Law of the Sword (Worm/Destiny Quest)

Saturday, March 12th, 2011
10:05 PM

I spent a couple of hours running through various katas which just reinforced how far I have to go, but did help me see that I am not as helpless as I thought. After I took a moment to catch my breath, I decided that there was no reason for me to stay in tonight, since I did get healed.

Which brings me to now, Malum Caedo in hand and moving through the more rundown sections of the Bay wearing the same thing that I did to the hospital, just with the balaclava added. I settled on hunting Merchants today, they're not really a gang, I don't think? Since they don't really have proper territory, but they do have capes, so... I also brought the Tinkertech box thing that Shade Skip gave me, just in case I run into her.

Back on topic, the Merchants don't really have a territory, which for my goal of getting a few more kills is bad because I don't have a way of keeping to the fringes. It also doesn't help that they don't have specific gang colors, meaning I can't attack on sight like I can with the Empire. Instead, I am just walking through the alleys, past various homeless people, and looking for a mugging or a drug deal or something.

Actually, that brings me to my thoughts of having some kind of code. I don't want to turn evil, that would undermine Malum Caedo's name after all and that feels like a bad idea, but I am not going to stop killing. Don't kill kids, what else? I remember that I was going to go to the library to see if Marquis' code was online, but I completely forgot. Oh well, may as well think on it now. I pass through a few streets before I can think of something else to add, which is to not be cruel. My power just needs me to kill, there is no reason to drag it out on purpose. And surrender, don't kill people surrendering like those thieves did. I'm sure more will come to me later.

As I keep walking past people sleeping against a building and other late night wanderers, I am barely acknowledged, which lets my mind drift to an idle question. What am I? Classified as I mean, I'm not a hero, that's for sure, but I don't really think I'm a villain either. I know there are two others that the PRT uses, vigilante and rogue, and that one cape that makes clothes is a rogue, so would I be a Vigilante then? It doesn't really matter, I don't think, but I don't really want to wake up to a bunch of heroes busing into my base to stop a 'villain'.

I don't have a chance to think on it more as I feel Dreadnought excitedly rush into me, making me immediately take a more ready stance and start looking around. A few seconds later, I hear a scream that is abruptly cut off, and I quickly start moving in that direction. I feel excitement that something is finally happening, even though I know objectively that someone is in trouble.

After making it a street over, I am about where I think I heard the cry come from, so I pause to listen. Hearing a scuffle coming behind a dumpster in the alley, I burst around the side and take in the scene.

A simultaneously both overweight and rail thin man has his hands around the neck of a woman on the ground, I see her clothes are torn. He is yelling something, spite flying out of his mouth, but the searing rage that fills my veins blocks it out. Malum Caedo lashes out, and my Echo eagerly follows behind has the man's head is abruptly removed from their torso. I kick the corpse to the side, so that the woman doesn't get excess blood on her, as the feeling of Righteousness overshadows the feeling of Growth for this kill.

The lady coughing and taking raspy breaths, which is a good sign, but being choked like that can damage a lot of things, so I start looking through the man's pockets for a phone. I need a holster or sheathe for my sword because I want to use both of my hands, but something inside me rages at the idea of even setting it down for a moment.

I find the phone and am about to start dialing when I see the woman waving with her arm, so I shove the phone in my pocket and offer the now free hand to help her off the dirty ground.

"No hospital." She manages to spit out, and I am very tempted to start listing the dangers of being choked out. That wouldn't be helpful, though, so I don't.

She leans against the wall and starts to get her breathing under control, which is when it clicks that Dreadnought is still active, so I start scanning the alleyway. I am glad I did because as I am looking I see another man stroll into the other end of the alleyway talking on a phone. Something about him immediately sets off bells in my head because his eyes go from me to the corpse, and then he says something into his phone before sliding into his pocket. That same hand then comes out of his pocket with a pistol.

Reacting without thought, I chuck the phone at him as I start charging forward. I hit him in the head, which briefly stuns him and makes him clutch his face. Then I see an Echo of the phone hit the back of his hand and stagger him. He starts to straighten out, but at that point I am within striking distance, so I bring Malum Ceado down. He manages to hop back, but I press forward, not giving him a chance to use is gun, and slash upwards. A scream leaves his mouth as I dig a deep gash into his chest, my Echo follows behind, and the man falls silent.

I feel the rush of calm, pleasure and progress, I can't help but let out a sigh and stretch out as I feel Dreadnought settle back into the crossguard of Malum Ceado. Turning back around, I see the lady looking at me with wide eyes and a hand over her mouth.

I can look at her better now that things have calmed down a bit. She is definitely older than me, and showing far more skin, though not enough to be a hooker. She doesn't look too hurt, but I can see the deep bruise forming around her neck even from this end of the alley.

Again, sorry for the later chapter. Also, I had Roman just attack this chapter since that was the goal of going hunting anyway; if you would prefer, I have a vote for everything like that then toss it into your vote I'll get a general feel.

What should I try and do?
[X] Nothing, continue hunting.
[X] Try to comfort her?
[X] Call the cops and an ambulance and then leave.
[X] Write-In:

Saturday, March 12th, 2011
11:50 PM

I try to take a less threatening stance, but am not sure how well I manage on account of holding a bloody sword.

"Hey, no need to worry. I only hurt people that hurt others." I say, and it even has the benefit of being true. She doesn't seem to relax though and instead bolts out of the alley after a few heartbeats.

Shit, hopefully she just goes home. She didn't want to me to call an ambulance, so she probably won't call the cops. No reason to test that theory, though. I quickly loot the two bodies and dart in a somewhat neutral direction.

I make it two streets over before I decide that I am probably far enough away and pull out the wallets and phones I was able to gather. The beheaded one only has a fifty in his wallet and his pone is cracked and not functioning, from my throw is my guess. The other wallet has a lot more, actually, I count out five hundred and ten dollars of various bills and I can feel my eyes widening. Who the hell was he? I don't think a Merchant would have this money on them, unless he was as higher ranked member? Not that it matters now. The pistol wielder had a backup magazine, so I shove that in a pocket and the pistol itself into my waistband, letting my shirt cover it.

I go to throw his phone to the side on account of it being locked, but before I can, it starts to ring. The screen shows the name 'Boss' on it and I decide to pick up, since what's the worst that could happen? The guy is already dead.

"Jarod, you take care of whatever the problem was?" I don't have a chance to say anything before the smooth voice picks up again. "Jarod is dead, isn't he? And who am I speaking to now?"

I decide to answer but also begin moving in case the call is being traced, which isn't something that I considered before I answered.

"Whetstone." I say in the most neutral voice I can manage.

"Hmm. Are you a Hero then?" She says, and I can't help but wonder if she is playing up the 'noble' angle with how over the top her voice sounds.

"It's unclear." I reply.

"Interesting." She leaves the line a quiet few moments and I take the chance to ask her name too.

"And your name, Miss?"

"Morbistocrat. I think we will be seeing each other soon." She says before the line goes dead. I look at the phone and mentally shrug at the ominous message before tossing the phone into a street drain.

This offset pressure in me tells me that I am so close to something, and to that end I decide to stay out for a bit longer. The phone said it wasn't even midnight yet anyway.

As I walk around, there are far fewer people actually out and about, which makes avoiding attention easier. The few people that are around though see Malum Ceado and quickly make themselves scarce, which is an interesting difference to earlier when no one cared. The calm night air almost stops me from realizing that I have no idea where I am.

I look around as I try to pinpoint where I am. Broadly speaking I know where I am, but I've never been in this part of town for any length of time and constantly using the alleyways probably isn't helping with my sense of direction. I can't go back the way I came because if that lady did call the police they are probably looking around the area. So without much a better option, I aim for the ocean, because if I am where I think I am, I should hit some familiar streets and be able to orient myself from there. I manage to walk for maybe ten minutes before Dreadnought flares and I pull myself from the mouth of the alley I was about to exit.

Peaking around the corner, I two skinny dudes holding pistols talking with a suit of power armor. Probably about seven feet tall and looking kind of incomplete, it does cover his vital areas but leaves a lot of spots lacking metal. The biggest feature that draws my eyes though is the numerous tanks of water and spread of tubes leading all over. There are also smaller sphere's of brightly glowing green liquid in glass spheres along his arms.

They are too far for me to hear what they are saying, but one of the skinny one's is pointing in the direction that I did kill in, so maybe these are Morbistocrat's people? Honestly, though, they look like merchants. Something about them makes me feel grimy from just looking at them.

Also, would people want to see the added Sigils be put into an informational post like before, or just in the stats sheet?

How should I engage?
[X] Don't. Turn away and look for a different kill.
[X] Just shoot one of the unarmored ones.
[X] Shoot the Cape.
[X] Try to get closer and attack with Malum Ceado.
[X] Write-In:

Sunday, March 13th, 2011
12:10 AM

The one in power armor waves his arm to emphasize some point, and I watch as a few nearly glowing green drops fly from what looks like a nozzle under his wrist. The liquid hits a car, making it visibly warp, which is accompanied by the sound of glass cracking. Deciding that discretion is the better part of valor and simply turn around. I don't have a way to deal with acid? I think it was acid, and the suit means tinker too. As I move away and Dreadnought draws itself back into Malum Caedo, I feel something tugging at me, disappointed that I didn't fight.

I do want to get a kill, to reach whatever this… I don't even have an appropriate way of thinking about it. It's like an instinct, but not tied to anything real? It doesn't matter, I know what it is, and it's not like I am going to describe it to anyone. Anyway, I want to Grow and kill yes, but to do that I need to be alive and taking stupid risks like fighting a random cape.

Now that I think about it, I have no way of knowing that they were actually villains. Well, the guns definitely mean that they weren't with the law, that doesn't mean I should kill them. Uber and Leet are villains for sure, but I don't think they necessarily deserve to die, at the same time I can't picture myself going at them with less than lethal intent. Hmm, that disconnect just highlights how much I need to have a code of some kind.

The streets eventually meld into more familiar shapes, and I am able to reorient myself towards where the Merchants operate. I feel Dreadnought start to activate a few times, but it doesn't actually fully ignite, so I just keep on guard a bit more than I normally would. The need for a sheathe of some kind is making itself apparent the longer the night goes on, as I start to feel my arms a bit growing tired. It is quiet for a few more hours as the night starts to get colder, and I am temped to just go back to base, but I want this last kill. The Bay is supposed to be a crime filled cesspit, right? So where are the criminals? I half expect Dreadnought to activate as soon as I think those words, but nothing happens. My feet keep moving, and eventually I find myself deeper in what I think would be Merchant turf but don't see or hear anything unusual. Finally, after probably another half hour, Dreadnought activates and I ready myself. It isn't a scream this time, but a gunshot that draws my attention.

Following the sound to it's source, which is something that I am becoming surprisingly good at, I find a woman riffling through the pockets of a man. Said man is leaking from a fresh hole in his skull. My approach wasn't quiet because the woman is spinning around, but with a gun in play I decide to not take any chances and use my momentum to bring Malum Caedo across horizontally—

I am standing in the monochrome expanse again, the three being from before are here too. The split shape object, Shard something in my mind whispers, and the Whale are the same, though there are more Eyes rotating around the two star-like points. The lines are still there too, but now each of the entities has two more weak lines leading down to my level far below them. I feel a small tug from the Shard and I step forward and see that each of the connections are leading to Sigils.

I can feel them burning into my mind, I know them, and know they will be there until I make them real. To do that, though, I feel the energy that I have been gathering from my kills reach out, ready to fill the shapes in my mind and enforce change on the world.

The Three also pass on a sort of message without any words. The Eyes, the watchers, the plotters, converse and then offer protection and recovery, though Dreadnought shifts the mold a small amount. The Shard, the anchor, the manipulator, offers more of the same from before. Lastly the Whale, the narrator, the architect, offers a change to how the game is played.

I take this moment of calm to choose.

I think ~36k works is enough to start picking things up. I realized that while I don't mind writing this weaker stuff for now, it doesn't really deliver on the premise, to that end, I've decided to make all the Sigils cost less and be more powerful than I originally planned. Also, the long awaited Sigils are here!


Do I want to infuse a Sigil?
[X][Sigil] No
[X][Sigil] Yes
-[X][Sigil] Write-In:
(Write in limited to what is available. Only the name is needed.)

Sunday, March 13th, 2011
4:25 AM

I infuse my energy to the protection and recovery Sigils from the eyes, and then take one Sigil from both the Whale and Shard. As I do, I feel myself growing significantly weaker, but also feel my mind expand as I can feel how the world shifts through the shapes of my Sigils. Looking up at the three but am instead looking at the night sky.

My senses gradually filter back into the world, and I note that Dreadnought has deactivated. Glancing down at the headless woman. I send her a brief mental thank you before rummaging through both her and her victim's pockets. I ignore their phones though, no reason to risk being tracked right now, and I don't really care about information in the area.

Partway through that thought, I feel myself frowning. Why should I not get all the information I can? There's no guarantee that the information on them will only be for the Merchants. By that same token, there is no guarantee that there is any information on either phone. With that in mind, I grab them and see that the one from the man that got shot is unlocked, so I put it into airplane mode and add it to the cash in my pockets.

A wave of fatigue, not necessarily tiredness, hits me and I immediately start returning to base. Losing so much of my… Death energy is an edgy name, but it is accurate. Loosing so much death energy all at once must be hitting me, or maybe since I've been moving all night, the energy that was keeping me fine got taken? Wait, that is basically the same thing, man I got to get back to base and decompress.

The journey back to base is quiet, but I can almost feel the city starting to wake back up, so I do rush myself a little. Reaching it from a different angle, to hopefully prevent anyone from seeing a pattern in my movements. Heading inside I set Malum Ceado on the counter followed by all the cash I managed to gather, the pistol and its magazines, and the Tinkertech thing.

I let myself lay down and breathe. In and out, slow breaths let me recenter myself.

This was a productive night, got some kills and managed to hit some internal threshold to gain more Sigils. I know they are weaker than Dreadnought, but the increase in versatility should be worth it. I'll have to do some testing to be sure. After laying for a while, I pull out the newest phone I was able to acquire and start looking through it.

I find nothing, no meeting plans, no patrol routes, no incriminating messages, it is just a normal phone. Pac-Man does distract me for a little bit when I find it, but otherwise it is useless to me, so I toss it next to the other far more useful phone.

I want to sleep, but of course I am not sleepy enough to make that happen, so I just resume resting as I brainstorm what to do today.

Short chapter, work is eating my brain, sorry.

Plan for the day, you can choose five (5) activities until nighttime. (Note: Activities may be interrupted! The highest vote will happen first, unless that wouldn't make sense.)
[X] Go and buy some stuff to help disguise myself.
[X] Buy something else…
-[X] Write-In:
[X] Practice with Malum Caedo.
[X] Wander around (attempt random encounter).
[X] Go to…
-[X] Write-In:
[X] Attempt to meditate on my power?
[X] Do some power testing.
-[X] At base.
-[X] Somewhere else (where?).
[X] Work on my code, including researching Marquis.
[X] Write-In:

Do I want to infuse a Sigil?
[X][Sigil] No
[X][Sigil] Yes
-[X][Sigil] Write-In:
(Write in limited to what is available. Only the name is needed.)

Sunday, March 13th, 2011
6:40 AM

The first rag I used to clean Malum Caedo got sliced in half when I underestimated how sharp it had gotten, but it's fine because I was able to fully clean it off with the second one.

While cleaning, I do notice that the four new Sigils are actually drawn out on the blade of Malum Caedo becoming part of the swirling golden lines, each one contained in its own little circle just like Dreadnought is. Desynchronization is a straight line with a parallel line next to it that has a right turn in it about halfway up, and then a horizontal line running through the corner and the first line. Manifest Shield looks like a sideways kite without the smaller triangles that would normally go at the 'top'. Withering Strikes doesn't really have a shape and is more a collection of looping lines, the only reason that I know it's not part of the normal art on Malum Caedo is due to some instinct. Vaunted Accumulation is two circles connected by a straight line that is itself being circled by a line that terminates in the center of each circle.

My plan for the day is to go buy some disguising stuff, maybe a proper mask too? And a phone so I don't have to keep using criminal's, plus phones are just useful to have. After that, I am either going to go do some testing to see what the new Sigils actually entail, as well as some research for how to structure a proper code to follow.

I have been just waiting for the stores to open up for a bit, so I am not the first one walking through the doors, which I should be good to go now. Makeup, maybe some hair dye, and I was thinking maybe some kind of colored contacts? Not sure about that, and I feel a bit weird about buying makeup, but a little discomfort is better than all the trouble that would come of the police finding me now. Though, it has been more than a week, I wonder if they are even still looking for me? It's not worth the risk to test it, of course.

I get dressed in my last change of clean clothes, which I need to rectify, maybe grabbing some more when I am buying the phone, and shove both my ski mask and some cash in my pocket. I also grab my backpack because walking around the city with shopping bags is a good way to get mugged. Hiding my sword but do bringing the pistol, since going without any protection seems like a bad idea, I leave for the city's shopping area.

Getting off the bus, that I got on at the neighborhood stop again, I spot a Halloween shop that, considering it's March, must be year round. It makes some amount of sense with how many capes are in the Bay that it would exist, but it is one hundred percent being watched by the PRT, so I dismiss it. Instead, I head for a department store so that I can grab all my stuff at once.

I feel a bit guilty walking around with a gun in a store, but I can easily push it aside. Not having a clue about makeup, I ask a store attendant for some assistance, and thankfully she must be some level of a morning person because I wasn't met with a dead eye'd stare but actual help. I don't get a lot, but even a few things should be enough to throw off the cops, especially the colored contacts that turn my eyes from a hazel brown to a much darker chestnut color.

The phone was easy as choosing a prepaid plan and the cheapest model phone since it will probably get broken at some point. I also grab an extra charger with a different connector shape because I forgot to look at what type of the two phones back at base use.

With both of the items secured, I head to checkout, only to pause and quickly dive into the center of a circular shirt rack as I feel Dreadnought lash out across the city and seep into my bones. Of course that is followed soon by the sounds of fighting growing louder outside and not long after a huge 'Crash' of something being flung through the front of the building, something that living in the Bay I know well enough.

Peaking through the clothes, I see a somewhat skinny looking man made from metal standing up from the crater that was formerly a checkout counter. Everyone is running and panicking as I watch a streak of red light come from the hole in the front of the building and try to hit the metal man, who doges and races back outside. Where the light hits, there is a half a second of nothing before a large boom and a circle of superheated metal and melted candy bars is left behind.

The metal one is Steel Sentinel, a member of the Empire and if I had to guess then that beam was from Scorchspot, a member of the ABB. I quickly run through what I know from the brief mentions on PHO, Steel Sentinel is a basic Brute that has something to do with breaking apart, but the blurb wasn't clear what. Scorchspot is able to shot out a steady barrage of explosive lasers. It's not much but neither one are headliners for their gangs and usually stay out of the spotlight, attacking each other in broad daylight is a big step up from both sides and part of me wonders if this is the start of another gang war. Going by the sounds of gunfire and approaching sirens through the broken wall, that might be what's going on.

Before I can even make a decision on what to do, over the fire alarm and screams of other customers, I hear a cracking, hissing sound from the back of the store and peak through the clothes to look that way. I see the same armored man from before leading a group of about ten Merchants right for the pharmacy section. Now in full light, I can see his armor properly. It looks like half of it is made from quality materials and the other half from scrap, with tubes and pipes running between all the various canisters of water and what I am pretty sure are acid, going by what I saw last night. Something that makes my stomach churn a little though is a see a number of the pipes are leading through his mouth and look to go right down his throat.

I feel Dreadnought's eager hum in and around me as I figure out what to do.

For this chapter, I took canon, and I removed canon, bye bye. Welcome to the Thunderdome, bitches, who's ready for the butterflies to start flapping in earnest?

How should I respond?
[X] Run, I need to get out of here.
[X] Attack some of the Merchant goons with my pistol.
[X] Go outside and try to pick off some of the goons from either side.
[X] Try to aid in evacuation, the PRT has to be on the way for this. Right?
[X] Write-In:
(note, your base is too far away to go and get your sword and return in time.)

Sunday, March 13th, 2011
10:00 AM

I can't help the thrill of excitement as I realize that I can get some fresh kills under my belt, I choose the Merchants since they will probably be easier. First I stuff all the items I was going to buy in my backpack and then pull on my balaclava. I then try to call on my Summon Shield Sigil, since the name is pretty straight forward.

A jagged formation of black rocks almost instantly grows out of my left forearm, shaping itself into a shield that almost resembles a flat stalactite that got ripped from a cave roof. Some part of me recognizes the rock as the same that form's the floor in the monochrome place, and I file that away for later. The important thing is that it is surprisingly light, and if I were standing it would cover a good potion of my body. As I examine it, I feel an internal connection snap and the rocks fall apart, vanishing into a white mist before they hit the ground. Pulling at the connection, I can feel a sort of pool that is filling back up. Okay, shield doesn't stay long, so I'll have to use it reactively.

As I start to brainstorm a plan, I feel my Echo sort of… shift, then I am looking at it properly for the first time. It is a solid black version of myself with a glowing colorless light for my feet and lower legs. Licks of colorless flames dance around the hands and edges of the shadowed clothing. It is very similar to the entity that I took my Knife from, but human and not whatever it was. I watch the Echo summon its own shield and then pull out its own pistol. Then, between one moment and the next, it returns to its spot a second behind me.

Okay, so my Echo can use the shield too, so it should have Withering Strikes, which going by its name, adds some kind of effect to my attacks. If it has my gun does that mean it can shoot too? It should, so I'll assume it can for now. On the fly power testing is not how I wanted to do it, but here we are.

I put on my backpack, because it won't get in the way of me using my gun like it would with Malum Caedo, and draw my pistol. I'll have to make my shots count because I only brought one magazine with me.

Slowly creeping out of the clothing rack, I sneak closer, trying to get to the wall that separates the pharmacy section from the rest of the store. Of course, my luck doesn't hold and a particularly loud explosion from outside makes one of the Merchants look that way, catching sight of me.

I dive for cover, yet my Echo stays put, and I watch it silently aim its gun and pull the trigger. There isn't a gunshot, but a shrill scream of pain does start coming from the gangsters. A feeling of health and healing begins to flow into me, but I dismiss it for now as the goons erupt into shouts and more than a few bullet holes appear in the wall that I am hiding behind.

My Echo is back to repeating my actions, and I sort of wish it gave me some kind of feedback, so I wouldn't have to keep track of it. Well, do I need to track it? It's on my side, or it is me? Something like that, I just know there isn't any danger from it, so I decide that focusing on the enemies would be a better use of my brainpower and resolve to just act like as I would, the Echo should help no matter what it ends up doing.

As soon as that thought locks into place, my Echo charges forward, moving through me to do so, and I imagine it starts to shoot at the Merchants, going by the screams and the increase to the feeling of healing. I decide to go around the L shaped wall and start attacking them from behind.

My feet rapidly fall as I run to the other side and peak around the corner and see the backs of some of a few goons who are taking cover from the other corner I was just at. I can also see the cape kneeling on the ground, frantically messing with his arm, which is open wide. Quickly running through the available targets, I settle on taking out a few of the goons first as the cape is busy, and I can still be taken out with a single bullet.

Taking a brief moment to level my pistol, I aim at one further away and pull the trigger. The retort of a bullet breaking the sound barrier is followed by the rush of Growth and calm that infuses me as my target dies. It is followed by a second wave of energy as I see a different Merchant fall. I quickly call forth my shield and duck back, moving through my Echo, which still has its pistol out and is changing targets to the cape.

There is an impact against the rock, which I am pretty sure was a bullet, but it didn't hit me, so it is dismissed. A fresh wave of shouting followed by another burst of Growth which I can't focus on as the distorted mechanical shouting is growing closer. I move my shield into a position to brace against a charge from around the corner.

Unfortunately, the cape doesn't come around the corner but right through the wall and slams into me at speed, sending me flying into a shelf that immediately tips and falls backwards. I feel the mental connection snap for my shield, and a rush of healing suffuses into me like a second wind.

Jumping to my feet, and mentally dismissing the pain from the action that tells me I am not fully healed, I sweep my eyes over the cape. His arm is still open with a mess of wires hanging out of it, the same one he raises up, and I see the nozzle pointed at me, so I dive to the side.

There is a sharp snapping sound of electronics failing, and then I see a gush of bright green acid burst out of the broken arm and start eating through the floor. The cape screams in pain and I take the chance to level my gun at him and try to shoot him in the head. A pinging sound tells me that I didn't manage to penetrate the armor, though, and his screams are replaced with a sigh of relief as he raises his other arm.

I roll to the side as a rapid 'Pfft, Pfft, Pfft' sound, like an air compressor firing, emits from the arm and a steady stream of acid pellets follow me as I roll for an isle. I hear the metal of the shelf warping as I break line of sight. Getting to my feet, I book it for the far end, so I can run along the wall and try to get into a better position.

There is a back to back rush of Growth which makes me briefly look behind me to see that my Echo is still there, so I don't know what that was about. As I run across the sight lines formed by the shelves, I see that the other Merchants have joined the cape. They see me too and start shooting at me even as I watch the cape detach one of the acid globes from his broken arm.

As soon as I break sight again, I fall to my hands and knees to crawl so that the gunfire spraying from the goons doesn't hit me. I do hear the cape shout 'Fucking ghost Siberian motherfucker' in his distorted mechanical voice.

Reaching a spot far enough away that I feel comfortable reengaging, I move towards the main isle, which will give me a visual. Peaking around, I see there is a new bubbling hole in the ground that I dismiss. The cape is doing something, though, because I can see the water in his tanks quickly draining, followed by the Merchant goons all dropping to the floor. Following the example, I fall to my stomach too.

The cape's body contorts into a hunched posture and a jet of pressurized acid spays from his mouth, temporarily drowning out the sound of gunfire from outside with that of rushing fluid. He laboriously drags his body and the stream through all the shelves at about waist height, cutting through them like they were made of paper. As soon as he is done, he collapses onto his hands and knees, vomiting up more acid that starts chewing into the floor.

My Echo doesn't let up, though. I watch it stand up, push the unstable shelves so they fall away from me, and level its pistol at the cape. There is a ping that lets me know it's as unsuccessful as my attempt was, but it does spur me into action. Raising to one knee, I start shooting at the goons who are also getting up and killing two of them. My Echo's arm is off center of might, which lets me see that it is continuing to shoot at the staggered cape.

Before I can kill another one of the scumbags, though, there is an awful creaking sound behind me that sends danger signals up my spine. I whip around and see that the acid beam also went right through the back wall of the store, which is now buckling inwards. I immediately start sprinting away from the cape and the gangsters so that I am not in line with the imminent collapse. As I do, I summon my shield and hold it at an awkward position to protect me as much as it can. A few bullets hit it, but one manages to embed itself in my unprotected shin, causing me to fall.

There are shouts of alarm immediately followed an earth shaking 'Crash' as the damaged part of the wall caves in, bringing a portion of the roof down with it. My shield runs out of energy and I feel my leg repair itself, with a good amount of soothing relief following it.

That sensation though is overshadowed by the influx of three new kills, accompanied by. By…


[Digestive Jet][Query: Precognition? Congratulations: Well played.]

[Simulatory-3230363837][...]

[Digestive Jet][Query: Are you in blocked dimensions? Why did you land there?]

[Simulatory-3230363837][...]

[Digestive Jet][Terror: Wait! No wait! I can give you [Data]! Wait—]\]-=]\-----

[Simulatory-3230363837][Satisfaction: Growth.]


I watch as both halves of my Shard separate and move above and below the other Shard before slamming together, crushing it flat. The paper thin sickly green debris are then freed as both halves of my Shard return to hovering slightly apart. The debris begin orbiting it like an off centered planetary ring, or maybe like an electron does an atom?

Either way, I can feel the remaining energy becoming volatile, twisting and shifting.

First cape kill!

Should I try to control the mutation?
[X][Power] Yes, try to return it to its original shape. (25% chance to gain a slightly lesser version of BileBoy's power.)
[X][Power] No, let it mutate. (Gain an adjacent power.)
[X][Power] Yes, and feed into it. (Sacrifice one Kill to boost the power of the mutation.)

Should I continue to fight?
[X][Action] Yes, go after someone else outside.
-[X][Action] Write-In:
[X][Action] No, this has been more than profitable enough.
[X][Action] Write-In:

Do I want to infuse a Sigil?
[X][Sigil] No
[X][Sigil] Yes
-[X][Sigil] Write-In:
(Write in limited to what is available. Only the name is needed.)