For the next 50 seconds or so, we worked on thinning down the Harpy population, much to the irritation of the Thunder Harpy. Every bolt of lighting she fired was either channeled through a portal that appeared in front of her and exited somewhere in her general vicinity or blocked by Jean using other demons as a meat shield. I got fewer kills than I would've liked, but I was rapidly approaching 16K Red Orbs for my troubles so far.
Killing those three Dreamrunners had put me far ahead, and I spent a chunk of that banked Red Orbs to finally give Ebony and Ivory the love they deserve, upgrading them twice.
Ebony & Ivory (Unlocked) Grade 3 (First Evolution (0/1500 red orbs)
Dante's trademark pistols. Engineered to withstand Dante's superhuman speed and dexterity without ever seizing.
Abilities: mid-tier energy bullets, mid-tier enhanced durability
The bullets now packed a fucking punch, flying at the speed and power of Desert Eagle bullets. The guns could now better handle the kickback of a Focused Shot.
I figured my next upgrade for Rebellion would not be the last, which meant I was not getting rid of the Cosmic burn anytime soon. In the meantime, I turned my attention to Jean. Her control over her powers had dramatically increased since this morning, but she was nowhere near the level she needed to be to dominate Pierce without turning him into a vegetable.
My little monologue was cut short when I heard the Thunder Harpy yell something at her flight. Suddenly, the Harpies started diving. They swarmed the shield so thoroughly that they blocked out all light. Jean, the sorcerers, and I could not shoot, teleport, or crush them fast enough.
Our shield started to crack, and Mordo yelled over the cacophony of hisses and snarls.
"We need to leave," he announced.
"Before we take a real swing at the Thunder Harpy?" I asked. "We all know the trap was set for me. If I don't handle that bird now, it will follow me back to New York and continue to pursue me. At the very least, if I handle her here and now, the Cambion will think very carefully before they send another Lesser Demon after me."
"They will hunt you regardless," Kaecilius argued. "If anything, I'd argue that you're better off stringing this beast along."
"And risk the lives of those around me?" I growled. "The demons are coming after me now because they perceive me as an actual threat. I'm half-demon, half-angel," I said, pounding my chest. "And I might be one of the only people they're afraid of on the human side. No threat is particularly effective if it doesn't scare the shit out of the other guy. Give me a portal near the top of the swarm, and I'll do the rest."
"Are you sure this is wise?" Mordo asked. "Kaecilius is right. If you burn too bright, they might make removing you a priority."
"We crossed that bridge when I put down Colossus and the invasion," I said. "I know things are bad right now, but you don't have to be here if you don't want to. Jean and I will be fine on our own. Besides, she still needs the practice."
Mordo exchanged a look with Kaecilius before he sighed. "We will not leave you. Here's what you will do."
---
After a few seconds of strategizing, our Shield broke. I was the last into the escape portal, tossing all my non-explosive grenades behind me as I escaped. From a nearby summit, I could hear the shrieks of the sonic grenades and watched in fascination as half a dozen foam grenades spiraled out of control, trapping dozens of Harpies. The entire mess exploded a second later when a portal opened, sending a lance of concentrated fire through.
The display earned me 1000 Red Orbs for my part in it.
I summoned Arbiter from my vault and filled her with three charges of Burst, then turned to Mordo.
"If you'll do the honors."
The sorcerer suddenly leaped forward and swung at me. I easily dodged the blow while activating Devil Evade, earning me an instance of Double damage. I got a 50% boost on all that juicy damage by activating cloak.
But I wasn't fucking nearly done. My double damage window was half closed when Mordo created a portal that opened up beside the Thunder Harpy.
Its eyes bulged when Jean stretched her hand forward and wrapped it up in a death grip. Its wings collapsed in on each other as Jean pulled, and I leaped forward.
I activated Devil Trigger just as the asshole came through the portal and swung out. Arbiter split the bitch into two and bathed the two falling bodies in a wave of fire and destruction.
My Swing did not end with the Thunder Harpy as raw demonic fire flowed forth, carving a dent in the valley below us. Harpies who'd flown too close were instantly wiped out, and I deactivated Devil Trigger, face bleach white with wonder and surprise.
"Vishanti lend me strength," Mordo swallowed. "You certainly made a statement."
"That was…remarkable," Jean gasped. "You're unbelievable. It's only been a day."
"I can hardly believe it myself," I said, walking up to the upper half of the Thunder Harpy that was groaning on the ground. The blast had blown away her weapon, her wings had been crumpled, and her metallic skin was slightly warped and covered in scorch marks.
"Doesn't feel very good, does it?" I asked. She hissed defiantly between pained gasps. "Tell us who sent you?"
"Never!"
"You get that, Jean?" I asked.
"Isha," Jean, who'd been reading her mind the entire time, supplied.
"Stormfire," Mordo grumbled. "Of course. She's rumored to operate in New York. It makes sense that she'd be the one to come after you."
"Where is she?" I asked the Thunder Harpy but received no answer this time. Turning to Jean, she shook her head. It seemed our demon friend had learned rather quickly from her mistake.
"Oh well," I shrugged, turning to Jean. "You should probably get to it, but I think you shouldn't try to dominate her."
"Why?" Jean raised a brow.
"If the demons can't survive you mucking about in their heads, Pierce is unlikely to survive it. What will likely be in your and my wheelhouse is…information extraction," I said, looking at the Thunderbird, who shivered.
"We strip him of everything useful and go after every last Hydra head tomorrow night." I looked at Mordo.
"And if he dies?" Jean asked.
"He dies, but hopefully, he's lucid enough to remain catatonic in case we need him." I looked at Mordo. "If the ancient one will be kind enough to lend us a sorcerer, we can get to even the hard-to-reach targets like Trask," I said.
Jean was slow to respond. "Why the change, Dante?"
"Today reminded me of a truth I've not been allowed to realize. Power is power. We don't have to tiptoe around the issue, not if we don't want to," I said. "I have enough power to split a mountainside. You're strong enough to kill people by thinking it. Between us, I'm sure we could wipe out Hydra if we really wanted to, and if we're really careful, no one will ever know for certain it was us."
"You want to become like the Cambions," Mordo realized.
"Exactly," I said. "Feared and respected for who we are and what we can do. We can protect the world and each other without jumping through hoops and suffering bureaucrats. The demons and Aliens are the bigger threat, and we must be ready for them when they come."
"You're suggesting we answer to no one and become extremists like the brotherhood," Jean said with a frown.
"You and the X-men were already Extremists. Your organization was Black Ops and unsanctioned by the US government, but you skated by thanks to Xavier," I said. "The mutant brotherhood might talk a big game, but we have the power to actualize our goals. I say it's our responsibility to do something about Hydra and the Mutant Registration Act before it becomes an actual problem."
"But what will the X-Men think?" She asked.
"Whatever they want to," I said. "Your relationship with them will never be the same, but I know most of them will understand why you did what you did and why the work we're about to do is so important. Being a hero is not always glamorous, Jean. Demon or Hydra, we can't afford to pull punches with either, not if we want to save Ilyana, not if we want to keep the earth safe."
I saw Jean struggle with my words for a long time. What I was asking her to do went against everything she was taught growing up—passivity and tolerance. I might've been uncertain what Jean would choose if Xavier hadn't fumbled the bag so spectacularly. She's relished in her new powers today, learned to wield them with some modicum of control, and used them to save the lives of hundreds of villagers.
Now, she had a chance to save the world. I would be truly worried if she didn't take my offer.
Jean stared into the sky for a long moment before she suddenly breathed out.
She approached the Thunder Harpy with her hand stretched out, and the bird person seemed to squawk indignation and lash out, leaping at her despite having no wings. Ivory plucked her from the air, throwing her hard into the ground.
She shrieked as Jean placed her hand on her head and began to pull. The beast continued to scream, its tortured cries ripping through the silence of the mountain until there was silence.
It fell backward, limbs twitching. It'd managed to live through the ordeal, surprisingly. I remedied that with two headshots.
Congratulations: You've killed a Thunder Harpy. 850 Red Orbs.
"I'm in," Jean said, staring straight into my eyes. "Let's change the world."
I grinned. "Fucking lets, but only after we mop up the rest of the Harpies." I couldn't very well leave with those experience bags floating around.
(Read up to Chapter 90 Patreon.com/ArtandCreativeWriting)