Player
Better Vamoose Outta Here
vance
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Post by vance on Sept 3, 2022 12:01:25 GMT -5
In a conference room inside the Spangler Institute....
It was VERY rare to see the entire PD in one place at one time. Some of the current members had not even been born the last time it had happened. The room was basic, well lit, and tiled in a darker brown to accent the enormous wooden table which the members sat around. The table, a six meters in diameter was probably put there by a industrial crane. Though, how the OGA got a crane to build anything in their building was another issue entirely.
The table was worn and could have been more than a thousand years old. M was currently sitting on the table, with it's legs crossed and stroking a beard that was not there. Though the practiced motions were more than enough to suggest the genderless figure had done so at some point. Prometheus and Bea were arguing about their most recent replaced bits on the other side of the room. The young good doctor, and the head of the Institute's Research and Development were chatting at another part of the table and Jacob was leaning back in a chair snoring under his top hat.
M finally stated a word and all of the group looked at it. "PD, due to time itself being assaulted due to the damned power of Soul Society's complete lack of oversight, and the direct attacks on Earth by their creations, and the war to stop the Fates from rewriting the spiritual laws of reality. We are now actually going to have to work." M stated and there was a general consensus of groaning and complaining. M held up its hand and everyone shut up. "Because of her involvement and the fact she backtracked time, bring me Niji Hikari, she doesn't get a pass, Shoot it Or Recruit it." M stated and everyone in the room stood up.
Osaka Airport FBO
The PD had used one of their doorways to get to Osaka, then taken a car to the FBO at Osaka Airport. The group, looked so weird that the ladies at the front had asked all of them for IDs and just got badges from different government agencies. Some of the group grabbed coffee as they waited, a few of the others were relaxing.
As soon as they felt Niji, it all changed and M chanted something and reality shifted as it built a barrier to not harm the humans nearby.
As she drove up, she would notice the silence, no traffic, and the only people was the large scarred man and woman out in the front of the FBO. A single look would have proven that each of them was roughly her stregth, and the people inside, were worse.
When she was in range, if she stopped and got out, the two would be polite, if not, well, force could be applied.
"Hikari Niji, M requests your presence inside." Prometheus stated.
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Post by Niji on Sept 5, 2022 7:18:00 GMT -5
Niji was on the way to a flight out of Osaka; despite now having told her parents about her abilities, she still had to fly for the purposes of audits and the sanity of anyone keeping track of where she was. This was to be a routine trip. Nothing fancy, just heading to a conference, spending a few days there, meet with some stakeholders, then fly back home.
Of course, she sensed that something was up before she got to the airport, and more so when the two strangers stood in front of the building. She stepped out of her Taycan, her face not betraying any emotion, "First off, I am assuming this is not so much a request as a demand. Secondly, is time passing normally right now? I do have a flight to catch."
She strode towards them, not raising her reiatsu in any threatening way. Janus had warned her about the OGA and "M" but the woman also seemed to have more respect for them than the other spiritual organizations. Granted, she had not been impressed by the idiot in Phoenix, but still. It was probably worth hearing them out either way. She needed all the allies she could get to take on the Red Lotus. Though, with the number and forces they had brought to bear to meet her, it didn't really seem like walking away was a real option.
The Fullbringer stopped in front of the duo, and gestured to the doors, "Please, lead the way."
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Player
Better Vamoose Outta Here
vance
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Post by vance on Sept 5, 2022 8:45:13 GMT -5
Prometheus did not answer her, he just grunted in some guttural sound that was more of an acknowledgement that Niji had spoken rather than anything resembling an answer. Bea, on the other hand, was taking selfies and fixing her iconic straight up hair.
Prometheus moved to the door and held it open, and, unlike being in the presence of the Captain Commander, the Zodiac, or the Emperor, there was no threatening power being exuded from the members of the PD or M. Maybe, that was more dangerous, they had no need or reason to threaten anyone. Inside, the piano was being played by Jacob, while the Armorer, a woman in her early thirties was eating some melon she had scraggly hair and looked like she had no concept of the word sleep. Prometheus and Bea stood at the door, and the skinny young man that made up the last of the PD was currently playing a phone game.
M, sat on a couch facing the planes on the Jetway, from the view, it was obvious that time was still passing. M had lots of god-like abilities, but even it knew things like that should not be tampered with lightly. "To spare you from the usual. Yes, I am M. Yes, I did threaten the Aspect of Chronos on multiple occasions. Yes, I am at war with the Fates. Yes, I dislike both Soul Society Branches, and yes I have spies in every organization. No, I will not jerk you around. No, this isn't like the CIA in the movies, my Agents and the PD are much less expendable than the people, like Janus that I threaten because they don't want my protection. I am not a good person, and you have three things I need."
M stated, it's voice was very polite. "Call me M, I am the Director of the Spangler Institute, or as most people know us, the Other Government Agency. They have also called us The Knights of Kay. The free Masons, The Seekers, The Knights of Catherine. Illuminati. The Protectors. The Kingsman The Special Section. The Roswell Rapid Response Team, The Shadow of the Archmage. The Carnaki College. Pleasure to meet you, Niji Hikari."
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Post by Niji on Sept 6, 2022 10:56:37 GMT -5
And so into the lion’s den she walked. A handful of beings that could match her for strength, and their apparent boss who was clearly hiding his strength. Clearly, they knew who she was, but she presumed this organization had known that since her encounter with Vance. Any investigative agency worth their salt would have been able to find her rental car and who it was registered to.
Niji held her face perfectly impassive as M introduced itself, there was no reason to be aggressive towards this being. She was already trying to take down one monster, while she had little expectation she would not be allies with this self-declared “not a good person” it was clear that the leader of the OGA had a transactional relationship in mind. Part of her wanted to call them out on their bullshit immediately, this whole thing was jerking around. A play to intimidate her into doing what they wanted, and a vague mention of ‘three things’ that were desired before further introducing themselves. Of course, talking to people was her literal job, and it was no effort to hold that part back.
The Fullbringer offered them a formal bow when it seemed M had completed listing the various titles his organization had gone by, ”A pleasure to meet you as well, M.”
She stood back up and stared at them, her face a mask betraying no hint of fear or anger. She said nothing further, given that M had decided they were cutting to the chase; it was probably best to leave it at that and let the individual who was clearly used to dominating a conversation lead the meeting.
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Player
Better Vamoose Outta Here
vance
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Post by vance on Sept 6, 2022 16:57:03 GMT -5
M offered a seat on the other couch. Though it was more or less a formality than anything that mattered. "The way we see it, you have a few choices. We are willing to offer you a spot on the PD and full status as an Agent of the Spangler Institute. All associated perks of being an Agent, and flexible hours. No more threats, and you would be held to the standards of any other member of the PD, which is mainly backup and things like this. You know, forcibly abducting people who go fucking with the timeline and bending the rules." M pointed out as it took a sip from the soda in front of it.
"We also need something that idiot Diviner decided to abuse. THAT is non-negotiable. You, are not Gaia, the real one, yes yes, how would I know. Well that's obvious. The issue is that you bent reality when you backtracked. We call it a perpetuating prophecy. I-" M stated before correcting itself. "We, need something only Gaia knows were it is."
"The last two things are messes you got yourself into, so the least you can do is clean them up. The Red Lotus, and its serial killer inspired powerhouses. Along with a very naughty few apprentices, has to burn. After all, Shoot it, Or Recruit it, and all of them deserve to be shot." M stated.
"The Three, they, because they went unabated, and the item they carry allows them to bend time like a cheap rubber dildo have four pieces of eight. Have to be stopped as well." M stated. "We are offering compensation for each of these, as well offering to protect anyone you get to help you. Normally we don't do free passes, while you don't get one, with how close this is getting to all out war, you can see the appeal." M stated.
"Finally, I apologize for the Investigation Departments Vance Holiday. He's not exactly very strong, but he's not in the organization because he's strong, he's decent at following bread crumbs and his unique soul is a a tool we can abuse." M said.
"So, any questions?" M asked, still aiming to be polite.
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Post by Niji on Sept 9, 2022 12:47:49 GMT -5
Niji’s face remained passive as she listened to M rattle off the supposed options. She barely inclined her head, no hint of the irritation she felt touching her face, ”Yes, several. Before I get into them, I am going to assume that your organization has done as much research on me as you reasonably could. Both with regards to my spiritual activities under the alias Gaia and my mortal activities as Niji Hikari.”
The leader of the OGA nodded in confirmation as she continued, ”So you know I already have a very full schedule. For your first option, my questions are the following: What does PD stand for, and for that matter, what does M stand for? How many hours a month would be expected of me, and what sort of assets would be at my disposal?”
She continued, assuming that M had the capability to keep track of all these questions, ”Now, for your second option, obviously I know I am not a primordial Greek deity, nor have I ever pretended to be outside of using it as an easy-to-remember alias. Please explain what you mean by a perpetuating prophecy, and are you saying there is an actual Gaia that you need me to contact?”
The woman’s face remained passive, her voice matter of fact as the questions kept coming. Next up, the comments about the Red Lotus, ”You mentioned you have spies in every organization, I assume that includes the Red Lotus. I already have some plans in motion to tear out the organization by the roots; or, at the very least, removing Virgil. I disagree with your assessment that all of them deserve to be shot, I already have one Zodiac that I know is a good person and will work with me. What support will your organization offer me in this endeavor?”
The fates were an odd thought, honestly; she had expected one of them to come harass her in the Hofgarten, but she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of them, ”I would like clarification on what the pieces of eight are. And, frankly, I am surprised the Three are trouble for your organization; Atropos ran when we…” Niji’s voice cracked slightly at the word, memories of nearly fighting a literal incarnation of fate alongside Val too close to the false world she had lived, ”...when I opposed her with others of similar strength. I was weaker then, and even the three of us were practically an order of magnitude less than you have assembled today to come and recruit me.”
Which leads me to my final question.” The most important question, her eyes narrowed, her voice turning less matter-of-fact and more harsh, ”When the results of Tendo’s experiment threatened to destroy everything, why were your people not in that crater fighting at my side?”
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Player
Better Vamoose Outta Here
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Post by vance on Sept 9, 2022 16:45:12 GMT -5
M listened, attentively. At one point it made a symbol with its hands and another soda appeared in font of them and they took a sip or two. It seemed more than willing to answer once Niji had gotten through the bulk of her questions. M rubbed its hands as she finally neared the end of the line of questioning.
"I will start by addressing the elephant in your name. You, are not, Gaia, if you were, you would know where Excalibur and Caliburn were. Both of which are things I personally have been attempting to find for years. As far as Niji Hikari goes, we are familiar with your current spiritual activities and situation. What we want is her influence, there are spirits that you can communicate with, that shall we say have issues with me. Though until said Wish Ball and temporal incident, you were not considered enough of a problem to post something like this in front of you. Though you could honestly attribute that to either the Zodiac or the Soul Society's decision to protect the mad scientist Tendo." M pointed out prominently addressing his disgust for Soul Society's bullshit.
"Executing most of the Zodiac was on our list. We don't have the manpower since the former PD was demolished twenty years ago in the last draconic war. We had to rebuild poor Bea and Prometheus like ten times a piece. My former apprentice, and the fact that Virgil is sheltering them is more along our reasoning." M said as it rolled its neck, a massive crack from it as it moved, like something old and creaky.
M thought about the way to address the question concerning the Fates. "The Moria have issues in direct combat without the Iris or unleashing their power, and doing so is a bit like bringing a tank to a street fight. They avoid direct confrontation because they have rules, they don't go batshit when things aren't going their way, they do so when time is directly threatened. They also abused your little soiree into the future to take a piece." M pointed out, though it avoided saying from where. "The pieces of eight are trinkets imbued by the first beings to create an interdimensional transport ship. Think a hell butterfly on a much larger scale. Which, allowed them to effectively assault other dimensions. The actual transport is still around. The issue is the power of basically every in-between rubbed off on them. The issue is that they are capable of binding universes, well theoretically. Imagine an Earth with every spiritual realm there. Not a good concept." M pointed out and yawned.
"As stated earlier, the PD does not have enough power to fight an entire spiritual realm currently. Mostly cause we fight the threats that they do not. They keep balance, we fight threats. We also used Tendo's near world obliteration to steal something from the Fates and stop an Elder God from getting through the reactive tear from your wish using. Fighting multiple fronts is a difficult task." M stated, what it didn't say was that Grey had vanished into the abyss to stop the monster in question. On less member of the PD.
"The PD stands for Penny Dreadful, I did not name that part of the group. Frankenstein did, thinking it was funny back when he was one of the members. I guess you could say they're the Spangler Institutes version of the Captains." M stated and shifted.
"Ten working hours a month in transactional information, and on call when we need you. Full benefits world-wide, use of the Library and we protect your family and future generations. Finally I need you to act as liaison for a group of very asshole fairies. Which, I did mention earlier." M stated. "Act now and I'll toss in the private jet for your next vacation with the mister." M said sounding suspiciously like an evil used car salesman and for a second, something very sinister could be felt oozing out of its soul. "As for the one thing I did not address, M, I got from Bond actually. My real name is Merlin Satanspawn. And yes, I literally made the entire world forget that I was actually real."
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Post by Niji on Sept 18, 2022 14:19:16 GMT -5
Niji listened calmly, she had fairly quickly decided that she didn’t like M, but clearly they had a lot of power, so there was not much to be done there. While she felt confident she could probably have taken out one or two of the…ugh…”Penny Dreadful,” all of them at once, plus whatever tricks Merlin had would probably be a short fight that didn’t go in her favor. Strangely enough though, this situation was more comfortable and familiar to her than a fight. This was a negotiation, something she literally did for a living.
The Fullbringer shook her head, ”Correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds like there are only two things you really need me, and me specifically, for. One, you wish for me to determine a way to get in contact with the actual Gaia; personification of earth, primordial deity worshiped by the ancient Greeks. Two, you have a…strained…relationship with the Tuath Dé and their descendants, and given my pre-existing pact with them, you wish me to serve as an intermediary.”
She nodded and continued, ”I know little about the individual Zodiac members; I know one is a good man, and I know a bit about Virgil. I do not know practically anything about the rest, but I will be gathering information on them soon enough. I am willing to share information and work together on that task, regardless of my long term alignment with your organization.”
The Moriae were an issue, but they weren’t her issue. Hibano and the Red Lotus were the primary problems in her mind. ”Frankly, M; I do not have ten hours a month to spare. However, your mention of a private jet informs another possibility. I can move myself and others around the world with trivial effort. I lose more time in transit for business travel than I care to think about. If your organization can make it seem like I have followed the normal process and am on all the flights I am supposed to be on, that might provide me enough time to assist your organization.”
Frankly, it would be more than enough, one flight from Japan to Vegas one way was well over thirteen hours, private jet or no. And that was a fairly regular business trip for her; ditto flying to Germany. She might even get more hours in her life back if M went for it.
Niji shook her head slightly, ”But, simply put; even then I could not be on call for anything less than a world-ending threat. But I can potentially assist you with Gaia and the fair folk.”
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Player
Better Vamoose Outta Here
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Post by vance on Sept 20, 2022 20:06:33 GMT -5
M leaned back and rolled his shoulders thinking and waving over the scraggly looking woman in the researcher's smock. "Armorer, this woman needs to appear like she can travel on normal airways so she can grace us with her time." M stated and the Armorer nodded.
The woman opened her lips and her voice was more or less as you would expect, commanding and felt like she knew everything everyone else did not know. "List your itineraries via SI issued personal device and we will make it look like you are wherever you say you are on whatever plane train or automobile you are supposed to be on, complete with footage." She looked at M, as if asking to leave through her deep set sleep deprived eyes.
M waved her off and she went back to biting her nails in a corner. "The PD aren't called in unless it is that threating, though Prometheus and the Good Doctor usually respond to most things lesser agents can't handle as they have nothing better to do." M said before taking a sip of his drink.
"Your assessment is both correct and incorrect. I do want you to find Gaia, but I need you to steal something from her, not talk to her. How you go about that is your choice. The Tuatha I do not intend to antagonize at all, I actually need their help and an the wielder of an item I gave one of them years ago that we did not realize would be necessary till recently." M pointed out.
"So, now the question is simple." M said as runes all over his body began to glow and crackle with power. "Shoot, or Recruit." He asked as he held out a badge and ID on top of a smartphone looking device in one hand.
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Post by Niji on Sept 23, 2022 22:56:14 GMT -5
Niji rose an eyebrow as M gave instructions to the Armorer, and she couldn’t help but feel a kinship with the woman. Clearly competent yet still overworked, exhausted but still performing their job admirably; the entire operation would probably fall apart without her.
The fullbringer looked back at M with a frown, the glowing runes were clearly a threat; the same idiotic threat-slash-catchphrase Vance had used in Phoenix. She had a tendency to react poorly to threads, and she did not hide her displeasure as she spoke in a cold, clear voice. ”Do you think me an idiot, M? I know the value of pacts, and I will not be pressured into making one.”
She gestured towards the others in the room, then locked eyes with the leader of the Spangler Institute, ”While naming the dozens of names your organization has gone by, and listing answers to the questions you thought I had, you avoided the simplest one.”
Niji raised her hands, still not raising her reiatsu; there would be no point in a show of strength here. Remaining calm and unthreatened, in control of herself and the situation; no matter how out of her control the outcome really was. The being in front of her was an ancient entity, like the fates, and would likely understand the primordial languages. Which was good, because that strange speech, that managed to be both flowing and guttural; ephemeral and strong, had an interesting quirk.
Lies, half-truths, and any other conscious deception were impossible to speak in the language of the pact. She tended to tell the truth whenever possible anyway, so speaking in language was hardly ever an issue, for a creature such as M, used to double-speak and deception, it was the only way she could ensure a truthful answer, ”What, exactly, is the goal of your organization?”
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Player
Better Vamoose Outta Here
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Post by vance on Sept 26, 2022 13:30:31 GMT -5
"Our goal, is the eradication of inter-dimensional war. Most of which we don't start or have anything to do with, yet they all love using our planet for." M said, that should have been obvious. He could have gone with 'everybody wants to rule the world', but song references seemed inappropriate, plus, running the world was a waste of time and effort. That was a little too much of his Morningstar side for his liking.
The reality of it was more or less that M would have thought that Niji was smarter than that. There was no actual alternative motive or anything like that. M had a finite amount of resources and short of showing up in SS, killing everyone and ruining a bunch of supernatural laws of balance, there really was no easy solution to stopping everyone else who seemed to love using Earth as a war ground. Well, it had happened for a brief period in a time lost to M's ability to manipulate history over time.
What was the result of that, the other dimensions tried to destroy Earth entirely, and in saving it, M had let the one thing that had made it possible to even broker something like peace, die. He still had not forgiven himself and it all went in circles. "Though you are faced with a problem, you are being forced into a pact, or killed, cause honestly you're far more dangerous than even a captain in our opinion, and I don't have to kill you, I'm pretty sure the Moirai or Lotus will be glad to do that themselves. Do not mistake my ability to be patient with an unwillingness to take action."
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Post by Niji on Oct 4, 2022 11:57:49 GMT -5
Of course, M did not attempt to answer in the primordial tongue, which did not encourage Niji. And, of course, a thinly veiled threat followed the answer. The only indication of her displeasure was a slight narrowing of her eyes and a harsh edge in her voice. ”Perhaps if you wanted me to give you the benefit of the doubt, you should have reached out to me to arrange an actual meeting, rather than a surprise meeting and the 'shoot it or recruit it' pitch.”
The fullbringer shook her head, ”I do not respond well to threats, nor am I particularly inclined to take orders from someone who stated in the first few seconds of conversation they are not a good person. I am, and I will not compromise my morals for your organization.”
But…of course, she needed allies. While the being in front of her might consider her as dangerous as a Captain, she was not all-powerful. As she continued, her words echoed through the room, even though she didn’t raise her voice; the very sound was suffused with her reiatsu, ”For as long as our goals are aligned, and the relationship remains mutually beneficial, I will work with the Spangler Institute.”
She took the welcome package from M's outstretched hand, staring them in the eyes the whole time. The echo of her words faded as she checked the time on the phone, ”I am supposed to be on flight JL 60 in a half hour, then AA 739 after a brief layover in LA. Do I need to be on those flights, or will the Armorer handle that?”
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Player
Better Vamoose Outta Here
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Post by vance on Oct 11, 2022 22:54:02 GMT -5
"The Armorer can deal with it, easier than having her get wrapped up in some new experiment that may only end well for her." M said, as he nodded at the woman who pulled out a small tablet and began doing things that were definately not legal and with enough time would make her question the sanity of the world. The Armorer was quick to make it look like Niji was traveling like anyone else. Though asking her how would not have made her happy.
M focused back on Niji when he was sure that the Armorer was not going to change her mind and come up with something else to toy with before she got her job done. The apple really did not far fall from the tree, M thought and got up. "Then, I will refrain from the more straightforward interruptions in the future." M stated, nodding politely, if her reiatsu mattered to him, he did not show it. M was used to other problems, spiritual pressure was kind of something he frequently forgot people actually used to be threatening in her part of the world.
"So, let us begin with dealing with the Moirai, considering we have a few new recruits that seem very enthusiastic to deal with them, and it will give us time to also gather information on the others." M said and pulled up a picture of Rekka on his phone in all his fire glory of self-righteousness. "Know this guy?" M asked Niji.
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Post by Niji on Oct 12, 2022 21:07:25 GMT -5
Niji sighed as M decided to get straight down to business, ”So I take it there are no orientation materials I need to review." She glancing at the picture of Rekka; it wasn’t particularly surprising to see that the Institute had an interest in him, last time she had met him he had obviously had a few screws knocked loose by some encounter with Janus and the Moirai.
”Yeah, I know him.” She faintly nodded, ”Ninth Division, Third Seat, Hageshi Rekka. At least last time I saw him. First met him a few months back. He seemed friendly enough; eager to please, though I had just dealt with a Quincy that murdered his friend. He gave me the full set of Shinigami Academy textbooks, much to the consternation of his superior.”
The fullbringer hesitated for a moment before continuing, apparently the Third Seat was not only on their radar, but possibly even considered a new member of the Institute. ”But...he was different when I met him more recently, a few weeks before the Battle of Broken Skies. Prone to violence, erratic. He claimed to be seeing visions of other realities; his reiatsu had been corrupted somehow. An echo of the Moirai lingered in his reiatsu, I do not know which one.”
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Player
Better Vamoose Outta Here
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Post by vance on Oct 13, 2022 10:50:12 GMT -5
M wondered why the heck the shinigami would give away a full set of textbooks, then again they wanted to destroy the world to make a wish ball. Which was on par for the course, their organization seemed dumber every time that M heard more about it or one of the Institute spies wrote another report. "He was corrupted by the Moirai, they shoved most of your diviner friend's chronomancy into him by accident. Most likely unintended, as I can't see what in the bloody fuck an omniscient psychopath would help." M stated.
"What is, is the one that corrupted him, moving along he has recently gotten his hands on a an ancient artifact that can track the pieces of eight. Which, they had been using to get a head start on everyone. With it, I am hoping we can even the tides. Though the have a significant advantage over us currently." M said and waved a hand and a holographic image of what looked like a simple marble stone sphere appeared.
"It's called the Iris of Reality, it was a gift, from the person actually in charge of keeping the timeline, the timeline for lack of better terms. It allows whichever of the three that has it, to impart their will on time in order to keep it correct. Though, just as it can be used to protect time, it can be just as easily abused. This item is the reason we can't just go face first beat them up. So, I am going to have you and the shinigami get something from the Tuatha that can disable it for a short period. Then, hopefully you can take it in a most unpleasant method. But first, to prevent them from getting another piece of eight, I am going to request you take it from the British Museum. How you take it is at your leisure. Though a cautionary point, its not a place any supernatural being can just take anything they want." M stated as the PD phone pulled up an image of a feather pen under glass from the Caribbean era. "Anything else miss?"
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