Should I try to control the mutation?
[X][Power] Yes, and feed into it. (Sacrifice one Kill to boost the power of the mutation.) (13 Votes)
Should I continue to fight?
[X][Action] No, this has been more than profitable enough. (12 Votes)
Do I want to infuse a Sigil?
[X][Sigil] Yes (9 Votes)
-[X][Sigil] Envy of Excalibur (cost 2 kills)
-[X][Sigil] For the Modern Era I (cost 4 kills)
=={==========-- | --==========}==
Sunday, March 13th, 2011
10:05 AM
I start to feed some of my death energy into it, and watch as it balloons up before flowing into me like a current. I feel it making my blood fester, and a new internal map overlays with the one my energy gives me, this one showing a layout of all me veins. Dismissing that for the moment, I decide to direct my new surplus of energy into the last two Sigils in my head, feeling them become real. As I let my metaphorical hands relax, a beacon settles behind me eyes, and I know in my gut that following it will bring me to Malum Caedo.
I am sore all over, but I don't think I am actually hurt. My ruminations are interrupted by shouts from the front of the store asking if anyone is in here, which also clue me into the fact that the explosions and gunfire outside have moved further away. Scrambling to my feet, I shove my pistol into my waistband and run through an emergency exit.
Dreadnought is still going, and I really don't want to get into another fight without Malum Ceado, so I need to find somewhere to lie low long enough for it to deactivate. Actually, could I make it deactivate? I press myself into a doorway on the back of some other building in the alley, hopefully pulling me out of sight.
Closing my eyes and focusing, I feel the power flowing into me from Malum Caedo's beacon. I try to block it off, but that doesn't work. Next, I picture pushing my Echo back into my body and can feel a bit of give, so I keep the pressure going. After a few seconds I can feel Dreadnought turn off, but I can also tell that if I lose concentration then it will spring back to life.
"Hey." The voice of a girl appears from thin air.
My eyes fly open as my tenuous grasp over Dreadnought disappears and my Echo springs in front of me, shield raised. For my part, my hands instantly fly up into something close to a boxer's stance. Taking in my opponent and instantly recognize the hovering form of Glory Girl.
Fuck, there is no way I can fight the local Alexandria. A part of me reins in the panic and starts to spin a story. She has no idea who I am, and there is no way I've made a big enough splash to be in the public eye yet. She also shouldn't know that I was the one to kill the Merchants inside, so if I get out of here before that comes to light, then I should be fine. I also make sure to mentally align myself with my Adam persona to drive as big a wedge between me and all of this.
All of that races through my mind as Glory Girl flies back a little bit, waving her hands.
"Woah, hey, sorry. Didn't mean to spook you." She sounds genuine, and I feel myself relax a bit.
I take a small step away from the building that I had pressed myself against so as to have a better angle in case I need to run or something. Otherwise, I stay silent, though because I don't know what she wants.
"Right, not a talker, that's fine. Look, the fighting is picking up across the city. I know you're new, but are you up to helping with search and rescue at least? A few buildings have gone down. You don't have to fight, in fact, I think they would prefer if you didn't." She fidgets in place, which looks a bit odd on account of her hanging in thin air.
On one hand, being around people is a risk, but on the other it would let me control the narrative of what happened to the Merchants at least. Plus, I could actually help people. Some part of me whispers that if I find an Empire member, I can just kill them and say that the rubble did it to them. Of course, sticking around to any extent is a risk.
=={==========-- | --==========}==
This chapter would have been longer, but I think the dice are taking their revenge for your survival in Chapter 21. By chapter count, this is also now my longest fic!
What should I do?
[X][Action] Return to base and hunker down.
[X][Action] Return to base and come back with Malum Caedo to help.
[X][Action] Return to base and then go out hunting amidst the chaos.
[X][Action] Help the heroes with civilian stuff.
[X][Action] Help the heroes with fighting.
[X][Action] Write-In:
An interlude could be in order, what do you think?
[X][Interlude] No.
[X][Interlude] Yes
-[X][Interlude] The forked tongued mastermind. (Thomas Calvert/Coil)
-[X][Interlude] The returning puppeteer. (Aurelia Graves/Morbistocrat)
-[X][Interlude] The girl in the dark. (Maria Sanchez/Shade Skip)
-[X][Interlude] The over eager luminary. (Victoria Dallon/Glory Girl)
What should I do?
[X][Action] Help the heroes with civilian stuff. (7 Votes)
An interlude could be in order, what do you think?
[X][Interlude] Yes (9 Votes)
-[X][Interlude] The forked tongued mastermind. (Thomas Calvert/Coil) (5 Votes)
=={==========-- | --==========}==
Sunday, March 13th, 2011
3:00 AM
Since yesterday, around the time that the PRT suspects Apollyon made his debut, my power has been behaving strange, almost like it has to force itself forward. If I have to split timelines too often, then I can feel a Thinker headache building, which is something I've never had to manage before. It almost makes me feel bad for all the ones I've given Tattletale. Almost.
I plan to have killed him, but Morbistocrat and her fucking 30-Day Parade reemerged and started making moves through the Merchants. Morbistocrat is a much bigger threat, so I have to prioritize her over Apollyon. One is a mildly anti-Thinker nuance with a sword, the other is the lovechild of Nilbog and the Three Blasphemes, and I refuse to let her turn my city into a repeat of Ellisburg. The fact that I am the only one that knows her true danger is both a point of pride, that I've managed to take her down each time, and a bit maddening since I've had to burn a lot of bridges over the years to keep her down.
Sitting at my desk in my base I pet the as of yet, unnamed cat in my lap. It is something almost too stereotypical for even me, but petting a cat has been shown to release of hormones such as serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin, so I am thinking of it as more of an investment for my long term health.
In one timeline I have the Undersiders attacking Morbistocrat base, helpfully provided by some informants in the area, and in the other one I have Tattletale digging up what she can on Apollyon. I don't expect either timeline to yield much in the way of results, the attack is just to judge how far along Morbistocrat is in her redevelopment and Tattletale is working in my safe timeline because I don't think she'll have enough information to turn in until tomorrow morning at the earliest.
As expected, it doesn't take long before my phone starts to ring in the timeline with the assault. I let it ring a few times before picking up.
"Yes?" I say as if I didn't know whatever plan they manged to come up with would fall apart immediately.
"You didn't say that she could take control of the dogs!" Tattletale's voice screams with all the venom she can muster. I feel a bit of unease start to build at that because if she is in the field already...
"Who took control of the dogs?"
"Morbistobitch or whatever her name is!" She snarls at me. The unease morphs into a sinking feeling in my gut.
I theorized that she might be able to take control of Bitch's dogs, since they're mostly made of questionably alive material when powered up. The part that actually worries me is that Morbsticrat actually engaged them directly, something I've only known her to do when she is extremely confident in her position. Which is bad, because shouldn't she just be getting started? None of my normal measures for tracking her have reported anything odd until last night, at almost the same time my powers started acting odd.
"I did not anticipate she would be able to do such a thing." I lie through my teeth, something Tattletale picks up on if her barely contained hiss is anything to go by. "Where are you now?"
"She had her zombies toss us into the back of a truck with separate, fleshy, cells!" She yells. "And that's another thing! You didn't say anything about zombies! You should tell someone if they're going up against Bonesaw's long-lost—" I roll my eyes and hang up.
That got me enough information that I might be able to call a truce between the idiots masquerading as gang leaders to turn their attention to something else, it's unlikely though. Turning off the ringer on the phone as it starts to go off again, I let out a sigh. She captured the Undersiders which means she might be experimenting with capes again, making this whole situation even worse. It seems like every few weeks I have to put out another fire, I always come out ahead of course, but the constant stream of setbacks is starting to wear on me.
"I wish there was a way to accelerate my plans." I mutter under my breath.
I close the timeline where the Undersiders got taken and lean back in my seat. A soft meow comes from the cat on my lap, makes me look down. I see it looking up me with gleaming eyes, obliging it I resume the petting that I stopped at some point and am rewarded with a purr. I feel myself relax for a moment.
Of course, that is when Pitter knocks on the steel door. I call for him to enter, and he all but rushes in and sets a few folders on my desk. Before I can even take a look at them, he starts summarizing like the good henchman he is.
"It seems some important people died last night. Both the Empire and the ABB have rounded up minor forces and are planning on attacking in a few hours." Pitter says in his almost whiny voice.
"Any capes?" I ask, getting straight to the point. If this spirals, then it could erupt in a full out gang war.
"Scorchspot, Steel Sentinel, and Mindeaiser for sure, but it's not out of the question that others might join in as the fighting might kick off as people are heading into work." I rest my head in my hand and think.
This could work out for me, the biggest hurdle for my plan right now is inciting a large enough conflict to dislodge Piggot. If I could make things escalate, then the resulting fallout could be enough and if Morbistocrat is confident enough to be engaging then perhaps I can stress the Nilbog angle. If I do that, then she might be off balance enough to slip up in a big way, after which some damming recordings find their way onto PHO and into the hands of the news…
"How easy would it be to have two of the Merchant's main drug houses go up in flames tonight?" I ask.
"Considering it's the Merchants? It can probably be done within the hour. Why though?" That should make at least one of their capes act and add to the chaos.
Well, what do you know? I can skip quite a few steps in my plan. I split the timeline, in one I order him to get it done while scratching the cat behind the ears. In the other, I pull a Glock from my desk and shoot Pitter in the skull. I debate a bit but can't decide which one is more stress relieving, I'll have to do some more testing.
=={==========-- | --==========}==
How secretive should I be when helping?
[X][Secrecy] Downplay everything.
[X][Secrecy] Try to play up the unsure, new cape angle provided by Glory Girl.
[X][Secrecy] Don't limit myself but don't go out of my way to use unknown abilities.
[X][Secrecy] Don't hold back or hide anything.
[X][Secrecy] Write-In:
[[What should I do?
[X][Action] Help the heroes with civilian stuff. (7 Votes)]]
How secretive should I be when helping?
[X][Secrecy] Don't limit myself but don't go out of my way to use unknown abilities. (4 Votes)
=={==========-- | --==========}==
Sunday, March 13th, 2011
10:10 AM
I debate what to do for a few moments, I know I'm not really a hero and that I am mostly killing the Empire out of revenge. But killing Nazi's is a good thing to do, and I can't deny that part of me wants to be a hero in some capacity. With that in mind, I speak up.
"I can help with the civilian efforts." I keep my voice steady even as Dreadnought remains active.
"Great! I'll take you to where they're organizing efforts. You're okay with me flying you, right?" She gives a brief smile before returning to her nervous stance.
"That's fine." She nods and floats forward.
"Alright, I am going to pick you up under your arms. It's not a long flight." I simply raise my arms so that she can carry me.
Glory Girl doesn't waste any time and lifts me into the air. Looking down at the city, it looks like there are little pockets of chaos all over if the echoing gunfire and bits of smoke are anything to go by. The street that the store is on looks like a hurricane went right down the middle, and the store itself looks like it had a slice cut from it. I am flown a few streets over and can see a tent set up in the parking lot of a strip mall that looks like it completely leveled. The PRT vans and police cruisers make me a little nervous, but I push it down. Glory Girl takes us down near the edge of the parking lot before offering barely a word of goodbye as she darts into the tent, only to fly out again soon after. Watching her fly off I shrug a bit at her quick departure, but I suppose there is work to be done, and she is a real hero.
Adjusting my backpack and making sure my baclava is still on tight, I head into the tent. Inside is something close to directed chaos, with people talking over one another and a map of the city covered with marker resting on the center table. Standing around it are some important looking people but the one that stands out the most for sure is Armsmaster who's words seem to draw the whole tent's ears. I can't hear whatever he is saying, though, as a rough, uptight voice barks at me.
"Who are you?" Turning, I see a PRT trooper without their signature helmet walking towards me, his name patch reads 'Lt. T. Sams'.
"I'm Whetstone, I am here to help with the search and rescue efforts." I say, keeping myself from saying something sarcastic. He makes a humming sound.
"What can you do?"
"My Echo is able to repeat my actions, so I am a bit stronger than a normal person. I don't think I'm actually a Brute, though." I say, keeping my other abilities to myself since they're all combat related. He lets out a breath of hot air and nods.
"There is a group of volunteers headed for the Weymouth Shopping Center. Mostly Dockworkers, you can help, but you'll mainly be there as a deterrent. There have been reports of Alabaster in the area. Do you have a phone?" Alabaster, the Empire's unkillable cape, I wonder what I would get from killing him.
I slip my backpack off and fish around inside it. Feeling the phone, I pull it out, only to see it's too smashed to even try and use.
"Shit. Must have broke while I was running from the Merchants." I say by way of explanation as I let the dead electronic fall back into my bag.
"The Merchants are active too?" His voice has taken a notably more stressed tone.
"Yes. I was shopping at Target and they attacked. I can't turn off my Echo easily, so they knew I was a cape and attacked me. I managed to get away, but they had an acid cape with them that brought a wall down on top of themselves, though." The partial lie easily rolls off my tongue.
"Fuck. Okay. I'll pass that along. Here," he passes me a phone from one of his belt pouches. "A PRT phone, it's got all the numbers programmed into it. If Alabaster, or any other cape for that matter, shows up give Dauntless a call, he's the main Protectorate member for that zone."
"Thank you." I say looking it over. I'll probably have to ditch it after today since it for sure has a tracker, but it is a nice phone.
"Of course. The group is getting ready to move." He says pointing. "You can ride in the back of the squad truck, just tell them Sams sent you." And with that he turns and heads for the main table.
Taking the dismissal for what it is, I shove the phone in my pocket and exit the tent. As I get closer, I see a PRT APC with some troopers talking with a group of Dockworkers. I know it's them because I recognize a few of the faces from the few times Thomas brought me to work. There is Mr. Danny, Thomas' boss, along with Moe and a few others that he was friends with. I resolve to interact with them as little as possible, it's unlikely that any of them will recognize me, but I don't see a reason to take that risk.
One of the troopers sees me coming and puts themselves on a path to intercept me, which makes me slow down a bit. I come to a stop a small distance away, and the trooper stops as well.
"And what can we do for you…?" Their helmet filters their voice to be monotone, and all their body language tells me is that they are tense, which basically everyone is.
"Whetstone." I answer the leading question. "And Sams sent me to help with the search and rescue at the mall."
"Oh. That's good." They say, their stance relaxing, just a hair. "You can ride in the back with us, we're just about to head out."
They escort me to the group just as it breaks apart, and the Dockworkers start getting into their vehicles. I look into the APC as the seven PRT troopers get in and can see a screen at the far end with an overhead map of the city covered in red dots. I hop in after the last trooper makes a motion for me to do so. The doors are pulled shut, and we begin moving, the interior only lit by the screen. I put my backpack on my lap, and the gun in my waistband feels heavier than usual. As we drive, I see the map update to include a GPS line to the mall, which is pretty neat.
"So, what can you do?" A different trooper asks. Or maybe it's the same one. The identical uniforms make it impossible to tell in low light.
"My Echo," I wave my hand and show it following. "Repeats all my actions, which makes me a little stronger than a normal person, but not enough to be a Brute. Sams said I was going to be more of a deterrent."
"Fair enough. You'll probably be with BBJ and Minton then." The two are pointed out and raise their hands as they do, the introduction also reminds me that I should tell the rest of them who I am.
"I'm Whetstone."
"So, been a hero for long?" I decide to answer because it will let me control a bit more of my perception.
"I don't know if you would call me a hero. All my power lets me do is the same thing twice. If Glory Girl hadn't spotted me, I would have just gone home." I say, making my tone sound self-deprecating.
"Well, you're here now, and that does speak well about you." I feel a little guilt at that, but not a lot.
Why don't I feel worse? How much did my powers mess with my emotions?
"Maybe." I say with a shrug.
After that, the truck falls silent as we get closer to the mall, a few times the map updates as it makes different turns than what's listed, but it only takes about ten minutes to get there. We pile out of the ACP, who's green and purple lights are currently on, and I see the Dockworkers pulling up too.
The most eye-catching thing though is the half destroyed mall and remnants of a cape fight that, with the gunfire and yelling coming from the direction of downtown, might still be going.
"Alright. Minton and BBJ, take Whetstone and get a rough perimeter going, after that find a good, visible spot to set post yourselves."
They nod and start walking, which prompts me to follow. They have a roll of tape and start to run it around the light poles in the parking lot as we circle the building, skipping some spots to preserve tape but still getting enough that anyone would be able to see that it's there.
As we get back in view of our arrival point, I see that a fire truck has arrived alongside an ambulance and a cop car. The PRT APC has taken off, though, leaving the PRT members that rode here behind. The Dockworkers have dispersed, which serves me not getting found out. The two troopers that have been assigned with start to discuss spots to stand but quickly fall silent which makes me look their way.
Standing in the mouth of an alley across the street from where everything is getting set up is a creature that is starting right at me. I say creature because it looks like it might have been a dog at some point, the body shape is right if oversized, but I've never seen a dog with spider-like legs instead of paws and a head shaped like a hammerhead shark if it had flowers in place of eyes. Its fur is matted and wet looking, and it looks like there is only dripping muscle in a few places. It twitches in place a few times before letting out a piercing sound at the upper range of my hearing, then it balloons up and pops into a cloud of spores that drift to the ground.
=={==========-- | --==========}==
Sorry for being late, this chapter fought me and I had to completely change how it was structured a few times, so let me know if it reads weird.
How should I respond?
[X] Go investigate, what the hell was that?
[X] Consult with the PRT troopers, they're the local experts.
[X] Call Dauntless right away, because that is definitely something cape related.
[X] I know it was looking at me, maybe I should separate?
[X] Write-In:
[X] Call Dauntless right away, because that is definitely something cape related.
-[X] Spores are definitely a bad sign. Mention thatt during the call, we may have a biohazard here.
[X] Call Dauntless right away, because that is definitely something cape related.
-[X] Spores are definitely a bad sign. Mention thatt during the call, we may have a biohazard here.
How should I respond?
[X] Consult with the PRT troopers, they're the local experts. (7 Votes)
=={==========-- | --==========}==
Sunday, March 13th, 2011
10:45 AM
I watch the spores float to the cement, some floating to the sidewalk in front of the alley, but the buildings block most of the wind, which makes most fall in a small pile. Turning to Minton and BBJ, I see they're just as confused as I am, maybe, it's hard to tell with just body language.
"Do either of you have any idea what that was?" I ask after a few heartbeats of silence.
My voice seems to startle them out of their trance. Minton takes a cylindrical grenade and takes a few steps closer before lobbing it across the street. It explodes with a 'Wump' containment foam quickly covers the spores. As he is doing that, BBJ turns to look at me.
"Nope. I'm guessing that you don't either?" I shake my head.
"What are the chances it's something that Leet made?"
"Unfortunately low." Minton says rejoining us. "It did what it was supposed to, I think." I have to agree, it exploding kind of looked intentional.
"Did either of you hear its wail?" I ask after a few seconds of rumination. They both deny it.
"Is it just me or was it look at you specifically Whetstone?" BBJ asks.
"No, I felt it too." I reply a bit hesitantly. They share a look, and it occurs to me that they probably have radios in their helmets that let them talk to each other.
"You said a wail. Can you describe it for us?" Minton says after a few seconds.
"It was right at the upper edge of my hearing. It sounded like what I imagine a dog whistle would sound like." As I say that a connection forms, it kind of looked like a dog and dog whistles are used to get a dog's attention. "Shit, could it have been calling for backup?"
"Have you pissed anyone off, Whetstone?" BBJ asks.
My mind immediately goes to the Empire, but I suppose it could also have been from the ABB. The problem is that I have been thinking of playing myself off as new without any experience. That has to go out the window now because I can't keep information like that hidden right now with a total unknown.
"I mean, I've made it pretty clear to the Empire and ABB that I don't see eye to eye with either of them." I say because it makes it sound more like I turned down recruitment attempts and less like I cut down a few from each side.
"It was probably calling for backup, like you said." Minton speaks up and I can almost taste their uneasiness. "Whatever it was doesn't match anything any cape that I can think of could make." BBJ voices his similar lack of knowledge.
"What should we do then?" I ask.
"I'll radio someone above us, you two stay here." Minton says and quickly makes his way towards the other PRT troops.
As we wait, looking up and down the empty street, the feeling of forgetting something keeps nagging at the back of my mind. It is probably in relation to whom the mystery cape might be, so I run down the few capes I've actually interacted with. It's not from Shade Skip, since she didn't show any powers like that when we were patrolling and not Panacea because she is just a healer. The only other cape I can think that I might have been is the lady from the phone call right before I learned my Sigils.
Before I can raise the idea to BBJ, a feeling like lightning hits my veins and I go ramrod straight. The mental impression I have of Envy of Excalibur is telling me that Malum Ceado is being moved. My Echo steps into my line of sight and starts miming our need to go get our sword.
"Everything okay?" BBJ asks, and I force myself to loosen up a bit.
"No. Someone just broke into my house." The half-truth slips off my tongue without even a conscious thought.
"Shit." He says, and even with their monotone filter, I can tell that he knows that I need to take off.
But if I do then there could be more of those things coming is way and that would put the Dockworkers in danger. I have a brief flicker of guilt about not really caring about the other people here, but my stepdad was a Dockworker and I did steal from them to even make Malum Ceado in the first place, so I owe them something.
That, of course, is when the universe decided that my karmic retribution for killing people needed to happen now because I see Alabaster stroll onto the street a few dozen blocks down.
"Fuck." I say, which prompts BBJ to look as well.
"God fucking dammit, fucking fuck." BBJ eloquently sums up the situation. "Sams gave you a phone, right?"
"Yep." I say, pulling it out and navigating to the contacts section straight away.
BBJ falls quiet, and I assume that he is radioing in an update while I find Dauntless' entry. Not wasting a moment, I swipe my finger to call. As I watch, Alabaster is joined by a group of eight Empire members that look a bit more well funded on account of SMGs that half are holding.
"Dauntless speaking." The speaker says as soon as the call connects.
"Hello, I'm Whetstone. I am helping the search and rescue efforts at the Weymouth mall. Alabaster is headed our way with about eight Empire goons with him." I sum up the situation concisely, keenly aware of the gunfire still echoing from all over.
"Got it, I'll be there in about five minutes. Stall him if you can." The line goes dead, and I slip the phone back into my pocket.
=={==========-- | --==========}==
How should I handle Alabaster?
[X][Alabaster] Engage immediately and reveal more about my powers.
[X][Alabaster] Engage immediately and try to draw them away.
[X][Alabaster] See if I can get them to move on without any fighting.
[X][Alabaster] Write-In:
And Malum Ceado?
[X][Malum] Take off as soon as Dauntless turns up.
[X][Malum] Finish the fight, but as soon as the Empire is driven off, go after Malum.
[X][Malum] Finish the fight and briefly talk with Dauntless.
-[X][Malum] Write-In: (About?)
[X][Malum] Stay, I know where it is and can always get it back.
[X][Malum] Stay, I know where it is and ask for help retrieving it.
[X][Malum] Write-In:
What should my lethality level be?
[X][Killer] No holding back, the PRT would have found out eventually anyway.
[X][Killer] Aim for nonlethal takedowns, but if a few of them die, who really cars about Nazis?
[X][Killer] Stay 'heroic' and don't draw my gun unless absolutely necessary.
[X][Killer] Aim for nonlethal takedowns, but if a few of them die, who really cares about Nazis?
[X][Malum] Finish the fight and briefly talk with Dauntless.
-[X][Malum] Write-In: (Mention to Dauntless that someone used this diversion to break into your Civ ID's house and steal something you need to use your powers, without it this is the last time you can be a Hero. You request some backup getting it back. Bring him and anyone else willing to enforce the Unwritten Rules with you to track it down. If they ask why you need the sword when you get it back, it's something you have to meditate with each day, or else your Echo and brute abilities don't work. Don't lead them back to your place.)
Anyone else thing of something to add, feel free to ping or PM me.
[X][Killer] Aim for nonlethal takedowns, but if a few of them die, who really cares about Nazis?
[X][Malum] Finish the fight and briefly talk with Dauntless.
-[X][Malum] Write-In: (Mention to Dauntless that someone used this diversion to break into your Civ ID's house and steal something you need to use your powers, without it this is the last time you can be a Hero. You request some backup getting it back. Bring him and anyone else willing to enforce the Unwritten Rules with you to track it down. If they ask why you need the sword when you get it back, it's something you have to meditate with each day, or else your Echo and brute abilities don't work. Don't lead them back to your place.)
Good plan all around besides collateral damage happens all the time if a few die ah well.
[X][Killer] Aim for nonlethal takedowns, but if a few of them die, who really cares about Nazis? [X][Malum] Finish the fight and briefly talk with Dauntless. -[X][Malum] Write-In: (Mention to Dauntless that someone used this diversion to break into your Civ ID's house and steal something you need to use your powers, without it this is the last time you can be a Hero. You request some backup getting it back. Bring him and anyone else willing to enforce the Unwritten Rules with you to track it down. If they ask why you need the sword when you get it back, it's something you have to meditate with each day, or else your Echo and brute abilities don't work. Don't lead them back to your place.)
[X][Killer] Aim for nonlethal takedowns, but if a few of them die, who really cares about Nazis? [X][Malum] Finish the fight and briefly talk with Dauntless. -[X][Malum] Write-In: (Mention to Dauntless that someone used this diversion to break into your Civ ID's house and steal something you need to use your powers, without it this is the last time you can be a Hero. You request some backup getting it back. Bring him and anyone else willing to enforce the Unwritten Rules with you to track it down. If they ask why you need the sword when you get it back, it's something you have to meditate with each day, or else your Echo and brute abilities don't work. Don't lead them back to your place.)
[X][Malum] Finish the fight and briefly talk with Dauntless.
-[X][Malum] Write-In: (Mention to Dauntless that someone used this diversion to break into your Civ ID's house and steal something you need to use your powers, without it this is the last time you can be a Hero. You request some backup getting it back. Bring him and anyone else willing to enforce the Unwritten Rules with you to track it down. If they ask why you need the sword when you get it back, it's something you have to meditate with each day, or else your Echo and brute abilities don't work. Don't lead them back to your place.)
How should I handle Alabaster?
[X][Alabaster] Engage immediately and try to draw them away. (3 Votes)
And Malum Ceado?
[X][Malum] Finish the fight, but as soon as the Empire is driven off, go after Malum. (6 Votes)
What should my lethality level be?
[X][Killer] Aim for nonlethal takedowns, but if a few of them die, who really cares about Nazis? (10 Votes)
=={==========-- | --==========}==
Sunday, March 13th, 2011
11:00 AM
Stall him, stall him, stall him. Yeah, I can do that. I almost draw my pistol but remember that I am surrounded by the good guys and that would probably be a poor idea. An idea forms from the issue, if I draw them away then they won't see me using my pistol, and it would keep the Dockworkers safer too. I'll aim for nonlethal shots on the goons, though, so that Dauntless doesn't get upset when he shows up.
"I'm going to draw him away." I say and then dart across the street and onto a side street before he can respond.
I am going to circle around a bit and attack from a rooftop, I draw my gun and start running through what I know as I move. Alabaster resets every five seconds or something, healing all the damage that he takes and four of the goons are carrying SMGs, so it is likely that the other four have pistols. Thinking about it, I slow my pace down a little and check my magazine and see that I have only three bullets left.
Thinking about bullets makes me realize that my Echo has definitely shot more that. My Echo repeats my actions, I know that, and it also repeats what I have on me, or it wouldn't be able to copy Malum Ceado or my jacket, so it must copy the bullets in the gun too! Which means that, so long as I don't shoot my last shot, I have effectively infinite ammo. That's awesome.
I put the magazine back in and pause my running. I should be about halfway between the mall and where Alabaster is, so time to get on a roof. Picking one, I take to the alley beside it and spot a fire escape that I quickly ascend. Stepping foot on the gravel, I quickly scan the adjacent roof as the wall for this one is only knee height and see that the one right behind me has a ledge that is just shorter than waist height, so I take a running start and hop the slightly lower roof. Now in a better position, I quickly make my way to the edge, so I can see the street and am treated to the top of the Empire member's skulls.
I bite my tongue to keep from calling out and just line up a shot, only to pause as I feel my blood move down my arm. Barely there, pinpricks of pain from all over the wrist and hand appear as I watch my now black blood swirl into the gaps of my pistol, I can feel the blood coil around the bullet and anchor itself down before pausing. There is a sense of fullness, and instinctively know the bullet is too small to carry any more of my blood.
Aiming for a body shot on Alabaster, I see my Echo's gun aimed at the same target, and pull the trigger. A wet sounding gunshot rings out and I duck down as soon as Alabaster drops dead. My Echo changes target and I hope that it is sticking to the plan of not killing these gangsters, but I can't really bring myself to care if it does.
I feel a bit bad as I stay crouched and make my Echo do all the work, but it's also practical since we're low on bullets. Every two shots, I watch as it resets and stands up to resume shooting. I feel one rush of new Growth, but I instinctively know that it isn't from a cape because it doesn't have the same volatility that the one in Target had. After what feels like a long time, I peek out and take in the scene.
Alabaster is laying still in the middle of the road in a new position, and the gangsters are huddled behind a car parked across the street. My Echo isn't really aiming at them, I can tell, it's just shooting into the car to keep them pinned. I examine Alabaster more as he shakily stands to his feet, and I can see there are oily black lines across his skin. Concentrating a little, I can feel a steady flow of healing flowing into me before dissipating, since I don't need any healing right now. I watch as my Echo lets its blood flow into the next shot and shoot at Alabaster. This one is aimed at his skull, though, and I watch as the acidic attack dissolves the paper white of his head.
I feel the volatile energy rush into me and I know that he is dead, which I didn't think was possible. My vision is once more filled with the sight of my Shard.
I watch as the glowing green disk from the first cape I killed morph and continually ram itself into Alabaster's Shard in constantly shifting shapes as my Shard reposition's itself. I can tell there is more to the fight that I can't see, but in the end my Shard is victorious. The green ring resumes its tilted orbit, but I can see— feel that something about it is different.
Before I can dwell on it for too long, my mind is thrust back into my body and I find myself laying on the gravel top with a gunshot wound in my shoulder. But before the pain can really translate, a rush of healing starts the process of it closing up. Turning my head, I watch as the last of my Echo's shield crumbles and feel a sense of gratefulness for it.
I stay laying down as my Echo resumes its silent shooting and focus my attention on the churning energy.
=={==========-- | --==========}==
Should I try to control the mutation?
[X][Power] Yes, try to return it to its original shape. (45% chance to gain a slightly lesser version of Alabaster's power. You may sacrifice Kills to boost this percentage, +10% chance per kill.)
[X][Power] No, let it mutate. (Gain an adjacent power.)
[X][Power] No, feed into it instead. (Sacrifice one Kill to boost the power of the mutation.)
[X][Power] Yes, try to return it to its original shape. (45% chance to gain a slightly lesser version of Alabaster's power. You may sacrifice Kills to boost this percentage, +10% chance per kill.)
-[X][Power] We only need 5 kills for a 95% chance. Dump 6 kills.
By itself, Alabaster's power is quite useful, if no very flashy. Even a lesser version would be amazing. I'm assuming the lesser version is slower, cause I can't really think of a way to make it 'lesser' offhand, since if it didn't heal everything it would just be Wolverine's power, not Alabaster's.
