Lastland AU: Cybersteam

Oathbreaker

The Splash and Slash Tavern was, in Storm's opinion, just a clone of every other tavern in the realm, steampunk, cyberpunk, or otherwise. Eriksontown was in the Steampunk region, but no matter the location, every pub and bar was ultimately the same.

From the City of Glass, to Interlocked Inc., to the Ironclad Port, to Key Port City, to "the Captain's Heart", it's all the same. Seen 'em once, seen 'em all! Storm's lips twitched as she toyed with her glass.

The only thing that made the S&S Tavern even slightly unique was that rather than attempting to quell the masses, especially when they were drunk, the owners of the establishment turned it into an opportunity for adventure! Or scams, in more honest terms!

After all, was it really a good idea to send a gaggle of drunk—possibly angry—strangers out on dangerous missions to "protect and save" the realm?

That's why so many heroes come back destitute, broken. If they come back at all... Oh and look, there goes another sap now... A critical, electric-blue eye shifted from the red dragon behind the bar to the stout, stocky gnome she was talking to on the barstool in front of her.

They were interrupted by the tavern doors blasting open. Storm and the others jumped up in alarm, the bartender dropping her glass mug in favor of the greatsword strapped to her scaley red back. The gnome in front of her whipped around, hands glowing with blue Death magic. Storm drew her axe as well, spinning towards the door as the axe hummed and glowed, powering on and charging up.

Could it be...? A fog coalesced in the wind billowing through the doorway. It created a tall figure shrouded in black. Storm gasped. Perhaps it was hypocritical of her to disdain the S&S Tavern for being a breeding ground of adventurers when she, herself, was one such adventurer. While Iris was enjoying the rest of Eriksontown, Storm managed to slip away to the Splash and Slash Tavern, an idea her head and a giant ruby in a satchel, both of which she desperately kept concealed from Iris.

"You..." The figure hissed at Storm, pointing an accusatory finger at her. It was tall and shadowy, the finger long and pointed.

"Me," Storm agreed quietly, nodding as she held the creature's faceless gaze. While other patrons of the tavern gasped, lowered Labrys to open the satchel hanging around her shoulder. When the shadowy creature caught sight of the shiny red gem inside, Storm saw it twitch once.

How swiftly the winds of fate may change... The old Storm, at the advice of Iris, would've once used the red gem to win over the service of an even more powerful, extra-dimensional entity. Now, she was using it on Iris, praying that something—anything—could reverse the death sentence Storm unwittingly burdened Iris with the moment she was "born". Perhaps one could argue that as a ghost, Iris' time was already up. Iris even said that she considered any time good time, but Storm couldn't accept it. The winds of fate blew her right into Iris' arms, and although she hadn't been thrilled at first, the thought of the girl dying was... so, so wrong.

Would that we just parted ways at the end of the story like normal travelers! At least she would still be alive! If we must part either way, why must she die too?! Storm lamented, but in a cruel and ironic twist, that would never be the case for them because of what Storm had done. The thought of how casually Iris had accepted her second death still sent a chill down Storm's spine. There was something so, so wrong about that too.

"You are sure...?" The creature hissed in Storm's head, and she flinched. Not only was it intrusive, but it felt wrong because only Iris was supposed to be there! "Not if you truly wish me to become your new patron."

Just like with Iris, Storm could feel when the creature laughed, and it made her skin crawl. She cursed to herself, uncaring of whether her new patron heard her or not. Unfortunately, it was right, whether Storm liked it or not. If she wanted to set Iris free, she had to do this. Storm felt the creature laugh again, then a white mask flashed in her mind.

Storm's stomach dropped. Masquerade...?!

"You think I wasn't tracking that gem down every single day and night since the moment you got the BRILLIANT idea to try to steal it from me?!"

Contrary to what Storm or Iris thought, Masquerade wasn't as stupid or impulsive as they thought she was. It was true that she panicked and unnecessarily revealed to them that she had sordid work to do at the City of Glass, but the hydra was far from the only line of defense she added to her treasures after Iris and Storm caught wind of them.

Actually, Masquerade allowed Iris and Storm to steal the gem, figuring that to recover it immediately was more trouble than it was worth. As a vampire, Masquerade was more than happy to wait for the gem for a few years or decades if need be. Then the winds of fate changed again and delivered the gem and its thieves right into her hands again.

Oh, Iris... I wish there was another way... Storm smiled bitterly. You'll hate me for this, I know. She bit her lip, the first sign of regret leaking onto her face, both the human parts and the cyborg parts.

ooo

Iris fell to her knees, clutching her chest.

"Iris!" Morgan perked up in alarm. She and Lauren managed to secure time off to visit Iris. They didn't typically frequent civilized society, more often found on the fringes and edges, in outposts and lighthouses and the like, but when they heard that Iris was visiting Eriksontown, they accepted her invitation to visit while she was also there. Additionally, although Eriksontown was once a powerhouse of a town, with the slow but steady shift from steam to cyber, Eriksontown was slowly falling to the wayside. It was far from poor or abandoned, but it wasn't what it once was.

"What's going on?!" Lauren demanded, head whipping over her shoulder. Morgan held Iris in her arms, supporting her. Iris' face was twisted in horror and disbelief, an emotional pain so profound that it was physical. Her mouth opened in a silent scream.

OATHBREAKER! It was an audacious thing, for the bond between patron and "warlock" to be severed so suddenly, especially on the side of the warlock. It was so clean and decisive too! That was no accident, and she wasn't coerced... Oh, Storm, what are you doing?!

How was Iris supposed to succeed in her quest if Storm was just going to dump her in the middle of it?! Hadn't she said she was willing to take a detour to Eriksontown?! Was it just a lie?! Why?! Iris didn't know! She didn't know anything! All she knew was that it felt as though her heart had been physically slashed by a knife, and it hurt so bad that she was close to passing out. She was barely aware of Morgan supporting her, or Lauren racing over, eyes flashing as she and Morgan muttered back and forth about what to do, not understanding what was going on.

AN: In Iris' main canon, she's a super-powered, human-alien hybrid part of a secret group of other super-powered, human-alien hybrids known as the Gifted, led by a mysterious old man named Silas Gray, the Gifted of Immortality. He is centuries old, and his first name was Erik Erikson.