer swords and shields though. They're easier to maneuver, and it puts a giant hunk of metal between me and the bad guy. I try not to take it too seriously though. It's more fun when you humiliate someone doing their best to take you down while making it clear you're barely even trying."
"I imagine that makes for quite the spectacle. What about hobbies? What do you do aside from fighting?"
Karen shrugged. "I work a lot. When I have time off I like seeing new places. It's easier for me to get around than most because I don't have anything tying me down. I'll spend a couple days checking out a new city or town. If I like what I find, I'll stick around a while or visit again. If I don't like it, I just move on."
"Sounds like fun."
"It is, but there's some downsides too. I don't have a lot of friends, and travelling so much makes it hard to find time to keep up with the ones I do have. I meet a lot of really cool people, but I'm never in one place long enough to really get to know anyone."
"I can see how that would get lonely." Lancer smacked the table. "Well! We can't have that. I hereby declare you are now one friend richer! I may be a little strange at times, but I can promise things will never be boring around me."
"Is that so?" Karen said, an amused twinkle in her eyes. "Okay, friend. Do you want to get out of here? There's an arcade across the street."
"Do they have Galaga?" I asked with a grin.
Karen grinned in challenge. "I've got the high score."
"Not for long."
X
The Galaga machine was taken when we made it into the arcade. Karen and I jumped around between a bunch of old classics. Pacman, Asteroids, Missile Command, Frogger, Centipede, Donkey Kong – it was a lot of fun.
Karen had clearly been here more than once because she was damn good at most of the games. I kicked her ass in Pacman though. Aside from Galaga, that one was always my go-to.
When the twelve-year-old kid finally got off the Galaga machine, I claimed it and started a round while Karen loomed over my shoulder.
"Let's see if you're all talk, Cu." Karen said, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against a nearby wall.
"Worry not, milady, I shall be gracious and honorable while basking in mine victory."
Karen snorted. "Ahuh, let's see it."
What followed was a dazzling display of gaming brilliance only attainable by a geek who had no friends all through high school and spent all of his time at arcades and, when the arcades started to close down, in his mother's basement with a mini Galaga machine he got for his birthday,
Karen's demeanor slowly shifted from confident to uncertain, then to nervous as I neared her score. I had plenty of extra lives, and it was clear I was on my way to victory.
Of course, that was when disaster struck. Quite literally.
The street outside the arcade exploded. Chunks of cement and concrete rubble rained down as people began screaming, fleeing in all directions.
Karen and I turned to look at the street. The Galaga console let out several smaller explosions as my triple stack of ships were all blown away.
"Disaster," Karen said, looking irritated. "He's with the Teeth. He can hurl little energy balls that explode."
"Disaster? That name speaks to an ego problem. And I thought the Teeth were in Boston?" I didn't remember a cape named Disaster from canon. Had I forgotten him or was he just never mentioned?
"They are," Karen said. "They've got a presence here too. The Butcher mostly hangs out here and keeps some heavy-hitters on standby. She's not suicidal, but there's been more than one occassion where she's intentionally let Legend hit her with one of his lasers."
"I can't imagine that would go over well." Legend as the next Butcher? That would be scary if I didn't have an instant 'I win' button. I wondered if the Butcher could take me over if I were to kill them. I didn't have a shard, and I also had a bunch of tiny runes scribbled around my ears to protect my mind from foreign presences. I'd set them up a week after I got here. I didn't know if Masters would be able to affect me and wanted to err on the side of caution. I gave the same protections to Taylor. They weren't foolproof or anything, but it was much better than most people had in this world.
"Yeah, the PRT has been trying to limit Legend's interactions with the Butcher to make sure Butcher doesn't get lucky. Do you want to finish the game? You've almost got the high score."
I sent one last longing look at the game console before turning away. "Alas, duty calls. You and I will have to come back here sometime so we can pick up where we left off."
Karen smiled. "It's a date. I'll see you in a minute." She vanished. Normally, such a blatant use of her powers would risk outing her secret identity. Right now though? The arcade was empty. People saw the explosion and cleared out quickly, sprinting away in all directions. The people of New York seemed to have better survival instincts than the idiots in Brockton Bay. I only saw two people recording the events on the street as opposed to the seven or eight that were around when I fought Fenja and Menja. Another tick in the column labelled, 'Benefits of moving Taylor to New York City'.
Another explosion rocked the street.
I sighed. In a flash of blue energy, my suit and armor appeared around my body. I rested Gae Bolg over my shoulders, twisting my hips and shoulders to limber up.
A third explosion shook the arcade.
Best get to it then. I walked out of the arcade, Gae Bolg resting over my shoulder.
Aside from the two idiots crouched behind cars filming, there were only two other figures present on the street. The first was a masculine figure in a long dark robe. He carried a long wooden staff and wore a domino mask with stars on it. He had a long pointy hat on top of his head like he was cosplaying as a wizard.
"Submit, cretin! You are no match for my magic!" he yelled.
I stared through half-lidded eyes at the absurdity I was witnessing. I thought Myrdin was the only dummy that thought his powers were magic. There were more of these posers?
"Stop moving so I can kill you!" an enraged man yelled. He wore a biker jacket and a skull mask. He had blue jeans that were torn to pieces with a chain for a belt. The man reared his arm back, summoning a small sphere of orange energy. As he moved to throw it, The man with the staff shouted some nonsense magical phrase and the Ghost Rider wannabe stumbled, tossing their destruction ball fifteen meters off target.
I'd had enough of this.
"Hey!"
Both figures paused, heads whipping in my direction.
"Normally I'd give you two a thorough thrashing and be on my way, but you caught me at a really bad time. I was in the middle of something and would like to get back to it. Any chance you two can settle this like big boys and talk through your problems?"
Ghost Rider Wannabe hurled an explosion ball at me.
I traced a rune in front of my finger and flicked the explosion ball upward right before it struck me. It detonated harmlessly thirty feet above us.
"Guess not," I said, scowling.
"Ahoy, New York!"
All three of us turned to look at the roof of a building across the street. Standing tall, shoulder cape fluttering in the breeze, sword aimed to the sky, Mouse Protector addressed the entire street.
"Avast ye mateys! Yar Mouse Protector be here! Ye villains timbers be shivverin! The Mouse'll give yar a thrashin!"
"Are you a pirate now?" I called. "What happened to the whole knight thing?"
"I be havin' no idea what ye be saying, handsome sailor. The Mouse always be sailing the high seas! She not be no stinky landlubber!"
I shrugged, flipping Gae Bolg into a ready stance.
"Avast, these sailors be filthy.
No manners, learn'ed from mommy.
They ruined my night.
Askin' for a fight.
Now en garde! Give me yer booty!"
"What?" Wizard man said with a tilted head. He was so confused he didn't notice Mouse Protector teleport behind him and smack him in the back of the head with the pommel of her sword. He crumpled like a scarecrow without its stand.
Explosion Man threw more orbs towards Mouse Protector, I leapt in front of her and knocked them all up into the air with Gae Bolg. He seemed shocked that we hadn't exploded yet, frantically looking around while he tried to think up an idea to beat us or escape. He didn't get the chance.
Faster than he could perceive, I sprinted up on him and swept his legs out from underneath him with Gae Bolg. I planted the haft of my spear against his back and punched down, shoving him facefirst into the ground. A pearl-colored rune glowed into being on his back, freezing him in place.
"Stay," I said, pointing a finger at him like he was a naughty child.
Mouse Protector appeared at my side. "Yar, not only be their canons small and soft, they be not knowin how to use their equipment! Yar, there's no greater crime on the seas. Yar."
"Are these guys the typical caliber of villain around here? How has Legend not sent these guys packing?" I asked. These two were a little too easy to take down.
"They were alone. The groups are more dangerous when they work together. Besides, I may be fast, but I can't be everywhere in the city."
Mouse Protector and I looked up at a flying man in a grey-white costume surrounded by a corona of green energy.
"Yar! It be the Queen's Royal Navy!" Mouse Protector cried dramatically. "We best be makin' our escape before they take our booty! Away, handsome sailor!"
Before I could protest, Mouse Protector swept up my legs into her arms, carrying me bridal style as she began to run away down the street.
Legend easily caught up to us and floated through the air, keeping pace. "I haven't seen you in a while, Mouse Protector. How have you been?"
"Ah! They's caught us! Every Mouse for himself!"
"Oof!" I let out an overdramatic sound as Mouse Protector disappeared, dropping me on the ground.
Legend landed, bending down and offering me a hand. He had a warm smile on his face. "Sorry about her. She's always been like that. I'm Legend."
"Lancer," I said, taking his hand and letting him pull me to my feet.
"I know. I try to keep myself appraised of what happens on the East Coast. I saw videos of your dramatic first outing. Can't say I expected to see you in New York, but it's good to have you here."
"I'm in town visiting. I'll be heading back to Brockton in a bit."
"I won't say I'm not disappointed. Having more heroes in the city makes my life easier, but I understand the situation Brockton Bay is in. They need all the help they can get."
"It's been nice meeting you, Legend, but you need to secure some villains and I need to track down a wayward mouse. Maybe I'll see you later?"
Legend held out his hand and I shook it. "It was good to meet you, Lancer. If you ever find yourself back in town, come stop by the Protectorate headquarters. I'd love to talk more with you." He looked over his shoulder at the frozen Ghost Rider wannabe. "Could you do me a favor before you go and undo your power? It'll be hard to transport him if he's frozen."
"It'll wear off in a couple minutes. Plenty of time for the PRT guys to get here and foam him. It's been a pleasure, Legend." I didn't wait for him to say anything else. I hopped up onto a building and dropped down behind it. The second I was out of sight I astralized and sprinted several blocks away. I'd had enough Cape BS for tonight.
When I first showed up in Brockton Bay, I'd gone looking for a fight. At the time, I was disappointed that there was no one to beat up, but as time went on, I was grateful that things didn't explode every night because it was better for Taylor. Now, I'd spent around four hours in New York and was already pulled into a fight. Maybe this city wasn't the best place to get Taylor into a better mental space.
I wonder what Seattle's like this time of year? Maybe getting Taylor to the other side of the country would be a better fresh start?
X
Mouse Protector teleported back to me when I let my astralized form fade. She suggested we hang out on the rooftops. I climbed up to the nearest tall building I saw and she teleported to me. Now, we sat with our legs over the edge looking out over the city.
"Tonight was fun," I said.
"It certainly had everything you could ask for." Mouse Protector agreed. "Good food. Games. A surprise villain attack. A triumphant defeat of the forces of evil. Fleeing from the agents of the law. Good times. Although…" She laid her sword across her legs. "I didn't get a chance to use my fire sword."
"How are you liking the little improvement I made?"
She chuckled. "Aside from almost starting a forest fire, I'm loving it. You wouldn't have any more tricks hidden up your sleeve, would you?"
I pursed my lips for a minute, considering her question. If there were a Clocktower here, they'd be pissed about people sharing magecraft around. Then again, if they existed, they would have probably tried to assassinate Taylor and I by now.
Also, the Clocktower were all assholes.
"Would you mind taking off your armor for a minute?"
Mouse Protector looked at me, gasping. "So forward! You must give a lady a chance to prepare herself before asking such a question."
"Do you want upgrades or not?"
Mouse Protector vanished. Her armor was left suspended in air for a fraction of a second before clattering loudly to the floor of the roof. Karen stood a few steps back on the roof, wearing a sports top and shorts. The black gambeson she wore beneath her armor lay in the pile of her metal armor.
At my questioning look she said, "I can selectively choose what I want to bring with me when I teleport so long as it is non-biological. Now what's this you were saying about upgrades?"
I patted the roof next to me and picked up her gambeson. She sat down and watched me as I got to work scribing runes over all of her equipment.
"So is your power the ability to make these scribbles to improve stuff or hinder things like how you trapped Disaster down there? Do you just draw them on yourself to give you enhancements?" Karen asked, transfixed as I carved small, intricate runes into the collar of her gabeson.
"Something like that." I said, setting the gambeson aside and moving on to her helmet and breastplate. "I'm going to keep the details to myself for now. Stick around me long enough and I'll probably spill the beans." I'd only share the details of my abilities and what runecraft could do once I was sure Taylor was strong enough for it not to matter if people knew how she did what she did. I wasn't going to risk saying something that could come back to put my master in danger.
"Fair enough," Karen accepted easily, watching as I scribbled on her shield. She picked up her helmet, looking over the runes I'd traced on the inside of it. "So what do these do?"
"Mostly just various forms of protection. Your sword is the only thing that I gave new abilities. I just made sure all of this stuff is as good at protecting you as it can be. Well, except the shield."
"What's different about the shield?"
I smiled mischievously at her as I finished my runes. I tossed her shield off the roof.
"Hey!" Karen shouted, only for her eyes to shoot wide as the shield flew back up, landing in my waiting hand.
"I know you can mark all of your stuff and teleport to it, but I figured having a shield you can throw and call back to you would open up some more possibilities while you're fighting."
"How does it work?" Karen asked, helmet laying forgotten on the ground as she flipped her shield over in her hands.
"Just think it. Picture what you want it to do. So long as you're wearing your gloves, it'll come back."
She hastily donned her gloves and tossed the shield a short distance. It leapt off the ground and returned to her waiting hand.
"Fucking awesome." she said, grinning madly.
I put my hands behind my head and leaned back. "I am pretty amazing."
Karen snorted, setting the shield aside as she approached. "Don't get too full of yourself, now. I was just starting to like you." She leaned in and placed a quick kiss on my cheek. "Thank you, Cu. This is amazing."
"It took a couple minutes' effort and it might keep a friend alive. No thanks are necessary."
"A friend? Is that what I am? Here I thought I was laying it on pretty thick."
"It was very clear that this was a date, but I don't know exactly what you want beyond a little fun. Provided my company was enjoyable, I'm assuming you'd like to go out again?"
"We'd better. Not many guys will put up with me for long. You're the only one who is willing to match my energy. By this point, everyone else has already been scared off. That's not even mentioning the whole cape thing. It's hard to start a relationship with someone that doesn't get it, and I can't just go telling people who I am willy-nilly. The last thing I need is a vengeful ex to out me as some form of petty revenge."
"You're not afraid I'll out you? We still haven't known each other that long."
Karen looked at me, eyes shining knowingly as she smiled. "Nah, you wouldn't."
"How do you know?"
"I've heard I'm a grate judge of character."
I chuckled softly, staring off over the city, enjoying the companionable silence that fell.
"Hey," Karen broke the silence after close to a minute.
I looked over. She wouldn't meet my eyes.
"I'm a lot. I know that." she said. "I don't want to go into this with mixed up expectations, so I'll just lay it out. I don't want anything casual or off-and-on. I know that may sound weird given my whole thing, but I tend not to pursue anything like this unless I see it going somewhere. You're fun. I like you well enough to want to see where things go, and I think you like me. If you just want something casual, that's fine, but I'm not who you should pursue that with. If you're looking for something more, then… Well…" She trailed off, finally turning to look at me.
My throat was suddenly dry. I wasn't great with emotional matters in either of my past lives. Pursuing partners? I was known as a Hound for more than one reason. I could do that all day. Actually handling the emotional connection well and not devastating the life and feelings of the person I cared about? That was an entirely separate matter. My track record with leaving my partners feeling happy or even content was…poor.
I really appreciated Karen laying everything out so clearly though. If this was what she wanted…
I wasn't a good match for her. It may sound corny and fake, but it really wasn't her. She was great. Fun. Witty. Able to kick my ass. I just… I couldn't be that. Not for her. Not for anyone.
I was dead, a Heroic Spirit walking on borrowed time. At some point, I'd fade away. Taylor might run out of command seals and overtax herself, cutting off my mana supply. She might just run out of mana in general and I'd fade because she couldn't support me. Maybe whatever glitch in reality brought us together violently course-corrects and I get shunted back to the Throne of Heroes. Maybe I actually fight something on my level and my ticket gets punched. No matter what it was, I wasn't long for this world. I didn't belong.
I didn't resent that fact. It's just the reality of being a Heroic Spirit. You're given a brief second lease on life to serve as a tool until you're no longer needed, then, like with any tool that's outlived its usefulness, you get tossed away. I don't think Taylor saw our relationship like that, but at the end of the day, it was the simple reality of our situation. I wasn't really here. I was a figment, a ghost walking among the living without truly belonging.
Karen was fun. She deserved someone great that could give her what she wanted. That man was not me. Agreeing to something like this when she didn't know she was talking to a dead man was just the kind of thing I would have done in my first life, and I would have left another broken heart behind me. What were second chances for if not to do better?
"I–"
'I'm sorry to bug you on your date, Lancer, but Vicky told me I should let you know what's going on.'
I frowned as Taylor's voice suddenly spoke into my mind. 'Why are you with Glory Girl? I thought you were going to spend tonight training at the warehouse. Where are you? What's happening?'
'The captured Empire capes were being transported out of the city tonight. There's not a lot of time for a full explanation. The other Empire capes are trying to break them out of the different convoys and there's a big fight. I'm going to help.'
I was on my feet in a heartbeat, Gae Bolg thrumming in my hand.
"Cu?" Karen said, sounding concerned.
'Use a command seal to bring me back to you. I don't want you fighting the Empire alone.'
'I won't be alone. Vicky and the Protectorate are already there. It's not even all the Empire capes. I'll be fine, just head back when you can so you can help with the cleanup.'
'Master, I'm serious. Summon me back.'
There was no response.
'Taylor!'
I felt a wall come up between us as she blocked me out.
I growled in frustration.
"What's wrong?" Karen asked, concerned, laying a hand on my shoulder.
"The Empire's trying to break out their capes. Cletiné is going to fight. I'm sorry to cut this short, but I need to go right now." I moved to hop off the building, but Karen's grip on my arm stopped me.
"Wait, what? Slow down. How do you know? What's–"
"Karen, I need to go. I'm sorry."
Karen's lips thinned into a line. "If the Empire's trying to break out their buddies, MM will probably be there. I'll go check things out and report back, okay? Give me two seconds." She vanished.
I seriously debated taking off at a full sprint back towards Brockton Bay without waiting for Karen to return. If she hadn't come back four seconds later, I likely would have.
Karen reappeared, immediately bending over to scoop up her armor, carefully balancing the metal plating in her arms with the gambeson haphazardly strewn over her shoulder. She teleported a foot to her right and was suddenly fully equipped in her Mouse Protector armor. She could use her teleportation power to put on her costume?
Not important right now.
Mouse Protector picked up her sword and shield. "MM's convoy got hit by something that knocked a bunch of the vehicles over. There's a ton of capes I don't recognize on the Empire's side. The PRT needs help. I'll head back to support them and check on Cletiné, get there as fast as you can." She vanished again.
The air fractured, booming in my wake as I took off at my top speed, astralizing moments later to phase through buildings. I ran in a straight line towards Brockton Bay. I was fast, but I wasn't sure if I was fast enough to cross the distance between the two cities in time to influence the fight one way or the other.
I was damn sure going to try.
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