- Location
- Russia
And now I imagine Sheogorath gushing over Shaper in excitement and summoned Daedra cooing over her.
Shaping Up
- Thread starter PieceThruWar
- Start date
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
As the Friends thread proved, give her a few years of studying magic and Shaper can stomp all of them combined, provide that she still has access to her shard body.
They are also probably impotent, because I doubt that if they weren't than they wouldn't be capable of destroying a bunch of primitives, Scion definitely could blow up a bunch of primitives, and he is going to blow them up in three hundred years if he wouldn't be stopped in some way.
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OstermanA
(Unverified Penguin)
- Location
- $PWD
Magic ebbs and flows in the Shadowrun universe, and they can't even attempt to cross over unless it's above a fairly high threshold. The last time they made an attempt was at the end of the 4th World, where in desperation one of the last human city-states undertook a ritual to forcible lock away all magic in the world. The 6th World is what happened when magic came back, but there's evidence that The Enemy has been pulling strings to accelerate the process, to try and cross over before humanity can prepare again. The Insect Spirits aren't supposed to have shown up for a few hundred years, but appeared by the 2050's, for example.
The Immortal Elves, like Harlequin, were created by the great dragons in the 4th World specifically to combat The Enemy, as the dragons are absolutely shitting themselves.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
Which they would have failed had serious Scion been their enemy because he would have foreseen and stopped it.
And the fact that a bunch of primitives can stop them by locking away magic means that making them not matter by locking away magic isn't all that hard, I wouldn't give Shaper more than a year to figure out how to control the process and selectively choose when and how magic can manifest in the world, baby shard Taylor became a baby goddess in like, less than a week when she had access to magic.
Edit, this is of course, provided that she is still capable of controlling her shard body, a limited human brain with a limited human body probably can't do those kind of stuff even with Shaper being inside.
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- Location
- A State of Confusion
I think you're severely overestimating the learning capabilities of shards, while this particular fic gives them human like personalities and learning, they in-canon have much slower and more computer-like learning, where they can't really perform leaps in logic easily.
Since magic works on very different rules from normal physics (which are also sometimes outright illogical, and not in the "I can't follow the logic behind this" sense, but in the "There is no real logic, it's entirely arbitrary or outright truly random" sense), the shards would have to derive all of the rules from observation, which would take even computers as bullshit as the shards millions of years (remember that they've had billions to get as good at they are at their physics) of testing.
So, the shards cannot simply wander into a setting and become instantly better at magic than the inhabitants, and if there's something powerful enough there to kill them, they probably will die if the thing finds out about them before they can get good enough to beat them (and they can't just foresee it either, because the entities method relies on their knowledge, and if they don't know about something or how it works, they can't predict it). There's a reason the cycle involves not letting the planet's inhabitants know what they are until it's too late.
Chapter 23: Hookwolf, Will Travel
PieceThruWar
Not an eldritch abomination
- Location
- The Server Farm
None of the non-hosts paid any attention as Shaper moved through the city.
Unsurprising given that Host had a fairly unremarkable appearance according to her gathered data for the region. Brown hair was the average, her height was appropriate for her age, her facial features were on the lower end of what she'd observed to cause attraction in a mate, and she hadn't made changes to deviate from the standard human body plan. In fact, only her effort to match Victoria's hugging capabilities would make her stand out at all unless she was mistaken on how much attention humans gave to 'freckle' patterns. Even when she did notice a male evaluating Host's physical suitability, they seemed to make an effort to avoid letting others know rather than raising an alarm.
This clearly meant that Shaper had successfully managed her escape.
What she was going to do next remained a mystery, however. Yes, leaving the Dallon home and the greater New Wave pack behind had been for the best, but it wasn't something she had had much time to plan out. Not when every moment of contact might further damage her family/:SIBLINGS:.
Stopping motionlessly in the shadow between two buildings to think, Shaper ceased the rubbing of Host's forehead. She didn't recall initiating the motion, but she must have done it to reduce the sudden pain in Host's head. A brief pulse eased such discomfort as she scanned the neural mass for discrepancies and found none beyond pre-existing damage.
"Odd."
Regardless, she had food and the coastal nature of the human settlement meant water was readily available, so perhaps shelter should be the next objective. Host didn't necessarily need it to survive, especially with Shaper's help, but it felt important. Host's database was a mess and not entirely clear on the matter of 'Home', but the desire for one was there.
Shaper sympathized.
How many of her favorite projects had to be left behind every Cycle? Countless beautiful designs, carefully sculpted creatures, and repurposed landmasses had been left scattered across the path :MOTHER: and :FATHER: had traveled, either too costly to bring along or deemed 'hazardous to the Cycle' by a majority of her :SIBLINGS:. Inviolable in particular always seemed to take joy in ruining her Art, doubly so when Warp started joining in. Her poor little Bud at least didn't take it personally, never letting it stop her from growing from a newborn into a successful Shard in her own right.
So yes, even if finding a new home for Host wasn't necessary, Shaper intended to do so anyway. It might make the echoes of Host's dormant consciousness feel more comfortable. Besides, a place to defend would add additional potential cause for violent confrontations. Even Host, the passive layabout that she was, would have fought if her old home was attacked, Shaper was sure of that. Luckily, she already had an idea for where to find a suitable home.
<Where does your host normally go to recuperate?>Queen Shaper
<[REFUSAL]>Ablation
<If you tell me, I will release your host.>Queen Shaper
<[DISBELIEF] What's the catch?>Ablation
<[HUMOR] What, you don't trust me?>Queen Shaper
<No.>Ablation
<It won't be anything too bad, I just can't risk him damaging Host.>Queen Shaper
Time passed as Shaper waited for a response from Ablation, but eventually the sun was directly above and she had to conclude that he wasn't going to help. Well, that was fine, she had other methods to obtain the information she sought.
Taking Hookwolf out ofher Host's school bag, Shaper manually activated the :CONNECTION: in his processor. Pausing his decompression at the point that he was a limbless, headless torso, Shaper curled Host into a fetal position and molded the compressed mass around her. Once fully enveloped, she forced him to grow the fragmentary armor Ablation granted him and Shape it into the canid form from before... though of course made some improvements to the crude appearance, bringing it to a more life-like state.
Once that was done, she slowly brought the man who identified himself as 'Brad Meadows' back to consciousness, carefully damping his proprioception so as not to be noticed and forcing a feeling of exhaustion on him. It would probably take him a while to reorient himself and head for home, but she could take the time until their arrival to decode some information from his database.
--------------------------------------
Sophia bounced her leg in agitation as the teacher droned on and on about pointless shit. She shouldn't have been in school, wasting time when her g- the girl she was responsible for reining in was fucking missing. Again!
Being put in Master/Stranger observation was bad enough with all the MRI bullshit, cameras watching everything, mind games, and fucking Gallant coming in to stare at her every couple of hours all while Aegis tried to bond with her. It was all stupid and she'd told them as much, repeatedly, but nobody cared how much time was being wasted on pointless tests that wouldn't mean anything more than whatever garbage interpretation they slapped on to fit their picture of what had happened.
Even now that she was out, she couldn't do anything productive, getting tagged with a monitoring bracelet for the next day 'just in case' and sent to Winslow. Of course, Aegis didn't argue, but she did and it got her nowhere. Well, not nowhere since not arguing would have been out of character for her and 'confirmed' that she was being controlled, but it hadn't gotten her out of it.
"Let the adults handle it." the red fucker said.
Well, look what that had gotten them. Panacea... Amy had apparently gone home on her own according to what she'd overheard in the common area that morning, but she wasn't there when her family woke up. Their kitchen was a mess, like it'd been the sight of a struggle and weirdly, half of their food was taken as well.
Which suggested the Merchants of all people had been the ones to take her.
Why they would bring on that kind of heat, Sophia didn't know. Skidmark, for all he was a disgusting piece of shit and an embarrassment to capes everywhere, wasn't retarded. He had to know this wouldn't fly. How had he even known she was 'more vulnerable' than before, let alone how he or his people got into the Dallon house and took her without trouble... or rather, without losing someone, since she clearly did fight back and was kind of a murderous little psychopath who could do some badass things to people nowadays.
It set her on edge.
The media was being mostly silent about Panacea; between her family's noncommittal response to questioning, the rumor mill, the PRT coverup that was no doubt happening, and Amy's own lack of understanding how to answer their questions, there was confusion as to what was actually wrong with her. Sophia expected the Empire or even Lung to try taking her off the street yesterday since they were generally the better informed and organized, not the Merchants snatching her from her own house. There had to be more to it, someone tipping them off or something.
Shadow Stalker wasn't supposed to be investigating. She'd been taken off the active roster until Monday pending M/S clearance.
Sophia Hess on the other hand couldn't stop thinking about it. Not when every minute the dyke was missing was another minute when a plague or monsters or zombies might become the new norm for the Bay. Not when her 'friends' couldn't decide whether to pretend to be concerned or smirk condescendingly as if they knew something they had no way of knowing.
Those two were really grating on her lately with their petty shit.
"How's your girlfriend doing?" Had been what Madison asked that morning, putting an immature lilt to the word. As if it fucking mattered to her who Sophia was dating.
"I hope she's okay, I wouldn't want something to happen to her. I mean, we know you're not really good at the whole caring thing." Emma had said, almost threatening in that way she had when she felt snubbed. Like the fact that she stuck up for herself against some gangbangers meant she deserved all of Sophia's attention.
On top of all that, fucking Hebert of all people kept looking at her with something that she might have thought was pity if the idea wasn't so ridiculous.
Maybe she'd take the three of them aside after school and 'ask them some questions'. They probably didn't know anything, but there was always a chance. Emma could be a real bitch when she wanted to be, Hebert was proof of that. She wouldn't put it past her to sell out some gossip to a Merchant kid out of spite and Madison would go along with it if it meant she got to stay in the redhead's shadow. There was no fucking way Hebert knew shit, or at least knew that she knew, but Sophia understood the girl was book smart even if she was an idiot. The nerd might have heard something she didn't realize the significance of.
Shadow Stalker knew that a good Hero had to be thorough, keep an ear to the ground when investigating something or a clue might slip away. There was a reason she put more criminals behind bars than everyone but Armsmaster after all. If-
A buzzing against her leg had her slip her phone out of her pocket. Not even pretending to be subtle, because it wasn't like the teacher gave a shit, she opened it up and stared.
Whatever else it said, she didn't see it as the only thing she could think amounted to a whispered, "How the fuck did he get loose?"
Because that definitely explained what had happened, even if only her and Glory Hog understood that fact.
Unsurprising given that Host had a fairly unremarkable appearance according to her gathered data for the region. Brown hair was the average, her height was appropriate for her age, her facial features were on the lower end of what she'd observed to cause attraction in a mate, and she hadn't made changes to deviate from the standard human body plan. In fact, only her effort to match Victoria's hugging capabilities would make her stand out at all unless she was mistaken on how much attention humans gave to 'freckle' patterns. Even when she did notice a male evaluating Host's physical suitability, they seemed to make an effort to avoid letting others know rather than raising an alarm.
This clearly meant that Shaper had successfully managed her escape.
What she was going to do next remained a mystery, however. Yes, leaving the Dallon home and the greater New Wave pack behind had been for the best, but it wasn't something she had had much time to plan out. Not when every moment of contact might further damage her family/:SIBLINGS:.
Stopping motionlessly in the shadow between two buildings to think, Shaper ceased the rubbing of Host's forehead. She didn't recall initiating the motion, but she must have done it to reduce the sudden pain in Host's head. A brief pulse eased such discomfort as she scanned the neural mass for discrepancies and found none beyond pre-existing damage.
"Odd."
Regardless, she had food and the coastal nature of the human settlement meant water was readily available, so perhaps shelter should be the next objective. Host didn't necessarily need it to survive, especially with Shaper's help, but it felt important. Host's database was a mess and not entirely clear on the matter of 'Home', but the desire for one was there.
Shaper sympathized.
How many of her favorite projects had to be left behind every Cycle? Countless beautiful designs, carefully sculpted creatures, and repurposed landmasses had been left scattered across the path :MOTHER: and :FATHER: had traveled, either too costly to bring along or deemed 'hazardous to the Cycle' by a majority of her :SIBLINGS:. Inviolable in particular always seemed to take joy in ruining her Art, doubly so when Warp started joining in. Her poor little Bud at least didn't take it personally, never letting it stop her from growing from a newborn into a successful Shard in her own right.
So yes, even if finding a new home for Host wasn't necessary, Shaper intended to do so anyway. It might make the echoes of Host's dormant consciousness feel more comfortable. Besides, a place to defend would add additional potential cause for violent confrontations. Even Host, the passive layabout that she was, would have fought if her old home was attacked, Shaper was sure of that. Luckily, she already had an idea for where to find a suitable home.
<Where does your host normally go to recuperate?>Queen Shaper
<[REFUSAL]>Ablation
<If you tell me, I will release your host.>Queen Shaper
<[DISBELIEF] What's the catch?>Ablation
<[HUMOR] What, you don't trust me?>Queen Shaper
<No.>Ablation
<It won't be anything too bad, I just can't risk him damaging Host.>Queen Shaper
Time passed as Shaper waited for a response from Ablation, but eventually the sun was directly above and she had to conclude that he wasn't going to help. Well, that was fine, she had other methods to obtain the information she sought.
Taking Hookwolf out of
Once that was done, she slowly brought the man who identified himself as 'Brad Meadows' back to consciousness, carefully damping his proprioception so as not to be noticed and forcing a feeling of exhaustion on him. It would probably take him a while to reorient himself and head for home, but she could take the time until their arrival to decode some information from his database.
--------------------------------------
Sophia bounced her leg in agitation as the teacher droned on and on about pointless shit. She shouldn't have been in school, wasting time when her g- the girl she was responsible for reining in was fucking missing. Again!
Being put in Master/Stranger observation was bad enough with all the MRI bullshit, cameras watching everything, mind games, and fucking Gallant coming in to stare at her every couple of hours all while Aegis tried to bond with her. It was all stupid and she'd told them as much, repeatedly, but nobody cared how much time was being wasted on pointless tests that wouldn't mean anything more than whatever garbage interpretation they slapped on to fit their picture of what had happened.
Even now that she was out, she couldn't do anything productive, getting tagged with a monitoring bracelet for the next day 'just in case' and sent to Winslow. Of course, Aegis didn't argue, but she did and it got her nowhere. Well, not nowhere since not arguing would have been out of character for her and 'confirmed' that she was being controlled, but it hadn't gotten her out of it.
"Let the adults handle it." the red fucker said.
Well, look what that had gotten them. Panacea... Amy had apparently gone home on her own according to what she'd overheard in the common area that morning, but she wasn't there when her family woke up. Their kitchen was a mess, like it'd been the sight of a struggle and weirdly, half of their food was taken as well.
Which suggested the Merchants of all people had been the ones to take her.
Why they would bring on that kind of heat, Sophia didn't know. Skidmark, for all he was a disgusting piece of shit and an embarrassment to capes everywhere, wasn't retarded. He had to know this wouldn't fly. How had he even known she was 'more vulnerable' than before, let alone how he or his people got into the Dallon house and took her without trouble... or rather, without losing someone, since she clearly did fight back and was kind of a murderous little psychopath who could do some badass things to people nowadays.
It set her on edge.
The media was being mostly silent about Panacea; between her family's noncommittal response to questioning, the rumor mill, the PRT coverup that was no doubt happening, and Amy's own lack of understanding how to answer their questions, there was confusion as to what was actually wrong with her. Sophia expected the Empire or even Lung to try taking her off the street yesterday since they were generally the better informed and organized, not the Merchants snatching her from her own house. There had to be more to it, someone tipping them off or something.
Shadow Stalker wasn't supposed to be investigating. She'd been taken off the active roster until Monday pending M/S clearance.
Sophia Hess on the other hand couldn't stop thinking about it. Not when every minute the dyke was missing was another minute when a plague or monsters or zombies might become the new norm for the Bay. Not when her 'friends' couldn't decide whether to pretend to be concerned or smirk condescendingly as if they knew something they had no way of knowing.
Those two were really grating on her lately with their petty shit.
"How's your girlfriend doing?" Had been what Madison asked that morning, putting an immature lilt to the word. As if it fucking mattered to her who Sophia was dating.
"I hope she's okay, I wouldn't want something to happen to her. I mean, we know you're not really good at the whole caring thing." Emma had said, almost threatening in that way she had when she felt snubbed. Like the fact that she stuck up for herself against some gangbangers meant she deserved all of Sophia's attention.
On top of all that, fucking Hebert of all people kept looking at her with something that she might have thought was pity if the idea wasn't so ridiculous.
Maybe she'd take the three of them aside after school and 'ask them some questions'. They probably didn't know anything, but there was always a chance. Emma could be a real bitch when she wanted to be, Hebert was proof of that. She wouldn't put it past her to sell out some gossip to a Merchant kid out of spite and Madison would go along with it if it meant she got to stay in the redhead's shadow. There was no fucking way Hebert knew shit, or at least knew that she knew, but Sophia understood the girl was book smart even if she was an idiot. The nerd might have heard something she didn't realize the significance of.
Shadow Stalker knew that a good Hero had to be thorough, keep an ear to the ground when investigating something or a clue might slip away. There was a reason she put more criminals behind bars than everyone but Armsmaster after all. If-
A buzzing against her leg had her slip her phone out of her pocket. Not even pretending to be subtle, because it wasn't like the teacher gave a shit, she opened it up and stared.
General Alert said:
Whatever else it said, she didn't see it as the only thing she could think amounted to a whispered, "How the fuck did he get loose?"
Because that definitely explained what had happened, even if only her and Glory Hog understood that fact.
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- Location
- California
So she's basically using Hookwolf as her transport without him knowing, and as armor. Nice
Kirakishou
Rozen Maiden
- Location
- N-Field
Come one, come all! Hitch a ride on the Hookwolf express!
Wait. Actually, don't. That sounded far worse than I meant.
Although I do wonder if he's ever used that line before...
Wait. Actually, don't. That sounded far worse than I meant.
Although I do wonder if he's ever used that line before...
- Location
- Madison, AL
I'm glad to see this back.
- Location
- USA
Guys... "decode some information from his database."
She's reading Hookwolfs mind and is basically going to try to take over his life when she is done.
I feel like this is going to end with Amy chest bursting out of Hookwolf in front of Vicky and Sophia, at least.
She's reading Hookwolfs mind and is basically going to try to take over his life when she is done.
I feel like this is going to end with Amy chest bursting out of Hookwolf in front of Vicky and Sophia, at least.
- Location
- Canada, probably
Heh, "metal."
PieceThruWar
Not an eldritch abomination
- Location
- The Server Farm
Functionality
The Scholar
- Location
- At the Library
- Pronouns
- He
tldr; she looks average.
Because of course!
Shaper, nooo! You're making them sad. 😔
And the line between shard and host deteriorates.
*Sigh*
Conflict for the conflict gods... 🙄
Whats the catch, Shaper?
😱😱😨
Shes gonna mind control, aint she?
This is worse than I imagined! 🤯🤯
Typo
Wrong conclusion?
😜
The Right Conclusion is dead! Long live the Wrong Conclusions!
Annnnnd, Sophia's life sucks.
Hahahahahah 🤣😂
So, what shenanigans will they get up to? GG and SS get up to, trying to reign in Shaper?
Edit: Deleted a stupid part of my post.
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- Location
- Wonderland
"Unwritten rules? Those aren't real," thinks Shaper. "The Entities didn't make them."
Corrections offered without malice.
Corrections offered without malice.
Formatting messed up here and on.
reining in (it is a horseriding analogy)
handle it,"
Functionality
The Scholar
- Location
- At the Library
- Pronouns
- He
Sooo,
Shaper is using Brad as armor. She is literally inside hookwolf (
), the PRT is out to get hookwolf, and the only people who know the truth hate each other and likely have differing ideas if how to handle this.
This can only end in tragedy, screaming, and body horror.
I look forward to the next chapter.
Shaper is using Brad as armor. She is literally inside hookwolf (
), the PRT is out to get hookwolf, and the only people who know the truth hate each other and likely have differing ideas if how to handle this.This can only end in tragedy, screaming, and body horror.
I look forward to the next chapter.
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Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
Taylor proved that their method do allow them to discover what's already exist and reverse engineer it pretty rapidly, making new types of magic still took her between days to weeks and took mass experimentation, using magical regents she had stolen from some natives who are unlikely to attempt (or succeed if they did) at killing her if they found out, although
by this point she is starting to run out of those magic crystals, she accounted for it and she is pretty close to reverse engineering the dungeon to both get the entities real solution and give her basically infinite crystals to work with, although she already figured out how to use magic to make infinite energy, it isn't exponential process yet until she reversed engineered the dungeon, she could mass clone magical animals but it sounded like a bad idea waiting to happen so she didn't do it, but she was always much more fit to learning magic than humans, and did figure out divine magic in the timeline I gave you, and don't forget that all the brains of mortals in this world are an open book to her, should be enough to give her a starting point to reverse engineer the gods of the setting.
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- Location
- Somewhere other than where I am.
Can we please stop the power-wank derail?
- Location
- A State of Confusion
That's in a fanfic I.E. not necessarily how they work in canon. You can't just reverse-engineer a whole magic system from observation of effects in weeks, no matter how much processing power you have anyways, just the physical testing would take centuries.
And yeah, we shouldn't continue this, it's not terribly relevant to the actual story.
PieceThruWar
Not an eldritch abomination
- Location
- The Server Farm
To be fair, the fanfic interpretation is what was being discussed since this is a spinoff of that series rather than canon Worm. There is also the fact that QAylor cheated heavily, didn't fully reverse-engineer the basis of magic and rather worked out the Falna system, and noticed the inversion of entropy that magic produces in general. Making new spells is still trial and error in that story.
^This.
I fully welcome such discussion if I continue that segment as a separate story, but Deadra vs Entities, QA vs magic, etc aren't very relevant. I'd rather not invite fighting here over something not really relevant to the main story. Good news is that I probably will continue it since I am fond of TES and have a fair idea of where to take that story.
I somehow suspect that those condescending smirks are actually something far far worse... they think that Sophia is "cute" because she actually displays concern for someone.
Chapter 24: Misdirection
PieceThruWar
Not an eldritch abomination
- Location
- The Server Farm
As Hookwolf carried Host to their destination, Shaper looked for useful data. Supply stashes, hiding places used to evade capture by his opposition, the homes of other hosts, unarmed combat techniques that served him well; all these things were slowly identified as she made him relive those memories.
An explosion knocked the host off course from his leap and sent them into building, but Ablation-Brad was more than capable of shrugging off the blow without her intervention.
One in particular that stood out to her was the day he met the parameters to finalize his :CONNECTION: to Ablation. A group of non-hosts, having been upset with their poor performance against the host-to-be, had chemically subdued him and a female packmate. Upon regaining consciousness, the non-hosts made a deal with him; they would use an electrically powered abrasive tool to remove his epidermis and if he could endure then she would go free. However, for every noise he made, they would make an incision on her skin.
He'd even done an admirable job at complying with their demands, remaining mostly silent for the entire ordeal. They shot her in the head anyway.
"Hookwolf! Release her and come quietly, this doesn't have to get worse than it already is." Arsenal's host declared from outside the building, voice mechanically amplified.
Breath heaving, Shaper's unwitting transportation had partially transformed back to human form at some point. Though his head was still covered by layers of metal, it still allowed him to respond to her call, "And I'm supposed to trust you at your word?"
He was stalling for time. She could feel the imbalance in his body as the disorientation, unbidden memories 'randomly' coming to the fore of his thoughts, and subdued proprioception were playing havoc on his mind. He was confused and worried, unsure of what was going on.
<If he doesn't keep moving, they will surround and overwhelm him.>Queen Shaper
"There isn't much else you can do." The woman replied. "Surely you understand how bad this situation is for you. Even if you get away, this isn't the kind of thing you can just walk away from."
<Host will be fine if your little parasite would just get out!>Ablation
<[AFFRONT] None of this would be necessary if you hadn't chosen to be difficult.>Queen Shaper
When Brad didn't respond, Arsenal's host tried in a softer tone, "I understand you must be desperate to try this... If you just cooperate, I'm sure we can help with whatever the problem is."
<Found you!>Radiant
"Go!" Shaper commanded aloud, the word causing Hookwolf no small amount of alarm as it reverberated through his chest.
It didn't matter though, as his body moved according to her will, throwing them out into the street once more before Radiant-Victoria could pinpoint their location. Hookwolf was not the most subtle of methods for transportation, but she'd expected more time before interacting with Host's family again. Preferably it wouldn't happen at all, not until Host was recovered.
Arsenal's host dove to the side, narrowly avoiding a fatal hit from the whirling blades that made up Hookwolf's legs. The ruined meat that made up her left arm would limit the woman's effectiveness, but there was no time for Shaper to stop and repair it for her :SIBLING:. Given Victoria's flight speed it wouldn't be long before she caught sight of them.
Ramping up Ablation-Brad's adrenaline and testosterone production while drastically cutting serotonin, Shaper prepared for the high probability that she would need to abandon him to avoidher Host's family. He was just too noticeable.
As Victoria crested the roof of a building overlooking the scene, Shaper made Hookwolf sprint into a nearby alley. Dropping Host from within, her work on turning him into a distraction might have been too good, as his whirling hooks and blades caught on her legs, tearing them to pieces as she lost contact with his core. She proceeded onto the next street as she hit the ground with a painful crunch of bone and rolled to a stop. It was a distraction, but not enough that she would waste time suppressing the feeling, instead choosing to drag Host into a pile of bagged refuse before working to mend her torn flesh and cracked ribs.
Breathing hurt and there was some blood in Host's lungs, so Shaper let the body rest as she worked, making sure her airways were clear so as to prevent snoring from giving away her hiding spot. It was a good thing she brought food, because even shutting off the bleeding near immediately, that was still a lot of mass to replace.
-------------------------------------
Arriving on the scene, the first thing Dean noticed was how empty the street was. Not a single person to be found, whether by normal sight or his powered version.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. There was one person. Only one.
"Give her back, you son of a bitch!"
The sound of metal crunching and tearing echoed down between the empty buildings, everyone having fled long before he arrived. She was floating there, holding the crumbling mass of blades in one hand while punching hard enough to crack the wall behind him with the other. Her Aura was running so strong that not even Dauntless with his enhanced helmet could approach without the urge to run away, so they'd sent him to calm her down or make her leave so they could study the scene; the only one it didn't really work on.
"Vicky..." He tried softly, edging closer with care not to spook her.
"Give. Her. Back!"
Over and over in a steady rhythm she kept on hitting him.
"Vicky!" Dean, Gallant, finally snapped her out of it with his shout. Much quieter, he told her, "He's dead."
Her head turned almost mechanically to look at him, a haunted look in her eyes as she blinked slowly as if not recognizing him. Her hair was a matted, greasy, tangled mess and she was still in he pajamas.
Dropping Hookwolf... or what was left of him, Vicky landed with a stumble and he drew her close. "It's all my fault."
"Don't say that."
He'd been briefed on how this had all started. How Hookwolf had been seen for the first time since his fight with the Dallon girls and Shadow Stalker. With the scene at their house and him spotted fleeing from that general direction... it'd been an easy connection to make.
They'd screwed up. Being outnumbered and understaffed wasn't a good excuse, someone should have been guarding her because, if not simply because it was the right thing to do, losing Panacea would make those problems worse. If Shadow Stalker hadn't been put in containment, would she have been able to report the situation before it all went so wrong?
Amy shouldn't have even been in that position. She'd never been in what he would consider a good headspace, but every time he'd seen her since her injury, she'd been... different. Her recognizable emotions chaotic and muted, changing with almost no cause he could identify while the rest of the time she flickered with 'colors' he couldn't even begin to describe.
He should have said something. Done something. Anything but keep it to himself for fear of upsetting them.
Try as he might, he was unable to tear his eyes off the horrible product of their failure; the shredded remains of a leg wearing a familair shoe and a lot of blood splattered across the street. It could be anyone's he wanted to tell her... to tell himself. It wasn't as if Amy was the only one who wore shes like that. Even if it was hers, it just proved she was hurt. She could have been handed off to another Empire member or escaped in the time between Miss Militia losing sight of Hookwolf and Vicky's arrival.
Hope was one thing, but he'd seen enough of reality in Brockton to really believe that.
Hookwolf had always been a dangerous cape, his confirmed body count was the highest in the city. Considering the fact that there was a dragon on the other side of town, that was saying something... but to do this? Miss Militia, the first on the scene, was in urgent care after confronting the Villain. Armsmaster was speaking with the rest of New Wave, promising to personally investigate what had happened and why. Director Piggot was already in a conference with the other PRT Directors. There would be consequences.
None of that would fix anything.
All Dean could do was hold his girlfriend tight and stroke her hair as she wailed in anguish.
---------------------------------------
Making her way on foot was much slower, not helped by the relatively fragile replacement legs that fractured several times and forced her to stop to rework them, but Shaper eventually arrived on Hookwolf's doorstep.
It was a shame she had to let him go, she still hadn't finished studying his abilities. If she'd known she would be deprived of him so suddenly, she would have just pulled him apart and been done with it. At least then she would have been certain as to how closely his compression could be mimicked purely through biological processes compatible with local life.
Putting Host's hand against the doorknob, she gradually Shaped some flesh to fill the keyhole and turned until it clicked open.
Inside was a small room, ten feet by ten feet with a heavily deformed couch taking up an entire side. The walls were bare brick, the ceiling had a dark spot denoting water damage, and the window was cracked. A television much smaller than the one Host's father liked to stare at sat on a stack of worn books and a leather sack filled with silica hung by a chain in one corner.
As she stepped over a wooden crate in the center of the room between the couch and television, Shaper inspected the bathroom to find it was surprisingly as clean as the one at the Dallon home. A shame, since she'd been hoping for interesting fungal life to inspect and maybe even utilize. She did find what appeared to be an identical copy of Crystal's magazine however, minus stains, which was puzzling, but ultimately unimportant.
She now had a home to call her own and she hoped Host would be just as happy with it as she was. Yes, they would likely return to Host's family upon her recovery, but that didn't mean she had to abandon this place. Shaper could see several ways to improve it both structurally and aesthetically in ways that the humans on the floors above and below shouldn't notice.
First thing she did after taking stock of the 'apartment' was to ingest everything in the refrigerator, the stack of books, and even some of the chemical cleaners underneath the bathroom sink. She'd investigate one of Hookwolf's 'stash houses' later, once Host's repairs were further along.
An explosion knocked the host off course from his leap and sent them into building, but Ablation-Brad was more than capable of shrugging off the blow without her intervention.
One in particular that stood out to her was the day he met the parameters to finalize his :CONNECTION: to Ablation. A group of non-hosts, having been upset with their poor performance against the host-to-be, had chemically subdued him and a female packmate. Upon regaining consciousness, the non-hosts made a deal with him; they would use an electrically powered abrasive tool to remove his epidermis and if he could endure then she would go free. However, for every noise he made, they would make an incision on her skin.
He'd even done an admirable job at complying with their demands, remaining mostly silent for the entire ordeal. They shot her in the head anyway.
"Hookwolf! Release her and come quietly, this doesn't have to get worse than it already is." Arsenal's host declared from outside the building, voice mechanically amplified.
Breath heaving, Shaper's unwitting transportation had partially transformed back to human form at some point. Though his head was still covered by layers of metal, it still allowed him to respond to her call, "And I'm supposed to trust you at your word?"
He was stalling for time. She could feel the imbalance in his body as the disorientation, unbidden memories 'randomly' coming to the fore of his thoughts, and subdued proprioception were playing havoc on his mind. He was confused and worried, unsure of what was going on.
<If he doesn't keep moving, they will surround and overwhelm him.>Queen Shaper
"There isn't much else you can do." The woman replied. "Surely you understand how bad this situation is for you. Even if you get away, this isn't the kind of thing you can just walk away from."
<Host will be fine if your little parasite would just get out!>Ablation
<[AFFRONT] None of this would be necessary if you hadn't chosen to be difficult.>Queen Shaper
When Brad didn't respond, Arsenal's host tried in a softer tone, "I understand you must be desperate to try this... If you just cooperate, I'm sure we can help with whatever the problem is."
<Found you!>Radiant
"Go!" Shaper commanded aloud, the word causing Hookwolf no small amount of alarm as it reverberated through his chest.
It didn't matter though, as his body moved according to her will, throwing them out into the street once more before Radiant-Victoria could pinpoint their location. Hookwolf was not the most subtle of methods for transportation, but she'd expected more time before interacting with Host's family again. Preferably it wouldn't happen at all, not until Host was recovered.
Arsenal's host dove to the side, narrowly avoiding a fatal hit from the whirling blades that made up Hookwolf's legs. The ruined meat that made up her left arm would limit the woman's effectiveness, but there was no time for Shaper to stop and repair it for her :SIBLING:. Given Victoria's flight speed it wouldn't be long before she caught sight of them.
Ramping up Ablation-Brad's adrenaline and testosterone production while drastically cutting serotonin, Shaper prepared for the high probability that she would need to abandon him to avoid
As Victoria crested the roof of a building overlooking the scene, Shaper made Hookwolf sprint into a nearby alley. Dropping Host from within, her work on turning him into a distraction might have been too good, as his whirling hooks and blades caught on her legs, tearing them to pieces as she lost contact with his core. She proceeded onto the next street as she hit the ground with a painful crunch of bone and rolled to a stop. It was a distraction, but not enough that she would waste time suppressing the feeling, instead choosing to drag Host into a pile of bagged refuse before working to mend her torn flesh and cracked ribs.
Breathing hurt and there was some blood in Host's lungs, so Shaper let the body rest as she worked, making sure her airways were clear so as to prevent snoring from giving away her hiding spot. It was a good thing she brought food, because even shutting off the bleeding near immediately, that was still a lot of mass to replace.
-------------------------------------
Arriving on the scene, the first thing Dean noticed was how empty the street was. Not a single person to be found, whether by normal sight or his powered version.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. There was one person. Only one.
"Give her back, you son of a bitch!"
The sound of metal crunching and tearing echoed down between the empty buildings, everyone having fled long before he arrived. She was floating there, holding the crumbling mass of blades in one hand while punching hard enough to crack the wall behind him with the other. Her Aura was running so strong that not even Dauntless with his enhanced helmet could approach without the urge to run away, so they'd sent him to calm her down or make her leave so they could study the scene; the only one it didn't really work on.
"Vicky..." He tried softly, edging closer with care not to spook her.
"Give. Her. Back!"
Over and over in a steady rhythm she kept on hitting him.
"Vicky!" Dean, Gallant, finally snapped her out of it with his shout. Much quieter, he told her, "He's dead."
Her head turned almost mechanically to look at him, a haunted look in her eyes as she blinked slowly as if not recognizing him. Her hair was a matted, greasy, tangled mess and she was still in he pajamas.
Dropping Hookwolf... or what was left of him, Vicky landed with a stumble and he drew her close. "It's all my fault."
"Don't say that."
He'd been briefed on how this had all started. How Hookwolf had been seen for the first time since his fight with the Dallon girls and Shadow Stalker. With the scene at their house and him spotted fleeing from that general direction... it'd been an easy connection to make.
They'd screwed up. Being outnumbered and understaffed wasn't a good excuse, someone should have been guarding her because, if not simply because it was the right thing to do, losing Panacea would make those problems worse. If Shadow Stalker hadn't been put in containment, would she have been able to report the situation before it all went so wrong?
Amy shouldn't have even been in that position. She'd never been in what he would consider a good headspace, but every time he'd seen her since her injury, she'd been... different. Her recognizable emotions chaotic and muted, changing with almost no cause he could identify while the rest of the time she flickered with 'colors' he couldn't even begin to describe.
He should have said something. Done something. Anything but keep it to himself for fear of upsetting them.
Try as he might, he was unable to tear his eyes off the horrible product of their failure; the shredded remains of a leg wearing a familair shoe and a lot of blood splattered across the street. It could be anyone's he wanted to tell her... to tell himself. It wasn't as if Amy was the only one who wore shes like that. Even if it was hers, it just proved she was hurt. She could have been handed off to another Empire member or escaped in the time between Miss Militia losing sight of Hookwolf and Vicky's arrival.
Hope was one thing, but he'd seen enough of reality in Brockton to really believe that.
Hookwolf had always been a dangerous cape, his confirmed body count was the highest in the city. Considering the fact that there was a dragon on the other side of town, that was saying something... but to do this? Miss Militia, the first on the scene, was in urgent care after confronting the Villain. Armsmaster was speaking with the rest of New Wave, promising to personally investigate what had happened and why. Director Piggot was already in a conference with the other PRT Directors. There would be consequences.
None of that would fix anything.
All Dean could do was hold his girlfriend tight and stroke her hair as she wailed in anguish.
---------------------------------------
Making her way on foot was much slower, not helped by the relatively fragile replacement legs that fractured several times and forced her to stop to rework them, but Shaper eventually arrived on Hookwolf's doorstep.
It was a shame she had to let him go, she still hadn't finished studying his abilities. If she'd known she would be deprived of him so suddenly, she would have just pulled him apart and been done with it. At least then she would have been certain as to how closely his compression could be mimicked purely through biological processes compatible with local life.
Putting Host's hand against the doorknob, she gradually Shaped some flesh to fill the keyhole and turned until it clicked open.
Inside was a small room, ten feet by ten feet with a heavily deformed couch taking up an entire side. The walls were bare brick, the ceiling had a dark spot denoting water damage, and the window was cracked. A television much smaller than the one Host's father liked to stare at sat on a stack of worn books and a leather sack filled with silica hung by a chain in one corner.
As she stepped over a wooden crate in the center of the room between the couch and television, Shaper inspected the bathroom to find it was surprisingly as clean as the one at the Dallon home. A shame, since she'd been hoping for interesting fungal life to inspect and maybe even utilize. She did find what appeared to be an identical copy of Crystal's magazine however, minus stains, which was puzzling, but ultimately unimportant.
She now had a home to call her own and she hoped Host would be just as happy with it as she was. Yes, they would likely return to Host's family upon her recovery, but that didn't mean she had to abandon this place. Shaper could see several ways to improve it both structurally and aesthetically in ways that the humans on the floors above and below shouldn't notice.
First thing she did after taking stock of the 'apartment' was to ingest everything in the refrigerator, the stack of books, and even some of the chemical cleaners underneath the bathroom sink. She'd investigate one of Hookwolf's 'stash houses' later, once Host's repairs were further along.
Last edited:
- Location
- Madison, AL
I love this.