Cambrian
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The Grimoire's Chosen Ch. 17 (Worm)
🕑 Added 2024-09-24 15:22:09 +0000 UTCA/N: Taylor POV~
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Taylor was well aware that she was treading water here, barely able to keep her head above the surface and avoid drowning. Sheād been flying by the seat of her pants for the past week or so, ever since sheād kissed Jason and talked herself into accepting a āfriends with benefitsā paradigm with him.
Admittedly, she was well aware that what she felt for him was more of a crush than anything truly romantic. They hadnāt known each other long enough for Taylor to fall in love with him or anything like that. She was latching onto him specifically because he was untouched by Emmaās cruelty, and because of how heād helped defend her from her childhood friend turned tormentor.
Knowing all of this didnāt make it any easier for Taylor to not jump into bed with him though. And so far, doing so has turned out to be a good decision. Sheād been able to reinvent herself, to put on an act that had even fooled Glory Girl of all people!
ā¦ Except that was also kind of how Taylor knew she was in over her head a little bit at this point. Sheād had a threesome with Vicky Dallon of all people. Sheād INSTIGATED that threesome. Sheād definitely let herself go a little bit too farā¦ and yet, nothing bad had happened because of it. Everything was working out so far, somehow.
Really, she needed this. After what had happened last month, after triggering with powers, Taylor had needed something else to focus on. Jason and his weird relationship with New Wave had been utterly perfect for that so far.
At the same time though, her costume was almost done. The spiders she had making it were getting closer and closer to finishing it. Then, she would have to go out and do something. Sheād been chomping at the bit to go out and be a hero, to patrol and try and help Brockton Bay be a little less shitty. The one compromise sheād made with herself was that she wouldnāt do so until she had a proper costume.
Once she did thoughā¦ she was going to do something. She HAD to. Even if bug control wasnāt the most spectacular of powers, even if she wished sheād gotten something better, she was still going to try to use it to be a hero. She owed it to herself to prove Emma wrong about her.
But that was still in the future. For now, Jason wanted to meet with her again for lunch, and Taylor was more than happy to head over to his apartment to see him. Even if it wound up with her on her knees under his kitchen table again, Taylor wouldnāt mind one bit. He was a good guy, and he deserved everything she could lavish upon him.
Only, when she finally reaches his doorā¦ heās got this look on his face, a look that sets Taylor on edge. And instead of the table, he guides her over to the couch.
āI ordered us some pizza Taylor. Was hoping we could talk.ā
The pizza box is already on the coffee table, and its delicious smell hits her nose as he opens up the box. It should relax her, but instead she fidgets a little bit as she sits down. What does Jason want to talk about? Why is he acting like something is wrong?
Hiding her anxiety and insecurity has become second nature over the past week, so Taylor pushes all of the squirming in her gut deep, deep down and picks up a piece of pizza, taking a bit and chewing before looking over at him curiously.
āWhatās up, Jason?ā
He takes his own piece of pizza and chews for a second before swallowing hard. Then, he looks at her.
āThereās no easy way to say thisā¦ā
Uh oh, that doesnāt sound good. Was he going to tell her he couldnāt be friends with her anymore? Had Emma gotten to him somehow and he was throwing her out on her ass? Or maybe heād finally realized just how much of a fake and fraudster she was, all of his own volition, and he was tossing her to the curb as a result.
āBut at this point, I canāt keep trying to tackle this alone. I need a second opinion.ā
ā¦ Oh, that sounds a little better. But wait, was he talking about Vicky? Taylor had already given her second opinion thereā¦ sheād given way more than her second opinion, in fact.
āI have powers, Taylor.ā
Wait, what? Taylor pauses, eyes widening, mid-bite on her pizza as sheād nervously been using it as a sort of ward or shield while he spoke. Now though, itās kind of in the way. She chews faster than she ever has before, narrowly avoiding biting her tongue, and then just gives Jason an owlish blink and a croaky response.
āUhā¦ what?ā
He smiles a fragile smileā¦ and then opens an honest to god portal right in front of her eyes. Said portal clearly leads into his fridge, because he pulls out a can of soda and then another and offers her one. Hesitantly, she takes it from him, even as the portals close up a moment later.
āSo yeahā¦ powers. I haveā¦ powers.ā
Holy shit. This changed everything.
-x-X-x-
For a long moment, Jason watches Taylor after his revelation. She stays quiet, even going so far as to pop the tab on her can of soda and take a long drink. Whichā¦ fair enough, honestly. Heās dropped a massive bombshell on the poor young woman, and she clearly needs time to process it. He just hopes heās not making a mistake in telling her-
āI have powers too.ā
Wait, huh? Jasonās jaw drops open as Taylor smiles hesitantly. Then, she points up and when Jason looks, he watches a single spider slowly descending down on a strand of webbing from his ceiling, until eventually, it lands right on Taylorās fingertip. Then, it begins to move like itās dancing almost, in a pretty unnatural manner for a spider.
After a few moments of this, she lets it crawl onto her shoulder and justā¦ sit there. Then, she grabs a second piece of pizza and chows down while side-eyeing him for his reaction. Jason knows Taylor well enough by this point to know that her calm faƧade is just thatā¦ a faƧade. But at the same time, the fact that she has powers tooā¦ well, itās a weight off of his shoulders. They both have a secret of each otherās now. Theyāve both showed their hands.
āThatāsā¦ amazing, Taylor. You control spiders then?ā
Swallowing her latest bite of pizza, Taylor shakes her head.
āAll bugs, actually. Range isā¦ a few hundred feet in every direction.ā
Well damn. Maybe on the face of it, that wasnāt the most spectacular power in the world. But Jason could already think up half a dozen uses for it with Alchemical Prodigy, things that would make Taylor quite the terror on the battlefield. He gives her a broad smile.
āThatās awesome, Taylor. Iāmā¦ā
Here, he hesitates. Honestly, heās not sure if he should give Taylor the full details of his powers. But lying to her doesnāt seem like it would be very helpful in the long run, especially when the whole point of this meetup was for him to get her honest advice. Wasnāt like she could really give him true advice if she didnāt have all of the information, now was it?
āMy powersā¦ are a bit of a mess, to tell the truth.ā
Taylor furrows her brow at that, prompting Jason to launch into an explanation of what he has going on. Everything from how his original power works, to a quick overview of most of his current powers. He doesnāt tell her about the fact that heād actually summoned some demons already, however, leaving that bit out.
He DOES tell her about his ill-fated first patrol and how heād wound up saving a hooker only for her to freak out and run away the moment she saw he was a Cape. Jason expects Taylor to laugh at him for that, but to her credit, she just winces instead, looking actually sympathetic for him. Thenā¦
Feat Achieved: Tell someone the unvarnished truth of your abilities! 100 Points Earned!
You now have 400 Points saved up!
Jasonās eyes almost widen as that comes in. He wasnāt expecting it, but he supposed it made sense. Looking over at Taylor, who seems like sheās doing a pretty good job of processing all of this information, he quirks up the corner of his mouth.
āI actually just got some more points, just for telling you all of this.ā
Taylor blinks at him, before letting out a little laugh of disbelief.
āJasonā¦ your powers are bullshit.ā
He half-heartedly chuckles, even as he looks to his Banked Power, Bind and Seal. Time to buy itā¦ except before he can pull the trigger, he reads it again and winces.
āActuallyā¦ uh, might need your help in a second, Taylor.ā
She pauses at that, furrowing her brow.
āOh? With what?ā
āWellā¦ when I bought the Blood, Death, and Demons power, it kind of laid me out for a while. Long enough that Vicky was able to call in her sister to come check on me. The next power Iām buying, Bind and Seal, might do the same thing, since itās another information download. So I might pass out for a whileā¦ but I should be fine.ā
Now Taylor looks downright concerned for him.
āā¦ Are you sure this is a good idea, Jason?ā
Jason nearly blows her off with a smile and a simple āI amā, before remembering that the whole point of bringing Taylor into the fold was to get second opinions on all of this shit that heād been dealing with by himself up until now.
That said, he pauses and actually assesses things for a moment. In the end though, he still gives Taylor a resolute nod.
āI am, Taylor. Iā¦ I think that this new power, called Bind and Seal, might be an answer to the Endbringers. And even if it isnāt, itāll be a nonlethal answer to any villain I find myself face to face with. Right now Iām more likely to cause a hooker to break a manās jaw with a single punch than anything else. But with this, I could just lock down the situation and figure out whatās going on afterwards.ā
Taylor just smiles and laughs a little as she shakes her head at him.
āHonestly Jason, you had me convinced at āanswer to the Endbringersā. But itās good to hear you think it through. I guess Iāll justā¦ watch over you then?ā
Sheās clearly still a little worried, but Jason just gives her as reassuring a smile as he possibly can and nods before situating himself on the couch in such a way that he shouldnāt fall off if he does pass out. Hands laced across his chest, he reaches inwardā¦ and buys Bind and Control.
Keep!
Bind and Control Purchased. 0 Points Remain!
Feels a little weird not to have anything in his Banked Slot afterwards, but he was sure heād get another pull soon enough. For now, Jason braces himself, waiting for the knowledge that this new power promised he would gain. Thereās a brief moment where nothing happensā¦ and then it hits.
He clutches at the arm of the couch as a grunt leaves his lips. This time around, he doesnāt pass outā¦ but itās still a close thing. Itās a fucking lot to go through, and frankly, he almost wished he did pass out by the end. Alas, it would seem his brain is getting better at taking the influxes of information his power can sometimes provide. Hell, maybe Alchemical Prodigy helped with that somehow.
Regardless, soon enoughā¦ the knowledge that Bind and Seal promised has been downloaded into his skull. He understood everything that the White Wizards of the Light Order were capable of. He could make his own Vaults now if he wanted to, just as good if not better than the ones beneath the Pyramid of Light.
And not only that, but he was also well-versed in the sealing spells of Teclis himself, High Loremaster of Hoeth and Warden of the White Tower. The greatest High Elf Archmage of his age.
A slow, shuddering breath leaves Jasonās lips as he sits there on the couch, taking it all in. He was pretty sure it was in fact possible. He could do it. He could Bind and Seal the Endbringers. Only because of the decisions heād made so far. Honestly, heād gotten super lucky as well with these pulls. Because from what he could tell, the Staff of Magnus would make the higher techniques of Bind and Seal possible.
ā¦ He would need to summon a hell of a lot of demons though, pardon the pun. He would need to drain a whole lot of power if he wanted to have a chance of successfully casting a spell that actually bound an Endbringer. And sealing oneā¦ well, that would take dedicated facilities. He would need a place to build a proper Vault.
There were a lot of steps between now and then to go through, but it was possible. And that alone made this worth it.
āJason? Are youā¦ okay?ā
Blinking, he belatedly remembers Taylorās presence and feels a little guilty for a moment that he had forgotten her. Giving her a wan smile, Jason nods.
āIām great Taylor. I can do it. Itāll take time and resources I donāt currently have, but I think I can actually seal an Endbringer.ā
Taylorās eyes widen and then she smiles right back, lunging over to hug him around the neck.
āThatās amazing, Jason.ā
He hugs her back, just luxuriating in her presence for a moment. That said, this does bring up an entirely new dilemmaā¦ one that heāll be glad to have Taylorās input on.
āI really donāt know what to do next though, honestly. I was originally going to ask you if you thought I should go get a proper costume commissioned from Parian or if I should just stop rushing into danger so much. But nowā¦ can I really risk myself anyways? This changes everything, doesnāt it?ā
Jason hesitates for a moment, even as Taylor pulls back, watching him quietly.
āā¦ Iāve never really feared death, necessarily. But now if I die, a chance at getting rid of the Endbringers dies with me. So is itā¦ irresponsible to go out and patrol? To try and be a hero? Except, at the same time, I get Feats for doing things with my powers, apparently. I could get so many more points and so many more powers if I kept hunting Featsā¦ but it might be dangerous. No, it WOULD be dangerous.ā
At a loss, Jason looks at Taylor a bit helplessly.
āWhat should I do, Taylor?ā
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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, might have to change it at some point.
Jason's current banked points:
0 Celestial Points
Jason's current banked power:
N/A
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)
Comments
Lexin
Protectorate might be an easy option, maybe even connect to Cauldron... But going independent is a route with some chest hair, not that pansy stuff!
Josh Snider
The Protectorate is probably the smart option, but not really the Taylor choice.
Sith2go
Go big or go home! Summon Beelzebub The Lord of Flies!
Sith2go
If i got a booty call that ended with someone downloading the power to trap a kaiju in a pokeball. Then i would probably not handle the situation as gracefully as Taylor did.
JRC
I really think option 3 is the best choice, for multiple reasons. Sure, it sounds like what Taylor would actually suggest. Yeah, I think I'd be a good approach for Jason. The real trick though, is that I think it'd be awesome for Taylor. Not only would Jason get a partner he could rely on, but he'd be an awesome force multiplier for Taylor.
Gamertecno
Bug control... I wonder if he could summon hell bugs to see if she could control them?
UrpsychoEX
I like this idea!
Cambrian
An Iron Resolve was literally the longest thing I've ever written tbh lol. I would not expect me to surpass it in terms of length any time soon. I won't say never, but I don't like fics that go past 100 chapters so I consider AIR to be an exception rather than a new trend. We'll see though.
Nanaya7Nights
Unlike Free-writes Cam's CYoA stories tend to continue so long as there is materials, reader interest and Cam's muse is cooperative. This is why I am so interested in the current stories. The DC & Marvel stories have the potential to be quite long followed by this one and the Percy Jackson one. The Cyberpunk story is the only one I don't read as I haven't played dthe game or watched dthe anime yet.
Nanaya7Nights
Honestly Jason should suggest that they sell a reasonable quantity of Taylor's spider silk to Parian and bargain to have her make both their costumes as payment. And then they can ask Pariannfor guidance on selling stuff as rogues. Maybe they can make money selling some alchemical stuff created using material from Taylor's insects as Jason seemed to have thought of here.
Nanaya7Nights
True, but she would want to establish Hero-cred before applying for the Protectorate.
Nanaya7Nights
Fact is unless Jason is hidden from precogs, his decision to become a hero should create enough ripples in Contessa's paths for her to notice him. If the future suddenly involves a lot of major threats like Ash-beast, The Sleeper, Nilbog etc, being sealed then she will investigate regardless of what Jason choses to do. On top of it, I would say that the system itself is beyond the Entities' abilities to predict. So everytime Jason gets a new game changing pull, the future should undergo a major shift. So it is only a matter of time until Contessa notices that there is a new major player in the board.
Nanaya7Nights
I would suggest 1 if it was what Vicky or Crystal would suggest. But for Taylor, it can only be option 3. This is the perfect chance to prove that her bullies were wrong. And maybe Jason will end up sealing Lung along the way.
Touch
Man, i wish this one stretch a bit more, the last ironman story is also a bit short. Your novel is one of the few i love, and wish you include more character and repeat lewd scene with characters or even give it a slow slice of life build up/tension. Because you did so well with accelerated pace alr, just to vary the flavour
Airchampion
Most people would suggest Option 1 because itās the safest way to get points while gaining the resources to use his power to it fullest potential. But knowing what I know of Taylor, she definitely going to suggest Option 3.
Rapthorn2ndform
Ok 1 and 2 are probably the most logical... but this is Tayler "Poor decision making is my middle name" Hebert. Option 3 it is.
Cole Deucalion
Taylor ain't known for being subtle or laying low. Figured she'd say let's get to it together
SylverIron
.... Now I understand why Spider-man gets angry when people call him a bug. They're arachnids ffs! (Sarcasm... kinda)
Cambrian
Normal? This is an AU lol, I'm not following any rails here. Might steal random plot points, but not following the canon timeline.
Touch
Will the plot go on as normal? Isnāt it like a few months before endbringer comes, and he literally would have arsenal of power at that point? Or will author accelerate it?
Gerard del Oso
Tied down? Are you taking into account that Alexandria, aka member of Cauldron aka Rebecca Costa Brow is the leader of the PRT (And thus overseer of the Protectorate)? The moment Rebecca gets even a hint that someone could potentially help with the Endbringers, and more so, eventually Zion? She's putting the master of Hats on a mission to 'endanger' safely our boy.
jp9901
Taylor and Jason team up!
40kTitan
Third option is the least worst option (It is WORM, after all.) Plus, it gets Taylor yandere focusing on Jason while in a form fitting spider silk suit. With her proclivity to please, there maybe some opportunities to earn points using the sex and violence route while patrolling, dovetailing nicely with the blood,sex, and death buy.
SilverIceRing
Lol like Taylor would ever suggest the (seemingly) sane options of backing down or going to the authorities. Full speed ahead in getting them points!
Phraxius
I reckon she'd still have a pretty good opinion of the Protectorate at this point - wasn't she a bit of an Armsmaster (and Alexandria, which is ironic for *reasons*) fangirl? Still, she's not fond of authority either, IIRC.
Luke Skywalker
He goes to Protectorate and they find out about the Celestial system? He's getting tied the hell down faster than Velocity on crack. Lying low means no new powers since he's less likely to get points. Third option is a go.
