Jormungander

Armsmaster had received a call form Shadowstalker, who had sounded panicked, the call had been cut off mid report, but she had managed to get out a garbled report.

'great big bloody snake - urning - to stone - send backup - know who's doing it - HEBERT!'

The hero finished listening to the recording for the third time as he pulled up to the Winslow school parking lot, Miss Milita began walking over as soon as she noticed him pull up. With a nod she began speaking.

"Initial thermal scans revealed only a singular heat source, a large one, moving steadily throughout the school as though searching for something."

Armsmaster nodded in appreciation of the quick and to the point response as he moved, the other members of the Protectorate falling behind him. The only remaining member of the Protectorate not entering the school, Triumph, was remaining behind to command the wards. Director Piggot was standing my at the command center, with her finger on the metaphorical button.

If she declared a 'state of parahuman emergency', then not only would the national guard be deployed, but all nearby Protectorate stations or outposts would be required to send at least one veteran hero to reinforce the city. To be fair, she would also be forced to resign her position, face a massive fine, or even go to jail for a decade or two if her emergency claiming of resources was found to be false.

Armsmaster sighed as he shouldered his customary halberd and rolled his neck, his vertebrae cracking as prepared himself.

He took a deep breath, savoring the crisp winter air, tainted with the smell and sound of bodies and vehicles.

But there was something else, something musky, almost rotting. Maybe even something dead.

Scene Break

Immediately, as the Protectorate heroes entered the school, they each could feel something subtly wrong with the air, it showed in the tightened muscles, in their creasing lips, and in their stiff postures.

There was a thick and musty scent in the air, one of Armsmasters hands shot up in a clenched fist in a motion to stop.

Forward in the darkness of the abandoned high school, was a number of motionless shapes. The hero coughed loudly, but the figures showed no reaction. Again, he motioned for the other heroes to remain still as he slowly crept forward.

There was a scattering of statues, each one a separate image of frozen horror.

Armsmaster quietly turned on a com-link and spoke low.

"My facial recognition symptoms tell me these statues look like the students. I think the students, and most likely the staff of Winslow have been turned into these statues."

The other heroes cursed or frowned as it suited them but then froze, as they heard what sounded like silk on over gravel from behind them. They whirled, just in time to see the double doors that according to the schematics that were showing on his helmets hud, were to the schools gym.

Armsmaster was immediately on coms with the on-sight command center.

"This is Armsmaster, we've got a possible contact heading into the gym. Possible stranger classifications along with whatever happened to the students. Permission to pursue?"

Director Piggot replied promptly over coms, startling Armsmaster who expected the director to remain at headquarters.

"Permission granted Armsmaster, the Chief Director and the Triumvirate want to know what happened."

Armsmaster winced internally, Piggot was subtlety telling him that a lot of eyes were going to be on this. But at the same time, this was also an opportunity, if he could figure out what was doing this, and maybe even reverse the condition of stoned staff and students.

Armsmaster cautiously crept forward, and opened the double doors by using his halberd to open the door as his fellow heroes fell in behind him. As they stepped into the massive gymnasium, they heard that sound again, that silk on gravel sound.

The heroes carefully examined the gym. It was a standard basketball court surface, with collapsible metal and plastic stands on either side, with concrete steps and seats over the surrounding hallways and supply rooms that were hidden behind the plastic bleachers.

They cautiously made their way towards the middle of the room, and then they heard what sounded like crying, the heroes glanced at each other, before finally, Assault, grudgingly spoke up loudly in the near silence.

"Hello! Anyone here? Protectorate heroes are here, so please announce yourself!"

There was a heavy silence, steeped in a thick, almost cloying atmosphere that threatened to choke the breath form the heroes lungs.

And then like lighting from a clear blue sky, like the bullet from a gun, a massive form shot out from one of the partially obscure hallways, 3 feet, 6 feet, 8 feet, 15, 20 feet long.

A serpent, twenty feet long ended coiled up around the heroes, its darks scales seeming to absorb ambient light, while bone spurs, almost like spikes at every so often along the huge serpents began to flutter themselves erect.

And then the snake leaned its head in close, thick, semi transparent membrane over its eyes rendering the blueish grey orbs a milky-blind quality, and finally the massive snake spoke.

"Hello Heros."

End of Jormungandr chapter 1