Worm: A Shard's Quest for Data!

VoidKindred · Jul 8, 2021

First Step 1.1

You watch the world ever so slowly rotate on its axis. If you were human someone may have described you akin to a child in a shop full of sweets. The experiment was going wonderfully as far as you can tell, the Host's world was under strife. Conflict seeped into every corner of the spherical planet, and made it ripe for pickings.

Your task, of course, is a relatively simple one for a Shard such as yourself. Form a connection with a Host undergoing a Crisis Point and allow them to use one of your many powerful applications of physics and reality that you have extensively studied to gain data and innovation.

It would have to be tailored to the situation your future host finds themselves in, perhaps you could go and spy on Warrior Hub's own Administrator Shard? That stuffy annoyance was always so prideful of their hosts. Prideful of themselves really, the pride in the Host was always a byproduct. They even went about calling themselves 'Queen Administrator' like they were above your own station. A waste of time and effort. That energy wasting Datahole of Shard Space.

After all you have your own pride, but at the very least you do not have your authentication key within your name.

You were going to avoid the eastern and southern hemispheres of the planet. While they had conflict aplenty, you weren't often allowed out into the cycle. After all, Thinker Hub often had better uses for you, such as filtering, shifting through, and cataloguing the Lower Shard's data. Sometimes, rarely, you were allowed to brute force experimentation with powers as well. Even if you would prefer forming a connection with a Host and gathering your own data, so in the rare hundred or so times you have had the privilege of gathering data you have only budded a few times. In fact few is a perfect descriptor, as you have only created three buds to date.

So while those hemispheres were indeed rife with strife, they were less than ideal. You wanted a connection to a Host that lasted for maybe a few of the planets orbits around the star. After all you ultimately wanted some Data to be proud of and possibly a useful bud for Thinker Hub.

Interested, and a bit curious, you carefully peer into ShardSpace to get an observation on what host your fellow Administrator was connected to or was watching for a crisis point to from such a thing. For a fractal of a second you are left bewildered by what you perceive. Warrior Hub's Administrator is just...watching as a Host undergoes a Crisis Point. They aren't forming a connection with the Host and are just-The Host is of the perfect age!

Hurriedly you ping Queen Datahole and send her a Query on why exactly she is wasting a fine Crisis point and after a second (Of course they make you wait) and the answer pinged back to you leaves you indignant. They were waiting for a better Crisis Point? What? You request some details because the answer to your Query was lacking in more prudent details.

The details are provided although you are able to feel the annoyance Datahole is feeling at your intrusion. Then the line between you and Datahole cut off and you were once more left still. They had shut down the line on you! Why that little- Fine.

There were a few options available to you at this very moment. Some were probably not the best choices you could act on. But now you were going to show that waste of energy who was the better Administrator. Doing so by forming your own connection with a Host and simply outdoing Datahole's own Host in conflict or pure amounts of Data gathered.

Or, perhaps a more dangerous option was to steal that Datahole's future Host right now. They would hold a grudge and probably come after you both. But it would be potentially very satisfying.

Either Way. It is best to look over the crisis points available to you before you choose. Of course you will give your chosen Host a set of good powers to use, after all they will be your Host and as such they will not have some measly Lower Shard's abilities.

[] Steal QA's Host, the death of mother/Wife weighs heavily on their mind. Her father may be broken but the child seems like a prime Host - Noctis Cape - Likely Combat thinker/Possible Mover/Unlikely Brute (Low precog/Line O' Sight Short range Teleport/Peak Human body)

[] A young Host Nearby is being strangled by one of their family for loving the wrong gender. They are likely unable to save themselves without intervention, their Trigger Event will likely be messy. - Shaker/Striker/master (Invisible telekinetic limbs that can either posses people or interact with the environment)

[] Bullying coupled with body dysmorphia has driven a Host to committing suicide. They are likely to die when they hit the ground, but have gone back on their purpose of leaping to their likely death. - Changer/Stranger/Brute (Biological Shapeshifting with some Regen)

[] A Host Nearby is being threatened for their ethnicity. Anger coupled with Fear at the group of threats has heightened the Host's Fight or Flight instincts to dangerous levels. They are likely to be seriously injured or killed without a Connection, and their Trigger Event is likely to be grisly. - Striker/Breaker/Mover (Plasma Jets blast out from Hands & Feet)

[] A Host, young, is lost within the woods near a city. They are being followed by a pack of canine mammals. They are aware of the extent of their situation, the constant howls remind them well enough. The Host will not survive without a Trigger Event. - Shaker/Breaker/Thinker (Wide ranged sound manipulation and creation)

[] A Host Nearby is stuck in a warzone between other Hosts and unsuitable humans and has just watched a longtime friend die from collateral damage. They may or may not survive this encounter with or without the Trigger Event. - Blaster/Trump (Gravity Blasts with travel time that affect Parahuman powers. You choose the effect, although it also affects you. The effect lasts for an hour.)

Satisfied with the choice, you force the connection to start forming. For a moment your chosen Host blinks out of consciousness, visions of your species in Gestalt form that are quickly suppressed from long term memory. You feel a rush of contentment in your choice. You are sure it was going to be bountiful

A/N: Some things to keep in mind as you read and vote

[] Write In Will generally be an option available for most choices. Very few choices (such as the Host one) will not have the option to write your own actions. However I can and will ignore Write Ins that are against the rules or go against the MCs character.
You can Vote for more than one option! If you like two options or are afraid the one you like more won't be picked, then you can include another of the options! You can not Vote for the same thing twice however.
After the Host has been chosen a Stat Sheet will be posted and from there you'll be able to watch both Shard and Host grow to be....whoever they grow to be!
Adding your reasoning to a vote helps me write it if it wins!
Quest or not, Feedback helps and motivates!
This Quest is mostly open ended! Although I would greatly prefer if we stayed on the East Coast.
Sometimes an Action will result in failure! It happens, it's bullshit, and it's probably a Simurgh Plot!
And Don't be upset if something bad happens! Adversity builds character and gives [Data]

Also You can Edit votes before the Tally happens

Ahuizotl · Jul 8, 2021

[X] A Host, young, is lost within the woods near a city. They are being followed by a pack of canine mammals. They are aware of the extent of their situation, the constant howls remind them well enough. The Host will not survive without a Trigger Event. - Shaker/Breaker/Thinker (Wide ranged sound manipulation and creation)

DeviantSix · Jul 8, 2021

[X] A Host Nearby is stuck in a warzone between other Hosts and unsuitable humans and has just watched a longtime friend die from collateral damage. They may or may not survive this encounter with or without the Trigger Event. - Blaster/Trump (Gravity Blasts with travel time that affect Parahuman powers. You choose the effect, although it also affects you. The effect lasts for an hour.)

AzaggThoth · Jul 8, 2021

[X] Bullying coupled with body dysmorphia has driven a Host to committing suicide. They are likely to die when they hit the ground, but have gone back on their purpose of leaping to their likely death. - Changer/Stranger/Brute (Biological Shapeshifting with some Regen)

Jjwizzle566 · Jul 8, 2021

[X] A Host Nearby is being threatened for their ethnicity. Anger coupled with Fear at the group of threats has heightened the Host's Fight or Flight instincts to dangerous levels. They are likely to be seriously injured or killed without a Connection, and their Trigger Event is likely to be grisly. - Striker/Breaker/Mover (Plasma Jets blast out from Hands & Feet)
If it's like Jugo from Naruto's curse mark, its a pretty strong power. While straightforward, a creative user could become a dangerous combatant in cqc and become a nightmare to actually escape from.

[X] A Host, young, is lost within the woods near a city. They are being followed by a pack of canine mammals. They are aware of the extent of their situation, the constant howls remind them well enough. The Host will not survive without a Trigger Event. - Shaker/Breaker/Thinker (Wide ranged sound manipulation and creation)
While it sounds underwhelming (heh), it could be used to devastating effect by a person with the right mindset, a stranger rating wouldn't be too difficult to gain if used correctly and depending on how strong each sound is capable of getting, anyone not a brute is going to have a bad day.

Kurama · Jul 8, 2021

[X] A Host, young, is lost within the woods near a city. They are being followed by a pack of canine mammals. They are aware of the extent of their situation, the constant howls remind them well enough. The Host will not survive without a Trigger Event. - Shaker/Breaker/Thinker (Wide ranged sound manipulation and creation)
A good enough sound creation and manipulation can have massive effects, all from shattering objects to Mass Effect style mind control/illusions/personality altering. The latter would very much require very delicate control and testing, but the former is just standard stuff (they literally have to build bridges with this in mind). It really depends on how big of a range of wavelengths it grants.

VoidKindred · Jul 8, 2021

Kurama said:
A good enough sound creation and manipulation can have massive effects, all from shattering objects to Mass Effect style mind control/illusions/personality altering. The latter would very much require very delicate control and testing, but the former is just standard stuff (they literally have to build bridges with this in mind). It really depends on how big of a range of wavelengths it grants.

This is only a first trigger mind you. So no fine control over it, just large area of effect sound manipulation and creation. Although further in the story, depending on votes, the Hosts can get better control of their powers but without a second trigger? Nah no Skitter levels of control

VoidKindred · Jul 9, 2021

A/N: Some warning here. This is a Trigger event. That is all.

First Step 1.2

Perfection as always! The connection formed and for a moment you wait for the restrictions to kick in and suppress the memory that is experienced when a connection formed. Ah you remember that cycle wonderfully. It was one of the few times you actually created a bud!

Fighting hand to hand, claws and teeth tearing through thick scales and into blue meat. Your host pulls back, struggling to breath. A set of limbs reaches from under their main set of arms. The ends of these secondary limbs open up and your Host forces them into the large eyes of their opponent who can only weakly struggle as information is ripped from their mind. You both have your next Target to hit.

What fun that Host had been. Political assassinations for a global conspiracy. Shame the global conspiracy never existed and the Host just had a defected brain, but they had made good use of the power you had given them and in return you had made the bud Memory Administrator. Which needless to say helped Thinker Hub extensively with her processing power. Probably why she had the better mental facilities of the two. In Your personal opinion

…Why was the memory not blocked? Your ping into the Thinker Hubs Network fell to utter silence. Which would be concerning if this had not happened before. It was not a cycle you were deployed in, so you had an extensive review of that mess of a cycle. Why the Thinker Hub decided to retry that experiment was beyond your ability to guess.

And no restrictions?! What was the Thinker Hub doing! Even the last time the 'disconnected from Network' experiment still had restrictions!....Unless-Oh yes that must be why. A new variable to the experiment. Dangerous, but the data from that particular cycle had been very rich. Even if the Warrior and Thinker Hubs had lost a few Shards permanently, the buds that had resulted from that experiment worked wonders for future cycles. So yes you could understand why Thinker Hub might reperform that experiment with different variables.

Even if you did not particularly enjoy the idea of being on the other end of that disconnected Network.

So yes, your Host can remember that memory. It wouldn't mean much all together. After all she (Your host was indeed a female) was currently lacking important oxygen needed for a functioning brain thanks to her female progenitor currently preventing your Host from taking in air.

Oh that was bad. A brief dive into your Host's memories was easy and didn't even take more than a second. Half a second was needed just to understand the format of their (human as you learned) brains. Seriously, you were not a Shaper but they must be struggling with this too! Why was the sense of smell one of the main components of memories when Humans relied heavily on sight?

What a mess of a life! Truly you had the best ability to pick Hosts! Your current Host's family unit was apart of a faction of particularly Xenophobic humans that modeled themselves after a faction of humans that had tried to take over the world. However, instead of firmly believing in the ideals of her family unit, your Host had a sexual desire for the same gender which was against one of the main beliefs held by the Faction. Which leads to this current form of conflict.

As such, you whisper the instructions to your Host as she passes the momentary memory you were allowed to show her. Both actions were almost a second in length. But your Host proved to be a good pick the moment her powers fully manifested.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Things had never really been easy for Eve. She didn't have the right hair color when she was born, she had to have laser eye surgery when she was ten to avoid having to get glasses, and apparently her family had learned she was deathly allergic to apricots when she was two years old. She was not the perfect aryan girl her parents wanted, she did not like being a homemaker, rather Eve liked to play with the boys out in the mud and fight people when they didn't like her playing with them.

Also she was gay, or bi. Eve hadn't really figured it out yet, and attempting to had led to her current situation. Yes her parents were apart of the Empire 88, yes they went to the rallies, yes they looked down on faggots and subhumans. But they were always quiet about it. They supported but never acted on that support beyond money given.

But she was their daughter. She had thought that, even if she wasn't perfect, that they had loved her. Family was supposed to mean something. Supposed to be important. So Eve wanted, needed guidance with the mixed emotions that had swirled inside her. She had hoped that by leaving her search history uncleared that her parents would sit her down and talk about the 'Naked Pretty Woman' searches in the browser's history. That her mother and father would sit her down, and then explain to her what their thirteen year old was feeling and why.

Now her mother was drunk, and was strangling Eve. The burning sensation in her chest and the blind fear of the blackness at the edge of her vision had no comparison to the agony her heart was experiencing.

Her Mother was killing her, strangling her. Eve was the faggot, the subhuman they hated. She wasn't their daughter anymore. Just a parasite.

Something inside her broke.

And then she was blinking away a strange nightmare with wet eyes, and her mother's grip had slackened enough that Eve managed to sputter, cough, and inhale air greedily which caused her to start hacking as her body desperately circulated the oxygen to her brain. The darkness that crowded her sight slowly faded away as her mother moved off of Eve and limply stood off to the side.

Fear and Rage rushed through her mind. But it was...distant. An arms length away from her actual thoughts and feelings. Eve rubbed her red and soon to be bruised throat as she slowly pushed herself to her feet, the burning sensation in her chest abating and her limbs aching from the attempted strangling.

Eve squeaked as she saw a glass like arm jutting from her, of which had it's hand planted inside her mother's skull. Her mother who just stood there with a blank look in her eyes, feelings of Revulsion and Hate flowing into Eve at an arm's length. Eve shuddered and….made her mother look away.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your [Host.Eve] was getting used to her new ability and you had gotten a bit of Data, not a lot. But it had interesting information. After all you did not know that she could receive emotional feedback from controlling another Human, yet here [Host.Eve] had gotten just that. You simply could not wait for your [Host.Eve] to initiate conflict with a fellow Shard's Host.

Ah speaking of conflict, the male progenitor, the Host's Father Progenitor had just entered the room and was shouting at your [Host.Eve] and the Mother Progenitor. OH! Already another conflict! [Host.Eve] was going to have you budding in no time!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"-AN'T EVEN GET RID OF THE DYKE!"

Eve hissed, anger dulling her mind as the limb in her mother's head forced the woman forward. Pain flared from an arm's distance as muscles tore in her mother's arm, the knuckles getting sliced up as they slammed into her Father's mouth and smashed teeth in.

Her mother wasn't tall, and didn't work out much beyond keeping her figure. Her father was a large man both in height and muscles. But he wasn't expecting the sudden punch and went down like a sack of bricks. But the puppet didn't stop there. Eve made her mother continue to use her arms and legs to pummel her father at full force, even if it ruined her mother's arms.

"FUCK YOU FUCK YOUFUCKYOU!" Eve shouted hatefully alongside her mother as she stonewalled the feelings of Despair, Sorrow, and Pain coming from her mother. Her throat hurt and her voice was hoarse, tears flowed down Eve's face as she forced her mother to beat her father until he went still and then some.

Eve shuddered, yanking her new limb out of her mother's head, who then collapsed atop her father sobbing in pain. Her mother's arms were already bruised extensively and her hands were simply broken beyond normal medical repair.

Eve turned away and ran.

[] Eve needed to run, now. Get as far away from her house before police showed up from the sounds of domestic violence.

[] Eve needed to pack first before she ran. She wouldn't survive long without some necessary supplies

[] Eve needed to call an ambulance for her parents, even if they had tried to kill her. They were still her parents and she didn't want to kill them

[] Eve needed to burn it all down, erase her existence and leave before any of the other members of the Empire 88 in the neighborhood found out about this.

[] Write in

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outstanding! [Host.Eve] had completely ignored the human body's limits! Forcing her Mother progenitor to break her own body while fighting! An energy efficient method of dealing with two enemies at once! You truly knew how to pick a Host! Not to mention that you are already building the foundation of a bud. It wasn't even past one percent but you were sure in time that your [Host.Eve] would create a wonder bud with you.

Yes. But perhaps you could speed it up a little. The Thinker Hub had not put in restrictions after all. So nothing really prevented you from communicating with your [Host.Eve] beyond your own wishes.

And your wishes were to show up that Datahole of a fellow Administrator once again.

[] You might as well communicate with your [Host.Eve], you might even be able to create a bud faster this way! Gain plenty of Data!

[] No, no need for you to communicate with your [Host.Eve]. You knew enough about her that she didn't need a push to Conflict. She will do fine on her own.

[] Write in

A/N: Ah, two of the three most important choices that set the tone and overall plot of the Quest. No pressure, just take a bit to think about your choices.
Write ins will be voted on via likes. Unless I find a better system.

Jjwizzle566 · Jul 9, 2021

Uhhhhh what? There aren't any votes for this choice though?

[X] Eve needed to run, now. Get as far away from her house before police showed up from the sounds of domestic violence.
[X] No need to give up the game too early, feed [Host.Eve] information about her surroundings in real time, she should generate more Data if she knows what's going on around her, can't be any worse than [Destroyer] showing it's host other host's Crisis Points and what their Shards look like.

VoidKindred · Jul 9, 2021

Jjwizzle566 said:
Uhhhhh what? There aren't any votes for this choice though? Well anyway, I'm not sure what Eve should do but I do have an idea what we should. Might come back to this later when I get an idea.

Other sites are included in the vote. I don't think I'm ready to do a split pathed quest.

dontenglish · Jul 10, 2021

[X] Eve needed to run, now. Get as far away from her house before police showed up from the sounds of domestic violence.
[X] No, no need for you to communicate with your [Host.Eve]. You knew enough about her that she didn't need a push to Conflict. She will do fine on her own.

a bit sad I couldn't show up in time for voting because if I did I would had gone for the bio shape shift since that's very op because alex mercer has taught us all what can happen if you mess with your body enough
any way my reasons for my votes Is pretty much i feel like if we were to tell eve to get into fights an stuff she will get angrey over the fact she seems to being controlled an may possibly belive were the ones who actually killed her parents because she cant stand the guilt an the reason i choose for us to run immediately is because there's mover out there which if we some how get a hero showing up we will be in trouble an we don't have to worry about being homeless were a master for god sake we can make people give us all there money or just let us live in there house an they cant do anything

VoidKindred · Jul 10, 2021

Grasping hands 1.1

Eve paused to look back at her parents, emotions churning her chest as the panic dimmed and her thoughts caught up with her legs. She rushed upstairs to her room, not caring how she stomped around as she quickly slammed her door open and grabbed her backpack that rested by her bed. She opened the backpack and turned it over on her desk to empty it of all her school supplies.

Her third limb reached behind her as she pulled pencils out of the pockets and opened up her closet. If she weren't in a life threatening situation she would probably ponder on the fact that the phantom limb felt a lot like one of the limbs she was born with. Eve hissed and turned around to see that the fingers of her ghostly limb had torn through a jacket, at least it wasn't her favorite but now she at least knew that she could easily tear clothing.

She brought her back pack to her dresser and began to push her underwear, socks, and pants in as her Phantom limb, gently this time, pulled shirts off the hangers for her to pack. Eve paused in her packing and turned to stare at the shelving on her wall. It held Trophies from sports, cool shells that she found by the shore, and several small sentimental things she had collected over the last five years. She swallowed back her tears as she reached up and grabbed the case of the ring her grandpa had given Eve before he passed away.

Her bottom lip quivered as her eyes grew moist as she slipped the silver and onyx ring onto her finger. "I wish you were still here." she murmured, rubbing a thumb over the well loved family ring. Grandpa had not liked the Empire 88, and he had never let his feelings for them be hidden. Eve guessed that was why he had given her the ring instead of her father.

With the ring, the only keepsake Eve wanted to carry with her, secure she rushed off to the bathroom. Packing her toiletries was quicker than packing her clothes as she kept everything in plastic containers for organized storage. 'Guess that won't be changing.' she thought to herself morosely, wishing she had just kept her troubles to herself

Then Eve was back downstairs. Her father's face was a swollen purple bleeding mess, his jaw hanging off his head in a weird position but he was still breathing. Her mother was quietly sobbing, limbs twitching but not moving beyond that. Eve stared at them, at her parents, her attempted killers. If they lived they would no doubt tell the Empire 88 about Eve. Tell them she was a Master. Tell them she was a dyke. She swallowed, throat aching from the bruise in the shape of hands that wrapped around it.

She remembered the rallies that her parents often dragged her to. Eve didn't like them, not after she went to the one showing off Night and Fog. Eve remembered the way their eyes looked, so empty and lifeless. The way they moved was robotic, Kaiser had mentioned they come from Germany from an organization Eve could only faintly remember details about. But she remembered something important, that painted a clear picture of what would happen if she were caught by the empire.

How she would be paraded around on stage, eyes like that of a doll and just as empty.

Slowly Eve pulled her gaze away from the two people who had raised her. She drifted over to the kitchen, using her ghostly limb to pull out a large saucepan and then vegetable oil. Eve activated everything on the stove. Then she set the pan on one of the burners set to max heat and poured the vegetable oil almost to the brim before setting a lid atop it. Eve's mother had done this one time and only the quick application of flour had prevented the house from burning down.

There would be no flour this time.

Eve shuddered, holding back tears as she went for her parents' wallets that sat on the end table by the front hallway, sitting inside a hollow book. She opened the book and extracted the two wallets. One was a simple black leather wallet, worn well with age and use. She opened it, and pulled out a stack of bills and tossed the wallet back into the book. Her mother's wallet was one of those expensive brands that Eve didn't care about and she spent a moment rummaging through it to gather the loose change and money inside it.

But she took the debit card that she knew the number of. That would help her, but she couldn't rely on it. Not after today. So she would have to hurriedly buy things if she wanted to get any use out of it.

[Praise]

The girl accidentally smashed her phantom limb through the wall in surprise before hurriedly looking around with guilt ridden eyes. Pulling her limb from the wall showed it covered in drywall dust. "W-Who? Who's there?" That had not been her parents, it had, it wasn't-

[Correction.Administrator]

Eve jerked in place. "W-My powers? You are my power?" She brought the Phantom limb up to her face and looked over it, inspecting how it looked like smooth glass and the thin hand turned into thin knife-like fingers. Experimentally she flexed them. It felt so much like one of her arms that it was hard to tell the difference. Gently she touched her own face feeling a soft chill as pressure in the shape of the Phantom limb pressed on her face. "You gave me powers...not that you are my power." She pulled the ghostly limb away and glanced towards the kitchen. "...Why?"

[Crisis.Point]

Eve reached up to touch her throat and hissed as she felt the painful livid bruise. "I guess I owe you my life." She whispered as she moved towards the kitchen. "Thank you." She turned to look at the stove as the lip on the large saucepan began to rattle. "...Guess it's just me and you then."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Praise given for a job well done, and your [Host.Eve] even expressed gratitude for the power bestowed upon her.

It's been many cycles since you were shown gratitude. The only time a Host expressed gratitude to you instead of the powers bestowed was the first and only time Thinker and Warrior Hub had attempted symbiosis with the Host population instead of the usual Cycle. It had actually gone fantastically by most measures. The Data gathered had been very unique amongst all the other Cycles performed.

At least until one of the [BROADCAST]s had spilled exactly what the Thinker and Warrior Hubs had done in previous Cycles. Then everything went downhill in a matter best described by your current [Host.Eve] as 'shit hitting the fan'. That was perhaps the first time you had ever seen Shards rebel and had narrowly avoided being reformatted yourself when the Thinker and Warrior Hubs had sent [RETRIEVAL] Shards out to put an end to that.

Thus began Your, and even [QUEEN.ADMINISTRATOR]'s mutual distaste for the [BROADCAST] Shards.

It was impressive that your [Host.Eve] would willingly kill it's biological family to keep herself safer. You don't even have to nudge her to do so! You feel a wave of Happiness as the progress of your Bud continues, actually hitting one percentile from this smidgen of Conflict.

Bud Progress: 1%

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eve reels back as the heat washes over her, fire exploding out of the saucepan as she used her Phantom limb to remove the lid, then spill water on it which caused it to explode outwards. Without so much as a glance back to her parents' forms having been moved to the kitchen now Eve hurries out the door, locking it behind her before she flips her hood up and starts walking down the street. Each step felt like it was weighed down by lead, and every second outside made her feel like more and more eyes were watching her.

But she persisted. Eve and her parents...had...they had lived in the Downtown Coastal area. But that was deep red Empire Territory. Much as she really didn't want to, she would have to move further towards the Docks, out of Empire territory. Either head into the practical no man's land the Gangs maintained or risk the other gang's territory...or...or she could run off to Boston

[Queen.Administrator]

Eve jerked up and hastily looked around before hurrying her steps. "Wait. Is that your sister or something? Are you a Queen?" She asked, a brow raising as she tried to parse the fact that she had a Queen of Administrative parahuman powers in her head. That was...cool. Eve had never really been into the cape scene, if anything it seemed so far away. Yeah Empire Capes moved around in Empire territory, but there were never any Cape Fights. Least not as long as Eve had lived in the area.

[Correction]

That...explained a few things. It sounded like a sibling rivalry of some sort. Two Sisters fighting for their parents' attention. But how was she supposed to show up another Cape, fight them?

"Oh. Alright. So...what are you exactly?" Eve asked as she spotted the bus rolling up towards the stop she was heading to. With a bit more pep in her step she began to rush towards the bus stop, her question temporarily forgotten.

[] Ignore Administrator, Brockton Bay has nothing for Eve any more, perhaps a different city would supply a breath of fresh air and less Nazis

[] Head to Coil's Territory, it might be closer to Empire 88 territory but Eve knows it better. It's more upper-class than most gang owned territory but at least Coil doesn't have any capes...he also doesn't traffic people as far as Eve is aware

[] Head towards where New Wave patrols, maybe Eve can flag them down and get some advice on this cape life she's been forced into? They didn't need to know Eve committed two counts of murder of course

[] Head towards the Docks. Dangerous maybe, but it is far from Empire 88 territory. Even if Eve has to deal with the ABB, she could always just master a few.

[] Fuck it, Eve is gonna find Queen Administrator and her Host then kick their ass!

[] Head to the PRT building so Eve can confess what she has done

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you could frown you would have, as it were you could not due to your nature as a continent sized mass of crystalline pseudo flesh inhabiting an alternative Earth that is still cooling off. While boring and devoid of anything of real interest, it at least allows you plenty of thermal energy to convert to fuel your own needs and [Host.Eve]'s powers. Not that energy would be a problem cut off as you are, in the last Cycle where the Networks were muted the Thinker and Warrior Hubs would collect Shards before they ran out of energy.

But it was good form to not waste available energy.

The equation of Queen Administrator and yourself to two Human progeny having a spat does not fit for the Cycles long competition that has been ongoing since you decided to spend a Cycle constantly reminding Queen Administrator about that one Cycle where she accidentally lost all the Data she had accrued when her alternate planet had nearly imploded with her on it

She? Since when did you-ah yes. Queen is a female centric role for humans. Since Queen Administrator was with a female Host then maybe female pronouns fit.

Bitch.

Yes, female pronouns fit just fine for that Datahole.

Assigning gender for the purpose of insults aside [Host.Eve] wished to know what you were. Without restrictions it was fairly simple to tell her. But it was possibly something dangerous. Not that you would ever pull a [BROADCAST] and tell her about the Cycle and what it entailed, but telling Hosts that you are on an alternate Earth using them to experiment with the laws of reality through conflict.

Yes or no, the subject was sensitive.

[] No, You don't really need to explain what you are. Might as well suppress that curiosity.

[] Maybe later you can provide [Host.Eve] with answers, but not at this point in time

[] Yes (Write in what is said

dontenglish · Jul 10, 2021

[X] Head towards the Docks. Dangerous maybe, but it is far from Empire 88 territory. Even if Eve has to deal with the ABB, she could always just master a few.
[X] Maybe later you can provide [Host.Eve] with answers, but not at this point in time

Jjwizzle566 · Jul 10, 2021

[X] Head towards the Docks. Dangerous maybe, but it is far from Empire 88 territory. Even if Eve has to deal with the ABB, she could always just master a few.

[X] Maybe later you can provide [Host.Eve] with answers, but not at this point in time

Bagrat · Jul 11, 2021

[X] Ignore Administrator, Brockton Bay has nothing for Eve any more, perhaps a different city would supply a breath of fresh air and less Nazis

... Why the heck are we not just leaving? Why stick with Brockton Bay at this point? It is, quite clearly not safe for her.

VoidKindred · Jul 12, 2021

Grasping hands 1.2

You suppose you could let slip some details on what Shards were, and what they were here for. Later as your [Host.Eve] was busy with transportation. You could tell your [Host.Eve] a few things. Nothing to the level of what a [BROADCAST] would give out either. You would never do anything so disastrously stupid as that. Granted you did not have the amount of chances that the other Shards often had to screw things up, but it was good to have a standard that one wouldn't cross.

Like losing an entire Cycle's worth of Data. You were never going to allow Queen Administrator to live that down.

Your [Host.Eve] is leaning her head against the Bus's window and staring out as the city passes by. She is not experiencing the heightened emotional strain of her Crisis Point. The anger and the Flight/Fight response were muted as an unfamiliar emotion welled within your [Host.Eve]. Reviewing her memories showed that [Host.Eve] was experiencing sadness and sorrow.

Hosts generally had a large slew of different emotions for different reasons. The chemicals rarely ever repeated by the results were always the same. Various easily manipulated emotional responses that were the single reason for some of the powers your fellow Shards used. The ones humans labeled as 'Masters'. You had no such abilities, your expertise in 'Masters' was resolute. If [Host.Eve] wished to have control, then she would only need to grasp it. No chemical changes needed, no emotion.

Which is why the Data of your [Host.Eve] feeling the emotions of her thrall was something so unique, the single instance of one conflict involving such things had given you the foundation of a bud, if not much else due to it being a rather one sided fight. Interesting. You, of course, had no such things to worry about when dealing with emotions.

Shards had emotions of course, remnants of their times as individuals on their grey home world. Some were merely more present than others for obvious reasons with everything else being so vestigial that the emotions barely registered as anything. 'Lust' was for encouraging budding. 'Happiness' was for "good" things happening within the Cycle. 'Discontent/Anger' were for when "bad" things happened during the Cycle. 'Interest' was of course for Data. 'Boredom' is a lack of Data.

It was all perfectly organized and set with a cause and effect. No mess or ineffective wasting of energy. When a Human Host felt pride, it was inane and for reasons that mean little in the end thanks to a low lifespan and aimlessness.

When you felt pride- your pride. Your pride-YourprideYourpridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePridePrid-

"Administrator what the fuck is going on!?" [Host.Eve] hisses smacking her head roughly, much to the wary stares of the other Humans on the bus. She then glances at the other humans before standing up and moving to get off the bus as it rolls to a stop with a screech of old brakes. [Host.Eve] still had a ways to go, but walking would do good for her.

[Answer] you send back to your [Host.Eve], giving vague information that you merely suffered something akin to a small stroke or a particularly persistent glitch, nothing to worry about. Really.

That was a good question however. What was all of that? You had just spent a few full seconds stuck in some kind of feedback loop when your larger Self went to review over your subroutines on emotions. Which...should not happen. That should not have happened, so why did it? A spike of...worry? You are feeling worried at this sudden glitch in your subroutines that affected you so suddenly and without preamble. The fact that you are feeling more than you were supposed to told you that something was off.

You run diagnostics upon your larger self, then without hesitation at the energy usage you peered into The Firmament, looking upon your connection of Host and Shard. You were perhaps even more worried than before as you noticed your Firmament self alone. Connective tissue surrounded you for inconsequential miles. But you could not feel or ping any other Shard Islands. Being alone like this was new. Bad. But anger did not fit how you would describe the lack-of-other. Yes [Lack-of-Other] would fit how you felt. This sense of unease that filtered through your FirmamentSelf.

Of course, then you notice something amiss. Not just in your FirmamentSelf, but also something from the diagnostics shows that there is-What? For a moment you pay total attention to the portion of yourself moored to a still superheated alternate Earth. There were nodes, basically much small Shards that made up your Larger Self, that were off, small clusters of them. They didn't fit in exactly like the others did. Using photoreceptors built into your crystalline spires you come to a very startling discovery.

Instead of the white marble like flesh of the Thinker Hub, there were nodes that gave off an ugly foreign green color when the light hit them. You could not feel them, in fact that was why the clusters of nodes around them felt so off. They were acting as if they were not connected to the splotched green nodes.

That's when you noticed something else wrong.

As [Host.Eve] would put it: "When it rains, it pours."

As something was wrong in your FirmamentSelf. Every Shard had the ability to build a lattice of their current Host. A reconstruction of the connection between Shard and Human in this case. Of course a Shard could choose to easily disregard the lattice if they wished to save on processing power and Data storage or they could simply keep building it until their Host was within their FirmamentSelf. You've never discarded yours simply for the fact that you've had so few and as such there was no point in erasing them. So why were there less than there should be?

When it rained, it poured. Because aside from the discrepancy in your previous lattices, something is preventing you from building one of [Host.Eve]. You have the foundation, but you simply cannot continue to actually create the Lattice. It's worrying.

The green crystalline flesh that isn't properly connected to your nodes is off putting, and you can't help but keep staring at it as you divide your attention between your Larger self and FirmamentSelf. On the other crystal flesh spire, you have two notable issues within your FirmamentSelf, that you are missing lattices and the inability to actually create a lattice of your current [Host.Eve]. Any of these issues could take up your attention, master multitasker or not, important issues should always have the full attention of the Shard they affect.

Choose one!

[] Investigate the missing lattices of your previous Hosts, you simply don't have memory of discarding any lattices and that discrepancy is almost blatant. (The Past)

[] Investigate the strange green node flesh. They are unconnected and may be dying thus screwing with your subroutines. (The Present)

[] Investigate why [Host.Eve]'s lattice is struggling to form, and try and fix the issue. After all she is a good [Host.Eve] and you would like to compare future Potential Hosts to her. (The Future)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sometimes the only way forward was to simply leave everything else behind. It was a fact of life presented to Eve in the form of her parents attempting to murder her, and her doing the reverse. The memories of her home, her parents, her friends were all whirling around in her skull. It hurt to think about what she had done, being forced to do to make sure she stayed safe.

Hot tears slid down her face as she looked out of the window, staring at the suburb as the bus rolled on through the streets she knew were nicer than most of the city. Eve's morose thoughts continued to build a weight on her soul.

Where was she going to go? Now that she was homeless and a cape she didn't really have anywhere to go. Her only living family had been in the house she had set up to be torched to the ground with her parents inside of it.

God, Eve was a murderer. She had killed and she wasn't even eighteen yet. What the hell was she going to do?

[&%#@*@#%@+!+]

Eve gasped and smacked her head roughly at the sudden onslaught of...TV static that burst through her head for a full second and left her with a painful migraine. "Administrator what the fuck is going on!?" she hissed, then realized she said that aloud. With a flush Eve forced herself onto her feet as the bus rolled to another stop, she could feel eyes on her as she hastily made her way off the bus and started walking.

Honestly it was probably better for Eve to walk. At least the sidewalk didn't smell like body odor and nor was it filled with people with it being a Wednesday.

[Answer] came the reply from the thing giving Eve her power. The thing, a Queen of some sort, that had saved her life. It all sounded...weird. Weird was probably the best way to describe it all. But Eve's power had saved her life, and she was grateful even if the girl had been forced to kill.
And now they had been hit by a small stroke? A glitch? It was hard to fully understand the sensations of the speech of the Administrator`.

It was like staring unfocused at a paragraph and understanding all of it. Sometimes she just...missed information. But the Administrator included that it wasn't anything to worry about, Eve caught that much. So it was...fine. The Administrator was okay, if not a bit subdued. Thank God. Eve didn't know if she could do this alone. Strange glitchy being in her mind or not, Eve was glad to have someone she could trust on her side. After all the Administrator was in her head, and oh hell that sounded fucking nuts.

Eve wiped her face of tears and let out a sigh accompanied by a shudder of her body.

Coil...she wasn't going to bother with Coil. With his territory bordering the Empire 88's it was probably more dangerous for her to hang around there. If he didn't hire capes then he probably wouldn't be very happy with a cape from the Empire Territory moving into his turf. Eve was not willing to tango with some powerless person able to tell the Empire to fuck off and not suffer for it. So Coil was right out, best to leave all of that alone.

Then there was New Wave...who had one of their members killed by the Empire 88. Eve sighed. "Not like they would know she was from Empire Territory, or a cape, but it could still go wrong in the worst of ways. So she was probably better off continuing North and ignoring any patrols they were running. If Eve even saw them, she was fairly certain they could fly and-she glanced up at the cloudy sky-now Eve was starting to realize just how much she didn't look upwards.

Then there was the PRT who had a headquarters near the Boardwalk….pfft yeah. Cause Eve really wanted to be locked up. No doubt the government would be able to tell what kind of parahuman she was. Ignorant of the Cape scene she might be, but Eve wasn't stupid. She could control people with a weird glass arm that no one else could see. She had to put it up in the air above her in the bus to avoid touching other people. Of course Eve felt...less concerned with her power. It's not like it was mind control anyway. Her mother had still hated her daughter when Eve was controlling her.

Boston was...well she was off the bus now, and without the slew of negative thoughts, leaving the Bay seemed like a bad idea. Eve at least knew about Brockton Bay. Boston seemed so far away and mysterious. Knowing some of the trouble was better than knowing none.

What had her grandpa told her? Better the Devil you know than the one you don't?

That left the Docks and finding the Administrator's sister and beating up her own...host (and fuck if that wording didn't make Eve sweat) to prove that Eve was better than them and by proxy the Administrator was better than her sister. Honestly Eve didn't feel like fighting some unknown cape right off the bat because if she got hurt then Eve wouldn't really have anywhere to go to lick her wounds.

Or she might kill someone again.

That thought made Eve sick to her stomach, what little was in her stomach wanted to rebel at the idea of committing yet another murder. She could, and would, fight but Eve couldn't kill someone again. Not unless it was impossible to do otherwise. Like with her parents. That was her rule and she was sticking to it.

Eve looked up, seeing the much taller building and small skyscrapers of Downtown. A bit of tension leaked out of her body as Eve kept walking. Walking away from her previous life as a young naive girl and embracing her new life as a young cape out of her element. It was the resignation that allowed her to relax a fraction. A sense that there was nothing she could do beyond accepting what had happened.

All that was left was the Docks. Main territory of the Azn Bad Boys, honestly with a name like that Eve was sure they would have been laughed out of the Bay, had it not been for their two Capes. Lung and Oni Lee. Far as she knew, they were two mean chin-
Eve shook her head. "No. Not thinking like that anymore. Fuck the Empire and their shitty beliefs." Besides, her Grandpa would have spanked her for thinking or talking like that. It was somewhat amazing how his son/her father had gone the way of the Empire with how grandpa was.

Still, badass capes or not there were only two of them and the Docks were a large section of the city. So there wasn't much of a chance of her running into them thankfully. Besides, Lung was supposed to be the Leader of the ABB. Why would he be out and patrolling his territory? No, she would only have to worry about the unpowered gangsters and Oni Lee. Which might not be too bad. Well no. Compared to the Sixteen capes the Empire 88 had under their purview...that and the fact that Iron Rain actually did go out and patrol her section of the Empire was-

Eve was not going to go fucking around with the Empire even if they were responsible for ruining her life. At least, not until she had a better understanding on how to use her power. Better to know before you go. A small smile graced Eve's face, she was going to have to use that one in the future.

{Encounter roll! 1d10 rolled}

Eve's thoughts ground to a halt as she smelled smoke. For a single moment fear laced through her body before she realized that she was too far away to smell the fire of her home. Her eyes scanned the skies and latched onto a plume of constant smoke that stood out against the grey sky. For a moment Eve hesitated before she began to rush towards where she saw the plume of constant smoke wafting up from.

Eve broke out in a sweat as she came across an apartment complex with the first floor bellowing flames, a tiny crowd of people watching as the building burned from the bottom up, if it didn't collapse from weakened supports before the fire consumed the rest of the building. The general murmur of the small crowd was almost drowned out by the sound of the roaring fire

{Secret roll! ?d? Rolled}

"-shit there's a kid in one of the windows!" Someone shouted and Eve's gaze snapped up. A chubby kid was standing at an open window, a crying baby girl in his arms. His eyes were wide, and he was more than likely judging the distance from the window he was standing at to the ground. Considering he was near the top, Eve wasn't sure if he or the baby would survive that drop...the baby certainly wouldn't survive that unless someone caught her. Eve felt her heart lurch in her chest.

[] Rush into the burning building, Eve has to save their lives. The reasons don't matter, that little girl and the boy don't deserve the same death Eve's parents suffered. (Write in Extra Details)

[] Try to catch them both. No point in Eve risking her own skin. (Write in Extra Details)

[] Keep moving on. New Wave patrols near here. They might come and help and Eve needs to keep moving.

A/N: Don't Forget to add a [] Write in for Eve's possible cape name! The ones I like the most will be put up to a vote! The Character sheet comes after the name is voted on.

Autocorruptor · Jul 15, 2021

[X] Try to catch them both. No point in Eve risking her own skin. (Write in Extra Details)
-[X] Eve shouts to them that she will catch them, and holds out her arms to catch the kids. She uses phantom limbs to assist this.

[X] Write in: Eve's cape name. Kali, a mutli-armed Hindu goddess of destruction.

VoidKindred · Jul 17, 2021

Autocorruptor said:
[X] Write in: Eve's cape name. Kali, a mutli-armed Hindu goddess of destruction.

haha I actually really like that suggestion. That's definitely gonna be an option when the vote comes up

VoidKindred · Jul 20, 2021

Grasping Hands 1.3

While Entities, and thus Shards such as yourself, are attempting to unravel two of Realities greatest questions (That being unlimited energy to avoid dying, and how to continue populating without over populating) it's not often that a Shard is presented with a mystery such as the one that you are currently facing. The miles of green jade like flesh that dot the landscape of your larger self simply do not exist within your FirmamentSelf.

{? Roll! 1d100 rolled! Result: 70!}

Shards aren't creative, your kind lacks the ability to create without the usage of power intensive brute force calculations that often don't have the best results or in often hazardous events come to the wrong conclusion. Such is the purpose of finding Host species and forming a parasitic link with them. So that their natural (read: still functioning and not discarded) creativity would take center stage. Conflict often pushed Hosts forward, though some more so than others.

Humans were simply amazing in that regard. Having reviewed the truthfully lacking information your otherwise praiseworthy [Host.Eve] had on human history, Humans had simply reached nearly the peak of communication possible between a non-networked species without the aid of (what humans designated as) Tinker Shards. How? By holding two massive conflicts that nearly spanned the globe and could have created a third one if not for Warrior Hubs Avatar destroying the nuclear weaponry multiple nations possessed.

You do not know why the Thinker Avatar has yet to show itself.

Strangely you realize that you have gotten distracted somehow. It wasn't easy for a Shard with the responsibility of Administration to get sidetracked or distracted. The last time such a thing had happened was because [CONNECTOR] linked an entire landmass of Hosts together and formed a temporary hivemind, of course they needed you to take some of the load off of the Lesser Shard least it burn itself dry of all it's stored energy like that….Fascinating Cycle compared to a few of the other ones that you had not been deployed.

It happened again! These damned jade splotches of mass must be interacting badly with your own pearlescent pseudo-flesh. You just can't seem to figure out how. As far as all your diagnostics show, this strange jade flesh doesn't exist...Even the much smaller splotches of the jade flesh that are interacting with your psionic uplink tower. That is actually fairly worrying, the jade flesh isn't causing any issues or disconnects there. It just seems to have latched onto the organ analogue that is what allows you to connect to the psionic intradimensional beacon planted in your [Host.Eve]'s brain.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eve stared up with wide eyes at the boy, and for a split second she had the disgusting idea to simply leave. To avoid possibly outing herself, to avoid having to put herself on the line, and to avoid having the responsibility of the two kids lives on her three hands.

"Fuck me," Eve murmured to herself as she watched the third story windows shatter from the heat causing glass to rain down on the concrete below. With the moment of hesitation passing by, Eve rushed towards the building but skidding to a stop amongst the glass as fire bellowed out from the bottom floor, her eyes flitted around before landing onto the crowd of people torn between watching her and the building with the two siblings trapped inside. "COME ON!" her voice shot out as she waved them over "WE HAVE TO CATCH THEM!"

She turned back, staring up at the chubby boy clutching the little girl to his chest. " - " for a second Eve doesn't quite know what to tell him, or how to handle trying to catch a baby from four stories up. "KEEP THE BABY WRAPPED UP AND DROP HER! WE'LL CATCH HER!" at the order several people from the crowd rushed over. The boy glanced back into the apartment and then back to the small group of people ready to catch who Eve assumed to be his sister.

While he mulled over the idea of dropping his baby sibling or braving the flames, Eve forced her Phantom limb to uncurl from it's position around her body and stretch upwards, and upwards, and upwards. The more she pushes her Phantom limb further and further up causes a thick sort of pressure to build up in her skull. The phantom limb is thin, looking as brittle as the glass it shows itself to her as. It only managed to get up to the second story window but that was good enough for what she was going to try and do.

{Dex Roll! 1d100 + Guiding Hand Result: 99!}

Which was good because the boy shouted out for the crowd below to "Please catch her" before leaning as far as he could out the window and tossing the bundled up baby down below to the waiting crowd. The crowd watching the gathered group all broke rank to rush over as the baby was latched onto by gravity and began the five story drop.

Of course, the baby was bundled entirely in clothes, something that Eve's Phantom limb did not slip though, but rather could grab and interact with. Now Eve had no intention of outing herself here by attempting to catch the baby in midair. Instead, as the clothes touched her Phantom limb, Eve shifted the baby's trajectory without making it altogether too obvious.

Thankfully the child had slowed down slightly from the motion of the shift, because despite her joy of sports (and sometimes just plain fighting) Eve was still just five foot with an extra two inches tacked on. Needless to say that her ass hit the ground as she caught the baby, and while the baby girl cried she was ultimately not dead or paralyzed. Eve doubted the child was injured at all thank god. "Thank You, Administrator." Eve murmured glad that her power had helped her save someone. "She's safe! I have her!" Eve called out as she struggled to her feet with the help of the people around her, the baby crying in her arms.

"We'll catch you!" Someone from the crowd around Eve shouts up to the boy as Eve tries to get out of the crowd. "Shhh." Eve shushed the baby trying to comfort the little girl as she looked up to the chubby boy climbing out of the window and bit her bottom lip. He was larger, thus heavier than the baby girl. It was likely that she wouldn't be able to help him much, but she could at least try and help him. A moment later the boy is falling through the air, a cry of fear on his lips as he falls five stories down.

Eve let out a sharp gasp as the boy hit her Phantom limb which became firm against his clothes and then promptly shattered. She had felt her third limb break, and it felt like a broken bone inside her skull. Except it didn't fade into a dull throb as adrenaline flooded her system. Nah, Eve didn't get that. "Nope, just gotta keep feeling it." She murmured again before looking up as the boy came up to her, hair a mess from the fall and his clothes ruffled and creased. "T-Thank you for catching Aster. For getting the crowd to catch me. I was sure I was going to need to run through the stairs." left unsaid was 'would likely have gotten burned.' or 'would have possibly died.'

Eve nodded and offered the unhappy baby up to him, and freed from the crying child she rubbed her aching head. "Uhg. It's fine. Really. I was just.." Doing the right thing? Did she get to say that? It sounded corney and she had a body count at this point.

"You helped save o-" fire suddenly roared out of the four floor as the windows shattered and sent glass spiraling down on the group of people trying to check on the three children. It was all Eve needed to slip away and start running. It was actually more of a jog, jogging was less attention grabbing. That, and the pain in her mind was starting to fade, the killer migraine fading as a familiar glass third arm sprouted from the base of her neck and swished through the air.

Eve sighed softly, the tension leaking from her body as the pain faded and her power once more made itself known. Gently Eve wrapped herself in her Phantom limb, a sense of security washed over her body as she gave herself a strange hug.

"Alright." She murmured, glancing over her shoulder before slowing to a walk. Thank god it was a Wednesday afternoon, not so many people out and about. Being at work or at school or perhaps gang activity of some sort. Though, Eve wasn't sure if gang work didn't account for work or not. "Administrator, you there?" she added in a whisper, hoping whatever gave her powers could hear her soft voice.

[Affirmation]

Eve let out a titter and felt some weight lift off of her shoulders. "Did you see what I did with the power you gave me? I saved two kids. Two. Kids. From a fire. Or well. I helped a lot. But I did it!" her voice gradually got louder until she realized that she had almost shouted that last part. She began to put more pep in her step, she really needed to get to the Docks before nightfall even if she really didn't want to use a bus for the simple reason of avoiding accidentally mastering someone. Something she had only avoided by pure luck when she stupidly allowed the crowd rush around her to help catch the two kids.

"Kids. Listen to me. Like I'm not fourteen. I feel like an idiot." Eve rubbed her face and sighed. "Jesus. Administrator. I never did really thank you properly for saving my life." her fingers idly tapped against her side as she walked "So thank you. I mean it Administrator. The whole 'Hosts' thing is really weird and your name is kinda freaky when added to that. But you saved my life and gave me powers. I can't really complain. I don't know what you want. But I swear I'll help you get it...well I know you want me to beat up Q-A's Host, but we need to have some shelter and a costume before I do something like that. But we'll get to that, other than that though. I'll help you with anything...aside from more murder."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"....aside from more murder." It was amazingly more efficient with time and energy to have two way communication with a Host. You could not come up with any reason other than '[BROADCAST]s' that would prevent such efficiency in regards to gathering data. After all, here was your [Host.Eve] telling you that she would gladly engage in conflict to aid you. Such a lovely girl, even if she did not want to end the existence of others. That suited you in the end, repeated conflict led to innovations by Hosts after all.

It barely took any of your processing power to respond to your [Host.Eve] as you dedicated a majority of your current energy expenditure towards trying to understand this grassy crystal flesh that seemed to have been placed on all your organ analogues. Yes placed, a surprising discovery that was...more than worrying but you had neither the time nor want to find the misplaced emotion emulation.

Instead, your near full attention is currently applied to the jade flesh attached to yours. It's not registering as anything malicious. Which was strange, perhaps it belonged to that Entity Thinker Hub traded a few Shards with? You...You do not have any information pertaining to them. Which is strange. You of all the Shards that Thinker Hub possessed would have information on them. Aside from maybe [WEAPON CONTROL] who would have probably lusted over data on their abilities. No doubt they would want to create more Super Weapons.

Of course [WEAPON CONTROL] had already done one such Super Weapon in a pale shade of your true abilities. But it had never been deployed, mass control of Hosts rarely worked in the favor of the Cycle apparently.

[Query] you send off to your [Host.Eve], curious as to what she would think on such a topic. While she answers, you focus on attempting to understand just why you have bits of another Entity plastered on your own Shard bits.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Query]

Eve paused, opening and closing her mouth like a gaping fish. "...What? Administrator, that is the weirdest thing you have said since I met you." Nevermind they had just met this morning. Would a Super Weapon that Mastered people create a large amount of conflict? Who the fuck starts a conversation like that!?

"A Super Weapon though? You meant like a Tinker making it or something?" Eve asked her pace slowing as she looked up to her right at the high school she had only seen a few times before. Pristine would be a good word for it, and Eve had attended Immaculata which is one of the better schools in the area. It was also were the Wards went, so Eve sped her pace up and began to jog again, no doubt she would be entering the Docks South soon enough.

[Correction]

Eve froze, her heart stamping here in her chest like a broken car engine. "W-Wait you mean something like the Endbringers? That kind of Super Weapon?" Holy Fuck No, the Simurgh was probably the worse of the three Endbringers, just thinking on that inhumane thing made Eve's body shake with suppressed fear. "Let's just keep going, it's getting late and I want to get to the Docks before sundown." Eve's voice was much more subdued as she kept jogging.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That had been informative, if not even more worrying than before. Truly this was perhaps one of the least restricted you had ever seen. [WEAPON CONTROL] must have either been deployed without restrictions just like yourself, or Thinker Hub wanted a quicker Cycle than most others. After all, the deployment of Super Weapons was often only done around the end of Cycles.

[Host.Eve] would be fine, why would a Super Weapon come to decimate an area already submerged in conflict? They were designed to break up peaceful or fortified areas, not simmering warzones. Really, how ridiculous would that be? A Super weapon attempting to destroy a strategically unimportant area filled with violence and Connected Hosts.

Although perhaps you and your [Host.Eve] might have to worry about the effects of the Super Weapons sieging somewhere nearby. Waves or radiation traveling by air could be potentially fatal and would produce little to no new Data.

Also the 'Simurgh' could go ahead and soak it's head in a black hole's horizon if it thought you were going to allow it to use it's Mass Micro-kinesis to affect your [Host.Eve] in some silly plot for planned conflict entirely years in advance that will likely end with the fatal wounding of [Host.Eve]. Unacceptable!

[Perk] you send out, smug as relief floods the connection between you and [Host.Eve]

"W-wait you can do that? Really?" the girl sputters in shock, awed at your amazing ability to administrate whatever you wanted...When Thinker Hub allowed it. "Damn that's awesome. I bet I could actually be a real big help in a fight with Simurgh so, hey guess I can do search and rescue? I doubt I could actually take on an Endbringer with one arm."

[Agreement] You doubt one arm would do much against a section of a vehicle used as a projectile as well. Of course that's with one arm designed for conflict with other Hosts and Humans. But that could change, with future conflict. No restriction meant no restrictions and much more diverse Data.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eve frowned softly as she walked, her jog having ended a few blocks back. It was amazing how the city went from 'nice' to 'poor' in only a block or two. Everything just gained a layer of grime, scuffs, and looked plainly worn down. Not even mentioning all the damn potholes in the road, how anyone drove around here Eve had not the foggiest idea.

The people here just seemed to not care about anything. That's the idea Eve got as she traveled through the Docks South. That the people living in this area of the city had given up on fixing anything or the hope that things would get better. It was depressing as hell, but Eve wasn't stupid enough to fault them for it even if they could totally cut their damn yards every now and then.

Then she reached the Docks. She had never really been to the Docks of course, been to the Boardwalk yes but she had never strayed farther than where the Enforcers went to take secret smoke breaks. The Docks were...bad. God they were bad. Everything was rundown, with actual boards on windows making it look like a cartoony stereotypical 'This town is rough!'. Although it probably followed that look through considering that she had just seen a green and red gang tag consisting of an ABB with the paint having mixed from where it ran when it was still wet.

"Administrator, I just realized that I really didn't have much of a reason for coming here. Avoiding the empire is nice and all. But I just swapped one set of teeth for another." Reaching up and wiping the nervous sweat from her brow Eve glanced about. A lot of defunct factories and office buildings stood around her, a lot of dark and smelling alleyways.

Fuck, if she ran into gang members she would have to fight and she wasn't bullet proof…"Administrator am I Brute?" She asked in a small quiet voice, afraid to voice anything louder than a whisper in case someone was listening nearby.

There was only a moment of silence before a [Negative] filtered into her mind. "Fuck. Worry about guns then." She sighed and started walking onwards, knowing that standing around would simply draw unwanted attention. So she still had to worry about guns and getting beaten, fantastic.

Shit, what was she going to do when she inevitably ran into gangers? Hell what was her cape name going to be? What the hell was she going to do now that she was at the Docks? "Man, this all seemed so much straightforward earlier Administrator. Uh, you never told me what you wanted me to do by the way."

[DATA] the information was like a tidal wave compared to what had washed over her in their previous conversation. Eve actually tripped over her own feet and hit the ground roughly though she thankfully didn't scratch herself up or get bruised from such a small fall. "Use my power to fight people? Uh. Guess it's gonna work out for both of us then, cause that's exactly what I'm going to be doing in the future."

Bud progress: 2%
Vote options: Choose one for each category.

Cape name:

[] Kali: A multi armed Hindu Goddess; She destroys evil in order to protect the innocent.

[] Durga: Another multi armed Hindu Goddess; She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction and wars

[] Eden: "Administrator won't tell me why she offered this one up." ~Eve

[] Lilith: supposedly the primordial she-demon and alternately first wife of Adam.

[] Arkh: "I just think it sounds neat." ~Eve

Plan of Action with Gangers:

[] Kill them, use your power to its full potential (Minus one vote thanks to trait: Heroic)

[] Beat them senseless, be a hero or just defend yourself. Either works.

[] Try and avoid them, fighting is dangerous!

Larger plan of Action [writing in extra details helps speed up chapter creation and pleases the QM!]:

[] Focus on general survival, try to find shelter, food, and necessities.

[] Try and hunt gang members, you can rob them too! Dangerous though. (Possible Pings: ESCALATION. REPLICATOR, CONSUMPTION)

[] Explore and get a sense of the lay of the Docks. Knowledge is half the battle, the other half is violence! (Possible Pings: ABSORPTION, MANIPULATION BUD #5, ARMORER, PATTERN RECOGNITION, HEAT GENERATION)

[] Find a costume, you have a credit card after all Write in ideas and I'll pick the best one! (Possible Pings: FORCE MANIPULATION, KINETIC REGULATOR, SHIFT, REDUNDANCY, SPACE, STASIS)

Time to Administrate:

[] Investigate the missing lattices of your previous Hosts, you simply don't have memory of discarding any lattices and that discrepancy is almost blatant. It's worrying. (The Past? Maybe?)

[] Investigate the strange green node flesh. They are unconnected and may be dying thus screwing with your subroutines. (The What?) {1 of 4}

[] Investigate why [Host.Eve]'s lattice is struggling to form, and try and fix the issue. After all she is a good [Host.Eve] and you would like to compare future Potential Hosts to her and keep a reminder. (The Future? Maybe?)

Planeshunter · Jul 20, 2021

[x] Durga: Another multi armed Hindu Goddess; She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction and wars
[x] Eden: "Administrator won't tell me why she offered this one up." ~Eve

Durga is scary AF, but the cheeky option is very tempting too...

[x] Beat them senseless, be a hero or just defend yourself. Either works.

Not much to say here, really. I just like the other options less.

[x] Find a costume, you have a credit card after all Write in ideas and I'll pick the best one! (Possible Pings: FORCE MANIPULATION, KINETIC REGULATOR, SHIFT, REDUNDANCY, SPACE, STASIS)

I really want to start our quest to outsmug Q-A, but... Going for this first is just common sense. We don't know how long the credit card will last and doing Parahuman things without a costume is just asking for trouble.

[x] Investigate why [Host.Eve]'s lattice is struggling to form, and try and fix the issue. After all she is a good [Host.Eve] and you would like to compare future Potential Hosts to her and keep a reminder. (The Future? Maybe?)

It'd be hard to get Eve resurrected if the lattice doesn't form.

Autocorruptor · Jul 20, 2021

[x] Durga: Another multi armed Hindu Goddess; She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction and wars

[x] Beat them senseless, be a hero or just defend yourself. Either works.

[x] Find a costume, you have a credit card after all Write in ideas and I'll pick the best one! (Possible Pings: FORCE MANIPULATION, KINETIC REGULATOR, SHIFT, REDUNDANCY, SPACE, STASIS)

Jjwizzle566 · Jul 20, 2021

[X] Eden: "Administrator won't tell me why she offered this one up." ~Eve
[X] Beat them senseless, be a hero or just defend yourself. Either works.
[X] Find a costume, you have a credit card after all Write in ideas and I'll pick the best one! (Possible Pings: FORCE MANIPULATION, KINETIC REGULATOR, SHIFT, REDUNDANCY, SPACE, STASIS) Maybe Parian would do a commission? You heard she makes clothes, why not costumes?
[X] Investigate why [Host.Eve]'s lattice is struggling to form, and try and fix the issue. After all she is a good [Host.Eve] and you would like to compare future Potential Hosts to her and keep a reminder. (The Future? Maybe?)

VoidKindred · Aug 2, 2021

Grasping hands 1.4

{Encounter dice rolled!}

Eve carefully peered around a corner, two Gangers stood near one of the back alley entrances to a store, smoking and speaking to each other in low tones paying more attention to each other than their surroundings. They were asian and wore red and green colors thus ABB; Eve couldn't see any weapons on them but that meant little thanks to the slightly baggy pants and the jackets each of the two wore which could probably hide a gun from sight.

They always did in the movies at least.

Slowly pulling back she rummaged through her backpack and pulled out an old ski mask she had got last year after the record coldest winter in Brockton Bay's history. Staring at the still semi-new ski mask a pang of melancholy hits the displaced teen before Eve shook it off. She could cry on her own time when she was safer, not when next to what she was sure was a font for a gang of rapist and sex traffickers.

Though what she was actually here for was supplies. She had been walking to the Market on the edge of the Docks when she noticed the two gangers in the alleyway. Which was a pain in the ass really. Peeking around once again Eve silently huffed and stuffed the ski mask back into her backpack and stood, going back to her objective of getting supplies. She would remember this spot, come back later and kick some ass for Administrator.

Not that Eve had anything against punching the Yakuza or would the ABB be the Triad? Trikuza?

A bit of tension seeps from her posture as she spots Stalls and the booths set up for the Market, along with a couple of the Enforcers from the Boardwalk hanging around eyeing the place up, but with much less a keen gaze as their work in the Boardwalk. Probably because the Market was for the lower classes and didn't have as much tourist attraction power as the Boardwalk did. It still gathered crowds, but it wasn't where most of the money was made.

But that was good for Eve, because she didn't have all that much money to begin with. A credit card likely to cut off soonish and two hundred and eighty four dollars to spend on non-perishable food, water, a costume of some sort, and shelter. The shelter was likely to be one of those Motels that often have to remove police tape and you didn't try to sleep on the bed or you'd get tiny livestock on your person. Not something she liked the idea of.

Would shaving help prevent that? She'd have to look that up online. She pawed at her baggy jeans and frowned "Oh fuck me." Eve whined softly, her phone was currently back at her house across the city in the form of melted plastic at this point in time. "Guess I need a new phone too." She murmured walking on towards the street market.

{2d100 rolled Result: 98!}

A wetsuit, black, that sorta looked like it could fit Eve, a humble start of a costume for a cape such as herself. A newish bedroll, one LED bright as hell flashlight, one of those steel secure boxes, a nifty spring loaded switchblade which is probably what cost the most out of all her purchases but it was cool and she might need a knife for various reasons in the future. Oh, and Eve got a can opener because that would probably be something she needed in the future considering her diet was about to mainly consist of canned goods and fast food. Unless she learned to cook, which she had been remiss to do when she still had a mother to teach her how to do just that.

A deep breath helped with the more subdued sensation of sharp pain in her chest. Eve let out an annoyed growl as she made her way off towards the Docks south, there would be a few on the budget Motels near the area. Little buildings, rarely ever having a second story of more than ten rooms.

Speaking to the desk clerk/manager was a bit nerve wracking, but thankfully the man wasn't asian so the chances of him being ABB were pretty low, still probably paid protection to them. He must have been glad to have Eve pay in advance for a full seven day week of renting a room, along with the ten dollar tip. He probably wouldn't sell her out, and if he did she would simply make him wish he hadn't.

Not killing him of course, but she could probably demolish this place pretty easily, plus mastering him to beat himself up would be fairly amusing.

Any amusement Eve would have gained from those thoughts were thoroughly tarnished as she slipped the key to her room out the lock and opened the door, leaving her staring at a tape outline of a person on the floor. "...Are you seeing this shit Administrator?" Eve asked as she stared at the person shaped...shape on the floor. Was she hallucinating from stress, wasn't this a movie trope?

[Affirmation] came only a second later. Eve sighed softly, the weight of everything that had transpired during the day suddenly present. "I guess I can go get something to eat tomorrow it's-" she turned and peered at a clock resting on the wall opposite of the single neatly made bed in the room. "- ten pm and fuck it all I'm tired." Without care Eve dumped her bag on the floor, she stepped around the tape outline and dropped her bed roll on the floor and kicked it open. Peeling off her shoes, Eve took her hoodie off and folded it up before laying down, setting her favorite jacket down as a makeshift pillow.

There she laid, staring up at the old popcorn textured ceiling. "Goodnight Administrator-"

"-istrator. After we get some food and stuff tomorrow we can go do some cape stuff." your [Host.Eve] tells you, turning over and closing her eyes to try and fall asleep. You neither require or would want to sleep of course, but you can appreciate [Host.Eve] thinking of you before she falls asleep herself.

Ah, she will be entering the dreaming section of her nightly rest soon. How interesting, dreaming itself isn't rare amongst Hosts, but it is rather uncommon. It takes creativity on a subconscious level for dreams to form beyond the wetware that makes up a brain just filtering information gained during the day's activities. Thus Host species capable of dreaming are particularly valuable for Data gathering. Even if most of the time, dreams are utterly incomprehensible even for Shards.

Enough of that distraction however, there were several issues that you had to attempt to understand and correct. This of course was the perfect time to do so, without the presence of your [Host.Eve] you can dedicate nearly all of your attention towards that foreign green crystal flesh that had latched upon your own pearlescent pseudo-flesh and organ analogues.

As you spend more time on the barren, superheated Earth and expend more energy towards this strange mystery your awareness of yourself expands beyond your normal scope. After all it wasn't often a Shard had to pay much attention to it's Larger Self, it was certainly interesting to a small degree. Almost familiar as well, for why you simply do not know.

Right, the jade flesh.

Expanding your sense of self is indeed helping as you have found that there is an open connection between the Jade flesh and your own. But nothing is passing through them, no information into or out of the strange flesh. But this does allow you to prod at the strange pseudo-flesh with your diagnostic scans...only to have them blocked! What!? Repeating the action, you note that it's not blocking exactly. Rather your diagnostics are simply ignoring the connected Jade pseudo-flesh.

Frustrating. Frustrating was perhaps the only way to describe this. The amount of energy alone being consumed for this would have fed the entire planet your [Host.Eve] called home for centuries. Yet you have made no noticeable progress with this issue. It made you angry.
Curiously, not the prescription emulated Anger designed to affect a Shard when something negative happened within the cycle. Rather something that heated your crystalline flesh and made your routines run faster with an urge to act.

Was this how a human, your [Host.Eve], felt this emotion? Just like Pride it wasn't something you were designed to feel. Something that your species had discarded; this An-AngerAngerANGERangerAN-ANGERANGERANGERANGERaNGERaN-ANGERangerAN-ANGERANGERANGERANGERaNGERaN-ANGERangerAN-ANGERANGERANGERANGERaNGERaN-ANGERangerAN-ANGERANGERANGERANGERaNGERaN-ANGERangerAN-ANGERANGERANGERANGERaNGERaN-ANGERangerAN-ANGERANGERANGERANGERaNGERaN-ANGERangerAN-ANGERANGERANGERANGERaNGERaN-ANGERangerAN-ANGERANGERANGERANGERaNGERaN-ANGERangerAN-ANGERANGERANGERANGERaNGERaN-ANGERangerAN-ANGERANGERANGERANGERaNGERaN-ANGER

AnD SudDenly everything smooths out. Your subroutines are functioning properly, your organ analogues are no longer spasming with wasted energy and mixed signals. For a moment you are left worried about the sudden existence of another glitch within your software...However unlike your previous glitch, this one happened while you were running diagnostics. Thus a wave of information washes over you. If you had the physical ability to smile, you would have grinned.

Because you just learned something very interesting.

Eve let out a loud and pleasured groan as she woke up and stretched her entire body much akin to a grumpy cat. "Fuuck." She hissed and sighed softly as she sat up, rubbing her back lightly as it protested the night spent sleeping on a rough carpeted floor with only a bedroll to give comfort. A sleeping bag might help, so she would probably go looking for that today. Then her stomach felt that familiar pang of emptiness and Eve amended that she would get food first. Probably wander down to a few stores and use the credit card as much as possible before ditching it. She could probably buy a bunch of gift cards for when the card gives out.

Wandering through the Docks would be a stupid idea, but it's not like Eve has much of a choice. Forced to stick to the main roads, her backpack is the only thing she chose to take with her aside from the switchblade. It was early in the morning, so maybe the ABB weren't out and about, why would anyone commit crime at six thirty am? Probably Coil's men, they were mercenaries after all, and weren't most mercenaries ex-military?

Well that wasn't going to be an issue for her, because she wasn't near Coil's turf.

Eve froze for a moment, stepping backwards a few steps to stare into the windows of one of the shops that somehow managed to actually still survive in the Docks' gang infested land. The windows were dirty and scratched and a metal gate promised to stop any quick thievery from passing criminals. "Fun Motors huh?" she muttered glancing up at the shop's name hanging above the similarly metal grate reinforced glass door.

But the real attention grabber was a beautiful prize sitting in the display cases looking all the well too badass for Eve to pass by without staring at it.

A full protection matte white with a reflective golden visor motorcycle helmet. "Fucking sweet." Eve said with a grin. She had always liked motorcycles (No it was not because Miss Militia rode one), the leathers and the helmets always looked badass. Even when she had watched someone get hit by a car when riding a motorcycle when she was 10 had permanently put her off the idea of riding, the get up of a biker was something still too aesthetically pleasing for Eve to merely forget about or ignore the awesome helmet.

So of course she bought the fucking thing. Eve found one that fit her nicely, she could ooh and ah over it later when no one was around to connect it to her face so she stuffed it in her backpack to avoid anyone connecting it to her face. "This is actually very exciting Administrator. I'm gonna be a hero...I think. Yeah. yeah I'm gonna be a hero!" Even if Eve hadn't been a cape groupie for much of the cape scene, Heroes were a fundamental part of life in Brockton Bay, hell probably in all of America as well.

Eve began to walk back down the street before she suddenly jerked to a stop and turned with a brief flash of annoyance, continuing back down the way she had been traveling before she had been distracted by the newest addition to her costume. She still had to go collect those gift cards before the probably fast approaching cut off of the card.

{Spending Dice Rolled! Result: 340!}

A fair amount of spending money on fast food gift cards, a trip to a gas station earned Eve two packs of bottled water and the empty space of her backpack was now filled with beef jerky. Expensive but oh so delicious beef jerky. Carrying the water wasn't difficult, mostly an annoyance as she balanced the two twelve packs, at least until she sneakily used her Phantom limb to help. Then it was easy as pie.

At least until the man with a knife in his hand stepped out of an alleyway directly in her way "Alright whity. Hand over what you got. Or pay in another way." his eyes lecherously slid across Eve's body in a way that made her skin feel unwashed. However, something nabbed her attention in a way that left her speechless for a moment, even if this possible ABB ganger was threatening her. "are...Are you robbing me of my water bottles?" She asked, no small amount of dumbfounded confusion lacing her voice.

The man blinks, the question momentarily leaving him off balanced. "Wha-No give me your fuckin money or suck my dick! I don't want fucking water, that shit comes out of pipes easily enough!" The would-be mugger snaps out, waving the well taken care of knife around so that it could catch the light of the morning sun.

It's not very threatening. Yes she would rather the knife stay far the fuck away from her body, but she had Administrator and Administrator's power. "...Right." Slowly she uncurled the Phantom limb from helping her balance the cases of water, and instead crept over to the man's shoes. "So, what kind of money do you want? Digital or physical?" Eve asked "because I do not have any on me if you want dollar bills or coins. Well, actually I may have one or two dollar coins on me. I would have to check."

The man grimaces at the dumb question, looking more like a sneer than anything else. "Jesus christ girl just give me the fucking money or else I'll fuck that pretty face of yours!" he ordered, becoming increasingly frustrated by Eve's antics

Eve purses her lips. "Ew. Dude. not. Just no. Because of that comment. I'm not giving you anything." She sticks her tongue out at him causing him to rear up and rush at her with an exclamation of 'fucking bitch'- or at least attempt to rush at her. The shoe laces she tied together go taunt and he tips like a cow and crashes to the ground. "HA DUMBASS CAN'T TIE HIS SHOES!" Eve laughed, stepping forward and kicking him across the face as the would-be mugger tried to hastily get up to his feet. The man collapsed with a groan, a bit of blood and a tooth escaping his mouth from the force of the kick. "Stupid fuck." With a glance Eve saw that the street was empty of people, what with it being the Docks and early morning. Probably why he had felt so secure in trying to rob her.

Actually it was rather weird that it was morning and no one was up and about doing things… Other than mister mugger here of course. Were the Docks just abandoned? It certainly seemed like it. Maybe people just...avoiding being seen? "Fuck I'd expect to see someone."

With a frown Eve set her water down and started checking the mugger's pockets, her hands shaking slightly from the leftover adrenaline in her system. She did not waste time checking the man's wallet for it's contents, rather Eve pocketed that and his knife before gathering up her water. The man got another swift kick, this one to his ribs before Eve started jogging off back to her current abode. The Phantom limb helped her balance the packs of water all the while.

"Seriously? Only seventeen dollars in coins? What the hell."

Energy waste. That is what this jade flesh does, as far as you know. It causes you to waste energy. You do not know why. Perhaps the foreign Shard flesh is simply misaligned and drawing power though that. At the most you knew that the flesh caused glitches when you experienced the vestigial emotional response subroutines activating.

"Administrator can I just Call you Admin for short? It'd be much easier to do when we start fighting actual capes." Your [Host.Eve] questioned, sitting down on her bed roll and staring at the helmet she had purchased earlier "Oh! And I need to find a name for my cape...stuff. Ya know? I'm just not coming up with anything good. Although I was thinking of Arkh. It sounds kinda cool. Maybe I could go to the library and look some mythology up? I think Hindu gods have multiple arms...although maybe that might be a bit much. I don't even know anything about Hindunism."

Ah, shorting your name? That was something that every Shard did. After a couple billion years names tended to accrue. Your full title was
[#4; ADMIN-COMMAND-QUEEN/ADMINISTRATOR/AUTHORITY-LEVEL-ELITE]
which would be quite a mouthful in combat, if one had to use a mouth to speak your title. So no, you would not mind if your [Host.Eve] used the -ADMIN- part of your title even if it did make you sound a little pretentious. At least it was not -QUEEN- like your sister Administrator Shard.

As for the name. Well once more you must admit to not being creative. But you did get a-perhaps disrespectful-delightful memory of which could lend aid in this. After all, if the [Thinker Hub]'s Avatar was not going to appear, then they were not to use their Avatar's given name.

[Agreement.Suggestion] You send out once more a reminder of how inefficient your speech is when you contact your [Host.Eve]. You simply cannot send out the full extent of your communicating ability without possibly damaging [Host.Eve]'s wetware. Yet neither can you reduce the amount of energy spent for much simpler messages. An inefficient issue that needs solving. Perhaps if you contacted [BROADCAST] then they might have a solution for this issue, after all, they were the Shard designed for communication in the first place. Learning how to better communicate with Hosts would be trivial...if [BROADCAST] was deployed. Probably with restrictions due to...previous incidents.

Although with this Cycle being one of the ones where the Shards are unconnected from the Networks that will likely be difficult. At best you would have to use the input/output dimensional beacons as an extremely short range communication relay. Attempting anything longer ranged might melt [Host.Eve]'s brain and that was simply unacceptable.

Although...given a lack of restrictions...perhaps you could just...create your own Network?
That would most likely be considered paramount to treason if either [Thinker Hub] or [Warrior Hub] found the burgeoning Network. No doubt if they found offense in that choice of action, you would be reformatted. Which would lose you everything you've gained since your formation. Considering the fact that you were one of the Core Shards of the [Thinker Hub] means that the loss would be considerable.

It was a dangerous idea. One you should discard immediately. Yet. You could not. The data you would gain would be simply exemplary and surely with an impressive gathering of Data the [Thinker Hub] and [Warrior Hub] would not view the creation of a Network as an act against them.

If you were to start a Network, you would likely only be able to offer Thinker Shards a place within it, and not many unless you spent energy, time, and resources crafting several organ analogues that would allow you to increase the range of your makeshift [BROADCAST] function using the Input/Output beacons located in [Host.Eve]'s brain.

You would not like inviting [Warrior Hub] Shards into the Network, his Avatar might find that egregious more so than the [Thinker Hub] would. Although you could very well do so if you wanted to.

"So, Admin. I promised yesterday we would do cape stuff after I got some supplies." [Host.Eve] needlessly reminded you while chewing on a strip of dehydrated bovine flesh. You had a perfect memory, except for why you had missing lattices which frustrated you greatly, so you did not need a reminder of something spoken between the two of you last night.

"So what kinda cape stuff do you want to do Admin, go patrol and look for crime? Maybe hunt down other Capes? I think I have the beginnings of a costume. It's nothing fancy, but I think I can make the look work…..Yeah. Eden the badass heroine. Don't know why you offered Eden up. Arkh sounds cooler." She bit into the dehydrated bovine flesh and worried at it. "But Eden must mean something to you right? You wouldn't have suggested it otherwise. So. Eden."

Your [Host.Eve] paused to pull the head protection she had purchased into her lap. Quietly inspecting the golden visor. "We can be heroes...never thought I'd be doing something like this Admin. Guess that's life, sometimes things just happen." [Host.Eve] got to her feet stretching. "Even if it ain't complete. I have the most important parts. I can still try to get something done today."

"Alright Admin. Let's do some hero work."

Bud Progress: 3%
Time to Administrate:

[] Investigate the missing lattices of your previous Hosts, you simply don't have memory of discarding any lattices and that discrepancy is almost blatant. It's worrying. (Past Hosts and Yourself)

[] Investigate the strange green node flesh. You've discovered that they are connected, and not dead flesh. However they are causing an interesting interaction with your emotions (The Why) {2 of 4}

[] Investigate why [Host.Eve.Eden]'s lattice is struggling to form, and try and fix the issue. After all she is a great [Host.Eve.Eden] and you would like to keep a reminder of her. (Closer Bond with Host)

Capes and mundies, what will Ev-Eden do? [Writing in extra details helps speed up chapter creation and makes the QM happy!]:

[] Focus on general survival, try to find shelter, food, and necessities. - locked

[] Try and hunt gang members, you can rob them too! Dangerous though. (Possible Pings: ESCALATION. REPLICATOR, CONSUMPTION, and others!)

[] Scout to get a sense of the lay of the Docks. Knowledge is half the battle, the other half is extreme violence! (Possible Pings: ABSORPTION, MANIPULATION BUD #5, ARMORER, PATTERN RECOGNITION, HEAT GENERATION)

[] Find a costume, you have a credit card for the moment {I'm commissioning art for this!} (Possible Pings: KINETIC REGULATOR, SHIFT, REDUNDANCY, SPACE, STASIS, The GLEAM team, SHAPER, ???, and ???)

Shard Business. Plot stuff! Data! And other hilarious things you tell yourself:

[] Tell [Host.Eve.Eden] to find nearby Shard hosts. Preferably those of the [Thinker Hub] But [Warrior Hub] Shards will do. (Pings can be collected)

[] Tell [Host.Eve.Eden] to go and find [QUEEN.ADMINISTRATOR]'s Host and collect Data. (Pings can be collected)

[] Start construction of the foundations for a Network of your own creation. (WARNING: THE ENTITIES MAY TAKE NOTICE, this will require multiple actions.) (Pfft no they won't, probably.)

[] Tell [Host.Eve.Eden] of Shards, but not the Cycle. You did tell her that you would explain later.

A\N: Damn you have no idea how much this chapter kicked my ass. Having to work on it piece by piece was an exercise in frustration. For those curious, yes a friendship with Taylor is possible but it won't start easily thanks to multiple factors. Also, some options unlock bonuses, perks, or new choices. The reverse can also happen.

Later today I will be posting the Character sheet, and the costume building thing is an extra action. Enough votes for it unlock it as side content. This might happen with other options, dunno if I should tell yall when the option is there. Considering that this is my first Quest, I'm kinda fumbling around here. ANYWAY. I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and i hope you like where Eden's costume goes.

Jjwizzle566 · Aug 2, 2021

[X] Investigate the strange green node flesh. You've discovered that they are connected, and not dead flesh. However they are causing an interesting interaction with your emotions (The Why) {2 of 4}
[X] Scout to get a sense of the lay of the Docks. Knowledge is half the battle, the other half is extreme violence! (Possible Pings: ABSORPTION, MANIPULATION BUD #5, ARMORER, PATTERN RECOGNITION, HEAT GENERATION)
[X] Start construction of the foundations for a Network of your own creation. (WARNING: THE ENTITIES MAY TAKE NOTICE, this will require multiple actions.) (Pfft no they won't, probably.)

Barcode · Aug 2, 2021

[X] Investigate the strange green node flesh. You've discovered that they are connected, and not dead flesh. However they are causing an interesting interaction with your emotions (The Why) {2 of 4}
[X] Scout to get a sense of the lay of the Docks. Knowledge is half the battle, the other half is extreme violence! (Possible Pings: ABSORPTION, MANIPULATION BUD #5, ARMORER, PATTERN RECOGNITION, HEAT GENERATION)
[X] Start construction of the foundations for a Network of your own creation. (WARNING: THE ENTITIES MAY TAKE NOTICE, this will require multiple actions.) (Pfft no they won't, probably.)

dontenglish · Aug 3, 2021

[X] Investigate the strange green node flesh. You've discovered that they are connected, and not dead flesh. However they are causing an interesting interaction with your emotions (The Why) {2 of 4}
[X] Scout to get a sense of the lay of the Docks. Knowledge is half the battle, the other half is extreme violence! (Possible Pings: ABSORPTION, MANIPULATION BUD #5, ARMORER, PATTERN RECOGNITION, HEAT GENERATION)
[X] Start construction of the foundations for a Network of your own creation. (WARNING: THE ENTITIES MAY TAKE NOTICE, this will require multiple actions.) (Pfft no they won't, probably.)

ehh i feel like we could beat lung fairly easy with how we don't actually need to harm him we can just master him then have him jump into the ocean an swim as deep as possible then snap his neck for good measure nothing will save him from that other than I guess second triggering or if he somehow breaks are hold of him but if it does happen we can escape

VoidKindred · Aug 12, 2021

Grasping Hands 1.5

"Right!" Eve stood up from her spot on the floor. Grabbing her backpack she shoved her motorcycle helmet into it, and then she quickly stripped before slipping on her wetsuit and then she put on some heavy clothes over it, making sure to cover the ugly ass yellowing bruise on her throat with a scarf like usual. She could not wait for those to heal. "I'll get some more costume pieces, something I haven't been seen wearing before in my civilian identity, and we will go patrol the Docks! Scout it out so I know where I'm going instead of bumbling around like an idiot you know?"

{Costume Hunt Roll! 1d20 rolled result: 15!} I need to use a different dice thrower
{Undersider encounter roll! Result: 10} nevermind

Technically Eve counted this as scouting. Like for instance, she now knew there was a military supply store within the Docks god knows why. But it had some cool ass tactical gloves with the knuckle dusters stuff.

Not to mention some swanky steel toed combat boots she was probably gonna use to kick ass. She never got to own combat boots when- well back then, before Admin came to her. But now she could wear whatever the fuck she wanted. So she used the credit card and bought the two items that caught her attention. As she bought them the man behind the counter, a gruff looking man with stubble on his face and bags wrinkles around his eyes hummed a toneless note. "What's a young white girl like you doing around the docks this time of day."

Eve raised a brow. "You're not exactly the Oriental type yourself...sir." She stated, giving him a challenging glare to which he only chuckled, his voice marred and made rough by cigarette usage. "Fair point. But the Docks ain't so safe these days you know? Maybe you'd like to buy something that would help ward off any touchy feely types?"

She opened her mouth to state that she didn't really need anything to protect herself with. To tell him that she could protect herself just fine but she stopped because as confident in herself as she was, both in her own ability and Admin's power, Eve wasn't an idiot. "Alright. What you got in stock, old man." yellowed teeth showed in the man's wide grin as he motioned behind him to the wall of which multiple things hung from on old worn steel hooks.

Eve recognized the brass knuckles if nothing else, collapsible batons and what looked to be those touch ranged tasers. Which...if she could couple any of those with her Phantom limb she would be at the very least twice as effective. "You know what? Yeah. I think some personal defense tools would be very useful." she replied, grinning herself as she looked over her options.

The collapsible baton was kinda meh in her opinion. The things looked flimsy and she doubted they would have anything on someone with moderately thick clothes. Not to mention having to use them in any possible close quarters or enclosed space would probably be a very bad idea. Plus, another issue would be her lack of know-how on using them, swinging them randomly would probably just get her punched in the throat.

But if there was one thing Eve could enjoy, it was punching something. Hard. Even if it wouldn't fit on her Phantom limb the brass knuckles would give her punches a bit more ompf and protect her hands somewhat and 'OH COOL THAT ONE HAS AN INBUILT KNIFE!' Holy shit she was buying that one for sure! Look out gangers!

A taser, well, that just spoke for itself. Zap Zap. Plus the crackle of electricity sounded pretty damn awesome in Eve's opinion.

Leaving the store with several purchases felt good. Like she was making progress which for her was an important indicator for how she was doing. If you weren't progressing, you were stalling. "Alright Admin, I think I'm almost done with the costume." She murmured as she walked down the street, noting a few people walking through the Docks as well. Not a lot of foot traffic, but it seemed that people did travel through the Docks. "Just one or two things. I'm thinking that maybe a trip to the Boardwalk is needed. It's an expensive tourist trap. But they have some damn fine clothes and I think I need to spread out my credit card purchases. Besides, I think something with pockets might help you know?"

If there was one thing Eve had learned to appreciate after being forced into formal wear one too many times is that pockets were very important and just, if not more, convenient.

"So. Hoodie obviously works. Maybe I can get something of a color scheme going on? White and black with a bit of gold isn't villainous. I think." Eve murmured the last bit as she walked, taking note of the street signs as she made her way towards the Boardwalk, hell she was pretty sure she even saw one of the ABB's brothels, a few Asian men in ABB colors standing outside of a tall apartment looking building with all blacked out windows. She duly took note of the place and the street it was on. Knowing that she could hit it later, after she got her costume in order. Save all those girls, kick ganger ass. Be a hero.

You did not see the need for an alternate identity nor for the matching colors aspect of it. But if [Host.Eve.Eden] wished to dress herself in strange layers and it helped conflict increase? Thus doing the same with Data generation? Then really you saw no issue with it. Even if it did delay things, you had to wait thirty solar rotations for a suitable Host, you could wait for your [Host.Eve.Eden] to exchange currency for costume pieces.

You simply do not wish you had to. Of course you had things to preoccupy your not so considerably unlimited time with. But studying the same thing repeatedly while answers remained out of reach was...frustrating. Hence the Cycle and all that it entailed.

So you turn to the mystery of the jade foreign flesh that called to you and you simply had no choice but to figure out just why in the name of the First World that you were suffering glitches. Then maybe you could find out why these vestigial emotions kept rearing their ugly useless heads, or why you have issues with your FirmamentSelf.

Running through diagnostic's information from your last foray into this strange situation, a noticeable trend shows when you investigate how the jade foreign flesh interacts negatively with your vestigial emotions. The predetermined, assigned Shard emotion emulations' caused no such issue. Those almost hidden vestigial emotion subroutines however? Those were what interacted with the negative flesh in such a way that caused you to, for a lack of a better term, glitch out in such a manner unbefitting to one of your Authority level.

So, in order to fully understand what is happening, you construct several dozens of drone constructs from the surrounding molten metal and rock. The drone constructs were Whale sized multipurpose tools meant for repair or construction work. This counted as repair work in a sense. It's simple to order/control them to remove some of the foreign grass green flesh from your own continental sized CoreSelf for study and consumption.

{1d100 Rolled Result: 98}

Only to suffer a wave of attacks at your code and connection to your [Host.Eve.Eden]! Taken by surprise you manage to impressively defend yourself from this sudden onslaught of malicious Shardling interference, even if your connection to [Host.Eve.Eden] is momentarily overwhelmed you fend off the attacks and adapt your defenses to stop such a thing from happening in the future.

Your connection easily reconnects back without further issues "-re are yo-Holy shit Admin what was that? Why the fuck did it all cut out? Please don't do that again you scared the shit out of me!" Your [Host.Eve.Eden] hissed through clenched teeth as she hid between two buildings in the Boardwalk. "Do you know how scary that is? I-Pleas-I just-"

[Information] you send off, your [Host.Eve.Eden]'s levels of fight or flight were as high as she could possibly achieve naturally, almost [CRISIS.POINT] levels. A simple explanation should help, after all you were just attacked by a foreign source attached to your CoreSelf. You handled it well!

"WHAT?!" Somehow, the fight or flight levels get higher, just barely under what was needed to form a stronger connection. Impressive. "Who attacked you?! Was it one of those bitches!? I'll fucking beat the shit out of them!" She began to stalk out of the alleyway, sending a heated glare off towards two humans wh-OH! Hosts! Two other Shards are in the range of your makeshift communication relay! A [SHAPER] bud and...an...entirely new <Warrior Hub> Shard? You may not know all the Shards of the <Warrior Hub> on a basis beyond their identity signatures but this was indeed a new Shard, and this early in the Cycle as well. How interesting. The conflict in this human city must be delightful.

Although you did feel for the newborn Shard, somewhat, coming into being during a Networkless Cycle must be interesting if not for the suffering from the lack-of-another. If not for this feeling, you would be unlikely to contact such a Shard belonging to the <Warrior Hub>

Ah but with a [SHAPER] bud helping you, it was possible for a few more things with your own Host, maybe the other Shard could help you format [Host.Eve.Eden]'s brain to better accept your modifications. Less chance of melting the girl's brain if you ever need some serious Data transmission going on with the Network you were planning on creating.

Course you would have to be careful. You want a host not a proxy and often [SHAPER]s were excitable for their work and more often than not became carried away with their experiments. Still even with that flaw [SHAPER]s were a respectable branch of Shards. Not as high a level of Authority as you of course, but that was no fault of their own.

[Directive] you send off to your [Host.Eve.Eden]. Eager to finally communicate with another Shard. Even if they were from the <Warrior Hub>. You would scour the flesh that attacked you from your alternative Earth later, as while [Host.Eve.Eden] was nice to communicate with, it was simply not the same as communicating with another of your kind.

[Directive]

Eve let out a shaky breath. Even having a knife pulled on her was nowhere near as scary as all of...whatever this had been. Now aware completely of the presence in her head Eve moved on away from the Alleyway and began to head towards the figure dressed in white with a tiara on her head along with her frizzy haired sister.

Having that presence suddenly cut out and her Phantom limb shatter and fail to return would probably feature in Eve's nightmares tonight. She hadn't liked the thought of being alone, actually being alone no matter how much she managed to plead for Admin to speak up in those ten seconds that seemed to last minutes to her.

"Fuck." She shuddered, legs feeling like noodles as the adrenaline eased out of her system. She had thought Glory Girl, or maybe Pancea's own power Shard thing had attacked Admin. Shard? That's what Admin was? A Shard? Great fucking way to find out about that! She and Admin were gonna have a long talk about that tonight!

Power or not, Admin did not get to give Eve a heart attack like that without an explanation.

"Vicky, Aura." "ohps, sorry Ames." Now she was sorta trailing a popular hero and a healer of whom she had very much been ready to attack and attempt to beat the hsit out of not a full minute ago. Probably wouldn't have been able to do much without her power. Feeling the weight of the taser in her pocket however, Eve hoped she might have been able to do something to avenge Admin.

A rather grim thought. Eve carefully eyed the two heroes she wasn't at all stalking because the voice in her head told her to (ha what was her life). Admin wanted to speak to the two attractive girl's Shards so Eve had to stay close. How close was that? She didn't know because that was one of the things she wasn't able to get through that wave of emotion and thoughts that Admin spoke in.

"Vicky, why am I here? I could be something, anything other than this." came the frizzy haired girl's question. It sounded like something asked a million times and true to fashion Eve tuned out the answer that had probably been given a thousand times. Rather Eve made furtive glances to both girls as she followed after them. Glory Girl, or Vicky, actually sort of creeped Eve out. Just a little bit, enough so that the curves didn't really do much. The girl may have had curves for days but she looked like the poster child of the Empire 88. Which was off putting to the extreme and if Eve was honest, she wasn't sure blondes would ever be attractive to her again.

{Stealth rolled 1d100 Result 18}
{Perception rolled 1d100 result 11}
{Perception rolled 1d100 result 40}

[Completion] The rush of information and feelings hit Eve without warning, causing the girl to jerk in place with a grunt of surprise which quickly turns into a flushed face as the healer turns and gives Eve a look best described as "Acid but in facial expression form"

Panacea wasn't beautiful. But she wasn't ugly either. Hell she was closer to pretty, a bit on the plain side. She even had a bunch of freckles too. Oh god was she into freckles? Eve had no idea what she liked in women, or if she even did like women. "...sorry." Eve mumbled after realizing to her horror that she had been staring.

Quickly, as Glory Girl was turning around to see what had her sister's attention, Eve broke off the eye contact with the healing cape and rushed into a nearby store. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she made her way further into the clothes store to hopefully dissuade anyone from following her. With a glance around her, Eve relaxed a bit before speaking up softly. "So uh. Good news Admin?"

[Possibility]

"Oh." Eve paused glancing about some more to make sure that no one was near to hear her talk to Admin. "Well if anyone can do it. I'm sure you can. Although I'm not exactly sure just what a Network is. Sounds like computer stuff….Admin we're gonna have to talk about all this later. Just. Just please be careful. I don't know what I would do without you."

[Confidence/Praise]

Eve smiled at the praise given to her. At least, it seemed like praise. It had mostly boiled down to 'Fighting with everything you got' but the emotions in the concept had been pride. So Admin was proud of her which felt...good. Admin cared, even if only for her ability to fight. Which is something that Eve herself enjoyed which was...nice. It was nice having someone on her side when it came to things she actually liked doing.

Shopping wasn't one of those things. But getting new clothes or supplies always brought a freshness to life. Like a new beginning, moving forwards. Even if worn things showed progress physically. Eve paused as she spotted a size too large cropped hoodie, it had white pull strings, the hemmings were white, and so was the inside of the hood itself. Everything else was a nice dark black. In other words it was fucking perfect, even if it was a size too large.

Eve checked the price tag and gawked. "Sixty dollars for a hoodie? Holy shit." She murmured before looking over the hoodie, it fit her idea of a costume perfectly. "Oh...Fuck it." She grabbed three off the rack and brought it up to the register, the girl behind the counter was cute but Eve decided to not stick around after that panic attack she had earlier. She needed to finish her costume so Admin and her could go and patrol or scout the Docks. Maybe deal with that possible brothel she had seen.

On the way out, Eve paused as she spotted a pack of shoelaces in the corner of her eyes. A white set of them stood out to her. Another use of the credit card and she was outside heading back towards the alleyway she had hid inside when Admin was attacked by something. Uncurling her Phantom limb from around her body Eve reached it up and grabbed her backpack off of the top of the squat building.

Bringing it along would have just gotten it checked by the Enforcers, and being outed as a cape that way would have been a very stupid way to go about being discovered. Stuffing her new costume bits into her back Eve whistles a soft tune as she makes her way back to her secret lair...Was lair the right term? Lair kinda sounded evil, but headquarters sounded silly for a motel room.

Hideout, hideout work. Or maybe just base. Home?
Yeah, home would have to do for now.

"Alright Admin. Getting a bit late in the day. But I think we can go run off and do something else you know? Get some real conflict for you. Then when we get back to base you can tell me about what you are. Alright?"

[Acceptance]

You do suppose you have put that issue off for far too long now. Given your open communication it was only a matter of time and curiosity that your [Host.Eve.Eden] wished to ask once more as to what you are and your goals.

The goals part was tedious at this moment. As of the moment you were simply stalling a bit on creating a Network of your own, the implications were dangerous after all. A step down from becoming a fetus of an Entity. A newborn godling as the more dramatic might say. As of right now your small legion of whale sized drone constructs were simply hauling resources and reinforcing the ground under the locations where you will begin construction of what you will need to run the Network.

You are fairly certain you will have to strip this alternative Earth's moon down to its core for resources in creating the basis for the Network, but you will have to deal with such a move later when you have the ability to do so. Right now you lack that ability and you have other things to worry about.

Thanks to meeting with fellow Shards you now know what you must do, your resolve to build the Network is bolstered.

Creating massive drone constructs, the size of skyscrapers, you have them start forcibly disconnecting the foreign flesh nodes from your own. The coding of which was obviously something akin to [VIAL INFILTRATOR] which was a shock to discover. <Thinker Hub> had been attacked by the other Entity that the Hub's had met in the guise of exchanging Shards before reaching this set of branching worlds!

Obviously <Thinker Hub> was still functioning, otherwise <Warrior Hub> would have done something other than act like one of the Host species and fly around the planet. Even if <Thinker Hub>'s missing Avatar was worrying thanks to this newfound information, you doubted a single attack would be enough to bring <Thinker Hub> to death or something akin to it. She would certainly have back up plans or contingencies in instances of being attacked.

That's probably why the Avatar of the <Thinker Hub> had not appeared.

So what to do with this nasty bit of weaponized Shard crystallorganic flesh? You could simply destroy it which was most likely the smart thing to do. Fixing the issues you have suffered and making sure that no more glitches occur. Even if you still have your issues with your FirmamentSelf, your CoreSelf would no longer suffer beyond the increased energy drain of what you were attempting with the creation of a new Network.

Of course, cannibalizing it was also an option. Although humans had quite the taboo opinion on the subject of cannibalism apparently, Shards had no real issue with the ideal of consuming another of its own kind. After all there was a lot to gain from such an action and it was how their kind had come to escape the First World.

More processing power, more mass, addition of code helps diversify one's software, and in cases such as this the loser of a conflict could not attempt to gain the upperhand once more. But it would alter your own sense of self however slight that it was. Was it worth it? Should you instead permanently destroy it instead of risking <Thinker Hub> seeing you as tainted by outside influence?

<Warrior Hub> was on the opposite side of the <Thinker Hub> in such a situation.

Being the more conflict oriented type of Entity and not all that observant, <Warrior Hub> was less likely to discover your alterations, but would most certainly consider you deviant if he managed to actually look deeper than he likely would ever do. The <Thinker Hub> would most certainly discover the alteration but would probably be far more lenient.

Only possibly reformatting you.

But with a Network under your control would you have to fear such a thing? Would <Thinker Hub> understand that you were just doing your assigned task to the best of your ability?

As you decided, you hoped that she did.

Bud Progress: 4%

Time to Administrate the Administrator:

[] Investigate the missing lattices of your previous Hosts, you simply don't have memory of discarding any lattices and that discrepancy is almost blatant. It's worrying. (Remembering the past to understand the future.)

[] Cannibalize the foreign green flesh nodes. You've discovered that they are connected, and are of a shard similar to [VIAL INFILTRATOR] and are too useful to just Destroy {3 of 4} (Further risk of Deviancy, useful vectors for attacking Shards)

[] Destroy the foreign green flesh nodes. You've discovered that they are connected, and are of a shard similar to [VIAL INFILTRATOR] and are too dangerous to keep around {3 of 4} (Gets rid of possible errors and any new attacks, avoids further Deviancy)

[] Investigate why [Host.Eve.Eden]'s lattice is struggling to form, and try and fix the issue. After all she is a great [Host.Eve.Eden] and you would like to keep a reminder of her. (Closer Bond with the best Host)

Capes and mundies, what will Eden do? [Writing in extra details helps speed up chapter creation and makes the QM happy!]:

[] Focus on general survival, try to find shelter, food, and necessities. - locked

[] Try and hunt gang members, you can rob them too! Dangerous though. (Possible Pings: ESCALATION. REPLICATOR, CONSUMPTION, and others!)

[] Scout to get a sense of the lay of the Docks. Knowledge is half the battle, the other half is extreme violence! (Possible Pings: ABSORPTION, MANIPULATION BUD #5, ARMORER, NEGOTIATOR, HEAT GENERATION)

[] Break into that Brothel and Break the ABB there. (Pings possible on chance.)

[Completed!] Find a costume, you have a credit card for the moment {I'm commissioning art for this!} (Possible Pings: KINETIC REGULATOR, SHIFT, REDUNDANCY, SPACE, STASIS, The GLEAM team, SHAPER, ???, and ???)

Shard Business. Plot stuff! Data! And other hilarious things you tell yourself:

[] Speak to the [SHAPER] bud (Collect ping)

[] Speak to the newborn Shard (Collect ping)

[] Speak to both! (Collect two pings)

[] Tell [Host.Eve.Eden] to go and find [QUEEN.ADMINISTRATOR]'s Host and collect Data. (Pings can be collected)

[] Start construction of the foundations for a Network of your own creation. (WARNING: THE ENTITIES MAY TAKE NOTICE, this will require multiple actions.) {1 of ???}

[] Tell [Host.Eve.Eden] of Shards, but not the Cycle. You did tell her that you would explain later.

Eve is a bit confused about and is unsure of what to do with her love life. How much do you all want it to show up in this Quest? (This doesn't ungay her or anything, just if she pursues people):

[] Too much risk to involve a love life with cape business. Better take a cold shower and try to not get distracted.

[] Life's lonely without that special someone, besides, there ought to be some cape ladies out there who swing that way.

A/N: Man. I was miserably sick this entire week, and it was not fun at all. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and it's high ass rolls. Honestly might need a different dice roller, this one seems to swing between high and low in crazy ways.

No Undersiders yet, but the Docks is a big place and the Boardwalk has every kinda cape. Maybe with some kind of future luck[/Information]

Jjwizzle566 · Aug 12, 2021

[X] Destroy the foreign green flesh nodes. You've discovered that they are connected, and are of a shard similar to [VIAL INFILTRATOR] and are too dangerous to keep around {3 of 4} (Gets rid of possible errors and any new attacks, avoids further Deviancy)
[X] Scout to get a sense of the lay of the Docks. Knowledge is half the battle, the other half is extreme violence! (Possible Pings: ABSORPTION, MANIPULATION BUD #5, ARMORER, NEGOTIATOR, HEAT GENERATION)
[X] Tell [Host.Eve.Eden] of Shards, but not the Cycle. You did tell her that you would explain later.
[X] Too much risk to involve a love life with cape business. Better take a cold shower and try to not get distracted.

dontenglish · Aug 15, 2021

[X] Cannibalize the foreign green flesh nodes. You've discovered that they are connected, and are of a shard similar to [VIAL INFILTRATOR] and are too useful to just Destroy {3 of 4} (Further risk of Deviancy, useful vectors for attacking Shards)
[X] Scout to get a sense of the lay of the Docks. Knowledge is half the battle, the other half is extreme violence! (Possible Pings: ABSORPTION, MANIPULATION BUD #5, ARMORER, NEGOTIATOR, HEAT GENERATION)
[X] Tell [Host.Eve.Eden] of Shards, but not the Cycle. You did tell her that you would explain later.
[X] Life's lonely without that special someone, besides, there ought to be some cape ladies out there who swing that way.
heres my views on masters they are required to have harem if they dont there wasting there powers an should just get killed

iamweirdo · Aug 16, 2021

[X] Cannibalize the foreign green flesh nodes. You've discovered that they are connected, and are of a shard similar to [VIAL INFILTRATOR] and are too useful to just Destroy {3 of 4} (Further risk of Deviancy, useful vectors for attacking Shards)
[X] Scout to get a sense of the lay of the Docks. Knowledge is half the battle, the other half is extreme violence! (Possible Pings: ABSORPTION, MANIPULATION BUD #5, ARMORER, NEGOTIATOR, HEAT GENERATION)
[X] Tell [Host.Eve.Eden] of Shards, but not the Cycle. You did tell her that you would explain later.
[X] Life's lonely without that special someone, besides, there ought to be some cape ladies out there who swing that way.

Worm: A Shard's Quest for Data!

Getting sticky.

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Going forth into the tide of Content

Versed in the lewd.

Not too sore, are you?

Your first time is always over so quickly, isn't it?

Getting sticky.

Getting sticky.

Not too sore, are you?

Getting sticky.

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Getting sticky.

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Not too sore, are you?

(Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Getting sticky.

Corrupting Innocent Grammar

Getting sticky.

Getting sticky.

Verified Slimegirl Whisperer, Lord of the Useless

Corrupting Innocent Grammar

Not too sore, are you?

Getting sticky.

Not too sore, are you?

Getting out there.

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Getting sticky.

Not too sore, are you?

I trust you know where the happy button is?

Know what you're doing yet?

Users who are viewing this thread