The Lazy Lord 4.1 (Patreon)

The Lazy Lord

Intermission 1

-VB-

Interlude: Armsmaster 1

He watched with narrowed eyes as his left hand guided the tip of a solder strip to the iron held by his right hand. The strip was no more than one millimeter wide, and needed to be welded to an exact space within one millimeter by one millimeter area. If he failed this, then the entire project needed to be redone from ten steps back, which would require stripping all progress done to this point…

Silently and with a firm focus bordering on savant, Colin Wallis lightly tapped the solder with the soldering iron.

One. Two.

One. Two.

He slowly pulled his hands away and set them down away from his equipment. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.

“Step 119, done.”

He leaned back into his chair.

This was nothing more than maintenance for his tinkertech halberd, and after what happened last week, all of this felt ever increasingly meaningless.

A week ago, Eidolon had come to PRT ENE headquarters, called up the Protectorate heroes, and launched an unsanctioned assault against Marris. The battle took no more than two minutes, and only one person died.

The world was in an uproar over the battle’s result. Eidolon, the strongest parahuman cape after Scion, laid dead, killed by Marris. What was worse, Marris showed off exactly why the chief director had previously prevented anyone else from attacking Marris.

The moment he killed Eidolon, Marris stole a portion of Eidolon’s power.

“Colin.”

He looked down. When had he let his head keel backward?

“Dragon,” he greeted his closest friend with a gruff sigh, and met her on the computer screen above his computer station. “How are you?”

She frowned.

“The overall situation has grown worse. With Eidolon dead, African warlords have become volatile.”

And wasn’t that another can of worms? Apparently, warlords around the world have been under threat to not “act out” by American government with the Triumvirate as its beating stick. With Eidolon the greatest of the Triumvirate dead, the stick was no longer as effective as before. All those who had been under pressure to follow the “general” rule of not fucking with America have decided that now was the time.

Dragon, being a member of the Guild, could not interfere in those wars because the Guild existed to fight against S-class crises.

War, even if it involved parahumans throughout its ranks on both sides, didn’t count as a S-class crisis.

And despite the threat he posed, the chief director was adamant about not provoking Marris.

Colin agreed with her, even when it hurt him to admit that even after seeing the villain kill Eidolon. Especially after he killed Eidolon.

Marris was too strong. Everyone had seen what the villain was capable of.

Eidolon was the hero who took up the fight against the Endbringers. He was the strongest hero, and now he laid dead. This wasn’t just about the death of his one of his childhood heroes or the death of one of the supporting pillars of American heroism.

It was the death - and the lack of existence - of one of American defense.

It was why even though he wanted to be out there with the public to mourn for Eidolon’s loss, he stayed here in his lab, working.

Because America needed every hero - everyone - in its hour of need, and if that meant making peace with the killer of its greatest hero, then so be it.

It would get its revenge later.

-VB-

Interlude: Tattletale 1

Used to be a cape.

Lisa stared in horror at the young woman who greeted her warmly at the tower’s ground floor lobby.

Brain matter, synaptic connections, and neural compositions have been altered to accept Marris as her owner and lover. Marris is responsible for this change.

Was that what was going to happen to her too if she went through with this?

Depending on how extremely I annoy Marris, yes.

Lisa shuddered.

Well, she supposed that this was her fault for setting up an appointment with Marris before the man killed Eidolon.

She laughed nervously as the young woman- former cape, local activity, missing Asian cape that Coil was looking for: very likely to be the Cornell bomb tinker, Bakuda - gave her a cup of coffee. Taking the cup gingerly, she smiled even though she was panicking inside.

Information she just learned put a wrinkle in her plans. She was sure that she could still get Marris’s protection from Coil and his plans, but there was a high chance that he would demand something … perverse.

And he wasn’t above forcing those changes to get what he wants.

“On the other hand, I do not think it’s a good idea for me to meet him right now,” she said hurriedly after finishing the coffee. It was a good cup of coffee, but it only worsened her nerves.

The girl, Jessica, frowned. “Are you sure? It’s been some time since there were any other guests, so I have been a little bored…”

Meant it. Association with Marris has made an outcast of Jessica by no fault of her own.

Lisa didn't feel too bad about that. "I really shou-"

"Oh, you're here."

She felt something dying inside of her with a creening noise. Slowly, she turned around and saw the man.

Standing at nearly two meters tall with everything gone from his face except the ridge that mimicked a nose and the lips, he was a relatively tame looking Case-53.

Alan Marris stood before her, and she only realized just now jow stupid she may have been to contact him of all people.

She hadn't known that he would go and kill Eidolon when she set up an appointment with the villain her power specifically stated as being "harmless"!

Harmless, my ass!

"So what brings you here, Lisa?" he asked casually as if he hadn't done something taboo.

She froze and then her power kicked in.

Does not care about separation of cape and civilian identities.

Well, shit. Double shit…

"I'm … here to ask for your protection." She didn't want to insult him after asking his time. He is very irritated with the Protectorate for not fighting him after picking a fight with him. Twice.

She initially wanted to recruit him to take out Coil, but that was no longer going to be possible nor desired. One, she didn't think he would be motivated enough to go for it-.

Wants to take Jessica to bed and fuck her until both of them are tired. Will sleep for hours until he has to check up on his clam farm.

-and two, she was afraid of what he would ask of her.

I am already on his list. He wants me in his bed. Will have me, one way or another. He will let me go, but will only come to get me when I am alone and drugged in Coil's care. Knows of Coil, his identity, and method to defeat him. He will offer to make me his concubine.

I will agree because Coil is not merciful to his pets.

"You're ignoring the rules," she chose to speak of a more familiar and comfortable of the two subjects before her.

"Don't care for it. It's stupid," he said as he sat across from her in one of the only two sofas in the lobby. He is thinking about how to best pleasure you before he impregnates you.

She squirmed in her seat. God, this horndog was-!

"Can you stop thinking about that?"

Is not reacting to standard Thinker reveal. Is aware of my power. My power does not interest him.

So she was useless? She'll see about that-

"No. You know what I want. Are you willing to give it before shit becomes shitstorm?"

Knows of my position. Recognition most likely. Eidolon had many powers to choose from. Unlikely that he didn't have Thinker powers to choose from.

She gritted her teeth. "Become just like Jessica behind you?"

"You can, if you want to."

"I want to be able to … express myself even under your protection."

"I am alright with that, but we both know you're better off powerless."

She froze before she relaxed and calmly spoke. "I am already considering giving… myself to you. I won't give more than my body."

Because she and her power knew that there was nothing else she could give to the lustful villain.

"If you want to troll online, sure. If you want to goad real live villains who may cause annoyances for my family and tower, no."

"Then I cannot agree to your terms," she said and stood up to leave. "I'm not a trophy to be prisoned in the house…. Or tower."

Marris hummed. "It won't end pretty for you."

"I'll take my chances," she said and left.

She was in control of her own life. If the strongest would not help her, then there were still plenty of fish for her to lure into working for her.

"I didn't know she was brave enough to say no to me..." she heard him mutter.

She smirked at that.