Omake: Underside of Orario - Brian / Grue (Patreon)

Omake: Underside of Orario – Brian/Grue

Freya stared out at Orario, thinking. Some might assume she was pondering deep and important secrets or planning important tasks for her Familia. They would all be wrong, because right now, the only thing that mattered to her was the existence of a soul that was beyond her sight.

Whereas her beloved Bell’s soul was impossibly bright and clear, the soul of Ganesha’s latest Familia member was blacker than night. Impenetrable darkness shielded his soul from view. Something odd – something otherworldly – rested within the foreign child, protecting him from the gazes of the gods on high.

It was… alluring. It was tantalizing. What did his soul look? Was it scarred and battered? Noble and unblemished? What color was it? She didn’t know. This had never happened before. She always knew! Except here. Except… with him.

Freya couldn’t help it. Her mind tried to tell her that beneath the darkness, behind the shadows, his soul would just be like any others. Mundane. Ordinary. Flawed.

Her heart, on the other hand, wanted him. Desired him. The black, inky depths of his soul called to her.

‘I can fix him,’ a part of her mind whispered to her, and Freya unconsciously licked her lips as she stared out in the direction of the Ganesha Familia compound.

Someday, both Bell and Brian would be hers… One tall and muscular with dark hair and skin, the other short and lithe, and pale of hair and skin. Ooo! The ideas of experiencing their duality at the same time sent a shiver through her loins!

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Down below in the city, Brian suddenly shuddered a little before looking around warily.

There was nothing nearby, though. Just the Ganesha Familia locker room. Completely normal.

“Everything alright, Brian?” Modaka, his mentor for the last year or so now, called out as they got their armor on for another day in the Dungeon.

“…Maybe,” Brian muttered. “Ever have the feeling you’re being watched?”

“Sometimes,” the adventurer with the afro nodded. “Mostly in the Dungeon though. Good to keep the senses honed at all times, though.”

Brian nodded slowly, grateful for the advice, though he still couldn’t help but feel something was off. That somebody was spying on him.

For a while now, he’d been feeling eyes watching him at odd times of the day. He couldn’t understand it, but it had happened on and off ever since arriving in Orario, but had only really started to happen more frequently after he’d befriended the White Rabbit, the youngest Record Holder in history.

Of course, Brian had had no idea at the time Bell would rise so high. The former Undersider had only wanted to help a newbie adventurer survive in the Dungeon, just as Modaka, Hashana, and the rest of the Ganesha Familia had helped him after he’d somehow cheated death on the oil rig and ended up in Orario.

But Brian was glad he’d decided to partner up with him. He’d grown stronger in the few weeks with Bell than in the entirety of the year he’d been here in the City of Heroes.

‘Probably because he keeps getting into ridiculous fights and situations,’ Brian thought with a snort. He didn’t know how Bell did it, but he was like one of those ‘lucky’ anime protagonists from those terrible shows Aisha had liked to watch.

Thinking about Aisha caused a pang of grief to hit Brian, and he frowned, forcing the pain away. He should have died that day on the oil rig. How he’d survived Scion’s wrath, Brian had no idea. But it had taken him here, and for a year now, Orario had been his home. He would never forget Earth, and he always felt guilty about how he hadn’t been there for his friends.

He missed Aisha. He missed Taylor. Hell, he even missed the other Undersiders! Lisa, Alec, Rachel… they’d have all loved it here.

‘I have no idea if they survived… but since Scion isn’t here blowing things up, I have to hope somebody managed to do something to stop the golden monster, and that they’re living somewhere to the best of their abilities,’ he thought to himself.

There was no use shedding any more tears over them, not when he could do nothing about their separation from him. It hurt, and always would, but his new friends and family had helped him recover and come to terms with the death of everyone he knew back on Earth Bet.

“Well, I’m off,” Brian told his mentor as he buckled his sheathed sword to his waist.

"Off to see your 'Big Sis?'" the afro-toting adventurer asked, and Brian grimaced.

"Ugh, stop that," the man formerly known as "Grue" complained. "You know it weirds me out."

Shortly after arriving, Brian had heard about someone called 'Aisha' living in the Entertainment District. Still trying to come to terms with everything, he'd thought that perhaps his sister had made it over as well.

Unfortunately, running around the place shouting for his sister had only ended up getting the attention of one of Ishtar's Berbera. Who just so happened to be named 'Aisha' as well. The tall woman thought it was hilarious and had started calling him 'Baby Bro' whenever she saw him, and demanded he call her 'Big Sis.'

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you're off to hang out with the White Rabbit," Modaka chuckled. "Lucky brat."

"Gotta make sure Lili and Welf don't kill each other while we wait for him," Brian sighed.

“Stay safe in the Dungeon!” Modaka called out as Brian hefted his pack onto his back.

“Always,” Brian replied.

Today was the day he and his party would venture into the 13th Floor for the first time.

‘It’s just a quick trip to the 13th Floor to try out our new Salamander Wool gear the blacksmith Welf has made. What’s the worst that can happen?’ he thought to himself as he went to meet up with his party outside of Babel.

Every single deity that governed Fate, both descended upon Genkei and still within Tenkai, suddenly shuddered and knew some poor soul had just gone and tempted their Domain.

The results would not be pretty.

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Brian Laborne "Grue"

Level 1 - Ganesha Familia

Power - F 377

Endurance - F 319

Dexterity - I 88

Agility - H 160

Magic - F 345

Skills:

Umbra Shroud: Conjure a thick, dark, fog-like substance that negates all senses while within. Magic is greatly weakened within the confines of the fog as well. Prevents Charm and Divine Sight from affecting the Skill holder, even when not active. (SHARD)

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Author's Note: Happy Halloween, everyone! Enjoy a nice little Omake about Brian in Orario!