Alley 0

[kenod]

Kumiko's mouth fell open. "Uhm," she said, looking at KanMien. "I told you there was nothing to worry about," they said. "Also, you should close your mouth." They sighed. "Do you really think someone can get this far into the alleys without been seen? He was probably monitored since the moment he entered."
Kumiko quickly closed her mouth. "Yeah, but how did you know he was there?" She asked.
"I've got an improved sense of smell as well you know," KanMien replied. "I can freely modify my body, remember? Improving my senses is easy. Now hush, and lets pay attention to the meeting."

[+ZincAboutIt]

Lita clutched the coin - now cool and blank - in a white-knuckled fist as she watched the Stranger wield at least four separate powers with terrifying ease. Her eyes widened of their own accord.

"Ruination," she breathed softly, almost without thinking. At least a few people in the room looked equally amazed. She edged a little further away until her back pressed reassuringly against the wall of the Alley, and she breathed a little easier.

This is the person who wants to speak with me later? She thought, fighting down a strange mixture of awe, terror, and excitement. Keep it together, it won't do to faint at your first big meeting. Lita managed a small bit of pity for whoever had made the terrible choice of eavesdropping here, though what could they have honestly expected? 

Glad I'm spying for the Dark Alley, not on them, she mused, taking another look at the coin in her palm. Lita had about a thousand questions, but those could wait. Clearly, now was not the time for interruptions.

[Truthless of Shinovar]

21 minutes ago, Fatebreaker said:

The Stranger tilted his head almost imperceptibly, then snapped his fingers. In an instant the air around the intruders limbs and face were soulcast into steel, forming restraints and a gag would prevent speech. He then burned the tiniest bit of iron and dragged the man into the center of the room. With a casual air he reached out with his left hand and lashed the man to the floor a dozen times over, while his right drew aons that would prevent any sort of teleportation. 

“Congratulations you’ve been selected to sample some of our signature Dark Alley products! Could I interest you in a chocolate wafer?”

He pulled a copper spike from his pocket and pushed it through his captives shoulder. It went through like a javelin through a juice box: with a wet sound. He pulled it out the other side and dropped it into a vial, which disappeared into his coat.

“I’ve taken the liberty of ‘borrowing’ this fellows mind. We can decide what to do to him later. Now, where were we?”

 

Quote

ooh, this sounds fun! I'm going to go ahead and assume that this is me that your talking about. But um... godmodding?

Nultūk tried to resist, but the force dragged him, something more powerful than he had ever experienced in his life. His wriggling grew more franitc as he approached the man, for every fiber in his being shouted that he needed to get away from this man, this incredible force of power, this monster. But when he was lashed downwards, he knew he was doomed. Soal, Nultūk's spren tried to speak, to reason with this thing, but Nultūk just knew... it was hopeless. Storms. I guess this is where it ends... When the spike impaled Nultūk, he let out a guttural yell, silent to everyone but himself. With what little stormlight he had left, he was able to heal himself, just to the point of survival, but soon after, his powers faded away. Soal somehow became... fused... with the metal that had passed through Nultūk's body, and he was left feeling totally and utterly hopeless. Something was missing... something within him, something he could not wrap his mind around. Nultūk struggled to move, to talk, to do anything, but couldn't. HIs conscience was there, barely, and fading, but any semblance of control over his body had dissapeared. Only the Almighty knew what would come next.

[Fatebreaker]

Quote

@Truthless of Shinovar normally it would be, but in the context of this setting this is the best you could hope for. I won’t kill your character, but trying to eavesdrop on this meeting would end in obliteration in almost every conceivable circumstance. 

 

[Truthless of Shinovar]

Quote

lol, got it, i'm excited to see what happens to Nultūk, where his story is going to go!

 

[Fatebreaker]

Quote

I admire your openness and bravery!

 

[Truthless of Shinovar]

Quote

Thanks, I'm still new to the Alleyverse, so none of the characters are personal or anything, and it's really cool to see this group effort to write a book. I guess it's more like reading a book, and your favorite character is in serious trouble, and you got no idea what's going to happen to them!

 

[Fatebreaker]

Quote

Yeah, trouble is a bit of an understatement. Voidus and the Stranger, both of whom are in the room and don’t take kindly to spies, are the two most powerful entities in the Alleyverse. There was a 90% chance that they would’ve opted for instant disintegration.

 

[MacThorstenson]

Quote

Don’t forget The third most powerful person in the alleyverse, Mac!

He can’t disintegrate people, but he certainly could kill them easily, as well as fanboy over the Stranger.

Mac watched the coin roll and begin to glow, Could this be it? He wondered.

The Stranger stepped out of the light and began talking. All of the words that he was saying were drowned out by Mac's internal screaming.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!!!!! HES BACK AAAAAAAAAAAH!

Mac started breathing deeply, Keep it together man. Don't Embarrass yourself, you got this. Keep calm. The Stranger proceeded to, in less than three seconds, use a variety of magics to completely contain someone.

OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH. Breath in, breath out, You got this.

1 hour ago, Fatebreaker said:

“I’ve taken the liberty of ‘borrowing’ this fellows mind. We can decide what to do to him later. Now, where were we?”

Mac spoke up, his voice carefully controlled.

"If you don't mind sir, the DoCI can take him off your hands. As to where we were, I believe that Voidus has received special information that could require the full force of the DA behind it."

Internally he slapped himself. He should have set up better security, now the DoCI is going to look useless. 

@Voidus

 

Edited May 7, 2019 by MacThorstenson

[Fatebreaker]

Quote

 @MacThorstenson Of course! Mac is bad news!

 

Edited May 7, 2019 by Fatebreaker

[Voidus]

Quote

Yeah just a heads up in case anyone else was considering trying to spy here, it is definitely a bad idea and given the levels of paranoia gong on here the most likely response is going to be the death of your character. The Godmodding rule doesn't let other people control your character in order to kill them but it's not an excuse to ignore all consequences, if you walk into a place where certain, unavoidable death awaits you then you are still going to die. Pretty much everyone in this room is going to be capable of killing any normal player character if they came here.

18 hours ago, ZincAboutIt said:

Lita nodded at Mac's dismissal, stepping back towards the wall and casting a look out over the crowd.

 Lethal indeed, she thought, thankful for her brassminds. I'll have enough heat stored to last me through a lifetime of burning tin by the end of the day if this coin doesn't cool down soon.

She saw Laurelai moving along the wall a bit further down the Alley and tried to catch her eye, raising her one free hand in a wave and keeping the other curled around the coin. Lita felt a genuine smile tug the corner of her mouth at the sight of Laurelai, along with a small twinge of guilt. How, exactly, did one apologize for leaving someone at a doomed dinner party after a giant Horneater burned a hole in the wall? Did they sell cards for that sort of thing? Rather eager to put some distance between herself and Voidus, she edged along the wall some six feet or so and raised her hand again, hoping to catch Laurelai's eye. @Voidus

Laurelai finally managed to catch sight of Lita raising her hand, she seemed to have escaped in good order and without any further damage, though she did seem a little nervous about the meeting. Then again Laurelai couldn't exactly blame her for that, she was nervous as well and she'd been in the DA for years not days.

A short distance away Okame stood as well, seeming similarly healthy. He was standing in the middle of a large glyph that seemed to be burned in the ground, standing tall and proudly.

That one's almost fitting in too well. Laurelai noted with a dry smile.

She made her way towards Lita, slipping through gaps in the crowd as it formed until she emerged in a somewhat open area near Lita. There seemed to be a commotion from somewhere else but she by the time she turned to take a look it already seemed to be calming down, probably just another Denizen trying to make a dramatic entrance.

"Made it out in one piece then?" Laurelai asked as she settled against the wall once more. "Nicely done, that situation was going sour faster than a Callingfale red."

She gave a small smirk towards Lita, unlike the port that the two had been drinking when they'd first met wine made in Callingfale was famously terrible, as one would be expected of something crafted outside of the basin.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Voidus' eyes snapped to the same place as the Strangers, but before he could react the Stranger had already Soulcast a block of metal around the intruder and pulled him forward, spiking out his mind from his body.

Voidus raised an eyebrow at the unexpectedly gentle treatment of the uninvited guest.
 
"Did that time in research make you lose your edge?" He asked the Stranger playfully, a small smile upon his face once more.

Well, no doubt the Stranger had something far worse than death in line for the fellow, Voidus had never been quite as inventive as the Stranger when it came to these things, he preferred a direct approach.

"But that does remind me." He said, more to himself than anything. "My apologies to any of our spren present.

With that a halo of dark light began to spread from him, lowering the already dim light still further as it continued to expand, eventually encompassing all present. Whenever a spren was bathed in the light they suddenly and silently winked out of existence as he Voidmade their connection to the physical realm for the time being.

"My apologies for that." Voidus said, a little louder now as he stood next to the Stranger by the cart. His voice seemed to carry through the Alley, not echoing but seeming to be pulled along by the air itself so that even at this volume he could still be heard.

"They'll be back shortly but just to avoid any cognitive or spiritual entities that aren't supposed to be here."

He cast his eyes across the assembled group once more, eyes piercing and looking through those present, seeking out anyone else who didn't belong.

"Well, that should do for now." He said finally. "So, to business. Firstly I would like to make something of an announcement and celebration, as some of you may have noticed by now our Head of Research and Development as well as Advertising for the Dark Alley has returned to us."

With that he turned, sweeping an arm towards the Stranger next to him and giving him a rare genuine smile.

"Any words to share?" He asked.

[+ZincAboutIt]

13 minutes ago, Voidus said:

"Made it out in one piece then?" Laurelai asked as she settled against the wall once more. "Nicely done, that situation was going sour faster than a Callingfale red."

She gave a small smirk towards Lita, unlike the port that the two had been drinking when they'd first met wine made in Callingfale was famously terrible, as one would be expected of something crafted outside of the basin.

Lita blinked, then shook her head, clearing her thoughts and turning toward Laurelai. She replayed the woman's words, then pulled a face and chuckled.

"Ugh," she whispered, crossing her arms and putting one foot up against the wall to give the impression of greater ease. "I thought I'd seen the last of Callingfale red after I left Scadrial. Don't remind me now. And as far as my 'escape method,' well, let's say it wasn't exactly my first choice. Nearly lost my spectacles after the flying wonder over there flung us through the rusting wall."

Lita looked up at Laurelai, then back to Voidus and the Stranger.

"Don't miss much between them, do they?" She said quietly, nodding towards the pair. It was like watching two gods play in a sandbox, except the sandbox was her world, and she was one of the sand grains. She suppressed a shudder, trying to focus.

[Fatebreaker]

The Stranger nodded in greeting as Voidus introduced him.

“My work has been arduous and secretive, but I have furthered our understanding of Science and achieved great success that I hope to one day share with all of you. I know that my handling of this intruder may leave some of you with doubts of my capabilities and judgement, but rest assured my power has not diminished,” 

As he spoke he pointed towards the comatose man on the floor and soulcast him into smoke. He wove his fingers in a loose pattern then pointed at the ground, where the man reformed, appearing untouched.

“nor has my mind. For the less experienced of you, I just deconstructed and reconstructed this fellow in his entirety. That means organs, neurons, and cells, all perfectly recreated. If he was still in possession of a mind, he would find all of his memories in tact, which is the trickiest bit.”

He grinned and took a small bow. “All that to say, I am thrilled to walk among you once more and eagerly anticipate our future collaborations. I can tell by merely glancing around the room that there is a wealth of power and potential residing in you. Let the Light of Science shine ever brighter, held aloft by your noble hands!”

[old man moomba]

A man in a mask and a black suit leaned against something. The man wasn't sure what it actually was that he was leaning on, but that didn't matter.

[MacThorstenson]

That thing turned out to be an intelligent drop bear. 

This drop bear didn’t like being leaned against.

The brute grabbed onto the masked man then summoned his all powerful dropping abilities to drop through the alleys into the void, destroying the man. 

Once the man was destroyed the drop bear changed the direction he was dropping and then landed where he had started.

[old man moomba]

"Or dear," the exact clone of the man said, "That was sad." then he began to take notes.

"No, wait why are you deleting that part of the sentence!?" he screamed as several mimes dragged him away.

Edited May 8, 2019 by Dr. Dapper

[Voidus]

Laurelai winced in sympathy, she'd been carried by a Windrunner once before and regardless of how much she screamed that falling was not the same thing as flying he'd insisted on travelling that way for their entire journey. She could only imagine how horrible it would be to be with one who had access to Division as well.

And then she followed Lita's gaze, staring at the two men in the front of the crowd, her eyes looked past them a little ways to see Mac nearby as well though he seemed a little out of sorts. The three most powerful people in the DA, probably in the entire Alleyverse, all gathered in the same place.

She shivered along with Lita. Even knowing that they were on the same side, standing next to that made her feel uncomfortable. It was like those weapons from that planet the Epics were from, or the ones that the marines used in the seven day war to level the city. Even if you're the one holding them, standing next to something capable of instantly ending your life was not comfortable. She was under no illusions that she could survive if these three decided to kill her, they could likely kill everyone here with about as much resistance as ants could put up against an exterminator.

"No, I don't think they do." She agreed.

She watched as the Stranger Soulcast a bound figure into smoke, impressed with the speed that he managed it on a sentient being, but when the smoke reformed into the same body she felt her jaw drop.

That... that was Soulcasting. Not a forgery, not a preprepared Aonic formula... he just instantly deconstructed and reconstructed a living body.

She stared for seconds, missing a few beats of conversation before her senses started working again.

"Let the Light of Science shine ever brighter, held aloft by your noble hands!” The Stranger finished

This was someone who created history in a way that she would never be able to. Not through Investiture and Forgery, but by force of will and power. Someone who knew more secrets than she could ever learn, no matter how many copperminds she used. Someone who could reform reality itself at a whim.

"What kind of history was needed to make someone like that?" She wondered aloud, half in awe, half ravenous curiosity.

How does someone learn those kinds of secrets?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Voidus watched the Strangers display, smile still upon his face. The man certainly knew how to drive home a point, demonstrating a finesse of Soulcasting that no other could match and simultaneously showing both the ease with which he could kill the body and his indifference towards the act itself.

It's certainly going to liven things up, having him back again. Voidus mused.

"Thank you indeed." He said, stepping forward and joining the round of applause that steadily began rippling out, continuing unabated for several seconds before finally silence began to take over once more. "But happy though we are to have the Stranger back in our midst, there is another reason this meeting was called."

Voidus' face lost all mirth in an instant, his eyes grew cold and dark, seeming to suck in the light even without the use of any further Voidmaking. He slowly looked out over the assembled crowd once more, waiting for the few lingering conversations to trickle off and then continued.

"A little over a year ago now I stepped back out into the world. At that time I feared that someone may have grabbed hold of a certain amount of power that I left behind."

He saw a number of faces pale, a few glances subtly shifted towards Mac. The story hadn't been publicized but a number were still aware of what had nearly happened, that whatever that power had been, losing it was enough for Voidus to nearly kill a department head and one of the pillars of the DA.

"That day we discovered a new enemy, an enemy who has been hindering our activities ever since." Voidus continued. "Sudiov wields the power from the Void in the same way I do, though he turns it against us. I have no doubt that his threat will pass, we will gain back what was lost and return to continue our research without these shackles."

A number of denizens began to look around in confusion, most had assumed that the only threat that could justify calling a meeting like this would be Sudiov. What else could cause enough trouble that the DA had to act against it?

"Earlier this evening someone else began to use this same power. Without any direct connection at all someone has managed to access the Void."

The light dimmed still further, Voidus' expression warping into a mask of fury as the air seemed to hang heavier around him, some of the nearby Denizens began to stiffen, feeling something pulling against them. An unseen wind that seemed to tug at the soul itself.

"And worse still, this connection is being used to create things from it. They drive it against its very nature, applying Investiture to constrain and drive and twist."

The unseen wind seemed to pick up still further, no clothes were moved, no hair was tousled, it could only be felt. A cold wind that continued to blow, becoming a maelstrom of chaotic force centered around Voidus. Small streamers of light began to emerge from nearby spheres, from spikes that people held free, from fabrials and Awakened objects.

Seeing the lights begin to emerge Voidus paused. He took a large settling breath, casting a very brief, ashamed glance towards Mac.

Right after I'd lectured him about losing control and using too much. He chided himself.

The wind settled, finally dying down completely as Voidus regained control over his expression. Stoically he looked out once again.

"Someone is trying to steal something that belongs to us. Someone is trying to rob the Dark Alley on a scale not attempted before. The second reason I have asked you all here today is for a second announcement. The Dark Alley is heading out to war."

Voidus stepped back, shrugging apologetically towards the Stranger and Mac as he turned to face the two of them.

"Might have gotten a little carried away." He admitted.

Behind them the crowd burst into whispered conversation, though a few grand cheers could be heard as well, likely from the folks in acquisitions and testing departments.

[+ZincAboutIt]

9 minutes ago, Voidus said:

"What kind of history was needed to make someone like that?" She wondered aloud, half in awe, half ravenous curiosity.

Lita looked back at Laurelai over her shoulder, noticing the tone of her voice - that hungry cadence Lita herself had felt many times. A hunger for secrets. What indeed, Lita thought. Someone who held that kind of power had to know practically anything - everything. 

Anything is attainable. The Stranger's own words. "But there is always a price," Lita murmured, looking back at Voidus, the Stranger, and Mac. What kind of prices had they paid? Were still paying? Who was the Stranger, before this place, and how much of him was still left? How much would be left of Lita, before her time in the Alleys ended?

An odd, tugging feeling broke Lita's train of thought, and she looked around. Some of the people nearby wore similarly confused expressions. Lita turned her attention to Voidus, whose measured, steady voice began to smolder and crack as he spoke. The tugging continued, an intangible wind, a leash around her soul - pulling. She held her breath, foolishly trying to keep whatever-it-was from pulling anything else from her.

Then, it stopped. Lita let out a slow, tentative sigh and looked down at the coin in her hand out of habit. Blank. She grimaced at it, noting that her nails had left deep red half-moon impressions in her palm where she'd been clenching them.

"The second reason I have asked you all here today is for a second announcement. The Dark Alley is heading out to war."

Lita's head snapped up at that, eyes shooting immediately towards Mac. If there was to be war, they'd need spies. Good ones.

"I hope we win this war," Lita said, edging closer to Laurelai. "I don't fancy being someone else's power demonstration." She nodded toward the re-formed body of the intruder. 

[Fatebreaker]

The Stranger’s expression grew grim as Voidus outlines the reason for their gathering. He hadn’t seen his friend this angry in a long time. He didn’t like the sound of this Suidov. He would need to be dealt with. The fact that Voidus hadn’t already done so was enough cause for concern. His affinity for the Void was unparalleled, even by the Stranger himself, meaning this Sudiov was a foe to be reckoned with.

Voidus grew even more angry, and the Void began surging faith in him as the Stranger watched. This could be disastrous, one slip and Voidus would destroy everyone here without even trying. He prepared to intervene, reaching a hand into his coat. But just as he was about to act, Voidus seemed to gain control, releasing the power harmlessly. The Stranger let out an inward sigh of relief; trying to stop and enraged Voidus was the last thing he wanted to do right now. This third party, whoever they were, were in for worlds of suffering they couldn’t begin to understand. Voidus and lost control like this for a long time. What had changed?

Looking closer at his friend, the Stranger began to notice details that he had missed. The bags under the eyes, the worry lines in the brow, the way his index finger twitched almost imperceptibly. 

The recent years have not been kind to you, old friend. Whoever this Sudiov is, I will make him pay for the insult he has dealt to the Dark Alley, and to you.

He looked up as Voidus finished and made his way over. “Might have gotten a little carried away.” he admitted. The Stranger shook his head. “Don’t sweat it, from the looks of it you haven’t had the chance to let loose in far too long. I on the other hand, got to release a lot of steam in a friendly bout with you from a different temporal sector, so I’m feeling a lot more relaxed. Maybe some time I’ll tell you who won.” 

He winked, or was it blinking? He only had one eye to close. He was never sure about which it was, but decided that it was situational, or perhaps up to interpretation. Maybe the speed of movement had something to do with it? It was something to be revisited. He turned towards Mac

“You’ve always had your ear to the proverbial ground, what do you think about the situation? I think you would be best suited for coordinating the assault on the new rift, seeing as you’re the head of counterintelligence.”

He turned to Voidus, “And I need you to tell me what you can about this Sudiov. Given the fact that you haven’t reduced him to subatomic soup, I can deduce that he is quite powerful. Is it possible that he’s working with the new organization? Also, I think it’d be beneficial for Mac to learn what he can about Voidmaking. He may not have snapped yet, but the knowledge would be good for him.”

[xinoehp512]

Rekaerb watched the proceedings with awe, clapping with the rest of the crowd. This... this truly was the most powerful guild in the Alleyverse. There was so much potential for him here. 

Maybe, one day, that'll be me. 

It would take time, of course. But he had time. And he knew how to get more.

Suddenly, a question popped into his head. Something that Voidus had said...

He raised his hand, a little uncertainly, hoping and fearing that someone would call on him.

[MacThorstenson]

Macs eyes rose during this entire speech. This was a big deal.

57 minutes ago, Voidus said:

Laurelai winced in sympathy, she'd been carried by a Windrunner once before and regardless of how much she screamed that falling was not the same thing as flying he'd insisted on travelling that way for their entire journey. She could only imagine how horrible it would be to be with one who had access to Division as well.

And then she followed Lita's gaze, staring at the two men in the front of the crowd, her eyes looked past them a little ways to see Mac nearby as well though he seemed a little out of sorts. The three most powerful people in the DA, probably in the entire Alleyverse, all gathered in the same place.

She shivered along with Lita. Even knowing that they were on the same side, standing next to that made her feel uncomfortable. It was like those weapons from that planet the Epics were from, or the ones that the marines used in the seven day war to level the city. Even if you're the one holding them, standing next to something capable of instantly ending your life was not comfortable. She was under no illusions that she could survive if these three decided to kill her, they could likely kill everyone here with about as much resistance as ants could put up against an exterminator.

"No, I don't think they do." She agreed.

She watched as the Stranger Soulcast a bound figure into smoke, impressed with the speed that he managed it on a sentient being, but when the smoke reformed into the same body she felt her jaw drop.

That... that was Soulcasting. Not a forgery, not a preprepared Aonic formula... he just instantly deconstructed and reconstructed a living body.

She stared for seconds, missing a few beats of conversation before her senses started working again.

"Let the Light of Science shine ever brighter, held aloft by your noble hands!” The Stranger finished

This was someone who created history in a way that she would never be able to. Not through Investiture and Forgery, but by force of will and power. Someone who knew more secrets than she could ever learn, no matter how many copperminds she used. Someone who could reform reality itself at a whim.

"What kind of history was needed to make someone like that?" She wondered aloud, half in awe, half ravenous curiosity.

How does someone learn those kinds of secrets?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Voidus watched the Strangers display, smile still upon his face. The man certainly knew how to drive home a point, demonstrating a finesse of Soulcasting that no other could match and simultaneously showing both the ease with which he could kill the body and his indifference towards the act itself.

It's certainly going to liven things up, having him back again. Voidus mused.

"Thank you indeed." He said, stepping forward and joining the round of applause that steadily began rippling out, continuing unabated for several seconds before finally silence began to take over once more. "But happy though we are to have the Stranger back in our midst, there is another reason this meeting was called."

Voidus' face lost all mirth in an instant, his eyes grew cold and dark, seeming to suck in the light even without the use of any further Voidmaking. He slowly looked out over the assembled crowd once more, waiting for the few lingering conversations to trickle off and then continued.

"A little over a year ago now I stepped back out into the world. At that time I feared that someone may have grabbed hold of a certain amount of power that I left behind."

He saw a number of faces pale, a few glances subtly shifted towards Mac. The story hadn't been publicized but a number were still aware of what had nearly happened, that whatever that power had been, losing it was enough for Voidus to nearly kill a department head and one of the pillars of the DA.

"That day we discovered a new enemy, an enemy who has been hindering our activities ever since." Voidus continued. "Sudiov wields the power from the Void in the same way I do, though he turns it against us. I have no doubt that his threat will pass, we will gain back what was lost and return to continue our research without these shackles."

A number of denizens began to look around in confusion, most had assumed that the only threat that could justify calling a meeting like this would be Sudiov. What else could cause enough trouble that the DA had to act against it?

"Earlier this evening someone else began to use this same power. Without any direct connection at all someone has managed to access the Void."

The light dimmed still further, Voidus' expression warping into a mask of fury as the air seemed to hang heavier around him, some of the nearby Denizens began to stiffen, feeling something pulling against them. An unseen wind that seemed to tug at the soul itself.

"And worse still, this connection is being used to create things from it. They drive it against its very nature, applying Investiture to constrain and drive and twist."

The unseen wind seemed to pick up still further, no clothes were moved, no hair was tousled, it could only be felt. A cold wind that continued to blow, becoming a maelstrom of chaotic force centered around Voidus. Small streamers of light began to emerge from nearby spheres, from spikes that people held free, from fabrials and Awakened objects.

Seeing the lights begin to emerge Voidus paused. He took a large settling breath, casting a very brief, ashamed glance towards Mac.

Right after I'd lectured him about losing control and using too much. He chided himself.

The wind settled, finally dying down completely as Voidus regained control over his expression. Stoically he looked out once again.

"Someone is trying to steal something that belongs to us. Someone is trying to rob the Dark Alley on a scale not attempted before. The second reason I have asked you all here today is for a second announcement. The Dark Alley is heading out to war."

Voidus stepped back, shrugging apologetically towards the Stranger and Mac as he turned to face the two of them.

"Might have gotten a little carried away." He admitted.

Behind them the crowd burst into whispered conversation, though a few grand cheers could be heard as well, likely from the folks in acquisitions and testing departments.

Mac's eyes rose during the speech. Voidus didn't lose control often, but when he did it was a mess. Mac started bringing alleys close by for the denizens to escape. If he waited until Voidus lashed out, then he would take all of their ability to manipulate the alleys.

They would all be dead, and while that would be interesting, it would not solve the problem. Just when the cold wind reached its peak Mac reached to trigger The Contingency, but then the wind died down and everything returned to normal.

Mac let out a little sigh. It would not be good for Voidus to die.

Voidus looked toward them, then said "Might have gotten a little carried away."

"No might about it, but no one died, so we are all good. Except for Mackck strain 15 #04956. He's dead as a doorknob." Mac glanced over at the petri dish that held Makck strain 15 #04956. Due to the miniature size of his spikes he was not unscathed by the Voidmaking. "But it's alright, we have other Makck's. They are just amoeba. Incredibly invested amoeba, but still amoeba." He turned to look at the Stranger as he started to talk.

23 minutes ago, Fatebreaker said:

“You’ve always had your ear to the proverbial ground, what do you think about the situation? I think you would be best suited for coordinating the assault on the new rift, seeing as you’re the head of counterintelligence.”

“And I need you to tell me what you can about this Sudiov. Given the fact that you haven’t reduced him to subatomic soup, I can deduce that he is quite powerful. Is it possible that he’s working with the new organization? Also, I think it’d be beneficial for Mac to learn what he can about Voidmaking. He may not have snapped yet, but the knowledge would be good for him.”

He gathered his thoughts. Then started to tell them what he knew.

"I will start at the end of your questions, even though they are technically addressed to Voidus, I can lend some insight. I have snapped into Voidmaking, and I know the theory behind it, but lack practical experience, I am trying to learn as fast as I can though." Mac's tone shifted as if he were giving a briefing. This was what he was good at, delivering intelligence. He could do that.

"If my guess about who the new organization is is correct, Sudiov would not be in league with them. Sudiov is, to the best of my knowledge, a splinter of Voidus' power that has aligned themselves with TUBA. He has been sieging the alleys, and any DA members who leave the alleys are weakened to a normal persons level of strength.Voidus has been Keeping him off of the alleys, but our operations have been relatively limited. They are roughly equal in power, so neither is able to gain the upper hand. I imagine that if you have snapped into Voidmaking, the both of us can help Voidus in overwhelming Sudiov, but for now we need to focus on this other group." He paused for a moment, thinking about how Sudiov would be impacted by this use of the Void. "Voidus, would Sudiov also notice this? How would he react? As to the guilds, I guess the easiest way would be to look at the money. Off the top of my head I can't recall the specific figures, but I know that generally there are only a few guilds who have the resources, desire, and unaccounted money to pull of something like this." 

The craftsmen haven't built anything recently that could affect the Void, TUBA's financial records are clean as snow. The Ghostbloods could have caused it. Trident manufacturing could be involved, but I doubt it. None of the other groups except the new plasma thingy and the GB's have resources or desire to do anything like this.

Mac frowned, and started removing a few of his spikes until he was left with the One Power spike and the super raspberry blowing spike. The competing identities got in the way of his thought process.

Yes, the plasma group could have caused it, so could the Ghostbloods. Trident could have as well, but they were so close to the GB's that it was almost indistinguishable. The GB's money was the only money really unaccounted for, even then their secret projects were accounted for, and none of them fit this profile.

"I would investigate the new plasma group first and the GB's second. We know the least about the first group, in fact they just had a public reveal a day or two ago. They appear to be science based/research based and they are tight lipped about their projects. They were asking for money to support them. I will try to find out more about them, then get back to you later, but if we are going to attack anyone randomly, it should be them."

[Snipexe]

"The Dark Alley is headed to war." Grey quietly stood in thought, considering the possibilities. War could mean a lot things, both good and bad. Good in that they provided an opportunity to have field tests like no other, and bad in that, well war was war. He had been deep in the Alleys during the Seven Day War, but even some of the fallout had reached him. Gaan had been a good researcher, a zealot who had gone too far. He let a sigh, or what would have been sigh if he'd had a face still. It was expressed as a flop of the tentacles. In the corner of his eye he saw a young acolyte raising his hand. Grey looked around, waiting for someone else to call on him. He fingered his hat string, before finally walking over. "You had a question?" he asked.

@xinoehp512

[AonEne]

On 5/7/2019 at 9:14 PM, MacThorstenson said:

TUBA's financial records are clean as snow.

Quote

Well, actually...ahem. If Mac has access to TUBA's actual finances, and I haven't the slightest clue why he would, he may notice that in fact TUBA has recently allocated a few thousand Chrysts to a new account that they've likely been slowly disappearing from. Or maybe they're just all gone by now. Edit: If anyone's reading this later, it can now be ignored! 

 

Edited February 4, 2020 by AonEne

[old man moomba]

The third and final masked man, who's name was Garyshnygoyd, dumped the rest of a pitcher of slushy drinkk into his mouth and faded away.

Edited May 8, 2019 by Dr. Dapper

[Voidus]

1 hour ago, ZincAboutIt said:

"I hope we win this war," Lita said, edging closer to Laurelai. "I don't fancy being someone else's power demonstration." She nodded toward the re-formed body of the intruder. 

Laurelai drew in a shaky breath, still recovering from the sensation of the winds, that strange feeling of being pulled forwards without her body. If that wind had continued what would have happened? Would their souls have simply left, leaving thousands of bodies to drop lifelessly to the Alley floor?

Nervously she looked back at Lita, unable to control her expression any longer the fear was evident on her face.

"Win or lose I think we're still on the right side." She replied cautiously.

Her gaze drifted over to the three leaders of the DA who had begun talking amongst themselves.

"I couldn't even imagine trying to be on a side fighting against them."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Voidus relaxed further as he saw both Mac and the Stranger relax their preparations. Both had been prepared to act against him, to try and save the DA if he'd been about to destroy it. He remonstrated himself again for losing control of that, but he also couldn't deny the gratitude he still felt towards the two of them. These two didn't treat him like a god, didn't hold him apart from the rest of the world. Didn't tremble at his gaze or flee at the sight of him. These two were just friends.

He glanced over towards the Makck strain, lifeless now.

"Sorry about that."

He murmured the apology with an apologetic smile before his eyes became serious once more as he listened to Mac giving his report, nodding along at the key points.

"That's about it." He agreed in response to the summary of Sudiov. "My own fault ultimately, should have just blasted that damnation barrier apart years before and just recaptured the Guardian."

With a deep sigh he explained the situation to the Stranger, a little ashamed of his own failings.

"Left some power around unchecked, seems like it gained sentience a lot sooner than I would have expected. The kind of sentience that seems to want to stay alive and keep its power to itself." He concluded. "And now I've been spending the last year shielding the Alleys from it, hasn't left a lot of time for rest and now this. Sudiov doesn't have a physical body, just sentient power. If this other drain on the Void continued it'd be even worse for him, could well destroy him entirely. I doubt he's working with whatever is doing this, though it would be convenient to get rid of all of them together."

He clicked his tongue in irritation before switching his attention to the second half of Mac's report.

"Plasma Core?" He asked, vaguely recalling the name.

It had come up in a few reports of the city, but also something more recent.

"We sent some Denizens there didn't we? A party of some kind. One was a new recruit, someone who'd had a rather interesting visitor the night before?" He recalled the information had been attached to the report about the Stranger's possible return, he'd visited the same person who ended up going to the party.

Voidus turned his gaze towards the Stranger with an amused smile.

"You always had a habit of keeping your eye on interesting people."

Voidus cast his mind back to what he'd felt, that bizarre and abhorrent drain on the Void. Where had it been located?

He concentrated for a few more moments before finally nodding.

"PlasmaCore." He confirmed. "Either that or someone else is using them as a patsy or a front. But either way that's where it is, we destroy them and the problem is solved. We can find whoever may be behind it once the immediate problem is dealt with. Mac, have you been briefed by the ones we sent to the party?"