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Villain of the Void by a-shifty-sword

Dishonored & Worm Xover Rated: M, English, Supernatural & Adventure, Words: 134k+, Favs: 3k+, Follows: 3k+, Published: Jul 3, 2021 Updated: Jun 1, 2022

615Chapter 3: 1-3 Induction

"Cain, can you get me the files for the Boyde family?" Dr. Takemi, as she insisted I address her, asked me.

"Sure," I replied, moving to the filing cabinet where patient records were kept. I opened up the top drawer and searched through the names until I found Boyde and grabbed the files labeled with it. I shut the drawer and brought the files to Takemi at her desk.

"Thank you," she replied, half distracted by the charts she was looking over. I had looked at a few she had been studying earlier and it was nigh unreadable to me. Most of them involved chemical names that were a dozen syllables long and units of measurement I'd never heard of.

She sighed as she dug through the small pile of folders I handed her and pulled out a few other charts. "I'm going to be at this for a few hours, so you can go ahead and call it a day."

I nodded. "Alright, I'll be going out then," I replied. "I'll be back in a few hours."

"And tonight?" she asked, half looking at me over her shoulder.

"I'll be going out tonight as well," I confirmed.

She looked at me for a moment later before turning back to the papers she was studying. "So long as you're still awake enough in the morning to help me."

"I will be," I assured her. She made a noise of acknowledgment, and I took that as the conversation being over and left.

Tae Takemi was a doctor that ran a small private clinic. She had a mixed reputation, both due to her punk rock style of dress and being framed for medical malpractice a few years back. But she was an excellent doctor and the truth had come out not too long ago about who had really been behind the malpractice, her former boss.

She had told me all of this in the car hide to her clinic last night. We talked and she established some rules but agreed to give me a place to stay and food. None of it was fancy, but I actually had a small bedroom to myself with an attached personal bathroom. It was upstairs above her clinic, but that's where she lived as well.

One of the rules was that I had to help out, in my civilian identity, at her clinic for a few hours. Nothing difficult, mostly just cleaning, organizing, running around doing errands, that sort of thing. Today was my second day helping her, and the work had been fine. Tae was easy to get along with, and definitely easy on the eyes. I was very into the punk rock look, and she had the nicest set of legs I'd ever seen.

Another rule was that she'd have no involvement in my cape business. She didn't mind me going out at night to do it, and she said she'd even patch me up if I got hurt, but made it clear that if it became a regular thing that there would be problems. So I had a safety net, but I couldn't rely on infinite free healing. Not yet at least.

It wasn't part of our deal, but another thing she helped me do was coming up with a workout plan. She claimed she wasn't a physical trainer, but she was still able to help me come up with something basic that would do for now. My body was decently in shape, but it was fairly average. If I was going to be doing cape activities, I'd need to be much more in shape. Once I had more money I'd look into a gym membership and a trainer, but until then I settled for floor exercises in the morning.

She had also lent me a spare jacket she had, but yesterday I had spent nearly all of my money on getting new clothes. Now that I didn't have to worry about food costs that was fine, but there were plenty of things I needed money for. I'd have to steal some more from some gang members.

But first things first. I needed to head back to the junkyard and scavenge it while the sun was still up. Thankfully Tae's clinic was located in the Docks, which was ABB territory, but more importantly, wasn't too far from the Trainyard where the junkyard was.

It was still an hour-long walk, but that wasn't too bad. I didn't have money for a bus or anything like that anyway. Maybe I should look into getting a bike? I'd rather do that after I upgraded [Pocket] enough so that I could store the bike in pocket space though. That would probably need a few upgrades.

Walking was enough for now though. It was also part of my exercise, and it helped me familiarize myself with the city.

The sun was still well above the horizon by the time that I got there. Which was good, because I needed to be able to see in order to scavenge. But it also made entry riskier. As I approached the back entrance I didn't see anyone around, but without putting my mask on, I couldn't tell who might be watching through the windows of the nearby buildings.

So I went with the confident route, trying to make it seem like I was meant to be there. I got really close to the lock, blocking the view of it from anywhere else, and mimed opening it with a key and putting the entire lock in my pocket. Of course, the lock itself went into my pocket space instead.

After that I walked in confidently, closing the gate behind me but not locking it up. I'd have to be quick, but I hoped my actions looked like those of someone who was meant to be here.

I didn't waste any time looking through the piles of scrap and junk for the things I needed. First and foremost I need some thin bits of metal I could fashion into a rough set of lockpicking tools. I didn't need much. I'd like a rake or a bump key, but I didn't have any confidence in my ability to make working ones. So I'd settle for a pick and a turning tool, and maybe a couple shims for padlocks.

Finding appropriate bits of metal that were thin but sturdy enough wasn't easy, but after an hour or so I managed to get what I needed. Another few minutes using other bits of metal and my pocket knife, now clean of blood, and I had a rough and basic lockpicking set.

I'd have to buy a better set when I could, but this will do for now.

I look around for anything else useful but my options are limited. Upgrading [Pocket] so I could store more and bigger items was starting to feel more important. Having large items I could store and pull out of my inventory at any time would be convenient. But I wanted to focus on improving [Drain] first to give me an edge in combat.

Satisfied I had what I needed, for now, I left, making sure to lock the gate back up behind me. I could always come back later once I upgraded [Pocket] or decided there was something else I needed. Ideally at night and with a flashlight.

The sun was setting by the time I got back to Tae's clinic, and Dr. Takemi herself was still sitting at her desk, pouring over her work. She didn't say anything to me beyond a distracted greeting when I came back. I didn't see any signs of a bowl or place or even take out, so she probably hadn't eaten yet.

I headed upstairs and into the kitchen. I wasn't much of a cook, but I wasn't totally helpless in the kitchen. Besides, it was dinner time, and making something for her could improve our relationship. I checked around for ingredients, found what I needed, and got to work.

"Dr. Takemi," I called out as I entered her office. She looked at me and her eyes widened slightly as she saw me. I raised the two plates of food I had. "It's dinner time and I noticed you hadn't eaten yet, so I made us some food," I say. "I'm no professional, but spaghetti is easy."

She looked at the clock and saw that it was after 7 pm. "I guess the time got away from me," she said. She holds a hand out and I hand her a plate. "Thank you, Cain, I appreciate it. Though it's rather bold of you to use my kitchen without asking."

I shrugged. "The dishes are already soaking and I figured that in the worst-case scenario I would go out tomorrow morning and replace the ingredients I used." I had just enough money to cover it. But I didn't think it would actually be a problem.

"No, if you're cooking for the two of us, I don't mind at all," Tae replied as she took a bite and chewed. "Could use a bit more seasoning, but it's not bad at all. I could get used to having dinner made for me."

I laughed as I started to eat as well as I leaned against a nearby table. "Well, maybe I'll look up some more recipes."

"Mmm, just don't bother with curry," she said. "There's a curry place not too far away and the curry there is so good it's ruined all other curries for me."

I tried not to visibly react to that tidbit. "Oh really? What's it called? If it's that good I'll have to check it out."

"It's a little cafe called Leblanc," she said. "They serve coffee and curry and that's it." I deliberately made a face at that, and she nodded. "I know, it's a weird combination, but it works. We'll go sometime."

"I'll take your word for it," I replied, my mind abuzz. So, Takemi wasn't the only Persona character here. Sojiro was at least. Or maybe it was Joker or Futaba running the place? I'd find out when we went I guess.

We continued eating in silence for a bit before Tae spoke up. "So, where'd you go earlier?" she asked.

I bristled at the interrogation, but I didn't let it show. "I went back to where I was staying before, I had a few small things I had stashed there I needed to grab."

"I see," she replied. Another few moments of silence. "So, out of curiosity, why do you do it?"

I tilted my head at her. "Do what, exactly?"

"Go out, punch bad guys, do all that cape stuff," she said. "I mean, I know most capes just default to it, and I've read up on the basics of parahuman psychology and crisis points."

"Crisis points?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Sorry, I mean trigger events. Crisis points is old terminology. The point is, I've read the literature, but I've never really been able to understand."

Ah right, I knew it sounded familiar. "I can't answer for everyone, but I have a personal reason for it," I replied. I came up with a backstory last night. "You know my mask?"

"Really creepy, but really high quality, yeah," Takemi nodded as she took another bite of food.

"It wasn't my mask at first," I said. "It was a friend's. She was always pretty driven, and she only became more so after she triggered. One of the things she wanted to do was clean up the city." I shook my head. "She never got a chance. She got hit by a drunk driver a few days before she planned on going out. How crazy is that? Become a cape, then bam, some asshole going way too fast veers off the road because they can't tell up from down, and all your dreams go away."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Takemi replied. "Is that-?" she started to ask, but hesitated.

"No, it wasn't my trigger event," I answered the unspoken question. "That came...later. Not that long ago actually. Things at home got a lot less bearable after she died, and after I triggered, I decided I couldn't spend another second in that place. So I grabbed the mask she had made but never used and decided I'd try to do what she never got a chance to do." I shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, it's not completely for her. I agree that this city could use a lot fewer Nazis in it. But it's largely for her."

"So you're going to clean up the city by punching some gang members?" Takemi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"God I hope not," I say with a chuckle. "My friend might have, but my powers don't really lend themselves to that. I'm more of the sneaky information-gathering type. My plan is to spy on the gangs and then tell people who are much better suited for punching gang members what I find."

Tae laughed. "A much better plan of action," she replied with a hint of sarcasm.

I shrugged. "It's what she would have wanted, and I figure even a few less gang members on the street will save a few people's lives. And that's worth it."

"I suppose," she said. "I won't stop you, I was just curious. Thanks for giving me an answer. I didn't think it would be so personal. Though maybe I should have known better." She finished eating and set the fork down on her plate. "Thank you very much for dinner Cain. I appreciate it."

I took the empty plate from her and put it on top of my own empty plate. "Sure thing. I'll wash up and then I'm headed out. Don't stay up working too late Doc."

"I should be the one telling you that," she pointed out. "But I won't. I'm almost done for the night."

I nodded. "See ya later then." I quickly left the room and headed back upstairs to do as I said and wash the dishes. Being on good behavior was annoying, but it was what I had to do for now.

I had a roof over my head now, but my basic plan was unchanged. I needed to find more runes and charms and get stronger. Some of the powers I saw on that list were invaluable, and I wanted them all.

I had time until the plot kicked off, assuming the additions to the cast hadn't thrown off things more than I realized. I would spend it establishing myself and gaining strength and maybe making some early inroads and changes. I sighed. I had a lot of long nights ahead of me.

My hunting grounds that night was the area where Takemi's clinic was. There was no point in straying too far when I'm still slow and could get hurt. Besides, I didn't want to focus on the Empire too hard. The ABB deserved to get punished and robbed too. I also wanted to get to know this area better, since I'd be staying here.

I carefully skulked through the streets, mask on and searching. Most people were in their homes at this time of night, and I avoided any groups that weren't. Despite what I told Takemi, I didn't actually care about cleaning up the streets. Just runes, charms, and maybe some cash.

It was pretty late by the time I found the telltale glow of a charm. I could see it clearly in the pocket of a man who was standing with a couple other people. I made my way towards them until I could see them directly instead of through the buildings.

They were clearly dressed up in ABB colors, red and green. Why a gang called "Azn Bad Boys" touted Christmas colors I didn't know, but at least it made them distinctive and easy to pick out.

I watched them for a long time. I had learned my lesson with the E88 guys, I knew I couldn't take on three gang members at once. Instead, I decided to wait until at least one of them left. Two I could maybe do if I snuck up on both of them and used [Drain] on them simultaneously.

Thankfully, I never had to risk that. After about half an hour one of them got a phone call. When they were finished they said something to the other two and all three of them headed off in different directions. I frowned. Why? Had they been standing lookout for something, and the job was done? Or had plans been canceled?

It didn't matter. I kept track of the one with the charm and followed him. I made sure to avoid the other two, but that wasn't too hard as none of them headed in my direction.

I made sure to keep at least one physical barrier between myself and my target as I followed him, slowly getting closer. I couldn't afford to let this drag out too long, there was no telling when he'd reach his destination. But unfortunately, he never entered an alleyway or anything convenient like that. Oh well, I'd just have to risk it. The streets were empty anyway.

He turned a corner and I took that chance to rush up a little, being careful to remain silent while I did so. I rounded the corner only a few feet behind him. There still wasn't anyone around. Good. I got closer to him and wrapped one arm around his neck while my other hand covered his mouth and I activated [Drain].

He started kicking and flailing immediately and for about ten seconds it was all I could do to keep my grip on him. But before long the effects of [Drain] showed themselves and his efforts to break free began to weaken. In just under thirty seconds he went completely limp in my arms.

I dragged him to a nearby spot that was out of sight and started rummaging through his pockets. A wallet with a hundred bucks that I immediately took, a cell phone that I ignored, a pocket knife that I also took, a set of keys that I ignored, and the charm I was after. I didn't know why he was walking around with a charm in his pocket. Did he worship the Outsider? Or did he just think it looked cool?

Whatever the reason was, it was mine now. I didn't hesitate to immediately use it to upgrade [Drain].

-x-

Name: Cain

Race: Human

-Skills-

[Void Soul] - Passive. Prevents many forms of esoteric detection and targeting.

[Pocket] - Store small objects in an extra-dimensional pocket space. Has a medium amount of total storage room.

[Drain] - Swiftly drain a target of their stamina, restoring your own.

-x-

Swiftly sounded much better than slowly. I'd have to test this out soon, see how much of a difference it made. I was tempted to look for more ABB members to test it out on but shook my head. One ABB member getting jumped and his stuff stolen? Easily overlooked. Five or more spread out across a certain area? That stinks of cape activity. I wanted to keep my head down and not make any unnecessary movements. If it wasn't for a charm or rune, it wasn't worth it.

So I stepped back out onto the street and continued my hunt for more charms and runes. I needed more power, and I needed it quickly.

I started falling into a rhythm over the next few days. In the morning I would work out, then I'd help Tae out until the afternoon. From then until dinner time I would take care of my non-cape business. Usually, that meant going to the library for a few hours and learning more, something Tae approved of. I bought a bus pass for a month so I could spend more than 30 minutes there before having to come back.

I'd usually cook something simple for dinner and the two of us would talk while eating. It was nice actually, and developing our relationship was important to my plans.

And of course, at night I'd go out and wander the streets. I varied it up and always made sure I wasn't seen. It made my progress slow, but I still had time, and I wanted to remain anonymous as long as I could. Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky as to find something every night. Last night I found another charm. I didn't use it though, I decided I wanted to have one Minor Upgrade ready for whenever I got a new power, that way I could upgrade it immediately.

I had gotten a chance to try out my improved [Drain] though, and it had knocked someone out somewhere between ten and fifteen seconds instead of thirty, and even then it only took half that to drain them of enough stamina that they couldn't fight back. It was a powerful skill now, and that was one of the reasons I was okay holding on to the Minor Upgrade.

I expected today to be the same, but shortly after lunch the door opened and a young man with a messy mop of black hair and large glasses that glinted in the light walked into the building. I recognized him immediately, how could I not? But I schooled my reaction and turned to him with a polite smile on my face. "How can I help you?" I ask.

Our eyes met and for a moment I swore he could read my mind with how piercing his gaze was. But the moment passed. "Is Tae in?" he asked in a soft voice.

"In here Akira!" Dr. Takemi called from the back room.

"Yes, she is," I replied in a half-joking tone. Akira, also known as Joker, leader of the Phantom Thieves, chuckled as he walked past me and into the room Tae was in. The door closed behind him and a second later I heard the tell-tale sound of the lock turning.

Well then. I hadn't expected that. Maybe I should have, considering the information available to me. But seeing him appear so suddenly had caught me off guard. I glanced at the door that he had closed, the door that I hadn't ever seen closed during business hours. I knew what their relationship was in the universe of Persona 5, but here? I had nothing but guesses.

But the two most likely scenarios were that they were fucking, or Tae was making him test out her medicines. I hoped for the latter. Akira was a decent dude, I didn't want to cuck him if I didn't have to. But Takemi was too hot for me to pass up.

Make no mistake, I would have her. I may be trapped in this hell hole of a world, but if I had to steer the timeline on a path that wasn't doomed, I sure as hell was going to enjoy myself while I did it. It was the least I deserved for my efforts.

Fifteen minutes after he got there I put my ear against the wall. Nope, didn't sound like they were fucking. Congratulations Akira, you won't get cucked after all. Then I remembered all of the other Persona girls. Nevermind Akira, you're still at risk.

I did busy work for a little over an hour. If I had a phone I'd have just slacked off using that for a bit, but I didn't. So I did work to earn more gratitude with Takemi. Ugh. I needed to find a rune soon.

Finally, the door to the backroom opened again, and Akira walked back out. He gave me a nod as he left but didn't say a word. After the front door closed behind him, I made my way to the backroom and leaned against the doorway.

"Didn't think to introduce me to your boyfriend, Doc?" I asked, tone teasing.

Takemi looked up at me from where she was sitting with her legs crossed and writing something on a clipboard. She raised an eyebrow. "Boyfriend? You mean Akira?" she snorted. "Yeah, I don't think so."

"And here I thought I caught you in a scandalous relationship with a teenage boy," I joked.

She rolled her eyes. "He's 18."

"Still a teen, just makes him legal," I replied. "You were pretty quick to bring that up though. You sure I wasn't right in the first place?"

"Don't make me throw this pen at you," she threatened me. "No, if anything he's more a...test subject. His physique is good for testing my medicine on."

So it was the medicine. She had already mentioned that making her own medicine was something she did. Apparently there were rumors about it, so she wanted to explain it before I heard them.

"And more importantly he's the one that runs that curry cafe I told you about the other day," she continued. "It used to be Sojiro but…" she trailed off. "Anyway, Akira took over and has been doing a fine job running the place."

"Oh really?" I asked, faking my surprise, though I wondered what happened to Sojiro. "I wouldn't have guessed it looking at him."

Tae chuckled. "That's basically that kid's motto. He's the reason you don't judge books by their covers."

That was cryptic as hell. I knew exactly what she meant, because of metaknowledge, but I didn't know how someone without meta knowledge should react to that. "I see," I settled for saying.

"Anyway, I'm gonna be spending the rest of the day going over this data I just collected, so you go on and get out of here, go read some books, or whatever it is you do at the library. Or take a break, go see a movie or something. You can't work every day."

"Not sure you're one to talk about overworking, but sure," I replied. "I'll see you later Doc."

She waved me off and I left the clinic as well. As much pressure as I felt to keep preparing, Takemi was right, a break would be good. I haven't taken a moment to relax since I got here, and that was bound to catch up to me eventually. Despite my powers, I'm just a normal person in most regards. I couldn't handle the mental stress of working non-stop.

But what to do? For lack of a better idea, I headed to the Boardwalk. It was close and would surely have something to entertain me. Though how much it would cost me was another question entirely.

Despite it being a weekday afternoon, the boardwalk is crowded with people. Didn't these people have work or school to be at? Well, I suppose I didn't, but still. I walked along the Boardwalk, looking for something to do that wasn't too expensive when a series of flashing lights caught my eyes. An arcade.

I shrugged and headed in. I haven't played any games in a while, and while arcades weren't usually my thing, I didn't dislike them. Though, as I looked around, I was reminded why I didn't usually go to them. Nearly all of the games I saw were half focused on gambling, there was an element to luck to most of them. And the few skill-based ones were more about getting tickets than being an actually enjoyable game.

I was able to find a few good ones in a corner though. Classic games like shooters using a plastic gun and racing games. I converted some of my cash to tokens and spent some time shooting aliens. I wasn't particularly good at it, but I wasn't bad either. After a few tries, I managed to even beat the last level, though my score wasn't anywhere near high enough to make the leaderboard.

I was about to start another round when I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Umm," the voice of a girl said behind me.

"Oh sorry, did you want a turn?" I asked as I turned around. These machines had been largely ignored since they didn't offer any tickets, so I hadn't needed to worry about others wanting to play.

"No, it's not that," the girl said. Now that I was facing her I was able to get a good look at her. She was roughly my age, had long blond hair and blue eyes behind a pair of glasses. And she looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place her.

"Then what can I do for you?" I asked politely while I tried to put a name to her face. I recognized how she looked, so she was probably from an anime or game and not from Worm, even if the blond hair and blue eyes combination had my mind instantly jump to her being a member of the E88.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be rude," she said. "It's just that I really wanted to ask you about that mark on your hand."

My thoughts froze and my eyes darted to the back of my right hand, where the Mark of the Outsider was. The one that people hadn't been able to see, not the stall owner and not Takemi. But this infuriatingly familiar girl could?

"What mark?" I asked, my first instinct to bluff. Maybe I didn't understand what she meant, and I was just jumping to conclusions.

She tilted her head at me. "Can you not see it? The one on the back of your right hand."

So she definitely saw it. Lying here wouldn't get me far, and I rationalized that if she could see it where others couldn't then there had to be a reason for it. One that was most likely related more to the Outsider and the Void than anything else.

"No, I can see it, but no one else has been able to so far," I replied. "Do you recognize it?"

She nods. "Yeah, I've seen it a bunch in my research. You know what it is too, right?"

Research? So she's been looking into stuff about the Outsider? He did say he spread knowledge of the Void to this world. "More than you, I would guess. But I could probably be surprised." I looked around. "Do you want to talk about this somewhere else?"

She seemed positively giddy. "Absolutely! Come on, I know a good place near here." She grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the arcade and down the Boardwalk. I let her, staying on guard and watching for anything suspicious, but I believed she just wanted to talk. Whoever she was.

She pulled me into a busy-looking diner. She nodded at one of the workers in greeting, who nodded back. The worker's eyes flickered to me before going back to the girl and then back to her work. Her expression was unreadable.

The girl led me to a booth in the back of the store, ignoring the 'reserved' sign on it. She sat down on one side so I sat down on the other.

The girl beamed at me. "First things first, do you want something to eat? It's my treat."

I shrugged. "Sure, if you're offering." I grabbed a menu from where it was stored behind the condiments and looked over it while the girl took the reserved sign and placed it face down. A few moments later a waitress appeared.

"Melissa, you're not supposed to use this place for your dates," the waitress chided her. So her name was Melissa? I could feel how close I was to recognizing her, but it was still just out of my reach.

She blushed slightly. "It's not like that Becky," she replied. "This is for my research, I promise."

The waitress, Becky, looked me over before looking back at Melissa and sighing. "If you say so. But if someone else needs this table, I'm moving the two of you."

Melissa smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Becky, I mean it."

"Sure, sure," Becky replied. "I assume you want your usual?" Melissa nodded, and the waitress turned to me. "And you?"

"Burger, fries, and a coke, please," I answered. Can't go wrong with that, and the burger on the menu did look pretty good.

"It'll be ready in a few minutes," she replied as she wrote it down and then walked away.

When she was gone I turned to Melissa. "I just realized neither of us introduced ourselves," I said.

"Oh right!" she replied. "I'm Melissa Shield, nice to meet you!"

Ah, that did it. Melissa Shield, daughter of David Shield. In My Hero Academia, David Shield made the support items for All Might. But All Might isn't here, Nana Shimura is. Was David Shield a tinker for the PRT here?

Something must have shown on my face because Melissa let out an awkward chuckle. "I guess you recognize my name, huh? Yeah, that's the downside of having a famous cape dad who doesn't have a secret identity. But it means I get to use places like this, places where capes can talk with some privacy. It's out of sight and the acoustics here are really cool. Sound just bounces right back to this table, even the people a few feet away can't hear us." She closed her mouth with a snap and blushed. "Sorry, I'm rambling. What's your name?"

"I'm Cain," I said. "It's nice to meet you too. And I don't mind a little rambling, I was going to ask about the table thing anyway. But if you can use this table, does that mean you're a cape too?"

She shook her head. "Oh no, nothing like that! I just accompany my father on his talks sometimes and most of the places like this will let me use these spots if I need to talk to someone about sensitive information."

"Information like the Outsider?" I asked, bringing the conversation back on topic. It was also a deliberate offering of information that I did indeed know what I was talking about, and a way to see if she did as well. From the way her eyes widened, I could safely say she did.

"Wait, not yet!" she replied. "Becky will be here with our food in a minute. We'll have more privacy then."

"Right, sure," I replied with a small smile. I had gotten the reaction, and the information, I wanted. For now at least. I was very interested in learning how much she knew. "So you spend a lot of time here right? You must if you know the employees so well."

She nodded. "I don't have much else to do, so I like to spend my free time on the Boardwalk whenever we're in Brockton Bay. My dad is usually busy with his work whenever we're here, so I'm left to my own devices."

"Whenever you're here?" I asked. "Do you not live in Brockton Bay?"

"Only about half the time," she explained. "We bounce between here and Toybox headquarters, depending on where my dad is needed for his work."

I made a mental note to research her dad more later. Did that mean he was part of Toybox? It would make sense, Toybox was a group composed of Tinkers who wanted to remain independent. Starting out alone was tough as a Tinker, most were pressured into joining one group or another. Toybox offered an alternative, and with their base being in a pocket dimension they could get away with that.

"Ah, I replied. "That makes sense." Thankfully, that's when Becky approached with our food, meaning I didn't have to come up with another conversation topic. She placed my plate and drink in front of me, and then Melissa's in front of her. Melissa's 'usual' was apparently chicken tenders, fries, and a vanilla milkshake.

"Thanks, Becky," Melissa said. She just smiled in response and left. As she did, Melissa picked back up the 'reserved' sign and stood it upright again. I guess that was a sort of visual signal to not approach?

Melissa turned to me. "So, the Outsider. That's his Mark you have on his hand, right?"

I nodded. "It is. I'll tell you why it's there, but only if you tell me what you know about him. I didn't think it was exactly common knowledge."

"Oh it isn't," Melissa said. I started eating while she talked. "When I was young I happened across a mention of him by chance. Or no, it wasn't him, it was a picture of a shrine to him. It captivated me for reasons I could never figure out. So I tried looking up more information, but it was really hard to find. It was like people didn't want to talk about it or acknowledge it."

She laughed. "Actually, if it had been easier to find information on it I probably wouldn't have gotten so obsessed over it. That wasn't the first time I hyper-fixated on something, and I usually lost interest eventually. But with how little I was able to find, my interest never faded."

She took a few bites of her food before she continued talking. "So yeah. Over the years I've found bits and pieces. I've seen pictures of shrines and things made of bone with that mark on it. I've found vague details of the Outsider, some sort of god." She paused. "And I dream of the Void. I don't remember what happens in them, but I know I dream of it."

She looked back at me, and her stare was intense. "And you're the first person I've heard of having that mark on them. So my question to you is why? And what do you know?"

I nodded as I chewed my food and took a moment to think. She didn't know much then, but she had gathered a few scraps of information. And it was interesting that she dreamt of the Void. Hadn't Piero, the one who made the mask I used, dreamt of the Void as well?

I made up my mind and decided to trust this girl a bit. I could use the information I had, and the things I had access to, to tie her to me. She was cute, and with her father a Tinker, she had a very good chance of becoming one as well.

"Those things made of bone with the Mark on them," I started. "Were they a few inches wide and held together by metal? Would you happen to have any?"

She perked up. "Yes, that's them! But no, I don't have any. I can't seem to track one down. The few times I have, they turned out to be fakes or something else entirely. I do have a smaller one though. It doesn't have that same mark, but it does have something etched into it."

Was she talking about a charm? I should still have one, but I don't feel it in my inventory, it was converted immediately to a Minor Upgrade. Could I pull it out anyway? I willed it and it appeared in my hand, causing Melissa's eyes to widen.

"Something like this?" I asked.

"Exactly like that! Wait, are you a cape?" she asked.

I hesitated, and then I shook my head. "No. Let me tell you a story. The Outsider? He's real, he's a Void god. Don't ask me what Void is, I only have a vague idea myself. But he can harness it to do all sorts of things. He doesn't do much though. He's neither a good nor a bad god. Instead, he prefers empowering certain people and seeing how they change things using those powers." I tap the back of my hand. "That's what this is. The Outsider gave me his Mark. And I can use these," I indicated the charm in my hand, "and the runes you described to grow stronger."

"So he really is real," Melissa breathed. She didn't doubt me for a second apparently. "Have you met him?"

"Three times," I answered truthfully. "Once when he first marked me, another time in a dream, and a third time a few days ago when I found a shrine to him."

"Woah," Melissa said in quiet awe. "Most only claim to hear his whispers. I read one account of a man who claimed to see him in the mirror once. But meeting him? Three times?"

"To be marked by him is to have his interest," I said with a shrug. "He thinks I'll play a pivotal role, so he's watching closely."

"Do you worship him?" Melissa asked. "Most of the records I've found have been by people who pray to him and seek him out."

I shook my head. "No. I don't worship anyone or anything. If I did, I don't think I'd have been chosen."

"I see," she said as she nodded. "Not even his worshippers get special treatment. But what about the bone carvings?"

"I don't know how they're made, but they have...well, they have magic in them," I said.

She blinked. "Magic?"

I shrugged. "It's the best word for it. Using a force I don't understand to produce crazy effects. In my case, I can take those charms and those runes, and I can use them to either increase the effectiveness of my powers. And no, that's not just me being a weird cape. I never had a trigger event."

She frowned. "I may not be a Tinker, but I like to consider myself a scientist, so using words like magic…" She shook her head. "No, I believe you. But now I just want to understand it more and figure it out so I don't have to call it magic and just call it science."

"Well, in that case, how about we work together?" I proposed. "We continue to meet up and I'll keep you up to date on all the Outsider stuff, and we'll figure it out together."

Her face brightened. "Yes! Let's do that! Do you have a phone?"

"Unfortunately not," I replied. "It's next on my list of things to get."

She shook her head. "That won't do. After we finish eating, we'll go get you one. I'll pay for it, don't worry."

"I couldn't possibly-" I started to protest, but she cut me off.

"Nope, it's happening," she said. "You're a valuable source of information, and communication is important. I have more than enough research budget for this."

I raised my eyebrow. "Research budget?"

She blushed slightly. "Okay, it's more of an allowance, but most of it goes towards food or things for my research and inventions. I'm not a tinker, but I'm pretty good at making gadgets anyway. So I just sorta call it my research budget." She looked at me. "Please, let me do this."

I sighed. "Well, if you're going to twist my arm like that, I suppose I can't say no."

"It's settled then," she replied with a smug smile. "Go ahead and eat up and we'll go find one, I know a good place just outside the Boardwalk."

We spent the rest of the meal talking about the Outsider and what I knew, with me filling her in as best I could. I didn't know much, but it was still way more than she has been able to track down on her own, so she seemed pretty happy.

After that, we did exactly what she said and bought me a new smartphone. We traded numbers, she sent me a couple of special apps to improve the security of my phone, and we finally parted ways.

I couldn't stop grinning on the way home. A simple outing had earned me so much. I was glad I decided to trust her with a bit of information. I could tell that we had started what would be a most beneficial friendship.

That night I finally struck gold. I was in the Docks again, still looking for runes and charms. And there was one building near the shore that had the telltale glow of a rune inside of it. From the front, it looked like a store of some kind, similar to the buildings around it.

I double-checked the area around the store. There wasn't anyone in any of the buildings nearby. Good. I made my way to the back of the store and started looking for ways to enter. The windows were barred, but the door was secured with just two locks. I approached the door and looked at the locks carefully.

After looking at the shape of the keyway and spotting the brand name, I nodded. I could probably pick this lock. I pulled out my pick and turning tool and got to work.

It wasn't easy, that's for sure. I had studied a lot, and while I didn't remember the specifics of my pre-Void life, I knew that I had some level of familiarity with locks. But doing it in practice turned out to be a lot more difficult than I anticipated. Trying to get a feel for the layout of the inside of the lock was hard with my pick made of junk. I was having trouble even figuring out how many pins it had at first, unsure if it was four or five.

It was five, and it took me ten minutes to get it open. I sighed. I needed practice, just knowing the theory wasn't enough. I looked around again, but it was still clear around me. So I put my tools into the other lock and got to work picking that one as well. Thankfully it only had four pins and it only took me about six minutes to pick. I guess a little bit of practice went a long way.

Once the door was opened I quickly entered, closing the door behind me. I was in a back room with shelves of boxes and a desk pushed against one wall. I ignored all that and headed to the storefront, where the wares were on display. And what wares they were. It looked like one of those tourist shops that were filled with exotic and random junk. There were very few signs of there being any sort of organization to the place.

I looked around. Nothing seemed particularly valuable though. They had big price tags, but anyone who paid a hundred bucks for a wind chime that I was pretty sure was made of aluminum and glass deserved to get their money taken from them.

I ignored that though and found what I came here for. In one of the display cases was the rune I was after. It was labeled as an ancient Chinese good luck charm, causing me to snort. This was a tourist trap for sure, and considering how deep in ABB territory it was, it was most likely run by some Asian guy trying to con white tourists out of their money.

I opened up the display case, which wasn't even locked, and grabbed the rune. My Mark itched as I touched it, and I stashed it into my pocket space immediately. I gently closed the display case and looked around again. While I was here, I may as well see if I couldn't pad my wallet out a bit by emptying the register.

I found the register and forced the tray open, not caring if I was subtle or not. In fact, a broken register might draw attention away from what I had been really after, the rune. But as the register opened, all I felt was disappointment. It was empty. I guess the store owners were smarter than that. This was Brockton Bay after all, the shittiest city on Earth. Well, probably not, but definitely the worst in North America.

I entered the back room and looked around for any spots that they might have put the money, such as a lockbox or safe. But I couldn't find anything. Giving up, I left, closing the door behind me. I was starting to get antsy in there.

I walked away, turning a corner as soon as I could to put a building between me and the one I just robbed. I wanted to choose a new power, but I wanted to get safe first. Mere seconds after I did, I heard a sound that made me freeze and look back. The sound of something hitting the ground. I looked around and saw what made the sound immediately. There, on the roof of the building I had robbed, stood a figure.

I could only see their silhouette because of the wall between us, but that was enough. I could see the outline of their mask, and as I saw another figure appear only for the other one to disappear ten seconds later, I confirmed who it was. Oni Lee, enforcer of the ABB. He could teleport anywhere within line of sight and he left behind a clone that dissolved into ash ten seconds later.

Oni Lee was experienced and frightening. The upside was that he was brain-damaged, apparently due to the overuse of his power. That didn't impact his ability to fight though.

But more important than all that was the question of why the hell was he here? Did someone see me break into the shop? No, wait. I cursed under my breath. It was far more likely that the store had a fucking alarm on it that I just didn't think of or see. That was a rookie mistake, though there wasn't much I could have done about it except being even quicker. I didn't have the skills to disarm an electronic security system.

Oni Lee continued to look around the building. Could I get away from him? Maybe, but he could far outpace me, and with multiple clones searching he could find me in no time. I was too close to the building. Hiding was an option, but again with his teleportation and clones, searching the hiding spots near here would be easy for him.

As I deliberated, Oni Lee disappeared and didn't reappear again. Wait, that meant he had already teleported right? I looked all around me, not forgetting to check above and below me, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Did he just leave then? It was possible. Oni Lee's mental issues meant he followed instructions well but he didn't work so well outside of those instructions.

Did he just leave because he couldn't find anyone? I stood there and kept looking around, but thirty seconds went by without him reappearing. He most likely left, but there was a good chance that someone else was going to come by to investigate closer.

I quickly left, still being careful about not running into anyone, but this was more of a commercial area, and there were barely any people around. I managed to get a good distance away from the store without running into anyone.

Now that I felt safe, I opened up my power window.

-x-

Name: Cain

Race: Human

-Skills-

[Void Soul] - Passive. Prevents many forms of esoteric detection and targeting.

[Pocket] - Store small objects in an extra-dimensional pocket space. Has a medium amount of total storage room.

[Drain] - Swiftly drain a target of their stamina, restoring your own.

1 Minor Upgrade Available

1 Major Upgrade or New Power available

-x-

I immediately chose the new power option.

-Choose a new Power-

[Hide]

[Blink]

[Hypnotic Gaze]

[Disguise]

[Shadow Kill]

[Analyze]

Oh? A new power? I guess the list wasn't complete. Did they unlock as I did things, or as I picked new ones? [Analyze] seemed useful, it was some sort of information-gathering power if I had to guess.

It was tempting, but I knew what power I wanted, the one I hadn't been able to stop thinking of the possibilities for these past few days. I hesitated for a moment, but then I picked it.

[Hypnotic Gaze] - Directly lock eyes with someone to put them in a hypnotic state that is maintained so long as eye contact is made. Minor changes to their behavior can be made via verbal instruction. The target will forget the hypnosis and a few seconds leading up to it.

This skill had the potential to be the single most useful skill I had in this world. A major obstacle to solving a lot of problems was how stubborn and angry so many parahumans were. They needed to work together to effectively fight most threats, but that was hard to arrange at times.

With this skill though? I didn't have to worry about that, I could control them to work together. It would be as directly controlling every parahuman, but it would be something. I only need a few key ones anyway.

But this skill would also put a major target on my head. If people knew I could do this they'd put me alongside people like Heartbreaker and Valefor, both capes that were infamous for controlling people.

I'd have to be subtle about it, but I could be subtle. [Void Soul] helped too, it should decrease the chance of Thinkers detecting the changes I made. I wouldn't rely on that though, they could still pick up on suddenly changed behavior. Thinkers like Tattletale especially could.

I used my minor upgrade on [Hypnotic Gaze] to increase 'minor' to 'small'. But that wasn't detailed enough to tell me how it worked.

I looked around. I wasn't too far from Empire territory. I'd find a skinhead to experiment on before calling it a night.

P atreon: p atreon com / shiftysword

Shifty's Discord Server: discord .gg/mdsXyMhTEt

AN: Yes, Cain is starting out still acting like a good person. Don't worry, that won't last long here. He needed it in the short term, but it won't be effective in the long term, and he has other plans.

And speaking of those plans, if it wasn't obvious, mind control/manipulation will feature heavily. It'll be a slow and subtle thing, he won't be able to instantly turn people into mindless puppets. I want that slow degradation and tweaking of personality, and I want there to be a challenge in it. But if mind manipulation is a turn-off for you, then sorry, either be prepared to skim some parts or just give up on the fic now.

Also, as a note, any characters from other settings are Worm versions of those characters in this fic. Quirks aren't a thing, Personas aren't a thing, etc. It's all Worm powers.

I also haven't settled on a cape name for him yet. Someone on my Discord suggested Crow, in reference to Corvo, and I like that, but I'm open to more suggestions.

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