8.1
Emerging from Strider's teleportation was a slightly unusual sensation. It almost felt like nothing had happened at all. The sound that you heard on departure was replicated upon arrival, but otherwise the brief moment of darkness took place so quickly it was almost as if you had blinked in Atlanta and opened your eyes again a millisecond later in Brockton Bay.
It was raining heavily. The storm was furious, and you had no idea how long it had been going. Clearly long enough for puddles to form on the ground and for people in the distance to be rushing around with boots and heavy coats on, however, which told you that it couldn't have been that recent.
The whining of the Endbringer sirens, a nasal sound that you recalled from educational films you had watched in middle school, dug into your ears like an insect and burrowed into your brain. It was shrill, in a way that was also round and expanded to fill the space between your skull and your brain, and you wondered whether the reverberations in your sinuses would ever stop. Instinctively, you morphed your head to a more serpentine state, cutting off some of the higher pitched frequencies. It was easier that way.
Despite the time suggesting there would still be a few hours of sun left, the sky was nearly black.
'Building's over there, everyone's gathering. Head inside and get instructions. Stay safe.'
Strider's words came so quickly that you barely had time to register them, let alone tell him thank you, and he was gone in another flash of sound. Judging him for the abruptness was difficult, though; in such a situation, you had no doubt that the services of someone with his skills were in high demand. Endbringer fights didn't draw the entire parahuman community in, but they did tend to bring figures from very distant places, and someone had to fill that role. Even if nothing else, the Triumvirate attended nearly every attack and they were all in far-flung cities.
You recognised the area you were in. It wasn't far from the ocean, nearer the Docks, and probably about fifteen minutes from the mall. It wasn't central, but it wasn't particularly far from anywhere, and was close enough that if you were on one of the higher floors of the nearby buildings you could probably still have seen the water. A sensible vantage point, given the enemy that you were facing.
Thinking too much about that sent a shiver down your spine, and you chose to relegate it to your subconscious.
'We heading in?' Rachel asked, and you jumped a little. It wasn't that you had forgotten that you weren't alone, but you had been so lost in your thoughts that the reminder of someone else situated you violently in the flesh, and you weren't sure that was a place you wanted to be.
'We are,' you answered, before changing direction. 'I know you guys wanted to come but you can still leave if you want, I can fly you out to the woods. It's way too dangerous.'
'Thanks for the offer,' Alec said, adjusting his crown. The rain had already soaked his silk shirt near transparent, and you a pointedly avoided looking at his torso. It may have been the worst possible outfit a hero could have chosen, though you couldn't deny that it contributed to the image. 'But we're already not fighting the thing. Just get us inside and we can hide with all the other wimps.'
Rachel growled a little under her breath, but didn't fight it. You wondered whether she actually had reservations about fighting Leviathan herself, or whether she just understood that the situation wasn't one for squabbling. Whichever was her motivation, you were grateful.
Denying that you were glad they had come would have been a fool's errand. You knew that you appreciated it, even if only because having them with you when you travelled made it feel slightly less as though you were being transported to a funeral, but that didn't mean you lost sight of the reality. Them being within a hundred miles of the city was more dangerous than you would have liked, and while you didn't consider yourself the kind of worrier that Dad was, there was something of the trademark Hebert anxiety that you had never really been able to uproot.
Still, you had no more time to waste. The offer had been made, and you resigned yourself to the situation. Whatever was going to happen, was going to happen. As the Undersiders, Rachel and Alec had faced poor situations before and had a lot of experience in getting the hell out of the way when things went South. You just had to trust that they still remembered how to execute on those instincts.
Voicing those thoughts was guaranteed to get some negative feedback though, so you kept them to yourself.
You started moving, and the two of them followed. The building Strider had pointed you towards was large and square, concrete in most places but covered in windows, and even from the outside you could see the kind of multi-coloured confetti that indicated a plethora of costumed parahumans. From the outside, you couldn't really make anyone out, but as your gaze moved upwards you quickly found that there was at least one figure you could identify.
Perched on the roof of the building was a large mechanical suit, perhaps half the size of a school bus, quadrupedal with an engine that still steamed from a combination of its own power and the sizzling of rain as it hit the hot metal that lay at its core. Gun mounts lined each side of the thing, and while you couldn't be sure, you suspected that each of the missiles that sat along the main body of the construct contained enough firepower to put a hole through almost anything that existed.
Unmoving, the suit was turned towards the water – monitoring. You weren't sure whether Dragon was inside or not, and you instinctively raised a hand to chest height before realising that even if she was, she probably wasn't looking at you. Neither Alec nor Rachel mentioned it, for which you were grateful. Your nerves were already on edge as it was.
Making your way inside, the rain dying off once a roof was overhead, you started recognising more and more people crowded into the ground floor.
Everything had been pushed to the sides. Chairs were piled up in the far end of the room to make space, and even still, the floor was crammed. A raised platform stood on one side of the room that had a handful of figures on it, mostly ones you recognised from advertisements as a child – you were fairly sure that one of them was Myrddin, a rough looking robe and staff confirming it, but otherwise it was hard to put names to costumes with all the chaos going on. A few of the taller parahumans rose high enough above the throng for you to identify; far off in the distance, Armsmaster's blue armour stuck out well enough. He was deep in conversation with one of the only people taller than him in the room; Narwhal, over seven feet tall and glittering in the artificial light of the room, blonde hair longer than most people were tall, was giving him the kind of look generally reserved for teachers to give to long-winded students.
Whether Armsmaster had done something to warrant it or whether she just had one of those faces was beyond you. She was beautiful but in an austere, cold kind of way. Even the horn which rose from her forehead, several feet long and sharp as a knife, only added to her aura.
Across the room, you saw the only other figure that was clearly matched to her height; Manpower.
Breathing a sigh of relief, you gestured towards Rachel and Alec and began pushing your way through the crowd. One of the benefits of Atlas, though one you hadn't had much occasion to use, was the fact that despite being thin, there really wasn't a crowd crush that you couldn't simply walk through if you were willing to bump people out of the way. Normally, you would have refrained; given the context, you were willing to put sharp elbows into every back, and hip-check any swarming number. Not hard enough to injure, but hard enough that moving was not an option. The fissure generated by your insistence made for smooth movement for Rachel, whose own breadth and lack of social airs meant she could expand any opening easily enough, and Alec, whose lithe form could use the slipstream for the kind of ease that he could never have generated on his own.
New Wave were gathered as a unit near the wall, and as soon as you burst out of the crowd in front of them, you threw your arms around Glory Girl and pulled her into a tight hug.
'Ugh! Air, please!'
Her hoarse voice didn't stop you, and while you let up enough pressure to make sure you didn't crush her, you still held her a little longer than her spine might have preferred.
Letting her go, she dropped to the ground and you wondered when you'd picked her up. She wasn't that much shorter than you, but you supposed that it was easy enough to forget that kind of thing when emotions were running high.
'Sorry,' you said. 'I missed you.'
'I missed you too,' she said, leaning back a little with a hand on her lower back. 'Don't miss that, though. Ugh.'
You couldn't help but laugh, and New Wave burst back into life from their momentary silence. Taking a look around, you were surprised to see that the entire unit was there. Their costumes, mostly aligned in terms of design philosophy, were clean and almost glowing with the brightness of the white, and even Shielder's blue hair looked as though it had been recently dyed. You wondered how often he had to keep that up.
'Has everything been okay lately?'
'As okay as it ever gets in Brockton Bay,' Vicky answered, pulling you closer to the group. 'What about you guys?'
'Oh, you know how it is,' Alec said, immediately taking the opportunity to infiltrate the conversation. 'They already love us there. I was offered Ward leader, but I had to turn it down; I though it would be unfair for the others.'
'It's fine.'
Of the two answers, it was pretty clear which one Vicky took more seriously, and you were glad that your team of ex-villains had been able to break the ice cleanly enough. Vicky wasn't exactly one of the more flexible figures when it came to villainous actions, but you guessed that she trusted you enough that your word bought them a lot of forgiveness.
Conversation went on for a few minutes, largely the kind of tense nothings that people spoke to try and avoid the elephant in the room, before you noticed something that was actually somewhat unusual.
'Where's Panacea?'
'Oh,' Vicky answered. 'She's already been taken to the far edge of the city. They're setting up medical there, far away from the water. They wanted to use the hospital but it's a little risky, they'll move back in later if they can. Depends on if it survives, I guess.'
Grim resignation coloured her tone, but you couldn't find it in you to argue. It was a reasonable mindset to be.
'How's she been?'
'Not bad. There's been a lot of crying. Her therapist is good but it's been hard on her.'
Not wanting to pry, you left it there. Some things were very personal, and even if Amy was your best friend – something that was not even close to the truth – you weren't exactly the kind of person who would try to dig out the details.
'Thank God for Gallant, huh?'
Vicky snorted. 'Don't let him hear you saying that.'
Gallant didn't seem like the kind of guy who would take it to heart too much, but you didn't bother pushing back on it. You were just glad that there was a silver lining in having to come back to Brockton Bay so soon; at least you could catch up on things.
Speaking of Gallant, you noticed that you hadn't seen any of the Wards since coming in; with the thought of overcharging still in the back of your mind, you wondered whether any of them would be prudent candidates. Maybe Vista, given her immense spacial control, or Clockblocker. You weren't sure whether freezing an Endbringer in time would even work or, if it did, whether it would be bad optics for the gathered parahumans to have a stationary frozen target that was literally untouchable, but buying everyone a breather was certainly something that you didn't think most people would have an issue with. He was an option.
Before you had a chance to ask, though, you saw figures moving on to the stage. They didn't appear to be ready to make a statement just yet, chattering amongst themselves, but your head wasn't the only one which had turned.
Armsmaster and Narwhal were part of the group, but they had been joined by the heroes.
It was your first time seeing them in real life. Muscles visible even through her costume, tall enough that you weren't sure whether you would have the height advantage, and with long black hair that spilled from beneath the edges of her spiked helmet, you recognised Alexandria the way you recognised air as a necessity. There was no other hero that more embodied the Protectorate.
She was, in many ways, everything. Even being in the same room as her seemed to give you a new energy and invigorate you.
To her left, stood slightly behind her, was Eidolon. If she was the face of the Protectorate, he was the secret weapon. Though, given his fame, the secret part was less hidden and more just surprising; nobody ever knew exactly what he was going to do because he could do functionally anything. Eidolon's costume, eerily close to your own in a way that had driven PHO commenters into a frenzy, wasn't the only similarity he had to you; he, too, had access to more than one power, and he, too, had options at his disposal. Your abilities didn't work in precisely the same way, but there was a kinship there.
He was the most powerful parahuman this side of Scion, and his actions were legendary. If being in the room with Alexandria made things feel real and intense, being in the room with Eidolon made you feel unworthy, in a way. There was a cultural weight that was attached to him that felt almost inhuman. More than a hero, he was a symbol for everything good a parahuman could do.
It was humbling, in a way, and you didn't mind admitting it to yourself.
'I'll be back in a second,' you say, taking a glance over New Wave. 'I have to talk to someone.'
Your gaze locked on the stage, your target was not ambiguous. Brandish raised a sharp eyebrow, but didn't say a word, and you took it as permission before setting off towards the stage.
It would have been easy to feel silly. You'd been a parahuman for less than six months, and had never met them before. Endbringers, however had a way of flattening those kinds of social norms. You needed to speak to Alexandria – Dragon had advised you to do so, even – and therefore you were going to. That was it.
Reaching the stage, you took the slight step up to be on a level. The entire platform was elevated maybe three or four inches, which felt like a lot when you were suddenly above the crowd but certainly wasn't. Narwhal, whose close proximity now made her glittering costume almost too bright to observe and too figure-hugging to observe without blushing, was now even taller, and you could see Alexandria face to face. You thought that you were maybe the same height, but up close it was clear that she still had an inch or so on you. Telling yourself that it was just because her helmet was thicker than yours, or shaped in such a way as to exaggerate her height, was easy enough, so you did that.
'Penumbra.'
She spoke first, and you were taken slightly aback by it, but didn't allow it to put you off guard. There was very little time for being off guard.
'Hi. Dragon told me to talk to you.'
Simple, sweet, and you offloaded responsibility to someone else. If Dragon had a problem with it, you would apologise later.
'I know. Here is the plan, as we have it: Leviathan is incoming and though we do not know precisely when, arrival is expected within forty to fifty-five minutes. Legend is currently liaising with Dragon for the armband monitoring system we use, and when he returns these will be distributed and he will give a briefing to everyone. We're aware of your power embellishment ability and have heard the latest reports from Atlanta headquarters; given the short period of time such embellishments last, we don't want you using them until Leviathan has been spotted. Is this understood?'
'Yes, ma'am.'
It made sense, so you weren't about to argue.
'Current plans for your augmentations are thus; you will not be using that ability on Eidolon. Evidence shows that in certain cases, such as with the Ward Vista and Protectorate Leader Cinereal, your use of this ability changes the nature of it. We can't risk that with Eidolon, so we won't. We'll test its functionality at a later date so we know whether or not it can be used in future encounters, but with an inconclusive result from your thinker power, we can't risk it. At least one usage of the power will go to me, given the positive results from that same power. Do you have any other suggestions?'
Her military precision didn't surprise you, but the warning about Eidolon had, slightly. You had been prepared to forewarn them about the potential risks of boosting him yourself, mostly for the same reasons that Alexandria had outlined, but you though there was an off-chance you had been worrying too much. Apparently not. Overcharging Alexandria herself, too, didn't really seem like too much of a problem. It made sense, and of the remaining Triumvirate members she was the one who Percentile seemed to favour the most.
Still, with an opportunity to make your thoughts heard, you went for it.
'Is there anyone here, a thinker or something, that might be able to help us identify a weak spot in Leviathan? Someone who specialises in that kind of thing? Overcharging them might be a good idea.'
'There is not. After this, I'll make an appointment for you to see Tattletale and Appraiser; the two of them should be able to help, if such a thing is possible.'
Eidolon shifted on his feet, the first movement he had made since you had arrived, and Alexandria looked over her shoulder at him before turning back to you.
'There may be another, but we'll have to check their schedule. They function more as an independent, but if they are willing to meet with you then that meeting would be productive. Anything else?'
'Overcharging Clockblocker. His power lets him freeze things in time for a set period from a distance. It isn't going to kill an Endbringer or anything but it could be useful strategically, and -'
'Consider it done,' Alexandria cut you off. Presumably she knew the details of his power too, and didn't dispute it. 'The Wards are currently guarding civilian evacuation points; Armsmaster will send word for Clockblocker to be relocated.'
The idea didn't seem to sit that well with him. Breaking from his muttered conversation with Narwhal, Armsmaster relocated a little closer and you were able to see the changes to his armour for the first time. There wasn't much that you could really recognise in terms of functionality, but the entire thing looked a little heavier than you remembered; either he had beefed it up in response to Night's assault, or he'd developed a slightly different set precisely for big battles like this one.
His halberd, shining wickedly at the sharpest edge, rung a bell somewhere in the back of your mind but you weren't sure how. There was something about it that felt like you should understand it, just beyond the reach of your comprehension; like the tickling of a cough stuck in your throat. Suppressing an urge to grab it from him and take a closer look, you were drawn back into the moment by his voice.
'With all due respect, we want to keep the Wards out of things. If there are other options, we'd prefer to use them.'
You couldn't blame him for that. Endbringer fights were notoriously brutal, and children didn't really belong in them. You pointedly ignored that that included you and your entire team as well as half of New Wave.
'We'll pair him with Ultrasound. They can ensure that he stays at a distance, and teleport him back to safety if Leviathan begins to target him. He'll be a safety priority.'
Alexandria cut through the objection with a pragmatism that you found almost unsettling in its efficacy, and Armsmaster didn't push the protest. Apparently he recognised the name Ultrasound where you didn't, and it was enough to cow his complaint.
Apparently done hearing suggestions, Alexandria fixed her gaze back on you. Despite the intense shadow of her helmet which prevented you from meeting her precisely, you could feel her eyes on you.
'We would also like you to use your power on Lung.'
Your heart stopped for a brief moment.
The thought had obviously crossed your mind. Percentile had been very enthusiastic about the idea of doing so; out of the people you were able to get a confirmed number from, Lung had been the one with the highest chance according to your thinker power. There was no question that from a purely pragmatic standpoint, it was a good idea.
Something about it clashed with all of your instincts as a resident of Brockton Bay, though. It was funny, you knew that Alexandria had clashed with Lung too, when he had briefly turned up in California, but it was pretty clear she didn't think of him in the same way that you did. For you, as for all young people who grew up in Brockton Bay, Lung was a larger than life.
Must have been easier for someone like Alexandria, who had been larger than life herself for longer than you had even been alive, than it was for you.
'Are you sure?'
The moment the words left your mouth, you felt dumb. Of course she was sure. She hadn't sounded anything but sure the entire time, and you weren't even entirely certain whether or not Alexandria was even capable of being unsure in the first place. She certainly had no long public record of such a mentality.
'I am. Your recommendation via your thinker power makes it an obvious choice, and while he is clearly a criminal, the allure of the truce should be enough to allow him to show his face.'
She took it as a recommendation? You hadn't really intended that, though you could understand why it might have been taken that way given how people viewed Endbringers. Any notification of a technique or a tactic that might raise the odds of fighting without complete annihilation would probably be taken as a recommendation, even if there were problems with it otherwise.
'Is he here?'
You had to ask. You hadn't seen him, but of course, you hadn't really been looking either; with the Empire largely gone, and Coil being the type of figure that you assumed wouldn't have shown up anyway, you hadn't had your eye out for villains. Of course, they were there, you knew that on an intellectual level, but that was very different from highlighting them and keeping track of exactly which ones you had seen. With the idea of capture off the table, it would have been just a source of anxiety.
'He is not. Our expectation is that he is probably trying to leave the city; you are to find him and extend the offer. We believe he will take it.'
'I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do that. I can sense parahumans, a bit, but it's not like a homing system. We don't have time for me to scan the entire city either.'
'Eidolon will go with you. He will help.'
'I think I have something that might help.'
He sounded weary, but you couldn't blame him. Still, something a little more assured might have helped settle your own nerves.
'Okay, give me just one second,' you said, raising a hand to delay them. The more time you spent thinking about going to find Lung during a storm to offer him power, the less you were able to think about how it sounded like a scene from a horror movie. Quickly, you called Vicky – getting back across the hall would have taken too long, and time was of the essence.
'Hello?'
You watched her pick up the phone from across the room, and spoke. It was strange calling from inside the same building.
'Hi, yes, this is Ta-Penumbra. I'm going with Eidolon to,' you took a breath to settle yourself. 'To find Lung. For the battle. We'll be back soon, please can you let everyone know. Tell Skýla and Regent to go to the support groups if I'm not back before people get split up, and please stay safe.'
'Of course, I'll let them know. Are you okay? Finding Lung? That sounds crazy, are they making you do this?'
'No, don't worry about it. No time, I'll explain later. Stay safe.'
Repeating yourself, as though she had a choice in it, was all that you could do.
'You too. Stay safe.'
The line went dead and you saw Vicky turn to Rachel and Alec, presumably relaying your instructions. Turning back to the group on the stage, you opened your mouth to let them know that you were ready but were instead interrupted by Eidolon reaching out a hand.
Taking it, you vanished.
The two of your re-appeared in the sky above the concrete building. Fierce wind whipped across you, throwing both of your cloaks out into dramatic silhouettes which cast dim shadows in the barely existent light. Some fifty feet above Dragon's mech, the two of you were bombarded by the rain, and water dripped down your matching bone-white masks, a green glow coming from Eidolon's helmet providing a semblance of illumination. Almost idly, without thinking, you pushed a signal to your own mask and saw as much as you felt the purplish light begin to come to life along the underside of your mask and towards the joints, casting light out from your raised hood.
'I know you must be scared,' Eidolon spoke, his voice carrying through the thunderous wind despite its softness. 'I was too, the first few times. We'll be okay.'
'It's not me I'm worried about,' you said, surprising even yourself. It was true – Percentile had long assured you that Atlas made you stronger even than Alexandria and you'd only gotten more powerful since in other ways. It was another thing to say it though. 'I'm worried about them.'
'So it always is.' Eidolon sighed. 'Come, follow.'
Elaboration left to the breeze, Eidolon swept away in flight. Teleportation, flight, and some kind of radar system, you supposed, were his three powers of the moment. How fast could he switch between them? You didn't question though, and simply followed him as his flight took you further into the Docks, towards some of the rougher parts of the city which had been long abandoned. The ABB had a diverse territory, but you would have assumed Lung's personal residence to be in one of the nicer areas. Either he hadn't been home when the sirens had begun, or he had made his way in this direction for some other reason.
Luckily, you had started relatively close to the Docks anyway, and following Eidolon's path – the steel grey ocean churning into froth and chaos on the perimeter of your motion – found you arcing down towards the ground sooner than you had anticipated. Lung's location was, it seemed, not a particularly well kept secret to the world's strongest hero.
You touched down next to him, and took in the environment around you.
It was a mess. Where it hadn't already been in a horrific state due to neglect, the weather had taken it further; metal was strewn across the floors, the battered warehouses that surrounded the area were shot through with holes like gaping mouths, the rotted teeth of beams poking out with an appropriately yellowish-orange tint that spoke of rust and oxidation. A large van was parked in front of one of them, and there was a large man shoving boxes into the back.
He wore no shirt, even with the rain clattering down on him, and his colourful tattoos were clear to see. Steel wrapped around his head.
'Lung.'
'What?'
His voice was smooth and deep, and reverberated in your chest. He didn't look up, simply shoving the next box in after the last. You hadn't even meant to speak out loud.
'We've come to get you for the fight, Lung.' Eidolon took over. 'Leviathan is coming.'
'Why do you think I'm getting out of here?' Lung replied, slamming one of the doors of the van shut. 'Not sticking around here for any longer than I need to.'
That wasn't what you had been expecting. You were shocked. It was as if, in a single second, the entire construct you had built of Lung in your mind collapsed.
'What do you mean you're getting out of here? You're just running away?'
'Yep,' he said, throwing another box in through the remaining open door. 'You would be too, if you knew what you were getting into. Let me give you a few tips, kid. You're strong. I've seen you pulling up boats and flying around. It's impressive, don't get me wrong. But I've fought that thing before. You can't win. Cut your losses, take your loved ones, get out now when you still have the chance. If Lung couldn't do it, you can't do it.'
He turned to face you for the first time. Water was running down his bare chest, but he didn't appear to notice. He was wearing blue jeans that were almost black with the rain, heavy enough that they were sagging low on his hips. Catching yourself, you grimaced. Not the time.
'What about your gang? Your people? You're just going to abandon them?'
'They all evacuated already and territory can be rebuilt. Lung's number one priority is Lung. Yours should be you. Rebuild your life after, get out now.'
'You remaining greatly increases the chances that we can drive Leviathan off before that much damage is done. You know that.'
Eidolon's voice cut through your anger, and you balled your hands into fists. You couldn't believe the kind of selfishness that Lung was displaying. It was one thing to know he was a piece of garbage, a horrible person, and an egotistical maniac; it was another for him to put it so simply.
'Penumbra has an ability to enhance the powers of other parahumans. Our thinker support has made it clear that if she uses this on you, we have an enormously increased chance of winning this battle outright. If you remain, she has been given permission to use it on you.'
That caught Lung by surprise, and you could see it in his eyes, peering out from behind the metal of his mask. His head tilted to the side, even, a surprisingly canine motion.
'Is that so?'
'Yes.'
The word escaped from gritted teeth. You almost wanted to say no just to spite him.
'Interesting. Still,' he said, turning away from you. 'It won't be enough. There's a difference between a tough challenge that just needed a little more, and something unbeatable. I'm not stupid enough to die for a bunch of heroes that wouldn't do the same for me. Good luck, I mean that, but no. Your funeral, not mine.'
The last box got hauled up and shoved into the van at that, and he turned away from you one last time, a clear dismissal.
'I can't believe you,' you said. You could hear your own voice trembling, mostly with anger. 'You spend years walking around this city, claiming to be the king of it, but then the moment something scary turns up, you can't handle it? What kind of coward are you?'
Eidolon raised his hand and pressed it to your shoulder, stopping you before you could continue. In your rage, you hadn't noticed the steam beginning to spiral from Lung's silhouette. You flushed with embarrassment.
'Think about it.' Eidolon spoke up. 'We know you take some time to reach fighting capacity in any case. The overcharge will be available for you, should you arrive.'
Part of you wanted to argue – if Lung was going to reject it now, you weren't just going to save it for him. What if someone else needed it? But you understand what Eidolon was trying to do. Bait the hook, at least.
'Save it.'
No more words were said, and Eidolon tipped his head to you, signalling a take-off. Too frustrated to dispute it, and too eager to get back to your friends before hell truly unleashed, you followed orders; your wings flashed to life, and you followed in Eidolon's wake as he took to the skies once more.
You left the dragon behind.
Actions Remaining:
- Once you're in Brockton Bay, prioritise the Brute team (tentative commitment). If Scion arrives, focus on restraining Leviathan.
- Empower Lung
- Use Psychometry on a piece of Leviathan's body that's removed during the battle
Spoiler: Temporarily Suspended Actions
And so we arrive in Brockton Bay, in the middle of the worst storm in years, and we reunite with old friends as well as finally meeting the Triumvirate. We're empowering Alexandria and Clockblocker, and apparently saving the third one for if Lung actually shows up, but he's currently on his way out of the city. Keep that one in the back pocket.
For now, we're going to head back, catch the end of Legend's speech, and get an armband. Any other actions you want us to do before hell breaks loose? Now's the time, because time is short and Leviathan is imminent. And when he does arrive, what are our priorities? First responses? Your choice.
[X][ACTION]Write-in
Current Goals
- Reduce the death and destruction of an Endbringer attack by a noticeable degree
- Use Overcharge in a way that makes a difference in an Endbringer attack
- Contribute to the death of an Endbringer
- Successfully drive back an Endbringer before the city has to be abandoned
- Successfully drive back an Endbringer before their ulterior goal is completed
- Survive an Endbringer attack
- Acquire some Endbringer flesh for experimental purposes
- Don't let Regent or Skýla die
- Make sure Vicky and her family survive
Spoiler: Temporarily Suspended Goals
We are currently taking part in an Endbringer battle. For a limited time, during this battle, the usual limit for goals has been lifted. However, only goals that relate to the Endbringer battle can be added at this time. All other goals have been temporarily suspended.