A/N:
" " : Dialogue,
' ' : Thought,
"Italicized text" : Telepathy,
"Bold text": Shadows,
[ ] : System,
| | : Artificial Intelligence.
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Location: Earth, Asia, China, Guizhou Province, Ten Rings Headquarters
September 1, 2006
Ashwani POV
Twenty days have passed since I made my changes to the Daily Quest, and in that time I had amassed enough bonus points to push all my stats up by 51 points, as well as trained the Iron Body Reinforcement and Resilience skills to Level 5 and 9 respectively. I also got 5 more Instance Dungeon Keys from the Random Boxes, as well as a few potions and some miscellaneous loot like bandages, water bottles and the like.
As for Shang and Xialing, they've been making some good progress in both their education and martial arts training – for a 6 and a 3-year-old, that is – courtesy of the nanomachines I stealthily implanted into their bodies. I had these ones only give them an eidetic memory, without all of the other benefits of my nanomachines. As for their healing after training, I simply poured a Mythical Healing Potion that I bought from the system shop into a thermos that I made with my nanomachines, that also has the Perpetuity Charm cast on it.
That's the spell that Strange cast on the mug of beer that he gave Thor in the main 199999 timeline, which makes the contents of the affected container endlessly regenerate to the limits of said container. For Strange, he used his knowledge of time magic after studying the Time Stone to do that, while I used Agamotto's and Cagliostro's knowledge of time magic, along with a bit of transmutation and replication to do mine. With this, I won't really need to be all that concerned about having potions to use when I eventually have to go on long hunts or into difficult fights… whenever I eventually face one.
I taught them directly, educating them on language, math, basic science and technology literacy. But when it came to their martial arts training, I had to use a body double made from my nanomachines, as my body is far too strong for them. Even using my Void Doppelganger was too dangerous for them, but what with me essentially piloting a robot, that danger went down significantly.
Ying Li still supervised me during their training, but upon seeing that she wouldn't have to worry about them, she lessened the supervision to be more present and involved with her kids. Wenwu did come around during their breaks to ask them what they learnt, but I could tell that he was trying to figure out what exactly I was hiding in my base.
Yeah, if it wasn't clear enough, I made a base here at the Ten Rings Headquarters. If I want to head back to Kamar-Taj, I'll just portal into my base over there. I set this one up mostly the same as the one in Kamar-Taj, but with a few differences here and there. For one, the training area here had to be increased in size to accommodate both mine and the kids' training. And the research area also had to be made just a bit larger than the one over there, mainly because I've started working on some stuff to help other metahumans.
The most valuable thing to come out of those efforts is what I call the Factor Regulator. It uses some principles from the Inhibitor Collars that Trask was supposed to make, but to something of a lesser degree. It essentially links with a metahuman's bioelectric field/chi and basically limits it to being underneath their skin. This is mainly made for metas like Rogue, Plague and Wither, whose touch is deadly to others.
That was what it would do at its base without any changes. Normally, when it is worn by anyone, it will quickly release nanomachines into the wearer's system and eventually become customized to each person wearing it. It also carries a universal translation program within it, so metas like Doop or Artie can more easily communicate with others without fear of not getting their words across because of whoever they are conversing with not understanding them.
Making the Factor Regulator isn't the only important thing that I have spent my time doing here. I have also been able to analyze Wenwu's Ten Rings, and while they're not the 616 version, so far, they haven't disappointed me. I had the nanomachines in my body all gain the empowerment ability of the Rings increasing all my stats by 50%, and as for the energy barrier, pulse and blast, those have been added to the Block Party's shield function and the Funchucks' and Bad Axes' energy projection function. The energy chains were given over to Abyss, strengthening her own chains, tendrils and spikes.
I'll soon get my chance to use all of these, but for the time being, I'm going to help out my fellow metas. With that, I step out of my base and activate Phantom Veil. It's currently the dead of night here in Guizhou, so the Xu's have all headed in to relax before going to sleep. I phase through the door to their home and place 5 of my Shadow Ninjas in each of their shadows, even Wenwu's. This should easily work as a safety net… for the time being.
…
Location: Earth, North America, USA, Mississippi, Caldecott County
Omniscient POV
In the quaint rural area, as the birds sing in the dew-soaked morning, a dark-skinned, brown-eyed man wearing a tan suit and brown trench coat walked up to a house and knocked on its front door. After waiting for a bit, the door creaked open, just enough for someone's foot to fit through. "Hello, how may I help you?" A blonde woman asked from inside, looking at the man suspiciously. "Hey, Raven. It's me. May I come in?" The man said, as his eyes turned violet.
The woman, who was Raven Darkholme in disguise, had her eyes widen in recognition. "Ash? What are you doing here?" She asked, clearly surprised that he had managed to locate her, especially since she kept her private life separate, and therefore secret from the rest of the Brotherhood. "I'll explain that, preferably where no curious ears can hear." He replied, motioning to be let in.
She opened the door and stuck her head out, looking to see if anyone had tailed him. "Okay, come in." She said, heading back into the house, with the man following her inside. As the door shut, the man suddenly had his outward appearance dissolve into darkness, which was then absorbed, revealing him to be none other than Ashwani.
Raven looked at him with an expression that clearly told him to explain himself. "I found out where you live from the small animals that have been dying around here. And as for my shapeshifting, that's a secret." He said with a finger to his mouth. "I see. You never told us all your abilities, did you?" She asked. "Nope. Besides, it's not hurting anyone that doesn't know… except my enemies, of course." He replied.
"Now, where are Anna and Irene? I came by to help them." He said, and Raven shook, almost as if wondering how he knew of them. "Let me guess, the memories of the dead?" She said. "Yeah. But then again, your little stint as Sherlock helped me out as well." He replied, causing Raven to roll her eyes. "Follow me." She said, guiding him to a bedroom.
Inside the room, laying on the bed was an aging woman with hair that was more gray than brown and a pair of sunglasses over her eyes. This was none other than Irene Adler, Raven's wife and the precognitive metahuman known as Destiny. "Hey, love. A friend came by to visit." Raven said, sitting beside her and placing a soft kiss on her cheek.
"Hello, Destiny. I'm Ashwani Bourne. It's a pleasure to meet you." Ashwani said, calmly putting a hand forward for a handshake. "I'm surprised that anyone apart from Raven remembers that name, seeing as I've not used that identity for quite a while now." Irene said, shaking his hand. "Well, let's just say that I remember a lot more than most people could ever forget." He said, and before Irene could pull her arm back, she felt a small pinch on her palm.
After Ashwani released her hand, she put her other hand on her palm, but felt nothing off, only to hear Raven gasp in shock. "Raven, what's…" She began asking, only to stop, as she felt her body begin to change. She felt her joints loosen and her skin become firm and smooth. Everything that had become more difficult for her with age suddenly became much easier, almost as if she was young again.
"What… What did you do to her?" Raven asked Ashwani, as she checked her wife's drastically improved physical condition. "Nothing bad. Just injected her with something that increased her lifeforce by quite a bit. Her current lifespan has been extended by 30 years thereabout." He said, then pulled out what looked like a wristwatch. "Now, I've gotta get this to Anna..." He said, but Raven grabbed his arm before he took a step.
"No. You will tell me exactly what you've done to Irene… or I won't allow you to take a step close to my daughter." She said, out of caution rather than fear. Meanwhile, Ashwani just raised an eyebrow before deciding to acquiesce to her demand, even though he could just do what he wanted without anyone in the area being capable of stopping him.
He brought out the thermos with Mythical Healing Potion inside it, then began explaining. "Inside this is a powerful healing potion that I created via my magic. Normally, it just helps to heals wounds, but I ran some experiments on another batch of the potion. I added some powdered dragon bones, which contain a great amount of lifeforce. With a few tweaks, I made it so that instead of just healing the body of anyone who takes it, it instead supercharges their lifeforce. So most of the damage that aging has brought is essentially reversed after taking it, whether you drink it or have it injected into your body." He explained, then returned the thermos into his inventory.
"And that? What would that do to Anna?" Raven asked him, gesturing to the watch-like object in his hand. "This is a Factor Regulator. It helps regulate abilities granted by someone's X-Factor. I made it for metas like Anna, who are currently unable to control their abilities, especially when those abilities are harmful to others when left uncontrolled." He said, fiddling with it. "It's one of the things I used Trask's shadow to develop. I meant it when I said that he'd use his talents for metahumankind." He said, returning it to his inventory.
Raven looked at Ashwani's impassive face, then at the Regulator. "Fine, follow me." She said, then guided him to her adopted daughter's room. Raven let out a breath, as if steeling herself, then knocked on the door. "Yeah?" A female voice with a sharp southern tang in it responded from inside. "Anna. Someone's here to meet you." Raven said. "Tell them to go away." The girl, Anna Marie, said without missing a beat.
"Anna. He's here to help you." Raven said, and after a few seconds of silence, the door was unlocked. The door creaked open slightly, and a teenage girl with a wild mane of brown hair with a prominent white streak on the front peeked out. "Hello, Anna. It's a pleasure to meet you." Ashwani said with a business smile. Anna looked at him, then at Raven with a face that essentially said; "This is who you're saying can help me?". "I know that I definitely don't seem to be able to help you, but I hardly ever say that I'll do something without either having the ability to do it, or the ability to get myself to be able to do it." He said, familiar with the art of reading body language.
Anna was a bit surprised that he was able to tell what she was thinking with just a look, but she stayed skeptical of his ability to actually help her. "I know what your ability is, Anna. And I know exactly how to help you. All you have to do is suspend your disbelief this once. So, please, may I come in?" He said, and with a strong exhale, Anna opened the door fully, giving her tacit approval to his request.
As he entered the room, he manifested a chair from his Darkforce, keeping it from radiating its usual aura, so as to not spook Anna. "Please, relax. I'm here to help, not judge you." He said, and she sat at the edge of her bed, never taking her eyes off him.
"From what I've been able to ascertain, your ability makes it so that any living thing that you touch has its vital energies absorbed by you, or in more scientific terms, you drain their bioelectricity." Ashwani said, and Anna nodded, albeit a bit confused. "For regular people, this is particularly dangerous, as it means that you're directly absorbing their lifeforce, which at best, would leave them comatose for a while, and at worst would kill them." He said, and Anna was reminded of Cody Robbins, the boy she had kissed well over 3 years ago, that was still in a coma.
"However, for your fellow metahumans, things are different." He said, pulling her attention back to him. "If you were to touch a metahuman, due to our powers being biological, not only would you absorb our lifeforce, you would also absorb our powers. But even that isn't the worst of it. If you don't mind me asking, when you kissed Cody, what else was going through your mind?" He said, and Raven looked at him angrily, but he ignored her.
"I know that it might seem invasive, but I want to help you. And I need to have some understanding of the issues you have faced as a result of your powers… beyond regular humans ostracizing you, since almost all of us go through that." He said, and Anna nodded. "When I noticed what was happening to Cody, I also felt something else. It was like I was Cody for a second. I could actually feel how he felt, all the way up until he kissed me." She said, looking down at her gloved hands with a sombre face.
"Hmm, so extended physical contact also started to cause you to absorb his neurological signals." Ashwani pointed out calmly, then brought out the Regulator. "Excuse me." He said, then used Ruler's Authority to pull off her gloves and place the Regulator on her wrist.
As the Regulator wrapped around her wrist, she jumped back, away from Ashwani, and shook her hand vigorously, trying to get it off. To her shock, Ashwani quickly grabbed her bare hand, causing her to gasp and close her eyes in fear, not wanting to see what her powers would do to him. But after a few seconds, she noticed that she hadn't heard the sound of someone slumping, as she remembered Cody doing, and she opened her eyes to see Ashwani calmly smiling at her.
"Don't worry anymore, Anna. You're fine now." He said, then let go of her hand. "And I think there's someone else you might have wanted to touch for a while." He said, as Raven walked up to her. Anna looked at Raven as thoughts ran through her head, leaving her stuck in place. This was the woman, who alongside her lover, chose to take her in even after the incident with Cody. She didn't know the reason for that kindness, but so far, that kindness had never turned to scorn or abuse, despite her powers.
Anna remembered how she had been treated by her biological aunt, which led her to run away and fend for herself, and the people around soon gave her the moniker of Rogue. Raven, someone who was an outcast due to her shapeshifting abilities, took her in alongside Irene, her lover, and the two women have been nothing but loving to her, even after the incident with Cody. If she was given the chance to alter her past, she would reject it almost entirely, just so she could live with Raven and Irene. The only regret she's had is that she hasn't been able to touch either of them since her abilities as a metahuman emerged.
So, now seeing that she could touch them, her heartbeat spiked in anticipation as Raven got closer. Raven hugged her daughter, and after a few seconds, Anna returned the hug. After a few seconds of hugging, tears began to fall from Anna's eyes, her heart overwhelmed with joy. Ashwani watched the pair with a smile, then turned to leave. "I bid you adieu, Ms. Darkholme." He said, donning his disguise once more as he left the house, but not before surreptitiously leaving a few Shadow Ninjas in Irene's and Anna's shadows.
Meanwhile, Irene called over her lover, who rushed over with Anna behind her. "Raven. He's the one. He'll change the world… for all of us." Irene said with tears in her glowing eyes, almost as if the vision she was seeing was overwhelmingly beautiful.
…
Location: Earth, North America, USA, New York, New York City, Manhattan, The Alley
In the 1950s, the US government had tunnels built underneath the city of Manhattan, with the intention of using them as shelters in the case of a national emergency. These tunnels had been abandoned by them, as they hadn't faced such since the tunnels were completed, and with knowledge of the tunnels not being disseminated to the public, the tunnels remained empty, but only for a while. Now, these tunnels were inhabited by mutants whose powers had drastically changed their appearance, making them look for somewhere to live away from the eyes of society. These tunnels were now simply referred to as the Alley, and right now, they had a visitor.
At the main entrance, Ashwani walked down the tunnel, his disguise long since removed and his footsteps as silent as could be, yet his presence easily drew the attention of the Morlocks that inhabited the Alley. A large man with a hunched back, wearing a green jacket and yellow shirt – both of which had their right sleeves torn off, blue pants that were torn at the hems, and bandages on his feet, walked forward, his body looming over Ashwani. "State your business." He said with a deep voice.
"I'm here to meet Callisto and Caliban, Mark." Ashwani said to the man, who he identified as Mark Hallett, or as he was otherwise known, Sunder, one of the leading figures amongst the Morlocks. "Oh, and how exactly do you know about us?" A female voice said from further away. Ashwani turned over to the source of the voice, and standing there was a fair-skinned woman with black hair and an eyepatch over her right eye, Callisto.
"It's part of my abilities." Ashwani said, then looked over to the wall that Callisto was resting on. "You gonna show your face, Caliban? Or are you that surprised to see the Omega level metahuman that awakened less than three months ago?" He said, hinting that he knew of Caliban's ability to sense the X-gene. Caliban walked out from behind the wall, seemingly afraid of Ashwani. He was a lanky, bald man with sickly pale skin and abnormally large, green-tinted eyes, dressed in torn red jacket and pants, which were held up by a rope, and like Sunder, he too wore bandages on his feet in place of shoes.
"Why are you here?" Caliban asked. "To make the Morlocks an offer." Ashwani quickly replied. "Oh? And just what can you offer?" Callisto asked, almost mockingly, but Ashwani let it pass. "A better life and a new home… for all metahumans." Ashwani said, letting the full weight of his presence fall on their shoulders. Upon hearing his words, they seemed like they would have laughed in his face, but his presence pre-emptively silenced them.
"I'd prefer that we had a serious conversation. Capisce?" Ashwani said, and they all nodded, unsure if they could even slow him down, should he have chosen to attack them. Luckily for them, he was there with more benevolent intentions.
…
Ashwani POV
The talks with the Morlocks went pretty good, all things considered. I was able to give Plague, Doop and Artie Factor Regulators, and I even familiarized myself with some of the other Morlocks, like Postman, Shatter, and Marrow – who's actually younger than me, believe it or not. I also met up with sweet old Annalee and Ape, and unpleasantly with Masque, the treacherous bastard. I slipped a Factor Regulator on him, but put in a Phantom Veil skill chip. Amongst the many people that stay in the Alley, Masque is one of the least trustworthy people, so I left that on him, just in case he does something stupid.
As a bit of security, I left behind all of my remaining Shadow Ninjas – of which there are over 800, having them stay hidden in the shadow of the Alley and its inhabitants. I do not give a damn who Sinister sends, I won't allow a Morlock Massacre to happen in this universe. If Victor is a part of the Marauders when they come to attack, I'll be sure to make good on the promise I gave him.
But right now, that wasn't what was on my mind. I'm currently in Egypt, specifically, in Qena, not far from the Nile, holding an S Rank Dungeon Key in my hand – the only one of the 7 Keys in my inventory, with Phantom Veil active. Letting out a breath, I activated the key, opening a Gate. I planned to finish up all of the Dungeons, before taking on the Demon Castle. I already have enough food to last me two whole weeks, so I could actually do that. I'm sure Shang and Xialing can do without my tutelage for that time. With all that done, I pulled out Black Rift and let Abyss flow freely, then stepped into the Gate. I don't know what the hell's in this dungeon, but I know that they're all gonna be my soldiers when I'm done with them.
Chapter End.
Word Count: 3,738
Thanks for reading!