The meeting.

The next day forces converged. Either by machinations or chance.

The band led by The Muffin Man consisting of Muffin, Portnoy and Megan met with the band led by Ashen Phoenix consisting of Ashen, Mistress, Abby, Crucible, Echo and Deadman in a crowded park. The resulting civilian death toll left no unwitting spectators and very little in the way of bodies to be identified. Those few bodies left behind however led the police and the media to speculate about gang violence between some extremely strange gangs and promptly ignore the more troubling questions raised.

However for you people in the know about these events allow me to give you the details of what transpired.

The two groups seemingly by chance arrived at the park. Upon spotting each other Muffin's group attempted to flee and Ashen's to attack. Echo ran ahead and activated his headphones covering the area with soundwaves that promptly disintegrated most of the park and almost all of the civilian spectators. The sound made Muffin's group unable to flee or move and things would have likely ended there for them if suddenly echo's sonic attack hadn't stopped and his expression become blank. The sonic attack ended but it was enough for Ashen's group to press in and begin the attack properly. Megan ended up in a fight with Crucible and Deadman, Muffin squaring off with Abby and Mistress and Portnoy ended up pitted against Ashen. Deeply locked memories stirred in Ashen's consciousness as he faced Portnoy and he was consumed by a desire to kill. Portnoy had a machete and not much else to defend himself with but Ashen was not used to the weapon he was given and was clumsy with the scythe.

Megan fought as best she could but her ice attacks didn't effect Deadman and couldn't seem to reach anything inside of crucible's sealed suit.

Muffin tried to fight against Abby and Mistress but Abby's attack consisted of merely swinging the large pendulum blade around her like a whirlwind and Muffin couldn't get close and Mistress' tentacles further kept him at bay.

The heroes were losing.

At some point during Ashen's battle Portnoy got a good strike in slitting part of the cloak and releasing a burst of flame and Ashen tossed his scythe away in frustration and grabbed Portnoy yanking the machete from his hands. It's not entirely known if Ashen somehow remembered that he would be better with the machete, simply sought a more simple weapon or simply just thought to disarm his opponent but as the machete transferred to his grip the block on his memories disappeared. The Faceless bastard smiled behind his iron mask and then looked down at the boy in his grasp. "Hello, Portnoy... I've been meaning to repay you for a long time." Portnoy's face filled with fear. He still did not know the identity of his attacker but the idea of some personal vendetta being involved was enough to terrify him. Faceless tossed Portnoy to the ground and raised the machete to strike. At which point a bullet passed through his chest, exiting the other side as molten metal, and he staggered backwards. Another bullet hit him and he backed away more when finally a third bullet him in his mask without going through and knocked him onto his back. He lay there on the ground and his world went dark.

Clutching the note left by Jack in one hand and his gun in the other Harold advanced and checked on Portnoy. "You alright?" Portnoy took a deep breath and nodded, scrambling to his feet. Harold then went and checked on his opponent. As he examined the figure lying on the ground recognition hit him and he knew beyond a doubt that Jack had been telling the truth.

"We need to go help the others," Portnoy informed him and with a moment's hesitation Harold agreed. He would get his fight but not yet. With the addition of Portnoy and Harold the fight quickly began to turn. Harold took down Abby with a headshot and Portnoy distracted Mistress so Muffin was able knock her out with a punch to the head after which he ran to Megan's side where he quickly took out Deadman by crushing his skull even further with his fists and punched Crucible hard enough in the mask that it broke the seal. The seal broken a cloud of smoke erupted from Crucible and he seemed to deflate.

The battle was over and Muffin's group approached Echo curious as to what had happened. He still stood transfixed but then his hands moved gripping the headphones, taking them off and then dashing them against the ground. The group watched warily as he stared at the headphones, then with his face rueful he looked at them. "It's me guys. Dr. Malice."

Before he could explain further Harold spoke up. We should talk about things later. It's likely The Fears will send more servants and we should be well away before then. The rest agreed and they headed back to Muffin's home.  

Changes and confrontation.

The Fears and their servants were meticulous. They'd started hunting her even before she knew the danger. Her backups were dead and this new creature was keeping her away from populations so she couldn't renew her number. She knew she wouldn't die. In her mind there was no way she could die. She was The Liar. A piece of The Dying Man. Always dying but never dead and, since the events of another world she was closer to whole than she had ever been. The Fears didn't come after her themselves for this reason. They knew she had changed. She had become more powerful. They sent servants after her too afraid to risk themselves. They worked to prevent her but would not move on their own. The other shards kept her pinned in place. She couldn't possess one held by another. She'd risk transferring her new powers to the rest of them. So they kept a vanguard to make sure she couldn't escape while the servant hunted her down. The servant was strange nothing she had seen before. For one it appeared to serve The Empty City which was to her previously unthinkable and it appeared to carry the city with it or at least an approximation of the city.

The Liar had retreated to the forests for now, still unable to access anywhere more suitable for her to hide in. The servant was there suddenly. A young girl staring at her with a malicious grin.

"I found you." Portia stated in an amused tone. The Liar smiled.

"So you have? and what happens now?"

"I destroy the final piece and the rebellious god will no longer be a concern."

"You destroyed my other pieces didn't you?"

"You already know the answer why do you ask."

"Sometimes what one sees isn't true. Confirmation is always helpful."

With that The Liar lunged forward but the area around them changed becoming a concrete room and the floor bucked upwards flinging The Liar against the far wall. She hit it as spikes speared outwards from it impaling her through the backs of her knees and her shoulders.

"Your brothers told me about you. They told me you spend too long in bodies as just a passenger. It makes you weaker. Too human. Capable of feeling pain, sadness, fear..."

The spikes began to grow tearing The Liar's skin and flesh until they severed the limbs at the knees and shoulder causing her to scream in agony.

As her mutilated body fell to the ground, sliding down the wall she let out a snarl.

"My "brothers" have never understood me and they still don't. They understand me even less now and you understand even less than them. You are, just like all the others my brothers and the rest of your gods use, just a pawn. Like a pawn you are expendable."

Portia growled and from the other side of the room a large slab of concrete fired across slamming into the liar and crushing her torso flat against the wall. Her head fell forward unmoving. Portia continued watching the corpse then smiled satisfactorily and the room began to disappear once again. Suddenly though it stopped remaining as it was.

"What's going on?!" Portia demanded as the construction failed to obey her.

"You know what the problem is with your gods?" The Liar's voice rang out from all around her, "They don't really think about things. They are all powerful and humans are weak. It's just black and white to them. I want something to happen so it will happen. They don't think about things like weaknesses or holes in their plans. They also don't see the value of a truly informed servant. They only think you need to know exactly what they want you to know and don't understand how not knowing certain things could be a major problem."

"What are you talking about? How are you still alive?!"

"It took me four death's at your hands to realize what it is they didn't think it important to tell you. You don't control The City."

"What? Yes I do!"

"No. You carry with you a copy, a replica. The other Fears probably didn't think it was safe to let the city out of it's own universe or it didn't want to and so you were given a copy to use. Just an empty shell without the City's mind or essence... and Without The City's essence or mind it's far too easy for me to inhabit and control."

The wall reached out a fist which grabbed Portia and held her tightly.

"I believe my brother's and even I once upon a time had a certain saying for this moment... Ah yes... Let Me In..."

Portia's scream died away in seconds.

------

Elsewhere Harold popped back into the universe and fell to the ground. One leg a tangled destroyed mess and he was gasping for breath for a few seconds before he finally managed to breathe normally again. He looked up into the face of Jack with hatred. "Why?! Why did you bring me back!? I wanted to die!"

"If you fail to win you don't get what you want. Besides you're still needed here."

"What do you mean?"

"Your most worthy opponents live again and they are waiting for you. Return to Muffy and the others and you will get the fight you always dreamed of."

"I don't trust you."

"You're undoubtedly right not to but, wouldn't you rather find out I'm telling the truth and fight then go off and die without knowing?"

"... I won't be much use without my legs... Her strings won't support me here..."

"Not a problem," Jack snapped his fingers and the leg began to regrow accompanied by agonizing pain, "When you wake up you'll find them here," Jack said and dropped a note in front of him as he passed out.