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Yesterday, this was an ordinary twenty-first century city. Today it's a war zone, tomorrow it'll be walled off and abandoned.
A few collapsed buildings, shattered streets, and assorted craters. The place is mostly empty, with scattered groups of mostly humanoid monsters roaming and trying to escape the guarded fence around the city. The most instantly noticeable change is an ongoing wordless singing in the back of the mind of anyone present. By itself it's just a sound. An unpleasant sound, and almost but not quite predictable as if someone were trying to attack the listener's sanity without saying anything, but possible to ignore. But along with it, any time a listener closes their eyes they get flashes of memories. Not their worst memories, but whatever negative ones can stick with them unforgettably. It builds up associations between the feelings in those images and almost anything else. Sometimes there's a recognizable common thread and other times there isn't.
An angel fights off teams of opponents. She's fifteen feet tall, extremely winged, with more wings than is strictly necessary for an angel. Even some of her wings have wings. All of them are asymmetric and varyingly sized. A spherical halo of weaponry surrounds her, firing at her more distant enemies from across the battlefield. Her opponents cycle in and out: a golden man, a man surrounded by a bubble, a woman in a dark costume, all flying. Others make certain to stay away after taking their turn, on rare occasions spending too long hearing the angel's music. Those ones voluntarily self-destruct.
A small group of ordinary humans takes refuge in a house as far from the battle as they can reach. The song is quieter here, and, they hope, less potent. Some of them run away from and back to the house, occasionally calling for help. They haven't found any.
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whole_new_can
ertia
Kithabel goes right down her list, pausing occasionally between minute-long-then-shorter periods of concentration to do a backflip.
whole_new_can
The newly not dead of them are laughing and swapping backstories. "Behemoth, 1998." "Jack Slash, 2008." "Slipped on a banana peel, 2003."
They get brought up to speed on some of the larger-scale changes over the past few years. There is now a third Endbringer, here's what she does. Kyushu and Newfoundland have been wiped off the map; one of them was put back on and resettled. And we're getting better at fighting them off. There are now a lot more capes, with all the same effects you're used to but more so. And so on, with broad strokes, pausing to clarify or go into detail when asked.
Resurrection is a limited commodity. Most of you were chosen because we need heroes and, not to put too fine a point on it, you're powerful. Maybe one day there'll be more to go around and we can be more egalitarian.
Legend pauses at that point to ask Kithabel. "Any idea how fast it'll increase?"
They get brought up to speed on some of the larger-scale changes over the past few years. There is now a third Endbringer, here's what she does. Kyushu and Newfoundland have been wiped off the map; one of them was put back on and resettled. And we're getting better at fighting them off. There are now a lot more capes, with all the same effects you're used to but more so. And so on, with broad strokes, pausing to clarify or go into detail when asked.
Resurrection is a limited commodity. Most of you were chosen because we need heroes and, not to put too fine a point on it, you're powerful. Maybe one day there'll be more to go around and we can be more egalitarian.
Legend pauses at that point to ask Kithabel. "Any idea how fast it'll increase?"
ertia
"I should get quicker at resurrecting people fairly linearly relative to what happened over the course of this batch. Once I have it down to a second or two, I should start being able to do more than one at a time and on up from there. This is presuming my variety keeps up; I can resurrect people every day just like I empty hospitals every day but long term I have to be doing other stuff."
wormcan
"The PRT will probably have you prioritizing powerful parahumans for a while longer, then. Not always just ours, of course, despite today."
ertia
"Sure. Just keep me busy." Kithabel grins and zips through the ceiling to go do the next thing.
wormcan
There is a world's worth of things, and she isn't running out of ways the place can be improved. Unfortunately.
ertia
Oh well. At least she is here to help.
She continues to resurrect people, slightly more in the time she allots each day.
She continues to resurrect people, slightly more in the time she allots each day.
wormcan
Things are going pretty well for the heroes. Their numbers are up, both the Protectorate's and their allies', they've managed to get Kithabel's public image associated with them, and parahumans are more accepted than they have been since when they first appeared. To add to their string of successes, Hero leads a team that manages to stop the villain who killed him the first time around and kill her mid-rampage. Her team having already been taken care of, that's one more S-class threat down, and next they can start planning things about Nilbog.
Between the resurrected heroes and the capes flocking to hero teams, there's hope that the next Endbringer fight will be the least disastrous in history.
Between the resurrected heroes and the capes flocking to hero teams, there's hope that the next Endbringer fight will be the least disastrous in history.
ertia
Behemoth. Novosibirsk.
Kithabel can get all the way around the world in three teleports now. She's there moment one, she helps evacuate, and she covers priority capes without their own defenses against radiation and zapping and (when they can fly and thus not fall through the earth) the hazards of substantial physical form. She gets a complete list of attending capes from Dragon and makes it clear that nobody stays dead today and they should give it what they've got.
And then the monster comes up and she demands. that. he. hurt.
Kithabel can get all the way around the world in three teleports now. She's there moment one, she helps evacuate, and she covers priority capes without their own defenses against radiation and zapping and (when they can fly and thus not fall through the earth) the hazards of substantial physical form. She gets a complete list of attending capes from Dragon and makes it clear that nobody stays dead today and they should give it what they've got.
And then the monster comes up and she demands. that. he. hurt.
wormcan
The monster hurts. It's the same fifty-foot monster she's fought before, with its single glowing eye and its obsidian claws and its really bad breath. She can't see right away how much it's hurting, since the damage is taking place beneath its layer of magma, but she's not the only one blasting. It's a strong opening: the magma and the obsidian beneath it get scoured off in large patches, exposing the skin below where some of the attacks are already starting to reach.
Behemoth stands there and takes it for a moment, then roars. It's slow at first, then increases in volume until the roar is less of an announcement than a weapon. After it gets louder for a few seconds, it continues getting louder. The remains of the capes who turned to jelly get pulverized. For those far enough away or protected enough it's merely deafening.
Then he opens fire with lightning, and the battle begins.
Behemoth stands there and takes it for a moment, then roars. It's slow at first, then increases in volume until the roar is less of an announcement than a weapon. After it gets louder for a few seconds, it continues getting louder. The remains of the capes who turned to jelly get pulverized. For those far enough away or protected enough it's merely deafening.
Then he opens fire with lightning, and the battle begins.
ertia
Kithabel now has a new thing to add to her rotation of combat magic: resurrection. She notes who her armband announces dead and she hauls them back. Healing resurrection harm. Buffing support harm healing resurrection.
wormcan
Behemoth compensates for the fact that capes aren't staying down by hitting harder faster. There's perpetually a backlog, and the revolving door gets unpleasant for the capes involved after the first few rotations.
The four members of the Triumvirate, joined by their counterparts from the top levels of other teams, hold back the monster. Quite a few hero groups are more powerful than they recently were, and the native teams want to prove they're competitive. Rukavitsa slams Behemoth hard enough that he drops to his knees, and the point is settled.
The dust isn't. A crater forms around the Endbringer where he's being pelted with everything imaginable, then he dives underground and resurfaces. Eidolon takes a direct hit and keeps fighting, Legend takes one and doesn't. And then another roar, staggering the capes who were invulnerable enough to survive and fight him directly.
The four members of the Triumvirate, joined by their counterparts from the top levels of other teams, hold back the monster. Quite a few hero groups are more powerful than they recently were, and the native teams want to prove they're competitive. Rukavitsa slams Behemoth hard enough that he drops to his knees, and the point is settled.
The dust isn't. A crater forms around the Endbringer where he's being pelted with everything imaginable, then he dives underground and resurfaces. Eidolon takes a direct hit and keeps fighting, Legend takes one and doesn't. And then another roar, staggering the capes who were invulnerable enough to survive and fight him directly.
ertia
Kithabel keeps going. She gets Legend up again. As long as there's a backlog she can space out any given cape's resurrection, but the hard hitters are in for the long haul.
Mid-roar it suddenly increases in pitch by rather a lot. It sounds very silly. It's not much less harmful that way, but still.
The dust in the air is irksome, and then it is no more.
Mid-roar it suddenly increases in pitch by rather a lot. It sounds very silly. It's not much less harmful that way, but still.
The dust in the air is irksome, and then it is no more.
wormcan
Well then there needs to be more dust, doesn't there. If an Endbringer can't be irksome then what's even the point. He slams both hands down, knocking the earthbound capes down with the quake. And then lightning crackles around the entire battlefield, from cape to cape. Surprisingly few stay down, but the armbands have stopped reporting.
Alexandria's group of flying bricks batters Behemoth from above again. Some of them start falling out of the sky, and then his counterattack spreads outward. The ground seems to slant, so that toward Behemoth is downhill. It gets gradually steeper as his gravity-altering effect strengthens; capes who either got too close or can't fly start falling toward his kill radius.
Alexandria's group of flying bricks batters Behemoth from above again. Some of them start falling out of the sky, and then his counterattack spreads outward. The ground seems to slant, so that toward Behemoth is downhill. It gets gradually steeper as his gravity-altering effect strengthens; capes who either got too close or can't fly start falling toward his kill radius.
ertia
Without the armbands, Kithabel will have to guess, but anybody who she sees doing damage will have the chance to do it again and she can get a headcount for everyone else afterwards.
The gravity thing - well.
Nobody can manage things like that at home because everyone's got such strong opinions about gravity.
Here, it is Kithabel's opinion about gravity that matters and it is to go back to normal at once no backtalk.
The gravity thing - well.
Nobody can manage things like that at home because everyone's got such strong opinions about gravity.
Here, it is Kithabel's opinion about gravity that matters and it is to go back to normal at once no backtalk.
wormcan
The gravity well grumbles, but weakens and returns to normal. But there are more tricks where that came from. Eventually. For now it's just mundane things like fireballs. A team of pyrokinetics manages to deflect several back at Behemoth, where they do nothing.
ertia
The next time Behemoth tries to dive underground, Kithabel just picks him up. And holds him. In the air.
Lightning rods spring up; she's not sure who's doing that, she doesn't think it's anybody she's healed or resurrected yet.
She'll drop Behemoth when he looks wrecked enough to flee. For now there is nothing to gain from his being mobile.
Lightning rods spring up; she's not sure who's doing that, she doesn't think it's anybody she's healed or resurrected yet.
She'll drop Behemoth when he looks wrecked enough to flee. For now there is nothing to gain from his being mobile.
wormcan
Aside from the lightning rods, shakers in general are doing what they do best. Large quantities of material appear below and around Behemoth, restraining his limbs as much as they can. There's nothing to gain from his being able to point at people, either. Those who can meaningfully hold Behemoth in place do, and those who can blast at him do that.
The Endbringer objects to this. He starts to glow bright silver. Everyone backs away from the kill radius. A fiery border appears, denoting the edge. That part's new. And then it starts expanding. One hundred feet, one hundred twenty...
Any capes caught in between are burned, zapped, vaporized, or all of these at once and then some. Few are durable enough to survive every available threat. The sphere keeps expanding.
The Endbringer objects to this. He starts to glow bright silver. Everyone backs away from the kill radius. A fiery border appears, denoting the edge. That part's new. And then it starts expanding. One hundred feet, one hundred twenty...
Any capes caught in between are burned, zapped, vaporized, or all of these at once and then some. Few are durable enough to survive every available threat. The sphere keeps expanding.
ertia
Kithabel gets into a direct fight with that sphere. She objects to it. It should shrink. It should turn on its creator.
wormcan
One hundred forty, one hundred sixty...
(Not that the sorcery didn't work. The sphere shrinks as commanded. But Behemoth is perfectly capable of incinerating people manually whenever they fall inside where the border ought to be.)
Area-affect capes have other things to do now, building barriers to absorb radiation or decreasing temperature to counteract the heat; Behemoth is doing enough things that too many of them are relevant one way or another.
(Not that the sorcery didn't work. The sphere shrinks as commanded. But Behemoth is perfectly capable of incinerating people manually whenever they fall inside where the border ought to be.)
Area-affect capes have other things to do now, building barriers to absorb radiation or decreasing temperature to counteract the heat; Behemoth is doing enough things that too many of them are relevant one way or another.
wormcan
The kill radius decreases to its normal size.
Satisfied that he's setting the terms of the fight, Behemoth turns to duel a twenty-foot dragon. Neither of them burns the other very effectively, but the heat does start melting the ground beneath them. Even most of the heavy hitters back off.
Satisfied that he's setting the terms of the fight, Behemoth turns to duel a twenty-foot dragon. Neither of them burns the other very effectively, but the heat does start melting the ground beneath them. Even most of the heavy hitters back off.
ertia
Kithabel does other work while the... dragon... is that one of those Brockton Bay villains who had the good sense never to attack her...? has Behemoth occupied. She chills the rest of the air. She does a batch of resurrections, she does a batch of healings.
And then a Dragon drone zooms up to her, clutching the end of what looks for all the world like a hair. "This is supposed to be indestructible," the drone says. "It's not thin enough to cut deep into him, though. Can you make it thinner without disconnecting it from the other end?"
"How thin?"
"As thin as possible."
So Kithabel wants.
And then she lassos the monster with it and pulls tight.
And then a Dragon drone zooms up to her, clutching the end of what looks for all the world like a hair. "This is supposed to be indestructible," the drone says. "It's not thin enough to cut deep into him, though. Can you make it thinner without disconnecting it from the other end?"
"How thin?"
"As thin as possible."
So Kithabel wants.
And then she lassos the monster with it and pulls tight.
wormcan
As thin as possible actually has a meaningful answer most of the time. There are minimum size limits that the universe won't allow anything to break. Normally. Kithabel is free to ignore them.
The absurdly sharp wire lands around Behemoth's neck and slices through the monster as if he weren't there. Alexandria pulls on the top half, and winds up with the Endbringer's head and most of a shoulder. The lowercase dragon and Rukavista manage to tear off the dangling arm.
Behemoth responds about how he'd be expected to: he detonates. Shards of obsidian fly out in every direction, faster than they can reasonably be responded to. People are immune to shrapnel or they aren't, but there's no question of defending. The flesh around Behemoth's neck and shoulder starts visibly regenerating.
The absurdly sharp wire lands around Behemoth's neck and slices through the monster as if he weren't there. Alexandria pulls on the top half, and winds up with the Endbringer's head and most of a shoulder. The lowercase dragon and Rukavista manage to tear off the dangling arm.
Behemoth responds about how he'd be expected to: he detonates. Shards of obsidian fly out in every direction, faster than they can reasonably be responded to. People are immune to shrapnel or they aren't, but there's no question of defending. The flesh around Behemoth's neck and shoulder starts visibly regenerating.
ertia
Kithabel's immune to shrapnel. The wire's immune to shrapnel. Everything else can wait. She lassos the regenerating half. She yanks.