Fatebreaker

"How do we report our findings to you, sir?" In response, the Stranger pulled two coins form his pocket and proffered them forth. They were a grey metal, dull and smooth, and on both sides there was an engraving, a hammer on one and an anvil on the other. "You'll be able to convey sensory data through these, as well as more vague data like impressions. The latter takes focus to convey properly, but I'm confident in your skills." He stared off into the distance as if remembering searching for something, his expression distant and thoughtful. "If this experiment is successful, you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams. And I don't mean that as a superlative." He paused briefly to let the words sink in, then continued, "And in that vein I need to know another piece of data. I want both of you to tell me your greatest desire, even if it's impossible. Not here, you may use the coins when you are ready, but soon." The Stranger grinned widely, his expression warm. "We are going to accomplish something truly great, something most would call impossible. We shall carry the torch of Science into a vast unknown and illuminate the abyss of ignorance that lies before us." His voice rang with conviction and resolve, and as he spoke the room began to hum with power, low and resonant. His gaze was into the future he envisioned, and he raised a hand as if to grasp it's ethereal strands. Light and shadow swirled around the three denizens, the alley itself seeming to pulsate with energy. "We shall defy destiny, we shall reshape reality into our design. We shall wield the hammer of Science and become Fate Breakers!" The light and shadow swelled to a crescendo with his words and then all was still. Lita and Laurelai were each in their homes, alone. But a voiced whispered to each, like a wind through the boughs of a tree, Your work begins, a path of shadows to tread. I am waiting... ... The Stranger stood in the Forge, and stared at the work before him while thinking of the conversation that had transpired. This was not wise, trusting some so young, so new. But if his gamble payed off, it would be worth it. He knew they didn't trust him, it had gone far to poorly for that, but he knew they were curious and afraid. People were always afraid of madmen, the smart ones anyways. So he didn't have much time. fear and curiosity bought much less time than trust, but it would have to suffice, he was short on time anyways. He picked up a forge hammer and lifted it overhead. A point of white hot fire burned in the hammers head, and suddenly a sea of tiny fires glowed all around him, illuminating the runes and circuits of metal with their radiance. As he grabbed a chisel, The Stranger whispered softly to himself. "Nothing great is achieved without sacrifice..." And the hammer fell, ringing and ringing in an endless warning that no one heard. @Voidus @ZincAboutIt

The Shift is mainly going to affect memories and perceptions of the Alleyplanet and the Guilds, especially the DA, so it would depend. If the character was in constant communication with the sister then she might realize their perception of time could be a little wonky, or that they there seems to be weird gaps in their memory.

The Stranger's grin became somewhat wry. He remembered that celebration vividly, or rather, parts of it vividly. "I mean, creating a world calls for celebration. You know, I made this drink for Voidus out of chronocompressed whiskey that got him so absolutely smashed that he tried to test our theory of partial translocation and recombination, but we forgot to factor in the axial tilt and his top half ended up in..." He coughed and trailed off, realizing that he probably shouldn't be telling younger denizens about one of his and Voidus's most unprofessional moments. Especially to Voidus's daughter. He coughed again and and banished the memories of that time from his mind, they were distractions. Wonderfully pleasant distractions, but distractions none the less. The work was paramount, absolute. He must focus on the task at hand, and that was to secure the help of two extremely clever individuals without revealing the true nature of the task they would be assisting him with. It was but another needle to thread in order to keep the tapestry of his designs from unraveling. The Stranger nodded, "You're both right about the Worldspike. While that is a simplified version, you've perfectly captured the essence of it. But it's more, it's become more." He used Lightweaving to make the image of the Alleyplanet float above his fingers, spinning slowly in place. A glowing spike pierced it and the planet began to change, it's surface bubbling and rippling as the topography changed and a tiny Alleycity began to grow. But then the spike began to change and the City grew and aged, the patterns on its surface growing as the populace grew. "The Worldspike became a part of the Physical, Cognitive, and Spiritual identity of the planet. This, though a monumental undertaking, was doable due to the lack of a populace at the time of spiking. But as more and more people came to our new world, more and more stayed. They lived their lives on it's surface, creating their own memories and legacies, and some had children. Children whose Spiritual Identity was linked to the planet upon which they were born, and thus to the Spike itself. Generations were born, inherently linked to the Hemalurgy that shaped this planet. We hadn't even considered this. Why do you think we have so many denizens? People here are literally born with Hemalurgy in their Souls. And as they in turn study and shape the planet with their work, so they incrementally, tangentially shape the Worldspike, just as those who come here and build new lives help shape it." His gaze met Lita's and he grinned a little wider. "Some have larger impact than others." His gaze shifted to Laurelai, "And some are more closely linked to it than they realize." He turned from them as the glowing image grew larger, filling the room. "It was a great work indeed, but slowly more and more arose that sought to undermine and destroy us. We were no tyrants, keeping every person in line upon risk of death. We were focused on our work, on the next great endeavor, and so the weeds grew. In the very place we created, our enemies arose and struck at us and our works. The Imprisonment of Voidus, the Seven Day War, and now those fools at Plasmacore with their ridiculous Lord Ajax." He felt that slow cooking frustration boiling deep within him, but he continued. "These aggressions have become increasiningly destructive and require more and more time and resource to deal with it seems. And so I have been pursuing a project to, modify the Worldspike. I plan to rewrite some of the connections, make it so certain groups and individuals feel unwelcome here. I can minimize and mitigate the rival guilds without spilling a drop of blood, simply by altering their connection to the planet, albeit in complex metaphysical and spiritual ways. But my editing has had unforeseen side effects, some of which you have noticed. The growing nature of the Worldspike's spiritual connection means that certain locations have ties to people, memories, events. It's like trying to pull a book from a stack, but each book has over one trillion threads connecting it to other books in the pile. There are so many elements of the world I have forgotten or never even known, and that reflects in the disappearances, I'm sorry to say. And that's where the two of you come in." He gestured towards them in an inclusive gesture, his expression encouraging. "You two are some of the brightest young minds in the Alleys, and are perfect to help me for a number of reasons. The first is that I have seen first hand your tenacity and dedication. Both of you handled yourselves marvelously during the plasma core debacle, and both Voidus and I were impressed. The second reason is that, despite your aptitude for the alleys and various forms of investiture, you're still somewhat new. The Chaos of the Alleys hasn't drastically altered you yet, which means you're much more reliable for operating outside of the Alleys. And third, you're both ambitious enough to want to take a chance on being a part of the experiment that changed history. At least I hope that's the case?" He grinned, and he hoped the lies in his words had been well braced by the truths. He knew his body wouldn't have given any physical indicators, but words were tricky things, especially when he had so much on his mind. He pushed the doubt aside and carried on, "What I need you to do is gather information about the city for me. Atmosphere, latent locational memories, community figures. And little details too, like what kinds of birds you notice, what does the wind smell like? I need you to spy on the city itself for me." The Stranger fixed them both with an expectant look, waiting for how they would reply. @Voidus @ZincAboutIt

The Stranger watched as Lita offered her hand to Laurelai. There was so much hope in her words, so much fear in her eyes. She was choosing to walk the path of secrets, of blinding truth and burning knowledge. It was a path that changed you, he knew from personal experience, that stripped away the inconsequential and familiar and replaced it with the glorious burden of Knowledge. The Stranger looked at Lita and knew that she was determined to undertake this path, but she was terrified of walking it alone. Laurelai stood there for an endless instant, doubtlessly feeling the pull of the waters. The Stranger saw her gaze and the Hunger within it. It was alike to Lita's, and yet different. Lita's was a hunger for Secrets, while Laurelai's was the hunger for knowledge. To gain and acquire it, to amass it as a dragon amasses wealth, as a tree amasses nutrients. Both were Hungers that could destroy them, drives that could cut their paths tragically short if they sought that beyond their power to hold without an anchor. Lita was reaching for a tether, for her connection with Laurelai so that she would still be herself even in the midst of transformation. They had no idea how much they truly needed each other. But would that need, that bond be stronger than the pull of the quiet waters? The Stranger wasn't sure, none of them were. He watched the daughter of his friend, and said nothing for that finite eternity. Then Laurelai stepped away from the water. He saw the strain in her every movement, the gravitational of pull of temptation that made every inch feel like a league. But she turned from the pool and took the proffered hand, and the Stranger wasn't sure who's relief was greater, Lita's or Laurelai's. He grinned, but felt it slip as he he caught their reflection. Reflected in the pool, he saw not Laurelai and Lita, but Voidus and himself. Grasping each other's hands with bright smiles, ready to face the world. Colleagues, peers, lab partners. Friends. The Stranger watched as Laurelai squeezed Lita's outstretched hand, and felt something that hid deep within him. It was quiet and painful, and it hurt with a pain both alien and familiar. It swam like a sightless whale in a lightless chasm, ponderous and slow, sending ripples with it's motion. It's was a pain and a hunger and a sweetness. It was a sadness. Eons of memories and experiences were making a million tiny cuts inside him, each one building upon the effect of the others. He was going to lose his only friend, his tether. But he could not stop to consider the pain, could not let himself doubt or fear, or he would surely fail both himself and Voidus. And he would not let that happen. The Stranger felt his grin stretch a little wider and he looked again at the two who would help him reforge the world. They had no idea, not really. Lita may have glimpsed a portion, but even her brush with omniscience hadn't shown her the full scope of his designs. He looked at the pool and felt the hunger, beckoning him like an oasis in the desert. With a small shudder he turned away once more, hardening his will against it's siren song. One thing was for certain, he couldn't let either of them back in the waters, or he risked them discovering the true nature of the experiment. "Very well, then let us begin." He reached out and tried to transport the entire Chapel of Rain to a very, very Dark Alley. But as he began to pull on the ties that would ordinarily bind an invested object like this to the planet, he found that something was different. This wasn't just a location or an object, but rather a source of investiture tied directly to the planet, somewhat similar to a Shardpool, if not exactly alike. He grimaced, this was even more horribly complicated than he had expected. Removing a source of investiture this potent would cause a considerable disturbance, especially a source so integrally linked to the planet. He cursed mentally, another complication he didn't have time for. Very well, if he couldn't remove it, he could make it even harder to find. He first transported Lita and Laurelai into a lab that was deep within the dark recesses of the Alleys. Then he reshaped the cavern, collapsing tunnels, stone shaping walls destroying any and all evidence of it's existence. When he was finished, all that was left was a minuscule trickle of water, hidden almost completely rock formations and carefully arranged debris. He nodded as he observed his handiwork and nodded, it would do for now. Then he travelled through the Alleys and joined his waiting guests in the small sitting room he had left them in. He turned to them and grinned. "Sorry for the delay, we are deep within the Alleys and I had to make sure that everything was secure. Once again I must stress how important it is that you don't breathe a word of this outside of this Alley. What I am doing is a secret to everyone, and I mean Everyone. Not even Voidus knows what I am working on, and that is for his own benefit, as well as the entirety of the World. I am creating a simulation of sorts, the likes of which is unparalleled. Tell me, what do you two know about the World Spike?" @Voidus @ZincAboutIt

'Sixty-three shoes,' Lita reached through the Coin and spoke directly to him. So she had remembered that ability, what more would she remember... 'We found sixty-three right shoes in a cave further up, sitting in a pile. Sixty-three people missing from a tenement that vanished overnight, right down to the foundation. And there are others, other places that have just... gone. Erased. No sound, no trace. I received a tip - that's why we came down here, the three of us. Me, Laurelai, and the Radiant.' The Stranger felt his entire body tense. Discrepancy Manifestations, or Distortion Pulses as he called them, it had to be. He had been going too fast, rushing towards his goal. Such rash haste could destroy everything, or worse, alert Voidus. He should have run trials, should have checked for distortion signals, should have been more careful. 'Whatever you're doing, things are happening. People have noticed. And even if you take my memories, if you keep on the way you're going, he will notice too. You know he will.' She was right, and it did nothing to help with the rising worry. From what he had just been told, the distortion pulses had been significantly larger than his projections had accounted for. 63 people, an entire building, it spoke of horrific miscalculations on his part. It was a miracle Voidus hadn't noticed already. What had he missed? Most likely it was either a containment issue, or he simply hadn't accounted for details about the world. Fear and Flames, this was bad. Forgery was a pain it the neck when dealing with a single individual's soul. And he was dealing with a subject untold orders of magnitude greater. But that was no excuse, not for someone of his skill and experience, he was supposed to be better than that. He needed to be better than that. He had rewritten a planet before, changed the very development of it's people. He remembered showing Voidus, the pride he had felt at his friends amazement, their friendly battle on its surface. But there hadn't been even a fraction of the scale, variation, and power of Investiture on that planet that there was on this one. So many different forms of investiture, multitudinous practitioners. And that wasn't even beginning to touch on the Alleys, or Voidus himself for that matter. Voidus presented a serious issue in and of himself. Not only did his power equal that of the Stranger's, but much of his past was a mystery. The Stranger had no Idea who the man had been before his pursuit of Hemalurgy and the Void. A scholar, a businessman, a farmer? He knew not, and using malatium was incredibly dangerous, for he had no way to explain to Voidus why he wanted to use it on him. Voidus was the reason the Stranger was rushing, because every moment passing was a chance for the Head of All Alleys to learn of the experiment. Voidus was the one person in the multiverse that the Stranger trusted, but he could never know what he was working on or the change might not take. He had to do this without his trusted ally, his only friend. And if he succeeded, He would never speak to Voidus, or anyone else, ever again. It would be absolute solitude, for the sake of the work. 'I knew you, for a moment.' Lita whispered the words through the Coin with the softness of a summer breeze. 'Glorious. And alone. But you don't need to be." Her hand rested on the back of his hand, light as a hummingbird upon a bough. It was soft and warm, and so totally human. The Stranger felt as if he had been paralyzed. He couldn't remember the last time he had been touched by someone who wasn't trying to kill him. Physical contact was not often extended to those seen as gods, be it as formal as a handshake or as intimate as an embrace. And only one person had ever really known him, and that person would now never know him again. The Stranger had tried not to think about the price of his great work, about how he would lose the only friend he had. But Lita's words opened the wound he had kept at bay, and the pain flowed through him like a bittersweet river. Alone. He was truly alone. But Lita offered a ray of light, a glimpse of something other than the darkness of his world. And she could be useful too, a small part of him thought, a tool of cunning and precision. But the other part was not thinking of strategy and use, but of a simple human touch. 'You came to me when I had nearly nothing, when I was no one. You took a risk. Now let me show you why,' her voice was filled with Steel and Shadows as she spoke. 'You began an experiment. Don't end it before it's done.' Lita's eyes burned with a Hunger so desperate the Stranger knew that it could one day consume her. It was a hunger he knew well, for it was consuming him in this very moment. She was right, he had seen promise in her, real talent and ability. She would make the Dark Alley proud, he was sure of it. Her pursuit of secrets kept her sharp, involved in the world outside the Alleys. Outside the Alleys. That was it, he knew how she could help, how he could fix this. Laurelai spoke at that moment, "Perhaps we should research it." She said as she turned towards him, though her eyes never left the falling waters. "It's bound to be useful somehow." Her voice was distant, and he knew the draw of the water was pulling on her even now. He could use her as well, and this place. Pieces fell together in his mind, and he knew success still lay within his grasp. "Indeed, useful beyond reckoning." He held Lita's gaze for an instant and sent his thoughts through the Coin. 'Speak of this to no one. The work is greater than you know, and if you are to assist you must be absolutely unwavering or you will lose everything.' His thoughts came through with a weight and force behind them that Lita was sure to find uncomfortable, but he meant for her to understand the gravity of his words. He stepped away and faced the water. "But it is also undeniably dangerous, and so must be studied with caution and secrecy. You are to speak to no one of this, Denizen or otherwise." He strode to the edge of the water, feeling it's pull. His eyes swept it's serene surface, but he did not touch its glassy depths. His back was to the two of them as spoke with the utmost gravity, "Now I offer you both an opportunity the likes of which you have never dreamed, and will never encounter again." He turned away from the water to face them, and his eyes held the levity of a crypt. "I am engaged in an experiment the likes of which the world has never seen. I offer you the chance to gain knowledge and power beyond your ken, and the opportunity to carve your mark in the annals of history. So what say you? Will you join me in the pursuit of knowledge, of secrets, of Science?" @ZincAboutIt @Voidus

""If our places were reversed, if I were to ask you for your memories of this place, what you'd learned. What you'd seen. Would you do it? Could you let it go? Even if," Lita paused, taking a breath. "Even if you knew you'd die if you refused?" Her words rung in the Stranger's mind, like a tolling bell. He felt his hypocrisy like raw pitch, coating his words. She was right. Of course he wouldn't have complied, he would have done everything in his power to avoid compliance. And if there were no alternatives, he would have taken his knowledge to the grave. And that was what had drawn him to Lita in the first place. His Shade had sensed her drive, her Hunger. He had felt the resonance of one so familiar despite never meeting her before. He had known what to offer her, how to guide her on the path she now tread.He looked at the spot in her side where he knew the spike to be, his iron eye outlining it in blue. It had been a heavy price, but in her eyes he had seen that she had paid greater ones. He looked at the coin in her hand, glinting even in the faint light. It had become her talisman, her lucky charm, her guiding star. He wished he had never made the blasted thing. But that was a lie, he knew. There had never been another better suited for his work, for this work specifically. The Coin had galvanized her ambition, inspired her growth. It had been like giving an eagle its wings. Or perhaps its talons. The Stranger looked at Lita, at the tears running down her face, and felt a cold, writhing shame stir within him. And something else, he couldn't quite describe. Pride? Anger? No, regret? But why? What was causing him to feel regret? Why was he feeling so many emotions? Too many emotions. He wasn't used to this, to feeling so out of control. And Lita was the root of it, though exactlywhy he could not say. She was becoming an obstacle, a hindering element to his work. He knew she would not give him the memories of her own volition, so he would either have to take the memories or eliminate her entirely. It would be no easy thing, but his work was paramount, and great endeavors required Sacrifice. He was a scientist, not some philosopher to bemoan morality and obligation. He had work to do. He lowered his hand and closed it into a fist around the metal stud. He felt it elongate into a thin, short spike that was obscured within his palm. He rested his thumb on the head of the spike, and looked into Lita's eyes. Each heartbeat echoed in his ears like the tread of a greatshell. His grin faded completely as he answered her question. "No, not if God himself were to ask." Her green eyes sparkled in the ghostly light. Green eyes filled with tears. Green eyes... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "It will work, trust me. I've studied the diagrams extensively, and I'm positive we'll be successful." "Are you sure? And I'll still be able to..." "Of course you will, I wouldn't lie to you about this! This is the culmination of years of research! I'm about to do something no one has accomplished since the Lord Ruler! And it will be even better, more efficient and less wasteful. I'm going to change history, change our understanding of Science itself!" "I know, I know how important this is to you! But I'm scared, really scared. Is it going to hurt? How long before you can be sure it worked? And even if you get it right, I don't know if I can give up such an important piece of myself, even if you think you can heal me. It won't be the same, I just know it..." "It WILL be the same. You just have to trust me! Scientific breakthrough do not come cheaply, they require dedication and hard work. It requires Sacrifice." "Reshilore, are you sure? Are you absolutely sure I'll be okay?" "...of course I am. I wouldn't do it if I wasn't sure I wasn't asking you to do something dangerous. Now lie still, Victoria, this will all be over soon..." He looked into her green eyes, her beautiful green eyes and raised the hammer... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Hello, err, ...sir." The Stranger snapped out of the forgotten memory like he had been slapped in the face. Laurelai, she had left the fountain, walked out of it. He tried to think, to formulate a plan, but he was still reeling from the shock of the memory. Laurelai had a strange expression on her face. What did she know? Had she looked at him too? What was that memory? Who, ...who was Victoria? He tried to speak coherently, pulling himself together by the barest seams. Tell her something, anything. "Ah, um, Laurelai. You... both of you must avoid the waterfall, it's dangerous. Who knows what the source of the magic is, what the long term effects are? It's best just to be safe." He struggled for more words, but none of them made any sense. He looked at both girls faces and wondered, what they saw now? A benevolent god? Or a cruel monster? Or something even worse... @Voidus. @ZincAboutIt

"You were in the dark, with your black hammer and forge. I found you, amidst a thousand burning stars." The Stranger froze, the words striking him with the force of blows. How did she... the Water. He didn't seem to move, but he began compounding speed, effectively freezing the world. He had to think. Too much was happening all at once, he was losing control of the situation. First Lita had, perhaps inadvertently, mentally blindsided him. Then he had learned of the existence of the Fountain, which would have been a momentous occasion in another time, but under the present circumstances was more of a threat. Then Laurelai had Looked at him with the Fountain's power. And now Lita apparently new of his project. It was like a dam that had begun to fail, for each leak he plugged, another sprung anew. And he was running out of plugs. His hands closed and opened, and tried to think of solutions. You have a solution, destroy this place and leave no witnesses. No, Laurelai is Voidus' daughter, I can't kill her. Then make her comatose, she won't be dead and won't be able to tell anyone. Voidus would investigate the cause, and that could endanger the work. Perhaps if we framed... NO! I won't harm her, she's the only child of my friend. My only friend. I'm doing this for him, for the world of course, but for him most importantly. Stop lying to yourself, you're doing this for YOU. You're doing it to see if you can. You can lie to yourself about selflessness and correction, about your idyllic paradise, but the truth is you're bored. You're bored and you're curious. That's not... that's not the whole truth. You're ready to kill the child of your only friend and a girl you've been mentoring... I haven't been mentoring her! You appeared to her before you spoke to anyone else. You gave her one of your personal creations. You gave her a Spike! You've spent more time with her than anyone other than Voidus. And you were ready to kill her. YOU were ready to kill her! I AM YOU! You don't have a split personality, you're not talking to one of the countless souls you've taken, you're talking to YOURSELF. The Stranger felt the muscles in his jaw tightening as his control started to slip. The shadows in the cavern boiled, writhing with silent fury. He looked at Lita, and the shadows were already starting to pool around her. Was this truly the only way, to kill these girls? No. There would be another way, he just had to reexamine the data. He stopped tapping Steel and tried to think of what to say. "For a moment I.." continued speaking, unaware of how close she was to death. Then she blinked and her was fell with a look of confusion as she trailed off. She seemed to search for the thought, like a lost child reaching into a dark pool. But her search seemed to be in vain, and as tears traced silver paths across her face she spoke softly, "This will have a price won't it?" The Stranger felt the ghost of a wry grin assert itself, "You have no idea, Little Lita." He stepped towards her and laid a hand on her shoulder, noticing the shadows dissipate out of the corner of his eye. "I have something I must ask of you, something of the utmost importance." His grip on her shoulder tightened, and he leaned in, his face grim. "I need you to tell me exactly what you're doing down here, what you know about this place, and who else knows." He reached into his grey lab coat and pulled out a metallic stud. His voice was measured, but he held her gaze with an intensity that could melt stone. "And then I need you to give me those memories. " @ZincAboutIt @Voidus

Nice

What's happening to me, to us? The Stranger turned from even as Lita froze his gaze falling on Laurelai as she stepped into the water. The water lapped around her legs, welcoming her with it's embrace. The falling water cascaded off her head, down her shoulders and into the pool. It would have been a beautiful scene of serenity to anyone who saw it. So long as they didn't look deeper than the physical. The Stranger opened his Sight, burned bronze, and peered into the cognitive realm. And to him it was a completely different sight. Laurelai was standing in a raging torrent of investiture, caught in the seductive rush of raw Power. It didn't flow over her, but through her, body spirit and mind. It bathed her very core with its essence, transforming her spiritual and cognitive signature. The Stranger kept his laser focus on her, but it didn't seem like it was harming her. In fact, he wasn't sure what it was doing. This was unlike any investiture he had ever encountered, especially in this raw state. So he gazed upon it with keen Hunger, seeking to understand its nature. And then Laurelai looked at him. He felt it, deep within him, the gaze of the Knowing. There were the eyes of someone who Saw him, like a specimen to be dissected. Laurelai had an expression somewhere between joy and horror, and he wasn't sure which was more worrying. She was looking at him and not looking at him. It was similar to the sensation Lita had caused, but much less focused on him. All this transpired in an instant, in the time it takes a fear to grow. And grow it did, but so did the Hunger. Here was a subject deserving of countless hours of study, a wellspring of theories and tests bubbling to life within his mind. What effect would individuals with cognitive dissonance have on the stream? How would a Spinner experience the effect? Sentient constructs? What about... NO. He had work to do, an undertaking already underway. He would not be diverted from his fell purpose. This Font of Enlightenment was truly a marvel, but what he was working on eclipsed it in magnitude. But then another thought: What if he could use it? A tool to aid his task, another lever with which to move the sphere of the world? This phenomenon expands the mind, beyond the rate and scope of that of any investiture he knew of. He could save so much time and effort, advance his timeframes by entire magnitudes of order. Sacrifice. What is the price of this power? Can I afford it, especially now? He glanced from Laurelai to Lita, at their hungry and haunted expression and thought, Can they? He thought of Voidus looking at his daughter with sorrow, worry, and a deep, deep love. Voidus would want to know about this, he needed to know so he could step in and make sure it was handled properly. The Stranger prepared to contact him, then stopped. Voidus could never know about this. This place granted revelation, knowledge you couldn't know otherwise. If Voidus partook of the water, he could learn of the Stranger's plan, and everything would be ruined. He had to hide this place, and he had to make sure neither of the people here told anyone. He had to keep this secret, had to keep it safe. He filled his voice with Will and Weight and spoke to the girl in the water, "Laurelai, come out now." @Voidus @ZincAboutIt

The Stranger heard Lita's words creep through the cavern, saw her gaze transfixed upon the falling water, felt her footstep crunch upon the gravel. This was an old place, one that he had no memory of. And it's power was great. Even as he stood there, he could feel his hunger pulling him towards it, even as Lita moved to immerse herself. The Hunger resounded in this place, cool and implacable. It was no wonder the two denizens had partaken. But the Stranger had mastered his Hunger long ago. Or so he told himself. In this place, even he had to wonder. "Lita, Halt." His voice was harder than an anvil, and his gaze was as cool as a hangman's, never leaving Laurelai. "Get behind me." The Stranger did not beg or order, his words seemed to be describing truths yet unrealized. He knew the danger they were in. He was aware of Laurelai's unique ability, and he had no idea how it was going to interact with this Chapel of Rain. Lita had been able to surprise him, and she lacked the chaotic innate investiture. The Stranger continued to speak in a calm, hard voice, "Tether your Hunger by your will, or you shall be shackled to its whims." He knew a thing of two about that... @ZincAboutIt @Voidus

It was silent as the Stranger stood in the lab that lay beyond. He waited, Coin in hand, gazing at nothing and many things. Then a voice, small and afraid spoke to him Something happened to me Then impressions, feelings, sound. Like the torrent before, but a mere fraction of it. There was confusion, fear, worry, but beneath it all was the Hunger. The kind of Hunger that had tasted and known that for which it yearned. The most dangerous kind of Hunger. The Stranger considered this as he sifted through the impressions and emotions Lita had projected. Subterranean, dark, water, and something Lita herself didn't understand. It was all so jumbled, as if she was pulling fragments of consciousness out of the recesses of her mind. None of it made any sense, it was like the words of a babbling child who had seen something they didn't understand. But Lita had a razor sharp mind, and her articulation in the face of danger was remarkable. She had spoken to The Stranger face to face and not wavered, even as he drove a hemalurgic spike into her. And yet whatever had just happened had shattered her composure so completely. Not only that, but it had somehow enabled her to slip past his mental defenses with a surge of raw emotion. The Stranger was silent for a long moment, looking at the unfinished work before him. There was so much work to do, a world of details to see to. But this was something unknown, something that had not only eluded him, but caught him entirely off guard. He needed to see to this. ... The shadows in the carven did not warp and twist, the air did not whisper with silent voices. The Stranger was just suddenly there, without fanfare or spectacle. He stood a little ways off, taking in the scene before him. There was Lita, standing before falling water, speaking to someone in a strangely guarded voice. The Stranger was surprised to see that her companion was Laurelai, though after a moment of reflection he concluded that he had seen them together more often than not. However, this only created more questions: Was she involved in the strange events of late? Did Voidus know she was here? Did he know about any of this? But his questions fell to the back of his mind as he gazed upon the water falling before him. He felt the pull of it immediately, and his own Hunger responded. And that worried him. He stepped forward towards the others and spoke softly, "What is this place?" Yet before he could finish the sentence, Laurelai had turned and stepped into the pool. And the Stranger watched, unable or unwilling to stop her, he wasn't sure which... @Voidus @ZincAboutIt

"The key is similarities. The less you have to change, the more sustainable it will be." The Stranger spoke to himself as he etched small grooves into the metal surface in front of him. They were part of a larger pattern of intricate symbols that spread across the gleaming spike. "And don't forget the background plausibility factor, it needs to be seemless." He connected a hexagonal grid to the larger section, merging them into a cohesive whole. The end of his chisel glowed white hot, hissing and crackling with power as he worked the tip of it in calculated movements. His engraving was as precise as a machine and as beautiful as an artist's. And as he worked he channeled his massive stores of investiture into it, weaving cryptic arts and dark Sciences in the loom of his design. The Stranger did not laugh or joke, but spoke softly as if to warn himself of danger. His face was focused and dark, and there was only a shallow grin about him. His work weighed heavy on him, yet he was the only one who could bear this burden. He stopped for a moment and looked at the spike before him, contemplating it's weight and it's Weight. Then he picked up his hammer, raising it over head for a mighty swing. It never fell. Something surged into the Stranger's mind, a torrent of power washing over his defences. He reeled, dropping the hammer to clutch at his head. This was agony. Nothing had been able to do this to him for a millennia. He staggered to regain control, but the force was so foreign and unexpected he was having trouble regaining his footing. It took him a moment to realize that it wasn't an eldritch abomination or some twisted deity. It was a person. Someone channeling raw emotion and intellect into his mind, his soul. Amd what was worse, they could See him. Really SEE him. It was as if he had been laid bare before a microscope, dissected and displayed. Understood. It was terrifying. He tried to push back against it, but as he forced his mind back in return, he recognized who had done this to him. It was Lita. The girl of the terrible hunger, the hunger so like his own. The woman who had seen the cost of power and found the resolve to pay it. The Eater of Secrets, Little Lita. The mental onslaught from her was such a raw burst of mental force, that the Stranger couldn't understand what she was trying to communicate, and he was fairly certain she couldn't either. Then just as abruptly it stopped, the connection ceasing to exist like the song of a hanged man. The Stranger was left lying on the floor, staring at the nothing as he tried to wrap his mind around what had just happened. He found that he had no idea, and that terrified him. He eventually stood and reached into the pocket of his lab coat and pulled out a heavy gold coin. He extended his mind through the coin, searching for the signature pulse of the coin Lita held. And subconsciously, a whispered question: Why? @ZincAboutIt

@ZincAboutIt Once more you continue to astound me in the most enjoyable way.

...what.

Hmm, I think this doesn't belong in this thread, as it's all too plausible to NOT have happened. Also, I'm very curious as to what vould have inspired this beautiful piece of literature.

BOOM BOOM BOOM The Stranger hammered the metal before him with blow after blow of his black iron hammer. He worked and shaped it, filling the air with showers of sparks. BOOM BOOM BOOM He focused his will on the shape, Pulling and Pushing on the metal with precision even as he struck it. There would be no room for error, not even a fraction. This spike would be his greatest endeavor yet, and if he succeeded no one would ever know. BOOM BOOM BOOM As he worked he heard the voice of his friend echoing in his mind. Tired, oh so tired. BOOM BOOM BOOM He saw the city below him, regarding him with terror even as he slew the one who sought to destroy everything. BOOM BOOM BOOM He saw the bowler held in his hands as he stood in the Hall of Legends. BOOM BOOM BOOM He saw the eyes of Laurelai gazing upon the one who loved her most with a boundless fear. BOOM BOOM BOOM BANG!!! The last blow hit the metal harder than the othersstopped and closed his eyes, focusing on the cool metal of the hammer in his hand. Now was not the time to lose focus, not with so much at stake. The work must continue if the world was to be corrected. And so the Stranger refocused his will and steadied his mind. Then he set once more to work, the echoes fading in to the cold darkness. BOOM BOOM BOOM

I haven't drawn anything in a good while, but I couldn't let the 1st Alleyverse Inktober go by without contributing anything. I know it's quite late but here's my piece for : Sacrifice

While this is quite good, this portrayal of the DA is slanderous. We've a number of different spikes for situations of emotional distress, any of qhich would solve the problem. Can't feel sad if you've lost the ability to think!

I’m afraid that’s all for now, can’t go revealing things to quickly.

Then you can have one and eat the other, but you’ll still not be able to have and eat both.

Hmm, you’ve actually got somewhat close to his real name... I’m afraid you can’t have your cake and eat it too.