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Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning:

Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Category:

Gen

Fandom:

Parahumans Series - Wildbow

Relationship:

Alexander/City Building

Characters:

Rebecca Costa-Brown | AlexandriaDragon (Parahumans)Director James TaggEmily PiggotColin Wallis | Armsmaster | DefiantBastion (Parahumans)

Additional Tags:

Self-InsertCYOAEndbringerA man finds his hobbyThe rest of the world is terrifiedCausing major wars by accidentTeehee~Misunderstandings

Language:

English

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Published:2025-02-16Updated:2026-02-21Words:227,115Chapters:82/?Comments:555Kudos:1,452Bookmarks:363Hits:86,362

(End)Bringing You A New Home! (Endbringer SI)

10moorem

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: The Bubbling Pot

Summary:

Cauldron.

…That should tell you everything you need to know

Chapter Text

Chapter 43: The Bubbling Pot

-Doctor Mother POV -

"Well," Kurt drawls, "That's not ideal." It was the fourth time he had said that.

The members of Cauldron sat at their meeting table, brows furrowed and eyes tired from not nearly enough sleep. It had been like this for the past hour, watching with mute -tired- horror as the live feed showed the progress of the Endbringer's construction.

Doctor Mother looked across the room, desperately wishing for another coffee. Unfortunately they had run out, and Contessa apparently thought using the Path to Victory to get better coffee was beneath her.

Standing just next to her was said woman, where the rest were restless and worried she remained a figure of stability and quiet resolve. Whether because of the path or her own determination, Contessa had simply accepted the new Endbringer's presence and adjusted her plans accordingly. She had briefly stepped out a few hours ago, before returning, to reboot Dragon and ensure they could recover what assets were still viable.

To her right was David. The man had always seemed like less of a hero, and more of an office worker playing pretend and it never seemed more apparent than now. Nothing about his appearance, balding with a slight pudge, gave off the impression of a noble saviour. His usual appearance would be preferable to how he looked now, gaunt and lifeless.

Upon arriving he had collapsed into his chair and not moved an inch in the hours since. His costume seemed to sag around him, giving his figure an almost skeletal quality. The only sign of life present was his eyes, still tracking the Endbringer on the screen – occasionally mustering up enough will to glare hatefully.

To her left was Kurt, the man trying to keep up an image of being unruffled – but utterly failing - as his eyes constantly darted from the screen to his computer. She could almost hear the gears in his head whirring as he calculated the fallout of the current situation, given his expression the answer was likely: not good.

The custodian was also here, the phantom presence only made clear through paper thin touches. Her attendance was sporadic however, as she was constantly moving back and forth the entire base – checking and rechecking.

Then there was herself. Doctor Mother, the only 'normal' human present. For her part she was feeling a building pain between her eyes that could be: stress, lack of sleep, an aneurysm or all three. The appearance of an Endbringer right after a long day of work was pushing on the limits of her endurance. If she didn't know better, she would have assumed the Endbringer had chosen that exact time in order to fuck with her.

None of them were taking the fact that this operation had gone so poorly well. Doctor Mother had personally approved of Alexandria's idea, seeing it as a chance to get a powerful new group under their thumb.

Now they were, once again, suffering the frustration of having their plans upended by an Endbringer. You'd think by now she would have gotten used to it, but she never did.

On the outside she remained calm, collected. Part of being a leader was projecting an image of such even when you were anything but. Thankfully there was one less person in the room who could see through her masks than there usually was.

She eyed Alexandria's empty seat.

It truly was a pity. Alexandria was an excellent asset. Intelligent, dependable and determined to save humanity. Her death was a true loss, just as Hero's was. The only thing they could do now was to mitigate as much of the damage as possible.

"Indeed," she says – finally replying to Kurt's quip. The man himself not paying attention, appearing aghast at something on his screen.

"You've all seen the footage. You've all seen the transcripts. We've now witnessed the aftermath of this battle. Now is the time to determine what comes next," she says – her eyes once more shifting across the room and settling on David, the one who would be the most trouble.

Sure enough, for the first time since this meeting began, Eidolon shifts in his seat. His back straightens and his hands curl into fists as he speaks. "What we should do next is strike while we still can! That monster is still present! If we hurry we can stop it from building any more monstrosities!"

"That would be unwise," Kurt says, finally looking up. "You should already know the Endbringer has ensured countermeasures in place. We should-"

"BULLSHIT!" Eidolon roars, his fists cracking the wooden table.

"I know we have weapons capable of clearing out such places! The only reason we never used them on Nilbog was because he might be useful! Isn't this one of the reasons why the Armoury was created? Shouldn't we use it?!"

None were so undisciplined to glance towards each other worriedly at Eidolon's attitude, nor at his suggestion - but the tension was palpable.

The Armoury. Shortly after the formation of the PRT, Cauldron had discovered a particular parahuman and had…acquired his services. The man, Jason Wilhurst, had an ability to hold things in stasis within a one hundred meter radius, should he choose to use it.

He didn't have much of a choice these days. The Slug, plus a few choice Master powers, had made sure of that. His only purpose now was to keep his power running at all times in a storage base a few Earth's away.

There they preserved samples of Tinkertech they believed were too dangerous, or too valuable, to be allowed in the PRT's hands. The most famous example being String Theory's Mooncracker Cannon, officially destroyed in the raid which captured the Tinker – but in actuality squirrelled away for a day it might be needed.

To say that the Armoury was brimming with weaponry capable of destroying cities would be a gross understatement, most of the equipment within only scaled up from there. It was true that if they opened it up they would have a plethora of ways to destroy Hyderabad, however…

"Those weapons are only supposed to be used in the final battle, you know this David." Her refusal causing Eidolon's ire to be directed her way.

"Besides, the use of this Endbringer still remains too high to risk destroying it."

Eidolon looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. His mouth opened and closed in bafflement, he looked around the room – searching for some kind of support but finding none.

"This…This is insane! Do you not realise what that thing has done! It killed Rebecca!" Eidolon shouted, gesturing wildly at the projected stream - now showing another worrying tree shooting up from the earth.

She simply glanced cooly at him, before turning back to arrange the papers sitting in front of her. "Yes, I know. It's a tragedy, but what's done is done. Using valuable resources simply to spite this creature will get us nothing."

Clearly, in spite of her eminently sensible reasoning, Eidolon wasn't satisfied with her words. She sighed, sometimes her work felt less like managing an interdimensional secret society and more like herding dumb kittens.

"Our path remains the same, David. When Alexandria screamed for the bloody murder of Manton, didn't you help convince her to see things our way? Yes, one of us is dead, but we are all replaceable. We must be. If I died a gruesome death tomorrow at the hands of someone useful, I would expect you to only care about my death for what it could give you – and nothing else."

Eidolon still looked defiant, he was still itching for the first opportunity to fight the newest Endbringer. She exhaled in exasperation, the hardest part regarding this job was undoubtedly trying to understand others. Didn't he see he was being unreasonable?

"Regardless, This is the path we shall be taking." With those words she slid copies of a certain document to each of the members of Cauldron, with the exception of Contessa – who know doubt already knew what was in it.

Each member reached to take their copy, even Eidolon reluctantly snatched it up and began to sullenly read. That sullenness quickly reverted back to anger as he continued to read however.

"What the actual fuck is this?"

"It's one of the potential strategies the joint UN and associated countries has come up in regards to the new Endbringer. This is the one Contessa, Kurt and I have decided is the best one to use going forwards."

The words made David's hands crease the paper with how hard he was gripping it. "But this is an absolute joke! 'Observe the Endbringer from a safe distance', 'Upon the Endbringer's departure quarantine the city and send specialised squads to investigate the effected area?' You may as well gift-wrap the cities to that thing, and since when the hell does the UN get to set precedent regarding Endbringer strategies?!"

Kurt glanced sardonically at her, rolling his eyes before once more focusing on his computer.

"It's almost like they don't trust us, after that extrajudicial romp you and Alexandria went on. I wonder why?" Kurt's mocking words only gained him a withering glare.

"As Kurt said, the PRT has lost much reputation and trust with the international community. As for the rest…"

At those words the projector lit up, showing a brilliant bridge slowly being built in place by invisible hands. The soft blue glow of the Bridge's lights adding sharp contrast to the dingy surroundings.

"There is a marked difference between before you attacked the Endbringer and after. This can also be seen in the last two countries as well."

The screen once more changed, showing aerial footage of both New Fukuoka and New Jinzhou.

"In Japan, the Endbringer's work went unnoticed and nobody attempted to stop it. This resulted in the technological marvel that is New Fukuoka. Meanwhile, in China, it is likely that the Endbringer faced resistance from members of the C.U.I.'s military – but not from it's prisoners. Thus a city was built which favours those that capitulated to the Endbringer, but greatly unbalanced China itself."

The footage changed back to the live video recording of Hyderabad, this time focusing on the thick walls being built at the boundaries of the city. Each undulation of the slime-like creature adding to the mass of the gargantuan construction.

"Then we have Hyderabad. For all intents and purposes the creature did not begin the construction of the city using Bio-Tinkered creations, it instead used atomic energy that created very little waste radiation as a byproduct. According to Armsmaster's sensors, it was barely higher than background radiation despite clearly being nuclear technology. Then it was attacked."

Eidolon crossed his arms, refusing to admit fault. She couldn't blame him. Once it became known that the creature was an Endbringer, attacking was the logical choice.

"In response the Endbringer killed the vast majority of the forces that were sent against it and ensured we would be unable to retake Hyderabad."

Doctor Mother leaned forwards.

"But notably the creation of this city has done nothing to effect the surrounding area, in fact it seems to be working to prevent such a scenario from occurring. The walls are clearly designed to keep the creatures it created within, and the filters it is in the midst of building seem to be completely cleaning the water downstream more effectively than anything India had previously used. This has only negatively affected the PRT, not India."

Eidolon scoffed. "You can't seriously mean that it has a sense of mercy?"

She shook her head at that. As nice as it would be to have an Endbringer aligned with humanity, that was clearly impossible.

"No, I'm saying it has an understanding of proportional response."

If what she had said before was shocking, this was akin to a bomb going off for David. Even Kurt seemed to have difficulty believing what he was hearing, despite likely having come to the same conclusion.

The idea that the Endbringers had been getting smarter and more human wasn't unknown to her. It was a theory that occasionally cropped up, but never in serious academic discourse. It was something you'd be more likely to find on old forums or conspiracy boards.

Yet, the proof was right in front of them. An Endbringer that could talk, one that could understand complex social constructs and even act irrationally – assuming the redacted report from Dragon could be trusted.

"Surely you're not saying this was my fault," Eidolon asked, aghast at the possibility.

Doctor Mother considered the question. Yes, by all accounts, he and Alexandria were the ones to first initiate conflict. Yes, those actions had lead to the deaths of hundreds. However, in any other circumstance, it would have been the correct option. The discovery of a new Endbringer should have called for immediate and overwhelming action.

Besides, even if he had made the wrong call, telling him it was all his fault clearly wasn't what he needed to hear right now. If even she could tell he needed reassurance, then it was desperately required.

"No. ultimately it was still the Endbringer's choice to murder hundreds of heroes, and it was our choice to approve your mission to Hyderabad. It was just a set of unfortunate circumstances Eidolon."

The words didn't seem to quell his anxiousness, and Doctor Mother could only bemoan the fact that Alexandria was dead. With her gone, and with Legend not being read in on their deepest secrets, Eidolon was set to become a lot more unstable.

She would have attempted to once more reason with Eidolon, but she was cut off by a cough from Kurt. Perhaps it was better this way, Doctor Mother mused, she had never been the best when it came to managing other's emotions. Too messy. Too illogical.

"Speaking of the Endbringer, what are we going to call it?" The question was unexpected, but after a second Eidolon waved his hand dismissively.

"What does it matter what we call that monster?"

"Names have power. Names can shape perception. It just depends what sort of perception we want the world to have, regarding this new threat."

Kurt steepled his fingers in front of him, eyeing the strategy briefing.

"To my understanding we will want others to stay away from the cities that it builds? In order to have the time to quarantine and study them with a fine comb?" The man wearing glasses asks her.

Doctor Mother nods her head. "That is correct. One of the main causes of our troubles over this last month has been because of people desiring these cities, to the point that they are willing to wage war over them. If possible we should emphasise the possibility that the cities are a trap."

Kurt smiled at that. "There are already a few names being tossed around, and some have unfortunately already been adopted by several countries. India seems to be calling it Kali, named after the Goddess of Time, Death and Destruction. The deity in question is also part of a group of goddesses that bestow knowledge upon mankind, which the Fallen have been using to spread their Endbringer worship."

Doctor Mother's lips curled at that. Even as a woman who had done many distasteful things, she still found it hard to believe anyone would willingly worship beings that were actively trying to cause the apocalypse.

"Those in Jinzhou are still referring to the Endbringer as Yà Lì Shān Dà. Thankfully the name isn't spreading that far beyond the city, it's not exactly a name that catches one's eye."

Then Kurt turned his computer around, bathing them in the cold light of the screen. Upon it was a painting of a beautiful young woman, the figure was quite comely – with raven black hair and a smile that seemed to hold a hidden joke. Upon her back were pitch black wings that spread out from her and took up the majority of the painting. Finally, in her hands, was a seemingly innocuous golden apple.

"Eris, goddess of strife and discord. A figure that is most well known for handing out poisonous gifts that other goddesses fought over. I believe this would be the best name to give our 'new friend', given our plans."

There were no objections to the name, Eidolon even seemed viciously pleased with the name. The meeting dragged on for a little longer, but eventually all points had been brought up and discussed to the fullest extent.

Once the meeting ended the members of Cauldron began trickling out. Eidolon stormed out, as melodramatic as always. Contessa called for a door, smartened herself up and stepped through. No doubt completing another part of one of her many paths. Kurt lingered for a little longer, clicking the keys on his computer and attempting to smoothen out the recent economic backlash that had happened as a result of the newest Endbringer's reveal.

Finally, when it was just her, she left through a door herself – and emerged in a darkened, icy, room. The base she had just entered was lined with specimen tanks, each being full of an amniotic green liquid. Some were vacant, many were not.

Eventually she found herself staring at the one occupied by Alexandria, her body attached to many life support systems – at least those that could help with a body like Alexandria's.

She raised her hand to wipe away the condensation that had gathered on the pod, revealing the face within. Without the makeup, without the careful acting and the long carried stress of her duties, Alexandria looked painfully young.

Doctor Mother's eyes drifted to Alexandria's scar, her missing eye – a wound partly caused by her own negligence when it came to managing Manton. She wondered if she should say something. Some grand eulogy, a promise that she wouldn't be forgotten.

She did not. Doctor Mother wasn't the type of person to do that, and no doubt she would be grieved by the friends she had made in life.

She turned around, unsurprised to see the man sitting on the bench behind her. She had grown used to Contessa anticipating what she would need.

The man was tall, almost rakish. What small bits of skin she could see that weren't covered by his purple velvet costume were a pale milky white. His skin was smooth and hairless, and his eyes were a pure dark pink.

She smiled, Pretender looked away – unnerved by the woman in front of him.

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me Pretender," she said – as if he had had any choice in the matter. "I believe we have a proposition you would be greatly interested in."

AN: Fun news: at the time of writing this I had sprained my ankle trying to squash a mosquito. I can assure you that this has only made my hatred of them burn ever fiercer.

So, the strategy against Alexander has been revealed. Was it what you expected? Cauldron, at the end of the day, wants a parahuman army. Alexander, when they tried to fight him, wiped out 99% of the capes sent to fight him. Perhaps if he was targeting cities with people living in them it would be a different story, but he's not. So why put in the effort.

Plus they still want his tech.

Also, as some of you no doubt predicted, Pretender is being dragged into this mess, give him a cheer everyone!

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment!

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Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning:

Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Category:

Gen

Fandom:

Parahumans Series - Wildbow

Relationship:

Alexander/City Building

Characters:

Rebecca Costa-Brown | AlexandriaDragon (Parahumans)Director James TaggEmily PiggotColin Wallis | Armsmaster | DefiantBastion (Parahumans)

Additional Tags:

Self-InsertCYOAEndbringerA man finds his hobbyThe rest of the world is terrifiedCausing major wars by accidentTeehee~Misunderstandings

Language:

English

Stats:

Published:2025-02-16Updated:2026-02-21Words:227,115Chapters:82/?Comments:555Kudos:1,452Bookmarks:363Hits:86,362

(End)Bringing You A New Home! (Endbringer SI)

10moorem

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Foolish Revelry

Summary:

The Fallen somehow manage to make the author feel dirty writing them.

Yay.

Chapter Text

Chapter 44: Foolish Revelry

-Joshua, Unpowered Fallen Member POV-

"A grand day, indeed!"

It was a celebratory call, a triumph of everything the Fallen believed in. Those of the Mathers clan that had gathered here were celebrating wildly, stolen wine and food were shared plentifully between them.

The gathering hadn't been ordered, only suggested. Then again, with Elijah's power and reputation, he only ever needed to 'suggest' something for it to happen. No one had disagreed. The true believers too rapturously happy, and those like him that were too scared to disobey.

Better to go along with Elijah's and Mama's wishes than to go against them.

The feeling of a hand wrapped around his shoulder made him shudder, even as he forced himself not to look behind him.

"My apologies for my ignorance, but how will the rest of the Fallen react to this blasphemy?" Joshua made sure to add the right amount of adulation and rage to his question, all to give the best appearance of a true believer.

In truth, even asking this question was risky. Elijah had always been fickle, something that pleased him one day may make him order you to break your fingers the next. Fortunately today he appeared to be in a good mood, so the effeminate man only gave him an indulgent smile.

"You mean giving our new goddess the name of a pagan?" Joshua flinched at the small amount of venom Elijah allowed to trickle into his tone. "Naturally none of us approve. Mama is planning on raiding several PRT bases, maybe even capture some of their Wards to use as breeding stock." Elijah's face curled into a lascivious smirk, leaving Joshua feeling vaguely sick.

"Would they not retaliate?"

Elijah's eyes flashed dangerously at that, and Joshua realised he may have miscalculated. The line between questions and criticisms was a thin line, after all.

"No, they won't have the time to bother chasing down a couple of kidnapped Wards. Our newest goddess slew hundreds of their ilk during their foolish, doomed, battle. Their forces will now be spread thinner than ever before."

That was true. Usually, in an Endbringer battle, the losses would be spread out between various organisations and between heroes and villains. So unless any one group was spectacularly unlucky the balance of power didn't typically change if an Endbringer attacked a foreign country.

But this time only the Protectorate was damaged, and if the losses were as bad as Elijah was saying then each and every Protectorate group may be down a member on average.

Certain cities, like those enforced by the Triumvirate, may be able to weather this loss with little issue. Small towns and poorer cities, however? It was likely those places would see a surge in villain activity and a less effective response time from the PRT.

"So the perfect time to obtain new livestock for the 'farm'." Joshua concluded.

"Indeed, perhaps if you're good I can allow you a chance to sample some of the goods before they're thoroughly plundered," Elijah crooned, a sickening smile coming to life on his face.

Joshua didn't mind. There were two types of people that willingly joined the Fallen, as he had. The religious wackjobs that actually believed the Endbringers were gods or those that simply used the belief to do as they pleased.

Joshua was, obviously, part of the latter group. He was far too intelligent to buy in to the idea that the city destroying monsters were, in any way, benevolent. Even the newest one, who many of the Fallen insisted would rebuild the world anew with only the purest left alive, was clearly just outright malicious.

"Still," Elijah said ponderingly, "I can't say I'm a fan of their other name either."

No, Joshua imagined he wouldn't be. The Fallen of the Mathers clan had originated from a religious fundamentalist of the same name. The current names of the newest Endbringer being Greek, Indian and Chinese wouldn't be to their tastes.

Joshua was personally rather surprised that the PRT had dropped the unspoken naming standard when it came to the Endbringers, all previous ones being named after monsters from Christianity.

Then again, with the trickster angle they were pushing, it was likely the only appropriate name they might be able to attach to it would be Lucifer, or perhaps Samael. Which may have been too much, even for the PRT.

"Uh, what about Jinzhou?" The question was put forth by a slack-jaw, clearly inbred, member. Joshua crinkled his nose slightly, before regaining control and once more appearing calm and composed.

"What about Jinzhou? They're on the other side of the world, and even if they refuse to worship the other gods -as they should- then they are still apostates to bring to heel at a later date." The question was quickly shut down by Elijah, who was starting to look vaguely annoyed.

Ah, that was enough questions then. Joshua supposed that made sense. The residents of Jinzhou had fully disavowed any relation to the Fallen, and that was frankly the polite way of saying it. Those that the internet had been quick to label 'The Deceived' believed only in the newest Endbringer: Eris.

They called her by a different name, some Chinese gobbledy gook he couldn't bother to remember. They believed her to be kind and benevolent, only fighting against the wicked and corrupt. Once they had learned of the fight in Hyderabad they were quite quick to declare the PRT and Protectorate as contemptible organisations, simply because their goddess had fought against them.

Even as Joshua was musing over Jinzhou, others had clearly not noticed Elijah's impatience and continued to pester him. Joshua, upon noticing this, started to slowly back away.

Sure enough, after a minute more of this Elijah's patience finally snapped.

"George, Ryan, Tobias. Peel off the skin on your left hands," Elijah ordered. The men's expression quickly shifted from eager curiosity to horror. Despite their best efforts all quickly began to scratch away at their skin.

"Oh, and do it quietly and without blemishing the rug with your blood," Elijah added before turning back to his wine – completely unaffected as the men began to move in lockstep away from him, still scratching away at their skin.

In the corner he could see Eligos observing the spectacle with cruel, detached, amusement. The rest of the party had also taken notice, though their expressions leaned more towards fear.

Despite the horrid scene, it didn't take long for the party to once again continue. The men made merry and drank copious amounts of wine. Joshua joined them, but made sure to never drink too deeply. Alcohol had a way of loosening lips and, as had already been proven, that could prove dangerous.

Eventually they reach a lull, a rare moment of quiet where all participants were inebriated enough to feel pleasant, yet not enough to impair their senses just yet. Elijah, taking the opportunity, stood up and produced a light ringing noise using his glass and a nearby fork.

It drew attention, and upon seeing who was doing it they quickly silenced themselves.

"My friends, my brothers in arms!" Elijah's smile was eerily wide as he spoke, his voice a windchime of faith and hidden poison. "The opportunity presented to us by our newest god has come rather unexpectedly, and this opening will likely only exist for a short amount of time. We are near the city of Boston, yet that is not where we shall strike. Instead we make for Brockton Bay, that impoverished and neglected land will make a fertile soil to plant a new foundation!"

If Elijah was paying any mind to the obscene gestures some were making to each other he certainly didn't show it. It was frankly the worst aspect of Elijah, he inspired truly terrible thoughts and behaviours – even by the standards of the Fallen.

Joshua was under no illusions regarding his own character, so the fact that Elijah made his skin crawl said a lot.

The effeminate man had based every aspect of himself after the Simurgh. The bleached white hair, the serene mask of a woman's face, he even wore a fucking corset – for God's sake. But that was all surface level. It was his complete disregard for others, combined with his understanding of them, that made him terrifying. Elijah spoke, and ruin followed in his wake.

Elijah had been raised by Mama to be a perfect mirror of the Simurgh. She had succeeded.

'My beautiful, faithful, boy.'

Joshua shuddered, ignoring the crooning in his ear as he tried to stop thinking of Mama. The speech was honestly more of the same, Elijah riled up the cell of the Fallen he was leading, Eligos grunted an agreement and the rest soaked it up with religious awe.

The plan was pretty simple. The Protectorate was currently on high alert, both because of losing so many assets and because of the Endbringer still in Hyderabad. So all members of Brockton Bay were currently holed up in that fancy castle in the water, under that protective forcefield of theirs.

So, obviously, attacking head on wasn't the plan.

Instead they would use Elijah's powers to stage an incident, in order to lure the Protectorate out of their hidey hole. Once they were in position Eligos would lead an ambush, hopefully knocking them out before a proper response could be mounted.

Of course, if that didn't work Elijah would be well positioned -as he would be acting as a hostage- to master them himself. After that it was a simple matter of escaping before the PRT got a proper grasp of the situation.

There was a bit more to it than that, but it flew over Joshua's head. Apparently Eligos would be disguised as someone called 'Stormtiger'? He had no idea who that was, but it was supposedly so The Protectorate wouldn't initially suspect the Fallen's presence.

If Joshua didn't know better he would assume Elijah was using the current situation in an attempt to become the head of the next branch of the Fallen. Except he did know better, Elijah would remain a Mathers until he died.

Which left the newest branch in a state of uncertainty. Whoever successfully convinced the other members that they should lead would have a massive influence on the Fallen going forwards.

Not that Joshua cared too much. You just had to pay attention to the politics if you wanted to survive. He shook his head, and resolved to getting a good night's sleep as the party -and the impromptu speech turned plan- finally wrapped up.

AN: Bit of a shorter one this time. Honestly, going into this chapter I expected more to go over, and then that didn't happen which is a bit of a shame. Also this is the first chapter that I considered putting a warning for. The Fallen are creepy

So, in this chapter, we go over a hint of what the Fallen are up to. Needless to say, they're rather thrilled about getting a new god. The departure of Christian naming schemes not so much, just what you'd expect from a Fallen branch created from Mama Mathers.

Also, those hundreds of dead capes that used to belong to the Protectorate? Them not being around anymore is having some serious consequences beyond simply politics. Lots of villainous organisations are using the opportunity for their own ends.

The Fallen, or this part of it at least, are going to use it to make an attack of opportunity on Brockton Bay. So the ripple effects of Alexander are now reaching Brockton Bay in full force. Expect a very different city when we inevitably get there.

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment! I'm deathly allergic to silence, you see.

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Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

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Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Category:

Gen

Fandom:

Parahumans Series - Wildbow

Relationship:

Alexander/City Building

Characters:

Rebecca Costa-Brown | AlexandriaDragon (Parahumans)Director James TaggEmily PiggotColin Wallis | Armsmaster | DefiantBastion (Parahumans)

Additional Tags:

Self-InsertCYOAEndbringerA man finds his hobbyThe rest of the world is terrifiedCausing major wars by accidentTeehee~Misunderstandings

Language:

English

Stats:

Published:2025-02-16Updated:2026-02-21Words:227,115Chapters:82/?Comments:555Kudos:1,452Bookmarks:363Hits:86,362

(End)Bringing You A New Home! (Endbringer SI)

10moorem

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Garden

Summary:

Alexander: "Getting dogs high is definitely not illegal!"

Chapter Text

Chapter 45: The Garden

-Alexander POV-

So, apparently? Copying a bunch of fleshy trees over and over again is pretty easy when you have a super computer for a brain – mind numbing too. It got to the point where I was iterating on my 'fuck the world' super plagues that I was using those trees to store, just for some entertainment.

You know things are boring when I'm willing to resort to that.

Thankfully it also didn't take too long, only a couple of hours – and most of that was because of travel time. Surprise, surprise, a city is big. The water filters also didn't take too long, but at least they were interesting – having to come up with novel DNA strands to minimise the risk of mutations in my specially crafted bacteria was an interesting challenge.

But after that…

"Hey, Renji? Does this look weird to you?" I ask, gesturing towards the horizon covered with trees the size of buildings, plated in bone and with leaves of pure black.

Renji squinted a bit before answering, "It is a bit lumpy, my friend. Perhaps you should go over it one more time before we leave?"

Lumpy? I scanned the trees for signs of deformities, yet despite my best efforts I couldn't find any. My confusion must have shown on my face, because Renji simply smiles and points downwards towards…the ground?

Well, yeah, no shit, Renji! The ground is always lumpy what are you-

Oh.

So, as it turns out, when you use your -OP pls nerf- abilities to create hundreds of biologically advanced machines masquerading as trees the mass has to come from somewhere. Something I had known, but not really considered how it would look once everything was done.

It had…character. Which was the only good thing I could say about the landscaping.

"It's also a bit barren," Renji added, "I know the hounds don't need it, but I feel like this place could use some vegetation."

I pulled a face. I felt a bit 'meh' at the suggestion. Don't get me wrong, adding nature to cities rocks, there was a reason I had chosen SolarPunk as one of my first specialties – If I hadn't started in Japan it likely would have been the first.

But, at this point, both of my previous works had utilised nature and I didn't feel like repeating myself too often. Variety is a spice of life, and all that.

"Do I have to?" I pointedly don't whine. "The bareness of the land contrasts well with my creations, don't you think?" My words are backed up as I point between the jagged, rocky, earth and the equally unwelcoming pillars of bone covered flesh.

Renji pauses at that. Opens his mouth, as if to retort, before closing it again.

"…It does give off a very alien atmosphere," he admits.

My small jig of victory is in no way spoiled by Renji's weary look of defeat and exasperation, only enhanced by it.

"Still it's very…samey. I understand what you're going for, but maybe something different on the outskirts wouldn't go amiss?"

A single eyebrow of mine raises questioningly, masking my apprehension at the thought of staying here any longer than I had to.

Renji, it's not like we'll have the time. Bob-" which was the title I had given to the giant blob constructing the wall, by the way "-is likely to be done soon. So we'll soon be-"

Wait, Bob's dead.

…Why is Bob dead?!

My hackles raise and my mouth furls into a snarl. I swear, if those rat bastards are back to ruin my work I'll gut them! I'll string them up by their entrails! I'll feed them to my dogs, those fucking pieces of-

Oh wait, I had just forgotten to give Bob enough mass. So he had keeled over for continuing to try to build the wall even when he couldn't.

Well now I'm just depressed again.

Renji, having noticed my abrupt change of mood, looked worried. He reached out, and placed a hand in mine.

"What's wrong?"

I let out a broken laugh. "Nothing, just another mistake." The answer left my tongue feeling bitterer than expected. I blinked, feeling surprised, and then ashamed that I had lost my composure so easily.

"Bob died. I forgot to feed him." My answer fell flat, the slight joking tone I had wanted to portray completely failing to show up. Renji's visible concern only grew at that

My shoulders sagged.

"I thought they had returned," I finally admitted.

Renji didn't say anything, just continued to stare at me searchingly. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision. He stepped forwards, his hand slipping from mine as he reached out with both arms and-

…

Hugged me.

It was so completely out of left field that I almost didn't understand what was happening at first. It was warm, Renji's reactor making him burn hotter than a normal human.

Carefully, gingerly, I wrapped my arms around him as well. The positioning was awkward, I was so much larger than him. We stayed like that for a while, Renji humming indecipherable songs and me simply focusing on the here and now.

How long had it been since I had hugged someone else? This was definitely my first one since arriving in this world, but what about before that? Was it a month? Two? It couldn't have been more than a year, could it?

The answers I was coming to weren't ones I had any inclination to indulge. Instead, I simply closed my eyes and let my troubled thoughts fade away. I can't say how long we remained in this position, but it was nice – it made me not want to let go, even if I had to.

Renji must have noticed my reluctance to let go because he chuckled, "Soooo…want to touch some grass?" I pull back, both grateful and regretful that the hug hadn't lasted longer.

Then I blinked.

"Did you just meme at me?"

Renji blinked, looking confused.

"Meme? What's that?"

…I couldn't definitively say he was fucking with me. But it definitely felt like he was.

I let out a snort of amusement, regardless. "We really need to introduce you to the internet Renji," I say, not wanting to give him any excuses for not knowing what a meme is next time.

"We already have. Multiple times. We just never finish the introduction because you always find 'an abomination against decent entertainment' and then throw your computer at a wall." Renji's eyes are flat and full of judgement as he says this, making me avert my eyes.

In fairness Earth Bet had shit entertainment. The PRT was especially egregious in forcing it's superheroes into every brand of media they could, but they were far from the only ones to do so.

During my trip through the tunnels I had searched up Doctor Who, on a lark. To my surprise there was a version of it currently running, except the Doctor had been turned into a Tinker who was currently working with the King's Men. It was blatant propaganda, treating any opinion that differed from the group's own as irrefutably wrong.

Another time I had kicked back to watch a zombie movie, hoping for some gruesome action. Then some random Mary Sue hero had appeared halfway through and trivialised the entire movie.

And this kept happening.

Percy Jackson? Somehow the entire concept of Greek Gods and Monsters had been replaced by a summer training camp full of Wards.

Harry Potter? Turns out the Boy-Who-Lived gained a super power after killing Voldemort as a baby, and proceeds to be an awesome flawless hero throughout the rest of the books (gag me).

Even Stargate wasn't spared. Those mysterious gates that can transport you across vast distances? Tinkertech. And obviously the PRT were the ones to first discover and use them.

So, yeah. Any throwing of my computer is absolutely justified and morally correct.

"Oh, right. Never mind, the internet is a silly place anyway." I cough, trying to think of another topic that could distract from my 'Epic Gamer Rage Moments' ™.

"So, plants and shit? Sounds good Renji, what a great idea!" The lie, clearly seen through by Renji, thankfully serves as my means to redirect the conversation back to redecorating the former city.

Things progressed quickly after that. Renji went off to rouse the hounds and I ventured forth to add a bit of variety to my enclosure.

Well, I did that after reviving Bob. He took death like a champ, though. Just got up and started blobbing along, building walls and being awesome. No existential dread in my slimy boy, something which I was a little jealous of.

Okay, fine. Very jealous of.

The outskirts were bare. I had come to a spot where there was a fifty meter gap between the trees and the wall filled with absolutely nothing. Just rock and water. It was here that I began my work as I churned the rock and water together. From it I created mud and soil.

Slowly, hesitantly, purple buds began to bloom from that rich black soil. I had wanted to keep to my 'alien world' aesthetic -as Renji so elegantly put it- so instead of the basic, Earth-like, chlorophyll pigment I elected to use Retinal to facilitate the vegetation's photosynthesis.

That was something I had actually remembered from my years in high school. I always thought it was cool that life on other worlds might be bright purple, a result of the simpler pigment absorbing green and yellow light rather efficiently. It made me more appreciative of my own planet, the idea that something as ubiquitous as greenery could be considered rare on a galactic level was mind blowing to teenage-me.

They weren't anything spectacular, just a copy of regular plant life, simply designed to use a different pigment. It was still nice to satisfy an old curiosity of mine, however. They were brighter than I expected too, vibrant and full of life.

I didn't allow them to spread unhindered, sadly.

They would only be present here, in this small space. The bare earth would not allow the newly introduced species to flourish past the soil I had laid down for them, and without pioneer species this would likely remain the case for quite some time. A rare jewel in a sea of scarcity.

To the west is where I travelled next, no longer as close to the wall. Here I crafted what appeared to be a species of red vine which hung precariously from the tallest trees to the ground below. In truth they were part defence mechanism and part symbiote. The vines were created from my knowledge of muscle and carbon fibers. Upon coming into contact with the long, almost invisible, hairs extending from the plant, the vines themselves would lash out and attempt to crush whatever came near them. If a normal human got anywhere close to them, they'd pop like a balloon.

They wouldn't be able to hurt a hound though. The armoured carapace that I had designed for them was no joke, and would be more than capable of withstanding the amount of compression the vines could dish out.

They may be stuck in the air for a while though, at least until the vines automatically let go after 30 minutes. Maybe I would have included a way for the vines to know not to target my puppies, but frankly the idea of them being hoisted into the air and left to dangle is way too funny.

Only a specific number of trees were given permission by me to release the enzymes necessary for their growth, so the vines would be a rare sight. I liked that, scarcity would only enhance the surprise of killer vines.

With time running out, or more specifically Renji getting annoyed from having to manage so many genetically augmented dogs, I elected to design my last creation in the most flooded section of Hyderabad.

To all outside observers it would appear to be nothing more than a Lilypad, and not even one altered by my knowledge of biology. You could show a hundred different botanists a picture of my creation and they would be unable to tell it was something altogether different.

For, in truth, the likeness to such a plant was skin -epidermis?-deep. Under the water was where things became weirder. Attached to the pad head was a dozen filter feeders, sucking up water and minerals in order to process them. Within the creature's labyrinthian biology a neurotoxin was developed, one capable of felling fifty men.

For the hounds? It got them high.

…What? It's not like they had much entertainment in here, and I made sure It wouldn't have any detrimental side effects for them!

Stop giving me judging looks, Renji!

Ahem.

With that I had livened Hyderabad up a bit and successfully distracted myself for a short time.

I crested a large barren hill, on my way back to Renji. The work had taken many hours and in that time certain pests had gathered to observe. All outside what had once been Hyderabad, all afraid to enter. Some I could sense clearly, every atom carefully laid out before my eyes. Others I could only sense from the absence of where nothing could go, even more apparent by their paltry attempts at stealth.

I let them watch.

I spot Renji slowly making his way towards me, constantly having to avoid tripping over the hound's overenthusiastic attempts to play with him. I can tell from the strained smile on his face that he regretted staying longer.

Sucks to suck, Renji.

I already had an inkling of where I would be going next. Not a city, or even a place where any Endbringer had ever visited - to my knowledge. It was one of the few places on Earth not crawling with Mankind.

Unlike before I wasn't planning on building a city, only to abandon it when I was finished. No, it was clear to me I needed a home base. Somewhere to come back to after the long weeks of constant travelling. After the chaos and stress of the last month I desperately needed somewhere to relax.

So I turned my gaze south. Far beyond even my sight was the land that would become our new home: The South Pole.

AN: Done! Hyderabad is done! I hope you've enjoyed the aftermath of the Endbringer fight! Thinking of the weird and wacky playground of the nightmare doggies has been interesting on my part.

Next we'll be getting into Alexander and Renji travelling and setting up their new base. Alexander will discover something that will radically change his plans.

In the meantime, I have another arc planned out that will happen concurrently. I've set up a lot of Chekhov's Guns that are about to be fired and give Cauldron a very bad time. Not that they don't deserve it!

In other news I'm heading off Newcastle next. Need to spend time with my Grandmother and all. Also the hotel we're staying at has the best burgers. I'd go for that alone.

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment!

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Work Header

Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning:

Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Category:

Gen

Fandom:

Parahumans Series - Wildbow

Relationship:

Alexander/City Building

Characters:

Rebecca Costa-Brown | AlexandriaDragon (Parahumans)Director James TaggEmily PiggotColin Wallis | Armsmaster | DefiantBastion (Parahumans)

Additional Tags:

Self-InsertCYOAEndbringerA man finds his hobbyThe rest of the world is terrifiedCausing major wars by accidentTeehee~Misunderstandings

Language:

English

Stats:

Published:2025-02-16Updated:2026-02-21Words:227,115Chapters:82/?Comments:555Kudos:1,452Bookmarks:363Hits:86,362

(End)Bringing You A New Home! (Endbringer SI)

10moorem

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: In Search Of A New Home

Summary:

Renji being shonen may have rubbed off on Alexander a bit.

Chapter Text

Chapter 46: In Search Of A Home

-Alexander POV-

The tunnel crumbles behind us, the tumbling roar of rock scraping past each other only to crash upon the ground drowned out all other sounds - not that there was much of that. Renji and I watched in silence as the underground entrance to Hyderabad was sealed behind us.

"I'll miss them," Renji says, eyes unwavering despite the dust that had been kicked up by the controlled demolition.

"Oh? I thought you hated them. Does Renji have a soft spot for dogs?" Renji blushed lightly at my teasing words, but didn't hesitate to clap back.

"This coming from the person who built a bio-engineered forest for them to play in? Complete with all the prey, shelter and drugs they could ever need?"

"Oi, would you shut up about the drugs already? I made sure they wouldn't cause any problems!"

"Oh no, only a horde of coked up super predators the size of bears with a worse attitude. Definitely not a problem," Renji snarked in return.

I shrugged, not at all concerned that the international community would have to observe biotinkered monstrosities getting high. If they couldn't leave well enough alone, despite the warnings from their Thinkers, then they deserved getting a Darwin Award.

Our ride was still where we left it, the gargantuan vehicle almost taking up all space in the tunnel. It had been modified, taken apart and rebuilt so many times it may as well be a completely different vehicle than the one we initially set off with to Jinzhou. Not because it had ever been damaged, it was simply another hobby of mine.

Kind of weird, if I was being honest. I never thought I'd become a gear-head but I guess life's full of surprises.

Renji wasted no time, flinging open the door and slumping into the nearest chair - enjoying the air conditioning after the muggy air of Hyderabad. Kind of my fault, who knew setting off firestorms in a flooded city would make it so unpleasant?

"Aaahhhhh. That's better. Honestly, air conditioning alone is proof that humanity deserves to be saved."

My faint smile soured at the reminder of our previous conversation. I had thrown myself into work not long after, so I didn't have much time to think about it, but I had agreed on his foolhardy request to save the world, hadn't I?

The idea made me want to scream, and never stop screaming. How the hell was I supposed to do that?!

It was yet another reason why I needed a home base. If I was committed to this path, and I wasn't completely sure I was yet, I would need somewhere to experiment. A place where no external factors could interfere.

Easier said than done. The South Pole wasn't perfect, but this was Earth Bet - so I'd have to make do.

The peace and quiet would also hopefully help with coming up with a plan. I had no idea on how to kill Scion. No doubt many in my position would have made plans by now, forged alliances and pioneered new methods of Entity killing.

Unfortunately, I was me.

But before all that, before all the planning and building, I would need to have a few conversations with Renji. It had become increasingly obvious to me that Renji had been growing and maturing, all while I had been standing still.

I didn't know him anymore.

It hurt to admit that, but it was clear to me that Renji was no longer that same overly loyal creation of mine. We had talked before, in the tunnels. But it had been about inconsequential things. Food, technology, internet slang. None of it had been sincere on my end.

I had been using him to distract myself from my awful situation.

Renji deserved better.

"Sooo…" I began, not certain of how I wanted to start this conversation. The pause after my word dragged on, quickly becoming awkward. Okay, screw it. Just dive in head first, Alexander! Make it up as you go!

"What do you want to do? After this, I mean. Assuming we actually manage to defeat our enemy, or rather enemies, what will you want to do for the rest of your life?"

Not exactly the question I was planning on asking, it having been blurted out with zero filter attached. Still, the more I considered the question, the more I liked it. It would serve as a good jumping off point and the answer Renji gives could tell me a lot about him.

Renji gains a considering look upon his face at my question.

"I don't really know. I always thought I could just follow you," Renji answers after a long pause. The answer is expected, if a little disheartening.

"I see, that's a shame." I exhale softly, a flicker of discomfort flashes across Renji's face before he rallies.

"Oh yeah? And what about yours," he asks - challenging me to share my own wishes for the future.

It was a tough question for anyone to answer, truthfully. Humans had always had a complicated relationship with the future. Many in my world's history had tried to read it, run from it and even shape it. Ask any person about their future and you'd receive a different answer, and attitude, for each one.

In my opinion, you could roughly place people's reactions towards tomorrow into three categories.

The people who fear it, the people who don't think about it and the people who look towards it.

There were nuances to that, of course, but that's was my two cents on the issue. It was something I had considered a lot while I was remaking Hyderabad in the image of an alien dog park. So, when Renji asked, I already had my answer prepared.

"I don't have one, I never had anything beyond some vague ideas that never panned out."

Renji was clearly surprised by my answer, no doubt expecting a better answer than his own. Sorry Renji, but I was the type of person who feared the future - hence why I avoided thinking about it at all costs.

"If that is so, then why are you disappointed? My answer appears no different to your own?"

"It's because it's so similar to my own that I call it a shame," I bluntly retort - because I know there's more to Renji than that. He may have matured quickly but between his own young age and the lack of proper socialisation, it's only natural that that would be his answer.

Understandable, but not justifiable on my part.

"Renji," I began, "When I was a human I never looked towards my future. I always bent to the wills of others, always 'went with the flow'. Perhaps that decision made me content, even let me feel at peace, but I was never truly happy. I never found my passion, only distractions."

The words hurt something fragile within, and I wanted to stop badly. It felt like rubbing an old and sore wound, like exposing something that never should have been exposed. It was an ugly part of me, an insecurity that had always haunted me.

What was the point in being alive if you weren't happy?

I shuddered, sucking in a breath I knew I didn't need.

"When I got here, to this world, I thought I had found it. It seemed so perfect, there I was: within a ruined city with all the power and knowledge necessary to fix it. For a moment, even among the absurdity and the all encompassing despair, I felt a spark of hope that this was it. This was the reason I was born."

I felt a sardonic smile crawl its way up my lips. How wrong I had been, how utterly mistaken I was for thinking I could fix even the smallest portion of this miserable world.

"Then came Fukuoka, Jinzhou and Hyderabad. By this point that dream feels like ash in my mouth from how mistaken I was. It was never my passion, only another escape." A sneer cut across my face, as I tried to desperately claw down the jittering feeling of being exposed.

"That's why I'm disappointed, Renji. Not knowing what you want in life will only cause you misery. You'll be led astray by fleeting pleasures, you'll forever feel like something's missing and eventually you won't be able to take it. Being forever aimless is not what I expect from you, Renji."

I could feel Renji's eyes dissecting every bit of body language he could glean as he went over my words in his head. No doubt he could tell I felt deeply about this, and I knew - despite his stoic mien - that he was surprised by my divulging of something so clearly personal.

In truth, I didn't think Renji was like me. The moment he heard there was a looming threat on the horizon his first and only thought was something along the lines of: 'how do I kill it?'

It was very likely Renji would remain that way, endearingly straightforward. However if there was even the slightest odds he would end up like me then I had to do my best to smother that possibility in the cradle, as the last month had proven: I was not someone to emulate.

"You have expectations for me?" Renji's question left his mouth with a queer lilt, as if he was eager to know I expected more from him than simple existence.

In all of the books and movies I had consumed voraciously over the years this would typically be the part where Renji was told no, that his existence alone was enough. It was a nice thought, quaint in its simplicity. Unfortunately, that wasn't me.

"Yes." The answer was blunt and to the point, I didn't want even the tiniest shred of a misunderstanding to exist concerning this. "I want you to live Renji, and that implies far more than simple existence. I want you to struggle. I want you to suffer through the indignities of life and overcome them. I want you to laugh and love and be proud of yourself."

Renji's eyes glanced downwards at that, suddenly morose in a way I had not expected. When he looked up at me he did so with an expression I could not decipher. "Because you don't think you've ever lived."

It was not a question, Renji stated it as a fact. He looked at me with those sad eyes, asking if he was wrong. Unfortunately I could only give him a cold smile in return, and that was answer enough.

An invisible hand turned the ignition, and the bus roared to life before setting off at a steady pace. One hand gripped the steering wheel, the enormous bulk of my hand allowing me to encompass the wheel entirely as I fought to keep my expression steady.

That had been…rough. There was still a part of me screaming, asking me what the fuck I was even doing. Truthfully, I didn't know. I only knew that it had been sincere.If Renji, or anybody else, didn't care for that then there was little I could do.

A relationship couldn't be built upon a weak foundation.

"I personally disagree that you haven't lived at all, my friend, but you already knew that, didn't you?" Renji's sudden words only prompted a grunt from me, as I kept my eyes on the road.

Of course I knew that, Renji. You've always seen the best in me, but you also don't know me - not fully. Hopefully by the time Golden Morning arrived you would understand me, and even accept the ugliest parts of me.

"But you know-" Renji continued, his voice suddenly gaining a mischievous cadence "-if that parasite prevails I'll never achieve those expectations. I highly doubt a few measly years would allow me to live to the fullest."

The bus lurches suddenly, my hand on the steering wheel spasming.

I regain control immediately after, with only a few minor scuffs added to our vehicle as a result - but Renji had caught it.

The journey continued on in silence after that. Renji didn't ask where we were going, and I didn't say. My creation simply kept going, eating up the miles while I stewed in silence.

Because Renji was right.

If I just let things go forward without intervention it was very likely Renji would die. Something so blindingly obvious that a child could have pointed it out - hell, one did - but I hadn't seen it. Why? Was it chance, or had I simply refused to consider it?

Yet that was the position I was in, wasn't it? I had tried to keep Renji in the dark, knowing that if he had known the truth he would attempt to kill the entity - in vain - and die. Yet if I had succeeded he would have died anyway, and if I didn't find a way to fight, or delay Golden Morning the Renji would still meet the same fate.

Why did that bother me so much now? Why not before?

When I had considered this thought before, imagined trillions screaming as they were dissolved by golden light, I had only felt a hollow despair. Even the thought of my own death had evoked no deeper reaction, only a further sense of helplessness.

Yet now, when I imagined Renji being so callously erased it wasn't hollowness that I felt, it was a smouldering ember of hate.

'Why is this so different?'

I was aware of the fact that I cared for Renji, wanted the best for him - but to the extent of being willing to fight Scion?! It was madness, there was no other word that could encompass the furious tempest that beat in my breast - that called for victory at any cost.

'Ah, so that's how it is.'

Perhaps creating Renji may have been a mistake. Not one I regretted, but clearly a mistake. My normal clarity had been compromised in favour of someone I had only known for a month.

To the point I was willing to fight what many would consider a god.

Yet, my hand no longer shook. The thought of defying that golden light no longer terrified me, in its place was only a grim resolve.

I had to force back a mad, broken, cackle at the realisation.

'Renji, what the hell have you done to me?'

AN: Wooooo! Power of friendship, bitches! Alexander is now resolved, begrudgingly, to fight Scion and win. He has no fucking clue how he's going to do it, but it's something he has time to work on.

Also a bit of character development, as Alexander actually talks about himself. Which is something he really doesn't like to do. He doesn't really like himself, but Renji won't be alone in trying to help. I've got a very funny idea on how to get Renji some therapy support.

Also, as of writing this, I have no idea what the word count of this is. Usually I'd check, but I'm not using Word for this - on account of having to use my IPad.

Also Newcastle was fine. They changed the burger recipe, though. I'm sad now, the worse burgers have made me sad.

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment!

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Entire Work ← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Chapter Index Comments Share Download

Work Header

Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning:

Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Category:

Gen

Fandom:

Parahumans Series - Wildbow

Relationship:

Alexander/City Building

Characters:

Rebecca Costa-Brown | AlexandriaDragon (Parahumans)Director James TaggEmily PiggotColin Wallis | Armsmaster | DefiantBastion (Parahumans)

Additional Tags:

Self-InsertCYOAEndbringerA man finds his hobbyThe rest of the world is terrifiedCausing major wars by accidentTeehee~Misunderstandings

Language:

English

Stats:

Published:2025-02-16Updated:2026-02-21Words:227,115Chapters:82/?Comments:555Kudos:1,452Bookmarks:363Hits:86,362

(End)Bringing You A New Home! (Endbringer SI)

10moorem

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Nightmares To Come

Summary:

Residents of Earth Bet are traumatised, more news at eleven.

Chapter Text

Chapter 47: Nightmares To Come

-Emily Piggot POV-

Emily was a rather cantankerous individual. Many would agree on that. She, herself, would agree, albeit begrudgingly. So to say she was currently livid would not surprise anyone familiar with her.

But the extent of her fury would certainly take some aback.

"So Battery is gone?" Emily closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing. Too much stress was bad for her, according to the doctors.

No shit.

Unfortunately, this cursed city wasn't exactly a place of fun and whimsy.

"Yes ma'am," answered Miss Militia. Emily had always…not liked her, but tolerated her. She was one of the few good ones, straight backed and loyal to a fault. Emily certainly couldn't imagine her retreating unless she was ordered to at least.

Currently, she wasn't the picture perfect soldier she always presented herself as. The kindly eye wrinkles, something PR had apparently coached her on for months when she was a Ward, were completely absent. In their place was the cold, dead, stare of a defeated woman.

"Battery was ambushed while attempting to arrest the individual we assumed was Stormtiger. A member of the hostages revealed himself to be a member of the fallen and mastered her. Their current whereabouts are unknown."

It had been a few hours since the incident, more than enough time to escape the city.

"And Assault?" Emily asked, already knowing the answer to her question.

"He's gone AWOL and followed after them, against the orders he was given." Miss Militia's tone was carefully flat, as if afraid to give away her own thoughts on the subject.

Emily snorted, the woman could be surprisingly empathetic for an otherwise cold and efficient subordinate - especially when it came to her coworkers.

"Brilliant, just brilliant. Is there any other piece of news I should know," she griped. Oh, Emily knew why Assault had chosen to follow after his wife. The PRT's track record of recovering past Fallen victims was not exactly stellar.

That didn't mean it wasn't a pain in the ass for her.

"There were a few more disappearances, likely targets of opportunity for the Fallen, and there are some disturbing reports coming from the docks."

Piggot rubbed her forehead tiredly. When it rains, it pours.

"What disturbing reports?"

Miss Militia hesitated for a moment, never a good sign, before pushing on.

"New gang signs. Reports of gatherings with a distinctly…religious bent. Normally not something that would have been seen as too urgent but…" Miss militia trailed off, Emily already seeing where she was going with this.

"But with the Fallen having made an appearance it's suspected there's a connection?"

The woman nods, and the Director has to bite back a snarl.

They were already being pushed by the Empire, the ABB and a menagerie of minor villains. Ever since Armsmaster was called in the gangs had taken full advantage of the leader of the Protectorate's absence. They had become more bold, advancing into more affluent areas, ones which the PRT typically patrolled.

The loss of Battery and Assault would only make things worse, and now they might have to deal with a slinger faction of the Fallen permanently taking up territory here?

No. Not on her watch.

"We'll need to act fast, before this information gets back to the gangs. Investigate these groups, see if they have any genuine ties to the Fallen. If so we will need to act swiftly and expel them before they have the chance to dig their roots in. Hopefully a show of force like that will dissuade the rest of the gangs."

Miss Militia nods.

"And if it doesn't ma'am?" Her subordinate asks her.

Emily Piggot gives the woman a judgemental stare, she should already know the answer to that question. If the gangs continued to push, and if the Chief Director kept refusing to give her reinforcements, then the PRT -and the city- would be in dire jeopardy.

If things genuinely got to the point Emily may have to consider whistleblowing, going public with the state of Brockton Bay and the lack of help her department had been given.

That wasn't a choice she wanted to make if she could help it. The Director had made more than a few questionable decisions regarding the safety of this city, had consolidated power in a way that was against the spirit of the rules of her organisation - if not the letter.

Going public would ruin her and her future prospects, but Emily Piggot was nothing if not spiteful. If this city was being dragged under she'd ensure that frigid bitch was dragged down with her.

After a few more briefings, Miss Militia departed on a patrol and the Director was left to stew in her quiet rage. What else could go wrong today?

An alert drew her out of her musings.

A quick check caused her eyebrows to raise in surprise. It would seem the prodigal cape had returned.

Piggot had been keeping a close eye on Colin's work in New Fukuoka, it reflected on her after all. For the most part she was pleased, he had conducted himself well and earned the honours others had heaped upon him.

It was because of Armsmaster that the PRT had access to the 'Miracle Drive', a collection of all of the wonderful technology within New Fukuoka. Later he had played key roles in neutralising the warlord cape that had subjugated the islands near Japan and storming New Fukuoka. Then he was called away.

Which was when the complications began to pile up.

As one of the foremost Tinkers of the Protectorate he was called in to help arrest 'The Architects'. That much was logical, Armsmaster would be a useful asset in such a mission. Unfortunately that was not what happened.

Instead Colin was at ground zero for an Endbringer's reveal to the world, during which 99% of all capes sent to fight it died horribly.

And to make matters worse it was a Biotinker. The thought made me shudder, a cold sweat beginning to form once again. Nilbog was bad enough, but he was just human at the end of the day, his malice couldn't compare to a being that had been compared, by some, to the Simurgh.

Now it was building another bastion of horrors, just like Ellisburg. Emily felt ashamed to admit she had only sparingly paid attention to what was happening to the husk of Hyderabad. Watching felt like it was too much, like she was making it real simply by observing the horror.

A foolish thought, but not one she could shake. Just the thought of those things and their clawsandfangsandgnashingmputhsohgodtheywereeverywheresomeonemakeitstopwhyaremymendying?Wherearetheheroes,whyhavetheyabandonedus?

Searing pain, a crooning hiss.

Emily gasped, her face slick with sweat. The many medical machines attached to her whined like a disobedient pup, but she ignored them.

She was fine.

She should simply…consider different matters.

Armsmaster was one of the few survivors. In surviving what so many others hadn't his reputation had skyrocketed, far surpassing her estimations.

Which was a problem.

During her tenure Emily had done all she could to consolidate her influence over the PRT and Protectorate. She had abused emergency situations, loopholes and hidden clauses to ensure all activities the PRT did ran through her first.

Someone else would fuck it all up, after all.

It was why she had Armsmaster had no leadership over the Wards.

But now her position was at risk. Piggot held no illusions regarding her relationship with Armsmaster. It was a spiteful one, full of one upmanships from both sides.

With his newfound fame and influence it would be an understatement to say he was a threat to the careful balance she had maintained since she was deployed in this wretched city. Colin may well be able to completely upset the entire board.

Still, public acclaim was fickle. Give Armsmaster higher funding and remove the limit on how much the man can tinker and he could go weeks without leaving the Protectorate HQ.

Yes, that could work as a start. she would have to call her own allies in the PRT, maybe burn a few favours, but it could be done.

"Send him up," she spoke into her microphone.

It took him about four minutes to reach her, slower than usual. Perhaps that should have been the first sign that something was wrong.

When the door opened she was prepared to berate him, to grill him for details regarding his latest mission. Instead, as she looked at Armsmaster, her plots and schemes suddenly became oh so distant.

The man was the picture of haggard. Dirt crusted his usually immaculate armour, muddying the light blue and white. There were deep bags under his eyes and a stare that seemed both vacant and hyper aware at once.

It was a sight that sent chills down her spine, and a clammy feeling began gnawing at the back of her throat as memories began to claw at the back of her head.

She had seen that look before, oh so very long ago.

How could she not? She had worn it herself.

It was the look of someone who had given everything, someone who had pushed past their limits and still failed utterly. It was the gaze of a man who had seen so many die pointlessly, to be one of the few who survived – without rhyme or reason as to why.

Emily Piggot's breathing increased as she tried to hammer down the memories of that awful day. The day she and her squad were sent in to combat those pale, hunched, freaks. The day she was abandoned by those who called themselves heroes. The day a sharp claw dug into her insides, intent on eating her kidneys in front of her – voracious and eager for her slow death.

"Director?"

Then, she was back. Back in her office, in her chair with her shitty coffee still in front of her.

Armsmaster was watching her, his expression one of profound tiredness – clearly trying to muster the urge for concern but failing in the face of numbness and bone deep exhaustion.

"Get out." The words came harsher than intended, the bite of her words surprising even her. She had to rush the next words, to get an excuse out. "You're clearly exhausted Armsmaster, this can clearly wait until you've gotten some proper rest."

The man looked faintly shocked for a second. Then she can see the moment he, wisely, decides not to question his good fortune and lumbers out of the room – his every footstep conveying his tiredness.

The door closes, and Emily Piggot is forced to confront the fact that, now, Armsmaster is like her.

-Shuffle POV-

It was dark here.

Mary wasn't sure when she had gotten used to that.

Her nostrils burned with the acrid stench of her own vomit.

That, she had also gotten used to.

What she couldn't get used to, however, was the endless meaningless transfers she and the rest of her group had been subject to.

It was such an innocuous thing to hate, to despise.

Every morning, without fail, they would be dragged out of their rooms, blindfolded, and marched to a new set of temporary cells. Chubster, in the few times they had been allowed to talk, had speculated it might be a way to prevent escape. Couldn't plan your way out of Jinzhou's ad hoc prison system if you didn't know the layout or where you were. The constant movements, then, were to prevent them from learning said information.

All it did was set her on edge and dredge up horrible memories. Times where she had been constantly moved around against her will. Bouncing from foster home to foster home, never given the slightest illusion of choice and always disappointed.

She could tell the others were becoming increasingly worried in the few times she saw them.

She was a mess. Her hair was tangled and knotted and her face was a pale nightmare that seemed to only ape at life. Her form was becoming thinner, a consequence of not being able to keep down her meals.

Fuck, there were so many times she was sure she had second triggered, had reached out to…something. But the dream would always end, and she would always be dragged back to this waking nightmare.

How much longer would this go on? Surely the PRT would negotiate for their release? She wouldn't be stuck here forever, would she?

Shuffle began to tremble. The days were getting blacker and she knew, in her heart of hearts, that things would only get worse for her.

AN: I wrote this while I was coming back from Corsica, which took a while - hence why it's so short. In current news I'm doing pretty alright, nothing too major happening right now. Still job hunting, which sucks, but other than that everything is good.

So, this is a bit of a set up chapter. It teases two events that will occur sometime in the future of this fic, one of which is obviously Alexander visited a very different Brockton Bay. The other is a secret, but I'm sure many of you may already know what's up.

Also, I loled pretty hard when I realised that Armsmaster becoming one of the few survivors of an S-Class massacre might make Piggot see him differently. Not sure whether it's a positive or a negative change just yet, but we'll see.

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment!

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Chapter 894 - 43-47