Raveled

I've been pondering my possibilities for my upcoming Gold character, and one idea I've had is to retool a PL 12 idea. This is basically a cross between Valkyrie and Wonder Woman -- a normal person (a cop in this point) who is empowered by the Greek gods to fight evil. My idea is to make her a PL 4 'naturally', but her powers bump her up to PL 8. Power Level: (8) (120/120 PP) Name: The Warrior Trade-Offs: None Unspent PP: 0 In Brief: Crippled police officer is empowered by the Greek pantheon. Alternate Identities: Lt. Sophia Aves, FCPD Identity: Secret Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri Occupation: Police officer Affiliations: Freedom City Police Department, Greek pantheon Family: Peter Aves (father), Martha Leva-Aves (mother), too many cousins and relatives to count. Age: 35 (17 August 1974) Gender: Female Ethnicity: Greek-Irish Height: 5' 9"/6' 2" Weight: ~150 lbs/~200 lbs Eyes: Dark green/Dark green Hair: Black/Black Description: Sophia Aves is a touch on the tall side for a woman, and slender. Her muscles and lean and toned, more like a runner or a dancer than a body-builder, and she carries herself with an easy grace. Her face is wide and block, very strong but not very pretty. Her features are classic Mediterranean; olive-dark skin, a hawk-beak nose, dark, curly hair, and dark green eyes. She keeps her hair cropped short and brushed back from her face, and she eschews any overt makeup or jewelry. When worked her nonetheless favors rather casual wear: athletic shoes, slacks, a button-down shirt, and a nylon bomber jacket if the weather’s bad. She carries a Glock pistol chambered for .45 ACP and a collapsible baton, and she usually wears a thin Kevlar vest under her shirt. As the Warrior, Sophia undergoes a striking makeover. She grows to 6’ 2â€, and while her frame is still slender it’s thickly muscled. Her skin is deeply tanned, and she’s clad in burnished golden armor reminiscent of Greek hoplites, including a helmet, breastplate, greaves, and a huge shield. Power Descriptions: The Warrior is empowered by the Greek pantheon, granted many tools to help her out and can become superhumanly fast and powerful, if for brief bursts. History:Sophia Aves did not have a storybook childhood. She group up around St. Louis, where her father was employed as a machinist. Her father was also an alcoholic, and it was rare when he didn’t come home drunk and angry. He never raised his hand against his daughter, but her mother had a collection of black eyes and bruises. This continued for years, but when Sophia was 6 her mother moved both of them down to live with family around Freedom City. Sophia doesn’t remember a lot about that time, but there was plenty of shouting once her father tracked them down. Her parents got divorced soon afterwards, and her mother was granted custody It wasn’t easy growing up without a father; her extended family provided Sophia with plenty of affection, but at school she was teased mercilessly for her situation. She fought back and got a reputation as a troublemaker. As the girl grew older she became something of a tomboy, more interested in sports and competition than in fashion and gossip. In the summer between elementary school and high school she discovered martial arts, and the discipline needed to excel at it bled into the rest of her life. Her rambunctious stunts stopped and she became a quiet, driven young woman. After high school she studied criminal justice at Freedom City University for two semesters before joining the police academy. While she was studying and preparing, Sophia’s father got back in touch with her. He was five years sober and wanted to get to know his daughter again. Despite his best efforts, they aren’t as close as a child and parent should be – but at least she knows both her parents, now. When she graduated and entered the police for as a sworn officer, the young woman ran head-on into the corruption on the force. She tried to help, but most of Freedom’s citizens were unwilling to turn to ‘just another dirty cop.’ When they needed assistance; at the same time she constantly butted heads with her superiors. Her constant hard work eventually earned her the rank of sergeant, but for a long time it seemed like she would languish there for the rest of her career. The Terminus Invasion changed all that. Sergeant Aves was one of the officers that united under Barbara Kane to keep Bayview safe from Omega’s forces. Afterwards, as Commissioner Kane tried to rebuild the police force, many senior officers were demoted or arrested for corruption outright. She found herself needing officers were brave, clean, and got the job done – and she remembered the lithe brunette with the karate chop. Sophia found herself promoted to detective, and in an amazingly short time to lieutenant. She worked in Small Crimes for all of three months before being transferred to Vice. There, she became a key figure in the city’s fight against drugs. Sophia was never one to lead from the rear, and when police raided a suspected drug warehouse, she was at the front. This earned her a blast of machine pistol fire to her lower back. Her Kevlar vest stopped the bullets from killing her, but the concussive force cracked three vertebrae. She was rushed to Freedom Medical Center where her wounds were dressed, but the doctors were doubtful that she would ever walk again. While she was convalescing, Sophia had an amazing dream. She was walking through a palace of white marble, the tall ceiling held up with wide, fluted columns. All around were statues and tapestries, beautiful works of art that would each be worth a fortune. Sophia was led through the opulence by a woman that could’ve been her twin, but claimed to be the goddess Nike. Nike explained that Sophia’s bloodline went all the way back to the founder of Athens, who was in turn the offspring of Hephaestus, a god. The Greek pantheon was willing to help her now, when her career if not her life hung in the balance. In return, the gods might require Sophia to act as their agent in the mortal world, from time to time. Sophia didn’t like the idea of being indebted to a group of mythical figures, but she liked spending the rest of her life in a wheelchair even less. She agreed to the deal, and the dream ended. She started walking the next day. The doctors called it a miracle and put her through the standard battery of tests for mutant powers. It all came back negative, and the lieutenant returned to work. It didn’t take long for the gods’ powers to show themselves. Nike appeared in the woman’s dreams for a month, instructing the police officer on how to use her new superpowers. Personality & Motivation: Sophia Aves is very much a Type A personality, driven and goal-oriented. She’s very disciplined and logical, almost to the point of suppressing her emotions entirely. She is passionate, though, about finding those who flaunt society’s laws and bringing them to justice. She’s extremely good at her job, and that can leave her arrogant, leading her to underestimate the criminals she investigates. That arrogance is probably Sophia’s biggest weakness, that need to excel at everything. It drives her forward, motivates her to justify her actions to herself, but it can also make her reckless. When someone flaunts her failure, highlights the incidents where Sophia failed to live up to her own mental image, it can shatter her self-discipline and leave the woman to act according to her emotions. Powers & Tactics: As a police officer, Sophia's priority is to protect civilians in the area when a fight breaks out. After that, she tries to neutralize the threat; she makes sure to follow correct rules of escalation at all times. As the Warrior, she is much more of a berserker fighter, normally rushing straight at the most powerful foe and working to take him out quickly before her rush of power fades and she has to break off to recuperate. Complications Obsession (Justice) Sophia lives to see justice done, and can get angry and irrational when she thinks it's been thwarted. Married to the Job Sophia's a workaholic, and lives for her job. Not One Drop Sophia's father is a recovering alcoholic, and as such Sophia refuses to drink any alcohol at all. Secret Sophia has chosen to keep her super-powered identity a secret for now. "Hey, aren't you a cop?" Being a sworn peace officer can compel Sophia to act in situations where it would be more prudent to keep her head down. Anything You Can Do... Sophia has a competitive streak in her that can compel her make stupid decisions, in order to prove that she's the best. Abilities: 4+6+4+2+6+4 = 26 pp Str 14/22* (+2/+6*) Dex 16 (+3) Con 14 (+2) Int 12 (+1) Wis 16 (+3) Cha 14 (+2) Combat: 8 + 4 = 12 pp Initiative: +3 Attack: +4, +8 w/ Alternate Form Grapple: +6/+14* Defense: +4/+8/+6* (+2/+4 Base, +2 Dodge Focus, +2 Shield), +1/+2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -2/-8 Saving Throws: 0+2+3 = 5 pp Toughness: +4/+8 (+2 Con, +2/+6 Protection, Impervious 6) Fortitude: +2/+6 (+2 Con, +0/+4*) Reflex: +5 (+3 Dex, +2) Will: +6/+10 (+3 Wis, +3/+7*) Skills: 120 r = 30 pp Bluff 8 (+10) Computers 4 (+5) Diplomacy 9 (+11) Drive 8 (+10) Gather Information 8 (+10) Intimidate 9 (+11) Investigate 9 (+10) Language 2 (English (N), Spanish, ASL) Knowledge (Current Events) 4 (+5) Knowledge (Streetwise) 9 (+10) Knowledge (Civics) 4 (+5) Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) 4 (+5) Notice 9 (+12) Search 9 (+10) Sense Motive 9 (+12) Feats: 13 PP Accurate Attack Assessment Benefit (Police Officer) Contacts Dodge Focus 2 Equipment 4 Precise Shot Quick Draw Well-Informed Powers: 36 = 36 PP Alternate Form 6.4 (Magic, divine; Feat: Accurate 2) [34 PP] + Enhanced Feat 4 (Rage 4/10 rounds) [4 PP] All effects have both the Magic and Divine descriptors Enhanced Defense 2 [4 PP] Protection 6 (Extra: Impervious) [12 PP] -- Bronze Armor Shield 2 [2 PP] -- Aegis Shield Strike 2 (Weapon; Feat: Mighty; Extra: Variable Descriptor [bludgeoning/Piercing/Slashing]) [5 PP] BE: Speed 4 (250 MPH; Feat: Alternate Power) [5 PP] AP: Leaping 4 (x25/Move action) [4 PP] DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Strike --- Touch --- Toughness DC 23 (Staged) --- Damage Glock 21 --- Ranged --- Toughness DC 19 (Staged) --- Damage Stun Gun --- Melee --- Fortitude DC 19 (Staged) --- Stun Asp --- Touch --- Toughness DC 19 (Staged) --- Damage Abilities (26) + Combat (12) + Saving Throws (5) + Skills (30) + Feats (13) + Powers (34) - Drawbacks (0) = 120 pp *While Raging

Robin hadn't been planning on ordering any food, but after a moment's thought she ordered a garden salad. She didn't feel hungry, but she was experienced enough to know that her body really did need fuel after what she did. Hopefully the salad would perk up her body's reaction, while still being bland enough not to make her vomit. Besides, it was a bad idea to drink on an empty stomach. She toyed with the stem of her wine glass for a moment. "I finished investigating the powder. I had to isolate it first -- it was mixed up with all sorts of other junk. Whoever made this stuff... Well, I don't know if they wanted the stuff to be hard to figure out or what, but it's cleverly made." She put the wine glass aside and started shaping the air with her hands. "I told you there's a battery in there, right? Feeding off the user's life force? Well, when the battery's full it waits for an hour or so and then lets the energy back out, into the body. By that time the brain's dead, and so what appears is, well, a zombie. But here's the weird part," she added. "The powder is supposed to have some, well, ties to something else. It's hard to explain, but it looks like the zombies were supposed to be under someone's control, but the control's been severed."

Robin sighed and looked out to sea. "It's complicated," she said. "It wasn't too long ago that I wasn't a very nice person. I did things that... Well, if you knew about them, you wouldn't want me, Wes. I'm still adjusting to doing good." She hugged herself with one arm, still not looking at Wesley. "I need to focus on my work and my craft, but you're... Well, you're young and you're good-looking. Knowing that you were interested in me made me feel, well, good." The sorceress sighed heavily as she remembered. "It was fun being with you, Wes, but there are parts of my life that I can't let others in on. Not even you. Not for anything."

Madame Tarot smiled, comfortable with Blake's discomfort. "Your girlfriend," she said slowly. "Yes, I recognize her. Jessica Parker, a very rich young woman. But I don't recognize you, boy. Are you dating above your pay scale?" She shifted closer on the couch, until her leg was brushing up against Blake's. "Or is she just a pretty face a big checkbook? There's more like that around, boy." She leaned closer and whispered in his ear. "I could show you things you don't even have names for."

Robin grinned as the woman started flipping through coupons. She'd had months like that, before she got established and started turning a regular profit. "Italian will be fine," she said. The sorceress glanced at the clock above the door and did some quick math. "Shall I meet you for an early dinner? Say, five o'clock or so?" She moved forward and fished an open envelope and a mortar bowl from beneath the front counter, very carefully sweeping up the white powder into the bowl. It was a few hours later. Robin sat in a booth at the little eatery, her red longcoat hanging from a convenient coathook. Her face was drawn and tired; there was a glass of red wine in front of her on the table, and she swirled it listlessly before she took a sip. The investigation into the powder had left her feeling drained of energy, and the dim lighting in the restaurant wasn't making it any easier to stay awake.

Ironclad Mid-month edits for Ironclad :arrow: Drop the Life Alarms Complication. :arrow: Minor changes to Clad's suit. Moved the weapons into an array, added a note that everything is Technology. [b]Device 13[/b] (Battlesuit; Technology; Hard to Lose; [i]Feats:[/i] Accurate 2; 65 PP) [54 PP] [device][i]All effects have the Technology descriptor[/i] [b]Weapon Array 9.5[/b] ([i]Feats:[/i] Alternate Power 2) [21 PP] [u]BE:[/u] [b]Blast 9[/b] (Particle beams; [i]Feat:[/i] Ranged Disarm) [19 PP] -- Wrist Blasters [u]AP:[/u] [b]Strike 9[/b] ([i]Feat:[/i] Improved Critical; [i]Extra:[/i] Penetrating) [19 PP] -- Monoblade [u]AP:[/u] [b]Super-Strength 9[/b] (Effective Str 55; 8 tons/16 tons/24 tons/48 tons; [i]Feat:[/i] Counter Punch) [19 PP] -- Servos [b]Feature 4[/b] (Computer; Library, communications, computers, holo-projector) [4 PP] [b]Flight 5[/b] (Magnetic; 250 MPH/2,500 feet per Move action; [i]Feat:[/i] Subtle) [11 PP] + [b]Super-Movement 1[/b] (Magnetic; Slow fall) [2 PP] [b]Immunity 11[/b] (Armor; Life Support, Critical Hits) [11 PP] [b]Protection 9[/b] (Armor) [9 PP] [b]Super-Senses 3[/b] (Satellite link; Communication link [with Malcolm Dawes], time sense, direction sense) [3 PP] [b]Super-Senses 2[/b] (Radius, darkvision) [2 PP][/device] Doktor'd

Robin Cross Some mid-month updates for Robin. :arrow: Drop the Love Life Complication. :arrow: Change the second paragraph of her Description to the following: Robin prefers to wear long-sleeved shirts of bright blue, green, pure white, and tan or khaki slacks when she doesn’t wear jeans. She wears a choker about her neck made of many pale wood panels connected by a thin chain of electrum. If someone got close enough, they might notice that each panel is inscribed with a different symbol in Sumerian. When the sorceress requires it, the choker expands into a slender ash wood staff, banded about with a thin filigree of electrum. She usually wears a charm bracelet around her right wrist. The central band appears to be silver and gold twisted together, and the charms are an eclectic mix: a half-open door, an eye, a horse in mid-gallop, and maybe a dozen others. Their overall meaning, if in fact there is one, is something the sorceress is keeping to herself. :arrow: Switch Profession (Cook) 2, to Craft (Chemical) 2. :arrow: Give Robin the Trance feat. :arrow: Minor alteration to Robin's staff. Added a note that everything in the staff is magic; added Restricted 1. [b]Device 5[/b] (Staff Foci; Magic; Easy to Lose; 25 PP; [i]Feats:[/i] Restricted 1 [Anyone with Arcane Lore +10/Magic 5], Subtle) [18PP] [device][i]All effects have the Magic descriptor[/i] [u]BE:[/u] [b]Air Control 10[/b] (Air; [i]Feats:[/i] Alternate Power 5) [25PP] [u]AP:[/u] [b]Magnetic Control 10[/b] (Magnetism; 12 tons) [20PP] [u]AP:[/u] [b]Environmental Control 6[/b] (Fire; create intense heat & daylight, 250 ft radius)[18PP] [u]AP:[/u] [b]Obscure 10[/b] (Water; Visual and olfactory, 1 mile radius; [i]Extra:[/i] Independent; [i]Flaws:[/i] Partial) [20PP] [u]AP:[/u] [b]Strike 10[/b] (Earth; [i]Feats:[/i] Affects Insubstantial 2, Accurate, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip) [15PP] [u]AP:[/u] [b]Strike 10[/b] (Electricity; [i]Extra:[/i] Area/Line [Targeted]) [20PP][/device] :arrow: Add the following Flaw to each of Robin's Detect S-Senses. Should drop them down to 1 PP each. [i]Flaw:[/i] Blocked by natural earth :arrow: Editing DC block to take into account changes to Magic array. [b]DC Block:[/b] Air Control 10 --- DC 30/Acrobatics or Strength Electric Strike 10 --- DC2 5/Toughness Emotion Control 8 --- DC 18/Will Illusion 5 -- DC 15/Will Mental Blast 8 --- DC23/Will Nullify Magic 10 -- DC20 Will Staff Strike 10 --- DC25/Toughness Telepathy 7 --- DC17/Will Doktor'd

Would it be weird that I'd put both my ladies in Blue rings? That's the real secret of heroes, after all: they inspire hope in us, inspire us to reach beyond what we merely think we could do.

Electric Strike off the staff at Gator B. Attack roll. Vs. Gator B. Using Electric Strike. (1d20+10=17) And amazingly enough, it hits! Ref DC 20, Toughness DC 25 if the Gator don't save.

One of the monsters tried to bite at the sorceress, but she dodged it with ease, throwing her weight to one side and catching it all on her staff, letting her rebound faster than seemed possible. Her head came around and she saw the little disappear into the beast's gullet; running again, now straight into the melee, she raised her staff and pointed it at the 'gator. "Fulimnus Vento Dei," she shouted, and blue-white runes stood out on the surface of the staff. Electricity crackled up and down the length of the wood for a moment before exploding out, the bolt crossing the distance between them in a eyeblink.

Attack roll, which Fusion has her full Def for. 1d20+10=23 Doesn't help much, but hey. DC 22 Toughness, please.

Jessica's head came around when Doktor Archeville spoke up, making his announcement. She pondered sticking close to Mara, but decided that it would be suspicious if two apparent-strangers talked during the Doktor's presentation -- probably rude, too. She moved to the front of the room and took a seat where she could see the head of the table clearly; obviously the Doktor would sit there, and she didn't want to miss anything.. Her perfect view, though, was interrupted when someone tapped her shoulder and informed her that she was, in fact, in someone else's seat. There was a hurried exchange and the name cards were brought to her attention. Blushing, the girl sought out a seat in the very back of the area, more interested in staying of people views at the moment, then seeing anything herself.

Jessica gave Blake a peck on his cheek and slipped out the door, heading out into the night and making a beeline for her vehicle in its parking garage. Meanwhile, one of the suits was whispering to the woman in the gypsy get-up. The woman glanced over at Blake, sizing up the young man quickly. She stood up from her table and wove her way through the cafe, heading towards Blake's couch. She dropped lightly into the seat vacated by Jessica, smoothing out her skirt before speaking. She was shorter than Blake, curvy rather than thin, and her voice was rich and melodious. "Well well," she said, pitching her voice loud enough for Blake to hear her but quiet enough to be hidden from anyone else by Albion's music. "I usually don't attract such young admirers. Or are you someone I should be meeting here, hm?" She cocked her head, studying him more intently. "Are you the reason I'm here?"

What is the Mind Shield extra listed in Force Field? If you're linking it to the Mind Shield power, last I checked that's 2 PP/rank, not 1. Why is her Force Field Selective? I can't think of any benefit to that. What exactly is Transmit? I'm not familiar with that power. Is it Teleport? Again, Dazzle (Visual) is 2 PP/rank, not 1. If you're going to link it to your Damage, you need to pay the whole price. Can't do the math ATM as I don't have my books on me, but Drain on an AoE strikes me as overpowered. Also, she doesn't hit combat caps, which is going to be a big problem in fiths.

Robin didn't move away when Wesley put his arms around her, but she didn't relax into his grip, either. Part of her wanted to simply melt into him, of course, but she knew that if she did it would make what she had to do all the harder. She did smile at his words, though, at his awkwardly formal tone. "It's not just me who was scared," she said. "I talked to your ex, Lynn, and I had a heck of a time convincing her not to come along on the search." She paused and took a few steps away from Wesley, out of the reach of his arms. "Wesley, I didn't come here to tell you that everything was okay again. I didn't come here to tell you that I changed my mind. I still don't... I'm still not in a place in my life where I'd ready to open my soul to another person. I came here to talk to you, to try and help you understand why."

Jessica continued studying the woman. She was short, shorter even than Blake, but her curvy figure was clear even in her loose dress. Her skin was pale and her hair was dark, creating a startling contrast. She seemed uninhibited enough, happily tapping the table in time with Albion's beat. By contrast, the rest of her party were all dressed in conservative suits and had alert looks on their face, constantly scanning the crowd and the windows high on the wall. One of them noticed Jessica and Blake's attentions and tried to stare them down, but the young girl ignored him and continued to study the other woman. "I don't know," she said eventually, answering Blake's question, "but I'm gonna go get my suit. Back in a minute, hon."

Jessica blinked at the mention of a warp engine small enough to fit inside a glove. "Um, well. I'm in school right now -- going to HIT, lots of fun there -- so my focus is kinda all over the place. But I've done a lot of work with magnetics, and metal alloys and other metallic compounds. Right now I'm really interested in piezoelectric materials." Her hands came up as she talked, shaping the air as she spoke. Now that they were off the social pleasantries and into hard science, all her anxiety seemed to vanish. "It's really interesting. They're normally rigid, but they flex when you run an electrical current though them, right? So, hypothetically, you could use them to build metallic 'muscles' with much greater strength than any combination of servos. And you could wear it like normal clothes, no big bulky suits of armor."

Robin smiled to see Wesley's modesty, so unnecessary in a place like this. "I'm glad to see you're alive," she replied, stressing the last word. "I tried calling you a week after the concert. You weren't at home, you weren't going to work, none of your friends knew what had happened to you. You'd just... disappeared." She stepped forward, touching his arm with just her fingertips. "I was worried you'd done something... Well, something a lot more stupid than run away from the world for a bit." Her expression grew grave as she continued speaking. "I don't know what I would've done if you had, Wes."

Jessica was startled when Dragonfly came right up to talk to her, but as her friend started speaking the young inventor twigged to what was going on. She wasn't very skilled at deception, or social interaction in general, but she tried her best. "Yes, um. My name's Jessica Parker; nice to meet you, Dragonfly." She put out her hand and shook Mara's, trying to suppress a sudden urge to giggle. The absurdity of acting like this around so many distinguished scientists threatened to overwhelm her, but she swallowed the laughter and kept a straight face. Barely. "Ah, that was a very interesting display of trans-dimensional physics. Did you design your gauntlets yourself?"

And now Jess has to make a Bluff check in return. Muwahaha. 1d20+2=14 Huhn. Not too horrid, actually.

Except that a number of civvies are being grappled by the definitely-not-zombies.

Jessica hugged Blake back, holding the young man -- her young man -- tightly. She breathed deeply, trying not to burst into tears as emotion surged in her, emotions she wasn't used to dealing with. The young inventor had spent most of her life devoted to rationality and science; these feelings disrupted her carefully constructed inner world, but she didn't mind. She sat there with Blake, holding him close, as Albion slid into another set. This one was higher-energy, focusing a bit more on the rock side of their discography. As they moved into a raucous sea-shanty, Jessica slid apart from Blake and rearranged herself so that her head was on his shoulder. The young woman let her gaze wander across the crowd, until it settled on an odd sight. A group was sitting at one of the larger tables, several men and women in conservative suits and one young woman in a long, flowing dress that looked like it would be more at home in a gypsy caravan then a metropolis like Freedom City. She frowned, some facet of knowledge trying to worm its way past the happy thoughts clouding her mind. She whispered to Blake, her breath warm and her lips close enough to brush his ear. "Blake. Do you recognize that woman? The one in the dress with the suits?"

Notice check on Fusion's part, please.

Robin watched the woman-octopus-thing disappear into the water with barely a ripple, tracking her motion under the waves by the faint tug of the charm on her mind and power. She puttered around the marina for twenty minutes or so, buying a hot dog from a vendor and eating it slowly while she watched various ship and ship-related activities being carried out, from her perch on the bumper of her car. When the time came near, she slipped behind the wheel of her car and reclined the seat far back, rolling down all four windows. She closed her eyes and settled her hands on her chest; within moments she was breathing deep and slow, to all senses sound asleep. Fusion's estimate of her own speed was good; even having to arc around a few tankers and private yachts, she got to the coordinates in a little over thirty minutes. The sea floor here was remarkably smooth, a shelf of beach going fifty or sixty feet into the surf before dropping off precipitously to several hundred feet. The light faded quickly, but Fusion's skin allowed her to 'see' the sunken vessel clearly. Various species of sea life were crawling all over the wreckage, but the eight-armed heroine could easily determine why the ship had sunk; the keel had been ripped out of the vessel, near the prow and clean back to the stern. There wasn't anything remotely like a reef or even much in the way of rocks here, and in any case to completely lose the keel like that, the ship would've needed to have been going at a fantastic speed, far faster than any sailing vessel, ever. A swirling in the water and an odd pressure on her skin was the heroine's only warning of the attack. She twisted deftly in the water as a dark shape rocketed past her, but she still felt it scrap across her ribs, sending the octopus-woman tumbling in the dark water. Nevertheless, she caught a glimpse of her attacker; squat and covered in hard growths of bone, it was vaguely humanoid. Its arms ended in heavy clubs though, and its 'legs' were a pair of snake-like tails.

Jessica was floored. Her mouth worked slowly, nothing coming out of it, as her brain tried to digest what Blake had just declared. "I... I feel better just thinking about you, Blake. I like just sitting here, being next to you." She squeezed her eyes shut, hot tears running down her cheeks. "When I think of not having you, it physically hurts in the pit of my stomach. Even just knowing you're out there, out in the city somewhere, makes me feel better." She opened her eyes, fixing her gaze on Blake's. "I don't know why and sometimes it scars me when I think about it, because it's so powerful and I've never felt anyhting like this before... But I love you, Blake."