The Greater Warrior
It was… dark.
Not in the sense that I was blind folded, but that there was nothing that could be seen. Sort of like when you're in a room without windows and the light's off.
I tried to blink, but I couldn't feel my eyelids. I tried to move, but I couldn't feel my legs. I tried to scream, but I couldn't feel my voice.
I tried to be afraid, but I felt nothing.
Forcing my brain to a stop, I began to gather my mind and organize the scattered thoughts. Though I couldn't take a deep breath to calm myself, I simply imagined the action.
Okay. See, that wasn't so bad? I literally and physically cannot have a panic attack, no need to force it upon myself.
A memory of muscles tugging lips spilled to the forefront of my mind. It was reassuring, if only by a little.
So, is this a dream? No… Something else. What were those things called where you can't move again? Right! Sleep paralysis. I probably just have a case of that, so I only need to wait this out and I'll be awake in no time.
Not the first time I've had sleep paralysis, but it was a lot different than this. Maybe I'm laying face down on my pillow?
My ruminations continued as I theorized and hypothesized. Ideas sprung up with ease and were shot down just as quickly.
As I laid there, I considered my surroundings. It was almost peaceful in this dark void, likely a construct of my own imagination. Kind of funny, considering this was exactly how I imagined hell to look.
A chill would've gone down my spine if I could feel it.
Fortunately, it didn't, so I didn't have to worry. Sure, it seemed like I was trapped in some empty space with nothing but my own mind and imagination to keep me company, but that was just paranoia. If I could be optimistic in this situation, surely only the best could come of it.
…
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
I had hoped I would wake up at some point, but it felt like an eternity had passed. Though it wouldn't surprise me if I had only been aware for a couple of minutes, it was the thought that counted.
Touch, taste, smell, sight, sound, etc. I really wanted to experience it. It was just so… lacking without these senses. A morbid thought came to mind as I imagined a brain in a jar. Talk about the ultimate sensory deprivation experience.
It was too boring just screaming in my head, and trying to recreate songs from memory only did so much. If only there was- wait, what's that?
There was a sort of brightness ahead of me. Maybe it was finally morning, or somebody turned on the lights, but either way it was my salvation.
Reaching out, I attempted to grasp at the light before realizing I still didn't have any feeling. Regardless of my inabilities, the light grew brighter. It engulfed my entire vision until there was nothing but a piercing white.
X X X
I awoke with a start. Opening my eyes, the first thing I noticed was the city.
In short, it was a total wreck.
Buildings were crumbling and debris pooled through the streets. The first thing that came to mind was a tsunami, based on the feet worth of water sloshing around.
Taking my first breath in a while, I caught a strong whiff of salt and something else. It was very strong. Like blood.
My heart quickened as I checked my person for any unnoticed injuries. I paused at the sight I was greeted with.
Good news: I was completely without injuries. Bad(?) news: I was in a very strange getup.
Raising my hand, I poked the glistening chest plate that looked oddly real. The feeling was muted due to the armored mittens on my hands, but it was definitely metal.
My shoulders, biceps, and forearms were adorned with similarly ornate armor. My pelvis was strangely without armor, but a fancy cape thing that reminded me of fantasy knights. Below that was shin guards and metallic boots.
Weird. Am I still not awake? Maybe I was kidnapped, put in a cosplay, and dropped into a very convincing movie set? As if…
Bringing my hand further up, I attempted to run it through my hair, regardless of the glove. A pressure was instantly felt around my whole face. Lowering the limb, I felt around and realized I was wearing some kind of mask.
Really, how did I not notice that?
But I couldn't remain confused for long, as my focus would be drawn elsewhere.
Across the clearing, in one of the totaled buildings, I could faintly hear groaning. It wasn't loud, but I heard it nonetheless, and the individual was certainly in some pain.
Frowning, I moved to trudge my way over, only to be surprised by my ease of movement through the trash filled water. Metal, brick, and other muck was pushed aside in my stride to the trapped person.
In what I expected to take minutes, it took only a few seconds. While I had said I heard the sounds from a building, it would be more accurate to say I heard it from a pile of rubble. How I would help this person was somewhat concerning. My phone wasn't on me, nor did I see any rescue helicopters. If I tried to search for help, it might be too late.
Looking at my gauntlets, I considered what would ordinarily be unthinkable. What if- what if I just dig the person out? Sure, it should be impossible to clear the area, but so should my entire situation. I just need to try. If this doesn't work, then I'll go and commit to finding help.
Crouching down, I shivered as the water passed my waist line. Gripping the bottom of a larger piece of wall, I pushed off the ground with all my might-
-and promptly shot into the sky. Letting out a shout, I watched as I soared above the rubble, then the buildings, and even past the sky scrappers. There was a strange tingling from my back, but I ignored it in favor of the view.
It was a big city. One of the kinds you'd expect on the front page of Google. I was near the outskirts, far enough that I would've expected there to be little water, but what did I know.
There was no beach. At some point, the ocean ended and the city began with no in between. It was bizarre and frankly terrifying, but that wasn't what robbed me of my attention.
No, it was what I could see in the city, rather than the city itself. Standing several stories tall was an aerodynamic Godzilla lookalike. Well, not exactly like Godzilla, but it was the first thing that came to mind.
It was surfing around the buildings, performing impressively acrobatic feats while facing off dozens of smaller blobs. Focusing, I could immediately tell that these were people.
But I couldn't get a better look, as that's when gravity began to pull me back down.
Wind screeched in my ears as it tugged and tousled the loose cloth. I struggled to readjust my position to have a slower fall. It was difficult, almost as though I were carrying a great weight that dragged my every movement.
At that moment, I felt like the biggest idiot in the world.
Letting go of the large debris, I pushed it away and angled myself parallel to the ground. However, I knew this wasn't enough. Sure, I had super strength now, but who was to say I had the durability. For all I knew, I'd go splat in the next couple seconds!
Panic began to set as I realized I couldn't slow down. I'd fall and fall and then fall into a thousand bloody pieces.
What do I do- what do I do- what do I do?! What if I'm not strong enough? What if I die because I underestimated my newfound strength? Why can't I just stop?!
Without warning, the ground stopped. No longer was it getting closer, nor did I get any closer to it.
Huh? I thought dumbly.
Then I heard a faint flapping sound. Following the noise, I peeked over my shoulder and was reasonably startled.
Giant, lavender-gray wings gently kept me afloat. Because of course I had wings now. Super strength, strange armor, and wings. Not to mention the odd color scheme of the whole ensemble. Magenta, white, and gold is not what I personally think is aesthetically pleasing. Although, it's probably just the magenta.
Grimacing, I willed myself to slowly lower to the ground, wings obeying my commands before I even made them. Sinking into the murky water, I gazed back on the ruined building. There was a crater just in front of it, water pouring in like a small whirlpool.
Great, collateral damage. Chances are, I just killed the survivor before I even did anything!
Anger bubbled beneath the surface, and it was raw. Being upset over getting someone killed was understandable, but this was new.
Of course it's new! I continued to rant internally. While I've felt anger in the mundane, this involves another person's life!
Rearing my foot back, I almost kicked the water out of frustration when I heard something. It was faint, even more so than the first groan I heard, but it was there. Definitely there.
Swiveling on my heel, I dashed over to the exact spot the noise came from. With more clarity than I would've expected of myself, I carefully looked for the most sturdy part of the building. Using instinct more than anything else, I found what I was searching for and plunged my magenta lance into the ground and uprooted the area.
Without pausing to question the lance or the amount of destruction I caused, I leapt into the hole and grabbed hold of the first sign of life.
Flying out of the unstable area, I was able to get a good look at the person previously trapped under the rubble. It was a woman around her mid to late 30s caked in mud. Her brown hair was a tangled mess of grime and glass; clothing relatively intact; and some nasty bruising around her knees. If I had to guess, her legs were broken.
She wasn't going to die from any of the injuries I could see, but there was no way for me to judge any further than that. Taking one last look at the surface, I slowly gained altitude.
Wind and rain battered the two of us, but I tried my best to shield the woman with… a shield. No, not just a shield. It was specifically a buckler with a large, golden four point star on the front.
Soon, we were high enough that I could gaze over the entire city. Ignoring the whole giant monster deal, I scouted out any sort of shelters or civilian evac areas. Luckily, it took no time at all to spot a large amount of activity around the edge of the city, farthest from the ocean.
Adjusting the injured woman, I gently increased my speed before leveling it out. I could go faster. Significantly faster. But it wasn't urgent, and I wasn't entirely sure if I could do so safely.
A few seconds later and I was above what I assumed to be the shelter. It was an official building that didn't seem particularly special, so it was likely that the shelter was beneath the surface. Officials moved in and out of the building and a few remained outside under blue pop-up tents.
Not sure if I would consider them to be brave or stupid for being so active. Then again, what do I know about their protocols?
I slowly lowered myself to the ground and a couple watchers caught sight of me. Before I could even touch the ground, a stretcher was brought out from one of the ambulances. Touching the concrete surface, I handed off the injured woman and she was quickly carted off to another tent.
Glancing over the area, I saw a couple nods from police officers and a strained smile from a man in a ruffled suit. No words needed to be spoken, so I turned my back on them and took off once more.
It was a slow acceleration like before, since I didn't want to cause collateral damage. Once I was far enough away, I considered going faster.
Then, rather than consider it, I nearly ran head first into a building. I had stopped right before impact and stared at the window for a good second.
This would've been an opportune time to describe my appearance, but there wasn't any reflection.
Shaking away the thought, I turned my body to search for the endbringer.
Rising above the building, I scanned the city. My eyes were immediately drawn to the figures darting in the air.
There you are…
As I increased my speed once more, I considered what exactly I had been dropped into.
City ruined by flooding. Superheroes fighting a giant not kaiju with water powers. All indicators were pointing towards me being in Worm. Not the most pleasant of worlds, but it could've been worse.
After all, I could have ended up here without super powers. Powers like flight, super strength, super speed, super cool armor (if you ignored the colors).
An image of what I looked like popped up in my mind. White and magenta armor, lance and buckler held to the side. Slowly, it donned on me as to who I received the abilities of-
Musing was cut short when the endbringer literally froze in place. Lowering myself, the winds died down as I reached the street. I hovered just above the waist deep water.
I slowly floated towards the giant monster, its liquid duplicate not too far from it. There were a lot of bodies in the water and some in the buildings. From the few surviving heroes in the area, I could hear chatter coming through the arm bands.
Remaining a short distance away, I watched the heroes regroup and prepare for the next assault. While I was waiting for the endbringer to be released, a hero approached from my right.
"I take it your arm band was destroyed? We've moved on to plan B, so we're focusing on stalling for now." The man, who I soon realized was more of a young adult, motioned towards the widely spread capes surrounding Leviathan. "Brutes and heavy hitters are in the front and the rest are working farther away. Are you a mover?"
"Yes, but I guess you could call me a 'heavy hitter'. Wherever you need me, just take me there." I adjusted the lance in my grip and followed the young man.
He was in a form fitting red suit that had some padding for protection. Only his eyes and the bridge of his nose were visible through the mask. I had a feeling he was a character of note, but I couldn't quite recognize him.
A couple seconds later and I was floating far above a sidewalk, Leviathan still in view. Metal bars slowly encroach on the endbringer, wrapping its limbs and torso.
Gripping my lance, I could feel the power within it. Or more accurately, the power I could administer through it. It was daunting, knowing the pure destruction I could unleash.
Now knowing just who 'I' was, there was nothing stopping me from going up and killing the endbringer, even while stuck in time.
I sighed, and went back to waiting. A little ways away was that red costumed cape. It looked like they put the flying capes up above to try and stop that avenue of escape for the monster.
It wouldn't have been very effective, but no matter. Leviathan was living on borrowed time.
A second passed.
The water echo shimmered ever so slightly.
Half a second passed.
Leviathan leaned forward as gravity took hold of its body.
A millisecond passed.
I floated just in front of the beast. It wasn't difficult getting so close. Especially when I could easily visit Mars and Venus within a blink.
Leviathan was already stepping back, having registered my presence. A cape or two shouted around me, but I ignored them in favor of thrusting my lance forward.
The weapon glittered, a magenta blur slicing through the molecules surrounding it. Space began to rupture and particles were atomized.
Before the point could even reach the monster, Leviathan was launched into the air. Then past the clouds. A hole cut through the rain and the blue sky could be seen in between.
Wings pushed me up, my speed increasing so rapidly that any remaining windows shattered. Leviathan couldn't even reach the apex of his flight. I was already beside him, lance reared back.
This is suitably far enough to prevent collateral, right?
Energy coursed through my body. Purple motes of light flickered around me. Air rippled and ripped, sounding almost cartoonish.
Leviathan awkwardly flailed, trying to pull the rain from the clouds below us. It was far too slow.
The purple lance sliced space itself. The great void opened and found the Leviathan wanting. Cosmic power erupted forward, consuming the sky with celestial lights.
Stars, planets, even solar systems could be seen through the spatial attack. It held for a moment, before vanishing completely. Almost as though it never occurred.
But that was enough.
I stared at the empty space that once held the infamous endbringer. Nothing, not even a speck remained.
It was… anticlimactic, to say the least.
The clouds parted and I felt my wings stretch back, allowing me to gently glide down. It was completely silent and I could see every cape staring into the sky.
A single cape flew up to greet me. She was in a monotone costume, the image of a tower on her chest. A heavy black cape slowly swirled behind her.
Alexandria watched me intently through her visor, her body language impossible to parse. Once she was eye level, she finally spoke.
"Is he dead?"
Her voice was controlled, but I could gleam far more from that compared to her physicality. There were a few things behind the mask. Trepidation, caution, vigilance, to name a few.
But most importantly was one thing: hope.
"Yes."
That finally got a reaction from the triumvirate member. Her lips twitched, but she pushed forward. Down to business. "Then I must thank you, on the behalf of humanity, for vanquishing one of its greatest enemies. But that leads me to ask one thing. Who are you?"
Internally, I nodded along with her words. Considering her power, it would make sense that she'd be curious as to who the mysterious new player is. Especially when she was likely put in charge of the brutes at the beginning of the fight. Who was I, to suddenly appear from nowhere?
So it was only natural that I would answer her question. Though it wasn't my true name, my true identity, it would do. But it did mean I'd have to put some effort in. There was no way I'd besmirch the greatest warrior in the galaxy.
"I will be known only by one name. I am Galacta Knight."
A/N: Yet another fic that had no comprehensive story outline.
