Red-hot embers flared and bloomed before my eyes. The darkness emanated a subtle crackling noise as smoke filled my nose, fogging up my mind. My focus waned as if the heat was drawing me in. In the distance, the thundering of a helicopter sounded muted to my ears. I was finding it difficult to breathe, and I started falling into a place of isolation where-

“You okay, Dubs?”

I blinked and looked up from the grill at the super.

[Just seeing if it was at the right temperature yet.]

“Uh-huh.” She raised an eyebrow. “Tag me if you’re in over your head. This is a joint effort, okay?”

[I will, don’t worry.]

Roxy smiled. “Good. Looks like the others are on the way, so I’ll go see if Clara is actually getting ready or is distracted.”

I nodded, and she went off into the house. Looking toward the city, Ren’s helicopter was indeed on the way. It had taken me a good ten or so minutes to rewind my mind back and realize that I had thought something new and potentially problematic.

It was the World Government giving my squad their orders. To what degree, I wasn’t sure. An emergency group if a super ever got out of the League’s control? That might be the most optimistic truth. Despite it clouding up my mind, I tried to let the worries slip away for now. It was time to enjoy good company and anything more dire than that could come later.

As soon as Clara had arrived home, she had offloaded the shopping onto Roxy, telling me that she had some gifts for me - but only after she had gotten ready. I had assumed that the rappel was ready, but wasn’t sure what else she could mean. Now, to my right, I had empty buns and some hamburger meat ready for grilling up.

With the helicopter on the way, I was more surprised that Roy wasn’t… oh, there he was. The small cloud of dust rising in his wake bloomed as he got closer. I took a deep breath to ready myself. It couldn’t be any worse than the first attempt at this. At least now everyone was here in earnest.

Just a handful of seconds later, the speedster slid across my yard, before stumbling forward as he tried to stop - almost dropping his cargo.

Regaining his composure, he looked up and grinned at me sheepishly. “I guess flip-flops were a bad idea, huh?”

Aside from the inappropriate footwear, he was wearing a bright blue open-collared shirt that had garish pictures of waves and boats printed haphazardly all over it. White shorts, which looked to have collected some dust on his journey here. In one hand was a crate of beer, and the other had a shallow white box.

[Morning, Roy. It’s good to see you.]

He stepped up onto the grassy area of our land and placed his items on the table. “You too, Dubs. Every time I see you, it’s like you’re a different person.” He looked my current ensemble up and down. “I know you can’t eat, but my ma does the best apple pie this side of Goldarch, so naturally she made two.”

“Well, I can certainly eat.” Roxy stepped out from the house and down the porch. “You’re looking less like a rabid badger, Roy.”

The speedster took a step back and raised his eyebrows. “Wow, Rox. Never thought I’d see you in a dress. Next you’ll be in heels, hobnobbing at the gala.”

“Fuck off.” She shook her head before glancing over at me. “Although…”

[What’s the gala?]

“Optional League social event,” she said, stepping over to the table to check out the alcohol Roy brought. “It’s like a fancy black-tie thing and one of the few times a year you can meet all the supers throughout the city in one place.”

Roy crossed his arms. “I’m the only one of us who goes. Ren is always too busy, and it’s not the sort of scene Belle or Rox likes.”

[I’m open to it.]

“Yeah?” Roxy bit her lip. “You’d look killer in a tux, but… well, one thing at a time, okay?”

I nodded. There wasn’t a particular reason I was signing myself up for something that sounded terrible - and by that point, we’d have to be public with our relationship. Plus, I wasn’t even a hero yet, so that was way too many horses in front of the cart. Something about it just… I liked the idea of seeing her in an elegant dress. Being in all the weak superheroes faces as we rose the ranks with ease.

Hmm. I shouldn’t be too competitive about this.

While the two supers discussed the choice of beer provided, I turned my head to see the techie emerge from the house. Denim shorts and a mauve sweater with long sleeves that had a cat’s face printed on it. Her normally shoulder length hair was tied up in bunches on either side of her head.

After passing a quick hello to the speedster, she came up to me, giving the grill a glance before waiting for me to comment.

[And I thought my glow-up was impressive.]

“Oh please, Gunquake.” She rolled her eyes. “Roxy said I’d look like a tween brat, but as I often feel I missed out on a proper youth, I am choosing that to be my focus for today. So bring on the alcopops and making out behind the dumpsters.” Clara sighed and looked between the other two and the approaching helicopter. “Although, few eligible contenders for that. Can you tell I am nervous?”

[Yes. It will be fine.]

Roxy tilted away from Roy to scowl at the techie. “You should really wear something on your feet, hun. Some assholes like to leave broken glass on my lawn.”

After amusedly watching the speedster recoil away by reflex, I looked down to see that Clara was indeed barefoot. She had painted her nails alternating green and mauve, to match her eyes and sweater respectively, I assumed.

[You really put a lot of thought and effort into this.]

She shrugged. “I am even more of an introvert than you, Gunquake. If I am to be your long-term sidekick, then I will have to actually make friends with these people. It strengthens the both of us.”

[Any time you feel like you’re out of your element, just stick by me, okay?]

Clara opened her mouth as if to protest the need, but instead closed it and gave me a smile. “I was planning on retreating to the workshop, but rallying to you is just as comforting.”

“Hey, Dubs,” Roxy called from the table, “you’re gonna want to try some of this pie. It’s literally the best.”

The techie nudged me. “I’ll go throw some in the canister machine. I could throw in a beer too?”

[Are you trying to lower my inhibitions?]

She shot me a coy smile as she walked away, her eyes lingering on me. It was a little early in the day for me to be encouraging her, but it put her in her comfort zone. My eyes switched away to the arriving vehicle, now much louder.

“Come greet our guests, Dubs.” Roxy gestured for me to follow her. “I’m sure the grill will survive five minutes without you staring at it.”

“I’ll keep an eye on it, big guy.” Roy gave me a nod, and there was no excuse left for me.

With a shrug, I paired up with the volcanic super and she looped her arm around mine as we stepped down to the end of the garden to wait for the helicopter to land. We both winced at the pulses of air blowing dust toward us before the bird finally settled down and powered off.

First out was on the passenger side - Belle. Hair tied back again, she wore fuzzy pink leg warmers and a woven poncho. Small round sunglasses sat on her nose, as she glanced around at our surroundings as if expecting paparazzi to be lurking in wait. Given what I now knew about her, that was something close to the truth.

Ren came out of the pilot’s side. She had dark slacks on, and a red shirt - no jacket or tie, but she had rolled her sleeves up and the top button was undone. For someone who lived and breathed their business, this was perhaps as casual as it got. Her radiant blonde hair hung in a long plait behind her. Most interesting of all was the smile on her face.

“Roxy wasn’t lying when she said you were a hunk under your outfit,” the elf said as she walked over, eyeing me up. “It’s honestly a shocking change.”

Belle lifted up her sunglasses to place on her head, brow furrowed as she looked at me. “Another with bright green eyes, too.”

[With Clara, that makes three of us.]

The supportive super nodded but tilted her head. “Turn around for me a second, so that this doesn’t look strange.”

I raised my eyebrow and looked at Roxy, but did as asked. Once I was facing away from the pink-haired woman, she put her hand on my back. A few moments later, I heard her exhale through her nose.

“You motherfucker,” she said calmly. “I thought something felt strange yesterday, but out here it is clear.”

[What is it, part of my aura?]

I turned back around after she removed her hand. There was still part of a scowl on her face, but she seemed more relaxed.

“Yes. Did you know you had some manner of cloaking?”

[I had been told that I had an aura that disabled technology or prevented cameras and the like from recording me.]

Belle shook her head. “No. You have protection from divination magic. That means you can’t be magically located or spied on.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

[Oh.]

I turned my gaze to Roxy, who looked just as unsure as to what to do with that information as I was. It turned out I was more in the dark about things than I had realized, and more questions were bound to follow.

“This means…” the hero continued, “that He can’t see me here. That makes you my new best friend, Dubs.” Belle smiled and gave us both a brief curtsy with her poncho, as if introducing herself again. “I didn’t bring a housewarming gift, but I will be an open book about everything magical with you - as I can tell that your mind is hungry for it. Perhaps after some hard liquor.”

“Help yourself in the kitchen,” Roxy said, and jerked her finger back. “We weren’t expecting gifts. This was just a social thing.”

“Nonsense,” Ren interjected as Belle walked off. “The one the League forced on us was a little fucky, so let us do this properly now. As friends, rather than coworkers.”

Roxy pouted, and both women stepped forward to give each other a hug. “I missed you guys. I’m sorry for being such a useless bitch.”

“We all dropped the ball. But now, we’ll come back stronger.” Ren smiled as they pulled away. “And you look stunning, by the way. Seeing you bounce back honestly brings me joy.”

With a shrug, Roxy gestured to me. “You can thank this murder machine. Without Dubs or Clara, I wouldn’t have been able to unlock my potential.”

“Is that so? Well, we have plenty of time for stories today, but here - let me give you my housewarming gift.” From her back pocket, the elf withdrew a tube and handed it over to the super.

“What’s this?” Roxy asked, eyebrow raised.

“Title and deeds for the surrounding land here. Technically, it’s legally under the team’s purview as Dubs doesn’t have any real name I could find, but we’re happy to leave it for you two.” Ren crossed her arms and grinned. “It means you can build on here as you see fit and Goldarch won’t grumble. I’d suggest putting in a helipad first so that I don’t scratch my bird up when I visit.”

The strength super opened and closed her mouth, trying to chew through what we had just been given. “You’re… thinking that long term we could… build a command center?”

[Like a home base for our group?]

Ren nodded. “If our team hits A-Rank, the League will even help get it set up, but yeah. We’d have our own little commune. A big table we could sit around and discuss missions. Whatever you wanted, really.”

Roxy once again gave the elf a hug.

Although at first it sounded like a pipe dream, things were already progressing to that eventuality. The fact that Ren had done this probably meant that she was serious about the team getting back together and excelling. That could only mean she had decided to utilize her artefact properly as well. Perfect.

She bowed out and went over to say hello to Roy, as Roxy brought me in beside her.

“Look at all this, Dubs,” she hissed, unable to hide her wide smile.

I couldn’t help but share her mood.

Roy had been instigative and rude at the first party, and now he had managed to cut loose his connections to the darker side of things. Belle had held her nose high and groused about the quality of our water supply. In her more bohemian attire and hand clutched onto a bottle of rum, she was nothing like her more evangelizing persona. Ren hadn’t looked at her phone once, despite being distracted and unable to focus on anything but her business last time.

Even Roxy, who had been sour on the League’s requirements, was now calmer and more confident. She had woken me up, begging for my help - and I had stepped up. Even if most of that day was the machination of the higher ups at the League to squeeze something out of me… what we had today was real. Still, early days, I was sure.

But as Clara emerged from the workshop with my apple pie and beer canister, any worries I had about the social gathering had evaporated entirely.

The techie was grumpy at first in finding out that Belle could detect that I did indeed have a magical aura, and that obtaining the device had been a waste of time. I prodded her about my other gifts until she relented.

First up was my rappel. Something surprisingly slimline that would affix to my gauntlet on my left arm. Rather than a hook or spike, it used the expanding foam substance to attach places. It came with a button that she could patch into my synapses, able to eject the antidote substance at the end to melt away the foam once I was done and needed to retract it. Sixty feet of thin but strong wire, and the potential for it to be upgraded to a grappling device once she worked out a functional launcher.

If that wasn’t enough, she almost brought forth a new magazine type. She prefaced the delivery by saying that I might not be able to play the lute, but as a bard needed an instrument, perhaps a drum might have to do. She then presented the modified drum magazine. I was probably the only one who appreciated the pun, given that most of them didn’t know the full details of my past.

Much like my other drum, this one differed in that the internals that didn’t look like it would fit cartridges. Instead, she presented a rather heavy crate that Roxy had to move from the van and over to the workshop. Popping the lid open, I was greeted by potentially hundreds of small spheres of polished chrome. Solid steel, the techie had assured me. The perfect size to fit down my barrel, and the drum magazine could hold twenty of them.

With everyone a couple of drinks down before we had started eating, they were eager for me to give the new ammunition a test drive. After double checking that they could fit in my sideloader still - which they could - I palmed one into the open chamber on the side. The full drum had some weight to it, and while I only had a slight buzz, I didn’t want to accidentally blow a hole through anything.

Overcharge spooled up, readying potential energy behind the shot as I aimed out to the wastes at a cluster of tall rocks. With a thought, it powered out with a satisfying thonk, zipping outside our area of control and striking the dry rock. A cloud of dust burst around it as the top section cracked and dropped off - everyone cheering at the sight.

Naturally, the others then goaded Roxy into showing them her new powers. After cussing them out for potentially ruining her dress, she eventually gave in. She had wanted to show off all along, of course. There was no hiding the pride and excitement in her eyes, at least to me. So she went off into my yard and powered up, turning her arms into lava up to her elbows, before cooling off. The super shook the dried stone from her arms and gave the others a bow as they clapped.

As Roxy went up to Ren and the speedster to discuss the intricacies of the power, Belle brought her chair over to sit with Clara and I.

“This information might be important for you too, Clara,” she said, “if you’re to be Dubs’ sidekick. “Honestly, it’s strange, because I didn’t feel any magic on you the last times we met.”

“You could say that Gunquake had his own potential awakening recently, too.” Clara pulled a face at the potential magic-talk, but was held in place knowing that she was my sidekick - and that might be worth the pain.

“I see. Magic is a funny thing. You probably haven’t heard of the SOSSN?”

I shook my head.

Belle smiled. “Standard Othean Simplified Spell Naming. Magic can come from many sources. Granted or borrowed from other powerful entities, arcane symbols, runes, innately known, learned through ancient means, bestowed by artefacts… you get the idea. The SOSSN gives similar-enough spells the same name, otherwise you’d have one hundred different names in different languages for a simple healing spell.”

[And I’m assuming you can tell what spell, but not the source.]

She narrowed her eyes. “You’re smarter than you look, Dubs. I need to stop underestimating you.” The spellcaster took a swig of her drink and nodded. “A magic user more proficient in Detect Magic would be able to tell you how the spells are cast. Spells usually have a lesser and greater tier - Greater Detect Magic is what we are talking about. I have the mid-tier of it, and the lower version would only know that magic was happening, like Clara’s little box.”

The techie pouted at the device she had gotten being relegated to being a minor spell version.

[Until recently I didn’t know I had the magic auras, so I do not believe it is something I am casting myself.]

“Possibly not.” Belle’s eyes were reading my own. “You only have the lesser variants, as an aura is difficult to hold up - especially if you are doing it constantly.”

“Isn’t there some exchange of energy?” Clara asked, sliding her way into being invested in the conversation. “To uphold a spell, isn’t there usually a cost?”

“Correct. If Dubs is not casting these himself, then the spells would have been set by whomever or whatever gave him this power. Spells that don’t directly take from ‘mana’ often have other costs or side effects.” She lifted up the half-empty bottle of rum and wagged it at us. “My power comes from Him, and one of the downsides is I have an absurdly high alcohol tolerance.”

[That doesn’t seem so bad.]

“Only in terms of getting drunk. Three of these bottles and my organs won’t be having a good time, however.” She gave us a glum smile. “It might be worth finding out your magic source, so you can be sure you’re not draining your soul away or slowly becoming the host for an eldritch god.”

[Magic is a funny thing, you were right.]

Clara pulled a face at my statement. “Can you tell us what spells Gunquake has in his aura?”

[Also, I seem to be able to go into a meditative trance that heals my wounds at greater speed.]

Belle puckered her lips, before putting her bottle on the table. “That might not be magic, it would be difficult to say, but here - give me your hand.”

I held my left out, and she held it in between hers like a sandwich. The spellcaster took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Try to focus on… whatever you feel is a focal point for your magic. Even just being calm can help.”

My own eyes closed as I tried to scour my internal thoughts for… something I could grasp onto. As if my magical powers were sourced by a tangible thing.

“Is it a bad thing I get a worse vibe from your left hand compared to the one that is a literal gun?” she asked.

“What kind of bad vibe?” Clara asked from beside me.

“Hmm.” Her hands shifted slightly, as if seeking a better picture. “There is a great deal of strength and care here. Loving and protective. But… there’s background noise. Lots of pain. Death. I feel as though I am focusing on the beauty of a puddle while the storm clouds swirl overhead.”

[I didn’t realize I signed up for a palm reading.]

I opened my eyes to see that Belle was also now looking up at me.

“Like I said before, Dubs. Trust will be harder to earn with me. I am just looking out for the safety of myself and my friends.”

“Gunquake isn’t dangerous-” Clara began, before I shook my head.

[I trust you, Belle. I died once. In that old life I wasn’t a good person. This life… I also haven't been a good person before meeting Roxy. I’m trying to find redemption, even if I am undeserving.]

She continued to look into my eyes for a few moments before giving me a nod. “I am not the morality police. Salvation is a personal thing, but I believe your intentions are true. Regardless of your prior existence…” Belle looked over to where Roxy and Ren were laughing over something the speedster had said. “I will not be the one to cast judgement on you.”

[Thank you. Were you able to sense my spells, though?]

“Oh.” She released the grip of my hand and picked her bottled back up. “I didn’t need to do that to sense your spells. I’m just the bitch that’s going to keep you in check while the others fawn over you.” The spellcaster shot me a wink as she raised the bottle to her lips. “You have the lesser versions of Calm Emotions, Detect Magic, Divination Protection, and Incite Violence.”

[Incite Violence? That sounds like it clashes with Calm Emotions.]

“Think of it like a taunt that causes your opponent to become more reckless when they attack you. Not something that is usually a passive aura, so that’s unique.” Belle furrowed her brow.

“At least we know your other abilities are more natural, Gunquake.” Clara still looked a little sour over the facet of me, but she was right.

I was a weird mixture of all things. Magic, being Advanced, cybernetics, my synapse boosts, and now whatever tech Clara could fit on me. Despite this overabundance, it’s what I needed to keep up with those with actual super powers. If I wanted to stand side by side with this group and pull my weight—and survive—I needed to grasp at everything that I could.

“I’ll leave you with this one last thought,” Belle said, standing from her chair and taking a swig of rum. “Calm Emotions has diminishing returns. If you’re worried about it still affecting Roxy or Clara then it’s very unlikely at this point… they just like you.”

I exchanged a glance with the techie as Belle moved away to join the others.

[You think that is so?]

“I’m far too inebriated to give you a safe response to that question.” Clara leaned closer to me. “However, if you grill me up a burger, I will eat it.”

[Oh? That is more than enough of an answer for me then. Maybe I could ask a favor in return?]

She smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Name your price, Gunquake.”

[Could you print me off a list of the B-Rank teams?]

“More bland than I had hoped, but consider it done.”

I nodded as she went off to the workshop, placing her hand on my cybernetic shoulder briefly - although possibly more for stability than familiarity. With a sigh, I stood and stepped over to the primed grill and asked everyone for their orders. In between chatting, they had pitched in to cut up onions, tomatoes, and cheese.

For a moment, I tuned them out as they extolled the virtues of each of their ingredient preferences, with a particularly heated exchange happening between Roxy and Roy over something or other. I just… enjoyed being here. It wasn’t so long ago that my life was devoted to killing people like these few, yet here they were - as my friends, just as if they didn’t have any powers at all.

My mood cooled slightly as the techie stepped out of the workshop with a printed list of all those who stood in our way. Unfamiliar unknowns, just like those I would have been ordered to murder. My grip tightened on the tongs.

I knew well enough there was more than one way to climb the ladder.