Quest For The Grail I

Summary: Just because everything can always get worse, when you think your city's had enough with the gangs and crime in general, there's always the possibility that some madman will host a Grail War in your lawn.

A girl with red hair that was closer to a vivid orange than the red it looked like in the penumbra walked alone through the streets of Brockton Bay.

The bombed, burned, frozen, glassed and otherwise destroyed Carmello Street, destroyed, abandoned and somehow still inhabited buildings on both sides of her. She walked in the middle of the street, for she knew she should not fear cars. Given the fact that she had to step around craters nearly as deep as she was tall, as well as various potholes, she knew no car would come through this street.

She frowned as she looked and saw tank tracks, of all things, littering the walkway. She approached the only standing street light, the only one still functioning, and sighed.

Bringing one of her arms up, she spoke into it in Japanese, but the only answer she received was in static.

She sighed. She tried once more, but the answer was the same. She looked around for a moment, and saw the closest other functioning street light. Looking down at the ground to make sure she wasn't walking into any hole, and even then walking slowly, testing each step as she took it, she headed towards it.

Her lonely trek through the bombed out streets would not last long.

As soon as she was into an area that hadn't seen war recently, she was approached by a couple of men in red and green jackets. They had knives visible, and one of them was carrying a concealed weapon. Based on their features, she figured they were Asian American, and on a gamble, she tried talking to them.

They understood her words, and answered her query.

She was in Brockton Bay, NH, USA, they explained. And she was also a very pretty Asian girl in an Asian Gang's territory.

Another would've been terrified by the implication.

She, however, smiled. Openly, she asked them if they would attempt to kidnap her or something.

They admitted that they didn't usually go after Asians, but it'd been a while since they'd had any because of the ongoing gang war. When she denied their request for a foursome with the three men that had approached her, as well as taking each of them individually, they backed off, surprisingly.

Apparently, her clothes and attitude told them that she was a 'cape'. The explanation for that term would wait. They did, however, offer to take her to their leader.

And so they did.

Kenta, no last name known, also known as the Parahuman Crimelord Lung, let out a lungful of smoke. "You will be in my gang," he had said, brooking no argument.

Her emphatic no seemed to amuse him.

It didn't take long for him to make his intentions clear. He would either have her join willingly or unwillingly. He would find a way to twist her to his whims. Were it targetting a loved one for ransom or simply having her be tortured until her will broke.

She sat on the couch he had provided for her, in one of his nightclubs, apparently he had decided to let her have a glimpse at the benefits of working with him willingly, and he left, willing to let her think over his offer in private. Well, as private as a nightclub can be, even on a relatively slow night.

Waving off the half naked server, she merely contented herself with drinking her tea. It wasn't horrible, but it certainly left much to be desired. She knew there were guards posted on the entrance and the back door, the only exits of this place. The windows were too high to reach normally.

He would be back in an hour.

When Kenta arrived at his Nightclub, he expected to find the orange haired cape on her own.

When it came down to it, he found the young girl quite attractive, and was rather hoping that she would reject his offer. While he was not usually one to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh - killing and violence had always been much more of a thrill for him - he could not deny that he found some excitement in the thought of breaking her like a twig upon his flesh.

She was slender, without exaggerated features like the American girls he had become accustomed to over time. The change of pace would be nice.

When Kenta arrived at his Nightclub, he did not find the orange haired cape on her own.

In fact, he did not find the place like he had left it. When he left, the party was raging in the main floor, because someone was celebrating his birthday. Strippers were on the stage, alcohol was flowing, and more importantly, money was pouring into his coffers.

When he arrived, the party was over. People were strewn around, unconscious. His men were hurt, defeated. His money stolen. His prize...

Sat there, drinking tea, like nothing had happened, in the VIP table he had given her.

With her there were children, and truly, they were children. A black boy. An effeminate boy. A butch girl. A feminine blonde. That was as far as he cared to identify them. They were not, after all, important to him in the end. Nor did he really care about the dogs that were laid on the ground, sleeping soundly. Kenta had never been one for pets.

"What," he bellowed in Japanese, "the fuck," he continued in English.

"Nani the fuck?" one of them muttered.

"Are you sure that this isn't going to end with all of us dead?" another asked.

"Keep calm," the orange haired cape said. "Kenta. I am afraid I will have to reject your offer."

"Then you will break," Kenta said, simply. There really wasn't much more there.

She smiled. Between him and her there were twelve feet of emptiness. They were suddenly filled by the arrival of an European man with long brown hair, exotic, dragon-themed armor and a strangely shaped sword. "I am the Guardian Knight, Georgios."

"I am Lung," Lung stated, simply.

The orange haired cape sipped more tea from her cup.

Battle was joined when she put it down.

Maybe I'll continue this one at some point...

Basically, Brockton Bay is a Singularity, and Fujimaru Ritsuka is trying to fix it while being cut off from communications. She's still able to summon her servants, but she can't communicate with Chaldea except by sending the servants back with messages.

Also, I decided to try a spin on a frequent Station of Canon, so instead of arriving at the most frequent point, the Taylor Vs Lung fight, Ritsuka hit the scene at the time the Undersiders hit Lung. For the record, they hit the nightclub because Lisa (wrongly) deduced that the ABB was storing something important there with all the added security. Well, not entirely wrongly, she did correctly guess that the ABB was guarding something important, she just thought it'd be money.

Also Beowulf kicked the Undersiders' asses, if you're wondering, and the reason they're all sitting down is because they're more scared of Ritsuka and her overpowered warriors than they are of Lung.