Chapter Text
Distorted Voice
"Future"
Throne 5.2
"Behold my talent and listen to the thunderous applause!"
-Saber
-April 27, 2011, 06:01 am, Dockyard Workshop-
I woke up in Taylor's lap, her hand firmly in mine. "Hmmm, how long have I been out?" I muttered, her eyes softened at my tone. I remembered fainting after summoning, knowing Belle and Taylor I was probably dragged into a bed, but why is she here then?
"Just a few hours… You screamed while asleep and well, decided to see if this helped." She said with worry in her voice. I screamed? I don't remember, just the void of space… Oh fuck! I summoned Voyager! I sat up nearly immediately, narrowly missing hitting Taylor's face, and began to run to the door.
"-And she'll be alright, just tired from summoning. Back in chaldea we used a different source of power, so the drain wasn't as bad. We'll have to make a power source so that the drain will be lowered." Da Vinci explained, opening the door and stepping out of my way at the last second, making me crash into Emily. Somehow she landed on top of me as we tumbled, I blinked as her face blushed a deep red. I could feel my own face be just as red when Emerald appeared,
"Wow Creator! That's not a perfect landing!" The kaleidostick said excitedly, soon afterwards Voyager materialized above it,
"Silly Master…" He said almost dreamily. I wanted to retort but then Bitch exploded into the hallway, her clothes were on fire and she was smiling madly.
"Hellhound fits now." An understatement of the highest order, punctuated by her teleporting again. Phasewalking was so cool…
Between Amy accidentally crushing one of the genebaths with phasegrasp (something that also put a smile on her face as she realized that she didn't need to get close to enemies anymore), Bitch discovering the joys of setting shit on fire using powers and me writing down several dozen entries on various forms of magecraft, which Lisa began reading as soon as I was finished the day was rather hectic.
Emily and Voyager got along extremely well, given that voyager loved music and Emily liked having an audience, Da Vinci had begun making a generator inside the base and connecting it to her and voyager so that they could use their noble phantasms without draining me too much. Surprisingly enough Lisa and Da Vinci seemed to enjoy sniping at each other, to the point that when Brian had appeared once to pick up Aisha, he took one look at Da Vinci and Lisa arguing and left the room. I felt like he was the smartest man in the world.
"So… What class is Voyager?" Taylor asked as I finished the logs for thaumaturgy, the black barrel replicas, and the blueprints for the shadow border v2. Which unfortunately couldn't be fully stealthy like a no ship, because it still needed to be located in imaginary space, however the flow metal could be used to improve the hull to the point even the storm border would be jealous.
My neck cracked as I stretched and stood up, "Foreigner. One of the extra classes. There's also Shielder, Ruler, Avenger, Pretender, Alter Ego, and Moon Cancer. Though the last 2 aren't things I'll even try to summon… God knows what BB could do with the damn machine army." I shuddered at the image of that AI getting a near infinite army capable of escaping through reality.
"BB?" Taylor prodded and I activated my circuits, the heat was nice and I formed a small mana orb in my hand. I let the Eridium flow outwards and mold it until it became a figure, one that looked like BB.
"How to explain BB… She's someone who is inherently selfish but serves humanity in her own way. She's an AI that gained sentience while gorging herself on goddesses, she's… a dependable enemy that will save you. Or maybe a flower that looks beautiful but will kill you if you smell it." I summed up her existence and glared at the figure in my hand before dismissing it. Taylor crossed her arms as she opened her mouth and closed it, I could feel her mulling what she wanted to say. It took her a solid minute, but she finally spoke.
"Sounds like you admire her." I stared at her and laughed. Admiration? That's one way to look at things, I respected the hell out of her, but I also wanted nothing to do with her.
"I kinda do, but also I genuinely don't want her anywhere near me. She's… She's too much for now." I admitted between laughs, "Anyways, what do you want Tay?"
"Da Vinci called you Fujimaru?" She asked without preamble nor hesitation. Oddly enough I heard no bugs around us, was that her way of saying I trust you? If it was then I had no choice but to tell the truth.
"Ah that, yeah. The way I interacted with her originally was through a game, the main character's default name is Fujimaru." I never said the whole truth and I had a feeling Taylor could tell, but there was something else. She was watching me carefully, reading me or trying to at least understand something. There was a slight widening of the eyes and narrowing of her lips, she must've realized something.
"So your power lets you…" Ah I understand, so I interrupted her by stating,
"Yup, fiction brought to reality… Or maybe reality being hit with fiction is more accurate." I paused for a moment and remembered, once Taylor was just words on a page. Everything was just a story but now… Fuck just thinking about them dying is enough to make me consider the nuclear options. Still I added, more for my sake than hers, "Though, Tay, just because something is fiction; doesn't mean it's not real."
"That's… ridiculously corny." She replied as she hugged me. The warmth of her body is in sharp contrast to my knowledge that she was once just words on a page. "But I can't make fun of it. So what do you want to do?"
"I need to practice with Amy and Bitch our siren powers, test Emerald's abilities and coordinate with Da Vinci and Voyager. And build Paper Moon, though to do that I need to make sure Belle can handle the calculations so that means a hardware upgrade. Or maybe not… Belle can already calculate the end of the universe." I listed the things I needed to do only stopped by her grabbing me tighter.
"Okay, but what do you want to do?" She asked again. That… Wait Taylor, I want to be a hero and I don't know how to stop escalating, Hebert is actually asking me for something that isn't work related.
"Tay, you're acting weird." I state the obvious and she stares at me before sighing.
"Yeah, but also I recently realized that you were beginning to do the same thing as last time. That is to say, just building things for a future which won't happen, driving yourself mad, and I don't want to lose you. So we're both going to relax for a day." Her tone told me that she wouldn't accept anything short of an actual desire, so I went with the old reliable.
"A small patrol would be nice, we haven't done that in a while." And it was true, I did in fact miss it, plus it would let me test Emerald's powers. Also I did want to just run for a while, maybe even fly.
"... Marie…" Taylor warned and I gave in, I had time plus tonight I'd try for the class cards.
"Fine, want to go out tomorrow? We can have a day off, just walk around the city." I suggested after a moment to think. A small piece of me wanted to stay in the lab and build something, another felt the itch to play violin and… Actually that sounds fun for tomorrow in the afternoon, maybe something relaxing. Maybe I can get Taylor to play the flute.
"Better. Anywhere in particular you want to go?" Taylor asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. She raised a good point, the commercial district was still shot, the boardwalk wasn't the best at the moment, though Sabah would probably appreciate some extra cash and materials from us. Especially if I ask her for some decent sleeping clothes.
But there was a higher than average chance of meeting the wards there. And if Flechette was there, then I would be better off avoiding that time bomb. So that only left me with a few options.
"A library or a museum would be nice. Haven't been in either for a while." I replied and she smirked before stating,
"Nerd."
"You're complaining?" I deadpanned and she smiled,
"Nah, just happy you didn't say hunt down the fallen or something equally as crazy." Which was admittedly something I would need to deal with, once I can safely bypass that shard's power without drowning in spice.
" Then again I could send the twins against her. " The thought came like a lightning bolt and I pushed it into the back of my mind, " Later. " I reasoned, first I needed to finish up what I was working on. Taylor stayed for a while making small talk as I worked on the ritual for the cards.
The Ainsworth ritual was similar to the normal Grail ritual, however the key difference was its connection to the kaleidoscope. Rather than outright summoning the hero, their essence was imprinted into a class card, or perhaps it's closer to say that only an aspect of their essence is. Regardless, mimicking their magecraft was ridiculously easy thanks to Sylph providing the information, mana ignited as the air dried up and the world turned white in my eyes, 7 cards materialized in front of me.
All humming with power I grabbed one and the rest fell to the table in front of me, my spine shivered with anticipation as the Lancer card touches my skin.
Britain burns beneath me, this unit can only destroy, the will of this nation is clear, all must perish. This world was a mistake, the sins of the faeries cannot be forgiven. Albion will assist Vortigern in the destruction of this land. Child of prophecy detected…
"Melusine…" I whisper as I feel a connection form. The last Dragon of Britain, the one who couldn't go beyond the horizon, the knight that stained herself red and black for one who couldn't love her… Fuck, that's heavy, still useful. I reach out towards Emerald's mental link to me, I tug at it and it appears.
"Oh, Class Card! Wow you work fast! I'll keep them hidden until the time is right." It chirped as a beam of light came from its gem. Fi fell to the floor and I grasped her hilt.
{Master} Fi's voice echoes in my mind, {Your soul shines brighter now. I need to inform you that there's an above average chance of you developing a deeper connection to the triforce..}
" So the light wasn't from you? " I asked my sword telepathically. I could almost imagine her face within my mind, a moment of pause as her brow furrows in thought and she replies,
{Only a small piece of it, unfortunately you've yet to prove yourself to handle more of my power. The goddesses will offer you a trial soon Master, I would suggest you take it as soon as possible. Given your fortune, there's a 98.5% chance of an attack soon.} The indirect reference to my luck notwithstanding, a trial sounded interesting. And troublesome, then again I did cheat a lot to get Fi, so some caveats were to be expected.
" A trial? Would that make you stronger ?" I asked as Emerald and Taylor began talking to each other, I unsheathed the blade and stared at my reflection within it as Fi replied.
{Yes, I can currently only access around 40% of my full power… Master I detect some frustration from you, have I displeased you?} She sensed my anger so quickly, 40% was bad to put it lightly. But that wasn't the main issue, I had a thought as she explained, a very simple thought: Why not grant her a body?
" Not you, Fi. It's just… Fi, do you want a body? " I asked her, it was something of a long shot, but creating spiritron particles and establishing a link between them and Fi is theoretically possible.
{A body?} Her voice seemed to crack at the suggestion, there was longing in there, but I could almost hear her mind remind herself of her duty. I still my nerves as I explain,
" Yes, I should be able to allow you to manifest like you did once. Without weakening the Master sword by much. Or maybe at all so long as you keep it with you. " I don't tell her that I don't want her to only be a weapon, I don't tell her that I don't want her to suffer.
{Master…} She says, her tone uncertain of her own desires.
" You don't have to answer me right now. Take your time and we can decide later. " I replied, I placed her on the wall and I approached Taylor. I grab Emerald, who had quieted down, and say: "Transform."
Emerald glows like a green sun, surrounding my body with blinding lights, my costume is once again changed, thin almost ethereal fibers cover my body for a brief moment before turning solid. Simple greens, and reds decorate the body suit, small pieces of armor cover my chest, arms, and legs. I look down and see that I now had a fucking skirt as well. On my head and shoulders lay a hooded cape. I knew it was a modified bunny hood and roc feather cape, Emerald whispered into my mind how it changed the look but not the function. Emerald was now a proper staff in size though one could argue it was more like a large sickle given how its head was shaped.
I twirled Emerald around and swung down, creating a small line of mana that stood ominously in the middle of the air. Tapping the end of Emerald on the ground I created a small pillar and the line flew towards it, slicing it vertically in half.
"So not bad, right?" I asked Taylor.
"Did you just invent instant clothing and can now shoot beams?" She asked while looking over the sliced pillar, I could see her tracing her fingers over the cut cement. From the very edge of my eyes I saw some tiny bugs, beetles, spiders and the like crawling and taking positions around the area. She was looking at it from different angles.
[She's talking to Queenie.] Sylph whispered, I could feel the slight pull of eridium partially solidifying her body. I clear my throat and offer.
"Kinda, it's one of Emerald's functions. I could make one for you, a staff I mean."
"And all I would need to do is, let you mess with my nervous system?" Taylor asks after looking at me, then at Emerald.
"And soul. It's projecting your soul." I clarified, looking at the ground, unwilling to look at her eyes. The bugs stop moving, they stop breathing, I can hear her heartbeat slowly pick up speed and then slow down again.
"... So you saw Lisa's soul?" She asks, I could feel some level of judgment from it and I looked up, her eyes were fully focused on me.
"Several times, yes. And she was aware of it, her shard probably spoiled it for her." I replied, my body tensing. One second passes, I see her eyes become clouded for a moment, another second passes and she sighs loudly.
"... Fuck it. Tomorrow after our day off, I'll let you do the entire magic crap." I hug her as a response, her body freezes up for a moment before relaxing.
"Thank you, for trusting me." I whisper and I feel her hand on my head.
April 28, 2011. 11:00 am, Brockton Bay, Natural History and Science Museum.-
For a place best known for getting wrecked to shit and being a parahuman farm, Brockton Bay had a pretty good museum. It had several wings, each dedicated to a certain theme or idea, various floors (I checked using alchemy and while it does have 3 floors, there's also a rather large basement), currently me and Taylor were taking the guided tour with a small group of people. Taylor surprised no one by wearing a rather large jacket, pants and sunglasses indoors. I on the other hand, did all that and had a ponytail, clearly I was the superior inconspicuous person.
Although the tour itself wasn't particularly bad, the dinosaur exhibit was neat and the fact that somehow they still had an actual steam locomotive that was functional was surprising. The tour guide, a man named Henry, was oddly calm despite the recent events nearby. According to him the biggest threat had been stopped by Maeve a block away from where the museum stood, so it didn't affect their business. And given that this was close to where I helped kill Noelle, I felt some relief that I wasn't too late in stopping her.
It still felt bitter, in the back of my mind I couldn't help but wonder if I could've spared her. And yet, without her Leviathan has no real reason to pop up here… I just jinxed myself, didn't I?
[Not precisely, but you are right in one aspect, without Echidna, Leviathan's Lure will change.] Sylph provided as she looked over more other exhibits. Voyager was also nearby in his spirit form, when he heard we were going to the museum he merely shifted to spirit form and whispered: "Going." DaVinci opted to stay behind with Lisa and the others, she was also having too much fun analyzing Amy's current powers.
Regardless it was nice and relaxing, Emerald began to vibrate in their phone form. Taylor looked at me and pointed with her eyes to a small corner where I could speak without being overheard. Picking up the call I heard Dinah say:
"Fuck, Marie pick up."
"I'm here, what happened?" I asked surprised at her tone.
"Finally, something has gone wrong! The fallen they're attacking Ellisburg, right now!" The genuine fear in her voice made me worry, and as I began to head towards the exit a familiar man appeared in his hands, a small box.
I did say it didn't matter. Even if everyone knew my face, it wouldn't matter.
My body moved instantly, in my mind all that mattered was stopping the blast from hitting anyone, Emerald shone like a sun as I transformed. One of the things I was grateful for was my foresight in adding the speed of mhxx's avalon armor for instant transformation.
The rules of time and space relocation weren't particularly a hard set of guidelines I needed to follow, especially if I had a convenient dimension nearby. Thankfully the mirror dimension was more than capable of handling a small blast.
The circuits along my body flared to life, creating a haze from the sheer heat they produced, the world broke apart as runes surrounded Oni Lee's fading body, space warped, buckled underneath an impossible weight and the man fell with the blast. Emerald did not speak, I could feel their anger at this, though that was nothing next to my own. Bakuda was back, and no matter how I looked at it, it was my fault.
"Fuck!" I swore and ran outside where several ABB gang members stood, I must've been quite the sight, unmasked and without my usual sword at hand. One of the dumber ones raised their phone and took a picture, I took a single step forward.
This was my fault, if I had just used the spice, I could've seen the attack… A ladybug landed on me and scratched behind my ear, annoying me enough to not wallow in my misery. Some of the gang members had been smart enough to run, others had drawn their guns and had fired at me, Voyager blocked the bullets while moving faster than the human eye, he's a good servant. Time slowed down around me as more power was drawn out, I could see their faces twist in fear as I approached them.
I swung, thin lines of pure mana wrapped themselves around their bodies, binding them. They screamed as their bodies were contorted into uncomfortable positions, I tapped the ground and sunk them into quicksand, the fear in their eyes wasn't as damming as I expected.
I heard the whistling of the arrow before I could see it, covered in darkness and filled with anger, I merely stepped to the side and let the broadhead hit one of the ABB in the arm. I heard the swarm and breathed out, Taylor could handle Sophia. More bolts flew in my direction, and I dodged them without looking in her direction. The swarm roared to life around me as millions of bugs covered my escape, I stepped through, drowning my fear of them in my anger.
I fast traveled back to base, ignoring the looks of surprise of Dinah, Emily and Aisha. I rushed to my lab and grabbed a small bit of spice, I drank it and let my fears and anger die. The haze of the prescience became clear for a few moments, past, present and future all appeared before me, bits and pieces stretched out into infinity as time ceased to have any meaning.
"Leviathan roared as Brockton's coastline stood in defiance, ??? stood alone on the beach. "Fire!" She yelled as several beams crashed into the endbringer. I knew the date, May 1st, 2011."
"Bakuda laughed from her position at city hall, even as her more loyal members fell. The sneer on her face was the first thing that was lost as red tendrils of flesh pushed her against a wall."
""Faith is rewarded, isn't it?" Emily said through bloody teeth. Her smile unwavering, her eyes staring to the ceiling. Above the ruined facility a red star descended and tore the ground apart."
The vision ended and I felt empty, I could feel the weight of prophecy crashing on me.
5.2 end
Interlude- Requiem for a shadow
Sophia Hess, also known as Shadow Stalker, glared at the fleeting form of the girl that had screwed her over. It hadn't been easy to learn how the PRT had suddenly gained evidence of her more extracurricular (read vigilante or bullying) activities. But people forget that to hunt prey one must be patient, and with uncharacteristic patience and more than a little luck she had managed to find out that Maeve was the one that got her in trouble.
All she needed was an opportunity and when she overheard some of the ABB gang members talking about making an example at the museum, she knew that Maeve or her allies would show up. All she needed was to surprise the girl, plus with how many people she had killed no one would bat an eye to her dying.
The rogue had made it no secret that she disliked Shadow Stalker; and while Sophia never understood why, she did at the very least respect the hatred. But ratting out her civilian activities and showing some of her stashes to Miss Militia was a step too far in her opinion. Officially speaking however Shadow Stalker would continue her patrol, unofficially her patrols were being reduced to almost nothing, her pay was docked, and her associates were under federal scrutiny. Which meant that both Emma and Maddison were screwed in terms of privacy, especially once the truth about Hebert's locker was laid out.
" Hess, let me be absolutely clear, the only reason why you aren't being shipped to jail in a straight jacket with a shock collar is that you're still mildly useful. "
The words from Piggot once again formed in the back of her head as the anger grew. She fired more bolts, yet not a single one hit Maeve and to make matters worse the girl didn't even bother looking in her direction. This anger blinded Sophia to a certain buzzing nearby, it took the swarm covering the sky for Sophia to realize that she had been found. Shifting into the shadows and escaping through the building seemed to be the right idea for the time.
She fell through the ground and into the sewers, the disgusting smell wasn't enough to distract her from the roar of the swarm. "Fuck!" Sophia cursed as a wave of very angry insects tore past her. She flickered between solid and shadows as she made her way out.
"Sophia ." The swarm spat out, as if her name was a curse, " Don't run. Stand and fight me you worthless bitch!" Instead of falling for the taunt, Sophia ran faster, Weaver knew who she was. And although Sophia herself had some idea of who Weaver was, thanks to Maeve being unmasked, the problem was that if Weaver was Hebert, then Sophia was screwed in more than one way.
If Weaver had been a villain then she could've framed it differently, argued that she was fighting a villain that knew her identity, maybe spun the entire locker thing in a positive light. However Weaver was pretty close to being impeccable in the eyes of the PRT, some questionable choices in terms of allies, but her arrest and capture record was nothing but perfect. The swarm's collective maw began clicking together like a symphony of chitin, Sophia saw it heading towards her and she jumped and phased through the ceiling of the sewers and into the a building, the buzzing had stopped.
"Fuck, that was annoying." Sophia muttered, then her face was slammed into the floor. Sophia was dazed as a kick launched into a wall. Through the cracked mask she could see Weaver, in full costume standing perfectly still.
"You know, I was content to let the prt handle you." Weaver claimed, as the unnatural stillness of her body made Sophia nervous, her instincts were screaming at her to run, "Hell, I was happy to ignore you. And Emma and Maddison, I was enjoying not bothering with any of you. But you had to attack my little s… cousin. I won't let you take anything else Sophia." Sophia flickered into the shadows and the moment she phased through the ground the biting began, ants, spiders, roaches, all types of insects began biting at her.
Sophia quickly shifted into her shadow state as more and more bugs piled inside of her, she ran through it, faster than before, phasing through walls to escape the swarm. Left, right, up, down, it didn't matter where she ran, more bugs appeared out of the woodwork even the crabs were attacking her. " Since when can she control fucking crabs!? " Sophia thought as she jumped back to street level and came face to face with Weaver who was sitting in a cheap white lawn chair, the building they were in was abandoned and dusty, the broken windows that were barely boarded up by rotting wood let in very small amounts of sunlight.
"Hebert! You fucking bitch!" Sophia roared in anger and Weaver merely tilted her head slightly, "Attacking a Ward is…"
"You broke your parole, several times." Weaver interrupted her, "Emily Piggot signed off on your expulsion from the program 5 minutes ago. Which means you're no longer protected."
"You're lying." Sophia argued, her hands loading a bolt into her crossbow. Her eye narrowed as Weaver lazed in her seat, uncaring of the clear danger in front of her. With a voice tinged with cold anger Weaver mocked,
"Unlike you, I have no need to lie. Now you have a few choices, try to run away, surrender or stand and fight. Pick your poison, Hess."
"You forgot the best one, I kill you and escape." Sophia spat out in anger. She took aim, Weaver taunted,
"Hess, you couldn't kill me even if I let you."
The bolt flew straight, the space between them couldn't have been more than a dozen feet or so and yet Weaver appeared next to Sophia and landed a crushing blow to her gut with a sharp elbow hit. Sophia felt the air leave her lungs as Weaver swept her legs with a kick and delivered a right hook that smashed the back of her head into the ground. Sophia couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, it was like time had stopped for her.
"I could kill you, and not a single person would mourn you. But I won't, you're not worth the trouble. Oh and Sophia, one more thing, you lose." Weaver said even as Sophia saw her pull out a gun, a bang was heard and Sophia screamed as volts of electricity surged through her body. Another shot was fired and Sophia screamed even louder, and another and another until she fainted. Before she fainted however she saw a silver woman clapping at Weaver.
When she woke up Miss Militia was there and Weaver and her ally were gone.
"Sophia…" Militia began saying before shaking her head and hardening her tone, "For breaking the agreement between yourself and the PRT you're being sent straight to a special correctional facility. If you try to use your powers to escape, the bracelets in your hands and feet will activate, delivering a powerful shock. Armsmaster designed them specifically for you, so for your sake do not test your luck."
Sophia found out that Militia wasn't joking, the electric shock was powerful enough that she fainted from the pain immediately.
Notes:
Happy holidays, next chapter should be up within a few days while I edit it, I do apologize for the delay. In the meantime I hope you enjoyed it and thank you all for reading, commenting and giving kudos.