Charm Learning Shard (Worm/Exalted) (COMPLETED)

It's the biggest one you've ever had, and it took a lot of work to get it inside you. You close your eyes and shudder in pleasure as it finally slots into place.

...You're talking about powers, of course. Rune and Dragon comes close, but Ballistic's power is ever so slightly larger. You keep your eyes shut and admire its form inside your soul. So thick and veiny - okay, maybe you're reaching a bit now, but the essence channels of this particular golden construct are notably thicker than most.

Sure, it makes sense that supersonic projectiles would be more energy intensive than, say, the passive scanning of sorcerer's sight. But on the other hand, the power draw is also much larger than Labyrinth's power, which transports you into another dimension. Powers only ever make sense in order lull you into a false sense of security.

You could just get up and walk away now - your dates with Luke have served their purpose. It would be hilariously rude to leave him hanging like that, though, and as you've mentioned before, it's not as if your schedule is packed. You can finish this session properly.

But seems as though fate is determined to end the date early, because not long afterwards there's a terrible, ear-splitting noise from outside. A warning klaxon that no one alive could fail to recognize.

You and Luke both freeze up, looking at each other.

"I didn't miss an announcement that they would be testing the Endbringer sirens today, did I?" you ask.

"Not unless I missed it too."

"Well." You smoothly stand up and walk over to the pile of your clothes. "That's my cue to get the hell out of Dodge, then."

"You're not going to help?" Luke asks. His tone is neutral, not accusing.

"What could I do to an Endbringer?" you ask rhetorically. "Aggressively study it?" Your lips quirk slightly. "I must admit the idea is somewhat tempting. Not '25% expected casualty rate' tempting, though."

Luke nods in understanding. You wonder whether you'll see him there, or if he shares Quicksilver's pragmatic outlook.

---

There was never any question about which persona you would bring to the fight: Protecting the Empire is your duty. It's what you get for not reading the fine print of your verbal contract. Doesn't matter whether it's random junkies, hostile capes, or goddamn Endbringers, if Low Key doesn't show up to defend the populace from them she'll be out of a job.

And you're not prepared to abandon the Empire that easily. It's kept you in powers for months and months, and you're still nowhere near finished. You've already got your loyalty-claws into one of the lieutenants, and you're this close to doing the same for the emperor himself. As a faint silver lining, Fenrir brought along Low Key's costume in a dematerialized bag, because you were planning to go straight from the date to your patrol tonight. You just need a brief window of privacy to shapeshift and change clothes and you're ready to go.

And you weren't not going to join in the fight, regardless of Low Key's employment status. This is your home, goddammit! And while Low Key is weak, it's not as if you have any other powers that would have a noticeable effect against an Endbringer.

Sure, you got Ballistic's power less than an hour ago. It's clearly useless here, never mind that it's completely untested. The the US military budget consumes the better part of a trillion dollars a year - if there's one thing your country does not lack for, it's supersonic projectile delivery systems. If mere supersonic projectiles could deter an Endbringer, the world would be a very different place.

You have a knife that can cut through anything. But even if you could somehow get into knife range of an Endbringer without dying - spoilers, you can't - it's a knife. Against a giant monster. What are you going to do, cut its toes off? There's no way it could reach anything vital.

Maybe if Lung's power hadn't mutated so much - not that you remember how you activated it that one time, but judging by the footage of the incident you instantly became a fixed-size dragon, instead of constantly growing without an upper limit like the original.

Maybe if you had dropped everything else to go after Purity's power the moment you escaped the Rig - approach her as Quicksilver, offer her literally all your money, and use her inexplicable trust towards that total stranger to invite her to go camping in the Nevada desert and blow up old nuclear test sites?

Maybe, maybe. Maybe if your entire approach to powers had been different, and you tried to stack maximum Blaster from the start, instead of doing the opposite of that. Maybe then you could have had enough oomph to slightly stagger an Endbringer, buying your allies several fractions of a second...

On the other hand, maybe it's better this way. Because if you had the means to be an effective combatant you'd have to agonize between going as Low Key, the girl who saved her career, versus Eidolonette (you'll think up a better name later), the girl who made a difference. Truly, uselessness is a balm for the conscience.

Aaaand now you're going to feel guilty about feeling good about being too useless to feel guilty. But speaking of uselessness, you'd better call your minions.

Spoiler: Aisha-o-vision

"What's the word?" Alec asks.

"Boss said to tell you to 'secure her stuff', and to follow your orders. You know what's up?"

"I do." Alec stands up from the couch, and Ghost shadows right out of her maid uniform and dashes off towards her room. "We're getting the hell out of Dodge."

"What? No, we-" The doom of disobeying an order bears down on me, taking my breath away. "Please don't say that? We gotta help people."

He looks at me appraisingly as I fidget, unable to argue further without dooming myself.

"Please?"

"So she's a Master too," he says after a few seconds.

"Yeah, I gotta do what she says - which is doing what you say right now. But you could get her stuff yourself, and tell me to go help?"

"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that," Alec says, shaking his head. "Really, what 'stuff' do you think she values so much? The lair she built in an afternoon? The video games she never played?"

Oh. Duh. It's me. I'm the stuff she needs secured. "You suck." I want to tell him to disobey her orders - he didn't accept any improvements - but the doom closes in again, warning me not to open my mouth.

Alec rolls his eyes at me - fondly, or so he'll claim if challenged. "Don't hate the player, hate yourself for thinking you'd even make difference out there. I thought she was making you smarter?"

---

By the time you've found your way to the rallying point, it's raining heavily. You'd call it ominous, except aren't omens meant to be all mystical and divinatory? If there's a direct causal link between the omen and what it portends, does that make it more or less ominous? And you can tell that there is, because every raindrop is suffused with power. A strange inhuman power unlike anything you've seen before, except that one brief glimpse in Ottawa. You'd love to study it, but it's so bright you had to turn off sorcerer's sight just to be able to see five feet in front of you - something that's going to be pretty important in an Endbringer fight.

As you approach the building, and odd feeling rises within you. Ah, you are drawing close to your armor. It's an Endbringer fight, of course Dragon brought the Smaug. Indeed, there it is, standing in the parking lot of an otherwise nondescript brick building (there's also a couple of PRT vans, Rune's favorite rock and five of Rachel's monster dogs - but the humanoid dragon with scales of glowing gold rather hogs the spotlight).

A poor choice of venue you feel, insofar as the doors are too small to admit Fenrir. The Travelers arrive as you dismount, and have to leave Genesis('s projection) outside as well. Wolves and dogs, a dragon and a giant flying jellyfish-thing with shark-toothed whips for stingers, it's becoming a regular menagerie out here.

Even though you made good time, flying above the panicking crowds trying to make it to the shelters, the rest of the Empire is already inside. Well, the place is practically inside their territory. No one remarks on your tardiness as you join them. Kaiser nods at you, while Othala offers you a slightly strained smile. Others may be smiling as well, but she's the only one who stopped wearing a mask when everyone's identity became public.

A quick look around reveals what other local villains were feeling civic-minded today. The Merchants are absent, as are Faultline's Crew (and BITN, obviously). But two thirds of the Undersiders did show up - or maybe three quarters, as you spot Circus standing next to Lisa and Rachel. It would make sense for Coil to use her to shore up their team, after he failed to get her on yours.

Legend is up front, giving a pep talk/strategy overview. You mostly tune him out - that stuff is for people who will meaningfully contribute. The Wards are circulating through the crowd, handing out tinkertech bracelets. Coincidentally, it turns out to be Aegis who gives you yours.

"No hard feelings, right?" you say as you accept it.

"Not today."

You peer suspiciously at the bracelet before putting it on, briefly reactivating sorcerer's sight. But this is not a Simurgh fight, it's not rigged to blow. Dragon sensibly has a separate, bombless version that she hands out as appropriate (you easily recognizes Dragon's handiwork). It might not matter today, but you certainly wouldn't want to go up against dynakinetic Behemoth with an inactive bomb strapped to yourself.

Oh yes, the bracelets they give out for Simurgh fights will automatically blow up and kill you if you spend too long in her presence. It's not exactly a secret - everyone who's ever been to Simurgh fight knows about it, for starters - but it isn't mentioned. Like just about every questionable (or unquestionably awful) thing a hero does, rampant media collusion keeps it out of the public consciousness.

There's clearly someone, somewhere who decides what the public gets to worry about. Politically inconvenient or uncomfortable fact? Into the memory hole it goes. There'll be a new scandal tomorrow, and we'll never mention this one again. What need is there for palatable policy, when every media platform in the country will march in lockstep to enact your will?

Though they aren't perfect. They miscalculated when they went up against the Empire, too used to throwing their weight around with impunity. If Kaiser had only been a gang leader and not also a wealthy CEO, what happened to Aster Anders would have vanished too.

The exploding bracelets are practically benign in comparison. A dead hero is better than a Simurgh bomb with superpowers, most everyone would agree - as long as you never tell them how long it really takes the Simurgh to subvert someone, then a few of them might get cold feet.

"Please state your name and power," a synthesized voice from the bracelet interrupts your thoughts.

"Low Key, Mover." On the mean streets of Brockton Bay you'd identify as a Brute. Against Leviathan, not so much. You hesitate about elaborating further, but if there's one Tinker who can make a device with natural speech recognition... "Flight, moderate speed and carrying capacity."

"Acknowledged. Stand by for assignment. Your assignment is: Medevac. Please refer to the map for instructions."

The little screen on the bracelet shows a map of the city, divided into grid squares. There's a white dot which, judging by it's position, represents either you or the rallying point itself. There's also a flashing red dot labelled 'field hospital'. Since the fight hasn't started yet, the rest of the map is mostly bare. A few yellow dots out in the bay, presumably setting up defenses against tidal waves. And of course a bright purple circle, warning people away from the amethyst field.

"Gonna go get setup," you tell your imperial peers. "Get a look at the field hospital." You shoot a look back at Rune as you shoulder your way back outside, but she makes no move to join you. You suspect her confidence in her ability to throw rocks at things outmatches yours. Or perhaps she was tapped as a gunnery platform instead of medevac.

You pass by a couple of other familiar faces. Vista - Warp, now, since the Protectorate still owns the 'Vista' trademark - gets a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Narwhal gets the not-even-an-errant-glance-in-her-direction of true respect. Soon enough you're outside, mounted, and airborne.

You're almost at the field hospital (which is actually a regular hospital, with several red cross-marked tents set up outside) when the first wave hits. Whoever was out in the bay was doing a shitty job. Luckily you're far enough inland that it's mostly spent by the time it gets to you, and whoever they assigned to guard the hospital is more on the ball. A forcefield dome springs up, and repels the water without apparent strain.

You don't have time to gawk, though, because that's also when your bracelet springs alive with notifications.

Nekomancer deceased, CD-5. Oaf down, CD-5. Triumph deceased, CD-5.

The map is also full of yellow dots now, most of them clustered around a big green dot that you're going to do your level best to stay the hell away from. But even as some yellow dots wink out, others turn red. That's your cue. You get Fenrir turned around and pointed towards the nearest red dot.

Said dot winks out before you can even get there. Perhaps he was saved by a teleporter. Probably not.

Acoustic down, CD-5. Snatch deceased, CD-5. Iron Falcon deceased, CD-5.

When you finally arrive at an intact dot, you find a pair of capes waiting for you. Not people you recognize, but the matching blue spandex and white corporate logos tells you they are a team. One of them is missing most of his right arm, but a utility belt turned tourniquet has stopped most of the bleeding.

"Ambulance's here," you announce. His friend helps him get mounted behind you. Fenrir can carry more, but with the way the bleeding has only mostly stopped you're not sure you can risk a detour. Straight back it is.

Manpower deceased, CD-6

You change your plans slightly when another red dot appears almost directly in your path. You divert one street over, and find an unconscious girl lying face down in the ankle-deep water. There's blood all over her back too, but according to the bracelet she's still got a heartbeat.

"Pick her up up," you tell Fenrir. "Gently."

Fenrir flies down and grabs her in his mouth without breaking stride. You have your misgivings about whether she'll still be alive by the time you get to the hospital, but that's not your problem. It's not as if her modest weight is slowing Fenrir down. Pick them all up, let the medics sort them out.

A few faster flyers overtake you on the way, but they too are loaded down with casualties, unable to take over your burdens. You see them passing straight through the hospital forcefield without issue, so you follow suit and drop off your patients by one of the triage tents. Back at it.

"It's better if I take the less critical injuries, so I have time to pick up several people in one go," you tell the bracelet.

"Acknowledged. Calculating route."

Another wave hits, wiping out most of the red dots, but it creates plenty more to replace them.

Underwhelm down, BW-5. Redact deceased, BW-5. Gallant deceased, BW-4.

"Recalculating route."

By the time you get back towards the fight, things are in full swing and the air is swarming with fliers. You spot Rune in the distance - a trio of Tinkers are working to set up a giant cannon on top of her flying rock. Your next target is uncomfortably close to the fight - according to the map, Leviathan is only two streets away. A distance he could cross in a single second, should he desire.

His speed turns out to be a secondary concern, as a beam of water shoots into the air from his location and cuts a flying cape in half. Leviathan has what they call a 'water shadow' - whenever he moves, he leaves water behind in the space he previously occupied. You knew that much. What you didn't know was that he can apparently also propel the water away from himself, with enough force to- well, you saw what it did.

"Down! Down!" you yell at Fenrir. Forget proximity, you're staying on street level from now on, and avoiding line of sight completely. Fenrir takes your words to heart, and dives down to the point where his feet are skimming the top of the floodwater. In other circumstances you'd be more appreciative of the 'Jesus-wolf walking on water' image.

Hellhound down, BW-3

This time you manage to pick up four people before turning back. They suffered fractures rather than amputations, so none of them are in immediate danger of bleeding out. The last person, who introduces himself as Smackdown, is even cheerful enough to crack a joke as Fenrir's jaws close around him.

"I get to ride in the front seat, huh? Sure beats staying to drown!"

Parian deceased, BW-3

You drop them off without issue, but the downsides of staying at street level become apparent as you approach the fight once more, and the third wave hits. The armband gives what it considers sufficient warning, but Fenrir's method of flight is not so good at elevation changes. The wave washes over you, sending Fenrir tumbling back some distance before he can... regain his footing on the air? Look, you don't ask about these things anymore. The important part is that you managed to hold on. Your mask didn't, though. Neither did your contact lenses.

Laserdream deceased, CA-4. Olmec down, BW-6.

You can deal. The mask doesn't matter, everyone knows who Low key is. As for the contact lenses, you can trust Fenrir to handle the steering on his own. You'll squint at the screen and shout directions.

Things become a blur after that, and you don't just mean optically. Pick people up. Drop people off. Get soaked by another wave, not the that rain isn't soaking enough on its own. Avoid the green dot. Pick people up. One person stands out to you, if only because he's standing in waist-deep water covered in burns. A sobbing pyrokinetic next to him explains that she's really sorry but she had to cauterize his wounds or he would have bled to death, please don't die, please don't leave her alone.

You pick them both up. Even if she's not medically speaking in shock - you're not qualified to judge that - she's not going to be any further use in the battle.

Trainwreck down, FU-2

You don't even register anything strange about that statement.

Then the next blurry person providing first aid is dressed in purple, with blonde hair on top.

"Why are you even here?" you ask Lisa as you get her semiconscious patient draped across Fenrir's neck.

"I don't even know anymore. No, I know: Onions. Endbringers are like onions, that's important. Bitch, she..."

"Is that a broken arm?"

"I'm fine. I can still-"

"Fenrir, grab her."

At some point the rain starts easing up. Does that mean you're winning, or losing? The water level is decreasing too, but there are no announcements beyond the usual downs and deceaseds.

Then you turn a corner, and he's there. Leviathan, right in front of you. Thirty feet of lanky green muscle, four glowing green eyes, claws, whip-tail... You may have stolen the name 'Fenrir' for your own use, but he is Jörmungandr. He's battered and bleeding - you are winning - but he's charging right at you.

He swipes a claw at you without slowing down. Fenrir drops and rolls to get below it, and you turn into shadow to flow around the attack. When you reform standing on the ground he is already past you. He doesn't consider you worth the effort to turn back for, merely flicking his tail in your direction as he keeps running.

For just a moment, your brain malfunctions - you see that the tail-strike will end up well short, and relax. You forget what he can do with the water shadow. Fenrir throws himself in front of you.

Liquid spatters across your face, but it is a warm wetness. Blood temperature.

When you open your eyes, Fenrir is gone. No! Where did he go? He has to be alright! He- he just dematerialized. Of course. You activate sorcerer's sight.

Fenrir is not alright. He is, just barely, in one piece. Parts of him are spilling out across the ground. You rush around and kneel in front of his face. Mind-hands spring forth to stroke blood-matted fur. You see his breaths growing ever shallower.

"You're going to be alright," you tell him. Tears are streaming down your cheeks, but they lie. He's going to be fine. There's nothing to be sad about. "We can fix this. Everything's going to be fine."

Fenrir shifts his head ever so slightly, looking into your eyes. He can't speak, but you know what he's asking.

"You are a good dog," you promise him. "The best dog."

Fenrir grows still.

You stare at his mangled corpse remains body. Get up. He has to get up. Good dogs don't leave you all alone.

No. He can't be- you have to- you should report in? Your mind latches on to that idea, in the whirlwind of half-formed thoughts. There's a way to do these things. You remember. You raise the bracelet in front of your face.

"I... I can't..."

It's not Dragon's first rodeo, and the speech recognition algorithms correctly interpret what you're saying.

Low Key down, CT-10.

===

Spoiler: A/N

The rest of the fight went more or less as it did in canon - that is to say, Armsmaster still showed up to do his thing, and somehow managed to not die while fucking it up.

Since Taylor was actually able to be useful this time around the overall cape death toll was ever so slightly lower. On the other hand a whole bunch of civilians died when she wasn't around to wedge her plot armor in the door of that breached shelter. But it's not as if civilians are plot relevant, right?

Spoiler: ???-o-vision

Chance of seeing my parents again: 0%

 

Nekomancer was the girl who got canon Taylor's power - but tuned to cats instead of bugs. She dressed as a magical girl, with animatronic tinkertech ear and tail accessories capable of displaying a range of cat emotions. She also carried a wand/baton with a giant cats-eye gem and plastic cat ears on top - not a weapon, just something to gesture with dramatically during her frequent speeches about the power of love and friendship.

By day she worked with animal shelters and did photo ops handing out adorable kittens to cute little kids. By night she patrolled the mean streets of Albuquerque, and whenever she encountered criminals she'd request that they "surrender in the name of the light!"

They almost always did, these days. Nekomancer would say that it's because there's a ray of goodness in even the darkest heart, but mostly it's because everyone who wasn't inclined to surrender had already been buried under several times their body weight in suicidally aggressive feral strays and eaten alive.

She had just as much business being in an Endbringer fight as canon Taylor.