Something Awesome Beam (Worm - FGO Reincarnation Chapter 9)
The Zahāk Suit had run it's system checks and gave Michael back the all green.
Mental Rooms Check.
One room, first-order tetration to search for magic spells.
Four rooms, each to alert to the movements and attacks of Ms. Perfect, Alexandria, Legend and Eidolon.
One room, holding healing spells on standby.
One room, continuously casting the mid-tier Empowerment spell, allowing Michael to be at the level of an average Servant in pure stats.
One room, connected to the "mind" of the Zahāk Suit as an interface, and so the suit can react to Michael's needs.
One room, with an emergency teleportation spell on standby.
And finally the main one to act.
"Now," Michael said trying out the speakers, and seeing them working well. "Let's try this again."
He couldn't afford to focus on constructing the spells and casting them? The Suit will act as a substitute proving the magic circles, and all Michael needed to do was provide the spell to be shaped and cast.
He couldn't afford to switch between high-tier Reinforcement spells, Empowerment spells and healing? The suit offered a lot of enhanced physical capabilities, and Reinforcement spells on himself, and the Suit acted as a multiplier allowing him to fight at higher levels. Michael could now say he could fight Servants like Karna on equal footing (he also mentally acknowledged that this was just bragging, Noble Phantasms ended the equation, and 'fight on equal footing' doesn't mean win).
But I can definitely say I was still standing after a few minute. Please ignore my bloodied face. Michael mentally chuckled to himself.
In real time only a moment passed.
"You're really gonna try and fight all of us?" Eidolon asked, a raised eyebrow under his mask. He had met all types of people wanting to challenge the Strongest Hero. He had come to learn what the people who actually wanted to fight him, let alone the whole of the Triumvirate, are like. Some are overconfident, some fearful but desperate, some are too self-assured in their powers, and some are straight up delusional.
There was a subtle difference but Michael Chaser was none of those. He was...relaxed wasn't the right word. Comfortable? Calmly determined, Eidolon would best describe it. Like, he was at home in a life and death fight. Under the calm however, was an excitement to fight them. He even seemed to treat the situation like it was fair.
Is it stereotyping to think that it makes sense that he's the husband of the Endslayer? Eidolon humorously wondered.
"There is no outcome to this where you win. You leaving in a body bag, depends on you however." Alexandria said, straight to the point. She could see that despite how casual he seemed, his body language said that he was ready to continue fighting as any moment. That assurance of his own power was what let him stand and talk.
"Michael, I don't think your wife deserves to be a widow. I'm giving you a last chance, please stop the bomb. Don't make us do this." Legend said, a last attempt at deescalating.
"Okay, one." Michael raised a finger, annoyance coloring his voice. "You tried to kill me." He pointed at Legend, then toward the rest.
"If we wanted to kill you, we already would have." Alexandria stated.
"With Contessa's power, you should understand, that you standing there in one piece means, we don't want to kill you." Legend added.
"Dude," Michael said pointedly toward Legend. "That is fucking backward ass logic, and you know it." Michael took a loud breath and continued. "By the way, before I forget, at the end of this remind me to fix you up, so you don't have a scar."
"Thanks?" Legend said with a raised eyebrow, a bit confused but slightly surprise by the concern his enemy had for him. He was amused by the assured confidence, and implication, that Michael would beat them then heal them. "But I think you should worry about yourself."
Michael snorted and continued. "Two!" He held up a second finger. "Just so we're all on the same page, because this whole misunderstanding is a bit annoying. No, I'm not making a bomb. I'm not blowing anything up. And certainly not the fucking Northern Hemisphere. I live here goddammit!" The last part was said mainly to Contessa. "I'm doing a summoning spell." Michael finally said.
"Summoning...?" Alexandria asked.
Michael was pleasantly surprised there wasn't condescension in her voice.
"A translocation beacon." Michael offered, as an alternative explanation.
"I know Myrddin. I got what you meant the first time." Alexandria said back. Michael shrugged.
"And the person you're summoning can destroy an entire hemisphere?" Asked Eidolon, actually intrigued.
"No!" Michael said back. "Wait, yes. Maybe?" He tilted his head in thought. "I think with enough time it's possible, but they wouldn't."
"How can you be sure?" Asked Legend.
"I could make a nuke right this instant." All members of Cauldron tensed, almost taking a step back. "And yet I'm not. You can throw lasers in all directions hitting and destroying cities miles away, but you're not. Same logic." Michael said toward Legend.
"Even with that's being the case," Contessa spoke up. "Upon their arrival, all I can see is North America, all the way to the top of South America being gone."
"What do you mean by 'gone'? Because again, a failure of the spell is literally nothing happening. That's it. No explosion, nothing." Michael said back.
"...Darkness. No, nothingness? The Northern Hemisphere just becomes this blank spot where nothing exists. Nothing can enter it nor leave. It just becomes separated from the rest of the world. Anything that interact with it is gone as well." Contessa tried to explain her vision.
Michael's mind instantly went to Salem. The black mist that covered it.
"You recognize what she's talking about." Alexandria pointed out. His held the helmet's chin, and scratched it with one finger. A sign he was recalling something. She almost wanted to sigh at how open his body language was.
"Maybe." Michael let out a breath. "From what I understand thinker powers work by simulations. It's likely that your power reached the point where Abby comes, and then it blanks out giving you the closest approximation on what her arrives means, given Abby's powers."
"And what powers are those?" Eidolon asked, seeing Michael being so forthcoming.
Eidolon felt a tug from his powers, feeling one calling to him. He wondered if he should ignore it. Experience taught him to be ready just in case, even if things seem peaceful now. Eidolon considered which current power to let go. He needed the amplification one, as well as the danger sense the portal power provided. He wanted to hold onto the gravity power for movement, and to hold Michael in place if needed. A power tugged at him, that seemed to say it can do that role and more.
Acting on his veteran instincts, Eidolon let go of gravity manipulation, and in it's place came the power of control his own density, and the weight of someone else. The density power offered him a massive brute rating, the weight power didn't give others a brute power up. There was also a flight secondary power. Then amplification worked, and the power soared. He held onto that power and focused back on the discussion.
"More importantly," Legend spoke. "Why are you this determined to bring this person here--I'm guessing they aren't from Earth Bet--despite the risk Contessa pointed out?"
"Well if I'm going to be poking Big Gold to find a weakness, as well as plan against him, I need someone to provide a cover strong enough that he doesn't notice anything." Michael explained.
"You know about...?" Legend blinked in surprise. He stopped before he could say it.
"You know about Scion?" Contessa finished Legend's question, showing they can talk about the subject. "You already have measurements in place." She said toward Michael.
"Yep." Michael gestured to touching something in the air, and sudden a bubble of sorts was visible around all capes and magus present. "Just four humans doing fuck all in a desert. And that's only if he bothered to look here. Automatic thinker powers will just slide off, and ignore this place."
The superheroes curiously, with a bit of nervousness, looked at the transparent dome around them. Alexandria and the others ultimately decided not to act, trusting Contessa to know they were safe.
"Okay, now I'm actually curious. Who the hell is this 'Abby' that you think she can hide you from Scion's detection?" Eidolon spoke.
"Also," Alexandria continued. "Why aren't you deterred of the possible problem Contessa pointed out, when you recognized it?" She asked. "You saw it before, did you? That blank effect, but probably not on the scale mentioned here." She deduced. From his body language, she knew she struck gold.
"Wasn't 100% sure about Scion, but thanks for confirming. I had a hunch he doesn't have the best intentions for this world." Michael replied.
"Not just this world." Legend muttered, but was heard all the same.
"'Not just'...wow, forget study and observe. Now it's study and destroy." Michael said to himself. "About your question," he looked at Alexandria. "It's not applicable to what Ms. Perfect was talking about. Her description just reminded me of something I saw a long time ago. The situations were different. What I saw was a dome made of black mist, what she's talking about sounds like a computer unable to observe something."
"And how would you know how Agents work?" Contessa was the one who asked.
"'Agents'?"
"Cells." She clarified.
"Ah." Michael nodded. "Well, I studied one. Opened up the head of a parahuman, did diagnostics, analysis, downloaded information on the hardware and software of the Agent,--had to go through a few loops to do so without raising alarms-- and figured out what they are and how they work." He explained. "Don't worry, it was a villain and a reprehensible one." He said dismissively.
Legend grimaced but said nothing. Eidolon and Contessa were unconcerned.
"That's...pretty admirable." Alexandria spoke. "To only sacrifice one person to discover the Agents and what they are a part of. How many years did it take you to make that discovery?" She began to wonder if it was possible to recruit Michael, somehow from this situation. She wondered if that was the goal Contessa was going for. A replacement for Manton.
"Three hours yesterday."
Silence fell on Cauldron group.
"Pffft, what?" Legend snorted, unable to help the laugh of disbelief escaping his mouth.
"Come again?" Even Eidolon was stupefied.
"You're...serious?" Alexandria asked. Her cold reading told her, he was telling the truth as he believed it.
A look toward Contessa showed the victory bringer to hold a moment of genuine surprise, before it disappear so fast, only Alexandria's superhuman reactions caught it. Meeting her gaze Contessa nodded once, before turning back to the increasingly enigmatic Michael.
"I got a bit of a reality check recently," Michael felt saying everything started yesterday, might be a blow to their pride, if they had been working on this 'saving the world secretly' business for a while. "So I decided to act. First things, first was to figure out how parahumans worked, and I just went from there."
"...With all the power you have, your ability to supposedly comprehend the inner workings of Agents, and you just what? Stayed hiding all this time?" Eidolon said, clenching his fist.
"I wasn't hiding, I just never interacted with all the cape stuff, because I didn't care about it. Cape power...didn't really make the world better, so there was no reason to use them to improve society." Michael offered a rebuttal. "In my defense, I didn't know there was an apocalyptic threat on the line. A multiversal one at that."
Alexandria felt a violent mix of emotions, held down by her iron will. She was sure the other felt the same. If only they discovered him earlier, or if he stepped up and fought against the Endbringers.
I suppose even the most powerful can fall to the Bystander Effect. Why should I be surprised? Alexandria thought.
"Where does she fit in?" Contessa cut any arguing before it can even start. "This 'Abigail', where does she fit in all of this? Why is summoning her that important? We could offer an empty world for you to summon her in, if you must call her, and should the worst happen?"
"That...would actually defeat the point." Michael was glad for the solution. He had considered it, but it wasn't something he could count on, for Scion to not detect. "Part of the summoning, includes hiding that it's happening, specially from something like Scion, due to how..." Michael waved his hands in the air trying to explain. "Cosmically small it is in importance. From it's point of view. And using that, along with other spells, the summoning would give off a SEP feel, along with 'humans just doing human things'. That's if he actually noticed and looked in this direction.
"Basically I'm trying to pull Abigail into this world undetected." He continued before the obvious issue was pointed out. "The reason why you noticed, was because you can observe things from a human level, and you likely were watching me for a while." No one refuted the last part, or tried to deny. Legend coughed to the side, the tiniest bet ashamed. Michael chuckled before continuing. "If I were to summon Abigail in another universe, even if I do it undetected there, bring her here would definitely raise alarms. Maybe I could hide her coming here, but this way just seemed better, with less complicated parts."
"Again, why is she that big of a deal that Scion would take notice?" Eidolon asked with a hint of impatience. Michael supposed he had danced around the actual issue for too long.
"Abigail is..." Michael stopped.
He had been honest with Cauldron thus far, mostly because it cost him nothing, and to learn more about the capes fighting him as people. And from what he saw, the people in front of him, sans maybe Legend were...zealous in their mission to defeat Scion, or at least save the world through any means. And that's the part to worry about. Would they see his attempt to fix things on his own, or help as something to accept, or completely fight against as it wouldn't be in their control?
Also, he wanted to buy time for the summoning spell to finish up. The marble sized summoning site, was now in a crystal ball, hidden in the chest piece of his armor, next to the central control unit. If they wanted to get it, they would have to go through him to do so, literally.
Why is it taking so long though? Since the site was shrunk, time in that area of it should be moving faster, right? Michael thought, before the problem occurred to him. Summoning ritual also depend on the site being grounded, not being carried around like a keychain. Also the site being shrunk is probably messing with the bond signal. So the spell is constantly recalibrating itself as I'm moving around, in order to get a signal out, and broadcast the location accurately. No wonder it hadn't finished till now.
More importantly, Michael debated with himself if he should tell them about Abigail's powers. Everything thus far had shown him that the Triumvirate and Contessa, where people so entrenched in despair that their natural response was to attack first, ask questions after. After all this time, if he offered them hope, would they see it for what it is, or think it's an illusion and destroy it 'to be on the safe side'.
Then again, they were all acting on the assumption that I was gonna destroy a hemisphere. So isn't their response the correct one?
Michael let out a sigh. The battle enjoyment he was high on now soured, and fading.
They are trying to save the world, and they're actually pretty cordial given the circumstances. At the very least I should given them the benefit of the doubt, and extend an olive branch. Michael looked at Contessa, and saw the girl with the world on her shoulders, ready to sacrifice anything for victory. Once. I'll extend a hand once.
The Suit's helmet opened up, showing Michael's face as a sign of trust to his hopefully former opponents. The members of Cauldron seemed taken aback by the action.
"Abigail is someone with control over space and time, and when I say control I don't mean small scale. Her power has a planetary range, and that's when I first met her, when she first manifested her powers." He finally spoke.
The Triumvirate and Contessa were genuinely shocked for the first time, in this ordeal. Rather they never expected to hear someone with a power like that, ever.
"My god." Legend said under his breath.
Even Alexandria and Eidolon couldn't keep a stoic composure. Contessa's eyes were wide under her helmet.
"She had the power to reverse her death even after it happened. She could teleport into any location in existence, and the only reason her power didn't run wild was a barrier around her hometown at the time."
"A barrier of black mist." Alexandria spoke, a guess but it seemed to fit.
"Yes," Michael nodded with a smile. "Back then, her power overwhelmed her, and there was this asshole trying control her, it was a mess. Thankfully we talked her down, and someone with a similar power to her came around to help her control it."
"Isn't that a bit too convenient?" Legend asked warily.
"Someone who?" Asked Contessa.
"Randolph Carter. Decent guy." Michael said to Contessa, before turning back to Legend. "Given probability manipulation, time travel, and the sheer bullshit that was happening at the time? Not really."
"...What?" Legend echoed the sentiment of everyone present.
"Not relevant to the discussion right now. I will gladly talk about it later in a better time and place." Michael said back.
"When did all of this even happen?" Eidolon finally asked. Multiple times, the Triumvirate would look at Contessa to see her nodding that 'yes, he's telling the truth'.
"Past life. Yes, reincarnation is real, it's complicated. The universe I was in had power right from the beginning, it was part of physics there." Michael said nonchalantly, before moving onto the next point, so Cauldron wouldn't derail the discussion with their being flabbergasted. "The point is, she was already someone I would compare to an Endbringer when we first met, now it's been years, decades even. Odds are she would have greater mastery of her powers, that would help in hiding plans and actions on Earth Bet that are against Scion, and would be a great aid in the actual fight against it."
The Triumvirate looked between themselves in silence. The thought they had were one.
This was too good to be true.
And yet, for the first time, there was the thought: What if?
Legend was quiet, waiting for his friends reaction.
Eidolon, his face hidden by his mask, was deep in thought.
Alexandria with a feeling of regret took her optimism and crushed it.
"The vision Contessa had. Can it happen?" She asked Michael pointedly.
"...I would say in theory 'yes', but just because someone is dangerous, doesn't mean they will be." Michael replied honestly.
"But you don't know how many years it's been since you last seen her. You don't know what she's like now. In fact, what if she's long dead and that's the reason for the blankness in her vision." Alexandria said, gesturing to Contessa with the last part.
"Technically," Michael said slowly, thinking about it. "She's immortal, and won't die until someone kills her. Which, well, isn't easy to do."
"Then what if it had been hundreds of years for her since she last met you? She can travel through time and space. What if it was thousands of year, or even a million? How do you know she would still be the person you met all those years ago? That she hadn't gone insane, and became some world destroying calamity? How would you know!?" Alexandria shouted.
Michael closed his eyes.
How would he know?
If your enemy is omniscient and omnipotent, then why fight?
Because at some point, you need to act, and believe that your actions will matter. It's why he trained Mash in everything he can, and place his trust in her to defeat the enemies he couldn't defeat. It's why he helped many of his Servants through their problems, even though it would amount to nothing when their manifestation ends. It's why he went through the Grand Order without a way surefire way to beat Goetia.
Michael opened his eyes, a calm conviction in them that reminded Alexandria of someone she didn't want to think about. They reminded Eidolon of someone he couldn't quite remember at the moment.
And they reminded Legend, of Hero.
Clark... The thought came to the Protectorate Leader.
"Faith." Michael let out a small smile. "Not in a higher power," he shook his head. "But in myself and my friends, the people I care about. The people who fought by my side." Michael met Rebecca's gaze. "So I have faith that the girl I met so long ago, who just wanted to eat pancakes, and play with her friends in peaceful days, would still be there in the person she is now." Michael smiled toward them. "If there's one thing I learned in my long live. Lives." He corrected. "It's that some bonds last more than a lifetime."
His wife. Eidolon connected the dots. That's why we've never seen her before on the cape scene. Why someone that powerful was never noticed. ...Are their powers, maybe...don't come from Scion? Is that why they don't operate like normal parahumans? David wondered.
The empty desolated plains where they group of superhumans stood was quiet for a while. Each to their own thoughts.
Legend stood straighter. Faith, huh. If that was the case, if Michael could deliver on this, they could have an actual advantage against Scion. Maybe.
Legend considered if they can take Michael and his summoning site to one of the poles, likely south, in order to mitigate fallout of Michael's tinker-trump work, if it happens. Given how confident Michael was, and how he was likely experienced in his own work, the hopefully it would be all for nothing, and just a safety measure to reassure everyone else.
Eidolon remembered Hero. Remembered his friend and his naïve optimism. He missed it. Eidolon looked toward Contessa to see her holding her head, as though she had a headache. He blinked at that, and slowly approached her, a ready to call a healing power.
If something can give Contessa a thinker headache of all people...
Contessa raised a hand, telling Eidolon to stop, that she was fine.
Alexandria took in everything that was happening. Like Legend she began to think to just take Michael to a remote location where any damage where it to happen would be handled. Yet she couldn't help but feel that things would never work out this well.
"No."
Rebecca Costa-Brown felt disgust at herself. At her relief Contessa spoke against cooperation. At finding a flaw with Michael's plan. Alexandria mentally corrected herself.
"Randolph Carter." Contessa gritted the words out. "Randolph...Carter." The Triumvirate looked on in worry at the Strongest Thinker, as she seemed to speak through pain.
Under her helmet, Contessa was bleeding from her eyes, ears, and nose, as she pushed her power, to try and find out about Abigail, her powers and things connected to her. The Path refused to calculate, to give an answer, yet she persisted.
Michael lied! She thought. Her powers...are beyond just...time and...space. Pathing Abigail was...painful/pleasant/tiring wrong! No, the idiot just never...considered the other parts of her power. He didn't considered...them important. Because of...Bonds! Contessa frowned in disgust.
"Randolph..." Contessa grunted. Her tinker suit was working overtime on healing her.
"Are you doing something to her?" Alexandria growled, her fist pulled back. Legend entered his breaker state, and Eidolon raised his density to levels that can tank anti-bunker missiles.
"No I'm not!" Michael held his hands up before he realized what's likely happening. "Ms. Perfect, if you're trying to precog Abigail don't--"
"Lovecraft." Contessa spat out. Everyone was thrown back by the non-sequitur. Except Michael. "Old Ones...Outer Gods." Contessa shouted, her voice hoarse. "All of it's real."
Michael winced. "Please stop, you're only hurting yourself." He pleaded.
Legend, Eidolon and Alexandria looked between the two, coming to the realization that Contessa wasn't speaking gibberish. She was speaking about something thought to be fiction, that Michael knows is true.
Contessa took step forward, stumbled, then righted herself, and look Michael square in his eyes.
"No. She's connected to...things..." She couldn't find the words. "Her power can affect reality--No. Time and space...in a manner, non-Euclidean human thinking." Contessa cut her pathing. She hadn't Seen anything, but the Path gave her enough clues and suspicions to know. "Abigail Williams must not enter this world. She would be a danger greater than all the Endbringers combined." She said, shocking the Triumvirate even more, putting them into a fight mentality.
"You don't know tha--"
"No, I don't." Contessa spoke firmly, her suit finished healing her. She positioned her posture to combat. Instinctively the Heroes mirrored her, and followed suit. "But the risk is too high." Contessa formed a rifle from her tinker suit. "And that's reason enough."
MadGreenSon said:
It feels pro forma, like a speedbump. It feels like you felt obliged to write this stuff but aren't actually enjoying it. Maybe it's just that I'm not enjoying it. These last two chapters feel like something to get past to see more of the actually interesting stuff. Which is the kind of thing that I heavily dislike.
You know something...you're right. It wasn't fun for me to write the past chapter. I originally got my motivation back to continue SAB because I was looking forward to the fight scene. But then I got to it, and I...just...can't get it right. I want to just write all the action, but I have to justify it, otherwise I could just go:
Boom Boom
And then he went pew pew pew
but then Ka-pooooow
So yeah, and I focused so long on getting the setup right that I just didn't have the energy to write the damn fight scene. And now someone raised the point that a fight based on a misunderstanding is annoying, and my brain latched onto that, because they're right, and I can't stop thinking about it, which just makes the next part I write feel like I'm dragging myself to do it. And...
Sigh*
I'm tired.