1.6

The ground was three stories below as I dropped like a stone.

It took a few moments to see the ground rushing toward me. Longer to recognise it as danger. Another moment or two to begin the process of repelling myself from it… too late. I shifted my momentum at an angle at the last moment, sending myself tumbling on the pavement.

Ugh… damn that hurts. I think I sprained my left wrist. My head is sore too and the mask feels wet.

What happened? I was just floating, then… falling?

I can only sense three people, all of them in the surrounding buildings. Wait… there you are! Running toward me from the street. Maybe it jumped down.

"You just made a mistake!" I growled as the nerveless thing rushed me.

Everything around me made of metal became my weapon in that moment, mostly garbage at first.

"What is this?!" The red figure hissed as a cloud of debris made impact. The being, most likely an undead since it didn't have nerves or a live human brain.

The figure was blinded by the cloud of everything magnetic, ranging from iron rust in powder form to aluminium cans. However this was simply a distraction. A smokescreen, blocking view of the dumpster I launched hard.

Vamp in red took the hit with some shock, as he was sent stumbling back on the pavement. But he got up again a moment later. Probably due to his unnatural physiology. Low level super strength and durability? That would have smeared a regular human across the pavement. I think. Peak human fitness is absurdly exaggerated in DC.

His form bulged before he shed his robes and came in a second charge at me, in the form of a large wolf.

I sent several lengths of gutter from the roofs down like javelins.

He was faster than I anticipated, I had to throw a semi-circular barrier up to protect my throat as he lunged forward, fangs snapping. He bounced back from hitting the solid shield of energy and that moment was enough to bring the gutters down on him in a wave. With a crunch he became a pincushion, but to my great displeasure refused to die.

The dumpster rose, before crushing him down. Again and again.

"Why are you after me?!" I demanded, but distantly I already knew. Why else?

"To make you my subordinate." The thing rasped.

My mind went hazy for a moment before I turned my head and shook the cobwebs away… hypnosis? Shit. He almost got me. Again.

"You wanted me to be your slave?" I asked, sheer outrage boiling at the thought of escaping the captivity of Vertigo only to be caged again. "Well let me be frank, as one monster to another… you chose poorly."

"You fool, this cannot kill me..." He began to rant.

I'm sorry, I don't care who you are or how you think.

Die.

He exploded into chunks as the metal embedded in his body went several directions at the same time.

"Brother!" A shrill female voice screamed.

Which gave me just enough of a location to send a swarm of roof nails into her. She squealed before ducking out of my range.

"Sneaky, sneaky." I chided. "You really blindsided me here."

Below the chunks of Red Robe had fallen still. I rose slowly, floating up as I focused on the second vampire. It was running in fear. I followed with a burst of acceleration.

The last thing she heard was a whooshing sound, as a manhole cover decapitated her. I returned the cover, so it could resume it's duties on the street keeping people from falling into the sewers.

Just to be sure I stabbed a length of wood, hastily made from a tree branch into each vampire's heart. Then threw their remains into the River Seine.

Following this I shifted hotels, using a different fake name and cash. I must have been too obvious coming and going from the vicinity of that particular hotel. Or they scryed for me, magic vampires after all…

New plan, buy or steal magic after I get my bank account in order. Some kind of mental defence.

Where does one find real magic artefacts anyway?

...

Antique store. Has to be. Look for the shabbiest thing in the store.

Hopefully it isn't a horribly cursed monkey's paw. Chances are, it will be.