Well that wasn't too bad, first night in Boston General just getting acquainted with the various doctorbs and shit I'd be working with, scouting out the lay of the land, cracking jokes and breaking the ice.

"My employer would like a brief meeting with you, Dark Smoke Puncher."

"Uhh…" I gawped at the elegant librarian looking chick who approached me. "No?"

I'd tripped the Infohazard, Cauldron was making their move.

"If that is your answer then my employer will consider this as non-acquiescence to their request," Natalie Acre smiled. "And respond accordingly."

"My escort is waiting outside."

Oh fuck, GStringGirl! She still hadn't messaged me back! Oh no no no no.

Natalie shook her head, intricately woven platinum earrings swaying with the movement. "This meeting will not cause any problems on that end, you have five seconds to decide."

I stood there for five seconds like a dumb animal until she turned on her heel and left. A jolt of pure panic rushed from my head to my toes, leaving me feeling like I'd been dunked in Polar seas, and my legs started moving; carrying me after her. The panic freeze left, making me feel clammy and sweaty, but then it hit me, this wasn't a worst case scenario, (in which I would commit suicide by shooting myself three times in the back of the head with a shotgun,) they just wanted to talk. Sure I was probably going to end up as an 'indentured servant' to the Power Mob, but that sure as fuck beat dying.

My legs carried me down the ramp behind Natalie 'Lunaire' Acre because even if I wanted to I couldn't run, not from her at this time of night. Desperate thoughts scrambled around inside my head, strategies I might use against Accord even though complicated plots were apparently literally his power; I was still an order of magnitude smarter than the smartest person to ever live.

In theory, because it sure as hell didn't feel like it.

My brain continued to produce nothing of value as we approached a pitch black limousine, merely giving flashbacks to Menma AMV's where cool shit happened. All the hair on my arms and legs raised to stand on end and my eyes burned with unshed tears.

Natalie opened the drivers door and got into the seat, leaving me standing there alone until the window at the very back slid open soundlessly. I swallowed and shuffled over.

Quest 'There is no spoon' complete!
Rewards: 10 000xp, 1 perk point

[I leaned down, hands on my knees, "sup, manlet?"]
[I casually stuck my head in the window, forearms leaning on the edge of the opening, "Accord brah, what's good?"]
["Had you're eye on me, huh, gay boy?" I grinned, giving him a wink and reaching in to ruffle his hair.]
["I think Cauldron sucks!" I shouted in his face before blowing up the car.]

I didn't do any of these things, I just stood there as the thousand different parts of Accords mask shifted into a polite smile.

"Dark Smoke Puncher," he said in a voice of power much larger than his physical stature.

I tried not to think about the end of the world.

"Accord."

"Neither of us have the time so I will cut to the chase," Accord said sternly. "I have been informed you have a power that will allow you to root out my entire organisation by merely looking at us, and due to this I will offer you a bargain. Do not, and neither will I destroy you. There is a balance at play here I would very much like to keep, and I would like to point out that this is the difference between Coil and I; I am giving you an opportunity."

"Ok," I said. "Tell them I'm backing off."

Accord's mask furrowed. "Tell whom?"

"When they ask you," my voice echoed in my ears like I was under water. "Tell them I'm backing off."

"Very well," Accord said after a short pause. "Should they ask I shall tell them. Hopefully we never have to meet again, good evening Dark Smoke Puncher."

His window rolled up and the limousine peeled away as I tried not to think about the end of the world.

+1 CHA!

I thought about the end of the world.

If you had asked me five months ago, when I was a simple street juggler, if I wanted to be embroiled in a grand conspiracy and save the world I would have called you a faggot and said I'd rather die than miss out, but now? I don't think I can do this, Sam. In Accord's Observe bio, Cauldron were getting plans to survive the end of the world from his power; a power which scaled in direct relation to the difficulty of the problem. The only reason why an interdimensional power mafia would be committing so heavily to saving the dregs of this world would be to step out at the end and boldly ask, 'would anyone mind if I were king of this eternal blackness?'

Which meant there was going to be an eternal blackness. First thought was the obvious; Endbringers. It was right there in the name, and it was equally obvious that if they kept deep-dicking civilisation like they were we would eventually end up like Africa; a barbarous shithole ruled by parahuman warlords with an iron fist. Ironically, Accord already had a plan for that which had been suppressed by the government or, much more likely, the Cauldron operatives inside the government so that the eternal blackness they so desired to rule over came about faster. Insidious fucks, taking advantage of Endbringers to crown themselves king of the end of the world.

End of the world.

The world was going to end.

I, I needed to…

I… I needed to step up sit down. As I sank into a crouch I saw my escort hustling up to me, looking flushed and harried.

"Sorry I'm late, the traffic was a nightmare. This one car would just fucking not move out of my way."

I stood up and smiled, "yeah, no problem. I just walked out."

Acting has levelled up!


End of the world, huh? Never thought I'd have to be a doomsday prepper, but thems the breaks. I scrolled through a related forum, browsing for ideas I could steal; not a whole lot of good ones. For me anyway since I had to be extra sneaky so as not to give Cauldron a reason to ice me. My main plan was to become Triumverate and then when the time came leverage all the power that entailed to put my parents somewhere safe and then commission Dragon to build me a Mega Bunker to keep us all in to safely ride out the initial chaos. Then maybe I'd carve myself out a slice of the apocalypse, Weeb City 1, and reign as a Hokage-esque figure while trying to keep it peaceful. Either that or do it wandering vagabond style, crisscrossing America and righting wrongs as and when I found them.

And now I was going to have to step up my training to get ready for the end of the world, thanks Cauldron. I was going to have to go from a few hours after school to all fucking day, surely they wouldn't begrudge me that right? Or would it be too obvious I was planning something, even if that something was simply being alive. It was all so tiresome.

I slumped in my chair, resting my face on the cool desk. Maybe it would be worth it to join them, sell sword style, and profiteer from their profiteering because I obviously couldn't beat them. There was a lot of merit to this, as it would negate me having to do any of the heavy lifting myself and let someone else handle the apocalypse. Yeah, yeah maybe probably.

My phone beeped, the tone it used to announce PHO messages.

I turned the screen on and feverishly typed in my login pin.

I opened GStringGirl's message.

GStringGirl: I'm so sorry I didn't message you back straight away, but your last message was a lot to take in; especially for me. Initially I wasn't going to tell you, I never wanted to tell anyone, I just wanted to be normal friends but I don't think I can do that any longer. You know how I said I'm homeschooled and have really strict parents? It was all a lie, but I wasn't lying to hurt your feelings. I actually live at Westsons Maximum Security Parahuman Asylum, I'm a Case 53. If you've ever heard of the monster Garotte, that was me. I've killed people, I didn't mean to but I can't control my body it just doesn't do what I say you have to believe me I didn't mean to do any of it. I didn't know if I could trust you at the start, but then you got powers and joined the Wards and I thought maybe you could understand, and then you told me you could read a Case 53's real name; not that I just want you to do that for me! It would be nice but you don't have to I just thought it was time to tell you since you know about the amnesia and deformities first hand and weren't dismissive like so many people are. I'm sorry I lied to you all this time, but, well, this is me

New Quest! 'Stirring the cauldron'!
Now it's personal. You found out Cauldron's motivation, now it's time to find out what they really are; and if necessary, destroy them.
Success: ?
Failure: ?