Chapter 43: Lowest Common Denominator
Serena had driven until her eyes went heavy, and the six kept swapping for the rest of that day. Blackburn's fog ensured they never had to stop but for food, and the disastrous weather had kept pace an hour behind, forcing Nuiko back three. As they passed over a hill on a back roa, Aimee felt the artifact swell in its pouch.
"Fuck, she's got some long range." she muttered. "Should be able to shrink it again, once we…" She sighed. "Might have to start thinking how to deal with this."
"Could just throw the tablet out the window and go home." yawned Jeanne, driving. "Anything up ahead?"
"I'll check." mumbled Yuruko, tapping her phone. After a minute: "Uh, what the fuck?" She turned to look through the back window like she could see it. "All the news reports say it's gone. Like it just disappeared."
"What?" Aimee frowned as Yuruko handed her her phone. "…the hell. You're right."
"Um, I can check on mine, too." said Serena and Aimee nodded.
"Yeah. Might still be a trap, so, uh. Just keep going, Jeanne."
"Mmhm." yawned Jeanne. "So sleepy. Should swap soon."
"I'll get it." said Yuruko.
"… fuck." muttered Aimee. "That's fucking weird. Just - yeah, like you said. Just completely stopped."
"Could be another suicide by Revenant." muttered Samuel. "Might've gotten lucky."
"Maybe someone else ganked his ass." said Yuruko.
Serena laughed.
+++
The next morning, Mia & Serena walked around the city corner and in to the next avenue. The other two pairs were waiting at a restaurant on the other side of the evacuated city: Renault had told Aimee he would call her at noon, with an update on the source of these Revenants.
Serena felt Mia place her hand on her shoulder, stopping her from walking. "Serena, can I talk to you about something?"
'Oh shit.' thought Serena, turning. "U-Um, sure."
Mia had practiced this, nervous as she felt. "I understand that you feel I've been coddling you a little, or that… it feels like I don't have much confidence in you. And I want to tell you that I'm sorry. I-I haven't felt entirely confident in how I've been mentoring you, either, but I hope you understand why I would be worried about you."
Serena nodded. "I do. Um, I'm sorry that I… I guess Aimee told you."
"She did." said Mia. "Er, and I'm sure you understand that - your other contracts won't be against Revenants like this."
Serena felt this was precursoring a delay of change and tried to head her off. "But I still killed the water Revenant, right? And the -- Pasithea?"
Mia smiled a little reassuringly before saying: "And the magnetic Revenant? I'm not saying - you are becoming a better fighter, Serena. I know you've grown, but it's sometimes hard for me to tell if…"
"…um. You can say it."
"If some of it was luck."
Serena scratched her neck. "I guess we got lucky with the lightning Revenant. I feel like I'm doing better, though."
Mia nodded. "You have, but I'd still like to be cautious. I can promise to be less strict, but, er… Would it help if I gave you less orders?"
Serena nodded. "Um, I-I still need a bit of help, but -- just no more shouting."
"Will you be alright with that for our next fight?"
"Yeah."
They hugged, and smiled as they started heading off. After some silence, Mia grinned a little and said: "And I'm sorry for embarrassing you in front of Yuruko."
Serena's face went red. "Huh?"
"When I was checking you for wounds?"
"I- sure, b-but-"
"-Serena, I'm not a clueless lesbian, I know you have a crush on her." laughed Mia. "You looked like how Aimee used to look around me. I'm sure Yuruko understood I was just making sure -- because of your pain resistance."
Serena nervously laughed. "I-It's not that obvious, is it?"
"Are you planning on asking her out?"
They walked around the corner and Serena quickly pointed out a videogame store. "Um, we could go steal some-"
- Mia gasped as she saw the back wall of the store, where a drill was embedded, and in the next instant -
- the building began to buckle in - the two swept away and back, and as a rumbling began from the building across the street -
- the two buildings were yanked together as if by a tether, smashing in to each other in the center of the avenue, and as the shattered rubble burst outward to their necks -
" - Worldwide!"
- pillars of white flame burst from the ground, scorching the foul concrete -
" - Blackburn!"
- and streams of black fog filled the concrete shards with gasoline, quickening Mia's flame as she burnt the initial volley of rubble, the mountainous ruins ahead blocking the center of the avenue and their sight.
"Shit." muttered Serena, Blackburn's fog clearing the smoke, as was often the case. "Revenant."
Mia grinned, her eyes flurrying around as they stepped back. "This is what you wanted, isn't it? Remember - tell me if you need something."
"Er - yeah - but we should run for now, right?" said Serena, placing her hand on Mia's shoulder -
- and it dipped in as if she were liquid. With a shriek, Mia yanked herself away, pulling Serena in to her -
- and the two women phased in to each other, combined and were trapped within each other.
'What the -'
' - fuck?!'
"World-"
"- burn!"
And before their eyes appeared their merged Revenant; a humanoid torso and arms formed of scarabs, a trail of black fog below.
'We're -'
' - merged? Oh shit, can she hear me think?'
'I… think so.'
'So this is what it'll feel like to have a - nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing -'
' - stop clogging our brainwaves!'
'Hey. Mia. What's our name?'
'Mia and Serena? Mirena?'
'Have you thought of this before? Wait, am I actually thinking with you, or am I just imagining your voice?'
Mirena laughed. Their appearance&voice had changed, their hair merged as white&black, a leather jacket with a dress bottom - but they had no time left to think.
From the other end of the ruins, they heard the rumble begin, and in the next instant -
- a titanic drill burst out from the rubble, shot out and pierced their torso; Mirena stumbled back, a second drilling volley eroding the rubble ahead, sucking the ruins inward, disintegrating them as if a true Vortex; but the pertinent projectile still drilled further and deeper in, swirling their skin open -
" - Worldburn?!"
- and a flash of ice scarabs chilled it, attempting desperately to slow the sprinkler of blood and skin; but the speed was immeasurable. It shattered in an instant its icy prison, and as the melted water spun red -
" - Worldburn?!"
- streams of black fog filled the water, slowing the drill's spin as a clogged cog, rusting now. A swift swarm burnt the drill to ash, a second stream of fog filling their wounds as their strength returned, Worldburn mysteriously growing in size.
'Hydrochloric acid and copper. Rusts stuff.'
'I never knew you were in to chemistry.'
But Mirena panted, stumbling and rushing back around the corner, not even hearing their foe as they ran down the sidewalk, seeking space first.
'Yuruko likes chemistry, right? Do you think I could impress her with it?'
'Stay focused.'
- Mirena laughed as she ran; but from behind, the drilling began anew. As she turned, she saw a second drill curve around the corner and seeking her direct -
- and their torso dodged one way and their legs another, ensuring the drill pierced their right arm; Mirena's left arm flashed back as she gasped, and as they attempted the same rusted counter -
- the drill grew in size, shot through their elbow and tore their arm clear off -
- and bizarrely, black fog filled their arm anew, the women panting as they saw the drill fly away.
'What the fuck?'
'Why can you heal amputations? Even Saya couldn't do that.'
'What's that supposed to mean?'
'Nothing.'
'I've never felt this strong. I'm controlling arms. Are you legs? I hope so, 'cuz I'm not controlling those.'
A wave of realization struck Mirena's lower half, and the upper rode along for the ride as she rushed back down, hurtled around the corner and down the road, the ruins of the two buildings ahead.
'What are you doing? Mia? Mia?'
'A hunch.'
Down the street the woman ran, and as she came up to the ruins, she put her ear to the rubble; and Serena realized it then. Her fire scarabs burnt a tunnel through the concrete pile, and as a second swarm flew deeper in -
- they felt new strength flow in to them as they felt the first drill destroyed, having never left its initial wall. Worldburn grew in size again, and as they leaped to the top of the rubble mountain -
- there, at the other end of the avenue, a hundred feet separating them and he, a man (but two men) Mirena knew as their foe. His right hand yanked back as if to pull something, and in the next instant -
- a second building behind was pulled off its hinges, yanked in to the woman's back, and as the entire rain of rubble shattered against her body -
- she grunted, thrashed, but still stood by the end, fire scarabs melting the rubble that sought to bury her. She swept her eyes back and leaped down to the sidewalk adjacent, rushing down to the foundation of the building that had just struck her.
Inside was another drill drilling in to the ground; but as they approached, an invisible force yanked it upward, and as it flew back to the woman -
- a wall of blue flame erupted ahead, disintegrating the foul projectile, Worldburn growing again. Another moment, and a circle of blue flame surrounded them, the woman resting as new strength flowed in to them.
'I get what it is. You're thinking about it. I know the ability.'
'Serena, notify the others - they need to evacuate as far away as possible. The benefit isn't only for us.'
Mirena ripped her phone out and typed a message -
' - awww, you have Aimee saved with a heart - why is she calling you Mistress -'
'THE GROUP MESSAGE, SERENA!'
'Oh shit, sorry.'
Text couldn't replace touch, but Mirena sent one out.
But the wall of fire faded -
- and they groaned as they saw a swarm of floating drills encircling them; but the next scene was instant.
A line of fire scarabs below, burning a titanic burrow; and in to the sudden shaft the woman fell, black fog filling the shaft above as they burnt a path below -
- and above, they heard the drills hit each other and shatter, but waited another few seconds before they would burst out again.
'This is rough.'
'We can do it.'
'No, I'm just trying not to think about embarrassing stuff like when I was fifteen and had a crush on a girl and she said I love you and I said I love you too but she just meant it as a friend and fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck -'
'I told you to stop clogging our brainwaves!'
'Wait, how are you shouting? Every thought is the same volume.'
'What are you talking about?!'
'It's all at the same volume. But I hear you shouting. That's weird.'
A pause.
'Serena, has anyone ever told you that you have a very interesting mind?'
Mirena groaned and threw a fire scarab above; a jet of water blasted them from below, and out of the hole burst the woman, their watery geyser engrossing them as they were launched up -
- and landed in the avenue again, rubble cleared and their foe still a hundred feet away. He aimed midway down the road, and a drill burst from his right palm and shot in to the center of the road -
- and the entire avenue was sucked inward, the vortex swallowing buildings, concrete, rubble, skyscrapers and sidewalks in its wake; with a shriek of desperation, Mirena ran back, her feet a flurry of movement, running desperately up the sides of the rapidly growing crater -
' - we're not going back in there, huh?'
Mirena glanced back -
'SERENA - YOU'RE OUR EYES!'
- and Mirena's eyes turned back ahead. Closer and closer, the rubble drew, the titanic vortex behind threatening to swallow the woman alive -
- but the next scene was instant. A leap up again; a cloud of fire&ice scarabs behind, forming a swift gust -
- that blew the woman up and out of the crater with the force of a million, launching them up in to the air -
' - uh - I hope you thought this through!' shouted, bizarrely, Serena's thoughts, despite all thoughts being at the same volume as they fell from a hundred feet.
'I trust you to think of something, Serena!'
What road left was fast approaching below, and as they landed -
- a fire scarab burnt the entire asphalt cover off, and in to the pillow filling landed the woman, Worldburn's fog having filled it. With no time to waste, the woman drew up, turning back, the entirety of the crater separating them and he.
'Mia. Think they're evacuated yet?'
As if to answer, the tablet vibrated, and Mirena knew they had.
'Do you have a plan, Serena?'
'Trust me. Crater.'
With the trust in her protégé, Mirena rushed to the edge of the crater, and a cloud of black fog the size of the entire crater filled it -
- with TriNitroToluene. A fire scarab lit the fuse -
- and the entire city was claimed by an explosion as if a hydrogen bomb had struck it, shattering every building, every window, every home, every road, every sidewalk, scorching every tuft of grass, every fence, every car, every videogame.
"What - the fuck kind of Revenant are they fighting?" said Aimee, fortunately far away by then. "Christ."
"At least everyone evacuated." chimed Yuruko, relevantly.
"What the fuck is with these fucking Revenants, indeed." said Samuel.
"They're either alive, or they died in the most metal way possible." said Jeanne.
And fortunately, back at what remained of the city turned-crater, the two combatants (but four) still stood at opposites inside, a hundred feet separating the two, dodging between volleys of drills as they rushed forward. Worldburn's size had grown to a skyscraper - but even they couldn't last forever.
A lucky drill pierced through their torso, and as it tore their skin open, the pain that would've instantly killed any other staggered them back -
- but as a scarab might flick a straw, one of Worldburn's fingers tapped the drill, and a titanic swarm ate the steel whole.
Another drill formed in the man's hand, growing to the size of a second skyscraper, and as it shot through Worldburn's headless torso -
- a titanic swarm of scarabs surrounded it, were sucked in as if by a vortex, and the enormous drill still spun against the enormous Worldburn above as Mirena ran ahead.
'Serena, fill the top of this crater - we can't get in to range head-on.'
'Fill with what?'
'Something I saw once.'
And as another drill grew -
- Worldburn covered the top layer of the crater, black fog filling only the top half with glass, and before their foe could react-
- a scorching beam that threatened to pierce the heavens erupted and hit the reflective material, and in the next instant -
- a bouquet of enormous refracted light blinded their opponent as they rushed forward, only fifty feet separating the two, and as they cleared the clearing in a single bound -
"Listen to the last words you'll ever hear, drill bitch! -" shouted Mirena, Worldburn's insectile fists shattering the drill above to bits -
- and with the speed of light, titanic streams of fog entered their foe's lips and nostrils, burrowing in through his ears -
- and filled them with a dozen swords of Worldwide, golden blades piercing out through his limbs, chest and eyes, a dozen geysers of blood; he stumbled back, screaming as a titanic swarm surrounded him -
"- who the hell do you think we are?!"
The bouquet of gold burst in to blue flames -
"WORLDBURN - TRI-SWARM FILL!"
- and the entire crater filled with a blue inferno, threatening to scorch the entire state to the ground; Mirena rushed through the blaze and to their foe, claws of scarabs gripping them by their neck; she threw their foe ahead, and as he flew back -
- a skyscraper of ice filled the ground behind, and in to the titanic barrier smashed his body. Mirena rushed through the blaze, electrical scarabs swarming ahead, and as his drill raised again -
- as if called by the heavens, a hundred bolts blasted him. Mirena's hands filled with a golden sword the size of a skyscraper -
- and a sweep split the entire city and he in half, disintegrating the latter two instantly.
And from out of each other burst the women, the flame, ice, lightning, and sword suddenly gone.
"Holy - "
" - fucking shit!" shouted Serena - " That - that fucking Revenant is so fucking cool, fuck!"
Mia noticed Serena's voice sounded deeper whenever she shouted, but laughed as they ran to each other and embraced tight.
"I've - I've never felt that strong before!" shouted Mia, glancing down, the entire crater burnt clear - " - let me - ahaha -" - she laughed, still shaking as she took her tablet - " - let them know we -"
" - my fucking God!" laughed Serena - " - fuck, I wish the Revenant survived - imagine we had a third person with that combining shit, holy shit!"
Their laughter barely calmed as Mia typed a message out, hands shaking. "I - I've never felt that - I've never felt that - strong before, just -"
"- that was so - that was fucking - I don't care what even comes next, holy shit - fuck, I can't wait to tell Yuruko -"
" - or Aimee -" grinned Mia. "I'll try not to mention your thoughts."
"Or - or your's, yeah." laughed Serena.
"I'll let them know they can come back." Mia laughed as she took her tablet out. "Or to what's left of it."
As Serena looked back down at her own body, a glint of disappointment seemed to light her smirk. Noticing this, Mia asked her if she was feeling alright.
"Yeah, um." Serena looked up and nodded. "Just glad we got a good fight in."
Mia suspected there was more to it than that, but she doubted Serena would reveal it now. She hoped she wouldn't hear it from Aimee or Yuruko. "Alright. You did very well, Serena. I'm proud of you."
Serena smiled. "Thanks."
They met with the others at a nearby town and took up an evacuated diner. Aimee hadn't needed to argue with the mayor that time. As they stepped inside, the four were already waiting to hear what it was, but Mia waved them down.
"After." she laughed, sitting beside them with Serena.
Aimee nodded, her tablet on the table. "Renault said he'd call at noon, and it's 11:59, so."
It was rumored around campus that Renault, Urasaria's head of security, rarely appeared publicly because a Revenant attack had once left him disfigured: a gossip Aimee enjoyed not dispelling. He was always best kept locked in there, anyhow.
She answered her tablet. "Mad Dog."
"I've looked in to the matter as you've asked." he said. "Are you as six?"
"Yep."
"Then I'll be short. I only have their names, if not their abilities." he said. "For the Revenants you've been fighting, I'm certain you can ask Mia Schultz for their source."
"Excuse me?" said Mia Schultz.
"Every Revenant you've named so far has been from the Eastern League - the twenty heroes Magnus murdered! What on earth is with this persistent interest in you? You should have had your Revenant removed when -"
- Aimee tapped it muted. Beside her, Jeanne snickered.
"It- it is the Eastern League, then?" said Mia. "The nineteen?"
"Um, he doesn't know about Worldwide's other host?" said Serena. (Mia had told them the tale.)
"Ryumi." muttered Aimee. "He said he doesn't know their abilities, right?"
"He doesn't." said Mia, tapping the tablet unmuted.
" - honestly, for how many dead civilians you've caused -"
" - Renault, why the fuck don't you have their abilities?" Aimee sighed. "It's not any use if-"
"-because their abilities were classified, you little butch imbecile."
Jeanne nearly slammed her head in to her seat stifling her laughter.
"Great." muttered Aimee, and the five started laughing after she hung up: even Mia. "C'mon, guys. Not that funny." But Mia saw her smiling, just a little. "You were right, though, Schultzy."
"Just making sure, Mia." said Samuel. "You said that they took Magnus's wife's Revenant, Worldwide, and he, well - took their lives?" (Mia nodded.) "And we're assuming these hosts have those Revenants now?"
"Doesn't sound like someone who would trust anybody else." muttered Jeanne. "Uh. Are we sure he actually killed them?"
Mia frowned. "I… don't see any reason why he would lie to me about this."
"Wasn't he a total, uh… what's that word for when you hate everybody?"
"Matoi." said Samuel and the six laughed.
"I mean, if he killed them, he could've destroyed their Revenants." said Yuruko. "So, uh, he was lying, or…"
Aimee looked to Mia. "You don't think he was?"
Mia shook her head. "I- I can't imagine he would. He even told me about his relationship with Ryumi, before he died."
Aimee nodded. "Alright. Should, uh, move on from there. So, he kills nineteen heroes, and… He wasn't part of the Eastern League's twenty guys, right?"
"I don't believe so. He was a researcher."
"Nineteen heroes. So, he killed them, but… left their Revenants to someone else? How many hosts have we killed?"
Yuruko shrugged. "There's acid dumbass, speed dumbass, other speed dumbass, hallucination dumbass, weighted dumbass, lightning dumbass, fermenter dumbass, magnetic dumbass, weather dumbass, aaand…" She gestured to Mia and Serena.
"It was two." Mia smirked. "I'm sure Serena can tell you about it later."
"…two guys." muttered Aimee. "Makes it, uh… twenty, Worldwide, so nineteen… twelve guys... Seven Revenants left."
"Just seven left." nodded Jeanne.
"Seven left." said Samuel and the six nodded.
"…man, I gotta know, though." said Aimee, typing out a message. "Jeanne, can you get the pouch out on the table? Going to ask Nuiko to swell it."
Jeanne got the pouch out on the table, and Aimee nodded. The tablet began to swell back to normal size.
"Might as well see why someone's gonna pay 300 grand for it." said Aimee, taking it out. The clay was cracked, written on in a language they didn't understand.
"…fifty thousand each if we sold it ourselves, you know…" mumbled Serena.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone