Published at 28th of October 2025 4:24 pm

Chapter 21 The Verdict

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Veritas ability is a Mentalist one requiring blood ingestion of the target. Once ingested, the persons temperature will rise every time they lie. In exchange, Veritas cannot lie to the target. A vague truth or a misconception doesnt count as a lie by her ability. She relies too heavily on her truth-telling to her deficit. I want her ability.

That was two questions from your side. Does that mean I get two as well?

Fucking greedy asshole, Rorschach spat.

Fine. You may ask two, Veritas said, ignoring Rorschachs outburst. Why dont we all be a little more careful with our language going forward?

How very kind. This collective of Cowls you have, what are its goals? Im purposely asking a question that requires more than a yes or no. Veritas is going to be forced to answer with specifics.

Rorschach scowls and Rushdown looks unhappy as well. I cant be sure, but I doubt Veritas is smiling beneath her mask. I have no plans to join them, but my asking about their goals makes it look like Im interested. The longer we spend talking, the higher the chance of Vivienne waking up. Erisate is grinning, and Constrictor is staring at me like Im prey. All of them have been Cowls far longer than I have, but they seem almost amateurish. None of them are masking their feelings. I expect this from everyday interactions, not from hardened criminals. They are too dysfunctional as a collective. A leader shouldnt be questioned by their subordinates, especially not in front of a potential recruit.

We created this group because there is security and power with numbers. And it makes pulling off jobs easier, Veritas said. She still skirted around the specifics.

Theyre thieves and bound strictly for survival. Could I wrest control of the group from Veritas? I need bodies to get things done. If I want to be able to establish myself in Quinstin, I will need minions. I do not have a ton of time to pick out allies. And if I cant bring them into the fold, I can get some new powers, at least. I hear a faint noise come from Viviennes cage. Shes almost awake. Lets ramp things up.

For my second question: how does Constrictor feel about the physical changes he went through due to his power? This could potentially be an amazing question to ask. If Im right, this could drastically change how this night goes. If Im wrong, then I havent lost too much.

Constrictor looks down at Veritas as she fidgets in her seat. He hates the way it makes him look. Veritas pauses every few words as shes forced to reveal Constrictors private feelings. I was right.

Of the eight youve killed, how many were Neuvohumans?

Five, I answered immediately.

Im running out of time, and Vivienne hasnt made another sound. I do not doubt she can handle all five, but only if shes awake. Veritas newest question makes the puzzle pieces aline. I had been missing two things this entire time, whether due to my incompetence or head injuries. Murmur is the woman I murdered last night, the one with the sound orb ability. Luckily for me, I hadnt put two and two together when they asked me. Im betting Veritas cant ask the same question twice. Her power seems to be following a theme: trial, truth, perjury, and punishment. Because I didnt know who Murmur was, she was forced to find new ways to ask if I had killed their partner. I need a new plan if Vivienne isnt going to be a factor. I could try and pull Constrictor to my side. He looks like the muscle; we should be able to subdue the rest together.

Five Neuvohumans? How the hell did you do that? Wait, dont answer that. Its rhetorical, Rushdown said.

And here I was hoping to get another two for the price of one, I said.

Are you a Tinkerer? Rushdown asked.

Asking me about my powers seems unfair, but I promised honesty, so no. Which of you is the strongest?

Constrictor, Veritas answered. Rushdown, please refrain from wasting our turn on irrelevant questions. Would you be willing to join us as a replacement member?

Your group interests me, but unless you are willing to concede the leadership role to me, then I wouldnt join. I want you all to know that regardless of how the trial ends, I am interested in hiring this group.

You got some balls on you, man, Erisate said.

I would like to give up my question for this round in exchange for making five statements that Veritas will confirm are the truth. I know you all probably want to vote on this.

Absolutely fuckin not. This bastard is planning something, Rorschach said.

I want to hear what hes going to say, Constrictor said.

I vote yes, Rushdown said.

He said he didnt kill Murmur, so we kidnapped the wrong guy. Therefore, I also vote yes. Im interested in hearing him out, Erisate said.

My vote no longer matters, but I would like to state that I am against this, Veritas said begrudgingly.

Wonderful. First, if you all agree to work for me, there will be no retribution for tonights festivities. Second, I am offering to hire you all full-time and indefinitely. Third, your current roles in your group will not change upon working for me, and I wont force you to compromise on any ideals you have. Fourth, Constrictor, I can fix you. Sorry, let me be more specific. I can make you human again. And for my fifth and final statement: anyone who doesnt join me will not leave here alive, I said.

The room is so silent you could hear a pin drop. The tension is so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Rorschachs face is furious, and Rushdown looks ready to attack me. Constrictors eyes are boring into the side of Veritas head, waiting for her to confirm my statements. My eyes zoom in on Erisate, though. Above her left palm are two of the coasters spinning in the air. Shes looking at me with a thin, dangerous smile. Shes a Manipulator. Telekinesis, magnetism, or it could be something else Im unaware of. So, a Mentalist, a Manipulator, and Im sure Constrictor is a Bruiser of some kind. Rushdown and Rorschach could be anything, but hes probably a Traveler, based on his name. Veritas doesn't move for a bit but raises her finger.

Chaos erupts at her proclamation, and multiple things happen at once. Constrictor may not be fully human, but I think I recognize hope in his monstrous face. The coasters in Erisates hand are spinning fast enough that their edges look blurry. Rorschach stands up and reaches for something below the table. Vivienne finally stirs in her cage. She starts to move about, and I can hear her mumbling something. The trial ends here.

Im going to kick your ass, you fucking bastard. Youre outnumbered, weakened, and you have no weapons on you. What gives you the balls to threaten us? Rorschach screamed.

Because in about a minute, youre all going to die. Painfully. So decide now, are you with me or against me?

"He still hasn't lied," Veritas said.

None of them make a move, each eyeing the others and me. Veritas and I are the only ones still sitting. Constrictor is still staring at me while the other three bicker about my offer. Vivienne is yelling about being stuck in a cage as I address Constrictor.

V, wait for my signal. I mean it; I can offer you freedom from that form and make you normal permanently. Do you accept my offer? Last chance, snake man, take it or die with the rest. I can always just remove your power before I kill you.

Constrictor, dont, Veritas said.

Rather than speak, Constrictors tail lashes out, knocking everyone else back from the table. None of them are ready, and all four ofthem go flying. Erisate gets off the ground first, levitating up high as the rest of the coasters float up toward her, spinning around her like saw-blade satellites. Rushdown vanishes in a blur, reappearing before Constrictor and swinging his baton at his leg. The giant reptile hisses in pain as the strike makes a resounding crack. Not teleportation, but something speed-based, perhaps? He carries his momentum when reappearing, which could be a dashing ability. Erisate launches six of them like shuriken, and they bury themselves halfway into Constrictors chest. He falls to one leg but uses his tail to spring back to his feet. Rushdown jolts forward into him, but this time, Constrictor is ready. The reptilian powerhouse falls back, causing Rushdowns baton swing to miss completely.

Rushdown looks like hes about to tumble until he activates his power; I see it clearly this time. He dashes past Constrictor, rolling into a crouch. The lizard man rips the metallic objects out of him, causing blood to burst out of the wounds. The gashes rapidly heal until there isn't even a mark. He has an additional regenerative ability related to his reptilian condition. As their fight continues, Vivienne fully wakes up. It takes her a second to acclimate and realize whats happening. Her eyes focus on me, and I nod. She transforms, obliterating the cage shes held in. She quickly closes the gap to where the other three are fighting.

The lizard has sided with us, V, I shouted.

More coasters fly down from above, aiming at Vivienne. The metal discs ding off of her as she tries to bat them out of the air. Im in no condition to get involved, but Veritas is up, and she heads over to help the others. Another swipe of Constrictors tail knocks Veritas to the floor. Vivienne tries to get closer but Erisate is keeping her at bay as more of the metal hexagons swarm around her. The floating womans top is nearly completely gone, with only two plates hovering in front of her nipples. Her outfit isnt made for fashion; its made for function. Rushdown is wary of Constrictors tail and keeps fake dashing to trip the lizard up. The giant reptile just ignores Rushdown and leaps up at Erisate, trying to claw at her. Erisate deftly dodges him, and the two rings floating around her head race through the air at him. One ring slides over his head onto his neck, and the other loops onto his tail. She throws a hand toward the ground, and Constrictor is brought back to the floor hard.

Theres still time to stop this, and we can go back to before tonight happened, Veritas called out, slowly standing up.

I refuse, Constrictor said.

His attack on Erisate served as an excellent distraction, and Vivienne is free to get involved now. None of them realize that the longer this goes on, the lower the chance of winning becomes, not that they ever had much of a chance to begin with. Rushdown charges her, baton in hand, and she lets the weapon bounce off her harmlessly. She shuffles forward with a form reminiscent of a boxer and whips her leg up before bringing it down on top of him. Rushdown takes the blow right onto his shoulder, and it crunches. He cries out as her mangled arm hangs loosely at his side. Before he can make another move, Vivienne spin-kicks him backward. Veritas is still hurt, and now Rushdown is handled as welltwo down, two to go.

Vivienne walks over to the trapped lizard, grabbing the metal thats pinning him down. The metal melts into goop in her hands. The burns she creates on Constrictor quickly heal, and now its two-on-one. Rorschach chooses now to enter the fray, flanked by two pitch-black hawks and tens of similarly colored mice. Those are the same mice that were all over the place. She was watching me from the moment I woke up. One of her birds flies straight at V and explodes on contact. A dark black cloud of vapor covers Viviennes head and she tries to wave it away as the second bird hits her. When I look away to check on the other fight, I see Constrictor squeezing Erisate with his tail. Shes bleeding from several claw marks all over her body. Its a good thing I only need her alive, not in peak condition, to take her power. His form is covered in half-buried pieces of metal. He looks more like a dinosaur with all the plates sticking out of him.

Bring her to me! I yelled out to him.

Put her over there, I said, pointing to the table.

Vivienne, meanwhile, finishes destroying all of the little inky creatures. She dispatches Rorschach with a palm strike to the forehead, knocking her out. V steps over her and joins me at the table. Constrictor comes over to stand before me, drags the woman over to me, and throws her onto the table. His claws and tail are drenched in blood, discoloring the green with muddy red streaks. It would be imposing if I didnt have my obsidian Valkyrie beside me. Flanked by these two monsters, I am once again in a position of power. I stand up carefully and limp over to Veritas. My head is quite cloudy, and my thoughts are getting muddled.

Veritas, forgive the theatrics, but as you see, you were never in control. Now, are you willing to bend the knee, or will you die along with the other members of your cabal?

I refuse, Veritas said as she pulled a gun from behind her back. Vivienne jumps in front of me as Veritas unloads the full magazine. Constrictor pounces on her and claws out Veritas throat.

NO! Rushdown yelled, dashing at us.

Constrictors tail intercepts the charge, impaling him through the chest.

Why did you kill them? Two powers that he has stopped me from getting, I need to correct him. If I could be angry, Id be furious. That power was mine to take. That snake robbed me of another personality piece.

What? She just tried to kill you, and Rushdown wouldnt have given up without a fight. Youre welcome, man, Constrictor said.

V, break his arm repeatedly, I commanded.

Before he can react, Vivienne grabs him. Despite their similar sizes, she picks him up like a child and snaps his elbow backward. He briefly struggles against her grasp but gives up after not budging her. Its a vicious war as his regeneration fights against Vs heat. His skin blisters and pops before new skin and scales form. The point is to show him never to act without permission. She waits for the elbow to right itself before snapping it back again. To Constrictors credit, he doesnt cry out or whine and just accepts the punishment she doles out. She repeatedly breaks the elbow six times before I hold a hand up to stop her.

Just a heads up, Lizzy, Nobody is a bit of a control freak, Vivienne said.

He doesnt respond to Viviennes taunt or warning. She drops him, and they follow me as I limp over to the table to sit down. Good, I cant have insubordination in my organization. Vivienne showed him the stick; now I can show him the carrot. Im beginning to feel light-headed from all the competing injuries Ive sustained tonight. My hoodie is soaked with all the blood Ive lost. I still have no idea what time it is, and I have my meeting with Maria tomorrow or today, depending on the time. I must collect my powers and pawns before rushing to the doctor. Im going to have to show off my ability. I dont have to explain it to them.

I said that I could make you human, and I meant that. You probably wont understand whats happening, but I will explain it at a later date. Understand this; you are now and forever intrinsically linked with me. If I prosper, you prosper, and my enemies are yours. Now take my hand, and Ill free you from the monster youve become, I said.

His scaly-clawed hand dwarfs mine as we touch, and I activate my power. He doesnt complain or even twitch as I take from him. As the five minutes go by, he morphs back into a human. His scales chane into skin, and his tail shrinks as its absorbed back into his body. The rest of him gradually loses its more reptilian features until all thats left is a naked, completely hairless, black man. Hes slightly taller than me, but where I have a swimmers physique, hes more of a Hollywood leading man type. Its no wonder he was so upset about his appearance if he used to look like this. Vanity isnt something Ive ever cared about beyond being a tool to use. I feel his ability inside me, a hybrid Bruiser/Alter. The personality piece is troubling. Self-loathing is not something I want, and I already have some negative traits inside me. I will deal with it later on.

Constrictor hasnt moved an inch, mesmerized by the human body he has again. While hes dazed, I move on to taking Erisates power. Being knocked out prevents her from doing anything to stop meanother power nestled inside me for safekeeping. Shes classified as a Manipulator. She has some sort of limited energy inside of her that she can imbue into other objects. It regenerates daily, but its a minuscule amount. Imbuing an object with enough of her internal energy granted her a form of telekinesis over said object. What an extraordinary ability, Erisate used it so effectively as well. Her loss is my gain; unlike Constrictor, shes given me curiosity. What an auspicious evening.

I completed my promise to you. Now it is time you earned the gift Ive given you, Constrictor, I said.

Sorry, yeah. Even after Veritas confirmed your words, I was skeptical. I never thought Id ever see my own skin again. Whatever you want, Nobody, its yours. Youve given me something priceless. And call me Isaiah. Constrictor is dead now, he said happily.

I can use him to try and coax V into the role Id like for her.

Well, Isaiah, welcome aboard. I think youll find me quite a pragmatic boss. I reward competence and punish failure. My goals go far beyond these meager pissing contests between wastrels and petty thieves, I said, motioning around the room. For now, kill Erisate and bring me Rorschach.

Vivienne stays transformed by my side, taking her job as my bodyguard quite seriously. After letting us get ambushed and abducted, she probably thinks I intend to punish her. In truth, I do not blame her for that. Both of us have a lot to learn. She did incredibly well in that fight and protected me. Her strengths lie in the open, confronting things head-on. Isaiah can be my man in the shadows. Its only right, as I now own his future. Still in his birthday suit, Isaiah shatters one of the beer bottles from the table. Without even blinking, he jabs it into Erisates throat. It slices her carotid artery, erupting and covering Isaiah in red. Crimson droplets drip down his body as he moves to get Rorschach. He picks her off the ground and hoists her over his shoulder.

What do you wanna do with her?

Tell me about her, everything you know.

She runs, sorry, ran reconnaissance for our group. Shes a Ruler capable of creating animals made of ink. She can see and hear anything that they do. Her power lets her process all of the varying sources of information at once. Because her creatures are made of ink, theyre incredibly weak. Shes got a nasty personality and isnt a fighter. Shes squeamish around violence and blood. Do you want me to kill her too? Isaiah asked.

It depends. Will she fall in line? When faced with the reality of her situation, will she capitulate?

Shes headstrong and was the one of us closest with Murmur. They were actual friends. Shell join if the money is good. If you did kill Murmur, and Rorschach finds out, shell try to get revenge. Shes an extremely capable asset for a crew. But only if she doesnt think you committed the crime. Im not saying that you did, and I dont care. I dont even care how you cured me. You have more than earned my loyalty.

Your words mean nothing without action behind them. Not to say your loyalty isnt appreciated, but it will be tested. Speaking of, who was the witness that came to you and said that I killed Murmur? I asked.

Some drug dealer obsessed with body mods named Santiago Skull. Said he saw you murder Murmur. He gave us your name, description, and the make and model of that white SUV. Rorschach sent out some ink birds, and thats how we found you, he answered.

That creepy Halloween fuckface? Hes the reason I woke up in a cage? I swear Im gonna fucking cook him. Nobody, were going after him, right? Viviene asked me.

She used the word we. Already, shes falling into a referential role. If I can get the doctor to agree to lie to Rorschach for me, I can bring her to my side. Id prefer not to kill her and find someone else to run recon for me. I dont know if her power would take a while to master. The doctor may be the next chess piece my organization needs.

Yes, but were going to use him before that. Isaiah, tie up Rorschach and put some clothes on. Vivienne, find the vehicle and make sure the package is secure.

With my instructions, they split up to accomplish their tasks. While the two of them are away, I pull my shirt up to inspect my bodynew bruises from tonight litter my chest and sides. The stitches are ripped wide open, and the gash is even larger. A shocking amount of blood oozes from the hole. Its worse than I thought. I might not make it to the doctor conscious. Shakily, I rise from my seat to take a look at Veritas. Collapsed on the ground with a chunk of her throat missing, she looks less like a judge and more like an executed prisoner. Cutting her mask loose reveals a woman so unremarkable, so unrecognizably plain. She couldve been anyone: a barista, a lawyer, a police officer, or a congresswoman. She wouldve been a good soldier.

Isaiah returns first, wearing the bottom half of Rushdowns costume. It barely contains the large mans thighs, and the ends of the pants are ripped. Hes carrying a trash bag slung over his shoulder that has to contain Rorschach. Vivienne shows up after another ten minutes, no longer in her shifted form. Shes holding her keys in her hand.

Found the car, and the package is still there. We can leave when youre ready. Oh, and you finally put on some clothes. Look at you, shuffling around in your slutty little hot pants, Viviennes laughter echoed in the quiet room.

Count yourself lucky. Take a look at the pinnacle of the male form. I was stuck as a disgusting reptilian creature for the last seventeen years. Im committed to wearing as few clothes as possible. We dont have to wear uniforms, do we, Nobody? Isaiah asked tentatively.

I dont care what you wear as long as you can follow orders. Vivienne, rip Veritas cape into strips. Then Ill need your assistance to wrap up my torso, my stitches opened. Go quickly. We need to visit the doctor again. My last couple of words came out slurred. The fogginess that has been clouding my thoughts all night is making it hard to focus. My vision is darkening, and I must give proper instructions before passing out. If I want this organization to work, then I need to be able to trust V to accomplish goals.

V, bring me back to the doctor. Its all in your hands now. Vivienne will rise to the occasion, or I might not live to see the sunrise. Its all in your hands now, Vivienne.

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