CotB 38: Endbringer

[center]Cult of the Bay

Chapter 38: Endbringer

<<<Lamb>>>[/center]

The Endbringer siren system is something everyone understood, what with the possibility of an Endbringer deciding to come to town after all. They all made the same wailing sound similar to a tornado or air raid siren. However judging by the intensity of the siren you would know if the Endbringer was attacking elsewhere or if it was attacking your location.

A low siren indicated the Endbringer was attacking elsewhere, and life went on with a tension of not knowing if the Heroes and Villains will be able to beat back the monster. A high siren indicated that you were on ground zero and needed to get the hell out of there right then and there!

And that siren was very, very loud.

For a brief second Lamb felt nothing but blind panic, at least until Selene metaphorically booted her ass and told her to tend to her cult! Shaking her head so hard her ears flapped, she focused and looked at Ashley who looked ready to faint.

“Ashley! You and the others get these people to the nearest shelter!” She snapped switching her ‘Fuck Me’ aura to a calming one and pushing it out to ensure the civilians didn’t fly into a blind panic, “Take what you all can and head to the nearest shelter!” She repeated as she looked at everyone with glowing red eyes.

She looked to the Heroes but they were already communicating with the PRT and Protectorate, so Lamb decided to focus on her cult and future flock, she’d be damned before she let any of hers die! Not to a goddamn kaiju!

“Tammi, you can head to the shelter as well,” She said softly, “So can anyone else, I won’t ask you to join me,” She added.

Taylor’s head shook, “Die in there or die doing something that’s worth a damn,” She stated, “At least with you there’s healing.”

The ground shook hard for a few moments, glass cracking in the buildings around them, before stopping.

“Behemoth, that confirms it,” Armsmaster said, “We have more time than usual, there’s a staging area on the Rig, can you teleport multiple people at once, Lamb?”

“... Yes,” Lamb said, she didn’t normally use it because it was pretty energy intensive… but that was before her energy generation bypassed the rate she could actually use it, “Easily enough.”

“Take everyone that wants to fight or support with you there, we’ll be heading down to the PRT building to coordinate,” He ordered, shifting into a far more commanding stance, “We’ll arrive to support with more capes. How strong can you make your calming aura?”

“I can make it as big as I need,” Lamb answered, “I’ve never had a reason to push it, but my ability to produce energy has outstripped my rate of consumption.” It seemed stupid to try to hide information seeing there was an Endbringer bearing down on them.

He nodded, “Make it as strong as possible when you arrive, we don’t want panic.”

Lamb nodded, “Okay, everyone coming get close it’ll be easier to teleport.” She said before looking at Ashley and the goths taking command with the minions to make sure everyone was escorted.

She was surprised when all of her girls, sans Annette who was already making her way to a shelter with Danny, joined her. She looked at Tammi, who just looked back at her. Lamb didn’t dissuade her (though she really wanted to), and if anyone tried to do anything to her or any of her girls she’d make them regret it.

Miss Militia and Armsmaster joined them shortly and Lamb’s eyes glowed like bloody fog lights before they all fell into nothingness only to then find themselves standing on the helipad of the Rig.

It felt like it was taking a long time for everyone to arrive, but a glance at the time showed that it had only been twenty minutes. It felt… like they had more time than they should have had, but she didn’t know how.

“Selene?” She couldn’t help but ask, did she know something? Did she do something? 

Nothing from Selene but, as Legend arrived, he started to give a speech. “Thanks to Armsmaster and Dragon,” He started, nodding to the two heroes, even if Dragon felt weird to her emotional senses, “We have done something that was thought impossible. Predicted the endbringers. This has given us an unprecedented amount of time to prepare, an entire forty five minutes.”

It felt… tinny somehow? It didn’t matter really, she just made sure her aura was ready to counter any panic. Though many seemed… resigned, after all this is the Hero Killer. Most of the parahumans knew there was a good chance they wouldn’t be coming back.

“It’d be nice to have some extra help, but unfortunately a little lamb had to destroy the Empire.” Some cape snarked, she didn’t recognize him and didn’t know if he was a hero or villain.

And she rightly didn’t care and refused to acknowledge him, instead focusing on Legend.

“We have had more time to prepare than ever before, and so we’ve been able to bring more capes than ever before, but the sad reality is that against Behemoth two thirds of us will likely die.”

“Not if I can help it.” She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but she’d figure it out.

And the moment the Endbringer’s name was mentioned the dread increased substantially so Lamb forced her aura to grow encompassing the entire Rig in an aura of calm.

Though if someone started going on about her Mastering them she was going to choke a bitch!

“Announce to them that you shall slay the beast,” Selene whispered, “Announce your power to the world, sacrifice it to me.”

Lamb wondered but Selene hadn’t led her wrong yet… and it would certainly break the tense atmosphere, “I’ll kill it! I’ll kill them all!”

Some of the gathered capes snorted but otherwise didn’t react, the capes from out of town who only heard rumors of her loudly scoffed at the ‘arrogant bitch’ but Lamb hardly cared for their useless bleating. She’d prove herself to them all, and more importantly to Selene and validate the confidence the goddess had in her!

Now, if only those damnable intrusive thoughts would stop telling her she was going to fuck up…

Legend chuckled at her bravado, but he seemed at least… somewhat believing that she’d be able to manage it. Or, at least, that she’d give it a good shot.

“Wasn’t he with the rest of Cauldron when I dropped off those cookies a few weeks back?” 

The thought would need to be gone over later as, after another strong shake and one last flash of teleportation (last minute allies were always good to see), Behemoth arrived.

The initial moments were devastating as a sinkhole, massive in size and scope, opened in the middle of the city and plunged thousands to their doom.

The effects on morale were immediate and devastating, despair building as, in a single second, Behemoth claimed more lives than they’d expected without lifting a single finger.

Lamb was particularly affected, as she could see the spike of sheer terror before nothing, thousands of different emotions just snuffed out in an instant like someone flipping a switch. And for the first time in a very long time Lamb felt angry… angrier she’d ever been. Her power that was just coiling just underneath her skin reacted to her anger and now it felt like she had an angry hive of ants raging under her skin!

If anyone had noticed Lamb’s change (beyond her girls) they didn’t comment and all simply went to work. Legend showed his veterancy easily taking the lead while Alexandria led the Brutes capable of withstanding his killing field and Eidolon just hovering blasting the monster with exotic energies.

But she could see it wasn’t doing much, she could feel the beast’s emotions, see that it was just… just toying with them. A wave of blasters died as they got too close to its kill aura, their flesh vaporizing in seconds as red lightning hammered into them.

“Show this creature, my Lamb. Show it our power and give it to me,~” Selene whispered in her ear.

She’d long since stopped relying on gestures to manipulate her power, she mostly did it now out of a sense of showmanship more than anything. But not this time… this was going to be her most elaborate ritual yet, and it would take every trick she’d learned and developed to pull it off.

It wouldn’t be subtle at all, and as much as she hated doing it… she needed the others to buy her time.

Not knowing if anyone could hear her she yelled, “I need some time!”

Then, instead of waiting for a response, she knew she might not receive, she focused on raising her hands and elaborate weaving and gesturing, and slowly… too slowly for her liking her power surged outwards. Her eyes glowing like hellish flood lights and blood dripping from her tear ducts splashing down onto the ground where the blood started to move.

Slowly creating the most elaborate ritual circle she had ever created.

[center][spoiler=Magic circle][img]https://i.etsystatic.com/7247957/r/il/f40084/1543258570/il_1080xN.1543258570_irjl.jpg[/img][/spoiler][/center]

Though she knew without a doubt everyone, especially the creature, noticed when the sun high in the sky was hidden.

“Lamb!?” She didn’t know who said it, too consumed by her ritual work to even realize one of her girls calling to her.

Selene herself was all too pleased to see her darling Lamb finally showing these humans what she could truly do. Today she would cement herself as a legend, and would inspire worship in many! Flocks would seek her out, to join either her Coven or her faith! And all that power would flow into her, providing the very first step into an existence similar to Selene’s!

The sky cracked open to reveal pitch black darkness on the other side, tentacles made of raw Nothing reaching down to grasp at Behemoth. The fighting had stopped, the Endbringer firing attacks into the darkness… and then into the city, trying to destroy as much as it could before it was forced to flee.

[center][u]No Fleeing
No Hiding
Only Nothingness[/u][/center] 

The voice rumbled from everywhere and nowhere, the civilians in the shelters and those that couldn’t get to them but were lucky to be out of range of the killing field heard it. It rattled bones and made everyone feel chills as walls of Black blocked the attacks.

Behemoth continued to struggle against the tentacles, and even though it stopped sandbagging, and wasn’t that a terrifying thought, it was still drawn closer to the Blackness. 

It roared in what could’ve been anger and it seemed to try something, which proved to be its downfall as the tentacles stopped toying with it and simply… pulled the Hero Killer into the Blackness where it vanished.

Even the sounds of its roars stopped.

Then slowly the Blackness regressed, and the sun began to shine once more. And once the Blackness had fully receded did Lamb’s channeling finally end.

And shortly afterwards she collapsed, and soon afterwards she knew nothing more.

[center]<<<Darren Patton>>>[/center]

Darren held his wife and daughter close, both of them crying not that he blamed them. Endbringers had that effect on people, especially when you were in the city they decided to destroy that month. But he had to remain strong for them, if nothing else. Still, despite his own desire to break down, he had to stay strong for his wife and daughter. He needed to be a pillar for them now.”

He knew the statistics, not by heart of course, but he had a general understanding. And he also knew that Behemoth was by far the most lethal of the three. Capable of turning miles of land into a radiated wasteland, even when we won against it we still lost.

He was sliding into a numbness as he awaited for their inevitable death, hopefully it’ll be quick and not a slow agonizing death from radiation poisoning.

Then he heard it, fucking hell he felt it.

He’s sure everyone in the shelter heard it as well, but not with their ears!

[center][u]No Fleeing
No Hiding
Only Nothingness[/u][/center] 

The shelter rumbled around them, drawing screams and cries alike from everyone. Then everyone heard the unmistakable roar of the Endbringer, it sounded angry, but then it suddenly… stopped.

Like someone just muted it right in the middle of its roar.

Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned to what felt like hours. What happened? Was the monster driven off? Did we win?

“Are we trapped because the surface is a radiated wasteland!?” 

The silence broke in music, a softly singing voice whispering into their ears, into their souls. “All is well, the dead see peace in my embrace, in our embrace. My Lamb shall lead you to love, to passion, to peace,” It, She, said, “We have removed from your world One of Three, my Lamb loves you all dearly, she does this for You. The rest shall follow, all you must do is Love.”

Lamb… that was that the sheep cape that destroyed the Empire? Honestly, for that alone she got love from the entire African-American community! Shit if he saw her he’d give her a damn kiss on the lips!

Unbidden tears of gratitude streamed from his eyes as he hugged his family tightly, they were going to live! And all because of a chipper fluffy cape!

“I leave you in your Joy and Exultation, and for those of you who have lost… your grief shall fade, find solace in others,” She advised, “Love them, we care not how, seek peace in others and you shall find it. This is my blessing upon you. I am Selene, and this is my creed.”

Someone started shouting, they were next to a radio that was playing the news. “It’s true! Lamb killed Behemoth! It’s gone! The Herokiller is dead!” They cheered, looking faint.

“Praise the Lamb!” He wasn’t sure who said it first, but slowly the others started saying the same.

“Praise the Lamb!”

“Praise the Lamb!”

“Blessed be the Lamb!”

Darren didn’t join the cries of joy, and instead focused on holding the two brightest lights in his life, and despite that he smiled, “Praise Lamb I guess…”

“I want to meet Lamb!” His daughter said, her voice sounding awed, “She sounds really nice and pretty and cool…”

Darren just chuckled, “Maybe one day, sweetie,” He said, “She does wander Boardwalk and her territory. So who knows? And maybe we can visit her coven…”

That sounded like a good idea, maybe they’d donate to her…

“But you can’t join until you’re older, young lady!” His wife teased their daughter with a smile. “It could be dangerous, fighting supervillains and criminals.”

“Mom!” She whined happily, “You’re embarrassing me!”

Darren just laughed, today… Despite everything, it wasn't that bad a day after all.

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