Motivation

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.

Betad by Marethyu, Priapus, Mike God of Lore, Beans, Old man of the mountain

The Gamer's Guide to Conquest, Remastered

Chapter 08: Motivation

– Illyana Rasputin (Magik) –

Heading back to where Nico was keeping their new bloodsucker guest distracted, she paused at the scene they returned to.

On her knees, Nico panted as she stared up at the smug Dhampir, sweat dripping from her face as Kuro gave her a gloating smile. Blade and Robbie froze, Blade reaching for his sword at the sight before he paused.

"Did you really think you could beat me? You're good, but against a Child of Dracul, you never stood a chance," Kuro taunted, arms crossed as he posed victoriously. "I am the master of the dance."

On the TV screen, Dance Dance Revolution declared Player Two the victor. The difficulty was set to extreme, and Kuro smirked at his perfect score.

"God damn, you're stupidly good at this," Nico gasped, short of breath as she took his offered hand and rose back to her feet.

"Dhampir, Dance Dance is just a matter of reflexes, really, and mine are superhuman," Kuro explained with a grin. "Honestly, anyone with superhuman reflexes should be able to do the same."

"But Blade sucks at this," Nico pointed out, making Blade scoff and mutter something about hating games under his breath.

"Well, reflexes and rhythm, guess that's just another way that I'm better than him," Kuro explained with a cocky grin, making Blade scoff again.

"This is stupid; I'm going to bed," Blade grunted, walking off. He wasn't thrilled about having a Tepes around the Abbey, and it was making him go from his usual anti-social attitude to straight-up pissy. He could pout all he wanted; Kuro was their best way of finding Wanda. Robbie followed behind, smiling at them as he went to check on their teammate.

"You dance?" Illyana asked, looking at the game. Nico was very good, but Kuro had downright crushed her.

"I'm very good at games, kinda my thing, to be honest," Kuro answered. "Why, wanna try to avenge your teammate's crushing defeat?"

"Pft, not a chance. I don't dance," Illyana scoffed, ignoring the MGK on the leaderboard. Nico had forced her to play far too many times, and he wasn't wrong. It really was just a game of reflexes, and she was very good at that.

Didn't stop her from looking like she was having a seizure, and the electronic and pop music grated her ears.

"Smart, sometimes it's better to know when you're outmatched," Kuro agreed easily, making her roll her eyes. Kuro took pleasure in being a dick, which she didn't mind, to be perfectly honest. "Anyway, where's the kitchen? Sunglasses at night interrupted me on my way home, and I need food, plus something tells me he wouldn't like me taking a drink," Kuro said, flashing a fanged grin as his eyes flickered to her bare neck, making her smirk back at him. The big ass sword on her back wasn't for show, and she wasn't easy prey.

"Ooh, I'll show you the way. I need a drink myself, but water is enough for me," Nico offered, smiling. "How long are you planning on staying?"

"Eh, I've got some personal biz to take care of, a job and a tournament coming up. I doubt I'll be here for long," Kuro explained, making her nod even as she frowned slightly. Kuro's blood was what they needed to find Selene and, by extension, Wanda.

If he just wandered off, they were back to square one and it had been weeks since Wanda had been taken. They had made no progress, all while being forced to listen to Caretaker's insistence that they don't rush things. If Kuro fucked off, how long would Selene have Wanda?

"Do not run off before we can find Selene," Illyana warned, making him chuckle darkly. "You're the best chance we have at finding Wanda; I won't let it slip through our fingers. Run, and I'll chase you."

"Careful, Magik, that almost sounded like a threat. I don't make good prey," Kuro warned, fangs glinting in the light as he smiled dangerously. "If 'Caretaker' can pull her head out of her ass and remember that I'm doing this for the lot of you as a favour, we can use my blood to try and find mommy dearest and your friend, if not? I'm out."

"If she cannot, fuck her. We'll do it ourselves," Illyana said, making him pause and raise an eyebrow. "Nico can use the Staff of the One to use your blood to find your mother, I won't leave Wanda in that bitch's hands any longer than I have to."

The steel in her tone made him give her a dark grin. Two people who really didn't do 'orders' well shared a moment of camaraderie. 

"I mean, I can try," Nico agreed, slightly more hesitant at the idea of going rogue. "But Selene wiped the floor with us last time. I don't think the three of us just dropping in front of her and hoping for the best is going to be a great plan."

Illyana frowned, remembering the laughably one-sided fight they'd had on their hands when attacked. Selene seemed to have a spell for everything, her portals had been useless, and her Limbo powers had been sealed almost immediately. 

Selene had simply magically ripped the sword from her hands and stabbed her through the chest with it; it was dumb luck and stubborn resilience that had stopped her from dying from the wound. 

"Well, let's give Caretaker a chance to pull the stick out of her ass first," Kuro said, raiding their fridge. Robbie wasn't going to be happy with Kuro stealing all the bacon, but that was his problem. "Want some?"

"Nah, we're vegan; just expect Robbie to pout at you for eating all his bacon," Nico laughed, but Kuro predictably didn't seem to give a damn about poor Robbie. She'd only tried going vegan because of Nico, but to be honest, she did kinda miss meat. 

"Sucks to suck," Kuro mercilessly said, already acting like he owned the place. "So, I talked to Nico about how she ended up here, but I'm pretty sure you're a former X-man; how'd you end up in Caretaker's little band of occult outcasts?"

Illyana went quiet for a moment, staring at Kuro, who was poking at her sore spots with the same casual indifference he'd talk about the weather.

"I have a creature hunting me, one the X-men were ill-suited to fight. I did not want it to hurt them, so I left to walk my own path. Wanda found me and brought me here," Illyana admitted, making him grin.

"Ah, how self-sacrificing. I'm pretty sure I know what that creature is, given the scent of brimstone on you, Darkchilde, and I can't say you're wrong. I can't imagine the X-men standing up to him," Kuro agreed, her eyes narrowing at his casual tone. One didn't speak of Mephisto with such disregard, but Kuro seemed to take very little seriously.

Or that was how he acted, but she could tell he was smart behind his cocky, carefree guise. There was something dark underneath that smile as well; she didn't blame Blade for not wanting to trust him. All the Midnight Suns had their own touch of the damned, but most of them were scared of that darkness (or hated it).

She suspected that Kuro thrived in his own darkness, but if that was what it took to get Wanda back, then so be it.

– Kuro Tepes – Next Day –

After checking in with Emma, I made a note to try to figure out how they got the internet and a phone connection in their pocket dimension so I could do the same for my tower.

The next round of the tournament isn't happening immediately because, unsurprisingly, the super-powered fight club attracted some unwanted attention. Emma claims it's because Mayor Osborn has had a falling out with Fisk, so he made sure to interrupt the tournament as a warning.

Apparently, she's arranging for someone to study my powers to try and replicate my nullification, which Isis smugly informed me wouldn't be happening, so I don't mind letting them waste their time trying. Until that's set up, I'm a free agent, so I have time to kill.

Stepping aside at the last moment, I watch Magik's blade just miss me before I respond with a kick to her stomach, knocking her across the little sparring arena they have. I don't let up, pouncing towards my downed opponent, but Magik is a little too wily for that.

As she lands, she falls through a portal she made, which immediately closes behind her, causing me to land on nothing, my fist cracking the floor as I grin. I could shut down her disks since it's her X-Gene power, but that'd make her easy prey, and I'm enjoying the warm-up.

"Go on, Magik, kick his ass," Robbie cheers as Magik reappears through a second portal, landing on her feet. She's tricky to pin down, giving me a smirk as she twirls her blade and retakes her position. 

I can be tricky too, grinning as I call on my powers to create a thick mist that covers the arena. I'd say Magik is slightly better with her blade than I am, but I have the edge in physical attributes.

"I thought Dracula's son would be better," Magik taunts, looking around as she tries to work out where I'm hiding in the incredibly thick mist. "All style, no substance."

'Meanwhile, you're exactly what I expected from someone foolish enough to trust Mephisto,' I reply, making her freeze as a fierce scowl grows on her face. I didn't speak out loud, projecting my voice into her mind, and her momentary pause is enough of an opportunity for me.

Flying towards her, I shift from my bat form back to human as I pounce again. My bat form isn't inconvenienced by the fog, echolocation still functioning within it, so while she can't spot me, I always knew where she was.

Magik manages to react, slashing towards me with her big fucking sword, but one advantage to being me is that I heal damn fast, uncaring of the way her blade cuts into my bare chest as I leap forward.

It stings like a bitch, but she can't stop me from taking us both to the ground. Grabbing her wrist, I knock her blade loose as I pin both her arms above her head with a smirk.

Kneeling on her stomach with both her hands grasped, she glares up at me for a moment before she sighs. She tries to open a portal beneath us, but I don't feel like going on a journey, so I decide that we aren't going anywhere.

"Tch, it's your win. Now get off me," Illyana bites out, a slight blush on her pale cheeks as she considers our position. I've essentially mounted her, pinning her to the ground, and I give her a hungry look for just a moment before I pull back. I didn't miss the sound of Blade starting to draw his weapon.

"Nice try; those portals must be tricky to deal with for someone who can't just turn off mutant powers," I say, offering her a hand up. She pauses for a moment before taking it, and I easily lift her to her feet.

"You have an especially irritating powerset," Illyana says, and despite her words, I can tell she meant it as a compliment. I've gotta admit, her Russian accent is kinda sexy when she sounds annoyed. It's not that strong, her time in America having softened the rough edges. 

"You up for another round, Drac Jr?" Blade asks, cutting in as I turn to him. I think he's got something to prove; Dad really pissed him off. Nico looks worried, but I just give him a mocking 'come hither' gesture.

"Sure, time to see if you're half the hunter you think you are," I taunt. I don't let people get away with antagonising me unless they're sexy, and he's not my type.

"Tch, boys," Illyana sighs, rolling her eyes as she picks up her sword. "Do remember we have an actual enemy to fight before you tear each other apart."

Before she can leave, I lift my blade, and the blood gathered around the arena flies towards it in thin crimson streams. Some of my blood leaves her blade, making her scowl before she gives me a reluctantly impressed nod. Yeah, I'm not letting her walk away with my blood.

Blade takes her place in the large ring opposite me as I twirl my sword with a cocky smile. To be honest, I'm a little worried he might be able to take me down, but I'm good at bullshitting.

Fake it till you make it, baby.

"I'm going to kill your old man," Blade says as we circle the arena, steel in his tone.

"Pft, get in line. Do you know how many monster hunters have claimed that? Or how many monsters have claimed the same? Dear old Dadula has no shortage of enemies, and most of them are stronger than you," I retort, making him scowl slightly. "Besides, as it happens, I called dibs."

Blade doesn't reply, despite his brooding, a short sword in one hand and a gun in the other. Man, he's taking this seriously, huh? 

– Nico Minoru –

This was a bad idea. Letting the smug son of Dracula fight the guy who really hated Dracula was just asking for trouble, but she knew all too well that Blade wouldn't listen to her, and Kuro didn't seem like he would either.

Blade made the first move, opening fire on Kuro with live ammunition, but Kuro was damn fast. Dodging to the side, he almost seemed to blur as he brushed himself off.

"Silver bullets? Did you forget that I'm a Daywalker too? I don't have any such weakness," Kuro laughed, a grin on his face as he playfully flipped his sword in the air and caught it. She'd been watching him when he fought Illyana, and she'd realised he liked pissing off his opponents. Whether it was tactical or just an act of pettiness was up for debate, but his careless attitude seemed to piss off Blade. "Come on, Shades, show me the hunter who 'killed' my old man."

Blade didn't waste any time, dashing forward as the pair clashed violently, blades clashing together with a metallic clang. They were both moving at incredible speeds, their vampiric heritage on full display in a show of incredible agility and strength.

"Blade is better," Illyana said, watching closely. Nico frowned, she wasn't a sword fighter herself, so she didn't quite have Illyana's expert eyes, but she could see why Illyana would say that. Neither was coming away from this unscathed, but Kuro seemed to be taking more and more wounds while Blade was only taking minor injuries.

Her eyes widened as they paused for a moment, just long enough for her to see one of Kuro's wounds close again at speeds far faster than Blade's own healing factor allowed. Kuro's grin never faded, taking on a bloody edge as he ignored another slash at his arm to land a… blow.

Snatching Blade's glasses from his face, Kuro mockingly tossed them into the air a couple of times.

"So, why do you wear the sunglasses? Is it for style, or do you just really like the Matrix?" Kuro asked, crushing Blade's glasses as his wounds all closed with a soft golden glow. 

Blade predictably didn't answer, his own wounds not closing. He only had minor cuts, but the fact that they weren't closing made him frown.

"Whoops, did I forget to mention that wounds caused by my sword don't heal naturally?" Kuro asked, making Blade scowl. The air changed, Blade realising that he needed to change tactics.

Kuro could heal, but Blade could not. That was why Kuro had dragged this fight into them trading blows; it massively favoured Kuro. Opening fire on Kuro again, they all gasped as Kuro threw a single hand out, and a golden shield formed in front of him, the rounds pinging off it as Kuro grinned. 

Kuro dashed forward again, but as Blade opened fire at him, the bullets went right through him, and Kuro reappeared behind Blade, his sword stabbed into Blade's leg.

"Aww, did someone fall for an illusion? So trusting of those enhanced senses," Kuro taunted as he dodged Blade's reprisal, circling his opponent. The wound on Blade's leg was the first real injury Blade had taken, but it was a bad one. Even just standing still, Blade was clearly favouring his other leg.

Kuro split into two and then four, the four identical Kuro's surrounding Blade with the same cocky smirk.

"Come on, Vampire Hunter, surely you can defeat a simple illusion? After all, you killed Dracula, right?" Kuro taunted, all four copies speaking at once.

Blade went to reply, before he swivelled to the side just in time to avoid a golden arrow that seemingly came out of thin air, opening fire in that direction at the same time. 

"Missed me," Kuro's voice mocked, echoing through the ring. More golden arrows fired from every direction, Blade dodging and weaving through them. He was doing amazing, but there were so many, and Kuro had deliberately crippled his movement first for a reason.

One stabbed into Blade's shoulder, as he was unable to move aside fast enough to avoid it. Golden chains formed and tried to bind his legs, making him leap away, landing with a grunt of pain. 

"Let's go, Blade, impress me," Kuro's voice growled, but Nico decided that enough was enough; this was just a dick-measuring contest, and it was going too far.

"That's enough; this was supposed to just be a friendly spar," Nico shouted, watching the arrows fade into nothingness as Kuro reappeared. She almost snorted, seeing him sitting on the Abbey roof, but she knew it wouldn't help and suppressed the urge.

"Fair enough, I think I've made my point clear," Kuro said, waving his hand as Blade started to glow. He dropped into a combat stance, but seeing his wounds close, he reluctantly relaxed and gave Kuro a nod. "You're good, but it takes more than skill alone to put me down."

Kuro waved his sword again, gathering all the blood the pair of Dhampirs had spilled. He wasn't taking any chances with them getting a hold of his blood, but as a Blood Mage herself she really couldn't blame him.

Kuro's arrogance really drove home that he was the son of Dracula, and despite how much she shouldn't like it, she couldn't deny that she found the dangerous grin on his face kinda sexy.

– Kuro Tepes –

Oh yeah, I know what the goth girls like.

Blade is so much better than me at fighting, despite [Warfare Mastery] making me an expert with swords, but between my stronger lineage and magic, I held the advantage. I doubt he'll fall for the same shit twice, it was hard enough to make my illusions fool all his very acute senses the first time, and he'll be on guard for it in the future.

With our fight interrupted, I give Blade a curious look. I've seen Dad fight, and either Blade was seriously holding back against me (which I definitely don't believe), or something funky happened for him to be able to take down the old man.

One thing I've definitely come to accept is that I'm just not strong enough. Marvel is a scary place, and trickery won't help me against everyone. Blade has no real defences against illusions, but anyone with magical experience would be better suited to deal with them.

Watching Magik spar with Ghost Rider Jr, I hum to myself in thought. They're good, don't get me wrong, but if Selene is half as strong as people say she is, then I think they're laughably outmatched. 

I need more power, and soon. Whatever is going on, I'm bound to get dragged into it. That's not even mentioning that I'm in Marvel where apocalyptic events are just Tuesday.

"What's on your mind?" Nico asks, making me blink and turn back to her. "Sorry, you looked distracted."

"Just trying to work out how the hell we're supposed to take down Selene; even if we manage to free your friend, Selene is bound to come for her again, and she clearly has some plan for me too," I explain, making her nod with a small frown on her lips, neatly coloured with black lipstick. She's really rocking the hot goth look.

"Any ideas? Because, to be honest, I don't have anything. We don't know why she took Wanda, and she shut us all down in an instant when she attacked; even Caretaker couldn't do anything," Nico admitted, her mind clearly going back to the one-sided beatdown they got handed.

"Do you wanna know a secret?" I ask, making her blink. "I used to be stronger, way stronger," I say, thinking about my days in DxD. I feel damn weak compared to those days; that's not even mentioning the fact that I've been separated from my girls. Fucking daddy issues. "Before I came to New York, I was travelling different worlds, and I got powerful. If I still had that power, I could probably take Selene on by myself."

"What happened?" Nico asks, surprisingly not doubting my words.

"Some girl with some serious daddy issues attacked me, and she made pretty much everyone I've seen seem completely powerless. I ended up here with a fraction of my old powers," I explain. It's nice to rant a little about that arrogant bitch who ruined my fun, and it's not like Nico can do anything with this information.

"And you can't get your powers back?" Nico asks, giving me a sympathetic look as I frown.

"I can, but it's a slow process, too slow," I say with a frown. I still haven't finished my class quest; patrols just aren't a fast enough way of fighting enemies. I need to crush seventy-five more enemies, corrupt six more people and get a mistress. 

Sorry, Master! Dark Lord is a rather advanced class, so the quests are more difficult to complete in comparison to the simpler classes.

Nah, it was my fault for trying to rush back to where I used to be. I should have known it would be difficult to pull off a Dark Lord quest in Marvel. But even still, I need to focus and get strong before Selene makes her move.

I need power, and I have some ideas on how to get it.

Still, I might be able to help just a little! Give me some time, I need to try and untangle some of the restricted systems.

"Where are you going?" Nico asks, watching as I rise.

"I can't get stronger by playfighting here. I'm still going to help you guys, but sitting on my ass isn't helping anyone," I say, pulling out my phone. "Gimme your number; you can get in contact with me if anything happens, and Magik can pick me up. I've got shit to do."

"What if Selene comes for you?" Nico asks though she does pull out her phone as we swap contacts.

"Then we won't need any fancy ritual to find her, and I can last long enough for you guys to come and help me," I say with a confident smirk. "I'm only easy for cute goth girls; anyone else is gonna have to work for it."

Nico blushes slightly as I flash her a cocky smile, giving her a once-over.

"You are using yourself as bait," Magik says, having won her fight and started walking over.

"Nah, that's just a happy side-effect of me not being willing to sit on my hands waiting for Caretaker to stop being a control freak," I laugh, making Illyana frown at my pointed words. That's exactly what the Suns have been doing since Selene handed them their asses. "If they come for me, I'll message Nico and tell her where I am, then you can come help if Caretaker lets you off your leash."

Her frown turns to an outright scowl at that, watching as I give them a wave and open the portal to my home. I've already told them I had my own way of getting out of their little pocket dimension.

Closing it behind me, I give Nico one last smile as the portal closes. Once out of sight, my smile falls to a dark scowl. I have work to do.

Equipping my Overlord armour, I head into the tower and ignore the cheering minions. My horde is vastly reduced from the good old days, but all I need to fix that is lifeforce.

"You practically radiate malice, oh Dark One; who are we slaughtering today?" Gnarl asks excitedly, making me grin under my helmet. It's nice to have minions who understand you.

Marvel is a shitshow; there are countless groups of villains with disposable thugs, and I have an idea where to start looking for easy prey. Pulling out the Tablet Emma gave me, I get to work prowling through Hellfire's database.

I'm done playing around. Before the end of today, I'm completing that first objective. All I need is seventy-five expendable fools. That's a lot of blood and life force, two additional sources of power for me as both the Overlord and a Dhampir.

Pulling out my phone again, I send my dad a quick message (I am thankful that Isis seemed to take the Midnight Suns' having their pocket dimension able to connect as a challenge since I have full signal).

'Hey, Dad. Quick question, what would happen if I drained around a hundred people of all their blood? Purely hypothetical.'

As I continue to lounge on my throne, sad that I don't have a mistress to go down on me while I'm hard at work looking for victims, my phone vibrates.

'TEPES DO NOT DEAL IN HYPOTHETICALS! I HAVE AWAITED THIS DAY FOR YEARS, BOY! IT IS GOOD THAT YOU ARE TAKING YOUR GROWTH MORE SERIOUSLY. IF YOU WANT TO KILL ME, A HUNDRED WILL NOT BE ENOUGH. DRAIN AT LEAST A FEW THOUSAND!'

Well, that confirms that it should help me get stronger at any rate. Before I can reply, my phone vibrates again, making me pause before I facepalm.

'BOY. HOW DO I GET THE PHONE TO STOP WRITING IN BIG LETTERS'

Sat in my full Overlord armour, in my tower of evil, I spend the next few minutes trying to explain caps lock to Dracula. Yeah, that sounds about right.

Okay, first I help my Dad work out how his phone works, then I kill a hundred or so people and harvest their essence and blood.

"Gnarl, prepare the minions for slaughter; we have work to do," I declare, having finally explained how gifs work after I made the mistake of using one during our conversation. "And bring me my biggest hammer."

— Bonus Scene — Ananym (Witchfire) 

Glancing towards where the ancient witch was lounging as if she owned the place, she hid her frown with practised ease. As a member of Hydra's Department of Occult Armaments, she was well aware of the legends surrounding Selene, the Black Priestess, along with a thousand other titles she had gathered over the centuries.

She was undeniably an incredibly strong sorceress, and her new… apprentice was also a witch of immense power. Still, Ananym couldn't help but think that Sin had made a mistake by allying with that woman.

Sin, the daughter of the Red Skull and head of their Department, thought she could keep Selene and the Scarlet Witch in check, but Ananym knew better.

The Department had been formed while the Red Skull himself still ruled Hydra before they went to ground, and their purpose was simple. They were to acquire magical items and assets to use for Hydra's goals. Selene was one of the most infamous figures in magical history; her name showed up constantly in their research. 

Sin was a child who thought herself equal to her father. Ananym was certain that Sin was turning against Pierce and the other Hydra faction currently masquerading as Shield, too arrogant to settle for just running the Department.

Selene looked at her, jet-black eyes locking with hers, and Ananym froze for just a moment. Selene's silky voice spoke into her mind as Sin gave a speech to her sycophants, and Ananym listened, the voice reminding her of her own father, Belasco. 

Ananym listened to Selene's words, glancing between the darkly amused witch and the arrogant child who thought herself the next Red Skull before she settled down with a small smile of her own. 

Sin had made a mistake, but Ananym held no real loyalty to the brat or to Hydra itself. Settling down, she listened to Sin prattle on as she prepared for what was to come.