The people who found themselves in the middle of the effect were dragged towards the blue side, as if they were standing on a steep slope.

Oh, nice. I guess it’s a form of spatial or gravitational manipulation, then?

The crowd roared, and began pushing people towards the effect.

Because of course they would.

Anyone who touched the purple side was caught with a greater force, dragged through to the blue side and cast towards the bulk of the crowd, sliding on the ground with enough force to stagger anyone they ran into.

Hm. I think we can rule out gravitational manipulation by the fact that gravity gets weaker the further away you are from where it wants you to be.

The blue side seemed weaker, with anyone stepping on it finding strong resistance, as if they were trying to move against a strong headwind on oil-slick ground.

Interesting.

So in combat, I guess this gives him the opportunity to create one-way barriers and throw enemies off their feet. Not too bad, honestly.

Only a handful of people made it out without being pushed back by the effects of Skidmark’s power or by the crowd that ringed the area.

Pretty good strength on the effect, too.

Behind them stood their subordinates.  I recognized Trainwreck, but there were five more I couldn’t place.

Oh, huh, Trainwreck’s in the Merchants now? I guess he’s one of Coil’s patented moles, like Chariot, then. That, or maybe he turned down Coil?

Five who, for all I knew, were new to the cape scene.

Interesting. More Leviathan triggerees? Judging by what we learned in Sentinel, they could be quite powerful.

Trainwreck’s presence was interesting.  Was he still with Coil?  On our side?

Good question.

“That’s more capes than they had a month ago,” I spoke, leaning close to Lisa and pitching my voice low.

Yeah, between their general growth and the high chances of an Endbringer event causing some people to get powers, that’s to be expected.

“They’ve been recruiting,” Lisa muttered.

When Skidmark spoke, his voice carried through every speaker and set of headphones in the building.  “You quim-jockeys up for tonight’s main event!?  They don’t get any better than this!”

quim-jockeys? 😛

Looks like Wildbow saw a chance to get creative with his insults here.

Well, “insults” is kind of inaccurate. That’s not what these things are in this context. I don’t really know what to call them, though.

His girlfriend was at his side, her shoulder touching his.  Squealer was streaked with oil stains, with some even in her hair.

Squealer, huh. The oil stains sound familiar, did we meet her in 5.1?

*blog search*

Yep. Skidmark, Moist and Squealer. I guess that makes the third person on the stage Moist.

She wore a white top and jean shorts that were each so skimpy that she was more indecent than she’d be if she had been naked.

Funny how that can work sometimes.

She had a remote control in one hand, and her makeup was practically caked on.  Not so dissimilar from the girl we’d just rescued, in that respect.

Wow.

Not gonna lie, she sounds like a total mess.

I’d like to officially apologize to potatoes. I’m sorry.

Skidmark held the microphone and wore his traditional costume, dark blue and skintight, with the lower half of his face and the area around his eyes exposed.

Lower half and the area around his eyes? That’s pretty much the whole damn face, isn’t it, leaving only a T-shaped bit to stick his nose into?

As costumes went, it was pretty lame, even with the cape that he’d added since the last time I’d seen him.  Especially with the cape.

It’s been such a long time since I got the chance to do this…

There were people who could pull off that sort of thing, like Alexandria.  Skidmark wasn’t one of them.

Capes make you look regal, powerful, in a way. Which is why it’s fitting that Skidmark added one between being a sad sack of potatoes and an important sad sack of potatoes. But in order to have the proper effect, you need to look powerful beyond just the cape. People can tell the difference between an actual powerful person and some pathetic douche who’s just trying to look like one by wearing a cape.

So is it going to be Skidmark himself?

“Hey Sisterfuckers!”

…alright. I guess they go for a different kind of incest in their insults.

Appropriate enough considering how Bryce metaphorically fucked over his sister by joining them.

The music had died all at once, and a slow roar spread through the entire mall, rising to a climax.  Cheering.

Yeah, it’s time for the main event.

All heads were turning to look the same direction.  I followed their line of sight.

A crude platform had been pulled together at one side of the mall, where the rubble was piled highest.

And naturally, that requires a stage. I’ve actually been lowkey watching out for stage-like structures for a while.

The leading figures of the Merchants stood at the front, just behind a railing of metal bars that had been haphazardly welded together.

Howdy!

“Got a reality check for you,” Lisa told him, stepping closer, “Those people who ‘trashed’ the church?  They hurt your sister.”

Judging by the way he’s talking, I’m not sure he’s going to care.

“What?  No-”

Alright, seems he does care. Disbelief it is, then.

“She’s in ICU, bro,” Lisa lied.

And of course Lisa continues playing off of the fact that he does care about Sierra (which she might’ve Known rather than just guessed), exaggerating the hurt to manipulate him.

I mean, if it works, why not. Only thing is he’ll know when he gets out and meets Sierra again, at which point there’s a risk of him going back to the Merchants.

I didn’t get a chance to see where she was going from there, because Lisa was interrupted by a booming voice that rang through the entire mall.  

Oh hey, took ‘em long enough. I kinda expected this to start up pretty soon after the arrival at the mall, but I guess there was quite a bit of pre-party for the Merchants.

Time to find out what sort of bloodshed those red bands are for.

Fuck.

Yeah, that about sums it up.