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Jason makes a call.
-x-X-x-
No. While there were perhaps decent reasons for holding back his true strength, the truth was… they weren’t good enough to risk it. Jason had an opportunity to end this fight before it even began without risking Taylor or Fletchette’s lives. Not taking it would be foolhardy.
With that said, Jason points the Staff of Magnus down at Hookwolf. The transforming vilin’s focus is entirely on Fletchette, but he has enough awareness to notice the movement out of the corner of his eye. His head whips in Jason’s direction… but it’s already too te.
“Seal.”
A beam of light falls from the sky onto Hookwolf before the Cape can even hope to react. It’s a tight beam; one meant only for the man and about half a foot around him in every direction. Jason had made it a cylinder, though technically he could have made any number of shapes.
Either way, the effects of the beam are just as instantaneous as the beam itself. Hookwolf freezes in pce mid-transformation, the E88 Cape going unnaturally still as the beam of sealing magic tightens up until it’s wrapped itself around his body tightly.
Jason lets out a breath as he feels the spell take hold in the back of his mind. He also gets an idea of how long it will st even if he doesn’t pour more power from the Staff of Magnus into it. They’re… fine.
Of course, Fletchette is altogether gobsmacked by the sudden dispy of power.
“What… what was that?”
Jason, still focused on Hookwolf and making sure there’s no way for him to break free, responds almost absently and without much thought.
“Sealing spell.”
It’s only after as he feels Fletchette’s uncertainty while she shifts from foot to foot that Jason realizes how he sounds. Capes didn’t have spells. Nor magic. Even when it looked like magic, it was just another parahuman power. At least, that’s what PHO cimed about certain Capes like Myrddin over in Chicago. The Protectorate Hero was somewhat infamous for refusing to drop the magic act and acknowledge that his abilities were parahuman in origin.
Only… Jason felt like his magic actually WAS magic. He didn’t really know what was going on with Myrddin or anything like that, but his power was pretty explicit that the things he was gaining access to were spells, and the energy he was drawing from his Staff of Magnus with was ‘magicka’ or mana.
Still, he wasn’t a Protectorate Hero with a reputation to hide his eccentricities behind like Myrddin. Obviously, Fletchette didn’t know what to make of his cim. Fortunately, in the end, she decides to gloss right over it and move on to more pertinent questions.
“How long will it st?”
Here, Jason hesitates. Studying Hookwolf for a moment, he gnces over at Fletchette.
“You told Hookwolf that Armsmaster was three minutes out. How far away is he really?”
Fletchette winces.
“More like six… though I’m sure if I report that we have Hookwolf in custody, it’ll speed things up rapidly. Can you hold him for minutes though?”
Jason simply nods.
“I can.”
He doesn’t say anything more than that. He doesn’t want to give anything more away than he already has. Fletchette, no doubt realizing that her position as a member of the Protectorate keeps him recalcitrant, just nods in response and quickly turns away to report this new development.
Fortunately the Sealing spell he’s used is good enough that he doesn’t have to actually feed it more energy before the telltale sound of Armsmaster’s motorcycle fills the air. Right behind the leader of Brockton Bay’s Protectorate team come the sight of police cars with sirens bring… and big bck trucks with PRT stamped on the side of them.
Jason can’t help but tense up a little bit and he feels Taylor doing the same at his side. Perhaps they should have left while they could, but unfortunately by sealing Hookwolf like he had, Jason had effectively forced himself to stay. After all, he was the only one who could unseal Hookwolf now. He had effectively taken responsibility for the vilinous cape.
Following Fletchette’s lead, he and Taylor descend from the rooftop to meet Armsmaster down on the ground. The Protectorate Hero is studying Hookwolf intently, or more likely studying the sealing spell that Jason has him under.
“Armsmaster, sir. These are the Independent Heroes, Portent and Weaver. This is their first night out, but they’ve both comported themselves quite well so far.”
Finally tearing his eyes off of Hookwolf, the Tinker takes half a second to look at the two of them before giving them a single nod.
“Well met. Which of you is responsible for Hookwolf’s current state?”
Jason hides his swallow, even as he steps forward with his head held high.
“That would be me. Portent.”
He very almost adds ‘sir’ to the end of that… but no. While it IS somewhat exciting to meet Armsmaster in the flesh, Jason has to remember who he is right now and what’s happening. Portent and Weaver were independents. That meant so long as they broke no ws they were not beholden to the Protectorate or the PRT.
Armsmaster slowly nods, his gaze seeming to sweep over Jason’s armored costume with a bit more focus for a moment. But, inevitably and almost inexorably, his eyes can’t help being drawn back to Hookwolf.
“What did you do to him, exactly? Is he currently aware in this state?”
This time around, Jason is far more careful with his words.
“I effectively put him in stasis. I can end it at any time if you want. He’s not aware though, so his first act upon being unfrozen will probably be to attack.”
Armsmaster processes this and then shakes his head.
“Please don’t. How long will it st without your interference?”
Jason hesitates for only a second before giving an opaque answer.
“Long enough.”
He wasn’t one of Armsmaster’s subordinates. He didn’t need to tell the Protectorate everything there was to know about his powers.
There’s another pause and Jason gets the impression that Armsmaster’s eyes are narrowing beneath his helmet… if the slight clenching of his visible jaw is any indication.
“… I see. Then I must ask you to accompany us to the PRT Headquarters downtown.”
Wait, what? Jason blinks, wondering what he’d done wrong. Beside him, Taylor has much the same reaction, bristling as she steps forward aggressively.
“Why? On what grounds are you trying to detain us? We know our rights.”
Armsmaster tenses up, looking over to Taylor for a long moment before speaking.
“Weaver, I presume. I am not currently attempting to detain either of you. If I was, I assure you that you would know. The request to accompany us to HQ was just that… a request. Put simply, it would be far safer for everyone involved if we could transport Hookwolf in this current state to a cell capable of containing his power and wait until he was safely locked away before having Portent release him from stasis.”
Oh. Well damn, that was… altogether too reasonable by half. Jason shares a gnce with Taylor, neither of them all that happy about being somewhat outpyed. After all, while both of them were probably of the same mind on this… meaning they both wanted to reject Armsmaster’s request out of hand, the truth was, doing so would only reflect poorly on them.
How could he call himself a hero, independent or otherwise, if he put his own selfish desires ahead of something as simple as public safety?
The unpowered gangsters were already being pulled out of the Containment Foam by police and PRT troopers working in concert, and those with knife wounds were receiving treatment before being handcuffed and put in the back of squad cars or the PRT trucks that had arrived on scene. However, there was one PRT truck left empty, and the intentions of exactly who would end up in it were obvious.
… Jason refused to let his fear rule him, in the end. He was strong enough that even if the Protectorate did try something, he was confident he could get him and Taylor out of the situation intact. Silently checking in with Taylor herself shows that she’s tense but still willing to go along with his decisions, whatever they might be. With those two things in mind, he finally gives Armsmaster a nod.
“Fine. But just so we’re on the same page, neither Weaver nor I are looking to fill out paperwork of any sort tonight. We’re independent heroes, whether we’re registered with you lot or not. We’ll come with you to the PRT Headquarters as a favor and to make sure Hookwolf actually gets into a cell, but beyond that, we’re not staying. Understood?”
There’s a brief pause as his words wash over the Protectorate Leader standing in front of him. Jason doubts Armsmaster is used to being talked to like this, but he feels the need to y down the w all the same. He’s willing to work with the Protectorate conditionally, like how he and Taylor patrolled with Fletchette, but he’s not going to let them know everything he’s capable of, nor is he about to let them pressgang him and Taylor into joining their ranks.
Better to come across as rude but get the point across from the beginning instead of pussy footing around the issue until it blew up in his face. Or at least, that’s how Jason saw it.
Fortunately, Armsmaster doesn’t bristle or get aggressive or anything like that. In fact, after that brief pause ends, the Protectorate Hero inclines his head in acknowledgment.
“Understood. Please, right this way.”
As expected, Jason and Taylor stand by as the Sealed half-transformed Hookwolf is loaded into the back of the st remaining PRT Truck. Then, the two of them climb in as well alongside half a dozen PRT troopers… and Fletchette. Jason is grateful for Fletchette’s presence, admittedly. While he still doesn’t fully trust her, she’s more of a known quantity than anything else he and Taylor are currently dealing with.
As they drive, Taylor’s hand crawls over into his p searching for his own. Once she finds it, she interlocks their fingers together, squeezing down hard. Jason makes sure to squeeze back, letting her know that no matter what, he’s ready for whatever happens next. Of course, he also has his eyes closed beneath his mask, using Focus to check and make sure they’re not about to get ambushed… by either side.
Fortunately, while there ARE red dots spread all throughout Brockton Bay, denoting their enemies, there aren’t any converging on the truck they’re in. There are a handful of red dots in the PRT Headquarters themselves, however, which is more than a little worrying.
But nothing like the ambush he’s searching for. They’re spread throughout the building, making Jason wonder just what they signify. Spies, maybe? It wouldn’t surprise him if the major gangs all had infiltrators in the PRT, actually. It would even go a long way to expining why Brockton Bay was the shit heap that it was.
Finally, they arrive, pulling down into a parking garage beneath the PRT HQ. Jason opens his eyes after checking one st time that they’re not going to open the truck’s back doors to an ambush of any sort. Focus really is paying dividends so far, he has to admit. While it might not be the fshiest of his abilities, it was hands down one of the most useful ones.
The truck doors open to reveal Armsmaster already off his bike and waiting for them. Hookwolf-in-Stasis is unloaded from the back of the truck and Jason and Taylor follow along as they all move the vilin to the PRT Holding Cells. Fortunately, they really do look heavy duty, Jason notes. Easily strong enough to contain even a Cape of Hookwolf’s caliber. And probably more than enough to contain Jason as he is right now as well.
… But that’s just paranoia talking. Nobody tries to force him or Taylor into a holding cell or anything like that. Instead, once Hookwolf is in the middle of one of the cells, they seal it up nice and tight and Armsmaster gives Jason a nod.
Reaching out with his mind, Jason undoes the Sealing spell he cast on Hookwolf, dispelling the magic and releasing the vilinous Cape from the binding.
Immediately on the other side of the wall, the sound of metal grinding against metal can be heard as Hookwolf finishes his transformation with a snarl.
“Wha- the HELL?! What is this?! What did you do?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!”
“The Prisoner will cease expression of their Parahuman Abilities. The Prisoner will refrain from any hostile actions or will continue to find themselves restrained with Containment Foam.”
“FUCK YOU-MMPH!”
Laughter breaks out among the PRT troopers still nearby as Hookwolf’s aggression is apparently immediately curtailed by the holding cell’s automated defense systems. The slightly robotic female voice that spouts out instructions only seems to add insult to injury, really.
Armsmaster, meanwhile, turns to him and offers his hand.
“Good work. Independent or otherwise, we need more heroes like you and your partner in this city.”
Just as Jason is slowly taking Armsmaster’s hand, he suddenly gets… a lot of notifications. Almost like his power had been waiting for Hookwolf to truly be contained.
Feat Achieved: Defeat your first Cape! 100 Points Earned!
Feat Achieved: Complete a Patrol with Other Capes! 100 Points Earned!
Feat Achieved: Defeat an enemy in a humiliating fashion! 100 Points Earned!
Feat Achieved: Cement your status as a Hero Cape! 100 Points Earned!
Feat Achieved: Be acknowledged as a Hero by the Protectorate! 100 Points Earned!
Feat Achieved: Draw the ire of multiple Vilin Gangs! 200 Points Earned!
Jason tries his best not to show how the sudden barrage of Feats has him reeling, even as he almost absently shakes Armsmaster’s hand.
That was… a lot. Almost too much, because it’s only on his second read through that Jason notices the st Feat gave him 200 points. Why? Unless… it was a hundred points per gang, maybe? Considering he’d just broken up a fight between the E88 and the ABB, that Feat seemed to be warning him that it wouldn’t just be the E88 gunning for him going forward.
As his and Armsmaster’s handshake comes to an end, Jason swallows thickly, not quite sure what to say or do next. He and Taylor should probably get going, right?
“As you said previously, there will be no paperwork tonight. Though we hope at some point in the future you two will take the time to register with us officially. For now, you are in our system as provisional independent heroes and will be treated as such should we run into you out on patrol. That said, the Director of the PRT ENE has asked me to extend a request for a quick conversation to the both of you, if you have the time for it.”
Jason pauses at that. His instinct is to say no, of course. That wasn’t part of the deal. But at the same time, he recognizes Armsmaster is making an honest request and not trying to browbeat him and Taylor into anything they don’t want to do.
And also… Jason currently has nine hundred points saved up after that barrage of Feats. One hundred off from being able to buy his current Banked Power. He noticed he’d been acknowledged as a hero by the Protectorate… but not by the PRT. It was possible he might be able to swing one st Feat tonight if he said yes to this meeting.
A gnce at Taylor shows she’s still ready for whatever he decides. But even then… is it really worth it?
-x-X-x- The Vote: [X] Go meet with the Director right now - 76%[ ] Decline to meet with the Director tonight - 24%
-x-X-x- ?A/N: Please check out my newest daily updating project The Age of Chaos (Original Fantasy) if you have a moment!-x-X-x-
A/N: Will try to keep this up to date at the end of every chapter, get on me if I forget please. Though if it gets too out of hand, might have to change it at some point.
Jason's current banked points:
900 Celestial Points
Jason's current banked power:
= Chaos Magic (1000 Points)
Jason's current powers:
= Fsh Air (Gained in Chapter 1
= Transformation Pendant (Gained in Chapter 4)
= Keen Eye (Gained in Chapter 4)
= Blood, Death, and Demons (Gained in Chapter 6)
= Alchemical Prodigy (Gained in Chapter 8)
= Staff of Magnus (Gained in Chapter 13)
= Bind and Seal (Gained in Chapter 17)
= Hero of a Hundred Faces: Everyone's Leader (Gained in Chapter 20)
= Minor Regeneration via Blood Empowerment Ritual (Gained in Chapter 23)
= Restraining Order (Gained in Chapter 25)
= Focus (Gained in Chapter 28)
= Scarborough Fair (Gained in Chapter 30)
