Issue #34: X, Ground Rules.

More advance chapters on P@treon.com/saintbarbido.

&

Ko-fi.com/saintbarbido.

::--------------------------------::

Issue #34: X, Ground Rules.

(General P.O.V)

Diana and Pillyphus followed Savage into the command tent.

The deal was that Savage would be a sort of bridge between the Amazons and the allied forces.

But before that, the Princess had to be formally introduced to the rest of the command.

The first impression Diana had upon entering the War Room was- a bunch of old men with huge bellies bickering amongst themselves.

(Kane's P.O.V)

I'm in a bad mood.

Sigh.

My glasses, the last memento from my homeworld lay broken in my hands. The frame had snapped at the side and half of the left eye lens was missing.

Another sigh escaped me as I placed the specs on the countertop below the bathroom mirror I was standing before.

The glasses had served as more than a quick way to disguise myself. They had also been a distinction between Kane and X.

A sort of way to differentiate between both personas.

But now...

They were of no use to me broken. It was best to just discard them. Just like I'd discarded anything of my former life once I found myself in DC.

I'd known intuitively that I couldn't go back.

And even had the option existed, I'm not sure I would have wanted to.

There was nothing waiting for me back there. No family. No friends. Just more people to kill. More enemies to make.

And you could kill a corrupt politician so many times until you realized...the system was the problem. More just took their place.

Like a Hydra. Cut off one head and another would grow from the decapitated neck. It was a fruitless endeavour.

That said, I still had a promise to keep and a desire to fulfill.

Ny mission, as crazy as creating an assassin organization was- would ensure a steady flow of income. (killing people is profitable)

But you could even argue, such an organisation was needed. Nay, it was necessary.

In a world such as this, where Justice could come in many forms- most of them were ineffective.

The DC Heroes did not kill. But does that mean killing is bad? Evil, sure. But bad?

Would killing a sadistic asshole like Firefly- who got off on inflicting pain by burning people to death, be bad if it spared the world some pain?

To be honest, I didn't have an answer to that. Not the correct one at least.

All I know is that left to me, a bullet through the brain would be the viable option. A simple and permanent resolution to a single problem affecting many.

And while I knew my ideology and warped moral compass would bring me to blows with the Justice League and other premier heroes, that was at the least a century away.

Right now...my concerns were more based.

For starters, after a thorough examination of my body...it was weird to find no burn marks whatsoever.

The last thing I remembered was getting roasted by Cerberus' fire.

From the memories of the agony I'd endured...I estimate half of my body had sustained third degree burns.

I even distinctly recall the smell of my own flesh cooking. Like roast rib. Not that bad actually.

Yet somehow...I'd healed.

A warm and light skittering I was starting to associate with Spyra climbed across the back of my neck, jumping to my head before settling there.

"I'm guessing you're the reason I don't look like a discount Freddy Kruger?"

I used a finger, stroking the fiery spider under it's chin.

"Ow."

I retracted the digit after the little shit dug her fangs into me.

The fangs were sharp enough that two pinpricks of blood appeared on the skin. I narrowed my eyes at her reflection in the mirror.

"That wasn't very nice-"

I started, only to trail off as a small burst of flames ignited on the puncture holes.

The skin on my finger pad knitted and the holes made by Spyra's fangs disappearred.

Spyra waved her front legs in the air, as if mocking me for jumping the gun.

"Yeah yeah...laugh it up."

I grumbled.

Still, the power to regenerate was a welcome change.

I wonder how fast it is? Does it stack on top of enhanced healing to not only deal with my injuries but things like illnesses, neutralizing toxins and what not?

In addition, what else could I do with these flames?

There was still the teleportation thing I was yet to fully master.

Made all the more difficult with the added risk that someone like Cerberus, could just steal away my control again.

But that could be dealt with by training.

The experience gained from trial and error could not be discounted. It's how you kept your skills at a consistent high level.

Then there was the whole Hestia encounter.

She talked about the [FIRST FLAME]. The name somehow felt imposing. Something that could evoke a certain weight just by uttering its name...I won't lie, I'm interested.

Then again, that was very far off.

For now the main focus should be ensuring no one can mess with my control. With the secondary focus being exploring what other benefits the flames brought with them.

I wonder if the Underworld Palace has a library. The library of the land of the dead had to have some interesting books.

Add that to the list of requests I was going to ask Hades.

Luckily, in the question of my abilities, I knew the first place to look for information.

With a simple thought, I brought up the interface,

X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X

Spider-Man X.

MILES MORALES STRAIN: 100% d.n.a INTERGRATION.

Abilities unlocked:

Super strength.

Spider sense.

Web-creation.

Wall-crawling.

Enhanced Healing.

Enhanced Senses.

Enhanced Stamina.

Enhanced Durability.

Enhanced Flexibility.

Enhanced Speed.

BIO-ENERGY MANIPULATION (Updated):-

-Venom Blast:- A powerful electric strike that unleashes a burst of bio-energy that stuns the target and deals concusive damage. The range is dependent on Stamina and Bio-energy reserves.

-Invisibility:- the ability to camouflage yourself, including clothing, to match the surroundings, making you effectively invisible. With the skill [Ghost Step], the effectiveness of this ability is increased by 100%.

Xx[NEW!!]xX:- Blue Flames:- A hellhound's last gift. Flames that burn with the User's very will. The stronger the will, the hotter the flames.

Effects include:-

Flame Displacement:- link with another flame that you can detect through any of your senses, allowing almost [INSTANT TELEPORTATION].

Flame Manipulation:- Allows intuitive control of blue fire to incinerate, create constructs e.t.c. The temperature and range is dependent on Will and Bio-energy reserves.

Xx[NEW!!]xX:- Spider Totem:- the Hellhound's Pyra's flames interacted with the User's Bio-energy, manifesting into a living Totem.

Effects include:-

N/A.

X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X

"I still don't know what to make of you. And the interface agrees with me."

At my words, Spyra seemed almost annoyed. She jumped to the top of my head, and melded into me.

Flickers of blue fire died out as I run a palm over my hair.

It had grown longer. The top would usually branch into an Afro and get tangled up.

I needed a shave or else I'd end up looking like an impoverished Afro Samurai.

Scratch that, a shredded Afro Samurai.

Actually...not a bad look. With my increased muscle mass and height, I could pull off such a cool look.

I was a different man altogether. And nothing made it sink in more like staring at my reflection.

X or Kane.

Assassin or Spider.

Maybe that was the wrong way to look at it. I was both. And yet not. I needed both to survive. One to work exclusively in the night- the true Assassin Spider.

And the other to just live...

Spyra's fire sent waves of warmth radiating outwards as she appeared on my neck, breaking me out of my thoughts.

Only then did I notice that I'd been staring at myself for half an hour.

I could tell that by recalling the count of beats my heart had made.

I splashed some water on my face, secured the towel around my waist and left the bathroom.

The bedroom was no longer looking like satan jizzed all over the place.

The beddings and sheets that had been burnt by Spyra had all been replaced.

It must have been one of the attendant Dryads. I recall sensing a presence while I was in the shower.

Still, this was something that had to be solved now, rather than later.

I slung a generic shirt and tunic over me, taking a minute to marvel at how comfortable they felt, before it was time.

For the talk.

Thwip!

Thwip!

A fast combo of web shots, glued the burning spider on the gold accented wall of the room.

The air around Spyra seemed to warp like a mirage as she struggled to escape. The heat in the room almost immediately intensified.

I snapped a finger and the flames burning around her were stolen by me, getting absorbed through my hand.

Spyra stopped struggling. Almost stunned.

Cerberus had taught me a valuable lesson. And the description on the interface about 'Will' affecting the strength and control of your flames hammered the point home.

I could manipulate any flame around me if my will was stronger than the one casting them.

Case in point,

"You're not really Pyra, are you?"

I mused to myself, peering down at the spider's renewed struggles.

"Thought as much."

I straightened.

The Interface hadn't lied.

An intuition told me that I wouldn't have been able to absorb Spyra's fire had she really been Pyra reincarnated.

The blue flames were hers in the first place.

That said, my earlier conjectures were proven right.

This was a new lifeform. One formed from my Bio-energy and Pyra's last gift.

The flames burning around her flared up, and the webs melted. I allowed it.

The spider in blue flames fell to the ground, the points of her legs piercing the stone underfoot.

'Jack ass.'

I got a sludge of burning web fluid shot at my face.

Fortunately, she settled down after I promised to let her eat whatever cloth or garment she wanted from the walk in closet.

Going by the gemstones dotting the walls, it was obvious something like that wouldn't put a dent in Hades' vault.

Still, it was a temporary solution until I figured out what else she could eat.

Her biology was truly strange.

Every part of her was blue fire manifested into a solid shape. Flames given form.

I closed my eyes and the link between us had grown stronger.

While I was reluctant to trust anyone too much, Spyra had not only saved me while I was in trouble...she could be a useful asset to have around.

Before that however, we had to deal with something.

Delving into the link once more, I focused on her fiery presence in the next room(she was raining down havoc in the walk in closet) and using Flame Displacement in a way it wasn't intended, I teleported Spyra into my open palm.

A half eaten shirt was clamped between her fore legs, and she was munching away.

Upon noticing her surroundings had drastically changed, Spyra turned to me, questioningly.

I brought her closer to my face.

"Listen, If you're going to stay with me, then we need a few ground rules."

I told her in a serious voice.

"First of all, don't eat what I'm wearing. I'd hate to go into battle with a wardrobe malfunction."

She reluctantly accepted.

"Secondly."

I cleared my throat, an eager smile spreading out across my face.

"We're going to train. Hard. The next time we come across that 3 headed pooch, he's absolutely getting wrekt."