Fatebreaker

The Stranger took in the assembled group with a glance, but his eyes lingered on Sudiov. So this was the Fragment, the Rebellious Reflection that had been plaguing Voidus for these recent years. The similarities were striking, but that was to be expected. What was more interesting were the differences. Cognitive aspects divorced from their progenitors tended to warp, take on lives of their own. After a while it was hard to tell they had once been a near perfect Reflection of their originator. This held true for Sudiov, the Stranger noted. The follicle alterations, slight differences in posture and syntax, and last but not least, the lack of total dispassionate curiosity. The look that meant anything and anyones could be used as materials for an experiment. Sudiov was, weak. He lacked the resolve to seize the world and carve it open to gain the secrets it hid. And it infuriated the Stranger. Voidus possessed an incredible Scientific mind. He was willing to go to any length to ensure that their understanding was increased and Science was furthered. He had been an inspiration to the Stranger, a role model, a partner, even a friend. And this Shadow, this warped Reflection had forsaken that very thing. He was a mockery of a great man, a waste of potential! An affront to Science!!! The Stranger felt his grin become increasingly predatory, and the Cognitive Cloak began to unfurl. The images of people and creatures stretched out from his back and whispering filled both rooms, traversing the cognitive link. "Is this the thing that has defied the Alleys, Voidus? It comes seeking our aid, after standing in direct opposition to us? It has allied with TUBA, for blood's sake! They are a mockery of baking, a degenerate group of spineless dimwits who couldn't tell the difference between quantitative and qualitative data!" His voice was like a slow moving wave, rolling and terrible in its inevitability. "First some wet behind the ears group of morons with money decide to start messing with the Void, then the one guild directly opposed to us asks to join with our efforts to exert some measure of control while we restore order to the city? We made the PLANET. Who gives a rusting rivet what happens to portions of a city?" The shadows behind him were writhing with increasing violence, causing the Stormlight projections to flicker and fuzz. @Voidus

The Stranger grinned as Voidus spoke. "Just wanted to get my point across." Weaving through the flames and the tar, The Stranger raced across the newly formed pit, lashing himself a hundred times over. " That pitch never made it over the plate."He emerged from the raging inferno, firing a blast of Division at Voidus. Or rather, where he had been. The Stranger leapt to the side as a boulder the size of a house slammed into the tar. He skimmed across it's surface, then launched toward where Voidus was launching another boulder. Rather than dodge this one, The Stranger flew headfirst into it. It shattered into rubble, and the Stranger flew even faster. Voidus changed tactics, soulcasting blocks of metal from the air in the flight path to intercept. Rather than focus on controlling the individual blocks, he made them in ever increasing numbers. The air became a deadly maze of wind and steel.At the speed the Stranger was going, one wrong turn would end it instantly. Adjust pitch 5 degrees. Rotate quarter turn left. Increase lift by 2 points. Increase velocity. Faster and faster, he twirled through the air like a kite pulled behind a rocket. The only thing faster than his flight were his calculations. Combat with Voidus was one of the most technically exacting experiences you could ever hope to partake in. The gap between them continued to close, when suddenly the stranger was blasted by shrapnel. Voidus was using Division to shatter some of the metal blocks, creating a vortex of claymores. The Stranger felt the flesh on his face get shredded like a sailors back across barnacles, the metal shards tearing through flesh and bone. He grinned, time to kick it up a notch. As the gap grew smaller and smaller, The Stranger burned an huge amount of iron. Countless shards and blocks of metal surrounded his torso, spreading along his limbs. The metal grew, growing larger and larger till he was encased in a gigantic metallic form in the shape of a man. The feet were dug into the ground and the right hand closed into a massive fist, which slammed into Voidus. And shattered. Voidus stood there, unaffected by the Strangers's last attack. He had tapped and insane amount of physical attributes to withstand a blow of that caliber. But even more concerning was that Voidus was holding his fist with a single hand. "Sorry old chum, but this is going to hurt. A lot." And he spun in a tight circle, then flung the Stranger into the raging flames.

The Stranger grinned even wider “It was actually to test out the thing I’d been working on. The test went,” his smile grew wry, “smashingly. I can’t say much at this juncture, but I will say that you’re Broken Trajectory technique caught me completely off guard. Felt like an absolute rookie. It almost made up for your shoddy Kurisigama work.” His grin was playful and his eye danced with mischievous light. This war would be a good exercise, but not nearly as fun as their sparring. “Once this is all over I’ll take the two of you to see what I’ve been working on. Maybe I’ll even give you a rematch.”

The Stranger nodded as he listened to Mac and Voidus. Sentient power divestments were rare, but they weren’t unheard of. He had one of his own, his Shadow, but they had an arrangement to keep things amicable. May Mac’s mention of a project, the Stranger’s ears perked up. “I’d be happy to! Working alongside peers is something I’ve sorely missed. I’m sure if you’re working on it then it must be an excellent project indeed! And please, there’s no need for Mr, Stranger will do just fine. After all, we’re both department heads, colleagues and what not. No need for such formality between future lab partners.” At the mention of the new recruit, he turned his gaze to the young Denizen his Shadow had given the coin to. She was standing near another woman, apparently conversing about the meeting, though they snuck covert glances his way. He grinned. “Well, let’s have a briefing then.” He gestured for the two of them to join the group. The new Secret Sniffer was hungry for power, he could sense her ambition. His Shadow must have sensed that, as well as her potential. It was important to encourage the development of bright young minds. As the two Denizens approached, he greeted them with a smile. “I do believe a proper introduction is in order. One of you I haven’t met and the other has only met part of me, and not the part that’s meeting her now. Greetings to the both of you, may your spikes be sharp and your measurements precise.”

The Stranger’s expression grew grim as Voidus outlines the reason for their gathering. He hadn’t seen his friend this angry in a long time. He didn’t like the sound of this Suidov. He would need to be dealt with. The fact that Voidus hadn’t already done so was enough cause for concern. His affinity for the Void was unparalleled, even by the Stranger himself, meaning this Sudiov was a foe to be reckoned with. Voidus grew even more angry, and the Void began surging faith in him as the Stranger watched. This could be disastrous, one slip and Voidus would destroy everyone here without even trying. He prepared to intervene, reaching a hand into his coat. But just as he was about to act, Voidus seemed to gain control, releasing the power harmlessly. The Stranger let out an inward sigh of relief; trying to stop and enraged Voidus was the last thing he wanted to do right now. This third party, whoever they were, were in for worlds of suffering they couldn’t begin to understand. Voidus and lost control like this for a long time. What had changed? Looking closer at his friend, the Stranger began to notice details that he had missed. The bags under the eyes, the worry lines in the brow, the way his index finger twitched almost imperceptibly. The recent years have not been kind to you, old friend. Whoever this Sudiov is, I will make him pay for the insult he has dealt to the Dark Alley, and to you. He looked up as Voidus finished and made his way over. “Might have gotten a little carried away.” he admitted. The Stranger shook his head. “Don’t sweat it, from the looks of it you haven’t had the chance to let loose in far too long. I on the other hand, got to release a lot of steam in a friendly bout with you from a different temporal sector, so I’m feeling a lot more relaxed. Maybe some time I’ll tell you who won.” He winked, or was it blinking? He only had one eye to close. He was never sure about which it was, but decided that it was situational, or perhaps up to interpretation. Maybe the speed of movement had something to do with it? It was something to be revisited. He turned towards Mac “You’ve always had your ear to the proverbial ground, what do you think about the situation? I think you would be best suited for coordinating the assault on the new rift, seeing as you’re the head of counterintelligence.” He turned to Voidus, “And I need you to tell me what you can about this Sudiov. Given the fact that you haven’t reduced him to subatomic soup, I can deduce that he is quite powerful. Is it possible that he’s working with the new organization? Also, I think it’d be beneficial for Mac to learn what he can about Voidmaking. He may not have snapped yet, but the knowledge would be good for him.”

The Stranger nodded in greeting as Voidus introduced him. “My work has been arduous and secretive, but I have furthered our understanding of Science and achieved great success that I hope to one day share with all of you. I know that my handling of this intruder may leave some of you with doubts of my capabilities and judgement, but rest assured my power has not diminished,” As he spoke he pointed towards the comatose man on the floor and soulcast him into smoke. He wove his fingers in a loose pattern then pointed at the ground, where the man reformed, appearing untouched. “nor has my mind. For the less experienced of you, I just deconstructed and reconstructed this fellow in his entirety. That means organs, neurons, and cells, all perfectly recreated. If he was still in possession of a mind, he would find all of his memories in tact, which is the trickiest bit.” He grinned and took a small bow. “All that to say, I am thrilled to walk among you once more and eagerly anticipate our future collaborations. I can tell by merely glancing around the room that there is a wealth of power and potential residing in you. Let the Light of Science shine ever brighter, held aloft by your noble hands!”

The Stranger tilted his head almost imperceptibly, then snapped his fingers. In an instant the air around the intruders limbs and face were soulcast into steel, forming restraints and a gag would prevent speech. He then burned the tiniest bit of iron and dragged the man into the center of the room. With a casual air he reached out with his left hand and lashed the man to the floor a dozen times over, while his right drew aons that would prevent any sort of teleportation. “Congratulations you’ve been selected to sample some of our signature Dark Alley products! Could I interest you in a chocolate wafer?” He pulled a copper spike from his pocket and pushed it through his captives shoulder. It went through like a javelin through a juice box: with a wet sound. He pulled it out the other side and dropped it into a vial, which disappeared into his coat. “I’ve taken the liberty of ‘borrowing’ this fellows mind. We can decide what to do to him later. Now, where were we?”

Yup, a bit of an HR kerfuffle

The coin began to glow white hot, the heat becoming so intense that Lita couldn't store the heat fast enough. She dropped it and rolled across the floor, weaving between the assembled Denizens till it came to rest at the feat of Voidus. The glow of the coin increased till it was a beacon, casting strange shadows on the walls. The room hummed with energy, low pulsating echoes of raw power that washed over the assembled crowd. Mist and smoke billowed out from the coin, swirling wildly. Then it stopped, the room going completely silent, and the smell of freshly baked cookies wafted through the room. Voidus turned and looked at the cart with a knowing smile. The Stranger was leaning against it. His grey lab coat was torn in a number of places, and there was dried blood spattered on his face and clothes. His afro was wild and unkempt, and it was possible his teeth were a bit more pointed than the last time he had been seen. But the silver eyespike gleamed brightly, and his right eye glowed with a luminous blackness that was unmistakable. He was holding one of the cookies and looking at it with a mixture of wistfulness and satisfaction. He looked up at Voidus and grinned. "It is an unprecedented joy to see you again, my old friend. I have been working alone in the lab for too long." He set down the cookie and moved forward to take Voidus in a warm hug. After a moment he released him and turned towards Mac, "Mac! You're powers have grown exponentially! I'm quite impressed, next thing I know you'll be running things around here." He bent down to pick up the coin, which lay at his feet. His deep, dark eye moved about the room till it found Lita. "Ah, the Secret Snatcher! I technically have and have not met you, but if you're the one who's been carrying my coin then my Shadow must have taken a shining to you. I hope he wasn't too maddening, it's one of our major flaws. We'll need to talk further about that coin, so make sure you hold on to it." He flipped it to her, and the faces were blank. He turned to the rest of the room and his voice seemed to grow resonant. "As for the rest of you," Slowly at first, then more rapidly, afterimages seemed to sprout from his back. Ghostly figures, whispering softly reaching out with intangible limbs. People of all ages and origins, forming a growing crowd that seemed anchored to the Stranger. Then it was creatures, both familiar and alien; a myriad of wings, claws, and tentacles. The chitinous head of a chasmfiend roared silently, it's translucent head reaching above the crowd. There were too many to count, a vortex of soul fragments straining to be free. Then they vanished, disappearing in an instant. The Stranger grinned. "I am the Stranger, and I'm pleased to make your acquaintances. Now, " He turned back to Voidus with an attentive look "I believe I've been gone for a year or two. Maybe four. I was working with ridiculous chronocompression levels. It's been intensely challenging, but all the more rewarding because of that. You really liked the end result. Anyways, what did I miss? What requires so many fine bakers to gather here today? Is it time for cookies?" @Voidus @MacThorstenson @ZincAboutIt

Stumped felt his jaw drop as the man ripped the spike out of his leg. While not a critical bind point, that would certainly cause some hefty spiritual damage. He might not survive, his mind certainly wouldn’t, barring DA intervention. He was about to ask the man if he was trying to kill himself when he heard someone at the entrance to the alley. Hearing the voice, Stumped looked up from the weeping man who was currently curled up on the ground. Another visitor? Spikes and spoons, this is getting ridiculous! I didn’t sign up to be a PR rep! I have photons to bottle, musculature to reconstitute, cookies to bake! He didn’t say any of this however, but rubbed a hand over his bald scalp and turned towards the voice. Maybe the other acolyte present would be able to handle this. He didn’t even have a single personality spike on him. However, as a Denizen of the Alleys he had a responsibility to make sales whenever the opportunity presented itself. “Welcome to the Dark Alley, *cough* baked goodness you can trust. Would you like a, um, a cookie?” @xinoehp512 @Gancho Libre @ZincAboutIt

Ok, that’s reasonable. I read it as she tried to move the shelf but failed, which is why she called for help.

@Ark1002 can you give your reasoning for Hellbent going down into the cellar to stab the wood covering Kidpen’s character, specifically someone called for help? Or at least Hellbents reasoning?

@Ark1002