Magnos vs Officer Hill

Peter Ivanov

“THIS PUNY CAGE CANNOT CONTAIN MAGNOSTRUDOOM!”

Peter Ivanov liked to think of himself as a professional. He’d spent five years working as a government agent in covert espionage. Ten years now as a freelancer. He’d tangled with all kinds of people in that time; speedsters, brutes, even a few wizards. He’d sailed through spying, kidnaps, theft, and any other job put on his plate. He liked to consider himself unflappable. But this was the first time he’d been screamed at by a midget with big tits who was able to punch through the reinforced glass divider.

“The fuck!?”

That glass was rated for anything with a Strength rating of 4 or lower. Which meant that if that little shortstack got her claws on him, he was dead. Part of him wondered just how in the hell she’d appeared in the car out of nowhere, but he shunted such speculation for later. For now, he needed solutions. He needed to think fast.

Peter was good at thinking fast. His Reflex rating was at 3. At a rating of 1, a person could react twice as fast to stimuli as someone without a rating. Level 2 meant four times as fast, and 3 was eight times. For Peter in particular, it was a little over ten times that of a normal person. And when his adrenaline was pumping like this, it meant the world would slow to a crawl. Ten seconds of perception for every second in the real world.

So he had plenty of time to draw his firearm, point the barrel through the hole that had just been opened up in the glass, line up the shot looking in the rearview mirror, and pull the trigger. He was privately pleased to see the shot hit dead center, but grit his teeth when the only result was making her head snap backwards and making her even angrier. His Shock Bullets had the same penetration power as a normal bullet even if they were nonlethal.. So she wasn’t just freakishly strong, but tough too.

Sitting behind the steering wheel was just asking to have his head ripped off. Time to bail.

“Maaagnooooos, aaaaare—”

Right. The extraction target. His client made it very clear he’d be paid nothing if the guy wasn’t brought in alive. Time to compromise.

Peter slammed on the brakes, then twisted the wheel, careening off road, aiming for a thin tree to slow the vehicle down before the much larger one would bring it to a stop entirely. Right before the first impact, he was jumping out the door, rolling to kill the momentum with the precision of someone who had a habit of jumping out of cars.

He winced at the impact, but figured that in the worst case scenario, the guy would get a concussion, maybe break a few bones. For now, he needed to take care of that red demon.

“Grah!!” He winced as the car door was torn open like a can of sardines, the tiny girl hopping out, dragging the target with her. “And after I protected you from the impact too.”

“I can walk, I can… woah…” He was as unsteady as a baby fawn on his feet, clutching at his head. But if he was some kind of summoner, he was still dangerous. Peter drew his six-shot revolver, lined up the shot, and pulled the trigger, striking Hiroshi Jones square in the chest.

When the bullet impacted, there was a sharp crackle of electricity, Hiroshi’s whole body seizing up while he let out a restrained scream, before he went completely limp onto the forest floor.

Shock Shot. One of the most useful skills Peter had in his repertoire. Great for nonlethal incapacitation, but there were three downsides. First was the low penetration power, explaining why it hadn’t worked on the furious red demon girl who was just now turning to glare at him. Lucky for Peter, Hiroshi didn’t seem nearly as durable as his miniature friend. Second, it didn’t last very long, ranging from an hour at most, to just a few seconds for particularly durable targets. And third, it needed a bullet for his six-shooter. His Sheriff class reloaded one bullet every ten minutes, which left him with only four left to deal with the terror tearing up the ground as she charged him.

Peter had a plan for that though. He didn’t need to kill whatever she was. He just needed to focus on the mission, extract the target.

“Any chance you’ll settle down, little lady?” Peter asked as he summoned his lasso, the loop of rope spinning overhead.

“I’ll settle for no less than your blood dribbling down my chin!” she replied, leaping from ten feet away with her arms outstretched.

Peter snapped his arm forward and the rope lasso cracked the air like a whip, precisely wrapping around her ankle. Yanking his arm back flipped the girl midair, coming at him feet first now, and a wide swing had the rope taut as her body moved in an arc, picking up speed until he released the rope and sent her flying.

“Gyahhh!!!” The surprised shortstack was flailing her arms, legs, and tail wildly as she sailed through the air before bouncing twice on the hard pavement of the road.

“Pathetic! Such tricks cannot harm the terror that is Magnostrudoom!” He wasn’t surprised when she picked herself back up looking completely unharmed, but it wasn’t like he’d been counting on gravity to finish the job.

That’s because this wasn’t Peter’s first time dealing with a target with particularly high strength and toughness. And after years on the job, he’d learned the trick to it: Someone might be stronger than they look, but very rarely are they any heavier than they look. That small, petite frame of hers meant that she had barely any leverage to work with, and even someone with a measly Strength rating of 1 like himself could easily toss her around.

Wary of the rope now, the shortstack made a slower approach this time, red glowing eyes glaring at him as she stalked towards him. Not that it did her any good. He let her walk into his range, then snapped the lasso at her once more.

“Hah!” Magnos cried with victorious delight as she jumped into the air to avoid it… only to start screaming again as the lasso immediately snapped forward a second time, once more grabbing her ankle and once more she ended up being swung around like a tetherball before being slammed head first into the solid trunk of a tree.

Or it could be more accurately described as horn first, both of those sharp points plunging into the wood like an arrow through straw until her actual head got a solid thunk on the wood. “Ow!”

“How about we call it a draw?” Peter asked as he spun the lasso up again.

“If you wish to beg, don’t beg for your life! Beg for it to be quick and painless! Wait,” Magnos paused to consider, horns still stuck in the tree. Peter had to admire those neck muscles of hers because she had kept her entire body rigid as a plank. The big red t-shirt she was wearing had ridden up completely to show off a smooth, flat stomach with more of those striking red scales, as well as a loincloth of all things around her hips. One that wasn’t designed for this position and was showing off her completely hairless sex too. If she was a foot or two taller and not a homicidal maniac, Peter might have thought she was just his type. “No! Even if you beg now, it won’t be painless! It will be so, so, sooo painful!”

She then pulled her legs up, rolling to plant her feet on the trunk, then kicked off, the tree splintering with a loud crack as she tore herself free.

“You really are an unreasonable little lady,” Peter’s lasso went to snag her ankle for a third time, but as Peter expected, she was almost ready for it this time, dropping low and then reaching out to grab the rope in her hand, giving it a powerful yank of her own to try and tear it from his grip.

Which is exactly what Peter had been counting on. As soon as he released the rope, it started moving on its own like a living creature, retracting like a stretched rubber band and wrapping itself around Magnos, cords winding around her wrists, ankles, and neck, then pulling tight.

Hogtie. Another Class Skill, and costly too, seeing as it required giving up the use of his lasso entirely. Entirely worth it though, because even if Magnos had a Strength rating of 5 or more, it didn’t mean squat if she couldn’t bring those muscles to bear.

“Grahhh…!! You slippery eel! You snake! You… you toad!” Magnos bellowed as her hands and feet were wrenched together behind her back, landing her belly first on the ground.

“Lady, with all due apology, I must insist. I am only doing my job.” Peter gave a shake of his head, then pulled out his phone as he started a leisurely walk towards the original target. After dialing, they picked up before the second ring. “I’m about a ten minute drive from the dropoff point, but there was some excitement. Problem has been neutralized, but I’ll need you to come pick me up.”

He glanced towards his smoking car, missing one door. “And I’ll need another bump in my pay to cover expenses.”

“Understood. Do you have anything else to report?”

“Nah, that’s—” Peter could hear the dial tone before he even finished. “Well that’s just rude.”

“Ugh…” He heard Jones let out a groan, and from the twitching of his body, it looked like he was a few minutes from waking up. He wasn’t sure just what the guy’s deal was, but Peter thought it’d be safer to get him handcuffed, blindfolded, and gagged just in case.

“Woulda had a nice and pleasant ride if you could have just played along nice, son,” Peter said as he started walking towards him.

But halfway there, he felt a warm breeze on his back and cold terror down his spine. When he turned around to Magnos, he saw a bonfire in her place, orange and red flames roaring taller than he was, that surged with every wheezy breath the girl let out.

Her shirt had burned away already, leaving her in just the loincloth and matching silk top. His rope was supposed to be fireproof, but he didn’t think she knew that. And sure enough, the rope started unwinding as it lost strength, glowing and burning to ashes.

“Gehehehe…!” Freed from the hogtie, Magnos went to all fours rather than stand up, her long lizard tail lashing behind her like a jungle cat. “You did well for a mortal whelp! But none can defeat Magnostrudoom!”

Peter let out a sigh. “Really? Are you serious? Little lady… you really are making this way harder than it needs to be.”

“GRAH!!!”

Magnos pounced, stance shifting to a bipedal run that was gouging out the forest floor with every step, propelling her towards him scary fast.

But in Peter’s eyes, she was running through molasses, giving him all the time in the world to line up his shot for his ace in the hole skill:

Peacekeeper Barrage.

Four shots fired off in the blink of an eye, every bullet traveling with surgical precision. And unlike the Taser Shot, these had enough power to punch through a line of tanks. Lucky for Magnos, the skill didn’t aim it at any vital points. Instead, they tore through the muscles of her arms and legs, barely even slowing down as they pierced flesh.

With his sped up perception of time, he could see the shock on Magnos’s face as her mouth slowly fell open, her legs no longer able to support her, sending her tumbling in slow motion to the ground.

He didn’t think a tenacious woman like Magnos would bleed out from just that, but even she wouldn’t be able to move for a long time.

Peter Ivanov had tangled with all kinds of people in that time; speedsters, brutes, even a few wizards. He’d sailed through spying, kidnaps, theft, and any other job put on his plate. But of all the people Peter had ever tangled with… none of them had a prehensile tail like Magnos. And just as the shortstack fell on her face, that tail had stomped the ground like a third leg, shaking the leaves from the trees and propelling Magnos through the air in a direct line straight towards Peter as though she’d been fired from a cannon, a tidal wave of leaves and dirt exploding in the other direction.

He saw her coming, mouth stretched open wide, razor sharp teeth getting bigger the closer she got. But that didn’t mean that his body could keep up with his reflexes, and right now he felt like he was frozen in place.

Hiroshi Jones

My head was pounding as consciousness slowly returned. Everything felt fuzzy, like my brain had been replaced with static-filled cotton. The last thing I remembered was...getting shot? Some kind of electric shock?

I heard a loud crunch, followed by a familiar moan of delight.

“Mmm!!! Mm!”

It was the sound Magnos made when she’d shoved a whole chocolate bar into her mouth.

That was Magnos's voice. As my vision cleared, I saw her crouched over something, tail swishing back and forth with obvious delight next to the prone body of that fake cop. It took me a second to realize that the deep red of her scales hadn’t spread, but there was blood running down her sides, from her thighs, and pooling on the ground.

"M-Magnos?" I managed to croak out. “Are you okay? What…”

"Ah, Master! You're awake!" She turned towards me, and there was even more blood coating her skin, coating her chin entirely . "Such a shame you missed it! That rope-wielding warrior had cunning and nerve like I’ve rarely seen! Not that such petty tricks could ever truly best Magnostrudoom!"

I pushed myself to a sitting position, trying not to look directly at what remained of Officer Hill. I put my hand over my mouth and tasted bile, but managed to keep it down. Then the smell of copper and things unknown hit my nostrils.

My stomach lurched. Violently. I barely managed to turn away before emptying my stomach onto the forest floor. Once wasn’t enough, and I kept going till there was nothing left but bile, leaving my whole body feeling cold and shaking.

"Hiroshi?" Magnos's voice was bemused, and she let out a girlish giggle. I heard her padding closer on bare feet. "You really must have lived a sheltered life if this was enough to unsettle you."

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, still trembling. "Y-yeah. Sorry, I just..." Another wave of nausea hit as I caught another glimpse of what remained of Peter.

"Hmph! There's no need for apology!" She declared proudly, though she kept her volume mercifully low. "Humans are weak and sentimental, basically children no matter how wrinkled they become.”

I felt her small hand pat my back awkwardly, leaving bloody prints on my shirt. Despite everything, I almost wanted to laugh at how earnestly she was trying to comfort me. “Now you know what it means to summon the great and terrible Magnostrudoom. Do you regret it?”

I shook my head. Getting caught by him would have meant losing my mother forever. And regardless of my personal investment, the state losing its greatest hero would have ripple effects for years. Saving me and killing Hill meant saving countless lives over the long run. That’s what I kept telling myself.

“No. No regrets. Thanks, Magnos. You really saved me.”

“Gehe! Of course! Our fates are linked, Hiroshi. Just don’t wait so long next time. Now then… I’ve lost plenty of blood, and it’s been far too long since I’ve feasted on such delicious flesh!” She limped back over towards the corpse and once more began to… well, feast.

I looked away, then checked my status. No surprise, but I’d leveled up again. With it had come a new skill.

Rock Hard: Your durability has been heightened to a superhuman level, helping you stay on your feet after all kinds of impacts. Increase your Toughness by 1.

Name aside, it was an incredible skill. No doubt going from a car crash to being shot in the chest had led to it being selected. But I hadn’t opened my status to see my own skills. I looked at the villain's window.

Magnos was alive, injured but healing. And one of her glitchy skills had been revealed as well, Dragon Wings. Joy was still on standby, and Astra was greyed out, the timer still ticking down slowly.

No Officer Hill.

It was what I’d expected; Joy, Astra, and even Magnos hadn’t left a body behind. It was just the final nail in the coffin. I winced as I heard another loud crunch of Magnos shattering bones with her teeth.

<...Hiro… can… Hiros… can you… Hiroshi!>

Holly’s voice came in, glitchy and distorted before clearing up.

<Hiroshi! Can you hear me!?>

“Holly?” I whispered, walking slightly away from Magnos.

<Finally! What happened? I saw you get shot and then everything went black>

I stuck my finger through the bullet hole in my shirt, but there wasn’t so much as a scratch behind it. “Not sure. I don’t remember anything after being hit either until I woke up a minute ago.”

<Weird. But we can figure it out later. You need to get out of there now in case his friends show up. I sent a distress call, but there’s no guarantee when they’ll get here>

Not a point I’d argue. If I was captured again, it’d mean that Magnos had killed that man for nothing.

<Should I try and call…> Holly paused for just a beat. <Your mom?>

“And tell her what? A passing dungeon bear got to my kidnapper?”

<Fair point>

I walked back to Magnos.

"Magnos, we should get moving," I said, trying not to look at what remained of her meal. "The city's about five miles that way. Think you can make it?"

"Geh! Such wounds are nothing to one such as I!" She declared as she got to her feet, though I noticed she was favoring her right leg. The bullet holes had mostly closed, but she'd lost a lot of blood.

“On second thought…”

I raised my hand towards her, and Magnos panicked, shouting “Wait!” just before I dismissed her. Warrior’s pride and all, she probably hated me taking pity on her. That done, I took one last look at the smoking car and half-eaten body of Officer Hill, then started walking. But before I could take more than a few steps, I was tackled from behind.

“Hiroshi!”

A woman’s panicked voice. Big, soft breasts pushed against my back as she embraced me from behind. Soft body pressed against me as she squeezed tight. It was enough to make my ears burn.

“Mom!? Let go!”

“Mmm!” She gave me a harder, rib-cracking squeeze, then relented. “Are you okay? Aoi called me and she made it sound like it was the end of the world.”

Aoi? Holly must have impersonated my little sister when calling for my mother. Though I had no idea how she expected me to explain it.

“Hiro…” Silver Star, Miyu Miyazaki-Jones, my mother, had a tightness to her voice. I looked at her and she was looking back into the woods, back towards the car, and back towards the lifeless, half-eaten body of Officer Hell. “What on earth happened here?”

“It was another kidnapper, and uh…” What was I supposed to say?

As we looked at each other, the ringing of my phone broke the silence. “Uh, sorry. One second.”

I took it out and looked, and the caller ID showed… Holly?

“Hello?” I put the phone up to my ear.

“Put me on speaker, dummy..” <Put me on speaker, dummy> I heard from her in stereo.

“Right, right.” I did as she asked, then held the phone out between us.

“Greetings, Silver Star. I’m a friend of your son’s, and I’d like to explain the situation, but this isn’t a safe location. Your first priority right now should be getting Hiroshi to safety.”

“Well now. Since when did you have mysterious benefactors?” My mother arched an eyebrow, but there was a smirk on her lips. “She has a good point though.”

“Wait, Mom, you don’t need to—”

Too late. She swept me up into her arms and took off soaring into the sky. In a princess carry. “This is humiliating.”

“Oh, shush. You used to love this when you were younger.”

“I’m nearly thirty now!”

“And what does that have to do with anything?”

She started speeding up, climbing past a hundred miles an hour, but some Skill of hers acted like an invisible barrier, keeping the wind resistance to a gentle breeze blowing past us. Looking down, I noticed that we weren’t heading back into the city and were still speeding up.

“Mom? Where are we going?”

“To pick up your sister. It’s past time we had a family meeting about all of this.”

“Great. Just great.”

<Things are going to be okay, Roshi. I can make the case for us. Your mother is a reasonable woman. Probably>

Holly was mistaken. Sure, I was dreading this talk, and I had no idea how much we were going to reveal to her. That was bad, sure.

But what was really grating was that Aoi lived on the other side of the state, and my mother was going to be carrying me like a newlywed bride across the threshold the whole way there.