Chapter 230 – Floor 41: Part 3

  “You need a name.” Lumina stated as the trio left the community event.

  It had been surprising to her just how adept Mathew had been at entertaining a crowd. The horse had been a huge hit, but what had shocked and impressed them was the other creature he had created.

  Mathew had placed another statue on the ground; this one was scaled and reminded Lumina of the Dragons from fantasy movies. He had told the crowd that it was a ‘Wyvern,’ that it was completely tame, and they had nothing to fear from it.

  But, she had to admit, even she had been terrified when the statue came to life. The monster was taller than Mathew, with wings stretching for a dozen feet in both directions.

  That was when Mathew said the show was just beginning. With a single command, he had ordered the Wyvern to take to the skies, circling the crowd and the community center parking lot before he spoke again.

  “Grow.” He had said, his voice strange to Lumina’s ears. A bizarre feeling came over her, like a foreign presence was descending from above them. Mathew’s powers, whatever they were, made the Wyvern expand in size until it was as large as the building next to them.

  The absolutely massive creature flew through the air, wheeling and turning as it put on a show. The crowd was terrified at first but began to calm down and even cheer at the display.

  Overall, Mathew’s performance was a hit.

  “I have name.” Mathew replied, causing Lumina to scoff. Walking behind the pair, Elena shook her head. She didn’t expect anyone to argue or ignore Lumina; everyone in the League usually tried to bend backwards to get along with her.

  Lumina was exceptionally beautiful and talented and had a social media presence that any Hero could only wish for. She was the role model for new recruits; everyone looked to emulate her success. She was also the Hero voted by the public as the person most likely to be promoted to Class ‘S’ from amongst the current roster of Class ‘A’ Heroes in New York.

  But Elena could see that Mathew didn’t care about that at all. He ignored her advice regarding public perception, laughed at the idea of her being a ‘mentor’ to him, and didn’t show the slightest interest in spending time with the stunning Hero.

  Elena couldn’t understand it at all. Why did Mathew join the League in the first place? Aside from fighting Villains, which he did with ease, he didn’t seem to enjoy anything about being a League Hero.

  “A Hero name. You can’t go around being ‘Mathew Larson, Class ‘C,’ Rank 566.’ You need something that people can identify with, something that goes along with your persona.” Lumina explained, and Elena agreed with her.

  A hero was a symbol as much as a Champion of Justice. They were someone that the public could look up to, something they could believe in. They loved the costumes and the flair as much as they did the powers and the security that having a Hero looking over them brought.

  “I assume you have some suggestions.” Mathew responded dryly. Compared to the flashily dressed Lumina, he seemed causal and drab. If she had seen him in a crowd, Elena would never have expected him to be a hero capable of stopping villains like Acid Fang and Shade.

  “Of course I do! I also have a fashion designer working on a few sketches of costumes, depending on which name you choose.” Lumina stated smugly, assured that Mathew would finally appreciate the hard work she was doing as his mentor.

  There were literally hundreds of Heroes who would love to be in his position right now, and she knew that he would eventually understand how lucky he was.

  Lumina was doing this because he had helped her against Shade; she felt that she owed him something, and no matter how much Mathew said otherwise, she was going to help him improve as a Hero.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Mathew let out a chuckle and shook his head.

  “This should be interesting. Let’s hear them.” He said, flashing her a smile. For a moment, both Lumina and Elena were struck by how charismatic and handsome Mathew could be when he wanted.

  ‘If he took this seriously, he could reach ‘A’ Class.’ Elena thought, a sentiment echoed by Lumina. After a moment's pause, Lumina listed off her suggestions.

  “Virtuoso. We could outfit you with a black suit combined with a white tie and gloves.” Lumina began, only for Elena to chime in.

  “That would be too close to ‘Maestro’ from Cincinnati.” Elena explained, causing Lumina to frown in disappointment.

  “Well, how about Wonder?” Lumina suggested.

  “There’s a Wander in Texas and a Winder in Canada.” Elena countered, causing Mathew to laugh.

  “Maybe you should just let me stay as ‘Mathew.’ Unless there is a Hero with that name as well?” Mathew said.

  “Dozens, but they don’t use it as their Superhero name.”

  “I suppose I’ll be the first.” Mathew replied. Lumina let out a frustrated huff.

  “As your mentor, it’s my responsibility to guide you! So, pick a name! Didn’t you have one chosen when you were a kid? Don’t tell me you didn’t dream of being a Superhero when you were young?” Lumina asked.

  Mathew shrugged before replying.

  “There were no Superheroes when I was a kid. Not real ones anyway.” Mathew muttered.

  “Where did you grow up, in a remote shack?” Lumina asked in confusion. Heroes had been around for decades, ever since people had first been exposed to Aether.

  “Something like that.” Mathew lied as he looked up at the buildings around him. This version of New York City, despite its similarities, wasn’t his home.

  “You’re going to have to choose a name for yourself, otherwise, the League will assign you one.” Elena advised.

  “Do you have any suggestions, Elena?” Mathew asked.

  “Spellbinder?” Elena offered.

  “Terrible!” Lumina responded loudly.

  “I’m not good at names!” Elena countered, blushing red.

  “Apostle.” Mathew suddenly said, stopping their argument. He turned to look at them.

  “If I need a Superhero name, then I’ll be ‘Apostle.’”

  Page Break

  In the middle of Central Park, a group of people were setting up multiple cameras and sound equipment. In front of them was a young man wearing a bright red costume, pacing back and forth while he was whispering quietly to himself.

  He seemed to be practicing his lines, rehearsing them repeatedly in order to get them correct. No one else in the park was paying attention to them; their appearance and action were not out of the ordinary for a city that contained Villains and Heroes.

  When the cameras were ready, one of the group walked toward the costumed young man.

  “Alright, we’re ready. Just do your thing, and we’ll upload it directly to the internet. Remember, there’s no second takes, so we need to get it right the first time.” The costumed man stopped his pacing and handed the paper containing his lines to the director.

  Inferno was trying to get promoted into Rank ‘B,’ and one of the surefire ways to do that was to get your name out there. Social Media, online views and all the other methods of exposure would rocket his name recognition.

  It was worth the price of hiring a film crew to follow him along and document his saves, but, unfortunately, there were a lot of slow days. So, they came up with the idea of making viral videos. Stunts, live performances, whatever he could do to get his ten minutes of fame.

  “Where’s the guy?” Inferno asked, looking around for the actor that was playing the ‘Villain.’

  The video would be about how he was filming in the park when he was suddenly attacked by a villain. They would fight, Inferno would win, and they could have a story arc where the Villain becomes his nemesis.

  Thankfully, there were a lot of people with abilities looking for extra cash. It wasn’t hard to hire someone.

  Before they could be worried about a no-show, the ‘Villain’ walked down the path toward them.

  “Hey, you’re late!” A crew member yelled. Ignoring him, the Villain kept walking toward them. Dressed in a grey, ragged cloak with the hood up, he had a sinister look about him.

  “Alright, let’s get into places! I want-” The director began to speak when he was cut off by a blast of frigid, icy air. It slammed into the crew, knocking some of them off their feet. Inferno automatically circulated the red-hot mana inside him, exuding heat to fight off the cold.

  “What the hell are you doing?! We’re not ready yet!” He yelled, only to be met with another blast of ice.

  The icy wind howled through the park, sending leave spiralling and chilling the air to a biting temperature. Inferno felt the frost prickling at his skin, but the surge of heat from within kept him steady.

  “What’s wrong with you!? Someone’s going to get hurt!” Inferno yelled. He tried to shield the crew around him from the cold, but several people lying on the ground were beginning to be covered in ice and snow.

  “Hurt? That’s the point!” The Villain said, raising a hand to pull back the hood obscuring his face. His hair was long and pure white, framing a face tinged blue from the cold. But the most unsettling part of his features was his eyes, an intense indigo with hints of red.

  Inferno recognized him immediately from the League wanted posters. Frostbite, a Class ‘B’ Villain.

  “The League of Villains sends their regards.”