01

FLESH AND METAL

[Janet Miller, Class A Recruit]

The air shimmered and crackled as the portal tore open reality, its swirling energies casting an eerie glow across the cracked pavement. I stepped through, my foot landing with a crunch on the broken concrete and withered vegetation. A heavy sigh left my lips as I glanced around my new environment.

I casually strolled forward, my eyes darting around to take in every detail of this abandoned metropolis. Skyscrapers, once proud monuments to human ambition, now stood as crumbling tombstones. Their shattered windows gaped like toothless maws, frames twisted and bent by some unimaginable force. Nature, ever opportunistic, had begun to reclaim its domain. Vines snaked up concrete walls, flowers bloomed from cracks in the asphalt, and trees burst forth from the remnants of office buildings.

The city wasn't silent, though, far from it. Birds chirped freely, their song echoing through empty streets and hollow buildings. The rustling of leaves in the breeze provided a constant backdrop, followed by the scurrying of small animals fleeing at my approach. It looks like the Earth is better off without humans eh?

Behind me, I heard the familiar sound of my companions emerging from the portal. I turned as a smile played on my lips as I watched the trio of women step into this new area. Their reactions were priceless, each in their own way.

"What exactly is this place, Mistress?" her sweet voice rung out as I giggled. I found it funny how someone who would go on to literally explore an ancient temple dedicated to 'her' Goddess and was just on a large alien warship that was teleported to her version of Hell was so lost in something so mundane for me, well, excluding the abandoned part.

"This, my dear Shadowheart, is a large modern city. Don't know what happened to leave it in such a state but they are quite big," I explained, gesturing broadly at our surroundings.

"Honestly, once you've lived in one of these for 24 years, these parts get pretty bland and annoying." A scowl crossed my face as a particularly unpleasant memory surfaced. "Don't even get me started on rush hour traffic. Blegh." I made an exaggerated gagging motion, eliciting a confused look from Shadowheart and an eye-roll from Lae'zel.

As we ventured deeper into the ruins, 2B moved with her usual grace and precision. Her scanners were no doubt working overtime, analyzing every piece of debris and searching for potential threats. "This city... it's been abandoned for decades," she observed, her voice calm and analytical. "But the destruction we're seeing isn't natural decay."

I followed her gaze, taking in details I had initially overlooked. Massive footprints gouged the ground, each easily the size of a small car. Swaths of scorched earth cut through buildings and across streets, the damage was reminiscent of enormous energy blasts.

Overturned vehicles littered the streets, their rusted frames a testament to the passage of time. Personal belongings were scattered everywhere – bags, shoes, toys – as if their owners had fled in panic, leaving everything behind in their desperation to escape... something. 2B stopped walking and turned to face me, her blindfold hiding her eyes but doing nothing to lessen the intensity of her stare. "Was this the work of The Company?" she asked, her tone carefully neutral.

I sighed, running a hand over my face. "No clue, actually," I admitted. "Most likely, though." The very thought of what The Company was capable of sent a shiver down my spine. My handler had me transformed into an Aasimar and unceremoniously dumped me into the world of Baldur's Gate with nothing more than a vague directive to 'go enslave people for us.'

Shaking off the dark thoughts, I clapped my hands together, drawing everyone's attention. "Anyway, we have way more pressing matters at hand," I announced, injecting a note of enthusiasm into my voice. "Like the two other contractors we're going up against."

At the mention of combat, Lae'zel perked up visibly. She drew her greatsword with a flourish, a gleeful smile spreading across her face. "Finally!" she exclaimed, her voice barely above a whisper yet still filled with anticipation.

I rolled my eyes at her eagerness, but I couldn't deny the thrill of adrenaline beginning to course through my veins. How many people can say they've been in a death tournament facing off against other slavers for interdimensional currency?

The magic spread out from me like an ethereal sonar, probing the ruined cityscape for signs of our opponents. For a few awkward seconds, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, I felt a ping – a group of three, directly north of our position. Lowering my hand, I turned back to my companions with a confident smile. "To our north, our first enemy," I informed them.

"Are you all ready?" Their responses came in quick succession, each reflecting their unique personalities: "Yes, Mistress!" Shadowheart's voice was filled with devotion and a hint of excitement. "I'm always ready to spill blood." Lae'zel practically purred the words, her fingers tightening around the hilt of her sword. "Affirmative." 2B's tone was cool and professional, but I could detect a note of anticipation beneath her calm exterior.

With a nod of satisfaction, I focused my power once more. A shimmering portal slowly started to materialize before us, offering a direct path to our unsuspecting foes. "Why not catch them by surprise?" I said with a mischievous grin, gesturing for my team to stand by as we prepared to face whoever was on the other side, I couldn't help but wonder what poor fuck had to go up against us.

FLESH AND METAL

[Gerald Holland, Class A Recruit]

[Arena - Σ2-C1TY]

What idiot opens a magical portal so slowly? I looked back at Anne and Maeve taking their attention away from the magical portal. "I'll be attacking fast and hard, you two follow me immediately. Wouldn't want the portal to cut you guys off from me." The two heroines nodded as Maeve grabbed her sword and Starlight's eyes flickered with energy. Looking back at the portal I lowered my center of gravity getting ready to charge.

The air seemed to ripple as a figure began to emerge from the portal. My eyes widened slightly as I took in the newcomer – a tall woman with gleaming white angel wings and flowing golden hair. Her bronze skin seemed to glow, and her eyes shined with a golden energy kind of like Starlight's. Something about her screamed 'contractor'.

As she stepped halfway through the portal, her confident smile faltered, clearly not expecting to find us ready and waiting. That momentary surprise was all the opening I needed.

"Go!" I roared, my legs exploding with power as I launched myself forward. The pavement shattered beneath my feet as I crossed the distance in the blink of an eye, fists extended before me like battering rams.

The other contractor barely had time to widen her eyes before I slammed into her with the force of a freight train. The impact sent us hurtling back through the portal, my momentum carrying us past her stunned companions. I caught a glimpse of them toppling like bowling pins as we rocketed by, the woman's breath leaving her in a pained "Oof!"

Not letting up for a second, I angled my trajectory upward carrying us into the sky above what looked like a ruined cityscape. The wind cracked around us as we climbed higher, my hand now firmly wrapped around her throat.

To her credit and my surprise, she recovered quickly from the initial shock. I felt her clutch at my restraining arm, her face twisted in a grimace of concentration. Suddenly, a flickering red energy danced across her fingertips, and searing pain exploded where she touched me.

With a surprised yowl, I instinctively released my hold. The woman immediately took advantage, pushing away from me and spreading her wings to stabilize herself in the air. I glanced down at my wrist, wincing at the angry burn marks that now marred my skin.

"Fuck," I muttered through gritted teeth. "That's gonna take forever to heal."

Looking back up, I locked eyes with my opponent. Her earlier shock had been replaced by a calculating gaze, the golden light in her eyes now tinged with red. She flexed her fingers, wisps of that same crimson energy coiling around her hands.

"I'll give you a three out of ten for a sneak attack," she snarked out, her voice carrying easily despite the wind. "Not so Invincible are you?" she continued as she noticed the damage she was able to inflict.

"Come find out, Tinker Bell," I growled, a challenging grin spreading across my face as I pushed down the twinge of unease at her knowledge of my borrowed identity but in hindsight, it's a no-brainer. I didn't know what exactly she was but I'm sure she wasn't physically stronger than me. But come on magic? That's just plain cheating.

Her response was a barrage of red energy bolts that screamed through the air towards me. It seemed like she was testing me as I easily dodged each attack. Air combat would be my best friend against her it seemed.

I swooped through the air focusing on evasive techniques for now as I looked for an opening before I felt one of her bolts singe me on my shoulder burning a hole through my costume as I clutched my shoulder in pain while continuously dodging more attacks.

My teeth ground with anger as I activated One For All, feeling the power of the quirk course through my veins and spread through the entirety of my body. The potent power boost of 10% of OFA was obvious as I blitzed towards her like an arrow breaking the sound barrier.

This time, she was ready. A shimmering red shield materialized, and I bounced off hard. Before I could reorient myself, tendrils of crimson energy lashed out, wrapping around my limbs.

"What the–" I started, but my words were cut short as she hurled me downward with unnatural strength. I plummeted towards the broken city below, struggling against bonds that felt both solid and intangible.

As the ground rushed up to meet me, one thought echoed in my mind: fuck magic.

FLESH AND METAL

[Felix Matéo Jacques, Class H Trainee]

[Arena - Σ2-C1TY]

I stepped through the portal with measured grace, my eyes calmly scanning the overgrown cityscape before me. The state of the city got my attention as my eyes went from wrecked cars to skyscrapers with entire holes in them, but I filed those observations away for later.

My attention was quickly drawn to something else. A white-tailed deer walked into my view only a few yards away, I guess this place wasn't devoid of all life. The memory of a hunting trip with my uncle surfaced briefly - the long wait, the careful aim, the underwhelming ending. The venison was really good though.

The deer's eyes met mine, and a flicker of primal recognition twinkled in its eyes. I saw the subtle tensing of its muscles, the preparatory twitch before the flight. A smile made its way onto my face. In an instant, I closed the distance.

My biomass shifted as my hand went from five fingers into one sharp tendril, plunging through hide and muscle with surgical precision.

I felt the deer's heart pulsate around my limb for a fraction of a second before it burst. Lifting the creature effortlessly, I watched with a detached interest as life drained from its eyes, its body going limp on my arm. I let the carcass slide to the ground, my gaze never leaving it.

For twenty-something seconds, I stood, waiting. Then, with meticulous control, I released a concentrated stream of the virus into the deer's corpse. The transformation was an art show of biological manipulation. My biomass spread through dead tissue like ink in water, rewriting genetic code on a cellular level.

I watched, amazed, as muscle fibers twitched and reknit themselves. The shattered heart reassembled, pumping a new, darker fluid through reactivated veins. With a sudden jerk, the deer's eyes snapped open, now glossy black and devoid of their former wilderness.

It rose unsteadily at first, then with increasing confidence as the virus optimized its host. The creature before me was a perfect replica of life, yet so much more.

"Holy fuck," I let out unconsciously, reaching out to stroke its coarse fur. The deer nuzzled my hand, now an extension of my will and control. I felt the connection almost instantly,

I sent my first infected out with a mental command, ordering it to infect any other animals and look out for humanoids or anything suspicious. And as I watched it gallop away I felt a sense of satisfaction? I don't know what part of it exactly but it felt good to contaminate.

Should probably get a handle on that sooner or later but for now I should be fine. I think.

I looked down at my right hand, undoing the transformation as my biomass shifted back into my 'default' self, ten normal fingers and all. I looked around once again and realized that I was quite literally out in the open like a sitting duck.

Instantly rectifying that, I charged my jump toward one of the many broken windows on a skyscraper a few feet from me. Completely leaving ground level, I soared almost twenty stories up into what seemed to be an office.

All I had to do was wait. I wouldn't want to rush into any fights with no information, especially considering how underpowered I would be compared to someone who was around Tier 7 or 8.

Might as well do some experimenting in the meanwhile. I settled into a dusty office chair, my mind racing with possibilities. I closed my eyes, focusing on the microscopic dance happening within my body.

I visualized a swarm of hybrid nanobots, part organic, part machine. As I concentrated, I felt a tingling sensation in my fingertips. Opening my eyes, I saw my hand covered in a shimmering, metallic sheen that seemed to pulse with life. "Interesting," I murmured, flexing my fingers. The coating responded instantly, hardening into a gauntlet-like structure.

With a thought, I could shift it from the hardened solid the Blacklight Virus was able to produce to a liquid-like state the nanocytes seemed to default to in large quantities, great that gave me many options.

As an experiment, I willed my right hand to transform into a blade. The familiar shift of biomass occurred, but this time, the nanocytes aligned themselves along the edge giving it an incredibly sharper edge.

Suddenly, a thunderous crash echoed through the city, causing me to jump to my feet. The sound of shattering concrete and twisting metal reverberated through the abandoned building.

I rushed to the window, my enhanced senses scanning the area.

In the far-off distance, I saw two figures locked in an aerial battle. One, a winged woman surrounded in crimson energy. The other was some dude in yellow moving really fast.

"Huh. Looks like I didn't even need the deer."