Draconic Progenitor part 4
Kanna Kamui was a dragon. Very young, but a dragon.
She had not always been a dragon, and in truth - she'd been drifting in and out of consciousness from the pain medication when she'd been changed.
"Ah, ah," said Kanna as she polished the horns she still had in near-human-form. "Shiny shiny!"
Clothes present. "Rustle rustle!" Quick breakfast so she could run to school with toast in her mouth. Some traditions were important.
Maybe she'd make friends!
* PRT ENE HQ *
Director Piggot put down her coffee and opened the report. Might as well get it over with.
[PRT_USE_ONLY. LEVEL 5 Iridium Access Required. Severe Penalty For Unauthorized Access.]
[Access 3.14-Omega-5. Date: 01-07-11. Report - Doctor Yui Ikari.]
[Cape Name: Aurum, Real Name: Taylor Hebert, Known: Open Cape]
[Species: Gold Dragon (Young Adult), tentatively classified as draco nobilis infernus.]
[Legal Standing: Independent Hero affiliated with New Wave.]
[Note: All assigned values are temporary as these are initial analyis only.]
[Mover: 5. During testing Aurum was able to attain a maximum flight altitude of 200,000 feet and a speed of Mach 3. She typically flies at speeds of less than 100mph and a maximum observed altitude of 5000 feet. In addition she can interdimensionally teleport, though she has been warned about the legality of such she maintains that the hunting is better on non-colonized Earths and may be necessary for dietary considerations.]
[Shaker: 3. Able to emit a cone of flames reaching thirty feet in length. Fires are insufficiently hot to melt steel but are easily able to combust materials and sustained fire was able to soften asphalt.]
[Brute: In human(elf) form she is able to lift about one ton and is tough enough physically to withstand most small arms fire. A 50cal round was able to cause slight bruising which faded in approximately thirty seconds. In dragon form, Aurum is able to shrug off considerable amounts of damage and was able to lift over fifty tons. So Brute-6 for her humanoid shape and Brute 8 minimum for dragon form.]
[Breaker: 2. Aurum's dragon form is able to fly despite her considerable mass, and perform manuevers that should be impossible for that amount of mass. Aurum also states that dragon lifespans involve thousands of years during most of that time they become stronger.]
[Master: 1. Aurum is able to put forth an aura-effect similar to Glory Girl's but much less effective. She states she is restricted to two effects that she refers to as "dragonfear" and "glorious glow" or a fear-aura and a look-at-how-awesome-I-am effect. Both require posing and some internal mechanism to enhace target's mood. Only effective within 60ft.]
[Tinker: Not applicable. Aurum states a lack of Tinkering skills and has stated she can't even get her old video cassette player to work.]
[Blaster: 4. Able to produce a cone of flames or a concentrated beam, see Shaker for details about fire cone. Also able to produce a gas that causes weakening of individuals breathing that gas. PRT forces exposed to the gas recovered after one minute without other side-effects. Armsmaster attempted analysis but chemicals broke down within seconds of release. Dragon has reported initial analysis may produce a grenade version that would be of considerable use in crowd control situations where containment foam is undesired.]
[Thinker: 3. Enhanced senses in the form of sight and smell in both dragon and humanoid forms. Hearing appears to be slightly more acute in humanoid form than dragon but in both forms has both greater sensitivity and frequency range. Due to sensitivity to olfactory stimuli, Aurum in dragon form is likely to be able to determine cape identities despite sight-based disguises.]
[Striker: 5. Multiple options. Claws and teeth are able to not only penetrate metal but Aurum is able to eat such. Aurum ate a pepper grenade in dragon form, declaring it tasty and with a pleasant kick. Personal body armor is unlikely to fare any better and it was Armsmaster's considered opinion that Aurum would be able to eat a troop transport though it might take a couple of meals. Aurum was immediately told of the cost of such transports and that eating one would be severely frowned on. Aurum's tail has spines with a webbing between them which can act much as a saw against a number of substances though not as tough as the teeth or claws.]
[Changer: 4. Aurum can take a number of forms, but apologized as it seems the ability is less powerful than she anticipated. She is able to take a humanoid form referred to as an "elf", four bird forms (horned owl, ruby-throated hummingbird, giant bald eagle, and North American kestrel), two small mammal forms (gold squirrel and ginger cat), and two medium-sized mammals (a rather large wolf and a mountain gorilla) with the statement that she didn't know other possibilities in order to make guesses.]
[Trump: X. Aurum demonstrated on a volunteer her ability to "dragonify" other individuals. Subject's cancer and muscle atrophy were cured as a result of process. Subject is not the same type of dragon as Aurum, ending up as a lightning-based dragon of type not readily identified. Further testing is desired.]
[Stranger: -2 as a dragon. Subject is about as stealthy as one would expect from a creature forty feet in length. The only form Aurum can change to with stealth capabilities is that of a common housecat, ginger in coloration.]
Emily Piggot checked her schedule, then she pulled up the other file that had been the result of Hebert's testing.
[PRT_USE_ONLY. LEVEL 5 Iridium Access Required. Severe Penalty For Unauthorized Access.]
[Access 3.14-Omega-5. Date: 01-07-11. Report - Doctor Yui Ikari.]
[Cape Name: pending, Real Name: Kanna Kamui, Known: Not Known]
[Species: Holy Dragon (Young/Juvenile), tentatively classified as draco celestius.]
[Legal Standing: Underage Hero, potential Ward candidate.]
[Note: All assigned values are temporary as these are initial analyis only. Also note that Kanna had been a dragon for less than five minutes when testing began.]
[Mover: 3. Kanna is capable of flight though she needs to work on both launching and landing as she has damaged the concrete around both. It is expected that she will be at least as capable as Aurum when given practice.]
[Shaker: 2+. Kanna's "breath weapon" is lightning based but tires her. She is able to recharge reserves when able to tap into an electrical system. Initial testing involved hitting a single target which then arced to targets on either side.]
[Brute: 4+. Kanna broke through three concrete barriers by accident while learning to control her strength. It is expected that she will eventually become a much higher rated Brute. Unlike Aurum's forty-foot (including tail) length, Kanna is a mere 15ft in length (10' body with 5' tail) at present.]
[Breaker/Changer: 1. Kanna states she has a human form and a dragon form but no other shapeshifting capabilities. As with Aurum - there is no indication of where the additional mass for dragon form goes or returns from.]
[Master: N/A. Kanna showed no ability to produce the dragonfear or presence ability that Aurum manifested. This may need to be changed in the future as she becomes more practiced.]
[Tinker: N/A. Neither Kanna nor Aurum show any abilities or tells that would indicate a Tinker rating. Kanna wanting to play with Armsmaster's motorcycle when in dragon form was explained as she apparently likes Hot Wheels.]
[Blaster: 4+. Kanna requires practice using her lightning attack. She can apparently control her attack enough to have it curve around obstacles and arc from one target to another. Further testing strongly advised.]
[Thinker: 4+. Kanna could not speak Japanese prior to dragonification as she left Japan prior to developing language skills and was not exposed to it. During a pause in testing she went through several books, apparently was able to commit them to memory on a single pass, and became proficient with the language within an hour. Further testing strongly recommended.]
[Striker: 3+. In her dragon form she is capable of eating a concrete block before meals could be requisitioned. Also a test bar of tinker provided steel alloy that she complained was bland. Claws are capable of slicing into concrete or inch-thick steel plate without issue.]
[Trump: N/A. Kanna lacks Aurum's ability to dragonify others.]
[Stranger: N/A. Kanna is somewhat clumsy in both forms and has shown no evidence of stealth-based powers.]
Emily shook her head. She hadn't met Kanna Kamui, but she pitied how much time the girl would spend being studied and poked and prodded. Though if they poked too hard, a little girl capable of tearing through concrete would most likely be able to object in a manner that could not be easily ignored.
* Taylor *
A neutral spot had been decided upon, but it had to be properly prepared.
One of the Dockworkers had decided to help, having heard that Lung was coming, and had a few ideas on how to prepare for Lung.
"See what I know about Lung is that he's half-Chinese/half-Japanese and was living in Japan. Prior to the Endbringers there was a lot of discrimination against him for that, almost as bad as if he was burakumin. I think he might have been Yakuza, though I'm not certain of it. Certainly the number of tattoos on him indicate it is a possibility."
Aurum nodded and lifted a post into place. "So what is this supposed to be?"
"In Japanese culture, and Chinese too to some degree, there are areas where fighting is to be discouraged. Teahouses, temples, graveyards, places of cultural significance. Though in cinema fights break out there all the time but that's mainly to show how uncouth the antagonist is. So, a little shrine. I know tea ceremony and was a miko a very long time ago, so I know how to set things up. Put that post over there. Right. I need to pound these pegs into place. And... done. Okay, now for the kettle."
Aurum eyed the old woman and tried to picture her as a shrine maiden. Nope. Not able to picture her as a young anything.
"Eh, I can take a bit of time from my candy shop to do this," said Tsubaki Aida. "It's been so long since I've done anything but open and close the store, sell candy and soda. Stuff any vending machine could do, mostly."
* Coil *
Thomas Calvert sat back in his Bond-villain lair and considered the report before him.
Dragonification. A lifespan of a thousand years or more. Power.
Of course, it meant giving up a few things. So far not one of those who'd undergone the process could pass entirely for human. More examples than a mere two might indicate if this was a thing or not.
He replayed that video where Aurum had concentrated her flame into a cohesive beam that had shot across the bay and demolished a good section of that container ship. Yes, THAT could be incredibly useful.
He'd just leak this report and the attendant videos to a few people through the moles he knew about.
That should provoke a few reactions.
* Taylor *
Lung had snorted as he entered the tearoom, glancing at the little shrine to the side, and even went so far as to roll his eyes. "Seriously?"
"I got it wrong?" asked Taylor.
"Aida Tsubaki, wasn't it?" grumbled Lung. "Runs a sweet shop at the edge of my territory. Ornery old coot."
"Yeah," admitted Taylor.
"Very well," said Lung. "As long as you recognize my territory as my own, and your 'Dockworkers' areas as your own territory, I see little reason to dispute this. We can ally even, against the deplorable actions of the Empire."
"Well, that is true," admitted Taylor. "And I would prefer not to destroy large sections of the city should we fight. There are rumors and things that I have heard which do concern me."
"Excuse me, little elf girl," said Lung, crushing the ceramic teacup in one hand. "I was willing to graciously allow you to exist due to the desire of..."
Oni Lee popped in and put a tablet down in front of Lung. "Pardon me, Master. You need to see this."
Lung mumbled something in Chinese as he picked up and scrolled through the screen. His eyebrow cocked then both eyebrows rose. "I... see."
"Uhm, is there something wrong?" asked Taylor, feeling a bit nervous for the first real time since becoming a dragon.
"You can turn someone who is not a parahuman into a dragon? They are not your minions thereafter?" asked Lung, sounding quite a bit more intelligent than he usually portrayed himself.
"I thought the PRT was going to make all of that toppest secret or whatever they call it," commented Taylor.
"It was released through some spies that we know are double-agents," said Lung.
"Ah, it sounds more complicated than I was expecting," admitted Taylor. "In answer to your question, yes. Though I have some limitations I am still trying to determine."
"I see," said Lung, getting up. "I must think on this. Your abilities as a single dragon are less problematic, merely that of a particularly powerful parahuman. This empowering of others is quite a different story. When you have determined what your limitations are, contact us again. We may be able to come to terms."
Oni Lee remained a moment later, looking down at the remains of the teacup. "Sencha?"
"Yes?" asked Taylor.
"I shall provide some for future meetings, the sort at the local supermarkets is... less than quality," said Oni Lee. "In the meantime we shall put out the word to respect the new dragon's territory."
"Good," said Taylor, bowing but remembering not to go too low since she had been coached on this detail.
* PRT ENE HQ *
"Who released this?" asked Emily Piggot. "Armsmaster, Miss Militia. I want you to go over everything. Someone got into our secure servers and now it's being talked about on private forums. Also, someone contact Aurum and find out what she was doing meeting with Lung!"
"Actually, she told me when she called to inform us about Lung having that file," said Miss Militia. "I asked. Lung apparently saw her as a dragon with adjoining territory and wanted a deal where neither interfered with the other."
Emily Piggot blinked for a moment. "Wait. Lung sees where if it comes to a fight between them a good part of the city burns including his own territory, right? So... Lung is being reasonable?!"
"Yes, that's pretty much what Aurum said," said Miss Militia. She shrugged slightly. "Apparently he sees Aurum as slightly less than himself but sufficiently powerful to negotiate with. Now, with this new development, everything is thrown into uncertainty."
Director Piggot nodded, still thinking. "Okay. That might have been the motive of whoever released this. It still leaves us with the problem that we've got a leak and that was a Level 5 document so very few people are supposed to have access to it."
* Contessa *
The Path had been to confirm that Aurum could turn someone into a dragon. Dragons had several innate powers: Brute, Mover, Blaster at the very least. Once she'd confirmed that Kanna Kamui was a suitable candidate, she'd gone back to her usual rotation of the list of Paths she maintained.
Since her power didn't work directly on Scion or the Endbringers, she had to go for indirect. Same with Aurum, path around her with no problem but directly on Aurum gave her bizarre results.
Path to the human population of Earth surviving the next century had gone from 22,545 to 107.
That the first step on this new Path was Do Not Piss Off The Dragons, she was very concerned about what might have changed.
It was written in red marker. And underlined. Despite that her power normally did not work in that fashion.
A bleep on a tablet brought her attention to it and she read the threat assessment from Brockton Bay. Not that she didn't have an idea about all of this prior.
And an attachment from Rebecca said that someone had released the information online.
Fortuna did not require running a Path to see that this could go wrong very very quickly.
She picked up the phone. "Rebecca. Keep an eye on Brockton Bay. Someone just lit a fuse, I suspect we all know who. Oh, and I'm filling out paperwork for Kanna to stay at the Hebert household. If anyone can handle a growing up dragon - Danny Hebert can likely do it. Hmmm? Oh, didn't you know? Yeah. He is. Bigger. No, he's actually stronger than she is. Look I've got to get back to maintaining the paths. Just don't let James Tagg into that mess - you know darn well he'd try to push and they'd just eat him. Yes, I do know that would resolve Tagg's problems but he still has his uses."
* Orbit *
Surrounded by her wings she floated in orbit. Serene. Seeing past and future. Except for that annoying fuzz there and the Warrior.
A glimpse of the future. There she was, descending upon a city in all her glory.
Then...
Oh dear.
Reminded her of what happened when sharks went into a feeding frenzy.
Maybe she should just avoid anything to do with dragons.
Wait... dragons?!
* PRT ENE HQ *
"We're getting a lot of traffic asking us for details on the whole dragon thing." Renick checked the clipboard. "Requests for information and applications for being dragoned."
"At this rate we'd have to run a lottery," commented Emily Piggot. "Handle it. Costa-Brown wants further testing but we've got way too many volunteers. How many total?"
"Since the web got ahold of the report six hours ago? Two thousand five hundred and twelve applicants so far."
"I think that if you find out who leaked those reports, they need to find a particularly deep and dark hole to bury them in," said Director Piggot. "Anything else with this - you handle it. I've got too much to worry about just dealing with normal parahumans."
* Kanna *
"Oh," said Kanna as a tank (though not a very well-made one) crashed through an airport parking lot and started making its way towards the plane she'd just got out of.
"Kanna-chan, we have to get you to safety!" said one of the black-suited escorts.
"Oh?" asked Kanna, taking the agent's hand.
"THERE SHE IS!" yelled someone over a loudspeaker.
Kanna couldn't understand half of what the guy on the loudspeaker was saying. Partly because it sounded as if he might be chewing on the microphone, partly because she didn't understand what some of the words meant, and partly because the sounds of destruction and gunfire were making it difficult to hear things.
"Just a moment," said Kanna, gently disengaging her hand from the agent. She took a couple of steps towards the tank, ignoring the agent yelling something, and changed.
"YER COMING WITH US, YA LITTLE -" yelled the guy, who looked filthy as he popped up out of the top of the truck/tank thing.
Kanna thought the toy tank was kind of neat, but she was feeling hungry again and parts of it smelled really good. She latched on and took a big bite of the turret gun. Tangy. Oh, this part tasted better. Higher grade steel there.
"SHE'S EATING MY TINKER-TANK!" yelled some woman's voice. "SHE CAN'T DO THAT!"
"Yer coming with-" (tail slap!)
That had been weird, it had felt like something pushing back against her tail until she overpowered it and tail slapped Smelly-Loud-Guy into a wall. Rude to interrupt her when she had this nice snackie.
"STOP EATING MY TANK DAMNIT!"
"Nom nom nom!" said Kanna between bites.
There were a few pings as people shot at her and one guy was so rude that he actually pushed a gun into her face. She took a bite out of the gun, chewing it thoroughly and noting the different flavor from the turret's gun. Guy just stared at her and then ran off screaming. Wasn't her fault if people kept shoving food at her. She was a growing girl after all and it had been hours since she'd anything to eat.
Tearing off a piece of tank in order to properly sink her teeth into it, Kanna noticed there was a stinky girl in there. She looked the girl in the eye and the girl became even more stinky. Kanna sniffed and informed her that she made a boo-boo.
Then the girl just went to sleep. Didn't she know better than to fall asleep like that? Tsk.
Oh, this coil of wires thing tasted nicely sour.