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

A/N: Alexandria’s plan is clearly perfect. No notes.

-x-X-x-

“Like most young men, he seems to have a proclivity for the fairer sex.”

Alexandria’s words hang in the air for a moment as everyone processes the meaning behind them. Number Man raises a brow. Doctor Mother frowns. Legend blinks. And Contessa… Contessa just looks a mixture of lost and blank-faced as ever.

The lost part is new, to be clear. The blank-faced bit is the norm. But suffice to say, David is not the only one who has been adversely affected by what happened today. Contessa’s power has been on the fritz ever since the defeat of the Simurgh and the corralling of the Endbringers. It was why Alexandria had gone to deal with the Dragonslayers instead, just to be safe.

Leaning forward, Doctor Mother clears her throat and narrows her eyes.

“Can you elaborate on exactly what you mean by that, Alexandria?”

Nodding decisively, she does.

“It’s simple enough. Portent is very obviously no older than mid-twenties at most. On top of that, he clearly has a healthy libido… and relations with many of the women orbiting him. The entire rest of Covenant are women, and so far he’s ‘rescued’ multiple female parahumans from peril, only to have them join up with him.”

Legend is the one frowning now.

“There’s no evidence that he did any of that for selfish reasons, is there? And just because the rest of his group happens to be female doesn’t mean he’s… some sort of sex fiend.”

Alexandria tilts her head in acknowledgment.

“You’re right. Alone, these things do not mean much. But combined with what happened with the Endbringers after Portent took control of them… he claimed it was his power ‘messing with him’. However, what we know of the passengers suggests that they are closely linked with our own impulses and desires, more often than not.”

Allowing herself a small smirk, she sweeps her gaze around the room.

“I believe Portent was telling the truth when he said he didn’t consciously transform the Simurgh into a big-breasted blonde angel-woman. I also believe that there was some part of him who wanted it anyways. At least in his case, his subconscious didn’t prompt the destruction of multiple cities and millions of lost lives.”

Her smirk drops by the end there, her tone becoming grave and serious. Everyone in the room grimaces at least a little bit at that. The thought that David… that Eidolon had been subconsciously controlling the Endbringers and pushing them to attack population centers all this time… well, it was a lot to grapple with.

Number Man is the next to speak up.

“What exactly are you suggesting then? You wish to lean on Portent’s proclivities in order to control him? That sounds like you’re suggesting a honeypot of some kind. Involving… who, exactly?”

“Me.”

Alexandria doesn’t hesitate. She throws out the name instantly. And then, while everyone else is sitting there in a state of shock, she gestures to Contessa.

“And Contessa. Both of us together should be able to wrangle Portent and get him on side. And with the Endbringers dealt with, we have time too. We can even get Portent to take care of some threats we’ve been leaving on the backburner for a while now. Such as the Slaughterhouse Nine.”

Doctor Mother shakes her head.

“The Siberian could still be an asset against the Enemy. Getting rid of the Slaughterhouse Nine at this stage would be premature.”

Premature. Alexandria wants to scoff at that, but then they’ve been having this argument since the Siberian, or rather William Manton, killed Hero. Alexandria might have lost an eye to the Siberian, but contrary to what the rest of the world might believe, she didn’t fear the projection.

She fully believed she could swoop in and kill Manton before the Siberian could protect him… if she were allowed to. Or if not here, Legend could do it with his powers easily. And from there, the Slaughterhouse Nine was mostly inconsequential in a possible fight with Scion, so cleaning the lot of them up would suddenly be much more viable.

Unfortunately, the rest of Cauldron did not agree. Doctor Mother and Number Man specifically wanted Manton and his cannibalistic projection left alone, and Contessa’s paths pointed to the Slaughterhouse Nine being too important to kill for the time being.

But Alexandria couldn’t help feeling like things had rather abruptly changed. They now had a cape in conscious control of twenty Endbringer-level entities. And more than that, his powers… well, it was obvious Portent was something they’d never seen before.

For the first time in a long time, Alexandria felt hope. And that was leading to… thoughts on just how shitty the rest of the world was and how maybe it didn’t have to be so shitty now that they had Portent on hand. Of course, they might have him ‘on hand’ but they didn’t have him ‘in hand’. Not yet. So… Alexandria drops the part about the Slaughterhouse Nine and focuses more on what really matters.

“We can decide what of our many problems we want to have Portent focus on first once we have him in hand. Going back to my plan, I fully believe that having Contessa and I seduce Portent will give the best results. There is no other way to get proper levers of control on him.”

Everyone else at the table exchanges glances with each other at that. Well, except for Contessa. She’s staring at Alexandria right now rather intensely, but as usual, Alexandria simply can’t read what the other woman is thinking.

Legend leans forward, clearing his throat.

“Are you absolutely sure that you and Contessa are the best for the job though? Even if we are in agreement that this is the best way to get closer to Portent, which I should clarify I’m not convinced of… surely you two aren’t his type, are you? Most of the women he’s… involved with are blondes.”

Alexandria takes Legend’s words as they’re intended and doesn’t get offended, but she shakes her head all the same.

“While most are indeed blonde, there are still obvious outliers. Amelia Lavere, for instance. And Weaver. Contessa and I can fit right in, I’m confident of it.”

Before Legend, Doctor Mother, or Number Man can say another word, Contessa suddenly speaks up for the first time since this conversation started.

“Alexandria is right. We need to get closer to Portent. This is the best way to do so.”

… Hm. Alexandria peers at Contessa curiously for a moment, even as the others all slump with the long practice of people used to just automatically listening to the Thinker 10 in their midst. While Contessa’s voice seemed to be its normal monotone, Alexandria had better senses than most and she thought she detected the faintest note of… interest just below the surface.

Clasping her hands together in front of her, Doctor Mother sighs.

“Very well… what would be the best way to insert the two of you into his lives?”

Alexandria blinks at that, glancing at Contessa… but rather uncharacteristically, Contessa glances back at her in turn. Like she has all the answers. Staring at both of them, Doctor Mother makes a noise in the back of her throat.

“You can’t possibly be planning to just… walk up to him as you both are and proposition him, right? At least utilize some guile here…”

Hm. Maybe Doctor Mother had a point. Then again, being upfront about things might legitimately be the best path forward. Alexandria considers the situation for a moment before coming to a decision.

“Here’s what we’ll do…”

-x-X-x-

Ding!

Oathsworn – Benevolence – 400 Points

Knights of Locthwain pride themselves on being able to withstand anything in the pursuit of their goals, but there are those who take this beyond the pale - there are those who’s lingering will and endurance are such that they can fight fiercely and carry on even past the point where any other men would have died - such Knights are capable of even shrugging off even dismemberment and impalement as flesh wounds. Nothing less than tearing you into pieces and scattering your body around would guarantee that you could stop fighting- as long as you have a leg to stand on or a hand to grasp at, you can still act and move till your life force gives out.

Boosted: Oathsworn - > Deathless Knight

Now this is just ridiculous. Simply put, your stores of vitality are genuinely through the roof. If Oathsworn were difficult to put down, you are (barring the use of annihilating flame or being reduced to nothing but pieces and paste) downright impossible to kill with mere blade and bow. You can heal from nearly any wound within a few moments, and your durability is such that the easiest and quickest way to kill you would have to be decapitation followed by the destruction of the head afterwards - one or the other would merely give you a chance to recover your head and place it back on.

Boost Requires Adamant Requirement Overridden by Major Regeneration Via Blood Empowerment Ritual

You now have 700 Points saved up!

His power is ‘nice’ enough to wait until Jason has finished explaining the events of the morning and the revelations surrounding the Endbringers, at least. In fact, when that familiar ‘Ding!’ arrives in his ear, the room is quiet anyways as everyone in Covenant is currently busy processing everything he’s just told him.

It’s one thing to know that Eidolon of all people was behind the Endbringers. It’s one thing to know that Jason now controls the Endbringers and they will never attack again. Hell, it’s one thing to know that there are twenty of the damn things and things were only ever going to get worse.

All of that combined however, even with the silliness of Jason’s power transforming the Simurgh and all the others into… voluptuous caricatures, is a lot to take in. A lot to absorb. A lot to process.

So yeah, Jason is giving them all a moment to come to terms with everything when his power decides its time for another pull. Even with that though, he doesn’t pay the pull much mind at first, instead concentrating on everyone’s faces and trying to gauge what they’re all thinking at the moment.

… But then he starts to actually read the power he’s being offered and Jason has to admit; it soon manages to gain his full attention. The first part is interesting to be sure, but it’s the second part that really catches his eye. Apparently this pull was one that came with a semi-requirement… namely, it had a more powerful version that only activated if he’d purchased another power entirely.

Obviously, Jason had yet to see this ‘Adamant’ Power that the Boost required… but in this case, it didn’t seem like that would matter because apparently his other work on himself had removed the requirement. Prioritizing self-healing and making sure he completed both tiers of the Regeneration Blood Empowerment Rituals was paying off in a big way.

Especially because… well, he still wasn’t entirely sure about the ‘Darkin Weapon’ he had in his Bank Slot. There seemed to be potential drawbacks there, while this wasn’t just all upside, it was rewarding him for previous good decision making.

Leaving his Bank Slot alone, Jason grabs Oathsworn right then and there.

Keep.

Oathsworn Purchased! 300 Points Remain!

Just in time too, because one of the girls finally breaks their silence a moment later.

“… If you control twenty Endbringers now, what does that mean for the future? What comes next?”

Taylor’s voice carries the faintest tremble to it and Jason doesn’t need to be a genius to look at her and see that she’s feeling no small fear of abandonment. But then, he can also see exactly where she’s coming from. They were supposed to be a team, after all… all of them in Covenant yes, but him and Taylor first before any of the others joined up. It was Portent and Weaver before it was Portent, Weaver, and Glory Girl, just like it was the three of them before it was Covenant.

But the truth was, Jason had continued to get stronger and stronger in a very short amount of time and it was obvious from the doubt and insecurity in Taylor’s eyes that she worried he was just going to leave them all in the dust… or more specifically, leave her in the dust.

Of course, a glance around at all of the others shows that they’re a little worried about that too. Even Lisa, who can literally use her power on him, looks ever so slightly uncertain.

Jason straightens up, squaring his shoulders and setting his jaw.

“Let me be perfectly clear. I’m not abandoning any of you. Not for anything, alright? As far as the future is concerned… we’re all going to start cleaning up this city and maybe this entire world together. That’s what comes next. Covenant… doing what we all know needs to be done. Inspiring hope wherever we go.”

Everyone looks a little bit inspired already by his words. But while some of them nod along, Vicky isn’t quite convinced. Crossing her arms over her chest, she narrows her eyes.

“… Okay but even if you let us tagalong, that’s all we’ll really be at this point, no? Tagalongs. Mascots. Portent’s Wondrous Blonde Harem plus Weaver. No offense Tay.”

Taylor snorts derisively even as Jason gawks.

“None taken. If I hadn’t literally watched him fuck an Asian and Middle Eastern lesbian couple a week ago, I’d have started wondering why I was even here.”

There’s some interest at that, though nobody gets the chance to ask more before Amelia clears her throat.

“Some offense taken here. Since you’re leaving me out and all.”

Vicky opens her mouth to apologize, but before she can, Jason cuts her off… because he’s just had an idea.

“What if it didn’t have to be that way though? The Endbringers… they’re machines. The Simurgh was the most advanced of them, but even she’s not actually human. She’s just alien programming running off of alien code, so to speak.”

They all give him their full attention as Jason begins to build up steam.

“I think I could… no, I know I could connect you to their cores. One apiece, maybe. And then it wouldn’t be me controlling twenty Endbringers, it would be each member of Covenant empowered by an Endbringer and capable of bringing all of that power to the forefront. You wouldn’t be mascots… you would be stronger than the Triumvirate themselves, each and every one of you.”

They all stare at him with wide eyes. Even Lisa, Jason notes with amusement, didn’t see that one coming apparently. To be fair, he’d basically spouted it out the moment he came up with it. Still, it feels right. It feels… like it just might work.

In the silence that follows, Jason’s phone chimes, signaling that he got a text before anyone can actually speak up about his proposal. Lisa’s eyes dip down to his pocket… and then widen in disbelief.

“You… you’re going to want to get that, Jason.”

Huh? Why? Well, if Lisa says so… Jason shrugs and pulls out his phone, checking the text. His eyes don’t widen, but his brow does raise when he sees who it’s from.

-x-X-x-

A/N: Remember to go back and VOTE!

-x-X-x-

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

Jason's current banked points:

300 Celestial Points

Jason's current banked power:

Darkin Weapon (400 Points)

Jason's current powers:

= Flash Air (Gained in Chapter 1

= Transformation Pendant (Gained in Chapter 4)

= Keen Eye (Gained in Chapter 4)

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

= Alchemical Prodigy (Gained in Chapter 8)

= Staff of Magnus (Gained in Chapter 13)

= Bind and Seal (Gained in Chapter 17)

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

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

= Restraining Order (Gained in Chapter 25)

= Focus (Gained in Chapter 28)

= Scarborough Fair (Gained in Chapter 30)

= Chaos Magic (Gained in Chapter 36)

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

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

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

= Lucky Charm (Gained in Chapter 51)

(Currently worn by Jason as of Ch. 51)

= Presidential Suit (Gained in Chapter 52)

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

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

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

(Crystal and Lisa both get Minor Regeneration)

= Second Skin (Gained in Chapter 58)

= Iron Fist (Gained in Chapter 63)

= Exceptional and Lucky (Gained in Chapter 69)

= Safety Minded (Gained in Chapter 72)

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