Cutscene: Power Struggle

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –​

May 10, 2011

1:07 AM

Asada Seo was considered by some to be a big man, at least in the physical definition of the word. Standing straight, he measured up at just a little more than an inch or so over six feet without shoes.

Tall for a Japanese man.

Tall for most Asian men, he knew that much.

A few years of being in the ABB had done it's part to disabuse him of the notion that he was anywhere near the average when it came to something that obvious. It wasn't quite as easy to see at the moment, what with him sitting side saddle on his motorcycle the same as the few men he had brought along with him, but he knew if he were to stand, he would tower above every single one of them.

Lung liked shit like that.

Shit that showed strength.

Five years of running protection for the man in his own neighborhood has taught Seo that much.

Whether it was just looks or actual strength, the dragon wasn't really picky, a simple fact Seo had picked up on pretty quickly. After all, why else would you lift up some random nineteen-year old wannabe above older, more experienced, and definitely more hardened criminals?

Didn't make much sense otherwise. The young man raised a hand to his face and rubbed the scruff that dotted his chin as he continued to wait. The cold night air didn't bother him much as he rolled his thoughts around in his head, the conversation of his boys around him nothing more than background noise.

The only other option Seo had ever given much thought to was that Lung was looking to instill loyalty when he chose his underlings. Again, something Seo really doubted when it came to Lung. After years of working for the dragon, he learned that the man assumed they were all loyal anyway, at least in the face of his strength.

Not like the choice was ever really in their hands, from the way Seo saw it. You only ever had two choices when it came to the dragon boss, anyway.

One, never ever let Lung think you were anything but loyal.

Two, burn.

No one ever went with number two.

At least, not by choice, anyway.

Plenty of people ended up going the second route no matter what they wanted, their choices not really mattering to Lung when the dragon got his blood up.

The cape leading the ABB had a bad habit of offing the people that pissed him off the most. Far too often, that was those that worked directly under him. It had started way back in the day with the old collection of oyabun that ran the gangs when he arrived in the bay and it continued with Lung's lieutenants every now and again.

Sometimes, the big man didn't even feel bothered to do the deed himself. You simply entered the restaurant for a nice meal and just never left the kitchens.

The funny thing was that sort of thing never seemed to happen to the guys running the shadier shit. Even Lung needed to get his dick wet on the regular, scaly as it might have fucking been, and those scummy fucks had it good for almost a whole decade untouched…

Well, at least they had until some kid fucked their shit up in a permanent way.

Somehow, the cops and PRT suddenly had lists and names of every place and person of importance when it came to that side of the ABB, even the ones outside the bay strictly. Most would have blamed one Big Ken, but word going around was that he died the same day his restaurant did, done in by the Empire.

Purity, Hookwolf and Stormtiger had made themselves real fucking visible that whole week, all throughout ABB territory. It would have been the smart bet to figure one of them had gutted the rich fuck for all his secrets and, well… his guts.

Seo knew better, though.

He knew way better than most.

The twenty-something removed a hand from his jacket pocket and raised it to his mouth to place a single loose cigarette in his mouth. He scrambled through the pocket of his jeans for a few seconds more with a slight frown on his face, only for his expression to turn up slightly as his hand came free once more, this time with a silver lighter in his grip. As he hummed the theme to some show he vaguely remembered, the Japanese man cupped the butane lighter to the cigarette he held between his lips, only to pause.

His lips shifted around the cigarette in his mouth as his men began to go silent. Seo glanced up, frowning slightly as he spotted one of the first few cars pull into the mostly empty parking lot, the sound of hard rubber on gravel and an idling engine drowning out most other noise as over a dozen cars of similar make and model began to enter the lot.

I told these idiots to split up and stagger… A sigh escaped him a moment later, the taste of nicotine already filling his mouth and nose. The first car came to a stop just meters from him and his boy's motorbikes, several more following behind in a constant stream that went on for at least a minute.

What part of 'low fuckin' profile' is hard to understand? He felt his eye twitch at the familiar noise of loud Korean rap blasting from several colorful vehicles entering last. Fuckers never listen to common sense.

Seo let his eyes drop as he muttered curses under his breath, the man taking a moment to calm himself as he breathed in the stick of nicotine in his mouth. Seconds passed and Seo took another drag, mutterings turning to curses as he heard car door after car door open and shut.

The former ABB lieutenant opened one eye to a cry of "Seo!" as a much shorter and much wider man dressed in a bright red tracksuit slammed shut the passenger door of the sedan nearest to Seo and his group of bikers. Seo, in comparison, had on a white dress shirt under a black-and-white motorcycle jacket, the first few buttons of his shirt left to display his tattooed bare chest and golden chain. A pair of black jeans and matching motorcycle boots completed the ensemble as he remained seated on the side of his custom bike.

Making his way over with the three men who had ridden with him, the Chinese gangster gave him a smile as wide as it was mocking as he threw his ring-laden hands out and let out another shout of "Seo!"

"Wei...," Seo raised a hand in a lazy wave as he returned the greeting with a much calmer and quieter response.

Much like Seo, Zhu Wei was considered by some to be a big man in the ABB on his own merits. Unlike Seo, though, Wei was somewhat lacking in height, even for the average man. Still, despite being somewhat short, the Chinese man far made up for it in sheer bulk, the once muscle-obsessed man having let himself go a good bit over the years. Both him and Seo had also served directly under Lung, and then for a very short while under his replacement, the two of them being minor players that Lung had chosen to raise higher above others. Wei had been friendly with a few of Lung's trusted people - the late Big Ken among them - and used that to weasel his way into a lieutenant position years before Seo ever even joined. Past that, the only similarity they shared was the hate they had for each other's guts and their mutual awareness of that.

"I see you… You..." Seo's eyes flicked down and back up again as he gave the other former ABB leader a once-over and then over to the group gathering behind him. It was through great effort that he restrained himself from frowning again, despite how much he wanted to. "Wow. You… brought..."

Asada Seo nodded his head in Wei's direction, barely able to spit out the rest of the sentence, growing irritation close to turning his vision as red as the other man's tracksuit.

Zhū Wei glanced over his shoulder as a sizable mob of Chinese men and more than a few women formed up in the parking lot behind him, most of them young enough to barely be out of college at best. Even to the eye of an unaware bystander, they would clearly stand out as ABB, tattoos and fucking weapons visible on at least a few of them. The fact that they all wore red prominently somewhere on their bodies - caps, shirts, bandanas - only furthered that image…

Granted, that didn't mean much anymore as the ABB colors of red and green had been left in the past. Over the last two weeks, what was left of the ABB had begun to splinter without any of their former cape leadership to keep them united through fear. Chinese gangsters had taken to wearing red, Koreans to blue, and the Japanese - especially those who still followed his lead - stuck to white.

It didn't take a genius to see that all the splintering has formed along racial lines, not unlike what the situation had been before Lung. The main difference was that, instead of following the lead of old and experienced bosses, they were being led by new, young faces.

Well… Seo raised an eyebrow as he slowly took in the older man's girth again. Mostly, I guess.

Already pushing that pointless thought aside, Seo also did his best to ignore the fact that he and his own boys were outnumbered by at least five to one, but that was much harder to push down when he knew exactly the kind of person he was dealing with. Huh.

His eyes scanned the crowd again, slower this time, visibly taking the time to inspect almost every single person in front of him.

Apart from almost a dozen near the front, most everyone else the former lieutenant had brought along with him was fresh-faced and barely blooded, ABB in name only. Oh, you fat fuck. Wei seemed to have brought along nothing but gofers, dumb muscle and whoever else was awake this early in the morning. It would be a miracle if anyone in the crowd did anything as important as picking up protection money.

So, he didn't bring anyone he couldn't afford to lose, Seo concluded, fighting the expression that threatened to take over his face. Don't give yourself away. You figured this would happen.

"Ah, yeah, all this." Wei turned back to Seo, a smile spreading across his face as he let out a small chuckle, "I know you said only a few, but a couple more of my boys wanted to hear this deal of yours. You know how it is, big man."

"A couple," Seo repeated, tone betraying nothing.

"A little more than a couple, but you get it." Wei's smile shifted into a smirk as greasy as his forehead, the overweight gangster picking at the heavy gold chains he wore over the tracksuit top that strained a bit too tight against his prominent gut. "That gonna be a problem?"

For a few moments, there was relative silence in the parking lot, Seo's own men tensing quietly behind him as he stared down Wei with an incomprehensible look.

"Nah, nah," the much bigger man waved his hand with far more energy than he felt, laughing off the growing attention. A second later, Wei joined in, his laugh more raspy than Seo's but just as sincere. It's not like you basically screamed from the fucking roof that some ABB shit is going on right fucking here. "Nah, it's no problem. Least you made it."

"Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Sure." Wei let out another chuckle as Seo rolled his eyes, the sound trailing off until both men were staring at each other again, their gathered lackeys doing much the same.

"So, Seo," Wei broke the silence again, his volume somewhat raised. "What's this deal about? You know, the one you couldn't tell me about over the phone?"

"Couldn't t-?" Seo muttered to himself for a moment, cigarette in hand, before pausing as his eyes flicked over to the crowd in front of him, his eyes meeting those of several of Wei's men before dropping back down again to the former weightlifter. Oh… so, that's how we're playing it.

Unable to help himself, the taller man let out a short bark of laughter, to the visible surprise of Wei and several others. "Man, I can't believe it," Seo let out another snort before returning the cigarette to his mouth. "I can't fuckin' believe it."

He shook his head disbelievingly, and shrugged his shoulders as casually as he could. "Wei, I don't know how but it must have slipped my mind. I honestly swear…" He paused mid-sentence, eyes hard and mouth a thin line before he spoke again, this time with a deeper edge to his voice. "... but what I don't get is how the fuck I forgot to tell you the biggest fucking news I've heard in a while."

"...Yeah," Wei coughed, looking off to the side. "No fucking idea either."

"You showed up anyway, though," Seo continued, not even trying to hide the sneer on his face anymore as he blew out a stream of cigarette smoke. "Brought a whole squad with you, too. 'Cause why, man? Just cause you were curious?"

"Seo, c'mon… c'mon, man," Zhū Wei spoke up again, still wearing a smile as he raised his hands as if to calm the larger man. "Don't be like that. It's not that serious."

Seo let out a scoff behind closed teeth, the noise coming off as more of a hiss as he shook his head. "If you say so, bro."

"...'sides," Wei continued. "It ain't just me. The boys wanted to hear you out too. Why don't you tell them the big news? See what they think about it?"

The confused looks he was getting from Wei's "boys" didn't make the man's lies sound anymore convincing, not that Seo wasn't aware he was full of shit already. Frankly, he was pretty sure almost all of Wei's "boys" knew how full of shit the older man was, even the ones that hadn't followed the man to this meet-up. The Japanese gangster felt his left eye twitch, the taste of ash in his mouth as he bit down on his cigarette. Fat fucking bastard. Can't even lie for shit. Biting his tongue before those words could escape him, Seo nodded his head slowly as he leaned back on his bike. "... Alright."

Raising his voice to make sure he was heard, Seo began as bluntly as possible. "If you ain't a complete retard, you know the ABB is more than in the fucking ground. To this city, to this people, we're all dead men fucking walking. Even our own… our own neighborhoods look at us like shit now. You've seen it. You lived it." His mouth turned down into a furious scowl as he saw several of Wei's people shaking their heads. "Don't you play fucking stupid with me! You know exactly what the fuck I'm talking about so don't act like I'm spitting bullshit!"

Seo took in a hissed breath from between gritted teeth, clicking his tongue as he turned his head to the side for a moment. "They look at us like shit, you know it. They don't say it but you see it in their eyes. You get the same looks. And, you know what?" His nose crinkled slightly as he breathed in again, cigarette smoke filling his nostrils. "I don't blame 'em. They're our people, on our territory. And we fucked them over."

The general mutters from both in front of him and behind him seemed to agree, encouraging Seo to press forward. Rather than say anything else, he opened up his biker's jacket, exposing the lining and went for the inner pocket. Ignoring the tensing of Wei and several of his men, Seo pulled out a green-colored packet of cigarettes, a smiling green worm with a cigarette in it's mouth on the cover as it poked its body out of a bright red apple. "I buy this shit every week at the same convenience store since my ass was eighteen. Wu's Market, if you know it, you know it."

More nods and mutters of agreement met his statement, albeit with some clear confusion as to where he was going. "Uncle Wu was family to me, you know," the smoking gangster continued. "He was family to a bunch of us. I've known that old man my whole fucking life and I didn't say a goddamn word when Bakuda put her shit in his skull. I pussied out cause I didn't…"

Seo paused to blow out another gray plume of smoke, digits tense around the cigarette in his hand. Any tenser, and the man knew he would be holding nothing but ashes and paper. "Look, I pussied out. Didn't say shit cause I wasn't looking for that bitch to put one in mine either. We all shut up and followed orders, let some random cape who just joined up do whatever the fuck she wanted and we got fuck-shit for all of it. What we got was a shit-ton of our people getting free brain surgery and every fucking person looking at us like monsters. Be a hell of a lot better if they were wrong, shit."

His other hand tightened around the pack of cigarettes as he shook his head again. "Fuck, I couldn't even look Wu's fucking daughter in the eye when I bought this shit today. Y'know what? Any fucking one of us could have put a bullet in that fucking cape's head. She ain't bulletproof. She can't heal. We coulda capped her twice and we'd be good right now."

Seo returned the green packet to his pocket and, in the same motion, took the lit cigarette out of his mouth. "Fuck this shit. Look..." A large gray cloud of smoke escaped his lips, the gangster releasing a sigh as he felt his nerves ease slightly with the action. "I'm fucking tired of all this. I know you are too. Bakuda fucked us, yeah?"

He raised an eyebrow a moment later at the sudden "Yeah!" he received in return from Wei's crew and some of his own as well. Judging by the slight jump Wei was trying to play off as nothing, the fat man wasn't expecting it either. Wasnt looking for an answer, but whatever.

"Yeah, Bakuda fucked us…" Seo paused to take a smoke-free breath, "but Lung ain't do us any favors either. That bastard never cared about a single fucking thing but his own rep."

The voices of agreement began to peter out with the quickness Seo had expected before he finished the sentence.

Before anyone could interject, the Japanese gang leader quickly continued his statement, an added edge to his tone as he raised voice. "Don't start that fake fuckin' loyalty bullshit. The dragon's caged up and he ain't getting out so there's no getting fried for speakin' up. Now, listen, yeah? Look, Bakuda was AIDS but Lung was fuckin' cancer. The fucker was killing us for years with his bullshit."

"Ey, Seo," Wei drawled, shaking his head slowly as he kept eye contact with the taller man. "You're talking some crazy shit right now. Lung made us, made the ABB. Man kept our people safe."

"Did he, really?" Seo scoffed out loud, exhaling another lungful of smoke. Even still, he had to admit that Wei had something of a point. He ain't wrong with the first part, though. At best, half of one.

"Yeah, yeah, he did," Wei continued, edges of his mouth tilting up into a smirk. "I don't appreciate the shit coming out of your mouth about the boss. You know no one fucked with us or our territory with him around."

"Yeah?" Seo bit back. "'cause I think you're fuckin' confused right now. We got fucked with all the goddamn time. Lung made it worse cause that motherfucker had to scale up every few weeks and swing his dick into Empire territory."

"That's not li-"

"How many times we get the fucking Nazis wrecking our shit, leaving random bodies as a message to teach the ABB a lesson, especially after Lung picked a fight and got his ass chased out?" Seo spat out, annoyance coloring his tone. "Man didn't give a shit about us, 'bout people he said he was about. He got free and didn't say shit to Bakuda about this suicide bomb brain surgery shit." Seo took another pull from the nicotine stick between his fingers, keeping eye contact with Wei as he did so, as if daring the shorter man to contradict his words. "Cape just ran to another fuckin' fight and got his ass beat for the second time."

"Oi, Seo!" Wei barked at him. "You going too fucking far."

"Yeah?" The Japanese gangster snorted at Wei's words. "Still ain't wrong, though. The fucker was killing us for years with his bullshit."

As Wei bit back whatever he was going to say next with a constipated look, Seo took another pull from his cancer stick. Lung… Lung had operated like a fuckin' idiot. Years of working for the man had taught him that much. The cape was strong, sure, but he felt that his strength was all that mattered. He didn't know shit about much else apart from his pride and how best to kill whoever pissed him off the most.

And look where that got him.

The dragon they had been forced to serve had basically pressed everyone between the ages of fifteen to fifty within his organization. If you were some type of Asian, you were ABB and that was the way Lung wanted it… the fucking idiot.

It didn't help thing much that most of the city was now suspicious of anyone of Asian descent, thanks to Lung's retarded fucking recruitment style. The ones that ain't some kind of suspicious, he breathed out another lungful of smoke, are just better at fuckin' hiding it.

"The dragon…" Seo raised an eyebrow, pulled from his thoughts as Wei spoke up again, "he killed the old men. Every oyabun… of every Asian gang in this city."

"Your point?"

"He kept us, chose us, let us live, the kobun…" From the way Wei seemed to be looking past him instead of at him as he continued, the other gangster was sure the discussion, as it was, was no longer much of one. "As long as we didn't fail him. As long as we stayed loyal. He'd protect us, our homes, our part of the city…"

"And how's that working out for us, Wei?"

"You would know better than me, Seo," Wei barked back, "considering you're the one kneeling down to kiss the boots of some fuckin' guǐlǎo brat."

The silence between the two of them would have been deafening, if the murmurs breaking out from the men behind and in front of Seo weren't loud enough to be overheard.

Seo froze for a moment, cigarette held just inches from his lips, and turned his gaze back down to Wei. He felt a twinge of rage run through him as he shuddered, and judging by the sudden silence from several of his own boys, even they noticed. After a moment, the gangster slowly and carefully placed the cigarette back in his mouth.

"Ain't no one kissin' any fucking boots, you hear me?" Seo replied as calmly as he could manage.

"Yeah, I bet. Ain't this boss the same little shit that wrecked half your old crew?"

Seo let out a grunt despite himself. After a moment, he caught himself. "It was war. We shot at him. You know how it is."

"Yeah, yeah, I bet," Wei's smirk returned. "By the way, what happened to that shit fucking sword you used to wave around, Seo? Didn't that same brat pick it off you?"

"... We made a deal for it."

"I bet you fuckin' did," Wei's smirk widened, the man patting his stomach. "Did you make a deal to suck his little white dick too or you just do it for free?"

"Listen up, you fat fuck! I made a fuckin' deal to save our asses!" The calm left as quickly as it arrived. "Hell of a lot more than you're doing stirring up trouble!"

"Oh yeah, big man?" Wei replied, a laugh on his lips as he flashed a big yellow grin in Seo's face. "What's this big fuckin' deal?"

"The fucking deal is you're a greedy pig who thinks he's hot shit," Seo hissed back at the other liutenant. "You know exactly what the fuckin' deal is. You just wanna act tough in front of your people and make me look like some kind of bitch."

"I don't gotta make you look like anything, big man," Wei openly laughed in the taller man's face, gut actually shaking. "You know people talk, right? I got Joon on the line the other day and he was tellin' me some big fuckin' secrets about the kiddy cape you makin' all this big 'deals' with."

"Big fucki-" Seo paused as thoughts suddenly took in the other part of that sentence. Anger fell away into confusion as he spoke again. "You workin' with Joon now?"

"Working with?" Wei took a few steps more towards Seo, until the two of them were literally spitting distance from each other. "Strong words. Let's just say that the interests of Zhu Wei and Joon Lee find themselves mutually aligned for the foreseeable future," he replied, clearly repeating words someone else had spoken to him.

Seo kept his mouth in a firm line, fingers tensed around his cigarette.

Joon Lee.

One of the few remaining ABB higher-ups that the cops or PRT hadn't snatched up. There was fucking good reason for that, too. College-educated and sly as hell, the Korean man was the trickiest bastard Seo had ever met in his whole life, and he always made sure never to get caught with his pants around his ankles. If Wei was a selfish, gluttonous, weasel of a man, then Joon was a slimy fucking snake. A good drinking buddy, but still.

"Real question is," the Chinese man laughed out loud again, "who exactly are you working for?"

"Don't play me," Seo bit back, fighting back the anger in his voice as Wei smirked. "I'm not fuckin' here for that shit. You know damn well who I'm working for."

"Course I do. People talk, Seo. Joon got boys in jail. I got boys and girls in jail. They spread secrets," Wei's smirk dipped slightly as he spoke, expression darkening. "Secrets about that new boss of yours that Bakuda figured out."

Okay, then. "Secrets, huh?" Seo turned his head slightly, staring off into the Brockton night. The warm aroma of cigarette smoke clung to him like a security blanket, the man taking a deep sniff before he responded again. "Like what?"

Wei grunted in confusion, frowning slightly before he recovered his expression. "Like you're making deals with the same cape that took out Oni Lee and Lung!" The Chinese gangster raised his voice, clearly speaking to Seo's men and his own more than he was actually talking to Seo at this point. "What about that, Seo? What about that?"

So, that's what we're on now? Seo raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "Ain't much of a secret, Wei. For all I know, the boss likes playing dress-up. I don't question it. He's out there right now keeping the Empire out of our space and paying us to help him out with that. Got no complaints with that."

"And you want us to work for the kid that fucked the whole ABB into the ground?" Now, it was Wei's turn to scoff, the other man raising his hands in disbelief. "Are you fuckin' serious?"

Fuckin' retard, I swear. The Japanese gangster let out a loud sigh. "I want a lot of things, Wei. A couple million in the bank, half a dozen girls on my dick, a private island somewhere in the Pacific so I can fuck 'em all day and night and pass out on a bed bigger than my mom's old apartment." Seo took another pull from his cigarette, his thoughts moving a mile a minute until he let out another gray exhale. "What I need is someone on our side so the Empire don't kill our families whenever they get the itch. The kid came to me for info on the Empire and I made a deal to save our fuckin' skins."

"This is bigger than you, Seo," Wei raised his voice as he glared daggers at his Japanese counterpart. "You can't make deals for the rest of us!"

Seo scoffed one more time, cigarette just brushing his lips. "At least the deals I make stick."

Wei blinked. "Wha-"

"The Koreans were never on your side, idiot. They're in on my deal, if you couldn't figure it out. Joon and Park, all the Blues, since day one. Even the other Reds, the ones that went with Chu. Matter of fact, Chu's probably giving your boy Charlie the same message right now. Either that or Charlie's dead," Seo added with a smile. "Long story short, we're all tired of being shit on in this city. Only way to go from here is up."

The other man seemed frozen, mouth half open as confusion and shock expressed themselves clearly across his face. "You… you…y…" Wei bared his teeth, face going red as he devolved into cursing in Mandarin, pointing an angry finger at Seo as the Japanese man stood there, not understanding a single word.

The Japanese man dropped his cigarette, grinding it under one boot as he stepped away from his bike. "From where I'm standing, you're the only boss that wants to bring back what the ABB was, trying to bring us down. The rest of us… we're letting it die with Lung. If you fuck with this, you…" Seo Asada folded his arms, "well, you're just gonna die."

"I'm gonna die?!" Anger and hate twisted Wei's face into something even uglier. "You fuckin' first!" The man's hand jabbed toward his back, reaching for an object tucked into his tight waistband. Before his fingers could close around it, the gangster froze in place again.

A smile spread across Seo's face as he witnessed Zhu Wei pale with a wiry arm wrapped around his neck, barely letting him breathe, the other arm leading to a hand firmly attached to the gun currently placed against his temple.

"...whatthefuck."

Seo raised his gaze to watch as just behind Wei, almost a dozen of his men found themselves in the same or similar positions as the rest of the crew Wei had brought along to this meeting as simple muscle for intimidation quickly subdued them.

"...whatthefuck."

"I guess I didn't make it clear," Seo continued, stepping closer to the trembling Wei. "Most of your crew knew about the deal, fatass. You didn't have to tell them shit. All I had to make sure they didn't tell you or your right hands. Simple."

"They… th-thi… what the fuck...whatthefuck?" Wei's breath shallowed as he gasped for air, doing his best to scream and struggle even as one of his former boys pushed the gun harder against his head. "Fucking traitors! You're all fucking traito-"

"They're not traitors, Wei. They're loyal to this city, to their neighborhoods, to their families. Not to pig-shit like you. This was how it was always gonna go down."

The Chinese man continued to struggle, face reddening from the effort even as the wiry young man continued to tighten his hold. After a few seconds more, he let out a long gasp for air, his gut expanding as the man let himself sag in defeat. "...why?"

"Why? You really gotta ask that? We want our people safe. We want money in our pockets. We want less trouble, not more."

"... fine. Fine, I give in, alright." Wei grunted as he spat on the ground, eyes darting from side to side angrily as sweat dripped down his reddening face. "Just… just call your boys off."

Seo shook his head. "They ain't my boys."

Wei opened his mouth to ask a simple one-word question, only for it to die in his throat as a dark figure dropped into the parking lot from seemingly nowhere, gravel displaced under his feet from the sudden impact.

"He's right."

Beneath a dark skull mask and a shock of thick blond hair, a mouth full of sharp white teeth grinned at him.

"They're mine."

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

However, much in the way that supervillain culture revolving around power benefits villains by providing them with a fanbase and manpower, it can also harm them as well. Losing repeatedly to the same cape, especially one without a reputation for power, or suffering grievous injury to that same cape often results in said fans and minions defecting from that villain to join forces with that hero. This phenomenon is rare, yes, but not unheard of, specifically outside the United States, where the hero-villain paradigm is less clear.

A superhero gaining power and influence this way rarely bodes well, for many reasons, largely personal and societal. Already being blessed with personal power and abilities that place them objectively above the average human, being granted direct control over others and influence in such a way has been seen in nearly every case to be corruptive in nature.

In the same manner in which 'neighborhood protection organizations' have devolved into the large, sprawling gangs that plague cities today, groups of normals forming around a hero eventually devolve into some manner of criminal organization, turning the aforementioned 'hero' into nothing but a villain corrupted by power, greed and their own ego, deluding themselves that they are still 'fighting the good fight'. It is with this mindset that these former heroes continue along, going from engaging against villains and criminal activity to enforcing a proactive stance against crime in a manner that could best be described as a reckless, egomaniacal fascistic approach to community service… but I digress.

Egotism is the true weakness of any parahuman, no matter how noble and the depth of said conceit only rises with the level of personal power.

— Dr. Jeremiah Goldstein

Evil, Be Thou My Good: An Analysis of Parahuman Psychology and Societal Effects

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

Greg Lucas Veder Student Age: 15 Title: Ninja - Low Class Level 33 Experience 24500/60000 Health 3320 Mana 1240/1240 Willpower 1245 STR 205 SPD 125 (+5) VIT 201 INT 90 WIS 22 (-70%) CHA 33 (+9) (-90%) Stat Points: 22 Perk Points: 10 Cash: $12,550

TRAITS

Nerd-Geek Hybrid: Your obsession with video gaming, computers, fantasy/sci-fi literature and 80's/90's pop culture has left you in the rare middle of two circles; the obsessive fandom-loving geek and the intelligent, knowledge seeking nerd. Sadly, your hobbies have left you with an aversion to physical exertion.

+50% bonus to INT gains

-50% penalty to STR, SPD & VIT gains.

Asperger's Syndrome: Ever since you were a little kid, you've always been a little bit off. Impulsive, obsessive, socially obtuse and emotionally needy, you're a bit of a weirdo. You now know that you have Asperger's Syndrome. Thanks to the help of a PRT doctor with good advice, you're now more aware of your own mental state.

-70% to total WIS

-90% to total CHA.

Casanova Bloodline: As a Veder man, you have a great smile, natural charm and a confident approach to life that draws the ladies in like a moth to a flame. Your great cheekbones don't hurt either. It's how your dad got your mom to go out with him while dating at least three other girls and sleeping with two others, at least that's what he always told you - even when you didn't ask - all the time.

+ 9 CHA

Dragon King’s Blood

Touch my skin, feel the pattern of my scales. Look into my eyes.

Feel the magic of my being. Know that I am dragonblood.

You’re more than just dragon-touched, now. For all intents and purposes, you are a dragon, in all but form. The blood of dragons and kings now runs through you. Your scales may yet be soft skin and your teeth may lack fangs, but that may yet change.

+ 500 HP

+ 20 STR

+ 20 SPD

Dragon King’s Soul

One does not need the size of a dragon to have the soul of a dragon.

You’ve defeated the Dragon of Kyushu for the second time and proven yourself more worthy of the role of ‘Dragon’ than he. What does that mean, though?

+500 MP

+500 Will

+20 INT

+20 VIT

Greater Human

The true power of human beings is that we can change ourselves on our own.

Pushing yourself past the limits of what could ever be considered human, you have entered into a realm that even the most obtuse would notice as distinctly in-human. (Unlocks perks for STR, SPD, VIT and INT once a stat crosses a benchmark of 200 pts)

PERKS

Baby Steps (1/3)

With Catlike Tread...

Allows very light movement across surfaces, allowing you to move or stand on surfaces that would normally not support your weight.

Battle Concentration

Keeping a calm head during a fight is often all you need.

Your experience gain increases by 90% due to your increased focus during battles.

Bulwark

Facing off against an opponent who far outclassed you has given you an ability to withstand impossible pain in the face of impossible odds.

Takes 50% less damage from opponents over five times your level.

Burdened Spirit

The soul grows through suffering.

All Mana Skills increase in magnitude by 2% for every debuff active on you, up to 50%.

Capegoat (5/5)

Their pain is your burden and boy, is it a burden.

Removes harmful status effect from your chosen target by absorbing the negative status, inflicting yourself with a lesser version.

Catch!

Hey batter, batter.

Your SPD is increased by 25% when it comes to catching thrown projectiles.

Danger Sense (6/10)

My common sense is tingling.

You gain a sixth sense that allows you to sense the presence of incoming danger.

Darkvision

It is pitch black but that doesn't matter to you.

Allows perfect night vision, regardless of the level of light.

Developed Mind (7/10)

I like to think of myself as enlightened.

Every time you gain a level, you gain an additional 5 MP for each rank of this perk.

Dragon Blood's Gift

What is a knight without armor? A dragon without scales? A lion without teeth?

All equipped armor and gear is self-repairing at a rate of 1% a minute, so long as it is constantly being fed mana or will in some manner.

Dragon King's Aura (1/10)

A dragon's breath is both sword and shield.

At a rate of 2 MP per second per rank, draw upon your [Elemental] Skills to generate an Aura of Mana that supersedes lesser [Elemental] effects based upon the Skill used and enhances the use of Skills of those [Elements]. Your equipment and body are immune to the effects of the Aura, but your surroundings are not. While your Aura is active, you may also utilize your Elemental Skills as a [Breath Weapon] with no harm to yourself.

Fast Healing

Just a flesh wound, right?

You heal much faster now, regaining Health at a rate of a fifth of your VIT every fifteen seconds.

Flowing Mana

The true power of the Warrior lies in his Breath.

Recovering from countless struggle has forced your physical energies into a state of rapid circulation. Your base mana recovery rate is multiplied by 10. (1 MP/s)

Growing Will (6/10)

Some people say you're rather willful.

Every time you gain a level, you gain an additional 5 Will for each rank of this perk.

Greater Iron Body

"It's a good thing I'm so buff, or that fall would've killed me. "

What is your body made of, exactly? It can't be anything human. All physical damage is reduced by your level number, applying after all other damage reduction.

+Blunt Force-based Status Effects require a Critical Hit to manifest

+10% of blunt damage inflicted totaling less than 5% of innate health is negated.

Keen Vision

20/20? That's weaksauce.

The clarity of your vision scales with your INT by a ratio of 2:1. (100%)

Lifegiver (10/10)

Health is more than just not getting sick.

Every time you gain a level, you gain an additional 5 HP for each rank of this perk.

Not Quite Dead

People die when they are killed… usually.

Survive after your HP sinks below 0 and a harmful status effect is active.

10% Chance to recover with full health when HP drops to 0.

Savior's Strength

Catch me as I fall!

If you're strong enough to hold an object when you catch it without hurting yourself, you can also catch it without hurting it.

Sleep It Off

Great advice, honestly.

Negative Status Effect durations are lessened by 25% while Asleep.

Super-Fulcrum

"Let me just lift this bus by its rear bumper."

When you lift something that you're strong enough to pick up without hurting yourself, it doesn't matter where you grip it. You can lift and move it as a single unit, no matter how the internal stresses should cause it to break. It might still bend or even flop with movable joints, but as long as you can lift it, it won't break due to how you're holding it. This won't stop somebody else from breaking it.

Surefooted

I don't trip.

Allows perfect traction over any solid ground, eliminating the chance of slipping and falling over your own feet.

Swift Learner (2/10)

You're no idiot.

You gain an increased amount of experience, increasing by 10% for each point in this skill.

Transformation Sequence (1/3)

"It's Morphin' Time!"

By willing yourself to transform, you can equip any full outfit within your inventory, transforming in a flash of blue light, mana glitter and/or a whirlwind of aerokinesis obscuring you.

Warrior's Breath

The true power of the Warrior lies in his Breath.

Recovering from countless struggle has forced your physical energies into a state of rapid circulation. Your base Willpower recovery rate is multiplied by 10. (1 Will/s)

TITLES

Dragonbane Knight

To hurt a dragon, one must hone their blade till it is sharper than teeth and claws. To survive a dragon, one must temper their armor until none but a dragon can pierce it. To catch a dragon, one must run and jump until both are akin to flight. To slay a dragon, one must become a dragon.

+ 10% Physical Resistance

+ 10% Resistance to Fire

+ 20 to VIT

+ 10 to STR

+ 200 to Health

+ 100% Damage against [Dragon]s.

Fear Bringer I

Who puts that scare into people?

Strikes fear into enemies equal or below 25% your level.

Lucky Bastard

Fortune smiles upon you. You have experienced good fortune at a time when you assumed all was lost.

+???

+???

+???

Man Slaughter...er I

It was an accident... right?

Direct physical attacks on an enemy with VIT equaling or below 5% of your ST has 5% chance of causing instant death.

Low-Class Ninja

Hide in shadows and darkness. You're a ninja! A NINJA! Cool...

Increases the effectiveness of Evasion, Acrobatics and Stealth-based skills by 25% and + 2 to SPD STAT.

Punisher I

Revenge is a dish best eaten through a straw.

Increases all forms of damage by 5% to those who do damage to your allies.

Squire

Training to be a knight, I see?

Title grants +15% increased damage with a sword and 15% increased physical resistance when equipped with a sword.

Skills

Gamer's Body (Passive) Lv. MAX

Allows you to live life as if were a game.

Sleeping restores HP, MP, Will and removes most negative status effects.

Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lv. MAX

Grants immunity to mental status effects, emotional and mental trauma and severely dangerous emotional states.

Aerokinesis (Adept) Lv 19

"Storm's a brewin'... Metaphorically too."

Exert the force of your air control over the range of a football field and with the raw wind speed of a Category 7 Hurricane.

Cost: 100 MP per second of sustained use at maximum range & power.

Analyze

The more you know...

An immediate upgrade to Observe, this Skill grants you added knowledge on the subject in relation to other realms of knowledge you might already possess.

Cost: 1 MP

Dash Straight Lv 20

Force equals Mass times Acceleration.

You may suck at physics, but you know that much.

Through reinforcing the body, you smash your fist into a target while moving at high speed. Damage scales based on distance moved. (1.5x Damage Cap)

Cost: 25 Will + 2 Will for every meter

Mana Barrier Lv 6

Some kind of force-field!

The power to generate and manipulate defensive fields of arcane energy as a projected construct of your Mana. When using this Skill, your barriers can negate and/or deflect all physical damage up to a certain level. Any damage above the negation level shatters the barrier immediately.

Warning: Strength of barriers can decrease proportionally and drastically with complexity.

Cost: 50 Mana

Mana Bolt Lv 3

Magic Missile for the uninitiated.

A projectile of raw kinetic force that flies with incredible speed toward your chosen target.

Cost: 100 MP

Mana Glitter Lv 9

Sparkle like the pretty bishounen you were always meant to be. Or a princess. Or a pedophilic slightly-rapey vampire. Who's judging you?

Release particles of mana from your body in the form of iridescent sapphire sparkles. Max Range increases by half a meter per level. (5 meters)

Cost: 1 MP per second

Mana Platform Lv 7

I call it walking on air.

Using raw mana, you create semi-solid platforms under your feet that last only as long as you remain still. Platforms double in size every five levels. (0.5 m)

Cost: 1 MP per 2 seconds

Pyrokinesis (Adept) Lv 6

Great Balls of Fire!

You're a walking firestorm, the ability to launch enough flame at once to set an entire building ablaze from hundreds of feet away.

Cost: 250 MP per second of sustained use at max range.

Raging Combo Lv 18

A blistering barrage of belligerent blows built to batter baddies.

By repeatedly using weaker forms of Angry Straight, you pummel your target with raw frustration and anger. (36 Hits)

Cost: 65 Will

Reinforcement (Acolyte) Lv 1

Enhance your physique to new levels, your body and soul working in tandem.

Reinforcement imbues you with the efforts of the physical aspect of your soul given form, pushing your actual body to heights it might never had reached otherwise. Increases your effective strength and speed by 200%. Improved control means that weaker usages of Reinforcement is within your grasp for lower costs.

Cost: 5 Will/s

Subskill: Burst

Cast from hit points. Yeah, it's one of those skills.

A short, yet extremely concentrated and focused burst of Reinforcement applied to the extremities for an insane burst of ability lasting 2 seconds.

x 3 top Reinforced SPD/STR

Cost: 50 Will, 50 HP Subskill: Layer Reinforcement

To improve on an item is to improve the very soul of it.

Increases the quality of non-living items, increasing their sharpness, durability, and hardness. This form of Reinforcement can be used on non-living substances for a multiplier of ten.

Surface Adhesion Lv 20

You ever wanted to be Spider-Man? Don't lie. Of course you did.

This skill allows you to stick to walls and hang on to ceilings and vertical surfaces without a risk of falling. While not denying gravity, this allows you to adhere to surfaces unaided.

Cost: 2 MP per second

Structural Analysis Lv 13

Judging the concept of creation, Hypothesizing the basic structure...

Grants the ability to gain a rudimentary understanding of the internal structure and functional design of simple, non-living objects.

Cost: 2 mp per square half-meter of object.

Subskill: Physical Analysis

Allows an innate understanding of the human body with the levels of complexity based on the progression of the primary skill, Structural Analysis.

Weapon Charge Lv 23

Conceptually do twice as much damage with a weapon. Broken?

What's that mean?

Boosts weapon damage x 2.

Length of charge increases by 1/2 second for every level. (11.5 sec)

Cost: 8 MP

Abilities

Acrobatics Lv 46

Parkour!

An ability that enables you to pull off backflips, frontflips and any manner of jumping-based ground-movement technique with greater ease.

Awareness: Willpower Lv MAX

Willpower, ki, chi, qi, stamina, aura, mantra, physical energy, life energy, od, or even hamon… Call it what you want. It's all the same in the end.

You have gained awareness of your Willpower, the physical energy found within all living organisms. Gaining awareness of your physical energy has given you some semblance of control over it.

Ballroom Dancing Lv 1

I wouldn't call it dancing yet. More like a full-body dry heave set to music.

Represents your skill in the art of dancing in a fancy, romantic manner when with a partner.

Anatomy: Intermediate Lvl 2

The quickest way to a man's heart? Directly through his ribcage.

Gain a more experienced understanding of the human body and how interconnected systems function.

[Status Effects] become easier to inflict in melee combat by 2% every level. (4%)

Basic: Increases [Critical Hit] damage by 10% per level. (100%)

Beginner Combat Lvl 20

I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.

The next level of combat, Beginner Combat is a fusion of fighting and footwork into the ability to learn new styles of combat, fusing them into a novice martial combat capability.

Increased bare-handed damage by 2% per level. (40%)

Blunt Weaponry Lv 5

Carry a big stick. Speaking softly is optional.

Measures your skill with using a blunt weapon.

Increases damage with a blunt weapon by 2% per level. (10%)

Breath-Holding Lv 25

Asphyxiation is a terrible way to die.

Increases time able to stay conscious without air by 30 seconds per level. (12.5 min)

Bullshitting Lv 6

First, you tell a lie; then you believe it; then you become it.

Increases chances that any lie you tell is successful by 2% with every level. (12%)

Cooking Lv 10

Some people are just born to cook and talk.

People have been cooking since the discovery of fire. Who knows what you could create if you put your mind to it?

Disarm Lv 18

Take their weapon from their warm, living hands.

Increases chance of disarming the enemy by 2% with every level. (36%)

Driving Lv 4 (XP: 25%)

NASCAR, here we come.

Measures your skill at operating a four-wheeled motorized vehicle.

Gunplay: Handguns Lv 8

Possibly more than the automobile, the handgun is synonymous with America.

Improves aim/accuracy/stability with a handgun by 5% per level. (40%)

Improves damage with a handgun by 2% per level. (16%)

Gunplay: Rifles Lv 4

Slightly better than a stormtrooper.

Improves aim/accuracy/stability with a rifle by 5% per level. (20%)

Improves damage with a rife by 2% per level. (8%)

Intimidation Lv 17

If you want to control someone, all you have to do is to make them feel afraid

Strike fear into the hearts of man and throw them off their guard, allowing you to score critical hits much easier. Increases chance of [Critical Hits] on enemies by 1% every level. (17%)

Kissing Lv 8

Looks like practicing on a peach actually paid off.

Represents your skill in the art of smooching.

Language: Japanese Lv 15

Gratuitous Japanese indeed.

Reflects your speaking skill, and understanding of, the Japanese language.

Language: Spanish Lv 16

Me llamo Gregory.

Reflects your speaking skill, and understanding of, the Spanish language.

Manipulation: Mana (Limited) Lv 10

Mana, magic energy, magicka, prana, ether, thaum, spiritual energy, magatsuhi or even chakra… Call it what you want. It all rests in the palm of your hand to command.

Your awareness of mana has advanced to an understanding of how to force the energy resting within your mind and soul to your eager and unprepared will. Adds a 1% bonus to effect of all mana-based skills. (10%)

Meditation Lvl 30

Breathe in the good shit. Breathe out the bullshit.

By finding your inner focus, you push out all earthly distractions and enter a state of mental and physical harmony, allowing a greater understanding of your mind and body. While meditating, your Mana and Will recover at a rate of 10% faster per level into this ability. You retain this bonus for a period of ten minutes post-Meditation. (300%)

Parry Lv 17

To deflect an attack is a double-edged sword;

Risking more damage for the chance to inflict the same.

Increases the effectiveness of any attempt to divert or deflect a physical attack by 2% with every level. (34%)

Reflexes II Lvl 1

That's two bullets. Child's play. When you can avoid six bullets, then you will have accomplished something.

Decreases innate reaction time by .1% per level. (95%)

Resistance: Biological Manipulation Lvl 5

Some people like to work with clay, or glass, or wood. Others prefer the mutability of flesh.

Measures your ability to resist any attempt to directly control your physical form, referring to skin, nerves, organs or otherwise. Increases by 2% per level. (10%)

Resistance: Blunt Force Lv. 70

Going from punching yourself in the face to actual self-mutilation?

Bold move, Veder. Let's see if it pays off.

Reduce all blunt force damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (52.5%)

Resistance: Cold Lv 8

The cold never stopped bothering you.

Increases resistance to cold temperature by 1% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (8%)

Resistance: Electricity Lv 8

Everyone knows electrocution is harmless.

Increases resistance to electrical damage by 1% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (8%)

Resistance: Heat II Lv 4

"You have to respect anything that can just stand there, on fire."

Reduces heat damage by 1% with every level from attacks up to 200% of health. (4%)

+Complete immunity to heat damage with a magnitude up to 1% of Innate VIT

Resistance: Piercing Lv 40

The thrust or stab is risky because it can kill and yet not stop

Reduces piercing or stabbing damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (30%)

Resistance: Poison Lv 4

I wonder what counts as a poison...

Reduces damage and effects caused by poison by 1% every level that will cause damage less than 100% of your health, in any way, shape or form. (4%)

Resistance: Slashing Lv 18

The cut will stop but not kill.

Reduces slashing or cutting damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (13.5%)

Seduction Lv 1

I didn't mean to turn you on… or did I?

Manage to draw the attention of a member of the opposite sex using your innate attraction skills. Increases chance of [Critical Hits] on enemies by .5% every level. (.5%)

Singing Lv 2

Stick to doing musicals in the shower for now.

Represents your ability to hit the correct notes, harmonize and anything to do with the art of vocals.

Sneaking Lv 25

Ugh… stealth missions suck.

Allows for 2% quieter movement per level while trying not to be heard. (50%)

Stamina Lvl 25

Whatever I lack in talent I have in stamina.

Increase Will by + 5 with every level. (125 Will)

Swordplay: Single Blade Lv 40

All swords are the same.

Represents your martial skill with the art of a single blade.

Increases damage with a blade by 2% per level. (80%)

Taunt Lv 19

"And this! Is when I taunt you!"

Draw the attention of a target through nonsensical, idiotic, but occasionally piercing, verbal attacks. Increases chance of Critical Hits on enemies by 2% with every level. (38%)

Thrown Weapons Lv 4

Throwing your sword always works. Except, you know, when it doesn't.

Increases the skill, range and force by which items and weapons can be thrown by 2% with every level. (8%)