Luke put away the AWP. No point sniping when Skadi had already reduced the vampires to chunks.
Instead, he pulled out the high-powered UV lamp and swept it across the scattered remains. In the purple glow, the dismembered pieces twitched back to life—just long enough to scream before crumbling to ash.
Skadi watched with an expression of mild surprise. She'd never seen corpses react that way.
Riven stayed at Luke's side, vigilant as always. Skadi glanced over, about to approach—
Footsteps. Lots of them.
Quinn had brought over five hundred vampires, plus an army of familiars. What Skadi had just slaughtered was only the advance force. Now the main body was arriving.
"There they are! Open fire!"
The night erupted in gunfire. Vampires and familiars alike unleashed everything they had—assault rifles, submachine guns, even a few Tommy guns that looked like something out of a prohibition-era museum. The sheer volume of fire was staggering.
Skadi had been on the surface world for a while now, but she'd never seen anything like this. Back on Terra, even the wealthy operators like Exusiai couldn't afford to burn through ammunition this freely.
"Titi!"
Luke's warning came instinctively—and then he saw something that made him pause.
The bullets were bouncing off her.
Not penetrating. Not even scratching. Just... ricocheting away like she was made of something harder than steel.
What the hell? I thought bullets worked on her. The Rainbow Six operators managed to hurt her in that crossover event...
He filed the question away for later. Right now, survival took priority.
Riven scooped him up, and Luke's arms wrapped around her neck automatically—a motion that had become natural after weeks of rooftop travel. From across the battlefield, Skadi's brow furrowed slightly.
Why does that Riven woman seem so hostile toward me?
But protecting the Doctor came first.
Skadi raised her greatsword and leaped.
Tidal Elegy.
BOOM.
The massive blade crashed down like a meteor. The concrete street didn't just crack—it exploded outward, a shockwave of shattered asphalt and flying debris that cut through the vampire formation like a scythe. Several cars tumbled into the newly formed chasm.
That's going to attract attention.
Luke had no illusions about tonight staying quiet. SHIELD would definitely notice something this destructive. In the original Blade movies, the government maintained a careful distance from vampire affairs—too many powerful people wanted immortality, too many familiars in high places. But this wasn't just Blade's world. This was the MCU. SHIELD monitored everything.
Still... looking at Skadi's devastating power, Luke felt his concerns fading.
So what if SHIELD comes? Titi could probably fight the Hulk. Can SHIELD handle the Hulk? Can they handle Skadi AND Riven?
The answer was almost certainly no.
Of course, Luke himself remained the weak link. His girls could handle anything, but he could be captured, threatened, used as leverage. Better to stay hidden until he had some way to protect himself.
"Titi's great, but Saria would've been more reassuring," he mused.
Saria—the Defender operator from Arknights. If he'd summoned her instead, he'd have healing, barriers, and a walking fortress protecting him. Skadi was pure offense, which was amazing for killing things but less ideal for keeping squishy humans alive.
Then again... Skadi was definitely the more appealing summon in other ways.
Between Skadi's blade and Luke's UV lamp, the remaining vampires didn't last long. The familiars fell too—regular humans cut down without the supernatural resilience of their masters.
Skadi tilted her head, confused. "Doctor, why didn't those ones turn to ash?"
"They're human," Luke explained, already moving. "Come on, we need to go."
An hour later, Deacon Frost received the report.
He crushed his phone in his fist.
Those five hundred vampires weren't random fodder. They were his elite. Retired soldiers. Former mercenaries. Men and women who'd chosen the embrace specifically because they wanted power, wanted to keep fighting, wanted to live forever as apex predators.
Deacon had spent years building that force. It was the foundation of his plan to overthrow Gitano and the purebloods. With five hundred combat-trained vampires at his command, he'd had the muscle to make his move.
Now? Gone. All of it.
"FUCK!"
He hurled a lamp across the room.
"FUCK!"
A chair followed.
The familiar who'd brought the news stood frozen, trembling. Deacon's rage needed an outlet.
He lunged.
The familiar didn't even have time to scream before Deacon's fangs tore out his throat. No embrace. No turning. Just a kill—vicious, wasteful, pointless.
Deacon stood over the body, breathing hard, blood dripping from his chin.
"I don't care how much it costs," he snarled to no one in particular. "Find that hunter. Kill them. Whatever it takes."
Luke, Riven, and Skadi made it back to the new apartment without incident. They'd taken a circuitous route, avoiding cameras, doubling back to shake any possible tails.
"This is our temporary home, Titi," Luke said as they entered.
"Temporary?"
"Eventually I'm going to save a rich guy's life and have him give us a mansion in Los Angeles."
He was thinking of Tony Stark, of course. Once Iron Man came back from Afghanistan, Obadiah Stane would make his move. If Luke could intervene at the right moment—save Tony's life, prove his value—he could solve multiple problems at once.
A legal identity. Resources. Maybe even tech support for weapons like the Murasama that needed power sources he couldn't provide.
Skadi simply nodded. "Understood, Doctor."
Whatever the Doctor wanted, the Doctor got.
Luke watched her settle into a chair—and blinked.
The chair held. No creaking. No cracking. No signs of stress at all.
Okay, what? She cratered concrete with every step outside, but now she can sit on normal furniture?
Maybe Skadi had some kind of biofield like Superman? The ability to consciously control her mass or weight distribution? It was the only explanation that made sense.
He filed it away as another mystery to solve later.
"Riven."
No response.
"Riven?"
She was standing by the window, back to him. Silent.
"Riven?"
Luke walked closer, reaching out to touch her shoulder. She turned to face him but said nothing. Just... looked at him.
The intensity of her gaze made him uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?"
"Wenwen."
"...What?"
"Wenwen," Riven repeated, more firmly this time.
Luke's brain took a moment to process. Then it clicked.
Oh. OH.
"Wenwen?" he tried.
"Yes, Luke?" Riven answered instantly, her expression softening.
She's jealous. She's jealous because I called Skadi 'Titi' but I've been calling her 'Riven' this whole time.
He'd never had a girlfriend before. Never navigated the minefield of romantic relationships. All his knowledge came from games, anime, and internet forums—theoretical at best.
But even he could recognize this.
"Actually," Luke said carefully, "I think I prefer calling you Riven."
Riven's eyes widened slightly. "You do?"
"Yeah. 'Wenwen' doesn't really fit you. 'Riven' is... it's you. Strong. Direct. Elegant."
A smile bloomed across Riven's face—small but genuine.
"Then call me whatever you like, Luke."
That was... surprisingly easy?
Luke made a mental note: Riven was apparently very easy to appease when it came to matters of affection.
The easy part ended at bedtime.
Luke emerged from the bathroom after his shower to find Riven and Skadi locked in a silent standoff. The apartment only had one bed—a queen-sized mattress that could theoretically fit two people comfortably.
Or three people very uncomfortably.
"You two take the bed," Luke said quickly. "I'll sleep on the couch."
"Absolutely not." Skadi's voice was firm. "The Doctor should not sleep on a couch."
"I refuse," Riven added. "Luke, you're sleeping in the bed."
"I really don't—"
"Doctor."
"Luke."
Their combined stares pinned him in place. Two superhuman women, both insisting he share a bed with them.
Any other man might have considered this a dream come true.
Luke considered the physics of the situation.
Riven's strength was already dangerous at intimate distances. Skadi apparently weighed enough to crater concrete. If either of them rolled over in their sleep, or grabbed him unconsciously, or just... shifted wrong...
He'd wake up as paste. Assuming he woke up at all.
"I'm sleeping on the couch," he announced, and walked past them before they could argue further.
The couch was comfortable enough. Firm cushions, decent length. He could make it work.
Sleep, however, refused to come.
Luke lay in the darkness, acutely aware of the two beautiful women in the next room. Young, healthy, and apparently very interested in being close to him.
His blood ran hot.
His mind ran hotter.
It was going to be a long night.
PLZ THROW POWERSTONES.
300 , 500 , 1000 for each milestone 1 Bonus Chapter.