main plot The Metamorphosis: Rise of Villainry

[BooksBeforeDeath]

"Alright. The poisons act fast, but I can administer the pill pods to the target now, and be able to release different poisons depending on the situation. I only brought the 2, though." Toa turned to face Max. "Hey, I'm Toa. You already knew that, but I'm saying it again because that's what politeness demands."

Edited December 21, 2018 by BooksBeforeDeath

[I think I am here.]

Max looked to Toa, and smiled, extending a hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Toa.” He said.

The plan. Max looked ahead to the woman they had found. All they had to do was capture her. Make her look like Solace’s girlfriend, then enact the plan. The weakness.

“I can probably incapacitate her.” He said, walking forward towards the woman. She turned towards Max in his armour, and he Rioted trust. “You’re in danger,” he said.

She cocked her head to the side, but remained where she was. “I’m a Seeker,” she said flatly. “Though I appreciate you Rioting me, I’ve got places to be.”

Rust.

Tapping her shoulder, Max waited til she looked back to knock her out, a simple flick of the wrist with his armour.

Carrying her back to the main group, he laid her down. “Ok,” he said. “Now to make her look more like who we saw in the visions.” He said.

[+Sorana]

6 minutes ago, I think I am here. said:

Carrying her back to the main group, he laid her down. “Ok,” he said. “Now to make her look more like who we saw in the visions.” He said.

"A seeker?"

Althea repeated and then smiled shortly at Max.

"That could work in our favour. He seems to have a harder time with people with investiture."

She breathed in stormlight, more stormlight than she had in a while. Not as much as she had when they confronted the Fiend, but it still raged through her, cleared her thoughts and she welcomed the storm, let herself enjoy this pure power for a moment Careful not to show her delight openly. She didn't care if Max knew, but Toa was a different matter.

Hellbent and Tena had left, only the three of them were left. And Dwig and Solace. And a burning city with screaming people. Althea wished it was over, she was exhausted. They were awake for, how many days? Two, three? She didn't even know. Their travel here through the cognitive realm, she loved it there, and yet, it had been exhausting too. The thought that if they failed here, they would need to follow Solace to another planet, to the next world - it would be even harder than this time. Exhaustion was dangerous when you relied on your mind, when you steered your powers with your mind. And she was exhausted. Bodily and even more important emotionally. The last few days had been like a wild ride.

Do you want to go back? Do you feel like you can go back to your life?

She asked Max suddenly and then looked down at the woman, gave him time to think about her question. Shards she needed to concentrate, to focus, not loose herself in her thoughts. She reached mentally out for the body, changed the hair colour, changed the cloths, and then she slightly changed the face as well, because she could, because she feared that he wouldn't believe it was her. The woman looked like a twin of the girl she had seen in her mind and yet she still looked for something to optimize. They needed to succeed. The moment the stormlight was gone she felt almost dizzy, used a hand to support herself on the ground, and then breathed in a tiny amout. Just enough to focus her thoughts again.

"You can insert the pill."

She told Toa loudly.

"And we need a good place for the trap to work. And get Solace there."

[I think I am here.]

27 minutes ago, Sorana said:

Do you want to go back? Do you feel like you can go back to your life?

Max considered the question as Althea worked on the woman, changing lots of their appearance to fit what they'd seen. It almost felt wrong, to change her appearance and her clothes and how she looked all without her permission, but Max ejected those thoughts. This was for the greater good.

I don't even know what my life before was, he relied honestly. Training with Master Sheonar? With Mara? Going to duels, going insane? I never really had a goal or routine in life before, I don't even know if I have something I could go back to.

He smiled. I guess that means no, then. What about you?

[+Sorana]

1 minute ago, I think I am here. said:

He smiled. I guess that means no, then. What about you?

Smiling she considered the question.

I've been working in the labs since I was thirteen, I think. At first nothing more than the girl that cleaned up the blood, or looked after the experiments themselves. I have a room there, a flat in Oasis City. As I climbed up through the ranks my daily live changed, but still it was all about the Ghostbloods. The moment I return, I'll have tons of reports on my table to read, meetings to attend...

she trailed of. That wasn't what he had asked.

I want to stay with you.

She told him earnestly and then realized how that sounded.

If you want to, of course and if we survive and I know my rank complicates everything, but I could give it up.

This wasn't better. Contrary, it was making it worse. It made her seem desperate.

Yes, I have a live I could go back to, but...

Not alone, she added in her head, unable to look into his eyes anymore, feared the moment he would realize who she was. What that meant.

at the moment it feels distant. Like a dream. I don't know if I can go back and pretend nothing happened.

She finished her sentence instead.

[I think I am here.]

1 hour ago, Sorana said:

She finished her sentence instead.

Max nodded, thinking back on how who he’d been before this.

I know how you feel, he said, and then corrected himself. I mean, not about working since I was thirteen, but I mean the other part. The part about it being distant.

I feel it too. It’s like, I wasn’t really doing anything until now. I mean, of course I was alive, but I didn’t have a purpose. After this, I don’t know if I want to slip back to that.

He looked at her, tried tilting his head to look into her eyes. And I want to stay with you, too, he said sincerely. He chucked. Your rank doesn’t complicate anything anything about that.

[+Sorana]

4 hours ago, I think I am here. said:

Max nodded, thinking back on how who he’d been before this.

I know how you feel, he said, and then corrected himself. I mean, not about working since I was thirteen, but I mean the other part. The part about it being distant.

I feel it too. It’s like, I wasn’t really doing anything until now. I mean, of course I was alive, but I didn’t have a purpose. After this, I don’t know if I want to slip back to that.

He looked at her, tried tilting his head to look into her eyes. And I want to stay with you, too, he said sincerely. He chucked. Your rank doesn’t complicate anything anything about that.

Althea met his eyes with her own and smiled again.
Thank you. I don't know how to tell you, how much this means to me.
She brushed her hair back and got to her feet.
We can look for a new purpose once this is over. The Ghostbloods a powerful, we have a lot of influence. Maybe it's time we start to use that in earnest.

Switching to her voice she focused on the task at hand.

"Once Toa is done, we need to set up the trap itself, and then lure him there. I guess you need to see Solace, so we should choose a place he can't really miss. Maybe a house at the border of the city. Should he teleport in, I can always relocate us accordingly."

She thought for a while.

"Then we wake her up, throw her off the building and make sure, he sees her falling. The rest is up to him and to you, of course. Once he protected her, it's Toa's turn. We stay close by, so that we can talk to him, should his weakness trigger. And if it shouldn't we should be ready to flee any moment. His reaction if he sees his girlfriend die a second time and he is able to use his powers has a great chance to level everything here."

Silently she added:

And I would prefer if we managed to keep Toa alive. We lost enough the last few days, no need to add a new member to that list.

@BooksBeforeDeath

Edited December 21, 2018 by Sorana

[Sherlock Holmes]

Tena finished eating another slice of pizza, then curled up, closing her eyes. “Y’know,” she noted to Ani without looking at him, “you’re pretty sweet. Nice, too. Don’t know why that surprised me; I didn’t know you before you started spiking yourself and stuff. You’re sweet,” she repeated. “Way sweeter than Mace. Weird thing, that.” She set her head on one of the pillows at the end of the couch, and wriggled, trying to get comfortable. “Don’t burn my house down,” she told Ani, “or I’ll get mad or something. G’night.” It wasn’t night, but Tena was tired and didn’t care. She fell asleep. 

@Ark1002

[BooksBeforeDeath]

Toa grabbed the pills, and forced them down the girls mouth. "Alright," he said. "The poison is ready."

[+Sorana]

21 minutes ago, BooksBeforeDeath said:

Toa grabbed the pills, and forced them down the girls mouth. "Alright," he said. "The poison is ready."

Althea nodded.

"Let's get into position. Would you mind to lend me a hand to carry her over to that building?"

She pointed at a place she thought could work well.

[BooksBeforeDeath]

"Yep," said Toa, helping lift the girl, and moving her over to the building.

[+Sorana]

2 minutes ago, BooksBeforeDeath said:

"Yep," said Toa, helping lift the girl, and moving her over to the building.

When they reached the building. Althea sat down, observed Solace walking closer. She made sure to keep enough stormlight, to be able to react should it be neccessary.

"Why did you join the Ghostbloods?"

She asked Toa to bridge the time until he arrived.

 

Quote

 @Ookla the Meeker  your turn. We have a trap for Solace ready to test our newest theory.

@Ookla the Meeker

[BooksBeforeDeath]

"It seemed the most me," Toa confessed, reluctantly. "I lived on Scadrial, and was kicked out of my family for not being an Fullborn. My family had high expectations of their children. I decided to take revenge, and a couple well placed lies and secrets brought my family's house down. I like secrets. Secrets are almost as powerful as Fullborns. Taking down my family was a way to prove to myself and my family that I didn't have to be a Fullborn to be powerful. I eventually found my way here, after discovering a perpendicularlity. But enough about me. How did you get here?"

[+Sorana]

3 hours ago, BooksBeforeDeath said:

How did you get here?"

Althea thought about his question for a while. She knew the whole parents cast you out thing too well.

"I grew up in an orphanage. The Ghostbloods recruited me and I worked in their laboratories since I was thirteen. Climbed up through the ranks, and now I am here and try to stop our former leader, because he asked me to."

[BooksBeforeDeath]

Tow raised his eyebrow. "I assume it was one of those 'if I go insane, try and save me' deals?"

[I think I am here.]

As Max looked ahead for any sign of Solace, he listened to the conversation.

"Yeah, I hate 'if I go insane, try and save me' deals," he said, still looking ahead. "Particularly if you're the insane one."

Edited December 22, 2018 by I think I am here.

[+Sorana]

"Which you aren't right now."

Althea stressed, not mentioning that he had been.

"And yes, more or less such a deal. The only problemis, that we are still guessing, and have no guarantee, that this will work. If he reads our minds at the wrong time, he discovers the trap easily."

[BooksBeforeDeath]

"Alright," said Toa. "Try not to think about killing people. I can do that."

[+Sorana]

Althea nodded at Toa.

"Not to think about what we're doing here, but yes, maybe it works. We don't know the full extent of his powers yet, but what he's done so far was incredibly."

Forcefully she shoved the memory of Max lying bleeding on the floor aside, his eyes dead, his body slowly cooling. He's alive she reminded herself again. Max is alive.

"You said you're family was disappointed that you are no full feruchemist. So you are able to access some kind of investiture?"

[BooksBeforeDeath]

"I got Cadium from my father, an Allomancer, and Steel from my mother, a Feruchemist."

Edited December 22, 2018 by BooksBeforeDeath

[I think I am here.]

“A twinborn?” Max said. Solace wasn’t here yet, but thankfully the woman was still out cold.

“That’s cool. Say, do you think you could put us in a Cadmium bubble until Solace arrives? It might take a while if we judge how long it’s taken already.”

@Ookla the Meeker

[BooksBeforeDeath]

"Alright," said Toa. "My reactions are pretty good, but I still might overshoot it by a couple minutes. Mostly, I use Cadium with a primer cube, though, so I don't have a ton of practice." Toa burned Cadium, and the world sped up.

[Lord Meeker]

A rending. That is what he would give them. Building folded into themselves and crushed occupants inside. He moved along the main road, killing indiscriminately. He fingered his medallion. Death. Death to all. With in a few minutes his surrounding resembled rubble. He rose into the air and stared to fling large portions of crushed buildings into other houses and building. There was no-one who could match his power. Any of the defenders fell to his overwhelming telepathy as he drew out their bloodlust. Soon they were but minions under his control. 

[+Sorana]

Althea knelt down next to the woman, prepared to wake her up. All around buildings were crashing. They would need to hurry. And strangely, when she looked over at Solace rising into the air, she wasn't afraid anymore. It would work, or it wouldn't.

"At your sign."

She looked at Max, and then breathed in stormlight, prepared to send the woman where Solace would see her.

@I think I am here.

[Lord Meeker]

"There!" a soldier cried pointing at the solitary group of three. "Kill them!"