29.2

Chapter 29.2: Oh, how small we were, in the grand scheme of it all

We were insignificant, ants before a giant. Scion attacked, a pencil-thin beam slicing through the crowd. Parian saved many, but Rachel’s dog, Bastard, was severely injured. The Suits were among the wounded, King of Cups patching them up, replacing limbs with black simulacrums. Lung was there, transformed, having been healed by Panacea. The Simurgh stood by the portal, guns aimed at Scion, but she didn’t shoot.

My swarm-decoys surrounded Scion, but he ignored them, targeting specific capes, like Glaistig Uaine, who was saved by another cape. He continued his assault, picking off capes. I landed beside Rachel, tending to the bleeding Bastard. Rachel left to find a Lab Rat dose. I pressed a cloak against Bastard’s wounds, a selfish act, but I knew Rachel wouldn’t fight if Bastard died. Lung, altered by his power and King of Cups’s repair, shouted to remove the artificial leg. The battlefield was disorganized. Queen of Swords created a diagram, firing a power-infused bullet that struck Scion, making him stumble.

Reinforcements arrived, including Gavel and Crane the Harmonious. Gavel blocked Scion’s attack with his hammer, taking significant damage. Scion switched to a beam, whittling Gavel down. Gavel managed to strike Scion, but Scion retaliated, disintegrating Gavel from the inside. Scion targeted Vista, Kid Win, and Tattletale, but the Simurgh protected them. I urged them to escape. Rachel returned with a Lab Rat dose, but it didn’t work on Bastard due to his altered physiology. Scion crushed King of Cups and Queen of Swords.

Suddenly, everything stopped. I experienced a vision of two massive beings, one familiar. It was discarding fragments, keeping those useful for combat. It was searching for a world, a specific variation, and viewing possible futures, including one where Scion stood victorious amidst a field of defeated capes. The entity knew it would win, having given itself enough power. There was no way for the hosts to win. The vision ended, replaced by Scion standing before us. The cape who’d caused the vision was distorting the memory, making it unforgettable.

Scion crushed King of Cups, and the phantom limbs that covered the landscape crumbled. The Simurgh screamed and attacked Scion with her guns, creating a massive shockwave. Scion disappeared, then reappeared, attacking the Simurgh. I reached Tattletale, who explained that Scion adapted to attacks, making subsequent ones less effective. We needed a one-shot kill, but it wasn’t possible. We were hurting him, but he was swapping out damaged material from a bottomless well.

Lung joined the fight, massive and monstrous. Glaistig Uaine accessed the dead, using Eidolon’s spirit among others. The Simurgh fired a salvaged air gun at Scion, with no effect. Scion blasted her into the bay. Lung attacked Scion, holding him in molten sand. Crane used her power, a distorting sphere, to make every attack hit Scion. The Simurgh reassembled her guns. Scion’s beam killed Crane and Kid Win, destroying the portal. Vista’s expression was hard, devoid of emotion.

Bastard rose, swelled by Lab Rat’s power, and attacked Scion. Miss Militia created a massive bomb, and the Simurgh hurled it at Scion, who dodged. The resulting explosion cleared the clouds. Scion remained untouched, clean. Tattletale explained that we were removing drops from a bottomless well, and morale was plunging. Scion moved on to the next target, planning to rotate through each area.

I realized I hadn’t done anything in the fight, overwhelmed and out of my depth. I decided I wouldn’t be on the battlefield next time.