Author's Note: After facing end of semester exams and a slight cold I am back to write a new chapter of this story, I am surprised at how many people seem to enjoy this story.
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Archangel Xireon Chaos God: I'm glad you like the second chapter, they admit I made it shorter than it should have been, I was writing it during an end-of-semester exam period, so I preferred to make it short.
Leo, aka Bloodfallen is not Superman or Batman, he was not born with enormous powers and a morality worthy of a saint or trained since childhood to avenge the death of his parents.
Leo is an ordinary person, a realist and a pessimist whose life has been turned upside down by unknown forces.
He decided to be a hero because he had nothing better to do and give meaning to his new life.
But wanting and doing are two different things, at the beginning you will have hesitations and doubts, but little by little with experience and the development of the character these hesitations will go away.
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Story Arc: A New Bat in Town
Episodio 1: First day at work (II)
Chapter 2: Three objectives to complete
Plot: Bloodfallen has started his first mission as the new hero of Gotham City, will he be able to save the hostages and capture the robbers?
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POV Narrator
Credit Chase is a small/medium sized bank, being a two story square building, with only one entrance.
The bank was probably targeted because of its smaller size, which means a smaller reward, but there are fewer hostages to keep in line, easier security to bypass, etc.
In short, the beginners targeted a small fish like Credit Chase, rather than a whale like Gotham Merchant's Bank, in which case the gangsters would need several dozen men to conquer and protect the building until the end of the heist.
The gangsters have chosen an easy target, and Bloodfallen gladly agrees to start his career with an "Easy Mission".
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The Pure-blood Sarkaz using his camouflage technology and ninja training managed to climb up to a second-story window without announcing his presence.
Bloodfallen despite all the hesitation before, is now concentrated and focused on the goal.
He doesn't immediately enter the bank, breaking the window and immediately starting to beat up anyone who is armed.
As a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and many stealth action video game series, Bloodfallen knows that being unknown is an element that needs to be maintained as much as possible.
Bloodfallen looks out the window, seeing that there is no one on the second floor, only desks and chairs, the way clear for him.
Bloodfallen looks at the window frame, noticing a silent alarm going off from within.
'First of all, let's turn off all electronic equipment, I don't want to announce my presence or be recorded. Batman could do a Sherlock Holmes and understand too much about me gives a simple detail.' Bloodfallen thinks, not wanting to be found by Batman for a long time to come.
Trying to imagine a future where he returns home to find Batman sitting in front of his computer and rummaging through his secrets and future plans, Bloodfallen focuses on using his technopathy.
'My range is limited without connecting to a range-amplifying machine, but it's enough to get through this building.' Bloodfallen thinks, his mind projecting through his eyes what his computerized brain perceives.
In the eyes of the Vampire Sarkaz the security and alarm systems are highlighted, he can see the cables running through the walls connecting to the building's computer system and the power line.
With frightening ease, all cameras are turned off, as are alarm systems and every computer device.
'If I ever create a civilian identity, my alias won't be John Smith, but Aiden Pearce.' Bloodfallen thinks, feeling like he's in Watch Dogs for a change.
Among the dozens of ways to open a window that opens from the inside, Bloodfallen decided to turn on his Magic Circuits and draw a minor Rune whose meaning can be described as: open.
Either the window opened by itself as if it were automatic or there is a second invisible good Samaritan inside the bank.
'From now on there is no more strange return.' Bloodfallen thinks, entering through the window.
XXX
The second floor of Credit Chase can be described as a professional and well-organized office space with a clean and modern look.
Full of desks and cubicles for bank employees to assist customers.
There is not a soul in the place, all the staff and customers have been hastily removed, leaving behind money on the tables, briefcases, handbags, half-signed checks, documents on the desks etc.
Before exploring the second floor to avoid unpleasant surprises, Bloodfallen closed the window, not wanting to leave a clue to the robbers and make them understand that someone had entered the bank.
'First objective, don't die. Second objective, rescue the hostages. Third objective, defeat the robbers. Optional objective, collect some loot if you can.' Think Bloodfallen, setting priorities and tangible goals.
Walking calmly so as not to make noise, Bloodfallen notices an expensive-looking briefcase near a desk with a mountain of documents on top.
Looking left and right, Bloodfallen picks up the suitcase from the floor and places it on the desk, opening it without hesitation.
Vampire Sarkaz's red eyes widen at the sight of a nice amount of $100 bills.
'I think there's $50,000 right in front of my eyes.' Bloodfallen thinks, forgetting for a second about the criminals and hostages downstairs.
'Video games have taught me one fundamental thing, when you have the opportunity, take everything you can grab and carry.' Bloodfallen thinks, taking large wads of dollars in both hands.
A second later, the brain and the heart clashed.
The brain suggests taking the suitcase, putting it in the pocket dimension, then going to be a hero. The money will be used not only for food and entertainment, but also to buy better materials to build more advanced tools that in the future can allow saving lives in the future.
The heart says that stealing is wrong, this money can be all the savings of a person with debts to pay to the bank and family to support.
In this debate a third element appeared, the third most important organ of Bloodfallen, the stomach.
The stomach said something like this: "The bank must be insured, I'm tired of digesting food from the soup kitchen or stolen from vending machines. If you feel guilty, just take half, remember ideals are nice to have, but they don't feed you!"
The Vampire Sarkaz opens his hands and places them so that they cover half of the money, a second later the money is as if disappeared.
They have actually been stored inside Bloodfallen's inventory, which is an extremely handy tool to have available.
'Optional objective completed.' Bloodfallen thinks, having mixed feelings about his actions.
'Next time I steal, I'll steal from one of Gotham City's thousand mobsters, I'll donate half of the loot to charity or a church.' Bloodfallen thinks, promising himself that he'll make two morally questionable actions do some good in the world.
Bloodfallen turns away, not wanting to look at the half-full suitcase and be tempted to reach out and take more money.
The sound of footsteps hurrying up the stairs was easily heard by Bloodfallen's long, pointed ears.
Being a Vampire Sarkaz has many perks.
The unsung hero stands still and unseen, watching as two men in winter clothes, faces covered by ski masks, armed with semi-automatic rifles, enter the second floor of the bank.
"The boss is scary when he's angry." The thinner criminal comments with a slight accent.
"Scary or not, he's going to make us rich, now stop whining, we have a plan to follow." The bigger and bulkier criminal replies, with a rough voice and a thicker accent.
'I'm no expert, but I think they're Spanish, Portuguese, or Mexican? Is the bank being robbed by a gang of Hispanics or Latinos?' Bloodfallen thinks, not having much of a knack for identifying accents.
'Whatever happens, their race and ethnicity don't matter to me, I just have to beat them to save the day. Figuring out where they come from and who they're connected to is the police's job, not mine.' Bloodfallen thinks, deciding not to complicate his life with strange or complicated ideas.
The two criminals stand near the windows, unaware that an invisible hero is approaching behind them.
"Uncle, don't you feel like you're being watched or something?" asks the skinny criminal, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.
"How many times have I told you not to call me Uncle when we work. It's just the two of us here, I know it's your first serious job, but keep calm and don't make me look bad." The big criminal replies, irritated by his nephew's warning.
"You're wrong." Bloodfallen declares, appearing between the two criminals with his arms crossed and four Rinkaku Kagune protruding from behind his waist.
The uncle and nephew duo don't even have time to utter a word or point a gun, as the Rinkaku Kagune has captured them.
The move was simple two tentacles per person, the first tentacle around the knees up to the waist, also capturing the hands.
The second tentacle around the chest, capturing the shoulders and biceps, then wraps around the neck to cover the mouth.
The two criminals are high up, so that their feet cannot touch the floor.
"It was surprisingly easy, I have to thank the fact that you were close to each other, if you had moved away from each other it would have been harder to catch you." Bloodfallen said, showing a calm and stoic attitude, while inside he is careful not to break the two criminals or touch them in places he doesn't want to touch.
The youngest one fidgets and moves like a fish on dry land or a boy who has seen too many Hentai about tentacled monsters and imagines the worst.
The older one is equally scared, but he doesn't behave like his grandson.
The unsung hero may have discovered a new generational difference in how old and young perceive tentacles differently.
"You make too much noise." Bloodfallen said, placing his hand on his nephew's chest.
"Blessed is my blood." By speaking these words Bloodfallen used a type of Originium Arts extremely easy for the Vampire Sarkaz, the alteration of the blood of individuals.
The nephew's body contracts for a moment, he begins to sweat, his skin becomes extremely pale and he seems on the verge of fainting.
'I've never had coffee or energy drinks, but I think I've just figured out the feeling those drinks give me.' Bloodfallen thinks, feeling invigorated, having in a sense 'stolen' the criminal's blood without having to bite him.
The skinny criminal nearly lost consciousness, Bloodfallen put him down gently, so as not to make any noise.
Now that there are only two of them left, Bloodfallen turns his attention to the burly criminal, who surely knows what's going on.
"Feel lucky, unlike Batman I don't need punches and kicks to get answers." Bloodfallen said, using his tentacles to move the burly criminal so he had a good view of his eyes.
Bloodfallen's folding helmet retracts, revealing his face, something that further frightens the large villain.
"Please answer my questions." Bloodfallen asks with his face uncovered, his eyes glowing.
The robust criminal calms down, his eyes becoming unfocused, a sign that Bloodfallen's hypnosis is working.
The fameless hero moves his tentacle so that it frees the mouth of his captive.
"You and your nephew, what have you come to do on this floor?" Bloodfallen asks, wanting to know a few things before he acts.
"The boss told us to stay near the windows and open fire if the cops come near." The stocky criminal replies, his tone apathetic.
"How many of you are there in total, are there any of your accomplices hidden among the hostages?" Bloodfallen asks wanting to know how many people he has to beat up and if he should be careful if one of the hostages can shoot him in the back.
In normal life watching heist movies doesn't help much, but in the life of a hero you have a vague idea of what to expect.
"Including me and my good-for-nothing nephew, that makes nine men." The big criminal said, providing valuable information to the Vampire Sarkaz.
"You're robbing a bank in a city where Batman is, are you just lucky or do you have an ace up your sleeve? A Meta-Human? High-caliber weapons? Experimental stuff?" Bloodfallen asks, hoping his first mission doesn't end up having a secret boss at the end.
"If we had money like that, do you think we'd be here robbing a bank? But from what I understand, the boss bought some fancy bombs made by a beautiful woman." The big criminal replies, revealing the gang's secret weapon.
'Bombs, this is wonderful, I'll have to get the hostages out as soon as possible.' Bloodfallen thinks, as he touches the big criminal's chest.
A few seconds later, the uncle ended up like his nephew, lying on the ground, sweating, pale as a corpse and with symptoms of "mild" anemia.
'In the future I'll have to find a way to use hypnosis without having to take off my helmet and use direct eye contact.' Bloodfallen thinks, momentarily entertaining the idea of a special one-way lens.
Bloodfallen's helmet has returned to function, hiding his face and the fact that he is not human.
Putting aside his future ideas as a scientist, Bloodfallen focuses on the events of the present.
'First part done, I'm in, got a little loot, easily defeated 2/9 of the bad guys. All I have to do is defeat seven gunmen, take out the civilians, all before the bomb boss thinks of using bombs in an enclosed space.' Bloodfallen thinks, feeling a heavier weight on his shoulder.
'First part done, I'm in, got a little loot, easily defeated 2/9 of the bad guys. All I have to do is defeat seven gunmen, take out the civilians, all before the gang leader thinks of using bombs in an enclosed space.' Bloodfallen thinks, feeling a heavier weight on his shoulder.
'If I can make it, I'll party at a five-star hotel and eat so much I'll almost throw up the next morning.' Bloodfallen thinks, increasing the quality of his vacation in proportion to the danger of the situation and his internal stress.
Turning invisible, Bloodfallen walks down the stairs, pondering whether to use his large-caliber weapon or dangerous magic.
XXX
The first floor or ground floor of Credit Chase is a large lobby with comfortable seating areas.
The walls are adorned with tasteful works of art, the floors are covered with glossy parquet.
Inside on normal days customers can find various services such as ATMs, customer service desks and loan officers.
Typically this place generates a calm and professional atmosphere, with employees dressed in an elegant and professional manner.
Unfortunately, today is anything but a normal day.
Twenty-five people, a mix of bank employees and customers, are gathered in the center of the large hall, forced to sit on the floor in rows of five.
All of them have their mouths covered with duct tape and their hands tied behind their backs with duct tape.
Two of the criminals dressed in suits armed with machine guns are keeping an eye on the hostages.
Two more men armed with semi-automatic rifles stand in front of the entrance door, behind a pair of overturned tables.
'They are not complete beginners, whoever their leader is has enough brains to install a minimum of order and strategy.' Bloodfallen thinks, observing the whole scene from the steps of the stairs.
The unsung hero moves silently, hoping his stealth technology doesn't break down now.
Bloodfallen stood in front of a customer service desk, gaining a perfect view of the hostages and criminals.
'Thank Alaya there are no children on this scene, only people between 20 and 50.' Bloodfallen thinks, trying to look at one of the few positive things here.
The man inside the costume is a graduate with a doctorate in medicine, who continued his studies to obtain a Master's degree in Pediatrics.
Leonardo's years of practice in clinics and hospitals have allowed him to see and interact with sick people in various stages.
Elderly people who are practically living skeletons or people who have to be tied to beds so they don't hurt themselves.
These experiences pushed Leonardo towards a Master in Pediatrics, so his patients would be children and young people with greater chances of healing and less likely to suffer complications.
The Master in Pediatrics, the memories of participating in the growth of a younger brother ten years younger than him and other things, led Leonardo to develop a certain sensitivity and attention towards children, followed by a strong contempt for those who hurt children.
If there were children among the hostages, and if those children were badly beaten… Bloodfallen might lose his temper and spill blood into the bank.
'I don't know where the other three criminals are, but if I defeat these four I can open the entrance and free these people.' Bloodfallen thinks, moving his hands to his sides as if he were a gunslinger ready to shoot.
Under his helmet, Bloodfallen's eyes glow, a sign that he is about to make a serious move.
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Bloodfallen has made a lot of progress in the last few months in utilizing Originium Arts, Magecraft, and Ninjutsu.
He has not learned the spells of the Atlas Alchemists who can think at the speed of a super-computer and divide their thoughts into eight parts,
But his brain works faster than that of an ordinary person and he can easily imagine the outcome of his actions.
Bloodfallen imagines using Amiya's Originium Arts, summoning and shooting beams of black energy from his hands. Two series of strikes in less than ten seconds, four corpses with piles in their chests.
'Amiya's Originium Arts, efficient, but too deadly. I don't kill, I don't want to kill anyone, well, except the Joker. Killing is not only against the Hippocratic Oath, but it will send the wrong message and I will end up on Batman's hit list.' Vampire Sarkaz thinks, moving on to the next scenario.
Bloodfallen imagines using Ninjutsu, performs a sequence of hand seals, followed by an earth element attack, which causes marble projectiles to explode from the floor. The criminals fall to the ground with broken bones, but the fragments of the ground also hit the civilians.
'Ninjutsu - The Earth Release (Doton), a slower attack, but less deadly and less precise. Worse it causes more damage to property and can injure hostages.' The Pure-blood Sarkaz thinks, putting this attack aside.
Bloodfallen imagines using Magecraft, specifically Rin Thosaka's famous Gandr. Making the right arm the equivalent of a machine gun that shoots curses instead of bullets.
Criminals are hit, fall to the ground, almost without injuries, in exchange they will spend a week or two in bed fighting the effects of the curse. However, there is a chance that a criminal before falling can pull the trigger and hurt someone.
'Magecraft - Gandr, precise, fast, non-lethal, non-destructive, but is it powerful enough to instantly knock out the enemy?
If I increase Gandr's power and accidentally hit someone's heart or brain, there will be long-lasting or permanent damage at best.' Bloodfallen thinks, seeing Rin Thosaka's favorite move as the most viable of his options.
'I've thought enough, it's time to act before bombs and explosions appear on the scene.' Bloodfallen thinks, having decided how to proceed.
XXX
The criminal on the left side who was in charge of keeping an eye on the hostages was the first to be hit by surprise.
A sort of purple/blue glow hit her, prompting her into an energy cocoon that froze her, no, put her into stasis.
"What the hell!" exclaims the criminal on the right side, shocked to see his companion in such a state.
In the few seconds the criminal uttered those words, a purple-blue glow appeared around the machine gun he was holding, pulling it away from him.
For a second the criminal watched as Bloodfallen's disguise vanished, revealing the Vampire Sarkaz engulfed in blue flame and his body covered in glowing, fluorescent blue tattoos.
Bloodfallen moved so fast that it appeared he teleported in front of the criminal.
CRACK !
A superhuman knee strike shattered the criminal's ribs, forcing him to double over and spit blood.
Bloodfallen does not stop, he grabs him by the collar of his jacket and by the belt of his trousers, without hesitation he throws him at an extremely high speed, against the criminal trapped in a stasis field.
BONK !
The two criminals literally collided, the impact was strong enough that the two not only lost consciousness, but also hit the wall, and then fell one on top of the other.
"Batman has arrived!" exclaims one of the criminals guarding the entrance, hearing and seeing the commotion.
"Shoot him!" his friend shouts, aiming his rifle at the hero of the moment, not thinking of the civilians around his target.
Bloodfallen doesn't lunge forward, instead he places his hands on the floor.
Around the hands the blue flames increase in intensity, as does the glow of the magic circuits.
BANG !
BANG !
The criminals opened fire!
"Earth Art: Wall (Doton: Kabe)." Bloodfallen exclaims, causing a five-meter long and two-meter high marble wall to emerge from the floor.
The bullets hit the wall, but the defense created with marble infused with Chakra and Mana is too strong to be pierced.
"Stay behind the wall if you want to get out of here alive!" Bloodfallen shouts loudly, not wanting one of the civilians to come out and get shot.
'Time for a frontal assault!' Bloodfallen thinks, before leaping over the wall, almost touching the ceiling.
"Die, monster!" One of the criminals shouts, he continues to shoot with his rifle.
The bullets don't hit Bloodfallen, they just pierce the ceiling.
When the Vampire Sarkaz lands, a black and silver scepter resembling a Khakkhara appears in his hands.
Khakkhara is a staff with the upper tip adorned with metal rings used mainly in Buddhist monastic circles for ceremonial purposes, originating in India and then spreading to the countries where Buddhism took root. It is also used in oriental martial arts.
Bloodfallen sprints forward in a straight line, his trajectory predictable, the criminals shooting at him.
BANG !
BANG !
Bloodfallen seeing the incoming bullets continues forward, but swings his scepter to deflect the bullets.
"You're finished! Mana Burst" Bloodfallen exclaims an instant before impact as he swings his scepter at the criminals.
SMASH!
BOOM !
A blast of wind hit the two criminals and the tables behind them, hurling them out the front door.
Uniformed police officers outside the bank watched as a gust of wind blew open the bank doors, throwing out tables, vases, a mini garbage can and two unconscious criminals who crashed into the window of the police car.
XXX
Bloodfallen stood still for a moment, using his scepter to support his weight.
"I overdid it, the adrenaline, Chakra and Mana coursing through my body made me lose control for a moment. However, I feel great." Bloodfallen mutters, feeling a slight euphoria, born from his brief fight and the adrenaline.
With no one to beat up, Bloodfallen ran to the hostages.
Civilians watched the arrival of Bloodfallen with anxiety and fear, Gotham City does not have a good history of people dressed in costumes, almost all of them are crazy with serious psychological problems.
"Is anyone hurt? Does one of you need medical attention?" Bloodfallen asks, walking among the hostages, looking for blood or gunshot wounds.
Most of the hostages nod their heads.
'Stupid me, asking people with their mouths covered in duct tape to answer my questions.' Bloodfallen thinks, as he kneels down next to a certain brown-haired woman.
'This one looks like Millidiana Claes from My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!' Bloodfallen thinks, as he uses the shaft of his staff to free the woman's hands.
"This is going to hurt a little," Bloodfallen said, ripping the tape from the woman's mouth.
The brunette woman lets out a moan of pain, immediately covering her mouth.
Bloodfallen shifts his gaze to the woman's chest where there is a tag with her name: Millidiana.
The coincidences of life.
"Who are you, you're not Batman or one of his sidekicks." Said Millidiana, who is one of the female employees of the bank.
"I am Bloodfallen, a new hero of Gotham City." Vampire Sarkaz replies, standing straight and slamming his staff on the floor.
"I've never heard of you." Millidiana exclaims with a suspicious look.
"Today is my first day out in uniform." Bloodfallen confesses, trying to be sociable.
"Anyway, Mrs. Millidiana, can you lead the other hostages out of here? There are three more gunmen somewhere in the bank and one of them should be carrying explosives. If the guy I interrogated upstairs was telling the truth." Bloodfallen said, wanting to convince the people to walk out of the bank on their own.
At the mention of explosives, Millidiana's face suddenly went pale.
"Before I leave with my colleagues and clients, I must tell you that the bank manager was taken by three guys to the basement where the main safe and safety deposit boxes are located." Mrs. Millidiana states, as the remaining civilians stand up.
'New objective: Save the bank manager.' Bloodfallen thinks, remaining silent.
The civilians all follow Mrs. Millidiana out of the bank, but a few civilians cast a grateful glance at Bloodfallen before leaving.
Bloodfallen kept his eyes on the front door until the last civilian stepped out.
'Second objective completed I saved the hostages. Third objective is completed for 6/9. I just have to not die and save one last life.' Bloodfallen thinks, turning and running towards the basement of the building.
Continues ...
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Author's Note: Personally, I would have stopped the chapter when Bloodfallen (Leonardo) finished imagining his three possible offensive moves, but I decided to go the extra mile and write until Bloodfallen saves the hostages.