Chapter 13: Preparation Begins
Regardless if they were good or evil at heart, people had their own standards.
And superpowers devils even more.
"Gyahaha~ Hehehe~ Red Phoenix, or do you go by 'Rin' now? Hey, hey hey hey hey HEEEEEYYYY!!! Listen. Come on~ It's rude to ignore your mother like this." A sinister voice cackled in a big mansion.
Seemingly once belonging to someone who had a high position in Deanfold City.
Too bad he ruined it.
No matter, this terrifying woman(?) with beautiful features used the backup generator. Allowing him a real comfy temporary stay while destroying the city.
Rin, the team member that had been kidnapped, simply watched him in silence. Not playing along with his stupid antics and nonsensical lies any further.
"You won't talk to me?" The imperial looking woman(?) started maliciously.
Her entire face warped into an eldritch abomination with thousands of eyes.
Engraving fear into Rin's heart.
"…I will never give in." She spoke as if saying it to herself. Trying to keep sane.
This was no illusion…
Seeing that she was finally talking and responding, the creature became human.
"Honestly, we're both borrowing bodies. I don't see why you're so scared." The man finally let slip why he was in such a feminine form. It was simply a vessel.
One that his subordinate chose.
The long elven ears and red eyes were only a mutation caused by possession.
Similar to Rin's green eyes.
"I didn't choose this body." Rin didn't deny that she too was such an entity.
Someone who possessed people.
"Right~ I'm the one who found you a body with such perfect compatibility with you. What was her name? Err… 'Sara Lancaster'! Right! I remember her now. A quiet girl who was in a coma." The man told of his experiences with this Sara girl:
"You know… Her father was trying really hard to wake her up. He was a criminal mob boss who did everything he could to make her live. Truly a delicious story. His daughter's was pretty bland though."
His words that seemed to dismiss their efforts caused the green eyed girl pain.
Memories that weren't her own started to awaken from the body she'd possessed.
The pain of a daughter watching her father die right before her very eyes.
Who could understand that pain…?
"TALEGRIMM!!!" Rin roared and struggled to free herself while her Limiter was on.
She could access 'Harden', but that only made muscles tense. Not give any sort of superior strength. Unlike Tia, she was also untaught in using Spiritual Data.
"You finally said my name~" Talegrimm sung an annoying tune with his voice.
Making her want to kill him even more.
This psychopath…
She wasn't sure about how they were related, but hell would freeze over before she allowed herself to be controlled. A strong force of willpower in her eyes.
"Red Phoenix-"
"Call me 'Immortal Phoenix' now." Despite being tied up, Rin had great arrogance.
Being an immortal being that could revive upon death did that to a person's ego.
Talegrimm looked at the young girl as if she was pitiful, but then made a fathers face in that young woman's body. There wasn't a single hint of malice in his eyes.
"I'm gonna kill your friends." He said out of nowhere. Freezing her heart solid.
"That's… W-why?" Rin couldn't keep up with the conversation suddenly shifting.
"They took you away from me for about a week. I'll have to visit them. Really give them a piece of my mind." Talegrimm spoke like a father about to meet her ex.
Ready to kill those who hurt their 'family'.
"Don't…" Rin's face went pale.
Finally, the creature in the blonde woman's body found some amusement.
He said nothing more and left the room.
Putting a few guards around her to make sure she couldn't escape from captivity.
"Talegrimm… No… NO!!!" Her screams fell on deaf ears. The basement door shut.
Locking from the outside.
The blonde creature skipped along exaggeratedly with a feminine swagger.
His magically formed dress moving with the skipping movements. Looking loose.
She made her way upstairs and get to doing exactly what he had decided on.
Regardless of how sudden.
His most trusted subordinate was waiting upstairs. A beautiful man with a ridiculous outfit to boot. There was a look of amusement on Talegrimm's expression.
The orange haired 'bishounen' didn't mind his superior laughing at his outfit.
This was simply his personality.
"I found a Named zombie that could be used as a vessel for 'that'. I'm sorry, but there are some problems." The bishounen with a large hat knelt to his superior.
"Come on, Hitler! Don't be getting so serious. Do a genocide to cope." The blonde creature patted his shoulder intimately. The reply was chaotic.
"My name is Rizzler, Sir." The man dressed in military clothing spoke back."
"Right, Hitler."
"Rizzler… Also, what is a Hitler?" The people of this Earth never had Germany.
That, and a lot of recognisable world powers that existed in parallel worlds.
However, that didn't mean Talegrimm didn't know or understand the reference.
"Hitler."
"Rizzler."
"Right, Hitler. I mean, the 'story' I'd put into you was of a great dictator that was called that. He was a the harbinger of holocaust and racist who had the BEST murder tendencies. Tell me…" Talegrimm put a scary amount of pressure on the man's shoulder: "…Can you do your job?"
The bishounen felt a spine-chilling presence. He proceeded with his report:
"I managed to find a 'Little Red Riding Hood' Dark Muse and attached a wolf to her. She evolved and became a good central point for the disaster."
"We are getting ready to record more details to use as a bargaining chip."
"Any leads to our identity have been erased properly, but an fight occurred."
"Little Red Riding Hood is being hunted by our targets, and are equipped heavily."
"Send more wolves to assist." Talegrimm interrupted. It was such a simple solution.
Wasn't that how they got rid of the seeds of revolt before? They could use it again.
The ancient art of 'ganging up on a person'. Pretty strong against individuals.
"I did, but most of the wolves sent to hunt your daughter's comrades haven't came back." These words were quite distressing. It meant a lot of to the creature. Knowing they weren't simple.
"Alright, I'll make more wolves. You go make sure Little Red doesn't die. We're going to need her for the ceremony." The creature spoke and got a salute in return.
Rizzler didn't seem to notice the scary amount of joy emerging on Talegrimm's face. Even if he did, the man would likely try to pretend he saw nothing special.
Talegrimm felt happiness that the mortal bugs were squirming underneath his feet.
"Splendid…" He looked at the ceiling while the wolves brought in a zombie.
It kept struggling within their solid arms.
The creature's eyes looked down towards the zombie. He reached out his hand.
The shadows beneath him started to twist and turn. It created a portal.
And within that ink black abyss arose the spirit of a wolf. Brought back via a dark power that couldn't be anything other than Necromancy. A forbidden lost art.
After grabbing the wolf's neck, he forced the spiritual data of the wolf into the zombie. It created a strange resonance that caused the zombie to mutate.
Talegrimm controlled that mutation.
Using his hands to mould the change in Life Data being altered by the wolf spirit.
When he was done, another of his mooks were made. Being a minion to his cause.
Unthinking apart from orders given.
This was the first of many he had to personally create. It was a long process.
Zombies were brought in one after another before him, and were mutated.
Becoming materials for his creations.
"Now that should work." After making a dozen more, Talegrimm brushed off dirt.
He knew that if they were stupid, these friends of his 'daughter' would infiltrate.
Diving into his jaws.
…..
….
…
..
.
"She seems to be in that mansion." From afar, Betty pointed at a far away mansion.
Project Scavenger had went from its motorcycle mode to a battle model.
Floating in mid air.
"Wait. Couldn't we have used that to fly earlier?" Lex pointed at the floating mechanical guardian. It looked like this artificial intelligence had a personality.
A bad one that was only caring for Betty.
"Sorry… It has a mind of its own and doesn't listen to all my requests." She gave the most forced answer that could be given. Not making direct eye contact.
Looking a bit embarrassed.
Lex decided to not dig too deep where it was unwanted. This wasn't that crucial.
"So we know where she is now, but how are we gonna get there?" From what they understood, there was no way the defences of the enemy would be weak.
"We need some information first. Can you two take charge? I'll keep in contact with you two and provide ranged support." It was at Betty's words they remembered.
She was originally a sniper.
"Okay." Lex agreed pretty fast.
"Can I have all the blades this time? I feel so naked without the set." Ryan begged.
Both Betty and Lex looked at each other for a moment. He gave in under pressure.
"…Fine, but I'll be holding onto the six you're not using." He made this deal.
Ryan easily took it.
The trio decided to choose their new base of operations first before attacking.
Project Scavenger was hard to hide without Lex and Ryan's assistance.
They surveyed the area for any signs of the wolves. Checking every small corner.
Only when they found nothing did they start to relax, but Betty became serious.
Her experience had hardened.
"What's wrong?" Lex didn't believe she was worrying over an insignificant detail.
"There is no one here."
"Right." The rest had agreed.
"Not even the zombies." It was at this point they realised the problem here.
Where were the zombies?
"Could they have dispersed?" Ryan spoke a random theory about the Dark Muses.
In truth, nobody in this team were aware of what 'regular' zombies would do.
They weren't creatures you'd find in the wild. Unless you encountered them, they were pretty much too rare to observe from afar. This was the only time.
The only time they could do just that.
All of them sank into thought while remembering what they'd seen until now.
Zombies seemed territorial as if retaining some parts of their human sentiments.
Children stayed close to their mothers. A luxury car owner would stay inside of it.
Landowners would stay right there.
This fact made it clear that there was no natural way for the enemies to disperse.
If that was the case, then why…?
"I think we're looking at it wrong." Betty was the first to speak her mind about it.
"What way?" Lex looked back at her.
"The question is what purpose our current target, Talegrimm, would want the zombies gone. How would he benefit from scattering them?" She held a deep insight. One that quickly connected dots.
"They were made into wolves." Ryan was the first to speak their shared conclusion.
It made them become quiet…
There was no question that their enemy was a Necromancer of some sorts. With two out of three of them being unable to use their Gift, how would they fight him?
Use this messy fighting style?
Realistically speaking, they could only hope to try and break Rin out of there.
Someone else would have to deal with the bigger threats to this destroyed city.
To the humanity left behind…
Lex didn't speak and got the six blades of Ryan's from directly Project Scavenger.
He used his once hidden Mystic Tool.
Ink flowed from his sleeve and covered the six blades. Lifting them in the air.
Keeping a certain distance between them so they wouldn't make clanging sounds.
He gave a glance to Betty, then went on with bringing Ryan to the empty streets.
Having applied his Illusionary Step.
They each held a walkie-talkie in case of an emergency, which was quite low tech.
Perhaps even the worst fit for espionage.
Well, beggers couldn't be choosers.
"What's that?" Ryan made small talk by pointing at the ink converting the blades.
"It's called 'Nightmare Ink'. An ancient Mystic Tool possessed by a Water Jinn known as a Marid. It had taught my family how to use Water Runes." Again, Lex hid his family circumstances with half-truths.
Marids were the more easier to tame Jinns. They weren't too strong to be tamed, nor too weak when it came to making a difference in battle power.
As the name suggested, Nightmare Ink wasn't the most holiest of Mystic Tools.
In fact, some even considered it Cursed.
It was up to the user whether this weapon would be used for good, or used for evil.
The power of choice.
To understand what power level they were at, it was best to find an opponent.
One not too strong and not too weak.
They decided to look for a Named zombie like Little Red Riding Hood from before.
Only then would it finally be clear.
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[Unknowns and Rin's Gallery]
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone