A convention of reapers

The number of people he had claimed was unknown now. Dozens felt like the wrong number but there was no way to really say if that were the case. All he knew was there had to be someone that would come after him at some point. Detectives looking for the cause of so many people dropping dead from perceived heart attacks and the number of metahumans within this world was enough to make any assumptions likely.  Looking within him at times led to the sound of the souls, discordant voices howling within him that craved to be given flesh once again.  Even tonight he claimed two more souls to join the chorus of voice within. Lost, and wracked with what he assumed was agony in a way that had become comforting on these lonesome nights.  He took a bite from the pretzel in hand, and smirked pleased with himself.  The salty sea air held a certain majesty to it alongside the sound of crashing waves.

Despite how popular the ocean side might seem there were always places that one could find that were isolated. This was where he had found his next victim. A woman, maybe a few years older than him with dark brown hair and that look of fear locked within her eyes even after death had claimed her.  This buzz of power that came with consuming someones essence still ripped through him. Muscles violently tensing before becoming relaxed, breathing erratic and even his heartbeat speeding up. All unhealthy sounding symptoms, but he couldn’t help feeling euphoria within the moment.  There was always the question of why she was out here but then again he didn’t care. Instead, flipping through her wallet and pulling out any money he could find. The bills there were scant, but he managed to make use of them as best he could anyway.

This was his life, and he would live it to the fullest, even if that meant a few had theirs cut short.

Blinking a couple times his mind snapped back to the moment and the body. ”Sorry to dine and dash but I don’t want to be here when some idiot stumbles upon you.” Not that he ever was, considering he tended to call in the tips about these things a few hours after.  Well, not all the time. There was the time he set someones house on fire. Couldn’t have the more intellectual sorts catching on and trying to ruin his fun, or even a hero. Though that actually sounded pretty fun when he thought about it. Having someone trying to stop him in the name of justice and their despair would have been all the more amusing when he added them to the collection. Giving the body one last tap with his foot, Damian stepped away and smirked as a seagull squawked.

”Arrivederci.” He spoke to no one, hands buries into the pockets of his dark colored cargo pantss after finishing off the last bit of his junk food.  There was some time before morning came, so he wondered what he would do with the hours. There was likely a motel or something within walking distance he could used to spend that time, though that was money that could be put elsewhere. So many options he thought to himself and so much to do with his life. It just required taking as many lives in the process. Nothing that the species as a whole wasn’t recreating with their reproductive frequency. If anything he just did his small part in stopping the overpopulation of this great blue planet.  Sirens sounded off in the distance as he slipped into an alleyway and felt the sensation of something. His stomach roiling and the voices latching onto that sensation.

Colors danced along his vision for a moment as he stumbled against a dumpers and felt the metal crush under his grip. His breath held itself until it came out in a long whoosh. ”Calm down in there...” He messaged the bridge of his nose, realizing he might have been housing more than a few dozen. Those sirens grew louder before fading to nothing but background noise.

Curious, and even more curious. There was yet another whom walked the streets collecting souls. It was becoming more common to see people draining the lifeforce of others. It mattered not, for The Eternal Promise would forever be made, and forevermore been kept. All one day must die. Even those so-called immortals that wandered the world. The midnight sky was more than enough for the Raven to keep it’s guise. Many raven did not come out at night and returned to their nest for the eve. But this one was different. Always watching…

Tonight it watched from a tree as there was a very strange newcomer on the streets. A soul-stealer with nothing but the worst of intentions. Well perhaps not the worst, but he was in fact only out for his own gain. That was something it had watched before, for many years since the end of the First Man. The Raven watched as it began to stalk it’s new prey. The young man seemed to look over a woman, though had an argument within his own head. The Raven could see the souls, each and every one that the man devoured as they seemed to cry out against him. He did not know how to keep these souls in check, did he? The raven watched as sirens in the distance seemed to approach. It was not for an arrest, bur for a rescue. The red and white lights of the box-like vehicle more than enough to indicate this.

Unfortunately, The Watcher could see, the van was on a direct collision course. The Raven opened it’s mouth and crawed. It did not gather the man’s attention. The raven took flight and began to circle overhead, crawing again and again. Finally it had enough of the boy’s enrapturement with the souls. It spoke out, directly to them and the man, silencing them all.



CAR!! It shouted into the man’s mind, trying to startle him into realizing what exactly he was beholding. With any luck the boy would get up and away from where the ambulance was destined to collide with. The ambulance was getting closer and closer as it took the sharp turn, and there it was. The Raven grumbled to itself as it dove down into the night, and flew before the ambulance, it’s body smacking against the window and causing the medic to shout, freaking out as he turned the wheel too hard and caused the vehicle to miss the man anyway.


   The Raven itself would not be found after the fact as it now perched itself on the fence, sitting right in the light of the ambulance’s headbeams.

The chorus of souls within him had always proved difficult to deal with. Loud, clamorous sounds that when he was at his quietest rose to an unbearable volume until the sun rose to a new day or he fell to sleep from sheer exhaustion.  Words of hatred, mingling with fear and so many other negative emotions that he couldn’t explain them all.  Many fought for control over the body that had managed to rob them of their owns, lashing at his mind and ripping away agency even over his own limbs. This horrific sensation that made him feel as if they might succeed at this task being attempted.  Everything else lost all purpose really, that being until a voice shouted within his mind and quieted the chorus within all at once. Shrill and high was this sound with a message as clear as crystal.

Car?

He turned to see the image of a vehicle veering towards him with lights bright enough to make his eyes blur with tears. They had been trying to avoid him, yet that wasn’t something that could be done so easily.  ”Shit!” He cursed to himself, acting without even needing to think about it.  Power coursed through his legs and hurled the body forward with as much  speed as they could muster.  No time to empower himself, only the fear that he would be smeared across the street like so much strawberry jam. Concrete however was not so kind on human skin even with the protection of clothing.  Dragging against and through as he felt the faint sensation of skin breaking under.

Still he managed to roll out of the way of the vehicle, arms braced over his head and a faint amount of blood trickling from a deep scrape on his elbow. The pain was refreshing and a reminder that he was indeed still alive. Taking in a few more breaths he pulled himself from his position to see the vehicle itself had stopped. Quickly he rose from his position, watching the ambulance stop as if they had realized something. What that was he couldn’t tell as he felt over the few injuries plaguing him and frowning. They would take a while to heal over, and Damian did ’not know if he wanted to waste any power to make them heal quicker.   ”Maybe… yeah that works just fine.” He reached for the hood of his jacket, and made sure it was kept up before noting ambulance having stopped. Why was it stopped?

Were they worried about the guy they had almost hit or something else entirely? Well they would be able to help him beyond simply putting bandages over injuries, they just didn’t know it yet.  Vitality worked through him, the fragment of a soul within him strengthening the muscles through his entire body. This strength like magma bubbling up within him as one of them stepped out ,examining their van which was faintly smoking from the front rising within the florescent light. He looked fine really, unharmed by the collision though he wasn’t fine once his head was slammed into the side of the vehicle.  This meaty thud against metal as they quickly fell against the concrete unconscious. There was the sound of someone speaking, though he punched through meta; and felt his fingers clench around flesh before ripping someone nearly through with a spray of blood.

Death loosened the hold on their souls and that led to them bring sucked through the brand to join the chorus within him.  ”Good job boys.” He said with a dark smirk, flicking away the blood clinging to his fingers.

The Raven watched as it cocked it's head. It gave a lonely craw, as if trying to grab the attention of the small soul-reaving serial killer. The guy looked the part of a psychotic maniac, the type that The Lych tended to attract and even empower with purpose. It would be a welcomed addition ever since they had lost their previous Collector to the Hale family. The fallen Castor was a missed companion to the Raven, though it was quite pleased to see The Mother of Monsters take over the role of The Black Rose. The Raven began to craw louder and louder, as if talking at the man, still standing in the light of the ambulance.

The Raven had very little prepared for this chance encounter. It was indeed something to catch him off his guard, which for whom he was that is an impressive comparison in theory alone. The Ravenheart cocked it's head to the side, staring at this man. Did this man not realize that Ravens did not typically fly at night? Did they choose to simply ignore his existence? It stared down at the one whom claimed the souls of the two ambulance workers. They were simply two people that helped save lives. Granted they almost just ended one, but that in it's own right would have been perfectly fine. All is as it should be, you had to believe that to be in this business.

The sudden rush of a soul through his body felt amazing. Chasing away the temporary discomfort that he felt from losing control and even undoing the pain that stung through his elbow. A low sigh worked through his lips, eyes locked on the body settled at his feet before turning to what seemed to be a raven. It was a raven right? Separating the m from crows was always difficult for him, though he had a soft spot for the corvids either way. The smirk of pleasure remained as he approached the bird, eyes narrowing as if waiting for it to fly away or not. From what he experienced the birds were actually strangely enough drawn to him, though he didn’t know why that might have been.

Curiously he looked over it, wondering what was coming to mind that made seeing a raven so odd. ”Don’t let me hold you back if this is what you want,” He motioned to the bloody body he had finished draining, eyes wide and bleeding out. He knew enough to know that ravens were carrion feeders and this was warm.  Fresh enough that if he were so inclined, it would not have gone wasted. ”don’t worry, i’ve never cared for something stupid like decency towards the dead. Not like he’s using that meat suit anymore.” As if to make a point he kicked the body, frowning slightly before burying hands into his pockets.

”Bon apetit my feathered friend. I have somewhere else to be, anywhere else really.” Before people called the cops and made this more annoying than he cared for. That was why he walked away from this horrific accident, whistling all while doing so.

Oh do you? A voice would ask the young man, the sound always seemed to be coming from behind him. The Raven let out another of its craws as it looked to the bloody bodies. Deep down it was actually quite repulsed by the idea of it eating a human being. Granted they were substantial bite-sized gummies when he made himself larger, but to slowly beck and peel away at their disgusting flesh. It made his feathers rise slightly. It went back to tormenting the poor fledgling soul-sucker.

I can see you’re new to this sort of thing. You should best keep those souls in check, lest it be your own soul that becomes a meal for them. The raven warned the young man, the voice still sounding as if it was coming from behind wherever he was looking. A small blue flame burned on the ambulance, a sweet fragrance emanated from it,  wafting across the area The raven watched as a pale-skinned man with glowing blue eyes seemed to appear, dressed in what appeared to be some naval officer’s coat trimmed with silver. With a little focus, the raven manipulated his vocal projection to seem as though it was coming from this figure with the sharp-toothed smile.

“Bearer of the souls, seek, seek lest. You look about that age range. Is that quote lost on you? Be sure to give a call in and rate my performance. So many years go by that I forget what’s in and out of style.” The man said with a slight smile and a hand through his hair, the shadow cast by his large jacket seemed to bear several bright blue eyes that opened and closed, as if parts of his body lay hidden beneath the large coat and what it cast a shadow upon. Hw cleared his throat and let out a small sigh.

"So where is a little runt like you running off to on a nice night like this? Back to stalking some woman, or perhaps you're simply trying to elope before the prospective authorities arrive?" The man asked, the voice seemed to lose all tone of supernatural pressence as the Raven took flight, heading to a nearby rooftop to examine from a slight distance.

There were places that he could go but that was when the voice returned.  Having warned him of a car before, though now it came from the direction of the raven as it cawed. He froze on the spot, quickly turning to the bird to look it over with a renewed curiosity.  Now that was not a common thing for a raven to do. Usually they did something like caw and flap when they weren’t eating. That however did not remain his point of interest despite how interesting the concept of a raven mentally communicating with him was. There was the concept that he couldn’t keep his souls in check, though that was something that he had worried about within private moments for weeks now.  Mismatched eyes narrowed at the strange raven and then the projection that sprung to life before him in the form of a man. Well, a man as far as he knew.

His body tensed, as if any second he would be in action but yet nothing was done yet. No need to get into a fight when he could avoid wasting the energy. ”Elope? That’s an interesting choice of words coming from...whatever you are,” Apprehension gave way to curiosity, the urge to strike being barely stifled. Something about being snuck up on never worked well with him and he didn’t want just anyone believing they could do that. ”as for the cops, I can only pile up so many bodies before people start getting serious about chasing me. Don’t have the patience to deal with that kind of attention.” There were obviously those that could take him down easily, and them coming after him would have cut short so many things.

”As for where i’m going, well I don’t think that matters to you. Though now you have me wondering how much you know about me.” There was an unspoken threat there within his voice despite how genial he might have sounded. If this man didn’t answer they would find he could be just as dangerous to them as the men at his feet.

This young man was just shy of losing his deck of cards it would see. He seemed to believe that the police would catch onto him, as if they weren’t already contemplating and bringing in experts to hunt down this sort of thing. Lourishna cocked it’s eye to the moon, staring into it as his vision was suddenly redirected through a window. Suddenly he was standing there, a man behind a desk as he heard the voices talking about bringing in some experts on the concept of natural deaths being perhaps unnatural in origin. That was not to say they would default to paranormal capabilities, but that is to say that they would be eventually backed into that corner. His redirected eyes causes a small headache. The Watcher he was used to these things, but as a Raven multitasking hallucinogenic fire and his sight was proving to be problematic. The hallucination cleared it’s throat. It began to rub it’s temples, a sign that Lourishna had in fact been strained to peer for such detail on papers and a board.

"Must we really play this game? If you’re lost, I mean the game where You don’t tell me anything, I find out anyway, you realize you can’t hide from me and then you reluctantly hear me out. If we could just skip that part it would be absolutely wonderful." The man stated, his voice was drawing out as if there were some greater level of irritation. The Raven looked from the rooftop, out of sight as he seemed to process the man’s reactions. It didn’t take very long for the man to get his response he would hope. Regardless the answer though, he had seen the outcome. He knew how this would end, even if the boy refused him.

”I also now know what the police have as far as information on your little string of murders. So here’s how this goes. At midnight. I’m going to be at Central park. You’re going to meet me there. Even if you don’t think you are. You’re also buying dinner. Whatever you want for you, and raw, uncooked meat, not human, for me. Fair trade, I promise. I’ll see you in….two hours.” The man said with a smile, looking at a watch that wasn’t there, and then vanishing into blue flame and dissipating onto the ground.

Is it bad that I actually hope he brushes me off? It's so much more interesting to see how fate forces him my way... The raven thought to itself, a chuckle before a woman's voice gently spoke into the confines of his mind.

I'm not sure what I'm hearing in this mind of yours, but behave yourself, Lourishna. She chuckled warmly, the Raven did not respond as it closed it's eyes and focused entirely upon it's power with the moonlight.

It was very possible that the police were catching up to him but then again it was possible they haven’t. The average officer was not very impressive, they couldn’t follow the somewhat complex patterns that he followed. Chaotic randomness after all was something that no person could predict. Not unless he was dealing with someone that knew more than they should or had stepped out of one of those television shows that needed to deal with him in one episode. Luckily real life didn’t exist within the span of episodes and their requirements. Even the warning that the man had given him fell on semi-deaf ears rather than open ones like the one he likely expected. ”but I like playing games. Besides, for all you know things could go way differently.” Damian shrugged, still holding back on that impulse for now. Something about him made the man just interesting enough not to make any hasty decisions. ”that’s a no if I wasn’t being clear.”

Of course he was so intent on being right but he was also dealing with someone that wanted to be right. So there was no winning there, and in fact he was rather intent on proving them wrong in the process. If the police were truly coming after him, well he would give them a hell of a time. In a flash of blue flames he was gone, leaving him alone midst a crime scene. People thought they knew what he was capable of and they all found themselves proven wrong.

Now that he was alone he considered the world around him and the possibility that someone else was already coming. With a sigh he walked away, breaking into a sprint and breaking through an alleyway before he could let anyone else come to the scene. Finger print evidence was likely left behind, so that just meant he would have to be even more careful. Not that he put himself in positions that led to people finding him so quickly anyway and his migratory nature lended to a difficult to find person anyhow. Either way he found himself making quote the distance within the span of minutes, eventually stopping to catch his breath.

”Now my life has become a little more interesting. Well, guess I couldn’t go obscure forever.” Thoughts swam through his mind, such as trying to ferret out who could be a threat to him, forcing them to make a move and eliminating them. Power lowed through him, the entirety of a soul subsumed of their power as he felt the dull pain fade with his bodies rapid healing and his mind speeding forward. Everything that was lost came into focus, and it took him a minute to catch up to the advance amount of stimuli that came with speeding up his mental faculties. There was something almost stimulating about it, though it did bring a few possibilities into mind.

Metahuman detective? Very possible though how he would figure out who was another story. Clairvoyance was possible. With each possibility his paranoia began to increase, chewing on his lower lip and deliberating over the many things that he could do. Picking out a room in a motel would have been stupid, especially considering that might have left a trail so he would have to give into a more free-style way of doing things. There were plenty of bridges and places that he could sleep if he really needed to.

His pace quickened.

Weaving through the city while his mind worked a mile a minute, maybe even faster now. So many things that he could do but not many that were obvious. These moments of conflict were something that made the souls rebel for a moment before calming enough to move. Where he ended up was slipping into a late night diner, fluorescent lights cast across the place as he slipped into the bathroom to wash away blood before sitting down and ordering the least healthiest thing on the manu and waiting there with a song in his head.

The diner bell jingled as a new face walked in. His hair was a bit of a mop but it was groomed and combed over to a perfect level of professionalism, his overcoat almost dusted the ground as a badge hung around his neck. He walked up to the woman behind the counter and offered a small smile, asking for a cup of black coffee. He stepped back and seemed to wait, his eyes shifting around as he turned to look at all the customers. A small smile and a wave as he noticed Damain’s gaze. Trying to mitigate awkwardness was never a good thing for the good detective. He always had a way to penetrate that charm with an awkward moment that made everyone uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, waiting patiently as the woman brought him a carrier with three large travel-cups.

“Thanks. Might be waiting a little bit for ‘em though. Just got called to investigate a crash. Place still non-smoking?” He asked, getting a small nod from the woman. He let out a sigh and nodded as he placed his money on the table. “I spend more time in this alley than I do in the actual Diner.” He joked as he took the drink carrier into hand and bid her a farewell, turning the corner as he stepped out and went into the alley.

The raven watched from afar, the moonlight glaring throughout the city, it was not tough to follow the progress as it smiled to itself. It also thought about how it hoped that the food that was ordered was for it. That would be wonderful, a human heart-attack to go. Greasy, horrible food were the Raven's favorite. Even more so than raw meat. It watched as the detective went into the alleyway and pondered to itself which course of action the fledgling soul-stealer would take.

The diner bell jingled and violently ripped his attention from the table he had been eyeing. A man, easily twice his age stepped through the door with a long coat from the old detective serials and something dangling around his neck. Attractive in the way that some men reaching the middle point of their lives looked, though at the same time dangerous. Not so long ago he heard about a detective looking into his crimes and he could only assume that this might have been the man. Was this karma coming for him or had the man gone for a more direct route. It was only made worse when he smiled and waved at him, almost as if there was nothing to worry about. Was that guy messing with him or was he just as ignorant as he seemed. Steadily he could hear the sound of his own heartbeat within his ears, mind flashing images of the diner painted red with blood; that woman’s and the mans.

Didn’t help when he heard something about a crash being looked to. It was possible in a city this large he was looking into another crash but why wouldn’t normal beat cops look into it? Trench coat types typically had more important matters, like serial killers and maybe meta rapists. From personal experience those were more common than one would think. A soft sight worked from him as he tore his attention from the man as quickly as he could without seeming suspicious. Though that was hard considering he was feeling the slightest amount of nerves here. Kill him when he stepped out or risk trying to make some kind of escape? Like locusts these ideas swarmed within his head and threatened to overtake his thought processes. No, perhaps he could get information from him beforehand.

Torture wouldn’t be something that should be too difficult. The average person feared pain, bones breaking and the like. Maybe all he needed to do was bend a finger before they’d begin talking. How long would he be in the alleyway before returning? Five minutes or ten at most. It all depended on how much he needed that smoking fix mentioned. Damian chewed on his lower lip, feeling the skin become mildly irritated from the motion before he noted his food settled before him.

Well that was fast.

He smiled affably to the waitress, laying down a few flirtatious comments before letting her walk off. Eyes lingering before returning to the door. Now or never right? Give it a few more minutes, eat more of the food before he called for a to go box. One of those little Styrofoam affairs that they always gave. Standing up, he downed as much of his drink as he could before leaving a relatively generous tip before stepping out. The night air hit him once again and he stepped around to see the shape of what he assumed was a trench coat within faint florescent light. There were many ways to approach but he knew that the direct was not it. So he made sure to walk past, circling around a good block before slipping into the shadows the best one could.  

These shadows within the back of the restaurant, taking note of dumpster brimming with garbage.  If there was one thing that would draw the attention of someone it was noise. So he slammed his fist loudly into it, the sound of metal violently denting inwards resounding through the night air.  The solid impact resonated through his body, though he didn’t remain long within the light before hiding behind a nearby car. Large enough for his small form to be obscured and he waited.

There was nothing. The noise prompted a voice to ask who was there. Soon enough there was an officer dressed in blue that walked over to the trash to investigate. His hand was on his taser as he seemed to look around, uncertain as to why there had been a source of noise. Upon turning his back he started to inspect the area of dented metal, wondering what possibly had done that other than an angry metahuman. He seemed to dawdle a little as he took his hand from his taser and reached up for his radio. The sound of slicing air would likely bring about the attention of the soul-stealer as two spheres of metal appeared on either side of him, a jagged wire across his chest and arms, pinning him to the car.


   There was a man farther back that stepped form the shadows. A patchwork hood lingered over his head his face appeared to be a mixture of patchwork cloth and burlap, exposed areas of metal. The man was dressed head to toe in what you might have expected your stereotypical assassin would wear. He was in nothing but black leather with tarnished metals and padded boots, knives and other blades readily available across the leather strappings that adorned the form-fitted suit. Reaching back behind his head, the man seemed to slowly draw a Tachi, a more steeply curved katana that seemed to shimmer.

   “Hello, Parasite.” The man said with a heavily modified voice coming through the mask. The police officer had heard the voice and saw the ragged assassin, hand moving to his actual gun. The vigilante had not a second thought about reaching up with it’s free hand, a flick of the wrist and sending a pointed blade from the vigilante’s chest strap into the officer’s arm. He flourished his blade and seemed to seethe. “I was hoping to find Humanity. But cleaning up this mess will suffice.” He said as he turned his attention to

Damian expected something when the cop came around the corner but it was not strange metal cables pinning him against the side of a car. There was the sudden pressure against his flesh, stinging almost as his eyes flew wide in annoyance. Something was off here but he could not tell what that was. That being until the masked man appeared, voice modulated and  looking him over as if he were less prize catch and more consolation prize. Well, that was what his mind formulated while looking this man over. At first his expression was one of bewilderment and then it shifted into anger. ”So that’s all you are. A man in a suit with his petty weapons.” He took in a deep breath, testing the hold of the car door behind him against his own augmented strength. It wouldn’t last against him if he put a good amount of oomph and he could put some oomph here.

”I’m going to enjoy painting the street with your worthless blood,” He hissed,  wrenching his arms forward as the door itself ripped from the car. Metal violently groaned and his body lurched forward all at once. It hurt, the metal pressing against his skin to the point of breaking but he didn’t waste any time. Feeling the healing already come into effect as he tore away the metal wires and tossed them aside. ”two more won’t hurt.” With a quick action he grasped the door and flung it forward like one would throw a discus, minus the fact that a disc normally couldn’t kill a human being by striking them.  He might have not been this Humanity the guy had mentioned but that didn’t matter. If he wanted a fight, well he would be very disappointed.