The Remedy - The Cure for the Common Hero Chapter 2
A thick layer of fog coupled with industrial haze hid the group from sight. Camped out in an alley not far from the cemetery, a trio of heroes waited for their fourth member. Two were perched atop a dumpster while the third hovered just above the ground. It was nearly dark, and their tanker hadn't appeared. A figure shrouded in white scanned the skyline, the relaxed posture belying any bit of worry he might have had.
"See anything, Pong?" The hovering figure in dark blue leather finally broke the silence. The members of the Remedy rarely called each other by their actual names, choosing instead to shorten the monikers afforded to them as spandex-clad crimefighters. Miranda - Moriyaku - had been the first among them to break the tradition.
Ponghwang shook his head. "Nope. Don't worry, he'll be here. The 'wang knows this to be true."
"Y'know, I think the 'wang knows a little too much," the healer on his left pointed out wryly.
Pong laughed, the noise low and easygoing as he leaned back, careful to avoid the katana at his side. "Y'all are just jealous of the 'wang."
"Junk?"
The blaster looked over at the healer sitting on the dumpster, one eyebrow raised behind his dark glasses. "Yeah, Scim?"
"If you ever hear me say that I'm jealous of the 'wang, shoot me," Scimitar noted wryly as he stood up. Like the blaster, his clothing blended into the darkness and kept him relatively obscured from anyone who might be peeking in the alley.
Junk smirked. "Sure, I can handle that." A slight shrug of his shoulders preceded the upward movement that brought him level with the rooftops. Squinting, he could make out the silhouette of a red figure leaping from the top of what had once been a medical complex. Junk descended softly, jerking his thumb in the direction of the roof.
"Finally," Scim muttered, getting down from his perch. Moments later, Sang landed nearby with a heavy thud before he ducked in to meet them. "You made it here all right?"
The tanker nodded, arms folded across his chest. "Of course I did. C'mon, this is the fifth night this week I've had to come in here."
"Second time today," Scim added with a note of exasperation. "Is she doing any better?"
A shrug and the absence of a verbal reply indicated that this wasn't a topic for discussion. Before any of them could press the matter further, a low guttural growl reverberated in the alley. A chorus of groans and raspy grunts grew louder at the open end, and several figures lumbered from the sidewalk into the narrow space between the buildings. Behind them, an emaciated shaman tottered on unsteady feet, spindly arms raised in summoning.
"They must've seen you come in," Junk noted, doubling his distance from the ground. "Guess we've got time to practice, hmm?"
Scimitar leapt backwards onto the dumpster, pausing for a brief moment before he too took flight. "I dunno, does this really count as practice?" He extended a hand towards the other three, cool blue tendrils of light encircling and invigorating them. The Recovery Aura pulsed briefly as Scimitar withdrew a safe distance. No need for him to be too close; he'd managed to hone his abilities to work best from a few meters away. In front of him, the hero in white brandished a razor sharp blade and grinned lazily at the oncoming Chambers. The katana whistled through the air as if to further taunt the group. Sang's expression was completely impassive as he clutched the mace he held in his right hand. It always worked better when he just waited for them to get closer. Granted, no one really wanted to get that close to a hulking invigorated mass of decaying flesh, but the tanker didn't worry too much about looking one of them in the eye as he fought. Besides, they had one of the best Healers backing them up.
Sang cast Unyielding, the temporary burst in his aura the only evidence that anything had changed. Feet planted, he tensed just before swinging at the nearest Chamber. The mace struck the creature in its midsection, its charge halted momentarily. Another blow, this time to the head, and the Chamber howled in pain and frustration. A lightning-quick flash of white and steel rushed forward into the fray to finish off the weakened beast. As the pair made quick work of the Chambers, Junk hovered above them to ensure a clear view of the shaman leading the group. The first blast interrupted the dark mists and clouds that had already begun to shroud the undead summoner, but did little else. A second blast managed to knock the shaman further back, sending him flying into a second group of undead that had rounded the corner. Swearing under his breath, the blaster took a final shot and offered his teammates a satisfied smile as the shaman lay unconscious on the ground. Below, Pong managed a brief thumbs-up in approval before sending another Chamber to the ground. Around them, the bodies of the defeated undead slowly sank into the ground, finally allowed to rest after their possession by the shaman.
Sang's mace crunched into the upper torso of the last Chamber from the first group, the beast crashing to the ground with a loud howl. Recalling his Stance, he moved back, motioning for the scrapper next to him to do the same. Above them, a volley of blue-white streaked into the second group, knocking several of them down to reveal a pair of shamans. The air about them crackled with energy, an impromptu warning as the ground shot up around the tanker and the scrapper. Jagged rocks and earth bound them in a temporary but inescapable prison, leaving them vulnerable to the oncoming slew of Chamber that continued to pour through the alleyway.
"I could really use a Clear Mind about now, Scim!" Sang called, his head reeling from the attack. Next to him, Ponghwang had succumbed to the shaman's second attack, his head lolling from side to side as the katana hung useless in his hand. From the far end of the alley, the shaman essayed a wicked leer as another barrage of rock and earth shot up from the pavement, the tanker unable to little more than swear violently as the group advanced on the alley.
This CoH fanfic was written by V. Likenesses and attitudes of all characters are property of their respective owners.