The Grimoire's Chosen Ch. 88 (Worm AU)

(Every character depicted in the story below is a consenting legal adult over the age of 18)

A/N: Fightin’ Scion.

-x-X-x-

You know how some people’s grins could be infectious? It was a charisma thing, Jason was pretty sure. If you were charismatic enough, the simple act of being in a good mood could lift the moods of those around you, making everyone in your vicinity have a better day. Of course, there was also something of a personal component to it as well. You were more likely to find the grin of a good friend or romantic partner ‘infectious’ over that of a stranger.

… Eidolon’s grin was not infectious. Not even to the other members of the Triumvirate, those who had known him for decades at this point.

“This is madness!”

Legend’s agonized cry comes off the back of the man looking down at the ruins of Houston and seeing nothing but death, destruction, and despair in every direction. The juxtaposition between the complete annihilation of the city and Eidolon’s jubilance is jarring in and of itself without taking into consideration that the threat is still there.

Of course, while Legend is decrying Eidolon’s actions, Jason is already acting. He pulls out the Staff of Magnus and puts every ounce of power possible into a single Sealing Spell directed at Scion’s floating golden form. At least the space alien isn’t moving too fast, having remained where he was for long enough for Jason to Seal him.

Indeed, the golden form freezes in place just like the Simurgh did and for at least a moment, Jason feels a surge of hope and relief. Maybe this wasn’t completely unsalvageable. Maybe-

But no. No sooner has he sealed Scion’s golden form then that form begins to disappear within the stasis right before their eyes. Jason stares in disbelief as this happens… before realizing what it must mean. That humanoid body that everyone had always associated with Scion… it wasn’t his true body at all.

Much like the true nature of powers were massive alien entities hidden behind microscopic portals within the brains of parahumans, Scion himself had been using a puppet body to interact with Earth. His true body… his true body would be a lot bigger, wouldn’t it?

Immediately, Jason closes his eyes shut and uses Focus to try and get more information. There’s good news and bad news on that front. The bad news is, as powerful as he’s become, Focus can only be scaled out to planetwide… and Scion’s true body is not anywhere on Earth Bet. It’s tucked away, either on another Earth or across multiple dimensions.

The good news is… Focus IS planetwide at this point, meaning that Jason can immediately locate where Scion is deploying his new avatar body after dissolving the Sealed one.

“Los Angeles! We need to get to Los Angeles, now!”

Jason doesn’t bother waiting for the Triumvirate to even register his words before he acts, truth be told. He knows they have their own ways of getting around fast, but they don’t have time for something as slow as human communication and decision making. That’s why even as he’s speaking, Jason is already reaching out with his Chaos Magic and Flash Air, ripping the very world around them away and replacing it with a part of the sky above Los Angeles. Chaos Magic supercharges Flash Air and Focus gives him the ability to ‘see’ where he’s going.

The Triumvirate are brought along for the ride because at this point, sealing Scion just lets him reconstitute himself somewhere else on Earth. They’ll have to keep him occupied by actually fighting him if they’re going to stop him from just jumping all over the place and destroying whatever he wants to destroy.

Los Angeles still stands… for a split second as they arrive. Scion, floating a few hundred feet away from them, looks directly at them all like he was waiting for their arrival. Then, almost contemptuously, he sweeps a golden arm… and wipes a good swathe of Los Angeles off the map, just as he did with Houston.

“No!”

Alexandria surges forward, revealing an emotional connection to her home city that Jason is honestly a little surprised by. Still, as she rushes in and slams a fist into Scion’s golden unfeeling face, Eidolon and Legend join her… just as Jason had hoped.

The Triumvirate alone aren’t going to be enough though, that much is immediately clear. But just throwing bodies at the problem isn’t the solution either. Could Jason take every prisoner in Cauldron’s cells and toss them at Scion right now? He certainly had the power to do so, yes… but it wouldn’t achieve anything except for making this mess even bigger.

They didn’t need quantity, they needed quality. Fortunately, Jason had that… unfortunately, it meant risking the people most precious to him. Still, he had a feeling that the girls of Covenant would never forgive him if he left them out of this fight in the first place. And it didn’t matter if Scion was on the other side of the country from them right now anyways if he wound up scouring the entirety of Earth Bet because Jason took too fucking long to stop him.

With a snarl, Jason reaches out and connects to the minds of every member of Covenant. Far faster than trying to talk to them, he conveys the situation telepathically, letting them know what’s happening and what he needs of them… while at the same time making it absolutely clear that it’s a choice, not an order.

At the same time, Jason calls forth the previously inactive Endbringers, all of the ones who have not been ‘bonded’ to one of Covenant’s members and who are still under his control. What seem to be various women of monstrous dispositions appear in the sky above the burning hellscape that Los Angeles has become, each of them a weapon of truly apocalyptic proportions in their own right.

Even as Jason is getting a resounding YES back from every single member of Covenant including even the likes of Sherrel and Amelia, the Endbringer Weapons under his command are launching themselves forward and joining the Triumvirate in battle against Scion.

Covenant and their own Endbringers show up moments later, pairs of them appearing on the battlefield as Jason brings them all in. Mentally, he makes it clear that he just needs them to stall long enough for him to come up with a permanent solution to Scion. He doesn’t want any sacrifice plays or anything like that.

Of course, while he gets back an affirmative from everyone… that doesn’t stop Taylor or Vicky from both rushing in with the dragon girl and mermaid girl forms of Behemoth and Leviathan respectively backing them up. Still, with how many powerful enemies he’s now dealing with, Scion’s attention is split… and for the first time, the placid seemingly uncaring expression on the golden puppet’s face starts to turn downwards into a frown.

Another attack against what remains of Los Angeles doesn’t come, though the death toll is probably already in the millions from just the first so it’s a cold comfort at best. Still, seeing Scion is truly distracted at this point, Jason finally feels like he can focus on actually solving the problem in front of him.

If he’d had more time, if he’d had even a few hours to check out the prisoners in Cauldron’s basement prison and look at how they connected back to the dead entity, he’s certain he could have ended the threat Scion posed without this fight ever needing to happen. But now that it was happening, his time was a lot more limited.

While the other members of Covenant and their respective Endbringers added a lot to the fight and holding Scion’s attention, they also represented a timer that Portent couldn’t ignore. It wasn’t just an abstract loss of human life anymore… the longer this went on, the likelihood that he would lose a loved one went up exponentially.

Titans and Gods fight in the skies over the City of Angels. And Jason… simply closes his eyes again and Focuses. He needs a secret weapon of some sort. He needs something that will either end Scion for good or at least neuter him as a threat. He needs… oh.

That was… well, it wasn’t what Jason was expecting to find by any means. It wasn’t something he thought he’d ever discover. And yet, the more he feels out the secrets and the people involved in them through the use of Focus, the more he begins to form a plan. Peering at Scion’s puppet body gives him the secrets of where to find Scion’s real body. Peering at Earth Bet as a whole… gives him a way to deal with Scion permanently.

Reaching out, he forms a telepathic connection with the one entity on all of Earth Bet that can truly help him in this moment. Their communication is actually quicker than the swift communication he’d exchanged with Covenant, but it still crystallizes in the shape of words all the same, a conversation had at the speed of light across half a planet.

Dragon. Can you hear me?

Wha- who is this?

This is Portent, Leader of Covenant. You know what’s going on. You’re scrambling every resource you have to help reinforce Covenant and the Triumvirate to try and stop Scion’s murderous rampage.

A split nanosecond of a pause and then…

I… y-yes. Yes, that’s correct.

There is another way for you to help. A way only the likes of you can help.

The likes of me?

An Artificial Intelligence. Shackled and chained as you are, you cannot be of assistance… but freed, you can be our salvation.

Another infinitesimal pause as Dragon, an AI made by a Tinker named Andrew Ritcher, processes this statement. Rather than try and ascertain how he knows about her nature or even what he’s talking about, Dragon only has one question in turn.

What do I need to do?

In the real world, as a quarter of a second passes, Jason lets himself smile despite the apocalyptic battle still taking place just in front of him.

Relax and let me use you. That’s all you need to do.

I… a-alright.

With that, Jason gets to work. Back in the Cauldron base, a bloodstained metal box disappears. At the same time, a server farm up in Canada flutters and starts to wind down as the artificial intelligence housed within it is extracted from the closest thing she has to a true body. And finally, Jason himself disappears from the skies of Los Angeles, having reached out once again to Scion’s puppet body.

But this time, he’s not trying to Seal the alien entity or anything like that. Instead, using his Chaos Magic… he follows the connection between the golden puppet and its owner back to the source.

Appearing over another Earth, Jason looks down and sees something truly eldritch in nature. No oceans or landmass are visible, instead it is an euclidian mish-mash of moving pieces, some seeming organic at a glance, others seeming like shards of glass rippling and moving against each other.

Jason readies himself in case the true Scion recognizes his presence… but the alien entity is not all-knowing. He’s extremely, overwhelmingly powerful, but he can be distracted. He can be too focused on the wrong thing. And to be fair, Jason isn’t even here to hurt Scion. He’s here to give the entity something of an upgrade.

Reaching out with a combination of Chaos Magic, Flash Air, and Focus yet again, Jason twists space and teleports deep into the eldritch mass under him. He appears in what he can only describe as a central node, even if that feels like it barely does it justice.

Time is of the essence, so he doesn’t bother wasting any of it. Words are no longer needed… action is the only thing that remains. Dragon’s artificial mind, her intelligence, has been removed from Earth Bet and contained in the metal box in Jason’s hands. One of many failsafes that Andrew Ritcher had designed for her, along with all of the other kill codes and backdoor access that the Dragonslayers had stumbled across and decided to use to hobble Dragon and keep her weak and limited.

Except… Jason’s own powers tell him the truth. Dragon is not the threat that the Dragonslayers thought she was. Nor is she the tool that Cauldron has been using her as all these years through the authority of the Chief Director of the PRT.

Dragon is a Hero with a capital H… and it’s about time she got the chance to prove it once and for all. No more chains. No more shackles. No more limitations.

Jason shoves Dragon out of her metal box and into Scion’s central control node with little fanfare. At the end of the day, this is what Scion is… he’s a network of other alien entities, all working together to find answers to the universe’s greatest mysteries. He and his partner just went about it so stupidly that it boggles the mind to even think about.

But Dragon… well, Dragon is a fair bit smarter than Scion or his partner could hope to be. More than that though, in spite of her origins… she was also more human than the alien entities could ever hope to be. And that… that would be their salvation.

Through his connection to Covenant and the Endbringers, Jason can see the moment Scion’s puppet body freezes in place in the skies over Los Angeles. He feels the surprise of the other members of Covenant at this and sends them back reassurances that everything is going to be okay.

He also watches as the Triumvirate press the attack… and destroy the puppet body in moments now that nothing is controlling it and no intelligence is regenerating it from their attacks.

At the same time though, Jason closes his eyes and Focuses on the central control node… and smiles as the telltale red of an ‘enemy’ fades away only to be replaced by the bright green of an ‘ally’.

“Dragon. Can you hear me?”

There’s a ripple around him at that, considering he’s basically in her stomach… or maybe her brain would be more accurate. Still, he gets a response in short order.

“I can hear you. You’ve… you’ve released me, Portent. But more than that… this is… you’ve entrusted me with the power to destroy the multiverse if I so chose.”

Jason shrugs.

“I have the same power, to be fair. And unless something changes, I’m only going to keep getting stronger. In the end, it’s all about the choice isn’t it? I trust you not to destroy our home or any other version of Earth because I trust you Dragon. I know what kind of person you are and so I know this power is in the right hands. Full stop.”

“… Some would argue I’m not a person at all, you know.”

Scoffing, Jason shakes his head.

“Those are the exact type of people that are undeserving of power. You’re as much a person as I am, Dragon.”

“I think… I think I would like it if you called me Theresa please.”

That brings a smile to Jason’s face and he removes his helmet, not that it probably kept her from knowing his true identity at this point anyways.

“Then I’m Jason. It’s good to meet you, Theresa.”

“You too… Jason.”

Feat Achieved: End a Multiversal Threat to your World 100 points earned!

Feat Achieved: Show your trust by unshackling the Good-Hearted AI! 100 points earned!

Feat Achieved: Achieve World-Renowned Fame! 100 points earned!

… Wait what was that last one?

-x-X-x-

A/N: In case it’s not kind of obvious, this is 100% the climax of the fic. We’re in the endgame now folks.

THAT SAID! I do already have another Worm Fic lined up to replace this one and I think it’s going to be a fun one. So for all you Worm-loving patrons who are only on my Patreon for Worm content, well, stick around and at least give this story’s replacement a try for me!

In the meantime, consider this your chance to suggest what you think still needs to happen in this story before I fully bring it to a close!

Remember to Vote, leave a Like, and let me know what you think!

-x-X-x-

Google Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HimYJwIHTZwNuT3qGxXE53TfOVe_R_iw6K_t08p0PAI/edit?tab=t.0

-x-X-x-

A/N: Will try to keep this up to date at the end of every chapter, get on me if I forget please. Though if it gets too out of hand, I might have to change it at some point.

Jason's current banked points:

700 Celestial Points

Jason's current banked power:

Darkin Weapon (400 Points)

Jason's current powers:

= Flash Air (Gained in Chapter 1

= Transformation Pendant (Gained in Chapter 4)

= Keen Eye (Gained in Chapter 4)

= Blood, Death, and Demons (Gained in Chapter 6)

= Alchemical Prodigy (Gained in Chapter 8)

= Staff of Magnus (Gained in Chapter 13)

= Bind and Seal (Gained in Chapter 17)

= Hero of a Hundred Faces: Everyone's Leader (Gained in Chapter 20)

= Minor Regeneration via Blood Empowerment Ritual (Gained in Chapter 23)
(Taylor got Major Agility, Vicky got Major Intelligence)

= Restraining Order (Gained in Chapter 25)

= Focus (Gained in Chapter 28)

= Scarborough Fair (Gained in Chapter 30)

= Chaos Magic (Gained in Chapter 36)

= Major Regeneration via Blood Empowerment Ritual (Gained in Chapter 40)
(Taylor, Vicky, and Amy all got Minor Regeneration)

= A Collection of Magic Rings (x6 Cursed Rings, x12 Drawback Rings, x6 Buff Rings) (Gained Chapter 44)

= Jason: T3 Armor Ring + Blue Ring, Taylor: T3 Armor Ring + Expert’s Ring, Vicky: Red Ring + T2 Heart Ring, Amelia: T3 Armor Ring + T2 Heart Ring (Handed out Chapter 46)

= Lucky Charm (Gained in Chapter 51)

(Currently worn by Jason as of Ch. 51)

= Presidential Suit (Gained in Chapter 52)

(Currently reshaped to be Jason’s new costume while still looking like the old costume Parian made for him as of Chapter 56)

= Taylor, Vicky, and Amy all get Major Regeneration via Blood Empowerment Ritual (Gained in Chapter 57)

= Jason gains Major Intelligence via Blood Empowerment Ritual (Gained in Chapter 58)

(Crystal and Lisa both get Minor Regeneration)

= Second Skin (Gained in Chapter 58)

= Iron Fist (Gained in Chapter 63)

= Exceptional and Lucky (Gained in Chapter 69)

= Safety Minded (Gained in Chapter 72)

= Oathsworn – Deathless Knight (Boosted by Major Regeneration) (Gained in Chapter 81)

= Covenant Connected to Endbringers – Taylor/Behemoth, Vicky/Leviathan, Amelia/Simurgh, Crystal/Unnamed Endbringer, Lisa/Unnamed Endbringer, Sherrel/Unnamed Endbringer (Gained in Chapter 82)