Apprentice 2.3

Beyond the boat graveyard lay an old section of area holding a number of old warehouses and other similar buildings. It was in better shape than the boat graveyard itself, but it too had fallen into disrepair and neglect with the downturn of port activity. Some warehouses were in better shape than others, but only rare few had been kept up to code.

Moving around quietly, Thomas had scouted out the area for a while after having bribed one of the local bums with a couple of bucks to mention what areas of the docks ought to be avoided even if he was looking to see if there was some warehouse worth acquiring in the area. The bum had seemed doubtful of his excuse but had warned him off a couple of locations, one of which he was currently looking at.

The old warehouse building's walls had been reinforced with metal strapped over broken masonry sections, and it had a pair of bums outside of it watching around, but looking more carefully he could see both of them had guns. The place was merchant business, a modest one if not a big one, but still worth tipping off the BBPD or PRT about.

At least it would have been if not for his intent to deal with the matter himself. He did need the experience after all. His face was once more hidden under a glamour, though he had a mask on his face beneath said glamour anyway. His glamour in turn simply that of a man of his size, dressed in black full body suit, with no real markings and a ski mask combined with goggles that concealed even his eyes. It was a simple enough look for them to see and remember if questioned.

He focused his power on a sleep spell, and let it loose directly against the two by the door. The gesture accompanying the brief word he whispered drew the attention of one of them towards him at the corner, but before they could comment the bum slumped back, knocked out cold. The other one didn't even get that much warning.

Moving over closer he glanced at the two of them warily, before taking their guns off of them and pistol whipping both of them hard enough to make sure they'd not be waking up anytime soon. The spell might well wear off while he was still in the building otherwise.

Glancing inside from the doorway warily, he saw the indoors area had been turned into a drug den with some makeshift interior walls set up. He could see at least half a dozen people passed out around the room, and two more still smoking something together. Well he figured that was better than passing around a needle at least but he still didn't like it.

Another use of his sleep spell saw the tired pair slip off to the arms of Morpheus as well, leaving the room quiet as he stepped in. Looking around, all eight people around the room were looking tired, dirty and somewhat similarly dressed. Merchant thugs as well as clients perhaps. They had a couple of couches inside as well as a small table with their produce on it, a nearby television left off, and a microwave oven and a half-sized fridge near the corner of the room. It seemed apparent they were meant to stay around there rather than walk off for any reasons.

Walking past the sleeping group after a couple of repeated castings of sleep to further encourage all to remain deep asleep, he moved to the door beyond them, and opened it quietly looking up at the building beyond that office space slash drug den area.

What he saw caught him slightly off guard. The space was divided into a storage area with a few crates arranged into walls, with a few spots set up to rest back on it seemed, but there was also a space with two modified cars, plated in scrap metal armor and both holding a mounted weapon, one strapped on the roof another on a makeshift platform on the back.

What's more, he saw a number of parts scattered about, and a third car that looked half-finished resting nearby. As well as a group of four merchants, among which was one woman in stained overalls.

"Hurry the shit up or Skidmark and Squealer will have your asses," the woman warned the others while loading up stuff besides the car, while one of the guys snorted loudly.

"Yeah yeah, like you weren't late yourself. Shit, the boss even said we ain't gonna attack for two days while getting all this shit together." He looked over at the woman with annoyance, only to be whacked across the jaw with a wrench.

"You wanna tell Squealer we didn't get these things ready? Huh? Didn't think so. She plans to show up and do her own personal touches on them before we start and that's not gonna be in two days, so get to work you lazy shitbones or I'll toss you out on your ass and cut you off cold turkey!"

That was interesting bit of news to hear. The merchants had a big attack planned in the future then it seemed, and the fact Squealer wasn't here herself implied they might be putting up a large number of cars for merchants, and the fact Squealer would still show up to make some personal touches implied they would be more dangerous than they looked, though nowhere near as bad as the truck Squealer herself drove.

Regardless, he had a feeling that this place was proving a lot less profitable than some places would have, and while there was likely some drugs stored around the place, it did seem like the merchants were mainly using the place as a garage and small-time storage.

The fact the large doors for moving goods from the docks were both shut at the time made him relatively confident there were probably no more fellows walking about out there, leaving him to worry about just these four people around the cars. Still, a fight could get ugly and wake up the rest of the group in the other room.

Not to mention the fact the woman there seemed to be competent at directing the others, meaning they might be a touch harder to deal with as well. Stronger minds could resist some of his powers after all, though the chances weren't too great given what he'd seen. Then again, it seemed that his powers had given him rather strong baseline to work with.

Seeing the guys were moving large scrap metal plates to attach to the car's sides he frowned slightly. Yeah, attacking right away would make a ton of noise and draw the attention from the others.

Returning to the other room, he cast a few sleep spells around on the crowd, before taking a moment to strike each of them with the back of the gun to be sure they'd stay out. While he was somewhat concerned of excessive force, he was reasonably sure they'd get by with only a headache from it.

He headed back to the door to the warehouse side only to get a strange feeling something was wrong. Frowning, he looked around but saw nothing had really changed, and turned his attention back to the four that were currently working on the car.

Focusing his mind, he made a gesture at the car targeting the two guys on one side of the car, having them slump down and collapse while dropping the tools. Hearing the woman cuss and storm over around the car, he saw her yell at the guys before pausing, just before Thomas focused a second time and the magic washed over the remaining two. He saw the third guy collapse, while the woman staggered but stayed on her feet.

"CAPE!" She yelled while drawing a handgun from inside the coat she was wearing, looking around.

'Damn it, good thing the people in the next room are out or this could turn real bad real fast.' Thomas moved ahead while trying again, but even as he made the gesture the woman turned towards him and the next moment a gunshot echoed in the room, and he found himself laying on his back.

His head was killing him too. The woman marched over in a hurry as he lay back quiet, looking down at him and letting out a long breath. "Oh fuck. Oh fucking fuck, shit, I just shot a cape, fucking hell."

Before she managed to get further however there was a strange noise and she stumbled ahead, a weird bolt in her back that looked like someone had tried to combine a syringe with a bolt in a compact space. Though he only recalled one person who used bolts in Brockton Bay.

"Shame, guy looked like a predator, even if a stealthy one. Could have been more interesting." There was a kick at his legs from the shadowy figure standing nearby, looking at his face.

Thomas had already felt the pain fade away, the gunshot having done little more than break his mask and hit his skull, apparently his health points and gamer physiology kept it from messing with his brains beyond a headache even if it hit him. At least that was the theory he had, because he certainly did not feel like the bullet had entered his skull, his head ached when it happened but it was not like he felt something still in his head. The mask was probably a goner though.

"Thanks for that assessment."

The words had the cloaked girl swirl around fast aiming a crossbow at his face, for a moment, before lowering it. "Shit, you tanked a headshot? If you're a brute why all the sneaky stuff?"

"Not a real brute, some bits of materials in the suit, and a mask under the hood. Pretty sure the mask is toast, but all I got is a concussion from that. Still doesn't mean I don't owe you, not sure I could have got back up before she shot me more once she realized I was still breathing."

So he lied, the pain wasn't feeling as bad as a concussion, but it probably sounded a bit more logical. Given the way she merely nod at him she seemed to buy it or at least didn't question him on it.

"Got a name?"

"Not a registered one. Got my powers and wanted to test them out, thought Merchants were an easy choice in targets. Though I was hoping to report this in as 'Blackjack'." He saw her looking at him and decided to try and explain. "Grab bag with a combo of powers that work well enough together most of the time. So far only really needed the little sleep trick to put them down for a bit with most." He shrugged after this.

"Heh. Guess it's not really all powerful though, given this drugged up bitch got the drop on you when it didn't." There was the Shadow Stalker he had come to expect.

"Yep. Good thing my mask could take it, had she shot me in the throat you'd be reporting a casualty tonight." He shrugged while getting up on his feet, getting a small nod from Shadow Stalker in turn.

"I got to call this one in. I'm supposed to talk you all about coming to PRT for testing and all that shit but they'll neuter you and take your balls if you do." She said this with some annoyance, while he nodded his head to her in answer.

"I guessed that might happen so I figured make a small demonstration of ability before even considering it. Still, I'd prefer them as allies rather than enemies." He saw her nod slightly at this.

"Get out while I call this in, and I can honestly say you slipped away while I was distracted." Shadow Stalker's attitude did surprise him a bit, but perhaps the fact he was attacking the merchants alone did earn him some mild respect in her eyes.

"Fine, fine. Though if you were up for it I'd like to hint the Empire next somewhere, just don't know the spots where to strike so I don't draw their cape reinforcements in so early. Would prefer to bloody up some of the rank and file instead for some practice before even considering throwing down with the rest." He saw her look at him and he got the impression she was glaring at him, mask or no, even in the dark.

"You better not be hitting on me." She said tapping the crossbow menacingly, before she pulled checked her phone briefly.

"If you're serious though, then meet me on Wednesday night at eleven thirty at the alley opposite of Ugly Bob. I'll show you a suspected place of theirs, and if you're serious I'll see if you got a hunter in you."

"Noted. Eleven thirty, opposite of Ugly Bob, Wednesday." He nodded and then headed out, even while hearing her make the call. No real souvenirs or trophies from his attack, but he walked out of it and he got to meet Shadow Stalker. Who was a bitch to Taylor. Who was also pretty badass when she was out working and hunting down thugs. Though he had to wonder if she was on an unapproved patrol or not, and if not, then where had she left her partner.

The fact she was calling it in made him wonder about it, but he briefly figured she would likely claim to have shadowed a possible cape out of sight till seeing him get shot and downed, before moving in to assist and check if he was alive before calling it all in. That seemed like the sort of story he'd put together in her shoes at least.

He left the place behind in a hurry, but did not remove or change his glamour until he was a fair distance away, changing his looks to a tired, worn down look of someone who he hoped would appear mostly uninteresting. The mask he'd taken off had a bullet hole in the forehead over his left eye, and it was cracked up bad enough that it had almost fallen apart on him already. Trying to wear it again would probably see it break at some point given the damage already inflicted upon it.

At least it was the cheap PRT mask rather than the one he had received during his time as 'Medic' working out from the Palanquin.

He finally entered a hotel where the clerk was happy to greet him since he'd dismissed his illusionary appearance before entering, the glamour gone he had entered as himself, paying for a night. It was pricey, but he was looking for another place and the hotel was good enough to relax in and one where the service was worth the price.

The more important card with the majority of his money was not going to see much use for a bit, but the secondary throw-away card he had acquired was good enough for simple things like this. Even if Faultline tracked him on it for whatever reason, she would know he stayed in a hotel for a night and that was that. He was certainly not planning to stay there, he had just needed a spot to rest in while making some inquiries.

There was a rental place that would suit his needs and that would more or less accept a resident as long as they had the pay to cover the rent and no alarms coming off when checked. Given his fake identity was clean enough for that, it would serve him well enough. The problem was Faultline might have that information, but he didn't feel she was likely to come after him beyond possibly being annoyed he had walked out on them after asking their help.

Then again the agreement had been held up by both parties till they had to leave, and he had chosen to walk away following that. They had a job elsewhere, he had even provided a parting gift, and he was hopeful that would soothe her temper somewhat.

Arriving to his room, he headed on over to the bathroom to wash up and shower, wincing a bit as he noticed the bruise on his forehead. It was not a bloody wound, but it was still showing. Getting shot in the head was not a fun time, that much was certain. Not needing to see a doctor about it was a definite plus in favor of his points though.

Slumping back on his bed, he closed his eyes, and could practically hear a victory theme jingle in his mind briefly, as he could practically see the stat increases list out. His abilities with magic had also improved a touch, granting him access to the second level of spells. It wasn't much, but it was an improvement on what he'd had earlier, so he was happy about that for certain.

The hunters were out there now, and given what had been over the news earlier, he was pretty sure this 'Firestarter' he had seen reported to have shown up a short time ago was one of them. Which also showed him that he might have to prepare to take them down hard. At least this particular one seemed to have no qualms about involving innocent civilians.

He had to admit though he was reluctant to take anyone's life. He could have killed the Merchant thugs, but he had held back from that. He didn't think it was necessary, even if it would have been easier. He was reluctant to cross that line as long as it was an option to avoid it, but if it came down to either him or some crook with a grudge, he would kill to save himself, or he might kill to save another just as well.

The flip side of that was the fact he also believed that someone willing to kill should also consider the probability of getting killed, and he was not too happy with the idea of having to go so far. Video games saw monsters and bandits defeated, but many of them were taking place in fantastical words of fantasy or science fiction setting, and even modern ones tended to have a feel of taking down your enemies who weren't really people. Still, video games were video games, and actually killing someone made him somewhat hesitant.

The fact he was a gamer didn't mean he had lost his morality or restraint, but at the same time he felt he could get over that hesitation in a hurry without trauma if he so desired. It was a loss of humanity in itself, but it was there, and he knew if he took up that offer then he would give up a piece of himself for that power.

Leaning back on the bed, he silently wondered about the other two hunters though. There was no real announcements about them yet, but he'd be careful, and watch the news and the forums in the future for any signs of changes. Of course, stuff outside of Brockton Bay was largely up in the air so it was hard to be certain, but with the Firestarter, not only had they arrived on the day the hunt began, but had also displayed some strange powers so far. Not dying when supposedly killed, throwing fire from their fingertips, and the whole arrival scene had also seemed just plain bizarre to him. Yet familiar in a half-forgotten way. He wished his new improved memory had extended on all the random little pieces of trivia from his life prior to arriving to Brockton Bay, but the memory enhancement was more along the lines of improvement from that point forward.

Author's Note: Enjoyed a good weekend and back to posting this, not sure if I will manage a post a day this week or if I'll stick to 2-3 chapters but we'll see. Lastly, while the MC doesn't particularly like Shadow Stalker, they are not going to provoke her when she's holding a crossbow and getting useful information doesn't hurt either. Still, I considered a few different options there for a bit as I had a few alternatives in mind for short term scenarios including flat out starting a fight between the two, but decided to go with this choice this time around. Larger plotlines are set for the future, but some smaller things are still kept open to both choices and in some cases, the roll of the die. Even including Shadow Stalker's choice to go with tranquilizer bolt rather than a steel broadhead one.[/hr]