The first thing Bob did was flee the country. He didn’t know who those people were or what their capabilities might be, but he didn’t want to stick around and find out.
He figured at the very least, the ninjas might have a harder time finding him in America than in Japan.
Of course, he talked a big game, but he was just one man with some super valuable scroll. He had ended up keeping it. The group talked it over and decided that after the events of that night, they didn’t want to pass the scroll off until they fully understood what it was. Who knew what Cikizwa’s mysterious client might want with something supers went to war over.
Still, Bob lacked any sort of resources that he might utilize. Certainly not enough to handle the issue of supers.
There had always been legends and myths, stories of people and creatures who could do things beyond the norm. But they were just that. Stories.
Until 1945, when atomic bombs were detonated across the globe in war and in tests.
Ever since then, more and more stories began to gather. Covert black ops teams with perfect records. Soviet super suits that could fry tanks with lightning. Mad scientists building wonder devices like something out of a science fiction novel. Shadows that stalked through Japan at night. Wandering martial artists who could catch bullets with their bare hands.
Until eventually, some of these were caught on camera.
And more.
And more.
Until one day, one of them stepped out into the light. Someone who proved they could do things that everyone else couldn’t, and committed to using those powers for good.
A caped crusader.
A defender of truth and justice.
The first superhero.
Like most people, Bob hadn’t believed these were real. He thought it was cheap tricks and clever filming.
Until now, where he was caught in it not once, but twice.
It was clear that these supers were real.
And that they were dangerous.
And if the stories hinted at any trend, it was that they were growing ever more common.
So something needed to be done.
And to do something, Bob would need resources and connections.
So he did his homework. He looked for ways he could acquire such things.
And then, he found a way.
There was a small, anachronistic microstate in Europe known as Coflar. It was a small nation bordering France and Belgium that was small in size but rich in history and tradition. With fertile lands and a pleasant climate, its people lacked for nothing, and so were quiet and content. They did not desire grand crusades or chaotic revolutions, and so Coflar had changed very little over the course of its history. Most importantly of all to Bob, that meant the aristocracy was still in force, controlling most of the nation’s politics and wealth.
And that meant opportunity.
Coflar may have been tiny, but the business of government was a big one even in a small country. And in aristocratic Coflar, government was also a family business.
Which meant if Bob could find a way to control even just one of those families, he would have access to resources and connections no normal person could even dream of.
Bob walked over to his phone and called Chris.
“Hi Bob, you doing alright?”
“Fine, yourself?”
“Same. You come up with something?”
Bob smiled.
“I did.”
“Heh, I thought you might. What do you need?”
“You said Linda handled recruiting, right? You have a way to contact her?”
“Yeah, what are you thinking?”
“I just need a bit of help with my resume.”
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Near the capital of Colflar stood a grand estate. A golden metal gate opened a path between tall hedges, where a red brick road lead to a wide fountain. In the center of the fountain stood angels made of pristine marble, carrying horns that unleashed torrents of water. Beyond that stood a grand château with white and golden walls supporting an angled orange roof.
And within these storied halls...
Bob pushed open a large wooden door, painted white and pink with a golden handle. He blinked for a moment as the sun shone in his eyes through full length windows. As his vision cleared he could look through the window at the immaculate garden behind the château, where bushes were filled with orange and pink roses. A clear contrast to the room in front of him. The walls were covered in pink wallpaper embossed with gold designs. Around the room were pink chairs covered with a great deal of lace, all of which was also pink. To the side was a pink desk with golden highlights. The room was lit by a golden chandelier with pink lights. And around the room were the adornments, such as golden lamps, golden plates, and a golden pen with a pink center.
Bob silently swallowed to calm his stomach.
“MINION! There you are! What took you so long?”
Bob almost flinched as a piercing shriek drove into his skull, greatly exacerbating his headache. For once he was thankful for the featureless pink mask resting over his face.
“My most sincere apologies, Mistress.”
Bob gave a humble bow to his current boss's daughter, Lady Anita Laflèche de Albifort. Her dark hair was tied up with pink ribbons and a golden comb, arranged in curled locks draping down the sides of her face. She had sharp, green eyes that pierced like an eagle eyeing its prey. Her high cheekbones and a sharp chin added to the effect. Altogether her features gave the air of a person in charge, on the hunt for any sign of weakness.
Or at least it would have, if she would cut down on the fluffiness of her pink dress.
Bob questioned if that much lace was truly necessary. But he held his tongue. He was a man who knew his limits and the fashion of high society was most certainly beyond them. That none of her classmates dressed like her either was simply proof of his lady's sublime tastes. Or so he had been told.
Lady Anita slammed shut the fan in her hand and pointed her finger.
“Nevermind that! Why on earth is there a dirty peasant inside my mansion?!”
Bob glanced at the man standing to the side of the room. The man was fully dressed in a suit and tie, and carried a briefcase. He had neat, trimmed hair and simple round glasses. Bob looked around but he couldn't find any other individuals in the room, much less the dirty peasant his lady mentioned. Which meant, unfortunately, she was referring to Bob’s guest.
“My most sincere apologies, Mistress. I will make sure it doesn't happen again. But now that the notary has arrived, may I suggest we proceed to business?”
Lady Anita tilted her head.
“Notary? What's a notary...”
Lady Anita coughed, extending her fan to hide her mouth.
“I mean, what would the great Albifort estate need a notary for, minion?”
Bob suppressed a sigh.
“He must verify your signature to grant me power of attorney, Mistress.”
Lady Anita stared into space for a moment.
“Huh, what kind of power is that? Didn't you say you don't have any powers, minion? I do not appreciate being lied to.”
Bob took a deep breath through his nose.
“It is to fulfill your will, my Mistress. Power of attorney will allow me to act on your behalf, so that I may deal with the paperwork you ordered me to handle.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Lady Anita tilted her head.
“Paperwork? What paperwork? We are beyond such peasant trifles, my minion.”
Bob's arm trembled as he held in the reflex to move it to his face. He spoke to himself within his mind. He reminded himself that he had stared supers in the face, withstood the gaze of beings who could end him in an instant. So he could handle anything.
Surely.
“Mistress, you wished to purchase the Mode par Éclipse did you not?”
Lady Anita just blinked at him.
“Huh? Why would I want that?”
Bob repeated his reminders to himself.
“You wished to prohibit a certain customer from having a dress tailored there, did you not?”
Lady Anita blinked a few more times. Bob took another breath through his nose and then leaned in to whisper in Lady Anita's ear.
“Miss Corriveau, Mistress.”
Lady Anita jumped up and smacked Bob over the head with her fan.
“MINION! I told you never to speak that vile name in my presence!”
“My most sincere apologies, Mistress. You instructed me to purchase the Mode par Éclipse after meeting...a certain thieving vixen there.”
Lady Anita ground her teeth, clenching her hands into fists.
“Hang that thieving cat! First she tried to steal my beloved Prince Lionel, then she dared to show up wearing the same dress as myself?! I'll ban her from every store in the country!!!”
Bob nodded.
“That is what we're trying to do today, Mistress.”
Lady Anita glared at him.
“Then stop trying to do it and do it, minion!”
Bob grit his teeth.
“I just need you to grant me power of attorney first, Mistress, and then it will be done right away.”
Lady Anita whacked him with her fan.
“I don't care about Attorney or whatever powers she has! I want that vixen to pay!”
Bob glanced at the third person in the room. Bob's stomach boiled and his face grew warm. The sympathetic expression on the man's face hurt more than a thousand whacks by a fan. But the man slowly nodded and opened his briefcase, withdrawing the documents therein. Bob walked over and took the papers, bringing them back and laying them on Lady Anita's desk.
“Lady Anita, if you sign these papers you will purchase the Mode par Éclipse.”
Lady Anita sat back down and looked at the papers for a minute, then glanced up at Bob.
“And then I will make the vixen pay?”
Bob nodded.
“And then you will make the vixen pay.”
Lady Anita smiled and sloppily signed her name at the bottom of the sheet. Not even close to the line. And in pink ink. Bob took the paper and brought it to the notary. The notary sighed but stamped the sheet. He then placed it in his briefcase and, with a brief nod to Bob, hurried out of the room.
“Really minion, why did you have to make that so difficult? With all that time you wasted you could've bought a hundred stores!”
Bob's left eye twitched. But Lady Anita ignored him, standing from her seat to look outside at her garden.
“Ohohohoho, I will show that vixen what it means to oppose Anita Laflèche de Albifort! I'll ban her from every store in the city, and then I will humiliate her in front of everyone at the graduation party! Then I will marry Prince Lionel...”
Lady Anita stopped for a moment, squirming about and holding her sides with a bright red face.
“And then I should get rid of that eyesore. Oh, I've got it! Daddy's doing that thing with the rocket, I'll ask him to tie her to it! I'll send her to the moon! Ohohohoho!”
Bob nodded.
“Then I should begin my work, if that's all Mistress?”
Lady Anita nodded.
“That's right, what are you standing around for, minion?! Get to work enacting my genius plan!”
Bob bowed and strode out of the room. Once outside the door he rubbed his temples with a single hand and heaved a huge sigh. After his single indulgence, Bob strode back to his own office. A simple office, clear of any adornment.
Or so he desperately wished were true. The mansion had but a single supplier of furniture and decor after all.
He sat at his desk, uncapped his pen, and began to write. He had much to do.
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Ten miles past the border between Coflar and Belgium stood two figures. They were standing at the edge of a clearing deep within a forest. The night was dark, the crescent moon provided little light.
But that mattered not to Mister Dapper Tiger, for his feline eyes were six times better than a normal human's. He brushed the fur on his chin with the claws of his right hand, then took a quick sip from the cup of tea in his left. Many wished to know how the man gained the features responsible for his moniker but all he ever said was a good tailor and a tour in the jungle. What they did know is that he came back from that tour as some sort of humanoid tiger, and established quite a reputation for himself since. Which was how he entered the employ of the Coflar royal family, in fact.
“Naught but an abandoned warehouse, Your Highness.”
Prince Lionel grimaced.
“She's here. She has to be.”
Mister Dapper Tiger adjusted his monocle. It was true that a warehouse in the middle of a forest with no roads was more than a little suspicious. But no less suspicious than an anonymous letter delivered to the Prince's personal room claiming to know the whereabouts of his kidnapped sweetheart. Mister Dapper Tiger certainly believed Miss Adèle Corriveau might indeed be close by. After all, what better reason to kidnap the girl than to bring His Highness to such a secluded location?
Mister Dapper Tiger then heard the sound of rustling leaves. He focused his sight in the direction of the sound and caught something. A silhouette broke out of the tree line and made their way towards the warehouse.
“There is someone there, Your Highness. Please allow me to scout ahead.”
Prince Lionel shook his head.
“I will not keep Adèle waiting.”
Mister Dapper Tiger sighed and shook his head. Ah, to be young again. But who was he to question a young man's resolve?
“Very well, stay close. Please do not act before my signal.”
Lionel nodded and the two were off, crouching low as they jogged towards the warehouse. They looped around to a wall with a window and stood against it. Mister Dapper Tiger held his hand up to stop Lionel and pressed his ear against the wall. After a few moments of silence he peeked into the window, then nodded to Lionel and slowly pushed on the frame.
In a spot of luck, it turned out the window was unlocked and could be opened quietly. Mister Dapper Tiger pulled himself up onto the windowsill, pulling up Lionel with both arms. He leapt to the floor of the warehouse without a single sound, then helped Lionel get down as well.
Both looked around the room. It was full of boxes covered with tarps. A thick layer of dust coated everything in the room and there were cobwebs growing from every corner. There was no sign anyone had been there in years, at least to the untrained eye.
But Mister Dapper Tiger was not so easily fooled.
He motioned Lionel to follow and crept towards a certain part of the room, where the dust was slightly piled up. As if someone had intentionally swept dust onto this particular spot. The tigerman pressed his claws on the floor, gently sliding until they found purchase, and pulled open a hidden door.
The two made their way into the underground tunnel and crept through dark hallways with dim incandescent lights, sticking to the shadows whenever possible. But they found naught a soul until they had reached a large, cylindrical room made of concrete. Inside armored men scrambled around and worked on various tasks. They were each covered in black armor that was adorned with an orange coat of arms. The room itself was massive, for a very obvious reason.
With a metal gate for a roof and a huge missile standing in the center, the purpose of this room could not be mistaken.
And neither could the man standing in front of the missile. He had groomed black hair with orange highlights, a thin black mustache, and a bright orange suit with a pink rose adorning his breast. Lionel could not forget Duke Gaëtan Laflèche de Albifort if he wanted to. Nor could he ever forget the person the Duke was talking with. Lionel took a step forward before Mr. Dapper Tiger pulled him back, whispering for him to wait. Lionel grit his teeth.
How could he possibly wait?
There, tied to the missile, was a young girl in a simple dress. She had a simple green hairband adorning her straight, golden hair and a cute, round face with big blue eyes. It was none other than Adèle Corriveau, the love of his life, her eyes moistening as she struggled against the rope.
“W-Why are you doing this?”
Duke Gaëtan laughed in her face.
“Bwahaha, do you not understand? Fear not, for this noble Gaëtan shall elucidate for you, young peasant! You see, this missile is aimed at none other than the Coflar Royal Palace!”
The girl glared at the Duke.
“Why would you do that?! Are you not a noble of Coflar?! How could you harm His Highness' family?!”
The Duke slapped the girl. He then jabbed his finger at her.
“Do not dare speak to me in that tone, you insolent cur! They all look down on me! The world looks down on me and denies me the respect I deserve! But when those fools in the palace are gone, I shall take my rightful place as king!”
He sneered at the girl.
“And as this missile shall fire from Belgium, all our country will cry out for war, and then I will lead them in glorious conquest! It will become a golden age for our country and then all shall sing my praises! For my name is Gaëtan Laflèche de Albifort and all who stand before me shall pay! And you, young peasant, have committed the greatest crime of all! You have angered my little darling, and for that you shall pay as well.”
Lionel looked behind him to demand permission to act, only to find the beastman missing. He looked around the room until he noticed two large silhouettes in a dark corner of the room. There he saw Mr. Dapper Tiger, calmly sipping his tea next to a pile of unconscious men and giving him a thumbs up. Lionel waited not a moment longer and stepped into the light.
“Duke Gaëtan Laflèche de Albifort, you are under arrest!”
Adèle’s face lit up in a bright smile.
“Lionel! You came for me!”
Lionel flashed her a smile of his own.
“I will always come for you, my love, wherever you go!”
Duke Gaëtan twirled his mustache with his left hand.
“Quite touching, young prince, but you were foolish to come alone! Minions, deal with this cur!”
And nothing happened.
Silence hung in the air. Duke Gaëtan cleared his throat.
“Ahem, I said, minions, deal with this cur!”
Still nothing happened. Duke Gaëtan began looking around the room.
“Minions?”
A light came on in the corner of the room, revealing the Duke’s unconscious minions. And Mr. Dapper Tiger giving an elegant bow.
“Your Grace. You have my sincere apologies for the delayed greeting.”
Duke Gaëtan turned back to Lionel, his eyes sinking into their sockets.
“Oh.”
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As all this occurred, no one noticed one minion exiting the warehouse, a briefcase in hand. A certain briefcase containing the coordinates for conveniently abandoned missile silos like this one Cikizwa had told him about.
Bob shook his head as he walked off into the forest. Filling the Duke's head with delusions of grandeur had been simple. Getting the Coflar royal family to act on the threat had not.
“So you ignored all my warnings about the Duke but immediately came running for the girl. Do you know how hard it was to delay that launch? How long I had to wait in that bush to tip you off? Heroes are so annoying.”
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And so Duke Gaëtan Laflèche de Albifort was found guilty of treason against the Colfar royal family, and sentenced to life imprisonment. His family was stripped of their titles and banished from the royal capital, including his daughter. However, the King and Queen hesitated to cut her off completely, and so the former Lady Anita was allowed to keep the substantial allowances that had been set up in her name. While some of these would be hard to access from the countryside, it turned out she had already granted her butler power of attorney, who was thus charged with managing her holdings…