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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/Klokinator on 2024-07-02 20:00:21+00:00.
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…
(Part 001)
After Jason and Hope depart, Henry finds himself momentarily stranded alone at the Northern Base. This short period of isolation disappears quickly once the other soldiers notice the two Wordsmiths have disappeared. As if responding to an unknown Henry-Signal, more then ten thousand men and women descend upon Henry and surround him, cheering wildly.
“Henry!” General Chadwick exclaim. “Great work out there, young man! You truly proved yourself today!”
“You were so cool!” One of the female troopers says.
“You didn’t flinch when the Kolvaxians attacked! You even managed to kill one!” A different man says. “My bullets wouldn’t have staggered it!”
“I was wrong about you. You’re not so bad after all.”
“Are all the members of Hope’s Parahumans as strong as you? Can I become one?”
“You? What about me? I want in!”
“I always believed in you, kid!”
“You’re so handsome! Are you dating anyone?”
“Yo, Henry, show us what that sword can do, man!”
“Can you lift a tank for us?”
“We’d have died if it wasn’t for you!”
…
Countless words barrage Henry, but he keeps his cool. After connecting to Jepthath’s power, he has long grown used to the dull roar of other voices in his head, so this crowd doesn’t faze him. However, he does grow annoyed by some of the self-serving praises these people are giving him.
That one guy saying he ‘always believed in me’ was one of the people who snubbed me after the Tribunal. He’s a coward and a liar. Henry thinks.
[Most people are.] Jepthath confirms. [Do not fall for the pleasant words of flattery foisted upon you by such types. Everyone wants to get close to a Hero, but if you lose your power, how many will stay by your side? Only the ones who do can be qualified to be your trusted comrades.]
Henry nods and smiles perfunctorily as whoops and cheers go up around the crowd. He pulls out Artoria’s blade, then stabs it into a boulder nearby, inviting people to try and pull it out. More than a hundred try, and it eventually becomes a bit of a game for them.
Eventually, Private Ashley walks over to Henry while the others are trying to pull the sword out.
“I’m sorry about earlier, Henry.” Ashley says. “I disrespected you because of the Tribunal. You saved my life, as well as the lives of everyone else here. You deserve better from us.”
Henry looks at the pretty young brown-haired girl, only a year older than him. Her sparkling eyes catch his gaze, and he swallows a small lump in his throat before looking off to the side, at Artoria’s blade.
“It’s fine. I can’t really judge people for not liking me. What I did to Neil was reprehensible.”
“Maybe so.” Ashley says. “And to be honest, we wouldn’t be having this conversation if you hadn’t saved everyone here. But we all do respect strength. I just want to apologize to you because it’s the right thing to do. You might be a lot stronger than the rest of us, but you’re no Demon Deity. You still risked your life against those Kolvaxians, and you ultimately saved tens of thousands of lives. I think you’ve redeemed yourself a thousand times over.”
Henry’s eyes drift back to Ashley. He smiles lightly.
“Well. That does make me feel a bit better. Thanks, Ashley.”
She smiles back, playing with her hair as she looks away. “It’s the bare minimum, really. I was so disrespectful to you before the raid, I really ought to wash my mouth out with soap. I also don’t want you thinking I’m only sucking up and trying to get in your good graces now that you’re so powerful.”
“The thought never even crossed my mind.” Henry lies. “What do you say about trying to pull Artoria out of the stone?”
Ashley blinks. “You… named the sword after Artoria?”
“Yeah.” Henry says, his smile dimming. “It felt appropriate, given her sacrifice.”
“Were you and Artoria an item?” Ashley asks.
“No. Nothing like that. I will admit to a small crush I developed during the battle but… it was short-lived. She and I barely ever spoke, and I doubt she held any thoughts toward me. Now she’s gone. I’ll never see her again.”
Ashley nods her head solemnly, her expression sympathetic. “We lost a good one. That was the second time I ever saw Artoria fight, the first being when she fought Demon Deity Mephisto. She left an impact, but I wish she’d been around longer so she could enjoy life.”
Henry’s eyes momentarily harden. A dark expression passes over his face as he gazes at Artoria’s blade.
“Somehow, I’ll make the Kolvaxians pay. I’ll make it my life’s mission if I have to. Not just for Artoria, but for all the others who’ve died.”
The two continue talking for a little bit, and Henry’s emotions cool. Eventually, their conversation draws to a close, and Henry walks over to Artoria, embedded in the stone.
“Did anybody manage to pull it out?” He asks.
“Not one person.” Linda Hurent says, watching from the sidelines. “That thing must weigh a ton!”
“Two tons, actually.” Henry says. “In its default state. One ton in its lightweight form, and four in its heaviest mode. Does anyone else want to give it one last try?”
Ashley grins. “I will! Probably won’t accomplish anything other than looking like a dummy, but I’ve gotta try!”
She activates her full T-REX, enveloping her body, then she grabs the handle and tugs mightily with all her strength.
“Hunnnngh!”
Unfortunately, Ashley doesn’t even manage to make the blade shift its weight. She gives up, perspiring lightly within her suit’s confines.
“Never mind! You must be ridiculously strong to swing this thing around at its full weight, Henry.”
Henry shrugs. “Definitely. But we all know you’re holding back, Ashley. Why don’t you… monsterize? Show us what you can really do?”
Despite wearing a helmet that hides her face, Ashley still freezes like a deer in the headlights. She slowly looks around, where many people are looking at her with hungry eyes, waiting to see what the strongest Orc-Morpher can do.
“I… I don’t wanna become an orc again!” Ashley complains. “Orcs are so ugly! I think I’ll pass…”
“Come on, Ashley!”
“You can do it!”
“Let’s go, girl! Show us what you’ve got!”
“Just do it! Don’t be scared!”
“We’re not judging you! Show us how strong you are!”
Under the pressure from her peers, Ashley’s hesitation crumbles. She grimaces inside her helmet, but eventually retracts her exosuit, standing only in her normal combat fatigues. After a second’s hesitation, she reaches inside herself and grabs onto the power within, monsterizing her body and rapidly releasing the power of an orc!
Her height increases by 50%. Her muscles explode. Ashley roars to the sky as she towers nine feet tall, dwarfing every other human around her and causing them to look up at her with awe-filled eyes. While her true combat power in her orc form might not meet the level of a Demon Duke, she’s certainly at the level of a Demon Baron, and her physical body likely breaks that limiter, if only by a little.
Her uniform tears in several places, but she manages to retain her modesty. Luckily, in her orc form, many of her inhibitions disappear, and she ends up standing proudly, looking down on the tiny people around her with a wicked grin.
“This puny little sword won’t stop me anymore!” Ashley declares, in a manner more verbose than most orcs. While she might have become one of them, her brain patterns are still distinctly human.
Henry blinks twice. He’s seen Ashley in her orc form once before, in a training area, but for some reason…
Has she gotten taller? Henry wonders to himself. She seems stronger than I remember.
Jepthath watches the scene through Henry’s eyes. He chuckles mischievously. [Heh. Now there’s a fine woman. You don’t find too many of her caliber no matter how hard you look, yet this little lady is strangely bashful about displaying her abilities. If she practiced more, she could put up a good fight against you, Henry.]
Ashley reaches down and grabs hold of Artoria. She pulls, and the blade immediately shudders as she starts yanking it up out of the rock. Not two seconds later, she pulls it free and shakily holds it overhead, using both hands as she holds it in the sky.
“Woohoo! I did it! Ashley McCarthy is the best!”
The crowd cheers!
“Amazing, Ashley! You’re stronger than I expected!”
“We couldn’t even budge the sword a millimeter but you pulled it all the way out!”
People congratulate Ashley, making her think that maybe monsterizing isn’t always as bad as she expects. Even some of the men direct appreciative gazes her way, admiring her fine…
Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/1dtv6dq/the_cryopod_to_hell_572_beauty_and_the_beast/
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