Amelia, Ch 182
"So now that that's out of the way," Dragon responded. "We have to ask ourselves another set of questions. Namely: do we keep killing Endbringers? Clearly, when one dies, another is born to take its place. It poses a risk, to destroy one and risk that the next be even more deadly."
ConcernDreadDetermination. "We keep killing them," Taylor spoke with certainty. "Whatever force made them must have limits. The first two came a few years from each other, then the next a few more years later. This one almost a decade after that. They keep building them, we'll keep breaking them until they run out of whatever it is they need to build more."
"I am inclined to agree," Alexandria responded. "Even discounting the possibility of an endless stream of the creatures, this new Endbringer follows the trend of each being less destructive than the last. If the new Endbringers continue in that direction, it benefits all of humanity."
"The politicians won't see it that way," Lisa pointed out.
"Fuck them," Narwhal responded, speaking for the first time. I didn't know a lot about the giant of a woman, clothed only in her forcefields, but she seemed content to let Chevalier and Dragon speak for her. "If politicians want to complain, they can come out here and fight those monsters for themselves. Until then, they don't have the right to tell us what to do.
AgreementCertainty.
"We run a risk of an even more deadly Endbringer than the ones we've faced before, however," Chevalier pointed out.
"Then we destroy that one," Taylor countered. "We keep the weaker ones alive for now. Go after Behemoth and Leviathan. Leave... what are we calling this monster, anyway? It probably needs a name."
"A cursory internet search suggests the most suitable designations would be Fenrir or Barghest," Dragon responded. "Fenrir is a Norse myth, a giant wolf that was fated to slay Odin and be instrumental in their apocalypse mythology."
"I'd rather not give the Neo-Nazis the satisfaction of having one of their favorite naming sources validated with an Endbringer," I responded. Sure, we destroyed E88's largest chapter in the states, but the bastards were still out there with dozens of other teams and names. At least they opted to lay low after New Delhi, for the most part. "I'm voting for Barghest, and I don't even know what it is."
"I believe our PR guys would agree with you," Alexandria added. "I'd suggest we avoid any names of beings that succeed in destroying the world."
"Sometimes called the Black Hound, devil dog, and hellhound," Dragon informed us. "It's a spirit, known to hunt travelers and, much like ravens in North American lore, is strongly associated with death, both past and future."
"Appropriate," Alexandria agreed. There weren't any other suggestions offered, so we unofficially, at least, had our name.
"And now I have two questions," Lisa replied. "First... Eidolon's newfound power to raise the dead. What is it capable of?"
"I was inspired by Osiris' ability, for what I am sure are obvious reasons," he answered. "Naturally, I looked to see if I had something that might prove similar. I found one, and it's remarkably low energy considering what it's capable of."
"It has usage limits, I presume?"
"Yes," he admitted. "I have to 'tag' the people I wish to save ahead of time, though there doesn't seem to be an upper limit on how many I can select as long as they're all parahumans. It won't work on normal people, for whatever reason. Once I've selected the first target, the power waits exactly eight minutes, then instantly restores everyone I've tagged to the state they were in when I tagged them. After that, I lose grip on the power and have to wait for it to recharge. It's good exactly once per day."
"You can access it more than once?" Lisa asked.
"Yes," he replied. "It's not one of my high energy cost powers, and your tech is keeping it charged just enough that I won't lose access as long as it's dedicated to that power alone. This is one ability I don't intend to ever let go of, now that I have it."
"That's good to know," Lisa replied. InterestApproval. "Now, the next question is for Chevalier. Why is your sword made out of Simurgh parts?"
"How did you know that?" Chevalier asked.
"I didn't for sure until I asked," Lisa replied. "But it's immune to sensory powers, which limits it to Endbringers, and a number of parahumans I could count on one hand. Given its solid white coloration, and how none of the rest of you is immune, I made the most obvious guess."
"It's the strongest material known to exist," Chevalier answered. "Of course we'd make use of it."
"But how did you talk someone into letting you?" she replied.
"Classified," Chevalier replied.
"It's nothing she won't figure out on her own, if she hasn't already," Alexandria informed Chevalier, before turning back toward Lisa. "The Protectorate is learning from you. This concept of power synergies and customized tech to augment powers may be a novel one, I'll grant you. But now that we know it's possible, we've dedicated a fair amount of resources to achieving similar results on our own. With fewer capes and greater pressures than ever before, we either adapt or die."
"Well, they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," Lisa smiled. "Of course, this implies Chevalier's power interacts with Endbringer tissue. In addition to his power-sight. Making him, to my knowledge, the only parahuman on the planet that can do that." RealizationExcitementHope. I glanced over at Taylor.
"EEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeee."
"Riley," I whispered into my suit's com. "Could you please stop squeeing?"
"Err... sorry..." she responded.
"What, exactly, is your power?" Lisa continued to talk to Chevalier as I dealt with Riley's imitation of a teakettle.
"I can overlay properties of one object onto another," he answered. "Giving it the size of one, the strength of another, the weight of a third and the shape of a fourth. I can also subtly adjust those properties to anywhere between the three," he lifted his sword, which was more decorative than practical, with a gun built into the hilt. Then it shimmered, growing in mass, though he seemed to have no trouble holding it up. "Some things take more effort than others, made easier the more similar the objects are. I have an easier time using a fifty foot long sword and my rapier than I would trying to cross, say, a fork and a hammer. In addition, it only seems to apply to solid nonliving tissue."
"And Endbringers," Lisa interrupted.
"Pardon?" Chevalier replied.
"And Endbringers," she repeated. "All evidence prior indicated they followed the normal rules of the Manton Effect, except they were treated as both living and nonliving, whichever was more beneficial to them. In addition, they have a large number of other immunities to shield them from certain powers. Like precognition, and any effects that might alter their bodies or powers. probably means our pipe dream of being able to teleport them to another dimension could never work. Not that we're going to stop trying, of course. You, somehow, have a power that bypasses something we had believed to be absolute."
"I... hadn't thought of it like that before..." Chevalier eventually spoke.
At some point during the conversation, Lisa locked eyes with Alexandria. Pulling a Taylia, wasn't that what they called it? "I trust you recognize the importance of Chevalier's power," Lisa spoke.
"Yes, I do," Alexandria replied. "I'll do everything in my power to see that you get approval to run your tests."
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A/N- No. Seriously. Chevalier's power is the only canon power shown to work directly on Endbringers. It also straight up lolnope'd one of Scion's attacks.
