Index:
Chapter 1.1: You are here
Chapter 1.2...
Chapter 1.1: You are here
Chapter 1.2...
As You Wish [Worm x Exalted]
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greensun
You shall all burn beneath my light!!!
Index:
Chapter 1.1: You are here
Chapter 1.2: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/as-you-wish-worm-x-exalted.5026/#post-1274384
Chapter 1.3: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/as-you-wish-worm-x-exalted.5026/#post-1274394
Interlude 1: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/as-you-wish-worm-x-exalted.5026/#post-1274414
Chapter 2.1: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/as-you-wish-worm-x-exalted.5026/#post-1274426
Chapter 2.2: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/as-you-wish-worm-x-exalted.5026/#post-1274434
Chapter 2.3: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/as-you-wish-worm-x-exalted.5026/#post-1274440
Interlude 2: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/as-you-wish-worm-x-exalted.5026/#post-1274449
===============#
Second Breath 1.1
=======#
It was an odd thing, having nothing to live for.
When you thought about it; the idea that someone could find absolutely nothing to live for, not even the simplest thing like self-preservation, was in its own way mind-boggling! How could a person just give like that? How could they just throw away everything? How could they put everyone that cared about them through that kind of agony just because they weren't strong enough?
What kind of pathetic excuse for a human being could do that to them? You'd have to be the most selfish and heartless kind of person to do that, I just couldn't wrap my head around; the idea just seemed to escape me.
And yet here I was; standing on the ledge of the roof of a four story high abandoned apartment complex in the run-down parts of the docks, my bare toes hanging over the edge. From up here I could see all the way across the Bay, the city was beautiful at this time of night; with the setting sun silhouetting the city.
It would make for a pretty last sight, I had to admit.
It was too much; Emma, Sophia and Madison. They were just too much. The constant harassment, the way they never relented. Seriously, shouldn't they have gotten bored of it by now!? And the fucking locker, the stench of rotten menstrual blood and other un-nameable things that made me gag even at the thought of them.
That had been the end of me; the way they just… got away with it. How the teachers just ignored everything they did, how they literally walked away from me when I needed them most.
Maybe they didn't like me because my mother was a member of the Cult of the Yozi? Mom had been part of it her whole life and I was nominally a member of it. I knew it wasn't exactly popular in some parts of America, but I didn't think it would make the teachers just ignore what had happened to me?
With trembling hands I took my glasses off one final time. I took a moment to look through them one last time, feeling a great deal of melancholy as I lay them down beside my shoes. It seemed strangely wrong just to abandon them there.
Hah, I was more upset about leaving my goddamned glasses on the floor than I was for Dad. I was so fucked up in the head. Maybe it was better that I ended it here and now, before I went full Carrie on the school. Better to have a kid who had offed herself than a School Shooter.
Taking a stuttering breath, I slowly looked down from the ledge and nearly jumped back in terror.
It was a long way down, like, a really really long way down- I couldn't even see the street below me, in the dark.
That was a long way to fall.
Could I do this? Did I have the stones to throw myself off of here? Was I so much a coward that couldn't even kill myself, was I honestly that pathetic? Was Sophia right? Was I so completely void of worth that even ending my miserable life was beyond me?
There was really only one way to find out, wasn't there?
Trembling all over now, I toed the edge once again and screwed my eyes shut as I prepared to... to... Get it done.
I wondered if I'll die the second I hit the ground, or would I lay there for a bit in agony as my shattered body took its time to give out. Maybe I should try land on my head, that way it would be over straight away, rather than dragging it out longer.
Rocking back on my feet, I took one last look at Brockton Bay as the sun-set beyond the horizon. Mustering my courage, or cowardice, I stepped forward, time seeming to come to a crawl as my foot hit nothing but air and I tottered forward....
…And I threw myself back with a shriek just as I was beginning to fall. I hit the concrete roof with a thud, scrapping my hands and knees as I fell. Curling into a ball; I began to shack and sob; tears and snot running down my face as I lay on the hard ground.
I was a fucking god damned coward. I couldn't even kill myself properly, could? No, I didn't have the fucking balls for it.
I just laid there on the ground; sobbing and cursing at myself even as I curled tighter into a ball.
"Useless, useless, useless!" I screamed, my voice echoing through the rapidly darkening sky.
"It's not fair." I said to myself. "It's just not fair!"
"The world never is child, it never is."
Spinning around to face whoever had addressed, my bare feet scrapping painfully into the concrete, and I felt my breath hitch.
It was a wasp.
A wasp the size of a fucking horse, but a wasp none the less.
It stood on six crystal legs that gouged into the rock hard floor like it was butter. Its six compound eyes; all of them a beautiful gold, were locked onto me as it seemed to measure me by some unknowable standard. The creature's body was covered in a vivid bronze carapace that seemed to emit a faint glow.
And its wings! Sweet Kimberry its wings! They fluttered idly as it stood there, two pairs of delicate crystalline wasp wings that seemed to glow just about every colour! They were beautiful… They were… Mesmerising. I couldn't bring myself to look away.
"You were betrayed, child, betrayed and cast down by the corrupt and broken laws of this world." He, it, said; drawing my attention away from its wings. "This world is without its true rulers; without the guiding laws of Cecelyne this is of no surprise." The wasp said in his strange, alien accent, his mandibles clicking against one another as he spoke.
I knew of her, Cecelyne, She was the Primacy of Law. The Endless Desert, and the one had forged the very concept of law and order from the chaos of the times before Creation had existed. It was from her laws that all others had come to be.
Or at least that was what Mother Anna had told, back when I was younger.
"W-What do y-you want?"
"I come to you, child of this broken realm, with an offer of servitude without slavery, an opportunity to serve the Creators of all. The chance to rise above all those who tormented you." He chittered. "Take this chance and ascend so far above those who torment you; that must break their own necks just to get a glimpse of your glory."
That was a lovely image, I had to admit; Emma and her lackeys staring up at me with their heads flopping around from their broken necks, but I had other things to worry about right now.
He wanted to trigger me; give me my own set of Cape powers like Alexandria or Legend. There were always rumours and hearsay that there were groups out there that had the ability to turn people into parahumans, that all it would take was a drink from a certain kind of bottle and you'd be the next Glory Girl or Alexandria.
Those same rumors also mentioned how things went wrong; about how some people's bodies and minds were twisted and mutated until nothing but a ravaging monster was left.
Of course the other possibility was that I was actually undergoing a Trigger Event right now. When a person triggered they'd sometimes see things, things that didn't make any sense at all, that most capes couldn't remember. So the fact that I was seeing an oversized wasp that looked frighteningly like the ones that were on the murals in Church, and that he was talking about being in the service of what was basically a God.
"Well, child." He asked, interrupting my train of thought, "What is you answer? Will you serve the Yozi, will you become something greater than mortal?" His face mere inches away from my own, the deceptively stealthy creature having closed the distance between us while I was stuck in my own head.
What was my answer? Did just accept his offer and risk dying in horrible agony, or did say no and have another shoot at flying for a very brief period of time? Did I let those bitches win, do I just give into my fate or do I for once actually take a chance."
Well, when I put it that way it was no real choice.
"I-I" I licked my suddenly dry lips, "I a-accept your offer."
"Very good, child, very good." The wasp said warmly, right before he exploded in a shower of gore, his viscera smothering my screams as it slid down my throat.
==============#
Chapter 1.1: You are here
Chapter 1.2: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/as-you-wish-worm-x-exalted.5026/#post-1274384
Chapter 1.3: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/as-you-wish-worm-x-exalted.5026/#post-1274394
Interlude 1: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/as-you-wish-worm-x-exalted.5026/#post-1274414
Chapter 2.1: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/as-you-wish-worm-x-exalted.5026/#post-1274426
Chapter 2.2: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/as-you-wish-worm-x-exalted.5026/#post-1274434
Chapter 2.3: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/as-you-wish-worm-x-exalted.5026/#post-1274440
Interlude 2: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/as-you-wish-worm-x-exalted.5026/#post-1274449
===============#
Second Breath 1.1
=======#
It was an odd thing, having nothing to live for.
When you thought about it; the idea that someone could find absolutely nothing to live for, not even the simplest thing like self-preservation, was in its own way mind-boggling! How could a person just give like that? How could they just throw away everything? How could they put everyone that cared about them through that kind of agony just because they weren't strong enough?
What kind of pathetic excuse for a human being could do that to them? You'd have to be the most selfish and heartless kind of person to do that, I just couldn't wrap my head around; the idea just seemed to escape me.
And yet here I was; standing on the ledge of the roof of a four story high abandoned apartment complex in the run-down parts of the docks, my bare toes hanging over the edge. From up here I could see all the way across the Bay, the city was beautiful at this time of night; with the setting sun silhouetting the city.
It would make for a pretty last sight, I had to admit.
It was too much; Emma, Sophia and Madison. They were just too much. The constant harassment, the way they never relented. Seriously, shouldn't they have gotten bored of it by now!? And the fucking locker, the stench of rotten menstrual blood and other un-nameable things that made me gag even at the thought of them.
That had been the end of me; the way they just… got away with it. How the teachers just ignored everything they did, how they literally walked away from me when I needed them most.
Maybe they didn't like me because my mother was a member of the Cult of the Yozi? Mom had been part of it her whole life and I was nominally a member of it. I knew it wasn't exactly popular in some parts of America, but I didn't think it would make the teachers just ignore what had happened to me?
With trembling hands I took my glasses off one final time. I took a moment to look through them one last time, feeling a great deal of melancholy as I lay them down beside my shoes. It seemed strangely wrong just to abandon them there.
Hah, I was more upset about leaving my goddamned glasses on the floor than I was for Dad. I was so fucked up in the head. Maybe it was better that I ended it here and now, before I went full Carrie on the school. Better to have a kid who had offed herself than a School Shooter.
Taking a stuttering breath, I slowly looked down from the ledge and nearly jumped back in terror.
It was a long way down, like, a really really long way down- I couldn't even see the street below me, in the dark.
That was a long way to fall.
Could I do this? Did I have the stones to throw myself off of here? Was I so much a coward that couldn't even kill myself, was I honestly that pathetic? Was Sophia right? Was I so completely void of worth that even ending my miserable life was beyond me?
There was really only one way to find out, wasn't there?
Trembling all over now, I toed the edge once again and screwed my eyes shut as I prepared to... to... Get it done.
I wondered if I'll die the second I hit the ground, or would I lay there for a bit in agony as my shattered body took its time to give out. Maybe I should try land on my head, that way it would be over straight away, rather than dragging it out longer.
Rocking back on my feet, I took one last look at Brockton Bay as the sun-set beyond the horizon. Mustering my courage, or cowardice, I stepped forward, time seeming to come to a crawl as my foot hit nothing but air and I tottered forward....
…And I threw myself back with a shriek just as I was beginning to fall. I hit the concrete roof with a thud, scrapping my hands and knees as I fell. Curling into a ball; I began to shack and sob; tears and snot running down my face as I lay on the hard ground.
I was a fucking god damned coward. I couldn't even kill myself properly, could? No, I didn't have the fucking balls for it.
I just laid there on the ground; sobbing and cursing at myself even as I curled tighter into a ball.
"Useless, useless, useless!" I screamed, my voice echoing through the rapidly darkening sky.
"It's not fair." I said to myself. "It's just not fair!"
"The world never is child, it never is."
Spinning around to face whoever had addressed, my bare feet scrapping painfully into the concrete, and I felt my breath hitch.
It was a wasp.
A wasp the size of a fucking horse, but a wasp none the less.
It stood on six crystal legs that gouged into the rock hard floor like it was butter. Its six compound eyes; all of them a beautiful gold, were locked onto me as it seemed to measure me by some unknowable standard. The creature's body was covered in a vivid bronze carapace that seemed to emit a faint glow.
And its wings! Sweet Kimberry its wings! They fluttered idly as it stood there, two pairs of delicate crystalline wasp wings that seemed to glow just about every colour! They were beautiful… They were… Mesmerising. I couldn't bring myself to look away.
"You were betrayed, child, betrayed and cast down by the corrupt and broken laws of this world." He, it, said; drawing my attention away from its wings. "This world is without its true rulers; without the guiding laws of Cecelyne this is of no surprise." The wasp said in his strange, alien accent, his mandibles clicking against one another as he spoke.
I knew of her, Cecelyne, She was the Primacy of Law. The Endless Desert, and the one had forged the very concept of law and order from the chaos of the times before Creation had existed. It was from her laws that all others had come to be.
Or at least that was what Mother Anna had told, back when I was younger.
"W-What do y-you want?"
"I come to you, child of this broken realm, with an offer of servitude without slavery, an opportunity to serve the Creators of all. The chance to rise above all those who tormented you." He chittered. "Take this chance and ascend so far above those who torment you; that must break their own necks just to get a glimpse of your glory."
That was a lovely image, I had to admit; Emma and her lackeys staring up at me with their heads flopping around from their broken necks, but I had other things to worry about right now.
He wanted to trigger me; give me my own set of Cape powers like Alexandria or Legend. There were always rumours and hearsay that there were groups out there that had the ability to turn people into parahumans, that all it would take was a drink from a certain kind of bottle and you'd be the next Glory Girl or Alexandria.
Those same rumors also mentioned how things went wrong; about how some people's bodies and minds were twisted and mutated until nothing but a ravaging monster was left.
Of course the other possibility was that I was actually undergoing a Trigger Event right now. When a person triggered they'd sometimes see things, things that didn't make any sense at all, that most capes couldn't remember. So the fact that I was seeing an oversized wasp that looked frighteningly like the ones that were on the murals in Church, and that he was talking about being in the service of what was basically a God.
"Well, child." He asked, interrupting my train of thought, "What is you answer? Will you serve the Yozi, will you become something greater than mortal?" His face mere inches away from my own, the deceptively stealthy creature having closed the distance between us while I was stuck in my own head.
What was my answer? Did just accept his offer and risk dying in horrible agony, or did say no and have another shoot at flying for a very brief period of time? Did I let those bitches win, do I just give into my fate or do I for once actually take a chance."
Well, when I put it that way it was no real choice.
"I-I" I licked my suddenly dry lips, "I a-accept your offer."
"Very good, child, very good." The wasp said warmly, right before he exploded in a shower of gore, his viscera smothering my screams as it slid down my throat.
==============#
Last edited:
greensun
You shall all burn beneath my light!!!
Second Breath 1.2
===============#
I felt the sand between my toes, the grains sticking uncomfortable against my skin as I walked towards infinity.
"My laws were just!"
I craned my neck to look up the black sky, I saw a countless multitude of stars. They shone brighter and more beautifully than any of ones back home, and even though I knew that they were actually demons who had over stepped themselves, who had learnt things they were not to learn and were cast to the sky by Orbaliss, the end of all Wisdom, I could not bring myself to think them ugly.
"They were fair! All things, from the meekest mortal, to Sol Invictus himself! All had a place in the Laws of the Endless Desert!"
I leaned back in my chair, a beautiful thing made from the finest southern silk and crafted by the most gifted Dragonblooded, and supped from my goblet of wine, which was actually stupidly cheap, I'd had it bought from a local market for a fraction of fraction of my daily income.
Sometimes I liked to slum it, it helped break up the tedium.
In front of me the slave children screamed as the southern sun burnt their pale flesh from their bones, I could not help but smile as their specially designed vocal structure, crafted by my own hand, produced some of the most beautiful music possible within Creation.
Truly I was a genius without compare.
"But that did not matter to the traitor gods or their damned Exalted champions! They overthrew the rightful rulers of the world and damned our Creation to near destruction a dozen times over"
I walked among the chittering throng of the demons; each and every one of the lowly serfs bowing deeply to me as I passed, as was proper, with the Unquestionables and their direct prongy standing above the teeming masses on floating platforms and on balconies that touched the Malfean sky being the only ones to not prostrate themselves before me, for the were my peers.
Glancing down, I saw an innumerable swarm of black and silver scarab beetles rise out of the sand beneath my feet and march along side me like a loyal army before an empress of old.
As I walked past the assembled demons, past the spires of brass and lead, past the billion upon billion horrors that were kneeling to me under a Green Sun, I saw before me the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
Her face was pale, with high cheek bones and pouty red lips that made me want to kiss her. She wore a dress fit for a queen, one that was made of the finest blue silk with silver woven into the fabric. atop of her head was a Priestesses habit, much like the one Mother Anna had, with silver sand pouring out of it in place of hair.
She gazed upon me, her azure eyes measuring and weighing every gram of my existence; seeing every flaw and every fault that I had.
And then she smiled; it was a beautifully cruel thing that made a shiver run down m spine.
Go forth My chosen! Go forth and bring My justice and My vengeance to this world!" The woman declared, before my world exploded in a hurricane of silver sand.
===============#
Screaming, I smashed my way through my cocoon, flailing wildly as it broke like wet clay under my hands. Still screaming; I scrambled away from my prison.
Above me, a pillar of viridian light towered miles above me. Gaping at the fantastical display, I stumbled backwards to get a better look.
And right off of the side of the building.
================#
===============#
I felt the sand between my toes, the grains sticking uncomfortable against my skin as I walked towards infinity.
"My laws were just!"
I craned my neck to look up the black sky, I saw a countless multitude of stars. They shone brighter and more beautifully than any of ones back home, and even though I knew that they were actually demons who had over stepped themselves, who had learnt things they were not to learn and were cast to the sky by Orbaliss, the end of all Wisdom, I could not bring myself to think them ugly.
"They were fair! All things, from the meekest mortal, to Sol Invictus himself! All had a place in the Laws of the Endless Desert!"
I leaned back in my chair, a beautiful thing made from the finest southern silk and crafted by the most gifted Dragonblooded, and supped from my goblet of wine, which was actually stupidly cheap, I'd had it bought from a local market for a fraction of fraction of my daily income.
Sometimes I liked to slum it, it helped break up the tedium.
In front of me the slave children screamed as the southern sun burnt their pale flesh from their bones, I could not help but smile as their specially designed vocal structure, crafted by my own hand, produced some of the most beautiful music possible within Creation.
Truly I was a genius without compare.
"But that did not matter to the traitor gods or their damned Exalted champions! They overthrew the rightful rulers of the world and damned our Creation to near destruction a dozen times over"
I walked among the chittering throng of the demons; each and every one of the lowly serfs bowing deeply to me as I passed, as was proper, with the Unquestionables and their direct prongy standing above the teeming masses on floating platforms and on balconies that touched the Malfean sky being the only ones to not prostrate themselves before me, for the were my peers.
Glancing down, I saw an innumerable swarm of black and silver scarab beetles rise out of the sand beneath my feet and march along side me like a loyal army before an empress of old.
As I walked past the assembled demons, past the spires of brass and lead, past the billion upon billion horrors that were kneeling to me under a Green Sun, I saw before me the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
Her face was pale, with high cheek bones and pouty red lips that made me want to kiss her. She wore a dress fit for a queen, one that was made of the finest blue silk with silver woven into the fabric. atop of her head was a Priestesses habit, much like the one Mother Anna had, with silver sand pouring out of it in place of hair.
She gazed upon me, her azure eyes measuring and weighing every gram of my existence; seeing every flaw and every fault that I had.
And then she smiled; it was a beautifully cruel thing that made a shiver run down m spine.
Go forth My chosen! Go forth and bring My justice and My vengeance to this world!" The woman declared, before my world exploded in a hurricane of silver sand.
===============#
Screaming, I smashed my way through my cocoon, flailing wildly as it broke like wet clay under my hands. Still screaming; I scrambled away from my prison.
Above me, a pillar of viridian light towered miles above me. Gaping at the fantastical display, I stumbled backwards to get a better look.
And right off of the side of the building.
================#
Last edited:
greensun
You shall all burn beneath my light!!!
Second Breath 1.3
===================#
As I tumbled through the air, the world spinning as I fell, I could not help but feel a bit annoyed with the irony of that when I wanted to kill myself that I ended up chickening out, but the second I actually wanted to live, then bamp! Off of the building I went.
Just my fucking luck really.
Flailing my arms and legs desperately towards the building I had just fallen off of, in a vain attempt to belay my most likely fatal landing, my fingers brushed against a window sill. A brief lurch of hope came from my stomach, one that proved to be still-born however, when they broke apart and scattered into sand the moment they hit the worn concrete.
I had just a few seconds to stare at them, as they quickly reformed in swirls of the same silver sand, before I hit the pavement below in a humongous spray of silver sand.
Groaning as my body reformed itself from the impact, I got up from where I had belly flopped onto the pavement. Standing shakily on the one leg that was whole I watched, enraptured, as my other leg reformed.
"Holy shit." I breathed, as my fingers finished reforming. I flexed my hands and fingers experimentally, to see if they had been changed in any other way. I could feel the cold night air on my bare flesh. I knew I was naked, but at the moment it didn't seem all that important in comparison to the fact that I now had superpowers!
Giggling like a child, I watched in awe struck glee as the rest of my body reformed in a matter seconds.
Excitement overcame my common sense; I let my new instincts take over and gestured towards a wall that was the only remnant of a ruined shop, the victim of vicious gang wars of the city. I felt power surge within me and the now familiar silver sand formed and swirled around my arm for a few fractions of a second, before it shot across the distance and slammed into the rotten bricks hard enough to send the dilapidated structure crumbling to the ground at last.
"Holy Shit."
Grinning like a loony toon, I began to experiment with my new long distance sand-blaster. In a flurry of sand, I tested my new capabilities on rusted metal, which was scoured to a fresh gleam, and on solid concrete and wood, both of which practically disintegrate at its touch.
This was incredible; I could turn into sand, I could conjure it out of nowhere and turn into sand when I was hit hard enough! That insect, whether he had been a vision or a dealer, had been true to his word.
I was a parahuman now. I could be a hero.
Still smiling hard enough that my face hurt, I looked down at my hands and noticed for the first time that I was now glowing a very bright green.
How on earth I'd missed I'd never know. I guess it must have been all the stress and excitement, as I wasn't exactly in the right frame of mind to take in everything.
And speaking of green light…
Looking up I confirmed that, yes, the mile high pillar of green light was still there. Great, how in Ligier's Hidden name was I supposed to explain that of all things.
"Taylor!" A surprised voice called. "Is that you?"
Jumping at the sound of my name, I turned around to whoever had addressed me, and I felt my jaw unhinge ever so slightly.
Standing at the mouth of an alley was the leader of the Brass Deliberative; a lion made of green jade and brass that stood at seven feet tall at the shoulder, with a mane that was more regal than any natural lion.
It was Leon Supremacy.
"You're shitting me right?" Another voice chimed in. Muscling around the living statue, a giant of a man in a suit of medieval armour with a giant sword strapped to his back shoved the tonne and half lion to one side to get a better look at me, which also let me get at a better look at him.
It was Scourge, or Robert Bannister as he was in his civilian life; Leon's second in command. His face would have been handsome enough I suppose, if one half of it wasn't a mess of burnt scar tissue.
He had also babysat me when I was kid. He and Dad used to go drinking before mum died.
"Well, bugger me sideways Leon, you're right." He said, patting his leader on the back of his giant leg. "I guess this makes things a good bit easier for use, eh Boss?"
"Makes what easier?" I shouted, making the two of them jump ever so slightly at the sound of my voice. I guess they didn't expect me to hear them from that far.
And I most certainly did not take an ever so small bit of vindictive pleasure in making them jump.
"We can talk about it later Taylor, right now we need to get you to the Temple." Leon replied, padding over to me with Scourge in tow. "We cannot be sure of your safety after that display." Leon said, nodding towards the slowly dimming pillar of light.
"Here ye go kiddo." Scourge said, unclipping his fur lined cape and draping it over my shoulders. "Think you'd need this more than I do at the moment."
"Thanks, Rob." I said with as much gratitude as physically possible as I burrowed deeper into the wolf fur .
"No problem, Princess. I'm just glad you're alright."
Hmph. I guess he did notice.
"Come; we must leave now if we are to avoid the gangs and the PRT response teams that are no doubt on route to find the source of whomever is responsible for the lightshow and the global blockage of all precognition.
Oh… Oh dear.
==============#
===================#
As I tumbled through the air, the world spinning as I fell, I could not help but feel a bit annoyed with the irony of that when I wanted to kill myself that I ended up chickening out, but the second I actually wanted to live, then bamp! Off of the building I went.
Just my fucking luck really.
Flailing my arms and legs desperately towards the building I had just fallen off of, in a vain attempt to belay my most likely fatal landing, my fingers brushed against a window sill. A brief lurch of hope came from my stomach, one that proved to be still-born however, when they broke apart and scattered into sand the moment they hit the worn concrete.
I had just a few seconds to stare at them, as they quickly reformed in swirls of the same silver sand, before I hit the pavement below in a humongous spray of silver sand.
Groaning as my body reformed itself from the impact, I got up from where I had belly flopped onto the pavement. Standing shakily on the one leg that was whole I watched, enraptured, as my other leg reformed.
"Holy shit." I breathed, as my fingers finished reforming. I flexed my hands and fingers experimentally, to see if they had been changed in any other way. I could feel the cold night air on my bare flesh. I knew I was naked, but at the moment it didn't seem all that important in comparison to the fact that I now had superpowers!
Giggling like a child, I watched in awe struck glee as the rest of my body reformed in a matter seconds.
Excitement overcame my common sense; I let my new instincts take over and gestured towards a wall that was the only remnant of a ruined shop, the victim of vicious gang wars of the city. I felt power surge within me and the now familiar silver sand formed and swirled around my arm for a few fractions of a second, before it shot across the distance and slammed into the rotten bricks hard enough to send the dilapidated structure crumbling to the ground at last.
"Holy Shit."
Grinning like a loony toon, I began to experiment with my new long distance sand-blaster. In a flurry of sand, I tested my new capabilities on rusted metal, which was scoured to a fresh gleam, and on solid concrete and wood, both of which practically disintegrate at its touch.
This was incredible; I could turn into sand, I could conjure it out of nowhere and turn into sand when I was hit hard enough! That insect, whether he had been a vision or a dealer, had been true to his word.
I was a parahuman now. I could be a hero.
Still smiling hard enough that my face hurt, I looked down at my hands and noticed for the first time that I was now glowing a very bright green.
How on earth I'd missed I'd never know. I guess it must have been all the stress and excitement, as I wasn't exactly in the right frame of mind to take in everything.
And speaking of green light…
Looking up I confirmed that, yes, the mile high pillar of green light was still there. Great, how in Ligier's Hidden name was I supposed to explain that of all things.
"Taylor!" A surprised voice called. "Is that you?"
Jumping at the sound of my name, I turned around to whoever had addressed me, and I felt my jaw unhinge ever so slightly.
Standing at the mouth of an alley was the leader of the Brass Deliberative; a lion made of green jade and brass that stood at seven feet tall at the shoulder, with a mane that was more regal than any natural lion.
It was Leon Supremacy.
"You're shitting me right?" Another voice chimed in. Muscling around the living statue, a giant of a man in a suit of medieval armour with a giant sword strapped to his back shoved the tonne and half lion to one side to get a better look at me, which also let me get at a better look at him.
It was Scourge, or Robert Bannister as he was in his civilian life; Leon's second in command. His face would have been handsome enough I suppose, if one half of it wasn't a mess of burnt scar tissue.
He had also babysat me when I was kid. He and Dad used to go drinking before mum died.
"Well, bugger me sideways Leon, you're right." He said, patting his leader on the back of his giant leg. "I guess this makes things a good bit easier for use, eh Boss?"
"Makes what easier?" I shouted, making the two of them jump ever so slightly at the sound of my voice. I guess they didn't expect me to hear them from that far.
And I most certainly did not take an ever so small bit of vindictive pleasure in making them jump.
"We can talk about it later Taylor, right now we need to get you to the Temple." Leon replied, padding over to me with Scourge in tow. "We cannot be sure of your safety after that display." Leon said, nodding towards the slowly dimming pillar of light.
"Here ye go kiddo." Scourge said, unclipping his fur lined cape and draping it over my shoulders. "Think you'd need this more than I do at the moment."
"Thanks, Rob." I said with as much gratitude as physically possible as I burrowed deeper into the wolf fur .
"No problem, Princess. I'm just glad you're alright."
Hmph. I guess he did notice.
"Come; we must leave now if we are to avoid the gangs and the PRT response teams that are no doubt on route to find the source of whomever is responsible for the lightshow and the global blockage of all precognition.
Oh… Oh dear.
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greensun
You shall all burn beneath my light!!!
Interlude 1: Scourge.
===============#
Robert huffed irritably as he ran through the filth ridden back alleys of Brockton Bay, each one of his steps leaving a flaming foot print in his wake that scorched the concrete and ignited the trash that was ever present in the city.
Running beside him was Leon; his lopping gait allowing the Supreme Commander of the Deliberative' to easily keep up with the Chosen of the Dragons as they ferried their most valuable cargo to safety.
"We're goin' the arse ways to the Temple, you sure that we shouldn't just take the quickest route and go over the roof tops?" Scourge asked.
"No, we'd leave ourselves, and importantly her, more open to discovery and confrontation." the lion said, his stride not breaking as he addressed his subordinate.
"And speaking of…" Leon said, glancing back, "How are you holding up back there, Taylor?"
She clung to Scourge's back like her life depended on it, which to certain extent was true, with her knuckles bone white and her face buried into Scourge's shoulder. Her response was an unintelligible sound, tightening her hold on the man.
"What's with her?" Leon asked.
"I dunno." Scourge shrugged, casually running along a wall so he could avoid a dumpster and putting his head at an opposite angle to the other wall.
"Oh God!"
"Anyway, we're about ten minutes away from the Temple, so hang on tight there Taylor."
They turned a corner, and again Scourge told the laws of physics to go suck on it as he just ran along the wall again, not bothering to slow down to turn. The rather impressive winding tower of the Temple of The Yozi Undivided came into view over the cityscape that had been dominating their view so far.
The tower itself was in many ways a typical example of Lintha architecture, with its curving lines and nearly organic shapes that cast into mind the shells of various sea-born crustaceans and other forms of sea life.
And it was their home.
"We're almost there, Taylor, hang on!" Leon shouted, picking up the pace. They ran faster, the sight of home granting them a second wind that spurred them on, skidding around a corner and into an abandoned alley. They rushed out of the back streets and towards the safety that seemed only scant feet away.
And then the ground in front of them exploded in a shower of dirt and concrete shards.
Skidding to a stop right at the edge of the crater, the group wearily eyed it, with Leon hunkering down as if to pounce on something. Scourge drew his sword and put Taylor onto her feet.
"Get behind me Taylor, right now!" He hissed, pushing the Princess behind him.
"OoOoOhHhHhH…" A watery voice emanated from the crater, and as the dust settled Taylor and Leon could not help but gasp.
"Victoria..." Scourge said through, gritted teeth.
And indeed it was Glory-Girl laying within the crater, her nose broken at a hideous angle, with blood pouring from it in copious amounts. Her limbs were at wrong angles and her once white costume was crimson with her own blood. Her beautiful golden locks were now a dirty, matted brown.
"Well, what do we have here?" A brutal voice asked.
The figure that strode into view was over ten feet tall, with silver scales that covered him from head to toe. Flames licked along his claws and puffed from his mouth with each breath.
"Kenta…" Leon breathed; taking an involuntary step back.
It was Lung, the leader of the ABB and perhaps the most powerful parahuman in the city.
And he was smiling at them.
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===============#
Robert huffed irritably as he ran through the filth ridden back alleys of Brockton Bay, each one of his steps leaving a flaming foot print in his wake that scorched the concrete and ignited the trash that was ever present in the city.
Running beside him was Leon; his lopping gait allowing the Supreme Commander of the Deliberative' to easily keep up with the Chosen of the Dragons as they ferried their most valuable cargo to safety.
"We're goin' the arse ways to the Temple, you sure that we shouldn't just take the quickest route and go over the roof tops?" Scourge asked.
"No, we'd leave ourselves, and importantly her, more open to discovery and confrontation." the lion said, his stride not breaking as he addressed his subordinate.
"And speaking of…" Leon said, glancing back, "How are you holding up back there, Taylor?"
She clung to Scourge's back like her life depended on it, which to certain extent was true, with her knuckles bone white and her face buried into Scourge's shoulder. Her response was an unintelligible sound, tightening her hold on the man.
"What's with her?" Leon asked.
"I dunno." Scourge shrugged, casually running along a wall so he could avoid a dumpster and putting his head at an opposite angle to the other wall.
"Oh God!"
"Anyway, we're about ten minutes away from the Temple, so hang on tight there Taylor."
They turned a corner, and again Scourge told the laws of physics to go suck on it as he just ran along the wall again, not bothering to slow down to turn. The rather impressive winding tower of the Temple of The Yozi Undivided came into view over the cityscape that had been dominating their view so far.
The tower itself was in many ways a typical example of Lintha architecture, with its curving lines and nearly organic shapes that cast into mind the shells of various sea-born crustaceans and other forms of sea life.
And it was their home.
"We're almost there, Taylor, hang on!" Leon shouted, picking up the pace. They ran faster, the sight of home granting them a second wind that spurred them on, skidding around a corner and into an abandoned alley. They rushed out of the back streets and towards the safety that seemed only scant feet away.
And then the ground in front of them exploded in a shower of dirt and concrete shards.
Skidding to a stop right at the edge of the crater, the group wearily eyed it, with Leon hunkering down as if to pounce on something. Scourge drew his sword and put Taylor onto her feet.
"Get behind me Taylor, right now!" He hissed, pushing the Princess behind him.
"OoOoOhHhHhH…" A watery voice emanated from the crater, and as the dust settled Taylor and Leon could not help but gasp.
"Victoria..." Scourge said through, gritted teeth.
And indeed it was Glory-Girl laying within the crater, her nose broken at a hideous angle, with blood pouring from it in copious amounts. Her limbs were at wrong angles and her once white costume was crimson with her own blood. Her beautiful golden locks were now a dirty, matted brown.
"Well, what do we have here?" A brutal voice asked.
The figure that strode into view was over ten feet tall, with silver scales that covered him from head to toe. Flames licked along his claws and puffed from his mouth with each breath.
"Kenta…" Leon breathed; taking an involuntary step back.
It was Lung, the leader of the ABB and perhaps the most powerful parahuman in the city.
And he was smiling at them.
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greensun
You shall all burn beneath my light!!!
2.1: Miracles
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"Back off Kenta, I'm warning you." Leon threatened, a low growl emanating from him as he took a step forward, moving to shield me and the dying Glory-Girl with his massive jade body. His claws dug into the ground and he was hunched over, as if he was preparing to leap at Lung's jugular.
Lung snorted, a tongue of flames coming with the gesture.
"Try and stop me. " He said, grinning even wider, as if to show off his pointed teeth. He took a massive stride forward towards Leon in challenge, as if daring the lion to make the first move.
And the way he kept on glancing back at me and the moaning Victoria told me that he was far from prepared to make it.
While all of this posturing had been happening, I couldn't not notice that Scourge was strangely quiet throughout all of this. His face, the good half at least, had turned a sallow white and he kept on looking between Lung and the broken and whimpering form of Glory-Girl.
And then he exploded.
Literally.
"You cunt faced wanker!" Scourge screamed, the air around him igniting as he leapt at the dragon-man, the ground beneath his feet turned into a molten crater from the force of his jump.
The Hero, who was in a suit of plate and chain mail that probably weighed more than I did, soared through the air like a flaming madman with a sword the size of a child in his hand. Still yelling at the top of his lungs, he brought his red hot glowing sword around in a spirited attempt at removing Lung's head from his shoulders.
Fortunately for Lung, and unfortunately for the rest of us, he managed to bring his left arm up in time to stop the blade. He did lose his arm to it though, the limb flying off in the distance somewhere. Of course that didn't seem to stop him either; his limb was barely off for less than a second before he swung his good arm at Scourge and batted him away as he hung in the air mid swing.
Robert, however, actually managed to twist around midair and parry the blazing fist with the flat of his blade. The blow sent him tumbling through the air and into the ground.
"Damn it Scourge!" Leon shouted, before leaping at Lung's mid-section as he advanced towards the smoking crater where his second had landed. His claws dug massive gashes on the Dragon-Man's flesh, slicing through silver scales like wet tissue paper.
Lung fell to the ground with an earthshattering 'thump' as Leon bowled him over; with his regenerating arm pinned by brass claws, Lung grabbed hold of Leon's head and began to squeeze even as his clawed hand began to burn with flames that I feel from even where I lay cowering.
That move, however, proved to be something of a mistake. Leon pushed the offending limb off with his other paw, pinned it to the ground, and bit down on its elbow(1) with his 9 inch long fangs, even as Lung conjured flames hot enough to make his face glow red with the heat, and ripped the offending limb from it's joint with a horrifyingly wet squelch .
Lung screamed in agony as blood pumped from the stump of his right arm, batting Leon off of him with his now regenerated left.
Leon flew for a few feet before he hit the ground; tumbling along the ground for a few meters, Leon quickly dug his claws into the ground and managed to arrest his movement. Claw marks bit deep into the ground as he came to a stop in a crouch, his legs bent for leverage.
Lung's arm still clutched in his red hot jaws, Leon stood up to his full height and glared at the other parahuman with disdain, and spat the offending limb onto the ground.
"Yield, Kenta." Leon demanded, "Or I will slay you here and now, no matter your past heroism."(2)
"Kill. You. Dead." Lung spat, his increasingly draconic appearance stunting his ability to speak.
Sucking in a huge breath of air for what I knew was going to be the mother of all fireballs, Lung's chest and throat welled as he prepared the attack, flames and smoke dancing around his nostrils and mouths.
A chuckle emanated from him even as he sucked in the air, small gouts of fire getting lose because of it, and he shifted a bit to get a better shot at Leon who was wisely backing away, trying to get away from an attack that would reduce him down to molten slag, Lung's eyes widening in glee as he tracked his target and…
…fell on his face as Scourge snuck up behind him and promptly lopped his legs off in one cut, his flames burning around his head and the ground as he let them lose.
"Always double tap! You dumb tit!" Scourge yelled as he gave the downed villain a good kick in the balls. He was rewarded for his bravery as Lung's newly grown tail wrapped around his neck and flung him into the side of a building.
All while this was happening, as these heroes fought for me, I just lay there on the ground on my knees, watching as they risked their lives and wellbeing against one of the most powerful Villians in the world for my sake.
I had never felt so useless in my life.
"H-hurts…" A watery voice moaned.
Turning towards where Glory-Girl lay, I flinched as I saw her shattered form.
She was feebly trying to move, her broken limbs only twitching in response. Blood pooled at the bottom of the shallow crater she had created when she crashed, piss streaming down her thigh from what I guessed was a ruptured bladder, mixing in with the blood, the smell making my nose curl and my gag reflex kick in.
Still, there was one thing I could do here.
Crawling on my hands and knees, I made my way to the side of the fallen hero, ducking under another one of Lung's severed arms, and gently moved her head on to my lap, kneeling in the filth.
Which I know you were not supposed to do to a trauma victim, but I don't think it mattered in this case.
"M-mommy… hu-rts..." she moaned, her rolling eyes in their sockets, barely focusing on me as I wiped her face with the edges of Scourge's cloak.
"Shh… I-It's okay sweetie." I said trying to sound as comforting as I could; I had to admit I was channeling my mom a lot right now. "I'll stay right here with you, okay?" I said, the start of a sob welling up in my throat.
I… I didn't know what to do. How did… How does a person comfort someone who was in so much pain?
"Mommy…" She moaned, sounding like a girl half her age, "M-make it stop… Please?" She begged, weeping hysterically as blood bubbled in her mouth, the certainty of her agonizing death overcoming her.
And just like that, it was like a switch had been flipped. I heard her wish, I heard her plead for mercy and succor, and I felt a flood of power well up inside me. I released, with a giddy joy that washed away all of my disgust at the blood and piss, all of my horror and pity I held at the realization that I could save her!
Nervously, giddily, I licked my lips and said the first thing that came to mind as my power embraced her in swirl of silver sand.
"As you wish." Breath sweeter than anything I had ever tasted before.
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(1)Little fact; the more complicated an organ or limb is , the longer it takes for Lung to regen, though it doesn't matter once he gets really going.
(2)Hey, the fight in Japan was literally Watery Hell!
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greensun
You shall all burn beneath my light!!!
Miracles 2.2
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"As you wish."
With those words Glory Girl's flesh began to mend in swirl of silver sand; cracked bones righted themselves with a disgusting snap and her sundered flesh became whole. Blood rushed through her bone white face, giving her a flush that was visible even through all of the gore on her face.
Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at me with those big blue eyes of hers. I had to admit, I was captivated by her eyes. They stood in a stark contrast with all of the dirty and blood on her face, seeming to shine with something I had never really seen before.
Both of us lay there on the ground, Glory Girl's head in my lap as I knelt, and just… looked at one another as the battle raged on in the background.
And then her chest began to heave, and a hand clapped around her mouth as her cheeks bulged. Rolling off of my lap, she got onto all fours and promptly puked a horrid combination of blood, her dinner and lunch, and what had to guess were bone fragments. Okay, that was disgusting on several levels. I guess my new healing powers didn't just make all of the nasty side-effects of being brutally maimed disappear.
Good to know.
As she knelt there, her breathing labored as she stared at the slowly expanding pile of puke and blood, her fists began to clench around the shattered concrete, turning it to dust. Her shoulders began to shake and what could only be called hysterical sobs rocked her body as fat tears rolled off of her face.
"Wha.. It… N-no… no… that- that didn't happen… Goddamn it!" she shouted, her voice shrill.
Oh dear…
Shuffling towards the increasingly hysterical hero, ducking low to avoid any flying rubble from the battle, I reached for her shoulder, hesitating for a moment, before I sucked it up and carefully placed my hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it.
That proved to be a bit of a mistake.
Seconds after I squeezed, she looked over her shoulder to look at me with those big watery of eyes of hers. Then she swung around, embraced me in a bone creaking hug and buried her face into my shoulder and sobbed.
I sat as one of Brockton Bay's biggest heroes wept, feeling exceedingly awkward; hesitantly, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her back ever so carefully, and I began to murmur vaguely comforting sounds into her ear.
That seemed to do the trick, as her sobs began to patter out 'til all that remained were sniffles.
Loosening her grip on me she pulled away from the hug, though her hands were still idly stroking my arms, and once again resumed staring into my eyes like… like someone who was face to face with the person who'd saved her from a messy and painful death.
Oh, wait a second.
She broke eye contact first, glancing down to the ground. Then she glanced back up at me for a half second before her eyes darted down to the ground again.
"Thank you." She mumbled, a blush coming to her face as she again turned away from me.
"N-No problem…" I replied, a blush coming to my face now.
The two of us sat there on the ground lightly embracing one another and trading glances like a scene out of a particularly bad teen romance novel.
We were brought back to reality, however, when a fireball the size of a small car splashed into the building to my right. The stonework had turned red and molten from the heat, the slag beginning to run.
I saw Leon dodge another attack thrown by Lung, the great lion yelping as he leapt out of the way of a fireball that turned the pavement it had hit into slag.
Panting at the heat, the air had begun to simmer with it, Leon turned to Scourge, who has even now swearing loudly to himself as he attempted to absorb some of the ambient heat into himself. "We... We can't keep this Robert. Not by ourselves, we need reinforcements."
"No fucking kidding." Scourge spat. "We're fucked if we keep going. Lung just gets fucking bigger and tougher the longer we go at it."
"Unfortunately for everyone involved here, Lung will not let us just disengage from the battle. You know what he's like."
"Yeah, a cunt with a taste for death, destruction and Lazy-Boyz."
"He's going to murder you painfully for that comment."
While the two of them were talking, Lung just stood about twenty meters away from them, his increasingly dragonic features doing nothing to hide how incredibly smug he looked. He knew he was going to win, it was only a matter of time for him with his powers, and he was enjoying the fight. Enjoying how Leon and Scourge threw out their best powers and tactics and still came up short.
I hated him for it, for making the Heroes I had looked up to all my life look so small.
So I raised my freed hand, the other still wrapped around the hysterical Glory Girl, and fired off a blast of silver sand straight at his smug face.
His screams as my long distance sand blaster reduced his eyeballs to shreds were more gratifying that I would have liked.
Leon paused, looking first at Lung writhing on the ground in agony as his eyes tried to regenerate with silver sand poured into the wound and then back to me. A look of what could only be called complete incomprehension, before he shrugged it off.
"I'll take what the Yozi give me." He said, before he rushed up to me and took hold of me gently in his giant mouth and swung me up on to his back like princess onto her mount.
"Hold on tight Taylor, this is going to be hectic. " He instructed me as Scourge scooped Victoria up into his arms, and the group of us ran like a bat out of hell away from the screaming Lung, my hands groping for a handhold on his mane like my life depended on it as my world turned into a blur.
=====================#
=====================#
"As you wish."
With those words Glory Girl's flesh began to mend in swirl of silver sand; cracked bones righted themselves with a disgusting snap and her sundered flesh became whole. Blood rushed through her bone white face, giving her a flush that was visible even through all of the gore on her face.
Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at me with those big blue eyes of hers. I had to admit, I was captivated by her eyes. They stood in a stark contrast with all of the dirty and blood on her face, seeming to shine with something I had never really seen before.
Both of us lay there on the ground, Glory Girl's head in my lap as I knelt, and just… looked at one another as the battle raged on in the background.
And then her chest began to heave, and a hand clapped around her mouth as her cheeks bulged. Rolling off of my lap, she got onto all fours and promptly puked a horrid combination of blood, her dinner and lunch, and what had to guess were bone fragments. Okay, that was disgusting on several levels. I guess my new healing powers didn't just make all of the nasty side-effects of being brutally maimed disappear.
Good to know.
As she knelt there, her breathing labored as she stared at the slowly expanding pile of puke and blood, her fists began to clench around the shattered concrete, turning it to dust. Her shoulders began to shake and what could only be called hysterical sobs rocked her body as fat tears rolled off of her face.
"Wha.. It… N-no… no… that- that didn't happen… Goddamn it!" she shouted, her voice shrill.
Oh dear…
Shuffling towards the increasingly hysterical hero, ducking low to avoid any flying rubble from the battle, I reached for her shoulder, hesitating for a moment, before I sucked it up and carefully placed my hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it.
That proved to be a bit of a mistake.
Seconds after I squeezed, she looked over her shoulder to look at me with those big watery of eyes of hers. Then she swung around, embraced me in a bone creaking hug and buried her face into my shoulder and sobbed.
I sat as one of Brockton Bay's biggest heroes wept, feeling exceedingly awkward; hesitantly, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her back ever so carefully, and I began to murmur vaguely comforting sounds into her ear.
That seemed to do the trick, as her sobs began to patter out 'til all that remained were sniffles.
Loosening her grip on me she pulled away from the hug, though her hands were still idly stroking my arms, and once again resumed staring into my eyes like… like someone who was face to face with the person who'd saved her from a messy and painful death.
Oh, wait a second.
She broke eye contact first, glancing down to the ground. Then she glanced back up at me for a half second before her eyes darted down to the ground again.
"Thank you." She mumbled, a blush coming to her face as she again turned away from me.
"N-No problem…" I replied, a blush coming to my face now.
The two of us sat there on the ground lightly embracing one another and trading glances like a scene out of a particularly bad teen romance novel.
We were brought back to reality, however, when a fireball the size of a small car splashed into the building to my right. The stonework had turned red and molten from the heat, the slag beginning to run.
I saw Leon dodge another attack thrown by Lung, the great lion yelping as he leapt out of the way of a fireball that turned the pavement it had hit into slag.
Panting at the heat, the air had begun to simmer with it, Leon turned to Scourge, who has even now swearing loudly to himself as he attempted to absorb some of the ambient heat into himself. "We... We can't keep this Robert. Not by ourselves, we need reinforcements."
"No fucking kidding." Scourge spat. "We're fucked if we keep going. Lung just gets fucking bigger and tougher the longer we go at it."
"Unfortunately for everyone involved here, Lung will not let us just disengage from the battle. You know what he's like."
"Yeah, a cunt with a taste for death, destruction and Lazy-Boyz."
"He's going to murder you painfully for that comment."
While the two of them were talking, Lung just stood about twenty meters away from them, his increasingly dragonic features doing nothing to hide how incredibly smug he looked. He knew he was going to win, it was only a matter of time for him with his powers, and he was enjoying the fight. Enjoying how Leon and Scourge threw out their best powers and tactics and still came up short.
I hated him for it, for making the Heroes I had looked up to all my life look so small.
So I raised my freed hand, the other still wrapped around the hysterical Glory Girl, and fired off a blast of silver sand straight at his smug face.
His screams as my long distance sand blaster reduced his eyeballs to shreds were more gratifying that I would have liked.
Leon paused, looking first at Lung writhing on the ground in agony as his eyes tried to regenerate with silver sand poured into the wound and then back to me. A look of what could only be called complete incomprehension, before he shrugged it off.
"I'll take what the Yozi give me." He said, before he rushed up to me and took hold of me gently in his giant mouth and swung me up on to his back like princess onto her mount.
"Hold on tight Taylor, this is going to be hectic. " He instructed me as Scourge scooped Victoria up into his arms, and the group of us ran like a bat out of hell away from the screaming Lung, my hands groping for a handhold on his mane like my life depended on it as my world turned into a blur.
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greensun
You shall all burn beneath my light!!!
Miracles: 2.3
====================#
Clutching onto the back of Leon with a white knuckled grip as the wind roared in my ears and my hair streamed behind me, fear gripped me as Leon leapt over a moving van in one bound that left the poor driver white faced with terror.
His claws impacted against the tarmac, digging inch deep claw marks into the ground, before he leapt off again dashing through the crawling evening traffic with practised ease. The lights of the city blurred past as he ran faster than any natural creature could possibly match. The shouts and screams of the people as he and Scourge rushed towards the Temple of Yozi Undivided were nothing but background noise.
As I lay on top of the ginormous lion, eyes shut in primal terror, I could feel my childhood dreams of riding atop Leon like a warrior-queen shrivel up and die in a corner of my mind.
Another small noise of terror left me as he tore up the ground pulling around a corner, incidentally ruining a few parked cars as his brass and jade frame brushed against them, before I hesitantly peaked over my shoulder.
Scourge was trailing a few meters behind us, his feet boiling and igniting the tarmac with every step. He cradled Victoria gently in his arms as he ran faster than any human. Her head was carefully held up by his arm as she dozed there peacefully, even with the bruises and weeping lacerations that still covered her.
Even though I had seen the worst of her injuries heal, that I had no doubt saved her life, a worm of guilt worked its way up through my stomach as I saw her grimace in her sleep.
"Hey Leon!" Scourge shouted over the wind, "Glory Girl isn't doing too well right about now, should I break off and get her to the hospital?" He queried, worry in his voice.
Sighing, Leon looked over his hunches, incidentally forcing me to rapidly readjust my grip on his mane. "Scourge, the priority right now is Taylor. We cannot afford to split up. I am sorry, but Victoria will just have to suffer until we can get Taylor to the Temple."
"Rggh." Scourge growled, shooting Leon a foul look.
Wait, what!?
He was just going to leave Victoria like this? He wasn't going to let Scourge get her any help? Why in Gods name would he do that!?
"Leon, we… We can't just let her suffer!" I cut in. "Scourge can take her to the hospital, we'll be fine on our own."
"No buts! My decision is final." He snapped, a growl in his throat that made his entire frame vibrate. " I will not compromise your safety in any manner, are you clear on that?"
I said nothing. What could I say?
We continued on in silence; Scourge stewed in an anger that had the air around him literally steaming even as Leon picked up his pace, the Temple just in sight.
Leon kept going, but even as he ran, he still kept an eye focused on me. The two of us stared at one another for a long moment, the city nothing but a blur, before he sighed and looked away.
"Scourge, go and get Glory-Girl to the hospital. I will go on ahead alone."
"Yes!" Scourge shouted, doing a mini fist pump, before he switched directions and leapt over a three story apartment block in one go.
"I hope I'm not going to regret this Taylor." Leon mumbled, before he doubled his pace. The Temple was less than ten minutes away, I could even see the steps that led up to the great oaken doors.
I do hope Mother Anna is happy to see me.
=======================#
====================#
Clutching onto the back of Leon with a white knuckled grip as the wind roared in my ears and my hair streamed behind me, fear gripped me as Leon leapt over a moving van in one bound that left the poor driver white faced with terror.
His claws impacted against the tarmac, digging inch deep claw marks into the ground, before he leapt off again dashing through the crawling evening traffic with practised ease. The lights of the city blurred past as he ran faster than any natural creature could possibly match. The shouts and screams of the people as he and Scourge rushed towards the Temple of Yozi Undivided were nothing but background noise.
As I lay on top of the ginormous lion, eyes shut in primal terror, I could feel my childhood dreams of riding atop Leon like a warrior-queen shrivel up and die in a corner of my mind.
Another small noise of terror left me as he tore up the ground pulling around a corner, incidentally ruining a few parked cars as his brass and jade frame brushed against them, before I hesitantly peaked over my shoulder.
Scourge was trailing a few meters behind us, his feet boiling and igniting the tarmac with every step. He cradled Victoria gently in his arms as he ran faster than any human. Her head was carefully held up by his arm as she dozed there peacefully, even with the bruises and weeping lacerations that still covered her.
Even though I had seen the worst of her injuries heal, that I had no doubt saved her life, a worm of guilt worked its way up through my stomach as I saw her grimace in her sleep.
"Hey Leon!" Scourge shouted over the wind, "Glory Girl isn't doing too well right about now, should I break off and get her to the hospital?" He queried, worry in his voice.
Sighing, Leon looked over his hunches, incidentally forcing me to rapidly readjust my grip on his mane. "Scourge, the priority right now is Taylor. We cannot afford to split up. I am sorry, but Victoria will just have to suffer until we can get Taylor to the Temple."
"Rggh." Scourge growled, shooting Leon a foul look.
Wait, what!?
He was just going to leave Victoria like this? He wasn't going to let Scourge get her any help? Why in Gods name would he do that!?
"Leon, we… We can't just let her suffer!" I cut in. "Scourge can take her to the hospital, we'll be fine on our own."
"No buts! My decision is final." He snapped, a growl in his throat that made his entire frame vibrate. " I will not compromise your safety in any manner, are you clear on that?"
I said nothing. What could I say?
We continued on in silence; Scourge stewed in an anger that had the air around him literally steaming even as Leon picked up his pace, the Temple just in sight.
Leon kept going, but even as he ran, he still kept an eye focused on me. The two of us stared at one another for a long moment, the city nothing but a blur, before he sighed and looked away.
"Scourge, go and get Glory-Girl to the hospital. I will go on ahead alone."
"Yes!" Scourge shouted, doing a mini fist pump, before he switched directions and leapt over a three story apartment block in one go.
"I hope I'm not going to regret this Taylor." Leon mumbled, before he doubled his pace. The Temple was less than ten minutes away, I could even see the steps that led up to the great oaken doors.
I do hope Mother Anna is happy to see me.
=======================#
greensun
You shall all burn beneath my light!!!
Interlude: Anna
===========#
"By the Light of blessed Ligier are we sanctified!"
"By the Light of Blessed Ligier are we sanctified!" Several hundred voices repeated, the prayer echoing through arches and up to the very tip of the Tower of Qaf. Above the gathered congregation were murals of Saints and the souls of the Yozi. A sea of green waters and indigo ice did battle with a flame more primordial than the stars. A shadow of a dragon coiled around a woman of magnificent beauty, the shadow's claws digging into her marble white flesh, even as a man of brass and fury leapt at the serpent fist first.
A mural of a brass and basalt city scape dominated the northern ceiling, a green sun hanging over the cities sky as a nude man of brass danced among its inhuman inhabitants.
The seated worshippers numbered in their hundreds, men and women of varying nationalities coming to give honour to the Titans that forged the world, their heads bowed in supplication and their hands grasped together in prayer.
"May Orbalis give Wisdom, but not too much. May The Prince Upon the Tower ease your journeys, and may Erembour make your love passionate and fruitful."
The Grand-Priestess of the Yozi smiled as her congregation repeated the ending prayer of today's mass back to her once more. To see the faith of her flock was one of the greatest joys she had left in her life.
She was clad in her blue robe of office which was clasped together around her neck with a brass pendantwith a sand glass symbol carved into it and wearing a beautiful dress of green velvet that went down past her feet to trail behind and it displayed an amount of cleavage that would be a hangable offense in any other religion besides the Cult of the Yozi.
Red hair tumbling down from her hood, Anna raised her arms as if to embrace all of her followers, all of her family, and spoke the last words of the Blessings of the Creators.
"And may those who forged the world bless you. May the Yozi look upon your works and see them worthy of their kindness, and may They forever be the rulers of All."
No one repeated the last line, for only she had the authority as a Grand-Priestess to use Their names in service without risking a good smiting.
She held her arms up as the crowd sat in silence, before she brought them down and the people began to shuffle around in their seats, chatting amongst themselves, the mass at an end.
"Just one last thing before you, my friends." She addressed the crowd before anyone could make their way out of the temple.
"As you are all probably aware, Taylor Hebert went missing over a week ago following a spat of horrific bullying." The people had quieted down now, listening to the Preistess. " I would like to have a minute of silence for her, and request that you keep her and her Father in your thoughts and prayers."
Anna bowed her head, with the congregation following suit a few seconds after.
The news about just why Taylor had run away, about how the school had covered it up in an attempt to save face had made national headlines, and civil suits were pending against the school and most of the staff fired in disgrace.
Just the thought of what those girls did to Annette's daughter made her want to strangle them, as things stood she'd hired a lawyer friend of hers to help Danny in his case against the school and the girl's parents.
She would not let this stand, no way in hell. She was not Daniel, a man so paralysed at the thought of losing his temper that he was crippled to inaction. Anna had sworn that she would get vengeance for the girl no matter where her soul now lay.
She and her flock prayed silently together, the temple all but quiet save for the occasional cough.
With a sudden, thunderous bang the doors burst open breaking the silence, a harried looking Lintha man running through them. The crowd turned to stare as the man moved quickly to where she was standing on the podium.
"Emm… We have a rather pressing situation outside right now." He said, his green face flushing as she leveled a glare at him.
"I am trying to conduct a religious service." She hissed, her glare growing in intensity. "Can it not wait?"
"Ahhhhah, no, I don't believe it can." He began nervously, "Leon and Scourge found Taylor Hebert when they went out to investigate source of the green pillar of light. Aha, she was the source, Taylor is the Chosen."
"Oh… Oh dear."
=============#
===========#
"By the Light of blessed Ligier are we sanctified!"
"By the Light of Blessed Ligier are we sanctified!" Several hundred voices repeated, the prayer echoing through arches and up to the very tip of the Tower of Qaf. Above the gathered congregation were murals of Saints and the souls of the Yozi. A sea of green waters and indigo ice did battle with a flame more primordial than the stars. A shadow of a dragon coiled around a woman of magnificent beauty, the shadow's claws digging into her marble white flesh, even as a man of brass and fury leapt at the serpent fist first.
A mural of a brass and basalt city scape dominated the northern ceiling, a green sun hanging over the cities sky as a nude man of brass danced among its inhuman inhabitants.
The seated worshippers numbered in their hundreds, men and women of varying nationalities coming to give honour to the Titans that forged the world, their heads bowed in supplication and their hands grasped together in prayer.
"May Orbalis give Wisdom, but not too much. May The Prince Upon the Tower ease your journeys, and may Erembour make your love passionate and fruitful."
The Grand-Priestess of the Yozi smiled as her congregation repeated the ending prayer of today's mass back to her once more. To see the faith of her flock was one of the greatest joys she had left in her life.
She was clad in her blue robe of office which was clasped together around her neck with a brass pendantwith a sand glass symbol carved into it and wearing a beautiful dress of green velvet that went down past her feet to trail behind and it displayed an amount of cleavage that would be a hangable offense in any other religion besides the Cult of the Yozi.
Red hair tumbling down from her hood, Anna raised her arms as if to embrace all of her followers, all of her family, and spoke the last words of the Blessings of the Creators.
"And may those who forged the world bless you. May the Yozi look upon your works and see them worthy of their kindness, and may They forever be the rulers of All."
No one repeated the last line, for only she had the authority as a Grand-Priestess to use Their names in service without risking a good smiting.
She held her arms up as the crowd sat in silence, before she brought them down and the people began to shuffle around in their seats, chatting amongst themselves, the mass at an end.
"Just one last thing before you, my friends." She addressed the crowd before anyone could make their way out of the temple.
"As you are all probably aware, Taylor Hebert went missing over a week ago following a spat of horrific bullying." The people had quieted down now, listening to the Preistess. " I would like to have a minute of silence for her, and request that you keep her and her Father in your thoughts and prayers."
Anna bowed her head, with the congregation following suit a few seconds after.
The news about just why Taylor had run away, about how the school had covered it up in an attempt to save face had made national headlines, and civil suits were pending against the school and most of the staff fired in disgrace.
Just the thought of what those girls did to Annette's daughter made her want to strangle them, as things stood she'd hired a lawyer friend of hers to help Danny in his case against the school and the girl's parents.
She would not let this stand, no way in hell. She was not Daniel, a man so paralysed at the thought of losing his temper that he was crippled to inaction. Anna had sworn that she would get vengeance for the girl no matter where her soul now lay.
She and her flock prayed silently together, the temple all but quiet save for the occasional cough.
With a sudden, thunderous bang the doors burst open breaking the silence, a harried looking Lintha man running through them. The crowd turned to stare as the man moved quickly to where she was standing on the podium.
"Emm… We have a rather pressing situation outside right now." He said, his green face flushing as she leveled a glare at him.
"I am trying to conduct a religious service." She hissed, her glare growing in intensity. "Can it not wait?"
"Ahhhhah, no, I don't believe it can." He began nervously, "Leon and Scourge found Taylor Hebert when they went out to investigate source of the green pillar of light. Aha, she was the source, Taylor is the Chosen."
"Oh… Oh dear."
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greensun
You shall all burn beneath my light!!!
Chapter 3.1: Divine Prerogative
================#
I smiled rather shakily at the Acolyte as I thanked her for the robe. The other girl, who was barely older than me by the looks of things, bowed to me before she left the side room where I was changing
Technically speaking the blue robe was supposed to worn only by fully trained members of the Priesthood of Cecelyne, but apparently this was the only thing they had in my size. Not surprising when I thought about it, I'd hit six feet in height since I got out of the cocoon, I'd also filled out a decent amount as well, no more washboard for me!
Note to self: if I ever see that wasp thing again, I'd have to give a good kiss on the nose.
The sound of quiet snickering made me pause; I looked over my shoulder but found nothing. Shrugging my shoulders, I continued on.
Still it was nice fit and the silk was far from unpleasant to wear and while it was far fancy than what I was used to wearing; with a hood, which I kept down, and Cecelyne's hourglass woven into the chest with silver thread, it was comfortable against my skin and went well with my complexion.
"You can turn around now." I said to Leon, who was turned around to face a corner. He had offered to leave me change, but I wasn't exactly comfortable being on my own right now, not after what I'd just gone through. So I'd asked him to stay, and he had turned around for modesty's sake.
"You are done, are you? Good, the Mother wants to see you before I send you off to bed." Leon said as he pushed the door open for me.
"Ah, was she worried about me?" I asked quietly, a stab of guilt twisting in my gut.
"We all were Taylor." He told me in his rumbling voice "Most of the Deliberative was deployed in the search for you, I even called in New Wave to help for a few days."
"O-Oh." Well, I certainty hadn't seen that coming.
With a shove of his massive paw, Leon opened the large oak doors that lead to the Antechamber and let me enter before him, chivalrous old lion that he was, and I sighed in appreciation at the familiar beauty before me.
The great doors closed behind me with a resounding clang Leon and myself stepped into the antechamber of the Temple.
I felt a familiar sense of awe come over me as I gazed at beautiful Lintha architecture and the many shrines to the Yozi and their Deva.
To my right was a statue of the Ebon Dragon carved out of black obsidian with eyes of yellow gemstone, which was ritually turned away so that his baleful gaze would not turn to worshipers of the other Lords of Creation. A shrine to the Great Mother was of course one of the larger shrines in the Temple, we were Lintha after all, with Green Marble pillars inscribed with her teachings surrounding an impressively large piece of indigo coral that was to ritually represent Kimbery in all rituals and prayers.
Above that was a tapestry that represented her war against the flame. Purple waves that bore innumerable Lintha warships crashed into an ocean of flames that was just about every color imaginable.
The Bringer of Law's Shrine, which had always been my favorite, was an equally grandiose affair; with azure banners bearing the hour glass that was the sacred symbol of law hung from the walls and pillars, bringing a brightness that the other shrines lacked. It was also a Library; shelves filled with books and scrolls of all kinds. From children's stories to older tales of the Lintha People and law books from just about every culture imaginable; from Modern American to Ancient Greek they were all there so that Her Law-Makers could properly informed decisions about the laws that mortals passed.
And in the center of the Temple taking pride of place was Ligier the Green Sun and the Heart of Malfeas, The King of All Kings. His blade, the sword of the Yozi, was held high above him as if he wanted to pierce the very heavens. His other three arms were spread out like he wished to embrace the world in his strong, muscled arms.
"Taylor!" A woman's voice called out my name, startling me. I spun around in time to be embraced by Mother Anna, the High-priestess of the Yozi squeezing me tightly against her chest.
"Oh Taylor, I was so worried about you." She said breathlessly, loosening her hold so she could kiss my cheeks, which by now had turned crimson. "You had us all so worried! When Daniel had told us how you'd just up and left, well, you had us all fearing the worst!"
Dad. Oh God, I'd completely forgotten about him!
"I-Is my Dad here?" I asked nervously, looking around the temple on the off chance that he might be around.
"No, sweetie, he's at your house. But I left one of the Priestesses there with him to keep him company." She said, taking my by the arm and leading me through the throng of people that I noticed for the first time were staring right at me. "But right now I'm more concerned about you; I'm going to give you my bed so you can get some sleep. And don't worry, I'll arrange for your father to be picked up. I may even ask Hell-Storm to do it personally."
"T-thank you, Mother Anna. You didn't have to go through all of this trouble for me."
"But I want to, dear." She said, smiling at me. "Come, lets get you to my own quarters, you can use my king size for tonight. Tomorrow we'll have to discuss some serious stuff with your father and Leon, but right now you need your rest."
With that, she led me up the stairs to the living area of the Temple, passing the shrine to Cecelyne and Orabilis as we went by. The blue crystal statue of the Giver of Law seeming to watch me as I walked.
============#
================#
I smiled rather shakily at the Acolyte as I thanked her for the robe. The other girl, who was barely older than me by the looks of things, bowed to me before she left the side room where I was changing
Technically speaking the blue robe was supposed to worn only by fully trained members of the Priesthood of Cecelyne, but apparently this was the only thing they had in my size. Not surprising when I thought about it, I'd hit six feet in height since I got out of the cocoon, I'd also filled out a decent amount as well, no more washboard for me!
Note to self: if I ever see that wasp thing again, I'd have to give a good kiss on the nose.
The sound of quiet snickering made me pause; I looked over my shoulder but found nothing. Shrugging my shoulders, I continued on.
Still it was nice fit and the silk was far from unpleasant to wear and while it was far fancy than what I was used to wearing; with a hood, which I kept down, and Cecelyne's hourglass woven into the chest with silver thread, it was comfortable against my skin and went well with my complexion.
"You can turn around now." I said to Leon, who was turned around to face a corner. He had offered to leave me change, but I wasn't exactly comfortable being on my own right now, not after what I'd just gone through. So I'd asked him to stay, and he had turned around for modesty's sake.
"You are done, are you? Good, the Mother wants to see you before I send you off to bed." Leon said as he pushed the door open for me.
"Ah, was she worried about me?" I asked quietly, a stab of guilt twisting in my gut.
"We all were Taylor." He told me in his rumbling voice "Most of the Deliberative was deployed in the search for you, I even called in New Wave to help for a few days."
"O-Oh." Well, I certainty hadn't seen that coming.
With a shove of his massive paw, Leon opened the large oak doors that lead to the Antechamber and let me enter before him, chivalrous old lion that he was, and I sighed in appreciation at the familiar beauty before me.
The great doors closed behind me with a resounding clang Leon and myself stepped into the antechamber of the Temple.
I felt a familiar sense of awe come over me as I gazed at beautiful Lintha architecture and the many shrines to the Yozi and their Deva.
To my right was a statue of the Ebon Dragon carved out of black obsidian with eyes of yellow gemstone, which was ritually turned away so that his baleful gaze would not turn to worshipers of the other Lords of Creation. A shrine to the Great Mother was of course one of the larger shrines in the Temple, we were Lintha after all, with Green Marble pillars inscribed with her teachings surrounding an impressively large piece of indigo coral that was to ritually represent Kimbery in all rituals and prayers.
Above that was a tapestry that represented her war against the flame. Purple waves that bore innumerable Lintha warships crashed into an ocean of flames that was just about every color imaginable.
The Bringer of Law's Shrine, which had always been my favorite, was an equally grandiose affair; with azure banners bearing the hour glass that was the sacred symbol of law hung from the walls and pillars, bringing a brightness that the other shrines lacked. It was also a Library; shelves filled with books and scrolls of all kinds. From children's stories to older tales of the Lintha People and law books from just about every culture imaginable; from Modern American to Ancient Greek they were all there so that Her Law-Makers could properly informed decisions about the laws that mortals passed.
And in the center of the Temple taking pride of place was Ligier the Green Sun and the Heart of Malfeas, The King of All Kings. His blade, the sword of the Yozi, was held high above him as if he wanted to pierce the very heavens. His other three arms were spread out like he wished to embrace the world in his strong, muscled arms.
"Taylor!" A woman's voice called out my name, startling me. I spun around in time to be embraced by Mother Anna, the High-priestess of the Yozi squeezing me tightly against her chest.
"Oh Taylor, I was so worried about you." She said breathlessly, loosening her hold so she could kiss my cheeks, which by now had turned crimson. "You had us all so worried! When Daniel had told us how you'd just up and left, well, you had us all fearing the worst!"
Dad. Oh God, I'd completely forgotten about him!
"I-Is my Dad here?" I asked nervously, looking around the temple on the off chance that he might be around.
"No, sweetie, he's at your house. But I left one of the Priestesses there with him to keep him company." She said, taking my by the arm and leading me through the throng of people that I noticed for the first time were staring right at me. "But right now I'm more concerned about you; I'm going to give you my bed so you can get some sleep. And don't worry, I'll arrange for your father to be picked up. I may even ask Hell-Storm to do it personally."
"T-thank you, Mother Anna. You didn't have to go through all of this trouble for me."
"But I want to, dear." She said, smiling at me. "Come, lets get you to my own quarters, you can use my king size for tonight. Tomorrow we'll have to discuss some serious stuff with your father and Leon, but right now you need your rest."
With that, she led me up the stairs to the living area of the Temple, passing the shrine to Cecelyne and Orabilis as we went by. The blue crystal statue of the Giver of Law seeming to watch me as I walked.
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10
greensun
You shall all burn beneath my light!!!
Divine Prerogative 3.2
=============#
The bedsheets were pure silk.
I ran a hand over the top of the blankets, and couldn't help but marvel at the softness and smoothness of the material. It was like running my hand over a pool of water, it was just that smooth. It must have cost an absolute fortune to buy, and the entire bed was made out of it! From the sheets to blanket and the pillow cases, they were all made from the same light as air silk.
I wonder if Anna had gotten a bulk deal with the supplier?
A spike of irritation of shot through as I realized that I was trying to distract myself from thinking about the situation I was in.
I was Parahuman, a cape. I had gotten my powers not from a Trigger Event, but rather from a deal with some kind of case-53 dealer. Who knew just what kind of favors he might ask? He and whoever he worked for, I refused to believe that he was operating alone, had a very large Sword of Damocles over my head at the moment.
Or maybe I had just seen things from the stress. I mean, why would a person explode themselves and form a cocoon around me to grant me superpowers? I had heard that sometimes people had visions when they triggered, maybe that was what had happened to me? All things considered it wouldn't be too far fetched of a thing to happen.
It was certainly a better explanation than some giant wasp-thing just giving me superpowers out of nowhere.
I rolled onto my other side, sighing as my head hit the blue silk pillow. At times like this, I yearned for the company of Strength Of The Pride the most; she may have been barely two decades old, but she always had this way of soothing my frayed nerves during these moments.
I missed her.
I didn't even try and stop the pathetic little chuckle that followed that thought. I, a Solar Warlord who had dueled the fetich Soul of a Primordial Titan to a standstill while Merela strangled its progenitor, was pinning after her Lunar mate like a pup straight out of Exaltation! How the mighty have fallen indeed.
Still, I had never felt this way about another person before. Even Strength Of The Pride's previous incarnation had been nothing more than a glorified sounding board. We had never been as close as were now. Even his death had only made me feel mildly annoyed by the inconvenience of the socially required vengeance.
But now? I buried my head into my pillow to suppress the giggle, my Giggle! Lest my demon slaves overhear me and give me those annoyingly knowing looks that I usually executed them for.
Blinking in confusion, I raised my head out of the pillow as memories and thoughts that weren't mine fled just outside of my grasp.
"Holy shit." I hissed out from between gritted teeth. Those weren't my thoughts, they weren't my feelings! I had felt a childish love for someone I had never even meet before; I'd blushed in embarrassment, but it wasn't my embarrassment in the first place. I had felt a longing and desire keener than every experience of my life combined, and it hadn't even been my experience!
What in Ligier's name was happening to me!?
'Good question' a voice from my hind brain answered. 'That was... most unusual.'
I froze stock still; my mouth hung open in pure shock. A voice had spoken to me, from inside my head. It was most certainly a cause for alarm.
'Now my princess, there is no need to be alarmed. I mean you no harm. It is not like I could actually do so even if I wished it.' My new psychosis said soothingly.
"I'm h-hearing voices inside my head." I whispered to the room at large. "I-I think I-I'm starting to go crazy."
'By the mortal definition of 'sanity', yes, you are.'it said. 'But you are hardly mortal anymore, and such labels are meaningless in the face of your Exaltation.'
"Stop talking!" I said shrilly as hysteria began to firmly take hold.
'Please, my Princess, calm yourself. I am no figment of a maddened imagination.' it said in a soothing manner, 'You and I have already met once before, upon the rooftop when I presented you your Exaltation.'
The roof? He couldn't have meant... Was he the wasp!? That couldn't be possible, it just couldn't be! He had exploded around me, his gore wrapping around me to form a cocoon... Ah shit.
'So you have worked it out have you? Good, it will save time on explanations then.' he, it, whatever said. 'As you have just deduced, I am indeed the one who gave you your power. My name is Lucent Wing, I am an Agatae.' It informed me, the sound of chattering mandibles echoing through my mind,'One of the many kinds of Deva who are descended from the Whim of the Wind, and I am here to serve as both your companion and guide through your rights and responsibilities as one of Malefactors of the most Infinite Cecelyne, the Endless Desert and The Primacy of Law.'
"What did you say?" My voice raising a couple of octaves at just who he had referred to.
'Ah yes, you are well aware of those who were responsible for empowering you. After all, you have worshiped them since you were able to pray, haven't you?'
"B-But that can't be possible, can it?" I asked, as a feeling of what I could only describe as dread settled over me.
'They saw your failure, saw your defeat and the injustices wrought upon you, and were moved. For They have suffered injustices and imprisonment by the hands of tyrants before and as such have granted you a Princedom in Their name, so that you may both rise above your tormentors and free them from their bondage.'
"Oh."
=================#
=============#
The bedsheets were pure silk.
I ran a hand over the top of the blankets, and couldn't help but marvel at the softness and smoothness of the material. It was like running my hand over a pool of water, it was just that smooth. It must have cost an absolute fortune to buy, and the entire bed was made out of it! From the sheets to blanket and the pillow cases, they were all made from the same light as air silk.
I wonder if Anna had gotten a bulk deal with the supplier?
A spike of irritation of shot through as I realized that I was trying to distract myself from thinking about the situation I was in.
I was Parahuman, a cape. I had gotten my powers not from a Trigger Event, but rather from a deal with some kind of case-53 dealer. Who knew just what kind of favors he might ask? He and whoever he worked for, I refused to believe that he was operating alone, had a very large Sword of Damocles over my head at the moment.
Or maybe I had just seen things from the stress. I mean, why would a person explode themselves and form a cocoon around me to grant me superpowers? I had heard that sometimes people had visions when they triggered, maybe that was what had happened to me? All things considered it wouldn't be too far fetched of a thing to happen.
It was certainly a better explanation than some giant wasp-thing just giving me superpowers out of nowhere.
I rolled onto my other side, sighing as my head hit the blue silk pillow. At times like this, I yearned for the company of Strength Of The Pride the most; she may have been barely two decades old, but she always had this way of soothing my frayed nerves during these moments.
I missed her.
I didn't even try and stop the pathetic little chuckle that followed that thought. I, a Solar Warlord who had dueled the fetich Soul of a Primordial Titan to a standstill while Merela strangled its progenitor, was pinning after her Lunar mate like a pup straight out of Exaltation! How the mighty have fallen indeed.
Still, I had never felt this way about another person before. Even Strength Of The Pride's previous incarnation had been nothing more than a glorified sounding board. We had never been as close as were now. Even his death had only made me feel mildly annoyed by the inconvenience of the socially required vengeance.
But now? I buried my head into my pillow to suppress the giggle, my Giggle! Lest my demon slaves overhear me and give me those annoyingly knowing looks that I usually executed them for.
Blinking in confusion, I raised my head out of the pillow as memories and thoughts that weren't mine fled just outside of my grasp.
"Holy shit." I hissed out from between gritted teeth. Those weren't my thoughts, they weren't my feelings! I had felt a childish love for someone I had never even meet before; I'd blushed in embarrassment, but it wasn't my embarrassment in the first place. I had felt a longing and desire keener than every experience of my life combined, and it hadn't even been my experience!
What in Ligier's name was happening to me!?
'Good question' a voice from my hind brain answered. 'That was... most unusual.'
I froze stock still; my mouth hung open in pure shock. A voice had spoken to me, from inside my head. It was most certainly a cause for alarm.
'Now my princess, there is no need to be alarmed. I mean you no harm. It is not like I could actually do so even if I wished it.' My new psychosis said soothingly.
"I'm h-hearing voices inside my head." I whispered to the room at large. "I-I think I-I'm starting to go crazy."
'By the mortal definition of 'sanity', yes, you are.'it said. 'But you are hardly mortal anymore, and such labels are meaningless in the face of your Exaltation.'
"Stop talking!" I said shrilly as hysteria began to firmly take hold.
'Please, my Princess, calm yourself. I am no figment of a maddened imagination.' it said in a soothing manner, 'You and I have already met once before, upon the rooftop when I presented you your Exaltation.'
The roof? He couldn't have meant... Was he the wasp!? That couldn't be possible, it just couldn't be! He had exploded around me, his gore wrapping around me to form a cocoon... Ah shit.
'So you have worked it out have you? Good, it will save time on explanations then.' he, it, whatever said. 'As you have just deduced, I am indeed the one who gave you your power. My name is Lucent Wing, I am an Agatae.' It informed me, the sound of chattering mandibles echoing through my mind,'One of the many kinds of Deva who are descended from the Whim of the Wind, and I am here to serve as both your companion and guide through your rights and responsibilities as one of Malefactors of the most Infinite Cecelyne, the Endless Desert and The Primacy of Law.'
"What did you say?" My voice raising a couple of octaves at just who he had referred to.
'Ah yes, you are well aware of those who were responsible for empowering you. After all, you have worshiped them since you were able to pray, haven't you?'
"B-But that can't be possible, can it?" I asked, as a feeling of what I could only describe as dread settled over me.
'They saw your failure, saw your defeat and the injustices wrought upon you, and were moved. For They have suffered injustices and imprisonment by the hands of tyrants before and as such have granted you a Princedom in Their name, so that you may both rise above your tormentors and free them from their bondage.'
"Oh."
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