Titanomachy 8.4
SirWill
Know what you're doing yet?
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A/N: Yep, this is going to be rough.
I've been struggling with this for a while now. I'm still not wholly happy with it, but it must be posted else no progress will be made.
Also, Backtrax on Spacebattles is awesome. He remains awesome. He deserves a cake.
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"Where? Where is Behemoth going?" Alexandria demanded.
Apostle shook his head. "I can't tell. He's moving. Determined. He wants to be free, both of them do. They don't sense the world we do. It's part of their mutilation, all they sense is through their powers."
Gaia nodded with a shudder. "I sensed things through vibrations in the Earth, attacks against my skin. I could not see, nor hear, nor breathe. If Ifrit and Lotan are limited in the same way, they can not see, nor choose what they do. They must act, they have no choice, and at best they can only steer their actions somewhat."
Dragon's head tilted slightly. "I'm reading earthquakes over a wide area...epicentre is...northern Wyoming. Near Highway 212."
Alexandria frowned. "There's no major infrastructure there. No big cities. What's his target?"
Dragon was still for a moment, then she stiffened. "Yellowstone National Park. That's his target. Nothing else fits."
Contessa paled. "Unacceptable."
I shook my head. "What, what's so important about him hitting the park?"
Dragon's voice was grave. "Yellowstone sits upon a supervolcano. The last time it erupted, it destroyed several mountains in the range and killed everything within a hundred mile radius. It spread ash into the atmosphere and covered nearly half the continent in an ash cloud. That would destroy the major food production for the United States and Canada, those who don't die from the eruption will starve in the coming months. It could also alter weather patterns, bringing on a worldwide winter for at least the next two, perhaps three years."
Well. No wonder this was so damn important. That's one hell of a move.
"Leviathan?" I demanded.
Dragon paused. "Endbringer prediction isn't simple...so far, eighty percent chance he's heading for Britain. Still calculating landing site..."
I paused for a moment. I had a faint feeling I knew where he'd be going. "Definitely Britain. He's going to sink the damn island."
Dragon twisted her head to look directly at me. "That's a high possibility, but why?"
I shook my head. "They're the first ones who bought a portal from me. The Endbringers always attacked that which gave people hope. If he was heading for here, or America, I'd be pretty sure he'd be hitting Brockton Bay. I don't know where they took the portal, though."
Apostle nodded. "The gods are held and sealed within weapons programmed by the Abomination Dracul managed to kill. Their programming is set to keep a species held on-world, trapped, to help collect information to help them evolve. It...improvised, from what I know, to hold the gods. The act was a rush-job, they were never intended to be let loose like this. Presumably the Abomination would have refined things later on, but as it is, the weapon is drawing upon Lotan's power to cause carnage. Lotan doesn't have any choice. Britain's working on trying to get off-world, so he has to strike there." He looked at Dragon. "We need to split our forces. Heavy Blasters, radiation neutralizers, firefighters on Behemoth. Shielders and force-fields on Leviathan. Hopefully the equipment we have and the aid will help."
Chronos nodded. "I will aid against Lotan."
"And I." Gaia spoke, her voice filled with determination. "We must end the acts of our wayward brothers."
Contessa looked at me. "We must prioritize. Both targets will mean far too much damage if either Endbringer destroys it. We may be able to handle the disaster of one if we pour our resources into destroying the other. But it becomes far less certain if we split our forces."
Now I was beginning to grasp just what Cauldron had been going through over the years. If I went after Behemoth, and Leviathan destroyed Britain, that meant sixty million dead and a lot of my work dashed. The other choice meant a hundred million dead and the world's strongest nation crippled. And that was just assuming we simply drove them off.
Still. We could kill them. It was just insanely difficult.
I got to my feet. "We needed two gods to break one before. But we're a lot better prepared now, and we've got a lot of magic to throw at them. I'll handle Leviathan." I looked to Dragon. "Think our preparations will be enough for Behemoth?"
Resolutely, Dragon nodded. "Perhaps. I dislike spreading out like this. Leviathan's bad enough. Behemoth, too? We can't afford to spread out, but they're forcing our hands." She paused for a moment, then nodded resolutely. "I will be needed to drop off Atlas in Behemoth's path. Hopefully we can either drive him back or end him quickly enough for me to aid with Leviathan."
I nodded. "Right. And if we manage to take Leviathan down fast enough, I'll rush to aid with Behemoth. Not much choice, here."
Apostle had a faint smile on his lips. "I've been preparing, too. We'll stop them."
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It was night at Swansea. It had once been one of the more prosperous cities in the United Kingdom, and the second largest city in Wales. From where we were staging at the city's university campus, I was overcome for a moment at what had been lost. It was plain to see this had been a prosperous campus once, bustling, busy. The kind of place my mom wanted to teach, once upon a time. Had I been a bit older, and...alive, I might have liked to study here, in its heyday. Nowadays though, the place wasn't in the greatest shape. The buildings were weather-worn, crumbling somewhat. The university had been abandoned after the Simurgh hit London and created so many knock-on effects from that attack that the United Kingdom was still feeling it. Swansea University had been bombed by a London citizen and thereafter closed from structural damage, and nobody had the time or money to rebuild it.
Even at a remove, even at a great distance, this screwed-up world of ours seemed to conspire to dash hopes and break dreams.
Strider deposited capes in groups into the middle of the campus parking lot. I, on the other hand, left portals open in twenty major cities, mostly just following the list that Dragon had given me, also placing an exit portal in Wyoming for the Behemoth battle. The result? We had a hundred capes here at least, and more were arriving in fits and spurts every minute or so.
At the front of the campus was a box with familiar-looking armbands. What was less familiar was the amulet fused into the front. It made sense, everyone who took one would be protected somewhat by Light Magic as they fought, but it wouldn't do me any favors. I took an armband, ripped the amulet off, and slipped it around my right arm. Then I licked my fingers, because that actually hurt my fingertips a little.
The armband chirped. "State identity for the database."
"Scarlet Dragon." I pressed the button to confirm.
"Scarlet Dragon confirmed. Scarlet Dragon deceased, NC-6."
I frowned. Slapped it. "I'm not dead, nitwit." Undead, maybe.
"Recalibrating. Scarlet Dragon entered."
I saw Gaia looking at me with amusement. I chucked an armband at her, and she caught it, slipping it on without complaint.
Chronos floated to the side of the campus, lifting a hand. There was a rippling, a distortion, and suddenly I was looking through it to... somewhere. Then twelve people strode through, wearing gray, armored bodysuits, and no masks. Some of them were armed, one with a pistol, another with a rifle, and the rest had daggers and shortswords.
My jaw dropped open. I recognized the young woman at the lead of the group. Pretty, blonde, and I had seen her last in the middle of a Gray Boy timeloop. Sarah Kissinger. I let myself drift to the ground and walked up to her. I put on a smile. "Well, this is unexpected. Glad you could make it. I just learned about you getting out."
Sarah nodded. "Wish it could be under better circumstances. Not how I wanted to run just after making my debut, but at least I'm not fighting against a couple of superpowered inbreeding rednecks. Again."
A woman behind her with bright blue hair broke out in a grin. "Oh come on, that was like, two weeks ago."
The man with the rifle coughed. "Actually, that was about thirty minutes ago."
She paused. "Really? Huh. I lost track of time."
The entire gray-clad group groaned. The man with the pistol, his black hair streaked with grey, spoke with exasperation. "Really, Robin, you had to say that?"
Chronos cleared his throat. At least, he made the right sounds, I wasn't sure he had a throat. "We have work to prepare for. I will be working to slow the beast. The rest of you must act where needed."
Robin grinned. "Right, S&R are all mine." She zipped off, literally at blinding speed.
Sarah shook her head. "Right, doubling up. Anyway, rest of us will help shield. We can try and pin him, but we know he's tricky. We've been trying to prepare for this since we were freed from our personal hells."
I nodded. Taking a moment to look around, I spotted a few familiar masks in the gathering crowd. Narwhal stood next to Miss Militia, the two seemingly engrossed in conversation. Miss Militia had a bandolier of grenades wrapped around her body. Dauntless was next to her, quietly chatting. Clockblocker and Paladin stood there, her right hand drifting over the hilt of the whip on her belt. Alucard stood next to her, wearing his midnight blue armor, a blue cape hanging from his shoulders. I moved next to them, my voice quiet. "Good to see you guys here. Guessing the rest are heading to Behemoth?"
Paladin bit her lip. "Not all of the Brockton Protectorate made it, and the rest are heading where they need to go. The rest of the Wards aren't coming."
"Yeah, kinda sucks." Clockblocker said. "Least I've got a good reason, not too many people around that could buy time for the docs and surgeons to get to work. I ain't about to run away when it comes to this stuff."
Paladin shrugged at him. "We've been split up based on powers. We're going to be working as medics, as much as we can. I've been working on producing enough amulets for the fight, but there's only a few ways to charge them, and we can't really set something up because Leviathan can just come right in and smash it."
Alucard nodded. "This will be difficult." His hand drifted down to the hilt of the blade on his hip. "However, this is not the first time I have battled a god, though admittedly said god is more than Lotan was. I will fight as I can, though it will be difficult."
I smiled and patted his shoulder. "Thanks for being here." I felt my wings twitch as the wind began to pick up, and the air became both cool and moist.
Alexandria moved to the front of the crowd, raising her hands. "Thank you all for coming. This situation is unusual. Normally, Legend is giving this speech, but he is preparing for the battle with Behemoth in Wyoming. We have an estimated ten minutes before Leviathan arrives. We're fairly sure he's going to strike Britain as a whole, and we're well aware that he's capable of destroying the entire island, but his landing point is estimated to be right here. Normally, we split battles with Leviathan into hard and soft targets. Hard is where we fight him, try to pin him down and buy time for Scion's arrival. Soft targets are where we cannot afford to do this. Swansea and Swansea Bay is not ideal, as this region has all the markings of a soft target."
She lifted her head, looking out at the crowd. "However, this time we come prepared. Protectorate members, you've been outfitted with systems built by Dragon to help protect you. For the villains volunteering to assist, your armbands have been upgraded with the same systems. Should you take an injury, they will attempt to heal you and get you back in the fight." She made a gesture at her side at another cape, one wearing a silver and gold set of armor, a massive weapon that looked like a cross between a sword and a cannon resting on his shoulder.
The cape took the cue. "I am Chevalier, you might know me from Philadelphia. We've all got weapons to help us do damage to Leviathan." Suddenly, his blade was on fire, burning with my power, with Hellfire. "Scarlet Dragon has given us materials to work with, allowing us to draw on the same powers that she used to destroy the Simurgh."
I fought to keep from shifting on my feet as glances suddenly turned my way.
Chevalier gestured at the front of the crowd, where another box lay. "There are amulets here that will help channel that same power, allow you all to use it against Leviathan. They have limited charge, but they should be enough. Use them against him. What we're looking for is a core in Leviathan, it's going to be buried underneath the densest layers of flesh inside him. Break that core, and we break the Endbringer."
Alexandria nodded as she took an amulet herself, letting it fall around her neck. A moment later, she flared with red Hellfire, before the pyrotechnics faded. "I won't lie. This will be dangerous. Even on a good day, we lose people. But we have the means. We have the knowledge. We have the target. We know how to kill them. We have veterans of many Endbringer battles here today, and we have more hands today than I've ever seen ready to fight. We can kill him. Let's make this the last day the Endbringers plagued our world. Let us send them both back to the pits of Hell they came from!"
There was a cheer from a man in power armor near the front. Then another, then another, voices in the crowd taking up the call. As they did, light and fire began to flare, blue and red alike, Light and Hellfire being called upon by the forces ready to act.
Then there was a crack of thunder, and it began to rain. Gently at first, but soon the drops came in, thick and fat.
I lifted myself off the ground, moving to the front of the crowd. I called upon the Void Sword, to help calm my nerves. I kind of needed it, because every eye was on me, now.
Swallowing my nervousness, I looked out over them, meeting the eyes and faceplates of every cape there. "For twenty years, you have all fought to save what was important. For twenty years, you have fought unending battles against the Endbringers, to fight for a hope of a better future. For twenty years, you have acted and prayed for help from any god that might hear you."
I lifted the Void Sword and pointed it at the heavens. "I have heard you. I am the Lady of Darkness, matched only by one other god. I am here to fight alongside you. I am here to end the Endbringer. I have heard your prayers! I have heard your wants! I will aid you in this war against civilization's end. I am the Scarlet Dragon."
I lifted my empty hand. "And the storm..." I concentrated, sending my power up and outward. There was resistance. Leviathan was fighting me, even from here. Even hundreds of miles distant.
Still, I pushed my power into the storm, grasping it with an iron will. "Is."
Lightning gathered in my hand, and I thrust it into the sky. "Mine."
My lightning arced upward, racing through the forming stormclouds above. The storm, so helpfully provided by Leviathan, amplified by my magic, and now under my will, built up. The rain halted as I forced the clouds to spend its energy in a different way. Lightning began racing through it, running in sheets. I could feel Leviathan attempting to take back control, but it was mine.
Darkness and Light were the strongest of the gods for a reason, after all. The storm was my dominion. Lord of the Sea or not, he was not Lord of the Storm. For once, it would be our weapon, not simply his.
I looked out toward the bay. A rolling darkness began to rise from the sea, as the first of many waves began to come in. Just faintly, I could see a figure riding the wave, surfing upon it almost without a care. Leviathan, three stories tall and moving absurdly fast. We had only seconds.
"Shields!" Alexandria yelled.
Forcefields sprang up to protect the gathered capes. Strider moved, teleporting nearly half the crowd in one instant. I kept my concentration, building my strength.
I was left behind, though that was fine by me. The campus was now enclosed by a shimmering forcefield, mostly transluscent. I let my power build in the storm.
The wave struck the shield. It buckled, but held, and an instant later Leviathan slammed into it, his claws scraping upon the surface, forcing a small but powerful amount of water through the minuscule gaps opened by his assault.
I roared and slammed my left fist down into the ground.
The storm unleashed its entire built-up energy in one burst, in one instant, striking Leviathan with a single bolt of lightning powerful enough to feed the United States' energy requirements for a week.
Leviathan went skidding, slamming through one of the defunct campus buildings and reducing it to rubble. The shields went down as Strider took the remaining vulnerable capes away from the campus itself.
I stepped forward, calling upon my power and shifted into my dragon shape. I roared in challenge, igniting my forelegs in Hellfire.
Quick as a bullet, Leviathan righted himself and zipped toward me, his skin smoking. His outstretched arm caught in mine, ripping into my flesh even as my fire seared his.
The battle was joined.
I've been struggling with this for a while now. I'm still not wholly happy with it, but it must be posted else no progress will be made.
Also, Backtrax on Spacebattles is awesome. He remains awesome. He deserves a cake.
Blood manipulation: Self only, but extremely versatile. Basis of the Shadow Whip, Shadow Daggers, and other things.
Short-range teleportation: Draining, but not limited to line of sight.
Bat Travel: Turns into dozens of bats and back again. Rather confusing, but helpful for mobility.
Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as some capes, but up there. M1 Abrams out of gas? I'll just push them to the gas station.
Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.
Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.
Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance. Unlocked!
Flight: I believe I can touch the sky. Does it need any more description? Unlocked!
Possession: Turns into blood, flows into some poor bastard, controls them for a period (hours at most) and when they die they explode into chunky bits. The blood has a toxic effect, so anyone possessed is doomed. (Barring unusual biology.) Unlocked!
Fleshcrafting: Feeling a little vain? Want a whole new hair color, a bigger bust, shaplier hips, or claws to rend the flesh of your enemies? Subscribe to Vamp-New-You today! (Permits the vampire to alter their own flesh permanently at some cost to their blood. Does not permit changing of bone structure. Cannot be used on others.) Unlocked!
Mist Form: Transform into near-invulnerable mist. Has quite a few lethal and non-lethal applications. Unlocked!
Telekinesis: Manipulate objects at a distance through will alone. This is limited to line of sight, and is extremely limited compared to her physical strength. She can manipulate approximately thirty pounds at range to start with, and would improve with practice and imagination.
Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?! (Locked)
Shadow Portal: Opens a gate to the Plane of Shadow, where Castlevania resides. Shadow Portals can be made nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Plane of Shadow. Unlocked!
Dominate: (Not the soul-using thing) Control over others. Takes effort, and can only do so to a few at a time. Repeated and lengthy exposure, however, can make things last longer, until they are permanently enthralled. Can be resisted with willpower and can be no-selled by various techniques/powers.(Locked)
Bat Summon: Gather swarms of bats to do thy bidding. They will follow the will of the Lady of Darkness without hesitation. Not as flexible as the Queen Administrator shard. The awareness of each bat is basic, and commands must be given to the entire swarm at once. I'm the goddamn Batman. Unlocked!
Monstrous Form: Accesses a portion of the power available to the Scarlet Dragon's mightiest shape, while retaining the flexibility afforded by a humanoid form. However, it is clearly inhuman. Unlocked!
Void Magic: Basis of the Void Sword. Drains life from its victims, heals and invigorates the wielder, and brings about an absolute chill. Unlocked!
Chaos Magic: Control and manipulation of hellfire. Many can use it, but few can project it. Forms the Chaos Claws. Unlocked!
Storm Magic: Power over electricity and the storm. An excellent method of long-range attack, and quite painful to most.
Weather manipulation: Can control the weather to some degree, whether that is summoning or banishing clouds, or building up power to make a simple cloudy day into an actual storm. It cannot, however, bring warmth or cold on its own. She can't make a blizzard in the tropics or turn Antarctica into prime beachfront property. She can just make it sunny, cloudy, or rainy. Or snowy if the time of year's right.
Dragon Shape: The mightiest form of the Heir of Dracul. Becomes a massive red dragon, standing at thirty feet tall. Can access amplified versions of currently unlocked magic, as well as other powers while in the form. However, it is an immense strain to hold the shape for very long. And it is not exactly friendly-looking at first glance. Godzilla (or whatever epic music of your choice!) is highly recommended.
Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century.
Short-range teleportation: Draining, but not limited to line of sight.
Bat Travel: Turns into dozens of bats and back again. Rather confusing, but helpful for mobility.
Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as some capes, but up there. M1 Abrams out of gas? I'll just push them to the gas station.
Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.
Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.
Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance. Unlocked!
Flight: I believe I can touch the sky. Does it need any more description? Unlocked!
Possession: Turns into blood, flows into some poor bastard, controls them for a period (hours at most) and when they die they explode into chunky bits. The blood has a toxic effect, so anyone possessed is doomed. (Barring unusual biology.) Unlocked!
Fleshcrafting: Feeling a little vain? Want a whole new hair color, a bigger bust, shaplier hips, or claws to rend the flesh of your enemies? Subscribe to Vamp-New-You today! (Permits the vampire to alter their own flesh permanently at some cost to their blood. Does not permit changing of bone structure. Cannot be used on others.) Unlocked!
Mist Form: Transform into near-invulnerable mist. Has quite a few lethal and non-lethal applications. Unlocked!
Telekinesis: Manipulate objects at a distance through will alone. This is limited to line of sight, and is extremely limited compared to her physical strength. She can manipulate approximately thirty pounds at range to start with, and would improve with practice and imagination.
Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?! (Locked)
Shadow Portal: Opens a gate to the Plane of Shadow, where Castlevania resides. Shadow Portals can be made nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Plane of Shadow. Unlocked!
Dominate: (Not the soul-using thing) Control over others. Takes effort, and can only do so to a few at a time. Repeated and lengthy exposure, however, can make things last longer, until they are permanently enthralled. Can be resisted with willpower and can be no-selled by various techniques/powers.(Locked)
Bat Summon: Gather swarms of bats to do thy bidding. They will follow the will of the Lady of Darkness without hesitation. Not as flexible as the Queen Administrator shard. The awareness of each bat is basic, and commands must be given to the entire swarm at once. I'm the goddamn Batman. Unlocked!
Monstrous Form: Accesses a portion of the power available to the Scarlet Dragon's mightiest shape, while retaining the flexibility afforded by a humanoid form. However, it is clearly inhuman. Unlocked!
Void Magic: Basis of the Void Sword. Drains life from its victims, heals and invigorates the wielder, and brings about an absolute chill. Unlocked!
Chaos Magic: Control and manipulation of hellfire. Many can use it, but few can project it. Forms the Chaos Claws. Unlocked!
Storm Magic: Power over electricity and the storm. An excellent method of long-range attack, and quite painful to most.
Weather manipulation: Can control the weather to some degree, whether that is summoning or banishing clouds, or building up power to make a simple cloudy day into an actual storm. It cannot, however, bring warmth or cold on its own. She can't make a blizzard in the tropics or turn Antarctica into prime beachfront property. She can just make it sunny, cloudy, or rainy. Or snowy if the time of year's right.
Dragon Shape: The mightiest form of the Heir of Dracul. Becomes a massive red dragon, standing at thirty feet tall. Can access amplified versions of currently unlocked magic, as well as other powers while in the form. However, it is an immense strain to hold the shape for very long. And it is not exactly friendly-looking at first glance. Godzilla (or whatever epic music of your choice!) is highly recommended.
Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century.
Strength: Insanely high at full strength. Not as strong as Taylor's potential, but certainly enough to be highly dangerous to a well-trained human.
Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.
Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.
Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance.
Demonic Wings: Permits him to glide with feathery, though twisted, wings.
Mist form: Near invulnerable mist. No mere prison can hold thee. Unless they put in a fan to blow you back in.
Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?!
Chaos Magic: Alucard's is not as strong as his father's, but his skill with it is extraordinary. He can use it to teleport short distances and throw fireballs, although it is limited by line of sight and distance. (The classic SotN Hellfire spell.)
Spectral Wolf: Similar to the wolf shape, however it is ethereal and impossible to injure. Alucard can use it to teleport from one location to another by sending the wolf forward, then replacing it. Or he can simply use it to scout and dissolve it.
Crissaegrim abilities: A wickedly dangerous blade Alucard forged with the materials of three legendary weapons. It permits him to enshroud it with both Void and Chaos magic, as well as being extremely lethal to both holy and unholy opponents.
Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Unlike Dracul's counterpart power, he would arise in a century unless the process was sped along by blood. He would also arise in a more corpse-like state until he managed to feed.
Durability: Begins low, becomes stronger and harder to injure.
Vampiric Healing: Heals perfectly as long as there is blood to fuel the repairs. Can be slowed by various means.
Grace. Allows limited floating, superhuman dodging ability, and balance.
Demonic Wings: Permits him to glide with feathery, though twisted, wings.
Mist form: Near invulnerable mist. No mere prison can hold thee. Unless they put in a fan to blow you back in.
Wolf form: I can run fast, I can track down my foes from the smallest drops of blood, I will never stop, never tire, and IS THAT BACON?!
Chaos Magic: Alucard's is not as strong as his father's, but his skill with it is extraordinary. He can use it to teleport short distances and throw fireballs, although it is limited by line of sight and distance. (The classic SotN Hellfire spell.)
Spectral Wolf: Similar to the wolf shape, however it is ethereal and impossible to injure. Alucard can use it to teleport from one location to another by sending the wolf forward, then replacing it. Or he can simply use it to scout and dissolve it.
Crissaegrim abilities: A wickedly dangerous blade Alucard forged with the materials of three legendary weapons. It permits him to enshroud it with both Void and Chaos magic, as well as being extremely lethal to both holy and unholy opponents.
Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Unlike Dracul's counterpart power, he would arise in a century unless the process was sped along by blood. He would also arise in a more corpse-like state until he managed to feed.
Steel Crafting: Self only. Able to mold current avatar however she likes. Tends to prefer a dragon shape, as...well, she's Dragon.
Teleportation: Flashes out of existence in one place and reappears in another. Line of sight limited, but not distance-wise. Yes. This is overpowered. Limited to (naturally) light-speed maximum.
Light Form: Turns into a bright solid light construct. This is difficult to maintain, but difficult to injure..
Strength: DRAGON SMASH!
Durability: Anybody remember that scene in Superman Returns when the bullet bounces off his eye? No? Nobody? Well, it's kinda like that.
Healing: Can grant to self or others, and does not need an outside source. Wounds (or damage) heals rapidly.
Flight: I could touch the sky before I changed into a goddess. Now I just don't need to spend any effort!
Hard-Light constructs: Eat your heart out in jealousy, Green Lantern! My constructs don't get broken by lemonade!
Telekinesis: Use the Force, Luke. Stronger than Taylor's version. Not Ziz-strength, but it's up there.
Light Bridge: Opens a...uh, bridge to the Plane of Light. Think the MCU's version of the Bifrost. Can go from nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Light Plane.
Human Form: If/when she feels like trying out what a ice cream tastes like.
Light Magic: Heals and warms its users, and can be turned to be used offensively. Most effective against Dark Creatures, but still useful against other targets. Remember, the Lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi.
Heavenly Flame Magic: The opposite of Chaos Magic. Her white fire burns, but is formed from calmness, logic. It is a fire that illuminates, but can be destructive all the same.
Storm Magic: The point of commonality between Light and Darkness. Electricity is such a useful thing. Due to her original nature as a mechanical being, Dragon's control of it is extraordinarily precise.
Dragon Shape: For when someone or something big really, really needs to be stomped. Is this a copied power? No! It's a completely different kind of dragon!
Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century. This is common for gods.
Teleportation: Flashes out of existence in one place and reappears in another. Line of sight limited, but not distance-wise. Yes. This is overpowered. Limited to (naturally) light-speed maximum.
Light Form: Turns into a bright solid light construct. This is difficult to maintain, but difficult to injure..
Strength: DRAGON SMASH!
Durability: Anybody remember that scene in Superman Returns when the bullet bounces off his eye? No? Nobody? Well, it's kinda like that.
Healing: Can grant to self or others, and does not need an outside source. Wounds (or damage) heals rapidly.
Flight: I could touch the sky before I changed into a goddess. Now I just don't need to spend any effort!
Hard-Light constructs: Eat your heart out in jealousy, Green Lantern! My constructs don't get broken by lemonade!
Telekinesis: Use the Force, Luke. Stronger than Taylor's version. Not Ziz-strength, but it's up there.
Light Bridge: Opens a...uh, bridge to the Plane of Light. Think the MCU's version of the Bifrost. Can go from nearly anywhere on a Material Plane, but they must be in fixed places within the Light Plane.
Human Form: If/when she feels like trying out what a ice cream tastes like.
Light Magic: Heals and warms its users, and can be turned to be used offensively. Most effective against Dark Creatures, but still useful against other targets. Remember, the Lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi.
Heavenly Flame Magic: The opposite of Chaos Magic. Her white fire burns, but is formed from calmness, logic. It is a fire that illuminates, but can be destructive all the same.
Storm Magic: The point of commonality between Light and Darkness. Electricity is such a useful thing. Due to her original nature as a mechanical being, Dragon's control of it is extraordinarily precise.
Dragon Shape: For when someone or something big really, really needs to be stomped. Is this a copied power? No! It's a completely different kind of dragon!
Resurrection: If slain, turns dormant for a period of time before reviving in a weakened state. Longest possible period is a century. This is common for gods.
Vampire Killer: A simple hilt attached to a combat whip that can be slung out and controlled by an ingeniously designed retraction system. On the end of the hilt is a silver stake, perfect for killing vampires, werewolves, and lawyers. The weapon is specifically designed to kill creatures of the night, but works on anything quite well and is capable of channeling magic.
Light Magic amulet: Allows its wearer to heal over time. Needs to be fueled by someone capable of putting magic into it, which is currently limited to Dragon and Madison. It doesn't permit Wolverine-style healing, but it lets short fights turn into long ones and wearing one overnight heals even most serious injuries. Can be sped up by forcing the magic to flow more quickly, but that drains the amulet which needs time and attention to recharge.
Seraphic Shoulders: Creates ghostly angelic wings for a few moments, allowing Madison to catch herself in the air or glide.
Heavenly Gauntlet: A black (I know, it clashes!) gauntlet that generates white fire, equal to that of the fires of Hell.
Cyclone Boots: Allows high-speed running, jumping, and as a bonus, permits its wearer to take long falls without breaking their legs. Yes, all she needs is a Portal Gun.
Silver Daggers: Small, easily palmable, and crafted for a nasty surprise attack. Yes, it can hurt a lot to suddenly have a knife in your throat, whether you're a werewolf or not.
Holy Water: Water that's been exposed to sunlight and had Light Magic channeled through it. Does nothing against most people, would really tick off Taylor and Alucard. When used with Light Magic channeled through its user, forms a light-shield to ward off attacks and really tick off vampires.
Light Magic amulet: Allows its wearer to heal over time. Needs to be fueled by someone capable of putting magic into it, which is currently limited to Dragon and Madison. It doesn't permit Wolverine-style healing, but it lets short fights turn into long ones and wearing one overnight heals even most serious injuries. Can be sped up by forcing the magic to flow more quickly, but that drains the amulet which needs time and attention to recharge.
Seraphic Shoulders: Creates ghostly angelic wings for a few moments, allowing Madison to catch herself in the air or glide.
Heavenly Gauntlet: A black (I know, it clashes!) gauntlet that generates white fire, equal to that of the fires of Hell.
Cyclone Boots: Allows high-speed running, jumping, and as a bonus, permits its wearer to take long falls without breaking their legs. Yes, all she needs is a Portal Gun.
Silver Daggers: Small, easily palmable, and crafted for a nasty surprise attack. Yes, it can hurt a lot to suddenly have a knife in your throat, whether you're a werewolf or not.
Holy Water: Water that's been exposed to sunlight and had Light Magic channeled through it. Does nothing against most people, would really tick off Taylor and Alucard. When used with Light Magic channeled through its user, forms a light-shield to ward off attacks and really tick off vampires.
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"Where? Where is Behemoth going?" Alexandria demanded.
Apostle shook his head. "I can't tell. He's moving. Determined. He wants to be free, both of them do. They don't sense the world we do. It's part of their mutilation, all they sense is through their powers."
Gaia nodded with a shudder. "I sensed things through vibrations in the Earth, attacks against my skin. I could not see, nor hear, nor breathe. If Ifrit and Lotan are limited in the same way, they can not see, nor choose what they do. They must act, they have no choice, and at best they can only steer their actions somewhat."
Dragon's head tilted slightly. "I'm reading earthquakes over a wide area...epicentre is...northern Wyoming. Near Highway 212."
Alexandria frowned. "There's no major infrastructure there. No big cities. What's his target?"
Dragon was still for a moment, then she stiffened. "Yellowstone National Park. That's his target. Nothing else fits."
Contessa paled. "Unacceptable."
I shook my head. "What, what's so important about him hitting the park?"
Dragon's voice was grave. "Yellowstone sits upon a supervolcano. The last time it erupted, it destroyed several mountains in the range and killed everything within a hundred mile radius. It spread ash into the atmosphere and covered nearly half the continent in an ash cloud. That would destroy the major food production for the United States and Canada, those who don't die from the eruption will starve in the coming months. It could also alter weather patterns, bringing on a worldwide winter for at least the next two, perhaps three years."
Well. No wonder this was so damn important. That's one hell of a move.
"Leviathan?" I demanded.
Dragon paused. "Endbringer prediction isn't simple...so far, eighty percent chance he's heading for Britain. Still calculating landing site..."
I paused for a moment. I had a faint feeling I knew where he'd be going. "Definitely Britain. He's going to sink the damn island."
Dragon twisted her head to look directly at me. "That's a high possibility, but why?"
I shook my head. "They're the first ones who bought a portal from me. The Endbringers always attacked that which gave people hope. If he was heading for here, or America, I'd be pretty sure he'd be hitting Brockton Bay. I don't know where they took the portal, though."
Apostle nodded. "The gods are held and sealed within weapons programmed by the Abomination Dracul managed to kill. Their programming is set to keep a species held on-world, trapped, to help collect information to help them evolve. It...improvised, from what I know, to hold the gods. The act was a rush-job, they were never intended to be let loose like this. Presumably the Abomination would have refined things later on, but as it is, the weapon is drawing upon Lotan's power to cause carnage. Lotan doesn't have any choice. Britain's working on trying to get off-world, so he has to strike there." He looked at Dragon. "We need to split our forces. Heavy Blasters, radiation neutralizers, firefighters on Behemoth. Shielders and force-fields on Leviathan. Hopefully the equipment we have and the aid will help."
Chronos nodded. "I will aid against Lotan."
"And I." Gaia spoke, her voice filled with determination. "We must end the acts of our wayward brothers."
Contessa looked at me. "We must prioritize. Both targets will mean far too much damage if either Endbringer destroys it. We may be able to handle the disaster of one if we pour our resources into destroying the other. But it becomes far less certain if we split our forces."
Now I was beginning to grasp just what Cauldron had been going through over the years. If I went after Behemoth, and Leviathan destroyed Britain, that meant sixty million dead and a lot of my work dashed. The other choice meant a hundred million dead and the world's strongest nation crippled. And that was just assuming we simply drove them off.
Still. We could kill them. It was just insanely difficult.
I got to my feet. "We needed two gods to break one before. But we're a lot better prepared now, and we've got a lot of magic to throw at them. I'll handle Leviathan." I looked to Dragon. "Think our preparations will be enough for Behemoth?"
Resolutely, Dragon nodded. "Perhaps. I dislike spreading out like this. Leviathan's bad enough. Behemoth, too? We can't afford to spread out, but they're forcing our hands." She paused for a moment, then nodded resolutely. "I will be needed to drop off Atlas in Behemoth's path. Hopefully we can either drive him back or end him quickly enough for me to aid with Leviathan."
I nodded. "Right. And if we manage to take Leviathan down fast enough, I'll rush to aid with Behemoth. Not much choice, here."
Apostle had a faint smile on his lips. "I've been preparing, too. We'll stop them."
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It was night at Swansea. It had once been one of the more prosperous cities in the United Kingdom, and the second largest city in Wales. From where we were staging at the city's university campus, I was overcome for a moment at what had been lost. It was plain to see this had been a prosperous campus once, bustling, busy. The kind of place my mom wanted to teach, once upon a time. Had I been a bit older, and...alive, I might have liked to study here, in its heyday. Nowadays though, the place wasn't in the greatest shape. The buildings were weather-worn, crumbling somewhat. The university had been abandoned after the Simurgh hit London and created so many knock-on effects from that attack that the United Kingdom was still feeling it. Swansea University had been bombed by a London citizen and thereafter closed from structural damage, and nobody had the time or money to rebuild it.
Even at a remove, even at a great distance, this screwed-up world of ours seemed to conspire to dash hopes and break dreams.
Strider deposited capes in groups into the middle of the campus parking lot. I, on the other hand, left portals open in twenty major cities, mostly just following the list that Dragon had given me, also placing an exit portal in Wyoming for the Behemoth battle. The result? We had a hundred capes here at least, and more were arriving in fits and spurts every minute or so.
At the front of the campus was a box with familiar-looking armbands. What was less familiar was the amulet fused into the front. It made sense, everyone who took one would be protected somewhat by Light Magic as they fought, but it wouldn't do me any favors. I took an armband, ripped the amulet off, and slipped it around my right arm. Then I licked my fingers, because that actually hurt my fingertips a little.
The armband chirped. "State identity for the database."
"Scarlet Dragon." I pressed the button to confirm.
"Scarlet Dragon confirmed. Scarlet Dragon deceased, NC-6."
I frowned. Slapped it. "I'm not dead, nitwit." Undead, maybe.
"Recalibrating. Scarlet Dragon entered."
I saw Gaia looking at me with amusement. I chucked an armband at her, and she caught it, slipping it on without complaint.
Chronos floated to the side of the campus, lifting a hand. There was a rippling, a distortion, and suddenly I was looking through it to... somewhere. Then twelve people strode through, wearing gray, armored bodysuits, and no masks. Some of them were armed, one with a pistol, another with a rifle, and the rest had daggers and shortswords.
My jaw dropped open. I recognized the young woman at the lead of the group. Pretty, blonde, and I had seen her last in the middle of a Gray Boy timeloop. Sarah Kissinger. I let myself drift to the ground and walked up to her. I put on a smile. "Well, this is unexpected. Glad you could make it. I just learned about you getting out."
Sarah nodded. "Wish it could be under better circumstances. Not how I wanted to run just after making my debut, but at least I'm not fighting against a couple of superpowered inbreeding rednecks. Again."
A woman behind her with bright blue hair broke out in a grin. "Oh come on, that was like, two weeks ago."
The man with the rifle coughed. "Actually, that was about thirty minutes ago."
She paused. "Really? Huh. I lost track of time."
The entire gray-clad group groaned. The man with the pistol, his black hair streaked with grey, spoke with exasperation. "Really, Robin, you had to say that?"
Chronos cleared his throat. At least, he made the right sounds, I wasn't sure he had a throat. "We have work to prepare for. I will be working to slow the beast. The rest of you must act where needed."
Robin grinned. "Right, S&R are all mine." She zipped off, literally at blinding speed.
Sarah shook her head. "Right, doubling up. Anyway, rest of us will help shield. We can try and pin him, but we know he's tricky. We've been trying to prepare for this since we were freed from our personal hells."
I nodded. Taking a moment to look around, I spotted a few familiar masks in the gathering crowd. Narwhal stood next to Miss Militia, the two seemingly engrossed in conversation. Miss Militia had a bandolier of grenades wrapped around her body. Dauntless was next to her, quietly chatting. Clockblocker and Paladin stood there, her right hand drifting over the hilt of the whip on her belt. Alucard stood next to her, wearing his midnight blue armor, a blue cape hanging from his shoulders. I moved next to them, my voice quiet. "Good to see you guys here. Guessing the rest are heading to Behemoth?"
Paladin bit her lip. "Not all of the Brockton Protectorate made it, and the rest are heading where they need to go. The rest of the Wards aren't coming."
"Yeah, kinda sucks." Clockblocker said. "Least I've got a good reason, not too many people around that could buy time for the docs and surgeons to get to work. I ain't about to run away when it comes to this stuff."
Paladin shrugged at him. "We've been split up based on powers. We're going to be working as medics, as much as we can. I've been working on producing enough amulets for the fight, but there's only a few ways to charge them, and we can't really set something up because Leviathan can just come right in and smash it."
Alucard nodded. "This will be difficult." His hand drifted down to the hilt of the blade on his hip. "However, this is not the first time I have battled a god, though admittedly said god is more than Lotan was. I will fight as I can, though it will be difficult."
I smiled and patted his shoulder. "Thanks for being here." I felt my wings twitch as the wind began to pick up, and the air became both cool and moist.
Alexandria moved to the front of the crowd, raising her hands. "Thank you all for coming. This situation is unusual. Normally, Legend is giving this speech, but he is preparing for the battle with Behemoth in Wyoming. We have an estimated ten minutes before Leviathan arrives. We're fairly sure he's going to strike Britain as a whole, and we're well aware that he's capable of destroying the entire island, but his landing point is estimated to be right here. Normally, we split battles with Leviathan into hard and soft targets. Hard is where we fight him, try to pin him down and buy time for Scion's arrival. Soft targets are where we cannot afford to do this. Swansea and Swansea Bay is not ideal, as this region has all the markings of a soft target."
She lifted her head, looking out at the crowd. "However, this time we come prepared. Protectorate members, you've been outfitted with systems built by Dragon to help protect you. For the villains volunteering to assist, your armbands have been upgraded with the same systems. Should you take an injury, they will attempt to heal you and get you back in the fight." She made a gesture at her side at another cape, one wearing a silver and gold set of armor, a massive weapon that looked like a cross between a sword and a cannon resting on his shoulder.
The cape took the cue. "I am Chevalier, you might know me from Philadelphia. We've all got weapons to help us do damage to Leviathan." Suddenly, his blade was on fire, burning with my power, with Hellfire. "Scarlet Dragon has given us materials to work with, allowing us to draw on the same powers that she used to destroy the Simurgh."
I fought to keep from shifting on my feet as glances suddenly turned my way.
Chevalier gestured at the front of the crowd, where another box lay. "There are amulets here that will help channel that same power, allow you all to use it against Leviathan. They have limited charge, but they should be enough. Use them against him. What we're looking for is a core in Leviathan, it's going to be buried underneath the densest layers of flesh inside him. Break that core, and we break the Endbringer."
Alexandria nodded as she took an amulet herself, letting it fall around her neck. A moment later, she flared with red Hellfire, before the pyrotechnics faded. "I won't lie. This will be dangerous. Even on a good day, we lose people. But we have the means. We have the knowledge. We have the target. We know how to kill them. We have veterans of many Endbringer battles here today, and we have more hands today than I've ever seen ready to fight. We can kill him. Let's make this the last day the Endbringers plagued our world. Let us send them both back to the pits of Hell they came from!"
There was a cheer from a man in power armor near the front. Then another, then another, voices in the crowd taking up the call. As they did, light and fire began to flare, blue and red alike, Light and Hellfire being called upon by the forces ready to act.
Then there was a crack of thunder, and it began to rain. Gently at first, but soon the drops came in, thick and fat.
I lifted myself off the ground, moving to the front of the crowd. I called upon the Void Sword, to help calm my nerves. I kind of needed it, because every eye was on me, now.
Swallowing my nervousness, I looked out over them, meeting the eyes and faceplates of every cape there. "For twenty years, you have all fought to save what was important. For twenty years, you have fought unending battles against the Endbringers, to fight for a hope of a better future. For twenty years, you have acted and prayed for help from any god that might hear you."
I lifted the Void Sword and pointed it at the heavens. "I have heard you. I am the Lady of Darkness, matched only by one other god. I am here to fight alongside you. I am here to end the Endbringer. I have heard your prayers! I have heard your wants! I will aid you in this war against civilization's end. I am the Scarlet Dragon."
I lifted my empty hand. "And the storm..." I concentrated, sending my power up and outward. There was resistance. Leviathan was fighting me, even from here. Even hundreds of miles distant.
Still, I pushed my power into the storm, grasping it with an iron will. "Is."
Lightning gathered in my hand, and I thrust it into the sky. "Mine."
My lightning arced upward, racing through the forming stormclouds above. The storm, so helpfully provided by Leviathan, amplified by my magic, and now under my will, built up. The rain halted as I forced the clouds to spend its energy in a different way. Lightning began racing through it, running in sheets. I could feel Leviathan attempting to take back control, but it was mine.
Darkness and Light were the strongest of the gods for a reason, after all. The storm was my dominion. Lord of the Sea or not, he was not Lord of the Storm. For once, it would be our weapon, not simply his.
I looked out toward the bay. A rolling darkness began to rise from the sea, as the first of many waves began to come in. Just faintly, I could see a figure riding the wave, surfing upon it almost without a care. Leviathan, three stories tall and moving absurdly fast. We had only seconds.
"Shields!" Alexandria yelled.
Forcefields sprang up to protect the gathered capes. Strider moved, teleporting nearly half the crowd in one instant. I kept my concentration, building my strength.
I was left behind, though that was fine by me. The campus was now enclosed by a shimmering forcefield, mostly transluscent. I let my power build in the storm.
The wave struck the shield. It buckled, but held, and an instant later Leviathan slammed into it, his claws scraping upon the surface, forcing a small but powerful amount of water through the minuscule gaps opened by his assault.
I roared and slammed my left fist down into the ground.
The storm unleashed its entire built-up energy in one burst, in one instant, striking Leviathan with a single bolt of lightning powerful enough to feed the United States' energy requirements for a week.
Leviathan went skidding, slamming through one of the defunct campus buildings and reducing it to rubble. The shields went down as Strider took the remaining vulnerable capes away from the campus itself.
I stepped forward, calling upon my power and shifted into my dragon shape. I roared in challenge, igniting my forelegs in Hellfire.
Quick as a bullet, Leviathan righted himself and zipped toward me, his skin smoking. His outstretched arm caught in mine, ripping into my flesh even as my fire seared his.
The battle was joined.
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