So, Who's Omni?

So, Who is Omni?

Word of mouth has become a key flow of information in the Mercenary world.

Some figures are far to unreal for the confines of reality, so they are spread in a more fitting way, through tall tales. If I told you of a pack of shape shifting animalistic and utterly savage mercenaries, a sentient shadow who'd appear to claim lives and then vanish without a trace or even a masked man who created his own legion of mind washed servants? Would you believe a mere man? Or would it take an equally tall tale to convince you how bizarre and terrifying this world is. That's where I come in.

I am Omni.

Or the mask I wear is. It was Omnipresent, years and years ago in the beginning. But I dropped the present. Decades ago I came to realise how superfluous the present really was. Well in comparison to the much more interesting past. Mercenaries are naturally secretive and some are very protective of those secrets. They're also, predictable. You manage to obtain their secrets, and make it known to them you have these secrets and well, they'll do anything. With my reputation, you could even bluff your way to that point with some vague statements in relation to a quick search on whatever service I feel like using at the time.

It's worked for nearly fifty years now.

Worked for the last twenty years, without carrying a gun. Information is better than any fire arm anyways. No one dares to take me out, they'd trigger my dead man's switch. And suddenly learn how hostile this world truly is.

Behind every mask, full face helmet, and cocky grin dwells a person. A person with a string of contacts that will slowly evaporate until you're left lonely and very much afraid. All because you're the one who let out everyone's secrets. And mercenaries will insure that your fate is bleeding out till you're cold, after watching all your friends and family vanish into the same void that slowly consumes you.

Grim, I know. But all so effective.

You can imagine what power I hold in the industry. It's why I'm a mythical name. It's why I'm chief of the archives in our guild. Its why I'm the second in command, the loyal advisor to The Killing Shadow. He understands why information is so powerful. It's why he's almost non-existent outside of that red eyed, matte black mask. Which is a common occurrence. He'll don the mask, to make a public address, to take a contract or hell, sometimes he tags along with some random merc on their contract. Gone are the days where he'd effect imperial politics, purely by claiming lives and placing the fear of god into enough victims.

He's getting old, like me.

But we keep going, for the guild, as we have said countless times.

It's what've done for years. We had set aside our differences and began working for something larger. And now, we're old and unsatisfied. Mercs still fight one another. Over contracts, mostly. There's the occasional merc that wants to make a name for themselves by killing other mercs. I do a wonderful job keeping them in check.

There was one, I remember in particular.

Blue Ring. 

She was bold and ambitious. Killed forty mercenaries, for the hell of it. Blue Ring was the type to use my information, without realising that gives me a free ticket to use hers. Her safety behind that mask was revoked. I spread her face, her name and her crimes everywhere. She obviously came around to me.

"Omni," she said with a false confidence.

"Blue Ring, how are you?" I greeted truly confident.

I could hear her voice choke behind the mask, "fix it... I can't live like this..."

"That's the point," I said, "you're not going to live like this."

"Omni, you can't do this to me..."

"But I have? Haven't I? Eh, Blue Ring?"

"Why bother with Blue Ring, you know who I am..."

She tugs the mask off her face. A wreck of a young woman is revealed, sunken green eyes. Signs of sleep deprivation clearly evident. A pale sickly look, compared to her youthful self-plastered over contract boards. I smile beneath my own mask.

"...Omni, please I'll do the interviews, just please... fix it..."

I turn away, muting myself momentarily to chuckle.

"...I'll do anything!"

"Blue Ring, nothing's going to change... you've murdered forty mercenaries with clear intent to murder more..."

"Mercenaries always kill mercenaries, it always happens..."

That's when I hear a rasp echo from a vocoder that isn't mine.

"Do we now?" The Killing Shadow said.

I turn to find two Red eyes piercing through the shade cast by the mirror clad office building.

"Hello Shadow, I'd knew you'd want to see this one... thanks for making an appearance on short notice."

"My pleasure, Omnipresent."

"Shadow, Omni, I'm sure we can work this out... give a girl a second chance..."

Shadow chuckles, stepping closer, but still lingering in the fringes of the shadow.

"Blue Ring, Omni informs me you killed forty mercs... silt thirteen's throats, while they were asleep in their beds... all thirteen where mercs, without contracts on their heads right?"

"No, no, no, they weren't!"

"They indeed were."

"You're no different from me Shadow! You're a killer! It's even in your name."

Shadow storms forward. Pointing a maroon glove at her nose.

"Is that so, Blue Ring?" He said eerily calm and quiet, "we're both killers, alright."

Shadow may be shorter. But he's most certainly in control. He folds his hands behind his back, letting Blue Ring tremble in her clanking armour. He holds a unbreaking eye contact with her.

"...but someone killed thirteen, relatively, innocent mercenaries in an unprovoked... slaughter..."

Blue ring dropped to her knees. Shadow jumped back so quickly, avoiding her grabbing for his legs, it looked like he had been propelled by a rail gun. He almost looked sorry for the girl, staring down at her from that mask.

"...and someone is going to pay for the blood spilled, today," He said in the same eerie tone.

"Omni please!" She appealed.

I pause as Shadow begins to circle the now panting Blue Ring.

"Blue Ring, you had one more target... a certain ambitious goal..." I said dryly.

She goes quiet, turning to me. The look of pure terror in her green eyes.

"Omni, please... I beg of you..."

She sags to the ground, hands paired together, pleading. Shadow squats beside her. He looks up briefly, subtly shaking his head side to side. I slowly nod my head. He looks away standing up. He reluctantly begins to speak, "what would that be?"

Blue ring shrieks, throwing herself at me, "no! please!"

Shadow turns his head. I begin to speak, "Blue ring here..."

"Omni! Please! I'll change! Please!" She whales.

"...had her sights set on..."

I'm interrupted by the crack of a gunshot.

"...you, Shadow."

The body dropped limp, with a dull clank and armour hitting floor. Her blood-spattered side arm slides out towards Shadow, stopping against her discarded helmet with a metallic clank. Neither of us can turn eyes on her face. Or the puddle of gore quickly appearing.

The Killing Shadow sighs. He begins to speak, slowly.

"Omni... save the information is power spiel... it's been a long night... let's just clean this sorry sight, and give her some semblance of respect..."