Fox
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Gaian Knight had to chuckle a little, even as he grimaced at the damage this thing had already done - to say nothing of the damage it might do unchecked. "Yeah, well. The 'giant beetle thing' put out quite an invitation - I felt that tremor clear back in downtown." He frowned out the window, assembling a small platform of rocks to climb out onto so he had a better view down the way the bug had left. "Giant underground insects? A little. You've got some pretty unique ones here or there - y'know, radiation-fueled giant monsters, some scientist's escaped project, or whatever - but those are usually weird or flashy - worms, moths. Beetles....hm." Rubbing the back of his neck, the hero ran his mind back through some of the stuff he'd had to deal with - or learnt about in the inevitable event he'd have to deal with it - and frowned. "I wanna say this is more Sub-Terran. There's some other stuff a good ways away from here, but I know Terra-King likes giant, armored insects for...well. For being giant, armored insects. They're strong, they're hard to put down, they were bred to be trainable, and they're expendable - what's not to like when you're invading some surface city or another?"
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Knowledge Check (Earth Sciences), DC?? (1d20 + 15=18) Aw, c'mon, IC. In his area of speciality? We're having none of that. Completely unnecessary REROLL: Knowledge Check (Earth Sciences) REROLL, DC?? (1d20 + 15=35) Yeessssss. GK knows all the things.
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Indira took a moment to quietly reflect on that, folding her arms over the top of the chair. "I will not claim that I do not miss my home," she replied, thoughtfully, "nor will I claim that I was never angry about having to come here. Perhaps, even, I will not claim that I am never angry that I had to come here. There are...things, that never feel right. Your plants do not move, your people are fragile, and your technology is old." "But," she countered, lifting a finger off her arm, "your world is not without...I think the word is 'perks'? Your people are interesting, and your society is...different. It is nice to feel powerful - on Kinigos I would have been only somewhat above-average. I have made friends here, too, and I admit that it is nice to be able to walk outside the city without worrying about being eaten by a poison tiger-bug."
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"Hmm." Indira leaned forward in a spineless sort of way, arcing a little further forward than was strictly reasonable even for her tall build; she reached out with one finger and poked her ghost-friend in the intangible ghost-stomach. "I think you are correct. It may be for the best, perhaps: I am still not used to having hair at all, and I do not know how good a job I would do trying to braid yours." "I think," she added, forming the non-poking mirror-hand back into a normal non-poking non-mirror hand, "that it is admirable you are so cheerful in a position where most would be very depressed. It is...we have words for it, but I think the literal translation would sound insulting. You would say, perhaps, 'great strength of character'?"
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She briefly contemplated just extending her face out on a stalk so that she could see the back of her own head, but Indira wasn't sure what kind of effect that would have on anyone watching her do it. Instead she made her own mirror, her left hand flattening out and going smooth enough to be a imperfect but perfectly serviceable reflective surface. "Hmm. I like it - it is very complex. I think I will have to try to remember what it feels like, so that I can do it again later. You are very good!"
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Devil Ray making his escape was...unfortunate...but Wraith couldn't do much more than watch him fly off; she could be pretty fast, but not that fast, and she was certain that his flying would beat her jumping abilities any day. That was something she was going to have to put more thought into in a world full of superheroes.... Instead she turned her attention to the remaining enemy. Enemies? Bastion hadn't really attacked anyone, sort of, but he sounded like in was in bad sorts and Orion was a little too far away to be immediately dealt with. Her body flowed, dropping low to the ground on arms and legs that were large, heavy, and clawed. As her body lengthened a bit and her limbs rearranged to something like a skittering insect or lizard she took off...straight up, circling Bastion's leg and up his torso until she was nearly up in his face. And then she swung one of those large, heavy hands back and punched him, hard, right in...well, what probably used to be his nose. "I am sorry," she apologized, a little late. She sounded sincere, though. "I am afraid that if we do not calm you down or knock you out you may hurt yourself or others. I would only ask the same if I ever became huge and crazy."
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Unless there are objections, I think I may just have Wraith climb Bastion. Dude's 32 feet tall (or more!), so she figures it's not a bad way to get up there. Plus, face-punchans. Move Action Shapeshift Super-Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling 2) [4PP] Strike 5 (Feats: Mighty) [6PP] [4 + 6 = 10/10PP] Move Action Climb! If he's ~32 feet tall, a standard move should do it. SURGE: Standard Action Face-punch! Melee Attack Roll vs. Bastion's Face (Power Attack -2/+2) (1d20 + 10 - 2=12) Really? Really, IC? Shouldn't have power attacked. Wraith hasn't accomplished a whole lot in combat threads lately, so I'm gonna re-roll that. At a minimum result of 11 (roll) + 10 (bonus) - 2 (power attack) = 19, she's not capable of missing. DC27 toughness for Bastion's face. Wraith's down 1 HP, and will be Fatigued at the start of her next turn (unless I spend another HP to, y'know, not be).
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"Scaring campers sound like it might be fun, if you are not crazy at the time," Indira pondered, trying to imagine how she's go about that. Probably less dish-throwing and shrieking, probably more hiding and stalking and disappearing-of-campers-when-nobody-is-looking-ing. She was pretty sure she saw that in the movies at some point.... "I think I can see how it may get old, however. For what it is worth, it is much more fun to have you here, and cheerful. I think that too many people are far too serious."
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What in the world....? The vibration was a bit more subtle over at Freedom City University, attenuation and all, but it wasn't nearly subtle enough to escape the notice of someone who could literally feel the earth move. That someone frowned, looking off in the direction of Star Island and wondering just what in the world had happened to make...no, it wasn't an earthquake, it was really more like- "Uh...Mr. McLeod?" He blinked, snapping his attention back into the room. His office. Office hours. Right. "Right, uh. I just realized that I have a...thing," he said, not very convincingly. In his defense, he was awfully distracted. "We'll finish up another time - sorry about the inconvenience." He was up on his feet now, grabbing a long brown bag off the shelf behind him and heading for the door as politely as he could. "I think you're mostly on the right track anyway, just pay a little more attention to the less obvious visual clues when you're trying to figure out what the make-up of a sample is." He was partway down the hallway, by then, a very confused student still sitting in his office. "And when in doubt," he called out as he tried to remember where the nearest stairwell was (why were they always moving offices around?), "never be afraid to lick the rock!"
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"That is a very odd sensation," Indira admitted, resisting the urge to extend an eye or something to peer at the process as it happened. "It must be a very interesting and useful talent, however, especially when you cannot....ah." She frowned, mostly at herself, and would have bit her tongue if she was very used to having one. "....I am sorry," she apologized. "I am a very physical person - it is all I can do. I have no talents that do not involve physical action. You are, I think, nearly my full opposite, and it is a very...different thing to consider. I should be more polite."
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Indira shook her head, frowning, in as much as one could frown without many facial features to speak of. "I do not require ropes for climbing, or lights to see in the dark, so I have never had a reason to own them. I suppose I could get a camera, though it seems like it would be a bother to carry around all the time; putting things inside myself is possible, but can be uncomfortable, and if the camera has metal parts I must be careful not to eat it." She glanced up into the sky for a moment, pondering. "I do not imagine that any abandoned building would have security that could stop any one of us, much less the three of us working together. But it is a good consideration; we would not want to set off an alarm and end the trip early. We will have to keep careful watch of what we do."
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Indira blinked; she clearly wasn't sure what purpose letting her hair down would serve, but she apparently trusted Kimber enough to just go with it, her braid flowing together and then splitting apart into countless free, dark strands. Her hand, too, returned to normal, though that was more so that she didn't have to worry about where it was pointed; just because she wasn't capable of hurting Kimber didn't mean she wanted to gouge the few furnishings they had in their school home. "I think I have heard of the Meta-Grue," she said, stretching a little to adjust to her human disguise. "I am not sure what to think of him. It is encouraging to know that a Grue can live freely, but...disappointing that it does not seem better than the group it used to be part of."
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"I do not really have much control over it," Indira admitted, the rest of her taking her adopted human form, color fading in until she was - visually - indistinguishable from a normal human being. At least, she would have been, if she didn't immediately turn one of her arms into a three-foot razor-sharp scythe blade, leaving her with an arm that was perfectly normal from the elbow up and wicked, glinting metal from the elbow down. She examined her reflection a bit, continuing, "I did have some input, and I can change some details -" - to underscore the point, her clothing shifted, momentarily turning back to metal as it lengthened and became a winter-worthy jacket and heavier jeans, her hair similarly pulling up into a practical braid - "- but the actual human body is...pre-set. It is a fairly common...'technology' is not the right word." She frowned, trying to figure out what she wanted to say. "....treatment? I think that is as close as I can get. It is unpleasant, and expensive, but not so unusual. It is, however, fairly limited. I do kind of like the idea of being a 'meta-Kinigosi', however - I wonder if such a thing is possible."
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"Not this term," Indira said, speaking with the clacking voice of a skeleton (and exaggerating the jaw-flapping a bit) before her face filled back in to its smooth, three-eyed form. "Next term, perhaps; biology is very strange. It does help me understand how to pretend to be human, but I do not know many details yet...it is a difficult subject. Humans are made of meat, and many complex solid pieces. It is difficult to get used to." She formed her arm into something more human-looking, parts straightening out to form a limb and a joint. "Part of my ability to look human is not my own...the color, especially. It is some sort of science, but I do not know much about how it works."
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Indira wasn't sure what death gods Earth had, but she liked to imagine that whoever it or they were they'd find Kimber's approach to death rather refreshing. "Well, if there are bug-eating plants, however small they may be, there is hope for your planet's plants yet," she mused, cheerfully. "Perhaps one day they shall grow larger, to fight larger insects and animals, and you may have a proper ecosystem." She was quiet for a moment, not quite sure what to say after that, or what she should ask. So she pulled her face back, like it was being melted backwards into the shape of a silvery human skull, third eye disappearing as the other two became the bony head's black, empty sockets; it wasn't perfect, but it could easily have been a metalworker's abstraction. "Is this what a human skull looks like?"
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Indira blinked, glancing around the garden, and taking a moment to reflect on whether or not she should think about coming there for some midnight meditations after all.... "I had not realized my religious preferences had spread that far. This is the 'grapevine', I think?" "Exploration sounds interesting," she agreed, "though I think I will leave the picture-taking to you, as I cannot fit through small places while carrying anything. But I can be helpful there, and in reaching difficult places in general - I cannot fly, but I am quite good at climbing."
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"Oh!" Indira brightened a little at that news, rising up for just a moment before slumping again. "...oh. I had forgotten - your insects are all very small. That is not quite as exciting." She hummed, frowning a bit as she pondered Kimber's comment. "I...suppose it does sound scary. It is not so bad, really, when you grow up there - and we are very hard to kill. Humans are....fragile," she said, gesturing helplessly. "Not all of them are so fragile, of course, but the normal ones...even the Lor, when they visit, stay in our cities. Here on Earth, I cannot help but feel that your trees are simply...waiting, and biding their time."
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"It is generally best not to get into fights with heroes," Indira agreed, shaping herself back up into something a little more humanoid (though she still didn't have her normal polished shine - too noticeable at night!). She blinked her three eyes at the screen, trying to translate the maps into a mental image of the areas...easier said than done, since she hadn't been out much. "You still have not told me what it is, exactly, that we will be doing," she pointed out, glancing up at Sharl and Koshiro. "I am happy for a chance to...the phrase is 'stretch my legs'?...but the term 'adventuring' is very vague."
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"Hmmm." Wraith, apparently just as relieved as Kimber was now that she knew this wasn't going to make their shared room terribly, terribly awkward, bobbed her head a little as she thought. "Do all of your plants just...sit there?" the alien asked, quite sincerely, glancing up. "It is very disconcerting."
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"No!" Indira held her hands up in reassurance, shaking her head. "My goddess does not charge me with hunting of the dead. If the dead cause trouble, then perhaps, but otherwise that is the duty of Her and Her...you would say 'pack', I think. She is also a goddess of the hunt, and other things. I am charged to hunt the living, and the souls of living things I kill become Her prey. I...do not think She would come for your soul, anyway. In legends, the souls of aliens and alien creatures are left to their own gods unless She is personally impressed." She blinked, realizing something. "And...I should mention that she only hunts souls who run? Those who face their judgement or afterlife are met with warm welcome. I cannot hope to imagine what She would think of you, or Earth, but there are stories of Her allowing souls to remain with the living when the need was great or their cause was just."
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Well, that was...unexpected. Wraith watched Bastion as he grew, grew, grew, and just didn't seem to stop growing until he was tall enough that even she was a little concerned about how they were going to bring him back down. She was also concerned that most of the shapeshifters she'd met on this planet were either evil or crazy, but so far Bastion seemed more scared than either, so hopefully that'd keep. Villains probably couldn't. Let part of an enemy pack go unharried and it'll bite you from behind...she changed again, some of the mass from her legs shifting up into her fists-made-maces as she charged, swinging, at Devil Ray.
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Move Action Shapeshift! Elongation 1 (+5ft) [1PP] Enhanced Feat (Power Attack) [1PP] Speed 1 (10mph / 100 feet per Move Action) [1PP] Strike 5 (Feats: Improved Critical [19-20], Mighty) [7PP] [1 + 1 + 1 + 7 = 10/10PP] Standard Action Charge Devil Ray. I'm assuming (correct me if I'm wrong) that he's within around 100ft. Melee Attack Roll vs. Devil Ray (+2 Charge, -3/+3 Power Attack) (1d20 + 10 + 2 - 3=12) Nnnope. Not so keen on having her miss twice in a row, and hey, we just got those shiny HP.... Melee Attack REROLL vs. Devil Ray (+2 Charge, -3/+3 Power Attack) (1d20 + 10 + 2 - 3=21) That should do. DC28 Toughness for Devil Ray. Wraith is at -5 defense until her next action, and loses 1HP.
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Indira pulled back into herself a little, more pensive than offended or afraid. She brought both hands up to where her lips would be, thinking. "That is...I think it may take some explaining. It involves religion, which is very private, for us. We have many gods, and Kinigosi who are not...the word is 'atheist'?...who are not atheists worship one, perhaps two." She hummed a little, still trying to think of how to phrase or translate certain things, and finally just gestured at one of the few items she owned: it wasn't very big, taking up very little space on the wall where it hung, an odd item hand-crafted out of wood, rope, stone, and a couple strange bones. "We have stories, of course. Our ghosts, I gather, are not so different from your own - from you. They are transparent, and can fly; their eyes glow, however. They are not...as far as I know they have not been seen. We have a deity, I think you would regard her as female, and She would not care. She is complex, but one of Her major aspects is that she...um. She hunts the dead, the souls that have not properly moved on."
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Indira mimicked the shudder, a little ripple travelling down her body. "No, that can be...distinctly unpleasant, depending on what I end up with inside of me. We traditionally apply scents in a small spot, so that it can be smelled but is easy to...keep on the outside. Putting things inside of yourself is easy if you do so intentionally - I can pretend to eat, for instance - but folding something in from the surface is uncomfortable. I suppose that makes us a very clean people, at least. Nature has...I...do not think that idiom translates." She furrowed her brow (and interesting feat, with three eyes), and thought on that one for a while. "I think the English equivalent is 'forced your hand'?"
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"That is very true," Indira agreed, looking pleased to be talking to somebody with some sense in them. "I do have some copper in me, of course, but not enough to color me unless I do so on purpose. I rather like the look of silver metals. They are...slimming, and much easier to make sharp." She momentarily made her hand into a wicked, curved blade that probably could have cut the air itself, much less anything it was used on, before relaxing it back into an actual limb. "I do not know how interesting other fashion would be. Much of it is smell and shape - I think humans have...it is perfume? Our senses of smell are keener than yours, but we have similar products...and some are so concerned with fashion that they try to stay in a pleasing shape as much as possible. But they are...I think your equivalent would be people who wear very expensive, impractical clothing. It is only important if you want to look like somebody who cares very much about what they appear to be."
