Got the Grimoire, Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Seeing as the day was already completely crap, I wasn’t too surprised to see that Lung was already over ten feet tall and hurling fireballs like free candy at a downtown parade. His form was covered in armor plating and flames poured off of him like liquid, enough to make me question my sanity just a bit at actually wanting to fight him. After all, this was Lung, the Dragon of Kyushu (canon could bite me, it was a cool nickname), arguably the most powerful individual villain in Brockton Bay. But he was also… a symbol, perhaps? A measuring stick. The kind of powerful that one wanted to fight to prove that they were strong.

Now you could argue I’d already done that by fighting the Simurgh and trouncing the Empire 88’s toughest capes. But… it was Lung. Sure he was over-hyped sometimes, but I still felt a thrill of excitement, that hidden adrenaline junkie within just itching to go fight the big bad Dragon.

And seeing as I had phenomenal cosmic power…

I did.

That is nothing compared to a true drake, my inner companion commented. But powerful in his own right, I suppose. For a mortal.

I ignored the voice as I charged in and interposed myself between a rogue fireball and a group of fleeing civilians. Water magic wasn’t my forte, but I was still able to summon up a shield of it that blocked the worst of the heat. I dispersed the steam up into sky with a burst of air magic, and stared down Lung, probing slightly with Lunatic Eyes. Yeah, Valefor had definitely done something to him…

As much as I wanted to fight Lung, some things could wait. I flared Lunatic Eyes and got rid of Valefor’s hypnosis.

“Lung!” I called to him as he shook his head in confusion. “You have been tricked and deceived! A Master used his influence on you to try and force a fight, but there is no need for that today. Please, go your own way, a fight between us would only cause chaos and mayhem,” I entreated him.

For just a moment, I thought it might work. His eyes cleared of confusion, he stared at me, considering, then glanced around, took in his own form, and bared his lengthened teeth.

“If n’t ‘ooay, t’en anoher,” Lung snarled from his distorted jaws. He let out an ear-piercing roar and charged.

Goddammit.

I do not believe He has an opinion in this particular matter…

Lung slammed into me with bone-jarring force, pushing me backward as I tried in vane to hold my ground. Even with magecraft enhanced strength, I wasn’t nearly as strong as him, and the ground beneath us wasn’t strong enough for me to anchor myself properly in the first place. He kept a firm grip on me as he began to swing heavy claws, not to mention the ever intensifying flames around him. And it probably wasn’t my imagination that he was getting taller too…

Yeah, I really didn’t feel like dealing with a kaiju right then. My wards flared as they resisted his blows, each one meant to be a killing strike, but while he was tall, I was till able to jump up and deliver a haymaker to his guts. Fueled by magecraft and Hero Punch, he flew backward and crashed into one of downtown Brockton’s many office buildings. I winced at the chaos and destruction. This was why I hadn’t wanted to fight Lung, even if he was a monster. Our fight was going to get innocents hurt, maybe even killed. I was being reckless and foolish, taking him on in the heart of the city.

So it was time to change the battlefield just a bit then…

Teleporting an unwilling target was hard, but not impossible. As large and powerful as he was, Lung was still a viable target. I grabbed him and dragged him with me through space until we were spat out in a section of the city I didn’t actually mind destroying: The Boat Graveyard.

“Last chance, Lung,” I warned. “I forced the Simurgh to flee. I’d have killed her given more time. I’ll do the same here if I have to.”

The sand around Lung’s feet began to fuse into molten glass as the heat pouring off of him got worse. He was at least two feet taller than when we’d started our brawl, his face even more distorted and I could see wings beginning to sprout from his back. Could he make plasma? I had a bad feeling that I might be seeing plasma soon.

Rather than answer my rather reasonable request to surrender or flee, the Dragon once again decided to charge me. So once again, I punched him. Except this time, there weren’t any easily damaged buildings around.

I felt things shift and break inside of him as he was propelled like a human/dragon cannonball straight into side of a beached ship, tearing through the rusted metal with ease and then back out the other side. I almost casually jumped over the ship and found him still tumbling down the stretch of beach, leaving behind patches of rapidly cooling glass as he bounced and rolled.

“I can do this all day, Lung,” I called. Though in truth, I couldn’t. My soul could still only bear so much magical energy and I’d been throwing out some pretty mana exhaustive spells. I had more than enough in the tank to take care of him, but… Well I’d rather not pass out again. I have a complex about passing out.

Once he’d slowed enough to stop his movement, Lung had grown another foot. I could see the beginnings of wings trying to free themselves from his back. His face was completely that of his draconian form, any sign of humanity gone. With a bellow of sheer rage, he unleashed a jet of white-hot flame that would easily liquefy steel if given the chance. Mere water wouldn’t put out something that hot, so I twisted my fingers into a complex gesture and formed a shell of mana around myself. It was rather horrifying to see powerful magic that had warded off some of Purity’s strongest blasts begin to crack and shatter under his onslaught.

Well that won’t do.

I formed a skintight barrier around myself and dropped my shield, flying into the air at the same time. Even that brief exposure to Lung’s flames was enough to cause agony to erupt across my body, only the dozens of wards and the last minute barrier saving me from being completely charbroiled. Once I was in the air, I began to rain bursts of golden energy and chaos lightning upon him, the air crackling with the power being unleashed.

Lung tanked it all, more than living up to his reputation. Any damage I did do was healed in a matter of moments. I hissed a breath out from between my teeth, then formed Auriel’s Bow in my hands, glad for a minute that I hadn’t given it away. I took aim and fired into the sun. After just a moment, solar fire rained down upon Lung, an entirely different kind of flame that he wasn’t used to dealing with. He roared and began to run towards me, though it was a struggle with the beams of sunlight still hitting him from above, forcing him to dodge and weave.

I took a breath and focused. I’d been hitting Lung with bursts of magic, true, but nothing special. This time I poured time and effort into it. The kind of power I’d used on the Simurgh. Even if she was the weakest physically of the Endbringers, she was still one of them. Such an attack would surely stop even the Dragon of Kyushu. With a grunt of effort I took aim and unleashed a golden beam of energy the circumference of a dinner plate. It struck Lung at the shoulder and pierced through it like butter before carving through sand behind it, tunneling deep into the ground before it died out. Lung’s momentum died and he tumbled, the fight seeming to leave him as he stared at his severed limb.

“That could have been your head,” I said bluntly. My hands still glowed as I readied another beam. “Surrender, before I am forced to do what I must.”

Slowly, ever so slowly, the Dragon’s fire dimmed. He began to shrink even as he sagged with the weight of defeat. His jaw began to return to normal and he gave me a look of begrudging respect. “You are a worthy foe, Magus. I thought it impossible for you to have truly fought the Endbringer, but… You actually did. It wasn’t just PRT propaganda.”

“Yes.”

Lung nodded thoughtfully. “I thought them impossible to bring down, but with you at the helm… Well, I shall be most pleased to hear word of their defeat.” He reached ordinary human height, his face exposed. “So is it to be the Birdcage for me then?”

“That is not for me to decide.”

“Ah. Even with all your power, you wear their chains. Why?”

Why? I supposed that he deserved an honest answer. “Because I do not always trust my own judgment,” I said. “Because strength does not equal wisdom.”

“And yet despite your strength, perhaps you do still have some wisdom,” Lung said sagely. “I suppose there are worse opponents to have lost to.”

“It was an honor. Perhaps we will fight together someday.”

He contemplated me and then shrugged. “Perhaps. But what use could I be when you are already stronger?”

“You might be surprised. There are things worse than the Endbringers out there.”

I didn’t give him time to consider my words as I hit him with a sleep spell, making him collapse like a sack of potatoes into the sand.

“Magus!” a voice barked through my earpiece.

Finally. “Found the jammer then?” I asked Armsmaster.

“Indeed. What’s your status?”

“Boat Graveyard. Just finished fighting Lung. Freed him from Valefor’s control, but he still wanted to brawl.”

“Unfortunate. Do you require assistance?”

I eyed the sleeping Dragon. “No, I beat him. He’s unconscious, but a containment squad would be appreciated. I’ve used up most of my power. Teleportation is out of the question for the moment.”

“Understood. I’ll task a team.”

“My thanks. Oh and send a team over to the boutique off of Fifth and West. I blasted Kaiser through the front window, he might still be there if we’re lucky.”

“Today isn’t the lucky kind of day,” Armsmaster said grimly. “But I’ll see what we can do.”

“Understood. I’m going to just… sit for a minute.”

“Rest up, Magus. You did well.”

“Sir.”

I cut the connection and allowed my Vestment to fade away into motes of light. Instantly the presence of the Lord of Balance within me withdrew into the back of my mind. I could still sense them, just… dimmed. Like I’d shut a door between us. I sat down heavily on the beach and then let myself fall onto my back. Hardly felt real, but… Seemed like it was over.

“You alright there?”

I glanced up to see Glory Girl floating down, a wide grin on her face. “Heard there was a good fight this way. Looks like I was too late though.”

“Vicky,” I muttered. “Not the New Wave gal I was hoping for.”

“Crystal is helping clean up downtown. Oni Lee started messing around, but with all the heroes showing up… Well, he ran. We’ll get him another day.”

I grunted as I shifted into a more comfortable position on the sand. “The rest of the Empire?”

“In custody, on the run, or dead. Whatever you did… Alabaster isn’t coming back. Krieg is in the wind. We recaptured all the ones who escaped, I think.”

“Rune?”

“Clotheslined her while she was trying to get out of the city,” Vicky boasted proudly. “Didn’t even see me coming.”

“Hm. Nice.”

“Damn right. We also got that Fallen guy too, uhhhh Eligor or something?”

“Eligos. Good to hear.” I sat up briefly to take off my other coat and form it into a rough pillow to lay my head on. Much better.

Vicky smirked and poked me in the arm. “I can fly you back if you want. Get you a real bed and pillow. Crystal might even let you use hers if you ask nicely.”

“Mrgh.”

She frowned. “Dang, you are tired. I expected at least a chuckle.”

“I’m ready to crash for a while. But I gotta stick around, make sure the big guy stays put,” I nodded towards Lung.

“Damn…” Vicky wandered over and nudged him with her foot. “Other than the yakuza tattoos, he looks almost… normal?”

“Most capes do.”

“I’m gonna tell Crystal you said that.”

“I said most capes. All you Dallons and Pelhams have some kind of special genes, I swear.”

“Awww, thanks. You’re my favorite of Crystal’s boyfriends.”

I shot her a side-eye. “And how many of those do you know of…?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?” Vicky smirked at me.

I thought about it for all of two seconds. “No, not really. That’s her business.”

“Heh, good to hear. I’d have kicked your ass otherwise. Probably the only chance I’d get to with the state you’re in.” She sat down next to me. “Hey ummm… I got a question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“How come I wasn’t invited over the other night?” My confusion must have shown, because she kept going. “I mean, you had Crystal, which makes sense, she’s your girlfriend, but then you also had Amy over and I mean, we live in the same house, I just felt kind of… left out. It’s not that big of a deal, I know you’re better friends with Amy and everything-“

I had just enough strength to punch the side of her leg. “It wasn’t like that, honest. I had to tell Crystal about some personal stuff and Amy was there to act as a living lie detector, to confirm I was being honest.”

Vicky blinked in surprise. “Oh. That… honestly doesn’t sound like the healthiest thing. I mean, if you’re dating someone, shouldn’t you trust them enough to not need a literal lie detector?”

“Not with the subject matter we were discussing.”

“I don’t want to know, do I?”

“You really don’t. I swear though, it was on the up and up.”

“Alright.” We were silent for another minute or so before Vicky spoke again. “Sorry, I just get in my own head about that kind of stuff. I mean, you’re my cousin’s boyfriend, probably my sister’s best friend, it just makes sense that we should be friends too, ya know?”

“Sure,” I agreed. “But you also have a larger friend group and while I’m not adverse to having friends that are younger than me, I’d still feel a little weird hanging out with an entire group of nothing but teenagers.” I studied the sky for a moment. “I should do something nice for the Wards though. Pizza party maybe?”

“Pft, cliche much?” Vicky giggled.

“Just an idea,” I said defensively. “I don’t know them well enough to plan anything more elaborate.”

“Well good thing you got me here then. You can pick my brain about them if you want.”

So I did. We chatted back and forth for a while about the Wards, helping me get a better idea of what they actually liked and what kind of people they were, outside of our brief interactions and the profiles I’d read on them. It was… surprisingly nice.

I felt more than heard Armsmaster’s cycle as it pulled up. “Glory Girl. I see you arrived quicker.”

“Just keeping him company,” Vicky said with a faux salute. “I think he’s about to pass out.”

“Thank you for doing so,” Armsmaster said. “Magus, feel free to lose consciousness whenever you desire.”

“Will do, sir… Will do…”

I closed my eyes and let sleep take me.

***

I drifted amongst the sea of stars, a place both alien, but also familiar now. Light shone upon me and I felt at peace. But then the stars shifted and suddenly, I was no longer among them. I felt bare soil against my feet and I glanced around, gawking at the large trees laden with fruit. In between trees were meadows and amongst it all, animals of all shapes and sizes. I felt like I was in a storybook…

I wandered for a time, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. Then I began to hear a lilting melody on the wind. A half remembered song in a language I couldn’t place. I followed the voice until I found myself in a glade. A table was sat in the center. Sitting there was a man that I could only describe as… perfect. Dark hair was pulled back to reveal a handsome face, chiseled jaw hidden by a dark beard. His eyes were like twin stars as he rose from his seat and smiled warmly at me.

“Welcome, my dear host. It is a pleasure to finally meet you face to face, in a manner that you shall remember.” He offered a bow.

“And… who are you exactly?

“Ah, of course, you don’t remember from the last time we spoke. I am Raziel, Angel of Secrets, Angel of Mysteries, Lord of Balance and Keeper of All Magic. Let us have a conversation.”
***
A/N: Finally buckled down and got two in one week. Yay. Only took me... twelve+ hours. Maybe more. But hey, who's counting? Anyway, more bang for your buck this way, a little token of my appreciation for you guys. Hope all is well and hope you guys enjoy. Going to be a bit of a wind down/ break period these next few chapters, seeing as Mak just took out two of the major gangs as well an out of town threat. Hope you guys enjoy and lemme know what you think.