Charm Learning Shard (Worm/Exalted) (COMPLETED)

People arrive to talk to you. Fenrir is dead. They probably want you to answer a question, or something. You don't care. You don't pay attention to their words. Fenrir is dead. Eventually one of them takes you by the hand and leads you away.

That's good. You didn't want to keep looking at him. You just couldn't look away. You look around, trying to understand where you are. You need to come back later, you need to... make a memorial, or something. You need to never go back there, because he will always remain there. There are no immaterial scavengers to... remove things, no immaterial rain to wash anything away, and you don't want to look at him again.

You need to go back there and bury him with your bare mind-hands. But not now. Not yet.

You are led across the city. There are people in the streets, civilians. The battle must be over. You won, if one could ever be said to win an Endbringer fight.

They lead you back to the hospital. That's wrong, you can't- you can't fly anymore. You can't help. The man who led you here talks to a nurse. Just a few words. She nods, and leads you into the building. Into a private room. She coaxes you into a bed, and handcuffs you in place. You don't explain that you don't sleep anymore.

Time passes.

You recognize the girl trying to talk to you. It's Panacea. She's as beautiful as ever. You could use something beautiful to look at. You wonder what she's saying.

"-unresponsive," she's saying. Then she reaches out towards you. Panacea is about to touch you! You jerk back instinctively, but are held fast by the handcuffs. You frantically shut down sorcerer's sight, and graceful crane stance, and did you have anything else running? Only the stuff you can't shut off.

Panacea draws her hand back. "So, you are responsive after all? Do I have your permission to heal you?" She looks angry about having to say that. She may be holding a bit of a grudge over how you defended yourself against her sister.

"Why?"

"You are covered in blood," Panacea notes sourly. "And you were unresponsive. Not that I could fix your brain as such, but if you have intracranial swelling..."

True, but... it's not your blood. You're not injured. You think. Details are a bit fuzzy.

"Believe me, nothing would make me happier than if you refused treatment and died," Panacea says when you don't respond. "Go on, make the world a better place."

Maybe you should. Without Fenrir...

"Patient is unresponsive again," Panacea says with a sigh, and touches you.

She snatches her hand back instantly, as if burned. Instead of scowling, she's staring at you wide-eyed.

"Did you know you were pregnant when you signed up for the Endbringer fight?"

What? You aren't- You can't be- No. You took the pill afterwards. You took the pill!

Oh no. No no no no. You... you have Brute powers. You are poison resistant. You might have...

This isn't real. This isn't happening.

It... might not be real? You've... done other things. You used protection, but... that's not a 100% guarantee, right? Right?

"What-" You pause to lick your lips. "What race?"

Like a switch flipping, Panacea is scowling again. "Really, Ilsa? You didn't think that the time to worry about miscegenation was before spreading your legs?"

"It wasn't voluntary," you whisper.

"Oh."

She reaches out to touch you again - and once again snatches her hand back. This time she just looks utterly confused.

"It's... not human?" she says. She works her entire hand in under your armor, to lay her palm against your stomach. "What in the world..."

You can't help it, you start crying when you realize what must have happened. Tears of joy. You don't understand how, or why, but you understand that powers are bullshit. Bullshit that worked out in your favor, in this case. It wasn't poison resistance.

Fenrir is protecting you even in death. You know that's not really true and you got the causality all backwards, but you don't care. You're just so happy.

"You know what happened," Panacea says. "You're happy about-" She stops speaking as something occurs to her. She extricates her hand from underneath your armor, and instead swabs some of the blood off the outside with a fingertip.

"It matches," she breathes. "The wolf..?" She laughs, and there's a faint tinge of hysteria to it. You can sympathize a bit, you weren't always this inured to power bullshit. But then she goes and fucks it all up.

"Wait until all your nazi friends hear about what you've been getting up to!"

Instantly, an icy calm overtakes you. There's no space for happiness right now, or grief. There's an enemy in the room.

"Are you sure you want throw stones in that particular glass house, Amy?" you ask. "You, of all people?"

Her face goes white. "You're bluffing!"

"Should I tell your sister first, or your mom? Which would hurt you worse, I wonder?"

Almost unconsciously, she reaches out towards you again.

"The Thinker who figured it out will know what happened if I die in here," you say. It's true, but you're also prepared to shadow-form out of the cuffs and slit her throat with mind-hands if it doesn't deter.

She startles, and looks down in shock at her own hand. Her whole body shudders as she contemplates what she almost did. When she looks back up at you, she's biting her lip in contemplation.

"Truce?" she offers after a few seconds' thought. "We clearly both have... leverage."

"Truce," you agree.

"Then... let me give you a proper checkup."

She's touching again before you have a chance to refuse. Given her earlier reaction you're satisfied she's not going to murder you in cold blood... but you don't really want her poking around for incriminating biology either, not when she's not being distracted by your uterus anymore. But turning into shadow to escape would be worse.

"Hm. Some light mineral deficiencies - your diet has been poor lately. I'll get someone to prescribe the proper supplements. And what's this? Your Brute rating improves over time? It wasn't this good when you had your little car accident."

See, that's exactly what you didn't want her to discover. "If you tell anyone..."

"Yes, yes. It's too weak to make much of a difference anyway. Crawler, you are not. Your little abomination is a bit of a Brute as well - the genetics are fascinating. It's a girl, by the way. I hope you didn't want that to be a surprise."

You just nod in response, your face blank. Chained to the bed as you are, you're a bit of a captive audience to her passive-aggressive ramblings.

"Nice tits," is her next comment. "Vegas Fleshcrafters?"

You maintain a poker face, but some other part of your biology clearly registers surprise, because Panacea giggles. "Oh, they're very well sculpted, but the cell growth pattern is obviously artificial if you know what you're looking for." She shakes her head in mock sadness. "Those hips, though. Your surgeon was clearly a better biokineticist than an anatomist. You're going to have trouble walking by the time you're thirty."

"Is that really something I need to worry about, when I signed up for my first Endbringer fight at fifteen?" you ask. You'd appreciate it if she stopped looked for forensic evidence of shapeshifting, thank you very much.

"No, no, that won't do at all. Let me give you proper child-bearing hips for the little abomination. She's innocent in all this, after all. And I'd better restore the chest area as well, never know what might have gone wrong there. Wouldn't want the baby to starve." She stares you dead in the eyes as your breasts shrink down to their natural size.

"Nothing?" she asks, disappointed in your lack of reaction. "Nazism must pay well, if you can afford another set so easily."

Mutually assured destruction doesn't mean an end to hostilities, after all. It just means that all attacks must carefully stop just short of the unforgivable.

"If you're fixing things I'd rather you do my eyes," you say - letting her know that certain things would be a lot more forgivable with some reparations attached. "Contact lenses didn't play so well with tidal waves."

"If I do that, do you promise to go to the next Leviathan fight?"

"Yes." Being useless is no longer acceptable. Next time Leviathan shows up, you're going to have enough powers to kill him.

"You're not lying," Panacea declares. "As long as it promotes good deeds that will likely get you killed, I don't mind helping out." There's a faint pressure on your eyeballs, and the room shifts into focus. Panacea withdraws her hand. "I should get going. You're healthy, and lots of less awful people need my help."

The enemy retreats from the room, leaving you to... do whatever your emotions decide to do next. Your emotions decide to start crying again. Fenrir... You try to rest one hand on your stomach, only for the handcuffs to stop you.

---

A PRT officer shows up to let you out of the cuffs. You carefully clench your fists and keep your hands at your side to stop yourself from touching your belly. A shapeshifter like you can't allow herself that kind of tell. As you leave the room, you see Othala waiting for you, alongside either Fenja or Menja - she appears to have lost her weapon, and not even sorcerer's sight can tell the twins apart, since they have the same power. You don't comment on the way the valkyrie's eyes are red and puffy from crying, because you don't imagine you look any better.

Othala, and the other hand, sees your teary eyes and clenched fists, and arrives at a somewhat correct conclusion by way of faulty reasoning.

"I'm sorry you had to put up with her," she says - it would appear that Panacea's bedside manner is famous in healer circles. "They wouldn't let me treat our own people. What, did they think I'd grant you super strength and send you on a rampage?"

She reaches out to grab your hand, and grants you super strength. You snort at her invisible act of spite, and don't go on a rampage. Obviously. What purpose could that possibly serve? Heroes. Idiots, the lot of them.

But objectively speaking, your encounter with Panacea was extremely beneficial. You gained valuable intel, and neutralized a dangerous enemy. And got 20/20 vision without having to risk using emptiness endowment on yourself again.

"Kaiser is dead," F/Menja says. "As is my sister."

Oh. RIP your plans. And... possibly the whole empire? "What happens now?" you ask.

"I don't know."

You pull out your empire phone to check for messages... but it clearly didn't like being submerged in seawater, and refuses to turn on.

"Don't bother," Othala says. "Cell towers are down."

As soon as you are outside, M/Fenja grows to giant size and picks you up. Othala grants her flight, and off you go. No one suggests you fly on your own. They must think your wolf summoning is on cooldown. Just as well, because you suddenly realize you have no idea how to handle Low Key's identity going forward. You may have to simply cut your losses and vanish.

"We need to set up a meeting," Othala says. "Get everyone together and decide what to do."

"I need to find Theodore and tell him about his father," F/Menja says.

"I'll come along for that," you say. "If he's still alive."

---

M/Fenja is on one knee before the waste of space, shrunk down to human size.

"I failed in my duty as a bodyguard," she says. "Your father died at Leviathan's hands."

"Oh," Theo says. He doesn't sound all that sad, or shocked. Or happy, for that matter. He turns to look at you.

"It's over between us," you say. With Kaiser dead, you have no use for him. With any luck you'll never-

-why are you on the ground?

Spoiler: The-o-vision

Without warning, both Taylor and Fenja (or possibly Menja - she didn't introduce herself and I was too embarrassed to ask) collapse to the ground. Are we under attack? Why was I spared? Are they just exhausted from the battle?

I shake off my confusion and rush over to check on Taylor. Her eyes are already fluttering open - and when they focus on me, her expression twists into one of such revulsion that I stagger back and fall on my ass.

"Second-gen," she snarls like it was a curse. "No, third gen, if Allfather was your grandpa."

I... what?

"Go on," she says scathingly, "what power did you get handed on a silver platter?"

I... have powers? "Metal?" I say hesitantly. It feels like something about metal has changed.

Taylor draws her knife and points it at me. I instinctively cringe away, before understanding her intention. I gingerly reach out and touch the blade.

"Nothing?" she asks.

"It feels... off, somehow."

She sighs and sheathes the knife before grabbing my hand and touching my finger to one of the decorations on her costume. "Copper?" She moves my hand. "Brass?"

I mutely shake my head. She lets go of my hand and takes out a cellphone, which she promptly spikes into the floor. It shatters into a half-dozen pieces. She bends down to pick up the largest piece, and slaps the exposed circuit board into my palm.

I watch in awe as a tiny rivulet of gold flows out of the components and makes its way up my wrist. Responding to my will, it stops and splits into multiple smaller beads. I make them move around over my skin, merging and splitting. The gold acts like a liquid despite being room temperature.

When I 'let go' of a piece it falls to the floor. It's so small I can't see where it landed, but when I sweep my hand across the floor I can instantly tell when it comes into contact with my skin, and back under my control.

"Tactile telekinesis of gold," Taylor observes. "Good thing you just inherited a fortune you didn't earn, huh?" Her lips quirk into a wry smile. "Though I imagine Medhall stock isn't doing so hot at the moment."

I wet my lips and gather my courage for the big question. "I... I have powers now. Doesn't that make me-" I falter under her poisonous glare. "-worthy... of... you?"

"The empire lies in ruins, and its people cry out for salvation. Take up your father's mantle, Crown Prince. Prove yourself a worthy heir, and lead them back to prosperity."

"If... if I do that, you'll take me back?"

"There is not a single thing about you that does not fill me with disgust, Crown Prince. You will do that, because it's your duty."

===

Spoiler: A/N

Calling a parahuman 'Something Prince' is a serious burn - it means you're comparing them to prepubescent supervillain August Prince, whose power is weaponized cuteness.

Spoiler: Mechanics corner

Fun fact, spirits of Essence 2+ can interbreed with humans. These offspring are known as 'god-blooded', and are mostly human but with some benefits (and sometimes flaws) from their supernatural parentage. Exactly what these are vary from case to case, but it seems that this particular crossbreed has inherited the 'God Body' (Brute 0 package), if Panacea is to be believed.