A brand new set of loops, served hot on your doorstep with a little croissant.


2.01


The crash had taken him by surprise. After all, it's not everyday that you witness a whole dimension collapsing from the loss of her cetacean of a living-core. But he'd just checked his subspace pocket and it was working just fine, so he should be able to do what he'd wanted to do from quite a few loops already.


"Lord Morgan Pendleton?"

"What do you want soldier?" asked the impudent man.

"I am to escort you out of the club."

"What? Why?"

"The new owner wants you to leave the place immediately."

Utter shock appeared on the crazy twin's features. "New owner? What the heck are you talking about? Prudence would have never sold."

"Madame Prudence was proved guilty of using and disposing of clients possessions. Consecutively, she was arrested and taken to Coldridge Prison. Betty is now in charge of the club as requested by the buyer. Now follow me good sir, or I will have to resort to violence."


Buying the Golden Cat had stripped him of nearly two million coins, but the look on both of the twins's faces as they were dragged out of his building was just priceless.

Maybe next time, he'd bribed Daud and his Whalers. Working with the assassin's guild would probably be a good experience.


2.02


"Hey Cat, is your Mobious patch working yet?"

"Yes and no, Mis. It does enhance the loop's accessibility, but the pocket's still leaking in the Void."

"And there's nothing to do about it?"

"Nope."

"Harsh."

"Nah, it should be fine. Sleipnir tweaked it a little so that it won't crash the loop anymore and added a protocol to the local pockets-chart to go and chain the Leviathan to the Void if a connection is made with it."

"If it's made?" said Séléné, raising an eyebrow.

"Happening randomly, right?"

"Sadly, yes. The leaking probability was around 40% on each new iteration."

"Four chance out of ten on each loop? That's high."

"Well, I manage to lower the odds, but only to a 12% occurrence chance."

"Better, but still..."

"Yep."

"And knowing that it concerns local and visiting loopers alike..."

"Ok, I'll get the popcorn. It should be fun."

"Maybe not so much for Corvo." giggled the hunt goddess.


The royal bodyguard was unamused. His pocket was glitching again and … it happened.

"Drop it."

"Hooo, you're not funny Corvo. You should take one, that crystal cider is really good stuff. Man, I miss the living world sometimes."

"Seriously, drop it."

What was that damn Outsider thinking, downing his whole stash like this?

'Remind a former human of what he loosed by ascending to godhood' was so going on his 'no-to-do-ever-again' list.


2.03


Coughing blood, the empress's face twitched nervously. But despite her obvious pain, her eyes were focused, like in an attempt to carve her trusted emissary's face in her mind.

"Corvo... It's all... coming apart. Find Jessamine. Protect her. You're the only one. You'll know what to do. Won't you? Corvo?"

With those last words, Empress Emily Drexel Lela Kaldwin died in her bodyguard's arms.

Well, that was a first.


2.04


"High Overseer Campbell?"

"What do you want?" barked the corpulent-looking plotter.

"There is a rather urgent matter that we need to discuss."

"What kind of matter?"

"It's really sensible information over the empress's murder, sir. Can't we talk more privately?"

Letting out a sigh, the bulldog-headed man weighted those words for a brief moment, before a glint of malice proving some twisted logic appeared in his eyes.

"Fine, follow me"


"So, what is that so urgent information you want to talk about?" asked Campbell as his secret room's door closed in a rustling sound. It was fine leading the man here, as he would never leave the place. Not alive anyway.

"That's a nice lair High Overseer. Seriously, I love it."

"Stop goofing around and split it out."

"Split here? That would be terrible, the place is spotless. Well, except for that mattress over there, but I can see why. Seriously, ain't your lady friends cold without their clothes on?"

Grabbing the way too cheerful overseer by the collar, Campbell hissed. "Tell me all you know of the empress' murder before I loose what little patience I have left."

"Geez, cranky."

"I'll have you hung." he stated in a low angry voice.

"Doesn't matter, you'll paid for that little stunt you pulled with the Lord Regent."

He knew, that little jerk of an overseer knew.

"How can you know anything of it? There were no witness, Daud's man made sure of that."

"Come on, you're hiring hex-powered assassins to get Jessamine Kaldwin killed and you seriously expect that nobody will figure it out? Since us, overseers, are formed to hunt such Void freaks, you must really think lowly of your own men to hope we will be blind enough to brush it off, High Overseer."

"You want to know what I think of you? You're but cannon folder and you'll die as such. Don't worry, we'll bury you in a sweet coffin as a town's hero."

Still holding the impertinent fool by the neck, Campbell's other hand closed on his sword handle and drew it out in a swift motion. In the next second, the blade struck down.

But no blood was shed, as a glowing hand had came up to block the sharp metal. Mouth gaping, the High Overseer was wondering how it was possible, when he heard a faint chant coming from behind the man's mask, in a voice as cold as ice.

"Hado 90: Kurohitsugi."

As his body and soul were crushed by the time and space disturbing field, he could only cursed his luck. Why did it have to be a Void zealot?

Corvo smirked as the dark coffin vanished. The overseer outfit was a keeper.


2.05


Coughing blood, the empress's face twitched nervously. But despite her obvious pain, her eyes were focused, like in an attempt to carve her lover's face in her mind.

"Corvo... It's all... coming apart. You're the only one. You'll know what to do. Won't you? Corvo?"

With those last words, Jessamine Attano née Kaldwin died in the arms of Lord Corvo Attano, widower Dunwall's Emperor.

Well, that was a first.


2.06


"Excuse me Piero, can you craft me something?"

"Sure Corvo, what is it that you need?"

Said man only extended his arm and put a blueprint on the workbench. The engineer took it and his eyes widened at the sketches.

"Those are Tallboy-making instructions. Where did you get those?"

The assassin only grinned. It would be a really diverting loop.


2.07


The thin but well-built man was glaring at him, left hand on his machete's handle and right hand fingers playing with his pure Franz-Josef styled beard.

"So newbie, why join us?"

"Just feel like it."

The stare was traveling him, from head to toe, like if it was scanning his whole soul. Would have been funny if it was, just to see the man's reaction.

"Well, you do seem like a capable guy and I like hot-headed minions. Just try not be be too hot-headed, or I'll have to cool you out of it."

Slackjaw raised his arm, presenting an open hand. As Corvo took it, the criminal smiled.

"Welcome to the Bottle Street Gang."


2.08


Coughing blood on the river of raven hair lightly touching his skin, the emperor's face twitched nervously. But despite his obvious pain, his eyes were focused and his breath was steady, like in an attempt to carve in his mind the delicate curves made by the flow of tears on his trusted emissary's face.

"Reaven... It's all... coming apart. Find Emile. Protect him. You're the only one. You'll know what to do. Won't you? Reaven?"

With those last words, Emperor Jessar Kaldwin died on his bodyguard's lap.

Well, that was a … well no, gender bender do tend to happen. Just... never on such a scale before.


2.09


Awakening in Dunwall prison, Corvo opted for a loop filled with good old murders. The not-so-subtle way of crossbowing and cutting through all of this curing-the-city-of-its-madmen crap once in a while was keeping him in shape. But this time around, it would be grandiose, gory... and furry. The Outsider's mark started to shine.
The evil smile Corvo displayed quickly died as his summoning ended and he felt a high-powered ping spread across the city.


The Anchor was confused. Since his time in the Bleach universe and his crash-course on Fused-loops, he'd expected to introduce fellow loopers to his home loop... but did his very first visitor really have to be that weird?
"I kill or incapacitate all of them in the next couple of days, bring Emily back on the throne and we're pretty much done. Any question?"
The white bunny replacing his usual Devouring Swarm shook his head, took what was clearly a sword-shaped carrot out of his subspace pocket and hopped out of the cell. The screams soon followed.


2.10


"Mom, what are those men doing on the rooftop?" asked the little princess, fear making her voice shake.

Dunwall's protector was about to walked to her when the men suddenly vanished out of reality in a bunch of swirling vortex. As surprising as that was, any questions the witnesses may have had were cut short by the opening of what looked like a portal made of Void energy.

"Corvo Attano, do you mind explaining what's happening with time? " asked the well-dressed man floating out of this dimensional gateway.

With growing dread, the little heiress babbled "Who's that?".

"That, Emily, is the Outsider."

The little princess could swore she heard Corvo mutters "And he's ruining my fun again."


2.11


The royal bodyguard was glad for this whole time-loops situation. In a life of violence and betrayal, Corvo had managed to stay sane and pick up a few hobbies because of the extra time he had. One of said hobbies was fine art.

For quite a few loops already, his subspace pocket was large enough for him to hold onto Sokolov's paintings. He had every important Dunwall personalities, a few representations of the Void, the Leviathan and even the Outsider, as well as a few paintings of himself in and out of his assassin's mask. But the one he cherished the most was the one portraying Emily's coronation. The loop had lasted long enough for Sokolov to finish his work and for Corvo to grab it and stuff it in subspace.

But today, with this little twist from the loops, his private collection was gaining a new piece which was replacing Empress Emily Drexel Lela Kaldwin's Coronation as his favorite art.

"How … how can you know?" asked in a small whisper the man holding his target at knife-point in its very own office. His hands were shaking as his mind tried to make sense of the portrait displayed before him.

"I'm in your head, Corvo" answered the paint-stained artist in a raspy yet happy voice, so unlike his usual one.

His "Unmasked Shadow" was truly a masterpiece and the look on his unawake self was so worth it.


2.12


"Excuse-me, is this place taken?" asked a teenage girl from behind a bangs of blond hair.

From the very first loop, Corvo Attano had always found Awakening disturbing. You were minding your own business, such as leading Emily through the palace's throne room or getting shot at by overseers, when the loops came crashing in to throw you around like a ragdoll.

As his own loop usually started with Jessamine's murder, facing what looked like an eleven year old girl with a weird accent was highly disturbing in itself. But what was even more disturbing was that he was himself a young lad. But hey, after all these loops, after once finding himself trapped in a female version of his body, and even in Sokolov's one, he was quite glad that he only got rejuvenated this time.

Before he could tell the girl that no, the seat was not taken by anybody else, Corvo felt a massive ping rushing over him. It had even more energy to it that the one done by the weird white rabbit. He almost felt like he was back in the Seireitei, with so much power flooding him in a split second. Pinging back, even adding reiatsu and a small touch of void energy for good measure, Corvo apologized to the girl and left the wagon he was in. From his ping, the local looper had most likely realized that the imperial protector was a fresh newcomer to the loops, for he or she (or it, if he trusted Kurosaki) was now flaring reiatsu in huge waves. Like a fly drawn to a light source, except that he was no fly and the light source was a freaking lighthouse, he was leaded to a new wagon on the other end of the train. Opening the door, he met a smirking glass-wearing guy with a lightning-like scar on the forehead.

They shared a warm handshake, as the local looper introduced himself. "Harry Potter, Anchor of the Hogwarts Loop."

"Corvo Attano, Anchor of the Dunwall Loop." replied the royal bodyguard.


Hope you liked it.

2.01 - Economy's awful but so useful too.

2.02 - Pocket leaks will be a thing here, expect it in the future.

2.03 - Just a small swap.

2.04 - I soooo want a overseer's mask for Christmas, they look awesome. And Kuroitsugi, simply because I like that kidô.

2.05 - No Emily's not such a bid deal. The game would have been so much easier without worrying for her.

2.06 - If only we could have take over one of those tilted exploding assassin, it would have been so much fun. Too bad.

2.07 - Well, what can I say? Unlimited smuggler alcohol.

2.08 - Female Corvo, a real beauty I think.

2.09 - Fluffy death incoming.

2.10 - Void portals, never throw yourself in them without proper protection.

2.11 - Thought it was appropriate, since an assassin spreading blood stains on carpets and walls is as much of an artist as a painter spreading paint on a blank canvas.

2.12 - The opening of a whole set of Hogwarts stories.

See you next chapter for the continuation and end of Corvo's new Fused Loop.