thewizardguy

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

@supertinyking
Mia raises an eyebrow at Logar, as he spoke to her. Another might have assumed the Clone Emperor was mad, but Mia could tell that Logar's sanity remained. She went through the possibilities in her head, going from doppelgangers to alternate realities. The most obvious solution seemed to be to stab Logar and move on, but in this particular situation she doubted this would work. However, she had neither the patience nor the interest to play games right now. "I will deal with your issues later. Sit back down, I'm busy with something right now." When the time came, she'd figure out how to extrapolate the truth from this obviously confused figure.

"Furthermore, I believe monetary payment would be meaningless. Our money has no value to you, and yours has none to us. Instead, I would propose payment in the form of technology. I can offer you access to the capability to generate Artificial Souls, as well as their use in Soular Manipulation. Whilst your people has begun to edge onto these technologies, on this field my father is unequalled." Mia had once more turned her attention to Mute, ignoring Kishin altogether. "The figure in question is a robotic being known as 5. I believe it originates from the White Hole phenomenon. 5 is capable of immense destruction through use of Soular Manipulation, Darkside Force, minor psychic capabilities, and heightened physical abilities. It's combat strength is to be estimated to be around one and a half times your own not inconsiderable strength."

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

@Tyki@kishin asura
Smiling, Mia accepts, sipping the tea quietly. It did not cater towards her specific tastes, of course, but she had not expected it to. Only Bob knew the specific blend she liked, and he would guard that secret with his life. "I'm here to ask for the Sergal assistance in a certain matter, regarding a being whom I believe to be attempting an act of Universal, if not Multiversal, destruction. This being, named 5, is a threat to us both, and I would like your assistance in prohibiting it." Mia sits down on one of the chairs in the area. "Kishin here might also be interested, if you two can stop trying to outdo one another?"

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

@supertinyking

Matt chuckles, as Drac speaks. "I have a rather pertinent memory of you throwing me through a wall. Several, if I recall." Regardless of this, he could not help but recall a time when he did not have to look over his shoulder constantly. When there were those who would walk beside him of their own free will. It was an easier time back then. There is no cloak more comfortable than the warm weight of naivete. "I am not foolish enough to trust Mia, I have not forgotten the actions of her father. Nor am I foolish enough to trust you, however, Drac. We may have been friends at one point, but that time is long behind us, and old wounds sting bitterly."

Mia growls at Drac, her eyes flaring. "Your family-"

"Will remain completely unharmed and safe." Cosmos strokes his finely kept hair, as he sighs. "As a token of good will, I will grant the both of you these coordinates." He holds up a projector, which then projects a number of coordinates in the air. "Follow them, and you may be able to reunite some of that old friendship. My offer remains standing, but I can see that further words would be wasted." He then turns, and leaves, Mia leaving soon after.

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

"oooh, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Mia smiles, as she walks into the room. With her came her usual aura of fear, and yet it seemed to stop halfway across the room, a strange barely perceptive change of lighting, of smell, of feeling. A tension between Mia and Mute, as Mia's aura of insanity hit Mute's Calming Soul Wavelength. Combined with the different, and yet equally strong Insanity Wavelength coming from Asura Kishin, the room was alive with the sound of weird.

Mia glanced at the figures gathered here, and her scalpel finger twitched. The sight of people in bonds always gave her the slight urge to cut something. Then again, so did breathing. The fight in the forefront interested her little. If Kishin decided to attack her here, she would temporarily ally with Mute, and even a Demon God stood no chance against two such opponents. "You look like an important person. Isn't that great? I need to talk to an important person, and the one I wanted disappeared. It's all rather inconvenient. And that means you're going to talk to me now." It wasn't a question, and as Mia strode in, her smile showed that she had no intention of debating this point. Her patience, as it were, had run out.

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

Mia smiles drily at the drone, her eyebrow twitching slightly. After a moment of silence, she just sighs and walks out of the room. As she moves past the tray, it bursts open violently, and she briefly retrieves her gear and clothing. "This is me, departing. I don't have time to wait that long, so I'll just find someone else to talk to." She marches out of the room, already homing in on the nearest soul that was beyond the average. Races that gave rank based on power were so convenient, it made it so much easier to find the important people. The nearest was Mute, who was near another interesting soul. Little did Mia know she was heading towards Logar. Behind her, the tray and wall begin weaving themselves back together.

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

@supertinyking
As the communications device floats through space, it is Hailed by Babylon over a series of different wavelengths. If no reply is eminent, the device will be towed into the Cargo Hold much like the Tetris was, where a series of robotic arms would probe and dissect it. Matt had no time to waste with delicacies, and it could all too easily be a trap.

"Show me this person, and we might have a deal." Matt was unwilling to trust Mia, nor to give his word to her. Doing such a thing could easily be a fatal mistake.

"His name is Cosmos, and he's a dear friend of mine. I'll have him over in a moment."

"I do hope you don't endeavour to trick me, Mia. I am both willing and able to destroy you where you stand."

"Trick the mighty God Emperor?" Mockingly, Mia bats her eyelashes at the camera she knew was pointed at her. "Oh, I wouldn't dare."

With a slight zap, a tall humanoid figure appeared. He wore an elegant suit, and had a cold emotionless smile. If any would be observing, they would see Genocide standing there, hands clasped. What they would not see is the slight glow in his eyes, the shimmer of arcane energies running down his skin, and the threads of magic that were so delicately woven around him. "Ah, so this is the once-mighty Matt? It's a pleasure."

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

When did I say there were infinite realities? Hell, when did I say Alucard isn't a shapeshifter with a talent for dicking with people?

Kishin, don't worry, I'm not going to destroy the Multiverse. But we've already established that the Daemon timeline exists right next to the current timeline through the White Holes. So the Alternate Reality thing isn't a new twist.

I'm just not revealing why this is happening, nor what it will lead to. All I'm saying is that the White Holes are still there, and shit is going to keep coming through.

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

@Wraithblade6
For a moment, everything was silent as Alucard stared at Mithias, one eyebrow raised in surprise. Then he shook his head, smiling, as he stuck his hands in the pockets of his trench coat. "My, I am astounded at your courage. Well, perhaps I credit you with too little. Ever eager to see things through, aren't we?" His smile seems tinged with sadness, just for a moment, before he turns around. "Very well. I suppose you deserve to see, after all. I thought to kill you before, but maybe no matter in what reality, we are destined to endure this, to witness it."

A portal opens, as Alucard steps through, once more changing locations. And beyond it lies a planet covered in ice, a familiar plane covered in craters, great beams of light piercing through where holes had been blown in the frozen ceiling. And yet the scene was different, the ground now covered in corpses, fresh. Many of them seemed humans, clad in armour forged from dragon scales and adorned with tattoos. But among them lay great dragons, slain through the force of numbers and overwhelming skill. It was a battlefield, one that had emerged not long after the heroes of HCL had left.

In the center of the plain, atop one of the fallen dragons, stood a woman. Tall, with bright red hair shining in the wind. It seems to shine, as if it were generating a light of it's own. It nearly outshone the slight glow of her eyes, which were slit like those of a reptile, staring intently at the dark figure that now marched across the ice. It was only after this that one might observe the rest of her. She was half naked, wearing only a series of fur coats and dragonhide belts, her brown skin covered in tattoos and blood, probably from the dragon now on the ground. She growled, revealing a series of pointed teeth. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

Ignoring the woman, Alucard kept speaking to Mithias, even as he gathered his energy around him. "Allow me to tear down this world in front of you, and show you, truly, what pain is."

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

@Tyki
Mia obediently followed, whistling softly under her breath as she observes the activity taking place around her. It was not the technology she witnessed, despite how impressive it was. Nor was she impressed by the architecture, the weaponry, or any other achievement the Sergal would pride themselves in. Such values meant nothing to her, any act of creation was simply a preclude to destruction. No, she whistled at the tension only she could feel, the feeling of a thousand souls working in harmony. In many ways, the Sergal were a gifted race. Their physical capabilities were nearly unmatched, and their intelligence immense. Their brains bore a capability for learning and adaptation that was far beyond that of humans. But far more importantly than that Mia felt the common purpose, the working force, emanating from every soul present. They worked towards a single purpose, united and willing. They pursued their goals relentlessly, easily finding the most effective route to overcome any obstacle, wasting no effort on petty internal power struggles.

As she was lead into the room with the tray, she obediently removes all clothing, placing on the tray a series of items that might be of interest to the Sergal.

First she placed a scalpel, a long and carved device that had been forged from obsidian. It's form would make it nearly impossible to inflict a lethal wound with it as a weapon, but it's blade was immensely sharp. More importantly, their sensors picked up a large amount of mana emanating from it. The patterns constantly shifted and changed, and they recognized what appeared to be bound spirits, foreign but recognizable. Being a race of warriors, the Sergal had little use for torture, but they had interacted with many races and knew how to recognize an implement designed to inflict pain.

Secondly, Mia placed a long, elongated device. It's ancient and of foreign design. It's energy source seems to be nonexistent, sensors detecting what appears to be a negative quantity of energy when scanning it. It was perhaps one of the most mysterious items the Sergal had ever found, a device designed by the ancient God Emperor. Still working after all this time, the portal generator was, in and of itself, a paradox, containing a tiny fragment of the Plot Hole still. It was one of just 3 intact samples remaining within the Multiverse, 2 of which were owned by Stein and Mia.

When questioned about her Black Blood, Mia simply raised a finger. "It's... well, you could call it an aspect of my.... kind. My blood is metallic in nature, remaining in liquid form until I wish it to cease to do so. A rather ingenious mechanism, isn't it? And besides, it's quite pretty." Using a nail on her other finger, she cuts open the skin on her index finger. A slow series of drops drips down onto the tray, gathering into a single, marble-shaped orb of metal. "Study it if you wish. I'm afraid I won't be able to leave it behind, much as I could not leave behind my lungs."

As far as was possible for a living weapon, Mia had disarmed herself. She had no intention of fighting or killing the Sergal, no matter how much she wanted to see what their insides looked like. However, even from here she could sense Kallus. And as the Sergal proceeded to scan the items she had placed and assess what threat she posed, she constantly stared at him, through the many physical barriers that might divide them. A soul stronger than the rest, and her current target.

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

Alucard's senses extended far beyond those that the assassin had thought to sense. The very nervous system emitted a soft electromagnetic field, and much like a shark he was able to sense it. Even from this distance he could feel the figure's body heat, as well as hear the beating of his heart. The soft lisp of breath, the gentle squeezing of hundreds of muscles. To sneak up on Alucard was nearly impossible, due to his sheer abundance of senses. And as he realized he was being assassinated, he dealt with it appropriately.

The assassin found a hole opening in Alucard's back, although not from the knife, which had yet to reach it's target. It was fairly large, much like the barrel of some kind of cannon. Within, unknown to the assassin, biological processes were occurring at a rapidly accelerating pace, as molecules were rapidly restructured, combined with the manipulation of electromagnetic fields. Eventually, the Atom Force was negated, and a small amount of substance was formed. Immensely rare in nature, this material was called Neutronium, and it was the densest material in the Multiverse. This was because it had no electron cloud, and it had no molecules. It was simply a wall of neutrons, not interrupted by any form of separation.

A tiny pellet formed, pretty much invisible to the naked eye. And yet, whilst being no bigger than a single cell, it had a mass of 200 tons. It was launched from the barrel at moderate speed, and yet it easily pierced whatever armour the assassin was wearing, as it ripped apart the atom force. Lacking all forms of magnetivity it was hardly affected by matter, and tore straight through it. A small hole was torn through the assassins's head, the size of a single cell. And yet the shock from the impact was immense. It was as if he had just been hit with a 200 ton hammer, and it was enough to liquify his head. To all appearances, Alucard had simply annihilated him with a thought, as opposed to using one of his most powerful attacks.

"OH? Can't I make you reconsider?"