CHANT
Materia-Blade
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A Worm/Final Fantasy Fusion. Taylor triggers as a White Mage, with FF9 leanings and takes a much different route. Self challenge. I'm trying to keep this story UNDER 50,000 words.
For Every Five Posts in this thread, one is about Raise: My thoughts on the matter.
INDEX
I – CHANT
II – HEAL
III – STATUS
IV – FURY
V – FAITH
VI – EQUIP
VII – FRIEND
VIII – STEAL
IX – ESUNA
X – SIN
XI – POISON
XII – COVER
XIII – SLOW
XIV – VANISH
XV – RESIST
XVI – BOSS
XVII – SUPPORT
XVIII – REBIRTH
XIX – NPC
OMAKES
Support Eidolon by Interregnum
Amy Sucks at Threats by MarkerIV
For Every Five Posts in this thread, one is about Raise: My thoughts on the matter.
INDEX
I – CHANT
II – HEAL
III – STATUS
IV – FURY
V – FAITH
VI – EQUIP
VII – FRIEND
VIII – STEAL
IX – ESUNA
X – SIN
XI – POISON
XII – COVER
XIII – SLOW
XIV – VANISH
XV – RESIST
XVI – BOSS
XVII – SUPPORT
XVIII – REBIRTH
XIX – NPC
OMAKES
Support Eidolon by Interregnum
Amy Sucks at Threats by MarkerIV
THE END BRINGER
I — CHANT — I
I — CHANT — I
“Okay,” I thought, psyching myself up as I finally completed the message that had been taunting me for hours on end. “This is easy. Just one click. Do it.”
But that was the thing. It wasn’t easy. In fact, I’d never been more scared in my life. After the locker, that was saying something. Equal parts trepidation and excitement filled, because I knew what I wanted to do, and it would make me… I don’t know. Human again I guess. Sending this might not get me out of Winslow, but being known, being respected? That alone might make Winslow bearable.
Emma and Sophia surely wouldn’t mess with me if I were like… if I were known as a…
I shook myself, angry at the petty thought. I wasn’t stupid. I knew for a fact that my power was valuable, as soon as I’d figured out I could use it on other people. Very valuable. Probably valuable enough that I’d be moved away from Brockton Bay if I joined the Wards, but that wasn’t what I wanted.
I wanted them to see that I was worth something. No matter how much they taunted and tortured me, I was better than them. Petty as it was, I wanted to throw it in their faces. Emma still probably call it running, using my power as an escape route. Maybe I was. But I’d do just about anything to feel like a real person again. To make them see my worth. Force them to acknowledge what they’d done to me. Maybe even make them guilty...
Not likely.
That path into a whole new world, started with one click. One click that I couldn’t bring myself to do. An e-mail to the only other person with a power even remotely similar to mine.
Come on Taylor. Send it, and that’s your ticket. You’ll be a hero, and you’ll be helping everyone! It’s right there!
I wasn’t ever very good at self-motivational pep talks, as evidenced by the fact that I still hadn’t sent the e-mail. But I was caving. Living on in this? Unacceptable. I had to get out. But Emma, Sophia, and Madison were a known factor. What if they were better than hell I might be jumping into.
No matter how bad using your power like she does is, It can’t be worse than this. You owe it to yourself Taylor. Do it. Click the damn button.
My finger only wavered for but a moment longer until it fell and I heard the satisfying depression of the mouse beneath. My message was sent.
Today was the day my life would change. I hope.
God I hope they accept me.
I meandered about ParahumansOnline for a little while longer, looking for information. No one seemed to really have a power like mine in Brockton Bay that I could think of so I wanted to see if I could find anyone who might have something similar elsewhere.
Nothing came up but it was fun reading about all the different capes anyway. Even more fun now that I was one. Sanctify in Memphis was one of my favorites and the only one who even came close to a power like mine, as far as the descriptions went. She created pyres that could burn as long as she was near, and anyone who stepped into them would be cleansed of sickness. Physical wounds didn’t seem to be healed by her but the line of cancer patients to step through her green fires stretched for miles. Or so they said.
My burn was internal, and not nearly as effective. Yet. I knew that I could do more. I was finding new tricks by the week. New ways to burn my pool of... Something. I don’t know. Mana I guess?
Mrs. Anderson walked yesterday; for the first time in twenty years, she walked. I did that. I can be proud of that.
No messages were returned to me in the next hour. To be honest, I hadn’t expected anything very quickly. They weren’t the Wards after all, with the whole PRT backing them and ready to accept phone calls at any time. It was still relatively early in the evening and I had plenty of time to volunteer a bit more at the local clinic. I wasn’t yet brave enough to try my hand at following Panacea. Not without her permission anyway, but that was okay. I wanted to be able to keep up before I began to follow her.
I think today. Today I’ll figure out the trick to cure Mr. Alcott’s diabetes. I just know it! Well. If he’s there anyway.
I stepped out of the library with my bookbag, hoping for good news tomorrow and made for the Clinic.
The evening was warm for the cold month and I found myself strolling rather than walking with any real purpose. My dad would be home late this evening so I had a lot of time on my hands.
Twenty minutes later I stepped into the small hospital. The sun had gone down but the remaining light still lingered in the air, making the grey clouds gleam a dark blue. Dad would probably be angry if he knew I kept coming here every evening but I just couldn’t help it.
It felt so right to try to help.
“Oh Taylor, thank god. Can… oh, You are here to volunteer right?” Stephanie asked me. Her eyes were droopy and she rubbed at them seemingly without even noticing. A cream of some sort was smeared across her hideous pink scrubs.
“Yeah, I have a few hours. Anything I can help with? You… seem swamped. A lot more swamped than a clinic should be.” I mentioned, noticing her fatigue.
“Been at it for hours,” She replied with a sigh. We weren’t really close but she was always happy to have a few extra hands. I didn’t get much alone time with patients but I did get enough to practice a little. Most of my time was spent fetching tools or instruments for the nursing staff, like Stephanie. Two doctors ran this little clinic, but it did have a few constant visitors, and always needed help. Clinic was probably underestimating the complexity of the building, though it might’ve started that way. By now
I’d say it was a mini-hospital. It wasn’t very popular due to its position right between ABB and E88 territory, and its pension for cape clients.
All the better for me though.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Cape fight. Big one, with a lot of civvies involved. We've got two confirmed capes with third degree burns in the back room, and about fifteen Jane and John Does. Not many deaths, thank god, but the regular hospitals were flooded and we’re closer.” She explained hastily. “Come on. Want to scrub up?
Could really use an extra set of hands. I’ve been spreading burn cream on patients for the past hour.”
I blinked, flabbergasted. “I… uhm okay.”
The black-haired woman turned to look past a pair of swinging doors, a sad frown on her face. “The cape, blonde girl probably your age is burnt real bad. They don’t know if she’s gonna make it, especially since they can’t really treat her due to her powers.”
What? Oh no…
The first thought to run through my mind was to feel sorry for the girl. Honestly my next thought was how badly I had to go to the bathroom before the realization struck me. I could save her. I could fucking save this girl. I knew my power could help. I just… knew it.
“Could I… see her?”
She shook her head. “Now that, hon, would get me fired. I trust you, but better safe than sorry. Nothing more we can do ‘cept cold water really anyway. Not until they can get her to a real hospital or Panacea comes.” Stephanie murmured a bit skittishly. Asking to see an injured cape was probably a bit of a warning signal, and I regretted the request immediately.
“Oh I’m sorry! I… should’ve known. I just… I didn’t mean to—!
“I know you didn’t,” she interrupted me with a tired smile. “You’re a damn good kid, Taylor. Wish the world had more people like you.”
I swelled with pride.
“When you’ve got those scrubs on, straight down this hallway to the waiting room and I’ll be along in just a minute, okay?” She said with a wave towards the bathroom while handing
“I won’t be long.” I told her. “And… uhm. Thanks. Stephanie.” My voice turned awkward, and she smiled in her warm way at me. Stephanie was kind like that. A lot of the staff here were. I wondered how long it took for highschoolers to grow into that kindness? No one in mine seemed to have an ounce of it.
“Thank you, Taylor. You’re the one volunteering.”
I beamed, before turning back towards the small restroom and changing as fast as I was able. This was the first time they’d ever actually given me scrubs. Did they want me working directly with patients? Or was I in danger of getting blood on my clothes? I didn’t really know, but Stephanie or any of her counterparts had never offered me scrubs before.
The waiting area was empty when I got there but I could hear people bustling around in the halls beyond closed doors and the pharmacy counter. All of the counters were unmanned by their usual staff and I felt awkward sitting there in blue scrubs with my badge proclaiming me a “Volunteer” pinned to my chest.
After three minutes, I became impatient. If only I were like her then I could just ignore all this and start using my power! If I were known. Like I wanted to be. But I didn’t want to cause trouble, and I wasn’t sure if my abilities were anywhere near Panacea’s league. I felt they might be someday but for now I was too inexperienced. I was so afraid that I’d mess up.
Even so, I had to try to help. I reached into my pool and began the slow burn that I knew would start to ache if I pushed to much. The words came to me as I chose a random closed door down one of the hallways and focused on it, hoping there was someone hurt inside. If not, I would be wasting bits of my precious mana for nothing.
Soul of the distant and the unknown, reveal unto me your secrets… Detect!
I grinned as my chant latched onto a target. The only invisible… uhm… “spell” I’d found so far. There was only one person in the room, a short, dark-skinned, female. Overall Health? Approximately 37%, due to severe burn wounds. Mana? Surprisingly high. Wait, a weakness to lightning? That was weird.
Various other bits of knowledge seemed to creep into my mind about the soul within the room as my detect spell began to teach me about her in a way I don’t think anyone else could comprehend. I could feel her strength with a sort of clarity that let me know the girl was stronger than me. Even at 37% she was strong enough to crush me; fit in a way I had never been. I also received impressions of her mind.
She possessed a strong intellect but was not very wise. How I knew that I had no idea. By sheer coincidence she was almost my age. Overall status: Non-critical, but assistance required.
Well, that was a damn good start. I was afraid to use my abilities to heal instantly, but I had found a different solution. An ability that slowly pushed a person’s health percent back up. It was my favorite when volunteering as it had no immediate effects on how a patient looked, and the sparkle when I cast it was minimal. It wouldn’t heal any sicknesses but damaged skin, bone, or any body part really, began to slowly mend itself back together with this spell. Burn victims were the perfect patients to practice with.
Taking just a moment to be sure I was alone, I began.
Share lives with all things in nature… Regen!
The waves of light echoed around me, glistening in the empty room, and wafting off me in slow green rings of Ǣther.
I watched as the woman’s approximate health began to inch up in the percentages, turning from a symbolic dim yellow to a faded green. I cancelled the burn on my detection. I knew what the results would look like if I left it up. Her soul would slowly turn to that natural green healthy people had. I was happy to find that she suffered no sickness. My Regen It probably wouldn’t even push her past sixty percent but that would definitely ease the pain of her burns over the course of the night.
My mana is at about 93% after that. Damn. Can only use that fifteen or twenty more times. This would be so much easier if I could just openly use Cure. It burns so much less.
I didn’t dare try that again, though. Not without legitimacy. The last time I had, I’d instantly mended a seven year old girl’s broken ankle. An instantaneous 17% increase in health. Her parents had been almost certain the girl had become a parahuman and they’d taken her to the Protectorate. I hadn’t heard what came of that.
Using these different “spells,” and rationing my “Mana” was quickly becoming second nature, and the more I used one the easier that spell became. Some were naturally light drains like cure, while others took more from me. When I’d first started casting them, the detect spell had lopped off an easy ten percent of my mana. Now it barely used one. My powers were growing. Or at least my pool was, and each way I chose to burn it could cause a different effect. Whenever I was sure I’d gotten the right… style down, the chant would come to my mind. I was so sure that I could heal sickness! Maybe if I burned from the left and right at once?
“Oh! Taylor, Stephanie said you’d stopped in. Can you come help me in 217?” Gregory, one of the nursing staff asked, startling me.
“Sure!” I replied, happy to help. I hadn’t really been one for volunteering before my powers but now I think I might have continued to do so, even if I lost them tomorrow. This felt fulfilling in a way. It staved off my rage at the world, curbed my hatred at my tormentors and made me feel like I was really helping. Even if all I was doing on the outside was learning tool names and fetching them for real staff. I knew the value of my worth. I’d saved lives here already, and if I had my way, I’d save a lot more.
God I hope they want me.
Room 217 held a darkskinned man, probably in his middle years who might’ve been attractive in an older sort of way, if not for all the charred flesh. I held a cool washcloth to his wounds as instructed while Gregory did something or another with a tool I didn’t understand. It was a burn. The only thing you could do about those was like… creams right?
Apparently not. It didn’t need to be explained to me, though, and I couldn’t fault him for not wasting the time. Instead, he told me what I should do.
“Just gently dab it on his skin where the burns look bad but leave the wounds alone. Do NOT rub it.” He told me kindly as he handed me a simple water-soaked wash cloth. “They’ll probably have you doing this for as long as you’re willing to stay, and your effort will be irrelevant as soon as Panacea fixes them. Still, she can only do so much, and we have to help where we can.”
Panacea! Is coming here?! Omigoshomigoshomigo—!
I gave myself the equivalent of a mental slap. I wasn’t some fangirl! I wanted to be her equal! Even so, the thought didn’t help much. Ever since discovering I was a healer, one of the very few people I’d looked up to was Panacea. She heals people almost every day of her life. If her power is anything like mine she must be exhausted. Finding out just how much she volunteered made the few piddly hours after school that I came here seem pathetic. But I just couldn’t keep going once my mana ran out, no matter how hard I tried.
Since my power had so little offensive capability, I had abandoned the idea of becoming a regular hero.
Instead, I wanted the respect that Panacea got. I wanted the recognition. I wanted to help people, and my power allowed that. Being a Ward though… that wouldn’t help me at Winslow. I suppose they might’ve transferred me out… but that felt too much like running. Too much even for an ugly girl like me.
To my shame, I wanted that respect maybe even more than I wanted to help people. No one disrespected Panacea! People didn’t pour grape juice over her. No one shoved THE healer into a locker full of…
I turned my thoughts away from that path. Nothing but darkness there. Instead, I focused on trying to make myself into the type of person who could heal endlessly. Who wanted to heal endlessly.
I hoped I lived up to her.
“Ahhh!” the patient screamed as I realized that my rag had rubbed his skin.
“Sorry!” I mewled, but it didn’t matter. He was delirious anyway, barely aware. I burned my detection again, smiling a little to myself that I was finally able to do it without the stupid chant that came to mind. Each new way I decided to burn my mana led to a different chant, and as I grew better at the spell, I could cast it without. I was only good enough to pull that off with Detect, Cure, and Regen though. The other two I’d found still required the chant.
Health at 56%. Life signs are strong, pain minimal compared to previous patient. No need for me with this one. He would have to bear it. None of these people would escape their burn wounds without Panacea. My ability healed, but not in a way that prevented scarring. I hoped he would forgive me for only using the washcloth.
Soon they had me on rotation between six different patients, cooling their horribly burned bodies with water and wash clothes as best I was able. None of them were awake to really thank me. I think the nursing staff was afraid to put me with patients who were awake and screaming.
I’m kind of afraid of seeing it.
One hour became two, but Panacea never showed.
Eight more Regen spells before I spotted her through an open doorway in one of my transitions between rooms. Sure as the sky was blue, lay a burned and barely recognizable form. A member of the very family I’d just sent my message to.
Oh god, Glory Girl! But how? I thought she was invincible!
Distance and walls didn’t matter to me, not with the detection spell, and I cast it almost without thinking.
T-Twelve?! Twelve percent! And fading! O-oh god. I have to stop it!
This changed everything. I didn’t care about being spotted anymore. My reserves were at roughly fifty percent now, and I lashed out, setting Glory Girl as my target for the easiest spell in my repertoire. If she died… if she died and they knew that I’d been here. That I could’ve stopped this and chose not to just to hide my identity, there would be no chance of me ever joining New Wave.
That said, it paid to be as cautious as possible. I glanced down the hallways. Only Dr. Pitt leaving the room Glory Girl was in and walking away from me. No one else was visible. The door closed, hiding the cape from my vision but not from the effects of the detect spell. I would fix her.
I let the green waves of light flow off my skin like soothing novas as I directed my spell, burning the maximum mana that I could to get the most effectiveness out of it.
Life’s refreshing breeze, blow in energy! Cure!
Each spell usually came with some sort of sparkle or effect, and some were shinier than others, though all of them except detect so far caused the green nova’s to surround me. Cure, for example caused a burst of white light from the heart of my target. It was so strange, not like most other parahuman abilities at all. It seemed to laugh in the face of the fabled Manton effect. My abilities could only affect people. Some of them, the tricks that hadn’t quite worked when I’d tried to heal sicknesses, seemed to start directly within the human body, and that contradicted the Manton Effect. Right?
I might have understood the effect incorrectly when I’d read about it.
My detect spell informed me of a 26% increase in health, leaving her at 38%. Her wounds would look miraculously better when the doctor came in but there was nothing for it. I cast the spell again, this time receiving a 29% boost, and followed it up with a Regen spell that I allowed to burn.
I winced inwardly as the spells drained me swiftly but I didn’t care. I’d done the right thing, and I don’t think anyone had seen me at it. No one was screaming or worrying anyway.
Goddamn lightshows. This would be so much easier if my power didn’t come with neon fucking lights every time I use it!
When the soul behind the door reached 70% I cut off my detection spell and turned away, getting as far from the cape as I could. I didn’t want to be implicated. Besides it was getting late and I couldn’t stay here much longer. Dad would be home soon and he’d want me home to have dinner together.
It took a few moments to find Stephanie, and let her know I was leaving, especially since every second I spent finding her was more time that no one was dabbing the victims in cool water. Still, my regen spells were good. By the time they woke, most of them, their pain would be minimal. I’d done mostly all that I could.
“Oh, you’re leaving?” She asked when I finally caught up with her in one of the supply rooms in the back.
“Yeah… I really need to go. My dad’ll be getting worried if I don’t get home pretty soon.”
Stephanie shrugged, and followed it with a sigh. “He’s probably right to be, considering all this. Fucking Lung. Fucking ABB.” She hissed angrily, but seemed to catch herself before she could devolve into the true tirade she seemed to want. “You be careful Taylor. It’s not safe this time of night.”
“You too.” I murmured as I headed back to the bathroom to remove the now filthy scrubs I’d been given.
“I’ll just leave these on the—!” I began before she pulled a basket out from behind the counter and set it on the floor. “Oh. Well I’ll just leave ‘em in there then.” I said feeling a little stupid.
“Have a good night, Taylor. And I better not see you tomorrow night. Its Friday. Go hang out with some friends, okay?”
I put on a fake smile, hiding my disappointment. “Okay, I will.”
With that, the woman left, walking back to one of the many victims of the latest cape battle.
Jeez, what a day. I thought. As I walked out I cast a detection spell on that first room and found that the dark-skinned victim inside had become a much more healthy 68%. I felt like I’d done well.
When I stepped out of the building and checked my time, I grinned a little. I was tired and sore from my extensive use of mana but I’d had worse nights, and I was getting used to the pain. Like the burn after a good workout. A good night’s rest seemed to completely replenish it, and every day it grew easier.
Three and a half minutes until dad’s supposed to get back. Plenty of time.
I stepped into a darkened alley outside the clinic’s gate before I began yet another chant.
Layer upon layer, make your mark now… Haste!
I moved like the wind.
END CHAPTER
A/N: I am a horrible horrible liar. But the goddamn Idea wouldn't go awaaaaay! Errybuddy else had they own Taylor with differnt powrs n shizz N I wanted ta do it tooo! (I whine like a child.) Don't worry. Copacetic still pretty well on track. For tomorrow/saturday/somewhere in between because once again I am a horrible author. This is backburner, and will not be updated with anything near the stellar regularity of my other story. This one is just where I find comfort when Copacetic is giving me the cold shoulder.
I am SO SORRY. The ideas in my brain made me do it.
I am SO SORRY. The ideas in my brain made me do it.
Edit: Aaaand of course the formatting is awful. Correcting.
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