A Moment with the Yangban:
January 3rd, 2009, #34
We are arrayed in a basic parade ground formation at the staging area waiting for Magnus to show himself. As Endbringers came and went, Magnus initially seems very straightforward, but the details overlooked usually wind up killing someone every time he made an appearance.
In action, Magnus prefers to appear some distance away from his targets, the first one being a large amount of steel and iron he can take control of, usually in buildings or skyscrapers, and another target he wants to use this steel to kill, in a very messy manner. Shenzen has a very busy downtown area, and while we couldn't guess what his second target happened to be this fight, we had a few guesses.
Naturally, we of the Yangban took some exception to this, and with the help of the rest of the world's parahumans, villians, heroes and the Protectorate, we laid plans to end Magnus.
I sneak a glance to Lightning Tiger, standing nearby to the command cadre, Null through Five. If our plan bears fruit, he will be dead by the end of the fight, but so will the Endbringer. He doesn't show his fear on his face, but he also hasn't hidden that fact from us in conversation that he's terrified he will sacrifice himself for nothing.
The bomb we created should ensure that his death will not be in vain. We put a good number of our artificers together and they designed and built, using the same tricks that Null and Two use for the rest of us, a bomb that should have enough power to crack Magnus' core.
The problem in this instance is delivery, and thats where Lightning Tiger comes in. Metal of most stripes can't be brought too close to Magnus without him taking control of it and using it against you. This is why most national armies stay well away from his attacks, he gets too close and he could simply kill you by throwing your artillery piece at you. However, Lightning Tiger has a 'living lightning' state of being, much like Legend of the Protectorate, which drastically increases his speed, and also interferes with Magnus' control of metal. Between Lightning Tiger and our bomb, we should see Magnus dead this day, so long as we can get to his core.
I take a moment to look around me. Ironwood is hard to miss, he stands clearly taller than everyone else, and he is standing back a ways with the local Protectorate. It initially seemed odd that humans would trust an Endbringer, but he has proven himself time and again, putting his existence on the line for us, killing his power-mad family so we can survive. His mass healings post-Endbringer are a large part of what keep us all fighting strong after ten years of conflict with this alien opponent. A fine lesson in not angering the beings who keep you well and happy.
Near him stand many of the more recognizable members of the Protectorate; Legend, Eidolon, Alexandria, and others, waiting for more to arrive. I turn my gaze when I hear a clap of thunder, to the raised platform where teleporters are bringing in reinforcements. The one called Strider is stepping back, allowing a group to descend the stairs to the field below. This parahuman contingent hails from Brockton Bay, as I recognize a few very distinct outfits that hail from that region: Panacea, Othala, Armsmaster, and Void Cowboy.
Well, excepting Void Cowboy. He isn't a parahuman at all. We figured this out a few years back as we were trying to get a read on his abilities and turned our thinkers to the task. Everything he does can be replicated by a dedicated person with access and skill. This only heightens his bravery, however. Few can say they've seen as many Endbringer fights as he has, he should be coming up on forty engagements soon. Also, as his track record is nearly flawless in search and rescue, his presence is heartening. Whoever he is set on to save, is saved so long as they still draw breath.
1 in 10 odds of dying. A morbid thought, but Endbringers fight to kill, not subdue, and we must match that resolve with our own. This is why I am glad the Yangban stopped forcibly recruiting when the truth of the Endbringers and powers came out. Prisoners and the forced will never have the conviction or will to fight that a volunteer would. Lung's embarassment of us put paid to that years ago. This has brought our group even more converts and willing aid than our projections said could be gained with being too grabby. I know this well, since I am one of the newer recruits after that disastrous policy was withdrawn.
This has also brought Tinkers and Thinkers on board, expanding all of our abilities dramatically. We built the bomb we plan to use in the three days between the warning and now, and having more people working off of the same blueprint makes the job faster, much faster indeed.
One clears his throat. He is preparing to give us a speech before we get started. As one, our postures straighten, our gazes lock onto his covered face.
"Brothers and Sisters of the Yangban, hear my words.
"Magnus comes to Shenzen, to destroy our hard work, to take the fruits of our labor and to use them to destroy even more. We are ready for him, however." A nod towards Lightning Tiger, dressed in an outfit that has him appear to have stepped right out of the Song Dynasty into the modern era, a cloth bandanna his only nod to the rules Western parahumans live by. "We have our plan ready to set into motion. Ironwood will try to contain Magnus while we of the Yangban, the Protectorate, and any others who can breach his metal and expose his core.
"When this is open to attack, we will have ten of our strongest power boosters array ourselves behind Lightning Tiger and he will use this to supercharge his lightning state, rushing the bomb into his core and detonating it, killing the Endbringer."
He turned to Tiger, and this time his voice is tight with emotion. "If you succeed, Tiger, I will not be able to shake your hand afterwards. Know that, beyond any shadow of any doubt, what you do here will be honored for thousands of years to come, and your name will join those legends of our nation that stretch back almost to the dawn of time." He gripped the man's wrist, and gave him rough pats on the shoulder while looking fiercely on his face for what is likely to be the last time. "We will make sure your family is cared for, either way. Rest easy on that account, and focus on the task at hand."
Turning back to us, he shouts so we can all hear, all 274 of us at attention. "Yangban! Magnus comes to destroy one of our cities. What will we do in the face of this?"
As one, our voices push forth, "WE WILL STAND!"
"He and his are here to do nothing more than kill us, torture us, and leave our great works as nothing more than dust in the wind! What will we do in the face of this?"
"WE WILL FIGHT!"
"We already have our new home, but there are still Endbringers that remain! For the sake of our fellow humans, what we do in the face of this?"
"WE WILL WIN!"
"And in order for us to win, what must we do?"
"KILL!" From this point our rally descends into a chant of "KILL! KILL! KILL!" as we ready ourselves to face the Endbringer. After a minute, the chant ceases, and we move into our position.
We are to be the fast attack squad, since we have a number of long-range attack powers and powers to help us move quicker and be lighter in the air. Magnus is much like a combination of the deceased Behemoth, in that he starts at one point and marches towards his target, and the Simurgh, who usually has a cloud of debris shielding her and for use as projectiles. His projectiles of choice are usually i-beams, dumpsters, cars and the like instead of the random bits of everything around that the Simurgh uses.
Magnus is hard to miss. A giant, hulking pale form walking slowly towards his destination. Despite his weight he seems to be moving in slow motion, like he didn't weigh anywhere near what he should. The Americans who've seen Magnus before often call him the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, and it took me a long time to figure out what the hell they were talking about. One movie later, and I can sort of see what they're pointing at, though the veins running throughout the body and twisted, lopsided leer frozen on his face take away from that image more than a little bit.
The debris cloud of iron, steel and anything else his metallokinesis could grab also takes away from the image. As he steps forward, houses disintegrate, the struts, studs and other metals involved in their construction being forcefully pulled out and swung around into his own personal storm of metal. Our task is two-fold in this fight: Remove the debris field from play, most likely by destroying it, and then once the first layer of his flesh, armored and ablative, is beaten away by melee combatants, we use our attack powers to start punching our way through each layer of his flesh, to expose the core and give Lightning Tiger his shot.
As we approach, we can see other parahumans trying to thin the field out, with varying degrees of success. One flying woman is shredded by the nails from a nearby house, and another has his arm removed by a house support beam. As we approach the monstrosity, we start jumping on the road, jumping up to building walls only to jump off the wall, using the curb to suddenly jaunt sideways, always staying in lateral motion, so he can't easily target us, and we can use our motion to dodge anything he throws at us.
It doesn't always work. I duck under a large I-beam only to hear the sound of a cut-off scream as it hit someone behind me full on. The powers we have access to drops by one. Unfortunate, but expected and planned for. We press on.
I jump up the side of a building, straight up, and as I get over the roof, where I have full view of the debris field, I use one of the shared powersets to attack the debris shield. Around me, my brothers and sister are doing the same. This sort of a fight is less a sprint and more a marathon, pitting our endurance against that of the Endbringer.
Unfortunately, my endurance does not last as long as I would like. As an I-beam swings up from the ground, I try to jump away and can't get out of the way fast enough, and my left leg explodes in pain for a moment as I'm thrown into the attic of a house. The blinding pain in my left leg goes suddenly numb, and I don't know if I'm going to survive or if I'm going to die here, under all this wood on top of me.
Time passes, and I am already in a hazy state, when a young woman burrows her way to me under the debris, and reaches out to me, speaking something in what sounds like English. I nodded, and she took my hand.
It wasn't my first teleport, but the feeling of just a bit less pain from not having to feel was blissful. And I pass out.
*****
When I awoke, I was given the great news that Magnus was slain, but I wasn't able to rejoin the battle because of my leg that had been severed with a blunt object. Panacea stabilzed me, but I wasn't able to walk again until after the battle when Ironwood goes forth and heals the survivors as best he can. My leg regrew from the tattered stump that was my memento from the End of Magnus.
Lightning Tiger, of course, did not survive the bomb he delivered, but we have it on excellent word that his family need not fear starvation or lack of care for generations to come. It is unfortunate that he had to give his life, but as One said, he joins the legends of our culture with a name that will be remembered for thousands of years to come.