4.11 - Borders New View contentGravityfunnsHe/HimSaturday at 3:42 PMNewAdd bookmark#482Whilst I dismiss and recreate all of my constructs one by one, starting with my carapace, and ending with the staff, I distantly realise how much trouble an ordinary cape would be having here. Anyone with a brain can adapt to changing circumstances, but unless they have a very good trump power there's a hard limit to what that adaptation looks like.
It's hard to imagine a cape that can adapt better than I can. Maybe this is just me being overly confident, but it feels like I could take out the entire rest of the Nine over the rest of the day.
I take a moment to look at my barrel construct. It's about a foot long, and wide enough to fit my Bullets. I can't think of any way of improving it immediately, for that I'd have to have to have internet access. If Dragon was here…
I don't feel the usual pang of loneliness when thinking about her, Andy, and Mary. I should still get to them at some point though. For the moment I should focus on the next phase of the plan.
For that reason, I've relocated back outside. With, theoretically, no eyes on me, I should have enough time to cast Conjure Wings and get airborne. With total aerial superiority and hopefully no way of being cut down, I'll be able to find Bonesaw and my escape vehicle, all without getting hurt.
And if someone does somehow manage to hurt me, I'll just flee. It would suck to miss out on some potential growth, but it would be the smart thing to do. Oh, and I guess it would be bad to not help the kid or whatever.
My mana recovery has really spiked recently, high enough that I can use five hundred mana in just about four minutes passively. Jostling my core into generating more, I cut that down to three. Though, I kept going a little longer just to strengthen my wings a little more. Just in case.
The moment my wings are ready I summon the Aerodynamic Core between them and Burst into the air, supported by a gust of wind. Liftoff is easier than ever with the Core supporting me, and it isn't long before I'm flying over two hundred feet in the air, looking down on everything.
I don't bother to take in the view this time. I start a lazy glide circling the last area I saw Siberian, casting Inspect on anything and everything I can see. I only need one thread keeping me in the sky, so I can use two to speed up the search.
+1 Basic Inspect
My eyes methodically scan the town from above. I don't bother limiting my search to just things that look like vehicles, Inspecting anything and everything I see. The tenth level comes quickly and passes without fanfare, brushed aside amidst the search.
My balance is sent askew by what I assume is an errant gust of wind, and I quickly adjust. It comes again, thrice in quick succession, which is about when I realise that something is wrong. I pull myself out of the search, turning my attention back to my wings. I've only been flying a few minutes, and I'm already facing problems.
To my surprise, I see perfectly straight lines carved into one of my wings. They don't cut especially deep, I'm more worried about where they actually came from.
A moment later I watch as another line slashes down my wing, appearing as if by magic. The force knocks me askew again, but correcting isn't any trouble. The vector of attack is unknown, as is the point of origin. I can assume somewhere to my right, because it's targeting my right wing.
I guess I should flee now? That is what I said the plan was, but this came a lot sooner than I expected. It would be a bit boring to leave now.
…
I dismiss Disconnect to instead cast Hasten Thoughts, buying myself time to think. Almost the moment my mental defence spell drops, I realise I want to stay. I think I could take out a few more, get some easy exp, and of course save Bonesaw.
Some of those thoughts feel distinctly unnatural when compared to my thoughts under Disconnect. It's hard to say what's the emotional difference and what is some outer influence, but…
Screw it. I throw out enough wires of mental mana to form a net over my right wing, prepping Telepathy to tell me where the attack is coming from. I'm not fully certain in the plan, but I'm not in any real danger yet.
When the mysterious cut hits again I can feel it severing my net. Telepathy doesn't even turn out to be necessary, the information comes unbidden. A location, lighting up in my vision.
My eyes snap to the roof of the hospital, instinctively Inspecting.
Van
And there it is. A working van. Unfortunately, it is for some reason on the roof of a hospital, with no obvious explanation for how. Siberian, I assume. Standing beside it is a black and white figure that is easily recognisable as Siberian herself.
I can't make out the person next to her. He's holding quite a few bloody knives, strapped to his belt, so… the knife guy then. Jack Slash. No Bonesaw that I can see.
I glide in that direction, moving slow and cautious. Despite my worry, no further attacks come. The implications of that are… concerning.
I'm nothing if not stupid though, so I put on a burst of speed. I make sure to keep Hasten Thoughts active, and keep a spool of mental wire at the ready. All I need to do to activate Disconnect is dismiss both the spell and the mental construct.
As I approach the hospital, Jack Slash just stands there grinning at me, a kitchen knife held loosely in his hand. He looks far less threatening than Bonesaw made him seem, just a greasy man with bloodstained clothes.
When I'm over the roof I use the Aerodynamic Core to arrest my momentum and then catch myself before falling. Slash starts talking the moment I hit the roof.
"How nice for us to finally meet. I must say, you've been doing quite a number on us. I'd hoped you'd take someone out so that there would be room for you to join, but you seriously outdid yourself. Bravo." The man claps lazily, though without putting the knife away. The sight puts me on edge, and for a moment I consider checking his mind first.
But, ultimately, I stick to the plan and thrust the wire into Siberian instead. A flare of Telepathy, and I've got her host's location. Not in the van, as I expected, but instead two floors below besides an unconscious Bonesaw. I maintain the connection long enough to get the locations of a few other capes. Chuckles is hiding behind an AC unit, I'm unsure how I missed him from above. Crawler is waiting on the lower floor for some sort of signal, alongside Mannequin. Hatchet Face is on the ground floor, for some reason not involved.
So they're all here then. That isn't too surprising. It looks like the van isn't a viable exit strategy after all, which means I better keep my wings out. Before I respond to Jack, I dismiss my wire and put Disconnect back up.
"So we're just talking then?" I keep my voice flat, which isn't difficult when Disconnected anyway. I don't want to tell him anything too much before I know what he wants out of this.
"What else would we be doing? If the game goes on any longer, there won't be any players left on the board. I imagine you'd kill all of us if it kept on going, and then what reason would you have to join us?" He gestures with his knife as he speaks, a knowing grin on his face. My own frown is hidden behind my mask.
"You still want me to join?" I glance at Siberian. She's glaring at me pretty hard right now.
"Of course! You've made a couple of us mad, but what family is perfect anyway, right? We really think that we could all help each other, you know. You want to grow stronger, don't you? Trust me, I know all about that." Jack gives what is seemingly an attempt at a disarming smile, to put me at ease. It just comes off a little creepy, not helped at all by the blood.
"Right. And you didn't come alone because..." I trail off, fishing for more information.
"I just thought maybe you could give The Siberian here an apology," He responds a little too fast to sound natural, "She's awfully upset about what you did to Bonesaw. She's still not woken up."
"And that's the only reason?" I ask pointedly. Even as I ask it, I already know the answer he'll give. Predictably, he's pretending that there isn't anyone else waiting to catch me. The only question left is whether this is still part of the game or he's decided I'm too risky to let join. Before meeting him I'd assume the latter, but he seems remarkably unbothered by the deaths of his supposed 'family'.
"Of course it is. If you make things right with Siberian, I'll let you join. You can even be the one to try out Bonesaw's augmentations! She's so close to perfecting them." He puts on a wide grin, genuinely excited as far as I can tell. "Go on, shake hands and apologise."
I take a step forward, extending my hand. I've still not covered that part with a Carapace yet, though I'm certain I could manage it now if given some time to work on the design. I didn't, of course.
Siberian's expression doesn't change as she does the same. Our hands meet… and I squeeze just enough to make her disappear.
Before Jack Slash can make a sound, I drop Disconnect and use the freed up mana to hit him with a violent stun, slamming his mind with all the force the spell can muster. Whilst he's reeling, I snatch a knife from his belt and stab him in the throat. His knife falls from his hand.
Blood. A lot of blood comes out, dripping in rivers down the blade. His eyes are wide in shock and confusion, his hand scrabbling weakly at my arm. I just tear the knife back, letting him collapse to the floor like a sack of flour.
The bandage on my hand is stained red, with his blood more than mine. That felt-
I cast Disconnect, pushing my mind further away so I can think clearly. Staying in one place is bad as a general rule, so I throw myself backwards, and then use a gust of wind to bring myself a little further. Just in time, too, as a round and strangely dressed capes darts through the space I just occupied. I recognise him as Chuckles when he lets out a disjointed cackle.
A second passes whilst I line up my barrel construct with him, more than enough time for Siberian to smash through the roof beneath me. Another upwards wind lightens me enough to Burst onto solid ground, kicking her out of existence as I pass by.
Chuckles moves faster than I can see, zipping closer the moment I touch down and throwing a fist into my gut hard enough to shatter my carapace and probably break something a little more important. All that registers is that he stops moving for a moment, and my construct was already pointed in the direction he came from. All it needs is a slight adjustment before I fire the Bullet.
The cape leans to the side at the last minute, but the bullet still grazes his cheek. It detonates, blowing him sideways and throwing me backwards in a burst of flame and force.
I barely have time to twist in mid air, letting my wings miss the edges of the hole so I fall straight through instead of getting caught. On the way down I get a brief glimpse of one hospital room before crashing into another.
The moment I hit the ground I throw my arms out in two random directions, bracing for an attack. They both miss, a bedside table shattering off my head and knocking me backwards against the wall. My wings knock furniture aside, miraculously not breaking on anything.
When I finally get a good look around the room, the first thing I see is Siberian lunging at my face with a piece of wood poised like a stake. I Burst a few points of mana to throw my foot up, grazing her leg so that she disappears again. The stake still hits me, but just bounces off without dealing damage.
In the room is another greasy-looking man, stood protectively over Bonesaw's hospital bed. Siberian appears in front of him like a shield, and he fumbles for something to throw before shakily handing her a scalpel off the floor.
My mana is low but quickly recovering, though I doubt I'll need much more. I spend all of it on making another bullet in the barrel, and move my shield in front of me.
There's only a moment's pause, a brief assessment, before she throws the scalpel for my throat and vectors directly towards a curtain pole by the window.
If she thought that would make me pause, it doesn't. The small blade flies so fast it almost seemed like a flash of light, slipping through my shield as if it weren't even there before continuing forward. I only had time to move far enough that it slams into my right shoulder instead of my jugular, a burst of mana, throwing me forward.
Siberian stabs the pole into my side before I can reach the man, but of course could do little to stop the Bullet I send at his head. I would've gone for his torso, but if he were to dodge then it might hit Bonesaw instead.
It hits him in the cheek, continues through to the other side, and then dissipates. I couldn't fit in enough mental mana to let it self detonate that time, but the way he collapses to his knees tells me it was probably fine.
Siberian goes complete feral at that, snapping the pole in two and lunging at me with both of them poised to stab me wherever she can reach. I use Burst to detach the Carapace off my arm, snapping my own bone but successfully launching it at her.
She halts her momentum on a dime and jumps directly up, rearing back to throw one half of the pole like a javelin.
In that time, I was able to take the staff off my back and slam it into the half-prone man's skull. It cracks like a watermelon, and Siberian disappears. Hopefully for the last time.
Unfortunately, as much as I wish for it, this isn't yet over. There's still… three? Four? Chuckles might not be dead. I don't know all their powers, another fight is a risky prospect.
My wings took some chip damage in the fight, so I have one thread start trying to repair them whilst the other focuses on walking over to Bonesaw. The patches aren't as good as remaking them entirely, but obviously that's not happening.
Something smashes on the floor above me, over by where I believe the stairwell is. A little closer, I hear an uncomfortable skittering. I take a step forward and grab Bonesaw around the middle, hauling her under my arm. It's an awkward position to grab someone, likely to result in dropping her, but there's no time and I broke my arm on purpose for some reason.
There's a brief flash of white. I ignore it, stumbling over to the window and clambering out sideways so my wings will fit. At least the glass is already broken.
Of course, there's a three floor drop on the other side. I keep a gust of wind consistently blowing upwards so when I tumble out it's easier to right myself. Of course, I still end up in an uncontrolled fall. That's fine though, with Disconnect active the panic can't grip me, so I just need to readjust.
I try focusing more wind on my left side, where I'm holding Bonesaw. I spend six mana on a Burst to cancel out my downwards momentum, and I angle my wings to catch the wind the best way I know how.
And then I slam into the ground anyway, grunting as my mask hits the asphalt of the parking lot. That should've worked, so why…
I get my answer, or an approximation of it at least, when something touches down on the ground behind me. Award ReplyReport239GravityfunnsSaturday at 3:42 PMNewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks 4.12 - Borders New View contentGravityfunnsHe/HimSunday at 2:54 PMNewAdd bookmark#521I'm down a lot of mana from trying to correct my trajectory, I'm forced to drop Bonesaw so that I can quickly get up and react to this newer threat. As I do, I slowly form my Carapace tighter around my broken arm. With any luck it'll still be useful.
My first thought is that it's very obvious where Mannequin got his name. I'm met with a bone white humanoid- I hesitate to call it a person on account of the lack of a face and its definite robotic nature. It's tall, each of its limbs just disconnected enough to make it obvious that there's not a person inside.
Right now, its just staring at me, head tilted, as it reels in its hand on a chain. That's what grabbed me, I assume. I Inspect each part of it individually and, shockingly, only get a response from the head.
Decoy Nerve Centre
I don't get the chance to worry about the implications of that before Mannequin is lunging for me, swinging its half-retracted arm like a gruesome flail. I quickly push my half-broken shield to intercept, causing the arm to wrap around it and cinch tight. My shield is crushed the rest of the way, disappearing.
Whilst that's happening I summon and quick fire a bullet, not bothering with any detonation or rifle barrel additions. Just something quick and dirty that I can get off to assess strength. It hits Mannequin's torso, leaving behind a completely unmarred surface. Of course.
Just then, I hear a roar from somewhere above us. My eyes flit up momentarily, widening at the huge monstrosity I see leaping off the roof. In the moment it takes me to switch Disconnect to Hasten Thoughts it had already fallen halfway closer, an ominous-looking liquid leaking from its serrated maw.
Before the haste clicks into place I'm already crouching and snatching Bonesaw up by the back of her dress, throwing her over my shoulder as I Sprint away full speed. The monstrosity craters the ground behind me, knocking Mannequin back against the wall carelessly.
"You!" It speaks in a gravelly voice, deep and craggy enough that I could almost mistake it for grinding rocks if I weren't paying attention, "Hit me already!"
I slow to a stop a good dozen feet away, for once grateful that they've cleared the town of anything too important. The lack of cars gives me plenty of space to turn to face it properly even with my wings. I task one thread with binding Bonesaw to my back so I don't have to worry so much about carrying her, thick bands of mana locking around her torso.
The monster- Crawler I assume- is honestly terrifying. Its skin is black as night, with a strange matte texture that looks distinctly unnatural. It walks on six legs, paws ending in wicked claws. Most disturbing is its face though, with a dozen bright red eyes and a massive maw constantly leaking acid.
I think Bonesaw's memories may have been underselling things a little bit. And to think this thing wants…
"…wait, what did you say?" I ask cautiously, taking a small step back. It doesn't escape my notice that Mannequin has righted himself, silently walking around Crawler to get a bead on me.
"Just hit me! Nothing can hurt Siberian, so if you can then you can definitely hurt me! Do it!" He snarls viciously, spitting out fat droplets of acid. It hits the pavement and starts sizzling, eating pockmarked craters into the surface.
There's no way I'm believing that. It's the most obvious trap I've ever seen. It probably has some sort of power that activates on hit, on top of whatever transformed it into that thing. Or they're the same power I supposed, but functionally it doesn't change anything.
"If you want me to hit you so bad, then why don't you stop with the acid?" I keep my head pointed at Crawler whilst I speak, but my eyes are tracking Mannequin. Its still just staring at me, or at least it seems to be. I can't tell how the damn thing sees anything, it certainly doesn't have eyes. Just smooth white, everywhere but the joints.
"Your power works at a range, the acid is fine!" The beast yells back at me, sounding increasingly frustrated. Its claws dig into the ground, easily shearing through the asphalt like styrofoam. I subtly tense, moving mana to my wings to prepare a Burst.
"I'll attack you if you tell me why you want it." I speak with only half a mind- a third if we're being literal- the rest focused on figuring out whether I could evade Mannequin's grapple again. Just in case, I start preparing a wire of mana to stun him with. I'd have to get closer if I want it to last more than half a second, but it seems like my best bet.
"My power! Whenever I take damage I regenerate stronger." His response is immediate and excited, loud and deep enough to rattle my bones even from this distance. I'm not a fan.
But… he does sound surprisingly honest. And that gives me an idea, based off my first hand experience with trumps that grow stronger infinitely. Maybe I don't need Disconnect to be smart after all.
"Well, I get stronger by killing things. How about you let me go, and I'll come back to try and finish you off later?" My eyes flit hastily between the two monsters, refusing to let either out of my sight. Unreadable as he is, I slowly circle around to him, maintaining as close to the same distance from Crawler as I can. "Think about it. Worst case, you track me down and fight me alongside my allies. That'd be some pretty good exp, wouldn't it?"
Mannequin moves away as I approach. Damn.
Crawler's face is unreadable for the opposite reason. That being, there's far too much of it. One of his eyes twitch, his maw closes, and his middle right leg scratches the back of the one in front of it. Does any of that mean anything? I don't know.
"…no. I want you to hit me now." He responds firmly. At least he thought about it.
"Alright. Fair enough." I reply diplomatically, desperately buying myself time to think, "Well, my power works best when I'm in the air. If I attack you from directly above, it'll be a lot stronger."
"Then start flying already!" He stomps a paw on the ground, cracks spiderwebbing out multiple feet from the newly made crater. Definitely more than I can handle.
"Believe me, I'd love nothing more than to get up two hundred feet and pelt you with artillery fire from above. I'm just worried your friend there well stop me." I jerk my head towards Mannequin.
In response, its posture changes subtly. Arms draw inwards, and disturbing spindly fingers unfold.
"Is that all?" Crawler chuffs and then throws itself at Mannequin, pinning its fellow monstrosity under an overwhelming bulk. "Go!"
I nod, not skipping a beat before I Burst into the air. A prolonged gust of wind and a few more controlled bursts later, and I'm in the sky. Crawler still looks way too big from up here, the sight of the thing staring eagerly up at me with all those eyes sending a shiver down my spine.
I angle myself west and put on a Burst and a gust of wind as strong as I can manage, accelerating myself as fast as I've ever gone directly away. The last thing I hear is a distant and decidedly irate roar before I'm out of earshot.
A few minutes later and I'm on the other side of town. Then across the westward lake, gliding over fields. The whole time, my heart won't stop racing. Only ten minutes into the flight later do I remember to check on Bonesaw, and see that she's still attached. Also unconscious, but I don't want to worry about that right now.
A minute after that, the notifications finally hit, first from the battle.
+740 exp
+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1 Agility, +1 Wisdom
+1 Minor Gravitational Force Resist, +4 Minor Deceit Mastery
+1 Mana Burst, +1 Conjure Wings, +1 Lesser Mana Shield, +1 Lesser Mana Bullet, +1 Detonate Mana, +1 Lesser Stun, +2 Lesser Dangersense
+3 Basic Sucker Punch
Lesser Dangersense LV 2/20 - 1/150
Use corded wires of mental mana to create a net in an area. Anything passing through will be sensed. Sufficiently high level Telepathy may allow additional information to be gained from melee attacks and parahuman powers. 5-100% Fragment Processing Power
Level up!
+1 Stat Point, +1 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom
Though I still don't relax, keeping my mind split in three to watch and listen to everything around me as best as I can. All I hear is rushing wind, and all I see is the ground passing by beneath me.
Quest completed: Don't die
+400 exp
Knight
Arrive in shining armour, shield in hand, to save the princess.
+5% shield durability
This trait may be used as a feat for shield skills, spells, and techniques
I barely even relax at that, honestly. Even this high up, I'm still a bit on edge. A third time getting knocked out of the sky wouldn't surprise me too much at this point, as illogical as it might seem at this point.
I at least take a look at my status, to see how much it's changed. I didn't get as much as I expected in that last fight, though what I did get is nice I suppose. A fuckload of exp, for one. Enough to kick me through level eight and half way to level 9.
One thing I notice is particularly chilling though. Or rather, one thing I don't notice.
Lucky Bastard, the trait that protects me from death one time. When did that trigger? It doesn't say, obviously. The only indication of its use is its quiet disappearance from my list of perks.
I… hadn't realised I'd almost died. The fact that there are multiple times it might have triggered means it was genuinely just luck that kept me alive those other times. I probably don't need to explain why that's unnerving.
…
I should see about my feats. Knight, I actually can't use yet. Once Mana Shield reaches level 20 I can upgrade that immediately, which is nice I suppose. A better shield is always good. If I wanted to save it then Carapace might also count, but it's slow to level up. Hopefully by then I'll have something else to use, or I can just try and evolve it naturally.
Then there's Learned Fool, which I've been holding onto since the Leviathan fight… three days ago. That's not as long as it felt.
Regardless, I definitely could use it. I'm pretty sure the only skill I've got that it works on is Aerodynamic Core, which would otherwise require me to learn and cap multiple air or flight based skills.
I've learned better than to try air stuff whilst I'm flying, though. For now, I'll focus on using the core to continue flying forward uninterrupted. I've noticed our altitude dipping a little, so I've had to angle it a little upwards to try and balance it out. It seems to be working well enough for now.
At some point I'll probably have to land and get some food. Not to mention, I've got no idea where Toronto is from here, not anymore at least. Something about being jumped by serial killers distracted me, and I lost my heading whilst fleeing.
Seeing as Bonesaw hasn't woken up yet…
Dammit. I guess I should check on her whilst flying, at least using mental magic. I can at least still have one thread practising Mana Shield. It's not far off level 20, and some dedicated training might be enough to bring it there.
Maybe I'll get a new skill for this? I'm not sure it'd be a spell, but who knows. I gently connect a mental wire to her mind, trying to assess the damage.
Immediately, it doesn't look incredible. Telepathy primarily examines connections, first and foremost, so when I cast Stun from it that's where it hit. Past that it also hit recent memories. It's disconnected a lot of these relationships, and reconnected certain associations to the wrong things. I guess her mind is better than I gave it credit for though, because it's keeping her asleep whilst it sorts this out.
Is that… normal behaviour for a mind? Maybe it's impossible to say for sure, most minds don't tend to get smashed with metaphorical hammers, at least not in such a literal way.
I gingerly take the wire and start nudging certain things apart. Fixing it completely might be beyond me, but if I just make it less broken then she should be able to fix the rest. And, hopefully, not continue to remember Jack Slash as a father figure. Because I killed him.
Fuck, I guess I did. I killed four members of the nine? Maybe five, I still don't know how Chuckles is doing. I'd count Mannequin as my kill if Crawler finished him off, but I doubt it.
I'll have to look into them when I get to a computer. I'm curious just what group of people I've actually killed. Award ReplyReport259GravityfunnsSunday at 2:54 PMNewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks 4.a - Borders New View contentGravityfunnsHe/HimMonday at 4:47 PMNewAdd bookmark#548Jack
When Jack arrived at Charlottetown, he had Shatterbird give the usual greeting. Fireworks are always a good way to say hi to a new town, and of course make it very hard for people to leave. That's what he tells himself to let her continue, at least. Not everything has to be exciting, creative, or even remotely fun.
The first sign that Kurt was pulling more strings than usual was, of course, when no heroes showed up to stop them. It was far easier than usual to put the town down, and in no time at all they had the perfect pile of corpses for Bonesaw to practice on.
The first and only cape to show up was that white knight and, despite not having heard of the figure at all, Jack immediately new this was one of the biggest keystones he'd encountered in some time. Not quite on the level of Mannequin, but turning this one could do some damage.
This became doubly true when the knight started killing off members of his family. It isn't often that he finds someone so immune to the conventional methods of death that are Siberian and Winter. Truly, he can't wait to see him try his mettle with Crawler! If he can make it out of that one alive then there's some potential damage to be wrought.
Of course, they need to find the blighter first. Normally people don't avoid him for this long, but it won't last. Jack set himself up on the north side of town, along a route that he's absolutely certain the knight will take.
And he waited there. And waited. And waited…
…he's not coming, is he?
For once, Jack finds himself frowning. It's strange. His predictions are usually more accurate than this. He idly flicks his knife, cutting a line through an electrical wire in the hopes of causing a nice little fire.
Now, where would the knight be if not here? He can fly, but in order for that to work he'd need to kill Shatterbird. With the effort he spent convincing her to merely guard the skies, it wouldn't surprise him if she went rogue. He'll have a talk with her later, if she did.
Anyway, he'll have to find another way to draw the man in. Something like-
Just then, a van pulls up around a corner and comes to a screeching halt just beside him. He tightens his grip on the handle when the side door flings open, only to relax when he sees who emerges.
"Ah, Siberian! And Bonesaw. How is she?" He doesn't show concern- because he doesn't feel any- but something tells him that Bonesaw is not quite okay. Over his time as a cape, he's refined his animal instinct to a fine point. If he thinks something is wrong, that's because it's true.
Really, his intelligence and charisma are almost superhuman.
"Unconscious. That man needs to go."
If he's surprised by the mute cape suddenly speaking, he doesn't show that either. Because he isn't, despite there being no prior indication at all. He figured something like this was coming.
"He does? Don't you think he'd make an excellent older brother for Bonesaw here?" Jack steps forward, idly petting the child's hair. She just looks to be asleep, a layman wouldn't even know that anything was wrong. One of the first things she made was an implant that can delay sleep, it's not yet perfect but she always keeps it active when they're playing like this.
"No." The Siberian responds firmly. Her voice is crisp and clear, not what one might expect from someone that has seemingly never spoken a single word before, "He hurt her, and he knows too much." She gives a meaningful glance at the van, where a man is sitting vacant at the wheel.
Jack is confused for only a moment, before his eyes narrow in realisation.
"Wow. I can't believe none of us even realised you were a projection this whole time. No wonder you're so strong," He begins by laying on the praise, very subtly. "But still, don't you think family ought to know this sort of thing? And besides, I believe we need our knight in shining armour to fix Bonesaw."
That last claim came out without much thought, but in hindsight he thinks it makes perfect sense. If he can cause this, why wouldn't he be able to fix it? It makes perfect sense.
The Siberian stares at him. After some deliberation she nods stoically, returning to silence.
He's upset her. She'll understand soon enough though.
"Excellent. In that case, I think I need to set up another meeting place. This one doesn't seem to be working." Jack Slash claps loudly, brushing past Siberian and stepping into her van as if he owns it. He may as well.
Siberian follows silently, cradling Bonesaw in one hand whilst the other closes the door behind her.
"We should head for the roof of the hospital. There'll be no way for him to escape if we're there, and I think that the gang will all be showing up there soon."
There's no particular reason for him to assume that. A handful of the nine are already waiting near there, but Chuckles, Hatchet Face, and Shatterbird are all out. And yet, he's certain that they'll arrive anyway.
Well, two of them will at least. He's less confident in Shatterbird now, but perhaps she'll prove him wrong.
Siberian nods, sliding the door open for a moment so she can slip out and lift the van over her head.
Her power really is convenient. Especially when they want to stay under the radar, without her support Crawler would chew through any truck they try to take to hide him.
Whilst they move, he leans against the back wall so he can talk to the man behind the wheel.
"I was thinking of having the Siberian and him try apologising to each other. He won't be difficult to convince, trust me." He speaks lazily, grinning in victory before they even reach the meeting place themselves, "Even if he does pop your projection, I'll have Chuckles nearby to intercept. I'll just say something to distract him a moment, there'll be more than enough time."
For his max speed, Chuckles' acceleration is actually quite slow. The key piece of information there is 'for his max speed', of course. The clown gets to full speed as fast as any car he's ever driven, that's for sure. A fraction of a second won't be enough time for anyone to hurt him, stronger capes have tried.
Jack Slash didn't get where he is now by being lucky. The outcome is a foregone conclusion, it may as well be ancient history.
"Go on, shake hands and apologise." Jack gently orders the new recruit, keeping a tight reign on his manic grin. This is going about as well as he could've hoped! The plan seemed touch and go at times, but he's not surprised to see it going in his favour.
The knight isn't fully what he expected. His impression from the Siberian was a cape that was a lot more careless, something of a fool. The glowing figure before him can't seem farther from that, though maybe that's just the mask making him hard to read. It reminds Jack a lot of Mannequin actually, so he's sure he'll adapt before long.
But then, right as the knight clasps Siberian's hand, the air shifts. He squeezes and Siberian pops, something Jack had not only expected but prepared for. The man takes in a breath, raising his hands to begin a slow clap and let the hero know exactly what he-
Jack's mind reels, his muscles refusing to respond. His muscles go slack, but before he can fall there's a sudden pain in his throat, and he can't breathe.
The pain intensifies in what feels like the same instant, sending him tumbling to the floor, staring blankly at the sky.
…
What was that?
That isn't how this goes. He saw it so clearly. Is he missing something?
Of course. Bonesaw is going to put him back together and he'll surprise the knight by showing up once more, seemingly immortal.
…but wait, Bonesaw is unconscious. That's why they did this.
Then, he'll reveal that he's been augmented secretly, and a stab wound can no longer kill him!
But he hasn't. Bonesaw was so close to perfecting the surgery, if she just had another few weeks.
Then Chuckles-
He hears a muffled bang, and then someone falling to the floor. That wasn't the knight, was it?
Jack's thoughts are growing fuzzy. His body feels cold. It's a miracle he's still alive, honestly.
This isn't how things were supposed to go.
This… This isn't… fair…
+1 Intelligence
+1 Thermal Resist, +2 Minor First Aid Mastery, +4 Minor Mental Healing Mastery
+1 Conjure Wings,+2 Lesser Mana Shield, +3 Lesser Dangersense
I almost got Mana Shield up to level 20, before deciding to switch to practising Dangersense as I neared my next stop. That stop being, unfortunately, not Toronto. I need to find a map so I can check where I am, first and foremost.
Bonesaw is unlikely to be of any help even were she to wake up. Which she hasn't, yet. I'm not sure if flying at the speed of a car is particularly restful for her. I suppose that's a second reason for me to touch down in the next place I can see. Third is definitely getting food. And figuring out how to feed someone that's unconscious. Maybe she isn't hungry?
If it isn't obvious, I've not got Disconnect on. I can't use Dangersense whilst it's active, and it does strange things to my thoughts.
The next town I see is a place I don't recall the name of, though I do recognise from the map. It's got a big red lake running through it in a squiggly line, and nothing else of note as far as I can tell. Seeing that the water is actually red I, for a single heart-stopping moment, thought that the Nine had come here right before meeting me in Charlottetown, and dumped tonnes of blood into the lake.
That is evidently not true, just from all the functional cars and people wandering the city. I can see that much before I even touch down. I don't know why it's that colour, then.
That unusual pang of fear aside, I scan the town with Inspect again until I find a public library. There were a few things of note I hit before the library, like this interesting looking building that turned out to just be some sort of fish store, but I eventually find it.
It was a lot bigger than the last library I found. Minimum two floors, up to four for one part of it. At first I thought it was two buildings next to each other and that already seemed big enough, but nope. One big one. I don't know why it needs to be that big, frankly.
Though, to be fair, I don't seem to know much of anything.
As I bring myself into a careful descent, bleeding off momentum by gliding downwards in a large circle, I think about that. My goals feel muddied, sometimes I can hardly remember why I'm trying to track down Dragon and Mary again.
I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise that it usually happens when I use Disconnect. It's strange. I feel more myself than ever when I use that spell, so why do I dislike it so much?
The thought trails off as I touch down on the ground, dismissing my conjured wings so I can actually fit in the building. I should come up with a more modular design for them, the current model is far too static. Of course, I don't have much time to do that right now. Who knows how those three are faring?
So, rather than wasting time worrying about that, I stride straight through the front door. Moncton Public Library, or so the sign says. That must be this town's name, then.
Inside I draw more than a few stares, though I'm used to it by now. I head right up to this library's old woman, in this case a man that isn't really that old. A receptionist, I suppose.
"Hey, can I use a computer?" I ask immediately, not willing to waste time.
The man, Louis according to Telepathy, seems to lack that urgency. He's staring straight at something over my shoulder, his eyes shocked and confused. His hand slowly reaches for something. What's got him so spooked, it's not like-
It hits me then that maybe having a bloodied child on my back isn't really good for my image. I almost forgot she was there. I quickly figured out that there wasn't much more I could do for her, according to my four levels of healing mastery I'd need way more experience to do anything more precise. Her mind is doing a good enough job, albeit a slow one.
"She's not hurt, by the way. That's my blood." I correct the man's clearly faulty assumption. A beat passes, wherein he doesn't look comforted, "Oh, and I'm fine too. I'm a Brute."
At that point, he seems to come to some sort of realisation and his hand freezes. I assume he was going to call the cops, though if he thought to do it then I assume someone else already has. I wonder if the PRT is anywhere nearby?
"I-is she ah… your daughter?" Louis asks, his voice shaking and quite strange. An accent, I believe. A slight probe with telepathy tells me that the language he's closest to is French, but he doesn't use it often.
"What? No. This is Bonesaw. You know, from the nine?" We are really getting sidetracked. Maybe I should reiterate my request. "I need a computer."
His face pales, recognition flashing across his eyes. He drops all pretense and snatches up the landline on the desk, pressing a big red button marked SOS on the side.
"…so is that a yes or a no on the computer?" I ask tentatively.
I do understand why he's scared, really, I do. The nine were terrifying to me, as a cape. But like… she's unconscious. Do I not seem like a hero? Yes, I am technically a villain, I think.
Hm. One of us here is being stupid.
"Th-the nine. I think the Sl-Slaughterhouse Nine are here. A-a cape just came to the library- what? What do you mean- N-no, they're right here! They- Dead? I didn't see- Oh. It was… I… Th-there's still a…"
He trails off, hanging his head with a sigh. His face went through a pretty wide range of emotions right there, it was interesting to watch. A lot of panic and confusion, a moment of relief, indignation. He drops the phone back into its dock.
"You know, if I was a member of the nine, you'd be dead already." I remark dryly, leaning on the counter. I can't blame him, running from a guy in glowing armour is a bad idea for a regular guy. There's a non-zero chance he saw me gliding down into the courtyard too, making it an even more pointless endeavour.
He flinches, leaning back in his chair as if a few inches of space will save him.
"Th-the PRT are coming, and- So you better run." He tries to sound firm. He's bluffing I think.
Fine. We'll see who can bluff harder.
"I killed the Nine. Do you really think they could take me? Computer, please."
He only seems to doubt me for a moment before he puts the pieces together.
"But… on the phone they said…" He swallows loudly, his eyes darting away, "Th-the computers are on the second floor. Free to use. The login is on the computer tower."
"Alright, thanks a bunch!" I give a thumbs up before hurrying off to find the second floor. It's time to get my bearings.
■
Welcome to the Parahumans Online message boards.
You are currently logged in, Projector
You are viewing:
• Threads you have replied to
• AND Threads that have new replies
• OR private message conversations with new replies
• Thread OP is displayed.
• Twenty five posts per page
• Last ten messages in private message history.
• Threads and private messages are ordered chronologically.
■
♦ Topic: A New Thread
In: Boards ► America ► S-Class Threats ► Slaughterhouse Nine
GeniusTheorist (Original Poster)
Posted On Apr 18th 2005:
The Slaughterhouse Nine has been slaughtered!!!
Everyone lost track of them, but that's only because they went further north than usual, to Charlottetown! A cape killed like half of them, and then just left without claiming the bounty. One of them got taken into custody and then executed, so there's only three left!
You might notice that The Siberian is conspicuously absent though. I don't think this is a coincidence. I've been saying that Siberian is actually the experiment of a shadowy organisation, and wouldn't you notice, she's nowhere to be found! The only body is that of her handler, who came to retrieve her and died in the process. Highly suspicious.
(Showing page 1 of 2)
►Mane Magenta
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
Are posts like this even allowed? It seems in really poor taste to make stuff up just to support your own theory.
►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
I guess this is the first thread anyone made about it. Yes, it looks like this is true, to an extent.
Winter, Shatterbird, and Jack Slash are confirmed dead. Chuckles was killed on site, after being found unconscious. The Siberian and Bonesaw are both missing, but are most likely dead too.
I'm trying to remain proffessional about this, but it genuinely might be the best thing to happen for the past decade. We have to remember to remain serious though, because the entirety of Charlottetown has still been killed in the process.
I'll make another thread when the news is officially announced. Just know that nobody has claimed the bounty yet.
►Ryus
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
@ Mane Magenta: it'll probably get taken down in a few minutes.
Edit: ninja'd lol
what sort of a name is charlottetown? lmao
►Projector (Verified Troll)
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
@ Bagrat: *professional
Also, what bounties?
►GeniusTheorist (Original Poster)
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
@ Projector: Oh great, this guy. If you don't know what a bounty is then why don't you try looking it up, you fucking bozo? No one has time to explain every little thing to you. Go bother people somewhere less important, this is about the S9
►QwertyD
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
Wait so they're actually dead? Jack Slash can die? This is insane
►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
@ Projector: The Slaughterhouse Nine are S-Class Threats, which means they have a kill order. To incentivise independents and rogues, the PRT have put out a bounty on each of them. Most of them are five mil, Jack Slash is 20, and the Siberian is 30. All together, assuming Bonesaw and Siberian are both dead, whoever killed them could get somewhere around $80 million. This doesn't account for things like tax, and conversion rates assuming this cape is Canadian.
►Projector (Verified Troll)
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
@ Bagrat: Oh cool. I kidnapped Bonesaw, didn't kill her, so I guess I'll be missing some of the bounty. How would I collect it? I didn't take any evidence.
►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
@ Projector: Annnd this is where I stop responding.
►Mane Magenta
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
So what do we call whoever killed the Nine then? Jack Slash was kinda the main guy, wasn't he? I doubt they'll stick together without him. Whoever killed him basically ended them completely.
►QwertyD
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
Do you think we should come up with something stupid, or actually make it a good one? There are no other threads about this yet. We've been given a lot of power
►Projector (Verified Troll)
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
@ QwertyD: Please don't make it stupid. Think of the victims.
►Saskatchew
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
Holy shit this is crazy.
@ QwertyD: How about somethign cool like 'Grim Reaper'. Because he killed them. Just think about it, I'm cooking.
►Mane Magenta
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
@ Saskatchew: There is literally no evidence this is specifically a man. Also, that name sucks.
We don't really know what their powers are, which makes a name tough. How about 'Avenger', because they avenged the town?
►Projector (Verified Troll)
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
@ Saskatchew: *something
Your claim lacks evidence backing it. Also that name sucks.
►GeniusTheorist (Original Poster)
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
@ Mane Magenta: Apparently the guy that did it was a tinker. He had a glowing suit of armour, and he left by flying with a big set of wings.
►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
@ GeniusTheorist: How do you know any of this anyway? I've got the same info, but usually people don't get it at the same time as me.
►Mane Magenta
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
@ GeniusTheorist: Ooh! Then Avenger is even better. Like an avenging angel. Plus, tinkers always have such interesting names, and because their powers are so broad it doesn't technically have to apply to any one thing.
►QwertyD
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
@ Man Magenta: You're really pushing this 'good name' agenda. I wanted to call them something stupid.
►Projector (Verified Troll)
Replied On Apr 18th 2005:
@ QwertyD: *Mane
@ Mane Magenta: I think Avenger is a great name. Very not stupid.
End of Page. 1
■
Other than getting into a few dumb arguments online, I think I got some pretty good info. Firstly, of course, is that that Slaughterhouse Nine have a bounty. And a big one at that. If I had that much money when I first woke up… I'd probably have died when Leviathan attacked, honestly. I'd just hole up in a house training my stats, and probably wouldn't have ever figured out much of anything practical.
Still, it's pretty good. The PRT website has a section about bounties. Apparently I need proof that I was the one to kill them, but I think that having Bonesaw with me should be enough. And if not, I'll just steal the money or something. It's mine anyway.
Of course, it also listed locations the bounty could be collected. One of those locations being Toronto PRT HQ, which circles back around to the primary reason for me being here.
It's… really far away. A 15 hour drive, or a three hour flight. A slow plane goes at a hundred miles an hour, which is already far faster than me as best as I can tell. So, as I currently am at least, I'll probably need to stay in the air for quite a while.
With that settled, I stand up and dismiss the stool I created. Couldn't sit in a chair, on account of my current backpack. There's more I want to research, but it's low priority. Right now I just want to get something to eat so I can set off.
Whilst heading out of the library, I set a thread to start casting and recasting Mana Shield to get it that last couple hundred exp to level 20. It shouldn't take too long, and in the meantime I can use Learned Fool on my Aerodynamic Core, to hopefully get myself a good upgrade.
Would y-
You have lost the trait 'Learned Fool'
Lesser Aerodynamic Core has been upgraded. Due to the nature of the Feat, the resulting skill will be slightly modified.
Aerodynamic Core LV 4/100 - 0%
An ephemeral core of air from which any similar fluids may be manipulated, using (0.1*Level)% of Mana Manipulation's skill level per level, to a maximum of 10% higher than Aerodynamic Core. (3.2%)
Other than the base improvement to its effects that I naturally assume the core would get, the main buff seems to be to control. Rather than being similar to mana manipulation, it now scales directly off it. A quarter of 3.2 is 0.8, which seems to imply it actually scales off my own personal level, rather than any specific skill. That is… certainly interesting.
The Feat might have been better used on something I would use more often, but right now there isn't really anything else. One day, when my Agility is high enough to reduce my weight to nothing, this Core will be what allows me to fly. I can't forget that.
Other than that, in the time it takes me to reach the nearest restaurant I've already finished off Mana Shield. In which case…
You have lost the trait 'Knight'
Lesser Mana Shield has been upgraded. Due to the nature of the Feat, the resulting skill will be slightly modified.
Knight's Shield LV 1/40 - 0%
Compress mana and hold it in the shape of a round shield, designed to disperse attacks. One shield per level can be held with no strain, up to a distance of (0.1*Constitution) metres away.
Surprisingly, the upgrade is actually quite good. It formalises a few things, such as the range my shields can be held at and the amount I can hold. I was hoping it would get some of my Resist skills, but I suppose that will have to wait until the next upgrade. Assuming there is a next upgrade, I suppose.
I summon one just to see how it's changed, and find it only subtly different. The disc shape is largely intact, just with a slight curve to it, rounded out on the front. I suppose that makes it a bit better for parrying attacks, though how useful that would be against a magic knife guy it's hard to say.
One day someone better come at me with a sword. That would…
Oh yeah, I need to make a sword. If I'm going down the path of the knight I'll need one, even if just to pretend I'm not a wizard at heart. More importantly, if I can get it to upgrade it would surely have some good offensive buffs.
Again, it's low priority. Something to look into later. My only priority now is to dine and dash again. Then, it's time to test out my new core. Award ReplyReport247GravityfunnsWednesday at 5:01 PMNewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks 5.2 - Line New View contentGravityfunnsHe/HimYesterday at 4:55 PMNewAdd bookmark#612+1 Minor Gravitational Force Resist, +10 Minor Flight Mastery, +1 Mana Core, +2 Aerodynamic Core
+2 Lesser Mana Bullet
I left the town without incident. Though it was a close thing, I noticed a few vans convening on the park I made my exit in. They all Inspected as PRT vans, with minor variances.
Of course, by the time they arrived I was already gone. Whether there were any capes in the van or not hardly matters if I'm not there in the first place, though I strongly suspect there weren't. There was no actual PRT building of any kind, so they must've came from a bit further away.
It wasn't too long into the flight that I got a few important levels. Flight mastery came first, with a description specifically referencing magic in a way seemingly implying Aeromancy was required. It was shortly followed by the first level to Aerodynamic Core, and then an hour later Mana Core.
Of course, I didn't neglect training despite being airborne. Mana Bullet is just four levels away from level 20, at which point it too will upgrade. I think. It's been ready to evolve since Leviathan, and though this is the only time my status has said something like that I'm inclined to believe it's not too hard to guess.
Given the rate at which I was gaining levels, I expected at least one more before I arrived. It was to my surprise, then, when I noticed a familiar spit of land from the map. The sprawling city didn't really tell me much, all cities sort of look the same anyway.
The sun was only just rising, and yet…
Before me is a sprawling town- No, a city. I'd caught glimpses of larger settlements whilst flying over, but cutting a straight line didn't let me pass over them like this.
In the early dawn, the lights of the city are still on. Laid out before me are countless buildings, as tall as Leviathan and lit with dozens of comparatively little lights. Even this early I can see cars choking up the streets, traffic blocked up basically everywhere.
It's bigger than Deer Lake. Bigger than Charlottetown too. Honestly, it's almost bigger than I can comprehend. How could I even begin to find Dragon in all of this?
I shake my head clear of distracting thoughts and focus, instinctively Disconnecting to make my thoughts run a little clearer.
According to the map, the Protectorate base should be on a spit of land sticking out into the lake that the city borders. A tiny little thing called Wards Island. Unfortunately, that was actually all I could find on short notice. It turns out that the PRT is technically a separate entity, and they don't advertise its location as obviously. I'm sure I could've found it, but I got hungry.
I honestly thought it would be fine. Just hover over the city, and scan it with Inspect until I find a hit. What I didn't account for is the scale of it all, though. I find myself wondering how many people live here. Countless individuals, all functioning as part of the city's singular whole…
Of course, that line of thought is useless and a little boring, so I ignore it.
Up till now my only plan has been 'get to Toronto'. That's not for lack of trying. Despite my best efforts, I just couldn't figure out what I should do next. Not without seeing the place for myself. Now?
I still don't know, honestly. Bonesaw's presence does, admittedly, complicate things somewhat. I can't just take her everywhere with me, that would be ridiculous. So, then, where do I keep her?
Whilst I think on that, one of my threads slowly begins to circle the city to find a place to land. It settles on a square park, one without many trees and big enough to make an easy landing. And of course, that's not too far from his current position floating above the bay between Wards Island and the Toronto mainland.
…I say not too far away, but the entire town of deer lake could fit in the distance I need to fly. That alone should take barely a few minutes. That place is- was really small, wasn't it? Strange.
Back to the topic of Bonesaw. Considering my lack of money, my first instinct is to ask someone for help. Someone theoretically trustworthy, and with the resources to help me. Someone like, perhaps, the PRT. They're the ones I need to go to if I want to turn in my bounties, after all.
But I need Bonesaw to undo whatever she put in my chest. Should I be putting that power in the hands of someone I can't be sure I can trust?
I really wish I could hurry up and find Dragon already. She'd definitely know what I could do.
My mind spins in circles as I try to come up with some sort of plan of action, anything at all that I could do to make this work. By the time I touch down on the grass and dismiss my wings, I think I've got it.
Step one, anonymity. I need to be inconspicuous before I can do anything, the best protection I can give the kid is just in no one knowing where she is whilst I'm out. Part of that will definitely include getting less bloody clothes for both of us, which will have to come after step two.
Step two being, of course, money. I'll need to steal some, probably. That shouldn't be too hard with mental magic, though I might want to come up with something more sophisticated than Stun. It's probably time to finally get into the real magic in that respect.
And finally step three, lodging. See if I can't buy a place to keep Bonesaw. I spotted a few buildings that might be hotels, which I'm fairly certain let you purchase rooms to stay in for a short period of time. Sounds perfect for exactly this situation, honestly.
Everything else can come later. Ideally, much later. For now, I need to find somewhere inconspicuous to dismiss my carapace, ideally-
I mentally stumble as I feel a rush of wind at my back, not too dissimilar in strength to my Aerodynamic Core.
"P-Projector, I am arresting… you. Is- Is that a child?"
Despite the stuttering, the voice attempts to be imperious. I slowly turn around, finding myself faced with a man hovering in the air. A cape, made obvious by the neon green outfit he wears. A glass or plastic visor covers his face, shaded to hide his expression. And, of course, there's a cape. Should I get one of those?
I obviously extend a wire to try to get a read on his mind. Disconnect still doesn't leave me much mana though, so it can't reach. I dismiss the spell for now, letting my mind settle back into my body.
In a moment, I get a few things. Unlike what I've grown to expect, the first thing I get isn't his name but is instead a strange sense of presence. Like two forces stacked on top of each other. Digging a little deeper I find that he's a breaker- one who's power is always active. He physically cannot be moved, but has incredible destructive power. There must be more than that, though, seeing as if he can't move he wouldn't be able to get here.
Concurrently with the information on his power, I get a little more about him. His cape name is Grumman, his real name is Eric Stodt. His current closest relationship is to Flake, a vaguely familiar name. He sees her as a friend, and she sees him as an… obligation. But one she respects. Whatever that means.
His mind is also slightly different from most. Not as different as some I've seen, and in a way I've not yet encountered. At the very least, he's not weird in a homicidal way as best as I can tell. If anything, it's quite the opposite.
Between two threads, it only took a moment to get all that info out. I withdraw Telepathy so I don't make my intrusion any more obvious.
"Yeah. I kidnapped Bonesaw. Is it alright if I don't get arrested?" Best to be up front about this. I'm not sure a lie is possible, and if I tried only to fail it would certainly not go down well.
"I'm… n-not sure. I think- Y-yes, it does look like Bonesaw. I think. It- She's a child covered in blood. N-no, I don't think so. No, he is-isn't. He isn't, I mean. Sorry."
I tilt my head slightly. He's talking to someone, distracted from me mid sentence. That's a lot of stuttering, something I typically associate with fear. He's definitely not afraid though, he wasn't even nervous when he started talking, so I wonder if that's just how he talks.
"Are you new to this? I am too. I've got amnesia, so I've basically only been around since the beginning of April." I say conversationally, pretending not to realise he's talking with someone. He cuts off for only a moment.
"I-I've been authorised to let you go. They-" He pauses a moment, touching a hand to the side of his mask briefly before speaking in a hushed voice, "They said it's be-because I'm too inexperienced to handle- handle you. I think- Are you really a villain?"
The question surprises me, and I quickly stamp down Hasten Thoughts to buy myself a little more time.
I suppose the obvious first conclusion is that he doesn't mean in the legal sense. Probably, he means more morally. I'm uncertain what actually makes a person a villain though. Auditor was a vigilante, and Nameless was a complete unknown. There was that snow guy I killed, he might've been a hero. Does that make me a villain?
The Nine must've been villains, and I killed them. Does that make me a hero?
I don't go around saving people though. Not unless I want to.
"…I dunno. I'm just living my life. My only goals right now are making sure that a few specific people are safe." Labels aren't for me. Except for a few, I really want a good name. Maybe I need to make up my own at this point. I'll leave the philosophy of the hero/villain thing to someone else.
Something in my answer seems to appease him, because he gives me a firm nod.
"Okay. I think- I think they're fine. If um- If it's who I'm thinking of, the PRT let them go. I have to go back to my route now. Bye." He taps the side of his mask again. I only have a moment's warning from feeling his power change before he suddenly vanishes, flying straight up fast enough that he practically leaves a crater in the grass. I say practically, because grass is a plant so it doesn't really crater.
I let out a breath. Glad that's over, talking with law enforcement sucks. This one didn't seem too bad though, to be fair.
I take a quick look around, surveying the area. At this time of morning the park is empty, other than an early morning jogger who is quickly vacating the area. Looking up, I don't see Grumman anywhere. That's no guarantee that I'm safe to properly remove my armour so, of course, I hurry off onto the street to find a secluded alleyway.
I'm immediately struck by how different it feels here. Everything is just so tall. Even as the sun rises I'm still mostly in shadow unless I'm on a street going east to west. Despite this, it doesn't feel too dark. The streets are wide, as are the gaps between the buildings. I'm fortunate that the structures are densest just next to the park, giving me a good enough space to disrobe.
As soon as I'm out of sight I remove my armour, as a consequence move Bonesaw from my back to my arms. It's inconvenient, another reason that I need to get that hotel room to dump her- I mean, safely lay her to sleep. At least she's not that heavy, I barely notice her weight honestly.
She's still not recovered, though it might be soon. There are a few creeping threads from that outside force, trying to connect things where they shouldn't, but it's no trouble to take a hammer to it for her mind to heal on it's own. I've been doing it for so long that it's almost second nature, really.
That just leaves me as a man in torn clothing, fresh surgical scars on my chest, a child in bloody clothes held in my arms. I'm sure no one will look too closely.
I emerge on the other side of the alley, scanning up and down the street. Inspect pings unique names for a lot of the buildings, generally always shared by the signs stuck up above the doors. There's barber shops, pharmacies, and corner stores here, but clothes seem harder to come by. Heading just a little way down the street, however, I catch a glimpse of a place just a little further west.
A place called Village Boutique and, from the storefront, one that sells clothes. And a lot of them.
The only flaw in my plan is that it's on a bigger street. One that has cars going down it, and a handful of people walking back and forth. It would've been nice if it was a bit more out of the way, but I'm not interested in wasting time looking for some place else. Worst case I just have to run away, I should be able to move pretty fast even without using anything flashy.
I wait a few moments for a car to pass before Sprinting right across the road- Basic Sprint, not the magic variant- and then down the street into the store. A bell rings as I throw the door open.
"Hello, how can I- Oh my god, what happened to you?" A woman behind the counter yells out in shock, and also a french accent. I ignore her, throwing Bonesaw over my shoulder so I have a hand free to snatch some clothes off a rack. A faded pink shirt, blue jeans, and a large coat. Just that is already inconvenient to carry, so I settle there.
"Are you okay? What's going on? I'll call the police for you, okay? Where are you going?" Before she finishes speaking I'm already darting back out the door, having not even looked her way for more than half a second.
I Sprint out the front door and down the street the way I came, accidentally knocking into someone on the street as I do.
"Woah! Watch- Jesus Christ, what-" I don't hear what he says, because I've already turned a corner and ran straight along a smaller path.
A short ways ahead is another park- this city really seems to go crazy with the parks. This one has quite a few more bushes and trees, so I quickly go to a corner backed up against a brick wall and crouch behind a bush.
I… don't think that helps much. Should I run further? It doesn't sound like anyone's actively chasing me, and if the store owner called the police they wouldn't be here immediately. At best they'd be at her place shortly, and only then come here.
With that in mind, I lay Bonesaw face down on the coat so I can quickly change outfit. A few minutes later I've got her wrapped up and hidden under the coat, and I'm walking out of the small park like nothing is wrong.
That… wasn't in the plan at all. Huh. I'm really bad at this.