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A Systematic Tale: The Hero 12
🕑 Added 2025-05-05 20:36:57 +0000 UTCChapter 12:
– Silas –
I dropped my tray down onto the lunch table with a quiet clunk, sitting across from Sophia, Emma, and Madison. The three of them were already there, picking at their food and whispering between themselves. The mood was different today—tense. Sophia's jaw was tight, and Emma wasn’t even pretending to smile.
I barely had time to process that before Sophia leaned forward, eyes locked on mine. “I heard there’s some new Latina cape slut sniffing around you.”
I stared at her for a second, not even hiding my irritation. So Taylor had been right after all—they’d caught wind of Rebecca. Probably saw us together in the halls or something.
And now they were pissed. Great.
Emma chimed in right after. “You don’t need to hang out with obvious sluts like that. You’ve got us, remember?”
I let out a slow breath through my nose, trying not to roll my eyes. I picked up my fork but didn’t take a bite. Instead, I looked directly at Emma, then over to Sophia.
“No,” I said flatly. “I’m gonna hang out with whoever I want. You don’t get to decide who my friends are.”
Both Emma and Sophia blinked at me. Emma flinched slightly, her face paling. Her lower lip trembled just a little. “Sorry,” she muttered, barely loud enough for me to hear.
Sophia didn’t apologize. Of course she didn’t. Her eyes narrowed for a second, like she was about to snap something back, but then her expression shifted. The hostility faded and got replaced with something... smug.
She leaned back in her seat with a thoughtful smirk curling at the corner of her lips. “That’s right,” she muttered. “A predator can do whatever the fuck they want to do.”
That wasn’t the point I was trying to make, but sure. Close enough, I guessed.
At least she wasn’t being openly hostile anymore.
Sophia wasn’t exactly a saint. But I’d seen something different in her yesterday during my first visit to the Rig. The way she acted around the other Wards? That version of her felt like a real person. Not some angry, cold bitch trying to prove something.
There was hope, maybe. If I could nudge her in the right direction.
Emma stayed quiet after that. Madison too, though she mostly just picked at her salad and avoided eye contact like always.
The mood eventually settled. The tension didn’t vanish, but it thinned out enough that the three of them started talking normally again. Dumb stuff. Classes. Gossip. Weekend plans. I listened quietly, eating while keeping half an eye on the cafeteria doors. Waiting for Rebecca and Taylor to show up. Or maybe they decided to eat somewhere else?
About ten minutes later, things seemed a lot more chill again. Whatever weirdness from before had passed, mostly because Madison and Emma had started babbling about the mall. Emma was busy trying to rope Sophia into joining her on Friday night.
“You have to come, Soph,” Emma said with a playful pout. “It’s gonna be boring without you. I already know Madison’s gonna bail on me early.”
Madison gave a weak protest, which Emma waved off with a casual smirk. Then her gaze slid over to me, her pretty green eyes catching mine directly. Slowly, deliberately, she flipped her thick red hair over one shoulder, leaned forward slightly, and fluttered her lashes.
Emma was pretty—I had to admit that much. Pretty enough to rule Winslow with a ruthless grip of popularity and cruelty, and she definitely knew how to wield her looks to her advantage.
“You should come too, Silas,” she said softly. “It’d be fun. You know, we could hang out…together.”
The obvious innuendo in her voice wasn’t lost on me, nor was the quick flicker of irritation that passed through Sophia’s eyes. She shot Emma a warning glare but held back whatever biting comment lingered on her tongue.
I thought about it. Honestly, it wasn’t like I had any better plans anyway. And it might even be good to spend some time with them outside school, figure out what made them tick.
“Sure,” I said with a casual shrug. “Count me in.”
Emma beamed at me, her smile lighting up her whole face. Sophia’s lips curved up too, though her eyes stayed fixed suspiciously on her friend. Madison looked mildly stunned, clearly trying to figure out what had just happened.
But before I could even finish mentally filing away the plans, my vision flashed with that familiar vivid blue. My system screen materialized directly over the lunch table, the bright text glowing brightly.
[Emergency Mission Started! Survive the attack by the Empire and save the life of Shadow Stalker!]
“What is that?” Madison gasped.
Emma’s eyes went wide, staring in fascination. “Whoa, is that your power? That’s crazy!”
Sophia, however, went utterly still. Her dark eyes locked onto the floating screen, narrowing sharply at the words. Then her expression twisted sharply into stunned alarm as she processed the message.
“Wait—what the fuck—” she began, but she never got the chance to finish.
A deafening crash tore through the cafeteria. Shattered glass exploded inward, raining sharp shards onto the dirty cafeteria floor.
Without thinking, I lunged forward, grabbing Sophia by the shoulder with one hand and seizing Emma’s wrist and Madison’s arm with the other, hauling all three girls down beneath the table as something metallic sliced through the air where our heads had just been.
Hookwolf and Cricket leapt through the broken windows into the middle of the lunchroom, the massive form of Hookwolf’s steel, razor-bladed body landing heavily, gouging long gashes into the floor.
Cricket spun her lethal chained blades casually. It had been one of those weapons that almost took out Sophia just now.
Kids around us were screaming in panic, scrambling desperately toward the exits. Chairs toppled, tables overturned—complete fucking chaos.
“Fuck!” Sophia hissed. “They’re after me!”
They were after both of us! I quickly realized.
My adrenaline surged. Mentally reaching out to my system, I willed my Nightingale armor into existence. Instantly, the sleek dark armor materialized around me, replacing my clothes in a heartbeat.
“So fucking cool…” Emma whispered from beside me, eyes wide in awe, before a terrified scream from a nearby student reminded her exactly how bad our situation was.
Sophia cursed again under her breath, gripping her fists in frustration. “Shit, I don’t have my crossbow! I can’t fight like this!”
I opened my inventory quickly, tapping an icon, and summoned the Nightingale Blade straight into my hand. The sword appeared instantly.
I shoved the handle into Sophia’s grip. “Will a sword work? It’s enchanted to drain health and stamina from whoever you cut and feed it back into you.”
Sophia’s eyes lit up immediately, a fierce grin spreading across her face. “Fucking metal!” She grasped it tightly, testing the weight before snapping her attention to Emma and Madison. “Get the fuck out of here, now!”
The two girls didn’t need to be told twice. Emma and Madison scrambled from under the table and bolted for the nearest exit, joining the stream of screaming students fleeing in a panic.
Hookwolf and Cricket…
These assholes had broken one of Brockton Bay's most sacred unwritten rules. Attacking capes in their civilian identities was crossing a very clear fucking line, and Hookwolf and Cricket didn't seem to give a shit.
"Are you fucking insane?!" I shouted. "You think you can just break the unwritten rules like this and get away with it?"
Hookwolf’s massive metal body twisted slightly, blades scraping against each other with a shrill noise. His voice was distorted by layers of overlapping steel blades grinding against each other. "Fuck your rules," he snarled back. "We're here to send a message."
Beside him, Cricket twirled her chained blades, the sharp edges gleaming under the fluorescent cafeteria lights. She sneered at me, dark eyes narrowed with hatred. "You fucked with the Empire. Now you both get to die screaming." Then her gaze shifted, landing squarely on Sophia standing next to me. Cricket’s expression twisted into something uglier. She smirked venomously at Sophia, lips curling with disdain. "We always knew Shadow Stalker was just some black bitch pretending she belonged."
Sophia let out a low, furious growl beside me, knuckles whitening around the Nightingale Blade's hilt. I saw the muscles in her arms tense as she prepared herself to fight.
Lightning crackled softly between my gloved fingers. Fuck it, then—we were really doing this.
If the Empire wanted a full-on fight, I wasn't about to disappoint.
Honestly, I’d always thought Brockton Bay’s obsession with rules and cape etiquette was bullshit anyway. Time to give these racist assholes a real taste of consequences.
Hookwolf charged suddenly, his massive metallic wolf form tearing chunks from the floor with each thunderous stride. His jagged steel jaws opened wide, roaring toward us.
Sophia flinched back involuntarily, and that tiny movement—Sophia Hess flinching in fear—snapped something raw and instinctive inside me.
No one fucked with what was mine! These pricks wanted to poke a dragon? Then they were about to find out what happened when they did!
I lifted my chin and felt something primal rise deep within my chest. The words rose almost as natural as I was breathing, burning like fire as I shouted at the top of my lungs!
"FUS ROH DAH!"
My throat burned painfully as the shout left me, but it was nothing compared to the devastation I unleashed. Reality itself seemed to shudder as a wave of pure, tangible force exploded from me, slamming directly into Hookwolf’s massive metal body.
The steel wolf was lifted clear off the ground, armor plates buckling and distorting grotesquely under the sheer impact. He flew backward violently, crashing back out through the cafeteria’s shattered windows, metal limbs twisting unnaturally. He hit the concrete outside hard enough to shake the building, skidding several yards before finally coming to a twitching halt.
Cricket stood frozen in stunned shock, clearly not expecting me to literally shout her partner through a wall. She recovered just as Sophia's shadow appeared behind her.
Sophia swung the Nightingale Blade straight at Cricket’s exposed neck, going directly for the kill.
At the last possible second, Cricket spun and whipped her chained blades upward, barely deflecting the blow in a desperate clang of metal-on-metal.
Sophia snarled in frustration, teeth bared with a savage ferocity. She followed up immediately, with a kick that sent cricket stumbling backwards.
Cricket’s jaw snapped open behind her helmet and the cafeteria filled with that damned sonic screech she was known for.
It wasn’t just loud—it drilled straight into my skull and ripped my balance to shreds. My vision rolled. I staggered two steps to the side, armor boots skidding on noodles and spilled milk.
Sophia fared worse. The shrill whine hit her mid-lunge and she faltered, knees buckling.
Cricket seized the moment, whipping her chained blades in tight, vicious arcs. Steel rang against enchanted steel as Sophia fought to keep the Nightingale Blade between her and the razor loops, every strike knocking her back a step. Sophia was too disoriented to properly turn into smoke and retreat.
Cricket was going to kill her if I didn’t stop that screeching!
“Shut the fuck up!” My own voice came out raw, but the lightning didn’t care. I threw both hands forward and snapped my fingers open. White-blue bolts spat from my gloves, arced over overturned tables, and slammed into Cricket’s back.
She screamed properly this time—no modulated chirps, just pain—which cut her sonic attacks dead. Her body spasmed and she couldn’t move.
Sophia quickly recovered and lunged. She plunged the sword straight through Cricket’s gut, right up under the breastplate. The enchantment lit, crimson and green light racing along the blade and into Sophia’s arms.
Cricket gagged, blood splattering the tiles, and dropped to her knees. She was fatally wounded. I doubted anyone short of Panacea could save her.
Twisted metal angrily clanged behind us.
Hookwolf vaulted through the broken window again, landing in a shower of glass and debris. His warped metal body was already knitting back together, edges sharpening as they re-aligned. He saw Cricket slumped on the floor, still skewered, and let out a roar that rattled ceiling tiles. “You fuckers!”
“Come on then,” I muttered, raising my hands.
Lightning cracked out slammed into his chest. Sparks danced along every blade, grounding through the floor with a sharp ozone stink.
Hookwolf howled but kept moving, muscles—or whatever passed for muscles in that form—fighting the current. Step by step, he started to charge at me through the electricity!
“Stubborn fucker.” My throat felt like sandpaper, but I drew in breath for another Shout when—
Someone stopped between me and Hookwolf. A woman in a very recognizable costume.
Alexandria.
Hookwolf was so completely enraged that I was pretty sure he didn't even realize who'd just appeared in the cafeteria.
He threw himself forward with reckless abandon, metal blades whirling and screeching like a fucking blender, dead-set on carving straight through whatever was between us to get to me.
It didn't work out for him…
Alexandria stood her ground effortlessly, not moving even a centimeter. With a casualness that was almost insulting, she extended a single hand and caught Hookwolf's charging snout mid-air. His blades immediately squealed and twisted, warping grotesquely around her gloved fingers.
Watching him get stopped cold like that—Brockton Bay’s infamous murder blender unable to even scratch her armor—was pretty awesome.
Then Alexandria tightened her grip. Alexandria lifted Hookwolf clean off his feet by his distorted snout. Then, in a display of raw, brutal power, she started hammering his massive metal body repeatedly into the tiled cafeteria floor!
The impacts shook the entire building, each brutal slam splintering tile, denting metal, and spraying chunks of broken steel across the room.
She wasn't fucking around at all!
Students, the ones brave or stupid enough to still be watching from the edges of the exits, stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Cell phones hovered in shaky hands, recording what was probably going to be a viral moment by tonight on PHO…
Probably national news too.
Alexandria's free hand clenched into a fist, plunging straight into Hookwolf's writhing metal frame. Her fingers dug deep, shredding and ripping blades and steel plating away like she was peeling layers off a stubborn piece of fruit. Metal squealed and bent beneath her strength, blades scattering violently in all directions.
Hookwolf screamed—a weird metallic noise filled with agony, rage, and sudden fear. He was trying to thrash free, to bite, claw, or blend his way loose, but Alexandria was literally tearing him apart with her bare hands.
Sophia jogged closer, still gripping the Nightingale Blade tightly. Her outfit was spattered with Cricket’s blood.
The manic grin on her lips was undeniable right now. “Holy fucking shit!” she practically yelled, barely audible above Hookwolf’s tortured howling. “That's Alexandria! Alexandria is absolutely wrecking Hookwolf’s shit right now! Fuck, I’m not even mad I got outed! Okay, no, I’m still seriously pissed, but—damn!”
I nodded slowly.
With a sudden, final wrench of her powerful arms, Alexandria literally tore Hookwolf’s armored metal body apart straight down the middle. It split open violently, and a battered, bloodied blond man spilled helplessly onto the shattered cafeteria floor.
Hookwolf—now reduced to his civilian form—looked up at Alexandria with eyes wide and filled with pure terror. He tried scrambling backward desperately, but Alexandria simply stepped forward, cocked her fist back casually, and punched him square in the jaw. The sickening crunch echoed through the now eerily quiet cafeteria as Hookwolf's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed limply onto his back, completely unconscious.
“…Okay,” I muttered under my breath. I'd had some pretty skeptical thoughts about Alexandria yesterday, considering her motivations and everything else. Right now, watching her effortlessly demolish one of the Empire's most dangerous capes, I was quickly reconsidering some of those harsh judgments.
At least temporarily.
Finally, Alexandria straightened fully, towering over the room with authority. She turned slowly, her gaze immediately finding Sophia and me. “Are you two alright?” she asked. “What happened here is completely unacceptable. The Empire violated Brockton Bay’s truce in the most severe way possible.”
Sophia nodded shakily, her previous bravado muted a little under Alexandria's intense stare. “Yeah, we're fine. Just—fuck, Hookwolf and Cricket really tried to kill us. In school. How fucked is that?”
Alexandria’s eyes narrowed beneath her helmet. “Extremely fucked,” she agreed bluntly. She glanced briefly toward Cricket's fallen, bloody form, then back to us. “Neither of you will be in any trouble for what happened here. You both did good work…”
—
The back of the PRT van rattled as it sped toward the Rig. The hum of reinforced tires and the low rumble of the engine filled the silence inside. I sat on one of the benches, still in full Nightingale armor but with my hood and cowl off. My throat still burned a bit but was getting better.
Across from me sat Sophia, still gripping the Nightingale Blade like she was daring someone to try and take it from her. Her hair was messy, her hoodie bloodstained, and there was still a flicker of battle-high in her eyes.
Next to me, Taylor Hebert sat stiffly. She hadn’t spoken since we loaded her into the van. Her face was pale and streaked with dirt, but her posture didn’t scream “victim.”
It was weird. I was wondering what she was doing here with us?
Sophia narrowed her eyes across the space. “Why the fuck is Hebert even here?” she snapped, breaking the silence. “This is a Ward transport!”
I expected Taylor to flinch. Fold. Shrink back like I’d seen her do a hundred times in the halls.
She didn’t.
Instead, Taylor turned her head slowly and said, “Why don’t you fuck off with your attitude, Hess? I’m real fucking tired of hearing your mouth.”
My eyebrows shot up. Sophia blinked like she’d just been slapped.
“What did you just say to me?” Sophia growled, tightening her grip on the sword.
Taylor didn’t back down. “I said I’m tired of your bullshit. You don’t get to ruin this moment for me with your usual high-and-mighty crap.”
Sophia’s mouth opened, then closed. She looked like she couldn’t decide whether to yell or swing. “I just killed Cricket,” she snapped finally, as if that somehow won the argument by default. “I literally just fucking killed a notorious Empire cape. So sit the fuck down and know your place!”
I mean… Taylor was already sitting though…?
Taylor leaned back and crossed her arms like she wasn’t impressed. “Oh yeah? That’s cute. I just killed Victor. And three other Empire goons. Guess that makes me better than you! Maybe you should learn your place… Shadow Stalker.”
I coughed—choked, really—staring at Taylor like she’d grown a second head. “You… what?”
Sophia gawked too. “You killed who?!”
“Victor. He tried to shoot Rebecca. So I killed him…” Taylor admitted to us.
Sophia sat back like she’d been gut-punched. “What the fuck is with today,” she muttered, rubbing her forehead. Then, surprisingly, she looked back at Taylor again—this time without the usual sneer. “Alright, Hebert. That’s… actually kinda badass.”
Begrudging respect. Holy shit. I hadn’t expected that in a million years.
I turned toward Taylor quickly. “Wait… Victor tried to do what!? Rebecca, is she okay?” I asked, worried.
Taylor blinked at me. Then, for some reason, she started giggling. Just a short, weird laugh under her breath like I’d said something really fucking funny. “Trust me, Silas,” she said, smiling faintly, “Rebecca’s just fine…”
She said that as if she knew something that I didn't.
Before I could ask, Sophia scowled. “Why the hell are we even talking about that cape slut right now?”
I sighed heavily. “Sophia…”
Taylor shot her a glare sharp enough to cut steel. “Say that again,” she warned quietly. “See what happens.”
Sophia didn’t respond. But she didn’t say it again either…
—
I sat slumped in an uncomfortable plastic chair inside a bland, sterile waiting room deep in the Rig. My Nightingale armor was finally off, replaced by standard-issue sweats the PRT had given me.
Sitting here waiting sucked.
Sophia had gone in ahead of me, called by Director Piggot herself. The door was thick steel, soundproof, so I couldn’t even guess what was being said.
Taylor had already finished her turn. She’d walked past me a few minutes ago, looking deep in thought and maybe a bit overwhelmed. She hadn’t said anything to me, just given me a quick nod before she disappeared down the hall with an escorting agent.
I rubbed my tired eyes, leaning back and stretching my neck until something popped.
Was Taylor actually joining the Wards too? Man I had officially fucked this timeline hadn't I? Although, it's not like it was canon to begin with, so I can't take all the credit.
It made sense after everything that had gone down. Hell, today alone two more capes had been outed at Winslow. Taylor, and Sophia…
The school was a goddamn disaster for the PRT’s PR department.
Or maybe it wasn't? Shit, who knew. Maybe the PRT could spin this mess positively, somehow. That wasn't really my problem though. I’d leave that to the illuminati.
I glanced down at my phone for the third time. It had been vibrating nonstop since I'd arrived, practically blowing up with texts from Vicky and Amy. Scrolling through quickly, I saw they’d both been messaging me.
Amy (4:12 PM):
Silas?? Vicky said the Empire attacked Winslow?! Are you okay?
Vicky (4:13 PM):
Hey!! Holy shit Silas, the news said Hookwolf attacked you and Shadow Stalker? Are you hurt? Plz respond!
I grimaced a little, feeling guilty for worrying them. Damn. It hadn’t even occurred to me how fast word would spread.
Quickly, I typed out a reply, keeping it simple.
Me (4:29 PM):
We’re good. Everything’s handled. No worries. I’ll call later…
The heavy metal door swung open with a hiss, snapping me out of my thoughts. Armsmaster stepped out. Even through his mask, the hero looked tired, shoulders tense and posture stiff with irritation. He glanced down at me, speaking in a clipped, impatient tone. “Silas, Director Piggot will see you now.”
“Fun,” I muttered sarcastically, hauling myself up from the chair.
Armsmaster's expressionless mask didn't react, but I thought I caught him giving me a slightly annoyed tilt of his head as he gestured toward the office door.
I sighed quietly, straightening my shoulders and heading toward Piggot’s office. Alexandria had personally assured Sophia and me we wouldn’t be in trouble for defending ourselves—after all, we’d had Nazis literally trying to murder us in broad daylight—but knowing my strange luck, this conversation with the director wouldn’t be quick or painless…
At least the System gave me an awesome reward earlier…
XXX
Comments
Dark epyon
For some odd reason the first thing that came to my mind was a scene of rain and Kaiser arguing in his office the door opening Purity kills rain on the spot and turns to Max and says I’m taking the kids and leaving the city good luck and then walks out the door. Then I thought that’s to extreme then I remembered Kayden’s personality and I’m like yea actually that pretty much is in character Rain single handedly endangered Aster and Theo’s lives with this action she would be leaving that city so fast people’s heads would spin and she sure as hell wouldn’t leave Rain alive to endanger them again. Either way loving the story so far and while Sophia might not get in trouble for the empire she’s not getting out of this without punishment
JustDK
Dang that was a good chapter
