Voidus

Voidus' eyes suddenly refocused. He realised he'd been lost in his reminiscence, who knew for how long. With such a skewed perception of time it wouldn't be difficult for him to become lost in memory for a year without noticing. But based on the state of the office it didn't seem to be that long, perhaps only a few minutes. Paperwork still awaited completion in a pile nearby, reports that needed to be viewed, requests that needed to be seen, experiments that needed to be conducted. The flood never seemed to cease. But that professor... what was the name again? Forgotten. Like so much else it's lost to time. Will I forget this too if I live long enough? Forget the city, the DA, Mac? He reluctantly pulled a sheet of paper towards himself, best not to get lost in thought again. Work would be something to do with his mind at least, something to stop his mental wandering. It was difficult but he forced his eyes to follow the writing, reading through the report in its entirety. Usually after having scanned it he would move on to the next, his intervention was rarely required, but on this report he stopped. The slightest of furrows formed at his brow as he reread the document. "Missing buildings? Just one could be a mistake, but this recurrence..." He tapped a pen against the desk as he read through the details, paying closer attention than he usually did with such reports. The fact that people were vanishing was nothing too concerning, people vanished every day in the city after all, but the possible implications of this were more troubling. If this was happening on a large scale then it could mean something was wrong, potentially very wrong. "I thought we'd finished that machine before Plasmacore had done any damage." Voidus said, still tapping his pen thoughtfully. "Could we have missed something? Something small that cascaded over time?" Time had a habit of causing problems. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A long time ago, etc. A pair of wide eyes stared at Voidus, at the black substance that he seemed to be emitting. The eyes were a mix of confusion, incredulity and fear but it seemed that curiosity was what won out eventually. The owner of the eyes blinked and seemed to recover the mobility of his body, clearing his voice after a few failed at speaking he looked Voidus directly in the eyes. "What is that?" The Professor asked. Voidus gave a wide smile in response, holding both arms out to encompass the darkness that surrounded him. He seemed to almost fade into that darkness, to become one with the very concept itself. Darkness in human form, with a pair of grinning teeth. "That is nothing." Voidus replied. "Well, more specifically it's what you might call a void. The Void." The Professor just stared back in mute shock, unprepared for any of this explanation, unsure of how to react. Unsure if this was even real. He brought a hand up to his face, waving it around and staring at it as it moved. After a few repeated attempts at this he shook his head, either unsatisfied or realizing that it wouldn't prove anything. "The void?" He asked. "But what is it? Some kind of trick? Smoke?" He took a hesitant step forward, trying to examine where the darkness was coming from, what could possibly be causing it, but at the same time something primal in him told him to move back, move away. Curiosity and instinct warred with each other, leaving him paralyzed by indecision. But as Voidus continued to smile the fear seemed to win out this time and the Professor took a step back to where he had started. "Am I seeing things?" He asked. "Head trauma from the accident?" "Not quite." Voidus replied, still smiling. "Though I suppose in a way your 'accident' is the cause of all this. What you did in that moment is something few people rarely embrace, and those that do usually don't survive the experience." The Professor's eyes stared blankly back, confused. He didn't seem to understand what was happening, where this conversation was going or who exactly Voidus was. "This will take some time for you I'm sure." Voidus continued. "But in that moment you gained something, or access to something." All of a sudden the darkness vanished as though it had never been. The lighting returned to normal, that strange pressure vanished. Nothing was disturbed, and for a moment it seemed to the Professor as though the entire thing had been his imagination. But then Voidus held one hand out, palm upwards. And resting in that palm was just the faintest trail of some kind of dark thread, a thread that extended from the palm directly into the Professor's chest. "Voidmaking it's called." Voidus was staring intently now, eyes fixated on that tiny thread. "And if you're willing, I'd like to teach you a little more about it."

Walking through the pitch-dark tunnel with only her tenuous grasp on Lita to guide her was certainly not the most comfortable experience Laurelai had had. She'd lost count of the number of times she'd felt her stomach somersault when she expected the ground to be higher than it was and lurched forward. Worse was that she still needed to try to be quiet. There would be no hiding from Lita's tin-enhanced hearing but unless they were very unlucky it was unlikely that they'd find anything else with quite so keen senses. Wondering around the dark? Blindly holding your hand out and trusting that the person you follow will keep you safe? What a lovely metaphor for the last few years of life. Laurelai struggled to shake the voice, the lack of anything else to focus on didn't help, but she was thankfully long accustomed to walking in the dark so at least she didn't have to contend with her own internal fears as well as the voice. Now you're just lying to yourself. Not scared? Of course you are. She clenched her jaw, refusing to react. She would not let her own mind rile her up like this. She was a Forger, if anyone could be used to reconciling discordant thoughts in their own brain it should be her. A sudden touch on her hands caused her to flinch before she realised it was just Lita. A second later she realised that she could see again, the light that Lita had mentioned surrounded them in a dim glow that wasn't quite enough to read by but it would at least stop her from running into a wall or tripping over the ground. Lita moved a little further ahead, looking around the last bend to find whatever the light source was and then beckoning back to the other two. Laurelai raised a brow in curiosity at Lita's excited grin. With the light present again she managed to keep a handle on her expressions, the voice wasn't as distracting now and she could focus on the surroundings. Rounding the corner she followed Lita's gaze to see the interior of a small cavern, covered in a soft glow that seemed to pulsate oddly. Laurelai stared at it the cavern and at first couldn't quite make sense of it, but then her perception shifted slightly and she realised that the entire cavern was covered in a layer of plant matter. Some kind of moss that coated the surface of the rock and gave a slight glow that pulsated along paths too complex to follow, like a circulatory system of light. "Wow." She whispered, eyes wide. "Well you certainly don't see that every day." @Invocation @ZincAboutIt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whisper pulled herself away from the drawings, watching from a distance as other spoke about them, ran some tests. Her eyes flickered from one part of the painting to the next, trying to draw some conclusions about how something like this may have come about. She had a few guesses, but there was no way to confirm them for now. So with a faint smile touching her lips, she made her way back to where most of the scouts had gathered to wait for the main expedition to arrive. It seemed that they'd be resting up here for a while, some people had already begun picking out spots to lie down or sit against the stone trees. A couple had even fallen asleep already from the look of it. Whisper felt her smile widen as she noticed one figure among those who already had their eyes closed. Kemmeth someone had called him, she'd noticed him earlier, he was one of those who had already been on edge, he'd been nearby when that worm-creature had attacked and had to scramble his way back to avoid getting eaten. Since then he'd trailed near the back of the scouts, watching for other people to move through an area before he followed. Whisper forced the muscles in her cheeks to relax, letting her smile drop back into a neutral expression. She walked through the makeshift camp and found where the supplies had been gathered, stepping up to a pile of thin blankets she pulled a few from the top and began carrying them back. She handed a two out to people who looked like they were settling down, receiving grateful words in return. Stepping next to some of the figures that had already fallen asleep she unfolded the blankets and gently dropped them onto the sleeping figures. While unfolding each blanket she used the movement to hide the little puffs of Stormlight that she fed to each of them. Some of those who were sleeping seemed to rouse as they felt the blankets settle on them, but most were too stressed and tired to even do that. Humming quietly to herself, Whisper draped the final blanket over the unconscious Kemmeth, still keeping her expression neutral as she spent a moment longer than she had on the others, ensuring that one section of the blanket was positioned closer to his ear as his head drooped back into sleep. A few of the other scouts gave her warm looks and expressed their thanks as she made her way towards one of the trees that hadn't been claimed. Sitting down next to it she leaned back onto it, pulled out a notebook and pen and began writing. It didn't take long for everyone to turn back to what they had already been doing, some returning to conversations or games, those who had been resting drifted off once more, and Whisper was overlooked as her pen darted across pages. The few who looked on likely assumed she was simply filling in a journal, or some kind of research notes perhaps, which wasn't exactly far from the truth, but the strange symbols she confidently scrawled would not have been recognisable to any present, and the contents was not what most would imagine. These caves prove quite a useful environment, darkness as always is helpful in inducing some primal instincts of panic but more than that is the nature of what has been discovered. Some at least already suspect ACE of having ulterior motives, and while the suspicions between the scouts themselves haven't become too overt it likely wouldn't take much. The DA is always distrusted, and if one of the leaders of the Ghostbloods herself is down here with us then some have got to be wondering why. There were some small issues, another denizen in the group, it seems that she won't interfere if left alone but it does mean one fewer option down here. I didn't think I'd be able to get everyone anyway but I do apologise for failing in one so early on. I hope that those I've found who are more suitable will satisfy for now, some of them may take another day but there's one at least who may be ready sooner. Looking up from the page of symbols that seemed to connect in ways that made no geometric sense, Whisper watched Kemmeth turn in his sleep, an uncomfortable expression twisting his face before he settled again. I left him a little lullaby, if he's receptive it should do the trick by the time he wakes. I know it's been almost two decades, but soon you'll have enough won't you? Enough to come back to us? Enough to drag the world back into the depths with you? Whisper closed the book with a soft clap as she finished writing, she took a moment to close her eyes, holding the book to her chest and hoping that her prayer would be received and that one day she'd be able to receive an answer.

Zyn faltered as Lena fixed him with the most intense glare he'd ever seen her give anyone. He broke eye contact, unable to continue meeting her gaze. She seemed satisfied at that and continued her explanation, doling out some food for all of them. As she gestured to a number of nearby bottles his eyes lingered for a moment with interest but he ended up shaking his head in polite refusal. "Best not if we're going to be planning anything." He admitted. "But while the Whiterose might be peaceful enough I wouldn't exactly call them harmless. The way I heard it they fought off a Ghostblood attack didn't they?" The story had bounced around the city a few months back, though most of it had been overshadowed by the invasion of the city that had occurred not long after. Some of the stories had probably been exaggerated, but enough rumours had similar details that there was probably a core of truth to it at least. "Can't say I know anywhere else that would have a large stockpile of Fabrials or Motivators other than the other guilds, seems like a big target though. Anyone you know on the inside?"

The spren slammed into the ground, emitting a scattering of sparks which quickly faded. A number of people nearby jumped out of the way from the sudden burst of light, but after seeing the spren most simply shrugged and gave it a wide birth as they continued on. Spren weren't particularly common in the city, not as common as they were on Roshar, but some found their way here over time. They attracted some attention but not enough to stop and investigate one. The spren seemed to spin in place, a tiny whirlwind of flame, it looked at the people surrounding it but didn't seem to find what it was looking for. With a frustrated shattering of sparks it drifted back up into the air, body turning into a thin ribbon of flame until it reached a point above the rooftops where it resumed a humanoid form. Dancing from one foot to the other it scanned the rooftops, searching. It had been left behind at the mausoleum, been too curious about the statues that it saw and imitating their heroic poses to notice that the people it was following had left. The flames flickered above the sprens head, briefly forming into a bowler hat before disappearing again. The spren had liked that hat, but it had liked the other person as well. There had been something about them, something interesting that had drawn the spren. But it couldn't remember what that had been. Something it was supposed to give? To receive? The spren stomped its feet on the air out of frustration. Thinking was too hard, harder now than it had been but the spren had never enjoyed stopping to think anyway. Why stop to think about something when you could just do it instead? Emitting another shower of sparks, the spren zipped through the air, looking at the streets below. It reached an open square where a number of people stood around, talking. It didn't see either of the two it had seen before but it did see a group of children playing with wooden sticks. The spren paused, watching for a moment as a smaller boy fell over when his stick was hit by someone who looked almost twice his size. The other children had mixed reactions, one held a hand out to help the fallen boy, a few others stood around laughing at the situation. But the boy ignored the offered hand, standing up by himself and picking the stick back up again. The spren sat on a nearby rooftop, watching excitedly as the two faced off again. It lasted a little longer this time, both sticks clacking against each other with satisfying sounds but the result in the end was the same. The smaller boy lay on the ground, staring upwards. Watching from above, the spren gave an encouraging but silent cheer, a little burst of flame created a replica of the stick the boy was wielding and the spren waved it around excitedly. Again and again the young boy stood up, but the result didn't change. The spren enjoyed his efforts though, vaguely it wondered whether it should try to give something to this boy, but it didn't feel the same. It felt like he didn't need the spren. Like he was full. Maybe he'd eaten too much? People were always eating things, maybe if they ate too much it made them all full of food and the spren couldn't fit in? Shaking its head, the spren stepped off the roof, descending as a sudden, tiny bolt of light once again until it stood next to the boy. The children took a hasty step back, a few making loud noises, but the boy laying on the ground just stared. After a moment the other children calmed down a little, some approached it carefully, holding out hands. One held out one of those sticks and tried to poke the spren, causing it to emit a happy crackling sound as it dodged out of the way and used its own flame-stick to hit the other. But it didn't make the same noise as the two sticks that hit each other, the flame just passed through the wood and left a slight burn mark.

Laurelai dismissed the Forgery as they approached a bend. She was satisfied that it was stable, it seemed likely to be able to hold for almost a day, but if they were about to find something then she trusted her normal self more than a cloistered scholar. Isn't that what you're becoming anyway? That little voice piped in again. Hiding away in a room of paper, hoping the world never finds you. Her brow pulled together in a frown once more, but she had no arguments to make and simply tried to ignore the voice as best she could. Analysing her own decisions in life was something that Laurelai usually enjoyed but this was different. Personal. Besides, she wasn't holed up in Records today was she? It had been Lita that had pulled her out, but she had been eager to leave. Eager for a distraction to forget. The voice whispered. She gave a slight shake of her head to clear her thoughts then looked ahead at Lita's mention of light around the bend. As Lita had said Laurelai wasn't able to see the light, which meant it was either very dim or very far away. But either way, if the light they were carrying was brighter then they'd be more noticeable to whatever was holding that other light source. "Back into the dark then?" Laurelai half-asked. She turned the torchlight off, placing one hand on Lita's shoulder for guidance so she didn't accidentally run into anything. She took a deep breath to still her emotions, Lita would likely already be able to tell enough about her emotional state without a shaking hand on her shoulder, best to try to keep it under control.

At the mention of food, Zyn felt a pang of hunger. He tried not to go hungry on a job, having your position given away by an inopportune stomach growl was both mortifying and potentially dangerous. But he hadn't been expecting to be out this long looking for the Forge, and jumping across rooftops was tiring work. "Don't mind if I do." He said, nodding gratefully to Lena. "Thanks." He pulled out the gestured seat and sat down to join them. Tilting his head to one side until he felt a satisfying cracking sound, Zyn let out a sigh of relief. Squeezing through windows was always a fun challenge but it could be torture on the joints. He continued on his routine, rolling shoulders, stretching fingers out, stretching the various muscles that he'd used to make sure they didn't stiffen up. "Whiterose?" He asked as Alask continued. "The guild? The great guild?" He shot a glance to Lena for confirmation and raised an eyebrow at them both when they seemed serious. They'd tried particularly hard to avoid any of the guilds back when they'd all been working together last, and while the Church might be the newest and probably least dangerous of the great guilds that didn't mean they were an easy target. Making an enemy of them was not something that had been on Zyn's to-do list. "I have to say I admire your optimism." Zyn said. "What were you hoping to get? Must be something pretty big if you're seriously thinking about this."

"You could indeed." Laurelai replied with a sly smile. But rather than answer, she continued to walk in silence, still grinning and staring at the Horneater's back. She waited a number of steps for effect before speaking again to change the topic, just as the silence got too much. "But since you haven't, I'll ask another one. Did these tunnels branch much? Or was it mostly one passage?" Laurelai said. She watched the walls with some interest, they hadn't come across any major forks or side-passages yet but there was no telling how complex this tunnel would get as they went onwards. They could always mark which passages they'd taken, but that also carried it's own risks if there were other creatures down here, or simply someone from the city following after them.

Laurelai grimaced as darkness consumed the tunnel around them. She could manage darkness well enough, and could cope with the dirt and grime that surrounded them, but it still wasn't particularly pleasant to be walking blind into a passage with who knew how many tons of dirt and rock overhead. She gave a grateful smile to Lita as she handed over a torch, careful to keep it angled down and away from her eyes. The last thing they needed was to light-blind their Tineye. "Soporific mushrooms?" She repeated questioningly. She didn't know of any to hand, but that kind of research wasn't a particular speciality of hers. Well, not right at the moment anyway, but with a brief bit of mental focus she managed to shift her history to one she'd begun preparing a while ago during the war with Plasmacore. She'd initially only created this history to be able to have a discussion on poisons but she hated leaving an unfinished history, so in her spare time she had refined it until she came up with a satisfactory history that stuck. "Nothing so naturally potent that I know of." She said, a little more deeply in thought. "Some can be refined into something like that but the dosage is usually lethal, soporifics are hard to manage unless you can get a precise weight measurement and medical history, too easy to under or over dose someone. Invested then?" Thinking helped to distract her as they travelled, she no longer felt the need to keep brushing the dust off of herself only to have it instantly replaced again. Though she did wish she'd packed some proper gloves along with them, handling ingredients with bare hands was never advisable if they might have toxic properties. Perhaps if she used Forgery to keep her hands clean before and after? But how plausible would it be to have clean hands after hours of cave diving? "What brought you down here?" She asked Okame. "Personal curiosity? Or does one of the other departments have a particular interest in the tunnels?"

Voidus sat alone in a wooden-panelled room, the fireplace had long since burned out and the lamp was beginning to flicker as well but he seemed to pay it little mind. He sat quietly at his desk one hand gently tapping against the wood while he stared into the distance, eyes slowly shifting from one spot to another but not seeming to truly focus on anything until with a sudden start his gaze jumped to one spot and seemed almost about to burn through the wall with their intensity. Voidus braced himself, arms gripping the chair as he leaned forwards, eyes not shifting from that same spot. He stared silently and intently for a handful of seconds before relaxing back once more. He cast his eyes to the ceiling but seemed to be lost in thought more than anything. "Another one leaves." He said quietly, a rare note of true sadness to his voice. "Mac was ever the wanderer." With a soft sigh he leaned forward once again, dragged a glass against the surface of the wooden table towards him, followed by a heavier bottle and then poured a small glass of crimson liquid. He was about to take a sip from the glass when he paused and gave the glass a melancholy smile. "To whatever new adventures you find my friend. I wish you the best, and I hope that whatever world you find yourself on is ready for you." He raised the glass towards the ceiling, staring off once more before pulling it back and draining the glass. Somehow it seemed heavier than it had when he picked it up, even with the liquid now drained from it. The smile faded as he set the glass back down and began staring off once more. The DoCI would manage by itself for the moment, Mac had some capable people in his department and they were able to act independently for the most part. But Mac's growing skill with Voidmaking was not something that was so easily replaced. Gaining the ability itself was not a common occurrence, and most of those who did gain it failed to survive the experience. There was only one other that he'd seen in the past few decades, and she was likely not going to be receptive. He looked back towards the bottle, staring at it in contemplation for a moment before sighing once more and setting it a little further away. Elariel Estate made a fine drink, but he couldn't spend the night with a bottle, as always there was work to do. Perhaps he could find someone else with the talent, someone else to teach. If he was exceptionally lucky he might even find one like that student from a different time. A different world. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Voidus waited silently inside a room, fingers drumming absently on a wooden desk. His gaze shifted curiously over the room, catching every now and then on some device or interesting item. He reached out with one hand to grab a hold of a metallic ball suspended from string, with an amused smile he pulled it back and let it go, watching it fall and hit the next ball in the row to send a wave of force that finally pushed one at the opposite end away in a chain reaction. He watched the balls clack back and forth until he was interrupted by the sound of a door opening and a dishevelled man entered the room. "So sorry to keep you waiting." The man said, a little out of sorts still. "I've been on leave for a while, only just got back today." "It's fine Professor." Voidus said, standing up and walking over to shake the mans hand. "I understand you've been through quite a bit recently." The man blinked in surprise, not seeming to be able to make sense of what Voidus had said. But after a moment in thought he seemed to shake himself out of it and give a forced smile. "Yes, well we should get to the matter at hand. I saw you requested a meeting and I had it scheduled and you'll have to forgive my bluntness here but I don't actually have any details on what you wanted to discuss. Are you also a researcher? Or a reporter or something?" The mans eyes trailed over Voidus' neat suit, trying to make some kind of judgement over who exactly he was meeting, he looked towards Voidus' eyes but then quickly looked away, deeply uncomfortable with what he saw there but unable to tell why. "A researcher?" Voidus asked, amused. "Of sorts I suppose. You could think of me as a fellow educator. I hope that there is much I can teach you, and if we're lucky much that you can learn." The man looked politely confused at first, looking around uncomfortably and unsure how to reply. He was on the verge of speaking again when he suddenly froze, watching the dark mist that seemed to rise from Voidus' body, absorbing the light in the room and creating an ominous pressure.

Still breathing a little rapidly, Laurelai sheathed the small dagger she'd pulled out when they had both heard Okame. As she hid the sheathe once more she turned and glared at the Horneater with a stare that was more dangerous than any simple blade. He ignored both her and Lita's irritation and began making his way towards a small hole that she hadn't noticed, seemingly another entrance into the caverns below. Laurelai shook her head, she would have thrown the dagger at him if she wasn't quite sure that he'd probably catch it out of the air or something. Rusting Radiants and their reflexes, that combined with the fact that Laurelai wasn't exactly an accomplished fighter meant that any attempt at physical retribution would likely end in embarrassment. She grit her teeth together and shared a look with Lita, spike dropping into her hand and already spinning. If he does that again I swear I'll spend however long it takes to make it work coming up with a Forgery to turn him into a frog. She signed. Still, he would likely be useful in the caverns. If they found something down there then it would be best to have some backup, Turning to Lita again, Laurelai saw her gave her coin a flip, grinning at the result before looking up. "It's past time for a little vacation, I think," Lita said "You ready?" "Here's hoping we find another abandoned bar with free port at the end of this one." Laurelai replied, matching Lita's grin. "Harmony knows I could use something to wash out the taste of whatever it was they were serving at that bar. I still refuse to acknowledge that as wine." With a small sigh she stepped forwards to the hole, making her own way down after Okame.

Same reason the protagonist of most adventure stories is an orphan, if you have a stable family life then you're not the type of person to go on a giant adventure around the world.

More than 2 and I'd be wondering what you were using them for. If the aim was to just use them to equip NPC's/Other players then no.

I think we did something like 50% off for the second previously, having two Shardblades isn't noticeably more efficient than having one so it's mostly an aesthetic thing.

With a final, noiseless leap, Zyn landed atop another tiled rooftop. Across the street he could see a building that matched the description he'd heard. The Forge was well known in some parts of the city, but not many had actually visited it to know what it looked like, just a general location. But after another hour of asking around Zyn had been able to get the location and description of the building, only requiring a small tip to do so. Doesn't look like any kind of trap. No precursors around. Zyn thought, watching the building for a few minutes. There seemed to be a little activity inside, but he couldn't see any figures keeping an eye on the street or suspicious people loitering in the vicinity. Of course that still didn't mean they weren't there, but life was full of risks so sometimes you just had to take them. Half-slipping into an alleyway, Zyn scrambled down the side of the building, nimble fingers finding small gaps to use as handholds as he made his way down to street level and began to pass by the building. A small walk-by still revealed nothing interesting, so Zyn waited at the side of the house, hidden, until the street was a little emptier before taking a running leap at the side of the building. As his feet hit the wall he used his forward momentum to push up, giving himself a little more height and managing to catch a window frame on the next story up. Clinging precariously by his fingers, Zyn slowly lifted himself up, peering through the window to make sure there was no one else present, then slowly sliding it open a crack and squeezing his way in. Still no one up here. Might have been on the up-and-up about this offer after all. Leaving the small room he'd entered into, Zyn wandered around the interior until he found the stairs and descended back to the first floor, seeing a few figures in the kitchen, talking amongst themselves. "So, you needed help with a job?" He called out loudly, leaning against the banister of the stair.

Whisper finished her last circuit of the resting area, leaning against one of the nearby petrified trees while she surveyed the scouting team members that were still present. She noticed a few that seemed on-edge, unsettled by all that they had found so far. Others were trying to relax as best as they could but it was clear that many were still not exactly experienced cave divers. She turned her attention back into the petrified forests, eyes trailing after a group that was heading in there, led by Corette. It seemed that they'd found something of interest further in, something that looked to have shaken their scout leader a little. They had promised not to interfere with each other, but a quick look couldn't hurt could it? She was taking others to see whatever it was, and didn't seem to be being too secretive about it. Silently she padded after the rest of the group, mentally reviewing those she'd been keeping an eye on so far. One of the younger men in particular seemed interesting, already nervous and unsure of himself he'd practically jumped out of his skin when Whisper sent the sound of an ominous breeze towards him. All she'd need was a little more information about him and then she could lead him off somewhere. The group in front of her halted as they reached a section of wall, Whisper following suit a moment later. There was a brief moment of fumbling as people reached for headlamps to try to illuminate what Corette was trying to show them all, then a brief moment of too-bright light as they all switched on at once. The wall was thrown into sudden and sharp view as the lights hit it, reflecting off the simple paints that had been used to mark it. They'd been told about the paintings, but Whisper hadn't payed much attention to that section of the briefing, paintings usually meant people and people were rarely as interesting as the other things she was hoping to find down here. Scanning the illustrations she didn't see much of interest, just what looked like groups of people walking through the caverns, likely some form of history for whatever had drawn these. But as she focused on a few of the figures she felt her eyes widen, a male figure with a colourful streak through the air, a woman holding a dagger and metalminds. A little distance away a small figure was weaving in between others while seeming to draw a small glowing letter, on the top of their head two little triangles had been drawn. Whisper felt her ears twitch as she saw the image, her already wide eyes gave off a soft gleam as she peered at the images on the wall, tracking the figures she could recognise. This was not something she'd been expecting to find here, perhaps the people who'd drawn this were more interesting than she'd assumed. Her eyes trailed towards two drawings that were a little away from the others, in both two figures seemed to be alone while walking through other tunnels. One of the pairs were both male while the other looked to be two women. Could those have been the earlier scouts? The two women looked like they'd fallen to the ground, and based on the small spiderweb of cracks above them perhaps they'd fallen through a cave in? The depiction vaguely sparked something in Whisper's mind, but at the least she couldn't match either of their appearances to anyone she'd met from the expedition, their clothes were certainly nothing like what the scouts were wearing, that blue dress that one of them was wearing would definitely be noticeable, as would the other figure with its glasses and braid. Perhaps this was simply some even more distant future. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Laurelai took a deep breath as she reached the street once again, shaking a little soot that had entered her hair during the last stretch of Alleytravel. Thankfully the Alley had only been filled with enclosed fires, forges and kilns rather than simply being full of fire, but it had still made something of a mess. Brushing some more from the front of her dress, she turned and waited at the entrance of the alley for a few seconds before Lita arrived. "Not that I'm one to complain about the mysteriousness of being able to appear out of empty alleyways." She commented as Lita joined her on the street. "But I do sometimes wonder if we might be better off just walking through the streets on occasion. Less exciting certainly, but also less risk of ruining a mornings effort of getting ready." Lita returned Laurelai's faint smile with a wry grin as the two set off for the outskirts of the city, it was a little later than they'd initially planned to begin their own search into the caverns that had been discovered but business came first after all, this was simply a trip of personal interest. Looking at the small amount of activity around the base of the crater it seemed that the expedition had already set out into the interior. On the one hand that meant less chance that they'd find any interference, but on the other it did mean that if they followed they would be unlikely to find anything that hadn't already been found by ACE. "I don't suppose those lovely eyes of yours can spot another entrance?" She asked Lita with a note of hopefulness. "Forging a hole through the earth would be a little beyond my abilities." @ZincAboutIt

Should I be worried now?

Corette seemed likely to keep to her own business, and strangely Whisper trusted that she'd keep to her word on these agreements. Such gut feelings weren't something she experienced too often, particularly any that told her to trust someone, but they were usually accurate. Whisper gave another short nod, beginning to tuck the vial back into a pocket and giving the pen in her other hand one more flourish. Agreed. I hope you'll ignore any strange Lightweaving you might notice and I'll leave his lordship to you then. Have fun. And with that the 'pen' was tucked away once more. She gave a quick little wave to Corette before taking a few steps back and turning and walking away. She was mildly curious about what exactly Corette had planned for Rigex, was it simply personal interest? Or something deeper? The question brought about another subtle smile, as she'd promised, Whisper wouldn't go digging any more to find out. Corette could attend to her own business, Whisper was just happy that there was one more secret in the world. She began looking around, weaving through the other scouts in search of interesting conversation, stopping now and then to offer a hand when she could. Karin and Althea were together it seemed, crouching over some kind of cage. More local wildlife? If they hadn't called anyone over then it likely wasn't dangerous, which didn't necessarily mean it was boring either but not exactly what Whisper was interested in. She was more interested in people than creatures. As she turned away from them she gave a subtle roll to her shoulders, preparing herself to get to work. With the local Seeker now addressed she didn't need to be as cautious about using her abilities, there was that Mistborn still but she seemed too inexperienced to be able to pick up on non-Scadrian magics, let alone differentiate them. Besides, all she was doing for the moment was prep work, nothing too problematic yet. But if her later work was going to be effective it would help if people were already a little on edge, and interrupting people when they were trying to rest would go a long way to achieving that. She continued walking in amongst people, making a second pass through the little groups that had begun to form. But this time she stopped every now and then, forcing tiny little bits of Stormlight out into the air, little enough that the glow wasn't noticeable amidst the other light sources in the cavern. A few seconds after she paused at each stop a faint noise could be heard, not enough to draw attention, barely enough to even notice. Just the faint sound of a breeze with no wind, a quiet crack as though from a stick that had been stepped on, indiscernible words carried on the wind. Whisper caught one or two people looking about confused for a second before resuming their previous conversations. None of the sounds were enough to cause any alarm, they were all simply there to create a slight sense of unease and discomfort. A moment of confusion that people couldn't quite place, leading them just a little closer to suspicion and fear. Let Mistborn throw coins at each other and Radiants hack their enemies with enormous blades, let the spies use their tin to listen to secrets and the Soothers try to use those secrets to bring others down. She enjoyed her own methods, her own weapons. Subtlety was best, subtlety and cleverness could defeat any number of enemies, or if you were particularly good, could bring those enemies to your side. Sometimes all it took was a tiny little whisper.

Whisper nodded a little more overtly than was necessary, raising her pen into the air and beginning to use it to write directly onto the air as she'd been doing earlier, leaving a glowing line in its wake. As she wrote she paused every now and then, considering the next word she was writing, and as she paused she twisted the pen subtly, shifting its grip around and giving small, discreet spins to it. "I thought they might be helpful to study for making an antidote in case we found any more." She wrote in the air. I move around a bit as well. She signed in between. Started off as a subject for R&D, mostly Intelligence work these days. Her eyes flashed across the rest of the cavern, looking for Karin before finding her figure. She was certainly noticeable, even without the similarities in appearance to Aylitha, though of course there likely weren't many people who would be able to realize that particular connection. Corette was right that she wasn't exactly hiding her affiliations, which meant she wasn't likely to be here on any sort of subterfuge missions, was she also here purely out of personal interest? It would make things a lot easier if she didn't have to be cautious of messing up the plans of either Corette or Karin. "Maybe one of the sciencey people could use it?" She continued writing. Well it helps to have some people around who conform to the archetype that people expect from the DA, easier to remain hidden when everyone thinks we're all immortals with tentacle arms. She signed. Less people suspect the poor little orphan girl or the young boy trying to sell flowers, makes it much easier to stab them if you need to. She relaxed herself a little now that they were both on the same page, but she still kept a close eye on Corette's reactions. Alleycant had never been openly compromised that Whisper knew of, at least not on any kind of large scale. But even so, it wasn't enough to confirm that someone was in the DA. And even if it were, that didn't make them all allies, there were too many different motives and goals for denizens, the lack of rigid rules and oversight meant a freedom that many enjoyed, but it also meant they were less closely allied than some in the other guilds were. It'll probably be 'Wes' for the rest of this trip but you can call me Whisper if you'd like. She signed again. There was little risk in revealing that she'd used an alias, Corette had likely assumed as much as soon as she'd noticed that Whisper was a Lightweaver. And if she wasn't part of the DA, or if she was but still tried to expose Whisper then knowing that name wouldn't help or change what she had to do. If the secret of 'Wes' was about to be revealed then all it would take is one spike where no one could see it, one more secret. And Whisper did so love secrets. @ZincAboutIt

Whisper continued to smile as Corette spoke of Rigex, there was certainly some level of interest between the two but not enough that it could really form a weakness of any kind, not much to exploit yet. Perhaps with a little pushing, but this expedition likely wouldn't continue on long enough for that kind of extended game. Best to leave them be and focus on those who she could already work with. Her eyes shifted to the piece of Cadmium as Corette tapped it. A metalmind, and one that would likely be somewhat useful in these caverns based on what had happened so far. Drawing attention to it was an interesting move, it removed a little of the secrecy that she held. But she hadn't exactly been hiding the ability in that spore filled cavern, it was was possible she just assumed Whisper had already noticed. Might even be enough stored in there to be worth the gold it would take to spike it out. Whisper thought, but doing so would draw undue attention and gain her very little. Slowly her gaze moved back to meet Corette's, though in truth Corette was staring a little higher than where Whisper's real eyes lay, but even that indirect contact was enough to deepen her smile a little more. Someone else enjoyed secrets, and not necessarily the simple hoarding of secrets that so many in the city sought, something deeper. Their eyes both shifted in minuscule ways, focus drifting over each others face, reading, curious. Corette finally broke the staring match, fishing something from a pocked before bringing out a notepad and pen. Whisper couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise at the sight, was this to allow less obvious communication? But writing on paper left a trace behind that could be read by anyone who found it, and burning it down here would be suspicious. Corette seemed to almost not know why she'd brought it out, holding the notepad out without writing and began idly spinning the pen... Interesting. Whisper thought, eyes focused on the pen. And finally someone able to actually talk efficiently. Her smile widened into a grin as she reached into a pocket, pulling out a vial of the spores from the previous room. In her other hand a spike fell from beneath the lightweaving, causing a tiny burst of Stormlight to puff out before it reformed. Iron was always a useful spike to have on hand, and unlike her Aluminium spike it wouldn't completely dissipate the Lightweaving when it fell through. She directed another small puff of Stormlight around the spike, subtly altering its appearance into a metal pen which she raised to the vial as though gesturing at what was inside. A little over the top perhaps given that they were unobserved but it never hurt to be careful. She twisted the pen around as though also fidgeting with it in her excitement. And here I was beginning to worry I'd have to resort to glowing letters every time. She signed back. Here on official business? Or just personal curiosity? One of the Intelligence departments I'd assume, but then I hate to pigeonhole someone just because they're a Seeker. @ZincAboutIt

This should be interesting. Whisper thought, watching the small figure of Corette approaching. She'd assumed that the scouting leader would still be ahead with the other, they'd seemed to be getting close, close enough that sticking too close to them would draw attention so she'd been focusing elsewhere in the meantime. But perhaps this would be a good chance to confirm a few suspicions that she'd had. She returned the smile, keeping hers to the normal polite expression of curiosity, and gave a short flick of her head to push the damp strands from her face. She used the motion to rapidly check to see how much attention they had, but it seemed that most of the others had all separated into their own little groups, no one was paying too much attention here. The smile shifted subtly, mirroring the sly glance that Corette was giving her with a slightly more pronounced quirk of amusement. Seeker's eyes? Coming from you that's rather flattering. This time there was no tracing of her finger through the air, a small patch of Stormlight simply drifted out from her to form the words in front of her chest while she angled the rest of her body to hide the communication from any others who might peer over. As soon as she saw Corette's eyes reach the end of the sentence the words dissipated back into Stormlight before reforming again. Though of course real Seeker's don't need to actually watch in order to find interesting things. Was that how she'd drawn Corette's attention in the beginning? Detecting the difference between a spiked ability and a natural one was not an easy one from what Whisper knew, even more so for abilities that were outside of the Metallic Arts. But it would explain how she'd been found out so quickly, the only other explanation would be someone had either followed her or seen this disguise before. The former was possible but unlikely, the latter would have meant they'd met before which would mean Whisper should remember as well. However she'd managed to arouse suspicion, Corette was actively approaching her now, not simply guessing. Once the game was up denying it further would only attract even more attention and put her on the defensive, better to reveal a little and manage to get something in return from the exchange. And speaking of watching, I notice you managed to stay about as dry as I did. Lord Coinshot miss the catch? @ZincAboutIt

Whispered followed silently, moisture still dripping from her small frame. The cold was seeping into her skin, spreading a chill across her body, but she had endured worse in the Alleys. Time enough to warm up later when they all stopped for a rest. As they entered yet another larger cavern she watched with interest the glowing rocks that filled the area, shining with a radiant golden light. Did these have any additional effects as well? She was stopping for a closer look at a nearby boulder when it was suddenly split in half. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, taking a small step backwards in case something dangerous happened. But it seemed that the boulder remained inert, only in two parts. The glow came from something on top of the rocky surface, the inside remained as dull and dark as rocks usually did. She directed a somewhat scathing look towards the man who'd broken it in half, damp hair still clinging to the sides of her face as she raised an eyebrow.

Whisper stayed close to the back of the group, she wound her way between groups, sticking to herself for the most part as she continued listening in on the conversations that were happening around her. She heard a few people mentioning their abilities and made sure to file the information away, it always helped to know what one was working with. She stayed silent as the quiet conversations continued, tried to avoid looking too obviously at anyone in particular except when they were drawing attention to themselves. Thankfully by the time she'd caught up to those at the front of the group the effect of the spores was already known. Whisper didn't like sleeping for long even when she was able to do so alone and in a safe Alley, let alone in the middle of unexplored caverns and surrounded by others. She did make sure to grab a sample of some of the spores as she made her way into the room, lifting one piece of her shirt to cover her mouth and nose and then using a spare vial to store some of the spores. If they were as fast acting as they'd seemed then having some to hand mind be useful later. Best to be prepared. She watched people stepping down into a large pit in the floor, one by one they fell while supporting themselves with Allomancy, it was certainly interesting to watch and a useful chance to see how trusting people were based on how long they hesitated before entrusting themselves to the Iron and Steel that would prevent them from falling to their deaths. Whisper doubted that either of the two supports would drop anyone specifically based on how they'd been acting so far, but she still wasn't about to entrust her fall to someone else. Instead she stepped from the rim into the darkness below and let gravity take her, finally landing with a large splash as she hit the water at full speed, throwing up a cascade of water that soaked her clothes. As her bare feet hit the stone floor at the bottom of the water she flexed her legs, allowing the enhanced muscles to once again absorb the force of her fall. With completely soaked hair she looked up at those waiting at the bottom as a droplet of water fell from the tip of nose back to the water.

Duralumin is only listed as having such a low point total because it's listed for someone who is solely a Duralumin gnat with no abilities to enhance, as soon as it becomes synergistic with another ability it's going to require more points. And as mentioned a spike with the ability will be more than a fabrial would, fabrials can be stolen, damaged or destroyed which is much harder to do for a spike. Also a fabrial can only perform a specific function whereas having the Surge itself freely available is far more versatile. Points: Duralumin (35), Shardblade (30), Gravitation (30) Melee combat: 50, Hemalurgic knowledge: 10, Disguising (25) Weakness: -5 Total: 35M + 30 M + 30 M + 50 S + 10 S + 25 S -5W = 175 So running a bit over